《Overgeared》


 Chapter 1

    TL Note: Hey everyone,


    This is my new novel called Overgeared. The name is basically a Korean gaming ng term used to put down users who rely on items for strength instead of skill. It¡¯s hard to find an English equivalent to this term, especially when used in many different situations and contexts throughout the novel. I have decided to go with Overgeared for the title and for when it is used as a noun, etc. a guild name. However, I will go with ¡®item effect¡¯, the most urate meaning, for when it is used in a sentence.


    This is a vrmmorpg novel and while it has some of the obvious stereotypes and unrealistic parts, it also does some things differently. People might get annoyed with the mc¡¯s character at first, but he does get a lot of character development. In fact, some of the fun of reading the novel is seeing the MC''s character grow. I think that people who are fans of VR novels like Legendary Moonlight Sculptor and Rebirth of the Thief will enjoy this novel.


    Schedule is currently two chapters a day. I''ve also made a glossary to help you keep track, since this is a long novel at 678 chapters and still ongoing.


    Brief overview that I tranted from a Korean site:


    The basis of this novel is a virtual reality game called Satisfy, developed by the world¡¯s top genius scientist Lim Cheolho and world-ss scientists.


    The main character is timid, ky, selfish, cares about money and easily feels jealous of others. Because the author set up the character in this way, the story was difficult for the readers to read.


    But as the main character encounters various people and geniuses, he internally matures and his personality changes. If the main character is described as cancerous early on, at present he can be called a mature adult. However, those who don¡¯t read beyond the early parts of the 5<sup>th</sup> volume (~ chapter 90) find it hard to believe.


    The basic settings and story line are simr to other VR novels, but the praiseworthy thing is the content development. The early parts aren¡¯t much different from rival novels, but the novel rating has exceeded the market average in recent years due to the writer¡¯s growth.


    Like other novels, it contains a munchkin element, but it is different from typical munchkins. In the early stages, the game progresses with the main character using is ss of a legendary cksmith. The main character expands the game content and the level of the existing users dramatically increase. Hidden talents, new yers in the official rankings, sses that could break the bnce, all of this makes the main character¡¯s one-man show impossible. The main character grows internally and externally whilepeting with others.


    In fact, if youpare the simple and ignorant battle method in the beginning to his abilities in the present time, it is possible to feel such a sense of distance that he doesn¡¯t seem like the same character.


    As for the evaluation of the work, the criticism was severe in the beginning, but the poprity increased rapidly after that. As described above, the improvement in the author¡¯s writing and the growth of the main character led to rapid changes in thements. However, the main character¡¯s selfish and frustrating behaviour caused many readers to stop reading in the beginning. For the readers who have gone beyond the beginning, it is a tragedy that seems really pitiful.


    Currently, its poprity is increasing and a webtoon was recently released. However, there are many criticisms of the webtoon due to the various changes made. For those curious about the webtoon, here is the link to the raws, although only the first 3 chapters are free.


    Prologue


    "Five minutes left!¡±


    Eight of the top-ranked yers were gathered in one ce on the 4th floor of Cork Ind¡¯s dungeon. The highest-ranked among them was Peak Sword, who was 16th on the overall unified rankings. Behind them were 200 elite members of the Silver Knights Guild.


    It was a spectacr sight of a gathering of users with thebined power to capture a small fortress. But tension and anxiety filled everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Four minutes left!¡±


    As time counted down, the nervousness of the guild members reached the peak. They were restlessly shaking their legs and biting their nails. Peak Sword gazed around with dark eyes, the hands holding his sword soaked with sweat.


    ¡®I can¡¯t calm down.¡¯


    Cork Ind¡¯s dungeon was fully controlled by the Silver Knights Guild, and the boss monster, Hell Gao, appeared on the 4th floor every two weeks. However, Hell Gao was stronger than expected and had a variety of patterns, so they had been unable to seed in any of their five attempts so far.


    Peak Sword and the elites of the Silver Knights strengthened their items with money during thest month, all with the intention of seeding next time. They were definitely stronger after all the investments, but those who knew Hell Gao¡¯s power couldn¡¯t feel any confidence.


    ¡°Three minutes left!¡±


    After three minutes, Hell Gao would appear and this ce would turn into a sea of fire. Some of them would even die from just the mes.


    ¡°Two minutes left!¡±


    A wave heat started to slowly permeate throughout the room.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Peak Sword wanted to encourage everyone, but he was afraid. He was clearly reminded of the overwhelming appearance of Hell Gao, the staff-wielding boss monster enshrouded in mes.


    ¡®Are we stillcking the power to defeat him?¡¯


    It might be different if the power of the top 10 rankers were added, but he couldn¡¯t help thinking that this expedition would fail with their current strength. However, the guild¡¯s best ranker couldn¡¯t show his weakness, so Peak Sword endured it.


    ¡®Do it. We can do it. We are strong!¡¯


    Peak Sword steadied his heart and took various buffing potions, with the others following him. It was at that moment.


    "One minute left...eh? Intruder! There is an intruder!!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    All of the guild members¡¯ eyes headed towards the entrance. A young man had entered. It was unusual because he was covered by a cloak, with no armor or weapons visible.


    ¡®Did he break through the defensive troops downstairs?¡¯


    Was it a highly trained assassin? No, an assassin wouldn¡¯t openly reveal their presence in a ce like this. Peak Sword pondered on the name above the head of the ck-haired youth. However, no matter how much he looked through his memory, it was an unfamiliar name.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a ranker?¡¯


    Peak Sword nced at hispanions, but they all shook their heads.


    ¡®A non-rankering all the way here. Pathetic.¡¯


    Peak Sword came to this conclusion and warned the youth with a frown,


    "This is an area controlled by the Silver Knights Guild. I don¡¯t know how you managed to reach this point, but if you don¡¯t want to die, go back.¡±


    "My stealth suddenly disappeared. Was it because I was detected by Hell Gao?¡±


    The young man ignored Peak Sword¡¯s warning and threw off his cloak as he talked to himself.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    There were exmations from every direction. The appearance of armor rapidly being equipped on the body of the youth was quite cool. Despite being made of metal, it seemed to be custom fit for the wearer, and its smooth surface was so reflective it was like a mirror. It was an elegant blend of red, ck and gold. The particrly unique point was the one-meter long tail that stretched from the vicinity of the tail bone. It was sharp like a de, and amazingly moving on its own.


    ¡°W-What, that armor?¡¯


    "It¡¯s terrific... Unique grade?¡±


    It was the first time they had seen such armor, so the guild members struggled to hide their interest.


    Peak Sword raised his voice, ¡°That isn¡¯t important right now! Why aren¡¯t you throwing him out right now?¡±


    Hell Gao would soon appear and then nobody would be able to escape from the dungeon. They had to deal with the outsider before that. The moment that the guild members interested in the armor tried to carry out Peak Sword¡¯s order,


    <i>Roaaaaar!!!</i>


    [Hell Gao, the owner of Hellfire, has appeared.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s roar has applied fear, chaos, and debilitating effects.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s fire reduces heat resistance by 50%.]


    [Fire pirs have risen to cover you.]


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    "Hiiik!¡±


    Due to the silent mes that surrounded the whole body, half of the guild members either fell into a dying state or burned to the point where they couldn¡¯t even be recognized. Barely half of the people standing were able to hang on.


    Peak Sword was surprised at the notification window that popped up.


    ¡®I raised my fire resistance to 86%, but to still receive this degree of damage...!¡¯


    They would fail again. As Peak Sword was feeling despair, he suddenly doubted his eyes. The unknown young man. While the others were surrounded by mes, he alone was moving forward, moving freely like he wasn¡¯t affected.


    ¡°H-How...heok?¡±


    Peak Sword fell silent as he witnessed a ridiculous scene. As Hell Gao ran amok and ughtered the guild members, the young man pulled out a pickaxe, headed to the wall¡­ and started swinging the pickaxe?


    <i>Kaaang!</i><i>Kaaang!</i>


    The young man swung it with good form andined as he wiped off the sweat,


    ¡°Ugh, hot! Isn¡¯t thebor getting worse? Why does the mineral only appear when the boss mob is present? Based on this, I might have to visit a dragon¡¯sir with my pickaxe!¡±


    At that moment, a hot wind emerged from the staff that Hell Gao waved and hit the young man. Peak Sword expected the young man to receive huge damage and copse. But unbelievably, the young man only suffered minor injuries.


    "Excuse me, Mister.¡± The youth stopped his pickaxe for the first time and turned his attention to Peak Sword. He said with an irate expression, "Why are you just standing there nkly? It¡¯s hot now, but it will only just get hotter.¡±


    What was he seeing now? Peak Sword btedly regained his spirit and asked, "How can you be fine?¡±


    The young man replied like it was obvious, "It¡¯s the item effect.¡±


    <i>Chaaeng!</i><i>Chaeng!</i>


    The tail on the young man¡¯s armor moved by itself and fought against Hell Gao¡¯s staff. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t close his mouth as he gaped at the unbelievable sight.


    Chapter 1


    After entering the ¡®Northern End Cave¡¯ at the end of a three months journey, I was able to witness the overwhelming sight of all types of battle gear piled up like a mountain.


    ¡°Wow, what is this?¡±


    The names of the brilliant battle gear were in a colorful mix of green, yellow, and purple. If I took only a few of these, I would be a rich man! I wanted to take all the battle gear, but it was impossible.


    [This item can¡¯t be obtained.]


    "How stingy and dirty.¡±


    Items that couldn¡¯t be acquired despite them being right in front of me! When I put it in my bag, it would return to its original spot like a mirage. This situation was like that of a pie in the sky, or a woman already being married. No, a married woman was still different from a pie in the sky, as one could still obtain a married woman if one tried enough.


    In the end, I could only stare at the items with longing and regret.


    ¡®Indeed... If a user could obtain all of these, Satisfy¡¯s economic bnce might crumble. Unfortunately, I understand.¡¯


    I didn¡¯te here for the battle gear in the first ce. I soothed my mind and turned my attention away from the pile of battle gear. There was an old book ced on a shiny gold table.


    ¡°Finally...¡±


    All the hardships I experienced whileing here passed through my mind. Laughter emerged as my nose became runny and tears dripped down. Thank goodness I had patience and tenacity, otherwise, I would¡¯ve quit the game because of the terrible difficulty of the quest. I felt great pride at the thought of clearing this quest.


    ¡°Kukuk...puhahahat!! I finally found it!! Oh, yehhhhhh!¡±


    A damn S-grade quest that was impossible to give up! Incidentally, how many deaths have I experienced before on this solo quest? How many items were destroyed due to no durability?!


    A human cksmith who transcended the skills of a dwarf, Pagma achieved the culmination of god-like techniques!


    The face of Earl Ashur, who made me visit one of the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s five forbidden zones, popped into my head.


    "If I bring this to him, I can get the Sun Sword? Once I get it, no one can match me for the rest of my life, you bastards! I will make you pay for hitting me!¡±


    Pleasure surged like a tide as I picked up the book.


    [You have acquired the legendary craftsman¡¯s rare book!]


    [It isn¡¯t in a proper state. You can check the details using the Eye of Palian.]


    [Do you want to use the Eye of Palian?]


    "Eye of Palian? A high-end appraisal item is needed to check the item?¡±


    Eye of Palian was the most expensive among the existing appraisal items. Six months ago, I had bought it just in case I got a jackpot, but sadly, I couldn¡¯t use it and it was left in my inventory.


    "I don¡¯t want to miss a golden opportunity...¡±


    I put the appraisal on hold and examined the golden table. I wondered if there was a way to take this gold away, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Kicking, pulling and even biting it was useless. It was an item like the battle gear that users couldn¡¯t own.


    "Ah, I really can¡¯t salvage anything because of this effective system. The price of my three months of work is very high.¡±


    I gazed at the book in my hand.


    ''I have to give Ashur the item so do I really need to use an expensive item to appraise it?¡¯


    I struggled for a moment before pulling out the Eye of Palian. It was natural to wonder about the source of my three months suffering.


    ¡°Appraisal.¡±


    [Pagma¡¯s Rare Book]


    Rating: Legendary


    This is a book that contains the techniques of Pagma, the cksmith who transcended human limits. The person who opens the book can be a legendary cksmith.


    Effects: Be Pagma¡¯s descendant.


    Conditions: None.


    * The level and stats will change when used.


    [A legendary item has been found!]


    [Reputation will rise by 500 across the continent.]


    My body started trembling.


    ¡°Whoa...jackpot...¡±


    It was a legendary item! My reputation rose by 500 across the continent just because I discovered it! It was an amazing harvest, given that it was difficult to raise reputation by 100 just in one city.


    ¡®Reputation is reputation, but...¡¯


    I wondered if I had seen it wrongly and read the item description again. However, there was no change in the contents.


    ¡°Jack~~pot!!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t hallucinating. I was extremely excited and could hear my heart beating wildly. I thought it was just a skill book but it was actually for a ss change? Furthermore, it was legendary grade! This meant it was the strongest ss in the world!


    "Moreover, there is no condition to use...¡±


    Tears flowed down from my eyes. During the past year, I had to pay the interest on my loan, my Satisfy ount, and I also took a leave of absence from school. My friends left me one by one, the alumni of my schoolughed at me, people thought I waszy...


    My original n was to sell the items I gained during the game and turn it into cash so that I could pay off my loan, my ount, and my tuition. However, Satisfy wasn¡¯t such a fair world. It was hard to earn money and I could barely obtain equipment for myself, let alone ones I could sell.


    But now it was different. A thrill went through my body as I shivered.


    ¡°It is over... I can say farewell to this nightmarish life!¡±


    A legendary ss change item! If I register it as an auction item on the item trading site, it was clear that the transaction price would be worth tens of millions of won.


    No, it was an item that gave the best ss among two billion users, so would it only be worth tens of millions of won? I could be sure that it was worth at least hundreds of millions of won. I might be able to get my hands on an astronomical amount that I never imagined!


    ¡°Puhahahahat!! Mother! Father! This freeloader finally made it! Now it¡¯s time to leave the game and forget about finding employment! My parents can quit feeling ashamed of their son in front of the neighbors! Sehee! Oppa finally did it! Now you don¡¯t have to be embarrassed every time you meet me on the street! When my friends want toe and y at my house, I don¡¯t have to refuse and make all sorts of excuses! And my friends! Alumni! They can¡¯t ignore me anymore as a pathetic game loser! I will be a sess with a game! I have taken a few steps ahead of you guys in the society! Puhahahat!!¡±


    I paid 10 million won to purchase a capsule, and my loan interest rose by hundreds of thousands of won every month.


    ''Ahyoung is still pretty...¡¯


    I imagined attending my high school alumni meeting for the first time in two years in a foreign car. The sessful alumni wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore me anymore. Then I blushed as the face of my first love, Ahyoung, came to mind.


    "Okay, go and sell it!¡±


    Quest? I didn¡¯t care about that right now. Obviously, while the reward was a weapon that belonged to the epic rating, it was nothing inparison to the price of this book. My affinity with Earl Ashur would fall and would probably end up with me not receiving any more quests from him. But there was no reason to be afraid in front of hundreds of millions of won.


    ¡°Logout!¡±


    I confidently eximed. Then a notification window shed in front of my eyes.


    [You can¡¯t log out of the game here.]


    [Earl Ashur has appeared.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Dozens of knights jumped into the cave as I was struggling to understand. Then the familiar Earl Ashur appeared. I panicked as he found me and his face distorted.


    "Foolish traveler, you all have the same greed.¡±


    [The quest ¡®Earl Ashur¡¯s Secret Request¡¯ (S) has changed to ¡®Earl Ashur¡¯s Anger¡¯ (SS).]


    [Earl Ashur¡¯s Anger]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Earl Ashur chose you due to your average abilities, your stupidity and because you are easy to exploit. He entrusted you with the task of finding Pagma¡¯s rare book that he wasn¡¯t even sure existed.


    He put a watcher on you and came urgently as soon as he heard that you entered the ¡®Northern End Cave¡¯. Earl Ashur has witnessed you be blinded by greed over Pagma¡¯s rare book and has no intention of forgiving you. He intends to kill you and take away Pagma¡¯s rare book.


    * Affinity with Earl Ashur has fallen by 100.


    * Due to your actions, all of the fame you have built in Patrian has disappeared and you have now be infamous. The affinity of Patrian¡¯s residents has fallen by 40. They will look at you and call you a thief.


    Quest Clear Conditions: The deaths of Earl Ashur and his escort knights.


    Clear Reward: Obtain the title ¡®Noble Killer.¡¯


    * Noble Killer: Intelligence -50.


    All nobles in the kingdom will despise and oppress you. Your jobs will be limited. The affinity of somemoners and royalty will rise.


    Quest Failure: Level -2.


    You will no longer be able to enter Patrian.


    Any Patrian soldiers will kill you on sight.]


    Patrian was the starter city where I first created my character. I built up a considerable amount of reputation whilepleting quests in Patrian from level 1 to the present, and my affinity with the residents was at its maximum.


    All merchants gave me a 20% discount when buying goods, and the goods I sold were purchased at 15% above their value. There were residents who gave me hidden quests when I approached them. But all these achievements automatically flew away the moment this quest updated.


    "...Ah, I. This is shit.¡±


    A curse naturally emerged.


    "Earl Ashur... no, you bastard! This goddamn bastard forced me onto a quest where I wasn¡¯t sure if I could find the item or not!! If Pagma¡¯s rare book was something that didn¡¯t exist, I would¡¯ve struggled for months in vain! You are the one who lied in the first ce, yet you want to make me notorious in Patrian? Filthy jerk!¡±


    As their master was cursed at, the hot-headed knights immediately pulled out their swords. Earl Ashur restrained them and spoke coldly to me,"You had already decided to betray me before you knew you were deceived. Even so, you are still acting so proudly.¡±


    "Is it greedy to want a reasonable reward after the hardships of my journey? My betrayal wasn¡¯t certain!¡±


    He sneered at my words.


    "Didn¡¯t I already promise to give you a reward in return? We entered into a contract and you have trespassed on my good faith out of greed.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t something that I could handle with words. As I fell mute, Earl Ashur¡¯s momentum increased as he continued to chatter,


    ¡°You are truly a poor man. The more I watched, the more I could feel it. But there are times when you can do extraordinary things, as I honestly hadn¡¯t expected you to find this cave that had disappeared from history. I will punish you for your ignorance, but as reward for your patience, I will kill you as painlessly as possible.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    ¡®This bastard!¡¯


    I wanted to stab my sword in Ashur¡¯s mouth right now, but it was an impossible task. The man¡¯s level was 300 and was also a great magician whopleted his third ss change. His escort knights had an average of level 180.


    On the other hand, I was only at level 73 and didn¡¯t even have a chance against the youngest knight who was serving as a bread shuttle. (Bread shuttle - Usually used at school, where one student is picked on and/or bullied to do the errands for people who are higher on the socialdder than the shuttles are.)


    But look at the quest clear conditions. I had to kill them.


    Plus! Even if I cleared the quest, wasn¡¯t the questpensation garbage?


    ¡®My intelligence will be minus 50? Fuck, right now I have 30 intelligence, so won¡¯t I be an idiot if I¡¯m at minus 50? And all of the kingdom¡¯s nobles would hate me? So where was my exit route?? Why is there a quest like this? Ahhh!!¡¯


    There was only one choice. Just die. I would drop two levels, but I couldn¡¯t seed anyway. Besides, what was the point of seeding with such a nasty quest?


    ¡°Hu...¡±


    I felt resigned. The pressure from the knights wasn¡¯t a joke.


    ¡®This means I would¡¯ve lost eight levels just from this quest... Ashur... One day, I will be high level and take revenge. Definitely.¡¯


    I stared at Ashur and vowed revenge, then closed my eyes at the menacing swords in the knights¡¯ hands. Then suddenly, I remembered Pagma¡¯s book in my hand.


    ¡¯Wait, what about this?¡¯


    Would it remain in my inventory after I died if I put it in there before my death? This wasn¡¯t a general quest item, so I couldn¡¯t be assured of the situation.


    What was Ashur¡¯s purpose in the first ce? Pagma¡¯s rare book. The reason he wanted to kill me was to take it away. In order for the story to go smoothly, if he killed me, it was likely that Pagma¡¯s book would disappear from my inventory and fall into his hands.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    If I was going to lose Pagma¡¯s book anyway, I might as well use it instead of selling! A new option emerged. I could use Pagma¡¯s rare book.


    However, I hesitated. I hated production-rted sses. Wasn¡¯t the point of a game to enjoy the thrill of battle? However, if I became a cksmith, I would have to sweat as I hammered at iron in front of a fire. It might be necessary to carry pickaxes while searching for mines to collect the necessary materials.


    It was indeed...


    ¡®La. bor.¡¯


    At that moment, a chill went down my spine. I was doing brickwork and shovel work at construction sites in real life, and now I needed to dobor in a game as well! Just imagining it made me feel terribly dizzy.


    ¡°Kuock...¡±


    I wanted to remain as a warrior; it was my dream to swing my sword at enemies and someday be an army general. But now it was time to give up on that dream. An item worth hundreds of millions of won would be taken away by an NPC! By that bastard Ashur!


    "It¡¯s better to use it than to lose it to him!¡±


    I tearfully opened Pagma¡¯s book. The shocked Ashur hurriedly stretched out a hand and chanted a spell.


    "It¡¯s toote, you jerk.¡±


    I ridiculed him before falling silent as I checked the notification windows appearing one by one.


    [You have be Pagma¡¯s descendant.]


    [Your level has dropped.]


    [You are now level 1.]


    [All skills and stats have been reset.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Weren¡¯t ss changes supposed to help you get stronger by strengthening your existing level, stats, and skills? Therefore, I couldn¡¯t understand why my level, stats and skills were reset instead of maintained.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    As I was confused by the unknown situation, new notification windows emerged.


    [Dexterity stat has opened.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill has been mastered.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has been mastered.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Patience has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Patience has been mastered.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Disassembly skill has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Disassembly skill has been mastered.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Repair skill has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Repair skill has been mastered.]


    [All cksmith skills have been mastered to the level of the Pinnacle and the skills of the legendary cksmith have been opened.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Discernment skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Repair skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Disassembly skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Blessing skill has been created.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill has been created.]


    [Title, ¡®One who Became a Legend¡¯, has been acquired.]


    [Composure stat has opened.]


    [Indomitable stat has opened.]


    [Dignity stat has opened.]


    [Insight stat has opened.]


    In the case of dexterity, it was a basic stat possessed by all users with a production-rted ss. However, the Composure, Indomitable, Dignity, and Insight stats were all unfamiliar. Was this a good thing?


    "Not good!¡±


    I was desperate. There were 15 passive skills and 22 active skills that I learned as a warrior. However, Ipletely lost all my abilities as a warrior. Due to the effect of the ss change, I hadpletely be aborer.


    Furthermore, I was level one. The levels that I barely built up over the past year had beenpletely reset and I needed to start over? I had to restart the damn level-up grind from the beginning?!


    ¡°Why is there a quest like this? Fuc*[email protected]....~#@...[email protected]....^%$!!¡±


    Ibined several Korean characters together as a knight¡¯s sword rapidly headed towards me.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [You have died.]


    The level 1¡¯s low stamina dropped to 0 with a single hit from a level 180 knight.


    [Quest failed!]


    [You will no longer be able to enter Patrian.]


    [Any Patrian soldiers will kill you on sight.]


    [Your level has dropped by 2.]


    [You are now level -1.]


    [There is no registered residence. Do you want to resurrect at the nearest temple?]


    ¡°......?¡±


    I saw my level and lost it.


    ¡°Negative? My level is negative??¡±


    I was certain that I had been cursed by the gods for some fault in a previous life. I barely got here after three months of hardship only to get this result? I didn¡¯t want to y the game. I chose to log out instead of resurrecting.


    Once I quit the game, I immediately connected to the Inte and searched through all of the Satisfy rted forums in Korea to look for information about a negative level. But I couldn¡¯t get any information so I wrote my question directly on the forum.


    Title: I am currently level -1.


    Contents: I have been doing a quest for three months and received a legendary old book. However, I failed and my level strangely dropped to -1. Why??? Has this ever happened before???????


    I pressed the OK button to post andpletely emerged from the capsule. A quick nce in the mirror revealed someone who looked like an emaciated patient with an incurable disease. It was the aftermath of not sleeping for three months while doing the quest. And the only thing I received in return was a loss of hundreds of millions of won and a minus level.


    ¡°My three months of work have gone flying away... Three months of hard work. Hahaha...¡±


    I could¡¯ve gone and taken somebor jobs, but I ended up shoveling air. No, it was a loss of time and level. I lost energy and flopped to the ground. I was sad, empty, grumpy, and resentful. All types of negative emotions were pouring in, giving me a tremendous sense of helplessness. If I were weaker person, I was sure that I would¡¯vemitted suicide.


    "...I need to take a shit.¡±


    I had been connected to the game for a long time, so I headed to the bathroom after receiving a physiological signal. It was three in the morning. All my family members were sleeping. If I woke up my parents then they might curse at me.


    I stealthily crossed the living room, quietly did my business in the bathroom, washed up, moved back to the kitchen, and took out a side dish from the fridge. I barely managed to find a spoon in the darkness and returned to my room with a bowl of rice.


    "Oh, it¡¯s sausage fried rice.¡±


    The taste of a meat processed product! As I ate delicious food and filled up my stomach, I rxed and could think soberly.


    "How did my level be minus?¡±


    I thought about it before sitting in the capsule to check the question I posted on the Inte.


    ¡°What?¡±


    In the meantime, the number of views on my posts had gone over 10,000. The number ofments was more than 2,000!


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t find the information, but was the minus level actually famous among users, and the users were excited because it gave tremendous benefits? My dream was destroyed when I checked thements.


    Iksl ** ¡¯s answer: If there is a minus level, a ghost will appear before me at night.


    Eksk ** s answer: Wow ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I am level -5 ^.^We are low-levelrades.


    Tutu ** ¡¯s answer: Did you find a legendary book as well? ?? Do you have an attention sickness?


    cm3s **¡¯s answer: He should be brought to a mental hospital. Take this post down.


    7r14 ** s answer: Legendary book... minus level... these days ??? really, some people...


    jk12 **-1¡¯s answer: Wouldn¡¯t -1 best ce in the rankings ???? I would quit the game?


    Kkks ** ¡¯s answer: Something this unique that hasn¡¯t appeared yet, what nonsense.


    Qkr8 ** s answer: Is it excessive drinking?


    Gjte ** s answer: Wow, minus level... I pay homage to your imagination. You should be a fiction writer. ? ?


    ¡°......¡±


    There were 2,000ments like these. I felt like an idiot.


    ¡®It seems that information about minus level hasn¡¯t been revealed at all... am I the first person?¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s system was configured to allow users to discover and develop themselves. There was no such thing as a customer service center like in other more traditional online games. Satisfy¡¯s two billion users had been developing the world during the past year by pioneering and exchanging information on their own.


    But in such a vast world, there was a lot of information that hadn¡¯t been revealed, such as the minus level that I was experiencing now.


    Swaaah.


    It was raining outside the window. ording to the weather forecast, it was going to rain all day. It wasn¡¯t easy to get abor job if he went out looking today. I ate thest of the rice and logged into the game again.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Lim Cheolho was the core of the team of 33 scientists who built the virtual reality system and was the person who led the development of Satisfy by establishing the S.A Group.


    He had many titles: the one with the knowledge of a god, the creator of the virtual reality system, the person who changed the world, the father of Satisfy, the wealthiest person in the nation, one of the most influential figures in the world, a person who received requests for naturalization dozens of times a year from all over the world, the pride of South Korea, etc.


    His countless titles meant that he received the spotlight every time he attended international events, and his influence transcended the American president, making him the world¡¯s envy.


    In fact, his life wasn¡¯t as shy as discussed in the media. He was the head of Satisfy¡¯s development team, as well as head of the S.A Group, so he slept less than four hours a day on average. But was he unhappy? No, it was something he wanted for himself. Lim Cheolho was proud and enthusiastic about Satisfy, which had captured the hearts of two billion people.


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    Lim Cheolho was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing. He checked the time and saw that it was 2:50 a.m. It had only been 20 minutes since he went to sleep. The umted fatigue from a month¡¯s worth ofte nights crushed Lim Cheolho¡¯s thinking ability.


    His voice was rather sharp as he spoke into the phone, "What is going on? What?¡±


    An urgent voice was heard over the phone. Lim Cheolho immediately woke up. ¡°I¡¯m going immediately! Be prepared to give me the report as soon as I arrive!¡±


    Lim Cheolho got dressed and entered the elevator, heading to the underground floor of his house. In the underground parking lot, limited edition cars from expensive brands were parked in order by type. He climbed into a sports car with the butterfly style doors and drove to thepany at full speed.


    "What happened?¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s Operations Office.


    Lim Cheolho ran into it and asked without recovering his breathing. Yoon Nahee, the head of the operations team, bowed to Lim Cheolho and adjusted her orange horn-rimmed sses.


    "It happened five minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°How interesting!¡±


    The excited Lim Cheolho sat down. He turned his gaze to the huge monitor on the wall and the stopped video started ying. The main character of the video was a level 73 warrior. An Asian youth found a cave at the northern end of an ind, held Pagma¡¯s rare book, and used it.


    The staff handed two documents to Lim Cheolho as he watched the video. Lim Cheolho read it and rubbed his chin.


    ¡°In reality, as well as in Satisfy, he is a normal person with no outstanding traits. After being exposed to Satisfy, he suffered from ack of self-control, resulting in the lowest level of life. How did this person find the cave at the north end that was concealed by aplex algorithm? Does he have an exploration talent that he doesn¡¯t know about?¡±


    ording to the analysis from the development team¡¯s ¡®Morpheus¡¯ supeputer, the North End Cave was supposed to be found by users in one year and ten months. In other words, it meant that the appearance of the legendary book, ¡®Pagma¡¯s Rare Book¡¯, was originally supposed to be one year and ten monthster.


    One young man broke everyone¡¯s expectations and hastened the timing. The number of users who did their 2nd ss advancement was less than 100, and he was now the sole legendary ss in the game.


    Lim Cheolho was greatly interested in the user who gave him a great surprise. But Yoon Nahee didn¡¯t think of the young man as anything special.


    "It was merely a product of coincidence and obsession that he discovered the North End Cave.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The young man called Shin Youngwoo, whose yer name was Grid, stayed in only one city for a year and umted more than 8,000 reputation in that city. His intelligence stat was also less than 50.


    Thispleted the conditions needed to receive Earl Ashur¡¯s quest. He explored areas infested with monsters higher than level 200 for three months without giving up, even though he was less than level 80 and tasted death several times.


    The most impressive thing about him was his discovery the North End Cave. He found the quest item and was blinded by greed. By choosing to log out, he met the requirements for the linked quest to possess the legendary book.


    ¡®There are many ways to meet the activation requirements, but the most extreme one is logging out.¡¯


    Anyway, as Yoon Nahee said, this chain was the result of coincidence and a stubborn personality. However, the young man proved that coincidences ovepping several times could create a positive cloud. It also reminded him how valuable patience and effort was.


    ¡®Luck and persistent are also great abilities.¡¯


    Yoon Nahee asked a question to Lim Cheolho, who was watching the young man on the monitor with sparkling eyes.


    "How does the minus level work?¡±


    "That is also a cloud of luck.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A scientist was talking about luck? Lim Cheolhoughed and exined,


    ¡°As you know, users below level 10 get the beginner bonus, so their experience won¡¯t decrease even if they die. This means that they don¡¯t suffer from the level drop phenomenon. But in fact, a hidden system exists. Level reduction due to quest failure will be enforced regardless of the beginner benefits. However, there is no way for a beginner to receive a quest that would cause a level decrease, so it was likely to remain a hidden system forever.¡±


    Lim Cheolho enjoyed the fragrance of the coffee that a staff member passed him and continued,


    ¡°The team predicted that if this quest followed the normal course, the one who received ¡®Earl Ashur¡¯s Secret Request¡¯ quest would be a minimum of level 350. If the user is over level 350, they have a high chance of clearing the ¡®Earl Ashur¡¯s Anger¡¯ quest and bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. In other words, they wouldn¡¯t becking in ability like that young man and wouldn¡¯t have failed the quest. Only this young man was able to find the hidden system through this quest.¡±


    Yoon Nahee summarized it sinctly.


    Grid made an extreme choice during the quest because he was afraid of losing the hard-earned item. At this point, the penalty of falling to level 1 after bing a legendary ss was applied.


    Users under level 10 wouldn¡¯t experience a drop in experience even if they died, due to the beginner bonus. But there were no exceptions to a failed quest¡¯s penalty. Grid was forced to lose two levels due to the quest failure, even though he was level 1, and as a result, he was now stuck at level -1.


    This was why Lim Cheolho called it a cloud of luck...


    ¡°Then can a minus level gain experience in the normal way and earn stat points for every level gained?¡±


    Lim Cheolho nodded. ¡°Right. He is currently level -1 and will have to gain two levels to reach level 1, where he will then have 20 stat points.¡±


    "...This means his base stats will be 20 points higher than a character of the same level.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. That young man received a benefit that wouldn¡¯t have been possible if he was a yer capable of clearing Earl Ashur¡¯s quest. He is a really lucky guy.¡±


    The expressions of the employees grew serious. Yoon Nahee asked him, ¡°A legendary ss has appeared two years sooner than expected. A legendary ss is already very powerful, so if he has 20 more stat points than his level, won¡¯t the bnce be broken?¡±


    Lim Cheolho showed her the papers listing Shin Youngwoo¡¯s information.


    "This graph shows that his level was quite low in proportion to the amount of time he spent hunting. He was a foolish person who stayed in one city for a year without leaving to find adventures or a more pleasant environment. I don¡¯t think he has great talent for the game like the rankers. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    "Is it really okay? In the eyes of other users, it might be enough to make him look special.¡±


    "What can we do, even if it isn¡¯t okay? We have a policy of not directly interfering in the game, so think positively. Isn¡¯t it a good thing that an ordinary user, not a ranker, obtained it? Besides, Pagma¡¯s Descendant is rtively weak inbatpared to the other legendary sses...¡±


    Lim Cheolho, who was watching the young man on the monitor, suddenly flinched and fell silent. He shook his head at Yoon Nahee¡¯s puzzled expression.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t a big deal. I will be going now. You have suffered a lot from thete nights of work. I will give you a bonus soon, so please suffer a bit more.¡±


    The atmosphere of the employees became excited at the word ¡®bonus¡¯. Lim Cheolho smiled and left the office.


    ¡®Why all of a sudden?¡¯


    Only Yoon Nahee was silent among the raucous staff. She felt nervous as she thought about Lim Cheolho¡¯s surprised look. On the other hand, Lim Cheolho¡¯s expression subtly changed in the elevator as he muttered Shin Youngwoo¡¯s name.


    ***


    I lost my ce of residence because I was expelled from Patrian. Therefore, I resurrected at a temple near my ce of death. Oh and by the way, it was actually a temple for the god of darkness, Yatan.


    Dark energy hung around the dark room, while robed ck magicians wandered around with gloomy expressions. People were shouting and pounding their chests around an altar, but it was too creepy to watch.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    The sharp scream of a woman in pain came from underground.


    "...Well, it is nothingpared to that notorious ce.¡±


    I had already finished my military service. If someone had been next to me, then they would¡¯ve felt the general, oppressive atmosphere of a horror movie. I wasn¡¯t a female user so I felt no fear at the Yatan Temple.


    ¡°S-S-Status window.¡±


    My voice was shaking but I tried not to let it affect me. I ignored the surroundings as much as possible and concentrated on the status window in front of me.


    Name: Grid


    Level: -1 (0/20)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probability of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, the is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 14/14 Mana: 3/3


    Strength: 1 Stamina: 1 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 1 Dexterity: 1


    Composure: 1 Indomitable: 1 Dignity: 1 Insight: 1


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 3,035/20


    * The weight limit exceeds 200%, so movement speed is reduced by 100%.


    The body is heavy and cannot exert any power properly.


    The probability of receiving the ¡®weakened¡¯ state has be really high.


    A flood of emotions filled my head.


    The minus level was something I couldn¡¯t understand, and the stats that didn¡¯t allow me to win a fight against even a rabbit caused anger. However, the special functions given by the title and profession overwhelmed me.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    ¡®The minus level isn¡¯t a bug.¡¯


    The numbers in parentheses beside the level indicated my current experience and the amount of experience required to reach the next level. The existence of this experience figure meant that I could level up. In the worst case, I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to level up because I was bugged.


    ¡®I¡¯m d it isn¡¯t a bug...¡¯


    I still felt upset. Think about it: my level was originally over 70, but now I was lower than even new yers who had just created their characters.


    ¡¯I have to endure this.¡¯


    I braced myself. It might take time, but I could raise my level again. The reason for this positive thinking was due to the qualities of my profession and title. I didn¡¯t know anything about item creation, so I couldn¡¯tment on the probability of adding additional options, but it was still good to have.


    ¡¯The odds of enhancement will increase.¡¯


    In Satisfy, items could be enhanced up to +10.


    However, the price of the materials needed for enhancement was expensive. In addition, the higher the enhancement number and item rating, the lower the probability of the enhancement seeding. In addition, if the enhancement was sessful, the enhancement value would be +1; however, if it failed, it would be -3. The price for items with an enhancement of +6 would rise exponentially.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how much the probability has risen, but can¡¯t I feel hope for arge amount of money?¡¯


    Both of the ss characteristics that I mentioned were quite attractive. However, my bigger interest was that all items could be worn unconditionally. This was an unreasonable merit. Depending on the penalties that were applied, this attribute could disrupt the bnce of the game.


    ¡¯Isn¡¯t this a fraudulent ss attribute?¡¯


    Most of the equipment items in Satisfy had conditions of use attached to them. If the conditions weren¡¯t met, the item couldn¡¯t be worn. For that reason, every level had strong limitations. But that didn¡¯t apply to me, due to the nature of my ss.


    ¡¯Really?¡¯


    I opened my inventory.


    [Mamon¡¯s Greatsword]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 88/204 Attack Power: 178~301 Attack Speed: -16%


    -Additional water damage will be added to all critical attacks.


    This is the greatsword patronized by the guardian of Lake Pamian, Mamon. Due to the influence of theke, this sword has the strong aura of water.


    Conditions of Use: Level 65 or higher, more than 260 strength, more than 150 stamina.


    Weight: 1,050


    [Mengel¡¯s te Armor]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 51/180 Defense: 165 Movement Speed: -2%


    * Strength +10


    This is a work made by the cksmith Mengel in the fortified city of Patrian. With it, the defense is improved and the weight lowered. The wearer of this work can feel Mengel¡¯s strong willpower that remained behind.


    Conditions of Use: Level 60 or higher, more than 180 strength.


    Weight: 1,203


    My current stats didn¡¯t meet the conditions of use attached to Mamon¡¯s Greatsword or Mengel¡¯s te Armor. In other words, a normal person wouldn¡¯t be able to wear both items. But I was the exception.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Mamon¡¯s Greatsword.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Attack power of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword will decrease by 30%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [The penalties will be reduced if your understanding of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword increases.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Mengel¡¯s te Armor.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Defense of Mengel¡¯s te Armor¡¯s will decrease by 20%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [The penalties will be reduced if your understanding of Mengel¡¯s te Armor¡¯ increases.]


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Satisfy rarely had items with no usage conditions. I recalled a set of beginner items that were representative of having no conditions. I didn¡¯t remember it exactly, but in the case of the beginner¡¯s greatsword received at level 1, the attack power was 5~13 and the defense of the beginner¡¯s armor was 7.


    But now I could use a weapon capable of at least 124 to 210 attack power, and 132 defense at level one.


    ¡®Won¡¯t it be surprisingly easy to recover my level?¡¯


    No matter how low my level was, I could hunt monsters around level 20 with just the attack power of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword. Thanks to Mengel¡¯s te Armor, I wouldn¡¯t receive any damage from low-level monsters.


    In other words, I could hunt monsters much more quickly and easily than other users at the same level, thanks to the item effect. This would be directly linked to leveling up at the speed of light.


    ¡®The basic penalties system is that rare items have a drop of 20% in the basic abilities, while epic items have a 30% drop. Only half of the item effects are applied...¡¯


    The penalties were surprisingly small. Unique and legendary ranked items would be subjected to more penalties, but at this point, it was a sufficiently fraudulent ability.


    ¡°This is a legendary ss...! But what is understanding?¡±


    Due to my excitement, I btedly noticed the bit about ¡®understanding¡¯ that appeared in the notification windows. Then I checked the detailed information.


    [Item Understanding]


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant can understand the materials and principles of the item by using, disassembling, or repairing the equipment items. The higher the level of understanding, the more efficiently one can handle the items. If you have a 100% understanding, you can learn how to make that item.


    ¡°Ohu~¡±


    The higher my level of understanding, the fewer penalties there would be.


    ¡°Then I will get the production method? Wow...¡±


    Ordinary production users had to pay arge amount of money orplete hard questions to get the production methods. But I could get it for free, as long as I increased my understanding.


    ¡¯The repair skill is avable and my item durability is low, so I will try and repair itter.¡¯


    Then I looked at the title attributes. Inbat, the one thing yers had to be most cautious of was an abnormal status, due to its ability to often reverse the state of a battle. By the way, my title lowered the probability of being affected by abnormal statuses. It also said that I wouldn¡¯t die when my health was at the minimum, so I could be temporarily immortal.


    ¡®Easily acknowledged, does that mean my affinity with NPCs can be easily increased?¡¯


    ¡°Puhuhut...¡±


    I was happy. I was so happy that I couldn¡¯t stopughing. The ss and title attributes alone gave me the feeling of being ahead of other regr users. I had be special. This felt like properpensation for my three months of suffering.


    ¡°But...¡±


    I would¡¯ve enjoyed a much greater pleasure if I could¡¯ve sold the book for money.


    "I missed out on the opportunity to get rid of my creditors and to drive a foreign car!¡±


    I suddenly went from feeling good to feeling bad.


    "~#@....!^%*@.... Ashur!!¡±


    I pounded the floor with frustration and resentment. I poured all out types of profanities towards Ashur. Gradually, my heart was soothed. It was due to an unfamiliar stat, so I decided to check it.


    [Composure]


    The probability of being affected by an abnormal state is lowered. If affected by an abnormal condition, you will recover quickly.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    [Indomitable]


    Has a certain probability of invalidating a portion of the iing damage. The lower the health, the higher the probability.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    [Dignity]


    Can¡¯t be pushed down by others. There is a rare chance of making the enemy submit to you.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    [Insight]


    Discover the target. Predict risks.


    * The higher the number, the higher the probability.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    Every stat had a great effect.


    ¡¯By the way, how am I going to raise the number if I can¡¯t distribute points to it?¡¯


    The exnation seemed huge, but they might be stats without much practical use. The moment that I was about to open the skills window.


    "Aack!"


    I screamed with fear. Something had suddenly touched my back. I btedly recalled that I was in a Yatan Temple.


    ¡°W-What!!!¡±


    I hurriedly turned around and reflexively wielded Mamon¡¯s Greatsword. The man behind me dodged my attack and raised both hands.


    "Hey, calm down. Do you want to kill a person?¡±


    The one who spoke was a Caucasian-looking man who seemed to have an assassin type ss due to his light equipment and agile body.


    ¡¯His finger poked my back.¡¯


    It might¡¯ve be okay if it was a sword, but it was embarrassing to scream just because of a finger.


    "What is it?"


    The man shrugged.


    ¡°It is dreary. Shouldn¡¯t you apologize after trying to kill a person?¡±


    His smile looked like a smirk. I disliked this type of person.


    ¡®This person is speaking so impolitely at our first meeting.¡¯


    Certainly, the man looked older than me. At first nce, he seemed to be in his mid-30s. However, my one year experience was enough to let me know how deceptive appearances were. I once called someone ¡®Brother¡¯, only to find out they were seven years older than me.


    This bastard, he looked like he was in his 30s but...


    ¡°Cough.¡± My fists trembled and I barely managed to calm myself as I remembered the shameful past. "I¡¯m sorry about that. But shouldn¡¯t you apologize for poking me without notice and surprising me?¡±


    The manughed and asked for a handshake.


    ¡°Young man, I called out to you. However, you were so engrossed in thinking that you didn¡¯t hear me. That is why I poked you. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I refused to shake hands with the man.


    "So why did you call me?¡±


    The man scratched his head and shrugged.


    "As you know, the Yatan Temple is filled with evil energy. Ordinary people will be afraid if they stay here for a while. But I observed you, and you are fine despite all the time that passed. In addition, you can even manage tough alone. You, don¡¯t you actually have great abilities?¡±


    ¡®Perhaps this is...¡¯


    As I got a hunch, I checked the name above the man¡¯s head. The man¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡°My name is Doran. I am a shadow who secretly protects Earl Steim. One or two days after I had gone on vacation, the Earl¡¯s esteemed daughter was kidnapped. I tracked her and found out that she was trapped in the basement of this temple. Won¡¯t you lend me your strength? I will give you a remuneration for the request.¡±


    "I don¡¯t...¡±


    I thought the man was a user, but he was actually an NPC. Due to the perfect artificial intelligence, the distinction between users and NPCs was ambiguous and this mistake sometimes urred. The name above his head was green, symbolizing an NPC. Then a notification window about a quest popped up.


    [Rescue the Earl¡¯s Esteemed Daughter]


    Difficulty: S


    Irene, the only daughter of Earl Steim, is a beautiful and innocent virgin. The elders of Yatan had kidnapped Irene in order to sacrifice her for her virgin blood.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Rescue Irene within one hour after epting the quest.


    Clear Reward: 3,000 gold, a low probability of bing the earl¡¯s son-inw.


    * Earl¡¯s son-inw: Nobility stat will open, all stats +20.


    You will be treated as a viscount after marrying the earl¡¯s esteemed daughter. Power and honor will rise. You can advance into the social circle of the nobles. You will receive a monthly sry. This can be a shortcut to bing a high-ranking official or lord.


    Quest Failure: Level -2.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    This was crazy.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    It was apletely unwee quest. Was it because I didn¡¯t like the rewards? That was impossible!


    ¡®This reward is really good...¡¯


    3,000 gold was worth around 3,600,000 won when converted into real cash, which was close to 40 days of revenue for me if I worked without any rest. But the great thing was the title of ¡®Earl¡¯s Son-in-Law¡¯.


    All stats +20! I currently had nine stats in total: strength, stamina, agility, intelligence, dexterity,posure, indomitable, dignity and insight. If I added the nobility stat, that would equal 10 in total.


    If all of these stats were given 20 points, it would be a total of 200 stat points. Every time I gained a level, 10 stat points were obtained, so 200 stat points were worth 20 levels. It would also be wonderful to have a beautiful aristocraticdy as my bride.


    ¡¯The road is open. But...¡¯


    There was a reason why the rewards were so good. It was an S grade quest!


    ¡®Earl Ashur¡¯s Fury was an S grade quest. ¡¯


    At the time of the quest, I was level 79 but couldn¡¯t cope with the difficulty. I was killed many times during the quest and dropped down to level 73. In addition, the time spent was three months!


    I was currently level -1, so I had no means of clearly an S grade quest with a time limit. Why would I ept a quest that would obviously fail?


    ¡®Furthermore, my level will fall by two if I fail.¡¯


    My body trembled with fear and anger at the thought of my level dropping to -3.


    ¡¯But why on earth is it an S grade quest again?¡¯


    S grade quests were nevermon quests. Even the top level rankers who were above level 200 could only count the number of times that they¡¯ve received an S grade quest on their left hands. However, I wasn¡¯t high level user and was currently at level -1.


    I recalled what Doran said:


    ¡®As you know, the Yatan Temple is filled with evil energy. Ordinary people will be afraid if they stay here for a while. But I observed you, and you are fine despite all the time that passed. In addition, you can even manage tough alone. You, don¡¯t you actually have great abilities?¡¯


    There were hints in these words. The quest seemed to be generated by staying in the Yatan Temple for a certain period of time without falling into the ¡®fear¡¯ state. My title andposure stat lowered my chances of falling under an abnormal condition.


    Was it good? Did I like it?


    ¡®Won¡¯t I be screwed if this is a forced quest? The attributes of this title are crazy, but it¡¯s like this game is trying to make me quit.¡¯


    I replied unhesitatingly,


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it. Ask someone else.¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    I refused the quest, but Doran didn¡¯t quit.


    "You are the only unusual person, so please help me. A precious person¡¯s life is involved!¡±


    [Doran is desperate. Do you understand his sad circumstances and ept the quest?]


    The concept of the notification window was lost. Did it think I was in a position to take care of others right now? I immediately swiped the window away and said, ¡°You are mistaken. I am weak and ipetent, so I won¡¯t be able to help you. It would be better for you to take care of it alone.¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    ¡°As you know, the believers of Yatan use powerful ck magic! I can¡¯t rescue the youngdy from them alone! Please don¡¯t turn away, lend me your strength!¡±


    [Doran hasn¡¯t given up. Would you like to ept the quest?)


    "No, first of all, I don¡¯t have the ability to do it...¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    ¡°You are too modest! Don¡¯t you know that the power to ignore their fear isn¡¯tmon?¡±


    [Doran can only depend on you. Would you like to ept the quest?]


    Sometimes, there were quest NPCs who would persist like this. They had their own desperate situations. Yes, I could understand Doran¡¯s feelings. If Doran returned without rescuing his master¡¯s daughter, his head would go flying off.


    But what about me? What if I failed and my level dropped again?


    Why should I go through such terrible things because of him? I was more important than aplete stranger! The biggest problem was that I didn¡¯t have the ability to help him in the first ce.


    "Please help! I am begging you!¡±


    Doran fell to his knees.


    I looked at him. This man, all the words I spoke to him were entering one ear and leaving the other. Or maybe he thought I was lying.


    ¡¯It¡¯s probably thetter. Is it so great that I don¡¯t feel fear while staying in the Yatan Temple? I haven¡¯t been here before so I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m supposed to feel.¡¯


    I faced Doran head on and exined with a more serious attitude,


    "I¡¯m really sorry, but I truly don¡¯t have the strength to help you. Don¡¯t waste your time on me; call the earl and ask for his help.¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    "Every hour is urgent! The youngdy¡¯s life might be in danger while I go to ask the earl for help! You are the only person I can rely on! This is a request!¡±


    [Doran is hoping for a helping hand. Would you like to ept the quest?]


    The limits of patience.


    ¡°Ah, this is frustrating! Do you really need my help? I don¡¯t want to look at you anymore, so go away!¡±


    "Please give mercy for the sake of her life!¡±


    "What? No! Damn. Yes, I should leave. I am going now!¡±


    I once again refused the quest and turned away from Doran. This was a terrible quest that would cause my level to drop by two upon failure, so I wanted to avoid it. But unlike my thoughts, my feet didn¡¯t move quickly. I was 200% over the weight limit, so my movement speed was reduced by 100%.


    Doran saw that I was moving as slow as a turtle and misunderstood my actions as he teared up.


    "You act so intimidatingly, but you are actually conflicted... You really do want to help me...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    "Stop feeling conflicted and help me!¡±


    [Doran feels hope again. Would you like to ept the quest?]


    "Bullshit! I won¡¯t help!¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    I ignored him and hastened my steps. But once again, my speed was slow. This only deepened Doran¡¯s misunderstanding.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re conflicted because your life is busy, but the life of a person is more important! This is a request!!¡±


    "I can¡¯t! It isn¡¯t possible!¡±


    "Don¡¯t deceive yourself! In fact, you are suffering as well! You can¡¯t leave this ce immediately, which is why there is such hesitation in your step!¡±


    ¡°There is no hesitation! I¡¯m not walking slowly! My baggage is heavy, that¡¯s all!¡±


    Doran continued chasing after me, and my slow pace couldn¡¯t get rid of him.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    [Would you like...]


    ¡®What a stupid jerk!¡¯


    The notification windows kept popping up no matter how much I refused. I had to make a drastic decision.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t carry on like this. Yes, I have to refuse, even if I develop a hostile rtionship with him. He isn¡¯t a NPC I need to build up a rtionship with, so it won¡¯t hurt if he is my enemy.¡¯


    I pulled out Mamon¡¯s greatsword and red at Doran.


    ¡°I definitely can¡¯t help you. If you don¡¯t get away right now, I am prepared to hurt you.¡±


    Doran grasped the atmosphere and took one step back. Then he slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡°I really wish you would help me...¡±


    [Doran is asking for thest time. Would you like to ept the quest?]


    Swipe!


    How many times do I have to see this damn notification window?


    ¡°I won¡¯t help! Even if I can help, I don¡¯t want to! I won¡¯t help!¡±


    My stress went over the threshold and I could no longer suppress my anger. In the end, I yelled and swung Mamon¡¯s greatsword, expressing my intent not to talk to Doran anymore.


    Then...


    Kwajak!


    "Kaaack!¡±


    The sensation of hitting something was transmitted through my fingertips as a scream was heard at the same time. I turned my gaze to the side of the greatsword and saw what just urred: a believer wearing the robe of Yatan had copsed with Mamon¡¯s greatsword in his neck. An ominous chill went down my spine.


    ¡°I was aiming at the crazy guy, so why did the person next to him...¡±


    As I stared at the dying believer, a new notification window popped up.


    [Your rtionship with the Yatan Church has be hostile.]


    [You won¡¯t be able to receive Yatan¡¯s blessings.]


    [The followers of Yatan will try to kill you when they find you.]


    The atmosphere of the temple changed. While I was surrounded by dozens of Yatan believers, Doran got up and ced a hand on my shoulder and cried out, ¡°Thank you!!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    [Rescue the Earl¡¯s Esteemed Daughter]


    Difficulty: S


    Irene, the only daughter of Earl Steim, is a beautiful and innocent virgin. The elders of Yatan had kidnapped Irene in order to sacrifice her for her virgin blood.


    You can¡¯t tolerate the evil deeds of Yatan¡¯s followers. You must surely rescue Irene.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Rescue Irene within one hour after epting the quest.


    Clear Reward: 3,000 gold, a low probability of bing the earl¡¯s son-inw.


    * Earl¡¯s son-inw: Nobility stat will open, all stats +20.


    You will be treated as a viscount after marrying the earl¡¯s esteemed daughter. Power and honor will rise. You can advance into the social circle of the nobles. You will receive a monthly sry. This can be a shortcut to bing a high-ranking official or lord.


    Quest Failure: Level -2.


    [The quest has been epted.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Due to my hostile rtionship with the Yatan Church, the ¡®Rescue the Earl¡¯s Esteemed Daughter¡¯ quest was forced upon me.


    ¡°Huhuhu...¡±


    Some might say this was unlucky. No, it was more urate to say that I had no luck.


    ¡®Failure once again... it will be level -3!¡¯


    At any rate, I had no luck. Perhaps I sold a country in my previous life.


    "Who dares hurt Yatan¡¯s believers! Aren¡¯t you afraid of the curse of God Yatan?¡±


    ¡°God Yatan is almighty! God Yatan has already noticed your sin! You won¡¯t be safe for the rest of your life!¡±


    "You will pay a heavy price for your sphemy!¡±


    The angry voices of the Yatan followers mored around me. Their crazy eyes were filled with absolute hostility.


    ¡®Will I die now?¡¯


    The followers of Yatan were ck magicians. ck magicians had strong curse abilities, so they were difficult to deal with.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    ¡®The ck magicians are the problem right now...¡¯


    I was currently level -1, and my strength and stamina stats were only one point each. Mengel¡¯s te Armour added five strength, for a total of six strength. When all of these stats were added up together, I totalled a measly 34 health. I might be able to punch a few of them before going to theherworld.


    ¡®Can I get away?


    The failure of the quest was fixed anyway. I just wanted to preserve my life. No, I had to survive. If someone died two times in a day, they wouldn¡¯t be able to ess the game for 12 hours. Okay, this was the only way!


    ¡°Log out!¡±


    [You can¡¯t log out of the game here.]


    ¡°Fuck! I should¡¯ve expected this!¡±


    It wasmon knowledge that it was impossible to end the game while a timed quest was underway. There was a way to force it, but I didn¡¯t want to use it since I would get a huge penalty. After failing to log out, I looked for a way to escape. However, this was the stronghold of the enemy.


    I was being surrounded by a rapidly increasing number of followers. No matter how many calctions I made, there was just no way to escape. There was no hope when I was a slow as a tortoise.


    "Break through to the basement at once!¡±


    As I was nning out my actions, Doran shouted at me before pulling out two daggers and throwing them without dy. The hand gestures were so fast that it happened in an instant.


    Pepeok!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    One of the daggers struck a person¡¯s eye while the other pierced another¡¯s heart. Doran narrowed the distance towards the pained believers and wielded his dagger.


    "Open up.¡±


    The believers couldn¡¯t even scream as their necks were sliced and they vanished into a sh of grey light. I couldn¡¯t resist admiring it. Theck of information meant I didn¡¯t know the exact levels of the Yatan believers, but temple NPCs were generally at least level 150+. These believers were likely to be the same.


    Doran handled them so easily that I couldn¡¯t even imagine his level.


    ¡®Is he perhaps a named NPC?¡¯


    My impression of Doran changed. Maybe I could clear this absurd quest if I depended on him. 3,000 gold! A huge 3,600,000 won was in front of me! The earl¡¯s son-inw! I imagined getting my hands on all stats +20 and a beautiful wife! I would be a lord with my own territory, where I could steal high taxes from the users and NPCs!


    ¡®If I be andlord, I will be able to get revenue every month.¡¯


    Exciting!


    I began to cheer Doran on. ¡°Good! Doran, fighting! I have admired you for a long time!¡±


    ¡°Eh? For a long time? When have you ever seen...¡±


    ¡°Ah! Danger! Over there! You must take care of your body!¡±


    "B-Body...?¡±


    While Doran was surprised by my sudden change in attitude, he focused on dealing with the enemies in front of him. Grey lights appeared in session.


    ¡®Really strong!¡¯


    Doran skillfully threw numerous hidden weapons as if they were merely extensions of his limbs. The number one person on the assassin ranking, ¡®Old Sword Demon¡¯, that I saw on a broadcast two months ago, was like a young child next to Doran.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he three times stronger than Ashur? I must befriend him and ask him to assassinate Ashur!¡¯


    The Yatan believers ignored me and attacked the threat, Doran. But their efforts couldn¡¯t stop Doran¡¯s advance. Doran focused solely on those who were chanting spells, attacking them to stop their magic.


    The ck magicians couldn¡¯t cast their magic, making them no threat.


    ¡°Amazing! You are really amazing! Doran, you are my god!¡±


    I heard a magic spell being recited and cheered as a ck magicians mouth was pierced by Doran¡¯s dagger.


    The best! By relying on the strength of the NPC, I really couldplete this quest! Truly a fantastic quest! It seemed pathetic that I had been trying so hard to refuse the quest a few minutes ago!


    I could barely chase Doran with my slow pace, thanks to Doran asionally stopping.


    "Are you waiting for me? How kind. Hehe.¡±


    Doran was looking around with a terrible expression. "These guys have started to use their heads.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I looked around like Doran and saw that the ck magicians were chanting spells at the same time.


    "Blessed souls underground.¡±


    "Use your grudges and fears to ensnare the enemy.¡±


    "Those who feel fear will have their legs restrained.¡±


    "Their minds will be crushed and they will lose their willpower.¡±


    "Be a doll with a lost soul!¡±


    The ck magicians chanting the spell alone would be stopped by Doran before they finished. Therefore, the group shared the spell by chanting the sentences one by one. Those sentences would connect to form one spell and the magic would be cast.


    ¡°Be prepared.¡±


    I grabbed Doran¡¯s cor and said, "Be prepared? You should do something!¡±


    ¡°It is toote.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!"


    Kuoooooh!!


    A line of blood was drawn on Doran¡¯s face, and ck energy rose like a mist to cover Doran.


    ¡°N-No! I am finished if you die!¡±


    I had boarded the same boat as Doran and Doran was the oarsman. I couldn¡¯t escape the quest failing if I was alone on this boat.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    I cursed and shouted towards Doran, who was coughing up blood. ¡°Fuck! If it was going to be like this, you shouldn¡¯t have made me feel expectant in the first ce!¡±


    At that moment. A green light flowed from the ring Doran was wearing and surrounded him. Then Doran¡¯splexion was gradually restored.


    ¡®W-What?¡¯


    Doran attacked the surprised ck magicians, who were chanting new spells.


    "This ring is special. It protects the wearer from curses and poisons; however, the protection isn¡¯t perfect. The damage is cumtive, so I need to avoid as much magic as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed! The great Doran is even wearing a small ring like this!¡±


    The ring was clearly had an Epic or higher rating. Was there a way to obtain it? As I was thinking, Doran started to ughter the enemies again. He allowed a few magic spells to be cast but eventually seeded in creating a path.


    Doran started at the entrance of the staircase leading to the basement.


    "Come on!¡±


    "Yep!"


    Unlike my vigorous reply, I chased Doran down the stairs at a slow pace. The ck magicians pursued us with spells, but they were no threat because Doran threw daggers as soon as he heard chanting.


    ¡°Young Lady!¡±


    Doran and I arrived at the dark basement. Doran found a beautiful woman bound to the altar in the center of the basement and ran to her. But there was a crowd blocking him. There were a dozen ck magicians.


    Iughed at them. ¡°These ridiculous bastards! They need more people than that to be our opponents! Now, Doran! Get rid of them!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Doran nodded and wielded his daggers in front of him. Doran might be tired, but the number of opponents was too small. I was excited as I imagined the ck magicians turning into grey light. The quest clear signal was right around the corner.


    "3,600,000 won and the earl¡¯s daughter, here Ie!¡±


    Tatatang!


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    There was an unexpected result. The hidden weapons that were thrown by Doran suddenly stopped and fell to the ground. Doran¡¯s advance was also stopped.


    ¡°Shield?¡±


    Defense magic couldn¡¯t be used by ck magicians. It was only possible for ck magicians whopleted their second ss advancement. As I was baffled, a young woman walked out from among the ck magicians. It was a woman who boasted the best beauty, a unique beauty that caused the beauty of the noble youngdy to pale inparison.


    Somehow, she looked familiar? I checked her name and was shocked.


    ¡®Blood Witch!!¡¯


    The Blood Witch. ID: Yura.


    The Korean user who was ranked number one on the ck magician ranking and ranked number five on the unified rankings. She was a famous person who frequently appeared on TV because of her beautiful appearance and outstanding abilities. Why was she here?


    Yura looked towards me and stretched out a hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t allow you to take away the sacrifice.¡±


    Peeng!


    A red fire sword emerged from Yura¡¯s hand. Its momentum was fierce. Unlike a ck magician who didn¡¯t have a lot of attack magic, she was well versed in it. I was intimidated as I saw the mes.


    ¡¯Did I get this far, only to die?¡¯


    Why the hell was she here? As despair filled my body, a notification window popped up.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with the minimum amount of health.]


    I had one health point remaining. I had temporarily forgotten about it, but the attribute of my title was activated and I temporarily had an immortal body. Yura¡¯s face was perplexed as she saw that I survived, despite being hit by her magic.


    ¡°That was clearly a critical hit... Based on the equipment, you are only around level 80. So how are you fine after being hit by that attack?¡±


    Yura asked while hiding herself behind the ck magicians in preparation for Doran¡¯s counterattack. She always had a calm smile on TV, so I was probably the only one who had seen Yura¡¯s flustered expression.


    I ran forward and shouted to Doran, ¡°Quickly! Let¡¯s finish it in five seconds! I¡¯ll use my body to block their attacks, so Doran must kill them! I believe in you, Doran! My god!¡±


    The spells of all the ck magicians, including Yura, were concentrated on me. This meant that Doran could strike freely. The best development.


    ¡¯Yes, hit me! No matter how you hit, I won¡¯t die!¡¯


    Today would be the day where an ordinary user would stand up to a ranker.


    I narrowed the gap towards Yura as all types of curses and attack spells hit me, while Doran followed the path I made and dealt devastation to all the ck magicians. Then Doran stepped on my back and jumped towards Yura.


    Yura blocked his attack despite being in a state of confusion. On the other hand, Doran¡¯s momentum rose.


    ¡®We can win!¡¯


    But was it because Doran stepped on my back?


    [You have died.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Eh? Eeeeh? I wanted to reject this situation, but reality was cruel. A new notification window popped up as my vision turned grey.


    [Quest failed!]


    [Your level has dropped by 2.]


    [You are now level -3.]


    [As you have died two times within 24 hours, you won¡¯t be able to connect to the game for 12 hours.]


    Hah, it somehow turned out like this. I gazed towards Doran fighting... No, myst sight as I closed my eyes was that damned Blood Witch.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    The average level of ck magician users was level 53. Out of the 120,000 sses in Satisfy, the ck magicians had the lowest average level. The ck Magician ss was abat profession, but users of this ss had very weak defense and insufficient attack power.


    However, Yura had been hunting alone without a party since she starting, demonstrating unmatched control skills that harmonized with her magic. Her ability to select hunting grounds was also excellent. There was a good reason why Yura surpassed two billion users to rise to fifth ce in the rankings.


    Three hours ago, Yura had finally reached level 230, resulting in new wings being added to the list of her abilities.


    ¡®Now I can use defensive magic...¡¯


    Yura confirmed the A-grade spell that she acquired after much difficulty.


    ¡®Diamond Barrier.¡¯


    It was a spell to create a shield by materializing mana with a hardnessparable to that of a diamond. It was a defense type magic that could be acquired with a ck magician reached level 230.


    Afterpleting all the conditions required to learn Diamond Barrier, Yura headed straight to the Yatan Temple. As always, she headed to a temple with fewer users. It was troublesome since it was a long distance, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. It would be annoying if she went to a ce with a lot of users, due to her high poprity. It was amazing how many people recognized her, even when she concealed her face and ID.


    After running for two hours, Yura arrived at the Yatan Temple and ced the prepared spell book on the altar. The moment she was about to learn new magic after professing her deep faith in God Yatan.


    [A foolish group of enemies hostile to God Yatan has appeared inside the temple.]


    [Guardian of the Temple]


    Difficulty: S


    There are foolish people who have entered in order to rescue the sacrifice to God Yatan. You must defend the dignity of God Yatan and punish the sphemous intruders.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Repel attackers or defend the sacrifice for one hour.


    Clear Reward: The title ¡®Guardian of Yatan¡¯s Temple.¡¯


    * Guardian of Yatan¡¯s Temple: Faith +300, Health +1,000, Intelligence +60


    You are an example to other believers after defending the dignity of God Yatan. God Yatan will bless you more, and the faithful will worship you.


    Quest Failure: Level -2, Faith -250.


    Yura was surprised since she had only experienced an S-grade quest three times, despite being level 230. Then, a lot of noise was heard in the distance.


    ¡®Is this an auto-generated quest due to the advent of an intruder? I¡¯m lucky I came to the temple at this time.¡¯


    Yura was very motivated. She greatly desired the ¡®Guardian of the Yatan¡¯s Temple¡¯ title because it elevated all the important stats.


    First of all, Yura grasped the location of the sacrifice and then went to the ce where the disturbance was happening. She witnessed an NPC in leather armor ruthlessly ughtering the followers of Yatan.


    ¡®An NPC who has finished the third ss advancement.¡¯


    Indeed, an S-grade quest had a much higher level of difficulty. The NPC called Doran was a great threat to Yura.


    ¡®Even if I borrow the power of the believers, it will be a difficult quest to seed.¡¯


    She received an S-grade quest after a long time, but unfortunately, the chances of sess seemed low.


    ¡®No, there is no point in guessing.¡¯


    Yura calmly dispersed her mana throughout the entire temple. This wasn¡¯t a normal use of mana for ck magicians. In other words, it was to detect the enemy. While the detection skill was only avable to those with a fine mana maniption ability, it was but a simple matter for Yura.


    ¡®Including Doran, there are two people.¡¯


    Yura grasped the number of enemies and looked at the user following Doran. ID: Grid. Looking at his equipment, he seemed to be a level 80 user. It was surprisingly low for the person who must¡¯ve triggered the S-grade quest.


    The only one to be careful of was Doran. If so, this quest could be cleared.


    Yura meticulously observed the terrain of the temple while her enemies focused on fighting the believers. She made a judgment and went down to the basement where the sacrifice was located.


    The temple was too spacious and there was a lot of cover, so it was advantageous for Doran. She nned to use the hostage in the rtively small basement to limit Doran¡¯s movement and increase the hit rate of her magic.


    After a while, Doran and Grid finally entered the basement. Doran was already quite exhausted from dealing with all of the believers.


    ¡°These ridiculous bastards! They need more people than that to be our opponents! Now, Doran! Get rid of them!¡±


    The user Grid, shouted and Doran nodded as he fired his hidden weapons in front of him.


    "3,600,000 won and the earl¡¯s daughter, here Ie!¡±


    Grid was confident about the quest seeding. Yura felt sorry for him, but she also needed to clear her quest so she acted without any hesitation.


    Tatatang!


    Yura defeated Doran¡¯s hidden weapons with the recently learned Diamond Barrier and turned her gaze to the astounded Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t allow you to take away the sacrifice.¡±


    Doran was strong. In order to focus on him, it was wiser to deal with the rtively weak Grid first. Yura summoned fire and attacked without any dy.


    [Critical!]


    The greatsword was a weapon that warriors specialized in. It was clear that Grid¡¯s ss was that of a warrior. If he was a warrior around level 80, then no matter how good the equipment, his maximum health would be around 4,000. But Grid wasn¡¯t wearing any special equipment. He should have approximately 3,000 health. Furthermore, warriors were very vulnerable to magic.


    Yura calcted that she could deal with Grid in one hit by consuming one-fifth of her mana. It was a critical hit, so it was normal to think that Grid died. But surprisingly, Grid survived.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Let¡¯s say that his luck was so high that he survived the critical hit. However, it wasmon sense for a character to be stunned after received 40% or more damage in a single attack. Grid was standing without being stunned as if 40% of his health hadn¡¯t been decreased.


    ¡°That was clearly a critical hit... Based on the equipment, you are only around level 80. So how are you fine after being hit by that attack?¡±


    Yura was ranked fifth among the pool two billion users, and she was narrowing the gap between her and the fourth-ranked person. Her gaming skills were truly overwhelming. She knew that her magic damage calctions were never wrong. Her calctions had never been wrong while ying Satisfy so far. This was a new experience for her.


    That confusion it caused greatly affected her.


    ¡®Why is this happening? Is his level actually far higher than the equipment he is wearing? No, that isn¡¯t likely. A person who dares to wear low-level equipment during an S-grade quest... Did I overlook something?¡¯


    She tried to calmly analyze the situation, but Grid was approaching.


    Step.Step.


    He was a warrior walking a very slow pace, as if he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to narrow the gap towards the ck magicians. It was an attitude that seemed to disregard Yura¡¯s fifth ce ranking. Grid¡¯s behavior seemed to be saying to Yura, ¡¯I am giving you enough time to chant a spell. Use your best magic.¡¯


    An obvious provocation! Yura, who had a strong self-esteem, was furious. As Grid wished, she started to chant the top-level attack magic. She was determined to turn him into ashes, along with Doran.


    "Great god of the darkness, your humble servant calls you. Fill this ce with darkness and nt fear in the enemies¡¯ hearts, show your power to those who worship you.¡±


    As magic power started to rise, the torches lighting up the basement started to go out. The torches actually weren¡¯t turned off; the magic just turned the mes ck. Soon, the darkness swallowed up this area.


    A normal enemy would lose their vision and stop due to the added ¡®fear¡¯ effect of this spell. In fact, Doran hesitated for a moment from where he was hunting the ck magicians behind Grid. But Grid was approaching like it was nothing. He had a higher resistance than an NPC who hadpleted the third ss advancement.


    ¡®What is his identity...¡¯


    The ID was too strange. He wasn¡¯t a ranker, then how was he so strong? Her confusion grew and Yura couldn¡¯t easily recover. But the spell was fullypleted.


    ¡°Dark Storm!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A silent storm formed in the darkness and struck Grid. The effect of the storm caused the pirs supporting the basement to wobble, while cracks appeared on the ground and walls. A mighty power that could topple the whole temple! It was the moment when a high-ranking dark attack magic was revealed.


    Kwaang!


    Grid¡¯s body, that was already damaged from the ck magicians¡¯ attacks, was overwhelmed by the storm. Yura believed that Grid would turn into a grey light. But Grid was still fine as he kept walking forward, prating through the storm without pause.


    On the other hand, Doran¡¯s body behind him was a rag, barely following Grid as a green light emerged from his ring. Even a third advancement NPC couldn¡¯t cope with the magic, so why was this user fine?


    "You... what are you?¡±


    Yura was a smart girl. She could see through anything with logic. In her 21 years of life, she had been praised by everyone she met for her beauty and intelligence. She used her innate insight on her work, earning her a reputation of a talented person who could be used everywhere.


    Satisfy was the path that she finally chose.


    Anyway, this brilliant Yura couldn¡¯t figure out the man called Grid.


    ¡®This is an impossibility in the current Satisfy. This overwhelming presence isn¡¯t an NPC but a human... Is he a bugged user? No, Satisfy is controlled by the world¡¯s leading supeputer, Morpheus, so there are no bugs. There is clearly a rational way to get this strength. How did he gain such strength?¡¯


    It was the first time she encountered something beyond hermon sense. She was baffled and very curious. At this moment, the person called Grid was deeply imprinted onto Yura¡¯s mind.


    On the other hand, Grid wasing closer to her with imposing footsteps. Yura couldn¡¯t easily give up so she prepared to fight. Then Doran stepped on Grid¡¯s back, jumped up, and attacked her.


    Kaaang!


    Yura hurriedly blocked Doran¡¯s attack magic and turned her gaze towards Grid, expecting an attack, only for her eyes to widen. The body of Grid, that had been fine just a moment ago, was covered with a grey light and was disappearing.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Afterwards, Yura received big injuries as she struggled with Doran and barely managed to subdue him. She stared at the ce where Grid disappeared, ignoring the system window that informed her of the sess of the quest.


    ¡®Even if he were hit by Dark Storm, he wouldn¡¯t have died so suddenly. He must¡¯ve been penalized and forcibly logged out. Why?¡¯


    Yura¡¯s expression gradually worsened as she thought about it.


    ¡°Did he yield the quest to me...?¡±


    She felt helpless and received Grid¡¯s sympathy. That day became the worst day to Yura, of when her sturdy pride was thoroughly shattered.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    ¡°Uwaaaack! Doran, that bastard! He forcibly gave me a quest I didn¡¯t want, only to kill his teammate? Fuck! Thieves, robbers, and thugs, now I know why there are all these names. Doran! In the future, this name itself will be a curse!¡±


    I left the capsule, opened the window and shouted outside. The rain was strong so my voice wasn¡¯t heard by the people in the neighborhood.Thanks to that, I was able to shout for a long time.


    It wasn¡¯t 4 o¡¯clock in the morning yet. It was a day when my family could rest untilte afternoon due to the heavy rain, but I couldn¡¯t ess the game for 12 hours during such a golden holiday season!


    "Level -3...the more I think about it, the worse I feel. Doran, Doran, Doran!¡±


    I headed to the bathroom to cool off my head that was flush with anger. I soaked my face in cold water and listened to the gushing stream of water. I felt much better after washing my head for two days straight.


    "...Doran isn¡¯t to me for the situation.¡±


    Unlike my prediction, Doran was extremely strong and fought well. I was a bridesmaid and didn¡¯t have to do anything. Doran took care of all of the enemies by himself. I only had a chance to seed in the quest due to Doran¡¯s power.


    Yes, Doran did really well. However, an unexpected situation urred. The appearance of a ranker.


    "Damn witch...¡±


    Why had Yura appeared there? She was a ck magician. The Yatan Temple was an important base for ck magicians, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for her to appear there at any time. Why did Yura interfere? I was an intruder in the temple and she was obliged to protect the temple. It was obvious that she would be hostile to me. That was understandable.


    ¡®The moment I epted the quest, the ck magicians in the temple had a separate quest to stop me. The real enemies are the users, not the NPCs. There is a reason why Doran was so strong. No wonder why the S-grade quest felt too easy.¡¯


    I concluded.


    ¡¯Witch... thanks to me invoking the quest, you were able to receive a lot of benefits. A girl who didn¡¯t shed blood or tears. She tried to kill me instead of thanking me...¡¯


    After I died, Yura would¡¯ve seeded in the quest. Yura was strong and Doran was quite exhausted. It was really detestable.


    It was because of me that Yura received the quest in the first ce, and the reason Doran was so tired was because I was weak. Yura just sat back and ate bread. The bread that I had put in her mouth.


    ¡°Bad person...¡±


    A ranker over level 200 had snatched the quest of a minus level! I entered the capsule, connected to the Inte, and then searched for Yura.


    Yura, I just typed it in and hundreds, no, thousands of rted links filled the screen. I only checked the postings of highly popr blogs andrge-scalemunities and managed to get information about Yura.


    Contrary to her creepy nickname of the ¡®Blood Witch¡¯, she was well loved and respected, as well as a target of envy.


    Thanks to her superb beauty, perfect gaming skills and ideal image in the media, she was praised by both men and women. It also transcended race. There were thousands of fan clubs created on overseas servers. At first nce, she was even more popr than Hollywood¡¯s top actors.


    ¡®That is the modern world now.¡¯


    Satisfy was more colorful, thrilling and dramatic than any movie, so the main characters of Satisfy enjoyed more poprity than movie stars. If someone watched TV these days, hundreds of channels were filled with Satisfy rted programs. They also achieved high ratings, so Satisfy profession news channels were created.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just limited to South Korea. Satisfy had more than two billion users. The broadcasting market wasn¡¯t just South Korea, but the world. As a result, the movie actors received less exposure than Satisfy¡¯s protagonists, the rankers.


    In particr, Yura was much more recognizable than other rankers due to her beauty. Thanks to that, she had both money and fame. It was a perfect contrast to me, who was in debt due to Satisfy.


    ¡®I am suffering because of the game, while she is living a fantastic life because of it.¡¯


    Enjoying her favorite game while being recognized by the world? I was incredibly envious. If I was Yura, I would have no disappointments in my life.


    "...A person like you had to take away a poor person¡¯s quest.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t a witch. She was just a really wicked girl.


    Kwaduduk!


    I opened up the hologram keyboard and started toment on Yura rted posts one by one.


    ¡®Yura is garbage. She interfered in the quest of a low-level user. She ispletely different from her appearance on TV. Her personality is rotten.¡¯


    ¡®Yura isn¡¯t very pretty when you see her in real life. She got stic surgery a facelift. There is dirt on her nose and she always looks like she is chewing shit. Her smile is just for the TV.¡¯


    ¡¯Why is Yura good??? She is a bad person. How many people has she ruined? She also ruined my brother-inw.¡¯


    ¡®A ranker interfered in a quest!! Don¡¯t be fooled by the image created on TV.¡¯


    ¡°Huhuhu...! Kukukuk!¡±


    I informed people about what I actually experienced with Yura. I felt great because I became a great journalist who spread the truth to the people deceived by false information. The terrible reality that I experienced a while ago was gradually fading from my mind!


    Tadak.Tadadak.


    I continued postingments. My ten fingers tapped against the hologram keyboard that glowed in the darkness. A person tapping on the keyboard in the darkened room, someone who saw it might think it was beautiful and mysterious.


    ¡°Oppa... have you finally gone crazy?¡±


    Writing maliciousments... no, it was a movement to reveal the truth.


    I jumped in surprise at the voice that was suddenly heard. I turned my gaze towards the source and saw Sehee staring at me from the door.


    ¡°You surprised me.¡±


    I ced my hand on my chest, while Sehee entered my room with folded arms.


    ¡°I was going to the toilet when I heard Oppa giggling in your room. You were crazy about the game, so I thought you went crazy in reality. I was worried about Oppa and decided to check on you. Are you crazy? Please say that you¡¯re not.¡±


    "...Why are you speaking like that to your Oppa? I¡¯m not crazy.¡±


    "I¡¯m d you¡¯re not crazy yet. Urgh, something smells. Take a look at your head, you should wash more. And get rid of that bowl of rice that you ate! No, why are you eating rice in your room in the first ce? You should eat together with us... bah, no.¡±


    Sehee looked at the empty rice bowls and side dishes that I stacked up and started cleaning up.


    ¡¯This girl, she is nice and pretty. It is good that she doesn¡¯t resemble me.¡¯


    I watched her approvingly. Sehee felt my gaze and turned around.


    "Don¡¯t just sit there and watch. If you¡¯re not busy, shouldn¡¯t you help? No. Go and wash up. I don¡¯t like that appearance.¡±


    "Leave it and I¡¯ll take care of it. Why are you getting up when it isn¡¯t even morning yet? Go back to sleep.¡±


    "I saw Oppaughing in a creepy manner, so my sleepiness has fled. Please go wash up. I want to see your face properly after a long time... ah, no! Wash off that dirty and unpleasant scent!¡±


    When Sehee was one year old, I was nine years old. Was it right for my younger sister to act like this?


    ¡®If I knew this would happen, I would¡¯ve washed up when I washed my head.¡¯


    I headed to the bathroom in an annoyed mood. I washed my head with soap and dried it with a towel. But why was my hair so stiff?


    "...It wasundry soap.¡±


    I returned to my room with my stiff hair and smelled something different in my room. It was a rather refreshing scent. Did she spray perfume? Sehee was truly meticulous. The room had been cleaned and tidied up during the time I used to wash up. She was a very diligent girl, unlike me. She would be a nice bride.


    I saw Sehee sitting in the capsule andying down on my bed.


    "Connect to the Inte if you want~¡±


    Anyway, it wasn¡¯t like I could ess the game. I easily yielded the capsule to my little sister.


    Sehee shrugged and unexpectedly sent me a look of disdain. ¡°Oppa... are you a keyboard warrior?¡±


    "Keyboard warrior?"


    What did that mean? When I looked up, Sehee got up and pointed her finger to the monitor floating in front of the capsule.


    "Why are you spreading false rumors about a woman younger than you? Even if there is a reason, this behavior is too naughty. I¡¯m really disappointed in Oppa.¡±


    Her voice sank. Sehee was sincerely angry. I btedly realized my mistake and hurriedly checked the monitor. The damning list ofments that I made about Yura was still showing.


    Dammit! I should¡¯ve turned off my Inte window!


    ¡°S-Sehee, this...¡±


    "How low.¡±


    I tried to exin to Sehee, but she returned to her room and locked the door without giving me a chance to talk. The door wouldn¡¯t open, no matter how pathetically I acted. I realized that thest bit of good opinion my sister had towards me waspletely lost.


    This...what is this!


    ¡°This is all due to that witch!¡±


    I appealed to Sehee in front of her room. I didn¡¯t realize that I fell asleep there until I was woken up by my mother. My body wasn¡¯t trained at all! It hurts...


    I ced a cold patch on my body and fell asleep again. Then the next day.


    ¡°Huaaah~~¡±


    I opened my eyes and saw that it was 11 a.m. My parents went to work at dawn and Sehee would be in school for three hours already.


    "I slept only six hours. I can¡¯t oversleep because of my diligence... Why did God make me so diligent?¡±


    I scratched my hips above my underwear while heading to the kitchen. I was hungry but it was too annoying to cook.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    I ignored the protesting cries of my stomach and headed to the living room. Then Iy on the sofa and turned on the TV. It was a Satisfy rted channel


    Satisfy was even covered on the housewives channel. The title of the program was ¡®How to meet a young man through Satisfy!¡¯ It was a program that dealt with the process of making a character in Satisfy look as young and pretty as possible.


    ¡¯...PD Cheon Jaende?¡¯


    It seemed to have pretty high viewership. I skipped past a man who didn¡¯t think he would live long after a phone call from his wife. I stopped at a program called ¡®Satisfy¡¯s Hot Issues.¡¯


    A cute female reporter was greeting an Asian youth around my age. There was a close up of the young man¡¯s face. At the bottom of the screen, the ID ¡®Katz¡¯ and level ¡®203¡¯ appeared as subtitles.


    ¡°Katz is already level 200?¡¯


    Katz was a celebrity. He was notorious due to his arrogance, but he was always one of the top ranks in the warrior ss. Three months ago, he was level 170 but now he was already level 203? At that level, he would be at the top of the unified rankings.


    ¡¯How did he get over 30 levels in three months?¡¯


    The reporter on screen was asking the same question as me.


    -Katz, did you know that you are one of the biggest issues in Satisfy these days?Our producers were very surprised.In just three months, Katz has climbed up to the 53rd ranking.What is the secret to your rapid growth over such a short period of time?


    Katz swept a hand over his well-trimmed hair and smiled smugly.


    -Three months ago, I obtained an epic ss.I epted this interview today to reveal my epic ss.


    -Yes?!


    The reporter was shocked and I also stopped scratching at my groin. The news of an epic ss was so shocking that the reporter couldn¡¯t respond to Katz. In the past year, only two epic ss changes had appeared in Satisfy. Its value transcended the imagination. But Katz got his hands on a new epic ss.


    ¡¯The third epic ss...¡¯


    There was no information about the previous epic sses that appeared. The contents of the first ss change book were confidential when circted around the item trading sites, and no one knew who the owner was.


    The second epic ss belonged to Agnus, who was ranked 7th on the unified rankings, but nobody knew what ss he had.


    It was because most users, especially top rankers, were extremely reluctant to disclose their information. Information was power!


    There was a fiercepetition to survive in Satisfy. The information shared amongrge sites was actually quite limited. Most users kept their information to themselves. I would do the same.


    However, Katz was revealing his ss himself. He was famous for liking colorful and prominent things.


    Anyway, this was a huge scoop. It was possible that the ratings record might be broken.


    I remained fixed on this channel. I focused on the screen, while the reporter¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement.


    -What ss are you?


    -The name of my epic ss is ¡®Blood Warrior¡¯.


    -Is it as special and terrible as the name implies?


    It wasn¡¯t special or terrifying. It was a verymon and mundane name. A sloppy name for an epic ss. But Katz seemed to like the childish name.


    -The name isn¡¯t that great, but it is a very fantastic ss.Let me tell you one important feature...


    Katz pulled out the sword hanging from his waist, emitting a tremendous aura. I would be able to pay off all of my debt if I just sold that sword.


    -Look.


    Katz¡¯s eyes were tinged with red. At the same time, his sword started to wriggle.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    The camera zoomed in on Katz¡¯ sword.


    Hundreds, no thousands of blood vessels appeared on the de and grew at a fast pace,pletely covering the sword. Within a short time, Katz¡¯s sword was covered with red blood vessels and pulsated like a living heart. However, the sword¡¯s edge actually became sharper instead of disappearing. It was a very menacing appearance. On the other hand, it was also a bizarre and disgusting appearance.


    But Katz patted the wriggling red sword as if it were adorable.


    -This is my passive skill.Any weapon held in my hand would be transformed into this shape.When I attack an enemy with this modified weapon, I can absorb a certain amount of health in proportion to my attack power. Thanks to this, my reliance on potions has greatly reduced and hunting alone has be easier.The more I attack, the more I can take advantage of this tremendous hunting speed.In addition to this, powerfulbat skills were created, so I am able to raise my level quickly.


    The reporter, whose face was pallid, continued the interview while ignoring the hideous sword.


    -Is an epic ss that much stronger than regr sses?


    -That is a stupid question.Isn¡¯t this natural?Even if it was only a rare ss, it exerts a special power over general sses.I can assure you of this:I will rise to the number one ranking sooner orter.I have that type of ability.


    -Number one in the top 10 rankings that haven¡¯t changed in the past year?All 10 users protect their position and won¡¯t give it to anyone.This means that the top 10 rankers are extraordinary.Isn¡¯t it too much to dere that you can catch up to them just because of one ss?


    Was the reporter stupid? The arrogant Katz was going to be upset again.


    As I expected, Katz started frowning. He looked at the reporter and dered.


    -You say that it is just because of one ss?How funny!I have a natural talent!The ss of Blood Warrior is just a means to effectively show my talent!Agnus got an epic ss much sooner and could only reach 7th ce in the rankings. I¡¯ll let everyone know that I am fundamentally different from Agnus!


    ording to the rumors, Katz was the son of a leading Japanese conglomerate. This was why he was famous for his high pride. After scaring the reporter who spat the mocking remark, Katz took the microphone from her and dered,


    -Everybody listen up!This Katz will soon be first ce in the unified rankings!The reason I announced my ss today is to make the existing rankers aware of my strength and to make them tremble in fear.Kukuk, just wait!Sooner orter, I will cast you all aside!


    Katz was about to return the microphone to the reporter when he suddenly stopped. Then he asked the reporter.


    -Did you say that this is a Korean broadcasting station?


    The reported nodded at the words. Katz smiled at her.


    -This worked out well.Tell this to Yura: don¡¯t be so proud of being part of a country that has nothing except for S.A Group. The era of Korean gaming experts is over.I will trample on her, thest pride of the Korean gamers, sooner orter.Hahahat!


    The reporter¡¯s eyes were tearful while her face distorted like she was smelling chicken poo. I clicked my tongue while watching Katz.


    "The microphones for broadcasting stations in the game are limited and expensive items. Is he proud because of all his money? Mister natural wealth. But Blood Warrior...¡±


    I was envious. Drain health skills always showed great efficiency in past games. Furthermore, thebat skills that Katz boasted were powerful skills of an epic ss. At first nce, Blood Warrior was a powerful ss.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t more than me.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a production ss. Production sses usually didn¡¯t have any attack skills, so it was likely that Pagma¡¯s Descendant was the same. But that didn¡¯t mean I was weak in battle. Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a legendary ss that allowed me to go against Yura.


    My status resistance was extremely high, and the immortal mode thatsted five seconds was a scam. It was possible to grow as a huge tanker. But was that all? All equipment could be worn without restrictions. It might be possible to cover the insufficientbat strength with the power of items.


    "In addition, production sses are money factories.¡±


    Why were there so many users who chose production sses over hunting? The reason was money.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a legendary cksmith ss! It was a goose thatid golden eggs.


    ¡®If I make a good item and sell it, I might be able to escape from my debt.¡¯


    I believed it was a ss that could make me hundreds of millions of won. I returned to my room and turned on the capsule. Then I went on the Inte to find information about cksmiths.


    There was a lot of unfamiliar jargon and knowledge to memorize, but I concentrated on studying as much as possible. How much time passed?


    While having another attack of hunger, I entered the living room when I heard a big fuss from the TV.


    The ¡®Breaking News¡¯ subtitle appeared on the TV screen.


    -I just received breaking news.It is said that the Yatan Temple, located in the northern part of the Eternal Kingdom, has copsed.It is surprising and unusual for a well-preserved temple to copse overnight.What is the story behind it?Let¡¯s go to the scene.I am Reporter Lee Kyungmin.


    The screen shifted from the studio to a familiar ce.


    ¡°This ce...¡±


    A location was illuminated on the TV. It was the Yatan Temple where he resurrected yesterday and met Doran. The huge temple,rger than the Capitol Building, was surprisingly half copsed.


    When I saw the scene, I recalled the dark storm caused by Yura.


    ¡¯That magic... was it huge enough to destroy the temple? She is a really horrible girl to use such a fearsome spell on people.¡¯


    My fear of the witch I faced yesterday slowly amplified over time. If we identally met on the street by chance, I was afraid that I would pee my pants. Katz said he could beat her?


    "Bastard. You really don¡¯t know who you are talking about. She is already in a different dimension. A monster.¡±


    The male reported conveyed the news.


    -At around 3:40 a.m. today, a user visited this ce and witnessed an amazing sight.Korea¡¯s number one ranker, who is fifth in the unified rankings, Yura was fighting someone.Who did she fight that she had to use enough strength to destroy the temple?Was it a struggle with a top ranker?If so, why were they fighting in this ce?Was there perhaps a hidden quest?There are many questions.Then let¡¯s listen to the testimony of an eyewitness.


    A boy, who seemed to be a middle school student, was caught on camera.


    The boy¡¯s ID and level were subtitled at the bottom.


    The boy spoke,


    -Yesterday, I was here because of a quest. I was forced to flee to the temple while being chased by a monster.The believers who should¡¯ve been present weren¡¯t there. However, argemotion wasing from underground, so I went down to the basement...


    The boy stopped talking and asked the reporter.


    -Is there a mosaic over my face right now?It is time for me to go to school. If my mother catches me in the capsule, I¡¯m dead.


    At almost the same time, the boy¡¯s face and ID werepletely covered with a mosaic. The reporter nodded.


    -Of course there is a mosaic.There is voice modtion as well.Please tell me with confidence.


    The stupid boy sighed with relief. Poor guy... his mum would kill him. His unhappiness would be my happiness! I felt better.


    The boy continued,


    -I went down to the basement and saw Yura.I was captivated by her beauty.Mister, have you seen Yura?Really!She is even prettier than Kim Taehee!Aplete goddess!


    -People around the world are already aware of her beauty.We will put aside that story.What was happening in the basement?


    -It was amazing.


    -What specifically was so amazing?


    -There were almost 20 ck magicians constantly casting magic at a single person, but he didn¡¯t receive a single point of damage.Even the curses had no effect.Heughed like he didn¡¯t feel anything and moved towards Yura.Yura was nervous.


    The reporter was confused.


    -The basic level of the Yatan Temple¡¯s NPCs is known to be 160.He was attacked by level 160 NPCs and received no damage?


    -It was like he resisted all of it.Really.


    -Resisted dozens of spells?That is impossible, even for a top ranker...Is he ranked higher than Yura?


    The reporter¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t happy, but the boy didn¡¯t care and continued speaking.


    -He isn¡¯t a top ranker.I have never seen the face before.Nevertheless, he defeated all of the ck magicians and threatened Yura.Yura used Dark Storm...no, it seemed like she used every bit of magic she had.It was too strong that it even broke the temple, but that user was fine.Yura¡¯s expression was disturbed as she stared at him with an expression simr to fear...I am a member of Yura¡¯s fan club, so I know that Yura isn¡¯t the type of person to look like that.I never imagined that Yura could make such an expression.


    The reported looked dubious but still showed great interest.


    -So what happened in the end?And what was the man¡¯s ID?


    The boy shook his head.


    -ID...Well, that... what was it?I can¡¯t remember.I was so entranced by Yura¡¯s beauty that I didn¡¯t observe him properly.Then I was killed by a falling pir, so I don¡¯t know the result.


    -I see...Who is the man who dealt with 20 ck magicians and Yura, despite not being a top ranker?I would like to know.This is Reporter Lee Kyungmin.


    Unbelievable! The hand holding the remote control shook. My heart started thumping. The man in question on the news, it was me. This was an opportunity. Since this incident happened on TV, I would receive lots of requests for interviews and would be able to make a profit from shootingmercials.


    The screen switched back to the studio, with a panel filled with experts discussed the man in question, me. I called the broadcasting station right away.


    (Hello, this is BCC¡¯s viewers consultation center. How can I help you?)


    ¡°The man from the breaking news. Aren¡¯t you looking for him right now? The person who fought Yura.


    (Yes. Do you have a tip?)


    ¡°The person is me.¡±


    (...Ah, yes. As part of the confirmation process, can you give me your Satisfy ID and some brief information?)


    ¡°My ID is Grid. My ss is Pagma¡¯s Descendant and my level is -3. Oh, Pagma¡¯s Descendant is a ss obtained from a legendary ss change book...¡±


    Tutu-


    ¡°......¡±


    The station one-sidedly hung up and didn¡¯t pick up my call again. It seemed that my number had been registered as spam.


    ¡°Stupid person! You will regret missing out on the scoop of a lifetime!¡±


    I wanted to try other stations, but decided to let it go. As I thought about it calmly, I was reluctant to leak information about the minus level and legendary ss.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the time yet, right?¡±


    I focused on the TV screen. Then I saw a familiar figure on TV.


    ¡°Doran...?¡±


    It was really Doran. The present TV screen showed arge image of the ruins of the Yatan Temple, with a small box at the top where the experts were discussing. Doran was in the center of the big screen. He was too small so the cameraman didn¡¯t seem to see him, but I was able to recognize Doran.


    I pushed my face right in front of the TV and watched Doran quietly. He was barely crawling from the ruined temple, a woman held in his arms. The identity of the woman was the earl¡¯s esteemed daughter that Doran had been looking for.


    The destruction of the temple caused great confusion among the believers, allowing Doran to somehow rescue her. The woman stood up and screamed something at Doran. She seemed to be crying. Then Doran handed something small to the woman. After a short time, he died and turned into a grey light. The woman shed tears and headed elsewhere while cherishing the item she received from Doran.


    ¡°Doran...died...¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a human but an NPC. A false life made by the system. However, it wasn¡¯tfortable watching the death of an NPC I built a bond with. They had minds and a clear body temperature.


    ¡°Also, the ring...¡±


    I trembled as I recalled the effects of the ring that Doran had worn.


    ¡°When an NPC dies, all their equipment will disappear as well... That ring, if you were going to die anyway, you should¡¯ve given it to me.¡±


    I looked out the window where rain was still pouring down. I didn¡¯t feel well. In addition, I was hungry. After satisfying my hunger, I connected to the Inte again to gather as much information about cksmiths as possible.


    The time was 3:55 p.m. The 12-hour penalty was over. I had to log on to Satisfy.


    "Login."

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°Going to the Mubaid Ruins, one must be level 130 or higher!¡±


    "Looking for those who want to hunt in the Grey Forest ~ A level 130 warrior is waiting for people higher than level 96~¡±


    "Recruiting people for the Guardian of the Forest raid! A level 190 archer, level 181 martial artist, and other top rankers will join! Your ss and level don¡¯t matter! Anyone will do!¡±


    When I essed the game, I stood in a town square. I couldn¡¯t resurrect at the Yatan Temple due to being in a hostile rtionship with the Yatan Church.


    ¡®Bairan Vige?¡¯


    It was the ce I visited before proceeding with Ashur¡¯s quest. I frowned as I recalled the past memories.


    "I got turned around.¡±


    The monsters near Bairan Vige were at least level 100. In addition, they were all ferocious monsters. The level of users here was at least the mid-80s, and they always needed a party when hunting. It was a dangerous ce where users below level 120 couldn¡¯t leave the vige alone.


    In the past, I wandered around here alone while searching for the Northern End Cave and died. At that time, the durability of some of my equipment was reduced to zero and my boots and gauntlets shattered.


    "I ended up resurrecting at this ce.¡±


    Maybe I was some stupid god in my past life. I probably dishonoured Lady Luck in my past life, then my memories were erased and I was banished to the human world. Since then, I lived an unlucky life.


    ¡®This is true. I can¡¯t be so unlucky unless I sinned directly against the goddess of luck.¡¯


    I ced my forehead on a wall and med my past life. I couldn¡¯t be here forever, so I recovered my spirit.


    ¡°I should go to another vige.¡±


    Right now, the urgent thing was to raise my level. I wanted to escape from the minus level as soon as possible. There was no reason to stay in a vige where hunting was impossible. I found a horse-drawn carriage waiting for customers in a corner of the square and asked the coachman.


    "What is the safest vige near here?¡±


    ¡°Winston Vige. Many novice travelers visit that ce. Do you need a driver to take you there?¡±


    "How much?¡±


    The coachman raised one finger. He was a crook. Carriages were means of transportation for the rich: they were tremendous luxuries for debt-ridden people like me. It was a luxuryparable to eating a whole marinated chicken for one meal!


    But there was nothing I could do. Right now, it was impossible for me to move to another vige with my own power. If I left the vige, I would only walk a little bit before dying. I handed over one silver while shedding tears.


    The coachman looked at me. ¡°What are you doing? It is 10 gold.¡±


    I made a surprised expression, as if I really didn¡¯t know. ¡°Heok! 10 gold? It is 10 gold, not 10 silver?¡±


    "This must be the first time you are taking a carriage. In the safe zone, the base fare for a carriage is set at five gold. In a monster-infested area such as this, there should be some profit for the high risk. This price is actually cheap. Winston is close to here, so it is only the basic fare.¡±


    ¡°You are charging so much just for driving a carriage!¡±


    "Tsk tsk, this is why I don¡¯t like novice travelers. Don¡¯t you know that all the monsters in the vicinity will attack as soon as they find humans?¡±


    ¡°No! I know that there aren¡¯t any monsters fast enough to catch up to the speed of a carriage!¡±


    The coachman flinched. My point had struck him. The coachman coughed and exined, "Obviously, the monsters have slow feet. But they know the terrain and have the instincts of natural hunters. They use these advantages to catch up.¡±


    It was like selling drugs.


    ¡°Then you should be vignt.¡±


    ¡°Cough... then I will ept nine gold.¡±


    Okay. The price bargaining had begun. The basic rule of bargaining was to cut it as much as possible!


    ¡°10 silver.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What? Why wasn¡¯t he saying anything? The response was different than expected. Wasn¡¯t it normal to say, ¡®10 gold is too cheap. I will ept eight gold?¡¯ Then I would return with 20 silver, the coachman would offer seven gold. Then 30 silver, six gold...


    This was my grand n toplete the bargaining at around two gold. But the coachman just ignored me, making the n be distorted.


    "Aren¡¯t you going to bargain?¡±


    "Who in the world would bargain with a crook like you? This useless bastard! I was kind enough to cut it to nine gold, yet you offered 10 silver? You want me to bargain? Who is going to make a deal with a bastard like you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there the saying, ¡® the customers is king?!¡¯ I will sue you and make you unemployed!¡±


    ¡°If you want to sue me, do it! Do you think the union will take your side? Get lost, you insane bastard!¡±


    In Patrian, my bargaining was always sessful because my reputation and affinity with the residents were at the maximum. Even if it didn¡¯t work, I justughed it off. However, this response was entirely new to me.


    It was serious. At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be able to ride the carriage. Currently, I only had 3 gold and 11 silver. The difficulty of the Ashur quest was so terrible that I spent a lot of my money on potions.


    "Please... My sick mother is in Winston Vige all alone... She will die soon. What a sad son I will be if I can¡¯t watch my mother¡¯sst moments... Please take pity on me and consider the bargain.¡±


    I looked as miserable as possible and told a heartbreaking story.


    But the cold-hearted coachman just snorted. "You are obviously telling a lie. You didn¡¯t even n to go to Winston Vige in the beginning, so who would believe you now?¡±


    "...Sheesh, you¡¯re smarter than you look.¡±


    ¡°W-What! You cheap bastard!¡±


    There was no chance of this seeding. I ran away from the coachman who chased me with a red face and visited other carriages. But despite being as careful as possible, it was impossible to bargain it down to three gold. No matter what heartbreaking stories I used, the limit was 8 gold and 90 silver.


    I was frustrated by Satisfy¡¯s modern society.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Was it necessary to be stuck at level -3 while being isted in the remote Bairan Vige?


    "I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    I had a means to obtain the money for the carriage. Just make items! If I made an item, I could gain some experience. If it had a normal rating, I could sell it to a store. I opened the skills window and confirmed the ¡®cksmith Craftsmanship Skill.¡¯


    [cksmith Craftsmanship Skill]


    Lv: Master


    Produce equipment items that you know how to make.


    There is a certain probability of creating rare rated items.


    There is a low probability of creating epic rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating unique rated items.


    * Due to the effect of mastering the skill, the attributes of all items are increased by 10%.


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2.


    Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    * When epic rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4.


    Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +80.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +12.


    Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +300.


    ¡°This is absurd...¡±


    ording to the rankings, the first ce cksmith only had intermediate level cksmith skills. Despite producing tens of thousands of items by the time he reached level 110, he barely reached the intermediate level. Thus, he said that production skill levels are hard to raise.


    However, I basically mastered the ¡®cksmith Craftsmanship Skill¡¯, which was beyond the ¡®Advanced cksmith Technique¡¯ and ¡®Intermediate cksmith Technique¡¯. If the person ranked number one in the cksmith rankings were aware of my presence, he would probably quit the game.


    ¡®Whenpared to him, I finally realize the greatness of a legendary ss.¡¯


    I then confirmed the other ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.¡¯


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill]


    Lv. 1


    Produce equipment items that you know how to make.


    You can create the production methods for a new item with the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation¡¯ skill.


    There is a certain probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating unique rated items.


    There is a very rare probability of creating legendary rated items.


    *All stats of a production item will increase by 10%.


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    * When epic rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +80.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +12 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +300.


    * When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +25 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every five legendary items created.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ was only level one. Nevertheless, it was far superior to the mastered ¡®cksmith Craftsmanship Skill¡¯. I couldn¡¯t help admiring it. I was excited and immediately confirmed the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation¡¯ skill.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 3/3


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    "Create an item? What is the method?¡±


    The exnation wasn¡¯t easy to understand. Seeing was believing. I decided to try it out. I used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill without hesitation.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    The most important item was naturally a weapon. A weapon allowed quick hunting and was directly linked to high levels. Among the weapons, I thought the best one was a greatsword.


    Thick, big, beautiful...


    A big sword that could smash the enemy¡¯s armor was a man¡¯s romance! Up to this point, I never selected a weapon other than a greatsword in games. Then first, let¡¯s make a greatsword.


    ¡°Greatsword.¡±


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    Ohu~ that¡¯s right. I was creating a production method, so I needed to use the materials. Wasn¡¯t it natural to use special materials? I thought of the person asking for party members to go on the ¡®Guardian of the Forest¡¯ boss raid.


    ¡®I heard that the guardian of the forest drops the best mineral so far... the name is...¡¯


    I recalled it and replied, ¡°Blue Orichalcum.¡±


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: Two chapters every day.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    [Please design the item.]


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of me. I was baffled.


    ¡¯Design? How do I do that?¡¯


    I then knew what I should have done. Rather than visualize modern weapons such tanks and jet fighters, I needed to design a sword. Wasn¡¯t it just a matter of the shape? I thought hard and started drawing on the blueprint with my finger. A correction effect seemed to be applied, as the picture perfectly disyed my thoughts.


    ¡®I have to make it cool.¡¯


    First, the length of the de was 2m and the width was 80cm. The thickness was 8cm. The length of the handle was set at 40cm.


    "...This is the appearance of a greatsword that can be seen anywhere.¡±


    The finished picture showed the limits of my impoverished imagination. I pondered for a moment before thinking of a good idea. I changed the shape of the de to something curved like a scimitar and then extended the length of the de to 3m.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    I liked the finished picture. It was like I was looking at arge scimitar with a short handle. At the same time, it had the heavy weight of a greatsword.


    ¡®It is reminiscent of a shark¡¯s profile. The part of the de is like a shark fin, and the end of the handle is a shark tail.¡¯


    I admired the finished work for a while.


    ¡¯I have made something sophisticated and cool!¡¯


    It gave the impression of a swimming shark. If I held it, some people might have the mistaken impression that I was carrying a shark and be shocked.


    ¡¯I didn¡¯t know I would be so good at designing. Once I make money and pay back the debt, I should change my major to design.¡¯


    I felt great satisfaction as I clicked on the OK button at the bottom of the blueprint.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creations from the creation skill will decrease by one.]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Once I replied, numbers andnguages quickly covered the blueprint. Figures were being calcted. It seemed that the system was calcting the details that Icked in my design. After a while, an improved andpleted design appeared. A bunch of Jargon andplicated numbers covered the blueprint.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I could fully understand the jargon and numbers on the blueprint. I looked at the design contents and checked if there were any faults. It was amazing. I understood that contents of an item design that I had never even seen or studied.


    ¡¯The sspensation effect!¡¯


    It was really great; I felt like an actual great cksmith. As I was admiring it, a notification window popped up.


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Finally, the most important part is left!¡±


    I was excited.


    ¡°This is an outstanding weapon. The attack power is one million... no, it is more than 10 million and the weight is only one. There is no level requirement. There is an option to absorb health with every attack. Can cause meteors to fall. The enemy will unconditionally die from one hit. Of course, defense is ignored. Anyway, this weapon is enough to hunt a dragon alone.¡±


    [That isn¡¯t possible. The performance and options of an item can¡¯t be arbitrarily set. The performance and options are determined by taking into ount the materials used, the design, and the description of the features.]


    ...Too bad.


    I tried to make the exnation as good as possible.


    ¡°It is a greatsword, but thanks to its unusual shape, its cutting power is tremendous. The protruding part that resembles a shark¡¯s fin will allow for unexpected attacks, and can even go through armor. Blue orichalcum is used as the material, so it is light and durable. And... and... um... well, that will be enough.¡±


    Was my vocabry socking? I was horribly ashamed. In the first ce, I only knew that blue orichalcum was light and durable. I didn¡¯t know the exact information, so I can¡¯t exin the merits.


    ¡°Then... just...¡±


    Suddenly, I felt like the back of my head was hit with a hammer. It was a bted epiphany but if I was designing this with blue orichalcum as the material, wouldn¡¯t I need blue orichalcum to make the item?


    ¡®I¡¯m screwed.¡¯


    A level 200 boss monster dropped the material, while I was only level -3. I could buy it from other people, but that wasn¡¯t easy because the supply was small and the price was huge. It meant the design I made could be obsolete!


    ¡°Cancel! Skill cancel! Clear everything!!¡±


    [Thepletion of the blueprint has already destroyed one of the avable creation skill users. Even if you cancel the skill now, the number of times it can be used won¡¯t be restored. Do you still want to cancel it?]


    ¡°...No.¡±


    This was bad. It was a mistake in my thinking. It was a skill that should be used carefully after thorough investigation and thinking.


    [Please name the item.]


    ¡°Uhh... shit...¡±


    [Have you decided on ¡®Uhhshit?¡¯]


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Please wait! Geez, what is this?¡±


    I didn¡¯t worry about it for too long.


    ¡°Failure.¡±


    [Have you decided on ¡®Failure?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yes, it was a failure that shouldn¡¯t have been created in the first ce. I was saddened at the number of times I could use the skill decreasing, but a hologram of the items was listed in the drafts.


    [Failure]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    <i>Unique Rating Information:</i>


    Durability: 699/699


    Attack Power: 733~1,621 Defense: 50


    * Agility +30


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    <i>Legendary Rating Information:</i>


    Durability: 1,090/1,090


    Attack Power: 874~1,820 Defense: 80


    * Agility +50


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attack¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be created.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    It is designed by a legendary cksmith. It is a greatsword, but its cutting ability is excellent because of its unique shape. It resembles the predator of the sea, a shark, and gives fear to the enemies. The small des spiking from the sword will increase the defense.


    Blue orichalcum is used as a material. Its lightness means the attack speed doesn¡¯t fall. Due to the nature of the blue orichalcum, it bes stronger in the dark.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. More than 5,000 strength.


    Advanced Sword Mastery level 8 or higher.


    Weight: 550


    "...Hup!"


    Amazing. It was a master weapon, not a failure. A one of a kind item in this world. And I was the one who created this item. I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    "Isn¡¯t this huge?¡±


    The words automatically emerged from my stunned mouth. Yes, I could be rich. If I went into more debt and bought blue orichalcum, I could make ¡®Failure¡¯ and put it on the trading site. Then the price of the item would skyrocket. Then I could pay all my debts and still have a lot of money left!


    Truly a legendary cksmith! It was literally the goose thatid the golden egg.


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    Then that feeling sank as I read the stats and options of thepleted ¡®Failure¡¯. I checked the usage conditions attached at the end.


    ¡°It needs level 300?¡±


    Two days ago, I heard that the level of the first ranked person on the unified rankings was estimated to be around 250.


    ¡®Then 300?¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t the only problem.


    ¡°5,000 strength?!¡±


    10 stat points were gained with every level. Even if a person invested all of their points into strength for every level up, it would be almost impossible to have 5,000 strength at level 300, even with titles and equipment that raised their stats.


    ¡®There are sses that receive extra strength, but it isn¡¯tmon. In the first ce, who would be idiotic enough to invest all of their points in strength?¡¯


    Finally, there was the Advanced Sword Mastery level 8. Currently, the first ranked cksmith had intermediate level skills. I couldn¡¯t predict how long it would take for people to get Advanced Sword Master level 8.


    Even if I managed to make ¡®Failure¡¯, nobody would be able to use it in the near future. This meant that selling it was impossible. My dream of making a fortune was shattered in an instant. As the name suggested, ¡®Failure¡¯ was a failure.


    ¡°...Then that¡¯s it. There is no springtime in my life. Shit.¡±


    I was frustrated but quickly corrected my mindset. Then I tried to deduce why such exorbitant usage conditions were attached to the item I created. It wasn¡¯t difficult toe to a conclusion.


    ¡®It was a mistake to try and make it unconditionally good.¡¯


    The development team of Satisfy had caught the hearts of the world, so they wouldn¡¯t be that easy. ¡®Failure¡¯ wasn¡¯t an item that could be acquired randomly through hunting or a raid. It was a production item that could be produced indefinitely if there were enough materials. It was likely that the system ced restrictions on the game items in order to maintain the game bnce. Those restrictions were in the usage conditions.


    ¡®An eptable performance. Isn¡¯t this the most important thing about the creative skills?¡¯


    The creation skill had a limited number of uses. It had to be used with care. I decided to seal the creation skill. If I created and sold superior items that didn¡¯t destroy the bnce, I would be able to earn a lot of money quickly and pay off my debt. However, I didn¡¯t want to rush it.


    I wanted to see it as the ultimate weapon to use for myself before encountering a difficult quest or a strong enemy.


    ¡®The creation skill is for me. If I am in a crisis situation, I can create an item that can break through the situation.¡¯


    As a simple example, if I encountered a boss monster capable of causing tremendous fire damage, I could create and build an item that greatly increased my fire resistance properties before the raid.


    If I didn¡¯t create items for sale, I didn¡¯t have to worry about the usage conditions. One of the biggest advantages of Pagma¡¯s Descendant was that there was no restriction on the items I could wear. If I created items with a fraudulent power like ¡®Failure¡¯, I could show the highest power among existing items, even if the penalty was attached.


    After I cleared my mind, I checked how to make ¡®Failure.¡¯ The materials were also a problem. In order to produce ¡®Failure¡¯, I needed a huge supply 15 blue orichalcum ore.


    ¡®Even the handle is made with blue orichalcum... It was a mistake to choose only blue orichalcum as the material. If I used other materials as well, the number of blue orichalcum ore required would be reduced.¡¯


    I saw Failure¡¯s tremendous options, so I was filled with the desire to produce and use it right away. If I could get my hands on Failure, I would be able to demonstrate a fearfulbat power. But it was impossible to obtain blue orichalcum.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get rid of this vain regret. No, wait. Can I participate in the Guardian of the Forest raid party? The person recruiting party members said that level was irrelevant.¡¯


    I remembered the Guardian of the Forest raid party and headed back to the center of the square. Then I walked up to the ck man with the ID ¡®Toban¡¯.


    ¡°I would like to participate in the raid.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: Two chapters every day.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    If not now, I didn¡¯t know when I would be able to join a Guardian of the Forest raid party in the future.


    "Please let me join the party.¡±


    I would join the party, survive until the Guardian of the Forest died and pick up all the blue orichalcum that dropped. It didn¡¯t matter if the other party members died.


    ¡®Anyway, my experience can¡¯t drop if I die!¡¯


    If I were really unlucky, then I might drop Mamon¡¯s Greatsword or Mengel¡¯s te Armor, which made up my entire fortune. But if I took the risk, I might be able to obtain blue orichalcum. I expressed my strong emotions when I gazed at Toban.


    Was I too brazen? Did I have any sense of shame? I looked up to see Toban looking at me with a perplexed expression.


    ¡°What is your level?¡±


    "What? Didn¡¯t you say that level and ss doesn¡¯t matter?¡±


    "I did say that at first, but... unexpected party members arrived, so I am now looking for those who are over level 120, preferably those with divine magic or magician professions. As you may know, the Guardian of the Forest is a monster whose body is made of minerals, so physical attacks won¡¯t work on it.¡±


    Toban stared at my greatsword with an unconvinced look, a gaze that strongly conveyed that he didn¡¯t want to ept me into the party.


    ¡®Then this guy shouldn¡¯t have said that he would take any level or ss.¡¯


    Should I give up? No, I couldn¡¯t give up when thinking about the blue orichalcum. I would join the party no matter what.


    ¡°Please ept me. I won¡¯t hold you back.¡±


    ¡°What is your level?¡±


    I was currently level -3, but due to Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor, my actualbat ability was above level 30. If I confessed that I was level 30... I would be kicked out straight away.


    ¡°30... no, minus... no, plus 100.¡±


    ¡°30 minus, plus 100?¡±


    "No ~ no. Just 100.¡±


    I was currently level -3, but I would¡¯ve been close to level 100 if it weren¡¯t for Ashur¡¯s quest. Let¡¯s try it once. When I actually entered the party, I didn¡¯t intend to fight. Instead, I would follow like I was a dead mouse.


    ¡®If I¡¯m careful, they won¡¯t notice that I deceived them about my level.¡¯


    Toban had a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°Your weapon is a greatsword? Isn¡¯t it around level 65? Even if your item has an epic rating, iming to be level 100... Are you really level 100?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. My Mamon¡¯s Greatsword has been strengthened to +5, so I can still use it.¡±


    My face was still. I was just bluffing. I exploited the fact that items enhanced below +5 wouldn¡¯t have a change in appearance, so I lied that the +0 Mamon¡¯s Greatsword was actually +5.


    But Toban wasn¡¯t easy to pass.


    "Even if Mamon¡¯s Greatsword is +5, to still use it at level 100 is... In addition, your armor isn¡¯t as good as the equipment that level 100 users can wear. Besides, where are your boots, gauntlets, and essories?¡±


    It was urate. Mengel¡¯s te Armor, which I was currently wearing, was only level 60. My helmet, boots, gauntlets, and essories were all lost by the end of the three months quest...


    ¡®Items that are like my blood...¡¯


    In the case of the boots and gauntlets, they were destroyed because I didn¡¯t manage the durability. I managed the durability of my helmet and essories, but it was unfortunate that I dropped them when I died.


    As I recalled the hellish past, Toban looked at me suspiciously.


    I said, ¡°The only people who don¡¯t need armor and essories are those with excellent control over their weapons, like me. In fact, I remove this armor whenever I hunt. I only arm myself with the greatsword on hunts.¡±


    Control was a word that didn¡¯t apply to me, as I drank potions like I drank water whenever I hunted. When I watched the hunters on TV, I saw them exquisitely take advantage of the monsters¡¯ gaps, firing off powerful skills as they avoided the attacks of monsters. Meanwhile, I just took random potshots and drank potions whenever my health was low. That was my hunting method.


    But right now, I needed to bluff to enter the raid party. Therefore, I quoted the remark I heard about control. However, that was a big mistake. Toban¡¯s body was fully armed with heavy armor and a shield.


    "Hoh... so people who wear armor aren¡¯t skilled?¡±


    He was smiling, but his eyes were cold. He was seriously angry. The problem was that the other party members around were also filled with righteous indignation.


    "You make it sound like wearing armor and essories is a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Listen to him; He never wears armor.¡±


    "Those who wear armor and essories aren¡¯t authentic? If we don¡¯t want to be ignored, we should take it off...¡±


    I tried to calm down the angry people who were talking sarcastically, "That¡¯s too much. I didn¡¯t mean anything bad, I was just exining why I am less dependent on defense.¡±


    "Anyway, that means that I shouldn¡¯t be armed! Your level is lower than mine!¡±


    A wild-looking, hairy middle-aged person interrupted with a shout. He was equipped with two shining axes, armor and gorgeous ornaments, lookingpletely like a high-level user. He looked angrier than all the others.


    "Grid? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you. You, have you done any hunting at the hunting grounds around here? I know how powerful the monsters in this area are. You sure must be confident if you¡¯re bragging about hunting them without armor.¡±


    The other party members nodded.


    "Based on his words, he must be a newbie to this area.¡±


    "Have you ever seen someone called Grid?¡±


    "I¡¯ve never seen him at a nearby hunting ground. How about you?¡±


    "Honestly, it sounds like crap... I think he is actually lower than level 100.¡±


    "Looking at him now, it seems like he died and dropped his items on a lone hunt. Maybe his intentions to enter the party are impure. He already has nothing to lose so...¡±


    The atmosphere was getting worse.


    ¡®Sharp people... What now? Should I give up on the party?¡¯


    As I was feeling confused... A blond haired man with his upper body revealed appeared and intervened.


    "Everybody stop.¡±


    The party members became excited at the man¡¯s appearance.


    "First ce in the martial artist rankings, Regas.¡±


    "The equipment items requirements are so severe that raising the level is difficult, yet he is already over level 180.¡±


    "His nickname is Taekwon Master, Taekwon Master. Is it true that a mob will melt when hit by his fists?¡±


    ¡°Wow~! He really came! I did well to join this party! Martial artists ignore defense to attack the weak point. Can¡¯t this technique inflict huge damage to the Guardian of the Forest?¡±


    Regas caught my eye and approached me. "A greatsword is very slow and has wide movements, so it isn¡¯t easy to take evasive actions during battle. Therefore, it is amazing that you are hunting without wearing armor.¡±


    Regas was good looking, slim, and had ideal muscles. Due to the nature of his ss, he was popr with women because he didn¡¯t wear any tops. In fact, when I looked closer at him, I saw that he was, in fact, very handsome. I felt like a squid standing next to him.


    I instinctively hated handsome people so I replied bluntly, "It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    "Hoh, it isn¡¯t a big deal... My expectations about your skills have increased. I would love to directly see your amazing abilities.¡±


    Regas said to the others, "This guy will also join the party. Originally, it was a party that had no limits on ss or level. Some of the party members are below level 90, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a problem in epting one more level 100 user.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    People still responded poorly, so Regas added,


    "As you know, only level 170 or higher users can hit the Guardian of the Forest properly. Nevertheless, the reason why I gathered as many people as possible without a level limit is that people are needed to mark the golems constantly summoned by the Guardian of the Forest. The Guardian of the Forest will be dealt with by my 17 guild members, including Toban and Vantner. We want people to tie up the feet of the crystal golems while we focus on the Guardian of the Forest. I think that Grid¡¯s skills are sufficient for our wishes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°He wants to join the party, so I don¡¯t know why we should refuse. I can understand you doubting his actions, but why do you doubt people beforehand?¡±


    The remarks of a strong person were reputable. Once Regas spoke, the party members had an atmosphere like they would ept me into the party. But they had impure intentions.


    "Let¡¯s see how well his control is.¡±


    "Watch him fighting... We will see if he¡¯s a braggart or not."


    "He said that he fights with his armor off? Then he can¡¯t wear his armor on this raid.¡±


    "I will watch him closely.¡±


    A party filled with intense hostility! This wasn¡¯t a Guardian of the Forest raid party, but a Grid raid party.


    ¡®I can¡¯t join this party.¡¯


    If I joined the party now, I would have to fight in front of them. As a level -3 yer, I would surely die quickly and not even see the Guardian of the Forest, let alone see the blue orichalcum. It would alsoe with extra embarrassment involved.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t join the party.¡± I stepped back, causing the middle-aged man tough.


    "Were you just bluffing?¡±


    An attitude that ignored people! But I didn¡¯t get angry because his words were true.


    I replied coldly, ¡°It isn¡¯t a good idea to join a party with people who don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Originally, party members should be able to trust each other with their backs. However, everyone here doubted me. The party members were forced to ept my words.


    ¡°Well... that is true.¡±


    "Come to think of it, we were so excited that we drove him to the other end.¡±


    "I agree. I didn¡¯t know if it was the truth, so I should¡¯ve just stayed silent.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Actually, weren¡¯t we the ones whomitted the sin? I feel bad now.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hold onto the party members any longer and left this ce. Regas followed me.


    "What is it?"


    My attitude was cold, but Regas just asked for a handshake with a gentle smile.


    ¡°I hope to see you again next time, Greatsword warrior who doesn¡¯t use armor. As a person who walks along the path of a martial artist, I am very interested in you."


    I didn¡¯t doubt that he was interested in me. I didn¡¯t think it was a bluff as I gazed into his honest eyes.


    I shook hands with him and thought, ¡®Why is he so naive?¡¯


    He was a good person. If I had a chance someday, I would make him a friend that I could borrow money from.


    "Then I¡¯ll see you again.¡±


    Take money from himter... no, I owed him. Therefore, I said goodbye to Regas with a big smile headed straight to the smithy.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: Two chapters every day.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    I only had 3 gold and 11 silver. I had to make items and sell them to people in order to earn enough to use the carriage. Once I saved up enough money, I could buy some blue orichalcum ore and make ¡®Failure.¡¯ However, saving money was as hard as plucking the stars from the night skies.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The moment I set foot in the smithy,


    [The effect of mastering ¡®cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ is activated. cksmith NPCs with craftsmanship skill beyond the intermediate level will treat you in a friendly manner.


    [¡¯Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ ss effect is activated. cksmith NPCs with advanced level craftsmanship skills will recognize and worship you.]


    This was a hidden feature? It meant I could readily obtain the desired production methods from cksmiths.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss, the most I experienced it, the more I liked it. At first, I disliked it because it was a production ss. However, it truly was a legendary ss. I joyfully entered the smithy and found a cksmith sweating in front of a hearth.


    "I want to make and sell the most profitable item with the greatest demand. What is that item? Please give me a rmendation.¡±


    I smiled brightly.


    ¡®I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant, someone who has mastered the cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill. Feel appreciation towards me, worship me, and hand over the appropriate crafting method!¡¯


    But the next development went against my expectations. Instead of the worshipping, the cksmith gazed at me with cold eyes.


    "Bah, a kid wants to talk about this subject. I don¡¯t want to talk to a rude and ipetent person like you, so get out.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    This was an ordinary NPC¡¯s attitude towards level 1 users.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t recognize me?¡¯


    An intermediate or advanced cksmith would instantly recognize me, but the cksmith here didn¡¯t know me. It meant that he was a low level cksmith who hadn¡¯t even reached the intermediate level.


    ¡®Ah, you. I met a lousy person.¡¯


    I wanted to go to another cksmith, but this was the only smithy in the vige. I expected this to be easy due to the notification window, but it was in vain.


    ¡®I forgot how unlucky I was. Dammit.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. I hurriedly changed my attitude and respectfully spoke to the cksmith, "You were so passionate about your work that I was afraid to disturb your concentration. Therefore, I wanted to quickly get to the point. Did I sound rude? If so, please forgive me.¡±


    "Huh, I see. You have learned strange manners.¡±


    The cksmith looked at me with interest. I stood as politely as possible, like a man engaged in a service job.


    ¡°I am Grid. I would like to learn how to make items."


    The cksmith snorted. "Bah, do you think anyone can learn how to make items? A child like you should start from firewood. No, not even. If you sincerely want to learn how to make items from me, you should go to the backyard and obtain firewood. You should be thankful that I am letting you do this.¡±


    "...How expected from a lowly cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Did you say something just now?


    ¡°No?¡±


    I was the one feeling regret now. The only person I could depend on in this vige was a lowly cksmith. If I was kicked out from here without learning how to make items, I would have to save money while doing restaurant chores or working in the fields until I gathered enough for the carriage.


    "I¡¯ll chop the firewood. How much do I need?¡±


    The cksmith gave me an old axe and said, "As much as you can.¡±


    [Chop Firewood]


    Difficulty: E


    cksmith Smith has given you an errand to chop firewood. If you can finish this task well, Smith will look upon you in a more favorable light.


    Quest Clear Conditions: 500 pieces of firewood.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith +10, experience +10, 20 bronze.


    Quest Failure: Affinity with Smith -10.


    ¡¯Wow, it¡¯s a normal quest window this time.¡¯


    After starting Ashur¡¯s quest, I only received S-grade or SS-grade quests, so receiving a normal quest felt like my mind was cleansed.


    ¡¯I need 20 experience until my next level up... If Iplete this quest, my experience bar will fill up by half.¡¯


    There was no change in the amount of experience needed to level up from -3 or -1. The amount of experience needed for minus levels seemed to be 20 points. In other words, at the minus level, I could raise my level just by doing these misceneous quests.


    ¡®First of all, I need to escape from the minus level.¡¯


    I thought positive thoughts and headed to the backyard with the axe. After checking the trees piled up on one side, I looked at the axe in my hand. It was an old axe. Could this old axe be used to chop firewood?


    ¡¯Rather, I¡¯m worried that the axe will be shattered upon hitting the tree... He might be angry if I break his axe, so I have to be careful...¡¯


    I decided to use the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal¡¯ skill on the old axe.


    ¡°Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who bes a legend that appraises items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Smith¡¯s Old Axe]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 6/6 Attack Power: 4~7


    An axe that the cksmith Smith has used since he was young. It was well made and is very old, but still cuts well. The durability is weak so there is a danger that it will be destroyed.


    Weight: 40


    [No hidden functions exist.]


    It was an ordinary axe, save for the fact that it was very old. I felt relief, rather than disappointment, that the item didn¡¯t have a hidden function. I had gone through so many incidentstely that I missed ordinary things.


    [You have grasped the materials that make up Smith¡¯s Old Axe, the production method, and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of Smith¡¯s Old Axe is now at 100%. You can use Smith¡¯s Old Axe perfectly.]


    [You have learned how to make an axe.]


    Thanks to his passive skill, he perfectly understood the item and new notification windows popped up.


    "I got 100% understanding straight away.¡±


    It seemed that items with low ratings could reach the maximum understanding just by using Appraisal on them. Indeed, it would be funny if a legendary cksmith looked at a normal axe and couldn¡¯t understand its production method.


    "There are no conditions of use, so I don¡¯t think an increased understanding is useful. The advantage is that the axe production method is gained.¡±


    A penalty would ur if I equipped an item that I didn¡¯t meet the conditions of. The ¡®understanding¡¯ of an item was just a skill that yed a role in reducing the penalty. Smith¡¯s Old Axe was an item that didn¡¯t have a usage penalty, so there were no advantages to the 100% understanding, except for the addition of the production method.


    I didn¡¯t feel much inspiration, but I ced the axe to one side and set up a log. I thought about spitting into my hands and rubbing them together, like the old man in historical dramas.


    ¡®There is no need for physical power when chopping firewood. I just need to go along the grain.¡¯


    It was knowledge I picked up from somewhere, but I didn¡¯t know exactly what it meant by following the grain. It was simply knowledge that couldn¡¯t be applied. However, there was no need to worry. Couldn¡¯t I just cut the piece of wood like I would cut a monster with my greatsword?


    ¡®It is like using swordsmanship on a tree.¡¯


    I picked up the axe I had put aside. The moment I was about to chop the log... A solid ck line was drawn near the center of the log.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Strange. I watched it for a moment before putting the axe down, watching the ck line disappear like it was a lie. I picked up the axe again. The ck line soon reappeared. It felt like the axe was telling me to hit the ck line.


    ¡°This is the effect of 100% understanding.¡±


    It was a possible interpretation, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. I avoided the ck line and hit the middle of the log with the axe.


    Beeok!


    Although I struck down with all my might, the axe failed and stopped halfway through the log. Chopping it in one go had failed. A notification window popped up stating that the durability of the axe had decreased by one.


    "T-This humiliation...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even chop firewood... I was useless here as well! I felt frustrated as I barely managed to pull out the axe stuck in the log. Then I threw the half split piece of wood to the side and picked up a new log.


    ¡°This time...¡±


    I gazed at the ck line and swung the axe.


    Ttaak!


    The moment the axe touched the solid line, a light sound was made and an exhrating feeling could be felt. The log was split in half without any resistance.


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    I was forced to admire the effect of understanding the item, finally realizing the importance of understanding.


    ¡®This is what it meant by handling the item perfectly. The benefit of increasing item understanding isn¡¯t just reducing the penalties or learning how to make the item.¡¯


    There was an expression about treating items as another limb. If I raised a sword¡¯s understanding to 100%, I could use that sword like it was my own limb. Item understanding could be thought to have the same type of concept as Weapons Mastery.


    ¡®If I raise the understanding of items I created to 100%...¡¯


    Invincible! I had yed the game for over a year, but now there was the possibility of entering the rankings!


    "Okay, earn money quickly and pay off my debt! Then I will be a ranker with the power of items!¡±


    Once I became a ranker, I would receive a staggering amount of requests from various media. I could be a rich person just from the TV performance fees. It came with bonus poprity and fame. No one could ignore me anymore and I would be able to gain the heart of my first love, Ahyoung!


    My motivation shot upwards!


    ¡°Haaaah!! Hat! Hat! Hap!¡±


    Ttaak!Ttaak!Ttaak!Ttadadak~!


    I didn¡¯t rest as I chopped firewood for two hours. I couldn¡¯t stop because the feeling of sess was so thrilling. But the pleasure onlysted for a while. As my level was -3, my poor stamina quickly ran out my sense of hunger came quickly after.


    I started getting tired at around the 150th piece of firewood, my breathing became arduous and pained.


    ¡®Should I take a break and rest?¡¯


    No, I wouldn¡¯t.


    The three months I spent on Ashur¡¯s quest was exceptionally painful and difficult, but I pressed on without giving up. I had experienced such a thing, so I couldn¡¯t take a break while chopping firewood. This exhaustion was nothingpared to everything I experienced before.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t hard work. Don¡¯t rest. Finish quickly and proceed to the next quest. I will level up and make money.¡¯


    I grit my teeth and kept on chopping the firewood.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: Two chapters every day.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Once I finished my 280th piece of firewood, my hunger became worse and I started to be dizzy. However, I didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t be me if I gave up at this point.¡¯


    Since childhood, I had never been good at anything. I wasn¡¯t smart, wasn¡¯t handsome, and my personality wasn¡¯t good. I wasn¡¯t even good at sports or exercising. I didn¡¯t have a special talent in a single field.


    I had no abilities, felt severe jealousy towards others, and made excuses...


    I couldn¡¯t deny that I was a bad representation of the human race. However, the reason I was able to build amicable rtionships in high school was through my persistence.


    I wasn¡¯t very smart. I needed to study several times more than others just to maintain a normal grade. My personality was bad. I often put on a charade that was just as good as the politicians. I wasn¡¯t good at exercising. During PE, I was able to y ser with others because I tried diligently.


    I knew this about myself, so I tried. I did my best to not give up. Thanks to my persistence, I was able to go to university and make it safely through the army. I might be debt-ridden because of Satisfy, but I barely managed to maintain an ordinary life.


    Anyway, persistence was my strong point.


    ¡°Level... money...¡±


    I was caught by this obsession and didn¡¯t stop moving my axe. I had just chopped the 460th piece of firewood when suddenly, a notification window popped up.


    [Persistence stat has been opened.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Surprisingly, it was a new stat. I immediately checked the stat.


    [Persistence]


    You never give up, even in the face of a difficult task. You won¡¯t get tired easily. The possessions weight limit has increased. The feeling of satiation willst for a long time.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    * Every time 10 points are gained in this stat, the ¡®Indomitable¡¯ stat will increase by 1 point.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t tire easily, my weight limit would increase, and satiety wouldst for a long time! It was truly fantastic. Furthermore, my indomitable stat would go up by one with every 10 points in persistence?


    ¡®I have to be persistent to raise this stat?¡¯


    I felt some doubt as I returned to chopping the firewood.


    ¡¯I showed a lot more persistence whenpleting Ashur¡¯s quest... why wasn¡¯t the persistence stat created until now?¡¯


    I could only think of it as the difference between a normal rank ss and a legendary rank ss.


    ¡®It might be the same actions and same effort, but the stat growth rate of a legendary ss is higher than a normal ss.¡¯


    Once I discovered the new benefits of the legendary ss, I forgot all of my fatigue and started to chop the firewood with more determination.


    Ttaak!Ttaak!


    As the number of firewood increased, I developed the knack of hitting the firewood.


    Despite hitting along the grain, the durability of the axe decreased by one point every 200 pieces of firewood. However, at a certain point, it no longer decreased and the speed of my chopping elerated.


    By the time I finished 1,000 pieces of firewood, I had four points in the persistence stat.


    [You haven¡¯t consumed food in a long time, so all stats have dropped by half. It is easier to be affected by an abnormal state. If you continue to starve, your health will gradually decline.]


    It was a close call. I was lying breathless on the ground.


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    My knees were weak and my arms were heavy. My whole body was screaming in pain, making it hard to move. Despite thepensation from the persistence stat, my -3 level stamina was still poor.


    I had chopped firewood for only six hours, but I was exhausted. I ate the bread and water that I took out of my inventory and looked towards the east where the Grey Forest was located.


    ¡®The raid party should¡¯ve arrived at the Guardian of the Forest by now. It is good that I didn¡¯t join the party... I would¡¯ve been disgraced if I joined.¡¯


    With my -3 level stamina, I wouldn¡¯t even have been able to follow the movement speed of the other party members. How embarrassing would it have been if I died from exhaustion, not by a monster? I shook my head as I recalled my premature attempt to join the party.


    ¡¯When I think about it, I don¡¯t even know the drop rate of blue orichalcum. My thinking was too simple when I tried to join the party. I should think and act more carefully.¡¯


    It felt like I had a small amount of mental growth.


    After a while, I barely recovered and returned to Smith¡¯s smithy.


    "I finished chopping the firewood. I did as much as possible and managed to obtain 1,000 pieces.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Smith burst out, ¡°Puhahahahat! A newbie like you chopped 1,000 pieces of firewood in six hours? You aren¡¯t just a newbie, but a liar as well! Are you trying to deceive me?¡±


    Heughed like it was funny and red at me.


    ¡®Is this person bipr?¡¯


    I pointed towards Smith¡¯s backyard. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much to lie that I chopped 1,000 firewood in six hours? If you don¡¯t believe me, why don¡¯t you go and check it directly?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. If you cheat me, I¡¯ll kick you out of here straight away.¡±


    I followed Smith towards the backyard. After a few moments... Smith¡¯s mouth dropped open as he saw the 1,000 firewood piled up on one side.


    ¡°H-How is this possible...? How can someone like you cut 1,000 pieces of firewood so quickly? They¡¯re also perfect...! No, the amount of time isn¡¯t the problem. You don¡¯t have the stamina to chop 1,000 pieces of firewood! Tell me honestly! Where did all this firewoode from? Did ite from Vans carpenter store? Or did you buy it from the woodcutter who lives in the mountains? Foolish guy! I asked you to chop the firewood yourself!¡±


    "What? Why are you framing someone? These are my own logs of firewood!¡±


    "Ridiculous! It can¡¯t be!¡±


    Was this person senile? Why didn¡¯t he believe me? I picked up the axe. Smith flinched and stepped back as he saw it in my hands. I set up a log.


    Ttaack!


    My woodcutting technique had reached the peak after chopping 1,000 logs of firewood. As soon as the axe met the wood, a clear sound was heard. It was a thrilling sound that rang through the smithy.


    Smith marveled at the sound and then looked surprised when he saw the log split neatly in two. After staring nkly, he nodded and opened his mouth, "I thought you were an ordinary newbie, but you¡¯ve actually worked for a long time in woodworking.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    "Then, you¡¯re a woodcutter.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I reached out a hand towards Smith, who was talking nonsense. "First, give me thepensation.¡±


    ¡°Umm... Yes. The work is better than I expected, so I will give you morepensation than I promised...¡±


    Doubt could still be seen in Smith¡¯s eyes, but he pulled out 40 coins. At that moment, the questpletion notification window stated that I received 15 experience points. The way that Smith gazed at me also changed considerably. Before, he had looked at me like a cockroach, and now I was like a mutt on the streets?


    I was proud. I had felt helpless in the sessive S and SS-grade quests, sopleting a normal quest after a long time gave me a sense of aplishment. As I was bathing in the afterglow, Smith gave me a pickaxe.


    ¡°If you climb the mountain, there will be a mine. Gather iron ore from there!¡±


    "How much?"


    ¡°As much as possible!¡±


    [Mine Iron Ore]


    Difficulty: E


    cksmith Smith is suspicious of you.


    He keeps looking and looking, but Smith can¡¯t understand why you are better at chopping firewood than him.


    Smith has greatly increased the difficulty of the task in order to assess you properly.


    Quest Clear Conditions: 80 pieces of iron ore.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith +30, experience +55, 20 bronze.


    Quest Failure: Affinity with Smith -30.


    55 experience! If I cleared the quest, I would go up three levels at once and finally get rid of the minus level. I was happy.


    No, wait. ¡®Other people start at level 1, while I¡¯m d about reaching level 0...¡¯


    I felt strange as I epted the quest.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now.¡±


    I ced strength in the hand holding the pickaxe. I had a huge passive skill that was understanding items. If I took advantage of this, the mining job would be done without difficulty. I left the smithy without dy. As I headed to a small mountain in the back of the vige, I asked a child passing by.


    "Kid, do any monsters emerge on that mountain?¡±


    Was he eight years old? The kid with the runny nose shrugged and replied, ¡°Are you really asking that question? How can there be monsters on a mountain attached to the vige? My dad says that the lord¡¯s soldiers patrol this area for our safety. So you don¡¯t have to be a shivering coward, Traveler.¡±


    ¡°C-Coward? Me?¡±


    The spiteful expression and nasty tone! A nasty kid who provoked the urge to punish him. As I prepared to rub my fist on the child¡¯s head, I saw a big man, probably the child¡¯s father, approaching. The man looked between me and the boy with a disapproving expression.


    "Boy, why are you hanging around that traveler? He looks stupid, so don¡¯t associate with him!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I only replied to him because he looked so pathetic and frustrated.¡±


    "Huhu, my son had to go through a lot of trouble. By the way, how did a traveler like thate to our vige? Our vige isn¡¯t a ce thatzy people can enter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But he asked me a question and I didn¡¯t want to be rude.¡±


    ¡°Hahahat! Yes yes. Then let¡¯s go to eat. Your mother is waiting.¡±


    ¡°Yes Father!¡±


    The father and kid walked away. Dammit, now I was being ignored by a kid.


    ¡°It is too much.¡±


    The NPCs¡¯ attitude towards me was disturbing. During the level 1-10 beginner days, the NPCs didn¡¯t show a favourable opinion towards users, but they still taught us and helped us grow. However, they unconditionally ignored me now that I was a minus level. They felt irritated just making eye contact with me.


    My reputation might¡¯ve increased by 500 in exchange for discovering Pagma¡¯s Rare Book, as well as the dignity stat after changing sses, but the minus level itself seemed to have the worst affinity with NPCs.


    ¡®Then Doran was a really nice person.¡¯


    I preferred a NPC like Doran, who mistook me for a high level. He forced me to ept the quest, but at least he didn¡¯t ignore me.


    ¡®When I think of Doran, I¡¯m reminded of Doran¡¯s ring.¡¯


    I still mourned the thought of the loss of Doran¡¯s ring.


    I gazed at the sky for a moment and soothed my mind. I checked my status window before moving to the mountains.


    <strong>Patreon goal has been met!! </strong>Thanks for all the patrons. There will now be 16 chapters a week. In addition, there will be a mini release of five chapters once the chapters have been edited.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Name: Grid


    Level: -3 (15/20)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, the is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 34/34 Mana: 3/3


    Strength: 1 + 5 Stamina: 1 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 1


    Dexterity: 1 Persistence: 4


    Composure: 1 Indomitable: 1 Dignity: 1 Insight: 1


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 3,075/200


    * The weight limit exceeds 200%, so movement speed is reduced by 100%.


    The body is heavy and cannot exert any power properly.


    The probability of receiving the ¡®weakened¡¯ state has be really high.


    ¡¯It will take a while to climb the mountain with this slow pace.¡¯


    My pace was too slow, despite elerating at full speed. I wanted to leave all of the items at the warehouse. But there was nothing free in this world. In order to use the warehouse, I had to pay a considerable amount of money.


    ¡®I can¡¯t afford to spend my money on a warehouse when I am desperately needing a carriage.¡¯


    Money was money, but there was also the expectation that the act of enduring the ¡®slow pace¡¯ would have an impact on my persistence stat.


    "Okay, let¡¯s just go.¡±


    I headed towards the mountain at a slow pace. The distance between the smithy and the mountain wasn¡¯t far. Would it take around 30 minutes with the average speed of an adult male? But my movement speed fell by a huge 100%! It took me one hour to arrive at the base of the mountain.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    I was tired, despite walking even more slowly than others. It was amazing how creatures like turtles and slugs could live with their slow movement speed. After three hours,


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    I was barely able to climb to the middle of the mountain. The mountain path was well constructed and the slope wasn¡¯t steep, but it took me this long to arrive at the end of the path. It was now dark.


    ¡°I just need to go a little further...¡±


    The light from the entrance of the mine wasn¡¯t far away, but it wasn¡¯t easy to reach. My poor stamina was already depleted.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to dy arriving at my destination.


    I barely suppressed my desire to rest and struggled to move on. One step, another step, each step was filled with a heavy weight. It felt like I was walking in deep water while wearing thick cotton clothes. But I went forward.


    The moment I arrived at the mine!


    [Your persistence has risen.]


    ¡°As I expected!¡±


    Iughed as I looked at my rising stat. It felt like I recovered from my tired spirit instantly. While I couldn¡¯t raise these stats through leveling up, the ones that grew through certain behaviors gave me a tremendous sense of aplishment and pleasure, like a drug. It seemed like I would never be able to stop grinding stats for the rest of my life.


    I entered the mine and literally sat down with joy. I took a break and consumed bread and water, then my stamina slowly recovered.


    ¡°Then shall I start? Appraisal.¡±


    After judging that I had rested enough, I took out the pickaxe and used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill.


    [Smith¡¯s Pickaxe]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 19/19 Attack Power: 7~9


    A pickaxe used by the cksmith, Smith. It was used by Smith to build up his skills.


    Thanks to the strong durability, Smith collected 120 iron ore in a single day with this pickaxe. Since that day, the miners in this vige have acknowledged Smith.


    Weight: 40


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the materials that make up Smith¡¯s Pickaxe, the production method, and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of Smith¡¯s Pickaxe is now at 100%. You can use Smith¡¯s Pickaxe perfectly.]


    [You have learned how to make a pickaxe.]


    I received a great stimulus after reading the description of the pickaxe.


    ¡®T-That old man mined 120 iron ores in one day?¡¯


    I received a quest to mine 80 iron ores. There was no time limit. Yes, it would take a few days to gather the 80 iron ores needed toplete the quest. But I couldn¡¯t rx after finding out that Smith obtained 120 iron ores in one day.


    ¡®I am going to obtain 200 pieces in one day and then make that old man recognize me!¡¯


    I looked around the mine with the pickaxe in my hand. Red dots glittered all over the walls.


    ¡¯I am supposed to hit those spots.¡¯


    As I moved to one red dot, the miners resting on the side discovered me.


    "Hey Newbie, why are you holding a pickaxe in your hand? Surely you aren¡¯t trying to mine?¡±


    "I am.¡±


    ¡°What? Puhahahat!!¡±


    The minersughed. Some of them rolled across the floor with tears in their eyes. Another person frowned and said. ¡°Cut it out. A newbie like you can swing all day and not even obtain a single iron ore.¡±


    The others agreed.


    "You should be d if you don¡¯t break your wrist.¡±


    "We are saying this because we are worried, so just go home. New. Bie.¡±


    ¡¯Yes,ugh now.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t respond to them. I would show them with my actions!


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    [Iron ore has been acquired.]


    The iron ore emerged after I hit the red dot three or four times. The miners were amazed at the sight.


    "Ah, no? How can he do it so easily...?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just a coincidence.¡±


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    [Iron ore has been acquired.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°What, that guy? Why is he so good when he looks so ipetent?¡±


    ¡°Fools. That isn¡¯t his skill. The pickaxe is special.¡±


    One of the whispering miners approached me before reaching out and saying,.


    "That pickaxe, can I try it?¡±


    Did they think I was mining using the power of an item because they couldn¡¯t recognize my skills? I wanted to see the expressions of the miners change when they realize that my pickaxe was ordinary. So I handed the pickaxe to the miner.


    "Look carefully. I¡¯ll prove that this pickaxe isn¡¯t an ordinary one.¡± The miner dered and wielded the pickaxe with confidence.


    Kakang!Kakakang!Kang!Kaaang!Kang!


    "Pant pant... it¡¯s just an ordinary pickaxe...¡±


    The minor said awkwardly after repeating the swing of the pickaxe many times and only obtaining one iron ore. The miners who saw it were agitated.


    ¡°Then he is good at mining...¡±


    "We shouldn¡¯t judge people by their appearance. Anyway, it¡¯s time for us to leave. Let¡¯s head down.¡±


    The miners ignored me and left the mine. They didn¡¯t apologize for their mistake and or acknowledge my skills.


    Anyway, I started the full-scale mining work.


    [Iron ore has been acquired.]


    "It¡¯s really easy."


    The 100% understanding corrected my pickaxe swinging posture and urately pinpointed the position I needed to hit. It felt like I could gather 200~300 iron ores. But that confidence onlysted a short moment. I became exhausted after a while. The act of hitting a wall in a semi-enclosed space consumed more stamina than chopping firewood.


    "Pant pant... this damned...¡±


    My breathing worsened when I obtained the 26th iron ore. My waist and arms started twitching. My level -3 body was screaming at me to take a break. But I couldn¡¯t rest. It was because my desire to raise my level quickly was greater than my desire to rest.


    After adjusting my breathing, I straightened my posture and swung the pickaxe again.


    Kaaang!Kakang!


    "Ugh...¡±


    By the time I extracted the 41st iron ore, the sensations from my wrist and waist started to disappear. Sweat poured like rain down my body. My legs weakened by I persisted in swinging the pickaxe. I couldn¡¯t see the sky when I raised my head, only the stifling ceiling.


    I wanted to rest. But I wanted to earn money by learning how to make items quickly. My hands trembled as I moved my pickaxe.


    Kakang!Kajajak!


    "Pant... pant... ah, I¡¯m dying.¡±


    Once it was the 59th piece of iron ore, my vision became blurry from fatigue. My muscles screamed. My shaking hands couldn¡¯t hold the pickaxe tightly. I soothed my hunger with bread and water and persisted.


    This was my limit. Right now, I wanted to throw the pickaxe in my hand away. But I actually gripped the pickaxe tighter.


    "I won¡¯t give up because of this. My job isbour! Uraaaaat!¡±


    Kakang!Kakang!Kakakang!


    I was debt-ridden because of the game; I was a loser in reality. One day, I heard from a friend that my high school alumni ignored me and ridiculed me. It was bitter because I knew that the friend who delivered the news had acted the same as the alumni.


    My friends from the army and university? I hadn¡¯t been in touch with them for a long time. Ah, I was contacted four months ago by an army buddy. He was working for a multi-level (pyramid scheme)pany and was willing to offer me a job. It was easy to see who disregarded me.


    I didn¡¯t bother speaking to them to change their opinion.


    If I told them that I was crazy about a game, they would just look at me like I was pathetic.


    I was so embarrassed about my pathetic self that I couldn¡¯t go to the second reunion. However, it was the only way to meet my first love, Ahyoung, so I attended an alumni meeting when I was on vacation from the army...


    There was nothing pleasing about what happened. I was only able to forget about reality and find stability when I logged into Satisfy.


    But that was a while ago. Now, Satisfy was no different from the real world. Even the NPCs were ignoring me! This wasn¡¯t the real world. I needed to grow as quickly as possible. I would raise my level, earn money and escape my debt. Then I would be a ranker. Then like Katz not long ago, I would be interviewed on TV.


    I was Pagma¡¯s Descendant! The epic sses that made two billion users astonished? They were nothing in front of the legendary ss!


    "I will show the worldddd!!!¡±


    Kaaang!


    [Iron ore has been acquired.]


    "I must seed."


    Due to the debt, I was doingbor work every day. Then I would tell all those who ignored me. I wouldn¡¯t ignore the abuse again. In fact, you lot weren¡¯t that great either!


    My pickaxe moved again. My persistence stat steadily grew. As I became more and more familiar with the mining technique, the speed that the durability decreased slowed. Before I knew it, the bright morning sun shone. The miners who came to work were amazed to see me.


    "Did that guy work all night?¡±


    ¡°Unlike how he looks, he has enormous stamina. No, how is his mental state still fine? What an amazing guy.¡±


    ¡°Heok! Look at the amount of iron ore! Has he broken Smith¡¯s record?¡±


    "Aish, how can he break Smith¡¯s record? I honestly admit that he is doing well but... eh? Hey, hasn¡¯t his mining skill improved overnight?¡±


    During that day, I fell into a critical state several times and minimized the amount of time spent mining. I experienced dangerous situations and almost died several times while mining, but was able to pass the crisis and got 170 iron ore by lunch time.


    Despite it being less than my target of 200 iron ores, I couldn¡¯t continue any longer because my water ran out.


    Stagger.Stagger stagger.


    The miners watched as I left the mine with barely any strength left.


    "This person, great... I have to admit it. I apologize for what I said yesterday and for ignoring you. Please forgive me for my rudeness.¡±


    "You will surely be a great miner! No, with this great spirit, you will seed in whatever you want to do!¡±


    The miners who ignored me yesterday now acknowledged me. Being acknowledged by someone, it was a valuable experience that I only had a few times in my life. I was proud, even if the other people were NPCs.


    I descended the mountain with lighter steps. Overnight, my persistence stat had risen to 16 points. My stamina also rose, so I was able to descend the mountain without bing tired.


    I dragged the heavy sack of iron ores towards the smithy. It felt like the gazes of the viges had significantly changed. The miners had spread my story through the vige.


    "Uh, I¡¯m sorry for yesterday, Miner.¡±


    The kid from yesterday had aplete 180-degree change in attitude as he apologized to me. His father also smiled at me.


    My level was still minus. However, the attitude of the minors and people who ignored me suddenly changed in a day. It seemed that the ¡®easily acknowledged¡¯ characteristic of my title was applied.


    ¡®I feel good...¡¯


    The world of Satisfy, which had grown simr to reality after I became a minus level, now felt like a haven again. I smiled and gave the boy a light pat. Shortly afterwards, I arrived at the smithy.


    He already heard. Smith had a stunned expression as I handed him the bag containing 170 iron ore.


    ¡°How is it? Can you still call me a newbie?¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Smith checked the number and condition of the iron ores, then shook his head with a thrilled expression. "No, you¡¯re a great person, not a newbie. You have great talent and will grow to be a great person by oveing any hardships.¡±


    Smith asked me for a handshake.


    ¡°Someone like you dreaming of bing a cksmith, all cksmiths on the continent will rejoice. Thank you for giving me the glory of teaching you.¡±


    I willingly shook hands with Smith.


    Smith smiled warmly and continued, ¡°You were very good. You also broke my mining record, which no one else has done. I will give you twice the promised reward.¡±


    There was a notification information me of the quest¡¯s sess, then the rewards starteding in.


    [Reputation in Bairan Vige has increased by 200.]


    [1]


    [Affinity with Smith has risen to 60.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [You are now level 1. Your stats, which were fixed to a minimum due to the minus level penalty, have been restored to their normal state.]


    [The basic stats of Pagma¡¯s Descendant have been applied.]


    Finally...


    ¡°This is the start.¡±


    <strong>Patreon goal has been met!! </strong>Thanks for all the patrons. There will now be 16 chapters a week. In addition, there will be a mini release of five chapters once the chapters have been edited.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    silver has been acquired.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    [You are now level 1. Your stats, which were fixed to a minimum due to the minus level penalty, have been restored to their normal state.]


    [The basic stats of Pagma¡¯s Descendant have been applied.]


    These were phrases that made my heart pound in anticipation.


    Dugun dugun!


    My heart was beating so fast, it found like the sound wasing up to my ears. I was extremely excited and hurriedly opened the status window.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 1 (45/100)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there will be a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 280/280 Mana: 75/75


    Strength: 20 + 5 Stamina: 18 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 25


    Dexterity: 50 Persistence: 16


    Composure: 10 Indomitable: 11 Dignity: 10 Insight: 10


    Stat Points: 40


    Weight: 3,035/820


    * The weight limit exceeds 200%, so movement speed is reduced by 100%.


    The body is heavy and cannot exert any power properly.


    The probability of receiving the ¡®weakened¡¯ state has be really high.


    ¡°A dream?¡±


    Was it a dream? I didn¡¯t panic. If I were in reality, I would¡¯ve pinched myself. However, I just calmly logged out of the game. Iy in the capsule in my room and stared for a few moments.


    "I was sleeping without knowing it.¡±


    This was a good possibility because I didn¡¯t have the capsule switched to sleep mode. I went to the bathroom to resolve my bodily needs, poured cold water over my head, and returned to the capsule. I logged in again.


    Just like in my dream, I was standing in the smithy.


    ¡°Was it not a dream...? No, I shouldn¡¯t anticipate anything.¡±


    If an unlucky person like me started expecting things, the wounds on my heart would also grow. I opened the status window without any inspiration and literally froze.


    ¡°...An amazing jackpot.¡±


    There were no changes to the contents of the status window. It wasn¡¯t a dream. My heart started beating quickly again.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The basic stats of a level 1 character were 6 strength, 7 stamina, 4 agility, and 5 intelligence. In other words, the total number of stats for a level 1 character was 22 points.


    However, the basic stats of Pagma¡¯s Descendant added up to 165 points in total. In addition, there were the 16 points in persistence that I grew as well as 1 point in indomitable, making a huge total of 182 points.


    Using simple calctions, my stats were higher than level 15 users, which meant that I had an overwhelming advantage. I realized the greatness of a legendary profession.


    Besides...


    ¡®These are just the basic stats but...¡¯


    I paid attention to the extra 40 stat points I had.


    ¡¯Why was I given stat points?¡¯


    Stat points were increased by 10 points every time someone gained a level, so I should have 0 points at level 1. Therefore, I pondered upon the reason why I was given 40 points. There were many theories, but there was only one hypothesis that was persuasive.


    ¡®Perhaps... are stat points obtained every time you level up, even at the minus level?¡¯


    I was level -3 and leveled up four times in order to reach level 1. This was the only reason I could think of for the 40 stat points. I rubbed my eyes but the 40 stat points didn¡¯t disappear. I was so thrilled that I starting shaking.


    ¡®My experience in the minus level wasn¡¯t in vain!¡¯


    All of my struggles were meaningful. Maybe I wasn¡¯t as unlucky as I thought was.


    ¡°Kuk! Kukuk...!¡±


    Was there anguage in this world that could express this joy? I could onlyugh.


    "Puhahahahahat ~ ~ ~ ~!!!"


    The sound of myughter was proportional to my joy. The people in the smithy left as Iughed so loudly that my belly hurt. However, I just couldn¡¯t stop. After a while, "He! Keke! Puha...! Urghh...¡±


    Smith stared at me as Iughed through the pain and raised his thumb. "This is a hero¡¯s excitedugh! You are such an outstanding figure that I don¡¯t know how I mistook your identity yesterday. My vision wascking. I am ashamed and embarrassed.¡±


    Iughed like a madman but he still saw me as a hero? This meant that Smith¡¯s affinity with me was at the maximum. While it was true that I had escaped from the minus level, raised my affinity with two quests, and earned a reputation in Bairan Vige of over 200, Smith¡¯s attitude towards me was still overly ttering.


    ¡®Even if my title has the attribute of being easily acknowledged...¡¯


    I met Smith¡¯s eyes, causing him to lower his gaze. This was the attitude of a student in the presence of his master!


    ¡®Is this the effect of the dignity stat? It¡¯s only at 10 points at the moment, but is it already having an effect?¡¯


    It was possible, considering that Smith¡¯s level wasn¡¯t very high.


    ¡®It might be different with high ranking NPCs. However, dignity seems to have an effect on normal NPCs, even with the number of points in it isn¡¯t high.¡¯


    I never imagined that his attitude would change so much in a day. It was an excitement beyond my current excitement.


    ¡®...First, let¡¯s calm down. Let¡¯s calm down and try to figure out how the stat points work.¡¯


    I worried about it for a moment. Over the past few days, hadn¡¯t I acted in an impromptu manner without thinking deeply? Now that the situation was getting better, I needed to be more cautious. It felt like numerous threads were tangled in front of me that could be ruined with my rash behavior.


    ¡®I already have a lot of stats at level 1, so there is absolutely no reason to distribute my stat points hastily.¡¯


    I thought about the most important thing to me right now. It was...


    ¡°Money!¡±


    Yes, money. I needed to make enough money in order to pay for the carriage to move between viges. Smith flinched as I suddenly shouted. I cut straight to the point,


    "Didn¡¯t I say it when I first visited your smithy? I want to make and sell high-demand items that will make me as much profit as possible. What is the most appropriate item?¡±


    Smith pointed to a ce where arrows were disyed.


    "This one.¡±


    An arrow?


    Unlike other equipment, arrows were consumables, so the price of it was naturally cheaper. No matter how profitable it was, if the sale price was low, it meant that I had to sell a lot of volume. My spirit deted.


    Smith read my expression and exined,


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an ordinary arrow. It is a special arrow made by mixing a small amount of jaffa with steel, allowing it to ignore some of the enemy¡¯s defense and cause damage.¡±


    Ignore defense!


    For archers who participated in the Guardian of the Forest raise, these arrows were essential. No, even if it were for yers not participating in the raid, the demand would be high considering there were many golems living in the Grey Forest.


    "Jaffa...¡±


    Smith saw that I was interested and brought out a light purple mineral from the warehouse.


    ¡°Jaffa is a mineral with a low oxygen content, making it easy to smelt, and is remarkably superior to iron. Its weakness is its durability and strength, making it unsuitable to create weapons with jaffa. However, when mixed with steel, the durability increases and the pration power is maximized. It is normal for cavalry troops to be armed with jaffa-tipped spears.


    ¡°It must be expensive.¡±


    "It is two gold per kilogram. Even top-tier iron ore is just cheap stone in front of jaffa.¡±


    ¡°Expensive... Then, how can you produce dozens of jaffa arrows?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t expensive. Only a small amount of jaffa is needed to create the arrow. The production cost of a single jaffa arrow is three silver, but the sales price is fixed at six silver. It is double the profit. In addition, this vige has a high demand for jaffa arrows. How about it, do you want to learn how to make it?¡±


    If this were yesterday, I would¡¯ve nodded since I could gain a quick understanding through the appraisal skill. But I wasn¡¯t the same. After receiving a rmendation for a suitable item, I needed to learn how to make it myself.


    "Show me the arrow for a moment.¡±


    Smith handed me the arrow and I used the appraisal skill.


    [Jaffa Arrow]


    Rating: Normal


    Attack Power: 20~26


    An arrow made by mixing a small amount of jaffa with steel.


    Due to the effect ofbining jaffa with steel, it has extremely high pration and ignores some of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    Weight: 0.1


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the Jaffa Arrow¡¯s materialposition, production method, and intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of the Jaffa Arrow is now at 89%. You will be able to use the Jaffa Arrow skillfully.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t reach 100% understanding after using appraisal on the Jaffa Arrow. Therefore, the production method wasn¡¯t added.


    ¡¯This arrow...¡¯


    Smith looked at me staring at the arrow and asked again,


    ¡°Do you want to learn how to make the Jaffa Arrow?¡±


    ¡®If I use the item disassembly skill, I might be able to raise the remaining 11%... But one arrow is six silver?¡¯


    I would need to pay six silver if I wanted to disassemble it. I couldn¡¯t afford that type of luxury.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t too bad to learn how to make it on my own.¡¯


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°I will learn how to make it.¡±


    Smith was happy. ¡°I thought so. First, shall we learn how to smelt the mineral?¡±


    Smith began with the structure of the old furnacemonly used by all cksmiths in Satisfy, exining in detail the elements necessary for the smelting process and the principles behind the process.


    cksmith jargon and chemical terms sometimes popped up, but I didn¡¯t feel confused. While Satisfy pursued realism, it was still a game so the barrier wasn¡¯t set high in order to allow more people to enjoy it. The cksmith knowledge required by Satisfy was as easy to understand as the other sses.


    In addition, I came prepared. I had been unable to connect after receiving a penalty for dying twice in one day, so I used the spare time to research cksmithing. Smith¡¯s lecture wasn¡¯t much different from the smelting method I read about. Thus, it was easier to understand.


    I realized the effect of preparation and review. It was fortunate that one of my friends from middle school had taught me the ¡®preparation and review¡¯ method.


    ¡®But that guy wasn¡¯t able to escape the second ce ranking all through high school.¡¯


    He was a pitiful guy who maintained his second rank in high school, never being able to cross the wall of a ssmate who imed to ¡®only study in ss.¡¯


    On the day the results of the second semester final examinations were released, I was able to understand the feelings of my friend who stood on the rooftop and yelled ¡®Why did a genius have to be born in the same year as me?¡¯


    There were many talented people that I could never catch up to, no matter how hard I tried.


    ¡®But now things are different.¡¯


    I got a legendary ss. This time, I would be the outstanding person. I would achieve as much as possible.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    I smiled as Smith finished the lecture.


    "Is it difficult to understand with just words? If so, then I will demonstrate it for you.¡±


    Smith poured in a certain ratio of iron, coke, and limestone before starting the st furnace. (The fuel Coke, not the drink/drug)


    As Smith¡¯s face and upper body became soaked with sweat, he controlled the hot winding from the bottom of the furnace and started burning the coke. At this point, the iron ore was gradually turned into molten iron due to Smith¡¯s reduction interactions.


    The limestone reacted by separating the iron and into impurities to form g. Smith alternated between filtering out the g and maintaining the heat. The ck debris gradually disappeared through holes at the bottom of the furnace, while the molten iron became increasingly orange.


    When the iron solidified, it would be pig iron. Pig iron was very hard and brittle because it contained a lot of carbon. It wasn¡¯t suitable for the crafting of weapons. In order to make it suitable for weaponsmithing, it was necessary to reduce the carbon content through a process called steelmaking.


    Smith, who was quietly immersed in his task, asked, "Do you understand what smelting is now?¡±


    I nodded and Smith sent me a satisfied expression.


    "Now that you¡¯ve seen it, jaffa is easy to smelt. The jaffa ores have fewer impurities and a lower melting point, making it easier to refine than iron ore. The ratio of jaffa to coke to limestone is 12:2:4.¡±


    [Mineral Smelting]


    Difficulty: E


    Mineral smelting is the basis of production. Smith gives this job to you, who is dreaming of bing a cksmith.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Seed in smelting the jaffa ore.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith +30, experience +80, 300g of smelted jaffa.


    Quest Failure: It isn¡¯t easy to perfectly smelt minerals in the beginning.


    Smith will understand if you fail.


    There was no reason to refuse. I epted the quest.


    Smith prepared the furnace for me and added, ¡°Don¡¯t be bothered if you fail. It might¡¯ve looked easy as you watched me smelt it, but in reality, it¡¯s actually quite hard.¡±


    I ced the ingredients in the furnace and put my feet on the bellows. At that moment, a translucent arrow appeared and pointed to one side of the bellows.


    ¡®Is this the sspensation effect?¡¯


    I ced my foot exactly where the arrow pointed. The arrow pointed in another direction, where I aimed the bellows at. The arrow repeatedly blinked, giving me the appropriate tempo. In the end, I managed to heat up the furnace in five minutes, unlike Smith who barely managed it in 10 minutes.


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [You can sense the temperature due to the rapid changes in ambient temperature. 30 degrees. 31 degrees. 31.5 degrees. 32...]


    The strange, yet unwee voice was heard in my mind.


    [Pagma¡¯s descendant is sensitive to changes in temperature. If there is a furnace in the vicinity, you can urately measure the temperature inside the furnace.


    I ced my hand over the furnace.


    [700 degrees. 720 degrees. 740...]


    The constantly rising temperature was disyed in the continuously updating notification window.


    ¡®1,000 degrees.¡¯


    Iron ore was said to be suitable for smelting between temperatures of 1,150~1,250 degrees Celsius, but jaffa was suitable at around 950~1,000 degrees. As soon as the notification window read 1,000 degrees, I no longer needed to put effort into increasing the temperature.


    The jaffa slowly melted down. Compared to iron ore, jaffa had a lower concentration of impurities, so its orange glow was strong from the beginning. I immersed myself in filtering out the impurities. The translucent arrow told me the direction to move the metal pipes, so I was able to do it more quickly and urately than Smith.


    Smith, who was concerned about whether I was doing well or not, became shocked as he checked my work.


    ¡°H-Heok! Cough! Cough cough!¡±


    Smith was so surprised that he had trouble breathing. After a while, Smith barely regained stability and asked me in a trembling voice, ¡°How are you so skilled at smelting?¡±


    Hisplexion was so pale that I was worried the old man might fall down.


    "Do you have experience smelting? This wasn¡¯t your first time?¡±


    "...It is my first time smelting...¡±


    Smith looked like he saw a ghost.


    "Huh... it is really ridiculous... This is a talent that can¡¯t be represented. A person with no experience is better than his teacher. It¡¯s like I¡¯m dreaming. Are you the reincarnation of Pagma?¡±


    The term ¡®reincarnation of Pagma¡¯ was themon term of praise for especially talented cksmiths. It was usually the best praise! Any cksmith would explode with joy if they heard that they were Pagma¡¯s reincarnation.


    However, I was different.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not a reincarnation, but a descendant.¡¯


    In the meantime, the high purity molten jaffa waspleted.


    [Quest sess!]


    Smith smiled warmly and said,


    ¡°Absolutely wonderful! You are a great friend.¡±


    [Affinity with Smith has risen by 30.]


    [Experience has risen by 80.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡®Good! Level 2!¡¯


    There was no greater joy than an easy level up. At one time, I was level 80. Now I was delighted at just reaching level 2. I was very worried about what would happen when my level reached the double digits.


    "Bring it here.¡±


    Smith poured the molten jaffa into the molten iron, mixing the two metals at a ratio of 1:12. Of course, this meant that for every single part of jaffa, there were 12 parts of iron. Smith ced the mixture in the furnace and started to heat it up again. He didn¡¯t forget to mix it together. He mixed it a total of six times before finishing the process by pouring the molten solution into a mold that he had prepared.


    We would have to wait 40 minutes for the molten solution to harden inside the mold. Meanwhile, Smith handed me some jaffa that had already beenpleted.


    ¡°This is the first time you¡¯ve smelted metal, so I will give this to you as a memento.¡±


    [3]


    One piece of jaffa weighed around 700 grams to 1 kilogram. 300 grams of jaffa were worth one gold, so it was a considerable reward for an E-grade quest.


    ¡¯Smith, this person is really great.¡¯


    I was liking this cksmith more and more. Smith approached with a big hammer and started hitting the mold that the molten solution was poured into. In the mold, the hardened molten iron appeared in the shape of a thick wire.


    Smith picked up the wire and ced it to one side, where there was another, smaller mold. He ced the wire on the mold and started hammering. After that was done, he used a grindstone to sharpen the edge.


    After some careful work, a typical arrowhead with a sharp end waspleted. Although it was thick and heavy, the end was very sharp and could prate armor with no difficulty. Thepleted jaffa arrowhead was then secured to a pre-created arrow shaft.


    I watched the whole process from beginning to end, then a new notification window popped up.


    [Your understanding of the Jaffa Arrow is now at 100%. You will be able to use the Jaffa Arrow perfectly.]


    [You have learned how to make the Jaffa Arrow.]


    Smith asked me, "How is it? Can you make it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Smithughed heartily.


    "Answering without hesitation... What great confidence. Like any weapon, particrly in arrows, bnce is important. You need to bnce the feathers, the arrowhead, and the shaft... If the arrows are even a little bit out of bnce, they won¡¯t be able to fly as far as they can possibly go. It is very delicate work. Even so, can you really make it? Despite only watching the production process once?¡±


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    "Hoh... then I will trust you again.¡±


    [Create a Jaffa Arrow]


    Difficulty: D


    The process of mixing two metals is never easy. It requires delicacy to make an arrow. For this reason, it is hard for novice cksmiths to create a Jaffa Arrow.


    But Smith trusts you and leaves you with the expensive materials.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Produce 100 Jaffa Arrows.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith MAX, experience +300, 50 Jaffa Arrows.


    Quest Failure: Smith¡¯s disappointment.


    * If the client is disappointed, you won¡¯t be assigned any new missions for a period of time.


    Smith supported me by giving me 100pleted shafts and one kilogram of jaffa. I could also freely use the iron ore. This was all thanks to my incredibly high affinity with the cksmith. If it were the previous me, I would¡¯ve just epted these materials.


    "I appreciate the courtesy, but I will make the shafts myself.¡±


    I returned the 100 arrow shafts, but Smith couldn¡¯t understand my actions.


    "Why bother? If it is because you feel burdened, there is no need to worry.¡±


    Tsk tsk, so this was why he was just a beginner cksmith.


    "Are you going to support me with the shafts every time I make an arrow?¡±


    "No, I can¡¯t... Oh, so you will use this opportunity to learn how to make the shafts properly?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. If possible, please support me with the materials required to make the shaft.¡±


    Smith shrugged and gave me some sturdy branches and good quality feathers. "I was so focused on the smelting and making of the arrowhead that I didn¡¯t tell you how to make the shaft. I¡¯ll teach you how to make the shaft now.¡±


    There were limits to how much a beginner cksmith could teach me. I told him I would take care of it and pulled out a thick booklet from my inventory. The title was ¡®List of Items Production Methods.¡¯


    When I opened the book, I saw that four things were listed in the table of contents. They were the production methods of an axe, a pickaxe, the Jaffa Arrow, and ¡®Failure¡¯. It might be empty and simple now, but there will a day when this ¡®List of Items Production Methods¡¯ book will be filled up.


    I opened the page on how to make a Jaffa arrow and read it. The method of making the shaft was described in detail,plete with pictures and text. I read it and read it again for a while before closing the book.


    ¡®Okay, I can do it.¡¯


    I was a little tense since it was my first time making an item. No, I was more excited than tense. I started making the arrow shaft. First of all, I straightened the branches into a straight line. The badly bent branches were lightly seared and then straightened. I cut the branches to a regr length and cut the top (a U shaped groove where the arrow would be ced against the bowstring) of the shaft. Then I finished by pasting on feathers.


    One, two, three.


    As the number ofpleted shafts increased, my proficiency steadily grew. It was a great effect as itbined my high dexterity that enabled delicate work with the correction effect of my ss.


    Smith once again felt admiration as he watched.


    "This isn¡¯t the workmanship of a novice... You figured out the production method just by looking at the finished shaft? You truly have the eyes of a craftsman. The dexterity and uracy are also excellent.¡±


    I was able to finish 100 shafts without difficulty before I started making the arrowheads.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    pieces of jaffa have been acquired.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    I melted iron ore and jaffa together, mixing them in the right proportions. Then, I poured the molten iron into the mold. Then, after 40 minutes, I pounded it into the shape of a wire. I poured a bucket of water on the wire.


    Chiiiik!


    A loud sound was heard as the scorching wire cooled rapidly. Quenching. This process increased the hardness and strength of the metal.


    Smith seemed disappointed for the first time.


    "You even know about quenching?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have studied various production methods. I am a person who is always prepared.¡±


    "Uhh, I don¡¯t know what you studied, but is this the limit of self-study? Why are you using quenching when making the arrowhead? I¡¯m not sure if you know, but if you quench the metal, it bes harder and less durable. The moment the arrow strikes the enemy, instead of piercing the enemy, the arrowhead might break in the enemy¡¯s armor.¡±


    That was right, but I had a special n.


    "I¡¯ll also use tempering.¡±


    Tempering involved reheating the quenched metal and then gradually lowering it in order to decrease the metal¡¯s brittleness. It was adding a flourish to the production method, which could strengthen the metal in the end.


    However, it would take a lot of time to do all of this. It wasbor that I didn¡¯t like!


    Smith frowned as he felt the same way.


    "Do you intend to make the arrows all night? I don¡¯t know why you would spend so much time making the arrows. Those who buy arrows consider them as a one-off consumable, so why are you so devoted to making the consumable item?¡±


    Why? The reason for increasing the amount ofbor was simple. I replied while reheating the quenched wire and hammering at it,


    "If I make it a bit better, I can sell it for a more expensive price.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Smith understood once he heard my words and no longer interfered. I made the arrowheads by repeatedly quenching, forging, and tempering. How much time passed by? I was tired and sore, but the heat from the smithy was even more painful. My awkward hammering skills steadily improved over time.


    [Your persistence has risen.]


    [Your dexterity has risen.]


    My growing stats really made everything feel worthwhile. I was willing to do anything to raise my stats.


    ¡°...This.¡±


    Dammit! It wasbor in the game! But it was also fun!


    ¡°I will be addicted tobor one day!¡±


    Would a daye when I enjoyedbor in reality as well? It was a big deal. I might end up with osteoporosis in myter years of life.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Iined but still immersed myself in the actions. The wire was slowly converted into an arrowhead as my hammering and my skills became more sophisticated.


    ¡°Hoo. Hoo.¡±


    I took short breaths. My arms were numb and my skin was hot, but I endured it. My concentration increased as my stamina fell.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated. Concentration, stamina, and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    Suddenly, the weariness in my body disappeared and I felt refreshed. This was simr to the vigor I felt whenever I ate cereal with milk.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    I alternated between the hammer and metals, producing the arrowheads. The effect of my increased concentration was noticeable in the arrowheads. It might¡¯ve been because I made it myself, but the arrowheads were really beautiful.


    I was happy. Sweating in front of the fire gave me a sense of fulfillment.


    ¡¯This isn¡¯t merebor. Rather, it is akin to art.¡¯


    In reality, I had no talent so I felt no pleasure no matter what I did. I had to work my guts off just to fall behind. But now I had talent. It was a talent that could only be shown in Satisfy, but it was enough.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    A harmony with the hammer! It was a moment when I felt stability and contentment.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath]


    Lv. 1


    When you are concentrating on making an item, the will of Pagma¡¯s Descendant will fill the production item.


    All stats of a production item will increase by 5%.


    There is a rare chance of giving special features to your production items.


    Then 100 arrows werepleted!


    [Special Jaffa Arrow]


    Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 35~42


    An arrow made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation.


    Due to the effect ofbining jaffa with steel, it has extremely high pration and ignores some of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    * Has a certain chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense.


    Weight: 0.1


    [An epic rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.


    [Quest sess!]


    [Affinity with Smith has risen to the maximum.]


    [Experience has risen by 300.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    There was no time to rejoice over the quest¡¯s sess and my level up.


    ¡°...Epic rated arrow?¡±


    Weren¡¯t arrows unconditionally a normal rating?


    ¡¯I¡¯ve never heard of an epic rated arrow.¡¯


    I was filled with an indescribable sense of emptiness.


    ¡°Epic rated consumables... An epic rating appeared when I created arrows...¡±


    If it was a costly item like a sword or armor, then I would¡¯ve made a big profit. But arrows were cheap and considered consumables, so the profit of an epic rated arrow was limited. I was ovee with bad emotions.


    ¡®Dammit! He should¡¯ve told me to make either sword or armor!¡¯


    I started to hate Smith, who rmended the Jaffa Arrow. When I looked at the arrow I made, the short feeling of admiration turned into anger.


    "You haven¡¯t gone through an apprenticeship yet you are already making something so great! Ideal arrows! This is the first time that I¡¯ve considered an arrow to be beautiful! You are definitely Pagma¡¯s reincarnation! Ahh! You must be tired of my surprise by now! You are great! Amazing! Wonderful!¡±


    I regained my spirit at Smith¡¯s words.


    Yes, the first item I made had an epic rating. I didn¡¯t even fail. This fact was enough for me to rejoice and be thankful. As a result of making the epic rated items, all of my stats increased by 4 and my reputation increased.


    In addition, the performance of the arrows was amazing. Were there any existing arrows whose attack power exceeded 40? Plus, there was a special option.


    ¡®One arrow is better than a level 20 hand weapon.¡¯


    Arrows were less profitable than other equipment items due to their nature, but this great performance meant that I would definitely get some money.


    ¡®I was a little confused because something bigger than I nned emerged.¡¯


    I had the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill. Due to the effect, the abilities of all my items increased by 10%. In others words, the basic attack power of a Jaffa Arrow was 20~26, but the ones I created would be 22~28. From a buyer¡¯s point of view, they would rather buy the Jaffa Arrows from me rather than the general Jaffa Arrows.


    But they would be reluctant to pay more. Why? It didn¡¯t make sense to pay more money just for a slight increase in attack power. So I used quenching, forging, and tempering as a way to maximize the effects of my skill. I expected that a fairly good arrow would emerge from a 10% increase in performance plus a more borate production process.


    Then the finished arrows had a better performance than my expectations due to the breath skill. I made Jaffa Arrows that had 15 more attack power than existing Jaffa Arrows, and it also had the option ofpletely ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense. A high-level user would purchase the Jaffa Arrows I made, no matter how expensive they were. It was well worth it.


    ¡°Pu~~~~~~ hahahahat!!¡±


    The superior stats and skills possessed by Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The 40 stat points obtained through the minus levels! My stats also increased from making epic rated items. Finally, the arrows that could be sold at an expensive price. I could be certain that today was the best day of my life.


    "It is better than my birthday.¡±


    Besides, there was only my little sister who remembered my birthday. It was annoying to hear on my birthday things like ¡®Are you sitting alone at home again?¡¯ or ¡®Don¡¯t you have any friends?¡¯ This year, I should say those words on my sister¡¯s birthday.


    Therefore, it was natural to be one hundred times happier todaypared to my embarrassing and lonely birthdays.


    Smith watched meughing like a madman and handed over the 100pleted Jaffa Arrows.


    "I originally promised you half of this... but I can¡¯t take such wonderful things. I want you to take all of them.¡±


    The effect of maximum affinity! Wasn¡¯t this a beautiful favor?


    My heart thumped. Smith seemed just like my grandfather so I couldn¡¯t help embracing him.


    "You have shown me great kindness! It was a short meeting but I will never forget you.¡±


    Tears dripped from Smith¡¯s eyes as he hugged me. "Are you leaving already? That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°We might meet again someday if we¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave...¡± Smith nced at me with a flushed face.


    Like a male peacock opening its colorful tail feathers to seduce a female, he tried to attract me using hammers, tongs, and the solid muscles of his upper body. This man, he had the smell of a widower so he must¡¯ve been alone for a long time. Maybe he was so lonely that he became gay after his affinity towards me reached the maximum...? No, he might¡¯ve been gay from the beginning.


    His dignity decreased in front of his affection. I straightened and let go.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    I grabbed the 100 epic arrows and hurriedly moved away. However, due to the 100% reduction in movement speed, I couldn¡¯t leave the cksmith quickly. Smith approached me and hugged me from behind.


    "I can see that you also don¡¯t want to separate from me! You are thinking of me in that passionate heart of yours. I¡¯m reluctant to give up this affection. I won¡¯t forget you until the day Iy in my coffin! No, I will think of you, even in my coffin!¡±


    ¡°This damn person. Stop speaking such terrible words!¡±


    Just like with Doran, the excess weight caused a misunderstanding again.


    I barely got away from Smith made a vow to sell my arrows, find a warehouse, and move to another vige as soon as possible.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    The lead party of the Tzedakah Guild moved along the main road and barely managed to finish the Guardian of the Forest raid after three days.


    Kurururung.


    The Guardian of the Forest, who was covered with minerals, fell down with a thunderous boom. Some party members were frightened by the sound and fell down, making them unable to resist the attacks of the golems.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    ¡°H-Help me!¡±


    Those who fell into a panic couldn¡¯t feel the pleasure of a sessful raid. The face of Jishuka, the leader of the party, didn¡¯t look good as she searched through the remains of the Guardian of the Forest.


    "Idiots, what were you paying attention to?¡±


    Jishuka had already thoroughly lectured the party members about the precautions and strategies before confronting the Guardian of the Forest. But that hard work was for nothing, as nobody followed it save for a few of her guild members. Therefore, it was frustrating for her.


    "I¡¯d rather die than live with the judgment and learning ability of a monkey.¡±


    The guild¡¯s reputation would be worse because of the party members¡¯ deaths.


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Despite her disapproval, she was the genius who saved the lives of her party members with every pull of her bowstring. The first ranked person on the archer rankings.


    The party was barely able to escape the crisis thanks to the activities of the martial artist Regas, the twin axe-wielding Vantner and the other members of the Tzedakah Guild. But the damage was severe.


    ¡°A total of 75 people were killed.¡±


    There were four guild members among the list of deceased. Unlike the other fools who died from stupidity, they were killed in battle against the Guardian of the Forest.


    "But it is over.¡±


    It was a really tough battle.


    The Guardian of the Forest was armed with superior defense, high health, and AoE skills that kept the party¡¯s main members upied. Meanwhile, it constantly summoned golems that put pressure on the other party members.


    Without the overwhelming actions of Jishuka and Regas, the raid would¡¯ve 100% failed. Jishuka checked the items dropped by the Guardian of the Forest and was unable to hide her disappointment. The other party members also sighed.


    They had fought against the Guardian of the Forest and the golems for two days, and when the guardian was finally defeated, they were disturbed by new golems.


    The loot was tackypared to such suffering. 30 iron ores, 7 orichalcum ores, and 1 blue orichalcum ore.


    Regas shrugged. "The Amethyst Shield didn¡¯t emerge again this time.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild constantly challenged the Guardian of the Forest raid once every two weeks in order to get the Amethyst Shield. But the drop rate was the worst.


    ¡®The difficulty of an S-grade quest is beyond one¡¯s imagination.¡¯


    Even though they were the same S-grade quests, the difference between a single quest and linked quests was like the difference between heaven and earth. Vantner picked up the blue orichalcum and said.


    "Fortunately, we received this.¡±


    [Blue orichalcum]


    Orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest.


    It is impossible to erode the Guardian of the Forest¡¯s magic power, but it has the best hardness and strength among all minerals.


    It is lightweight and bes much stronger in the darkness.


    * Advanced cksmith skills are required to smelt it.


    Weight: 3


    The value couldn¡¯t be determined at the present time, but it would be an expensivemodity once an advanced cksmith appeared. Jishuka was filled with disappointment as she returned to the vige with her exhausted party members. The party members who died had resurrected and were waiting in the square.


    Toban converted the value of the minerals into money by dividing it ording to the market price, then distributed it to the party members. They barely avoided a deficit. There were noints from the guild members, but the general usersined about the smallpensation.


    But what could they do? This was the result.


    Jishuka disbanded the party and gathered the guild members. Then she spoke with a serious expression.


    "This is already the fourth raid without any sess. Rumors are spreading among the general users that there is no value in participating in the Guardian of the Forest raid. In the next raid, the level of the participating users will be even lower. This is difficult.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild wasposed of the top rankers. But their reputation was low, which was why they were a small guild.


    The 17 members of the Tzedakah Guild had been together before Satisfy, since the days of the L.T.S game. It was impossible for them to challenge the Guardian of the Forest raid with their strength alone. Therefore, they attracted general users. But that wouldn¡¯t continue to work.


    Toban, the level 172 pdin and the guild¡¯s chief of staff, nodded.


    "I need the Amethyst Shield for a linked quest, but it can¡¯t be helped. For the time being, we have to give up on the Guardian of the Forest raid and try to strengthen the guild¡¯s power.¡±


    Vantner, the 2nd ranked person on the guardian knight rankings, wasn¡¯t armed with a shield despite choosing a defensive ss. He instead chose to wield twin axes.


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s useless in this state, so we can¡¯t be impatient. Let¡¯s leave the Guardian of the Forest raid for a while and increase our quality.¡±


    When she looked at the faces of the guild members, they all seemed to have the same opinion. Only Regas¡¯ eyes were shining likenterns. He was clearly thinking ¡®anything is good as long as I can fight!¡¯


    Jishuka thought about it and dered,


    ¡°We will give up on the raid for the next three months. In the meantime, we will improve our level and equipment. If we gain 15 levels in the next three months, can¡¯t we kill that guy? Regas, you should gain 20 levels.¡±


    Jishukaughed brightly. Her half-moon eyes were sexy; however, they were considered horrifying to the guild members. Their leader was scary. If they didn¡¯t fulfill the goal, they really would experience hell. The guild members, who knew better than anyone how fierce Jishuka was, gulped and Regas cried out in a trembling voice.


    "Let¡¯s go train!¡±


    Thus, the Tzedakah Guild discretely dispersed.


    Jishuka headed to the guild warehouse alone. The South American¡¯s unique beauty and curvy body attracted the attention of males. She was a famous ranker so the crowd around her increased.


    But she ignored them.


    Jishuka left the blue orichalcum in the warehouse and headed to the auction house without worrying about being followed or not. The blue orichalcum was an item that could be sold at ater date, but not now. For the moment, the iron ore and orichalcum would sell for the best price.


    Jishuka registered the minerals before looking through the auction house.


    "Show me the list of Jaffa Arrows.¡±


    A transparent screen appeared in front of Jishuka. The list of Jaffa Arrows currently registered at the auction house appeared on the screen. The immediate purchase price for the Jaffa Arrows was 6 silver.


    It was an incredibly expensive price for one arrow, but she couldn¡¯t see any other arrows after using it. Jishuka swept up all the arrows on the list. She didn¡¯t care about money. She invested the money obtained from being a top ranker and pinpointed exactly where she should use it.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Jishuka confirmed the bid price for the Jaffa Arrows at the bottom of the list and frowned. It was the only one without an immediate purchase price set. There was also a total of 99 bids, with the top bid at 18 silver.


    Jishuka wondered why some madman would bid three times the price of a Jaffa Arrow, but then she noticed that the name of the arrows was purple, not white.


    ¡®Did I see it incorrectly?¡¯


    She blinked but it was still purple. She hurriedly checked the details.


    [Special Jaffa Arrow]


    Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 35~42


    An arrow made by a craftsman with great skills and potential butcking in experience and reputation.


    Due to the effect ofbining jaffa with steel, it has extremely high pration and ignores some of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    * Has a certain chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense.


    Weight: 0.1


    "......!"


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened. If she didn¡¯t know that people were paying attention to her, she would¡¯ve screamed wildly.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    Jishuka was surprised beyond amazement. She had yed Satisfy all day for the past six months and had adventured with all types of people. She collected as much information as possible by using money and her guild members.


    Nevertheless, she never imagined that an epic rated arrow would ever exist. She was convinced that arrows were unconditionally normal rated items.


    She went to famous cksmiths with various materials and asked them to make arrows, but all of the arrows born from their hands were normal rated. She had never heard of or ever witnessed a higher rated arrow.


    Until this moment! Epic arrows, not rare, appeared in front of her. In addition, the performance was fraudulent.


    Jishuka bid on it right away. The bid price was a huge 35 silver.


    It was difficult to judge if the arrows were worth it considering they were consumables, but she needed to consider its scarcity. She also believed it could be used as a secret weapon when meeting a strong opponent.


    ¡®Who is the person who made this?¡¯


    She thought of two people first. The 1st and 2nd ranked cksmiths, Panmir and Steng. However, they didn¡¯t fit the exnation that the cksmith cks skill and reputation¡¯ because both of them had a high reputation.


    ¡¯...A cksmith who surpasses them is hiding.¡¯


    It was probably a cksmith who put a lot into their skill level, but their character level was low as a result and as such didn¡¯t enter the top rankings. The exnation of ¡®great skill and potential¡¯ strongly enticed her.


    ¡®If I find them...¡¯


    Jishuka canceled the registration of the ck iron and orichalcum.


    ¡¯Thanks to the Guardian of the Forest raid, I have steadily gathered minerals.¡¯


    She nned to use the best minerals as bait for the cksmith who made the epic rated arrows.


    {Contact all the users in the top 100 cksmith rankings and measure their skill level. Make a shortlist of those whose skill levels are highpared to their character level.}


    Jishuka¡¯smand appeared in the guild chat window and upset the guild members.


    {What are you suddenly saying? Contacting cksmiths out of nowhere?}


    {We need to level up!}


    Jishuka dismissed the opposition.


    {Shut up! There is a greatly skilled person hiding! If we find them and make them join the guild, the Guardian of the Forest raid won¡¯t be a problem.}


    {Are they that skilled?}


    {This cksmith is better than Panmir and Steng. The performance of the items they produce is likely to exceed the existing items. So far, they haven¡¯t surfaced so no one is aware of this cksmith, but that is no longer the case. All guilds on the continent will be frantically trying to find the cksmith. We can¡¯t lose them... Find them! Find the cksmith before anyone else.}


    {If Master says so...}


    {This cksmith must be huge. Okay, let¡¯s find them!}


    As a rule, the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t ept new guild members. They were a small number of elites who only recognized and relied on each other since the L.T.S days. Their small number was a constraint and the growth of their guild was slow, but no oneined.


    They couldn¡¯t upy castles likerge guilds, but anyone would fear their power. They might not have as much reputation asrge guilds, but they disyed their authority with their force. The Tzedakah Guild members upied the top three rankings of each ss in the six months since starting Satisfy, so they were confident and proud.


    The 17 members whose strength would make them the top in their country, it was the first time they were interested in another person since the L.T.S days.


    "Someone raised the bid price again?¡±


    Jishuka received the notification that her bid on the Special Jaffa Arrows failed and didn¡¯t hesitate to bid again.


    The first epic rated arrows! The bidding price skyrocketed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    There was an uproar in Satisfy.


    Famous guilds were in motion to find the mysterious cksmith. In various media and the Inte, the epic-rated arrows appeared as a hot issue. Who was the craftsman with great skills and potential butcking experience and reputation?


    Many people were searching for the cksmith¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡®It is a harder path than others. I always did my best. Nheless, there is a better cksmith than me?¡¯


    Panmir had only experienced making an epic-rated item twice. He had the title of the first epic-rated item maker. However, there was no mention of ¡®craftsman¡¯ in his epic item description. Who was the person given the title of craftsman, which wasn¡¯t even allowed for the number one ranking cksmith?


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Panmir was spurred by a sense ofpetitiveness towards the unknown cksmith.


    Meanwhile, Shin Youngwoo, the person who was receiving everyone¡¯s attention, was eating cup noodles at a convenience store before going to work.


    ¡°What a jerk, charging 1,000 won for a cup of noodles? Does he want people like me to starve to death? Sigh, people really can¡¯t live without acting dirty.¡±


    I grumbled as I ate.


    * * *


    5.30 a.m.


    It might be Sunday, but the office ofbor was always busy. The days when students came on a daily basis to find work had disappeared. These days, young people turned away frombor jobs! Foreign workers had long taken over, making the future of South Korea seem bleak.


    ¡®I have a headache.¡¯


    I still hadn¡¯t adapted to the smell of cigarettes and alcohol early in the morning.


    ¡®I want to finish the work quickly so I can go home and rest.¡¯


    As I sat there, a young man in a construction worker¡¯s uniform cried out.


    ¡°Looking for four workers for the Shinwoo Building¡¯s construction site!¡±


    Construction site workers did things like clean, move bricks and wood, and shovel sand. The physicalbor was harsh, and I would eat a lot of dirt, but I had done it often. Therefore, I didn¡¯t hesitate to raise my hand.


    ¡°Here! Over here... cough!¡±


    An alcohol drinker or heavy smoker punched me in the belly! I was pushed into a corner and missed the chance to be employed by the construction site.


    ¡°Those guys are heartless! You should send the pitiful young people first!¡±


    While I wasining with irritation, a middle-aged man in a short-sleeved shirt spoke, ¡°I need three tilers with strength. You should have experience.¡±


    A tiles assistant would follow the main tiler and assist in the transfer of materials such as tiles, cement, and sand. It was annoying to carry the tiles if I met a bad tiler and I had to be careful not to break the tiles, but it was decent work.


    I raised my hand. ¡°Here! I have carried tiles more than 10 times... Ugh!¡±


    I was once again pushed back into a corner by the older men and lost the chance to be hired because there were three people more experienced than me.


    ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°Here! I do... Ack!¡±


    There were severalpanies looking forborers, but I wasn¡¯t hired due to the continuous interference.


    ¡°Ah, you! You will regret not seeing my value!¡±


    The older men in the workforce were hindering me. It seemed that they didn¡¯t like me snatching away their spots.


    ¡°Who coulde here because they like it? Don¡¯t you think I want to work part-time like other young people? I¡¯m making a living just like you! Let me get something as well!¡±


    The mere sight of them was enough to make me angry, like seeing a barking dog. However, my opponents were adults. So, I couldn¡¯t say anything bad and sat down again.


    ¡°Kukuk.¡± The chief, who had been reading his newspaper on his desk, looked at me.


    Was he around his early 30s? He was a person who inherited this office from his father. For every 10 times I came here looking for a job, I¡¯d gone home three times in vain. The chief was watching me when another person arrived.


    ¡°Who can do electric pulling work? No experience is needed. I will pay 110,000 won a day, soe quickly.¡±


    It was 20,000 won more than the usual pay. However, I didn¡¯t move. Of course, there was a reason for offering more money.


    ¡®I can¡¯t forget how awful it was.¡¯


    I¡¯d tried electrical cable pulling only once.


    It was just pulling a huge electrical cable, so it was a very simple task. However, it consumed a tremendous amount of stamina. I couldn¡¯t let the cable hit my wrist. Moreover, the cables were very thick and the weight was heavy.


    It was just pulling, but... I would get blisters on my hands even while wearing gloves, and I would suffer from muscle aches for at least two days.


    ¡®It was an oasis in winter...¡¯


    I still remembered the nightmare fromst winter. The other men present looked into the distance, whistled or went out to smoke.


    ¡°No one?¡± The man asked again with an awkward expression.


    Then one of the middle-aged men pointed towards me. ¡°This young man can do it very well.¡±


    ¡°Really. He is very active and has amazing stamina.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he done a lot of electrical cable pulling? An expert, expert.¡±


    ¡®These insane humans!¡¯


    I red at them to stop, but the other men continued to rmend me. Then the person offering the job pointed to me. ¡°Excuse me, young man. Shall we go together? You look very good.¡±


    If I followed the atmosphere, today I would enter hell. I nced towards the chief, but he just smiled. In the end, I raise my phone to my ear, like I had received an iing call.


    ¡°Yes, this is Shin Youngwoo. Ah, there was a spot? Yes, right away...¡±


    Ddiririring ~ ddiririring~


    ¡°......¡±


    The default S Corporation¡¯s ringtone was heard from the phone at my ear. In the end, the other workers thereughed until tears emerged from their eyes. The employer alsoughed. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Who would call me this early in the morning? Moreover, I barely ever received phone calls. So, how did I receive a call at this exact timing? Then I btedly saw the caller ID and hurriedly picked up the phone. It was an unforgettable voice.


    (Hello~ This is Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy Financial Services. Customer Shin Youngwoo, you do know that the deadline is tomorrow right?)


    ¡°...Already?¡±


    (If you have forgotten, does that mean there is no money?)


    ¡°O-Of course not. Yes, I understand. I will have the amount ready for tomorrow.¡±


    (Thank you, Debt... no, Customer. Have a happy day. Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy hopes you will smile today~)


    The call ended.


    ¡°This damn...¡±


    I¡¯d yed games and ignored reality, forgetting that I was a debtor. I had to work hard to pay off the interest. It would be hard work, not easy work, that would get me out of this position.


    ¡°Excuse me... Will you really pay 110,000 won?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Is it really true?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You will never go hungry when working for me!¡±


    I eventually left towards hell. That evening...


    ¡°O-Oppa?¡± Se-hee stammered when she saw my exhausted self return home. I couldn¡¯t even take my shoes off before copsing.


    ¡°Shit... The words were true, but... doing all thatbor only to receive cream bread...? There wasn¡¯t even milk...! What type of people would give cream bread and no milkkkkkk?!!! U-Ughhh... I have to y the game... Arrows... sold...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember anything after that. It was because I fell asleep.


    * * *


    When I woke up, I felt like I had been crushed by steel. My body was throbbing all over, and I barely managed to check the time. It was 5.20 a.m.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    This was serious. It waste when I took into consideration the distance between my house and thebor office. I hurried to change into my work clothes while worrying about getting a good job. If I arrivedte, then something like yesterday might happen again.


    ¡°Ack~! I¡¯m going.¡±


    After I paid the interest for the loan, I would only have 9,220 won in my hands. I needed to make money to pay the fee for the game in a week. As I put on my shoes without washing up, my mother approached and patted my shoulder. ¡°Come eat breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m alreadyte,¡± I replied hurriedly.


    ¡°Youngwoo,¡± my mother suddenly said my name in a serious voice. I cowered reflexively. It was obvious that her nagging would begin. My mother knew about my debts. She wondered why I was addicted to games and was saddened by my absence from school. She mourned that I had debts and was living in this situation.


    However, when I looked back, my mother¡¯s eyes were calm and weing.


    ¡°Come eat,¡± she said.


    ¡°W-why? I have to go to the office quickly.¡±


    At that moment, the door opened, and my father appeared. My father sat at the table, opened the newspaper and said quietly, ¡°Take a break today.¡±


    ¡°A break? What are you saying.¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± My father just coughed and looked at the newspapers.


    My mother whispered in my ears, ¡°You came back really exhausted yesterday. Your father was worried since he carried you to your bedroom~¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We are your mother and father. We don¡¯t want to see our son suffer. Didn¡¯t you suffer yesterday? You should rest for today.¡±


    ¡°M-Mother...¡± I was touched by the fact that my parents were still looking after me, despite all the disappointment I¡¯d caused them in the past year.


    At that time, Sehee exited her room with a yawn and handed me something. It was a pain relief patch.


    ¡°Paste it on. Didn¡¯t you go through a lot of trouble yesterday?¡±


    ¡°S-Sehee...¡±


    ¡®Ahh! What a beautiful family!¡¯


    I cried out as I embraced my mother and Sehee.


    I¡¯d thought I was alone in this difficult world, but I had such warm family beside me. My family members were like angels to their disappointing son and brother. I was truly grateful to have this family.


    ¡°W-What? Who are you hugging? O-Oppa¡¯s hug is good... Ah, no. Isn¡¯t it bad?¡± Sehee grumbled quietly as she hugged me back, while my mother quietly stroked my head. After that, I took off my work clothes and sat at the table, feeling the taste of beef rib soup for the first time in months.


    ¡°Father, then can you pay off my debt?¡±


    Beeok! My father, who was eating quietly, gazed at me and threw his spoon. I shrieked as it hit me in the forehead, while my mother clicked her tongue and handed my father a new spoon.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you? We want you to be self-reliant. You are already 26 years old. You should be responsible for your own actions.¡±


    The atmosphere had been so full of harmony that I never imagined a spoon would fly over. As I rubbed my forehead, my father handed me an envelope.


    He said, ¡°I will give you an allowance for today. You are resting today because of us, so I can¡¯t let you make a loss.¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± I was touched. My usually blunt father was taking care of me today. I would dly ept the allowance.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    I grasped the number of bills in the envelope with my sharp fingertips, but the number seemed a little small? When I looked inside the envelope, I saw seven bills. Feeling disappointed, I spoke carefully, ¡°Father, the minimum payment forbor these days is at least 9...¡±


    My father looked at me regretfully. ¡°Huh, really? I¡¯m sorry, but that is all the cash I have on me right now. Be satisfied with that.¡±


    He was telling me not to ask for the missing amountter. I had forgotten, but my father was quite restrained when it came to spending money. If he bought a chicken, he thought that the family should eat it over three meals.


    I was forced to surrender at receiving an allowance of 70,000 won.


    ¡®At least he gave it in the first ce.¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    After breakfast, my parents immediately headed towards the vegetable store that they ran. The two of them normally left at 5 a.m, so they were quitete today.


    ¡®They arete because of breakfast with their son.¡¯


    I suddenly felt that tsunami of emotions again as tears filled my eyes. It was the first time my stomach felt so full in a while.


    I sat on the couch and dozed off, before waking up because of Sehee. Sehee had changed into her school uniform and looked like a neat schoolgirl. She was my sister, but I had to admit that she was beautiful.


    ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you. You grew up well.¡±


    ¡°W-What are you saying all of a sudden!?¡± Sehee flushed red before hitting my forearm.


    ¡®What? Did I do something wrong? But what is this cool feeling?¡¯


    I felt some relief in the area that Sehee had hit. It was like a massage!


    ¡°Ahh, good! Hit me more! More! Keep hitting.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak! Pervert!¡±


    p!


    ...Why did she p me all of a sudden? I ced a hand on my tingling cheek as Sehee shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve filled up the tub with hot water. Then your body will feel better. This perverted Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Ah, eh, yes...¡±


    She was someone who got angry at me but always took care of me.


    ¡®But why am I a pervert?¡¯


    Sehee headed to school while I soaked in the hot water.


    ¡°My fatigue is going away.¡±


    Then after a few moments...


    I exited the bathroom and paid the loan interest through a direct ount transfer. It was hard to bear seeing the money from my blood and sweat disappear before my eyes.


    ¡°Ugh... This world is hell...¡±


    I needed stability. So, I hurriedly entered the capsule and connected to Satisfy.


    ¡®How much have the arrows sold for?¡¯


    ¡°Login.¡±


    Jiing.


    The capsule¡¯s door closed, and my field of view slowly turned ck. Then the familiar system voice and music entered my eyes, then my vision brightened again.


    ¡°The air is good.¡±


    I appeared in a ce which reminded me of a charming vige in medieval Europe and immediately stated amand, ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 3 (75/500)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally.


    However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well for you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 336/336 Mana: 87/87


    Strength: 24 + 5 Stamina: 22 Agility: 16 Intelligence: 29


    Dexterity: 55 Persistence: 21


    Composure: 14 Indomitable: 16 Dignity: 14 Insight: 14


    Stat Points: 60


    Weight: 3,095/1,000


    * The weight limit exceeds 200%, so movement speed is reduced by 100%.


    The body is heavy and cannot exert any power properly.


    The probability of receiving the ¡®weakened¡¯ state has be really high.


    ¡°Level 3... Huhu, is that really the case?¡±


    My stats had increased by making an epic rated item. Considering the 60 stat points which I hadn¡¯t used yet, I was actually around level 26. If I equipped Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor, I could demonstrate thebat power of a level 50.


    ¡°Is this the feeling of superiority that only a special person can feel? Huhuhut...¡±


    In a square filled with people, I forgot the harshness of reality as I talked excitedly to myself. Then with one hand on my hip, Iughed like the protagonist of a movie. The women passing by sent me dirty looks and gossiped with each other.


    ¡°What is with that person? Striking such a strange pose andughing while talking to himself.¡±


    ¡°Is he on an ego trip? Perhaps he has the prince disease?¡±


    ¡°He is ugly. He probably doesn¡¯t have a lover.¡±


    Normally, I would be unhappy, but right now, I was so thrilled that I didn¡¯t care about the gazes of others. I ignored what they were saying and checked the experience of my various skills.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill] Lv 1 (3.7%)


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath] Lv 1 (2.0%)


    I¡¯d thought it would take longer for the experience of these skills to rise.


    ¡®Is it thanks to making an epic item?¡¯


    I headed to the auction house with a light heart. As usual, the auction house was bustling with people.


    ¡°I wonder what the winning bid is...¡±


    The price for one Jaffa Arrow was six silver. However, the Jaffa Arrows I¡¯d made had an epic rating! I expected the price to be 3~4 times higher.


    In the case of general equipment items, it was reasonable to calcte that rare-rated items would be three times more expensive than normal items, while epic items would be seven times more expensive than normal items.


    However, I soon became worried. Would even a rich user want to spend so much money buying arrows? In the first ce, consumables were cheappared to equipment items.


    ¡®Yes, don¡¯t expect too much.¡¯


    I opened the auction window while thinking that I would be satisfied if they sold for double the price. Then...


    ¡°K-Keok...!¡±


    After confirming the bidding price of the Jaffa Arrows, I couldn¡¯t shut my mouth. Meanwhile, I could hear the voices of the women looking at me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he that personughing to himself in the square? Oh. my. What is he doing now? His mouth has fallen open.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak~! His saliva is dripping! Nasty!¡±


    ¡°Ugly... He must have no lover.¡±


    ¡°Argh... Uhhh...¡±


    I tried to shut my mouth, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    [Special Jaffa Arrow] (99 Pieces)


    [Bid Price: 72 silver per piece.]


    It sold for 12 times the price of ordinary Jaffa Arrows!


    ¡°Eh...uh...aack...¡±


    I touched the inventory with trembling hands, then I took out the calctor which was a default item provided to all users. 99¡Á72=?


    ¡°...7,128...¡±


    100 silver was 1 gold. 7,128 silver meant 71 gold and 28 silver. For reference, 100 gold was worth around 120,000 won in cash.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I create 100 arrows in around a day?¡¯


    It was approximately a day in game time. If I calcted it in real time, I¡¯d earned around 84,000 won in less than six hours.


    ¡°Ha...hahaha...¡±


    I was thrilled. Uncontrobleughter emerged from my mouth, ¡°Puhahahahat!¡±


    ¡°T-That person has finally gone mad!¡±


    ¡°Ugly! He definitely doesn¡¯t have a lover! His mother must be the only female contact in his phone.¡±


    ¡®Cough, do their words have to be so sharp?¡¯


    No, I wouldn¡¯t be shaken by these females.


    ¡®Talk in your hearts.¡¯


    At this moment, I could still smile even while hearing such shameful words.


    ¡®I can see a definite way.¡¯


    Debt?


    ¡°I will pay it back in the game!¡±


    There was no need to go findbor jobs. It was more profitable to make money from the items I create in the game. Indeed, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was definitely a goose thaty golden eggs.


    I formed a fist and shivered, while the auctioneer at the counter handed me gold and silver coins. However, why was the amount of moneycking?


    ¡°Why are you only giving me 60 gold and 59 silver?¡±


    The auction house manager smiled at my question.


    ¡°The amount is limited to 10 gold and 69 silver because of the salesmission. There is a 15% salesmission for epic rated items. Thank you for using our service.¡±


    Themission fee was 8% for normal rated items and 10% for rare rated items. Compared to that, the salesmission for epic rated items was too expensive.


    ¡®How much is themission fee for unique or legendary rated items?¡¯


    Suddenly, the auction house and Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy seemed to ovep. Exploitation was the same in reality and in Satisfy.


    ¡°Shit... I will be a sessful person who exploits the weak...¡±


    I would produce legendary items which weren¡¯t possible for anyone else except Pagma¡¯s Descendant! The two billion users in Satisfy would be overwhelmed!


    ¡°But that is a story for the distant future. Ugh!¡±


    Tears flowed as I thought about the 15%mission. This was because the day before, I hadn¡¯t been able to open a stall because I¡¯d needed to go work, so I had decided to use the auction house.


    Once I got the money, I thought about whether I should take the carriage to Winston Vige or not.


    ¡®I can stay here and make a lot of money with the Jaffa Arrows, so do I really need to move viges?¡¯


    I was trying to move viges because I wanted to find a suitable hunting ground. However, I didn¡¯t need to cling to hunting and leveling up, when I could make a profit by making items.


    ¡®It would be good to just stay here and make items all the time...¡¯


    However, there was one thing I had to consider. It was the fact that Smith was gay!


    ¡®If I stay here alone with him... Just imagining it was terrible.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t in a hurry to hunt now, but I would be morefortable living in a vige suitable for my level. In the end, I decided to move to Winston as nned and headed towards the carriages. Just likest time, I started negotiating the price while armed with the saddest stories.


    ¡°My ailing sister is waiting for me in Winston Vige...¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! Then I will leave one hour early. Climb into my carriage!¡±


    ¡°But right now, I only have seven gold...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were a customer with a reservation. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    My first bargaining attempt failed!


    ¡°My grandmother died the day before I was born, and her death anniversary is today. I needed to go to Winston Vige right now, but I only have 7 gold and 50 silver...¡±


    ¡°Um, I want to help you because of your high reputation and your situation, but it is too much of a loss to visit Winston VIge for 7 gold and 50 silver. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    My second bargaining attempt failed. It was the same as humans constantly stepping on other humans.


    ¡°You should give me a choco pie, ah, these people. You should realize that we are all the same!¡±


    In the end, I failed to negotiate the price I wanted, but I got on the carriage that was the cheapest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart for Winston. It should be a quick and safe trip, considering the money I paid. And be friendly! You should show full hospitality.¡±


    ¡°...I will be very grateful if you didn¡¯t talk.¡±


    Travelling always made people excited. The bumpy carriage ride and the unfriendly attitude of the coachman were bad, but my mood was good.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    The carriage departed in the afternoon and arrived at Winston Vige on the morning of the next day. Winston Vige was unusuallyrge for its name. Four timesrger and more active than Bairan Vige, Winston Vige wasparable to the fortified city of Patrian!


    As I paid the coachman 8 gold and 90 silver, I asked for proper customer service from him.


    ¡°I have one question.¡±


    ¡°Ask me. I will tell you what I can.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Winston called a city?¡±


    ¡°Originally, it was a vige smaller than Bairan. However, there are many ces suitable for beginner and intermediate level travelers nearby. As these ces became famous, the number of visitors gradually increased. There is a rumor that it will be upgraded to a city in the near future if this trend continues. I heard that Earl Steim¡¯s heir will be sent as the new lord... It will be called a city by then. But I don¡¯t know exactly when that will be.¡±


    ¡®Earl Steim? Where have I heard that name before?¡¯


    I was having a hard time remembering since I¡¯d experienced so many things at all once.


    ¡°Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway.¡±


    ¡®Now, shall I begin?¡¯


    I headed to the warehouse administration. After I informed the manager of the registration number and password to my warehouse, the administrator extended his hand. It meant to give him a tip.


    ¡®Dammit. I have to pay just to use the warehouse?¡¯


    I handed over 30 silver with trembling hands. The administrator checked the amount and started to chant a spell while drawing a small circle with a magic wand. Then a small warehouse was summoned before me using space and teleport magic.


    The warehouse was empty. I¡¯d had sold all my japtem in order to buy potions for Ashur¡¯s three month quest. Since its early days, I had yed Satisfy for one year, but there was only dust in my warehouse now.


    ¡°Ugh... in reality and in the game...¡±


    I opened my inventory with frustration.


    [Mamon¡¯s Greatsword]


    [Rating: Epic


    Durability: 88/204 Attack Power: 178~301 Attack Speed: -16%


    -Additional water damage will be added to all critical attacks.


    This is the greatsword patronized by the guardian of Lake Pamian, Mamon. Due to the influence of theke, this sword has the strong aura of water.


    Conditions of Use: Level 65 or higher, more than 260 strength, more than 150 stamina.


    Weight: 1,050]


    [Mengel¡¯s te Armor]


    [Rating: Rare


    Durability: 51/180 Defense: 165 Movement Speed: -2%


    * Strength +10


    This is a work made by the cksmith Mengel in the fortified city of Patrian. The defense is improved and the weight lowered. The wearer of this work can feel Mengel¡¯s strong willpower that remained behind.


    Conditions of Use: Level 60 or higher, more than 180 strength.


    Weight: 1,203]


    [Intermediate Potion] (34)


    [This is a potion which has been formted with five or more herbs.


    Restores 1,500 health.


    The cooldown time is 20 seconds.


    Weight: 306]


    [Advanced Potion] (27)


    [This is a potion that has been formted with ten or more herbs.


    Restores 4,000 health.


    The cooldown time is 20 seconds.


    Weight: 324]


    [Intermediate Strength Potion] (2)


    It is a potion prepared by blending a small amount of ogre¡¯s blood with different types of herbs.


    Increases your strength by 50 points for 5 minutes.


    There is no cool down time.


    Weight: 62]


    [Intermediate Agility Potion] (3)


    [It is a potion prepared by blending a small amount of harpy¡¯s blood with different types of herbs.


    Increases your agility by 50 points for 5 minutes.


    There is no cool down time.


    Weight: 90]


    [Special Jaffa Arrow] (1)


    [Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 35~42


    An arrow made by a craftsman with great skills and potential butcks experience and reputation.


    Due to the effect ofbining jaffa with steel, it has extremely high pration and ignores some of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    * Has a certain chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense.


    Weight: 0.1]


    [Yaffa] (3)


    [A metal obtained from smelting Jaffa ore. The hardness of the ore has such a weak strength that it is impossible to produce a powerful item with it. However, the properties will change when mixed with steel.


    Weight: 60]


    I wanted to ignore this reality, but this was the full contents of my inventory. So, I tried to put Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor into my inventory to reduce my possessions weight.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t appraised Mamon¡¯s Greatsword or Mengel¡¯s te Armor yet.¡±


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill revealed the hidden function of items. It was possible to use the appraisal skill on Mamon¡¯s Greatsword or Mengel¡¯s te Armor, causing my understanding to rise.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to use appraisal on the two items.


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the materials that make up Mamon¡¯s Greatsword, the production method and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword is now at 33%.]


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the materials that make up Mengel¡¯s te Armor, the production method, and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of Mengel¡¯s te Armor is now at 65%.]


    My current stats meant I didn¡¯t meet the conditions to use Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor. Due to the resulting penalty, Mamon¡¯s Greatsword had a 30% drop in attack power while Mengel¡¯s te Armor had a 20% drop in defense.


    However, my understanding had now risen dramatically.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Mamon¡¯s Greatsword.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Attack power of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword will decrease by 20%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Your understanding of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword is high so the penalties are reduced.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Mengel¡¯s te Armor.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Mengel¡¯s te Armor¡¯s defense will decrease by 8%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Your understanding of Mengel¡¯s te Armor is high so the penalties are reduced.]


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    As the understanding increased, the penalty decreased. Mamon¡¯s Greatsword now had 143~240 attack and Mengel¡¯s te Armor had 152 defense. The options were still only half applied, but it was pleasing just having the penalties reduced.


    However, I wasn¡¯t unconditionally happy. I had a 100% understanding with the axe and pickaxe, but my understanding of Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor was too low. It was honestly disappointing.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve preferred if it went up higher.¡¯


    Well, I didn¡¯t need to be too hasty. I could raise understanding by disassembling, repairing and using the items, so it would be resolved over time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try repairing it.¡±


    Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor both had low durability currently. I could use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Repair skill to improve the understanding of these two items.


    Then...


    [A repair tool is needed.]


    ¡°Ah, a separate repair tool is needed?¡±


    ¡®What is a repair tool? Fuck! My money! Money! Money!¡¯


    During my days as a warrior, I didn¡¯t have the repair skill, so I always had to repair items at an NPC cksmith. Therefore, I didn¡¯t know something like a repair tool was needed.


    ¡®It¡¯s no wonder why the repairs were so expensive!¡¯


    I could postpone repairing the items until next time. However, this was a warehouse which I had wasted 30 silver to open. If I closed the warehouse and went to buy the repair tool, 30 silver would fly away!


    Ultimately, I shook off my fury and left Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armor in the warehouse anyway. The equipment storage fee was 10 silver per item. This was a terrifying expenditure.


    ¡°The world is a thief...¡±


    Spending 30 silver to open the warehouse and then 10 silver to ce an item inside it...! Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy, the auction house and the warehouse administrators, they were all crooks in my eyes.


    ¡°My 50 silver... My 50 silver...!¡±


    50 silver was 600 won in cash. That was enough to buy 200 milliliters of milk, which could relieve my thirst and make my bones sturdy at the same time. I stored the two items which weighed a considerable amount.


    ¡°Kuuack...¡±


    My hands shook. After ring at the warehouse administrator who politely said farewell to me, I headed towards the square.


    There was a wide range of people in the square, from newbies who had just created their characters to users wearing level 100 equipment.


    People were moving around in order to adapt to the virtual reality. There were people looking for a party, buying or selling goods, sharing quests, beggars, couples, and people who simply enjoyed thendscape. All types of people were seen.


    I stood still and observed them.


    The beginner users were mainly using East Street, while the average-level users were mainly using South Street. The West and North Streets were favored by everyone, regardless of level.


    East Street contained NPCs who gave beginner quests and led to the most suitable hunting grounds for them. Meanwhile, the south had the suitable quests and hunting grounds for average-level users. The west and north were areas which covered all levels, or basically, the area crowded with stores.


    ¡°The cksmith is likely to be in the west or north.¡±


    As I came to this conclusion while observing the people, a notification window popped up.


    [Insight has increased by 1.]


    The insight stat could be used to detect objects or predict risks. However, I hadn¡¯t seen its performance yet, so I didn¡¯t know if this stat was really useful.


    ¡°Well, any increase is good.¡±


    I didn¡¯t feel much inspiration as I explored West Street and East Street. However, I then found a cksmith on East Street. The exterior of the building was huge.


    It was a two-story building, making it iparable to the small smithy in Bairan Vige. Unlike Smith who worked alone in Bairan Vige, this smithy seemed like it would have dozens of cksmiths working together.


    ¡®The leader of dozens of cksmiths should be at least an intermediate level cksmith?¡¯


    If so, he would recognize me and treat me favorably. Unlike Bairan Vige, I would learn how to make items in a good environment. I entered the smithy excitedly while imagining the energetic sound of hammering and the hot heat.


    However, the smithy I entered seemed bleak. I couldn¡¯t hear any hammering sounds, and there were no indications of any people about.


    ¡°W-What?¡± I looked around in a confused manner and saw a pot-bellied man sleeping in a corner with an empty alcohol bottle beside him. I didn¡¯t know if he was sleeping or dead, so I approached him quietly and shook him awake.


    ¡°Hey. Hey!¡±


    ¡°...Eh? What?¡±


    Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t dead. The pot-bellied man made an expression of annoyance and opened his eyes. Then he turned towards me and asked, ¡°What did youe here for?¡±


    ¡°I want to learn how to make the best selling item in this vige. Can I get your help?¡±


    The elderly man looked at me with a ridiculing expression. ¡°This ce ended a long time ago. After the Mero Company bought the cksmith stores andmercial areas, they bulk sell items at a low price so the customers turned away from this ce. Yet you came here to learn how to make items? Are you sure you want to perish with me?¡±


    Right at that moment...


    The smithy door opened, and a group of rough looking people rushed in.


    ¡°Hey, Old Man! You still haven¡¯t decided? Will you hand this building over to us? Won¡¯t you be able to buy alcohol every day until you die then?¡±


    ...What was it this time? I felt like I was caught up in another troublesome incident.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    ¡°Hey, Old Man! You still haven¡¯t decided? Will you hand this building over to us? Then won¡¯t you be able to buy alcohol every day until you die?¡±


    The men who entered the smithy were rough looking and their physique was good. They reminded me of the employees from Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy. They took a heavy-handed attitude as they handed a sheet of paper to the elderly cksmith.


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯


    It was a contract to sell this building and thend to the Mero Company. I instinctively realized it.


    ¡®If I analyze this based on my recent sesses and troubles, it¡¯s likely that I¡¯ll get involved in a stupid quest as I stand here.¡¯


    That absolutely couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen. The urgent thing right now was to earn money by making items.


    ¡®There¡¯s no time to waste on unwanted quests.¡¯


    I admired my brain¡¯s quick thinking and moved to avoid this situation. But how many things ever went ording to my will? I only managed to move a few steps before I was caught by the gangsters.


    "Hey, where did this newbiee from? You trying to sneak into our business like a rat?¡±


    They started to question me in an intimidating manner.


    "Did youe to steal the contents of our contract? You, are you a spy? Did the Skaner Company send you?¡±


    Why did I get caught up in the contents of that piece of paper? This was really some useless curiosity.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve just stayed in the rear and avoided looking at them.¡¯


    I shrugged as if to say ¡®Spy, me? What are you talking about? It isn¡¯t like that, so don¡¯t worry about me. I just want to go my own way.¡¯


    But they continued to act tough.


    Gulp.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    My saliva dried up and sweat beaded up on my forehead. I remembered my low-level days in Satisfy.


    Was it due to the fearful memories of being a bread shuttle, or being threatened by teenage gangster NPCs in the back alleys? Or maybe it was because they resembled the employees from Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy Financial Services.


    I reflexively shrank back from the group; I couldn¡¯t cope with this.


    ¡¯I should behave.¡¯


    Violent NPCs didn¡¯t fear thew. It was entirely possible to be severely injured or killed if I even so much as touched these guys. Of course, I could report the NPCs to the guards, but their fists were closer than thew was. It might be possible if I was stronger or quick enough to flee from this building. However, that wasn¡¯t the case so it was better to avoid irritating them.


    ¡®Judging by their appearance and atmosphere, they aren¡¯t back alley bullies. They don¡¯t just smoke cigarettes and use bread shuttles.¡¯


    The Mero Company was the secondrgest businesspany in the Eternal Kingdom. They wouldn¡¯t give jobs to losers. These assholes were all gangsters.


    ¡®Based on their equipment, they¡¯re at least level 35.¡¯


    Gangsters over level 35! How many people have they hurt and frightened in order to level up? I couldn¡¯t imagine all the sins that these people hadmitted.


    ¡®There are five of them... In contrast, I am only level 3. While my stats are superiorpared to those of my level, they¡¯re all still around level 20. Not only that I am alone as well.¡¯


    To make matters worse, I was unarmed. I would only lose if I got into a fight with them.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s act prudently and discard my pride.¡¯


    As soon as I organized my thoughts, I smiled as brightly as possible and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not here to spy on you. I am just a customer passing by. So you don¡¯t have to be so vignt. Heheh.¡±


    Acting subservient to NPCs! I felt no shame. The hand of the man holding my shoulder loosened slightly.


    ¡°Customer? At this smithy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hoh? A customer of this smithy...¡±


    The grip of the man¡¯s hand on my shoulder strengthened again.


    ¡®Ouch, it hurts.¡¯


    I frowned due to the pain. Curse words almost popped out of my mouth, but I remained patient. Instead of scolding him, I tried my best to maintain my smile. Why? Otherwise, I might get hit! There was an old saying that you couldn¡¯t spit when there was a smile on the other person¡¯s face.


    The gangsters eyed me with suspicion.


    ¡°The street operated by the Mero Company has arge number of weapons stores, so why would youe to a smithy like this? Isn¡¯t this strange?¡±


    ¡°There might be many weapons stores, but this is the only smithy. I don¡¯t want to buy a weapon, but instead find a cksmith for production-rted work. Therefore, it was inevitable that I came here. Hehe, I had no idea this smithy was troubled since I am new to Winston.¡±


    I could debut as a lead actor right away and would be the perfect candidate for the New Actor Award at the end of year ceremonies. My appearance and tone were subservient. I continued to smile and the suspicious gangster released me.


    ¡°I somehow feel like hitting you, but you¡¯re a cksmith as well? Umm, indeed. You¡¯re so weak that you can¡¯t be a spy... Okay, get out of here. Don¡¯t think abouting here again.¡±


    Did he want to hit me? Did I look poor and weak? These scum thought they could make fun of me just because of how I looked? The fury in my heart boiled over. However, be patient.


    ¡°Hehe, thank you for believing in me. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    I was able to keep the smile until thest minute as I quickly headed out of the smithy. Then the old cksmith¡¯s angry voice was heard behind me, ¡°Yes... there¡¯s nothing to be gained from dragging this dirty work out too long. It is better to avoid such things. I¡¯m too tired now.¡±


    As I paused for a moment, the old man blinked his bloodshot eyes. It was to stop the tears from falling down.


    ¡°Give me that contract. I¡¯ll sign it as you wish.¡±


    ¡°Eh? R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Good thinking Old Man!¡±


    ¡°It took a long time, but you have finally made a wise decision.¡±


    The gangsters cheered at the old man¡¯s words. It was like a festival. The one who seemed to be the leader handed the contract to the old man.


    ¡°All you have to do is sign. Then you can take it easy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The old man gazed at the contract and hesitated for a moment before reaching towards the contract with trembling hands. At that moment, tears fell from the old man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ahh! This is the end of my seven generation family business! I won¡¯t be able to face my ancestors after death!¡±


    The sight of the sad and depressed old man was unbearable. But the gangsters mocked him instead offorting him,


    ¡°You abruptly stopped cksmithing, so isn¡¯t it natural for the customers to turn away? And Old Man, didn¡¯t you have a child? Your only son died, so you turned to the bottles? You don¡¯t have a sessor, so once you die, your family line will naturally be cut off. You were defending something that had no value. Didn¡¯t your debts just increase? Pathetic, truly pathetic.¡±


    ¡°You! Don¡¯t mention my son with that vulgar mouth!¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you so loud? Do you want to be scolded likest time?¡±


    The gangster called ¡®Johnson¡¯ threatened to hit the old man. I was angry when I saw Johnson.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that an old man? Not only did he speak rudely to the old man, but threatening to beat him up...¡¯


    At that moment, a gangster called ¡®Um¡¯ spoke, ¡°Look, the contract should bepleted today.¡±


    Then the one called ¡®Praga¡¯ jumped in like an excited foal, ¡°No, I¡¯m mad. Didn¡¯t we have to wait a few months for the old man to eptwhile that old man refused? Think about how much we suffered because of him!¡±


    The gangster called ¡®Neil¡¯ continued, ¡°I agree... Fuck, we couldn¡¯t even properly handle an old man. We received less pay on the scheduled date because of this.¡±


    Then the silent leader, ¡®Veil¡¯ smiled coldly and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you mustpensate us for the damages we received.¡±


    Veil pped the old man¡¯s cheek and said, ¡°Hey Old Man, once you receive the money for selling this smithy, half of it will be used to pay off your debt, while the other half will be handed to us. Isn¡¯t it obvious topensate us for the damages you caused?¡±


    ¡°You dog bastards!¡± The old man, Khan, angrily replied to Veil.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have a wife or son to feed, so why do you need arge amount of money? You should help the poor, young people like me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    My insides were boiling with anger.


    ¡®I don¡¯t respect senior citizens much, but...¡¯


    When I used public transportation such as the bus or subway, I never yielded my seat to the elderly. I paid the same taxes, so I also had the right to enjoy the seat! No matter how burdensome their gazes were, I never gave way.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    I didn¡¯t insult or tease the elderly, unlike these gangsters. I was really angry.


    ¡®Young pups treating grandmothers and grandfathers like this... it is terrible.¡¯


    So? Should I help the old man, despite my low level?


    NO~ NO~ I don¡¯t have a sense of justice. Why should I help others? I couldn¡¯t think of any benefits. In my childhood, I was disgusted by superheroes instead of admiring them like everyone else.


    ¡®Why are they getting hurt trying to save others? Are they crazy?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand the heroes who sacrificed themselves to defeat the viin. My young self cringed as I watched their unconditional sacrifice. So when the neighborhood kids yed as heroes, I acted as the viin. Once I became the viin, I enjoyed the pleasure I got from harassing my friends who yed the role of heroes. I showed sense by pretending to die at the end of the game, meaning the other children didn¡¯t feel any resentment.


    ¡®When I think about it, I have been like this since childhood. Yes, from the beginning, I closed my eyes whenever I saw injustice.¡¯


    So I turned away from the old man who was being humiliated and about to lose the business that had been in his family for seven generations. Sure, some regrets remained.


    ¡®The situation has be like this, so it is impossible to make items in this smithy. If I want to move viges, I have to pay for that scamming expensive carriage again? Do I really have to move viges once more? No, there is no need to. I will just hunt and raise my level until the new owner of this smithy starts work.¡¯


    Wait?


    ¡®Don¡¯t I need equipment to hunt? This damn thing! I stored my sword and armor in the warehouse. My 50 silver!¡¯


    My stress levels weren¡¯t a joke. My stomach hurt when I thought about all the money that was flying away. Why was my life so twisted? Uhh... I¡¯m getting a stomach ache. I should leave here as soon as possible.¡¯


    But strangely, my feet didn¡¯t move.


    ¡®That old man... is this okay?¡¯


    Ah! Really! Fuck!


    Maybe it was because I witnessed the dirty work. No matter how much I dreamed about a life that was far from good, I still had the basic fundamentals of a human. It was too much for my conscience to ignore the old man surrounded by gangsters.


    ¡®No, why risk myself for someone else? Am I stupid?¡¯


    I was fully aware that I should turn a blind eye to this. So why was I hesitating?


    ¡®When did I be nosy? This behavior isn¡¯t like me. I¡¯ve always closed my eyes to injustice.¡¯


    The moment I braced myself to leave the smithy.


    [Your anger levels are at their peak after witnessing gangstersmit wrongdoings towards a cksmith.]


    [The quest ¡®cksmith¡¯s Rage¡¯ has been created.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage]


    Difficulty: B


    As Pagma¡¯s descendant, you have inherited Pagma¡¯s will as well as his techniques. You have Pagma¡¯s humanitarian ideology of using ¡®cksmithing to benefit other people.¡¯


    You can never forgive the Mero Company and its minions, who oppress the old and powerless cksmith.


    Help the cksmith Khan, who had fallen for the tricks of the Mero Company and lost his customers.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Get rid of the Mero Company¡¯s minions and destroy the smithy transfer contract.


    Clear Reward: cksmith Khan¡¯s alcoholic symptoms will improve. Affinity with Khan will reach the maximum.


    * Khan was originally an excellent cksmith. But after his business was ruined due to the tricks of the Mero Company and he was subjected to severe stress, an alcohol dependency was created. He is currently an ipetent old man, but if he improves from his alcoholism, he will surely regain his status as a great cksmith. At that time, he will figure out your identity and help you greatly...


    Quest eptance Reward: The skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Rage¡¯ is created.


    Quest Failure: A few dayster, Khan will die and all quests rted to him will be permanently destroyed.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The cksmith¡¯s ideology?


    "Is this a parody of humanitarianism?¡±


    The motto of the legendary cksmith Pagma!


    "...Is there a hidden ss that will appear after eating only garlic for 100 days?¡±


    No, now wasn¡¯t the time to joke around.


    ¡°This situation is a quest.¡±


    It was as I expected. A ruined smithy and cksmith. The sudden appearance of gangsters was the precursor to the beginning of a new quest.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?)


    There were five enemies. Their level was estimated to be 35 or higher. On the other hand, I was alone and only level 3. I was also unharmed because I left my sword and armor in the warehouse.


    Should I refuse the quest? No.


    ¡°I ept.¡±


    There was no reason for me to refuse this quest.


    Even though I was level 3, my stats made me equivalent to a level 20. I also had the skill ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience.¡¯ It was a tremendous skill that increased my concentration, stamina, and defense to the peak for an hour. But was that all? I had the passive skill that allowed me to be invincible for five seconds if my health was at the minimum.


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m not without a weapon.¡±


    I opened my inventory. I took out one arrow that I had left behind as a souvenir.


    [Special Jaffa Arrow]


    Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 35~42


    An arrow made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation.


    Due to the effect ofbining jaffa with steel, it has extremely high pration and ignores some of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    * Has a certain chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense.


    Weight: 0.1


    Arrows were consumables. But that was only when fired by a bow.


    ¡°If I hold it and use it as a dagger, it won¡¯t be a consumable.¡±


    In fact, there were many cases when arrows were retrieved and reused. It was said that most arrows could be reused except when it was too damaged by the target, but I didn¡¯t know because I had no experience shooting the bow.


    ¡®I thought it was strange that arrows were so expensive so I grabbed a passerby. Thanks to that, I realized that arrows weren¡¯t always consumables. Huhut, information was power! I shouldn¡¯t neglect the impact of gathering information in the future.¡¯


    I smiled with satisfaction and examined the gangsters closely. They were holding threatening weapons like axes, swords, and maces while wearing leather armor.


    ¡¯The heavens are helping me.¡¯


    It might be different if they were wearing iron armor. However, I could cause serious damage if I stabbed the leather armor several times with the Jaffa Arrow.


    ¡®This arrow is something I made with my heart. Its value couldn¡¯t bepared with normal arrows. I might have the attack power of a level 20 but I trust this arrow. Due to the option to ignore defense, I will be able to fill up the offensive gap. There is also the countlessbat experiences I have umted in my days as a warrior.¡¯


    My stats that were higher than my level, a suitable weapon, a fraudulent skill andbat senses acquired from past experience. I believed that these four elements were enough to clear the quest.


    ¡®It is a very low possibility.¡¯


    Would I willingly ept a quest that was more likely to fail than seed? It was obvious.


    First, there was no penalty if the quest failed. The NPC Khan would die and all quests associated with him permanently destroyed, but it wasn¡¯t something I should be afraid of since I didn¡¯t know what the quests were.


    Secondly, I was rewarded just by epting the quest.


    [The quest has been epted.]


    [Due to the quest eptance, the skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Rage¡¯ has been acquired.]


    The quest eptance reward was different from the quest clear reward. It was a skill I received just by epting the quest. Who would resist such a quest? I immediately opened the skills window to check the new skill.


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage]


    Lv. 1


    Increases attack power by 10% and attack speed by 30% for 20 seconds.


    Skill Mana Cost: 50


    Skill Cooldown Time: 60 seconds


    ¡®A-Amazing!¡¯


    Production-rted sses such as cksmiths were said to not be able to learnbat skills. However, now I have learned abat buff just by epting a cksmith rted quest! Furthermore, its performance was enormous.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a lot better than thebat buff skills I learned as a warrior?¡¯


    The warrior buff skill that I used raised my attack power by 20% for a certain duration, and the cooldown time was three minutes. But the buff I just learn increased by attack power and attack speed, and the cooldown time was one minute.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a windfall? Kukuk... Oh, is this the hidden quest that I¡¯ve heard about? However, isn¡¯t the quest difficulty too low for a hidden quest? Maybe this... it is likely to be a linked quest. The quests owned by cksmith Khan are probably linked quests. This is a real hit.¡¯


    As soon as I realized the importance of cksmith Khan, I had an obligation to do my best to clear the quest.


    ¡®Thanks to the new skill, the possibility of clearing the quest is even higher... Good.¡¯


    I decided to approach the gangsters.


    "What the, this guy?¡± The gangsters tilted their heads as I came back instead of leaving.


    I pointed the arrow towards them. Then I exined to them the biggest reason why I epted this quest.


    ¡°You crossed the line. I am also indifferent to elderly people, but not as much as you. You don¡¯t have to feel respect towards elderly people, but shouldn¡¯t you maintain the minimum of courtesies? You should take care of your education, you bastards. I can¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t trying to imitate the apostle of justice. I just didn¡¯t like people like these!


    ¡°me the fact that you look like Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy employees.¡±


    As I stepped closer, the gangsters started to grab their weapons.


    "You bastard! This brat dares say such things to us? Eh? No, did something suddenly happen to this brat? Hey you! Do you want to go to hell? Huh?¡±


    "This bastard didn¡¯t appreciate the fact that we let you go...¡±


    Indeed,wless NPCs were fearsome. They instantly showed an intention to kill me. They were truly people who hadmitted numerous evils.


    ¡®They are too formidable.¡¯


    But there was no reason to avoid them due to fear. Right now, these people weren¡¯t the objects of fear. They are targets that must be defeated to clear the quest. The ambition of a warrior was boiling inside of me.


    I snorted with derision towards the gangsters and raised my hand. "Stop your useless talking ande on.¡±


    The gangsters reacted immediately.


    ¡°This crazy bastard!¡±


    "Get him! Hold on to him for me! No, kill him! Just kill him.¡±


    The red-faced gangsters rushed towards me. There were a total of five opponents. In a wide open space, I would be surrounded and die instantly. I had identified the terrain of the smithy ahead of time and headed for the stairs leading towards the second floor. The staircase was wide enough for two adult men to stand side by side.


    I stood in the middle of it with the arrow.


    "Anyone who wants to be stung shoulde up here.¡±


    The gangsters flinched when I took the geographical advantage, then btedly confirmed the identity of the weapon in my hand.


    ¡°What is that? An arrow?¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha. Do you want to deal with us with that arrow? Where is your bow? Eh? Did you drop it on your mother¡¯s skirt, Newbie?¡±


    "Anyway, a cksmith can¡¯t use a bow. They don¡¯t handle weapons very well. So it is no wonder he needs to swing an arrow. He is seriously young.¡±


    These guys were belittling me! Among them, Johnson had the most vicious nature so he rushed forward first. ¡°I will cut this cksmith up like a bear.¡±


    I faced Johnson, who had charged forward ignorantly like a wild boar, and used the skill I had just learned.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    At the top of the screen, a message with ¡®20 seconds¡¯ popped up. It was a notification window that showed the duration of the skill. I confirmed that the skill was sessfully cast and quickly thrust out my arm.


    Papat!


    It was quicker than Johnson could swing his axe. My arrow pierced his chest twice. Large weapons had the advantage of high damage and durability, but they had a fatal disadvantage of slow attack speed. On the other hand, my attack was quick due to the weightless arrow. In addition, I used cksmith¡¯s Rage and was able to overwhelm Johnson with speed.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the Special Jaffa arrow is activated, meaning the enemy¡¯s defense ispletely ignored.]


    ¡°Ke...heok!¡±


    It was only two attacks, but the full power was unleashed. One hit was a critical strike, while the other one ignored the defense due to the optional effect of the Special Jaffa Arrow. At this moment, I was sure that luck was following me. I never imagined that an arrow could deal damage like this.


    "H-how...?"


    Johnson had a disbelieving expression on his face as the arrow pierced the leather armor. Then he coughed up blood and rolled down the stairs. He turned into a grey light and several messages popped up before my eyes.


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s ouw, Johnson.]


    [Reputation in Winston Vige has increased by 60.]


    [Your rtionship with the Winston ouws has be hostile.]


    [The Winston ouws will try to kill you when they find you.]


    [4,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I expected the gangster to be at least level 35. As if to prove my guess right, I gained five levels just from Johnson¡¯s death.


    ¡®I defeated a level 35 enemy in just two hits?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe it myself. Even if it was a critical hit and the enemy¡¯s defense was ignored, I never expected to do it in only two hits.


    ¡¯These guys, do they have less healthpared to their appearance?¡¯


    It was a good exnation. Considering their aggressive tendencies, it was likely that the gangsters had focused their stats on strength.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    I felt more hope that I could clear this quest.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 8 (125/1,400)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 316/316 Mana: 87/87


    Strength: 24 Stamina: 22 Agility: 16 Intelligence: 29


    Dexterity: 55 Persistence: 21


    Composure: 14 Indomitable: 16 Dignity: 14 Insight: 14


    Stat Points: 110


    Weight: 842/1,000


    I gained five more levels, so now I had 110 stat points.


    ¡®This is the right timing to distribute my stat points.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to invest all my stat points in strength and agility.


    [You have invested 50 points in strength. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Once the points are invested, it can¡¯t be reversed. Do you want to proceed?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [You have invested 60 points in agility. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The warning statements popped up and my strength and agility greatly increased. The other gangsters were surprised to see theirpanion suddenly die and couldn¡¯t climb the stairs.


    ¡°W-W-What is that guy? How did he handle Johnson so easily?¡±


    "Johnson wasn¡¯t vignt and allowed himself to be stabbed in the heart twice.¡±


    ¡°Still, isn¡¯t that bastard¡¯s weapon just an arrow? It wasn¡¯t shot from a bow, but a hand wielded arrow broke through leather armor and did such damage? Nonsense. It is impossible.¡±


    "...This cksmith must be so strong that he doesn¡¯t depend on weapons. Maybe he isn¡¯t a cksmith in the first ce. He is a warrior. I¡¯m sure of this.¡±


    ¡°What does that... Maybe he just looks weak.¡±


    "Don¡¯t just pay attention to the outward appearance.¡±


    The gangsters watched me carefully. cksmith¡¯s Rage onlysted 10 more seconds so I provoked them.


    ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you attacking? Isn¡¯t it four of you against one of me? You third-rate, hulking gangster scum.¡±


    "Third-rate? What is this jerk seeing?¡±


    "Praga, wait!¡±


    Despite the calls from hispanions, the gangster called Praga fell for the taunt and rushed. This time, the weapon was a huge mace. The attack speed was very slow, just like Johnson who used the axe.


    Kwajajak!


    He ran up the staircase and the mace aimed for my face. I avoided it as much as possible and pushed the arrow forward.


    Papapat!


    My increased agility was immediately effective. This time, I was able to strike the arrow three times before the enemy could attack once.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Praga was stabbed three times in the chest and retreated.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    This time, there wasn¡¯t a critical hit. In addition, the optional effect of the Special Jaffa Arrow wasn¡¯t activated. Was that why? My attack power had increased thanks to the 50 points invested in strength, but Praga didn¡¯t die.


    "Hey, are you okay?¡±


    "Kuoock... it isn¡¯t enough to kill me.¡±


    "Hmm... I guess it was just a coincidence that he took care of Johnson in two hits. The attack power seems weaker than I expected.¡±


    Little by little, the gangsters started to identify my strength. Then Veil exined to his men, "The thing we need to watch out for now is his attack speed. He is overwhelmingly faster than us because we userge weapons, so fighting one-on-one is definitely a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°What should we do? It is simple.¡±


    Veil winked and they stood as a group in front of the staircase. Then he spoke to me, who was standing alone on the staircase. ¡°I won¡¯t go up to grab you. You can¡¯t stay up there forever. Won¡¯t you eventually have toe down? Then I will kill you.¡±


    Heok... they were quite smart.


    ¡®If they were monsters, they would move without thinking.¡¯


    My n to take advantage of the terrain was all in vain.


    ¡®There are four people remaining. One of them is seriously injured, but he can still fight. Damn... no matter what method I think of, it is too dangerous to deal with them all at once. How can I clear this quest?¡¯


    I could be satisfied with the fact that I acquired a new skill through this quest. I was curious about the linked quests and rewards that would be received from cksmith Khan, but should I take the risk?


    ¡®It is wiser to forcibly quit the quest by running away, instead of dying. But...¡¯


    My eyes looked somewhere else. I flinched the moment I met the eyes of the old man standing in the corner, Khan. Was it due to the expectations, hope, and gratitude in the eyes of the old man looking at me?


    It was like he was looking at a hero.


    ¡®Don¡¯t gaze at me with such eyes. I¡¯m not a hero.¡¯


    I tried to ignore the old man¡¯s gaze. Then I stopped just before logging out.


    ¡¯Just epting the quest gave me a new skill. I am 100% certain that this is a hidden quest. The rewards of the linked quests received from that old man must be beyond imagination. Isn¡¯t it stupid to give up on a rare quest that I might not encounter again?¡¯


    Yes, I should try it. I headed down the stairs. I was immediately besieged by the gangsters waiting for me.


    ¡¯My defense is close to zero. My health is also small. If I allow these guys to attack, I will be killed in two or three hits, even if they aren¡¯t fatal wounds. The important thing isn¡¯t to fight as quickly as possible. Carefully, carefully.¡¯


    I concentrated as much as possible, confirmed the cooldown time of cksmith¡¯s Rage was over and used the skill again.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    Okay. Next.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience.¡±


    [Nothing happens.]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    The skill didn¡¯t activate? I was confused and hurriedly opened the skill window. Then I read the detailed exnation of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience]


    Vitality, defense, and dexterity will rise by 200% for one hour.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t consume mana.


    * This skill can¡¯t be used intentionally. It was naturally be triggered if you continue to persevere.


    ¡°...Ah, you.¡±


    This damn thing... A conditional activation skill?


    ¡®I should¡¯ve read the skill description... It is like not reading the fine print.¡¯


    As one of the factors that I believed in disappeared, the gangsters narrowed the distance with their weapons.


    "Hey, are you ready to go to hell?¡±


    ¡°I will make you pay for hurting and killing mypanions.¡±


    I was screwed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    "Go to hell! Johnson¡¯s enemy!¡±


    Buuuong.


    The explosive sound of the surrounding enemies attacking me was enough to cause pain and sweat to flow down.


    Kwang!Kwajajak!


    These were attacks with the power to break a wall with one blow! I was able to avoid the attacks a few times due to the slow speed and simple trajectory, but I wondered how long I could maintain this concentration. Then the enemies started to use their heads.


    ¡°Attack at the same time.¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Different weapons simultaneously struck out from every direction.


    [You have received 150 damage.]


    [You have received 163 damage.]


    ¡°Urghh...¡±


    My health gauge reached the bottom with just two hits and had only 23 health left.


    ¡¯Crazy. They weren¡¯t even critical hits.¡¯


    I pulled out a potion from my inventory and drank it. It was an intermediate health potion that restored 1,500 health at once.


    ¡®My health is considerably less than 1,500, but an intermediate potion is the lowest grade potion I have. It would¡¯ve been nice if I had an inferior potion...¡¯


    The potion reuse time was 20 seconds, so I had to defend myself from attacks for at least 20 seconds. But now the enemies had started systematically linking their strikes. It became harder.


    "We have been fighting together for 10 years. No matter what you try, you will eventually go to hell!"


    I moved to the side in order to avoid the big sword that would take off my head, then an attack aimed for my knees, as if they had predicted my movements. My battle senses, developed from my days as a warrior, let out a warning.


    This was unavoidable!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    I aimed the arrow downwards.


    Kaaang!


    The Special Jaffa Arrow urately hit the mace in an attempt to shift the orbit. But an arrow was a very lightweight weapon. It was impossible for a light weapon to shift the orbit of therge mace that weighed several kilograms.


    Kwajak!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The mace hit half of my knee, dealing a critical blow.


    [You have received 200 damage.]


    [Your left leg is severely damaged. Movement speed has decreased by 40%. The ability to control your body has decreased.]


    As I groaned on the floor, a strike of lightning could be heard above me. If I stayed still, my skull would be caved in.


    "Hup!"


    I endured the pain and rolled back.


    Kakakakak!


    The floor where I had been lying just a few seconds ago was smashed to pieces. I stared at the enemies and made a decision.


    ¡®I will act luxuriously today.¡¯


    I steeled my heart, pulling out the intermediate strength potion and intermediate agility potion. The price for one was 10 gold. 10 gold was 12,000 won!


    ¡¯I¡¯m sorry but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    I closed my eyes and poured 20 gold, in other words, 24,000 won, down my throat.


    Gulp gulp.


    I shed tears as the buff potion was swallowed.


    ¡®Ahh! This potion is more expensive than the sweet and sour pork set!¡¯


    I prepared the buff potions for moments of crisis during Earl Ashur¡¯s quest, but I felt such regret that I never used them. Now they were being used toplete a B-grade quest, not a boss monster.


    [You have taken the intermediate strength potion. Strength will increase by 50 for five minutes.]


    [You have taken the intermediate agility potion. Agility will increase by 50 for five minutes.]


    There was a flood of attacks from two directions as the notification windows popped up.


    ¡°Son of a bitch! Don¡¯t think that we can¡¯t touch you while you are eating!¡±


    I was able to avoid the two attacks due to my sharp rise in agility, then I gripped the arrow and fought back. But two attacks came from different directions and I was forced to give up.


    "Pant pant... r-really horrible.¡±


    I would¡¯ve died if it wasn¡¯t for the intermediate agility potion. It felt like my heart would burst from the extreme tension, and the gangsters were filled with rage once their attacks were over.


    ¡°This rotten bastard! How long will you run away?¡±


    "Where is your momentum from your first attack? What a shameful brat! Fight fair.¡±


    The four of them were ganging up on my lone self, yet they wereining about fighting fairly?


    ¡°Hey, you fuckers have no conscience! Let¡¯s do it one against one.¡±


    "Won¡¯t we still win in a one-on-one fight?¡±


    ¡°Then bring it on!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! Don¡¯t you know that being able to fight in groups is a virtue?¡±


    Chwaruruk!


    The il stretched out like a whip.


    Tatatang!Tang!


    I hit it with the arrow and barely managed to spin my body. I felt a hot pain as a greatsword scratched my side.


    [You have received 30 damage.]


    Fortunately, I seeded in avoiding it. Once the crisis passed, I tried to continue the conversation to buy time for my potion reuse time to end.


    "Hey guys, let¡¯s talk about it honestly. Shouldn¡¯t you know by now that I¡¯m not a pushover?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The gangsters didn¡¯t want to admit it, but they didn¡¯t refute my words. I made a suggestion, ¡°Hand over the contract and then no one will die anymore.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The gangsters were furious.


    "Don¡¯t y games! You think you can get out of here alive after killing Johnson? Don¡¯t worry about the contract. You must die here.¡±


    "What? Is it hard toe forward? Won¡¯t you regret it? You guys really can leave here alive if you hand over the contract.¡±


    ¡°Hahat! Stop talking nonsense! A guy who broke his leg is spouting these words. From the very beginning, we could leave here alive! You are the only one who will die here.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm, will that really happen?¡±


    During the conversation, the reuse time for my potions had reset. I turned away from the gangsters and sneakily drank the potion. At the same time, my health and the wound on my leg recovered.


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    The gangsters thought I was still seriously injured. I used that to sneak attack one of them.


    ¡°N-No?¡±


    They couldn¡¯t respond properly because they thought my leg was still injured. I pierced one person urately with the arrow.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the Special Jaffa arrow is activated, meaning the enemy¡¯s defense ispletely ignored.]


    "Keeok...!¡±


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s ouw, Neil.]


    [Reputation in Winston Vige has increased by 60.]


    [4,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    The gangster stabbed in the belly couldn¡¯t even scream properly as he turned into grey light. The eyes of the gangsters shook as they lost anotherpanion.


    ¡°You... you bastard! How did your leg suddenly be better? D-Don¡¯t tell me you drank a potion?¡±


    "... Didn¡¯t you see me drinking it?¡±


    "You stupid bastard! You should fight with your own body!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! Can you really say that? You are gangsters trying to bully an innocent citizen!¡±


    ¡°You...! Kill! Kill that brat as soon as possible! He is like a cockroach, so keep attacking until he is dead.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t he just a druggie? I will crush him!¡±


    The extremely angry Veilmanded his men. ¡°The ¡®You will Die¡¯ formation!¡±


    It was the worst naming sense. In any case, the viins received Veil¡¯smand and unleashed a barrage of attacks.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Chukak.Bam!


    The murder techniques that didn¡¯t consider defense ran rampant. Even if my arrow was aimed at their hearts, they didn¡¯t try to defend or avoid. They kept attacking and attacking.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Even if my arrow stabbed them, they didn¡¯t stop attacking. I instantly found myself on the defensive.


    [You have received 203 damage.]


    [You have received 180 damage.]


    Chwaruruk!Buuuong.Kwaang!


    Like a snake persistently following me on a blocked path, the greatsword with a wide range of attack gave me a big crisis. Even if I avoided the mace, my bnce would be off because the mace would break the ground or walls.


    There were 13 seconds left on my potion reuse time and my health was at the bottom.


    ¡®This is my limit. I can¡¯t endure anymore.¡¯


    Unless the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill activated and my defense and health were strengthened, there was no way to ovee this crisis.


    ¡®The end...¡¯


    The moment I was about to give up on the quest... I suddenly had a thought.


    ¡®Why am I depending on potions and skills?¡¯


    Was I a warrior? No. I was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®Where am I right now?¡¯


    A smithy.


    ¡®I¡¯m so stupid... Why didn¡¯t I think of this earlier?¡¯


    I noticed the various weapons and armor disyed all over the room. A number of things popped into my head.


    ¡°Khan!¡±


    Khan, the elder cksmith standing in the corner, responded instantly to my call.


    "Speak.¡±


    I asked him, ¡°Do you want to keep this smithy?¡±


    "Of course! I already gave up, but changed my mind thanks to you. If you help me, I will be able to keep this ce!¡±


    I liked the cool answer.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing now? Why are you chatting with that old man instead of fighting? Are you thinking of some trick?¡±


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    The gangsters didn¡¯t stop the offensive. I avoided the attack and threw my arrow at thergest of them.


    Swaeek!


    The quickly thrown Special Jaffa Arrow...


    Whether he sensed the crisis or if he was confident, Praga changed his attitude and started defending.


    [Critical!]


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    A critical appeared the moment the arrow struck the mace, and its heavy power made Praga instantly back up. However, the other two gangsters didn¡¯t care and struck. I turned around and ran away from them.


    "Kuhahahaha! Stupid person! You threw away your weapon.¡±


    The gangsters saw me running away unarmed and chased after me. Praga overcame the crisis of the flying arrow and sighed with relief. I never looked back at them. I ran forward with all my strength. Then I ran up the stairs and reached the second floor.


    There was a brilliantly shining full te armor and a superrge greatsword that was 3m in length.


    I shouted toward Khan on the ground floor.


    "Khan, lend me this equipment!¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°I will give them back at the end of the fight! If you want to keep your smithy, give me permission!¡±


    Taking away the items without the owner¡¯s consent wouldbel me a criminal. I waited for Khan¡¯s permission, but he paused in a frustrating manner.


    "Not just anyone can use that equipment! It is better to lend you the leather armor and cksmith hammer over here. That is the ideal equipment for you.¡±


    "No, just lend this to me.¡±


    "B-but that battle gear...¡±


    ¡°Kihahaha! I¡¯ve finally caught you. Die!¡±


    Without realizing it, the enemies had neared me. Khan finally realized the urgency of the situation and nodded. ¡°Y-Yes. If you can use it then feel free to!¡±


    ¡°Good. You should¡¯ve said it sooner.¡±


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Dainsleif (Reproduction).]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Attack power of Dainsleif (Reproduction) will decrease by 20%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [The penalties will be reduced if your understanding of Dainsleif (Reproduction) increases.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Valha.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Defense of Valha will decrease by 20%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [The penalties will be reduced if your understanding of Valha increases.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    I felt like a mountain after equipping the gold armor. With the giant sword in my hand, I felt brave enough to even cut at a dragon.


    The gangsters were swinging their weapons. There was no need for evasion.


    Kwang!Kwajajak!


    [The enemy¡¯s damage has been neutralized.]


    The enemies¡¯ attacks had a good momentum, but they couldn¡¯t even deal a small scratch to my armor. My body didn¡¯t feel any slight fluctuations. Rather, the weapons of the gangsters were damaged.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The gangsters lived in thewless world so their warning instincts were unsurpassed. At this moment, the gangsters felt despair.


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...!¡±


    I grinned in a devilish manner at the confused gangsters. "Have you heard of the item effect?¡±


    Drugs? Skill? I didn¡¯t need to rely on such things from the beginning. There were all types of battle gear piled up in the smithy, and as Pagma¡¯s Descendant, I could use all of it!


    Clink!


    I grabbed the handle of the greatsword with both hands and tightened my waist as much as possible before lifting it up with all of my strength. I didn¡¯t need to use any techniques. I used just the momentum of the greatsword to wreak havoc to anything in its path.


    Seokeok!


    There was a refreshing feeling in my chest as the sword cut through the enemies. With one strike, the bodies of the gangsters turned into grey light.


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s ouw, Praga.]


    [Reputation in Winston Vige has increased by 60.]


    [4,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s ouw, Um.]


    [Reputation in Winston Vige has increased by 60.]


    [4,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s ouw, Veil.]


    [Reputation in Winston Vige has increased by 100.]


    [6,600 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Quest sess!]


    [Affinity with Khan has risen to the maximum.]


    The tremendous rewarding sentences that kept appearing. I didn¡¯t take the time to enjoy the pleasure.


    "This weapon and armor...¡±


    I immediately used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill.


    [The cksmith who bes a legend that appraises items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 451~635 Attack Speed: -8%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ has been generated.


    A work created by Albatino, the first human to receive the nickname of ¡®craftsman¡¯ before Pagma¡¯s era. He attempted to reproduce the mythical weapon, Dainsleif.


    While farckingpared to the original Dainsleif, he seeded in restoring some of its features, making it a masterpiece of its own.


    It was acimed as a ¡®masterpiece of human history¡¯ by the founder of the Eternal Kingdom and king of the north, Loran.


    The legendary cksmith Pagma is said to have received great inspiration from Albatino¡¯s work.


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher. More than 1,800 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 1,580


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You still don¡¯t have enough knowledge and experience to understand the material, the production method, and the intentions of the maker of Dainsleif (Reproduction).]


    [You have no understanding of Dainsleif (Reproduction).]


    [Valha]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 701/701 Defense: 872 Movement Speed: -5%


    * 20% increase in health recovery.


    * If health falls below 10%, a shield will be generated for 5 seconds that will absorb 3,000 damage.


    * Increases defense by 10% against cutting and stabbing attacks.


    * Magic resistance +180


    A work created by Albatino, the first human to receive the nickname of ¡®craftsman¡¯ before Pagma¡¯s era. He aimed to create a walking fortress.


    It was acimed as a ¡®masterpiece of human history¡¯ by the founder of the Eternal Kingdom and king of the north, Loran.


    The legendary cksmith Pagma is said to have received great inspiration from Albatino¡¯s work.


    User Restrictions: Level 250 or higher. More than 800 strength. More than 1,000 stamina. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery.


    Weight: 1,712


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You still don¡¯t have enough knowledge and experience to understand the materials, the production method and the intentions of the maker of Valha.]


    [You have no understanding of Valha.]


    ¡°C-Cough...¡±


    W-What were these amazing things? How did such amazing items show up in the smith of a vige like this? As the two items shocked me speechless, Khan came up to me and firmly grasped my shoulders.


    Then he asked me in a trembling voice, "You... how can you use Dainsleif and Valha?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t afford to answer Khan¡¯s question right now. Rather, I was the one with questions.


    "Khan, why are such great items in a ce like this? Huh? Where did you get this?¡±


    "Heok!"


    H-How surprising.


    Khan freaked out after listening to my question. I was surprised because it seemed like Khan¡¯s eyes were going to pop out.


    ¡¯Wow, this guy isn¡¯t a frog so how can his eyes pop out like this?¡¯


    Khan¡¯s eyes popped out of their sockets as he shook me. ¡°You... Do you really know the value of these things?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it great just by looking at it? The creator is the great Albatino.¡±


    ¡°H-Heok! You figured out who the maker is? P-Perhaps you are...?¡±


    Khan¡¯s face and neck turned red. Then he wobbled like he would copse.


    ¡®What? Why is he in this state? Is it high blood pressure?¡¯


    Did I save him, only for him to die of high blood pressure? No! I can¡¯t let that happen.


    "Hey, hey, Old Man! Calm down, calm down! You have to be careful!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Kuoock...¡±


    "Heok? F-Foam? Hey! Old Man. Hey! What is this? Don¡¯t die! I seeded the quest, right? Then why are you dying? If you have another quest, then give it to me!¡±


    No, wait. If Khan died then what would happen to Dainsleif and Vaha?


    ¡°...Hey, Old Man. Are you well? Damn! You have to live. You must live.¡±


    After returning Dainsleif and Valha to their original locations, I carried the old man to the clinic.


    ***


    The remote vige of Winston. However, as the road was built and transportation developed, the vige started to develop rapidly.


    There were hunting grounds of various levels everywhere, and Winston overflowed with high-quality specialty products and unique quests. These factors meant that its development was endless.


    Nowadays, many people came and went. In a survey of new users that a broadcasting station conducted, it was in the top 10 of ¡®New Vige where I want to Start.¡¯


    People envied the residents of Winston after seeing the ever-evolving Winston. Thend prices in Winston had increased by as much as 20 times, so it was expected that the residents would be rich.


    This was only an illusion for those who didn¡¯t know the truth. The reality was quite different. The lives of the Winston residents weren¡¯t better than ever. This was due to the Mero Company.


    The Mero Company had dominated the northern area of the Eternal Kingdom since a long time ago. Valmont, the leader of the Mero Company, predicted the potential of Winston more quickly than anyone else. When it was still a remote vige, he bought thend andmercial areas of Winston at a cheap price from the residents.


    Therefore, most of Winston¡¯snd andmercial areas were dominated by the Mero Company. It hadn¡¯t officially been promoted to a city yet, but many of Winston¡¯s signboards had the name ¡®Mero¡¯ on it. On the other hand, the residents lost their jobs and suffered from poverty.


    The Mero Company¡¯s monopoly of Winston. It was a big jackpot for the Mero Company. It was possible to umte a huge amount of wealth. The lord wouldn¡¯t do anything due to the higher taxes and bribes.


    "Indeed, people must have insight.¡±


    The owner of the Mero Company, Valmont was happy every day. Most of the profit from the vige entered his pockets, so he enjoyed numerous luxuries. However, there was one thing that was raining on Valmont¡¯s mood: the existence of the smithy.


    ording to the decree of the king, cities and viges could only legally have one smithy. It was one of the government¡¯s extreme measures to prevent local powers from building massive weapons and strengthening their military capabilities.


    Thus, there was one smithy in Winston and the owner of that smithy was a cksmith called Khan, not the Mero Company. A business that was steady and gained arge amount of money as a weapons business was rare.


    The Mero Company offered Khan an astronomical amount to sell the smithy, but he refused, saying it had been in his family for seven generations. It was no use even if Valmont used intimidation.


    Valmont had a headache. It was too regretful to give up on the smithy. So he thought hard and came up with an ingenious scheme to put pressure on Khan.


    "Buyrge quantities of quality weapons and farm equipment from the Taji cksmiths. Then sell it to the Winston residents and travelers at a cheap price. The profit? There is no need to worry about that. Sell it cheaply!¡±


    Due to Valmont¡¯s order, Khan¡¯s cksmith store lost itspetitiveness. The residents and travelers of Winston no longer went to Khan¡¯s smithy. The weapons sold at the Mero Company were slightly lower in quality than those sold at Khan¡¯s smithy, but they were more diverse and cheaper, causing people to buy from the Mero Company.


    In addition, Valmont nned one more thing. It was a n to trick Khan by hiring an impostor.


    ¡°If you increase the scale of the smith, it will instill more confidence in the customers and business will be well again. I will lend you the money at a low-interest rate, so invest your money and grow the scale of the smithy. Show the people of Winston and the Mero Company that you will be sessful!¡±


    Khan foolishly believed the scammer. It was because the scammer was a long-time friend of Khan¡¯s. Without imagining that his friend had been bribed by Valmont, Khan borrowed money without checking the contract. As a result, the debt snowballed into an amount that he couldn¡¯t afford.


    Valmont loved the feeling of watching Khan copse.


    "Huhuhu, that smithy will be mine in the near future.¡±


    Thest thing Valmont did was hire a group of gangsters and he waited, believing that the smithy would soon be handed over to him. But was Khan as stubborn as a bull? When he saw that Khan never let go of the smithy despite being cornered, an even greater rage boiled up inside Valmont.


    "Where are they? I told those gangsters to be firmly prepared if they didn¡¯t handle it this time.¡±


    He seriously warned them, so they were motivated to work harder. This time, the smithy would enter his hands...


    "What? They¡¯re missing?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Those damn bastards!¡±


    Chachachang!


    Valmont overturned the table filled with delicacies at the unexpected report. Then he asked his closest subordinate, Rabbit. ¡°Who rmended those gangsters?¡±


    "Biel.¡±


    "Bring him here right now!"


    After a few moments. Valmont quietly asked the trembling Biel, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the ones who rmended those gangsters? You said I could believe in them? Then what is this? Not only have they note back with Khan¡¯s smithy in the promised time period, but now they have run away. I even paid them an advance up front. How will you take responsibility for this?¡±


    "I-I¡¯m really sorry. They are the most notorious people in the neighborhood so I rmended...¡±


    "I don¡¯t need your apology. Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? W-What...?¡± Biel asked because he couldn¡¯t understand Valmont¡¯s meaning.


    Valmonth was frustrated with Biel¡¯s confusion and spoke bluntly. ¡°You must be stupid if you don¡¯t understand while working for a merchantpany. Money. Give me money. You are responsible for the advance given to them as well aspensation for the failedmission.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?! I-I don¡¯t have that much money. Please give me one more chance...¡±


    Biel grabbed Valmont¡¯s clothing and begged. But Valmont was relentless.


    "If you don¡¯t have money then create it. Otherwise, I will sell you to the ve market. Then I will bepensated to some extent. Huhuhu.¡±


    "M-Master! Please...please!¡±


    ¡°Remove this guy."


    Biel had been with Valmont for 10 years. He always worked hard, like a dog. But Valmont didn¡¯t tolerate even a single mistake. It was a cruel decision but he didn¡¯t care about morals.


    ¡®Proud and cruel.¡¯


    Rabbit didn¡¯t like this about Valmont¡¯s nature. But he could earn big money if he worked under Valmont, so Rabbit never betrayed him. After Biel was dragged out, Rabbit was left alone with Valmont and opened his mouth.


    ¡°It is hard to believe that the gangsters hired by Biel would run away. They live here in Winston. They can¡¯t throw away their homes easily just for a little bit of money.¡±


    ¡°If they didn¡¯t run away then what is it? Were they hit by the old man?¡±


    ¡°For now, it is most appropriate to think so. Until this morning, they visited Khan¡¯s smithy as normal. However, they were missing after that. It is certain that something happened in the smithy.¡±


    Valmont asked after hearing the exnation. "Where is Khan?¡±


    "He has also disappeared.¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous! What on earth happened in that smithy?¡±


    "We are investigating so you will know soon.¡±


    It was frustrating because he didn¡¯t know the exact circumstances. Valmont and Rabbit wereing up with various assumptions and guesses.


    "I¡¯ve found Khan¡¯s location!¡± An informant entered and reported. "Around two hours ago, there was a witness who saw a strange young man carrying Khan on his back.


    "Strange young man... He must be the culprit in this incident. Rabbit, I will leave the business of the smithy to you from now on. Take care of anyone who gets in your way.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ording to someone¡¯s evaluation of his personality, Valmont had talent as a merchant but he was harsh and violent. How was he able to grow the Mero Company to this extent? This was because he had Rabbit. Rabbit was a resourceful and skilled person who could cover Valmont¡¯s deficiencies. He suppressed his emotions and made calm judgments to produce the best results.


    Now Rabbit was about to have an encounter with Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    "Lulla~¡±


    I naturally hummed a song, and as soon as I got out of the capsule, I sat on the toilet seat.


    "Lululululu~¡±


    I then headed to the kitchen and drank cold water.


    "Llla~¡±


    Iy back on the couch and watched TV. The humming didn¡¯t stop, andughter even started to emerge. I was so happy! Thanks to the hidden quest, I obtained abat buff skill and cleared the quest safely, opening the path to a linked quest. I also gained a lot of levels in a short amount of time.


    ¡°I killed a few gangsters and got to level 21, isn¡¯t this a really big jackpot? Why is my luck so good these days?¡±


    Hidden quests weren¡¯t easily obtained. This was the first time in my one year of ying Satisfy. Among the billions of people currently ying Satisfy, only a handful would¡¯ve obtained a hidden quest.


    Many things had gone well since I became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It really was an incredible ss.


    "There was a reason for my misfortune. It was a divine revtion after years of enduring misfortune. Ahahahahat~!¡±


    What type of quest would cksmith Khan give me? And the reward? Maybe the enormous reward would be a unique item that I could use for a while...


    If so!


    "I can be a billionaire! Kuahahaha!"


    The performance of Dainsleif and Valha was almost the same as the unique rated ¡®Failure¡¯ that I designed. However, since the usage conditions were very normal, it was possible to have an astronomical value when dealing with users.


    ¡®They are items that remind me of why Failure is a failure.¡¯


    Albatino was a great cksmith. He was probably the cksmith who gave inspiration to Pagma...


    "Such a great person wasn¡¯t a legendary cksmith, while I stumbled across the legendary cksmith ss during a quest... Well, this is the world.¡±


    I once again felt gratitude towards the legendary ss that I obtained.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± I gazed at my watch with a yawn and saw that it had been two hours since I left the capsule. ¡°Eight hours have passed in the world of Satisfy. Won¡¯t Khan wake up soon?¡±


    ording to the doctor, Khan¡¯s health was severe to excessive drinking and stress. But if I followed the quest story, Khan would ovee the alcoholism and his health would be restored. So I didn¡¯t have to worry about it.


    I connected to Satisfy.


    "Log in."


    My vision darkened before giving way to a warm light as I opened both eyes.


    "...This is the clinic.¡±


    Thest ce I logged out of was the clinic where Khan was hospitalized. I immediately went to find the doctor called Simon.


    "What is the old man¡¯s status?¡±


    Simon smiled kindly.


    "I thought it was dangerous because of the sudden increase in blood pressure in his weakened state. However, his condition is better than expected. He can soon be discharged from the hospital. God has blessed him...¡±


    "I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±


    "He will be healthier if he stays away from drinking in the future.¡±


    I headed to Khan¡¯s room with Simon. After a while, Khan smiled as he saw me. ¡°Ohh, wee. I owe a lot to you.¡±


    I responded with a smile, ¡°Those in difficult circumstances should help each other. Now, you can leave the hospital. You just need to pay for the treatment fee.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t Khan answering? I couldn¡¯t help feeling ufortable. Then Khan¡¯s words were like a lightning bolt from the clear sky.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I currently don¡¯t...¡±


    T-This...! It was like a lightning bolt struck my mind.


    "Don¡¯t tell me... you won¡¯t pay the bill?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I won¡¯t pay, but I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have the money.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you going to do? Does this clinic ept credit?¡±


    I stared at Simon. His kind expression that had always been present was gone. Then Simon spoke with a very business-like expression. ¡°Credit isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    I wanted to leave this old man alone, but then I wouldn¡¯t be able to get the quest.


    ¡°Damm..it! My bad luck was waiting! Luck is truly the worst!¡±


    I had to pay one gold for Khan¡¯s treatment cost. I was afraid to calcte how much I had spent today.


    Khan¡¯s smithy.


    "Thank you once again.¡±


    As soon as Khan arrived at his smithy, he turned to me and bowed 90 degrees, expressing his sincere gratitude. Fortunately, he had a conscience. He thanked the person who paid one gold for his medical bill.


    "Thank you. Thank you very much. I was able to feel hope again because of you. I was able to maintain the business that has been in my family for seven generations, that I almost lost due to my ignorance. I don¡¯t know how to repay you...¡±


    Khan started crying. Unlike young people, elderly people really had a lot of tears.


    ¡°Old Man...¡±


    I grabbed Khan¡¯s rough hand.


    It was amon action that the ¡®main character¡¯ of dramas would do. ¡®Isn¡¯t it natural to help a neighbor in trouble? This was nothing, Old Man. There is no need to feel sorry. I don¡¯t need anything in return for my help.¡¯ Such unrealistic words would be spoken.


    But I wasn¡¯t a protagonist of a drama! I was a loser of the cruel, relentless modern society that was close to the naturalws of the Serengeti. I want a reward!


    "If you really appreciate it, give me something. Come on."


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. Of course, I have to pay you back. Your grace was too big, I don¡¯t know what type of reward to give you."


    I just noticed, was this old man really simple? Didn¡¯t he notice the words I use? I stayed focused. I couldn¡¯t think about anything else.


    "Old Man, you were almost robbed of this smithy by those gangsters. If you keep drinking, your health will worsen and you will eventually die.¡±


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s right.¡±


    "When you copsed from high blood pressure, you could¡¯ve died. Didn¡¯t you live because I took you to the clinic and paid for your treatment fee?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Then aren¡¯t I the savior of your life?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I spoke logically. "To the savior of your life, you should give me a precious treasure equivalent to your life!¡±


    Khan stopped crying and looked very sorry.


    "A precious treasure equivalent to my life... I don¡¯t have such a thing. What should I do? Ugh...¡±


    "Don¡¯t look so sad. I am very nice so I don¡¯t want treasures that are equivalent to your life. Over there, there.¡± I pointed to the second floor with my finger. "If you give me Dainsleif and Valha, that is enough of a reward.¡±


    My heart was beating excitedly. It was because I was filled with expectation at receiving the items as a gift. But this was me. The world never went my way so easily.


    "They are the heirlooms that have been passed down in my family for many generations. It is a treasure that my life can¡¯t bepared to. I will give my life to you, but I can¡¯t give you those items.¡±


    It was a t refusal. If he wasn¡¯t going to give it, why bother being so earnest? As a frown appeared on my face, Khan coughed with shame and exined.


    "These are treasures that my ancestor, Albatino dedicated his soul to. The treasures of his soul can¡¯t be handled by his descendant. I am obliged to keep these heirlooms until the day I die. But there¡¯s an exception.¡±


    Khan was Albatino¡¯s descendant? He couldn¡¯t fake his blood. Did that mean he would disy advanced cksmith skills once his alcohol addiction was healed? And what was the exception?


    "What is the exception?¡±


    Khan¡¯s gaze became serious. ¡°There is something I want to ask you. How were you able to use the treasures? And how did you know its value at a nce?¡±


    Khan exined.


    "Dainsleif and Valha are unlucky battle gear. Their performance transcends imagination, but due to the usage requirements, it has been hundreds of years since an owner showed up. No hero could use them. It¡¯s been like that for the past few centuries. Due to that, they have disappeared in the history records. Now no one knows about their existence.¡±


    Khan and I went upstairs. We stood facing Dainsleif and Valha.


    Khan touched them and beckoned.


    ¡°I am sad since I want the world to know the value of Dainsleif and Valha. So I ced it in this prominent ce. But in order to fully understand such an extremely good work, the person needs the same level of insight as the creator. Despite having disyed it for decades, no one has understood its value.¡±


    Khan faced me.


    ¡°Then you showed up here.¡±


    The long story began.


    "There is a legend that is passed down in my family. Around 130 years ago, a man called Pagma came here. He found Dainsleif and Valha umted dust in a corner of the store. He saw it at first nce. The value of Dainsleif and Valha...¡±


    Khan¡¯s eyes shed.


    "Pagma admired the work of Dainsleif and Valha. It is said that he showed off his swordsmanship wearing Dainsleif, which has never been used by any hero. The beauty of it was unbelievable, and the swordsmanship seemed to pierce the sky, creating lightning.¡±


    I was amazed. An absurd but exciting fairy tale! Did he read the interest in my eyes?


    Khan became more immersed in the story. "My ancestor, who witnessed the swordsmanship, fell to his knees in front of Pagma and begged. ¡®Please take Dainsleif and Valha. That would be what my ancestor wanted.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Ohh! It became bigger! So? Did Pagma agree?¡±


    "No. If Pagma agreed then Dainsleif and Valha wouldn¡¯t be here right now. This was Pagma¡¯s reply. ¡®These works are filled with Albatino¡¯s soul. I will refuse because they are so powerful, they shouldn¡¯t be wasted on a small bowl like myself.¡¯ Pagma was obstinate and my ancestor finally had to give up.¡±


    I really didn¡¯t understand the man called Pagma. No, why would he refuse something that was free? I would ept and sell them.


    ¡¯Ah, Pagma must¡¯ve been a really rich person. So he wasn¡¯t greedy.¡¯


    My story continued while I was thinking this.


    "Pagma said this before he left here. ¡®There are currently no heroes who can handle this armor. However, when the timees, many heroes will emerge and all of them will be qualified to be masters of that armor.¡¯¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    I interpreted Pagma¡¯s words. The many heroes he spoke of referred to the users. The growth of users was fast and infinite. There would soon be rankers who could use Dainsleif and Valha.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want the items to be taken by them.¡¯


    I asked Khan straight away. "So what is the reason for the lengthy exnation?¡±


    Khan replied without hesitation. ¡°I want to know your identity.¡±


    "Do you think I am one of the heroes that Pagma talked about?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t I say there was an exception? If you can prove that you are the hero Pagma talked about, I am willing to give you Dainsleif and Valha.¡±


    There were strong expectations in Khan¡¯s eyes.


    I couldn¡¯t know. The link with an ancient quest was approaching.


    16 chapters a week will start next week (basically tomorrow) because of too many mass releases this week. I want to give my poor editor a break from editing so many chapters.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    I responded lightly,


    "The heroes that Pagma mentioned... I¡¯m probably different from them.¡±


    Disappointment passed over Khan¡¯s face.


    This person had an urgent nature. Should I have some fun?


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m more simr to Pagma than to those heroes.¡±


    "You are like Pagma? What does that... Ah! No way... are you?!¡±


    Khan btedly realized that while the heroes that Pagma mentioned could use Dainsleif and Valha, would they be able to recognize their value? It would be impossible to understand their value unless the person was a cksmith on the same level as Albatino.


    However, I recognized their value. That meant-


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You see! I am Pagma¡¯s descendant.¡± I proudly revealed my identity. ¡°I¡¯m the one who can understand Dainsleif and Valha better than anyone else, and I can even use them freely! Give me a chance to obtain them.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Khan was extremely excited. It was natural for him to be excited. Just like his ancestor who faced Pagma 130 years ago, he now had the opportunity to be the one facing Pagma¡¯s descendant.


    "I understand. If you are Pagma¡¯s descendant, I will definitely hand over the heirlooms to you. But is there any way you can prove that you are Pagma¡¯s descendant?¡±


    [The quest ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ has been created.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant]


    Difficulty: ss quest.


    You have certainly been given Pagma¡¯s cksmith skills, but do you know exactly who Pagma is? Can you proudly and confidently carry out his will? Who is Pagma? If he were simply a cksmith with good skills, his legend wouldn¡¯t be scattered across the continent.


    First, start with the clue of the swordsmanship that pierced the sky and follow Pagma¡¯s legend. If you can collect all of the legends, you will truly understand Pagma and be the sessor to his will.


    At that moment, a new legend will be born.


    * There is no time limit for this ss quest.


    * If you ept the ss quest of a legendary ss, you can¡¯t change your ss again.


    * The legendary ss quest has the power to transform Satisfy¡¯s world, ording to the result.


    ss Quest Clear Conditions: Complete all linked quests sessfully.


    ss Quest Clear Reward: Unknown.


    * First ss Quest: [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    It was said that the force of Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship pierced the sky. This may be a clue to Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship, which wasn¡¯t described in Pagma¡¯s rare book.


    * First ss Quest Clear Condition: Learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    First ss Quest Clear Reward: Dainsleif (Reproduction).


    [Quest is in progress.]


    I should¡¯ve guessed due to being able to wear all equipment, but Pagma wasn¡¯t just a cksmith.


    ¡¯Then what? Is Pagma¡¯s Descendant a ss that isn¡¯t limited to just a cksmith?¡¯


    What will I look like afterpleting all quests? A cksmith and a warrior? Or, maybe more? I couldn¡¯t anticipate it yet. Perhaps, a new legend would be born.


    ¡°Good! I will look for Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship right now.¡±


    I was about to leave the smithy with strong footsteps when I suddenly stopped.


    ¡®Where should I go? In addition, I am currently only level 21. Should I really leave on an adventure without making a n?¡¯


    The ultimate goal of the ss quest was to collect all of Pagma¡¯s legends scattered throughout the continent. In other words, didn¡¯t I need a level capable of venturing across the continent? It was impossible.


    ¡®This is a quest where I will need to take my time and proceed slowly. I want to finish the quest right now but... it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    My excitement became dull. Khan saw my disappointment and handed me a drink.


    ¡°It iste at night, so why don¡¯t you have a drink? There are many things I want to talk to you about. I want to talk about Pagma, the cksmith techniques and the future of this smithy.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me... shouldn¡¯t you stop drinking?¡±


    ¡°...Cough cough.¡±


    I took the bottle from Khan¡¯s hand. Then I found all the other alcohol bottles hidden around the smithy. ¡°I will confiscate all of them.¡±


    A ss quest that I wouldn¡¯t know the reward until it waspleted! Someday I would finally clear it, but I couldn¡¯t be rewarded if the client was dead. I had an obligation to make sure that Khan stopped drinking.


    ¡°Today I am happy, so just one bottle...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± I said firmly and ced all the bottles in my inventory.


    ¡®Okay. If I sell all of this liquor, I can get two gold.¡¯


    As I was pleased with the thought of earning money, the door of the smithy opened. A slim man entered. He looked at me while adjusting his sses, then turned and greeted Khan politely.


    ¡°Are you Khan? It is nice to meet you. I am Rabbit, an employee of the Mero Company.¡±


    Mero Company?


    ¡®The one who hired those gangsters? Doesn¡¯t he look too gentle?¡¯


    I watched silently. The nervous Khan warily watched the person called Rabbit. Rabbit opened his mouth with a mild expression.


    ¡°You owe 600 gold to the Mero Company. But ording to what I heard, you don¡¯t have the ability to pay off your debt.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to hand you the smithy?¡±


    Rabbit smiled. ¡°I want to give you an opportunity because I have a high opinion of your ability.¡±


    ¡°Oppor...tunity?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Khan¡¯s cksmithing skills are excellent, so I want to buy those skills. How about it? The Mero Company will take ownership of this smithy, but we will transfer the operating rights to you. I promise a high sry.¡±


    The Mero Company waspromising. They would own the smithy, but they would let Khan run it.


    "In other words, the Mero Company will be the dog above me?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you speak such rough words.¡±


    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s expression showed that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You refuse? Why? Aren¡¯t these conditions goodpared to before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of losing a job! I don¡¯t want to hand over this smithy, which has been in my family for generations.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Indeed.¡±


    The sses-wearing Rabbit talked to himself while touching his chin.


    ¡°Then should I use armed force? No, it is a shame to use such a savage method. Can I sue the cksmith for not paying his debt? No, there are several steps and it will take too long. Khan is stubborn, so what is the best way to persuade him?¡±


    Mutter mutter.


    He was an unusual person who revealed his surface thoughts by speaking them aloud. He soon came up with an idea.


    ¡°Khan, I would like to see if you qualify to keep this smithy. How about it? Compete with the cksmith the Mero Company will hire. If you make something better than our cksmith and win, I will admit that you are qualified to be the owner of the smithy. I will also reimburse your debt. But if you lose the game, you must admit that you aren¡¯t qualified and hand the smithy over to us. How about it?¡±


    The conditions seemed good at first nce, but I thought that Khan should reject it. It was obvious that the opponent would be someone more skilled than Khan. In order for Khan to ovee this crisis, he had to inform the lord that he was unfairly tricked by the Mero Company and seek legal help. But Khan enthusiastically epted Rabbit¡¯s proposal.


    ¡°I understand!¡±


    "Ohh, good choice.¡±


    Khan attached some conditions, ¡°However, I can¡¯t exert my old skills due to drinking and not working for a while. Is it possible for my sessor to participate in the game instead of me?¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s expression stiffened. "I heard that you didn¡¯t have a sessor?¡±


    ¡°You are misinformed. Over there. He is my sessor.¡±


    ¡°Hoh... I see? He looks too ipetent to be your sessor. You want him to participate in the game? Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I am someone who will joke around?¡±


    "Well, it is fine with me. Rather, I am grateful.¡±


    What was going on? Why was Khan pointing at me?


    [The quest ¡®Item Production Game with the Mero Company!¡¯ has been created.]


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    Khan must be crazy! He didn¡¯t ask my permission and just arbitrarily gave me a quest. Wasn¡¯t this too presumptuous?


    ¡°No, hey, Khan... huh?¡±


    As I was about to express my resentment towards Khan, the quest window popped up.


    [Item Production Game with the Mero Company!]


    Difficulty: A


    The Mero Company has asked Khan topete in a cksmith game. But Khan is in the worst condition. Khan decided that it was too hard for him to participate in the tournament, passing it on to you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Win in the game against the Mero Company.


    Quest Clear Reward: +500 reputation in Winston. The affinity with the Winston residents will rise. 600 gold prize.


    Quest Failure: Reputation in Winston will fall to a minimum.


    Khan¡¯s smithy will belong to the Mero Company.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?)


    I canceled my curses towards Khan. Look at the quest sess rewards! 600 gold! A huge 600 gold! How much was 600 gold in cash? 100 gold was 120,000 won...


    "720,000 won!¡±


    720,000 won was a huge amount that could only be earned by doingbor tasks all day without resting, for eight days. What was the failure penaltypared to the tremendous sess rewards? There was still some damage, but Khan would be the one receiving most of it. I never thought there would be a day when this honey-like quest woulde to me.


    ¡°Why would I refuse? I ept the quest!¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    Rabbit asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Hoh? Is your sessor not avoiding it? He is surprisingly confident.¡±


    ¡°What is so surprising? Look at my brave face. I clearly look confident right?¡±


    ¡°Huhut, that can either be good or poisonous... Okay. I will pass on the ce and date that the game will take ce in the near future. Then farewell until that day.¡±


    Then Rabbit left. Khan knelt in front of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Doing this without consulting you... But it couldn¡¯t be helped. I want to keep this smithy!¡±


    I pulled Khan up. Then I embraced him tightly. ¡°Why are you sorry? Don¡¯t be bothered. Is there a need to be sorry considering our rtionship? I will help you. So don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Ahh... thank you... Thank you very much. I wonder if there is another angel like you? Sob sob!¡±


    Khan¡¯s tears soaked my clothes. I would like to ask forundry money, but I didn¡¯t need to go that far. It was thanks to Khan that I had the opportunity to earn 720,000 won.


    "Kukukuk... kuhahahaha!¡±


    Winston! Blessednd! You are so lovely!


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    The item production game with the Mero Company! This quest was at A rank difficulty. In other words, it was ssified as a high difficulty quest. Common sense stated that it was impossible for a level 21 user to clear an A-grade quest.


    Was I going to fail this quest? Why did I ept such a hard quest? It was natural: I epted the quest because I thought I could clear it.


    If this quest were rted tobat or adventuring, I wouldn¡¯t have much confidence. No, I would¡¯ve turned down the quest in the first ce. I wouldn¡¯t be able to clear it at my current level, even if I was a legendary ss.


    But the item production game with the Mero Company required crafting an item to win. A quest that would seed if I made an item better than the cksmith hired by the Mero Company.


    ¡°I am the legendary cksmith who has produced an epic arrow! I can win, even if the Mero Company hires an advanced level cksmith. Kukuk, this is the quest for me... no, it¡¯s an event!¡±


    As moonlight seeped in through the window, I smiled and spoke a splendid monologue, like a character from a manhwa. Khan returned from picking up the item making tools in the warehouse and trembled at the sight of me.


    "Did you eat something bad at dinner...? You look sick, are you okay? Do you need medicine? No, I will bring you to the doctor right now!¡±


    "...Where do I look sick?¡±


    Khan didn¡¯t seem to have a sense of aesthetics.


    ¡¯Tsk tsk, a cksmith is a type of artist.¡¯


    The works made by Khan were obviously inferior in appearance and performance. As I felt certain of this, Khan brought out a beautiful sword and helmet.


    "These are the pieces I made. What do you think? Isn¡¯t it okay? I was famous for making really beautiful pieces during my prime. My aesthetic sense has always been admired by artists. Haha.¡±


    ...This old man, was he reading my thoughts? As I gazed at the sword and helmet, Khanid out various production tools.


    "As you can see, the tools are properly stocked. There are various metals, ores, and logs of wood piled up in the warehouses. There are a lot of materials, but I haven¡¯t done any business in the past months... But the result is good. You can use these materials during your training.¡±


    Khan smiled bitterly, so I couldn¡¯t help asking him a question,


    "The Mero Company tried to put you into debt and hired gangsters to interfere in your sales. They also threatened and assaulted you. Why didn¡¯t you ask for help from the lord or guards? Why stay quiet?¡±


    Khan sighed.


    ¡°I have filed aint with the guard captain several times and appealed to the lord. I wanted the guards to protect me and for the lord to stop this injustice, but they didn¡¯t even look at me. My requests were ignored.¡±


    "...I guess it was the work of the Mero Company.¡±


    ¡°Right. The Mero Company is one of thergest and richestpanies in the north. The lord and guards have already received bribes from the Mero Company. It isn¡¯t just me. Many other Winston residents were hurt by the Mero Company and thrown onto the streets, but the lord didn¡¯t lift a single finger to help them.¡±


    In the end, money was the best. Once again, I realized the greatness of money and vowed that I would be rich.


    ¡°Eh? By the way, doesn¡¯t Winston belong to Earl Steim?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    "Why don¡¯t you and the residents go to Earl Steim and use Winston¡¯s lord? Then Earl Steim will punish... no, you don¡¯t think that the hands of the Mero Company have reached Earl Steim?¡±


    Khan shook his head.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem like it. We¡¯ve tried many times to meet Earl Steim; however, the lord noticed and prevented us from leaving Winston every time. Even if we raise an appeal, it won¡¯t be passed onto Earl Steim... The lord wouldn¡¯t go so far to stop us if the earl is on his side.¡±


    "There isn¡¯t anyone monitoring this ce?¡±


    "The inspectors have been bought by the lord a long time ago.¡±


    Yes, in the end, money was the best. I epted it and stood up. Then I lit the furnace andforted Khan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now you have me. I will give the people of the Mero Company a t nose. Do you trust me? Can you trust me and leave this part to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I trust you. Pagma¡¯s Descendant can win no matter what cksmith is your opponent... Grid, you really are dependable. If my son was alive, he would be a simr age to you... that child would¡¯ve been a good young man like you... sob...¡±


    Khan was an old man with a lot of tears. But that didn¡¯t seem to be the main issue. It meant he was a man with a lot of scars.


    ¡®Poor man.¡¯


    ...Eh? What? Why was I feeling such sentiment? Strangely, my mind weakened when I saw Khan. Was Pagma¡¯s ideology imnted in me without knowing after I became his descendant?


    ¡®Khan has a great affinity with me, but I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m feeling like this.¡¯


    I saw Khan slyly looking for a drink and sat down next to him.


    "Old Man, watch my work all night. Then you will soon forget about your drinking. You will be filled with the desire to be a cksmith again.¡±


    "I-Is that so?¡±


    Ack! What was this? Why did I smile gently when I looked at the old man?


    ...Ah. As I started into the fire of the furnace, I remembered an old memory I had forgotten. When I was in elementary school, I was able to feel great happiness when I visited my grandfather¡¯s house during the holidays. I always felt better due to the warm love I received from my grandfather and grandmother.


    I see. Khan¡¯s atmosphere and way of talking resembled my grandfather.


    "Have a cup of tea. It is tea made of boiled Lunol leaves, and the fragrance is very good.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t bad. I would rather receive money but...¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you say? The noise is so loud that I can¡¯t hear you!"


    "You can¡¯t hear me?¡±


    "I can¡¯t hear what you are saying!¡±


    ¡°...Indeed, you are skilled.¡±


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    The moment of sharing tea and hammering iron with a person I liked. My heart grew heavy. This was the first time I felt a precious moment in Satisfy.


    "But you... howe your hammering form is like that? Was I mistaken because my expectations were too great? No? It¡¯s not like that? It should look like this. No, you have to narrow your elbows a bit more... You... are you really the descendant of Pagma? T-Tell me honestly. Y-You¡¯re not a scam artist, are you? Are you someone from the Mero Company?! I was crazy to ept Rabbit¡¯s offer!¡±


    ...This old man.


    ¡°Be quiet! Can you see my skills so quickly? Ah, just leave me alone a little bit! Why are you taking the hammer?¡±


    ¡°I judged your skills too quickly? This is too strange. Pagma¡¯s descendant should¡¯ve mastered this. A-A fraud! A crook.¡±


    Ah, you... annoying.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The night deepened. But I didn¡¯t rest. I was in my peak condition. I should use this to improve my technical skills. I improved my skills throughout the night, and Khan no longer called me a scammer.


    Then the next day, the training began in earnest. Khan saw my work and forgot about drinking, revealing his 60 years experience as a cksmith. He helped me using the skills and knowledge that he umted.


    ¡°The thing to consider when making armor isn¡¯t durability. The first thing is to design armor that will allow the wearer to move freely."


    I examined armor and made it.


    "Uhuh! The strength and weaknesses aren¡¯t aligned properly! Why is only this part calibrated? You need to focus! You aren¡¯t a three-year-old child, so why are you bing so distracted?¡±


    I was scolded.


    ¡°Amazing, amazing. Why is it so different as soon as you start concentrating? Your talent is endless.¡±


    Then I was praised after the scolding.


    ¡°There are some stupid seeds who stop when they think it is good enough. Their logic is that they are pushed for time, so they might as well take forging out of the question. But they are mistaken. Forging is not a minor task. If forging is omitted, the meaning of quenching and tempering will fade. If you¡¯recking in time, then you should omit quenching instead of forging.¡±


    There were deep teachings.


    "I agree with you. In the first ce, does it make sense to skip processes just because ofcking time? Then an imperfect item will be made. No matter how much time it takes, I will try to make perfect things.


    ¡°Ohh! A respectable craftsman. As expected of Pagma¡¯s descendant, having such noble ideas at a young age.¡±


    "It isn¡¯t a big deal. I just want to make perfect stuff to sell at a more expensive...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Modesty is also a great virtue in a young man. You are respectable! Grid! It is the luck of a lifetime that I met you!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He misunderstood myments. Either way, it was a happy time.


    ***


    ¡°Um....¡±


    I woke up before the rm clock rang. I looked through the curtain and saw that outside was still dark. I checked the time.


    ¡°It is only 4 a.m.¡±


    It was too early. I could afford to close my eyes for at least 30 more minutes. My usual self would grumble about waking up early before going back to bed. But today was different.


    "It is a refreshing morning.¡±


    I felt good. The day before, I spent two nights of Satisfy time and polished my cksmithing skills. I created three pieces of armor and two swords, with two of the items having a rare rating.


    Thanks to that, all my stats rose by +4, the experience of my Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill was close to 20% and the experience of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill rose by nearly 8%.


    My concentration and sophistication improved, greatly increasing the speed of production. Khan really helped a lot. He was different from Smith in Bairan Vige.


    ¡°Khan still hasn¡¯t returned to his peak condition, but the difference between a low-level cksmith and advanced level cksmith is like the difference between the sky and the earth.¡±


    I wanted to see Khan. I would be taught by him while making items. Growth was another attraction of leveling up.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    I wanted to see him as soon as I woke up in the morning?


    "Am I overdoing it?¡± Sniff. ¡°Let¡¯s go shower.¡±


    I headed straight to the bathroom. After a refreshing wash in hot water, I exited to see my mother preparing breakfast.


    "Good morning.¡±


    "Youngwoo, you rested yesterday. Has your fatigue improved? Why are you awake so early?¡±


    ¡°This is the power of beef rib soup! It is the effect of eating something good. My physical condition ~ great. So I should eat some grilled eel...¡±


    ¡°Why does a person with no girlfriend need to eat eel?"


    The words were spoken by my father, who was reading his newspaper in the room. I puffed up.


    ¡°Are you ignoring me because I don¡¯t have a girlfriend? There are many ces where it will have an effect... no, who says I don¡¯t have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°What? Hohohohohoho~!¡±


    My mother grabbed her belly and started tough. Sheughed so much that tears appeared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 16 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I felt like I was being ignored as I saw my mother¡¯s reaction. I felt bad and questioned my mother,


    "Mother, why are youughing? Why are youughing when I said that I could have a girlfriend?¡±


    My mother couldn¡¯t stopughing,


    ¡°Hohohoho~! It¡¯s funny when a kid who¡¯s lived for 26 years and never got a girlfriend speaks so proudly. You are my child, but you are really amazing! My be.lly hu.rt.s. Hohohohohoho~!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was obviously ignorance. Was there another son in the world who would be so ignorantly ignored by his mother? As I wobbled away in shock, my father backed my mother up instead of scolding her.


    "Son, please make sure to have a girlfriend by next year. Shouldn¡¯t you be prepared? No, think about other things first. Shouldn¡¯t you pay off your debt first? What type of woman would want to date you when you are like this? No matter how confident you are, it isn¡¯t easy. Do you think a meager man like you can instill confidence in your lover? Just give up on having a girlfriend for a while.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was also obviously ignorance. This was a morning where I felt better than ever! My heart, which was in the best condition, crumbled at my parents¡¯ words.


    "Both of you are too much! There is a reason why I haven¡¯t had a girlfriend yet! My debt isn¡¯t a problem. You two are the ones who made me like this!¡±


    I poured out the words that I had buried in my heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lover because of Mother and Father! If you two had made me like a movie star, I would be able to get a girlfriend. Dammit. The two of you made me ugly, so the girls don¡¯t care about me.¡±


    "Gosh, are you ming us for being born this way? Look at your sister. She came out from the same belly as you, but she is so beautiful. Did you know that you were also born beautiful like Sehee?¡±


    "People aren¡¯t all about appearance...it is also about personality. Tsk tsk, the more I look, the more pathetic you are.¡±


    ¡°Eek...¡±


    I was being humiliated like this in the morning! Serious doubts revolved around my head.


    ¡¯Was I adopted as a child?¡¯


    Maybe my parents aren¡¯t actually my parents.


    ¡®My parents said I was a beautiful baby, but are they really my parents...? Am I just a kid they picked up?¡¯


    The two people who raised me for 26 years weren¡¯t actually my parents! Then what about my real parents? Where were my parents?


    ...No, what was I doing now? It was almost time to go work. I couldn¡¯t afford to y around like this. I calmed down. Then I sat down at the table and turned to my father, changing the topic.


    ¡°Father, how is Grandfather these days? Is he healthy as always?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why are you suddenly asking about your grandfather?"


    ¡°There is an old NPC cksmith in the game, and he reminded me of Grandfather. So I suddenly remembered Grandfather.¡±


    ...Would he be angry again after hearing about the game? No, maybe he would beat me up...


    "You just suddenly thought about him.¡± My father said in a t voice. "Then you shoulde along with I go to visit your grandfather next month. Do you know how sorry you should be for not visiting your grandfather for one year?¡±


    My family had been visiting my grandparents¡¯ house every holiday since seven years ago. Seven years ago, my grandmother died and it was an attempt to soothe my grandfather¡¯s loneliness. Mother and Father tried to persuade my grandfather to stay with us, but he firmly rejected. Perhaps he thought he would be a burden.


    I had been loved by my grandfather since I was young, so I visited him every year untilst year. I never once visited after starting Satisfy. I wanted to y the game instead of taking time off to travel to my grandfather¡¯s house.


    ¡®I was an unfilial bastard.¡¯


    Was my grandfather currently lonely, just like Khan? I was worried because I was able to get a glimpse through Khan about how lonely old men could act. In the future, I should try and visit my grandfather as frequently as possible.


    "I ate well.¡±


    After a while, I finished breakfast and immediately headed towards my workce. The people who already arrived filled the office with tobo smoke. The cigarette smoke was causing me to get a headache.


    ¡®Why do they like smoking, when cigarettes are a waste of effort and money. If I had the money spent on buying cigarettes...¡¯


    Let¡¯s endure it a little longer. Once the item manufacturing was in full swing, I would no longer have to go back here. I could make arge amount of money by making and selling items. From then on, Satisfy will be my job. I could lie in my capsule all day and not have to listen to my parents¡¯ nagging. But for that to happen, I needed to win against the Mero Company.


    ¡®I can use Khan¡¯s smithy as a base. I must win the game and protect Khan¡¯s smithy.¡¯


    ***


    The Mero Company¡¯s Winston branch.


    Valmont wasn¡¯t feeling good. It was because he felt disappointed with his most trusted subordinate, Rabbit.


    "Why did you do such an annoying thing?¡±


    A production game over the smithy? Valmont couldn¡¯t understand Rabbit¡¯s intentions.


    "If Khan can¡¯t pay me back, it is natural to use the smithy as coteral. And Khan doesn¡¯t have the ability to pay off the debt. In other words, the smithy is sure to enter my hand. It is only a matter of time, whether it is slow or fast. I wanted to speed that up, which is why I let you handle the matter. But have you forgotten your mission?¡±


    Bam!


    Valmont threw the apple he was chewing against the wall. The pieces of apple sttered against Rabbit¡¯s face. Rabbit quietly took out his handkerchief and wiped his dirty face.


    Valmont huffed as he saw Rabbit¡¯s dignified manner and shouted. "Why are you giving Khan hope by making a useless bet? Why? You opened up the opportunity that he might be able to keep the smithy. Have you been bribed by Khan?¡±


    Rabbit was a person he had trusted more than anyone before today. It was a simple example that revealed Valmont¡¯s character, who didn¡¯t trust people well.


    Rabbit exined calmly.


    "Right now, our main base is in Winston. But unfortunately, the Winston residents have recognized the Mero Company as their enemy. Considering the long-term perspective of the Mero Company¡¯s business development, it is best to be friendly with the Winston residents. They have to care about the Mero Company in order to help develop it. But the Mero Company has taken their property. It won¡¯t be easy to appease them.¡±


    "Thepany... took their property? Bah! Sophistry! The value of theirnd was shit. I paid for and bought them legally. They also weed it. Now they regret it as thend develops and the prices rise? Truly treacherous guys!¡±


    "They wouldn¡¯t be so rmed right now if you used some of the profits from thend to benefit them. Then they would¡¯ve appreciated it and contributed to the development of the Mero Company in the long term.¡±


    "In other words, I am the bad one? Bah! The residents of Winston are still criticizing all the work I have done.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Don¡¯t look at the backs of people. You will seed by following the money.¡¯ My master had that type of strategy. But my opinion is a little different. It is important to catch the hearts of the people. Then the money wille naturally. People grateful to the Mero Company will develop into loyal customers.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡± Valmont looked at Rabbit in a menacing manner. "Don¡¯t try to teach me! Do I look like a child to you? You just have to do what I tell you to. And what is with this bullshit? Get to the point! Why did you make such a lousy bet with Khan?"


    ¡®This is the limit of Valmont. It will be difficult to grow the Mero Company any further.¡¯


    The reason why the Mero Company could grow this big was because Valmont, when he was still young, had listened to Rabbit¡¯s advice and operated the business. But now Valmont was filled with arrogance and egotism, and he didn¡¯t listen to Rabbit¡¯s advice anymore.


    ¡®Once this business finishes, I need to leave.¡¯


    Rabbit made his decision and decided to exin his intentions to Valmont.


    "Khan¡¯s position in Winston is very high. There are many people who consider him the hero who resists the Mero Company. In these circumstances, if the Mero Company takes Khan¡¯s smithy in a nasty manner, the anger of the residents will go out of control and will likely lead to a rebellion. The residents will work as a group to hinder the Mero Company, ultimately dealing harm to it.¡±


    Valmont started to listen.


    Rabbit continued the exnation.


    "I am confident that I can reform thepany¡¯s image through this game. ¡®Why did they give a chance to Khan, when they can just take his smithy?¡¯ The residents will start feeling this suspicion. Then I will advertise that ¡®we recognized Khan¡¯s skill and want to give him a chance.¡¯ This suggests that the Mero Company can be a friend rather than an enemy. Then the poption¡¯s perception of thepany will change drastically. They will think that the Mero Company doesn¡¯t only move for money, that is also cares for people.¡±


    ¡°...So we will gain loyal customers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Valmont still wasn¡¯t convinced. But he didn¡¯t feel the need to stop something that had already been started. In the end, Valmont decided to support Rabbit.


    "If you hire an excellent cksmith then we can win right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    "In addition, the opponent isn¡¯t Khan?¡±


    "ording to my research, he is a young man whose reputation is so poor that it is doubtful he is even a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Hire the best cksmith. Don¡¯t worry about the money.¡±


    Valmont was insufficient in many ways, but a positive was that he was quick to make decisions. If he had no positive aspects, how could he be the master of a giantpany in the first ce?


    Rabbit smiled with satisfaction. "I have already found a person.¡±


    No matter how bad Khan¡¯s condition was, he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to entrust it to an unskilled person. So Rabbit wanted to watch out for the young man called Grid. But when Rabbit met Grid, he saw that Grid had no experience. It was a person he couldn¡¯t feel alert against.


    Rabbit was convinced that if he chose a suitable cksmith, they wouldn¡¯t lose the game.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be careless.¡¯


    But Rabbit had a cautious nature. He tried to get the best results every time. So he would be vignt this time. He was going to hire the best cksmith.


    I will be increasing the release rate to 20 chapters a week, simply because I am tranting way more than I am releasing.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    "Khan, I heard the rumour. But...you aren¡¯t drinking?¡±


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    It happened when I was working hard raising my cksmith skills in the smithy. Khan¡¯s friend arrived and started talking.


    "Not drinking? What are you saying?¡±


    "No, if you¡¯re sober, then why are you hanging out with this unimpressive newbie every day? Tsk tsk. At first nce, he looks like someone who is ignorant of the world.¡±


    I was referred to as an ¡®unimpressive newbie¡¯ by this damn bastard. This damn bastard had been talking ever since he entered the smithy.


    "Old Man, if you stopped drinking because of this person...¡±


    I ced strength in the hand holding my hammer. A rapidly rising killing instinct! Khan noticed that the hammer in my hand was shaking and hurriedly told his friend.


    ¡°Hey, shut up. You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    "Mistaken?"


    "Yes, mistaken. That young man might have a garbage-like appearance, but you shouldn¡¯t judge a person from their outer appearance. That young man is actually a big person.¡±


    Garbage-like appearance? Did Khan always think like that about me? I felt betrayed.


    Kwang!Kwang!


    I seethed with anger and hammered the steel with more strength. Then I suddenly looked at myself. I had levelled up from the gangsters, but I was still only level 21. Since both my armor and weapon were left in the warehouse, I was just wearing beginner clothes.


    The criteria that an NPC used to judge users was their level, equipment and reputation. I didn¡¯t have any equipment, my level was low and my reputation was low, so I naturally looked like crap to the NPCs.


    ¡®What about the reputation I gained when I killed the gangsters?¡¯


    As I had some doubts, I listened to Khan and his friend¡¯s conversation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe it? Don¡¯t be deceived by his appearance and watch his techniques closely. That isn¡¯t the normal skill for a cksmith. Isn¡¯t it? And this is a secret, but this young man took care of Veil¡¯s gang alone.¡±


    "Uhuh! What nonsense are you talking? Yes, I admit that his cksmithing technique is great now that I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes. That young man seems moderately good, unlike his appearance. But taking care of Veil¡¯s gang alone? Aren¡¯t they the fiercest ouws in Winston? It¡¯s impossible! How could a cksmith take them out alone?¡±


    "I saw it directly. Have you seen any of Veil¡¯s gang on the street today? Aren¡¯t they missing? It was all done by this young man.¡±


    "Huhu... this friend should really drink less. If this is true, shouldn¡¯t his reputation have already spread?¡±


    Khan clicked his tongue. "Think about it. If rumors spread that this young man defeated Veil, the Mero Company wouldn¡¯t leave him alone. So why bother spreading it? There are no rumors because I was the only witness. Therefore, his reputation is still unknown.¡±


    "Well, you were the one who witnessed it. Is that young man so great? Huhut, now that I¡¯m looking closely, doesn¡¯t he seem rather dignified?¡±


    I see. There were no rumors that I defeated Veil¡¯s group, so the effect of my reputation hadn¡¯t spread yet.


    ¡°Khan! Are you here?¡±


    At that moment, a group of people entered the smithy. They were holding flyers in their hands. A middle aged person showed Khan the flyer and asked, ¡°Is this true?¡±


    Khan verified the contents of the flyer and nodded. "That¡¯s right.¡±


    The people were agitated. What was this about? I was intrigued, so I moved closer and examined the details of the flyer.


    ¡®Ohu.¡¯


    (The Mero Company willpete with cksmith Khan in an item production game. The reason that we chose to do this is because we respect Khan as a human and admire his cksmith skills. If the Mero Company loses to Khan in this game, ourpany will help Khan keep his smithy by paying off his debt. On the other hand, the smithy will get transferred to us if we win, but we will leave the operating rights to Khan. A coexistence with the residents of Winston is our ultimate goal. The date of the game will be announced in the near future, so please pay attention to it.)


    These words were printed on the flyers that the people were carrying. I could feel that the day of thepetition was steadily approaching.


    ¡®Heh. I¡¯m not even the slightest bit nervous. No matter how skilled the cksmith hired by the Mero Company is, I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant!¡¯


    As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, I had the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.¡¯ Even if the Mero Company hired a cksmith, it was highly probably that I would produce a higher rated item.


    Was the cksmith skill somon? Even the most renowned NPC cksmith was likely to just be at the advanced level. The opponent I would face was likely to be an advanced level cksmith. As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, I could easily defeat an advanced level cksmith.


    The people were agitated.


    ¡°It is easy for the Mero Company to take Khan¡¯s smithy. But they didn¡¯t just forcibly take the smithy, and instead asked for a fair game. They are giving Khan a job. ording to their im, they genuinely respect Khan."


    "That¡¯s right. Even if they win the game, they will allow Khan to operate the smithy? Then is the rumor that the Mero Company ns to create jobs for the residents true?¡±


    "This seems to be the case. Maybe the Mero Company isn¡¯t as bad as we thought. They really are trying to coexist with us.¡±


    It sounded really usible when listening to the people talking.


    ¡®The Mero Company... They hired gangsters to threaten Khan, so I thought they were bad guys. But they are actually decent. Then why were the gangsters so arrogant? Was there an error in themand system?¡¯


    My vague hostility towards the Mero Company disappeared.


    ¡®The Mero Company gave me a quest that will allow me to receive 600 gold. There is no need to think badly of them. Yes.¡¯


    Most of the people present, as well as myself, developed a slight liking towards the Mero Company. However, Khan was different.


    "That¡¯s it. This is why the Mero Company asked for the game! That Rabbit, he isn¡¯t an ordinary man!¡±


    The indignant Khan grabbed the flyer. Chwaak! He ripped it. Then he reproached the people.


    "You forgot about all your humiliation and suffering just from seeing this piece of paper! The Mero Company is a viin who knew about Winston¡¯s development beforehand and used the information to monopolize ournd. You were deprived of everything, bing poor and hungry. What has the Mero Company done for us since then?¡±


    Many people sympathized with Khan.


    "That¡¯s right. The Mero Company is the enemy! Are we going tomit another mistake by being deceived by their tricks? Don¡¯t be nice to them! We will be stabbed in the back then fall to hell.¡±


    The affinity between the Winston residents and the Mero Company was bad. Their grudge against thepany was quite deep.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± In the midst of the rage, someone held up his hand. Everyone¡¯s eyes concentrated on the man.


    ¡®A user.¡¯


    NPCs had a green name above their heads. But the name of this man was white. It meant he was a normal user who hadn¡¯t done any bad deeds.


    Khan asked him. "Young man, you aren¡¯t a resident of this vige.¡±


    ¡°My name is Huroi. I am an ordinary visitor who came to Winston for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I see. Huroi, what question do you have?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You might feel ufortable but...can you let me speak?¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    The NPCs were acting favourable towards a person they met for the first time? Unlike me, Huroi seemed to be a high level traveller, or a traveller with a high reputation on the continent.


    "ording to the rumors I heard when I came here to Winston...the Mero Company, who knew about Winston¡¯s development n, approached you and boughtnd andmercial areas from those who didn¡¯t know about the development n. Right after that, Winston made great strides in its development and the Mero Company received great benefits. Is this correct?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    "Were you forced to sell thend to the Mero Company?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    "Then are the Mero Company¡¯s actions towards you truly unscrupulous? Weren¡¯t you blinded by money when you sold yournd and stores to the Mero Company? Weren¡¯t you trying to move your homes with the money you earned? But you didn¡¯t want to leave after btedly realized that Winston was going to be developed and the situation turned out like this. Ultimately, the ones you should me aren¡¯t the Mero Company. It is your own ignorance and self-interest.¡±


    "What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°You are clearly the Mero Company¡¯s crony!¡±


    The atmosphere abruptly changed, but Huroi didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°Apany is formed to build wealth! The act of taking advantage of information to form a monopoly is natural for them. Many of you hate them, but there is no need to be enemies. Did they actually do anything wrong?¡±


    "This bastard is talking until the end!¡±


    ¡°Should we shut his mouth?¡±


    The residents didn¡¯t like the Mero Company being defended. There were some people so enraged that they wanted to beat Huroi up. But Huroi wasn¡¯t afraid.


    "I¡¯m not hired by the Mero Company! The reason I¡¯m saying these words is for you. Everyone! Don¡¯t try to fight with the Mero Company, but coexist with them. That is the much wiser choice.¡±


    The angry people listening to Huroi¡¯s words calmed down. It was evidence that Huroi was persuading them.


    Then Khan spoke. "This young man is meddling in other people¡¯s business. What is your intention behind giving such advice?¡±


    Khan didn¡¯t hide his suspicions. He was convinced that Huroi was sent by the Mero Company.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious? He must have apelling reason to speak up like this.¡¯


    I was certain that Huroi had received a quest from the Mero Company. If people were persuaded, his quest would be sessful. ¡®Most people have already been persuaded. I absolutely can¡¯t allow this to happen. I should interfere!¡¯


    It was irrelevant to me if the Mero Company was an enemy or not. So why was I bothered? The reason...


    ¡®The misfortune of others is my happiness! I don¡¯t want to see him clear his quest in front of me. I will make him fail!¡¯


    Yes, it was a simple reason. I wanted to make Huroi fail the quest.


    I will be increasing the release rate to 20 chapters a week, simply because I am tranting way more than I am releasing.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32


    "Hey, you...¡±


    The moment I was about toe out to disrupt Huroi, Khan restrained me.


    "Leave it to me."


    Khan sent me a thankful look before approaching Huroi. Then he nodded.


    "Your words are right. It would be good for our future to coexist with argepany.¡±


    What was he saying?


    Buzz buzz.


    The people were disturbed once Khan, who was more resentful of the Mero Company than anyone else, supported Huroi¡¯s im. Naturally, all eyes and ears focused on Khan. Then Khan spoke, "If Winston didn¡¯t belong to Earl Steim, we would¡¯ve chosen to coexist with the Mero Company as you advised.¡±


    The words were meaningful. Huroi was puzzled.


    "If it didn¡¯t belong to Earl Steim...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The important thing is that this vige belongs to Earl Steim. I don¡¯t know where youe from, but there is a local statute called the ¡®Rights of the People.¡¯ It is aw that Earl Steim himself imposed because he treasures the people. This is one of the provisions of this statute. ¡®The residents of Earl Steim¡¯s territory have the right to be informed more quickly than anyone else about their area of residence.¡¯"


    Khan exined the meaning of this provision.


    "How you heard about how it is the pioneering age of the north? The north has a bad climate and many monsters. At this moment, numerous pioneers are struggling. What happens when a newnd is pioneered?¡±


    "... By default, it will have arge impact on the nearby cities and viges.¡±


    Khan nodded with satisfaction at Huroi¡¯s words.


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. Then what is responsible for Winston¡¯s current development? The roads were improved and transportation supplemented. Why were the roads improved and the transportation supplemented? It is because a newnd was pioneered not far from here. Winston will be the bridge between this newnd and the capital. Do you understand? The north is changing every moment. The people of the north might be damaged by the sudden changes.¡±


    Khan cut to the chase.


    "This is the reason for the stiption that Earl Steim¡¯s residents have the right to be informed about their area of residence sooner than anyone else. It is so that people can be prepared for the sudden changes. We can minimize the damage or maximize the profits.¡±


    Huroi figured out the point of this exnation. "Winston¡¯s residents were supposed to benefit from the development, not the Mero Company. You suffered a loss and this is contrary to Earl Steim¡¯s will. You have the duty to fight against the Mero Company¡¯s tyranny, as well as the Winston lord who gave them the information instead of the Winston residents... Is my interpretation correct?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. We must notpromise with the Mero Company. It isn¡¯t for our benefit alone. As his people, we also don¡¯t want to betray Earl Steim¡¯s will. We must use Winston¡¯s lord and the Mero Company, who are going against Earl Steim¡¯s will.¡±


    Indeed, a perfect justification. The people cried out with excitement at Khan¡¯s words. They cheered. Everyone was united in their determination to confront the Mero Company.


    Huroi eximed in a loud voice.


    "The evil deeds of Winston¡¯s lord and the Mero Company must be reported to Earl Steim! But you are under the lord¡¯s supervision and can¡¯t raise an appeal with Earl Steim. Leave it to me! I will do my duty and inform Earl Steim of the happenings in Winston! For Winston! For you! For the honor of Earl Steim, I will use Winston¡¯s lord!¡±


    "Thank you. I will believe in you and wait.¡±


    Eh? It was clear. Huroi had just received a quest from Khan. But wasn¡¯t it strange? Usually, a NPC gave a user a quest. The user would passively receive the quest. However, this didn¡¯t give the impressive of a passive quest. Rather, it felt like Huroi induced Khan to give him the quest.


    ¡®No way.¡¯


    I hurried after Huroi, who had left the smithy. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Huroi looked at me with an extremely cynical expression. It was inconsistent with his enthusiastic appearance in the smithy, so I thought I had the wrong person for a moment.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you a folding screen in the corner? What do you want with me? I am busy.¡±


    Folding screen in the corner?


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. I look like aplete beginner right now.¡¯


    Unless the person had a very good nature, it wasmon for ordinary users to be reluctant to deal with beginners. Beginners didn¡¯t know anything so they were always asking questions, sometimes even begging.


    I immediately cut to the chase so that Huroi wouldn¡¯t ignore me and leave.


    "Didn¡¯t youe to this ce because you received a quest from the Mero Company? Your original n was to convince the Winston residents to work with the Mero Company. But what is this development?¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡± Huroi showed an interested response. ¡°You inferred that I have a quest from my actions? You, are you not a beginner? Well, I just aimed for therger benefit. Share the quest information.¡±


    [The yer ¡®Huroi¡¯ wants to share the quest information. Would you like to ept?]


    I epted and Huroi¡¯s quest information appeared.


    [For the Residents of Winston]


    Difficulty: A


    Winston¡¯s residents have been greatly damaged by the selfish lord and the Mero Company.


    Originally, you weremissioned by the Mero Company. However, you couldn¡¯t turn away from the poor residents, so you betrayed the Mero Company.


    Now you must avoid the pursuit of the Mero Company and head for ¡®Frontier,¡¯ the capital of Earl Steim¡¯s territory. Be sure to arrive at Frontier and tell Earl Steim of everything that is happening in Winston!


    Quest Clear Conditions: An audience with Earl Steim.


    Quest Reward: The title ¡®Apostle of Justice.¡¯ The affinity with the Winston residents will rise to the peak. Reputation in Winston will rise to the peak. Earl Steim¡¯s gift.


    *Apostle of Justice: The ¡®Courage¡¯ stat will be opened. All stats +10. The skill ¡®Unbreakable Justice¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Level -1. Affinity with the Winston residents will decline. You can¡¯t enter Winston until the Winston lord is changed.


    ¡°W-What is this enormouspensation?¡±


    Having the greatest reputation and affinity in a vige meant that the user could buy goods cheaply and receive hidden quests. In addition, a gift from a senior nobleman would be at least an epic rated item.


    Furthermore, the new stat and skill that were generated from the title were so rare that their value couldn¡¯t be converted into money. It was definitely a hidden quest. It was even better than the hidden quest I received!


    ¡¯M-My stomach hurts...¡¯


    My jealousy caused dizziness, and it felt like my insides were burning. I was frustrated, while Huroi smiled at mecently.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? This is a hidden quest. I¡¯m happy, since this is the first time I¡¯ve seen one.¡±


    H-How annoying. But I didn¡¯t show it because of my pride.


    ¡°Hmph? This is amazing? Hidden quests are no big deal! Shit! It isn¡¯t amazing. I don¡¯t feel envious of any of those rewards. I¡¯m not envious!¡±


    ¡°...Ah, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not envious! So stop boasting about it and tell me what you did. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you induced the NPC to give you the quest. Right?¡±


    Huroi shrugged.


    ¡°You noticed quickly. Well, a lot of people know about it, so the information will spread soon. There is no value in keeping it secret and I received a hidden quest, so I will tell you.¡±


    Then I was told something shocking.


    "The degree of freedom in Satisfy is infinite. I received the quest by taking advantage of that freedom. I don¡¯t wait until NPCs give me quests. I try to speak words that will make the NPC give me the quest. Here is a simple example. If I say ¡®I am quick and diligent when ites to deliveries¡¯ in front of a restaurant owner, it is highly likely that the restaurant owner will give me a delivery rted quest.¡±


    ¡°A-Amazing... I didn¡¯t know that until now... Has anyone else received a quest like this? If so, those who don¡¯t know how to y the game have received damages?"


    ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. Unless you are an early yer who has been ying Satisfy for a year, most users wouldn¡¯t have enough understanding of quests to apply this concept. Except for the early users, most people will be passive towards quests like you. You haven¡¯t receive anyrge damages. Only a small number of early users have benefited from it. Well, this information has already started to appear on various sites, so soon everyone will know about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Hey, why are you pale all of a sudden? Why are you sweating?¡±


    ¡°...I am one.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "I... I have been ying Satisfy for one year since it opened...¡±


    ¡°What? Pff! Puhahaha!¡± Huroi grabbed his belly. Heughed until tears fell, then raised his thumb as he barely managed to stop. ¡°That is one of the funniest jokes I have ever heard. Isn¡¯t this a good gag? Ah, are you perhaps aedian in real life? Do you want to be friends? Friends?¡±


    ¡°...Get lost."


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. I really was an early user who had been ying Satisfy for one year. I even took a leave of absence from school to y Satisfy. But I had no idea about such a tip. Did I ever obtain my own know-how while ying Satisfy for a year?


    No. I relied on the mundane information that anyone could get from websites. My understanding of Satisfy was so low, I couldn¡¯t believe I was an early user.


    ¡®I am pathetic... I am very ashamed of myself.¡¯


    Tears flowed down from my eyes.


    "Damn! Damnnnn!! Daaaaammm~nnnnnn! Logout.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey! What, why are you acting like this?¡±


    Huroi was baffled after I left so suddenly.


    ***


    ¡°What is with that person?¡±


    Huroi was stunned when the person called Grid suddenly logged out. He was an Asian user and had a good sense of humor, so it would have been nice if they could be friends.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    He chuckled when he thought about it again. Grid dered himself an early user while not even knowing about how to induce a quest.


    ¡°Why did he feel the need to impersonate an early user? He truly has an unusual personality. Then, shall I go?¡±


    Huroi thought it was just a passing rtionship. After meeting Grid, Huroi didn¡¯t feel anything special. It was just a funny story that he dismissed lightly.


    But the two men were already approaching the whirlwind of destiny.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    ¡®Let¡¯s do the quest.¡¯


    It was the very first time Huroi had received a hidden quest since he first started Satisfy almost a year ago. He had been ying Satisfy since the day it opened, but he never had such great luck.


    ¡¯The skill called Unbreakable Justice isn¡¯t known so its effectiveness can¡¯t be determined. However, I¡¯ve heard about the courage state in rumors. Every time the courage stat increases by 10 points, attack power and defense will permanently increase.¡¯


    Huroi trembled.


    ¡®If I seed in this quest and receive the Apostle of Justice title, I can grow using the courage stat. Then I can be a ranker.¡¯


    Huroi was currently level 127. Compared to the average level of users, it was very high and he was treated as a high-level user wherever he went. But it wasn¡¯t so high considering that he was an early user.


    He was only level 127 despite ying 18 out of 24 hours a day for one year because of his ss. Huroi¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t abat or production ss, it was an ¡®orator.¡¯


    An orator¡¯s weapon was talking!


    Combat sses and production sses could raise their levels rtively easy by hunting or making items. However, an orator onlypeted with words so it had a weakbat ability and couldn¡¯t make any items.


    The reason Huroi managed to reach this level was due to always receiving quests from NPCs through talking. But that method had now reached its limit. The higher the level, the higher the difficulty of the quest and the less experience that was gained. While other people were hunting monsters or selling items, he was going back and forth carrying out unprofitable quests.


    Thus, Huroi desperately needed to gain experience through hunting.


    However, the weapons that an orator could use were extremely limited. Their health was the lowest of all sses, while their basicbat stats and skills were poor. It was a cycle he couldn¡¯t escape from. It was hard for him to even catch a monster 15 levels lower than him.


    One of his gship skills, ¡®Spiteful Tongue¡¯, WAS a powerful skill that causes all stats of the target to decline. But it wasn¡¯t easy to use in a life and death fight, as obviously, there were limits to its use.


    ¡®The fatal weakness of my ss is that mybat strength is weak... I can ovee this weakness with the courage stat.¡¯


    He had to seed in this quest in order to earn the Apostle of Justice title and gain the courage stat. After reaffirming his determination, he arrived at the street in front of the western gate.


    The gate was rtively quiet. It was because the lord of Winston strictly monitored and managed the residents, so the residents couldn¡¯t leave Winston. Even now, there were no residents of Winston going through the gate, only travelers.


    "Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    Huroi approached the soldiers guarding the gate and greeted them before presenting his ID card. As a simple traveler who wasn¡¯t a resident of Winston, he could easily pass through the gate.


    But strangely, the soldiers didn¡¯t let Huroi out. Huroi noticed the danger as the soldiers blocked the gates.


    ¡®Is the Mero Company already aware of my betrayal?¡¯


    It was serious. If he dyed, he would be caught by the Mero Company and fail the quest. This was the biggest opportunity he received in one year, so he couldn¡¯t miss it.


    "What reason do you have for stopping me? Surely there wasn¡¯t a mistake?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Huroi tried to talk with the soldiers. He intended to persuade or deceive the soldiers by using his weapon, his eloquence. But the soldiers kept their mouths shut and didn¡¯t speak a single word to Huroi. They tantly avoided conversing with him.


    ¡®This is ominous.¡¯


    Huroi decided that he should leave this ce at once. At that moment, he heard a familiar voice behind him.


    "No matter what you say, the soldiers won¡¯t respond. I told the soldiers not to react no matter what you say until they receive a signal from me.¡±


    Huroi was so surprised it felt like his heart stopped. It was due to the sudden appearance of Rabbit, a top employee of the Mero Company andmissioned Huroi to persuade the Winston inhabitants.


    Huroi tried to conceal his confusion and greeted Rabbit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Mr. Rabbit? Shouldn¡¯t you be busy doing business in your office?¡±


    "I had a headache so I went out for some fresh air.¡±


    "Haha, rxation is important. You can¡¯t work efficiently if you are in a bad condition. Rabbit, why did you instruct the soldiers not to talk to me? Are you trying to take away the joy I get from talking to other people? I feel really sad.¡±


    Rabbit grinned at Huroi and said.


    ¡°Mr. Huroi, you have an obligation to instigate the residents of Winston, ording to your contract with me. It is natural to visit me after fulfilling the contract. But you didn¡¯t do anything and are trying to leave Winston, so I don¡¯t know how to take this.¡±


    Huroi calmly exined, ¡°In order for my words to serve as a weapon, there must be a small gap in the minds of the opponent. I have to wait for the right time to incite the people. This isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved by hurrying, as I have to wait until the right timees. The scenery near Winston is famous, so I wanted to see it while waiting. I am leaving Winston? It is just a misunderstanding.¡±


    Rabbit made a surprised expression and said,


    "Is that so? I misunderstood your intentions?¡±


    As an orator, Huroi had a passive skill called ¡®Persuasion¡¯ and the ¡®persuasive power¡¯ stat. Both his Persuasion level and persuasive power stat were currently very high, so he could move NPCs ording to his will if he used it well.


    ¡°Yes, it is a misunderstanding. So Rabbit, can you direct the soldiers to let me pass through the gate?¡±


    Huroi was sure that he seeded after seeing Rabbit¡¯s response. However, he was mistaken. Rabbit was an NPC with very high intelligence. He had a lot of experience from growing the Mero Company to be one of the best in the north. It meant that Huroi wasn¡¯t at a level to manipte him yet.


    Rabbit made a sorry expression. "I thought that Mr. Huroi¡¯s eloquence was very good. So I believed that you could easily incite the residents. But now you look ipetent. I admit that I misunderstood your abilities.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°This morning, the Mero Company distributed flyers across the vige as scheduled. There will be a big gap in the minds of the residents who read the flyers. They will be wavering and confused. Now is the right time for you to enter and dazzle them with your words, making their hearts lean towards the Mero Company. But youck the ability to read this mood. Otherwise... you must¡¯ve betrayed me.¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s eyes were like a hawk¡¯s. The sharp gaze prated Huroi and provided enormous pressure.


    Huroi realized it. "Rabbit, did you predict my betrayal in advance? You expected me to try to escape by misleading the soldiers, so you gave the soldiers instructions not to talk to me!¡±


    Rabbit shook his head.


    "I have met and managed many people. So I never believed in anyone from the beginning. Rather than anticipating your betrayal, I just made assumptions that you might betray me and prepared for the worst. Now,e over here. You will be locked up for a while. Instead of persuading the residents, you have joined them. Therefore, I can¡¯t let you go and meet Earl Steim.¡±


    Rabbit gestured and the soldiers ran towards Huroi.


    ¡®This is the end. I can¡¯t escape from this ce with my battle skills. I will clearly be trapped and fail the quest. No... I can¡¯t give up!¡¯


    He might never have another chance at a hidden quest. It was an opportunity that must never be missed.


    ¡®Forget about acting rashly. Let¡¯s log out and get rid of the immediate crisis. I need to think carefully about how to handle this crisis.¡¯


    Huroi made a swift judgment and tried to log out. In the case of a quest in a specific ce, it was impossible to log out during the quest. However, this was the center of a vige. There were users curiously watching the situation.


    This was a public ce so Huroi believed he could log out.


    ¡°Logout!¡±


    [You can¡¯t shut down the game here.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Huroi was astonished. It was due to an unexpected notification window.


    "Stop your futile resistance!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    After failing to log out, Huroi was captured and tied up by the soldiers.


    Rabbit said cynically, ¡°Logout. It is a mysterious spell that takes your immortal bodies to an unknown ce Don¡¯t you know that we have the power to neutralize it?¡±


    NPCs were clearly aware of the difference between users and themselves. So Rabbit intended to keep Huroi alive. Huroi would resurrect somewhere else if he was killed, so it was better to imprison him.


    Rabbit directed the soldiers.


    ¡°Lock him in the castle¡¯s dungeon. Tell the lord that he should be watched closely for a while.¡±


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    The first quest he received in a year, only for him to fail! Huroi was in hell. As he felt despair, a notification window shed before him.


    [The quest ¡®For the Residents of Winston (A)¡¯ has changed to ¡®Wait (S)¡¯.]


    [Wait]


    Difficulty: S


    Having yed into the hands of Rabbit, you have failed themission to report the Winston lord and Mero Company¡¯s evil deeds to Earl Steim. Fortunately, hope still remains.


    Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon is known to be impossible to escape from! In the dark, cold and unsanitary dungeon, you must somehow survive until the end. If you can endure the cold and hunger, the Apostle of Justice will surelye and rescue you


    Quest Clear Conditions: Don¡¯t log out for 50 hours in real time.


    * This is an extremely dangerous quest. For the elderly and those with a weak health, please give up on this quest.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡®What type of quest is this?¡¯


    The unfamiliar information window that popped up caused Huroi to feel confused and tense.


    ¡®I can¡¯t log out for 50 hours in real time, not Satisfy¡¯s time? What is this absurd condition?¡¯


    Huroi was confident of his physical strength in reality. Thanks to that, he could y Satisfy for 20 hours in the capsule. But the limit was 20 hours.


    This was because the capsule¡¯s safety system didn¡¯t allow ess for more than 20 hours. After connecting to Satisfy for 20 hours, the users would be forced to log out and they couldn¡¯t connect again for six hours.


    In other words, the S.A Group that manufactured and distributed Satisfy¡¯s capsules strongly warned of the danger of connecting to Satisfy for more than 20 hours. Yet there was a quest to stay connected for 50 hours? It was also one where he was stuck in a dungeon, waiting.


    ¡®50 hours in reality is equal to 8 days and 8 hours in Satisfy. Will my spirit be able to endure staying in prison for that whole time without doing anything?¡¯


    This really was a dangerous quest. It was a quest where he might go crazy without being mentally prepared. But it was also an opportunity.


    ¡®This was an A-grade hidden quest. It is upgraded to an S-grade quest. This is an opportunity that I absolutely can¡¯t miss.¡¯


    Huroi decided to ept the quest. But before that, he decided to think about it. Did he have any unavoidable schedule in reality? No. He had no schedules recently. Did he have any family who would be concerned and forcefully shut down the capsule? No. He was single right now.


    Was the front door locked? He had stayed home for four days without going anywhere. In the meantime, his front door had been firmly locked. When was thest time he went to the toilet and ate? Three hours ago. In any case, if he converted the capsule to the sleep state, his body would be able to endure for three days without eating or drinking.


    Did he have a history of problems when connecting to the capsule for a long time? No. His health was second to none.


    ¡¯Okay, my body is at its peak physical health. I shall challenge it once. The S.A Group made this quest, so they won¡¯t let the user die.¡¯


    Huroi made a firm decision to ept the quest.


    ¡°I won¡¯t give up the quest.¡±


    [This is thest warning. Are you really sure you want to proceed with the quest?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    [Wait]


    Difficulty: S


    Having yed into the hands of Rabbit, you have failed themission to report the Winston lord and Mero Company¡¯s evil deeds to Earl Steim. Fortunately, hope still remains.


    Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon is known to be impossible to escape from! In the dark, cold and unsanitary dungeon, you must somehow survive until the end. If you can endure the cold and hunger, the Apostle of Justice will surelye and rescue you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Don¡¯t log out for 50 hours in real time.


    * This is an extremely dangerous quest. For the elderly and those with a weak health, please give up on this quest.


    * From the moment you ept the quest, the system will thoroughly manage and supervise your brain waves and health status in real time. If a critical level of anomalies is detected, the system will force you to log out.


    * If you are forcibly logged out, the S.A. Group will send executives and medical staff to your home to prepare for the worst.


    * Even if youplete the quest and log out sessfully, the S.A. Group will send executives and medical staff to visit you and check your status.


    * You need to endure 200 hours of Satisfy time toplete the quest. In the worst case, because you are connected to virtual reality for a long time, you can confuse reality with virtual reality. Please don¡¯t let go of your tension until thest moment and show a strong mentality.


    Quest Clear Reward: A second ss called ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner.¡¯ Title ¡®One who Ovees Hardships.¡¯


    *Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner: The ¡®Courage¡¯ stat will be opened. If you are with the Apostle of Justice, all stats will increase by 20%. The skill ¡®Unbreakable Justice¡¯ will be generated. The skill ¡®Sacrifice for Justice¡¯ will be generated.


    * One who Ovees Hardships: The ¡®Indomitable¡¯ stat will be opened. The skill ¡®Strong Will¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: There is no penalty.


    [From now on, the capsule will switch to sleep mode.]


    [It is impossible to shut off the power of the capsule from the outside.]


    [If there are any external shocks or attempts to shut off the capsule, an employee of S.A. will be sent to your residence to protect the capsule.]


    [We apud your challenge. Good luck.]


    "It feels like I¡¯m a VIP customer.¡±


    That was the impression Huroi got after checking the emerging information windows.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry anymore. My spirit can endure for 200 hours.¡¯


    Huroi¡¯s remaining worries werepletely dispelled because he trusted the thorough management and supervision of the S.A. Group. He firmed up his heart.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be waiting. Apostle of Justice. If he saves me and helps me clear the quest, I will be loyal to him, even if he is an NPC.¡¯


    Huroi pledged to meet with the unknown Apostle of Justice as he was imprisoned in Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    11:33 p.m.


    Lim Cheolho, the head of Satisfy¡¯s development team and of the S.A. Group, was working all night. Satisfy was a game with over two billion users, so there were always countless variables. Satisfy¡¯s overall flow, whether small orrge, depended on what each of the two billion users were doing. The system was impossible to maintain if errors kept urring.


    Lim Cheolho was always enthusiastic about building aplete system.


    ¡®I can¡¯t allow even a single error.¡¯


    He had unmatched concentration whenever he focused on his work and only heard his ringtone after 40 seconds or more. It was a call from the operations team.


    "What¡¯s going on?"


    (Quest B408 has been triggered. Please authorize the convening of an emergency meeting).


    Lim Cheolho¡¯s mind revolved and then recalled the information about B408.


    B408. It was a codename for S-grade hidden quests that needed special conditions to be fulfilled.


    ¡®Thepensation for Quest B408 is a second ss?¡¯


    The user who cleared B408 would be able to obtain another ss. In Satisfy, they might be the first user to have two sses. But the more rewarding the quest was, the more difficult it would be.


    In particr, the content of Quest B408 was very unique, as the user had to be trapped in an enclosed space for 200 hours of Satisfy time. It had a direct impact on the real world, since the user who performed the quest was at a great risk of suffering serious psychological damage. One of the reasons why the use ¡®the S.A Group has permission to view user¡¯s personal information¡¯ was created was due to quests like B408.


    ¡°I give permission. I will go as well.¡±


    Lim Cheolho immediately stopped working and headed towards the conference room. He arrived in the meeting room and looked at the documents. It contained information about the user who triggered the quest.


    ¡°Amazing. A Mongolian person.¡±


    Originally, Mongolia was the world¡¯s 10th richest country when it came to resources butcked the technology to find and use those resources. But after breaking away frommunism, the Mongolian government established diplomatic ties with many countries and actively attracted foreign direct investment (FDI).


    Since then, numerous governments andpanies advanced into Mongolia, including both the Korean government and Koreanpanies. They called Mongolia the nd of opportunity¡¯ and made investments. There was a huge inflow of foreign capital into Mongolia.


    However, once Mongolia¡¯s regime changed in the 2010s, the FDIs started to slow down due to the rapid change in policy. After many years, the regime changed once again and the Mongolian officials tried to induce the FDIs again, but many had already lost confidence in Mongolia. In the end, the Mongolian government¡¯s ns didn¡¯t proceed as nned and Mongolia remained a developing country until the 2030s.


    But now it was different. Mongolia¡¯s FDIs were revitalized as the world¡¯s economy boomed, thanks to rapid technological development in the 2040s. The Mongolian government cooperated, and through some sessful processes, the nation stepped into the ranks of the developed countries.


    But despite this, the nomadic temperament of Mongolia didn¡¯t change. The vast majority of the Mongol people couldn¡¯t adapt to the new benefits and still wanted to wander the grasnds. As a result, Mongolia became one of the countries with the smallest number of Satisfy members.


    ording to statistics, more than 60% of the total poption of developed countries were Satisfy yers. In addition, Satisfy-rted businesses created a lot of jobs. But in Mongolia, only 3% of the poption yed Satisfy. For the Mongols who loved wandering the grasnds, the act of being trapped in a small capsule was uneptable.


    ¡®3% of the poption is a miracle.¡¯


    The 25-year-old with the name of Allunbatar, which was hard to pronounce, was a level 127 orator. Lim Cheolho was already surprised to see a level 127 orator, a ss that was weak inbat, but he couldn¡¯t believe that the user was a Mongolian.


    ¡¯Quest-based leveling: by utilizing the characteristics of an orator, he could obtain rtively difficult quests, an effective way to y.¡¯


    As Lim Cheolho read the documents, the executives who had been sleeping at home rushed in for the emergency meeting. Some of them gave off the scent of alcohol. Lim Cheolho paid attention to Yoon Sangmin. Director Yoon Sangmin was obsessive about cleanliness, so this was the first time Lim Cheolho saw him with scruffy hair.


    "I thought you of all people wouldb your hair, even in the midst of a war. Is Director Yoon¡¯s weakness sleeping?¡±


    The other board members had the same thought andughed.


    "We finally found Director Yoon¡¯s weakness!¡±


    "Haha, that¡¯s right. I was suspicious that you might¡¯ve been a robot that wouldn¡¯t bleed from its wounds. Fortunately, you are human.¡±


    The atmosphere lightened those few words from Lim Cheolho. Theughing executivespletely woke up from their sleepy or tipsy state.


    ¡¯You made me a scapegoat.¡¯


    Yoon Sangmin¡¯s face reddened as he beckoned to Yoon Nahee.


    "It seems like all the executives are gathered. Have the Mongol branch president and officerse together?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will connect to them immediately.¡±


    A 3D image appeared in the center of the huge roundtable. It was the appearance of the branch managers and executives of the S.A. Group¡¯s Mongolian branch. They greeted Lim Cheolho.


    Lim Cheolho proceeded with the meeting.


    ¡°The agenda of this meeting is to secure the safety of the Mongolian user who triggered Quest B408, called Allunbatar. I will entrust this to Branch Manager Park.¡±


    S.A Group¡¯s Mongolian branch manager, Park Eunhyuk, had alreadypleted the preparations as soon as he heard that the Quest B408 was triggered by a Mongolian user.


    "I¡¯ve tracked the IP address of Allunbatar, who is connected to Satisfy, and have confirmed that the address in the member information matches his current residence. If a situation urs, the Mongolian government will cooperate by dispatching medical personnel and police officers. Finally, during the quest, the security team members will observe Allunbatar in real time.¡±


    Quick and efficient actions. Lim Cheolho nodded with satisfaction.


    The branch manager, Park Eunhyuk, gave his opinion,


    ¡°The Mongolian branch sees this quest as an opportunity and aims to use it as a foothold into the market here. I will leak some of the quest information to the media. This will be the first user who might have two sses in Satisfy, and the fact that it is a Mongolian user will be widely reported throughout the media around the world. This is natural PR, and the Mongolians will see one of their own bing a global star through Satisfy, increasing their interest in the game.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a good idea. Once they have interest, the number of people who want to experience Satisfy will increase.¡±


    "The major mediapanies in each country, especially the Mongolian mediapanies, will definitely jump on the news. If the press builds Allunbatar into a huge person, the Mongolian pride will be triggered and the PR effect will be maximized."


    Most of the executives were favorable towards this idea. However, a small number of them didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Is there any guarantee that Allunbatar will seed in the quest? What will happen if we make the whole world pay attention to this quest, only for it to fail?¡±


    Yoon Sangmin, who just finished brushing his hair, shook his head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the quest is sessful or not. Even if it fails, the fact that he is the first user to acquire an S-grade hidden quest will make Allunbatar stand out. Still, it would be preferred if the quest were sessful. Unless there is a problem with Allunbatar¡¯s personality and he logs out, it should be a sess. Team Leader Yoon Nahee, have you analyzed the chances of Allunbatar¡¯s quest seeding?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Once Yoon Nahee replied, her team members handed the executives a new piece of paper. The Mongolian branch executives also received the document through email. After a while, the executives read the contents of the paper and frowned.


    ¡°What is this? The probability of sess is only 9%?¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin was shocked. "W-What is this?"


    Yoon Sangmin couldn¡¯t ept this response.


    "Doesn¡¯t Quest B408 involve being rescued by a hidden NPC? Allunbatar¡¯s health condition is also very good. If we protect Allunbatar on the outside, it is unlikely for him to log out. If Allunbatar doesn¡¯t log out, he will be rescued by the hidden NPC and will clear the quest. So why is the sess rate so low? I¡¯ve predicted at least an 80% sess rate.¡±


    "Well...¡± The moment that Yoon Nahee tried to exin.


    ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡±


    The silent Lim Cheolho suddenly burst outughing? Everyone looked at Lim Cheolho in shock.


    Tsk tsk tsk. Lim Cheolho clicked his tongue and stated, ¡°Your nature is too frantic. Shouldn¡¯t you read the document first before asking the question?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The executives read the document carefully at Lim Cheolho¡¯s words and were shocked at its contents. Yoon Sangmin nervously crumbled up the piece of paper and muttered,


    ¡°Again... this person...¡±


    The normal scenario for Quest B408 was like this:


    A user with high reputation would build up affinity to the maximum with the Winston residents. In the process of building affinity, the user would learn about the wickedness of Winston¡¯s lord and the Mero Company. At this time, the user would be assimted with the Winston residents and sincerely resent the Mero Company and the lord. The residents of Winston would detect this and give the user a quest called ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯.


    Once the user epted the quest, the story would begin in earnest. The user would try to meet Earl Steim, but they couldn¡¯t go against the powers of Winston¡¯s lord and the Mero Company. The user would be caught and eventually imprisoned in the dungeon.


    At this point, the quest would change from ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ to ¡®Wait¡¯. If the user were to ept this quest, the ¡®Mysterious Apostle of Justice¡¯ NPC, who would be hiding in Winston due to special circumstances, would rescue the user after 200 hours.


    In this case, the user would establish a rtionship with the ¡®Mysterious Apostle of Justice¡¯ and find out their identity. Then the user would go on a journey to help the mysterious NPC. Once the user performed all the linked quests, they would receive rewards beyond imagination.


    However, a variable meant that the quest didn¡¯t flow along the scheduled scenario. The variable was that Allunbatar shared the quest information with another user. The nned ¡®Mysterious Apostle of Justice¡¯ NPC became obsolete, and the rted quests to the NPC also disappeared.


    The news that Allunbatar was confined in the dungeon after failing the quest would be passed onto the user whom he shared the quest information with, not the ¡®Mysterious Apostle of Justice¡¯. But that user turned out to be...


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Exactly 12 days ago, the Korean user who obtained a legendary ss by chance. Right, it was Shin Youngwoo.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    "He has a legendary ss, yet he¡¯s only level 21? How can he y the game like this? Amazing. His ability to not level up is truly amazing. It¡¯s a wonder that he gained the ss quest.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin didn¡¯t like Shin Youngwoo. Shin Youngwoo¡¯s game history confirmed that he was a young man with no talent at ying the game. Taking the legendary ss, wasn¡¯t it like a swine obtaining a pearl? Yoon Sangmin thought it was a waste of a legendary ss.


    ¡®He is a person who will never be a ranker in his entire life. Thanks to his interruption, arge amount of content regarding the legendary ss is consumed. Now he¡¯s about to consume anotherrge game content...¡¯


    Director Yoon Sangmin was sure of it.


    ¡®Poison. This person is a deadly poison to Satisfy. Before he does more harm, we have to stop his ount forever.¡¯


    But Director Yoon Sangmin didn¡¯t have the authority to manage user ounts. He had no choice but to keep his thoughts to himself. Yoon Sangmin inwardly cursed Shin Youngwoo, then he asked Yoon Nahee with a serious face.


    "By the way, why does the quest only have a 9% chance of seeding? There is a 9% chance of this person rescuing Allunbatar? Nonsense. Isn¡¯t it more likely to be a 0% chance?¡±


    The other executives agreed.


    "This figure is obviously wrong."


    "That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure that the supeputer Morpheus is infected with a virus.¡±


    This quest was a failure. There was no way that a level 21 user could rescue Allunbatar. The aggressive publicity campaign was finished. Everyone thought so and was sad.


    But in the midst of this, only Lim Cheolho was happy.


    ¡®The protagonist of three big events in session... Since bing a legendary ss, he made epic rated arrows and received the ss quest, so I am somehow feeling expectant towards this young man.¡¯


    To put it bluntly, it was an ipetence so beyondmon sense that it was difficult to predict. Shin Youngwoo was fun to watch because he caused many variables.


    Lim Cheolho was happy, regardless of the quest results. The other executives, including Park Eunhyuk and Yoon Sangmin, were upset.


    ***


    I met Khan earlier than Huroi. I protected Khan¡¯s smithy and paid for his medical treatment. I was a great benefactor to Khan.


    On the other hand, who was Huroi? He only spoke a few words to Khan.


    "Then why?¡±


    Why did Khan give him the huge ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ quest? Meanwhile, I received a quest that would only give me 600 gold.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it normal to give me all the quests?¡¯


    If Khan was an NPC who knew how to repay favours, he would¡¯ve passed all his quests to me. But he was an ungrateful NPC.


    ¡°Khan should repay the favor.. No, is he crazy? Anyway, I need to think about the contents of the story. If I want NPCs to listen to me, do I have to act better in the future?¡±


    The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ was a massive quest that would control Winston¡¯s fate. It was natural for Khan to give it to the person he trusted most.


    But his choice was Huroi! It meant I was worse than someone Khan had never met before!


    "Why is a dog who rolled out from nowhere more credible than me...? Ugh!¡±


    I was at a street stall near my house. Imented about my life while pouring a shot of bitter shochu into my mouth. (Shochu is a Japanese alcoholic drink.)


    My limit was originally one and a half bottles of shochu, but I was so disappointed in Khan and jealous of the jerk that I drank too much.


    ¡°Kuaaah~!¡±


    I emptied my third bottle of shochu. My heart still wasn¡¯t soothed and I felt like crying.


    The more I thought about it, the more hateful Khan was. I truly believed that we had be sincere friends during the time I spent with him, but Khan thought differently. Khan didn¡¯t believe in me.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he trust me, giving a good quest to that other guy instead? Why...why? Damnnn!¡±


    Anyway, tomorrow it would start raining for three days. I didn¡¯t need to worry about going to work during that time.


    I called out for the stall owner in a loud voice.


    ¡°Ajumma.¡±


    The middle-aged woman cutting the soondae was surprised by my call and flinched. I was able to notice that the woman¡¯s eyes shook slightly as she met my gaze.


    ¡¯...Is my charm maximized by the lonely aura that I am emitting?¡¯


    The loneliness in my eyes was like a blizzard on Mount Everest. Looking at those quivering eyes, the middle-aged woman seemed to be confused about being attracted to a young man around her son¡¯s age.


    ¡®I am such a sinful man...¡¯


    I felt sorry to the middle-aged woman, but I had no interest in her. Especially if the other person was a married woman.


    ¡®I can¡¯t break apart a family.¡¯


    I cut to the chase so that the woman wouldn¡¯t have any expectations.


    ¡°One more bottle of shochu. Can I also get a refill of the fish soup? Don¡¯t forget to put a piece of radish in the fish soup as a service...¡±


    Kwaang!


    The middle-aged woman plugged the knives she was holding into the chopping block. Then she pointed at me and shouted.


    ¡°You are really too much! I don¡¯t care about the three bottles of shochu, but I already said that I won¡¯t refill the fish soup after the 9th time! Furthermore, you ask for a service every time! The total value is more than the alcohol you¡¯re drinking. How can a young man have no shame?¡±


    "...You are very inhospitable. At the very least, you should serve your customers fish soup... This world is once again causing me great disappointment. Yes, just like Khan.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I can¡¯t afford to give you any more free refills!¡±


    The owner was stubborn. My n to fill my stomach with fish soup was in vain.


    ¡°It is time to say goodbye and return to cruel reality...¡±


    I gave up asking for more refills and stood up. I ced the money for the drinks on the table, said goodbye to the owner and left the stall. As I walked on in a lonely mood, an angry voice was heard from behind me.


    "Hey, Young Man! You arecking 1,000 won! Give me 1,000 won!¡±


    Ah, I counted the money wrongly due to being drunk. Then let¡¯s try.


    ¡®This is a chance to save 1,000 won!¡¯


    In the past, I never felt like saving money. But now I was debt-ridden, so the spirit of saving was unavoidable. As the number of conservative young people grew, the future of South Korea would be brighter. For the sake of my spirit of saving and Korea¡¯s future, I needed to avoid paying this 1,000 won.


    ¡¯...No, no matter how drunk I am, I can¡¯t run away. I was caught on security camera and will probably be brought to the police station.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be shameful to be ced behind bars over 1,000 won? I turned around and handed a 1,000 won bill to the middle-aged woman.


    ¡°If I was amon person of this modern society, I would¡¯ve run away without paying this 1,000 won. But I returned to pay the 1,000 won. Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡±


    "...Don¡¯t most people act like this?¡±


    ¡°That...you aren¡¯t aware of the world. Do you know how many immoral people there are these days? People like me are rare!¡±


    ¡°R-Really? I understand. I understand already, so you should go home. You are drunk.¡±


    "Uhuh! Ajumma! Do you know how bleak my heart is? You should pack some fish soup for a young man who is nice enough to pay the 1,000 won in this chilly weather.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The middle-aged woman returned to her stall without saying anything else. I waited for her toe out again with fish soup, but she didn¡¯t return after 5, then 10 minutes.


    ¡°Haha... Once again, I have been betrayed. Both NPCs and people betray my faith!¡±


    Yes, this was a bitter world. I went back home while realizing that I was alone in this world.


    ***


    ¡°You should contact me if you are returningte! Do you know what time it is now?¡±


    It was one in the morning. As soon as I returned home, I was disturbed by Sehee who was watching TV in the living room.


    ¡°Have you been drinking until now? Oppa doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend or friends. Then why? Don¡¯t tell me you were drinking alone? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°...Hey, you have school tomorrow, so why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡±


    ¡°I was worried when a person who only spends time at work or in his capsule suddenly disappears... No, it is strange!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you concerned about me? So you waited up to this time?¡±


    "What? Who was waiting? I-I was just watching a fun TV program and couldn¡¯t go sleep.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you so mad? You face is red as well. What did I do wrong?¡±


    "W-whose face is red? That is ridiculous. I¡¯m going to sleep now!¡±


    Kwang!


    Sehee turned and entered her room.


    ¡°Phew, teenage girls are really difficult.¡±


    Sehee¡¯s loud voice had broken my drunken haze. I once again became mad about missing out on the ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ quest.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m going to sleep quickly.¡±


    Then Sehee left her room again. She approached me and started nagging. ¡°You should brush your teeth and scrub your feet. You are drunk, so don¡¯t take a shower. Well, I never expected you to take a shower because you¡¯re not the type to shower every day.¡±


    ¡°...Aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±


    ¡°I am going to drink some water before sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Then go and drink water. Good night.¡±


    Sehee headed towards the kitchen while I went into the bathroom.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child who needs to brush their teeth more than once a day.¡±


    In rare cases, I did it three times a day. I stopped trying to ce toothpaste on my toothbrush. I drank so much that my eyes kept closing.


    ¡°I won¡¯t die if I don¡¯t brush for a day...¡±


    In the end, I just washed my hands and left the bathroom. Then I went straight to my room. Sehee sounded like she was screaming outside my room, but I didn¡¯t worry about it and went to sleep.


    The day was over.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    As soon as I opened my eyes the next morning, I connected to Satisfy and headed into the smithy. Khan was waiting for me and I immediatelyined to him.


    "Why did you leave such a task to a stranger like Huroi? Am I worse than him? Huh? You should¡¯ve left it to me!¡±


    Khan looked like he didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, before making a bted expression of understanding. "Are you talking about the mission to tell Earl Steim about Winston?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Huhu, Khan gave a heartyugh and exined.


    "You are definitely a great young man. Despite your young age, you have great abilities and a sense of justice and sacrifice...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was he saying?


    "Aren¡¯t you willing to take a big risk for the residents of Winston that you have no ties with?¡±


    ¡°Eh? That wasn¡¯t what I intended...¡±


    "You don¡¯t have to say anything. You are too modest.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Khan misjudged me and turned me into an incredibly good guy! I had nothing to say, then Khan ced a hand on my shoulder.


    "I know that you are worried for Winston¡¯s residents, but how can I put you at risk? You are already precious to me, just like a son. I can¡¯t ask you to do something so dangerous.¡±


    Khan¡¯s eyes were warm.


    "The Mero Company knows that you are close to me, so there will be a thorough surveince. The Mero Company won¡¯t stay still if they see you make any movements to leave Winston. I won¡¯t be able to stand the grief if you get hurt by them.¡±


    Khan sincerely cherished me. My heart thumped. I felt bad for misunderstanding Khan.


    "Khan... I didn¡¯t know your heart and thought you didn¡¯t trust me.¡±


    "How can that be? I trust you more than anyone else. Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m leaving the fate of the smithy to you?¡±


    I listened to him. I had no reason to doubt Khan in the first ce. I felt ashamed while Khan spoke in a spirited tone, "You have to focus on the game! Show the Mero Company!¡±


    ¡°The date is decided?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It is in two days. We have to hone your skills! Let¡¯s surprise everyone by polishing the legendary cksmith skills that you have inherited!¡±


    Okay! My motivation shot upwards.


    "I understand. I will win the game!¡±


    "Good spirit! I might not have the techniques but the experience I¡¯ve umted in my life will be a great help to you! I will do my best to help!¡±


    From that day on, Khan and I raised my training. I repeated the production techniques, causing my skills to be more proficient and polished. I thoroughly learned about efficient movements and reduced any unnecessary movements.


    My probability of making rare and epic items increased slightly.


    [A rare rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +2 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +30.


    [An epic rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.


    [Your persistence has risen.]


    [Your dexterity has risen.]


    It was also fun to raise my persistence and dexterity stats. But there was one drawback. It was the limitation in the materials.


    Khan was totally broke and I was saving money, so I couldn¡¯t obtain premium production materials. I only used the materials piled up in Khan¡¯s warehouse, but most of the materials were inferior. Khan couldn¡¯t get good ingredients because he was impeded by the Mero Company. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t produce high-performance items.


    The higher the level and performance of the items produced, the faster the experience of my production skill would rise. Items with a low-level limit and low performance, even if they had a rare rating, meant my experience gain rate was slow and the value was cheap.


    ¡¯Rare items should be sold to the stores, but I can sell the epic rated items to the users.¡¯


    [Usable Iron Sword]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 19/19 Attack Power: 35~40 Attack Speed: +2%


    A sword made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation.


    It is easy to use because it has a perfect bnce of length and weight. The user can attack a little faster.


    The fact that this type of sword was made with meager materials is amazing.


    User Restriction: Level 12 or higher. More than 30 strength. Beginner Sword Mastery.


    [Unexpectedly Comfortable Rat Leather Armor]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 24/24 Defense: 22 Movement Speed: +3%


    An armor made of rat leather by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    It is designed and created so that the wearer won¡¯t be inconvenienced when moving. The wearer can move a little faster.


    The fact that this type of armor was made with meager materials is amazing.


    User Restriction: Level 13 or higher. Beginner Leather Armor Mastery.


    ¡°The names are crude but...¡±


    Level 12 or 13 users would find hunting much easier if they wore this armor and weapon. They were items that low-level users could possess if they had enough gold.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill] Lv 1 (12.7%)


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath] Lv 1 (8.9%)


    ¡®When I made the Jaffa Arrow before, my experience increased by 3.7% and 2%. Instantly.¡¯


    Certainly, I was disappointed that the experience of my production skills was slowly rising. But I didn¡¯t care much. Regardless, my skills experience and production experience were rising, so I was satisfied.


    I wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    ¡®The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill is still only level 1, but I am now able to craft more items than I could before.¡¯


    My production speed and degree ofpleteness have improved. If the skill level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill and my dexterity stat rose, my production ability would be even better.


    ¡¯But realistically, it is impossible to raise the skill level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill anytime soon. Right now, the best thing I can do is to raise my dexterity stat.¡¯


    The higher my dexterity, the higher thepleteness of the item. I decided to invest my stat points into dexterity for a more solid victory.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 21 (5,350/16,700)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 936/936 Mana: 177/177


    Strength: 104 Stamina: 52 Agility: 96 Intelligence: 59


    Dexterity: 99 Persistence: 60


    Composure: 44 Indomitable: 50 Dignity: 44 Insight: 44


    Stat Points: 130


    Weight: 842/3,080


    Thanks to the steady production of rare and epic items, my stats have risen dramatically. I had a huge 130 stat points. I contemted on how to invest the stat points.


    ¡¯If I invest all my stat points in dexterity, will my production skill rise significantly? Obviously, there would be a huge effect. But if I concentrate too much on only one stat, I will regret itter.¡¯


    I had to think carefully.


    ¡¯I put a lot of points into strength and agility the other day, so I don¡¯t have to raise them anymore. I am currentlycking stamina, so wouldn¡¯t it be nice to raise it? When dealing with strong enemies like the gangsters, it is better to have high vitality and defense.¡¯


    I decided to start distributing my stat points.


    [You have invested 60 points in stamina. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Once the points are invested, it can¡¯t be reversed. Do you want to proceed?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [You have invested 70 points in dexterity. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    [Once the points are invested, it can¡¯t be reversed. Do you want to proceed?]


    ¡°Stop asking me and just do it. Status window!¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 21 (5,350/16,700)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Health: 1,536/1,536 Mana: 177/177


    Strength: 104 Stamina: 112 Agility: 96 Intelligence: 59


    Dexterity: 169 Persistence: 60


    Composure: 44 Indomitable: 50 Dignity: 44 Insight: 44


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 842/3,080


    "Kukukuk!¡±


    I shook with joy. Anybody would be shocked if they could see my status window. How could a level 21 character have such stats? If I simply calcted the sum of all my stats, I was already beyond level 75.


    Strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence. If I only calcted these basic stats, it was close to level 40!


    ¡®Now that I see it, isn¡¯t a production ss great for stats?¡¯


    The benefit of raising all stats every time a higher grade item was made wasmon to all production-rted sses, not just cksmiths. Those who took advantage of this could ovee the disadvantage of production based jobs. Their insufficientbat skills could be supplemented with high stats. Of course, arge amount ofbor was needed!


    ¡°I ept thatbor is my life. My body is meant forbor! I will show you the power ofbor.¡±


    I swallowed bread and immersed myself in item production again. I didn¡¯t lose any concentration until the day of thepetition. As my character grew, I felt the same mental growth.


    [A rare rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +2 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +30.]


    ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡±


    I felt a pleasure that had never been felt when hunting and doing quests as a warrior.


    ¡°W-What...? Am I dreaming right now? You, how have you improved your skills in such a short time?¡±


    Khan was shocked. I couldn¡¯t reply that ¡®my rapid growth is from raising my dexterity stat¡¯ so I just said,


    "I¡¯m not your average genius.¡±


    Khan was thrilled.


    ¡°Yes, yes! I forgot that you are Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Huhu, I have a rtionship with a legend who was born again. I will have no regrets after dying. Good! Shall I try harder?¡±


    In reality, it was raining continuously. So I always connected to Satisfy except when it was time to sleep. Thus, my growth was steady until the day of thepetition.


    ***


    Currently, there were three epic sses in Satisfy. But except for the most recently appeared ¡®Blood Warrior,¡¯ there were no details about the others. The identity of the first epic ss user was unknown, while the second one was said to be obtained by Agnus, 7th in the unified rankings.


    The Satisfy users wondered about the identity of the two sses there were being kept strictly confidential. The rted forums and broadcasters were engaged in a constant debate about the epic sses. But unless the relevant parties disclosed the information, it was only spection.


    What type of ss were the other two epic sses? Were they as impressive as the Blood Warrior that Katz got his hands on? Perhaps even more than that?


    The Eternal Kingdom. Akero Dungeon that was near Frontier, Earl Steim¡¯s capital.


    ¡°There are too many monsters here. I barely managed toe all the way here.¡±


    A beautiful blonde girl cried out. She looked like a fairytale princess, causing male users to approach her.


    "Akero Dungeon is a ce where even high-level users can¡¯t hunt alone. Would you like to join our party? Our skills are very good.¡±


    "No, you should join our party. We are very familiar with this dungeon and have acquired various know-hows. Our hunting speed is unmatched. You will definitely be satisfied if you join.¡±


    ¡°No! Come to our party! We will give you a lot of items!¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s character wasn¡¯t perfect fiction. When a character was created, it actually reflected the user¡¯s real appearance. Only the skin tone and additional features such as hairstyle, tattoos, scars, and height could be changed a little bit.


    In other words, a beautiful person in Satisfy was generally beautiful in reality. That¡¯s why the men favored beautiful girls over anything else.


    ¡®A rare beauty!¡¯


    ¡¯My ideal type!¡¯


    Hearts burst from their eyes as they looked at the girl. They seemed ustomed topeting over girls.


    "Do you really want me to join the party? If so, try to hunt the monsters in front of me. I want to join a strong party. I will judge if your skills are strong and then join the party that I want.¡±


    ¡°What is this? She isn¡¯t that special.¡±


    "I agree. I would be thankful not to have a useless person join the party.¡±


    The female users talked badly about the girl. However, the male users became more attracted to the girl as their motivation shot up.


    "Ohhhhhh! Be sure to keep that promise! Heat Wave! Fire Sword!¡±


    ¡°Beautiful girl. I will prove my strength. Swirling Frenzy!¡±


    "Bah, idiots. Can you do this? Steel Skin! One Point Break!¡±


    ¡°Your skills don¡¯t back up your bragging. Thunderbolt!¡±


    The male users ran towards the monsters and fired off their skills.


    Kwarurung!Kung kwang!Kwajik!


    Strong skills such as a swirling storm, thunderbolts and mes emerged, causing the walls of the dungeon to shake. Fearsome monsters saw the strange scene and ran away.


    The blonde girl, who was the cause of the confusion, watched the skills being cast.


    ¡®That wind magic isn¡¯tckingpared to other magicians in the kingdom. It was indeed worthwhile toe here.¡¯


    She used her unusually high insight stat and Skill Observation to detect the Swirling Frenzy skill and whispered.


    "Skill Duplication."


    [You have sessfully duplicated ¡®Swirling Frenzy¡¯ Lv.3.]


    [The skill ¡®Swirling Frenzy¡¯ Lv. 3 is avable to use once. You can keep it permanently until it is used.]


    [Swirling Frenzy]


    Lv. 3


    Creates a vortex that deals 1,530~2,380 damage per second for five seconds. The agility of the target caught in the vortex will decrease by 80%.


    Skill Mana Cost: 700


    Skill Cooldown Time: 300 seconds


    The blonde girl¡¯s name was Euphemina. Her ss was Duplicator.


    As a Duplicator, she used Skill Observation and Skill Duplication to instantly analyze and copy a skill used by the target. Whatever skill she copied, she could use it only once whenever she wanted.


    There were disadvantages such as ¡®the usage frequency of Skill Duplication is limited to three times a day.¡¯ However, it was still a fraudulent skill despite the disadvantages.


    ¡¯I can get Piaro with this.¡¯


    Euphemina left the men showing off their skills at the dungeon behind. Then she moved quickly and arrived at Kesan Canyon.


    ¡°I found it.¡±


    After finding a small cave at the end of the canyon, Euphemina read the contents of the quest once again in order to prepare her mind before entering.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    [Traitor of the Red Knights]


    Difficulty: S


    Pairo, a former colleague of Asmophel, hasmitted a terrible betrayal. Asmophel was wounded and vowed to take revenge on Piaro.


    However, Asmophel has be seriously ill afterward.


    In the end, Asmophel was forced to give up on his own revenge and asked you to get revenge for him.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Defeat Piaro who is hiding in Kesan Canyon.


    Quest Clear Reward: Title ¡®Agent of Revenge¡¯


    * Agent of Revenge: The ¡®Cruelty¡¯ stat will be opened. Attack Power +100. Skill ¡®Murderous Impulse¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Level -2. Asmophel¡¯s confidence will decline.


    Euphemina, who was currently level 190, had one experience with clearing an S-grade quest once in the past. Therefore, she knew the terrible difficulty of an S-grade quest more than anyone else.


    ¡®Piaro... the strongest knight of the Saharan Empire.¡¯


    Asmophel had already exined how powerful Piaro was. His swordsmanship had reached the peak and when he used his ultimate technique ¡®Fated to Perish¡¯, death was inevitable. Euphemina couldn¡¯t ovee her tension and nervously gulped. She had taken 63 days to prepare for this quest, but she was still afraid.


    ¡°I believe it. I can do it. Skill window.¡±


    Euphemina basically only possessed nine skills. It was an unbelievably poor skill tree for a level 190 user. However, her skill window now had a total of 50 skills listed. In addition, they were all top ss skills.


    These were the skills that Euphemina prepared to clear the quest. She traveled all over the continent during the past 62 days, searching for top-ranked yers. Then she duplicated their skills.


    Only for today!


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Euphemina cleared her mind and entered the cave. She was going to face Piaro, who was more powerful than a boss monster, alone. Pride? No it was proper confidence.


    She was the first epic ss in Satisfy. A fraudulent ss that could duplicate other people¡¯s skills, the Duplicator. This was the identity of the first epic ss that appeared in Satisfy.


    "Someone sent by Asmophel?¡±


    A voice in the darkness was heard from the depths of the cave. Then a notification window popped up.


    [The eternal hermit Piaro has appeared.]


    [You are overwhelmed by Piaro¡¯s killing intent and the fear effect has been applied.]


    [The trap that Piaro installed is activated.]


    Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    Chachachachang!


    From thend where Euphemina was standing, sharp spikes reminiscent of shark teeth rose and arrows flew from the walls on both sides. At the same time, Piaro appeared in front of them. Euphemina hastily used one of the skills that she had prepared.


    ¡°Tartan!¡±


    Tartan was currently the strongest defensive skill known to be avable only to ¡®Bump¡¯, the first ranked guardian knight.


    Kuooooh!


    A huge steel giant appeared out of thin air and then embraced Euphemina¡¯s small, delicate body. All the arrows and spears didn¡¯t reach Euphemina¡¯s body as they were obstructed by the giant. But Piaro¡¯s shy blow was enough to pierce the giant. Immediately before the sword was about to reach Euphemina¡¯s heart!


    ¡°Counter Barrier!¡±


    The strongest assault knight, Miared¡¯s skill was reproduced by Euphemina.


    Puok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    As soon as Piaro¡¯s sword came into contact with Euphemina, Piaro coughed up blood and flew backward in the air. The damage that Euphemina should¡¯ve received was reflected back on Piaro due to Counter Barrier.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    The brilliant Piaro turned in the air, not caring about his wound. However, Euphemina didn¡¯t stay still.


    ¡°Swirling Frenzy!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Before Piaro could reach the ground, a fierce storm covered him. Piaro had no ce to lean on, so his body couldn¡¯t resist being swept away by the storm. However, Euphemina was well aware that he wouldn¡¯t die. She didn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    "Scorching Heat Wave! Tyrant¡¯s Majesty! Mace of Light! Spear of Darkness! Prelude to Destruction!¡±


    Euphemina had dozens of top-level skills that she had prepared for 63 days. The strong attacks of different properties shattered the cave, burying Piaro in the debris.


    ¡®Have I seeded? No. There would be a quest clear prompt.¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s intelligence stat was very high. She even prepared advanced mana potions. But nheless, she had a shortage of mana due to using so many top-level skills in session.


    ¡®I have to wait for the potion reuse time.¡¯


    Piaro was still alive. She didn¡¯t know when a strong counterattack woulde from the pile of stones. Until then, she had to make up for her low mana. Euphemina decided to use ¡®flying¡¯ magic to maintain as much distance as possible from Piaro.


    As she rose into the sky, Piaro crawled out from the remnants of the cave. He was rtively unscathed, despite the skill bombardment that would¡¯ve killed an army of hundreds.


    "Female... I recognize your strength and will do my best.¡±


    Taack!


    Piaro jumped.


    Peeng!Peeng!


    Piaro jumped into the air in bursts, as if he was stepping on an invisible staircase. He instantly narrowed the distance towards Euphemina.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an inevitable death!¡±


    A red light emerged from Piaro¡¯s sword. It was the forerunner to the skill that Asmophel mentioned, Fated to Perish. Once the skill was activated, Euphemia wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid death. It meant that her 63 days of hardship would be for nothing.


    Pahat!


    The distance between Piaro and Euphemina was so close that they could hear each other¡¯s breathing. The reuse time for Euphemia¡¯s potions was almost over. Euphemina drank a mana potion and used the spells she prepared to stop Fated to Perish.


    ¡°Nightmare Projection!¡±


    "......!"


    The sword rushing towards Euphemina stopped. Euphemina gazed at Piaro and gulped.


    Kwarurung!


    The red sword, which should¡¯ve sliced Euphemina, cut the empty space dozens of times. It showed he had properly fallen into a hallucination. Now Piaro was fighting against the most fearful nightmare in the world.


    "You havee to me. Asmophellllll!¡±


    The ming sword continued to swing without stopping. Thanks to him, the sky was as red as the sunset. Euphemina tried to use a bombardment of skills again while Piaro was preupied.


    But there was a variable.


    [You have reached your physical and mental limits after using an excessive amount of force during a short period of time.]


    [Your skills can¡¯t be used for a while.]


    [All stats have fallen by 50%.]


    ¡°W-What?! No way! My quest sess was in sight!¡±


    It seemed that she had used too many top-level skills in a short amount of time, causing her physical and mental stress. It was her first experience and she couldn¡¯t deal with it because she never thought this could happen.


    As she was confused, Piaro was slowly escaping from his hallucinatory state.


    ¡®This can¡¯t continue!¡¯


    The physical abilities of a Duplicator were minimal. Once her skills were blocked, she had no way to fight against Piaro. There was only one choice remaining. Give up the quest.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Her 63 days of effort ended in vain. The quest had already failed and the situation would be worse if she died here. Euphemina swallowed back her tears and left this ce. Shortly afterward, Piaro woke up from his hallucination and realized that Euphemina was gone.


    "Wicked female... I will surely repay today¡¯s disgrace.¡±


    [Quest failed!]


    [Your level has dropped by 2.]


    [You are now level 188.]


    [Asmophel¡¯s confidence in you has fallen.]


    Euphemina was frustrated at the notification windows that emerged after she barely escaped from Piaro. She tried her best for more than two months, but all her efforts returned such a horrible oue, so her disappointment was undeniably huge.


    "It was a chance to get a new title after a long time...¡±


    The more titles, the better. It was because the effects ovepped. But gaining titles wasn¡¯t easy. Most titles were obtained through quests, but quests which gave titles were rare. Despite being a top ranker, Euphemina only had two titles.


    "Ohh.¡±


    Euphemina couldn¡¯t suppress her disappointment. As she was filled with anger, a messenger from the Mero Company came to her.


    "Will you take a job? Miss Erina.¡±


    Due to the nature of a Duplicator, Euphemina had multiple identities. Among them, Erina was the name she used when she copied an advanced NPC cksmith and crafted an epic rated item.


    ¡®Since they came with this name, is it a cksmith rted quest?¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s guess was correct.


    [The quest ¡®Item Production Game with the Mero Company!¡¯ has been created.]


    [Item Production Game!]


    Difficulty: Unknown.


    The world doesn¡¯t know your true identity.


    The Mero Company has approached you after hearing about your good cksmith skills.


    They want you to participate in an item making game held in Winston.


    The opponent is the sessor of the reputable cksmith, Khan, who was once famous in the north. The sessor is a variable who can¡¯t be measured.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Win the item production game.


    Quest Clear Reward: 1,500 gold. Title ¡®Competitor.¡¯


    * Competitor: Fighting spirit stat will be opened. Good luck stat will be opened. Skill ¡®Rolling Dice¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Your rtionship with the Mero Company will be the worst.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡®A title giving quest!¡¯


    She had been frustrated at missing the chance to get a new title, only to receive a quest with a title reward. It was also a title that opened the good luck stat.


    ¡¯The good luck stat, I want to have it.¡¯


    The good luck stat was very famous. The higher the good luck, the higher the probability of receiving beneficial effects in Satisfy. It started with finding money on the road, to finding hidden quests and treasures.


    As the name suggested, it gave good luck to the user so many people really wanted it. Naturally, this included Euphemina.


    ¡®I also wonder what the Rolling Dice skill is. Doesn¡¯t it sound interesting?¡¯


    The biggest disadvantage of being a Duplicator was that there were fewer types of skills avable. Therefore, Euphemia had a huge desire to possess skills.


    ¡¯The reward is also 1,500 gold... should I ept?¡¯


    The rewards were excellent. For Euphemina, this quest was an inevitable temptation. She had just failed a quest, so she felt like earning some profits back with this quest. But she shouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to ept the quest.


    ¡®The difficulty is unknown...¡¯


    Euphemina made a hypothesis.


    ¡®Khan¡¯s sessor must be a cksmith character whose level isn¡¯t open to the public. Is that why the difficulty isn¡¯t determined?¡¯


    The hypothesis was usible.


    ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have to worry too much. Does the difficulty of a production game matter in the first ce?¡¯


    No cksmith skills existed that Euphemina couldn¡¯t duplicate. If she participated in the production game, she could copy the opponent¡¯s cksmith skill and y with the same skill level. In other words, it was a game where she wouldpete with luck.


    Whenpeting with the same skill level, the luckier person would create a higher rated item and victory would be decided ordingly.


    ¡®If I am lucky, I can easily clear the quest. On the other hand, I might fail if I am unlucky.¡¯


    It was a quest where she couldn¡¯t be certain of sess. The risk was big. However, she coveted the rewards. Euphemina decided to ept the quest.


    ¡°The game, please leave it to me.¡±


    The game was established to be between Grid and Euphemina. If the world knew the identities of Grid and Euphemina, theirpetition would be the hottest issue in the world. A confrontation between an epic ss and a legendary ss, the attention would¡¯ve been enormous.


    Unfortunately, the world still didn¡¯t know the identities of the two people. Such a significant battle spread secretly.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    Winston¡¯s Central Square!


    It was originally crowded, but even more people were gathered today. The item making game between cksmiths would ur here.


    "I hope that Grid can win and protect Khan¡¯s smithy. That smithy is thest pride that we have left.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. If the smithy falls into the hands of the Mero Company, our ce in Winston willpletely disappear.¡±


    "Grid, have strength! You absolutely can¡¯t lose.¡±


    The hearts of the Winston residents gathered together. They prayed that Grid would win the game. However, the users¡¯ attitudes were different. The result of the game had nothing to do with them.


    ¡°An item production game? There isn¡¯t anything else interesting, so why don¡¯t we watch for a while?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to do. If it isn¡¯t fun, then we can just go. Somebody win~. The winner will be on this side~.¡±


    As a result, most users just thought of the game as slightly interesting.


    "Hey, isn¡¯t it funny when you think about it? cksmiths making items, why are so many people going to watch it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s tedious to watch a cksmith make items, not interesting. The item created will be epic at the most, so I¡¯m not even interested in the result.¡±


    "Where is an epic rated item? It¡¯s good if they could even make a rare rated item. I heard rumors that no famous cksmiths are participating.¡±


    ¡°What? Then what is the goal? Why should we care about the results? Hey, this is a waste of time, so let¡¯s just go hunting. Anyway, who cares about who owns the smithy?¡±


    The users mocked the game as trivial and turned away.


    After a while.


    Once the participants of the game were revealed, the male users no longer thought of leaving.


    ¡°Now! Let me introduce the main characters of this match. From the Mero Company, Erina! And Khan¡¯s sessor, Grid!¡±


    "Ohhhhhhh!!¡±


    The eyes of the male users widened as they saw the blonde girl climbing onto the stage and they started cheering.


    ¡°Wow. Really pretty!¡±


    "Is this love at first sight?¡±


    ¡°My ideal type...¡±


    The blonde girl was wearing a hat. However, she showed off a beauty that couldn¡¯t be hidden, even with her face notpletely exposed. Her mouth was especially attractive. The male users, who weren¡¯t interested in the result of the game originally, became her avid supporters the moment they saw her.


    ¡°Erina. I will cheer for you.¡±


    "Erina, please win~.¡±


    ¡°Erina! Erina! Erina!¡±


    The male fan club formed in an instant. Erina, or Euphemina, shrugged as she watched their sky-piercing cheers and waved her hand gracefully.


    "Thank you for your support.¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    She smiled softly, making her seem like a goddess to the men. It was reminiscent of the reaction of soldiers towards the visit of girl group idols.


    Grid sucked in a deep breath at the sight.


    ¡®Is it my turn next?¡¯


    The male users were rooting for the female contestant. Then it was natural for the female users to support and cheer on the male contestant. Grid smiled and followed Euphemina¡¯s actions by waving towards the female users in the audience.


    Grid expected the cheers of female users. But their reaction was much different than expected.


    "What is that guy doing? Uhh, I feel bad.¡±


    "The bread that I ate a while ago feels like it¡¯sing back up...¡±


    "He looks really horrible...¡±


    The reactions from the female users were the worst!


    ¡¯This dirty society that only cares about looks! You would support me properly if I was handsome.¡¯


    None of the women supported him, but the residents of Winston shouted towards the frustrated Grid.


    ¡°Grid! You have us. We are cheering for you. We believe in you! Be sure to win.¡±


    "Khan¡¯s sessor, show off your skills.¡±


    "Grid¡¯s victory! Grid¡¯s victory! Grid¡¯s victory!¡±


    Grid trembled.


    ¡®If you are supporting me, why are your gazes directed towards her...?¡¯


    NPC males were wolves as well. Among the residents of Winston, the men forgot that the blonde girl was an enemy and couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off her. Even Khan!


    ¡®These bastards, I am now aware of your real state.¡¯


    A blonde girl who was so seductive that she even attracted elderly NPCs. Grid felt resentful towards her, as he turned into a squid just from standing next to her.


    ¡°You. I will surely win. Then I¡¯ll enjoy seeing that pretty face distort!¡±


    Euphemina was amazed by Grid¡¯s deration. This was a man she was meeting as an enemy, but how could he ignore her beauty?


    ¡®Unless the person is gay or blind, isn¡¯t it natural for all men to support my beauty?¡¯


    Euphemina had a proud nature.


    ¡®Taste my beauty properly.¡¯


    Euphemina lifted the brim of the hat she used to hide her identity. Her beautiful face was clearly revealed. Grid was forced to admire it.


    ¡®Looking at her like this, she is really pretty. Isn¡¯t sheparable to that wicked witch, Yura?¡¯


    If Yura was an elegant and mature woman, Euphemina was a youthful and refreshing girl. Their atmosphere was quite different, but they were simr in that both of them had a transcendent beauty.


    ¡®Is she a human or a doll?¡¯


    Grid made a stupid expression and was unable to keep his eyes off of Euphemina.


    Euphemina saw it and thought. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right. Once you see my face, you will fall at first sight. Now you will follow me like a dog, just like the other men.¡¯


    There was no man in the world who could go against her beauty! Euphemina had huge pride in her looks. She continued to speak to Grid in order to perfectly capture her victory.


    ¡°Grid? There is no need to be hostile towards me. Haven¡¯t we just met? Perhaps we will see each other again. In the future, we might develop a good rtionship? So don¡¯t be upset and let¡¯s get along.¡±


    She had half moon eyes and a slyly flirting voice. There was no man who wouldn¡¯t be into her when she acted like this.


    But Grid just snorted. ¡°What? Develop a good rtionship? Don¡¯t say such horrible things, Kid.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s face turned red.


    "H-Horrible? Why wouldn¡¯t you develop a good rtionship with me? In addition, kid?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I don¡¯t want to develop a good rtionship with a fox like you! Kid! Have you even graduated from high school? I have no interest in a little person like you. I¡¯m not a lolicon! Shit. Do you think that I am such a slimy bastard? It might be your intention to keep me from concentrating on the game, but I won¡¯t fall for it.¡±


    Grid was firm. He had an ideal type. Her height should be at least 168cm and her chest should be a D cup! Euphemina was definitely pretty but she was far from Grid¡¯s ideal type. Her natural height was 160cm. Her chest was only a B cup.


    No matter how good her face was, there was no reason for Grid to fall for her.


    ¡®Kid? Fox? What is with this person?¡¯


    Euphemina stared nkly as she listened to Grid¡¯s ridicule, before suddenly shaking. The sense of shame she never experienced before made her extremely angry.


    ¡®More than anything else, I am 20 years old!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Euphemina wasn¡¯t a young girl. She looked younger than her age, but she was already an adult. Being called a kid was touching on Euphemia¡¯s sore spot, since she had aplex about her height.


    ¡®I will disgrace you in front of all these people!¡¯


    Euphemina decided as she was filled with anger. She smiled coldly. Then she nced at Grid and asked.


    "Since you don¡¯t realize my charm, are you gay? Okay. I will make you feel bitter about Mother Nature making you gay. Let¡¯s see who will make the better item. But I¡¯m going to win.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Gay? I am gay? What the hell are you saying? This unlucky brat! I¡¯m not gay!¡± Grid shouted indignantly.


    Euphemina heard another shock as she heard the word ¡®unlucky.¡¯ She never imagined the day woulde when she would hear this from a man.


    ¡°U-Unlucky? Me? A trash-like man will never be able to match me!¡±


    Grid was the one who insulted her first. From Euphemina¡¯s point of view, Grid seemed like a madman. Euphemina couldn¡¯t cope with the shame and tearfully shouted. "I want to say goodbye to you as quickly as possible! Start the game now!¡±


    "Okay, let¡¯s get started. I don¡¯t care about this one-sided cheering. I will make you fail today!¡±


    The host didn¡¯t announce the start of the game but Grid already ced iron ore inside the burning furnace. Euphemina experienced making items in the past so she also started smelting the metal.


    Hwaruruk!


    A huge momentum rose from the two angry people. The temperature of the furnace rose rapidly.


    The host shouted.


    ¡°The two people have started the game. I will notify the crowd! This time, the theme is to make a dagger. The one who produces the better quality dagger within the time limit will be the victor!¡±


    Daggers were items that could be made rtively quickly. It was good to spend a long time to create a real masterpiece, but skilled cksmiths couldplete a good dagger in two hours. The time limit of this game was three hours.


    ¡°Erina, fight!¡±


    The number of users continued to increase as they heard the turmoil, causing Euphemina¡¯s fans to multiply as rapidly as a cancer cell. The cheers of the Winston residents werepletely buried by their shouts, so Grid seemed to be fighting alone behind enemy lines.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    One-sided cheering! But Grid actually became more excited. A weed would grow stronger once it was trampled on.


    ¡¯I will win! Then I will make all of you shut up!¡¯


    Gridpleted the smelting and started the process of making the dagger.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Euphemina became nervous as he started to tap the steel with his hammer. It was because she hadn¡¯t finished smelting yet.


    ¡®Fast! The difference in our skills is toorge.¡¯


    It was inevitable. In the first ce, was Euphemina a cksmith?


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be hasty. It isn¡¯t good to be too urgent.¡¯


    Euphemina calmly focused on the process of smelting. Grid had repeated the quenching and forging process several times by the time she finished smelting. Then she pulled out a hammer from her inventory. She had bought this hammer for a lot of money, in order for this quest to be sessful.


    [Blessed cksmith Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 299/300 Attack Power: 50~70 Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +15% Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +5%


    A hammer user by a prestigious cksmith. It will assist the user in creating higher rated items.


    User Restriction: Level 150 or higher. More than 100 strength. Intermediate cksmith skill.


    [You can¡¯t equip it because you don¡¯t meet the item usage conditions.]


    Euphemina had enough strength and her level was high enough to use the ¡®Blessed cksmith Hammer.¡¯ But she wasn¡¯t a cksmith, so she didn¡¯t have the intermediate cksmith skill. However, that story would change once she duplicated Grid¡¯s cksmith skill.


    Euphemina faced Grid who was concentrating on making a dagger and used Skill Observation. Euphemina smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡®If we both have the same cksmith skill, it is likely that the person with a better production tool will win.¡¯


    The hammer Grid was using was old and shabby, much worse than Euphemina¡¯s hammer. Euphemina was confident of her victory. But the moment she thought that! She was shocked as she saw the notification window that popped up.


    [The level of Skill Observation is too low.]


    [You can¡¯t analyze the skill of the target.]


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Currently, Euphemina¡¯s Skill Observation was level 7. Her skill wouldn¡¯t fail, even if she observed a third advancement NPC. Above all, her skill was only level 5 when she analyzed and copied the skill of an advanced level cksmith.


    However, Grid¡¯s cksmith skill was impossible to observe with the level 7 Skill Observation? Surely Grid¡¯s cksmith skill wasn¡¯t at the advanced level?


    ¡°...It can¡¯t be. Skill Observation! Skill Observation!¡±


    [The level of Skill Observation is too low.]


    [You can¡¯t analyze the skill of the target.]


    [The level of Skill Observation is too low.]


    [You can¡¯t analyze the skill of the target.]


    No matter how many times she used Skill Observation, the same notification windows repeatedly appeared.


    ¡°This must be a bug. Skill Observation!!¡±


    [The level of Skill Observation is too low.]


    [You can¡¯t analyze the skill of the target.]


    She used the skill until her mana was low, but her face was pale as she failed toplete the analysis.


    "Unbelievable..."


    Euphemina had to admit it. This stupid man actually had the skills of an advanced cksmith.


    ¡¯Is he a craftsman? That absolutely can¡¯t be!¡¯


    The 1st ranked person on the cksmith rankings was only at the intermediate level. Yet Grid, who she¡¯d never heard of, had skills beyond a ranker. It was impossible. Craftsmen were rare even among NPC cksmiths.


    ¡¯Yes, he is a cksmith, not a craftsman. But why would my skill fail to analyze if he is a cksmith? D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Euphemina made a hypothesis. Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary cksmith. She couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that this stupid man might have a hidden ss like herself.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to believe it, but it is reasonable.¡¯ Otherwise, I can¡¯t exin why Skill Observation can¡¯t analyze this man¡¯s skill.¡¯


    In addition to cksmiths, the rankings of all production sses were currently at the intermediate level. Even the most famous NPCs only had advanced level skills, and craftsman NPCs were extremely rare.


    If Grid was an ordinary user, it was impossible for him to master the craftsmanship skills. Euphemina was forced to believe that Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary cksmith. Rather, he had a cksmith-rted ss above the epic rating.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a rare ss. I can replicate the skills of a rare ss since I have an epic ss. The minimum must be an epic ss. But except for me, the only other epic sses are Agnus and Katz... Surely that guy doesn¡¯t have an unique ss? When did a unique ss emerge?¡¯


    It was really the worst case scenario. She had been thinking too lightly when she epted a quest with an unknown level of difficulty.


    ¡®Completely outrageous. I never expected topete with a unique ss!¡¯


    Euphemina fell into a confused state.


    ¡®What should I do? I can¡¯t do anything like this and will fail the quest.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t even start making an item because she didn¡¯t have the cksmith skill. She knew how to make it, but the end result would be absolutely rubbish without the assistance of the cksmith skills.


    ¡®Should I give up? Again?¡¯


    She faced a situation where she had to give up another quest after ¡®Agent of Revenge.¡¯ Euphemina thought this was truly the worst.


    Grid btedly discovered that she wasn¡¯t doing anything and mocked her. ¡°What? Are youpletely frozen? Are you jealous of my skills, Kid?¡±


    "Ohh!¡±


    Anger formed on Euphemina¡¯s face again.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be defeated by a lowly man like this!¡¯


    If things continued like this, Grid would win. She needed to find a cksmith and duplicate their cksmith skills.


    ¡®But where can I find a cksmith...? Ah!¡¯


    Euphemina had a good idea and suddenly nced at the audience. Rabbit was aware of the strange turn of events and approached her.


    "Is there a problem?"


    Euphemina whispered into Rabbit¡¯s ears.


    "Who is Grid¡¯s mentor? Call that person up on stage as well. Then make him help Grid with the dagger production.¡±


    It was an absurd demand. Rabbit¡¯s eyes narrowed. "Why? I can¡¯t understand your intentions."


    Euphemina exined with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say anymore because it is a personal matter, but please listen to my request. It will increase my chances of winning.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    It would increase her chances of winning? Rabbit wasn¡¯t easily convinced. But what could he do? The game had already begun. There would be a lot of usations if he tried to change thepetition now.


    ¡®In the first ce, I have no substitute.¡¯


    In the end, Rabbit was forced to listen to Euphemina¡¯s demands.


    ¡°I will try.¡±


    Rabbit spoke to the host who yelled towards the audience.


    ¡°Mr. Khan! Come up on stage! Erina stated that she wants you to add your strength to Grid!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A truly shocking promation. Confusion appeared on Grid¡¯s face as there was an uproar.


    ¡°What? Erina wants topete 2 against 1?¡±


    "That guy called Grid must be very bad. Therefore, Erina felt pity and called Grid¡¯s mentor to the stage.¡±


    "Is she saying that they have to join forces for this to be a properpetition?¡±


    ¡°Wow, that is truly great confidence. She¡¯s a wonderful woman.¡±


    The crowd misunderstood and became more firmly entrenched on Euphemina¡¯s side. She was worshipped as a benevolent and confident queen. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s pride was dented and his hostility towards Euphemina became stronger.


    ¡®This chick dares do this...!¡¯


    Khan walked over to the agitated Grid and said, ¡°Calm down. This is a great opportunity for us. Let¡¯s fight her together as she demanded.¡±


    Grid puffed up. "What? Do you really think I will lose to her?¡±


    ¡°How can that be? I believe that you can win over anyone. Aren¡¯t you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you following her demands?¡±


    "I respect you as a cksmith. I would like to have the honor to work with you. In addition, my cksmith¡¯s heart wants to help instead of just watching. Grid, this is a request. I won¡¯t hold you back, so please give me this opportunity to protect my smithy with you.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t refuse after hearing Khan¡¯s words.


    "...As long as we¡¯re together, we will seed. Let¡¯s crush that girl in front of all these people.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The two people teamed up. In particr, Khan was overjoyed at being able to work with Grid in front of so many people.


    "I will demonstrate the best skills as your assistant! Give me amand.¡±


    He was definitely a cksmith. As Khan prepared to help Grid, Euphemina activated Skill Observation.


    [You have sessfully analyzed ¡®Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship¡¯ Lv.2.]


    It was as nned. Euphemina smiled as an analysis of Khan¡¯s cksmith skill appeared.


    "Skill Duplication!"


    [You have sessfully duplicated ¡®Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship¡¯ Lv.2.]


    [The skill ¡®Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship¡¯ Lv. 2 is avable to use once. You can keep it permanently until it is used.]


    In the first ce, the result of the cksmith game depended on chance. Even if Grid had superior cksmith skills, it didn¡¯t mean he would unconditionally make a high rated item. In addition, Euphemina had the Blessed cksmith Hammer.


    ¡®There is still a chance.¡¯


    Euphemina became engrossed in the production of the dagger.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    It had been two hours since the item production game started. It was around the time that the crowd was losing interest. While Euphemina had already finished the de and had moved on to the hilt, I hadn¡¯t even finished the outline of the de yet. I continued to temper the iron.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Thanks to Khan helping me pinch the metal with his tongs, I was able to be more involved in the hammering and forging.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated. Concentration, stamina, and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    A notification window popped up as I was concentrating. At the same time, I was able to exert an aura of sharp concentrating, making my hammer strikes more powerful and borate.


    Kaaang!


    The sound of cheering waspletely diminished. I forgot that this was Winston¡¯s Central Square that contained thousands of people. Even Khan¡¯s helping presence became blurred. It was quiet. The only thing that existed in this world was the iron.


    Ttaang - ttang -


    The hammer and I weren¡¯t separate entities. We were fully fused. There was no resistance in the movements of the hammer. It followed my will as if it was part of my body.


    Ttaaang!


    The metal made a clear sound as it was shaped like a de. Then a notification window shed.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    "......!"


    My spirit cleared and the calm world suddenly changed.


    ¡°Erina! Erina! Erina!¡±


    ¡°Khan, fighting!¡±


    "I believe in Grid!¡±


    The crowd cheered, the birds chirped on the fence, the second hand of the clock tower ticked, and the hammering of Erina were all types of noises that could be heard from the other side of the stage.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    My consciousness was dissatisfied as I returned from my own world. It was like reality was intruding.


    ¡®I wanted to remain there a little bit longer.¡¯


    Too bad. It was the first time since the creation of the Jaffa Arrow that I became so immersed in the production process. If I could remain in that world a little more, I thought I could create a better work.


    As I felt regret, Khan¡¯s trembling voice was heard.


    "I never thought iron could be so beautiful...¡±


    Now I had finished the de. Then I saw it. It was wlessly sophisticated, more beautiful than any artwork! The eyes of a legendary cksmith shouted. This work was more outstanding than the Special Jaffa Arrows.


    ¡°G-Great... amazing! To think I am able to enjoy the glory of helping with this work! I think that I was born to be a cksmith just for this day!¡± Khan excitedly eximed.


    But I remained calm. It was because I couldn¡¯t ruin the remaining processes.


    "Inventory."


    I took out a minotaur horn from my inventory. It was why I spent a huge amount of 10 gold before the match. I would make a sheath and hilt with this horn. The sheath could be used as a defensive tool depending on the situation, so it was better to have a proper weight and rigidity. The hilt had to be rtively soft to minimize the fatigue of the user.


    The minotaur¡¯s horn was robust and durable, but it was surprisingly soft. It had the texture of brass casting. In other words, it was suitable to be used for the sheath and hilt.


    Seuk seuk.


    First, the sheath was designed based on the size of the de while the length, width, and shape of the hilt were based on an adult male¡¯s hand. It waspletely practical. The minotaur¡¯s horn had an artistic pattern on it, so they showed an artistry without me having to do anything. After finishing the design, I was focused on the production when I heard a tremendous cry from the stands.


    Erina hadpleted the dagger one step ahead of me. The host checked her dagger and was impressed.


    "This is a really great work! Making this in less than three hours, I can only admire this wonderful work! Now!¡±


    "What type of work was created that could cause such surprise?¡±


    "Don¡¯t look alone. Show it to us!¡±


    The crowd was in an uproar as they were curious about the finished work. After the host confirmed that their curiosity reached the peak, he focused the crowd¡¯s attention on the disy board installed at the back of the stage.


    ¡°Okay! Check it out!¡±


    On the disy board, Erina¡¯s dagger appeared. It was very sharp yet had a great bnce. It was a superior dagger that would be able to exert an exceptional attack power. The handle was made of brass casting with a beautiful pattern engraved on it, making it a beautiful ornament as well.


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    "The dagger resembles the owner! I have never seen such a pretty dagger. I want to see!¡±


    ¡°That is a secondary matter. The performance is extraordinary just looking at it. I really want it.¡±


    The crowd was enthusiastic. Now it wasn¡¯t just the men showing a favorable opinion towards Erina, but the female users as well. The detailed information of the dagger appeared.


    [Dagger of Bewitchment]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 60/60 Attack Power: 122~127 Attack Speed: +8%


    * There is a certain probability of bewitching the enemy.


    * The durability will be quickly consumed when blocking an attack.


    A dagger produced using the delicate skills and superior aesthetics of an excellent cksmith.


    The lethal beauty can sometimes steal other people¡¯s hearts.


    The sharp de has a high attack power, but the drawback is that itcks robustness.


    User Restriction: Level 100 or higher. More than 200 agility. More than 30 strength. Intermediate Dagger Mastery.


    The disadvantage was its durability, but this was a truly excellent dagger. The attack power was iparable to amon dagger. It also had the bewitchment option. Bewitchment was a powerful skill that turned a target into a non-resistant state for three seconds. It was appropriate as an assassin¡¯s weapon.


    The users were convinced.


    "The result is clear! Erina definitely won this game!¡±


    Even the Winston residents felt desperate.


    "Ah... that woman is a great cksmith. Grid is a cksmith recognized by Khan, but is it possible for him to create something better?¡±


    Rabbit and the other Mero Company officials looked convinced that victory was in their grasp. But I didn¡¯t shake. Khan was the same.


    Khanughed. ¡°That girl has tremendous skills for her young age. They are excited right now. But it won¡¯t be like that in the future. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    The sheath and hilt were finished. I nodded as they werebined with the de.


    "Of course. I represent the ugly people of the world. I will never stop.¡±


    Khan frowned. ¡°Represent the ugly people? What does that mean? You are fighting on behalf of the smithy, the smithy!¡±


    ¡°...Ah, excuse me. I forgot. Now, shall we go and keep the smithy?¡±


    The dagger waspleted. I was thrilled to see the information about the dagger and showed my dagger to the host. The host didn¡¯t even look at my dagger properly as he spoke to the crowd.


    ¡°This team spent a lot more time than Erina, despite having two people. He can¡¯t hide the fact that the result of this game is too obvious!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Yes! It is shameful for two men to go against a woman, but it hase to an end!¡±


    The crowd agreed.


    I scoffed at all of them. ¡°Look at my work and be careful not to have heart attacks from shock.¡±


    At that moment. Soldiers armed with swords and spears climbed onto the stage. Then they confiscated my dagger.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    As I was confused, a heavily armed knight shouted.


    ¡°I have received information that you are working with a criminal called Huroi, arrested eight days ago for trying to harm Winston! You¡¯ll have to be questioned about this!¡±


    ¡°Huroi?¡±


    Was he talking about Huroi who received the ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ quest? He was captured and failed the quest?


    ¡®That useless bastard. No... why am I associated with him?¡¯


    I resisted. ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t know that person! Let me go!"


    The knight pulled out his sword at my defiance and warned me, ¡°I suggest that you don¡¯t resist.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    If I did something, this bastard really would kill me. A sword was pointed at my neck! I was unarmed and forced to follow as the soldiers dragged me down the stage.


    Khan called out. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you unfairly framing a person?¡±


    The knights and soldiers ignored Khan. Khan eventually ran to where the Mero officials were sitting. Then he shouted to someone.


    ¡°Valmont! You cowardly wretch! You know that you won¡¯t win the game, so you are trying to finish it in this manner! You aren¡¯t afraid of the Winston residents?¡±


    However, Khan¡¯s shouting was useless. The middle-aged man didn¡¯t respond as if he was just hearing an annoying dog¡¯s barks.


    Thus, I was brought by the armed forces to the castle.


    ***


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    Rabbit had spent 20 years as a merchant. In the meantime, he had handled numerous excellent products. That¡¯s why he was astonished the moment he checked the dagger made by Grid.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t an ordinary item! Erina¡¯s dagger can¡¯t bepared to it. We... we lost. I didn¡¯t think he would have that much skill!¡¯


    Valmont, sitting beside him, muttered in an angry voice. ¡°We lost.¡±


    Valmont also noticed it right away when he saw Grid¡¯s dagger. His eyes were as good as Rabbit¡¯s when it came to seeing spectacr items.


    Rabbit bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve been more vignt.¡±


    Valmont forgave him for failing this time. There was no choice. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. You hired an amazing cksmith. But the opponent was too strong. It is different from his appearance.¡±


    Valmont had dered their victory when he first saw Grid. He guessed Grid was just a lowly cksmith. But the result was clear and simple. This failure couldn¡¯t be med on Rabbit. Grid was just an amazing person.


    ¡°He disguised himself as a trash person so that he could make his opponent underestimate him... He really isn¡¯t stupid. Thispetition needs to be properly handled. How can I ept this result?¡±


    Valmont wanted the smithy. It wasn¡¯t eptable for a merchant to give up on the profit from the smithy because of a game.


    Rabbit tried to persuade him. "But we have already publicly announced this. If we don¡¯t ept the result, the public sentiment will be irreversible.¡±


    Valmont raised his voice. ¡°You are speaking nonsense. I will absolutely never give up the smithy!¡±


    Rabbit could no longer stop Valmont. How could he be so confident in this bad situation? There must be something.


    Then Valmont smiled wickedly. ¡°In the first ce, the crowd doesn¡¯t know the result yet. Unlike us, they don¡¯t have the discerning eye to see that it is a great item. Unless the details are checked, it is impossible to know that Grid¡¯s dagger is far superior to Erina¡¯s dagger. Sir Philipson!¡±


    Philipson was the knight of Baron Lowe, the lord of Winston, and he was here as Valmont¡¯s escort. It clearly showed how great Valmont¡¯s current position in Winston was.


    Valmont gave an order to Philipson. ¡°Arrest him right away on charges of being the friend of Huroi, who was caught recently. You must confiscate the dagger that he made. This information of that dagger must not be disclosed to the public!¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    Then Philipson¡¯s soldiers intruded on the stage. They quickly seized the dagger and arrested Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    ¡°A disgraceful person. Trying to beat me like this.¡±


    Valmont chuckled as he watched Grid being arrested before speaking to the silent Rabbit,


    "How is it? He is arrested before the result came out, so there is no concern about losing public sentiment?¡±


    "...That¡¯s right.¡±


    Valmont¡¯s actions were understandable from the point of view of the leader of the Mero Company. If it were the usual Rabbit, he would¡¯ve done the same thing as Valmont. But now, he didn¡¯t feelfortable.


    ¡®That youth called Grid...¡¯


    Grid created such a great work in just three hours. A cksmith of that degree might truly be the best on the continent. Bing the best in his field at such a young age? He truly was a unparalleled genius.


    ¡¯He has tremendous growth potential. If I could cooperate with that young man, I will be able to umte an unmatched wealth...¡¯


    Rabbit was a person who only moved for profit. His merchant¡¯s instincts meant he showed a profound interest in Grid.


    On the other hand, Euphemina was still on the stage.


    ¡®It is clear who the victor is.¡¯


    She thought she had an incredibly high chance to win after making the Dagger of Bewitchment. The Dagger of Bewitchment was an outstanding work. However, she soon realized that she was mistaken.


    The work that Grid made was far superior to her own at first sight. Euphemina knew she would lose and fail the quest the moment the information appeared on the disy board. But at that moment, Grid was arrested? It was really exquisite timing.


    ¡®It is disgusting but...¡¯


    Euphemina descended the stage, walked over to Rabbit, and said,


    "The development was strange and the actual result might be different, but the crowd is convinced of my victory. Even though the game has been stopped, the crowd thinks I won. Isn¡¯t that alone sufficient to achieve the Mero Company¡¯s aim? So I want the reward.¡±


    Rabbit nodded and said, ¡°It is as you said. I will keep the promise.¡±


    [Quest sess!]


    [1,500 gold has been acquired.]


    [Title, ¡®Competitor¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Fighting spirit stat will be opened.]


    [Good luck stat will be opened.]


    [The skill ¡®Rolling Dice¡¯ will be generated.]


    Euphemina¡¯s expression brightened as she received the rewards. She checked the newly create stats and skills.


    [Fighting Spirit]


    The lower the health, the greater the attack power and mental state.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    [Good Luck]


    The likelihood of lucky phenomenon will increase.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    [Rolling Dice]


    Roll a dice and a phenomenon will ur, depending on the number that is rolled.


    * If the target is yourself or an ally: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 4 or higher is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 3 or lower.


    * If the target is an enemy: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 3 or lower is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 4 or higher.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this apletely random skill?¡¯


    Fighting spirit and good luck. The effects of the two stats were so great that she forgot about the painful ¡®Agent of Revenge¡¯ quest for a moment. But the Rolling Dice skill was ambiguous. It would be nice if the good numbers were rolled when she used the skill, but what if the numbers were bad? That would lead to a terrible situation.


    ¡®However, if I increase my good luck stat, the probability of a beneficial number being rolled will rise. I¡¯ll be able to use it someday once my good luck stat is higher.¡¯


    Euphemina thought positively and prepared to say goodbye to Rabbit, but she hesitated and asked.


    "By the way, why was that person captured?¡±


    "He was witnessed conversing with an enemy of Winston.¡±


    "They suspect he is an aplice?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Grid had randomly ridiculed her. If possible, she wanted to beat him, but then he had been arrested.


    ¡®Thanks to that, I managed to clear the quest.¡¯


    It was really lucky. But then she felt regret.


    ¡®I wanted to know his identity...¡¯


    If he really was a unique ss, it would be beneficial in many ways to get to know him.


    ¡®No, no. I don¡¯t want to see him again. Isn¡¯t his nature too horrible? I will just get more wrinkles if I get close to him.¡¯


    Euphemina shook off the lingering regret and was about to leave, but then Rabbit called out to her, "You, in fact, you aren¡¯t a cksmith, are you?¡±


    ¡°.......?!¡±


    Euphemina panicked and stuttered with confusion.


    ¡°W-What are you suddenly saying? Didn¡¯t I make the dagger? How can I create something like that unless I¡¯m a cksmith?¡±


    "I noticed that Eria wasn¡¯t your real name. In addition, I don¡¯t believe you are a cksmith with those white, fine, delicate hands.¡±


    Due to the nature of the ss, cksmiths had scorched hands that were full of calluses, but Euphemina lookedpletely different from a cksmith.


    ¡°In addition, the way you handled the bellows was very crude. Even a beginner cksmith would be more skilled.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I noticed it more after you brought Khan to the stage, and then confirmed that you moved exactly like Khan. Perhaps you are capable of duplicating the techniques of others.¡±


    Euphemina could try to refute Rabbit¡¯s criticism. But she remained silent. She noticed that it was the prelude to a new quest.


    ¡°So? What are you trying to say?¡±


    Rabbit cut to the chase. ¡°Will you help me? Go and rescue Grid.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why? Isn¡¯t he your enemy?¡±


    Rabbit shrugged. ¡°There is no eternity in front of money.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Euphemina required a detailed exnation. Rabbit led her to an unfamiliar alley. He thoroughly checked that there was no one around and opened his mouth.


    "The Mero Company is greedy for the maximum benefit from Winston, making it a ticking time bomb. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Earl Steim received usations against the Mero Company at any moment. In other words, there is a dark cloud in the Mero Company¡¯s future. It is time for me to leave it.¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡°As soon as I saw Grid¡¯s skills, I realized where my new job would be. Khan¡¯s smithy. I¡¯ll take a job at Khan¡¯s smithy. Then I will form a team with Grid. I will distribute Grid¡¯s works using mywork of contacts and my business skills. If I assist Grid well, I believe that Grid and I alone can generate a revenue that is equal to a small or medium businesspany.¡±


    ¡°T-That much?¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s eyes also shone. One user had the potential to generate top-level profits! It was indeed amazing.


    ¡®Who is the current first ce merchant?¡¯


    Euphemina searched through her memories and recalled the person.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, Beiga. He became first ce three months ago. But I heard the scale of hispany is so small that he isn¡¯t able to make a profitpared to the NPC merchants...¡¯


    In other words, the first ranked merchant couldn¡¯t even operate a smallpany properly at the moment. However, Grid was able to generate the revenue of a smallpany just by making items.


    ¡®I know he doesn¡¯t have a regr ss but to think it is to this extent...¡¯


    Rabbit exined his n to Euphemina.


    ¡°These are the prerequisites to get a job at the Khan smithy. First of all, the fall of the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord. Secondly, makeover my image. Finally, the most important thing is to rescue Grid. If I can save Grid and cause the downfall of the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord at the same time, I will be able to appeal myself to Grid and the residents.¡±


    ¡°So you need my help?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have been watching your abilities. They will be sufficient.¡±


    [Quest ¡®Help Rabbit¡¯s Job Seeking n¡¯ has been created.]


    [Help Rabbit¡¯s Job Seeking n]


    Difficulty: S


    Rabbit is uncertain about the future of the Mero Company. He predicts that the Mero Company will soon fall, but he would rather break it with his own hands so that he will get a new image.


    Help Rabbit rescue Grid and cause the downfall of the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Rescue Grid trapped in the dungeon of Winston Castle. The fall of the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord.


    Quest Clear Reward: 5,000 gold. Affinity with Rabbit and the Winston residents will rise to the peak.


    Quest Failure: Level -2. Rabbit¡¯s death. All quests associated with Rabbit will be permanently destroyed.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?)


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it...¡¯


    Euphemina was speechless as she confirmed the quest. Quests that gave titles or S-grade quests weren¡¯t easy to find. But these type of quests were happening in session after being linked with Grid. At the very least, this proved that Grid was an incredibly huge person in Winston.


    ¡¯Grid... it is true that his nature is bad, but he has great abilities and presence. I think it would be wise to build up a rtionship through this matter.¡¯


    Euphemina decided to ept the quest.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    Just because a man wanted to switch jobs, the leader of a hugepany and the lord of a territory were in trouble.


    ***


    The residents of Winston gathered in Khan¡¯s smithy.


    "The rumor that Huroi was caught while leaving Winston is true.¡±


    "Then the lord already knows what we entrusted to Huroi right? It is a big deal. The surveince will tighten and a second Huroi won¡¯t appear.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything now. Winston won¡¯t be able to escape from the grasp of the Mero Company...¡±


    The residents were agitated. Usually, Khan would be soothing them, but he wasn¡¯t in the position to take care of others right now.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    Huroi was arrested for trying to reach Earl Steim. Unless the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord were idiots, they wouldn¡¯t let him out of prison for the rest of his life. Considering how close Grid was to the Winston residents, including Khan, it was likely that Grid would suffer a simr fate to Huroi.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let Grid rot in jail for the rest of his life. I must save him!¡¯


    Khan made a decision and shouted.


    "We can¡¯t close our eyes to this injustice! We have to protect our future with our own hands! Grab our weapons! We will drive the lord and the Mero Company out of Winston!¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    The residents freaked out.


    ¡°A-Are you suggesting a rebellion?¡±


    "A rebellion? It is the lord who is causing the rebellion! We are the people of Earl Steim. We¡¯ll go against the demons who joined hands to go against Earl Steim¡¯s will!¡±


    The residents were reminded that they had justification to go against the lord. Their morale started rising.


    ¡°Okay! I will follow Khan!¡±


    "It is impossible to drive out the lord with our strength, but with our indignation, we will let the world know that something is wrong in Winston. Then Earl Steim will eventually hear the news about Winston.¡±


    "We have to fight for Grid, who is locked up because of us.¡±


    "I am going to fight!"


    The residents decided to change Winston¡¯s fate with their own strength!


    Khan opened the door of the warehouse and checked it. The warehouse was full of battle gear, the very same items that Grid produced while practicing for the game. The performance wasn¡¯t excellent due to the limitations of the materials, but they were better than farming equipment.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The residents were excited as they armed themselves under Khan¡¯smand.


    ¡°Head towards the Mero Company right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Grab Valmont!¡±


    Khan restrained them. "If we attack the Mero Company, the news of our uprising will be delivered quickly to the lord and then the castle will be heavily defended.¡±


    ¡°Then, we should go to the castle first?¡±


    "Correct. We must enter the castle before news of our rebellion is passed onto the lord. If the lord is taken as a hostage, the soldiers won¡¯t be able to move and we can easily dismiss the Mero Company!¡±


    A man came forward and said, "The architect who designed the castle is my great-grandfather. So I have a blueprint of the castle in my home. We can grasp the secret passages through the blueprint, allowing us to easily infiltrate the castle."


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    They saw hope. The residents weren¡¯t helpless. They were confident they could drive out the lord and Mero Company. But it onlysted for a moment.


    Jaengurang!


    The windows of the cksmith¡¯s second floor were shattered and soldiers armed with bows entered.


    ¡°Drop your weapons if you don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    The smithy¡¯s second floor was upied by dozens of archers in an instant, all aiming their bows at the residents on the first floor. The residents were terrified as Valmont entered the smithy.


    Heughed loudly, "Hey, I just came to take over the smithy, only to earn the chance for a big merit! Hahaha!¡±


    The fat on his chin wobbled as heughed.


    Khan cried out to theughing Valmont. "You framed Grid and had him arrested so that the result of the game wouldn¡¯t be revealed!¡±


    Valmont shrugged.


    "The result of the game is undetermined? That¡¯s ridiculous. It was the Mero Company¡¯splete victory. Didn¡¯t you see the work of the cksmith we hired? Even if the details of the dagger that you and Grid made were disclosed, you wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her work. Ask the crowd, everybody would agree. The Mero Company won the game, so the proper owner of this smithy is the Mero Company.¡±


    ¡°You! You definitely noticed that Grid¡¯s work was much better than your cksmith¡¯s, so you hastily arrested Grid in fear of being defeated in the game!¡±


    Valmont ridiculed him, "If you want to me someone, shouldn¡¯t you me the eyes of the public? Anyway, throw away your weapon if you don¡¯t want to be immediately executed for causing a rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Who would listen to themands of a merchant?¡±


    "Hoh, is it a problem that I¡¯m a merchant? Then follow themand of Sir Philipson, not me. Sir Philipson, those people are armed so doesn¡¯t that constitute as a rebellion? You should pacify them.¡±


    Philipson standing next to Valmont nodded. He waved his hand and the soldiers upying the second floor pulled back their bows.


    ¡°Surrender all your weapons. And Khan, I will arrest you as the ringleader of the rebellion.¡±


    The residents were furious.


    ¡°Dirty bastard! Are you a knight? Valmont¡¯s dog! I don¡¯t have to listen to yourmands!¡±


    Philipson nced at the soldiers on the second floor. Arrows poured down.


    Puuok!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    One of the residents fell down after hit by an arrow.


    Khan shook at the sight.


    "Vicious bastards!¡±


    "The next attack will aim at your heads. Drop your weapons if you don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Even though they were all holding weapons, ordinary people didn¡¯t have a chance against trained soldiers. If they fought, they would just die a meaningless death.


    "Ohhh..."


    Jaengurang!


    Their weapons fell weakly to the ground. Their determination fell and the helpless peopley down on the ground in fear.


    Valmont watched the crying people andughed. ¡°Hahahaha! You fools! In the end, dogs like you will resist uselessly! Clearly understand this! You are meant to be ruled! All you need to do is unconditionally obey! Don¡¯t think about rebelling again!¡±


    Valmont gave an order to Philipson.


    "Confiscate everything in this smithy. And arrested the ringleader of the rebellion, Khan.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The soldiers moved in an orderly fashion. Valmont approached Philipson and whispered. "Sir Philipson, the lord will clearly give a great reward to us, who stopped the rebellion before any damage was done. Why don¡¯t we have a drink tonight to celebrate? I will prepare beauties and delicacies."


    "It is appreciated. We can y tonight. But you don¡¯t need to prepare separate beauties.¡±


    Philipson¡¯s greedy gaze was fixed on one side.


    Valmont followed his gaze and saw some elderly people and women standing on one side. Among the females, there was one around 15 years old. When she was an adult, she would be a great beauty.


    Valmont frowned and spoke to himself. "Wanting a young girl... you are worse than me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you say just now? I¡¯m sorry but I didn¡¯t hear it.¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. You didn¡¯t hear anything. I was just talking to myself.¡±


    While Valmont and Philipson were filled with anticipation at the lord¡¯s reward, the residents were desperate as they saw Khan being dragged.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°What should we do? This is the end... There is no one else to rely on in Winston.¡±


    "I should¡¯ve left when I could... Now I can¡¯t leave this ce..."


    Khan was thest remaining source of hope for the Winston residents. Now he was being dragged to the dungeon, so the residents lost hope. A saviour was needed.


    ***


    Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon.


    ¡°......¡±


    How many days had passed? Light never entered and Huroi felt despair as he remained trapped in the darkness. Now he couldn¡¯t tell is this was reality or virtual reality.


    ¡®Where is this? Why am I doing this? How can I get out of this hell?¡¯


    He would rather die. Meanwhile, in reality, Huroi¡¯s EEG was showing severe instability.


    The atmosphere of the S.A Mongolian branch was very heavy.


    ¡°The EEG is too unstable. We can¡¯t guarantee Allunbatar¡¯s health. If we don¡¯t forcefully log him out right now, he might need to be locked up in a mental hospital.¡±


    The experts advised to give up on this quest.


    However, the Mongolian branch director Park Eunhyuk¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°Allunbatar has endured 48 hours and 10 minutes. It has reached up to here, so it isn¡¯t about PR anymore. We can¡¯t waste the effort of Allunbatar. There is only 1 hour and 50 minutes remaining. Until then, we will watch Allunbatar until the end.¡±


    It meant he wouldn¡¯t allow the forced logout. The faces of the executives turned white.


    ¡°Satisfy deserves criticism for the existence of a quest that puts the user at risk. If we don¡¯t take responsibility for the safety of the user, thepany will take a bit hit.¡±


    "The whole world will think Satisfy is dangerous and service will be disrupted!¡±


    Park Eunhyuk didn¡¯t back down from the executives. "My decision has been made. If anything goes wrong, I will take all responsibility. I will do my best to avoid damaging thepany.¡±


    "No, why would you go so far? The current situation isn¡¯t that encouraging. The probability of Grid rescuing Huroi is only 9%! Furthermore, Grid was arrested as Huroi¡¯s aplice. Rather than rescuing Huroi, Grid will be stuck in the same dungeon. Isn¡¯t it a wise decision to force him to logout, since the quest will fail anyway?¡±


    Park Eunhyuk¡¯s thoughts were different.


    "Isn¡¯t it a positive thing that Grid was arrested? They are now close to each other in the dungeon.¡±


    The executives were shocked.


    ¡°Grid is a legendary ss, but he is low levelled. Furthermore, his items and weapons have been seized. How will he get out of the dungeon and rescue Huroi with just his body?¡±


    ¡°It has already been decided, so don¡¯t say anything more.¡±


    Park Eunhyuk dismissed them and focused on the monitor again. The first monitor had 48 hours stated on it. That was 192 hours stuck in the game, so Huroi was starting to panic. On the second monitor, the soldiers had just brought Grid into Winston Castle.


    ¡®Obviously, the situation is desperate. Huroi can¡¯t be rescued with Grid¡¯s strength. But something seems like it will happen.¡¯


    After the ¡®Wait¡¯ quest had been triggered, Park Eunhyuk watched Grid all the time. Grid was greedy, his tone was rude and his behaviour wasn¡¯t prudent. He was a figure far from the Apostle of Justice in the movies.


    But nevertheless, Park Eunhyuk gained more confidence as he watched.


    Grid always tried hard. He stood in front of a furnace for several hours and repeated hammering. He designed and made different items using the same materials. He moved his body and mind without any rest. He grumbled all day, but his actions were totally different.


    Then he produced an amazing work in the item production game.


    ¡¯A user created the first...¡¯


    Even if Grid had the fraudulent Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill, it was still too much to produce such an item so quickly.


    ¡®He might not have talent, but his spirit is exceptional. It would be nice to believe in him.¡¯


    Heroes in movies never gave up, no matter what hardships they suffered. And the hero should win in the end. Perhaps Grid deserved to be a hero too, Park Eunhyuk thought.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    ¡¯These damn f**kers.¡¯


    I was arrested before the quest seeded and dragged to Winston Castle. It had already been an hour since I was trapped in an interrogation room.


    "Several people witnessed you talking to Huroi in front of Khan¡¯s smithy. Did you already know that Huroi was nning to contact Earl Steim?¡±


    "So what if I knew?¡±


    "...It was a resident of Winston who entrusted Huroi to contact Earl Steim. Since you are close to the residents, don¡¯t you know who that person is?¡±


    ¡°So what if I know?¡±


    ¡°Then aren¡¯t you one of them?¡±


    ¡°No? Are you stupid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I made a much better dagger than that girl called Erina. In other words, the quest to make an item was going to end with my victory and I would¡¯ve earned 600 gold. However, due to this unreasonable arrest, the quest had failed. Thanks to these bastards, my 720,000 won had flown away!


    "I don¡¯t think you know what position you¡¯re in... If you continue to be so carefree, you will regret it.¡±


    I talked back to the knight who was trying to intimidate me. "Shut up, you rotten bastard. Are you aedian now? I want you to lose your heads immediately. I have no connection with Huroi. So let me out right now!¡±


    I knew that I could be tortured and locked up in prison, or killed. But I was the incarnation of anger after losing my 720,000 won.


    ¡®How many bowls of mackerel is 720,000 won?¡¯


    I was so angry that I spat curses at the knights. "You ridiculous jerk! I will remember all of this, Ugly! One day I will return to squeeze 600 gold out of you, so release me now."


    ¡°Look at this guy. He keeps talking nonsense!¡±


    The youngest knight pulled out his sword. I flinched, but soon changed my attitude.


    "Kill me, you motherfu*ker.¡±


    ¡°This rascal isn¡¯t scared until the end!¡±


    The knight couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and rushed forward. I closed my eyes and epted death. Why? In this situation, it was better to die.


    ¡®If I die, I will be resurrected in the square. I can¡¯t stay stuck here. It is better to die and resurrect, even if it means losing experience.¡¯


    I was concerned about Khan. In the worst case scenario, I wasn¡¯t the presumed winner so the Mero Company would obtain the smithy. If so, Khan would die. The ss quest I received would naturally be destroyed!


    ¡°Kill me quickly, you son of a b*tch!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t log out here. I had to die, resurrect and meet Khan. Then a quick-witted middle aged knight came forward and stopped the hasty young knight.


    "Hey Leo, calm down. Aren¡¯t you aware of it? He has an immortal body. Killing him will just release him into the field."


    Dammit, this n failed. I kept provoking the young knight, hoping he would lose his temper.


    "Hey, you aren¡¯t going to kill me? You can¡¯t kill me? Are you scared? What type of knight are you? You pathetic bastard, can¡¯t you eat chili? You will die a bachelor! If you die, you will be a ghost. A ghost who peeps at girls taking a bath!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...y-you...¡±


    The young knight called Leo¡¯s hands shook as he held his sword. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he stabbed me right away. But Leo refrained from attacking me. He bit his lip so hard that blood emerged. It would work if I insulted him a bit more.


    "This... oof? Oof!¡±


    I tried to provoke Leo further, but somebody shut me up.


    ¡®These rotten, lousy bastards!¡¯


    I red at the middle-aged knight who gagged me.


    "You have no intention of admitting to the crime you are used of. You also have no intention of telling us whomissioned Huroi?¡±


    ¡°Oof oof!!¡±


    If you want me to answer, then take off the gag. The middle-aged knight nodded as he interpreted my answer.


    ¡°You really won¡¯t answer? If so, I have no choice but to imprison you. But if you tell me whomissioned Huroi, you might be treated differently.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to get stuck in prison. The imprisonment wouldn¡¯t justst a few days. Until I was released, I would continue to be imprisoned, no matter how much I disconnected and reconnected.


    ¡®I can tell them. If Khan gets arrested, I can find a way to rescue him.¡¯


    Khan was invaluable to me in Satisfy and reality, since he was a precious friend. He might be an NPC, but he was a friend. But a friend was just a friend! No matter how important a friend was, my life was more important.


    I decided to give Khan up.


    ¡°Ooof! Oof!¡±


    I will tell you whomissioned Huroi! So release me. The middle-aged knight nodded as he interpreted my answer.


    ¡°What a great guy. You have no intention of selling out your friend, even when you will be locked up in prison? You might be weak, but your sense of justice is admirable.¡±


    ¡°Oof oof! Oooooup!¡±


    What was he saying? I will tell you whomissioned Huroi if you release this gag. The middle-aged knight nodded as he arbitrarily interpreted my reply and ordered the soldiers.


    "Imprison him. Put him in solitary confinement.¡±


    S-Solitary?! I couldn¡¯t do anything if I was stuck in prison, but solitary confinement as well? I would be trapped alone without any other prisoners.


    ¡°Oof! Ooooof!¡±


    I panicked and struggled to get rid of the gag. However, the knights ignored my calls. In the end, I was dragged underneath the castle.


    ¡®Damn, what the hell is going on? I have to be imprisoned forever? And what happened with Khan¡¯s smithy? Khan absolutely can¡¯t die... No, that stupid Huroi, why did you fail your quest and damage me...?¡¯


    It happened while I was being dragged by the soldiers.


    [The quest ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯ has been created.]


    [Apostle of Justice]


    Difficulty: S


    Huroi, who was trying to inform Earl Steim about the happenings in Winston, failed his mission and was caught.


    He has been locked in solitary confinement for a long time.


    You are the only one who knows Huroi¡¯s circumstances, so you are the only one who can help!


    Rescue Huroi for the sake of justice.


    Quest Clear Conditions: After being trapped in the deepest dungeon, rescue Huroi within seven hours.


    Quest Reward: The title ¡®Apostle of Justice.¡¯ Affinity with the Winston residents will rise to the peak. Reputation in Winston will rise to the peak. Create a linked quest with Huroi.


    *Apostle of Justice: The ¡®Courage¡¯ stat will be opened. All stats +10. The skill ¡®Unbreakable Justice¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Level -2. The title ¡®Coward¡¯ will be generated.


    * Coward: Affinity with NPCs will decline. The probability of acquiring quests will decline.


    You will be despised by NPCs with a positive inclination.


    ¡®The contents of the reward are familiar? Ah!¡¯


    This was the samepensation when Huroi shared the information of the ¡®For the Residents of Winston¡¯ with me. A linked quest with Huroi was generated.


    ¡¯I am greedy for a new title.¡¯


    B.U.T.


    ¡®I have no intention of epting the quest!¡¯


    I was going to be stuck in solitary confinement, yet I was expected to rescue Huroi? In addition, it had to be within seven hours! It was an unconditional quest failure. ¡®What fool would be stupid enough to ept this quest?


    ¡®The penalty if I fail the quest... I have goosebumps. My level would drop and I would receive the Coward title? It is a junk title.


    The ¡®Coward¡¯ title was just as bad as ¡®Noble Killer.¡¯ I could never ept this quest. But...


    [You can¡¯t refuse this quest. Quest is in progress.]


    Why? Why me?


    ¡°Oof! Ohh! Ohhhhhh! Ohhhh!¡±


    I was going nuts. I couldn¡¯t help cursing despite the gag in my mouth, almost choking me. I drooled and coughed through the gag in my mouth, causing the soldiers escorting me to hit me on the back.


    ¡°This bastard! Can¡¯t you be quiet?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Solitary confinement is scary. Stupid guy, you should¡¯ve talked when the knights gave you a chance. Why are you pretending to be cool when you¡¯re just afraid?¡±


    ¡°Oof! Ooof!¡±


    I thought it wasn¡¯t fair. It was frustrating to see the soldiers misunderstand and talk so arbitrarily.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    I was brought deep underground and pushed by the soldiers into the solitary confinement cell. But they didn¡¯t release my gag. The soldiers talked amongst themselves.


    ¡°Hey, should we release the gag?¡±


    "Leo told me to only release it at meals. Apparently he has quite a mouth, so Leo will be tempted to kill him if his mouth is free.¡±


    "I see.¡±


    What was this?


    ¡°Oof! Ooof!¡±


    Release the gag! Eh? The soldiers looked at me with terrified expressions.


    "Wow, he is so desperate to talk that saliva is dripping down. If we keep him gagged all day, his blood pressure might rise.¡±


    ¡°This is really a punishment for him.¡±


    ¡°Ooof! Ooooof!¡±


    Then release this rope! The rope was pressing against my body, making it difficult to move my fingers.


    Kwang!


    The soldiers ignored me and walked away.


    ¡®They really are leaving.¡¯


    My body was tied up and my was mouth gagged. Would I be trapped in this smelly ce forever? Furthermore, time was running out. The Huroi rescue quest would fail even if I just stood still.


    ¡®What about my level?¡¯


    And why did I have to get the ¡®Coward¡¯ title? I had to be called a coward because I couldn¡¯t rescue Huroi?


    ¡°Ooof! Ooooof!¡±


    I started shouting again. Please help me. But there was no answer. My moaning echoed in the deep and dismal basement.


    Time passed with nothing happening. At the top of the screen, there was a window showing that I had four hours left in my quest time limit. I had been trapped in jail for three hours already.


    ¡®Shit.. this rotten...¡¯


    Somehow, both good luck and bad luck followed me recently. All that luck was a precursor to my misfortune today.


    ¡®I forgot how unlucky I am and wasn¡¯t vignt...¡¯


    I was someone who had never found a 10 won coin on the side of the road in my 26 years of life! Then I managed to obtain a legendary ss!


    ¡¯I want to hit Lady Luck...¡¯


    Just as I was cursing at Lady Luck,


    ¡°Grid! Grid!¡±


    I heard a woman¡¯s voice from upstairs.


    ¡®This voice?¡¯


    It was familiar? Where had I heard it recently?


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    Erina. Her voice was as pretty as her face. This damn unfair world! Why was one person born with so many advantages? No, now wasn¡¯t the time toment at the world.


    ¡¯Why is that kid here? No, it doesn¡¯t even need questioning.¡¯


    A very surprising person hade but she was my only hope. I had to ept her help. I started shouting.


    ¡°Ooof! Ooooof! Oof! Oof!¡±


    Here! I am here! No matter how I shouted, it was hard to make a loud noise with the gag.


    Erina was still looking for me upstairs. ¡°Grid! Where are you? Where is this man?¡±


    ¡°Ooooof!¡±


    A hoarse cry emerged from my mouth. But Erina couldn¡¯t find me easily. At the top of the screen, the quest disy window was pointed at two hours. In the next two hours, I had to escape and rescue Huroi.


    What could I do? Dammit, I don¡¯t know! I had to do something!


    ¡°Ooof! Oof!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Ah, finally...


    Erina, who came downstairs, barely heard my voice and ran. Ahh! That unlucky girl seemed like an angel at this moment. My appreciation towards Erina rose significantly as she confirmed the situation through the bars and said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll save you. Not just that. I¡¯ll give you this dagger.¡±


    ¡°Oof! Ooof!¡±


    Erina held a sheath made of a minotaur horn. It was the dagger I made when Ipeted with her.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    Erina¡¯s personality was as angelic as her looks.


    ¡®A really good girl.¡¯


    As I was feeling thrilled, she spoke. ¡°I have a condition instead.¡±


    Indeed, it was rare for a girl to be pretty and have a good heart.


    ¡°Oof! Oooof!¡±


    This damn girl! Setting a condition in a situation like this? If she came to rescue me, shouldn¡¯t she rescue me? Erina interpreted my expression andughed.


    ¡°You will listen to any conditions, so talk quickly? It¡¯s good that you are so straightforward. You will make an orb for me that contains as much magic as possible. At a minimum, the orb should have the same performance as this dagger. You can do it with your cksmith skills, right?¡±


    Orb? I had never created one before. Was an orb a magic item? Why is she asking me, not a magician...? No, now wasn¡¯t the time to think about that.


    I nodded.


    Erina made a satisfied expression. ¡°Okay. The other condition is that you can never call me ¡®kid¡¯ in the future. My name is Euphemina. Just call me Euphemina. Understood?¡±


    Did she drink alcohol during the day? Earlier she was Erina and now she was Euphemina? Did she forget her name? ... Or was it a pseudonym in the first ce?


    Anyway, this was good. I nodded again and Erina, no Euphemina took out a key and opened the prison door. Then she released the gag in my mouth.


    "Puak!"


    I finally felt alive again. I wiped the saliva around my mouth and asked Euphemina to release my tied up body.


    ¡°What is happening? Why did youe here to save me?¡±


    Euphemina threw the dagger towards me.


    "Isn¡¯t it better to talk once we escape?¡±


    As she finished talking, there was the sound of dozens of soldiers rushing down the stairs. I was dismayed.


    "Hey, Kid...no, Euphemina, what is this? Didn¡¯t you manage toe here because you took care of the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of soldiers. I took care of over 100 soldiers, but there are still people remaining. You¡¯ll have a hard time escaping.¡±


    ¡°Pfff!¡±


    I let out augh at Euphemina¡¯s ridiculous words. Euphemina red at me.


    "Why are youughing?¡±


    "I¡¯mughing because you said you took care of over 100 soldiers. How can a cksmith fight so well? Yes? You should bluff more moderately...¡±


    "I¡¯m not a cksmith."


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Euphemina faced me. Her deep blue eyes were as beautiful as any jewel. Although, she was still a kid. Well, if she ate a lot of rice and her breasts grew bigger, then I might be attracted.


    ¡°Where are you looking?¡± Euphemina covered her breasts and asked with a frown.


    "I¡¯m not interested in small breasts, so don¡¯t worry about it. You aren¡¯t a cksmith? What do you mean?"


    "I really dislike people like you.¡± Euphemina grumbled, but still exined. "I have a special ss. My ss is a Duplicator. I was able to pretend to be a cksmith by duplicating Khan¡¯s cksmith skill. You are like me, right? You¡¯re not an ordinary cksmith?¡±


    Duplicator? It was the first time I¡¯d heard of this ss. Perhaps...


    ¡°A rare ss?¡±


    Euphemina cried out indignantly. ¡°It isn¡¯t a rare ss! It¡¯s an epic ss!¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    One of Satisfy¡¯s three epic sses belonged to this kid? There was no reason for her to bluff in this situation, so if this was true...


    "Didn¡¯t you thoroughly hide your identity? Then why bother revealing it to me? And why in this situation?¡±


    "I am saying it now because of this situation. Don¡¯t you have a hidden ss as well? I know everything. So don¡¯t pretend to be an ordinary cksmith, and fight with all your abilities. Otherwise you¡¯ll be killed here.¡±


    "I was already nning on that.¡±


    I nodded with a convinced expression and held the dagger.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Ideal Dagger.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [Attack power of the Ideal Dagger will decrease by 20%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Ideal Dagger]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 168/168 Attack Power: 242~264 Attack Speed: +11%


    * There is a rare chance of instantaneously killing the target.


    * Agility +20


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    A dagger created by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation. It was made with the renowned cksmith Khan.


    There is nothing special about the materials or method used, but the craftsman¡¯s skill and the co-operation with Khan has created an ideal dagger.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 450 agility. Advanced Dagger Mastery.


    The penalties would be applied even if I had the maximum understanding of the items I created!? Dammit! This was truly deplorable.


    ¡¯But the penalty of a unique item is only 20%? Still, this is nice.¡¯


    Euphemina was astonished as she saw me equip the dagger.


    ¡°Is your real ss part of the assassin series? It requires 450 agility and Advanced Dagger Mastery... But isn¡¯t it strange? How do you have the cksmith¡¯s craftsmanship technique?¡±


    I noticed when she told me to produce the orb, but Euphemina must¡¯ve seen the information about this dagger. However, she wasn¡¯t greedy and returned it to me. When I looked at her, she was a pretty good person.


    ¡®If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t taken it... She¡¯s stupid. Truly a little kid who doesn¡¯t know the truth of the world. No, she wants me to make an orb that is as good as this dagger? Wait... Will she support the cost of the materials needed to make the orb? S-Surely she isn¡¯t expecting me to make it for free? W-Wicked girl...¡¯


    No, it was still too early to know. I had time to make a decision about Euphemina.


    ¡°Wind st.¡±


    I used the skill in the direction of the rushing soldiers. A sharp wind emerged from the dagger, causing blood to pour from the soldiers. Euphemina confirmed that 10 soldiers were seriously wounded and whistled.


    ¡°A skill attached to an item manages to disy this much destructive power, how incredible.¡±


    Originally, the destructive power wasn¡¯t at this level. If I met the conditions to use this dagger, the power of Wind st would¡¯ve been two times stronger.


    ¡®It is a pity that only half of the option¡¯s effect is applied.¡¯


    Imented again before speaking to Euphemina.


    "Hey Euphemina, I have to go rescue a person.¡±


    ¡°Eh? A person? Ah, are you talking about Khan? I already rescued Khan beforeing here...¡±


    ¡°Khan was also captured? I¡¯m d he¡¯s safe. But the person I¡¯m talking about isn¡¯t Khan. It¡¯s Huroi.¡±


    "...Who is that?"


    I briefly exined to Euphemina, who made an annoyed expression.


    "I don¡¯t know the name.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could read Euphemina¡¯s feelings. She seemed to think she had stepped in shit. Well, it didn¡¯t matter how she felt. There was only 1 hour and 50 minutes remaining. I had to rescue Huroi during that time period!


    ¡®After I save that bastard, I will tell him off.¡¯


    He was the cause of all of this. I was furious.


    ¡°Wahhhhh!¡±


    The soldiers jumped in unison. There seemed to be around 30 soldiers. I was nervous, but Euphemina didn¡¯t show any signs of agitation at all. She didn¡¯t change her expression and reached out a hand.


    ¡°Spear of Destruction.¡±


    Pachichik!


    A dark red spark jumped from Euphemina¡¯s fingertip. A spear was created and the soldiers were hit.


    Bam bam bam!Kwang!


    The spear pierced the bodies of the soldiers and exploded, causing the 30 soldiers to turn into a grey light. It was an incredibly powerful spell that was used lightly. Maybe Euphemina wasparable to that witch Yura? How could she cast it so easily?


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    I huped from the surprise.


    ¡®What did I say to her before? Didn¡¯t I say a lot? Is she angry with me?¡¯


    As I froze with fear, Euphemina said to me.


    "What? Don¡¯t you have to go and rescue Huroi?¡±


    "...Y-Ye...s.¡±


    I was going to speak casually, but suddenly thought that it would be awkward not to use honorifics.


    ¡®Let¡¯s never call her a kid again. I will make her orb. She has endured it so far. I won¡¯t offend her anymore.¡¯


    I made a decision and headed deeper underground.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon.


    I was trapped in a solitary room on the third underground floor, but was rescued by Euphemina and was now looking for Huroi.


    "Damn! I¡¯ve looked everywhere, but I can¡¯t find him. Where is that bastard Huroi trapped?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is on this floor. Maybe we should go down further?¡±


    ¡°What? The third floor isn¡¯t the end?


    "ording to information I received, there are four floors.¡±


    "I have to go down to the fourth floor...¡±


    The time limit for rescuing Huroi was 1 hour and 10 minutes. I was bing more and more irritated. If I exceeded the time limit and failed to rescue Huroi, I would receive a really big penalty. I had to find and rescue Huroi as quickly as possible.


    But Winston Castle¡¯s dungeon was veryrge and the corridors were asplex as a maze, making it difficult to find the way. I decided to follow Euphemina¡¯s opinion, but it wasn¡¯t easy to find the stairs heading down to the fourth floor.


    ¡°Hey, you! Are you sure that the fourth floor really exists? The third floor isn¡¯t the end? Maybe Huroi is on the second or first floor...¡±


    "I swept through the first and second floors while looking for you, but I didn¡¯t see a prisoner called Huroi. And the fourth floor really does exist. I received the information from a trustworthy person.¡±


    "Uhh... But I can¡¯t see the way down to the fourth floor...¡±


    "Stop whining. I¡¯m annoyed.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, sorry.¡±


    Time continued to pass while we wandered around. Before I knew it, there were only 50 minutes remaining. Meanwhile, the pursuit of the soldiers didn¡¯t stop and there were traps installed in the corridors.


    ¡®But I¡¯m d. The traps are so obvious that I don¡¯t need to worry about falling for them.¡¯


    This prison was made of rocks. The floors, the walls and the ceiling, everything was made of rocks. In addition, it was underground, so sunlight couldn¡¯t reach it. In other words, it was a space where des of grass couldn¡¯t grow.


    But funnily enough, I saw ces on the floor where flowers and grass were growing. In addition, there was fruit and bread hanging from the ceiling. There were also high-quality items that didn¡¯t match the prison space hanging on the walls.


    It was clearly an unnatural sight!


    ¡®They are all traps.¡¯


    Even a person with the intelligence of an elementary school student would be able to notice such ridiculous traps.


    "I think you should bow. Otherwise you might die.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I listened to Euphemina¡¯s voice and hurriedly bowed down. At the same time, sharp arrows flew over my back. I checked the arrows stuck in the wall and cried out.


    ¡°H-Heok...! W-What is this all of a sudden? I was almost hit.¡±


    As I was wiping at my sweat and sighing with relief, Euphemina pushed me in the back. Due to that, I lost my bnce and fell down, while a spear shot up where I was just standing. If Euphemina hadn¡¯t pushed me, I would¡¯ve been skewered by that spear.


    I got goose bumps.


    "Hik! Hiyaaack! What the hell is this?¡±


    "I¡¯m sorry. I identally activated a trap.¡±


    Euphemina giggled while walking. There were several colorful flowers in her hands.


    ...This was crazy.


    "Isn¡¯t it strange for flowers to grow in this ce? It¡¯s obviously a trap! So why did you pick the flowers? Eh?! How can you fall for the trap, you dumb girl!? I almost didn¡¯t make it! And why would you pick flowers in this situation in the first ce? Dammit! Useless person. If I died because of you, I would make you take responsibility. Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary and just find the way!¡±


    ..That was what I wanted to yell at her, but I didn¡¯t.


    ¡®Patient, be patient.¡¯


    I barely suppressed my anger. Euphemina had great skillspared to her fragile appearance. Herbat skills were equivalent to Blood Witch Yura. In addition, she had an epic ss that only three people had. I didn¡¯t dare mess with such a great person


    Most of all, her strength was needed to rescue Huroi. I couldn¡¯t afford to rescue him with just my strength. No matter how wrong she was, I needed to continue ttering her.


    ¡°B-Be careful. I can¡¯t use defensive magic like you.¡±


    ¡°Yes~ yes~ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Euphemina apologized to me in an insincere manner. I was once again infuriated.


    ¡°This woman! How can you act so shameless despite almost killing someone!? Kneel down and apologize right now!¡±


    ...Was what I wanted to yell.


    ¡°Patience... Kuoh... Huh?¡±


    I felt a new sense of anxiety. Euphemia was staring at the bananas hanging from the ceiling.


    ¡®Surely she isn¡¯t nning to pluck such a suspicious thing to eat? Ah, it can¡¯t be. She isn¡¯t a monkey...¡¯


    At that moment! Euphemia jumped lightly and grabbed a banana.


    No, why?


    Crack!


    Immediately after Euphemina grabbed a banana hanging from the ceiling... The floor where I was standing started crumbling.


    ¡°Kiaaack!¡±


    I barely escaped from danger by rolling my body to the side, and finally couldn¡¯t resist yelling at Euphemina.


    ¡°What are you doing now? Why are you eating bananas in this situation?¡±


    Euphemina answered with the banana in her mouth.


    ¡°Chew chew.Gulp. I just wanted to eat a banana because there was a banana in front of me.¡±


    "Look, it¡¯s just inmon sense! It¡¯s odd that bananas are hanging in this dungeon. It¡¯s clearly a trap!¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it strange for it to be a trap? The bananas could be hanging for patrolling soldiers to eat when they¡¯re hungry.¡±


    Euphemina sighed. "You poor person. You live by looking at the world from a very negative perspective. I bet you don¡¯t have any friends to confide in.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was sure of it. Euphemina was clearly very angry. So she deliberately triggered the traps.


    ¡¯I can understand.¡¯


    Euphemina hade to rescue me because of a quest that would benefit her. But rescuing Huroi had nothing to do with her. Her current actions wereining that she didn¡¯t like rescuing a person unrted to her quest. That¡¯s why she purposely triggered the traps!


    ¡®She has a temper...¡¯


    Indeed, it was rare for a beauty to have a good nature. Most beauties were sheltered like princesses.


    ¡®But Ahyoung is pretty and has a good nature.¡¯


    My heart felt cleansed as I was reminded of my ideal love, Ahyoung.


    ¡°Ahyoung... I want to see you...¡±


    ¡°Over here! Those people are here!¡±


    "...You dare disturb my contemtion?¡±


    I was drawing a beautiful picture of Ahyoung in my mind when I heard a noise from both ends of the corridor and soldiers quickly arrived. There were around 50 people.


    I sighed.


    ¡°Howe they keeping endlessly? This is bothersome.¡±


    Euphemina snorted.


    "Bah, aren¡¯t I the one dealing with them anyway? Won¡¯t you just be watching or running away? Don¡¯t you think it is disgraceful toin when you aren¡¯t doing anything? I can¡¯t understand it when you have that weapon. You should be fighting.¡±


    "Fighting? Me? I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    I had the unique rated dagger that Euphemina returned to me. Obviously, this dagger¡¯s attack power could easily handle the attacking soldiers. But I couldn¡¯t enter battle. Why?


    It was simple.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any armor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The clothes that I was wearing had absolutely no defense. I couldn¡¯t fight against soldiers with no defense! At the end of the day, Euphemina was helping me so I could concentrate on rescuing Huroi without fighting.


    "Even if you don¡¯t have armor, isn¡¯t it easy for you to handle the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not as strong as you think. Then... I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What does that mean...?"


    I patted Euphemina¡¯s back and headed towards the hole caused by the trap she had triggered earlier. "I¡¯ll go and find Huroi first. Hold their attention until then!¡±


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    The confused Euphemina hurriedly tried to catch me, but it was toote. I ignored her and dove into the hole.


    Ku tang tang tang!


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    [You have fallen from a high ce and suffered 200 damage.]


    I left the soldiers and Euphemina, falling alone to the fourth floor.


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Uhh...fortunately, I didn¡¯t get significantly hurt.¡±


    I raised my dusty body and moved my gaze to the dusty ceiling. The battle between Euphemina and the soldiers had already begun, as shing lights and the soldiers¡¯ yells were heard.


    ¡°Good, Euphemia. You¡¯re doing very well~.¡±


    If she fought as loudly as possible, the enemies would believe that Euphemina and I were on the third floor, pulling all the defensive troops to the third floor. Then the defense on the fourth floor would be rtively poor.


    "Huhut, I can find and rescue Huroi in this gap. Aren¡¯t I surprisingly smart?¡±


    Did I feel bad for leaving the fighting to Euphemina while I rescued Huroi? Well, no. My conscience didn¡¯t exist. I was the type to use others if it would benefit me.


    Was I worried about Euphemina fighting alone? Of course I wasn¡¯t worried. She was the first epic ss and so OP that she could use all types of magic spells without chanting first. She would survive even if hundreds of soldiers and dozens of knights were her opponents.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡®Duplicator...¡¯


    Blood Witch Yura, the 1st ranked South Korean and 5th rank on the unified rankings. Even she, who was at the top of two billion users, had to chant long spells when using great magic. But Euphemina, who said she was a Duplicator, could use powerful magic equivalent to Yura without needing to chant.


    ¡¯Duplicator...it seems to be a magician type ss that duplicates the skills of others. It is an epic ss but isn¡¯t this too much of a scam? Itpletely destroys the bnce.¡¯


    What were the disadvantages of a magician ss?


    While the versatility of magic that could be used for various purposes was certainly an advantage, the magician¡¯s strong attack power and high damage were their biggest advantages over others.


    The strongest warrior could sweep away dozens of enemies with swords and spears, but the highest attack spell of a magician could destroy an ¡®army¡¯ in one blow. This meant a magician had horrific attack power.


    However, every time they had to chant a spell. The higher the level of the magic, the longer the chant. And this was a magician¡¯s fatal disadvantage. But Euphemina didn¡¯t need to chant when using spells. It meant she could use magic in quick session, and the biggest disadvantage of a magician didn¡¯t apply to her.


    To briefly describe the Duplicator ss, it was ¡®a magician who could duplicate the skills of others and had no disadvantages?¡¯ She could even learn the Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill.


    "...Um, so a Duplicator can copy all types of skills and use spells without any penalty...then that is... Ah, I don¡¯t know. Anyway, it is a fraud ss.¡±


    I wanted to guess correctly about the Duplicator ss, but it was painful when I thought about it, so I just focused on finding Huroi.


    ***


    "That shameless human...¡±


    Because Grid ran away, Euphemina was left alone among the soldiers. Why was she in this smelly and dreary dungeon?


    Because she had to rescue Grid (the reason for the rescue was to clear the quest received from Rabbit). Why did she retrieve Grid¡¯s unique rated dagger and return it to him? Because it was a favor so that their rtionship would continue to be good in the future (to be precise, she wanted Grid to make a unique rated orb for her).


    As such, Euphemia treated Grid nicely, only for him to act like this. He used Euphemina¡¯s power to clear his quest and now left her alone with the enemies.


    "I know that it¡¯s wise to use one person as bait while the other rescues the quest target. I know that, but...¡± Euphemina¡¯s anger reached its peak and eventually exploded, "That ungrateful person dared to use me as bait? If I hadn¡¯t helped him, wouldn¡¯t he be trapped in the prison forever and deprived of his unique dagger??¡±


    Shaaaa-


    The air around Euphemina became cold.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°She is a magician. Don¡¯t give her time to cast a spell!¡±


    The soldiers surrounding Euphemina felt the danger as their helmets and armor started freezing. They hurried to attack Euphemina, but it was already toote.


    ¡°Frost Queen¡¯s Breath.¡±


    Kudududuk!


    An unbelievable sight unfolded, as suddenly, a blizzard raged and the soldiers¡¯ bodies started to freeze from their toes up to their heads.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    ¡°Hiik! Body... my body is bing stiff!¡±


    ¡°C-Cold... Coldddd!¡±


    The soldiers couldn¡¯t run away because their feet were freezing. They were frozen in ce and suffered from terrible pain. After a while, more than 50 ice statues with expressions of fear were created.


    Euphemina trembled among the statues.


    "Grid... if you hadn¡¯t promised to make an orb, I would kill you.¡±


    Of the dozens of spells she duplicated in preparation to take care of Piaro, there were only 11 left. On the other hand, the number of enemies didn¡¯t show signs of diminishing. Soldiers constantly came and went, as if they were products of a factory.


    In particr, she was concerned about the existence of the knights. She hadn¡¯t encountered one knight yet. It meant that all five of the Winston lord¡¯s knights were alive somewhere in the castle.


    Was it possible to deal with all five knights and the tsunami of soldiers with only 11 spells? It was impossible. NPC knights had a minimum level of 180. No matter how good Euphemina was, she couldn¡¯t deal with all of them.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Euphemina felt regret. She was blinded by the rewards and the thought of friendship with Grid when she epted Rabbit¡¯s quest. But the water had already been spilled. She couldn¡¯t give up the quest now.


    ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t there supposed to be two of them?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I heard that she broke Grid out and they are acting together... This! Grid went a different way!¡±


    ¡°He is after Huroi! He fell to the fourth floor to rescue Huroi. Separate half the troops right now! Half will face that woman while the other half will head to the fourth floor.¡±


    The soldiers quickly confirmed that Euphemina was alone. Then they moved to chase Grid in an orderly fashion. She felt it from the beginning, but the northern soldiers were very skilled. Even the low-level soldiers were good at coping with this situation. It was proof that they trained hard. Even though they were weak, they weren¡¯t easy targets.


    So Euphemina did her best.


    "Demon King¡¯s Tail... No, using fire magic here is nothing more than suicide. Sword of Light.¡±


    Kwachichichik.


    A brightly-shining, white sword appeared in the air. Euphemina aimed the sword towards the separate group of soldiers pursuing Grid.


    Sekeokeok!


    The sword of light swept through the bodies of the soldiers, leaving a bloodbath in its wake. After that, Euphemina used a spell to deal with the rest of the soldiers.


    Now she only had nine spells remaining. Euphemina wanted to preserve her power but more soldiers wereing.


    ¡®It is serious. In the worst case, I might need to use Rolling Dice.


    Rolling Dice was a skill that gave a random effect to the target. If she was lucky, it would be something that could change this situation into a positive one. But if she was unlikely, it could make things worse. Therefore, she wanted to refrain from using it until her good luck stat was higher, but it seemed she would have to make an unavoidable choice.


    The first thing to do was take care of the knights, while Grid rescued Huroi.


    "...The problem is that he is an untrustworthy man.¡±


    An ominous chill went down Euphemina¡¯s spine. She thought that Grid might run away and leave her alone.


    ¡¯Can I trust a garbage person like that? If he has a minimum of conscience...¡¯


    She tried to think positively but...


    ¡°Wahh! That bastard won¡¯t have a conscience! What should I do?¡±


    Euphemina wanted to cry. If possible, she wanted to go back in time and refuse Rabbit¡¯s quest.


    ***


    The deepest solitary ce on the fourth floor.


    "Uhh... uhh...¡±


    He had reached his limit so he could no longer even smell the horrible rotten water puddles. He couldn¡¯t hear or see anything. In this narrow space where only darkness existed, Huroi was unable to remember where he was, why he was here and even who he was.


    50 hours in real time, 200 hours in Satisfy, he was trapped in that darkness alone.


    "Kuohh...Kuaaaah!"


    Terrible screams echoed underground. Grid heard the sound.


    ¡°...Huroi?¡±


    It was a familiar but also unfamiliar voice. Grid was able to notice that the screamsing from the end of the corridor was from Huroi.


    "Okay, here Ie! This damn bastard. I will make sure you pay me back for all this suffering.¡±


    Once this quest was cleared, he wanted to hit Huroi 200 times. Grid ran in the direction of the screams. But his legs soon stopped moving.


    ¡°I have been waiting.¡± It was Leo, the young knight who was insulted by Grid in the interrogation room! He blocked Grid¡¯s path.


    ¡°W-What? Bachelor Ghost? Why are you here?¡±


    Grid had predicted that most knights and soldiers would be on the third floor or blocking the exit. Therefore, he was confused about why a knight was on the fourth floor.


    "Who is the bachelor ghost?¡± Leo turned red with anger and exined. ¡°Weren¡¯t you allied with Huroi? I expected that you wouldn¡¯t escape alone. I knew you would rescue Huroi so I came here to wait for you.¡±


    ¡®Ah, damn. I only shared a few words with Huroi. Anyway, the NPCs are using their head.¡¯


    Grid looked around. But he couldn¡¯t see anyone other than Leo.


    Leo looked at him and ridiculed. ¡°Hah! Did you think I woulde with soldiers? Don¡¯t be too confident! Why do I need to bring soldiers to kill a lowly person like you? My strength alone is enough to rip you apart. Grid...! You will pay the price for insulting me!¡±


    Leo had an extremely pleased expression on his face. This meant he had a deep grudge against Grid. Grid was forced to me his actions a few hours ago.


    ¡¯I made him crazy with anger... If I knew this, I wouldn¡¯t have been so rude.¡¯


    Once again, Grid realized that he shouldn¡¯t curse people. But regrets always came toote.


    Leo¡¯s blue cloak pped as he rushed forward.


    Grid used a skill.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage. Quick Movements.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    Pahat!


    Leo narrowed the distance towards Grid with quick movements. Grid wanted to step back, but Leo was already in front of him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Leo aimed a shy blow towards the panicked Grid.


    Kaaang!


    Grid raised his dagger and barely managed to defend against Leo¡¯s attack. His wrists and shoulders were strained in the aftermath, and his right arm was temporarily disabled, but Grid survived thanks to the sessful defense.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have caught Leo¡¯s movements at all if it weren¡¯t for the Ideal Dagger.¡¯


    This was true. After using the skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ attached to the Ideal Dagger, his agility doubled. Ideal Dagger itself increased the user¡¯s agility by 20. In addition to that, all of Grid¡¯s stats had increased by 12 points after making a unique item. Grid¡¯sbined agility was close to 250 points, making him able to respond to Leo¡¯s attacks.


    Leo frowned with an unpleasant expression and asked,


    ¡°You avoided my attack? Aren¡¯t you a cksmith?¡±


    Leo was one of Winston¡¯s most aplished young talents. He was even called the ¡®Northern Nova¡¯ and his name was spread throughout the north. It was impossible for an ordinary cksmith to block his attack, even with a fluke.


    Thus, Leo started taking the battle seriously.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t an ordinary cksmith? Were you just acting in the interrogation room? Good, I will acknowledge your skills and do my best.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Red mes emerged from Leo¡¯s longsword. It was a magic sword equipped with the fire attribute. Grid, who had been hoping there was a slight chance of victory, felt despair again.


    ¡°A magic sword...! Why is a strong person using something like that? This is a foul!¡±


    The time limit for rescuing Huroi was 25 minutes. Could he defeat a knight equipped with a magic sword? It was impossible. He would be killed in a minute.


    Grid waspletely lost.


    ¡®I have to run away. At this rate, I will die a dog¡¯s death and fail the quest. Running away is the only option. But how can I run?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t outrun the knight. The physical abilities of a knight transcended him. It might be possible if he had a skill that gave the target an abnormal condition, but Grid was a cksmith and didn¡¯t have such useful skills.


    In the end, Grid was destined to be killed here by Leo. But at that moment, something happened that no one could predict. There was suddenly a huge explosion in the spot where Leo was standing.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    Grid fell as t as possible in order to avoid being affected by the aftermath of the explosion. However, the explosion was so big that it was impossible for his body to not be damaged.


    [You have suffered 17,300 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    He had one health point remaining. After a moment, the explosions stopped.


    ¡°Ugh... what happened all of a sudden...¡±


    Grid rose from his spot and drank a potion to replenish his health before looking at the copsed Leo.


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    Leo coughed up blood. He was in a miserable condition. Leo¡¯s silver majestic armor was in pieces and his body was covered in burns. It was a miracle that he was even breathing.


    ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯


    When Leo exploded, Grid thought that Euphemina had appeared. He believed it was Euphemina¡¯s magic that hit Leo. However there were no signs of Euphemina at all, and there were still only two people here, Grid and Leo.


    Grid was stunned by the situation and immediately confirmed the status of Leo¡¯s sword. Leo¡¯s sword hadpletely shattered. This meant it received the most damage from the explosion. It was as if the explosion began from Leo¡¯s sword.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡± Grid thought rapidly.


    This was underground. There was no wind because there was no venttion and the ceiling copsed due to Euphemina triggering the trap, filling the air with dust. What would happen if a fire started in this enclosed space?


    Grid was reminded of the dust explosion that his chemistry teacher taught him in high school. Dust explosion was a phenomenon where dust was concentrated in the air and exploded after receiving heat and pressure. In the past, there were insufficient dust explosion prevention methods and this phenomenon frequently urred in coal mines, mills and other areas.


    ¡°Ha! What? It¡¯s like that? Pfff! Puhahahahat!¡±


    Grid rxed as he grasped the situation and thenughed like crazy. He was really lucky to be able to seed in the quest after thinking he would be killed by Leo.


    ¡°Uhh... you... what did you do?¡±


    The copsed Leo could barely open his mouth to ask. Grid stoppedughing and turned to Leo. He tried to look as cool as possible as he dered.


    ¡°This is what you call the difference in skills. In fact, I moved at a tremendous speed that your eyes couldn¡¯t follow and made your sword explode. That is why you can¡¯t avoid death.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Such a thing is possible? You... what is your identity?¡±


    Grid ced the dagger above Leo¡¯s heart and replied, ¡°I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Now you really are going to be a bachelor ghost.¡±


    Puk.


    Grid¡¯s dagger pierced Leo¡¯s heart. His words came true. Leo really was going to be a bachelor ghost!


    ¡°Kwaaaack!¡±


    Leo turned into a grey light and dozens of notification windows emerged in front of Grid.


    [You have defeated Winston¡¯s knight, Leo.]


    [The title ¡®Knight yer¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [8]


    [The prison key has been acquired.]


    [432,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level...]


    The level of ¡®Northern Nova¡¯ Leo was exactly 188. Grid¡¯s level rose from 21 to 45 in an instant. There was also a bonus title.


    [Knight yer]


    Stamina +100. Strength +30


    "Ohhhhhhhh!!!!¡±


    Knight yer was the easiest title to obtain because it was received after killing a knight. However, it was necessary to be skilled to take down a knight. So it wasn¡¯t a title that could be obtained unless the person had a high-level. Yet Grid, who was level 21, killed a knight and acquired the Knight yer title.


    ¡®I received the title of Knight yer, which is one of the indications of a high-level user...!¡¯


    He never dreamed of getting the Knight yer title, even in his days as a warrior. Grid enjoyed the thrill as he started running. Then he reached the end where Huroi¡¯s voice had been heard.


    ¡°Huroi, I¡¯m here!¡±


    Ching!


    The iron door easily opened due to the key from Leo.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Grid frowned. The solitary cell was filled with a bad stench. And Huroi didn¡¯t look the same. It was like touching a skeleton. ¡°What? You... You are Huroi right? Why do you look so different? What have you been doing in the meantime?¡±


    Grid originally nned to hit Huroi¡¯s cheeks 200 times, but Huroi¡¯s condition was so bad that he didn¡¯t dare. It wasn¡¯t because of his conscience.


    ¡®Won¡¯t he die immediately if he is pped? I don¡¯t want to be stigmatized as a criminal and yer killer.¡¯


    ¡°...You?¡±


    Huroi slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. Then he looked at Grid. At that moment, Huroi was able to recall who he was, where he was and what type of quest he waspleting.


    "You... you are my saviour... Thank you... thank you...¡±


    Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [Quest sess!]


    [Title, ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The courage stat has opened.]


    [All stats have increased by 10.]


    [The skill ¡®Unbreakable Justice¡¯ has been generated.]


    [Your reputation in Winston has reached the peak. In the future, the Winston residents will show you the best hospitality.]


    [Affinity with the Winston residents has risen to the maximum. In the future, the Winston residents will share things with you.]


    Huroi also had notification windows appear in front of him.


    [Quest sess!]


    [The second ss ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The courage stat has opened.]


    [When you are with the Apostle of Justice, all stats will increase by 20%.]


    [The skill ¡®Unbreakable Justice¡¯ has been generated.]


    [The skill ¡®Sacrifice for Justice¡¯ has been generated.]


    [Title, ¡®One who Ovees Hardships¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Indomitable stat has opened.]


    [The skill ¡®Strong Will¡¯ has been generated.]


    [Congrattions! You are the first to obtain a second ss in Satisfy. If you wish, your achievements willst for a long time in Satisfy.]


    "Ah...!"


    Tears poured from Huroi¡¯s eyes. He was thrilled at receiving these rewards after the hellish ordeal. Huroi used all his strength and barely raised his body. Then he fell to his knees in front of Grid.


    ¡°Grid, I didn¡¯t know it when we met but we clearly have a destined rtionship. My saviour, Grid! I Allunbata, descendant of the Blue Wolf, will follow you for the rest of your life as the Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner!¡±


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know the details and just thought Huroi was crazy. But Huroi was sincere. Huroi dismissed Grid when they met a few days ago, but now he was convinced that Grid was his destiny. He vowed to repay the favour to Grid.


    Thus, the rtionship between the two men began in earnest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    Duplicator, a person who analyzed the skills of others, duplicated them and then could use the skills with no conditions. Duplicators could enjoy all types of benefits depending on the skills they duplicated. It could be anything they wanted. It could be called the most effective of all sses in Satisfy.


    They were also a specialist inbat. Depending on the skillbination, it was possible to take on a boss raid alone, be the strongest assassin or even fight alone against an army. A Duplicator was the closest ss to being called the ¡®strongest¡¯.


    However, a Duplicator also had fatal disadvantages.


    Firstly, it could only duplicate a skill three times a day. Secondly, the duplicated skill only had a single use. Thirdly, she only nine basic skills, none of which werebat skills. Fourthly, the basic physical abilities of a magician were poor.


    In other words, it meant Euphemina was the strongest when she duplicated a lot of skills, but the weakest when she had few skills. And right now, Euphemina was in her weakest mode.


    "It¡¯s ruined,¡± said Euphemina, herplexion pale.


    Grid headed to the fourth floor, leaving her alone on the third floor. While she had defeated hundreds of soldiers that kept appearing, she had used most of her skills in exchange. To be precise, there were three fire magic spells left. However, it wasn¡¯t possible to use them because fire magic was likely to cause an explosion.


    In such a situation, four knights appeared as if they had been waiting and surrounded her.


    ¡°I¡¯m screwed...¡±


    There were no signs of Griding back. There was a massive explosion on the fourth floor, so maybe the worst had happened and Grid died.


    ¡®If he survived and rescued Huroi, can I guarantee that he wille back here to rescue me?¡¯


    Maybe Grid had already escaped alone from the prison? The knights aimed their swords at Euphemina, who stood idly like her soul had escaped.


    ¡°You are a ridiculously strong woman who killed more than 500 soldiers alone. Do you have the title of great magician?¡±


    Fortunately, the knights didn¡¯t dare attack Euphemina. She had killed hundreds of soldiers, so it was natural for the knights to be afraid of her. However, the pointless confrontation didn¡¯tst long.


    "Now the only troops left in the castle are the lord¡¯s bodyguards. Since there are no forces left to block the exit, Grid might escape while we are tied up here.¡±


    ¡°Is there even a chance? Didn¡¯t Leo go down to the fourth floor? Leo has probably already caught up and will happily kill Grid.¡±


    "The lord¡¯sfort is at stake. We have to consider and guard against the worst possibility.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Then let¡¯s hurry. It isn¡¯t honorable, but I am afraid we will have to fight four against one.¡±


    The four knights made a decision and rushed at Euphemina at the same time. Now Euphemina was forced to make a decision.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be still.¡¯


    Euphemina took out a gold dice. It was the Rolling Dice skill that she got for winning the item making game against Grid.


    [Rolling Dice]


    Roll a dice and a phenomenon will ur, depending on the number that is rolled.


    * If the target is yourself or an ally: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 4 or higher is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 3 or lower.


    * If the target is an enemy: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 3 or lower is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 4 or higher.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3,000 seconds


    What if she rolled the dice and the situation became worse?


    ¡®If the situation bes too bad, I will use the fire magic.¡¯


    Euphemina didn¡¯t intend to die alone. She grumbled but there were still no signs of Grid returning. She couldn¡¯t imagine how but she wouldter get revenge on Grid in a terrible way.


    At that moment!


    "These knights ganging up on a weak... no, this woman isn¡¯t weak but still... There is no difference between being gangsters.¡±


    ¡°G...rid?¡±


    Euphemina and the knights gazed in the direction of the voice. Grid and Huroi were standing next to each other.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s face brightened at Grid¡¯s emergence. She thought that Grid was human trash without any loyalty, but he actually wasn¡¯t the worst person. He came back as promised.


    ¡®Really pretty.¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s smile was as beautiful as a flower in full bloom, so Grid¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help pounding.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s not be deceived by outward appearances. She just has a beautiful outside that is covering the dirty inside! So don¡¯t run wild, my damn heart!¡¯


    The knights struggled to maintain theirposure as they stared at Grid.


    ¡°How is that guy here...? Leo, who was called Northern Nova, was killed by a person like you?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know who the Northern Nova is, but that young brat called Leo was easy to handle. One against one. One. Against. One. I killed him. Huhuhut!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    The faces of the knights distorted after hearing that their colleague was killed. Grid didn¡¯t feel fear as he faced them. It was because he believed in something.


    "Yes, you are angry so what are you going to do? Do you think any of you can touch me?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The knights flinched. Listening to this, wasn¡¯t Grid good enough to destroy Leo? They were briefly off guard because Grid looked like trash, but he wasn¡¯t easy to deal with.


    Euphemina felt admiration as she watched the knights stepping back from Grid.


    ¡®Making the knights back off with just a few words... How high is his level?¡¯


    Monsters and NPCs tended to shrink back from opponents more than 30 levels higher than them. Therefore, Euphemina misunderstood and thought that Grid¡¯s level was much higher than the knights.


    Meanwhile, Grid kept talking while approaching the knights. "Hey guys, if you don¡¯t want to die a dog like death like Leo, get out of the way. This is your only chance to get away.¡±


    ¡°This guy...!¡± A knight was filled with anger and tried to rush forward. But the other knights stopped him


    "Don¡¯t fall for his provocation. I know your skills but you shouldn¡¯t face him alone. It is probably a trap.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t you overreacting? Think about it calmly. That bastard¡¯s ss is a cksmith! cksmiths can¡¯t be that strong!¡±


    ¡°But Leo hasn¡¯te back. I can¡¯t tell if he is a good actor or not, but he is clearly someone to be wary of.¡±


    "Kuoh...!"


    The knights were tense because they were thinking too much, while Grid continued walking forward. The knights backed away with every step Grid took.


    Huroi was thrilled when he witnessed the tremendous sight of Grid overwhelming the four knights alone.


    ¡®Truly amazing... Grid¡¯s outward appearance might seem insignificant but he is actually a tremendous high-level user who made the knights tremble in fear. The other day I saw him in the smithy and treated him as aedian. I am ashamed of my eyes.¡¯


    From Euphemina, to Huroi, to the knights! At a time when all of them were greatly mistaken about Grid, Grid was smiling with satisfaction.


    ¡®With Euphemina¡¯s skills, can¡¯t she get rid of these knights at any time?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. In fact, the reason Grid was so confident right now was because there was the existence called Euphemina. Grid had no doubts that Euphemina could handle all of them.


    Thump, thump.


    Grid kept moving forward, while the knights backing up became increasingly anxious. Then they reached the stairs leading up to the second floor. At this point, the knights made up their minds.


    ¡®What are we doing? We are honorable knights, so why are we scared of a person who escaped from jail? This is the shame of a lifetime!¡¯


    ¡®This might cause harm to the lord. I have to defend this ce, for the lord.¡¯


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a simple cksmith if he managed to kill Leo. It is a matter of pride now. I won¡¯t back up anymore.¡¯


    ¡¯Leo was alone, but there are four of us. We can¡¯t lose.¡¯


    The knights decided to no longer back off. This caused Grid to stop moving as well.


    ¡°What? Do you want to fight? Won¡¯t you regret this?¡±


    The knights gripped their swords and yelled. ¡°We will fight! I can¡¯t tolerate letting a criminal like you escape!¡±


    "...I¡¯m not a criminal. Crazy bastards.¡±


    Grid became really irritated. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t he unfairly framed? Originally, he should¡¯ve won the prize for winning the cksmith game. Then he was taken to prison and unfairly suffered!


    Grid angrily shouted. ¡°Euphemina! Show these guys! Use your magic. Take it away!¡±


    Euphemina made a surprised expression. ¡°Right now... it is a little... Can¡¯t you handle it directly?¡±


    ¡°What? It is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Stop joking. Can¡¯t you beat them with your skills?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? You should be the one fighting, not me.¡±


    "No, why are you refusing to fight now?¡±


    Grid exined to Euphemina, "I can¡¯t win against them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You were able to get rid of the Northern Nova by yourself!¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t...¡±


    Somehow, the conversation was strange. The faces of Grid and Euphemina gradually stiffened, while the knightspletely lost their hesitation and attacked.


    ¡°...Dammit!¡±


    It was like a teleportation move. The knight Rupert used his patented ¡®Dash¡¯ skill and immediately reached Grid¡¯s side, aiming a sword at him. Grid waspletely caught off guard and it seemed like he would be pierced by the sword. Just before Rupert¡¯s sword hit Grid, Huroi pushed him to the side and was stabbed instead.


    "......!"


    Everyone thought that Huroi would die. Huroi was already in a bad condition and he wasn¡¯t wearing any armor. At that moment, a strange thing happened.


    ¡°What is this...? Urghh!¡±


    Rupert was astonished. This was because his sword, which should¡¯ve pierced Huroi¡¯s abdomen, was blocked by it. It was like stabbing at steel. His wrist was broken. On the other hand, Huroi was fine. The person who attacked was injured, while the person who was attacked was fine.


    Euphemina asked with confusion. "What is with that guy? Why can¡¯t the knight¡¯s sword pierce him?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t reply. "Well... I don¡¯t know...¡±


    "Why are you answering so half-heartedly? Why are you running around to save someone you don¡¯t know? Stop joking around and just tell me the truth for once!¡±


    ¡°No... I really don¡¯t know...¡±


    High-level martial artists had a defense skill called Imprable Skin. But even Imprable Skin wasn¡¯t able to block the sword of a knight with just the body. It was clear that Huroi had some defensive ability that went beyond Imprable Skin.


    Huroi spoke during the silence. "I will tie up their feet. You two should use this gap to run away.¡±


    The reason why Huroi was able to block the knight¡¯s attack with his body. It was thanks to the skill given by the title ¡®One who Ovees Hardships.¡¯


    [Strong Will]


    Resists any attack for 10 seconds after using the skill.


    Skill Mana Cost: 200


    Skill Cooldown Time: 9,000 seconds


    The waiting time to reuse it was around 2.5 hours, but its performance was clearly great. It was a priceless skill acquired after enduring and oveing a hellish trial. And Grid was the one who saved him from hell. Huroi already vowed to pay back this favor for the rest of my life.


    After that, Huroi determined that he would sacrifice himself for Grid. He wanted Grid to escape safely through the gap while the knights were unharmed.


    ¡°Huroi...¡± An ordinary person would hesitate to leave a fellow colleague but... "Buy as much time as possible so that we can escape safely.¡±


    "I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    Grid and Euphemina weren¡¯t emotional people. They immediately left this ce and Huroi was left alone.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The knights tried to chase Grid but Huroi blocked the way. He opened his mouth with an expression of determination to protect Grid.


    "I have no thoughts of letting you leave, you #*&!($#@. This damn [email protected]$#.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Huroi was an orator so words that couldn¡¯t be repeated emerged from his mouth. The knights suffered a profound psychological blow because of Huroi¡¯s words, which were more abusive than anything they¡¯ve heard before.


    This was Huroi¡¯s Spiteful Tongue skill. Huroi attacked the knights while they were confused and their stats were down.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    It was one of the two skills acquired from his second ss, Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner. It was his ultimate attack skill that dealt damage that was 300% of his attack power.


    Peeeong!


    After Huroi¡¯s fist struck Rupert¡¯s face, the shock wave reached the knights standing around Rupert. The sound of a huge blow echoed through the underground prison, causing the knights to reflexively scream in pain.


    ¡°Kkack!¡±


    But it was just a reflexive reaction.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The knights strangely couldn¡¯t feel any pain. It was a natural phenomenon. In the first ce, an orator had poor physical abilities and he currently wasn¡¯t equipped with any weapons. A 300% increase in an orator¡¯s damage still wasn¡¯t enough to deal a blow to armored knights. The difference was too big.


    Huroi epted it calmly. ¡°It is as I expected. This is a useless skill to the current me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It only took a few minutes for Huroi to be captured by the knights and locked in solitary confinement again. But Huroi didn¡¯t care. He hadn¡¯t been able to log out for 50 hours in reality. Therefore, he was exhausted and wanted to log out and rest.


    Since the quest was clear, there was no penalty for logging out.


    ¡®Based on this situation, it will soon be over for Winston¡¯s lord... I can easily escape from the prison after I get some sleep and log in again. Then Grid, I wish you good fortune.¡¯


    So, Huroi logged out.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    Grid and Euphemina hurriedly ran away from the knights. Thanks to Euphemina grasping theyout of the first and second floors of the dungeon, the two people didn¡¯t have to wander and managed to reach the surface level.


    Brilliant sunshine! Blue sky! A greenwn! Grid was excited by the bright and brilliantndscape that was unlike the dark dungeon where all sides were blocked.


    ¡°Hahahahat! We escaped the castle~¡±


    The dungeon entrance that Grid and Euphemina escaped from was located between towers erected on the east-facing wall. The two of them were exiting the tower, and there was a lookout above them. In other words, there were concerns that the guards in the watchtowers would hear Grid¡¯s loud voice.


    ¡°Be quiet, we are still in the middle of enemy territory.¡±


    Euphemina tried to calm Grid down but he was so excited about escaping that he didn¡¯t hear her.


    "Kya! Look at this clean air. The humid air in the dungeon was so bad! I thought my lungs were rotting away. Air is important! I finally understand why city people are so excited about the air in the countryside!¡±


    Grid made a fuss as hey down on thewn and rolled around. He was out of control.


    Euphemina had a headache. Most of the soldiers were defeated but the power of the lord¡¯s bodyguards still seemed intact. The bodyguards weren¡¯t a match for knights, but their level and skills exceeded that of ordinary soldiers. Euphemina didn¡¯t want to face them. In the worst case, they could tie up her feet until the knights arrived from underground.


    ¡°Hey Grid, we need to leave this ce as secretly and quietly as possible, so be a bit more quiet...¡±


    "Hah~~ the smell of the grass is so clear and refreshing! The nice scent of pine needles!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Euphemina tiredly rubbed her temple, steadily reaching the limits of her patience.


    ¡°......¡±


    In the end, Euphemina took action and approached Grid, who was sniffing thewn, and grabbed his cor. Then she pushed her mouth towards Grid¡¯s ears and yelled,


    ¡°You! Didn¡¯t I tell you to be quiet? Don¡¯t you have a brain? We are in the middle of enemy territory! We should be running away from this dangerous territory, so why are you making noise while rolling around!!! Yes?¡±


    "Aaaagh!"


    Grid felt like his eardrums had ruptured from the shock. The tearful Grid struggled to escape from Euphemina.


    ¡°You, don¡¯t embarrass me anymore but acting like a fool. Don¡¯t you want to leave this damn ce? So do it properly. If you act so stupidly again, I really will kill you.¡±


    Euphemina knew that the grade of Grid¡¯s ss was higher than hers. Grid wasn¡¯t a weak person. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t help bing angry as she kept scrutinizing Grid.


    Grid was really afraid that he would be killed by Euphemina when he suddenly turned his attention to one side. Then he gently spoke to Euphemina.


    "There... are they enemies?¡±


    An ominous feeling. Euphemina slowly turned in the direction that Grid pointed. Then she was frustrated. 16 bodyguards armed with full te armor appeared in a systematic formation.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Their 16 swords reflected in the sunlight, causing shes throughout the castle.


    Grid scowled and snapped at her. "Look what this angry girl did... You caused such a big fuss that the enemies emerged.¡±


    Euphemina was upset and retorted, "This is because you were loud first!¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s killing intent red up. Grid trembled with fear as he apologized, ¡°S-Sorry, I was wrong. It was a slip of the tongue.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s head throbbed as she thought,


    ¡®This man, what type of concept is he trying on? Why does he keep acting afraid of me?¡¯


    Grid was the one who defeated the Northern Nova in a one-on-one match. He also overwhelmed four knights with just his presence. She didn¡¯t have direct knowledge of his skills, but she could make a guess. Grid was strong. A type of man who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anything in Satisfy.


    So, Euphemina started trembling.


    ¡®This guy is ying with me.¡¯


    Euphemina disliked Grid from the beginning. When the two people first met at the item production game, Grid wasn¡¯t misled by Euphemina¡¯s beautiful appearance. That fact alone was humiliating for Euphemina, then she heard all the ridiculing words Grid had spoken.


    Kid, fox, etc!


    Now he was ming her for doing nothing wrong? This man! It was an embarrassing memory that Euphemina wanted to forget for the rest of her life.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in silver and gold appeared from among the bodyguards. His identity was Baron Lowe. He was the lord of Winston, the one who allied with the Mero Company and allowed the residents of Winston to suffer.


    "To have reached here... did you get rid of all the soldiers and knights? Ha...hahaha! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    Baron Loweughed like he was insane. It was impossible to maintain his sanity after losing most of his army from one intruder and one prison escapee.


    "...The people can¡¯t be controlled without the army. Now I have no way of stopping people from going to Earl Steim. Thus, Earl Steim will find out about my actions and my life is ruined.¡±


    Baron Lowe was extremely angry after realizing his fate. He couldn¡¯t forgive Grid and Euphemina, who took everything away from him.


    "Catch them! Tear apart all their limbs and make it so that they can¡¯t close their eyes!¡±


    The 16 bodyguards followed what was possibly the lord¡¯sstmand and got into formation. This was a formation that could evenpete with a knight. But it was no use in front of Euphemina.


    ¡°Demon King¡¯s Tail Fire.¡±


    ¡°Ack?!¡±


    The bodyguards groaned at the same time. It was because their armor started to heat up. Then the amazing sight unfolded.


    Hwaruruk!


    Blue mes soared from the bodies of the bodyguards.


    "Aaaagh!"


    ¡°W-What is this...? Kuack!¡±


    The terrible screams and painful struggle onlysted a short time. It didn¡¯t take long for the bodyguards to be turned to ashes.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...¡±


    A magic that annihted 16 of the bodyguards. Grid and Baron Lowe couldn¡¯t believe it, despite witnessing the scene with their own two eyes. As their faces paled with horror, Euphemina gave a refreshing smile. By taking care of the bodyguards, she had managed to relieve some of the stress that reached the limit due to Grid.


    ¡®Indeed, the lord¡¯s guards are very strong. Their experience is pretty good.¡¯


    Grid and Baron Lowe felt a simr sentiment as they looked at her.


    ¡®I need to avoid this evil girl...¡¯


    ¡®Demon. She is a demon.¡¯


    After that, Baron Lowe was captured by Euphemina. He was tied up and dragged away like a dog caught by a dog catcher.


    Grid vowed yet again. ¡®I must never touch this woman again. I won¡¯t be able to survive if I do.¡¯


    Maybe Huroi had managed to tie up their feet for a while since the pursuit of the knights still couldn¡¯t be felt. Euphemina hurried and they managed to safely escape the castle.


    Then they met an unexpected person outside the castle. It was the second highest ranked person in the Mero Company, Rabbit. He was standing with 10 people as if he had been waiting for them.


    Colour returned to the face of the lord. ¡°Ohh! Aren¡¯t you Rabbit? You heard the news and came to rescue me!¡±


    Grid became tense.


    ¡®This... are they soldiers from the Mero Company?¡¯


    As Grid inwardly shouted, Euphemina strode forward towards Rabbit. She looked at Rabbit¡¯s subordinates and asked.


    "These are the people you mentioned earlier?¡±


    Rabbit nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct. They originally followed Valmont but became disappointed with his brutality. They won¡¯t hold you back.¡±


    ¡°They do look strong. Great. I can count on them.¡±


    The two people were talking like they were friends!


    Grid felt extreme anxiety. ¡®Why are the two of them so close? Wait, wasn¡¯t Euphemina hired by the Mero Company in the first ce? Then why? Maybe Euphemina saving me was a trap!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s guess was this:


    Winston¡¯s lord and the Mero Company had joined hands. Euphemina, who was hired by the Mero Company, was subsequently the lord¡¯s ally. The conclusion that could be drawn from the first and second fact was that Euphemina was an enemy.


    If Euphemina really belonged to the lord, she wouldn¡¯t have killed his soldiers. She also wouldn¡¯t be dragging the lord around like a dog. In the first ce, why would Euphemina rescue Grid if she was the enemy? She also returned the unique dagger to him instead of selling it.


    But Grid was so confused that any thinking was impossible. He could only make the simple judgment that Euphemina was the enemy.


    ¡®It is the end... I really can¡¯t easily trust a ck-bellied animal like her! I showed her some goodwill, only to be duped!¡¯


    Grid thought of some of the historical dramas he watched and decided.


    ¡®I won¡¯t obediently let her kill me. I wanted to be more careful about my stat distribution, but it can¡¯t be helped. Status window.¡¯


    Name: Grid


    Level: 45 (3,400/238,000)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 2,964/2,964 Mana: 243/243


    Strength: 166 Stamina: 244 Agility: 118 Intelligence: 91


    Dexterity: 391 Persistence: 82


    Composure: 66 Indomitable: 74 Dignity: 66 Insight: 66


    Courage: 10


    Stat Points: 240


    Weight: 842/4,960


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    Grid¡¯s status window was unusually gorgeous. While he was only level 45, his total stats wereparable to a user in the mid-200s. Particrly impressive was that he had six rare stats such as: persistence,posure, indomitable, dignity, insight, and courage.


    But was that all? He also owned four titles. Originally, titles were very difficult to obtain and those with four titles could be among the top rankers. Grid already had four titles at level 45. Befitting of a legendary ss in Satisfy, the status window was truly overwhelming.


    But Grid was dissatisfied rather than pleased.


    ¡®I hammered day and night, trained my stats and seeded in ridiculously difficult quests, but this is it? Didn¡¯t I fight one-on-one against a knight at level 21? But the result is too badpared to my hard work. Dammit. By now, all my stats should be around 300 points. What type of legendary ss is this? Dammit... Euphemina has an epic ss but she is so OP she can use all types of magic with no chanting... Ah... I¡¯m unhappy.¡¯


    Grid was paying attention to Euphemina and Rabbit while grumbling.


    Euphemina was wearing a magician¡¯s robe, Rabbit was wearing chain mail and held a one-handed sword that seemed expensive, and his subordinates were holding various weapons such as spears, swords, and bows.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t heavily armed so if I increase my attack power, I can easily handle them... I¡¯m not wearing armor right now so I need to increase my stamina and defense... my agility is more than enough with the Ideal Dagger...¡¯


    This was a desperate situation! Grid made a quick decision without thinking too deeply.


    ¡®150 points in strength and 90 points in stamina.¡¯


    Since Grid was essentially a cksmith, it was wise to invest as many points as possible in dexterity. The higher the dexterity, the higher the probability of producing a higher rated item. But Grid was born as a warrior. He had a basic desire to strengthen hisbat power, plus it was wise to raise his strength and stamina to avoid the immediate crisis.


    ¡®Anyway, my dexterity stat will naturally increase the more items I make, so there is no need to invest my points in it.¡¯


    Furthermore, he received the title of ¡®First Unique Item Maker¡¯ after making the Ideal Dagger in the item production game against Euphemina, and this gave him 200 points in dexterity. Thus, Grid didn¡¯t feel sorry about not investing in dexterity.


    [You have invested 150 points in strength. Is this correct?]


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    [Once the points are invested, it can¡¯t be reversed. Do you want to proceed?]


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    [You have invested 90 points in stamina. Is this correct?]


    ¡¯That¡¯s right. That is no need to ask, so do it quickly.¡¯


    [Your changed stats will be applied.]


    As a result, Grid¡¯s strength was at 316 and his stamina was at 334. Considering that the current average of cksmith users was 80 strength and 100 stamina, Grid¡¯s strength and stamina was an unbelievably high number.


    No, it was possible to exin the greatness of Grid¡¯s stats more clearly byparing it with abat ss, rather than a cksmith.


    A level 45bat ss had an average of 210 strength and 100 stamina. The average of a ss that emphasized defense was 100 strength and 230 stamina. The average of abat ss that emphasized speed was 120 strength and 80 stamina. More importantly, a level 45bat ss had a total of fewer than 500 stat points.


    Compared to general users, Grid¡¯s stats were really great. It was overwhelming. But Grid wasn¡¯t aware that he was strong.


    Starting with Earl Ashur and his knights, to Doran, Yura, Leo, and Euphemina. From the moment he became a legendary ss to the present, Grid had encountered strong people in session and carried out difficult quests. So he thought he was weak when hepared himself to them.


    But what was the truth? When equipped with the Ideal Dagger, Grid was stronger than a level 100bat ss. The moment when Grid was about to attack Euphemina and Rabbit.


    ¡°Hey Rabbit! Why are you talking to that evil girl? I need you to save me!¡±


    Baron Lowe shifted Rabbit¡¯s gaze towards him. Then Rabbit spoke with an expressionless face, ¡°You still haven¡¯t grasped the situation? I didn¡¯te here to help you. I am the one who hired Euphemina to break into your castle in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Baron Lowe and Grid spoke at the same time. Rabbit dropped a bombshell remark, ¡°I don¡¯t belong to the Mero Company anymore.¡±


    ¡°What does that...¡±


    "Valmont is bing increasingly oppressive. It has be noticeable ever since he took control of Winston¡¯s trade with your help. It¡¯s pretty obvious that he can¡¯t read the mood in the vige and will soon fall; therefore, I have decided to leave because a dark cloud is hanging over the Mero Company¡¯s future. And today, I am prepared to punish you and Valmont.¡±


    Baron Lowe¡¯s face turned red as he yelled, ¡°You! You are just a traitor! What right do you have to punish us? You are a merchant, not an apostle of justice!¡±


    ¡°As you said, I am a merchant. That¡¯s why I only move for profit. I have no sense of justice. He is why I want to kill you and Valmont.¡±


    Rabbit pointed to Grid. Grid found it strange.


    ¡°Eh? Me?"


    Rabbit bowed to Grid, who looked dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m d you are safe, Grid. It was correct to leave this to Euphemina.¡±


    ¡°What is this? Why did you betray the Mero Company?¡±


    Rabbit smiled and exined, ¡°I saw your cksmithing and realized a new future.¡±


    ¡°New future?¡±


    ¡°Grid, you know it yourself, but your potential is excellent. It is clear that your work will one day be traded among people at high prices. You will make a big amount of money. However, it is hard to do business with the power of an individual. There will obviously be limitations to the amount of money that can be earned. So I would like to work with you. I will help you use all the experience I¡¯ve umted as a merchant, as well as thework I¡¯ve built. I will make it so that a lot of people can use your work, from the Eternal Kingdom to other kingdoms.¡±


    Rabbit spoke his aspirations,


    "We will make the best smithy, which will have profitsparable to a small and medium-sizedpany. If you and I join forces, we can clearly seed. However, in order for me to work with you, I need to reform my image and appeal to you and the residents of Winston. That is why I rescued you, and also prepared a means to take down the Mero Company and Winston¡¯s lord.¡±


    "Yes... so you betrayed the Mero Company because you want to work with me? That¡¯s why you sent Euphemina to rescue me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It is appreciated. But why are you trying to obtain the liking of the Winston residents?¡±


    "Our business will be starting at Khan¡¯s smithy. It has geographical advantages, so Khan¡¯s smithy is the most ideal ce to act as a base. In other words, I need to get a job at Khan¡¯s smithy. But how can I get a job when I am med by Winston¡¯s residents?¡±


    "...Ahh, I understand. How exactly do you n to do business?¡±


    Euphemina urged Rabbit to exin quickly, ¡°Do you have enough time to spare? We are in a hurry.¡±


    "Yes, I understand. Mr. Grid, I¡¯m afraid the detailed exnation needs to be left for the next time we meet. First, you only need to know one thing. I will make you rich. Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    Rabbit bowed politely to Grid and turned around. The man who was an enemy was now talking about bing a business partner... Grid couldn¡¯t adapt to the sudden development and was confused.


    "It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m tired so my head isn¡¯t working properly. Let¡¯s log out and take a break.¡±


    Euphemina called out to Grid who was about to leave. "Hey Grid, did you forget something?¡±


    ¡®This girl, she only saved me because of a quest so why is she acting so condescending. But well... she did rescue me and gave me back my unique dagger...¡¯


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Euphemina, Grid would¡¯ve failed his quest to rescue Huroi. Grid greeted Euphemina genuinely after thinking this.


    ¡°Thank you again.¡±


    Euphemina frowned. "Did you think I called you just to hear that? Surely you haven¡¯t forgotten?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "You promised to make me a unique rated orb.¡±


    ¡°H-How could I forget? Of course I remember.¡±


    He had actually forgotten. The thought of forgetting and then Euphemina killing him because he didn¡¯t keep his promise sent a chill through him.


    ¡°I will make it for you. Instead, I need a method of making orbs. Naturally, I¡¯ll also need the materials for it.¡±


    Grid was sincere. He intended to make the orb to fulfill his promise to Euphemina. Was it to repay Euphemina after being helped be her? No. Grid was trying to keep his promise with Euphemina for another reason.


    ¡®This is a great chance to learn another production method for free!¡¯


    But was that all? Every time he made an item, the level of his skills rted to production would increase. Wasn¡¯t it good to raise his skill level using free materials?


    "I understand. I will contact you again when I obtain them.¡±


    Euphemina said goodbye to Grid.


    Grid fell into deep thoughts once he was alone. ¡®If I join hands with Rabbit, can I really be a cksmith who earns the equivalent of a small businesspany?¡¯


    Grid was already aware that his ss was lucrative. If he tried hard, he would be able to get rid of his debt someday. Maybe he could even buy a foreign car. But the future that Rabbit spoke about was different in scale.


    The revenue from converting a small amount of gold into cash was nothingpared to the revenue of a small businesspany. If he could earn an equivalent amount as a cksmith, Grid would definitely be able to buy the car.


    ¡®No, a foreign car is nothing. I can live in a mansion with many foreign cars. If I have that much financial power, Ahyoung will be attracted to me!¡¯


    Grid shook with excitement. On the other hand, Rabbit asked Euphemina after they left Grid.


    "Grid seems afraid of you. Did something happen?¡±


    "What? Does it make sense that he is afraid of me?¡±


    Eupheminaughed.


    ¡°Grid is the one who defeated the knight called the Northern Nova. In addition, he overwhelmed four knights with just his presence. Does such a mighty person fear anything in this world? That guy is just ying with me. He isn¡¯t actually afraid.¡±


    "Hoh...wait? What did you say just now?" Rabbit doubted his ears. ¡°Grid has the power to ovee a knight?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Grid a cksmith?¡±


    "Yes, he certainly is a cksmith. But he is also strong. I don¡¯t know what his identity is.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A cksmith who could create a unique item and was strong? Rabbit was able to get a vague hint about Grid¡¯s identity.


    ¡®Perhaps he is...¡¯


    The legendary cksmith. His name was Pagma. Maybe people only knew him as a great cksmith, but Rabbit searched through rted documents and found out that Pagma wasn¡¯t exactly a cksmith.


    ¡®If he has inherited Pagma¡¯s skills...not only is he an excellent cksmith, he also has excellentbat skills. Is Grid Pagma¡¯s Descendant? That¡¯s right. It is the most likely option.¡¯


    He never thought that the person he decided to be his business partner would¡¯ve been a legend¡¯s descendant! Rabbit felt an enormous joy that was beyond words.


    ¡®I am lucky. This is an opportunity to sell works that contain Pagma¡¯s soul.¡¯


    If he worked with Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he could earn a profit that was equivalent to a huge businesspany. Rabbit was exuberant. He hastened his steps towards the Mero Company.


    ¡°R-Rabbit! You bastard!¡±


    Valmont and Philipson, who hadn¡¯t yet noticed that the castle had copsed from intruders, was caught by surprise by the attack. Philipson was murdered by a furious Euphemina after she discovered he had kidnapped a young girl.


    Then Valmont and Baron Lowe were sent to Frontier and executed by Earl Steim.


    But there was a variable.


    "It is obvious that Rabbit saved the Winston residents from the crisis, but he has noticeably been the Mero Company¡¯s second hand man for a long time. Rabbit could be considered a felon for persecuting the residents of Winston, so I will sentence him to 10 years in prison.¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s mistake was to overlook that Earl Steim was a stern figure. Rabbit had expected his sins to be forgiven in recognition of his contribution to the downfall of the Mero Company and Baron Lowe, but he was unexpectedly sentenced to prison.


    Rabbit was unhappy, but he had to ept it because it was the earl¡¯s decision.


    ¡°I have formed a rtionship with Mr. Grid... It is regretful, but he recognizes my merits so I should just be d about that.¡±


    Rabbit smiled as he went to prison. He was satisfied at just decorating one page of the biography of a future legend.


    Winston entered a new era.


    The vige was upgraded to a city and the new lord of Winston, dispatched by Earl Steim, distributed exclusive merchandise to the residents and reimbursed the heavy debts of the residents.


    The residents of Winston started talking about the heroes who freed them from their nightmare.


    ¡°Do you know the person called Rabbit? Originally, he was the second highest ranked person of the Mero Company, but he was unable to tolerate Valmont and Baron Lowe¡¯s evil, leading to their downfall. He is currently in prison, but he is the reason we can live like this now.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the most beautiful woman in the world? Her heart is as beautiful as her face, and she ran alone into the castle to save the residents of Winston. She is the protagonist who caused Winston¡¯s peace.¡±


    "There was a young cksmith. The young man with a strong sense of justice fought valiantly to protect the residents of Winston from the Mero Company and Baron Lowe. He tried to protect Khan¡¯s smithy and jumped into the dungeon to rescue the man who was arrested for trying to get to Earl Steim. I am over 80 years old this year and that man is young enough to be my grandchild, but I respect him regardless of his age. Such a just and courageous person is indeed rare.¡±


    Rabbit, the beauty and the young cksmith.


    The travellers who came to Winston were exposed to stories of the three people from the residents. This was evidence that the three people¡¯s reputation had reached its peak in Winston.


    Irene, Winston¡¯s newdy, showed great interest in the beauty and the young cksmith.


    ¡°Anyway, their merits should be recognized. I would like to meet them as soon as possible.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    The media in each country reported the news that the first second ss had appeared.


    South Korea.


    <Did you know that there was a second ss? When a second ss is obtained, the user has ess to a wider range of weapons, skills and stats. In addition, every level up will give two additional stat points. Reporter Cho Sungjin will give more details. Reporter Cho Sungjin.>


    <This is Cho Sungjin. At 1 a.m. today, information from the S.A. Group was released, revealing that the first second ss was obtained in Satisfy. The type of second ss hasn¡¯t been revealed yet, but experts predict that there is so much content in Satisfy that a myriad of second sses exist. The biggest advantage of getting a second ss is that 12 stat points instead of 10 will be obtained with each level up...>


    The United States.


    <James, what is the identity of the first second ss that emerged?>


    <The S.A Group said that is isn¡¯t willing to disclose information about the second ss that appeared. This is a decision to protect the information of the person who acquired the second ss...>


    The United Kingdom.


    <I just received incredible breaking news. The first person who obtained the second ss is from Mongolia.>


    <They¡¯re from Mongolia? Do Mongols even know what Satisfy is?>


    <Haha, these statistics definitely show that Mongols aren¡¯t interested in Satisfy. In most developed countries, around 60% of the poption is ying Satisfy. Meanwhile, only 3% of the Mongolian poption is ying Satisfy.>


    <Oh dear... ording to this statistic, our UK has 68% of the poption ying Satisfy? This 68% of the British poption couldn¡¯t acquire a second ss, yet someone in Mongolia did... The British are advertising to the world that they aren¡¯t talented in the game.>


    China.


    <The S.A. Group is renowned for thoroughly managing their customer¡¯s information. Experts specte that the information about the first second ss being obtained by a Mongolian user was spread in order to promote Satisfy in Mongolia.>


    <It is clear that the S.A. Group intends to dominate the world with Satisfy. Then intend to make everyone in the world ves to Satisfy. Later on, the whole world might be dancing in the S.A. Group¡¯s hands. People will need treatment for Satisfy addiction...>


    Japan.


    <I¡¯m proud that it¡¯s an Asian who acquired the first second ss. When will a second ss user be born in Japan?>


    <As you know, 71% of Japan¡¯s poption is enjoying Satisfy. There are many Japanese people who are ying Satisfy. Didn¡¯t a Japanese person obtain an epic ss a few months ago? I expect a Japanese person to be the second user to obtain a second ss.>


    <Doesn¡¯t Korea have 73% of its poption ying Satisfy? ording to poption ratio, Koreans enjoy Satisfy the most. Is there any possibility that the owner of the second user to obtain a second ss will be born in Korea?>


    <...Perhaps the S.A. Group will help a Korean obtain it...>


    <There are no sessful Korean users except for Yura, who is ranked 5th on the unified rankings. This is ironic, considering that Satisfy is a game made by a Koreanpany.>


    <Speaking of which, there is a rumor that the S.A. Group is sponsoring Yura.>


    <Is that so? What is the source of the rumor?>


    <That... on the...>


    <I¡¯m sorry...>


    People¡¯s interest in the second ss was so high that the media from all over the world organized a special program for the first second ss.


    On the other hand, Shin Youngwoo sighed after escaping from the dungeon, leaving Rabbit and logging out. As soon as he opened his eyes, he sat in front of the TV, boiled ramyun and trembled as he watched the news.


    ¡°I¡¯m really envious... Getting two more stat points with every level up, isn¡¯t thatpletely a scam? What bastard got a second ss? Ah, damn. I¡¯m sick from envy.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo couldn¡¯t even imagine that he knew the first person who acquired the second ss.


    ***


    The whole family gathered for dinner.


    I dered in front of my family, ¡°I won¡¯t go to thebor office anymore.¡±


    It was a bolt from the blue!


    "My son Youngwoo. You finally got a job? Great, my son! I believed in you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Oppa! Are you going to be an employee now? Congrattions! What should I prepare as a celebration gift?¡±


    "Sob sob, Mother has been heartbroken in the meantime from all your suffering at the construction sites. Haven¡¯t you gone through a lot of trouble so far?¡±


    I expected such reactions from my family. But reality was cruel.


    Tak! There was a loud sound as my father ced the spoon down on the table.


    "Are you going to start your life again?¡±


    My mother sighed. "No matter how hard you work... How will you pay back the debt in the future and what will you do about marriage...?¡±


    Sehee clicked her tongue. "How can an adult be so selfish? Are you thinking about relying on our parents until you¡¯re old? Oppa is terrible, how pathetic.¡±


    Unbelievable... Was this my family?


    ¡°Who is nning on ying around at home?¡± I eximed. "Why do you think that stopping thebor jobs is a sign of giving up? Why don¡¯t you think that your son and your Oppa has found a new job?¡±


    Sehee¡¯s eyes widened like she was really surprised. ¡°What? Oppa got a new job? There is a ce that will ept Oppa?¡±


    My mother spoke to herself. ¡°Perhaps it is a job at a convenience store...? A convenience store job is easy, but the hourly rate is less than thebor jobs...¡±


    My father asked me with a serious face. ¡°Youngwoo, you haven¡¯t been deceived by a friend and dragged into a multi-levelpany likest time?¡±


    ¡°Hey! It isn¡¯t anything like that! I have an incredibly good job!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It is a professional gamer. I will make money from the game! Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m a cksmith in the game? This is a really good job and I can sell my items for an expensive price. With a little more luck, I can earn the equivalent of a CEO sry someday. A great merchant in the game has promised to support me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the sudden silence, my father spoke in an angry voice. "...So you want to stay home and y games?¡±


    What? Why was he mad?


    "It is easy to say. The more I y the game, the more money I can earn. Maybe I should live in the capsule all day. Hehe.¡±


    Ttaak!


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    The spoon flew and hit my forehead. My mother gave my father a new spoon and he threw it at my forehead again.


    ¡°Ack! Why? Why all of a sudden?¡±


    "Tomorrow, go to thebor office.¡±


    "No, why? Didn¡¯t you hear my words? I will make money from the game!¡±


    My mother wiped at her tears. "Gosh, your brother is really serious. You shouldn¡¯t be like this, Sehee.¡±


    What was my mother saying?


    Sehee bit her lip angrily and shouted, ¡°Please grow up, Oppa! You¡¯re going to make money from the game? Haven¡¯t you been ying for the past year? And your debt has only increased! Face reality!¡±


    "No... it¡¯s different now. I have a new fate now that I¡¯m a cksmith... I¡¯ve gone through a lot of things and now the best merchant will help me...¡±


    "Stop talking about the game! The game is a joke!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I tried to exin the details but they didn¡¯t listen to me. As I looked at the dark scene of chaos unfolding in front of me, I realized my family wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I exined it properly.


    Then the next morning. Due to my crying mother, I had to change clothes and go to the workce. I took abor job and worked out the n for the rest of my life. I needed to level up andplete the ss quest, but the most important thing was making money.


    ¡®First, let¡¯s ept Rabbit¡¯s proposal.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know yet how Rabbit would help me get rich. But I was sure that it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. He was the second highest ranked person in the Mero Company, so he was obviously great. It would be good to trust him as a business partner.


    ¡®If I use Khan¡¯s smithy as a base, I can be veryfortable... Well, I hope to have more time to y the game. But first of all, I need to make money inside the game so that my parents will apologize.¡¯


    Satisfy news could be found at any time when turning on the TV or Inte. My parents should¡¯vee across people who became world famous or rich through Satisfy. But nevertheless, they didn¡¯t think I could make money with Satisfy. As Sehee said, it was because I spent one year... no, to be exact, I spent a year and a month already ying Satisfy.


    ¡¯It isn¡¯t unreasonable that they don¡¯t trust me... I need proof to persuade my parents.¡¯


    That evening. I came home from work and immediately connected to Satisfy. Then I went to Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Ohh, wee Grid!¡±


    Khan greeted me with an incredibly bright expression. It wasn¡¯t just him. The anxiety on all the faces of the residents that I passed by had disappeared.


    ¡®Is Winston at peace? It looks like Euphemina and Rabbit did a good job.¡¯


    I asked Khan, "Has Rabbit came here?¡±


    Khan¡¯s expression darkened. "Um... this letter arrived for you.¡±


    Khan handed me a letter. I read it.


    [Mr. Grid.


    This is Rabbit. Earl Steim couldn¡¯t excuse all the sins Imitted against the people of Winston when I was still part of the Mero Company, so I couldn¡¯t receive a full pardon. My business n with you is in vain. Mr Grid, with your abilities, you will be the richest person with your own strength. Please ask for Khan¡¯s advice and make wonderful items. Khan¡¯s artistic sense will be a great help to you. I will watch your myth from a distance and sincerely pray for your sess.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What was this?


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    Perhaps I was too stupid to understand the contents of the letter? It was like how I couldn¡¯t understand a barking dog. ¡°Where is this person now?¡±


    Khan carefully replied, "Earl Steim has sentenced him to 10 years in prison.¡±


    It was ridiculous.


    "No, why? Wasn¡¯t Rabbit the one who helped Winston?¡±


    "He is certainly a hero who saved Winston, but Winston was in this crisis in the first ce due to the Mero Company. He eventually realized his sins, but the earl thinks it¡¯s too unreasonable topletely wash away his sins.¡±


    Dammit.


    ¡°Shit... What is this...?¡±


    Didn¡¯t Rabbit promise to make me rich? But now he was trapped in prison? Stupid bastard! He said he would do something good for me, but it ended up like this.


    Khan patted my shoulder as I was feeling frustrated. "I understand the sadness of seeing the person who rescued you now trapped in jail, but cheer up. You have your life. Don¡¯t be so frustrated.¡±


    What was he saying?


    "No... I don¡¯t care about Rabbit right now... Oh, by the way, I heard that you were also arrested after me? You didn¡¯t get hurt, did you?¡±


    Khanughed. "Why are you worried about me when you were framed and insulted? Your heart is truly as wide as the sea. Ugh...¡±


    The smiling man was once again in tears. "I actually heard the story. You were surrounded by knights, and didn¡¯t you open your mouth to protect me? Once again, I am deeply moved by you.¡±


    Was he referring to the incident in the interrogation room? I tried to give up Khan as the one whomissioned Huroi, but I couldn¡¯t answer because my mouth was gagged. Iughed awkwardly. "Well... I could¡¯t sell you out.¡±


    "Sob... even if you were tortured... Grid! I believe that I can entrust it to you!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This smithy!¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What did he mean by the smithy?


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    Ah, I must¡¯ve heard wrong. I shouldn¡¯t count my chickens before they were hatched. As I felt doubts, Khan smiled benignly and said, "You disguised yourself as my sessor to defend this smithy andpete with the Mero Company. From then on, I have already thought of you as my sessor. This smithy will be yours in the future.¡±


    ¡°... No way.¡±


    There were some users who received a position from a NPC. But I¡¯d never heard of a user bing the sessor of a business. Maybe I was the first.


    "You aren¡¯t joking?¡±


    "Haha, have I ever said anything false before? As you know, I don¡¯t have a sessor. Very soon, I will be too old to work... then this smithy will lose its owner and be neglected. I don¡¯t want this smithy that has been in my family for generations to disappear. I sincerely want you to take over this smithy. You are Pagma¡¯s Descendant and have a great personality, so my ancestors will be delighted. Also, my son is dead...¡±


    Khan¡¯s face darkened the moment he brought out the story of his dead son. He stimted a person¡¯s emotions so I asked him to make sure.


    "Don¡¯t just say it with words. Write a contract! Then I will believe you and will work hard for the sake of this smithy!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a while, I received a contract from Khan about the smithy ownership transfer. Then a notification window popped up.


    [You have obtained the position ¡® Smithy¡¯s Sessor.¡¯]


    [Smithy¡¯s Sessor]


    You will have the same status as the owner in Khan¡¯s Smithy.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream, right?¡± I pinched myself as hard as I could. ¡°It hurts...¡±


    I used so much strength that my cheek was tingling. It wasn¡¯t a dream.


    ¡°This definitely isn¡¯t a dream! It¡¯s real. Hah...! Hahahat! Puhahaha! Yes! Oh yes! Ye~!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t suppress my joy at the thought of thisrge two-storey smithy someday bing mine. Khan looked at me smiling like crazy and dered, "I¡¯m d that you¡¯re so happy. You can definitely lead this smithy well.¡±


    "Of course! Now! Let¡¯s work. We will make great items and tell people how amazing our smithy is!¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Isn¡¯t this good? You¡¯re really motivated!¡±


    I would receive recognition from my parents from my work at the smithy. I devoted myself to making items for the next few days. From morning to afternoon, I headed to thebor jobs. Then from night until dawn, I connected to Satisfy and made items.


    "I am doingbor again... It seems I am unable to escape from the quagmire ofbor...¡±


    I was only sleeping for four hours a day due to excessive motivation. I was tired, but I could endure it due to the money, stats and skill experience umted.


    ***


    The Tzedakah Guild only had 17 members, but they wereposed of top rankers and a few elites!


    Among the 17 people, Jishuka was the guild leader and she developed the habit of checking the auction house every day. It was because she was addicted to the performance of the Special Jaffa Arrows, which she bought around two months ago.


    The Special Jaffa Arrows had the best attack power among the existing arrows. The Special Jaffa Arrows were twice as powerful as general Jaffa Arrows, and had a chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defensepletely. Jishuka had been thrilled as she felt the excellent performance and destructive power of the Special Jaffa Arrows.


    But after that first day, the Special Jaffa Arrows never appeared in the auction house again.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Usually cksmiths would create thousands of arrows. In other words, it was likely that thousands of the Special Jaffa Arrows existed. But the creator of the Special Jaffa Arrows only offered up 99 at the auction.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... has another guild already found the cksmith?¡¯


    Jishuka became nervous. If another guild got their hands on the cksmith and monopolized the items, Jishuka and her guild members would be cut off.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jishuka.¡±


    "Wow, her body looks even more amazing up close.¡±


    ¡°Shall I give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Hey you. You will have a terrible experience.¡±


    Jishuka was the focus of people¡¯s attention as usual. The tanned skin and sensual body made the hearts of men pound. Many males were drawn to her sharp eyes and full lips.


    Jishuka tried to ignore them, but there was a limit. The users started to gather after hearing that Jishuka was at the auction house, so it wasn¡¯t long before the auction house reached the limit.


    "Can you get out of the way?"


    The half moon eyes drew in the men. However, her heavy-handed tone caused an invisible wall around her. In the end, the men couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and gave way. After leaving the people at the auction house behind, Jishuka summoned a hologram keyboard.


    Then she dered in the guild chat window.


    {If you don¡¯t find the cksmith within this month, you will all enter hell training.}


    {Ohh! I wee hell training!}


    {Regas! Don¡¯t talk nonsense! It is called hell training for a reason.}


    {Captain, to be honest, it is almost impossible to find a person in Satisfy with so little clues. Do you know how many users there are in Satisfy?}


    {It can¡¯t happen.}


    {...Ohh...I agree...}


    The guild members startedining. Jishuka told them seriously.


    {A small guild of elites like us must be stronger than others in order to urately show our value. We need the cksmith to be stronger. So please find them.}


    {Understood. I will be sure to find the cksmith.}


    {Hey! We should make a bet. 100 gold from each person for the one who finds them first!}


    {What? I will make 1,600 gold if I win? Okay, I will find them!}


    Jishuka was always tenacious. She truly was a steely woman. It was extremely rare for her to ¡®ask¡¯ something from them. Therefore, the guild members were able to realize the urgency of the situation and became motivated.


    Only Regas had aint.


    {I want to train...}


    {Where are you? ^^}


    Jishuka used emoticons! The guild members saw it and thought simultaneously.


    ¡®Captain is angry.¡¯


    ¡¯Regas is dead.¡¯


    At that time, there was a notice in the guild¡¯s chat window.


    [Vantner has logged in.]


    It was the appearance of Vantner, who finally took the top spot in the guardian knight rankings five days ago.


    {Wee Vantner.}


    {Hey, why were you sleeping for seven hours? Aren¡¯t you being toozy? Your ranking will be taken away.}


    {I saw something interesting on the Inte. I was a littlete because I was looking for articles rted to the incident. Have you heard of a ce called Winston?}


    {A vige in the north of the Eternal Kingdom?}


    {Ah~ that ce? I stopped by it once on my way to Bairan Vige. Why? What¡¯s going on?}


    {There was an item creation game that took ce there. It was said that one of thepetitors created an epic rated dagger in three hours.}


    {A user, not an NPC?}


    {Yes.}


    {That person!}


    {The cksmith finally appeared!}


    {We¡¯ve got you!}


    The guild members became excited. A cksmith who could create an epic rated item in just three hours wasn¡¯tmon. Even the number one cksmith, Panmir wasn¡¯t capable of it.


    Jishukamanded.


    {Everyone head to Winston! From now on, we will focus our investigation in Winston!}


    {Understood!}


    {If it¡¯s Winston... It will take around three days for me to get there.}


    {I will take a week.}


    {...The person who arrives thetest should be prepared. And Regas, if you don¡¯t arrive in half a day then I really will kill you ^^}


    {C-Captain! I¡¯m in the Burns Principality right now! It will take me two days to get to Winston on horseback!}


    {Don¡¯t rely on a horse and run there directly! Then won¡¯t you somehow arrive in a day?}


    {O-Ohhh! Can I arrive in half a day?}


    {I will kill you if you don¡¯t arrive in half a day.}


    {What should I do?}


    The Tzedakah Guild started to gather in Winston.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    "Damn! Daaaaammmnnnn!¡±


    Katz, possessor of the third epic ss, was furious.


    Kuwek!


    [You have killed the poisoned pioneer.]


    [5]


    [The poison-soaked cloth has been acquired.]


    [543,500 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    [You have killed the closed-off pioneer.]


    [2]


    [617,000 experience has been acquired.]


    "This thingggg!¡±


    A month ago, Katz finally got 39th on the unified rankings. It was the result of taking advantage of his epic ss that was specialized in hunting. Katz had been fine until then. It only took him a month to get from 53rd to 39th, so he believed that the number one goal he was aiming for wasn¡¯t far behind.


    But what was going on? Except for sleeping time, he sat in a capsule all day and hunted. However, his rankings stagnated at 39 and he couldn¡¯t increase it. Then today, his ranking dropped to 40th ce. Katz¡¯s high pride was shattered.


    ¡°This is me! Why am I wandering around the 40th rank for a month?¡±


    He got a great epic ss, so he dered on air that he would win first ce in the rankings. Then what was this? People from all over the world wereughing when they saw the list of rankers. The second son of ¡®JIN,¡¯ a leading Japanese conglomerate, was branded as a braggart to the world.


    ¡®I can¡¯t understand, no matter how I think about it.¡¯


    Katz didn¡¯t stop thinking while hunting monsters.


    ¡¯The Blood Warrior¡¯s attack power and battle speed is unmatched. There is no other ss that can hunt as quickly and easily as this. Then why isn¡¯t my ranking going up? How are those other people levelling up faster than me?¡¯


    Katz was currently level 215. From level 210, the amount of experience needed to level up increased significantly. This was called the hell section by rankers, yet Katz was quickly climbing the hill by hunting solo.


    But his ranking wasn¡¯t going up. It was useless, despite the fact that his experience kept climbing. He utilized the power of his family, was armed with the strongest items and had the best ss. Nevertheless, his ranking...


    "I... it means my gaming skill is less than others!¡±


    Katz couldn¡¯t understand.


    "I¡¯ve never missed the top spot in any game so far!¡±


    Compared to his brother and sister who were called ¡®geniuses,¡¯ his brains were somewhatcking. He had a weak temperament and he was totally excluded from being a sessor. However, his talent at gaming exceeded his older brother and sister, and he was confident that he was the best in the world.


    But now his pride was shattered.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept it... I can¡¯t ept it!¡±


    Katz was a loser in the real world who couldn¡¯t cross the wall of his brother and sister! He didn¡¯t want to be a loser even in Satisfy. So he made a decision.


    ¡¯I will move my hunting ground. To a stronger ce!¡¯


    Currently, Katz was hunting at a ce filled with level 230 monsters. Monsters here appeared in groups of three and had different skills, so even the best rankers hunted in a party at this ce.


    Even Katz, who absorbed the enemy¡¯s health every time he attacked, had to rely heavily on potions to y solo here. Now he wanted to y solo at a higher level hunting ground? It was tough, no matter how excellent his ss was. If he was the slightest bit careless, he would die and lose experience.


    But Katz had money.


    ¡®I will arm myself with better equipment and potions.¡¯


    Katz¡¯ weapon, armor and essories were all unique rated. But Katz wasn¡¯t satisfied. In particr, the performance of his armor and gauntlets were unsatisfactory.


    [Armor of Great Sorrow]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 38/310 Defense: 459 Movement Speed: -11%


    * Reflects 10% of the damage received.


    * Once durability drops below 100, all stats will increase by 5%.


    An armor that Daymode, a former knight, wore when he fought with Piaro and was falsely used as a traitor.


    Daymode¡¯s armor is filled with his grudges and pain.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 750 strength. More than 600 stamina. Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery Level 4 or higher.


    Weight: 2,300


    [ck Wind Gauntlets]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 110/170 Defense: 57 Attack Speed: +5% uracy +10%


    Gauntlets used by the ck Wind Assassins.


    It is very light andfortable to wear, so you can attack the target faster and more securely.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher. More than 220 agility.


    Weight: 200


    The Armor of Great Sorrow had very good options, but its defense was less than other heavy armor. Meanwhile, the ck Wind Gauntlets had a good basic performance, but no special options. Both of them werecking despite being unique items.


    ¡°I need new armor and gauntlets.¡±


    Katz decided to log out. Then he went to the item trading site and looked at the list of armor and gauntlets. Tens of thousands of items appeared on the list, but he couldn¡¯t find any that were better than the Armor of Great Sorrow and ck Wind Gauntlets. At this point, the Armor of Great Sorrow and ck Wind Gauntlets were the best items.


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    It was no use, even if he wanted to spend money. Katz cursed at the cksmith users.


    "Are the cksmiths just ying around? When will they be able to create items superior to items obtained through hunting or quests? Shit, isn¡¯t this a dereliction of duty?¡±


    There were at least two billion users in Satisfy. The demand for items was astronomical. But the growth of production ss users was rtively slow, so supply couldn¡¯t keep up with demand. The users of Satisfy sincerely hoped for the appearance of a skilled cksmith.


    Euphemina was fortunate that she became aware of the cksmith called Grid and asked him to make her an item. But right not, Euphemina didn¡¯t feel so good.


    Frontier, the capital of Earl Steim.


    In a ce where hundreds of merchants came and went every day, Euphemina had stayed here for a week already. She gathered information from where she practically lived at the market, and she also monitored the item trading site and auction site every hour.


    But she couldn¡¯t find a way to make the orb. No, all methods of making an orb seemed to have disappeared. Euphemina wasn¡¯t normally interested in how to make items, but now she realized how difficult it was. In particr, the methods of making items with a high level restriction was like obtaining a star in the sky.


    "Ohh...in the end, all my efforts are in vain. Is crafting really that rare...?¡±


    In the past month, Euphemina searched all the major cities in the Eternal Kingdom. However, she didn¡¯t get any results, so she wanted to cry. She earned 6,500 gold from the item creation game and Rabbit¡¯s quest, so she believed that she could easily obtain a production method using this money. However, reality was too cold.


    ¡®It is annoying but...¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s expression stiffened in front of the auction house. It was because her unusually high insight stat detected someone¡¯s gaze. It had started two days ago. Unknown people were systematically monitoring her.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    Euphemina was a secret ranker who renounced many benefits, including fame, by making her name private on the list of rankings. She operated carefully under many pseudonyms. In other words, it was unlikely for someone to catch onto her tail. This was her first experience with being monitored.


    "It is unpleasant...¡±


    Who? Why? How?


    Euphemina entered a secluded alley. Then she spoke to the air, "Come out. I know that you¡¯re there.¡±


    ***


    "Come out. I know that you¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The words of the target he was observing caused Faker¡¯s heart to drop.


    ¡®Surely, she didn¡¯t see through my stealth?¡¯


    No, it was impossible. Faker was the genius who reached 1st ce on the assassin ranking only eight months after starting Satisfy. Even Old Sword Demon, who had been the number one assassin since Satisfyunched, fell down before Faker¡¯s talent.


    ¡®A cksmith can¡¯t detect my stealth.¡¯


    Faker was convinced and reported it to the party chat window.


    (Does it make sense that she is referring to me? It must be you guys.)


    There was a bacsh.


    (Don¡¯t make meugh! We have secured a safe distance! She can¡¯t have noticed us!)


    (Hey hey, she is staring in your direction in the first ce...)


    (??????? The number one assassin is found by a mere cksmith.)


    (Why did you stick so close...? You have too much pride as the number one assassin...)


    Faker and his party members were all part of the Tzedakah Guild.


    It was around a month ago.


    The Tzedakah Guild received information about the item making game in Winston and quickly gathered in Winston. Then they collected information about the cksmith who made the epic rated dagger. There were many people watching the game at the time, so it was easy for the Tzedakah Guild to gather information.


    The cksmith¡¯s ID was Erina. The gender was female. Her height was 160cm She was estimated to be between 17-19 years old. She had bright golden hair down to the waist and a beautiful appearance that was unforgettable.


    The Tzedakah Guildpleted a portrait of Erina based on witness statements, before splitting up to track down Erina. Then two days ago, Faker was able to find Erina at Frontier.


    Jishuka heard the report from Faker andmanded.


    {I will meet her in person. Keep watching her until I get to Frontier.}


    And now.


    Faker¡¯s surveince was on the verge of being noticed by Erina.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    No, it still wasn¡¯t certain that he¡¯d been discovered. Faker¡¯s Stealth skill was at level 7. Even the top rankers would have trouble detecting him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Faker held his breath in order to maintain a moreplete stealth state. But he couldn¡¯t escape from Erina, no, Euphemina¡¯s insight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t peek at me like a pervert. If you don¡¯te out, I¡¯ll make youe out.¡±


    This was Euphemina¡¯s final warning. Faker¡¯s party members became agitated at the dangerous atmosphere.


    (Hey Faker, don¡¯t you think she really noticed?)


    (It might be a mistake to keep hiding. Remove Stealth and reveal your identity.)


    Faker replied angrily.


    (cksmiths don¡¯t have any detection techniques. No, even if such techniques existed, there is no possibility that my stealth would be discovered. Don¡¯t worry about it. That woman is just making guesses...)


    Faker¡¯s conversation was interrupted.


    Peeeong!


    Arge explosion urred in a radius of 3m around Euphemina¡¯s body.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Faker was in range so he rushed to escape the aftermath of the explosion. But Euphemina had no intention of letting him go.


    ¡°Angel¡¯s Scream.¡±


    Biiiiiik.


    ¡°....?!¡±


    Ultrasound waves rattled Faker¡¯s eardrums. Faker made a pained expression as his ears started bleeding. Then Euphemina stared nkly at him and asked, "Who are you? Why are you watching me?¡±


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯ That was what Faker wanted to ask. How did a cksmith use top-level magic in session?


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    Faker was confused. He needed confirmation.


    Sususuk.


    Faker¡¯s body move slightly and left dozens of afterimages. As Euphemina observed the scene, the hat she was wearing was peeled off by Faker. Faker was surprised. The face of the blonde woman, revealed by the hat, was exactly the same as their portrait. But the ID above her head wasn¡¯t Erina, but Euphemina.


    ¡®We were wrong from the beginning. All the information we gathered was false.¡¯


    Faker came to this conclusion. There were countless guilds who wanted to obtain the maker of the Special Jaffa Arrows. They were fiercelypeting to avoid having the cksmith stolen by other guilds. They would spread false information to disturb or trap thepeting guilds.


    Faker gritted his teeth.


    ¡¯We fell into a trap.¡¯


    In the worst case scenario, the item production game in Winston might be a false drama from the beginning. If so, the Tzedakah Guild was dancing on someone¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Euphemina took back her hat from the shocked Faker. Then she spoke in an angry voice. ¡°Why are you taking away my belonging instead of answering the question? This is annoying.¡±


    Faker stared at her. "What guild do you belong to?¡±


    It was a puzzling question from Euphemina¡¯s standpoint.


    "I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about. Rather, shouldn¡¯t you answer? Why did you follow me for two days?¡±


    "You must be joking... If so, I will use force to make you tell the truth.¡±


    To define it simply, the Tzedakah Guild was a group of leaders. All of the guild members had aggressive tendencies. Euphemina also had a formidable temperament.


    ¡°...All the men I meet these days are like psychos.¡±


    Grid was a person to be protected, no matter how much she didn¡¯t like it. However, Faker was different. She wanted to get rid of him for the insult.


    ¡°First you watched me, now you are threatening me? I¡¯ll have to fix that nasty head of yours. Lightning.¡±


    Pachchik!


    Static electricity appeared around Faker. At the same time, a lightning bolt fell from the clear sky.


    Kwaang!


    Faker avoided the lightning at a fast speed, producing dozens of afterimages. Then he appeared behind Euphemina. At that moment, Euphemina¡¯s hand touched Faker¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, I won¡¯t fall for the same technique twice.¡±


    Peeng!


    Faker¡¯s body was surrounded by mes. But Faker didn¡¯t even scream. He didn¡¯t feel any pain. Euphemina attacked the wrong target. In other words, the Faker standing behind Euphemina was a clone, not the real body.


    Pakak!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Euphemina was struck in the side by a kick and fell down with a groan. Faker looked down at her and exined, "The same technique can be applied differently. It is certainly great that you can use magic without chanting, but you aren¡¯t my opponent.¡±


    To be honest, Euphemina was nervous. It was the first time she had been hit in a battle against a user since bing a Duplicator.


    ¡®This man, he is strong.¡¯


    He used top-level assassin techniques and was good at fighting. He was an opponent to watch. But that was all.


    "It is only a moment of tion. Ancient Queen¡¯s Knight.¡±


    An intense light shed. Faker recovered from his momentary loss of sight and was astonished. A knight in ck armor had appeared in the air in front of him.


    "Familiar...?!¡±


    It was impossible for a magician to summon a familiar. A summoner ss existed in Satisfy. A familiar had to be called using a summoner¡¯s authority.


    -Kuaaaaah!


    The Ancient Queen¡¯s Knight grabbed a part of the darkness around its body and held it like a sword towards Faker. The momentum was like a great mountain was going to hit him.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Originally, assassins used secret weapons. There was no chance of winning a head on fight against a knight.


    Kwaang!


    Faker narrowly avoided the attack from the knight. Due to this, the outer wall of a building was destroyed and dust scattered all over the ce.


    Pik!


    Faker ignored the sharp piece of stone that scratched his cheek and ignored the knight. Then he threw three daggers towards the worried Euphemina. The dagger flew at a speed that couldn¡¯t be avoided by a magician. It wasn¡¯t useless even if she tried to defend with magic. Faker had tossed a dagger that had a hidden ability to explode in response to magic.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it!¡¯


    Faker thought he won, but then something unexpected happened.


    Sususuk.


    Euphemina observed the three flying daggers, then her body moved slightly, creating afterimages and avoiding all the daggers.


    ¡®Unbelievable! After a familiar, is it an assassin¡¯s skill?¡¯


    Originally, it required extreme concentration to figure out which of the dozens of afterimages was the main body. However, Faker couldn¡¯t concentrate because the Ancient Queen¡¯s Knight was constantly attacking.


    Faker¡¯s watching party members were forced to interfere.


    "We¡¯re going to help!"


    Faker shook his head.


    ¡°Are you still insisting on a one-on-one fight? Don¡¯t make meugh! Don¡¯t ignore us!¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. She isn¡¯t an opponent you can win against! Do you think we¡¯ll leave you alone?¡±


    "Hiyah!¡±


    Faker¡¯s party members were part of the Tzedakah Guild and also in the top rankings. But the four of them couldn¡¯t overpower Euphemina.


    Over the past month, Euphemina had duplicated the techniques of rankers while searching for an orb production method, so she was currently in her strongest mode.


    ¡°Dragon ws.¡±


    While the Ancient Queen¡¯s Knight tied up Faker¡¯s feet,rge and sharp stone pirs rose in session from the ground. Faker was forced to rush in every direction to defend himself, while a rain of fire poured down from the sky.


    "She is using great spells in session?¡±


    ¡°No way...¡±


    The faces of Faker and the party members filled with despair. They got a glimpse of Euphemina¡¯s true power.


    ***


    Jishuka¡¯s face distorted as she arrived at the copsed scene in the middle of the city.


    ¡°Someone dares touch our guild?¡±


    Before Satisfy was released, the Tzedakah Guild was the strongest armed group in L.T.S. that no one dared meet. Even the giant guilds were wary of the Tzedakah Guild. Jishuka was determined to make Tzedakah the strongest guild in Satisfy. Indeed, they had already be a famous guild among the top rankers.


    But being well known was separate from being the strongest. In order to reign as the strongest, they couldn¡¯t show even a hint of weakness.


    Jishukamanded. ¡°Find her right now. We¡¯ll show the dignity of the Tzedakah Guild by shattering her.¡±


    The opponent was someone who defeated four guild members, including Faker. ording to the testimony of the witnesses, she could use the skills of all types of sses. Her strength probably wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡¯Maybe she has an hidden ss.¡¯


    But Jishuka wasn¡¯t afraid. The true power of the Tzedakah Guild hadn¡¯t been shown yet. Thus, this was the beginning of the bad rtionship between Euphemina and the Tzedakah Guild.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    I didn¡¯t leave the smithy for the entirety ofst month. From the moment I connected to Satisfy to the time I logged out, I stayed at the smithy the whole time. In the meantime, I was able to establish some facts that I knew dimly or discovered new facts.


    First, making the same items repeatedly wasn¡¯t effective in raising the skill experience. Every time I made a different item, the skill experience would rise at a good rate.


    Secondly, the better the materials, the higher the possibility that the item would have a higher rating.


    For example, when making two iron swords based on the same production method, the iron sword with the poor-quality metal had a close to 100% chance of being a normal rating, whereas the one made with the finest metal had a rtively high probability of receiving a rare rating.


    Thirdly, even when I was making items with the same production method and materials, the ones that I spent longer on were the ones that were more likely to have a higher rating.


    It was very fortunate that I managed to make a unique dagger in only three hours. I had to invest at least half an hour if I wanted to make an item higher than a rare rating. In other words, the number of items that could be produced in one day was very limited, so increasing my stats wasn¡¯t as easy of a feat as I thought it would be.


    Fourthly, if I wanted to be a good cksmith, I had to invest points in stamina, as well as in strength and in dexterity.


    The equipment and minerals used in a smithy were mostly heavy, so I needed high strength to work efficiently. When making an item, I needed to have a lot of stamina if I didn¡¯t want to be exhausted.


    So I really liked my high strength and stamina stat.


    "Pant pant...aren¡¯t you still young? You can¡¯t be exhausted yet.¡±


    Unlike Khan who took a break every time an item waspleted, I was able to produce items constantly without taking a break when I was connected to Satisfy.


    In the past month, I created 73 items, meaning I produced an average of two or more items a day. 11 of the 73 items had a rare rating and 3 of the 73 had an epic rating. As a result, all of my stats increased by 34 points.


    I currently had 11 types of stats: strength, stamina, agility, intelligence, dexterity, persistence,posure, indomitable, dignity, insight and courage. If 11 stats increased by 34 points each, this meant it was increased by 374 points, which was equivalent to gaining 37 levels.


    But I was dissatisfied. Why? I made 73 items. I invested at least six hours every time I made an item. The materials were also as good as possible within my range.


    However, I never made one unique rated item, let alone a legendary one. Wasn¡¯t this too much?


    ¡¯I only got three epic rated items... Crazy. Is this a legendary cksmith? Ah, I¡¯m so tired.¡¯


    Every time I made an item, I earnestly prayed for a unique rating. However, it was almost always a normal rating. Every time, I felt an incredible sense of disappointment and wanted to curse at the game.


    The onlyfort was that the level of my production skills increased.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill]


    Lv. 2


    Produce equipment items that you know how to make.


    You can create the production methods for a new item with the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation¡¯ skill.


    There is a certain probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating unique rated items.


    There is a very rare probability of creating legendary rated items.


    All stats of a production item will increase by 12%.


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    * When epic rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +80.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +12 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +300.


    * When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +25 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every five legendary items created.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 5/6.


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath]


    Lv. 2


    When you are concentrating on making an item, the will of Pagma¡¯s Descendant will fill the production item.


    All stats of a production item will increase by 7%.


    There is a rare chance of giving special features to your production items.


    In addition to the increase in my skill levels, there was something else that was gratifying. I had created dozens of items in Khan¡¯s smithy over the past month. Khan wanted to pass on as much knowledge to me as possible before he retired, so I was given one new production method every day.


    This was an enormous harvest. The original method of acquiring production items was to perform specific quests, and the level of difficulty varied. Thus, it was very difficult to find item production methods. I was fortunate enough to acquire many production methods without the need for separate quests, thanks to being Khan¡¯s sessor.


    I pulled out a book from my inventory. The title was ¡®List of Items Production Methods.¡¯ The book described the details of the production methods I learned. The table of contents had expanded. Starting from my own ¡®Failure¡¯ to the Jaffa Arrows I learned in Bairan, to the dozens of works acquired from Khan...


    It was exciting.


    ¡®When I was in Bairan Vige, I had only four production methods, including the axe, pickaxe, Jaffa Arrow and Failure...¡¯


    When I looked at the production methods, Euphemina entered my mind.


    ¡®Why hasn¡¯t that womane with the method to create the orb?¡¯


    Euphemina wanted me to make an orb for her. That¡¯s why it was highly likely that she would bring the best production method. Then I would be able to get my hands on a production method for free.


    I was happy just imagining it. No, wait...


    "If...if there is only one chance... what if Euphemina brings me the production method and materials, only for me to make a normal-rated orb?¡±


    Would she take my life? Maybe Euphemina would keep me locked up somewhere until I managed toplete a unique rated orb.


    ¡°If it is her...¡± I recalled the psychotic smile on Euphemina¡¯s face as she burned the lord¡¯s bodyguards. ¡°...What will she do to me?¡±


    I no longer waited for Euphemina. Rather, I wished that she would never show up. I shook with terror. Then the door of the smithy opened.


    ¡°Hiik! E-Euphemina?!¡±


    There was an old saying that a tiger woulde when mentioned. It felt like Euphemina had been waiting for me to mention her. Fortunately, the people who arrived at the smithy wasn¡¯t Euphemina. At first nce, they looked like two incredibly high-level male users.


    ¡°Is this Khan¡¯s smithy?¡±


    "I am Khan... why are you looking for me?¡±


    They started questioning Khan. "Youpeted in the item production game with a traveller called Erina a month ago right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    "Is she really a cksmith? Did you witness her making the item with your own eyes?¡±


    "The question is strange. Is she a cksmith? Of course she is a cksmith. She was hired by the Mero Company to participate in the game and I have directly experienced her great cksmith skills. No, who on earth are you? Why are you asking such strange questions?¡±


    The men disregarded Khan¡¯s question and talked among themselves. Then they asked Khan again.


    "Is the Mero Company the only organization involved in the item production game? Is there any chance of other organizations being involved?¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Displeasure appeared on Khan¡¯s face. He had been friendly because they were young boys of a simr age to his son, but they ignored his questions and only cared about themselves. The men didn¡¯t care at all about Khan. Rather, they began to talk over Khan.


    "Why aren¡¯t you answering? If you know anything, shouldn¡¯t you tell me? It is better if you don¡¯t waste our time.¡±


    It was like a threat.


    How funny.


    This was Khan¡¯s smithy. These people were guests. They weren¡¯t in the position to question Khan. Then what was with their attitude?


    They were talking down to Khan, who was simr to their grandfathers. They were ignoring Khan because he was an NPC. In fact, this wasn¡¯t unusual among users. Certainly, NPCs weren¡¯t human. They were just part of the system program, artificial intelligences.


    But I knew. Despite being artificially made, Khan had his own memories and feelings. He could feel anger and hopelessness. He could cry when sad andugh when happy. He was someone I could count on. And sometimes he missed his dead son.


    So I was angry at those who treated Khan casually. ¡°Hey, you over there, what is with your attitude? What right do you have to threaten Khan? Eh?¡±


    They looked me up and down andughed as they saw my dirty clothes and old cksmith hammer.


    ¡°Who is this? When did he get here?¡±


    What? Why were they speaking impolitely when I wasn¡¯t an NPC?


    ¡°When did I get here? I am obviously an employee here. Why are you so arrogant when entering someone else¡¯s business? Huh? Is this your business?¡±


    "Arrogant? Don¡¯t make meugh. We just want cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Is that the attitude of someone seeking cooperation?¡±


    "Hah... should we have visited with orange juice?¡±


    I really hated people like this. Looking at their equipment, they seemed to be rankers close to level 200. However, I couldn¡¯t help being honest when seeing their expressions.


    Hispanion started mediation. "You shouldn¡¯t get so heated up against a beginner.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, okay. I have to calm down. Damn, my nerves are irritated after Faker was attacked. Hey, beginner cksmith, we are looking for the woman. We are in a hurry to find her so we were inadvertently rude to the NPC. It was a mistake. I¡¯m sorry. Is it okay now? So please move out of the way.¡±


    "You should apologize to Khan, not me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    They started ignoring me. They asked Khan once again.


    ¡°Khan, answer me. Do you know if Erina is associated with any organizations besides the Mero Company?¡±


    Was he worried that I would get hurt? Khan hid me behind his back and replied.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    "I don¡¯t know. I only met her when wepeted in the game, so how could I know so much about her?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you team up with your sessor and participated in the fight? He also didn¡¯t notice anything about Erina?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    These guys couldn¡¯t even guess that I was Khan¡¯s sessor. Maybe it was because I looked like a beginner, as no one would think that the sessor of the prestigious cksmith Khan would be a beginner.


    ¡°...Sheesh.¡± Whether it was because they were irritated at not gaining anything, or because he was an NPC, the men left without saying goodbye to Khan.


    I pulled out salt from my inventory and sprinkled it in front of the smithy.


    ¡°Phew, unlucky bastards. Don¡¯te back again.¡±


    Khan scratched his head as he looked at me. "Shouldn¡¯t you be sprinkling coarse salt?¡±


    ¡°...Ah, is that so? Hum hum, let¡¯s go back to work.¡±


    As I turned back to the furnace, Khan opened his mouth and asked, "Are you going to work today without resting?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    "The more I look, the more I feel admiration. You already have excellent skills, but you aren¡¯t satisfied and you keep working hard...¡±


    Excellent skills... If my skills were really excellent, I would¡¯ve created a unique and legendary rated item among the 73 items that I made. But not only did a unique rating not emerge, I only made three epic rated items.


    I was stillcking. I needed to raise my skill level further. I would make a lot of money and show my parents.


    ¡®I need to be quickly recognized by my parents...¡¯


    The fact that I had less time to y the game was a big problem.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    As I concentrated on making the items, Khan sat at the counter and sold the items I made to the customers. It was a very desirable system; other users would go green in envy if they saw this.


    Why? There were three ways that ordinary users could sell items to other users:


    Firstly - they could open up a street stall and sell them to users directly.


    Secondly - they could sell items at the auction site.


    Thirdly, they could post the items to be sold on a cash transaction site.


    In the first case, a lot of time could be wasted waiting for customers toe. In addition, bargaining with the customers was frequent and could be stressful. The second and third options saved time but there were high fees involved.


    In other words, it meant that a normal user had to take time and money to sell the items. But I was different. Khan sold the items on my behalf, saving me time. He also didn¡¯t charge me a salesmission.


    I just needed to make the items, while Khan sold them and gave the proceeds back to me. If I steadily made money by producing more than two items a day, I would surely be rich someday...


    "...I¡¯m still waiting! This is rotten. No, shit. Does this make sense? I am a legendary ss so why can¡¯t I make a legendary item?¡±


    On that day, the S.A. Group Headquater¡¯s operations team received an email.


    Title: Look and you will see.


    Contents: If you look at my information, you can see that I¡¯m a legendary cksmith. So why can¡¯t I make any legendary items? If I am a legendary cksmith, isn¡¯t it normal for me to be able to make a legendary item? No, I didn¡¯t do anything else for a month and made 73 items, but there were no legendary items at all. Yes? I didn¡¯t create a single unique item and only made three epic items, so isn¡¯t this maniption? Yes? You are probably manipting this right? Huh? Right? Ah, look. This is really X. Do you want me to snap? Should I go there? Eh? The materials and production method are good, so isn¡¯t this maniption, you #[email protected]


    The employee who checked the email thought it was absurd.


    "What maniption... First he should raise the level...¡±


    Level 10 users and level 100 users. Assuming that both of them had the same dexterity stat and skill level, a level 100 user was more likely to produce a higher rated item than the level 10 user.


    In other words, the higher the level of the maker, the better the item. This wasmon sense among users with production sses. However, this wasn¡¯t known by the user who obtained a legendary ss.


    The employees sighed as a group.


    "It is painful to see that great ss...¡±


    Then someone said. "If the contents of the email aren¡¯t false, he really is an unlucky person. With the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill, he only made 3 epic items out of 73? Unique and legendary items are unlikely because their probabilities are low, but there is a fixed probability of creating an epic item. Looking at this, doesn¡¯t he really seem cursed?¡±


    All the employees were sympathetic.


    ¡°He really is a person with bad luck...¡±


    "No wonder why he feels doubts about maniption...¡±


    ¡°If it is really possible to intervene, I would like to increase his chances of making higher rated items.¡±


    From that day onwards, Grid became famous for his bad luck among the game operators.


    ***


    The 73 items I made were weapons and armor with a level 60 limit. The total sales amount was 1,590 gold, with a profit of 1,079 gold. This was equivalent to exactly 1,294,800 won when converted to cash.


    The game, which I yed for 5~6 hours a day, earned me around 1.3 million won a month. If I quit going to thebor office, I would be able to make three times as much money. In addition, if I was fortunate enough to make a unique or legendary item, I could earn tens of millions of won.


    However, my parents didn¡¯t agree, as they knew that the number of people who made money from the game was very low. Furthermore, I had been ying for over a year, and yet I still couldn¡¯t escape my debt.


    That¡¯s right. In society and in my home, I was treated as someone with bad credit. My parents ovepped with the first and second financial institutions that rejected me.


    ¡®Should I sell the Ideal Dagger? No, no. It isn¡¯t time yet.¡¯


    I could sell the Ideal Dagger as a means of proving to my parents that I could make money through Satisfy. But I couldn¡¯t sell the Ideal Dagger. The reason for this was the terms of use for the Ideal Dagger.


    In order to meet the Ideal Dagger¡¯s usage conditions, the passive skill called Advanced Dagger Mastery was needed. But at the moment, the top rankers of each ss only had intermediate level skills.


    If I put up the Ideal Dagger on the trading site in this situation, only the merchants thinking of future profits would flock to it. Therefore, the merchants were likely to bid at the cheapest price possible and it was likely that the dagger would be sold at an unsatisfactory price. I had to hold onto the Ideal Dagger for the moment.


    It was four in the morning. I reached the end of my limit at the thought of going to thebor office.


    "Do I have to live like this forever...¡±


    Four in the morning was when most people would still be dreaming. But I had to work until 6 p.m. just for 90,000 won per day, while my body suffered. I could endure it if it was my only way of making money like before, but now it was different!


    I was able to make more money from ying the game than doingbor work, so going to thebor office was just a waste of time!


    "Shit...I want a unique or legendary item. Or if I make a lot of epic items, it will help persuade my parents that I am making a profit... Urgh, dammit. I feel angry as soon as I open my eyes. It can¡¯t be helped. I should get some cold air. Huh? This...¡±


    As I was exiting my front door to go on a walk around the neighborhood, I saw a flyer sticking out from the newspaper.


    [September 10th! The long-awaited opening!


    The best capsule room is open!


    There are 150 top of the line capsules!


    It is fully equipped with cafe facilities.


    Delicious food cooked by a 5 star hotel chef.


    A feast of beauties and handsome workers!


    * Please don¡¯t ask for the employee¡¯ telephone numbers.


    On September 10th, for just one day! Any customers who sign up will receive a 30% discount on the capsule room fee for a lifetime!]


    Heok... a lifetime discount on a capsule room? The capsule room was 6,000 won per hour. If it was a 30% discount...


    ¡°This is it!¡± I got a good idea.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    I headed back to my room. I changed into my work clothes and opened the door.


    ¡°Huh? Your work clothes? Are you going to work already? Isn¡¯t it only 4.10 a.m?¡± My puzzled mother asked and I vigorously nodded.


    "That¡¯s right! I am going work! Hahahahaha!¡±


    "... Why are you so full of energy in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha! Of course! I am young and overflowing with energy. Then Mother, Father! I will go to work early this time! Puhahahahat!¡±


    "Youngwoo, are you sick or something...?¡±


    "Yes... I am worried...¡±


    I left the house while my parents felt worried. Today was September 10th! I looked for the newly opened capsule room. The colorful banners hung outside a building to announce the opening of the capsule room.


    ¡°This will be my job starting from today. Puhahahahat!¡±


    Yes, I was going to quit thebor jobs today. Now I would y Satisfy from the moment I got up to when I fell asleep. I would spend the morning and afternoon in the capsule room. Then I would y at home at night.


    "Now I can work harder to make items. Puhahahat!¡±


    ***


    Recently, Khan¡¯s smithy was a great source of interest for users.


    Among the items sold at Khan¡¯s smithy, there were level 60 equipment made by a craftsman with great talent and potential, butcking in experience and reputation. His equipment had an almost 20% better performance than normal items. Even the normal rated items wereparable to rare rated equipment at the same level.


    The users called this the ¡®Unknown Craftsman Series¡¯ and it was very popr. The performance was good but the price was rather expensive. However, money wasn¡¯t a problem. They couldn¡¯t live without this equipment.


    The users entered Khan¡¯s smithy on a daily basis.


    ¡°Did the unknown craftsman make any more items?¡±


    ¡°I will buy any items he made! I will pay however much you want, so please sell it to me!¡±


    "Give me his name. I personally want to ask him to make me an item. Yes? Where can I meet him?¡±


    The users wanted to have items made by the unknown craftsman, or they were curious about his identity.


    But Khan never replied.


    Grid always made a limited number of items due to time restrictions, and he didn¡¯t want others to know his identity.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The crowd at the counter never imagined that the beginner user hammering at the furnace behind Khan would be the one they were looking for.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    During the time I worked at thebor office, I yed Satisfy for an average of five to six hours a day. But that changed after I changed to the capsule room. My y time increased by around 10 hours, and now I was connected to Satisfy more than 15 hours a day on average.


    Thanks to that, I could produce double the number of items a day.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items.]


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath]


    Lv. 2


    When you are concentrating on making an item, the will of Pagma¡¯s Descendant will fill the production item.


    All stats of a production item will increase by 7%.


    There is a rare chance of giving special features to your production items.


    ¡°Please give me legendary this time...¡±


    Currently, I was producing a te armor with a level limit of 120, based on a newly acquired production method. The value of the materials used was a huge 483 gold! This was one fifth of all my assets. It was the most expensive item I¡¯d made so far.


    I invested a lot of money, but was worried it would turn out to be a normal item, so I spent 20 hours making it.


    ¡°...Yes, I¡¯m honestly not hoping for a legendary rated item. But at least give me unique. Please...¡±


    I was a legendary cksmith, so I needed some hope! I fervently joined together thest sheet of iron. Then the armor waspleted.


    [Very Delicate te Armor]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 272/272 Defense: 303 Movement Speed: -6%


    * There is a small chance ofpletely defending against stab attacks.


    An armour made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    By applying thinly refined steel tes in twoyers, defense and movement has increased.


    User Restriction: Level 120 or higher. More than 380 strength.


    More than 400 stamina. Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery.


    [An epic rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    It was an epic item. I was d that it wasn¡¯t a normal or rare item, but it wasn¡¯t satisfying, considering the amount of time and effort I invested. With thinking about the raw materials value and the capsule fee, there wasn¡¯t much profit.


    Khan didn¡¯t know my thoughts and praised me.


    ¡°Did you really make this armor using the method I gave you? Why did it turn out so differently despite using the same method? You¡¯re truly amazing!¡±


    ¡°Phew... how much can I get for this?¡±


    I asked without expecting much. Then Khan said something incredible. ¡°Hrmm... honestly, it is hard to measure the exact price. But one thing is clear. You can get a higher price auctioning this to the knights rather than selling it at the smithy.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Auction it off to the knights? The fact that NPC knights were buying items at an auction was amazing. But I was surprised at the idea of selling level 120 armor to at least level 180 knights.


    Khan exined.


    ¡°A month ago, I witnessed and admired the knights¡¯ armor at the procession for the newly appointeddy. I could see that there is a great cksmith at Frontier. But now that I¡¯ve seen your work, it is much better than the work from Frontier¡¯s cksmith. Haha, it¡¯s only natural, since you¡¯re Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    Oh...my armor¡¯s performance was good enough to appeal to level 180+ knights? Indeed, I had the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath. They raised the item stats by 12% and 7% respectively. It might be an epic rating, but the performance of this Very Delicate te Armor was equivalent to a level 180 normal or rare armor.


    ¡®There is an added option thanks to the breath skill.¡¯


    I asked about the most important part. ¡°If my item is bought at the auction, what¡¯s the fee I¡¯ll have to pay?¡±


    ¡°The proceeds for the knights¡¯ auction is from the castle. It is organized in the name of thedy. Nobles have high pride, so they aren¡¯t aiming for personal gain. There is no fee at all.¡±


    I immediately decided. ¡°Okay. I will put it up for auction.¡±


    ¡°Good decision. The auction takes ce in two days, so I¡¯ll go at that time.¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Huh? It is okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been stuck inside for a month, so I want to go outside for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Then take this with you. This will prove your identity so you can enter the auction without any extra procedures.¡±


    [You have obtained the token of ¡® Smithy¡¯s Sessor.¡¯]


    How much could I sell this armor for? If I followed Khan¡¯s words, could I make a lot of money...?


    ¡®No, don¡¯t expect too much. If my expectations are lower, I won¡¯t be so disappointed.¡¯


    I was someone with no luck. I had experienced disappointment more than once or twice. So I steadied my heart.


    Khan suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you aim at making an armor that is better than this one in the next two days? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to show several works if you¡¯re participating in the auction?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    For the next two days, I invested 20 hours a day and made two items. Unfortunately, the result was one normal and one epic.


    ¡°No, how can I make a normal item after spending 20 hours on it? It should at least be a rare item.¡¯


    Did this make sense? No matter how I thought about it, this was due to the S.A. Group. They were worried that my legendary ss would destroy the bnce, so they gave me the worst probabilities when making items.


    If not, I might be more unlucky than I knew...


    ***


    There were two reasons why the ruler of a territory would host regr auctions for the knights. First of all, it was to help the knights obtain the best equipment. The second reason was to use it as an opportunity to find skilled people.


    Why were they trying to find skilled people? It was to make a business deal. The people who created the most outstanding works at the auction had permission to deliver goods to the lord. It was an opportunity to open a door in life.


    Buzz, buzz.


    Winston Castle¡¯s annex lobby.


    Dozens of people who came to present the items at this auction were gathered with a nervous expression. There were users and NPCs. There were also several cksmiths.


    I looked at cksmiths and thought.


    ¡®If there is an outstanding cksmith, I want to recruit them for our smithy.¡¯


    I could assign new cksmiths to do all types of errands and get amission from selling the items made by the cksmiths.


    ¡®Once Khan steps down and I be the owner, I will run the smithy with the intention of recruiting new cksmiths.¡¯


    The auctioneer showed up while I was thinking about a type of ve project.


    ¡°The auction will start in 20 minutes. The auction willst for three hours, and you can stay in the waiting room while it¡¯s ongoing.¡±


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [You have entered the auction hosted by thedy. Please submit the items to be listed and the minimum bid for that item.]


    I opened my inventory. Then I checked the details of the items appearing in the auction for onest time.


    [Very Delicate te Armor]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 272/272 Defense: 303 Movement Speed: -6%


    * There is a small chance ofpletely defending against stab attacks.


    An armour made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    By applying thinly refined steel tes in twoyers, defense and movement has increased.


    User Restriction: Level 120 or higher. More than 380 strength. More than 400 stamina. Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery.


    [Seemingly in Gauntlets]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 83/83 Defense: 29


    Attack Speed: +4% uracy: +8%


    Gauntlets made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    The exterior doesn¡¯t look like anything special, but it works surprisingly well when worn.


    User Restriction: Level 120 or higher. More than 1,000 agility.


    ¡°As nned, these two...¡±


    I decided to register these two items at the auction.


    [Please set a minimum bid price for the Very Delicate te Armor.]


    [Please set a minimum bid price for the Seemingly in Gauntlets.]


    ¡®Hrmm...what should I set it as?¡¯


    I normally made level 60 equipment. This was the first time I made level 120 equipment, and I wasn¡¯t sure of its value.


    ¡®I would like to raise the price as high as possible when considering the cost of materials andbor... but if it is too expensive, there might not be a big...¡¯


    As I was in distress, a white-haired boy approached me.


    ¡°Mister~ is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m called Steng. My ss is a cksmith. I was watching you, and you also seem like a cksmith. This seems like your first auction, so I thought I would help you.¡±


    The boy smiled as he said his name. There was something familiar about the name.


    ¡®Who is Steng...?¡¯


    It was a name I knew clearly, but I couldn¡¯t remember why I knew it. I didn¡¯t know if I couldn¡¯t remember because my memory was bad or because it wasn¡¯t important.


    I exined to Steng. ¡°I¡¯m worried because I can¡¯t decide on the bid price of the items to be auctioned.¡±


    Steng blinked with surprise. ¡°Your teacher didn¡¯t set a bid price?¡±


    ¡°Teacher?¡±


    ¡°The teacher who gave you this quest. Aren¡¯t you showing your teacher¡¯s items at this auction?¡±


    What was he talking about? I was puzzled as Steng pulled out a one-handed sword in a brilliant sheath.


    ¡°This is the special weapon that my teacher created for this auction. Isn¡¯t it amazing? It¡¯s a rare item with a level limit of 190.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    A rare item didn¡¯t seem that great, but I just nodded because I didn¡¯t want to nitpick. Stengughed, put his sword away, and sighed.


    "Hah~ when will us users be able to submit our own items to thedy¡¯s auction?¡±


    I felt it from the beginning, but there was something strange about the conversation. I had to ask Steng in order to correct the misguided conversation.


    "So...the reason you¡¯re here right now isn¡¯t to put an item you created up for auction? You¡¯re doing a quest to ce your master¡¯s item up for auction?¡±


    Steng smiled and replied. "Of course. Even the number one cksmith, Panmir, can¡¯t create items that can be shown at auction, so how could I?¡±


    ¡°...Can you share the quest information?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?"


    "No, I just wanted to check.¡±


    ¡°Sure. It isn¡¯t a secret, so I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    [The yer ¡®Steng¡¯ wants to share the quest information. Would you like to ept?]


    I epted and the quest information appeared.


    [Teacher¡¯s Errand]


    Difficulty: C.


    This is the first auction that will be held after the appointment of the newdy of Winston.


    cksmith Razvan will use this auction as an opportunity to show his skills to thedy of Winston and to get a foothold in Winston.


    So he gave you, his disciple, an errand.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Submit Razvan¡¯s work to thedy of Winston¡¯s auction.


    Quest Clear Reward: 20 gold.


    * If Razvan¡¯s work is sessfully bid on at the auction, he will give you a new production method...


    I forgot, but general cksmith users often had NPC cksmiths as a teacher. By steadily carrying out the quests given to them by their teacher, they could raise the level of their cksmith skills and gain new production methods.


    I was fortunate that Khan gave me production methods without any conditions.


    ¡¯I¡¯m certain of it after seeing this quest information.¡¯


    The users didn¡¯te here to submit their works to the auction. They were running errands for their teachers, just like Steng. As Steng said, it was impossible for the present production ss users to produce outstanding items that would satisfy thedy and knights of Winston.


    I could see it clearly. The difference between me and a general user was huge. I didn¡¯t feel much inspiration when I made an epic rated item, but ordinary users were just happy at making rare grade items. I was desperately happy as I realized the greatness of a legendary profession.


    "If you don¡¯t mind, can I look at your teacher¡¯s item?¡± Steng asked me with a passionate gaze.


    I refused him. It felt like something troublesome would happen. "I don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    Steng felt regret. "I see. Then it can¡¯t be helped. By the way, it¡¯s amazing. Your teacher didn¡¯t set a bid price...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you happen to know the average price for armor and gauntlets with a level limit of 120?¡±


    "Even if the items are the same level, the options are different. Well, normal armor is 300 gold and gauntlets are 100 gold.¡±


    ¡°Epic rating?¡±


    ¡°Wow! Did you master make epic items? Making epic items is really umon!¡± Steng admired it before kindly giving me an answer. "The price of epic items vary depending on the options, but shouldn¡¯t the armor be a minimum of 1,800 gold and the gauntlets 600 gold?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    100 gold was 120,000 won. In other words, if the Very Delicate te Armor and Seemingly in Gauntlets were sold at 1,800 gold and 600 gold respectively, I would earn 2.88 million won. Only seven days after starting work in the capsule room, a huge amount of money was entering my hands.


    ¡®No, no. If I deduct the materials cost and capsule room fee, the profit is around 2 million won.¡¯


    Anyway, I was satisfied. Yes, let¡¯s not cling to unique or legendary items. If I make two epic items a week, I could earn 8 million won in a month!


    ¡®I can pay off the debt soon!¡¯


    I had a total debt of 10 million won. After obtaining a legendary ss in Satisfy, it seemed like this debt of 10 million won wasn¡¯t very big, but it was a huge burden to me a few months ago. I also had to pay the interest on the loan, so I hadn¡¯t made a dent in repaying it. I was able to somehow manage with thebor jobs, but now...


    Anyway! I would finally be able to live a debt-free life. My fear towards the employees from Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy would disappear.


    "Kukukuku...¡±


    A debt-free life! I imagined a dignified life and couldn¡¯t suppress theughter. Then I suddenly met Steng¡¯s eyes. Steng¡¯splexion turned blue after he witnessed meughing.


    ...I had felt it in the past, but my smile was really the worst.


    Children cried when I smiled. People started swearing instantly when I smiled. People took money out of my pocket when I smiled. People bought me cigarettes when I smiled. Women were unhappy when I smiled.


    ¡®After I pay off my debt, I should get stic surgery...¡¯


    I was seriously distressed about this as I set the minimum bid based on the price Steng told me.


    [You have set the minimum bid price for the Very Delicate te Armor at 1,800 gold. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [You have set a minimum bid price for the Seemingly in Gauntlets at 600 gold. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The items have sessfully been registered at the auction.]


    Everyone finished registering their items. The auctioneer confirmed it and showed us to the waiting room. There was arge tiger leather rug on the floor and ornaments made of gold and silver on the shelves. The chandelier sparkled. It was an incredibly luxurious ce formon people like me.


    ¡¯How extravagant would thedy¡¯s room be?¡¯


    As I was stunned by the wealth that nobility possessed, Steng came up to me and spoke.


    "You can¡¯t pick up the ornaments over there. I¡¯ve been involved in a lot of auctions while running errands for my teacher, and there are always people who try to steal things from the castle. They were discovered and punished... Grid should be careful.¡±


    "Yes, I understand...I won¡¯t. Hey, wait! Do you think I am a thief? Anyone would feel bad when hearing it.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡± Steng quickly apologized and stepped away from me. However, he continued ncing at me. He seemed to suspect that I would steal something. I showed him augh and was branded as a criminal.


    ¡®Sigh, that bastard. He has a discerning eye.¡¯


    I had to give up on stealing. I only wanted to take one candlestick, but it couldn¡¯t be helped while he was watching. I sat on the couch in anticipation of the results that would appear in three hours and decided to take a nap.


    ***


    Irene was Winston¡¯s newdy and the only daughter of Earl Steim. She currently only had the title of an Earl, but she would be an Earlter on. In other words, she was the next sessor to Earl Steim and the one who would be a peak figure in the north.


    Therefore, her knights had a sense of burden and responsibility that other people couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡¯We have to be the best knights for Lady Irene.¡¯


    Irene¡¯s knights didn¡¯t neglect training their minds and bodies. But there was a limit to the body and talents. Therefore, they coveted powerful equipment that would make up for anycking parts.


    The auction held today in Winston was very disappointing.


    ¡°There is nothing good.¡±


    Winston had be a big city due to breakthroughs in the north. However, it was stillckingpared to Frontier. It was the same for the abilities of the technicians. The essories, clothes and armor shown at the auction were all inferior. Some technicians submitted good items, but it wasn¡¯t enough for the knights.


    Two hours had passed since the auction started, but there hadn¡¯t been a single bidder on any of the items so far. In this disappointed atmosphere, the auctioneer smiled widely.


    "You should pay attention to these items.¡±


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    As the armor and gauntlets were revealed, the sleepy-looking knights burst out with excitement.


    ¡°How great!¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to find such armor in Frontier.¡±


    The knights examined the armor and gauntlets closely before asking the auctioneer.


    ¡°Who was the cksmith that made this? Is it the rumoured Khan?¡±


    Khan was a cksmith who was somewhat renowned in Frontier. The knights guessed that Khan was the one who made the armor and gauntlets. But the auctioneer gave an interesting answer.


    ¡°Not exactly. They were made by Khan¡¯s sessor. He is revered by the residents of Winston and is one of the three heroes.¡±


    ¡°Hoh... The rumoured righteous cksmith?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The knights smiled warmly.


    ¡°There is such a great person here in Winston. A person with an exemry personality and excellent skills... He will be one of the talented people working for Irene one day.¡±


    "Its value is much higher. I will bid 2,000 gold.¡±


    "You are only giving 2,000 gold? Your eyes are terrible! I will bid 2,500 gold!¡±


    ¡°2,800!¡±


    "Why are you trying to take something that I saw first? I will bid 3,000 gold, so everyone give up!¡±


    Earl Steim was considered one of the wealthiest nobles in the Eternal Kingdom. Therefore, the knights of the family were paid a huge sry. The knights were overflowing with money, so the bid prices of the armor and gauntlets made by Grid skyrocketed.


    ***


    ¡°Mister Grid. Mister Grid.¡±


    Uhh... what? Was it time to go to thebor office? I slept without knowing anything about the world and woke up due to someone shaking me.


    ¡°Mister Grid, the auction has ended.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    That¡¯s right. This ce wasn¡¯t my house.


    ¡®This is... It has already been a week since I quit thebor jobs, but I¡¯m still worried about needing to go...¡¯


    I wanted to quickly escape from the trauma of thebor jobs, so I quickly left the waiting room with Steng. Then I headed to the lobby where the auctioneer was waiting. The auction manager confirmed the number of people and said.


    ¡°There was a total of six items auctioned off at this auction.¡±


    The crowd was shaken.


    ¡°Only six? I put up seven items alone...¡±


    "Weren¡¯t there over 100 entries? Yet only six seeded?¡±


    This was ominous.


    ¡®What if my items weren¡¯t won? Did I set the minimum bid too high? If I knew this, I would¡¯ve set it at a cheaper price.¡¯


    As I was feeling troubled, the auctioneer called out the list of items that had been sold.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    ¡°Ms. rice¡¯s presented work, the ¡®Diamond Ne that Causes a Slight Change in Sensation¡¯ has been won for 453 gold. Mr. Grees¡¯ presented work, ¡®Cold Protection Inner Armor¡¯ has been won for 189 gold. Mr. Piglet¡¯s presented work, the ¡®Bitter but Superior Strength Potion¡¯ has been won for 15 gold each. Mr. Steng¡¯s presented work, the ¡®Long Sword that Easily Harmonizes with Magic¡¯ has been won for 1,900 gold.¡±


    The people whose items were won cheered.


    Steng also rejoiced.


    ¡°My teacher¡¯s work was sold! Teacher will be very pleased!¡±


    Stein would be given a new production method with this quest clear reward. He approached me with the intention of receiving congrattions, but my stomach hurt and my mouth didn¡¯t open.


    ¡®Dammit. My items weren¡¯t won after all... Shit, I should¡¯ve made the price cheaper.¡¯


    As I was trembling with anger and regret.


    "Mr. Grid¡¯s presented work, the ¡®Very Delicate te Armor¡¯ has been won for 3,500 gold. The ¡®Seemingly in Gauntlets¡¯ have been won for 2,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    I doubted my ears. Did he say 3,500 gold just now? It wasn¡¯t 2,000 gold?


    The other people freaked out.


    ¡°No way... How can an item be sold for such an expensive price?¡±


    ¡°As expected from epic items! The level limit is also over 100...¡±


    Steng sent me a look of envy. ¡°Amazing! Your teacher must be an incredibly good cksmith! Is he a cksmith with the Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill? Huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear anything. The words ¡®I made money¡¯ and ¡®jackpot¡¯ echoed through my head. 5,500 gold in cash was...


    ¡®6,600,000 won...¡¯


    A huge sum that would require 73 days ofbor was earned in just one week. It was also from two epic items!


    ¡°Abo...aboooo...¡±


    I wanted to cheer, but my mouth wasn¡¯t working well. The auctioneer spoke while I waspletely baffled.


    ¡°Mr. Grid, the administrator wants to meet you. Follow me.¡±


    Steng congratted me. ¡°Wow! Now you will be entitled to deliver goods to the castle. The smithy will be quite busy and the quests you will receive from your master will be enormous! Congrattions!¡±


    Steng was sincerely happy, unlike me who felt pained when I saw him doing well. He was still in his mid-teens, but he was very friendly. I liked it. Once I became the owner of the smithy, I would be sure to recruit him. He seemed like the type who wouldn¡¯tin over some unreasonablebor.


    "Thank you for congratting me. Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    I gave Steng the kindest smile possible as I looked forward to our reunion someday. Steng looked blue as he took a few steps back and replied.


    ¡°Ah, goodbye.¡±


    I said goodbye to Steng and headed to the administrator¡¯s office. The administrator was a middle-aged man. He had an impressive mustache and weed me warmly.


    "Ohh, you¡¯re Grid! I was very impressed after seeing your work. I was wondering how you became the smithy¡¯s sessor at such a young age, but I¡¯m fully convinced after seeing your skills! Come, sit down.¡±


    The administrator and I sat across from each other. A maid emerged with some tea.


    ¡®Wow...the scent of this Elpa tea is different.¡¯


    The fragrance of the Elpa tea that Khan made for me was very weak. I had to hold my nose to the cup in order to barely smell something. But the Elpa tea here was intensely spicy. I could enjoy the scene without putting my teacup to my nose.


    ¡®Expensive tea leaves are used.¡¯


    When else would I get the opportunity to drink such expensive tea for free? I drained the hot tea and handed the empty cup to the maid.


    "Another cup, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Gulp.


    ¡°One more cup.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Kya~~! One more cup!¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± The administrator gave a heartyugh after the fourth cup of tea. "ording to the residents, you are someone with a heroic appearance... Yet you aren¡¯t nervous at all in front of someone with a high position.¡±


    Did I make a mistake? I btedly realized, but the administrator shook his head.


    "Be asfortable as you want. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    The administrator seemed to be a person who didn¡¯t like formalities. He cut to the chase. ¡°I would like to distribute your equipment to thedy¡¯s knights and soldiers, what do you think? Are you willing to do business with us?¡±


    Okay, it finally came. I wanted to ept the deal right away, but there were a few things to keep in mind.


    "I don¡¯t know if you know, but our smithy is doing extremely well right now. I will be busy, so I¡¯m not sure if I will have enough time to make equipment for the knights and soldiers.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to make equipment for the soldiers. Considering the average level of the soldiers, I needed to make level 50 items, which wouldn¡¯t make me a lot of money.


    ¡¯I know for sure after this auction. The more high level the item limit, the greater the profit. It¡¯s much better to make one level 120 item than a dozen level 50 items.¡¯


    The administrator nodded.


    ¡°I see. Come to think of it, there is tremendous craftsmanship in your work. You probably invest quite a lot of time and effort every time you make an item. I was stupid to ask you to make hundreds or thousands of supplies for the soldiers. If so, I will change the criteria. Please just create equipment for the knights.¡±


    "Yes, I understand."


    Good, the story was going well. Then the administrator surprised me with his next words. ¡°But I have a condition. The equipment to be distributed to the knights should be better than the works submitted to the auction today.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The two items submitted today had an epic rating. In other words, the administrator was telling me to deliver items above the epic rating.


    ¡®This crazy person. If I invest more than 20 hours every time I make an item, there isn¡¯t any guarantee that I won¡¯t get a normal rating.¡¯


    The administrator spoke while I was confused.


    "Of course, I know that making such great works is difficult. So I promise that I will buy it at a higher price.¡±


    "A higher price...?¡±


    "It will be 10% more than the winning bids in today¡¯s auction. Of course, it you make a work that is much better than the ones submitted today, I am willing to pay a higher price.¡±


    There was no need to listen any longer. I stood up and cried out. ¡°Okay! I will return to the smithy right now. Then I¡¯m going!¡±


    The administrator called me back while I was motivated to make items quickly.


    "First of all, please make me three swords. Some of the knights¡¯ weapons have beenpromised due to an incident not long ago.¡±


    Then the quest information rose up.


    [Business with the Administrator (1)]


    Difficulty: A


    Winston¡¯s administrator, di, has asked you to make equipment for the knights.


    He has given you a good deal in consideration of your high skills. If you let him down, this business deal will be immediately destroyed.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Make at least three epic rated swords with a level limit between 120~180, and deliver it within a week.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Depends on the level of the items delivered.


    Quest Failure: The business deal with the administrator is cancelled and the quest will be destroyed.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this quite good...?¡¯


    I invested 20 hours for each item over the past few days and made three items. Two of them had an epic rating and one had a normal rating. It meant I had a two-thirds chance of creating an epic item. It seemed possible to create three epic items in a week.


    ¡®Unless my luck suddenly disappears and I don¡¯t get any epic items, this is a quest that can definitely be cleared!¡¯


    I was filled with a strong confidence as I left the castle. As I walked along the road to the smithy, the residents approached me and whispered.


    ¡°Mr. Grid, some people are following you.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. You should be careful, because they might be bad people.¡±


    My affinity with the residents was at the maximum so they showed me great favor. They would let me know if danger was approaching.


    ¡°Following me?¡±


    Who was it? I gazed in the direction that the residents indicated. At the entrance of an alley, under the shade of a tree, behind a street vendors, etc. Suspicious people were hiding their bodies as much as possible.


    "Wow...aren¡¯t a lot of people following me?¡±


    I got goose bumps. Was I the target of a mysterious assassination organization like the protagonist of a movie?


    ... No, it didn¡¯t seem like it when I looked closely. As I looked closely at the faces of those following me, I saw that they were people who were at the auction. They were following me to find out who my cksmith was.


    I asked the residents. "Keep them from following me. There¡¯s no need to worry, since they aren¡¯t dangerous.¡±


    The residents replied vigorously with resolute eyes.


    ¡°Okay. I do everything I can to help you!¡¯


    "Just leave it to me!¡±


    The residents rolled up their sleeves. Dozens of them shouted at once. Then they ran towards those following me.


    ¡°W-What? Why are they grabbing us?¡±


    ¡°Hiik! What is with these NPCs?¡±


    ¡°Let go!"


    Thus, things were quickly sorted out. I briefly thanked the residents and returned to the smithy. After describing the situation to Khan, I logged out.


    ¡°Hu... huhuhut!¡±


    The capsule room. I wasn¡¯t able to suppress myughter after emerging from the capsule.


    ¡°Puhahahahat! I am now rich!¡±


    As soon as I shouted, everything seemed like reality instead of a dream. I earned 6.6 million won in just one week! I also got the right to deliver items to the castle. My 10 million won debt would soon be paid off and I could escape from my debt-ridden status.


    One day, I would be able to drive a foreign car!


    ¡®Ahyoung will be sitting in the passenger seat!¡¯


    Huhuhu...I couldn¡¯t stopughing from joy. I was so pleased that even tears emerged. Then an employee came up to me.


    "Excuse me, you are being a nuisance to other customers, so please be quiet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I paid for the room and went home.


    ***


    Shin Youngwoo left the capsule room.


    The employee clicked his tongue.


    "A person like that is talking about being rich... Heughed while saying he is rich. There¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s crazy.¡±


    "Doesn¡¯t he seem jobless and homeless? Isn¡¯t he wearing the same work clothes every day? Right?¡±


    ¡°I think so too... He regrly uses the capsule.¡±


    The student employees were talking about Shin Youngwoo. Shin Youngwoo came to the capsule room early in the morning wearing the same clothes, so he seemed pathetic.


    "I saw his member information, and he¡¯s 26 years old right now. Tsk tsk, how pathetic is his life? I shouldn¡¯t live like that after graduating from university.¡±


    "Stop talking about that person and let¡¯s talk about Satisfy. Did you know that I reached level 40 yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? Amazing! I¡¯m still level 39. Hey, where are you levelling up so quickly?¡±


    "I was hunting. Fortunately, I obtained a rare item, so hunting became easier. I am faster due to the power of the item.¡±


    "Where is an item for magicians? Ah ~ ~ ~ I want a rare item. Hey, what level do you think that homeless person is?¡±


    "Pff, look at him. Does he seem like he can y the game well? Satisfy is a world that is crueler than reality. A loser in reality has to be a loser in Satisfy. There¡¯s no need to worry. He isn¡¯t a high level user.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    In the past few months, Earl Steim thoroughly searched and demolished almost all the Yatan Temples in the north.


    The Yatan Church was being punished for kidnapping a virgin to sacrifice her. But Earl Steim was especially fearful since his daughter Irene was kidnapped. It was fortunate that Irene was rescued, but he lost his most powerful shadow, Doran, in the process.


    Earl Steim had a fierce desire to get rid of the Yatan Church. But the elders of Yatan were distributed in great numbers across the continent. It wasn¡¯t easy to kill those who bred endlessly like cockroaches. There was even a Yatan Temple on the outskirts of Winston.


    "At the very least, there should be no more Yatan Temples in the north...¡±


    Irene¡¯s hatred was just as strong as her father¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t tolerate the existence of the Yatan Church in Winston. She still hadn¡¯t forgotten the terrible fear she felt after being abducted by the believers of Yatan. She shook at the thought of being a victim again.


    A few days ago, she sent out her army to destroy the Yatan Temple. But due to the heavy resistance of the believers, the army returned without any achievements. The number of casualties was 100 soldiers and three knights were seriously injured.


    Irene proimed. "Reorganize the temple expedition. This time, make sure the temple burns to ashes!¡±


    Irene showed great ambition by investing more troops. Irene touched the blue ring hanging from her ne as she watched the troops.


    "Doran...I will get revenge for you who sacrificed your life for me.¡±


    ***


    [Eighth Servant]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    You have be one of the most blessed beings of God Yatan. Head to the northern part of the Eternal Kingdom and save the believers who are being suppressed there!


    If you spread the greatness of God Yatan to the pagans in the north, you will be given the position of the Eighth Servant.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Earl Steim¡¯s army is constantly attacking the Yatan Temple in the north. Rescue at least 300 stranded temple believers.


    Number of followers rescued so far: 0/300


    Quest Clear Reward: The position of ¡®Eighth Servant.¡¯


    * Eighth Servant: The skill ¡®Infinite Faith¡¯ will be created. The skill ¡®Teaching Doctrines¡¯ will be generated.


    The skill ¡®Divine Punishment¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Level -5. Faith -1,000


    The soldiers in the north of the Eternal Kingdom were known for their strength. Obviously it would be a tough fight. But Yura didn¡¯t even hesitate to move towards Winston.


    ¡®I have to be stronger.¡¯


    Not long ago, Yura faced Agnus who was 7th on the unified rankings. Then she realized the greatness of an epic ss. She felt helpless, just like when she confronted the mysterious man with the ID of Grid.


    Now she had acquired an SS-grade quest. It was a golden opportunity. Yura was determined to use this quest as a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of being first in the rankings.


    ***


    I received a level 160 sword production method from Khan. But the production method was quite burdensome. Based on the list of ingredients required, it would cost 950 gold to make this sword.


    "Well... it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    I currently had 6,710 gold. With this money, I could only make seven swords. In addition, the number of swords I could make in a week was just seven.


    ¡°Seven. Isn¡¯t it good that everything adds up to seven?¡±


    In South Korea, the number seven was a symbol of good luck! I trusted the lucky number.


    "I¡¯ll do it in one go~! An epic item ising! Hehehehehe!¡±


    I was caught up in the pleasant mood and hummed while spending 20 hours on the sword. And thepleted work...


    [Durable Longsword]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 250/250 Attack Power: 200


    A sword made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation.


    It won¡¯t be easily damaged after being tempered for a long time.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 950 strength. Intermediate Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 600


    ¡°...Who said that seven was a lucky number? Urgh, I want to kill them.¡±


    One attempt flew away. It was normal to feel like cursing the system. However, the value of the materials couldn¡¯t be returned. I barely moved my legs that were trembling from anger and approached Khan.


    "How much will this sell for?¡±


    Khan looked at the sword for a long time before replying cautiously. ¡°It is around 800 gold.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    I almost grabbed Khan¡¯s cor. The materials I used were worth 950 gold, but the value was only 800 gold? Then what was this?


    "An equipment like this with the original conditions won¡¯t trade well. This is why...¡±


    Khan borated.


    Here was a brief summary:


    A level 160 item would have a better basic performance than a level 120 item. Normal rated items had no options, while rare items had a small option attached. Depending on how the options were set up, a level 120 rare item often outperformed a normal level 160 item. Therefore, the prices of the two items didn¡¯t vary greatly.


    People with money were more likely to buy the level 120 rare item than the level 160 normal item.


    "In other words, get rid of the normal items...¡±


    Khanforted me. "But your equipment is good even with a low rating, so you won¡¯t see a big loss. Please beforted by that.¡±


    ¡®Comfort... Hah, this is really messed up.¡¯


    In the future, I could make six more swords. Based on the two-thirds probability of getting an epic item, I had a chance to clear the quest.


    "Damn, this time it will surely work!¡±


    I became extremely focused. Then I tried to make the best possible sword.


    20 hourster.


    The second sword wasplete.


    [Durable Longsword]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 250/250 Attack Power: 200


    A sword made by a craftsman with great skill and potential, butcking in experience and reputation.


    It won¡¯t be easily damaged after being tempered for a long time.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 950 strength. Intermediate Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 600


    ¡°Hey, this #@!$%~! The operators @#$:) Bastards! They are manipting this [email protected]#! No, why are you doing this?¡±


    Khan brought me a cup of warm tea. ¡°Have strength. Trials wille to everyone. If you ovee this trial...¡±


    "Ah, don¡¯t talk to me! I am too annoyed right now.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    I ran out of Khan¡¯s smithy and yelled towards the sky, ¡°These damn operators! If you manipted the probabilities, I will use you to the Consumer Rights Center! You #[email protected]!#!!¡±


    I used the best materials. I did my best during the production. If the operators had a minimum of conscience, a normal result wouldn¡¯te out. I believed so and started making the third sword.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    I barely slept for the past few days as I kept hammering. My shoulders were tired by I didn¡¯t stop hammering. It was a matter of pride. I had the title of the legendary cksmith, so I couldn¡¯t keep making normal rated items. I would escape the maniptions of the operators and create an epic item.


    ... Not long ago, my goal was to create a unique or legendary item, but now, I was only aiming for epic. But what could I do? Reality wasn¡¯t kind so I had to settle for epic items.


    It was dinner time. I had no appetite. I didn¡¯t know if the rice entered my mouth or my nose.


    My mother was worried about me and asked with a bemused expression. ¡°Hey Youngwoo, did something bad happen? I worked on those braised short ribs for a long time, so why are you sucking on bone for five minutes?¡±


    "A pathetic person like me isn¡¯t qualified to eat meat...¡±


    One and a half days had passed in reality, while 6 days passed in Satisfy. In the meantime, I made six swords and the result was three normal, one rare and two epic swords. Now I could make one more sword before the time limit was over, but I only had two epic rated items.


    ¡®I¡¯m ruined... Ruined...¡¯


    When investing 20 hours to create an item, the probability of making an epic item was close to one third. In other words, the possibility of my remaining sword being an epic item was very low.


    My quest ¡®Business with the Administrator¡¯ would soon be destroyed.


    ¡®I have a legendary ss but I can¡¯t even make an epic item... I am a truly pathetic person who doesn¡¯t deserve food.¡¯


    The frustrated Sehee ced a braised rib on top of my rice bowl.


    ¡°What¡¯s new? Oppa, haven¡¯t you always been pathetic? Why do you need to look so weak now? I don¡¯t know what type of adversity Oppa is going through these days, but the only good thing about you is that you don¡¯t know how to give up. Right? When Oppa was in 6th grade in elementary school, you were able to memorize everyone from the 1st grade to 6th grade, so don¡¯t be frustrated this time and be patient. Oppa will surely be able to ovee these difficulties.¡±


    "S-Sehee... did you eat something bad?¡± I got goose bumps at the words that Sehee normally didn¡¯t say and asked my mother, ¡°Mother, maybe there¡¯s something wrong with the braised ribs. Are these beef short ribs? Is this beef from cows with the mad cow disease?¡±


    ¡°These are pork ribs!¡±


    Ppak!


    Sehee picked up the piece of rib she gave me and threw it at me. The rib slid down the side of my face as I seriously wondered. Why was I being hit every time I sat down for a meal? Why was I being treated worse than a dog by my family members?


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    After the meal ended, I headed straight back to my room and entered the capsule to connect to Satisfy.


    Khan greeted me, ¡°Did you have a good night¡¯s sleep? Are your worries relieved now?¡±


    ¡°Old Man Khan, I¡¯ve decided to just drop everything.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Drop everything?¡±


    ¡°I will clear my mind and abandon my obsession. Anyway, the goods made with my poor skills aren¡¯t worthy of being delivered to the castle. It is no use, no matter how hard I try.¡±


    ¡°No, what are you saying? How can Pagma¡¯s Descendant say something so weak?¡±


    Khan was truly angry. It might be eptable for other cksmiths, but it was uneptable for someone as talented as me. I ignored him and stood in front of the furnace. Then I started on the seventh andst sword.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be obsessed with the result anymore.¡¯


    No matter how I tried, the result would be randomly decided anyway. Even though I knew this fact, I was still foolish enough to select the best materials and devote a lot of effort. I steadied my heart. Unlike before, I just worked silently without worrying about the result. I used my umted knowledge and experience to let my body flow while making the item.


    The sword started to shine as dawn arrived. Morning wasing soon. I was entirely focused on the task and didn¡¯t realize the time.


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [The deadline for the ¡®Business with the Administrator (1)¡¯ quest is in two hours. Pleaseplete the quest within two hours.]


    I would see a ¡®quest failed!¡¯ after two hours. It was like this notification window was mocking me. I entered thest stage of the sword production. After a while, the sword waspleted.


    [Sword of Self-transcendence]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 365/365 Attack Power: 356 Attack Speed: +6% uracy: +10% Attack and Defense Rate: +10%


    * Will do an additional +200 damage during each attack.


    * The skill ¡®Perfect State of Self-transcendence¡¯ will be generated.


    A sword made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation. He has abandoned all thoughts and desires while only concentrating on his skills.


    The craftsman doesn¡¯t realize it himself, but he haspleted a sword that has never existed in this world before.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 950 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 400


    [An legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +25 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +1,000.


    [The title ¡®Only Legendary Item Maker¡¯ has been acquired.]


    The title I got when I made the unique dagger was the ¡®First Unique Item Maker.¡¯ But the title for the legendary item had the word ¡®only¡¯pared to ¡®first.¡¯ The creation of a legendary item in Satisfy reminded me that I was the only Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°......¡±


    I confirmed that Khan was squatting in a corner of the smithy. I had been angry at Khan every time I couldn¡¯t make the desired item in the past week. Despite my cold treatment, he kept giving me advice and encouragement.


    Khan must be feeling a great deal of sorrow. Look. How lonely did he look now? I must be a bad guy to Khan. He might be seriously questioning his decision to hand me this smithy.


    I slowly went up to him. I rubbed his shoulders that were tense from the daily repetition of hardbor.


    ¡°Old Man Khan, I¡¯m sorry for the past week. Didn¡¯t you go through a lot of trouble because of me? I will no longer let you be lonely.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...?¡± Khan was very confused when I said these strange words. ¡°Surely you aren¡¯t...? Are you nning to jump into the river after making a low rated sword? Huh?¡±


    Was it because he already lost a son? I stopped his desperate shouting by showing him the sword.


    "How can I do that? Now take a look at this.¡±


    "Heok!¡± Khan trembled. ¡°This... this is a masterpiece...! C-Cough!¡±


    ¡°H-Hey! Old Man Khan! Old Man Khan!!¡±


    He was too surprised! Khan copsed in pain as he struggled to breathe.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t die! You can¡¯t die!!¡±


    Khan was the one who gave me my ss quest. I hadn¡¯t even started the quest yet. It would probably take me a very long time to clear this quest. Until then, Khan needed to be alive.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    I lifted Khan. Then I rushed him towards the clinic. After a while, the doctor finished the examination andughed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. It is just a symptom of temporary shock, and he will have no problems in the future.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can rest assured and stop crying.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Who is crying?¡±


    The doctor just smiled silently after hearing my words.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    I exited the clinic in shame and ran towards the castle.


    ¡°Dammit! What nonsense was he saying? I was crying? Hah. Crazy! Who would cry because of an NPC!"


    I was filled with confidence because my inventory contained two epic-rated swords and one legendary-rated sword.


    ***


    Winston Castle.


    The 1,000 soldiers and 8 knights were defeated by the Yatan Temple and returned. There were close to 400 casualties. Irene couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°How did this happen? I heard that there are only 150 enemies. The followers of Yatan are strong, but isn¡¯t this defeat nonsense?¡±


    Irene¡¯s knight captain, Phoenix exined with a sad expression. "ording to the report, there is a great person among the Yatan followers. Even the knights weren¡¯t a match...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    Phoenix read the question in Irene¡¯s eyes and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Perhaps he...no, she is one of the rumored ¡®Seven Servants.¡¯


    It was said that the Yatan Church had seven servants. They were those who received the favor of God Yatan and were powerful being that transcended humans.


    "How could such a great person be here...?¡±


    The nobles at the meeting were frightened and scared.


    "If one of the Seven Servants is present, Winston might turn to hell!¡±


    "We should reach out to Earl Steim right now...!¡±


    In contrast, Irene was calm. She ignored the nobles and spoke to Phoenix.


    "Many the rumors about the Seven Servants are exaggerated. Isn¡¯t it? If the Seven Servants are really as strong as rumored, the temples wouldn¡¯t have been wiped out.¡±


    Phoenix agreed.


    ¡°Yes. The Seven Servants aren¡¯t as strong as everyone thinks.¡±


    Irene touched the blue ring. "It would be a massive blow to the Yatan Church if we kill one of the Seven Servants with our own hands. It will also honor Doran¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The nobles tried to protest Irene¡¯s decision to fight against one of the Seven Species. At that time, the door of the conference room opened and the butler ran into the room.


    ¡°Administrator! Lady! There is something that both of you should look at!¡±


    How urgent would it be to interrupt the meeting between thedy and the nobles? Everyone in the conference room hurriedly got up from their seats. Then they followed the butler.


    The castle¡¯s garden. There was a ck haired youth standing in front of the glittering fountain. He was looking at the fountain with very serious eyes. Then he suddenly dived into the fountain, like a cat pouncing.


    ¡°...Who is that? What is he doing?¡±


    The administrator replied to Irene¡¯s question, "That young man is the cksmith Grid, who created the best works disyed at the auction. However, I don¡¯t know what he is doing now. Why is he swimming in the fountain?¡±


    The administrator turned towards the butler, who looked perplexed. "I tried to guide him to the reception room, but he stayed here because he wanted to see more of the garden. That is all I know. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s swimming in the fountain.¡±


    Then the young man emerged from the water.


    "Puah! It really is money!¡± He was holding a one gold coin in his hand. He joyfully kissed the gold coin without worrying about his wet body. Then he became tearful. "I never thought I would ever pick up money...! Kuuack! This is my first lucky experience in my 26 years of living!¡±


    Phoenix watched him and frowned. "That... I think it is the gold coin I lost a few days ago...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Irene ignored Phoenix and asked the butler, "So why did you bring us so urgently?¡±


    The butler took a deep breath. Then he opened his mouth carefully.


    "He said he came to deliver three swords to the administrator. But... the level of the swords is unbelievable, even to the eyes of a lowly person like me. My Lady, you should check it yourself... Cough, I¡¯m sorry. I became so excited that I rudely broke into the meeting. I will ept any punishment.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The butler said he was a lowly person, but he needed to be versatile to be the butler of this castle. His eyes were superb. In addition, he was always calm. How great were the three swords to make a person like him so excited?


    Everyone walked up to Grid with great expectations. Grid discovered the party and greeted the administrator. ¡°Good afternoon.¡±


    The administrator greeted Grid. ¡°It is polite to greet thedy first.¡±


    ¡°Lady?¡± Grid looked at the party and found Irene.


    ¡®I heard that the newdy was a young and pretty virgin.¡¯


    Then Grid bowed to Irene and said, ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°It is nice to meet you.¡±


    The residents of Winston said that Grid worked hard for the people. Irene was scheduled to give Grid a reward. However, she postponed it after discovering the Yatan Temple. Irene wanted to finish it well. Therefore, she nned to give him the reward when she saw him today.


    But shepletely forgot about rewarding Grid when she saw his swords. She was so surprised that she couldn¡¯t think about small things. Why was she surprised? It was...


    "These are the three swords I made.¡±


    "...Heok!¡±


    Everyone was surprised when Grid pulled out three swords. The butler was still surprised, despite checking it first.


    The swords created by Grid were that great. Two of the three swords were unusual. But the remaining sword was at a level that couldn¡¯t bepared.


    Phoenix shouted. ¡°This is a sword that wille out once in 100 years!¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    While all of them were murmuring with amazement, Grid approached the administrator and asked, "How much will this be worth? Didn¡¯t you say it before? If I make good items then you will pay a higher price!¡±


    ¡°U-Ummm... That...that...¡±


    The administrator couldn¡¯t answer, the value of this work was just too high! He would have to decide on purchasing and pricing decisions only after discussing it with thedy.


    However, Irene had already made up her mind.


    ¡°Sir Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Liege.¡±


    "If you have this sword, will you be able to take care of one of the Seven Servants?¡±


    Phoenixpared the testimonies from the defeated soldiers andpared it to his ability. He thought carefully before answering.


    "I think I can fight. No, I am a little bit stronger. Of course, that is if I am using this sword.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t overconfidence. Phoenix was one of the strongest knights in the north, and among the top 10 in the entire Eternal Kingdom. Irene smiled at his dependable answer.


    ¡°Okay. Administrator! Buy this sword! I will leave the price up to you.¡±


    "Yes, My Lady.¡±


    Grid liked Irene.


    ¡¯Her words are big. As expected, a noble is different.¡¯


    How much would he get for it? Grid was filled with expectations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to my office.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then, My Lady, I will be leaving first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you again, Grid.¡±


    Irene held out a held to Grid. It meant to kiss the back of her hand, which was the highest honor a noblewoman could bestow on someone. Irene felt respect towards Grid after witnessing his cksmithing skills.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯ Grid noticed a blue ring on Irene¡¯s ne as he kissed her hand. ¡®Where have I seen it before?¡¯


    Grid tried to remember but he couldn¡¯t think of anything.


    ¡®It must just be the ring design.¡¯


    After Irene¡¯s party left, Grid heading towards the administrator¡¯s office.


    ¡°Sit down for a moment while I figure out the purchase price. It might take some time, so please understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please take your time.¡±


    The administrator sat on one side of Grid and started to move the abacus. It seemed like the calctions were fairlyplicated as he had a troubled expression on his face. Grid had drunk exactly eight cups of warm tea and was feeling sleepy by the time the administrator finished the calctions. He announced the price,


    ¡°Um... the ¡®Anticipated Sword¡¯ will be bought for 7,000 gold, and I will buy the ¡®Sword of Self-transcendence¡¯ for 200,000 gold.¡±


    The sleepy Grid was sincerely offended,


    ¡°Are you kidding me? You want to buy the Sword of Self-transcendence for 20 gold? No, the other swords are 7,000 gold, so why is the Sword of Self-transcendence 20 gold? This is really ridiculous... I used 950 gold worth of materials to make this sword!¡±


    The administrator was embarrassed as he said, "No, I think you heard me incorrectly.. I said 200,000 gold, not 20 gold.¡±


    ¡°200,000 gold?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart stopped for a moment. After a few moments, he eximed, "Huu...huuk...huuuck! ... 200,000 gold? Are you serious?¡±


    Grid could barely breathe as he asked the question.


    The administrator asked him carefully.


    "Do you think the amount is too low...? This is the highest value, even more than the heirlooms passed on in Earl Steim¡¯s family for generations... Do you still think it is too little? Uhh... I am willing to pay 20,000 gold more but any more than that is impossible because it will cause a serious blow to our financial situation. Please understand.¡±


    Winston currently boasted a poption of 330,000 and a growth rate of 22% a year, with an operating budget of 170,000 gold. The value of the Sword of Self-transcendence was so higher that it exceeded Winston¡¯s annual operating budget.


    The administrator tried to persuade Grid. ¡°Once again, this is the highest value I can offer, and it will be an heirloom of Earl Steim¡¯s family. It is very difficult if you aren¡¯t satisfied with this amount. It would be hard to find a noble or merchant offering a higher price.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t say anything. The administrator was deeply concerned. He thought that Grid didn¡¯t like the amount he presented. However, he was mistaken. Grid was thrilled beyond satisfaction.


    ¡®The many misfortunes I suffered in my 26 years of life is all for this one lucky moment!¡¯


    220,000 gold was 264 million won.


    ¡®After paying back my debt, I will have 254 million won left!¡¯


    Grid wanted toplete the transaction and log out right away. Then I would go to Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy and pay off my 10 million won debt. He wanted to yell.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Is this okay? I paid back the money so don¡¯t call me anymore! You money-grubbing jerks!¡±


    This was what he wanted to yell. Then he would buy a foreign car and luxury clothes. In a month, he would attend his high school reunion.


    ¡®I will appear in luxury clothes and a foreign car.¡¯


    Grid, who was just a debt-ridden game lover, had always been disregarded by the other alumni. Whenever he attended a reunion, he was always ashamed by their ridiculing words. So he didn¡¯t attend thest reunion, despite it being the only ce he could meet his first love, Ahyoung.


    But now everything had changed. Grid would confidently attend the reunion and show that ¡®I am apetent person.¡¯


    ¡®They won¡¯t be able to ignore me anymore. Then I can confess to Ahyoung!¡¯


    In fact, Grid had worried about it beforeing here.


    Should he sell the Sword of Self-transcendence on the item trading sites? Wouldn¡¯t the first legendary item sell for a huge price? With that in mind, Grid would¡¯ve abandoned the administrator¡¯s quest and register the sword on the item trading sites.


    But he didn¡¯t think about it for long. At the present time, no users existed who could meet the terms of use for the Sword of Self-transcendence. If he put it on the item trading sites, it was likely that only merchants who wanted to buy it for the future would be interested, rather than pure buyers.


    In other words, Grid didn¡¯t sell the Sword of Self-transcendence for the same reason why he didn¡¯t sell the Ideal Dagger. In the first ce, the administrator stated that he would buy it at a high price. He judged that it was better to sell it to the administrator since he wouldn¡¯t have to pay a separate fee.


    As a result, Grid got his hands on 264 million won. Grid was very satisfied with this transaction.


    ¡°Okay. I will sell it at that price.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that is a wise decision. Now this trade ispleted.¡±


    [The deal has beenpleted.]


    [Quest sess!]


    [234,000 gold has been acquired.]


    [3]


    [Obtained the status of ¡®Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction¡¯]


    [Affinity with the administrator has risen to the maximum.]


    ¡®Blue orichalcum!¡¯


    Grid opened the production method for Failure.


    [Failure]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 699/699 Attack Power: 733~1,621 Defense: 50


    * Agility +30


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 1,090/1,090 Attack Power: 874~1,820 Defense: 80


    * Agility +50


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be created.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    It is designed by a legendary cksmith. It is a greatsword, but its cutting ability is excellent because of its unique shape. It resembles the predator of the sea, a shark, and gives fear to the enemies. The small des spiking from the sword will increase the defense.


    Blue orichalcum is used as a material. Its lightness means the attack speed doesn¡¯t fall. Due to the nature of the blue orichalcum, it bes stronger in the dark.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. More than 5,000 strength.


    Advanced Sword Mastery level 8 or higher.


    Weight: 550


    Once again, it had an overwhelming performance and to produce such a fraudulent item, he needed 15 pieces of blue orichalcum. It was a rare material dropped by the Guardian of the Forest, but he managed to obtain three of this precious material.


    The administrator smiled at Grid, who was stunned by the blue mineral.


    "Indeed... you are a great cksmith so you can see the value of that mineral. It is a gift I received in the past for helping others. I have been using it as a decoration due to its mysterious color, but you can use it more appropriately than me.¡±


    Grid felt joy at the unexpected profit of blue orichalcum, then became interested in another reward.


    ¡¯Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction? What is this?¡¯


    Grid looked for more information about the new status.


    [Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction]


    This is a status given to technicians that Winston¡¯s ruler acknowledges.


    Works produced by Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction will have a higher value in Winston and will be exempt from all taxes there.


    ¡¯Ohh...Khan has to pay various taxes when he runs the business. Once I be the owner of the smithy, I won¡¯t have to pay taxes?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened. He once again thought that the deal with the administrator was good.


    But what was the truth? Grid actually suffered a huge loss in this deal.


    Why?


    Grid and most users didn¡¯t know this, but the current top 20 rankers were close to mastering the intermediate level skills. In a few months, there would be a number of rankers with advanced level skills.


    If Grid registered the item at the item trading site, the price could rise to billions of won due to fiercepetition between the top rankers. This wasn¡¯t an exaggerated amount. There were at least two billion users in Satisfy. Many of them earned money and they invested cash to acquire better items. On the other hand, the item supply rate was very low.


    The prices would skyrocket if a legendary item was ced for auction. In other words, Grid was in the position to trade with some of the richest people in the world. Grid lost his original intention to make a legendary item and rip off the people around the world!


    Grid would be able to amass a huge fortune just from selling one legendary item. But he ended up selling it to an NPC and only got 264 million won, a ridiculous amount. The onlyforting thing was the status of Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction. Grid would get steady gains in the long run from selling the Sword of Self-transcendence for a cheap price.


    ¡°Mother! Father! Sehee!¡±


    I exited the capsule and ran straight to the living room. I wanted to share the good news that their disappointing son had made a big amount of money.


    However, the living room was empty.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The dark living room. I felt something bad.


    ¡°D-Did something happen to my family while I was in the capsule...?¡±


    I was overwhelmed with an unknown anxiety.


    "This, I should try calling...¡± At first, I wanted to call my parents but I couldn¡¯t find my phone. "No, where is my phone? I should just use the home phone... Now, stay calm. Calm.¡±


    I stood in front of the phone. I eagerly prayed for my family to be safe as I listened to the ringing sound. Then I checked the electronic clock next to the phone and was surprised.


    "...It is 3 in the morning?¡±


    I had logged into Satisfy for so long that my sense of reality had dulled. I didn¡¯t even know that it was almost dawn. I opened the doors to the bedrooms and found Sehee and my parents sleeping peacefully.


    ¡°Phew...I¡¯m d.¡±


    I called myself a stupid bastard and returned to bed. I would give my family the happy news once it was morning. And in the morning. I opened my eyes and figured out the source of the anxiety.


    "Youngwoo... Sehee... this isn¡¯t a joke so listen carefully. Your father made a big mistake."


    ¡°......¡±


    My mother was crying while my father was smoking, despite quitting 10 years ago.


    "Actually, your father became a guarantor for a friend¡¯s loan... and that friend has been out of contact for a long time... Oh my~~ !! What should we do now?¡±


    T-This...


    My father, who divided one chicken over three meals, acted as a guarantor for a friend! The father that I admired was actually so stupid! As I was feeling shock and disappointment, Sehee asked our parents calmly,


    "So, how much is the debt?¡±


    "800 million... If I sell the store, this house and use the money we¡¯ve saved, I can pay back 400 million. But I¡¯m sorry Sehee, the money that we saved to send you to university and your marriage...¡±


    Didn¡¯t something seem to be missing?


    "Father...if you collected money for Sehee¡¯s university, then surely you collected my marriage funds as well?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    "N-No? Howe? I am the eldest son! Why are you saving money for Sehee¡¯s marriage first? In the first ce, why does a woman need marriage funds? The cost of purchasing a home, the wedding, and honeymoon are all paid for by the groom!¡±


    I jumped up in agitation, but Sehee pulled me back and dered, ¡°I won¡¯t go to university. I¡¯ll get a part-time job and help pay off the debt.¡±


    ¡°W-What is this...!¡±


    Unlike me, Sehee had a good appearance and a smart head. She never missed being first rank since her elementary school days. The fact that she intended to give up her university education made my parents angry.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about this, so just live normally! You just have to study. By the time you graduate high school, I¡¯ll have paid back the debt and will surely provide you with the university tuition. So don¡¯t say such things!¡±


    "Oh my, I am so sorry towards Sehee...¡±


    A melodrama involving three family members. As I was remained alone on the outside, I btedly became aware of reality.


    ¡®Yes... right now, my family is in a crisis. Now is my chance. It is time for me to be the eldest son.¡¯


    I stood up and shouted. "I will make money, so you don¡¯t have to worry! Father! There¡¯s no need to sell the store or house. Mother! You don¡¯t have to worry. It will be okay. Sehee! As Father said, you just need to think about studying.¡±


    "Sigh... I have to look for work tomorrow...¡±


    "I¡¯ll go to the restaurant and do the dishes...¡±


    "Father, Mother, I¡¯ll get a part-time job for the weekends.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This wasn¡¯t merely the reaction to a barking dog, my family was treating me like I was invisible! I was both an ipetent son and brother who couldn¡¯t instill any sense of trust in my family.


    I calmed down first before sitting in front of my family, straightened my posture, and stared into the eyes of my family.


    "In fact, I was going to tell you this. 10 days ago, I quit thebor job.¡±


    ¡°W-What...? You haven¡¯t been working?¡±


    I stared straight into my father¡¯s eyes and said. ¡°In the past 10 days, I made over 200 million won in the game. In the future I...I will be the eldest son of this family! I will be responsible for both of you and Sehee!¡±


    It was the first time I felt a sense of responsibility since I was born. A foreign car? Luxury clothes? I couldn¡¯t afford to worry about such things. My first love, Ahyoung? There was no room in my head for unrequited love.


    Until the crisis was ovee, I had to take care of my family. Then I had to change my way of ying Satisfy to be more cautious.


    TL Note: Don¡¯t worry. The story doesn¡¯t drag out the debt after this one, and he doesn¡¯t spend the whole novel in debt and unlucky. For those wondering about the character growth, I trante a brief overview of Overgeared that I found:


    The basis of this novel is a virtual reality game called Satisfy, developed by the world¡¯s top genius scientist Lim Cheolho and world-ss scientists.


    The main character is timid, ky, selfish, cares about money and easily feels jealous of others. Because the author set up the character in this way, the story was difficult for the readers to read.


    But as the main character encounters various people and geniuses, he internally matures and his personality changes. If the main character is described as cancerous early on, at present he can be called a mature adult. However, those who don¡¯t read beyond the early parts of the 5<sup>th</sup> volume (~ chapter 90) find it hard to believe.


    The basic settings and story line are simr to other VR novels, but the praiseworthy thing is the content development. The early parts aren¡¯t much different from rival novels, but the novel rating has exceeded the market average in recent years due to the writer¡¯s growth.


    Like other novels, it contains a munchkin element, but it is different from typical munchkins. In the early stages, the game progresses with the main character using is ss of a legendary cksmith. The main character expands the game content and the level of the existing users dramatically increase. Hidden talents, new yers in the official rankings, sses that could break the bnce, all of this makes the main character¡¯s one-man show impossible. The main character grows internally and externally whilepeting with others.


    In fact, if youpare the simple and ignorant battle method in the beginning to his abilities in the present time, it is possible to feel such a sense of distance that he doesn¡¯t seem like the same character.


    As for the evaluation of the work, the criticism was severe in the beginning, but the poprity increased rapidly after that. As described above, the improvement in the author¡¯s writing and the growth of the main character led to rapid changes in thements. However, the main character¡¯s selfish and frustrating behaviour caused many readers to stop reading in the beginning. For the readers who have gone beyond the beginning, it is a tragedy that seems really pitiful.


    Currently, its poprity is increasing and a webtoon was recently released. However, there are many criticisms of the webtoon due to the various changes made.


    ~TLDR. Koreans believe that the story truly bes good from volume 5, which is around chapter 90 in my raws. For those curious about the webtoon, here is the link to the raws, although only the first 3 chapters are free.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    pieces of blue orichalcum has been acquired.

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    After finishing the deal with Grid, the administrator returned to the meeting room where Irene and the nobles were waiting to hear his report. Nobody was shaken after hearing that the sword was purchased for 220,000 gold, as it really was worth spending that much.


    "Sir Phoenix, you will take this sword and punish the Yatan Church.¡±


    Everyone watched as Irene handed Phoenix the Sword of Self-transcendence. Phoenix kneeled down and respectfully received the sword.


    "For the glory of the north and Earl Steim, I will surely be victorious in battle.¡±


    Phoenix equipped the Sword of Self-transcendence.


    [Sword of Self-transcendence]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 365/365 Attack Power: 356 Attack Speed: +6% uracy: +10% Attack and Defense Rate: +10%


    * Will do an additional +200 damage during each attack.


    * The skill ¡®Perfect State of Self-transcendence¡¯ will be generated.


    A sword made by a craftsman with great skill and potential butcking in experience and reputation. He has abandoned all thought and desire while only concentrating on his skill.


    The craftsman doesn¡¯t realize it himself, but he haspleted a sword that has never existed in this world before.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 950 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 400


    [Perfect State of Self-transcendence]


    All stats will double for two minutes and you can resist all types of abnormal conditions.


    * You can¡¯t control yourself for the duration of this skill.


    * After the skill is over, you can¡¯t move for two seconds and your defense and magic resistance will decrease by 30%.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3,000 seconds


    ¡°Dispatch the troops! Return with the head of one of the Seven Servants!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Upon receiving Irene¡¯s order, Phoenix led 12 knights and 1,500 soldiers towards the Yatan Temple. On the other hand, there were approximately 150 people at the Yatan Temple. But no one was careless. The minimum level of the believers was 160, while the soldiers had a minimum level of 50.


    The difference in individual skill was obvious. And the enemy was one of the Seven Servants. Superiority in number and strategy was essential for the win.


    Phoenix confirmed the sighting of the Yatan Temple in the distance and shouted at the knights and soldiers,


    "Don¡¯t shrink back. I am in front of you! The north¡¯s strongest knight, Phoenix! I will take the head of one of the Seventh Servants. You just have to believe and follow me! Then we will obtain victory!!¡¯


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    A huge shout echoed. The sound was enough to reach the Yatan Temple.


    ¡°The pagans areing! Those who don¡¯t know how fearful God Yatan is are advancing to defile this sacred space!¡± The shaken believers cried out urgently.


    Yura stood at the edge of the temple¡¯s roof that was on a cliff and observed therge army flying Earl Steim¡¯s g. "Take the high ground. Pour magic towards the ground, paying attention to the archers.¡±


    ¡°What about Yura...?¡±


    The head of the temple looked at her with worry. Yura sent him a cool look and replied, ¡°I will go down to the ground and block their advance.¡±


    Yura was well aware that the Yatan Church was wicked. She felt skepticism while carrying out all types of malicious quests. In particr, the Seven Servants were evil beings that evoked hatred.


    But she had already chosen. This was Satisfy, not reality. There was no going back unless she got a hidden ss like Agnus or Katz did. She had to keep moving forward unless she wanted to give up her ranker position.


    She was already ustomed to the stigma of being the Blood Witch, so she was prepared for another ughter.


    Taack!


    Yura jumped from the high cliff andnded as light as a feather in front of the enemy. Phoenix discovered Yura, stopped the army and shouted, "A sharp energy is flowing from you! You are certainly one of the Seven Servants! Today I will end your infamous actions!¡±


    Phoenix was mistaken. Yura wasn¡¯t one of the Seven Servants, but one of the candidates in line to be the Eighth Servant. For Yura, whose power was still far below the Seven Servants, Phoenix and his great army were both frightening.


    But Yura had no intention of stepping back. There was a total of 143 believers isted in this temple, and she had to save all of them to clear her quest. Only then would she be reborn as the Eighth Servant.


    "Great god of the darkness, your humble servant calls you. Fill this ce with darkness and nt fear in the enemies¡¯ hearts, show your power to those who worship you.¡±


    The whole area started to fill with darkness. Despite the sun shining in the sky, it turned darker than night. As the 1,500 troops fell into confusion and panic, Yura showed off her strength.


    ¡°Dark Storm!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A huge storm of darkness descended and swallowed the army. Yura didn¡¯t doubt that more than a quarter of them would die or be seriously injured. Then she stopped as she was trying to chant another attack spell.


    "......!"


    It was a ridiculous situation. The knight called Phoenix rushed out of the storm towards Yura, who hurriedly cast a defense spell.


    Kaaaang!


    Phoenix¡¯s strike hit a diamond wall, scattering brilliant sparks every which way. This was the Diamond Barrier that exerted overwhelming defense against physical attacks! Phoenix shouted from in front of the barrier,


    "Don¡¯t even think of touching the soldiers! Your opponent is me! Perfect State of Self-transcendence!¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    A purple energy rose from Phoenix¡¯s body. And!


    Kkikikikik!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s sword started to cause cracks in Diamond Barrier. It was impossible. This was the diamond barrier that could even withstand strong physical strikes from boss monsters. How could a mere knight break it?


    Jjeok.


    Diamond Barrier was split in half. Phoenix moved through Diamond Barrier and attacked with an expressionless face.


    "Hell!"


    Yura cast a spell that would cause fear in a single target.


    Shaaaaaah.


    A ck powder covered Phoenix¡¯ body. He would soon be defenseless due to fear. But Phoenix was fine as he attacked Yura without any hesitation. For a limited time, his stats had doubled and the skill gave him resistance to abnormal conditions. This drove Yura into a crisis.


    Yura recalled someone else who was perfectly resistant to her magic when she looked at Phoenix.


    ¡®Grid...?¡¯


    It was ironic. In the past, Yura had interfered with Grid¡¯s S-grade quest and caused him to fail, and now her quest was being hampered by a sword that Grid made.


    Seokeok!


    Yura groaned and whispered the spell that had beenpleted before Diamond Barrier. "Darkness."


    Exactly 17 days ago, Yura achieved 100,000 faith and she heard the voice of God Yatan in her ears.


    ¡®I will give you a new power if you pray.¡¯


    Yura prayed to him. She asked for the strength to fight those resistant to ck magic! It was a new form of power developed thanks to her experience meeting Grid. That power was now being used.


    ***


    I disposed of all my items, including Mamon¡¯s Greatsword and Mengel¡¯s te Armour that were in the warehouse. As a result, I had around 240,023 gold. I registered 220,000 gold on the item trading site and sold it to users for cash.


    In the process, something urred. The item trading site took away 5% as the transaction fee. Wasn¡¯t 5% a small amount? How ridiculous! 5% of 264 million won was 13.2 million won! I earned this money with my blood and sweat, only for the trading site people to sit there and snatch some away!


    "There are many ways to profit off people.¡±


    I honestly admired it. If I had been a little bit smarter, I would¡¯ve been able to live like that...


    Anyway, I used 10 million out of the 250,800,000 won to pay Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy Financial Services and gave my father a bankbook containing the remaining 240,800,000 won. My parents checked the bankbook and couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°This... is it a fake ount?¡±


    My mother was suspicious.


    "Did you do something strange?¡±


    My father doubted me.


    "Oppa... did you sell your organs? Lift up your shirt. I will check if you have any surgery marks.¡±


    Sehee thought something strange!


    They didn¡¯t believe me at all. I inwardly boiled with anger. But I understood the reaction from my family. Despite going to university, I was a 26-year-old with a debt and who was obsessed with a game. It was unrealistic that such a son would suddenly appear with a bankbook containing a lot of money.


    After a while, my family acknowledge the reality and finally opened their mouths.


    "It is good that you can earn money doing something you like. Your hard work ying the game for the past year wasn¡¯t in vain. Yes, a world where you can do anything you want... My heart is somewhat settled now that you¡¯ve found your aptitude.¡±


    "Youngwoo, I was talking to my friend and she told me about her friend¡¯s son. If you earn enough money with Satisfy, you can be a huge ranker. Maybe you can eventually appear on TV? Yes? My son is going to appear on TV?¡±


    "Oppa is actually good at something... Hrmm~ well, it is great. I know that few among the two billion users ying Satisfy earn a huge amount of money. Oppa proved that you are a great person among those two billion people... well, you are somewhat qualified to be my Oppa.¡±


    It felt like their gazes towards me had significantly changed. Their previous consistently disappointed looks towards me now said ¡®my son is good¡¯ and ¡®I should treat Oppa better.¡¯


    ¡®I am proud... Huhuhut.¡¯


    Sehee interrupted my excitement as she said, ¡°Don¡¯tugh. It makes me upset.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    My monthly Q&A is on tonight at the Wuxiaworld discord, in the BEM channel. Check here for the time it will take ce.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    My family was relieved of the immediate crisis because of the money I earned. I was able to avoid the worst situation, where our assets would¡¯ve been seized by paying the overdue interest caused by my father¡¯s friend running away.


    ¡°Hum hum hum~¡±


    My mother hummed to herself with a bright expression. Sehee also felt good as she held hands with my mother. As I watched the warm sight of my mother and daughter walking together, my father spoke next to me.


    "I¡¯m indebted to my son. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    "No, indebted? Why are you saying that to me?¡±


    "...Hey, this is a matter of a man¡¯s pride.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, I felt like I could understand my father. I shut my mouth as my father ced an arm over my shoulders.


    "The rush is gone, so don¡¯t worry about the future. Your mother and I will work hard and pay off the remaining debt within three years. I will also repay the 240 million won that I borrowed from you. Your mother and I are capable of at least that much. So don¡¯t worry about it anymore, and just do what you want to do. You¡¯re 26, one of the most important periods in your life. I will make sure that your path is clear, so do your best. If the path you decided to walk if ying a game... try to be the best there. I¡¯m cheering you on.¡±


    My father said so, but the remaining 600 million won was too much for my parents to pay back. Even if my father didn¡¯t like it, I would be sure to help him. This was atonement for being a bad son.


    But before that, I had to rify one thing. "Father, I gave you 240,800,000 won, not 240 million. Don¡¯t forget the 800,000 won.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The sky was blue. My heart was blue. The useless son was transforming into someone dependable after obtaining a legendary ss and making a legendary item. I felt fulfilled as I grew as a person.


    ...Although I still didn¡¯t escape a debt.


    ¡®I¡¯ll give up on going to the reunion this year.¡¯


    The atmosphere in Winston was chaotic.


    ¡°Did you hear? The Yatan Temple defeated the troops again. Captain Phoenix was seriously injured..."


    ¡°No way? Captain Phoenix is the strongest knight! He lost, even though he led the army himself?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rumored that the opponent was one of the Seven Servants.¡±


    "W-What? Did Winston earn the wrath of the Seven Servants? What will happen to Winston in the future?¡±


    ¡°Ah... we barely escaped from the Mero Company, and now we have to go through something like this...¡±


    Not long ago, a Yatan Temple was discovered in the outskirts of Winston. Lady Irene dispatched troops three times to get rid of the temple, but all three times were a failure. The opponent was one of the Seven Servants who could make a child start crying... Honestly, I didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡°That story has nothing to do with me.¡±


    I left behind the anxious residents and entered Khan¡¯s smithy. Then I thought about my future as I touched the 20,000 gold I had left.


    ¡®I¡¯ll get big profits whenpleting an item with a high rating. On the other hand, I will receive big damage if the item has a low rating.¡¯


    Thanks to the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill and Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath, the stats of an item could increase by 19%. But I might not be able to obtain the original value if I made a level 160 normal rated item.


    In other words, making an item with high usage conditions wasn¡¯t always profitable.


    ¡®I should make an item that won¡¯t cause huge damages, even if it ends up being normal rated.¡¯


    It was a reality that when I created items, the normal rating almost always popped up. Taking this into consideration, I decided to make a level 140 item that would still earn me a profit even if it had a normal rating.


    ¡®I need to pay off the debt quickly.¡¯


    I had to work very hard to pay off the 600 million won debt and the interest each month. I looked at my status window before starting work.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 45 (3,400/238,000)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 5,682/5,682 Mana: 504/504


    Strength: 393 Stamina: 411 Agility: 195 Intelligence: 168


    Dexterity: 838 Persistence: 190


    Composure: 143 Indomitable: 162 Dignity: 143 Insight: 143


    Courage: 87


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 842/11,660


    All my stats had risen tremendously after creating various epic items and the one legendary item. In particr, my dexterity and persistence stat had increased significantly during the process of making items.


    I had surpassed the stats of a level 80 warrior a long time ago. Thanks to this, I wanted to run to the hunting grounds straight away.


    ¡®With these stats and the Ideal Dagger... I can easily hunt level 100 monsters after making a few pieces of armor.¡¯


    It was exciting to swing a sword at monsters. I could acquire items and experience, eventually leveling up. The excitement that could only be found when raising my level through hunting! It had been months since I felt that feeling!


    ¡®...Forget it. I have to earn money.¡¯


    I held a hammer instead of a sword. It was an old hammer that I had been using for many months now!


    ¡®The durability is falling faster... Hrmm, should I make a new one?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to make a hammer, but I could make a simple one with my capabilities. I put iron in the furnace for the sake of making a hammer. Khan asked from where he was watching on the sidelines. ¡°What type of work are you making this time?¡±


    ¡°Hammer.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making a hammer.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Are you going to use the hammer you¡¯re making?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I nodded and Khan spoke with confusion. ¡°You¡¯ve been using that hammer for thest few months, so I thought there was a special story regarding that hammer...¡±


    "Story? There isn¡¯t anything like that. This is the only hammer I have, so I just used it. There¡¯s no special meaning.¡±


    "No, then why didn¡¯t you make a new hammer sooner?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what a surprise! Why are you shouting all of a sudden?¡±


    Khan exined. ¡°There are four important things when making battle gear! First! Outstanding techniques. Second! The materials. Third! Patience and devotion. Fourth! A hammer with a good performance. But you have been using that garbage like hammer for no special reason! This is really ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    I brought up the details of the hammer I used.


    [cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Durability: 50/70 Attack Power: 18~25


    A hammer used by a cksmith to make items, but it can also be used as a weapon.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 60


    I got this hammer from Bairan Vige and there were no special features. I always thought that all production hammers were the same. But Khan¡¯s response told me differently. I tried appraising Khan¡¯s hammer.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who bes a legend that appraises items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Excellent cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 166/250 Attack Power: 40~50


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +10%


    A cksmith hammer that Khan inherited from his father. It can still be used on a daily basis because he uses it carefully.


    User Restriction: Level 80 or higher. More than 60 strength.


    Intermediate cksmith skill.


    Weight: 80


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the materials that make up the Excellent cksmith¡¯s Hammer, the production method and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of the Excellent cksmith¡¯s Hammer is now at 100%.]


    [You have learned how to make the Excellent cksmith¡¯s Hammer.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    It was true. Hammers also had several ratings and options. If I knew this, I would¡¯ve thrown the crappy hammer away and made an epic rated hammer!


    ¡°I thought that all production hammers were the same.¡± I shouted towards the air, before looking at Khan. ¡°What? Why? Why didn¡¯t you tell me that hammers were so important? How long were you going to watch while I used this old hammer?¡±


    Khan was embarrassed.


    "You¡¯re Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so I never imagined that you wouldn¡¯t even know the basics... As I said earlier, I thought you were using the old hammer because there was a special story...¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to me Khan. I hurriedly started making a hammer. Normal rated hammers emerged, but I continued sweating and was able to make an epic rated hammer on the sixth attempt.


    [Unknown cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 350/350 Attack Power: 70~80


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +17%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +7%


    A cksmith¡¯s hammer made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    This is a hammer produced by the craftsman himself, so it isn¡¯t suitable for other cksmiths to use.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Weight: 80


    Was it because I specifically designed it? Only Pagma¡¯s Descendant could use it. Out of two billion Satisfy users, it was an item only I could use. But the options weren¡¯t so greatpared to the conditions of use.


    ¡®If it¡¯s only for Pagma¡¯s Descendant, it should increase the rate of making unique and legendary items... In any case, this is a stingy game. Huh? The item description changed?¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    Until I made the Sword of Self-transcendence, the details of all the items I made were apanied by the modifier: made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    But now it had changed to ¡®a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.¡¯ I felt a little bit recognized. Anyway, I got a new production hammer, so I was more likely to make rare and epic rated items. In addition, the probability of making normal rated items was rtively low.


    It was fortunate that I realized the importance of a production hammer and managed to obtain a new one, even if it was dyed.


    I was about tounch my operation to make more money.


    ¡®I¡¯ve reced the hammer so should I now make epic, unique or legendary items?¡¯


    Khan interrupted me as I was about to start. "Grid, will youe to my son¡¯s grave with me? Actually, today is the anniversary of my son¡¯s death.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to waste time at an unnecessary ce when I could be making items to sell. But Khan¡¯s request couldn¡¯t be dismissed. Khan was my only friend in reality and Satisfy.


    ¡®An NPC is my only friend... how depressing...¡¯


    I decided to postpone my work.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    At a small hill north of Winston. There were around 10 graves on the hill.


    ¡®This is too small to be a cemetery...¡¯


    Khan saw my look and exined. ¡°This is the cemetery where not just my son, but my ancestors are buried.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Khan stood in front of his son¡¯s gravestone and smiled. Khan missed his son.


    "My son... He had excellent qualities as a cksmith. I had no doubt that he would be a great cksmith who would surpass me, and maybe even have the same reputation as Albatino. Unfortunately, he died early.¡±


    Tears filled Khan¡¯s eyes.


    "The pain of losing a son is incredibly big. It has been 10 years since he died, but I still miss him and feel regret towards his death. If possible, I would revive him, even if I needed to sacrifice my own life.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. It was impossible for me to understand the mind of a parent who lost their child. I stood there with an awkward expression, and the tearful Khan suddenlyughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Every day, every day... I couldn¡¯t work properly because of nostalgia and despair. But ever since meeting you, I have felt surprised and excited. Didn¡¯t I stop drinking because of you? Now, please say hello to my son.¡±


    Khan stood straight in front of his son¡¯s gravestone. Then he spoke towards the gravestone.


    "Son, this is Pagma¡¯s Descendant, who I told you about every night. Isn¡¯t it great to meet him? Are you surprised? Isn¡¯t it great? Are you wondering why such a person is with your father?¡±


    ¡°Khan...¡±


    Khan started crying again. He finally sank to his knees, hugging the gravestone while eximing. "Don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t worry! Your father is doing well, so don¡¯t worry! This great person is taking care of your father! He promised to take care of the smithy! So rx and don¡¯t worry. Rest in peace... Sob...sob sob.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Countless NPCs existed in Satisfy. Every one of them were alive with stories and feelings like this. Amazing. I truly admired Satisfy¡¯s technology.


    "... Damn, they should do it moderately.¡±


    My vision was cloudy from the dust in my eyes. I moved my gaze to the sky due to a lump in my throat. Then I promised. "Your father is my most precious friend. I will treat him well. I¡¯ll also make the smithy the best. So... as you father said, rest in peace.¡±


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [The bond between you and Khan has deepened.]


    [The souls of Khan¡¯s ancestors are thrilled by your emotions towards Khan and emerge from underground.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    10 blue lights in the shape of people appeared in front of me. Then they spoke simultaneously towards me.


    ¡°It is good to meet you, Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Friend of our descendant.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait...!¡±


    Weren¡¯t these souls ghosts?


    I hurriedly called out to Khan, ¡°K-Khan. Khan!¡±


    ¡°Drrrong! Drrrong!¡±


    "Did you go crazy?¡±


    Khan was sleeping while hugging his son¡¯s gravestone. No, how could he fall asleep in such a short amount of time? I realized that I was the only one facing these ghosts, and formed tight fists.


    ¡°C-Come on! You evil ghosts! I will survive to the end of the horror movie!¡±


    ...Yes, to be honest, I was a little frightened of ghosts. No, to be honest, I really hated ghosts. It was because I had actually encountered a ghost during my elementary school days. Of course, I might¡¯ve been seeing things, now that I thought about it... Anyway, the intense fear of that time was still deeply engraved in my mind, causing a ghost allergy.


    The blue souls floating in the air were confused when I told them to fight, and they didn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t feel any hostility from them, so I asked carefully.


    ¡°You... are you really ghosts...?¡±


    "You could say that."


    The answer made me feel despair.


    ¡°Unbelievable! No way! How can ghosts exist in this world? I might¡¯ve seen it when I was a child, but it wasn¡¯t really a ghost!¡±


    The ghostsughed.


    ¡°Hahaha, what doesn¡¯t exist in this world? Yet you think it¡¯s strange that there are ghosts?¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    I btedly realized. I forgot for a while, but this was Satisfy, not reality. It was an artificial world created by human hands! Not just ghosts, but living bones, talking beasts and even fire beasts existed. People could fly and shoot magic. Yes, it wasn¡¯t strange for ghosts to exist in this world.


    I asked them. ¡°S-So what? Why did you emerge?¡±


    They answered. "We are thrilled that you showed a true heart to our descendants, so we havee to give you a reward.¡±


    "... Reward?¡±


    Was it money? As I was feeling expectant, the biggest one came forward and introduced himself.


    "I am the person who witnessed Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship 130 years ago.¡±


    "...!"


    Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship! I discovered a clue to the ss quest, which had been dyed because I didn¡¯t know how to proceed.


    "130 years ago... I witnessed the beauty of Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship that pierced the sky, and was so fascinated that I ran to Kesan Canyon. Then I drew a picture of Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship, which was clearly imprinted in my mind, on a north cliff of the canyon. I was so excited that I wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep if I didn¡¯t do that.¡±


    I obtained a clue for Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship, which I had no idea how to find or learn.


    ¡°The painting will probably help you learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    [The quest ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ has been updated.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant]


    Difficulty: ss quest.


    You have certainly been given Pagma¡¯s cksmith skills.


    But do you know exactly who Pagma is? Can you proudly carry out his will?


    Who is Pagma? If he was simply a cksmith with good skills, his legends wouldn¡¯t be scattered across the continent.


    First, start with the clue of the swordsmanship that pierced the sky, and follow Pagma¡¯s legend. If you can collect all of the legends, you will truly understand Pagma and seed his will.


    At that moment, a new legend will be born.


    * There is no time limit for this ss quest.


    * If you ept the ss quest of a legendary ss, you can¡¯t change your ss again.


    * The legendary ss quest has the power to transform Satisfy¡¯s world, ording to the results.


    ss Quest Clear Conditions: Complete all linked quests sessfully.


    ss Quest Clear Reward: Unknown.


    * First ss Quest: [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    The person who witnessed Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship 130 years ago has showed up and given you a clue.


    If you head to Kesan Canyon that is to the south of Winston, you will find a clue to Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship carved on a northern cliff.


    * First ss Quest Clear Condition: Learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    First ss Quest Clear Reward: Dainsleif (Reproduction).


    After confirming the newly emerged quest information window, the souls said farewell.


    "Pagma¡¯s Descendant is a friend of our descendant. We pray that you will be greater than Pagma. Now, we should be returning to where we were.¡±


    The souls disappeared one by one in front of me. One soul remained until the end and spoke softly.


    ¡°Thank you for looking after my father.¡±


    Suuuuoh...


    We came to this ce at dusk and it was now night. The remnants of the souls disappearing scattered a blue light like falling stars, and then Khan woke up.


    ¡°Umm...? Did I fall asleep? Is it already night?¡±


    "Old Man, you have a habit of sleeping everywhere, but it isn¡¯t good for your health.¡±


    "Hmm... I was never like this... Huh? Heok! Y-You! Why is the part around your crotch damp?¡±


    ¡°...Be quiet.¡±


    ***


    40 days had passed since Huroi cleared the ¡®Wait¡¯ quest.


    Afterwards, he epted the S.A. Group¡¯s proposal to thoroughly check his health in the hospital, then spent another week answering S.A Group¡¯s questions and agreed to let them announce his identity as the first second ss in Satisfy. Then he spent the next 23 days riding a horse around Mongolia in order to satisfy his nomadic nature. Finally, he returned to Satisfy three days ago and improved his understanding of the newly acquired second ss.


    And today! Huroi arrived at Khan¡¯s smithy. It was to meet Grid, whom he had sworn to serve.


    ¡®Will he be pleased to see me? Or will he ask why I only came now?¡¯


    Huroi was incredibly tense. He couldn¡¯t help gulping. As he hesitantly stood in front of the smithy, the door opened from the inside. Grid exited from the open door. Did he noticed that Huroi was here and came out to meet him?


    ¡°M-My Liege!¡±


    The thrilled Huroi shouted. But Grid didn¡¯t even look at him. He didn¡¯t think that the title of ¡®liege¡¯ applied to him. Huroi shouted again.


    ¡°Mr. Grid!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid finally turned towards Huroi. The two people made eye contact. Huroi ran forward and bent to one knee in front of Grid, like a knight before a monarch.


    ¡°Have you been well in the meantime? I¡¯m sorry for not making any contact with you until now!¡±


    ¡°...Huroi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Liege. I am Huroi.¡±


    In the dungeon, Huroi had sacrificed himself to allow Grid to escape the four knights. Huroi knew that Grid would be worried. Then...


    "This bastard!¡±


    Grid red and abruptly grabbed Huroi¡¯s neck. Then he let out a stream of curses at Huroi.


    "Hey, you son of a bitch! You, I know you? I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t know why the knights associated you with me, but I was disqualified from the item making game and forced to ept a ridiculous quest! Huh? I was trapped in solitary confinement with my mouth gagged, then I had to fight someone called the Northern Nova. Can you imagine how much I suffered?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Huroi was at a loss for words. Grid¡¯s attitude waspletely different from what he imagined. He couldn¡¯t understand why Grid was angry, but he sincerely apologized.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong! My Liege!¡±


    His master was his sky! His master was angry due to the actions of his subordinates.


    Grid became rather confused at Huroi¡¯s apology. Grid frowned.


    ¡®This guy, he seemed perfectly fine and smart when I first met him. He seems to have be aplete freak since being stuck in prison. Was he severely tortured?¡¯


    Anyway, he didn¡¯t want to be with this disgusting guy. Grid let go of Huroi and waved his hand. "Hey, hey, that¡¯s it. I understand already, so you should leave.¡±


    Huroi was baffled.


    "Go where?¡±


    ¡°Go wherever.¡±


    ¡°My path is with My Liege!¡±


    Huroi had already vowed to follow Grid. The descendants of the Blue Wolf didn¡¯t forsake their oaths. He would follow Grid for the rest of his life. Thanks to his second ss, ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner,¡¯ he practically needed to stay at Grid¡¯s side because all his stats increased by 20% when he was with the Apostle of Justice.


    ¡°T-This crazy...¡±


    Huroi didn¡¯t notice Grid¡¯s irritation as he asked.


    "My Liege, are you part of a guild? If you have a guild then please let me join. Isn¡¯t it better for me to be in the same guild as you?¡±


    ¡°Guild? I don¡¯t have one. So please leave.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Good! Are you nning to make your own guild? If My Liege makes a guild, many people will follow you. I will assist you!¡±


    Prior to going to Kesan Canyon, Grid was going to get minerals to make armor for his own use. Grid wanted to leave quickly instead of listening to Huroi¡¯s delirious chatter.


    "Hey, stop talking nonsense and move out of the way. Yes? I¡¯m going.¡±


    In the end, Grid left towards his destination. Well, it seemed like Grid disliked him, so Huroi was forced to follow Grid secretly. Obstacles appeared on a t road. As soon as he created a fire to cook meat, a sudden shower poured down from a clear sky, meeting bandits at ces famous for being peaceful, etc. While watching, Huroi realized that Grid was a person of bad luck. If Grid fell asleep, he was sure to break his nose.


    Huroi felt a burning sense of duty.


    ¡®I must protect him!¡¯


    The Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner needed to be with the Apostle of Justice. Huroi didn¡¯t doubt it.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    [Quest sess!]


    [Obtained the status of ¡®Eighth Servant.¡¯]


    [ The skill ¡®Infinite Faith¡¯ will be created.


    [The skill ¡®Teaching Doctrines¡¯ will be created.]


    [The skill ¡®Divine Punishment¡¯ will be created.]


    Having travelled all over the north of the Eternal Kingdom, Yura seeded in rescuing 300 believers and eventually cleared the quest. As a result, the Seven Servants changed into the Eight Servants, and the power of the Yatan Church became more powerful.


    Yura checked the details of the newly acquired skills.


    [Infinite Faith]


    The growth rate of your faith will double.


    Passive skill.


    [Teaching Doctrines]


    Lv. 1


    Preach the doctrines of the Yatan Church and cover a single target with the property of darkness. The dark property will prevent the use of divine spells for 4 seconds, and will deal 1.5 times the damage for 2 seconds.


    Mana Consumption: 800


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    [Divine Punishment]


    Summons a lightning bolt that deals 15,000~23,000 damage within 10 metres.


    Range of Damage: 3m radius around the target.


    * If you use this skill to kill an enemy, your faith will rise by 50 points for each killed enemy.


    Mana Consumption: 4,00


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1,200 seconds


    The biggest drawback of a ck magician was that they were far inferior in attack powerpared to other magicians. But after being reborn as the Eighth Servant, Yura overcame this disadvantage with the skills she acquired.


    For all users of Satisfy, the following notification windows rose simultaneously.


    [The Eighth Servant of God Yatan was born. The believers of Yatan who witnessed the power of God Yatan will have their faith deepened.]


    [The influence of the Yatan Church will increase throughout the continent.]


    [The minimum level for the Yatan believers has risen from 160 to 170.]


    [yers who are part of the Yatan Church will benefit from a 20% increase in experience for the next 72 hours.]


    [If the Yatan Church continues growing like this, their forces will be strong enough to form one nation.]


    It was an emergency. Dozens of countries that existed in Satisfy dered that they would subjugate the Yatan Church. It was because they couldn¡¯t condone the strengthening of a religion that harmed others in the name of sacrifices to their god.


    The users were bombarded with quests rting to the Yatan Church subjugation. It was no different in the Eternal Kingdom. In particr, Earl Steim in the north dered arge-scale expedition.


    ¡°This time, I will get rid of all the seeds of the Yatan Church in the north!¡±


    All over the north, the Yatan subjugation quest was given. The users cooperated and searched for the Yatan Temple.


    The Yatan Church also resisted. ¡°This is an opportunity! Show the pagans the greatness of God Yatan! Dye the continent with the color of God Yatan!¡±


    The First Servant and bishop of the Yatan Church, the continent¡¯s strongest ck magician, Tallos! After he dered war, the millions of users belonging to the Yatan Church received numerous war rted quests.


    The Alliance VS the Yatan Church! Therge-scale episode that would have a great influence on thendscape of the continent had started. Since it was the biggest event since Satisfy was first started, the attention of the whole world focused on it.


    ¡ºWill the alliance be able to stop the Yatan Church? ¡»


    ¡º If the Yatan Church wins and sets up a nation, I would be curious about what type of story would develop... ¡»


    ¡ºThe Yatan Church is evil! Evil! Users must cooperate and wipe them out!¡»


    ¡ºAs you know, the cause of these events is the Eighth Servant. There is a rumor going around that the Eighth Servant is a user, not an NPC. If the Eighth Servant is really a user, there is only one person who can be the candidate... ¡»


    ¡º5th ce on the unified rankings! Blood Witch Yura! The world must pay attention to her! ¡»


    The media treated this as a huge issue, even more than when the second ss appeared. Any news rted to the Yatan Church would catch the attention of all the media; however, Grid was in a different world.


    "I need toplete my ss quest...¡±


    Grid had produced various sets of armor for the past 10 days, resulting in him being fully equipped in rare and epic equipment. But!


    "Uhh... Kesan Canyon is still difficult despite being armed to this degree...¡±


    Kesan Canyon! It was considered one of the worst areas in the north.


    The terrain of the sinuous canyon was hard to move in, and the cliffs on both sides were so high that they gave the impression that the sky was covered, causing an ominous and fearful atmosphere.


    The real problem was the hundreds and thousands ofrge and small caves that existed in the canyon. The monsters and mysterious creatures hidden in the caves were at least level 160, and they immediately popped out when they discovered a traveller. If he didn¡¯t move carefully, he would be like a rat in a trap. How risky was it to be one of the five forbidden areas in the Winston Kingdom?


    He had gone to Kesan Canyon to find a clue for Earl Ashur¡¯s quest, and died more than 10 times.


    "I am different from before... My stats are superior to when I was a warrior, and I have great items. Don¡¯t lose courage so easily...kuock!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dare enter Kesan Canyon, as he knew for sure that he would die within a few minutes. In the end, he started ming Khan¡¯s ancestor.


    "No, why would that insane ghost draw the picture in Kesan Canyon...?¡±


    But his resentment didn¡¯t matter. He needed to enter Kesan Canyon toplete the ss quest. Reality wouldn¡¯t change, no matter who he med.


    "For the time being, should I stop making items and raise my level from hunting? If I increase my level to 150, I should be able to fight the monsters in Kesan Canyon... No, dammit. I can raise my level at any time! I need to pay off the debt. But if I don¡¯t postpone the quest, I can obtain Dainsleif quicker. Kuoh! Isn¡¯t there something good I can try? Ah...!¡±


    Grid came up with an idea.


    "Item creation!"


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 5/6.


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    In the case of Failure, he couldn¡¯t make it because he wascking blue orichalcum. Grid had experience with Failure, so he was confident that he could create the right item this time.


    "Yes, I will make an item! An item that will allow me to counter the monsters in Kesan Canyon.¡±


    Grid had died 10 times in Kesan Canyon, so he knew the general tendencies and attributes of the monsters in Kesan Canyon.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it. Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation!¡±


    An item with a whole new concept was about to be created by Grid.


    ***


    "There are 29 days left. I can¡¯t wait until the reunion~¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, how about Youngwoo? Will hee to the reunion this year? Has he changed?¡±


    A group of people who had been friends for 10 years since high school, was travelling through the north of the Eternal Kingdom. They were Shin Youngwoo¡¯s schoolmates. They were interested in the reunion that would take ce soon, as well as Shin Youngwoo.


    "Are you curious? Do you really think he wille to the reunion? The others have studied abroad or found a job, while he is ying the game and riddled with debt. Won¡¯t he be too embarrassed toe to the reunion?¡±


    "Indeed...he was ignored by everyone at thest reunion.¡±


    "Ugh, if I were Youngwoo then I would¡¯ve seriously thought about suicide. Of course, I don¡¯t think that Youngwoo should kill himself.¡±


    Once again, Shin Youngwoo was someone who didn¡¯t have any remarkable parts in his school days. Both his grades and exercise ability were always in the middle, and he followed other people to an average university. Until then, no one reallyughed at him,


    But now it was different, as all the alumni ignored him andughed at him. Frankly speaking, the other alumni weren¡¯t doing so well. There were those who graduated from university andnded a tough job at apany or those who were still studying. They experienced the ruthlessness of society as they felt disappointed at not finding the right employment or studying environment. Yes, it was a time of tremendous anxiety.


    In such a period, Shin Youngwoo was a good target.


    ¡¯At least I¡¯m still better than him.¡¯


    They wereforted by that thought as they looked at Shin Youngwoo. A human who was worse off than them? They ended up poking fun at Shin Youngwoo. At this point, they couldn¡¯t be called ¡®friends¡¯ anymore.


    ¡°Speaking of which, it is amazing. Hasn¡¯t Youngwoo been ying Satisfy since it first opened? We startedte and only y after work or on weekends, but we are already over level 80. So what has he been doing?¡±


    ¡°I agree. If I only yed Satisfy like Youngwoo, I would¡¯ve already been a ranker. Pathetic, truly pathetic. Youngwoo doesn¡¯t even have a talent for ying games.¡±


    As theyughed among each other, they realized that something was strange.


    ¡°Where is this ce?¡±


    "Well... this ce isn¡¯t on the map... what?¡±


    They weren¡¯t from the north, so they didn¡¯t know how dangerous the north could be. There was no way to know when they might be chased by high level monsters, or if they would fall into a trap. That¡¯s right. Currently, these travellers had fallen for a trap designed by goblins, and lost their way.


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    How long did they walk? No matter how long they walked, they couldn¡¯t see the end of a vast snowfield.


    [You feel hungry.]


    [You have started to feel dizzy.]


    [Your health is slowly falling.]


    There was a constantly shing notification window warning them of danger.


    ¡°What should we do...? We didn¡¯t set a new resurrection ce after we came to the north?¡±


    ¡°Ah... that¡¯s right. It is a big deal. If we die here, won¡¯t we be resurrected in Amnd? Does that mean that three days of travel will be gone?¡±


    "I¡¯m more worried about my experience following, dammit! We¡¯ll die from being frozen to death, not even hunting! What the hell is this?¡±


    They were heading to Winston to receive the quests lining up for them, only to get lost in the far north.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    As pain, despair and anger filled their faces, they suddenly brightened up. It was because they reached the end of the snowfield and found a canyon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there!¡±


    They left the snowfield in a hurry. It was a huge canyon that boasted more scenic views than the Grand Canyon.


    ¡°Wow! Is this real? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such cool scenery! I haven¡¯t even seen it in movies!¡±


    "Is there any need to travel around the world these days? It is much better to travel on adventures around Satisfy.¡±


    "Hey, do you think Youngwoo¡¯s been a tourist during the one year he¡¯s been ying Satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha! It is a possibility. An enjoyable trip travelling around Satisfy~! Wow, isn¡¯t Youngwoo unexpectedly romantic?¡±


    The group forgot that they had just been on the verge of dying. They were too upied with the canyon¡¯s beautiful views!


    ¡°But where is this ce? Is it here on the map?¡±


    "No, this ce? Ah, I see it. Ke...san. Is this Kesan Canyon?¡±


    ¡°Kesan? I think I¡¯ve heard it before?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t thisndscape rare in Satisfy? Maybe it¡¯s a famous tourist attraction.¡±


    "Hrmm... but isn¡¯t it too early to say that it¡¯s a tourist spot?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Do you hear anything?¡±


    The expressions of the party members gradually stiffened. No matter how they looked, they were the only people in this wide canyon. They couldn¡¯t even find animals. It was calm except for the sound of the wind.


    The party felt something ominous.


    "I can¡¯t help feeling nervous. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    They hastened their pace. They didn¡¯t look around at the scenery anymore, they just walked forward. Then they realized there were dozens or hundreds ofrge and small caves in the towering cliffs.


    "What is this?"


    "I don¡¯t know...? Are there even any animals?¡±


    At that moment.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    Kiyahahahat!


    Kkiiik!


    Bizarre sounds were heard from the caves. They sounded like the cries of beasts, or theughter of a person. Then a gigantic shadow appeared from a cave.


    Suruk suruk.


    A shadow with eight legs descended along the curved walls. The identity was a spider. It was an incredibly huge spider. It made a 15-ton truck seem small.


    "H-Hik!"


    The party felt horrified by the giant spider and didn¡¯t have the strength to stand up anymore. The giant spider shrieked and its body shook like it was funny, before shooting out spider webs. The spider web was thicker than rope and stronger than wire. The party screamed as they were wrapped in the webs.


    On the other hand, Grid was standing at the entrance of Kesan Canyon. Grid looked at the canyon and recalled past memories.


    ¡°I came here only to die, die, and die...¡±


    It was so terrible than Kesan Canyon kept appearing in his dreams. This was a ce that caused Grid a lot of fear. He would only be able to sleep by defeating Kesan Canyon.


    "The monsters here are so weird...¡±


    The monster of Kesan Canyon were incredibly grotesque. It was both their appearance and inclinations. Among them, the ¡®canyon spider¡¯ was the one he remembered vividly.


    ¡®The giant spider eats people alive. Uhh...¡¯


    The shock and horror of being trapped in a spider web and not able to move as the spider¡¯s mouth neared him.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t feel myself being chewed because I died the moment my head entered its mouth...¡¯


    Grid recalled the memories of that time and cleared his mind.


    "Stop wasting time on useless thoughts and find Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    His deaths here were in the past.


    ¡°Now I am different! I will show you the power of items, you monsters! Revenge! Revenge!¡±


    Grid cried out as he entered the canyon. But unlike his words, his body was trembling in fear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    10 days before Grid left for Kesan Canyon.


    "Kesan Canyon... Kesan Canyon... hrmm...¡±


    Kesan Canyon!


    It was one of the five forbidden zones of the Eternal Kingdom, a ce where the monsters were terrible and monstrous. It was infamous even among high-level users because they could lose their lives without even knowing it.


    The level 80 warrior who visited Kesan Canyon to perform Earl Ashur¡¯s quest was more aware of the dangers of Kesan Canyon than anyone else.


    "Going to Kesan Canyon with my current level is suicide. However, it will take too much time to raise my level by hunting.¡±


    Grid missed the fun of hunting monsters and obtaining items and experience. But he had to raise money for his family that was in debt. He could sell one more item during the time he was hunting.


    ¡®Should I just postpone the quest? Isn¡¯t it better to make money than to do the quest? No, I can¡¯t do that. This isn¡¯t a regr quest that I can put off... if I postpone it, I will keep dying it so it is wiser to solve it when I am determined. Hrmm, what is a good way toplete the quest within a short period of time?¡¯


    Grid thought of an idea.


    ¡®Item creation...!¡¯


    A smiled appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    "This is the right time to use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill!¡±


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation was a skill that allowed Pagma¡¯s Descendant to design exclusive items. It meant that Grid could create a new item that didn¡¯t exist in Satisfy yet.


    ¡°What item will be useful in Kesan Canyon? I can¡¯t go around Kesan Canyon with my current level.¡±


    Grid recalled the features of Kesan Canyon.


    First of all, it was a deep canyon with rough winds and a steep slope that quickly wore down the traveler¡¯s stamina. As a warrior, Grid couldn¡¯t move for long and quickly fell into a critical state from exhaustion.


    But Grid didn¡¯t consider this part a big problem.


    The current level 45 cksmith Grid had a much higher stamina than the level 80 warrior Grid.


    ¡®With my current strength and stamina, I won¡¯t be easily tired in Kesan Canyon¡¯s environment. The problem is the monsters.¡¯


    The monsters of Kesan Canyon had a minimum level of 160. Monsters with fearful levels were hiding in caves all over the canyon and immediately exposed themselves at the discovery of travelers.


    Even if Grid had superior statspared to his level, he couldn¡¯t be safe from the monsters.


    ¡°I will be helpless in front of the canyon monsters, even with the Ideal Dagger. I need further weapons and armor. Yes, at the minimum, I need something like the Sword of Self-transcendence.¡¯


    If he was equipped with a sword like Sword of Self-transcendence and armor, he could face the monsters in the canyon, even at level 45. But was it easy to create something like the Sword of Self-transcendence?


    ¡®No, wait.¡¯


    Grid changed his concept.


    ¡°What? If I think about it, do I have to fight the monsters in the canyon?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid was heading to Kesan Canyon to find Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship, not hunt monsters. Rather, it was wiser to minimize his encounter with monsters.


    ¡°Yes! I need to create an item that helps me escape from monsters, not fight them! Something like an invisibility cloak!¡±


    The invisibility cloak was a typical stealth item portrayed in games, cartoons, and movies. Of course, invisibility cloaks existed in Satisfy.


    Around 200 years ago, the legendary tailor Kruger made five invisibility cloaks, two of which still reportedly existed. The person who wore the cloak couldpletely hide his or her appearance, so the value was naturally astronomical.


    ¡°This is a really amazing idea! If I can create an invisibility cloak, Kesan Canyon won¡¯t be a problem and I can earn a huge amount of money!¡±


    The terrace of the smithy¡¯s second floor. Grid had been resting there for a while and he suddenly got up. Then he rushed towards Khan who was working hard on the first floor.


    "Are there any materials suitable for making a stealth item?¡±


    Khan stopped hammering the iron, wiped his sweat and thought for a moment before answering. ¡°A material suitable for making a stealth item... I can only think about the silver dragon scales.¡±


    ¡°Silver dragon?¡±


    "Unlike other dragons, the silver dragons act cautiously and stealthily. The silver scales have a protective coloration and are famous for being invisible to human eyes. If you make an item with the scales, you willplete a great stealth item.¡±


    ¡°But how can the scales be found if they can¡¯t be seen with human eyes? No, in the first ce, aren¡¯t dragons the most powerful beings in the world? Isn¡¯t it practically impossible to obtain a dragon¡¯s scales.?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is doubtful for a human to be able to find dragon scales. But isn¡¯t it possible for Pagma¡¯s Descendant? Haha.¡±


    Grid thought for a moment before changing his question. ¡°What type of materials did the tailor Kruger use to make his invisibility cloaks in the past?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but I think he probably used the sylphid scales.¡±


    ¡°Sylphid?¡±


    ¡°Sylphids are small air fairies. Their scales are suitable for making stealth items, just like a silver dragon¡¯s scales. However, a dragon¡¯s scales are harder than anything else in the world, so it isn¡¯t strange to ssify it as a mineral. However, the sylphid scales are thin and closer to cloth. In other words, the sylphid scales should be more for a tailor than a cksmith.¡±


    "Cloth...¡±


    Certainly, a cksmith specialized in smelting minerals or making leather goods, not cloth. But Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, not a conventional cksmith.


    ¡®Won¡¯t it be possible for me? Let¡¯s check it once. Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation!¡¯


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 5/6.


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    Grid had sealed the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation for a while after creating ¡®Failure.¡¯ Grid took a deep breath before answering the notification window¡¯s question.


    ¡°A cloak.¡±


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    ¡°Sylphid scales.¡±


    If Pagma¡¯s Descendant was unable to make cloth-based items, a notification window would pop up saying something like ¡®You can¡¯t make an item using the sylphid scales as a material.¡¯ Fortunately, such warning messages didn¡¯t pop up.


    [Have you decided?]


    Grid replied with delight,


    "Okay!"


    [Please design the item.]


    ¡°Good!¡±


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of him. Grid already experienced this once, so he calmly drew the picture.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like a simple cloak because it is too nd. Should I put a hood on the cloak? Ugh, no. A cloak with a hood reminds me of the archaic garb of priests. Hmm, what if it isn¡¯t a cloak but a hoodie? Won¡¯t it befortable and look good? I prefer a zip-up hoodie.¡¯


    After a few moments.


    An image of a hooded zip-up that young people in modern society would wear waspleted. Thanks to the correction effect, the design was so stylish that it reminded him of a hoodie made by some famous fashion designer.


    "It will be amazing if I wear this! Won¡¯t women look at me for once? No, no. Isn¡¯t this an invisibility cloak? People won¡¯t be able to see it when I wear it.¡±


    Grid grumbled but pressed the ¡®finish¡¯ button at the bottom of the blueprint.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    "Progress."


    Once he replied, numbers andnguages quickly covered the blueprint. The system was calcting andplementing thecking details in Grid¡¯s design. After a while, an improved andpleted design appeared.


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    Finally, it was the conclusion of the item creation. Unlike before with Failure, Grid calmly and clearly exined the characteristics.


    "The wearer canpletely hide their appearance. Nobody can see me if I wear this!¡±


    [Please name the item.]


    "Transparent Zip-up Hoodie... um, this is too messy. Let¡¯s just say Clean Hooded Zip-Up.¡±


    [¡¯Have you decided on Transparent Zip-up Hoodie um This is too Messy Let¡¯s just say Clean Hooded Zip-Up?]


    ¡°...Just call it the Hooded Zip-Up.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond to the game maker¡¯s sense of humor and the system responded normally.


    [Have you decided on ¡®Hooded Zip-Up?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Then the stylish appearance of a white hooded zip-up emerged as a hologram and the item options were listed.


    [Hooded Zip-Up]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 61/61 Defense: 10


    * Movement speed will increase by 30%.


    * Wind resistance will increase by 20%.


    A cloak designed by a legendary cksmith. However, the appearance is different from the normal look of a cloak.


    Thanks to the sylphid scales being used as the material, affinity with wind and movement speed will increase. You can hide while wearing it, but the stealth will be turned off when an enemy is attacked.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 5


    ¡°Keok...¡±


    Grid simply wanted to design a stealth item. In addition to the hiding function, he never expected the stunning options such as increased movement speed and wind resistance.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    ¡®I can use this to avoid the monsters in Kesan Canyon, then I can sell them to people and quickly pay off my debt.¡¯


    Grid felt tremendous satisfaction as he saw the Hooded Zip Up that he created.


    ¡®Am I surprisingly a hidden genius? I actually created such a fraudulent item!¡¯


    The materials required to create the Hooded Zip Up were 20 sylphid scales. Grid asked Khan with a light heart. ¡°Where do the sylphids live? Do I need to hunt them to get the scales?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Khan looked surprised at my question, then burst outughing. ¡°Hahaha! What? Hunt the sylphids? What are you saying? Unless you¡¯re an elementalist, it¡¯s impossible to find sylphids with the human eyes. But hunting them? Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    It was like a bolt out of the blue. Grid¡¯s face turned red. Then he grabbed Khan and shouted. ¡°No, what? You should¡¯ve told me sooner! Then where can I obtain sylphid scales?¡±


    Grid was sincerely angry. He was afraid this would be the same as Failure.


    ¡®I have already created the production method! I must obtain the materials to make it!¡¯


    Khan was confused by Grid¡¯s appearance and hurriedly exined, ¡°Sylphids can¡¯t be found, but there is a way to obtain their scales. Just hunt the frostlight orcs. Then you will be able to obtain the sylphid scales.¡±


    "Frostlight orcs? What are they? How can I obtain sylphid scales from them?¡±


    Grid really didn¡¯t know anything. No, it was more appropriate to say the sylphid scales and frostlight orcs were unfamiliar to general users. In the case of the sylphids, they were ssified as elementals, so most people didn¡¯t even know they existed. Meanwhile, the frostlight orcs lived far from people, so they weren¡¯t well known.


    ¡°The frostlight orcs are monsters inhabiting the snowy north. They have blue skin, unlike the regr orcs with green skin, more intelligence, and are 1.5 times greater in size. They are extremely strong against the cold, but their weakness is fire.¡±


    "What¡¯s the rtionship between them and the sylphids?¡±


    ¡°The frostlight orcs have a sixth sense that can detect and hunt sylphids. They like to keep the sylphid scales as treasures. In other words, you can obtain sylphid scales if you hunt the frostlight orcs.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Okay! Orcs are easy to hunt, so I¡¯ll gather a lot of scales!¡±


    This was different from Failure. The materials to make it could be obtained. Khan watched the excited Grid with concerned eyes.


    ¡°Hey Grid, stay alert. As I mentioned, the frostlight orcs are different frommon orcs. They are very powerful. If you don¡¯t aim at their weakness well, you won¡¯t be able to injure them.¡±


    Grid snorted.


    ¡®Orcs are easy.¡¯


    Orcs, goblins, kobolds! These three species represented easy monsters in Satisfy. They were monsters for level 10~40 users to hunt. Grid knew this, so he ignored Khan¡¯s advice.


    ¡®I need to prepare winter clothes for the cold.¡¯


    Grid equipped the hammer that he had made.


    [Unknown cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 350/350 Attack Power: 70~80


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +17%


    Odds of Making an Unique Rated Item: +7%


    A cksmith¡¯s hammer made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    This is a hammer produced by the craftsman himself, so it isn¡¯t suitable for other cksmiths to use.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Weight: 80


    Grid was confident. It was unlikely for him to create a normal rated item with this hammer.


    ¡®I should at least make a rare rated item. In addition, a lot of epic items wille out.¡¯


    Grid was full of confidence as he asked Khan. "How do I make armor with excellent cold resistance.¡±


    "If you use giant brown bear leather...¡±


    That day. Khan taught Grid how to make giant brown bear leather armor and he spent 20 hours making it. And the next morning! Grid finished the armor with a level limit of 130, and the information popped up in front of him.


    [Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Armor]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 200/200 Defense: 143


    * Cold resistance will increase by 15%.


    A giant brown bear leather armor made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    The wearer will be able to feel warm even in winter. It has enough defense to protect the wearer from sharp weapons. However, it is vulnerable to blunt instruments.


    User Restriction: Level 130 or higher. Intermediate Leather Armor Mastery.


    Weight: 300


    Grid was frustrated.


    "Norma... normal? This is crazy! Nonsense!¡±


    He invested 20 hours in production time and used the finest quality bear leather. In addition, he had the hammer that increased the odds of making an epic item. Nevertheless, he still made a normal item. How unlucky was he?


    ¡°This is maniption... Clearly... The maniption of those scummy operators!¡±


    He was the only legendary cksmith among two billion users, so why could he only make normal items? It was a phenomenon that couldn¡¯t be understood! Grid wanted to log out right now and go to S.A Group¡¯s headquarters. Then he would shout until the president emerged. But!


    "... If I have the guts to do that, I would¡¯ve done it sooner.¡±


    Every time he made an item, he expected it to be finished with a high rating., However, most of the items had a normal rating and he was always disappointed. Therefore, he was already used to being disappointed.


    That¡¯s why Grid quickly calmed himself and started making gloves, boots, a cloak and a hat using the giant brown bear leather. Unlike armor, the gloves, boots, cloak and hat required less detail, so the time required to make them wasn¡¯t very long, even when he used his maximum effort.


    [Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Hat]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 65/65 Defense: 19


    * Cold resistance will increase by 5%.


    A giant brown bear leather hat made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    The wearer will be warm even in the dead of winter. Don¡¯t expect a defense effect.


    Conditions of Use: Level 130 or more.


    Weight: 50


    [Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Cloak]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 78/78 Defense: 22


    * Cold resistance will increase by 5%.


    A giant brown bear leather cloak made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    The wearer can feel warmth even in the dead of winter, and it is effective enough to stop a chill from going down the wearer¡¯s spine. The leather is thick and stiff.


    User Restriction: Level 130 or higher.


    Weight: 100


    [Warm and Functional Giant Brown Bear Leather Gloves]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 110/110 Defense: 50


    * Cold resistance will increase by 15%.


    Giant brown bear leather gloves made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    It has an excellent effect in cold weather, to the extent that the wearer can feel their fingers.


    Even though the gloves are made of thick leather, it feels veryfortable when gripping things.


    User Restriction: Level 130 or higher.


    Weight: 50


    [Great Giant Brown Bear Boots]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 160/160 Defense: 95 Movement Speed: +2%


    * Cold resistance will increase by 20%.


    Giant brown bear leather boots made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    It has an excellent effect in cold weather, to the extent that the wearer can feel their feet.


    Even though the boots are made of thick leather, it feels sofortable that there is no awkwardness when walking. It doesn¡¯t slip easily on ice.


    User Restriction: Level 130 or higher.


    Weight: 80


    There were two normal items, one rare and one epic. Grid managed to appease himself.


    ¡°This performance isn¡¯t bad. Should I put it on?¡±


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Armor.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The defense of Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Armor has been reduced by 5%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Hat.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The defense of Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Hat has been reduced by 5%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Cloak.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The defense of Warm Giant Brown Bear Leather Cloak has been reduced by 5%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    Grid already knew that a penalty would be applied if he didn¡¯t meet the item usage conditions, even if he had full understanding.


    ¡®It¡¯s like the Ideal Dagger. The Ideal Dagger with a unique rating has a 20% penalty, while a normal rated item has a 5% penalty. Then what about a rare and epic rating?¡¯


    Grid immediately equipped the gloves and boots.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Warm and Functional Giant Brown Bear Leather Gloves.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The defense of Warm and Functional Giant Brown Bear Leather Gloves has been reduced by 10%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Great Giant Brown Bear Boots.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The defense of Great Giant Brown Bear Boots has been reduced by 15%. Only half of the option effects will be applied.]


    ¡°Rare rating is 10% and epic rating is 15%...¡±


    Grid muttered when an unexpected notification window popped up.


    [You have equipped the ¡®Giant Brown Bear Leather Set,¡¯ giving a bonus of 60 defense and 30% cold resistance.]


    ¡°Eh? Khan, are these set items?¡±


    Khanughed. ¡°It isn¡¯t ssified as a set item when I make it. But it is ssified as a set item when you make it. Isn¡¯t it because you designed the bnce of items perfectly?¡±


    "... I just made it ording to the production method.¡±


    This was the moment when the power of Pagma¡¯s Descendant was exerted. Grid was happy. The value of set items was far higher than normal items.


    "Set items...! This is another means of making money. Okay, shall I go now?¡±


    Grid¡¯s body was covered with reddish-brown fur as he headed for the snowy north.


    At this time, he still didn¡¯t know. The frostlight orcs were much stronger than he thought. In addition, the probability that the frostlight orcs would drop the sylphid scales was only around 1%!


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    The northern snowfields were very cold. A person who didn¡¯t wear winter clothing would get the flu in a matter of minutes and eventually be a frozen statue. However, Grid¡¯s current cold resistance was 60% after equipping the Giant Brown Bear Leather set.


    ¡°Hahaha! Cool!¡±


    In the midst of a raging snowstorm, Grid was like a man standing in front of an air conditioner in summer. The effect of the Giant Brown Bear Leather set was great.


    "I see it.¡±


    After crossing the snowstorm, Grid found the vige of the frostlight orcs and equipped the Ideal Dagger.


    [Ideal Dagger]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 168/168


    Attack Power: 242~264


    Attack Speed: +11%


    * There is a rare chance of instantaneously killing the target.


    * Agility +20


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    A dagger created by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation. It was made with the renowned cksmith Khan.


    There is nothing special about the materials or method used, but the craftsman¡¯s skill and the co-operation with Khan has created an ideal dagger.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 450 agility. Advanced Dagger Mastery.


    [Wind st]


    Shoots a de-like wind in front of you. The wind will exert 60% of your current attack power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 100


    Skill Cooldown Time: 40 seconds


    [Quick Movements]


    Increases evasion rate by 30% and doubles agility for 1 minute.


    Skill Mana Cost: 80


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    "Orcs, this weapon is enough to take care of you.¡± Grid thought it was easy, so he confidently marched towards the frostlight orc vige.


    ¡°Come on orcs! Give me the sylphid scales! Otherwise, there will be a bloody feast here!¡± Grid screamed in a loud voice, like he was in a cartoon.


    The orcs on the watchtower were dismayed as they noticed him.


    "Kuwik, kuweek? (What, who is that human in leather?)¡±


    "Weukikukkikuok. Kururukuweeek. (Maybe he¡¯s a crazy human. He dares enter our vige with no fear.)¡±


    "Ururukak! Kiukekik! (There¡¯s no time to converse! Get rid of him quickly!)¡±


    The two watchtowers built at the entrance of the vige! The sentry orcs were armed with bows and pulled them in Grid¡¯s direction without any warning.


    Swaeek!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid heard a sharp sound from the watchtower and a small light shed. He was horrified to see they were arrows.


    ¡°Hiik! A-Arrow? Quick Movements!¡±


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    Puuok!


    Grid reflexively used the skill and could barely avoid the arrows. He felt an eerie feeling as arrows struck where he had been standing.


    "Orcs can use bows?¡±


    Orcs also had intelligence. They had their ownnguage and lived in viges. But they had no dexterity. They only had three fingers in the first ce, so it was said that they couldn¡¯t handle delicate weapons like a bow.


    But the frostlight orcs were using bows.


    ¡°The orcs are firing from 10 meters away, yet they are so urate?¡±


    Grid looked at the watchtower and recalled Khan¡¯s advice.


    ¡®The frostlight orcs are monsters inhabiting the snowy north. They have blue skin, unlike the regr orcs with green skin, more intelligence, and are 1.5 times greater in size. They are extremely strong against the cold, but their weakness is fire.¡¯


    ¡®Hey Grid, stay alert. As I mentioned, the frostlight orcs are different frommon orcs. They are very powerful. If you don¡¯t aim at their weakness well, you won¡¯t be able to injure them.¡¯


    Grid had an ominous feeling. "Should I have listened? No, no. Even if they can use bows, orcs are still orcs. It will be okay.¡±


    As Grid tried to soothe his anxiety, one orc descended from a watchtower.


    "Kuk, kueeek! Kugura!? (Hey, leather covered human! Why are you here!?)"


    The blue-skinned orc, that was over 2m tall, shouted at him. Grid couldn¡¯t understand thenguage of orcs, but he had a rough grasp of the meaning.


    ¡°Stop talking and give me the sylphid scales.¡±


    It was the scene of Griding to a peaceful vige and threatening them for their goods. The angry orc pulled back the bowstring again.


    "Kuruk! Kueeeruruk! (Crazy! I will get rid of you!)¡±


    Syuk!


    The arrow pierced through the snowstorm. The ability to fire the bow quickly and urately while ignoring the wind resistance was evidence of the orc¡¯s arm strength and high archery level. Grid avoided the arrow thanks to Quick Movements and immediately counterattacked.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    A sharp de of wind hit the frostlight orc.


    Hwiririk!


    It was the skill that severely wounded armored NPC soldiers in one blow! It hit the chest of the frostlight orc and blue blood the same color of its skin emerged. But the cut wasn¡¯t deep. This meant that the defense of the frostlight orcs was much higher than the soldiers.


    "I don¡¯t know what type of defense... How thick is its leather?¡±


    The enraged orc shouted at the astonished Grid.


    "Kuruk... kuweeek! (This bastard... it hurts!)¡±


    The orc dropped the bow, took out a hand axe, and ran towards him. Then the axe descended towards Grid¡¯s face. Grid defended with the Ideal Dagger.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed. The orc was so powerful that his arm became numb. It was a sensation simr to when he blocked the sword of Leo, the Northern Nova.


    ¡®Strong!¡¯


    Now Grid acknowledged it. The frostlight orcs were strong! It was natural.


    Grid didn¡¯t know it, but the frostlight orcs were level 120. Their agility might becking, but their attack power and stamina was far superior to their level. Originally, the level 45 Grid wouldn¡¯t be an opponent for the frostlight orcs. It was normal for him to die in one blow.


    However, Grid¡¯s status was equal to a mid-100s user thanks to the superior stats of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, performing all types of quests and creating items. He was able to face the frostlight orc head on.


    "Come, orc!¡±


    Bbaek!


    Grid kicked the orc in the stomach while quickly thinking.


    ¡®What should I do? Should I run away? No, no! I can¡¯t return empty handed aftering here! Besides, it will be difficult to enter Kesan Canyon if I don¡¯t get the sylphid scales!¡¯


    Grid was frustrated.


    ¡°I will give it a try. If I take advantage of my skills...!¡±


    Originally, a cksmith had nobat skills. But Grid was different. Since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he¡¯dpleted all types of quests and armed himself with the Ideal Dagger, meaning he now had a couple ofbat skills.


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage]


    Lv. 1


    Increases attack power by 10% and attack speed by 30% for 20 seconds.


    Skill Mana Cost: 50


    Skill Cooldown Time: 60 seconds


    [Unbreakable Justice]


    Lv. 1


    Deals 300% of your attack power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 350


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    Grid felt strength boiling inside him. Then he stood firmly in front of the frostlight orc.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    "Kuwek!"


    Thanks to the 10% increase in attack power, Wind st did a little more damage than before. Grid broke through the gap while the frostlight orc was in pain and stabbed the orc¡¯s neck with the Ideal Dagger. This was the moment when his experience of hunting monsters as a warrior showed.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 923 damage to the target.]


    [A bleeding effect is applied because you aimed precisely at the target. The target will receive continuous damage.]


    ¡°Kuweeeeek!¡±


    The frostlight orc shook with pain as blue blood emerged from its thick neck. Due to the heat from the flowing blood, steam urred and covered its eyes. But even in the midst of this, the orc continued swinging its axe.


    [You have suffered 807 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,005 damage.]


    ¡°It hurts! Damn! It hurts, you orc bastard.¡±


    The frostlight orc¡¯s attack power was very high. Grid suffered enormous damage even with the defense from his set items. Nevertheless, Grid kept up his spirit and fought back. He counterattacked every time he was hit. It was a dogfight between Grid and the orc to see who would die first.


    [You have dealt 501 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 1,051 damage.]


    [You have dealt 607 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 988 damage.]


    [You have taken an intermediate health potion. 1,500 health will recover.]


    [You have dealt 700 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 890 damage.]


    Who would die first? Red and blue blood dripped as the fight between Grid and the frostlight orc continued. Due to the heat, a blue and red fog spread around the area. Grid was the one who was in a crisis first. His health was low and his potion was still on cooldown.


    ¡®This!¡¯


    Grid tried to buy some time for the potion cooldown to finish. But the frostlight orc persistently chased after Grid.


    [You have suffered 929 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    In the end, Grid allowed an attack and his health fell under 10%.


    [The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.]


    This was the passive effect of the ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯ title that Grid hadn¡¯t experienced yet.


    [The Apostle of Justice is in a crisis. You won¡¯t easily copse in front of the enemies.]


    [All stats will increase by 30%.]


    Grid smiled widely.


    ¡®I can¡¯t resent Huroi anymore, since he gave me this! The title Apostle of Justice has an excellent feature like this!¡¯


    Kwajak!


    [You have dealt 1,100 damage to the target.]


    "Kueeeek! Kuwek! Uweeek! (Aaack! You! You became stronger all of a sudden!)¡±


    The screams of the frostlight orc changed drastically. The faces of the orcs watching from the watchtower gradually distorted.


    "Kuruk...ikku? Kururuk... (What...that human? Strong...)¡±


    "Iwukeek purukurururk! (He became stronger all of a sudden!)¡±


    ¡°Kururukuk! Eiokku! (We can¡¯t just watch! We will also join!)¡±


    The orcs descended the watchtower in order to help their colleague. They were astonished when they entered the bloody mist. Their colleague was turning into a grey light on the floor, while the human wearing bear skin turned towards them while covered in blue blood.


    ¡°Ruurek? (How is this possible?)¡±


    The orcs¡¯ eyes widened.


    "Rekrekpukeoke! (He didn¡¯t even get hurt!)


    The orcs clearly saw how fiercely the bear skin covered human fought with their colleague. The human must be severely injured. However, they weren¡¯t able to find one wound on the human¡¯s body.


    Why was Grid fine? The reason was because he raised his level.


    [You have defeated a frostlight orc.]


    [7]


    [Frostlight orc leather has been acquired.]


    [Crude Hand Axe has been acquired.]


    [266,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Satisfy employed the system where health and mana were restored when a user levelled up. Thanks to the level up, all of Grid¡¯s wounds from the struggle with the orc recovered. In this bloody fog, Grid grasped the appearance of the two newly arrived orcs and smiled happily.


    ¡°It¡¯s great... experience!¡±


    Thanks to the fight, Grid determined that the frostlight orcs were strong, but they weren¡¯t bad opponents. If he used the Unbreakable Justice skill, he might be able to deal with two orcs at once.


    ¡°Ahahahat!¡±


    Grid was excited. He gained a level from hunting just one orc, so they gave a lot of experience. To Grid, the frostlight orcs were now his prey.


    ¡°I will raise my level a bit more! Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    Kwaaaaang!


    Grid was able to fight two orcs at the same time by using Unbreakable Justice. In the middle of the fight, an option of the Ideal Dagger was luckily activated.


    [Critical!]


    [The Ideal Dagger¡¯s option effect is activated, instantaneously killing the target.]


    ¡°Kuweeeeek!¡±


    Thanks to the use of a wide area skill and the dagger¡¯s option, two orcs died instantly.


    [You have defeated a frostlight orc.]


    [8]


    [Frostlight orc leather has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [You have defeated a frostlight orc.]


    [10]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk! Kuahahaha!"


    Gridughed like crazy. His hunting instincts woke up at this moment.


    ¡°Today I will kill all of you! Ignorant orcs!¡±


    He tasted the pleasure of hunting after a long time! Grid forgot his original purpose of obtaining the sylphid scales as he ran into the vige.


    ***


    Huroi always visited Khan¡¯s smithy after he finished his hunting. It was the same today. After staying at the hunting ground for four days, he returned to the vige and immediately stopped at Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Where is the person I want to meet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Huroi?¡±


    Huroi greeted Khan politely, then he asked. ¡°My Liege... no, have you seen Grid? Can you tell me where he is?¡±


    ¡°He left for the northern snowfields three days ago.¡±


    "Northern snowfields? Why there...?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hunting the frostlight orcs.¡±


    "Frostlight orcs?¡±


    The frostlight orcs were monsters not known to ordinary users. But Huroi happened to encounter one while carrying out a quest in the past. He had trembled at its strength.


    ¡°No, why is Grid after the frostlight orcs all of a sudden?¡±


    "He wants to gain materials.¡±


    "So stupid!"


    Huroi had witnessed Grid overwhelm the knights despite being a cksmith. But even so, he couldn¡¯t help being worried.


    ¡®The frostlight orcs are well organized. They will be dangerous opponents for Grid!¡¯


    Huroi equipped the longsword and shield that he purchased from Khan¡¯s smithy a while ago. Originally, an orator couldn¡¯t use a sword or shield. Huroi was able to use it only after obtaining the second ss, Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner.


    ¡°I will go and help Grid!¡±


    "Oh, how reassuring! Please go safely.¡±


    Huroi said farewell to Khan and stopped by the general store before heading to the vige of frostlight orcs. He purchased 50 firebombs from the general store. He was aware that frostlight orcs were incredibly vulnerable to fire.


    ¡°My Liege! I¡¯ming now!¡±


    Huroi left for the northern snowfields. A few hourster, he was able to arrive at the vige of frostlight orcs.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Huroi couldn¡¯t shake off a sense of strangeness. There were no frostlight orcs, and the vige was as quiet as dead mice. Huroi was worried it might be a trap and moved carefully, but then he heard an orc screaming not far away.


    ¡°My Liege!¡±


    He instinctively grasped that Grid was there and ran over. Then he saw it.


    ¡°Kuwek! Kuweeek!! Kirarurarak! (This guy! This evil bastard! He is destroying our vige!)¡±


    ¡°Kuruek! Kuweeeek! (I will resent him even after death!)¡±


    Grid was easily dealing with the frostlight orcs.


    ¡°As expected from My Liege... I worried for nothing...¡±


    As he watched Grid overwhelming the frostlight orcs with a dagger that pierced the thick leather, Huroi wondered how to return the firebombs to the owner of the general store.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 83 (331,400/2,298,000)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 7,886/7,886 Mana: 522/522


    Strength: 679 Stamina: 517 Agility: 202 Intelligence: 174


    Dexterity: 844 Persistence: 198


    Composure: 149 Indomitable: 168 Dignity: 149 Insight: 149


    Courage: 93


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 8,302/17,540


    After three days of struggle, I was able to grow rapidly by exterminating the frostlight orcs. I was level 45 when I first came here and now I was level 83.


    ¡°3 days... level 83 in only 3 days...¡±


    In my days as a warrior, I spent a year trying to reach level 80. It was due to ack of talent and financial power, but I had med the system. However, now I caught up with my level as a warrior in just three days. It seemed impossible.


    "In the past, I never really yed the game... Or is it that I¡¯m too fraudulent now...?¡± I concluded that I didn¡¯t really y the game in the past. "If I think about it, people who buy one good item can reach level 100 in just a month. It isn¡¯t so great that I gained 38 levels in three days.¡±


    I opened my inventory while once again realizing that money was the best. My inventory was filled with 40 frostlight orc leather, 60 old jewels, crude hand axes and bows, and three sylphid scales.


    ¡°I have 580 gold... It isn¡¯t a bad ie.¡±


    I whistled with satisfaction, when my spine suddenly felt cold.


    ¡°Wait, I only have three sylphid scales?¡±


    I had been so blinded by leveling up that I forgot for a moment, but why did Ie here to hunt the orcs? I meant to obtain 20 sylphid scales! But I only obtained three sylphid scales after three days of hunting?


    ¡°What is this? Why are there only three sylphid scales? I hunted over 80 orcs!¡±


    This meant the probability of dropping sylphid scales was extremely low! Huroi reached me as I btedly realized this fact.


    ¡°Grid, hello.¡±


    Huroi had been observing me for a while. I knew it, so I wasn¡¯t surprised by Huroi¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Ah, you came.¡±


    "Heok? Grid! Did you perhaps hit your head?"


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    "No, isn¡¯t this strange? Normally you would be cursing at me and turning me away!¡±


    "Oh, that is true. So? Do you want me to swear everytime I see you?¡±


    Huroi hurriedly shook his head. "No, I would never want something like that. This is much better. I¡¯m d that you are acknowledging me.¡±


    Huroi scratched his head andughed. Until recently, Huroi seemed like a crazy person, so I didn¡¯t want anything to do with him. But now it was different. I got the title of Apostle of Justice from saving Huroi, and due to it, I became stronger and it was easier to hunt orcs.


    I decided to stop ignoring Huroi and attempted a conversation.


    "Huroi, I understand why you think of me as a savior. I was the one to rescue you from prison. But why would you want to serve me?¡±


    Huroi¡¯s eyes widened as I expressed my intention tomunicate, then he exined with a bright expression.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t simply stuck in prison. I was doing a quest where I couldn¡¯t log out for 50 hours in real time. I was stuck in solitary confinement for 200 hours in game time. It was truly hell... But Grid was the one who saved me from that hell.¡±


    ¡°What? No, what¡¯s with that absurd quest? Being unable to log out and spending 50 hours of real time in solitary confinement? Does it make sense that a quest like that exists?¡±


    I didn¡¯t believe him, so Huroi exined.


    ¡°It is a quest where the reward was a second ss. It was difficult.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Did I hear it wrong? Right? I doubted my ears and quietly approached Huroi. Then I asked.


    ¡°S-grade quest? The reward was a second ss? Is that true?¡±


    Huroi nced at me with unwavering eyes and replied, ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    I grabbed Huroi¡¯s shoulder with trembling hands. Then I took a deep breath and asked, "Perhaps... the first person who obtained a second ss was you?¡±


    Huroi gave a refreshingugh. "Yes, that¡¯s right. Hahahat! Are you surprised? I¡¯m always amazed when I see my story on the news. Hahahahat! This good luck is all thanks to Grid!¡±


    "... You should serve me always.¡±


    Kwack!


    I inserted strength into the hand that was gripping Huroi¡¯s shoulder. I had invested most of the stat points acquired during my three days of levelling up into strength. Therefore, Huroi was unable to withstand my high strength and trembled with pain.


    ¡°G-Grid...?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Kuooh!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t speak because of my boiling anger. My jealousy was rising. The first one to acquire a second ss was Huroi! In addition, I was the one who helped him acquire the second ss!


    "This is...I didn¡¯t realize I was so lucky that I gave you the perfect fortune!¡± I grabbed Huroi¡¯s neck and shouted. ¡°You! Serve me for the rest of your life! I will be your master from this day onwards! You are my servant! This damn lucky bastard!¡±


    "K-Keeeok! U-Understood. Haven¡¯t I already sworn it? So let go of your hand. I-I can¡¯t breathe...!¡±


    The moment I was making a fuss...


    Kuuong!Kuuong!


    Huge footsteps were approaching from the edge of the vige. Huroi and I became alert as we felt the shaking of the earth, then we saw an orc that was over 4m tall.


    ¡°What is that...?¡±


    An orc that was reminiscent of a giant ogre! Huroi eximed with amazement.


    "That is the chief of the frostlight orcs! He¡¯s a level 140 field boss. He must¡¯vee out after hearing that you exterminated the vige.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Certainly, the name Frostlight Orc Chief appeared on top of the giant orc¡¯s head. The boss monster¡¯s name shone a brilliant gold. Behind him were 11 frostlight orcs.


    I ordered Huroi, ¡°Buy some time while I run away!"


    Huroi had an obligation to make this sacrifice for me. I nned to abandon Huroi and run away alone. Then why was Huroi following after me instead of staying behind?


    ¡°#[email protected]#&! What are you doing? You promised that I was your master! So why aren¡¯t you listening to me?¡±


    Huroi chased after me and exined.


    "There is no need! If webine our abilities, we can hunt him!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I hesitated and Huroi exined.


    ¡°The identity of my second ss is the ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner!¡¯ When I am with the Apostle of Justice, all my stats will increase by 20% And I am currently level 138! You also overwhelmed the knights, so if we join forces, we can deal with a level 140 field boss!¡±


    Huroi was full of confidence. I recalled the appearance of Huroi blocked a knight¡¯s sword with his body.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. This bastard is very strong. And I am stronger than before!¡¯


    In the first ce, field bosses were much weaker than normal boss monsters in dungeons. There were overwhelming field bosses like the Guardian of the Forest, but those were rare cases.


    ¡®Speaking of which, don¡¯t rankers often take care of field bosses alone?¡¯


    If a legendary ss and a person with a second ss joined forces, wouldn¡¯t a 2-man raid on a level 140 field boss be possible?


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    I decided not to run away anymore. Then I grabbed my dagger and warned Huroi. ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t you say that you came here purely because of me? Then all the items dropped from that boss are mine?¡±


    "What are you saying...?¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you promise to serve me? Then are you nning to gobble up your master¡¯s items?¡±


    ¡°No. I am d just to be able to fight with you. My second ss is only noteworthy when I¡¯m with you.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s get started!¡±


    I set up the party item distribution as ¡®Party Leader Pickup¡¯ and invited Huroi to the party.


    [The party invitation has been epted.]


    As a party, we could confirm each other¡¯s level, but not our ss. Huroi was shocked after checking my level.


    ¡°G-Grid? Is this true? You¡¯re only level 83?¡±


    "So what? Do you have anyints?¡±


    "No, I¡¯m just wondering how a level 83 user could overwhelm the knights and kill the frostlight orcs. Ah! Perhaps you have a hidden ss? One of the epic sses that only three people have...!¡±


    An epic ss? I wasn¡¯t such a lowly thing. I had a legendary ss. But I didn¡¯t feel the necessity to reveal it.


    ¡°Well, something like that. Hey, wouldn¡¯t it be better to handle the mobs before focusing on the boss?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay. I will handle the mobs while you draw the boss¡¯ aggro.¡±


    ¡°M-Me? Ah, yes! I understand! Of course I should do such a thing!"


    Huroi moved towards the 11 frostlight orcs and shouted towards the chief. "Hey, you [email protected]!#! Your opponent is me! You @.$*)%!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was the first time I saw it. Someone who swore worse than me!


    Roaaaaar-!


    The frostlight orc chief became furious at the words and changed his target to Huroi. I faced the 11 frostlight orcs while the chief chased after Huroi and immediately cast my skills.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage! Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°Kieeeek!¡±


    cksmith¡¯s Rage increased my attack power by 10%, and Unbreakable Justice dealt damage that was 300% of my attack power, so the 11 orcs suffered great damage simultaneously.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    The sharp wind cause the orcs further pain and they became confused, not knowing what to do. I used Quick Movements to take advantage of the gap. My rise in speed and the wounded orcs meant I easily dealt the final blows.


    [You have defeated a frostlight orc.]


    [You have defeated a frostlight orc.]


    [You have defeated a frost...]


    [7]


    [6]


    [10]


    [Frostlight orc leather has been acquired.]


    [Frostlight orc leather has been acquired.]


    [Frostlight orc leather has been...]


    [Crude Hand Axe has been acquired.]


    [Crude Hand Axe has been acquired.]


    [Crude Hand Axe has been...]


    [A sylphid scale has been acquired.]


    [A sylphid scale has been acquired.]


    cksmith¡¯s Rage -> Unbreakable Justice -> Wind st -> Quick Movements. 11 orcs were killed in an instant with thisbination, and I was able to acquire two sylphid scales. However, I didn¡¯t level up because I shared experience with Huroi.


    ¡¯I hunted 80 orcs and only three scales dropped, but now I found two?¡¯


    At that moment, I felt like I experienced a great fortune. I had a good feeling that I could get arge amount of sylphid scales if I killed the orc chieftain.


    ¡°Okay! Hey, Huroi! Let¡¯s defeat him now!¡±


    I shouted towards Huroi, who was in charge of maintaining the orc chief¡¯s aggro. At that moment, the orc chief stopped attacking Huroi with a big axe and turned towards me.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I was baffled and Huroi shouted. "The duration of my taunt is over!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Kuooooh!¡±


    The orc chief suddenly appeared in front of me! The reason for his appearance was to get revenge for killing his fellow orcs. Then the orc chief roared and started to attack me.


    Kuwang!Kuwang!


    Every time the orc chief swung the big axe, wind pressure was generated and tore at the ground. The ground of the frostlight orc vige covered by snow was gradually revealed.


    [You have suffered 104 damage.]


    [You have suffered 97 damage.]


    ¡°No way!¡±


    The heavy wind pressure hit every time the orc chief wielded his axe! I sustained damage just from the wind pressure. What was this absurd strength?


    ¡°Kuwooooh!¡±


    The orc chief became angry that I was avoiding his attacks and started striking quicker and sharper. I focused and barely managed to avoid direct blows, while being constantly damaged by the wind. But I couldn¡¯t get a chance for a counterattack.


    ¡¯I am intimidated.¡¯


    This was the true dignity of a boss monster! The boss monsters I hunted as a warrior were all under level 100 and I always had dozens of users in my party. This was the first time I¡¯d ever faced a boss monster alone.


    ¡®Can we really win?¡¯


    As I was feeling afraid, a notification window emerged in front of me.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t feel fear easily.]


    Then my mind calmed down. The characteristics of myposure, indomitable and courage stats allowed me to readjust my mind. Ipletely shook off the fear effect and shouted towards Huroi, who was waiting for a chance to approach the chief.


    ¡°Huroi! Now!¡±


    He received my signal and Huroi stabbed his sword into the chief¡¯s thighs.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    Huroi used the same skill as me. The chief flinched at the deep thigh attack and fell to one knee. I used cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements to move through this gap. Then I brandished the Ideal Dagger.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice! Wind st!¡±


    The two skills hit the the chief¡¯s side almost simultaneously.


    Kwaang!Hwiririk!


    ¡°Kuooooh!¡±


    The chief screamed from the shock and fell back. As hended on the ground, I stabbed the left Achilles tendon, while Huroi stabbed the right Achilles tendon. But our attacks didn¡¯t easily prate the chief¡¯s thick skin.


    "Kuwooh!"


    The chief rose while holding the axe in both hands. Then he literally spun in ce.


    ¡°Ugh?¡±


    <i>Kuooooh!</i>


    It was like a whirlpool. Rough winds started to rise like a storm from the spinning axe, while Huroi and I were defenseless in the aftermath. The chief¡¯s axe urately struck our bodies.


    [You have suffered 5,300 damage.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Huroi¡¯s health, which was close to the maximum, fell to less than 10% in a sh, while mine also dropped to 20%. This was a massive crisis.


    ¡°Huroi?¡±


    Huroi was stunned.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    I had forgotten this fact after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant and developing a high resistance towards abnormal conditions, but users who lost 40% of their health in one attack would be stunned for three seconds. In a stunned state, the person waspletely defenseless.


    ¡°This!¡±


    After Huroi was stunned, the orc chief¡¯s gaze immediately moved to him. He wanted to take care of the enemy who had no resistance first.


    ¡®If Huroi dies, I won¡¯t be able to deal with this monster alone!¡¯


    I had to choose. Flee or help the stunned Huroi. As I was thinking about it, the orc chief¡¯s axe fell towards Huroi.


    ¡°Shit! This is the first time I¡¯ve lead a raid in Satisfy, so I can¡¯t give up!¡±


    In my life, I had always been a supporting actor. It was the same with Satisfy. But now I was different. At least in Satisfy, I could be a big star. The main actor shouldn¡¯t give up so easily. I threw myself into the air. Then I wrapped myself around Huroi.


    Peeeeok!


    I received the cruel blow unprotected. Red filled my vision and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from shaking. However, I soon calmed down.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Dduk.Dduk.


    Blood flowed from my body. Huroi¡¯s body in my arms was bing wet with my blood.


    ¡°G-Grid...?¡±


    After recovering from the stunned state, Huroi looked up at me with a trembling gaze.


    "Why... why do you keep sacrificing yourself for me?¡±


    Huroi was about to burst into tears. I drank a potion and ordered him.


    "Attract that bastard¡¯s attention and buy some time. I will use it to recover my health.¡±


    "Kuoh...!"


    Huroi gritted his teeth and got up. Then he took all types of buff potions, including a potion to restore his health.


    "I will surely hand his head to My Liege!¡±


    Once again, a scene resembling a historical drama began to unfold. He was thrilled by the fact that I protected him.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t do it for you... Well, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to let him continue being mistaken.¡¯


    I currently only had intermediate health potions, which restored 1,500 health every time I took them. I had a total of 7,886 health. I needed to take four potions before my health recovered to the maximum.


    ¡®The potion reuse time is 20 seconds... Huroi, you need to somehow survive for 1 minute and 20 seconds.¡¯


    I needed Huroi to buy enough time. Huroi showed a surprising performance. He picked up the shield that had been blown away by the orc chief¡¯s whirlwind attack and used it to block the chief¡¯s attacks. Then he used that gap to take out a ss bottle.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    I felt it at that moment. Huroi threw the ss bottle at the orc chief, and mes emerged from the broken bottle that hit the chief.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    The orc chief¡¯s eyes widened with fear as his shoulder caught on fire.


    ¡®Firebomb! Yes. Frostlight orcs are vulnerable to fire.¡¯


    How did Huroi have a firebomb?


    ¡®Did he prepare firebombs beforeing here? Isn¡¯t he quite good?¡¯


    As I marvelled at Huroi¡¯s preparedness, he pulled out new bottles in both hands and shouted.


    "Take this! 49 firebomb bombardment!¡±


    ... Did he be too excited after the firebomb hit the orc chief? He called out a childish technique name and threw the firebombs continuously.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    The orc chief¡¯s massive body caught on fire.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah~!¡±


    The screams of the orc chief echoed in the sky, then Huroi armed himself with a sword again after all the firebombs were exhausted. Then he attacked the burning orc chief.


    Puuok!Puuok!


    I formed a fist as I watched blue blood flow from the orc chief.


    ¡®The raid, did it seed?¡¯


    But was anything easy?


    "Kuruk! Kuruk! Kuruk!¡±


    The burning orc chieftain snorted as Huroi continuously attacked him. Then he pulled out a small bead from his pocket. He held the bead up to the sky.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡±


    As I was baffled by the unknown action, the blue skin of the orc chief gradually turned red. Then dark clouds formed in the sky. Just the ambiance alone was remarkable. He was probably using a tremendous skill.


    Huroi also used a skill.


    ¡°Strong Will!¡±


    At the same time,


    "Kuoooooh!¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Once the orc chief¡¯s whole body turned red, a red lightning bolt fell down from the sky and struck the orc chief¡¯s axe. Then the orc chief aimed the red lightning covered axe down towards Huroi.


    The momentum was so amazing that it seemed like even Winston¡¯s high walls would copse from a blow of that lightning covered axe. I naturally predicted Huroi¡¯s death.


    Then!


    Kwaang!


    ¡°Kuruk?¡±


    The orc chieftain spoke in the unknownnguage and I couldn¡¯t understand it. The moment that the orc chief¡¯s red-colored axe struck Huroi¡¯s forehead! The axe wasn¡¯t able to pierce Huroi¡¯s forehead.


    I btedly recalled Huroi¡¯s actions that I witnessed in Winston Dungeon.


    ¡®He obviously... at that time, he clearly blocked the knight¡¯s attack with his body.¡¯


    Huroi must have a tremendous defense skin. The orc chief¡¯s axe was pushed to the side and Huroi went on the defensive.


    ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡±


    Puuok!


    Huroi stabbed again and again without taking a break.


    ¡°Kuwek! Kieeeek!¡±


    Was this the aftermath of using a great technique? Or maybe it was because the damage caused by the firebomb was too great? The orc chief returned to his blue color and acted defensively without being able to resist.


    Then Huroi used the Unbreakable Justice skill after the cooldown time was over.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡±


    It struck the abdomen... The orc chief was hit by Unbreakable Justice and fell down. Afterwards, Huroi climbed onto the orc chief¡¯s body and continued to stab downwards, without caring about the damage to himself.


    The orc chief was beaten for a while, then he swung his arms and threw Huroi away. Then the orc chief started to swing his axe in a wild manner.


    "Kuooh!¡±


    Despite the firebomb bombardment and constant stabbing, the orc chief didn¡¯t show any signs of dying. At first, Huroi wanted to block the attacks with his shield, but then he eventually backed away. Huroi¡¯s shield was on the brink of being destroyed due to the damage.


    ¡®The end.¡¯


    Huroi was taking potions steadily, but his health was already at the bottom. I could see that Huroi wouldn¡¯tst much longer.


    ¡®Shit, i thought we won when the firebombs were thrown... In the end, I have to go forward again.¡¯


    I thought I could sit back and eat the profits, but that wasn¡¯t the case. As I prepared to move, I saw Huroi¡¯s bloody body running back towards the orc chieftain again.


    ¡°Eh? Hey, Huroi! Don¡¯t overdo it! Pass on the baton! While I fight, you stay behind and fill up your health again!¡±


    "Don¡¯t you know that we can¡¯t cause much damage to the orc chief this way?¡±


    "But if you die, won¡¯t I be left alone? Then the odds of winning will be gone!¡±


    I would rather fight the orc chief while Huroi retreated. But I couldn¡¯t break Huroi¡¯s decision.


    ¡°My Liege! I will see youter! Sacrifice for Justice!¡±


    Suddenly, Huroi¡¯s sword started to shine gold. Huroi¡¯s health dropped until there was only 10,000 left.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    As I was feeling confused, Huroi¡¯s shining gold sword struck the orc chief¡¯s chest. At that moment, a strange thing happened.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    The orc chief, who had been hit by firebombs and constantly stabbed, let out a dreadful scream of pain. I could see that the orc chief¡¯s health fell sharply due to the strike from the gold sword.


    Huroi grinned, ¡°I will leave the rest to you.¡±


    Peeok!


    The pain filled chief swung his axe at Huroi, who turned into a grey light.


    [Your party member Huroi has died.]


    I was left alone.


    ¡°Kuwaaah!¡±


    The orc chief roared and rushed at me. But it couldn¡¯t bepared to before. The orc chief was definitely hurt.


    "... It can¡¯t be helped. cksmith¡¯s Rage. Quick Movements.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    I temporarily elevated the abilities of my body and used Wind st to precisely hit the wound on the orc chief¡¯s chest.


    [You have dealt 1,090 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    My attacks clearly dealt more damage to the orc chief, who was visibly distressed.


    ¡®It is clear that Huroi¡¯s Sacrifice for Justice skill created this situation.


    ¡®The Sacrifice for Justice skill... Is it a skill that consumes his health in order to deal great damage to the enemy, as well as decrease their defense?¡¯


    I drank a mana potion and started attacking more aggressively.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    Peeng!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    [You have suffered 5,006 damage.]


    The orc chief¡¯s resistance was fading. His skin was turning red again as he swung his axe randomly. He took out the bead to summon the red lightning bolt again. I needed to kill him before his whole body turned red and the lightning bolt was summoned.


    [You have dealt 1,600 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1,711 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 2,203 damage.]


    [You have dealt 1,509 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1,830 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 2,500 damage.]


    I didn¡¯t back down. I stood there and attacked as much as possible. I knew that if I retreated from here, I would be defeated by the summoned red lightning bolt. Now was the time to win!


    ¡°Kuwaaah!¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Peng!Peng!


    Puk!Puuok!


    [You have suffered 2,154 damage.]


    [The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.]


    [The Apostle of Justice is in a crisis. You won¡¯t easily copse in front of the enemies.]


    [All stats will increase by 30%.]


    My health fell below 10% and my attack power increased from the passive effect.


    [You have dealt 2,480 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 2,502 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kuock! Kuwoook!¡±


    The whole body of the orc chieftain was dyed in red. Then a red lightning bolt shed across the sky. Would the axe covered with that lightning fall towards my head? Or would the orc chief sumb first?


    I didn¡¯t know. Right now, the only thing I could do was attack.


    Kwarurung!


    The lightning bolt hit the orc chief¡¯s axe. At the same time, the cooldown of Unbreakable Justice ended. I gazed at the axe falling towards me head and used Unbreakable Justice.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Keok...ke...¡±


    Just before the orc chief¡¯s axe hit my forehead,


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    Unbreakable Justice hit the orc chief¡¯s chest, who screamed and coughed up blood. He knelt down and disappeared into a grey light.


    [You have defeated the frostlight orc chief.]


    [750 gold has been acquired.]


    [Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones (2) has been acquired.]


    [Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones (3) has been acquired.]


    [Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has been acquired.]


    [Red Lightning Summoning Bead has been acquired.]


    [Sylphid scales (7) have been acquired.]


    [3,554,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    I received seven sylphid scales, various other items, a huge amount of gold and a huge amount of experience.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.gold has been acqu....

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    Winston.


    After killing the frostlight orc chieftain, I returned to Khan¡¯s smithy and checked the item information again.


    [Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 250/250 Defense: 130


    * The chance of suffering a critical blow is reduced by 20%.


    * Health will increase by 10%.


    * Has a certain chance to cast fear on the target.


    * Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s set effect:


    -3 set items equipped: Strength +50, stamina +80.


    -5 set items equipped: Strength +100, stamina +200, can transform into the frostlight orc chief.


    *Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s transformation:


    -It is possible tomand the frostlight orcs.


    -The skill ¡®Rotation Cut¡¯ will be generated.


    The frostlight orc chief can be described as the ruler of the northern snowfields. This helmet, which he loved, was made from the skull of a snowy ogre and has a terrible appearance. In the particr, the horn on the left has a very threatening appearance. Just wearing this helmet can cause fear.


    Conditions of Use: Level 150 or more. More than 400 strength.


    Weight: 800


    [Red Lightning Summoning Bead]


    The power of a frostlight orc shaman dwells in this bead.


    Can summon red lightning from the sky. Temporarily increases the attack power of the weapon struck by this lightning bolt and gives the weapon an electrical attribute.


    * It takes one minute to summon the lightning bolt, and the summoner¡¯s health will drop by 10% after each summoning.


    Weight: 50


    It was tremendous. If these two items were ced on the auction site, the prices would skyrocket.


    ¡°There is also the blessed weapon enhancement stones...¡±


    [Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones]


    A magic stone used to enhance weapons.


    The sessful enhancement of a weapon will increase the enhancement value by +1.


    The failed enhancement of a weapon will decrease the enhancement value by -1.


    Weight: 20


    [Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones]


    A magic stone used to enhance armor.


    The sessful enhancement of an armor will increase the enhancement value by +1.


    The failed enhancement of a armor will decrease the enhancement value by -1.


    Weight: 20


    In Satisfy, items could be enhanced up to +10. However, the price of the enhancement stones were expensive, and the higher the enhancement value, the lower the probability of the enhancement seeding.


    In addition, if the enhancement was sessful, the enhancement value would be +1. But if it failed, it would be -3, so the chances of ordinary users owning high enhanced equipment was like picking stars from the sky.


    But in the case of the blessed enhancement stones, the drop was -1 instead of -3 if an enhancement failed.


    ¡°This is really a scam... In general, failing an enhancement will decrease it by 3, but the blessed enhancement stones is just -1? The burden will be very small if the enhancement fails.¡±


    This was the first time I knew that blessed enhancement stones existed.


    ¡®But aren¡¯t high level users already familiar with the blessed enhancement stones?¡¯


    The high level users, especially the rankers, often moved around with +6 or higher items. I always wondered about their secret, and it turned out that it was the blessed enhancement stones.


    ¡°Should I strengthen the Ideal Dagger?¡±


    In the end, I didn¡¯t manage to obtain 20 sylphid scales. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t possible to make the Hooded Zip Up at the moment, and I couldn¡¯t avoid fighting the monsters in Kesan Canyon.


    ¡®Right now, I am level 85, but...¡¯


    Just based on the sum of my stats, I wasparable to users over level 100. However, that was just when looking at my stats. Due to theck ofbat skills, I was still afraid of the monsters in Kesan Canyon.


    ¡®I only have fourbat rted skills. I can easily deal with the frostlight orcs, but the monsters in the canyon are different from the orcs. I wonder if I can deal with the monsters in the canyon with only four skills?¡¯


    There was only one thing I could depend on.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s strengthen the Ideal Dagger.¡±


    One of the characteristics of Pagma¡¯s Descendant is that I had an increased probability of item enhancement. There was no exnation on what percentage it was increased by, but considering that Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a legendary ss, the increase probably wouldn¡¯t be small.


    I decided to head to the auction house immediately. Then I searched for weapon and armor enhancement stones.


    ¡¯Weapon and armor enhancement stones are 100 gold... and the blessed weapon and armour enhancement stones are 1,200 gold each...!¡¯


    The blessed enhancement stones were 12 times more expensive than ordinary enhancement stones. But didn¡¯t I acquire five blessed enhancement stones by killing one orc chief?


    ¡¯Just the price of the five blessed enhancement stones is 720,000 won... In addition, there is the unique helmet, the lightning bolt summoning bead and the sylphid scales... How much was that orc chief worth?¡¯


    When a raid was conducted by multiple people, the value of the dropped items had to be divided equally among the party members, so it wasn¡¯t easy to make a big amount of money. But I did the raid with Huroi and made a lot of money because I picked up all the items myself.


    I was proud that I had no conscience, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling some remorse.


    ¡®Should I share some of this big money with Huroi?¡¯


    The raid had seeded due to Huroi¡¯s sacrifice. He consumed the firebombs and potions, and he also lost experience when he died. I would really be the worst person if I didn¡¯t distribute any items to him.


    ¡°Kuk... the worst person... It is true!¡±


    In the first ce, he obtained his second ss thanks to me. The grace that he owed me was iprehensible. I didn¡¯t need to give anything to him. Rather, he was in a position to serve me. In the end, I took all the items as originally nned. Then I purchased 10 weapon enhancement stones and returned to Khan¡¯s smithy.


    It was early in the morning. Khan woke up and greeted me.


    ¡°Ohh! Grid! I was so worried about you! I¡¯m d to see you looking well!¡±


    "There is nothing to worry about. The orcs weren¡¯t even my opponents.¡±


    Khan ignored my smile. Then he looked at the spoils that Iid on the table.


    "Doesn¡¯t this helmet look terrible? Is it made from an ogre¡¯s skull? The appearance is ugly, but its defense is quite good. Um? What is this bead? I can feel a mysterious aura but it is hard to determine... Ohh! Are these the sylphid scales that I¡¯ve only heard about? How will you use this to create an item? I have no clue. Eh? No, this?¡±


    Khan let out sessive cries of admiration before his eyes widened at the leather of the frostlight orcs. He thought about it and said.


    "I really like this type of resilient leather material. If used as inner armor, it can fully absorb the impact to the exterior armor.¡±


    Khan seemed to havee up with a good idea. I handed him the frostlight orc leather.


    ¡°This is a gift. Instead, I want you to give me armor made from this leather.¡±


    "...Won¡¯t I damage it?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then it can¡¯t be helped. The frostlight orc leather... such a difficult and rare material... When will there be another chance to make an item with such precious materials...?¡±


    ¡°Did I say no? Okay, okay! Leave this leather to me! I will make great armor!¡±


    I passed on the armor production to Khan and took out the Ideal Dagger and weapon enhancement stones. Then I attempted to enhance the Ideal Dagger.


    [The weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [+1 Ideal Dagger]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 168/168 Attack Power: 254~277 Attack Speed: +11%


    * There is a rare chance of instantaneously killing the target.


    * Agility +20


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    A dagger created by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation. It was made with the renowned cksmith Khan.


    There is nothing special about the materials or method used, but the craftsman¡¯s skill and the co-operation with Khan has created an ideal dagger.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 450 agility.


    Advanced Dagger Mastery.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Every time an item was enhanced by +1, the basic stats were increased by 5%. The original damage of 242~264 increased to 254~277.


    "The basic attack power is good, so the rise is too big!¡±


    I continued to enhance the item.


    [The weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +1 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [The weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +2 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [The weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +3 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [The weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +4 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally reached here...¡±


    [+5 Ideal Dagger]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 168/168 Attack Power: 309~337 Attack Speed: +11%


    * There is a rare chance of instantaneously killing the target.


    * Agility +20


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    A dagger created by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation. It was made with the renowned cksmith Khan.


    There is nothing special about the materials or method used, but the craftsman¡¯s skill and the co-operation with Khan has created an ideal dagger.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 450 agility.


    Advanced Dagger Mastery.


    Items had a rtively high probability of being enhanced to +5. Therefore, there wasn¡¯t a big difference in price between +0 items and +5 items. The problem was enhancing it to +6.


    The probability of enhancement was greatly reduced from +6 onwards, so ordinary users rarely had a +6 item. From +6 onwards, the stats had a basic increase of +7% instead of +5%, and the item¡¯s appearance improved, making it worth the risk and challenge.


    ¡°Please... please seed!¡±


    I believed in the characteristic of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and challenged the +6 enhancement. And!


    [A weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [You have failed to strengthen the +5 Ideal Dagger.]


    [The +5 Ideal Dagger has decreased by 3.]


    ¡°...Hey you. This really #@!%$...¡±


    It was like when I kept creating normal rated items despite being Pagma¡¯s Descendant. I once again felt frustration at my ss.


    ¡°No, didn¡¯t it say the probability of item enhancement would increase? Then why can¡¯t I get to +6?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    I lost my temper and challenged the enhancement of the Ideal Dagger again using the remaining four enhancement stones. This time, even though I reached +5 without failing...


    [A weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [You have failed to strengthen the +5 Ideal Dagger.]


    [The +5 Ideal Dagger has decreased by 3.]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Obviously, the Ideal Dagger was a unique rated dagger. I knew that the higher the rating, the lower the probability of enhancement. But I was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, and it was a mockery for Pagma¡¯s descendant to fail to reach +6 consecutively!


    ¡°Damn...damn!¡±


    I had spent 1,000 gold to buy 10 enhancement stones, but the result of said gold was merely a +3 enhancement. I couldn¡¯t just leave it like this. I was filled with poison as I headed to the auction house again and purchased another 10 enhancement stones.


    "If I fail to reach +6 again, I will use the blessed enhancement stones...¡±


    The price was too expensive, so I wanted to sell the blessed enhancement stones instead of using them. Having lost my temper, I was ready to use the blessed enhancement stones as I once again challenged strengthening the Ideal Dagger. Then!


    [A weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +5 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    ¡°Oh...! Ohh!!¡±


    The moment the Ideal Dagger became +6, a blue aura started circting around it. I was thrilled.


    ¡°Beautiful...¡±


    +5 enhancement couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye, so there was no obvious difference between +0 and +5 items. There were no features. But after reaching +6, the Ideal Dagger had a change in appearance. The color that manifested was representative of the item¡¯s attribute.


    ¡°If people see this...?¡±


    I immediately went to the city square. I held the +6 Ideal Dagger and struck a nice pose, like a movie poster. People immediately turned to look at me.


    "Wow, look at that weapon! It¡¯s at least +6!¡±


    "It has a blue aura. Really beautiful...¡±


    They admired the Ideal Dagger in my hand.


    "He must be rich to enhance a weapon to +6. Should I tempt him once?¡±


    ¡°Hey, he might just be lucky with the enhancement. Don¡¯t act too carelessly.¡±


    ¡°Wow... this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a +6 weapon. Mine is only +3. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    I was ecstatic as people looked at me with envy


    ¡®Huhuhu... a +6 weapon is truly special. I used a lot of money to enhance it to this.¡¯


    The central square. The gazes of the people gradually changed from admiring the +6 dagger to looking at me like I was a madman.


    "Bah, boasting like this when you only have a lowly +6 dagger.¡±


    At that moment, a familiar voice was heard behind me. I looked back and confirmed the identity of the voice. The person was...


    "Katz!"


    "Blood Warrior Katz!"


    Katz was among the top 40 rankings and had the third epic ss. People cried out as they witnessed his appearance in the square.


    ¡®Why is that bastard here?¡¯


    I knew Katz. I didn¡¯t personally know him, but he was an infamous troublemaker who often appeared on TV. In other words, Katz didn¡¯t know me. That guy was staring straight into my eyes. He looked me up and down with a mocking expression and said, ¡°Heh...you are too vulgar.¡±


    "What are you implying all of a sudden?¡±


    Katz shrugged at my words before pulling out the sword at his waist. His sword shone orange like the sun. It even hurt my eyes. The users in the square cried out with amazement and Katzughed,


    ¡°Puhahaha! How about it? Isn¡¯t this different? This is the majesty of a +8 weapon! A stupendous weapon that a person like you can¡¯t get your hands on for all your life! Puhahaha!¡±


    Heughed before leaving the square with dignified steps. The crowd was dismayed as they looked at his back.


    ¡°What is this? Did hee just to show off his item?"


    ¡°He¡¯s just like the rumors say...¡±


    "My goal, goal.¡±


    The people clicked their tongue at Katz. They ridiculed Katz before going back to their daily lives. But I couldn¡¯t move from where I was standing. I shook because I couldn¡¯t suppress the sense of defeat.


    "That bastard, he dared disgrace me? He is just an epic ss, yet he talks such nonsense to a legendary ss?¡±


    After this, I couldn¡¯t just be satisfied with a +6 weapon. I returned to the smithy. Then I took out the two blessed weapon enhancement stones that were in a corner of my inventory.


    ¡°I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Blood Warrior? X him!¡±


    [The blessed weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +6 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [The blessed weapon enhancement stone (1) has been consumed.]


    [The +7 Ideal Dagger has been strengthened.]


    [The item enhancement value is +8, so the option effect is slightly increased.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    I seeded sessively with the blessed enhancement stones. The blue aura of the Ideal Dagger became stronger. If Katz¡¯ sword was like the sun, then the Ideal Dagger was a deep blue like the sea.


    ¡°Hah...! Hahahaha! Puhahaha!¡±


    [+8 Ideal Dagger]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 168/168 Attack Power: 378~413 Attack Speed: +13%


    * There is a rare chance of instantaneously killing the target.


    * Agility +30


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    A dagger created by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation. It was made with the renowned cksmith Khan.


    There is nothing special about the materials or method used, but both the craftsman¡¯s skill and the co-operation with Khan have created an ideal dagger.


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher. More than 450 agility. Advanced Dagger Mastery.


    The attack power of a dagger, not a longsword or greatsword, was over 400. Thanks to the unexpected encounter with Katz, I seeded in the enhancement and got a top-ss weapon.


    As I was feeling jubnt, Huroi entered the smithy. ¡°My Liege! What happened with the raid?¡±


    I looked at Huroi carefully and lied, ¡°Um... unfortunately, the raid failed, so there are no items. I¡¯m sorry about the result, despite your courageous sacrifice.¡±


    In fact, the raid was sessful. As a result, I obtained a lot of items. But I lied that the raid had failed. Why? I was concerned that Huroi would ask me to share the items if he knew the raid seeded.


    Huroi trembled after hearing the result. ¡°It is because I was ipetent. Kuock... I will now leave to train! So that next time, I am able to help My Liege!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    Huroi left after making the oath, and I prepared to leave for Kesan Canyon.


    ¡°I have the Ideal Dagger as a weapon and Khan is making armor...¡±


    I had the orc chief¡¯s helmet. The only thing left was the creation of gauntlets and boots. I pulled out a hammer and started making the gauntlets and boots. Then two dayster.


    [Khan¡¯s Masterpiece]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 300/300 Defense: 359 Movement Speed: -7%


    * 20% reduction in damage from physical attacks.


    This armor is made using the know-how that the best cksmith in the north of the Eternal Kingdom, Khan umted in his life.


    The inner armor made from the leather of the frostlight orc absorbs impact from the outside well.


    Khan proudly calls this armor the masterpiece of his life.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 550 strength. More than 480 stamina. Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery.


    Weight: 1,900


    [The Best Gauntlets]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 150/150 Defense: 47 Attack Speed: +4% uracy +8%


    * There is a slim chance to activate ¡®Double Barrage.¡¯


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    Helps you attack the target faster and more urately.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher. More than 150 agility.


    Weight: 220


    [Adventurer¡¯s Boots]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 120/120 Defense: 60 Movement Speed: +6%


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    It isfortable to wear. Ideal for long-distance travel.


    User Restriction: Level 160 or higher.


    Weight: 200


    ¡°Okay, this is perfect! I made an epic and rare item and got my stats, so should I go?¡±


    I headed towards the Kesan Canyon without any dy. Then I arrived at Kesan Canyon. I recalled past memories as I looked at the canyon.


    ¡°I came here only to die, die and die...¡±


    It was so terrible than Kesan Canyon kept appearing in my dreams. I experienced so much horror here. I would only be able to sleep by defeating Kesan Canyon.


    "The monsters here are so weird...¡±


    The monsters of Kesan Canyon were incredibly grotesque in both both their appearance and inclination. Among them, the ¡®canyon spider¡¯ was the one I remembered vividly.


    ¡®The giant spider eats people alive. Uhh...¡¯


    The shock and horror of being trapped in a spider web and not able to move as the spider¡¯s mouth neared me.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t feel myself being chewed because I died the moment my head entered its mouth...¡¯


    I shuddered at the memories of that time and cleared my mind.


    "Stop wasting time on useless thoughts and find Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    In the past, I kept dying here.


    ¡°Now I am different! I will show you the power of items, you monsters! Revenge! Revenge!¡±


    I cried out as I entered the canyon. But unlike my words, my body was trembling. The memories of the past made me very scared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    Hwiiiing~~


    The wind blew through the curved walls that stretched as high as the sky. Small cuts burned my skin. The flow of the river was strong, and falling in it would make me drown.


    It was a ce that boasted more spectacr views than anywhere on Earth, Kesan Canyon. Never be deceived by outward appearances. As I exined several times, it was a very dangerous ce.


    I looked closely at the caves in the curved walls. I recalled the reason why I came here and looked at the quest information.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant]


    Difficulty: ss quest.


    You have certainly been given Pagma¡¯s cksmith skills.


    But do you know exactly who Pagma is? Can you proudly carry out his will?


    Who is Pagma? If he was simply a cksmith with good skills, his legends wouldn¡¯t be scattered across the continent.


    First, start with the clue of the swordsmanship that pierced the sky and follow Pagma¡¯s legend. If you can collect all of the legends, you will truly understand Pagma and seed his will.


    At that moment, a new legend will be born.


    * There is no time limit for this ss quest.


    * If you ept the ss quest of a legendary ss, you can¡¯t change your ss again.


    * The legendary ss quest has the power to transform Satisfy¡¯s world, ording to the result.


    ss Quest Clear Conditions: Complete all linked quests sessfully.


    ss Quest Clear Reward: Unknown.


    * First ss Quest: [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    The person who witnessed Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship 130 years ago has shown up and given you a clue.


    If you head to Kesan Canyon to the south of Winston, you will find a clue to Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship carved on a northern cliff.


    * First ss Quest Clear Condition: Learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    First ss Quest Clear Reward: Dainsleif (Reproduction).


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 451~635 Attack Speed: -8%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ will be generated.


    A work created by Albatino, the first human to receive the nickname of ¡®craftsman before Pagma¡¯s era. He attempted the reproduce the mythical weapon, Dainsleif.


    It is farckingpared to the original Dainsleif, but he seeded in restoring some of its features, making it a masterpiece on its own.


    It was acimed as a ¡®masterpiece of human history¡¯ by the founder of the Eternal Kingdom and king of the north, Loran.


    The legendary cksmith Pagma is said to have received great inspiration from Albatino¡¯s work.


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher. More than 1,800 strength. Intermediate Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 1,580


    While the Ideal Dagger had been strengthened to +8, it had a level limit of 180. Meanwhile, Dainsleif had a level limit of 250. Therefore, the basic performance of Dainsleif was bound to be better than that of the Ideal Dagger.


    In addition, Dainsleif was a greatsword. My main weapon as a warrior was a greatsword, so I couldn¡¯t help wanting Dainsleif. More than anything else, I wanted to learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship as soon as possible.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship that allegedly pierced the sky... It is clearly a tremendous offensive skill. An offensive skill is what I require more.¡±


    I had a clear sense of purpose and stepped forward to find the north cliff. How far did I walk?


    Duk.


    A small pebble fell from above him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I looked up and saw dust rising between the walls. I sensed it.


    ¡®The enemy!¡¯


    The entrance of a cave was exposed as dirt was removed and a monster popped out. It was a giant lizard that reminded me of a dinosaur, but its tongue was sharper than any sword. I knew the identity of the lizard: a level 162 canyon lizard.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    I was so strong now that I couldn¡¯t bepared to my days as a warrior. I was at a level where I could fight the canyon lizard in front of me. But instincts were scary! In the past, I experienced that de-like tongue piercing my heart. Then the canyon lizard descended the curved wall towards me at a tremendous speed.


    "Aaaagh! Get lost! Please get lost!¡±


    I begged to the canyon lizard. But god was never a merciful person.


    ¡°Kieek!¡±


    The canyon lizard caught up to me and turned to the side, swinging its tail.


    Kwaang!


    I barely escaped the lizard¡¯s tail and the huge rock was struck and shattered instead of me. I was hit in the head with a fragment of rock and started bleeding.


    ¡°This damn lizard... yes, fighting is inevitable! cksmith¡¯s Rage! Wind st!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A sharp wind flew towards the canyon lizard. But the force of Wind st was incredibly fierce. The moment that the st of wind struck the canyon lizard, it shrieked in pain.


    [You have dealt 1,230 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The canyon lizard was an aggressive and agile monster, but their defense was rtively low. Perhaps the canyon lizard¡¯s defense was only slightly higher than that of the frostlight orcs. Still, the damage caused by Wind st was enormous. It meant that the power of Wind st was differentpared to when I faced the frostlight orcs.


    Indeed, it was natural when I thought about it. The dagger had been +0 when I hunted the frostlight orcs and now it was +8. The weapon attack power rose, so the skill damage would naturally rise as well.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    I was no longer afraid of the giant lizard in front of me. Rather, it looked just like a frostlight orc.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    [You have dealt 12,507 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kieeeek!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but the damage was amazing! The canyon lizard twisted its body in pain, but the scary monster came back and attacked.


    Peeok!


    [You have suffered 2,019 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The tail struck from outside my field of vision and I became dizzy. I would¡¯ve suffered tremendous damage if I wasn¡¯t armed with the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet and Khan¡¯s Masterpiece.


    ¡®Khan, thank you.¡¯


    Khan¡¯s Masterpiece had an option that reduced damage from physical attacks by 20%. It boasted an outstanding defense against physical attacks. I felt thankful towards Khan for giving me this good armor for free. Then the lizard¡¯s tongue flew urately at my heart.


    I puffed up.


    ¡°This damn lizard. I was already killed with the tongue once before and now you want to do the same thing again? Don¡¯t think I will go quietly today! Quick Movements!¡±


    My agility and evasion rate greatly increased, allowing me to approach the lizard¡¯s jaw without difficulty and attack its tongue. Taking advantage of the situation, I then jumped up and stabbed the Ideal Dagger into its jaw.


    [Critical!]


    [The Ideal Dagger¡¯s option effect is activated, instantaneously killing the target.]


    ¡°Kuee...eeehh...¡±


    I killed the canyon lizard that appeared in my dreams and tormented me. The subject of fear was helpless in front of me, transforming into a grey light.


    [You have defeated a canyon lizard.]


    [9]


    [The canyon lizard¡¯s tongue has been acquired.]


    [329,000 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    I had to feel admiration.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this really great?¡±


    No matter how high my stats were or the effect of the Ideal Dagger, I was a level 85 user who easily took care of a level 162 monster!


    ¡°This is the power of items!¡±


    This was why people tried to buy good items.


    ¡°Kiooooh!¡±


    New monsters emerged due to the noise from the battle. This time, the opponents were three lizardmen. I was outnumbered, but I didn¡¯t back down. I knew that if I tried to run away, they would keep chasing and new monsters would emerge, eventually leading to me being surrounded by monsters.


    ¡°I can win. I will win!¡±


    I hypnotized myself a few times. I swiftly avoided the attacks of the lizardmen with Quick Movements, used cksmith¡¯s Rage, drank a mana potion and then used Unbreakable Justice.


    Kwaang!


    ¡°Kiik!¡±


    The lizardmen were also tough. The three of them blocked my attack with a shield, before counterattacking. Nevertheless, there was some confusion as they couldn¡¯t absorb all the damage. I gained greater confidence after Wind st copsed their formation.


    Then I attacked using the gap where they were confused.


    Puuok!Puk!


    Blue light shed from the Ideal Dagger every time a lizardman was wounded.


    [You have dealt 2,600 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 2,830 damage to the target.]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 5,705 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    The canyon lizardmen had leather like the lizards and were armed with crude iron armor. The defense of the canyon lizardmen greatly exceeded that of the frostlight orcs. But these lizardmen screamed with every strike from my dagger.


    I seeded in defeating them shortly after the cooldown of Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage was over.


    [You have defeated a canyon lizardman.]


    [You have defeated a canyon lizardman.]


    [You have defeated a canyon lizardman.]


    [11]


    [9]


    [12]


    [A damaged sapphire has been acquired.]


    [Crude Scimitar has been acquired.]


    [316,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [316,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [316,000 experience has been acquired.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    ¡°Pant...pant...¡±


    Two-thirds of my health was consumed when fighting the three lizardmen. I waspletely drained of mana.


    ¡®I only have four skills to use, but my mana is socking...¡¯


    Currently, I only had around 500 mana. Even though my mana recovery rate wasn¡¯t slow, my mana was almost gone once I used mybat skills. I didn¡¯t want to waste a mana recovery potion, so I sat down and rested. Once my health and mana were fully recovered, I got up again and started moving.


    ¡®If I catch two more mobs, I can level up.¡¯


    I no longer feared the monsters in the canyon. The monsters in the canyons were like clumps of experience, just like the frostlight orcs. But there was one monster that was the exception...


    Tadak!Tadak!Tadadak.


    A very bizarre and sinister stepping sound descended rapidly down the curved wall, approaching quickly. I hurriedly shifted my gaze and almost peed my pants as I saw the owner of the steps.


    The huge spider, which was asrge as two 15-ton trucks, was heading towards me.


    ¡°C-Canyon spider!¡±


    The canyon spider was a top predator among the canyon monsters. It was level 180! Even the canyon lizards and lizardmen would be caught in its spider web and be prey. There was spection that the monsters of the canyon lived in caves because they were protecting themselves from the canyon spider.


    Such a big monster actually appeared in front of me.


    "H-Hik..."


    In the past, I had been trapped by the canyon spider and suffered a huge trauma. So now I had an allergy towards spiders. I got goosebumps and my legs couldn¡¯t even stand up straight.


    ¡°Kikikik...¡±


    The canyon spider made a strange sound and shot out a spider web. Then it ran down the web and stopped right in front of my nose.


    "Aaaaaaack!"


    The canyon spider¡¯s head was incredibly smallpared to its huge size. As soon as the head stopped right in front of me, the mouth of the spider opened wide and the sharp teeth revealed a threatening appearance.


    I randomly swung my dagger in an attempt to resist. But the blind attack didn¡¯t touch the body of the canyon spider. The canyon spider avoided my attack while hanging on the web, then fired a web towards me.


    Swaeeek.


    It was initiallyunched in cocoon form and spread 3m wide in less than a second. If the web draped over my body then I would be the prey of the canyon spider. I was well aware of this and desperately wanted to avoid the web, but I still couldn¡¯t move because my legs were weak.


    At that moment!


    [A legend doesn¡¯t feel fear easily.]


    I was freed from the spider allergy and moved my body, avoiding the spider web. As I let out a sigh of relief, the spider looked at me like it was a trivial move. Then its onught started.


    Syuk!Syuk!


    Spider webs were shot out continuously, forming a fearsome in the sky.


    "Dammit!"


    I frantically avoided the spiderwebs. As I was diligently avoiding it, I felt my limits.


    ¡¯This damn spider... no matter how much I avoid it, the spider keeps shooting out the webs. If this continues, I will be tired and unable to do anything.¡¯


    There was a need to stop it from easilyunching the webs.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    I made a decision and cast Wind st towards the torso of the canyon spider. The spider was hit by Wind st and shook a few times while hanging on the web. But it wasn¡¯t a substantial blow.


    [You have dealt 300 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Crazy! What is this defense?¡±


    The canyon spider only suffered a slight amount of damage from the Wind st of the +8 Ideal Dagger! This meant the canyon spider¡¯s defense was overwhelming to the point that it was superior to the frostlight orc chief, as well as the canyon lizards.


    While the canyon spider was 40 levels higher than the frostlight orc chief, it was but a normal monster inparison to the chief, which was a boss monster. A normal monster having more defense than a boss monster...


    ¡¯Of course, its health will be much lower than the frostlight orc chief¡¯s health, but what good is that? The defense is so high that I can¡¯t deal any damage to its health to begin with.¡¯


    I was frustrated while the canyon spider started firing the spider webs even more quickly.


    ¡°Kuk! Quick Movements!¡±


    My evasion and agility temporarily increased. I barely avoided the spider webs while the duration of Quick Movements continued running out. In the meantime, the cooldown of Wind st finished.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage! Wind st!¡±


    Peeng!


    The canyon spider was so huge that it was easy to aim at it. Wind st was reinforced by cksmith¡¯s Rage and hit the canyon spider, but once again, the spider didn¡¯t receive a high amount of damage.


    [You have dealt 344 damage to the target.]


    ¡°No, what type of defense it this? Such a scam!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaak.¡±


    I avoided the webs that started to fly again while trying to think of a n.


    ¡®I can¡¯t fight against it using Wind st alone. Unbreakable Justice will work to a certain extent...¡¯


    Originally, Wind st was a skill that dealt 60% of the caster¡¯s attack power. But since I didn¡¯t meet the conditions to use the Ideal Dagger, I was penalized by having only half the option effect applied. In other words, Wind st only dealt 30% of my attack power.


    On the other hand, Unbreakable Justice fully dealt 300% of my attack power. Even the canyon spider would be damaged by Unbreakable Justice.


    However, Wind st was a ranged attack skill while Unbreakable Justice needed to hit the target directly. I couldn¡¯t use it since I couldn¡¯t reach the canyon spider. And right now, it was impossible to approach the canyon spider.


    ¡®This can¡¯t continue. Is there any way I can reach that spider?¡¯


    I was troubled as I looked at the spider webs covering the sky.


    ¡®It is impossible to approach due to the spider web. Then I...?¡¯


    What was this? Did I need to once again experience being chewed alive?


    ¡°Dammit... Eh?"


    I suddenly got a good idea.


    "I don¡¯t know if abo will work... but it is worth trying!¡±


    The degree of freedom in Satisfy was infinite. That also applied to skills. It was possible for users to createpletely different effects depending on how they used orbined their skills. I walked forward. Then I checked and found that the cooldown of Wind st had ended.


    Now I had somewhat figured out the pattern of the spider webs, so I easily avoided them and urately aimed Wind st at the canyon spider.


    Then!


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    I used Unbreakable Justice. There was also the freshly generated Wind st.


    Kiiiiing-!


    The energy of Unbreakable Justicebined with Wind st. Wind st and Unbreakable Justice couldn¡¯t be broken so they werebined into one, then a message window popped up.


    [The new skill fusion has seeded.]


    [Fusion skill ¡®Wind of Justice¡¯ has been created.]


    [Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the sessful fusion of a new skill.]


    [Wind of Justice]


    The force of Unbreakable Justice has beenbined with Wind st.


    Deals 320% of your attack power to a target that can be up to 6m away.


    Skill Damage Range: 2m radius around the target.


    Skill Mana Cost: 400


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    Skill Usage Conditions: Ideal Dagger


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The dark blue aura, reminiscent of a sword master, flew towards the canyon spider.


    ¡°Kieek?¡±


    As the wind sword flew forward, the canyon spider scrambled up the spider web in an attempt to escape. But the spider couldn¡¯t be faster than the wind.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah~!¡±


    Wind of Justice hit the canyon spider, causing it to fall down the web while a yellow liquid emerged from its mouth.


    Kuwaaaang!


    The canyon spider crashed into the ground, causing a huge crack. It fell on its back and was so big that it couldn¡¯t raise its body. I was confident that now was my chance to get rid of it. I drank a mana recovery potion.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage! Quick Movements!¡±


    Once my attack power, attack speed, evasion and agility increased, I rushed towards the canyon spider. It couldn¡¯t raise its body yet, but the spider kept trying to resist. The eight legs waved and threatened me several times, but I only had light injuries on my shoulders and thighs due to Quick Movements.


    ¡°Now...!¡±


    Iughed as the eight legs twisted in the air, then stabbed the Ideal Dagger deep into the canyon spider¡¯s chest.


    Puok!


    The back, legs, and head of the canyon spider were all covered with a thick shell. But the chest was covered with hair. In other words, the chest of the canyon spider didn¡¯t boast an overwhelming defense, unlike the other areas.


    [You have dealt 2,880 damage to the target.]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 6,040 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    The terrible screams of the canyon spider echoed in Kesan Canyon. Yes, now was the chance...


    "Revenge... it is the true revenge time! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    In the past, how much had I suffered from the monsters in Kesan Canyon? I was stabbed to death by a tail, killed by a tail, stunned, trampled and even eaten. I lost items and experience in this ce, and my mental state was shattered. It was so bad I developed an allergy to spiders.


    However, the monsters in the canyon were so strong that I never dared dream of revenge. Then what about now? I was different now. I was significantly different.


    "Now is the time for you to fear me!¡±


    Puoook!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah~!¡±


    [You have defeated a canyon spider.]


    [18]


    [The canyon spider¡¯s leg has been acquired.]


    [The canyon spider¡¯s eyeball has been acquired.]


    [The canyon spider¡¯s spiderweb has been acquired.]


    [387,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    At this moment, my allergy to spiders disappeared forever. Meanwhile, a long-haired man was watching Grid from a high cliff.


    "This is the first time in ages that I¡¯ve seen someone take care of a canyon spider alone. His skills are still very poor, but he has a rapid growth rate...¡±


    The canyon spider lost its web and crashed into the ground. It fell to its back and was helpless because there was no nearby terrain to fire and attach new webs to.


    If the canyon spider had fallen on its stomach and there was terrain close enough to aim a spider web at, the spider would¡¯ve instantly recovered and attacked Grid again. In other words, luck yed a huge role in Grid¡¯s sessful hunt of the canyon spider.


    However, the man couldn¡¯t help admiring Grid.


    ¡°His ability grows every time he hunts a monster. His potential is beyond imagination... He seems a good choice to be my agent of revenge.¡±


    The name of this long-haired man was Piaro. He was once the strongest knight of the Saharan Empire. He was originally a knight captain, but he was framed as a traitor and hid in Kesan Canyon...


    "Asmophel... I will make you die a cruel death!¡±


    They were trackers looking for Piaro all throughout the continent. Piaro couldn¡¯t escape from this ce so he needed someone to get rid of Asmophel, who ruined the lives of Piaro and his colleagues.


    Piaro was convinced that Grid was the person he wanted.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    The canyon spider wasn¡¯t just big in size. Its overwhelming strength wasparable to boss monsters.


    "Hiiik...¡±


    Lee Junho, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan.


    The three people who attended high school with Shin Youngwoo were trapped in the canyon spider¡¯s nest, wrapped in the spider web. They felt extreme fright at the canyon spider¡¯s sharp teeth and legs, wondering which one of them would be eaten first.


    "Damn... I just wanted to go to Winston...¡± Lee Junhomented.


    Winston was the name of a popr city in the middle of nowhere. The three people heard that there were hunting grounds of various levels where they could hunt and earn money, so they headed to Winston. But thanks to the antics of the mischievous goblins, they almost froze to death and found the canyon. Now they would be the meal of a canyon spider.


    "Dammit, why did you decide to go to Winston?¡± Sim Kiwan grumbled. Then Lee Junho¡¯s face distorted.


    It was Lee Junho who first talked about going to Winston. Lee Junho red angrily at Sim Kiwan¡¯sint. "Didn¡¯t you agree? Now you¡¯re trying to me me? Did I know it would be like this? Eh?¡±


    Lee Junho had a bad temper and was the best fighter in his high school. There was no kid in high school who hadn¡¯t been bullied by Lee Junho. In the period where Lee Junho was his most rebellious, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan suffered despite being his closest friends. They knew that Lee Junho still had a temper, so Sim Kiwan didn¡¯t grumble anymore.


    However, Lee Junho didn¡¯t rx.


    ¡°Ah, this damn... the more I think about it, the more shitty it is. Hey, Sim Kiwan. You jerk, try talking again. I told us to move to Winston so we were caught by that damn spider? Didn¡¯t we all agree? You said it was a good idea, right? But now you¡¯re ming me once things became worse? You jerk, what type of friend are you?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to me you. I was just so agitated that I mispoke.¡±


    "Ah, shit. Why don¡¯t you do something if you¡¯re sorry? This jerk should really go to hell.¡±


    The silent Choi Chansung quickly mediated between them. "Why are we fighting now? Let¡¯s try to figure how to escape instead of fighting.¡±


    To be honest, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan didn¡¯t like Lee Junho. Lee Junho was a friend, but he tended to look down on Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan. They were now 26 years old and didn¡¯t want to keep acting like their high school years.


    On the other hand, Lee Junho was unable to adapt to society due to his dirty nature and because he had few friends. Therefore, he frequently wanted to hang out with Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan. Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan wanted to ignore Lee Junho, but they couldn¡¯t easily dismiss Lee Junho after knowing each other for 10 years.


    But now they were reaching their limits.


    ¡¯Is he crazy? He¡¯s calling a friend a jerk?¡¯


    ¡®That bastard Lee Junho, he can¡¯t fix his dirty habit. Kiwan also has a lot of pride.¡¯


    As the atmosphere became tense... The wind from outside brought the sound of disturbance.


    "! $ #! ~%"


    The sound wasing from a distant ce, so the three people couldn¡¯t precisely grasp the contents of the disturbance. But the canyon spider was different. The canyon spider locked the three people up and nced towards the outside of the nest.


    ¡°Kikikik...¡±


    The canyon spider sprang up excitedly. It seemed to rejoice that a new prey had appeared. The three people were relieved to see the canyon spider leaving the nest.


    ¡°Phew... I thought I was going to die.¡±


    ¡°I agree...¡±


    "Come on, let¡¯s escape this ce!¡±


    Lee Junho was a level 88 warrior. Due to his aggressive tendencies, he invested most of his stats into strength. Therefore, he tried to break the web with his body. But no matter how he moved his body, the web didn¡¯t budge.


    "What is this damn thing? I can¡¯t break it even with my strength?"


    Lee Junho became exhausted and eventually gave up on breaking the web. Then Sim Kiwan, who was a level 87 fire magician, chanted a spell and summoned fire.


    Hwaruruk!


    The spiderweb around Sim Kiwan¡¯s body started to burn.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    The three people cheered at the thought of the spiderweb turning to ashes. But after a while, the mes died down and revealed the spiderweb only had a ckened surface and was still tightly trapping Sim Kiwan¡¯s body.


    Sim Kiwan¡¯s face turned white.


    ¡°What is this? It can¡¯t be burned with fire?¡±


    "Leave it to me." The level 89 thief, Choi Chansung came forward. He held a dagger in one hand and tried to cut the web with a dagger. However, even the sharp dagger couldn¡¯t cut the web.


    "Unbelievable... not even a scratch?¡±


    This was why the canyon spider left this ce so easily. Only three people were so low-levelled that they couldn¡¯t get rid of the spider web or avoid death. They were desperate.


    ¡°In the end, we¡¯re going to be eaten by that spider bastard...¡±


    "Hey, if we are going to die anyway, let¡¯s just log out. Isn¡¯t it better to give up experience than being eaten?¡±


    Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan had already tried to log out. But ¡®In this situation, you can¡¯t avoid death. If you log out, it will be treated as a death.¡¯ floated in front of them and they had hesitated. However, these circumstances meant it was better to log out.


    "Okay, let¡¯s just log out. I willpletely lose my dignity as a human if I experience being eaten by a spider.¡±


    "Okay, log...¡±


    Choi Chansung tried to stop the two people who wanted to log out.


    "Wait. Isn¡¯t it too shameful to take our lives, even if this is a game? We don¡¯t know what is happening, so let¡¯s hold on a little longer.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? The spider wille back soon! Do you want to be eaten by a spider? I might get arachnophobia for the rest of my life!¡±


    ¡°If you have the courage to take your own life, use that courage to find a means to fight the spider.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Stop speaking. Aye, I don¡¯t know. We are going to log out, so you stay here alone! ¡°Logout...eh?¡±


    The three people fell silent at the same time. Their gazes headed towards the entrance of the cave.


    Thump, thump.


    They weren¡¯t mistaken. There was the sound of human footsteps from the entrance of the cave.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    The three men held their breaths as they watched the situation. After a while, a person entered the cave.


    "That spider bastard has been alive for decades, so did it gather any treasures in its nest? This bastard, it was hard hunting you.¡±


    This person hunted that fearful spider? Lee Junho, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan looked at the man with disbelieving expressions. Half the man¡¯s face was covered by a big helmet, which seemed to be made from the skull of a giant monster. The helmet¡¯s appearance was hideous.


    The three people whispered to each other, because they were worried the man would hear.


    ¡°That guy doesn¡¯t seem ordinary...?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He is like a psychopath with that odd aesthetic sense.¡±


    "But let¡¯s ask for help.¡±


    ¡°H-Hrmm... he looks dangerous...¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t he just kill us?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s possible.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    The three of them were conflicted. The appearance of the man¡¯s helmet was just as terrible as the canyon spider. On the other hand, inside the helmet, Grid found the three people tied up by the web. He was startled.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that Lee Junho? Why are those guys here?¡¯


    Lee Junho and his followers! They were famous as gangsters since their school days. In particr, Lee Junho was an uncontroble gangster. He oftenmitted violence against his ssmates. He even dared go against the teachers.


    Grid. No, Shin Youngwoo was his target not just once or twice. It was seven or eight years ago, but Shin Youngwoo remembered all the evils Lee Junho hadmitted against him.


    ¡®During high school... the amount of money that bastard took from me from second grade to graduation is exactly 67,300 won... His follower was 23,000 and the other one 14,000... Those damn three people.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a good memory for Shin Youngwoo. His head was bad. He couldn¡¯t remember small things. But he remembered the things that happened to him.


    ¡®His harassment didn¡¯t end just in school.¡¯


    Lee Junho was the first person whoughed and ignored Shin Youngwoo at the alumni meeting two years ago. The alumni heard that Shin Youngwoo had be obsessed with games and debt-ridden and couldn¡¯tugh.


    Only Lee Junho continued teasing Shin Youngwoo and calling him pathetic. As the alumni meeting continued and everyone started to drink, the other alumni followed Lee Junho¡¯s example and startedughing at Shin Youngwoo. Shin Youngwoo became aughing stock with all the alumni.


    ¡®This unforgivable bastard... Dammit, how did Ie across this bastard in a game? I really have no luck.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo red at Lee Junho and his followers. Lee Junho felt his gaze and asked gently. "E..Excuse me? Can you help us? As you can see, we are trapped. Haha.¡±


    Lee Junho never imaged that the man inside the helmet was Shin Youngwoo. Shin Youngwoo thought this was ludicrous.


    ¡¯That bastard... he acts like such a devil towards me, but makes such a fake smile towards others! Ah, isn¡¯t my face covered right now? Then they don¡¯t know who I am? Oho, maybe this...¡¯


    Honestly, Shin Youngwoo didn¡¯t like the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet. As a unique set item, its functions were very good. However, it was too ugly. But at this moment, he was delighted with the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet.


    Why? The helmet had a shape that covered half his face. Therefore, Shin Youngwoo¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t revealed and the ID of Grid didn¡¯t appear over his head.


    ¡¯Now that I¡¯ve met this scum here, isn¡¯t it a chance for revenge?¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo startedughing and Lee Junho¡¯s group looked at each other. Shin Youngwoo¡¯sugh that emerged from the helmet caused Lee Junho and his group to feel an eerie chill. The eyes that could be seen in the helmet were simr to those of the canyon spider. Yes, like they were prey...!


    ¡¯Did we step in poop?¡¯


    As Lee Junho¡¯s group trembled, Shin Youngwoo focused his gaze on Choi Chansung.


    ¡®Choi Chansung...¡¯


    Choi Chansung was clearly a person who hung out with Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan. Choi Chansung was with them whenever Lee Junho or Sim Kiwan weremitting violence against someone.


    But Shin Youngwoo had never witnessed Choi Chansung¡¯s direct involvement in any cheating, swearing or violence. Rather, Choi Chansung watched Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan with an ufortable expression. Youngwoo didn¡¯t know why, but he often saw Choi Chansung arguing with Lee Junho.


    ¡¯One time, he apologized to me on behalf of Lee Junho... He also never made fun of me at the alumni meetings... Not long ago, he called and asked if I was going to the reunion... I didn¡¯t call back or reply to his email, despite several attempts to contact me. It was like he was worried about me! Yes? Perhaps he really is a good guy?¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s interpretation was correct. Choi Chansung was really worried about Shin Youngwoo after what happened at the alumni meeting. He was afraid Shin Youngwoo might make the wrong choice out of shame.


    While Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan always mocked Shin Youngwoo, Choi Chansung kept his mouth shut. Choi Chansung hung around Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan due to the rtionship that started from their first year in high school, but he was reluctant to harass anyone.


    However, Shin Youngwoo had doubts.


    ¡®... Anybody who is a friend of Lee Junho can¡¯t be a good guy. If I look at examples from the movies orics, he is the truly evil mastermind who is pretending to be good on the outside!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Choi Chansung standing behind Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan when they bullied him in high school? Wasn¡¯t he behind Lee Junho when heughed at Shin Youngwoo at the reunion? Shin Youngwoo was so suspicious that he considered Choi Chansung more of an enemy than Lee Junho.


    Then he raised the +8 Ideal Dagger.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Lee Junho¡¯s group trembled. It was the first time they had seen such a dazzling enhanced weapon.


    ¡®He truly is an amazing person who can take care of a canyon spider.¡¯


    ¡®He might look ignorant but he clearly has a high-level! Amazing. When can we be like that?¡¯


    In front of their longing gazes, Shin Youngwoo cut a spider web tangled on the wall with a single blow. Lee Junho¡¯s group once again felt admiration.


    ¡®He got rid of the spider web so easily, despite it not budging under ourbined attacks.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo shrugged as their eyes shone in admiration. ¡°Anyone who can¡¯t break a spider web at this level is, honestly, quite ipetent and pathetic.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A truly nasty tone! Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan were indignant. Lee Junho¡¯s standoffish nature would usually cause him to spit out curses right away, but but refrained from doing so, as he was currently in a lower position.


    "Haha, we are still low-level users... It is hard for us to deal with the spider webs. So please help us. If you don¡¯t help us, we won¡¯t be able to escape this web and will eventually die.¡±


    Lee Junho smiled somewhat subserviently. It was a truly fresh appearance for Shin Youngwoo.


    ¡®Hasn¡¯t this guy always run around with no fear of the world? Now he is acting like this?¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo barely suppressed hisughter. He cupped his chin and gesturedzily. "Hmm~ why should I save you guys? What benefits can I obtain from saving you? I am inherently predisposed to hate things like a free service.¡±


    The man in the helmet tantly asked for a payment! Lee Junho thought the man was an inconsiderate bastard, but he had no choice.


    "We spent most of our money on potions, so we only have a little bit left.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be weak. Do you guys set the value of your lives that low?¡±


    "... As you know, we don¡¯t have a lot of money because we aren¡¯t high-level users.¡±


    "Based on your equipment, aren¡¯t you at least level 80? If youbine all your money, won¡¯t it be a decent amount?¡±


    "If we give you all our assets, how will we live...? Please have mercy.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo was excited to hear Lee Junho begging. He felt as though he had been constipated for 10 years and it was finally released.


    ¡¯He always acted heavy-handedly in front of me... Kukuk, okay! Let¡¯s release all my grudges today! This is the perfect chance to pay back all my shame. cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡¯


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    Shin Youngwoo vowed to let him know how it felt to be bullied. Then he started beating Lee Junho up with no notice.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Kuheeok!¡±


    Lee Junho screamed as he was beaten by bare hands, although it felt like a hammer. This wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Shin Youngwoo was only level 86 but his strength was over 700 points. In addition, cksmith¡¯s Rage was used.


    Even if Shin Youngwoo didn¡¯t have a legendary ss or high stats, Lee Junho was an ordinary level 88 warrior who invested most of his stats in strength instead of defense, so Shin Youngwoo¡¯s attack power was a threat.


    Lee Junho wasn¡¯t equipped with special armor so he was at a risk of dying from 200 hits of Shin Youngwoo¡¯s bare hands. And it was very easy to hit people 200 times when they couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo grinned at Lee Junho. It was like a demon¡¯s smile. "You don¡¯t intend to give me money but you still ask me to save you? You have no shame!¡±


    Peeok!


    "Kaaack!¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s fist hit Lee Junho¡¯s abdomen. Lee Junho coughed up a small amount of blood and Shin Youngwoo raised his fists. Then he hit Lee Junho¡¯s jaw.


    Peok peok!


    ¡°Cough! N-No! Will you spare us if we give you money? Why should I give you money?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t your potions valuable?¡±


    "Do you really want me to give you all my assets?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you jerk!¡±


    Peok!


    ¡°Ugh! W-Wait a minute! Stop beating me. Think about it! You want me to give you all my assets just for cutting some mere spider webs?¡±


    "Mere spider webs? Yes, that¡¯s right. To me, they are just spider webs. But what about for you? You can¡¯t break free from this web and will die!"


    Peok peok!


    "Ack! I-I understand! Sorry! I made a mistake. S-Spare me! I will give you all my assets!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want money.¡±


    "I-It was a joke? Hahat! Hahaha! Hey, you are funny. You must be having some fun because you would save us anyway!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I will save you?¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t I say I would give you all my assets if you save me?¡±


    ¡°You bastard, how do I know you really will give me all of your assets? You might have 100 gold, then give me 1 gold and say ¡®I¡¯m sorry, this is all I have.¡¯ Eh?¡±


    ¡°No! I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing¡±


    ¡°Uh. I won¡¯t save you even if you give me all of your assets.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "I don¡¯t want to save you because I hate impolite people!¡±


    Bam bam bam!


    In the party window, Lee Junho¡¯s health gauge was going down. A warrior¡¯s health was being noticeably decreased just from being hit by bare hands? Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan were scared.


    ¡®Lee Junho invested most of his points in strength, but the basic health of a warrior is very high. But the damage from bare hands... Strong...! He is quite strong. No wonder why he can hunt the canyon spiders. But!¡¯


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    Why use violence against someone who asked for help? If he didn¡¯t want to help, just don¡¯t help.


    Bam bam bam!


    Lee Junho was beaten up without being able to move, like a poor dog tied to the tree in the backyard. The two people disliked Lee Junho, but they couldn¡¯t stay quiet in this situation.


    ¡°Hey! Why are you suddenly beating people? We didn¡¯t even do anything wrong.¡±


    Sim Kiwan inquired. Shin Youngwoo stopped hitting Lee Junho and shifted his gaze. Sim Kiwan jumped with surprise.


    ¡®That look in his eyes... They aren¡¯t the eyes of a normal person!¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s eyes, revealed through the helmet, seemed to shine with insanity...


    Bam bam bam!


    "Kuaack! Eek! Ugh! Ughh!¡±


    Unlike Lee Junho, Sim Kiwan was a magician so his basic health was very low. Thus, half of Sim Kiwan¡¯s health was gone after Shin Youngwoo beat him for 10 minutes. Sim Kiwan wanted to curse but he didn¡¯t dare let them out.


    "S-Spare me...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What? Spare you? Hahahaha! Do you want to live? Huh? Do you want to live? Huh? Puhahahat! Hey~~ why do you look so worried? Okay, I will keep going!¡±


    "Aaaagh!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Choi Chansung watched this situation and wanted it to be a dream. The person they asked to save them turned out to be a madman who wanted to kill them! How could this happen?


    ¡®Is he a professional PKer?¡¯


    Satisfy had PK users who killed users to steal items or at someone¡¯s request. But the number of PKers wasn¡¯t high due to various disadvantages. An ordinary user who yed Satisfy every day would rarely meet a PKer. However, now a PKer appeared in front of them. He appeared in the middle of nowhere! Wasn¡¯t the situation worse now?


    "... Do it in moderation.¡±


    Lee Junho, who had been silent for a while after being beaten, opened his mouth while Sim Kiwan was being hit. Shin Youngwoo¡¯s gaze returned to Lee Junho.


    ¡°What did you say just now?¡±


    Lee Junho¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent as he shouted. "I told you to do it moderately, you bastard!¡±


    The roar echoed through the cave. This was the backbone of a warrior. Sim Kiwan, whose face was bloody, looked over towards Lee Junho expectantly.


    ¡®Yes, Junho! Show this psychopathic bastard! You aren¡¯t an ordinary person.¡¯


    Sim Kiwan was just someone who followed and imitated Lee Junho. On the other hand, Lee Junho was a born gangster. He was someone who didn¡¯t fear anything. It was rumored that even his parents didn¡¯t dare go against them.


    Sim Kiwan knew him for a long time, so he was well aware of Lee Junho¡¯s violent personality. He thought it was possible for him to somehow go against the madman in a helmet. But...


    ¡°Why are you screaming so loudly inside that spider web? Well? Shitty guy? Aren¡¯t you just a dog? Eh?¡±


    Peok peok!


    ¡°If I don¡¯t stop, what will you do? Huh? Huh?¡±


    Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try getting rid of that spider web before shouting? You ipetent bastard.¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    Lee Junho might be strong in reality, but this was Satisfy. It wasn¡¯t a ce where real strength would have any effect. A strong person would naturally stand on top. Here, Shin Youngwoo was much stronger than Lee Junho.


    Bam bam bam!


    Lee Junho struggled against the web for a while before ring at Shin Youngwoo. Then he spoke in a voice quivering with anger. ¡°Hey, you jerk. Where do you live? Eh? Do you dare encounter me in reality? Do you want to die? Tell me where you live right now! I will go and kill you!¡±


    Instincts were truly frightening. Shin Youngwoo knew that he was in a far superior position, but he couldn¡¯t help flinching at Lee Junho¡¯s words. Then after a moment. Shin Youngwoo recalled that Lee Junho could never figure out his identity and replied unabashedly.


    "Me? I live in Argentina, you bastard.¡±


    Argentina! Despite being the world¡¯s 8thrgest country, its total poption was below that of South Korea, which was ranked 109thrgest in the world. A country famous for ser powerhouses! It was a country famous for food culture such as asado (meat on skewers and baked on a charcoal fire). More than anything else, it was on the other side of the from South Korea.


    Bam bam bam!


    After learning that the madman lived far away, Lee Junho eventually changed his attitude.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong so please stop... I was unable to grasp my situation. I¡¯m really sorry. So please spare me. I really will die...¡±


    Unlike Shin Youngwoo who could hunt high-level monsters due to his items and high stats, Lee Junho was an ordinary user. A great deal of time was needed to recover from the experience lost after dying. In addition, he would drop items when dying.


    Therefore, Lee Junho sincerely didn¡¯t want to die. Lee Junho was also strong against the weak and weak before the strong. Among the alumni, Lee Junho was called a mad dog, but he was a typical gangster.


    If Lee Junho¡¯s body wasn¡¯t trapped in the spider web, Shin Youngwoo would give him the chance to lick Shin Youngwoo¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Bark like a dog. In addition, call me master. Then I will save you.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I will. Ba...!¡±


    The moment Lee Junho was about to bark, Choi Chansung interrupted. "Junho, are you really nning to do this?¡±


    Choi Chansung didn¡¯t like Lee Junho. However, Lee Junho was a friend so it was natural to take his side over the madman.


    "Is there a problem with dying once? In addition, is there any guarantee that he will spare you if you follow his request?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo felt certain after he saw Choi Chansung being calm alone, unlike the terrified Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan.


    ¡®Choi Chansung...! He truly is behind Lee Junho! He is the boss. Choi Chansung was the one behind Lee Junho in our high school days!¡¯


    Finally, Shin Youngwoo moved in front of Choi Chansung. Then he starting hitting Choi Chansung.


    Peeok!


    Choi Chansung had low health so he received the biggest damage. But Choi Chansungughed instead of feeling agitated.


    ¡°Yes, kill us. Being killed by a madman is better than being eaten by a spider ormitting suicide by logging out.¡±


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo had no intention of killing Lee Junho¡¯s group. He just wanted to insult and hit them as much as possible, while they felt despair. He wanted to inflict all the pain that he had endured. He wanted to see Lee Junho beg. However, Choi Chansung was able to proudly resist.


    ¡°You... you bastard! You really aren¡¯t afraid to die? Is it okay even if your experience and items drop when you die? Eh? You aren¡¯t ashamed to die? It will also hurt.¡±


    Satisfy used overwhelming technology to reproduce all senses exactly like reality. It was the same for pain. But in the case of pain, it was decreased to less than 12 times that of reality. For example, being stabbed by a knife would feel like the prick of a needle. If hit by a fist, it was just a mild pain.


    However, it was like how people got drunk on alcohol. Every time they were hit, their health was reduced and their minds became confused. In addition, a person would naturally feel fear when seeing blood.


    Satisfy recreated reality, so some users became psychologically weak when they suffered great damage. There was a phenomenon that many users experienced and was a social problem. But Choi Chansung¡¯s mentality was strong. He could clearly see that this was a game, so he stayed calm despite the blood in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t afraid of Shin Youngwoo¡¯s violence.


    ¡°It is shameful to take my own life. Now, kill me. It doesn¡¯t matter if you kill me, so do what you like.¡±


    ¡°It really is the answer of the final boss...¡±


    ¡°Final boss?¡±


    Choi Chansung was confused by the iprehensible words. Shin Youngwoo was very agitated.


    ¡¯Shit, if he shows this attitude, I won¡¯t get any pleasure from my revenge.¡¯


    On the other hand, Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan confirmed that the madman¡¯s violent momentum stopped after Choi Chansung¡¯s words. Then they started whispering to each other.


    ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t be sure but... that crazy man, doesn¡¯t it seem like he lost his desire for murder after hearing those words?¡±


    "It seems so. Originally, psychopaths are obsessed with a certain thing... isn¡¯t it the case with him as well?¡±


    "So he is a psychopath who wants to kill when people beg for their lives, and he doesn¡¯t feel like killing someone who begs to be killed?¡±


    ¡°Probably...¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The two people exchanged a look and started shouting.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Kill us! I¡¯d rather die! We would rather die than grovel!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Now Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan acted like Choi Chansung. Then Shin Youngwoo fell in deep thought.


    ¡®Damn, I don¡¯t know what to do... Should I really kill them? No, no. I will be a PKer, my reputation will decrease and I will be locked in prison. Dammit. Fuck!¡¯


    After a while. In the end, Shin Youngwoo made a decision.


    ¡°Che, whatever. I¡¯m going. Do as you wish. Starve to death in that spider web.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo dered and left the cave. It was a really neat goodbye. Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan panicked as they looked at his departing back.


    "... This wasn¡¯t what we wanted.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! There was no guarantee he would save us, but there is no need for him to kill us either!¡±


    In the end, it shifted back to the beginning. The three people had to choose. They could either starve to death ormit suicide by logging out. They would die anyway.


    Lee Junho trembled. ¡°Shit! If he wasn¡¯t going to kill us, why did that crazy guy beat us up? Damn scum. Why did someone like that appear before us?¡±


    Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan had begged the crazy person in a helmet to spare them. In particr, Lee Junho was about to bark like a dog. This was a shameful memory they would remember forever.


    Meanwhile, Shin Youngwoo exited the cave and...


    ¡°There are no spiders? If possible, I should capture it and release it into the cave. Those scum, they should have the horrible experience of being eaten.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to miss the chance for revenge that the heavens had given him. So he ran hard to find a canyon spider. But could the canyon spider be so easily captured? The odds of defeating a canyon spider in a one-on-one fight was still unlikely. Now he wanted to capture instead of killing it? It was an impossible task for Shin Youngwoo.


    In the end, Shin Youngwoo failed to catch a spider and Lee Junho¡¯s group starved to death.


    Under the moonlight, Grid shouted like he wanted to wake up all the monsters in the canyon.


    ¡°I missed out on the golden opportunity for revenge! Dammitttttt!¡±


    Shin Youngwoo had sought a spider for the sake of his perfect revenge. He hunted all types of monsters in the process, so he was now level 92. Therefore, he didn¡¯t panic when he saw five canyon wolves rushing over because of the noise.


    ¡°Bark bark! Bark!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you dog scum!¡±


    "Bark!¡±


    After a fierce struggle, the five wolves were killed and the hungry Grid ate their meat.


    ¡°It iste so I should go sleep... I will finish the quest tomorrow.¡±


    Now the north cliff wasn¡¯t far away.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    As many people knew, the highest waterfall in the world was Angel Falls in Venezu. It was a huge 979m in height. Angel was ¨¢ngel in Spanish, so it was ¨¢ngel Falls. It was said that the name was due to the majestic and mysterious appearance of the fog at the bottom of the waterfall.


    Of course, I saw that one day on TV. Anyway, it was a beautiful and mysterious waterfall reminiscent of angels! One of the most spectacr waterfalls in the world! Satisfy created a waterfall that was more spectacr, mysterious, beautiful and fantastic than Angel Falls.


    That waterfall was located in the north of the Eternal Kingdom. Where in the north?


    "Right here."


    Kwaaaaaaah!


    The north of Kesan Canyon. At the end of the canyon, there was a 1,300m high waterfall. The water vapor around the waterfall created a dreamy atmosphere. Rainbows appeared everywhere, making it seem like a fairy tale world.


    I was overwhelmed by the intersection of rainbows and the fall of water.


    "This is Loran¡¯s waterfall that I had only heard about in rumors.¡±


    This waterfall was named after the discoverer of the waterfall, as well as the founder of the Eternal Kingdom, Loran. It was one of the most sacred ces for the people of the Eternal Kingdom, but there were no tourists at all. It was because Kesan Canyon was too dangerous. Themon people were afraid of the monsters in the canyon, so they didn¡¯t daree here.


    Anyway, there would be few users who managed to visit this ce.


    Kuwaaaaaaaah!


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    Originally, I wasn¡¯t someone who worshipped natural scenery. I had never visited any famous tourist sites in my life. So what if nature was beautiful? Would beautiful nature feed me? I used to belittle nature in my thoughts.


    But my thoughts changed at this moment. I could understand why people visited such attractions.


    ¡°Amazing... I finally realize how insignificant and trivial the asphalt world I live in is.¡±


    The spectacr high-rise buildings designed and built by the world¡¯s top architects? The majestic bodies that were registered as world heritage sites? They were nice and great. But it was nothing in front of nature.


    My narrow world view expanded a bit, and I felt like my perspective had increased.


    ¡®If I feel such excitement seeing a virtual realityndscape, how will the scenery in reality be like? Once I pay off the debt, I should go on a trip. Angel Falls, Iguazu Falls, the Amazon, the Grand Canyon... There are many other famous ces.¡¯


    I watched the waterfall in a pleasant mood. I regained my spirit.


    ¡°This is crazy. What am I doing? I need to go and find Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship!¡±


    The north cliff was just below Loran Falls. I searched the north cliff for any engravings about Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship. But 10 minutes, then 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours passed... I couldn¡¯t find Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    I even climbed the cliff, but I couldn¡¯t see anything that might be a mural. Before I knew it, sunset arrived. The rainbows cleared and the waterfall became touched with gold, creating a spectacr sight. It was like an illusion of pouring gold. But he couldn¡¯t afford to keep looking.


    ¡°Hey. I am getting irritated.¡±


    Khan¡¯s ancestor said that he engraved Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship onto the north cliff! Was he lying? Did Ie here and struggle in vain because of his lie?


    "... I was a fool to trust a ghost¡¯s words in the first ce.¡±


    Originally, ghosts were evil! That¡¯s why ghosts who appeared in horror movies were mostly ugly and cruel! Despite the fact that I had been on guard against ghosts for all my life, I was tempted by a ghost and sent on a wild goose chase.


    "Kuoh! It is the worst mistake of my life...um?¡±


    As I was feeling frustrated, my eyes suddenly noticed something at the back of the waterfall.


    ¡°Perhaps?¡±


    In my middle school days, I admired the martial arts movies that were released half a century ago. When I watched those martial arts movies, there was always a cave at the back of the waterfall.


    ¡¯What if the creators of Satisfy watch the same martial arts movies as me...?¡¯


    I jumped into the waterfall. As I expected, there was a small cave behind the waterfall where murals of a man dancing with a sword were carved in a sequential manner.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Once again, ghosts were evil beings.


    ¡°That ghost...! I would¡¯ve found it sooner if he exined that the ce was behind Loran Falls. Why did he say the north cliff? No, dammit. If he wasn¡¯t Khan¡¯s ancestor, I would go and kick him. He is Khan¡¯s ancestor, so I will spare him!¡±


    ... Could the ghost hear my voice? I looked around nervously because I was afraid that the ghost would appear, before examining the murals. The murals were carved a long time ago and were very old and dim. But there were no difficulties seeing the contents.


    ¡°This is Pagma¡¯s...¡±


    The face of the man in the mural had hawk-like eyes. He had the slender egg-shaped face, lips and eyes that were popr among women.


    "Shit... Pagma was handsome...¡±


    I thought Pagma would have a macho appearance, like the cksmiths I had seen so far. But he had a slender and neat appearance. I disliked handsome and skilled people, so my favorability towards Pagma dropped exponentially.


    "...I am thinking about the appearance of an already dead person.¡±


    I concentrated on the murals.


    ¡°That is Dainsleif.¡±


    Based on the proportions in the mural, Pagma was considerably tall. Nevertheless, the greatsword in Pagma¡¯s hands was muchrger than Pagma. This proved that the greatsword was Dainsleif. In fact, the total length of Dainsleif was close to 3m and 20cm.


    "How amazing.¡±


    However, Pagma in the mural was freely wielding Dainsleif with one hand. His strength was ipatible with his body, and he seemed as elegant as a butterfly. It was a swordsmanship that expressed a powerful strength and a gentle softness. How was that possible? Through the murals, I could see Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship that reached the peak.


    I examined the murals from start to finish.


    ¡°What? Why haven¡¯t I learned Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship?¡±


    I thought that if appreciated this mural, I would naturally acquire Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship. But it was strange. It seemed like I couldn¡¯t learn it just by examining the murals.


    ¡°Do I have to touch it...?¡±


    Iid my hands on the mural. But I didn¡¯t acquire Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°What? If I couldn¡¯t obtain it from looking or touching, how could I learn it? Did I have to follow the actions in the mural?


    ... Was that really the case? I had to reproduce and acquire Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship directly with my body!


    ¡°Ah, annoying...¡±


    But it couldn¡¯t be helped, no matter how annoying. I grumbled and pulled out the Ideal Dagger. Then I copied Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship shown in the murals. At first, I couldn¡¯t get used to it. So I tried again. I was stillcking and started again from the beginning.


    Three hourster. How many times did I follow the swordsmanship in the murals? I sat down and breathed roughly because Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship took more energy than expected.


    "I...can¡¯t do it.¡±


    I memorized the swordsmanship in the murals after repeating it several times. However, I failed to reproduce the movements. Come to think of it, I had never once danced in my life.


    "I went to clubs several times, but I don¡¯t remember dancing properly. I see. Hahaha! I was born with two left feet! So it¡¯s hard for me to learn Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    ... No!


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    A game skill that I couldn¡¯t learn unless I knew how to dance? What type of nonsense was this?


    ¡°There can¡¯t be a skill that can¡¯t be learned unless I know how to dance. There¡¯s clearly another reason.¡±


    After that, I struggled to find a reason while examining the murals. Then I noticed some moss at thest mural.


    ¡°Surely thest part of the mural isn¡¯t covered by moss? Haha, there wouldn¡¯t be such a foolish development.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be, but I brushed away the moss just in case. Then I saw it. Another mural was hidden by the moss.


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship has been acquired.]


    [You havepleted the first ss quest. Return to cksmith Khan.]


    "... I, what have I been doing for thest few hours?¡±


    This damn thing... My hands shook. I wasted my time and stamina due to the moss! I wanted to rip off the moss and curse. But I refrained. I didn¡¯t want to waste more time on the moss when I had already learned Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°This damn moss...you are lucky.¡±


    I stomped on the moss that I had already taken off the wall. Then I took deep breaths. What was the identity of the swordsmanship that pierced the sky? Was it a passive skill like Sword Mastery? Or was it a powerful attack skill?


    Whatever the case, it was necessary for me whockedbat skills. I was filled with joy and hurriedly opened the skills window. Then I was able to confirm that Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship far exceeded my expectations.


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship]


    Lv. 1


    -When the skill is deactivated-


    You can be one with the sword at any time. Increases physical attack by 20% and critical hit rate by 10%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The skill consumes no mana.


    -When the skill is activated-


    Be one with the sword. Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend. You can unleash a total of five sword techniques.


    * The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.


    * 20 mana is required to activate the skill.


    * Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.


    [Wave]


    Unleash a violent sword dance like a high wave.


    Inflicts 155% of your attack power to all enemies within 1m, as well as reducing their speed.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 350


    Skill Cooldown Time: 120 seconds


    [Restraint]


    A restrained and understated sword dance.


    Overwhelms the surroundings. No one will have ess to you for three seconds.


    * Does not apply to the undead.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 300 seconds


    [Link]


    A dazzling sword dance that is like the wings of a butterfly.


    Deals 500% of your attack power to a single target.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 350


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    [Kill]


    A killing sword that expresses hatred.


    Deals 1500% of your attack power to a single target. There will be a bleeding and desperation effect.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,200


    Skill Stamina Consumption: Consumes 50% of your stamina.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 500 seconds


    [Transcend]


    A sword dance that transcends imagination.


    Your attack power is doubled and your default attacks will turn into ranged attacks.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,800


    Skill Duration: 30 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3,000 seconds


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    ¡°Awesome...¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was beyond my imagination. The skills¡¯ capabilities and damage was something I could never imagine.


    ¡®There is one passive skill and multiple active features... I don¡¯t have any mastery skills, so this is really amazing considering myckingbat skills.¡¯


    Most sses had passive skills such as Weapons Mastery or Armor Mastery. These passive mastery skills increased the performance of weapons and armor. However, Pagma¡¯s Descendant didn¡¯t have any mastery skills at all. It was a drawback and an unsatisfactory part of the ss.


    ¡°But now it¡¯s different.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased my attack power and chances of a critical hit when deactivated. This had a simr effect to Weapons Mastery.


    ¡®It is also the performance of Intermediate Weapons Mastery...! The effect disappears when the skill is activated, but that isn¡¯t a huge problem. When activated, five active skills are generated.¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! It was a skill worthy of a legendary ss! I was now able to take pride in having a legendary ss.


    ¡®Although I¡¯ve been disappointed in some production aspects, my ss is fraudulent. But it isn¡¯t abat ss. I can y the role of a tanker due to my high resistance to abnormal conditions, so I can be more fraudulent if mybat skills develop. But...¡¯


    There was one problem.


    "... Why does the skill consume so much mana?¡±


    Currently, I had around 500 mana. I was able to obtain this figure because my intelligence increased when steadily making items. I never invested any stats in it, so I wouldn¡¯t even have 100 mana if it wasn¡¯t for that.


    Anyway, the bottom line was that I couldn¡¯t freely use all the avable skills at the moment.


    "Dammit!"


    Wave. Restraint. Link. Kill. Transcend.


    A total of five sword techniques. The minimum amount of mana required was 300. In particr, Kill consumed 1,200 mana and Transcend consumed 1,800 mana. In order to use these skills freely, I needed to invest a lot of stat points in intelligence to increase my mana. But I had never invested any stat points in intelligence since my days as a warrior.


    ¡®With magicians, the higher their intelligence, the higher the magic damage. Therefore, they were willing to invest their points in intelligence. But I...¡¯


    I honestly didn¡¯t want to invest stat points into intelligence. In my position, focusing my stat points on strength and stamina was ideal. Strength and stamina meant I could spend a long time making items, and my attack power also increased.


    But intelligence? Did I have any skills that were influenced by intelligence? Of course not. I needed to invest in the intelligence stat just to increase my mana!


    ¡°Shit...but I can¡¯t not invest in intelligence.¡±


    That¡¯s right. It didn¡¯t matter how much Iined. I had no choice but to invest my points into intelligence. It was in order to use the sword skills.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 92 (1,531,400/3,798,000)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 8,330/8,330 Mana: 522/522


    Strength: 775 Stamina: 523 Agility: 208 Intelligence: 180


    Dexterity: 855 Persistence: 210


    Composure: 155 Indomitable: 176 Dignity: 155 Insight: 155


    Courage: 99


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 9,404/19,700


    When I entered Kesan Canyon yesterday, I was level 85. After hunting all the monsters in Kesan Canyon, I was now level 92. And I had 70 stat points.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve left it...¡±


    As you could see, I currently had 0 stat points. Why? I invested 70 points into strength.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, since it made hunting the canyon spiders easier.¡±


    The canyon spiders had excellent defense. I increased strength in order to do a little bit more damage. But now I regretted it.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve collected the stat points until I got Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...¡±


    My maximum mana increased by three points every time I gained one point in intelligence. If I still had the 70 stat points from yesterday, I could increase my intelligence and gain a certain amount of mana. It was too bad.


    ¡°...I need to raise intelligence.¡±


    I was very annoyed at the thought of not being able to use the skills I learned because of ack of mana. Who wouldn¡¯t be nervous at not being able to use some skills? So I made an unusual choice.


    ¡°Hunting! Level up! Increase intelligence by raising my level! At the minimum, I need enough mana to use Kill!¡±


    Kill was a skill that deal 1500% of my attack power to a target. But 1,200 mana was required to use Kill. In other words, I needed at least 400 points in intelligence.


    ¡°Obtain 400 intelligence through levelling up!¡±


    ... It was my rough estimate.


    ¡°Hah, this sucks.¡±


    I started hunting for the first time since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant in order to obtain Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. I faced the frostlight orcs in the northern snowfields and then the monsters in Kesan Canyon...


    It was the fun taste of hunting after a long time.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. I became addicted to Satisfy through this taste.¡¯


    I could feel myself getting stronger through my level increase, and I was proud to see the gold and loot piled up in my inventory. For the moment, I should stay in Kesan Canyon and keep hunting.


    But what was the reality? For me, hunting was a luxury. My family was sitting on a pile of debt. My parents and Sehee still couldn¡¯t shake off their anxiety. I needed to make items instead of hunting so that my family could sleep more easily.


    ¡°Yes, I should return to Khan¡¯s smithy quickly. Then I can obtain Dainsleif. Isn¡¯t that good?¡±


    I barely suppressed by desire to hunt and left the cave behind the waterfall. I was soothing my sorrow while admiring the stars in the night sky when-


    ¡°Kuwaaah!¡±


    A roaring sound was heard from the bottom of the waterfall. There was a huge spray of water and I was surrounded by six mermen.


    ¡°... The fish are shaking.¡±


    Mermen were male mermaids. But unlike the mermaids in fairy tales, Satisfy¡¯s mermen were very ugly. I frowned as I saw the gills on the mermen.


    ¡°Are you going to dry out onnd and choke to death?¡±


    A merman in the front waved his trident and shouted threateningly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and give me your heart!¡±


    Mermen wanted human hearts for nutrition. They were as terrible as their appearance.


    ¡®Six mermen...¡¯


    The mermen adjusted to the natural environment without much difficulty. Therefore, they were distributed throughout the continent. But the mermen living in Kesan Canyon were the most notorious. The mermen of Kesan Canyon had a level of 175, known to be one of the highest levels among the mermen on the continent.


    ¡®The mermen are especially strong in the water. There are six of them...¡¯


    Before I learned Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, I would be trying to run away from this ce. But things were different now. I raised the +8 Ideal Dagger which shone a darker blue in the darkness. I wasn¡¯t going to give the mermen my heart.


    ¡°You want to take my heart? Or should I just eat all of you?¡±


    A merman snorted. ¡°Bah! This human is bluffing.¡±


    Swaaah.


    The mermen moved on the water at a tremendous speed, like a surfboard meeting a wave. I waited for them to get close to me. Just before a trident was going to hit my body, ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint!¡±


    At the moment, my body started dancing. The blue light radiating from the Ideal Dagger shone in the moonlight as my body moved quietly. Then!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The mermen¡¯s rush stopped, like it was originally a lie. The mermen acted restless and struggled to get away from me. I hurriedly linked some skills before they could escape from the influence of Restraint.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    The de of wind scraped against the mermen¡¯s upper bodies.


    [You have dealt 3,750 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 3,802 damage to the target.]


    Mermen had excellent defense on their lower bodies which were covered in scales, but their human upper bodies were weaker. Therefore, attacks on the upper body were very painful. I attacked in rapid session before stopping.


    ¡®Shit, I ran out of mana.¡¯


    I quickly opened my inventory and took out an inferior mana recovery potion. After confirming that my mana had fully recovered, I deactivated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Then I used the skill I developed.


    ¡°Wind of Justice!¡±


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Wind of Justice exerted a powerful destructive st that couldn¡¯t bepare to Wind st. By deactivating Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, my attack power and chances of a critical hit increased, making the destructive power more enormous.


    Wind of Justice swept over the mermen from side to side, and those struck in the upper body couldn¡¯t even scream.


    ¡°Quick Movements!¡±


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    Ssh ssh!


    I suddenly plunged into the mermen. Then I started to sh at their upper bodies with the +8 Ideal Dagger.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡®Okay! Good!¡¯


    I felt bliss as I watched the mermen suffering every time I wielded my sword. It was because I felt stronger.


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [The Ideal Dagger¡¯s option effect is activated, instantaneously killing the target.]


    One of the six mermen was killed due to the Ideal Dagger¡¯s option activating. I was immediately attacked by the remaining five mermen. However, I was using a dagger as a weapon, while their weapons were 2m long tridents. They needed a certain distance to attack me properly.


    ¡°Grrr!¡±


    In the end, the mermen gave up on the immediate counterattack. They moved a certain distance away and red at me wildly. I followed and attacked one of them relentlessly.


    Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Kiik!¡±


    The merman were monsters famous for having a strong camaraderie. The mermen didn¡¯t know what to do as I stuck to theirpanion like a leech and stabbed. They wanted to help, but were afraid they would end up being stabbed. Indeed, they were stupid bastards.


    ¡®Mermen... these damn guys!¡¯


    As a warrior, I fought mermen at Lake Fabian. The mermen at Lake Fabian were very low level, unlike the mermen here, but they were very strong opponents at the same time. In the end, I was killed by them.


    ¡®Revenge for back then!¡¯


    Puok!


    "Kkuk!¡±


    The merman received my dagger with no mercy and eventually died. The watching mermen shed tears of blood and started a violent onught.


    [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,830 damage.]


    Indeed, the mermen had powerful attacks. I lost more than half my health just from two of their attacks.


    ¡®A fearsome strength! I am armed with the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet and Khan¡¯s Masterpiece, but I still received this much damage!¡¯


    But there was no need to be afraid. The cooldown time of my mana potion was up.


    "Gulp."


    I used a new skill straight away after verifying my mana gauge.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    My body was like Loran Falls behind me, but the calm stream started to move. Then waves of energy shot in every direction.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    The four mermen were hit simultaneously and screamed in pain. They tried to counterattack but due to the influence of Wave, their movement speed and attack speed were slowed by almost two times. It wasn¡¯t difficult to deal the final blow.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    In the end, all six mermen died and I confirmed the money, japtem and experience that dropped.


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Invest 10 points in intelligence.¡±


    [You have invested 10 points in intelligence. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After 10 points in intelligence, my mana rose to exactly 600. There was still a long way to go, but I was very proud.


    ¡®If I make an item, my stats will rise. Someday, I will have enough mana to use Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship freely. But I don¡¯t know when that will be...¡¯


    By the time I paid back the debt, would I have thousands of mana? As I imagined it and prepared to leave, a man appeared before me. It was a man with a scraggly beard. He was also wearing odd clothing. At a nce...


    ¡®A beggar.¡¯


    What? This beggar?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he wants money?¡¯


    I was concerned that he would beg me for money, so I hurriedly tried to leave this ce. But then the beggar called out to me. "I have a favor to ask of you.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, damn.¡±


    Of course this beggar would be asking me for money.


    ¡®He found the wrong person.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t proud of it, but I never once put 10 won in the Salvation Army donation box during my 26 years of living. Therefore, I had no intention of helping a beggar in the game.


    ¡®How can I help when I am trying to stay alive in the first ce?¡¯


    I turned around calmly as the beggar ced a hand on my shoulder.


    "Can¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    ¡°I heard you.¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you answering?¡±


    ¡°Why would I reply to a beggar?¡±


    The man¡¯s face distorted. ¡°What? Beggar? I am a beggar?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t? You look exactly like a beggar.¡±


    ¡°Kuk! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    Was this beggar insane? Why was heughing all of a sudden?


    "Hey Mister, would you mind being quiet? This ce smells of mermen blood and other merman might appear, so it will be dangerous to make loud noises.¡±


    Gurgle gurgle!


    As we were talking, a huge foam started to rise from the bottom of the waterfall. In the end, new mermen emerged. I guessed that more than six would appear, so I had wanted to leave this ce as quickly as possible.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I could fight more than seven.¡¯


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    I was hurrying away when the beggar called out to me again. But I responded without stopping.


    "Hey beggar, if you don¡¯t want to die, then just leave. Well, I don¡¯t care if you die or not. Then I¡¯m going...¡±


    Peeng!Peeng!Peeng!


    ... Damn. I was too dyed because of the beggar. 11 mermen popped out of the water, surrounding me and the beggar.


    ¡°Who...? Someone murdered our kin!¡±


    ¡°I will kill you... Kill him and chew up his heart!¡±


    I screamed towards the mermen. "I witnessed with my own eyes that this man killed your brethren!¡±


    My finger pointed towards the beggar. This wasn¡¯t an intentional act, it was instinctive. It was my nature to sacrifice other people for myself!


    ¡°You...! It was you!¡±


    The mermen believed my words immediately and turned their eyes towards the beggar. Then I hurried to escape. However...


    Chaeng!


    ¡®...Sword?¡¯


    It was clearly the sound of a sword. I reflexively looked back and saw the beggar holding a longsword that would¡¯ve been used in the past.


    ¡®That¡¯s clearly a sword! How does a beggar have such a thing?¡¯


    Perhaps he wasn¡¯t a beggar? Yes, it wasmon sense to think that no ordinary beggar would be in Kesan Canyon. An ordinary beggar wouldn¡¯t survive a day here!


    ¡®Then this person...!¡¯


    I btedly focused my attention above the beggar¡¯s head. Then I confirmed the name.


    ¡®Piaro.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who he was, but he was clearly an NPC. The fact that the NPC approached me first must be rted to a quest! The beggar, no Piaro spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like fish.¡±


    Sasak!Sasasasak!


    He was on apletely different dimension from me. I relied on my skills when dealing with the mermen. However, Piaro didn¡¯t use any skills. He just fought the 11 mermen with his sword skills.


    Clink.


    His sword shed a few times before Piaro ced his longsword back in his sheath. Then the mermen coughed up blood simultaneously and disappeared into grey light. I was stunned as I witnessed Piaro¡¯s ridiculous disy of strength. Then he said with a frown.


    "You are the type of person who will sacrifice innocents to survive... You are the type of person I hate most in the world.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    I was afraid that he might be killed, so I apologized. Then he shook his head. ¡°There is no need for any pretenses. I don¡¯t want to talk to you for too long, so I will cut to the chase. Help me.¡±


    Ttiring~


    There was a familiar sound and the quest notification window popped up.


    [The True Traitor of the Red Knights]


    Difficulty: S


    The Red Knights were once the strongest knight division on the continent. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the Saharan Empire could now exist because of the Red Knights.


    Asmophel, the vice captain of the Red Knights, had a secret rendezvous with the Empress. Then he framed Piaro, who knew the truth.


    Due to Asmophel skillfully borrowing the power of the Empress, Piaro and his men were framed as traitors to the Emperor and were forced to flee.


    Piaro couldn¡¯t forgive Asmophel or the imperial family, who drove the lives of hisrades to the brink of ruin.


    But it was impossible for Piaro to move directly due to the trackers scattered throughout the continent, who were released by Asmophel.


    In the end, Piaro was forced to give up on revenge himself and needed to entrust it to an agent.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Punish Asmophel.


    Quest Clear Reward: Title ¡®Agent of Revenge.¡¯


    * Agent of Revenge: The ¡®Cruelty¡¯ stat will be opened.


    Attack Power +100. Skill ¡®Murderous Impulse¡¯ will be generated.


    Quest Failure: Level -4.


    The Saharan Empire was adjacent to the Eternal Kingdom. However, it was natural to take a long time to go there and back. Furthermore, I needed to punish the vice captain of a knight¡¯s division. Even Leo, who was called the Northern Nova, was just a chick in front of Asmophel.


    ¡®I like the reward, but there is no guarantee of sess and the distance is too far. It is wiser to create items at the smithy rather than doing this quest.¡¯


    I made a decision and firmly declined. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time or ability to help you.¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    Piaro clicked his tongue.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the reward?¡±


    ¡°No, I don ¡®t have the time or ability.¡±


    ¡°I am familiar with people like you. You must be hoping for a bigger reward by taking advantage of my desperate situation.¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. It isn¡¯t about the reward. I really don¡¯t have the time or ability to help you.¡±


    "Bah, I will add my sword as a reward.¡±


    [Piaro has changed the quest reward.]


    Quest Clear Reward: Title ¡®Agent of Revenge¡¯ Piaro¡¯s longsword.


    * Agent of Revenge: The ¡®Cruelty¡¯ stat will be opened.


    Attack Power +100.


    Skill ¡®Murderous Impulse¡¯ will be generated.


    * Piaro¡¯s longsword.


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 110/213 Attack Power: 387 uracy: +10%


    The skill ¡®Hatred¡¯ will be generated.


    * Stamina -100.


    It is somewhat damaged, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it is a great sword. But it is cursed because it contains Piaro¡¯s strong grudge. There is some risk involved in using it.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher. More than 900 strength.


    More than 300 agility. Advanced Sword Mastery.


    It was difficult to talk about the options since I didn¡¯t know what skill ¡®Hatred¡¯ was. But the attack power was great.


    ¡®It is a one-handed sword, but the attack power exceeded the legendary rated Sword of Self-transcendence... Of course, the level limit was 30 levels higher than the Sword of Self-transcendence. But considering the difference in rating, this attack power was really amazing. It is definitely an item that can be sold at an expensive price.¡¯


    I was greedy. Why did I want to make items? To make money. But even if I made dozens or hundreds of items, there was no guarantee that items with a unique or higher rating would be produced. Perhaps I could obtain bigger rewards from this quest than from making items, since the item could be sold for a high price.


    ¡®But I truly don¡¯t have the capabilities.¡¯


    I was strong. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to face the vice captain of the once strongest knight division on the continent. I needed to calm down. I closed my eyes tightly and turned away from Piaro¡¯s longsword.


    "I truly don¡¯t have the ability to carry out your request.¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    Piaro bit his lip. He seemed angry.


    "You truly are a greedy person. Don¡¯t you know that excessive greed can be a poison?¡±


    Words didn¡¯t work. This vaguely familiar situation made me recall someone I had forgotten. Yes, Doran. No matter how much I rejected the quest, I somehow ended up doing Doran¡¯s quest. Piaro resembled Doran.


    ¡®I might be dragged into the quest if I don¡¯t show a definite attitude.¡¯


    I came out strongly. "How many times do I have to say it? When did I say that I don¡¯t like the rewards? I don¡¯t have the ability, the ability! Why are you misunderstanding a person in a strange way?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the ability? It isn¡¯t easy to kill canyon lizards, lizardmen, spiders, eagles, crocodiles, wolves and six mermen at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    W-What was up with this guy? How did he know everything I did in Kesan Canyon? This must be...!


    ¡°Y-You! Are you a stalker? What do you want from me? Surely not my virginity...! Dirty bastard!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say it? All I want is Asmophel¡¯s death. It seems talking won¡¯t work with you.¡±


    Peok!


    Piaro hit my thigh with his sheath. Then I literally fell to my knees.


    [You have suffered 7,500 damage.]


    [The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.]


    [The Apostle of Justice is in a crisis. You won¡¯t easily copse in front of the enemies.]


    [All stats will increase by 30%.]


    "W-What...?"


    My health fell just from a hit on my thigh from a sheath? He also took care of 11 mermen in an instant. Who was this person? As I was feeling appalled, Piaro looked down at me with cold eyes.


    "Make sure to answer. Will you ept my request? Or will you die here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was mistaken when I thought Piaro was like Doran. Doran was stubborn, but nice. This man waspletely different. He was more like a demon. A selfish demon!


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...! An NPC will kill me if I refuse the quest... What the hell is this...?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Answer me.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! I¡¯d rather die! If I fail the quest, I will lose four levels and waste my time. But if I die here, I will just lose experience! Hmph. I would prefer that! I will be resurrected in Winston so it will save me some time!¡±


    "... Really, you don¡¯t know what a life is worth. Why did God create immortal beings like you, and why are you living among ordinary humans like us? I can¡¯t understand, no matter how I think about it.¡±


    An NPC was questioning the existence of a user. I was temporarily speechless at the intelligence of an NPC. Then Piaro nced at me.


    "Get lost.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Get out of my sight.


    ¡°Q-Quest. No, weren¡¯t you going to kill me if I refuse your request?¡±


    "Bah, I don¡¯t have the hobby of killing innocent people.¡± Piaro left this ce. Just beforepletely disappearing from my field of view, he stopped and said. ¡°If you are willing to ept my requestter,e here. I¡¯m not forcing you. It¡¯s just hope.¡±


    Thus, my brief encounter with Piaro ended. Then I returned to Winston. In the process, I fought several monsters in the canyon and reached level 95, investing all the stat points into intelligence.


    ¡®Shit, I¡¯m like a magician.¡¯


    Investing stat points in intelligence just to increase the amount of mana! It was regrettable, no matter how I thought about it. But I got some happy news.


    [The skill level of cksmith¡¯s Rage has risen.]


    [The skill level of Unbreakable Justice has risen.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage]


    Lv. 2


    Increases attack power by 15% and attack speed by 30% for 30 seconds.


    Skill Mana Cost: 40


    Skill Cooldown Time: 60 seconds


    [Unbreakable Justice]


    Lv. 2


    Deals 320% of your attack power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 90 seconds


    In the case of Wind st and Quick Movements, they were skills built into the Ideal Dagger, so the skill level wouldn¡¯t increase no matter how many times I used it. But cksmith¡¯s Rage and Unbreakable Justice were my own skills. Like any ordinary skills, it gained experience and the level rose.


    I realized I was bing stronger as I saw the effects of the upgraded skills.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    Khan weed me as I returned from Kesan Canyon. "You defeated the ghastly monsters in Kesan Canyon! You¡¯re truly amazing! How about it? Did you learn Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship properly?¡±


    "Of course."


    "Can you give me the chance to appreciate the great swordsmanship that thrilled my ancestor?¡±


    ¡°Okay. It is narrow here, so let¡¯s go to the yard.¡±


    This was Khan¡¯s smithy. I picked up the Ideal Dagger in a ce where there was a lot of firewood. Then I activated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    I danced, scattering blue light in every direction. Khan was impressed by the spectacr sight.


    ¡°Ohhhh! Amazing! It is so beautiful and intense!¡±


    "In fact, there are four other sword techniques, but it has to end here today.¡±


    ¡°Why? I want to watch the rest of the sword dance.¡±


    I wanted to show off to Khan. But I currently only had 630 mana! After activating Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and using Wave, I only had 260 mana left. I didn¡¯t have any mana for another technique. In the end, I had to be honest.


    "I don¡¯t have enough mana to use it continuously. I can drink mana potions, but it¡¯s a waste of money.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I see. Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped. Now follow me.¡±


    Khan dragged me into the smithy. Then he picked up Dainsleif on the second floor and handed it to me.


    ¡°This is the promised reward. You are Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so I believe you can understand and use Dainsleif more than anyone else.¡±


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been acquired.]


    [Quest sess!]


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 451~635 Attack Speed: -8%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ has been generated.


    A work created by Albatino, the first human to receive the nickname of ¡®craftsman before Pagma¡¯s era. He attempted the reproduce the mythical weapon, Dainsleif.


    It is farckingpared to the original Dainsleif, but he seeded in restoring some of its features, making it a masterpiece on its own.


    It was acimed as a ¡®masterpiece of human history¡¯ by the founder of the Eternal Kingdom and king of the north, Loran.


    The legendary cksmith Pagma is said to have received great inspiration from Albatino¡¯s work.


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher. More than 1,800 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 1,580


    The conditions of use were fairly high, but it was a weapon that was above the Sword of Self-transcendence when just looking at the function. I believed that Dainsleif was currently one of the top weapons that existed in Satisfy.


    ¡®Only top rankers would have a weapon like this in their hands.¡¯


    I really liked Dainsleif. First of all, it was a greatsword. Secondly, the performance was good. Finally, I liked the appearance. Dainsleif was around 3m and 20cm in length. Its appearance was overwhelming. The de made of ck iron expressed elegance and strength at the same time. While the silver handle made of mithril wasn¡¯t much to boast of, it made a subtle and elegantbination of ck and silver.


    If I carried this on my back, it was clear that everyone would look at me with envy.


    ¡®If I enhance it, won¡¯t it generate an amazing effect?¡¯


    I was thrilled and vigorously shouted. ¡°Okay! Next is Valha!¡±


    Khan had been waiting for someone who could use and appreciate the value of Dainsleif and Valha. And that person was none other than me.


    ¡°Khan! What next? How do I obtain Valha?¡±


    Khanughed and patted my shoulder. "First of all, let me rest. If I get rid of it too quickly, I¡¯m afraid my medical conditions will act up.¡±


    Based on Khan¡¯s reaction, it seems I didn¡¯t meet the conditions for the second ss quest yet. I nodded towards Khan, believing that someday the time woulde.


    ***


    The Eighth Servant appeared! All users belonging to the Yatan Church gained 20% more experience for a certain period of time. As a result, the number of new users who signed up for the Yatan Church increased dramatically.


    In the end, everything resulted in the Yatan Church¡¯s growth. The world showed a great interest in how the growth of the Yatan Church, the most impure and wicked among all forces in Satisfy, would affect the future of Satisfy.


    Most of them had negative interpretations.


    ¡°It will be difficult to maintain Satisfy¡¯s security if the Yatan Church keeps growing. Even now, there are cities where the number of NPC victims are increasing exponentially and the poption is sharply decreasing. There are countless viges that disappeared altogether. The Alliance must be victorious in battle against the Yatan Church.¡±


    There were also people guarded against Yura¡¯s growth.


    ¡°The Eighth Servant is definitely Yura. As a high ranking member of the Yatan Church, she will enjoy tremendous sess as the Yatan Church bes stronger. It is something that regr users can¡¯t even imagine! Then the confrontation between rankers will be a one-sided game!¡±


    Well, there were many other concerns. But I had no interest in such things.


    ¡®I¡¯m busy with my own life. It¡¯s painful that Yura is eating all the good things alone, but wasn¡¯t it originally like that? It¡¯s funny to be jealous now.¡¯


    Three days had passed since I returned from Kesan Canyon. In the meantime, I just devoted myself to making items.


    But in those three days, I only made three normal and one rare rated item...


    "The production rate is really dirty. This is why it¡¯s better to make money by hunting. When will I earn the money to pay off the debt? Sigh.¡±


    I wanted to rush towards the northern snowfields right away. I would be able to raise my level by hunting the frostlight orcs while collecting the sylphid scales at the same time.


    ¡®It would be nice to collect 20 sylphis scales and make the Hooded Zip Up... I can also raise my experience by leveling up.¡¯


    But the sylphid scales had a terrible drop rate. I needed to repay the interest on the debt in five days of real time, so it was difficult to expect anything with the low drop probability.


    ¡®Let¡¯s concentrate on making items for five days. I need stable profit to pay off the interest. If I don¡¯t pay off the interest, a foreclosure notice might arrive.¡¯


    ¡°Are you Mr. Grid?¡±


    While I was sighing over my life, two soldiers arrived at the smithy.


    "What is it?"


    I was in a bad mood so I spoke bluntly, and they immediately replied. ¡°The administrator is urgently searching for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh...?¡±


    It seemed to be a continuation of the Business with the Administrator quest.


    ¡¯What do I need to make this time?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it possible to earn arge amount of money this time? I headed towards the castle with expectant thoughts.


    The administrator¡¯s office. Once I entered, the administrator handed me a scroll like he had been waiting.


    ¡°It is urgent. Would you be able to produce an item with this production method?¡±


    "What is it?"


    I opened the scroll.


    [¡¯Divine Shield¡¯ Production Method]


    Prerequisite: Advanced cksmith Mastery Level 3 or higher.


    * Divine Shield: A shield that contains the power of Reba, the goddess of light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher.


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    I was being given this precious production method?


    The administrator asked me cautiously. "You don¡¯t have the ability to understand and make this?¡±


    I shook my head. "Nope, I can understand and learn it easily.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! If so, please learn it and make this shield!¡±


    It was a chance to learn how to make a level 190 item for free. There was no reason for me to refuse. But there was a separate matter.


    "I can make the shield ording to the production method, but I don¡¯t have the divine power to imprint on the shield.¡±


    An item containing divine power couldn¡¯t bepleted with a cksmith alone. I needed help from a priest or magician. It seemed the administrator also knew this.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I already have a priest prepared.¡±


    The administrator looked to one side. I looked over and saw a young man in a white garment, with the symbol of Goddess Reba on it.


    ¡¯What, who is this person?¡¯


    Despite being in the same room, I hadn¡¯t been able to detect him at all. He was a strange person who didn¡¯t give off any presence, even when I was facing him now. I felt an instinctive difort.


    The priest ignored my vignce and greeted me. ¡°I am Cassus. This body serves Reba, the goddess of light. Please look after me.¡±


    The name above Cassus¡¯ head was green. In other words, he was an NPC. I answered warily. "Ah, yes. Thank you.¡±


    Then a quest information rose up.


    [Business with the Administrator (2)]


    Level of difficulty: AA


    Winston is defenseless after consecutive losses and great damage to the troops.


    Administrator Valdi needs the Divine Shield to prepare for the Yatan Church¡¯s counterattack.


    You must work with Cassus, a priest who serves Goddess Reba, toplete the Divine Shield.


    Quest Clear Conditions: A Divine Shield with a minimum of an epic rating delivered within two days.


    Quest eptance Reward: Learn how to make the Divine Shield.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Depends on the level of the item delivered.


    Quest Failure: The business deal with the administrator is cancelled and the quest will be destroyed.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    There was no reason to refuse. No, I was looking forward to the quest. But there was one thing I had to consider.


    "Is the Yatan Church likely to invade Winston?¡±


    ¡°In order for the enemy to advance here, they must go through Kinban Fortress. And Kinban Fortress holds the elite army of the north. So the possibility of enemy forces invading Winston is very slim. But we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that a small number will sneak in here to attack. The Divine Shield is necessary to go against them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I see. I hope my strength will be a help.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    [You have acquired the method to make the Divine Shield.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    ¡®Okay...!¡¯


    I rejoiced as the production method for the Divine Shield entered my hands and the administrator urged me. ¡°There¡¯s no time! There¡¯s a smithy in the castle, so make the shield there!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even waste time going back and forth from Khan¡¯s smithy?


    ¡°I need to buy the materials needed to make it, so I have to stop by the market.¡±


    "I will give you a servant to do all the menial work.¡±


    "If you say so...¡±


    I headed straight to the smithy in the castle. The level of the cksmith was much lower than Khan, but the facilities wereparable to Khan¡¯s smithy. I opened the scroll.


    [Do you want to learn how to make the Divine Shield?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [You have learned how to make the Divine Shield.]


    [Divine Shield]


    Rating: Rare ~ Legendary


    Rare Rating Information:


    Durability: 360/360 Defense: 189 Magic Resistance: 150


    * There is a rare chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 430/430 Defense: 230 Magic Resistance: 181


    * There is a certain probability ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 510/510 Defense: 295 Magic Resistance: 238


    * There is a certain probability ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Light¡¯ will be generated.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 680/680 Defense: 370 Magic Resistance: 280


    * There is a high chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Light¡¯ will be generated.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Favor¡¯ will be generated.


    A shield that contains the power of Reba, the goddess of Light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    Conditions of Use: Level 190 or more. More than 500 strength.


    More than 1,000 divine power. A member of the Reba Church.


    Weight: 800


    ¡®The minimum rating is rare...¡¯


    I checked the details of the Divine Shield and the list of materials required.


    ¡®A magic stone is in the centre and will be the medium to inject the divine power. Mithril will be used for the skeleton then covered in steel. And gold ting? I need gold?¡¯


    Reba, the goddess of light, had two symbols. One was the sun and the second was gold. It meant arge amount of gold was required to make the Divine Shield.


    ¡¯Magic stones, mithril and gold. The value of the materials is great. This is truly a luxury item.¡¯


    The main ingredients needed to make the shield were one top grade magic stone, 2kg of mithril ore, 15kg of iron ore and 400g of gold. I had the helper that the administrator lent me a list of materials needed to make two shields.


    After a while. The helper came with the ingredients and submitted a receipt.


    ¡°The total purchase cost is 16,935 gold and 20 silver.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I needed this much money to make just two shields! This was close to my entire fortune!


    ¡¯Even if it is guaranteed to be finished with at least the rare rating... if the materials cost is too high, I will receive damage if it ends up with just a rare rating.¡¯


    The administrator needed a Divine Shield that had at least the epic rating. In the worst case, if only rare shields were created, I would have to sell it elsewhere. However, the terms of use meant it was limited to the Reba Church.


    ¡®Ah, this is shit.¡¯


    It was ominous. I didn¡¯t like it. I thought about giving up the quest.


    ¡¯But even if the materials are expensive...the profits will be higher if an epic rating emerges.¡¯


    Two shields, one of which must have at least the epic rating! After a long period of thinking, I made a decision and took out a hammer.


    ¡°I will make it.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The quest duration was only two days. I immediately began smelting steel and mithril. Suddenly, I was surprised to see Cassus standing quietly at the wall behind me.


    ¡¯What? He¡¯s still here?¡¯


    Cassus seemed to have followed me from the administrator¡¯s office. But he didn¡¯t have any presence, so I wasn¡¯t aware he was behind me. An expressionless face! Pale skin! Those rotten eyes! It was the pious appearance of a priest of the goddess of light.


    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Cassus?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Why don¡¯t you go rest? Your turn won¡¯t be for a while.¡±


    Cassus shook his head. "I appreciate the courtesy, but I can¡¯t. You can¡¯t suffer alone. I will pray to Goddess Reba while watching. It will be a prayer to help you produce a great shield.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Unlike my first impression, he was a good person. But it wasn¡¯t all good.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know that I don¡¯t want to see that ghastly face?¡¯


    I suppressed the words I wanted to say and devoted myself to the production. How much time passed? As the night deepened, the other cksmith fell asleep. I finally finished smelting the mithril, which was quite a struggle.


    ¡°Ah, mithril is a tricky material.¡±


    The moment I took a break to take out bread and water...


    ¡°Have this.¡±


    ¡°Hiik!


    I freaked out as I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to see Cassus holding cheese in his hand.


    ¡°Y-You! Have you been standing there the whole time?¡±


    Cassus nodded and replied with an expressionless face. ¡°Yes. I have been praying.¡±


    "No, to be honest, praying doesn¡¯t help anything so just go and rx...¡±


    Cassus¡¯ face changed for the first time. He lightly frowned. "Reba is the goddess of light. This light epasses all positive energy, including good luck. My prayer will surely invoke your good luck.¡±


    When I thought about it, I made a mistake disparaging prayer in front of a religious person. I didn¡¯t want such a frightening person to have a grudge against me. I nodded. ¡°I see. I am ignorant about faith and made a mistake. I¡¯m sorry. Then please continue to pray.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cassus immediately joined his hands together, closed his eyes and started praying.


    ¡®He is a very active person.¡¯


    I started work again after eating the bread and cheese from Cassus. Then one hourter. I fixed the magic stone to the mithril skeleton and called out to the praying Cassus.


    ¡°Now it is your turn. Infuse it with divine power.¡±


    Cassus stepped forward silently. He fell to his knees in front of the magic stone and started praying to Goddess Reba.


    ¡°Oh~! In the name of Goddess Reba!¡±


    h h.


    He started an even longer prayer.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t sit down and prayed all night, but he still has this much stamina... Amazing.¡¯


    I became drowsy. I fell asleep and woke up when I heard Cassus¡¯ gentle voice.


    ¡°Mr. Grid, the divine power infusion is over.¡±


    ¡°Hiik!


    As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Cassus¡¯ pale face and dark eyes. This bastard, he was a priest but he looked more like a demon.


    "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Did he have to ask? Has he looked in the mirror? I wanted to confront Cassus, but I refrained.


    ¡°It is nothing. Now shall I begin?"


    I continued to make the shield until the sun came up. I spent 23 hours making the shield. I usually invested 20 hours when making an item, but this time was different. I didn¡¯t willingly invested 23 hours to make one. I needed 23 hours to make it.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯


    Dealing with mithril and the magic stone was very difficult. It would be different if my experience was higher, but it was hard for the current me.


    ¡®It requires Advanced cksmith Mastery level 3 or higher, so isn¡¯t it a difficult item to make? Experience also ys an important role.¡¯


    Satisfy pursued realism. Even if a user had the same level and skill, the user who had more experience with the skill would use it more efficiently. Item production was simr. As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, I knew how to smelt mithril. However, since I had never actually smelted mithril, I needed to spend a lot of time smelting.


    ¡¯Well, now that I¡¯ve umted some experience, I can make the next shield faster.¡¯


    I embarked on the production of the second shield. The cksmith watching from the side questioned me.


    "Haven¡¯t you made one shield up to the stage just beforepletion? You only have the gold ting left, so why are you working on a new shield instead of finishing it?¡±


    "I want toplete both at the same time.¡±


    I told the cksmith the truth.


    ¡®If the first shield Iplete has a rare rating, my motivation willpletely fall. It is better not knowing the rating until it is over.¡¯


    I only had enough materials to make two shields. So I was going toplete both at the same time and wish that one of them would be above the epic rating.


    ***


    Lim Cheolho, the CEO of the S.A Group and developer of Satisfy, was rumored to work 20 out of 24 hours. People thought that Lim Cheolho only took a break to sleep. But that was somewhat exaggerated.


    Lim Cheolho also had a separate rest time. Heyfortably on the office sofa for one hour a day to monitor Satisfy¡¯s users. In thest few days, Lim Cheolho was intensively monitoring Grid.


    "Hoh, indeed.¡±


    Lim Cheolho kept eximing. His eyes were shining, like a child watching an exciting cartoon.


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    He meant it. Lim Cheolho was greatly interested in Grid. Grid didn¡¯t y the game efficiently, unlike most users. Nor did he use any shortcuts. He yed simply and honestly. Whenever he made an item, he invested 20 hours of Satisfy time.


    Wasn¡¯t this too pure? Lim Cheolho liked this type of pureness.


    ¡°Hahaha! This is ridiculous! He defeated a level 188 knight in such a lucky manner! Ohh, he received a partnership offer from a NPC? How refreshing. Huh, Grid¡¯s works achieved the highest auction prices. Oh my...it is too much to sell a legendary item to a NPC. But it is really fun watching such a user. Um? He didn¡¯t recognize Doran¡¯s ring that Irene is holding? Isn¡¯t this a pity? If he did, his rtionship with Irene would grow. Hoh, creating a transparent cloak is a smart choice. Um? In the end, he isn¡¯t even trying to make the invisibility cloak? Well, he¡¯ll be able to make it someday. Ohh! A two-man raid! Hrmm, he got a lot of levels and some items, but I would¡¯ve liked it if he focused more on finding Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Okay, he finally found Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. No? Hahaha! Imitating the murals for hours! What a masterpiece!¡±


    Sometimes Lim Cheolho wasplimentary, sometimes he was regretful, sometimes admiring and sometimes excited when he watched Grid. Then he got angry for the first time at a certain part.


    ¡°No! Why did he turn down Piaro¡¯s quest? It would¡¯ve been a good result!¡±


    Asmophel, who Piaro asked to be punished, was now severely ill. Grid would be able to clear the quest. Then he would receive a great reward. But Grid was overly cautious and missed the golden opportunity.


    "He has changed since Kesan Canyon. At first, he acted in an unnned and impromptu manner, but now he has his own ns. But he is still inexperienced and immature...¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin called Grid a fool. It was because Grid couldn¡¯t properly exert the efficiency of a legendary ss. Lim Cheolho hadughed, but as he watched, it felt like he understood a little bit of Yoon Sangmin¡¯s frustration.


    One day, Yoon Sangmin had said this:


    ¡¯If I was Grid, I would¡¯ve joined a guild. No matter how low my level, I would be able to sign up to a top level guild just because I have a legendary ss. Then I would grow with the support of the guild. They would support the cost of items and help with quests. Wouldn¡¯t he clear the ss quest sooner if he had the support of a guild? By now, I would¡¯ve moved with arger goal! But he doesn¡¯t have the capacity and is trying to do everything alone. He doesn¡¯t move with any great ns. He is just staying in a smithy and making items.¡¯


    It was true. Most people would probably think like Yoon Sangmin. He was confident that he could do better if he was Grid.


    But Lim Cheolho questioned it.


    ¡°Is it fun to y like that?¡±


    Satisfy was already recognized as another reality. People who considered Satisfy a mere game were rare. Sess in Satisfy would equal sess in reality. Therefore, users who yed Satisfy only pursued efficiency.


    But Satisfy was essentially a game. Lim Cheolho produced Satisfy for it to be enjoyed by people. So users should enjoy ying it. Those who yed like others might soon lose interest in the game.


    Lim Cheolho didn¡¯t want that.


    "It isn¡¯t obliged to have an obsession with Satisfy. Grid should y as he likes.¡±


    But Lim Cheolho overlooked one thing. While watching Grid, Lim Cheolho thought that Grid was a user who simply enjoyed ying the game. However, the reality was quite different. Grid was ying Satisfy with the hopes of seeding. He just didn¡¯t have the ability!


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lim Cheolho saw the administrator of Winston Castlemission Grid to make the shield, as well as the priest of the Reba Church. ¡°This...?¡±


    Lim Cheolho brought his wristwatch to his mouth and spoke. "Morpheus."


    After a moment, a voice was heard from Lim Cheolho¡¯s watch.


    [Did you call me?]


    "Please search the list of NPCs currently in G-HFO6C1E. Is Isabel among them?¡±


    [No.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Doubt appeared on Lim Cheolho¡¯s face.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    The remaining time for the quest was two hours! Then I finished the ting for one shield. The information of the finished item popped up.


    [Divine Shield]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 360/360 Defense: 189 Magic Resistance: 150


    * There is a rare chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    Thanks to the power of Cassus, a priest of the Reba Church, it shines with the divine power of the goddess of light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher. More than 500 strength. More than 1,000 divine power. A member of the Reba Church.


    Weight: 800


    [A rare rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +2 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +30.]


    ¡°T-This is shit.¡±


    The first final product was a rare rated shield. I was hoping for it to have at least the epic rating, so I was beyond frustrated.


    ¡°...One of my hopes has disappeared.¡±


    I invested almost all my fortune in making these two shields. If the next shield was rare rated and this quest failed, it would be hard for me to break even. As I shook from the anger that I couldn¡¯t endure, Cassus spoke.


    ¡°The other one will be finished with good results.¡±


    I eximed. "I thought you said that praying would have a clear effect! But what is this? Does a god really exist?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Cassus didn¡¯t say anything, despite being the target of my venting. There was no change in his expression, but he seemed to think I was being absurd. I had been stuck with him for thest two days, so it was possible to read his expressionless face to a certain extent.


    ¡°Ah...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t me the innocent Cassus. It was just my dirty luck. I apologized and carefully finished ting the remaining shield. Then...


    [Perfect Divine Shield]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 680/680 Defense: 370 Magic Resistance: 280


    * There is a high chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Light¡¯ will be generated.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Favor¡¯ will be generated.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    Thanks to the power of Cassus, a priest of the Reba Church, it shines with the divine power of the goddess of light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher. More than 500 strength. More than 1,000 divine power. A member of the Reba Church.


    Weight: 800


    [An legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +25 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +1,000.]


    ¡°K-Keok!¡±


    I was so surprised that my breath was blocked for a moment. Cassus¡¯ pallid face smiled for the first time as he looked closely at the shield.


    "Congrattions."


    ¡°...¡±


    His pale skin and eyes gave off a bad impression when he was emotionless, but he looked good when he smiled like this. I felt some appreciation towards Cassus for the first time.


    ¡°This is all thanks to your prayers!¡±


    ¡°It is Goddess Reba¡¯s divine favor.¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Goddess Reba, hooray! Hooray! Hooray!¡±


    ¡°Goddess Reba is eternal. Don¡¯t cheer for her like that.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    "Now, let¡¯s return to the administrator.¡±


    "Understood!"


    I ced the shields in my inventory and rushed off quickly, filled with a desire to show the shields to the administrator as quickly as possible. However, Cassus didn¡¯tg behind my speed, despite only seeming like he was walking.


    ¡®Is he walking so fast because his legs are long?¡¯


    We arrived at the administrator¡¯s office as I was thinking.


    ¡°You came.¡±


    The administrator who always greeted me energetically was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡®His face doesn¡¯t look good. Did he have a fight with his wife? But his depressed mood will be gone the moment he sees this!¡¯


    I handed the legendary Divine Shield to the administrator.


    ¡°Now, how about this? Isn¡¯t it impressive? No, isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The administrator didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked closely at the Divine Shield. Heh, he was struck speechless. Last time I made a legendary sword, and now it was a legendary shield! He must be wondering if it was possible for such a great cksmith to exist in the world, while also being confused over whether this was a dream or not.


    ¡®Even I am wondering if this is a dream.¡¯


    As the number of items that I made increased, I couldn¡¯t help getting a feeling. In order to create high rated items, it was necessary to have good luck, quality materials, time invested, and effort.


    The first item I made in Bairan Vige were the epic rated Special Jaffa Arrows, so I thought it was easy to make an epic rated item.


    But what was the truth? I was mistaken.


    Since I made a unique rated dagger in a short time period during the item making game with Euphemina, I thought it was easy to make unique rated items for a while.


    But what was the truth? I was once again mistaken.


    ¡®Making a legendary item is like winning the lottery.¡¯


    Once I concluded that, I suddenly remembered Cassus¡¯ prayer.


    ¡®Maybe the prayer really did have an effect.¡¯


    I was sincerely grateful for his hard work in praying for the two days that I made the items. I turned my gaze towards Cassus. He was once again expressionless, but I didn¡¯t feel ufortable.


    I smiled at Cassus. Then his expression stiffened. ¡°Do you have anyints towards me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was my smiling face that strange? One day, I would have to practice smiling in front of a mirror. I was seriously considering it when the administrator opened his mouth.


    "Good work.¡±


    Huh? What was this boring reaction? Didn¡¯t he originally make a fuss? He was the one who made a fuss when I first came with the Sword of Self-transcendence, so why was he so calm this time?


    While I was surprised by the unexpected reaction, the administrator said to me. ¡°I will determine the value as soon as possible. You should go back for today.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you price the Sword of Self-transcendence immediately? Why do I have to go back empty handed today?¡±


    ¡°There is a financial crisis due to the recent war. I will set a price after meeting with thedy.¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm, okay.¡±


    I was convinced and extended a hand towards the administrator. The administrator asked with confusion, ¡°This hand?¡±


    What? I pointed to the Divine Shield in the administrator¡¯s hand.


    "That, give it to me.¡±


    The administrator frowned. "Why do I need to give it back?"


    "Eh?¡±


    What was wrong with this old man today? Did he take the wrong medication?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to return the item to the owner?¡±


    ¡°Owner? Are you the owner of this shield?¡±


    ¡°Then whose is it if it isn¡¯t mine?¡±


    ¡°You...what are you saying? The owner of this shield is someone we can¡¯t go against...!¡±


    The administrator¡¯s face reddened. He seemed sincerely angry.


    ¡®Someone we can¡¯t go against? Is he talking about Lady Irene? Anyway, money hasn¡¯t been paid yet, so isn¡¯t this shield mine? I am exercising ownership over my property, so why is he so angry?¡¯


    As I was feeling strange towards the administrator,


    "Guards! Come and capture this person!¡±


    The guards outside the administrator¡¯s office were summoned. Four guards armed with armor and spears rushed into the office. Then hesitated when they saw I was the target, but eventually followed orders and seized me.


    I was frustrated and offended. ¡°What are you doing right now? Why are you capturing an innocent person? Isn¡¯t this misconduct?¡±


    The administrator held the shield tightly and eximed. "Shut up! I treated you well due to your aplishments in the past, yet you dare to go beyond your means!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? It ismon sense. Who is the one in the wrong right now?¡±


    But the administrator didn¡¯t bother talking to me anymore. ¡°Lock him in the castle¡¯s dungeon right now!¡±


    ¡°What? Y-You crazy person!¡±


    The moment that the administrator was about to leave the office with the Divine Shield...


    ¡°Wait there.¡±


    Cassus blocked the administrator¡¯s way. Then he drew a cross over the administrator¡¯s head.


    ¡°Light of Purification.¡±


    Chwaaaaak!


    A brilliant light shed through the office. The light wasn¡¯t intense enough to hurt my eyes. Rather, the light gave off a restful feeling. Then the administrator looked around with surprise.


    ¡°Eh? What is this situation? What is everybody doing here? Grid, why are the guards capturing you? Eh? What is this shield? Why am I holding something like this?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Did the administrator already have dementia, despite only being middle-aged? The administrator was crying out with confusion. Then he suddenly staggered and fell down.


    ¡°A-Administrator?¡±


    As the guards rushed to support him, Cassus approached me and said. ¡°Indeed, the administrator was brainwashed by the Yatan Church.¡±


    "Brainwashed?"


    ¡°Didn¡¯t it say from the beginning? Only members of the Reba Church can handle the Divine Shield. There is no one in Winston who can use the Divine Shield. Even if the Divine Shield is owned, it is impossible for Winston to use it to defend against the Yatan Church. So why did the administrator ask you to create the Divine Shield?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it...¡±


    ¡°I was suspicious from the time the administrator asked the Reba Church to send a priest to make the Divine Shield. If the administrator was really trying to defend Winston using the Divine Shield, he would¡¯ve asked not just for help to make it, but the support of a pdin to use the shield.¡±


    ¡°I see. I made a small mistake. So I was suspected.¡±


    One of the four guards supporting the fallen administrator muttered. Cassus¡¯ gaze fell on the guard as a dark energy erupted from the guard¡¯s body. Then after a while, the darkness was lifted and the young guard became an old man.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I panicked and the rest of the guards were shocked.


    ¡°W-Who are you? Where did Roy go?¡±


    Theirpanion suddenly turned into an old man. The old man waved his hand like the guards were annoying. Then ck nails suddenly appeared in the air, killing the guards.


    Cassus saw him.


    "Dirty infidel, you dare tomit murder in front of a priest of Reba?¡±


    The old manughed at Cassus while picking up the Divine Shield that the administrator had dropped. ¡°From my point of view, you are the dirty infidel.¡±


    Peeng!


    Before the old man finished talking! An explosion urred and the wall of the office broke. A girl appeared from among the dust. ¡®Isabel¡¯ was written in green above her head, and she was a pretty girl in an embroidered blue dress, making her seem reminiscent of a heroine from a manhwa.


    Then Cassus rebuked Isabel. ¡°Why did you go through the wall when there is a door?¡±


    Isabel gave a refreshingugh. ¡°Isn¡¯t this cooler?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What was going on now? What the hell was going on? I couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Then Isabel raised a hand. A gold circle appeared in the air and a white spear emerged from it. The old man was shocked as he saw it.


    "Lifael¡¯s Spear...? D-Don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    ¡°What does the Yatan Church want with the Divine Shield?¡±


    Isabel smiled while holding the white spear.


    ¡°Unbelievable! Why is Reba¡¯s Daughter here...?¡±


    The old man was forced to run away from Isabel.


    ¡°Shall we y?¡±


    Isabel licked the spear before chasing after the old man, with Cassus following her. I was left alone in the office.


    "What is this? No, wait...¡±


    Something shed through my head.


    "Hey, this crazy geezer! My shield!¡±


    I btedly realized that the old man took my Divine Shield and rushed out of the office.


    Isabel and Cassus were at the end of the corridor. I thought I would be able to chase the old man if I followed them, but I couldn¡¯t keep up. Their running speed was on a different level from the general public.


    ¡®I am going to miss them!¡¯


    I squeezed out all my strength and ran. But in the end, Ipletely lost Isabel and Cassus.


    ¡°Pant... pant.. where? Which way did they go?¡±


    Winston Castle was veryrge. There were hundreds of rooms. I came to a point where it was impossible to figure out which direction Isabel and Cassus went in.


    ¡°Ugh...! It would be good if there were witnesses!¡±


    I wandered around the third floor of Winston Castle. As I walked down the corridors, I waited for a new notification window to appear. What notification window was I waiting for? Of course, it was the new quest notification window!


    I invested huge amounts of materials into the le.gen.da.ry. shield, so there should be a quest to retrieve the shield from the old man! But...


    ¡°...¡±


    Five minutester,


    ¡°...¡±


    10 minutester,


    ¡°...¡±


    30 minutes passed and a new quest information window didn¡¯t pop up.


    ¡°This really stinks.¡±


    Random quests were always foisted on me, so why didn¡¯t the desired quest appear in this situation?


    ¡°Shit! Shit! Is this a lie? Eh?"


    Was it so easy to lose a legendary item that I made? Wouldn¡¯t it sell for hundreds of millions of won?


    ¡°No way...¡±


    I was robbed of a legendary item! Uncontroble anger bubbled up.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaah! Gimme my shield, you @ ~ # $! I could pay off half my debt if I sold that, you #$!~^ jerks!¡±


    My shout contained all my heartbreak. But my cry only echoed in the void.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    A fortnight passed since the war between the Alliance and the Yatan Church began. In the process, the Giant Guild had gained many achievements, so they were celebrating today.


    "Congrattions on the master¡¯s inauguration as a lord! Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    The Giant Guild was one of the best guilds since Satisfyunched. Their guild master, Chris, was a top ranked yer who was third on the unified rankings. Chris, who was appointed as Lord of Pedro for his achievements on the battlefield, proimed towards his 530 guild members.


    "Now is the time for stabilization! For the next fortnight, we will stop going to battle! We will focus on Pedro¡¯s defense and strengthening our power! And!¡±


    Chris stopped talking and pulled out a leather armor. He once again checked the information of the armor.


    [Unexpectedly Comfortable Rat Leather Armor]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 24/24 Defense: 22 Movement Speed: +3%


    An armor made of rat leather by a craftsman with great skills and potential, butcks experience and reputation.


    It is designed and created so that the wearer won¡¯t be inconvenienced when moving. The wearer can move a little faster.


    The fact that this type of armor was made with meager materials is amazing.


    User Restriction: Level 13 or higher. Beginner Leather Armor Mastery.


    The unknown craftsman who created the first epic rated arrows and caused a hot topic for a while! How to find him? He desperately searched for a while, but couldn¡¯t even gain the slightest clue. However, not long ago, he identally found a clue while reading a post on amunity site.


    ¡®Please make it in time...!¡¯ Chris once again eagerly prayed.


    "Have half of the guild form a search team! Go to Winston! The goal is the unknown craftsman! Find him and invite him to the guild! No matter what conditions he presents, ept it unconditionally!¡±


    In order for the guild to be stronger quickly, they needed a number of high levelbat sses. But in order for the guild to be more robust andplete, it needed skillful support sses.


    Chris failed to invite Panmir and Steng, who were first and second ranked on the cksmith rankings. He seeded in inviting the fourth and fifth ranked cksmiths, but it was stillcking.


    Therefore, he wanted to invite the unknown craftsman. Chris wanted to establish the supremacy of the Giant Guild with him.


    ***


    ¡°We arecking in people.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild were too busy to worry about their mental conditions. They searched for Euphemina andpleted quests against the Yatan Church to increase the reputation of the guild. They were also still looking for the unknown craftsman.


    First of all, the Tzedakah Guild only had 17 members. The guild members might all be rankers, but they werecking the numbers to do various things at once.


    In the end, the guild members didn¡¯t think it was possible to maintain this and presented their opinion to Jishuka. Thus, a meeting was held.


    "Let¡¯s postpone Euphemina¡¯s death. The reason we want to kill her is to get revenge for our members and the dignity of the guild, but there is no immediate benefit. On the other hand, the Yatan rted quests and the unknown craftsman all directly benefit the guild. I think it is better to postpone the revenge and focus on the quests and finding the unknown craftsman.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It isn¡¯t easy to catch a girl who hides like a rat.¡±


    "7 votes for. 7 votes against. 3 people have abstained from voting.¡±


    "I think we should go ahead and proceed like we have been. If we quit along the way, rumors will increase. I¡¯d rather take off the quests rted to the Yatan Church. To be honest, we are skilled and can always improve our guild reputation without having to rely on these misceneous quests.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Getting revenge is a matter of our pride. It shouldn¡¯t be dyed. Has everybody forgotten about the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s pride?¡±


    "7 votes for. 5 votes against. 5 people have abstained from voting.¡±


    Regas, who had been watching the meeting progress silently, finally spoke up. ¡°What about looking for the unknown craftsman?¡±


    Jishuka asked Regas. "Do you think we should postpone it?¡±


    Regas instantly replied. "No, to be honest, don¡¯t you think it should have the highest priority? What about you?¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Jishuka concluded. "We will stop the Yatan rted quests. Concentrate our power on finding Euphemina and the unknown craftsman.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    After the meeting, the guild members scattered.


    Winston.


    The Tzedakah Guild was staying in this city. Due to many circumstances, it was likely that the unknown craftsman was staying here.


    "Hrmm, the meeting was boring. Huh?¡±


    After the meeting. Regas discovered an Asian person while he was going to his inn. Then a bright smile crossed his face.


    ¡°Hey! diator of the body!¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid, who had been walking with his head down, looked up with frustration when his path was blocked and someone called out to him. He recognized Regas straight away.


    ¡°Regas?¡±


    ¡°Haha! You know me? I thought you wouldn¡¯t remember.¡± Regas rejoiced.


    Grid sat down at the fountain and replied. "A good loan guarantor... No, you were the only one who defended me against the usations, so how could I forget you?¡±


    Several months ago, when he was at leve -3, Grid tried to participate in the Guardian of the Forest raid party. But when he applied, he became the subject of criticism by the other raid party members.


    At that time, the only one who believed and supported Grid was Regas. However, Grid felt reluctance rather than appreciation towards Regas. The pure and good nature was the opposite of Grid, and he also disliked the fact that he was handsome.


    But after a conversation, Regas seemed more naive than Grid thought and was someone who would act as a guarantor for a debt. So he finished the rtionship with Regas as neatly as possible.


    Now they met again! It was time to eat the rice that had beenid at that time.


    Regas was worried. ¡°Why is your expression so dark? Did something happen?¡±


    Grid made the saddest possible expression and exined. ¡°An old man stole my item.¡±


    Regas jolted with surprise.


    ¡°Such a wicked...! There is such a bad person in this world!?¡±


    ¡°Hah...it seems like it. People who take the livelihood of others should die.¡±


    Grid expressed his resentment. Regas nodded. "People like that should pay the price.¡±


    Grid started preparing to eat. "Hah...how good would it be if someone helped me... Well... there is no chance. In this harsh world, there is no one who would help others for free. Right?¡±


    Regas jumped up. "This world is harsh, what are you saying? This world is warm and beautiful!¡±


    "Is that right? Huh...but the world that I¡¯ve experienced is harsh and poisonous. Having my item stolen...¡±


    ¡°What is that item? It is that important?¡±


    "Yes...really important... It was my life... But I lost it... I think I willmit suicide...¡±


    Regas¡¯ face paled from fear. ¡°S-Suicide! You can¡¯tmit such a sin! Aren¡¯t you sorry towards your parents? Filial duty! Have you forgotten the spirit of Taekwondo?¡±


    "Hah, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so physically and mentally tired that I had a bad idea.¡±


    In the end, Regas bit the bait. ¡°This can¡¯t continue! I will help you! I can¡¯t forgive anyone who would deal such a big injury to others!¡±


    ¡®Yes! I got you!¡¯


    The moment Grid was cheering with delight...


    Peeok!


    Jishuka incidentally heard the conversation between the two people and hit Regas on the back of the head. Then she pulled at Regas¡¯ earlobe. "You¡¯re going to help someone? Haven¡¯t you forgotten a lot of things?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were shining as he looked at her. Tanned skin! Red and plump lips. Long and curved eyes! A big chest! Jishuka was the ideal girl that Grid had dreamed of.


    ¡°T-This?¡±


    Despite his earlobe still being pulled, Regas exined to the questioning Grid. ¡°She¡¯s my guild master. Ah! Ack! I-It hurts!¡±


    "Does it hurt, you pathetic bastard?¡±


    "Aaaagh!¡±


    Jishuka pulled Regas¡¯ earlobe more strongly and turned towards Grid. She sighed as she saw Grid look up and down her body with explicit eyes. She was used to attention from men, but it was still unpleasant. Even if this was virtual reality, not reality.


    "Hey you."


    ¡°Huh? Yes!"


    Grid came to attention as Jishuka called out to him. Grid was generally strong in front of women, but it was different when the woman was his ideal type. He couldn¡¯t help being nervous when standing in front of his dreams.


    Jishuka nced at him and sniffed. ¡°Newbie. Regas is busy right now, so you should take care of your own matters. Now then, we¡¯re going.¡±


    Jishuka kept holding Regas¡¯ earlobe and pulled him away.


    Newbie. Newbie. Newbie. Newbie...


    Grid looked at Jishuka¡¯s departing back while the word echoed in his mind. Then...


    "She looked at me like I was a dog.¡±


    An ideal type was just an ideal type. Grid recovered his spirit and caught up with Jishuka.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Jishuka was surprised when Grid, who couldn¡¯t even meet her eyes a short time ago, blocked her way. But it was only for a second. Jishuka gave him a rxed smile and crossed her arms, emphasizing her chest.


    "Why are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze focused on Jishuka¡¯s chest. But he quickly cleared his mind.


    "Can you give me Regas? He said he would help me. What right do you have to interfere?¡±


    "I have a natural right. I¡¯m his guild master. So he must follow mymands. Do you understand? Don¡¯t be offended and go away.¡±


    "Just because you¡¯re his guild master, doesn¡¯t give you the right.¡±


    "Then? Does a third party have the right?¡±


    Jishuka naturally had the advantage. Rather than fight with her, Grid chose to bow.


    ¡°...Please. I am really desperate right now.¡±


    "We are desperate as well. We can¡¯t spare any people.¡±


    "I¡¯m more desperate!"


    "We are more desperate!"


    ¡°I am more desperate!"


    ¡°We are!¡±


    ¡°Me!¡±


    Whisper.


    Arge number of people gathered as an adult man and woman began a childish argument. In particr, it caused a big wave because Jishuka was famous.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Jishuka?¡±


    ¡°Wow, that proud woman?¡±


    "Why is the guild master of the Tzedakah Guild squabbling like a child?¡±


    Jishuka grit her teeth as she heard those criticizing words. She felt like iming damagepensation for her ruined image and reputation.


    Meanwhile, Grid was unaware of what was happening around him, simply because he was really desperate. It was natural since hundreds of millions of won were stolen right in front of him. Now Grid¡¯s head was filled with reiming the Divine Shield.


    ¡°Please lend me Regas!¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t think of withdrawing, so Jishuka was forced to retreat.


    "Okay, let¡¯s leave it to Regas.¡± Jishuka let go of Regas¡¯ ear and then ced the burden on him. ¡°Do you know better than anyone what a desperate situation our guild is in right now? Do you have time to help others?¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    As Regas hesitated, Grid begged, ¡°Regas, I¡¯m asking you. You are the only one I can rely on.¡±


    Regas¡¯ worries didn¡¯tst long. Grid expressed that he lost everything and even wanted tomit suicide. At this time! He said Regas was the only one he could rely on.


    ¡°I will help!¡±


    Snap!


    In the end, Regas grabbed hold of Grid¡¯s hand.


    Pajik.


    There was the sound of something snapping in Jishuka¡¯s head. All of the spectators looked at her. However, both Grid and Regas didn¡¯t hear it.


    ¡°Thank you, Regas! I will consider you my lifelong benefactor!¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is nothing. After all, it is my responsibility to protect justice and help the needy!¡±


    Regas was very motivated. Jishuka wanted to use violence against Regas right now, but she couldn¡¯t act because there were too many eyes watching.


    ¡°... Yes, you have decided? Okay, I understand. Good luck.¡± Her red lips twitched as she suppressed the urge to curse. There was no energy in her voice.


    Regas bowed and apologized to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Please understand this once! I¡¯ll do this and then help you straight away! Now, Grid! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Grid and Regas left the area, leaving Jishuka alone in the end.


    "Choosing a guy you don¡¯t know over a friend of a few years...¡±


    The spectators watched her mutter and gossiped,


    "Jishuka was rejected for a man...¡±


    "It wasn¡¯t another woman, but a man.¡±


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Jishuka decided not to listen to the noises entering her ears.


    ¡®I will definitely break both of them.¡¯


    Then the spectators brought up an interesting story:


    "But that guy, isn¡¯t he a cksmith? Don¡¯t you know? Hepeted against that great beauty in the item creation game.¡±


    "Ah ~ The one who joined with Khan for a two-against-one match, but still lost to that woman?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡®Is that guy Khan¡¯s disciple?¡¯


    Apart from the whereabouts of Euphemina, the Tzedakah Guild also wanted to find Khan¡¯s disciple. He was the one whopeted with Euphemina, so he probably knew something about Euphemina.


    However, he was difficult to find because Khan never revealed his identity. Jishuka hurriedly whispered to Regas,


    ¡°Regas! The man with you is likely to be Khan¡¯s disciple! I have to talk to you right away! Where are you now?"


    [The recipient has blocked all whispers.]


    ¡°... This bastard.¡±


    Regas had blocked all whispers because he was afraid that Jishuka would threaten him with a whisper. Jishuka summoned a holographic keyboard. Then she spoke in the guild chat window.


    {Hey, Regas! Regas Regas Regas Regas Regas Regas Regas Regas Regas!}


    {Guild Master (?.?) Don¡¯t spam the chat.}


    {Shut up = _ = This isn¡¯t the time for jokes.}


    {??????}


    {Regas! Can¡¯t you see the chat? Hey! Do you really want to die?}


    {If he is quiet in front of your bombardment, has he blocked the guild chat? What is it? Did Regas get into another incident?}


    {Regas is with Khan¡¯s disciple! But he doesn¡¯t know that the person is Khan¡¯s disciple!}


    {Eh? Khan¡¯s disciple? ? ?; How did that guy end up with Regas?}


    {Anyway, find Regas right now! If he is Khan¡¯s disciple, he is likely to have a clue about Euphemina!}


    At this point, Jishuka and the Tzedakah Guild members couldn¡¯t imagine. Khan¡¯s disciple, who they just wanted to ask about Euphemina¡¯s whereabouts, was actually the unknown craftsman they wanted to meet!


    ***


    "Hrmm..."


    I exined the whole story to Regas. Of course, I omitted or changed some parts since Regas knew me as a cksmith, not a warrior. In the first ce, I only needed to convey a description of the thief.


    "So, Grid received a quest and went to Winston Castle, where a soldier suddenly turned into an elderly person and stole your item? You wanted to chase that old man, but ended up missing him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. A ck aura emerged from the soldier¡¯s body and he suddenly transformed...¡±


    ¡°A ck aura?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Regas thought carefully. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound like someone from the Yatan Church?¡±


    Such a thing? The Yatan Church believers were said to feel pain just facing the Divine Shield. But that old man was fine when holding the Divine Shield in his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a Yatan follower...¡±


    I cautiously denied it, but Regas shook his head.


    "It is definitely a Yatan follower. Those who deal with ck magic have a 90% chance of being a Yatan follower. Let¡¯s find the nearby hiding ces of the Yatan follower. If we defeat the hideouts one by one, we will find the one who robbed your item.¡±


    In the end, I added to the exnation. "No, in fact, the item that the old man stole was something that would deal great damage to the Yatan Church followers. But the old man easily touched the item, so he can¡¯t be part of the Yatan Church...¡±


    "If it was a high priest who transformed, he might not be influenced by the item because of his high faith.¡±


    "Is that right? Hrmm...¡± After a moment of worry, I finally made a decision. ¡°Okay. I will trust Regas¡¯ words. By the way, where is the hideout of the Yatan Church?¡±


    Regas scratched his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Don¡¯t we just need to find it?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Regas was a powerful person who was called a Taekwon Master. Hisbat strength would certainly be amazing. But he seemed to becking when it came to the intelligence aspect.


    ***


    ¡°...This ce?¡±


    Irene woke up in the darkness. Where was this ce? She couldn¡¯t tell. It felt like she had been asleep for a very long time. The voice of a man was heard while she was feeling confused.


    "Don¡¯t be afraid. Darkness is originally easy to adapt to. You will soon realize where this is.¡±


    As he said, Irene¡¯s eyes gradually adapted to the darkness. After a while, Irene discovered where this was.


    ¡°The Yatan Temple!¡±


    ¡°No. This is just amon cave that can be found everywhere. I just decorated it like a temple.¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    Irene found a man kneeling in front of a statue of God Yatan. The man turned his head and introduced himself.


    ¡°I am Mcus.¡±


    "......!"


    Irene knew who Mcus was. No, there were few people on the continent who didn¡¯t know the name.


    Mcus.


    He was the Sixth Servant of God Yatan and responsible for the sacrifices of the Yatan Church. It was Mcus who determined the number of virgins to be sacrificed every year. One word from him controlled the lives of many virgins on the continent.


    ¡°H-How are you...? Where is this ce? And why am I here?¡±


    Mcus got up. Then he slowly approached the confused Irene. "Winston Castle has a way of making the Divine Shield. Then I made a deal with a skilled cksmith.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    "Light exists to be colored in by darkness. Do you know? What will happen if the Divine Shield contains dark magic?¡±


    Mcus gave a wickedugh. Irene grabbed Doran¡¯s ring tightly with trembling hands.


    ¡®Doran... Doran!¡¯


    Doran was a shadow who protected the Steim family for a long time. Irene had been saved by Doran whenever she was in danger from her youth. However, now he was gone. That fact made Irene feel despair.


    Irene recalled Doran¡¯sst words.


    ¡¯If you find the man who knows this ring, lean on him. It was thanks to him that I was able to save My Lady this time... He will surely be a big help if he is by your side. Be sure to keep him with you.¡¯


    When would the man that Doran spoke about appear? Irene earnestly hoped for it.


    ¡¯Doran... please help me meet him.¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid and Regas arrived at Rolf Mountain. Grid was gasping for breath.


    "Pant... pant... what if all of this is in vain?¡±


    A day had passed and they went through all the forests and mountains near Winston, looking for the Yatan Church¡¯s hiding ce. Grid was tired and sleep deprived, but Regas was full of energy.


    ¡°If this is in vain, can¡¯t we just go to another mountain?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Regas spoke without hesitation while smiling widely. The usual Grid would¡¯ve already tackled him. But Grid was currently filled with the idea of finding the Divine Shield. So he followed after Regas with noints.


    Then when he reached the middle of Rolf Mountain.


    [Your persistence has risen.]


    As Grid checked the notification that had appeared 10 times already, Regas shouted.


    "This is the ce.¡±


    Grid turned his gaze towards where Regas was pointing. He discovered arge cave guarded by Yatan followers.


    ¡°The numbers aren¡¯t a joke... Aren¡¯t there at least 30 of them?¡±


    Winston¡¯s army had gone out several times under the pretext of subjugating the Yatan Church. Nevertheless, Grid never dreamed that there would still be so many followers in Winston.


    ¡®The army led by the strongest knight in the north... He was armed with the Sword of Self-transcendence, but he still lost. He really is ipetent.¡¯


    Grid was busy criticizing Phoenix.


    "Bring it on! You evil people!¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Grid was shocked. He wanted to move as secretly as possible to avoid the enemy¡¯s gaze, but Regas shouted loudly and jumped into the middle of the enemy.


    ¡®He is crazy!¡¯


    Regardless of whether Grid cursed him or not, Regas was very excited.


    "Isn¡¯t this quite good? Gale Attack!¡±


    Chachak!


    Regas¡¯ legs sprang up as quickly as the wind. The Yatan followers near him copsed. Regas was even more delighted when he saw a follower hit by him get up.


    ¡°Okay! These guys are strong! Bring it on! Force Palm!¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    The 30 against 1 fight started.


    ¡°......¡±


    The longer Grid spent with Regas, the harder it was to adjust to Regas.


    ¡®I need to regain my senses.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t see the old man among the 30 people outside the cave. Grid moved towards the cave, in the hope that the old man would be inside. He was able to move effortlessly because all the Yatan followers were distracted by Regas.


    The moment when he stepped into the cave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like uninvited guests.¡±


    A bizarre voice was heard inside the cave, giving the illusion that two voices were simultaneously talking. Then a notification window popped up.


    [God Yatan¡¯s Sixth Servant, Mcus has appeared.]


    [The mighty dark power has applied a fear, weakness and immobilizing effect.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t feel fear easily.]


    [You have resisted all the abnormal conditions.]


    [Mcus has unleashed a surprise magic attack.]


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    "......!"


    Grid noticed the ck des flying from the cave and quickly escaped.


    However, Regas was different. Despite being outside the cave, he was overwhelmed by Mcus¡¯ magic power and stood still. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t escape the flying magic and suffered great damage.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    "Kuk... I didn¡¯t think someone like this would be here.¡±


    Regas took a potion to restore his health and immediately changed his system setting.


    ¡°Whisper unblock. Guild chat unblock.¡±


    Then...


    {Hey you! You will die if you don¡¯t find Regas today!}


    {T-Take it easy, Master.}


    {Yes, excitement isn¡¯t good for your skin. Isn¡¯t Master a woman as well?}


    {Shut up... All of you, shut up! If you have time to chat, look for that bastard Regas!}


    ¡°......¡±


    The guild chat window was filled with chaos. Jishuka was reacting worse than Regas expected, so he hesitated for a moment before typing on the keyboard,


    {The slope of Rolf Mountain. Please send support.}


    The chaotic chat window became more frenzied.


    {Regas!}


    {Hey, Regas! What have you been doing all day? Why did you block the chat? Answer me!}


    {You don¡¯t know how we have been tortured because of you!}


    {Rolf Mountain...? I will visit you soon. ^^}


    Kwa kwang!Kwang!


    Regas avoided the ck magic that the followers were shooting from all directions, elbowed the face of the closest believer, and typed in the chat again.


    {Come prepared for battle. Mcus has appeared.}


    The chat window got crazy once more.


    {Mcus? The Sixth Servant?}


    {Eh? Why is he on Rolf Mountain? Shouldn¡¯t he be with the other Yatan bastards?}


    {What... Where have you been wandering around? ??}


    {Why is Mcus there?}


    {Isn¡¯t he a monster that is level 310?}


    {??;;}


    Everyone was amazed by the presence of Mcus, while Jishuka was obsessed with Khan¡¯s disciple.


    {Hey! Regas! Are you still with the person called Grid?}


    {? ?}


    {Grab Grid tightly and don¡¯t let him go! He is Khan¡¯s disciple that we are looking for!}


    ¡°What?¡± Regas frowned as he saw Jishuka¡¯s words. "Grid is a cksmith? No way.¡±


    Regas eximed while kicking two Yatan followers at the same time. After counterattacking, he quickly hid behind a tree and entered the chat again.


    {That isn¡¯t possible?}


    {It must be -_-^ I heard it from a witness. Grid is definitely Khan¡¯s disciple.}


    {That eyewitness must be mistaken or gave you a false report.}


    After typing briefly, Regas blocked the chat again to focus on the battle and turned to Grid. Grid was holding arge sword that was more than 3m long and was facing Mcus alone.


    "There is no way he can be a cksmith. The guild master... she must be mistaken.¡±


    In the meantime, Grid...


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    Mcus expressed great interest in Grid since he first appeared.


    "I am impressed that you can endure the pressure of my magic power.¡± Mcus judged that Grid, who avoided all his status effects, wasn¡¯t a regr person. "Then you... are you like Yura? An extraordinary person among travelers?¡±


    Grid wanted to solve it with dialogue as much as possible. "Not really... well, I didn¡¯te here to meet you. So can I go my own way?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡±


    ¡°Please have mercy just once. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°One of the most insignificant words in the world is mercy.¡±


    Mcus was one of the most brutal religious figures in Satisfy. It was foolish trying tomunicate with him.


    ¡°Che, whatever.¡±


    Grid opened his inventory. Then he equipped armor without being conscious of Regas at all. After that, he pulled out Dainsleif, which had been strengthened to +5.


    [+5 Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 549~772 Attack Speed: -8%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ has been generated.


    A work created by Albatino, the first human to receive the nickname of ¡®craftsman before Pagma¡¯s era. He attempted the reproduce the mythical weapon, Dainsleif.


    It is farckingpared to the original Dainsleif, but he seeded in restoring some of its features, making it a masterpiece on its own.


    It was acimed as a ¡®masterpiece of human history¡¯ by the founder of the Eternal Kingdom and the king of the north, Loran.


    The legendary cksmith Pagma is said to have received great inspiration from Albatino¡¯s work.


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher. More than 1,800 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 1,580


    "A great sword. But can it reach my body?¡±


    Mcus wasn¡¯t a monster but a human. He didn¡¯t have a special appearance. He was just an ordinary man in his 30s, wearing a ck mask and a long cloak covering his body. He seemed less scary than the terrible monsters Grid faced in Kesan Canyon.


    ¡°You will see soon! cksmith¡¯s Rage! Quick Movements! Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    In the mural, Pagma held Dainsleif in one hand and wielded it. However, it was impossible for Grid to wield Dainsleif with one hand with his current strength. Thus, he held Dainsleif with both hands and didn¡¯t look as dazzling.


    Buuuong.Buuuong.


    Dainsleif moved with a speed that was disproportionate to its huge size. Then he shed at Mcus¡¯ body. But just before Dainsleif hit Mcus¡¯ body, a ck shield appeared, blocking the sword in its path.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    After the attack was blocked, Grid hurriedly ced Dainsleif back in his inventory and then pulled out the +8 Ideal Dagger. He consumed 490 mana after using cksmith¡¯s Rage, Quick Movements and activating Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Grid used his remaining 277 mana to activate one of Ideal Dagger¡¯s integrated skills.


    ¡°Wind st!¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Wind st exploded against Mcus¡¯ body. But it couldn¡¯t touch Mcus. Just before the winds touched Mcus¡¯ body, a ck shield emerged at the point of collision and blocked all winds.


    Gulp gulp.


    Grid pulled out a mana potion and drank it before activating Wind of Justice.


    Pepepepeng!


    Wind of Justice was much more powerful than Wind st. But even Wind of Justice copsed in front of a shield and didn¡¯t reach Mcus¡¯ body.


    Grid trembled.


    ¡®What is this fraudulent defense skill? How much damage can it prevent?¡¯


    Mcus pulled out a hand that was hidden in the cloak and aimed at Grid. "Your weakness won¡¯t be able to break this. Die. Divine Punishme...?¡±


    Mcus paused in the middle of the spell he was casting and then stepped back from Grid because Grid had used Restraint. Restraint overwhelmed everything except for the undead, and the overwhelmed opponents were unable to approach Grid for three seconds.


    Grid ran as far from Mcus as possible and shouted, ¡°Regas! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    But Regas was still attacking the followers without any thought of escape.


    ¡°Regas!¡±


    Regas looked at the desperately rushing Grid and dered, ¡°I don¡¯t run away. I will fight. When can I ever meet such a strong opponent again? I want to fight!¡±


    ¡°... You are really crazy. Aren¡¯t you afraid of dropping items and experience upon death?¡±


    Grid was reluctant to leave Regas and run away alone. He wanted Regas¡¯ help finding the Divine Shield.


    ¡¯But I can¡¯t die in the process. If I die and drop items...¡¯


    Most of Grid¡¯s currently equipped items were expensive. He would feel likemitting suicide if he dropped one of them. Thus, Grid decided to escape by himself. But at that moment, a sound was heard.


    Swaeek!


    An object shot out from the forest. It was an arrow.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Mcus was still somewhat constrained by the influence of Restraint, so he couldn¡¯t respond to the arrow that flew without notice and struck his shoulder. Then a beauty appeared from the direction that the arrow came from. It was Jishuka.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be killed by the arrows like that monster, you should stay in a corner.¡±


    Jishuka warned Grid while staring sharply at Mcus. Then she pulled back her bowstring.


    Teong!


    Jishuka, currently ranked 19th in the unified rankings, was a woman who had long been called an expert archer. The arrow she shot seemed like it would touch Grid¡¯s ears, but it swiftly shed passed and hit Mcus¡¯ head.


    But at some point, Mcus escaped from the influence of Restraint and created a ck shield.


    Ting!


    The arrow was bounced back. Jishuka didn¡¯t shake at the sight. She fired five arrows in rapid session.


    Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    Ting ting ting ting ting!


    All five arrows aimed at the weak parts of the body but were blocked by the shield.


    "The speed of casting is really fast?¡± Jishuka admired while Mcus smiled.


    "Heh, your fragile arrows can¡¯t touch my body...¡±


    Mcus couldn¡¯t finish speaking. It was because Regas, who killed the 30 Yatan followers, approached his side and punched.


    "Pration."


    Peeng!


    ¡°Keok....!¡±


    Mcus bent in a strange direction after Regas¡¯ fist hit his side. The whites of his eyes were revealed. Jishuka loaded a new arrow.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the real one. This is real.¡±


    Puok!


    The arrow flew along the flow of the wind without any sound and struck Mcus¡¯ heart. However, Grid was familiar with this arrow.


    ¡°Eh? The Special Jaffa Arrow? There are still some left?¡±


    Jishuka heard Grid¡¯s words and cocked her head. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    Was JIshuka and Regas¡¯ power sufficient to knock down the mighty Mcus? If so, maybe he didn¡¯t have to drop his items? Grid was so excited that he spoke without thinking.


    "Oh, I made it.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened. Then Regas shrieked. ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    ¡°......!?¡±


    Jishuka and Grid hurriedly turned their heads. They discovered five ck spears piercing Regas¡¯ body. Dark magic was around the wound and Mcus, who had recovered quickly, grabbed Reggas¡¯ head and dered.


    ¡°It is still useless. You will all die by my hands!¡±


    But...


    ¡°Are wete?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Regas! You¡¯re still alive?¡±


    15 members of the Tzedakah Guild emerged, causing even Mcus to flinch for a moment.


    "How is a group like this...?¡±


    Jishuka gave a smile that was brimming with confidence and stated.


    "Start the hunt.¡±


    The average level of the Tzedakah Guild was above 200. Many of them were first in their ss rankings and within the top 100 unified rankings. There was also a variable called Grid. Even if the opponent was one of the Eight Servants, it wasn¡¯t a power that could be underestimated.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    The Sixth Servant of God Yatan, Mcus was the priest who oversaw all rituals in the Yatan Church.


    In fact, most of the rituals he organized were aimed at the groups hostile to the Yatan Church. Or he used them to put a curse on the area for the purpose of making people sick.


    He was famous for the event where 87 virgins were sacrificed in order to turn the king of the Bungerst Principality into an idiot, as well as sacrificing 607 virgins to raise an epidemic in Earl Raven¡¯s territory.


    "Start the hunt? Kukuk! Kuhahahaha! You people want to handle me? There is no one in the world who isn¡¯t afraid of the Yatan Church, who carries out the supremacy of God Yatan and exerts influence on the whole continent. And I am the one who grew this religion! Howughable to think that you are worthy opponents!¡±


    Mcus had a point.


    The Yatan Church was one of the greatest forces in Satisfy and a subject of horror. The growth of the Yatan Church had a lot to due to Mcus. His aplishments were enormous enough to affect the situation of the entire continent. How could such a great person be treated as a hunting game in a mountain vige? He wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill.


    "You guys will figure it out soon. Especially you, girl. You will be sacrificed to God Yatan.¡±


    Mcus could see that Jishuka and her guild members were strong. To be honest, he had somewhat flinched when they all appeared at once. But wasn¡¯t he one of the Eight Servants? He had transcended the human realm. Mcus didn¡¯t doubt that he would be unharmed unless these people attacked simultaneously as a group.


    However, Jishuka¡¯s thoughts were different.


    "I don¡¯t know about Mcus, but our Tzedakah Guild is the strongest. We have the power to stand at the top at any time. You can¡¯t threaten us.¡±


    Grin.


    Jishuka smiled while revealing her white teeth. She provoked Mcus. ¡°You will die here, so humbly ept your death. For us, you are nothing more than game.¡±


    Mcus couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and his face distorted.


    ¡°You really believe you can harm me?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    ¡°Foolish!¡±


    Mcus shouted and stretched out his hand. Then a ray of ck magic power shot out in a straight line. It was aimed exactly at Jishuka¡¯s heart. But Jishuka didn¡¯t take any actions to defend herself. Toban, standing on her left side, moved instead.


    ¡°Patience Shield!¡±


    The first ranked pdin and chief of staff of the Tzedakah Guild. He used arge shield and a defense skill to block the ray of darkness.


    Kwang!


    There was arge sound as dust rose all over the ce. The shield didn¡¯t absorb the shock, so Toban coughed up blood.


    "Kuoh... The shield¡¯s durability is decreased by 20 in an instant. It isn¡¯t that bastard¡¯s unique skill. It s a dark magic that anyone in the Yatan Church could use. How powerful is his magic power?¡±


    Jishuka frowned and kicked Toban.


    "Don¡¯t take it easy. It is unsightly.¡±


    Mcus eximed.


    "Die before this mighty power! It will be thest time you can do anything insignificant!¡±


    Then a notification window appeared in front of all the members of the Tzedakah Guild.


    [The Sixth Servant of God Yatan, Mcus has discharged his magic power.]


    [The mighty dark power has applied a fear, weakness and immobilizing effect.]


    [Mcus has unleashed a surprise magic attack.]


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    From Mcus¡¯ hands, dozens of rays were shot in different directions.


    ¡°Hey hey. Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    Jishuka and the Tzedakah Guild members immediately tried to protect themselves from the bombardment. But they were overwhelmed by Mcus¡¯s magic power and couldn¡¯t resist due to the abnormal conditions.


    [You have suffered 8,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 16,503 damage.]


    [You have suffered 11,027 damage.]


    ¡°It hurts!¡±


    "This is foul!¡±


    Except for some sses with high magic defense or high dark resistance, the guild members lost at least 30% of their health from that bombardment. In the case of Jishuka, an archer who normally avoided enemy attacks, she was faced with dangerous warning messages.


    [You have lost 53% of your health from a single blow.]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    A blow that took 40% of a user¡¯s health at once would stun the user for three seconds. In other words, Jishuka was nowpletely defenseless.


    ¡°Defend the master!¡±


    Toban took the lead and the Tzedakah members started surrounding Jishuka. Mcus admired the sight as if it was cute.


    ¡°Do you understand now? It is me who is the hunter, not you.¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t care. She gave the guild amand. ¡°Rather than me, Grid... Protect Khan¡¯s disciple!¡±


    The creator of the Special Jaffa Arrows that she had been searching for! Grid was presumed to be Khan¡¯s disciple who knew the creator¡¯s information. No, there was a possibility that he was the creator.


    ¡°Everybody, remember this. We need to defeat Mcus, but your top priority is protecting Grid. You can¡¯t let him die.¡±


    The guild master absolutely had to be obeyed! The guild members looked around simultaneously. Then they found Grid hiding behind a tree.


    ¡°Eh? That guy?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Grid a cksmith? A normal cksmith should¡¯ve died, or at least suffer serious injuries from Mcus¡¯ bombardment. But he was fine?


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Jishuka was more surprised than anyone else as she checked Grid.


    ¡®Now that I¡¯m looking, isn¡¯t he wearing armor and holding a sword?¡¯


    Was it a false tip? But Grid said he was the person who made the Special Jaffa Arrow. She was baffled. But it was only for a moment. Jishuka recovered from her stunned state and drank a health potion. Then she caught the attention of Mcus, who was staring at Grid.


    ¡°Mcus. Aren¡¯t you too weak? You didn¡¯t manage to kill any of us with that blow. Doesn¡¯t it advertise how ipetent you are?¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t Grid overwhelmed by him?


    ¡®What trick did he use?¡¯


    Mcus¡¯ pride was hit when he saw that Grid was safe from his bombardment, but then he looked at Jishuka again. Mcus was very angry.


    "Girl, you can¡¯te over here. You are shaking with fear. That look suits you.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the rituals conducted by Mcus exceedmon sense. A person or organization who doesn¡¯t worship Yatan isn¡¯t safe from your rituals? If the number of sacrifices was infinite, you might be able to conquer the world through your rituals. Yes, your capabilities as a priest are enormous. I¡¯ll admit it. But you...¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s lips curled up in disdain. It was obvious ridicule. Mcus¡¯ face reddened as Jishuka looked down at him with arrogant eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Do you think we don¡¯t know that yourbat ability is the weakest among the Eight Servants?¡±


    Information was power. The Tzedakah Guild was aiming for the top, so their information gathering ability was naturally high level. The Yatan Church was currently one of the greatest forces on the continent, so the Tzedakah Guild found out as much information about it as possible.


    The Sixth Servant, Mcus. In order to enjoy the game called ¡®sacrifice hunting,¡¯ he appeared in a random ce every three months. Level 310. His ss was a dark sorcerer. His specialties were ck magic, debuffs and various defense skills. In addition, he had amazing self-recovery ability triggered by his enormous amount of magic power. As a high ranking member of the Yatan Church, they needed to be careful of his dark magic attacks. However, the type of attack skills he could use were very limited.


    ¡®His level is very lowpared to the other Eight Servants.¡¯


    Mcus was a priest. His level was lowpared to the other servants because he rarely entered directly intobat. He was only level 310 so the Tzedakah Guild, whose average level was well above 200, judged that they could deal with him.


    ¡°It was only a month ago that you did yourst sacrifice hunt... I don¡¯t know why you strayed from your original timeline and appeared in the Eternal Kingdom, but, I am thankful. We will sacrifice you and increase our reputation.¡±


    Jishuka raised a hand, ignoring Mcus as she ordered her guild members,


    ¡°How long are you going to let your game run wild? Go ahead and start the hunt.¡±


    It happened at the same time.


    Teong!


    A muscr, middle-aged man waited for the endless talk between Jishuka and Mcus and leapt forward. It was the tank destroyer, Vantner.


    ¡°Hey you! Give me Regas! Then you will die! Experience death! Wuhahaha!¡±


    Vantner wielded his two axes. He held axes big enough to be lifted with both hands and swung lightly.


    Kwang!Kwang!Kwaang!


    There was a shockwave every time Vantner¡¯s strikes collided with the ck magic shield. The wind pressure caused Mcus¡¯ cloak to p in every direction, but that was all. Vantner¡¯s axes couldn¡¯t prate Mcus¡¯ shield, let alone touch his cor.


    ¡°He is fine?¡±


    The confused Vantner backed away, taking deep breaths and thinking about it calmly.


    ¡®That guy¡¯s shield... My attack power can¡¯t prate it? Okay, then it is a game of speed!¡¯


    Mcus protected his body by deploying the shield on the surface that would be hit. If Vantner attacked at a speed that Mcus couldn¡¯t react to, would he be able to deploy his shield?


    ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡±


    Vantner had a simple idea and started to move his arms with all his might.


    Chaaeng!Jjejejeok!


    The two axes moved without rest, and the momentum was as fierce as lightning bolts. However, Mcus wasn¡¯t hurt at all.


    ¡®Pant pant... My attack speed doesn¡¯t exceed his speed. How is a sorcerer¡¯s body so impressive?¡¯


    Vanter gasped for breath. Mcus stood still and waited for him to be exhausted.


    ¡°Hmph, it is unsightly.¡± Mcusughed at Vantner, then stared at Jishuka. ¡°Mybat strength is definitely weakpared to the other servants. But that is only whenpared with the other servants. Compared to all of you, I am absurdly strong...¡±


    Mcus couldn¡¯t finish speaking. It was because a spear shot over Vantner¡¯s shoulder.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mcus groaned a little bit as the spear appeared. It was like a lightning streak. If he had been a little less vignt, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to deploy the shield on time.


    ¡®It is fast and strong, unlike the axe-wielding man.¡¯


    The weight of the spear that aimed precisely at his heart was so great that Mcus took a few steps back, despite blocking with the shield! Then the owner of the spear appeared before him.


    ¡°Ah~ you reacted to the perfect surprise attack? How strong are the other servants?¡±


    Vantner nced at the owner of the spear, who had expressed his nervous admiration.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    ¡°Hey, Pon! Don¡¯t use me as a shield! This jerk, hiding behind me in order to try and suck up all the honey!¡±


    Pon, the person famous for being one of the best spearmen in Satisfy. After threatening Mcus, the clicked his tongue at Vantner, who was staggering like an angry wild boar.


    ¡°Vantner, you¡¯re a guardian knight. Isn¡¯t it natural to use you as a shield? The tanker attracts the attention while the damage dealer eats the honey: this is amon sense strategy. Please start thinking before you get angry. Isn¡¯t your brain too small?¡±


    If Vantner and Pon stood next to each other, the age difference seemed to be around 20 years. But both of them were turning 36 this year. Vantner was bald, bearded and looked in histe 40s, while Pon was handsome and had a sleek physique, making him seem in histe 20s.


    In addition, the rtionship between the two wasn¡¯t good. Vantner, who was inferior in appearance, hated Pon from the moment he realized that Pon was the same age as him. Pon also ignored the simple Vantner because he thought Vantner was stupid.


    No, the two people had a low mental age from the beginning. Jishuka said they were ¡®two people who found value in disliking each other.¡¯


    "My ss might be that of a guardian knight, but most of my stat points are in strength. I¡¯ve told you this many times, so remember it, chicken head! Do I have to teach you again? I am a guardian knight, but my defense is low! So don¡¯t stick with me! Our guild¡¯s tanker is Toban, not me!¡±


    ¡°Stupid... You chose a defense ss, yet you didn¡¯t invest the stat points in something appropriate. No tanking, no attack. Where are you useful?¡±


    ¡°W-What? You bastard! Would you like to experience the power of an all strength guardian knight in PVP? I request a 1-on-1 duel!¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will make you experience the ipetence of your character. But I¡¯ll have to pass for now.¡±


    Vantner was extremely useful in battle between users.


    He had the ¡®Reduce Damage Received¡¯ passive skill and basic defense skills, as well as heals... Unlike other guardian knights, he had a high attack power so he could gain an advantage in battles.


    Of course, if the opponent¡¯s attack power was extremely high, his defense wouldn¡¯t be sufficient. In addition, if the opponent¡¯s defense was extremely high, the attacker would not be able to hit them with his moderate attack power. However, the current level of users didn¡¯t have that type of threat.


    In particr, a guardian knight had a one-time invincible skill. If the timing was good, it was able to neutralize the enemy¡¯s movements once. Therefore, guardian knights tended to be active in PVP.


    So Vantner had a great momentum.


    "Heh, you are scared.¡±


    Pon snorted. "Not at all. Have you forgotten what we are doing right now? It is a boss raid. But you want a 1-on-1 duel right now? How is that possible? In the first ce, isn¡¯t my unified ranking much higher than yours? Isn¡¯t the result obvious, even if we don¡¯t fight?¡±


    "Shut up! Are you scared? Don¡¯t avoid it! Your mouth sure is good at being nasty! Let¡¯s meet in real life!¡±


    "What will happen if we meet in reality? In reality, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do a single thing against me. So please act moderately, you bald bastard.¡±


    Vantner strongly denied it, "I¡¯m not bald in reality! I just set my hairstyle to bald when I created the character. How many times do I have to tell you this, chicken head?"


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t making yourself bald make you look older? Does that make sense? You must really be bald.¡±


    "If I was actually bald, I wouldn¡¯t be setting it as bald in the game! I would¡¯ve made my hair thicker!¡±


    "If you are pretending not to be bald, you might¡¯ve deliberately set your character to be bald.¡±


    ¡°This $#!~$#!!¡±


    Vantner, the 1st ranked guardian knight, and Pon, the 1st ranked spear knight. The two people who yed the role of the vanguard in the Tzedakah Guild, they were at each other¡¯s throat instead of fighting the enemy.


    Mcus was angry about being ignored and decided to punish them. "Why are you fighting among yourselves? These disagreeable guys keep on gathering!¡±


    Roaaaar!


    Eight rays of ck magic aimed at Vantner and Pon, who saw the attack and quickly jumped to the side. Surprisingly, Mcus¡¯ magic rays changed direction, persistently following Pon.


    ¡°What? Why aren¡¯t they chasing me? You dare ignore me?!¡±


    Vantnernded on the ground and yelled, while Pon suddenly jumped up.


    "This is the first time I¡¯ve seen guided magic. Indeed, one of the Eight Servants... That isn¡¯t a false reputation!¡±


    Pon decided he couldn¡¯t escape the magic power and gathered strength in his spear. Intense mes appeared at the end of the spear and Pon cast a skill.


    ¡°Mach Spear!"


    Peeeeeong!Pepepepeng!


    The sonic spear was unleashed, causing a series of explosions in the air. The explosion was so great that even the Tzedakah Guild members, including Vantner, could feel the aftereffects.


    Kwajajajajak!


    Pure force and pure magic power colliding, which one would win? There was no such thing, as obviously, the stronger side would win! Pon¡¯s rotating spear pierced through the eight rays of magic power in a single red light.


    Kwaaaaang!


    The red sh collided with the ck shield. Rare agitation appeared on Pon¡¯s face.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t pierce through?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Even that skill was helpless in front of Mcus¡¯ shield.


    ¡°... This is serious.


    Pon was 23rd on the unified rankings. At least in numerical terms, he was the 23rd strongest among two billion users and was one of the top three in the Tzedakah Guild. He had hunted hundreds of boss monsters, but this was the first time Mach Spear had been obsolete.


    It was a reminder of how good Mcus¡¯ defense skill was, but Pon thought differently.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t been able to rece my weapon despite gaining 50 levels.¡¯ This is the limit of my present weapon. I need a better weapon.¡¯


    Pon was currently level 243. Yet Pon was using a spear with a level limit of 190. It couldn¡¯t be helped. He hadn¡¯t been able to find a spear better than the one he was using now, even if he visited a famous cksmith.


    Why? Pon¡¯s spear had a unique rating. It had a level limit of 190, but it was better than level 240 rare and epic rated spears, considering the unique rating and special options. In other words, Pon needed to find a unique spear that exceeded the level 190 limit before he could rece his weapon.


    But when he brought the materials to create the best spears, the famous cksmiths almost always created normal or rare items. In some cases, epic items were produced, but they weren¡¯t satisfactory.


    ¡®An outstanding cksmith is urgently needed.¡¯


    The unknown craftsman who turned the world upside down by making the Special Jaffa Arrows! Pon and Jishuka were longing for him.


    ¡¯If he made me a spear, I would be able to prate Mcus¡¯ shield!¡¯


    On the other hand, Mcus was suffering quite a bit. He defended against the spear with the ck shield, but the weight of the spear had dealt a shock to him. In addition, he deployed a three-fold shield but almost failed to defend against such a big blow.


    "To be shamed like this by a mere traveler...!¡±


    Vantner didn¡¯t miss that Mcus¡¯ legs were weak.


    ¡°He is in a stiffened state!¡±


    Vantner grasped his axes as tightly as possible. Then he used all his strength to throw an axe.


    Swaeeel!


    Throwing weapons was one of the few offensive skills of a guardian knight, but it was lightpared to Pon¡¯s spear.


    Kang!


    Mcus made an annoyed look, deployed the shield and deflected the axe.


    "..."


    Vantner witnessed his axe being blown away and grabbed his head.


    "Aaaagh! This is really crazy!¡±


    He was angry at his powerlessness. The ss called guardian knight, it consisted of a skill tree that protected the user and their allies. But in order to master advanced protection skills, he required high stamina.


    Vantner invested points in strength in order to level up quickly. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t able to demonstrate the characteristics of a guardian knight or y an effective role against Mcus like Pon.


    On the other hand, wasn¡¯t Pon looking cool after facing Mcus alone? In fact, Vantner was 66th on the unified rankings, which was much lower than the 23rd ranked Pon, but it was inevitable that his ego would be wounded.


    "There should be an item to roll back the stats!¡±


    "Satisfy doesn¡¯t have a cache system. It is unlikely that such an item will ever be released.¡±


    Vantner hit the ground while Pon sincerely advised him.


    "Starting from the next level up, invest all your points in stamina. If you keep investing in strength, your character will turn to shit. Right now, the strength build guardian knight is emerging as a trend in PVP, but haven¡¯t you realized the limitations now? The stronger the opponent, the more useless a strength build guardian knight is.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Vantner berated himself for ignorantly distributing his points to strength just to be a ranker faster. In addition, Pon was so caught up in his desire for a stronger weapon that he couldn¡¯t concentrate on the situation.


    Right now, they hadpletely forgotten. The presence of Regas who was abandoned in the corner!


    "Are you guys chatting among yourselves again? You really have no tension. Okay, I will let you know exactly what the situation is right now.¡± Mcus dered while grabbed Regas¡¯ bloody head.


    Pon finally noticed Regas¡¯ presence and asked. ¡°What? Regas? Why are you in that state? Did you run out of potions? But why haven¡¯t you run away yet?¡±


    Regas, who became Mcus¡¯ hostage,ughed as if he was embarrassed. "Haha, I wanted to see how strong Mcus was so I watched as closely as possible. I thought it would help my training.¡±


    ¡°... Just die.¡±


    He felt it since the L.T.S days, but there were too many idiots in this guild. Pon and Vantner ignored Regas.


    Then Mcus shouted to Jishuka, who was watching the battlefield with folded arms. ¡°Girl! All of you will soon turn out like this person.¡±


    Mcus started concentrating magic power on his fingertips. He was going to crush Regas¡¯ head like a watermelon.


    For a ranker, death was a tremendous blow. They would lose experience equivalent to one week of hunting if they died. So originally, the Tzedakah Guild wouldn¡¯t stay quiet if theirpanion was going to die. They would try to protect theirpanions as much as possible.


    But this was an exception. Regas was able to live, but he was going to die because of his own foolishness. He was reaping what he deserved. It wasn¡¯t worth braving the threat to save him.


    "Die cleanly and fix your mentality.¡±


    In a situation where no one in the Tzedakah Guild was trying to save Regas, one man called out.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes, including Mcus and Jishuka, turned to one side. Then they saw it. Khan¡¯s disciple, the creator of the Special Jaffa Arrows, no, maybe he was just an ordinary cksmith. The Asian youth, whose identity still couldn¡¯t be determined yet, was dancing with a shining dagger.


    "..."


    His expression was determined as he danced. It was a rare, highly skilled sword dance. It looked like...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild members were upset.


    ¡°What is this? Why is he suddenly dancing in this situation?¡±


    Grid¡¯s odd behavior that couldn¡¯t be understood by ordinary people¡¯smon sense! Toban saw him and remembered an incident from the past.


    "I remember that guy now...¡±


    It was a few months ago when he was recruiting for the Guardian of the Forest raid in Bairan Vige. The warrior, who looked around level 80, wanted to enter the raid by pretending to be level 100. He said that he never wore armour because he was a master of control. Now that loser was Grid?


    ¡®This ispletely...¡¯


    Toban gave a deep sigh and spoke to Jishuka.


    ¡°Master. As expected, this time seems to be another false tip. Grid is a warrior, not a cksmith. He was a braggart... Ack?¡±


    Toban was amazed. The appearance of Grid dancing alone seemed crazy at first, but it was only for a moment. As he watched, his heart started beating faster and he felt an intense pressureing from Grid.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Toban no longer talked casually about Grid, as he felt overwhelmed and retreated. He realized that Jishuka and all the guild members were reacting the same way. Even...


    ¡®Even Mcus!¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    ¡°... This!¡±


    Mcus, who was about to crush Regas¡¯ head, became frightened and stopped moving.


    ¡¯It isn¡¯t a coincidence?¡¯


    Before the Tzedakah Guild had arrived here. Mcus faced Grid 1-on-1 and failed to kill him. Grid wasn¡¯t strong. Rather, he was weak. If Mcus wanted, he could kill Grid in a matter of seconds. In other words, he was at the level of a bug. But Grid was somewhat strange. He was obviously weak, but an unknown source radiated from him. The overwhelmed Mcus was forced to step back.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand it.¡¯


    He had dismissed it but after experiencing it again, it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The pressure felt from Grid was real. How could a newbie exert such a powerful presence?


    ¡®I should only fear God Yatan!¡¯


    Mcus was disturbed and let go of Regas. Meanwhile, Grid was approaching.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    Mcus retreated to the maximum distance, while Grid helped Regas.


    ¡°Regas, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Regas gazed at Grid with eyes that were twinkling likenterns. With a single sword dance, he overwhelmed Mcus who had captured the second-ranked person in the Tzedakah Guild. Grid alone dominated 17 of the top 100 users, so his presence was bigger than any top ranker that Regas had met.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t even a famous ranker yet he has this dignity...¡¯


    Regas recalled the first time he met Grid. He didn¡¯t wear armor and only hunted monsters with a sword. Everyone else called him a braggart andughed, but Regas believed it. He through Grid was a reliable person.


    "The more I look at Grid, the greater he is.¡±


    Regas was a ranker in the top 30 of the unified rankings. Yet he was feeling envy towards Grid. Grid felt an enormous joy at the words.


    ¡®Until recently, I was an ordinary user and now a ranker is admiring me.¡¯


    For the original Grid, rankers were a vast presence that could only be seen on TV or in the distance. But since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid¡¯s life had undergone a great change.


    ¡®My mouth is tingling!¡¯


    Grid wanted to wrap himself in Regas¡¯ words. But unfortunately, Restraint onlysted for three seconds. There was no room to rx.


    ¡®Unfortunately, the situation is like this...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s brain was busy calcting the profit and losses as he ran away with Regas.


    ¡®After using the sword dance once, I can definitely feel the benefits. It is definite. Considering Regas¡¯ nature, he will want to pay this debt back in the future.¡¯


    Three seconds was a short amount of time. After the duration of Restraint finished, Mcus regained his freedom. Then he appeared in front of Grid in an instant. It wasn¡¯t a dash type skill, but the manifestation of high-level magic that allowed him to leap through space itself.


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid was stunned to see Mcus appear in front of him.


    ¡°G-Ghost?¡±


    Mcus gritted his teeth.


    "The feeling of pressure from you has now disappeared as if it were a lie. Was I mistaken? It can¡¯t be! You have tricked me! Disgraceful person. Show your skills. Or you will never leave here alive.¡±


    It was like a creepy and bizarre mixture of two voices.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face turned blue. He bowed his head to try and beg for his life. At that time, a sphere of fire shed and hit Mcus.


    Peeng!


    ¡°Use this gap to escape!¡±


    While Mcus was caught in the explosion, Grid turned his head and found a familiar woman. Then he couldn¡¯t help asking.


    "Lae?¡±


    Lae, An 18-year -old British girl, was a global singer and also a top ranker in Satisfy! Why was she here?


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡± Grid, who was her avid fan, asked Regas. "Regas, does Lae belong to your guild?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and his nostrils red. Regas snorted and nodded towards Lae. "Yes, that¡¯s right. She is a colleague who has been with us from L.T.S. to Satisfy. Grid, do you like her songs?¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing! I really like Lae¡¯s breasts... Ah, no, Lae sings great! Haha!¡±


    Grid was captivated by a certain part of Lae and forgot his life was at risk.


    Jishuka hurriedly shouted. "How long are you going to stand there? Come this way!"


    Pahat!


    Jishuka fired dozens of arrows into the sky as she spoke. The rain of arrows poured over Mcus¡¯ head, who couldn¡¯t see due to the smoke caused by the explosion. Due to losing hisposure from Grid¡¯s actions and having his vision blocked, Mcus became a hedgehog without a shield.


    Grid and Regas sprinted in Jishuka¡¯s direction. But once again, he was caught by Mcus.


    "Do you think I will let you escape?¡±


    Kuoooh!


    Mcus pulled out the arrows stuck in his back, waved his arms and three ck spears shot through the air. They flew towards Grid.


    "Ah, why is this bastarding after me? Shit! Am I that intimidating?¡±


    The moment that Grid was going to pull out Dainsleif from his inventory. A shadowy figured appeared and protected Grid and Regas.


    Kwa kwang!


    The spears that should¡¯ve pierced Grid hit the ground and exploded. Mcus¡¯ face distorted.


    "There is a rat mixed among the hybrid dogs.¡±


    A dark de appeared in front of Mcus. Then the de was fired, aiming precisely at the shadowy figure who protected Grid.


    Seokeok!


    The shadowy figure couldn¡¯t run away! Rather than blood pouring out, it quietly disappeared into the fog.


    ¡°A clone? Che, I really don¡¯t like this!¡±


    Mcus was furious and started casting spells to chase Grid again. However, a young man with apathetic eyes appeared and interfered. He moved left and right, created dozens of clones.


    Pepepepeok!


    Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    Daggers and other weapons flew in different orbits. It was impossible to develop a shield for every attacked area. In this case, what measures could Mcus take to protect the body? The answer was simple.


    ¡°It won¡¯t get through!¡±


    Mcus¡¯ ck shield expanded to surround his whole body. An absolute defense! The watching Vantner thought it was ridiculous.


    "How is this bnced? Isn¡¯t this shielding ability a scam? It can be activated without casting, and could even protect the whole body? It is invincible! How do we beat that?¡±


    Pon didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°If that defensive ability is as invincible as you think, he would keep the shield constantly deployed. But he didn¡¯t do that. Therefore, Jishuka managed to attack him several times. He only deploys the shield for the minimum time and area to block the attack, then he repeats this again and again. The magic power consumed to deploy and maintain the shield is considerable.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Mcus used chains of darkness to bind the feet of the clones, then summoned hellfire to burn them.


    The shadowy figure who rescued Grid and Regas gave their opinion. ¡°If Mcus is burdened by the magic power required to use the shield as Pon thinks... Now it is our turn to be attacked. He will no longer want all his magic power to be consumed by the shield, so he will use it all to attack.¡±


    It was the right answer.


    "Noble master of hell! Let go of the reins of the dogs you have tamed since eons ago! Command them to eat the hearts of those who have oppressed your lowly servant!¡±


    The blue sky turned dark. There was no moon or stars, just darkness. Then the thick darkness covered the forest. The dark magic dominated the area and made the bodies of the Tzedakah Guild members go cold.


    Pon muttered. ¡°Are we going to die?¡±


    Jishuka hurriedly eximed. "Protect Grid!¡±


    She had witnessed Grid¡¯s sword dance a moment ago, so she was no longer certain that Grid was a cksmith. Grid¡¯s ss was sure to be a de dancer. Still, Jishuka couldn¡¯t give up hope. Grid had clearly known the Special Jaffa Arrow with one nce. Therefore, she decided to prioritize Grid¡¯s protection.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Toban moved in front of Grid. Then he used the best defense skill avable to him. That wasn¡¯t all. Vantner, Pon, Faker, Lae and all the members of the Tzedakah Guild prepared to guard Grid.


    The ground where Mcus stood moved likeva and dozens of dark shadows started to rise. The dozens of shadows became dark dogs with three heads.


    Grrrung.


    Bark bark!


    The 2mrge dogs that could spew out fire, ice and poison from each head. Their red eyes made them seem like rabid dogs. They barked like truly mad dogs. Mcus looked at them like they were adorable, and smiled.


    "The hell¡¯s keepers havee here!¡±


    Keeong!


    The hell¡¯s keepers ran wildly towards the Tzedakah Guild and Grid.


    ¡°Where are these dogs going?¡±


    Vantner¡¯s twin axes might be useless against Mcus, but they could easily hit the dogs. Vantner confidently ran towards the hell¡¯s keepers and then spun his axes in every direction like a storm.


    ¡°Oraaaaa!¡±


    Pepeok!Peok!


    Bark bark!Bark!


    At first nce, Vantner seemed to have the advantage; however, the battle situation changed in just a few seconds. The hell¡¯s keepers didn¡¯t die, despite being cut in half with an axe. Vantner was burned all over, and his legs were frozen, making him unable to move. Furthermore, his skin was turning green and he coughed up ck blood, showing signs of poisoning. Even his two axes were rusted and could no longer function as weapons.


    It was caused by the mes, ice, and poison spewed by the hell¡¯s keepers. It was the same with his colleagues.


    Pon used Mach Spear to help with Vantner¡¯s retreat.


    Pepepeng!Pepepepeng!


    The sonic spear pierced through the hell¡¯s keepers surrounding Vantner.


    Yip!Yelp!


    The hell¡¯s keepers panicked and scattered all over the ce. Using that gap to recover, Vantner used his invincible skill to escape from the battlefield.


    Toban¡¯s face hardened as he watched the series of events.


    "Not one died...¡±


    A normal monster would die in one hit when attacked by the spear. If there was a critical blow, even a boss monster would receive enormous damage. Yet the hell¡¯s keepers survived Mach Spear. This meant that the hell¡¯s keepers possessed defense and health beyond ordinary monsters.


    Jishuka and the guild members realized the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°Vantner distributed all his points to strength, but he is still a guardian knight. It can¡¯t be denied that Vantner¡¯s defense and magic resistance is the highest in our guild. Yet Vantner was turned into a rag in an instant. How many times has this happened? That dog¡¯s attack power is top level among the monsters we have met so far.¡±


    Pon agreed. "I estimate that these dogs are at least level 300. We can probably deal with two or three of them alone.¡±


    There were 29 monsters that were at least level 300 and armed with three attributes. There was Mcus as well. The odds were bing smaller. The atmosphere quickly sank. The hell¡¯s keepers fell upon the guild members.


    Jishukamanded.


    "Respond with ranged attacks!¡±


    They would be severely hurt if they went head to head with the hell¡¯s keepers. Jishuka¡¯smand was appropriate, but there were few ranged sses among the guild members.


    Bark bark!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Not surprisingly, the hell¡¯s keepers broke through the Tzedakah Guild members, defeated Toban¡¯s shield and aimed their poison breaths. Grid, who felt like his life was in danger after seeing Toban¡¯s shield be corroded in an instant, took out a golden shield from his inventory.


    At that moment, an amazing thing happened.


    Kiing!Whine!


    The hell¡¯s keepers, who didn¡¯t retreat even when hit by Jishuka¡¯s arrows, retreated as soon as they saw Grid¡¯s shield.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    For the administrator¡¯s quest, he created two Divine Shields. While the legendary shield was stolen from right in front of him, Grid still had the rare shield.


    [Divine Shield]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 360/360 Defense: 189 Magic Resistance: 150


    * There is a rare chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    Thanks to the power of Cassus, a priest of the Reba Church, it shines with the divine power of the goddess of light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher. More than 500 strength. More than 1,000 divine power. A member of the Reba Church.


    Weight: 800


    ¡°What, that shield?¡±


    As soon as Grid pulled out the golden shield, the wildly rampaging dogs stepped back at once. Then they started whining like puppies.


    The Tzedakah Guild were filled with admiration. In particr, Jishuka was extremely shaken. She couldn¡¯t let go of her hope and asked Grid, ¡°That shield... Did you make it? Just like the Special Jaffa Arrow?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The creator of the Special Jaffa Arrow was Grid? The Tzedakah Guild members doubted their ears. Grid was only focused on saving his life, so he nodded without thinking.


    ¡°Yes, I made it. But this...¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid suddenly gritted his teeth before raising his eyes and roaring, ¡°This is a failure! Shit! The real finished product was stolen from me by some jerk!¡±


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    It was one of the most outstanding shields the Tzedakah Guild had seen. They admired the Divine Shield, so they were shocked to hear it being called a ¡®failure.¡¯


    ¡°T-That great shield is a failure? When it¡¯s one of the top three shields I¡¯ve seen so far?¡±


    The guild members were perturbed. Pon went to Jishuka¡¯s side.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s dagger and armor are unusual. It is clear that both of them have an outstanding performance. That dagger seems to require high agility and that heavy armor is only worn by knights. Above all, Grid revealed a strong sword technique earlier. However, he is a cksmith? The one who produced the Special Jaffa Arrow... Is he the unknown craftsman we are looking for?¡±


    What type of cksmith could be armed with a dagger and heavy armor? Didn¡¯t he also do a sword dance that was typical for a de dancer? Jishuka didn¡¯t have an answer for the suspicious Pon, but she didn¡¯t agree either.


    ¡°Grid recognized the Special Jaffa Arrow with one nce and said it was made by him. There is no reason for him to lie. So, let¡¯s assume he is the unknown craftsman.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Pon had been with Jishuka since L.T.S. and trusted her judgment. She was an open and credible person, thus she became the guild master. But this was an exception. No matter how he looked, it was impossible that Grid was a cksmith.


    As Pon was unable to get rid of his suspicions, Mcus cried out. ¡°That is the Divine Shield...! Are you the rumored cksmith who has business deals with Winston¡¯sdy?¡±


    Mcus was particrly agitated.


    "The Divine Shield is in your hands... It means that Mesta failed his mission... No wonder there was a dy in his arrival!¡±


    Now things made sense to Grid. The one who brainwashed the administrator and stole the Divine Shield was a subordinate of Mcus.


    ¡°You fu*ker! It was you! You are the jerk who stole my shield!¡±


    Grid became furious after discovering that Mcus was behind this. Pon shook as he heard the vulgar wordsing from Grid. It was because he felt a strong excitement.


    ¡®Even Mcus is calling Grid a cksmith.¡¯


    It was evidence that Grid¡¯s identity was as Jishuka thought.


    ¡®A cksmith who can wear heavy armor and use that dagger, in addition to the sword dance...¡¯


    Pon thought about it and asked Jishuka to confirm.


    ¡°Master. Perhaps Grid has a hidden ss?¡±


    ¡°It looks that way, right?¡±


    Jishuka nodded. Pon¡¯s tone increased in excitement.


    ¡°In order to determine Grid¡¯s identity, we have to finish this raid quickly. Right? Regas.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Regas emerged from a corner when called. His health and wounds had recovered with the help of his guild members. Confidence was written all over his expression.


    ¡°I already know a strategy to attack Mcus, so I will finish it at once.¡±


    Regas who watched the battle from right beside Mcus! The one with purebat skills asked Grid for help, not anyone else.


    ¡°Grid, these dogs seem afraid of your shield, so I hope you will help us.¡±


    All eyes concentrated on Grid at the words. Questioning, doubt, confusion, and expectation were in their eyes as Grid nodded.


    ¡°I will help you if you promise to give me 50% of the items that Mcus drops.¡±


    Vantner, who was sitting on one side and watching for the potion cooldown time to be over, shouted angrily.


    ¡°Hey! If you add the 17 of us and you alone, there is a total of 18 people. Therefore, the dropped items should be divided into 18 equal parts. Why should you take 50% alone? In the first ce, isn¡¯t Regas helping you for free? You are receiving free help but when you help, it is paid? Eh?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be counted as 17 people. Aren¡¯t all 17 of you one organization? Shouldn¡¯t an organization be counted as one person? In addition, Regas work with me is different. I was helped by Regas, but have you helped me? Why is this uncle acting so patronizing?¡±


    "What? Hey, you! This is the first time I¡¯ve met someone worse than Pon! Hey! Who in the world would make calctions like this? If it wasn¡¯t for us, wouldn¡¯t you already be killed by Mcus? So shouldn¡¯t you thank us? Isn¡¯t this too unconscionable?¡±


    "It is you who should thank me. Didn¡¯t you get a chance to fight Mcus because of me? The raid was on the verge of failure, but you survived thanks to my shield.¡±


    "Huh!"


    ¡°Stop it Vantner.¡±


    Pon quickly determined that Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He calmed Vantner and nodded at Grid.


    ¡°You are right. I will divide the items 5:5 ording to the condition you have proposed. Please remember. We are unconditionally kind to you.¡±


    Pon wasying the groundwork to have Grid join the guild. But Grid had no knowledge of this and mistook it.


    ¡®They need the help of my Divine Shield to defeat Mcus. This shit.. I should¡¯ve made the item allocation 7:3 instead of 5:5.¡¯


    Jishuka invited Grid to the party. Grid epted with an unwilling expression and was surprised to see the list of party members.


    ¡®More than level 200!¡¯


    Grid knew that the Tzedakah Guild was a small and elite force. But he never imagined they would be at this level.


    ¡®Jishuka is level 251. Pon is 243... Regas 239... If this is the case, shouldn¡¯t all three of them be in the top 20 of the unified rankings? The others can be in the top 100... What is this monster like group?¡¯


    There are numerous guilds in Satisfy. Among the established guilds, there were a few belonging to the top 1,000 of the unified rankings. Each guild should have around five rankers at most. Yet all 17 members of the Tzedakah Guild were at least top 200 rankers. They might be few in numbers, but they were certainly one of the strongest guilds in Satisfy.


    On the other hand, subtleplex emotions crossed the faces of the guild members who checked Grid¡¯s level.


    ¡®Level 95... Low.¡¯


    ¡®It is high for a cksmith but... Isn¡¯t he a hidden ss like Master and Pon are suggesting, not a pure cksmith?¡¯


    ¡®Level 95 for a hidden ss is...¡¯


    ¡®If this is real... I can¡¯t y games anymore.¡¯


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    Grid felt somewhat ufortable as the Tzedakah Guild members looked at him. But unlike the others, Regas justughed and grabbed him. "Let¡¯s go!"


    "Eh? W-Wait a minute...¡±


    Regas lifted Grid¡¯s body. Then he threw the baffled Grid between Mcus and the hell¡¯s keepers.


    "Aaaaack~~! Do you want to kill me? Wahhhhh!"


    Kwang!


    ¡°Oh! My butt!¡±


    Yip!Yiiip!


    As Grid and the Divine Shield fell from the sky, the hell¡¯s keepers were frightened and scattered. But Mcus was different.


    ¡°That shield, I will thankfully take it! Huh?¡± He was confused to see Regas appear in front of him. Then heughed. ¡°You want to face me head on? Kukuk! You must be crazy!¡±


    Regas struck him.


    Peeng!


    ¡°...Keok!¡±


    Blood poured from Mcus¡¯ mouth. The ck shield, which boasted the absolute defense, copsed in front of Regas¡¯ fist.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Mcus didn¡¯t make a mistake. He deployed the shield at the exact point of attack. But Regas¡¯s fist wasn¡¯t blocked by the shield and hit his abdomen unobstructed. Mcus couldn¡¯t understand how.


    Then once again!


    Peeok!


    ¡°Kuak!"


    Mcus¡¯ face was hit by Regas¡¯ elbow. This time, Mcus was able to grasp the situation.


    ¡®This guy is able to change the trajectory of his attacks!¡¯


    It was correct. As a means of defeating Mcus¡¯ defense, Regas adopted the simple method of changing the attack orbit in real time.


    Peeok!


    "Kkeok!¡±


    If the fist aimed for the bottom of the chin, the shield was deployed there. However, the fist would stop along the way and hit the neck instead.


    Pakak!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The shield opened on the left side of the head, but the fist stopped in the middle and struck the jaw instead.


    Dadadadada!


    Pepepepeok!


    Regas¡¯ fists, which had a passive skill that ignored the enemy¡¯s defense by 33%, hit Mcus at a speed that wasn¡¯t visible.


    Peeeeeonk!


    In the end, Mcus was hit cleanly in the chest and he flew back into the forest.


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Mcus¡¯ body pierced through a few trees before being stuck deeply in arge rock.


    ¡°K... Keuok...¡±


    Mcus was broken and bloody all over as he emerged from the rock. But he recovered like all that damage was a lie. It was an overwhelming recovery based on magic power. However, this meant an excessive consumption of magic power.


    Mcus exited the forest and spoke to Regas in an unconcerned manner.


    ¡°You are stupid. If you change the orbit in the middle of the attack, won¡¯t your muscles tear apart? On the other hand, I can heal from all attacks. The more you hit me, the more you are damaging yourself. Even more...¡±


    Regas ignored the talking Mcus and once against wielded his fists. Mcus unfolded the shield to protect his whole body. Then heughed. ¡°If I use the shield like this, it doesn¡¯t matter if your fist can change orbit. You will never touch my body!¡±


    ¡°Yes. My fists are useless. But that...¡±


    Regas smiled. Arrows flew towards Mcus.


    Jeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The arrows prated through the shield and hit Mcus. Regas exined to Mcus who had fallen down. ¡°I saw your shield bing weaker as the range expanded. And your weakened shield can¡¯t stop Master¡¯s arrows.¡±


    Archers were special among thebat sses. Due to their poor defense, they were rated as one of the worst in closebat, along with magicians. Instead, they had an extremely high attack power. In all of Satisfy¡¯s sses, few could do as much physical damage as archers.


    And Jishuka was at the peak of archers. The woman who was called the expert archer.


    Regas witnessed Mcus using threeyers of shields against Pon¡¯s Mach Spear and twoyers against Jishuka¡¯s arrows, so he developed the current strategy.


    ¡°Y... You...!¡±


    The wound was slow to heal because it was a fatal injury. The Tzedakah Guild poured attack skills towards the temporarily defenseless Mcus.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak! Divine Punishment!¡±


    Kwarururung!Kwang kwang!


    Dozens of ck lightning bolts fell from the sky. Mcus sensed a crisis and used his best spell. It dealt catastrophic damage to the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡°This enormous attack power...¡±


    Toban and Vantner managed to endure it. However, the other guild members were stunned and became defenseless. The guild members with weak magic resistance died instantly. Despite the fact that they raised their stats, including health and mana, with various buffs and potions, they suffered a crisis and were on the verge of annihtion.


    Fortunately, Jishuka maintained a careful distance and was safe, while Grid was protected by the Divine Shield. Grid sighed with relief when he saw the guild member¡¯s health go down instantly.


    ¡®If it didn¡¯t have the option of a rare chance of defeating dark magic, I would¡¯ve died. Ku... I should buy the lottery ticketter on.¡¯


    ¡°You...¡±


    Mcus got up with great difficulty. Most of his injuries were healed, despite being a semi-corpse a moment ago.


    ¡®This is thest chance!¡¯


    They had to hit Mcus before hepleted healed. Jishuka didn¡¯t want the sacrifice of her guild members to be in vain, so she used her strongest attack skill that consumed 100% of her mana.


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow!¡±


    The Special Jaffa Arrow flew through the air and mes appeared around it in the shape of a huge phoenix. The phoenix burned everything around it and swallowed Mcus.


    Kwaaaang!


    An explosion that shook the earth! The Tzedakah Guild hoped that it was the end of Mcus, but no system messages appeared. Mcus, who lost half his body, emerged from the mes.


    ¡°Ku...keok... Girl...! I...kill...!¡±


    The remains of a fiveyer shield were in front of Mcus. Jishuka¡¯s Phoenix Arrow was able to smash through Mcus¡¯ fiveyer shield and damage him. But as a result, Mcus survived. Indeed, a boss monster had enormous health.


    Toban and Vantner went forward.


    ¡°We have to end him before he fully recovers!¡±


    Toban¡¯s mace and Vantner¡¯s twin axes aimed at Mcus¡¯ body. But their attacks didn¡¯t hurt Mcus or y a role in restraining his regenerative power.


    Regas and Ponmented as they watched.


    ¡®The two of them arecking attack power...!¡¯


    Jishuka reached her mental limit from exhausting her mana, so she didn¡¯t try for another attack. With the exception of Toban and Vantner, everyone else was still in the stunned state. Mcusughed as he dismissed Toban and Vantner¡¯s attacks.


    "Kuhahahaha! Okay! Okay! Hell¡¯s keepers! Eat those people!¡±


    Grrrung.


    Bark!Bark bark!


    This was the end. The raid failed. As everyone was watching the hell¡¯s keepers desperately-


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid, who was armed with a greatsword instead of a dagger, started to dance.


    Buuuong.Buuuong.


    The greatsword was over 3m in length but it moved through the air to an invisible tune.


    ¡°You...?¡±


    Mcus¡¯ expression hardened. That familiar aura was being emitted from Grid again. This was killing intent. It was truly a perfect killing intent. The killing intent around Grid waspressed into the sword.


    ¡°Y-You... This is ridiculous!¡±


    Mcus had sacrificed thousands, tens of thousands of virgins as living sacrifices. He experienced all types of hatred and anger, but this was the first time he was threatened by a killing intent.


    ¡°You!¡±


    It wasing. Mcus wanted to prepare for it. But his body still wasn¡¯t fully recovered, so he couldn¡¯t act freely. Then Grid¡¯s sword dance ended.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    After entering the party, Grid received the buff skills like the other members, causing his stats to rise! His maximum mana increased, allowing him to trigger Kill.


    Kuooooh!


    The greatsword filled with extreme killing intent pierced straight into Mcus¡¯ heart. Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    [Critical!]


    [The Best Gauntlets¡¯ option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 77,311 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Kuaaaaak! This is ridiculoussss!¡±


    He endured the powerful attacks of several people, and finally caught the chance for a proper counterattack. He didn¡¯t think his ankle would be caught at thest moment! Mcus thought it was unfair as he greeted his end. And...


    [You have defeated the Sixth Servant Mcus, who spread fear through the world!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +3.000.]


    [The Yatan Church will be forever hostile to you.]


    [Affinity with the Reba Church has increased by +2,800. Visiting a Reba Temple will give you great blessings.]


    [Affinity with the Dominion Church has increased by +1,500. Visiting a Dominion Temple will give you great blessings.]


    [Affinity with the Judar Church has increased by +800. Visiting a Judar Temple will give you great blessings.]


    [The power of the Yatan Church is extremely weakened after losing a priest. Until a new priest is elected, there will be no further expansion of its forces.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired 382 gold.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired 8 blessed weapon enhancement stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired 10 blessed armor enhancement stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired 3 high rated magic stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired Mcus¡¯ Cloak.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired Mcus¡¯ Mask.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired the Dark Magic Orb.]


    [1,531,050 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid gained a tremendous amount of fame and high affinity with each religion! He suddenly sat down with frustration. His face paled and he started sweating. Then after a while, he opened his mouth.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°I?¡±


    Grid had nicely seeded in the quest so everyone¡¯s attention was focused on him. They gulped as they wondered what Grid would say. Then Grid finally spoke.


    ¡°I... Items...¡±


    ¡°Items?¡±


    "The party leader was set to acquire the items...! How could I make such a mistake?¡± Grid shivered and shouted towards Jishuka. ¡°Hey, Jishuka! Were you lying to me? You said the items would be split in half! But what¡¯s this? Are you trying to trick me? Eh? I never thought that top rankers would try to cheat a low-level user like me!¡±


    "..."


    He had a wild look in his eyes. Since Grid had gobbled up all the items after the two-person raid, Grid was nervous that Jishuka would act like him. Jishuka, who was amazed by Grid being able to defeat Mcus despite being only level 95, could only sigh.


    ¡®Ugly.¡¯


    To be honest, Jishuka¡¯s heart had palpitations at the sight of Grid. The moment she felt despair at the raid failing, Grid triggered a reversal, looking like a character from a movie. However, the raid finished and Grid¡¯s true nature appeared again, making that pounding feeling disappear.


    ¡®Based on first impressions, his personality is too horrible. I don¡¯t like it.¡¯


    Grid was presumed to be a hidden ss with excellent cksmith skills and somebat capabilities. He was much bigger than the creator of the Special Jaffa Arrows they searched so long for, making her desire to get him into the guild higher. However, it was a bit hard because of his nature.


    ¡®Does it matter if his personality is good? All we need is his ability.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter if Grid was disappointing. Even if his personality is worse, she still wanted to invite him to the guild. Jishuka made a decision and reassured Grid. ¡°Of course I will keep the promise. Don¡¯t worry. By the way, it is great. You managed to finish off Mcus.¡±


    The other guild members also joined in.


    ¡°You are really something! How is your attack power so high despite your low level? It is more than Toban and Vantnerbined. Hahaha! G-Great!¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, this raid would¡¯ve surely failed. I am impressed with your performance.¡±


    "Awesome..."


    The Tzedakah Guild members were busy praising Grid. Among them was the global star, Lae. She was still young and she was thrilled because Grid seemed like the main character of a movie. She looked cute with her red cheeks.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t care about them. He was afraid that all his items would be eaten if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°Are you trying to make me rx so you can take the items? Right? Dammit! Do you think I will fall for such a thing? How rotten! Don¡¯t hold out on me! Let¡¯s distribute the items first.¡±


    ¡®Ugly.¡¯


    In the end, the atmosphere calmed down. Jishuka shared the item information to all party members after evaluating the three items.


    [Mcus¡¯ Cloak]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 35/81 Defense: 15


    * Intelligence +200


    * Bloody smell.


    A magic cloak that Mcus liked. It was originally a cloak made of blue cloth, but it became discolored by the blood of many virgins.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 10


    [Bloody Smell]


    It always gives off a bloody smell. It is easy for the wearer to be a target of beasts and monsters, and makes other people offended.


    [Mcus¡¯ Mask]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 11/20 All Attributes Resistance: +5%


    * Reduces magic casting time by 20%.


    A ck mask used by Mcus. There are no special features regarding its appearance, but Mcus treats it like a treasure.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 1


    [Dark Magic Orb]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 90/130 Magic Damage: +14%


    Dark magic attack power: +20%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 4


    A powerful orb used since before Mcus was appointed as Yatan¡¯s servant.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher. More than 500 intelligence.


    Weight: 80


    The Tzedakah Guild focused their attention on the mask and orb.


    "The options of the mask is very good.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just raising the resistance of all attributes by 5% and the shortening of magic casting time is great. They are rare options.¡±


    "It is great that a mask has these options. Almost no masks have options. So people treat masks as a simple essory."


    "The orb isn¡¯t a joke.


    ¡°Well, the magic damage is low for a unique rating but the rise in dark magic is huge. Above all, there are four spells that can be stored...¡±


    "Don¡¯t orbs usually store only two or three spells?¡±


    ¡°Just being able to store three spells is a scam. But four spells...¡±


    ¡°It will be too bad to sell both items. Our guild members should use it.¡±


    There were only two magicians in the Tzedakah Guild. The second-ranked mixed magician Lae and the first ranked wind magician Zednos. The guild wanted to distribute the mask and orb to these two people. But they promised a 5:5 distribution of items to Grid. They had to give up one of the items.


    However, Grid made an unexpected demand.


    "I want the cloak.¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    They made surprised expressions. It was because the value of the cloak was the lowest among the three items. It was good that it raised intelligence by 200, but the option of Bloody Smell was a big disadvantage.


    In general, cloaks were items with good options, unlike masks. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find one better than Mcus¡¯ Cloak. So why did he want the cloak?


    ¡®What? Is he yielding the good items to us on purpose? His personality doesn¡¯t seem like that.¡¯


    Grid prompted the Tzedakah Guild members, who couldn¡¯t respond quickly because they didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°What? It isn¡¯t possible? I want the cloak. Enough though you fought him, didn¡¯t I finish him off? Honestly, the raid would¡¯ve failed if it wasn¡¯t for me. But why aren¡¯t you giving me my choice?¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Regas eyed Grid unhappily. He wanted to tell Grid to choose something else because the cloak was least valuable. However, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth because he was afraid of damaging the guild. His face turned red as his conscience warred with his responsibility.


    ¡®I have to tell him the truth.¡¯


    After a few minutes of conflict. In the end, Regas couldn¡¯t forsake his conscience and tried to exin to Grid.


    ¡°Among the three items, the value of the cloak is the lowest. Do you still want to choose the cloak?¡±


    It was Jishuka. She told the truth to Grid earlier than Regas. Regas was so proud of his master that she smiled brightly.


    On the other hand, Grid was puzzled.


    ¡®Why is the value of the cloak the lowest?¡¯


    Grid hadpletely different thoughts from the Tzedakah Guild. The Tzedakah Guild thought the option of the cloak was good but disliked Bloody Smell. However, Grid thought that Bloody Smell was a big advantage.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t Bloody Smell make it easier to hunt monsters? If so, isn¡¯t the value of the cloak as good as the mask?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid had a rare excellent idea. This was evidence that Grid was growing.


    Then why didn¡¯t the Tzedakah Guild have the same thought as Grid? It wasn¡¯t really the case. The Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t care about the concept of hunting itself.


    Unlike Grid, they were so high in level so it was less efficient to hunt mobs. In order to enhance theirbat skills and teamwork, they enjoyed hunting powerful monsters in a party.


    However, as Grid¡¯s life centered around being a cksmith, he didn¡¯t feel the need to increase hisbat skills and just wanted to level up quickly. Moreover, his hunting efficiency was very high.


    Due to this difference in position, Grid and the Tzedakah Guild had different mindsets. Thus, they were able to make a transaction that satisfied both sides.


    "I still want the cloak.¡±


    "Then we will choose the mask first. What about the orb? If possible, we would like to have it as well.¡±


    ¡°Only if you give me money.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll give you gold equivalent to half the value of the orb.¡±


    Mcus was different from general boss monsters who periodically respawned: he was a special boss monster who didn¡¯t resurrect upon death, so an exact quote for his items didn¡¯t exist.


    "In this case, we have to use the auction house. We will register it for 48 hours then cancel it at 47 hours and 59 minutes.¡±


    Grid felt unwilling as he listened to Jishuka¡¯s exnation, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to pay a fine if you cancel the registration of an auction item right before it is over? The fine... Do I have to pay it?¡±


    "We are willing to pay that much.¡±


    ¡°Um... Then the division of the enhancement stones and magic stones...¡±


    The blessed enhancement stones were 1,200 gold per stone. The high rated magic stones were 4,000 gold each.


    ¡°There is a total of 18 enhancement stones and 3 magic stones, so the estimated value is 33,600 gold... Divide this...¡±


    Grid was busy calcting the money when Jishuka did something that amazed him. She handed all the enhancement stones and magic stones to Grid.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Jishuka grinned at the stunned Grid. "The raid would¡¯ve failed if it wasn¡¯t for you. Shouldn¡¯t this belong to you?"


    Jishuka¡¯s smiling face was so beautiful that Grid stared with a stunned expression for a while. Then Jishuka said goodbye to him, "Let¡¯s split up and meet again in three days, where I will hand you the prepared gold.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes... Okay, I understand.¡±


    "Grid, I have a lot of things to do today, so let¡¯s take a break and look for your stolen item tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Regas, you¡¯ll still help me?¡±


    "Of course! I promised to help, so I should see it through to the end! Then I¡¯m going!¡±


    Jishuka, Regas, and the other Tzedakah Guild members left Grid.


    "Hrmm."


    Then Grid stopped in front of the cave where Mcus had been.


    ¡®What was he doing in here?¡¯


    Were there any hidden treasures?


    ¡°Heh... This cave stimtes the instincts of a treasure hunter.¡±


    Grid had a history of finding Pagma¡¯s Rare Book in the Northern End Cave, so he had a desire to explore this cave.


    ¡®Surely there isn¡¯t anything dangerous after Mcus is gone?¡¯


    Grid sneaked into the cave. The cave was quite small. The cave was lit up with ming torches.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It happened after walking around 10 steps. Grid entered the cave and found a silver-haired beauty who was restrained. She was Irene,dy of Winston.


    "Ah, this is what happened.¡±


    He made the Divine Shield and it was robbed by Mcus¡¯ subordinate. When he appeared, many soldiers in Winston Castle were killed. In the midst of this chaos, Irene had been captured.


    ¡°Um...m?¡±


    Perhaps she heard Grid talking? Irene regained consciousness and slowly opened her eyes. She found Grid and smiled with relief, before starting to sob.


    "It was you... The one who helped Doran and saved me... Now you saved me again...¡±


    ¡®Doran? Was the one Doran wanted to save Irene?¡¯


    As soon as Grid learned about Irene¡¯s identity, a very familiar notification window popped up.


    [A quest has been created.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    [Escort the Lady]


    Difficulty: A


    Irene, who has been kidnapped by the Yatan Church for a second time, has a very weak mind and body.


    She can¡¯t return to Winston Castle with her own power, so you must safely escort her to Winston Castle.


    Please note that while Mcus has died, there might still be other followers remaining.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Arrive at Winston Castle with Irene.


    Quest Reward: Irene¡¯s affinity will be MAX. Doran¡¯s Ring.


    * If affinity with a NPC of the opposite sex reaches the maximum, the possibility of a special event urring will increase.


    [Doran¡¯s Ring]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability 10/10 Health: +1,000 ck Magic Resistance: +10% Poison Resistance: +10%


    * If you be poisoned or cursed, your condition will recover immediately (60 minutes cooldown).


    * 50% of the damage received will instantly be recovered (10 minutes cooldown when the effect is activated).


    A treasure that Doran, Earl Steim¡¯s shadow warrior, loved very much. He is said to have received the favor of the goddess of health and wisdom.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 0.1


    Quest Failure: Irene is likely to die. Affinity with Earl Steim will fall to the lowest point.


    * The entire northern part of the Eternal Kingdom will fall into chaos because Earl Steim will lose his temper when Irene is killed.


    [Quest is in progress.]


    "Kuoh...!


    Grid¡¯s body trembled as he clenched his fists. Was it anger due to the quest proceeding without his permission. No, quite the opposite.


    ¡®Yes! Great!¡¯ Grid cheered in his head, ¡®This is a chance to obtain Doran¡¯s ring!¡¯


    He had wanted the ring since he first met Doran. The ring with great options was finally entering his grasp.


    ¡®Wow, this is really great. There are no conditions of use despite the performance? If I have this ring, won¡¯t I gain an extra 1,000 health?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s strength and stamina were unusually highpared to his level. As a result, his current health was around 8,000 points. This was rather highpared to the average health of tankers at the same level.


    For low-level users or users with weak stamina, the value of 1,000 health attached to Doran¡¯s RIng was enormous. Attribute resistance, recovery from abnormal conditions and health recovery, these options were unquestionably the best.


    ¡®This will unconditionally sell if ced at auction.¡¯


    Unique items without any usage conditions were rare. The value would be worth tens of millions of won... No, maybe it would be worth hundreds of millions of won... the situation was ridiculous.


    ¡®If I gain this, won¡¯t it be a result of the Divine Shield¡¯s robbery?¡¯


    What was the reason Grid came to Rolf Mountain? It was to reim the Divine Shield.


    But rather than finding the one who stole the shield, he encountered Mcus by ident, suddenly getting two tremendous quest rewards for nothing... Now a new quest popped up. It was like dropping an axe, only to pick up two golden axes.


    ¡®I am just like a guy copsing on the street, only to get back up.¡¯


    Grid knew that good luck was far away from him. Originally, he would¡¯ve broken his nose when falling down. But ever since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he, fortunately, gained some sess.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just Doran¡¯s ring that I can obtain.¡¯


    If Irene¡¯s affinity reached the maximum, he could possibly marry her. In other words, he would be the husband of thedy of a territory, and an earl¡¯s son-inw.


    ¡®In that case, won¡¯t I be like a lord?¡¯


    Right now, Winston was growing to be one of the best cities. The taxes alone would be astronomical.


    ¡¯Huhu, I will raise the taxes if I be a lord. Then I will be rich!¡¯


    Irene¡¯s MAX affinity = marriage to her = be the lord = tax was his. He took a deep breath and decided to embark on the quest.


    ¡°Believe in me.¡± Grid released the ropes binding Irene, helped her stand up, and gave her the nicest smile possible. "I will safely escort you to the castle, so don¡¯t worry you too much.¡±


    "Thank you..."


    Grid¡¯s confidence had skyrocketed after beating the famous Mcus. He was determined to fight, even if the Yatan believers were to block his way.


    ¡®The Yatan followers should be at a level simr to that of the monsters in Kesan Canyon. They are of no threat to me, even without the Divine Shield and Mcus¡¯ Cloak.¡¯


    In the first ce, Regas had defeated many followers. He thought there would only be a few left. The immediate problem wasn¡¯t the enemies, but Irene.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    "I¡¯m sorry... I am a big burden to you.¡±


    Irene was in such a bad condition that she couldn¡¯t walk on her own. Grid saw that her health was low and tried to recover it with a potion. But her condition didn¡¯t change. He tried to feed her many potions that would heal the status conditions, but they didn¡¯t seem to have an effect.


    ¡¯This isn¡¯t something that can be resolved by a user. She will be in this state until we reach the castle. How rotten... I wasted my potions.¡¯


    In the end, Grid ced Irene on his back.


    "Kyaaak?!¡±


    Irene was the sheltered daughter of an earl who never held hands with any man except for her father! Therefore, she now felt confused and embarrassed at being piggybacked by a man.


    ¡°M-Mr. Grid! You don¡¯t need to help me this much!¡±


    She blushed as she struggled, but she was as weak as a feather. This was Grid¡¯ first experience with a woman outside of his younger sister, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling excited.


    ¡®This... A woman¡¯s touch...!¡¯


    Grid had no experience with dating... so he was now experiencing a crisis in the game. But this was the best luck! Grid was excited by Irene¡¯s touch on his back and replied vigorously!


    "There is no need to be ashamed! Don¡¯t be bothered. I will... No, I won¡¯t let you do anything hard! Leave everything to me!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Grid...¡±


    In the meantime, Grid had experienced several incidents and didbor, umting close to 250 stat points. Thanks to that, his stamina was iparable and could run carrying Irene.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s go!¡¯


    The distance from Rolf Mountain to Winston was around five hours on foot! Grid was determined to arrive in Winston, but this was an A-grade quest, after all, so a crisis appeared at the very beginning.


    ¡°You! You are the one who killed Mcus!¡±


    Three followers hiding at the front of the cave emerged and attacked Grid.


    "I will get revenge for Mcus! Die!¡±


    The Yatan followers used curse magic on Grid. They also summoned a poisonous fog that would rot his lungs. But their magic didn¡¯t work because Grid resisted all of it. The existence of Grid was the nemesis of magicians who specialized in causing abnormal conditions.


    "Aren¡¯t you weaker than Mcus? Why are you trying to get revenge when you are so weak? Quick Movements!¡±


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    Grid didn¡¯t activate Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. When deactivated, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased physical damage and the probability of critical damage by 10%. The attack power when equipped with Dainsleif wasn¡¯t at a level that a magician could endure.


    "Hiyaaaah!¡±


    One hand held Irene on his back, while the other one swung Dainsleif. Hecked strength so he couldn¡¯tpletely control Dainsleif with one hand, but his iplete and slow attack was sufficient to deal with the Yatan followers.


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    ¡°For Mcus!¡±


    ¡°Ahh! For God Yatan!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t avoid the curse magic, mming the sword into the followers¡¯ faces. He gained a moderate amount of experience and loot, before running down the mountain. There were ambushes from Yatan followers all over the mountain.


    "Souls of the underworld, use your grudges and fears to ensnare the enemy. Crush his mind with fear and make him lose his will! Be a doll with a lost soul!¡±


    The curse magic poured down from all directions. It seemed a little grim, so Grid put the big sword away in his inventory, took out the Divine Shield and protected Irene with it.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    The Yatan followers suffered just facing the Divine Shield. Grid put away the shield in this gap and pulled out the dagger, aiming Wind st in the direction of the magic.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    There was an explosion in the mountain and the screams of the Yatan followers echoed.


    ¡°T-Too strong...!¡±


    The followers of Yatan werepletely defeated by Grid¡¯s style of switching between the shield, dagger and greatsword.


    ¡®The Yatan followers were such great enemies when I met Doran, but now it is the opposite.¡¯


    ¡°You monster! Eek!¡±


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    The Yatan believers fell helplessly in front of Grid who was wearing a strange helmet and Mcus¡¯ Cloak!


    Some of them became tearful as they realized they couldn¡¯t defeat Grid, while others were determined to fight. However, none of them retreated. Their madness made Irene frightened. But Grid was actually happy about it.


    He destroyed the followers who kept on appearing.


    ¡°Hahahahat! Nowe! Continue! It is thanks to all of you!¡±


    Due to this battle, Grid realized a lot. General users were reluctant to deal with enemies that caused status abnormalities, but he was different.


    ¡®Don¡¯t monsters who cause special statuses often have weak attack or defense? Isn¡¯t this a perfect meal for me? I should hunt these type of enemies in the future.¡¯


    Grid had almost 100% status resistance due to the characteristic of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and the special stats.


    He once again realized how fraudulent a legendary ss was as he dealt with the enemies on Rolf Mountain. Dozens of monsters ran over due to Mcus¡¯ Cloak. After three hours, Grid had reached level 97.


    "We are dyed because monsters keep appearing. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    "... As Doran said, Mr. Grid is the only one I can rely on. You are really strong.¡±


    Irene had one of the most powerful knights in the north as her subordinate. Her father, Earl Steim, also had great people. Therefore, she had a good knowledge ofbat and could tell that Grid had excellent skills. That made it harder for her to understand.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Grid a cksmith? But how can you be so strong?¡±


    Grid easily answered.


    "The power of items.¡±


    "I...Items?¡±


    "Well, it is the virtue of having great battle gear.¡±


    "Even if you have great battle gear, won¡¯t it be hard if you don¡¯t have the skills? You are strong and humble.¡±


    Irene smiled softly. Her appreciation towards Grid was rising exponentially. Grid thought it wouldn¡¯t be long until he became her husband. He talked like this with Irene and arrived safely in Winston.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    "Thedy has already been gone for half a day! But we still don¡¯t know where she is? Ipetent people! Don¡¯t stop looking! Find thedy!¡±


    Phoenix had been defeated and seriously injured in battle against the Eighth Servant, Yura. While he was lying in bed and half losing his mind, a change took ce in Winston Castle.


    A high ranking elder of the Yatan Church infiltrated the castle, brainwashed the administrator, killed the soldiers and Irene was missing. Phoenix couldn¡¯t even get out of bed, but he started getting seizures after hearing that Irene hadn¡¯t been found.


    ¡°Captain¡¯s wounds are worsening! Please calm down! We will find thedy unharmed.¡±


    "Shut up! My health isn¡¯t important right now! Why are you repeating the same words as before and not doing anything?¡±


    Night deepened. Phoenix didn¡¯t want to imagine what Irene was experiencing right now.


    ¡®My Lady has already experienced being kidnapped. She still has the trauma from that time... She will be frightened.¡¯


    In the past, there was Doran. However, now Doran was gone.


    ¡®My Lady, please don¡¯t worry. Your subject will help you!¡¯


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    Phoenix groaned. Then he used all his strength and got up from the bed.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    The knights freaked out. It was because blood was seeping through the bandage wrapped around Phoenix¡¯ chest.


    ¡¯He will die!¡¯


    Phoenix had a big wound right next to his heart. He was strong enough to speak and raise his body, but he was so seriously wounded that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to die at any moment. The knights tried to persuade Phoenix.


    "If thedy isn¡¯t found and the administrator doesn¡¯t wake up, won¡¯t the castle copse? There is a high probability that thedy is in a crisis. But you are safe. If you try to move now then the situation will only get worse. So please, calm down!¡±


    "Shut up!"


    The knights were making the right decision, but Phoenix didn¡¯t hear anything. He was seeing Irene in a terrible situation. Then a soldier ran into the room.


    ¡°Thedy! Thedy hase back!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ***


    ¡°My Lady, your faithful subject couldn¡¯t protect you! This is a sin that can¡¯t be washed away for three generations! Please kill me!¡±


    Irene rushed forward towards Phoenix who was kneeling down. A half-dead person was running around, Phoenix seemed like a monster to the knights and soldiers.


    ¡°Sir Phoenix...¡±


    Blood was dripping from the bandage wrapped around Phoenix¡¯s chest. Due to excessive bleeding, hisplexion was pale and his lips were blue. Phoenix was truly prepared to die. But Irene didn¡¯t want to lose Phoenix.


    "This incident urred while Sir Phoenix was lying in the infirmary. So Sir Phoenix isn¡¯t responsible.¡±


    ¡°No! It is my fault. It proves that I neglected the security of the castle...!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡±


    Irene shouted. Phoenix was stunned because this was the first time he saw Irene act like this. As his mouth gaped open, Irene firmly expressed her will.


    "This incident is all my fault. It is my own fault for not increasing the guards after Sir Phoenix became injured. You have no responsibility. So stand up. Please take care of your wound. I will be really sad if you leave my side like Doran.¡±


    ¡®My Lady...¡¯


    Phoenix¡¯ stubbornness was finally broken. Then he shook his head and asked.


    "Was it the Yatan Church again? Did they want to sacrifice you?¡±


    "..."


    Irene shuddered at the thought of Mcus¡¯ cold eyes. The fear of death, which she experienced twice, was so horrible that she couldn¡¯t bear it. Irene exined in a trembling voice.


    "I lost consciousness and when I woke up, there was a man. He was the Sixth Servant, Mcus.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The knights were agitated.


    "One of Yatan¡¯s servants dared to invade Winston?¡±


    "It seems like the Yatan Church is thoroughly preparing for war with Winston!¡±


    "I can¡¯t forgive them for kidnapping thedy! We must tell Earl Steim and invite the whole army to invade the main Yatan Temple.¡±


    ¡°No, but...?¡±


    Phoenix interrupted as the agitated knights were shouting. It was due to a sense of strangeness. The servants of Yatan were strong. In particr, Mcus was famous for being cruel. It was impossible for Irene to escape from him, and he wouldn¡¯t have let her go.


    "Who saved thedy?¡±


    Few virgins kidnapped by the Yatan Church ever returned home. One of them was Irene, but she was rescued by Doran. However, Doran wasn¡¯t here anymore.


    ¡®If the opponent is one of the Eight Servants, even Doran wouldn¡¯t find it easy to save her.¡¯


    The person who rescued Irene must have a great power. But was such a great person here in Winston?


    ¡°That person.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Phoenix was stunned by the man Irene pointed to. He was...


    ¡°Haha, hello?¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    The person Irene pointed to was Grid. However, Phoenix knew him as a great cksmith. But wasn¡¯t he just a cksmith? How was he able to save Irene? It was against Mcus!


    ¡¯Did he use his brains? But he doesn¡¯t seem smart...¡¯


    Irene exined to the confused Phoenix.


    "Mr. Grid is very strong. He killed Mcus with hispanions, then rescued me and smashed the rest of the followers. A hero.¡±


    ¡°... My Lady?¡±


    Irene¡¯s gaze towards Grid was strange. It was like a virgin¡¯s gaze towards someone she liked. Phoenix was baffled for a moment, but he soon got up. Then he looked Grid up and down. Grid took off all his equipment in the safe zone and was once again back to his scruffy appearance. But Phoenix was able to notice Grid¡¯s multi-dimensional nature. Somehow he had the illusion of a halo around Grid.


    ¡®Grid seems like someone who has built up a great reputation... He must usually hide his identity. Maybe cksmithing is just his hobby? He has tremendous skill for a hobbyist... no, he must¡¯ve built up his reputation in many ways.¡¯


    Phoenix was convinced.


    "Thank you. You are thedy and Winston¡¯s savior...! I won¡¯t forget your grace!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯ attitudepletely changed from what it was before. Grid finally saw the notification window.


    [Quest sess!]


    [Affinity with Irene, Winston¡¯sdy, has risen to the maximum.]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    It was an easier quest than he expected. In addition, the rewards for the A-grade quest were terrific.


    "Mr. Grid, this is a show of my sincerity.¡±


    [Doran¡¯s Ring has been acquired.]


    "This is...¡±


    Grid was given a ring. Irene smiled and stated,


    "Please swear to me that you will cherish this ring, as it is a keepsake from the one who saved my life.¡±


    "The one who saved your life, do you mean Doran? Absolutely. I also have a connection with Doran... I will treasure it.¡±


    ¡°Will you swear?¡±


    Grid readily replied to Irene¡¯s question. "Of course.¡±


    At that moment.


    [Doran¡¯s ring has been attached to you.]


    "..."


    In Satisfy, the death penalty was veryrge. There was a drop in experience and the durability of equipped items. There was also a certain probability of equipped items dropping. It was very difficult to regain the items dropped after dying. Even if the person ran over right after resurrecting, there were many users or monsters who would pick it up. Who wouldn¡¯t be angry at dropping items with a tremendous value when dying?


    Therefore, Satisfy had a system to protect such items. Items attached to a user never dropped, even if the user died. It was also impossible to sell it to other users.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    Doran¡¯s Ring was definitely a top essory. But it wasn¡¯t as great for Grid, who could resist all sorts of status conditions. So he had thought about selling Doran¡¯s Ring but...


    ¡¯It is bound to me! What is this?¡¯


    Bound items couldn¡¯t be released. Even if a user died, they would lose a simr amount in gold instead of the item. Therefore, most users were willing to take the risk of losing the item and didn¡¯t use the item binding system. Grid tried to soothe his boiling emotions.


    ¡®... Let¡¯s think about this positively. It is true that this ring is great.¡¯


    It raised his health by 1,000 and had a skill that restored 50% of the damage dealt. It was definitely a good item. Even if he couldn¡¯t make money from it, he could use it directly.


    ¡®I like it... I get to wear such a nice ring... Haha... I feel good...¡¯


    Grid wore Doran¡¯s Ring instead of putting it in his inventory. Irene smiled happily at the sight.


    ¡°Mr. Grid, I will soon organize a feast for you. I hope you will be there.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Grid replied to the blushing Irene and returned to Khan¡¯s smithy. It waste, so Khan was already asleep. In the dark smithy, Grid started to organize his items.


    ¡®Mcus¡¯ Cloak and Doran¡¯s ring... With this, I am even stronger. I also have 8 blessed weapon enhancement stones and 10 blessed armor enhancement stones. In addition, the three magic stones for a total value of 33,600 gold... Isn¡¯t this terrific? It¡¯s terrific no matter how I look at it.¡¯


    100 gold was worth 120,000 won cash. This meant that 33,600 gold was 40,320,000 won. Grid was able to acquire more than 40 million won worth of items thanks to the Tzedakah Guild. Then three dayster, half the value of the orb would enter his hands.


    ¡®Why is she treating me so good?¡¯


    Grid realized that the Tzedakah Guild had treated him really well and he wondered why. He came to a conclusion after thinking alone.


    ¡°Is Jishuka interested in me? Does such a beautiful person want to meet me?¡±


    Jishuka was one of the idols of Satisfy. She had numerous fan clubs all over the world, just like Yura.


    ¡¯Won¡¯t numerous men be envious and curse at me?¡¯


    It was like a dream. Grid¡¯s nostrils red at the thought.


    ¡®Her personality is wild but she is a global beauty and her body is fantastic... Won¡¯t a confession be amazing?¡¯


    It was time to end his connection. Grid hummed and logged out. Then he went to bed without washing as usual. Meanwhile, there was breaking news around the world. The Sixth Servant, Mcus, was killed!


    The dark power of God Yatan and the attack power users of the Yatan Church were temporarily reduced by 10%!


    Until a new priest was elected, it was impossible for a user to be a ck magician. In addition, the strength of the Yatan Church was greatly weakened! It became known that the Tzedakah Guild were the ones who defeated Mcus.


    The top rankers hoped to join the Tzedakah Guild. The biggest beneficiary of this incident wasn¡¯t Yura, but the Tzedakah Guild.


    The exclusive interview with Regas...


    ¡®The person who was most active in the Mcus raid was someone else?¡¯


    Jishuka gave a press conference for the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡¯The guild ns to expand... But those who want to sign up for the guild have to pass a test.¡¯


    "These days, most of the breaking news is rted to Satisfy.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t Jishuka sexy? I like Jishuka a lot more than Yura. I would happily die if I could sleep with such a woman.¡±


    ¡°Ridi~culous. You wouldn¡¯t be able to get with such a woman, even if you die and reborn 100 times. A woman like that would only be with the world¡¯s richest and most handsome people. She is in apletely different world from us.¡±


    ¡°Rather than those that are rich and handsome... Isn¡¯t she more likely to date a ranker from Satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to be richer or more handsome than rankers?¡±


    "Indeed...¡±


    Some of the 45th generation graduates were talking in a cafe. They met to decide about the reunioning up, and the story naturally shifted to Satisfy. Of course, the name Shin Youngwoo was also mentioned.


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t Youngwoo say he started Satisfy from the Open Beta? He¡¯s been ying Satisfy for over a year, so won¡¯t he have met someone like Jishuka or Yura by now?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. He is a loser even in the game. How can he be a ranker, when he is falling deeper into debt instead of making money from Satisfy. He must be hitting slimes.¡±


    ¡°Pfff! You are funny! Kukukuk! That is too much. Surely he wouldn¡¯t be killing slimes after one year? He can at least catch a wolf!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Are you ignoring Youngwoo? Wouldn¡¯t he have caught a goblin?¡±


    ¡°Kikikil~¡±


    After graduating from university or returning from studying abroad, they found it hard to live in society. People better than them were taking all the desired jobs. For such a gloomy crowd, the ¡®worse off than them¡¯ Shin Youngwoo was literally a healing balm.


    When they talked about Shin Youngwoo, ¡®I am relieved to know that are many people worse off than me in the world.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, I want to see Youngwoo. I hope hees to the reunion this time.¡±


    ¡°I agree... Ah! Ahyoung!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kim Ahyoung, a beautiful woman who couldn¡¯tpare to the likes of Yura or Jishuka in the end. When she was in high school and university, she always heard that she was the most beautiful one, and was also Shin Youngwoo¡¯s first love.


    "Doesn¡¯t Youngwoo like you? Meet him and ask him toe to the reunion, he¡¯ll definitelye.¡±


    ¡°Huh? He might¡¯ve liked me a long time ago, but now? We have long graduated from high school and we only see each other once a year at the alumni reunions.¡±


    ¡°Wow~ You¡¯ve met so many men, but you still don¡¯t understand them? People who don¡¯t have experience with romance can¡¯t forget their first loves. Maybe Youngwoo still likes you?¡±


    ¡°Hehe... He has no dating experience?¡±


    The corners of Kim Ahyoung¡¯s mouth tilted up with interest. She thought it would be fun to y with someone who was barely making a living.


    ¡°Give me Youngwoo¡¯s phone number.¡±


    ¡°O~kay.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s fellow alumni didn¡¯t know that Shin Youngwoo, who they ignored as a loser, was born again as a winner... and they couldn¡¯t imagine the type of woman who would apany Shin Youngwoo to the reunion.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    I was the same rank as Mcus. And as I beat more boss monsters, I became the richest man in the world. There were dozens of morous girls on my arms, including Jishuka and Lae. In addition, my first love Ahyoung...


    "Why don¡¯t you like Yura?¡±


    "..."


    Yura was an unrealistically beautiful woman. Honestly, I have never seen a more beautiful woman than her, to the extent that everything else faded in her presence. Even Ahyoung, whom I had liked for 10 years, was nothing inparison.


    But she wasn¡¯t morous. Her chest was slightlyrger than average. If I considered that she might be wearing a pushup bra, her chest might be only average.


    "You aren¡¯t morous so why are you here...¡±


    I asked and Yura¡¯s face became cold as ice. It seems I had touched her sore spot.


    "Hiiik!¡±


    I begged for my life, but there was no mercy from the Blood Witch.


    Puok.


    A dagger pierced into my heart.


    ¡°Uh... Cough! Killing a person so casually... Truly the Blood Witch...¡±


    She was a cruel woman.


    "Heeeeok!¡±


    I opened my eyes to a familiar sight: the dirty ceiling as Iid down on the small and dirty bed in my room. It was a happy dream where I was the richest man in the world and had the most beautiful women in my arms, but it was also a bad dream because I was killed by Yura.


    "... I might not have another chance for a raid like that.¡±


    With one raid, I gained more than 40 million won in cash. The raid took a lot of time and money to invest in consumables, but it was easier to make money from raids than random items dropping. Of course, this was only limited to top raids.


    ¡°Tzedakah Guild...¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild was already attempting the Guardian of the Forest raid when I saw them a few months ago. They, along with the top guild, gobbled up the profits from raids and umted an enormous amount of wealth.


    It was different from the world I lived in.


    "But I got involved with those guys... It was an amazing experience.¡±


    I was hungry. I saw that it was 12 p.m. I only wore boxers and scratched my stomach as I headed into the living room.


    Then Sehee frowned from where she was preparing rice in the kitchen.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a good body, so why do you keep exposing yourself? Why don¡¯t you think about how other people feel? Look at the gauntness of your stomach. Don¡¯t take off your clothes in front of other women.¡±


    "... Why are you home instead of at school at this time?"


    "It is the anniversary of our school¡¯s opening. Come eat lunch. No, eat breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Breakfast prepared by my little sister?


    "It looks like Sehee is ready to marry.¡±


    I sat down at the table expectantly. But there were no side dishes.


    "What? Where are the side dishes?¡±


    "You want side dishes? Our family still has a debt of 560 million won. There is also the interest to repay every month... Just be grateful that we can eat rice.¡±


    ¡°... This can¡¯t be.¡±


    I stole the chopsticks from Sehee, who was about to put the food in her mouth.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Sehee was shocked as I took the chopsticks away from her. I stood up and eximed. "Let¡¯s go! Go out and eat meat!¡±


    My sister was growing so she couldn¡¯t just eat rice.


    ¡°If you continue to eat like this, your breasts won¡¯t grow!¡±


    "... Aren¡¯t I already pretty big? Why should we eat meat when we should be saving money?¡±


    ¡°Huhu... Sehee, your brother earned 40 million won yesterday. So don¡¯t worry and let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Eh? 40 million won? Cash?¡±


    ¡°Yes! In one day! How is it? Isn¡¯t it great? Now, let¡¯s go!"


    I dragged the stunned Sehee out of the kitchen. Then I put on the blue sweats that had been my favorite for 10 years. In the meantime, Sehee dressed in a pretty outfit and seemed prepared to go out.


    ¡°You are my sister, but you are indeed pretty.¡±


    How many years had it been since I bought her a meal? No, wasn¡¯t this the first time? I was proud of myself and hummed as we left the room. Then we rode four stops on the bus. We arrived at a downtown area with many restaurants.


    People watched Sehee walking next to me and spoke to each other.


    ¡°Wow, really pretty. Her ratio is amazing. Is she an idol trainee?¡±


    "A perfect example of an innocent beauty. Was there someone like this in the neighborhood? But who is that scruffy guy next to her? Surely she isn¡¯t dating a guy like that?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking? Do they look like they would be in the same group? They are probably just walking next to each other by chance.


    "Yes, something like that can happen. You are right!¡±


    ¡°A-A family member...?¡±


    "..."


    Sehee was beautiful and I didn¡¯t resemble her. Personally, I thought she was prettier and more lovely than Yura. She was smart and sociable, despite being cold to me, so she was the pride of our family. So I was reluctant to go anywhere with Sehee.


    ¡®It feels like I am harming her.¡¯


    I started walking slower than Sehee. She would be embarrassed if she walked next to me. Then Sehee grabbed my arm. "What are you doing? Why do you want to go alone?¡±


    "Well, that... Please release my arm. Everyone is looking.¡±


    People looked at us with a lot of distrust. It was as if I was someone who was threatening Sehee. It felt like they would call the police at any moment!


    Sehee felt ufortable and pressed closer to me. ¡°I hate walking alone because men keep trying to talk to me. This is a prevention method. It is also good that Oppa gives off a dirty impression.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Then we arrived in front of a Hanwoo (most expensive beef in Korea) specialty store. If each person wasn¡¯t willing to spend 250,000 won per person, it was best not to walk into a Hanwoo specialty store.


    I never thought I woulde to a ce like this. It was thanks to Satisfy. I yed the game and managed to go to lunch at a ce like this. I was thrilled to tears.


    Sehee stopped me before we entered the store. "Surely, we aren¡¯t going to eat here?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t I say that I earned 40 million won in one day? I wasn¡¯t joking. Don¡¯t you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I believe you. I am well aware that Oppa is doing well in Satisfy these days. But can you make 40 million won every day? No?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course not. Sometimes I can¡¯t even earn anything. But there might be days when I earn more than 40 million won. So this isn¡¯t a burden. Go ahead and enter.¡±


    ¡°Oppa. It isn¡¯t certain when you will earn a good amount of money. It is more important to save at these times. And I like pork more than beef.¡±


    "What are you talking about? When will you ever get to eat something like this? I always wished to eat here someday. Just believe in me for once. Come on!¡±


    I held Sehee¡¯s wrist and went inside the store.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    The employee greeted me politely. But his expression wasn¡¯t so good. I looked old-fashioned and poor. But his expression changed after seeing Sehee¡¯s bright appearance.


    "Just the two of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "This way."


    The employee guided me and Sehee to a room. On the way, there was a lit up hall with several people inside. It seemed like they were interviewing someone for a magician or TV show.


    ¡°Is it a celebrity?¡±


    Sehee sat in her seat and didn¡¯t reply. She looked around at the elegant exterior and sighed.


    "I would¡¯ve liked toe to this ce with our parents.¡±


    "Ah, you are a good daughter. Don¡¯t worry. I will take our parents to a better ce.¡±


    "Oh, aren¡¯t you a good son?¡±


    Sehee¡¯s face lit up. On this day, the brother and sister ate the finest Hanwoo that melted in their mouth.


    ***


    "Then finally... People around the world are curious about this. Yura, is it true that you are the new Eighth Servant? Most people are convinced that Yura is the Eighth Servant.¡±


    Korea¡¯s representative ranker, Yura. Right now, she was having an interview with Satisfy rted media. She couldn¡¯t focus because the interview ce was a Hanwoo store, but was surprised when a couple entered the store. It was because she knew the man.


    ¡®Grid...?¡¯


    He was the first one to defeat Yura, who was 5th on the unified rankings. After the incident at the Yatan Temple, Yura wanted to know who Grid was. She did her own research, but couldn¡¯t find any clues. Yet she met him in reality in Korea.


    ¡®I never thought I would meet him again.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s cheeks turned red as she smiled. It was an intense encounter. Thus, the encounter was engraved in her mind. She dreamed of reuniting with the protagonist of that encounter.


    "Let¡¯s move onto the next interview.¡±


    "..."


    The reporters and staff interviewing Yura were speechless due to her sudden alluring smile. Yura called for a break and left the restaurant. She contacted the informant she had been dealing with since starting Satisfy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sending my current location. I want you to investigate in detail a man who is dining here. His description...¡±


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... I can¡¯t breathe because my stomach is so swollen.¡±


    We were on the bus heading home. I gasped as I held my swollen belly.


    Then Sehee suggested. "Should we take a walk in the park to assist with digestion?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What nonsense are you saying? Why do we need to digest the best Korean beef? It should stay in my stomach as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Why is your expression like that? You don¡¯t look good.¡±


    "Ah, I¡¯m okay. There¡¯s just a strong garlic smell.¡±


    "..."


    An awkward silence flowed because Sehee seemed angry for some reason. Inside my pocket, the basic S cell phone started ringing.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Was this a debt reminder call? I had a lot of experience with Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy Financial Services, so I hesitated because it was a number I didn¡¯t know. But I soon realized.


    ¡®I¡¯ve already paid off my debt.¡¯


    Right now, I wasn¡¯t in debt. Of course, my father happened to be a debtor, but I didn¡¯t have to be afraid of unknown phone numbers anymore. I answered the call with confidence.


    "Hello?"


    Then I heard a voice that I would never forget.


    [Is this Shin Youngwoo¡¯s phone?]


    ... Ahyoung. My first and only love, Kim Ahyoung.


    I spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°Yes... Are you perhaps Ahyoung?¡±


    The voice over the phone replied brightly.


    [Yes, that¡¯s right. You still remember my voice? Youngwoo is a detailed person. I like it.]


    I could never forget this voice. The feelings were buzzing in my head. But in reality, I couldn¡¯t speak properly because I was nervous.


    "T-that... What¡¯s going on?"


    Ah! Why was I acting so pathetic? My first love was contacting me, so why was I asking a question instead of saying hello? Really stupid! As I was shaking, Ahyoung made a suggestion.


    [I was looking through our graduation album not long ago. While looking at the photos, I suddenly wanted to see you. After graduating from high school, haven¡¯t we only met at the alumni meeting? How about it? Would you like to have a drink with me?]


    She wanted to see me? My first love Ahyoung wanted to have a drink with me?


    ¡®Does Ahyoung like me as well? Now she wants to confess her hidden heart?¡¯


    I excitedly stood up. "When should we meet?¡±


    The bus stopped at that moment. I fell down and rolled, but I felt neither pain nor shame.


    [Now would be good. But did you drop something? What was that sound...?]


    ¡°Ah, nothing. Nothing! You want to meet now? Ah, no! Why don¡¯t we meet in the evening? I-Is that okay?¡±


    [Yes, it is fine. Then at 7 p.m...]


    We decided on a ce to meet, then Ahyoung ended the call.


    "Ah...!"


    I started making money in Satisfy and my life was changing rapidly. I no longer feared the creditors and was going to win my first love. It was a dream-like situation, and I felt like I was floating amongst the clouds.


    "Was that a girl just now?¡± Sehee asked me.


    I didn¡¯t look at Sehee as I hugged my phone and replied. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Heh... Are you going to meet her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    After that, we didn¡¯t talk anymore until we arrived home. I waspletely excited at the thought of meeting Ahyoung, while Sehee kept her mouth shut. I showered as soon as I got home, then I asked Sehee.


    "Sehee, rmend me some fashionable styles these days. No,e buy clothes with me right now. Please style me.¡±


    ¡°I have to study~¡±


    Kwang!


    ¡°So cold-hearted.¡±


    Sehee locked her door and focused on studying, so I was forced to go and buy clothes alone. With the help of the clerk, I bought thetest trendy clothes and went to a hair salon. Of course, I also got thetest trendy haircut. After that, I exited out onto the street and saw people dressed in the same style as me.


    ¡¯Mass production...¡¯


    It didn¡¯t feel good to have the same style as others. Honestly, I was ashamed. But wasn¡¯t it a thousand times better than wearing old-fashioned sweatpants?


    ¡®I¡¯ve never dressed up, so dressing in thetest trends can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    Iforted myself as I ran to the promised ce.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    "Ah...!¡±


    When I arrived at the meeting ce, I recognized Ahyoung at first nce. It was crowded but the appearance of my first love shone in a unique manner.


    ¡®Too pretty.¡¯


    It was true that I had seen beautiful women such as Yura, Jishuka, and Eupheminately. I never felt anything when looking at the beauty of top CF stars mercials). But was it due to thepensation effect? Ahyoung was beautiful even whenpared to Yura and Jishuka.


    ¡®In particr, her smile is pretty.¡¯


    I first met Ahyoung when I entered high school. At that time, she always had a smile that made a person feel good. I fell in love with the way she brightened the mood around her. I didn¡¯t have the courage to confess and graduated without saying anything. But now I had a chance.


    ¡¯In fact, Ahyoung likes me as well. If not, why would she want to meet me? Okay, I will tell her my heart his time.¡¯


    Thest time I met Ahyoung was two years ago at the alumni meeting. This was the first time just the two of us met personally. So I was even more nervous. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat to calm myself. I nervously stretched out my legs.


    I was stretching in the midst of a crowd of people. The people passing by stared at me, but I didn¡¯t care. After a while. I calmed down to some extent and headed over to Ahyoung. A nice scent wafted from her long straight hair, which was her symbol.


    ¡°H-H-Hello Ahyoung? It has been a while. How is your family? Well, um... Uh, it is already autumn, Isn¡¯t there a lot of leaves on the street? The cleaners must be going through a lot of trouble. Haha, shouldn¡¯t wintere sooner? When winter arrives, spring wille soon... In the spring, the flowers...¡±


    What the hell was I saying right now? I tried to greet her as naturally as possible, but due to my extreme tension, my head became confused and I started talking nonsense.


    ¡®So embarrassing!¡¯


    I started sweating from agitation.


    ¡®It is really pathetic. I can¡¯t even speak properly in front of someone I like...¡¯


    Ahyoung gave me a slight smile.


    ¡°Youngwoo is still funny. Haven¡¯t you be even more handsome?¡±


    Ahyoung seemed to like thetest trends I was wearing. Today, I invested 180,000 on my haircut and 1,030,000 won on the shoes, pants, and shirt. My appearance was worth 1,210,000 won.


    ¡®People are looking at me as they pass by... Therge amount of money I invested was worth it. Life is also about the power of my items.¡¯


    I was able to rx and find my confidence thanks to Ahyoung¡¯s sweet smile and praise. Then I took her to a nearby restaurant.


    "I made a reservation.¡±


    It was a restaurant that I found on the Inte. The price was very expensive because it was a tuna specialty store, but wasn¡¯t it worth spending money on a meal with Ahyoung?


    "Isn¡¯t this ce expensive? Youngwoo, are you doing well these days?¡±


    Ahyoung¡¯s body was a piece of art as she took off her coat and sat down. Her cleavage was revealed by her dress, making me almost have a nosebleed. I grabbed my nose and exined.


    "I got a job.¡±


    As far as Ahyoung knew, I was in debt from ying the game. I had to let her know that my situation was different from the past in order to appeal to her.


    ¡°My debt has now been cleared.¡±


    ¡°Omo, really? That is good,¡± said Ahyoung in a pleased voice. "Well, Youngwoo was a hard worker so I believed that you would someday do well.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Since I wasn¡¯t a talented person, I had to work hard to study and exercise. That¡¯s how I followed along in the middle of the pack. No matter how hard I tried, there was a limit to my grades and people didn¡¯t notice I was doing my best. But Ahyoung seemed to be aware of my efforts.


    ¡®Has she been watching me that much?¡¯


    The food finally came out. Ahyoung naturally poured some soju and made a toast.


    "For Youngwoo¡¯s new start after clearing all the debt! Cheers!¡±


    ¡°C-Cheers!¡±


    "Kya~~!


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    The soju tasted like honey when I drank with Ahyoung. This was a famous restaurant, so the dishes were also excellent.


    ¡°Too delicious! I am able to eat at a ce like this thanks to Youngwoo. Are you making a lot of money? Where did you get a job?¡±


    If I said that I made money in Satisfy, I might give the impression that I was still just game obsessed. I wanted to show as much as I could, so I excluded Satisfy from the story.


    "I¡¯m just a worker at a smallpany.¡±


    "Heh, is it your major?¡±


    ¡°Um, something like that. Ahyoung, what have you been doing?¡±


    "Me~ I¡¯m just going to work and work and work, it is an infinite loop.¡±


    "What about romance?¡±


    "When will I have time for romance when I am so busy working?¡±


    Ha! So busy that she didn¡¯t have time to date? I was sure of it this time.


    ¡®Ahyoung really does like me!¡¯


    I had zero experience in dating. I didn¡¯t know much about women, but I was certain that Ahyoung liked me. I felt great.


    "You know Ahyoung. I am doing fairly well these days. It will take a while because my family is going through some tough times these days but... I am nning to collect my marriage funds soon. That... W-When...¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    "When I collect all the wedding funds... At that time, marry me!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Eh? What was I talking about now? It seemed like I couldn¡¯t distinguish between reality and imagination because I imagined proposal to Ahyoung more than a hundred times. I thought my face would explode with shame.


    Then it felt like ice water was poured on me as Ahyoung grabbed her belly andughed. ¡°What, a proposal all of a sudden? You really surprised me. Youngwoo, you really... Have you always been this funny?¡±


    Unfortunately, Ahyoung dismissed my proposal as a joke. Well, it was natural. No matter what was in our hearts, we were currently just ssmates. In addition, a proposal out of nowhere after not meeting for two years? Who would think I was serious? Of course she would take it as a joke.


    ¡®How embarrassing.¡¯


    I wanted to hide in a mouse hole. After that, we had a good time and thest dish was brought out. Three bottles of soju were drunk. I didn¡¯t drink too much because I was too nervous. On the other hand, Ahyoung seemed a little tipsy.


    ¡°I need to go fix my makeup.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Ahyoung went to the bathroom. I started to worry after she left.


    ¡®Should we go to a bar? Or would it be better to go to a karaoke room? But Sehee told me not to sing in front of another woman because I was tone-deaf... Um... Or.... Maybe we should take a break at a m-m-motel because Ahyoung drank too much?¡¯


    Today was the day! But wasn¡¯t Ahyoung taking too long?


    ¡®Has she copsed in the bathroom?¡¯


    I was worried and left the room. I asked an employee about the location of the bathroom and moved down the corridor. At the end of the corridor, there was the bathroom as well as a door to the outdoor smoking area.


    Then I heard Ahyoung¡¯s voiceing from the smoking room.


    ¡°Ah, he is so embarrassing.¡±


    "..."


    "Why is he wearing clothes that look like theye from the set of an Inte shopping mall? You know. Those pants that are popr these days... Yes, that¡¯s right. You see a lot of them on the street. He came fully dressed like that. People were staring. I was really mortified. His hairstyle doesn¡¯t suit his face, making him look worse. Sigh, really.¡±


    ... She was talking about me. Ahyoung who was always friendly and smiled at everyone. She was beautiful with big breasts and a pretty face, but I fell in love with her because of her kindness. But in fact, she was the type of woman who would gossip behind other people¡¯s back?


    "Do you know? He proposed less than 30 minutes after we met. Kukuku! Not even dating, but marriage! He is really so pitiful, pitiful. Are you dying fromughter? Huh? That¡¯s right. I am having fun. Isn¡¯t it good ying around like this? I will be sure to make hime to the reunion.¡±


    "..."


    I couldn¡¯t believe this situation and pinched my cheeks to make sure it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    Kwack.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It hurt. It hurt enough to make me cry.


    ¡°... It isn¡¯t a dream.¡±


    Indeed, if I thought about it, there was no reason for Ahyoung to like me. We didn¡¯t have a close rtionship in our school days, and we only met once a year at the reunions after graduation... Even at the reunions, we never had a proper conversation.


    In the first ce, our rtionship was so small that she wouldn¡¯t like me. I wasn¡¯t handsome, rich, well studied or have a charming personality... What woman would like such a mediocre person?


    ¡®I¡¯m not the protagonist of a manhwa...¡¯


    I returned to the dining room, where I drank one more bottle of soju. The sweet soju was now bitter.


    ¡°What? Have you been drinking alone? Youngwoo, aren¡¯t you a drinker?¡± Ahyoung grinned as she returned to the room. "Let¡¯s go somewhere else. We can talk more in a ce where the atmosphere is better...¡±


    I wanted to say to Ahyoung, ¡®You detestable girl! Is it fun ying with someone innocent? Stop acting!¡¯ But it was impossible to talk like that to someone whom I loved.


    "No, let¡¯s end it here today. I have to hurry home.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Already?¡±


    Ahyoung¡¯s expression was so natural that I couldn¡¯t even believe she was acting. If I hadn¡¯t heard her call by chance, I would¡¯ve been fooled by her acting forever.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll have to see you next time.¡±


    I barely managed to suppress my tears as I got up. Before I parted from Ahyoung in front of the restaurant, she finally cut to the chase. "Come to the reunion next week, understood?¡±


    Ah. The reason why Ahyoung met me today was because she was instigated by the other alumni in order to use my love to make me go to the reunion, where they could mock me. Why was I always so pitiful?


    ¡°Okay, I understand."


    I nodded without saying no to Ahyoung. Then on the way home on the bus, I cried like a protagonist of a melodrama.


    "Sob sob sob sob~!!¡±


    The other passengers looked at me and told me to be quiet, but I cried without caring. I soon arrived home.


    "Oppa, what¡¯s with that stupid haircut? Huh? Oppa? Why¡¯s your expression like that? Are you crying?¡±


    Was she waiting for me? As soon as I opened the door, Sehee rushed out of her room with a concerned look.


    I dered to Sehee, "I¡¯ll never love again. Women... I¡¯m really scared of women. I don¡¯t like them.¡±


    ¡°Oppa?¡±


    There was no one who needed me in reality. I was just a joke. But Satisfy was different. Khan was solely dependent on me, while Administrator Valdi required my skills. In addition, Irene had great affection towards me. Yes, I realized once again that Satisfy was the ce for me.


    I went straight to the capsule and connected to Satisfy. As soon as I connected, there was a whisper from Jishuka,


    -The orb¡¯s price has been determined.Can we meet now?


    Then Jishuka came to Khan¡¯s smithy and handed him the money.


    ¡°The maker of the Special Jaffa Arrows... We have been searching really hard for you. We need your abilities. Grid, please join our guild.¡±


    I stared at her. I remember telling Jishuka that I made the Special Jaffa Arrows and the Divine Shield during the Mcus raid.


    ¡®They saw me using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship... They might¡¯ve already noticed that I have a hidden ss...¡¯


    I seriously thought about it. If I joined the best guild, the benefits to me were obviously huge. And Jishuka promised her full support.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to waste time socializing if I join a guild, but I don¡¯t think I need to worry about that if I join the Tzedakah Guild.¡¯


    There were a lot of benefits if I joined the Tzedakah Guild. However, there was a problem to be addressed.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    "Ask me anything."


    "The money I will earn from my personal activities and the money I will earn from working with your guild. Which one will be bigger?¡±


    Jishuka replied without thinking about it. "Of course you will make more money when you are with us. You will get more money and reputation.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is that so? Hrmm... Then I have a condition before joining the guild.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Whatever you ask.¡±


    ¡°I am based here at Khan¡¯s smithy. I am Khan¡¯s sessor and will someday inherit this smithy. I don¡¯t want to move my base ording to your tastes.¡±


    Jishuka responded instantly. ¡°Okay. We will move our guild base to Winston instead of forcing you to move.¡±


    It was unconditionally favoring him. I realized what it meant when one of the best guilds promised their full support.


    ¡®This... Is my worth bigger than I thought?¡¯


    I was currently the best cksmith in Satisfy. I knew this fact better than anyone else. But I never imagined that my value would be so great as to make one of the strongest guilds move their headquarters to Winston.


    ¡®If I want to, I can live well in any guild.¡¯


    However, I had no intention of applying for membership to another guild. Have I ever been recognized and needed by someone before? No. It was my first time. My heart was weakened due to the incident with Ahyoung, so I felt overwhelmed at the fact that the top rankers acknowledged me.


    ¡°Okay. I will join the Tzedakah Guild. If you don¡¯t keep any of your promises, I can leave the guild at any time.¡±


    Thus, I joined the Tzedakah Guild. This was a stepping stone for my growth.


    I was determined.


    ¡®I will be rich quickly. Then I will show those who ignored me.¡¯


    I would show all the alumni, including Ahyoung, my change as soon as possible.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    [You have joined the Tzedakah Guild.]


    Guild Name: Tzedakah


    Level: 5 (57,630,440/100.588.127)


    Reputation: 612,140


    Master: Jishuka


    Number of Members: 18/80


    Affiliation: None


    Alliances: None


    Hostile Rtionships: Rio Kingdom/ Fire Dragon Trauka/ Yatan Church/ Iron Style Group/ Helding n/ Couch n


    Inclination: Neutral


    Territory: None


    I was very disappointed when I checked the guild information window that popped up when I joined the guild.


    ¡°What is this? The number of members is small since it is a group of elites, but you don¡¯t have any alliances or territory? And why do you have so many hostile rtionships? Why is a red dragon hostile to you?¡±


    "We haven¡¯t felt the need to make an alliance yet, and there are many enemies due to quests and raids. Umm, don¡¯t worry about the red dragon. He won¡¯t do anything unless we enter his territory.¡±


    "Putting all that aside, why don¡¯t you have a territory? As a top level guild, shouldn¡¯t the Tzedakah Guild have a territory?¡±


    It had been one year since Satisfy opened. Some top guilds belonged to certain countries and built up their achievements, receiving territory from the kings or nobles. They were barrennd, but depending on how the guild manages and develops it, thend could be a city in the future and huge taxes could be collected from it. In other words, the acquisition of a territory was one of the ultimate goals of a guild. Therefore, it was natural to wonder why the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t have a territory.


    Jishuka exined. "Grid, you are mistaken. Our guild is the strongest guild, not a top guild. There are fewer guild members so there is a limit to how much we can raise our guild level, as you can see by our low guild level. The level of the top guilds is estimated to be around 7~8 right now.¡±


    ¡°Wow... A bad guild with low level and no territory... How can this guild make me rich?¡±


    It seemed like I joined the wrong guild.


    ¡®I should leave.¡¯


    A man entered the smithy when I decided to leave.


    ¡°Listen to a person¡¯s words to the end.


    It was Pon who yed an active part in the raid against Mcus.


    "Our guild might be low in level, but we have steadily built up a reputation as we progressed through quests and raids. Many nobles and nations know about us, and we have received countless offers of territory from them. We just refused.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand. "You refused the territory?¡±


    Other guilds were eager to snatch any territory they could. If they could getnd, they would lick the feet of the nobles and royalty. Then why did the Tzedakah Guild refuse to ept the territory?


    I couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°Puhaha! You should bluff more moderately. Why would a guild say no to a territory?¡±


    ¡°Because of you.¡± Jishuka pointed at me with her long fingers. Even her hand gesture was seductive. "We had to make the entire continent our area of activity while searching for the unknown craftsman. That made it difficult to have a base and manage it. The nobles and royal families started to make suggestions about us bing their subordinates around the time of your appearance.¡±


    In other words...


    "You gave up territory just to find me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But strictly speaking, we didn¡¯t give it up. It is just on hold for a while. We can get territory in any country we want at any time.¡±


    I never imagined how much the Tzedakah Guild needed me. "But why do you want me so much? You know now that I have a hidden job, but at that time, didn¡¯t you just know me as a cksmith?¡±


    "The reason we want you is because you¡¯re a cksmith. Your hidden ss is irrelevant.¡±


    Pon exined.


    "The average user level in Satisfy is 80. High-level users like us are just a fraction of the two billion users, so there is always a shortage of equipment avable for high-level users. The items with the performance we want are rarely dropped through hunting or raids, so we have to rely on produced items...¡±


    Was it to wee my new colleagues? Khan kindly came out with refreshments. He was an NPC, but Pon respectfully epted the teacup given to him. Then he continued speaking.


    "A cksmith who can produce high-level items is very rare. Among users, there are no advanced cksmiths and even the advanced NPC cksmiths are only avable in major cities. In addition, advanced cksmiths only have a low chance of making epic or higher rated items, so the burden of investing the materials and themission fee is very high.¡±


    Jishuka took over. "Then epic rated arrows that not even advanced cksmiths could make appeared. We thought that the maker had the ability to produce the items we wanted, so we earnestly searched for you.¡±


    "..."


    The Tzedakah Guild recognized my abilities first and searched for me. I confirmed that I made the right decision in joining them.


    ¡°We came looking for you. You have the ability we want.¡±


    After that. All 17 members of the Tzedakah Guild, including Jishuka and Pon, gathered at Khan¡¯s smithy. Then they weed me with enthusiasm. All of them looked at me with expectant eyes, making me feel overwhelmed. But unexpected, not one person asked about my ss.


    "Isn¡¯t anyone interested in my ss?¡±


    Jishuka smiled gently.


    "It isn¡¯t that we have no interest. Everyone, including myself, is curious about the exact ss. But we won¡¯t ask because we know that hidden sses are reluctant to disclose information about their ss.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    It was really meticulous care. As I started liking the guild more and more, Jishuka cut to the chase.


    "Grid, in the future, I want tomission items for the guild members. We want epic or higher rated items suitable for our level. We will buy thepleted items for an appropriate price.¡±


    "It is okay if you give me money. But it will take a while to obtain the materials and production methods required...¡±


    "If you tell us what you need, we will get it for you. You just have to worry about making it.¡±


    That was convenient.


    ¡°Okay. But I don¡¯t have a lot of capital, so I can¡¯t make too many items at once.


    Jishuka made a confused sound. "Capital? Why do you need capital? The guild will supply the materials and production methods. All you need is time and the technique.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Were they going to give me free materials and production methods? This sounded like a dream! No, don¡¯t get too excited. It was strange. It was suspicious that they were so nice from the beginning. I couldn¡¯t believe in people-especially women- because they might hit me in the back of the head!


    I became wary of Jishuka.


    ¡°You¡¯ll give me the materials for free and then buy the finished item from me? Why are you giving me the materials and production methods? Isn¡¯t it just a loss for you?¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡± Jishuka was confused. "What are you talking about? Aren¡¯t you a cksmith of our guild? It¡¯s natural for the guild to support our cksmith with materials and the production methods.¡±


    Regasughed from where he was listening to the side.


    "Grid, apetent cksmith is a talent that all guilds covet. They have to give the cksmiths the best treatment to prevent them from going to other guilds. It is obvious that a guild with apetent cksmith will have a huge growth gap with a guild that doesn¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    A cksmith ss, wasn¡¯t it a total honey-like ss? But this was only forpetent cksmiths!


    ¡®cksmiths are very difficult to grow... So the value of an exceptional cksmith is very high. However, Pagma¡¯s Descendant has fraudulent cksmith skills so it honey...¡¯


    I once again felt the greatness of a legendary ss and appreciated it.


    ¡®I want to start working.¡¯


    I was filled with enthusiasm and prompted Jishuka. "So who am I making an item for?¡±


    Pon raised his hand in a sh.


    ¡°Me!¡±


    Vantner grabbed Pon¡¯s hand. Then he raised his hand. ¡°No, me first!¡±


    Toban shouted. "Of course, the master should be first! Then the chief of staff!¡±


    "What does chief of staff have to do with the sequence? Don¡¯t abuse your authority.¡±


    All members of the Tzedakah Guild were rankers. They all aimed at and desired to level up. Being armed with stronger items would make it faster and easier to hunt. It was obvious that all of them wanted their item to be made first.


    No, I had to exclude Regas, who wasughing without saying anything.


    ¡®Regas is a martial artist who trains his body, so it seems like he doesn¡¯t care about items. That reminds me...¡¯


    I pointed to two men who couldn¡¯t hide their ufortable expressions and Toban.


    ¡°Toban. And you two.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The three people called became filled with anticipation. They misunderstood that I would make them items. However, it was the opposite.


    "I will make your itemsst.¡±


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    I exined to the surprised Toban, "Toban, you were nasty when I asked to join the Guardian of the Forest raidst time...¡±


    "Heok? It was a few months ago, but you still remember? Strictly speaking, it was indifference, not nastiness!¡±


    ¡°Shh. And the other two...¡±


    I checked the IDs of the two people. One was a Hispanic male with ck hair called Rook, while the other was a slim, middle-aged man called Jeep.


    "The two of you. Didn¡¯t youe here before?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long after the production making game with Euphemina. They were the two people who entered Khan¡¯s smithy to ask about Euphemina¡¯s whereabouts. At that time, they ignored me and disregarded Khan since he was an NPC.


    "Our rtionship is like this, right?¡±


    I smiled and the two of them looked at each other before bowing and apologizing, ¡°We¡¯re sorry for that time! We were so impatient that we were rude! We sincerely apologize!¡±


    "You need to apologize to Khan, not me.¡±


    Khan was watching me and my new colleagues happily! The two people apologized to Khan, but they didn¡¯t really mean it.


    ¡°What? Are you still ignoring NPCs? Well, regardless of whether you ignore NPCs or not, it doesn¡¯t matter to me; however, Khan is different. Khan is my precious friend, and if you don¡¯t respect him, I will never produce any items for you."


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry Khan.¡±


    "Please forgive us.¡±


    Rook and Jeep¡¯s apologies were sincere this time, and it seemed that they realized that even an NPC could be a valuable asset to someone.


    ¡®They will do well.¡¯


    Well, I didn¡¯t want to criticize them anymore because I also ignored NPCs that I didn¡¯t need. So the conclusion...


    "I want you to make a spear for Pon first.¡±


    It was Jishuka¡¯s will.


    ¡°As revealed in the Mcus raid, Pon currently has a low level weapon, so he can¡¯t exert the maximum amount of power in a high-level raid. He is one of the pure physical damage dealers in our guild, so we have to prioritize his weapon."


    Pon approached.


    "I already have a method of making a spear.¡±


    [¡¯Gale Spear Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Gale Spear Production Method]


    Prerequisite: Advanced cksmith Mastery Level 4.


    * Gale Spear: A spear made of mithril. It is very light so the more skilled the user, the more the power can be maximized. However, this lightness can be a disadvantage.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher.


    ¡®Ohh!¡¯


    Following the Divine Shield, I got another free production method! I failed to conceal my pleasure as Pon asked me carefully,


    ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    I replied as if it was no big deal, "Of course.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild members were agitated.


    "It means he at least has Advanced cksmith Mastery level 4...¡±


    "Isn¡¯t the first ranked cksmith still at the intermediate level?¡±


    "Is his excellentbat skills and mastery of cksmith techniques because of the hidden ss?¡±


    "It must be one of the best among the hidden sses...¡±


    I learned the production method in front of them.


    [You have learned how to make the Gale Spear.]


    [Gale Spear]


    Rating: Rare ~ Legendary


    Rare Rating Information:


    Durability: 210/210 Attack Power: 290


    Attack Speed: +5%


    * Attack speed will increase by 0.5% for every attack that connects.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 280/280 Attack Power: 336


    Critical Chance: +5% Attack Speed: +5%


    * Attack speed will increase by 1% for every attack that connects.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 363/363 Attack Power: 400


    Critical Chance: +5% Attack Speed: +10%


    * Attack speed will increase by 1% for every attack that connects.


    * The skill ¡®True Illusion¡¯ will be generated.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 444/444 Attack Power: 493


    Critical Chance: +10% Attack Speed: +10%


    uracy: +5%


    * Attack speed will increase by 1.5% for every attack that connects.


    * The skill ¡®True Illusion¡¯ will be generated.


    A spear made of mithril. It is very light so the more skilled the user, the more the power can be maximized. However, this lightness can be a disadvantage.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher. More than 750 strength. More than 400 agility. Advanced Spear Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 200


    ¡¯Ohh, it is a good spear.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t inferior to the Sword of Self-transcendence that I made. The materials required to make it...


    ¡°Pon, in order to create one spear, I need 15kg of mithril ore, 1st tier high-grade Tipan wood and four griffin tendons.¡±


    Pon made an excited sound.


    "I will acquire them for you now. Then while you are making the spear, I will look for the whereabouts of the Divine Shield that was stolen. So don¡¯t worry about anything during the production.¡±


    I nodded with a much lighter heart. ¡°Okay. I will concentrate and make a good spear.¡±


    I was standing on a stage. The guild was filled with expectations for the creator of the Special Jaffa Arrows. And I was ready to surprise them.


    ¡¯For some reason, I have a lot of confidence today.¡¯


    Of course, there was a chance it might be ruined. But there was no reason to be med if I made a rare rated item. The result of the item produced was clearly luck. So there was no need to be burdened. I started to concentrate on my breathing.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    ¡®Then first...¡¯


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill]


    Lv. 2 (76.3%)


    Produce equipment items that you know how to make.


    You can create the production methods for a new item with the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation¡¯ skill.


    There is a certain probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating unique rated items.


    There is a very rare probability of creating legendary rated items.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 12%.


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    * When epic rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +80.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +12 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +300.


    * When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +25 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every five legendary items created. (Currently 2/5)


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath]


    Lv. 2 (42.5%)


    When you are concentrating on making an item, the will of Pagma¡¯s Descendant will fill the production item.


    All stats of a production item will increase by 7%.


    There is a rare chance of giving special features to your production items.


    My production skills increased from level 1 to 2 a short time after the item production game with Euphemina. For thest two months, I had made countless normal, rare and epic items. In addition, there were two legendary items.


    Nevertheless, my skill levels stagnated at level 2.


    ¡¯The experience is a lot worsepared to level 1...¡¯


    However, the experience of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill was close to 80%. If I kept making items in earnest, it would reach level 3.


    ¡®The problem is the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath. The breath is random, so it is hard to raise the experience.¡¯


    I did my best every time I made an item. In particr, it took a long time since I spent more than 20 hours producing one item.


    ording to the description of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath, it should activate every time I made an item. But the concept of ¡®concentration¡¯ seemed more difficult than I thought, and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath was only activated asionally.


    The breath wasn¡¯t triggered even when I made the legendary Divine Shield. Therefore, the legendary Divine Shield didn¡¯t have any additional options and was exactly as described in the production method.


    ¡®I made a legendary item but the breath skill wasn¡¯t activated... When thinking about it now, it is a shock. On the other hand, there was the Sword of Self-transcendence.¡¯


    A sword made through an ordinary longsword production method became a legendary rating, and this could be attributed to the breath skill. Phoenix had described it as a sword that appeared once every 100 years.


    ¡®The key to my production is whether the breath skill is triggered.¡¯


    The most important factor for a typical cksmith was the item¡¯s rating.


    Normal, rare, epic and unique.


    They made their item, hoping that the rating would be the highest. It was the same for me. Normal, rare, epic and unique. In addition, there was the legendary rating! I only eagerly hoped that a highly rated item would be produced. But now my thoughts had changed.


    While the rating was important, the breath also yed a critical role.


    ¡®If the breath isn¡¯t triggered, I will produce only the options mentioned in the production method, just like regr cksmiths. However, when the breath is triggered, the value is much higher, because of the additional options.¡¯


    Depending on which options were given, a rare item affected by the breath skill might be better than an epic item not affected by the breath skill. Of course, the breath skill didn¡¯t necessarily give new options. It was random. But even if an option wasn¡¯t granted, the basic abilities were increased, so it was still a profit.


    ¡®Maybe it is necessary for the level of the breath skill to increase in order for it to be triggered more often...¡¯


    As long as breath couldn¡¯t be used intentionally, there was no way to quickly raise the level. I just had to raise it while making items.


    ¡®It means I need to continue grinding in the future... It isn¡¯t easy to be rich.¡¯


    As I was looking at my cksmith skills, Vantner came over to me.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you repair my weapon? It has been badly damaged against Mcus.¡±


    ¡°If you give me money...¡±


    I had never experiencing repairing an item with my own hands before. I only devoted myself to making items. However, the durability of some of my equipment had decreased from recentbat. There was no reason to refuse when Vantner asked me to repair his equipment.


    ¡°Khan, do you have any repair tools?¡±


    "Of course."


    Khan brought out an anvil, hammer, grindstone, and iron. However, the anvil and hammer had ¡®repair¡¯ attached to the name. It was the first time I saw the repair tools. I asked Khan a question.


    "Is there a reason to distinguish these tools for repair? Can¡¯t an ordinary anvil and hammer be used for repairs?¡±


    Khan exined.


    "Repair hammers and anvils are disposable. As you said, we can repair items with ordinary anvils and hammers but... We can¡¯t do that. Then won¡¯t it be difficult to ask a lot of repair money from the customer?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Why do we use disposable hammers and anvils? It is to give customers the awareness that ¡®hammers and anvils must be consumed¡¯ when repairing. It is a type of gesture to emphasize the favor we are doing them. Due to this advertisement, we can charge higher repair fees... This is a money-making means devised by the ancient cksmiths. Thus, the repair tools were born.¡±


    This was the reason why I had to pay an expensive amount of money for my items to be repaired? I had a lot of respect for cksmiths.


    ¡®It is very desirable to explore new ways to make money... I should learn from this.¡¯


    Vantner handed me his two axes.


    [Twin Bloody Axes]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 39/500 Attack Power: 250


    Critical Chance: +20% Critical Damage: +30%


    * There is a constant probability of attacking two times.


    * Can cause bleeding when a critical hit urs.


    It is the weapon of the butcher of Kirim Penins, Fang. The number of people killed by this axe is immeasurable.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher. More than 1,000 strength. Advanced Axe Mastery level 1 or higher.


    Weight: 700


    Vantner said that he invested all his stats into strength, so this was the right weapon for him.


    ¡®But it is strange.¡¯


    The average attack power of axe type weapons was higher than that of one-handed swords. In particr, twin axes had an attack power simr torge weapons. However, the Twin Bloody Axes was weaker in attack power than the usage conditions and rating.


    ¡°Mister Vantner. Isn¡¯t the attack power of this axe lower than other twin axes of the same rating?¡±


    Vantner nodded.


    "You can tell. That¡¯s right. When Ipared to twin axes with simr conditions of use, the attack power is 60 points lower. I¡¯m only using this because I like the options but unfortunately... Fang¡¯s raid was really hard... Frankly, Fang¡¯s weapon is more like a lie. I almost suspect that it is a bug. Hey, I am the same age as Pon. Why are you calling Pon ¡®Pon¡¯ and me ¡®Mister?¡¯ Huh? Are you kidding?¡±


    This was...


    ¡°Appraisal.¡±


    I ignored the suddenly angry person and tried using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill on the Twin Bloody Axes. Then...


    [The cksmith who bes a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [Genuine Twin Bloody Axes]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 39/500 Attack Power: 250~380


    Critical Chance: +20% Critical Damage: +30%


    * There is a constant probability of attacking two times.


    * Can cause bleeding when a critical hit urs.


    * Causes confusion when a critical strike is activated.


    * The skill ¡®Genuine Conversion¡¯ will be generated.


    It is the weapon of the butcher of Kirim Penins, Fang. The number of people killed by this axe is immeasurable.


    The joint part of the left-hand axe is offset. As a result, it isn¡¯t easy to transmit force and the power of the axe isn¡¯t exercised properly.


    But this is an intentional device designed to change the power (weight) of the axe from time to time in order to confuse the enemy. Clicking the button hidden below the join will cause the seams to engage and increase the attack power.


    It is a weapon where you can feel the pleasure of disturbing and confusing the enemy.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher. More than 1,000 strength. Advanced Axe Mastery level 1 or higher.


    Weight: 700


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [Insight has increased by 10.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I had used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill dozens of times so far. But it was the first time I found a hidden feature.


    ¡®Interesting... And my insight stat went up by 10 points at once!¡¯


    I clenched both fists with joy. On the other hand, the guild members were surprised.


    ¡°What? Vantner¡¯s axe has suddenly changed?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it changed shape? No?¡±


    While the guild members were surprised, Vantner was nervous.


    ¡°D-Did anything go wrong with the repairing?¡±


    If a cksmithcked the skill to repair an item, the maximum durability of the item would permanently drop. Vantner was concerned about this. Was he trying to hurt my pride?


    ¡®What does he see me as...?¡¯


    How could a legendary cksmith fail in item repairing?


    ¡®Also, the repairing hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡¯


    I started to heat up Vantner¡¯s axe.


    Ttang!Ttang!Chiik.


    Repeated quenching, tempering, and forging. The heated axe was reborn anew. Vantner was nervous as he watched me hammering without speaking.


    30 minutester. After using the grindstone, the Genuine Twin Bloody Axes were fully restored. I passed them to Vantner and...


    ¡°Heooook!¡±


    Vantner freaked out as he examined his transformed axes.


    "Vantner?¡±


    Vantner¡¯s exmation confused the guild members. Jishuka, who had been watching the situation, asked with wide eyes.


    ¡°What is the fuss?¡±


    Vantner responded to her in a trembling voice.


    ¡°T-That... I don¡¯t understand... L-Look for yourself...¡±


    Vantner shared the information of the item with the guild members. The guild members were shocked as they verified the information.


    ¡°What is this?


    "The item has changed? This is nonsense!¡±


    All of a sudden, loud noises were heard from Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡¯What is the fuss? Huhut...¡¯


    I dug at my ears while Jishuka came up to me and asked,


    ¡°Grid! What kind of magic is this?¡±


    "Magic? What magic?¡±


    I stared straight into her shining, ruby-red eyes and said,


    ¡°This is all skill.¡±


    A legendary skill that only I could use in Satisfy.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    ¡°A skill that permanently improves the performance of an item, I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement. She was hoping that I would tell her what I did.


    ¡®She won¡¯t be able to sleep well tonight if she doesn¡¯t know.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have any reason to keep it a secret, but above all, I wasn¡¯t the type of man to make a woman have a sleepless night over this. And thus, I described the process.


    ¡°The appraisal skill¡ªmy appraisal skill¡ªcan discover hidden features in items.¡±


    There was more turmoil after my words.


    ¡°It¡¯s just an appraisal skill? I really can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t even know that items even had hidden features. Really amazing...¡±


    ¡°If Grid appraises my sword, will it improve its performance like that of the axes?¡±


    The guild members were amazed when they heard my words. It was very fresh and fun that the top rankers were shaking over someone lower than level 100.


    ¡®Even if they are top rankers, they have never met a legendary ss before.¡¯


    I was the only legendary ss right now! I was feeling a rare sense of superiority when Jishuka asked me the core question, ¡°Do hidden features exist in all items?¡±


    I shook my head and said, "No. Items with hidden features are extremely rare. But who knows? There might be hidden features in the equipment you are wearing right now.¡±


    "Does that mean you can appraise all our items?¡±


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t hide her anticipation, as her cheeks flushed slightly when she asked. I was excited because her sexy image became more prominent.


    ¡®Kuk! I won¡¯t! I don¡¯t know what will happen if I lose my heart to a woman again!¡¯


    Women were enemies. Women were enemies. Women were enemies...


    I hypnotized myself many times, and was barely able to calm down before nodding to Jishuka and saying,


    ¡°Of course I can appraise them. That is, if there is money.¡±


    At the same time, the guild members cried out,


    ¡°Please appraise my equipment!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    The guild members wished to upgrade their items like Vantner¡¯s weapons. None of them asked how much the cost of the appraisal was.


    ¡®Does that mean it doesn¡¯t matter? Indeed, rankers are really rich!¡¯


    I had to set an appraisal price. I considered the price of the highest rated appraisal item, the Eye of Palian.


    ¡¯It was around 14-15 Gold?¡¯


    The Eye of Palian appraised items of all ratings. The appraisal item I used on Pagma¡¯s Rare Book was the Eye of Palian. But even the Eye of Palian couldn¡¯t find hidden features in items. In other words, my appraisal skill was at a higher level than the Eye of Palian. This told me that the value of my appraisal skill was more than the Eye of Palian.


    ¡®Should each appraisal be 30 gold? No, is that too expensive?¡¯


    30 gold was around 36,000 won. It was almost the price of two chickens.


    In addition, there were no penalties no matter how much I used the appraisal skill. No specific materials were needed and it didn¡¯t consume mana, so it could be used infinitely. In addition, the amount of time spent appraising one item was less than a minute. If I asked for 30 gold per item, would it seem like too much?


    ¡®It is vague when ites to money...¡¯


    I understood why the cksmiths were forced to make the concept of repair tools.


    ¡®It would be good tomemorate bing a guild member...¡¯


    Did I have to give them free appraisals? Have I changed?


    ¡®I don¡¯t n to be a phnthropist.¡¯


    If money was avable to be eaten, I needed to grasp the chance! I spent nearly two million won the day that I met Ahyoung on clothes, a haircut and our meal, so I needed to make back the damages somehow.


    ¡°One appraisal is 30 gold! I will appraise any item for 30 gold! If a hidden feature is found, you have to pay me an extra 300 gold!¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was expensive but so what? Could a person truly call it expensive? The value of an item would rise exponentially if a hidden feature was found. In fact, Vantner¡¯s axes would¡¯ve risen at least a few thousand gold. From a positive point of view, paying 30 gold for an appraisal wasn¡¯t a loss. The guild members were more aware of this than I was.


    ¡°30 gold for appraisal... If a hidden feature is found then it is 300 gold? Isn¡¯t this pretty cheap? Okay! Please appraise all my equipment!¡±


    They lined up in front of me. They looked like a queue of money in my eyes.


    ¡®If I get 10 appraisal requests per person, I will receive 4,500 gold from 15 people... There is also the bonus if a hidden feature is found...!¡¯


    4,500 gold was around 5.4 million won. I could earn two months worth of sry in an instant, so tears of joy flowed down.


    ¡®Ah! I¡¯m so happy!¡¯


    The heart that was hurt by Ahyoung felt warm. Satisfy was truly a haven for me. On the other hand, the guild members talked to each other as they stood in line for the appraisal.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this like the lottery?¡±


    ¡°Kahahahat! I brought over all of my items from my warehouse! Don¡¯t the odds of winning go up if there are more items to be appraised?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a good idea? I will take out all my equipment in the warehouse as well!¡±


    Suddenly, the guild members called the discovery of a hidden feature ¡®winning.¡¯


    ¡®Winning... I like it.¡¯


    I felt like a lottery ticket seller! Now, let¡¯s start the appraisal business! Ah, before that...


    ¡°Khan, how much should Vantner pay for the repair of his axes?¡±


    ¡°It should be at least 20 gold considering the repair tools and the time it took toplete.¡±


    ¡°How much are the repair tools?¡±


    ¡°... 50 silver.¡±


    "..."


    I dered to the guild members standing in line.


    ¡°When you leave an item for appraisal, let me repair it! I will neatly repair any item! Didn¡¯t you see me repair Vantner¡¯s axes?¡±


    Thus, I started an appraisal and repair business for the guild members. I watched the tide of gold entering my inventory.


    ¡®This is a more efficient way of making money than producing items.¡¯


    Of course, making items were better because I could get permanent stats and reputation. There would also be a jackpot if I made an item higher than the unique rating. Thus, the appraisals and repairs would remain as a side business.


    ***


    ¡°The guild warehouse has a lot of mithril ores... Let¡¯s see ~ Tipan wood and griffin¡¯s tendons...¡±


    Pon and Regas were at the auction house to find the materials for the Gale Spear. Regas suggested to Pon who was looking for the necessary materials.


    ¡°Pon, no matter how good Grid is, isn¡¯t it hard to make an epic item in one go? I think it is better to secure enough materials to make five spears.¡±


    Pon agreed.


    ¡°The probability that an advanced cksmith will make epic rated items is one-tenth... I would like to gather the materials to make 10 spears, but the Tipan wood and griffin tendons are too expensive. In fact, I only have enough money to buy materials to make three spears. Sigh. I would appreciate it if any of the three spears has an epic rating... Well, it can¡¯t be helped even if all three are rare rated. I have to remember this.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now that Grid is part of our family, we can request it at any time. So don¡¯t fret about it. Still, it is a pity. If I had money, I would pay for the materials cost...¡±


    ¡°Ah ~~~ don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. How many times do I have to tell you to throw away your habit of easily giving money to people? By the way, the griffin tendons registered at the auction house are really expensive. Would it be cheaper to find a direct seller?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look together.¡±


    Pon and Regas left the auction house. Then they starting touring the market area to see if there were any merchants selling griffin tendons. Unfortunately, griffin tendons were a precious material so they were difficult to find.


    ¡°Winston is now a big city, but it is still hard to find...¡± Pon suddenly stopped talking. He found a bunch of users wearing a golden mace guild mark and became vignt. ¡°Why are people from the Giant Guild here?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the Giant Guild was currently thergest guild of Satisfy. There were over 500 people with an average level of 130. More than anything else, the guild master was the 3rd ranked Chris.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Chris appointed as the lord of Pedro not long ago? Why are these guys in Winston instead of Pedro?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Pedro is to the south,pletely opposite of here...¡±


    The always smiling Regas was nervous for a change. The Giant Guild was the biggest enemy of the Tzedakah Guild: they had been fighting ever since the days of L.T.S!


    ¡°The fact that they came to Winston when it is known we are staying here... They must have ulterior motives. For now, it would be best to avoid them.¡±


    The Giant Guild wasn¡¯t a threat to the Tzedakah Guild in L.T.S. But the situation was different in Satisfy. The Giant Guild started Satisfy as soon as it opened, while the Tzedakah Guild only joined nine months after Satisfy started. The difference in growth hadn¡¯t been narrowed yet, so the Tzedakah Guild had been avoiding shes with the Giant Guild.


    In the end, Pon returned to the auction house without looking through the market any further. He was forced to cry as he bought the griffin tendons.


    ¡°Those people from the Giant Guild made my gold disappear.¡±


    Ponined with a grouchy face. But he imagined the result of the Gale Spear that Grid would make for him and felt better.


    And after a while. Pon and Regas were stunned as they arrived back at Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Yes! I wonnnnnnnn!!!¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing! This is the third winner!¡±


    ¡°... What are you doing?¡±


    The guild members were surrounding Grid and making a fuss. Pon and Regas wondered what was going on.


    Grid was looking at the items piled up in front of him one by one. ¡°Um... This is a loss! This is a loss as well! Another loss! Loss! Loss!¡±


    "..."


    Grid cried out every time he looked at an item.


    Pon and Regas had no idea what Grid was doing, so they asked someone for an exnation. Vantner showed them his transformed axes. Pon and Regas¡¯ eyes widened.


    ¡°W-What is this? A bug? Is this a bug?¡±


    Vantner spoke in a patronizing manner.


    ¡°Huhuhut... Grid has an appraisal skill that can discover the hidden features in items. Items with hidden features will have their performance greatly improved, like my axes. That¡¯s right. This. My weapons. Kukukuk... Kuahahat! How is it, Pon? Are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Pon wanted Grid to make his Gale Spear as soon as possible, but before that!


    ¡°Please appraise all my equipment!¡±


    Pon gave all of his equipment to Grid. Unfortunately, the results were all failures. On this day, Grid appraised close to 300 items for the Tzedakah members, yet only three had hidden features, including Vantner¡¯s axes.


    However, the guild members were still very positive. The three winners were stronger than before, causing the overall power of the guild to rise.


    ¡®Joining the guild and increasing the guild¡¯s power in only half a day... He really is the person we have been looking for.¡¯


    ¡®All that hard work finding Grid was rewarded.¡¯


    And Grid made a revenue of approximately 10,000 gold in a short amount of time. It was a big sum of over 10 million won in cash.


    ¡®I earned 40 million yesterday and then today... If I keep earning like this, I will soon pay off the debt.¡¯


    The debt wasn¡¯t a problem. It seemed like he could soon be a rich man. It wasn¡¯t just money that Grid got from repairing and appraising the items. He increased his understanding of hundreds of items.


    ¡®There is no item with 100% understanding, but it is positive in the long run.¡¯


    The problem was that the rating of the guild¡¯s items was just too high. After all, the higher the rating, the harder it was to raise understanding. For example, he appraised and repaired Vantner¡¯s unique axes, but the understanding was only at 30%. But one day, if he had a chance to disassemble and explore the guild members¡¯ items, it was possible to pursue 100% understanding based on today.


    Grid felt better and reached out to Pon.


    ¡°Do you have the materials for the Gale Spear?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Pon handed over the materials.


    Grid would finally produce an item! The guild members gulped with anticipation. Then Grid said to them. ¡°I was curious about something since there are a lot of people here. It¡¯s been half a day, so don¡¯t you want to go hunt?¡±


    ¡°Heok! We have been here for so long?¡±


    ¡°Wah! It is already night out there?¡±


    ¡°This... I haven¡¯t hunted today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m somehow hungry...¡±


    The guild members hadn¡¯t been aware of the time because they were too caught up with Grid. They were worried about being overtaken in the rankings by other users and hurriedly left the smithy.


    ¡°Then work hard Grid!¡±


    ¡°Pon, show us your spear when it isplete!¡±


    ¡°Make a rare spear for Pon!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Vantner!¡±


    The guild members said friendly goodbyes to Grid. They were like friends.


    ¡®Friends...¡¯


    Grid felt awkward, but it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling.


    ¡°Then now...¡±


    Everyone left, and as usual, Khan and Grid were the only ones remaining in the smithy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the item production.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant could use all items, was almost immune to all status conditions, had a skill that made me immortal for a short time and other passive skills, as well as Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. If I considered the overwhelming stats growth from the item production, it was a ss that belonged to abat type.


    However, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was fundamentally a cksmith. From appraisal, to repair, enhancement, production, and creation... Pagma¡¯s Descendant shone the most when it came to cksmithing. The anvil, furnace, and other production tools all made up my main stage.


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh.¡±


    I started pouring the mithril ore, coke, and limestone into the st furnace.


    [You can sense the temperature due to the rapid changes in ambient temperature. 30 degrees. 31 degrees. 31.5 degrees. 33 degrees. 36 degrees, 39...]


    -Pagma¡¯s descendant is sensitive to changes in temperature.If there is a furnace in the vicinity, you can urately measure the temperature inside the furnace.


    I had already mastered the bellows... No, it was a legendary ss that couldn¡¯t bepared to a master. The temperature of the furnace rose sharply as I intended.


    [1,000 degrees. 1,100 degrees. 1,350...]


    ¡®Mithril...¡¯


    Iron was by far the mostmon material used for making items. Iron ore was suitable for smelting at temperatures between 1,150~1,250. However, smelting mithril required a much higher temperature and technique was needed to keep it within the required range.


    ¡®I have to maintain it exactly between 1,820~1840.¡¯


    That¡¯s why mithril smelting was only avable for Advanced cksmith Mastery level 3 or higher.


    It wasn¡¯t possible for average cksmiths to raise the temperature of the furnace to higher than 1,800 degrees. Those with Advanced cksmith Mastery level 2 might be able to raise the temperature to 1,800 degrees, but it was impossible for them to control it. However, it was simple for me as Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    In particr, I already dealt with mithril while making the Divine Shield. I was able to smelt mithril even with my eyes closed. However, I couldn¡¯t afford to not focus.


    Suooooh.


    The temperature of the furnace was fixed at 1,840 degrees and over time, the mithril ore started to melt slowly.


    Inside the st furnace that was over 1,800 degrees, the melted mithril ore mixed with the carbon monoxide generated from the coke, and pig iron with carbon and mithril was made. At the same time, the separated impurities were turned into g by the limestone and discharged separately.


    This process was a reproduction of smelting methods used in modern iron foundries, which meant that the smelting in Satisfy copied modern smelting techniques.


    ... This was written on the forums about the cksmith ss.


    ¡®Why do I need to understand the principles when I¡¯m not even getting a license? Don¡¯t I just need to do it properly?¡¯


    I filled the mold with the molten metal. The mysterious orange color of mithril was so beautiful that it felt like my soul was flying away.


    ¡®Pretty... It is prettier than women...¡¯


    Heok?


    ¡°What am I thinking right now?¡±


    It felt like I was bing a minerals otaku. I had to do something if I didn¡¯t want to introduce myself as ¡®married to my job¡¯ when I was 50.


    ¡®No... But I¡¯m actually not popr with women... I should at least have a rtionship before I die, even if it isn¡¯t marriage... Sigh...¡¯


    I started to worry if I would really end up married to my job.


    ¡°How rotten...¡±


    After the incident with Ahyoung, my confidence with rtionships had dropped to the bottom. When would I be able to ovee this aftereffect? I was very worried about my future as I poured the molten minerals into the molds I prepared beforehand. Now I needed to wait for the molten mineral to harden.


    ¡®I can¡¯t y around while waiting.¡¯


    Time was money. I had to cover the costs of all the money I spent on clothing, a haircut and food when I met Ahyoung. I took the Tipan wood I set to one side and started to trim it.


    Tipan was like an upgraded version of bamboo. It was dozens of times harder and resilient than bamboo, making it suitable to be used as a material for a spear. It was popr when used to make ornaments because of its transparent blue color, but it was too expensive to be used for ornaments. Using Tipan wood as an ornament was one of the symbols of the rich.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    I trimmed the Tipan wood into a straight form and cut it 178cm long.


    Whoosh!Whoosh!


    I swung it a few times as I felt the grip and weight.


    ¡®Even with this resilience, the strength isparable to steel... It is expensive.¡¯


    This would be the shaft for the Gale Spear. The harmony of the silver and blue was bound to make the spear beautiful and luxurious.


    ¡°Next is the sharp point of the spear.¡¯


    Ipleted the shaft of the spear and pulled out the semi-solid mithril inside the mold. Then I armed myself with my production item.


    [Unknown cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 350/350 Attack Power: 70~80


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +17%


    Odds of Making a Epic Rated Item: +7%


    A cksmith¡¯s hammer made by a craftsman with great skill and potential, but somewhatcking in experience and reputation.


    This is a hammer produced by the craftsman himself, so it isn¡¯t suitable for other cksmiths to use.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Weight: 80


    ¡®Certainly, since I¡¯ve made the hammer, the chances of making rare and epic items have increased.¡¯


    It was just a pity that it didn¡¯t increase the chances of making unique and legendary rated items. But that was because the hammer itself was epic rated. I believed that a unique rated hammer would increase the chances of making unique rated items and the legendary hammer would increase the chances of making legendary items.


    ¡®Sooner orter, I will make a legendary rated hammer.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    I repeated the work of heating the mithril, forging with a hammer and exhausting the amount of carbon in the mithril to a suitable amount. This was the steelmaking operation. The tempered mithril became more refined and took the shape of a spear de.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    My body was drenched in sweat. There was the thick fog of dawn outside the window.


    Ttang~!Ttaang~!


    Apart from the sound of adventurersing back from hunting, there was only the sound of my hammering on the quiet Winston streets.


    Four hourster.


    Ipleted the mithril point to satisfaction and attached the griffon tendons to it. The first of the three Gale Spearsmissioned by Pon waspleted.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    Fortunately, the breath buff was activated. Now the key was the rating of the item...!


    I watched the information window that appeared in front of me with anticipation.


    [Gale Spear]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 432/432 Attack Power: 476


    Critical Chance: +5% Atack Speed: +10%


    * Attack speed will increase by 1% for every attack that connects.


    * The skill ¡®True Illusion¡¯ will be generated.


    * The skill ¡®Creator¡¯s Wish¡¯ will be generated.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    It is very light so the more skilled the user, the more the power can be maximized. However, this lightness can be a disadvantage.


    It contains the origin of the craftsman who wishes to be reborn as an excellent spear.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher. More than 750 strength. More than 400 agility. Advanced Spear Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 200


    [A unique rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.]


    ¡°Eh? Huh? Oh~! Ohhhh! Wahhhhh!"


    I had made two legendary items, the Sword of Self-transcendence and the Divine Shield. But my only unique item was the Ideal Dagger. In fact, legendary items were less likely to be produced than unique items, but there wasn¡¯t much difference. In other words, making a unique item was just as difficult as a legendary item.


    A unique item appeared at once!


    ¡°Puhahahat!¡±


    I was so happy it was like I could fly away.


    ¡®It is even more of a jackpot because of the effect of the breath skill.¡¯


    The unique rated Gale Spear specified in the production method had a total durability of 363 and an attack power of 400. But my unique rated Gale Spear was 19% more durable and strong than what was described in the production method.


    I was impressed because the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill (Lv.2) raised the stats of the item by 12% and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath (Lv.2) increased it by 7%.


    "What is the Creator¡¯s Wish skill?¡±


    I checked the added skill information.


    [Creator¡¯s Wish]


    The damage of the weapon will increase by 30% for two minutes. It can ovep with the same type of buff effect.


    Weapon Durability Consumption: 100


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    It increased the weapon damage by 30% for two minutes. It was an ordinary performance, not much different from normal buff skills. No, in general, the average duration of a buff skill was 10 minutes so this was somewhatcking.


    But there was something that had to be noted. The big part was that it could ovep with the same type of buff effect. If ¡®Creator¡¯s Wish¡¯ was used with a ¡®Weapon Enchant¡¯ skill that increased damage by 30%, that effect would stack up and the damage to the opponent would be +60%.


    This was a very rare skill because it wasn¡¯tmon for buffs to ovep. It was a skill that required weapon durability, not mana. It was a very good skill as a trump card, but there was a big penalty that the durability decreased by 100.


    ¡°Kuk... This is a big hit. Should I share this item information with the guild and surprise everyone?¡±


    I imagined Jishuka and the guild members¡¯ admiration and praise. In particr, I was anticipating Pon¡¯s reaction.


    He had handed me materials to create three Gale Spears and said, "I¡¯ve met a lot of cksmiths so I realize how hard it is to produce epic rated items. I have obtained enough materials for three spears and don¡¯t be burdened. I won¡¯t be disappointed if an epic rated spear doesn¡¯t appear, so just make it casually. To be honest, a rare rated spear isn¡¯t bad to use as a sub-weapon.¡±


    I felt bad when I thought about it.


    "What, you aren¡¯t expecting an epic spear to emerge? You will be satisfied even with a rare rating? Hah~ A legendary cksmith can¡¯t produce only rare rated results?¡±


    ... Actually, when I made an item 10 times, almost all of them were rare items.


    ¡®This time I can pretend. I made a unique item in one go!¡¯


    How much would Pon pay for this spear? I was so excited it felt like my heart was going to explode.


    ¡°What is this... I am going to make a huge amount of money three days in a row after the Mcus raid. Is this reality? I feel strange... After finishing this request, I should write up a household ount book.¡±


    It was almost lunch time. I started making the item from the evening before and it took more than half a day toplete.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep.¡±


    I felt a great sense of aplishment and now that the tension was released, I became sleepy.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not share information about the Gale Spear just yet... I was given three days on the assumption that I would make three spears... I¡¯ll show them two dayster...¡¯


    I would like to aim at making a legendary Gale Spear with the remaining materials.


    ***


    ¡°Finally, today...¡±


    Aftermissioning the Gale Spears from Grid, Pon devoted himself to hunting for all three days. And for three days, he became more dissatisfied with the weapon that he was currently using.


    He had moved to a hunting ground where the monsters gave higher experience. As the level of the monsters increased, the limits of the level 190 spear became clearer to Pon. It was a spear he had been using for 53 levels, from level 190 to 243 but...


    Pon¡¯s sensitivity couldn¡¯t ignore the inferior nature of the spear.


    ¡®I want to get rid of this damn spear soon.¡¯


    Pon finished hunting and rxed. As he was preparing to go hunting again, Grid typed into the guild chat window.


    {Pon, the three Gale Spears have beenpleted, soe to Khan¡¯s smithy when you have time.}


    {Ohh~! The spears are finallyplete! What rating did you get?}


    {I¡¯m curious~ ^^ Please share the information window Grid.}


    The guild members became excited. Pon watched the chat window with half excitement and half unease as he waited for the information of the Gale Spears to appear. However, Grid reported shocking news.


    {I¡¯m ruined... I don¡¯t want to post it here soe and check.}


    Vantnerughed because he liked it.


    {???????? It seems that only rare-rated spears have appeared ~! Yes! Serves you right, Pon!}


    "..."


    Pon was honestly disappointed, as he had been expecting at least one epic Gale Spear after seeing Grid easily learn the production method and reinforce Vantner¡¯s axes.


    ¡°I am prepared.¡±


    The basic performance of the Gale Spear was so good that it could be used even if it was rare rated. Pon immediately stopped hunting and walked to Winston. The distance of the new hunting ground to Winston wasn¡¯t far.


    Three hourster.


    He arrived at Khan¡¯s smithy and saw several guild members, including Jishuka and Vantner. Pon frowned at the chuckling Vantner.


    ¡°Why are all of you here?¡±


    "I want to see your disappointed look. Well? Do you have aint? Kya kya kyak!¡±


    ¡°...Damn scum.¡±


    ¡°Do you have aint? Tell me if you have anyints! I will show you the power of my upgraded axes! Kya kya kyak!¡±


    "..."


    Vantner was extremely confident after his weapon was strengthened by Grid. He moved his hunting ground to a stronger ce, chatted more frequently and made fun of Pon every time he saw Pon.


    ¡®He is too excited. I¡¯m honestly very envious.¡¯


    Pon trembled at the thought of his rival doing well alone and approached Grid.


    ¡°Grid, you must¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    Pon had told Grid whenmissioning the spears that he wasn¡¯t expecting too much, so don¡¯t be burdened. It was true, but he still couldn¡¯t help hiding his disappointment. Grid looked at Pon with sleepy eyes and handed over three spears.


    ¡°I¡¯m ruined. I thought I would get a legendary spear since a unique one appeared from the beginning but... They were both epic rated.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was Grid saying? All the members, including Pon, were stunned. Unique? Legendary? In particr, it was known that legendary items couldn¡¯t be produced so they thought that Grid might be delirious.


    Then Pon¡¯splexion turned white and blue.


    [Gale Spear (Epic) has been acquired.]


    [Gale Spear (Epic) has been acquired.]


    [Gale Spear (Unique) has been acquired.]


    "...What?!¡±


    Pon had felt an electrifying thrill in Satisfy only two times. At first, he was amazed and thrilled by the game Satisfy itself. A virtual reality game that was truly another reality. As the creator of Satisfy, Lim Cheolho was a god who created a new world.


    The second time was when he encountered the first ranked user on the unified rankings, Kraugel.


    Pon and Jishuka identally encountered him and were shocked and thrilled. He felt sorry towards Jishuka, but Kraugel was Satisfy¡¯s one and only genius. Pon always had a high position in every game he yed, but that had been the first time he felt shabby in front of a user.


    And now.


    ¡°Grid... You...! You!¡±


    Pon felt his third thrill as he saw the detailed information of the unique rated Gale Spear. He regained the confidence that had been lost. With Grid, it felt possible to cross the wall of Kraugel, who could never be ovee with the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s strength.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    Pon immediately bowed.


    "Grid, you are better than any cksmith I have ever seen. I¡¯m truly honored to have a great craftsman like you as my colleague.¡±


    Up to now, Pon had visited arge number of cksmiths andmissioned the production of items.


    He crossed the Hell Desert to meet the best cksmith in the east, and experienced the invasion of the fire dragon Trauka to meet a famous dwarf cksmith. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he met famous cksmiths from all over the world.


    Unfortunately, Pon couldn¡¯t get any unique rated production items despite his efforts. No matter how well-known the cksmith, making a unique item was like picking a star from the sky.


    Then what about Grid? He made three items, and one of them waspleted as unique rated. Furthermore, the performance of the Gale Spear produced by Grid was well above that specified in the production method.


    ¡®There was a suggestion that he could make legendary rated items.¡¯


    Grid exceededmon sense. The cksmith they desperately searched for was a hidden treasure. Pon¡¯s respect rose.


    ¡°Amazing. You¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    There woulde a day when all guild members would be armed with weapons and armor made by Grid. Then the Tzedakah Guild would truly soar to the top. The thrilled Pon put away the old spear he had been using for a long time and took out the Gale Spear.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    "That¡¯s the Gale Spear...!¡±


    The guild members marvelled at the appearance of the Gale Spear. The spear was a magnificent blend of blue and silver. It seemed like a blue dragon descending from a silver gxy. The appearance was beautiful enough to beparable to ¡®Persona,¡¯ a national treasure of the Saharan Empire.


    ¡¯The performance is great and the appearance is beautiful. Also.¡¯


    Buuong.Buuong.


    A dark smile spread across Pon¡¯s face as he looked at the spear and swung it lightly a few times. He tried using hundreds of spears, but the Gale Spear was outstanding. The length and width of the spear was ideal for him. It was like a spear customized just for himself.


    ¡®I feel several times stronger.¡¯


    He wanted to run to the hunting grounds and test the power of the spear right now. The guild members approached him and urged.


    ¡°Pon, what is the rating of your spear? It doesn¡¯t look ordinary.¡±


    "Come on, show us. I¡¯m dizzy from curiosity!¡±


    Pon shared the information of the Gale Spear. The guild members¡¯ mouths dropped open as they confirmed it.


    ¡°Unique?¡±


    "A unique rated item was produced?¡±


    It had a big impact on the guild.


    Was Pon the only one with the desire to be armed with excellent items? They also met a number of cksmiths like Pon, and made hundreds of production requests. But they never saw any unique rated production items. It was theoretically possible for a high level cksmith to produce unique items, but it was more realistic to acquire unique items through raids instead of making them.


    Grid had signed up to the guild and he made a unique item in just three days. All cksmiths except for him were insignificant.


    The atmosphere was rising.


    ¡°Cool...¡± Jishuka couldn¡¯t control her joy and embraced Grid. She kissed his cheek and shouted. ¡°Grid, really great! You¡¯re the best! Truly a fantastic man!¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s hug and kiss removed all rational feelings. This was just the greeting of a South American woman expressing pure joy and gratitude. But it was too much stimulus for Grid. The embrace and kiss from a woman considered one of the sexiest in the world wasn¡¯t something that Grid¡¯s mental state could endure.


    ¡®H-Her lips are so soft...¡¯


    His cheeks seemed to be melting.


    ¡¯Her chest is soft...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just soft but filled with sticity.


    ¡®She smells good.¡¯


    Any expensive fragrance was trivial in front of Jishuka¡¯s body odor. So the conclusion...


    ¡®Is this a dream? Of course it is a dream. Damn! It is okay to dream! I don¡¯t care even if I die.¡¯


    While Grid was struggling, Vantner was frustrated.


    ¡°This is nonsense... This spear is better than any weapon I¡¯ve ever seen. Even my Genuine Twin Bloody Axes is nothing in front of this spear... Pon is the one who gets such a great weapon? It isn¡¯t possible... Pon will get ahead of me again...!¡±


    Vantner shook as he muttered.


    "Grid, inviting you to the guild is one of the best things I¡¯ve done in my life! I love you!¡±


    Jishuka kept hugging Grid tightly with joy.


    ¡°Hehe... Chest... Hihi.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was buried in Jishuka¡¯s big chest. The status of the three people wasn¡¯t normal. It wasn¡¯t a good sight. But none of the guild members restrained the three of them. Everybody was busy looking at the Gale Spear.


    "Ahhh~ I¡¯m really envious of Pon. I will have no regrets if I get a unique item like Pon.¡±


    "It has a better performance than the unique items that we acquired in raids. How absurd.¡±


    "Who is Grid going to make an item for after Pon? Has it been decided yet? I want a piece of armor...¡±


    Pon left the information about the unique Gale Spear in the guild window. Then he pulled out the two epic rated Gale Spears and spoke to Faker.


    "I want to use this opportunity to learn how to wield two spears.¡±


    The shadowy figure of Faker nodded. "It is a good idea. It is a difficult skill to acquire, but it is an excellent power if you can use it properly.¡±


    ¡°Will you be my practice partner?¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to refuse.¡±


    Faker raised his dagger and appeared behind Pon. Then he aimed his dagger at Pon¡¯s heart. Faker had assassinated numerous talented people, but Pon was a persistent opponent.


    Kaaang!


    Pon rotated the spear in his left hand and used the repulsive force to deflect the dagger, then he swung the spear in his right hand.


    Swaeek!


    Pon effectively used the sticity of the Tipan wood. The Gale Spear moved like a living snake and hit Faker¡¯s back.


    Peeeong!


    Loud sounds urred in the smithy. That¡¯s right. The Gale Spear blew up the air. But Faker was already somewhere else. Faker appeared in the opposite direction and threw hidden weapons.


    "You are already familiar with using two spears. Have you been constantly practicing?¡±


    Pon ced one of the spears on his shoulder and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never practiced. But my basic abilities are excellent, so I can adapt to new techniques quickly.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Jjaejaeng!Jaaeng!Chachachachang!


    Faker was the number one assassin. His unified ranking might be lower than Pon, but his agility surpassed Pon.


    So in the beginning, Faker took the lead with his speed. No matter how brilliantly Pon moved his spears, Faker repelled them like a stream of water. Only Pon¡¯s spears were scratched. It was when the power of an assassin specializing in PK was clearly revealed.


    But as time passed, the situation reversed. Pon¡¯s attack speed started to exceed Faker¡¯s agility.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Faker, who rarely allowed any attacks, retreated while scattering blood. Pon chased him, thrusting forward with his spears.


    Puk!Peok!


    The Gale Spear was a remarkable weapon. Due to the unique option, its attack speed increased as the battle continued. It was hard to tell the difference in the beginning, but the story changed over time.


    "Isn¡¯t this cheating...?¡±


    Fakerughed as he was dominated in speed, despite being more confident in his speed than anyone else. Pon thought about Kraugel as he drank a health potion.


    ¡®Now I might be able to touch his cor.¡¯


    On the other hand.


    ¡°... Is this a smithy?¡±


    The visitors to Khan¡¯s smithy were stunned.


    In the center of the smithy, 10 people were gathered together and talking loudly, while a man and woman were hugging to one side. There was arge middle-aged man squatting in the corner and...


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Two crazy people exchanging blows.


    "..."


    Was this really a smithy? Even the heart of the market was calmpared to this ce.


    "Maybe we¡¯re at the wrong ce.¡±


    Therefore, customers who came to the smithy to buy items came and went several times.


    "What the hell is going on in this smithy?¡± The turmoil only subsided when Khan returned to the smithy and yelled.


    "Heok!¡±


    Grid regained his sense of reason at Khan¡¯s voice. He looked at Jishuka¡¯s fantastic body, which must¡¯ve seduced men around the world.


    ¡¯She is truly tricky. She must be trying to avoid paying me for this.¡¯


    Grid realized it through his experience with Ahyoung. Women were enemies. He couldn¡¯t be off guard in front of them. He would have a cruel experience if he let them into his heart. Grid was reminded of his bad memories and turned to stone when looking at Jishuka. Then he called out to Pon.


    "Hey, don¡¯t y around and give me the payment. How much are you going to buy it for?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Pon approached Grid and said cautiously. "To be honest, it is difficult for me to urately assess the value of the Gale Spear. But considering other items, I think I should pay at least 800,000.¡±


    ¡°800,000?¡± Grid doubted his ears. ¡°800,000 gold?¡±


    Of course he was surprised. Grid had sold the legendary rated Sword of Self-transcendence for 220,000 gold. However, the unique rated Gale Spear was purchased for four times the price? Grid couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡®800,000 gold in cash...¡¯


    100 gold was worth 120,000 won cash. If 100,000 gold is 120 million... 800,000 gold is... Um. Eh? Heok! 960,000,000?¡¯


    It was arge amount that could pay off all his father¡¯s debt and still have 300,000,000 remaining. Grid shut down for a while. But he recovered within a short amount of time and sent a pitying nce towards Pon.


    ¡®Stupid fool... A legendary item was trade for 220,000 gold, yet you are buying a unique item for 800,000? You are suffering from your ignorance.¡¯


    Grid was mistaken. Grid was the ignorant one, not Pon. In fact, Grid could¡¯ve made millions of gold if he registered the Sword of Self-transcendence at auction. He would¡¯ve obtained billions of won in cash.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t know this and only sold it to a NPC for 220,000 gold. The 800,000 gold that Pon offered now was reasonable.


    ¡¯Regas is the number one pushover. Starting from today, Pon is number two.¡¯


    Sometimes it was better not to know the truth...


    Grid nodded at Pon happily without knowing the truth.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯m in a good mood! The two epic spears will be given as a service! 800,000 gold is okay!¡±


    Pon had been nning to buy the two epic Gale Spears separately for 150,000 gold, but it was being given to him as a service? Pon was amazed by Grid.


    ¡®His usual behaviour seems ugly, but he is actually a manly man. Is he merely acting like that to conceal his true self?¡¯


    Pon and the Tzedakah Guild became increasingly favorable towards Grid.


    At the same time.


    One group was spying on Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Tzedakah Guild would use this smithy as their stomping ground... Maybe that person is the unknown craftsman? Pass this onto Chris and ask him to send the rankers!¡±


    What was the strongest guild in Satisfy? If this question was asked to 10 people who were passing by right now, 9 out of 10 would mention the Giant Guild. The Giant Guild was thergest in scale! In order to invite the unknown craftsman, they came to Winston, only to discover Grid with the Tzedakah Guild.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    A small town called Pedro, in the south of the Eternal Kingdom.


    There were no special resources in this area. It wasn¡¯t an important geographical location, and there was only one special product here ¡ª strawberry-vored banana. In addition, people¡¯s reactions to the strawberry vored banana were negative.


    ¡®Why do I taste strawberry when eating a banana¡¯, ¡®I would rather eat strawberries than a strawberry vored banana,¡¯ ¡®It is disgusting because the banana is pink¡¯ and so on.


    The special product didn¡¯t sell well, so no money was earned.


    But for the Giant Guild, Pedro was a blessednd. It was due to the presence of the vampire baron, a boss monster who spawned every 11 days in the underground dungeon of Pedro Castle. The vampire baron dropped the vampire essory set and various elixirs. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Chris decided to be the lord of Pedro due to the vampire baron.


    "Humans...! I will surely rise again to repay this disgrace!¡±


    The vampire baron shouted as he was pierced in the heart with three swords. Chris said with a grin, "Yes, don¡¯t forget to rise again.¡±


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    The vampire baron disappeared into dust. Then all types of riches poured out where he stood. Among the riches were the strength elixir and agility elixir. There was also a vampire ne. Chris took the elixirs without asking for permission from the other guild members.


    [Strength has risen permanently by +3.]


    [Agility has risen permanently by +3.]


    10 stat points were gained with each level up. It was simr to gaining one level if he drank three elixirs from the vampire baron. For Chris, the value of the elixirs was high since, at level 290, Chris had to spend a fortnight hunting just to gain one level. Chris was happy after drinking the elixirs and taking the vampire ne.


    ¡°Okay. With this, the vampire essories set ispleted.¡±


    "Congrattions, Chris."


    "You are now even stronger.¡±


    The guild members who participated in the raid with Chris apuded. Chris encouraged them, "The drop rate is good and the vampire baron will keep appearing here, so you will get the vampire essory set as well. Have strength.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    For a guild of 530 members to be properly controlled, a strict hierarchy was needed. While small guilds had a family-like atmosphere, the Giant Guild was closer to an army. It had a system of absolute obedience to those above them. This system was so efficient that the guild was developing day by day.


    After finishing the vampire baron raid.


    The executives gathered at the venue for the banquet received whispers from their men. This was the contents of the whisper: A person believed to be the unknown craftsman was discovered in Winston.


    As Chris drank his wine, the whisper¡¯s message was delivered to the senior executive Buglima, who organized the content and reported it to Chris.


    ¡°The unknown craftsman was found in Winston. However... It seems like the unknown craftsman has already joined the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    ¡°Tzedakah Guild?¡±


    Chris¡¯ eyes twitched. He was shaking.


    The Tzedakah Guild was the guild that dominated the world¡¯s most popr MMORPG L.T.S, before Satisfy wasunched. They were small but created a myriad of legends, and the Giant Guild was one of their legendary scapegoats.


    The reason why the Giant Guild, once considered to be one of the top five powers of L.T.S, left as soon as Satisfy was released could be attributed to the Tzedakah Guild. Satisfy became a game that transcended L.T.S so the Giant Guild¡¯s quick decision was right, but the Giant Guild¡¯s pride had actually been crushed by the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡°Those damn people... I am starting to hear their names often in Satisfy.¡±


    Chris trembled. The memories of the many times he had been beaten by the Tzedakah Guild were still vivid in his head. However, he couldn¡¯t stay silent at the unknown craftsman being taken away.


    "Send Ases, Mihara, and Zirkan. Order them to thoroughly hit the Tzedakah Guild until they give up the unknown craftsman.¡±


    ¡°Those three people at the same time...¡±


    "Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    The executives were agitated. The three people Chris named were part of the five captains of the Giant Guild, each one leading 100 guild members. The fact that they were sent meant that 300 troops would be dispatched to Winston. But didn¡¯t the Tzedakah Guild have less than 20 members?


    ¡°It is like using a sword to chase a chicken or cow...¡±


    The Giant Guild had 11 executives, including the five captains. Six of them had been together ever since the L.T.S days, but five of them were only from Satisfy. The five people from Satisfy were the problem. They only heard rumors about the Tzedakah Guild and they ignored the Tzedakah Guild, because they had no experience with their strength.


    Chrisughed at them.


    "Chicken? Cow? Are youparing the Tzedakah Guild to mere livestock? Kukuk! You don¡¯t know it yet. Those guys are dragons. They might be curled up right now, but they can ascend at any moment.¡±


    Chris had more than 100 shes with the Tzedakah Guild. So he knew them better than anyone else. Their strength was immeasurable. Their current position might be different from L.T.S., but Chris didn¡¯t have any intention of being careless.


    ¡°Send those three no matter what. Take away the doors of the dragons.¡±


    He would step on them the best he could.


    ***


    As of today, it was the fourth day after Grid joined the Tzedakah Guild. During that short period of time, Grid performed great things like improving the guild members¡¯ weapons and making a unique spear for Pon.


    Today, the Tzedakah Guild decided the second person who Grid who make an item for.


    He was a boy called Ibellin. He was only 16 years old, but he was a promising boy who took third ce in his ss rankings. Ibellin had the potential to be Regas¡¯ rival, so they were looking forward to his growth.


    And Grid wasmissioned to make a sword for the boy. However, it wasn¡¯t a usual sword but a mberge. The mberge was a sword that had the appearance of a wave. It was a cruel weapon that tore the flesh of enemies due to the nature of its shape.


    It was very difficult to forge the sword into the form of a wave.


    Let¡¯s start first with the forging. Forging was a task that made a metal into a solid shape by tapping at it with a hammer. The metal hardened depending on how well the hammering was. As the metal was tempered, it became harder and harder to shape. Theplex appearance of the mberge meant it was almost impossible to maximize the forging process.


    Then was it easy to temper it after the forging? That wasn¡¯t the case. Tempering would inevitably change the shape. Therefore, forging and tempering had to proceed at the same time. For the above reasons, ordinary cksmiths gave up halfway through tempering when making mberges.


    Anyway, the characteristics of the mberge was in its shape so they focused on the shape rather than tempering. This was also the reason why it was rare to see mberges above the epic rank. A de that wasn¡¯t tempered properly was weak andcking durability. Most of the mberges circting on the market were normal or rare ranked. mberges above the epic rank only dropped from monsters.


    But Grid didn¡¯t want to see a normal or rare rating. He needed to make at least an epic rating to make money.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 97 (140,090/5,531,200)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 9,016/9,016 Mana: 819/819


    Strength: 824 Stamina: 572 Agility: 257 Intelligence: 279


    Dexterity: 904 Persistence: 273


    Composure: 204 Indomitable: 230 Dignity: 204 Insight: 204


    Courage: 148


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 15,508/21,940


    ¡®Whenbined with the title effect, my dexterity is now approaching 1,500.¡¯


    Khan¡¯s Advanced cksmith Mastery was only at level 2. Grid lived with Khan for months so he guessed that the level of dexterity for Advanced cksmith Mastery level 2 was around 500~600. Considering Khan¡¯s reputation as the best cksmith in the north, Grid had around three times the dexterity of the greatest cksmiths.


    Therefore, Grid was confident in his ability to carry out tempering on a mberge.


    "I will make it with my own hands. A powerful mberge that has never been made before.¡±


    Grid¡¯s confidence rose up to Andromeda and had no intention ofing back down to Earth.


    ***


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Peeng!


    ¡°Kiyooh!¡±


    Kwajak!


    Regas was in a hurry to find a clue about the thief who stole Grid¡¯s shield. He took care of all the beasts and monsters blocking the way, causing a bloody wind to follow his path.


    Taekwon Master Regas! He was called the strongest in the L.T.S days and his strength, which was now representative of the Tzedakah Guild, transcended the concept of ranking. Even Jishuka, who had the highest unified ranking in the guild, couldn¡¯t beat Regas.


    Regas¡¯bat sense was incalcble. He was a person who got stronger as he fought. There was no one who didn¡¯t know his reputation. There was no one who dared quarrel with him.


    But right now.


    "Hey ~ Regas, hasn¡¯t it been a really long time?¡± Mihara, one of the five captains of the Giant Guild and who imed to be Regas¡¯ rival in L.T.S, blocked Regas¡¯ way. "I am so happy to fight you again that my head is spinning like crazy. Kukukuk!¡±


    Mihara was a magic swordsman ranked 19th on the unified rankings. As someone who mastered the sword and magic perfectly, he could ovee swordsmen with the sword and magicians with magic. But he used both magic and the sword from the beginning because his opponent was Regas.


    Peeng!Seokeok!


    He summoned three fire pirs at the same time while blocking Regas¡¯ path with the sword. Mihara was excited as he saw blood sshing from Regas¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Kuahahahat! Regas! You are weakpared to the L.T.S. days! The guy who was once called the strongest looks so sad!¡±


    "..."


    Regas barely avoided the pirs of fire and quietly wiped the blood from his chest. Then he asked Mihara, who had started to chant a spell again.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Mihara was shocked by the unexpected question and couldn¡¯tplete his spell. He shouted with rage, "You don¡¯t remember me? Damn bastard... No?¡±


    He shook with rage. Regas didn¡¯t miss this gap and dug into his side. His hard fist caused Mihara¡¯s vision to shift towards the sky.


    Peeeeeok!


    ¡°...Keok!¡±


    Regas bowed to Mihara, who had fallen from the unexpected uppercut.


    "I don¡¯t know who you are, but thank you for being my opponent. I will be able to grow stronger after fighting you. Now, stand up. And concentrate.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    During the time that Regas encountered Mihara. Jishuka and Toban were on the move with eight guild members. They were going to raid the basilisk, the king of the desert and so-called wingless dragon. The basilisk possessed top grade petrification magic! The people participating in the raid now had at least 60% resistance to petrification.


    However, they were astounded when magic used to freeze their feet appeared from the sky.


    ¡®A user who can use this magic...?¡¯


    The magician Ases faced the confused party.


    "Did only your feet stiffen? This... My specialty is petrification magic, but the timing wasn¡¯t good. If so, it¡¯s better if you can¡¯t leave here.¡±


    Ases gave a signal. 200 users appeared from the far side of the desert hills.


    ¡°What are you guys?¡± Toban shouted and Ases exined with an expressionless face.


    ¡°The Giant Guild. Give up the unknown craftsman. You will keep dying and won¡¯t be able to y the game properly until you expel him from your guild.¡±


    A dungeon on the outskirts of Winston.


    Pon was wielding the Gale Spear at a monster in the dungeon when a sword flew towards him.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Pon blocked the sword with his spear, but he couldn¡¯t help groaning at the unexpected weight. He was surprised to see the owner of the sword appear from the darkness.


    "Zirkan...!¡±


    Pon knew him well. He was an opponent that Ponpeted with more than a 100 times during L.T.S.


    ¡°It has been a long time, Pon.¡±


    In L.T.S, Zirkan¡¯s unified ranking was 4th. He was the best yer after Regas, Jishuka and Pon. Then what about now? Zirkan was 11th on Satisfy¡¯s unified rankings. Of course, he was higher than Pon, Regas and Jishuka.


    Zirkan pointed his sword at Pon, "You have to y with me here for a while.¡±


    ¡®The fact that he appeared in front of me means that the other guild members...¡¯


    Pon provoked Zirkan. "Are you still wasting time underneath that ipetent Chris?¡±


    Zirkanughed. ¡°Master has grown beyond my expectations. Don¡¯t you know? He has transcended the you from the past. It is truly worthwhile serving him.¡±


    ¡°Che, this old man looks happy... Okay, I will knock you down first. Just like in the past.¡±


    At the same time, Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡®This is what Grid is like...¡¯


    Ibellin watched Grid making the sword and was overwhelmed by the force not usually seen from Grid as he stood in front of the furnace. Ibellin didn¡¯t want to disturb him and quietly left the smithy.


    Then he saw more than a dozen users wearing the guild mark of a golden mace approach the smithy.


    ¡°The Giant Guild?¡±


    At that moment, an emergency notice appeared in the guild chat window.


    {The Giant Guild is intentionally attacking our guild. All free personnel should give priority to protecting Grid.}


    ¡°Heh...¡± Ibellin¡¯s eyes widened as he pulled out his mberge. Then he stood in front of the smithy¡¯s door andughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t this quite interesting?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    "Okay, perfect."


    All preparations for making the item were finished. I took out the weapon production method I received from Ibellin this morning.


    [Thorn Production Method]


    Prerequisite: Advanced cksmith Mastery Level 5 or higher.


    Thorn: A mberge with small thorns like a ck rose. It¡¯s reminiscent of the stem of a rose.


    The target will suffer a painful wound when touched by this weapon.


    User Restriction: Level 210 or higher.


    The Gale Spear required level 240 to use, but the condition for learning the production method was level 4 mastery. However, the level limit of Thorn was 30 levels lower.


    ¡®This means that the difficulty of making this weapon is high.¡¯


    Originally, a mberge was in the shape of fire or a wave. But as the name suggested, Thorn was in the shape of a thorn, so it was harder to make than ordinary mberges.


    ¡®I have to make small thorn like des on it... It¡¯s important to make it so that the small des don¡¯t break easily... This will definitely be a pain.¡¯


    I learned the production method. The the details of Thorn appeared along with a notification window.


    [¡¯Thorn Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Thorn]


    Rating: Rare ~ Legendary


    Rare Rating Information:


    Durability: 135/135 Attack Power: 190


    Armor Prating Power: +30%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 30% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 160/160 Attack Power: 230


    Armor prating power: +35%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 35% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 191/191 Attack Power: 280


    Armor prating power: +45%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 40% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 226/226 Attack Power: 344


    Armor prating power: +60%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 50% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    * The skill ¡®Laceration¡¯ will be generated.


    A mberge with small thorns on the de like a ck rose. It is reminiscent of the stem of a rose.


    The target will suffer a painful wound when touched by this weapon.


    User Restriction: Level 210 or higher. More than 750 strength. More than 300 agility. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 300


    "Laceration? The skill name sounds bloody. Laceration skill information.¡±


    [Laceration]


    The target¡¯s body will be brutally torn open by Thorn. The target will receive fixed damage equal to 60% of their current health.


    Skill Mana Cost: 500


    Skill Usage Condition: Target must be in a bound state.


    ¡®Damage is 60% of the target¡¯s health? The skill will have little effect if the target is low on health, but... This is an efficient skill if the target is someone with high health, like a tanker.¡¯


    The conditions of use seemed a little tricky, but it was a top-grade skill that was attached to a legendary weapon.


    I was in good condition recently. I would be sessful in making a legendary item this time.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get started.¡¯


    I spread out the materials that Ibellin provided for Thorn and held my hammer. Then as I was about to start...


    ¡°$)@*U$!!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaeng chaeng!


    ¡°Why is it so noisy?"


    I heard the sound of people shouting and weapons shing outside the smithy. It was a pity that I couldn¡¯t grasp the exact contents of the disturbance because the sound wasing from beyond the wall.


    "Watching a fight is the best thing...¡±


    Were people drinking during broad daylight and got into a fight? Maybe someone touched the wife of the wrong person... I wanted to go to the window and watch the fight. But I didn¡¯t have room to enjoy the game.


    ¡°I need to work hard and earn money instead of worrying about others.¡±


    Pon had promised to deposit the money for the Gale Spear in three days. My goal was toplete Ibellin¡¯s spear by then and receive a lot of money at once. After paying off my family¡¯s debt, I nned to use the remaining money to buy a foreign car.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting older, so I need a car... I would like to buy a good car that I can bring to the reunion. Then I will make Ahyoung regret tricking me.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    I desperately prayed as I moved my hands.


    ***


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    Jjejeong!Chaaeng!


    The earth and trees copsed. Fire and water filled the air, while fists and a sword collided. It wasn¡¯t a simple war of attrition. Mihara seeded in opening the distance from Regas and consumed a lot of mana at once.


    Hwaruruk!


    A huge me sprayed straight into Regas¡¯ face. The fierce momentum made it seem like a methrower. Regas easily avoided it.


    Mihara wasn¡¯t disappointed, despite his spell being defeated. Rather, he had been waiting for the evasion as he connected another attack like flowing water. His sword aimed straight for Regas¡¯ exposed abdomen. It was an attack that was difficult to avoid.


    But Regas was as flexible as a leopard. He rolled his body to avoid the sword, then immediately rose up and kicked.


    Chaaeng!


    Mihara was also an expert in swordsmanship. He was able to correct his bnce quickly and block the kick with his sword. Then he once again summoned arge me to attack Regas.


    Peng peng!


    Regas couldn¡¯t escape the mes this time. He swung his fist to blow the fire away. Mihara¡¯s sword swept through the remnants of the scattering mes. Regas turned to avoid the sword and looked disappointed.


    ¡°The same pattern of attacks in a row? It¡¯s simpler than I thought. This isn¡¯t meaningful as training.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? There are slight variations! In the first ce, this isn¡¯t training!¡±


    Pachichik!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Regas¡¯ eyes widened. He discovered toote that sparks appeared around Mihara¡¯s sword.


    Peeeeeong!


    The air had dried out due to sessive fire attacks and an explosion urred due to the lightning. It was also right beside Regas¡¯ face!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Regas screamed with pain as a notification window shed before him.


    [You have lost sight in your left eye.]


    [All stats will fall by 30% until the wound heals.]


    [Your head is spinning.]


    The fall in stats was apanied by confusion. It was a hundreds times better than being stunned, but it was undeniable that confusion was one of the worst states. Regas couldn¡¯t control his own body properly and hesitated.


    ¡®This is basic attributes linkage... My training is stillcking.¡¯


    Regasmented, while Mihara didn¡¯t miss this chance.


    ¡®I will end it in one blow!¡¯


    Mihara decided to use his strongest magic and took out jewels that shortened casting time.


    ¡°The sapphire¡¯s transparency will be a symbol of the ruthlessness of ice, and the ruby¡¯s intensity will be a symbol of fire¡¯s anger. Oh small emerald to the left of the five pointed star. Ohrge emerald on the left of the six pointed star. Merciful wind that blows in the raging storm. Two energies that can¡¯t coexist will be carried in a storm, transcending their strength!¡±


    Mihara wobbled. It was because he used all his mana at once, making his mental power exhausted. Then a stormrge enough to swallow a house appeared. Miharaughed at the sight of his spell.


    ¡°Kuahahahat! How is it? This is my strongest skill that exterminated 180 Yatan followers! I named it Mihara¡¯s Special Ice Fire Ultra Storm!¡±


    Indeed, it was a fierce storm that contained ice and fire. Thousands of sharp ice shards rotated in the storm and yed the role of des, while the condensed fire calmed down in the storm. Now this storm would devour Regas, turning him into an unrecognizable shape.


    Two seconds ago.


    ¡°I can imagine the power, but isn¡¯t the casting time too long?¡±


    The bloodied Regas was restoring his breathing. Then he took a kicking posture, while a yellow aura surrounding his legs that was reminiscent of the energy of lightning.


    Mihara noticed. ¡°Have you recovered from the confusion already?¡±


    The average duration of confusion was five seconds. Mihara, who borrowed the power of magic stones and jewels, spent an average of three seconds casting his ultimate spell. ording to Mihara¡¯s calctions, the storm should¡¯ve already hit Regas before he recovered from the confusion.


    But what was this situation?


    Regas exined to the confused Mihara. ¡°It isn¡¯t just training of the body, but the mind as well. A martial artist should be calm in any situation!¡±


    Martial artists recovered from status conditions quicker than other sses. As he was exining, the storm hit Regas. Regas had already lost one eye. Due to the shock, he wasn¡¯t at full capacity. Miharaughed as he saw Regas beingpletely swallowed by the storm.


    "Kuahahat! It is like this! Stupid person! Your death was already scheduled!¡±


    To a ranker, death was fatal. The time spent recovering from the experience lost meant their position could be taken by someone else. Mihara wanted to see Regas lose that experience.


    Chukakakakak!


    There was a loud sound as the fragments of ice started to collide with something. Mihara knew that Regas¡¯ flesh and bones were being torn. Then there was a noise that tickled his ears.


    Peeeeeong!


    An explosion in the core of the storm! The whole area became razed. Mihara was thrown back by the aftermath, but there was no time to feel the pain. It was because Regas emerged from the storm.


    Regas was covered with dust and ashes, but he was still alive. His whole body was injured, but it was far less than Mihara¡¯s expectations. Mihara paid attention to the yellow aura that still remained at Regas¡¯ toes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you... You destroyed my special move with your kicks!?"


    Pahat!


    Regas¡¯ wounds were sorge that he couldn¡¯t say anything. He leapt forward using hisst remaining strength. Once Mihara was in attack range, he stretched out his feet and rotated. It was like a Taekwondo kick. It was a unique synthesis skill that Regas acquired after the Mcus raid, mixing the ¡®Yellow Dragon¡¯ attack with Taekwondo.


    Peeeeeong!


    Mihara made a mistake using his strongest spell to assure victory. Mihara lost all his mana in one go and was at his mental limit, so he couldn¡¯t resist Regas¡¯ kick to his chest.


    ¡°Keeoook!¡±


    Chain mail and flesh were pierced, crushing bone.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [You have died.]


    ¡¯Damn!¡¯


    Mihara¡¯s vision turned grey. Regas confirmed that Mihara disappeared and sat down.


    ¡°It was hard.¡±


    He wanted to go to Grid right away. But his health and stamina were low, so he couldn¡¯t move. Regas had to take a potion and wait to recover.


    ***


    The sun sank beneath the sand, revealing the white moon. Desert nights were cold.


    Ases frowned as he looked at the battlefield. It was rare for him to expose his emotions.


    ¡°The more I look, the more it transcendsmon sense.¡±


    Only 10 people. 200 guild members were being ughtered by 10 enemies.


    Ases¡¯ gaze focused on Jishuka. Whenever she pulled her bowstring, at least three Giant Guild members were wounded or seriously injured. He thought it was ludicrous that she was known as the expert archer, but that title didn¡¯t seem excessive now.


    ¡®The attack power of archers might be one of the strongest, but Jishuka¡¯s is beyond that. There are no general guild members who can endure a hit from her.¡¯


    The average level of the Giant Guild was close to 130. It was quite highpared to the average level of users in Satisfy, but it was nothing in front of the Tzedakah Guild. The difference in basic stats was so huge that it was hard to win.


    ¡¯It would be possible if it was just Jishuka...¡¯


    Ases ordered the guild to just go after Jishuka. But Toban of the Tzedakah Guild was the number one pdin, so it seemed impossible to break through his defense. It had already been more than two hours, and the enemy didn¡¯t get tired while the number of allies decreased.


    ¡®They started Satisfyter than us...¡¯


    Until he arrived here, the Tzedakah Guild seemed a lot weaker than they were in L.T.S. He honestly would¡¯ve ignored them. But they were still strong.


    ¡®The original n was topletely defeat them but...that won¡¯t work. I will focus on buying time until I receive the good news that the unknown craftsman is obtained.¡¯


    In fact, if Ases participated directly, then victory might be possible. But Ases was cautious. Using magic would expose his position. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of Jishuka sniping him, so he hid as much as possible.


    Due to his prudence, Jishuka and the main power of the Tzedakah Guild remained tied up in the desert.


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    In front of Khan¡¯s smithy.


    Ibellin blocked the Giant Guild members who came to meet Grid. However, there were 16 enemies. They were elites of the guild who seemed to be over level 150. Ibellin was level 212 and a ranker, but it wasn¡¯t enough to deal with all of them.


    In particr, the mberge was close to useless against an opponent armed with heavy armor. The durability was so weak that the sword would break before the heavy armor. More than half the enemies were heavily armed knights.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Keuak!¡±


    After three hours of struggle. He defeated 4 enemies, but there were still 12 remaining. His movements were slowed due to the limitations on his stamina. He allowed a hammer attack and his shoulder was broken.


    Ibellin copsed with a groan, then a Giant Guild member trampled on him.


    "The Tzedakah Guild isn¡¯t a big deal. I thought you were a small group of elites. I don¡¯t know why that guild contains a useless little boy like this. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    "That¡¯s right! L.T.S. might be different, but the Giant Guild is the strongest in Satisfy! The Tzedakah Guild is nothing!¡±


    The Giant Guild spoke ridiculing words, despite barely oveing Ibellin. The process was difficult, but they eventually won. Ibellin was tearful as the Giant Guild disregarded him and the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡¯I allowed them tough at the members... I am too weak.¡¯


    Rather than beingpassionate towards the boy, the Giant Guild members were pleased.


    ¡°What is this? Are you crying? Are you a guy or a girl? Your face is pretty and your body is like a girl¡¯s, but your chest is too...¡±


    The Giant Guild member stabbed Ibellin¡¯s chest with his sword. Ibellin felt shame and tried to squeeze out hisst remaining power to resist, but he couldn¡¯t go against several enemies. The spectators on the street saw his helpless form and gossiped.


    "Rankers aren¡¯t a big deal...¡±


    "I agree. I mean, even if there are a lot of people, shouldn¡¯t he fight like a ranker? But isn¡¯t it too one-sided? Were my expectations too high?¡±


    ¡°Rankers aren¡¯t weak, but the Giant Guild is too strong. Aren¡¯t they considered to be one of the strongest guilds? By the way, what is the Tzedakah Guild doing? Their colleague is being beaten up and no one is showing up to help.¡±


    "They must¡¯ve fled. They¡¯re a small group of elites, but the reality is pathetic.¡±


    The powerful Tzedakah Guild was constantly being ndered. Ibellin was ashamed that he was the cause of this. He med himself for being helpless.


    ¡°Kilkil... Now, let¡¯s start the real work.¡±


    The Giant Guild felt satisfaction after ying with Ibellin and finally opened the door of the smithy. This was their purpose foring here. It was for the sake of meeting the unknown craftsman.


    Ibeliin stumbled up and blocked their way again. "I can¡¯t allow you to meet him...¡±


    The Giant Guild members became angry.


    ¡°Ah~ really. This jerk doesn¡¯t give up to the end. Hey, shouldn¡¯t you allow the unknown craftsman to choose? Wouldn¡¯t he rather join our guild than a terrible guild like this? Eh~ go and log out!¡±


    Peok!


    The Giant Guild beat Ibellin up. Then a part of Ibellin¡¯s destroyed armor broke off and flew to one side. The direction it flew in...


    Hwiririk!


    Kaaang!


    "..."


    The st furnace. Grid had been hammering without noticing the disturbance urring right in front of him. He suddenly stopped moving. He had been tempering steel on the anvil, only for a bloody lump of iron to fall on it? It was steel he had been forging and tempering for thest few hours, and now foreign matter was mixed in it.


    "..."


    Shake shake.


    Grid received a big shock and was speechless. The Giant Guild walked up to him and said hello.


    ¡°Are you the unknown craftsman? Hello! We havee to invite you in the name of Chris, master of the Giant Guild and 3rd ce on the unified rankings...¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Giant Guild members stopped talking. They greeted him in a courteous manner, only for Grid to suddenly curse. They stared with dismay as Grid looked at them.


    "Do you know what you did just now?¡±


    It was the first time he was disturbed while making an item. He was currently a few hours in. The mberge that Grid thought might be finished with a legendary rating was now ruined.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shed like a madman as he held the greatsword in his hand and a strange skull helmet covering his face.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    ¡°Mister...?¡±


    The Giant Guild members panicked as Grid suddenly pulled out a weapon. Then they started talking to each other.


    <Why is he so angry? Did we do anything wrong?>


    <What¡¯s the big deal? Ah! Is it because we made Ibellin like that? ??; >


    <What? ??He¡¯s angry because of his colleague? ??? Does that make sense? He¡¯s been identified as a neer who only joined the Tzedakah Guild for a few days. How could he feel a sense of camaraderie after just a few days? An average person wouldn¡¯t feel like that.>


    <Maybe he¡¯s the kind type. Or maybe he had a rtionship with Ibellin before joining the Tzedakah Guild.>


    <Wow... This is rotten ?? Then this will be a headache...>


    As the Giant Guild was misunderstanding, another member gave a new opinion. He was someone with the ID of Grey Bear.


    <Maybe his anger isn¡¯t because of Ibellin. Look. That person isn¡¯t even looking at Ibellin.>


    The guild members paid attention to Gray Bear¡¯s words.


    <If it isn¡¯t Ibellin, why is he angry?>


    <Do you see the anvil and production rted items in front of the furnace? He seems to have been making an item.>


    <Aha~! He was! He ruined his work because of us! So he¡¯s upset!>


    Thanks to Grey Bear, the Giant Guild members resolved their question and apologized to Grid.


    "Did we disturb your work? We¡¯re truly sorry. We willpensate you, so please calm down first and put away your weapon. Then we can talk. We came to invite you to the Giant Guild on Chris¡¯ order. How about it? Isn¡¯t it an honor? Are you happy? Have some of your upset feelings gone away?¡±


    The number of members in the smithy belonging to the Giant Guild was over 10 people. The Giant Guild had visited smithies several times and saw the process of making items. It took 2~3 hours on average. If it took a long time, the cksmith would sit in front of the fire for 3~4 hours.


    One or two epic items would be produced every month, while everything else was garbage. Would it be arge difference with the unknown craftsman? He was likely to work in the same manner as regr cksmiths and would make more epic items. The thoughts of the ordinary guild members werecking. They dismissed Grid¡¯s work.


    "Now, put away your sword. Isn¡¯t this too shameful just because we disturbed the production of an item? Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°... Just?¡±


    Grid stopped just before he swung his sword. Then kwaduduk! The sound of him gritting his teeth was very loud.


    "Just the production of an item? Have you ever tried making an item? Are you making fun of my ss? Have you ever thought about my efforts and perseverance? Huh? You think you can disregard me, just because you¡¯re a member of a cool guild?¡±


    Kkuok!


    Grid held Dainsleif with a tight grip. He looked prepared to do battle.


    Ibellin, who was barely able to save his life with the ¡®Fighter¡¯s Beliefs¡¯ passive skill, whispered to Grid.


    -Grid, calm down first.There are 12 people!Grid will be hurt if you fight alone!Please buy time until I recover!


    Ibellin also participated in the Mcus raid, so he knew that Grid was strong. At that time, Grid had the unique opportunity to show off his strength. But there were 12 strong opponents. The enemies¡¯ levels were estimated to be over 150, but Grid was only level 97. He had no chance of winning a 12 against 1 fight.


    Ibellin wanted Grid to calm down. But it was just wishful thinking.


    ¡°These jerks... I don¡¯t like your tone even when you are apologizing. I will kill you.¡±


    Grey Bear clicked his tongue. ¡¯Really dumb. The silly words of these idiots stimted the craftsman.¡¯


    They had to persuade or kidnap Grid while the main force of the Tzedakah Guild was being held up. This was themand given to them. But the problem was the leader of this group had died two times because of Ibellin and was forcefully logged out.


    ¡®There isn¡¯t a leader to talk to him so the situation ended up like this... But it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    The opponent was a cksmith. The bizarre looking helmet and the greatsword seemed threatening at first, but it didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡¯A cksmith can¡¯t wield a greatsword... It won¡¯t be a threat even if he swings it. What can he do even if he¡¯s angry? If conversation doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll just kidnap him by force.¡¯


    Grey Bear and the Giant Guild were willing to overpower to Grid. Then Grid took one step forward.


    Kwajajak!


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The smiles disappeared from the faces of the Giant Guild¡¯s members. This was because the greatsword quickly cut down a fellow colleague.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    A single blow. He didn¡¯t use any special skills, just swung the sword. But the health of their colleague fell to less than half in one blow.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    The ss of the attacked member was an assassin. By default, an assassin had weak defense and low health. If a damage dealer struck, the assassin would lose half their health in one blow. But wasn¡¯t the opponent just a cksmith? cksmiths weren¡¯t a damage dealer. It was a production-rted ss. Their attack power should be weak.


    But Grid¡¯s attack power was abnormally strong.


    ¡®What is with this cksmith?¡¯


    ¡®An assassin is fast. But he was hit by the attack without being able to escape. From a cksmith?¡¯


    ¡®In the first ce, how can a cksmith handle a greatsword?¡¯


    The greatsword was a weapon that only high strength warriors could handle. This greatsword also seemed bigger and heavier than usual ones. How could Grid, who was a cksmith, handle the greatsword so perfectly?


    ¡®Damn! What is this?¡¯


    As the Giant Guild fell into confusion, Grid attacked the assassin who had suffered great damage and fell into a stunned state.


    [Your party member Kido has died.]


    "..."


    Their colleague died from only two hits. The Giant Guild was astounded.


    Ibellin was also surprised. ¡®Strong!¡¯


    During the Mcus raid, Grid hadn¡¯t shown any specialbat skills. He just dealt the final blow to Mcus. Ibellin thought that Grid just had high stats and somebat techniques because of his hidden ss, while his main role was a cksmith. But that was a big miscalction. Grid was wielding the sword proficiently, like he had experienced numerous battles.


    Ibellin¡¯s vision was correct. Grid had yed as a greatsword wielding warrior for a year. He hunted in the same hunting ground with low level monsters every day. Therefore, his level up was slow, but he built up a solid base. That base blossomed after Grid became Pagma¡¯s Descendant and got the high stats. Dainsleif yed the role of wings.


    ¡®Dainsleif... Great!¡¯


    Grid marvelled at the power of Dainsleif.


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 451~635(+165)


    Attack Speed: -8%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ will be generated.


    ¡®I knew it was a weapon specializing in dealing with arge number of enemies, but this much damage...¡¯


    After killing Kido, the remaining 11 members of the Giant Guild recognized Grid as an enemy. Dainsleif also got an additional 165 attack power. +15 attack power was added per enemy, so he could gain +1,500 attack power if he faced 100 enemies.


    He had to take into consideration that Dainsleif had a maximum attack power of 635 and was currently one of the strongest weapons. The additional attack power value was high enough to destroy the bnce.


    ¡¯Considering the bnce... Is there a cap on the additional damage? Anyway, it¡¯s true that this is amazing.¡¯


    Grid was forced to admire it.


    ¡®Compared to my unique items, the performance of Dainsleif is outstanding. My skills still haven¡¯t reached Albatino.¡¯


    The creator of Dainsleif was the human cksmith, Albatino! He was clearly great. But he failed to acquire the title of ¡®legend¡¯ like Pagma. On the other hand, Grid was already a legend due to being Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t as good as Albatino. It was still too difficult for Grid to im that he was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡¯I need to put in more effort. First, I will jump over Albatino and then Pagma. But before that...¡¯


    He needed to get rid of these bastards.


    "I will make you pay for ruining my item! cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Grid¡¯s strength was boosted and he swung Dainsleif horizontally. Two Giant Guild members standing next to each other were hit at once.


    Kwang!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The guild members used their weapon or shield to defend against the attack, but they were unable to withstand the weight of the greatsword and were pushed back a few steps. The Giant Guild members were convinced the moment they experienced the terrible attack power.


    ¡°This... No, he isn¡¯t a cksmith!¡±


    Grey Bear trembled. ¡°We were tricked! He isn¡¯t the unknown craftsman! These vile Tzedakah people set up a trap!¡±


    "Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    They determined it was a trap and couldn¡¯t stay any longer. The Giant Guild members were worried about the worst and started to retreat. But Grid had no intention of letting them go.


    "You¡¯re trying to run away?¡±


    Grid opened his inventory. He took out the Ideal Dagger and used Quick Movements.


    [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]


    ¡°Good.¡±


    After confirming that his body was lighter, Grid chased after the Giant Guild. He stepped on the shoulders of the spectators and swung Dainsleif downwards as he jumped.


    Kwajajak!


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    One of the Giant Guild members running away screamed and fell down. He shivered as he felt the power of Dainsleif. His eyes were astonished. Then notification windows popped up in session.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    [The durability of the Adolph Full te Armor has decreased by 80.]


    [The broken pieces of armor prated deep into your body. There will be a continuous bleeding effect until the pieces are removed.]


    "Cough! This is impossible!¡±


    The name of the man shouting was Maksevun. He was a rare pure tanker who invested all his points into stamina to increase his defense.


    But thanks to the passive effect of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid gained an addition 20% physical damage and 10% critical chance. Then cksmith¡¯s Rage increased his attack power and Dainself had the passive effect of ¡®additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.¡¯ Therefore, even Maksevun¡¯s defense was useless.


    ¡®Even an ogre¡¯s stamina won¡¯t be able to endure this blow!¡¯


    They should¡¯ve known the moment they saw the cksmith hold the greatsword. This man was much stronger than Ibellin, one of the 10 rookies. Grid was clearly the secret weapon that the Tzedakah Guild was hiding.


    ¡®We were wrong.¡¯


    ¡®We have to escape!¡¯


    The Giant Guild members didn¡¯t care about the eyes of the spectators. They left the wounded Maksevun and kept running away. Grid once again pulled out the Ideal Dagger and used Wind st to block their retreat. He immediately chased after them while swapping back to Dainsleif and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Through continuous engagements, the speed of the Gale Spear was maximized. Pon¡¯s current attack speed couldn¡¯t be followed by human eyes. It felt like a dozen spears were thrusting at the same time.


    Zirkan followed it well, but he eventually reached his limit. The moment he saw a gap, Pon flew through the air without missing this opportunity.


    "True Illusion!¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    The spear poured forward like a shower. The magnificent golden armor around Zirkan¡¯s body was instantly turned into rags.


    ¡°Kuu...ock!¡±


    Flop!


    It was an incredible sight. The first ranked swordsman, also known as the strongest person who led the five captains of the Giant Guild, fell to his knees.


    Pon pointed a spear at his heart and said, ¡°Pant pant... You¡¯re still strong. Originally, I would¡¯ve lost.¡±


    Pon was just as seriously injured as Zirkan. He had beenpletely overwhelmed at the beginning of the battle. But as the battle continued, he became stronger due to the option of the Gale Spear and was able to reverse the situation.


    ¡°That spear...¡± Zirkan smiled bitterly as he examined the splendid appearance of the blue and silver spear. ¡°It is a really amazing spear. Is it an item produced by the unknown craftsman?¡±


    He was defeated by that spear. Pon calmly confirmed it. ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯ve discovered the true power of items thanks to this spear made by him.¡±


    "Huh..." Pon¡¯s coolly epting attitude meant that all of Zirkan¡¯s bluster went away. Zirkan dropped his head, "End it.¡±


    "Thank you for the hard work.¡±


    Puok!


    The Gale Spear pierced Zirkan¡¯s heart. Pon warned Zirkan who was slowly changing into light.


    "If you are going to threaten our guild again, tell Chris to prepare arger force.¡±


    After that, Pon headed straight to Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ***


    The power of skills! The power of stats! The power of items!


    Grid currently had a perfect trinity, increasing his attack power to that of top rankers.


    Even Maksevun, who was considered one of the top five rankers in the guild, was forced to fall in front of Grid. What would happen if Grid, now more powerful than ever, used an AoE skill that dealt 1.5 times his current attack power?


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡¯


    It was a disaster.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    [Wave]


    Unleash a violent sword dance like a high wave.


    Inflicts 155% of your attack power to all enemies within 1m, as well as reducing their speed.


    The moment that Grid took action! Blue waves emerged from Grid¡¯s sword and spread all over the ce.


    Syuok!Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    The sharp waves urred dozens of times. The Giant Guild instinctively sensed danger and quickly escaped.


    "Scatter!¡±


    Papapat!


    The Giant Guild scattered in all directions. They wanted to get away from the waves that had a fierce momentum. However, each waveunched by Grid chased after them, as if they had their own will. It was virtually impossible to escape because the speed of the attack skill was so fast.


    ¡°What? Is this a guided skill? What is this fraudulent skill?¡±


    In the end, the Giant Guild stood at the crossroad of choice. They took defensive stances or raised their weapons to protect themselves. And then...


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    The 10 Giant Guild members had been scattered all over the ce. They tried to defend and the result was devastating.


    ¡°This is impossible...¡±


    Grid¡¯s attack power was too strong. Maksevun trembled as he witnessed what happened to his colleagues.


    ¡¯An AOE skill can be so powerful...¡¯


    AOE skills could attack multiple enemies at the same time, but there was an inherent limitation in the weak attack power. Generally, a first advancement ss¡¯ AOE skills dealt 50~70% of their attack power or magic attack power. Then there was the second advancement ss. In other words, the AOE skills of rankers above level 200 were capable of dealing 70~90% of their attack power or magic attack power.


    However, Grid¡¯s skill seemed to exert more than 100% of his attack power.


    Maksevun wondered. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a rare skill?¡¯


    Rare skill! Rare skills could be acquired bypleting special quests or achievements, acquiring a title and so on. For example, this was the skill Yura acquired after bing the Eighth Servant.


    [Divine Punishment]


    Summons a lightning bolt that deals 15,000~23,000 damage within 10 meters.


    Range of Damage: 3m radius around the target.


    * If you use this skill to kill an enemy, your faith will rise by 50 points for each enemy.


    Mana Consumption: 4,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1,200 seconds


    Thus, the destructive value of rare skills wasn¡¯t proportional to the attack power of the caster, but to a fixed amount of damage. Their power and function were the strongest in existence. However, there were limits to skills with fixed damage values. Once the levels and items of the users increased, and once their health climbed higher, the power of the fixed damage skills would decrease.


    But Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was different. Was Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship a rare skill? No. It was a legendary skill. The stronger Grid got, the stronger Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship would be. In the future, it would evolve into the best skill.


    Right now, Maksevun and others on the street were witnessing the glory of one of Satisfy¡¯s best skills. Ibellin was among them.


    ¡®What on earth is Grid¡¯s ss?¡¯


    The Tzedakah Guild knew that Grid had a hidden ss. In other words, Grid was predicted to be one of the three known epic sses. Among the three sses, Agnus and Katz were known to have two. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that Grid was the still unidentified epic ss.


    But at this moment, Ibellin changed his way of thinking.


    ¡°Grid... Perhaps he has a unique hidden ss?¡±


    As Ibellin murmured, the Giant Guild members were trembling with fear after being torn to rags from one wide area skill.


    ¡®This is the equivalent of the five captains... No, maybe more than that. Where did the Tzedakah Guild find and obtain a monster like this?¡¯


    It was obvious that the man with the bizarre skull helmet would be a great danger to the Giant Guildter on. They had to grasp his capabilities to help the guild.


    The determined Grey Bear entered the party chat.


    <Does everybody know? We will unconditionally die here. If we can¡¯t avoid death anyway, we should fight properly. Then obtain as much information as possible and report it. How about it?>


    <Okay... If we return from this failed mission with nothing, we¡¯ll be scolded.>


    <It is too unfair to die obediently. I will make him bring out all his special moves.>


    <???His deadly moves! I will make him use it quickly ???! Let¡¯s go! Anyway, won¡¯t we just lose experience?>


    <If Grey Bear has bad luck then he will drop items~>


    <Don¡¯t say such unlucky things.>


    The Giant Guild members lying in various ces starting getting up one by one. Then they prepared to fight. The spectators on the street were excited.


    ¡°Ohh! The Giant Guild is finally going to unleash their skills!¡±


    ¡°Go! Show the skills that defeated Ibellin!¡±


    Satisfy had a video recording function. The Giant Guild VS the Tzedakah Guild! The onlookers in the street were recording the battle between the strongest guilds and rying it to the Inte. Various broadcasting stations also dispatched people.


    Right now, hundreds of millions of people around the world were watching Grid and the Giant Guild through the Inte and TV. But Grid wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. If he was aware that he was on air for the first time in his life...


    Grid would pose and say wonderful lines like the protagonist of movies that he dreamed of being.


    ¡°These damn people... Why are you suddenly splitting up? Am I funny? Ah, right. From the beginning, I didn¡¯t like scum like you. You shouldn¡¯t have upset me... Kuk kuk! Okay! I will tear off your limbs and kill you as brutally as I can!¡±


    "Charge of Anger!¡±


    "Spirit Control!¡±


    "Chain Binding!¡±


    The Giant Guild wasn¡¯t confident about facing Grid in a simple power struggle. Therefore, they focused on skills that would cause status conditions. Their battle n was to attack every time Grid was affected by the status condition. But what was this?


    <What? Why isn¡¯t he affected by the status conditions?>


    <It seems like the level difference is too much, so it¡¯s useless. Or maybe he has immunity to all types of status conditions.>


    <What? This rotten person!>


    Kwajak!Puchak!Peok!


    It was truly a one-sided ughter. The ck greatsword was turned red.


    Over the past few years. When Grid was weak, he met many strong people who ignored him orughed at him. Now the Giant Guild members in front of him were like those strong people. The feeling of trampling on them caused a pleasure beyond imagination.


    ¡°Kuahahaha!"


    The person in the skull helmet brutally ughtering the Giant Guild looked like a monster from a horror movie. The screen filled with blood, and the frightened screams of the Giant Guild members resounded, causing the mainstream stations to eventually stop broadcasting. Thanks to that, the ratings of the cable broadcasting stations increased dramatically, causing a festive atmosphere.


    That day.


    Headlines about the ¡®Human Butcher¡¯ appeared in various media around the world. In addition, Grid¡¯s ssmates, who were harassed by Grid at Kesan Canyon, shivered from fear in front of the TV.


    "It¡¯s that bastard... I knew he was a psychopath...¡±


    "Wow, he really is crazy. Acting like this in the middle of a city... What a scary guy...¡±


    For the next few days, the media had an in-depth discussion on ¡®Satisfy¡¯s psychopaths, can we neglect them?¡¯ In addition, the position of the Tzedakah Guild rose further. They were able to block the 300-strong army from the Giant Guild with less than 20 people.


    ¡°Kuaaah!¡±


    Chris released all his anger by hunting. There were no monsters left in the hunting grounds he was present at.


    ¡°Shit! Shit! Shitttt!¡±


    The unknown craftsman was taken away by the Tzedakah Guild and he was publicly humiliated, so Chris was running wild with anger. He wanted to take revenge immediately. But the mysterious person had joined the Tzedakah Guild...


    In addition, that skull helmet was stuck in his mind and he couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡¯The AOE skill showed on the air is proof that he has a hidden ss above epic. Who is he? Perhaps... Agnus?¡¯


    Agnus obtained the second epic ss and was seventh on the unified rankings. He disguised himself and enjoyed causing all types of incidents throughout the continent. Chris couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that Agnus was involved in this.


    ¡¯Jishuka is definitely giving me a headache.¡¯


    Chris made a guild announcement after a few days of thinking.


    "All external activities shall be prohibited! Just focus on leveling up! Let the anger in your hearts erupt when hunting. Be stronger! Be stronger and pay back this disgrace someday!¡±


    As the Giant Guild decided to strengthen themselves, winds of change were also blowing in the Tzedakah Guild. Through this incident, top rankers became aware of the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s true strength and visited.


    Satisfy was different from L.T.S. There was a limit to what 18 people could do. The Tzedakah Guild, who had been considering the expansion of forces, conducted various tests and epted new guild members.


    But there was a problem. Most of the people who passed the test weren¡¯t normal.


    ¡°Um... A crazy person attracts other crazy people.¡±


    This was Vantner¡¯s opinion. People were attracted to Grid¡¯s madness and came rushing to join the guild. The Tzedakah Guild gained seven new powerful colleagues, but they felt more anxious than pleased.


    And Grid was ready to attend his reunion.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    Not long ago, I was a poor person with a debt. Then in the past week, I became rich. The profit earned from the Mcus raid was over 40 million won in cash. Then I received 960 million won from Pon for the Gale Spear.


    In addition, the money earned from appraising and repairing the items of the guild members was around 10 million won. In this way, I earned over one billion won, and there was another unexpected ie.


    [300,000 gold has been acquired.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was a pouch of money I received from Jishuka the other day. I opened the pouch in a corner of the inventory without thinking, and when I converted it to cash, a huge 360 million won came out.


    ¡°Wow... What is this for?¡±


    When I received the pouch from Jishuka, I had been shocked by the incident with Ahyoung. I didn¡¯t have the will to check the amount of money in the pouch and just put it in my inventory. At that time, I never imagined that this little pouch would contain such a huge amount of money.


    ¡°The orb was worth 600,000 gold?¡±


    The orb that Mcus dropped was only unique, and the performance wasn¡¯t very goodpared to the unique items I made.


    It was strange since I sold the legendary Sword of Self-transcendence for 220,000 gold, while the unique rated Gale Spear was 800,000 gold and Mcus¡¯ orb was 600,000 gold. It seemed that Satisfy users really had a lot of money.


    ¡°This is it! Pon isn¡¯t a pushover! The world is a pushover! I happily sold a legendary sword for 220,000 gold, but there are pushovers who will buy unique items for 600,000 gold and 800,000 gold. Hahahahat... yes! Sob!¡±


    It was big. I lost strength in my legs and fell down. My heart seemed to stop at the sight. My spirit couldn¡¯t endure it. Tears started to pour out and I got a runny nose.


    ¡°Uhuhuhu!¡±


    Even if I was afraid, I couldn¡¯t turn away from the truth. Now was the time to admit it. I was a stupid jerk for selling the Sword of Self-transcendence to Valdi for only 220,000 gold!


    "The pushover was me...! I sold a legendary item to an NPC for a shit price! Damn! Damn! How rotten! Uwaaaack!¡±


    Considering the price of unique items, the legendary sword was estimated to be at least 1.5 million gold. No, there was no need to guess just 1.5 million gold. Just putting it on the auction site would allow it to be sold at an expensive price. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it sold for two or three million gold. But I didn¡¯t know anything about it, and was the pushover who sold it to an NPC for the low price of 220,000 gold.


    I was indeed a pushover. The king of pushovers.


    "... I want to die.¡±


    In any case, the 1.4 billion won earned this time was significant. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that a former debtor like me earning 1.4 billion won and clearing my debts was huge, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling that I had lost.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    I took deep breaths and cleared my mind. Then I tried to think as positively as possible.


    In exchange for selling the Sword of Self-transcendence to the administrator, I became Winston¡¯s Person of Distinction and was exempted from taxes. In addition, I gained the production method to make the Divine Shield. Then it was robbed and I defeated Mcus and rescued Irene, increasing her affinity to the maximum. The connections meant I joined the Tzedakah Guild, so the result of selling the Sword of Self-transcendence was good.


    ¡°Yes! Until now, it isn¡¯t bad! Rather, it¡¯s good! It is good! Let¡¯s not dwell on the past. I would never have these opportunities if it wasn¡¯t for the administrator. Okay! Everything is going well!¡±


    I hypnotized myself and my devastated mind gradually regained stability.


    ¡®In the first ce, I can¡¯t afford to dwell on the past.¡¯


    I was busy because I had toplete Ibellin¡¯s item.


    Two days ago.


    Ibellin only saved enough materials to make a single Thorn. Nab¡¯s Diaphragm, one of the items needed to make Thorn, was so rare that only one of them could be obtained with Ibellin¡¯s ability.


    The difficulty of making Thorn was the highest among all the items I made so far. I was nervous about having only one chance to make it, so I focused more carefully than usual. Then I was disturbed by the Giant Guild.


    A bloody lump of iron suddenly came flying while I was forging and tempering Nab¡¯s Diaphragm. The timing was also unbearable as it was right when my hammer descended. The moment I hit it! The bloody lump of iron was mixed in with the metal.


    I lost my temper and hunted the Giant Guild, so the material left could no longer be used. I threw it in a corner of the smithy.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t have to waste time finishing an item with a mixed substance, since only a garbage rating wille out from it.¡¯


    Then the promised time came as Ibellin arrived at the smithy.


    "I finally obtained it!¡±


    Ibellin handed me the new materials for Thorn with a bright expression on his face. Of course, Nab¡¯s Diaphragm was included among them. Ibellin had been trying to obtain this diaphragm for the past two days.


    ¡°Good... I¡¯ll make it higher than an epic rating. I will finish it by tomorrow morning and contact you straight away.¡±


    "Yep!"


    Ibellin had been looking at me with admiration since two days ago. I looked too cool when destroying the Giant Guild.


    ¡¯This child has good eyes. I thought that young men aren¡¯t good-hearted, but he is the exception.¡¯


    But unfortunately, the reactions of people other than Ibellin were different.


    I also watched the videos of my battle against the Giant Guild on TV and the Inte. It was nice to see how cool I looked slicing the enemies with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. My heart pounded from the exciting and brilliant battle. However, strangely, the reactions of other people were cold.


    I was so cruel that I seemed like a viin from a horror movie. On TV, there were discussion programs that denounced me as a psychopath. It might be because battles between guilds weremon or maybe they weren¡¯t interested in the first ce.


    They weren¡¯t interested in the cause of the fight, only the provocative materials. In other words, they only focused on me. In the end, I got the nicknames of ¡®ughterer,¡¯ ¡®Masked Murderer¡¯ or ¡®Brutal Psychopath.¡¯


    ¡®Did I look cruel just because I use a greatsword as a weapon and crushed the enemies? No, rather than my weapon, the problem seems to be the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet. The helmet is too ugly...¡¯


    I finally became famous, except with a negative image. I had to be famous with a positive image if I wanted to appear on TV and get the performance fees.


    ¡®When I have time, I need to make a helmet that can rece the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet. Yes, if I make a splendid helmet suitable for a hero, then people will praise me instead of being afraid of me. Huhut... I might not be handsome, but I can be a top star if I appear like a macho man, like the protagonist of an action movie. Huhuhut!¡¯


    "That... Grid? Are you hurt anywhere?¡±


    Someday, I would be famous and appear on TV. Like other rankers, I would be more famous than any entertainer, would earn a lot of money and be very popr among women. However, Ibellin was looking at me with anxious eyes.


    ¡®This reaction again.¡¯


    Why did people react unpleasantly every time I smiled? I took this chance to ask seriously.


    "Ibellin, you admire me, right? Then be honest. Does my smile look like the smile of someone in pain? Don¡¯t I look cool?¡±


    Ibellin¡¯s face paled. ¡°Yes...? Were you smiling just now? I thought you were suffering from a stomachache...¡±


    "Shut up! Get out now!¡±


    ¡°G-Grid?¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    "..."


    I didn¡¯t like Ibellin¡¯s answer and chased him away. I let go of any selfishness and had to concentrate on the production.


    ¡°Hing... Work hard...¡±


    I confirmed that Ibellin left the smithy. I finally picked up the production hammer.


    ¡°I only have one chance...¡±


    The hopeless Ibellin had only acquired enough materials to produce one Thorn. I had toplete at least an epic rated Thorn and receive more than 100,000 gold for it. Then I could use 700 million won to pay my father¡¯s debt and use 800 million won to buy a car.


    The newly released 13 series mid-size sedan from Company B! It was a visual sedan that was popr among the young and wealthy. Since childhood, I had dreamt of driving a Company B car if I seeded, and now I was on the verge of achieving it.


    ¡®If I buy the car and drive it to the reunion, everyone will be turned upside down...¡¯


    Those who disregarded me could no longer make fun of me. Instead, they would be jealous. Then I would make Ahyoung regret not grabbing onto me. Life was no different from Satisfy: the power of items held the most importance. I was determined to demonstrate the power of items with my car.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang~!


    I worked really hard. My concentration was at the peak, and I was one with my hammer. The result of working through the night!


    [Thorn]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: 151/151 Attack Power: 231


    Armor Prating Power: +30%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 30% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    A mberge with small thorns on the de like a ck rose. It is reminiscent of the stem of a rose.


    The target will suffer a painful wound when touched by this weapon.


    User Restriction: Level 210 or higher. More than 700 strength. More than 300 agility. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 300


    [A rare rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +2 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +30.]


    ¡°... Ah, damn. This rotten... It¡¯s starting again.¡±


    Recently, only high rated items had been made. Despite being a legendary cksmith, if I made 100 items, most of them would have a normal or rare rating. But at this important timing, only a rare item waspleted. It was seriously the worst.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    I had 100,000 gold. I needed at least 80,000 gold. More would be better, but 80,000 gold was sufficient to buy my desired car. However, it was impossible to sell rare rated items for 80,000 gold.


    ¡®The car is 800 million, but if there is a discount promotion... Should I pay in installments? No. I don¡¯t want to experience that again.¡¯


    I became heated up.


    ¡°Ah, really! Why is it a rare rating at this time? Ahh! If only I wasn¡¯t deceived by the administrator! Really rotten!¡±


    How could I get 80,000 gold? Should I ask the guild to lend it? No. If I ask them for money now, I might lose profit on the items madeter.


    ¡®Should I ask Regas? No... He is busy trying to find my shield these days... I will be burdened asking Regas for money until he finds it.¡¯


    Yes, I had onest hope.


    -Hey, Ibellin.I think I will be a littlete.Come find me in 20 hours, not now.


    After sending the one-sided whisper to Ibellin, I picked up a piece of metal rolling around in a corner of the smithy. It was the unfinished Thorn mixed with a foreign material.


    ¡°If I smelt it again from the beginning, there might only be a little bit of blood mixed in. Okay, I will try it again.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    I excitedly hoped that the new item would be at least epic rated, and the result was amazing.


    [Thorn of Deep Grievance]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 269/269 Attack Power: 409


    Armor prating power: +60%


    * Unconditional bleeding will ur when an attack is sessful.


    * There is a 50% reduction in the healing ability of the attacked target.


    * The skill ¡®Laceration¡¯ will be generated.


    * The skill ¡®Cursed Bloodline¡¯ will be generated.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    During the production, this mberge was left abandoned by the creator when blood was mixed in and left as an unfinished product, so it is filled with an indescribable anger and grudge. It is especially hostile to its creator and has good chemistry with the owner of the blood.


    User Restriction: Level 210 or higher. More than 700 strength. More than 300 agility. Owner of the blood. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    * If someone other than the owner of the blood equips this item, there is a 100% probability of being cursed.


    Weight: 300


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +25 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +1,000.]


    "... This is amazing.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    I desperately wanted to make just 80,000 gold, but what was this? Forget 80,000 gold, I could earn millions of gold.


    ¡°Hah, truly.¡±


    An item made from materials contaminated by a foreign substance waspleted with a legendary rating!


    ¡®I thought I would be lucky if it didn¡¯t have a garbage rating... Well, it¡¯s strange. Is this a dream?¡¯


    There was no sense of reality because it was an unexpected result. I pinched my cheek to make sure. Then I spoke with certainty.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dream.¡±


    I could barely believe it, but it was reality.


    What type of person was Shin Youngwoo?


    I was an icon of bad luck during my 27 years of life.


    During elementary school, I went on a school trip and was abducted by someone, so I had no pleasant memories. When I was in middle school, I went on a graduation trip and witnessed a hit and run. I had a tendency to get an upset stomach during athletic meets or pics, never picked up 100 won on the street and there were exactly 89 times when I was hit by local gangsters or school bullies.


    During my university days, I was dragged into volunteer service and was hit by a hit and run on the way back. I had to pay three million won for hospital expenses and when I was hospitalized, I almost died from food poisoning. But the other patients didn¡¯t receive food poisoning. In the end, they concluded that I secretly ate outside food and got food poisoning, so I didn¡¯t receive anypensation.


    At that time, I really only ate the hospital food. It was still a mystery why the other patients were fine while only I got food poisoning.


    ¡®The hospital¡¯s rice was dirty or the other patients didn¡¯t eat hospital food...¡¯


    But was it really possible for every patient except me to not eat hospital food? Maybe it was the work of a terrible ghost.


    Anyway, those weren¡¯t my only experiences. When I was in military service, the battalionmander would emerge drunk every time I was on guard duty. The battalionmander was crazy from stress and would shout at me to relieve it. Then I remained the youngest in the toon because my sessor didn¡¯t enter. Three days before thest vacation, an ident urred during training and my sessor was injured and hospitalized. Thanks to that, I had to work through the holidays.


    There were countless other terrible experiences. On the other hand, the number of happy experiences was small enough to be counted on five fingers. One of those happy experiences was eating double portions of rib eye.


    ¡®When I was 13... My grandfather gave me money, stating I was his only grandson... At that time, I had four servings of rib eye that I ate alone...¡¯


    I was truly pathetic. One of the best experiences of my life was eating meat! My 27 years of life were terrible with barely any joy. But what about recently? The symbol of bad luck was transforming into a symbol of good luck.


    I was d about this change.


    "I believe my mother has been going to church and the temple to pray these days.¡±


    My family had always been non-religious and I was the same. So I seriously worried that I was unlucky because I didn¡¯t have a religion. Lately, my mother left the house on weekends and seemed to pray to God and Buddha for her son.


    ¡°Mother, thank you...¡±


    Tears of joy emerged. I realized I wasn¡¯t alone in this world as I became surrounded by my mother¡¯s love. My body and mind became warm.


    Then Ibellin arrived.


    "It¡¯s the time you mentioned. Has Thorn been finished?


    "Here.¡±


    I threw the Thorn of Deep Grievance towards Ibellin. And...


    "Cough!"


    Ibellin¡¯s breath was blocked. Ibellin checked the Thorn of Deep Grievance and was so surprised that he forgot to breathe.


    ¡°Cough cough! T-This? Grid! Is Grid a bugged user?¡±


    I heard all types of things. ¡°A bugged user? What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    Ibellin had no idea what to do as he twisted his hands together.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that cksmiths are limited to making unique items! I know that legendary items can only be dropped in a raid, so how did Grid make a legendary item? It is impossible unless you are an operator or a bugged user!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t calm. As I frowned at the confused Ibellin, a woman appeared at the entrance of the smithy.


    ¡°Shut up Ibellin. Don¡¯t fall down just because of this.¡±


    It was Jishuka.


    Thump, thump.


    She approached me while Ibellin tried to calm down.


    ¡®Strange?¡¯


    Gulp.


    I gulped nervously. Jishuka¡¯s appearance seemed sexier than usual as she said, ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s cheeks were tinged red. She looked at me gently with moist eyes, making my heart beat faster.


    ¡®Why is she so sexy today?¡¯


    I looked into her eyes for one second and was literally seduced. I avoided the gaze of the world¡¯s sexiest beauty and stepped back. Then Jishuka came up to me, her hot breath touching my face.


    "It¡¯s impossible to do these things in Satisfy unless you have a legendary ss... Isn¡¯t that right? Grid.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°You, do you have a legendary ss?¡±


    I never thought I could hide my identity forever. I didn¡¯t feel the need to hide my identity anymore. I had decided to open up the moment I made a legendary item.


    "You saw it right away.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes lit up likenterns. "Indeed...! Grid! You¡¯re really the best!!!!¡±


    "Heok!"


    Again. She hugged me tightly again. My soul seemed to leave my body as I was surrounded by her body and scent. But now I didn¡¯t misunderstand her behavior.


    ¡®It is her way of expressing pure joy.¡¯


    But due to her innate sexiness, that innocent joy was hidden. Maybe she struggled because of this part about herself. I ignored the excited Jishuka and reached out to Ibellin.


    "How much?"


    The calm Ibellin lifted a finger. ¡°One million gold.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Were my ears wrong? As a legendary item, shouldn¡¯t it be at least two million gold?


    Ibellin exined as I was feeling confused. ¡°As described in this item, the ¡®Blood Owner¡¯ is me. This means this is my exclusive item. In other words, no one can use this item except for me. So unfortunately, I have to lower the price even if it¡¯s a legendary item.¡±


    "..."


    Ibellin, normally acted as a boy with a guileless face, but he became an adult ording to the circumstances.


    ¡¯His image has changed. He didn¡¯t be a ranker for no reason.¡¯


    I was impressed by this Ibellin.


    "The performance of this item is top-notch, but the mary value is unfortunately low. To be honest, one million gold is a high price. Later on, this item will be useless when I can equip higher levelled items. It¡¯s an item that no one else can use, so I can¡¯t sell it... I¡¯m sorry but it is a severely limited timed item. But that doesn¡¯t change that fact that it is a great item necessary for me right now. I also don¡¯t want to disappoint Grid, so I am willing to pay up to one million gold.¡±


    There were no objections. Ibellin¡¯s words were reasonable. The current Ibellin wasn¡¯t trying to haggle. He was telling the truth. But this truth wasn¡¯t eptable.


    I raised three fingers. ¡°Three million. I won¡¯t ept anything less than that.¡±


    "Huh? G-Grid? I understand, but...¡±


    I shook off Jishuka and approached Ibellin. Then I took the Thorn of Deep Grievance from him and equipped it.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped Thorn of Deep Grievance.]


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    "Eh?"


    Ibellin was shocked. Looking at the conditions of use, it was an item only he could equip. But unexpectedly, I was using it.


    Syuok!Syuok!


    I gently swung the Thorn of Deep Grievance a few times. I nodded like I was very satisfied with the exquisite weight. Then I looked at Ibellin with slight impatience.


    ¡°Three million. Are you going to buy it? If you don¡¯t buy it at this price, I won¡¯t sell it and will just use it.¡±


    ¡°Eeeeeeek~~~~~~~~~~~~!!"


    A scam! Ibellin¡¯s scream echoed through Khan¡¯s smithy.


    [The Thorn of Deep Grievance hates and curses you.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The Thorn of Deep Grievance hates and curses you.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The Thorn of Deep Grievance hates and curses you.]


    [You have resisted.]


    In the meantime, the same notification windows repeated without end. I felt like I was sitting on a thorn cushion, but I was outwardly as rxed as possible while Ibellin made his decision.


    ¡°Two million...¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°2,300,000...¡±


    ¡°I am going.¡±


    ¡°2,500,000! Please sell it for 2.5 million! This is all the money I¡¯ve saved from working hard from my L.T.S. days and the broadcasting fees! Please!¡±


    ¡°... Sigh. I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I will concede, since we¡¯re part of the same guild.¡±


    "T-Thank you!"


    ¡°But I have one condition. Give me a deposit of 80,000 gold right now.¡±


    "Huh? Ah, yes!¡±


    It was sufficient, considering the Sword of Self-transcendence. I didn¡¯t want to see any more damages. Above all, I was the only legendary item creator that all of Satisfy¡¯s users wanted. The guild members were no exception.


    [80,000 gold has been acquired.]


    I wanted to quickly buy my car. I smiled at Jishuka and Ibellin before logging out.


    First, I deposited 700 million won in my father¡¯s ount.


    ¡°H-Heok! Youngwoo! What is this?¡±


    "Pay off your debt first. Use the remaining money to stabilize the store... You don¡¯t have any employees these days, so haven¡¯t you two been working hard alone?¡¯


    ¡°Youngwoo...¡±


    "Don¡¯t misunderstand. This is a reasonable amount of money for your hard work, so don¡¯t worry about it. Do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Sob sob! Oh my~~ !! Our spoiled son has be such a wonderful man overnight! This is like a dream!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dream. Don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t a dream.¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo! Sob sob sob!¡±


    My mother embraced me and cried. These days, I was being inundated with my mother¡¯s tears. Meanwhile, my father just dropped his head without saying anything.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve acted better sooner...¡¯


    My parents paid the expensive tuition fees for me to go to university, but I yed a game instead of getting a job. Then I became a debtor at a young age, disappointing my parents. My parents had suffered for several years because of me, so I once again vowed to treat them better.


    That afternoon.


    After buying the 800 million won sedan, I was scolded by my mother, who told me I was still immature. It hurt like hell, but I felt relieved as I felt the strength in my mother¡¯s hand.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    The 13 series, released by Company B in the second half of this year, was the best visual medium sized sedan of the series. The curves were smooth, sleek and bnced, with the bumper that emphasized simplicity. It deserved praise for blending sports and force at the same time. The low body contrasted with the high back. The silver muffler was one of its important charming points.


    The 800 million won car, highly acimed for its design in a prominent magazine, was now mine.


    "Kuoh... Really cool.¡±


    In front of my house. I was impressed as the car arrived. The matte ck color gave it an even higher quality feel. I wanted to drive this car on the road right now. It was obvious that everyone would focus their attention on this top of the line car.


    I wanted to call out to a beautiful woman.


    ¡®Hey, hop in!¡¯ This was what I wanted to yell.


    The 13 series was a car that any woman would want to ride in, so I was confident that I could easily seed in hunting.


    "But hunting will be forter. First...¡±


    I started the car. The heavy and powerful roar of the engine made my heart pound.


    In fact, the engine of the 13 series was considerably downsizedpared to the 12.8 series. Unlike the 12.8 series which was a super sedan, this was inevitable since the 13 series was more design than power oriented.


    Nheless, it had a monster performance of 580 horsepower, a maximum torque of 72kgm and a 0-60 of 3.8 seconds. The 13 series could also be called a super sedan.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    I prepared to depart in 23, the name of the car.


    Buwaaaaang!


    An amazing power and speed that reached 100km less than four seconds after starting! I was weak at driving, but this was a perfectlyfortable ride!


    "Ohhhh! Amazing! 23, you are really great! Puhahahat!¡±


    This situation seemed like a dream, so only a happyugh emerged. I was a debtor a few months ago, but now I was the owner of an 800 million won car! I was truly an example of reversing my life!


    I was filled with pleasure. My wish had been fulfilled. It was all due to Satisfy! Satisfy was a fantastic game worthy of its name. I appreciated the fact that the virtual reality game, which could never be imagined in the past, wasunched in this age and gave me such sess.


    ***


    Young Ladies High School was a female only high school and among the top 10 schools in the nation. It was established less than 50 years ago so its history was short, but numerous females who graduated from there had aplished a great deal in all walks of life.


    And the fame of the Young Ladies High School was at its peak this year. It was due to two schoolgirls, Shin Sehee and Park Yerim. They were two people within the top five scores of the national mock tests, and their beauty was superior to celebrities.


    Firstly, Park Yerim.


    She was always smiling. Her eyshes were long enough to shade her eyes, and the moistness blurred them, making her give off a decadent feeling.


    There was a mole under her left eye and a thick lower lip. The overall impressionbined with her soft and pale flesh was enough to arouse people¡¯s imaginations. She was a typical example of a drawing. She had a sex appeal that made it hard to believe she was a high school student.


    In addition, she wore her uniform skirt short and undid a few buttons to emphasize her chest, so her fellow peers couldn¡¯t sleep while thinking about her. Some adults seriously considered that they might be pedophiles because of her, causing them to consult a psychiatrist.


    By contrast, Sehee was a very neat girl. She always looked calm andposed. Her eyes were big and round, and a distinct stubbornness was felt from her closed lips. She just looked beautiful. She had a bnced blend of features and long straight hair. She had the ideal appearance of someone¡¯s first love.


    If Satisfy had Yura and Jishuka, South Korean high schools had Shin Sehee and Park Yerim. The presence given off by the two girls was unique. Due to that, the streets in front of the Young Ladies High School were packed daily.


    ¡°She came out! Sehee!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Yerim as well!¡±


    The front entrance of the Young Ladies High School. Was this ce really a girl¡¯s high school? It was natural to question this because many male students were gathered in front of it. The males were only interested in two girls, Sehee and Yerim.


    They were gathered to see the faces of Sehee and Yerim. It was a daily sight. The students of the Young Ladies High School naturally didn¡¯t mind that boys from other schools were gathered. The only one suffering was Sehee.


    ¡°Revolting.¡±


    Sehee was honestly frightened. It was lucky that the school employed a lot of security guards so the boys weren¡¯t able to turn into a mob. She just wanted to go to school as usual, and was angry about why she had to suffer this type of situation when she wasn¡¯t a celebrity.


    But Yerim was different. She enjoyed this situation, unlike Sehee.


    "Aren¡¯t there any nice oppas~?¡± Yerim said to Sehee as she looked around at all the excited boys.


    "Do it in moderation. Isn¡¯t it tiring to have all these peoplee every day?¡±


    Yerim didn¡¯t feel ufortable about Sehee¡¯s nagging. Rather, sheughed and hugged Sehee¡¯s waist. ¡°But isn¡¯t it funny? Take a look at them. Don¡¯t you think they look like monkeys? It¡¯s like a zoo.¡±


    "...It feels more like we are the monkeys.¡±


    Two girls who werepletely different except for their good grades! But both of them had been friends since middle school. Their personality and tastes were so different that the two of them were able to fit well without any conflict.


    Sehee knew a lot about Yerim. For example, Yerim¡¯s tastes and her family history. She even knew intimate details about Yerim¡¯s intimate details. Sehee didn¡¯t know because she wanted to know. Yerim wanted to get closer to Sehee and started confiding everything.


    On the contrary, Yerim knew little about Shee. Sehee never really talked about herself. In addition, she seemed to have no interests besides studying. There was only one. Her oppa.


    ¡®She looks like apletely different person when she talks about her oppa.¡¯


    Sehee was indifferent to the opposite sex. She didn¡¯t know the names of any idols, unlike her peers. What type of person was Sehee¡¯s oppa? Yerim started her habit of badgering Sehee.


    "Sehee~ I¡¯m going to visit your house today. Huh? Okay?¡±


    Her eyes curved and she shook her chest. This was enough to transcend even gender and make the other person blink. But Sehee showed no reaction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Hing ~ Why?¡±


    "I don¡¯t like it, so I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    "I want to go to my friend¡¯s house! Fulfill my wish!¡±


    She startedining and whining. But there was no effect.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    "..."


    A cold wind blew out of nowhere. Sehee walked forward, while Yerim chased behind her. It happened when both girls were walking through the front entrance.


    ¡°Se~hee~¡±


    Emerging from the hundreds of students in front of the Young Ladies High School...


    ¡°Eh? What, that person?¡±


    Yerim¡¯s always smiling face stiffened. It was because the man in front of her was too unpleasant.


    ¡°The worst...¡±


    Those who had a slightly less than average appearance could make up for the shorings with style. But this man seemedpletely indifferent to style.


    He was wearing a brown sweater, green sweat pants, white socks and brown slippers. He had a 5:5 parting that didn¡¯t suit his angled face, making this the worst appearance Yerim had ever seen.


    "I-I feel like puking.¡±


    "How can he leave the house looking like this?¡±


    The pale-faced schoolgirls moved away from the man.


    ¡°Please send support to the front entrance. There is a very suspicious man.¡±


    Was he a patient who escaped from a mental hospital? The guards hurriedly radioed for reinforcements. Then the male students cried out with outrage.


    ¡°How dare this dirty trash block Sehee¡¯s way!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Get rid of that bastard quickly! Don¡¯t let Sehee breathe the same germs as him!¡±


    The 10 security guards couldn¡¯t endure the anger of the 100 male students. The boys broke down the barricade and rushed towards the man. A momentum that seemed like they could kill him!


    ¡°W-What? What is it?¡±


    Just as the man seemed like he was going to die, Sehee¡¯s words made them all astonished.


    "What is Oppa doing at my school?¡±


    "Heok? O-Oppa?¡± Yerim misunderstood and hugged Sehee tightly. ¡°No Sehee! That bum is your boyfriend? I can¡¯t ept it!¡±


    ¡°B-Boyfriend?¡±


    A beautiful girl like Sehee was dating someone like this? Everyone was confused. Then Sehee turned red as she shouted towards Yerim, ¡°W-What do you mean by boyfriend? He is literally my oppa. My family member.¡±


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    This was also shocking. Why was Sehee¡¯s oppa so ugly? Wasn¡¯t it normal for him to resemble Sehee? The most shocked person was Yerim.


    "T-That is your oppa?¡±


    Sehee always had a pleasant smile on her face when she talked about her oppa. So Yerim only knew Sehee¡¯s oppa as a good person. She had wanted to meet him for a while. Since Sehee never allowed her to meet him, her curiosity was amplified. After that, her fantasy grew until Sehee¡¯s oppa was a prince on a white horse.


    But what was this? He was a homeless person in Seoul, not a prince on a white horse!


    "..."


    Yerim was unimaginably disappointed. Then the girls jealous of Sehee started to gossip among themselves.


    ¡°Did you hear? That person is her oppa.¡±


    "They don¡¯t resemble each other at all. Sehee must¡¯ve had stic surgery. She is so beautiful that I had wondered.¡±


    "Of course it is stic surgery. Do you think that a person can be such a perfect beauty without any help? It is the same for Yerim and the famous Yura~.¡±


    The man who became the centre of confusion! Sehee¡¯s oppa and the best cksmith in Satisfy, Shin Youngwoo pressed the button of the remote control he was holding. Then...


    Buaaaaaang!


    The 13 series was equipped with a automatic operating system that sensed the remote control, and it stopped in front of Shin Youngwoo.


    ¡°W-Wow!¡±


    The 13 series was a hot topic since itsunch, so even the most ignorant student knew about the car. It was also the 199 limited edition model! As the students and guards admired it, Shin Youngwoo opened the driver¡¯s door and said to Sehee.


    ¡°Hop in.¡±


    Then Yerim waved her hand, ¡°Yes~ Oppa!¡±


    Yerim¡¯s eyes were shining.


    ¡®He is Prince Charming on a ck horse, not a white one!¡¯


    Sehee sighed.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    On this day, Sehee, known for her beauty and her ability to study well, had an oppa who made the other girls jealous. She became a wall that they could no longer cross, ensuring a peaceful school life.


    And Youngwoo drove through the city with Sehee and Yerim.


    ¡°Kiyoooooh~!¡±


    "Kyaaaaak!"


    It was a rough drive. The other cars gave way every time the 13 series appeared, so the three people were able to experience the miracle of Moses. Youngwoo and Yerim kept screaming, and Sehee finally decided to enjoy this moment.


    After the drive.


    Youngwoo asked the two people to style him in a manner that suited him. His hair was cut short in a way that highlighted his angr face, making him appear more masculine. The long bangs made his face seem prettier. He didn¡¯t exercise, so a long coat covered up his body, making it look not bad.


    ¡°Oppa is tall like Sehee, so the long coat makes your arms and legs look good. Your skin tone is on the darker side so this color..."


    Youngwoo smiled with satisfaction as he watched Yerim. ¡°I¡¯m happy that Sehee had a pretty and good friend like you. I¡¯m relieved. I hope you take care of Sehee in the future.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes...¡±


    Her first impression of him was the worst, but now he waspletely different from his first image. This was Yerim¡¯s first experience of meeting a ¡®sessful adult man¡¯ so she couldn¡¯t help blushing.


    Sehee¡¯splexion became worse.


    ¡®This is why I didn¡¯t bring her home.¡¯


    The night deepened as Youngwoo shopped and ate with two beautiful girls, to the envy of all men around him.


    The next day.


    Grid connected to Satisfy all morning to make items. Then he dressed in the clothes that Sehee and Yerim bought him the day before and entered 23. It was 30 minutes until the reunion began.


    His first reunion in two years. Youngwoo was nervous, but more excited.


    ¡°I have changed.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t his pathetic self from the past anymore. Shin Youngwoo¡¯s was confidence due to all the recent events.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    Youngwoo was in a hurry. He wanted to meet the alumni sooner now that he was no longer in debt. ¡®Look at 23. I¡¯m a sess. You can¡¯t ignore or abuse me anymore.¡¯ That¡¯s what he wanted to say. He wanted revenge for how theyughed at and ignored him over the years.


    Buaaaaaang!


    23 drove on the roads, barely keeping to the speed limit. At this speed, he could reach the gathering ce within 10 minutes. Youngwoo felt like that was too long to show everyone his changed appearance.


    ¡®But... Why is the meeting ce on the outskirts of the city? It can¡¯t be reached with public transportation, so it is difficult for anyone without a car. Were they aiming at me?¡¯


    It would be very difficult for Youngwoo to go to the reunion ce today if he hadn¡¯t paid off the debt or bought a car. He didn¡¯t have any friends to borrow a car from, nor could he use public transportation. Therefore, he would¡¯ve needed to take a taxi.


    ¡¯Isn¡¯t it too much to decide on a meeting ce like this?¡¯


    Youngwoo was confident that he was the victim they were aiming at, since theyughed at him for so long. As he focused on driving, he noticed something and slowed down. In front of him, a woman was opening her car bo and sending a signal for help.


    The usual Youngwoo wouldn¡¯t have helped anyone without any benefits. But now was an exception. He was curious because the woman asking for help was an obvious beauty, even from far away.


    "Look at that style and ratio... It isn¡¯t a joke.¡±


    The woman was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and a ck jacket over it. It was an outfit with no exposure. She also worerge sunsses, so it was hard to grasp her appearance from afar. But he was convinced that she was a beauty with perfect proportions and white skin. He wanted to check how pretty she was up close. This instinct couldn¡¯t be suppressed.


    ¡¯I became negative towards women due to Ahyoung, but... As a human being, I can¡¯t ignore a woman having trouble in the middle of the road.¡¯


    Youngwoo parked his car next to the woman asking for help. Then he was startled.


    He didn¡¯t notice because of the woman, but the woman¡¯s car was the S-model from Company C, which was four times more expensive than Youngwoo¡¯s car. The model released by Company C for their 120th anniversary was very different from the 13 series because it targeted conglomerates.


    ¡¯A young woman with a car like this... Is she a second generation heir to a conglomerate, like in a drama?¡¯


    Youngwoo cleared his throat and released his tension. Then he got out of the car and asked the woman.


    "Can I help you?¡±


    She would¡¯ve already contacted her insurancepany. It wasn¡¯t a normal car, so she would obviously care about it. Youngwoo wanted to leave. But the woman was asking for help, so he couldn¡¯t leave her.


    Then the woman took her sunsses off, "I hope you will take me along with you.¡±


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Youngwoo was surprised as he saw the woman¡¯s face. He was so amazed he thought his heart would stop.


    "Y-Yura?¡±


    The world famous rankers of Satisfy. Due to their frequent exposure in the media, there were few people ying Satisfy who didn¡¯t know the names and faces of the rankers. They didn¡¯t know the name of the US president, but they knew the names of Satisfy¡¯s rankers. That was a well known joke among the users.


    Among them, Yura was special.


    She was the only female in the top 10 of the unified rankings. She was regarded as thest hope for Koreans, who had been power gamers until half a century ago. She was also regarded as one of the best beauties in the east and west. She dominated not just domestic, but international CFs, and was ranked 3rd on the list of 100 most influential people in the world.


    Why did hee across a woman like that here? Youngwoo was very confused.


    ¡®Does this make sense? No matter how small South Korea is, how can a coincidence like this happen?¡¯


    In fact, Youngwoo had a link with Yura. No, it was more of a bad rtionship.


    After bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he had a conflict with Yura during Doran¡¯s quest. He failed the quest due to Yura¡¯s interference and he wrote badments about her on the Inte to resolve his grudge.


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯ Youngwoo assumed the worst. ¡®Shemissioned cyber forensics to track me down and get revenge?¡¯


    It was possible considering Yura¡¯s wealth and authority.


    ¡®No, that can¡¯t be. This isn¡¯t a manhwa... It¡¯s a mere coincidence.¡¯


    Yura drove in a wedge while Youngwoo was trying to calm down, ¡°It is nice to see you, Grid.¡±


    "Cough..."


    She knew his identity? It truly wasn¡¯t a coincidence that she appeared before Youngwoo!


    ¡®Revenge! She came to get revenge!¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s confusion and anxiety reached the peak. He had experienced Blood Witch Yura¡¯s cruelty already. He didn¡¯t know what to expect.


    ¡¯S-Should I drive away?¡¯


    Youngwoo shook while Yura climbed into his passenger seat without permission.


    "You can drive me up to your destination. Please let me ride in your car. I have something to say.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Youngwoo couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ***


    "Why is Shin Youngwoo sote?¡±


    During high school, Lee Junho had cursed and assaulted his ssmates. He was a terrible person. There wasn¡¯t one person who hadn¡¯t needed to pay money to Lee Junho. It was hard for even the seniors and teachers to go against him. He also used violence against his few friends, Sim Kiwan and Choi Chansung.


    His violent streak didn¡¯t improve after graduating from high school and going to the army and university. Before he knew it, he was 27 years old and still couldn¡¯t adapt to society, constantly changing jobs.


    Lee Junho worked in a PC room, convenience store, gas station and so on, until one day he suddenly realized.


    ¡¯I am nothing.¡¯


    When he was a student, everything was okay when he fought. Regardless of their gender, everyone was under his feet. He could do what he wanted.


    But the situation was different when he entered society.


    Those who studied hard during high school could get a suitable job, but there was nopany that would ept Lee Junho, who knew nothing but fighting. Whenever he fought, he was dragged to the police station and forced to pay a settlement.


    As it turned out, he wasn¡¯t the best in fighting either. He went to the gym to learn martial arts, but there were countless people present.


    Lee Junho started to be anxious.


    He couldn¡¯t get a job or do anything well, so would he be able to marry anyone? He couldn¡¯t even afford to worry about his marriage funds, since he might starve to death in a few years. If he managed to survive, he would struggle to cope with an old and lonely life.


    Lee Junho kept drinking as he imagined the worst situation. He couldn¡¯t sleep without the alcohol.


    Then two years ago.


    He was able to shake off all his worries once he met Shin Youngwoo at the reunion. For the first time in a long time, he saw someone below him. At least Lee Junho wasn¡¯t in debt. But Shin Youngwoo had arge debt and was obsessed with games.


    Junho could feel assured when looking at Youngwoo.


    ¡¯Aren¡¯t I at least better than him?¡¯


    It really was like magic. Since he met Youngwoo, Junho was able to fall asleep without drinking. No matter how terrible his life was, he could bear it at the thought of Youngwoo having it worse.


    And now.


    Junho lived a life that was almost the same as two years ago. He was still wandering around jobs. He was already in histe 20s. Soon he would be 30 years old. Instead of saving money, he still couldn¡¯t find proper work.


    He couldn¡¯t resist cursing or assaulting a customer when working in a convenience store or at a PC room counter. Then he needed to pay the settlements. His pride was badly hurt when working at a gas station. He was covered in oil, unlike his peers. In addition, he was irritated whenever he saw young men or women in foreign cars. Labor was worse. People who didbor work were middle-aged losers who weren¡¯t expecting much from their life.


    As such, Junho was trying to change the situation. However, he was aware that it was hard, so he got caught up in anxiety and started to rely on alcohol again. He needed a prescription. He had to meet Youngwoo. He would be able tough at Youngwoo with his fellow high school ssmates and forget his worries.


    The other alumni were in a simr position. Junho might be in the worst situation, but they were all uneasy about their futures. They wanted to meet Youngwoo.


    The reunion location of the Heroes High School 45th graduation ss. Lee Junho, the secretary of the Alumni Association, was nervous when Youngwoo didn¡¯t show up on time.


    ¡°Hey, Kim Ahyoung. Are you sure Youngwoo ising?¡±


    Ahyoung ridiculed him, "I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t know if he cane because you decided on this meeting ce.¡±


    It was a garden restaurant outside the city. A person without their own car would have to take a taxi to get here. It was doubtful if the debt-ridden Youngwoo could afford the taxi fee.


    Lee Junho, who deliberately selected this meeting ce, started to feel bted regret.


    "That pathetic guy... He can¡¯t even afford a taxi?¡±


    At that moment.


    ¡°Wow! Look over there!¡±


    The alumni started to make a fuss as they looked out the window. Lee Junho and Kim Ahyoung also looked out the window. They witnessed a ck vehicle enter the parking lot.


    "13 series...!¡±


    A limited edition car worth 800 million won! Lee Junho had seen a lot of foreign cars while working at the gas station, but he never saw a car of this degree.


    ¡®Shit! There are bastards like this everywhere I go!¡¯


    Lee Junho shook his head at the thought that the 13 series would be a 2nd generation conglomerate¡¯s car, while Kim Ahyoung had hearts in her eyes.


    ¡®My life will be set if I can marry a guy with a car like that. When can I date a guy like that?¡¯


    Then the car stopped at one side of the parking lot. Everyone was shocked. The person who descended from the driver¡¯s seat was Shin Youngwoo!


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Lee Junho stood up and cried out. How did Shin Youngwoo, a debt ridden game loser,e in such a luxury car?


    ¡°No way!¡±


    It was clear that he stole it. Lee Junho and all the alumni thought so.


    But Ahyoung thought differently. ¡¯He paid off his debt and got a job... It wasn¡¯t a lie? But how good is his job that he can afford a car like that?¡¯


    Ahyoung¡¯s brain was spinning fast.


    ¡®Anyway, it is good. Youngwoo likes me... He doesn¡¯t have any dating experience, so it¡¯ll be easy to catch him, then my life will be set. Okay, I will make him my man.¡¯


    At that moment, a woman came down from the passenger seat. Ahyoung became desperate the moment she saw the woman¡¯s beauty. On the other hand, Junho and the other alumni had to spit out their water.


    "Pfft!!"


    "W-What is this?¡±


    Why were they so shocked? It was due to the identity of the woman in the passenger seat. She was Yura. Her beauty could be recognized even at a distance. There was a halo around her. That was a suitable saying to describe her beauty.


    ¡°H-How did this happen?¡±


    No one could understand this situation. As everyone was confused, Yura leaned up and kissed Youngwoo. After a while, a big limousine appeared and took Yura away.


    "T-This scene...?¡±


    In the eyes of others, it looked like Yura left the car after enjoying a date with Youngwoo. The imagination of Youngwoo¡¯s fellow alumni ran wild.


    ¡¯Did Youngwoo manage to seduce Yura? Did Yura pay off his debt and buy that car for him?¡¯


    ¡®How did hee into contact with a woman like Yura? The worlds they live in arepletely different, so there is no ce where they could meet. No, maybe... Is Youngwoo actually the young master of a rich house? Is Youngwoo just pretending to be a normal high school and university student with a debt?¡¯


    ¡®Maybe... Youngwoo could form a rtionship with Yura because of Satisfy...¡¯


    ¡®Yes. Youngwoo¡¯s time ying Satisfy wasn¡¯t in vain. He met Yura in Satisfy, their rtionship developed to lovers and this moved to reality...¡¯


    ¡®Damn! If I unconditionally yed Satisfy instead of working, could I be like Youngwoo?¡¯


    Youngwoo finally entered the restaurant. Youngwoo already knew that the alumni in the restaurant had witnessed the scene outside, so he waved leisurely.


    "Have you been well?¡±


    "..."


    This was Youngwoo? He looked and actedpletely different from before. No one was able to talk to Youngwoo, who sat on the side. They just looked at him. Then Youngwoo, holding a cup of wine in his hand, extended another cup to Lee Junho.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a while? Have a cup.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes. Yes...¡±


    Lee Junho was dumbfounded. Shin Youngwoo had shrunk back from him since their school days, now he was asking them to drink together!


    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to see him for this...¡¯


    Anger boiled inside Junho¡¯s heart. Youngwoo emptied his ss and said to Junho. "Come on, have a drink. But how are you doing these days? You still haven¡¯t fixed your habit of biting your nails? You¡¯re getting older, so you should stop it. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Lee Junho snapped and got up from his seat. Then he grabbed Youngwoo and snarled.


    ¡°You bastard! I don¡¯t know what happened but don¡¯t pretend to be elite! I will kill you!¡±


    In the past, Youngwoo would be angry and afraid. But now he was different. He was a man. In particr, for adult men, abilities became power and confidence. Those who had the ability wouldn¡¯t shrink back easily in any situation.


    ¡°Why are you so mad? Look back at all the words and actions you¡¯ve made against me. Do you have any idea how angry I was?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    At that moment, Junho reflexively shrunk back from the look in Youngwoo¡¯s eyes. It was because the appearance of a man shed through his mind. The psychopath in the skull helmet who beat him up in Kesan Canyon! The look in Youngwoo¡¯s eyes was like the psychopath who recently shattered the Giant Guild in Winston.


    ¡®Is this possible? That bastard is him?¡¯


    Junho noticed Youngwoo¡¯s identity and backed away. Junho, the madman who couldn¡¯t be controlled, retreated like a dog. It was hard to believe. To the alumni, Youngwoo felt like a different person than before.


    Then Youngwoo startedughing.


    "This wine tastes good. What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you drinking?¡±


    Youngwoo had suffered many difficulties over the years. The memory of being bullied by the alumni was his biggest trauma. But on this day, he was able to perfectly ovee that trauma, resulting in a psychologically more stable and mature Youngwoo.


    This growth was sure to be a great help to him when ying Satisfy in the future.


    ***


    ¡¯Did this help him?¡¯


    A little while ago, Yura had descended from the car and narrowed the distance to Youngwoo to get rid of a piece of dust in his hair. The angle from the restaurant made it seem like a kiss.


    Yura smiled as she remembered the help she received from Shin Youngwoo at the Yatan Temple in the past.


    ¡®My debt has been paid.¡¯


    Yura had aplished various feats with her own power. She wanted to get rid of the weak memory of receiving help from another. Thus, she kept paying attention to Grid and after a recent investigation, she determined that she could pay off the debt in this form.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    Most of the people attending the reunion were intent on making fun of me. However, now that I got rid of my debtor status and seeded, no one could make fun of me. Thus, the reunion lost its primary purpose and became very awkward.


    In particr, Lee Junho couldn¡¯t say anything and left first after finishing his ss of alcohol. Since then, the mood slowly changed. They noticed Lee Junho leaving and started to bombard me with questions.


    "How did you appear with the 13 series? Did you win the lottery or something? Weren¡¯t you struggling with a debt thest time I saw you?¡±


    "Youngwoo, have you be a ranker in Satisfy? Did you get a lot of money from recording broadcasts? Will we see you on TV sooner orter?¡±


    "What¡¯s your rtionship with Yura? Are you two really dating?¡±


    "Dating the woman who is every man¡¯s romance... I can¡¯t imagine how superior you feel...¡±


    Curiosity, envy, and jealousy were all showing in the alumni¡¯s eyes. As I was enjoying this situation, some people from my school days who I thought were friends spoke to me.


    "Hey~ Youngwoo, do you remember how close we were in school? It was fun at the time... Don¡¯t you miss it sometimes? Should we hang out together sometime?¡±


    ¡°Oh! This is good! Everyone became distant after going to the army and university, so this will be good!¡±


    "Hehe, you should bring Yura when we hang out. Isn¡¯t it natural to introduce your lover to your friends? Huhuhu.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you know... Can I drive the car? I always wanted to drive the 13 series... Huh? Just five minutes is okay. Please.¡±


    These guys turned away and tormented me like the others when I needed help, now they wanted to be friends again. I definitively put them down.


    ¡°You want toe over here and y like we¡¯re friends now? Just shut up. Like everyone else, you are looking at me with jealousy. I¡¯m here just tough at you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ha! What¡¯s with this bastard¡¯s tone? Are you acting like this now that you¡¯re doing well?¡±


    I used my words to strike them where it hurt, and they were upset by it. I scoffed at them, saying, "Isn¡¯t it funny how you sound just like Lee Junho when he was talking earlier? Why did youugh at me and ignore me until I started doing well? In the first ce, weren¡¯t you the bastards harassing people? Huh? Now look at yourselves. Do you think I can be disregarded by you anymore?¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The faces of the alumni went red as they grew angry; however, they couldn¡¯t argue against me.


    ¡°You are the bastards who feel superior when harassing people inferior to you.¡±


    I was cold. I had no doubt that after this alumni reunion, my rtionship with them was over. I took my coat and left.


    Buaaaaaang!


    I returned to 23 and started it. After setting the destination in the navigation as my home, I chose the automatic driving function. I was about to depart when someone tapped on my window. It was Ahyoung. I rolled the window down and Ahyoung looked at me with anxious eyes.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    ¡®Kim Ahyoung...¡¯


    Only a few days ago, she was the object of my love. I loved her so much that I dreamed of dating and marrying her more than 100 times. But interestingly, I didn¡¯t feel any emotions towards her now.


    Once I realized she wasn¡¯t who I thought she was, disappointment, betrayal and any lingering emotions disappeared.


    "The kids who used to disregard me are now envious. The ones who forsake me are now clinging to me. I have to leave because I am finished getting revenge. If I stay here longer then blows will keep being exchanged. It is a waste of time.¡±


    When I liked Ahyoung, I couldn¡¯t meet her eyes properly. My heart throbbed and I could only babble nonsense. But now it was different. There were no emotions, so I could look into her eyes and talk clearly.


    "Stay well Ahyoung. I liked you.¡±


    Ahyoung grabbed me as I was leaving. ¡°L-Liked? Why is it past tense? Are you saying you don¡¯t like me anymore? I...! I like you!¡±


    The fact that Ahyoung was my first love wouldn¡¯t change, even if she trampled on my heart. I wanted to leave with as good a memory as every, without ruining her illusions. I was blinded by love for 13 years, so I didn¡¯t want to leave any room for her to cling onto me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I have Yura now, the sky that you can¡¯t bepared to. It would be foolish of me to leave her. I don¡¯t have any feelings for you.¡±


    "Youngwoo, you...!¡±


    I spoke as cynically as possible. Then I left the sad and hurt Ahyoung.


    "This is the end for us."


    The connection between me and you, which was a bad link in the past, was cleanly cut off. Now it was a fresh start.


    On the way back home, I recalled the conversation I previously had with Yura,


    "After the Tzedakah Guild seeded in the raid against Mcus, the forces of the Yatan Church rapidly weakened. Therefore, the Tzedakah Guild is now the Yatan Church¡¯s main enemy. The Yatan Church will surely retaliate against the Tzedakah Guild, and as everyone expected, I am the Yatan Church¡¯s Eighth Servant. Conflict between us is inevitable.¡±


    "Then did youe to me to dere war? D-Do you want to kill me here? No matter how angry you are in the game, isn¡¯t it too much to kill people in reality?¡±


    "...Don¡¯t make people into killers. I just want to pay back my debt from when we fought before.¡±


    ¡°Debt?¡±


    "During the quest in the Yatan Temple... Didn¡¯t you log out despite beating me in order to help me clear the quest? Thanks to that, I was able to consolidate my position in the Yatan Church and be the Eighth Servant. You are a great benefactor to me, so it is hard for me to point a weapon at you.¡±


    ¡°I deliberately logged out to help your quest? What does that even mean?"


    Yura firmly misunderstood something.


    "At that time, I wasn¡¯t intending to help your quest. You owe me nothing.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how Yura misunderstood this fact, but I wanted to resolve this misunderstanding because I didn¡¯t want to be connected with her. However, she was already deep into her deluded fantasy.


    "I don¡¯t know why you are denying it. Even if you didn¡¯t intend to help me like you just said, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I was helped by you, so I¡¯ll pay off this debt.¡±


    Yura had a very selfish nature. In the end, I could only nod.


    ¡°I guess words won¡¯t work. Okay, I understand. Do what you want. Then I can cut this bad connection sooner. How are you nning to pay off the debt?¡±


    ¡°Bad connection...?¡±


    Yura frowned like she didn¡¯t like it. She was so beautiful that even this made me amazed.


    ¡®She is a scam...¡¯


    Yura exined her n while I was admiring her.


    "After war breaks out between the Yatan Church and the Tzedakah Guild, I won¡¯t kill you. I can¡¯t kill my benefactor, after all. Although, there might be some situations where fighting is unavoidable.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯ll spare me? Wow, I¡¯m so thankful that I¡¯m on the verge of tears.¡±


    The role I yed in the Tzedakah Guild was a cksmith, not a soldier. I didn¡¯t n to involve myself in any guild activities unless I was directly affected, like the recent incident with the Giant Guild. It was 100 times more profitable to make itemspared to fighting, so I would rather be the guild¡¯s cksmith. There was no chance of Yura and I meeting in a war.


    I felt assured and nodded.


    ¡°Okay, I understand how you will pay off your debt. Then are you done? We¡¯ve arrived at the destination, so let¡¯s separate. Please don¡¯t appear in front of me again since it isn¡¯t good for my heart.¡±


    Yura was a woman who destroyed the Yatan Temple while trying to kill me. Having a connection with her, it was no different from torture. I wanted to quickly separate from her, but she had different thoughts.


    ¡°It is over. I want to pay off the debt in another form.¡±


    "What else?"


    "Excuse me, but I have been researching your past. Over the years, you have suffered humiliation because of your high school alumni.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    No, why was she talking about a man¡¯s shameful past? Didn¡¯t she know about privacy?


    ¡®Is she a stalker?¡¯


    I wanted to snap out, but I was so afraid that I couldn¡¯t open my mouth. She suggested to me, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to attend the reunion right now? I¡¯lle as well. Let me pretend to be your lover in front of your fellow alumni.¡±


    What nonsense was she saying?


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Yura kindly exined to me, "Once they find out that a famous, intelligent and beautiful woman like me is your lover, they will no longer make fun of you. You will be able to silence the alumni. How is it? Pretend to be lovers. Isn¡¯t this a great way to pay off my debt to you?¡±


    "..."


    I was fairly certain that Yura had a princess disease. It didn¡¯t make sense for a famous, intelligent and beautiful woman like her to make this suggestion.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a scenemon in dramas and movies? The gender roles have reversed but...¡±


    I vetoed Yura¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. There is no need for that. I am able to change my position with my own abilities.¡±


    Yes, I refused Yura¡¯s suggestion.


    But as a result, the alumni witnessed Yura getting down from my car and misunderstood that she was my lover. Then they envied me enormously. It wouldn¡¯t have been possible to elicit such a response with just the 13 series.


    "... The more I think about it, the stranger she is. What type of person developed such a misunderstanding, did a background check and tried to repay her debt in this manner? Wasn¡¯t it preposterous? Paying off a one-sided debt... She is insane.¡±


    Based onmon sense, Yura seemed to have a narrower sense of human rtionships than me.


    ¡®She seems to have be strange after bing sessful at an early age and living apart from others.¡¯


    In no time, I arrived home. I went straight to the capsule and connected to Satisfy.


    ***


    Winston had lost troops several times in the battle against the Yatan Church, the knight captain was wounded and thedy was kidnapped. The city was bing one of the best in the north and the poption was growing rapidly, but there was a limit to the guard troops.


    Earl Steim became aware of the situation and led support troops to Winston.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! My lovely daughter! You have be even more beautiful sincest I saw you!¡±


    Earl Steim was one of the most influential nobles in the Eternal Kingdom and the ruler of the north. But he was just a doting dad in front of his daughter, Irene. Despite the numerous soldiers and knights watching, Earl Steim embraced his daughter and shed tears.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve suffered! I¡¯m sorry that I burdened you so much! Thank you for being safe! Thank you!¡±


    Irene was Earl Steim¡¯s only child. Rather than keeping her safe by his side, he appointed her as ruler of a territory and let her experience being kidnapped again, so he couldn¡¯t forgive himself.


    Irene suggested to him. ¡°Father, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. The whole thing was my fault. Father, that¡¯s why... I wish I had a strong person taking care of me.¡±


    Earl Steim red at Phoenix.


    "That¡¯s right... You need a strong person... Someone much better than the ipetent Captain Phoenix...¡±


    ¡°Please kill me!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s guilt was unimaginable after losing in the war and not being able to protect his master. Earl Steim ignored him and spoke to Irene, ¡°But sweetheart, Doran is dead and there is, unfortunately, no one stronger than Phoenix in the north. Leave Winston to Phoenix and return with me.¡±


    ¡°No, there is someone here who I can depend on. He is stronger and more courageous than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Irene was the daughter of a warrior. While she wasn¡¯t trained, her ability to recognize strength was excellent. She wasplimenting someone so confidently that Earl Steim was filled with expectations.


    ¡°Then who is this person?¡±


    ¡°He is a cksmith.¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    The answering from his daughter¡¯s smiling mouth was so unexpected that Earl Steim thought he heard wrongly for a moment. Earl Steim regained his spirit and asked, "Sweetheart, the strong and brave person you can rely on is a cksmith? Did I hear it properly just now?¡±


    Irene unabashedly nodded.


    "That¡¯s right. He is the great cksmith who made the sword that became a family treasure not long ago, and also the one who saved me from Mcus. Not just that. He is the hero who saved Winston from the Mero Company.¡±


    ¡°Ha! That rumored person...¡±


    He was clearly a great person just based on the achievements. But Earl Steim became frantic after seeing Irene¡¯s face.


    ¡®My daughter has the face of a woman in love...!¡¯


    He knew about the one who helped save Winston from the evils of the Mero Company. It was also reported that he had the power of a legendary cksmith. But a cksmith was strong enough to kill one of Yatan¡¯s servants?


    Earl Steim couldn¡¯t believe it.


    "Sweetheart, no matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t think such a perfect person exists in this world... Is he handsome? It seems like you have been deceived by a scammer...¡±


    Irene proimed, "I¡¯m not deceived! Do you think I am a pathetic woman who will be enticed by looks? In the first ce, he isn¡¯t really handsome!¡±


    Phoenix and the knights nodded in unison.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. He is good but his appearance...¡±


    Earl Steim didn¡¯t like that either.


    "An ugly man dares lure my daughter? Disgraceful person! I want to see what type of person he is! Drag him in front of me right now!¡±


    "Earl, he is Winston¡¯s hero and Irene¡¯s savior. Shouldn¡¯t we bring him respectfully?¡±


    "...Yes, bring him respectfully.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    Satisfy implemented a system ofplete freedom. It had more than two billion users. The two billion people could freely select or pioneer more than 10,000 sses, and there were 10,000mon sses.


    Eachmon ss had a top 10 rankings. It seemed like the same IDs every time. This meant that the top 10 of each ss was widening the gap with those ranked below 11th, and it was virtually impossible for new figures to enter the top 10 rankings.


    But approximately six months ago. There was a major upheaval in the rankings of 16 major sses. The Tzedakah Guild moved from L.T.S to Satisfy and entered the top 10 of each ranking in just four months. It had arge impact on users and the Tzedakah Guild made a spectacr debut in Satisfy, gaining the media¡¯s attention.


    Then after that...


    The rankings became stuck again for a while. After the Tzedakah Guild appeared, the top rankers stayed the same for more than half a year.


    It was around a month ago. Just like when the Tzedakah Guild appeared in the past, a major upheaval once again appeared in the rankings. 10 new figures appeared in the rankings of 10 major sses likeets. Those 10 people were called the ¡®10 Rookies¡¯ and received people¡¯s praise and expectations.


    ¡°Cursed Bloodline!¡±


    [The blood imprinted in the Thorn of Deep Grievance has resonated with your blood and makes you run wild.]


    [Skill damage has increased by 150%. Movement speed has increased by 80%.]


    [Health is continuously consumed while the skill is activated.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    [You have suffered 34,030 damage.]


    [You have suffered 25,111 damage.]


    [You have suffered 29,600 damage.]


    The mberge, which seemed like the thorny stem of a rose, shed at the monsters in its orbit. The bleeding didn¡¯t stop as Ibellin flew among the monsters. Then he grabbed a monster¡¯s neck and used a skill.


    ¡°Laceration!¡±


    [You have dealt 505,900 damage.]


    ¡°Kieeeek!¡±


    Ibellin had been seeding since receiving the Thorn of Deep Grievance from Grid. He cleared difficult dungeons that had frustrated him a few times and earned a great number of rewards from hunting monsters at least 30 levels higher than him.


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Good!"


    After entering the 200th level zone, Ibellin had only been able to raise his level once every five days. But now he could gain one level in just one day.


    It was a feat that could be achieved thanks to moving hunting grounds. And he was able to move hunting grounds thanks to the Thorn of Deep Grievance, so the power of items was really amazing.


    ¡®It was worth investing 2.5 million gold. This is apletely new world!¡¯


    The number one spot in the swordsman rankings was guarded by Zirkan. Zirkan was an overwhelming presence so it was hard to take first ce, but Ibellin would soon be able to take second ce if he kept growing like this.


    ¡°Just wait, Lauel!¡±


    Ibellin started Satisfy two monthster than his other guild members due to finishing his studies. So he wasn¡¯t included when the Tzedakah Guild debuted and instead became one of the 10 Rookies.


    Until then, Ibellin had been confident that he was the best among the 10 Rookies. He never doubted it as one of the Tzedakah Guild. But what was this?


    Lauel debuted in the top 10 of the qigong master¡¯s rankings when Ibellin was 9th ce in the swordsman rankings. Now Lauel was 1st in the qigong master rankings and 178th on the unified rankings. On the other hand, Ibellin was 3rd on the swordsman rankings and 199th on the unified rankings.


    Ibellin saw Lauel on a TV interview and realized that they were the same age. This was a very shocking event for Ibellin, who had the strongest self-esteem among his peers.


    Since then, Ibellin recognized Lauel as a rival and strived to surpass him. But this wasn¡¯t an easy task. If he took one step closer, the opponent would take two steps. Thus, Ibellin could feel his limitations. He couldn¡¯t deny that Lauel was superior to himself.


    However, then he got his hands on the Thorn of Deep Grievance.


    ¡¯Items are also part of our abilities...! Lauel, this time I will be ahead of you!¡¯


    ***


    {Grid! You came ~^0^~}


    {I¡¯ve missed you so much!}


    {A half day without you is like 10 years... I was desperately waiting for you toe!}


    The guild chat window went crazy as soon as Grid connected to the game.


    The guild members weed Grid like they were reuniting with a separated lover after a long time.


    It was all for one reason.


    {Make my items quickly!}


    {I¡¯m dizzy because I want a legendary rated item ??}


    {Me first! Grid, if you make a legendary item for me, I will shoot up to the top 20 right away!}


    ¡®Please make my items!¡¯


    That¡¯s what the guild members really longed for. Right now, Grid was a very important and irreceable figure.


    ¡°Huhuhut... They are prisoners of my items.¡±


    As Grid wasughing and feeling pleased, Ibellin appeared in the guild chat window.


    {Brothers, Sisters. Do you think it is so easy for Grid to make a legendary item? ^^ Don¡¯t bother Grid. ^^}


    {What? Ibellin, you raised your level again? Hasn¡¯t it only been one day?}


    {Yup! ^^ I moved my hunting grounds. ^^ My experience is rising quickly ~ ^^ Previously I worked hard and only gained 1 level in 5 days ~ ^^ This is the true power of items ^^ ? It is all thanks to Grid. ^^}


    {Hey... No matter how excited you are, stop using ^^ <-... It is bad luck.}


    {I¡¯m really envious ? ? I was envious when Pon got a unique item, but Ibellin¡¯s is even better. Sooner orter, won¡¯t you reach the second ranking?}


    {A legendary item is really... I want to have one as well ??}


    After joining the guild, Grid had only produced Pon¡¯s spear and Ibellin¡¯s Thorn. Both of them were finished with a unique and legendary rating, so the expectations of the guild members were too high.


    Grid couldn¡¯t unconditionally make unique or legendary items, but the guild members were hoping for at least unique items. Grid was worried about making a normal or rare item, so he told them in advance.


    {I don¡¯t think I can make unique or legendary items often. In fact, two out of three Gale Spears werepleted with an epic rating and one of Ibellin¡¯s Thorns had a rare rating. I also often make normal or rare items. So keep in mind that your items might bepleted as a rare or epic rating.}


    {Yes, that¡¯s right. Let¡¯s calm down. Didn¡¯t we want epic items from Grid in the first ce? Let¡¯s not lose sight of things. In addition, items made by Grid are unconditionally better than other items of the same level, regardless of their rating. It is enough, even if a rare rating appears.}


    {Yes... If we are lucky, one day we will receive unique or legendary items.}


    As the excitement of the guild members settled down, Jishuka decided who the next item would be produced for.


    {Grid, this time I want you to make armor for Vantner.}


    Vantner vetoed it.


    {Armor? Why armor? Stop! I don¡¯t need armor! I want a weapon! Make a weapon! A weapon allows me to hunt faster and I can level up!}


    {Shut up Vantner. Isn¡¯t your current weapon good enough thanks to Grid? It is a good weapon, even if it can¡¯t bepared with Pon¡¯s or Ibellin¡¯s. And you are a tanker. Right now, you are useless in raids. ^^}


    {?? Master...}


    {What? Do you have something to say?}


    {No... I don¡¯t...}


    Not just Vantner, but all members regardless of age and gender, submitted to Jishuka. They normally acted as family and friends, but once an order dropped, they would follow it unconditionally. It showed how much the guild members trusted Jishuka.


    {I already have an armor production method. But I haven¡¯t yet obtained all the necessary materials. It will take up to half a day. Until then, feel free to do whatever you want.}


    ¡°Half a day...¡±


    It was ambiguous to make one item in half a day.


    "Should I hunt for the first time in a while? The ce I wanted to see...¡±


    ***


    There were hunting grounds of various levels in Winston, ranging from those for beginners and those for rankers.


    The hunting ground most popr among users above level 150 was the Golem¡¯s Labyrinth. The golems in thebyrinth were designed by a magician to protect his hidden treasures, so it was suitable to make money due to all the magic stones and minerals dropping. The experience was also worth it.


    But there was a fundamental problem. Golems had a strong defense and were almost immune to physical attacks. So the Golem¡¯s Labyrinth was nothing more than a private hunting ground for magicians.


    Most parties consisted of either magicians and healers or a pdin, magician, and healer. No physical attackers could be found at all. In this ce, there was one person who came alone and was holding a greatsword.


    Peopleughed at him.


    "Hey Mister, did youe here to hunt?"


    "Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ha? Really? Without a party?¡±


    "I like solo y...¡±


    ¡°Pfff!¡±


    ¡°Kilkil! A beginner!¡±


    People startedughing at the greatsword wielding man. A warrior who came to hunt golems alone seemed to beckingmon sense. On the one hand, the greatsword wielding man didn¡¯t care about the peopleughing at him.


    Dozens of people watched as he approached the golem with loud footsteps. Then he stabbed with his greatsword without dy.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was an incredible sight. The giant iron golem, which couldn¡¯t be damaged even by dozens of swords, went flying towards one side of the wall from one blow of the greatsword? The crowd was stunned. Someone shouted,


    ¡°W-Wait a minute...! That helmet and ck greatsword...! Isn¡¯t he the human butcher who smashed the Giant Guild on his own, instantly boosting himself into fame?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! I see it now! The Cruel Butcher!¡±


    "Kyaaak! He actually looks scarier!¡±


    ¡°Wow... Really dirty... He really did shatter the Giant Guild alone.¡±


    Meanwhile, the helmet-wearing Grid was confused as he held the greatsword.


    ¡®Its health only decreased by half, even though I used Kill? This is really hard.¡¯


    Kill was a deadly blow. In addition, Dainsleif dealt more damage the higher the opponent¡¯s defense was. So Grid thought he could easily hunt the golems. But he was wrong. The golems of thebyrinth were much harder than Grid expected.


    ¡®However, I have a method.¡¯


    Grid put away Dainsleif and pulled out a pickaxe from his inventory. It was the finest pickaxe made directly by him. He had 100% understanding of the pickaxe, so red dots started appearing all over the golem¡¯s body.


    Grid aimed his pickaxe at the red dots. Then...


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    [Iron ore has been acquired.]


    [Deluxe Iron ore has been acquired.]


    [Three damaged orichalcum has been acquired.]


    Except for the magic stones that served the role of an engine, the golem was made up of only minerals! He was a legendary cksmith and had 100% understanding of the pickaxe, so the golems were just a mine in front of Grid who was an excellent miner.


    ¡°...What the hell is this?¡±


    Every time the golem was hit by the pickaxe, minerals would drop, causing the users to be amazed at the sight. They could barely hunt the golems when pouring out magic, so Grid hunting them with a pickaxe was an unreasonable sight.


    ¡°Just one time...¡±


    A pdin user who had a miner side job happily caught a golem passing by before pulling out a pickaxe and hitting the golem hard.


    Chaaeng!


    "...Kkeok!¡±


    The pdin user screamed and grabbed his wrist that felt like it was broken after hitting the golem with a pickaxe. The golem wasn¡¯t even scratched as it turned its head to verify the pdin and struck out.


    Meanwhile, Grid approached another golem and started mining after knocking it down. Minerals once again poured out from the golem. Grid was excited as he eximed,


    ¡°Kukukuk...! What is this? It is really good! Kuahahahat!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was covered by the skull helmet and he seemed like a psychopath as he kept swinging the pickaxe at the golems. The users were terrified.


    "What, so scary...¡±


    People were wary of him because Grid had the power to one-sidedly kill the Giant Guild. The distance increased until they were no longer in danger, and then they fled.


    Thanks to the widebyrinth, Grid was left alone.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings because he was fully absorbed in collecting minerals. He collected more minerals than he originally aimed for because he was alone. He also gained a level.


    Then a whisper from Jishuka came.


    -Grid, the preparation of the materials is over.


    "Okay, I will go back now.¡±


    Grid hummed at his inventory full of minerals and left thebyrinth. No, he was going to leave but he got lost in thebyrinth.


    "No, damn! What is this? Why is this ce soplicated? Where have all the people gone? Damn! Even if I want to ask for directions, I can¡¯t because there are no people! This #^%!$~#!¡±


    Grid wandered around for a while. But no matter how much he wandered, he couldn¡¯t find the exit to thebyrinth and eventually called the guild.


    {I¡¯m in the Golem¡¯s Labyrinth, can someonee and help me?}


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid had been leaning against a wall while chatting, and his eyes suddenly widened. It was because the wall was copsing.


    ¡°W-What? Aaaaack~~!


    Grid¡¯s body fell down along with the wall.


    Kuuong!


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Huh?¡±


    Grid was struggling with the pain of falling when he suddenly shivered. He raised his head and saw a golem that was at least five times the size of the other golems in thebyrinth.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    [The Guardian of the Labyrinth has woken up from a long sleep.]


    [The magical traps set up by the Great Magician Braham has been triggered.]


    [You have suffered 205,100 damage.]


    [You have suffered 399,000 damage.]


    [You have suffered 174,340 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Pepeng!Kakakakak!


    The magic traps were continuously activated and all types of attribute attacks hit Grid. However, Grid became invincible due to his passive activation and survived all the attacks. Fortunately, the traps finished before Grid¡¯s invincibility duration was over.


    Finally, the Guardian of the Labyrinth moved. Grid took the highest quality health potion and made a grim expression.


    ¡®The invincible passive¡¯s cooldown time is one day. Losing my insurance at the start is the very worst.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t see a way to escape. Grid decided that he needed to defeat the Guardian of the Labyrinth to escape and grabbed Dainsleif.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    He couldn¡¯t see a way to escape. Grid decided that he needed to defeat the Guardian of the Labyrinth to escape, and grabbed Dainsleif. Then he took advantage of his high agility to leap up the wall.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Grid used the sword dance while in the air! Then he appeared in front of the guardian¡¯s face and stabbed Dainsleif in deeply.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    [Critical!]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 68,700 damage.]


    Kuwaaah!


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth shook after being stabbed with Kill. Thousands of kilograms were pushed back. It was a testament to the tremendous weight behind Kill.


    ¡°Okay! I can do it!¡±


    Kill was a skill that dealt 1,500% of the caster¡¯s current damage. It was unfortunate that it was a single target skill, but the attack power was the best among all existing skills in Satisfy. It was also the skill that dealt thest blow to Mcus. Even if it was a boss monster, how safe could the guardian be after being hit directly in the face?


    Gridnded on the ground and shouted excitedly.


    "I dealt nearly 70,000 damage in one blow! It¡¯s possible! I can knock him down!¡±


    Before falling here. Grid had hunted dozens of golems in thebyrinth and found that the golems had an average health of 80,000. The golems had extremely low health in exchange for their defense.


    Based on that, he guessed that the Guardian of the Labyrinth had low health like the golems. But what was this?


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid had been grinning at the thought of seeding in a one-man raid, only to suddenly stiffen with astonishment. He had confirmed the health gauge of the Guardian of the Labyrinth.


    ¡°This is nonsense... His blood barely decreased?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The Guardian of the Labyrinth had high defense and high health. This was Grid¡¯s strongest attack skill. No, Kill was one of the strongest attack skills in Satisfy and it was even a critical hit, but only 1/15th of the guardian¡¯s health was decreased.


    ¡®Using simple calctions, I have to hit it with Kill 15 times. It also needs a critical attack every time...¡¯


    As it happened, the cooldown time for Kill was 500 seconds. But Grid felt surprisingly positive.


    ¡¯Kill isn¡¯t the only skill I have!¡¯


    Grid pulled out the Ideal Dagger. Then he aimed Wind st at the bottom of the Guardian of the Labyrinth.


    [You have dealt 1 damage.]


    Wind st¡¯s attack power was unable to even scratch the Guardian of the Labyrinth. It was unable to prate the high defense. But Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. In the first ce, Wind st was only used to block the guardian¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    While the guardian was paying attention to Wind st, Grid used Quick Movements to approach the guardian and wielded Dainsleif eight times.


    Jjejeong!Jjang!Jjejejeok!


    Link had a shorter casting time, less mana cost, and a shorter cooldown time than Kill. It was also a skill that dealt 500% of his attack power. It was weaker than Kill, but it was efficient and strongpared to other skills.


    Link should be able to inflict damage on the guardian. Grid thought like this, but reality was quite different. Link¡¯s damage couldn¡¯t prate the guardian¡¯s high defense.


    [You have dealt 3,500 damage.]


    ¡°Shit! Isn¡¯t this difference too much?¡±


    Grid was confused because the damage wasn¡¯t applied properly due to the overwhelming defense. His confidence declined rapidly.


    ¡®Can I really catch this monster?¡¯


    Kuuong!


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth took one step towards Grid. Grid had secured a safe distance, but the guardian was so big that it narrowed the distance in just one step.


    Kuwaaah!


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth roared and brought down its huge hand. It was like Grid was a fly.


    Kwaang!


    It was fortunate that the golem¡¯s movement speed was slow. Grid easily avoided the attack of the guardian. The guardian¡¯s hand struck the ground. The entire underground space shook, causing Grid to wobble.


    ¡®This is aplete earthquake...!¡¯


    Grid lost his bnce while the guardian¡¯s hand came flying towards him again.


    Kwaang!Kwaang!Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°Aaaaack~!¡±


    It was like the palm of Buddha. Every time Grid escaped an attack, the guardian¡¯s hand would strike the walls or ground, causing stones to fall from the ceiling and threaten Grid. Then the wide underground space became quite limited. The copsed walls and debris from the ceiling was to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m screwed.¡±


    As the space narrowed, his avenues of retreat decreased. There was now a limit to how much he could dodge.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The guardian roared in a way that indicated it was the end. Then it swung both hands at the same time. Huge hands flying from both the left and the right! The size of one hand was twice as big as Grid, so his visibility was blocked when the big hands came flying from both sides.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to avoid. There is no hole to escape into.¡¯


    He could defend with the Divine Shield, but it seemed like the shield would break. At that moment. The urgent cry of a woman was heard from the broken ceiling where Grid fell.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The woman calling out to Grid was Jishuka. She came to pick Grid up because he was lost in thebyrinth. Then she had rushed over when Grid didn¡¯t reply in the guild chat and felt the shockwave.


    And now.


    She arrived to witness Grid¡¯s moment of death.


    ¡°He can¡¯t avoid this.¡±


    Vantner muttered from beside Jishuka as Grid seemed to be swallowed by both hands. That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s death was natural. How could a non-magician exert any power against that giant golem in the first ce? Grid was helpless. It was just questionable on how stupid Grid was to deal with this monster alone.


    Then something amazing happened.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t avoid it, then I should confront it.¡±


    They heard Grid¡¯s voice.


    Pachichik!


    A red spark urred around Grid just before he was swallowed by the guardian¡¯s hands. And...


    Kakakakak!


    A red lightning bolt appeared from the ceiling and fell towards the guardian¡¯s head.


    Chwachachachak!


    The body of the guardian convulsed like it was experiencing an electric shock and then it stopped moving. It turned bright red for a moment. The red lightning bolt seemed to have a much higher voltage than normal lightning bolts.


    Jishuka and Vantner were shocked as they watched from above.


    ¡°Magic? Grid can use magic?¡±


    ¡°Red lightning...? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such magic.¡±


    And Grid was clearly unharmed. Grid escaped through the gaps caused by the paused guardian and smiled.


    "Isn¡¯t this effect quite good?¡±


    A red bead the size of a small skull was in his left hand. It was the Red Lightning Summoning Bead that he obtained after raiding the frostlight orc chief. The treasure had been lying in his inventory and saved Grid¡¯s life at this moment.


    Pachichik!Pachik!


    The red sparks surrounded Dainsleif. It was a chance to get revenge on the monster in front of him. Before he knew it, the cooldown time of Kill was over. Grid started his sword dance.


    Peeeeeong!


    [Critical!]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 141,000 damage.]


    Dainsleif was temporarily a magic sword due to the lightning attribute. The Guardian of the Labyrinth had extremely high physical defense and low magic defense. Grid¡¯s Kill dealt two times more damage than before.


    "Too strong!"


    "His strength is just a scam.¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner thought it was absurd as 1/10th of a boss monster¡¯s health decreased with just one blow. The Guardian of the Forest became nervous because of the unexpected damage and swung its left and right arms more quickly than before.


    ¡°Yes! Come on, you bastard!¡±


    This time, Grid didn¡¯t try to escape. He fought back with Dainsleif.


    Jjang!Jjaaang!Kwaang!


    The energy of the red lightning within Dainsleif was truly great. The guardian¡¯s arms turned red every time it encountered Dainsleif and smoke rose. Some parts even stiffened. The Guardian of the Labyrinth panicked. As it prepared to retreat, Grid pulled out his cksmith hammer. Then he hit the guardian¡¯s arm.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°...Hah!¡±


    Grid scoffed. The guardian¡¯s body was being transformed by the hammering.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this simr to forging smelted minerals?¡¯


    This was great!


    Kaaang!Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid moved all over the guardian and kept hammering the arms. Then a sudden change in the guardian¡¯s arms was seen. The wrist and elbow joints disappeared, while the five fingers were ttened. Now the guardian¡¯s arms were nothing more than heavy pirs.


    Kuoh?


    The guardian was perplexed as its arms didn¡¯t work as intended. The guardian swung its arms at random. The underground space was now in a state of perfect copse. If this was to be Grid¡¯s grave, he was determined to die with the guardian. Therefore, he took out a mana recovery potion. Then he started a new sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.¡±


    It was a skill he never tried to use because of ack of mana. But he had invested his stats in intelligence with every level up and he also had Mcus¡¯ Cloak, giving him enough mana to use this skill.


    [Transcend]


    A sword dance that transcends imagination.


    Your attack power is doubled and your default attacks will turn into ranged attacks.


    The air around Grid quickly reversed.


    Kuoooooh.


    It was like gravity was reversing. Grid¡¯s hair rose like the heroes of old anime and stones floated in the air. In the center of it, Grid wielded Dainsleif. Then a dark energy de shot forward.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    In the center of it, Grid wielded Dainsleif. Then a dark energy de shot forward.


    Peeeong!


    Kuwaaah!


    The guardian was confused by its deformed arms and screamed when its face was hit.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    What was this reaction to just one hit? Grid grinned at the power of Transcend. Then he wielded Dainsleif again.


    Papat!


    Two des flew forward in a cross shape and hit the guardian¡¯s chest.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    The guardian was in more pain. Gridughed as he saw it and brandished Dainsleif diagonally. The des bent like a whip and urately hit the back of the guardian¡¯s neck. Grid¡¯s ck energy swords continued flying forward.


    Kwang!Kwaang!Kwa kwa kwang!


    [You have dealt 4,100 damage.]


    [You have dealt 3,730 damage.]


    [You have dealt 4,450 damage.]


    Dainsleif¡¯s attack power was doubled due to the red lightning. Grid¡¯s attacks were more powerful than the previous Link skill. He also had a different skill that could be used without any restrictions.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    Grid triggered cksmith¡¯s Rage and started his full-fledged rampage towards the guardian.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die! Puhahahat!¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    [You have dealt 5,500 damage.]


    [You have dealt 5,350 damage.]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 10,940 damage.]


    [You have dealt 5,900 damage.]


    Kwaaaaah!


    It was a one-sided battle. Due to the constantly flying swords, the Guardian of the Labyrinth couldn¡¯t approach Grid.


    If its arms were fine, it could¡¯ve used defensive maneuvers with both arms. However, the deformed arms were unable to move as it wanted due to Grid¡¯s hammering. It was just a sandbag without being able to defend.


    Kuoooh!


    A shockwave urred every time the guardian was hit, increasing the copse of this space. Jishuka was nervous as she watched the battle from the ceiling.


    ¡°Grid is still in danger.¡± Vantner asked Jishuka. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we help? Why are we staying still?¡±


    Jishuka was also a physical damage dealer. But her attack power was unmatched. Her arrows could deal great damage to the Guardian of the Labyrinth. And right now, Jishuka was in the perfect position for sniping. It was natural to question why Jishuka was just watching instead of helping.


    Jishuka exined, "Of course, I can help but... I think Grid will be angry at me. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Vantner hit his forehead. Then he nodded at her words.


    "Yes, that seems correct when thinking about his personality. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯ll be angry if someone interferes in the middle and takes his experience.¡±


    "Yes, and Grid alone seems to be sufficient. I just want him to hurry a little bit.¡±


    Jishuka grasped that the Guardian of the Labyrinth was at a level lower than the Guardian of the Forest. The high defense, health and attack power was equal or higher than the Guardian of the Forest, but the Guardian of the Labyrinth had a fatal weakness.


    ¡®It has no skills.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Jishuka had watched for a while and noticed the Guardian of the Labyrinth hadn¡¯t used a single skill. The Guardian of the Forest possessed all sorts of tricky skills such as wide area stun and summoning golems, but the Guardian of the Labyrinth was just a lump of metal with high stats.


    Jishuka shouted towards Grid from the top of the underground space.


    "Look behind the guardian. Do you see a small cave? If the space seems to copse, run away through there!¡±


    "Okay!"


    Grid received the information and walked towards the guardian. He continued firing his swords at the guardian, so it couldn¡¯t fight back against Grid.


    "It¡¯s overwhelming firepower.¡±


    ¡°His damage and durability is superior in all respects.¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner felt assured.


    ¡®That guy, he didn¡¯t use all his skills during the Mcus raid or against the Giant Guild.¡¯


    ¡®With Grid¡¯s power, is it possible for him to win against Regas?¡¯


    On the other hand, the Guardian of the Labyrinth backed away against a wall.


    ¡®There.¡¯


    Kuwuong.


    He saw the entrance of a small cave in the wall that the guardian fell against. Grid used Quick Movements and wielded Dainsleif. A sword aura flew and hit the guardian¡¯s eyes.


    Kuoooh!


    The guardian¡¯s eyes zed red from the lightning. Then Grid appeared in front of it.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    The duration of Transcend was over. Then the cooldown time of Link was over.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjang!Jjeejeeeong!


    When Grid first learned Link, he had only been able to wield his sword six times. Once he became ustomed to it, he could wield it eight times. Then he grew in battle and it increased to 10 times.


    Ku...wooh!


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth was hit by 10 red lightning des and fell to its knees.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Grid jumped in the air and squeezed all his strength into Dainsleif.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puoook!


    The ck greatsword prated the head of the guardian. Then notification windows shed in front of Grid.


    [You have defeated the Great Magician Braham¡¯s Guardian of the Labyrinth!]


    [180 gold has been acquired.]


    [90]


    [33]


    [45]


    [3]


    [Braham¡¯s Treasure Chest Key has been acquired.]


    [45,350,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    During the Mcus raid, Grid had 17 people in his party. Therefore, the amount of experience gained was small due to the distribution of experience points. But now he gained so much experience because he seeded in the raid alone.


    Grid¡¯s level, which had been 106 due to hunting the golems in thebyrinth, jumped to 114 at once. In addition, Grid gained dozens of expensive ck iron and Orichalcum, but his expression wasn¡¯t good.


    "Apart from the experience, the rewards are garbage...¡±


    He was really disappointed. Shouldn¡¯t a boss monster drop at least one unique item?


    ¡®The boss has high stats and no special attack skills, but... Shouldn¡¯t it give items because it¡¯s a boss?¡¯


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth didn¡¯t use any skills from the beginning to its death. Swinging the arms was its only attack pattern, so it couldn¡¯t do anything after the arms were deformed. But there was still a part to consider.


    Jishuka and Vantner didn¡¯t know this, but didn¡¯t Grid activate dozens of Braham¡¯s magic traps when he first fell into this space?


    It was virtually impossible to react to such sudden traps. The damage was in the hundreds of thousands. Grid only survived because of his passive, but other users would have unconditionally died from those traps.


    The traps were included in the raid so even if the Guardian of the Labyrinth was weak, the difficulty of the raid itself was higher than the one against Mcus. Yet the rewards for the raid were only production materials?


    ¡®Of course, ck iron and orichalcum are expensive but... I was hoping for items that were more special.¡¯


    Kurururung.


    Then the space started copsing around Grid. Grid moved past the remains of the guardian and into the small cave. Then he saw it. Three boxes were ced next to each other inside the cave!


    "Ohhh!"


    Grid was reminded of Braham¡¯s Treasure Chest Key that the Guardian of the Labyrinth dropped.


    ¡°Puhahahat! This is it! The real reward is actually separate!¡±


    Grid stood in front of the three boxes.


    The first box was ornately embellished and shone brightly. It was suitable to be called a treasure chest. On the other hand, the second box was scratched all over and the design was in. Nothing special could be seen. And finally, the third box. It was just an old wooden box.


    There was only one key!


    A regr person would think the ornate treasure chest was a trick and that the old box was the real treasure. No, an ordinary box without any features might not be the true treasure chest. This would cause deep thoughts.


    But Grid was simple.


    "Of course, this shining box is the treasure chest! Worrying over a decision will just advertise my indecisiveness!¡±


    Grid pulled out Braham¡¯s Treasure Chest Key from his inventory. Then he ced the key in the ornate box.


    Ssik!


    Grid was smiling with confidence. He inserted the key into the treasure chest without any worries. The box responded by opening widely.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    There was a brilliant sh of light and the contents were revealed! Grid gulped with anticipated. Then he frowned.


    ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡±


    There were neither colourful treasures or rare items in the box. There was only one egg. That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t the egg of a particr monster or animal, it was just an egg. It was an ordinary egg based on its size, shape and color.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was speechless. He fought the monster and reached here, only to end up with an egg?


    "..."


    Grid¡¯s body shook. He finally couldn¡¯t suppress his anger and cried out.


    ¡°Damn! How rotten! What the hell?! This egg won¡¯t even appease my hunger! No, why is an egg in a treasure chest in the first ce? Does this make sense, damn operators? If you are going to create a game, think about it a little bit.¡±


    He had forgotten because of his recent bout of luck.


    "... Yes, originally I was unlucky.¡±


    Was this a sign that his unhappiness would start again? Grid looked scared then he sighed. He looked at the remaining two boxes with a grouchy expression.


    ¡°The real treasure is in one of those boxes...¡± Looking back, he had been too naive. ¡°I should¡¯ve opened the old box... Hah...¡±


    He looked at the first box to see if he could recycle the used key, but it had already been destroyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back like this... Wait.¡±


    Grid suddenly had an idea. He started it without any dy.


    "Item creation!"


    [What item do you want to create?]


    Grid replied to the system¡¯s question.


    ¡°A key.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid was going to create a master key in order to open the remaining two boxes. The Item Creation skill had a limited number of uses, so he needed to be careful, but Grid was fully aware of this after creating Failure.


    ¡®Having a universal key that can open anything will permanently benefit me in the future. It is too good to pass up, even if I need to consume one slot.¡¯


    Treasure chests were an important element in games. In particr, yers of RPGs and adventure games were obliged to carry keys for treasure chests. They made contact with countless boxes during their adventures. What if there was a master key that could open all types of boxes? It would be truly perfect. He would be able to gain all types of rewards every time he encountered a box.


    It was the same with Satisfy.


    ¡®A master key is needed.¡¯


    [Have you decided?]


    The determined Grid nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    Braham¡¯s key was made using ck iron. ck iron was also the material Dainsleif was made of.


    ¡®The durability of ck iron is special. If I make it with ck iron, I can use it semi-permanently.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s key was disposable due to the nature of the event, but Grid¡¯s key would be different. Grid made his decision.


    ¡°ck iron.¡±


    [Please design the item.]


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    From here, Grid was cautious. What should be the appearance of the master key that could open anything? Grid worried about it. It wasn¡¯t easy to decide. Suddenly, he remembered the thieves in the dramas, movies and anime that he watched.


    ¡®Wire...!¡±


    The thieves. Couldn¡¯t skillful thieves pick all types of locks with just two wires? Even if he saw it in a movie, it might actually be possible. In the end, Grid drew two pieces of wire on the blueprint. It was too thin, so he deleted it and drew it again. After drawing a cylindrical pir design, he punched a small hole in the centre and connected two wires there.


    It was very sloppy but Grid was satisfied and clicked theplete button. Then the system gave him onest chance as usual.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    ¡°I have decided!¡± Grid energetically replied.


    At the same time, all types of numbers and letters appeared all over the blueprint. After a while, the blueprint waspleted.


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    "An incredible scientifically designed key that can open all types of locks!¡±


    [Please name the item.]


    Next was the name.


    ¡°Master Key!¡±


    [Have you decided on ¡®Master Key?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Yiing~


    The finished hologram of the Master Key appeared in front of Grid, along with the description.


    [Master Key]


    A key made of ck iron. The form is a little ambiguous to be called a key. When hung around the neck, it looks like a ne. When ced around the wrist, it looks like a bracelet.


    The appearance is very poor, but it is made of excellent materials. In addition, the performance is surprisingly spectacr. It can open many types of locks.


    * The higher the user¡¯s dexterity, the more types of locks that can be opened.


    Conditions of Use: More than 300 dexterity.


    "That¡¯s it!"


    The result was a great sess. Wasn¡¯t Grid also number one in dexterity?


    "This is an item for me! Puhahat.¡±


    Now he simply needed to make it. But in order to do that, smelting ck iron was necessary. He would need to go back to the smithy. Grid didn¡¯t want to do that.


    ¡®I was lost in thisbyrinth. It was a coincidence that I fell here. Will I be able to find my way back? And what if this cave entirely disappears while I am gone? It¡¯s a treasure trove, so it won¡¯t be easily exposed to others... Maybe there is a time limit that will make it disappear?¡¯


    Then he heard Jishuka¡¯s voice from behind him.


    ¡°Grid! Are you safe?¡±


    She was worried after Grid didn¡¯t exit the cave for a long time. Then Grid smiled widely.


    "Was it Phoenix Arrow...? It seems to have a fairly high temperature...¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s Phoenix Arrow was the ultimate attack that she showed during the Mcus raid. The fire arrow was reminiscent of a gigantic phoenix and seethingva emerged where it exploded. It was a skill that dealt tremendous damage, but Jishuka didn¡¯t often use it because it consumed 100% of her mana. But now, Grid forced Jishuka.


    "Jishuka, do you see me right outside the cave? Please fire Phoenix Arrow there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jishuka frowned. He wanted her to use her skill where there was nothing? She thought Grid was crazy. Grid saw that she didn¡¯t understand and exined.


    ¡°I need fire right now to smelt minerals. Just a minute. I need to make a small item.¡±


    "... Are you saying that you want to use my Phoenix Arrow to make a fire?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    "..."


    The ultimate technique of an expert archer was being used to smelt minerals? Jishuka felt ashamed. She bit her lower lip and trembled as Grid drove it in.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t in a position to refuse my request. Do you understand? There are many guilds who would wee me.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that hard, is it? Don¡¯t be so proud.¡±


    Grid was no longer timid in front of her. He was flexible enough to take advantage of people. Jishuka felt like he was apletely different personpared to the Grid she met a fortnight ago. It was rather reassuring.


    "Okay."


    It was better to help each other.


    ¡®Grid is a cksmith who can make legendary items. Helping him produce an item isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡¯


    Jishuka thought as positively as possible as she aimed her bow towards the remnant of the underground space. Then she warned Grid.


    "Pay attention to the impact."


    Hwaruruk!


    A small fire appeared at the end of the arrow and suddenly became a gigantic fireball. Then Jishuka called out.


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow!¡±


    Kaaaaaack!


    Was this the cry of a pterodactyl? A huge scream echoed through the cave, hurting Grid¡¯s ears. As he was in pain, the ming bird flew out of the cave, leaving a burning path behind it. Then it instantly disappeared.


    Grid identified the ce that was burning and ran towards it with a bright expression. He pulled out an anvil and hammer and started smelting ck iron. Meanwhile, Jishuka had 100% of her mana drained and leaned against the wall while feeling dizzy.


    ¡°My special move is being used like this... It really doesn¡¯t feel good.¡±


    On the other hand, Vantner had seen what happened and was gazing at Grid with envy.


    ¡®Being able to deal with Jishuka like this... This is the first time I¡¯ve met a man like you Grid! You¡¯re great!¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day


    deluxe iron ore have been acquired.pieces of ck iron have been acquired.pieces of orichalcum have been acquired.Deluxe Magic Stones have been acquired.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    Approximately 10 minutester. After hammering a few times while squatting in front of theva, Grid stood up and cheered.


    ¡°Good! It¡¯splete!¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner asked from where they were watching on the side.


    ¡°Already? What is it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t possible to know the identity of the item made by Grid. Who would imagine a small cylindrical object with two wires attached was a key?


    "Watch.¡±


    Grid confidently entered the cave. Then he chose the old wooden box among the two remaining and he ced the wire... No, he inserted the key.


    "Open!"


    Due to making numerous items, Grid¡¯s dexterity was now over 1,600. Considering that Khan was known as the best cksmith in the north and he had around 600 dexterity, Grid¡¯s dexterity was unique. And the Master Key was an item affected by dexterity. As long as Grid used this key, there was no lock that couldn¡¯t be opened.


    Clink!


    The rusty padlock on the old wooden box was released with a loud sound. Then a bright purple light came from the open box.


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    Grid cheered as he verified what was inside the box.


    [Braham¡¯s Boots]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 140/150 Defense: 130


    Movement Speed: +10%


    * 20% reduction in skill cooldown time.


    * The skill ¡®Fly¡¯ will be generated.


    Boots that Great Magician Braham loved.


    The boots go to just below the knee, but they aren¡¯t inconvenient because they are made of griffon leather.


    The ck iron guards gives off a wonderful appearance and has high defense. The pattern of silver embroidered clouds adds a ssic charm.


    It is imbued with Braham¡¯s mysterious magic.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher.


    Weight: 50


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was made up of the strongest skill tree. But each skill had a fatal drawback in the long cooldown time. In particr, Kill and Transcend were the two most powerful skills, but their cooldown time was too long. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t be used efficiently.


    The option of a 20% reduction in skill cooldown time on Braham¡¯s Boots was like a brilliant light for Grid.


    ¡¯Furthermore, Fly magic is attached...¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Fly an exclusive skill of a few magicians?


    [Fly]


    Summons invisible wings of magic power to fly like a bird.


    Flying speed is proportional to the caster¡¯s magic power. There are no restrictions on height, but be careful about oxygen deficiency.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2 per second.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Vantner enthusiastically urged Grid.


    "Please share the information about the boots with me!¡±


    Vantner saw that the boots inside the chest clearly had a high value. He wanted to know their performance. Jishuka was the same. She didn¡¯t ask directly like Vantner, but her intensely shining eyes expressed her curiosity. She looked very cute trying to restrain herself.


    ¡°Heh... If you are curious about what I have gained...¡±


    Grid shared the item information with a boastful expression. Both people saw it and freaked out.


    ¡°Heok... Fly?¡±


    Magicians had to have their second advancement to acquire flying magic. A user needed to be at least level 200 to get their second advancement. In other words, it meant the number of magicians who had learned flying magic at this point could be counted on one hand.


    Yet anyone who wore these boots could use Fly? It was an extremely rare item!


    ¡°These shoes are really amazing. I can only admire it.¡±


    "Being able to fly... The options attached are really great. The defense is also excellent, so anyone would covet these boots.¡± Vantner¡¯s words were sincere. "Can you sell it to me? I have a lot of money. I will buy it for an expensive price. Yes?¡±


    Imagine it! The ability to fly freely in the sky! It was a rare opportunity to buy a privilege that only senior magicians could enjoy. Vantner sincerely wanted Braham¡¯s Boots. He was willing to invest a fortune.


    In addition, Grid had already tasted the goodness of money. He could clearly feel people¡¯s gazes towards him changing after he drove an expensive car. He received special treatment wherever he went. Grid was able to realize why people bragged with foreign cars and luxury bags.


    ¡¯Yes, my goal is to be rich.¡¯


    Grid no longer wanted to live like a beggar. He would no longer experience the sadness of having no money. He made so much money that he could eat chicken whenever he wanted, and could add two eggs to ramyun if he wanted.


    However, there was no need to rush. The debt was already paid and he had a stable ie source. He had also bought a car already. In the end, Grid rejected Vantner¡¯s offer.


    "I¡¯m not in a hurry for money... These shoes are very useful for me, so I don¡¯t want to sell it right now.¡±


    Vantner felt regret.


    ¡°Kuk... Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Braham¡¯s Boots¡¯s had a level limit of 240. Grid was only level 114 so it would take him a while to wear it. But Vantner didn¡¯t say anything else. What could he do if the owner didn¡¯t want to sell it?


    ¡®Maybe he won¡¯t make my item if I irritate him...¡¯


    Grid patted the shoulder of the depressed Vantner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mister, I am going to make your armor, right? I¡¯ll make a great item for you. Of course, as long as you give me a good production method.¡±


    Grid was confident. He had already made a unique spear and legendary sword. These words were naturally reassuring.


    Vantner grinned. "That sounds good. The armor production method we have is special~ So I will believe you. But... Why are you calling me Mister? I am the same age as Pon! If you call Pon by his name, why are you calling me Mister?¡±


    To Grid, Pon looked to be in histe 20¡¯s. On the other hand, Vantner was at least in his 50¡¯s. Vantner seemed like a madman whenever he insisted that he was the same age as Pon. So as usual, Grid dismissed it and approached thest remaining box.


    ¡®The most ordinary box...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t too shy or too old, just a normal box. What was inside it?


    ¡°I shall check it!¡±


    Destroying the giant monster and finding treasure chests! Grid was like a hero in a story. The atmosphere was full of excitement as he shouted. Then he pulled out the master key and inserted it.


    Clink clink.


    "..."


    Grid squirming as he wriggled the wire around in the padlock was very unsightly. Jishuka became enraged as she watched him.


    ¡®He really seems like a thief.¡¯


    As she thought about Phoenix Arrow being used to make wires, she became more irate. It happened as Jishuka¡¯s patience was starting to wane.


    Clink!


    Thest box finally opened. What treasure would appear?


    Gulp!


    Grid, Jishuka and Vantner gulped with anticipation and tension. Then from inside the box, a sharp streak of light struck Grid¡¯s heart.


    Peeng!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was a sudden ident. Jishuka and Vantner couldn¡¯t react. They were forced to watch as a colleague died under their noses.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    ¡°D-Dead?¡±


    An untimely blow. The speed was too quick. It struck exactly at the heart, so Grid would be fatally wounded. Jishuka was furious as she confirmed that Grid was thrown back.


    "Who dares kill a guild member in front of me?¡±


    Her sharp gaze was fixed on the iron box. Then white smoke emerged from the box. There was someone inside. Vantner pulled out his twin axes. Then he yelled from next to Jishuka.


    ¡°You! You won¡¯t be safe after touching a Tzedakah Guild member! I¡¯ll make you pay for killing Grid!¡±


    As Vantner¡¯s scream sounded through the cave, Grid jumped up from where he had been lying.


    "Why are you treating me as someone who is dead?¡±


    "Grid? Yes?¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner turned their heads and stared at Grid with surprise. Then they saw an egg floating in front of Grid.


    ¡°What? That egg?¡±


    It was a really strange sight. Grid shrugged at both of them.


    "I¡¯m not sure...¡±


    The egg that Grid obtained from the first treasure chest. The shape, color and even weight was perfectly like a normal egg. He threw it into a corner, but it flew over and protected him?


    ¡®It isn¡¯t an ordinary egg.¡¯


    Grid recalled the moment when he opened thest box.


    A light shed as soon as the box open and a sharp de of magic power aimed at his heart. Grid fully expected to die. But at that moment, the egg suddenly flew over and protected Grid from the attack.


    It was fast and moved by itself! It also had excellent durability. This wasn¡¯t a mere egg. The egg was obviously a tremendous unique item.


    ¡¯It isn¡¯t a simple chicken egg but the egg of a mythical creature... Is such a thing possible?¡¯


    Maybe it was a dragon!


    ¡®The egg is small, but who knows? Is there anyw that a dragon egg can¡¯t be small?¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Maybe he would be the first one to have a dragon as a pet in Satisfy. Grid¡¯s heart thudded in anticipation and it started to resonate throughout the cave.


    Then the eggshell moved! Jjejejeok! It cracked open. What type of life would hatch? Grid watched with a nk expression. The shell waspletely peeled off, but the contents weren¡¯t a living creature.


    It was a lump of metal in liquid form. Yes, the lump was exactly the size of the egg. While mercury was silver, this metal was gold. It was like gold water.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Susuk.Sususuk.


    Grid was stunned at the lump of gold in front of him. In the meantime, someone¡¯s shadow appeared from the box that was emitting smoke.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    Grid was stunned at the lump of gold in front of him. In the meantime, someone¡¯s shadow appeared from the box that was emitting smoke. Jishuka detected it and reflexively attacked.


    Paang!


    She loaded an arrow in less than a second and fired. How would the presence reply to the rapid-fire attack?


    Peng!


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner were shocked. The shadow protruding from the box extended a finger and burned Jishuka¡¯s arrow to ashes.


    [I¡¯m not wee in the world after 300 years? It¡¯s sad.]


    The shadow was a long-haired, handsome man. The eyes that could be seen through the flowing hair were sharp. He looked at Jishuka and Vantner in turn, before looking at Grid like he wasn¡¯t interested in them.


    ¡®This man, he is strong. At minimum, he¡¯s on the same level as Mcus.¡¯


    He had directly invalidated Jishuka¡¯s quick fire attack. Jishuka and Vantner were certain they would lose if they fought. They were relieved that he wasn¡¯t interested in them. But Grid was different. He was unable to grasp the situation and shouted furiously at the one who tried to kill him.


    ¡°You jerk! Why are you trying to kill a person all of a sudden? You lousy bastard! How are you going to take responsibility for your actions? Huh? Heok?"


    Grid, who had pulled out Dainsleif, suddenly winced with fear and backed down. The man who appeared from the box had a transparent body and his feet were floating in the air. He was a ghost.


    "H-Hik...!"


    He thought a person with a flexible body had emerged from the small box, but it was actually a ghost.


    Grid was an army soldier who dedicated himself to his country, but he was sadly weak against ghosts. He was filled with so much fear he thought he would urinate. His face was pale and stricken.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve entered the marines!¡¯


    Grid was caught up in a bted regret when the ghost spoke to him.


    [You survived my magic traps. You opened all three boxes that had different types of locks. Since you were protected by the pavranium, are you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Shh. Grid¡¯s quest seems to be progressing. Be quiet and don¡¯t interrupt.¡±


    Jishuka withdrew to a corner and brought the bewildered Vantner with her. Her eyes were shining as she stared at Grid and the ghost talking.


    ¡®This is an opportunity to find out exactly what Grid¡¯s ss is.¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid started to recover from seeing a ghost.


    ¡®He mentioned Pagma¡¯s Descendant... Is the stagnant ss quest going to proceed again?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s spirit had nowpletely recovered. He took a deep breath and replied.


    "That¡¯s right. I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Who are you?¡±


    The ghost man responded.


    [I was known as the Great Magician Braham. Did youe to thebyrinth that I designed for the minerals? If you are Pagma¡¯s Descendant, you should¡¯ve been interested in this ce a long time ago. You don¡¯t seem to have much curiosity and attachment to minerals, unlike Pagma.]


    This ghost imed to be the legendary great magician, Braham! If Grid interpreted what he was saying, the Golem¡¯s Labyrinth seemed to be a ce created for Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was a very attractive ce to Grid because the golems were made of many minerals and thebyrinth itself was a mine. He was able to collect minerals from anywhere in thebyrinth.


    ¡®I would¡¯vee sooner if I heard about this ce earlier... But...¡¯


    It was ludicrous.


    ¡°You made a ce like this because you were waiting for me? No, what if I never came here in my whole life?¡±


    [I¡¯ve created 27 more ces like this across the continent. Even if it was dyed, I believed that one day there would be a meeting. Personally, I hoped that the meeting would be sooner.]


    "...So why did you want to meet me?¡±


    Braham pointed at the metal floating in front of Grid.


    [Its name is pavranium. It is the pinnacle of all minerals created with Pagma¡¯s skill and my magic. It¡¯s harder than the god¡¯s metal adamantium, lighter than mithril, and has a goodpatibility with magic power. It also has the outstanding sticity of jaffa.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    A mineral containing all the advantages of top-ss minerals? If this was true, it could truly be called the peak.


    [...It can decide by itself and move with its own will. That is its only drawback.]


    ¡®A mineral made by Pagma...¡¯


    Grid no longer heard Braham¡¯s voice. He was lost in the richness and beauty of the pavranium that was floating in the air.


    Could he handle a mineral made by Pagma? He would like to try, even if he failed. What would be the result if he made an item with this mineral? It was a chance to indirectly experience Pagma¡¯s skill through the mineral he created.


    Curiosity dominated Grid. But Braham didn¡¯t like that Grid wasn¡¯t focusing on him. He pointed his narrow finger once more. Then ttak! mes were generated. It was the fire that burned Jishuka¡¯s arrow. The fireball flew towards Grid¡¯s face and exploded.


    Kwaang!


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    Once again, the pavranium protected Grid. Grid was safe due to its fast actions, then he gritted his teeth.


    ¡°What? Why are you suddenly attacking me again?¡±


    Braham¡¯s gaze was directed towards the pavranium, not Grid.


    [That damn piece of metal... You¡¯re still showing favoritism towards the cksmith.]


    ¡°Hey! What was that? Eh? You are crazy! Why did you attack me all of a sudden?¡±


    Grid was upset at being ignored. Braham¡¯s gaze shifted back to him. Braham briefly exined why he attacked.


    [Stay focused.]


    "..."


    It was the attitude of an expensive tutor! Grid didn¡¯t like it, but he focused in order to progress the quest. Then Braham started his exnation.


    [The end of life... I hoped for Pagma to make me something. I only helped Pagma make pavranium so that my wish could be fulfilled. It took us 9 years and 11 months toplete pavranium. But there was a limit. Pagma, who was full of strength and health, died shortly after thepletion of pavranium. Even someone who was revered as a legend couldn¡¯t escape the years and died of old age.]


    "..."


    [It was in vain. Everything I hoped to aplish seemed lost. I visited the dwarves and asked them to make something from the pavranium, but their tiny masses of muscle couldn¡¯t even smelt it. I was desperate! I felt despair!]


    Braham screamed beforeing closer to Grid. His eyes were filled with mixed emotions like anger, joy and even madness.


    [But now I met you! Pagma¡¯s Descendant! I want you to achieve thest hope that Pagma couldn¡¯t fulfill! Make it! The Vessel of the Soul! Reward all my efforts to protect the pavranium even after my death!]


    ¡°The Vessel of the Soul?¡±


    Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant]


    Difficulty: ss quest.


    You have surely inherited Pagma¡¯s cksmith skills, as well as his swordsmanship.


    But you still don¡¯t know who Pagma was.


    Who was Pagma? If he was simply a cksmith with good skills, his legends wouldn¡¯t be scattered across the continent.


    Follow the legends of Pagma. If you can collect all of the legends, you will truly understand Pagma and seed his will.


    At that moment, a new legend will be born.


    * There is no time limit for this ss quest.


    * The legendary ss quest has the power to transform Satisfy¡¯s world, ording to the result.


    ss Quest Clear Conditions: Complete all linked quests sessfully.


    ss Quest Clear Reward: Unknown.


    * Second ss Quest: [Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection.]


    The legendary great magician Braham was a genius. He reigned as the best magician ever since he started learning magic. There was a myth that he survived against the fire dragon Trauka without dying. As he grew old, he started mourning the fact that he was a mortal. Mentally and physically, he had already transcended humanity. Therefore, he wanted to be immortal.


    After much research, he designed the ¡®Vessel of the Soul¡¯ that would regenerate his mortal soul into an immortal soul. But the Vessel of the Soul is an object that doesn¡¯t exist in this world and is impossible to create.


    He searched for an entirely new mineral that could be used as a material for the Vessel of the Soul and learned that his old friend Pagma was trying to create a mineral that wasn¡¯t part of this world. He went to Pagma and assisted in the work. The twobined their power and created the mineral called pavranium.


    Braham had no doubts that pavranium could be used to make the Vessel of the Soul. But the only cksmith who could smelt pavranium was Pagma, who unfortunately died of old age.


    In the end, Braham didn¡¯t achieve his wish!


    He looked forward to the day that Pagma¡¯s Descendant would be born to create the Vessel of the Soul, creating 28 mines and setting up a maze all over the ce before he died. Eachbyrinth is full of minerals, and he believed that it would be enough to lure Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Now 300 years have passed. Out of 28 pieces of Braham¡¯s soul that were sealed in 28byrinths, one has finally encountered you.


    Braham wants you to make the Vessel of the Soul. Through the Vessel of the Soul, he will be resurrected with the soul and body of an immortal.


    * Second ss Quest Clear Condition: Create the Vessel of the Soul.


    Second ss Quest Clear Reward: Arge amount of pavranium.


    "Arge amount of pavranium? This isn¡¯t all of the pavranium?¡±


    [Didn¡¯t I say that 27 morebyrinths are scattered across the continent? 27 more pavranium also exist. If you make the Vessel of the Soul with that pavranium, I will give you the rest.]


    Adamantium was said to be from the world of the gods. The human world only contained a very small amount, making it the rarest among all minerals. But arge amount of adamantium in the world of the gods couldn¡¯t be ruled out.


    On the other hand, pavranium was an artificially produced mineral. The method of creating it no longer existed in this world. The volume was more limited than adamantium. Not just that, the performance was also superior to adamantium. The opportunity to get such a valuable mineral wasn¡¯t something that Grid could miss. He also had no reason to refuse the ss quest.


    Grid easily made a decision and nodded.


    ¡°Okay! I will make the Vessel of the Soul!¡±


    But there was one problem.


    "How do I make it? Can I just make a rice bowl?¡±


    [Rice bowl?]


    The Vessel of the Soul that would unite 28 torn pieces of soul and regenerate it into an immortal soul was likened to a rice bowl! The furious Braham wanted to kill Grid right now. But he suppressed it and barely managed to exin.


    [The god of health and wisdom, Judar. The god of war, Dominion. The goddess of light, Reba. The god of darkness and pestilence, Yatan. Let them bless the pavranium. After that, use the divine pavranium to make whatever bowl you like, as long as it can hold something. Then bring it to me. Don¡¯t bete.]


    Grid expressed his disapproval.


    "I have to get a blessing from the four gods? How can I do that? In particr, I have a hostile rtionship with the Yatan Church.¡±


    [In the past, I forcefully overpowered each church and asked them to bless it... If that¡¯s impossible, try to figure out another method. tter or beg them. Either way, you must do it by any means.]


    Braham seemed like he was going to kill Grid if it wasn¡¯t done. Then his soul started to fade away. He was just one of 28 pieces of soul, so it was difficult to maintain this form for long.


    [Th...en Pag...ma¡¯s Des...cend...ant... I be...lieve in yo...u...]


    It was like watching a video. Braham used his strength to say final words beforepletely disappearing.


    Grid¡¯s thoughts became busy.


    ¡®Thanks to the Mcus raid, my affinity with the Reba, Dominion and Judar churches has risen. I don¡¯t know whether this affinity is high or low, but at least I won¡¯t be killed. Yes, the problem is the Yatan Church. Dammit! How can I receive a blessing from God Yatan?¡¯


    On the other hand, Jishuka watched the event quietly and sent a whisper to Lae, the guild¡¯s magician.


    -Do you know the magician called Braham?


    Lae answered immediately.


    -Absolutely.Braham is the strongest magician in history.Most of the magic in Satisfy is created by Braham and he could be called the teacher of all magicians.There is no magician who doesn¡¯t know of Braham.


    -Heh...He is that big?Then what about Pagma?Who is Pagma?


    -Pagma?I¡¯m not sure...This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of him.


    Pagma and Braham were the greatest cksmith and magician of all time, with numerous legends about them. NPCs were familiar with historical people like Pagma and Braham because they had been studying Satisfy¡¯s history from a young age.


    But it was different for users. Unlike NPCs, users only investigated their own interests. Jishuka was an archer, so she didn¡¯t know about Braham, while the magician Lae only knew about Braham and waspletely unaware of Pagma.


    Jishuka gave an order to Vantner.


    "I want you to investigate who Pagma is.¡±


    If they knew who Pagma was, they could naturally grasp the identity of Grid, who was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®I originally hadn¡¯t nned to dig deeper...¡¯


    Grid was presumed to have a legendary hidden ss. She couldn¡¯t miss the chance to know what this ss was.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened while she was lost in thought. It was because Grid¡¯s body had started to float in the air.


    ¡°Ah! The boots...! How is this possible?¡±


    Vantner was shocked after discovering that Grid was using Braham¡¯s Boots. Didn¡¯t Braham¡¯s Boots have a level limit of 240? Meanwhile, Grid was only level 114. Originally, Grid shouldn¡¯t be able to wear this item.


    ¡®Actually, the cloak Grid is wearing is Mcus¡¯ Cloak... I remember that Mcus¡¯ Cloak has a level limit of 200.¡¯ Jishuka recalled how Grid was able to wield Ibellin¡¯s Thorn of Deep Grievance. ¡®Maybe Grid can use all items, regardless of the conditions of use?¡¯


    She kept being surprised the more she knew about Grid. Meanwhile, Grid flew to the ceiling of the copsed underground space and said to the two of them.


    ¡°I will return to the smithy first.¡±


    Peeng!


    Grid rose through the top of the ceiling and instantly disappeared from sight. Jishuka and Vantner cried out in admiration.


    ¡°Kuk~~~~~! Amazing!¡±


    "...It is more amazing than I thought. This game truly is about the power of items. Right?¡±


    They imagined how awesome Grid looked flying around and wielding a greatsword. Maybe it would cause a big wave. A warrior who could fly had appeared! A warrior taking away the magic of magicians! The headlines continued in a simr manner.


    In fact, he was a cksmith.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    A hunting ground near Winston that was a favourite for level 100 users.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?"


    The users struggling with monsters noticed a ck dot approaching in the sky. Then they started murmuring.


    ¡°It¡¯s too big to be a bird. Is it perhaps a griffon?¡±


    ¡°There are no griffon habitats in the area. But I don¡¯t think there is anything else besides a griffon... It¡¯s serious if it is a griffon. Will we die?¡±


    "U-Uh? A person?¡±


    The dot soon got closer. Surprisingly, the identity was revealed to be a user.


    ¡°Wow... A second advancement magician.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a ranker up close. So cool!¡±


    ¡°What is that thing shining next to him? A pet?¡±


    Kuwaaang!


    A man in a red cloak was flying through the sky! The object following him shed in the zing sun. The identity of the person was Grid. He flew through the sky without stopping and soon disappeared from the sight of the users.


    Then he reached a wide forest and stopped.


    ¡®I¡¯m out of mana.¡¯


    He had already taken one mana potion. Then his mana became depleted again before the potion cooldown was over. Grid was forced tond on the ground.


    ¡°Winston is beyond this forest. I can recover some mana while walking.¡±


    It was a deep forest.


    Grid measured the distance to Winston and looked at the frostlight orc chief¡¯s helmet. After this forest, he would encounter a lot of people. The helmet was the sign of the Human ughterer so there would be a fuss.


    ¡°I have to quickly rece this helmet.¡±


    Grid once again vowed to wear an awesome helmet that was suitable for a mythical hero, while the pavranium circled his head. It seemed to be in a good mood.


    ¡°Are you excited to get fresh air after being trapped in a box for 300 years?¡±


    Grid asked while walking. But the pavranium didn¡¯t answer. It was natural. It had a will, but it was just a mineral. It couldn¡¯t carry out a conversation. But Grid continued to talk to it.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you unbelievably fast? My flight speed was 100 meters in 7 seconds, yet you managed to keep up? Do you have tireless stamina as well?¡±


    Grid looked at the pavranium with affection. It was natural for a cksmith to feel favorable towards the best minerals.


    "Kuwooh!"


    ¡°Give it to me! Human! Your life! Flesh and bone! Separate!¡±


    Grid was carrying out a pleasant conversation (?) with pavranium when he was interrupted by sturdy orcs. They were armed with crude red leather and had arge wolf with them. Considering that they spoke the humannguage fairly well, they were obviously the wolf fang orcs known for being powerful among the various orcs.


    Grrrung.


    The wolf shook its nose. It was clearly reacting to the bloody smelling from Mcus¡¯ Cloak. It smelled the blood and led the orcs here. In addition...


    Kuuong!Kung!


    Kyaooooh!


    Various monsters such as ogres, goblins and snakes moved through the forest. In an instant, Grid was surrounded by 100 enemies.


    ¡°Wow... What is this?"


    The users hunting nearby were surprised by the turmoil and came running. It was the first time they saw all types of monsters focusing on just one person.


    ¡°That person is screwed.¡±


    ¡°What did he do wrong that angered so many mobs?¡±


    "Tsk tsk~ purposely angering mobs like this~ he should hunt in moderation~¡±


    The people weren¡¯t aware of the situation and talked among themselves.


    Syuok!Syuok!


    The goblin archers in the rear shot at Grid. The users saw the dark rain of arrows covering the sky and knew that Grid would die. But Grid¡¯s high stats made him simr to a level 200bat ss. In addition, he¡¯d observed Jishuka¡¯s expert archery, so the goblin¡¯s clumsy firing seemed like a kid¡¯s prank to him.


    ¡°Are there any idiots who would be killed by these arrows?¡±


    Gridughed while holding the Ideal Dagger and aimed Wind st at the arrows.


    Kuwaaaang!


    Grid invested all the points he gained reaching level 114 into strength. The damage of Wind st was proportional to his attack power. Now that the power of Grid¡¯s Wind st was upgraded, the level 100 goblins couldn¡¯t endure it.


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    The rain of arrows was neutralized and the goblin archers who had their arms or legs cut off copsed with a scream. This was the signal for all monsters to simultaneously attack Grid.


    "Wearing the cloak was worthwhile!"


    Hunting had a direct corrtion to levels!


    Grid swapped to Dainsleif and drank a mana potion. Then he used Wave and fired it all over the ce. The monsters approaching him simultaneously copsed. The ogres were durable enough to survive, but they were hit by Wave and slowed down by the debuff. They couldn¡¯t threaten Grid with their slow movements and struggled in vain.


    Peeok!Pajik!


    "Keok!¡±


    Puoook!


    ¡°Kkieek!¡±


    Wave killed most of the monsters in one blow, while Grid subdued the rest by killing them one by one. Meanwhile, the few remaining goblins fired arrows with all their might. A few arrows actually flew directly at Grid.


    "Che!"


    Grid was too caught up in killing and btedly noticed the arrows. He braced himself for the pain. But the arrows didn¡¯t reach Grid¡¯s body.


    Kwajak!Kwajajajak!


    Pavranium rotated around Grid¡¯s body and destroyed all the arrows.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Was it normal for a ss to have a strong offense and defense? The swordsman with the ck greatsword killed the monsters with overwhelming attack power, while the metal pet protected the body. This bnce seemed perfect.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing... Excuse me, but what is your ss?¡±


    Grid swept away the rest of the monsters with pavranium¡¯s help and started picking up items. This gave the users a chance to barrage him with questions.


    ¡°What is that gold object floating next to you? Is that a pet? Or maybe a new style of armor?¡±


    ¡°Mister, how about you? Aren¡¯t you actually a high level user? Why is a high level user hunting in a ce like this? Is there anything good here?¡±


    ¡°Mister~?¡±


    ¡°Mister, are you deaf? Answer us.¡±


    The users here saw that Grid was in a crisis and no one tried to help. In addition, Grid was inherently unfriendly towards people. He had no obligation to answer the users¡¯ questions.


    "This is too annoying. Fly.¡±


    Grid cried out to the annoying users and used Fly. Then he literally flew away in the sky.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The users left behind were stunned and could only blink. After a few minutes, people in variousmunities around the world became interested in something.


    <I saw a swordsman flying.>


    It was a ce called Popo Forest near Winston. I hunted with my friend there and saw a high level user ughtering mobs. Then after wiping out all the mobs, he flew away. A swordsman was flying?


    RnfkRk¡¯sment: ?????? A swordsman can¡¯t fly ?????


    Durururubam¡¯s reply: A swordsman was flying? I¡¯m a priest but I can¡¯t use Heal. ??


    ck Dragon¡¯s Right Arm¡¯sment: Kukuk... That swordsman was me... Kukukuk... I was careful but I never thought someone would witness it... Yare yare...


    Zkxhfm¡¯sment: Liar¡¯s disease.


    Admiral¡¯sment: Did you mother eat seaweed soup on the day you were born?


    30,000 won Sry¡¯sment: Don¡¯t write shit just to gain traffic.


    It was a terrible method. The users abused the poster who wrote about the flying swordsman, so the other witnesses no longer bragged about it. Thus, it was a temporary problem and the topic wasn¡¯t mentioned any longer.


    In the meantime, Grid arrived at Khan¡¯s smithy and ran straight to the furnace. He ced the pavranium in the furnace and controlled the temperature in order to determine the melting point.


    ¡°It is 1,900 degrees.¡±


    The pavranium was so small that it was instantly smelted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to carry it around in an egg shape until I make the Vessel of the Soul, so I should transform it into something else...¡±


    But the volume was too small to produce a lot of items. The pavranium wasn¡¯t enough to even make a dagger. In order to make an item, Grid would have to mix in other materials. However, he didn¡¯t want to contaminate the pure pavranium.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be satisfied with changing the shape.¡±


    After being with the pavranium for a while, he noticed that it had a propensity to stay by the owner¡¯s side for protection. He needed to take advantage of this feature.


    ¡°A shape more suitable for defense than an egg... Ah!¡¯


    Grid recalled Mcus¡¯ shield.


    ¡°He formed a disc-shaped shield with magic power at each attacked point, effectively blocking the attack...¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid started carefully hammering. Then after a while, the pavranium became two disks. Each disc was slightly smaller than the palms of an adult.


    "Okay."


    Grid finished the discs. The discs floated in the air before starting to revolve around Grid again. Grid felt reassured. It seemed like he could be protected from most attacks. Then Jishuka arrived at the smithy. Grid told her.


    ¡°Shoot an arrow at me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Hurry.¡±


    "Hrmm, okay.¡±


    Jishuka saw the golden discs circling around Grid and noticed his intentions. Then she fired an arrow without hesitation.


    Syuk!


    Chaaeng!


    It was a beautiful sight. The two discs around Grid¡¯s body flew in the direction of the arrow and fully stopped it.


    ¡°That is great...¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good,pared to her admiring words. Her ego was bruised.


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple to block? Did I shoot it too weakly?¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute...!¡±


    Grid was scared. Jishuka fired again, but this time she pulled the bowstring back to the maximum.


    Swaeek!


    "Aaaagh!¡±


    The arrow that contained all her power flew towards Grid¡¯s death.


    Then!


    Jjejeong!


    ¡°...Hah!¡±


    Grid and Jishuka let out a sound at the same time. Jishuka¡¯s was a displeased sneer, while Grid was filled with delight.


    ¡°This arrow can even pierce through steel... Isn¡¯t this extremely durable? Like Braham said, it¡¯s the peak of all minerals.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The golden discs had perfectly blocked the arrow fired by Jishuka. But the impact was quite strong, so it couldn¡¯t move for a little while after the point of collision. Then it started moving again after two seconds.


    ¡®If it receives excessive shock, it is immobilized for two seconds...¡¯


    If Jishuka continuously fired her strength arrows, the two discs wouldn¡¯t be able topletely protect his body. Grid felt the need toplete this quest and obtain the rest of the pavranium.


    ¡®But... If there are 27 more pavranium of this size, it won¡¯t be enough to make armor... Well, it isn¡¯t a problem. I can still use it.¡¯


    Grid was flexible. Rather than striving to make aplete item with a limited volume of pavranium, it was best to maximize its efficiency by making several small items.


    ¡¯For example, attaching a de made of pavranium to armor. The de would move on its own to protect me from attacks I can¡¯t react to, or if the enemy attacks me from an unexpected angle.¡¯


    An item that could move on its own! If he cleared this quest and gained the remaining pavranium, he would be able to write the true history of the power of items. As Grid was overwhelmed with pleasure, someone knocked on the door of the smithy. Jishuka asked him.


    ¡°These discs, they don¡¯t need to be exposed to other people right?¡±


    "Of course. Isn¡¯t itmon sense to hide it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid ced the discs in his inventory. Then the doors of the smithy opened. One knight and dozens of soldiers entered. They politely saluted to Grid and said.


    ¡°Earl Steim is looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Earl Steim? Lady Irene¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Why was the master of the north, one of the big powers in the Eternal Kingdom, looking for Grid? In the first ce, it was strange that the high level NPC knight, famous for their arrogance, would act so respectfully towards a user.


    Jishuka watched the knight and soldiers escort Grid from the smithy and asked.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Vantner¡¯s armor production request needed to be dyed for a while.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    "Put that decoration here!¡±


    "Hey, the new curtain color doesn¡¯t match the wallpaper. Change it back to the previous one.¡±


    "Chef! Is the food preparation finished?¡±


    "There¡¯s dust left on the carpet! Clean again!¡±


    80 servants working in Winston Castle were busy. In a little while, Winston¡¯s top VIP would be here. Earl Steim was the one who invited the VIP, but he didn¡¯t look pleased.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like it....¡¯


    Irene was Earl Steim¡¯s only child. She was truly a lovely daughter. He was confident that she was the most beautiful and gentlest woman in the world. Therefore, he thought that her husband should at least be the prince of another country.


    Then!


    His precious daughter, famous for being aloof in social circles, had her heart taken by a con artist! What a blunder!


    ¡°Hum hum hum~¡± Irene was smiling happily and humming to herself. She seemed like a new bride waiting for her husband.


    Earl Steim¡¯s expression became increasingly darker. ¡®That person called Grid... No matter how I think about it, he¡¯s just a scammer.¡¯


    Grid was the hero who saved Winston from the Mero Company and previous lord, and the one who made the Sword of Self-transcendence that was a new heirloom in their family. Above all, he saved Irene¡¯s life.


    No, wasn¡¯t it just words?


    He couldn¡¯t believe that the young cksmith who made the best sword would be skilled enough in the sword to kill Mcus, one of the Eight Servants, and rescue Irene from the remaining Yatan followers.


    It was impossible the more he thought about it. Perhaps Irene was deceived by him?


    ¡®My daughter... You¡¯re being fooled by a scammer... You don¡¯t have any eye for men. Come on Grid! I will reveal that you are a scammer!¡¯


    "Lord Earl.¡±


    A young man approached Earl Steim. His blond hair made him look like he was the protagonist of a romantic drama. His luxurious attire and elegant demeanor made it obvious that he was a noble.


    His name was nd de Ian. He was the son of Earl Ashur, lord of the south, and a disciple of Earl Steim. In addition, he was Irene¡¯s childhood friend. Having adored Irene since childhood, he was filled with greater anger and jealousy than Earl Steim.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it all night, and that person called Grid is definitely a con artist.¡±


    Earl Steim nodded. ¡°I was thinking the same thing. So let¡¯s wait for him toe. We will reveal the truth!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Then after a while.


    Earl Steim, nd and Irene anxiously waited for Grid with different feelings. Grid was delivered by a knight and kneeled down in front of Earl Steim.


    "I greet the great lord of the north, Earl Steim.¡±


    Grid usually wore scruffy beginner¡¯s clothing, but he was worried about meeting nobles. On the way to the castle, he stopped by a clothing store and bought clothes worth one gold. But while the one gold clothes might seem luxurious for beginners, it looked cheap even for mid level users, and the materials weren¡¯t good. In the eyes of the nobles, he was like a beggar.


    ¡®His appearance is shabby...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid¡¯s clothing. The forearms and shoulder muscles showed that his body was trained, but it wasn¡¯t at a special level. There wasn¡¯t one element where Grid was superior to nd. nd was sure of this and shouted.


    "Who are you? Even if you are amoner, shouldn¡¯t you know the basic etiquette?¡±


    Grid made a mistake. Originally when greeting the nobility, it was a etiquette to reveal his identity.


    ¡¯It was a mistake I made after not meeting nobles for a long time. But even so...¡¯


    Grid looked at the noble with the name ¡®nd¡¯ over his head.


    ¡¯Why is that jerk so high-strung and tense?¡¯


    Grid was aware of the reason why he was brought here. He was the creator of the Sword of Self-transcendence and the hero who saved both Winston and Irene, so Earl Steim was probably going to reward his achievements. But instead of a warm wee, he received this unpleasant reaction.


    However, he remained patient.


    ¡¯This isn¡¯t just any noble... Earl Steim might be my father-inw so...¡¯


    Grid smiled and corrected his mistake.


    "The cksmith Grid living in Winston greets the lord of the north, Earl Steim.¡±


    Earl Steim nodded. ¡°Ah, yes. I have heard the story. Thus, I am d to meet you. However... You introduced yourself as a cksmith? I heard you are also an excellent swordsman.¡±


    Grid humbly exined, "I¡¯m not a swordsman. My main vocation is a cksmith, and my swordsmanship is just shallow.¡±


    "Huh, it must not be shallow if you manage to defeat Mcus. Shouldn¡¯t you be the best?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t defeat Mcus alone. It was with my colleagues.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it true that you defeated dozens of Yatan followers? Irene was a direct witness.¡±


    ¡°It is true but... The followers of Yatan were so weak that I could deal with them with my shallow fencing.¡±


    ¡°Hah... The followers are Yatan are weak? If they are so insignificant, how have they troubled the soldiers and people of thisnd for decades? Is it true that your opponents were the Yatan followers? In the first ce, was it the Yatan Church who actually kidnapped Irene? Perhaps someone deceived Irene in order to make himself stand out?¡±


    Rather than being rewarded, Earl Steim was pushing the conversation in a strange direction. Grid grasped the situation.


    ¡®Earl Steim, I sold you the Sword of Self-transcendence and saved your daughter¡¯s life, but you are making me out to be a con artist?¡¯


    It was very unpleasant. Anger red inside Grid. He had tried to show humility because the other person was a noble. Grid¡¯s face turned red as Irene came forward, ¡°Father! What do you mean by that? Are you suspicious of Grid right now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Earl Steim snapped and got up from his seat. Then he spoke bluntly. ¡°Grid! I¡¯m sorry, but aren¡¯t you too suspicious? You¡¯re the greatest cksmith on the continent and the strongest swordsman at the same time? Common sense suggests that it isn¡¯t possible! First, I have to check if your swordsmanship is real or not. nd!¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lord!¡±


    Chaang!


    When Earl Steim called, nd pulled out his sword like he had been waiting. Then he rushed towards Grid.


    ¡¯Yes, this is better.¡¯


    Honestly, this method was better to resolve their doubts. Grid thought positively and pulled Dainsleif out of his inventory. He jumped forward and shouted.


    "This is how it is! Yes, my swordsmanship isn¡¯t shallow! I will show you!¡±


    "Are you prepared? I will defeat you now!¡±


    nd jumped up and aimed his sword towards Grid¡¯s head.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    nd was perplexed. The striking force that had the weight of his body applied was rendered ineffective by that big sword in Grid¡¯s hand.


    ¡®Che! I guess he trained up his strength and muscle development!¡¯


    nd determined that it was difficult topete with strength, so he used the repulsive force to spin in the air andnd. Then he lowered his body as much as possible and attacked Grid¡¯s lower body.


    Grid stuck his greatsword to the ground. nd¡¯s sword flying towards Grid¡¯s ankles was blocked by the greatsword.


    ¡®He¡¯s good at fighting!¡¯


    A chill went down nd¡¯s spine. He was certain that Grid was a scammer due to his appearance, but what was this? He hurriedly moved as Grid drew up his feet. A kick.


    "Cough..."


    nd coughed out some gastric juices. Grid stood over him and said, "You are like a kid who only fought in your house... No, I¡¯m sorry to your sword.¡±


    ¡°T-This guy...!¡±


    NPC knights had a minimum level of 180. Among the knights, nd was one of the most talented and had a level of 200. Yet he was overwhelmed by Grid who was only level 114. It was inevitable. Grid¡¯s stats were high enough to be considered level 200, and the items he used had a level limit of over 200. In particr, Dainsleif was the strongest weapon. His stats, skills, items andbat experience made the difference in level meaningless.


    But nd was also a formidable presence. His father Earl Ashur was one of the best magicians in the Eternal Kingdom. He¡¯d also inherited his father¡¯s talent for magic. That¡¯s right. He was a magic swordsman. It wasn¡¯t attack or defense magic, but buff and debuffs which were the most powerful in a one-on-one match.


    ¡°Sword¡¯s Grace! Armor¡¯s Will!¡±


    nd¡¯s sword and armor started to shine blue. It was imbued with the power of magic. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    "Storm¡¯s Fury!¡±


    Heavy winds stirred around nd. The wind magic increased the speed of his de and provided a certain amount of shielding.


    ¡®Now I will unconditionally win!¡¯


    nd regained his confidence, "I am the youngest son of the great magician, Earl Ashur! It is possible for me to use powerful magic! Hahaha! Can you go against Earl Steim¡¯s swordsmanship and my father¡¯s magic?¡±


    ¡°Earl Ashur...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted at that moment.


    Earl Ashur! Who was he? He was the lord of the fortified city Patrian, and the one who ordered Grid to find the Northern End Cave and obtain Pagma¡¯s Rare Book.


    At the time, Grid was forced to take a quest that didn¡¯t fit his level and suffered for months. He experienced more than a dozen deaths, lost many items and became broke, increasing the risk of being chased after by the creditors. Grid had really wanted to quit the game. Logging into the game itself was like hell. He would rather go into the army one more time. An average person would¡¯ve given up the game.


    Grid¡¯s only advantage was his patience, so he persevered and persevered until he finally found Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. But he wasn¡¯t greeted with a happy ending. All the reputation he built up with Earl Ashur and Patrian turned into infamy and he was killed by Earl Ashur¡¯s knight.


    As a result of Earl Ashur, Grid was able to change to Pagma¡¯s Descendant and reverse his life, but that was all due to Grid¡¯s efforts. Grid was only filled with hostile emotions towards Ashur.


    ¡°Oho, you are Earl Ashur¡¯s son?¡±


    Grid had promised several times that he would someday kill Earl Ashur. And now! He found a target that could get rid of some of that deep grudge. nd in front of him had identified himself as Earl Ashur¡¯s son.


    nd was still unable to grasp the atmosphere.


    ¡°Hahaha! You are afraid after knowing my identity! But it is toote! You will bepletely trampled on by me!"


    nd grew up as a member of the nobility and was always victorious thanks to his outstanding talents. He was very confident in himself. He didn¡¯t think that themoner in front of him could be stronger than himself.


    "Lord of the Storm!¡±


    nd¡¯s debuff magic aimed at Grid and strong winds started to press at him. Grid couldn¡¯t move even one hand. nd smiled with satisfaction and rushed towards Grid, stabbing forward with his magic enhanced sword.


    [A strong wind has suppressed your body. Agility will be zero for two seconds and you can¡¯t move.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid scoffed as he checked the notification window.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡®Pagma? Pagma?! Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Earl Steim was shocked as he heard Grid¡¯s voice. Grid unleashed a dazzling sword dance.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!Pepepepeok!


    The greatsword swiftly moved 10 times, regardless of its heavy weight. nd¡¯s attack was easily neutralized and the wind shield protecting nd¡¯s body shattered. Even his armor strengthened by magic was torn apart.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    nd couldn¡¯t believe it. How could this man move freely? And what was this beam of light?


    Pipipipit!


    nd¡¯s body was swept by the 10 silver lights of different orbits, causing him to bleed and kneel down.


    ¡¯This can¡¯t be...! This is me! Me!¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t show this shameful image in front of the woman he liked and his respected teacher. nd didn¡¯t want it to end like this. He wanted to get up and kill Grid right now. But his wounded body didn¡¯t move as intended.


    Grid snorted and turned his gaze towards Earl Steim. Then he straightened and asked, "With this, are there any doubts about my swordsmanship? Shall I show you my cksmithing skills next? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes! This is good! Okay! I want to know everything about you! But before that!¡¯ Earl Steim ran up in front of Grid. He grasped both of Grid¡¯s hands and pleaded. ¡°Grid! Please take my daughter as your bride!¡±


    The greatest cksmith and swordsman in history. The name of this famous person was Pagma. Earl Steim had realized that Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    At this moment, Grid was the first to obtain the status of a noble¡¯s son-inw from among the two billion users ying Satisfy. It was the position he failed to obtain in the past after being interrupted by Yura during Doran¡¯s quest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    This was the best development for Grid.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this the best financial backer!¡¯


    He would be the husband of ady, which meant he could abuse his authority and intercept some taxes. Winston had grown to be one of the cities representing the Eternal Kingdom. The taxes collected here were enormous. He would be rich if he could obtain even a portion of it. In addition, Irene was the sessor of a prestigious noble family. If he married her, he could be a high-ranking noble, not just rich.


    ¡¯I can simultaneously get riches and power. More than anything else...¡¯


    Irene was pretty. She had shiny silver hair. She had big eyes that were slightly curved. Her mouth was always smiling and she had a small nose. Grid got a really gently impression from her. She was famous for her excellent character and was the best female, except that her breasts were average in size.


    Grid had no reason to refuse. But there was still something he had to consider.


    "Just now, didn¡¯t My Lord consider me as a fraud? Now you are suddenly telling me to take your daughter as my bride... Are you serious?¡±


    Earl Steim exined to Grid who was watching suspiciously.


    ¡°There is only one person in history who is the best cksmith and strongest swordsman. He was Pagma.¡±


    "..."


    "The sword dance you used is very simr to Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship described in the legends. No, you aren¡¯t a con artist. You are certainly Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    "It¡¯s enough that I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    "That¡¯s right! It is enough! Rather, it¡¯s the main reason!¡±


    Grid moved his gaze and looked at Irene¡¯s reaction. Her face was flushed but the smile indicated that she was feeling positive towards this.


    ¡®Huhuhu!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mouth watered. After the bad ending of his first love, he thought he would never have a rtionship with a woman again. But now he had a chance with Irene! Some people wouldugh and say they were just NPCs in a game, but Satisfy was like another reality, not a game. Satisfy¡¯s NPCs were just like humans in all respects, from their emotions, thoughts, bodies and physiological needs.


    Grid was so thrilled that he shed tears of joy.


    ¡¯I am finally going to get rid of my virgin status...!¡¯


    It was a great opportunity to get rid of his unwanted virgin status that he had kept for 27 years. At the same time, his status would rise and he would be rich. Grid absolutely couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity of a lifetime. But there was one problem.


    ¡®I want to marry her straight away and start the first night... But I need to proceed with the ss quest... I also need to continue working at the smithy.¡¯


    Grid exined the situation.


    ¡°I... It is a great honor that I can marry a beautiful and caringdy like Irene. However, it is difficult to marry now because I have a personal matter. In addition, I would like to keep working as a cksmith after our marriage... Is it okay for the son-inw of a noble family to be a mere cksmith?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s Descendant supposed to be a cksmith? It isn¡¯t your fault that you have to do a cksmith¡¯s job. Rather, it is something to be proud of. The marriage schedule will be set at afortable time for you.¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡±


    nd, who had been unable to lift his head after his defeat to Grid, couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and shouted.


    ¡°Lord! He is a corrupt being! He has the curse of the gods. He will revive again after dying, and he will never grow old! In other words, he can¡¯t be described as a human! Are you really going to ept him as your son-inw?¡±


    Corrupt was one of the titles that Satisfy¡¯s NPCs used to refer to users. In the NPC¡¯s point of view, users who couldn¡¯t grow old or die weren¡¯t humans. So, NPCs considered users to be cursed by the gods. However, there were many NPCs who thought the opposite. It was the case with Earl Steim.


    "Why is eternal life a curse? Rather, isn¡¯t it a blessing? I don¡¯t think of them as corrupt, but blessed beings. They have certainly received the love of the gods. I am d that the man who will be my daughter¡¯s groom is loved by the gods.¡±


    nd gritted his teeth.


    "Blessing? You¡¯re mistaken! Imagine how Irene will feel growing old alone! How sad and lonely will Irene be? My Lord, right now you are caught up in greed and don¡¯t care about Irene at all!¡±


    "It¡¯s a matter for both of them to deal with. We shouldn¡¯t be quarreling about it.¡±


    Irene nodded, "That¡¯s right. Sir nd, I like Mr. Grid. Mr. Grid¡¯s appearance might not change for the rest of my life, but I can cope when I am sad or alone. I want to be with Mr. Grid.¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    In fact, over the past few years, nd had confessed to Irene a few times. But Irene never considered nd in that way and he was forced to give up on her. He chose to be a knight of her family and watch her from a distance.


    He sincerely wished for Irene to meet with a great man and be happy. However, the man she selected was a corrupt being!


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know how this is possible... Is being Pagma¡¯s Descendant great enough to transcend his status?¡¯


    Pagma was a legend. nd knew that Pagma was a great figure. However, Grid was the person who inherited Pagma¡¯s abilities, not Pagma himself. He was clearly worse than Pagma. nd wanted to prove that fact. If he could defeat Grid, Pagma¡¯s Descendant would seem like a separate entity from Pagma. Then maybe Earl Steim would change his mind.


    nd once again grasped his sword.


    ¡°Grid! I want to reapply for a duel.¡±


    nd had been careless before. If they fought again, he could get better results than before. nd believed this and strengthened his abilities with all types of buffs. Hebined the techniques passed on by Earl Steim with Storm Sword.


    Kuwooooh!


    The storm generated by nd¡¯s magic made the carpet and decorations shake. In the midst of this mess, nd¡¯s sword emitted a powerful force. The energy was so intense and harsh that Irene was wounded when retreating.


    ¡°Sir nd! Stop!" Irene shouted at him, but nd was stubborn.


    ¡®I will defeat this guy!¡¯


    This was his sacred duty. He would cut off the bond that would make the woman he loved unhappy.


    Kwaang!


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    nd¡¯s body used the storm as a booster engine and quickly approached Grid. Grid¡¯s face distorted.


    ¡®You want toe again? This kid doesn¡¯t understand who he is going against.¡¯


    Grid could use Restraint to block him from attacking, could avoid nd with Fly or defend using pavranium. But Grid chose to go head on. He intended to show nd the difference in attack power, so that nd couldn¡¯te again.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Intense hate was focused on Dainsleif and collided with nd¡¯s storm de in front of him. At the same time, the shockwave shattered the pirs and inner walls supporting the room, and the ceiling copsed instantly.


    ¡°nd, you!¡±


    nd¡¯s actions caused Irene to be seriously hurt. Earl Steim was furious after barely rescuing Irene from the st.


    "You wounded Irene! You have forgotten your duties! My own daughter...!¡±


    Earl Steim stopped in the middle of his words. nd had already copsed. On the other hand, Grid had no wounds. He just had a few pieces of his clothes torn off. Grid identified that Irene was in Earl Steim¡¯s arms and said with a sad expression.


    "My Lady was hurt because of me.¡±


    Earl Steim shook his head, "Why is this because of you? It¡¯s my fault. In the first ce, I suspected you and caused this to happen. I was too rude. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Earl Steim apologized.


    Nobles had high pride. Nobles had no reason to bow down to a person lower than them. But Earl Steim could honestly apologize because he valued responsibilities more than his fellow peers.


    ¡®He¡¯s a better father-inw than I thought.¡¯


    Grid felt pleased as he asked Earl Steim, "If you are sincerely sorry, can I ask you for one favor?¡±


    Earl Steim smiled at Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t an easy person... Truly the descendant of a legend.¡¯


    He liked that ambition.


    Earl Steim nodded. "In the first ce, you deserve a reward for creating the Sword of Self-transcendence and rescuing Irene. Yes, whatever you want. I will do my best.¡±


    "I heard that Earl Steim has a good rtionship with the Reba Church. I need to see the pope of the Reba Church... Can you write an introduction for me? I might be able to meet the pope if I have your introduction.¡±


    Earl Steim nodded.


    "I understand. Aren¡¯t you the one who defeated Mcus? The pope will dly wee you."


    After that, the banquet was cancelled due to the turmoil. Grid left the castle after agreeing to marry Irene and receiving the letter of introduction. There was someone waiting for him when he returned to Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Are you Grid?¡±


    It was a man with a strong body and tattoos on both cheeks that were reminiscent of animal ws. His grey hair rose into the sky like he had been struck by lightning, attracting the eye. His ID was ¡®Toon.¡¯ He was one of the six new rankers who joined the Tzedakah Guild not long ago after passing a high strength test.


    Hemanded Grid.


    "I heard you are a great cksmith? Make a weapon for me. Do you know the one who smashed the Giant Guild on the street before? I want to fight him, but I think I need a better weapon first. So make me a weapon. I will use my new weapon to fight that person. Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    Toon spat while talking, looking like a typical neighbourhood gangster. Grid was reminded of the Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy employees who harassed him. Grid red at him like he wanted to kill Toon.


    "Do you know where you are spitting right now?¡±


    ¡°Hah? Hahahat!¡±


    Toon blinked at Grid¡¯s words. He checked the guild information window and saw that the cksmith¡¯s level was in the early 100s, so he couldn¡¯t help finding it cute.


    "Hey, your cksmith skills are great so you can join any guild... But I am different. The reason I joined the guild was to approach that butcher. I will leave the guild immediately after fighting him. Do you understand? Do you know the atmosphere now? Unlike the others, I¡¯m not going to curry favor with you. If you don¡¯t want to die, make me a weapon quickly. Eh~? Kyaack! Spit!¡±


    "..."


    The six new guild members didn¡¯t know that Grid was the helmeted person who destroyed the Giant Guild. It was because the guild wasn¡¯t willing to leak information about Grid to those they couldn¡¯t trust yet.


    "Hey, do you know the ID of that butcher? The other guild members won¡¯t speak no matter what I ask. Why do they need to hide it from me? It is just a bother trying to find him... Kyaaack~~ spit!¡±


    Grid¡¯s patience reached its limit.


    Ah... He was tired from acting nice in front of nobles, and an annoying bastard now appeared in front of him. "Hey, you [email protected]!#.¡±


    This smithy was a very precious ce to Grid.


    It was the ce where his connection with Khan started and the ce where he started to work earnestly as a cksmith. He had lots of memories here and would continue using it in the future. To exaggerate it a little bit, it was his ce of destiny. Grid couldn¡¯t stand by when this person kept spitting in here.


    He was seriously angry as he pulled out the Ideal Dagger.


    "You will be punished for defiling my sacred space.¡±


    ¡°Pfff!¡± Toon grabbed his belly and started tough. ¡°Puhahahat! Hey~ Doesn¡¯t this cksmith seem really angry? Sacred space? Kuhahaha! I will kill you once!¡±


    Clink!


    Toon swung his right hand vigorously. Then three des sprang out from the wrist des at his wrists. Toon approached Grid with a menacing look in his eyes.


    ¡°You dare take a weapon out in front of me? Die.¡±


    He was serious. Toon was determined to kill Grid once so that Grid wouldn¡¯t argue anymore.


    Chaaeng!


    Toon swung his wristdes like they were a beast¡¯s foot, aiming at Grid¡¯s chest. Grid defended with the Ideal Dagger and was half pushed down.


    ¡®Three or four times?¡¯


    Grid was confused. After the Mcus raid, his strength had grown steadily from making unique and legendary items, as well as repeated level ups. Therefore, it was now above 1,000. He was confident that he couldpete with anyone in strength.


    But he waspletely pushed in this match against Toon.


    Kikik!Kkikikik!


    The dagger shook as the wrist des pressed down on it. Grid eventually stepped back as the tip of the longest de touched his chest. He tilted the dagger and flowed around the wrist des, avoiding the attack and opening some distance away from Toon.


    ¡®It is hard to win against him in strength.¡¯


    Grid was fully aware that he was strong. He was confident that he was stronger than Ibellin, the weakest in the guild, before Ibellin obtained the Thorn of Deep Grievance. Ibellin was defeated by the Giant Guild, but Grid was overwhelmingly victorious.


    However, he didn¡¯t have a chance to urately assess his strength against the other guild members. So Grid didn¡¯t know for sure how his skills would go against the top rankers. And Toon was 40th on the unified rankings.


    Toon whistled. ¡°Hwiik~ what, you? You managed to stop my attack? Isn¡¯t this great?¡±


    Ssik.


    The corners of Toon¡¯s mouth went up. He noticed that Grid wasn¡¯t just a cksmith and felt interested.


    ¡°Interesting!¡±


    sh!


    Toon¡¯s eyes became tinged with red. Then grey hair started to sprout from his muscr body. At that moment, an explosive energy was emitted and Grid shrunk back.


    ¡®What tremendous power...!¡¯


    Grid decided that he needed to fight properly. He prepared to take out all the items in his inventory, including Dainsleif and the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet.


    Peeeong!


    Suddenly, a kick came from the side and Toon went flying.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    There was the sound of breaking bones and the whites of Toon¡¯s eyes were exposed as he fell.


    ¡°Crazy...! This bastard!¡± After cursing, Toon turned to see who was attacking him. Then he discovered a smiling Regas. ¡°What is this, Regas? A cowardly surprise attack from behind? I thought you were a Taekwon Master.¡±


    Toon said sarcastically as he red at Regas.


    "Toon, if you do anything impolite to Grid one more time, you will lose your head.¡±


    Regas was always smiling and friendly. This was the first time that Grid saw him angry. Toon was also confused.


    ¡®The man who is rumored to be mild-mannered... His anger is frightening.¡¯


    Toon stood up quietly. His waist, which had been twisted in a bizarre direction, recovered normally. It was a phenomenal recovery. He put away his wrist des.


    ¡°Taekwon Master Regas... One day I will have a fight with you, but not now. That cksmith is a little surprising... To be honest, I think 2 against 1 is hard. Well, I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Hey you bastard! Clean up before you go!¡±


    Regas stopped Grid, who tried to chase after Toon. "That person, he is quite strong in beast form. He will be a hard person to fight again.¡±


    ¡°No! I have to beat him up right now! And why was he epted into the guild in the first ce? His behaviour ispletely out of control! Shouldn¡¯t the guild members be checked carefully?¡±


    ¡°His way of thinking is extremely simple, so Jishuka can easily control him. However, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. I have found the Divine Shield.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Regas had been searching for the Divine Shield since it was stolen until now, and he finally found it. Grid forgot all about Toon as he asked excitedly.


    ¡°Where? Where is it?¡±


    Regas¡¯ expression wasn¡¯t good. "Well... One of Reba¡¯s Daughters has it. I asked to meet her and she refused. She seems reluctant to return the shield.¡±


    ¡°Reba¡¯s Daughter?¡±


    Grid was reminded of the beautiful girl in the blue dress who burst through the wall and confronted the Yatan followed who stole the Divine Shield.


    ¡®Her name was Isabel? I remember the Yatan following being shocked that she was Reba¡¯s Daughter...¡¯


    Grid asked.


    ¡°What is a Reba¡¯s Daughter?¡±


    Regas exined what he knew.


    ¡°It is the title that refers to the top three pdins in the Reba Church. They received sacred weapons from Goddess Reba and it is said that their power isparable to the Second and Third Servants. They are a rtively small force, but few people can threaten the Reba Church thanks to Reba¡¯s Daughters.¡±


    "...In a nutshell, that girl won¡¯t return my shield?¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    "..."


    Grid had a headache. He needed to meet the pope, but now things became twisted due to the Reba¡¯s Daughter. He had an ominous feeling.


    Regas smiled with a gentle expression.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Aren¡¯t you part of the Tzedakah Guild? If you need assistance at any time, then please call the guild members. Everyone will be willing to help you. The six new members are especially full of enthusiasm.¡±


    "...I¡¯ve heard that those six people are called psychos. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a lie when looking at Toon... They seem useless.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Afterwards, Grid sent a whisper to Jishuka to exin the situation. Then Jishuka fully understood Grid¡¯s position.


    -Of course, your questes first.I won¡¯t ask you to make any items for the guild members until your quest is finished.And if you need help, call at anytime.I wille running.


    That night, Grid immediately left Winston. The destination was the Reba Vatican.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    Like any game, the role of a healer was very important in Satisfy. They were indispensable for stable party hunting and the sess of a raid. In Satisfy, the healers were priests who served Reba, the goddess of light. Only those who served Reba could be acquainted with Heal.


    "Looking for a priest to finish the Dunpapa raid in two minutes!¡±


    "Looking for a priest for a party that has an average level of 150~¡±


    ¡°Priests! Please join the party! You will have priority on items!¡±


    The poprity of priests was unimaginable. Unfortunately, the number of priests was very limited. It was very hard to be a priest of the Reba Church. Dating was forbidden and there was a series of hardships such as praying for days, intermittent silence, and fasting.


    There were jokes that the priest of the Reba Church were monks in reality. Therefore, most users were reluctant to be priests of the Reba Church and most Reba priests were NPCs.


    ¡°Sigh... There are no priests today.¡±


    "We have to go to the temple again to hire a priest.¡±


    Parties looking for priests had to visit the Reba Church. Then they had to pay arge sum in donations to hire NPC priests. These actions repeated, so the Reba Church gained tremendous wealth. The high priests of the Reba Church, known for their integrity, were overwhelming without knowing.


    It was the current pope who led to all of this. Drevigo, the 13th pope of the Reba Church, was a far cry from the first clergymen. He was eager to meet his individual needs.


    After he became the pope. He understood the market and built up wealth by turning the priests into amodity. He provided incense to the high priests and corrupted them,mitting all types of wrongdoings with them.


    As a result, the Reba Church fell over time and became a symbol of decadence.


    ¡°There is no answer.¡±


    In this ce, there was a beautiful girl who had a habit of sighing. Her name was Isabel. She was one of Reba¡¯s Daughters, the ultimate pdins of the Reba Church, and the master of the Lifael Spear.


    She shuddered as she listened to the noisesing from the pope from her room.


    "The supposedly divine presence is shaking his waist like a dog every night.¡±


    The priest Cassus paid attention to her. ¡°Shh. Your words aren¡¯t appropriate for a virgin of sacred light.¡±


    Isabel frowned. "Then what should I say? Our pope is engaging in sexual intercourse every night... Oof! Oof!¡±


    In the end, Cassus blocked Isabel¡¯s mouth with his hand. He nervously looked at the hot-tempered Isabel.


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak in front of His Holiness, and now I can¡¯t evenin behind his back?¡±


    "...His Holiness has eyes and ears everywhere. Please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Che...!¡±


    The two people were talking when the pope came to visit.


    ¡°It¡¯s noisy. Were you cursing at me?¡±


    The pope opened the door and appeared naked. His sweaty skin shone in the moonlight. Despite turning 60 the day after tomorrow, he had stic skin and a healthy body.


    Isabel and Cassus bowed.


    "It is great to see Your Holiness.¡±


    "Isabel, you look as beautiful as ever.¡±


    Pope Drevigo smiled and touched Isabel¡¯s hair like she was precious. Isabel felt ashamed and bit her lip. She wanted to shake off the pope¡¯s hand. But she didn¡¯t dare, so she swallowed down her rage. She carefully pleaded.


    "Your Holiness, surely you are busy with those prostitutes in your bed? Is it okay to leave them toe to talk to me?¡±


    "Huhu, no matter your position, isn¡¯t it too much to insult me?¡±


    The smiling pope pulled his hand away from Isabel¡¯s hair. The other person was the pope, so Isabel didn¡¯t dare show her distaste.


    "I have figured out why the Yatan Church wants the Divine Shield. There is a phenomenon where the Divine Shield can be imbued with dark magic power. Then the enormous divine power of the Divine Shield will be converted to dark magic. The Yatan Church are thinking of turning the Divine Church into their weapon.¡±


    The pope showed interest. "Darkness dwells where there is light... In fact, doesn¡¯t divine power and dark power have a goodpatibility?¡±


    ¡°We must take steps to prevent them from ever getting their hands on the Divine Shield.¡±


    "We¡¯ll have to recall all of them back.¡±


    The method of making the Divine Shield had been spread to some countries and families close to the Reba Church. In the first ce, a Reba priest was needed to help make the Divine Shield. It was impossible for a cksmith to make it alone, so the church grasped why, when, who and which priest was used to help build the Divine Shield. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to reim the Divine Shields.


    "I will direct the pdins to collect the Divine Shield from each country and family.¡± Isabel said.


    ¡°Let other people do the menial work. I have something else for you to do.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The pope made a meaningful expression. "I received a divine messagest night. Goddess Reba said that one of her daughters will betray me sooner orter.¡±


    "What does that mean?¡±


    What did he mean by that? Isabel had an ominous feeling and stiffened, while the pope ordered with a cool smile.


    "Get Rin. She is surely the traitor that the goddess spoke of. I intend to punish her.¡±


    Isabel didn¡¯t agree. ¡°Reba¡¯s Daughters are only loyal to Goddess Reba and Your Holiness! There are no traitors among us.¡±


    "Rin is at a temple in a small vige and hasn¡¯t responded to my call three times. How can she do that unless she is thinking about betraying me?¡±


    In the end, Isabel couldn¡¯t hide her anger.


    ¡°Surely she has a reason for not responding to your call! Your Holiness! Are you sure the divine message given to you is correct? Your Holiness, I didn¡¯t know you could hear divine messages!¡±


    "How presumptuous!"


    The pope grabbed Isabelle¡¯s throat with one hand. Then he spoke in a menacing manner.


    ¡°My will is the will of Goddess Reba. Do you distrust me?¡±


    Isabel had been raised in the church. Like any other priest or pdin, she had been trained to have absolute loyalty to Goddess Reba and the pope. It was a type of brainwashing, so she couldn¡¯t defy the pope, even if she was inherently free-spirited.


    ¡°...I believe you.¡± Isabel barely managed to say. Then the pope released the hand that was choking her. He gave her a friendly smile that seemed creepy.


    ¡°I will give you two days. Bring Rin back here.¡±


    Kwang!


    The pope ordered her and left the room. Cassus, who had been bowing the whole time, hurried got up. He carefully reached out to Isabel and said.


    ¡°...What will you do?¡±


    Isabel was silent for a while after the pope¡¯s visit. Then she dropped her head and said in a weak voice.


    ¡°What can I do? I have to do as he says.¡±


    Rin also a Reba¡¯s Daughter. The pope might be garbage and the church fallen, but there was no way Rin would betray them. Rin probably couldn¡¯t endure the rotten church and was wandering for a while.


    Isabel knew better than anyone. But she was forced to follow themand.


    "..."


    Cassus was sympathetic to the suffering Isabel and quickly moved his gaze towards the window. He prayed towards the moon.


    ¡®Goddess Reba... Please send a divine punishment towards the corrupt pope...¡¯


    ***


    It had been four days since Grid left Winston. In those four days, Grid reached level 130. It was all due to Mcus¡¯ Cloak. Grid had been wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak since leaving Winston.


    "This is great."


    Grrrung.


    The border of the Eternal Kingdom and the Saharan Empire. Dozens of monsters gathered as Grid crossed the Suaz Mountains. They were drawn to the bloody smelling from Mcus¡¯ Cloak.


    For the past four days, Grid had repeated hunting in this way.


    "Haap!¡±


    The mobs in the Suaz Mountains had an average level of 160. Right now, Grid was strong enough that he didn¡¯t have to use skills against the level 160 monsters. As part of his training, he used pure swordsmanship to cut the monsters one by one.


    Kuaaak~!


    Yip!Yelp!


    Grid¡¯s body was phenomenal and surpassed human limits based on his overwhelming stats. Grid¡¯s body moved ording to his will, allowing him to disy swordsmanship that wasn¡¯t possible even when he was a warrior.


    Sukakak!


    Grid jumped up while holding Dainsleif with both hands, turning around three times to use the centrifugal force to destroy the body of an eti. Then he immediately responded to the axe swung by a troll beyond the eti¡¯s destroyed body.


    At the same time, an ogre¡¯s axe swung through the air and three rocks were thrown by the etis. His right side was obstructed by huge trees. He cut the troll¡¯s neck but it didn¡¯t die as it swung its axe again.


    Chengkang!


    Grid avoided the troll¡¯s axe and jumped to the right. After avoiding the ogre¡¯s axe, he used it as a footstool and broke all three rocks with Dainsleif. Then he entered the center of the dismayed etis.


    Papat!Pa pa pa pa!


    The dark sword moved in a unpredictable orbit through the etis¡¯ bodies. The etis briefly lost their field of view due to the pping cloak and quickly found themselves wiped out. Grid ran and caught up with the monsters escaping. After prating the eti¡¯s heart, he threw the dying eti towards a gargoyle descending from the sky.


    Peok!


    The gargoyle kicked the eti nervously. Gridughed after already using Fly to move above the gargoyle¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Kyaack!


    The gargoyle was startled and hurriedly shot off a beam. They were so close that Grid couldn¡¯t avoid the beam, but he was kept flying directly at it. The gargoyle thought that Grid would be turned to stone and cried out excitedly.


    But Grid was fine. The confused gargoyle received Dainsleif to the neck.


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    Grid was stillughing. The more he fought, the more experience and levels he gained, allowing him to feel like he was getting stronger.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    There were still arge number of monsters on the ground. Grid pulled out pavranium from his inventory. For the past four days, he had been trying to improve hismunication with pavranium, and it increased by leaps and bounds.


    Right now, pavranium didn¡¯t just rotate and protect Grid. Instead, it attacked the enemy first in response to Grid¡¯s will.


    Pipit!


    The golden discs moved like boomerangs and swept the Achilles tendons of the ogre. Grid pounced on the fallen ogre and a one-sided ughter began. More monsters flocked due to Mcus¡¯ Cloak as he was fighting, and night came quickly.


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    Grid¡¯s stamina and strength stats were so high that it was unreasonable. But even Grid would be exhausted if he fought all day. After hunting hundreds of monsters...


    Grid raised his level to a satisfactory level, took off the cloak and rested. If he reached out, it seemed like he would be able to catch the stars in the night sky.


    ¡¯It would be nice to be able to level up while wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak and move... But there are creatures everywhere, so the movement speed is too slow.¡¯


    In order to carry out the ss quest, he had to go to the Judar, Dominion and Yatan churches as well as the Reba Church. It seemed like it would take a long time to clear the quest, so he couldn¡¯t dy too long.


    Should he take off his cloak starting from tomorrow? Grid was troubled before making a decision.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wander around often... After this quest, I have to get married and work at the smithy... Yes, let¡¯s take advantage of it now.


    The next day. The day was bright and his stamina recharged, so Grid put on Mcus¡¯ Cloak again. Then he kept hunting while crossing the mountains. As a result, Grid spent a week crossing the Suaz Mountains that ordinary people could cross in three days.


    Thanks to that, Grid was enjoying himself.


    But at this point.


    The person suffering because of Grid...


    ¡°Grid... When are you going toe back...?¡±


    Grid disappeared from Khan¡¯s smithy. There was a bald man squatting in a corner of the smithy. He was Vantner. He was muttering while watching the entrance of the smithy.


    ¡°Grid... Come now... Hurry... Come back...¡±


    It was finally the end of his wait! It was his turn to receive Grid¡¯s item. Yet the bastard didn¡¯t make an item and disappeared on a quest, and now it had been 10 days. When the hell was he going toe back?


    ¡°Why...? Why on my turn...?¡±


    In the midst of this, Pon and Ibellin were raising their levels thanks to Grid. Pon¡¯s level was far ahead of Vantner, and now Ibellin was catching up to Vantner.


    "Pleasee back soon~~~!!"


    The other guild members brought their items to Khan to be repaired, and found Vantner.


    "Why is he acting like that?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he saw Pon and Ibellin sweeping up the monsters with their weapons. After that, he couldn¡¯t go hunting.¡±


    "No, isn¡¯t he in a better situation than us? Didn¡¯t Grid strengthen his axes through appraisal?¡±


    ¡°Still... He can¡¯t hunt in a hunting ground suitable for his level because his defense is too weak.¡±


    "True, if he paid a little more attention to his defense... Despite being a guardian knight, he ced all his points in strength and only cared about weapons. This eventually screwed him up.¡±


    Then one day, Vantner made a suggestion to Jishuka. "Next time Grid goes on a quest, all guild members should apany him. We will cooperate toplete his quest. Then Grid won¡¯t waste time on quests and can devote himself to making our items.¡±


    "...Grid should also enjoy ying the game.¡±


    ¡°He is a cksmith! He should do his duties!¡±


    "..."


    Vantner¡¯s heart was locked on the smithy where he wanted Grid to make an item for him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    After crossing the Suaz Mountains, Grid was able to arrive in Rolling. Rolling was a small vige, but if he headed south for half a day, he would finally arrive at the Vatican.


    ¡°There are Reba statues everywhere.¡±


    There wererge and small Reba statues in every street, store or house. He could find one or two statues no matter what direction he turned his head. Well, the residents of Rolling seemed to serve Goddess Reba.


    ¡®It is geographically located near the Vatican, so it makes sense that the Reba Church is the main religion of the vige...¡¯


    Nyang~


    He leaned back against a Reba statue and enjoyed the warm sun and the peaceful cats. The merchants and residents were going about their daily routine without moving fast. Grid also felt calm.


    ¡®It¡¯s a different ce from Winston. It feels like a resort.¡¯


    A hum emerged. Grid walked around the vige with a free heart.


    ¡®Am I crazy?¡¯


    He needed toplete the quest as quickly as possible! Tourism was just a waste of time!


    ¡¯I have beenzytely.¡¯


    Grid was well aware of what happened when a person becamezy. He might be debt-ridden again if he wasn¡¯t alert. Due to his past trauma, Grid became irritated and hasted his pace. He headed towards a smithy.


    [The effect of mastering ¡®cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ is activated. cksmith NPCs whose craftsmanship skill is beyond the intermediate level will treat you in a friendly manner.]


    [¡¯Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ ss effect is activated. cksmith NPCs whose craftsmanship skill is at the advanced level will treat recognize you and worship you.]


    Notification windows he hadn¡¯t seen for a while popped up when he entered the smithy. He had been living in Winston for a while and only entered Khan¡¯s smithy. Was Rolling¡¯s cksmith an intermediate or advanced cksmith? Grid wanted to be admired. However...


    "Wee~"


    The cksmith approached Grid. Unfortunately, he was a young cksmith and seemed to only be at a beginner level. He was unable to tell Grid apart from an ordinary customer.


    ¡°Is there anything you were looking for?¡±


    Grid sighed with disappointment and replied. ¡°I want to repair my items.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will repair it for you.¡±


    Grid doubted his ears.


    ¡°What? You will repair my items?¡±


    A beginner cksmith was going to repair the items of a legendary cksmith!


    Grid scoffed. ¡°You are either brave or ignorant... You don¡¯t even know who I am...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey hey. Cut it out. I¡¯m a cksmith, so I will fix my own items. Can I borrow your furnace? I will pay a fee.¡±


    Rolling¡¯s cksmith, Rector, cautioned Grid. ¡°Are you really a cksmith?¡±


    Grid was armed with steel gauntlets, ck iron boots and heavy armor. What type of cksmith would go around wearing this? Grid seemed like a warrior at first nce, so it was hard to see him as a cksmith.


    Grid clicked his tongue. "Do you doubt that I am a cksmith? What a poor guy... You can¡¯t even tell who a great cksmith is.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Rector was a young man who was only 20 years old. He was young, but he could understand that Grid was talking badly about him. Rector¡¯s face reddened with shame. Grid felt sorry for him and cleared his throat several times. Then he carefully said.


    "But who can tell the future? Even if your eyes are rotten right now, they can be trained... Watch me. This is a rare chance. You should thank Goddess Reba for being able to meet me and see how I work.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid no longer sought permission from Rector. He approached the furnace and started to light it.


    ¡°Hey! You will be burned if you do that... Heok?¡±


    Rector¡¯s eyes widened. It was because Grid quickly raised the temperature of the st furnace.


    ¡®Handling the fire so freely? How is that possible?¡¯


    Even his father, an intermediate cksmith who died two years ago, couldn¡¯t handle the fire as easily as Grid. Grid seemed like the embodiment of fire. As Rector was feeling admiration, Grid pulled out a hammer and anvil from his inventory. Then he started to repair his items one by one.


    [The durability of the Ideal Dagger has been maximized.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [The durability of the Best Gauntlets has been maximized.]


    [This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]


    [In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don¡¯t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]


    [The durability of Khan¡¯s Masterpiece has been maximized.]


    [Your understanding of Khan¡¯s Masterpiece is at 100%. You have learned the production method and can use it without any penalties.]


    [The durability of Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been maximized.]


    [Your understanding of Dainsleif (Reproduction) has increased from 3% to 31%.]


    [The durability of the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has been maximized.]


    [Your understanding of the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has increased from 7% to 85%.]


    [The durability of Braham¡¯s Boots has been maximized.]


    [Your understanding of Braham¡¯s Boots has increased from 3% to 6%.]


    Understanding an item was a concept that only existed for Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was able to increase their understanding of an item by using the item, appraising it, repairing and disassembling it. They were then able to freely use items with 100% understanding. It was even possible to learn the production method.


    If Dainsleif¡¯s understanding was at 100%, Grid would be able to produce Dainsleif. However, the higher the rating and usage conditions of the item, the slower theprehension. Therefore, it was still unclear when he would be able to learn how to make it.


    ¡®But the Orc Frostlight Chief¡¯s Helmet has a high understanding. Hmm, should I try for 100% understanding?¡¯


    Kaaang!


    Grid ced the perfectly repaired Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet on the anvil and started hammering again.


    ¡¯He¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    Rector was amazed and surprised while watching Grid repair the items. Grid suddenly hitting the perfectly fine skull helmet seemed like a crazy person. And...


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Thanks to Grid¡¯s unstoppable hammering, the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet was instantly shattered.


    ¡¯Why is he destroying a perfectly good helmet like this? He¡¯s too violent.¡¯


    Rector misunderstood. He thought that Grid was destroying the helmet, but he was actually using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Disassembly skill to break down and reassemble it.


    "Putting the wires in the seams like this... It¡¯s sloppy. I¡¯m going to need to supplement this part.¡±


    Grid perfectly grasped the structure of the helmet and started to assemble it again. It wasn¡¯t a simple assembly. Gridplemented the disadvantages of the helmet during the assembly process. It didn¡¯t take long for the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet to be restored to its original shape.


    [Your understanding of the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has increased to 100%.]


    [From now on, you can use the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet without any penalties.]


    [The production method of the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has been acquired.]


    "Okay."


    Grid equipped the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet with a pleased face.


    [Due to your ss characteristics, you have equipped the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet.]


    [You don¡¯t meet the conditions to use the item. However, your understanding is 100%, so no penalties will be applied.]


    [Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 290/290 Defense: 190


    * The chance of suffering a critical blow is reduced by 25%.


    * Health will increase by 15%.


    * Has a certain chance to cast fear at the target.


    * Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s set effect:


    -3 set items equipped: Strength +50, stamina +80.


    -5 set items equipped: Strength +100, stamina +200, can transform into the frostlight orc chief.


    *Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s transformation:


    -It is possible tomand the frostlight orcs.


    -The skill ¡®Rotation Cut¡¯ will be generated.


    The frostlight orc chief can be described as the ruler of the northern snowfields. This helmet, which he loved, was made from the skull of a snowy ogre and has a terrible appearance. In particr, the horn on the left has a very threatening appearance. Just wearing this helmet can cause fear.


    Originally there was a sense of crudeness, but a craftsman with great talent and potential had reassembled it,plementing the weaknesses and enhancing the function.


    Conditions of Use: Level 150 or more. More than 400 strength.


    Weight: 800


    ¡°Kuk... Truly great.¡±


    Grid was impressed as he verified the improved performance of the helmet. Then he turned his attention to Rector while wearing the helmet.


    "How about it? Don¡¯t you think this helmet is somewhat cool?¡±


    ¡°H-Hik...¡±


    Rector paled. It was because the bizarre skull helmet felt so terrible.


    Grid saw his expression and sighed. "It seems to be my mistake... Damn, I need to rece this helmet quickly.¡±


    Grid grumbled as he approached Rector and handed over 10 silver.


    ¡°Did you watch me well? You should start practicing from now on, while trying to recall how I used the bellows and my hammering. Perhaps we¡¯ll see each other again. Your skills might be low now, but you might be an intermediate cksmith after 10 years of practice.¡±


    Grid was joking. He never imagined that Rector would take his joke seriously as he left the smithy.


    After a while. Rector jumped up. Then he locked the door of the smith and listened to Grid¡¯s advice(?), practicing his handling of the bellows and hammering.


    Andter. Rector, who was inherently gifted, became an advanced cksmith who represented this area. He would often tell his disciples the story of how he met Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t know this.


    ***


    The vige center.


    Grid was amazed as he stood in front of the Reba Temple.


    ¡¯Gold?¡¯


    The temple here was smallpared to other temples in the area. It was a single story building that was less than 100 pyeongs (1 pyeong=3.3058m). But the outer walls were painted in gold and shining brilliantly.


    "Is there any way to get this...?¡±


    Grid looked around at the other people before scratching the gold with his nails. But no matter how hard he scratched, not one speck of gold dust fell off.


    ¡°How rotten and dirty.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t give up. He didn¡¯t want to miss an opportunity to get free gold. His appearance and scratching at the gold revealed that he was obvious a first time visitor to Rolling. A middle-aged priest found him and gave a meaningful smile.


    ¡¯It has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a sucker.¡¯


    The priest¡¯s ID was Dong Pao. He was a Chinese user. He followed the rigidws of the Reba Church such as forbidding love, forced silence and fasting, and managed to raise his level to 160.


    He grinned and approached Grid. "Brother, is this your first visit to Rolling?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid flinched from where he was squatting in a corner and scratching at the gold. ¡®I¡¯m not a thief, hahaha!¡¯ Heughed loudly while trembling.


    ¡°Ah~! Yes! It is my first time here! Oh, this temple is so beautiful! It reminds me of the beautiful Goddess Reba! Hahahahat! Yes?¡±


    The person who suddenly greeted him was wearing the clothes of the Reba Church. Grid was so worried about being called a thief that he hadn¡¯t noticed until now. The priest in front of him was a user, not an NPC.


    ¡®It is the first time I¡¯ve seen a priest user.¡¯


    Grid had heard rumors about how difficult it was to be a Reba priest. In fact, all Reba priests that Grid had met since ying Satisfy were NPCs. So it was surprising that middle-aged priest in front of him was a user, not an NPC.


    ¡®His ID is Dong Pao... Chinese...¡¯


    The ID was somewhat appetizing. Grid pledged to visit a Chinese restaurant today with his family and eat Dongpo pork.


    ¡°Are you a monk in reality? How did you manage to clear the Reba Church¡¯s ss change quest?¡±


    Dong Paoughed heartily.


    "In reality, I¡¯m just an ordinary person. However, in Satisfy, I seeded in suppressing all desires while thinking that I only want to serve Goddess Reba... Then I was able to be a priest of sacred light.¡±


    ¡°Wow... I don¡¯t know about anything else, but staying silent seems pretty hard. Well, I can¡¯t date anyway... No, I don¡¯t want a rtionship, but it will be hard to withstand the silence and fasting... Weren¡¯t you supposed to stay silent for 20 days? How did you manage it? And even if you seed in the priest ss change quest, don¡¯t you have to perform quests often if you want to keep the position? It¡¯s great that you could endure all of that.¡±


    The original Grid was indifferent to other people¡¯s matters. But this was his first experience meeting a priest user, so he was naturally interested. When he was in a bad situation, he became sick when he saw others doing well. Now he had paid off his debt and was running along a part of sess, so he could praise others.


    Dong Pao smiled at him.


    ¡°It was difficult to remain silent. But when I prayed to Goddess Reba, the time passed quickly. The act of praying itself raises the divine power stat, so if you think about it positively, it is good to be disciplined. But what brings you to Rolling? There¡¯s no special hunting ground or sightseeing spots besides the Vatican, so most people who visit here have business in the Vatican...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on the way to the Vatican. I need to meet the pope for a quest.¡±


    ¡°Hah... His Holiness?¡±


    Dong Pao¡¯s eyes shone sharply at the words.


    ¡®Someone who isn¡¯t part of the Reba Church is on a quest to meet the pope? Even I have only seen the pope from afar. It seems like he is on a S-grade or higher quest.¡¯


    Dong Pao observed Grid¡¯s equipment closely.


    ¡®The armor and gauntlets are ordinary... That cloak is garbage... The only essory is a ring that looks simple... But the boots are tremendously expensive. Yes, he must be a high level.¡¯


    Rolling was far from the centre of the continent. It was difficult toe here without being a high level because the roads were difficult and full of monsters. Dong Pao was pleased at the thought of Grid being a high level user.


    ¡®He will have a high value.¡¯


    Dong Pao¡¯s eyes curved into a half moon as he suggested to Grid, ¡°I am also on my way to the Vatican. Do you want to apany me?¡±


    If a healer apanied him, how much money would he save on potions? Others had to pay money to party with a healer, but he could party with one for free? Grid readily epted this.


    ¡°Of course I would like that.¡±


    Thus, the two people formed a party. Grid was surprised when he saw Dong Pao¡¯s level in the party window.


    ¡°Level 160? I know that priest is a difficult ss to level up, so isn¡¯t this level very high?¡±


    ¡°There are many quests to be done, so there¡¯s no time to raise my level. However, due to the nature of the ss, it¡¯s easy to find a party. I hunted with a high level party and quickly raised my level. But Mister Grid... You¡¯re level 147? That is surprisingly low.¡±


    "Haha, I don¡¯t have much time to raise my level. I¡¯ve only been able to raise ittely.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    Dong Pao made an ufortable expression.


    ¡®He crossed the Suaz Mountains alone at this level? Did he avoid the ogres and gargoyles? He has good luck... Damm, I thought he would be at least level 160...¡¯


    Dong Pao used his status as a priest to lure high-level travellers to a certain ce that couldn¡¯t be logged out of. He made money by intimidating, killing or ransoming travellers.


    ¡®Level 147...¡¯


    It was obvious, but the higher the level of prey, the higher the ransom value. Level 147 was ambiguous. It was higher than the average level, but it wasn¡¯t that highpared to the rankers.


    ¡¯If he¡¯s level 147, he can recover the experience lost through dying by hunting... He won¡¯t pay arge amount of money for his life... Tsk, this is annoying. I¡¯ll have to make money by killing him and selling the boots.¡¯


    Thus, the two of them went on a short journey to the Vatican. There was a group watching them from the entrance of the vige.


    "Dong Pao has started the game.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We can follow slowly and eat up the profit.¡±


    They were three people. They were assassin users who joined hands with Dong Pao. The fifth ranked assassin Shay, the 11th ranked Kerb, and the 13th ranked Sniffer. The three of them had managed to assassinate a user who was 51st on the unified rankings, so there was no doubting their skill.


    Grid was the target of some bigwigs. But Grid didn¡¯t know this and was just excited at the thought of partying with a priest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120


    ¡®What? What¡¯s this?¡¯


    Dong Pao was greatly confused.


    The road from Rolling to the Vatican was originally very peaceful. The pdins regrly scouted, so it was difficult to find thieves, monsters and beasts. It could be called one of the few safe zones on the continent.


    However, today the monsters popped out without any hesitation. Just like water pouring from a copsed dam, the monsters swooped down and attacked Grid and Dong Pao.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... There are so many monsters in the vicinity...¡±


    Thanks to that, Dong Pao was exhausted.


    It had been less than a hour since they left Rolling, and they had already fought over 100 monsters without a break. His mana had been depleted a few times, making him drink mana potions. Now his stamina was going to be depleted.


    ¡°Pant pant! Strange! Really strange! I¡¯ve used this road several hundred times, but it is the first time I¡¯ve seen this! Pant pant!¡± Dong Pao couldn¡¯t ept the current situation. He struggled to use Heal on Grid, who was killing the lizardmen surrounding them. "Why are there so many monsters here... Strange!¡±


    They needed to move 15km more to reach the point he was supposed to lure Grid. But monsters kept showing up, so it seemed like the two people would lose their lives before even reaching the target. How many people met and died from monsters in the safety zones? Perhaps he would be the first. How unfair and embarrassing was this?


    Dong Pao despaired.


    Then the source of this incident, Grid furtively took off his cloak.


    ¡®I currently have a healing shuttle... Unfortunately, it¡¯s time for a break.¡¯


    [Mcus¡¯ Cloak has been unequipped.]


    Mcus¡¯ Cloak gave off a bloody scent that attracted all types of monsters hiding in the vicinity. As soon as Grid put the cloak into the inventory, no more monsters appeared. But Dong Pao was too busy to observe Grid properly, so he didn¡¯t realize that Grid was the source.


    Grid dealt with the remaining monsters.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    [You have defeated a giant smander.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the smander¡¯s galldder.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the rare pearl.]


    [203,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated an iran n lizardman.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Usable Scimitar.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired a sapphire.]


    [255,000 experience has been acquired.]


    Dran Valley, where crystal clear water flowed!


    The monsters here were much stronger than the monsters of Suaz Mountains. They had a minimum level of 190 and higher, so even Grid struggled if there were more than seven monsters. However, he had Dong Pao¡¯s healing, so he could sessfully hunt them.


    ¡¯The Heal of a level 160 priest is truly tremendous. Kukuk, I can wait to go to the Vatican as long as I have this heal shuttle.¡¯


    Grid was delighted because he gained a tremendous amount of experience, despite being in a party with Dong Pao. However, he made a disgruntled facial expression and groaned. ¡°Phew, I thought I was going to die. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen so many monsters. Was this area originally like this?¡±


    Dong Pao shook his head at Grid¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Originally, this is a ce where monsters rarely pop up... I didn¡¯t even know that there were so many monsters here. I have goosebumps... Sigh...¡±


    Dong Pao peeked at the dagger held in Grid¡¯s hands while he wasmenting.


    ¡¯There is a deep blue aura like sea around that dagger... It¡¯s a weapon enhanced to at least +8. Huge.¡¯


    It was after he joined the party with Grid. He originally thought that Grid managed toe to Rolling alone, despite being only level 147, was purely because of luck.


    Now that they¡¯d fought together, he realized that Grid was really strongpared to his level. The reason Grid was able to cross the Suaz Mountains wasn¡¯t because of luck, but because of strength.


    ¡®The secret of his strength is that +8 dagger... A dagger might be weak in attack powerpared to a one-handed sword or blunt weapon, but... A dagger enhanced to this extent can deal more damage than a blunt weapon.¡¯


    A dagger had a fast attack speed, but weak attack power. However, Grid¡¯s dagger had both excellent attack speed and attack power.


    ¡®He must be quite rich if he is carrying that weapon. Okay, I can get more profit than I thought. If I can take this dagger...!¡¯


    ¡®This is enough rest.¡¯ As Dong Pao was smiling nastily, Grid put on Mcus¡¯ Cloak. He got up from his seat and urged Dong Pao. ¡°It is time to move. We don¡¯t want to be toote.¡±


    ¡°Yes... But before that...¡±


    Dong Pao stared at Grid with sharp eyes. Grid thought Dong Pao noticed Mcus¡¯ Cloak and gulped. Then Dong Pao said to him. "Item distribution... Can you change it to sequential distribution instead of party leader distribution? Brother, let¡¯s be fair.¡±


    "...Just keep it as party leader distribution for now. With sequential distribution, the expensive items might be given to only one person and that isn¡¯t fair. We¡¯ll split the proceeds in half once we arrive at the destination, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡±


    Grid¡¯s destination was the Vatican. But Dong Pao¡¯s nned destination was a ce where Grid would die before he arrived at the Vatican. If the item distribution method wasn¡¯t changed now, Dong Pao wouldn¡¯t receive the items. So he wanted to change it to sequential distribution.


    But Grid was stubborn. Ho was already walking.


    ¡®Damn bastard!¡¯ Dong Pao cursed to himself. Then he tried to think positively. ¡¯Yes, I will get a lot of money from him.¡¯


    Dong Pao smiled as he watched the quickly walking Grid. He thought that Grid¡¯s urgent demand was funny. But the smile on Dong Pao¡¯s face quickly disappeared. Had it been five minutes since they started walking again? New monsters appeared like a cloud and Dong Pao went crazy.


    "What the hell is this? Why do these monsters keep constantly appearing?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you do hard quests as part of the Reba Church? Perhaps this is a trial from Goddess Reba?¡±


    Grid was using method acting. He was good at pretending that he wasn¡¯t the source attracting the monsters. As a result, Dong Pao didn¡¯t suspect Grid at all.


    ¡°No! I¡¯ve never heard of a trial that involved hunting monsters! And a quest window didn¡¯t pop up...!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Please support me while I¡¯m taking care of them. Thank you.¡±


    "Yes..."


    Dong Pao was depressed at the thought of consuming so many expensive mana potions. On the other hand, Grid was rejoicing.


    ¡®I have a free heal shuttle so I should use it as much as possible!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid had been aiming for this since he got a party with a healer for free. Until they arrived at the Vatican, he was going to rely on Dong Pao¡¯s healing for infinite hunting. Dong Pao was aiming for Grid¡¯s life while Grid was aiming to use him.


    The two men continued the repeated hunting and...


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! I also levelled up...!¡±


    Just 12 hours after leaving Rolling! Grid gained three levels while Dong Pao gained one level.


    It was surprising for Dong Pao. They were hunting high level monsters with only two people, so their level rose quickly. It was better than hunting with a few high level parties. Like Grid, he wanted to stay in this ce for a while to hunt. If he could do that, he could challenge bing a ranker. But he was soon reminded of his original goals.


    ¡®Money is more important than levelling.¡¯


    Crime Forest.


    Originally, they should¡¯ve arrived here 3 hours after leaving Rolling. But it took them 12 hours. Dong Pao wondered if the assassins were tired and resentful from waiting. He felt anxious and urged Grid.


    "Brother, let¡¯s take a break in that cave over there.¡±


    Grid turned his head in Dong Pao¡¯s direction and was able to discover the entrance to a cave. Then he said with a reluctant look.


    "Do we need to rest? Shouldn¡¯t we go straight to the Vatican with this momentum?¡±


    Dong Pao tried to convince him, ¡°Unlike Brother, my stamina has reached its limit several times. I need sufficient rest. My mana regeneration is too slow right now... It is to the point that I can only use Heal a few times.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    Grid received Dong Pao¡¯s guidance and entered the cave. Then a notification window shed.


    [The Vampire Countess Marie Rose is sealed in this space.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was bewildered.


    ¡°Is this a raid room? Vampire countess? The vampire barons are fearful enough, yet this is a vampire countess? Are we going to have our blood sucked and die here? Why are we resting in this dangerous space...?¡±


    Dong Pao shook his head.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Marie Rose has been sleeping for hundreds of years since she was sealed by two of Reba¡¯s Daughters... She never wakes up. It isn¡¯t Marie Rose you should be worrying about right now.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid was startled.


    At the end of Dong Pao¡¯s words, three shadows appeared from the darkness. They were assassins who were with Dong Pao. They blocked the entrance of the cave so that Grid couldn¡¯t escape, and red at Dong Pao.


    ¡°Why are you sote?¡±


    Dong Pao exined, "Strangely, monsters kept showing up. We were forced to slow down while handling them.¡±


    The 13th ranked assassin, Sniffer didn¡¯t believe it.


    "Monsters? If you want to lie, do it properly. Isn¡¯t it hard to find one wolf in the area, let alone monsters? This is why I hate the Chinese. You bluff every time you open your mouth!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lie. If you don¡¯t believe me, check it out yourselfter.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I understand, so stop.¡± The 11th ranked Kerb didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. He calmed down the situation and aimed two daggers at Grid. ¡°Hey. If you don¡¯t want to die and lose experience, give us your money. Then we¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    Assassins were specialized in assassination.


    Their ss change quest was assassination, and they received additional rewards depending on how many people were assassinated. The assassins steadily performed assassinations and gained a lot of experience fighting people.


    Assassins were able to show off their unique presence in this ce where all types of skills were suppressed due to Marie Rose. They also had numerical superiority, so Kerb didn¡¯t doubt that they could handle Grid.


    On the other hand, Grid grasped the situation and asked Dong Pao.


    ¡°Dong Pao, don¡¯t priests of the Reba Church have to obey thews? Isn¡¯t it against their doctrines to harm the lives of travellers for money? This act of betraying Goddess Reba, doesn¡¯t it have fatal consequences to you as a priest?¡±


    Dong Pao shook his head. ¡°A lot of people are confused. They think that Reba priests must always follow thews and doctrines to keep their position. But the reality was different. We have to only obey thew during the quest period. It doesn¡¯t matter what wrongdoings I do if it isn¡¯t discovered by the church.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your divine power stat strengthened by following thews and doctrines? Rather than acting for immediate profits, isn¡¯t it better in the long run to follow thews and raise your divine power?¡±


    To Dong Pao, Grid seemed desperate to live. He felt very sympathetic towards the pathetic persuasion.


    "Brother, have you forgotten what I said earlier? We have something called prayer. Divine power can be raised through praying, so I don¡¯t need to worry about following thews. I don¡¯t deny Goddess Reba, despitemitting evil. I deeply believe in, admire and love the goddess in my heart. My loyalty to the goddess is so deep that even now, my divine power is rising slowly and steadily.


    "..."


    "It is still unknown to the outside, but the Reba Pope is a very depraved person. The pope often breaks thews and doctrines of the church. But his divine power is enough to transcendmon sense. His belief in Goddess Reba is absolute.¡±


    "That¡¯s just a contradiction.¡± The 7th assassin Shay came forward. He thought that the Reba Church was very silly. "The Yatan Church is the one that stands for pure evil. They believe that evil is the right way. But the people from the Reba Churchmit atrocities, even though they realize they have to do good deeds. The front and back are different, so they are far sneakier and more dangerous than the Yatan Church. Well, it has nothing to do with us... Give us your money.¡±


    Grid examined Shay¡¯s body.


    ¡®He is armed with top-notch items. At least level 200...¡¯


    The Legendary ckmsith¡¯s Discernment skill allowed him to gauge the level of the items that Shay was wearing. Thanks to that, Grid could see that Shay wasn¡¯t an ordinary opponent.


    ¡®Rankers. The other two people are even higher than Dong Pao.¡¯


    But.


    ¡¯... They are boringpared to Faker.¡¯


    Grid was in the same guild as the 1st ranked assassin, Faker.. He had witnessed Faker¡¯s skills several times. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel afraid in front of these people.


    ¡°You guys, you have picked the wrong prey to hunt.¡±


    Grid armed himself with two items that had been in his inventory the entire time he was with Dong Pao.


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been equipped.]


    [Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet has been equipped.]


    ¡°...This guy?¡±


    Dong Pao and the assassins were astonished when they saw Grid pull out a ck greatsword and a bizarre skull helmet. Wasn¡¯t he the famous ughterer who wiped out the Giant Guild not long ago? They didn¡¯t expect it at all.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    ¡°You brought a big shot here?¡±


    Shay rebuked Dong Pao.


    It was true that the higher level the target, the higher the ransom value. However, there was a line. An opponent that was too strong wasn¡¯t weed, because there was a possibility that their threats wouldn¡¯t work and the situation would reverse.


    Dong Pao thought it was unfair. ¡°The butcher¡¯s face and ID weren¡¯t revealed. How could I know that he would be the butcher?¡±


    The person he met purely by chance and selected to be the target of a crime was actually the infamous Psychopath Butcher! Dong Pao felt a chill at the thought of apanying him for half a day without knowing it.


    ¡®He is a very cruel and violent person based on the video... I was lucky he didn¡¯t sink a knife into my back while hunting.¡¯


    ¡®What weak behavior.¡¯


    Shay shook his head as the scared and panicked Dong Pao. He pulled out a weapon that was around 80cm in length and rotated it with a swaggering attitude.


    "Since we are already here, shall I measure how good the famous Psychopath Butcher is?¡±


    In the end, he didn¡¯t back down from a fight.


    Dong Pao made a fuss.


    ¡°H-Hey, Shay! Didn¡¯t you see his battle video? Are you ignoring the power of his wide area skills? He must certainly have a hidden ss, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to retreat than fight? Isn¡¯t it better to settle this peacefully?¡±


    ¡°Peacefully? So a person who killed a lot of people in order to earn money wants peace?¡± Shay ridiculed before exining the situation. ¡°As you say, he has a powerful skill. I would¡¯ve avoided him if I encountered him in a normal ce. However, this cave seals all types of skills. There is a good chance we can win with that guy¡¯s strength sealed.¡±


    Shay was almost certain that he could win. Then he started the assault towards Grid.


    Sakak!


    The sword shed in the darkness, while the ck greatsword stood against it.


    Chaaeng!


    When the two swords hit each other, the dark cave brightened for a moment, as if sparks had been lit. At that moment, the terrible appearance of the skull helmet was clearly revealed. Shay remarked, "If you were a regr person, I would wonder how you could wear such a terrible looking helmet. But it is pointless to understand the psychology of psychopaths.¡±


    Grid shouted angrily. "Do you think I like wearing this helmet? I don¡¯t have a choice due to its performance! Fuck! Don¡¯t call me a psychopath!¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Kerb and Sniffer admired the continuous exchange between the two.


    "That bastard, he is quickly reacting to all of Shay¡¯s attacks.¡±


    Assassins had high agility, so their swiftness was outstanding among all sses. Shay was the 7th strongest assassin. When thinking about Satisfy as a whole, there were few who could respond to Shay¡¯s attack speed.


    Grid was armed with a slow greatsword but he managed to block all of Shay¡¯s attacks. Dong Pao¡¯s mouth dropped open, ¡°Is he skilled inbat, or is he predicting the trajectory of the attacks using Shay¡¯s movements?¡±


    Kerb shook his head, "No, he doesn¡¯t have such skill. He is simply fast.¡±


    "What?"


    Sniffer clicked his tongue at Dong Pao. "Do the Chinese have something covering their eyes? Get rid of it and look properly. The speed with which Grid is wielding his greatsword isparable to Shay¡¯s attack speed.¡±


    Dong Pao couldn¡¯t believe it. Grid¡¯s greatsword was 3m long and weighed more than 20kg. On the other hand, Shay¡¯s sword was less than 1m in length and was light. When taking into ount length and weight, wouldn¡¯t Shay have the advantage? Was it possible?


    Kerb exined. "It means that Grid¡¯s strength and agility is high enough to exceed our imaginations. Skills aren¡¯t a problem. That person is a monster with stats.¡±


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    After exchanging dozens of blows, Shay was forced to step back first.


    ¡®It feels like hitting a rock every time I hit the greatsword.¡¯


    His right arm was cramping up. Shay could no longer withstand Grid¡¯s overwhelming attack power.


    ¡°Grid... Your name isn¡¯t within the top 3,000 list, but you are much stronger than me. Even if you are a hidden ss, isn¡¯t it too much to surpass the concept of level? Honestly, I think there¡¯s a problem with bnce."


    Grid snorted. "Have you ever met a hidden ss? Then you don¡¯t know. In order to obtain a hidden ss, constant effort and good luck is needed. Well, you might be a hidden ss after 100 years of buying lottery tickets?¡±


    ¡°Unlucky bastard.¡±


    Shay signalled to his colleagues. Then both of them moved in a sh, appearing on either side of Grid.


    "First of all, I¡¯ll make you bleed! Then you will pay with your lives!¡±


    Papapat!


    Sniffer had yearned for a fight and threw three darts while shouting. On the other hand, Kerb remained silent as he aimed two daggers.


    "What will you do?¡±


    For Grid who umted a lot ofbat experience, the thrown weapons were simple. He spun and hit all weapons flying from both sides. In the process, Grid sensed the unusual weight of the darts that Sniffer threw.


    ¡¯Is he specialized in throwing techniques?¡¯


    The same assassins might have different characteristics. Some were specialized in stealth, others in swiftness, some in trap and another in throwing weapons. In a one-against-many situation, Sniffer was able to y the role of a sniper, so Grid decided that Sniffer was the most annoying. At the same time, a sh of ck sword was fired.


    "Aigoo!¡±


    Sniffer leaned back and narrowly avoided the attack, then threw new darts from that dangerous posture. As Grid was paying attention to Sniffer, Kerb approached from the rear and swung his two daggers. Then Shay moved up the walls towards the ceiling and dropped towards Grid from the top.


    It was a pincer attack with perfect timing.


    ¡®Victory!¡¯


    Shay, Kerb and Sniffer were convinced of their victory. But Grid was beyond theirmon sense.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was truly absurd. A golden disc suddenly appeared and blocked all of Sniffer¡¯s darts. Then it flew and blocked Shay¡¯s weapon. Another golden disc waspeting with Kerb¡¯s daggers.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    What were these discs that flew and interfered with their attacks? The assassins were stunned. Grid started a sword dance while the three people were off guard.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    ck sword waves spread all over the ce. Turmoil appeared in the cave as the assassins flew all over the ce without even screaming.


    ¡°Cough, cough! Ugh! How...? How can you use a skill in this ce?¡±


    Assassins had passive skills that allowed them to avoid all sorts of attacks with a certain probability. But this cave even sealed passive skills. It was unbelievable that Grid managed to use a skill in this ce.


    "Aren¡¯t there many stars in the world?¡±


    Grid spoke as he approached the three people. The three of them were frightened and tried to resist.


    ¡°Ugh! Shit! Crazy!¡±


    Shay¡¯s movements were noticeably slow. It was due to the debuff after being hit with Wave.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Grid yawned as he blocked Shay¡¯s attacks, like it was boring.


    "Damn you!¡±


    It was the moment that someone within the top 1,000 rankings was shamed!


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Suuk.


    Grid lightly avoided Shay¡¯s attacks. Then Kerb was split in half by Dainsleif as he tried to approach from the rear.


    "You monster!¡±


    Sniffer couldn¡¯tugh anymore as he threw all the darts in his possession. But the dozens of darts were blocked by just two golden discs. They failed to even hit Grid¡¯s cloak.


    "Indeed, you guys can¡¯t even catch up with Faker¡¯s toes.¡±


    Sukakak!


    A strike fell from the sky and struck Shay and Sniffer simultaneously. Grid watched them turn into a grey light and once again realized how strong Faker was. Then he turned towards Dong Pao.


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    Complete devastation. Grid fired a single skill and killed three top assassins in an instant.


    ¡®How...?¡¯


    Dong Pao once again checked Grid¡¯s level, since they were still in a party. 150. Grid had been level 147 the first time they met and he gained three levels on the way here to reach 150. Yes, a mere level 150 managed to beat the level 200 Shay and the level 180 Kerb and Sniffer.


    ¡®Is this a hidden ss...?¡¯


    It was his turn next. Dong Pao had tried to take money and kill Grid.


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡±


    No one wouldn¡¯t want their experience to drop. Experience wasn¡¯t the only problem. In the worst case, a user would drop items when dying. Dong Pao wanted to avoid death, even if he needed to kiss Grid¡¯s feet.


    ¡°S-Spare me! Brother!¡±


    Dong Pao bowed. Grid approached him and squatted, ¡°How many people in this ce have begged you with the same emotions you are feeling now?¡±


    "..."


    Dong Pao had never counted. Looking back now, he was able to realize the great despair that the people who had been harmed by him felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry! I¡¯m a bastard! Brother! I won¡¯t bargain over the lives of others again! I will nevermit evil again, so please spare me!¡±


    ¡°What? It has nothing to do with me if you do this to anyone else.¡±


    "B-But didn¡¯t you just talk about how many people I hurt here?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering... I am thankful for your earlier support. I was going to distribute the items obtained from hunting with you, but now you have lost that right. Yes?¡±


    Dong Pao nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! Your words are correct! I am the trash who tried to deceive you in order to take your life and money! It doesn¡¯t make any sense for you to distribute the items to me! Of course Brother should keep the items. So please just spare my life...!¡±


    Dong Pao begged for his life until thest moment. But he couldn¡¯t escape death.


    Puok!


    ¡°K-Keok!¡±


    Dong Pao¡¯s face lost arge amount of blood at once and he quickly became like a mummy. Grid wasn¡¯t the one who killed him.


    "Don¡¯t tell me, you...¡±


    Grid braced himself. An unidentified woman appeared behind Dong Pao and sucked his blood like a vampire.


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    The woman smiled through a blood-soaked mouth. As soon as Grid saw her red eyes, many notification windows appeared in front of him.


    [You have encountered Vampire Countess Marie Rose.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. You will lost your willpower and control over your body.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s attraction is absolute. Her charm is so high there is even high odds of both genders being attracted.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid maintained asrge a distance from Marie Rose as possible. Then he carefully opened his mouth.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly wake up for hundreds of years when your seal isn¡¯t released? Were we being too loud?¡±


    Marie Rose pointed to Mcus¡¯ Cloak.


    ¡°There is the blood of thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people soaked into the cloak you are wearing. Isn¡¯t that enough stimtion to wake me up?"


    Mcus, a priest of the Yatan Church, had killed countless virgins for decades. The blood of the virginspletely covered the cloak and was a great stimulus to vampires.


    ¡°But you, aren¡¯t you quite unusual? You don¡¯t have strong divine powers like Reba¡¯s Daughters, nor do you have strong magic power like Braham, but my gaze and presence have no effect on you... How strange.¡±


    Marie Rose appeared to be in her early 20¡¯s. Jishuka had a morous beauty and Yura had a neat beauty, but Marie Rose¡¯s beauty transcended them. Her beauty was so unrealistic that it seemed like an illusion.


    It was so perfect that Grid didn¡¯t feel any attraction towards her. He wasn¡¯t bewitched at all and could stay calm.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this strangeness interesting? Are you interested enough to keep me alive? I woke you up from your seal, so please do me this favor.¡±


    Marie Rose caused the worst conditions, such as sealing of skills and controlling the body. If she had a strong wide area skill, she would be invincible. From 1st to 200th on the rankings, the top rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat her even if they ran all at once. It was natural for Grid to feel fear. Marie Rose didn¡¯t dislike this.


    ¡°Cute. Huhut... Let¡¯s meet again one day.¡±


    Saaah!


    Marie Rose¡¯s beautiful body instantly turned into ck powder and was blown away in the wind. After that, Grid was concerned that Marie Rose woulde back and took off his cloak. Then he stopped as he was about to go straight to the Vatican. He found several items on the ground.


    "This is another good fortune!¡±


    The assassins and Dong Pao dropped items after dying. Grid quickly forgot about the fear that Marie Rose caused as he smiled and picked up the items.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    "Rin, shouldn¡¯t you be faithful to me and Goddess Reba, as well as serve as a role model to the believers?¡±


    The Vatican. Dozens of senior pdins and priests watched as one of Reba¡¯s Daughters, Rin was questioned.


    She dered, ¡°This is a misunderstanding. My loyalty to Goddess Reba and Your Holiness is eternal. I will never betray Your Holiness.¡±


    "If you are loyal, why haven¡¯t you responded to my calls? Shouldn¡¯t you obey mymands in any circumstances?¡±


    Last January.


    Drevigo rose to the seat of 13th pope after defeating the other candidates, and revealed himself as soon as he seized power. Almost two years after he became a pope, he broke thews to fill his own self-interests and defiled the honor of Goddess Reba.


    The high priests were remorseful and tried to correct their mistake, but they weren¡¯t sessful. Those who made anyments were demoted to temples in remote areas. Only those who didn¡¯t care and became corrupt with the pope remained at the Vatican.


    Reform was needed.


    Finally, September of this year. The high-ranking clergymen rebelled in order to remove Drevigo from the pope¡¯s seat. But Drevigo had Reba¡¯s Daughters. They were absolutely loyal to the pope and the rebellion failed before their strength. After that, Drevigo was able to consolidate his position even more.


    The priestsmented. Three of the strongest pdins fostered to guard the church were now protecting the worst pope. As long as Reba¡¯s Daughters existed, the pope would remain alive until the end and the Reba Church would rot.


    But now. Due to Drevigo¡¯s endless desires, even Reba¡¯s Daughters could feel the change. Those who had been taught to be absolutely loyal to the pope from a young age were trying to escape their brainwashing.


    ¡°I... I felt confused because Your Holiness didn¡¯t fulfill your duties as a pope. I prayed to Goddess Reba to see if I should submit to yourmands and to ask for answers.¡±


    Rin was strong but she was pure, like a little girl. The pope ridiculed her for answering so honestly.


    ¡°You wondered if you should submit to mymands?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so simple?¡± The pope¡¯s eyes widened as he shouted. "I am the agent of Goddess Reba! It is your duty to believe and follow me. Are you trying to use prayer as an excuse? Rin! You are a dangerous child! You are no longer my daughter! I will reim Ikael¡¯s Sword!¡±


    At that moment, a quest notification window appeared in front of Damian, who was standing next to the high-ranking pdin and priest NPCs.


    [Pope¡¯s Decision]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Reba¡¯s Daughters are the absolute weapons of the Reba Church. Their armed strength is reliable, but they can be dangerous if they aren¡¯t under perfect control. The pope is worried about the worst and eventually gave amand.


    Kill Reba¡¯s Daughter, Rin. Killing her won¡¯t deal a direct hit to the church. As long as Ikael¡¯s Sword exists, an endless number of substitutes can rece her.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Rin¡¯s death.


    Clear Reward: Abilities awakening.


    * You can exert the true abilities of a pdin of the Reba Church.


    Quest Failure: Level -4. Divine Power will decrease by 10,000.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    There were three types of pdins in Satisfy.


    The most popr type of pdins were those belonging to the Judar Church.


    They specialized in a wide range of buff skills and had excellent defense. They were in charge of the party buffs, and were active in party hunting and raised because they were able to serve as the main tanker. They were considered as the most popr ss after the Reba priests.


    Then there were the pdins of the Dominion Church.


    They specialized in personal buff skills and had high attack power. They weren¡¯t popr withrge scale parties and raids, but they were popr in small party hunting. In addition, their singlebat ability was the best among the pdins.


    Thest were pdins of the Reba Church.


    They were the only pdins who could use Heal. But they didn¡¯t have buff skills. However, their amount of healing wasn¡¯t high, so they weren¡¯t popr in party hunting or raids. It was a ss that was only grudgingly epted when a priest couldn¡¯t be found. They had no buff skills and theirbat ability was the weakest among the pdins.


    They were much harder to find than pdins of other churches, and weren¡¯t popr. It was rare to find a user who was a pdin of the Reba Church.


    But wasn¡¯t it strange? Reba¡¯s Daughters were pdins, and not only that, they were the strongest among all NPC pdins. Thanks to their presence, Damian spected that a Reba pdin would be stronger if they broke through a certain point.


    If he reached his second advancement, wouldn¡¯t he be stronger than pdins of other churches? He thought for a bit before choosing to be a pdin of the Reba Church. However, he reached level 200 after much difficulty and didn¡¯t find anything special. The pdins of the other churches were still better than pdins of the Reba Church.


    Damian felt extreme disappointment and skepticism. But right now.


    ¡®Abilities awakening...!¡¯


    It was the reward of his first SS-grade quest after ying Satisfy for over a year. If this quest was cleared and his abilities awakened, Damian was obviously going to be stronger as he originally anticipated. Damian had been waiting for this moment since he became a pdin of the Reba Church.


    He made a decision.


    ¡°...I reject.¡±


    [If you refuse the quest, the pope will view you as a traitor. Do you still want to reject?]


    "..."


    He was a pdin of the Reba Church. Damian had struggled to raise his level and divine power. Everyoneughed and called Reba¡¯s pdins garbage, but Damian didn¡¯t stop dreaming of the day his abilities would awaken.


    Then a month ago, he became 2nd on the pdin rankings. As a result of the effort that other people couldn¡¯t imagine, he was finally faced with the moment his abilities would awaken. So why was he refusing the quest?


    "How can I aim a sword at Rin-chan?¡±


    It was due to his virtuous heart. Damian had been watching Reba¡¯s Daughters for a long time, and was attracted by their beauty and charm. He ran a blog on the Inte praising Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    "Don¡¯t underestimate my virtue...! I refuse the quest!¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    [An angry Pope Drevigo has pointed you out as a traitor.]


    ¡°Disgraceful person! What are you doing? Get rid of him and Rin!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Dozens of senior pdins simultaneously armed themselves. They rushed towards Rin and Damian after receiving the pope¡¯smand.


    "Ah...!"


    Rin was confused. She had been branded as a traitor after a lifetime of loyalty, so she had no idea what to do. Damian ran to her side and reassured her, "Rin-chan, it will be okay. I will protect you.¡±


    Excluding the time he spent ying Satisfy, Damian spent all his time managing his blog and watching Japanese anime. Now he had an opportunity to defend the heroine, just like the protagonists of the animes he watched.


    Rin was tearful as she looked at his back.


    ¡°Damian... I¡¯m not alone?¡±


    Damian nced at her and replied. ¡°Yes. I am beside Rin-chan. And Goddess Reba will surely protect us.¡±


    At that moment, a new quest window emerged in front of Damian.


    [Goddess¡¯ Divine Punishment]


    Difficulty: ss change quest.


    Your choice to reject the corrupt pope¡¯smand wasn¡¯t wrong. Goddess Reba has blessed you.


    As an agent of Goddess Reba, punish the corrupt pope!


    Quest Progress Reward: Abilities awakening.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Pope Drevigo¡¯s death.


    Quest Clear Reward: The hidden ss ¡®Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡¯


    Quest Failure: Level -20. You will lose your current ss. Theplete corruption of the Reba Church.


    * The hidden ss change quest has the power to transform Satisfy¡¯s world, ording to the result. Please be careful.


    [Goddess Reba has blessed you for following her teachings faithfully.]


    [Due to this, your suppressed powers have been awakened.]


    [All stats have increased by 100.]


    [The skill ¡®Light¡¯s Blessing¡¯ has been generated.]


    [The skill ¡®Heart¡¯s Desire¡¯ has been generated.]


    Kkuok!


    Damian gripped his sword tightly.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    His heart was thudding. His blood was boiling. It was the first time in 32 years that his adrenaline rose like this.


    ¡®I chose this.¡¯


    Reality was different from manhwa. The main characters in manhwa were rewarded for their effort, but reality was grim. It was a world that was only beneficial to those who studied or had money.


    In reality, Damian couldn¡¯t be a protagonist. But Satisfy was another reality, and his efforts and choices were repaid, giving him a chance to be a hero.


    ¡°Drevigo! As an agent of Goddess Reba, I will deal out divine punishment! Light¡¯s Blessing!¡±


    [You and your party¡¯s defense, attack power and uracy will increase by 80% for 3 minutes.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Damian was surrounded by a golden light as he broke through the pdins and reached Drevigo. Drevigo reached out. "You dare to act as an agent of the goddess in front of me. Do you believe that you can receive a divine message?¡±


    Kwaang!


    Drevigo¡¯s belief in Goddess Reba was real. His overwhelming divine power wasparable to Reba¡¯s Daughters. The power of light fired from his fingertip easily prated Damian¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Cough..!¡±


    [You have lost 41% of your health from a single blow.]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    What was this result? His vision was going crazy. His body couldn¡¯t move the way he wanted.


    ¡®Indeed, I... I¡¯m not a protagonist.¡¯


    Damian fell into a stunned state and was unprotected. The moment the pope was about tounch another attack at him and all his efforts were in vain...


    ¡°How funny... I came here to meet the pope, so why is there a quest to destroy the pope?¡±


    The doors of the huge room opened without permission and an outsider entered. It was a man wearing a scruffy cloak and a bizarre skull helmet.


    ¡°Who is it now?¡±


    ¡°A protagonist? I see.¡±


    Papapat!


    After examining the situation, Grid threw three darts at the pope standing at the end of a long red carpet.


    "Block it!¡±


    The pdins used their shields to block the darts. But the moment the darts hit the shields, an explosion urred and smoke emerged. Grid used that gap to rescue Damian and Rin from the enemy.


    Then he suggested to Damian, whose eyes were wide at the suddenly revealed savior, ¡°Invite me into the party. Instead, can I have all the items that the pope drops? I think that is sufficient for saving your life.¡±


    "..."


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123


    ¡°I... I forced Rin into this...¡±


    The Vatican¡¯s backyard.


    Isabel was crying with her face buried in her knees. She felt guilty for dragging Rin here.


    "I wanted to refuse His Holiness¡¯smand... But I was afraid... I know how much Rin hates the current Vatican... It is because of me... Rin came back here because of me...¡±


    Cassus tried to soothe her, "If you refused His Holiness¡¯s order, Rin would¡¯ve been brought back by another person. Rin will be grateful for being brought politely by a friend, rather than being dragged by someone else. So please don¡¯t beat yourself up about it.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Isabel slowly raised her head. She looked at him with moist eyes. She carefully brushed her long tinum hair away from her eyes and asked gently.


    "Rin... What will happen to her?¡±


    The pope had convened the high ranking members of the church in order to determine Rin¡¯s fate. Isabel wanted to watch, but the pope didn¡¯t give her permission, making her be more anxious. She didn¡¯t want Rin to be treated unfairly.


    Cassus couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡¯Perhaps Rin will... She might be deprived of her qualifications, or in the worst case, she can lose her life.¡¯


    On the surface, Reba¡¯s Daughters were treated as sacred beings only second to the pope and received everyone¡¯s respect. However, the senior members of the church dismissed Reba¡¯s Daughters as consumables, mere powerful weapons. As long as the three divine artifacts were preserved, Reba¡¯s Daughters could be reced at any time.


    ¡®Right now, Reba¡¯s Daughters are people who serve the pope. They are a thorn in the eye of the current pope. The pope will want new Reba¡¯s Daughters, who are unconditionally loyal.¡¯


    The pope would try to pass on the three divine artifacts to new people.


    ¡®Rin isn¡¯t the only one in danger. Maybe sooner orter, Isabel...¡¯


    Cassus¡¯ heart dropped. Reba¡¯s Daughters were raised in the church. They only knew how to exist as enforcers of the church!


    ¡¯... Once they be useless, they are deserted.¡¯


    Why was this terrible thing happening?


    ¡®It is a poor fate.¡¯


    Isabel was only 17 this year and Rin was 19.


    They were born with inherently high divine power and taught how to fight and be loyal to the church since childhood. If they were abandoned by the church, would they be able to adapt to ordinary life? It would be even more unfortunate if they were killed. It was too harsh for them to die without feeling the warmth of family, friends or even a lover.


    ¡®Also...¡¯


    Once new Reba¡¯s Daughters were born who were absolutely loyal to the pope, no one would be able to stop the pope for any longer. From then on, the Reba Church would walk the path ofplete corruption. It was getting out of hand.


    "Someone...¡±


    Cassus, who was usually stoic and expressionless, couldn¡¯t hide what he was thinking. He shed tears for the first time in his life.


    "Someone, please... Save us...¡±


    ¡°Cassus...?¡± Isabel was embarrassed by Cassus¡¯ unusual appearance. She had no idea what to do. ¡°W-Why are you crying all of a sudden? Huh? I-Is it because of me? Am I so depressed that I am making you cry? I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry so don¡¯t cry. Everything is good. Rin will be okay, and someday Goddess Reba will lead His Holiness to the right path.¡±


    Isabel was free-spirited. Despite being harshly raised by the church, she had a strong personality. There were many times when she made people tired, but she had a warm heart like sunshine. She was in the most difficult position, yet she was smiling andforting her subordinates?


    Cassus became sadder at the thought of this sacred, beautiful and warm life ending. The moment he was about to burst out sobbing.


    "Why is a big man crying? Eh? Especially in front of a girl. What a shame.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Why was this voice familiar? Cassus was surprised by the emergence of an unexpected figure and hurriedly looked back. A ck-haired young man was standing there with a smile.


    ¡°It has been a long time, Cassus.¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Winston Castle had asked for the support of a priest to make the Divine Shield, and Cassus had been dispatched. At the time, Cassus had bonded with Grid while two Divine Shields were produced. But he never dreamed that this rtionship would continue again.


    Why had Gride to the Vatican?


    "Why are you here... No?¡±


    Cassus¡¯ eyes widened in the middle of his question. It was due to the evil magic power and blood of virginsing from the cloak that Grid was wearing.


    ¡°That cloak...!¡±


    Isabel said, ¡°That is Mcus¡¯ Cloak.¡±


    ¡°Mcus¡¯ Cloak... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Isabel had several encounters with Mcus. It was because she raided several sites where Mcus was offering virgins as sacrifices. She was interrupted every time so she kept missing him, but she heard rumors that mighty soldiers of Winston destroyed Mcus. One of those mighty people seemed to be the young man called Grid.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet such a great warrior.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You!¡± Grid nced at Isabel and was startled. Then he became excited as he recognized her. ¡°Shield Thief! No, Shield Thief Girl! Ah, this... Ah! That¡¯s right! Was it Reba¡¯s Daughter? Hey! Reba¡¯s Daughter! Give me my shield!¡±


    "What?¡±


    Isabel had encountered Grid at Winston Castle. But she didn¡¯t remember Grid because she didn¡¯t see Grid at the time. Cassus exined to Isabel who was puzzled by the nonsense. ¡°He is the cksmith of Winston. He is the creator of the Divine Shield that you are holding.¡±


    ¡°Omo, really? This young man has that type of cksmith skill? Huh? But how can a cksmith kill Mcus?¡±


    Grid strode towards the puzzled and admiring Isabel. Then he unabashedly demanded, ¡°Give me my shield.¡±


    Isabel was embarrassed. "I appreciate the fact that you defeated Mcus. But I can¡¯t help you. The Divine Shield is a dangerous weapon so we have decided to recall all of them. That other shield that you made, could you please give it back?¡±


    "W-What?¡± Grid was dismayed. "How much money did I spend making these shields? Do you have any idea how great the value of the shield is? I can be rich if I sell it!¡±


    ¡°I understand but... I¡¯m sorry. It can¡¯t be helped. The policy has already been set.¡±


    ¡°D-Dammit!¡±


    Grid was grumpy at the thought of losing his legendary rated Divine Shield. How could he be calm when he was going to be robbed of items worth hundreds of millions of won? In the end, Grid¡¯s face turned red as he prepared to fight.


    "Blood won¡¯t be shed if you give me the shield immediately.¡±


    Grid was currently level 150. He was differentpared to when the Divine Shield was stolen by the Yatan follower. His confidence was overflowing, despite facing the Reba Church¡¯s strongest pdin.


    Cassus tried to talk to him as Grid pulled out the greatsword. ¡°Grid, please calm down. Let¡¯s start with a conversation first. Why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you! What are you saying? Do I seem like I want to talk right now? Eh?¡±


    "Grid, please. Please calm down.¡±


    Cassus bowed deeply. Grid was reminded of the time he made the items with Cassus and somewhat calmed down. Then he exined, ¡°I came to see the pope.¡±


    "His Holiness?"


    "I have something that I want him to bless... I also wanted to ask for the Divine Shield back.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Cassus felt it was mysterious. It was amazing to reunite with someone who he thought was merely a passing rtionship.


    ¡®This is all Goddess Reba¡¯s doing...¡¯


    What did his rtionship with Grid mean? The moment that Cassus was deeply interested.


    Kwaang!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A powerful explosion rang out from inside the Vatican. Isabel¡¯s face turned white.


    ¡°This divine power... It is His Holiness!¡±


    Something had certainly happened to Rin. Was the pope doing something terrible to Rin while she stood here? Isabel was concerned about the worst situation and rushed towards the Vatican immediately. Cassus blocked her way.


    "Didn¡¯t His Holinessmand you not to enter? Don¡¯t go. If you break hismand, His Holiness will punish you and Rin.¡±


    Cassus was convinced that Rin was being punished.


    Isabel gritted her teeth.


    "Indeed... I have to save Rin from His Holiness!¡±


    A gold circle was drawn in the empty space. Then a white spear emerged from it. It was one of the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church, Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid observed the spear with admiration.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t recognize it before, but isn¡¯t this a huge weapon? It is much better than the Gale Spear that I made. No, it is a few dimensions above Dainsleif.¡¯


    There was only one person who could produce a weapon like this.


    ¡®Pagma...!¡¯


    He found a clue to Pagma in a ce like this. Grid excitedly grabbed Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡°Hey! Let me see this!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Isabel became angrier at Grid¡¯s actions and firmly waved her spear. He dared put his hand on a sacred weapon. She wanted to blow Grid¡¯s body into a tree that was 100m away. However...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The spear wouldn¡¯t swing freely. It was because Grid¡¯s strength as he grasped the spear was beyond the category of humans.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Isabel wielded the spear with all her strength. Then Grid¡¯s body was thrown 30m and he rolled across the ground.


    Ku tang tang tang!


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    Grid felt his vision blurring. He barely managed to get up.


    ¡°What? What is with this girl¡¯s strength?¡±


    Grid stopped putting points in intelligence after securing a certain amount of mana. Then he invested all his points into strength. At level 150 andbined with the effect of his titles, Grid had over 1,500 strength. He had the power to break rocks by swinging a fist.


    Grid¡¯s strength had grown to the level where Toon couldn¡¯tpete anymore. Yet this huge strength wasn¡¯t a match against Isabel.


    ¡®Reba¡¯s Daughters isn¡¯t an empty name.¡¯


    She was a slender girl, but she exerted physical strength that was beyond the limits of humans! Isabel reached the front door of the Vatican while Grid was admiring her.


    "Isabel! Please stop!¡±


    ¡®Just wait a little longer, Rin, I will save you!¡¯


    Cassus couldn¡¯t stop her. Isabel opened the doors to the Vatican, filled with the desire to save Rin. It was at that moment.


    Kwaang!


    A girl with purple hair descended from the roof of the Vatican and attacked Isabel.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Isabel was astonished as she barely managed to defend against the attack. The girl who suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Vatican! She was thest of Reba¡¯s Daughters and the owner of Everiel¡¯s Shield, Luna.


    ¡°Here... You can¡¯t enter.¡±


    Isabel shouted at her, "Luna, get out of my way! Rin is in danger!¡±


    Luna shook her head. ¡°His Holiness¡¯mands are absolute... I have to follow them.¡±


    ¡°Really... You really can¡¯t? It is a request.¡±


    Isabel begged. But Luna was adamant.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I can¡¯t.¡±


    Luna was much younger than Isabel and Rin. She was 14 years old this year so the brainwashing was still strong. Unlike Isabel and Rin who thought for themselves, she only obeyed orders. She was the one who had the most achievements when suppressing the rebellion three months ago, and she was the one most favored by the pope.


    ¡°It is impossible to break Everiel¡¯s Shield... This can¡¯t be... Rin...!¡±


    Isabel was well aware that she couldn¡¯t persuade Luna and felt desperate. At this moment, Rin was suffering alone. Isabel was the only one who could help Rin, but why was the goddess giving her such trials?


    "Goddess, are you throwing Rin away...?¡±


    The moment that Isabel felt despair... A notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [Help the Reba Church!]


    Difficulty: ss quest.


    The Reba Church is a religion with deep ties to Pagma. The friendship between 5th Pope Franz and Pagma is still spoken about hundreds of yearster.


    As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, you are obliged to help the Reba Church that is being corrupted by 13th Pope Drevigo.


    Kill Pope Drevigo!


    Help the Reba Church!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Drevigo¡¯s death.


    Quest Clear Reward: Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing.


    * This is a sub-quest that works in conjunction with the second ss quest. If you fail this quest, you won¡¯t meet the conditions to clear the second ss quest.


    ¡°Are they crazy?¡±


    Look at the warning window! If he failed this quest, he would fail his ss quest! Grid couldn¡¯t understand it.


    "Shit, what is this craziness?¡± It was a quest that caused him to tremble. ¡°Ah, this is really... If I fail... Huh?¡±


    Grid wasining when his gaze fell on the spear in Isabel¡¯s hand. A transparent arrow, visible only to Grid¡¯s eyes, was pointed at Isabel¡¯s spear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    A transparent arrow, visible to only Grid¡¯s eyes, was pointed at Isabel¡¯s spear. It was the helper system that guided the user. Like every other user, Grid received a lot of help from this system in the early days. It helped him even after he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant, like with the bellows.


    Anyway, this meant the system was telling him that the spear was a clue to this quest.


    ¡°I see,¡± Grid reminded himself. In the case of quests with an extremely high failure penalty, the system was set up to help the user seed.


    "Hey, Isabel.¡±


    "What?"


    Isabel, who had been feeling despair over Luna, frowned at the call.


    Grid told her, "I will kill the pope and then rescue Rin. In return, give me my shield. Understood?"


    ¡°....¡±


    Why? Isabel felt an unknown sense of trust from Grid¡¯s absurd words.


    ¡®Believe in him.¡¯


    Somehow, she seemed to hear the voice of Goddess Reba.


    ¡°...Really? Will you really save Rin? Has Goddess Reba condemned His Holiness?¡±


    Grid nodded at her question and replied, "Yes, that¡¯s what the sky said.¡±


    He approached Isabel and grabbed her spear that the arrow was pointing towards.


    "You!"


    Isabel panicked because Grid once again touched the sacred spear. Grid ignored her and used a skill,


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who bes a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Sealed Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 1,000/1,000 Attack Power: 730~1,270


    * Divine Power +1,500


    * All stats +60.


    * 100% increase in health recovery.


    * Fixed damage of +2,000 on each attack.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Shield of Light¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light of Guidance¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®White Transformation¡¯ will be generated.


    * Attack power +20% against those with dark magic power.


    It is one of the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church.


    The 5th Pope Franz asked the legendary cksmith Pagma to seal its power.


    Conditions of Use: Reba¡¯s Daughter.


    Weight: 400


    In the case of ¡®Failure¡¯ which Grid created without considering the bnce, the conditions of use were ridiculously high but the performance was superior tomon sense. And Lifael¡¯s Spear was a weapon that was almost like Failure. However, the surprising thing was that it was sealed.


    ¡®Pagma sealed it? Why?¡¯


    The moment that Grid was feeling admiration. A white sh emerged from the spear! Then a golden glow appeared and a notification window popped up.


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,500/1,500 Attack Power: 2,330~2,890


    * Divine Power +3,000


    * All stats +200


    * 300% increase in health recovery.


    * Fixed damage of +5,000 on each attack.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Shield of Light¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light of Guidance¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®White Transformation¡¯ will always be invoked.


    * Attack power +50% against those with dark magic power.


    It is one of the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church.


    It contains a tremendous divine power that human beings can¡¯t afford to handle, cing a heavy burden on the user¡¯s mind and body.


    Since Reba¡¯s Daughters became short-lived after being unable to cope with the power of this weapon, 5th Pope Franz asked Pagma to seal its power.


    However, Pagma¡¯s Descendant emerged during the 13th Pope¡¯s reign and was able to discover the true power of the weapon, unsealing it.


    Conditions of Use: Reba¡¯s Daughter.


    Weight: 400


    [You have witnessed a god-made weapon!]


    [Insight has increased by 200.]


    [Your insight stat has exceeded 500. You will see the world differently from before.]


    [All cksmith rted skill levels have increased by +1.]


    [You can now produce myth rated items.]


    ¡°This?¡±


    It transcended even ¡®Failure.¡¯ No, this was a weapon strong enough to disrupt the bnce of the world itself.


    ¡®Myth rated items...¡¯ He never imagined that items higher than a legendary rating existed. ¡®Myth rated items, does that mean I am able to make items like Dainsleif? Rather...¡¯


    It was a new experience for Grid.


    ¡®This is a jackpot.¡¯


    There were numbers listed above Isabel, Luna and Cassus¡¯ head. Isabel had 55,000 above her head. Luna had 26,300. Cassus had 4,000. Through Grid¡¯s increased insight, he was aware of what these numbers meant.


    ¡®Theirbat power.¡¯


    Kuoooh!


    An enormous golden energy started to explode from Isabel. Due to the awakened Lifael¡¯s Spear, the skill ¡®White Transformation¡¯ was automatically activated. Then Isabel¡¯sbat power started to climb until it reached 120,000.


    Gridughed. ¡°It is convenient but... What is this? I¡¯m not the protagonist of a manhwa.¡±


    100 years ago, there was a manhwa that was regarded as one of the best masterpieces and created a craze all over the world. The manhwa characters could measure the target¡¯sbat power with a machine or ability.


    ¡°Why did an ability from a manhwa 100 years ago appear?¡±


    He was onlyining with his mouth. Grid was well aware of how useful the newly acquired ability could be. On the other hand, Luna was looking at Isabel.


    "..."


    She had admired Isabel¡¯s beautiful hair for a long time. Luna¡¯s hair was colorful and curly, while Isabel¡¯s hair was tinum and long, like beautiful silk. Luna coveted it more than jewellery. Now Isabel¡¯s beautiful hair was influenced by the explosion of divine power.


    "I have to fight.¡± Luna also liked Rin. She followed Rin like they were actual sisters. It was the same with Isabel. Isabel was as good as Rin. But Luna had to fight. She was taught to obeymands.


    In the end, Luna also used White Transformation. Herbat strength only reached 50,000. The difference inbat power was obvious.


    ¡®Isabel will win this fight.¡¯


    Grid was confident, while Isabel was feeling confused.


    ¡°H-How did this happen?¡±


    Lifael¡¯s Spear became much more powerful than before. It was a power that couldn¡¯t be controlled. It seemed like she could beat any opponent. She was confident that she could prate Everiel¡¯s Shield, which boasted a high defense.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    She was panicking as she felt her divine power rising indefinitely when Grid reached out to her. He spoke as if he was blessing her, ¡°Have strength. I will go rescue Rin first.¡±


    ¡°Um...!¡±


    As soon as she heard Rin¡¯s name, Isabel recovered his spirit and grasped the spear tightly. She felt a desire to fight Luna.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    Isabel was motivated by the mention of Rin. Now Isabel would fight to save Rin. She would defeat Luna and kill the pope. It was perfect insurance. This would allow him to clear the quest.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Grid entered the Vatican after passing through Luna, who was blocked by Isabel. He ran down a long hallway while pulling out Dainsleif and the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet. Then he felt something from the innermost giant doors that were closed.


    ¡°There!¡±


    Kwaang!


    Grid kicked the doors with his feet. He witnessed the pope standing on the other end of the red carpet like a viin.


    ¡°That guy?¡±


    The bewildered pope asked. Grid examined the situation before replying. A man and woman were surrounded by dozens of pdins and priests. It seemed like he appeared at an exquisite moment. Yes, just like a character from a movie.


    Gridughed at the atmosphere.


    ¡°A protagonist? I see.¡±


    He answered and put a hand on his belt.


    [Kenen¡¯s Dart Belt]


    Rating: Unique


    The favorite belt of Kenen, a master of assassination who made many people panic.


    One dart will be charged every 20 seconds and up to three darts can be charged.


    The type of dart generated is random, and it will have different effects depending on the type.


    Conditions of Use: Assassin Throwing Technique Level 7 or above.


    Weight: 140


    It was an item dropped by Sniffer when he died. It was simr to an infinite quiver, but the infinite quivermonly had fixed types of arrows. But this belt produced random darts. This was a disadvantage, but Grid tried using it on the way here and the performance was very interesting.


    ¡¯That bastard, he must be crying tears of blood after dropping this item.¡¯


    Really stupid. A PK user had a very high probability of dropping items upon death. They dared to attack even knowing the risk, how stupid.


    Papapat!


    Gridughed and threw darts towards the pope.


    "Block it!¡±


    The pdins used their shields to protect the pope.


    Pepepeng!


    The darts hit the shields and caused a smoke screen. Grid clicked his tongue. "There is the poison fog function, so why is this just in smoke?¡±


    As expected, he had no luck. He scowled as he moved quickly and rescued Rin and Damian. Then he checked theirbat power.


    ¡®Oh, isn¡¯t this great?¡¯


    Damian¡¯sbat power was 12,500. It was very powerful for a user, considering that Rin had 27,000. He must be a top ranker. He seemed to be a pdin, so he should be useful as a tanker.


    Grid told him, ¡°Invite me into the party. Also, can I have all the items that the pope drops? I think that is sufficient for saving your life.¡±


    "..."


    The silence was a positive agreement! In the first ce, Damian must bepleting a simr type of quest. Grid was convinced that Damian couldn¡¯t refuse, so he set the party leader to acquire the items and sent a party invitation. Then the desperate Damian was forced to ept the party.


    Grid was happy as he confirmed the party information.


    ¡¯As expected, he is a top ranker.¡¯


    Damian was a huge level 227. It was simr to the average level of the Tzedakah Guild. It meant he was within the top 200 of users. Damian was also stunned.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The main character who emerged in an urgent situation and saved the heroine! The person had such a strong ambiance, yet he was only level 150? He thought Goddess Reba had given him a lifeline, but it was just a rotten lifeline. The moment that Damian was feeling regret.


    Kwarurung!


    A red lightning bolt pierced the roof of the Vatican and nestled in a ck greatsword.


    Pachichik!Pachik!


    The appearance of a greatsword with red currents around it was very powerful. It was certainly a unique rated item.


    ¡¯That weapon is amazing.¡¯


    Damian was feeling admiration when Grid asked him.


    ¡°As a pdin, can¡¯t you use buff skills? Please use buffs on me.¡±


    Originally, Reba pdins couldn¡¯t use buff skills. It wasmon sense that everyone should know. However, Damian awakened his abilities and received a buff skill. He checked the information on his newly acquired skills.


    [Light¡¯s Blessing]


    You and your party¡¯s defense, attack power and uracy will increase by 80% for 3 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 900


    Skill Cooldown Time: 300 seconds


    [Heart¡¯s Desire]


    The dead will be immediately resurrected on the spot.


    * This doesn¡¯t apply to NPCs.


    Skill Mana consumption: 80% of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    Amazing skills. A buff skill more powerful than Light¡¯s Blessing didn¡¯t exist yet. In addition, the resurrection skill was a top-tier skill that even second advancement Reba priests hadn¡¯t acquired. Perhaps he was currently the only one with a resurrection skill in Satisfy.


    ¡¯Yes, this user might be weak but if I use these skills well...¡¯


    Maybe it was worth fighting. Damian used Light¡¯s Blessing.


    "Wow."


    Grid sincerely admired the buff effect. Then he started to show his transcendent sword dance.


    ¡°What is this?¡¯


    Damian was confused as he watched the man dance instead of attacking. Then Grid stopped dancing and discharged a red and ck sword aura.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    Damian was so amazed that he huped.


    Every time this man swung his sword, the 23 high ranking pdins that the church was so proud of would be injured. The priests struggled to save the pdins from the ruthless bombardment, but the speed at which the sword auras were flying was much faster than the heals. Three or four swords flew while the priests could only use Heal once.


    The heals could no longer keep up and the pdins had to retreat, meaning there were no longer any people protecting the pope.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Grid spoke to the indignant pope, "Were you relying on them to protect you? How tragic.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    The pope shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am? I am Pope Drevigo! I am the parent of 70 million people and as the agent of the goddess, the most sacred being in the world! You dare point a sword at me? This infidel, you aren¡¯t afraid of divine punishment!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± Grid listened quietly before saying something. "You spat at me.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Disgraceful person!¡±


    He had never been insulted like this until now. A pdin was helping the traitor and now this? The pope¡¯s head turned red with anger.


    "I will punish you myself! Don¡¯t think about leaving here alive!¡±


    Grid red at him coldly. "You are always talking about divine punishment... Pope, you haven¡¯t grasped the situation yet? I havee here to inflict divine punishment on you. You are the one who will be punished, not me. So shouldn¡¯t you act a little better? Tsk.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the pope who wasn¡¯t happy with this situation. Grid felt the same. If the pope was a normal person, it would¡¯ve been easy to clear the quest to get the pavranium blessed. However, the pope was a corrupt man and endangered the Reba Church, causing Grid to struggle unnecessarily because of the quest changing.


    "The introduction I received from my father-inw is useless... You, this is really annoying.¡±


    Peeng!


    Grid nervously squeezed Dainsleif. Then his sword aimed at the pope. But the pope wasn¡¯t going to stand still. He responded byunching light magic power.


    Kwa kwang!


    A powerful explosion urred as a white sh and ck sh collided. Due to the aftermath, 10m of the long carpet was burnt to pieces. The remnants of the carpet fell like red eyes looking at Grid with disapproval.


    ¡®My sword was blocked?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sword was enhanced by the red lightning bolt and Damian¡¯s buff skill. The fact that he couldn¡¯t win against the pope¡¯s magic was basically proof that the pope¡¯s magic power was stronger than Grid¡¯s sword.


    ¡®My attack power right now is higher than Mcus¡¯ magic power. Mcus himself would fail to stop me, even if he unfolded a threeyer shield.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand it. His increased insight showed that the pope had abat power of 24,000. Given Damian¡¯sbat power of 12,500 as a level 227 ranker, 24,000 didn¡¯t seem very high. Just looking at the numerical value, two Damians would be able to exertbat power over the pope.


    ¡®Based on Damian... The Tzedakah Guild has an averagebat power of 12,000 at the time of the Mcus raid...¡¯


    17 guild members were involved in the Mcus raid. If the average 12,000bat power of each person wasbined, the totalbat strength would be over 200,000. But didn¡¯t they get overwhelmed by Mcus¡¯ strength, even with abinedbat power of over 200,000?


    In other words, Mcus should have at least 200,000bat power and the pope in front of him should be 10 times weaker than Mcus because he only had 24,000bat power. But after an exchange of blows, the pope felt stronger than Mcus. It was curious.


    ¡®Well...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s high insight allowed him to understand the concept ofbat power.


    ¡¯A small gap inbat power is, in reality, arge gap to cover.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s assertion was correct. While Reba¡¯s Daughters, the pope, and Damian¡¯s attack power were all valued in the tens and hundreds of thousands, actualbat power was delicate enough to feel when there was even a single digit difference.


    The concept ofbat power wasn¡¯t 1+1=2.


    Let¡¯s assume that an attack power of 1 was an ant and an attack power of 2 was a praying mantis. It was impossible for two ants to beat a praying mantis.


    Therefore,bat power was 1+1 < 2.


    This was how the 17 Tzedakah Guild members were overwhelmed by the lone Mcus.


    "The sum ofbat power is meaningless. 17 cats gathered together can¡¯t beat one elephant. And the pope is a top predator that can devour an elephant. Isn¡¯t he incredibly strong?¡±


    ¡°Cat? Elephant? What are you saying?¡±


    The pope couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s words. Grid grinned at his confusion. ¡°I am a cat or an elephant. This is an opportunity to gauge which one.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Infidel, are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t discouraged despite learning that the pope was much stronger than Mcus. Rather, his blood was boiling with excitement.


    ¡®I wonder how far my strength will prevail!¡¯


    Grid had learned how to use his weapons freely during the Guardian of the Labyrinth raid. Lacking destructive power could be covered with control.


    Pepeng!Pepepeng!


    In Grid¡¯s hands, Dainsleif shed at a different angle each time, the sword auras all flying in different orbits. Some flew to the front, to the side and to the rear of the pope. Unless the pope had eyes all over the ce, it was impossible to intercept them all with magic!


    Grid smiled with satisfaction. However, the pope was more formidable than Grid expected. The pope continuously unfolded his light magic power and intercepted Grid¡¯s energy swords one by one.


    ¡°This won¡¯t work!¡±


    A wide area light magic attack was emitted along with the pope¡¯s shout.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was an overwhelming sight. The white magic power spread like sunlight and shattered the ck energy swords.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Grid stared at the brilliant light that was slowly disappearing and truly admired it. "Really strong.¡±


    Was he feeling discouraged? No, that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Okay! I have to do my best!¡±


    There was a unique buff skill just for Pagma¡¯s Descendant. He could only use it for himself, but the effect was extraordinary.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    Pepepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Grid doubled the speed with which he wielded Dainsleif. It meant that his attack speed had doubled.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The attacks poured down like a heavy rain due to Grid wielding the sword without a break!


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    The pope¡¯s face turned white. He continuously fired light magic, but the speed of the light magic couldn¡¯t keep up with Grid¡¯s speed. Once again, the pope released light magic around himself. He was nning to sweep away all of Grid¡¯s energy swords again.


    But this time, the result was different.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    cksmith¡¯s Rage strengthened the power of the energy swords, causing the power of light to be destroyed instead. Then the swordsnded on the pope¡¯s body.


    ¡°You have be stronger? Kuaaaaak!"


    The light magic couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the swords, and the pope¡¯s body was hit again and again. The pope¡¯s terrible scream echoed in the hall as notification windows appeared in front of Grid.


    [You have dealt 13,300 damage.]


    [You have dealt 13,910 damage.]


    [You have dealt 14,080 damage.]


    [The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]


    [You have dealt 28,300 damage.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 31,050 damage.]


    The pope¡¯s health gauge was dwindling at an incredible pace. Grid was able to determine the pope¡¯s total health byparing the amount of damage suffered to the pope¡¯s health gauge.


    ¡®Is it around 300,000?¡¯


    The Guardian of the Labyrinth had a total health greater than 1.2 million. But it was a golem, not a human. The pope was a human being. His inherent health was lowerpared to monsters, so this increased Grid¡¯s confidence.


    ¡®I can catch him with around 20 more hits?¡¯


    He might be able to ovee the pope without Isabel¡¯s help.


    ¡°Puhahahat! The pope should die and drop some items!¡± Grid burst out while expecting victory. He attacked the pope relentlessly and the health gauge ended up dropping to a quarter. Then the duration of Transcend and cksmith¡¯s Rage was over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive in thest wedge here!¡±


    The pope was in a dying state. His white garments embroidered with gold thread had been torn to pieces a long time ago. Grid ran towards him. He narrowed the interval to 10m in a short amount of time and used the strongest skill.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The overwhelming killing intent heated up the atmosphere. A dark haze surrounded Dainsleif. The moment Dainsleif was about to be stabbed into the pope¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Breath...!¡±


    The pope used magic. Then the pope¡¯s health gauge was refilled in an instant.


    ¡®A heal that restores hundreds of thousands of health?¡¯


    The pope¡¯s magic effect didn¡¯t end there. A green translucent shield was unfolded andpletely neutralized Kill. Grid was scared. ¡°What skill is this? Damn, is he a guardian knight?¡±


    The pope used the invincible skill only meant for guardian knights! Grid was surprised by the unexpected move and retreated. Then the pope ridiculed him.


    "The goddess¡¯ divine blessing fully protects my body and soul. No matter what you do, you can¡¯t harm me!"


    The pope was fundamentally a priest. If Reba¡¯s Daughters were the peak of the pdins, the pope was the peak of the priests. The bloody body was restored and he used a broad heal for the pdins who were severely wounded and had withdrawn from battle. He ordered them.


    "What are you doing? Kill that infidel right away!¡±


    "..."


    The pdins didn¡¯t like the pope. They didn¡¯t want to follow such an evil existence that made their church corrupt. But no matter how depraved the pope, he was obviously an agent of the goddess. The high rankings pdins were deeply religious and couldn¡¯t imagine rejecting the pope¡¯s order, grabbing their weapons. Then they simultaneously rushed towards Grid.


    ¡°No, Damian. What are you doing? Are you just doing to watch?¡±


    Grid reacted nervously as he looked at all the opponents in front of him. Damian, who had been watching Grid with shock, btedly recovered his spirit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    A person who was only level 150 had overwhelmed the pope! What the hell was Grid¡¯s identity? It was suspicious. Despite his deep skepticism and confusion, Damian added his power to Grid¡¯s in order to defend Rin.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng chaeng!


    Damian blocked a pdin¡¯s sword with a shield and fought back. His sword was sharp and the pdins couldn¡¯t easily defend against it. Then blood started to pour out of the pdins. Damian was awakened by this quest and received the strongest buff skill. This made him strong enough to overpower the church¡¯s senior pdins.


    Both Damian and Grid were unaware of this, but Damian was now stronger than Toban, who was number one on the pdin rankings. He might not be able to defeat 23 pdins with his power alone, but he could tie up their feet for a while.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll leave this to you!¡±


    Grid determined that Damian alone was enough and rushed to target the pope again. However, the pope had no intention of allowing his approach. The pope sted him with light magic power to stop him.


    Pepeng!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The magician bombardment was concentrated on Grid. Grid wanted to avoid it, but it was hard because the pope grasped his movement patterns and reaction rate, using the power of light efficiently.


    ¡°Ack~!¡±


    Pepeng!


    A white ray narrowly passed over the top of the frightened Grid¡¯s head. Then another ray aimed at his face without giving Grid any room to breathe.


    Jeeeong!


    Grid hurriedly used the Divine Shield to defend. Then a notification window popped up.


    [The durability of the Divine Shield has decreased by 78.]


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯


    The Divine Shield was famous because it was strong against dark magic. But even without such features, the Divine Shield had excellent defense. Even with that, the pope¡¯s blow had reduced the shield¡¯s durability by 1/8th.


    Gridmented.


    ¡®If only I was holding the legendary rated Divine Shield...!¡¯


    He wanted to get rid of the pope quickly and regain the legendary rated Divine Shield. Grid ced the shield in front of him and continued to move forward.


    "How dare an infidel carry our battle gear! It is disgraceful!¡±


    Kwaang!Kwaang!Kwaang!


    Every time Grid stepped forward, a ray of light magic power red and struck the Divine Shield. The Divine Shield rapidly distorted and cracks started to appear. It happened when Grid took his seventh step. The pope thought that his next strike wouldpletely shatter Grid¡¯s shield.


    But Grid had no intention of letting his item be destroyed.


    Peeng!


    Grid identified that the white sh was approached and put away the Divine Shield. Then he armed himself with the Ideal Dagger and used Wind st. The swirling wind slightly twisted the orbit of the white sh. Then the ray brushed past Grid¡¯s cheek.


    Jjejeok! Part of the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet was broken and a little bit of Grid¡¯s face was exposed. Grid endured it.


    "This method worked.¡±


    The pope gritted his teeth, "You still have a lot of tricks left!¡±


    The pope was annoyed since that explosion should¡¯ve blown off Grid¡¯s head, and was about to attack again. Two golden discs appeared out of nowhere and stuck to his back.


    ¡°Kuk?¡±


    The moment that the pope was panicking. Grid used Quick Movements and seeded in narrowing the gap with the pope. Then he fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    Pipit!Pipipipipi-!


    The attack speed of the dagger was iparably fastpared to the greatsword. Then Quick Movements maximized his agility.


    Grid used Link after equipping himself with the Ideal Dagger and managed to unleash 22 attacks. While the damage inflicted was less than that of when he used Dainsleif, the dagger¡¯s delicate control made sure that the pope was persistently hit.


    "Kuaaaak You!¡±


    The pope screamed andunched a counterattack, aiming precisely at Grid¡¯s heart.


    Peeng!


    ¡°No!¡±


    Damian screamed as he confirmed that Grid¡¯s health had fallen by more than half with a single strike. Those who lost more than 40% of their health in a single hit would be stunned and unprotected, meaning Grid was in considerable danger. Damian wanted to run over to Grid to give him healing and protection, but he couldn¡¯t move because of the pdins.


    ¡®This is the end! This quest will fail! I won¡¯t be able to save Rin-chan!¡¯


    At that moment, something strange thing happened: without taking a single potion, Grid¡¯s health still recovered as he remained unaffected by any abnormal status effects. Grid coolly plunged his dagger deep into the pope¡¯s heart.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid felt pain and stumbled the moment the ray of light pierced his heart.


    [You have suffered 14,560 damage.]


    [You have lost 52% of your health from a single blow.]


    His vision was blurry. A normal person would be in a stunned state, but Grid was fine. Then a green light emerged from the blue ring on his finger.


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    [7,280 health has been restored.]


    Doran¡¯s Ring immediately restored half of his lost health! Thanks to that effect, the injury in his heart area quickly recovered. Grid seemed like he would copse but he quickly stood upright.


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    The pope was caught off guard as the +8 Ideal Dagger pierced his heart.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The pope¡¯s face was dismayed as he spat out ck blood.


    ¡®What is this situation?¡¯


    The pope couldn¡¯t believe it. He thought it was finished the moment he prated the heart of the masked bastard, but rather than dying, Grid fought back?


    ¡°This monster...! Goddess¡¯ Breath!¡±


    The pope barely managed to recover his spirit and heal himself. He regained all his health and kicked Grid. It was intended to open a distance so he could use magic, but Grid wouldn¡¯t permit the pope to leave. The pope was a priest, so he would have weak physical abilities. After avoiding the pope¡¯s kick, Grid grabbed his ankle andughed grimly.


    "You, did you think you could get away?¡±


    A chill went down the pope¡¯s spine as his ankle was caught.


    ¡°Heok...! Let me go!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let go!¡±


    Pakak!


    Grid hit the struggling pope¡¯s face. Then he firmly grabbed the pope¡¯s shoulders and pushed him hard. The pope fell to the ground. Grid¡¯s mad eyes could be seen through the helmet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s experiment with how long you can keep healing!¡±


    "This guyyyy!¡±


    Puk!Puk puk.Puk puk puk!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,500 damage.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 6,980 damage.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,330 damage.]


    A critical hit was activated every time he precisely stabbed the dagger into the pope¡¯s heart. Grid burst outughing.


    ¡°Puhahahahat! Die! Die!¡±


    "Kuaaaaack!¡±


    Puk puk puk!


    Red blood spurted. It was a horrible sight. The man in the bizarre skull helmet climbed onto the pope¡¯s body and stabbed the pope with a dagger, causing blood and flesh to scatter all over the ce. The pope¡¯s sharp screams and the helmeted man¡¯s creepyughter filled the ce.


    ¡°U-Uwaaah...¡±


    The pdins and priests turned pale. Right now, the helmeted man in front of them was a butcher and the pope was a beast. The beast was being ughtered by the butcher. The Vatican, one of the most sacred ces in the world, was being turned into a ughterhouse in a manner of minutes.


    ¡°Kuweek!¡±


    The priest started to feel nauseous as they looked at the bloody pope. To them, the man in the skull helmet looked like a demon. In order to punish the wicked pope, a greater evil had descended.


    Damian was finally able to recall who the man in the helmet was.


    ¡®Him...! I knew he was somewhat familiar. He¡¯s the butcher who appeared on TV a while ago.¡¯


    The butcher in the bizarre skull helmet who smashed the Giant Guild in Winston! It was rumored that he was a psychopath, and Damian had no doubt about it.


    ¡®He fights in such a terrible manner...!¡¯


    The sight of the pope being unable to resist the dagger continuously stabbing his heart wasn¡¯t pleasant. In addition, the eerie lighting from the helmet made it creepier. On the other hand, the pope couldn¡¯t believe the situation.


    He reigned over 70 million people, and even kings bowed to him! As an agent of the goddess, he was one of the most divine people in the world! Now he was being humiliated by a trivial guy whose identity was unknown!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    The furious pope once again released light magic around himself. Grid judged that it wouldn¡¯t be safe to be swept away by that power and hurriedly pulled away from the pope.


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    [You have suffered 12,600 damage.]


    [You have lost 45% of your health from a single blow.]


    It waspletely impossible to avoid the light power pouring out.


    Jjejeok!Jjejeok!


    The Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet, that was tinged with red due to the pope¡¯s blood, started cracking. Grid¡¯s face was almostpletely revealed. Then the pope shouted a new magic spell.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath!¡±


    Papat!Papapat!


    Tworge gold circles, approximately 3m in diameter, was quickly created behind the pope¡¯s back. Vast amounts of energy wasing from it. Grid became alert as mana was emitted from the magic circles.


    Kuwaaaang!


    It was like watching an anti-tank gun. The light magic power emitted from the circles was 10 times greater and stronger than the power of light used by the pope. It seemed able to destroy anything.


    "This is the strongest divine magic! You won¡¯t be able to withstand this damage!¡±


    Rin, who knew better than anyone that Everiel¡¯s Shield was the only thing that could defend against it, shouted urgently. But Grid didn¡¯t back down. He would show the peak of his item effects! He deployed the pavranium, the most powerful mineral that transcended the mineral of the gods.


    Peeeeeong!


    Two small golden discs emerged and faced the huge white sh.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The ground shook. The Vatican, which had endured for 500 years, started to copse. The priests and pdins screamed as pirs fell over.


    ¡°Rin-chan!¡± In the midst of the confusion, Damian rushed forward and hugged Rin. Then he protected Rin from the stones falling from the ceiling. ¡°A-Are you okay? Rin-chan?¡±


    ¡°Damian...¡±


    Rin felt something strange as she looked at the bloody Damian. She felt a yearning for the warmth of his arms.


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    Rin existed only as a means to defend the pope and church, and this was her first experience of being protected by someone. Thus, Rin summoned Ikael¡¯s Sword.


    ¡°Me too...! I will fight!¡±


    She had been lethargic and helpless after being abandoned by the church, but now she was filled with determination.


    ¡°If this is the goddess¡¯ will, I will follow! Punish the corrupt pope and rebuilt the Vatican! And Damian, with you, I will lead the Reba Church to the right path again!¡±


    ¡°Rin-chan...!¡±


    A g was nted! Damian flushed as he felt thrilled, then Isabel appeared.


    ¡°Rin! Are you okay?¡±


    She had just finished subduing Luna. Isabel had worried about Rin¡¯s safety after witnessing the copse of the Vatican. Had she lost her life to the pope? Isabel imagined the worst situation and ran, but fortunately, Rin was safe. She was relieved to the point where tears flowed down.


    Rin shouted firmly. ¡°Isabel! I will defeat His Holiness! He has sinned! It¡¯s what the goddess wants!¡±


    Isabel nodded. ¡°Yes...! Let¡¯s join forces!¡±


    The moment that the strongest pdins decided to punish the pope. In the center of the copsed debris of the Vatican! A voice was heard from within the smoke.


    ¡°My prey... Don¡¯t take it.¡±


    It was Grid. His helmet and armor were destroyed because of the shockwave.


    ¡°Damn bastard! I will make you pay for the value of my items!¡±


    On the other side, the pope¡¯s shocked voice was heard. "How did you stop the Goddess¡¯ Wrath...? What are those golden discs?¡±


    The throne where only the pope could sit. The pope was sitting down with exhaustion. His usual dignity was gone and his hair was matted.


    Grid grabbed Dainsleif. Damian saw that he was trying to fight again and hurriedly used Light¡¯s Blessing.


    Shaaaaaah.


    Dainsleif started to be surrounded by a golden light. It was the precursor to Dainsleif¡¯s skill, Golden sh.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Kuwaaaang!


    Grid squeezed out all the power of Dainsleif and a golden sh flew through the remnant of the Vatican towards the pope. Until then, all of Grid¡¯s attacks were physical so the pope was astonished after using a shield that protected against physical attacks.


    ¡°Magic power...!¡±


    That¡¯s right. The Golden sh was a skill that deal damage proportional to his magic power to all targets in a straight line. Grid had no reason to use it since his strength was much higher than his intelligence. However, he used it with exquisite timing in this moment to prate through the shield.


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The pope screamed with pain! Then Grid fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    [The level of Link has risen.]


    [Your damage will increase. The number of times a target is hit will increase by 5 times.]


    It was the first time since acquiring Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. He had used it hundreds of times and it now had finally reached level 2. Now 17 linked strikes cut at the pope¡¯s body.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Protection!¡±


    The pope barely managed to use a skill. A pale green translucent shield was deployed to protect his body.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The pope smiled with satisfaction as he unleashed a counterattack.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    It was a widespread emission of light magic power so it was impossible to defend against with just two discs of pavranium. The pavranium couldn¡¯t protect Grid and Grid suffered a great deal of damage.


    But Grid didn¡¯t fall down.


    [You have suffered 13,000 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,500 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°What...?! What the hell are you? Why won¡¯t you fall?¡±


    The pope cried out in frustration as he tried to use a healing spell. However, he was both physically and mentally exhausted, and most of his magic power was consumed by Goddess¡¯ Wrath. It was impossible to use magic smoothly. In the end, he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Grid unfolded his sword dance as he shouted.


    ¡°Am a legend! Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    [The level of Kill has risen.]


    [Your damage will greatly increase.]


    Peeeeeong!


    The pope grasped thest of his magic power and barely managed to deploy a shield. Then the huge greatsword prated the pope¡¯s chest.


    "Cou...gh! You...!¡±


    Red bloodshot eyes stared at Grid as the pope coughed up blood. Then the pope gradually turned into a grey light. Numerous notification windows popped up in front of Grid.


    [You have defeated the 13th Pope Drevigo, who was corrupting the Reba Church!]


    [500 gold has been acquired.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Goddess¡¯ Essence.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Holy Light Armor.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Holy Light Gloves.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Holy Light Crown.]


    [145,350,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    He was more naughty and wicked than anyone else, but also more noble and divine than anyone else. The reign of Pope Drevigo ended after a long struggle. Then he turned into light. The light that symbolized levelling up shed around Grid¡¯s body dozens of times.


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    Damian was amazed as he confirmed it in the party information window. Grid had been level 150 and he jumped to level 170 instantly.


    ¡®Gaining 20 levels at once...!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid overcame the pope who ruled over 70 million people and gained an unimaginable amount of experience.


    On the other hand, Damian was in a party with Grid, but he only gained a small amount of experience. It was because the system judged that he barely contributed to the battle against the pope. In addition, there were two people in the party but all items dropped were one-sidedly gained by Grid.


    Despite the pope being defeated, Damian wasn¡¯t able to take advantage of the experience and items in any way. But Damian wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    ¡®I just used buff skills on him and tied up the feet of the pdins for a while. He took on the pope alone, and I can¡¯t even envy him, because I didn¡¯t give him much help.¡¯


    The bizarre skull helmet had been shattered by the pope. Damian looked at the exposed Grid with pleasant emotions.


    ¡®Thanks to him, I was able to clear my hidden ss change quest...¡¯


    Notification windows were being renewed in front of him.


    [The quest ¡®Goddess¡¯ Divine Punishment¡¯ has seed.]


    [You have changed to the unique hidden ss ¡®Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡¯]


    [You are qualified to be the pope.]


    [There is a possibility that you will be elected as a pope candidate.]


    [If you are crowned as the pope, you can run the Reba Church. Please be patient until the day when tens of millions of people worship you.]


    [The skill Goddess¡¯ Breath has been created.]


    [The skill Goddess¡¯ Breath has been mastered.]


    [The skill Goddess¡¯ Protection has been created.]


    [The skill Goddess¡¯ Protection has been mastered.]


    [The skill Divine Message has been created.]


    [The Dignity stat has been opened.]


    [The growth rate of divine power will be three times higher.]


    [Goddess¡¯ Breath]


    Recovers 100% of your health and 70% of your party members¡¯ health.


    Skill Mana consumption: 30% of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    [Goddess¡¯ Protection]


    Creates a shield of absolute defense that will invalidate an enemy¡¯s attack once.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    [Divine Message]


    You can hear the voice of Goddess Reba. The goddess will give you a lot of advice. You can earn big profits if you act on that advice.


    Skill Activation Condition: Random


    ¡®Goddess¡¯ breath and protection... Pope Drevigo used it every few minutes, but that was an NPC correction effect. For a user, it was magic with a very long cooldown time.¡¯


    Was he disappointed? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Damian was thrilled.


    ¡¯I didn¡¯t realize it until now. I have a unique hidden ss...¡¯


    These were the ratings of the hidden sses: Rare, epic, unique and legendary! Most of the existing hidden sses had a rare rating. There were only three epic hidden sses revealed and no unique hidden sses. Most users and experts spected that unique and higher hidden sses hadn¡¯t appeared yet.


    But at this moment! Damian was able to obtain a unique hidden ss thanks to Grid. It was a unique hidden ss, far beyond a rare ss! Damian was thrilled and felt infinite gratitude towards Grid.


    ¡¯In my 32 years of life, I have lived a normal life without being able to feel this sense of aplishment once...! Grid, you are my lifelong benefactor! I don¡¯t care if you are a psychopath. To me, you are an angel! Someday... I will repay you someday!¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know about it. The reason he defeated the pope was to clear his own quest, not to help Damian, who he didn¡¯t even know. He was unaware that Damian had just obtained a hidden ss.


    However, it was undeniable that Grid was Damian¡¯s benefactor. In the future, Damian would be sure to repay the favor to Grid, and Grid would gain a solid support without even knowing it.


    ¡°It was hard.¡±


    After knocking down the pope. Grid¡¯s stamina was depleted and hey on the ground without any hesitation.


    "I can¡¯t move a finger.¡±


    Due to the battle with the pope, the Vatican waspletely devastated. Only a few pirs were barely standing, but the ceiling hadpletely copsed, so it could no longer be called a building. There was a satisfied smile on Grid¡¯s face as he looked up at the blue sky through the copsed ceiling.


    ¡®Jackpot.¡¯


    [Holy Light Armor]


    Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 924/924 Defense: 872


    * There is a high chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    * 300% increased in magic recovery effects.


    * 40% reduction in damage from physical attacks.


    * 50% reduction in damage from magic attacks.


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +500, health +6,000.


    An armor that the legendary cksmith Pagma made for 5th Pope Franz.


    Thanks to this armor made by the god mineral adamantium, Franz was able to survive many times in the war against the Yatan Church.


    Since it was an armor customized for Franz, the other popes have stored this armor away.


    Conditions of Use: Franz.


    Weight: 1,517


    [Holy Light Gloves]


    Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 300/3000 Defense: 130 Attack Speed: +20% uracy +40%


    * There is a normal chance of activating ¡®5 Joint Attacks.¡¯


    * There is a high chance of activating ¡®Counterattack.¡¯


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +500, health +6,000.


    An armor that the legendary cksmith Pagma made for 5th Pope Franz.


    There is a legend that Franz, who has a weak sword technique, became a master of the sword when wearing these gloves.


    Since the gloves were personally customized for Franz, the other popes have stored these gloves away.


    Conditions of Use: Franz.


    Weight: 10


    [Holy Light Crown]


    Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 180/180 Defense: 20


    * Intelligence +300


    * Dignity +200


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +500, health +6,000.


    A crown that the legendary cksmith Pagma made for 5th Pope Franz.


    There is a legend that Franz became more intelligent and dignified after wearing this crown.


    Since the crown was personally customized for Franz, the other popes have stored this crown away.


    Conditions of Use: Franz.


    Weight: 25


    Unlike the helmet, the crown¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t very good. However, the effect of the set items seemed enough to cover theck of defense.


    ¡®The performance of the armor and gloves is the best.¡¯


    Grid equipped the items that he obtained.


    [A penalty is applied because the item conditions aren¡¯t met.]


    [Defense of Holy Light Armor will decrease by 55%.]


    [As your understanding of the Holy Light Armor increases, the penalty will decrease.]


    [Defense of Holy Light Gloves will decrease by 55%.]


    [As your understanding of the Holy Light Gloves increases, the penalty will decrease.]


    [Defense of Holy Light Crown will decrease by 55%.]


    [As your understanding of the Holy Light Crown increases, the penalty will decrease.]


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    In the case of legendary items, the penalty for not meeting the conditions of use was 55%. Therefore, only 393 defense would be applied if Grid equipped the Holy Light Armor. The defense of the Holy Light Gloves would be 59 and the Holy Light Crown would be 9 defense.


    But there was the effect of wearing the three set items, so the defense wasn¡¯t low. Furthermore, the option effects were applied too. Grid thought about it positively.


    ¡¯This performance... The understanding of an item will naturally rise if I use it, so I don¡¯t need to be disappointed.¡¯


    In fact, his understanding of Dainsleif had increased, so now the penalty was only around 20%.


    ¡®The bad thing is that they are items that can¡¯t be widely used. No one will buy it if I put it on the auction site... How rotten.¡¯


    Legendary items dropped for the first time, but why were they so special? Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [The quest ¡®Help the Reba Church!¡¯ has seeded.]


    [Affinity with the Reba Church has risen to the maximum. Members of the Reba Church will have unlimited affection and trust in you. You will be able to receive aid from them.]


    [Talk to Reba¡¯s Daughter, Isabel. She will give the goddess¡¯ blessing to the pavranium.]


    He had some rest so he managed to move his limbs. He unequipped the items and rose from his spot with a groan. Isabel, Rin, Damian and dozens of Reba members were watching him.


    ¡°Grid...¡± Isabel approached Grid. Tears were seen in her eyes. ¡°Thank you. Thanks to you, the honor of the goddess... I could keep Rin and everyone else.¡±


    Isabel bowed deeply after her words. Then the other pdins and priest also bowed in unison.


    "..."


    It was a solemn atmosphere. Grid had gotten rid of the pope who corrupted the church over thest two years, so they truly regarded him as a saviour.


    ¡®Cool!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t thispletely a scene from a manhwa? Damian looked at Grid with envy. He viewed Grid as a hero from a manhwa. He was like a great being who defended everyone against evil and was honoured by all after defeating the evil. It was the typical look of a main character that Damian had been dreaming about. Damian truly yearned to be Grid.


    But it was only for a while.


    ¡°For free? If you really appreciate it, shouldn¡¯t you show me some courtesy? Isn¡¯t the Reba Church rich?¡±


    Grid made the shape of a coin with his fingers and demanded with greedy eyes.


    "Give me a tip. As you can see, my helmet and armor broke due to suffering a lot of damage against the pope. I also have to impensation for being mentally injured after Isabel refused to return the Divine Shield.¡±


    "..."


    Grid was greedy. As everyone was speechless, Damian muttered with disappointment, "A person like this...¡±


    After that.


    Grid followed along after Isabel and Rin. They arrived in the centre of the copsed Vatican. Despite the Vatican being swept away in the aftermath of the destruction, there were almost no scratches on the Reba Statue.


    Grid handed Isabel the two discs.


    ¡°Please use the goddess¡¯ blessing on them.¡±


    Isabel received the golden discs. She fell to her knees in front of the goddess¡¯ statue and started praying. Then after a few moments, a warm light came down from the sky and wrapped around the golden discs.


    Ttiring~


    [Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing has fallen on the pavranium.]


    [The pavranium will be able to demonstrate recovery abilities.]


    "Recovery ability?"


    Grid appraised the golden discs.


    [Golden Discs Made of Pavranium]


    Durability: Infinite


    Golden discs made of pavranium, the strongest mineral produced by the coboration between the legendary cksmith Pagma and the legendary great magician Braham.


    By default, they revolve around and protects their owner. They will also take other actions when givenmands from their owner.


    * They have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. They will increase their owner¡¯s health recovery speed by 300%.


    Weight: 5


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    This mineral could also acquire skills? He never even imagined it. The future was bright. In the future, he had to receive the blessings from God Dominion, God Judar and God Yatan. The pavranium would acquire new skills every time, so Grid had great expectations.


    But there was still the matter of God Yatan. He was an enemy of the Yatan Church! How could he get the blessing of God Yatan?


    Grid was sighing when Damian approached him.


    ¡°Mr. Grid!¡±


    "What is it?"


    Grid frowned at Damian¡¯s sudden shout. Damian asked him desperately, ¡°Can I rub my cheek against those golden discs? It is my wish of a lifetime. "


    Grid was bewildered. ¡°Why?¡±


    Damian snorted like a horny bull and exined. ¡°Didn¡¯t it just touch Isabel-chan¡¯s chest? I want to feel the warmth of Isabel-chan¡¯s chest!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    An ordinary looking person was talking like this, so Grid doubted his ears. Isabel hit Damian¡¯s side with her elbow.


    ¡°Keo... Keook!¡± Isabel-chan¡¯s elbow... Haack...¡±


    Damian copsed with a pained but happy expression. Isabel was so embarrassed that she blew him away with the kick. Then she passed the Divine Shield to the stunned Grid.


    ¡°We need a lot of money to rebuild the Vatican. We can¡¯t afford to pay you a tip but... I will give you this as promised.¡±


    It was the moment he recovered the legendary Divine Shield that was stolen a few months ago.


    [Perfect Divine Shield]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 680/680 Defense: 370 Magic Resistance: 280


    * There is a high chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Light¡¯ will be generated.


    * The skill ¡®Divine Favor¡¯ will be generated.


    An item made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    Thanks to the power of Cassus, a priest of the Reba Church, it shines with the divine power of the goddess of light. Due to its strength against dark magic, all followers of demons and the Yatan Church will suffer when facing this shield.


    User Restriction: Level 190 or higher. More than 500 strength. More than 1,000 divine power. A member of the Reba Church.


    Weight: 800


    "...Well, this is it.¡±


    Grid was satisfied. With this Divine Shield, he was confident that he could fight the servants of the Yatan Church.


    ¡¯Yes, if I can¡¯t willingly obtain God Yatan¡¯s blessing, I will force them to give me the blessing.¡¯


    Isabel carefully asked him, ¡°Are you leaving now?¡±


    She felt regret. But Grid was a busy person. He wanted to clear the quest as quickly as possible and return to Winston. Then he could spend a hot night with his beautiful bride!


    ¡°I have to leave. Oh, do you have any influence with the Dominion and Judar churches? I need to obtain God Dominion and God Judar¡¯s blessings.¡±


    Isabel smiled widely, "The Dominion Church and Judar Church are like our brothers. The Dominion Church and Judar Church have pledged allegiance to our pope... I can provide you some strength.¡±


    She felt sorry because she didn¡¯t have anything special to give Grid for his great help. She was d to have a chance to repay Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write an introduction. They will willingly give their blessings with my introduction. I want to apany you but... Sorry. There is a lot of work to do, such as electing a new pope and rebuilding the Vatican.¡±


    "..."


    Grid looked at Damian who had been kicked by Isabel, and confirmed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get up for a while. Then Grid replied, "There¡¯s no need to be sorry. I don¡¯t want to be apanied by a crazy girl like you. This is enough.¡±


    "W-What?¡±


    Isabel became gloomy at the end of his words. Rin looked at him reproachfully, but Grid didn¡¯t notice.


    After receiving the letter of introduction. Grid headed towards the nearest Dominion Church.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    The Judar Church, Dominion Church and Reba Church.


    The three religions weren¡¯t in conflict. Rather, their rtionship was very good. The Reba Church was like a parent to the Judar and Dominion churches. The god of health and wisdom, Judar, and the god of war, Dominion, were the sons of the goddess of light, Reba.


    Among all three religions, Goddess Reba was recognized as supreme. The difference was that the Dominion Church had strong armed forces, the Judar Church worshipped health and wisdom, and the Reba Church sought justice.


    However, the leader of the Judar Church had great ambitions.


    "5th Pope Franz was originally from our church. At the time, the Reba Church didn¡¯t have anyone to be pope so they took him from our church and ced him in the seat of the pope.¡±


    It was true. The 5th Pope Franz was actually the head of the Judar Church. But the Reba Churchcked talent and elected him to be the pope.


    ¡°Look at the present Pope Drevigo. He is someone who isn¡¯t suitable for the status of pope. Everybody has been keeping it quiet, but the Reba Church is bing corrupt due to Drevigo. He should resign and a new person must be pope. It¡¯s natural for the new person to be me.¡±


    The 11th leader of the Judar Church, Pascal! He was a prominent figure iming to be the descendant of 5th Pope Franz. Thanks to his sincerity and outstanding talent, he became the head of the Judar Church, and now he was dreaming of bing the Reba Church¡¯s pope.


    "The 5th Pope and my ancestor set the precedent. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if I became a pope candidate.¡±


    The introduction was too long. A ck haired man, who had been listening silently for a while, wanted to cut to the chase.


    ¡°So... What do I need to do for the sake of you and the church?¡±


    The identity of the ck man was Toban. He was 1st on the pdin rankings and the chief of staff for the Tzedakah Guild. Pascal ordered him as a pdin of the Judar Church, "The Reba Church is keeping the battle gear that Franz used during his lifetime. The Holy Light Crown, Armor and Gloves. I want you to take them back for me.¡±


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Franz¡¯ Descendant]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    The most respected pope was 5th Pope Franz. It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that his reign helped the Reba Church be what it is today.


    Pascal is dreaming of bing the 14th pope! He wants to prove to the Reba Church that he is Franz¡¯ descendant. If he can prove it, there is a possibility that the forces against the corrupt Pope Drevigo will support Pascal to be the pope!


    Use any means and methods to reim the Holy Light Crown, Armor and Gloves!


    Pascal ns to prove his identity by wearing the pieces known only to be wearable by Franz.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Reim the Holy Light Crown, Armor and Gloves.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +5. The Sword of Wisdom.


    Quest Failure: Pascal¡¯s n to be pope will be wasted. You will be hated by Pascal.


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    The rankings for the top rankers could fluctuate with just 1% difference in experience. Gaining five levels was a huge reward for Toban, who was currently level 232 and 68th on the unified rankings.


    ¡®I spend an average of 8-10 days gaining one level... If I clear this quest, I can gain at least 40 days of effort instantly. I will also jump in the rankings! But that isn¡¯t all...¡¯


    Toban felt joy as he confirmed the details of the Sword of Wisdom.


    [Sword of Wisdom]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 385 Attack Speed: +3%


    * When attacking normally, there is a chance to reset the skill¡¯s cooldown time.


    * Intelligence +250


    A divine artifact of the Judar Church.


    In the past, the head of the church only gave it to the person they most trusted.


    Conditions of Use: The best pdin of the Judar Church.


    Weight: 450


    ¡¯I want to have this sword!¡¯


    The Sword of Wisdom¡¯s attack power was ordinarypared to unique level 230 one-handed swords. It seemedckingpared to the legendary rating. But the option attached to it was a scam. When attacking normally, there was a chance to reset the skill¡¯s cooldown time. If he used it with items that increased attack speed, the synergy could explode.


    ¡®As long as I have this sword, I can level like Pon and Ibellin!¡¯


    Due to the events of the Guardian of the Forest raid, Grid ordered that Toban would best on the production list. He could only watch Pon and Ibellin with envy, so the reward for this quest was literally a ray of light.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    "..."


    The penalty was terrible if he failed the quest. He didn¡¯t know what he would suffer if his affinity with the head of the Judar Church fell. Since the degree of difficulty was so high, it was a quest with a low probability of sess. But even with all of this, Toban wanted to do the quest because he coveted the rewards.


    "I, Toban, will head to the Reba Church immediately!¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    Pascal was very pleased with his aggressiveness.


    ¡°As our best pdin, I look forward to your performance. If you meet up with the spy I nted in the Vatican, he will tell you where the treasures are hidden. Act ording to his guidance and bring back the treasures.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Toban didn¡¯t dy any longer. He immediately set off towards the Vatican. On the way, he asked the guild for assistance.


    {Guys! I received an SS-grade quest!!}


    {Wow~ you finally received an SS-grade quest? Ohh, when will I have such good luck?}


    {???? What are the rewards?}


    {A legendary sword. -_-v}


    {A legendary item as a reward? Jackpot ??}


    {But Toban, isn¡¯t a SS-grade quest really difficult? Can you clear it alone?}


    {I think it will be hard on my own. Does anyone have time toe and help me? I will be sure to reciprocateter.}


    {What are the contents of the quest?}


    {Break into the Reba Vatican and steal three treasures.}


    {The Vatican...?}


    The atmosphere of the chat window changed. Everybody was confused.


    {Aren¡¯t Reba¡¯s Daughters living in the Vatican? Do you have to fight them?}


    {That... Isn¡¯t it better than Mcus? ;;;}


    {Aren¡¯t there three of them? ?,?;}


    {Um... Toban, I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t help you. If something goes wrong, I will die.}


    {Me too... The risk is too big. I¡¯m sorry.}


    {Maybe it is better to give up on this quest. ~ _ ~;;}


    ¡°...These guys.¡¯


    To a ranker, death was fatal. It was difficult to gain one level, so anyone would shed tears of blood if they died. What would happen if they dropped items? It was terrible to even imagine. It wasn¡¯t a matter of loyalty. Realistically, no one was willing to ept such a high risk quest for one man.


    But Toban still had hope. It was Regas. Regas was someone who would help others in any situation! Wasn¡¯t his nickname Volunteer?


    Toban sent a whisper to him. However...


    [The other person has blocked all whispers.]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Toban muttered grouchily. Regas would asionally block the guild chat and whispers when training, and now seemed to be one of those times. He wouldn¡¯t be reachable for at least a week. It seemed like Toban would have to proceed on this quest alone.


    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped... I have to proceed cautiously to avoid getting caught by Reba¡¯s Daughters.¡±


    Toban was trying to figure out a way to clear the quest alone when he received a whisper.


    -Chief, if you don¡¯t mind, can I help you?


    ¡®Box?¡¯


    Box was one of the six new rankers who joined the Tzedakah Guild. His ss was a linker! It linked magic to objects to control them, or connect objects together to form magic shapes that gave beneficial or harmful effects.


    It was a ss that required high judgment and magic power control, so the difficulty belonged in the highest level. However, Box was 1st ranked among the linker rankings. He was only 230th on the unified rankings, the lowest in the Tzedakah Guild, but the guild had great expectations towards him.


    Toban felt relieved that he was willing to help.


    -Oh?I¡¯m very thankful!But is it okay?You might need to deal with Reba¡¯s Daughters?


    -I don¡¯t mind the risk.In addition, ck Teddy and Asuka are willing to help you as well.If the three of us and Chiefbine our strengths, can¡¯t we deal with Reba¡¯s Daughters or escape unharmed?


    ck Teddy and Asuka were also part of the six new people who joined. In particr, Asuka was in the 20s on the unified rankings. Toban noticed that they wanted something.


    -Do you want something in exchange for your help?


    -Yes, please let us meet Bone Helmet.


    "..."


    The six new rankers all joined for amon reason. They hoped to meet Grid. Based on their attitudes, they joined the guild only to meet Grid. They seemed interested in what Grid¡¯s ss was supposed to be, since they assumed it was a hidden ss.


    Toban refused them.


    -I¡¯ve said it many times, but I can¡¯t reveal his identity until I fully trust you.


    -I swear that we just want to talk to him...Well, okay.You don¡¯t have to tell us who he is right now.I will help Chief as a favor?


    -Um?


    -Isn¡¯t this the process of building trust?In order to build trust, shouldn¡¯t we build up our camaraderie?


    -The bottom line is, you want to build up trust quickly in order to discover his identity?


    -Haha, yes.


    -So relentless...Your intentions are impure, but thank you anyway.I need your help.Please.


    He had to rendezvous with the spy near the Vatican. Toban told Box the time and ce of the meeting and promised to meet them there.


    Then two dayster.


    Toban arrived at the meeting ce. But Box¡¯s group still hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The church¡¯s spy approached Toban who was standing alone. Then he received shocking news.


    ¡°Pope Drevigo was killed. He lost his life to one who was blessed by the gods, like you.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Blessed by the gods was a term NPCs used to refer to users. A user managed to defeat the pope, one of the currently strongest NPCs? Toban doubted his ears and asked for details.


    "His ID... No, what was his name? How could he defeat the pope alone?¡±


    "I was hiding in the distance, so I couldn¡¯t confirm his name. Anyway, he is very strong. He overwhelmed the pope with excellent swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t imagine it. There¡¯s such a strong user?¡±


    Maybe it was the 1st ranked Kraugel that Pon often talked about? ording to Pon, Kraugel¡¯s strength was beyond the limits of a user. Pon predicated that he wouldn¡¯t be able topete with Kraugel, even if Pon joined forces with Regas and Jishuka. If it was him, he might be able to beat the pope alone.


    ¡¯Even if it isn¡¯t him, the world is wide. There are over two billion users in Satisfy. It isn¡¯t strange that there are hidden people we don¡¯t know about. In fact, wasn¡¯t Fakerpletely defeated by the unknown girl called Euphemina a few months ago?¡¯


    But now matter how strong a user was, the pope should have the protection of Reba¡¯s Daughters. The user managed to face the pope and Reba¡¯s Daughters alone?


    ¡°What about Reba¡¯s Daughters? Did they also suffer with him?¡±


    The man shook his head, "Reba¡¯s Daughters are safe.¡±


    ¡°What? They¡¯re safe while the pope is dead?¡±


    "The recent pope was severely controlling Reba¡¯s Daughters. In Rin¡¯s case, she was on the verge of being discarded. Therefore, they didn¡¯t help the pope.¡±


    "The pope was rash.¡±


    In the first ce, the pope wasn¡¯t Toban¡¯s goal. It didn¡¯t matter what happened with the pope. He just wanted Franz¡¯ treasures. Toban asked about his original purpose, ¡°The result is good. The Vatican will be in chaos and security will be rtively poor, making it easy to steal Franz¡¯ treasures. Where are Franz¡¯ treasures hidden?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± The spy looked uncertain.


    Toban had an ominous feeling as heughed awkwardly, "Don¡¯t tell me that the person who defeated the pope picked up Franz¡¯ treasures?¡±


    "...That is literally what happened.¡±


    Toban eximed. "No, what about Reba¡¯s Daughters? Aren¡¯t Franz¡¯ treasures precious to the Reba Church? They just let that guy take his treasures?¡±


    ¡°Yes... They felt sorry that they couldn¡¯t reward him more.¡±


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    It was a strange twist. In Toban¡¯s experience, unpredictable things were always the worst.


    ¡°Ominous... It is ominous.¡±


    Box¡¯s group arrived while Toban was feeling nervous.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    Box discovered Toban and greeted him with a smile, "You¡¯ve already arrived.¡±


    Box was an extremely handsome man. He had clear skin, a ttering jawline, and eyes that were sharp enough to capture a woman¡¯s heart. He had long ck hair tied up, and the harmony of his appearance and hairstyle made him seem like a young master in the oriental paintings.


    But there was a saying to look beyond face value. He yed around too much with women. His nickname was Octopus Prince. There were rumors that he had several women on the hook at the same time. So many women had a grudge against him that female usersunched a group called ¡®Box Killing Group.¡¯


    "You¡¯re on time.¡±


    Toban, who was nervous after talking to the spy, weed Box. Then he greeted ck Teddy and Asuka as well. But theycked sociability, unlike Box. They ignored Toban¡¯s greeting and urged immediately.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ck Teddy was a man in his 40¡¯s who was around 2m tall. Not only did he have a good physique, but he also gave off a tough impression with his eyes. However, he always carried a cute teddy bear in his arms that didn¡¯t fit his appearance or age. Toban had met him several times, but it was still difficult to adapt.


    ¡®That teddy bear...¡¯


    To be honest, it was hard to look at. Arge hairy hand was touching the bear¡¯s head. The mole whispered to Toban, who was frowning.


    ¡°Toban, the person who knocked down the pope... He¡¯s wearing the Holy Light Armor. I think it¡¯s right to punish him, for the sake of our church.¡±


    [The contents of the quest ¡®Franz¡¯ Descendant¡¯ has changed.]


    ¡°This.¡±


    Toban¡¯s expression changed as he confirmed the new contents of the quest. He exined the situation to Box¡¯s group, "The treasures I have to recover are no longer in the Vatican. A user has intercepted them, so we have track him down.¡±


    Box looked troubled. ¡°User? Ah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll cost a lot of money. I don¡¯t know who he is, but nobody will give away quest items for free. He will likely ask for a lot of money.¡±


    Toban shook his head, ¡°Money isn¡¯t a problem. We must fight that person. The altered quest is telling me to kill him. It seems like the treasures will drop if he is killed.¡±


    Box¡¯s color returned.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s good that it¡¯s so simple.¡±


    The four people gathered here were top rankers. With theirbined strength, it would be easy to defeat a user.


    "I¡¯ll track him down quickly.¡±


    Box was confident. ck Teddy and Asuka were sniffing like this was trivial. Toban felt the need to make them more cautious.


    "Despite the quest contents being changed to fight a user, the difficulty is still SS. This means the opponent is strong, so we should be alert. Share the quest information.¡±


    Toban¡¯s quest information appeared in front of the three of them.


    [Franz¡¯ Descendant (2)]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    ording to the information from a spy, an enigmatic figure killed the pope alone and obtained Franz¡¯ treasures.


    Unfortunately, he seems to be wearing Franz¡¯ treasures.


    Only Franz¡¯ descendant can wear his treasures, so Pascal¡¯s n to prove his authenticity is slowly fading away.


    Track him down and kill him!


    Then take away Franz¡¯ treasures!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill the enigmatic figure and reim the Holy Light Crown, Armor and Gloves.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +5. The Sword of Wisdom.


    Quest Failure: Pascal¡¯s n to be pope will be wasted. You will be hated by Pascal.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Box¡¯s expression stiffened. ck Teddy also hesitated while stroking the teddy bear. There was a moment of silence. Then Asuka opened her mouth for the first time.


    "Even I can¡¯t kill the pope alone.¡±


    Asuka was 28th on the unified rankings. The guild oftenpared herbat capabilities to Pon or Regas. In fact, she had the experience of killing a boss monster in the low 200¡¯s by herself. But ording to the information they had, the pope was at least level 330.


    She would never dare try to kill him alone. But the enigmatic figure described in the quest contents was said to kill the pope alone.


    "Someone capable enough to defeat the pope... They must be at least in the top 10 of the unified rankings and have a hidden ss. Perhaps it was Agnus?¡±


    7th on the unified rankings, Agnus! He was one of the three epic hidden sses. He had countless unbelievable sagas.


    Box sounded excited, ¡°If it¡¯s him, this will be fun. It¡¯s a chance to figure out what his hidden ss might be.¡±


    But ck Teddy disagreed, ¡°Isn¡¯t the opponent too strong? Maybe we¡¯ll all die.¡±


    Asuka hissed at him. "If you are scared then leave. I will fight.¡±


    ¡°Young Lady...¡±


    Asuka was the daughter of the chairman of a global conglomerate. And ck Teddy was her attendant. ck Teddy started Satisfy due to hermand. Asuka needed an attendant in Satisfy and chose ck Teddy.


    At first, ck Teddy didn¡¯t know the game he was supposed to y. But as he yed Satisfy with Asuka, he became a ranker. Now, as a genuine gamer, there were times when he forgot his duty.


    "Then I¡¯m out. I don¡¯t want to lose experience... It¡¯s hard to gain levels...¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so? Will you really leave? I understand. Instead, you¡¯re fired. I don¡¯t need an attendant who doesn¡¯t follow their master.¡±


    "It was a joke. I will fight with you.¡±


    ck Teddy was the main breadwinner who supported his old parents and his terminally ill brother. He needed Asuka¡¯s huge paycheck for the cost of living as well as his brother¡¯s medical bills. So, he couldn¡¯t leave her. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just because of money. He had been around Asuka since she was five years old, so he was attached to her.


    "If you¡¯re determined, let¡¯s depart.¡±


    The group to hunt the enigmatic figure who killed the pope was formed. They received the guidance of the spy and started to track the path of the enigmatic figure.


    Then after three hours? In the dark woods that were like night, thanks to the thick trees blocking the sunlight, Toban was able to find a single man walking.


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    Toban signalled hispanions to stop. Then they hid as much as possible in the bushes.


    "Is that him?¡± Box asked as he watched the ck-haired man walking approximately 100m in front of them.


    Toban nodded, "That¡¯s right. The system is telling me that it is him.¡±


    Box was puzzled.


    ¡°What is he doing with a shabby cloak like that? Doesn¡¯t he look too poor? Is he really the target?¡±


    Toban replied, ¡°High level users don¡¯t always arm themselves with the best items. Some don¡¯t like to be noticed.¡±


    The cloak the ck-haired man was wearing was somewhat familiar to Toban. But the cloak didn¡¯t have any special design on it. Therefore, he didn¡¯t think much about it. Asuka silently nced at ck Teddy. ck Teddy had served her for nearly 20 years, so he could read the meaning in her eyes.


    ¡°I understand. I will test his skills.¡± Then ck Teddy used a skill. ¡°Summon ck Bear.¡±


    Kwaaaaah!


    Thergest bear on Earth was the grizzly bear. The males had a body length that was around 3m and weighed more than 600kg. They were like apact car. The ck bear that ck Teddy summoned was around 1.5 times bigger and heavier than a grizzly bear.


    The bear roared and started charging towards the ck-haired man.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The man who was peacefully humming stopped at themotion. Then he turned his head. As soon as his face was revealed, the ID ¡®Grid¡¯ appeared over his head. Toban¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®Eh? Grid?¡¯


    Kwaaaaah!


    While Toban was feeling confused, the ck bear swung its front paw precisely at Grid¡¯s face. Toban btedly recovered his spirit and cried out urgently.


    ¡°S-Stop! Stop that bear now!¡±


    "What? What are you saying all of a sudden?¡±


    The moment that ck Teddy was feeling puzzled.


    Pipit!Pipipipit!


    The huge ck bear¡¯s body was hacked by dozens of sharp shes. Then it turned into grey light.


    "...Strong!¡±


    Box admired it.


    The ck-haired man held a small dagger and took care of a level 200 summons in the blink of an eye. Tremendous damage. Box knew of only two people who could exert such physical damage, Jishuka and the one in the skull helmet.


    ¡®Yes, he is strong enough to defeat the pope. But I am unfamiliar with anyone called Grid...¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t a ranker? How could he be so strong without being a ranker?


    ¡®Does he have a hidden ss?¡¯


    While Box was making guesses, ck Teddy was furious.


    ¡°You mean bastard...! How dare you cut the cute bear without even a change in expression!¡±


    ¡°H-Hey! Just wait a minute!¡±


    Toban tried to calm the situation down, but it was useless. ck Teddy loved bears, and once his rage was out of control, only Asuka could control him. But Asuka let him rampage.


    ¡°Summon Brown Bear Knights!¡±


    Three browns bears, twice as small as the ck bear, but armed with helmets, armor, swords and shields were summoned. They were level 240! ck Teddymanded them, ¡°Get revenge on the ughterer of your own kind!¡±


    Kuwaaah!


    The bears were influenced by their master¡¯s psychological state and angrily flocked to Grid. They started to put pressure on Grid with their swordsmanship. But their momentum was brief. Grid avoided the brown bears¡¯ attacks and countered by stabbing his dagger in a gap of a brown bear¡¯s armor. However, summons didn¡¯t know pain. They kept swinging their swords at Grid, despite suffering from huge injuries.


    Grid clicked his tongue. ¡°Why are you so strong?¡±


    Pepepeng!


    Grid threw a dart at a bear knight. Then poison mist emerged from the dart.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The poisoned knights started to bleed and stumble. Grid used this gap to deal the fatal blows, then turned his gaze towards the forest where Toban¡¯s group was hiding.


    "What are these bears? Did theye from the circus?¡±


    Toban realized as he looked at Grid.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a system error... Grid really did defeat the pope.¡¯


    ck Teddy was 1st on the summoner rankings. In the guild membership test, he summoned the bear knights and showed great skills against Faker. Now those powerful bear knights were taken care of by Grid in just two minutes.


    ¡®When did he be this strong?¡¯


    Grid was presumed to have a legendary hidden ss. It was the strongest ss rating that could be obtained in Satisfy. But Grid¡¯s level was still low. When he checked the guild information window two weeks ago, Grid was only in the low 100¡¯s.


    ¡¯Anyway, it¡¯s good.¡¯


    Toban had many questions, but he could ask them slowly. Toban would ask Grid to cooperate with his quest.


    But the situation went wrong.


    ¡°Hey Grid...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    The moment Toban was able to raise his body to say hello to Grid! ck Teddy pushed his way out of the bushes and summoned new pets. In addition, Asuka was exchanging blows with Grid.


    Toban made a mistake. Come to think of it, Grid had never met the new guild members. So they didn¡¯t know each other. They might¡¯ve seen each other¡¯s IDs in the guild information window or chat window, but they might¡¯ve forgotten it since it was insignificant.


    ¡°Hey, all of you wait a minute... We are part of the same guild...¡±


    Toban tried to calm the situation down, but it was useless. Due to ck Teddy and Asuka¡¯s pincer attack, Grid had pulled out his greatsword.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a pretty interesting situation?¡±


    Box figured out Grid¡¯s identity after seeing the greatsword and smiled meaningfully. Then he used the puppet magic that was the symbol of linkers and started to control Toban¡¯s body. The situation was worsening.


    Toban felt like crying.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130


    After knocking down the pope. Grid left the Vatican once his quest ended and was prepared for a new adventure. But before that, he needed time to recharge.


    ¡°Logout.¡±


    Grid returned to being Shin Youngwoo. He left the capsule and immediately searched for food.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    He distractedly yanked his boxers up his hips as he opened the refrigerator door. Inside were ham and egg rolls, meat and all types of dishes. On the table was a note from his mother.


    ¡¯Son. Don¡¯t forget to eat meals regrly! It¡¯s good to make money, but don¡¯t y the game too much and exercise as well. ^^¡¯


    His beloved mother. In the past, the debt-ridden Shin Youngwoo was always worried at home. He often had to listen to his parents nagging. But now he was different. Shin Youngwoo seeded in the game and paid off his debt, as well as his father¡¯s. Now he was promoted to the trustworthy eldest son, not the pathetic son they had to worry about.


    ¡°I will work harder.¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to worry his parents anymore. He didn¡¯t want to see the two of them depressed again. He wanted them to be as happy as they were now. So he reminded himself. Satisfy wasn¡¯t a simple game, it was his work! He would quickly finish this quest and turn to making items, earning more money and making his family happier.


    He finished his meal. Shin Youngwoo took a break for a while and watched TV. Then he changed to a Satisfy-rted channel and started to doze off.


    On the news, there were reports that the pope of the Reba Church had been killed by an unidentified person. The news enthusiastically analyzed who the person was that killed the pope and who would be elected as the new pope. But Shin Youngwoo didn¡¯t see the news due to falling asleep.


    30 minutester. Shin Youngwoo woke up and turned off the TV. He stretched before going back to the capsule to ess Satisfy.


    ¡°I am in the best condition.¡±


    He had a delicious lunch and plenty of rest. Grid walked vigorously towards his destination. Thanks to the clean air, he hummed as he walked through the forest. But he was attacked by someone along the way.


    At first, bears appeared and attacked, then people popped out. Their IDs were ck Teddy and Asuka. The IDs were somewhat familiar, but Grid couldn¡¯t recall who they were. Then a battle started without him knowing why.


    Kuwaaah!


    "What are these bears?¡±


    The summons followed the summoner¡¯s taste. In general, male summoners preferred pretty women, while female summoners preferred handsome men. There was also a strong tendency to summon monsters that were intimidating to the opponent.


    But these bears? Of course, there were quite a few users who liked animal-shaped pets like ck Teddy. However, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of ck Teddy. It wasn¡¯t just one or two bears. Like a bear fanatic, all of his pets were bears.


    "Summon White Bear Warriors!¡±


    Grid had already defeated different types of bears. Now ck Teddy summoned a white bear. It wore a red cloak with ck sunsses. Somehow, it seemed stupid. The bear who had a serious expression with folded arms seemed quiteughable.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it kind of cute?¡¯


    Grid lost his tension and was caught off guard. The white bear warrior didn¡¯t miss this chance. It jumped through the air at the speed of lightning and dealt an uppercut.


    Peeok!


    [You have suffered 2,550 damage.]


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    [1,275 health has been restored.]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Fast and strong. Then Asuka approached the surprised Grid. She wielded the double swords at the same time.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Chukak.


    [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]


    ¡°Girl...!¡±


    He was quickly wounded. It was difficult to defend against the two swords that attacked different parts.


    ¡¯These two, they are good.¡¯


    He had defeated the pope alone. He thought that maybe he was the strongest? That idea was quickly removed as Grid became alert. Then he observed ck Teddy and Asuka. He used his high insight to grasp theirbat power.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was startled. Asuka had 18,000bat power while ck Teddy only had 9,000, but that increased to 20,000 with his summons.


    ¡®Their IDs are familiar. Are they top rankers?¡¯


    Grid hurriedly opened his inventory. Then he took out the Holy Light set that was so gorgeous it was burdensome to wear.


    [You have equipped the Holy Light Battle Gear set.]


    [The additional effects of defense +500 and health +6,000 have been received.]


    The pure white armor with gold thread and the gloves gleamed. In addition, the small silver crown emanated dignity.


    ¡®Now he seems like a high level user. That scruffy appearance was just a gimmick.¡¯ The moment that ck Teddy thought so. The person with the ID of Grid put away the dagger and pulled out a giant ck greatsword.


    ¡°That sword...!¡±


    Asuka¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    What was the reason she joined the Tzedakah Guild? It was because she wanted to know the ss of the helmeted person who disyed overwhelming skills at Winston and ughtered the Giant Guild members.


    She wanted to figure out all of the hidden sses.


    As a second generation heir of a conglomerate, she came in contact with traders every day, and sometimes these traders sold her information about hidden sses. But she couldn¡¯t change into just any hidden ss. There were countless types of hidden sses, so she needed a lot of information to make the best choice. She had to meet with as many hidden sses as possible.


    But the Tzedakah Guild hid the man in the skull helmet and didn¡¯t let her meet him. It was annoying because she couldn¡¯t fulfill her original intention of joining the guild, but now she happen toe across him in an unexpected situation.


    ¡°You are the Psychopath Butcher right?¡± Asuka didn¡¯t conceal her friendly tone as she asked.


    Grid wanted to snap at her.


    The Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet was destroyed by the pope! He appeared like a prince in a manhwa thanks to the silver crown, yet he was still being called psychopath.


    ¡®They know it¡¯s me due to Dainsleif, even if the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet is gone. Rather, shouldn¡¯t she be attracted to my appearance?¡¯


    The Holy Light Battle Gear set had a very beautiful appearance. He was confident that it was cooler than any existing battle gear set. Grid was expecting girls to think he looked cool when wearing this set.


    However, he was mistaken. Thepletion of fashion relied on the face! Grid had a somewhat average appearance so he would only cause resentment when he tried to dress gorgeously.


    ¡°What happened to the skull helmet? I think I preferred it when you wore the skull helmet.¡± Asuka talked randomly.


    Then Grid¡¯s anger reached its peak.


    "This girl... Not even introducing yourself before attacking someone... No, it¡¯s even a personal attack?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t the type to be nice to someone because they were a woman. Asuka had a considerable beauty, but it wasn¡¯t enough to weaken Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be sorry!¡± Grid gritted his teeth and replied.


    Then he started his sword dance. A sharp killing intent was concentrated on the greatsword and the air around it started to vibrate.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    A powerful attack flew towards Asuka¡¯s heart. The surprised ck Teddymanded the white bear warrior.


    ¡°Defend the youngdy!¡±


    Kuwaaah!


    The white bear warrior was level 280. Among ck Teddy¡¯s pets, it was the one with the strongestbat ability. It was stronger than a ranker. The bear swung and fist and stood up to the greatsword wrapped in darkness.


    Kwaang!


    The two collided. It seemed close at first nce, but that onlysted for a moment. The bnce quickly broke as Grid¡¯s Kill tore the mighty flesh of the white bear. Then the greatsword went through the thick body of the white bear warrior.


    Grrr!


    The white bear¡¯s health was decreased by 1/3rd with one strike. Asuka would¡¯ve fallen into a critical condition if hit by that. But the biggest advantage of a pet was that it didn¡¯t know pain. The bear didn¡¯t shrink back despite suffering massive damage. Instead, it counterattacked.


    Peeok!


    The head of the white bear warrior hit Grid¡¯s chest. But it didn¡¯t do much damage. Previously, Grid only wore boots and a cloak, so he was low in defense. Now he showed a high defense due to the Holy Light battle gear set. He didn¡¯t feel any pain at all from the headbutt.


    Then the option of the Holy Light Gloves activated and ¡®Counterattack¡¯ was used, dealing great damage to the white bear warrior. In the end, ck Teddy had to interfere.


    "Berserk!¡±


    Summoners had dozens of passive and active skills that enhanced a pet¡¯s abilities. Among them, Berserk was a skill that only second advancement summoners could use. It gave pets a status conditions immune effect and temporarily doubled all of a pet¡¯s stats.


    Kyaooooh!


    The white bear cried out and swung its paws. Grid became on the defensive due to the fast and powerful onught. He would be subjected to terrible damage if he allowed the attack.


    ¡¯What is this all of a sudden?¡¯


    He was confused for a moment. Grid had a lot ofbat experience so he quickly figured out the situation.


    ¡®Is it a temporary buff? The abilities are raised to this level, so the duration must be short.¡¯


    Grid triggered Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint. Then the white bear hesitated and retreated from Grid.


    ck Teddy was nervous, ¡¯What is this all of a sudden? Mymands aren¡¯t going through!¡¯


    The duration of Berserk was only 10 seconds. Every second spent retreating was valuable for ck Teddy. Grid triggered cksmith¡¯s Rage in this gap and rushed towards Asuka.


    Kaaang!


    Asuka crossed her double swords and tried to fight back. But Grid took the lead with his fast pace, forcing her on the defensive without a chance to fight back.


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    Asuka was filled with doubts after fighting Grid. The greatsword that Grid was using was over 3m in length and seemed extremely heavy. Then what was this attack speed?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it normal for the attack speed to be slow?¡¯


    It was a stereotype. Dainsleif was very light, despite being a greatsword. It was a sword made by Albatino, who was called the best cksmith before Pagma, and was made of ck iron, which was harder than steel, but twice as light. Dainsleif was a weapon that minimized the disadvantages of a greatsword.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    At first nce, Asuka seemed to be on the defensive against Grid¡¯s ruthless strikes. But Asuka still had some room. In particr, this was her forte. Her ss was a berserker. She became stronger as the battle continued. Asuka was able to adapt to Grid¡¯s attack speed and she finally started her counterattack.


    ¡°Sword Frenzy!¡±


    sh!


    Asuka¡¯s blue eyes turned red the moment she activated a skill Then Asuka¡¯s double swords started to dance in a dazzling manner.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    It was the berserker¡¯s representative skill that attacked a target nine times, Sword Frenzy. Grid seeded in defending against six strikes, but was unable to prevent the remaining three and was hurt.


    [You have suffered 1,700 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,650 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,810 damage.]


    Asuka provoked Grid, ¡°Certainly, your defense has increased since you equipped the armor. But isn¡¯t it just high defense? You can¡¯t catch up with the speed of my double swords and will just be a sandbag.¡±


    Grid scoffed.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pa!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ck energy swords were generated at a tremendous rate and hit Asuka. The confused Asuka once again triggered Sword Frenzy, but it was useless. Sword Frenzy might attack 9 times, but Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, attacked a total of 17 times. Sword Frenzy couldn¡¯tpletely offset it and Asuka¡¯s body became covered with wounds.


    Then Grid pointed his sword at Asuka¡¯s neck.


    "What is your purpose for attacking me?¡±


    On the other hand...


    [Magic power has started to manipte your body. It is hard to reject.]


    [You will be the puppet of ¡®Box¡¯ for three seconds.]


    ¡®This!¡¯


    Toban couldn¡¯t move his body ording to his will. He was the 1st ranked pdin with high magic resistance, so how could he be manipted so easily? Toban thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡®I still have a long way to go.¡¯


    It hurt his reputation. It was an insult that couldn¡¯t be washed away. Toban trembled. However, the person who was really shocked was Box, not Toban.


    ¡®I can only control him for three seconds?¡¯


    Puppet magic was the ultimate magic for a linker. It was a powerful magic that sent magic power into the body of the target in order to manipte it. And Box¡¯s ability to control magic power was by far the best among the linkers. If Box used the puppet spell, he could manipte a monster for up to 5 minutes and a user for 30 seconds.


    Yet Toban was only three seconds?


    ¡®The higher the level and magic resistance of the target, the lower the maniption time. But... Isn¡¯t it guaranteed at least 10 seconds, even if the opponent has a higher level than me?¡¯


    Toban¡¯s magic resistance seemed to be different from all the opponents he met so far. Box admired it.


    ¡®This is the dignity of the 1st ranked pdin. The Tzedakah Guild is filled with monsters.¡¯


    Puppet had a cooldown time of two hours. It was a skill that could only be used once every two hours, so it was a waste to control a person for only three seconds. Box sighed and started to control the magic power connected to Toban.


    ¡°Chief, go and help Asuka.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey! Stop!"


    Toban begged but it was no use. His body suddenly moved into the gap between Grid and Asuka. Then he used a shield to deflect the greatsword pointing at Asuka¡¯s neck.


    ¡°...Toban?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Tobanughed awkwardly, ¡°Ah, hello?¡±


    The puppet magic was released. Toban could move freely so he tried to exin the matter, but Box interrupted. "I am d to meet you for the first time, Grid.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Grid felt instinctive dislike whenever he met a handsome man. So his expression darkened the moment Box appeared. Then Box said to him. "The three of us joined the guild a while ago. Right now, we are helping Chief with a quest. The quest requires us to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid doubted his ears and looked at Toban. The panicked Toban exined the situation.


    "Grid, it is a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t know that you were the target of the quest. This is...¡±


    Kyaooooh!


    The white bear warrior was released from the influence of Restraint. Then it ran to Grid, who was listening to Toban, and smacked Grid on the head.


    [You have suffered 3,200 damage.]


    Jeurereuk.


    Grid spoke softly while bleeding from the head, ¡°Are you talking to keep my attention so that someone else can attack...? Toban, are you really going to be like this?¡±


    It was a huge misunderstanding. Toban panicked. At this rate, Grid might not make an item for him at all. He couldn¡¯t push Grid. Therefore, he had to get rid of this misunderstanding.


    "ck Teddy! What are you doing? Can¡¯t you understand the atmosphere? Grid is a fellow guild member! Stop attacking!¡±


    Toban shouted but ck Teddy just stroked his teddy bear and pretended not to know anything. In the end, Grid¡¯s anger exploded.


    ¡°Toban... You must¡¯ve held a tremendous grudge after saying that I would make you itemst. Right? So now you want revenge?¡±


    Toban shouted, ¡°That isn¡¯t the case! Right now, I am doing a quest to kill the mysterious person who kill the pope and took the treasures! I didn¡¯t know that the person would be you!¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you attack me after knowing the truth? You know that I am the enigmatic person, so this is a great opportunity to proceed with the quest? Right?¡±


    "No! Listen to my exnation! We don¡¯t have to fight! Sell me the treasures! I just need the treasures!¡±


    "...You just need the treasures?¡±


    Grid started to understand the situation. A relieved Toban pointed to the items that Grid was wearing.


    ¡°The Holy Light set. That¡¯s what I need.¡±


    Grid frowned, ¡°Are you crazy? I won¡¯t sell.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey, Grid. I¡¯ll give you a lot of money. Please do this for me just once. Yes?¡±


    Toban begged. In fact, Grid was inwardly delighted. He was thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be possible to sell these items due to the limited usage conditions. Grid started acting as he asked.


    ¡°Sigh... I will consider agreeing to the favor since we are part of the same guild. How much will you buy it for?¡±


    "2,000 gold each, for a total of 6,000 gold?¡±


    Toban didn¡¯t know the features of the Holy Light set. He regarded it as simple quest items when he set the price. He was confident that he set a high price, but Grid was annoyed.


    Even if it had a system of exclusive use, the Holy Light set still had a legendary rating. He thought he would get at least two million gold for each piece. But Toban wanted to buy it for 2,000 gold each? He must be joking.


    "Are you ying with me right now?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this reaction strange? Toban changed the value.


    ¡°Then 2,200 gold each...?¡±


    "Get lost."


    "How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°Two million gold each.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid was adamant. The Holy Light set was excellent, so it was better to use it himself unless it was sold for two million gold each. He wouldn¡¯t sell it for any less than that. But from Toban¡¯s perspective, the Holy Light set were simple quest items and Grid seemed like a scammer.


    "Hey, this is honestly too much... I received my first SS-grade quest so please help me clear it...¡±


    Box whispered to Toban who had a grim expression on his face.


    -Chief, we want to fight with Grid to see his strength.We will kill him and obtain the items for you.Okay?


    It was the temptation of the devil. Toban asked Grid onest time, ¡°Grid, these items... Do you really intend to sell it for two million gold each? It isn¡¯t a joke?¡±


    "I¡¯m being serious. I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    The negotiations broke down. Toban closed his eyes. And he whispered to Box.


    -Pretend to use magic on me!


    "...?"


    Box was puzzled but acted ording to Toban¡¯s request. He used a spell to enchant Toban. Then Toban suddenly disappeared. He shouted and sat down. Then he started acting.


    ¡°No? What is this? I can¡¯t move one finger freely. This is the ultimate linker magic that controls the target at will. I have been hit by Puppet! Oh my! This is serious! I can no longer stop them from attacking. Grid! It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    "..."


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    "..."


    It was the first time Grid saw such bad acting. It was even more awkward than an idol appearing in a drama for the first time. Anybody watching it would be embarrassed. But the acting wasn¡¯t the important thing right now. What was he nning after iming to be enchanted?


    Grid had no doubt that Toban was lying.


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    Toban¡¯s greed was awakened due to the quest, and now he was trying to betray a colleague.


    Box said with satisfaction, ¡°The situation is like this... Grid, I want to experience the skill of the hidden ss that smashed the Giant Guild. Chief, use buff magic on us.¡±


    ¡®This isn¡¯t right.¡¯


    Toban hesitated until the end. It might be for a quest, but he was worried and feeling guilty about betraying a fellow guild member.


    ¡¯It goes against logic.¡¯


    He knew it. No matter the reason, he shouldn¡¯t betray a colleague. He couldn¡¯t refute, even if he was called garbage. But he didn¡¯t want to give up this quest. This was a SS-grade quest that he received for the first time, with a legendary rated sword as a reward. It was an opportunity that wouldn¡¯te again, so he couldn¡¯t miss it.


    After careful consideration, Toban made his decision.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry Grid... But this is all your fault! You are a bad person!¡¯


    Can¡¯t you give up the quest items for a guild member? He wasn¡¯t even asking for free, since he was willing to paypensation. But it was rejected? Was that too much to ask?


    ¡®Grid! I have to kill you for the quest! I will surely repay the damage that you will suffer today!¡¯


    In the end, Toban decided!


    He started acting again, ¡°Ah! How is this possible? My body has to move as Boxmands and now I am using a skill? I want to reject it, but I can¡¯t! This! It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m sorry, Grid! Forgive me! God of health and wisdom, Judar! I earnestly pray for you to give us your blessing. Light¡¯s Glory!¡±


    [The effect of Light¡¯s Glory is activated. The stats of you and your party members have increased by 20%.]


    Pdins of the Judar Church were specialized in buff skills. Not only was their buffing ability superior, the buff effect extended to all party members, including the pets. Therefore, the Judar pdins were one of the most popr sses for party hunting.


    "Let¡¯s start again. Show us all of your abilities.¡± Asuka felt stronger and restarted the battle with Grid. ¡°Spear Frenzy!¡±


    Berserkers were more aggressive than any other ss and could use all types of weapons. Asuka was a second generation conglomerate heir, so she had a variety of unique weapons. She pulled out a spear from her inventory and started a crazy rampage.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Sword Frenzy was a single target skill, while Spear Frenzy was a skill with a wide range.


    The spear attacked the target and surrounding area at the same time. It inflicted 50% damage to enemies within the attack range, causing the ground to shake and for the target to rise in the air for 0.8 seconds.


    Even if the target avoided the attack, they couldn¡¯t avoid the aftermath. The so-called CC (crowd control) technique.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid wielded his greatsword to stop the spear. However, his body was affected by the aftermath. He started to rise in the air.


    Asuka didn¡¯t miss this gap. She had countlessbat experience so she rushed toplete thebo. It was possible to damage someone in the air using ¡®Chain Frenzy.¡¯ This would cause the opponent to hang helplessly in the air for two seconds and receive one-sided attacks.


    She pulled out the chain, but Grid wasn¡¯t stuck in the air. He stood on the ground like a ma was attached to his feet.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Resorting to petty tricks.¡± Grid grinned at the panicked Asuka.


    Asuka hurriedly retrieved the chain. Then she pulled out the double swords she used as a main weapon and defended.


    Kaang!


    ¡¯It is still fast and heavy!¡¯


    All her stats had increased by 20%. Nevertheless, Grid still felt strong.


    Kikik!Kkikikik!


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    Asuka¡¯s face was blissful instead of fearful as she blocked the greatsword with her double swords.


    ¡®He¡¯s immune to CC. Is this man¡¯s ss immune to status conditions?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this a fraudulent effect that would copse the bnce? She earnestly started to covet it. Asuka wanted the same hidden ss as Grid. She would pay Grid astronomical amounts of money to find out how to obtain his ss.


    She didn¡¯t care about money. She believed that she could get anything she wanted.


    But what was the reality? Most users didn¡¯t know this, but the way to change to a hidden ss changed every moment.


    In order to change to ss A, three loaves of bread needed to be eaten three times in front of a certain ce. This condition wasn¡¯t always constant. Depending on the person and situation, they might have to shout four times or eat four loaves.


    A hidden ss was obtained once every condition was met, and it could change depending on luck and coincidences. Think about it. If the method of obtaining a hidden ss was fixed, wouldn¡¯t a hidden ss sell the method for money and it would bemonce?


    It was only possible to buy a ss change book, not the actual method. And in the first ce, Grid had a legendary ss. A legendary ss was unique. It was useless even for a billionaire. As long as Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, no one else could be Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Grid sensed the presence of the white bear warrior while dealing with Grid, and used the skill that smashed the Giant Guild members in the past. Asuka and the white bear warrior, who were in front and behind Grid, both flew away.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    [You have suffered 4,500 damage.]


    It was tremendous attack power. Despite her unique rated armor, Asuka lost a quarter of her health from the attack. Then warning windows shed in front of her amazed eyes.


    [Due to the enemy¡¯s skill, all speeds have decreased for 10 seconds.]


    ¡®The wide area skill dealsrge damage and has a debuff effect?¡¯


    He was also immune to status conditions, so the category of Grid¡¯s ss must be beyondmon sense. Asuka was sure of it. Grid didn¡¯t have a rare hidden ss.


    ¡°There is still one epic ss still undisclosed... Is that you?¡± Asuka asked Grid like she knew everything.


    ¡°Think what you want.¡±


    He was about to attack again when Asuka cried out, "Let me know how to obtain your hidden ss. In exchange, I will give you enough money to y around for the rest of your life...¡±


    The moment that Asuka was about to negotiate, Box jumped forward and blocked her mouth. "Miss Asuka, don¡¯t you want to have some more fun?¡±


    After speaking one-sidedly, Box opened his folding fan and started to wield it like a baton. It was a weapon that controlled magic power.


    ¡¯This parasitic bastard.¡¯


    A handsome man was humming while swinging his fan around like a maestro. He was handsome so anything he did would be a painting. Grid was feeling a strong animosity when Box stopped his conducting. In less than two seconds, he used a skill to connect the magic power of himself and his party members.


    ¡°Magic Power Resonance.¡±


    [The effect of Magic Power Resonance is activated. The buff effect applied to you and your party members will increase by 1.5 times.]


    Linkers weren¡¯t just about puppet magic. It could amplify beneficial effects and extent the range of the effect. The same was true for harmful effects. If the enemy had a debuff on them, he could extend the debuff range by connecting his magic power to the enemy¡¯s and amplifying the effect.


    Linkers belonged to the magician ss by default. They also had attack magic.


    "Magic Pistol."


    Tatatang!


    Box fired his magic power like he was holding a gun. The damage was low but the activation speed was so fast it was almost impossible to avoid. Grid couldn¡¯t respond and was hit.


    [You have suffered 307 damage.]


    [You have suffered 315 damage.]


    The Holy Light Armor was light armor. But it was made of the god mineral adamantium and had a higher defense than level 250 unique rated heavy armor. The defense was 872 points. It could be considered as one of the best armors in existence.


    Grid didn¡¯t meet the conditions of use and with the penalty, only 393 defense was applied. It was around the same level of defense as a level 200 rare rated heavy armor. However, the Holy Light Armor had a fraudulent option of 40% reduction in physical damage and 50% reduction in magic damage. In addition, the set effect of the Holy Light Battle Gear gave +500 defense so the default defense wasn¡¯t low.


    Grid didn¡¯t even blink despite being hit with Magic Pistol one after another. Box was surprised and covered half his face with his fan. It was to cover as much of his confusion as possible.


    ¡®Magic Pistol only did 300 damage? The damage of a linker is weak, but isn¡¯t this too much?¡¯


    Furthermore, hadn¡¯t his stats increased by 30% due to thebined effect of Light¡¯s Glory and Magic Power Resonance? Yet he only did this much damage?


    ¡®It is more than I imagined.¡¯


    In general, sses with excellent attack power had low defense. Box predicted that Grid would have low defense. Then what was this? Grid seemed to have uniquely high attack power and defense.


    ¡®It¡¯s a ss with a perfect bnce... No, that¡¯s too much. It might be his items. Perhaps the battle gear that Toban considered as simple quest items are actually amazing? Okay. First of all, let¡¯s stay calm.¡¯


    No matter how high his defense, he wouldn¡¯t have infinite health. Box thought he would be able to kill Grid if this continued. Then he used magic again.


    "Magic Pistol."


    Tatatang!


    [You have suffered 290 damage.]


    [You have suffered 310 damage.]


    [You have suffered 305 damage.]


    The advantage of Magic Pistol wasn¡¯t just its activation speed. The mana consumption was low, so he could use it freely. Grid¡¯s nerves were sharpened by the magic power bullets that continued to fly.


    ¡¯This is irritating.¡¯


    The damage wasn¡¯t threatening. Currently, Grid was level 170 and had a health that was close to 40,000. This included the 6,000 health acquired from the Holy Light set and Doran¡¯s ring. 300 damage was like a mosquito biting him.


    But what if the damage continued to umte? He couldn¡¯t overlook the attacks that were impossible to avoid. Grid decided that Box should be removed first. But the white bear warrior blocked his path to Box. There was also Toban behind the bear. He was the 1st ranked pdin, so he was famous for his iron wall defense.


    Box believed that the current battle formation was perfect.


    ¡¯ck Teddy¡¯s summons and Toban will tie up Grid¡¯s feet, while I deal damage from the rear. Asuka will look for a gap and deal the fatal blow.¡¯


    The opponent might be a monster who killed the pope, but they were four top rankers and the bnce was excellent. It was a fight that was virtually impossible to lose. Victory was natural. Toban and Box¡¯s group thought so.


    But Grid thought differently.


    ¡¯I am stronger than Pon or Regas.¡¯


    He alone defeated the pope, who was even stronger than Mcus. Grid believed that with the pavranium, he was the strongest user. That¡¯s right. Grid had the pavranium. He finally pulled out the pavranium. He would use all his strength.


    ¡°First of all, take care of the annoying guy...¡±


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    Box¡¯spanions were amazed as two golden discs suddenly appeared.


    Kiiiiing!


    The discs turned like cogs and rose into the sky. They easily flew through Toban¡¯s defense on the ground, like they wereughing at him. After descending again, they hit Box¡¯s chest, who was stunned and fell down.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    These discs flew alone and attacked the enemy? What type of absurd item was this?


    ¡°Toban, what is that? Did he have something like this?¡±


    While everyone was focused on the golden discs, Grid unfolded his sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.¡±


    Subsequently, he used cksmith¡¯s Rage and greatly increased his attack power and attack speed. After that, heunched the energy swords at Toban and ck Teddy¡¯s pet.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuoong!¡±


    Toban used a defense buff and hurriedly raised his shield in front of him. But it was useless. His epic rated shield was turned into scrap metal in front of the bombardment. Toban felt like crying.


    ¡¯Grid. Why are you so strong?¡¯


    Jishuka, Pon and Vantner told him that Grid was actually a very talented person, but he never imagined a ss like this. If this continued, wouldn¡¯t they lose the battle?


    ¡¯Isn¡¯t this too disgraceful...?¡¯


    Death would cause a loss in experience. As Toban was feeling desperate, Asuka spoke with admiration.


    ¡°Really amazing.¡±


    On one side, Box was being hit by the two golden discs, as they constantly flew past Toban and ck Teddy¡¯s defense. This wasn¡¯t a battle between rankers. It was like a high level user ying with low level users.


    It waspletely one-sided.However, the situation might change if the main damage dealer, Asuka joined in again.


    As a berserker, she became stronger the more health she lost. She lost a quarter of her health to Grid¡¯s strike, so she had a 20% increase in attack power and 10% increase in attack speed due to the passive effect. She was confident that she could face Grid.


    But Asuka made another choice. She was fascinated the more she watched Grid¡¯s ss, so she cried out, ¡°Grid! Let me know how to obtain your hidden ss! I will provide you with arge amount of money, enough for you to y around for the rest of your life!¡±


    He could live afortable life for some game information. Who could resist this temptation? Asuka naturally thought that Grid would cooperate.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s ears pricked up. He stopped the bombardment and asked Asuka, "How much are you going to give?"


    "Tell me the amount you want.


    Grid spoke to her confidently. "One trillion won.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t 100 billion, but one trillion? It wasn¡¯t the type of money that even a second generation heir would have. One trillion won was an astronomical amount equivalent to one-thirds of her father¡¯spany¡¯s assets.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Grid sincerely questioned Asuka. ¡°Is there something wrong with your head?¡±


    How could a hidden ss be sold so easily?


    ¡°There is something called a brain. Do you think the ss change method is the same every time? If it could be told to anyone, would the hidden sses be as rare as they are now? They would be asmon as stones on the street.


    "..."


    She listened to him. Grid scoffed as Asuka made a stunned expression after realizing what she had overlooked.


    ¡°You have a lot of money, but you don¡¯t see the world. How stupid.¡± Right now, Grid was grumpy. "You asked for the method to obtain my hidden ss? Attacking people randomly for such absurd reasons...¡±


    Grid wanted to clear the quest as quickly as possible and return to Winston. His goal was a first night with his pretty bride! He wanted to return to his daily life after losing his virginity. He was earning money and stats as a cksmith, then he would embezzle Winston¡¯s taxes once he became a lord.


    Yet these guys were dying his journey. It was for items or purely selfish reasons.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    It was okay to interfere with others, but he couldn¡¯t tolerate others interfering with him. Grid¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Grid underestimated Toban and Box¡¯s group. This carelessness almost caused a big misfortune.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132


    It was true that the pope had a higher level than Mcus and a higher overallbat power due to his stats. The problem was that his ss was a priest. A priest was a ss that specialized in support abilities, with theirbat ability being the lowest among all sses.


    Indeed, the pope¡¯s only attack spell was Goddess¡¯ Breath(a regr user would¡¯ve died in one blow from Goddess¡¯ Breath). The only method the pope used to attack Grid was to release magic power (ordinary users wouldn¡¯t have survived even a simple magic bombardment).


    On the other hand, rankers chose the right ss for their power and they had a lot ofbat experience.


    ¡°Did you call me stupid? Even my father never said such things to me.¡±


    Asuka¡¯s face reddened as she puffed up angrily. She rushed towards Grid and started to wield her double swords. The duration of Transcend and cksmith¡¯s Rage ended, and Grid was in a state of crisis.


    He was startled.


    ¡®What? Isn¡¯t she much faster than earlier?¡¯


    Jjejeong!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy to keep up with the double swordsing continuously. Then Grid fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Asuka barely managed to block 3 of Grid¡¯s 17 linked strikes. Then she used Sword Frenzy to block up 9 more strikes. But there were still 5 remaining. She allowed those five attacks. In the party information window, Asuka¡¯s health dropped to less than half in an instant.


    Toban panicked, but ck Teddy was always beside Asuka and he wasn¡¯t worried. ck Teddy knew better than anyone that a berserker became stronger when their health fell.


    Kwakakakang!


    "Eh?¡±


    Asuka¡¯s attack power increased by 40% and her attack speed by 20%. Grid started to be injured as the battle continued.


    [You have suffered 1,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,080 damage.]


    ¡®No, why is she so much stronger?¡¯


    Grid hurriedly recalled the pavranium from where they were attacking Box. Then he regained some breathing room.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Wasn¡¯t it easy for the pavranium to rotate around Grid and defend against all of Asuka¡¯s strikes?


    ¡°What is that item? Legendary rated?¡±


    Grid ignored Asuka¡¯s question and pulled out the Ideal Dagger. He used Quick Movements before swiftly changing back to Dainsleif.


    "Shut up and die quickly!"


    Grid¡¯s high insight confirmed that Asuka¡¯sbat power was rising. Grid was frustrated. He resorted to only relying on pavranium to defend as the rushed at Asuka. He struck down on Asuka¡¯s shoulder and seeded in shing it. Grid linked his attacks while Asuka paused.


    Papat!Papapat!


    Asuka survived the stabbing attacks and her health was reduced to only 20%. From this point on, she showed the genuine strength of a berserker.


    [You have suffered serious damage. Maximizing the berserk effect.]


    [Attack power will increase by 80% and attack speed will increase by 50%.]


    With the 50% increase in attack speed, the use ofrge weapons was now maximized. Asuka swapped to a halberd that was bigger than her body and wielded it.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk?¡±


    Grid tried to defend against the halberd attack, but he couldn¡¯t endure the overwhelming attack power. Toban felt some hope at the scene and used a buff on Asuka.


    "Fierce Momentum!¡±


    [Fierce Momentum is activated. You and your party¡¯s attack power will increase by 30%, while defense is reduced by 20%.]


    Box didn¡¯t stay still either.


    ¡°Magic Power Resonance!¡±


    [The effect of Magic Power Resonance is activated. The buff effect applied to you and your party members will increase by 1.5 times.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Asuka felt the overwhelming power and shouted. She swung the halberd again, leaving a red afterimage.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    The moment Asuka¡¯s attack was blocked by Dainsleif, Grid¡¯s body disappeared into the air. It was the moment when the immune Grid was forcibly caught in the air by a physical force he couldn¡¯t resist. It was another one of Asuka¡¯s unique weapons, ¡®Hell Chains.¡¯ Then she unfolded Chain Frenzy and Grid was stuck in the air for two seconds.


    The white bear warrior rushed forward through this gap. Then it swung its paws at Grid. But the golden discs spun and defended against the bear¡¯s attacks.


    Asuka smiled with satisfaction. She had been waiting for the gold discs protecting Grid¡¯s body to be preupied elsewhere. 0.5 seconds before Grid¡¯s captivity ended. Asuka revealed the ¡®Onught Greatsword,¡¯ her weapon with the strongest attack power.


    She jumped and stabbed the greatsword into Grid¡¯s chest.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Grid screamed as red filled his vision.


    [You have been hit by a blow!]


    [You have suffered 29,900 damage.]


    Given the fact that the Holy Light Armor reduced physical damage by 40%, Asuka¡¯s attack power was currently far abovemon sense. If Grid hadn¡¯t been wearing the Holy Light Armor, he would¡¯ve lost his life.


    Flop!


    Grid¡¯s captive state ended and he rolled onto the ground. Box watched the blood pouring from him and was convinced that they could defeat Grid. Suddenly, a green light appeared on Grid¡¯s finger as the effect of Doran¡¯s ring was activated and 50% of the damage incurred to Grid was restored to his health.


    Once this was triggered, there was a 10-minute cooldown, and it had been exactly 10 minutes since Grid first received a blow from Box¡¯s party. In addition, he hadn¡¯t equipped the Holy Light Armor 10 minutes ago. The Holy Light Armour had an option for a 300% increase in recovery magic! With 29,900 damage, Doran¡¯s Ring would restore 14,950 health. This was then tripled, making it equivalent to Grid regaining all of his health.


    [44,850 health has been restored.]


    ¡°Shit. I almost died.¡±


    Grid cursed as he raised his body.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Asuka¡¯s eyes widened. There wasn¡¯t a single wound on Grid¡¯s body, no mark where Grid¡¯s heart should be injured? There wasn¡¯t even a single scratch!


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Toban, ck Teddy, and Box were stunned.


    The cooldown of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill, ended. Asuka perceived the killing intent and swapped back to using double swords for defense. However, it would be hard alone, prompting ck Teddy tomand the white bear warrior to defend her.


    However, the white bear¡¯s health was depleted from the previous bombardment and tt failed to defend against Grid¡¯s Kill, instantly destroyed by the blow. Then Kill passed through the white bear¡¯s flesh and collided with Asuka¡¯s double swords.


    Jjejeong!


    "Kyaaack!¡±


    This was the first time Asuka experienced it: it was her first defeat to another Satisfy user, her first user-driven death.


    [Your party member Asuka has died.]


    "W-What?¡±


    The person they relied on the most had died. Toban was half amazed and half frustrated. Box shivered.


    ¡®This is enough...!¡¯


    Box¡¯s reason for being obsessed with Grid was different from Asuka. He wasn¡¯t looking for Grid¡¯s ss like Asuka. He was checking to make sure that Grid was worthy of an invitation. In fact, Box¡¯s true identity was a spy for another guild.


    ¡°Grid! Leave the Tzedakah Guild ande to our guild. In the unified guild rankings, we are...¡±


    Box revealed he was part of another guild and tried to invite Grid! He couldn¡¯t even finish speaking. A ck energy shield hit his neck.


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have died.]


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t called a psychopath for no reason. How could he cut a person¡¯s neck when they were talking? Box was dumbfounded. He died with a grimace and changed into grey light.


    The only ones left were ck Teddy and Toban. ck Teddy was furious.


    ¡°You dare... How dare you kill the Young Lady!?¡±


    Grid red at him, ¡°I¡¯m wrong for killing her? Think about it. Who attacked me first and who tried to kill me first? Who should be angry right now? Ah, shit. I¡¯m bing angrier the more I think about it. Die.¡±


    ck Teddy was strong, but he wasn¡¯t that strong. His pets were already dead and couldn¡¯t be summoned again right away. Grid attacked and he also turned into light. Now Toban was the only one left.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Toban couldn¡¯t say anything andughed awkwardly.


    Grid smiled sharply at him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you good at acting? You should receive something at this year¡¯s acting awards.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Toban continuedughing and Grid¡¯s gaze became more menacing.


    ¡°Do you have any excuses?¡±


    Toban also had a conscience. He no longer wanted to deceive Grid. He bowed in front of Grid and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was blinded by greed!¡±


    Grid squatted in front of him. Then he extended a hand. Toban didn¡¯t understand what it meant. Grid spoke to the confused Toban, ¡°Give me money. If you give me enough money to soften my anger, I might forget about this. You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to. I will just report you to Jishuka.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s nature meant she couldn¡¯t stand traitors. Toban knew this better than anyone.


    Toban¡¯s inventory was robbed. He currently had 20,000 gold. It was worth 24 million won. But Toban was truly sorry towards Grid and was afraid of retaliation, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to pay arge amount to Grid.


    In the end, some of Grid¡¯s anger was released. It wasn¡¯t bad that he earned 24 million won from one battle. Grid put the money in the inventory and told Toban.


    ¡°Okay. This is enough for now. But I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t even dream of having an item made by me.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    Toban felt like crying. However, he felt so sorry that he couldn¡¯t ask Grid to forgive him. Grid¡¯s heart softened as he saw the genuine regret and he gave Toban a ray of hope.


    ¡°Well... Yes. I will just forgive you. If you serve me like a ve, I will make you an item someday...¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Serve as his ve? Toban wasn¡¯t able to decide if he should appreciate this situation or not. But he had to ept since he was the one who did something wrong in the first ce. Then Grid ordered,


    ¡°Stand up. Let¡¯s depart."


    ¡°Huh? Depart...? Where?¡±


    Grid smiled sweetly at the confused Toban, ¡°Let¡¯s goplete my quest. You have be my ve.¡±


    "..."


    The 1st ranked pdin and the 68th user on the unified rankings. It was the moment when Toban, first ranked pdin of the Judar Church and chief of staff of the Tzedakah Guild, became Grid¡¯s ve.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133


    Thanks to the great sess of Satisfy, the S.A. Group became the world¡¯s best group. They had two billion loyal customers and hundreds of affiliatedpanies, so there was no group with more influence and wealth in history.


    And South Korea was very dependent on the S.A. Group. South Korea had a smallnd mass and limited natural resources, so the jobs that the S.A. Group created and the numerous charitable projects were like a ray of light.


    Just yesterday, South Korea¡¯s government brought a new request to the S.A. Group. It was to invite Satisfy¡¯s rankers to South Korea, where a nationalpetition would be hosted.


    "The opinion of the government is as follows. Users of the top 100 ranking will be invited to South Korea in teams for each country, where apetition consisting of raids, pet marathons and other contests will be held. It will be organized by the Korean government, and they hope that the nning, public rtions and sponsorships will be handled by the S.A. Group.¡±


    A meeting room in S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters in Seoul.


    Some people showed negative reactions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can continue to do favors for the Korean government. Are we a charity? I don¡¯t like their attitude of always asking us for things.¡±


    ¡°A Satisfypetition can be hosted bypanies and broadcasting stations in various countries. Why should we invest our money and manpower?¡±


    "And why should we invite rankers to South Korea when it can be done online? What do they think the top 100 rankers are? The rankers are too busy raising their level and won¡¯t move for a small amount of money. Hundreds of billions of won would be needed to bring 100 people here.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin was watching the executives giving negativements and finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°You should note that it will be a nationalpetition. Competitions that pit countries against each other such as the Olympics and World Cup have always gained poprity around the world. More than one-third of the world¡¯s poption is interested in Satisfy, so the poprity of various sports has fallen, yet the ratings for the Olympics and World Cup are still high. A national contest involving Satisfy... It is content that can be a global issue.¡±


    Kim Jiyoung, the branch manager of the South Korean branch, also gave a positive opinion.


    "It¡¯s a good idea to invite rankers offline. If there are events such as stage greetings or an awards ceremony at Seoul Olympic Stadium in front of many spectators, it will give interest to the middle-aged people who think that Satisfy is just a game, and give them a real feeling of immersion.¡±


    President Lee Hoonyi was smiling.


    ¡°The rankers are stars and will attract crowds, so we don¡¯t need to worry about selling tickets. If they can see many famous rankers in one ce, many tourists wille from all over the world. We can also sell the broadcasting rights to each country at a high price, so the profit will be good. This is the aim of the South Korean government.¡±


    Lim Cheolho was proud.


    "If wepete by ranking each country, the people of each country will support their rankings and inspire patriotism. It¡¯s very desirable to build patriotism through Satisfy.¡±


    The expressions of the executives giving negative opinions changed. The decision seemed to have been made.


    Kim Jiyoung drove in the wedge.


    "Starting this year, we should hold a Satisfy nationalpetition every year. We can think of unique events that can only be carried out within Satisfy and gradually expand the number of participants, so that the Satisfy nationalpetition will someday be a prestigious event like the Olympics and the World Cup.¡±


    Lee Hoonyi pped.


    ¡°Good, good. We won¡¯t receive any damages, no matter how much money we invest.¡±


    Now everyone¡¯s attention focused on Lim Cheolho, the top decision maker. Lim Cheolho nodded.


    "Tell the South Korean government that we will approve their request.¡±


    At that moment, Yoon Nahee, the head of the operations team, quietly raised a hand. She didn¡¯t shrink back under the gazes of all the executives and expressed concern.


    "We need some improvements because we approved the government¡¯s request.¡±


    Yoon Nahee was Yoon Sangmin¡¯s younger sister. Yoon Sangmin knew how meticulous andpetent she was, so he listened to her words.


    ¡°Tell us.¡±


    Yoon Nahee exined, "First of all, if we divide the top 100 rankers by country, it won¡¯t be bnced. For example, there are 23 Americans in the top 100 ranking and only 2 Koreans. Since it¡¯s a nationalpetition, the number of participating yers must be raised, but the gap between countries is too big.¡±


    "What if we limit the participants to the top 30 instead of the top 100?¡±


    ¡°It is an extreme situation that will reduce the number of participating countries. Then it will be too small to be apetition that the world will enjoy.¡±


    The executives were agitated.


    "I don¡¯t want thepetition to be limited to rankers. Rather, those who stand out in each event should be selected, just like sports...¡±


    "Then there¡¯s too much we need to do. Won¡¯t it take a long time to divide the two billion users into countries and examine theirpetence in each field before making a selection?¡±


    "In addition, inviting the rankers to the firstpetition will help it seed. Who will be interested if the representatives of each country are people they haven¡¯t heard of?¡±


    In the midst of this confusion, Yoon Nahee brought up another problem.


    ¡°In addition, yesterday at 23:55, Yura reached level 280.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t the level up speed of the top rankers really amazing? The executives were thrilled and made a fuss.


    ¡°Great. Then the top five in the unified rankings have gone above level 280?¡±


    ¡°It is rewarding. Yura¡¯s achievement will be good news for Koreans who have been struggling in games recently.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. When I was young, various gamingpetitions were held and the Korean teams mostly won...¡±


    "It isn¡¯t pleasing. Isn¡¯t the level up of rankers too fast?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. The prediction of Supeputer Morpheus has once again missed the mark. Check the reference materials in front of you. Morpheus was expecting the appearance of a level 280 user in the next two months.¡±


    ¡°Really. This is serious...¡±


    Level 210, 240 and 270.


    The levels were called the ¡®hell sections¡¯ by users because the amount of experience required to level up increased exponentially. Nevertheless, it was surprisingly that this didn¡¯t limit the level up speed of the top rankers.


    ¡°Since Satisfy began, a number of Morpheus¡¯ predictions have been wrong. Is it a virus?¡±


    "It seems like a major overhaul is needed.¡±


    Yoon Nahee shook her head while the executives were feeling concerned.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with Morpheus. It is just that the abilities of the top rankers is higher than expected. If we take this into ount and reset the error range, Morpheus¡¯ predictions won¡¯t be wrong in the future.¡±


    ¡°Haha... How terrific are the rankers?¡±


    "They far transcend the general public. In particr, the abilities of the users in the top 30 are excellent. Their understanding of skills and battleprehension are different from ordinary people. They hunt close to impossible monsters rtively easily and level up efficiently. Even the user called ¡®Regas¡¯ has a fast level up speed and is in the top 30, despite the fact that he doesn¡¯t use weapons and is hunting with his bare hands.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin frowned.


    ¡°Taekwon Master Regas? Is he still doing that?¡±


    The ss of martial artist was less dependent on weapons than other sses. By default, their skills had a high attack power and passive skills that could prate the defense of the target. In the first ce, the weapons that martial artists could wear were limited to knuckles. Knuckle-type weapons had the lowest attack power among all weapons.


    In general, martial artists were rarely obsessed with weaponspared to otherbat sses. But no matter what, wearing knuckles was a few times better than fighting with bare hands. Regas had a record of not using weapons since starting Satisfy. Therefore, he was observed for a while and the executives knew about him.


    "He is Taekwondo obsessed...¡±


    Regas¡¯ real name was Roald Hoffmann. He was born in London, Ennd. He had a special history as an Olympic Taekwondo gold medalist and was so obsessed with Taekwondo that hebined skills with Taekwondo in Satisfy.


    "He doesn¡¯t use weapons because he thinks that the user of weapons vites the spirit of Taekwondo... Stupid. It is a type of psychosis.¡±


    "But why are you suddenly talking about Regas?¡±


    "He was mentioned after stating that Yura reached level 280...¡±


    "Ah, that¡¯s right. Why did you suddenly talk about Yura¡¯s level?¡±


    The executives looked questioning. Yoon Nahee exined to them.


    "If the level up speed of the top five ranked users is maintained as they are, they will reach level 300 in the next three months and achieve the third advancement.¡±


    The users just reached the second advanced five months ago. In other words, out of the two billion users, there weren¡¯t even 100 users who were above level 200. At that time, the level of users within the top 5 of the unified rankings was only 230.


    Now there were over 1,000 users who reached the second advancement and the users in the top 5 were almost at level 300. This would lead to a major disruption in the nationalpetition.


    ¡°If we ept that South Korea will be the host country, it will take at least three months for the preparation and publicity period.¡±


    The executives finally realized the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°Hrmm, I see. If thepetition is held after the third advancement users have appeared..."


    ¡°It won¡¯t work. The gap between the second advancement and third advancement users is so big that the games will be easier to predict and less fun to watch.¡±


    "The skills of the third advancement ss are far superior to the skills of the second advancement ss... Um...¡±


    The difference between the first advancement and second advancement sses was like the difference between the sky and earth. If a level 99 user waspared to a level 100 user, it seemed like there were just a difference of one level. But the actual difference was 50 levels.


    And the difference between the second advancement and third advancement was more than that. The third advancement sses had a skill tree that wasparable to a few hidden sses. The third advancement sses were deliberately set up to be stronger, in order to minimize the sense of deprivation for regr users who didn¡¯t have hidden sses.


    Yoon Sangmin asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we elerate the timeline of the contest? Do we have to hold it in three months?¡±


    "If we invest more money and hire more manpower, we can shorten the preparation period. But there must be a minimum of three months publicity period in order to sufficiently promote it to the world...¡±


    Yoon Nahee spoke awkwardly, then Branch Manager Kim Jiyoung offered an opinion.


    "How about creating quests within Satisfy? It¡¯s difficult to confine the number of participants in the national contest to only rankers, so I would rather give quests to all two billion users.¡±


    Branch Manager Kim Jiyoung¡¯s opinion was as followed:


    Through quests, the users would be informed about the nationalpetition. This would naturally cause a publicity effect. They would encourage users to participate in the events of the nationalpetition through the quests. The progress of the users¡¯ quests would be monitored and they would selectpetent people suitable to be representatives for each event.


    ¡°This will shorten the promotional period and take care of the selection of participants. It is also suitable for raising the interest of users and making the nationalpetition a big deal...¡±


    There wasn¡¯t one person who disagreed. All of them were in favor of Kim Jiyoung¡¯s suggestion.


    ***


    The Dominion Church¡¯s sanctum. A priest approached the head of the church, who was praying.


    "Leader, there is someone requesting a blessing from God Dominion.¡±


    ¡°At this time? One of our followers?¡±


    ¡°That... No.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The leader, Rhonda, was confused. The blessing of a god was a sacred thing that couldn¡¯t be given to anyone. It was a sacred ritual that could only be given to select people. He would select from one of the followers to receive the god¡¯s blessing once a year, but now a third party was asking for the blessing? The person had no concept of shame.


    The priest added an exnation since Rhona was making an unpleasant expression.


    "He is apanied by the first pdin of the Judar Church. In addition, he has a letter of rmendation from one of Reba¡¯s Daughter, Isabel.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The best pdins of the Reba Church and Judar Church? The religious leader was interested and rose from his spot. Then he met the man who came to see him.


    He was an ordinary man with ck hair. His mouth and eyes seemed stubborn, so he didn¡¯t give off a good impression. But there was something vaguely likable about this eyes. In addition, there seemed to be a halo of light around him.


    ¡®It is a strange impression.¡¯


    Rhona was stunned for a moment.


    Then the first pdin of the Judar Church came forward.


    ¡°Leader, this is Mister Grid. He is one of the great heroes who defeated the Sixth Servant of Yatan, Mcus and the agent of the goddess who killed Pope Drevigo, who was corrupting the Reba Church.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    The religious leader realized the origin of the halo around Grid. He was a great person who had already received Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing.


    "It is an honor to meet you, Mister Grid.¡±


    The leader of the Dominion Church bowed to Grid.


    Toban was amazed as he saw the scene.


    ¡®I introduced him as Grid said, but for him to be treated like this?¡¯


    The authority of the pope and leaders of the churches transcended imagination. Each of them had tens of millions of believers and were even respected by the kings of various nations. But this existence was bowing down to one user?


    As Toban was stunned, Grid asked the religious leader.


    "I hope that you can bestow the blessing of God Dominion on something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll willingly do it.¡±


    After that, Leader Rhonda did the ceremony. While dozens of believers were praying, he blessed the two golden discs. Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [God Dominion¡¯s blessing has fallen on the pavranium.]


    [The attack power of the pavranium has been strengthened.]


    Grid appraised the golden discs.


    [Golden Discs Made of Pavranium]


    Durability: Infinite


    Golden discs made of pavranium, the strongest mineral produced by the coboration between the legendary cksmith Pagma and the legendary great magician Braham.


    By default, they revolve around and protect their owner. But they will also take other actions when givenmands from their owner.


    * They have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. They will increase their owner¡¯s health recovery speed by 300%.


    * They have obtained an attack buff skill due to God Dominion¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s attack power will increase by 15%.


    Weight: 3


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    Grid was thrilled.


    He had suffered so much to receive the blessing of Goddess Reba, so he was worried about what type of hardships he would have to go through to receive God Dominion¡¯s blessing. But unlike his worries, it was easy to clear the quest and he acquired an excellent buff effect.


    ¡°Okay. Next is the Judar Church.¡±


    Toban freaked out at Grid¡¯s shocking statement.


    ¡°J-Judar Church?¡±


    Toban was the first pdin of the Judar Church! He was on a quest for the leader of the Judar Church. He originally had to take away the Holy Light set from Grid. He had to return to the church with Grid without achieving his purpose? It was clear that the leader would be angry. He didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Excuse me, Grid... I don¡¯t think I can apany you to the Judar Church. That¡¯s because..."


    Toban started to exin. He told the situation in detail so that Grid could understand. Grid listened for a while before finally opening his mouth, "I don¡¯t care about your reasons. What does it have to do with me? You are my ve, so just follow mymands. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    Grid had no mercy. But Toban couldn¡¯t express hisints. In the first ce, he was the one who did something wrong and he was now seeking forgiveness, so he had to follow Grid unconditionally.


    However, tears couldn¡¯t help flowing down.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134


    The sanctum of the Judar Church wasn¡¯t far from the Dominion Church. If a shortcut was used, they could arrive within three days. But few people used the shortcut. Almost everyone used the main road, even if it took double the amount of time.


    The reason was simple. The habitat of the griffons existed on the shortest route. A moment of distraction meant a person could be surrounded by dozens of griffons. Nearby lords adopted the punishment of leaving convicted criminals in the griffon habitat, and those who visited such a dangerous ce were extremely rare.


    But right now.


    A young Asian man and a ck person were walking into the griffon habitat, like moths flying into a fire. They were Grid and Toban.


    ¡°Toban, what are you doing? I¡¯m bored.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    Toban, who was tensely spying on the griffon¡¯s habitat, blocked the mouth of the yawning Grid. He started sweating as he said, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? Do you want to die after being discovered by the griffons because of your loud noises?¡±


    The griffons were level 260. With strong wings and high stamina, they were able to strike from the sky and capture their prey. Due to this, they were one of the top predators amongst the field monsters. Even high level rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back when ambushed by a group.


    That¡¯s why Toban was cautious.


    "Please be quiet and follow me. I¡¯ve used this path dozens of times. If you act as I say, we can safely pass through this canyon without seeing any griffons.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°Minimize the sound of your breathing as much as possible and move in a crawl. Okay?¡±


    Toban confidentlyy on the ground and took a crawling position.


    Grid watched him silently before frowning, ¡°Isn¡¯t your tone too annoying? Are you trying to teach me? Huh? A ve doesn¡¯t fear his master?¡±


    Toban realized his mistake and rified. ¡°A-Ah, Grid. Don¡¯t be angry. I just wanted to advise you...¡±


    ¡°How annoying. I¡¯m not listening to you. Crawling? Are you crazy? Didn¡¯t I do it enough as a soldier?¡±


    South Korea had yet to unify with North Korea. It was well over 100 years of truce, but North Korea¡¯s provocations still continued. In order to defend the country from North Korea, the strong young males of South Korea hadpulsory military service, and it was the same for Grid as well.


    ¡°Have you been to the military? Do you know crawling?¡±


    "The military...?¡±


    Toban was born in the United States. He had no interest in military service, so he didn¡¯t have many experiences meeting a soldier.


    Grid clicked his tongue. ¡°A guy who never entered the military is talking about crawling... Hey, you civilian. I was part of the South Korean army and I¡¯m still a reservist. Do you know how much I suffered while crawling during training? I still tremble when thinking of that time. But now I have to crawl in a game? Furthermore, it is with someone who doesn¡¯t even know how to crawl?¡±


    "..."


    Toban was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t refute them. How could he know that the act of crawling would upset a soldier? He stood there nkly after realizing it.


    ¡°A person with no concept of crawling...¡± Grid grumbled before pulling something out of his inventory. It was a scruffy looking cloak. Mcus¡¯ Cloak.


    Toban panicked, ¡°H-Hey, Grid! Are you crazy? Why are you bringing that out? I told you a few times to keep it in your inventory!¡±


    Toban was one of the members who participated in the Mcus raid. He was well aware of the option that Mcus¡¯ Cloak had. The bloody smell from the cloak was enough to stimte the hundreds of griffons inhabiting the high cliffs!


    ¡°You¡¯remitting suicide!¡± Toban imagined the scene of griffons flocking after smelling the blood and paled. ¡°What? Quickly put the cloak back in your inventory!¡±


    Grid looked at the panicked Toban and ridiculed, ¡°Why do you think I selected the shortcut? Was it just to shorten the time? No, that wasn¡¯t it. In the first ce, my purpose is to hunt griffons. I can¡¯t overlook the griffon habitat here.¡±


    Griffon bones, leather and tendons were used extensively in item production. Weren¡¯t griffon tendons one of the main ingredients in the Gale Spear? Grid had decided to hunt griffons, since Pon said that he paid arge amount of money to purchase the griffon tendons.


    Now it was the right opportunity. There were no areas with griffons in the vicinity of Winston. He couldn¡¯t let go of the griffon habitat that was here.


    ¡°I will get everything from the griffons today!¡±


    "Crazy bastard!¡±


    ¡°What? What did you just say?"


    Grid red at Toban angrily. But Toban didn¡¯t shrink back. The griffons were scarier than Grid.


    ¡°I now know that Grid is incredibly strong! Your abilities can bepared with the top 10 users!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, is it that much?¡± Grid was happy about the praise, but he also scratched his nose from embarrassment.


    The agitated Toban made closer to Grid and spat in his face as he shouted, ¡°But that isn¡¯t enough! The number of griffons here are immeasurable! Making a disturbance will make us be surrounded by hundreds of griffons. Even the 1st ranked Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be able to kill all the griffons by himself! But you want to hunt the griffons while wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak? Put it away now!¡±


    ¡°U-Umm...¡±


    Certainly, the griffons were hard monsters to hunt. Weren¡¯t they level 260? Grid used the benefit of hindsight and ced Mcus¡¯ Cloak in the inventory. Then he said to Toban. "Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll give up on group hunting. Instead, let¡¯s defeat as many as possible. We will go and hunt the griffons one by one. Understood?


    Grid was determined to hunt griffons. Thus, Toban was forced to give in.


    ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s one at a time... It will take some time, but it¡¯s good enough.¡±


    To be honest, Toban also wanted the experience and loot that came from hunting griffons. The moment that Toban decided to hunt griffons with Grid...


    Kieeeeek!


    A little while ago.


    The problem was Toban¡¯s agitated shouting. Dozens of griffons were gathering after hearing his voice.


    ¡°Keok...¡± Toban found the crowd of griffons in the sky and flopped down. ¡°Damn...! It is over! We will die!¡±


    Grid snorted, ¡°Stop talking nonsense. How can I die in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    In no time, Grid was equipped with shining white armor, gloves and a silver crown. There was also a ck greatsword in his right hand. The spectacr and dignified figure gave hope to Toban.


    ¡®That¡¯s right... Grid is strong!¡¯


    He had singlehandedly defeated Asuka, ck Teddy, Box and Toban in a fight. His level might be low but he was one of the strongest users due to his legendary ss. Toban believed that it might be possible to win against the griffons with Grid.


    ¡°Grid! Give me amand!¡±


    He had already agreed to be a ve and he would do his duty as a ve! Toban was fully prepared to take Grid¡¯s directions. Grid threw Mcus¡¯ Cloak at him.


    ¡°First of all, put that on. Then run away.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Toban couldn¡¯t figure out Grid¡¯s intentions. Run away with Mcus¡¯ Cloak? If he put on Mcus¡¯ Cloak, wouldn¡¯t he be the target of the griffons? Why would he wear Mcus¡¯ Cloak when he was trying to run away?


    Grid cried out with frustration, ¡°You still don¡¯t understand? You are bait!¡±


    "Bait?"


    Toban doubted his ears. A human, a species that had the best intellect on the, was being used as bait for a monster?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Grid replied impatiently to Toban, ¡°Do I sound like I¡¯m joking? This is amand.¡±


    "No way! Acting as a bait for monsters, it is against human rights! It is not ethical!¡±


    ¡°What does ethics have to do with this? What right does a ve have to talk about civil rights? We can get rid of this crisis if you act as bait, while I handle them one by one from the rear!¡±


    It was true. Fighting with dozens of griffons meant it was likely both of them would die. Toban felt like crying. A few days ago, he had been d about receiving a SS-grade quest for the first time, but it was different now. This wasn¡¯t a quest from a god, it was a curse.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Jeurereuk.


    Recently, the number of times Toban wanted to cry had increased significantly. He eventually equipped Mcus¡¯ Cloak. The bloody smell spread in every direction and the griffons¡¯ attention concentrated on Toban.


    Kyaooooh!


    The griffons who were just as violent as orcs. They were excited by this delicious smell. The sharp beaks aimed exactly at Toban¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Toban defended with his shield.


    Chaaeng!


    There was a big impact and Toban¡¯s body was pushed back a few steps. In this gap, a griffon pped its huge wings, creating wind pressure, and wielded heavy paws.


    ¡°Eh? Ehhhh?¡±


    Toban stumbled from the wind pressure. The griffon¡¯s paw aimed for his chest.


    ¡®This!¡¯


    Due to the wind pressure, Toban couldn¡¯t even adjust his shield. It meant he was hit by the griffon¡¯s paw and couldn¡¯t avoid a serious injury. No, why was this griffon so strong? Toban felt some doubts and checked the griffon¡¯s name. Then he cursed.


    ¡°Dammit! This bastard is a field boss?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The griffon leading 22 griffons was a level 290 field boss name ¡®Griffon Captain.¡¯


    ¡°Why has God forsaken me?¡±


    Toban screamed. But after the unavoidable blow, he immediately drank a health potion and used buff magic that concentrated on defense. Then he closed his eyes and prepared for the pain. At that moment, Grid appeared behind the Griffon Captain and aimed Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill at the perfect gap.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target five times.]


    The damage of level 1 kill was 1500% of his attack power, while the level 2 damage was 1800%. Grid also invested the 200 points earned from the pope into strength as always. In addition, the pavranium was blessed by God Dominion and had a damage enhancement effect.


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    Currently, 23 griffons were recognized by Dainsleif as enemies. The additional 345 attack power from this, as well as the effect of cksmith¡¯s Rage and the 1800% damage was sufficient to threaten the boss monster.


    Then there was a critical and the option from the Holy Light Gloves. The amount of damage applied transcendedmon sense.


    [You have dealt 284,000 damage.]


    ¡®Didn¡¯t the pope only have around 300,000 health?¡¯


    Grid was surprised to see the notification window.


    Kyaooooh!


    A single blow. The Griffon Captain suffered tremendous damage from one blow and dropped heavily. It copsed. It fell into a critical condition. Toban¡¯s mouth gaped open as he asked Grid, ¡°Grid... What is this tremendous attack power? Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t exert all your skills in the fight against Box¡¯s group?¡±


    Maybe a legendary ss was greater than he expected.


    Grid calmly replied to Toban. "It¡¯s not like that. This is pure luck.¡±


    Grid was even more surprised than Toban.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135


    "It¡¯s not like that. This is pure luck.¡±


    Grid was even more surprised than Toban. He never expected a critical hit and to trigger the option of the gloves along with Kill.


    ¡®A critical attack and five hits... It¡¯s absurd.¡¯


    He felt invincible. The confident Grid dered, "Toban, I willpletely get rid of the griffons.¡±


    Until a little while ago, Toban put the griffons above Grid. However, he quickly changed his attitude after watching Grid turn the Griffon Captain into a critical state in one blow.


    ¡°Yes, it is possible if it is Grid! Let me serve as the bait!¡±


    "Okay." Grid was satisfied by the answer and dealt the ultimate blow to the copsed Griffon Captain. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    Level 2 Link dealt 800% of his attack power. The Griffon Captain was severely injured by Kill and couldn¡¯t withstand this attack.


    Pipit!Pipipipit!


    The Griffon Captain couldn¡¯t resist the bombardment of energy swords that came out. It screamed painfully and turned into light.


    [You have killed the Griffon Captain!]


    [4,500,900 experience has been acquired.]


    [3]


    [4]


    [7]


    [The spellbook ¡®Tornado¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    There were three types of bosses.


    The first was a hidden boss such as Mcus, Pope Drevigo and Vampire Countess Marie Rose. They were usually humanoid NPCs and were the only ones who didn¡¯t respawn again after dying. Their story was big enough to have a direct effect on Satisfy¡¯s world view and they were overwhelmingly strong, making the rewards (items and experience) huge as well.


    Unlike monsters, humans had an inherent limitation in their low health. But they had high healthpared to ordinary users, so it couldn¡¯t really be pointed out as a weak point. Their artificial intelligence was also high, so they were real bosses with close to zero weaknesses.


    Ordinary users didn¡¯t get a chance to meet a hidden boss and even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t dream of seeding in the raid.


    The second was a dungeon boss. They appeared in the deepest part of each dungeon at regr intervals, and gave high rewards for those who seeded in the raid.


    Their basic abilities were at least 10 times higher than normal monsters and they had diverse attack patterns that made them difficult to handle with a small group of people. In particr, they had huge health and it was likely to be a long-term raid.


    Most users referred to dungeon bosses when talking about boss monsters. It could be said that the goal of ordinary users was to raid dungeon bosses.


    Finally, the third type was a field boss.


    They directly threatened users all over Satisfy. Their stats were at least four times higher than normal monsters of the same level and their health was halfway between a hidden boss and dungeon boss.


    The attack patterns didn¡¯t have a lot of variation so it was hard to say they were exceptionally strong. For users with excellentbat control, it was impossible to hunt a field boss that was 30 levels lower alone.


    But there were asional field bosses with mutations. The mutant field bosses were as strong as dungeon bosses and users needed to be vignt. For example, the Guardian of the Forest that dropped blue orichalcum was a mutant field boss.


    Right now, the Griffon Captain was amon field boss. Grid didn¡¯t like the rewards.


    ¡®What is with this loot...¡¯


    Field bosses were originally like this. The frequency of raids was high so they rarely dropped rare items. However, users were able to acquire arge amount of experience and misceneous loot, so it was good to raid them.


    In addition, Grid was quite lucky. The Griffon Captain had dropped a unique Tornado spellbook. The probability of the Tornado spellbook dropping was only 0.1%, and the Griffon Captain was hard to raid because they only appeared in griffon habitats. But Grid wasn¡¯t a magician and was thus unaware of the value of magic books.


    ¡®It¡¯s just an old spellbook... no way it¡¯ll sell for an expensive price... Tsk, I¡¯m d I got a lot of experience and loot at least.¡¯


    As Grid was grumbling with disappointment...


    Toban felt a chill as he wildly ran away from 22 griffons. Then Toban btedly realized his mistake.


    ¡®Dammit! I¡¯m not in the party!¡¯


    The death of the griffon boss! Toban also expected to acquire experience and items, but the notification windows didn¡¯t pop up? He hadn¡¯t noticed because it wasn¡¯t an ordinary situation, but he currently wasn¡¯t in a party with Grid. He wanted to ask Grid for a party invite right now; however, he was too busy running away from the griffons that he couldn¡¯t easily send an invite. He hurriedly eximed.


    ¡°Grid! Party! Quickly add me to the party!¡±


    Grid was puzzled as he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    "What do you mean, why? So I can be in your party!¡±


    "No, I mean why should you be in the party?¡±


    Toban eximed, "You¡¯re asking why? Isn¡¯t it natural to form a party when you go hunting with others?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why should I share my experience and loot with you?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes shone. "You keep forgetting that you¡¯re my ve, and are thus not equal to me. Just follow me."


    "W-What?¡±


    After Grid killed Box¡¯s group, Toban apanied Grid and came to realize that the Holy Light set wasn¡¯t just a simple quest item, but a legendary set. Therefore, he felt even more ashamed and guilty about trying to rob the items from Grid.


    But this was this, and that was that. At a minimum, they should hunt together in a party!


    "You are really spiteful!¡± Toban was upset and started to me Grid, "I¡¯m truly sorry that I betrayed you, but it¡¯s too much to not even let me in the party! I might be small in front of you, but I am also a ranker. Experience is extremely valuable to me! I have to perform the role of bait, so you should at least give me some experience!¡±


    Kiooooh!


    Toban stopped and the 22 griffons surrounded him. But Toban didn¡¯t shrink back as he only stared at Grid.


    In the end, Grid had to take one step back. "Okay, I understand. If you say so, I will add you to the party. If you wish, I¡¯ll even release you from your status as a ve."


    ¡°Eh? R-Really?"


    Toban was suspicious but slightly excited at Grid¡¯s sudden change in attitude.


    However, Grid then continued to say, "Instead, I¡¯ll tell Jishuka what you did to me, and I will absolutely never make an item for you.¡±


    "..."


    "How funny. You¡¯re being punished for trying to grab my rice bowl in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    Kiooooh!


    The griffons roared and started to attack Toban. It was impossible to defend against 22 griffon beaks with only one shield. Toban realized he would die in this way and started begging Grid, ¡°I was wrong! I was too agitated after seeing you catch a boss monster that I lost control! Please save me! I won¡¯t presume to join the party again. Just save me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    "...I will save you if you promise not to forget your position as a ve again.¡±


    "I understand! Okay!¡±


    It was wrong no matter how he looked at it. Grid was too spiteful. Toban was frustrated by the realization that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape his current status for the moment. At this time, he still didn¡¯t know. The type of luck he would encounter while being Grid¡¯s ve...


    ***


    The power of the Tzedakah Guild was famous among NPCs. Numerous royalty and nobles of each kingdom tried to recruit the Tzedakah Guild. They were tempted several times by titles, territories, and riches.


    However, the Tzedakah Guild couldn¡¯t decide who to go under. They waited to work in Winston with Grid, so they resisted all types of temptations and quietly waited.


    Finally, the Tzedakah Guild also earned arge reputation with thedy of Winston.


    In the counterattack against the Yatan Church that began with the birth of the Eighth Servant, Lady Irene showed great favor to the Tzedakah Guild who cleared many quests and even seeded in the Mcus raid.


    ¡°To the east of Winston, there is a vige called Bairan. Monsters often pop up so the poption is small, but the area isrge and there are several mines, so the possibility of development is indefinite.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°Jishuka, would you like to take over that vige and receive the title of baron?¡±


    Bairan was a very significant vige to Jishuka.


    The auction house in Bairan Vige was where Grid first made the Special Jaffa Arrows and where his existence was announced to the world. In addition, the Guardian of the Forest appeared around Bairan Vige so it was a ce she visited often to perform quests.


    ¡¯There are several hunting grounds and dungeons for high-level users, and the distance to Winston is only half a day using a carriage...¡¯


    Geographically, it was easy to interact with Grid and it was a vige where the guild members could easily level up. In addition, the poption might be low but many users woulde. If the guild managed it well, the taxes would be profitable.


    Jishuka finally made her decision, ¡°I am grateful for Lady Irene¡¯s favor. I will be loyal to you for the rest of my life.¡±


    "I am d to have a talent like you.¡±


    [You have be a baroness of the Eternal Kingdom!]


    [You have obtained the right to enter the social circle of the nobles.]


    [You have be the lord of Bairan.]


    [The estate management system has been created.]


    It was simple after that.


    Jishuka convened the guild and immediately headed for Bairan Vige. Along with the 100 soldiers residing in Bairan Vige, Pon and Ibellin took care of nearby monsters to stabilize security, while engineers were employed to repair and extend and old castle.


    On the other hand, Faker and several guild members identified the characteristics and financial status of Bairan Vige and discussed future directions for development. The absence of Toban, their chief of staff, created more work for Jishuka and the guild members, but it wasn¡¯t a big burden. In the first ce, Toban wasn¡¯t particrly outstanding as the chief of staff so there wasn¡¯t much difference.


    But there was an empty feeling.


    "When will Tobane?¡±


    It had already been a week since the guild members rejected his request for help with the SS-grade quest. At one point, he had blocked all whispers so they couldn¡¯t help wondering if something was wrong.


    However, they weren¡¯t particrly worried. Toban was a top ranker who was dependable, so they believed he was earnestlypleting his quest.


    "He is busy with his quest. Well, he wille back when he can. On the other hand, when will Grid return?¡±


    Vantner was stillining about Grid. Indeed, Grid was reallyte. It had been a month since he left for his quest and he still hadn¡¯te back. They couldn¡¯t contact him through the guild chat window or whispers.


    "In the first ce, Grid left because of a quest right? That guy has reached level 170 in the past month. It seems more like he is hunting in a dungeon to level up than doing a quest, just like Regas.¡±


    Certainly, Grid¡¯s level up speed identified in the guild information window was phenomenal.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant...¡¯


    Jishuka had seen Grid receive Braham¡¯s quest in real-time and investigated Pagma¡¯s identity. Grid was the descendant of undoubtedly the greatest cksmith in history, Pagma.


    ¡®As the ss quest of a legendary ss, the difficulty will be enormous. I can understand why he iste.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Vantner who wanted Grid to return quickly. Jishuka wanted Grid to return as soon as possible. The members wanted to see Grid¡¯s growth and were eager for Grid to produce their items.


    On the other hand, Bairan Vige developed rapidly. Users heard that the reputed Tzedakah Guild were ruling it and began to steadily migrate to Bairan Vige. If this trend continued, they would be able to achieve rapid economic growth. Someday, Bairan could be promoted from a vige to a city, just like Winston.


    But in the midst of this, there was some bad news. Three of the six new guild members that they had high expectations for... Asuka, ck Teddy and Box left the guild one day without saying anything.


    ¡°They just walked away. What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°They were dubious in the first ce. They would¡¯ve just muddied things up if they stayed in the guild. It is better to let them leave.¡±


    The existing guild members med the three people, but were quick to cool down. However, the other new guild members were frightened.


    Toon was appointed chief of security in Bairan Vige and was doing his daily patrol. He couldn¡¯t resist his curiosity and whispered to Box.


    -Hey, what is this?I thought you were going to stay in this guild until you know the identity of the skull helmet?


    Box thought this was fun.


    -I have already met him.It led to unwanted results.So I¡¯m leaving.


    -Hoh...?Really?So who is he?


    -It¡¯s no fun if I tell you too easily. I will give you a hint.He is a very surprising person.


    -What?Is that it?Do you want to die?


    Toon¡¯s tone changed after he became annoying by the hint. Toon restrained himself and said goodbye.


    -Toon, do you remember my suggestion?After you meet the skull helmet, make sure to leave the Tzedakah Guild and join my guild.We will always wee someone with skills like you.Then I¡¯m going.


    "Che, what a wily bastard.¡±


    Toon ended his whisper with Box and checked the guild information window. He was surprised by something when he checked the information of the 21 remaining guild members. The level 110 cksmith he met in Winston a month ago was now level 172?


    ¡°...Ohu.¡±


    Toon¡¯s eyes shone with fighting spirit.


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    griffon tendons have been acquired.griffon leather have been acquired.griffon bones have been acquired.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136


    There was an old saying in games that ¡®levels were bullies.¡¯


    That saying was also established in Satisfy. Satisfy might¡¯ve revolutionized the world by implementing the first virtual reality system, but it was a game at its core. In Satisfy, level was the most primitive and important concept.


    10 stat points were gained every time the level increased, and users would be stronger as their stats increased. The higher their level, the stronger a user could be because they could wear good items or acquire powerful skills. It wasn¡¯t just for these simple reasons. The higher the level, the more the unique functions of the stats showed.


    Let¡¯s take the strength stat for example.


    If the user¡¯s level was less than 100: The user had 0.1 attack power, 3 health points and the weight limit increased by 20 with every point.


    But if the user¡¯s level was above 100, it would be 0.2 attack power, 5 health points and a weight limit increase of 30 points per every point in strength. Once the level was above 200, attack power increased by 0.3, health by 7 points and the weight limit by 40 per point.


    In this way, the effect of the stats increased every 100 levels. This was called the stats awakening. The effect of the stats awakening was huge, so the higher the level, the better the effect.


    However, that was almost unrted to Grid, who had a legendary ss.


    A mere level 170 was able to knock down four rankers over level 200 and kill dozens of griffons who were level 260. He easily hunted hundreds of griffons (thanks to Toban properly acting as bait), so he was a scammer who transcended the concept of level.


    ¡®The epic hidden sses are ssified as powerhouses, and Grid is a legendary ss... I¡¯m speechless.¡¯


    They camped in the griffon habitat and spent all day and night hunting. Toban suddenly wondered, "Grid, how did you get a legendary ss?¡±


    A lot of effort was needed to be a hidden ss, so it was almost like winning the lotto. It was basicmon sense, but Toban wanted to know the specifics. He wondered about the process Grid went through to be a legendary ss. Listening to the story would be fun, and he could use it as a reference.


    But these were never pleasant memories for Grid. He didn¡¯t want to recall his worst memories of the several months of suffering, where he died dozens of times and lost most of his possessions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask...¡±


    Toban verified Grid¡¯s dark expression and gave up on listening to the story.


    ¡®He is furious. He must¡¯ve suffered. Indeed, getting a legendary ss wouldn¡¯t be easy... I would rather leave this ce...¡¯


    They had been hunting in the griffon habitat for the past four days. In the meantime, Grid had gained 10 levels and reached level 180. There was the feeling that Grid wanted to reach level 200 here.


    But it was hard for Toban to bear. For the past four days, he hadn¡¯t acquired any experience or items. He was forced to wear Mcus¡¯ Cloak and act as bait, while Grid reaped all the rewards. His number one position on the pdin rankings that he had firmly guarded for months might be taken away by the second ranked Damian.


    Toban was nervous about this and prompted. ¡°Grid, let¡¯s stop hunting now. Don¡¯t you have to clear your quest?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid was troubled.


    The griffon habitat gave a lot of experience, so he wanted to stay here until level 200.


    ¡®The difference between level 180 and level 200 is huge...¡¯


    But it was an unreasonable decision.


    ¡®It took four days to gain 10 levels. It will take at least eight days to gain 20 levels, but I am reluctant to dy it that long.¡¯


    To be honest, he felt a little bit sorry for Toban. He treated Toban as a ve, but he started to feel some remorse after a day or two.


    ¡®He¡¯s a ranker so he can¡¯t serve any longer for free... It will be good to end it here.¡¯


    It was the day when he felt remorse for taking advantage of someone! He never even imagined it.


    ¡®I need to be tougher in order to survive in this harsh world...!¡¯


    Why did God make him so naive and nice? Grid felt some resentment towards God as he made preparations to leave.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Toban eximed. He was relieved about finally being able to escape from acting as griffon bait. Now it was time to go to the Judar Church. Grid wanted to finish this quest quickly. Toban wanted to regain his freedom.


    Then the two people arrived at the Judar Sanctum in less than a day. Toban paused in front of it.


    "Leader Pascal is aiming for the Holy Light set. Perhaps he will be hostile towards you. There might be a fight, but if so, I won¡¯t be able to help you. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I am used to fighting alone.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t particrly worried. How could the leader of the Judar Church be stronger than the pope? He thought he would win if they fought. But before that, he had to check his status again.


    ¡®Know yourself before knowing the enemy. Status window!¡¯


    Name: Grid


    Level: 180 (140,090/5,531,200)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Health: 29,560/29,560+7,000 Mana: 3,240/3,240


    Strength: 1,584 Stamina: 962 Agility: 417


    Intelligence: 439 + 200 Dexterity: 984 Persistence: 498


    Composure: 364 Indomitable: 414 Dignity: 364


    Insight: 664 Courage: 308


    Stat Points: 0


    Weight: 25,519/57,480


    [Abilities Details]


    Basic Attack Power: 325 Weapon Attack Power: 412~579


    Additional Attack Power:


    * Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv.1 (Deactivated):20% additional attack power.


    * God Dominion¡¯s Blessing: 15% additional attack power.


    Total Attack Power: 995~1220


    Basic Magic Power: 220 Item Magic Power: 100


    Additional Magic Power: None


    Total Magic Power: 320


    Basic Defense: 192 Item Defense: 539


    Additional Defense:


    * Holy Light Battle Gear Set: Defense +500


    Total Defense: 1,231


    At level 100, he gained 0.2 attack power per every point in strength and 0.5 magic power per every point in intelligence. In addition, stamina gave 0.2 defense per point. When summing up, he rounded off the decimal point.


    Grid¡¯s base damage, magic power and defense were abnormally higher than users of the same level. This was because he¡¯d acquired many stats through the production of items. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. He didn¡¯t like the damage and defense figures applied from the items he wore.


    The +5 Dainsleif¡¯s attack power was 549~772, but due to the 25% penalty only 412~579 was applied. In addition, there was a 40~55% penalty for his armor, so the value wasted was too big. It caused a feeling of loss.


    ¡®Being able to wear all items is fraudulent, but the penalty system is really annoying. If I¡¯m going to be a scammer, make me a scammer. Why is there the penalty system?¡¯


    It was okay for now. When he killed the pope, he was 30 levels lower and his defense was much worse.


    ¡°Sigh... Okay!¡±


    He thought positively as he entered the Judar Sanctum. He handed the pdin blocking his path the letter of rmendation from Isabel and said, "I came to see Leader Pascal.¡±


    The pdin checked Isabel¡¯s introduction letter and quickly opened the way.


    ¡°Wee Mister Grid. The leader is waiting.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was hospitable? Grid was surprised by the unexpected response and looked back. Toban was hiding behind a pir. Toban sent him a whisper.


    -Grid, I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t enter with you.I¡¯m afraid that the leader will be angry if he sees me.


    ¡®Coward...¡¯


    In the end, Grid entered alone. Then he faced all types of delicacies. The 11th leader of the Judar Church, Pascal warmly weed Grid.


    "I am honored to meet the person who received the blessings of Goddess Reba and God Dominion!¡±


    Pascal was an ambitious person. But his ability to read the situation was excellent. He heard that Grid defeated Mcus and was recognized by the Reba Church and Dominion Church, so he knew how foolish it was to be hostile to Grid.


    Besides, there was no reason to feel hostile. If the pope¡¯s position became vacant, Pascal was be the first candidate to be the next pope, even without the Holy Light set.


    ¡®Rather, things have be easier.¡¯


    At the moment, there were few people in the Reba Church with the talent to be pope candidates. And the leader of the Dominion Church wasn¡¯t a greedy person. Pascal was convinced that he would be pope. He felt strong gratitude towards Grid who caused all of this.


    "I would like to hear your story about how you defeated the demon Mcus and the corrupt Pope Drevigo. Now, go ahead and sit. The food we prepared for you will be cold.¡±


    "..."


    On this day, Grid increased his affinity with Pascal, a pope candidate. Then the pavranium safely received God Judar¡¯s blessing.


    [Golden Discs Made of Pavranium]


    Durability: Infinite


    Golden discs made of pavranium, the strongest mineral produced by the coboration between the legendary cksmith Pagma and the legendary great magician Braham.


    By default, they revolve around and protect their owner. They will also take other actions when givenmands from their owner.


    * They have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. They will increase their owner¡¯s health recovery speed by 300%.


    * They have obtained an attack buff skill due to God Dominion¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s attack power will increase by 15%.


    * They have obtained a defense buff skill due to God Judar¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s defense will increase by 15%.


    Weight: 3


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    This long journey was finally heading towards the end. Now he just needed to receive the blessing of God Yatan and the quest would beplete.


    Pascal spoke to the excited Grid, "But Grid, it is virtually impossible to find the sanctum of the Yatan Church. They¡¯re very secretive. so the location of their sanctum has never been exposed in history. You said that you need God Yatan¡¯s blessing? It might be possible at someter date.¡±


    "..."


    Pascal¡¯s words were true. Gridmunicated with Toban afterwards, but they couldn¡¯t figure out the location of the Yatan Sanctum. It seemed like it would take a long time before he could discover it.


    In the end, Grid was forced to return to Winston without achieving his goal. Winston was boisterous when he returned.


    ¡°What? What is this event?¡±


    The users were excited. At the entrance to Winston, there were many famous NPCs and soldiers, including Phoenix. Even Lady Irene showed up. The Tzedakah Guild were also gathered, and it was rumored that they had gone under Lady Irene a while ago.


    "Perhaps the king ising?¡±


    ¡°Wow, it must be. The king probably heard rumors about Winston¡¯s development and ising to inspect it directly.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy to see the king of a country. There was a rumor that just seeing a king could cause a positive effect on their stats. How spectacr would the procession be? Thousands of users were gathered like ants all over the walls and square as they watched the gates with anticipation.


    Then after a while.


    Finally, the gates opened and someone entered. The soldiers verified the identity and blew their trumpets once, then the knights drew their swords and saluted the person. Then people smiled brightly and blew pollen.


    However, they weren¡¯t enthusiastically weing the king. No, it wasn¡¯t even an NPC, let alone the king. It was a scruffy user who looked like a beginner. The man had a hat topletely cover his face and ID, like he was expecting the attention. Then Lady Irene ran to the man.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The users watching the situation simultaneously cried out. Irene was praised as the goddess of Winston due to her beauty and kind heart, making her loved by many male users. So why was she hugging this scruffy and suspicious looking man?


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    Irene stared at the man with an expression of love. It was an unbelievable sight.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Why did such a beautiful and noble NPC like a user like this? While the users were feeling stunned, Jishuka, one of the most beautiful women in the world, also approached the man. She had a bright smile on her usually cold face.


    ¡°You came back safely. I was waiting anxiously.¡±


    ¡°Keok...¡±


    The users were dumbfounded. Winston¡¯sdy was from an influential NPC family and this mysterious man was also weed by the top ranker and beauty Jishuka. This scene became a huge issue and was reported to the media around the world. Of course, there was a hot debate on the Inte.


    "Oh, I wonder who that man is?¡±


    After dinner.


    Sehee was sitting next to Youngwoo on the couch and showed interest in the mysterious man appearing on the news. Sehee had no direct experience with ying Satisfy, but she often watched it on TV, so she understood why it was such a big issue.


    ¡°He looks like a beginner and a fool at first nce, so why is he loved by such big shots?¡±


    Sehee asked the question and the yawning Youngwoo exined, ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    "I was away for a while on a quest, so everyone was weing my return.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... Don¡¯t I have a lot of poprity?¡±


    Kwajijik!


    The TV remote control in Sehee¡¯s hand made a strange breaking noise. Youngwoo clicked his tongue. ¡°Wow... Even if the control is 10 years old, how can it break like this? Wow, the maker of this is really bad. We shouldn¡¯t buy a TV from here again.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Sehee red at her brother and went to her room. Once Youngwoo was left alone, he couldn¡¯t endure the fatigue and dozed off on the couch.


    "... The first night... Huhuhu!¡±


    The sound of slyughter echoed through the living room.


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    Once every four months, two full moons would ovep in one night. When the coastal waters of Brinichi experienced a low tide, a secret path would be revealed.


    ¡°I finally found it.¡±


    The bottom of the sea showed a glittering path.


    Ssh ssh.


    A girl moved along the path, not caring about how wet her shoes and clothes got. The mysterious and calm purple path continued into the depths of the sea. The girl hesitated for a moment as she gazed into the depths, before taking a deep breath. Then she started to y the flute she had prepared in advance.


    Beep.Bibiririr.


    The melody spread over the calm waves. The image of the girl ying a flute alone in the moonlight was as beautiful as a picture. A notification window appeared in the girl¡¯s vision.


    [You have yed Laurelia¡¯s Flute. You can breathe underwater for 25 minutes.]


    Kkoruruk.


    The girl gathered up her courage and dove in. She was greeted with the magnificent sea creatures as she swam along the lit up path and reached the secret kingdom at the end.


    [You are the first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom!]


    [It is a ce passed down in legends. If you create and sell a map of this ce, you can earn great reputation and gold.]


    [If you sell the map first to the 3rd Prince of the Saharan Empire, a quest will be generated.]


    ¡®I will leave the map making to ater time...¡¯


    In any area, the first discoverer would receive great benefits. But was it so easy to be the first discoverer among two billion users? It was an inspiring sight, but the girl¡¯s interesty elsewhere.


    The purpose of her arrival here was to acquire the method of making the orb that Braham¡¯s first disciple, Mumud used during his life.


    ¡®I need to find the production method quickly and bring it to Grid.¡¯


    The girl¡¯s ID was Euphemina. In the past, she had asked Grid to produce an orb in exchange for saving Grid from Winston¡¯s dungeon. Grid had promised to do it, as long as she obtained the orb¡¯s production method and materials.


    After that.


    Euphemina had searched for what was the best orb in history. She came to the conclusion that Braham¡¯s orb was by far the best, but the conditions of use were too high. Therefore, she searched for the orb used by his disciple, Mumud.


    The end of her journey led to the Siren Kingdom. 500 years ago, he had married and settled here. Euphemina needed to find Mumud¡¯s descendant and acquire the production method for his orb.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t long now... Grid, I¡¯lle find you soon.¡±


    She wanted to meet him quickly. It wasn¡¯t just anticipation for the orb Grid would make. She was one of the three revealed epic sses in Satisfy, yet he had made her feel tremendous helplessness. Therefore, she wondered how far he had grown now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives. It¡¯s just pure curiosity.¡±


    She blushed while talking to herself, and the inhabitants of the Siren Kingdom thought that humans were strange creatures.


    ***


    "Heok!"


    It was still dark early in the morning. Shin Youngwoo, who fell asleep watching TV the night before, woke up.


    ¡°I have a bad feeling...¡±


    Somehow, there was a chill down his spine. He didn¡¯t remember it, but he seemed to have a nightmare. He took off his coat that was wet with sweat and rose from his seat. Then he headed straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower.


    He normally only washed once every three days, so why did he shower as soon as he woke up? It wasparable to the sun rising in the west!


    ¡®It¡¯s my first night, so shouldn¡¯t I wash and cleanse before it? Huhuhut...¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. He hummed as he washed up, then headed straight to the capsule. Before connecting to Satisfy, he opened up the Inte.


    Tatak!Tatatang!


    As if it was expressing his excited mind, the sound of tapping on the keyboard was light. After a while, the search results for ¡®sex in Satisfy¡¯ appeared before Youngwoo. There were hundreds of thousands of articles. Youngwoo was thrilled while reading.


    ¡°Ohh...! It is possible for NPCs as well as users!! Huh? What is this?¡±


    Satisfy was like another reality, so sex was naturally included.


    However, the S.A. Group put limitations on it because of a fear that users would be irresponsible if there were no restrictions, and in the worst case scenario, it could be abused for criminal acts.


    "...In Satisfy, sex could only happen when formally married, and the number of times is limited to once a month... If these conditions aren¡¯t met, sexual functions are impossible...?¡±


    Youngwoo was silent while reading the conditions. Then there was a bang from the keyboard! He had struck downwards.


    ¡°Dammit! Only once a month?¡±


    Something he saved... No, he was finally going to get rid of the virgin status that he had been keeping for no reason! Youngwoo nned to share his love with Irene day and night, so he was frustrated.


    ¡°Only once a month...! I want to do it, but it¡¯s only once a month! Dammit! Who would be satisfied with that much...? Of course, not me.¡±


    Youngwoo was lying on the ground like a child, but then he suddenly regained his calm.


    ¡®So what if it is once a month? I¡¯ve never once experienced it in 27 years so once a month... It is amazing.¡¯


    Maybe because it was early. Youngwoo recovered from the frustration and returned to the capsule. After searching the Inte, he got a rmendation for a best-selling book called ¡®100 Techniques to Satisfy Women¡¯ and immediately purchased it.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhh!¡±


    It was a book that described scenes that Youngwoo had never actually experienced in detail, from an expert point of view. Youngwoo read the amazing and sacred book more intensively than any tutorial lectures. How much time passed?


    ¡°...It¡¯s a new world.¡±


    It was the first time that he enjoyed the act of reading. Time passed by without him knowing it. The sun waspletely up outside his window. He checked the clock and saw that it was 11 a.m. His parents were at work and Sehee at school, so he was alone in the house. Youngwoo headed into the kitchen. He ate food to restore his stamina.


    ¡°Keeeok~¡±


    The feeling of satiation was great. Then he took a bath and built up his knowledge.


    ¡¯All the preparations are perfect!¡¯


    Youngwoo returned to the capsule and logged into Satisfy with a confident look. But as he tried to log in, he suddenly got up and headed to the bathroom again.


    ¡®This time it will be perfect!¡¯


    The confident Youngwoo entered the capsule and logged in.


    Buzz buzz.


    Khan¡¯s smithy was the hideout of the Tzedakah Guild. Most of the guild members were already there, and their attention focused on Grid as soon as he logged in. Then Vantner called out his name and made a fuss.


    ¡°Hey Grid! What is this? What did you do to end up marrying Lady Irene?¡±


    Two days ago in Satisfy.


    Grid left for a quest and finally returned to Winston after 40 days. Vantner had been waiting for Grid more than anyone else, so he was ecstatic when Grid returned. Then an unexpected and shocking scene urred.


    Lady Irene, who was close to Vantner¡¯s ideal type, rushed into Grid¡¯s arms? After that, she made a shocking announcement at Grid¡¯s return celebration party at the castle. It was that she was going to marry Grid.


    ¡°Aaaaack! Why? Why you? Why am I not you?¡±


    Since staying in Winston, Vantner had worked tirelessly to acquire the favor of Lady Irene. It wasmon for love to bloom between a user and NPC, so he had a positive outlook. But Irene was the only heir to Earl Steim, making her like a flower on a cliff. Even Vantner, who was a ranker, didn¡¯t have a chance to meet with her. He couldn¡¯t even get quests rted to her.


    ¡°Then you... How did you get so close to her? How did you captivate her heart? You have a lower level and are uglier than me!¡±


    Vantner was filled with sadness, jealousy, anger and all types of bad emotions. Then he lost his temper as Pon spoke to him.


    ¡°Hey, it is too much to say that he is uglier than you. Bald person...¡±


    "Shut up! I already told you that I¡¯m not bald in reality, you bastard!¡±


    "No, it¡¯s true that you told me a hundred times that you aren¡¯t bald in reality, but aren¡¯t you bald here? And think about the age gap. Don¡¯t you know that Lady Irene looks like a girl if you stand next to her? No, what type of guy goes after a young girl like that?¡±


    ¡°W-What? Why does age matter in love? Don¡¯t ruin my pure love!¡±


    "What? Do you want to be hit? Would you like a taste of my Gale Spear?¡±


    ¡°Try it! Let¡¯s both die today!¡±


    The two people were arguing again today. Thanks to that, Grid could free himself from Vantner. He approached Jishuka and asked.


    ¡°What is everyone doing here? Why are you gathered?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking why? It¡¯s to attend your wedding as guests. You are getting married in Satisfy. It is also the first time we are seeing a user marry an NPC, so the expectations are big.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Aren¡¯t you busy ruling Bairan Vige? Is it possible for a lord to leave their ce?¡±


    ¡°It would be impossible to y if being the lord is so busy that I can¡¯t even leave for a day or two. There is time to spare. I also left Toban in charge in case of emergencies. By the way Grid, you seem to have changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°Changed?¡±


    "Yes, originally you would¡¯ve cursed back at Vantner. But you just let it go in one ear and out the other... I think your personality has matured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already in myte 20¡¯s. I¡¯m originally an adult.¡±


    He answered casually, but he was also surprised to find himself changed. Whenever he connected to Satisfy, his mind became calm and rxed, unlike in reality.


    This was the effect of his higher insight stat. Currently, Grid¡¯s 600 points in insight wasn¡¯t enough to contemte the world, but it could see through it to some extent. So when he dealt with someone or faced an unexpected situation, he could make a reflexive judgment on how to act and calmed down ordingly.


    ¡°Where is Faker?¡±


    Grid had obtained three items after defeating the assassins on the way to the Vatican. One of the was Kenen¡¯s Dart Belt, while the other two were traps and poison.


    The belt was ssified as equipment and could naturally be used, but trap instation tools and poisonbination machines were ssified as items made by experts in their field, not equipment. It was impossible to use even for Pagma¡¯s Descendant, and he had to learn how to use them separately.


    ¡°I want Faker to teach me how to use an item...¡±


    Jishuka shrugged at Grid.


    ¡°I believe he¡¯s here, but I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s very skilled at hiding.¡±


    Faker, the number one assassin, was a master of stealth. Even if he didn¡¯t use a skill, he could erase his presence by controlling his stride and breathing. In the past, he had be angry after being caught by Euphemina, who had high insight. Now Grid had more insight than Euphemina at that time.


    ¡°Over there.¡± Grid found Faker standing with his arms crossed in a corner of the smithy and approached. ¡°Faker, can you teach me how to install traps and use this poison machine? I picked up these items by chance and they look pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Faker¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. The people next to him couldn¡¯t even see him, so he was surprised to find that Grid had left the center of people and had discovered him. He looked into Grid¡¯s deep eyes and confirmed it.


    ¡®He has grown.¡¯


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    Several months ago, Faker didn¡¯t appreciate Grid when he first met him.


    It was because Grid¡¯s cksmith ability andbat ability were excellent, but his mental immaturity meant he couldn¡¯t exert all his abilities. To be honest, Faker never expressed it, but he thought Grid was ridiculous. He felt that Grid couldn¡¯t take advantage of his ss.


    But now it was different. A long time had passed and Grid seemed different from the past.


    ¡®If he keeps steadily growing like this, I can trust him with my back one day.¡¯


    As Faker was thinking, Grid showed the trap instation tools and poisonbination machine to him.


    "These are the items... I don¡¯t know how to use them. There¡¯s no manual.¡±


    Faker was amazed as he looked at the items. ¡°They¡¯re good items. In particr, this poisonbination machine is excellent. Where did you obtain it?¡±


    ¡°I killed an assassin called Shay who dropped it.¡±


    "Shay...? A user?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shay was the fifth ranked assassin user. He was a well established user, but it seemed he had been defeated by Grid and lost the item.


    ¡®Shay is notorious for always going around with Kerb and Sniffer... Grid defeated the three of them alone? How strong is Grid now?¡¯


    It seemed like the degree of growth exceeded Faker¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®Jishuka and Vantner guessed that Grid was equal to or better than Pon and Regas...¡¯


    He thought it was a joke, but maybe it was real? Faker was an aggressive person, like the other members of the Tzedakah Guild. He felt the urge topete against Grid. But now wasn¡¯t the time.


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to learn how to use them next time? Look at the time. Your wedding is soon.¡±


    "Ah, already?"


    Grid verified the time and exited the smithy. This wasn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s wedding. He couldn¡¯t bete to his own wedding. The Tzedakah Guild and Khan followed. Khan looked depressed.


    ¡°Grid... Grid has be the husband of thedy...¡±


    Khan lost his sick wife then his son. After being alone, he fell into drinking. Due to the trickery of the Mero Company, he had been on the verge of losing the smithy that had been in his family for generations.


    But one day, Grid suddenly appeared and saved him. He was able to escape from the pain of his life and rebuild the smithy. Grid was his savior. He was a simr age to Khan¡¯s dead son and Khan truly treasured him.


    Now that precious person was leaving for a high ce that Khan couldn¡¯t reach. Of course, he was happy to see Grid doing well. However, he couldn¡¯t hide his sad feelings. He barely swallowed back his tears as he spoke to Grid.


    ¡°Grid, you might be amoner marrying into a family of nobles, but don¡¯t shrink back and live well. I am always cheering for you.¡±


    Grid grinned at Khan¡¯s encouragement. ¡°I¡¯m Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Why should I shrink back from nobles? And don¡¯t talk like we are breaking up. I will still go to the smithy like before, even if I marry Irene. Have you forgotten? I am your sessor.¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    It must be annoying to help a poor and sick old man, but Grid didn¡¯t show it at all. Khan was thrilled and tears ended up spilling down. Grid handed him a handkerchief and said, "Your son asked me to do something. He asked me to take care of his father.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. In the past, Grid had gone to Khan¡¯s family cemetery with Khan and encountered ghosts while Khan was sleeping. Among the ghosts, Khan¡¯s ancestor gave him the clue to obtain Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, and Khan¡¯s son asked Grid to take care of his father.


    A son who worried about his father even after death! Grid liked Khan and was touched by his son¡¯s devotion, so he tried to do well by Khan. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an unconditional favor. To be honest, some of his actions were calcted to inherit the smithy. But that didn¡¯t affect the fact that he liked Khan. That emotion still remained.


    Then Khan¡¯s expression started to slowly contort.


    ¡°Grid... Why is your handkerchief so dirty? Is this a rag?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t a rag. It is a handkerchief. But I didn¡¯t wash it, so it looks like a rag. Hahaha! Well, it is okay. Are you going to die if you wipe your tears with a rag?¡±


    "Tsk tsk, you¡¯re worse than an old widower... I¡¯m relieved that the maids will take care of you after you marry thedy.¡±


    On the other hand, the Tzedakah Guild were looking at Grid and Khan with warm eyes. Grid looked great in their eyes, demonstrating that users and NPCs could really be friends. NPCs had the same emotions as humans. They felt ashamed of themselves for ignoring this fact and treating NPCs as a simple artificial intelligence in a game.


    Then the party arrived at the castle.


    "Wee!"


    The knights and soldiers already recognized Grid as their lord. He wasuded as a hero and was going to be the husband of thedy. They entered the castle¡¯s garden, where the beautiful bride weed Grid.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    "Lady Irene...¡±


    Her white dress highlighted her beauty. Now Irene, who was making a shy smile, was beautiful enough topare with Yura and Jishuka.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    This beautiful and noble woman was being taken away by Grid! Vantner swallowed back his tears. Then he discovered Knight nd crying with a runny nose and felt a sense of homogeneity with him.


    "You too, Lady Irene...¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    The two people exchanged nces as the grand marriage ceremony was held.


    Dozens of senior nobles from all over the kingdom as well as foreign envoys were present. Earl Steim¡¯s speech and the congrattory message from the king¡¯s messenger increased the atmosphere.


    "There are foreign envoys and even a message from the king... It isn¡¯t an exaggeration that Earl Steim is one of the kingdom¡¯s greatest powers.¡±


    Jishuka admired. She only went under Irene because of Grid, but now it seemed to be wise decision in many ways.


    ¡®No matter how I think about it, Grid is truly amazing.¡¯


    Jishuka thought with a smile. Then the military band started to y light and cheerful music. Hundreds of people watched as Grid and Irene exchanged vows of love.


    ¡°Do you swear to respect and love one another until you be light and return to Goddess Reba¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°I swear.¡±


    "I swear."


    No one said it first. Grid and Irene responded and the same time, and the guests cheered like they were soulmates.


    "Share the token of your pledge.¡±


    ¡®Token of the pledge?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand the officiant¡¯s words. The bride¡¯s side had taken care of all wedding preparations, so he couldn¡¯t help panicking. Then Irene handed him a pair of rings. It was the finest gold ring with a diamond in the middle.


    "Put these rings on our hands.¡± Irene shyly said.


    Her red face was so lovely that Grid picked up the small ring with trembling hands. Then he slid it on Irene¡¯s finger. Irene also ced the ring on Grid¡¯s finger. Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [You have worn the Ring of Pledge. If you are with the person wearing the same ring, special effects will ur.]


    [You have pledged eternal love with Irene Winston von Steim.]


    [You have be the husband of ady.]


    [You can now check the estate¡¯s information using the authority of thedy¡¯s husband. However, you have no right to decide estate policy.]


    [You will gain more benefits and have a stronger voice the higher your wife¡¯s liking towards you.]


    [If your wife¡¯s liking is low, the worst case scenario is a divorce. Be careful.]


    [You have be an earl¡¯s son-inw.]


    [The Nobility stat has been opened.]


    [All stats have increased by 20.]


    [You can advance into the social circle of the nobles.]


    [You will receive a monthly sry of 500 gold.]


    Grid¡¯s mouth dropped open. His fortune seemed to be increasing thanks to his beautiful,petent, and kind bride.


    On the other hand, Earl Steim watched his daughter blush as Grid put the ring on her and suddenly found Khan. He approached Khan and handed him a drink.


    "Are you Grid¡¯s friend?¡±


    Khan looked up with surprise and asked, "Why is a great person like Your Lordship interested in someone like me...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that. Aren¡¯t you a cksmith who represents the north and a friend of my son-inw? It is an honor to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    After that, there was a flurry of drinking. Most people drank alcohol like water while blessing the bride and groom. Vantner and nd got drunk together and cursed the bridegroom, causing Knight Captain Phoenix to expel them.


    There were foreign envoys and senior nobles who discretelyughed at the fact that the groom was amoner, but the good mood was sustained because Faker secretly stunned them and ced them asleep in a corner.


    On the other hand, the residents and users in Winston were also celebrating. There was the festive atmosphere of fireworks and music.


    ¡°Lady Irene got married!¡±


    ¡°Ahh! It is to our hero!¡±


    "I hope that thedy will give birth to a son!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am looking forward to the future!¡±


    The NPCs learned that Irene¡¯s marriage partner was Grid and danced with joy. However, the users didn¡¯t know the details and weren¡¯t very interested in Irene¡¯s marriage. They were delighted about other parts.


    [Irene, thedy of Winston, has married and blessed everyone!]


    [All Winston products will be exempt from taxes for the next 10 days.]


    [Users who set Winston as their residence will gain a 50% increase in experience and 30% increase in item acquisition for the next 15 days.]


    [Users who have settled in a city or vige that belongs to Earl Steim will gain a 30% increase in experience and 15% increase in item acquisition for the next 10 days.]


    This was good luck!


    The millions of users in Earl Steim¡¯s territory started to hunt hard to take advantage of this opportunity. Users heard the rumors and moved to Earl Steim¡¯s territories to experience this event, causing these areas to have an enormous poption growth.


    Among them, the number of poption heading to Winston was unequaled. But Winston¡¯s poption was already saturated. The users who nned to move to Winston were forced to look at other viges near Winston.


    Those viges included Bairan, which was managed by the Tzedakah Guild. The vige of Bairan was a territory under Winston and as a result, it was able to achieve tremendous growth in a short period of time. Thousands of people migrated every day, hundreds of new houses were built, the number of shops increased and the economy was booming.


    ¡°Ah~! What is this? I am too busy!¡±


    Jishuka and the Tzedakah Guild cried out. If this trend continued, the money would pour in, but they were worried about being too busy to have time to level up.


    Then let¡¯s go back in time to the wedding night!


    Grid was naked and facing Irene, who had uncovered her white body.


    "Beautiful..."


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed...¡±


    Irene had a wide pelvis and long slender limbs, like a model. Her breasts were only a B cup, making it somewhat inadequate for Grid¡¯s taste. But Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. The shape of Irene¡¯s breasts was perfect and the harmony of colors was wonderful... The details will be omitted.


    ¡°Irene!!¡±


    "Oh my.¡±


    The excited Grid lowered Irene onto the bed. Then he immediately used the techniques described in the book he read before essing Satisfy. The techniques were very dazzling... The details will be omitted.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    Whenever Grid¡¯s long and hard fingers swept over Irene¡¯s white and soft skin... The details will be omitted.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Irene shed tears as she was surrounded by pleasures she had never experienced in her 20 years of living. The pleasure she felt was so huge that she was almost scared.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared... I feel like another person... It feels like I will fly away somewhere...¡±


    His hands gave her such pleasure that it was hard to believe Grid was a virgin. The reason he could demonstrate such excellent hand techniques wasn¡¯t because he read the book, but because he was influenced by his high dexterity stat.


    Thebination of his stats and titles meant that he had over 1,500 dexterity, transcending human limitations. Sometimes delicate! Sometimes strong! He was able to perfectly control the tempo as his hands swept over Irene¡¯s whole body. It was almost enough to give him the title of caressing king.


    ¡°Grid... Hurry...!¡±


    ¡°Irene!!¡±


    Irene looked up at him with a yearning expression. The moment Grid met that gaze, he let go of his reason. He took a deep breath as for the first time in his 27 years of life... The details will be omitted.


    ¡°Ahh... Grid! I love you...! I love you!! I love you!"


    As the night grew deeper, the intensity of Irene¡¯s pleasure grew. Combined with the title effects, Grid¡¯s strength exceeded 1,600 and his stamina exceeded 1,000, so Grid wasparable to the legendary virile king.


    Thanks to that, Irene was surrounded by pleasures that ordinary women never experienced... The details will be omitted.


    [Irene¡¯s liking towards you has increased.]


    [Irene¡¯s liking towards you has increased.]


    [Irene¡¯s liking towards you has increased...]


    Irene¡¯s love towards him grew bigger every time Grid moved his waist... The details will be omitted.


    Thus, the first night was a great sess. Grid was able to achieve the maximum liking with Irene in just one night.


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    sh!


    Grid opened his eyes to the sound of birds chirping and raised his body. The first thing he did was look for Irene. He was anxious at the thought thatst night was a dream, then he sighed with relief.


    ¡°Irene...¡±


    A beautiful girl with silver hair, who he could assert was the loveliest person in the world, was sleeping on his right side. Her glowing skin was shining through the nket, creating a strange emotion inside Grid.


    ¡®My woman.¡¯


    Grid had never achieved love in 27 years. No, he couldn¡¯t even hold hands with a girl. It was inevitable that he would feel like this towards his first woman.


    ¡®I will make Irene happy.¡¯


    Grid had a new goal. Irene being kidnapped twice by the Yatan Church were the worst memories of her life. She would suffer from the trauma for a long time. Grid vowed that he would never let her suffer the same misfortunes again.


    ¡®I need enough strength to protect her.¡¯


    Doran would be pleased to hear this from the other world. Irene was deeply asleep after the exertions the night before. He was worried that he would wake her up, so he got up as quietly as possible, dressed and walked out of the room.


    Two maids were waiting for him in front of the door.


    "Have you woken up, Sir Grid?¡±


    ¡°I want to wash up, so please guide me to the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    One maid was calm while the other had a lively nature. Grid followed behind them without thinking and then panicked in the dressing area before the bathroom. The maids started taking off his clothes like it was natural.


    "W-What are you doing?¡±


    How did the maids manage to take off so many clothes in merely seconds? It was like they used magic, rendering Grid naked in the blink of an eye. He covered his important areas with both hands and shouted,


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you suddenly stripping me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They replied in a manner that seemed as if they thought his reaction was odd.


    ¡°You have to take your clothes off to wash.¡±


    At the moment, Grid quickly grasped the situation and asked, ¡°P-Perhaps you... Are you nning to wash me?¡±


    "Yes, that is our duty.¡±


    ¡°It is natural for maids to wash their master¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡®T-This...!¡¯


    Noblemen were such perverted people that they forced young girls to wash their bodies!


    ¡¯These guys... Isn¡¯t this great?¡¯


    It was something he always wanted to experience once when he saw it in manhwas. The ted Grid removed the hands covered his important parts. Then he proudly straightened up and said.


    ¡°Okay. Take it off and then wash me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid had fallen for Irene overnight and swore that he would love her forever. However, that didn¡¯t mean he would be single-hearted. He was a man! Any protagonist would dream of having a harem! Since ancient times, heroes were always surrounded by girls. While Grid had no intention of missing this opportunity, reality was cruel.


    ¡®...There is no reaction.¡¯


    In Satisfy, sex was only avable once a month and it had to be between married partners. If these conditions weren¡¯t met, the sexual function itself wouldn¡¯t work. Cute maids were washing every part of his body with soft, delicate touches, but Grid didn¡¯t feel anything at all.


    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯


    A famous line came to mind.


    ¡®I... I am a eunuch...¡¯


    Grid was frustrated as the maids washed his body. Somehow, the maids seemed to beughing at him, so his self-esteem as a man was shattered.


    After 30 minutes.


    "..."


    The maids finished wiping off all the moisture on his body before Grid left the bathroom with a soulless expression and put on new clothes. They were the finest clothing that nobles wore.


    The maids admired him as they eximed, ¡°Sir Grid, you look so cool.¡±


    "That¡¯s right! The clothes fit well so you should stand tall!¡±


    Grid confirmed his appearance in the mirror and felt awkward. "If I wear cheap clothes, Irene will... No, I will ruin thedy¡¯s reputation. But these clothes aren¡¯t too much? I am the husband of thedy, not a noble.¡±


    The maids exined.


    "There will be a ceremony soon. Grid will officially be made a noble today.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. This isn¡¯t a costume.¡±


    Their words were true.


    After breakfast.


    Earl Steim summoned Grid. "Irene is my only heir, basically giving her the authority of an earl. That child will be a countess after my death.¡±


    "..."


    "Aside from her title, Irene is thedy of a big city. It will be a problem if her husband is amoner... I will like to give you the title of viscount, will you ept it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The nobles of the Eternal Kingdom, an earl had the authority to appoint two viscounts and eight barons. However, Earl Steim already had five viscounts under him. He was one of the two nobles representing the Eternal Kingdom, exercising power beyond thew.


    Then Grid became the sixth person to be awarded the title of viscount by Earl Steim.


    [You have be a viscount of the Eternal Kingdom.]


    [As Earl Steim¡¯s son-inw, you have acquired the Steimst name.]


    [You have the authority to rule a territory.]


    [You have the authority tomand soldiers.]


    [You can employ up to three people as knights. You can employ both NPCs and users.]


    [You can give a forcefulmand to the people. But it isn¡¯t rmended.]


    [You will receive a monthly sry of 2,000 gold.]


    ¡®Yes!¡¯


    Grid has a decent sry of 500 gold as the earl¡¯s son-inw. However, he was disappointed because the amount was too low. Now he was a viscount and obtained an extra 2,000 gold, making it a total of 2,500 gold every month.


    ¡®2,500 gold in cash is...!¡¯


    It was three million won. It was a huge fixed amount, so Grid was thrilled. Earl Steim noticed his satisfaction and asked quietly.


    ¡°So... Did the first night go well?"


    ¡°...That.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t easily answer. The other person was his father-inw. What son-inw could exin the truth about what happenedst night? In the end, Grid replied modestly.


    "It is a level that I can be proud of.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    Earl Steimughed with satisfaction at Grid¡¯s answer. Then Irene entered the room. Her face flushed as she read the atmosphere, then she said.


    ¡°Father, you will be able to see your grandchildren sooner orter. Grid... He is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! I see! My son-inw is so great?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is really amazing. I experienced more than I imaginedst night. Perhaps there will be at least five boys in the future. I will give birth to children until I run out of strength and will make Father happy in your old age.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m looking forward to it! Really looking forward to it! Grid, please use your strength. I want at least 10 grandchildren!¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t tell the truth that he might not be able to give 10 grandchildren because he could only do it once a month. He knew the circumstances of the Steim family so he didn¡¯t want to make Earl Steim worry.


    ¡°...I will do my best.¡±


    Grid barely managed to answer and left the room. Then Irene spoke separately to him, ¡°Are you returning to work at Khan¡¯s smithy as nned?¡±


    Irene was clutching his arms like she didn¡¯t want to separate from him. She would like to be with Grid 24 hours a day.


    Gridmented. "Before that, there is something else I need to do. Irene, can you lend me a few soldiers?¡±


    Grid had used his skills and increased Irene¡¯s liking to the maximum in just one month. Now he intentionally used that liking. Irene couldn¡¯t refuse his request.


    "I can lend you a few soldiers. But what do you need to do that requires soldiers...?¡±


    The walls overlooking Winston! Grid stood next to Irene and spoke seriously while gazing at Bairan Vige in the south.


    "As your husband, I wish to fight for the peace of your territory. I will defeat the Guardian of the Bairan Vige, which has frightened many people.¡±


    Originally, Grid didn¡¯t have any talent for the game. Before he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he stayed in one city for a year and only reached around level 80. But now it was different. He had gone through all types of incidents since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant and now knew what he had to prioritize in the game.


    ¡®I have to produce Failure first and foremost.¡¯


    The first item that Grid created, Failure! It was an absolutely fraudulent greatsword. Unfortunately, it had no value as a sell-able produce due to the usage conditions attached. Dainsleif was already the strongest weapon currently in existence, so Grid hadn¡¯t felt a strong greed for Failure.


    But now he changed his thinking. He felt that he needed Failure. He had awakened to themon sense that it was ¡®natural¡¯ to have better weapons.


    ¡°You will fight for my sake, as well as this territory...?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It is only for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Sometimes, well-meaning lies were required! Irene was thrilled by Grid¡¯s words and replied with a touched look,


    ¡°You can take 100 soldiers and two knights, but please don¡¯t overdo it and remember to be careful. If you are hurt... My heart will be torn.¡±


    She truly was lovely.


    ¡®I really got a good wife.¡¯


    Grid grabbed Irene and hugged her tightly. He swore that he would surely seed in defeating the Guardian of the Forest and collect the blue orichalcum, so that her help wouldn¡¯t be in vain!


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140


    Winston¡¯s parade ground.


    There were exactly 100 soldiers gathered in arge space that could amodate 5,000 people. They were bewildered.


    ¡°Morning training has ended, so why are we here?¡±


    ¡°I agree... It is also just our 100 man unit.¡±


    Currently, Winston had 2,030 troops. Many troops had been lost due to the repeated battles with the Yatan Church, but Earl Steim had brought new soldiers to fill up those numbers. Only 100 of them were called out of 2,000 troops, so they couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious.


    They were the 13th Hundred Man Unit, famous for causing a lot of mishaps! Therefore, they waiting anxiously as they thought about the punishment they would receive.


    "First of all, let¡¯s try to think about what we did wrong. Last night, the armory guards... The third group? Did you doze off while keeping watch?¡±


    "That doesn¡¯t make sense. The situation is still tense because of the Yatan Church, so how can we sleep on duty? We slept secretly in turns. Ourwork was very thorough. We weren¡¯t caught.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then the second group? You patrolled the market. Did the merchantsin that you stole things?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. We only ate fruit or meat skewers, and no one made a fuss.¡±


    ¡°Umm... I don¡¯t think we did anything wrong recently. We made some gangsters who worsened security disabled, but we can¡¯t be punished for that. Right?¡±


    "That act deserves a reward... Then what? What did we do wrong that we were made to gather?¡±


    In the end, the soldiers couldn¡¯t solve it on their own and asked their captain, Jude.


    "Captain, why have we been called?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jude was also unable to understand the situation. He was moving about the usual schedule when there was suddenly an order to assemble. Jude wasn¡¯t smart enough to guess why, so he just stood silently.


    "Anyway, our captain won¡¯t know anything about it.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Fighting is our captain¡¯s strongest point. He is useless in everything else.¡±


    "..."


    The soldiers were in the midst of talking when two knights appeared. They were Romeo, an outstanding knight and his second inmand, Deck. Romeo, who wore glittering golden full te armor and a red cloak, shouted in a loud voice.


    "Be quiet and pay attention! Viscount Grid ising!¡±


    "Viscount Grid?¡±


    He married thedy just yesterday. Did he be a noble today? A noble should consume their stamina on the first night and enjoy the honeymoon, so why was heing to the parade ground?


    Grid appeared while the soldiers were feeling puzzled. He was wearing white armor and gloves and a great sense of dignity wasing from him. He made Romeo¡¯s brilliant gold armor seem shallow.


    ¡¯The rumored hero who saved Winston from the previous lord and the Mero Company...!¡¯


    This was the first time the 13th Hundred Man Unit saw Grid. They all felt admiration.


    ¡®There is a story that he rescued Lady Irene after killing Mcus.¡¯


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he also a great cksmith? He is amazing.¡¯


    Grid had a high amount of reputation, and was also rich in the dignity stat. The soldiers were envious and overwhelmed him with their gazes, causing Grid¡¯s head to lower in embarrassment. Grid climbed onto the podium and fixed his attention on Jude before smiling faintly and saying,.


    ¡°The quality is generally good. Irene rmended this hundred man unit for a reason.¡±


    The average level of the current Winston soldiers were around 70~80. The soldiers that Grid saw yesterday had an averagebat power of around 1,000. But the soldiers of the 13th Hundred Man Unit had an averagebat power of 2,000 while Jude had a huge 5,000bat power.


    Given the fact that the level 180 knights armed with top-tier items had abat power around 7,500, Jude¡¯sbat power was unusually high for someone only wearing poor quality chain mail.


    Grid felt a strong interest and touched the sheath at his waist. Then he pulled out the sword received from Irene.


    [Commander¡¯s Sword]


    Durability: 100/100 Attack Power: 100


    * Dignity +30


    * Skill ¡¯Character Observation¡¯ will be generated.


    A sword given to militarymanders appointed by royalty or nobles. It isn¡¯t suitable for use as a weapon because of all the jewels.


    But it gives the militarymand the advantage of being able to observe the soldiers¡¯ abilities closely. It is useful whenmanding an army.


    Weight: 220


    ¡®Character Observation.¡¯


    [Your insight is more than 600 points. Due to the influence of insight, Character Observation Lv.3 is activated.]


    [Character Insight Lv.3]


    You can grasp not just the personal information of the target being observed, but their current stats, the limit of their stats and their skills.


    * Targets to be observed are limited to allies.


    Name: Jude


    Age: 25 Gender: Male


    upation: Captain of Winston¡¯s 13th Hundred Man Unit


    Level: 103


    Strength: 818/2,080 Stamina: 431/908


    Agility: 34/330 Intelligence: 11/20


    Skills: Snatch the Enemy¡¯s Weapon and Use it as a Weapon (S). Silence (A). I have no Idea (SS-).


    A rare fool born in Winston. When ites to strength, he doesn¡¯t fall behind anyone. He is a natural warrior who doesn¡¯t know fear.


    Unfortunately, his brain is less evolved. No matter how hard he tries, he can never climb to a higher position. It is close to a miracle that he became the captain of a hundred man unit.


    ¡®Then what about the knights?¡¯


    Grid followed by observing Romeo and Deck.


    Name: Romeo Laniche


    Age: 34 Gender: Male


    upation: Lady Irene¡¯s knight.


    Level: 196


    Strength: 878/910 Stamina: 420/441


    Agility: 253/270 Intelligence: 174/200


    Skill: Elite Spirit (A+). Decent Blow (A+) Cool-headed (B).


    The son of Viscount Laniche and Phoenix¡¯s disciple. He followed Captain Phoenix and naturally served the Steim family.


    His talent grew from the beginning and trained in an elite course. However, he is in distress because his growth has been stagnanttely.


    Name: Deck


    Age: 32 Gender: Male


    upation: Lady Irene¡¯s knight.


    Level: 185


    Strength: 750/1,050 Stamina: 334/536


    Agility: 213/320 Intelligence: 199/230


    Skill: ttery (B+). Ability to Grasp the Situation (S-). Conventional Swordsmanship (B).


    His ability to read the situation is excellent. He always acts ording to the trends. He has talent as amander.


    Looking at the total stats, the knights were much higher than Jude.


    ¡®But considering the level difference, Jude actually has higher statspared to the knights.¡¯


    The innate stats that Jude were born with were higher than the innate stats of the knights. It was a reasonable thought. By nature, weren¡¯t humans born with different talents? Jude was born with talent higher than Romeo and Deck.


    ¡®But more than the innate stats... It is the maximum growth of the stats.¡¯


    The numbers that Jude¡¯s stats could grow topletely overwhelmed Romeo and Deck. If Jude was able to grow to his full potential, he would be at least twice as strong as Romeo.


    ¡®The disadvantage is his unreasonably low intelligence, but Jude has many advantages to ovee that shoring.¡¯


    Grid noted the ratings of Jude¡¯s skills. The ratings of Jude¡¯s skills were much higher than the knights, and these skills seemed to be one of the sources of Jude¡¯s highbat strength. Grid made his decision.


    ¡¯Jude, I will raise you as my knight.¡¯


    As a viscount, Grid had the authority to appoint three knights. A normal person would¡¯ve wanted a smart knight or a governor of a city, but Grid thought differently.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be stupid.¡¯


    He would pick those whose stats could grow to be his knight and make them as loyal as dogs. Grid smiled wickedly and started to check the character information of the other soldiers. Unfortunately, none of the remaining 100 soldiers had talent worthy of Jude. But they definitely were more skilled than ordinary soldiers.


    If Grid made them work in this raid... No, if he trained them well, they would be reborn as elite soldiers who would help protect Winston and Irene.


    ¡®Is it good to have a husband like him?¡¯


    ¡®What is he doing?¡¯


    After Grid¡¯s appearance. He didn¡¯t say anything and pulled out a sword, looking over the soldiers with a grin. Grid¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t look normal. The person who wasuded as a hero was behaving strangely, causing the knights and soldiers to feel anxious.


    ¡®This is a little...¡¯


    ¡®It seems like they are just rumors.¡¯


    They started to feel disappointed with Grid! After verifying all of the soldiers¡¯ information, Grid finally returned the Commander¡¯s Sword to its sheath before cutting straight to the point.


    "We will depart for Bairan Vige.¡±


    "Bairan?¡±


    ¡°Why are we going there all of a sudden...?¡±


    The soldiers started to murmur. Romeo frowned at them.


    ¡°Hey! Concentrate!¡±


    ¡°Ah, what a surprise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid was startled because he was standing right next to Romeo. He smiled at the soldiers then started exining, "We are going to Bairan Vige to defeat the Guardian of the Forest. It will be a tough journey, so everyone should be prepared.¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    The exmation of shock wasn¡¯t from the soldiers. It was from Romeo, who looked at Grid with hesitation. As a knight from a noble family, he was normally highly conscious of his image. However, he forgot about it as he trembled in front of the soldiers.


    "V-Viscount? You want to defeat the Guardian of the Forest? With just these people? Are you serious?¡±


    Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hat...! No, why are you saying something so absurd?¡±


    The Guardian of the Forest was a peak golem type monster, and was impossible to damage with merely swords and arrows since its body was covered with hard rocks and orichalcum. It also constantly summoned small golems and the attack power was threatening enough to cause earthquakes. It was one of the strongest monsters in the north.


    "It will be difficult to defeat the Guardian of the Forest, even if you bring along all of Winston¡¯s troops!¡±


    Romeo asserted. This wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The Guardian of the Forest required dozens of magicians or two or more great magicians to defeat. But the magicians in Winston were at a mediocre level and there were only four of them.


    It was impossible to knock down the Guardian of the Forest with 2,000 troops if they didn¡¯t have a powerful magic unit. The 2,000 troops would be wiped out. Yet Grid wanted to defeat the Guardian of the Forest with 100 soldiers and two knights?


    Romeo then recalled the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡°Ah! Perhaps you are nning to call the Tzedakah Guild? Are you nning to join forces with them, just like when you defeated Mcus?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    Obviously, it would be easy to defeat the Guardian of the Forest if he called the Tzedakah Guild. But Grid had no intention of doing the raid with the Tzedakah Guild. The soldiers and knights were NPC sry workers, so they couldn¡¯t look at the items dropped by the Guardian of the Forest, while the Tzedakah Guild members were equal to Grid.


    If he did the raid with them, Grid would have to split the items with them. He didn¡¯t want that. In other words, Grid nned a raid with NPCs in an attempt to monopolize all the drops from the Guardian of the Forest.


    ¡®In the first ce, there is no need to ask for their help.¡¯


    Grid had defeated the pope alone. Why should he borrow the guild¡¯s hands when he could easily get rid of the Guardian of the Forest? He shouted, ¡°Everybody move! We will depart straight away!¡±


    "Isn¡¯t this like a lightning bolt out of the blue...?¡±


    The knights and soldiers were grouchy. They thought they would die. Grid was making the wrong moves as soon as he became thedy¡¯s husband. They were worried about their future. But Jude had no thoughts. He just silently followed Grid.


    It was the day when Grid¡¯s subordinate fostering program began.


    At the same time, Khan¡¯s smithy.


    "...When is Griding to work?¡±


    Vantner had arrived at the smithy since early morning and had been waiting for Grid for five hours. He had been too agitated about being deprived of Irene and lost his temper. Therefore, he wanted to apologize to Grid for being rude and ask him to make the armor.


    It was the moment he had been waiting 40 days for. He hoped that Grid woulde to the smithy as soon as possible. But Grid never showed up at the smithy, even when lunchtime passed and it became night.


    ¡®He is enjoying his honeymoon and not even showing up to his job... That bastard... He isn¡¯t even responding to the guild chat or whispers...¡¯


    Vantner¡¯s expression turned dark.


    Too busy tomorrow so have the chapters today instead. Also, no Q&A this month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141


    During the three day journey towards the Grey Forest on the outskirts of Bairan, Grid constantly worked Jude and the soldiers.


    He instructed them to fight the monsters who were drawn by Mcus¡¯ Cloak. However, the Bairan monsters had a minimum level of 100, while the Grey Forest monsters had a minimum level of 120. It was hard for the level 70~80 soldiers to fight them. There were the sounds of suffering.


    But Grid was firm. He never gave orders for the soldiers to retreat. They were forced to fight, even if they had to die. He gave almost no breaks. In the end, the soldiers couldn¡¯t refuse hismands and were forced to fight with a real determination to die. Indeed, they almost died several times.


    The soldiers no longer regarded Grid as a hero. They thought he was the devil.


    Initially, the soldiers thought that this expedition was to torment them. But none of the soldiers lost their lives to the monsters. Every time the soldiers were on the brink of death, Grid and the knights saved them.


    This repeated for three days, and the average level of the soldiers increased to 90. Jude always fought in the lead and managed to reach level 110.


    ¡®Certainly... NPCs are different from users.¡¯


    Grid realized some new facts. Users gained 10 fixed stat points every time they gained a level, while NPCs randomly acquired a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 20 stat points. Every time Jude levelled up, he got at least 16 stat points. Indeed, Grid was interested in a Grade A NPC.


    Grid was encouraged.


    ¡®Yes Jude. Grow quickly. Then be my faithful dog.¡¯


    The next day, the party finally reached the Grey Forest. From here, the atmosphere became strange. The spirits of the soldiers that had grown under Grid¡¯s direction faded away in an instant.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry but we can¡¯t move any further.¡±


    The start of the forest was covered by a poison fog generated by the poison flowers. A radius of 300m was filled with poison. The soldiers and knights naturally shrunk back. They were five meters away from the poison, but their skin was already irritated. They could feel their health deteriorating in real time.


    Romeo judged that stepping into the forest without a Reba priest was nothing more than suicide.


    ¡°It is unreasonable to beat the Guardian of the Forest with this group. It¡¯s impossible to reach the Guardian of the Forest itself. It¡¯s great that we reached here, but we can only turn back...¡±


    The knights and soldiers stood still and didn¡¯t move. Grid didn¡¯t force them.


    ¡®The poison flowers¡¯ poison fog does 350 damage per second.¡¯


    Putting aside the knights, the soldiers had less than 3,000 health. If he forced them into the fog, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to move 100m before dying. Grid worked hard to train them, so he didn¡¯t want to lose them like this.


    ¡®I have to go ahead.¡¯


    The poison flower wasn¡¯t simply a poisonous nt. It was a level 160 carnivorous nt that attacked anything that came into its range with its tentacles. It was the object ofplete terror for travellers and monsters.


    But the flowers weren¡¯t a threat to Grid. The tense Grid put a hand into his inventory. He was nning to take out Dainsleif in order to get rid of the poison flowers.


    ¡°Jude?¡±


    Jude was silent as usual as he walked forward towards the fog. He was heading towards the poison fog that scared even the knights!


    ¡®Indeed! He¡¯s a person that I am paying attention to!¡¯


    Grid was filled with anticipation. What would Jude use to break through the poison fog? He watched with curious eyes. Then Jude finally stepped into the fog. Jude¡¯s health gauge started to decline at a tremendous pace.


    But Jude didn¡¯t care. He groaned and kept advancing. Then he fell down onto the grass.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid was perplexed by the unexpected development. Then the soldiers were in an uproar.


    ¡°Ah Captain! He moved without thinking and is digging his grave!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go rescue Captain quickly!¡±


    ¡°Shit, we have to go into that poison fog? We¡¯ll die as well!¡±


    ¡°Uhh... Will Captain die like this?"


    Jude¡¯s poisoned gauge was falling quickly. The helpless soldiers were forced to watch as their captain died in front of their eyes. Grid noticed his mistake.


    ¡¯Wasn¡¯t he stupid?¡¯


    Despite repeatedly gaining levels, Jude¡¯s intelligence was still stuck at 11. There was also the unknown skill with the ominous name of ¡®I have no Idea.¡¯ The reason Jude went into the fog wasn¡¯t because he had a means of breaking the fog, but because he had no idea. Grid btedly discovered this face and hurriedly moved.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose him like this!¡¯


    ¡°Viscount!¡±


    Romen and Deck cried out. A viscount was throwing himself into poisonous fog just to save a mere captain? They couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s behavior.


    Deck shouted in an urgent voice, ¡°Sir Romeo! If the viscount dies, then we are finished!¡±


    ¡°Come on...!¡±


    But it was toote. Grid¡¯s movement speed was superhuman. The moment Romeo and Deck thought to stop him, Grid was already in the middle of the poison fog.


    "Drink it quickly!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    His vision became cloudy. A terrible pain filled his body. Jude thought he would die like this. Someone suddenly ran up to Jude and raised his body. Then Jude was fed a potion? The person was Grid.


    ¡°...?¡±


    A noble was willing to risk his life to save amoner? Didn¡¯t nobles consider soldiers to be meat shields on the battlefield? Grid was different from the nobles that Jude had met. Why was he different? He was curious, but Jude¡¯s intelligence couldn¡¯t infer the reason. So he was just thrilled.


    Then he made a stupid look as tentacles from the poison flowers flew towards him. The tentacles were like flying birds, but none of them could reach Jude. It was natural. How could level 160 monsters exert their power in front of Grid?


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    Swords of light moved in all directions around Grid. The tentacles flying towards Jude were destroyed and dozens of poison flowers screamed. Then the poisonous fog started to disappear like a lie. Jude made a stupid expression and admired Grid¡¯s skill.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    Clean air started pouring into the poisoned lungs. His innate health meant Jude was quickly freed from suffering and he raised his body. Then he bowed to Grid.


    "Thank you."


    These words were too simple towards someone who saved his life. Grid was embarrassed for a while.


    ¡®He really is stupid.¡¯


    He told Jude, ¡°It¡¯s good to be brave, but you should think before moving forward. You don¡¯t have 10 lives, right?¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    Jude nodded like he understood. But the expression was too subtle. It was like he didn¡¯t understand what it meant. Grid felt ufortable. He couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious. It wasn¡¯t a difficult demand. Grid just asked him to be careful. But how stupid was he to not understand?


    Then the knights and soldiers ran up to them.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡±


    They gazed at Grid with admiration.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you can sweep up dozens of poison flowers all at once! This is the majesty of the hero who defeated Mcus!¡±


    ¡°The acting of rescuing the captain is the epitome of all nobles and knights!"


    Romeo and Deck started to praise Grid. The soldiers who misunderstood Grid as a devil once again recognized Grid as a hero.


    ¡°Viscount is the best!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving the captain!¡±


    The cheers from the soldiers and knights! Grid smiled at them, but it had an ominous feeling.


    ¡°How is it? If you are with me, you can easily defeat the Guardian of the Forest.¡±


    ¡°...No, that...¡±


    Despite the fact that Grid had shown his greatness, the knights and soldiers still reacted skeptically to beating the Guardian of the Forest.


    Grid didn¡¯t care. He was willful from the beginning, so he just started moving forward again. The knights and soldiers were forced to follow him. Then the party encountered something in the center of the forest.


    ¡°Humans! No humans in forest! Humans pollute forest! No forgive humans!¡±


    It was a goblin lord. Most goblins were around one meter tall, but he was around two meters tall. And his strength was beyond imagination. As a level 180 field boss, he was an intermediate boss that had to be defeated before meeting the Guardian of the Forest.


    He summoned dozens of hobgoblins. Grid identified this and began conducting his troops.


    ¡°This is the final training before we defeat the Guardian of the Forest! Three soldiers will mark one hobgoblin, while the knights and Jude will look at the entire battlefield and help those in danger. Once the goblin lord starts acting strange, it is the precursor to an earthquake. At that time, spread out and minimize the damage!¡±


    The goblin lord had the same attack pattern as the Guardian of the Forest.


    The goblin lord summoned hobgoblins while the Guardian of the Forest summoned golems. The goblin lord also possessed the same wide range earthquake technique as the Guardian of the Forest.


    That¡¯s why Guardian of the Forest raid parties tended to meet the goblin lord before meeting the Guardian of the Forest. Grid had familiarized himself with the process and responded as calmly as possible.


    Then!


    The knights and soldiers marked the hobgoblins ording to Grid¡¯s instructions, while Grid approached the goblin lord. Then he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill, in order to suppress it.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target five times.]


    [You have dealt 302,555 damage.]


    [You have defeated the guard of the Grey Forest, the goblin lord!]


    [2,600,100 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Goblin Lord¡¯s Club has been acquired.]


    [The Goblin Lord¡¯s fang has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    The critical strikebined with the Holy Light Gloves¡¯ option and Kill was a blow that managed to cause the level 280 griffon boss monster to fall into a critical state. Therefore, it easily took care of the level 180 goblin lord.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t his intention. Why was the power of his items applied at such exquisite timing?


    ¡°Hiik! Humans! Scary!¡±


    The hobgoblins ran away with fear while Grid was feeling embarrassed. Grid grasped the situation.


    ¡®Damn, I should¡¯ve taken off the gloves.¡¯


    Grid felt regret over missing the opportunity to train the troops, while the knights and soldiers were baffled.


    ¡®Is that a human?¡¯


    ¡¯Ridiculously strong...¡¯


    ¡°The Guardian of the Forest. It¡¯s time to hunt it.¡±


    In the midst of the chaos, only Jude was moving forward without thinking.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142


    A few months ago, Grid had owed money to creditors. He suffered all types of persecution under the Mother¡¯s Heart is Happy employees.


    He did hardbor every day in order to pay back the interest and practically lived as a ve with no signs of a better life. He couldn¡¯t even dream of being loved by others, or enjoying himself over a bottle of soju.


    But now it was different.


    Grid had got a legendary ss and barely seeded for a while. However, now the debt had beenpletely cleared and he became rich.


    Since the Mcus raid, he produced the Thorn of Deep Grievance for Ibellin and earned 4.61 billion won in revenue. He still had 2.95 billion won left, despite paying 5% of the gold salesmission fee to the item trading site, paying off his family¡¯s remaining debt, and purchasing a car.


    Nowadays, Grid could eat chicken once every two weeks. He could eat one chicken in one meal without having to share. Now that he could enjoy such luxuries, he wanted to collect 10 billion won to buy a piece ofnd and build a residence!


    But before starting that, he thought he needed to produce Failure first. Then he moved to purchase blue orichalcum, which was the main ingredient of Failure. However, there were no blue orichalcum at the auction site in the game or on the Inte.


    It might be because no users had raided the Guardian of the Forest, or the drop rate of blue orichalcum was low, or another cksmith had bought the blue orichalcum. Grid didn¡¯t know the exact reason why there were no blue orichalcum for sale. But he knew the answer to obtain blue orichalcum.


    Wasn¡¯t it a simple task to collect them directly from the Guardian of the Forest raid?


    ¡®I obtained three blue orichalcum when selling the Sword of Self-transcendence to Administrator di... I need 12 more blue orichalcum to produce Failure.


    And...


    Grid was currently in front of the Guardian of the Forest.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    The deepest part of the forest. There was a huge crater where the forest used to be. Grid started to observe all the topographic features, including the trees tinged with grey ash.


    ¡®The soldiers don¡¯t have enough cover to depend on. The trees will be crushed like cookies... It will be a frontal confrontation.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t particrly worried. As long as the knights and soldiers marked the golems summoned by the Guardian of the Forest, he could defeat the Guardian of the Forest in that gap. But the knights and soldiers were afraid.


    ¡°E-Excuse me Viscount... Shouldn¡¯t we go back now?¡±


    ¡°Please save us! If I die, my wife and children will be sad!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still young...¡±


    Despite Grid showing his strength on the way here, the morale of the knights and soldiers was still low. In the end, Grid threw off the broad-brimmed hat he had been wearing. Then he wore the Holy Light Crown and pulled out the Commander¡¯s Sword to raise his dignity stat.


    ¡°The Guardian of the Forest? Didn¡¯t I get rid of Mcus, who filled the world with terror? You just have to believe in me. Yes?¡±


    ¡°O-Ohhh...!


    Grid¡¯s current dignity stat was 364 points. If he added 200 points from the Holy Light Crown and 30 points from the Commander¡¯s Sword, his dignity stat neared a huge 600 points. This wasparable to the dignity stat points held by the top NPCs that represented each nation, even if they weren¡¯t kings. The general soldiers as well as the knights, Romeo and Deck, couldn¡¯t help bowing to Grid.


    "I have great faith in the viscount. We will follow you with no moreints.¡±


    "Okay."


    The troops fell silent. Grid felt satisfied and started to look around again.


    ¡®By the way, why isn¡¯t the Guardian of the Forest appearing? Shouldn¡¯t it appear now?¡¯


    Grid had confirmed the raid timetable through a website in advance. Today was the day that the Guardian of the Forest was supposed to respawn, and the timing was right as well. He also had to be careful of other raid parties, so he had deliberately hid his face and identity with a hat.


    But when he arrived here, there were no raid parties and the Guardian of the Forest couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me the site is a scam?¡¯ It was a paid membership site. Grid was angry since he had paid 130,000 won in order to check the raid timetable. ¡®I trusted it because it has a lot of members...!¡¯


    Grid was convinced that he had been cheated of the price of six chickens and kicked a rock furiously. Then the small rock started to shake loudly.


    Jude pped with wide eyes, ¡°Amazing. The rock you kicked is dancing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it...¡±


    The knights and soldiers became frantic. The rock that Grid kicked was moving and growingrger? Like a turtle hiding inside its shell, it was the moment when the crouched up Guardian of the Forest fully emerged.


    However, it was a little strange.


    ¡°What is this guy?¡±


    Grid was confused. Originally, the Guardian of the Forest should be over 5m andrge. However, this one had a height simr to Grid and was sleek looking.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it like a human?¡¯


    There were five fingers and toes on each extended limb, just like a person. Except for the back that was made of hard rocks, the whole body wasposed of transparent ores and shing above its head was the name ¡®Awakened Guardian of the Forest.¡¯


    ¡°You, what are you?¡±


    He tried to measure thebat power but it was ???. There were only question marks. Grid instinctively perceived the danger and became alert. Then the Awakened Guardian of the Forest narrowed the distance in an instant.


    Kwaang!


    There was a storm in the aftermath of his movements. The ash scattered all over the ce and the roots of the trees were shaken.


    Peeng!


    It was like watching Regas. The Awakened Guardian of the Forest aimed a sharp kick. Then Deck, standing next to Grid, coughed up blood and turned into light.


    [The knight Deck has died.]


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Killing a level 185 knight in one blow? Grid hurriedly eximed, ¡°Avoid it! Especially Jude! You absolutely must survive!¡±


    The knights and soldiers wouldn¡¯t be any help. The tense Grid put a hand into his inventory. The ck greatsword was pulled out and Dainsleif showed its majestic appearance.


    ***


    It had now been 47 days.


    Grid had promised to make a new armor for Vantner. Following Pon and Ibellin, he was fortunate enough to be the third winner of Grid¡¯s production item.


    ¡®Now I can be born again as an overgeared person!¡¯


    When armed with the strongest armor that Grid would produce, his defense would be sufficient and he could run amok! Vantner was excited. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call him the most delighted person in the world.


    But what was this? An absurd thing happened. Grid abandoned the armor production for a quest? Then there was no news.


    From that day, the time of waiting begun. Vantner waited every day for Grid to return. A fortnight passed and he waited indefinitely. Whenever he walked the street, he would frantically look if he heard any grumbling. If he saw an Asian man, he would think it was Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t return until a month and two weekster. Vantner wasn¡¯t able to contact Grid because the guild chat and whispers were blocked. It was enough to make Vantner curse. He honestly didn¡¯t know how many times he insulted Grid.


    But as he waited for Grid, Vantner fell in love.


    Then four days ago! Grid returned to Winston as Vantner dreamed of. Vantner¡¯s long wait would be repaid.


    ¡®I can finally get my armor...!¡¯


    Vantner was thrilled to tears. He ran off to meet Grid, like he was reuniting with a lover. Then he became frustrated. Instead of producing an armor, Grid suddenly announced his marriage. It was also to Lady Irene who Vantner had been longing for!


    On the day of the wedding ceremony, Vantner was in turmoil from the unexpected developments and couldn¡¯t hide his hostility towards Grid. Rather than bringing up the wait, he was angry at Grid taking away Lady Irene. Then he became drunk during the wedding, cursed Grid, and was kicked out.


    He regretted it the next day. He realized that he had lost control. Irene was just an unrequited crush, so how could he be angry at Grid for taking her away? Vantner felt ashamed and sorry. He was worried about Grid¡¯s reaction.


    ¡®Surely he won¡¯t refuse to make my item?¡¯


    He was well aware of what a narrow-minded person Grid was. So after the wedding, he stayed for three days at Khan¡¯s smithy. He wanted to apologize to Grid for his actions and to ask for the production of his item.


    But Grid never showed up in Khan¡¯s smithy after his marriage. Khan knew the reason why. But he wouldn¡¯t tell Vantner Grid¡¯s whereabouts, no matter how he asked.


    "Hey, look Old Man. Why won¡¯t you tell me where Grid went?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you swear at Grid on his wedding day? I don¡¯t want someone like you bing involved with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Hah, really...¡±


    Khan was a twisted old man. There was a reason why he was a good fit with Grid. Vantner failed to find out Grid¡¯s whereabouts for three days and eventually asked Jishuka.


    -Master, can you go and see Irene?


    -You want me to ask about Grid¡¯s whereabouts?


    -Yes...


    -Okay.I also think that now is the time for Grid to work.


    The Tzedakah Guild recruited Grid because they needed his cksmith abilities. Grid also joined the guild to act as a cksmith. As the guild master, Jishuka had to remind Grid of his duties.


    She went to see Irene. Then she was shocked by Irene¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huh? Grid... No, Viscount Grid has gone to defeat the Guardian of the Forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He said that he wants to defeat the Guardian of the Forest for our sake. Isn¡¯t he like Prince Charming? So cool.¡±


    ¡°...This is a headache.¡±


    Like other games, Satisfy was a thoroughlypetitive society. All users and guilds struggled for their own interests. One of the easiest ways for a guild to profit was to control a hunting ground.


    Guilds controlled hunting grounds where honey flowed and prohibited outsiders from entering. This was called guild monopolization. It was a natural urrence. The Tzedakah Guild also controlled two hunting grounds around Bairan without opening them to outsiders.


    The first ce was Ruger Dungeon where monsters over level 250 appeared, and the second ce was the Grey Forest where the Guardian of the Forest appeared.


    The Guardian of the Forest was very strong. It was a level 245 field boss, but it was stronger than a dungeon boss. Its stats were abnormally high and it had a wide range of CC and summoning skills, making it very difficult to deal with.


    It also possessed a passive skill to reduce physical damage and along with its natural defense and health, it took the current Tzedakah Guild at least three hours to defeat it. But Grid only led 100 soldiers and two knights to the Guardian of the Forest raid.


    It was also during this cycle!


    ¡®The Awakened Guardian of the Forest is several times stronger than the normal Guardian of the Forest.


    Blue orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest. Was that why? The Guardian of the Forest and blue orichalcum were very sensitive to moonlight.


    Once every four months, the two full moons would rise at the same time and the blue orichalcum, which made up most of the Guardian of the Forest, would show an infinite power and awaken the guardian.


    Right now, it was the awakening cycle. Four months ago, the Tzedakah Guild wasn¡¯t aware of this and was annihted after challenging the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. The Awakened Guardian of the Forest had significantly less health and defense than the normal one, but it exerted overwhelming attack power and agility.


    ¡®It is much stronger than a pope, who was a priest. This time, Grid can¡¯t avoid death.¡¯


    Even the Tzedakah Guild have given up on the Guardian of the Forest raid during this awakening period. Therefore, they didn¡¯t bother controlling the Grey Forest. They nned to try the Awakened Guardian of the Forest raid in four months.


    No matter how she thought about it, the odds of Grid seeding in the raid alone was 0%.


    ¡®This is better.¡¯


    If Grid ever participated in the guild¡¯smunity, Grid would¡¯ve found out that the guild monopolized the Guardian of the Forest raid and would¡¯ve been able to ask for the blue orichalcum that he wanted.


    But he didn¡¯t. His ignorance of the guildmunity and his insistence on personal activities led to this. Jishuka hoped that Grid¡¯s habit would be fixed. She wanted him to realize the importance of the guildmunity with this incident and hoped that he would refrain from personal activities in the future.


    In front of Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Really, that Grid...¡±


    Vantner clicked his tongue after receiving Jishuka¡¯s exnation through a whisper. He wanted to help Grid, but it was impossible because he was too far away.


    ¡®He will be angry from the experience loss after dying and might not want to make my item...¡¯


    A man arrived at the smithy while Vantner was feeling worried. Khan, who only treated Vantner badly, enthusiastically weed the man.


    ¡°Ohh! Hasn¡¯t it been a really long time? Has it been a few months?"


    "It¡¯s good to see you. Has My Liege been well?¡±


    "Huh, you haven¡¯t heard the news about him these days? He¡¯s be tremendously sessful. Now he is once again on a brave raid...¡±


    Khan suddenly paused in his conversation and whispered in the man¡¯s ears. What was he saying? The man was happy.


    ¡°As expected from My Liege... Really amazing. He tried to run away from the frostlight orc chief and now he is raiding a monster alone? I will go to meet him.¡±


    The man said goodbye to Khan and exited the smithy. Then he blew a whistle, riding the drake that was called and soaring into the sky.


    Vantner was confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that ID among the rankers who use drakes as pets.¡±


    Was a new rookie popping up again? The stagnant Vantner became frustrated.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143


    ????


    Thebat power disyed above the Awakened Guardian of the Forest¡¯s head was made of only question marks. If this were Grid from a few months back, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess why and probably would¡¯ve thought it as a bug and grumbled about it.


    However, now he was different. After many incidents, Grid had calmed and matured almost to the point of unfamiliarity. His thinking power finally belonged to the category of normal people.


    ¡®Is this implying that itsbat power is too high for my insight?¡¯


    Peng!


    "Ah, is my scouting broken? What¡¯s with your immeasurablebat strength?¡±


    Grid was reminded of a scene from an old manhwa. His insight had worked on the pope, so this meant that the guardian in front of him was stronger than the pope.


    ¡°How rotten... I came here to y but I met a strong enemy.¡±


    Grid had defeated the pope and obtained the legendary battle gear set, so he was much stronger than before. He had nned to easily defeat the Guardian of the Forest. Then what was this awakening mode?


    Grid wasn¡¯t aware of why the Guardian of the Forest awakened and why it was at this time. But he didn¡¯t panic. He thought about it calmly and positively.


    ¡®It will be a tough fight, but I think that it will work out well. Doesn¡¯t it seem like the guardian will give a lot of blue orichalcum?¡¯


    The ash grey forest couldn¡¯t dim the light of the blue orichalcum on the awakened guardian¡¯s body. If he could obtain all those blue orichalcum, wouldn¡¯t he be able to make two Failures?


    ¡®I will collect it!¡¯ Grid wanted to take out a pickaxe. However, he needed to first neutralize the guardian. ¡®I can¡¯t be too excited or I might miss the jackpot. Let¡¯s not attack carelessly and wait for a chance.¡¯


    Grid was a greatsword lover. Except for the Ideal Dagger that he made for a quest, he had always used a greatsword since starting Satisfy until now. He was confident that he had a higher understanding of a greatsword than most users did.


    All out power! Deadly blows!


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Grid grasped Dainsleif tightly and took deep breaths. He waited for a moment. The awakened guardian stared at Grid, then a red light shed in its eyes. It made a posture like a sprinter, then quickly narrowed the distance towards Grid.


    Grid timed it.


    ¡®One. Two. Now!¡¯


    It was perfect timing. As soon as the awakened guardian ran into Dainsleif¡¯s attack range, Grid released all his tensed muscles.


    Kwaang!


    An explosive sword strike! Dainsleif caused a dark red afterglow as it urately struck the guardian¡¯s chest.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 5,700 damage to the target.]


    The awakened guardian¡¯s health gauge was reduced around 1/100. Grid was convinced.


    ¡®Just like the size is several times smaller than the original, its defense and health are reduced as well.¡¯


    Monster types could be divided into the main categories of: attack, defense, support, and bnce. While it was possible to ssify them in more detail depending on species, attributes, skill, etc, these were just the basics.


    The Guardian of the Forest was a typical defensive monster. As a peak golem, it possessed both abnormally high defense and health. On the other hand, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest was undoubtedly an offensive monster. It was obvious that it was an aggressive monster when its health was reduced by 1/100 by a single blow, as well as the fact that it killed a knight instantly.


    ¡®The advantages are its fast speed and high attack power.¡¯


    This was a good thing. Grid could exert overwhelming attack power, so he found it morefortable to deal with offensive typespared to defense types. It was possible to take care of the opponent quickly.


    "I will kill you in an instant.¡±


    The awakened guardian was stronger than the pope? He was also stronger than the pope. Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with confidence. But he still remained calm. His head was cold while his chest was hot.


    "..."


    Grid didn¡¯t move first. He waited for another chance, just like before.


    Peeng!


    Indeed. As an offensive type monster, the awakened guardian was aggressive. It didn¡¯t learn and aimed for a frontal attack again.


    ¡¯Now!¡¯


    Grid calcted the perfect timing for a counter. He swung Dainsleif the moment the awakened guardian entered his range of attack.


    Chaaeng!


    This time, it was a vertical sh. The heavier blow fell upon the guardian¡¯s shoulders.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 6,380 damage to the target.]


    Kik.Kkikikik.


    The awakened guardian was hit and let out a strange noise. It paused for a moment before heading directly to him again.


    ¡®Hehe, you idiot. Is your IQ in the single digit~?¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid believed that his IQ was in the double digits! He prepared for the third counter. He once again swung Dainsleif with proper timing. But this time, there was apletely different result.


    The same move no longer worked. The awakened guard avoided the attack by moving its upper body the moment Grid struck. Then it moved around Dainsleif towards Grid¡¯s side.


    ¡®The same stupid lunge was a fake?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. A monster using a trick! Then the guardian rotated, gathering the centrifugal force before kicked Grid¡¯s face.


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 13,090 damage.]


    ¡°Kuheok...!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a skill. It was just a kick. In other words, a simple blow. Except, that ¡°simple blow¡± made him instantly lose a third of his health. This was twice the damage that Grid could deal with his critical attacks. Considering Grid was also equipped with legendary equipment, it was a stunning sight to behold.


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    [The option of the Holy Light Armor has been activated.]


    [19,635 health has been restored.]


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    The broken nose bone was restored and the nosebleed disappeared without a trace. However, Grid¡¯s anger didn¡¯t fade. Falling for a monster¡¯s tricks? Grid didn¡¯t expect to be so stupid! Then Grid fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    Pipit!Pipipipipi-!


    17 swords of light covered the awakened guardian¡¯s body. But it didn¡¯t do much damage. The awakened guardian surprised him by avoiding nine of the strikes.


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    Grid panicked as the guardian leapt into the air like a martial artist and evaded. Then it flew above Grid¡¯s head and its heel descended. Grid hurriedly defended.


    Jjejeong!


    [The durability of +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been reduced by 37.]


    ¡®As expected from the blue orichalcum!¡¯


    Dainsleif was made of ck iron, one of the finest minerals, and the durability hadn¡¯t been damaged until now! Except for adamantium, its body wasposed of blue orichalcum, which was known as one of the best minerals.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I will tear your body to shreds! cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. Rather, the momentum around him became stronger.


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    The onught of the excited Grid began. The awakened guardian defended by crossing its arms. Grid¡¯s attack speed after cksmith¡¯s Rage was used was so fast that the guardian couldn¡¯t counterattack.


    Grid kept up this momentum.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    It was impossible for the awakened guardian to defeat against the waves being emitted in every direction.


    [You have dealt 10,300 damage to the target.]


    [The target¡¯s attack speed has reduced.]


    The awakened guardian stumbled like its body suddenly became heavier. It quickly corrected its posture but it was already toote. Grid umted a lot ofbat experience and he wasn¡¯t going to miss this moment.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Kuoooooh-!


    A powerful killing intent filled and suppressed the air. Romeo and the soldiers watching the battle from the bushes were scared, urinated or fainted. The awakened guardian also flinched in response. It perceived great danger from the ck energy around Grid¡¯s greatsword.


    Kwang!


    The awakened guardian struck the ground with its feet. Then the earth suddenly started to vibrate. One of the AOE skills possessed by the Guardian of the Forest could also be used in its awakened form.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Grid was immune to status conditions, but what about when the entire earth was shaking? He lost his bnce. The subtle copse of his posture dropped the uracy of Kill significantly.


    [Your attack has missed.]


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    His strongest move had missed? Grid was shaken. Then the guardian, who avoided Kill, started to fight back as it struck Grid¡¯s body with both fists.


    Pepepepeok!


    The number of blows was higher than Link. The fists that could even crush steel mmed into Grid. It was the sight of a full-scale beating.


    ¡°V-Viscount Grid!¡±


    The soldiers screamed. The volcanic ash blown by the wind pressure interfered with their sight, but they thought that Grid was being turned into a rag.


    "We have to help. Our savior... He will die.¡±


    Jude jumped to his feet. Romeo stopped him before he could go forward.


    "Viscount Grid is safe! We will just interfere!¡±


    Romeo¡¯s words were true. At first nce, Grid seemed to be standing firmly on the ground. He never copsed, despite being hit by the awakened guardian¡¯s strike dozens of times. Meanwhile, the awakened guardian stopped punching. It seemed to think Grid was dead.


    However, reality was different. Golden discs were shing from within the ashes? The golden discs appeared in front of the guardian.


    Kikik!Kik.


    The awakened guardian btedly noticed that it had been the golden discs that it had been hitting so far.


    Kwaang!


    It nervously kicked out at the discs. Then it flinched again. It kicked with all its power, but the golden discs floating in the air didn¡¯t even move.


    ¡°...You.¡±


    The two golden discs swirled and moved in different directions. Then it was revealed that Grid didn¡¯t receive even one wound.


    Grid frowned. "Did you avoid my attack using such a shallow method? Are you pretending to be a smart golem? Huh? Damn bastard.¡±


    Float.


    Grid¡¯s body rose in the air. This wasn¡¯t a temporary rise. It was the ¡®Fly¡¯ magic attached to Braham¡¯s Boots. Romeo and the soldiers were in a daze.


    "Heok! The viscount can use magic?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know!"


    Romeo was confused. He heard from Earl Steim that Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so how could he use magic? It was also senior magic!


    ¡®Does that mean Pagma could use magic? Or is Pagma¡¯s Descendant an existence that transcends Pagma...!¡¯


    Teong!


    There was a disturbance from the side and the awakened guard jumped as high as possible. It had nned to grab a hold of Grid before he escaped. But the attempt failed. The height that the guardian could jump was 4m. Grid had already flown above 5m.


    Grid scoffed, "Try to trigger another earthquake, you stupid bastard. It is useless to trigger an earthquake when I¡¯m in the sky."


    A person in the sky had an advantage over those on the ground! In the grey sky, Grid started dancing among the volcanic ash that was like snow.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword dance usuallysted from 1.5 to 3 seconds. But this sword dancested two times longer than that. It was natural. This was because he was using two sword dances in session.


    ¡°Transcend, Link.¡±


    [The new skill fusion has seeded.]


    [Fusion skill ¡®Transcended Link¡¯ has been created.]


    [Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the sessful fusion of a new skill.]


    [Transcended Link]


    A sword dance that transcends imagination and is more dazzling than a butterfly¡¯s wings.


    You will temporarily be in a transcended linked state.


    A total of 20 strikes will beunched, dealing 150% attack power with each hit.


    Every time a target is hit, they will be stiff for 0.1 seconds.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Transcend and Link.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,600


    Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid was simple.


    If he switched to a ranged mode with Transcend to double his attack power, then used Link, the original 800% attack power of Link would be doubled by the ranged attack. He thought it would be effective, so he connected the two skills.


    However, the actual result was a skill fusion and its power was beyond imagination.


    Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!


    The deepest part of the Grey Forest. There was an outpouring of ck energy swords in the sky of forest where the Guardian of the Forest had lived for hundreds of years.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 183,900 damage to the target.]


    The fusion skill Transcended Link did more damage than Kill. In addition, it also caused the status condition of stiffness. It was the birth of a new special move.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The awakened guardian screamed with pain from the profound blow. Then notification windows shed in front of Grid.


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship has reached a higher ground.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship has increased.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship]


    Lv. 2


    -When the skill is deactivated-


    You can be one with the sword at any time. Increases physical attack by 30%, critical hit rate by 20% and critical damage by 10%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The skill consumes no mana.


    -When the skill is activated-


    Be one with the sword. Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend and Transcended Link. You can unleash a total of six sword techniques.


    * The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.


    * 20 mana is required to activate the skill.


    * Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.


    ¡°This is good.¡±


    His physical attack power, critical hit chance, and critical damage when Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was deactivated had increased by 10%. It wasparable to the Advanced Weapon Mastery skill that only rankers above level 240 could acquire. No, it was more than that.


    ¡®I am sorry that it is only applied when deactivated, but...¡¯


    He only activated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship whenever he used active skills such as Wave, Kill, and Link. Unfortunately, all of those active skills had a long cooldown time. Due to this, the time he activated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was very short, and Grid looked forward to the deactivated effect in the future.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    The awakened guardian roared. Its health gauge was reduced by one-third. It cried out for Grid toe down to the ground and fight.


    ¡°You want to kill me?¡±


    Grid scoffed from the sky. Now that the level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had risen, he wanted to go down and test out its power. But why should he make things harder for himself?


    "It is up to here.¡±


    Suuuuoh.


    Grid took a high-grade health potion and started to unfold his sword dance again. He did two sword dances in session. He was aiming for a new skill fusion. This time it was Transcend and Wave. Grid had no doubt that the fusion of these two skills would result in a powerful skill like Transcended Link.


    ¡°Transcend, Wave!¡±


    Grid was filled with anticipation. But there was no skill fusion. The effects were the normal skills.


    Kukukukung!


    The ck energy swords poured down from the sky like a waterfall in every direction. It was a very threatening attack for the awakened guardian. It used all the hard minerals and rocks on its body to form a shell.


    [You have dealt 15,800 damage to the target.]


    [The target¡¯s attack speed has reduced.]


    ¡°This.¡±


    The skill fusion might¡¯ve failed but Wave¡¯s attack power was doubled due to Transcend. The shell was badly damaged.


    ¡®It seems only some of the sword dances can be fused... I will take care of this first, then experimentter.¡¯


    The ones he wanted to try fusing most were Transcend and Kill, or Link and Kill. If the fusion was possible, it would be a skill that went beyond the power of Transcended Link.


    But the cooldown time for Kill was 400 seconds, even with the 20% decrease in cooldown time from Braham¡¯s Boots. The experiment had to be postponed because the cooldown time of Kill wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Grid¡¯s attack power and attack speed rose! He wielded Dainsleif with all his strength.


    Pepepepeong!


    Depending on the angle with which Grid swung Dainsleif, sword energies with different shapes were fired.


    It was impossible for the guardian to evade due to having its movement speed slowed by Wave. the Awakened Guardian of the Forest was unable to defend against all attacks with its shell and started to scream again.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    "Viscount Grid is invincible...¡±


    Romeo and the soldiers were thrilled. The powerful Guardian of the Forest was being one-sidedly turned into a turtle inside its shell. Grid truly seemed to transcend human limits. But this transcendent dignity was only temporary.


    [The duration of Transcend is over.]


    The cooldown time was 50 minutes, while the duration was only 30 seconds.


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    After constantly attacking for 30 seconds, Grid stopped and suffered from the stamina loss. Despite his high persistence stat, he was exhausted and gasping for breath. However, his expression was rxed.


    ¡®It is almost over.¡¯


    The awakened guardian only had a quarter of its health left. After being hit by Transcended Link, it started to use its minerals as a shield, but it was useless. Grid¡¯s power in Transcend mode was so overwhelming that its health kept falling.


    The cooldown time for Kill was almost over, so it was time to finish this. Grid recovered his breathing as he slowly descended.


    ¡°I will collect it.¡±


    Grid was ready to take out his pickaxe. However, he overlooked the fact that night wasing.


    Kikik.Kkikikikik.


    Grid descended to the ground because he believed that he had caught the awakened guardian when it suddenly made a strange sound. As the surroundings darkened, the red eyes turned blue and the blue orichalcum on its body started to turn purple.


    ¡°What? What are you trying to do?¡±


    Grid frowned as he sensed the change. Then there was an explosion of magic power from the transformed awakened guardian.


    Kwaaaang!


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    The explosion seemed like it would blow the entire forest away. Grid was blown away by the aftermath of the explosion just before hended on the ground, then he rotated several times as he was thrown into the forest.


    Ku tang tang tang!Kwa kwang!


    ¡°Ouch...¡±


    Grid fell onto some rocks and shuddered with pain. He was covered with volcanic ash that poured from the shaking trees. Grid spat out the ash in his mouth and cursed.


    "That crazy bastard... Eh?¡±


    Grid murmured as he rose from his spot.


    Kwang!Kwang! The speed of the awakened guardian rushing through the forest couldn¡¯t bepared to before. But Grid didn¡¯t feel any tension.


    Jjejeong!


    The rotating pavranium defended against the fists and kicks of the awakened guardian.


    The awakened guardian attempted to strike through gaps in the pavranium, but the wall of defense developed by the pavranium was absolute. They sessfully defended against the awakened guardian¡¯s lightning speed attacks.


    Grid snorted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? This is the power of items.¡±


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The awakened guardian yelled like it didn¡¯t like his words. Then a blue sh emerged from its open mouth.


    Jeeeong!


    The pavranium shook as they blocked the sh. They became stiff and didn¡¯t move, just like when they defended against Jishuka¡¯s arrow. This was bad. Grid¡¯s face tensed for the first time.


    Kikik.Kik.


    The awakened guardian made a sound like it wasughing and shot past the pavranium. Grid didn¡¯t stay still. He defended against the kick flying towards his abdomen with Dainsleif.


    Chaaeng!


    [The durability of +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been reduced by 46.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Before the change, Dainsleif¡¯s durability had dropped by 37 when he defended against the guardian¡¯s attack. But now it dropped by another 20%. Looking at this numerically, it meant that the guardian¡¯s attack power had increased by 20%.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid was confused by the strengthened guardian before noticing the darkness that was around him. It was night. He recalled some of the descriptions written about Failure.


    ¡®Attack power +20% in dark ces.¡¯


    ¡®Due to the nature of the blue orichalcum, it bes stronger in the dark.¡¯


    "...Should I havee in the morning?¡±


    After entering the Grey Forest in the afternoon, he had wasted time by hunting monsters, including the poison flowers and goblin lord.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    ¡°How rotten!¡±


    Grid pledged that next time he woulde in the morning, as he defended against the awakened guardian¡¯s onught. Dainsleif boasted a maximum durability of 500. It was experiencing continuous durability loss and started cracking.


    During that time, pavranium recovered and started to protect Grid again. However, the guardian had already found the method to disable it. It fired the blue sh at the pavranium again.


    ¡°Damn! Damn!¡±


    Grid¡¯s personality started to be revealed under his confusion and agitation. He lost his coolness. The awakened guardian stretched like it was making fun of him. Kik. There was a strange noise like augh.


    It was an obvious provocation!


    ¡°You dog bastard!¡±


    The moment that Grid was about topletely lose control of his thinking power.


    [The effect of theposure stat is activated.]


    His 400 points inposure showed an effect. Grid instantly recovered his cool thanks to it. A greatsword user focused on attacks that used its weight to deal damage.


    Peeeeok!


    Grid didn¡¯t defend against the flying fist.


    [You have suffered 7,300 damage.]


    Immediately after the hit,


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    He swung his greatsword with all his strength.


    Kwaang!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,700 damage to the target.]


    Peeok!


    [You have suffered 7,250 damage.]


    A hit once again.


    [You have dealt 3,900 damage to the target.]


    He hit back.


    "Yes, let¡¯s see who dies first!¡±


    Grid was originally a person whose control sucked. Hisbat method was simple. Hit, be hit, drink potions and hit again.


    [You have suffered 7,140 damage.]


    [You have dealt 3,920 damage to the target.]


    [You have taken a high-grade health potion. 8,000 health will be restored.]


    [You have suffered 7,300 damage.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,810 damage to the target.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 15,600 damage.]


    Hit! Be hit! Drink potion!


    Then at this moment,


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    [The option of the Holy Light Armor has been activated.]


    [23,400 health has been restored.]


    The power of his items was revealed.


    Kkik?


    The awakened guardian panicked. The more it fought the intruder, the weaker it was bing, while the intruder seemed the same.


    Buuong.


    The guardian was disadvantaged every time it was hit, so it became cautious. It avoided the big greatsword and tried to counterattack when Grid¡¯s back was exposed. Then it was surprised. It was because Grid had been moving in one direction, but he suddenly turned towards the opposite direction.


    Chaaeng!


    The guardian flinched as it was hit in the waist.


    Tong! Grid¡¯s right foot left the ground. He used that reaction to raise Dainsleif, which was stuck in the awakened guardian¡¯s waist.


    Kwajak!


    The body of the awakened guardian was thrown into the air. Unlike the past, Grid now had some level of control.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    He nned to trigger the final blow while the guardian was defenseless in the air.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The guardian¡¯s survival instincts woke up! It didn¡¯t want to die alone so it instead aimed the blue sh from its mouth towards Grid.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The greatsword shattered the head of the awakened guardian.


    Puoook!


    The blue sh pierced Grid¡¯s heart.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Grid lived.


    On the other hand, the awakened guardian¡¯s head was destroyed and turned into grey light. Blue orichalcum ore was scattered all over the ce, seeming more beautiful than ant jewel in the moonlight.


    [Under two full moons, you have defeated the Awakened Guardian of the Forest!]


    [14]


    [3]


    [The Amethyst Shield has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level...]


    [You have reached level 200!]


    [Your stats have awakened and the unique features of all stats will improve.]


    ¡°...How rotten.¡±


    Flop!


    The joy of gaining levels and items onlysted for a short moment! Grid flopped down without any hesitation. Then he startedmenting on the ground. The enemy was so strong that he had focused on the battle and forgot about the pickaxe. It was a matter of huge regret for him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    pieces of blue orichalcum have been acquired.pieces of purple orichalcum have been acquired.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145


    Grid started appraising the items he acquired after the struggle with the awakened guardian.


    [Blue Orichalcum]


    Orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest.


    It is impossible to erode the Guardian of the Forest¡¯s magic power, but it has the best hardness and strength among all minerals.


    It is lightweight and bes much stronger in darkness.


    * Advanced cksmith skills are required to smelt it.


    Weight: 3


    [Purple Orichalcum]


    A mineral that can only be obtained when the Guardian of the Forest has awakened under two full moons.


    It holds a unique magic power that boosts attack power and magic power. But unlike the blue orichalcum, its strength is extremely poor.


    It isn¡¯t suitable as a raw material for battle gear. However, it is a good material to use for making essories.


    * The cksmith skill must be mastered to smelt it.


    Weight: 1


    [Amethyst Shield]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 200 Defense: 200 Magic Resistance: 200


    A beautiful shield that shines purple, red or ck depending on the angle. It is a symbolic piece that is awarded only to the head of the Red Knights.


    It is an item lost three years ago when Piaro, who was framed as a traitor by Asmophel, fled to the Eternal Kingdom.


    The third prince of the Saharan Empire is looking for this shield. It is rmended that you bring it to him.


    Conditions of Use: Red Knights Leader.


    Weight: 350


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    ¡°I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡±


    Grid noted that the awakened guardian dropped exactly 14 blue orichalcum. He shuddered at the thought. A total of 15 blue orichalcum ores were needed to make Failure. However, only 14 blue orichalcum ores were dropped, as if someone knew this and wanted to mess with him.


    "I would rather it give a lot less than 15 than to be teased like this and missing just one ore of blue orichalcum..¡±


    What if he hadn¡¯t obtained three blue orichalcum from Administrator Valdi a few months ago? Wouldn¡¯t he becking just one material to make Failure?


    "It is enormous.¡±


    Grid calmed his agitated heart and turned to the purple orihalcum.


    ¡®essories...¡¯


    Grid currently had two essories. One was Doran¡¯s Ring, while the other was the Ring of Pledge obtained from his marriage.


    [Ring of Pledge.]


    Rating: Unique


    A token of eternal love.


    You will be in a ¡®happy¡¯ state when you are with your spouse. Movement speed will increase by 8% and all stats will increase by 30 points.


    * Depending on your spouse¡¯s liking, the emotion when you are with your spouse will change. Happiness, joy, contentment, normal, dissatisfaction, depression and hate. There are a total of seven emotions, and the Ring of Pledge can have different effects depending on the emotions.


    If you spend a hot night with your partner while wearing this ring, the experience of all skills will rise by 10%.


    * A hot night is only avable once a month.


    When wearing the ring, the affinity of all NPCs of the opposite sex other than your spouse won¡¯t easily increase.


    If you are caught by your spouse not wearing the ring, your spouse¡¯s liking will fall by 90% and their chances of bing pregnant will decrease dramatically.


    Weight: 0.1


    Doran¡¯s Ring had proven its effectiveness several times and was certainly a fraudulent essory. But the Ring of Pledge was different.


    The additional effects were only applied when he was with his spouse, and the increase in skills experience was only avable once a month. It also wasn¡¯t easy to umte affinity with NPCs of the opposite sex if he wore this ring.


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t need to wear it unless he was with Irene. But Grid had no intention of taking it off. He didn¡¯t want to take the risk, since Irene¡¯s liking would drop significantly if she discovered it.


    He was usually an unlucky person, even if his luck had increased these days. Let¡¯s not take the ring off.


    Rather, the NPC could get pregnant? Satisfy went this far with the simtion? Grid thought it would be fun in many ways.


    ¡®Discovering my child¡¯s talents, educating them and helping them grow...?¡¯


    But it took more than a decade to raise a child. Considering the disparity of female users, the second generation system didn¡¯t seem to y a very important role.


    ¡°Um... I should create a ne with the purple orichalcum.¡±


    He could wear multiple rings, but only one ne. Therefore, the performance of nes was overall better than rings. Grid easily made a decision.


    "Okay, okay. A ne is good.¡±


    He would need the help of a jeweler to make the essory. He decided to ask Khan for a rmendation, then he looked over at the Amethyst Shield.


    ¡°This is a quest item.¡±


    It was the thing he was most nervous about. Grid remembered when he met Piaro in Kesan Canyon after obtaining Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡¯He wanted to punish Asmophel, who framed him as a traitor.¡¯


    Asmophel was in the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®Someday, I will visit the third prince in the Saharan Empire... At that time, I will meet Piaro and proceed with the Asmophel quest.¡¯


    The Saharan Empire was very far away. It couldn¡¯t be reached easily, so Grid ced the Amethyst Shield in a corner of his inventory for the future.


    Romeo and the soldiers approached.


    ¡°Are you okay?"


    They were worried. They witnessed with their own eyes that Grid was hit by a powerful sh before the awakened guardian died. They had expected Grid to die. Grid assured them of his safety.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that I received the blessing from god? I can¡¯t die.¡± After his simple and clear answer, he patted Romeo¡¯s shoulder with a sad expression. ¡°Deck¡¯s death was a shame. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect him.¡±


    Grid sincerely meant it. He was friends with Khan and his wife was Irene, so NPCs were like humans to Grid. Deck was a promising young knight, so it was tragic that he died here.


    Romeo was in tears, "His bravery will be remembered by everyone here.¡±


    Deck had saved the lives of many soldiers on the way here. The soldiers silently promised that they would never forget him. At that moment, the sharp cry of a beast was heard from the sky.


    "What is this?"


    ¡°G-Gargoyle?¡±


    A huge shape could be seen in the night sky. The pping sound of the wings seemed like a griffon or gargoyle at first. Then the red body was revealed by the moonlight. It was a drake. An adult drake could grow up to 4m and they were rare monsters so strong that the griffons and gargoyles couldn¡¯t bepared.


    They was a lower branch of dragons that even had the nickname of King of the Sky. There was a surprising figure on its back.


    ¡°My Liege, have you been well in the meantime?¡±


    It was Huroi, who obtained a second ss thanks to Grid. There was a heavy wind as hended. Then Grid greeted him, ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a while? You have grown a lot.¡±


    Grid eyed Huroi¡¯sbat power. 10,000. It was 2,000 more than Knight Romeo.


    ¡®He is over level 200.¡¯


    He was ahead of others despite having the nonbat ss of orator. Despite his excellent gaming talent, he was affected by the limitations of his ss. Now that he had his second ss, he was able to stare at the position of ranker.


    ¡°This is all thanks to My Liege.¡±


    In the past, Grid hated Huroi. But not anymore. His perception changed after the two-man raid.


    Grid smiled at him, ¡°I¡¯m d that you didn¡¯t forget about me. You should repay my grace by serving me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Indeed, it was a reunion after a long time. It was around 4~5 months in Satisfy time. Huroi wanted to talk to Grid about what they had been doing in the meantime. He wanted to exin how he got the drake and his fantastic adventures. He also wanted to hear about how Grid became the husband of a nobledy.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t interested in talking. There were only around 100 users among the two billion in Satisfy who could control a drake, the strongest pets.


    ¡°Go hunt the frostlight orcs.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why did he need to go hunt mobs? Grid exined the reason to the confused Huroi,


    ¡°Don¡¯t they drop sylphid scales? I need you to gather at least 28. While the drop rate is low, you should be able to collect it if you hunt for 10 days or so.¡±


    Grid nned to make the invisibility cloak. The correct name was Hooded Zip Up. It required 20 sylphid scales in order to produce it. Before obtaining Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid hunted for sylphid scales but had to give up after only obtaining 12.


    While he had to give up, now Huroi hade.


    ¡®I will create two: one for my use and one to sell to others.¡¯


    "..."


    Huroi recalled the hellish memory of being held in Winston¡¯s dungeon for almost 200 hours.


    ¡®Grid showed up when I was in despair and offered me the hand of salvation.¡¯


    He also recalled the frostlight orc chief raid.


    ¡®I was stunned and about to be hit by the orc chief, then he protected me.¡¯


    The more he looked, the bigger Grid¡¯s help was. He would be pleased to repay the favor.


    ¡°Then I will go.¡±


    It was a tremendous bleeding to be tied to one hunting ground for 10 days when he was aiming to be a ranker. Therefore, Huroi was ready to leave with no dys. Grid stopped him.


    ¡°Walk instead of flying.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid pointed to Romeo and the soldiers, ¡°If you fly, they won¡¯t be able to follow you.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    "Take these people and train them while hunting.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    In the end, he was forced to walk on the ground despite having a drake. It would waste a considerable amount of time. Was that all? He was also supposed to be the soldiers¡¯ babysitter. But there was nothing he could do. He had sworn to repay all that Grid had done for him.


    The descendants of Blue Wolf didn¡¯t take oaths lightly. Huroi intended to faithfully carry out Grid¡¯s orders.


    ¡°He has good timing.¡±


    Grid hummed as Huroi and the soldiers left. He wanted to make the Hooded Zip Up, but the drop rate was so low there wasn¡¯t much merit in hunting them directly. It would waste too much time.


    He was grateful that Huroi appeared when he did.


    ¡®Sooner orter, I will make you a good item. So don¡¯t be too upset.¡¯


    Grid had a lot of room to spare after getting rid of his debt, so he was much less selfish than before. He had no intention of one-sidedly having Huroi do everything for him. Sooner orter, Grid was nning to give him a surprise.


    ¡°Now... First of all, I need to make Failure.¡±


    Grid¡¯s body rose in the air. It was much slower than the drake, but his flying speed was still fast. The destination was Khan¡¯s smithy.


    A few hourster.


    A man appeared in the deepest part of the Grey Forest. He looked at the ce where the traces of battle still hadn¡¯t disappeared.


    ¡°What? The Awakened Guardian of the Forest isn¡¯t at a level that the Tzedakah Guild can defeat.¡±


    Had someone within the top 5 of the unified rankings arrived here before him?


    "Tsk, I wasted my time thanks to this. I can¡¯te here every four months, so I missed my chance.¡±


    The man who disappeared into the forest had the ID of ¡®Agnus¡¯ above his head.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Grid returned!


    As soon as she heard the news, Jishuka rushed to Khan¡¯s smithy from Winston Castle.


    ¡®Is he in a very angry state?¡¯


    She imagined that Grid would be very frustrated by the Awakened Guardian of the Forest.


    ¡®In the future, he should pay attention to the guildmunity.¡¯


    She judged that it was a perfect opportunity to teach Grid about refusing even the basicmunications and to fix his habit of doing personal actions. But what was this?


    ¡°Jishuka? Why are you here?" Grid had a bright expression.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he depressed about failing the raid due tock of information?¡¯


    Jishuka was surprised by his unexpected appearance and asked, ¡°Did you do the Guardian of the Forest raid?¡±


    ¡°How did you know? That¡¯s right.¡±


    "...Were you sessful?¡±


    "Of course.¡± Grid replied like it was no big deal.


    ¡¯What? Did the Guardian of the Forest not awaken?¡¯


    Gridined to the bewildered Jishuka, ¡°But why did the guardian awaken? I suffered because it was a bit too strong.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jishuka was at a loss for words.


    ¡®He really beat the Awakened Guardian of the Forest? With no more than two knights and 100 soldiers?¡¯


    It seemed like a lie. Jishuka dubiously opened the guild information window. Then she checked Grid¡¯s level. Grid had been level 180 just yesterday, and now he was level 200. The fact that he seeded in the Awakened Guardian of the Forest raid wasn¡¯t false.


    ¡®It¡¯s outrageous.¡¯


    She knew that the legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was fraudulent. Apart from having a legendary cksmith skill, Grid could demonstrate a level ofbat simr to rarebat sses and could wear any equipment.


    Just that. That alone was a scam. However, the fraudulent legendary ss was more than her imagination.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t one Grid bigger than the sum of all our guild members?¡¯


    She calcted that it was impossible to defeat the awakened guardian with the current power of the Tzedakah Guild. But Grid seeded in the raid alone.


    Jishuka was mistaken. Reality was different.


    The reason that Grid could take care of the awakened guardian rtively easily was thanks to pavranium and Braham¡¯s Boots. He was able to win because he blocked the guardian¡¯s attacks with the pavranium, then he attacked the defenseless guardian from the air.


    What if Grid fought against the entire guild? He couldn¡¯t shield himself from all the attacks with just two pieces of pavranium, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against firepower in the sky. There was the five seconds of invulnerability, but that couldn¡¯tst long against so many people.


    The Tzedakah Guild were powerful andposed of a variety of sses, allowing them various tacticalbinations. It would be too much for Grid alone to overwhelm the Tzedakah Guild. But Jishuka didn¡¯t know the details and misunderstood Grid.


    ¡®This is beyond a bnce copse. Isn¡¯t it at the level of a bug?¡¯


    She started to worry. There were some spies from the Yatan Church in Bairan Vige. She didn¡¯t know when there would be a massive raid from the Yatan Church in retaliation for defeating Mcus. Was it okay to let Grid¡¯s power be used as just a cksmith in this situation?


    Jishuka felt greedy for Grid¡¯sbat ability.


    "Grid, do you want to migrate to Bairan...?¡±


    ¡°Jishuka.¡±


    The two people spoke at the same time. Grid wasn¡¯t interested in what Jishuka had to say. He didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak as he continued.


    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything special, can you go? I personally have something to do.¡±


    "..."


    Grid was the guild¡¯s cksmith. He was obliged to produce their items. But he kept doing personal activities. Jishuka felt like shouting, but she suddenly changed her mind.


    ¡®There were no conditions when he joined and I promised him freedom, so maybe he will leave if I push too much?¡¯


    Jishuka bent over slightly. She slightly emphasized her chest. She had grasped from the beginning that Grid was vulnerable torge breasts.


    ¡®I will make him out of his mind first.¡¯


    She thought it would be simple to make Grid dazed, but he didn¡¯t even blink. He had lost his virginity, so breasts didn¡¯t affect him as much as before.


    ¡°What? You aren¡¯t going?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes. I¡¯m going.¡± Jishuka turned red with embarrassment before his reaction was too cold. She covered her chest with both hands and ran away from the smithy. ¡°Bah, what is this? Was he better as an idiot?"


    Two months ago, Grid was stupid, stingy, and easy to handle. But now that his personality had changed, he was hard to deal with. It made her sad.


    ¡°Just because you have be a little big? Idiot!¡±


    Jishuka walked down the street and angrily kicked a flower pot. She was a beautiful and famous celebrity, and she acted in public, so rumors spread in minutes. There were even articles on the Inte.


    [Tzedakah¡¯s guild master creating a disturbance on the street.]


    [ording to the testimony of a witness, a man is believed to have broken her heart.]


    [(Column) Jishuka is sexy even when angry! Let¡¯s explore her charms!]


    [Jishuka¡¯s love is the martial artist Regas?]


    [Jishuka has received a Hollywood love call...]


    The day was filled with gossip about one of Satisfy¡¯s two beauties, Jishuka.


    However, Grid was inside Khan¡¯s smithy and didn¡¯t know what was happening out in the world. He wasted time due to Jishuka¡¯s arrival, so he quickly moved towards the furnace. Then he took out the hammer he had been using for a long time.


    [Unknown cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 350/350 Attack Power: 70~80


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +17%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +7%


    A cksmith¡¯s hammer made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, but his experience and reputation is somewhatcking.


    This is a hammer produced by the craftsman himself, so it isn¡¯t suitable for other cksmiths to use.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Weight: 80


    ¡¯This iscking.¡¯


    Currently, he had 17 blue orichalcum. He only had one chance to produce Failure. Grid wanted to raise his odds as much as possible.


    ¡®Failure is a supreme weapon. I have to finish it with the highest rating.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid wanted toplete Failure with a legendary rating.


    [Failure]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    Failure was an item that was guaranteed to have a unique rating when produced. The basic performance was fraudulent, so a unique rating didn¡¯t change the fact that it was an absolute weapon.


    However, human greed was endless! Grid would feel like it wascking if hepleted it with a unique rating.


    ¡®I¡¯ll finish it with a legendary rating.¡¯


    What was the key to making a legendary rated item? Grid had produced thousands of items. He always did his best. He invested at least 20 hours into making one item. However, the experience of obtaining satisfactory results was small enough to fit in one hand. He only made three legendary items, while normal and rare rated items emerged like a factory.


    ¡®I have to increase the chances of making legendary items.¡¯


    What did he need to do? It was to make a legendary rated hammer.


    "Let¡¯s make a hammer.¡±


    It had been a long time since Grid used cksmith tools instead of a greatsword.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Once started, the mes in the furnace never turned off. Grid also didn¡¯t stop his hammering. Grid solely devoted himself to the task, regardless of whether it was day or not. Due to the heat from the fire and Grid¡¯s enthusiasm, it seemed like Khan¡¯s smithy was on the brink of an explosion.


    "There will be no guests.¡±


    Khan was concerned about disturbing Grid¡¯s concentration, so he locked the doors of the smithy. Then he did his best to assist Grid.


    Time passed.


    The five hammers that Grid produced were rated normal, rare, epic, rare and rare. Grid was frustrated by the repeated failures. However, his mentality had matured and tried his best to the end without shaking.


    Then on the fifth day. The item he wanted finally came.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 550/550 Attack Power: 130~150


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +30%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +20%


    Odds of Making a Unique Rated Item: +8%


    Odds of Making a Legendary Rated Item: +1%


    * The amount of experience acquired for production rted skills will increase.


    A cksmith¡¯s hammer made by a craftsman with great skills and potential, and is umting his experience and reputation.


    This is a hammer produced by the craftsman himself, so it isn¡¯t suitable for other cksmiths to use.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Weight: 50


    [An legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +25 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +1,000.]


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s fourth legendary item was born after the Sword of Self-transcendence, Divine Shield, and Thorn of Deep Grievance. Grid frowned, rather than being pleased with the result that was obtained faster than expected.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help being disappointed. The 20% chance of making epic items and 8% chance of making unique items were high enough that they couldn¡¯t be ignored. He was pleased by this oue. However, he wasn¡¯t pleased that the chance of making a legendary item only increased by 1%.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that a 1% increase will actually help... No, no. This is more than I expected.¡¯


    Grid thought about it positively as possible. Considering the number of items he had made so far, his chances of making a legendary item had been less than 0.1%. Having this increase by 1% would clearly have a great effect.


    Based on simple calctions, one out of 100 items would be legendary rated, so wasn¡¯t this good? The probability had skyrocketedpared to the thousands he needed to make in the past.


    ¡®It¡¯s only the odds, but it¡¯s a lot better than before.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. After five days of work, his concentration was at its peak.


    ¡®Now...!¡¯


    Grid held the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer. Then he started smelting the blue orichalcum.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    His skilled hammering was repeated. The blue orichalcum was delicately tempered.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Khan was amazed. As Grid hammered, the form of a blue shark slowly appeared on the anvil. Was this hot smithy the cool sea? The shark was lively enough to give off the illusion.


    ¡®It is unbelievable.¡¯


    The transparent shark-shaped greatsword was amazing. To Khan, it was far more creative and practical than anything made by the dwarves.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid¡¯s hammering didn¡¯t stop until the sun fell and the moon rose and became faint again.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated. Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extreme for one hour.]


    Then when the chickens were crying at dawn.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    Grid had a rare bright smile.


    [Failure]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 1,090/1,090


    Attack Power: 1,040~2,166 Defense: 80


    * Agility +50


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be generated.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    It¡¯s a weapon designed by a legendary cksmith. It¡¯s a greatsword, but its cutting ability is excellent because of its unique shape. It resembles the predator of the sea, a shark, and gives fear to enemies. The small des spiking from the sword will increase the defense.


    Blue orichalcum is used as a material. Its lightness means the attack speed doesn¡¯t fall. Due to the nature of the blue orichalcum, it bes stronger in the dark.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. More than 5,000 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 8 or higher.


    Weight: 550


    Pachichik!Pachichik!


    On the lower edge of the wide sword, the name ¡®Grid¡¯ started to be written in cursive. It was the moment when the item that Grid first created as Pagma¡¯s Descendant was revealed to the world.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    ¡®I did it!¡¯


    Grid was sessful and felt greater joy than ever.


    All the legendary items he had made so far. The Sword of Self-transcendence, Divine Shield, and Thorn of Deep Grievance were clearly excellent, but not enough to be called the best. They weren¡¯t a match for the unique rated Dainsleif made by Albatino.


    But Failure was different. The item was directly created by Grid and was an undeniably superior weapon. Dainsleif? It was enough to throw Dainsleif to the dogs.


    "It¡¯s different.¡± Grid was convinced. "Now I am the best.¡±


    He had the strongest armor set and now he was holding the strongest weapon. Wasn¡¯t he invincible?


    ¡®Oh my god... Who would¡¯ve imagined the day woulde when a talent-less gamer like me would be like this?¡¯


    It was new. Before bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he had yed hard for a year and only reached level 80.


    ¡°In the end...¡±


    Grip. Grid formed two fists! All of the emotions he had suppressed started to emerge as he shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m a winner!¡±


    Top rankers? Game geniuses? They were all destined to be helpless in front of the power of items.


    ¡°Hahahahat! Aren¡¯t I raising my level too quickly? The system isn¡¯t as good as items. Pu~hahahat!¡±


    If they found out why Grid wasughing, the rankers who were hunting would be angry.


    ¡°Blood Witch Yura? Our next encounter will be different! Now I am better than her? Puhahat! Kek! Kek! Huh?¡±


    Grid wasughing like crazy when he confirmed the notification windows in front of him.


    [You have proven your potential by making five legendary items.]


    ¡®This?¡¯


    The exnation of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship said that something special would ur when five legendary rated items were made. The notification windows in front of Grid kept updating.


    [You have grown enough. You are no longer a nameless cksmith.]


    [All future items you make will be engraved with your initial ¡®G.¡¯]


    [It will be known all over the world that Pagma¡¯s Descendant has been born.]


    [Your potential is blooming.]


    [The penalty that urs when an item¡¯s usage conditions isn¡¯t met is reduced by 15% per rating.]


    [The penalty of an item¡¯s options being reduced by 50% when an item¡¯s usage conditions isn¡¯t met will disappear.]


    [The speed of item understanding will be two times faster.]


    It was good thus far. The fact that the penalties when wearing items that he didn¡¯t meet the usage conditions were reduced was tremendous. Grid felt like he would have a heart attack from the joy. But...


    [Your growth has deteriorated due to the blossoming of your potential.]


    [The amount of stats acquired when making items will drop.]


    [You won¡¯t acquire any additional stats in the future when making items with a rare rating.]


    [You won¡¯t acquire any additional stats in the future when making items with an epic rating.]


    [When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4.]


    [When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +10.]


    "..."


    So far, Grid was awarded +2 to all stats when making a rare rated item, +4 to all stats for an epic item, +12 to all stats for a unique item and +25 to all stats when making a legendary item. But what was this? His potential blossoming(he read it as depleted), caused the amount of additional stats obtained from making items to drop significantly.


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    It caused damage in the long-term. It wasn¡¯t just damage, but huge damage.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh! These damn operators!¡±


    Why were they making the boundaries of a legendary ss so tant? This was a bnce patch for Grid, but he couldn¡¯t help screaming. Meanwhile, the notification windows were being renewed.


    [The ss of Pagma¡¯s Descendant will be revealed to the world. Do you want to register for the rankings and announce that you are Pagma¡¯s Descendant?]


    If it was the Grid in the past, he would¡¯ve said YES because he wanted to be a celebrity. But now it was different.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    The famous people in the Tzedakah Guild, including Jishuka, suffered from huge crowds wherever they went. Grid witnessed it several times and now he had no desire to be a celebrity.


    ¡®In the first ce, it¡¯s more profitable to make money from items than from the broadcasting fees.¡¯


    [You won¡¯t be registered in the rankings.]


    [The information for the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill has been updated.]


    [(Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill]


    Lv.3 (87.1%)


    Produce equipment items that you know how to make.


    You can create the production methods for a new item with the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation¡¯ skill.


    You can produce myth rated items.


    There is a high probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a certain probability of creating unique rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating legendary rated items.


    There is a very rare probability of making myth grade items.


    * All stats of a production items will increase by 17%.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +150.


    * When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +10 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +500.


    * When myth rated items are produced, your reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every five legendary items created. (Currently 5/10)


    "... This is real. It really isn¡¯t a joke...¡±


    The skill description was miserablepared to before. Grid noted that special effects would ur every time he made five legendary items.


    ¡°Legendary items? I won¡¯t make them.¡±


    The special events seemed to be a bnce patch.


    ¡®In fact, it isn¡¯t quite rotten.¡¯


    There were advantages, such as the reduced item penalties. The next special effect might be even better. As he was trying to think positively, the final notification windows appeared.


    [You currently have 11,830 reputation throughout the continent. You can use the Reputation Store when your reputation reaches over 30,000.]


    [Reputation Store]


    A special store for all users. It is possible to purchase goods with reputation.


    There are many rare items, so please be sure to use it.


    The store¡¯s location will periodically change.


    The system notified him of the existence of the reputation store only after the reputation that could be obtained from making an item dropped? Wasn¡¯t this deliberately making fun of people?


    Grid¡¯s face turned red, ¡°These operators @$&*(!~$#@#[email protected]*!¡±


    "..."


    After making the strongest item. Khan watched Grid as he ran amok in joy and then anger.


    ¡®It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen this...¡¯


    ***


    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters.


    Yoon Nahee and her team members were watching the monitor. They watched the moment when Grid made the legendary rated Failure. The team members let out sounds of admiration.


    ¡°Wow, amazing. A legendary rated item popped up straight away?¡±


    ¡°He normally makes normal and rare items, so isn¡¯t his luck good these days? He¡¯s ate bloomer. Kilkil.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin spoke from a corner. ¡°Now that he has obtained the strongest legendary weapon, the bnce will copse rapidly.¡±


    Team Leader Yoon Nahee shook her head. ¡°Rather , the bnce will be adjusted.¡±


    The monitor changed to Grid¡¯s viewpoint. They were able to see the list of notification windows that were being updated.


    ¡°He now acquires less stats and reputation when making an item. Well, isn¡¯t this too dyed?¡± Yoon Sangmin sneered at Grid.


    The team members wondered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Satisfy¡¯s system has already been established. Unless a new episode or event-driven quest is added, there is no need to add a patch to the existing system.¡±


    ¡°Then what is this? Is this skill change scheduled?"


    Yoon Nahee nodded, "That¡¯s right. Pagma¡¯s Descendant isn¡¯t a purebat ss. Itsbat ability is lower than other legendary sses, but it can¡¯t grow infinitely by enjoying the stat boost effect. Well... Based on the current situation, I don¡¯t think that hisbat ability will be pushed inparison to the other legendary sses...¡±


    The problem was that Grid was an unlucky person. ording to supeputer Morpheus¡¯ predictions, Pagma¡¯s Descendant should¡¯ve made five legendary items three months ago and not gained as many stats.


    But Grid was so unlucky that he couldn¡¯t make legendary items. No matter how hard he tried, he only made low rated items. Therefore, Grid had a much longer stats-synergistic effect than Morpheus predicted, turning bad luck into good luck.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he is lucky or unlucky...¡±


    By this time, the whole word started to shake. It was the aftermath of the shocking message that appeared to all users who connected to Satisfy.


    [A sessor to Pagma¡¯s techniques and will has emerged. He is the only legend in the world who can produce legendary items.]


    Breaking news, breaking news, breaking news! A feast of breaking news. The media in each country made a fuss.


    [Who is Pagma?]


    [Pagma, a legendary cksmith and master of the sword!]


    [Is Pagma¡¯s Descendant a legendary ss?]


    [It is estimated to be a legendary thanks to the phrase ¡®legendary.¡¯]


    [The only legendary item maker!]


    [The first legendary ss out of two billion users has appeared!]


    [(Column) What is the power of a legendary ss?]


    [The 1st ranked cksmith Panmir, ¡®I am not Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯]


    [The top guilds are already in action to find Pagma¡¯s Descendant...]


    [Is Pagma¡¯s Descendant the creator of the Special Jaffa Arrow?]


    [The possessor of the third epic ss, Katz. ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant? The legendary ss is just a cksmith. It¡¯s nothing in front of the Blood Warrior. I¡¯ll give him enough money to be my personal cksmith.¡¯ Katz¡¯ arrogant remark!]


    It was at the level of panic. The reaction was differentpared to when the epic sses were announced. The S.A. Group judged that the atmosphere was being overheated from one topic and took action.


    ¡°Immediately activate the quests for the nationalpetition in the game. It will disperse people¡¯s attention." Lim Cheolhomanded.


    At that moment, a new notification window appeared in front of all users in Satisfy.


    [In two months of real time, a nationalpetition will be held in honor of each country. Participants will be recruited. Prove your abilities bypleting in-game quests.]


    The gaze of the media started to shift.


    [Various event quests have been created in the game. There are special rewards just for participating in the quests?]


    [The S.A. Group¡¯s nationalpetition will be hosted in South Korea!]


    [The nationalpetition will include events like a boss raid, PvP, pet marathon, breaking through abyrinth, various production games, siege, etc...]


    [Chairman Lim Cheolho. ¡®If you are selected as a national representative, there will be tremendous rewards.¡¯]


    [(Column) The first legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Will he also participate in the nationalpetition?]


    [What country is Pagma¡¯s Descendant from?]


    [The country that Pagma¡¯s Descendant belongs to will be the national champion.]


    In the end, the attention of the press and public opinion once again focused on Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    At Khan¡¯s smithy.


    Grid was doing his own work, regardless of the world¡¯s interest. It was due to Jishuka¡¯s request.


    "It is highly likely that there will be a war with the Yatan Church. We need your skills. I hope that you can produce items for all guild members within a month.¡±


    ¡°One month? Hey, then I won¡¯t have time to participate in the event quests.¡±


    ¡°Omo? Do you n topete in the nationalpetition? Can you cope with the storm that will happen once your identity is revealed? Pag.ma¡¯s De.scend.ant?¡±


    "...It is too annoying.¡±


    The most desperate person was Vantner.


    ¡°Grid! My armor!¡±


    [You have learned how to make the Wave Armor.]


    [Wave Armor]


    Rating: Rare ~ Legendary


    Rare Rating Information:


    Durability: 420/420 Defense: 531 Movement Speed: -8%


    * Reduces the damage received by 40% if your health is above 90%.


    * Increases defense against cutting attacks by 15%.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 455/455 Defense: 575 Movement Speed: -7%


    * Reduces the damage received by 45% if your health is above 80%.


    * Increases defense against cutting attacks by 20%.


    * There is a small chance of invalidating the cutting attack.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 493/493 Defense: 631 Movement Speed: -6%


    * Reduces the damage received by 50% if your health is above 70%.


    * Increases defense against cutting attacks by 25%.


    * There is a certain chance of invalidating the cutting attack.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 574/574 Defense: 694 Movement Speed: -4%


    * Reduces the damage received by 60% if your health is above 60%.


    * Increases defense against cutting attacks by 30%.


    * There is a high chance of invalidating the cutting attack.


    As armor made of ck iron, it is several times lighter and stronger than steel.


    There is a wave pattern on the entire armor to deflect the enemy¡¯s attack.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher. More than 500 strength. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 1,920


    ¡°Okay, I understand, I understand.¡±


    Grid finally returned to his responsibilities. He would be stuck in the smithy, but he wasn¡¯t frustrated at all.


    ¡¯Anyway, I am the best.¡¯


    Unlike other rankers, he didn¡¯t have to rush around and hunt. For the time being, he would concentrate on making money and having a leisurely time. Grid enjoyed the feeling of being in seclusion, like a martial artist hermit.


    Meanwhile, a long limousine arrived in front of Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house. The owner of the limousine was a person Youngwoo knew all too well.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    By the end of February.


    The spring vacation of the Young Ladies High School was also ending. Sehee¡¯s new semester of her second year in high school would start in a few days, so she was studying hard today.


    Hobbies? Travel? Dating? She had no interest at all. She simply enjoyed leisurely activities like jogging in the morning and yoga in the evening. Even that was just to maintain her condition for studying.


    Sehee only devoted herself to studying. Why was she so obsessed with studying?


    It was because of her brother, Youngwoo.


    Her brother didn¡¯t have any talent in studying and he didn¡¯t stand out in any particr field. His only advantage was his patience, but after he went to university, she became worried about his future because he becamezy.


    She expected him to improve after going to the army, but he actually worsened. Rather than going back to study, he fell into a game called Satisfy and got into debt. Their parents were worried. The two of them sighed because her brother¡¯s future was bing dimmer every day.


    ¡®I have to take care of Oppa.¡¯


    Was it because she grew up watching her pitiful and useless brother? Sehee grew up at an early age because of her brother. In middle school, she became determined to look after her parents and brother.


    ¡®I¡¯ll study hard on behalf of Oppa. I will seed and be responsible for my parents and Oppa.¡¯


    Unlike her brother, Sehee was talented. She was a good student, went to the prestigious Young Ladies High School and had top grades in the nation. Her ultimate goal was simple. She nned to graduate from the best university, get a good job, earn a high sry, and support her parents and brother.


    ¡®Oppa can believe in me.¡¯


    She continued studying while thinking so. However, a problem urred not long ago. Her brother changed. Her brother suddenly be economically self-sustaining in a certain area.


    That¡¯s right, it was Satisfy. Ironically, it was the game that ate some of her brother¡¯s youth. Her brother seeded in the game and cleared his debt. He repaid not only his debt, but their father¡¯s debt as well. Then he gave their parents hundreds of millions of allowance for theirfort.


    One day, her brother said to her, "In one year, I will buy a 10 billion won building. We can rent it out and our family can live happily for the rest of our lives.¡±


    Sehee was proud of her brother who seeded in changing. She was delighted. On the other hand, she was also worried.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a bluff...¡¯


    He had the ability to afford it, but her brother had bought a 800 million won foreign car as soon as he made money. She knew that rich people often lost their wealth due to ack of economic sense. Sehee was worried that her brother would quickly lose his wealth. In addition, she was also concerned about his rtionship with girls.


    ¡®If he is too ostentatious...¡¯


    There were many women who would be attracted to a man driving a 800 million won foreign car. But wasn¡¯t her brother someone with no dating experience? He would be easy to fool.


    ¡°Sigh... I would feel morefortable if I am with Oppa.¡±


    She wanted to watch over her brother 24 hours a day. Sehee had an unusual obsession with her brother, probably because she had been taking responsibility for him for several years already.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She was sitting at her desk when she turned her gaze towards the window. It was noisy outside.


    ¡®Is it a celebrity?¡¯


    Men, women and children were making a fuss on the street. Sehee approached the window to see what the fuss was about. Then she frowned.


    ¡¯Why is she here...?¡±


    She had a bad feeling.


    ***


    000-0 Street, XX Neighbourhood, Geumcheon-gu.


    The neighbourhood consisted of ordinary people, but it had been noisytely. It was because an expensive foreign car appeared in front of the Shin house, whose upants operated a vegetable store. The residents of the area were interested in the car and examined it.


    ¡°That is the 13th model from B Company. It is 800 million won.¡±


    "Wow, I¡¯m shaking. Shin ahjussi, did he sell a lot of cabbages? How did he afford this car?¡±


    "It looks like his son is driving it, not Shin ahjussi...¡±


    ¡°Eh? Doesn¡¯t he usually dress in sweats like an unemployed bum? Where did he get the money to drive a car like this?¡±


    ¡°He must¡¯ve won the lotto.¡±


    ¡°Kung... He paid off his debt and bought a car like that, I think he really did win the lotto.¡±


    "I won¡¯t be able to afford it even if I die working~ Life is unfair.¡±


    ¡°Well... I buy five lotto tickets every week, but I never win... Perhaps I should buy 10 tickets every week.¡±


    The weekend. The residents were walking in front of the Shin family¡¯s house. There were many people enjoying the spring weather, and they continuedmenting on Youngwoo¡¯s car. Then a vehicle entered the neighborhood. The eyes of the residents¡¯ widened.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    It was arge limousine that was 8.5m long. The ordinary people stared as the gorgeous white car stopped in front of the Shin house. It was the moment when the locals forgot about B Company¡¯s 13 series.


    Clink.


    Three burly men descended from the vehicle. Two of them looked around, while the other one ran to the back seat and opened the door. Then a woman appeared. The woman boasted such overwhelming beauty that the flowers lining the street faded at once. It was like she was the only thing shining in the world. The scenery seemed grey beside her.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°That woman?¡±


    The residents captivated by her unrealistic beauty btedly realized her identity. She was Yura, who was praised as the ¡®Jewel of South Korea.¡¯


    A frenzy urred.


    ¡°Wow! I can¡¯t believe it! Yura! Yura!¡±


    ¡°Yura unni! Please sign this!¡±


    ¡°A photo! Can I have a photo?¡±


    ¡°Yura! Will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Ahh... I never thought the day woulde when I can see Yura in real life... I don¡¯t care if I die right now...¡±


    ¡°She is even prettier than her photos. Truly a goddess.¡±


    It was the level of a riot. People started to rapidly gather after hearing the noise. But the three bodyguards that came with Yura were the aces of the industry. They efficiently upied the space, allowing three people to control dozens of people. Thanks to this, Yura was able to ring the doorbell of the Shin home without being disturbed.


    ¡°Heok... Why is Yura at the Shin house?¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    The people¡¯s imaginations ran wild. The Shin family¡¯s unemployed son! Could he have a special rtionship with Yura? Was it due to Yura¡¯s financial power that the Shin family¡¯s useless son could drive an expensive car? There were all types of spection, but it didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Yura wouldn¡¯t like such an ugly person...¡±


    "Of course. If Shin-ssi¡¯s son and Yura were on an uninhabited ind alone, Yura still won¡¯t look at Shin-ssi¡¯s son.¡±


    "Then what is Yura doing at the Shin house?¡±


    The gates of the Shin house opened.


    ¡°What are you doing at my house?¡±


    An irritated voice was heard. People¡¯s eyes focused on the owner of the voice. It was the Shin family¡¯s daughter. People admired her.


    ¡°Wow... She¡¯s acting like that towards Yura.¡±


    ¡°That... Even entertainers on TV seem ugly next to Yura...¡±


    ¡°The two people look like a picture.¡±


    "Maybe Yura is here to see her. Is it strange for beautiful people to hang out together?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    No one was thinking calmly. They were half out of their mind as they spoke.


    ¡®Noisy.¡¯


    They attempted to take photos. Sehee felt burdened and brought Yura into the house.


    "Come in.¡±


    "Thank you."


    "Now, what is your purpose foring here?¡± Sehee asked with curiosity as she locked the gate.


    Yura looked at the small garden nted with camellias and replied with a smile.


    ¡°I came to see Youngwoo-ssi.¡±


    "..."


    Sehee didn¡¯t feel good. She didn¡¯t hide her hostility.


    ¡°Why is a great person like you trying to meet Oppa? In the first ce, how do you know him? What is your rtionship?¡±


    Yura was a genius. But that didn¡¯t apply to rtionships. She responded without realizing the meaning behind Sehee¡¯s questions. "I met Youngwoo-ssi while ying Satisfy. I got friendly with him while ying lovers.¡±


    "ying lovers?¡±


    ¡°It was a very short, but fun game.¡±


    Sehee no longer heard Yura¡¯s voice. Only the word ¡®lovers¡¯ went through her mind.


    ¡®Oppa said he was ying hard to make money, but he is actually flirting inside a game? I have been busy studying for his sake and never even held a man¡¯s hand.¡¯


    Sehee¡¯splexion changed. She was so irritated that tears filled her eyes.


    ***


    "I originally nned to enhance Failure and my armor but...¡±


    Grid knew what he had to do. He had no intention of relying on his existing items. He learned from the Awakened Guardian of the Forest that his defense wasn¡¯t sufficient, even if he was wearing a legendary armor set. Grid was nning to use his ss effect of ¡®increased probability of item enhancement¡¯ in order to strengthen Failure and his armor.


    ¡®I want to use these items for as long as possible... Even if it costs a lot of money, it¡¯s better to take the risk. I have to buy all the enhancement stones in the auction house.¡¯


    But before that, he needed to make Vantner¡¯s armor.


    ¡°I can¡¯t postpone it any longer...¡±


    Thanks to his quest, the marriage ceremony, and the Guardian of the Forest raid, the armor had been dyed for nearly two months. Grid didn¡¯t have the heart to dy it any longer. He looked at the method to make the Wave Armor.


    ¡°Good good.¡±


    The Wave Armor was indeed a great item. In particr, the first option gave an excellent defense effect.


    ¡¯It¡¯s less than the Holy Light Armor.¡¯


    The default defense of the Holy Light Armor was better than Wave Armor. The Holy Light Armor also reduced physical damage by 40% and magic damage by 50%. Considering the other options and set item effects, the Holy Light Armor was actually a few times better than the Wave Armor. However, the Holy Light Armor was limited to ¡®Franz,¡¯ so it was like an exclusive item for Grid.


    ¡®If I want to sell armor, the Wave Armor is better.¡¯


    Once all the guild members had their items, he would produce arge amount of Wave Armor and sell them to rankers. Grid was excited about acquiring the Wave Armor production method for free.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The hammering sound was light. Grid was enthusiastic about producing it and worked with a high degree of concentration.


    After approximately three hours.


    Vantner came looking for him. Grid felt his presence but kept hammering.


    ¡°What, Mister? Didn¡¯t you say you were going to pray?¡±


    Vantner scratched his head. "I want to watch my armor being finished... Heheh, is it okay if I watch?¡±


    Vantner had been waiting for almost two months, so he was very excited. Grid understood Vantner¡¯s anticipation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you are quiet. Sit over there and watch.¡±


    "Thank you. I¡¯ll be praying to the gods that it¡¯s a legendary item.¡±


    Vantner fell to his knees. Then he joined both hands together and really started to pray. It reminded Grid of Cassus when he made the Divine Shield.


    ¡®The Vatican is stable...¡¯


    There was no news that a new pope had been elected.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I forget to seal Isabel¡¯s spear? Perhaps Isabel will die and it¡¯s my fault? I¡¯m sorry... Well, one day she wille for it to be sealed.¡¯


    Grid started concentrating on hammering again.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The tempered ck iron and mithril steel tes on the anvil were gradually assembled in the shape of armor. Vantner¡¯s excitement soared as he prayed.


    ¡®Please...! Please let it be finished with a legendary rating...! I¡¯m praying to all the gods in the world! Please please please let it be a legendary rating!¡¯


    As his prayer was reaching its peak...


    ¡°This... My sister is calling.¡±


    Then Grid¡¯s hammering suddenly stopped?


    ¡°Huh? What?"


    Vantner was confused as he failed to identify the new situation. Grid put his hammer and the armor he was making back into his inventory.


    "I¡¯m sorry. My sister is calling me, so I have to go.¡±


    Grid thought it sounded urgent.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Vantner doubted his ears. He thought Grid was ying around. But it wasn¡¯t a joke.


    [The guild member ¡®Grid¡¯ has closed his connection.]


    "..."


    Grid disappeared from in front of him. Vantner stared at the mes in the furnace for a long time before screaming.


    ¡°You bastard! You are deliberately ying with meeee!¡±


    "It¡¯s noisy, so get out.¡±


    "Ugh... Uwaaaack!¡±


    Vantner was kicked out by Khan and ran to the hunting grounds. Then he swung his axes at monsters while thinking about Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149


    -Oppa,e out!Quickly!


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Youngwoo received contact from outside and hurriedly emerged from his capsule. ¡°Sehee?¡±


    This was the first time Sehee prompted him to log out since he had started making money in Satisfy. How urgent was the situation for her to do something so unusual?


    ¡¯Perhaps it¡¯s a robbery?¡¯


    Youngwoo had a timid nature.


    He was four times as affected by horror movies whenpared to normal people, and he couldn¡¯t walk alone at night unless he was drunk. He panicked whenever he looked into the eyes of someone who was slightly scary. If a burr entered his home, he would think about fleeing rather than protecting the house.


    But!


    ¡®Now it¡¯s different.¡¯


    He had lived through all the suffering, and his confident was currently soaring due to his endless sesses. In the first ce, he would¡¯ve been courageous if it was for his family.


    Snap.


    Youngwoo opened the closed door and shouted, ¡°What bastard dares? I will kill anyone who puts their hands on my sister!¡±


    He would protect Sehee, even if the burr was armed with a knife! Then Youngwoo stiffened like a stone statue.


    "Hello."


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Youngwoo was stunned. Rather than a robber, a familiar beauty was inside his house.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you really care for your sister?¡± The beauty said with a smile.


    She was sitting facing the flushed Sehee. Sehee was happy, but she spoke as curtly as possible, ¡°Oppa, what? What did you imagine? Anyway, I¡¯m not involved in this. Can you not advertise yourself as a sis-con?¡±


    Finally, Sehee looked at the beauty with a winner¡¯s expression. ¡®There is no room for you between a brother and sister.¡¯ She seemed to be saying. The beauty smiled at Sehee like she was cute.


    "What...?¡±


    On the other hand, Youngwoo was stunned and rubbed his eyes several times. Then he repeatedly confirmed the beautiful woman who was sitting across from Sehee.


    ¡®Why is she in my house?¡¯


    Yura. Why was the jewel of South Korea in a shabby ce like this? It didn¡¯t seem real.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s here, but she¡¯s really pretty.¡¯


    Yura was wearing a pale yellow jacket over a V neck t-shirt that revealed her corbone. She had good posture, confident eyes, delicate gestures and clear pronunciation. Her overall impression was that of a noblewoman.


    Approximately two seconds. That was how long Youngwoo lost his spirit to Yura before shaking it off. He might be deceived by external factors, but his feelings towards Yura weren¡¯t so good. He shook his head and moved towards the sofa. He sat down next to Sehee and faced Yura.


    ¡°Why did youe to my house? By the way, don¡¯t you know too much about me? Are you a stalker?¡±


    Yura¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡®He has changed.¡¯ The Shin Youngwoo who she met on the way to the alumni reunion would¡¯ve shrunk back from her. He acted like a sinner and couldn¡¯t even look her properly in the eyes. But now he was different. He was dignified instead of shrinking back, and he gazed straight into her eyes.


    ¡°You look like apletely different person.¡±


    "I hope you mean it in a positive manner.¡±


    Even his manner of speaking was different. Yura smiled and replied, "I like the current you.¡±


    ¡®She likes it?¡¯


    Yura was one of the best beauties on Earth, and was powerful and sessful at the same time. Such a great woman said she liked the current him, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling joy.


    ¡®The glory of my family... No, no. It isn¡¯t good to be in the heart of such a strange woman.¡¯


    Yura had a stalker temperament, so Youngwoo replied to her as coldly as possible. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in your heart.¡±


    Yura wasn¡¯t fazed. She looked at Youngwoo¡¯s whole body.


    ¡°You have gained weight. It¡¯s really goodpared to before. Your basic skeleton is good, so you look nice.¡±


    It was true. In his debt-ridden days, he couldn¡¯t feel the pleasure of eating full meals. He yed games all day, skipped meals and didn¡¯t exercise, so he was underweight. But now that he was wealthy, he ate all types of delicious foods.


    He enjoyed food like a gourmet, and got the idea that he wanted to live a long life to enjoy his riches. He sometimes jogged with Sehee in the morning, and before he knew it, he reached a normal weight.


    Compared to his previous appearance, he was now slightly above average? It was a huge development.


    ¡°I feel like I can depend on you right now.¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± Youngwoo was embarrassed by Yura¡¯s remark. ¡°What is it? Tell me clearly. You, why did youe to someone else¡¯s house? I don¡¯t like this situation. Quickly cut to the chase.¡±


    ¡¯Well done Oppa!¡¯


    Sehee was delighted as she watched the two people. Unbelievably, Yura seemed to be one-sidedly following her brother. Meanwhile, her brother was indifferent to Yura. Why was a woman that the world admired so obsessed with her brother, and why was her brother treating Yura like this?


    Sehee honestly couldn¡¯t believe it, but she still enjoyed watching her brother¡¯s attitude. ¡°I will prepare some tea.¡±


    Her brother was trying to dump a woman. Sehee found this hrious and smiled as she headed towards the kitchen.


    Then Yura finally cut to the chase, ¡°I would like you to participate in the nationalpetition as a representative of South Korea.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What was she saying? Youngwoo subtly reacted and Yura exined the situation.


    "This is an unofficial offer from the South Korean government. They want me to set up a national team so that South Korea can achieve a good score in the uing nationalpetition that is starting May 1st and willst four days.¡±


    Yura was one of the top 5 rankers in Satisfy. She was a global star, so it wasn¡¯t strange that she had a link with the government.


    "I understand the matter, but why me? Don¡¯t you tend to overestimate me?"


    "I am convinced that you have the first hidden epic ss.¡±


    The second epic ss was known to be obtained by Agnus while the third epic ss was Katz. Only the first epic ss hadn¡¯t been revealed yet. Youngwoo was aware that the first epic ss was the ¡®Duplicator¡¯ Euphemina, but Yura didn¡¯t know this. Youngwoo had survived her strongest magic in the past, so she misunderstood and thought he had an epic ss.


    "As you know, South Korea was a powerhouse in games decades ago. In most gamepetitions, South Korea¡¯s professional gamers and teams won the championship, while the rankers in all RPG games were Korean. But that is just the glory of the past... Koreans aren¡¯t doing well, especially in Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°I have read about it before... Koreans don¡¯t have a physical presence?¡±


    ¡°As it happens, yes. It is a problem facing all Asians in general.¡±


    Sehee misunderstood the conversation from the kitchen and came out quietly. She sat on one side so that she wouldn¡¯t interfere with the conversation. Yura thanked Sehee for the tea and continued.


    "The South Korean government wants to regain some of the glory of the past through this nationalpetition. Right now, the gaming industry ispetitive. The South Korean government wants to revive ourpetitive gaming power... In other words, they want to build the image of a country powerful in Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°They want to obtain a good record in the nationalpetition?¡±


    "Yes, but it¡¯s really hard.¡±


    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you 5th on the unified rankings? One person can participate in three events in the nationalpetition. Isn¡¯t it enough for you to participate in three events and earn three gold medals?"


    This was the first time that the nationalpetition was being held, so only eight countries were participating. Earning three gold medals would be enough to enter the top rankings. Youngwoo thought it was simple, but reality wasn¡¯t so clear.


    ¡°There are seven people stronger than me in PvP, and boss raid andbyrinth breakthrough aren¡¯t my specialities. The production rtedpetitions are for production sses only, so they are out of the question.¡±


    "..."


    ¡°The pet marathon will end up being between drakes, but there is no Korean user who owns a drake, so we have to give up on that. The remaining events are the siege, target processing, sword drawing and treasure hunt. Among them, the only one where I can win a gold medal is target processing. The siege is also my specialty, but it is difficult to obtain a medal because the Korean team is toocking.¡±


    Youngwoo, who had been listening quietly, finally asked a question, "You, don¡¯t you seem useless?¡±


    "..."


    Youngwoo casually stabbed her in a sore spot. Yura eyebrows¡¯ twitched before she started frowning. Youngwoo continued without caring.


    ¡°Is this true? No, why are there seven people stronger than you? Aren¡¯t you 5th on the unified rankings? Shouldn¡¯t there only be four people stronger than you? In addition, you are the Eighth Servant so you should¡¯ve obtained special powers. I thought you were strong enough to be one of Satisfy¡¯s three pirs?¡±


    Yura recovered her cool and exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve obtained the status of Eighth Servant. By sacrificing my divine power stat to God Yatan, I can acquire new dark spells and mybat abilities have risen dramatically. But the world is huge. The rankings aren¡¯t the only measure of strength. In fact, you aren¡¯t a ranker. Given the number of unlisted rankers like you, there are probably at least 10 people stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Who are the people stronger than you right now?¡±


    Yura listed them without hesitation. "1st ranked Kraugel. 2nd ranked Zibal. 3rd ranked Chris. 7th ranked Agnus. 8th ranked Hurent. 11th ranked Bondre. 15th ranked Hao. That¡¯s it.¡±


    "I know that Agnus has an epic ss, but the the 8th, 11th and 15th ranked?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Their levels are lower than mine. But they are monsters inbat. Although they are unimpressivepared to Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°Is Kraugel that great?¡±


    ¡°I have seen him hunting many times and he is beyondmon sense. He is a person who draws out the maximum result with minimal movements at all times because his field of view isrge and he can urately calcte things like damage, skill cooldowns, as well as reading the pattern of movements and countering. People call me a genius, but Kraugel has several times more talent for the game.¡±


    ¡°Wow... He sounds amazing.¡±


    He said so, but Youngwoo was thinking differently. So what if he is excellent at these things?


    ¡®It is nothing in front of the power of items.¡¯


    The truth of RPG games was items. As Youngwoo was ridiculing Kraugel, Yura asked him politely.


    "I need your strength as the first epic ss. Please participate in the nationalpetition and demonstrate your skills. The government has promised high incentives if you win a medal, so it won¡¯t be bad for you.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s ears pricked as he heard the word ¡®incentives¡¯ and he was troubled for a moment.


    ¡®I want to participate... But it will be annoying if it is revealed that I have a legendary ss... Ah, perhaps?¡¯


    Youngwoo asked Yura, who was waiting for an answer with a serious posture. ¡°Is it possible to participate while hiding my ID?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t. Your identity must be thoroughly proven to enter thepetition.¡±


    It was expected. Youngwoo changed the question. "Then what about the pet marathon? Is it possible for inanimate objects to participate?¡±


    "... Inanimate objects?¡±


    ¡°An inanimate pet.¡±


    Pets were pets. Pets. Animals. In other words, a living creature. But inanimate?


    "An inanimate object isn¡¯t a pet.¡±


    "The inanimate objects have an ego. They absolutely obeymands.¡±


    Inanimate objects with an ego?


    ¡°Is it like the golems made by great magicians?¡±


    "The concept is roughly like that...¡±


    ¡°Roughly?¡±


    "Anyway, the pet marathon is basically apetition between drakes. They will bite at all thepetition until the destination is reached. My pet doesn¡¯t have the concept of stamina, so it can tease other pets and win the marathon. I will win the gold medal. The condition is that I don¡¯t appear before the public.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Pretend that my pet is your pet. Don¡¯t worry, I will pilot it. Of course, all benefits that you receive for the gold medal will be mine. Okay?¡±


    "...I honestly don¡¯t care about credit. Do you have a pet that is equivalent to a high grade golem with an ego?¡±


    "If you don¡¯t believe me then go home and connect to Satisfy. I will show you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will connect and send you a whisper.¡±


    Yura got up. She told Sehee that the tea was delicious and headed for the front door. Youngwoo opened the front door out of courtesy. Then Yura gazed at him and gave him bted news.


    ¡°There is something you should know. By now, Bairan Vige should be ruined.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "Neberius, the Fourth Servant of the Yatan Church, has determined the coordinates of Bairan Vige due to the spies he sent. Using Mass Teleport, he has led arge army, including the Fifth Servant Bk, to invade Bairan Vige. The Tzedakah Guild is either already wiped out or on the brink of annihtion.¡±


    "..."


    Yura raised a finger and pointed it at Youngwoo¡¯s heart. "Didn¡¯t I say that I wouldn¡¯t kill you when war broke out between the Yatan Church and the Tzedakah Guild? This time I have paid off my debt.¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Youngwoo checked the time. It had been 40 minutes or so since he logged out from Satisfy. That was two hours within Satisfy.


    ¡°Did you time your visit with the Yatan invasion?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You said you didn¡¯t care about getting caught up in the war. Isn¡¯t this good?¡±


    "...I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    It was annoying. In the first ce, his rtionship with the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t require him to get involved in wars. Youngwoo was a cksmith of the Tzedakah Guild, not a soldier.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Youngwoo stopped Yura before she was about to leave.


    "The Fourth Servant... Does he have the ability to give God Yatan¡¯s blessing?¡±


    Yura shook her head. "Only the First Servant can give God Yatan¡¯s blessing. Why? Do you have a quest?¡±


    ¡°What if I do? Can you help?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard. I am the Eighth Servant, but I haven¡¯t met the First Servant. And aren¡¯t you hostile to the Yatan Church in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°Indeed... I understand.¡±


    Yura left. Youngwoo immediately returned to his capsule and logged into Satisfy.


    {Shit! Kill, the killing doesn¡¯t end!}


    {Faker¡¯s group, we are facing Neberius. His magic will be sealed when we draw his attention.}


    {This is Toban. Bk is so strong that I can¡¯tst much longer. Where is the support from Regas and Pon?}


    {The senior followers are focusing on Pon and Regas. I¡¯m supporting with magic, but it seems hard for them to leave.}


    There was an uproar in the guild chat window. The situation was so dire that few people noticed Grid logging in.


    {Ah... How rotten. Being Jishuka¡¯s protector is very arduous. If only Grid made my armor... Damn.}


    It was Vantner. Grid smiled widely.


    ¡°You can y an active role if you have armor?¡±


    Certainly, only Vantner¡¯s weapons were good. It wasn¡¯t just Vantner. Not surprisingly, many of Satisfy¡¯s rankers were armed with items not suitable for their level due to ack of top quality items. Grid was one of the few people who could ovee this scarcity.


    ¡°I will deliver the armor.¡±


    Grid opened his inventory. Then he pulled out the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer and the Wave Armor that was on the verge ofpletion. The guild had endured the enemy¡¯s ambush far longer than Yura predicted, but he still initiated a quick and deliberate hammering.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150


    There were various hunting grounds for level 100~200 users in the vicinity of Bairan Vige. Thanks to that, there was a steady floating poption of users. However, the poption was small, so the development speed was slow and there was the big city Winston in the area, so users were reluctant to live in Bairan Vige.


    The number of residents, including NPCs and users, was only around 500 people.


    But!


    The event effect of Grid and Lady Irene¡¯s marriage meant that Bairan Vige was enjoying a boom. Over the past week, arge number of people moved in and there were now around 5,000 people in Bairan Vige. The Tzedakah Guild used their funds to hire technicians in the north to quickly build homes and facilities, as well as experts in various fields. Thus, the vige was rapidly developing.


    ¡°It¡¯s apletely different scale from when I camest month.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There were only a few small houses and stores, and now there are big buildings?¡±


    The users who visited Bairan after a long time were impressed. Hundreds of workmen were setting up buildings, making it a spectacr sight. Once all the buildings werepleted, it seemed like Bairan could be called a city.


    ¡°Despite the rapid development, the security is excellent.¡±


    "This is managed by the Tzedakah Guild. What crazy person would mess around with the Tzedakah Guild?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious of the Tzedakah Guild... Don¡¯t they have the best estate among all the guilds? They will be sitting on a cushion of money very quickly.¡±


    "This is all thanks to Lady Irene¡¯s marriage. The marriage happened with exquisite timing for the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s her husband?¡±


    "How should I know? Probably some noble.¡±


    The streets were flooded with people, despite the fact that most users were at the hunting grounds. If NPCs were included, there were approximately 2,000 people always in residence.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?"


    ¡°I¡¯s terrific magic power.¡±


    Among the users doing their business, the high level magicians turned their attention to the sky. The Tzedakah Guild had built high buildings in Bairan. Magic power was being generated at the tallest spire of the castle that stood in the middle of the vige.


    At first, the scale seemed small, but rapidly expanded. Then the identity of the magic was determined. It was the precursor to a mass teleport.


    ¡°Wow... Isn¡¯t that only avable for third advancement magicians?¡±


    ¡°What is this? An event?¡±


    "Oh, right! It¡¯s an event!¡±


    ¡°Kyah! what is this?¡±


    It was amazing. Hundreds of rays of light were fired from the movement gate and fell like a meteor towards different part of the vige. The users were excited because they thought it was a special event in connection with the nationalpetition. But their cheers turned to screams in seconds.


    "The infidels, punish them in the name of God!¡±


    "Show the fools the greatness of God Yatan!¡±


    Kwaang!Kukwakwang!


    The identity of the people who fell from the rays of light were the Yatan believers. There were more than 1,000 of them. ck magic was used everywhere, instantly filling Bairan Vige with poison fog.


    "H-Hik...!"


    ¡°Aaaaack! H-Help me!¡±


    The buildings that the Tzedakah Guild invested time and money in were eroded in an instant. The pretty flowers and green trees blooming on the streets became ck and corrupted. There were fires everywhere and blood flowed like a river, making it like hell itself.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    The average level of the users in Bairan Vige was 140. As of February 20XX, Satisfy¡¯s users had an average level of 93, which meant that users in Bairan were fairly high levelled. However, the Yatan followers had a minimum level of 160. Around 1,000 such people appeared simultaneously, as well as 200 high ranking elders that were at least level 200.


    "Don¡¯t fight! You will just die if you fight!¡±


    "Damn! What is this?¡±


    Of the 2,000 people residing in Bairan Vige, only half of them were users. The other half were NPCs thatckedbat capabilities.


    ¡°This is divine punishment!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    "Die! Infidels!¡±


    "Ugh!"


    It was a sudden raid. The Yatan Church¡¯ followers were overwhelming. The NPCs died in an instant while the users went on the defensive.


    ¡°Shit! Logout!¡±


    ¡°I will leave as well!¡±


    The users who were already attacked by the followers weren¡¯t allowed to log out, because they were judged to be inbat, but the other users logged out quickly. Thus, the number of users fighting against the Yatan followers was less than 300.


    ¡°Wah...¡±


    ¡°How rotten! We are outnumbered! Outnumbered!¡±


    The 1,000 Yatan followers fought. They attacked everyone they saw, regardless if they were NPCs or users.


    ¡°Save the people!¡±


    Helplessness! A force that swept everything away! The victims grew as the Yatan believers were like surging waves. But the one-sided damage didn¡¯tst long. It was thank to the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s excellent response.


    "What? Someone dares attack in my area? Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    Toon was easily controlled by Jishuka due to his simple nature. He was head of security in Bairan Vige and led the knights and soldiers.


    "All of you protect the people. Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    He ordered the knights and soldiers, before spitting out of habit and jumping into the enemies alone. The Yatan followers? They were just a joke in front of a rare ss who was 35th on the unified rankings, ¡®Beasts of Prey¡¯ Toon.


    "King of the Beasts!¡±


    Toon crossed his long arms equipped with wristdes and used a skill. Then his body changed into a lion. He was almost twice asrge as an ordinary male lion.


    "Kuang!¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°Aaaaack~!¡±


    The Yatan followers started to scream. Every time the enormous lion¡¯s paws were swung, bones would break. In addition, the fangs chewed on skulls, killing the believers.


    "Shackles of darkness will press on your body!¡±


    While their peers were being attacked, the elders used ck magic to summon magic shackles. Then they tied up the body of the great lion.


    "Lord of Heaven!¡±


    Toon was unable to endure the dozens of shackles and used another skill. Then his body became smaller and turned into an eagle. The shackles became too loose and Toon escaped through the gap. Then he descended from the sky and his beak pierced the head of a follower. At the same time, he changed into a lion and roared.


    ¡°Kuweeeeeoh!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    Dozens of believers had blood pouring from their ears as they sat down. Toon attacked the necks of the people in pain and they turned into light.


    "Kuhahahaha! Rejoice! Fighting is fun!¡±


    "Mister Toon... His personality is strange, but his skills are great.¡±


    On the walls. Lae, the 2nd ranked mixed magician, stared nkly at Toon who was facing the enemies alone before grasping her orb. It was the Dark Magic Orb that was acquired after the Mcus raid. Lae amplified her magic by borrowing its power and fired magic towards the Yatan followers surrounding the soldiers.


    "Wrath of the Red Witch.¡±


    Kakakakak!


    A powerful pir was fired in a straight line. The bodies of the believers were instantly burned. The soldiers were saved and thanked Lae. Then they moved and started to save the people.


    The east gate.


    "Hrmm, are you the cream of the crop?¡±


    Vantner, who had been hunting with a grudge against Grid, ran over after receiving themand. He saw three users dying in front of him.


    "Go to hell and be God Yatan¡¯s eternal servant!¡±


    The elders of the Yatan Church wore ck robes and were shouting at the users. Vantner rushed forward and wielded his twin axes.


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    The bodies of the believers were cut in half and they turned into grey light. The saved users were thrilled.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    "The number one guardian knight, you protected us! I will boast about it on the Inte!¡±


    "You¡¯re as strong as rumored, Vantner!¡±


    "Hehe, it isn¡¯t such a big deal... Huh?¡±


    Vantner had suffered for a while due to Grid treating him as an insignificant person, so he was pleased about being praised by the users. He was scratching his bald head andughing when he found Jishuka on the roof of a three-storey building.


    Three Yatan elders were approaching behind her while she was busy shooting at the believers. Unlike the ordinary believers, they were wearing robes of different colors.


    ¡®High ranking believers!¡¯


    Vantner moved quickly. Then he sessfully saved Jishuka, who expressed her disapproval.


    "Aren¡¯t youte?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s white teeth contrasted with her tanned skin. Vantner gave her a thumbs up and shouted, "Leave it to me and just kill all of them!¡±


    "Okay."


    Swaeek!


    Truly an expert archer. He couldn¡¯t help admiring her marksmanship every time he saw it. The arrow flew 100m and pierced a follower who was about to murder some residents. Then she fired towards the roof of another building and turned five people chanting a spell into a skewer with only one arrow.


    ¡°This is the basics.¡±


    Jishuka was satisfied with her abilities.


    ¡°Magicians! Kill the magicians!¡±


    Five high ranking believers moved at once. Their targets were Lae and Zednos, who continued to cast magic from the walls. Then a cold voice was heard in their ears.


    "You should always watch your back."


    ¡°...!¡±


    The believers screamed. Someone was behind them?


    ¡°Suddenly...? Keok...!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Faker. He slit the throats of the five high ranking followers. Blood poured from their throats and the believers copsed.


    ¡°Next...¡±


    Sururuk.


    Faker turned his gaze to one side and disappeared using his Stealth skill.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to worry about the others.¡¯


    The north gate.


    A boy with a pretty appearance like a girl stood there. He listened to the screamsing from all directions and moved to one side.


    Inside a burning mansion. There were people present.


    ¡°S-Shit...! What is this? Does it make sense toe to this vige, only to die? This is truly unfair!¡±


    "All my hard earned experience will drop...¡±


    "Why do I have to die in this vige? Please help...¡±


    Four high ranking elders were driving six users into a corner. The users were seriously injured and about to die, so they were crying or begging for their lives.


    Tadat!


    Ibellin¡¯s running speed increased. He moved through the open door and jumped on a chair on one side. He fell between the users and believers. Then he pulled out a mberge that was like the thorny stem of a rose.


    ¡°You alone?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Ibellin replied to the believers, ¡°Overgeared No.2.¡±


    It was the name that Vantner gave him. Recently, Vantner had been sarcastically calling Pon Overgeared No.1 and Ibellin Overgeared No.2. Ibellin loved this name.


    Seokeok!


    The strongest mberge, the Thorn of Deep Grievance was wielded. The followers reacted quickly and avoided a deep injury.


    "This wound... Heok?¡±


    A follower¡¯s face turned blue. It was became the small cut was bleeding in an unbelievable manner.


    ¡°A magic sword!¡±


    The followers retreated, on guard against the Thorn of Deep Grievance. Ibellin didn¡¯t let them go. He chased after them persistently.


    "It isn¡¯t a magic sword. It¡¯s just cursed.¡±


    Puk!Seokeok!


    Due to its distinctive shape, the sword move bizarrely, making it difficult to gauge the scope of the attack. Blood rose like a fountain as screams echoed in the house.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151


    "Hrmm.¡±


    The inner sanctum of the castle.


    Regas yawned with a rxed expression. He had a lot of work to do, so he shut off all contact for a fortnight. He was sitting at his desk and looking at his ounts book when he heard that the enemy invaded and ran out.


    There was no inspiration.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine without me.¡±


    The Yatan believers weren¡¯t even suitable to be training opponents. He was about to head towards the castle when his gaze suddenly shifted towards the sky. Twost rays of light were dropping from the slowly closing teleport gate.


    ¡°Are they strong?¡±


    Regas¡¯ eyes shone as he climbed up the stairs then onto the walls. He jumped into the gap between Lae and Zednos, who had been watching the battlefield and supporting the guild members.


    ¡°Many people are suffering.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lae¡¯s shoulders were shaking.


    "What is it?"


    Magicians had the ability to detect magic power. Lae and Zednos were able to detect the danger before Regas and they replied at the same time.


    ¡°Monster.¡±


    ¡°A monster.¡±


    At that moment.


    Kwaang!


    Two rays fell into the middle of the battlefield. A notification window popped up in front of all users in Bairan Vige, including the Tzedakah Guild.


    [The Fourth Servant of the Yatan Church, Neberius has appeared.]


    [The sound of the flute that contains dark magic flows into your ears.]


    [There is a loss of bnce and loss of concentration.]


    [Evasion rate has fallen to 0%. uracy has fallen by 60%. Magic casting speed is two times slower.]


    [These effects willst until the sound of the flute stops.]


    [The Fifth Servant of the Yatan Church, Bk has appeared.]


    [He is a demonkin who controls fire. If you enter within 1m of Bk, you will receive 500 fire damage per second.]


    [The mes of a demonkin are like God Yatan¡¯s breath. Yatan has blessed all believers, increasing the stats of the Yatan believers by 50%.]


    ¡°...Whoa.¡±


    Regas¡¯s eyes sharpened as he made an admiring sound.


    ¡®It is time to show the result of my training.¡¯


    Several months ago, the Tzedakah Guild couldn¡¯t deal with even one servant. But that was the past. The Tzedakah Guild grew faster than others. Now two enemies stronger than Mcus appeared simultaneously, but they didn¡¯t shrink back. Regas was confident, but Zednos, the number one wind magician, was different.


    "We should give up on Bairan. It¡¯s better to go to Winston and borrow troops from Lady Irene to recapture it.¡±


    The grey-haired Neberius ying the flute was very frustrating for Zednos. He noticed that there was no chance of winning with the debuffs, which acted as a counter to all physical attack sses as well as magicians.


    Lae rebuked him, "Recapture? Zednos, do you think they came to take over this ce? No. They simply came to destroy. The moment we abandon this ce, it will be turned to ashes. We can¡¯t back down. We must fight and win.¡±


    "It will waste money and time, but can¡¯t we restore the vige at any time? Isn¡¯t it better than dying and losing experience and items?¡±


    "Is that the only problem? If we lose, all the NPCs will die.¡±


    In order to rebuild the vige, the power of the NPCs (residents) was essential. The buildings could be restored with time and money, but what if there were no residents? It would just be a ghost town. And in the first ce, didn¡¯t they learn from Grid that NPCs were no different from humans?


    In the end, Zednos agreed, ¡°I understand. We will fight.¡±


    In the guild chat window, Jishuka¡¯smand appeared.


    {Everyone converge. Go towards the middle of the vige while saving the NPCs.}


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The rooftop of a three-storey building. Jishuka delivered themand to the chat window and nced at Vantner. He acted as her escort as she headed for the narrow alley area. She nned to avoid the enemy¡¯s gaze as much as possible while heading towards her destination.


    But they were already Neberius¡¯ targets. The moment they entered the alley, Neberius showed up and blocked the way.


    "The power of our church rapidly weakened due to you murdering Mcus. You need to take responsibility for that.¡±


    The old man with grey hair constantly yed the flute. Nevertheless, he still spoke with clear pronunciation.


    ¡®Mcus can¡¯t bepared to him.¡¯


    Jishuka and Vantner shrank back from the pressure emanating from the old man who wasn¡¯t even 150cm tall. The guild members ran into the alley to protect the two of them.


    "Leave this ce to us!¡±


    "Vantner, please look after Master!¡±


    "Thank you!¡±


    As an archer, Jishuka couldn¡¯t exert her power when she was close to the enemy. Thus, the Tzedakah Guild always used tactics to protect her. They were doing so even now.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    The guild members blocked Neberius¡¯ way while Vantner and Jishuka entered the opposite alley. Then they were disappointed. At the end of the foggy alleyway, ten high ranking believers were waiting for them.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, get lost!¡±


    Vantner needed to protect his master, so he couldn¡¯t be stopped by the poison fog. Vantner advanced through the poison fog and threatened the believers with his twin axes. The believers flinched and were pushed back by his momentum. Vantner used that change to lead Jishuka elsewhere.


    They needed to reach their destination. The ce where Jishuka could shoot most effectively was on the walls. Vantner was determined to escort Jishuka there, even if he needed to sacrifice his life. But the followers weren¡¯t just watching in silence. They rushed forward as Jishuka left the alleyway.


    Jjejeong!


    Due to Bk¡¯s passive power, the elders couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ck knights were mixed in between the ck magicians and they pulled out swords hidden in their robes.


    Vantner defended, but hisplexion wasn¡¯t good. He was a guardian knight, but he had the worst defense because he invested all his stat points into strength, and his armor wasn¡¯t that good. But he didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°Shit...! This is me! I am a tank destroyer, you scum!¡±


    Vantner used a guardian skill to increase his defense, fighting back against the ck knights.


    Peeok!Peeok!


    Huge strength.


    The axes battered at the knights¡¯ swords. However, there were 10 ck knights. Vantner was soon surrounded and became bloody.


    "Kuoh!¡±


    The ck magicians hid among the knights and constantly used curse magic. Vantner wobbled and could barely stand upright. He was frustrated as he confirmed that his health was at the bottom.


    ¡®Protect Jishuka!¡¯ He vowed once again as his courage soared into the sky. But courage alone couldn¡¯t ovee the crisis. ¡®I am the worst.¡¯


    Jishuka fired an arrow every time Vantner¡¯s weak point was struck, but her expression eventually twisted. She wasn¡¯t able to exert her strength properly due to the constant attacks. Meanwhile, the guild members confronting Neberius in the narrow alley after sending Jishuka and Vantner away were also in a crisis.


    Neberius used powerful ck magic and they quickly died.


    ¡°K-Kuack...!¡±


    "Dirty old...¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild was a group where all members were part of the top 200 unified rankings. Every member was a monster. But it wasn¡¯t enough to threaten the Fourth Servant, Neberius.


    "What is with the strength of this dark magic? It has excellentpatibility with all magic power attributes. Some attributes are even enhanced by the dark magic.¡±


    Neberius kindly exined it and summoned a lightning bolt.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The alley was no longer an alley. The nearby buildings simultaneously copsed. The lightning bolt wrecked havoc.


    ¡°You?¡±


    Neberius discovered that the enemies who should¡¯ve died were still alive and his eyes widened. Then a cold voice was heard from the dust.


    ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    The number one assassin appeared. He rescued the guild members, then he moved behind Neberius and wielded his dagger. A magician had weak physical abilities and Neberius didn¡¯t possess any defensive skills like Mcus, so he waspletely vulnerable to the attack.


    But he avoided a fatal wound. It was the sound of the flute. Faker¡¯s uracy was lowered by 60% so it was slightly off target.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Neberius didn¡¯t look rxed anymore. He touched the wound on his neck and frowned for the first time. "You are quite good?¡±


    ¡°You are good as well.¡±


    The colleagues behind Faker were his constantpanions. In the past, they had been helplessly defeated by the monster girl Euphemina and trained even harder after their loss. They were also known as Faker¡¯s group.


    Fakermunicated the situation through the guild chat window.


    {Faker¡¯s group, we are facing Neberius. His magic will be sealed when we draw his attention.}


    ¡°Kuk... It¡¯s hard.¡±


    The number one pdin, Toban, was struggling. He was trying to tie up Bk¡¯s feet as much as possible. However, there were limits due to the continuous fire damage. Bk was also strong with the sword and Toban had already allowed several attacks. He boasted the strongest defense and highest health in the guild, but he couldn¡¯t help speaking weakly.


    {This is Toban. Bk is so strong that I can¡¯tst much longer. Where is the support from Regas and Pon?}


    Lae checked Toban¡¯s words and made a frustrated expression. Regas jumped off the wall to join the battle and Pon had joined after wiping out the followers at the west gate. She could see their situation from the wall and it wasn¡¯t that good.


    Lae exined the situation.


    {The elders are focusing on Pon and Regas. I am supporting them with magic, but it seems hard for them to leave.}


    ¡°This...¡±


    Toban trembled. How good would it be if Grid was here right now? But there was no point in wishful thinking.


    {Ah... How rotten. Being Jishuka¡¯s protector is very arduous. If only Grid made my armor... Damn.}


    Vantner started to grumble as he reached his limit. It was a total crisis. However, the strength of the Tzedakah Guild was very scary.


    "I¡¯ve taken care of all the followers here. How about it? Should we help you? Kyaaack~ spit! How strong is a demonkin? Kukuk!¡±


    The three new people who joined the guild, including Toon, assisted Toban with Bk. Faker could also take a breath.


    ¡°I came!¡±


    It was Ibellin. The guild was scattered so he added his strength to Faker¡¯s group. Neberius was repeatedly unable to use magic. But the good atmosphere didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    ¡°Shit... It won¡¯t work.¡±


    "I¡¯ve never see a demonkin before.¡±


    "Bk is Bk, but Neberius is the problem. The debuff is too extensive and effective. I can¡¯t attack properly due to the lowered uracy."


    "The evasion rate of 0% is deadly for assassins...¡±


    As the battle continued, the faces of the Tzedakah Guild became darker. Neberius and Bk were both strong, but Neberius was particrly problematic. The top priority was stopping his flute. Everyone had the same thought.


    ¡ºThe Tzedakah Guild have struggled well, but there is a limit. ¡»


    The battle of Bairan Vige was being broadcasted by all the media around the world. The users in Bairan Vige recorded the situation and uploaded them to the Inte in real time.


    ¡º The situation might improve if Regas and Pon could join the battle, but... There are 60~70 people affected by Bk¡¯s passive skill thoroughly marking the two of them, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡»


    ¡ºIn the first ce, Mcus was the weakest of the Yatan Servants. The Tzedakah Guild may have defeated Mcus, but it¡¯s still a far cry from dealing with two stronger servants. It¡¯s obvious that the Tzedakah Guild will be wiped out without the help of the users in the top 10 of the unified rankings. ¡»


    ¡ºIt¡¯s odd to see the Tzedakah Guild copsing.¡»


    ¡º But it¡¯s incredible that theysted so long. I don¡¯t think that anyone watching this broadcast can argue with the fact that the Tzedakah Guild is the strongest. They are fighting so well, even in the worst situation... It is great. ¡»


    ¡ºPersonally, Faker and Vantner seem the most impressive. Aren¡¯t they doing a good job?¡»


    ¡ºVantner? Are you deceived by the splendid appearance of his swinging axes? Vantner is still immature. He didn¡¯t pay attention to defense as a guardian knight and is paying for it. Right now, the best people fighting are Faker, Ibellin, Pon and Regas. ¡»


    ¡ºAre you ignoring Lae and Zednos?¡»


    It happened the moment when the experts were giving negative opinions about the battle.


    ¡ºEh? Wait a moment. Who is that person?¡»


    A man whose face and ID werepletely concealed was caught on screen.


    ¡ºHe is using Fly magic. A magician.¡»


    That¡¯s right. The person was flying in the air. Then he reached into the air (his inventory). He pulled out ck armor and threw it towards Vantner, who was isted with Jishuka.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Vantner shouted something towards the man in the sky. His expression was clearly angry. But then he received the armor and smiled. At that moment, an amazing thing happened. Vantner wore the armor and his color suddenly improved?


    He seemed alive again as he started to fight fiercely against the elders. The anchors and experts were stunned.


    ¡ºThat armor...?¡»


    The mysterious man suddenly came and gave Vantner armor. What was the rtionship between Vantner and the man, and what was the identity of the armor? The videos focused on him as anchors, experts and viewers around the world started to wonder about the man¡¯s identity.


    In the meantime, the man once again reached into the air. This time, he pulled out a ck greatsword.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The man shouted at the Tzedakah Guild members. One of the guild members on the ground held up hand. The man threw him the ck greatsword. Then another surprise urred. The Tzedakah Guild member grabbed the greatsword and became stronger than before, as he started to attack Bk with a terrifying momentum.


    One of the experts had a sh of inspiration.


    ¡ºAh...! I know that greatsword! Isn¡¯t it the weapon used by the butcher who ughtered the Giant Guild members in Winston in the past?¡»


    An anchor chimed in.


    ¡ºYes! I thought it looked familiar! It really is that greatsword! ¡»


    ¡º No, then that person...? ¡»


    The man in the sky! People¡¯s curiosity about his identity was amplified.


    And...


    The man started to arm himself. He wore beautiful white armor with gold thread embroidered on it. After that, he ced an ordinary cloak over it.


    Then.


    Neberius, Bk and all the Yatan believers turned their gaze towards the man in unison.


    ¡ºEh...? What is this phenomenon? Are they focusing on the butcher?¡»


    ¡º Does that cloak have a taunting effect? But he¡¯s alone, so how can he deal with all of them...? ¡»


    The anchors, expert, Tzedakah Guild members and all users in the area. The attention of viewers all over the world was only focused on one man.


    Saaah!


    Did he know that hundreds of millions of people were watching him? The man put his hand into the air. Then there was a blue light as he started to pull something out.


    ¡ºShark?¡»


    That¡¯s right. It was a shark-like appearance. The man pulled out a blue shark-shaped greatsword from his inventory. Then he spoke the shocking name of a skill while the world was watching.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.¡±


    ¡ºPagma?!¡»


    It felt like the entire world was shaking. As the anchors and experts were shaking with astonishment, a blue-ck light filled the screen.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152


    The smithy in Bairan Vige was very good. Until Khan appeared, the cksmith there was the best cksmith in the north. But his disciple Smith wasn¡¯t as talented. Smith was 66 this year. He had been working as a cksmith for 50 years, but he was still a beginner cksmith.


    "Oh my, Mister Smith¡¯s farm equipment breaks down so quickly?¡±


    ¡°I have to go to another vige to buy farm equipment.¡±


    "Uncle Smith should¡¯ve be a miner instead.¡±


    ¡°Haha, right. He is just as good with a pickaxe as a miner.¡±


    He lived in the area for a few decades, but people still gossiped about him behind his back. Then what about the travellers?


    "Dammit, Bairan Vige is good, but the cksmith is rubbish. I can¡¯t get anything decent from the smithy.¡±


    ¡°The hunting grounds here are for high levels, but why is the cksmith so inferior? Damn!¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t he good at making Jaffa Arrows? The price is also cheap. They aren¡¯t bad for a fight.¡±


    ¡°Not bad is the problem.¡±


    It was like this almost every day for decades. Smith was med for being ipetent. No matter how hard he tried, it was useless. He reminded himself of his mentor¡¯s teachings and repeatedly trained in controlling the fire and iron every day, but his abilities didn¡¯t increase. It felt like a witch had cursed him.


    "I don¡¯t want to give up now...¡±


    Every young man in the vige dreamed of being a miner, but avoided bing a cksmith. So he had no disciples. Furthermore, he was old. Sooner orter, the lord would make him retire.


    Smith wanted to be an intermediate cksmith before then. He wanted to prove his worth. He lived all his life with iron, but he was going to die as a beginner cksmith? It was obvious that people would scoff andugh every time they saw his grave. He didn¡¯t want to be insulted even after death.


    ¡®Try to remember.¡¯


    Smith closed his eyes in front of the anvil. He recalled the young man a few months who he had briefly taught. The young man¡¯s name was Grid. His appearance was bad, but he managed to make the Special Jaffa Arrows.


    ¡®How did he do it?¡¯


    Smith tried. He tried not to miss a single one of Grid¡¯s movements when handling the fire and iron. Time flowed continuously. Before he knew it, the moon sank and it became dawn. The sky brightened.


    sh!


    Finally, Smith opened his eyes.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    There were no wasted movements. He handled the fire and minerals in a more orderly manner than before.


    Kaaang~!


    Before he knew it, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky. But Smith was in a trance. He didn¡¯t feel the passing time or even hunger. He didn¡¯t even realize that people were screaming outside the smithy. With the fire and hammer, he just worked at smelting and tempering the mineral.


    And.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhhh!¡±


    Someone spoke to him. Enlightenment suddenly came. It was true. Smith crossed the wall that had been blocking him for 50 years. He was so thrilled that tears poured out. He held the newly created ¡®Special Jaffa Arrow¡¯ and literally fell to the ground.


    ¡°Haha...! Hahaha! I¡¯m d... I¡¯m d...¡±


    The aftereffect didn¡¯t go away. Smith stroked the arrow like a cherished child as he kept crying. Hisst desperate effort had been rewarded. Then the door of the smithy opened.


    ¡°Infidel, you will be judged.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Someone suddenly stormed into the smithy. It was a believer of the Yatan Church. What was this? Smith questioned the sudden situation and looked outside through the open door of the smithy.


    The vige was filled with fire. The screams of people were constantly heard. Now Smith grasped the situation.


    "The Yatan Church has invaded...¡±


    Ddubeok.Ddubeok.


    The follower slowly approached. Then he pointed his dagger at Smith.


    ¡°Die, Infidel.¡±


    Smithughed heartily, ¡°Haha... Yes. I can die. I already have no one.¡±


    He had finally ovee the limitations. If anyone found the arrow he left behind, they would know he was no longer a beginner cksmith. Then Smith closed his eyes.


    ¡¯I can face Master.¡¯


    He felt the eerie anticipating of the dagger approaching his heart.


    Puok!


    There was a strange sound. A bloody mess spread quickly. But he didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Smith quietly opened his eyes. Then he witnessed the follower coughing up blood after being stabbed in the heart with an arrow. There was a young man smiling from behind the follower.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a long time? Old Man.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here...?"


    It was Grid. The young man who gave him enlightenment appeared at this moment and saved his life? He thought he had no regrets about his life, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling relieved. Tears poured down again.


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    Smith was thrilled and shook Grid¡¯s hand. It was a big hand filled with calluses. It was undoubtedly the hand of a cksmith. Grid chuckled and pulled Smith to his feet.


    ¡°Old Man, you made wonderful arrows.¡±


    "Ah...!¡±


    His heart started pounding. He was recognized. It was his first time in 66 years. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary person, but a great cksmith! Smith rose all the way to an advanced cksmith due to the enlightenment of one night. He could feel the greatness of Grid so he started sniffling.


    "I can continue working for the next few years. Continue... I want to keep working...¡±


    Grid patted Smith¡¯s shoulders. "Of course, you can work more. This is your prime.¡±


    Float.


    Grid floated in the air and gazed into Smith¡¯s eyes.


    "Your workspace. I will protect it.¡±


    It was at that moment.


    [Your heart warms when you think about the old cksmith who overcame his limits withmitment and a desire to work.]


    [The quest ¡®cksmith¡¯s Affection¡¯ has been created.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Affection]


    Difficulty: B


    You are the sessor of Pagma¡¯s techniques and will! You have Pagma¡¯s humanitarian ideology of using ¡®cksmithing to benefit other people.¡¯


    The new dream of an old cksmith who passed his limit has inspired you.


    You want to reward the old cksmith whose heart is as hot as fire and solid as steel.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Protect Smith¡¯s smithy.


    Quest Clear Rewards: The lifespan of Smith will be extended by 30 years.


    * Smith is ate bloomer thanks to his effort. He has the qualities of a fine cksmith. Extending his life will benefit you.


    Quest eptance Reward: The skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Affection¡¯ will be created.


    Quest Failure: Smith¡¯s life isn¡¯t extended.


    [cksmith¡¯s Affection]


    If you have the maximum affinity with an NPC cksmith, you can raise their skill level by 1~5 levels.


    The cksmith who received your teachings will be loyal to you for life and will share with you every time they learn new item production methods.


    [Quest is in progress.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The first time he met Khan he Winston, he became angry in the same manner and learned the skill cksmith¡¯s Rage. He hade to deliver armor to Vantner, only to witness Smith¡¯s plight. Saving him gave Grid unexpected benefits.


    ¡¯Maybe the world is different from what I thought.¡¯


    He thought the world was a ce where only selfish and bad guys received profits, while a good person was damaged. But his thoughts changed a bit after being rewarded for his good work.


    Grid felt better as he left the smithy. Then his high insight detected exactly 15 Yatan followers nearby. Grid wore Mcus¡¯ Cloak and let them approach, calcting the perfect timing.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    It was an absolute dignity. The energy waves from Failure instantly killed the 15 followers.


    [The quest ¡®cksmith¡¯s Affection¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Smith¡¯s life will be extended by 30 years.]


    ¡®Good, good.¡¯


    Grid made a happy expression and turned his attention to the center of the vige. The Tzedakah Guild were facing the old man Neberius ying the flute and the demonkin Bk, whose body was bubbling up likeva. But the guild members still seemed to be hanging on. Regas, Pon, Jishuka and Vantner weren¡¯t present, but they seemed to be fighting well.


    ¡®Everyone is much strongerpared to the time of the Mcus raid. With their current power, won¡¯t they just make fun of Mcus?¡¯


    Grid turned his gaze to the other side. Jishuka and Vantner were isted in an area where the houses were concentrated.


    ¡°This side is urgent.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... Damn! You lousy bastards!¡±


    Vantner¡¯s health was at the bottom. The damage he suffered was so much that his potions cooldown time couldn¡¯t keep up and he was on the verge of death.


    "Die!"


    "Divine punishment!¡±


    The clever believers started to focus their attacks on Vantner. In the end, Jishuka made a decision.


    Kaaang!


    She moved to defend Vantner¡¯s side from the ck knight¡¯s attack, causing her to cough up blood. Vantner cried out, "What are you doing? I¡¯m supposed to protect you, not you protect me!¡±


    Jishuka ridiculed him. ¡°Do you have the ability to protect me?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    When the Tzedakah Guild quit L.T.S. and moved to Satisfy, Vantner made his character a tanker. He was a damage dealer in L.T.S. so the guild members expressed concern. But Vantner was stubborn. He wanted to be in charge of a different position from L.T.S, so he chose a guardian knight.


    Then he immediately regretted it. The tanker¡¯s weak attack and slow hunting speed didn¡¯t suit him. In order to level up properly, he always had to hunt with a party. The gap with his rival Pon grew bigger and Vantner became impatient.


    ¡°Tanker? No.¡±


    In order to feel the pleasure of ying alone, Vantner started to put his stat points into strength. He forgot his original intentions of tanking for the guild members.


    ¡°How many times have I been told that a tanker doesn¡¯t suit me? If Garcia had be our guild¡¯s guardian knight as nned, we would¡¯ve been stronger and more stable. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    "..."


    Vantner felt sorry towards Jishuka and apologized while bowing his head. Jishuka smiled as Vantner was feeling depressed, "After this situation, distribute your stat points better in the future.¡±


    ¡°...Yes. After the Mcus raid, I have been distributing as much stat points as possible into stamina. I will now go unconditionally into stamina.¡±


    "Okay."


    Jishuka made a satisfied expression and pulled her bowstring back to the fullest. Then mes started appearing at the end of the arrowhead. She was poised to use the strongest attack skill, Phoenix Arrow.


    ¡°Jishuka?¡±


    She was going to use all her mana to get rid of the ck knights in front of them? Wasn¡¯t it a death wish? The confused Vantner tried to stop her. But Jishuka had already made up her mind.


    ¡°I will wipe out all the enemies here. You should recover as quickly as possible and join the guild members.¡±


    Jishuka was 17th on the unified rankings. The rankings of the top yers could fluctuate with just 1% of experience, so someone dying and losing 20% of their experience could drop the rankings down 20 ces.


    Vantner couldn¡¯t let her make the sacrifice.


    ¡°No! I will die instead!¡±


    Jishuka stared at the shouting Vantner.


    ¡°Are you an idiot? If you die then I won¡¯t be able to escape by myself. Just listen to me.¡±


    [You have suffered 2,800 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,550 damage.]


    [You have been cursed. Your defense is reduced by 30% and your movement speed has slowed.]


    Jishuka was hit by magic attacks. But she didn¡¯t protest.


    Hwaruruk!


    The mes at the arrowhead spread and the whole bow became covered with fire. The enemies would be wiped out the moment she let go of the bowstring.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    The ck warriors and magician sensed the danger and started their onught.


    Papapat!


    A dart flew and protected Jishuka. Then a voice was heard from the sky.


    ¡°Stop. Why are you nning on dying?¡±


    Paruru.


    Jishuka blinked her long eyshes. She didn¡¯t hesitate to turn off the mes as she turned her gaze towards the sky.


    ¡°Why are you sote? You bastard.¡±


    She was touched to tears. She was always sexy, but her puffed up cheeks made her look cute. Grid flushed as his heart was attacked.


    "I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Vantner shouted while Grid was apologizing, ¡°Hey! You bastard! Why did you log out while making my armor and where did you go? Isn¡¯t this too much? I could¡¯ve yed a more active role if you made my armor!¡±


    Grid threw him an armor. ¡°Then start from now on.¡±


    "What do you want me to do from now on... Heok?¡±


    Vantner freaked out as he checked the information of the armor.


    [Relieved Wave Armor]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 574/574 Defense: 861 Movement Speed: -4%


    * Reduces the damage received by 60% if your health is above 60%.


    * Increases defense against cutting attacks by 30%.


    * There is a high chance of invalidating cutting attacks.


    * The skill ¡®Persistence¡¯ will be generated.


    Among the items made by the great cksmith ¡®G,¡¯ this is the second piece born with emotions.


    It was left neglected during the production process and became anxious. Now it is relieved about beingpleted. It is filled with the desire not to be discarded twice, and that desire affects the wearer.


    It has bad feelings towards its creator, but isn¡¯t petty enough to express it.


    User Restriction: Level 240 or higher. More than 500 strength. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 1,920


    [Persistence]


    If your current health is below 5%, you will instantly regain 20% of your health and will unconditionally defend against one of the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 hours.


    The guardian knight had the invincible skill ¡®Guardian¡¯s Power¡¯ that could stop an attack once. If he used it well, he could neutralize the enemy¡¯s movements. Therefore, the guardian knight was a tanker. However, the skill attached to an item was better than Guardian¡¯s Power.


    Vantner¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®There was a disadvantage that the cooldown is too long and it is difficult to use at the desired timing, but immediately recovering 20% of my health...¡¯


    It was truly a legendary item. He was thrilled as he shouted, ¡°Grid! Thank you!!¡±


    Vantner took off his old armor and wore the new one. His defense rose sharply and 20% of his health was immediately restored. Once he became invincible, he stormed towards the ck knights.


    ¡°Jishuka! Now I am strong! Hahaha! Strong! I will unconditionally attack and protect you!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    A ck knight¡¯s sword flew towards Vantner¡¯s back, but it was blocked by an invisible barrier.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The person who was dying had suddenly recovered, and what was this ability? The confused dark knights receded and Vantner started to run like a madman, swinging his twin axes. The enemies focused all their attention on Vantner.


    Jishuka was able to widen the distance and her powerful arrows flew withoutpromise.


    Puk!Puuok!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    ¡°K-Kieek...!¡±


    Two ck knights instantly turned to light.


    Kaaang!Kaang!


    The surviving ck knights attacked Vantner, but their swords often slipped off the wave pattern engraved on Vantner¡¯s armor.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The ck magicians cast magic to stop Vantner, who was rampaging like a bull. But Jishuka was a problem.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    She started sniping the ck magicians, so there was no one to stop Vantner. Grid was already looking at another ce, "You¡¯re next."


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    The jade fire was a symbol of the demonkin. It was beautiful enough to tempt the soul, but the reality was that it could even melt steel.


    Hwaruruk!


    Every time Bk¡¯s sword moved, fire shed in the air and a path of fire was made on the ground. The whole area was suddenly covered in fire.


    "Damn, he¡¯s as scary as Grid.¡±


    The center of Bairan Vige. There was a ck man running away from the ruins of copsed buildings that were as dark as his skin color.


    ¡¯So fast.¡¯


    The shape of the demonkin Bk was no different from that of humans. He had a slim body like an adult male. But his skin was boiling likeva. Two big white eyes were above a mouth that curved from ear to ear. The hair was burning so it was really like looking at the image of a demon.


    The ghastly demonkin caught up with the humans at a transcendent pace and swung his elongated sword.


    Seokeok!


    The fire sword cut at the thick outer wall of a building like it was a radish.


    Jjejejeok!


    Toban would¡¯ve been literally cut in half.


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    Toban groaned as he defended with his shield. His face seen over the jade fire was distorted with pain.


    ¡®This bastard¡¯s passive skill is too threatening.¡¯


    He barely managed to defend, but his health kept steadily declining. The mes that spread out 1m around Bk spun rapidly and caused continuous damage.


    ¡®It¡¯s fixed damage, and fire resistance is useless, so it¡¯s definitely a headache.¡¯


    The damage dealers couldn¡¯t approach. The fire caused 500 damage per second, so it was a huge burden for level 250~260 damage dealers who had a health of around 19,000. Toon had a high amount of health but he couldn¡¯t see an opportunity. He couldn¡¯t easily move.


    Right now, the party was hoping that Toban, their tanker would make an ¡®opportunity.¡¯ Toban had to fight alone for a while.


    Kaang!Kakakang!


    ¡®Is the attack speed bing faster?¡¯


    Toban was using all the buff skills he had. All the numbers listed in his status window had risen from a few percent to tens of percent more than usual. But it was impossible to defend against Bk¡¯s sword forever.


    The fastest speed.


    Toban couldn¡¯t resist the sword swinging at his chest.


    Seokeok!Sakak!


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 7,980 damage.]


    The fire sword prated through his shield and blood spurted from Toban¡¯s chest.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Flop!


    Toban let out a terrible scream and fell to his knees, making Bk smile. Bk swung his sword again, as if he wanted to end this. The moment that the sword was shifting orbits.


    Toban used a skill. ¡°Swamp Shield!¡±


    Papat!


    A thick shield made of slimy mud suddenly emerged in front of Toban.


    Kwa kwang!


    The fire sword wielded by Bk shed with the shield. Then it was sucked into the swamp.


    ¡°Trying to use a trick.¡±


    The sword wasn¡¯t pulled in. The tighter Bk held on, the more the sucking power increased. Annoyance filled Bk¡¯s eyes.


    "It would be easier if you obediently be a ve of the death god (Yatan)...¡±


    The demonkin¡¯s voice was simultaneously transmitted to his ears and his brain. Anyone who heard it would feel fear and confusion. However, the opponent was the first pdin of the Judar Church. He wasn¡¯t deceived by the demonkin¡¯s voice.


    "Good bye."


    Tobanughed. Toon and seven other Tzedakah Guild members attacked at once.


    ¡°Do it quickly!¡±


    Bk had a passive that dealt continuous damage to all enemies within 1m of him. The longer they fought, they more disadvantageous they would be. They needed to attack in an instant.


    ¡°Counterattack.¡±


    "Fox Fire Queen!¡±


    "Sword of the Moon!¡±


    "Brilliant Strike!"


    "Frost."


    ¡°Vacuum Wave!"


    The top 100 damage dealers of the unified rankings used their ultimate skills.


    Toon stood out. Elephant, rhino, hippo, bear, lion, tiger, jaguar, eagle, snake, wild boar etc! Toon transformed into all types of different wild beasts and precisely struck at Bk¡¯s chest.


    "Lord¡¯s Strike!¡±


    It was the moment when the beast master, a rare hidden ss, dealt 1350% of his physical damage.


    Kuaaaaang!


    The energy of the beasts smashed into Bk¡¯s chest.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Bk¡¯s sword was being sucked into the Swamp Shield. He failed to defend properly and coughed up blood. Then the skills of the remaining six guild members hit him. ming fists, a sword that seemed to sh the space itself, shing lightning, frost that could freeze bone and a spear all struck quickly.


    They were all powerful skills that dealt more than 1100% of their attack power. However, the sound of Neberius¡¯ flute was the problem. Three of the six skills were non-targeted skills. Their uracy dropped by 60% so they failed to damage Bk.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The guild members were perturbed. Bk, who had been knocked down after four sessive hits, stood upright again. Then he roared, ¡°Hell Fire Festival!¡±


    Hundreds of fireballs revolved around Bk! They burned and expanded.


    "Doesn¡¯t this seem dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Move back!¡±


    It was toote. The guild members tried to get as far away from Bk as possible, but the fireballs was already causing a series of explosions.


    Pepeng!Pepepeng!Pepepepeng!


    It was like a fireworks festival.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    There were hundreds of explosions around the guild members, causing them to fly back in pain. In particr, Toban suffered a great wound and was in a critical condition.


    Crack!


    At that moment, the duration of Swamp Shield ended. Then Bk¡¯s sword was freed. Bk picked up the sword that fell to the ground and his sharp teeth gleamed as heughed.


    "This time, I will invite you to the sword festival.¡±


    "Stupid cubs who used non-targeted skills... Cough! Spit! If you hit rate is reduced, you have to use certain skills you fools.¡±


    ¡°Shit... Damn... Why are you so confident... Shut up.¡±


    The guild members were turned to rags from the explosion and started swearing. This was the end. Everybody had a hunch.


    Toban felt despair. ¡®I couldn¡¯t hunt because I was caught by Grid and now I will die and lose experience...¡¯


    It was the result of his ipetence. After this, he would try harder to level up and be stronger. It was around the time that Toban was making a pledge.


    "Who is above level 250, has more than 1,800 strength and has advanced Sword Mastery?¡±


    A voice was heard from the sky. They were d and annoyed to see him.


    ¡°What, this bastard? What are you saying all of a sudden? Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    Toon expressed all their feelings. Toban grinned as he looked up at the sky. The most powerful user that Toban knew, Grid, appeared like a magician. The new members, including Toon, didn¡¯t recognize him because he was wearing a hat, but Toban and the other old guild members knew him instantly.


    It was because Grid normally wore scruffy clothing when working at the smithy.


    ¡°Grid, what are you saying? Level? Strength? Mastery? Why are you asking that?¡±


    "Hey, stop talking nonsense ande down to help.¡±


    The guild members grumbled. But they were happy. Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The appearance of the legendary ss gave them confidence.


    ¡°I want to lend you a weapon. I will ask again. Who is above level 250, has more than 1,800 strength and has advanced Sword Mastery?¡±


    "Toban is over level 250 but the other conditions...¡±


    The guild members looked at each other as Grid asked again. There were some who met one or two conditions, but none that seemed to meet all three. At that moment, Toon raised a hand.


    Grid identified him and frowned. "I don¡¯t like that bastard.¡±


    Toon listened to Grid¡¯s words and finally realized his identity. "I also don¡¯t like you. Kyaaack~ spit! You are a coward who lied that you are a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, take it.¡±


    Grid threw Toon a ck greatsword. It was the sword that the butcher, who Toon wanted to fight, used. In other words, it was the weapon that Grid had been using for a long time. Toon recognized it at first nce and asked, ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you giving me your weapon? Do you n to fight with your bare hands?¡±


    Grid snorted. ¡°Do you think that garbage is my weapon?¡±


    ¡°G-Garbage?¡±


    Toon thought it was ridiculous after checking the details of the +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction). This enormous item that could be called the strongest weapon in existence was considered garbage?


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with that bastard? Ah, that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t he originally like this?¡¯


    The butcher was known for being a psychopath. Toon released the wristdes that he had been using for a long time. He equipped Dainsleif and used the ¡®Half Man Half Beast¡¯ skill.


    "Ku...ooooooh!¡±


    The muscles of his body expanded like the Hulk. Then grey hair started to grow on his thickened skin. He grew a snout like a wolf and his teeth became longer. He was like a werewolf. Grid checked the changed Toon and sighed.


    ¡°There is no creativity... Hey, if you like that sword then buy it from me. The price is four million gold.¡±


    ¡°Awooooo~!¡±


    Wolf... No, Toon howled. Then he rushed towards Bk and started to wield Dainsleif.


    Kwa kwang!Kwang!


    Toonbined human abilities with the power of a beast, making him much stronger than before. In addition to that, Toban and the other guild members supported Toon with buff skills, so Bk couldn¡¯t help feeling confused.


    ¡°How can a human be so strong...?¡±


    "This ce can endure a bit more...¡±


    Grid tied up Bk¡¯s feet for a while after throwing Dainsleif. Then he turned his gaze 80m to the rear. He saw an elderly man ying a flute with one hand, while dealing with Faker and Ibellin with the other hand.


    ¡®I should first stop that old man ying the flute.¡¯


    The magic power from the flute was ringing all over Bairan Vige.


    ¡°This is the end of that old man.¡±


    Grid put his hand into the inventory.


    Saaah!


    A blue light emerged in the sky. Another greatsword emerged from his inventory. It looked like a shark. It maintained the dignity of a predator.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.¡±


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Grid didn¡¯t know it, but he was at the center of the world¡¯s attention. A total of 20 strikes wasunched, dealing 150% attack power with each hit. They were fired without a time difference.


    ¡°...What?!¡±


    Neberius cried out as he was dealing with Faker and Ibellin. A heavy rain of swords poured down from the sky. Neberius¡¯ eyes widened at the sight. It wasn¡¯t just Neberius. The overwhelming attack astonished the world, including the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡°Dark Fire Storm!¡±


    Neberius pulled out an orb. He summoned the most powerful magic of three attributes that werebined in the orb. The fire storm collided with the blue energy swords.


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    There was a huge explosion. The Tzedakah Guild noticed and spread out instantly. 18 of the 20 swords were offset by Neberius¡¯ storm. However, two swords persevered and threatened Neberius.


    ¡°This mighty force...!¡± Neberius admired it and stopped ying his flute for the first time. He hurriedly used magic. "Dark Ice Wall!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    An ice barrier was instantly created. Its height was much taller than Bairan Vige¡¯s walls.


    Kwakwang!


    The two energy swords were blocked and destroyed by the barrier.


    Kururung.


    As a result of the impact from the collision, sparks flew and aimed at Grid.


    "Danger!"


    Ibellin had already felt the power of the ck me and was worried about Grid. But Grid was fine.


    Kwaang!


    The ck mes were destroyed by a shing Golden Shield, then Grid descended towards the ground. Sharp shing eyes could be seen from between ck hair.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Kwajik!Kwajijijik!


    Dozens of dark thunderbolts fell and hit Grid. But he was fine?


    ¡°Eek...?¡±


    Neberius freaked out.


    [The effect of the Holy Light Armor has been activated, resisting the dark magic.]


    Grid smiled as he saw the notification window. After the dark thunderbolts were gone, there was a red lightning strike.


    Pachik!Pachichik!


    An intense spark!


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    The strongest skill!


    Kwaaaaang!


    A power equivalent to a nuclear bomb fell towards Neberius¡¯ head.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    ¡¯This momentum...!¡¯


    Neberius was 123 years old this year. Thanks to receiving God Yatan¡¯s blessing, he lived for a long time and had a lot of insights. The covered man changed the battlefield with small actions? If he was careless, he would receive a big injury.


    ¡®Big injury? The slightest slip will kill me.¡¯


    Kuwaaaang!


    Grid descended to 10m above the ground and then elerated. The air became turbulent and the earth shook. A legendary ss who had the strongest stats and evolved his skills to the highest level with his equipment.


    Neberius judged, ¡®That strength is a scam. It isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    Unfortunately, defense seemed impossible. He had the old body of a magician, so it was hard to avoid. Could he offset the power with a magic attack? He would have to consume a lot of magic power.


    There were separate and wiser ways to deal with it.


    ¡®I have to neutralize it with gravity magic.¡¯


    Neberius was a dark magician. His ability to do magic wasn¡¯t simply limited to attack and defense magic, so his quality was different from Mcus. He had the title of great magician and could use magic power of different attributes, as well as a wide variety of them.


    ¡°Reverse Gravity.¡±


    Neberius used the magic that best fit this current crisis.


    Teong!


    ¡°...?¡±


    The moment that Grid was about to sweep like a hawk snatching its prey... He stopped in the air just before hitting Neberius with Kill. Then regardless of his will, he began to rise into the sky. It was the force of reversing gravity.


    ¡°Shi...!¡±


    Grid cursed as he floated like a balloon.


    His attack was judged as a MISS and the energy of Kill inside Failure was extinguished. Transcended Link and Kill, two of his strongest skills were consecutively neutralized so he couldn¡¯t help feeling angry.


    On the other hand, Neberius and the building debris were also influenced by gravity and floated into the air. As if they were being sucked into a ck hole, they quickly chased after Grid.


    "The situation is reversed. Now it¡¯s your turn to be attacked.¡±


    Neberius¡¯ specialty was double casting. He couldplete two magic spells simultaneously with his mind and mouth. He triggered dark thunder balls and dark water balls.


    Pajik!Pajijik!


    Five spheres of electricity hit Grid¡¯s body, affecting him from head to toe. Then three spheres of water exploded, damaging Grid and doubling the power of the electricity.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Grid gave a terrible scream as his body was roasted. Neberius¡¯ eyes sharpened as he observed Grid.


    ¡®That divine armor resists dark magic but the probability isn¡¯t 100%.¡¯


    He was lucky. Neberius felt relieved and eagerly started a magic rampage.


    Hwaruruk!Chachak!


    Arrows of fire and ice were created in session and flew towards Grid.


    ¡®It stinks.¡¯


    Grid was still dominated by Reverse Gravity and was unable to control his body in the air. If hepared his current state to a PC game, it was difficult to control because his directional keys seemed to be reversed?


    Pepepepeng!


    [You have suffered 1,160 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,230 damage.]


    [The effect of the Holy Light Armor has been activated, resisting the dark magic.]


    [You have suffered 1,155 damage.]


    ¡®Annoying.¡¯


    He had to allow the attacks. His Holy Light Armor alleviated 50% of magic damage and asionallypletely resisted the dark magic, but it was still a one-sided bombardment. Did he have to be a punching bag like this?


    ¡®I don¡¯t like it.¡¯ He was already tired of the one-sided punching bag days of his past. Now he had to experience it again? ¡®No more...¡¯


    Grid rotated his body in the air and reversed his direction. Then he flew towards Neberius who was casting a magic spell.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be one-sidedly hit anymore!¡¯


    Reverse gravity? That wasn¡¯t a difficult problem when he thought about it. He controlled his body by thinking of the sky as the earth and the earth as the sky. His manybat experiences had improved the thinking ability of his brain and allowed him to quickly adjust to Reverse Gravity.


    "You have no respect for the elderly!¡±


    Grid who was falling towards the ground and Neberius who was flying into the sky. The collision of the two were inevitable since they were moving in a straight line.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡¯


    Grid urately calcted the timing as he narrowed the distance to Neberius and triggered a skill.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    It was perfect timing. The moment that Neberius entered his attack range, the greatsword started to shine blue. But Neberius didn¡¯t stay still. ck! He snapped his fingers and released Reverse Gravity.


    Teong!


    Gravity returned to normal. Neberius and the building debris stopped flying up towards Grid, suddenly falling towards the ground instead. Grid missed the target once again and Link only hit empty air. This was the third skill that became useless.


    ¡°Damn old man!¡±


    Grid felt manipted as hended on the ground after Neberius. Neberius had already finishedpleting a new spell.


    ¡°Dark Storm.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was the moment when the magic that Yura used to kill Grid and Doran, as well as shatter the Yatan Temple, was triggered.


    Flinch.


    Grid wanted to shrink back from the trauma but he instead swapped to the Divine Shield.


    * There is a high chance ofpletely resisting dark spells.


    It was an option present for both the legendary Divine Shield and the Holy Light Armor. This ovepping effect was the antithesis of dark magic.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Neberius thought it was so absurd that heughed. This person was directly hit by Dark Storm, but he wasn¡¯t affected at all? Instead, he was rushing forward.


    Pepeng!Peng peng!


    He tried to fire magic spells but Grid couldn¡¯t be stopped. The performance of the Divine Shield in front of him was better than any Divine Shield Neberius had ever seen.


    ¡®What great craftsman produced it...? I can¡¯t help feeling admiration. But it won¡¯t do anything against these magic spells.¡¯


    Neberius concentrated his magic power on the orb he had been holding in his hand. An orb was a magician¡¯s weapon and insurance. The orb could store magic that needed long casting time, and the magic would be immediately used when magic power was injected.


    Neberius currently had two spells stored in the orb. They were the strongest spells that mixed three attributes, just like Dark Fire Storm that offset Grid¡¯s Transcended Link. What would happen if he trigger two of his best magic spells with no time difference?


    ¡®Victory!¡¯


    Neberius was sure of it as Grid emerged from the ck storm. He had put away the shield and was holding the greatsword with both hands?


    ¡®Stupid!¡¯


    Neberius smiled with satisfaction and poured magic power into his orb.


    [Dark Thunder Explosion!]


    Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    There was a strong explosion that blended darkness and thunder in front of Grid.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Neberius could summon powerful magic again straight after Dark Storm? This was Grid¡¯s first battle with a magician who knew how to use an orb properly, so he received huge damage.


    [You have suffered 14,300 damage.]


    There was this much damage, even with the Holy Light Armor. Grid was surprised but didn¡¯t shrink back. He was determined not to miss the gap where Neberius would be exhausted by the aftermath of the powerful magic. But Neberius still had one spell stored in his orb.


    ¡°Dark Stone Blizzard!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    Sharp stones and ice fragments were created around the confused Grid, stirring around him like a blender.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild members, who had been relying on Grid to defeat Neberius, sighed in unison. In addition to them, everyone around the world watching the battle through TV or the Inte was thinking the same thing when Grid was hit.


    There was an explosion ofments in the chat windows of the Inte ry rooms.


    -What???? A legendary ss ?? How funny ?? It¡¯s over now ???.


    -What type of legendary ss doesn¡¯t think about the magic stored in orbs?Why did he release the shield ?? Really, this legendary ss is more like a dog.He can¡¯t fight.


    -Is his judgment blurred?Perhaps he is exhausted by Neberius¡¯ Reverse Gravity?He seems to have lost hisposure because his skills keep being neutralized ??.


    -That¡¯s right.Frankly, the old man is fighting so well that he is bound to be upset.


    -A good fighter...The basics...Honestly, even the top 10 rankers would have a hard time against the old man.


    -That is a dog ?


    -No, haven¡¯t you seen the news?In the first ce, Pagma¡¯s Descendant is a cksmith rather than abatant.It is fundamentally weak.


    -Did you see the dreadful power of those three skills?Pagma¡¯s Descendant isn¡¯t weak.


    -Pagma might be a simple cksmith, but he had the best swordsmanship after Sword Saint Muller.


    -I had a lot of expectations for the first legendary ss ~~ But this...


    -It¡¯s just trash ????


    -Ah...I didn¡¯t think the fight would end so quickly...I just ordered chicken.


    Hundreds of millions of people were disappointed orughing in real time. They had yet to notice. The fact that it wasn¡¯t just pieces of stone and ice raging around Grid.


    Kakakang!Kwaaaaaang!


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯ Neberius was dumbfounded. In the midst of the storm, two golden discs had suddenly appeared and were defending against the stones and ice? The duration of the magic ended. Originally, the hat wearing person should be torn to pieces. However, he was in a rtively good condition.


    ¡°This is a headache despite having lowerbat power than the pope... Well, do you still have more to show?¡±


    The two golden discs spun around Grid who floated in the air.


    Neberius cried out to him, ¡°What is this? What is the nature of those great artifacts?¡±


    The armor, shield and the golden discs, they were treasures that not even the king of a country would have.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve won this fight long ago if it wasn¡¯t for those artifacts...!¡±


    Grid approached Neberius like a ghost. He spoke as he raised Failure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It is my job to be overgeared.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Diamond Shield! Dark Shield!¡±


    Neberius had used all the magic stored in the orb. His magic power was almost depleted, so he couldn¡¯t use powerful magic. Neberius strained himself using two unique defense spells at the same time.


    Then he started the chant for Teleport. He only thought about running away.


    ¡®This is thest hurrah.¡¯


    The cooldown time of his powerful skills like Transcended Link, Link and Kill stilled remained. Could he break through the double shields and stop Neberius from escaping? Of course it was possible. The power of skills? He didn¡¯t care about such things.


    ¡®I have the power of items.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Failure fell towards the twoyered shield


    Chaaeng!


    [The Holy Light Gloves option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target five times.]


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡®Heok? What the...!¡¯


    Neberius¡¯s eyes widened as he chanted the spell for Teleport. The opponent dealt such a strong blow that the shields couldn¡¯t fully absorb the damage and cracked?


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target five times.]


    Jeeeong!


    "Heeook!


    The twoyered shield shattered. There were hundreds of reflections of Neberius on the shattered remnants of the shields that scattered like ss fragments.


    Fear. Neberius had lived for 123 years and he was filled with an emotion that he only felt a few times. Then the predator of the sea swallowed him without any mercy.


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Bisect]


    Deals 800% of your attack power to a single target. Some of the target¡¯s body must be cut in order to induce various abnormal status conditions.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Seokeok!


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Due to his instinct to live, Neberius instinctively raised his right arm and screamed as it was cut off. Neberius became more frightened as he saw the blood spurting out.


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense...!¡±


    He was aware that the Tzedakah Guild had more strength than he thought.


    He felt tension from the assassin and young boy, while Bk¡¯s feet were being tied up by a half human and an archer. There was the martial artist who took on 70 strengthened elders on his own.


    But the hat wearing man who appearedst was special. He was too strong. Despite being a trivial being -user- Neberius was reminded of Yura, who had been selected by God Yatan. That white armor and divine shield that contained enormous divine power, was he someone rted to the Reba Church?


    ¡°I heard that there is a secret temple in Reba¡¯s Church that is fostering Reba¡¯s Daughters and assassins... Did youe from that temple?¡±


    Grid replied to Neberius¡¯s absurd question, "Temple? No, I am overgeared.¡± (TL: this pun doesn¡¯t really trante well. Basically Temple and Overgeared sound simr in Korean.)


    "...Overgeared?¡±


    The answer that wasn¡¯t really an answer made Neberius¡¯ confusion worse. Then he felt terrible pain.


    Puok!


    The blue greatsword pierced his heart.


    ¡°K... Kuock...!¡±


    It was the moment when the Fourth Servant of the Yatan Church was defeated by one user.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155


    ¡°Finally... To hell... By God Yatan¡¯s side... I can go...¡±


    Flop.


    The decrepit body of the old man fell to the cold floor. The whole world cheered as soon as they saw him turn to grey light.


    ¡º Oh...! Ohhh! Awesome! The first legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant has defeated the Fourth Servant of the Yatan Church! It¡¯s truly a remarkable achievement! ¡»


    Asia.


    ¡º Neberius is level 300. He¡¯s a third advancement dark magician and a hidden boss. He defeated that enemy alone? The ability of a legendary ss is amazing. ¡»


    North America.


    ¡º I wouldn¡¯t say he seeded in the raid alone. Didn¡¯t the Tzedakah Guild consume Neberius¡¯s health and magic power before he appeared? ¡»


    Europe.


    ¡º If it wasn¡¯t for the Tzedakah Guild, would Pagma¡¯s Descendant be able to knock down Neberius alone? ¡»


    ¡º We can¡¯t be sure. ¡»


    South America.


    ¡º What are the pros and cons of Pagma¡¯s Descendant that could be observed in this battle? ¡»


    Oceania, Africa, and so on. The international media of all continents broadcasted headlines about Pagma¡¯s Descendant. There was an uproar in variousmunities.


    -Defeated.A hidden boss was defeated in a one-man raid.


    -I thought he was stupid after being hit by the magic ?? Yet he still managed to win ????


    -Honestly it is true.He won due to his items.


    -Yes, I agree.


    -What are those golden discs?I¡¯d like to have them. Where did he get them?A quest item?


    -If we knew, than would we be here?Think before postingments on the message boards;


    [A review of Pagma¡¯s Descendant by a level 269 ranker]


    Hello, I am ranked 15th on the unified rankings. Proof? I don¡¯t need it. It¡¯s annoying in many ways. People can choose to believe me or not.


    Then I¡¯ll get straight to the point.


    Based on what I saw, Pagma¡¯s Descendant is just a beginner atbat. Why is my evaluation so extreme? Okay, then I¡¯ll change myment to a ¡®magic dictionary.¡¯


    Magician. Pagma¡¯s Descendant used skills against a great magician, but was affected by gravity magic, didn¡¯t consider the magic built into orbs and received a great deal of damage... He is the worst in many ways. In particr, he couldn¡¯t deal with Reverse Gravity properly, proving that his control skills are bad. Ah, this ¡®bad¡¯ is based on the perspective of a ranker.


    Omitted.


    [PvP expertmentator RIX on Pagma¡¯s Descendant]


    Omitted.


    The bottom line is that Pagma Descendant¡¯s control skills and fighting abilities are in, while the power of his items is huge.


    His white armor and golden shield have high magic resistance. The cloak should have a built in taunt ability and the boots give him Fly magic. The greatsword has overwhelming damage. More than anything else, there are the two golden discs that defended against the damage of a powerful magic thatbined three attributes, Dark Stone Blizzard by 70%.


    How big is it? It is impossible to measure the value of the discs, but it¡¯s most likely a legendary rating.


    The point we need to note here is that Pagma¡¯s Descendant is a ¡®legendary cksmith.¡¯ Did Pagma¡¯s Descendant make these items himself? How does he do it? I want tomission an item right now.


    [Part of an interview with the 3rd ranked Chris.]


    Q: It is theorized that Pagma¡¯s Descendant is the same as the butcher of Winston who devastated your guild. What do you think?


    A: I believe it is correct. I also believe he is the same person who made the Special Jaffa Arrows that became a hot topic in the past.


    Q: Is he a member of the Tzedakah Guild?


    A: It is natural to think so considering the context.


    Q. I will ask you in a straightforward manner. Who is stronger, you or Pagma¡¯s Descendant?


    A: His raid ability is better than me. Neberius might have weak defense and health, but he is still a hidden boss. I don¡¯t have enough offensive power to kill him in an instant. What would happen if I raided Neberius alone? It¡¯s easy to drive Neberius to the defensive, but he would¡¯ve been able to escape.


    However, my PvP ability is several times higher than Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The ss itself might be strong, but his control abilities are the worst. In particr, his skill usage is very simple. I can avoid or counter his skills. I think that most of the top 20 rankers will be thinking the same thing as me.


    Q: There are many people who are criticizing the control skills of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone degrading the ss performance itself. What type of ss is Pagma¡¯s Descendant?


    A: Itbines other elements but its best aspect is the ability to make items. Isn¡¯t he the only legendary item maker? Thebat power is also the best. Attack power, defense, speed, there isn¡¯t anythingcking. His items are good, but I guess that his basic stats are also superior.


    I just don¡¯t know about the power of his skills. As everybody knows, didn¡¯t the skills of Pagma¡¯s Descendant miss? (Laughs)


    Everyone was enthusiastically paying attention to Pagma¡¯s Descendant. However, Grid himself didn¡¯t realize this.


    [You have defeated Neberius, the Fourth Servant of Yatan, who had been experimenting with many ck magic spells!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +4,000.]


    [Hostility with the Yatan Church has risen to the maximum.]


    [Affinity with the Reba Church is already at the maximum. You will be weed when visiting a Reba Temple.]


    [Affinity with the Dominion Church has increased by +2,000. Visiting a Dominion Temple will give you great blessings. Your current affinity is 3,500.]


    [Affinity with the Judar Church has increased by +1,400. Visiting a Judar Temple will give you great blessings. Your current affinity is 2,000.]


    [Until a new ck magician is appointed, the ability of the Yatan Church to produce ck magicians will fall.]


    [421 gold has been acquired.]


    [Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones (2) have been acquired.]


    [Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones (3) have been acquired.]


    [4]


    [Neberius¡¯ Flute has been acquired.]


    [Neberius¡¯ Bracelet has been acquired.]


    [67,131,050 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level...]


    [Neberius¡¯ Flute]


    Rating: Legendary


    It is a treasure that has been preserved for many years by the Yatan Church and influences the minds of those who hear it. The appearance is old but that doesn¡¯t affect the ability to produce sound.


    When a member of God Yatan ys this flute, it reduces the enemy¡¯s evasion rate by 50%, their uracy by 30% and magic casting time by 1.5 times.


    When a member of the three other gods ys this flute, it will increase ally¡¯s evasion and uracy by 20% and reduce casting time by 1.5 times.


    When a neutral person ys this flute, a random effect will be created.


    * You must y it for at least five seconds.


    * The duration of the effect is 30 seconds.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    Effect Range: A radius of 20 metres.


    [Neberius¡¯ Bracelet]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 14/20 Defense: 5


    Intelligence +30


    * Reduces magic casting time by 20%.


    A bracelet that Neberius treasured. It doesn¡¯t have much effect, but it is an artifact that is very helpful to a magician.


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher.


    Weight: 1


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    "Yes!!¡±


    Jackpot.


    ¡®In particr, Neberius¡¯ flute is a big hit!¡¯


    sses that could use buff and debuff magic were very limited, such as ck magicians and pdins. Among them, there were very few sses that could use wide area debuff or buff magic. However, if he had Neberius¡¯ Flute, he could use wide area debuff or buff magic regardless of ss.


    ¡®I can¡¯t imagine how much it will sell for if I register it at auction... Should I try it out once?¡¯


    Grid wondered about the random effects. He started ying the flute.


    Bik.Biiik.Bik.


    Grid hadn¡¯t even yed a recorder, so it was impossible for him to y the old flute well. However, the tone of the flute itself was so good that it didn¡¯t disturb his ears.


    ¡®What is he doing all of a sudden?¡¯


    The Tzedakah Guild members who were cheering after Grid defeated Neberius! Those who were still attacking Bk became affected when Grid suddenly started ying the flute. Then their faces turned pale.


    [You have heard a bad flute sound. All stats will drop by 30%, making it easier for you to be affected by a status condition. This effect willst for 30 seconds.]


    All members of the Tzedakah Guild weakened. On the other hand, the jade mes around Bk¡¯s body started to burn more fiercely.


    ¡°I feel stronger!¡±


    ¡°Y-You crazy person!¡±


    ¡°Hey Grid! What are you doing?¡±


    Kwaang!Kwaang!


    The zing sword started to attack the weakened Tzedakah Guild members. Pon and Regas, who almost killed all the elders, suddenly faced a crisis.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... My stamina is suddenly depleted...¡±


    "The elders are bing stronger...¡±


    [A random effect has urred. Decrease the stats of all allies and increase the stats of all enemies.]


    ¡°...Wow.¡± Grid btedly confirmed the notification windows and scratched his head like he was embarrassed. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    "This is shit!¡±


    Vantner cursed as he defended against Bk¡¯s swords with his twin axes, then rolled far away. It wasn¡¯t just him. Most of the guild members fell down because they couldn¡¯t endure the power of the strengthened Bk.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I have to get rid of this cheap thing.¡±


    Grid med the item and looked at Bk. He started approaching Bk and Bk hurriedly flew into the sky. Then he created a door to move between dimensions.


    ¡°Neberius is dead, so I will step aside today. But I will be better prepared next time.¡±


    The magician Neberius had to chant a long spell to use Teleport, but the demonkin Bk could create a dimensional movement door at will. The Tzedakah Guild trembled when they saw him running away so easily.


    "We missed our prey...¡±


    "Damn! It was an amazing chance!¡±


    ¡°Dammit Grid... Did you do this on purpose?¡±


    "...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Grid was sincere. Unlike the past, he had a conscience and was truly sorry. In the end, the Tzedakah Guild members couldn¡¯t say anything more and just sighed.


    "Now, let¡¯s restore the vige quickly.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guildbined forces to defeat the remaining followers, rescued the NPCs and began to restore the vige under Jishuka¡¯s direction. It was annoying for Grid, but he let Bk escape, so he joined in the recovery efforts.


    The Tzedakah Guild members were shocked when they saw him working hard.


    "Hasn¡¯t Grid changed too much?¡±


    ¡°That... He is a little too good-natured.¡±


    "I thought I was looking at the wrong person...¡±


    Toban listened to the words of the guild members and trembled, "Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I¡¯m sure he is better than before, but he still isn¡¯t good.¡±


    At the same time, a super luxurious mansion in Miami, USA.


    A blond man watching Grid turned off the TV. Then he turned to the long-haired young man standing beside him.


    "You were defeated by that guy?¡±


    The youth with the ID of Box in Satisfy, hid his face with embarrassment. "I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The blond man raised his body from the chair. Then he headed towards the gold ultra-high tech capsule that was located in the centre of the living room.


    ¡°Asuka and ck Teddy are also trash. I shouldn¡¯t have offered them the executive positions.¡±


    ¡°But Asuka¡¯s wealth is required. We can¡¯t let her go.¡±


    "I know."


    The blond man who gave off a sharp impression like a serpent was Zibal. He was second on Satisfy¡¯s unified rankings and the head of the Snake Guild. He invited talented people from different fields and his Snake Guild upied the strongest territories of Satisfy one by one. He had ambitions to be a king and evaluated Grid.


    ¡°He¡¯s a dunce. The fact that he is the only legendary item maker is irritating, but if we can upy territories and monopolize the secret dungeons of various ces, we can also get a supply of legendary items.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day


    deluxe magic stones have been acquired.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156


    Neberius died and Bk escaped. Jishuka looked at the estate information to identify the exact damage.


    Name: Bairan


    Size: Vige


    Ruler: Jishuka Bairan (Baroness. Master of the Tzedakah Guild)


    Administrator: Grill (C-grade administrative ability)


    * The higher the administrative ability of the administrator, the higher the overall development of the estate.


    Affiliation: The Eternal Kingdom, Earl Steim.


    Poption: NPCs - 451. yers - 5,104.


    Troops: Knights - 2. Soldiers - 103


    Security: 10/100


    * The state of security is the worst. Residents of the vige can riot, and gangsters and monsters will often pop up near the vige.


    * Each time the number of soldiers increases by 10, the security will increase by one point.


    * Security will increase hourly in proportion to the number of soldiers.


    Internal Affairs: 269/1,200


    * Increasing the number of shopping malls, public cultural facilities and buildings will increase the internal affairs number.


    * Once the internal affairs number reaches the maximum, the scale of the estate will increase.


    Diplomacy: None.


    Forces hostile to the ruler: Yatan Church/ Rio Kingdom/ Red Dragon Trauka/ Iron Style Group/ Helding n/ Couch n.


    Forces hostile to your affiliated groups: Yatan Church/ Rio Kingdom.


    Specialties: Jaffa, steel.


    Distinguished Figure : ¡ï ¡î Currently one person present ¡î ¡ï


    This morning.


    Before the invasion of the Yatan Church, the number of NPC residents in Bairan was 700, security was 90 and the internal affairs was over 600. This was aplished by the guild pouring all their funds over the past 20 days.


    That had been destroyed in half a day. Anyone would curse angrily, but Jishuka had a bright expression. It was because of the good news of a distinguished person.


    ¡®The distinguished person column was always marked as unknown.¡¯


    One talent was able to y the role of 100 people or soldiers. No, maybe he could y the role of a thousand or ten thousand people.


    ¡®I wish they could have an administrative ability, but it¡¯s still good.¡¯


    Jishuka confirmed the details of the personnel menu.


    * If the ruler of the estate or a subordinate has more than 300 insight and wears the Ruler¡¯s Sword, there is a very rare chance of finding the distinguished person.


    * If the ruler of the estate or a subordinate has more than 600 insight and wears the Ruler¡¯s Sword, the odds of finding the distinguished person isn¡¯t bad.


    * If the ruler of the estate or a subordinate has more than 900 insight and wears the Ruler¡¯s Sword, there is a medium chance of finding the distinguished person.


    ¡®More than 300 insight...¡¯


    Insight was a special stat. It was something that users of themander ss possessed by default, but in the case of general users like Jishuka, they would only acquire it after long term management (guild, estate, etc.).


    The only user with the insight stat in the Tzedakah Guild was Jishuka, and hers was limited.


    ¡®I have 75 insight, so I won¡¯t be able to find the distinguished person...?¡¯


    A distinguished person appeared for the first time so Jishuka was very anxious about missing them.


    ¡°Hrmm, I¡¯ll wander around and find them somehow.¡±


    The eastern region.


    Jishuka ordered the guild members and soldiers here, where there was thergest damage. She observed the residents who were in the middle of the repair work. But she witnessed an interesting sight along the way.


    ¡°Hey you. Aren¡¯t you good at shovelling?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "You have a skill called Shovel Mastery... No, it is your nickname.¡±


    "Heok? How do you know that?"


    ¡°Wow~ You are really bad. You have such a precious ability, but you kept quiet and yed around because you don¡¯t want to work?"


    ¡°yed around? Aren¡¯t I standing guard right now?¡±


    "The war is over, so why are you standing guard?¡±


    ¡°I received an order to protect the residents from the remnants of the Yatan Church that may have survived!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Even if there are still some Yatan followers left behind, you should¡¯ve confessed that you are good at shovelling. There are plenty of soldiers to stand guard, so you should go shovel.¡±


    "I-I was seriously injured in the battle against the Yatan Church, so I don¡¯t have enough stamina for shovelling?¡±


    "Seriously injured? Do you mean that graze on your forearm? Wow, aren¡¯t you aplete bastard? Shovel, or do you want to get hit?¡±


    ¡°...I will do it.¡±


    It was Grid. Was it given by Irene? Grid was holding the Commander¡¯s Sword and was able to figure out the skills of the soldiers with one nce.


    ¡®Does a legendary ss have a variety of special stats?¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s expectations rose. The Commander¡¯s Sword needed a high level of insight to be used properly!


    ¡¯Can¡¯t he handle the Ruler¡¯s Sword?¡¯


    The confident Jishuka ran up to Grid. "Grid, find me a distinguished person?¡±


    "What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    Grid frowned at Jishuka¡¯s sudden words. He didn¡¯t ask anymore questions. Jishuka handed the Ruler¡¯s Sword to Grid.


    [Ruler¡¯s Sword]


    Durability: 150/150 Attack Power: 150


    * Dignity +60


    * Skill ¡¯Character Observation¡¯ will be generated.


    * Skill ¡®Talent Search¡¯ will be generated.


    A sword only given to a recognized lord.


    It gives you the ability to observe soldiers and residents closely, so it can be used for estate management.


    Weight: 200


    The Ruler¡¯s Sword was an upgraded version of the Commander¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®Talent Search?¡¯


    Grid felt intrigued as Jishuka asked him with interest, ¡°You can use the Commander¡¯s Sword, so that means you can use the Ruler¡¯s Sword, right? There is currently one distinguished person in Bairan, so please find them for me.¡±


    "Are you making a cksmith do everything?¡±


    ¡°Heheh.¡± She smiled, poked Grid¡¯s side and winked at him. ¡°I will personally reward you. Yes?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    What did she mean by personally rewarding him? Grid was embarrassed because the sensual beauty + meaningful remark caused his imagination to run wild.


    ¡®It has been 22 days but my heart is still pounding... Is this something other than lust?¡¯


    Perhaps love?


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    Grid never even held hands with a woman in reality, so it was easy for him to mistake his feelings for a woman. How big was this? Grid reminded himself of the Ahyoung incident and set his spirit straight.


    ¡®A woman like this wouldn¡¯t like me. I shouldn¡¯t waste my time on vain delusions.¡¯ He didn¡¯t need a human woman in the first ce. ¡®I like the NPC Irene the best.¡¯


    Grid was gradually bing Damian! He put the Commander¡¯s Sword into his inventory and pulled out the Ruler¡¯s Sword while saying, "As a personal reward, fund Vantner and Toon. They are a little short of money to buy the Wave Armour and Dainsleif.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, the guild¡¯s resources are depleted. I¡¯m sorry but it will take some time. Ah, and take this.¡±


    [7]


    [21]


    [55]


    They were precious minerals. In particr, the blue orichalcum could only be obtained from the Guardian of the Forest, so there was no value for it. It was for free? Jishuka grinned brightly at the surprised Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to give valuable minerals to the guild¡¯s cksmith.¡±


    At present, the Tzedakah Guild gave Grid all the materials when there was a production request. Therefore, Grid was able to make items at no cost and make huge profits. He thought that was enough, but now they were supporting him with minerals?


    Grid was honestly impressed. Wasn¡¯t it a joy to be acknowledged by others? He felt like Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms.


    "Thank you for knowing my value.¡±


    Grid replied honestly. Jishuka was embarrassed by his unreasonable confidence and coughed, "You are a treasure for our guild. I will do my best so that you feel like our guild is the best ce to live. So let¡¯s keep on doing well together.¡±


    ¡°If you want to keep doing well, you should call me Oppa... You, aren¡¯t you only 24 years old?¡±


    ¡°W-What? Oppa? I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Within the Tzedakah Guild, Jishuka was on the younger side. She was annoyed whenever reminded of her young age. She was epted as the master due to her leadership and excellent abilities, but she felt ufortable whenevermanding her members. Thus, she deliberately abandoned her age. She wasn¡¯t aware of her age, just her position as the guild leader. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t call Grid Oppa.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Jishuka refused with a serious attitude, so Grid guessed that she had her own situation.


    ¡®Or maybe she just doesn¡¯t like it? Indeed, non-Asian countries aren¡¯t so tied to age.¡¯


    ¡°Then please.¡±


    Jishuka gave Grid the task of finding the distinguished person and went back to work. Grid was left alone and checked the Talent Search skill.


    [Your insight is more than 600 points. Due to the influence of insight, Talent Search Lv.2 is activated.]


    [Talent Search Lv. 2]


    Observes the hidden potential of the target.


    * The observation targets are limited to NPCs belonging to the estate.


    "...Does this mean I have to observe everyone?¡±


    As a Tzedakah Guild member, Grid could observe the information about Bairan Vige. So he knew that there were 556 inhabitants and troops in Bairan Vige. Did this mean he had to observe 556 people? Grid was annoyed for just a moment.


    ¡®It¡¯s interesting, so I don¡¯t mind.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Observing the current abilities, maximum stats and skills of the target was pleasant, so he didn¡¯t mind the amount of time it would take. Besides, what if he discovered a hidden potential? It would be twice the fun.


    ¡®My insight will rise quickly while observing them and maybe I can find knight candidates... This is like killing two birds with one stone.¡¯ His knight candidate Jude came to mind. ¡®Jude, this guy is great...¡¯


    He was hunting the frostlight orcs and gathering the sylphid scales under the leadership of Huroi and Romeo... No, Jude and the soldiers were undergoing special training. Grid hoped that they would quicklye back with the sylphid scales... No, he hoped that would return after growing.


    -Youngwoo-ssi.


    He was wandering the vige and observing the NPCs when he received a whisper from Yura. Grid continued to observe the NPCs as he replied.


    -Why are you sote?


    -I¡¯m sorry.I¡¯mte because I was watching the battle of Bairan Vige on the Inte.


    Grid stopped.


    -The battle of Bairan Vige?


    -Yes, the first legendary ss Pagma¡¯s Descendant appeared in public for the first time.


    -It was broadcasted on the Inte?


    -The Inte and TV.The whole world is currently in an uproar.It¡¯s surprising.I never thought that Pagma¡¯s Descendant would belong to your guild.


    ¡®Fortunately, it isn¡¯t known that I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    He was conscious of the users in Bairan Vige and hid his face and ID. Yura spoke to the relieved Grid.


    -Are you in Bairan Vige?I want to see the pet that you talked about.


    -You¡¯reing to Bairan Vige?


    -I¡¯d like to try and find out who Pagma¡¯s Descendant is.


    -Aren¡¯t you Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant?Do you think our guild will let you enter?


    -I will hide my ID.It won¡¯t be dangerous unless you reveal my identity.


    -Why do you think I won¡¯t reveal your identity?Why do you trust me?


    -Don¡¯t you and I have a secret rtionship?We have a cooperative rtionship and I won¡¯t act hostile towards you.


    -Don¡¯t misunderstand me.Anyway, okay.I can¡¯t leave this ce for a while, so it¡¯s better for you toe here.


    At the same time, Winston. Irene was informed that Bairan Vige was ravaged and rose to her feet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join in Bairan Vige¡¯s restoration work. Gather the soldiers and technicians. We will leave right away.¡±


    Phoenix expressed disapproval, "Will My Lady go there yourself?¡±


    "My husband is suffering, so shouldn¡¯t his wife go and help?¡±


    ¡°But the road to Bairan Vige is dangerous because there are a lot of monsters. Winston can¡¯t be left empty, so is it okay for you to go?¡±


    ¡°We can leave Valdi in charge of Winston.¡±


    "Administrator Valdi can¡¯t handle the current work due to the aftereffects of being attacked by the Yatan Church...¡±


    "Shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°...My Lady?¡±


    "I am lonely! I can¡¯t sleep because I have been thinking of him every night! I want to have a child soon! Do I have to say anything else?¡±


    ¡°I have sinned greatly, so please kill me!¡±


    He was an old man who couldn¡¯t understand the heart of hisdy. Irene was determined and began to leave as soon as the knights were prepared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day


    pieces of blue orichalcum have been acquired.pieces of orichalcum has been acquired.pieces of ck iron has been acquired.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    It happened after he observed the 39th resident.


    [Insight has increased by 1.]


    Grid identified the fifth rise in his insight stat and smiled.


    ¡®The Character Observation skill of the Commander¡¯s Sword is better, but the Talent Search attached to the Ruler¡¯s Sword raises insight faster.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s deep eyes observed a young man engaging in repairing the wall.


    ¡®Talent Search!¡¯


    [You have discovered the target¡¯s abilities, skills and potential.]


    Name: Ian


    Age: 27 Gender: Male


    upation: Miner


    Level: 33


    Strength: 45/115 Stamina: 69/138


    Agility: 21/80 Intelligence: 48/81


    Skill: Pickaxe (C).


    A young miner in Bairan Vige.


    * A very ordinary person. You have failed to discover any hidden talents.


    Grid realized it clearly.


    ¡®Jude... He is a really big idiot.¡¯


    He had observed 40 residents and hadn¡¯t found anyone with a lower intelligence than Jude. When it came to the maximum intelligence, the lowest he had seen was 80 points. He had never seen anyone with a maximum potential lower than 80.


    ¡®But Jude has a maximum intelligence of 20 and his current intelligence is 11...¡¯


    Jude was stupid.


    ¡®He¡¯s easier to manage if he¡¯s stupid, but it is still pathetic.¡¯


    Then a man with a solid body approached Grid.


    ¡°Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    The man spat like it was a habit. His grey hair rose into the sky like he had been struck by lightning. He had a muscr body and sharp eyes like a beast. It was Toon, who was ranked 35th on the unified rankings and had a rare hidden ss.


    He handed Dainsleif to Grid. ¡°No matter how I think about it, I can¡¯t buy this.¡±


    Grid was puzzled.


    ¡°Why? It might have a unique rating, but isn¡¯t its performanceparable to a legendary rated weapon? The attack power might be slightly lower than a legendary weapon of the same level, but the options are better. 4 million gold is an appropriate value, so isn¡¯t it better to buy this instead of something else?¡±


    Toon made a sour expression, ¡°I know how good it is. I want to have it. But I¡¯m not rich enough to spend 4 million gold. Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    "If you¡¯re 35th in the unified rankings, aren¡¯t you popr in your country? Shouldn¡¯t you sweep in money by appearing on TV programs and CFs? Doesn¡¯t every guild member make money like this? In particr, Jishuka gets a lot of money just from spending half a day taking photos for magazines.¡±


    ¡°...That is a story for someone else...¡±


    Toon¡¯s voice was weak. Grid couldn¡¯t hear him properly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Toon shouted loudly, "I don¡¯t receive any broadcast or CF offers! I can only make money through hunting! But I can only earn 10,000 gold a week through hunting!¡±


    For reference, 10,000 gold was worth 12 million won. Toon earned 12 million won a week? It was a huge sum for the general public, but it was different for a ranker. In the case of items with a usage level of 250 or higher, it was virtually impossible to buy good items at 10,000 gold a week, because the price of epic items was over 400,000 gold.


    Sooner orter, Toon would be unable to arm himself with the right item for his level. This meant he would have difficulty hunting and his ranking would fall.


    "I was a swordsman before I received the rare ss, so I have Sword Mastery. However, I have been using wristdes for a long time, so I am mostfortable with them. If Dainsleif was a wristde type weapon, I would buy it even if it means going into debt. But I¡¯m not foolish enough to do that for a greatsword.¡±


    ¡°Um... Okay, I understand.¡±


    Toon looked at Grid holding onto Dainsleif and asked, "But why did you trust me and let me borrow your weapon? I could¡¯ve run away with the weapon? You only met me once and even then I didn¡¯t give a good impression... How could you lend such an expensive item to a guy like me?¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he listened.


    ¡®I was stupid.¡¯


    Yura and the Tzedakah Guild. The rankers that Grid met directly were very rich. They had high recognition because they always appeared on TV, and they swept in money with media interviews, photo shoots and CFs.


    Therefore, Grid had the perception that rankers were rich and rich people wouldn¡¯t steal equipment. But Toon wasn¡¯t rich like the other rankers. It wasn¡¯t unusual if he tried to steal expensive items.


    ¡®In the first ce, there is now that the rich won¡¯t steal... I was too rxed. There are so many things happening these days that I wasn¡¯t alert.¡¯


    It was fortunate that Toon was a conscientious person, or Grid would¡¯ve been robbed of 4 million gold. Grid thought it was time to be more cautious. Then he started to like Toon.


    ¡®It ismendable that he returned it instead of taking it.¡¯


    Grid said, ¡°If you find a good production method and materials while hunting, bring it to me. I will make an item for you at a reasonable price.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The Italian Toon was an orphan. Due to that, he lived a hard life and fell into the mafia. He was only in the organization for five months and was lucky that he didn¡¯tmit murder. However, he did many bad things such as ckmail, drugs, and gun trafficking.


    But after seeing Satisfy, there was such joyful content that he could enjoy. Why should he damage other people by doing bad things? He wondered. Then he left the organization in return for his left eye.


    Since then.


    Toon was talented in the game and became a ranker, but he couldn¡¯tpletely fix his temper and kept showing violent tendencies. So he shed with other users and became notorious in Satisfy. He liked to fight, so he didn¡¯t have any friends.


    But things changed since entering the Tzedakah Guild. Jishuka perfectly curbed Toon¡¯s violence and he could enjoy Satisfy rtively peacefully. Now at this moment. This was the first time since Toon started ying Satisfy. No, it was the first time since he was born in this world that people did him a favor with no conditions.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    Toon looked at Grid. Like everyone else, he thought Grid hated him. But now he was showing Toon this favor?


    ¡®He is a man with a heart like the sea.¡¯


    Grid looked like a great figure to Toon.


    ¡®In the first ce, he isn¡¯t a regr person. He has the first legendary ss...¡¯


    Toon bowed to Grid. ¡°The other day, I treated you badly and trivialized your workce. I sincerely apologize. And thank you.¡±


    "If you know, then act better in the future. First of all, stop spitting. I don¡¯t want to see you look like a gangster.¡±


    "Yes, I will try to fix my habit.¡± Toon, who frowned every day, smiled widely for the first time in ages. But it was nice to see. ¡°Then I¡¯m going now! I need to work!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes sparkled as he watched Toon moving away with light footsteps.


    ¡®He is a simple guy, like Regas said. He¡¯s acting like this over a small gift, and it will be a great help in the long run.¡¯


    Toon would bring the production method and materials, so Grid had nothing to lose. He could acquire a new production method for free and increase his production skill experience. Then he would earn money in the name of a small ¡®tip.¡¯ Toon could buy an item at a cheap price and Grid could gain many benefits. It also won Toon¡¯s favor, so he killed two birds with one stone.


    ¡®Huhut... Aren¡¯t I really smart these days?¡¯


    Now Grid had the thinking power of an ordinary person! He became satisfied with himself, not realizing he was only average.


    ¡®The Neberius raid was broadcasted, so the existence of pavranium is revealed to the world...¡¯


    Grid had nned to participate in the pet marathon by pretending that the pavranium was Yura¡¯s pet. However, it became known that the pavranium belonged to Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so this was a setback in his n. Should he cancel his ns for the pet marathon?


    ¡®No, it isn¡¯t necessary.¡¯


    Ssik.


    Grid smiled and headed towards the smithy.


    ¡°Ohh! Wee Grid!¡± Smith weed Grid from where he was was making weapons for the soldiers under themand of the administrator. "You have saved Bairan Vige. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the residents! You are a hero! Hero!¡±


    The word ¡®hero¡¯ was heard. Grid felt pride at the line and said.


    "I¡¯m not just a hero, but an almighty hero.¡±


    Grid raised his hand to Smith¡¯s shoulder and used a skill.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Affection.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Affection]


    If you have the maximum affinity with a NPC cksmith, you can raise their skill level by 1~5 levels.


    The cksmith who received your teachings will be loyal to you for life and will share with you every time they learn new item production methods.


    [Smith¡¯s Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship has reached level 4.]


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    Smith was shocked. He felt that his skill had risen dramatically with Grid¡¯s touch. He embraced Grid. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! I can achieve the best work of my life thanks to you, and now I have received enlightenment again! For you, I will even lick your ass!¡±


    "Nonsense!¡±


    Grid managed to shake off Smith. Lick his ass? It could be an expression stating that Smith would do anything, but Grid knew that Smith was gay. A gay person told him that, so he got goosebumps.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t married yet?¡±


    "Married? At this age...¡±


    ¡°Quickly get married and abandon your strange tastes. And let me borrow your facilities.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? Strange tastes...? Yes, yes. Feel free to use them. I can give up the entire smithy to you.¡±


    Grid ignored Smith and stood in front of the furnace. He pulled out the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer and started smelting the pavranium.


    ¡®I will change the form.¡¯


    Currently, the pavranium was in the form of two small discs. The whole world associated the two golden discs with Pagma¡¯s Descendant. But that story would change if he transformed the shape of the golden discs.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158


    ¡®Now I¡¯ll start.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid had referred to Mcus¡¯ absolute shield when making the pavranium into discs.


    It was designed exclusively for defensive purposes. Therefore, it had high defense capabilities, but its attack power was significantly lower. It failed to cause a scratch on the enemy unless there was a critical. In order to exert more power in the pet marathon, it would be better to emphasize attack rather than defense.


    ¡®Anyway, the durability is limitless. No matter how many pets attack, they can¡¯t hurt the pavranium. I need a form suitable for attack.¡¯


    However, Grid currently only owned a very small amount of pavranium, around the size of an egg. He didn¡¯t have enough to make two daggers.


    ¡®Something different.¡¯


    How could he make it more efficient? Grid worried for a while beforeing up with an idea.


    ¡®Needles...!¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid started to delicately shape the pavranium using his overwhelming high dexterity that surpassed all of Satisfy¡¯s users and NPCs. He made 30 needles with a 10cm length and pointed end.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Chwaruruk! The 30 needles started to rotate around Grid at regr intervals. They shed a golden light and their tips were threatening. Smith witnessed the mysterious appearance and was lost for words.


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and said. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be surprised. Throw that thing at me.¡±


    Grid pointed to a heavy hammer and Smith cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Won¡¯t you be hurt if I throw that hammer at you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just throw it as hard as you can.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    Smith was unwilling. But he couldn¡¯t refuse Grid¡¯smand, so he forced himself to throw the hammer at Grid. At that moment, an amazing thing happened. The 30 needles hovering around Grid flew in the direction of the hammer. They spread out in a line? Then they became a small shield that defended against the flying hammer.


    Tung!


    Grid pointed towards the hammer that had fallen to the ground.


    "Pierce through.¡±


    Chwaruruk!


    The needles simultaneously attacked the hammer after receiving themand.


    Puuok!Puuok!


    The pavranium was the peak of all minerals, so it easily pierced through the hammer made of steel.


    "Good."


    Grid looked at the hammer with satisfaction then confirmed the details of the needles.


    [30]


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power per Piece: 8


    * Pration Effect


    Golden needles made of pavranium, the strongest mineral produced by the coboration between the legendary cksmith Pagma and the legendary great magician Braham.


    The attack power is weak, but their tip is sharp, so they can prate an object made of materials. However, they are rtively weak against targets made of magic.


    If they prate the enemy¡¯s weak point, a variety of abnormal status conditions can ur and there is a high probability of a critical being triggered.


    Depending on the situation, they canbine to create a barrier.


    * They have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. They will increase their owner¡¯s health recovery speed by 300%.


    * They have obtained an attack buff skill due to God Dominion¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s attack power will increase by 15%.


    * They have obtained a defense buff skill due to God Judar¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s defense will increase by 15%.


    Weight: 5


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a shape that can be called a pet, but...¡¯


    The pavranium had an ego. They absolutely obeyed themands of their master. So they could participate in the pet marathon, no matter their shape. Then Grid received a whisper from Yura.


    -I have arrived at Bairan.Where should I meet you?


    -I will meet you at the west gate.


    Currently, most of the guild members were restoring the eastern outer gate. In case something happened, Grid set a location that was the opposite direction and left Smith¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°I guess I need to make another hammer...¡± Smith muttered.


    The new hammer that Smith made after bing an advanced cksmith! It was ruined after only half a day, but Grid didn¡¯t know that.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯te yet?¡±


    After a 10 minute walk, Grid arrived at the western gate and looked around. But he couldn¡¯t find Yura anywhere. The normal users didn¡¯t care that the vige they settled in was destroyed. They just headed towards the hunting grounds without thinking about joining the restoration work.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Grid heard a familiar voice on one side just as he was feeling bored. He turned and saw someone at the entrance of an alley wearing ck robes,pletely covering their face and body. If it wasn¡¯t for the clear and beautiful voice, he would have never dreamed that the person was Yura.


    Grid approached and spoke scornfully.


    ¡°Stupid. Isn¡¯t a mask or hat enough to cover your face and ID? Why bother hiding your whole body?¡±


    Yura sheepishly replied, ¡°People sometimes recognize me when I only cover my face.¡±


    "...They recognize your body."


    Yura¡¯s body ratio was indeed perfect. Her three sizes were ideal for both men and women, especially her pelvis and corbone. The enthusiastic fans of Yura would be able to recognize Yura just by her body.


    ¡°Show me the pet that you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Was she embarrassed by Grid looking her up and down? Yura got straight to the point. Grid nodded at her and pulled out the 30 needles. Yura pulled off her robe as she watched the needles rotating as one. Then she spoke with sharp eyes.


    "It¡¯s as you said, but... Are you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    "Eh?¡± The confused Grid replied in the negative. "What nonsense are you saying? Why am I Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    "Even without this, I saw that Pagma¡¯s Descendant resisted Neberius¡¯s magic and was reminded of you in the past. But I wasn¡¯t sure until now...


    "..."


    "Your golden needles and the golden discs of Pagma¡¯s Descendant are simr in material and nature. You don¡¯t have an epic hidden ss. You have a legendary ss.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    Grid denied it until the end, but Yura didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°It is fine if you don¡¯t want to be honest. Whether you have an epic or legendary ss, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are needed for South Korea. Anyway, considering the usage of the golden discs that I saw on TV, it seems possible to use them to participate in the pet marathon...¡±


    They were too immersed in the conversation. Both of them weren¡¯t aware that someone was approaching.


    ¡°The connection between a married couple is truly amazing. I never thought I would encounter you here.¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice was heard from the mouth of the alley. Yura and Grid turned their heads at the same time. It was a typical noble appearance with silver hair, colorful clothes and covered with essories.


    ¡°Irene? Why are you here?¡±


    Grid¡¯s pupils expanded. He was alone in an alley with a woman, so he was afraid his wife would condemn him as a sinner.


    ¡®Will she think that I cheated on her?¡¯


    Fortunately, Irene didn¡¯t doubt Grid. The maximum liking didn¡¯t fall so easily and she saw the wedding ring on Grid¡¯s hand. Irene unabashedly linked arms with Grid. Then she smiled casually at Yura.


    "Are you my husband¡¯s friend? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you. I am Irene Winston von Steim. I am thedy of Winston and Grid¡¯s wife.¡±


    Yura was startled.


    ¡®I heard that Lady Winston married, but to think that her husband is a user... In addition, he turned out to be Grid.¡¯


    He was a man who was like an onion. The more she knew him, the more new aspects that were revealed.


    ¡°I...¡± The moment Yura was about to introduce herself,


    ¡°My Lady! Danger!¡±


    It was Phoenix. He arrived in Winston with Irene. Irene discovered Grid in an alley while walking down the street. He followed Irene and saw Yura.


    ¡°She¡¯s Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant!¡±


    In the past, Phoenix had faced Yura. The result was a loss. He lost hundreds of troops and was seriously injured. This time he would catch the girl who dared appear alone behind enemy lines! Phoenix pulled out the legendary rated Sword of Self-transcendence.


    Irene¡¯s body trembled at the words.


    ¡°The Eighth Servant...? You are my husband¡¯s friend?¡±


    Her confusion reached the limit and she didn¡¯t know what to do. Grid couldn¡¯t watch silently and hugged her to make her feel at ease. Then in order to conceal his identity, he pulled out Dainsleif, not Failure, and pointed it at Yura.


    ¡°This wicked girl! You hid your identity and approached me! I will never allow you near my wife as long as I am here!¡±


    Grid was like a character from a manhwa. Yura was honestly shocked.


    ¡®Wicked girl...¡¯


    Had she ever been called this in her life? Yura was shocked, but she was clever and quickly figured it out. She noticed the situation and started acting, as she spoke with a cold smile, "My original n was to approach you and take the life of Lady Irene, but I missed the opportunity because of that old knight. Unfortunately, I have to leave for today.¡±


    Yura used flying magic and soared into the sky. Grid was able to catch her, but he stood beside Irene under the pretext of protecting her. Phoenix and the knights tried to chase Yura, but they were unable to move quickly through the narrow alleys because they were heavily armed.


    Thanks to that, Yura was able to safely escape and disappeared into the other side of the sky.


    "Ah..."


    Irene had experienced being kidnapped twice by the Yatan Church. She was still unable to escape from that fear and her legs weakened. Grid tried to look as nice as possible as he knelt before her. He stroked her cheeks with an affectionate hand and murmured.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m by your side, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    The recent appearance of Grid, who had been getting healthier, was quite different than it was in the past. Irene¡¯s heart started pounding at his nice appearance. She felt like a fairy tale princess.


    Since that day.


    With the aid of the soldiers and technicians led by Irene, Bairan Vige was able to recover quickly.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    Golden Needles Made of Pavranium

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯


    Three days ago, Grid got a job from Jishuka to find a talented person. Grid really enjoyed it. It was fun to observe people with Talent Search, and he could do his task while raising his insight.


    But the problem was that Irene appeared along the way. She led the troops to Bairan under the pretext of helping with its recovery, and she hadn¡¯t left Grid¡¯s side for the past three days. Grid was unable to move freely around the vige because of her, thus Grid became trapped.


    ¡°Grid... Why don¡¯t you do it moderately?¡±


    "Wow, the quality is real.¡±


    Bairan Vige.


    Grid was repairing and appraising the items of the guild members, and everyone who passed by made a lot of noise. It was due to Irene stuck to Grid¡¯s side. She pulled out a handkerchief every time Grid sweated, fed him snacks from time to time and hummed when she was bored.


    A beautiful woman with white skin, peace lips, big eyes and elegant gestures was treating Grid like this, so the male guild members couldn¡¯t help feeling jealous.


    ¡®Did that bastard save a country in his past life? How did he get such a beautiful and powerful woman as a wife?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m really envious... I¡¯m more envious that he is Irene¡¯s husband than his legendary ss... Sigh...¡¯


    ¡®Hah... I also want to spend time with Irene... For her, I would obtain the heart of the dragon Trauka...¡¯


    ¡®They¡¯re married, so aren¡¯t they sleeping together...? Uhh... Grid took Irene¡¯s purity...¡¯


    They became outright hostile. Grid felt like he was sitting on a thorn cushion.


    "I should rest for a while.¡±


    "It¡¯s a good idea.¡± Irene rose when Grid did. Then she spoke with blue eyes that shone likenterns. ¡°You have worked from early dawn, so you must be tired. Let¡¯s prepare to go to bed.¡±


    ¡°No... I don¡¯t need to take a nap.¡±


    A user only slept in Satisfy to quickly recover their health or stamina. Right now, Grid¡¯s health and stamina were full. He just wanted to leave his spot for a while to avoid his guild members. But Irene was stubborn.


    ¡°No. You must sleep. Don¡¯t you think that having enough rest is the secret to good health? Now, go and take a nap.¡±


    Strangely, she was very determined. Grid questioned it.


    ¡®Why does she keep trying to make me sleep?¡¯


    Over the past three days, Irene kept forcing Grid to go to bed. She made a fuss in the morning, afternoon and night. Grid didn¡¯t understand why and asked inly, "Be honest. What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Irene eyes widened like a rabbit at the straightforward question. The tactless Grid cornered her against the wall of a building and asked again, ¡°Do I have to repeat myself? What¡¯s the reason?¡±


    "T-that...¡± Irene¡¯s white face turned red. She couldn¡¯t bear Grid¡¯s gaze and turned her head away. ¡°...How annoying. Why do I have to say it with my own mouth?¡±


    Irene spoke in a weak voice.


    Grid felt guilty for some reason, but he didn¡¯t step back. He wanted to solve this question.


    ¡°Yes, you must say it.¡±


    In the end, tears filled Irene¡¯s eyes. It was because of her tremendous embarrassment.


    ¡°Sob... Husband, are you somehow who has the tendency to deal with women in such a manner...? Commanding me to say something so shameful... Sob sob...¡±


    ¡°I-Irene? Why are you crying?¡±


    Grid was surprised by Irene¡¯s tears and looked around.


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯


    If someone saw him now then they would certainly misunderstand. He was the garbage husband who made his beautiful wife cry in public. While Grid was confused about what to do, Irene bit her lower life. Then like a kitten craving for food, she carefully looked at Grid.


    ¡°...I want to have a baby.¡±


    ¡°You want a baby? I understand. I will get it right away so stop your tears... Huh? B-Baby?¡±


    Grid panicked and jumped back. Irene ran to him and hugged him. Then she hesitantly pleaded, ¡°I want to have a baby boy. Give me a baby.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid was confused.


    ¡®Is she serious? Am I reading the meaning of her words correctly?¡¯


    Certainly, Irene had wanted a baby from the beginning. After the first night, hadn¡¯t she dered to Earl Steim that she would give birth to several kids? But she couldn¡¯t wait and was acting so aggressively in daylight?


    ¡®This ispletely... No, isn¡¯t she too faithful to her instincts?¡¯


    Irene was the synonym of gentleness, yet she was acting like this? Grid blinked at Irene, then she drove in the wedge.


    "Why aren¡¯t you answering? Am I not able to satisfy your tastes...?¡±


    ¡°...Taste?¡±


    "That... I want. Dear husband... Dear husband¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    Grid was unable to stand hearing those words emerge from Irene¡¯s pure face and blocked her mouth. Then he was caught up in a boiling impulse.


    ¡®It¡¯s inappropriate...¡¯


    Was he disappointed? Not at all! Rather, she was even more adorable! A beautiful woman wanted him this much. Wasn¡¯t this something to be happy and thankful about? His self-esteem as a man rose.


    "Let¡¯s go."


    Grid enthusiastically picked Irene up. It was the so-called princess embrace.


    "Oh my.¡± Irene was surprised and pleased at the same time. She smiled shyly before burying her face in Grid¡¯s chest. Grid grinned and started to run. The destination was naturally the bedroom.


    ¡°What? Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Is Lady Irene hurt or something?¡±


    The guild members he encountered on the way were worried. But Grid and Irene didn¡¯t hear their voices. Right now, there were only the two of them in this world.


    ¡°Dear husband... Pleasee here.¡±


    They arrived at the bedroom. Irene sat on the bed in a sexy position and weed Grid with both arms wide open.


    Gulp. ¡°Irene...¡±


    Grid was drawn in by her elongated limbs, when he suddenly stopped.


    ¡¯...I can¡¯t respond.¡¯


    Was it just Irene who wanted to make a baby? Grid had a strong desire for her. But Satisfy¡¯s system restricted sex to only once a month, so how could a user resist? Controlling his brainwaves suppressed desire and reduced his physical responses. He wanted Irene with all his heart, but his body didn¡¯t react. What was this terrible torture?


    ¡®The demon who made this game...¡¯


    Jeurereuk.


    Tears flowed down.


    ¡°Dear husband...?¡±


    Irene was surprised because Grid started crying all of a sudden.


    ¡°I am just so happy that I can¡¯t help crying.¡±


    Grid smiled to reassure Irene and walked up to her. Then he started to use techniques 21-35 that he hadn¡¯t used yet from ¡®100 techniques to Satisfy Women.¡¯


    ¡°I will make sure that you are satisfied.¡±


    Grid¡¯s long and thick fingers started to move. After the Guardian of the Forest raid and the creation of Failure and the Wave Armor, his dexterity stat was higher than his first night, making him surpass the realm of a god.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    Irene let out a beautiful melody as she was yed like an instrument. Hot breathing started to dominate the bedroom...


    Omitted.


    ***


    ¡°Husband, I understand that you¡¯re a great man and that the things you have to do are piled up like a mountain. But please don¡¯t forget that Winston is where you should stay. Please return as soon as possible.¡±


    Thanks to Grid, Irene was able to get rid of her pent up desires and finally regained herposure.


    ¡°I will go back now.¡±


    Due to the efforts of the Tzedakah Guild and Irene¡¯s help, Bairan Vige was restored to a considerable level. Irene thought her help was sufficient, so she led everyone back to Winston. The guild members watched her leave.


    "Lady Irene, doesn¡¯t she seem much more beautifulpared to the first day she came?¡±


    ¡°That... Originally, I thought Jishuka looked prettier, but that isn¡¯t necessarily the case now.¡±


    Regas said with a warm smile, "Isn¡¯t a woman in love like a flower? Thanks to Grid making her happy every night, the flower is blooming.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The guild members became indignant.


    ¡°Grid! That beast! That lousy guy, he touched the pure Irene?¡±


    "That woman of all people... I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s her husband! Is it okay if her husband is like this?¡±


    Grid frowned at the guild members. "I literally used my hands. Now shut up.¡±


    "..."


    There was still a fortnight left on his penalty. Until then, he had to refrain from meeting Irene as much as possible. If he had to, he would use his hand techniques to satisfy her and ovee the crisis.


    He left the smithy in order to enjoy the freedom he had after Irene left. Then he started examining the residents again, but he couldn¡¯t find any talents that day, the next day or the day after that.


    ¡®I have observed more than 400 people but I still can¡¯t find a talent... Is there really a talented person here?¡¯


    The restoration of the outer walls was finished. Now the residents scattered in every direction to restore the buildings. Grid followed them around searching for talent, so his insight and persistence stats rose. It was satisfying and fun, but he was still getting nervous.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been searching for a few days, but if I don¡¯t find a talent, did I just waste my time? I don¡¯t like that. Ah... Come to think of it.¡¯


    Grid examined the vige with the Ruler¡¯s Sword and turned his attention to a small mountain behind the vige. It was the mountain he obtained iron ore from when he had a minus level.


    ¡®The special products of Bairan Vige are jaffa and iron, and most of the vigers are miners...¡¯


    Weapons were needed to supplement the troops, and iron was needed to make weapons. Jishuka needed the soldiers for the sake of security, so she sent some residents to the mine instead of making them participate in the vige reconstruction work. Perhaps a resident with talent was hiding inside the mine?


    Grid felt expectant and started to climb the mountain. He suffered when he was a minus level, but now he easily climbed the mountain. He ran up the mountain and arrived at the mine.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Inside the mine.


    There were 20 miners swinging their pickaxe. Grid held the Ruler¡¯s Sword and observed them in turn. There was a boy around 15 years old? Among the old miners, there was something like a gold star blinking above the young boy¡¯s head.


    ¡®That guy!¡¯


    The excited Grid used Talent Search.


    Name: Minor


    Age: 13 Gender: Male


    upation: Miner


    Level: 23


    Strength: 64/450 Stamina: 89/608


    Agility: 51/200 Intelligence: 98/420


    Skill: Fantastic Pickaxe Technique (S) Minerals Master (S+) Talent will Reveal Itself (SS).


    A boy who has held a pickaxe since the age of five, under the influence of his father who was a miner. Despite his young age, he could collect minerals as well as miners with 20 years of experience.


    The vigers believe that this boy will someday transcend the legendary miner, Gis.


    * A great talent. If this talent blooms, he will be the representative of a country in this particr field.


    ¡®Amazing...!¡¯


    Grid felt a great joy.


    Considering the fact that the maximum stats of ordinary people was around 100, Minor¡¯s maximum stats were unreasonable and his current stats were very high, considering his age and level.


    ¡®In addition, all his skills are above the S-grade!¡¯


    Furthermore, a miner? Wasn¡¯t he verypatible with a cksmith? Grid confirmed Minor¡¯s skill information. The Ruler¡¯s Sword was an upgrade from the Commander¡¯s Sword in all ways, so he could determine the details of the skills that the target possessed.


    [Fantastic Pickaxe Technique]


    Rating: S


    A talent that one person per 100,000 people will have.


    You can collect minerals at a very fast rate. The minerals collected will be above the minimum grade.


    [Minerals Master]


    Rating: S+


    A talent that one person per 1,000,000 people will have.


    The higher your intelligence, the more you will know about the type of minerals in the world, the details of those minerals, and even the ces where the minerals will grow.


    [Talent will Reveal Itself]


    Rating: SS


    A talent that one person per 10 million people will have.


    No matter how you try to hide, your talent will reveal itself to others. It is your destiny to live a life being scouted by others. You will inevitably receive a lot of temptations.


    Your stats will grow very quickly and you will be arrogant.


    The final skill was quite annoying, but Grid didn¡¯t mind. He approached Minor andmanded, ¡°Starting today, you will follow me.¡±


    "..."


    Minor stopped his pickaxe and looked at Grid. Then he spoke with a frown.


    "Are you the hero who rescued the vige and thedy of Winston¡¯s husband? I¡¯m acquainted with your reputation. You¡¯re a great person. But I don¡¯t know if you are suitable to be my master. If you want to recruit a talented person, shouldn¡¯t you be willing to pay for it?¡±


    Minor was aware of his own value. In history, the kings of a nation visited talented people to invite them, so Grid had to show his sincerity. But Grid was fundamentally a simple person. He frowned. Then he rubbed Minor¡¯s head with his knuckles.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Minor felt a great pain and couldn¡¯t even scream as he grabbed his head and rolled on the floor.


    Grid cheerfully spoke to the boy. ¡°This brat doesn¡¯t know who I am... Hey, what does it matter how talented you are? You still have a long way to go. Just follow me. If you grow enough after studying under me, we can go and back and rewrite the contract.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Grid¡¯s current dignity stat along with the options of the Holy Light Crown and Ruler¡¯s Sword was close to 700 points. No matter how great his talent, Minor was a young boy and he was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s charisma.


    ¡°I will follow you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you made a good decision.¡±


    It was the moment that a future minerals detector entered Grid¡¯s hands. Grid never imagined there would be a day when he needed to go into a dragon¡¯sir to obtain minerals because of this damn minerals detector.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    Bairan Vige waspletely restored from the war and enjoyed arger boom than before.


    There were many users who became fans after watching the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s battle through TV and the Inte.


    Some of them tried to spy on Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but there was nothing to worry about. It was impossible to obtain a clue about Grid just by looking at the video, and Grid¡¯s residence was Winston, not Bairan. It was futile cing spies in Bairan.


    ¡°If the current trend continues, the poption will exceed 12,000. It¡¯s expected to steadily increase in the future."


    ¡°12,000? Can the size of this vige amodate that many people?¡±


    ¡°We need to expand the scale of the vige by raising our internal affairs. But to do that, money is required, and we don¡¯t have any at the moment.¡±


    "The tax revenue will naturally increase as the poption grows, so won¡¯t time solve the insufficient funds? Isn¡¯t it better to invest in internal affairs afterwards, instead of getting into debt?¡±


    "There is no need to be in debt. Most of the new migrants have a very good feeling towards us. If we get our fan club to donate money to us, we will be able to grow our internal affairs faster than expected.¡±


    ¡°Oh...! The women¡¯s cries filled the street whenever I walk through the vige, are they my fans? Puhahat~!¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t be called fans but... Anyway Vantner, you are pretty popr. It seems that people liked the appearance of you trying your best to protect Jishuka.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, really? There will be more requests for broadcasts in the future. I have to quickly earn money and pay Grid for the armor! Puhahat~!¡±


    The atmosphere of the Tzedakah Guild had been desperate when therge-scale army invaded and shattered the vige. But now they were rxed and in a better situation than before. As they were conversing happily, the quiet Faker said.


    "This is all thanks to Grid."


    There wasn¡¯t one person who denied the opinion.


    ¡°It was big when Pon and Regas were tied up. If Grid hadn¡¯t appeared on time and helped us, we would have all died. We might¡¯ve managed to stop the Yatan Church if we fought hard, but the damage would¡¯ve been too big.¡±


    ¡°I never dreamed that Grid would make such a big difference on the battlefield when he was brought on as a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°I thought with Grid¡¯s nature, he would ignore us when we were in a crisis. But he helped us. I was honestly impressed.¡±


    "When I first saw him, Grid was incredibly selfish, but not anymore. His personality has be softer and there is some sense of fellowship. He is growing as a colleague we can depend on in the future.¡±


    "We should try to be colleagues that Grid can rely on.¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Grid¡¯s reliability and affinity with the guild members reached its peak.


    ¡®I am proud to see that Grid is being recognized.¡¯


    Ibellin had admired Grid since he smashed the Giant Guild in Winston.


    "Did you see the broadcast? I watched it a few days ago and Grid really looked like the protagonist of a movie. I got goosebumps.¡±


    Lae currently wasn¡¯t a singer, but she used to be a global idol.


    ¡°I also saw the video. I didn¡¯t know it at the time of the battle, but Grid was really nice on the video. In particr, the scene of him showing up to save Jishuka was fantastic.¡±


    Bairan Vige Castle¡¯s meeting room.


    The guild members sitting around the big round table turned their gaze towards Jishuka. Then they spoke with yful expressions.


    "At that time, Jishuka looked different from usual.¡±


    ¡°Right? She seemed to be looking at Grid like a woman. She was blushing.¡±


    "Master, are you attracted to Grid~?¡±


    "..."


    Jishuka didn¡¯t deny the giggling guild member¡¯s words. It was true that her heart started beating quickly the moment Grid saved her from death.


    "...He was definitely cool. But he¡¯s already married.¡±


    Jishuka muttered in a small voice with a sad expression. Nobody heard her and kept on talking, with the exception of Faker, who had excellent hearing due to the nature of the assassin ss.


    ¡®Master is finally interested in the opposite sex.¡¯


    Faker gave a rare smile and changed the atmosphere. "I heard that the cksmith in Bairan Vige has be an advanced cksmith.¡±


    The topic changed in an instant.


    "Ah, I heard that as well. Isn¡¯t it strange? An old man who was a beginner cksmith for decades suddenly became an advanced cksmith in a few days?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s still good. Thanks to that, the production speed and quality of the weapons have greatly improved, so it is easier to replenish the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°An advanced cksmith... I¡¯m looking forward to the synergy with the genius miner kid recruited by Grid a week ago.¡±


    "If the power of those two are added to Grid¡¯s power... Kouh, it is big. The day when the guild will have the power of an army will someday arrive.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild was a collection of talented people dreaming about the future. They became the strongest guild since the recruitment of Grid, so their potential for growth was endless.


    ***


    Bairan Vige¡¯s library.


    ¡°...What am I doing?¡±


    The boy genius, Minor, was exhausted.


    For the past week, he had been reading 16 hours a day and was mentally at his limit. He had never picked up a book and now he had to read two books a day? In the beginning, he only read books about minerals, so he was interested. But now he had to read books rted to geography.


    In the end, Minor got up from his seat.


    ¡°I am a miner! Why does a future king¡¯s miner have to read?¡±


    A knight noticed his shouting. "Have you forgotten that this is a solemn ce? Be quiet and study hard.¡±


    No matter how much of a genius he was, Minor was still just a boy. He couldn¡¯t take it and eventually wept.


    ¡°This is torture. Why do I have to stay here all day reading books? Huh? Sob sob.¡±


    "This is Viscount Grid¡¯smand. Follow it withoutining.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s knight had no mercy. He thoroughly performed his supervisor role. Minor became filled with more spite with every day that passed.


    "Grid, that bad man... I will get revengeter on.¡±


    At the same time, Smith¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Why are my ears ticklish?¡±


    Grid was disassembling, reassembling and enhancing his equipment, like the Holy Light Armor and Dainsleif, in order to increase his understanding. Smith approached him with a frown and suggested.


    "Do you need an earbud?¡±


    "...Please act moderately.¡±


    He still felt insecure about Smith¡¯s gay tendencies. Grid wanted to leave here as soon as possible.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    He kept hammering. Grid was better at disassembling and reassembling items than before, then he turned his attention towards the entrance of the smithy.


    "I havepleted my mission and returned.¡±


    A Mongolian man appeared with perfect timing. It was Huroi. In thest 12 days, he had led Jude and 100 soldiers to hunt the frostlight orcs, and now he had returned. It was finally time for Grid to go back to Winston.


    Grid smiled at this thought and weed Huroi. Then he observed Jude using the Ruler¡¯s Sword, which he still hadn¡¯t returned to Jishuka in the name of finding another talent.


    Name: Jude


    Age: 25 Gender: Male


    upation: Captain of Winston¡¯s 13th Hundred Man Unit


    Level: 120


    Strength: 1,016/2,080 Stamina: 490/908


    Agility: 54/330 Intelligence: 11/20


    Skills: Snatch the Enemy¡¯s Weapon and Use it as a Weapon (S). Silence (A). I have no Idea (SS-).


    A rare fool born in Winston. When ites to strength, he doesn¡¯t fall behind anyone. He is a natural warrior who doesn¡¯t know fear.


    Unfortunately, his brain is less evolved. No matter how hard he tries, he can never climb to a higher position. It is close to a miracle that he became the captain of a hundred man unit.


    ¡®He gained 17 levels and his stats increased by 280.¡¯


    A user gained 10 fixed stat points with every level up, while a NPC randomly gained between 6~20 stat points. Jude was a superb NPC who got at least 16 stat points every time his level went up, so it was a truly dazzling growth. But there was one annoying part.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t his intelligence the same?¡¯


    Grid frowned for a moment.


    ¡¯In the first ce, his maximum intelligence is 20... He¡¯s so stupid that I won¡¯t expect anything from him. Let¡¯s check the details of his skills.¡¯


    [Snatch the Enemy¡¯s Weapon and Use it as a Weapon]


    Rating: S


    A talent that one person per 100,000 people will have.


    If you take advantage of a chance, you can take the enemy¡¯s weapon and use it.


    [Silence]


    Rating: A


    * The default rating of the ¡®Silence¡¯ skill is S-grade. However, the intelligence of the owner is so low that it is demoted.


    A talent that one person per 100,000 people will have.


    Those with this talent are very reticent and don¡¯t boast about what they see and hear.


    In general, your loyalty to your superiors is high, so it¡¯s rare for you to betray your masters. Most stewards have this skill.


    [I have no Idea]


    Rating: SS-


    A Jude only skill.


    You are ignorant and brave. In order to fulfill your mission, you will even run into a fire pit.


    You will never feel the fear state. However, the chances of receiving other status conditions will increase by 50%.


    If you face a crisis, there is a high chance to activate the ¡®Fight Desperately¡¯ skill.


    [Fight Desperately]


    For three minutes, damage will be reduced by 50% and attack power will increase by 80%.


    ¡®The level of the soldiers rose by an average of 8~10 and there are no victims.¡¯


    Overall, it was a great performance. His n to make Jude¡¯s Hundred Man Unit an elite unit of Winston had taken one step forward. Grid smiled and reached out to Huroi. Huroi thought that Grid was going to pat him on the shoulders. But that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°What about the sylphid scales?¡±


    "..."


    Huroi couldn¡¯t hide his sadness and searched his inventory. Then he pulled out the 28 sylphid scales that he worked hard to earn over the past 28 days.


    ¡®I am finally able to create the invisibility cloak.¡¯


    Grid happily collected it and said. ¡°As you may have noticed, the sylphid scales are items not easily traded between users. So it is difficult to determine how much to pay you.¡±


    His words were the truth.


    The frostlight orcs weren¡¯t well known and their habitat was so cold that most users didn¡¯t hunt there. It was much more beneficial to hunt other monsters of the same level. The drop rate of the sylphid scales was also very low, so its value wasn¡¯t known.


    Therefore, Grid meant to pay for it in a different way.


    "Huroi, I heard that you obtained the Sword Mastery skill after acquiring your second ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Okay, I will make a sword for you. Let¡¯s return to Winston first.¡±


    Grid returned the Ruler¡¯s Sword to Jishuka, said goodbye to the guild members and left Bairan. Of course, he took Minor with him. The guild questioned Grid¡¯s strange way of educating Minor, but Grid had asked Minor to be assigned to him and they trusted him.


    ***


    ¡º Satisfy¡¯s nationalpetition is to be held in three days, and the number of tourists visiting South Korea is estimated to reach 800,000. ¡»


    ¡º Considering that tourists for the Olympics averages between 200,000 and 500,000, the poprity of Satisfy¡¯s nationalpetition is well above the Olympics and the ratings will be very high... ¡»


    Time passed quickly when one was busy.


    Four months passed in Satisfy time, while it was time for the nationalpetition in reality.


    ¡°Is this thest one?¡±


    The north of the Eternal Kingdom.


    A ck-haired man was standing in front of a small cave in an unexplored forest. Then a boy with a sharp impression, who seemed like he would be handsome when older, replied gruffly.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you wait here.¡±


    The ck-haired man, Grid, pulled out something from his inventory. It was a white hooded zip up worn by young people in modern society. An amazing thing happened once he wore it. The man suddenly disappeared. It was a sight that seemed like a lie.


    But the boy, Minor, didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. He looked like he was tired and leaned back against the entrance of the cave.


    Then after a while.


    A huge explosion sounded from the deepest part of the cave. It was like an earthquake, causing the forest outside the cave to shake and for birds to fly into the air. But Minor didn¡¯t wake up. How much sleep was hecking to be so deeply asleep?


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    The orc group that ran away with fright because of the earthquake stopped as they found Minor.


    "Uwekukukrerek (Grab that puny human kid).¡±


    ¡°Ekkukikuk? Eekuik (An emergency food supply? It¡¯s a good idea).¡±


    Ssik.


    The orcs exchanged sly smiles and quietly pulled out their axes. Then they were surprised as they cautiously approached Minor.


    "I can avoid the golems¡¯ gazes, but it¡¯s impossible to stop Braham¡¯s trap. It seems that Stealth is useless against it. I feel bad every time my passive disappears.¡±


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    In front of the sleeping boy. Someone¡¯s voice was heard, but there was no one there. The orcs doubted their ears and rubbed their eyes. Suddenly, a shark-shaped sword popped out of thin air.


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    Blood spurted at the same time from the five astonished orcs. A man slowly appeared in front of the orcs. It was Grid wearing the Hooded Zip Up. He whistled as he held an egg shaped lump in his hand.


    ¡°With this, I have recovered all the pavranium in the Eternal Kingdom. Okay, I should go back now.¡± (TL: This doesn¡¯t mean he recovered all the pavranium on the continent, only the ones in the Eternal Kingdom)


    If he wanted to acquire all the pavranium that Braham hid around the continent, he needed to revive Braham after receiving the blessing from God Yatan. But it was currently impossible.


    So Grid tried to figure out a different approach. It was to raise Minor¡¯s intelligence, maximize his minerals detection ability, and then use him to search directly for the pavranium. These actions were enough to stimte Braham.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant has started questioning my identity? Then I have to take the next step.]


    Satisfy¡¯s team manager, Yoon Nahee reported it to Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    ¡°The emergence conditions for a new legendary ss, Braham¡¯s Descendant, has been achieved.¡±


    Lim Cheolho enjoyed it.


    "The truth that Braham is a wicked liar has finally been grasped by Grid?¡±


    "...It seems unlikely.¡±


    Yoon Nahee replied to Lim Cheolho with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°Hahaha! That friend is still the same. His name is on the nationalpetition¡¯s list, so it will be a lot of fun to watch.¡±


    ¡°The person who registered his name on the list isn¡¯t him, but Yura, who is backed by the Korean government. It is unlikely that he will participate in the nationalpetition.¡±


    Lim Cheolho gave a meaningful smile. ¡°Is it really like that?"


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    Seoul Olympic Stadium was opened in 1984 and expanded in 20XX, bing the world¡¯s fifthrgest stadium that could amodate a total of 198,000 spectators.


    Currently, this huge arena was filled with many people from all over the world.


    ¡º The opening of the First Satisfy National Competition, which the world has known about for two months, is starting in South Korea. ¡»


    ¡º The criteria for selecting the participating countries is a ¡®country with more than 10 top yers in the National Competition rted quests.¡¯ So, it has been decided that 17 countries will participate in the First National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º A total of 13 users are participating for each country. The team consists of 10 main yers and 3 candidates. ¡»


    ¡º There is a total of 221 athletes participating in the National Competition with an average level of 213, and most of the participants are within the top 500 rankings. However, it is known that some yers who showed an outstanding performance in certain events are general level 100 users, not rankers. Reporter Braum is focused on the yers, so let¡¯s go there together. ¡»


    ¡º The 221 yers from 17 countries willpete intensively in nine categories over the next five days. These categories are PvP, boss raid,byrinth breakthrough, productionpetition, pet marathon, siege, target processing, sword drawing and treasure hunting... ¡»


    ¡º 21 of the top 50 users are participating in thispetition. This is an unprecedented number of ranker participation, so it¡¯s good news for many fans. ¡»


    ¡º People are disappointed that Kraugel, the no. 1 user, isn¡¯t participating, but all of the top five users except for Kraugel are participating. Many people are looking forward to seeing four of the top five in one ce. ¡»


    ¡º Experts predict that the United States will be the champion of the First National Competition. Among the 17 participating countries, the average level of the United States users is overwhelmingly high. With six yers in the top 20 of the unified rankings, it is anticipated that they will acquire medals in all fields without much difficulty. After that, it is expected that it will be Britain and China. However, the country that Pagma¡¯s Descendant belongs to will be a variable... ¡»


    ¡º Our Japan is aiming to enter the top five in thispetition. On the other hand, the host country, South Korea, is expected to be at the bottom, since their team is very thin except for Yura. ¡»


    ¡º It is a miracle that South Korea is included, since the criteria is having 10 top yers in the quests rted to the National Competition. It seems they are participating as the host country. ¡»


    The major broadcastingpanies from each country had been talking about the First Satisfy National Competition for thest few days. The hundreds of broadcasting stations were smiling widely.


    The ratings were higher than expected. It was a level where the audience ratings were well beyond the Olympics and World Cup, since people these days were mainly interested in Satisfy. Then the yers of the 17 participating countries entered Seoul Olympic Stadium.


    ¡®A country of Taekwondo...!¡¯


    The blond man on the British team was Regas. In his teens to early 20s, he became a British national Taekwondo yer and always longed to go to Korea. He wanted to see the East, who had created the spirit of Taekwondo. He never had a chance and now he was 26 years old, so he was happy about finally visiting South Korea.


    Meanwhile, Jishuka belonged to the Brazilian team and she was constantly staring at the South Korea team.


    She was looking for Grid.


    She was too busy with managing the guild and leveling up to participate in thepetition. She wasn¡¯t standing here because of the Brazilian government¡¯s urgent request, but because she wanted to meet Grid. She wanted to meet the man who made her heart pound for the first time. But no matter how she looked, she couldn¡¯t see him in the Korean national team.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t his name on the participant¡¯s list? Surely I didn¡¯te all the way to South Korea only to not meet him?¡¯


    And a Spanish yer. Pon raised his fingers and received an oath as a representative of the users.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry to hear that Kraugel isn¡¯t participating... Then I will test my current skills against Zibal.¡¯


    For the past four months, the Tzedakah Guild had been raising their level at a tremendous pace with the items that Grid produced for them. Jishuka, Regas and Pon entered the top 15 of the unified rankings, so they were confident.


    Korea was the country that Grid belonged to, so Korea could surely enter the top rankings. That was what they thought. However, except for them, nobody was looking at the Korean team. They didn¡¯t need to be conscious of South Korea, who only had sub-rankers except for Yura.


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    An American man in his early 30s, with long tied up blonde hair, finished reciting the oath.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The 200,000 spectators cheered and stomped their feet. The atmosphere was more heated than the Olympics. Thepetition that would gain the participants honor and money at the same time started.


    ***


    Fire stone.


    It was the name of an ore containing a strong fire.


    It had high affinity with the fire attribute, magic swords of the fire attribute could be used as a materials or armor against fire. There was a rare chance of the fire stones dropping when hunting certain bosses.


    However, it was a material required to make the Fire Shield that Toban desired.


    ¡°Hey Toban.¡± Grid stared at the production method and materials of the Fire Shield and eventually frowned. "What is your motive for dumping the task of finding the important fire stones on me?¡±


    Toban carefully said, "It is impossible for me to obtain the fire stones with my abilities. That... Minor is a minerals master, so I thought he might be able to find a ce to obtain the fire stones.¡±


    "What if he finds them? Do you want me to obtain them?¡±


    ¡°...Please. In order to seed in the Phoenix raid scheduled in 10 days, the main tanker must have high fire resistance.¡±


    Grid snorted.


    "You should¡¯ve realized over the past four months that the Minerals Master skill isn¡¯t universal. Minor is worthless if you don¡¯t provide urate clues. There are one or two minerals that he hasn¡¯t found. Then what? Fire stones? Do you think that Minor could find a ce to collect such rare minerals?¡±


    ¡°Please try it once.¡±


    Gridughed at the anxious Toban. ¡°Uhh, yes, yes. I will have him try it once. And if Minor finds the location of the mineral, I will go and collect it directly.¡±


    It was because he didn¡¯t think it was possible. Grid spoke with the certainty that Minor wouldn¡¯t be able to find the fire stones location.


    Then after a while...


    Minor had only been studying for the past four months, despite having a mining talent. He now had an intelligence of 350 and could exert his talent as a Minerals Master. He rummaged through books for half a day before returning with shocking news.


    "I have found out how to collect the fire stones from old documents. Fire stones pop up when Hell Gao, the owner of hellfire, emerges from hell."


    "..."


    Minor reported it with a spiteful expression. Grid frowned while Toban had a bright expression.


    "Fire stones exist in Hell Gao¡¯s habitat? So where does Hell Gao appear?¡±


    Minor informed the excited Toban. ¡°It is a dungeon on Cork Ind.¡±


    "Cork Ind?"


    It was a ce located in the South Sea of the Eternal Kingdom. It would take a week to get to the nearest port and ride a boat there, but Grid was different. Thanks to Braham¡¯s Boots, he could use Fly magic and ignore all types of obstacles, allowing him to arrive at Cork Ind three times faster than usual.


    Toban¡¯s eyes started sparkling.


    ¡°Grid! Please!¡±


    "..."


    It was troublesome. He made a promise, but he didn¡¯t feel like it.


    Toban tried to persuade Grid. "Think about it. Aren¡¯t fire stones a rare mineral that can be sold for money? Won¡¯t you receive enormous profits? And remember what you told me before. You gain a lot of skill experience when smelting new minerals. Yes? Grid, this is a request.¡±


    Toban made a big mistake with Grid in the past. Due to that, he always felt sorry for Grid and tried his best not to ask for unreasonable things. Thanks to that, Grid eventually forgave Toban and now he nodded.


    "I understand. Be prepared to pay me a tip.¡±


    "Thank you!¡±


    Toban bowed deeply.


    Grid had grown steadily and matured over the past few months, so Toban felt a great deal of gratitude. He respected Grid for giving to others despite having a legendary ss, instead of bing more arrogant.


    It wasn¡¯t just Toban, but all of the Tzedakah Guild members. There was a saying that a ce made a person, and Grid interacted with them very positively. He deserved respect.


    "Find out the emergence cycle of Hell Gao.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Khan¡¯s smithy.


    Grid starting making the items again after Toban left. Toban was the chief of staff of the Tzedakah Guild and had ess to a vast intelligencework, so it was easy to confirm Hell Gao¡¯s emergence cycle.


    After a while, Toban returned with a dark expression.


    "What is it? Will it be a long time until he appears?¡±


    Toban shook his head at Grid¡¯s question. "Hell Gao will appear in two days. If you leave right now, you will be able to arrive at Cork Ind in time for Hell Gao¡¯s emergence.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great? What¡¯s with your expression?¡±


    "Well... Cork Ind¡¯s dungeon is fully controlled by the Silver Knights Guild. Hell Gao is dominated by the Silver Knights Guild.¡±


    Grid shrugged.


    "What does it matter? I don¡¯t intend to raid Hell Gao, just collect some of the minerals.¡±


    ¡°Of course it matters. There are no guilds that will allow an outsider into the zone they control. Since you are acting as a member of the guild, you have to ask for official cooperation or else a guild war might break out.¡±


    "Don¡¯t you have to give a lot of money when asking for cooperation?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    The Silver Knights Guild was a fairly famous guild. They had over 200 members and the guild master was a Korean user with the ID of Peak Sword, who was ranked 16th. He was one of only two Koreans in the top 100 of the unified rankings.


    Their overall power might be lower than the Tzedakah Guild, but they weren¡¯t on a level to be trifled with. Grid looked at Toban silently before pulling out a hooded clothing. Then he pulled up the zipper andpletely hid himself.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I sneak in like this?¡±


    [Hooded Zip Up]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 61/61 Defense: 12


    * Movement speed will increase by 30%.


    * Wind resistance will increase by 20%.


    A cloak designed by the legendary cksmith G. However, the appearance is different from the normal look of a cloak.


    Thanks to the sylphid scales being used as the material, affinity with wind and movement speed will increase. You can hide while wearing it, but the stealth will be turned off when an enemy is attacked.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 5


    More than 200 years ago, the legendary tailor Kruger made five invisibility cloaks. But now there were only two invisibility cloaks remaining, and the owners were presumed to be royalty or a noble.


    The fact that a invisibility cloak was made by a user was unknown to all of Satisfy¡¯s users except for the Tzedakah Guild.


    "That¡¯s right! You have the invisibility cloak!¡±


    Toban¡¯s face brightened.


    The invisible Grid spoke in a confident voice, "Believe in me. I will sneak in while the Silver Knights are busy with the raid and collect the fire stones.¡±


    "Don¡¯t rx and be careful.¡±


    The worried Toban advised, but Grid had already left the smithy.


    "I¡¯m in the mood to travel.¡±


    The big city Winston in the north. None of the thousands of users staying there were able to identity Grid who flew in the sky.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    The whole process of the National Competition was possible to do inside Satisfy.


    But the Korean government invited the yers to South Korea for the purpose of attracting tourists and decided to take some events offline, including the opening ceremony. The result was a great sess. Since the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea was close to 800,000, the economic effect created was expected to exceed the estimates of the Korean government.


    ¡°Thanks to this, the authority of the S.A. Group has risen.¡±


    There were already many countries asking to be selected as the next host for the National Competition. The S.A. Group executives confirmed that the share prices had skyrocketed and made a toast.


    ¡°It is a win-win.¡±


    The South Korean government was able to host the National Competition with the support of the S.A. Group, and they achieved high economic growth and gained overwhelming support from the public.


    The S.A. Group¡¯s stock prices rose and they could show an overwhelming influence. ording to their policy of ¡®returning 3.6% of the profits to society,¡¯ the size of their charity businesses could be expanded and the number of poor people who benefited increased.


    Rankers received an astronomical amount of money in exchange for visiting Korea, and billions of people around the world were provided with great entertainment. It was ideal for everyone, so it was understandable why they wereughing.


    Satisfy was satisfying the world, like Lim Cheolho intended when he named it.


    ¡°I feel rewarded.¡±


    Just like the gods created a world where everyone could be happy, the scientist was creating a world where everyone could be happy. Lim Cheolho created a virtual reality world with no limits.


    He reached the point where he would leave his name in history as a transcendent scientist.


    ***


    Cheongdamdong.


    "There really are a lot of beautifuldies. Their slim bodies are to my taste.¡±


    Pon was feeling very good.


    Thanks to this National Competition, he got a chance to y PvP with top ranking yers, got a lot of money, and was also exposed to Oriental beauties. It was the feeling of walking on clouds.


    "Girl, would you like to have a drink with me? I¡¯ll buy you expensive liquor, so spend some time with me.¡±


    Pon was just as handsome as he was in Satisfy, so he was confident as he weaved through the streets. Despite his cheesy words in awkward English, he easily caught women.


    Jishuka was sitting at a cafe terrace and was startled at the sight of him.


    ¡®Is that Pon?¡¯ In L.T.S and Satisfy, Pon had never shown any interest in the opposite sex. Except when he was childishly fighting with Vantner, he was an exemry person who only focused on fighting and levelling up.


    Jishuka was embarrassed by hispletely different personality in reality.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known him for over three years already, but I didn¡¯t realize he was a guy like this.¡±


    Regas smiled at her from where he was sitting beside her and enjoying a parfait, ¡°He¡¯s so busy in Satisfy that he doesn¡¯t have time for anything else, but he can rx as much as he wants in reality. There are quite a few rankers who are experiencing such a phenomenon.¡±


    "A usible logic... Huh?


    Jishuka nodded and btedly saw what Regas was wearing.


    ¡°What are you? Since when have you been wearing Taekwondo clothing?¡±


    "I was wearing it sinceing to South Korea? Jishuka, what? Why aren¡¯t you aware of the attire of a person who has been with you for hours? What are you thinking about that made you so preupied?¡±


    Jishuka hissed at him without answering.


    ¡°Change your clothes. It¡¯s fine when the three of us are together, but your clothes are very eye catching.¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    In fact, there were countless people crowded around Jishuka and Regas. The crowd wanted to get autographs and photos from both of them. But would Satisfy¡¯s top rankers, who made enough money to represent a singlepany, go without guards? The two people were able to enjoy themselves without worrying about the crowd due to being attended by 10 security guards.


    "If I don¡¯t wear Taekwondo clothing in a Taekwondo country, what should I wear?¡±


    "..."


    Jishuka was shocked by Regas words and don¡¯t bother trying to persuade him anymore.


    "Yes, yes, do your own thing and eat the parfait.¡±


    The way Jishuka saw it, there were two types of men.


    Childish or wicked.


    ¡®Grid is childish and wicked...¡¯


    Her first impression of Grid was the worst. He was stupid, stubborn, and only cared about big breasts.


    However, he started to mentally mature at some point and that wickedness even left after marrying Irene. He was single-mindedly devoted to Irene and wasn¡¯t swayed when he saw Jishuka¡¯s big breasts anymore.


    Was it because she witnessed the process of extreme change in real time? One day, Jishuka¡¯s eyes were chasing after Grid. After she was saved at a crucial moment in the Bairan battle, she became fully aware of Grid. But the Grid she saw was just a picture in Satisfy. She didn¡¯t know how he would look like in reality.


    ¡®If I actually meet Grid... I¡¯m afraid he will be like Pon.¡¯


    Would she be disappointed? Still, it was okay.


    ¡®I¡¯m in South Korea and have a chance to meet him. Yes, I¡¯ve decided.¡¯


    Jishuka stood up. The men shouted as her voluptuous body, hidden by the chair, was revealed.


    "I¡¯m going back to the hotel.¡±


    ¡°Why all of a sudden? This is the first time you are in South Korea, so shouldn¡¯t you go sightseeing?¡±


    "I cane back to South Korea at any time, right now I want to connect to Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude.¡± Regas suddenly looked very motivated as he got up from his seat after Jishuka. "Every moment is essential. Okay! Let¡¯s hunt and level up during our free time! In any case, both of us don¡¯t have anything on the tournament schedule today.¡±


    ¡°You can level up alone. I am going to connect to ask for Grid¡¯s home address.¡±


    Regas questioned her, "Home address? Are you going to go there? Isn¡¯t it possible to naturally meet Grid if our schedules ovep? Isn¡¯t his ID on the list of participants? Why do you need to go visit his home? It¡¯s bad manners.¡±


    ¡°Grid didn¡¯t even participate in the opening ceremony. Maybe he won¡¯t show up at all in thispetition.¡±


    Jishuka hurried away after saying this.


    ¡¯She is quite different from usual.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know why. Regas shrugged and followed behind her with the bodyguards.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Pon was about to enter a store with five beauties when he noticed Jishuka and Regas.


    ¡®Are they going to level up?¡¯


    Rankings could fall quickly if a person was careless. Wouldn¡¯t his ying time shrink significantly in Korea? Pon¡¯s vignce awakened as he left the beauties and followed the two people.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant... I¡¯ve finally arrived.¡±


    He flew, drank potions, flew again, descended when his potion cooldown time wasn¡¯t over, flew again and repeated until Grid reached Cork Ind.


    ¡®The good thing is that my persistence stat rose.¡¯


    He had flown for 46 hours without stopping, so his stamina had been exhausted several times. He had been tempted to rest a few times, but he didn¡¯t want to miss Hell Gao¡¯s spawning time. It was a hard journey that exceeded a triathlon, but he endured and was able to arrive at this ce on time.


    ¡®I feel good.¡¯ He felt a tremendous sense of aplishment. It wasn¡¯t a material gain, but the sense of aplishment wasparable to making a high rated item. ¡®The sense of fullness I feel when I exceed my limits... Is this the reason why people climb mountains or do a marathon? I should climb the mountain in front of my house tomorrow.¡¯


    Grid flew in the sky with a refreshed expression. He looked over the ind.


    "Good city.¡±


    Cork Ind was one quarter the size of Jeju Ind. It wasn¡¯t a small ind and the climate was mild, so the city built in the center of the ind was very developed.


    ¡®This is a level simr to Bairan... The poption of the ind should be in the tens of thousands? Aren¡¯t there a lot of useful hunting grounds and specialties?¡¯


    Grid descended to the ground and entered the city. Thanks to the Hooded Zip Up, he didn¡¯t need to check in and could naturally emerge in the crowd. Then he stopped at a restaurant just before Hell Gao¡¯s dungeon in order to fill up his hunger.


    "Turtle and whale meat? I¡¯ve never tried it. Is it delicious?¡±


    The restaurant owner confidently gave Grid a rmendation.


    "Of course it¡¯s delicious. It is a delicacy to eat turtle and whale at the same time. You should try it.¡±


    He asked NPCs questions and responded the way they wanted in order to build up affinity. The most efficient way to built up affinity with a merchant NPC was to buy a lot of their merchandise.


    The warrior Grid didn¡¯t know even these basics. He built up affinity by interacting with them for a long time. But Grid now had a strong colleague called Huroi. For the several months after the sylphid scales incident, he spent a lot of time with Huroi and learned how to build up affinity with NPCs.


    ¡°I believe in you and will try the turtle and whale meat. Please give me a te of turtle and whale meat... Yes! Just give me the food that represents this ind! Let¡¯s eat double portions today!¡±


    "Ohh, a broad-hearted young man! Okay, I understand! I will bring you well-cooked duck!¡±


    Grid liked grilled dishes, stir-fried dishes, fried foods and hot pot. But most of the food in the north of the Eternal Kingdom was steamed food, which didn¡¯t fit Grid¡¯s taste.


    ¡¯Since I¡¯ve moved to the north, I haven¡¯t felt the fun of eating food for a while...¡¯


    The menu of the restaurant on Cork Ind was mainly fried and grilled dishes.


    ¡®I will eat until I¡¯m satisfied!¡¯


    Grid drooled as he waited for food. Then the owner brought out the food. Due to Grid¡¯s high stamina and persistence stats, his stomach was huge and he could eat a lot. The restaurant owner¡¯s eyes widened as he saw Grid emptying the food.


    "Eating enough food for three people at once... Great.¡±


    ¡®In this case...¡¯


    What would Huroi do now? Grid thought before saying with a smile.


    "I¡¯m not usually like this, but your excellent cooking made me overeat.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Grid¡¯s high dignity gave a sense of oppression to the target, but it could also inspire liking in them. Wasn¡¯t it natural for him to give off a charming and polite atmosphere? The owner of the restaurant was instantly fascinated by Grid.


    "You look like a traveller, so why did youe to Cork Ind?¡±


    ¡®I have seeded.¡¯


    Grid responded to the owner¡¯s curious and favorable eyes, ¡°I came to see the monster who is the owner of hellfire. Can you tell me where the dungeon is located?¡±


    "No, are you talking about Hell Gao?¡± The restaurant owner was aghast. "The dungeon he appears in is located in the north of the city... No, I can¡¯t understand it. Why do you want to see him? Isn¡¯t it an act of suicide?¡±


    "Is he that strong?¡±


    The restaurant owner trembled and exined.


    ¡°He is the demon who ruled this ind perfectly and fed on my ancestors. Legend has it that the number of people sacrificed to him was in the thousands... One day, Muller appeared and turned his body to ashes, but Hell Gao still asionally pops up because his soul can¡¯t be sealed. The residents are nervous every day that he will bepletely resurrected and will turn this ind into a living hell."


    There were too many ambiguous words.


    ¡®Is this the precursor to a quest? Surely he isn¡¯t going to ask me to seal Hell Gao¡¯s soul that even Muller couldn¡¯t seal?¡¯


    It was ridiculous. The restaurant owner gave some advice to Grid, who was btedly regretting it.


    ¡°The demon¡¯s ck me is hotter than the jade mes of most demons, so you must be careful. If you go to ¡®Ellen¡¯ who lives on the south side of the city and say that I sent you, she will paint your armor with fire stone dyes... Before going to Hell Gao, I rmend that you meet Ellen Halmand to increase your fire resistance.¡±


    "Dyes made from fire stones?¡±


    Grid was interested and immediately rose from his spot. He asked the restaurant owner in detail for the position of Ellen¡¯s house and headed straight there.


    "Come in."


    Ellen was a kind person. She heard his situation and dly weed Grid. Then she pointed to therge basin in her backyard.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that great, since it is a dye made from the fire stones. I just dip the fire stone in water mixed with my own recipe.¡±


    ¡°Ohu...¡±


    The big basin contained one fire stone the size of a baby¡¯s fist. But that one small fossil turned all the water in the basin red. Ellen exined to Grid, "It isn¡¯t just a color change. Armors or clothes dyed with this will obtain increased fire resistance because they are tinted with fire.¡±


    Grid pulled out the Holy Light armor and gloves.


    ¡°The material of the gloves are cloth, so they can be easily stained. But this armor is made of mithril, can it be dyed?¡±


    Ellen easily nodded.


    "Fire stones are the symbol of fusion... They can mix with anything.¡±


    As expected of a rare mineral used in magic items.


    ¡®My status immunity means I can¡¯t be burned, but this can prevent additional damage caused by the fire itself. Braham¡¯s Boots are ck so the red color will match well with it... Good.¡¯


    Grid politely asked. ¡°Can you please dye this armor and gloves?¡±


    Ellen easily nodded. ¡°I understand. I will dye it well if you pay me 500 gold.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid thought that Ellen was a hidden NPC. He believed it was an opportunity to get free benefits because of his affinity with the restaurant owner. Yet she was asking for money? As Grid was feeling confused, other users started to arrive at Ellen¡¯s house.


    ¡°Are you Grandmother Ellen? I heard about you from the grandmother at the grocery store.¡±


    "I heard about you from the cksmith. You can increase my fire resistance?"


    Grid looked at this and quickly realized.


    ¡®The tip that the restaurant owner gave me wasn¡¯t special.¡¯


    Ellen wasn¡¯t a hidden NPC. She was a mere trader, and the Cork Ind residents were skilled at soliciting customers for her.


    ¡®The world is truly tough.¡¯


    Grid pulled out 500 gold with trembling hands. It wasn¡¯t bad to think of it as 500 gold to give extra options to two items. He couldn¡¯t know the numerical value of the additional options.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    "Here it is."


    Grid paid 500 gold and took out the Holy Light Armor and Holy Light Gloves from the inventory. He handed them over to Ellen and respectfully said, ¡°Please add fire resistance to these.¡±


    The two partsbined would have a 20% fire resistance, so this was an investment with huge benefits. Ellen smiled warmly at the expectant Grid.


    "Hoho, I¡¯ll dye it beautifully. Huh?¡±


    Ellen was amazed as she received the armor and gloves. Her sagging eyes, that couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the years, widened.


    ¡°How is this possible...?¡±


    Ellen had been dying things since she was 15 years old, and she was 71 this year. Over her 56 years as a dyer, she had dyed many different types of clothes and armor of various colors. However, this was the first time she saw such a great white armor.


    ¡°A perfect harmony... I wondered if a better armor than this exists? So beautiful... The cksmith who made this armor probably isn¡¯t a regr person. Is this the skill of a master who surpasses dwarf craftsmen?¡±


    Grid felt interested as he saw Ellen¡¯s admiration.


    ¡®This grandma¡¯s eyes are more discerning than normal.¡¯


    Trust started to fill him. A person with this level of insight would surely dye his items well.


    Ellen showed high motivation, ¡°I will do my best not to ruin these wonderful armor and gloves.¡±


    The Holy Light Armor covered the neck, shoulders, chest, waist and right arm. The Holy Light Gloves were severalyers thick and had gold thread embroidered near the wrist. It was a morous embroidered pattern that looked elegant. If the embroidery was dyed red as well, the armor and gloves would be too monotonous. Therefore, she had to do this work as delicately as possible.


    Chwaack.Chwaack.


    Every time the white gloves were immersed in the fire stone dye, they became a pale pink. As this process repeated, the pale pink became a dark pink and then gradually became a strong red. But surprisingly, the gold embroidery was preserved because not a single drop of dye touched it.


    ¡®Great skills.¡¯


    Grid observed the work without missing a single thing. Following the gloves, the armor was dyed.


    1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours.


    It took a considerable amount of time, but Grid didn¡¯t lose focus until the end. He didn¡¯t want to miss an opportunity to observe the craftsmanship of other fields.


    [Insight has increased by 10.]


    [Your dexterity has risen.]


    [You have learned a little bit about how to dye cloth and paint metal.]


    The Holy Light Armor and Gloves were reborn with a dark red color. Grid read the pleasant notification windows and Ellen smiled brightly.


    ¡°Please check it.¡±


    Grid received the armor and gloves from Ellen and examined the details. Then he was delighted.


    ¡¯It¡¯s better than I expected!¡¯


    The armor had 19% fire resistance and the gloves had 7% fire resistance. It was great that Ellen gave new options to legendary items for just 500 gold.


    ¡°I will use it well."


    Ellen was grateful to the truly delighted Grid. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to dye such an excellent armor and gloves before I die. Thanks to you, I have achieved a higher level. Now, please wear it.¡±


    Ellen led Grid to therge full body mirror on one side. Grid didn¡¯t dy in front of the mirror as he wore the armor and gloves. Then he marvelled at his own appearance.


    ¡®I look much cooler.¡¯


    The Holy Light Armor was a legendary item made by Pagma. Despite the metal material, it was custom made and perfectly suited the lines of the wearer. The problem was that the color was pure white. Like many Asians, Grid had yellow skin and dark hair, so the pure white clothes didn¡¯t suit him. The Holy Light Armor looked more awkward than cool. But now the red armor became a good match for Grid¡¯s skin and hair.


    Ellen¡¯s eyes shone as she praised, ¡°Very cool! I want to transfer your image to a picture frame!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The harmonization of the ck boots with the dark red armor and gloves with gold thread was a level that anyone would admire.


    ¡®Is this really me?¡¯


    Everyone dreamed of looking nice. It was the same for Grid. However, he was despised because of his unimpressive appearance, and the shameful experiences significantly contributed to his personality.


    Grid was no longer ugly.


    ¡®...I¡¯m not ugly.¡¯


    Grid closely observed his appearance in the mirror for a long time. Unlike the past where he always shrank back, his eyes were full of confidence and his shoulders were broad. His face had fattened, suiting the skeletal frame. From an objective point of view, he looked much better than before.


    The armor looked so good that he wanted to take a photo.


    ¡®But there is a little something missing...¡¯


    It was like a w in the jade. There was no gold embroidery on the lower part of his body, so it looked very monotonous. Grid thought it would look twice as nice if this part was supplemented, so he looked at Ellen. She was moving to greet the next guest.


    ¡°Pavranium.¡±


    Grid spoke in a small voice. Then a fantastic sight was seen. Seven des around 15cm long, 8cm wide and 3cm thick silently appeared and floated around him.


    ¡°Join together.¡±


    Grid imagined the shape that the pavranium should form and ordered. Then the seven des gathered together. The finished appearance was a thin sword around 1m in length. Grid made it like a wave or snake that could move to the left and right, then he fitted it onto the ring-belt that protruded near the tail of the armor.


    ¡°Kill.¡± The de-like tail extending under the red armor was threatening, giving him a frightful feeling like a devil. ¡°It ispletely to my taste.¡±


    Grid was making a happy face when he heard Toban¡¯s voice.


    -Grid, have you arrived at Cork Ind?Hell Gao will appear in exactly one hour.Please take care, and I hope you find the fire stones.


    Grid left Ellen¡¯s house. He was conscious of people¡¯s eyes as he released the armor and answered.


    -Believe in me.


    ***


    Cork Ind was thergest of hundreds of inds in the Eternal Kingdom and was abundant in resources. The scenery was beautiful and countless guilds coveted the ind.


    The Sakura Guild was particrly ambitious. The guild considered only of Japanese right-wing extremists. They wanted to put a g on Cork Ind because it looked simr to Takeshima Ind which ¡®Korea was illegally upying.¡¯


    When the war between the Alliance and the Yatan Church broke out, the Sakura Guild took this opportunity.


    "We will join the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s army and gain enough achievements in order to receive Cork Ind as a reward!¡±


    The Sakura Guild¡¯s n was sessful. The Sakura Guild participated in the war, gained high contributions and got a chance to receive something from the king. They hoped to be the owner of Cork Ind.


    But forces barred their way.


    It was the Silver Knights Guild, led by the 16th ranked Peak Sword. Most of the guild members, including Peak Sword, were Koreans, and they confronted the Sakura Guild because they wanted to ¡®stop the insane Japanese people who can¡¯t tell virtual reality apart from reality.¡¯


    The two guilds had simr contributions in the war, so the king couldn¡¯t easily determine the owner of the ind. Both guilds had to fight for a long time. In the end, the Silver Knights Guild won. The average power of the Sakura Guild was higher, but thanks to the sess of Peak Sword, the Silver Knights Guild could win the war and became the owner of Cork Ind.


    The sword and shield, which was the original symbol of the guild, changed to the three-legged raven four months ago. The Silver Knights Guild became one of therge guilds that represented Satisfy.


    Their next goal was the Hell Gao raid.


    ¡®We can grow much faster if we clear the Hell Gao raid. We can nurture Korean rankers based on items dropped by Hell Gao.¡¯


    Despite the request of the South Korean government and Yura, he didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition this year. Peak Sword was more familiar than anyone else that South Korea couldn¡¯t obtain a good ranking in thepetition, even if he participated.


    ¡®But it will be different starting from next year.¡¯


    He would foster Korean rankers and regain Korea¡¯s reputation as powerhouses in games! After the extreme patriotism war with the Sakura Guild, Peak Sword resumed the Hell Gao raid that he had already failed five times.


    "Over the past month, we have be stronger and invested our money wisely. Now we will surely be able to take Hell Gao. Have courage and let¡¯s defeat Hell Gao!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    The 4th floor of Cork Ind¡¯s dungeon.


    It was 10 minutes until Hell Gao emerged. He encouraged the morale of the 200 elite guild members, but this morale wasn¡¯t maintained for long.


    Five minutester.


    Hell Gao¡¯s emergence was near, so tension and anxiety started to appear on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Four minutes left!¡±


    They clearly remembered Hell Gao¡¯s strength. Could they really beat that monster? They couldn¡¯t help questioning.


    ¡°Three minutes left!¡±


    After three minutes, Hell Gao would appear and this ce would turn into a sea of fire. Some of them would die just due to the mes.


    ¡°Two minutes left!¡±


    A hot heat started to slowly fill the room.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Peak Sword wanted to encourage everyone, but he was afraid. He was clearly reminded of the overwhelming appearance of Hell Gao, who was shrouded in mes and wielded a staff.


    ¡®Are we stillcking the power to defeat him?¡¯


    It might be different if the power of the top 10 rankers were added, but he couldn¡¯t help thinking that this expedition would fail with their current strength. However, the guild¡¯s best ranker couldn¡¯t show his weakness, so Peak Sword endured it.


    ¡®Do it. We can do it. We are strong!¡¯


    Peak Sword steadied his heart and took various buffing potions, with the others following him. It was at that moment.


    "One minute left... Eh? Intruder! There is an intruder!!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    All of the guild members¡¯ eyes headed towards the entrance. A young man had entered. It was unusual because he was covered by a cloak, with no armor or weapons visible.


    ¡®Did he break through the defensive troops downstairs?¡¯


    Was it a highly trained assassin? No. An assassin wouldn¡¯t openly reveal themselves in a ce like this.


    ¡®Grid?¡¯


    Peak Sword pondered on the name above the head of the ck haired youth. However, no matter how much he looked through his memory, it was an unfamiliar name.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a ranker?¡¯


    Peak Sword nced at hispanions, but they all shook their heads.


    ¡®A non-rankering all the way here. Pathetic.¡¯


    Peak Sword came to this conclusion and warned the youth with a frown.


    "This is an area controlled by the Silver Knights Guild. I don¡¯t know how you managed to reach this point but if you don¡¯t want to die, go back.¡±


    "My stealth suddenly disappeared. Was it because I was detected by Hell Gao?¡±


    The young man ignored Peak Sword¡¯s warning and threw off his cloak while talking to himself.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    There were exmations from every direction. The appearance of the armor rapidly being equipped on the body of the youth was quite cool. It was an elegant blend of red, ck and gold. The particrly unique point was the one meter long tail that stretched from the vicinity of the tailbone. It was sharp like a de, and amazingly moving on its own.


    ¡°W-What, that armor?¡¯


    "It¡¯s terrific... Unique grade?¡±


    It was the first time they had seen such armor, so the guild members struggled to hide their interest. Peak Sword raised his voice, ¡°That isn¡¯t important right now! Why aren¡¯t you throwing him out right now?¡±


    Hell Gao would soon appear. Then no one would be able to escape from the dungeon. They had to deal with the outsider before that. The moment that the guild members interested in the armor tried to carry out Peak Sword¡¯s order,


    Kuwooooh!


    [Hell Gao, the owner of Hellfire has appeared.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s roar has applied fear, chaos and debilitating effects.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s fire reduces heat resistance by 50%.]


    [Fire pirs have risen to cover you.]


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    "Hiiik!¡±


    Due to the silent mes that surrounded the whole area, half of the guild members fell into a dying state, or were burned to the point where they couldn¡¯t even be recognized. Barely half of the people standing were able to hang on. Peak Sword was surprised at the notification window that popped up.


    ¡®I raised my fire resistance to 86%, but to still receive this degree of damage...!¡¯


    They would fail again. As Peak Sword was feeling despair, he suddenly doubted his eyes. The unknown young man with the ID of Grid. While the others were surrounded by mes, he alone was moving forward. He moved freely like he wasn¡¯t affected.


    "H-how...? Heok?¡±


    Peak Sword fell silent as he witnessed a ridiculous scene. As Hell Gao ran amok and ughtered the guild members, the young man pulled out a pickaxe. Then he headed to the wall and started swinging the pickaxe?


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    The young man swung it with good form andined as he wiped off the sweat.


    ¡°Ugh, hot! Isn¡¯t thebor getting worse? Why does this mineral only appear when the boss mob is present? Based on this, I might have to visit a dragon¡¯sir with my pickaxe!¡±


    At that moment, a hot wind emerged from the staff that Hell Gao waved and hit the young man. Peak Sword expected the young man to receive huge damage and copse. But unbelievably, the young man only suffered minor injuries.


    ¡¯A huge defense power...! A guardian knight?¡¯


    "Excuse me, Mister.¡± The youth stopped his pickaxe for the first time and turned his attention to Peak Sword. Then he said with an irate expression. "Why are you just standing there nkly? It¡¯s hot, but it will just get hotter.¡±


    What was he seeing now?


    Peak Sword btedly regained his spirit and asked, "How can you be fine?¡±


    The young man replied like it was obvious.


    ¡°It¡¯s the item effect.¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The tail on the young man¡¯s armor moved by itself and fought against Hell Gao¡¯s staff. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t close his mouth as he gaped at the sight.


    ¡®W-what is this...?¡¯


    He btedly recalled that there were a few high level users who didn¡¯t register their names in the rankings. They liked to y the game like hermits in a martial arts movie.


    ¡®Is he one of those people?¡¯


    While Peak Sword was feeling suspicious, Grid couldn¡¯t focus on his pickaxe anymore because of Hell Gao and opened his inventory. Then he pulled out the +8 Dainsleif.


    ¡°Hey, you monster. I don¡¯t want to fight you, so don¡¯t bother me and go away.¡±


    Over the past four months, Grid had repeatedly disassembled, reassembled and repaired Dainsleif dozens of times, raising his understanding to 90%. He held the pickaxe in his left hand and wielded Dainsleif with his right hand.


    Kwang!


    Hell Gao defended against the attack, but he was pushed back a few steps. The mes grew bigger and he seemed to be at a loss. The members of the Silver Knights Guild, including Peak Sword, were speechless.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    ¡®Hell Gao, who didn¡¯t move when the top three damage dealers of the guild attacked simultaneously...¡¯


    ¡®Pushing him back with one shot?¡¯


    ¡®What is that attack power?¡¯


    ¡®What is that tail that defended against Hell Gao¡¯s attack?¡¯


    ¡®Why is he still holding the pickaxe...?¡¯


    It was an unbelievable and monstrous sight. The Silver Knights Guild, included Peak Sword, were confused at the sight of Grid.


    ¡®I thought he was a tanker because of his high defense, but his attack power is actually higher?¡¯


    There were several sses with excellent bnce. But bnce-type sses had a chronic problem. It was that they didn¡¯t excel in anything. However, both Grid¡¯s attack power and defense were unreasonable.


    ¡®He must have a hidden ss. In addition...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s words revolved around Peak Sword¡¯s head. Item effect. Item effect. Item effect... Item...


    ¡®...It really is the power of his items.¡¯


    In Satisfy, items could be enhanced up to +10.


    However, the price of the enhancement stones was expensive, and the higher the enhancement value, the lower the probability of the enhancement seeding.


    In addition, if the enhancement was sessful, the enhancement value would be +1. But if it failed, it would be -3, so the chances of ordinary users owning high enhanced equipment was like picking stars from the sky. Most rankers were using +7 items, while the +8 or higher items were for the rich or fortunate.


    However, Peak Sword btedly realized that Grid¡¯s sword was surrounded by a deep orange light that was like the sunset. It was a +8 enhanced item.


    ¡®So he is a high level hidden ss, rich, and lucky?¡¯


    Grid frowned at Peak Sword¡¯s expression.


    "...What is your expression?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that a big shot came here. Peak Sword was rmed and started to feel doubts.


    ¡°You look like a Chinese or Japanese person. Did the Sakura Guild send you?¡±


    Grid had the typical appearance of a Northeast Asian. Korea and Mongolia were countries weak in Satisfy, he judged that a bigshot couldn¡¯t be hiding among the Koreans or Mongols. Therefore, this person must be Chinese or Japanese. But the answer that came back was amazing.


    "Sakura Guild? I didn¡¯t even know there was such a guild. Above all, I am South Korean.¡±


    "South Korean?¡±


    The guild members started murmuring.


    "There is such an amazing person among the Koreans...¡±


    ¡°Apart from Yura and Peak Sword hyung-nim... South Korea has another prominent figure."


    "Kya~~! As expected from South Korea!¡±


    Most of the members of the Silver Knights Guild were patriotic. They were the type of people who always asked ¡®Do you know Kimchi?¡¯ when they met foreigners. So they were d to hear that Grid was Korean.


    ¡°We are Koreans like you!¡±


    ¡°I realized it while watching you! The Korean¡¯s game DNA is still great!¡±


    ¡°I am proud that a great person like you is a Korean citizen like us!¡±


    "Quiet!¡± Peak Sword calmed down his excited guild members and red at Grid. "If you aren¡¯tmissioned by the Sakura Guild, why did youe to disturb us?¡±


    ¡°Disturb?¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Grid was shaken as he drew Hell Gao¡¯s aggro.


    ¡°Disturb? Is what I did a disturbance? Rather, I helped you.¡±


    ¡°What help? You barged in on another person¡¯s raid!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid felt angry at Peak Sword¡¯s words. Then he threw down his pickaxe and grabbed Dainsleif with both hands.


    ¡°Ridiculous humans! I will burn you to the soul!¡±


    Hell Gao waved his staff while shouting and a heat storm struck. Grid started dancing.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...¡¯


    ¡°Be ashes!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The materials in the area were melted and a hot wind blew over Grid. Then Grid¡¯s dance finished.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was truly an overwhelming sight. The big sword was surrounded by red and ck and pierced Hell Gao¡¯s heart with a huge momentum.


    ¡°Kuheok...!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t one person who failed to notice that Hell Gao¡¯s face shrouded in mes was disturbed for a moment.


    Hell Gao fell down and scattered blood likeva, while Grid spoke to the astonished Peak Sword. "I¡¯m sorry that I barged in on your raid but honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for me, wouldn¡¯t you guys be dead to that monster by now? The only reason I got involved was because that annoying bastard attacked me first. I didn¡¯t actually do anything?¡±


    His words weren¡¯t wrong. But that didn¡¯t mean Grid¡¯s behavior could be rationalized.


    "I acknowledge that part. But the fact that you intruded doesn¡¯t change. How can we proceed with the raid while you are watching? Would you be able to if you were us? What if you hit our backs while we are in the middle of the fight?¡±


    Grid snorted. "If I wanted to hit your backs, I would¡¯ve done it earlier. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    That¡¯s right. The guild was in trouble when Hell Gao appeared. But Grid was fine. At that time, the guild would¡¯ve met a disaster if Grid had attacked.


    ¡°U-Um...¡±


    It was evidence that Grid wasn¡¯t an enemy. However, he was still disturbing. Grid hadpletely stabbed a wedge of doubt in Peak Sword.


    "In the first ce, I didn¡¯te here for that monster. Fire stones.¡± Then Grid ced Dainsleif back in his inventory. Then he picked up the pickaxe and headed towards a firestone again. ¡°I have no intention of interfering, so please ignore me and go on with the raid.¡±


    "..."


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Peak Sword no longer felt motivation as he looked at Grid.


    ¡¯...He isn¡¯t an opponent that can be overpowered, so let¡¯s ignore him.¡¯


    They could deal with this when it was over. Peak Sword ignored Grid and started concentrating on the raid. Then the guild members quickly surrounded Hell Gao, who was on the ground. Grid nced at them and clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Do you really think you can raid that monster? It¡¯s useless.¡¯


    The current Grid couldn¡¯t measure Hell Gao¡¯sbat strength.


    ¡¯That monstrous bastard, he was hit by Kill and didn¡¯t even lose one-tenth of his life.¡¯


    Hell Gao was a monster that Muller couldn¡¯t seal perfectly, and he was very strong. Grid spected that he was a boss monster several degrees stronger than the Awakened Guardian of the Forest.


    ¡®He is a monster that I can¡¯t win against, even if I take advantage of my invincible passive. It¡¯s better to avoid him.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s judgment was correct.


    Most users didn¡¯t know the details of the demon-rted episodes yet, but Hellfire¡¯s Master Hell Gao was the 9th strongest among the 33 great demons of Hell and had members of the demonkin like Bk as subordinates. It wasn¡¯t good to associate with him.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid¡¯s pickaxe speed elerated. He nned to use the time while the Silver Knights Guild was striking Hell Gao to mine the fire stones. That behavior was the problem. What was the reason why the fire stones always appeared with Hell Gao?


    It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The fire stones were the source of Hell Gao¡¯s power. Hell Gao needed the help of the fire stones to appear in the human world. A human kept trying to mine it, so Hell Gao couldn¡¯t leave it alone.


    ¡°This damn human!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Hell Gao released a ck fire that burned the Silver Knights Guild and headed towards Grid.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The pavranium moved to protect Grid. However, it was impossible topletely block Hell Gao¡¯s attack with the present pavranium, which was attached to the armor and restricted in action.


    Grid experienced a sh of heat every time the staff was wielded.


    [You have suffered 2,930 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,190 damage.]


    ¡®How rotten... I¡¯ve raised my fire resistance, but I¡¯ve still received this much damage.¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid took a potion to restore his health and quickened the pace of his pickaxe. He tried to ignore the attacking Hell Gao behind him.


    ¡®Just a bit more...!¡¯


    Five more swings would be enough to obtain one fire stone. Grid patiently relied on only pavranium to defend and Hell Gao¡¯s anger reached the peak.


    "Stop right now!¡±


    Kwaang!


    Hell Gao¡¯s body was covered with me mes, increasing the heat.


    Kaang!


    Hell Gao¡¯s attack power became stronger. The pavranium was hit by it and temporarily stiffened.


    ¡®This is bad...!¡¯


    Hell Gao¡¯s staff aimed at Grid¡¯s side just as there were three swings left to obtain the fire stone. Grid tried to defend with a shield but it was already toote. At that moment, Peak Sword came forward.


    "Draw Sword, string.¡±


    Peak Sword stood 2m behind Hell Gao. He pulled out the sword at his waist so quickly that it was difficult to follow with the eyes. Then there was a sharp sh and blood spurted from Hell Gao¡¯s neck.


    "Kuooh!"


    Hell Gao¡¯s gaze angrily returned to Peak Sword.


    ¡°Insolent!¡±


    Hell Gao approached Peak Sword and waved his staff. Then Peak Sword ced his sword back in its sheath.


    ¡°Sheath Sword, breadth.¡±


    Kwaang!


    Just before Hell Gao¡¯s staff fell towards Peak Sword. A powerful wave of sword energy exploded around Peak Sword, causing Hell Gao to retreat. Peak Sword spoke to Grid with a grim expression.


    ¡°You are Korean and helped us once. With this, the debt is paid.¡±


    Subsequently, the Silver Knights Guild started their onught.


    "Die, you monster!¡±


    "This time we¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The Silver Knights were a highly trained guild. The qigong masters suppressed Hell Gao¡¯s heat, while the damage dealers attacked Hell Gao without getting injured. It was a pincer attack they could unfold due to the experience challenging Hell Gao, but the problem was that Hell Gao was too strong.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t even itch!¡±


    Hell Gao ridiculed beforeunching mes in every direction. It was the inevitable fire AOE magic. In order to suppress the force of this, the qigong masters controlled the mana in the air while the magicians built water barriers. The momentum of the mes wasn¡¯t suppressed at all and directly evaporated all the water at the water barriers.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    This caused hot steam to ur. Peak Sword and the knights defended with their weapons or shields, while the qigong masters and magicians used magic. However, everyone except for Peak Sword turned into grey light.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Sword Peak realized it the moment he received more than 100 messages about his guild members¡¯ deaths.


    ¡®This is impossible.¡¯


    The Hell Gao raid? It was a pipe dream. He had been confident about the guild¡¯s power over thest month, but they were just pests in front of Hell Gao.


    ¡®It was my mistake for not urately measuring Hell Gao¡¯s strength...¡¯


    He felt sorry for the guild members wiped out because of their foolish master. It was the moment that Peak Sword lost hope in his dream of fostering enough Korean rankers to y a role in next years National Competition.


    He flopped down.


    ¡°Kukukuk.¡±


    Hell Gao emitted a hot breath as heughed and approached. He aimed his staff at Peak Sword who lost all his men and all hope. At that moment.


    Kaaang!


    [A fire stone has been acquired.]


    Grid finally obtained a fire stone. At the same time, the ck mes around Hell Gao¡¯s body noticeably weakened.


    And.


    Ttaak!


    [You have suffered 4,200 damage.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Peak Sword survived despite being hit by the staff. Both Peak Sword and Hell Gao were shocked.


    ¡®Weaker?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an illusion. Hell Gao had rapidly weakened. An awkward atmosphere flowed.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    20 blue and white energy des flew and hit Hell Gao.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Blood spurted in every direction like boilingva. Hell Gao let out a terrible scream of pain. Then he bted discovered the fire stone held in Grid¡¯s hand.


    "You dare...! I will kill you!¡±


    Pisik.


    ¡°Can you do it?"


    Gridughed before squeezing the blue sword that was reminiscent of a predator of the sea.


    Peak Sword was surprised twice.


    The first reason was that he figured out Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant who appeared in the battle of Bairan several months ago. The second reason for his surprise was the white light around the blue greatsword.


    ¡°A +9 item?¡±


    ¡°Take this pickaxe.¡± Grid threw his pickaxe towards Peak Sword, whose mouth was gaping open. Then he exined to the puzzled Peak Sword. ¡°Hell Gao¡¯s weakness is the fire stone. The more fire stones that are collected, the weaker he will be. So collect the fire stones while I block him.¡±


    This was it. Peak Sword¡¯s expression darkened, "I understand what you¡¯re saying. But I didn¡¯t acquire the mining skill. It will be hard for me...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Anyone can mine with that pickaxe.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid spoke confidently. Peak Sword was curious and checked the details of the pickaxe.


    [Fantastic Pickaxe]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 155/219 Attack Power: 107


    * The chances of acquiring advanced minerals will increase by 10%.


    * The chances of acquiring the highest grade minerals will increase by 5%.


    * The skill ¡®Intermediate Mining Technique¡¯ Lv. 3 will be generated.


    A pickaxe made by the legendary cksmith G.


    With this pickaxe, even a five year old child can collect high quality iron ore.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 45


    "..."


    "Why are you just watching?¡±


    Hell Gao wasn¡¯t a fool. He couldn¡¯t let the humans touch the fire stones anymore, so he tried to get rid of the injured Peak Sword first. However, Grid wouldn¡¯t quietly let him do that. He detached the pavranium from his armor and aimed at Hell Gao¡¯s head with his fingers.


    "Go."


    Chwachwachwachwachwachwa!


    Thebined pavranium separated into seven de-like shapes. Then they spread out and attacked Hell Gao from different angles.


    "Kuooh!¡±


    Hell Gao missed Peak Sword. He lifted his staff and resisted the seven des, but they couldn¡¯t be destroyed no matter what.


    ¡®No, what is this...¡¯


    Peak Sword thought it was absurd. It felt like a feast of items kept appearing.


    Item effect.


    The words Grid said when he first appeared popped into Peak Sword¡¯s head. Then Grid prompted him, ¡°What are you doing? Go and mine the fire stones.¡±


    ¡°Ah, y-yes... That... Yes...¡±


    The 16th ranked Peak Sword, it was the first time he challenged mining since starting Satisfy. And it was the day that Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, met the strongest enemy after the great sword saint Muller.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    Syuok!Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    The seven golden des simultaneously aimed at his eyes, cheeks, head and chin. The speed was equivalent to Memphis, who was the fastest in hell, so the demonkin would be unable to react.


    But Hell Gao was one of the 33 great demons, so he didn¡¯t think of it as a threat.


    ¡¯The human might be skilled at throwing, but this is just at the level of a pest.¡¯


    He drew a small circle with his staff.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    The seven des didn¡¯t reach the target and scattered all over the ce. However, they didn¡¯t fall towards the ground. Instead, they flew up again and attacked Hell Gao.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Hell Gao was amazed. He thought the seven golden des had been thrown by the human in red armor, but they were moving by themselves?


    Kaang!Kakakang!


    The golden des that continued flying at Hell Gao were annoying. He decided to destroy them and firmly hit one with his staff. However, the de was fine and didn¡¯t even get one scratch. It stiffened for a while before moving again.


    ¡®Outstanding durability. Is it adamantium? But why are they moving on their own?¡¯


    Fast and solid gold des! They weren¡¯t controlled by magic, so how did they move by themselves? They didn¡¯t tire, and gave Hell Gao a feeling of pressure.


    In the end.


    "Get lost!¡±


    Hell Gao released hot wind all over the ce. The golden des were pushed by the wind pressure and could no longer approach him.


    "Come back."


    The human in red armor watched from a distance and gave them orders. Then the golden des flew to him and started to rotate around him.


    ¡®What a bizarre artifact.¡¯


    Hell Gao opened his mouth.


    "I never dreamed in my thousands of years of existence that I would have a question for a human. Those des, what are they? They have a durabilityparable to the god mineral adamantium and they move by themselves? Why is an ordinary human carrying something like this?¡±


    ¡°Ordinary human?¡± The human in red armor, Grid, grinned at him. ¡°You still think I¡¯m ordinary?¡±


    "What?" Hell Gao spoke cynically. "Kukuk! You only barely managed to wound this trash body! So what, you think that you are special?¡±


    Hell Gao was the 9th strongest of the 33 great demons, but this was only applicable to hell. After being sealed by Sword Saint Muller 150 years ago, he had to borrow the body of a demonkin every time he appeared in the human world.


    In other words, Hell Gao¡¯s current body wasn¡¯t originally his and he couldn¡¯t exert his true strength. Grid was arrogant just because he managed to damage Hell Gao a little bit, so Hell Gao couldn¡¯t help snorting.


    "I know that you are a fairly strong human. But you aren¡¯t particrly special.¡± The ck mes around Hell Gao¡¯s body shed. ¡°I only recognize the man called Muller. You¡¯re just a trivial existence who can¡¯t even reach Muller¡¯s toes."


    Grid remarked, ¡°Ah, Sword Saint Muller? Wasn¡¯t he the one who turned your body into a rag in the past?¡±


    Hell Gao¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    "What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    The smiling Grid kindly exined to him. "I am in the same ss as Muller. It¡¯sughable that you can¡¯t see that. Well, today you will die again.¡±


    Hell Gao thought it was so absurd that it was funny.


    "Kuhahahaha! This crazy person is talking nonsense!¡±


    Sword Saint Muller was such a great figure that he broke Hell Gao¡¯smon sense, who had lived for thousands of years. He was a mortal who transcended a great demon. His swordsmanship was enough to cut through the mes of hell, making them look like sheep.


    Inparison, Grid was just in. Grid was stronger than a normal human, but he was no match for Muller.


    ¡°A person who puts himself in the same ss as Muller, he really doesn¡¯t understand... Huh?¡±


    Hell Gao stoppedughing as his gaze turned to a corner of the dungeon. Thanks to the golden des, he had missed the other human. That human was aiming the pickaxe at a fire stone. It was Peak Sword. The 16th ranked Peak Sword, who was a fearful person to some and a target of respect for others, was challenging the act of mining for the first time.


    Hell Gao was furious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this pair!¡±


    He was able to bring four fire stones to the human world from hell. He lost a quarter of his magic power when one of them was taken. He couldn¡¯t allow another fire stone to be mined.


    Kuooooh!


    Hell Gao ran while the dark mes wrapped around his body like a cloak. His target was naturally Peak Sword. He wanted to smash Peak Sword¡¯s head and destroy that pickaxe. But his path was blocked by Grid.


    ¡°Where are you going during our conversation?¡±


    Grid attacked while talking.


    Chaaeng!


    Hell Gao¡¯s arms shook after he defended against the blue greatsword with his staff.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just that I¡¯m weaker. He has grown stronger.¡¯


    Grid spoke to the somewhat shaken Hell Gao. "Of course, my current skills aren¡¯t even one-hundredth of Sword Saint Muller¡¯s skills. But it isn¡¯t a lie that I am in the same ss as him. I am also a legend.¡±


    ¡°Legend?¡±


    Hell Gao spoke in a confused voice. Grid wielded a master weapon that had been enhanced to +9, and his utilization of it was already at 100% after several months of experience.


    Jjang!Jjejejeok!Jjejeong!


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship (Lv.2) increased physical attacks by 30%, critical hit rate by 20% and critical damage by 10%. The power of the +9 Failurebined with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was truly beyond imagination! Grid¡¯s power brought confusion to Hell Gao.


    ¡¯This guy, the attack power in one blow...!¡¯


    Kwang!


    "Kkuk!¡±


    Hell Gao defended against the attack with his staff, and eventually threw up. A red light shone in the ck mes and Grid grinned, revealing his white teeth.


    ¡°Can you feel it? This is strong enough to fill up the difference in abilities.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Hell Gao finally felt rmed. The man in front of him, he wasn¡¯t a master of swordsmanship like Muller was. Hisprehensive physical abilities were far below Muller¡¯s.


    But.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    Why was he so strong? Hell Gao¡¯s suspicious gaze was fixed on Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s that greatsword.¡¯


    He had lived for thousands of years, but he had never seen a weapon like this blue greatsword. Hell Gao trembled. The golden des that moved by themselves and this powerful greatsword, how did the man in front of him gobble up such powerful items?


    ¡®Does this person have the treasures of the gods?¡¯


    Hell Gao could no longer take it easy and needed to fight with all his strength. Hell Gao made a decision and shot out hellfire.


    Peeng!


    The mes that wouldn¡¯t fade away once they started burning hit Grid. Hell Gao confirmed that Grid¡¯s chest was burning and burst outughing.


    ¡°Kuhahaha! It¡¯s useless even if you jump into the sea right now. Once the hellfire has started burning, it won¡¯t fade away until the target has been turned to ashes!¡±


    Hell Gao didn¡¯t doubt that Grid would be ashes within seconds. However...


    ¡°It turned off?¡±


    Grid waved a few times and the hellfire was extinguished.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    How did you turn off hellfire like it was a match fire? It was the moment when Hell Gao¡¯smon sense that ¡®hellfire will never go out¡¯ was broken in his thousands of years of living. Yes, thest time hismon sense was broken was when he met Muller 150 years ago.


    ¡¯It isn¡¯t a lie that he is in the same ss as Muller...!¡¯


    Hell Gao felt a chill and reflexively took a step back.


    [You have suffered 4,800 damage.]


    [The ck fires of hell have attached to your body. The mes won¡¯t turn off until your body is turned to ashes.]


    [You will receive 2,000 burn damage per second until death.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid felt pleasure as he confirmed the warning windows and started a dance. White light moved around the blue greatsword, like a shark swimming in the sea.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.¡±


    The muscles that squeezed during the dance were released at once. At the same time, the greatsword moved explosively. 17 blue and white energy des sped through the air at a terrible speed beforepressing the air.


    "..."


    It was quiet.


    Kaaang!


    Only the sound of Peak Sword swinging the pickaxe was heard. Hell Gao had doubts.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Perhaps it was a vain attack? And.


    Susuk.


    The 17 strands of energy were drawn around Hell Gao¡¯s body. This was followed by 17 sharp waves.


    Pipit!Pipipipipit!


    The air that waspressed simultaneously exploded. At the same time, 17 wounds appeared on Hell Gao¡¯s body.


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Hell Gao btedly screamed. It wasn¡¯t a missed attack. This was the true dignity of the sword of light, Link. It was the moment that Grid, who raised his stats and level to 246 during the past four months, perfectly reproduced one of Pagma¡¯s sword techniques.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I am also a legend.¡±


    Grid was even more impressed.


    ¡°T-This guy...!¡±


    Hell Gao¡¯s body started wobbling. Before the fire stone was collected and Hell Gao was in perfect condition, a fatal strike barely decreased his health. Now he lost more than a tenth of his health the moment he was hit by Link.


    Grid was convinced.


    ¡®It is enough to fight.¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    The sound of Peak Sword¡¯s pickaxe was heard non-stop from the rear and Grid felt more courageous. Then from a corner of his field of view, Hell Gao¡¯s staff came flying.


    Peeok!


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 7,930 damage.]


    ¡°...Kuk!¡±


    Grid was perfectly hit by the staff that moved between the rotating golden des. Hell Gao shouted while chanting a spell.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t Muller!¡±


    That¡¯s right. He wasn¡¯t Sword Saint Muller. One strike from his sword had caused Hell Gao¡¯s limbs to fall off. It was true that Grid¡¯s weapons covered his deficiency, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that he was veryckingpared to Muller.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    The seven golden des moved briskly to contain Hell Gao, while protecting Grid at the same time. But Hell Gao was inpletebat mode and was very fast and powerful.


    Jjejeong!


    The golden des that Hell Gao struck were stuck in ce for two seconds and then,


    Peeok!


    Hell Gao¡¯s staff moved flexibly, avoiding the other golden des and striking Grid¡¯s abdomen.


    [You have suffered 3,550 damage.]


    ¡®Damn! It hurts!¡¯


    All of Grid¡¯s armor had been enhanced to +6. He had to spend a tremendous amount to enhance Failure up to +9, so he had to be satisfied with this much for his armor. But after many tests, he thought that his current defense was enough.


    A month ago, he had faced the Awakened Guardian of the Forest and found his defense quite bearable. However, Hell Gao¡¯s attack power was too strong.


    ¡®This is after he was weakened by having the fire stone mined...!¡¯


    Peeok!Peeeeok!


    [You have suffered 3,590 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,480 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 7,700 damage.]


    The chances of a critical hit were tremendous high. There was one critical hit in every three blows. Hell Gao¡¯s basic damage was also tremendous. His crazed behavior restrained Grid¡¯s actions. Grid barely survived with one-third of his health and fought back with Failure.


    Kwang!


    Grid used the repulsive force generated by the collision with the staff to open a distance, then he used a skill.


    ¡°Wave!¡±


    A blue and white wave spread out around him.


    [You have dealt 18,500 damage to the target.]


    [The target¡¯s attack speed has reduced.]


    Hesitation.


    Hell Gao¡¯s overwhelming momentum that Grid couldn¡¯t ovee was noticeably reduced. Grid counterattacked a few times during this gap while shouting to Peak Sword.


    ¡°No, this damn guy! You still haven¡¯t mined one fire stone?¡±


    Peak Sword was frustrated, "I told you that it is my first time mining! I don¡¯t know the tricks!¡±


    "Ah, it¡¯s frustrating!¡±


    "..."


    Hell Gao was the master of hellfire, while Grid was the first legendary ss. There was such arge difference between Peak Sword and them, and he was frustrated at not proving his reputation as 16th on the unified rankings.


    Grid exined to Peak Sword. "Take a good look around the fire stones! There is a part around the root where the ground will be weak, attack that ce...!¡±


    "Shut up.¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Hundreds of spheres of hellfire flew. Grid took out the Divine Shield and defended with it and the golden des.


    Teook!


    Hell Gao struck the ground with his staff. He leapt using the rebound andnded over Grid¡¯s shoulder.


    Puuok!


    The golden knives mercilessly stabbed Hell Gao. But he couldn¡¯t stop Hell Gao¡¯s actions. Hell Gao grabbed Grid¡¯s head with both hands and shouted.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t burn then I will crush you!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Peeng!


    ck mes emanated from both of Hell Gao¡¯s hands and swirled crazily.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡±


    Even a rock would quickly be turned to sand from this heat, let alone Grid! Hell Gaoughed as he anticipated flesh and brains to stter everywhere. He didn¡¯t see it. Grid pulled out a blue ring and put it on his finger.


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...! Huh?¡±


    The voice of the man who should¡¯ve died was heard perfectly. As Hell Gao was surprised, Grid used cksmith¡¯s Rage and cut off both of Hell Gao¡¯s hands with the +9 failure.


    [Critical!]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ to be generated.]


    Seokeok!


    [You have dealt 46,940 damage to the target.]


    [You have cut both wrists of Hell Gao, the master of hellfire. Hell Gao¡¯s actions will be limited and his attack power and attack speed will be greatly reduced.]


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Hell Gao¡¯s terrible screams echoed in the wide dungeon.


    Grid smiled wickedly.


    ¡°This is the second round.¡±


    Grid had umted a lot ofbat experience and he learned how to take advantage of Doran¡¯s Ring. For example, he would wear the ring when the enemy used a powerful skill.


    This maximized the effect of Doran¡¯s Ring and the Holy Light Armor. On the other hand, Hell Gao¡¯s health was reduced by three-tenths after Grid consecutively used Kill, Transcended Link, Link and Wave.


    Then just in time.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Yes! Sess! I gathered a fire stone!¡±


    Peak Sword, who had been ying Satisfy for a year and a half, felt the pleasure of mining for the first time.


    ¡°Kuk...! You guys...!¡±


    The ck mes around Hell Gao¡¯s body lost more momentum. Grid didn¡¯t doubt it. The second round would be a KO win.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    Kaaang!


    [A fire stone has been acquired.]


    While Grid was struggling with Hao Gao, Peak Sword sessfully managed to mine the fire stone.


    ¡®I did it!¡¯


    The red stone that clung deeply to the ground emerged, causing Peak Sword to feel a tremendous joy. It was like managing to pull out a fat lump umted in his nose for many years! Was it like pulling out the roots?


    ¡°Yes! Sess! I gathered a fire stone!¡±


    He yed Satisfy for a year and a half, endured all types of trials, gained experience and earned the 16th rank on the unified rankings. He was able to raise his level through hunting, raiding a powerful boss or fighting against hostile forces. Now his eyes were opened to a new way of enjoying the game.


    ¡®I felt so much pleasure the moment I extracted a mineral. Should I learn the mining skill?¡¯


    Peak Sword felt a serious sense of aplishment and waved the fire stone at Grid.


    ¡°How about it? Didn¡¯t I do well?¡±


    Grid raised his thumb from where he was confronting Hell Gao. "Well done.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    It was amazing. He felt good about receiving praise from that guy. Peak Sword wasughing when he suddenly frowned.


    ¡®No? What am I doing right now?¡¯


    He was 16th in the unified rankings and the master of the Silver Knights Guild, yet he was wagging his tail like a dog for someone at least 10 years younger than him?


    ¡®Wake up.¡¯


    He became more excited than necessary after realizing that the first legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant, was a Korean. Peak Sword calmed his heart and watched Grid and Hell Gao. Grid looked rtively fine, while Hell Gao was wounded. He even had both hands cut off.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    The monster who ughtered 200 Silver Knights members with an average level of 140 was being pushed back?


    ¡®The dignity of a legendary ss...¡¯


    He recalled the battle of Bairan, which caused an uproar in the world four months ago. One of the most powerful groups in Satisfy, the Tzedakah Guild, had been pushed on the defensive by the Yatan Church.


    At the time, Peak Sword and his guild members gathered in a pub and predicted that the Tzedakah Guild would be wiped out. The Yatan servants Neberius and Bk were overwhelmingly strong, and were also superior in numbers, so the Tzedakah Guild seemed to have no hope.


    Then a man suddenly appeared. He overturned the bnce by throwing armor to Vantner, a weapon to Toon, and using the skill ¡® Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship¡¯ against Neberius. Peak Sword felt his blood boil and the people filling the pub cheered in unison. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the whole world was buzzing at that moment.


    After the battle was over.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant might be armed with powerful items, but the public mocked him for having weak control. However, Peak Sword through differently. Pagma might be an excellent swordsman, but he was fundamentally a cksmith. It was right that Pagma¡¯s Descendant took advantage of his ss traits to arm himself with excellent items. He expressed his strength in a manner appropriate for him.


    And now.


    The Pagma¡¯s Descendant that he met was making good use of his ss characteristics. His armor and weapon were estimated to have a legendary rating, there were the fraudulent seven des that moved on their own, and the ring that seemed to have a recovery skill. His control skills were still bad, but thanks to the power of his items, he was strong enough to bepared to a ranker.


    But Hell Gao¡¯s strength was endless. He lost both hands, but he continued his onught against Grid. Peak Sword hurriedly swung his pickaxe again.


    ¡®Hurry. I still need to collect two fire stones.¡¯


    Grid was the new hope for South Korea, a country weak in Satisfy. Peak Sword wanted to help Grid in this raid. Grid grew so fast, that one day he would enthrall the Korean people. However, he still a lot of mountains to cross to reach that point.


    ¡°Begin the mining!"


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Peak Sword found a new fire stone and swung his pickaxe. At that moment, he was Peak Pickaxe, not Peak Sword.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m worried... Worried.¡±


    Bairan Vige Castle¡¯s resting room.


    The Tzedakah Guild¡¯s chief of staff, Toban, was anxious. The guild members who returned after hunting or work frowned at him.


    ¡°What happened? You have no spirit.¡±


    Toban, who was grabbing his head, carefully opened his mouth. "Grid went to mine fire stones...¡±


    ¡°What about Grid?¡±


    "...He told me to believe him twice.¡±


    The first time was before leaving for Cork Ind. Then there was one time after arriving at Cork Ind. He clearly said it two times.


    Kwaduduk!


    Toban broke his nail from worry. And the guild members were in great shock.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    ¡°He said to believe in him, twice?¡±


    "Huh, that¡¯s the worst.¡±


    It was after the Yatan¡¯s massive raid was prevented. Grid spend most of the four months afterwards making items, and produced a total of 142 items. Out of those 142 items, 25 were normal rated, 84 were rare, 30 were epic and 3 were unique.


    Was it simply bad luck, or the operator¡¯s agenda as Grid imed?


    In the early days of joining the guild, Grid had a rtively high probability of making high rated items and even produced two legendary items. However, he had been in a slump for thest four months.


    The items he produced had a 20% higher performance than normal items, so even the rare rated items were good, but the guild members couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. In particr, the guild members who received normal items shed tears of blood. A legendary cksmith ended up creating normal rated items? Their disappointment couldn¡¯t be expressed.


    Then they noticed something that Grid said every time he produced a normal rated item. It was ¡®Believe in me.¡¯ Grid said it every time he believed he would produce a legendary item. So when the guild members heard the words ¡®Believe in me,¡¯ they assumed the worst. In fact, it always produced the worst result whenever he said it.


    But he said it again this time...


    ¡°Believe in me...¡±


    Three fire stones were needed to produce the Fire Shield. Could Grid really collect three fire stones? It seemed like it might not happen. Toban was sad. His ominous feelings almost always came true.


    The other guild members also expressed disappointment.


    ¡°If he fails to make the Fire Shield... Should the Phoenix Raid be dyed for the next time?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the case. It is unlikely for the raid to seed if the main tanker can¡¯t hold on.¡±


    It was a solemn atmosphere. After being armed with Grid¡¯s equipment, they were strong enough to easily raid the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. Now it was possible to raid higher level boss monsters.


    ***


    The 4th floor of Cork Ind¡¯s dungeon.


    Jeurereuk.


    There was a steady stream of blood from Hell Gao¡¯s severed wrists.


    Chiik!


    There was smoke and an unpleasant smell as the blood touched the ground. Grid blocked his nose and suggested, ¡°Why is a bad smelling from your blood?¡±


    "Shut up!"


    Hell Gao¡¯s body was suddenly full of wounds. The body of an advanced demonkin was weaker than Hell Gao thought. In addition, the second fire stone was taken, so Hell Gao¡¯s magic power was weakening. More than half of the ck mes that symbolized his power had turned to jade.


    This was bad.


    ¡¯I am going to suffer a disgraceful loss to a human again...!¡¯


    He thought that only Sword Saint Muller was special. But Muller had died over 100 years ago, and now a special human had appeared again. As other demons said, the potential of the human species couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡®I will be ridiculed in hell if I lose to humans again.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t give up yet.


    ¡°I will surely kill you!¡±


    Hell Gao shouted and wielded his arms. Then he covered Grid with the blood pouring from his severed wrists.


    [You have suffered 1,850 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,790 damage.]


    ¡®Damage is inflicted just from a drop of blood? This damn monster!¡¯


    The confused Grid flinched while Hell Gao burned his wounds with his blood. Then he made an expression of enormous hatred.


    ¡°I will take your soul to hell and make you my ve forever!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    Hell Gao changed the way he fought. He used his staff as his primary weapon when he had both hands, and hellfire as a secondary attack. Now that he lost both hands, he could only fight as a magician,unching hot winds and hellfire.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid tried to avoid the mes. He wasn¡¯t able to easily approach Hell Gao. Hell Gao thought.


    ¡¯Yes, he¡¯s a swordsman, so I have the advantage when fighting at a distance.¡¯


    Hell Gao was two times weaker than when he first appeared. But by human standards, his magic power was still infinite. He kept generating hellfire at 0.3 second intervals and fired continuously, looking like aser gun that ran on sr energy.


    "Come and burn to ashes!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Three rays of fire that flew in a straight line! Grid was constrained by his air being obstructed and hurriedly tried to avoid it. Then the pavranium moved.


    Chwachwachwachwachwachwa!


    The seven des gathered in front of Grid and took the shape of a triangr shield.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The golden shield collided with the mes. The shield stiffened and fell to the ground, while the hot winds hit the body behind it. Hell Gao aimed at the heart of the floundering Grid and dered.


    ¡°You shall soon die.¡±


    Kwaaaang!


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,150 damage.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 8,870 damage.]


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Flop!


    Grid lying on the ground was hit. He was very confused.


    ¡¯I was sure the 2nd round would be a KO win after I cut off his hands. Rather, he was morefortable to deal with when swinging his staff.¡¯


    Hell Gao had certainly weakened since Peak Sword took the fire stone. The damage from hellfire had noticeably fallen. But he was still strong. His strength couldn¡¯t be measured.


    ¡®I have to narrow the distance...¡¯


    He could use Transcend to attack from a distance. But unfortunately, Transcend onlysted for 30 seconds. He had to save this means of attack as a trump card, so it was better to approach and attack.


    However, Hell Gao controlled the hot wind while simultaneouslyunching the hellfire, so a method to narrow the distance didn¡¯t easily appear.


    Hwaruruk!


    The wounded Grid was unable to properly control his body and fire spheres appeared around Hell Gao. Hell Gaopleted 30 spheres in sh and burst outughing.


    "Kuahahaha! This is the end!"


    Pepepepeong!


    The 30 spheres simultaneously attacked from different orbits. It was practically impossible to defend against all the fire spheres with only seven des.


    ¡¯I have to take some damage.¡¯


    Grid judged and threw three darts from his belt.


    Pepepeng!


    A fog spread out in the spot where Grid was standing. Then the 30 spheres hit the fog and exploded in unison.


    Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Peak Pickaxe who was swinging his pickaxe in the corner... No, Peak Sword, fell down. It was because a huge explosion shook the dungeon. Peak Sword turned in the direction of Grid and his expression hardened.


    The fog cleared and revealed the point of explosion. Grid couldn¡¯t be seen at all.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡±


    Had he turned into a grey light after suffering from that attack?


    ¡°This can¡¯t be...!¡±


    Peak Sword was frustrated. Hell Gao was delighted andughed like crazy.


    ¡°Kuahahaha! That cockroach like man has finally been turned into ashes!¡±


    Human flesh was weak, and couldn¡¯t be unharmed after being bombarded with 30 hellfire spheres. Grid was armed with excellent armor and received the protection of the golden des, but there was a limit. Hell Gao was convinced that Grid had died.


    However...


    ¡°...What!?¡±


    Theughing Hell Gao suddenly looked back. The center of the dungeon. Hell Gao was the only one standing there after Grid became ashes.


    ¡°...Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid pulled down the zip of his Hooded Zip Up and slowly appeared. Hatred and killing intent towards Hell Gao, one of the 33 great demons of hell, circled around the blue greatsword.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Puoook!


    Arge wound was carved on Hell Gao¡¯s false body.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    Exactly 24 seconds ago.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Grid stiffened as he saw Hell Gao create dozens of ck spheres in an instant. Could he withstand the huge bombardment of spheres that did 3,700~4,200 damage each?


    ¡®29, 30... Surely he doesn¡¯t intend to throw them all at once?¡¯


    The mes shot by Hell Gao were fast and explosive. If 30 spheres were fired at once, it was almost impossible for Grid topletely defend or avoid them.


    ¡®In the worst case, I might need to rely on my invincible passive.¡¯


    He thought realistically and changed his mind about concentrating on defense.


    ¡®I heard that a crisis is an opportunity.¡¯


    Pepepepeng!


    Grid concentrated on the 30 fireballs. He saw a face that was a mixture between a monster and a male human face. A thick smile could be seen on Hell Gao¡¯s bizarre face beyond the mes.


    ¡®That monster, he will be off guard because he¡¯s certain that he won.¡¯


    Grid had been through countless battles and was aware of the moment of greatest weakness. He decided to boldly confront Hell Gao rather than react timidly to the current crisis.


    ¡®If I assume that I can¡¯t rely on the invincible passive, it¡¯s wiser to fight back rather than defend.¡¯


    This was a chance to ovee the crisis.


    In his low level days, he had face the knight Leo of Winston. During his middle level period, it was Mcus and the Guardian of the Labyrinth. After that, it was Shay¡¯s party, the pope, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest, and Neberius.


    Grid had faced all types of enemies, so his eyes sharpened.


    ¡¯I have to take some damage.¡¯


    Pepepeng!


    It was good if simple fog or poison fog was generated, not so good if it was an explosion. Hell Gao¡¯s vision needed to be blocked. Therefore, he prayed while throwing Kenen¡¯s darts and fog appeared.


    ¡®It is good.¡¯ Grid smiled with satisfaction andmanded the pavranium. ¡®Protect me as much as possible.¡¯


    The seven golden des moved at hismand. They defended as the 30 ck fireballs prated the fog.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The golden des showed superior mobility, but it was impossible to defend against all 30 fireballs. Some fireballs broke through the barrier of des and hit Grid.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    [You have suffered 3,870 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,920 damage.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 8,100 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    He used the Divine Shield to minimize damage, but the areas that could be shielded were limited and his health fell sharply.


    Gulp gulp. Grid hastily drank a potion and wore the Hooded Zip Up.


    Suuuk.


    The Hooded Zip Up perfectly reproduced the unique function of the invisibility cloaks made by the legendary tailor Kruger. As explosions urred in rapid session, Grid¡¯s body becamepletely invisible.


    And.


    ¡°Kuahahaha! That cockroach like man has finally been turned into ashes!¡±


    Grid equipped the Ideal Dagger and used Quick Movements to run towards Hell Gao at a fast pace. The weakened Hell Gao¡¯s detection ability was very different from when he first appeared.


    [You have been detected by Hell Gao, the master of hellfire.]


    [Stealth has been turned off.]


    ¡°...What!?¡±


    Hell Gao detected Grid once the distance was narrowed to 3m, and the stealth was released.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid had already summoned the red lightning bolt to surround Failure, used cksmith¡¯s Rage and hit Hell Gao¡¯s heart with his strongest skill.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puoook!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 538,000 damage to the target.]


    The red lightning, cksmith¡¯s Rage and the +9 Failure showed overwhelmingly dominant damage. Hell Gao¡¯s health gauge, which had lost three-tenths of its health, now fell to half. But Grid was disappointed. He was disappointed because neither the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill attached to the Holy Light Gloves or Failure was activated.


    ¡®If both had been activated and there were 10 strikes, I could¡¯ve killed him...¡¯


    It was a pity, but it had already passed. Grid was sessful in approaching Hell Gao, so he shrugged his disappointment off.


    ¡°Cough! You bastard...!¡±


    Hell Gao suffered damage that couldn¡¯t be overlooked anymore. His face stiffened as he sensed the danger.


    Chwaack!


    Grid twisted Failure that was in Hell Gao¡¯s chest and dered.


    ¡°Now it is your turn.¡±


    As the battle continued, the cooldown time of all his skills except for Transcended Link had ended. He just used Kill, but he still had Link left.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    Pipit!Pipipipipit!


    Grid skillfully used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, and dozens of energy des appeared.


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link has increased.]


    [Your damage will increase. The number of times a target is hit will increase by 5 times.]


    [Link Lv. 3]


    A dazzling sword dance that is like the wings of a butterfly.


    Deals 1,100% of your attack power to a single target.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    It had been five months since he killed the pope. After that, he used Link hundreds of times, and the level finally rose. Grid smiled joyfully and Hell Gao¡¯s face distorted horribly.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    [You have dealt 154,600 damage to the target.]


    Hell Gao had been weakened two times, but 150,000 damage wasn¡¯t enough to kill him. Hell Gao recovered his poise and fired mes all over the ce at Grid.


    "Where are you aiming?¡±


    Grid got as close to Hell Gao as possible. He used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave to cancel out the mes. Then he subsequently used Restraint and made Hell Gao unable to do anything for three seconds.


    ¡®Looking back, the fusion of Transcended Link was only possible after Link reached level 2.


    Grid¡¯s brain rapidly spun at this moment. He stepped towards Hell Gao who was shrinking back from Restraint, and triggered two skills in session.


    ¡®Now that Link is level 3, is it possible tobine it with other techniques?¡¯


    He would give it a try. First, it was an attempt at fusion with the most anticipated Kill. If that didn¡¯t work, he would try it with Wave.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Grid started to dance and killing intent once again gathered at the end of the greatsword. Meanwhile, Hell Gao escaped from the influence of Restraint and summoned a me in his left hand and hot wind in his right hand, then hebined the two forces together.


    ¡®It is a technique that I can¡¯t stand again.¡¯


    Hell Gao fired the attack in a straight line.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The ground burned and the whirlwind of mes hit Grid. Then Grid¡¯s dance finished.


    "Kill, Link.¡±


    If these skills failed tobine, Grid¡¯s current health would fall and his invincible passive would activate.


    ¡®Please...!¡¯


    It was less than a second. Grid hoped that the fusion of Kill and Link would be sessful, and Hell Gao hoped that Grid would die.


    And.


    Kwajak!


    Grid¡¯s Failure collided with the whirlwind of mes. The mes were swallowed up by Failure, while the light around the greatsword became more intense than before.


    ¡¯I did it!¡¯


    Grid was delighted. It seeded.


    [The new skill fusion has seeded.]


    [Fusion skill ¡®Linked Kill¡¯ has been created.]


    [Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the sessful fusion of a new skill.]


    [Linked Kill]


    It is a sword dance thatbines hatred with the dazzling pping of wings.


    Due to the weight of Kill, the dazzling style is reduced, but the strength of Kill is overpowering.


    A minimum of three to seven blows will be randomly generated that will deal 1500% damage per hit (the current damage of Kill -300%).


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Kill and Link.


    * Please note that your stamina will be depleted if there are seven strikes.


    Skill Mana consumption: 90% of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    It was a skill where the power of Kill was weakened.


    It might not havepared to when 5 Joint Attacks was triggered with Kill, but the big advantage was that three strikes were always guaranteed, while it wasn¡¯t certain that 5 Joint Attacks would be triggered.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart beat wildly from joy. The first Linked Kill crushed the power of the fire whirlwind.


    Jjejeong!


    ¡®He still has that much power left?¡¯


    The current Grid was clearly injured. Nevertheless, he unfolded powerful attacks in session, so Hell Gao was forced to feel confused.


    ¡®Is he human?¡¯


    A tenacious vitality. Indeed, he was simr to Muller. Hell Gao was forced to acknowledge Grid as the blue greatsword prated through the remnants of the mes.


    [You have suffered 215,000 damage.]


    The second blow.


    [You have suffered 219,800 damage.]


    The third blow.


    [You have suffered 214,600 damage.]


    The fourth blow.


    [You have suffered 220,100 damage.]


    The fifth blow.


    [You have suffered 218,700 damage.]


    The sixth blow.


    [You have suffered 219,200 damage.]


    The end? No. Was it like a Chinese restaurant offering good service when it was just opened? Even if he ordered one bowl of jajangmyeon, they would give a second bowl for free as a service. Grid received a lot of service for his sess in a new skill fusion.


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    A notification window constantly popped up as Grid¡¯s attack hit Hell Gao.


    [You have dealt 1,057,300 damage to the target.]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 2,230,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hell Gao couldn¡¯t even scream. The ck mes around him turned to jade and were then extinguished. The strongest skill was used and the option of the strongest item was activated, meaning Grid drove Hell Gao to death in an instant.


    He once again told the kneeling Hell Gao.


    ¡°I am in the same ss as Muller.¡±


    Pisik.


    Hell Gao nodded for the first time, ¡°I admit it.¡±


    He saw and felt this human called Grid grow in battle. He would eventually follow Muller¡¯s course.


    ¡°I lost. I will put off my purpose of ingesting the souls of humans to increase my strength for the moment.¡±


    Hell Gao admitted his defeat. The body of the demonkin was destroyed and turned to fog.


    At the same time,


    Pepeng!Pepepeng!


    The two fire stones that hadn¡¯t been mined yet exploded at Hell Gao¡¯s disappearance.


    ¡°T-The fire stones?¡±


    Peak Sword panicked because he had been so busy watching the battle that he forgot about mining. Grid was looking at the notification windows and didn¡¯t see him.


    [You have defeated Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, who seizes human souls.]


    [Memphis¡¯ Egg has been acquired.]


    [118,411,132 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has...]


    He gained 11 levels at once. Now Grid was level 253. It was a levelparable to the top 300 rankers, but it was still the lowest among the Tzedakah Guild. Furthermore, the reward was a strange item.


    ¡°In the end, only two fire stones were mined... It¡¯s big damage."


    Hell Gao was the most powerful boss he had ever met. Grid didn¡¯t receive enough rewards for the effort he put in, and he flopped to the ground in disappointment. His stamina was depleted and it was difficult to even lift one finger.


    Peak Sword ran up to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Am I okay?¡± Grid frowned and red at Peak Sword. "What will you do if I¡¯m not okay? Will you give me the fire stone you mined?¡±


    "Of course.¡± Peak Sword confidently replied and pulled out the fire stone he obtained. "I will give this to you.¡±


    The value of the fire stones were so high that it was difficult to price them. But Peak Sword¡¯s life and ranking were saved by Grid, so this was his way of showing gratitude.


    ¡°I need one more...¡± Grid grumbled as he grabbed the fire stone. ¡°Sigh... I tied Hell Gao up for 10 minutes, so how did you only obtain one fire stone in that time? Perhaps your level isn¡¯t good enough... It is pretty pathetic.¡±


    "..."


    Peak Sword was 16th on the unified rankings.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Reality and Satisfy.


    The 16th ranked Peak Sword had built a sessful life in both worlds.


    ¡®There is someone who actually treats me like this... Grid, you¡¯re the first man since I went to the army 17 years ago.¡¯


    Peak Sword couldn¡¯t adapt to Grid¡¯s treatment of him. But he didn¡¯t feel bad. He was ecstatic on the drug called patriotism and Grid seemed beautiful, no matter how he acted.


    "Were there any good items?¡±


    "Not at all." Grid pulled out an egg. "This is the only thing that dropped. I didn¡¯t even get one silver.¡±


    ¡°A bean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an egg.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s an egg?¡±


    Peak Sword was surprised. The size was two times smaller than a quail egg, and it looked more like a bean or small bead. Grid shared the details of Memphis¡¯ Egg.


    [Memphis¡¯s Egg]


    Memphis¡¯ egg.


    Weight: 1


    Peak Sword frowned.


    ¡°Hah... It¡¯s really an egg? If so, is this a pet egg?¡±


    Hell Gao, the master of hellfire was a formidable adversary. The item he dropped couldn¡¯t be ordinary. Peak Sword didn¡¯t doubt that a monster with the name of Memphis would hatch. But Grid thought differently.


    "Do you know what a memphis is?¡±


    ¡°No? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Look. It¡¯s impossible to grasp what type of pet it is.¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s pets gave their owners various effects. In rare cases, there were pets that increased the amount of experience or drop rate of items, so the users¡¯ interest in pets was very high. South Korea broadcasted several Satisfy pet rted programs, so Grid knew the basic information about pets.


    However, the name Memphis was unfamiliar.


    Even more.


    "If this is a pet, there should be a hatching method in the item description.¡±


    Grid had a point. All pets had a brief exnation of the hatching method. However, Memphis¡¯ Egg didn¡¯t describe how to hatch it. Rather, it only had a short description of ¡®Memphis¡¯ egg.¡¯


    ¡°Even if you are right that it is a pet, it¡¯s useless if I don¡¯t know how to hatch it.¡±


    Peak Sword agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if that bean is an egg, it looks like you¡¯ll never see what is inside.¡±


    Grid frowned and put Memphis¡¯ Egg back into his inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the guild members to research the identity of the egg.¡±


    "I will also use mywork to find out.¡±


    "Thank you.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have any expectations. This egg was more likely to be a cooking ingredient than a pet.


    ¡¯Considering that Hell Gao is such a strong guy... Eating it might be simr to an elixir that permanently raises my stats.¡¯


    For ordinary users, elixirs that permanently raised stats were very rare. But in the case of production ss users like Grid, they didn¡¯t feel a huge need for elixirs because producing items raised their stats.


    ¡¯That damn Hell Gao. He should¡¯ve dropped equipment instead of this.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t the pope drop three legendary items, despite being much weaker than Hell Gao? Grid had been hoping that Hell Gao would drop legendary items. But the reality was the worst, so he felt down.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know exactly what the item is, so I can¡¯t sell it.¡¯


    As hey on the floor and looked up at the ceiling, Peak Sword held out a hand.


    ¡°Get up. I want to invite you to my castle. You can eat delicious food and rest there.¡±


    Grid questioned him, "Why are you acting so favorable towards me? Are you hoping for something? I didn¡¯t lie about the item dropped by Hell Gao. I can¡¯t give you anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. Didn¡¯t you save my life? I¡¯m just grateful for that.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t I steal your guild¡¯s prey as a result? You must be angry.¡±


    "In the first ce, it was a battle that we couldn¡¯t have seeded with our strength. So I don¡¯t feel like it was taken away. It¡¯s true that you walked into an area controlled by our guild, but aren¡¯t you a Korean? I am happy and grateful to have discovered that the first legendary ss is a Korean.¡±


    "I see.¡±


    Grid smiled and grabbed Peak Sword¡¯s hand. At that moment, Peak Sword made a cold expression. Grid stopped.


    ¡®Did he really have ulterior motives?¡¯


    Peak Sword shouted.


    ¡°Logout!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°The Sakura Guild is attacking!¡±


    The resurrection point of the Silver Knights members was at Cork Castle. Therefore, the guild members wiped out by Hell Gao resurrected at Cork Castle. Peak Sword hadmanded them to wait there and note back.


    But was someone a mole? The guild discovered that the Sakura Guild somehow knew the situation and came here, where only a minimum of troops guarded the entry. They had already reached the 2nd floor.


    "Those guys received information that we were challenging the Hell Gao raid today and waited.¡±


    ¡°What is the Sakura Guild?¡±


    It was a power in Satisfy that Grid had no clue about. Peak Sword gave a brief description.


    ¡°They are one of the three guilds that represents Japan. Unlike the other two guilds, they are nationalists who are very malicious. Even the Japanese users avoid them.¡±


    ¡°They have a grudge against your guild and came here to hurt you, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Peak Sword nodded and ced a hand on the sword at his waist. He took a fighting posture and dered. ¡°Log out first.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I will never run away from guys like that. The guild members areing, so I will hold on until then.¡±


    Peak Sword denounced the Sakura Guild as nationalists, but he also seemed quite nationalistic.


    ¡®I am tired.¡¯


    Grid tried to logout.


    But.


    [The remnants of the great demon Hell Gao¡¯s magic power is scattered into the atmosphere. It is impossible to logout due to this disturbance.]


    "Shit.¡±


    This damn monster was screwing with him even after death. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. His stamina was depleted after Linked Kill, and only 60 points had been recovered. With 60 stamina, he couldn¡¯t fight for even one minute. This was a huge crisis, because stamina was a different concept from health.


    ¡®My invincible passive might activate, but if my stamina is zero, I can¡¯t move a single finger and will eventually die.¡¯


    Potions to restore stamina didn¡¯t exist. Only rest was required to restore stamina, but that was slow. The speed could be slightly increased by eating. In other words, this was bad. Grid hardly ever felt the constraints of stamina thanks to his unusually high persistence stat, making this crisis unfamiliar to Grid.


    He urgently shoved beef jerky into his mouth as he asked, ¡°What is the Sakura Guild¡¯s power? What is the level of their strongest users? How many minutes can you hold on by yourself? When will your guild members arrive?¡±


    Peak Sword had encountered countless crises while ying Satisfy. He was able to exin calmly, in contrast to the agitated Grid.


    ¡°The Sakura Guild has 180 people. Their master Yoshimura is 2nd in the archer rankings and 98th on the unified rankings. Apart from him, there are eight more rankers in the top 300.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this formidable?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. Peak Sword made a grim prediction.


    "The guild members will take 15 minutes to get here and the amount of time I can hold up alone... If I am being generous, it¡¯s seven minutes.¡±


    Kwaduduk.


    Peak Sword finished his exnation and shouted to Grid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about helping! It is a matter that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you! Go ahead and logout!¡±


    "...I can¡¯t logout.¡±


    Originally, it was impossible to logout in raid rooms. But that was only when the boss was present. There were few cases where a user couldn¡¯t logout after the boss had died. So Peak Sword misunderstood.


    ¡°Grid... Do you want to help me because I¡¯m also Korean? While you aren¡¯t in a perfect state? Hah, you are a true Korean...¡±


    "No, don¡¯t talk such nonsense! What drivel are you saying when I really can¡¯t logout? I can¡¯t logout! I really can¡¯t!¡±


    At that moment, the Sakura Guild came pouring down the stairs. Peak Sword gulped and continued to babble nonsense.


    "I would like to encourage you to logout. Don¡¯t worry. It isn¡¯t shameful to logout in front of enemies.¡±


    ¡®Why? Ah, this really sucks.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know. The man Peak Sword admired since childhood was Admiral Yi Sunshin.


    "How dare you guys! I will turn you into a river of blood today!¡±


    ¡°Bah! Peak Sword! You¡¯re the one who will shed blood on this earth today, not us! I¡¯ll pay you back for taking Takeshima from us!¡±


    A small man emerged from among the Sakura Guild members and shouted. It was Yoshimura, the best archer after Jishuka and 98th on the unified rankings.


    ¡®It¡¯s like a drama.¡¯


    Grid was able to grasp the atmosphere of the two people with one nce. The Silver Knights Guild and the Sakura Guild. It was clear that the two people enjoyed the Korea-Japan war in Satisfy more than anyone else.


    Yoshimura dered, ¡°Since you¡¯re alive, I guess you seeded in the Hell Gao raid? You, I don¡¯t know the jackpot you received, but that joy is short-lived. I will take away everything you obtained.¡±


    Peak Sword yelled. ¡°Try it! And this is Cork Ind, so stop calling it Takeshima!¡±


    ¡°Bah! You still can¡¯t grasp the situation!¡±


    Yoshimura made a sly smile, like someone from a Japanese historical drama! He pointed fingers covered in calluses as hemanded his men.


    ¡°Kill that damn Korean person.¡± (TL: The word Yoshimura uses is actually more like Joseon person, with Joseon being a name for a Korean kingdom in the past. It basically means Korean person but it was first used by the Japanese during the Japanese colonial period of Japan. It isn¡¯t exactly derogatory, but it is a term only used by Japanese and Koreans don¡¯t like it because of the context.)


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Several months ago, at the time of the contest over Cork Ind. Peak Sword had caused terrible agony to the Sakura Guild. It was due to Peak Sword that they lost Cork Ind, and many guild members died and lost experience. This was a perfect chance to pay back the grudge of that time.


    Peak Sword was ¡®alone¡¯ so their morale skyrocketed. Peak Sword pulled out his sword from the sheath.


    "Draw Sword, annihte.¡±


    Multiple lights shed. The eight knights of the Sakura Guild, who had been rushing at the front, vomited and copsed.


    ¡°Your skills haven¡¯t gone rusty!¡±


    This was the dignity of the 16th rank that made level 150 knights fall into a critical state with one blow. Yoshimura truly admired it. But there wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of tension in his expression. Only eight out of the 180 guild members were injured, so the situation didn¡¯t change.


    On the other hand, Grid hadn¡¯t seen Peak Sword¡¯s swordsmanship and was amazed.


    Then he heard a strange voice.


    -Hungry.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -I want to eat.


    "..."


    It was the voice of a young boy or girl. It wasn¡¯t a hallucination. Where did this voice, filled with a strong greed,e from? Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [A memphis, the first demonic beast of hell, has hatched due to his greed for human souls.]


    [You are the first user in Satisfy to be the master of a demonic beast from hell!]


    [Title, ¡®Man who has Touched Hell¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Health has increased by 3,000 points.]


    [Demonic power stat has opened.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid made a surprised noise at the notification windows and Yoshimura was surprised to hear it.


    ¡°W-What? That guy?¡±


    At this point, all of his followers except for him were struggling with Peak Sword 10m ahead. Yoshimura was nervous when he suddenly heard someone else¡¯s voice near him. Then he flinched. A long tail suddenly protruded from empty space! There was an enormous gaping mouth?


    ¡°H-Hik?¡±


    Yoshimura reflexively tried to shoot his bow, but it was already toote. His body was swallowed by that huge mouth.


    [You have lost a part of your soul to the memphis.]


    [You are more likely to be affected by status conditions.]


    [There will be a 50% decline in your main stats for 3 seconds.]


    Suuk.


    Yoshimura was spat out after being swallowed, and saw the image of a cat. It was a typical Persian cat. However, it was ck, had a small horn on its forehead and small devil wings on its back.


    The cat licked its paws and winked.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    The cat with a horn and wings was talking? In particr, the color of its fur was attractive. It was ck all over, except for its four paws which were white as snow.


    ¡°K-Kawaii...¡±


    Yoshimura was a cat lover, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling thrilled. He wanted to bring this cat into reality and raise it at home. Then the cat revealed its canines.


    ¡°Delicious!¡±


    "Y-You?¡±


    Yoshimura¡¯s face turned pale. It was due to the appearance of an person behind the cat. There was no one there a little while ago, but he appeared like he always existed and naturally stabbed with a ck greatsword.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    It was a surprise attack. Yoshimura¡¯s agility was decreased by 50% so he was slow to move, while his opponent was too fast. Yoshimura lost two-thirds of his health from a single strike and fell into a confused state.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    The Sakura Guild noticed the crisis of their master and btedly shifted their gaze. They were able to see it. A flying cat demon. Then a ck-haired man in red armor and a gold tail was cutting down their guild master.


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...!¡±


    Was it so easy to kill someone that was ranked 98th on the unified rankings? It was hard just going against Peak Sword. How could they deal with that monster as well? The Sakura Guild lost their willpower and retreated.


    Grid and Peak Sword didn¡¯t chase after them. Meanwhile, the cat with an erged belly walked around Grid and rejoiced.


    "My master is a killer ~~ my master is a killer ~~ killer~~ nyang!¡±


    The cat singing the eerie song innocently was the first demonic beast of hell, memphis. It was the worst pet that stole some of the stats from the souls he ate and temporarily gave them to his master.


    Grid faced an unfamiliar notification window after killing Yoshimura.


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    [Demonic Power]


    You canmunicate with demonic beasts. The higher the number, the more likely you are to enter hell.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    "I want to go to heaven."


    The word ¡®hell¡¯ wasn¡¯t very good.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    Hell? He never wanted to go there.


    ¡®Won¡¯t there be more guys like Hell Gao in hell?¡¯


    The demons were too strong. He also didn¡¯t want to fight them again, because the dropped items were too bad.


    ¡¯No, it was a misunderstanding that the dropped items were bad.¡¯


    Grid watched the grinning memphis who was licking his fur with a red tongue.


    ¡®An amazing pet dropped. Hell Gao was the most powerful boss I¡¯ve faced. I might¡¯ve only obtained two fire stones, but I was able to get a tremendous treasure in return for raiding him.¡¯


    [Memphis]


    The most powerful species among the thousands of demonic beasts inhabiting hell.


    As an adult, their fighting abilities are superior to the higher-ranked demonkin, so they are the favorite of the 33 great demons.


    But they are a species in danger of extinction, due to theirck of breeding ability.


    Their natural habitat is hell.


    ¡®I managed to obtain such a precious pet and I ignored it.¡¯


    Grid reprimanded himself and brought up the status window of his pet.


    Name: Not Set


    Level: 1 (0/200)


    Affinity: 0/100


    Health: 5,000/5,000


    Physical Attack Power: 60 Magic Attack Power: 30


    Defense: 50 Magic Resistance: 80


    Attribute: Dark


    Status: Narcissistic


    (As soon as I was born, I ate a human soul with my own strength! I am the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!)


    -Current Skills List-


    [Fluidization]


    When attacked, the body can be fluid like a slime to minimize damage. However, the damage from some attribute magic might be even greater.


    [Soul Ingestion Lv. 1]


    Has the ability to take away half of the target¡¯s highest stats and transfer it to your master.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Your own decision.


    [Scratch Lv. 1]


    Your paws will attack and poison the target.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Whenever you like.


    ¡®He gained zero experience points from defeating Yoshimura, so is it impossible to gain experience from PK? Anyway, his abilities at level 1 are terrific. The skill called Soul Ingestion is aplete scam.


    The fact that the skill cooldown time depended on the memphis was quite annoying, but he would take it step by step. Gridughed with joy.


    "Master, do you like me? Nyang!¡±


    The memphis was great. Grid made a pleasant expression as he looked at the cat.


    ¡¯Sehee likes cute things like this. I¡¯m worried because she has no hobby other than studying... Should I buy her a capsule?¡¯


    The memphis¡¯ eyes in the shape of a ¡®?¡¯ looked sweet and cute even to Grid. He thought about buying his little sister a capsule, because he wanted to show her the memphis. Grid quickly nodded.


    "Yes, I like you.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do! I am elegant, beautiful, and powerful. I am the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!¡±


    Pisik.


    The memphis¡¯ big and round eyes narrowed. Then he sniffed and spoke words that stabbed at Grid¡¯s heart.


    "But I don¡¯t like Master.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?"


    "You are ugly! I don¡¯t like you!¡±


    "..."


    "Take a look twice~ can¡¯t~ unsee~ it~~ nyang!¡±


    Recently, Grid hadn¡¯t been hearing that he was ugly. He had built up confidence, so there wasn¡¯t anyone who became sick or tried to run away when he smiled at them. Therefore, he was shocked to hear that he was ugly from a cat.


    Then the memphis tried tofort him. "Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t abandon you because you¡¯re ugly! You can be ugly! Master just needs to entertain me!¡±


    "..."


    The cat should honor and serve his master, yet he was asking for his master to entertain him?


    ¡¯This damn cat, does he not know the meaning of the words Master?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted while Peak Swordughed at the sight.


    "It looks like a cat, but its nature is different from a cat. Won¡¯t you be struggling in the future?¡±


    ¡°Well... I can tolerate some things if I have this pet.¡±


    The first way to build affinity with a pet was to name it. Grid worried about what he should call the memphis.


    ¡®If it was a dog, not a cat with wings, the name Dog would be perfect...¡¯


    Was there a name he could give to this prideful cat? Grid thought of an appropriate name.


    ¡°ve.¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    ¡°Your name is ve.¡±


    "Kyaak!"


    Padak padak!


    The memphis pped his wings hard around Grid and bristled.


    ¡°Master¡¯s naming sense sucks! How can a noble beast of hell be a ve? Master is crazy! Nyang!¡±


    Grid was surprised to see that the memphis had even extended his ws.


    ¡®This cat doesn¡¯t know the meaning of the word master, but it knows the meaning of ve?¡¯


    If affinity entered into the negatives then the pet could escape. Grid wanted to prevent the worst so he quickly changed the name.


    ¡°You heard wrong. It isn¡¯t ve, it is Noe, Noe.¡± (TL: ve in Korean is pronounced like Noye)


    "Noe?" The memphis was confused. ¡°What does Noe mean? Nyang?¡±


    Grid replied roughly. "A ve is a ve... Noe means you are not a ve.... That is what it means.¡±


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhhh!¡±


    The memphis¡¯ wild eyes becamenterns again. As a demonic beast of hell, he had a lot of knowledge after being born, but he was still just a kitten. He felt like there was something wonderful and cool about Grid¡¯s words. And then...


    "Good! I am Noe! Nyang!¡±


    He felt better and rubbed his cheeks against Grid. Gridughed at the poor little guy.


    ¡°Okay! With this, your name is Noe!¡±


    [Do you want to set the memphis¡¯ name to ¡®Noe¡¯?]


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    [The memphis¡¯ name has been set to Noe.]


    [Affinity with Noe has risen by 5.]


    The memphis raised a paw to his engorged belly and shouted.


    ¡°You are Master and I am Noe!¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Grid made a serious expression and raised his thumb. Memphis. No, Noe was satisfied! Heughed. Peak Sword saw this and clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Giving that name to a demonic beast...¡¯


    Grid truly wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. After that, they left the dungeon and headed for Cork Castle.


    ¡°Ohh! The return of the heroes!¡±


    "You cut down Yoshimura?¡±


    The guild members praised Grid and Peak Sword, who had defeated Hell Gao and the Sakura Guild. They tried to question Grid, but were stopped by Peak Sword.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t register in the rankings, so he probably doesn¡¯t want the public to know that he is Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    Peak Sword had keen insight as the head of an organization, so he didn¡¯t spill Grid¡¯s identity. He highlighted that they seeded in the Hell Gao raid because of the fire stones weakness.


    During the night.


    Grid enjoyed a banquet and built up a friendship with Peak Sword and the Silver Knights Guild. Some guild members caused a fuss after they became drunk, but fortunately it ended without anything serious happening.


    The next day. In the early morning, Peak Sword carefully asked Grid who was preparing to leave.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t participating in the National Competition this year?¡±


    Grid nodded. "A strange woman put down my name on the list of participants, but I have no intention of participating. I don¡¯t want to expose my identity, and there isn¡¯t much merit to participating.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I hope that you change your mind next year. As a man, fighting for the honor of your country isn¡¯t a bad experience... I will participate next year, so let¡¯s join together.¡±


    "I will think about it then. As a reservist, I am already in the arduous position of striving for the security of our country.¡±


    Grid went out to the terrace. He savored the smell of salt on the wind and told Peak Sword.


    "Please let me know if Hell Gao responds normally during the next cycle. I need one more fire stone.¡±


    "I understand. But as I said yesterday, Hell Gao probably won¡¯t appear for a while. He¡¯s likely to be reced by other high ranking demonkin.¡±


    "I guess I¡¯ll have to look forward to it. Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    Grid immediately used Fly. Then he flew away from the ind and disappeared into the horizon. Peak Sword watched Grid and thought.


    ¡¯The greatsword with fraudulent attack power, the golden des, the invisibility cloak and now the boots with Fly magic attached to them... Amazing. This game truly is about items.¡¯


    To be honest, he was really envious.


    ¡¯I want to obtain items like that soon.¡¯


    Then Grid¡¯s voice entered his ears.


    -If you have a request to produce an item, please contact me.I will add you to the schedule.Of course, it¡¯s a paid service.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    He could request the production of an item from a legendary cksmith! Peak Sword shook with joy.


    -Thank you Grid!


    The two people rapidly became closer after sharing secrets.


    ***


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Toban was waiting at Khan¡¯s smithy as Grid returned after six days. Grid¡¯s face, which had been happy since obtaining Noe, stiffened as soon as he saw Toban.


    "Good work! Did you obtain the fire stones?¡±


    Grid looked at Toban¡¯s expectant expression and pulled out two fire stones.


    ¡°...I amcking one.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Toban had already predicted this situation since Grid said ¡®Believe in me.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed as it was proven true. Grid apologized to the frustrated Toban.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I did my best, but Hell Gao was too strong. It was impossible to focus on mining.¡±


    Toban panicked. "Why are you apologizing? Is it something you should be apologizing for? I¡¯m just grateful that you tried.¡±


    To think he would apologize. Grid really had changed. He felt like apletely different Gridpared to the one Toban first met.


    ¡®Can people mature while ying the game?¡¯


    Anyone could be strong if they levelled up. That was all. The level up system wasn¡¯t one designed for people to grow internally. So how could Grid change in this way?


    Toban thought it was a miracle. "In the past four months, Vantner had put his stat points in stamina and he can now y the role of tanker. Even if I don¡¯t have the Fire Shield, there¡¯s a chance we can seed in the Phoenix Raid with him. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    "Then I¡¯m d. I will keep these fire stones for the Fire Shield production.¡±


    "Yes, thank you. By the way, why did you ignore Jishuka¡¯s whisper?¡±


    ¡°Jishuka?¡± Grid was confused. "Jishuka never whispered me?¡±


    ¡°On the day you left for Cork Ind, Jishuka kept whispering to you, but there was no response."


    Grid looked through his memories and nodded.


    "Ah, I was busy with flying that day and ignored some whispers. It might¡¯ve included Jishuka¡¯s whispers. But why was she trying to contact me?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to ask for your home address...¡±


    ¡°My home?¡±


    ¡°She came to South Korea and wanted to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid thought about it and was sad to miss the opportunity. The guild members who came to South Korea because of this National Competition was Jishuka, Pon and Regas, so it was a chance to meet all of them.


    ¡¯I definitely want to meet them... If I don¡¯t meet them this time, I might not get another chance?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he regret it someday if he missed the chance to appreciate Jishuka¡¯s fantastic body, who made hundreds of millions of won for taking pictures for a few hours? Grid checked the time.


    "It will be the second day of events in reality. What events is Jishuka participating in?¡±


    ¡°Target processing and the siege. And it seems like thest one is treasure hunting.¡±


    ¡°The second day... It is the day with target processing and siege.¡±


    The National Competition was everywhere when he turned on the TV, so Grid couldn¡¯t help memorizing the schedule.


    ¡°Maybe I should go there.¡±


    He said goodbye to Toban and logged out.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170


    The first day of the First Satisfy National Competition opened with the expectations of the world. The crowd cheered as the boss raid andbyrinth breakthrough proceeded.


    There was nothing unusual. The United States, Canada and France were strong candidates for the championship. The three countries received medals. In particr, the 2nd ranked Zibal, the 3rd ranked Chris and the 8th ranked Bondre were remarkable.


    Zibal participated in the boss raid. He yed the perfect role of a defender and led his team calmly, allowing the United States to be more stable and quicker at the raid than any other country.


    On the other hand, Bondre participated in thebyrinth breakthrough. He grasped the structure of thebyrinth quicker than anyone else and gave his country, France, a medal.


    Finally, Chris participated in both events. As the leader of thergest guild, the Canadian had excellent leadership and seeded in the boss raid after the United States. He also broke through thebyrinth. Based on his overwhelmingbat power, he was able to defeat other rankers and break through thebyrinth after Bondre.


    As a result, the United States and France got one gold medal each. Canada had two silver medals.


    The Canadian people were frustrated by such results. yers could only participate in a maximum of three events, so Canada was desperate at not winning a gold medal despite the fact that Chris, Canada¡¯s strongest yer, had already participated in two events.


    In the end, most people predicted that the two countriespeting for the general championship would be the United States and France.


    Today was the second day. People were paying attention to two countries other than the United States and France. South Korea and Brazil. Who were the most beautiful women in the world? If you asked any person, they would say two names.


    Yura and Jishuka. Billions of people anticipated theirpetition in today¡¯s target processing match.


    "A long description isn¡¯t needed. Jishuka is the expert archer, expert archer. She is Satisfy¡¯s best archer. Of course she will win the target processing.¡±


    ¡°I think Yura will win. Yura¡¯s ability to control magic power has always been well known. Her magic casting speed and uracy are second to none. She has the ability to hit the targets.¡±


    ¡°What? There is a limitation that she must chant the spells in order to activate the magic. Arrows are much faster than magic. Jishuka¡¯s arrows will prate all the targets before magic is cast.¡±


    "Hrmm, you don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t forget that the range of magic is much wider than arrows. While an arrow will prate through a few targets, Yura¡¯s magic will destroy dozens of targets.¡±


    Yura had maintained the 5th ranking since Satisfy opened. Jishuka started Satisfy half a yearter than others but she was 13th on the unified rankings. In today¡¯s target processing, they were the ones who would win gold and silver.


    The hundreds of thousands of spectators and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world predicted so. However, the opinions of the experts were different.


    ¡º It can¡¯t be overlooked that 17 countries are participating in the National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º Unless the yers from other countries are stupid, they will focus on Yura and Jishuka. ¡»


    ¡º Unfortunately, the target processing match isn¡¯t a solo exhibition. It¡¯s a contest of pairs. One person will focus on handling the targets, while the other one has to protect their teammate. But Korea and Brazil are countries weak in Satisfy, so they don¡¯t have the capacity to protect Yura or Jishuka. Unfortunately, it¡¯s painful, but they will certainly be excluded. ¡»


    The rules for target processing were simple.


    The S.A. Group designated nine uninhabited inds for the National Competition. Two representatives of each country would be ced on the uninhabited ind called ¡®Tira.¡¯


    Each representative had to destroy small targets 5cm in diameter that were moving at a speed of 40m per second. Each target would give points, and the yers themselves could be attacked and logged out.


    Destroying one target gave one point, and no additional points were gained by logging out another user. The country that earned a total of 150 points first would win.


    ¡º Before the event starts, let¡¯s take a look at a map of Tira. The area is 67.21km, slightly smaller than Ulleungdo, and there are two mountains standing 589m high in the centre of the ind. The ind is made up of dense forests, and there are areas where monsters spawn and deep cliffs, so the participants need to be careful. ¡»


    ¡º Is there a point where the targets are? ¡»


    ¡º No. There are a total of 1,500 targets distributed evenly throughout the ind, and they continue to move. The targets are small, fast and have various movement patterns, so it is very difficult to destroy them while the enemies are interfering. ¡»


    ¡º I heard that the colors of the targets vary. Are all points equal, regardless of the color? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. But there is one exception. It¡¯s the gold target. Unlike the other targets, destroying the gold target will give the yer 50 points. Therefore, the gold target is what we should pay attention to in thispetition. It is an important target that will help a team win. However, it moves 10 times faster than normal targets... It will be very difficult to shoot at it. ¡»


    ¡º 10 times faster is 400m per second? Isn¡¯t that simr to the speed of a bullet fired by a pistol? How can it be destroyed? Since the targets have 100% resistance to status conditions, isn¡¯t it impossible to restrain the targets¡¯ movements with magic? ¡»


    ¡º A target that is smaller than a human and faster than bullets. It¡¯s impossible in reality, although Satisfy is different. Isn¡¯t Satisfy an impossible world? Maybe Jishuka can easily handle the gold target? ¡»


    ¡º As we are speaking, the yers are entering. ¡»


    Seoul Olympic Stadium. The hundreds of thousands of spectators weed the 33 participants who headed to the capsule room in the middle of the stadium. That¡¯s right. There were 33 people, not 34. All the countries had two people participating, except for South Korea, who only had Yura.


    The crowd btedly realized the situation.


    ¡°What? Yura doesn¡¯t have a partner?¡±


    "Won¡¯t she be at a disadvantage if she joins alone?¡±


    ¡°Ohh! South Korea! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°South Korea must be crazy! Are you going to bully Goddess Yura now? Huh? You deserve a scolding!¡±


    There was booing from the stands.


    Inside the capsule room. The yers startedughing.


    ¡°South Korea has no one except for Yura. The second person who would participate would just be trash, so Yura has probably given up.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for her.¡±


    "In the first ce, it is just significant that South Korea managed to participate in this National Competition. To be honest, it was almost a miracle that South Korea was able to put its name on the list of participating counties. They should be satisfied with just that.¡±


    "Indeed... South Korea doesn¡¯t have anyone except for Yura and Peak Sword. Peak Sword isn¡¯t even participating in thispetition.¡±


    ¡°It is funny. How was South Korea able to participate in the National Competition? Wouldn¡¯t it be difficult for them to do well in the selection quests?¡±


    "The host country is South Korea and S.A. is a Koreanpany. There was probably some maniption.¡±


    "Maybe Yura entertained them? Kilkil.¡±


    Everyone was gossiping and murmuring. But Yura had a unconcerned expression on her face. She prepared to enter the capsule without caring about anyone else.


    A British representative approached her. It was Regas. He was unable to hide his ufortable tone as he asked Yura.


    "Miss Yura, why are you participating alone? It would¡¯ve been hard originally, but now that you¡¯re fighting alone? Surely you aren¡¯t giving up on thepetition like everyone else said?¡±


    Regas had moderately urate Korean pronunciation. He had studied hard to learn Korean. But there was a sense of stiffness. In order to ease his efforts, Yura replied in fluent English.


    "I don¡¯t know the words ¡®giving up.¡¯ It might be hard when fighting alone, but I will surely win. So don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yura was beautiful and 5th on the unified rankings. She was a remarkablemodity. Most of Satisfy¡¯s rankers had been exposed to the media. This was the first time they met directly, but Regas had seen interviews of her and knew her personality.


    ¡°You mean it. You really n to win by yourself? But is it possible? I don¡¯t understand why you are ying alone without a partner.¡±


    "My partner can¡¯t be contacted.¡±


    "Partner...?¡±


    What was this?


    ¡¯Her teammate...!¡¯


    A representative couldn¡¯t be contacted? They were the worst. The angry Regas turned his gaze to the capsule next to Yura¡¯s capsule. Then he was surprised to see the participant ID on the badge attached to the capsule.


    ¡°...Grid? Grid was supposed to be the one to participate in the target processing with you?¡±


    "Grid-ssi didn¡¯t agree. I registered him as a participant without telling him. I don¡¯t me him if he doesn¡¯te. Rather, Grid will probably grumble since I acted arbitrarily.¡±


    ¡®Does Yura know Grid¡¯s identity? So she wanted to depend on Grid?¡¯


    Certainly, South Korea would get a high ranking if Grid participated in the National Competition. But it was regrettable. Regas was a fellow guild member, so he knew that Grid wasn¡¯t willing to participate in the National Competition.


    "...It will be a struggle. The British team won¡¯t attack the lone Korean team.¡±


    Regas said with a grim expression on his face, while Yura sent him a taunting smile.


    "You might get hurt if you ignore a lone woman.¡±


    "..."


    This was truly the confidence of a top 5 yer. Regas reminded himself.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. There is no weak person here.¡¯


    Everyone who participated in the National Competition... There might be gaps between them, but they were excellent representatives of each country. Regas was reminded of that thanks to Yura. He was delighted to be able topete with the strongest yers.


    Meanwhile, Jishuka was pouting over at the Brazilian team.


    ¡®What? Grid isn¡¯ting?¡¯


    It was arge shock when Grid ignored her whispers in Satisfy. However, she didn¡¯t despair because of her strong mental state. She grasped all the events that Grid was signed up to in the National Competition.


    She was looking forward to seeing him in the target processing event. She hoped she could meet Grid. But in the end, Grid didn¡¯te. Her disappointment couldn¡¯t be hidden.


    ¡®Really... I can¡¯t meet him despite being in South Korea?¡¯


    This was the first time she was interested in the opposite sex. She wanted to see his face, but it was too hard. It seemed too much when she was a star.


    ¡°I am angry.¡± But she needed to separate her priorities. She calmed down and ordered her partner, Samuel. "We will enter the forest as soon as we log into the game.¡±


    Samuel had the strongest fighting power among the remaining Brazilian users, but his overall ranking was very low. Samuel questioned her.


    ¡°As an archer, isn¡¯t it better for you to upy the top of a mountain? Isn¡¯t it easier to snipe the enemies from a high ce?¡±


    "On the contrary, it is easier to be a target. It isn¡¯t just one team participating, but 17. We¡¯ll be attacked if we stand out in the beginning. Let¡¯s hide as much as possible until the enemies are annihted.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...!¡±


    Jishuka was the leader of the Tzedakah Guild, a strong group in Satisfy. She was much smarter than Samuel, so he vowed to always obey her orders. Then all the yers entered their capsules.


    After a while.


    Therge screens installed all around the stadium started to show Satisfy. 33 yers appeared on the small but lushly forested ind of Tira. They were logged in at regr intervals, so they could move quickly to secure their safety. Most teams ran to upy the top of the mountains, but some teams were hiding in the forest like the Brazilian team.


    Then Yura aimed at magic spell at the small targets flying around in the sky.


    ¡°Dark Storm.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was truly an overwhelming sight. One-fifth of the forest that made up the ind was swept away by the storm andpletely destroyed. Thementators shouted in a trembling voice.


    ¡º The South Korean team has acquired 28 points! The Italian team has been logged out! ¡»


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The crowd was shocked and fell silent. The yers participating in the game were also confused.


    ¡°What? Why are the Italian people dead?¡±


    ¡°They seem to have fallen off a cliff because of the storm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy.¡±


    "Wow, look at the forest. What type of magic is that? How high is her magic power?¡±


    ¡°Indeed... It¡¯s true that she¡¯s the Eighth Servant.¡±


    The 5th ce on the unified rankings was a special ce. Since Satisfy opened, many rankers tried their best, but the 5th rank never changed. It was because the wall of Yura blocking them was too high and solid. The 5th ce wall was insurmountable.


    When they actually faced her, it was really great. But they weren¡¯t afraid.


    ¡®We are also strong.¡¯


    Right now, she was just amp in front of the wind.


    The waiting room of the United States team. Zibal smiled as he watched the live ry on the monitors.


    ¡°She is choosing a quick victory. Indeed, she¡¯s a girl that I acknowledge.¡±


    In the first ce, she was outnumbered. If they enemies allied together and dragged out the time, Yura would be helpless. She nned to win before the other teams could block her. She judged that it was wiser to move fast and hit hard.


    ¡°But Yura. You would do well not to ignore the participants. Everyone is wise and strong.¡±


    Zibal was sure. Yura would soon meet her end. This was her limit, despite her 5th rank.


    At the same time.


    "The sound of the shouts are amazing.¡±


    Youngwoo arrived at the entrance to the stadium.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171


    Yura controlled her base with Dark Storm and continued by using magic thatbined two attributes.


    ¡°Dark Lightning."


    Pachik!Pachichik!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    This was the level of a natural disaster. Dark clouds formed in the sky and lightning poured all over the ce. The forest burned and the ground crumbled. An excitedmentator shouted as he watched the series of exploding targets.


    ¡º 38, 39, 40...! 45! 46! The South Korean team! 46 points! It¡¯s an unmatched speed! ¡»


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The spectators were baffled by the unrealistic sight, but they finally woke up from their silence. It was such a huge shout that it seemed like the earth shaking would be transmitted to North Korea.


    Jishuka shook her head.


    "It¡¯s like looking at Neberius. That magic power and casting speed is already beyond the level of a yer. As the Eighth Servant, she¡¯s like a boss monster.¡±


    Samuel was nervous. "The other teams are going to attack Yura. Shouldn¡¯t we join as well? If you add support with your shooting, won¡¯t Yura be defeated?¡±


    Jishuka scoffed. "It¡¯s a stupid thing to do.¡±


    Kkirik.


    Jishuka¡¯s bow aimed for the sky. A dazzling quick fire was unfolded.


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    The small targets flying at a speed of 40m per second were pierced by arrows at once. The focus moved from Yura to Jishuka. The crowd screamed with delight. The continuously fired arrows exploded the targets. It was truly the majesty of an expert archer.


    ¡º The Brazil team, 13 points! 14 points! 15 points! They are continuing to raise the score while the other teams are focusing on Yura! Ah! As soon as I spoke, the US team, the French team, the Chinese team and the Japanese team have started to quickly score points. ¡»


    Someone needed to contain Yura. But there was no need for it to be their team. This was the wise decision made by some countries, including the United States, France and Brazil. The teams acting to stop Yura were trash. They would be the scapegoats.


    "Dammit!" A member of the Spanish national team, Med, cursed while rushing towards Yura with other teams. The other teams were sucking honey while they had to control Yura? The scores weren¡¯t climbing quickly, but it was still burdensome.


    ¡®Would it be better for us to focus on the targets now?¡¯


    The representatives were troubled, but it was toote to return. They couldn¡¯t step back now. In the end, eight teams, including the Spanish team, continued to assault Yura.


    Pepeng!Peng!


    The dark magic bombardment continued. Yura¡¯s ability to control her magic power to attack the yers and deal with the targets was indeed first-rate. The crowd and yers¡¯ mouths were wide open, while thementators were drooling while praising her.


    But she wasn¡¯t the only special one. All the people participating in the National Competition were influential people who represented their country. In particr, the top rankers had a high participation rate in events that emphasized individualbat ability like target processing and PvP.


    There was only one person below the top 80 of the unified rankings. It was Jishuka¡¯s partner, Samuel.


    Kwa kwang!Kwang!


    The yers used powerful defense skills or the features of thend to neutralize Yura¡¯s magic as much as possible, and quickly narrowed the distance to her. Yura was somewhat surprised.


    ¡¯They¡¯re more talented than I thought.¡¯


    If her fast paced operation failed, it would inevitably drag into a long battle. Yura had no hope when she was alone.


    ¡®In the end... Should I give up?¡¯


    Yura had been interviewed by foreign media as a representative of South Korea.


    The foreign interviewers always said that she was the ¡®only hope of a declining South Korea.¡¯ Was it possible for another talented person like Yura to be born in South Korea? There were also questions about whether she was secretly supported by the South Korean government and S.A. Group.


    Yura didn¡¯t like the foreigners who disregarded the country that she was born and grew up in. It was almost like instinct. She never thought that her patriotism was special, but it was uneptable for foreigners to treat her country like this. She wanted to make them look at South Korea again through this National Competition. But it was too much for her alone.


    A man fell down in front of her while she was making a gloomy expression. He appeared splendidly from the tree tops. It was Regas, the British representative.


    "What are 16 men and women doing against one woman?¡±


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t be stupid.¡±


    Regas¡¯ partner, Natasha had a headache.


    Med gritted his teeth, ¡°Regas! Do you still not understand the situation? If you help Yura, then South Korea will receive a gold medal! Leave your cheap justice aside for a moment!¡±


    ¡°Cheap justice?¡± Regas¡¯ usually mild face stiffened. "Why are you treating my martial path cheaply?¡±


    One month ago, Regas finally surpassed Jishuka and reached 12th on the unified rankings. He had the nickname of Taekwon Master at an early age, and he flew like a butterfly.


    Pak!Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The kickbo of a former Taekwondo gold medalist hit Med. The brilliant attack pierced him like an awl. The Koreans in the audience cheered.


    "Taekwondo!"


    "Indeed, Regas! Show them the dignity of Taekwondo!¡±


    Regas was a famous british person, and he appeared with perfect timing to save Yura, looking as beautiful as a main character from a movie. Not just the Korean and British audiences, the spectators from other countries started to support him.


    Med¡¯s group was well aware of how good Regas was. However, Med wasn¡¯t a viin. He was just doing what he had to.


    ¡®I can hold on.¡¯


    Med was a 33rd ranked monk, so he didn¡¯t fall easily to Regas¡¯ powerful and brutal attacks. He stood firm and shouted to hispanions, "Leave this guy to me and get Yura! Hurry and finish up here, then we need to keep the United States and France in check!¡±


    The eight teams had no choice but to join hands, and they had 15 members if Med was excluded. Regas was worried that Yura would be hit by them and used a lightning aura.


    Chaaeng!


    The golden aura knocked down Med¡¯s iron body.


    ¡°Keeok!¡±


    Med coughed up blood and fell down.


    Kwajak!


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have suffered 10,900 damage.]


    ¡°T-This guy...!¡±


    Med hurriedly took a potion and fought back. However, Regas naturally turned to avoid the attack and kicked.


    Chaaeng!


    The kick enhanced by lightning hit Med¡¯s face.


    [You have suffered 4,800 damage.]


    It was over. There was a flurry of strikes.


    Jjejejeok!


    [You have suffered 4,350 damage.]


    ¡°Force Palm.¡±


    Peeng!


    [You have suffered 9,200 damage.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Med couldn¡¯t even moan as he coughed up blood. Then he tumbled down the hill to avoid Yura¡¯s magic bombardment.


    ¡°Damn bastard...!¡±


    Unlike the pdins, a monk didn¡¯t serve any of the three main religions. He served a local god, Boris, whose name was very weakpared to the three great religions who had temples scattered all over the continent. Due to that, Med had to go to a crumbling vige in a corner of the continent to change into a monk. He even had to visit that temple every time he wanted to learn new skills.


    That wasn¡¯t the only downside to being a monk. Unlike the pdins, they couldn¡¯t wear heavy armor. They also couldn¡¯t use swordsmanship. The only defense they wore were clothes made of cloth. The only weapon they could use was a club, which had weak attack power and slow attack speed.


    Therefore, it was hard to raise a monk. It was a ss that most users avoided.


    "Reverse Origin.¡±


    [Your health has been fully restored.]


    [Your damaged body has been reversed to its original state.]


    [You will suffer a continuous decline in health. This effect won¡¯t stop until your health is at the minimum.]


    ¡°Origin Opportunity.¡±


    [You can temporarily redistribute your stats. Please set them.]


    "Invest my intelligence, indomitable, persistence and luck points into agility.¡±


    [Intelligence, indomitable, persistence and luck have fallen to 1 point. Your agility stat is now at 2,137 points.]


    A monk was a religious ss, but the concept was different from a pdin or priest. They were pilgrims who walked the path of suffering. They always had to sacrifice something in order to obtain something. The rewards were great, depending on what they gave up.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    The 1st ranked monk, Med, climbed the hill and was clearly different than before. The world watched one of the few monk users.


    Peeok!


    The power of his club aimed at the Taekwon Master.


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Regas fell and hurriedly raised his body. He spoke with amazement, "You, isn¡¯t your recovery quite fast?¡±


    "If a martial artist trains their martial arts, a monk trains their body. I have patiently built it up, so it won¡¯t fall so easily. I will never fall down.¡±


    It was shameful to attack a woman with a lot of people?


    ¡®Don¡¯t make meugh.¡¯


    This was a battlefield. It was unreasonable and hypocritical to look at the opponent¡¯s situation when fighting.


    ¡®I am a Spanish representative and have received the expectations of my people.¡¯


    Countries got fired up even over an unpopr event, let alone Satisfy that one third of the world¡¯s poption enjoyed. The sense of weight on him was different. As long as he was the representative, he had to do his best.


    Med was filled with a fighting spirit as he attacked Regas. He knew that his opponent was stronger than him, but he didn¡¯t want to show weakness when representing his country. He struggled with Regas while the remaining 15 people intensively attacked Yura.


    ¡®This is annoying.¡¯


    Regas¡¯ partner Natasha was different. She didn¡¯t help Yura because she wasn¡¯t the type of person to forget her duty. She settled in a safe ce and started concentrating on destroying the targets.


    Yura faced 15 enemies alone. Her rxed expression had long been lost.


    ***


    It was an obvious story but the tickets for the National Competition had been sold out several months ago. However, Youngwoo entered the Olympic Stadium without hesitation.


    ¡°You can¡¯t enter if you can¡¯t prove your identity.¡±


    The guarded blocked Youngwoo¡¯s way.


    "Do you mean this?¡±


    Youngwoo pulled out the ID card he received in the mail a few days ago. Then the path opened. He was able to easily enter the corridor to the participants¡¯ waiting rooms and he headed straight to the Brazilian waiting room.


    But Jishuka wasn¡¯t there. She appeared on arge monitor in the waiting room.


    ¡®Is it the target processing?¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s expression slowly distorted as he looked at the monitor. He realized that Yura was alone.


    ¡¯Foolish girl.¡¯


    It was annoying. Was she trying to make him look bad?


    ¡®Why did you put a person who didn¡¯t want to participate on the list? A persistent and selfish woman. Ah, look at this.¡¯


    Youngwoo sat down in a gap between the Brazilian yers. Nobody cared about him. Everybody was busy watching the monitor.


    ¡º yer Yura is in a crisis! The representatives of eight countries have started to focus their attacks on her. ¡»


    ¡º The 15 people are strong. At least six of the users are in the top 30 rankings. It is frustrating. South Korea¡¯s only hope is crashing down. ¡»


    ¡º Ahh...! They struggled against Yura¡¯s overwhelming ability, but now she is allowing some attacks...! ¡»


    ¡º A magician¡¯s defense and health is very low. Once they allow an attack, they will copse rapidly. This must hurt. Yura was the person most likely to win a medal in the target processing... As many people have predicted, it seems that South Korea won¡¯t be able to make any achievements in the nationalpetition. ¡»


    ¡º This is the reality of South Korea. They are trying to regain their past reputation as powerhouses in the game, but it¡¯s just an illusion. ¡»


    ¡º As soon as I spoke, yer Yura has allowed another attack. Now she¡¯s reaching her limit. It¡¯s over when she copses. ¡»


    Youngwoo¡¯s expression gradually stiffened as he looked at the monitor. On the other hand, the Brazilian yers wereughing while watching.


    ¡®Annoying.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like it. Was it because he experienced years of being crushed by the strong while alone, without a friend? Recently, Youngwoo had felt the desire to help when he saw the weak being trampled on by the strong.


    At this moment, the weak existences were Yura and South Korea.


    It was confusing. In his childhood, he didn¡¯t understand the heroes who unconditionally helped others and he empathized with realistic viins. But now he felt a sense of heterogeneity in himself.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I promise that I would live as a solitary self-centred person when I seeded? Then why is this happening now? Huh? Shin Youngwoo.¡¯


    When he was going through tough times. Other people didn¡¯t help him. Rather, they turned away and felt disgusted by him. But now that other people needed his help? He didn¡¯t have a reason to do so.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t stay still. He eventually got up. Then he rationalized to himself.


    ¡®Won¡¯t I gain money if I win a medal in the National Competition? It was 200 million won for one gold medal?¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t all. The Korean government had promised special benefits to the yers if the team came at least in third ce.


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s because of that.¡¯


    That was why he was going out. It wasn¡¯t because he was a hero. He didn¡¯t feel sorry for Yura who was facing the enemies all alone. He wasn¡¯t the type. Then what? Did he dislike seeing the foreignersughing at South Korea?


    No. It was for his own self-interest.


    That thought eased his mind.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172


    Talent could be grown.


    Study, exercise, work. They would be able to reach first ce in any field if they tried hard enough.


    But it was different in Satisfy. There were many geniuses among the two billion users. If they crossed tens of thousands of mountains, there were still thousands of mountains remaining. After crossing those thousands of mountains, there were dozens of mountains blocking them again.


    Among the many mountains, the highest mountain was Yura. She was immovable in her 5th ce on the unified rankings.


    Kwa kwang!


    Pepepeng!


    ¡®She truly is a monster.¡¯


    Bubat was a member of the Turkish national team and 25th on the unified rankings. Hebined bold judgments and powerful CC to be called Satisfy¡¯s best initiator. The battlefield was always favorable to his allies when he was fighting in the lead.


    However, that didn¡¯t work in front of Yura.


    Peng!


    ¡¯Damn, it¡¯s perfect timing without any errors. Is she a human? She isn¡¯t aputer?¡¯


    The rare hidden ss, Crusher. Just like its name, the Crusher ss was designed to shatter formations. He used the ¡®Unconditional¡¯ skill to rush within 3m of the target and used CCbos to instantly destroy the enemy. But Yura¡¯s calm and clever responses made the Crusher¡¯s advantages ineffective.


    ¡®There is a 0.5 second gap between approaching and the CCbo. She properly counters at the right timing, making my posture copse and my techniques not work properly.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t even a 1-on-1 situation. Yura alone was dealing with 15 people. She perfectly poured out magic towards 14 people while keeping the CC in check.


    ¡®If this is the 5th ce, then what are the freaks above her?¡¯


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Was attack called the best defense? Yura still hadn¡¯t used defense magic once. She used curse magic to neutralize the tankers and damage dealers, then attacked them. Her ability to suppress the enemy attacks by just attacking was overwhelming.


    ¡®Too strong. Isn¡¯t this at the level of a boss monster?¡¯


    ¡®Unless we use CC on her, this will turn into a war of attrition. We need to create the perfect opportunity for Bubat.¡¯


    The defenders did their best to expose a loophole in Yura. Due to their resistance to magic, the curse magic wasn¡¯t perfect, but they still suffered some damage. Therefore, this wasn¡¯t an easy task.


    Yura¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t her curse magic or powerful attack spells. It was her analysis, prediction and choices. She analyzed the enemy¡¯s behavioral patterns and predicted how to deal with their attacks. Then she used magic that was difficult to deal with. She forced two or three choices on their opponent, making them feel confused about what would be their best action.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡º This is truly amazing...! This is the dignity of the 5th ranked user! ¡»


    The experts from all over the world, including thementator. In addition, the spectators and viewers were shocked beyond admiration. It was because Yura¡¯s power was so unrealistic that she managed tost five minutes against the top rankers representing eight countries.


    ¡°But now she has reached her limit.¡±


    It was the moment that Zibal in the US waiting room had been waiting for.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°...Uh!¡±


    Yura started to allow attacks. Her concentration didn¡¯t drop. It was because her magic power was at its limit.


    ¡®She is weakened!¡¯


    The curse magic that restrained the rankers was loosened. Yura¡¯s mana was on the verge of being depleted, so she couldn¡¯t afford to use new curses. Thanks to that, the tankers burst through the magical bombardment with their solid bodies.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    ¡°Hiyaaack!¡±


    The swords, spears, axes and shields aimed at Yura.


    ¡®They were released from the curse magic too early. Their methods of dealing with my magic is also good. They are strong.¡¯


    Yura expressed her displeasure and used defense magic for the first time.


    ¡°Diamond Shield.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The weakness of the ck magicians was that they had less defense spells that other magicians.


    Yura was level 291 and close to her third advancement, but she used a defense magic that she obtained at level 230. Yes, it was the diamond shield that she learned on the day she first met Grid at the Yatan Temple.


    And the damage that the diamond shield could absorb wasn¡¯t great.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    ¡®Victory!¡¯


    They were convinced after seeing cracks in the shield. Then Yura pulled out an orb.


    ¡°Divine Punishment.¡±


    [Divine Punishment]


    Summons a lightning bolt that deals 15,000~23,000 damage within 10 metres.


    Range of Damage: 3m radius around the target.


    The dark spells stored in the orb could be used without any casting time. In addition, the target of the magic wasn¡¯t the tankers. It was the damage dealers in the rear.


    Kwajajajajak!


    Obvious limitations existed for skills with a fixed damage. They weren¡¯t effective against people with high health. Once time passed and the level of the users became higher, this Divine Punishment skill was likely to be obsolete.


    But it was still useful in the present time. The damage dealers in the mid 200s only had around 15,000 health.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    She ignored the threat from the tankers and dealt with the damage dealers? The four damage dealers didn¡¯t have time to use defensive or evasive skills as they screamed and turned into grey light.


    ¡°Ray!¡±


    ¡°Dammit! Vas was struck!¡±


    Once their partners were logged out, the angry tankers poured their attack skills onto Yura.


    Jjejeong!


    Seokeok!


    The newly deployed diamond shield was shattered and scratches started to appear on Yura¡¯s white skin.


    Puk!Puuok!


    Her slender body was pierced with sharp iron.


    Stagger.


    Thementators sighed as the treasure of South Korea was about to copse.


    ¡º Ahh...! They struggled against Yura¡¯s overwhelming ability, but now she is allowing some attacks...! ¡»


    ¡º A magician¡¯s defense and health are very low. Once they allow an attack, they will copse rapidly. This must hurt. Yura was the person most likely to win a medal in the target processing... As many people have predicted, it seems that South Korea won¡¯t be able to make any achievements in the nationalpetition. ¡»


    The Korean audiences were outraged.


    ¡°Do it in moderation! Don¡¯t mess up Yura¡¯s pretty face!¡±


    ¡°You damn bastards! Why are you bothering a girl who is fighting alone?¡±


    ¡°Dog-like bastards! I will remember your IDs. Let¡¯s see if we meet in the fieldter! I will sacrifice my life to get revenge for the goddess!¡±


    Crash!


    Yura allowed an attack and copsed. In the end, she fell to one knee.


    "Ah...!"


    ¡°Serves you right!¡±


    The Korean audiences gasped while the foreign audiences cheered.


    Jebeok jebeok.


    A young Asian man was admitted to the stadium under the guidance of staff members. He was heading in the direction of the capsule room.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?"


    ¡°Who is that person?¡±


    There was sudden confusion. Thementator btedly spread the news.


    ¡º That person¡¯s ID is Grid. He is a member of the South Korean national team and scheduled to be Yura¡¯s partner in the target processing match. He was unavoidably dyed and arrivedte.¡»


    The Korean audiences booed.


    "Grid? It is the first time I¡¯ve heard that name.¡±


    "Ah... What is this? This scum that I¡¯ve never heard of has arrived at thest minute? Is this aedy?¡±


    "That bastard is going to appear now? Yura is suffering because of him!¡±


    There was also bacsh from the foreign audience.


    ¡°What? How can he participate midway?¡±


    "It is against the rules!¡±


    Thementator exined.


    ¡º ording to the organizers, there is no rule that prohibits participating while the event is going on. So it seems that the Korean team member¡¯s bted admission isn¡¯t a problem. ¡»


    The experts from various international media outlets frowned.


    ¡º For a yer to participate in the middle of a match... ¡»


    ¡º I know that the National Competition¡¯s Organizational Committee is made up of Korean government personnel and executives of the S.A. Group. Theirck of professionalism is showing. ¡»


    ¡º This is the first year the National Competition is held so there are a lot of loopholes. Well, won¡¯t it improve gradually? There is a story that the organizationalmittee is restructuring with experts. ¡»


    ¡º ...The bottom line is that the Korean team member is going to participate. How will this change the situation? ¡»


    ¡º What will change? Yura is already at her limit. The man called ¡®Grid¡¯ who is joiningte isn¡¯t even on the list of 1,000 top ranker yers. The fate of the Korean team won¡¯t change. At this rate, they will be eliminated. ¡»


    The odds of an unknown yer participating in the target processing match filled with only yers in the top 80 was close to zero. That¡¯s why no one was expecting anything from Grid. On the other hand, the yers from eight countries surrounding Yura and were trying to deal the final blow.


    "Forcing my yer to logout...! It¡¯s over for our country now! I will kill you myself!¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Regas tried to stop them but it was impossible. Med was suddenly more agile than Faker and persistently pursued him, not allowing Regas to escape.


    Pepeok!


    Med attacked Regas with a club while ring sharply.


    "You ruined everything. If it wasn¡¯t for you, Yura would¡¯ve been easily managed and we wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much time.¡±


    Looking at the scoreboard, the US, France, Brazil, China and Japan all exceeded 50 points. South Korea had 78 points, but sooner orter Yura would die. She wasn¡¯t the problem. But the yers from other countries were still going strong. It was impossible to cover that 50 point gap.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Yura was attacked by several weapons, while the club aimed at Regas. Regas could break through the crisis on his own. He could give up his flesh and bones. He counterattacked right after being hit by the club.


    On the other hand, Yura was helpless. Her mana was depleted and a weapon was just about to stab into her neck.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    It was the end of South Korea¡¯s sole hope. The Korean spectators and viewers screamed. On the other hand, the foreign audiences cheered.


    "South Korea should exit here! It¡¯s obvious!¡±


    The millions of people watching thepetition didn¡¯t doubt that Yura would die. Ah, except for one person.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Seven golden des fell from the sky. They urately deflected the weapons about to hit Yura.


    "...What?!¡±


    The rankers who were prevented from taking Yura¡¯s life were astonished. Who had interfered? They felt doubt and raised their heads in the direction that the des came from. The cameras also followed them.


    The blue sky was caught in the ry being sent to the whole world. That¡¯s right. It was just the sky.


    ¡°No one?¡±


    Surely the des came from there?


    ¡º What is this? ¡»


    The rankers,mentators and experts. As the spectators and viewers were feeling puzzled...


    "The viin has appeared.¡±


    A young man called ¡®Grid¡¯ appeared behind the rankers who were staring at the sky.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    "When?¡±


    It was an unexpected situation. A man¡¯s voice was heard where there was nothing?


    ¡®Is it a person with Faker level stealth?¡¯


    If so, the person must be a powerhouse. The rankers felt an eerier sensation and turned around. But it was toote. The dark greatsword was already being swung.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    The strongest representatives of each country were taken out with a single blow. The people supporting the eight countries were in great shock. Grid knew better than anyone else how shock could turn to despair and warned them.


    "Be fully prepared. You will experience the same thing from now on.¡±


    Ttaak!


    Grid snapped his fingers. Then the seven des protecting Yura flew into the sky and started attacking the targets flying at 40m per second.


    Pepepepeng!


    The fragments of the exploded targets filled the screen. The stopped score of the Korean team started again, while Grid took off his Hooded Zip Up while the enemies were gazing at the golden des. He wore brilliant armor that was red, gold and ck.


    ¡°The one-sided game, start.¡±


    Was this a devil? An arrogant ck-haired man in the sky. His mouth wasn¡¯t the problem.


    ¡®It is serious.¡¯


    They lost four damage dealers to Yura. Now eight of the remaining eleven yers from eight countries were unable to move.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The Korean spectators cheered in unison. There was no one who frowned at Grid now. They were thrilled by Grid¡¯s spectacr appearance.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173


    Talent, skills, appearance, wealth, and background. Yura was born with everything. Nothing wascking. That¡¯s why people thought she lived without ever experiencing a single trial. But that was a misconception.


    They didn¡¯t know all the trails she went through and the effort she made. In fact, Yura had suffered numerous trials and had many frustrating experiences. She tried to withstand the trials and failed. But she was able to mature because she didn¡¯t give in to her frustration.


    It was a process that took ce in both reality and Satisfy. It was how she could be 5th ranked and a star that people were envious of.


    ¡®I can learn from today¡¯s failure and grow even more.¡¯


    There was a sh and weapons aimed at her organs. She closed her eyes and epted death. Then...


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Something flew from the sky.


    ¡®This..¡¯


    Yura opened her eyes and saw seven beautiful des. Then a familiar voice was heard.


    "The viin has appeared.¡±


    A powerful and confident voice. That voice was weak just a few months ago. Would anyone believe her if she said that?


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The ck-haired man wielded his greatsword and proudly showed off his overwhelming strength. The person was Grid! It was the moment when the person who once made Yura very frustrated appeared.


    ¡®You came. You decided to ept mypulsion.¡¯


    Due to her innate talent, she lived a life of solitude. She didn¡¯t have the experience of relying on someone. Ever since her parents died, she waspletely isted. She had a heart of steel because she had to face the world alone.


    But at this moment. Yura¡¯s solid heart melted like snow before sunlight.


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Yura smiled as she blushed for the first time. Her smile was more brilliant than ever.


    ***


    Tira Ind.


    The world¡¯s attention was focused on the small ind that was the stage for the target processing match.


    ¡®A brilliant debut.¡¯


    It was the honest impression of Turkey¡¯s representative, Bubat. The young man called Grid appeared and saved Yura just before her death, blowing the rankers away. Then he used the unidentified golden des to destroy the targets.


    The appearance was dramatic enough to seem like the main character of a movie. Right now, the outside world would be in an uproar. It was obvious that the ID Grid would upy the number one spot on the Inte real time searches of each country.


    There was amon question that everyone in the world had.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Bubat asked on behalf of the world.


    Grid replied sarcastically, "Isn¡¯t it obvious after I saved Yura? South Korea¡¯s representative.¡±


    Bubat frowned at the words.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t feel any tension despite being surrounded by renowned rankers. He is an arrogant person.¡¯


    Grid was certainly a private ranker.


    ¡®A person who hides behind a curtain and doesn¡¯t know the enormity of the world, he believes he is the best frog in the well... I have met many people like you.¡¯


    The private rankers all had one thing inmon. It was that they didn¡¯t know the reality of the world. They mocked the rankers whopeted on stage with courage and honor, not realizing it was just an illusion. Bubat had experience humbling such people.


    ¡®You should always be vignt.¡¯


    Sneak sneak.


    Bubat fixed his gaze on Grid and moved a few steps with skillful footwork. He narrowed the distance to 3m and used a skill.


    "Bull Headbutt!¡±


    Bull Headbutt was the Crusher¡¯s unique skill and had a higher concept than Blink magic. He leapt through space itself, so he could approach the target no matter what obstacles were in his way.


    Kung!


    Bubat emerged in front of Grid and used a skill at the same time. He bent his waist. Then his hard forehead hit Grid. Yura countered Bubat using precise timing, but Grid didn¡¯t have the same control as Yura. He allowed the attack.


    [You have dealt 1,730 damage to the target.]


    [ The target will be rigid for 0.3 seconds.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    ¡®Resisted?¡¯


    Bubat was confused but linked his CC skills out of habit.


    "Star Wish!¡±


    Kwang!


    Bubat¡¯s one-handed hammer hit Grid¡¯s temple. There was the special effect of stars floating above Grid¡¯s head.


    [You have dealt 2,280 damage to the target.]


    [The target will be stunned for 2.5 seconds.]


    He did it properly. This was the power of a Crusher, who could neutralize the enemy.


    "Well done Bubat!¡±


    The 10 remaining representatives moved in unison. They were intent on killing Grid.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter who you are!¡¯


    ¡¯I¡¯ll make your face distort with pain!¡¯


    They would force Grid to exit, making his spectacr emergence be in vain. He would go back to hiding behind his curtain as usual, like all private rankers. The rankers ridiculed Grid and prepared to attack him.


    ¡°Danger!¡±


    Bubat hurriedly eximed. It was due to the incredible notification window that appeared in front of him.


    [The target has resisted.]


    He saw many people who could reduce the duration of CCs using stats, skills or item effects. Therefore, he didn¡¯t think much of it when he saw that Grid resisted Bull Headbutt¡¯s 0.3 second rigid state. But to be perfectly resistant to a 2.5 second CC?


    ¡®Is he immune to CC?¡¯


    If so, it was a total scam. A chill went down Bubat¡¯s spine. However, the other rankers were confident. They couldn¡¯t imagine that Grid was immune to CC and ignored Bubat¡¯s warnings, swinging their weapons as hard as possible.


    Pahat!


    Syuok!


    The onught revealed their weakness, because they didn¡¯t expect a counterattack.


    Pisik.


    Gridughed and moved lightly.


    Sukakak!


    First of all, he would leave Bubat forter.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid evaded the attacks and advanced while counterattacking.


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was undeniable that Grid¡¯s control skills wereckingpared to a ranker. However, he had experience raiding powerful bosses and he had grown slightly beyond the category of ordinary people. It meant he couldn¡¯t fail to counterattack against the enemies who weren¡¯t vignt and exposed their weak points.


    ¡°What is this... Ugh!¡±


    Grid, who shouldn¡¯t be able to move, had neatly avoided their attacks and counterattacked. Thus, the rankers were caught off guard and wounded. They hurriedly took a health potion while shock filled their eyes.


    [You have suffered 6,230 damage.]


    [You have suffered 6,100 damage.]


    [You have suffered 6,450 damage.]


    Putting aside his immunity to CC, his t damage was this much?


    "What is this guy...?¡±


    If a ranker received damage from a damage dealer with a level in the mid-200s, they would suffer around 3,000 damage. Yet this was more than 6,000 damage? In addition, this was the damage without using a skill?


    ¡°You..! What is your identity?¡±


    Grid was different from the usual private rankers that they met. He was a monster like Yura. The South Korean team was hiding another bigshot like Yura? The rankers became tense. At this moment, someone saw the golden des destroying the targets by themselves and btedly recalled something.


    ¡°That reminds me, those golden des... Don¡¯t they look like the golden discs used by Pagma¡¯s Descendant at the Bairan battle?¡±


    ¡°...Heok?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡±


    The rankers frowned. At the same time, thementators were making the same guess.


    ¡º The seven golden des are moving by themselves! The actions, material and color are simr to the golden discs used by Pagma¡¯s Descendant! ¡»


    ¡º We should pay attention to that ck greatsword! That greatsword has an orange color around it like the sunset, so I failed to recognize it at first. But look closely! It is the greatsword that Pagma¡¯s Descendant threw to Toon in the Bairan Battle! ¡»


    ¡°Come to think of it...¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps...?¡±


    ¡°That man called Grid...¡±


    Was he Pagma¡¯s Descendant? The millions of viewers around the world, including the rankers and audience members all wondered the same thing. On the other hand, Grid was frowning.


    ¡®They only lost one-fifth of their health, despite being hit by Dainsleif? They are truly top rankers.¡¯


    [+8 Dainsleif (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 703~991 Attack Speed: -8% (-2)%


    * Additional damage equal to 10% of the target¡¯s current defense will be dealt.


    * The greater the number of enemies, the greater the damage.


    (Additional 15 (+3) damage per enemy)


    * The skill ¡®Golden sh¡¯ will be generated.


    The weapon was strengthened to +8.


    Compared to the +0 weapon, the base attack power increased by 56% and the option effects increased by 20%.


    Currently, Dainsleif perceived 11 people as enemies. This meant that the +8 Dainsleif had an attack power of 901~1,[email protected] (damage proportional to the opponent¡¯s defense). This alone was enough for it to be a great weapon, so Grid had judged that it wasn¡¯t necessary to bring out Failure.


    ¡®I really can¡¯t ignore the rankers.¡¯


    Grid opened his inventory. Then he put Dainsleif away and pulled out Failure.


    [+9 Failure]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 1,090/1,090


    Attack Power: 1,768~3,682 Defense: 80 (+24)


    * Agility +50 (+15)


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be generated.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 (-6) levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +20% (+6) in dark ces.


    A +9 item was on a different dimension from a +8 item. Compared to the +0 weapon, the base attack power increased by 70% and the option effects increased by 30%. In addition, Failure was a weapon that was fundamentally more powerful than Dainsleif. The absolute majesty of the +9 Failure couldn¡¯t bepared with the +8 Dainsleif.


    ¡®In the first ce, I am participating in the National Competition...¡¯


    Grid himself was well aware that it was impossible to conceal his identity anymore. So what if he let the world know?


    ¡®I will have a morous debut.¡¯


    He was reluctant to be a celebrity because it was annoying in many ways. But on the contrary, if he could endure it, then he would be able to obtain a lot of benefits. He would be more popr with women. Or he would be more popr with women.


    ¡®I will be more popr with women!¡¯


    After the incident with Ahyoung, he had a distrust of women and couldn¡¯t think of dating immediately. However, he wasn¡¯t celibate. Who knew what would happen? He might meet his fate if he got many female fans.


    ¡°Huhuhu...!¡±


    He smiled. But from the enemy¡¯s point of view, Grid¡¯s smile was very wicked. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    ¡°P-Pagma...!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real!¡±


    The rankers started frantically thinking. The legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The person who made the whole world shake was a Korean? And what was that white light around the greatsword?


    ¡®+9 sword...!¡¯


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was the first appearance of Pagma¡¯s Descendant after the Bairan battle. This was much more powerfulpared to the bombardment he fired at Neberius during the Bairan battle.


    [You have suffered 18,050 damage.]


    [You have suffered 19,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 18,410 damage.]


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The rankers were hurt due to the battle with Yura, and their health wasn¡¯t full despite taking potions. They couldn¡¯t cope with the blue and white bombardment and started to turn into a grey light.


    Some people who calmly deployed their defense skills survived, but there was only a handful of them. There were only four people left. Except for them, seven rankers were logged out with one skill.


    ¡®A wide area skill has this much damage?¡¯


    ¡¯Why didn¡¯t he get affected by the CC?¡¯


    The four survivors were confused by the aftermath of the absurd attack. On the other hand, Grid didn¡¯t stay still.


    ¡°Quick Movements!¡±


    He pulled out the Ideal Dagger and used its skills, then he chased after the survivors. Then he swapped again to the +9 Failure and used cksmith¡¯s Rage, raising his attack power and attack speed. Arge storm raged from the greatsword.


    Jjejeong!Jjang!Jjejejeok!


    [The durability of Zilron¡¯s Sword has decreased by 32.]


    [The durability of Ragel¡¯s Shield has decreased by 19.]


    [The durability of the Tuhon Armor has decreased by 9.]


    Puk!Peok!Sakak!


    [You have suffered 9,820 damage.]


    [You have suffered 12,030 damage.]


    [You have suffered 10,550 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh! What is this...?¡±


    "Every time I defend, my item durability...!¡±


    ¡°Dammit! Isn¡¯t this crazy? Kuhak!¡±


    Was this really a yer¡¯s attack power? It wasparable to a boss monster. Yura was strong in magic, but they couldn¡¯t endure this bastard¡¯s strength. Then what about the attack speed? It was unbelievably fast for a greatsword.


    Seokeok!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    It was impossible for only four people to cope with Grid. Somehow they counterattacked, but their damage wasn¡¯t as high as Grid¡¯s. His defense was at the level of a tanker and they couldn¡¯t deal any fatal damage.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Bubat had persistent health and continued to use CC, blocking Grid¡¯s path several times. But Grid was immune to CC, making it useless. A Crusher¡¯s worst counter was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡¯How absurd...!¡¯


    A legendary ss was different. It didn¡¯t matter about theck of control. He was just strong. Furthermore, the items he was armed with were too good.


    "This is a fraudulent character... Cough!¡±


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    In the end, the four survivors, including Bubat, died and were logged out.


    "This ce is all cleaned up.¡±


    Grid defeated 11 rankers that represented their country. He recovered his health by drinking potions and extended his sight to the entire ind.


    "..."


    On one side, Regas and Med were having a confrontation. Natasha left Regas alone and was absorbed in aiming at the targets. Jishuka and Samuel who represented Brazil were in the forest. The US, French, Chinese and Japanese representatives were busy keeping each other in check.


    All those who met Grid¡¯s eyes shrank back. Jishuka and Regas weren¡¯t an exception. Right now, they were Grid¡¯s enemies. They all stayed silent and couldn¡¯t act carelessly, causing Grid to shrug.


    "Well, there is no need to fight.¡±


    Pepeng!Peng!


    In the sky above. Even at this moment, the seven golden des were moving on their own to destroy the targets. South Korea¡¯s points were now at 110. On the other hand, the average score of the other teams was only 70 points.


    This status quo just needed to be maintained, and it was clear that South Korea would win.


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Thementators were overwhelmed at the majesty of the legendary ss and couldn¡¯t say anything.


    "..."


    The hundreds of thousands of spectators were silent with astonishment. The Olympic main stadium was as calm as dead rats.


    "..."


    Even the millions of people watching via TV or the Inte had lost their souls. Had there ever been such a quiet day since the human race started breeding on Earth? Many people were feeling doubt.


    ¡°Indeed, you truly are Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    Yura smiled. She was still beautiful despite being wounded. She couldn¡¯t raise her slender body, so Grid approached her.


    "Don¡¯t exaggerate and stand up. Isn¡¯t it funny that a woman like you has fallen down?¡±


    "Please help me.¡± Yura asked and held out a hand.


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Grid clicked his tongue and grabbed her hand. It was clearly caught on camera. Then...


    ¡°W... Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Grid! Grid! Grid!¡±


    ¡°Yura! Yura! Yura!¡±


    The Korean audience members started to cheer on the two people. South Korea, a country ignored for being weak in Satisfy. This man and woman were about to end that long disgrace.


    On this day. A true legend began.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174


    ¡°Bad person.¡± Jishuka muttered.


    Deep in the forest. She had struggled with Samuel, the weakest of the participants in the target processing match, and her anger finally exploded.


    ¡°He ignored my whisper, only toe for another girl?¡±


    The day of the opening ceremony. Jishuka had logged onto Satisfy in South Korea and whispered to Grid to find out his location. But Grid continued to ignore her whispers. At the time, Jishuka had tried to understand. He must be busy.


    But what was this? He didn¡¯t seem too busy to rescue another woman.


    ¡®Did he ignore my whispers because he wasn¡¯t interested in me? He didn¡¯t want to meet up with me, so he ignored it?¡¯


    She had thousands of fan clubs all over the world. Hundreds of millions of men wanted her. She had been courted by the best men, such as handsome actors, oil tycoons, and sessful intellectuals. But now she was being ignored.


    Jishuaka¡¯s pride was crushed as she was holding a Special Jaffa Arrow! It was broken in half. She ignored it and asked Samuel, ¡°Who is prettier between me and Yura?¡±


    The people of the world enjoyedparing Jishuka and Yura. It was their hobby to evaluate who was more beautiful. It wasn¡¯t just their appearance. They were oftenpared in all respects because they were international stars and top rankers of Satisfy. Even the payment they received for their TV appearances or photo shoots was the same.


    Jishuka recognized Yura as her rival. However, she was confident that she was superior to Yura. But she seemed to be defeated when it came to the man she was interested in. She never knew that Grid and Yura were so close.


    ¡®A person who would rather make items rushed to participate in the National Competition... Is Yura a special presence to him?¡¯


    Samuel looked at her and responded honestly.


    "Jishuka, you are much sexier. Your qualities are definitely better. Objectively, I think that you are more beautiful? But I personally prefer elegant women, so Yura seems more beautiful to me. In addition, Yura is Asian, right? She has calm eyes, no freckles, and a mysterious charm in many ways. Hehe, she is a goddess.¡±


    "Shut up.¡±


    Puok!


    [The effect of the Special Jaffa arrow is activated, meaning the enemy¡¯s defense ispletely ignored.]


    [The Special Jaffa Arrow has poisoned the enemy.]


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Samuel shuddered in pain as the arrow stabbed his thigh. Then Jishuka pulled back her bowstring.


    ¡°I am angry.¡±


    Papapat!


    Her quick fire was unfolded. The targets flying between the trees and bushes exploded without being able to escape Jishuka¡¯s arrows.


    ¡°I am bing heated up!¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    The Brazilian team¡¯s score keep increasing thanks to her furious firing. Thementator shouted.


    ¡º Brazil 72... 73 points! Truly an expert archer! The Brazilian representative, Jishuka¡¯s arrows ignore all obstacles and are wiping out the targets in a sh! Ah! As soon as I spoke, the Chinese team and Japanese team have started attacking Jishuka! ¡»


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    The audience¡¯s attention that was focused on Pagma¡¯s Descendant finally returned to the battlefield. They once again began to cheer for the yers of their country. On the other hand, the United States representative, Hurent, was looking at the scoreboard with a perplexed expression.


    "Um~ what is this?¡±


    South Korea - 113 points.


    United States- 77 points.


    Brazil - 73 points.


    Canada - 71 points.


    France - 69 points.


    China - 62 points.


    Japan - 61 points.


    United Kingdom - 49 points.


    Spain - 0 points.


    It was the Korean team¡¯s solo y.


    He had almost caught up with the Korean team¡¯s score when Yura was attacked by the representatives of eight countries, but the sudden appearance of Pagma¡¯s Descendant made his efforts useless.


    ¡®Destroying 11 top rankers alone and controlling the des to handle the targets...¡¯


    During the Bairan battle, he had been ¡®passable.¡¯


    ¡°Really, isn¡¯t it a foul to introduce a legendary ss at this time?¡±


    Hurent made a frightened expression on the outside, but his eyes were calm. He scratched his grey hair and his middle-aged brain started to spin quickly. The situation had changed due to a single influence. How should he deal with it?


    He worried about it before calling out his partner¡¯s name.


    ¡°Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The young silver-haired man, who was watching Grid, replied with an expressionless face.


    Hurent asked him, ¡°Those golden des, can you handle them?¡±


    "..."


    Lauel¡¯s gaze headed back towards the sky where Grid was. He briefly observed the seven des that were moving around 1.5 times faster than the target and exined.


    ¡°Sniping is possible if I can get within 30m of them. However, if those des are made of the same material as the golden discs that appeared during the Bairan battle, they won¡¯t be destroyed.¡±


    Hurent nodded.


    ¡°Okay. Then we will give up on the gold medal.¡±


    The United States was the world¡¯s strongest power.


    As representatives of the United States, Hurent and Lauel were great. As the number two person on the US team, Hurent was 8th on the unified rankings and had a hidden ss. Meanwhile, Lauel was one of the Ten Rookies. They originally aimed to win, but they changed their target without faltering.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant and Yura. It might be possible with just one of them, but it is folly to be enemies with both of them at the same time. Let¡¯s leave both of them alone and focus on our own fight.¡±


    They would aim for the silver medal. Hurent made the decision and decided to defeat his rivals.


    "First of all, our first target should be the Canadian team.¡±


    The United States, France, Brazil, China and Japan were the five teams in the forest. They were busy keeping each other in check. The British team were near the Korean team, but their score was slowly rising because Natasha was handling the targets alone. The Spanish team? Med was the only survivor and he was confronting Regas. His score was also zero, so there was no need to worry about him.


    On the other hand, the Canadian team was an eyesore.


    They were hidden halfway up a mountain and were persistently handling the targets. Thanks to their exquisite position, their speed of points acquisition was fast and no one was disturbing them. They were the obvious choice.


    "..."


    The French representatives and Chinese representatives on the right and left looked over here with frightened eyes. Hurentughed at them and spoke, ¡°Three minutes. Just hold on for three minutes without me."


    Lauel¡¯s face distorted. "Hold on alone for three minutes? Won¡¯t the other teams focus their attacks on me the moment you leave my side? I won¡¯t even be able tost two minutes.¡±


    ¡°No, you can hold on. If not, just endure for 2 minutes and 50 seconds. I wille back in that time.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go together?¡±


    "No. Then the Canadian team can cooperate with other teams to iste us. Then I am going~¡±


    Hurent spoke one-sidedly before jumping high in a manner that didn¡¯t fit hisrge size. Like a martial artist, he ran along the trees and reached the mountain in a minute.


    ¡°Have youe to be killed?¡±


    The Canadian representative ridiculed Hurent. There were two of them, while Hurent was alone. Lauel was left alone and was being attacked by the representatives of other countries. This was the end for the US.


    ¡°You¡¯re foolish, Hurent.¡±


    After the Korean team that had Pagma¡¯s Descendant and Yura, the United States had the next best power. Now the Canadian team had an opportunity to defeat the United States. Hurent might be ranked 8th, but they were also in the top 30 rankings. The two of them believed they could defeat Hurent if they worked together.


    ¡¯Hurent isn¡¯t a monster like Yura and Pagma¡¯s Descendant. If he was a monster like them, he would¡¯ve already smashed the other teams alone.¡¯


    The Canadian representatives thought so. But in fact, Hurent was a monster. He was one of the seven rankers that Yura analyzed to be stronger than her.


    "I have to hurry.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    A red aura like fire zed on both of Hurent¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was different from their information? Hurent had a rare hidden ss called ¡®Aura Master,¡¯ and didn¡¯t he originally deal with blue aura? As they felt confused and wary, Hurent gave them new information.


    ¡°Among the hidden sses, ¡®growth¡¯ types exist. My Aura Master was a rare ss when I first acquired it, but now it¡¯s been promoted to an epic ss. My aura has be stronger.¡±


    "Bullshit!¡±


    This was the first time they heard of growth type sses. The Canadian team thought it was a bluff and attacked. The aura around both of Hurent¡¯s hands formed swords.


    ¡°I will let you learn the glory of a future legendary ss.¡±


    Hurent spoke sincerely and swung his two aura des.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    The Canadian representatives struggled. They exchanged a few blows with Hurent. But Hurent¡¯s swordsmanship was much better. The Canadian representatives started to be injured. Hurent¡¯s aura despletely ignored their defenses, so they suffered a 100% fixed damage.


    The Canadian representatives were shocked by their injuries, while Hurent¡¯s aura des moved like a whip.


    Puuok!


    ¡°Kuk... Kuak!"


    ¡°From this angle, how...?¡±


    A Canadian representative was pierced in the heart and was stunned after suffering massive damage. Their survival was already in Hurent¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Your abilities are good, but... Somehow, the recent rankers are too weak in PvP. Is is because they are only focused on levelling up? You don¡¯t know how to fight~¡±


    Hurent was unable to conceal his rxed expression as he logged out the Canadian rankers. He checked the time while taking a potion and hit his forehead.


    ¡°Damn, it has already been over three minutes.¡±


    Hurent operated aura around his lower half, allowing him to move at a tremendous speed and to quickly reach Lauel. Then heughed. Lauel, who he thought would already be dead, was rtively fine?


    "No wonder he¡¯s called the strongest rookie.¡±


    Lauel red sharply while Hurent was admiring him.


    ¡°It took you 4 minutes and 9 seconds.¡±


    "Sorry, sorry~ The enemies were further than I thought.¡±


    The apologetic Hurent attacked the French and Chinese representatives who had attacked Lauel. At that moment, an arrow flew towards his heart.


    Puok!


    Hurent avoided it hitting his heart with breathtaking reflexes and expressed his disapproval. He pulled out the arrow and said, "I wanted to avoid a melee because of that woman.¡±


    An archer was vulnerable in a one-on-one match. But it was a scary ss when hidden behind allies. In the first ce, Jishuka was an outstanding talent.


    "Well, she was my second goal. Cover me Lauel.¡±


    Hurent leapt in the direction of the Brazilian team.


    ¡®We can¡¯t beat the US team if Jishuka is killed.¡¯


    The other teams judged simultaneously and blocked him. But there was one problem.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Hurent dispersed aura around him. Then they transformed into aura spears and pierced the bodies of the enemies.


    ¡°Kuk...! ¡®Aura, is this its true power?¡¯


    ¡®This is the strength of a top 10 ranker...!¡¯


    Surprises kept appearing.


    Zibal, Chris, Bondre and Yura. Then there was Pagma¡¯s Descendant and Hurent.


    They showed strength that transcendedmon sense in this National Competition. Even if all participants were rankers, the level was different. It was to a point where they felt insignificant.


    Hurent pierced through the disgruntled representatives and reached the Brazilian team. Samuel blocked his way, but Samuel was the weakest one here. He couldn¡¯t beat Hurent.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Samuel was struck and fell down. Hurent had been hit with arrows several times, but he ignored them and narrowed the distance to Jishuka instantly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this quite hard?¡± Hurent exined to the sweaty Jishuka. ¡°It¡¯s possible to operate my aura defensively. Anyway, it¡¯s great. This is the first time I¡¯ve be a hedgehog.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you experience your body being cut in half?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    An unexpected voice was heard above his head? Hurent freaked out and moved.


    Kwang!


    The greatsword hit the ce where he had been standing.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    The ground shook like an earthquake had urred. Grid descended.


    Hurent noticed his mistake.


    "That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s Descendant belong to the Tzedakah Guild? Ah, I tried to touch someone I should¡¯nt have.¡±


    "You saw it right away.¡±


    He might¡¯ve never expressed it, but the Tzedakah Guild was very precious to Grid. They noticed his value more quickly than anyone else, and they were people who respected and cared about him.


    He originally built a rtionship with them because of money, but not anymore. This was a rtionship built up over half a year. They helped him in many ways. Grid mightugh at some of them, but to him, they were his only friends.


    How could he not protect his friends when he had enough strength? It was no different from his past friends who ignored him when he was in pain.


    ¡¯Yes, I will never do so.¡¯


    At this moment, he realized why he wanted to enter thepetition despite having to reveal his identity.


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s eyes changed.


    The arrogance cleared from his eyes. The reasons he used to convince himself about why he participated in thispetition was just a means to conceal his confusion, because he couldn¡¯t understand his own psychology. At this moment, his eyes were shining deeply and gently.


    Hurent witnessed the change in real time and was amazed.


    ¡®It feels like he has be another person.¡¯


    On the other hand, Jishuka¡¯s eyes were shining from next to Grid.


    ¡®W-What? Why is he so good looking today?¡¯


    Jishuka was always confident and didn¡¯t pay attention to men. Her eyes couldn¡¯t leave Grid.


    Grid moved her behind him and dered, ¡°Watch me.¡±


    ¡°Ye... Huh?¡±


    Duguen!


    Jishuka looked at Grid¡¯s wide back and turned red. And right now, this situation was being broadcasted around the world.


    ¡°Damn! This isn¡¯t a drama!¡±


    ¡°Boo! Boo-!¡±


    The men around the world started to boo together. Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Yura, wasn¡¯t enough for him? He was aiming for Jishuka as well? Wasn¡¯t he a very bad person?


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    "Rotten guy!"


    One man was gobbling up the hearts of two of the world¡¯s most beautiful women. There was a lot of swearing around the world.


    At the same time.


    A young man in his 30¡¯s was watching thepetition on TV and stood up. Then towards the Grid on TV... p.p. A standing ovation.


    "nt gs all around you. Bravo...!¡±


    This man had posters of Reba¡¯s Daughters all over his house. Thanks to Grid, the pope was killed and he became the first to receive a unique hidden ss. He was cheering for Grid from a distance.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175


    When he was a highschool student. Lee Junho only believed in his fist, and tormented children weaker than him. Mental and physical abuse were basic, and he also extorted money. In school, he was the king.


    No one could resist and had to obey him. One of the tormented was Shin Youngwoo. He would shiver when frightened and would be grumpy if his pride was trampled on. Youngwoo was the same, even after going to university and the military.


    Lee Junho mocked him every time they met at the alumni meeting. But what was this? The person who appeared at this year¡¯s reunion was significantly different. He was economically sessful and confident.


    On the other hand, Lee Junho hadn¡¯t changed from his school days. He couldn¡¯t abandon his gangster mentality and couldn¡¯t adapt to society. He was in histe 20¡¯s and could only find part time jobs.


    Lee Junho became ashamed of himself. He got off the throne he was sitting on and faced reality.


    ¡®I need to change, like Youngwoo.¡¯


    Lee Junho was determined. Like Youngwoo, he tried to ovee his past self in order to achieve a new and sessful life.


    First of all, he abandoned his futile pride. He worked hard to find jobs at gas stations, convenience stores, PC Cafes and construction sites. He didn¡¯t boast. He didn¡¯t spend much money. He saved one penny, two pennies, and eventually realized something.


    How wasteful was it to rob others of money with violence? He also realized it every time he was ignored by the customers for being a part-time worker. He believed that the act of ignoring the weak was a sin that shouldn¡¯t be forgiven.


    ¡®...I¡¯m sorry, Shin Youngwoo.¡¯


    On his way back home after his part time job. Lee Junho was smoking in a smoking booth and apologized to Youngwoo in his mind. There was a bitter smile on his face.


    "If I could have an opportunity to apologize to you, I will never show up in front of you again.¡±


    The Satisfy National Competition was ryed on billboards on skyscrapers. He was able to see Youngwoo¡¯s appearance there. Now he was a person in apletely different world.


    Many people stopped along the way and looked up at Youngwoo on the billboard. Among the crowd was Youngwoo¡¯s sister, Sehee.


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    Yerim was with Sehee and sincerely admired him. She waspletely fascinated by Youngwoo, who appeared to save Yura and overwhelm the foreign teams.


    ¡°He is capable, strong and overflowing with confidence. Your brother is really the best man.¡±


    ¡°The game and reality are different. I admire my brother, but he isn¡¯t the best man.¡±


    Sehee tried to return Yerim to reality, but it was useless.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you aware that Satisfy isn¡¯t a simple game? Satisfy is already another reality. He is the best man in that reality.¡±


    Yerim knew it more urately than Sehee. She had a more mature appearance than her age and proimed with a giggle, "I will surely have your brother.¡±


    Gulp.


    The men starting around them were attracted to Yerim and lost their souls. There was the sound of gulping here and there. Several men who looked like gangsters were already approaching. Sehee red at them and asserted to Yerim.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fit Oppa¡¯s taste.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yerim¡¯s eyes widened. She looked at Sehee¡¯s sulky expression andughed. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Sehee, I forgot how much you love your brother. I¡¯m sorry for making you jealous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just saying this. You really don¡¯t fit Oppa¡¯s taste.¡±


    ¡°Ye~? What man would dislike me?¡±


    Yerim was considered the best queen of South Korea¡¯s high school system along with Sehee, so her self-esteem was very high. Sehee exined the reason for her confident words.


    ¡°Oppa likes busty girls.¡±


    Yerim tilted her head to one side.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I pretty big?¡±


    ¡°You need to at least have a D cup.¡±


    On the billboard, Youngwoo was saving Jishuka from Hurent. It was natural to save Yura because she was a Korean, but wasn¡¯t Jishuka a representative of another country? Why did he save her? Yerim confirmed Jishuka¡¯srge chest and pouted.


    "Really, that¡¯s his taste?¡±


    "He¡¯s a dog in rut.¡±


    Sehee was furious. She was annoyed to see that woman hanging onto her brother.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    In the end, Sehee turned away from the electronic billboard and moved towards the library. Yerim wanted to see more of the broadcast, but was forced to follow Sehee. Then she thought.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not even 20 years old yet, so should I try for a D cup?¡¯


    She was seriously considering it.


    ***


    Hurent gazed at Jishuka and Grid.


    He took a health potion and an antidote before speaking.


    "This isn¡¯t amon antidote... The poison arrows are quite awful.¡±


    He checked the scoreboard.


    ¡®Korea has 131 points, the US has 82 points, Brazil has 73 points, the United Kingdom has 60 points and Spain has 0.¡¯


    Now there were only five countries left. Spain was ruled out. The Spanish team¡¯s Med was on the verge of being logged out by Regas. Hurent understood the battlefield and sent a whisper to Lauel in the rear.


    -Get out of battle and focus on handling the targets.We have given up on the gold medal, but we need to take the silver medal.


    --Isn¡¯t the damage pretty big?Can you afford to go against Pagma¡¯s Descendant in that state?


    The seven golden des were still moving by themselves and destroying the targets. Hurent confirmed the scene and smiled darkly.


    -Why not?


    Ttadak.


    Hurent looked at Grid.


    "Since the situation is like this, shall I enjoy it a little?¡±


    It was an obvious provocation! The confident Grid wasn¡¯t going to fall for that provocation.


    "Stop fooling around.¡±


    The 1st ranked Kraugel. The 2nd ranked Zibal. The 3rd ranked Chris. The 7th ranked Agnus. The 8th ranked Hurent. The 11th ranked Bondre. Finally, the 14th ranked Hao. Yura had called them the seven people stronger than her.


    Grid distinctly remembered it. However, he wasn¡¯t nervous at all, despite Hurent being one of them. He was someone who raided the strongest boss monsters alone! He was confident that he could beat high rankers with his stats, skills and items.


    ¡°Jishuka, leave him to me and concentrate on the targets. Don¡¯t you want the silver medal?¡±


    ¡°Yes...! Thank you!¡±


    Jishuka thanked Grid and disappeared into the forest with Samuel. Once Grid was alone with Hurent, he immediately unfolded his sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    The moment Grid moved two steps.


    Puok!


    A 5m long red de emerged from Hurent¡¯s fingertip and pierced Grid¡¯s chest.


    [You have suffered 4,600 damage.]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Hurent attacked with timing that couldn¡¯t be coped with, because Grid was busy with his sword dance. The damage was considerable.


    ¡®I suffered that much damage despite my legendary armor set?¡¯


    Or was it the default damage of aura? Grid was confused but his best skill was already being used.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The giant blue greatsword filled with hatred roared as it headed for Hurent.


    Kwarururung!


    The trees in the area vibrated due to the overwhelming waves of energying from it. Grid had nned to blow Hurent away. However...


    Hurent moved sideways at the correct timing and avoided Kill. Then he moved back to Grid and aimed his aura des at the gap exposed by the greatsword swing.


    [You have suffered 4,600 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,600 damage.]


    ¡®It¡¯s constant damage. Aura, does it ignore defense and deal a fixed damage?¡¯


    Grid frowned as he btedly understood. The energy of Kill pierced empty air and faded. Hurent clicked his tongue. "In order to hit with a non-targeted skill, you first have to restrain your opponent¡¯s movements. If that isn¡¯t possible, you should predict their movements. Isn¡¯t that part of the basics?¡±


    Grid took a potion to restore his health and asked, "Are you attempting to teach me right now?¡±


    ¡°Teach? Hahat! Nonsense. Is there any reason to do that type of favor for you? I¡¯m simply disappointed. You have the strongest ss and this is the extent of your skills~? Don¡¯t you have anybat experience?¡±


    Grid snapped at him.


    "Of course I havebat experience...! You can¡¯t imagine how many bosses I¡¯ve raided alone so far!¡±


    Hurent chuckled.


    ¡°Is yourbat experience limited to boss raids? Kukuk, of course, bosses are strong. But don¡¯t they just fight with strength or with a fixed pattern? They don¡¯t fight cleverly. Yes, just like you. Can¡¯t you see that the difference in ourbat experience is too big?¡±


    ¡°Talking nonsense just because you avoided my skill once.¡±


    The heated Grid moved his sword like butterflies dancing. This time, he was going to hit Hurent¡¯s cheeky face. But Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had a weakness. In order to activate the skill, the name must be said. This took a minimum of 0.8 to 2 seconds before the skill was activated.


    Obviously, some people would feel that this was a short amount of time. In fact, none of the yers, monsters and bosses Grid met had touched him during this time. But didn¡¯t Yura counter in 0.5 seconds when facing a Crusher? Furthermore, Hurent was much better than her.


    Teook!


    The moment that Grid took the first step of his sword dance.


    Puuok!


    [You have suffered 4,600 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,600 damage.]


    Hurent hit Grid twice during that time. At the same time, he escaped to the rear, opening up a distance.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid checked the distance and decided it was impossible, cancelling his activation of Link.


    ¡®It stinks.¡¯


    He admitted that Hurent was strong. It was eptedpared to the bosses he had faced so far. The aura¡¯s fixed damage and ability to freely transform its shape was quite annoying, but the vulnerable part was that he couldn¡¯t use a skill.


    Certainly, Grid had experience fighting. However, he perceived it after two skills became useless.


    ¡°Are you going to use a skill haphazardly again? Do you have no learning ability?¡±


    Hurent sighed as if Grid was pathetic. In the end, Grid rushed to him.


    ¡°Okay! I can just swing my sword instead of using skills. Then will you be able to avoid it? Eh? cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Jjejeong!


    The +9 Failure shed with the aura des.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    Hurent confirmed that his aura shook like a fire in front of wind and clicked his tongue. He tried to open a distance with Grid, but his basic movement speed wasn¡¯t enough.


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    Grid persistently stuck to Hurent and swung his sword. Hurent barely managed to defend and confirmed that the cooldown of his Escape skill was over.


    ¡°Escape.¡±


    Peeng!


    This close-range distance skill was something that all warrior sses possessed. Hurent managed to get 5m away from Grid and shifted some of his aura to his lower half.


    [Attack power is reduced by 30%.]


    [Movement speed has increased by 30%.]


    ¡®Faster?¡¯


    Grid was no longer able to narrow down the distance to Hurent, who was running away like a coward. In the end, he swapped out to the Ideal Dagger, used Quick Movements and shouted at Hurent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this game.¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    Hurent leaped towards where there were a lot of targets and released his aura all around him. There was an explosion and the US team¡¯s score quickly updated.


    ¡º The United States has 109 points! Really amazing! After logging out the representatives from France, China and Japan, Hurent destroyed 16 targets in a single strike while running from Pagma¡¯s Descendant! ¡»


    "What are you trying to do?¡±


    Grid wanted to help Jishuka and Regas. He wanted their countries to win the silver and bronze medals. Therefore, he chased after Hurent to stop him. Thanks to his high persistence, Grid¡¯s stamina remained steady while Hurent gradually became exhausted.


    ¡®I thought he invested most of his stats into strength, then some into agility and stamina. But now I see that his stats are high overall. Indeed, a cksmith can increase their stats dramatically through the production of items.¡¯


    Over time, Hurent could grasp more about Grid. But his breathing was bingbored and he was slowing down.


    ¡®I almost caught up!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes sparkled. This was the end. He would soon catch that annoying guy.


    Grid was filled with pleasure, but there was a problem.


    ¡º South Korean team-! 150 points! Victoryyy! ¡»


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid noticed his mistake. He forgot about the presence of Yura and the pavranium. He didn¡¯t tell Yura that he wanted to beat the US team, and he didn¡¯t recall the target destruction order that he gave to the pavranium. Yura and the pavranium kept destroying the targets while he pursued Hurent, eventually leading to this.


    "Bye-bye~?¡±


    Hurentughed, as he had predicted this situation from the beginning. Grid was forced to log out. It was a rule that the team who achieved the quota could no longer remain on the battlefield.


    After that.


    The United States were the next to reach 150 points after South Korea and achieved the silver medal. Britain and Brazil was left behind topete for third ce, and Britain eventually became the winner.


    Jishuka¡¯s ability to destroy targets was much better than Natasha, but her partner was the problem. Samuel was toocking and couldn¡¯t protect Jishuka from Regas. In the end, hundreds of thousands of spectators watched as the Korean, United States, and United Kingdom team got on the podium.


    ¡°It was enjoyable, newbie.¡±


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    A funny scene was produced. Grid won the gold medal and was scowling from the top of the podium, while Hurent received the silver medal next to him and wasughing loudly. Looking at the atmosphere of the two men, it was like the US had won.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176


    "Is there a reason you didn¡¯t use your ranged skill called Transcended Link? Isn¡¯t it a skill optimized to catch Hurent when he¡¯s running away?¡±


    It was Yura¡¯s question.


    They were heading back to the waiting room after the awards ceremony. Youngwoo was humming happily. No one would¡¯ve believed that he had been angry during the awards ceremony.


    [The target processing match, South Korean¡¯s unexpected win! The whole nation is enthusiastic! Praise Pagma¡¯s Descendant!]


    [The owner of the first legendary ss is Korean? Shin Youngwoo, who is he?]


    [The brilliant appearance of the man called Grid! A strong impact! Women¡¯s hearts are thumping!]


    [<Column> Will Grid be able to regain South Korea¡¯s reputation as a gaming powerhouse?]


    [The whole world is watching Korea and Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Entering the National Competition, it isn¡¯t a dream!]


    [Grid helped Jishuka, the Brazilian representative. What is the meaning of this action? Are the two people lovers?]


    Indeed, Satisfy¡¯s influence was amazing. He became a global star in a manner of minutes. Shin Youngwoo read the Inte articles on his phone. He waspletely excited, so he answered honestly.


    ¡°Transcended Link? I wanted to use it. But the cooldown time wasn¡¯t over, so I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I thought so.¡±


    It took exactly 14 minutes and 47 seconds for the Korean team to score 150 points after Youngwoo entered thepetition and used Transcended Link. Based on that, Yura could figure out that the cooldown time of Transcended Link was at least 15 minutes.


    ¡®Youngwoo-ssi didn¡¯t use several of the skills he showed in the Bairan battle. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship is strong, but its weakness is that it needs a sword dance to be invoked and has a long cooldown time.¡¯


    Yura had analyzed Pagma¡¯s Descendant dozens of times since the Bairan battle.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant. In other words, she was able to grasp the functions and power of the four skills that Youngwoo used during the Bairan battle, which were Transcended Link, Link, Kill and Wave.


    And the conclusion she came to was that it was ¡®insufficient.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a matter of talent, such as good or bad control. Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a ss that was basically a cksmith, so thebat skills were poor. The weaknesses were also clear. Despite being a legendary ss, the fighting power seemed to be less than the epic sses.


    ¡®He has the strongest passive skill of ¡®Status Immune¡¯ and has the advantage of making legendary items.¡¯


    However, he couldn¡¯t stand up to the best yers. It was the limit of a production ss. Pagma¡¯s Descendant might be able to generate tremendous economic value, but it was rtively unimpressive inbat.


    This was the analysis of Yura and other experts. However, they were mistaken. Pagma was the best cksmith and swordsman.


    In fact, Youngwoo had several skills that hadn¡¯t been shown to the public. They were Restraint, Transcend and Linked Kill. If Youngwoo used either Restraint or Transcend, he would¡¯ve been able to easily overpower Hurent.


    Restraint limited movements for three seconds, and it was possible to deal a fatal wound during that time. Or he could destroy Hurent with the overwhelming firepower of Transcend.


    That wasn¡¯t all. In the past, Youngwoo acquired the title of Apostle of Justice and learned the Unbreakable Justice skill. The mana consumption was burdensome and it was more efficient to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, so he had sealed it for a long time.


    Youngwoo¡¯s intelligence stat had steadily grown to 643 after four months of producing hundreds of items, including Failure. He would gain 200 more intelligence if he wore Mcus¡¯ Cloak. A level 200 user would gain 6 mana per one point in intelligence.


    Now Youngwoo was in a position to be able to use Unbreakable Justice easily with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Unbreakable Justice was an immediate use skill, unlike Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Youngwoo could¡¯ve used Unbreakable Justice against Hurent.


    That wasn¡¯t the end. There was the Wind st and Wind of Justice attached to the Ideal Dagger, and Golden sh attached to Dainsleif. Among them, Golden sh was the only skill that dealt damage proportional to his magic power, so it was good at prating the enemy.


    In other words, Youngwoo¡¯s power was much more than what people grasped. Then why hadn¡¯t Youngwoo used them? He saved his skills despite being humiliated by Hurent? The reason was simple. He didn¡¯t want to expose his power.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the pavranium, I would¡¯ve eventually forced Hurent to logout. It was a disappointing result, because I stupidly overlooked the pavranium.¡¯


    The National Competition wasn¡¯t over yet. Today was only the second day. The Korean team wascking and very reliant on Youngwoo. But Youngwoo was going to participate in the PvP event.


    That¡¯s right. He was prepared to unveil his real skills in the PvP event. Every time he met a new enemy, he would be able to demonstrate a more powerful appearance by introducing a new skill. He would be able to be a star by being a hot topic.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll get you back sooner orter ,Hurent. I will make you suffer the embarrassment I felt.¡¯


    Control? It was nothing in front of the trinity of skills, stats and items. Aura Master? A hidden growth type ss?


    ¡®I am a legendary ss from the beginning.¡¯


    He was participating in the National Competition now. He would win a gold medal in his three events! Youngwoo thought like that.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant hase!¡±


    In front of the Korean team¡¯s waiting room. Hundreds of reporters were gathered. The domestic and foreign reporters were all only paying attention to Youngwoo.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    She was being ignored. Yura was always treated the best wherever she went, so this was a strange experience for her. Was her pride hurt? Not at all. Yura was excited too.


    ¡®Be calm.¡¯


    There was a lot of people. In particr, dealing with the press was very tiring. Thanks to Youngwoo, she was able to be freed from them, so she should stick to him in the future. On the other hand, Youngwoo was surrounded by reporters.


    "When did you be Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    "Please tell us the process of bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    "What was your reason for hiding your identity in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t registered in the rankings, so what level are you?¡±


    ¡°The current 1st ranked Kraugel is level 297. Have you already achieved level 300?¡±


    ¡°Can you disclose the information of your items? In particr, many people are wondering about the blue greatsword.¡±


    "What are those golden des?¡±


    "Why weren¡¯t you seen when you first entered the National Competition? Was it a skill? Or did you create an invisibility cloak, like many experts spected?¡±


    "What exactly is your rtionship with Jishuka?¡±


    "What school did you go to? Your age? Where do you live? Your family?¡±


    "Are you married?¡±


    "What type of animal do you like?"


    "What is your favorite food?¡±


    It started from questions that pierced to the core to absurd questions. Thenguages of different countries surrounded him.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    Youngwoo was confused because this was the first time he was experiencing it. In the end, Yura interfered. She said in English.


    ¡°First of all, give Youngwoo-ssi time to wear an interpreter.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The reporters briefly fell silent. Yura btedly received an interpreting device from a staff member and persuaded Youngwoo.


    ¡°You¡¯ve revealed yourself, so it¡¯s good to be interviewed. Answer as much as you want, but don¡¯t be stupid. Keep as much privacy as possible while satisfying the reporters. If the reporters aren¡¯t satisfied, you will be stuck with their persistent stalking.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Youngwoo had vowed to be a star from the moment he decided to participate in the National Competition. Youngwoo took a deep breath and agreed.


    ¡°Sigh... I understand. I¡¯m nervous because I¡¯m unfamiliar with interviews, but I will do it because it¡¯s a gateway I must go through.¡±


    "Huhut.¡±


    This man, sometimes he made nice expressions. Yura smiled and handed the interpreter to Youngwoo. Then finally, Youngwoo met the reporters.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    But he was surprised from the first question.


    "It looks like you have a special rtionship with Yura. Are you perhaps lovers?¡±


    "Then what about Jishuka?¡±


    "..."


    Weren¡¯t these questions supposed to be from third-rate magazines that dealt with celebrity scandals? Youngwoo thought the question was ridiculous and fell silent.


    Yura skillfully answered on his behalf. "We are close, but we aren¡¯t lovers. It is a rtionship where we share the purpose of gaining good achievements for South Korea in the National Competition. His rtionship with Jishuka is simr. Youngwoo-ssi is part of the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Yura¡¯s words didn¡¯t show any interest in Youngwoo. The reporters no longer doubted the rtionship between the three people. Then they started asking other questions.


    ¡°40 days ago in real time, there was a phrase that suggested the first legendary ss emerged in Satisfy. Was that the moment you became Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    No. Youngwoo became Pagma¡¯s Descendant eight months ago. 40 days ago was when he produced his fifth legendary item and was truly recognized as Pagma¡¯s Descendant. But Youngwoo didn¡¯t tell the truth. There was no need to.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your current level?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to reveal it.¡±


    "What are those golden discs and des that move by themselves? Don¡¯t they boast tremendous durability and mobility?"


    "..."


    He also didn¡¯t want to reveal this. But the reporters would be more persistent if he was too uncooperative. Yura¡¯s advice about moderately satisfying the reporters went around in Youngwoo¡¯s head.


    ¡°You can think of it as a private item for Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    ¡°Private item?¡±


    "Is it an item that exists to supplement the somewhatckingbat power of Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    Youngwoo red at the reporter who said ckingbat power.¡¯ An American reporter didn¡¯t miss this look and threw a provocative question.


    "You were one-sidedly hit by the US representative, Hurent. Experts from all over the world have doubts about thebat capabilities of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Pagma¡¯s Descendant is the greatest cksmith and swordsman, but did you inherit all his skills as a descendant?"


    ¡°I was one-sidedly hit?¡± Youngwoo scoffed and stared straight at the American reporter who asked the question. Then he said something shocking. ¡°That¡¯s correct. I have yet to fully inherit Pagma¡¯s power. My ss change quest still isn¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Yura standing beside Youngwoo and the reporters all looked amazed.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t finished the ss quest yet?¡±


    "This is the iplete state...!¡±


    Yet he still won against many rankers and obtained the gold medal in the target processing event?


    "I¡¯m only a childpared to the legendary Pagma, but that is only whenpared to Pagma.¡± Youngwoo made a prideful expression and dered in front of the reporters. ¡°Hurent? If he participates in PvP, I will log him out in 30 seconds.¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    He was going to log out Hurent in 30 seconds, one of the best rankers, and 8th on the unified rankings! It was a huge scoop.


    "...Write it down.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo made a ridiculous deration without a single tense look. Yura¡¯s heart jumped from beside him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177


    ¡°Hurent? If he participates in PvP, I will log him out in 30 seconds.¡±


    It was a shocking deration. There was only the sound of breathing everywhere.


    ¡¯Are you making fun of the United States?¡¯


    The United States¡¯ power was superior to all the countries thatpeted in the National Competition. It wasn¡¯t umon for people to think that the United States would win the overallpetition.


    Hurent was the number two user in the US team. Yet Hurent was going to be logged out in only 30 seconds? Youngwoo¡¯s remark was dangerous enough to stimte the entire American poption.


    ¡¯This will unconditionally be a front page headline!¡¯


    Amazing. A scoop above all other scoops. The reporters¡¯ eyes shone. In particr, the Korean reporters were thrilled. How excited would Koreans be when they heard Youngwoo¡¯s remark? They couldn¡¯t even fathom it.


    On the other hand, the American reporters were ufortable.


    ¡°The experts have analyzed that Hurent is better than you. Don¡¯t you think you are acting too proudly? It seems to be an exaggeration.¡±


    "You dered it publicly, but what if you can¡¯t log out Hurent in 30 seconds? Then you will be be disgraced globally. Can you afford the mockery and criticism from the public?¡±


    ¡°The world will be disappointed that the first legendary ss is a simple braggart. Do you have any intention of withdrawing your remark?¡±


    There was no question if this was a question or a threat. Youngwoo drove home his point to the American reporters who were subtly threatening him.


    "I am better than you think.¡±


    Originally, Youngwoo was a below average yer. He took a leave of absence from school and yed Satisfy as soon as it was released, but he fell behind others instead of getting ahead. Then he fell to hell when he performed Earl Ashur¡¯s quest to find Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. He wasted several months on the quest, and kept dying and losing his possessions.


    Thanks to his unyielding spirit, he barely managed to be Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but his personality andck of talent were problems. He was unable to properly handle the fraudulent ss and wasted several months.


    But it changed after the Mcus raid. After building a rtionship with the Tzedakah Guild and going through all types of incidents, Youngwoo gradually changed. He surely grew. Now at this moment. Youngwoo was confident that he was the best yer.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t overlook the fact that I am a legend.¡±


    He was proud about oveing the trials that apanied his pathetic nature andcking talent. He expressed this pride without any shame.


    ¡°I am the best. Control? You shouldn¡¯t judge and ignore people because of that.¡±


    Gulp.


    The reporters swallowed their dry saliva. The hundreds of reporters were convinced at this moment.


    ¡®He¡¯s a star.¡¯


    Not all of Satisfy¡¯s talents were stars. Only a handful of people who had something special that would stimte and make the public enthusiastic could be a star. From that perspective, Youngwoo was a true star.


    He was the first legendary ss and had a pride that matched it. The upromising words might make someone feel ufortable, but it would give others excitement. He would be a hot topic whenever he opened his mouth, regardless of whether it was positive or negative.


    The excited reporters continued to question him.


    ¡°¡¯A sessor to Pagma¡¯s techniques and will has emerged. He¡¯s the only one in the world that can create legendary items.¡¯ That phrase appeared in Satisfy. As the phrase suggests, can you create legendary items?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    ¡°Truly a legendary cksmith!¡±


    ¡°How likely is it that a legendary item would be produced?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t high right?¡±


    "What is the difference between your legendary items and the legendary items that can be acquired from raids?¡±


    "Do all your equipped items have a legendary rating?¡±


    "It¡¯s predicted that many top guilds will invite you. Have you ever thought about leaving the Tzedakah Guild?¡±


    "What is your stealth? Or did you create an invisibility cloak like many experts spected?¡±


    The interviewsted more than 30 minutes. But the reporters¡¯ questions never seemed to end. On the other hand, Youngwoo was a beginner at interviews and reached the limit of his concentration.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    In the first ce, Youngwoo wasn¡¯t a clever person. Until now, he had been able to lead the interview with full confidence, but he couldn¡¯t grasp the point of the current questions. Yura noticed his difficulty and restrained the reporters.


    "The interview ends here.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t there time to spare until the next event? Can¡¯t you cooperate a bit more?¡±


    ¡°No. It will end here.¡±


    Yura had a definite personality. Her decision was final. The reporters were well aware of her nature and retreated. They were already satisfied with the scoops that they got.


    ¡°Sigh... That wasn¡¯t an easy task.¡±


    After the reporters left.


    Youngwoo finally let out a deep breath.


    Yura encouraged him, "You did well.¡±


    Her ebony hair flicked back as she smiled beautifully, making her seem like a refreshing tonic. Youngwoo felt like all his fatigue was released just looking at her.


    ¡°Thank you. I was able to do well thanks to you.¡±


    "Rather, I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to youing today, I was able to win a gold medal.¡±


    Youngwoo had clearly stated his intention to not participate in the National Competition. Nevertheless, the Korean government and Yura arbitrarily put him on the list. It would¡¯ve been very unpleasant for Youngwoo.


    To be honest, Yura knew that Youngwoo wouldn¡¯t participate in thepetition. She was grateful that he appeared at an unexpected moment and got good results. On the other hand, she was sorry.


    "...Aren¡¯t you angry at me?¡± Yura carefully asked Youngwoo.


    "I was mad that you got me involved as you pleased.¡±


    "..."


    Yura bowed her head. Then Youngwoo spoke to her with a soft expression.


    "But in the end, it was me who decided to participate in the National Competition.¡±


    That¡¯s right. He made the decision himself.


    "I don¡¯t me you. And I unexpectedly like this stage. I really like the situation right now. Ah~ it¡¯s enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Yura smiled.


    She looked at Youngwoo with clear affection. Unfortunately, Youngwoo failed to notice this fact. On the other hand, articles about Youngwoo were being spread all over the world.


    [Shocking news! Pagma¡¯s Descendant isn¡¯tplete yet!]


    [The golden discs and des are Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s exclusive items! Will future legendary sses also have exclusive items?]


    [The owner of the first legendary ss, Shin Youngwoo. In reality, he¡¯s just an ordinary youth.]


    [Yura and Jishuka? It¡¯s a simple friendship.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant can make legendary rated items.]


    [(Column) The economic influence that Pagma¡¯s Descendant can exercise is astronomical. Grid will be the richest.]


    [Grid has no intention of leaving the Tzedakah Guild.]


    [Can Grid really produce an invisibility cloak?]


    [Grid, ¡®Hurent? I¡¯m notplete yet, but I can logout the 8th ce person on the unified rankings in 30 seconds.¡¯]


    [The Americans are angry at Grid¡¯s arrogant remark!]


    [There is a festive atmosphere in Korea.]


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    ¡°Hahaha! Grid is doing well in interviews!¡±


    The Korean yers treated Youngwoo like a hero.


    ¡°I felt relieved after seeing all the American reporters close their mouths!¡±


    "I¡¯m looking at the reactions from overseas sites right now, and it isn¡¯t a joke! There is an uproar and foreigners are envious of South Korea.¡±


    "I never imagined that the first legendary ss would be a Korean! My heart beat wildly the moment you came!¡±


    ¡°Grid is the light of hope for South Korea! I¡¯m proud!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut...! Korea¡¯s light of hope... It¡¯s a good saying.¡±


    In the midst of the excited yers, Youngwoo¡¯s nose rose into the sky.


    Currently, the real time search terms of the Internal portal sites included ¡®Grid,¡¯ ¡®Grid¡¯s interview,¡¯ Grid¡¯s ss quest,¡¯ ¡®Shin Youngwoo,¡¯ ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant,¡¯ ¡®legendary items,¡¯ ¡®30 second logout,¡¯ ¡®invisibility cloak,¡¯ golden des¡¯ and so on.


    It was the same for TV. Most of the broadcasting stations around the world repeatedly showed how Youngwoo actively destroyed the targets.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    The Shin¡¯s vegetable store. Youngwoo¡¯s parents were stunned when they turned on the TV for the first time. Why was their son on TV?


    ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents thought it was a dream. The news anchors and experts were praising their son as one of Korea¡¯s heroes.


    -News!Did you see the news?Aren¡¯t you really proud of your son?


    -Youngwoo¡¯s mother always boasted about her son, but isn¡¯t her son a really good person?I¡¯m so envious~ so happy~


    Their phones rang endlessly. Alumni who they hadn¡¯t talked to in more than 10 years called. They all spoke about how Youngwoo was a treasure of Korea. Youngwoo¡¯s parents¡¯ hearts filled up.


    On the other hand, there were people who visited Youngwoo in the Korean team¡¯s waiting room and produced a friendly atmosphere. They were Jishuka, Regas and Pon.


    Youngwoo lost his soul.


    ¡®Is that a person?¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s body ratio in real life was too unrealistic.


    She didn¡¯t wear heels, but she lookedrger than life. In particr, her legs were very long. Youngwoo was approximately 10cm taller than her, but the length of her legs seemed longer. Her face was also very small. Her body ratio was like the model of the famous artwork X, which had beenuded as a ¡®work of art from God.¡¯


    ¡®Pretty.¡¯


    Her eyes and lustrous red lips stimted male instincts. Her bright coppery skin and voluptuous body proved why she was regarded as one of the sexiest beauties in the world.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Jishuka ran to him, who was standing at a loss for words.


    "I wanted to see you!¡±


    It was the moment when a South American woman¡¯s aggressiveness was revealed.


    ¡°W-Wait...¡±


    Youngwoo had already experienced being hugged by Jishuka several times. He was even a married man. But that was in Satisfy. In reality, he was a virgin who never once dated anyone. The world¡¯s sexiest woman was hugging him, so he couldn¡¯t cope with the stimtion and got a nosebleed.


    ¡°Haha, Grid looks the same in reality and in Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s different from a certain person."


    Regas and Pon smiled. On the other hand, the Korean yers were blinded with jealousy.


    ¡®Yura acted like his manager during the interview and now Jishuka...?¡¯


    ¡®He said there was no rtionship between them in the interview... No matter how I look at it, isn¡¯t this special?¡¯


    ¡®Monopolizing two goddesses...! Even if he¡¯s Grid, it¡¯s hard to forgive...!¡¯


    On the other hand, Yura¡¯s gaze was cold as she looked at Jishuka hugging Youngwoo. Jishuka met her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Yura¡¯s thin eyebrows narrowed together.


    Pachichik!


    Sparks flew as the two women¡¯s gazes crossed.


    ***


    The waiting room of the United States team.


    ¡°Hahahahat! Hurent is going to be logged out in only 30 seconds?¡±


    The 2nd ranked Zibalughed pleasantly. He scoffed at Grid. ¡°He still doesn¡¯t understand, despite his weakness being revealed in the target processing event. That dumb guy.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just ipetent, but stupid as well. Indeed, he was so stupid that the highly acimed legendary ss was dimmed.


    ¡°Hurent, thoroughly smash him in PvP. Embarrass him publicly.¡±


    Lauel frowned at Zibal. "Honestly, is he a person to poke fun at? In the target processing event, he didn¡¯t use the golden des as weapons. If he does, the likelihood of Hurent winning in a one-on-one match will decrease.¡±


    "Our rookie is saying so?¡±


    Zibal smiled like he was cute and shifted his gaze to Hurent. Then Hurent giggled while reading an adult magazine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ~ Lauel. I also have power that I haven¡¯t shown.¡±


    His battle method that utilized the use of aura was extraordinary. Given Grid¡¯s sense of control that he disyed in the target processing, it was hard for Hurent to imagine that he would be defeated, even considering the added bonus of the golden des.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant is clearly a superior ss. But Grid is ipetent. He won¡¯t be able to beat me. This is fa~te.¡±


    Grid might¡¯ve seeded in raids due to the performance of his items, but a match against a human was different. Control was the most important part. Hurent really recognized that Grid was inferior to him.


    After a few moments.


    Hurent held a press conference because of the media¡¯s enthusiastic request for him to respond to the ¡®30 seconds logout¡¯ statement.


    ¡°Yes~ I am too mature to respond to my opponent¡¯s statement about logging me out in 30 seconds... I won¡¯t say anything. But let¡¯s make this as clear as possible ~ that newbie will fall to his knees in front of me.¡±


    There was a pping sound. Due to Hurent¡¯s press conference and Grid¡¯s interview, the atmosphere of the National Competition became heated up.


    Three dayster.


    The world¡¯s attention was focused on the PvP event that would be held on thest day of the National Competition. Grid and Hurent, who would be the one who got the stigma of being a braggart?


    The various illegal gambling facilities and sites hurriedly started the betting. And the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    "I will bet everything on Grid.¡±


    In the target processing, Hurent had escaped from Grid. Due to that, people analyzed that Hurent was better than Grid. Therefore, the betting odds of Grid winning was raised to 3.2 times. The Tzedakah Guild knew Grid¡¯s real power, so this was a golden opportunity for them.


    ¡°The fact that we are going to gamble, don¡¯t let it enter Grid¡¯s ears. The moment he tells us to believe in him, we will all go bankrupt...¡± ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    As expected of their smart chief. The guild members fell silent with admiration at Toban¡¯s sharp warning.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    The National Competition¡¯s second day.


    After the target processing, the siege and treasure hunt were held in session. Nothing strange happened. Youngwoo didn¡¯t y a further role in the South Korean team. He didn¡¯t participate in the siege or treasure hunt, so South Korea was naturally one of the weakest out of the 17 countries participating.


    But honestly, it was surprising. Yura participated in the siege. Youngwoo hoped that South Korea would get a good record in the siege, but the result was disastrous.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room. The Korean yers apologized to Yura aftering back from the game. They were embarrassed by their inability to help the team. A few young teenagers on the team had tears in their eyes. Everyone felt frustrated and humiliated after being defeated by the foreign yers in the game.


    But what could they do? This was reality. The rankers of the Korean team were in the 800~1000s, while the rankers of other teams were in the top 200. The power gap was too great. Yura alone was unable to cover this difference.


    "We held onto Yura¡¯s ankle.¡±


    ¡°I...! If only I was a little bit stronger...!¡±


    The yers couldn¡¯t lift their heads.


    Yura encouraged them, "You don¡¯t have to me yourself. You did your best, as people have witnessed. None of you are to me.¡±


    The beautiful and kind Yura seemed like an angel to the yers. Youngwoo looked at her smile and felt furious.


    ¡®Those Yankee scum.¡¯


    The US were angry after receiving a silver medal in the target processing because of Youngwoo. As if they wanted to pay back their grudge, they persistently attacked the Korean castle at the start of the siege.


    South Korea had a weak overall power and couldn¡¯t endure the American offensive. Yura struggled, but the other yers couldn¡¯t properly assist her. The walls quickly fell apart and the Korean yers were logged out.


    It was okay up to here. The world of war was heartless. It was natural for the strong to defeat others.


    But an American yer showed excessive behavior. It was someone with the ID of ¡®Primal.¡¯ He survived towards the end of Yura¡¯s resistance and tore the Korean g that had been flying from the castle. Ripping the official g of another country?


    It was terrible. The bacsh generated was veryrge. Even his fellow Americans refused to forgive the actions of Primal. Zibal apologized as the US representative, but that couldn¡¯t stop the criticism of public opinion. In the end, Primal was asked to take responsibility and was deprived of his qualifications. He was unable to participate in the National Competition anymore.


    But the anger of the Koreans had already reached the extreme. Primal was a problem, but there were also some American yers whoughed while watching Primal¡¯s behavior. A small number of Koreans hated the entire US team.


    Youngwoo was the same. He had served in the army and was a reservist, so seeing the g being ripped was a great shock to him.


    ¡°That shitty guy.¡±


    That Primal, if Youngwoo met him someday in Satisfy, then he would make Primal pay. The US team? He would pay back the disgrace and despair felt by the Korean team in today¡¯s siege.


    He gritted his teeth while pledging, and then Yura approached him.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s schedule. I will go back now.¡±


    ¡°You, are you okay?¡±


    Yura fought harder than anyone else. But there was a limit to what she could do alone, and she eventually lost. She should be the most disappointed.


    Yuraughed at Youngwoo¡¯s anxious question. ¡°It would be a lie if I say that I¡¯m okay. But I¡¯m not frustrated. I will grow even more from today¡¯s defeat.¡±


    Yura was already looking ahead. Next year and the year after that, she would make sure there was a different result in the National Competition. She made a pledge.


    ¡¯She truly is the 5th ranked user.¡¯


    Youngwoo was amazed. There was a group waiting for the two people as they left the waiting room. They were Jishuka, Regas and Pon.


    "Please show us around Korea.¡±


    The three people¡¯s eyes shone likenterns. They were full of excitement to have Youngwoo apany them.


    ¡°Please guide me to a Taekwondo theme park.¡±


    ¡°No, what nonsense are you saying? Of course, we should visit a ce with a lot of beauties. Let¡¯s go to the hottest club.¡±


    "Please y among yourselves. I¡¯ll just enjoy my time with Grid alone.¡±


    "..."


    Youngwoo was troubled. He had no friends and no experience with dating. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know any good ces to rmend to foreigners visiting South Korea for the first time. He finally made a decision.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat a meal first.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡±


    "I will contact a restaurant.¡± Yura naturally intruded. Youngwoo, Jishuka and the rest of the group rode her limousine to the restaurant she rmended.


    ¡°Why is this woman going with us?¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to lose his mind to Jishuka, so he thought it was better for Yura to join them.


    ¡°An interpreter is required.¡±


    "..."


    That¡¯s right. Youngwoo didn¡¯t speak English, so he couldn¡¯tmunicate with Jishuka. If he didn¡¯t get any help from Yura, who was fluent in eightnguages, he wouldn¡¯t be able tomunicate properly.


    "An interpreting device is inconvenient. Isn¡¯t it also good to build up a rtionship with Yura?¡±


    "Don¡¯t forget that the Yatan Church is our main enemy.¡±


    "It will be easier to deal with the Yatan Church if she cooperates. Think positively.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    Yura was able to join the party with Youngwoo¡¯s continued persuasion. Then she made a series of incorrect trantions at the table.


    ¡°Grid, do you know? The reason I participated in this National Competition was because I wanted to see you.¡±


    "Jishuka said that she joined the National Competition for the honor of her country.¡±


    "South Korea seems better to live in than Brazil. I would love to live here.¡±


    "Jishuka said that she doesn¡¯t like South Korea. She doesn¡¯t want toe back here.¡±


    "...Hey, this wily girl. You are properly interpreting what I¡¯m saying, right?¡±


    "It is hard to trante the whines of a pig.¡±


    ¡°Damn Yatan servant...!¡±


    "..."


    Youngwoo was sitting between Jishuka and Yura in the restaurant. Then the two people suddenly started arguing in English. He tried to get help from Regas and Pon, who always helped him in Satisfy but...


    ¡°Delicious!¡± Regas was busy tasting all the Korean dishes on the table.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off your apron and embrace me?¡± Pon was awkwardly hitting on the employees in English.


    "...Are these really the people I know?¡±


    Youngwoo felt a sense of distance from Regas and Pon. Both seemed so different from Satisfy that he felt confused. The chaos grew over time.


    ¡°G~r~i~d!¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo.¡±


    Yura and Jishuka became drunk while they were arguing. It was a tremendous burden for Youngwoo to take care of two drunk girls alone. He wanted to ask Pon and Regas for help, but Pon had left with a woman, while Regas found a Taekwondo dojo and challenged the owner to a spar.


    Buzz buzz.


    ¡°Wow, amazing. Isn¡¯t that Jishuka and Yura?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, look! Grid! Grid!¡±


    ¡°Wow... What are the three of them doing?¡±


    The people on the street gathered around Youngwoo. They took lots of photos.


    ¡®Ah, this, really...¡¯


    Jishuka and Yura were drunk and sticking like gum to Youngwoo. If this continued, there might be a misunderstanding and Youngwoo might be dragged to the police station. This was his first experience with drunk girls, so Youngwoo imagined the worst. Then he hurriedly caught a passing taxi.


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    Youngwoo spoke tly to the driver. ¡°My house.¡±


    "...The address.¡±


    Youngwoo left in the taxi with the two women. This action caused all types of misunderstandings.


    A few minutester.


    The reports from the witnesses caused spective stories to be written on the Inte.


    [(Photo News) The drunk Yura and Jishuka took a taxi with Grid.]


    [ording to witness statements, Yura and Jishuka were on the verge of fainting.]


    [What is the destination of the three people?]


    [(Scene Coverage) I am currently at OO Hotel where Jishuka is staying. It is almost dawn and she hasn¡¯t returned yet.]


    [What is Grid doing now?]


    "Oh my, who are these girls?¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents had been watching his son¡¯s appearance on TV all day. They were pleasantly surprised when Youngwoo brought young women home. Their son, who never brought friends home, now brought two beauties at once?


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s father felt embarrassed and went into his room after clearing his throat. Then his mother paid serious attention to Youngwoo, "Son, are you prepared for this? I don¡¯t think South Korea is open enough to wee two daughter-inws at once.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment.


    "No, Mother¡¯s words are true. But isn¡¯t this a misunderstanding? If I was going to do that, would I have brought them home? Wouldn¡¯t I go to another ce?¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, yes, yes. I¡¯ll bring a nket soy them down in your room. Youngwoo, you sleep in the living room today.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s mother entered her room to get a quilt. In the meantime, Youngwoo was taking off his shoes and he looked up Yura and Jishuka¡¯s skirts. It wasn¡¯t intended, but instinctive behavior.


    "The low~est.¡±


    "..."


    Sehee came out of her room at that time and looked at him with contempt. Youngwoo felt like crying as he lost his dignity in front of his sister.


    ***


    The National Competition¡¯s third day.


    The production events were held. The crowd cheered as production rankers in various fields such as cksmiths, tailors and alchemists appeared.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no Grid?¡±


    The crowd checked their faces and started to sulk. Grid was a legendary cksmith, so they naturally thought he would participate in the production events. They were excited at the thought of possibly seeing a legendary item be created.


    But Grid didn¡¯t attend.


    "Is he forfeiting because ofst night¡¯s scandal?¡±


    "Thanks to that, the other cksmiths have a chance.¡±


    "By now, Grid must be with Jishuka and Yura...¡±


    ¡°Ah! My desire for murder is boiling!¡±


    It was rife with all types of spections. But Youngwoo didn¡¯t avoid the production events because he was conscious of people¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t because of Yura and Jishuka. It was because a person was limited to participating in three events.


    Youngwoo wanted to participate in events that would have a huge dominance on the National Competition. These were the events:


    ¡°PvP and pet marathon.¡±


    The two events held on the fifth day weren¡¯t a team event, but a solo exhibition. Hopefully, one country could win six medals. Experts spected that the US would earn arge number of medals on that day and consolidate their first ce ranking.


    Youngwoo wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    "Don¡¯t celebrate too early.¡±


    He would hit them properly. Youngwoo decided and got up from his seat. Then he opened his door as usual to y Satisfy and was shocked. He witnessed the appearance of Yura and Jishuka sleeping next to each other on his bed.


    "Pfft!!"


    Youngwoo had a nosebleed at the sight of the two beauties. They came backtest night. He didn¡¯t know what to do, but then Yura and Jishuka woke up.


    After that.


    Youngwoo¡¯s house was crowded. Yura and Jishuka were very friendly after meeting Youngwoo¡¯s parents.


    "Let me help you prepare the meal, Mother.¡±


    "Oh my, thank you. Huh...? Why are you washing eggs and rice with detergent?¡±


    "Father~ I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡±


    "Oh my, thank you. Thanks to my son... Heok! M-My back...!¡±


    Yura was polite and Jishuka was bright. Both of them had a problem of being too enthusiastic, but they appealed to Youngwoo parents¡¯ affection well enough.


    "..."


    Youngwoo felt like he was sitting on a thorn cushion. It was because Sehee kept on shooting res at him.


    "Sightseeing? Ah, yes. We haven¡¯t gone anywhere for a long time, so let¡¯s make it a family trip.¡±


    "So, how great is our Youngwoo? He¡¯s a hero on TV, a hero in a game I don¡¯t know about ~ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Two days passed.


    It was the 5th and final day of the National Competition. The PvP was scheduled to be in the morning and the pet marathon in the afternoon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    "Okay."


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Yura and Jishuka had stayed at Youngwoo¡¯s house for two days. Youngwoo arrived at the stadium to enthusiastic cheers and curses.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    yers were aware of other yers.


    Hurent was aware that there were six people stronger than him. Those six were the 1st ranked Kraugel, 2nd ranked Zibal, 3rd ranked Chris, 7th ranked Agnus, 11th ranked Bondre, and 14th ranked Hao. Except for them, there were no yers who could beat Hurent in Satisfy.


    ¡¯And I will soon go beyond those six people.¡¯


    He was the only one. This was his goal. He would eventually get the results he intended.


    ss: Aura Master.


    * Weapons are meaningless.


    *You can control ¡®Aura.¡¯


    * The minimum qualifications to be a sword saint have been achieved.


    Title - Sword Saint Candidate - Stage 1 (Transcendent)


    * All stats will be 1.3 times greater.


    * Quickly detect the target¡¯s weakness.


    * There is a high probability of predicting the target¡¯s movements.


    * ¡®Super Sensitivity¡¯ will be opened.


    [Aura]


    Rating: Epic (Red)


    A type of energy that can be controlled. Aura is infinite and always present.


    The shape, size and characteristics will depend on the caster¡¯s inclination.


    The color of the aura will change ording to the rating.


    The higher the rating, the higher the effectiveness of the aura.


    The higher the rating, the greater the size of the aura.


    * Aura can¡¯t be separated from the caster.


    * You can raise the aura rating through training.


    [Super Sensitivity Lv. 1 (36.4%)]


    All senses will be transcended.


    Lv. 1 - Telepathy: You can predict 100% of all your target¡¯s behavior within 10m.


    * This effect willst for six seconds and will continue for two seconds after the effect has ended.


    Skill Mana consumption: All of your current mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    Grid?


    ¡®You aren¡¯t my opponent.¡¯


    He was able to see all of his target¡¯s movements, despite only being at a beginner level. Pagma?


    ¡®How stupid.¡¯


    ording to legend, Pagma was the strongest swordsman. But that was only when Muller was absent. Pagma was named the strongest swordsman after Muller¡¯s death. Wasn¡¯t Pagma a cksmith in the first ce? How could a cksmith who swung his sword as a hobbypare to a sword saint?


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant is insignificantpared to a sword saint.¡¯


    Suuk.


    Hurent manifested aura at his fingertips. Then he released it at a huge tree exactly 5m ahead of him.


    Seokeok!


    The giant tree was cut as soon as the aura touched it. It dealt 4,600 fixed damage, could be released up to 5m, and the shape could freely transform. He also had ¡®Super Sensitivity,¡¯ which allowed him to sense the enemy¡¯s movements. It could be said that this was his strongest skill.


    Aura Master.


    The weakness was that he didn¡¯t have powerful attack skills, but that weakness could be ovee by raising his aura rating. No matter how he looked at it, Aura Master was a perfectbat ss. It wasn¡¯t possible topare it to Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°30 seconds...? Hahat~!¡±


    Grid was arrogant just because he had the first legendary ss. Hurentughed as he recalled Grid¡¯s 30 second logout remark.


    ¡°Newbie.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t understand his subject.


    ¡°Prepare to be embarrassed~¡±


    The whole world would be paying attention to the PvPpetition held in a while. Hurent was determined to shatter Grid in front of the millions of people watching. Legend? He wouldn¡¯t even give Grid a chance.


    Grid was nothing. At this moment, Hurent was only wary of Chris and Bondre, who were on the list of PvP participants.


    ¡®I will go beyond those two people today.¡¯


    Hurent wasn¡¯t even looking at Grid.


    ***


    He just had a friendly co-worker rtionship with Yura and Jishuka right? Where did he go with the drunken women two days ago?


    The reporters flocked like vultures and bombarded Youngwoo with questions. Youngwoo barely managed to escape them and sighed as he reached the waiting room.


    "Wow, why are they so terrible? I thought I was going to die.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. Among the reporters, the male ones looked like they wanted tomit murder. Yura and Jishuka. They cursed and hated Youngwoo for having a scandal with both of them.


    Yura handed a tournament table to the pale Youngwoo.


    ¡°There are a total of 32 PvP participants. The matches were drawn through a fair lottery.¡±


    "The number of participants is surprisingly small.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because individuals are limited to three events. The yers prioritize events where they can get gold medals, so the 32 yers participating in the PvP are all renowned top rankers.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Youngwoo looked at the table. Then he found his ID and was surprised. ¡°Is this really true?¡±


    Yura replied with a worried expression.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m really surprised. It¡¯s a match between you and Hurent in the round of 32. It¡¯s also the opening match. Who would¡¯ve imagined?¡±


    The big match of the PvP was the confrontation between Grid and Hurent. People around the world were only paying attention to the confrontation between the two. They wondered how big the match would be.


    The public became boisterous. The round with 32 participants. It seemed like a miracle that the confrontation between Grid and Hurent was the opening match. The confrontation was now right around the corner.


    Who would be the winner? Grid, who said he would logout his opponent in 30 seconds? Or would he be disgraced? Most Koreans wanted Grid to win, while the foreigners were predicting Grid¡¯s defeat. The amount bet on the match was astronomical, and the dividend rate for Grid was really high.


    ¡°Hurent! Hurent! Hurent!!¡±


    ¡°Grid! Grid!¡±


    ¡°Hurent! Hurent! Hurent!!¡±


    The atmosphere of the stadium was remarkable. The voices cheering for Hurent were way louder than those cheering for Grid. Some people in the crowd were even booing Grid. Yura was worried that Grid¡¯s morale would be lowered by the one-sided cheering. But Youngwoo wasn¡¯t upset at all.


    ¡º The PvPpetition will be held in 20 minutes. All participants should go to the capsule room. ¡»


    The sound of the guide was heard. Youngwoo got up from his seat and reassured Yura.


    "First of all, I don¡¯t have much experience with people cheering me on.¡± Conversely, he was familiar with mockery. "The cheering atmosphere has no effect on me. Hurent? I will shatter him in 30 seconds and win the gold medal.¡±


    Two days ago, Yura had been worried after seeing Hurent¡¯s one sided treatment of Grid. She thought the walls of the world were too high for Youngwoo. But not anymore. She just trusted him.


    "Take care.¡±


    The most beautiful smile was aimed at Youngwoo.


    ***


    Pearl Ind.


    In the past, it was an ind used by the knight academy of the Bonkost Principality. The giant ind that once flourished had now be deserted and deste. The glory of the past couldn¡¯t be found in the ¡®Lion¡¯s Castle¡¯ standing at the center of the ind.


    All the facilities, including the walls, were destroyed, and the garden devastated. There seemed to be ghosts hiding behind the broken windows of the castle. The long forgotten ce shrouded in spectacr views was shown on the massive screens set up in Olympic Station.


    That¡¯s right. This was the stage of the duel.


    ¡º The PvP tournament is heating up thest day of the National Competition! ¡»


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The hundreds of thousands of spectators cheered as thementator shouted. It wasn¡¯t just them. The viewers all over the world were excited as well. Who was the strongest person in the world? How brilliant was their control and skills?


    Kraugel and Zibal might not be participating, but there would surely be plenty to see.


    -It came!Chicken and beer!


    -Two chickens.If 32 people are participating, one chicken won¡¯t be enough.


    -If each match is 10 minutes, the PvP willst at least a few hours.I have to binge drink today. ?


    -It¡¯s nonsense.Grid will be knocked out in 30 seconds.The match will finish before the chicken arrives. ???? ????


    -??? Grid is scheduled to win.


    - Wow ?? Do you really mean that?You believe Grid¡¯s bluff? ;;


    -He will logout Hurent in 30 seconds?Crazy????? He was defeated by Hurent in the target processing. ?????


    -Guys.If you are South Korean, then you should support our fellow Korean.Cheer for Grid-nim.


    -That¡¯s right.I am anti-Grid because of the matter with Yura and Jishuka.But love is a separate, personal matter.


    -Aye!Don¡¯t forget that Grid-nim gave our country a gold medal.I am very thankful.


    -No, what ?_?^ a gold medal doesn¡¯t matter.What good is it for us if he wins a gold medal?Why should we be thankful? ?_??


    -?? I shudder every time I see Grid being called a hero on TV.How is he a hero just because he won one gold medal? ??


    -Isn¡¯t it natural to praise athletes who win a gold medal for their country?Would you say such things about Olympic athletes?


    -Well anyway, Grid doesn¡¯t matter.In a few minutes, he¡¯ll be logged out by Hurent.


    -You scum...I bet 4 million won on Grid...My whole fortune...Now I¡¯m dying of tension.I might shit out blood in the morning...


    -Oh my god ;; you bet on Grid? ????


    -Wow ?? 4 million won on Grid? ??? Isn¡¯t Hurent certain to win? ??? You¡¯re just throwing your money into the trash.


    -But the dividend rate is 3.2. If Grid wins, that 4 million won will triple.


    -That only matters if he wins...


    Even on the Korean inte sites, there weren¡¯t many people who thought Grid would win. Surprisingly, manyizens thought that Grid would be the first to be eliminated.


    And.


    ¡º The yers are entering! ¡»


    The broken Lion Castle. In a deste garden, a ck-haired Asian man and brown-haired Westerner appeared. It was the moment when Grid and Hurent met, after attracting worldwide attention for thest three days.


    As hundreds of millions of people watched, they finally shed.


    ¡º Now I will announce the opening of the PvP match! It has started! ¡»


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The shouts of the crowd were vividly transmitted through the TV.


    ¡º Will Grid win as the Korean people wish? ¡»


    Thementator ryed in a loud voice. Youngwoo¡¯s family gulped in front of the TV. They were earnestly praying for their son and brother to win.


    And Youngwoo. No, Grid started his sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    "Oh my~ you are using your slow paced skill again?¡±


    Hurent clicked his tongue and attacked Grid in the gap exposed.


    Syuok!


    The golden des flew to protect Grid, but Hurent¡¯s ability to control aura was very delicate. Hurent was already aware of the presence of the golden des and responded calmly, urately avoiding the wall formed by the des to hit Grid.


    [You have dealt 4,600 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Good, good.¡¯


    He would trample on Grid step by step. He knew the skills Grid possessed. The range of Kill, Link and Wave wasn¡¯t that far, so they wouldn¡¯t be a threat as long as he kept an appropriate distance.


    The ranged skill Transcended Link was somewhat annoying, but it had a long cooldown time of at least 15 minutes. Hurent thought he would be able to withstand one bombardment if he focused his aura on defense.


    However...


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was apletely different skill that wasn¡¯t shown in Bairan or the target processing event. Hurent paled as he realized it. He was astonished to see the notification window in front of him.


    [You have been overwhelmed by the enemy¡¯s spirit. Your actions are constrained for three seconds.]


    ¡®What is this...!?¡¯


    His body was stiff and hard to control properly. Grid approached from 5m away and his body instinctively retreated. However, he couldn¡¯t open up a distance. Grid took a few steps in the amount of time it took for Hurent to take one step back.


    Two seconds. Grid narrowed the distance in an instant and unfolded a new sword dance. Hurent focused all his aura on defense.


    [Your defense has increased by 150%.]


    [A shield that will absorb 5,000 damage has been created.]


    ¡®I can endure it once...!¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    [You have absorbed 5,000 damage.]


    [You have suffered 68,300 damage.]


    [You have died.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    On various Inte portal sites, the real time search queries were updated to ¡®5 seconds.¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    Thest day of the National Competition coincided with a national holiday.


    9 a.m.


    In spite of the early hour, chicken stores all over the country started to operate. The chicken store owners mobilized their whole family to fry the chickens.


    Ddrrrung!Ddrrrung!


    The makers didn¡¯t matter. The small neighbourhood chicken stores were flooded with orders for a while.


    -Please bring me one chicken and three beers at 11 o¡¯clock.


    -I want to reserve two chickens for 11 o¡¯clock.And I was busy during thest World Cup, so I will use all my coupons this time.


    -One soju and beer.And one roasted chicken.Please!Before 11 o¡¯clock!


    -I want...What?You ran out of chicken and there¡¯s only sd left?That¡¯s okay!I will order from another store!


    After a while.


    At 11 a.m., the PvP tournament that the world had been waiting for finally opened. The chicken stores made more than 10 times their normal revenue during the National Competition! They shouted at the delivery drivers they hired specifically for this day.


    ¡°Go deliver!¡±


    Buoong!


    Every city in the country. The foreign tourists who came to South Korea for the National Competition saw a remarkable sight. In many ces, the roads were filled with bikes! The delivery drivers¡¯ bikes were equipped with a delivery crate and the chicken store sticker attached to them, making the foreigners stunned.


    "Don¡¯t Koreans always eat rice?¡±


    "It seems to have changed to chicken...¡±


    "Koreans have good physiques despite eating a lot of meat.¡±


    And 11 o¡¯clock.


    ¡º The yers are entering! ¡»


    ¡°Ohh! It has finally started!¡±


    Family, friends or lovers. They all excitedly sat around a TV at their homes. Then the people who caused a hot topic over the past three days, Grid and Hurent appeared at the Lion¡¯s Castle.


    "I hope that Grid will win.¡±


    "Honestly, considering the target processing, Grid seemed unlikely to win. But I hope he will do his best, even if he loses.¡±


    "That¡¯s right, so let¡¯s cheer him on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the experts¡¯ analysis. I am expecting Grid, who has a legendary ss, to win.¡±


    Ding dong~!


    ¡°The chicken hase!¡±


    "Oh, right at 11 o¡¯clock. They have no sense.¡±


    Houses with young families and mothers. Houses where friends gathered. Houses belonging to lovers.


    ¡º Now I will announce the opening of the PvP match! It has started! ¡»


    They ran to the porch as thementator¡¯s words were heard from the TV. They received the chicken from the delivery men then dropped their chicken at the ridiculous sight they were greeted with when they came back inside.


    ¡º H-Hurent has been logged out! ¡»


    ¡°...?¡±


    The showdown between the legendary ss and the 8th ranked user. How many people predicted that the winner would be Grid? In addition, how many believed that Grid would log out Hurent in 30 seconds as he dered? However...


    ¡º 5 seconds...! ¡»


    "..."


    ¡º In only 5 seconds! Grid has logged out the winning candidate, Hurent! ¡»


    The baffledmentator shouted btedly, and hundreds of millions of people responded to the reality.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The cheering Korean crowd and viewers!


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it...!¡±


    The shocked foreign crowd and viewers! The world was in chaos.


    [(Breaking) Grid won in 5 seconds.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant! The 8th ranked user was logged out in 5 seconds!]


    [Grid, he fulfilled his 30 second promise!]


    [The United States has received a big impact.]


    [Will Grid earn yet another gold medal for South Korea?]


    [The 5 second logout legend!]


    5 seconds! 5 seconds! 5 seconds! The breaking news continued to highlight the 5 seconds. The Inte real time search terms were dominated by ¡®5 seconds,¡¯ ¡®Grid,¡¯ ¡®Grid¡¯s victory,¡¯ ¡®Grid is a scam,¡¯ ¡®Shin Youngwoo,¡¯ ¡®Korean¡¯s possible gold medal.¡¯


    Theizens were the same.


    -G...God Grid.


    -God Grid!Forgive us who mocked and condemned you a few seconds ago !?0?


    - Wow, what is this?It isn¡¯t a bug?


    -The 8th ranked user was killed ??;;


    -Crazy...I really got goosebumps.


    -My family¡¯s sign ?0?


    -?0?? What is that?


    -The Americanmunity must be buzzing right now ??????


    -The Chinese forums are filled with words of envy. ??


    -The Japanesemunity is bombarded with conspiracy theories that this is a bug ;;


    -So exciting!That Yankee who tore the Korean g must be shedding tears of blood. ??? Praise God Grid.


    -3.2 times 4 million won. Congrattions ??


    -Actually, I bet 6 million won too ???...?? on Hurent...That bastard.


    -I bet 3 million won on Hurent ;; ah, my sry.


    -Koreans should¡¯ve cheered on a Korean... ^^ I bet 15 million won on God Grid... from now on, I will only have confidence in God Grid...


    -You are a gambler ??


    -I also bet 300,000 won so this is a jackpot ??I¡¯ve made enough tost me three months.???


    The amount of tens, hundreds, thousands, millions of won were exchanged. It might be a very big amount to somebody. But it could be chewing gum for somebody else. For example, the owner of a bigpany, a sessful frencer or a Satisfy ranker. They gambled hundreds of million or billions of won. And there were many people who lost.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have believed in those damn experts...!¡±


    "Call mywyer and prepare to sue.¡±


    A few of the rich people suffered losses that couldn¡¯t be ignored. On the other hand.


    ¡°Kuahahaha! Amazing! Amazing~!¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha! Grid! I love you!¡±


    Someone¡¯s misfortune was another person¡¯s luck! The Tzedakah Guild, who¡¯d already made billions of won from Satisfy, hit the jackpot. Those who believed in Grid¡¯s victory bet not only their existing assets, but loans from financial institutions as well.


    The dividend was 3.2 times what they invested, so they became instant billionaires. Tens of billions of won were gained at once. They could buy yachts, private airnes, travel with beautiful women, and enjoy the life of a movie star!


    But they were Satisfy rankers. Satisfy was much more precious to them than reality.


    ¡°Hehe... I have to ask Grid to make me an item with this money.¡±


    ¡°I will continue to invest in Grid until he makes me a legendary item.¡±


    The gaming fools nned to buy one or two buildings for their future, but they would invest the rest of their funds into Grid.


    ***


    ¡º Not only is he a legendary ss, he has one or two ultimate skills. That Kill skill is the ultimate skill of a legendary ss. The power of that deadly blow can¡¯t be endured. ¡»


    ¡º Of course, the power of his skill is great, but I¡¯m more interested in that blue greatsword. Looking back at the target processing, didn¡¯t Grid use the blue greatsword to logout the rankers? It¡¯s clear that the blue greatsword has an excellent performance among legendary items. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. It is the so called best weapon. It would be nice if yer Grid would reveal the details of the weapon. ¡»


    The experts¡¯ analysis was correct. Even though it was a legendary item, the weapons created by Pagma¡¯s Descendant were of a different dimension.


    The +9 Failure had an attack power of 1,768~3,682. It was already the best weapon at +0, so after being increased to +9 with a 70% increase in attack power, it was fully OP (overpowered).


    Let¡¯spare it to legendary weapons of the same level. The average attack power of a powerful two-handed weapon was around 1,000, so the maximum attack power of the +9 Failure was three times stronger than that. What if 1,800% of that attack power was added due to the level two Kill?


    The users could never endure it. They would just die.


    Grid was inwardly surprised. ¡®The boss monsters received hundreds of thousands of damage, but for Kill to only deal 68,000 damage to Hurent... He has a lot of defense. He wasn¡¯t just bragging.¡¯


    An Aura Master didn¡¯t need weapons. Thanks to that, Hurent was able to spend more money on armorpared to other users, and he had the highest ranked unique armor. Yet he died in one blow?


    "Heok...!¡±


    The logged out Hurent jumped out of the capsule. Hisplexion was pale, like a person who just had a nightmare. His whole body was sweaty.


    ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯


    Lauel handed a towel to the confused Hurent.


    "You lost."


    "..."


    "..."


    Hurent couldn¡¯t believe it. He had no idea that he would lose to Grid. He gazed absentmindedly and recalled the fight. Then he smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Yes... Indeed, that¡¯s a legendary ss.¡±


    His control had been helpless in front of that strength. What was that CC skill thatpletely restrained his body, despite maintaining a perfect distance of 5m? He wasn¡¯t able to control himself and received a linked skill.


    He was crushed by strength. Yes, like a fly.


    ¡°Legendary skills...¡±


    It was something he didn¡¯t have yet. He needed to strengthen the rating of his aura to legendary more quickly through training. Hurent felt motivated instead of frustrated. His expression was refreshed as he wiped at his sweat with the towel.


    "Since I have be the loser, the reporters won¡¯t bother me for a while. I think I should abandon other activities and focus on hunting.¡±


    He would only be strong through training.


    Lauel gave his personal opinion. "The problem is the blue shark-shaped greatsword that Grid is using. Its performance transcends imagination.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hurent admitted it. No matter the skill rating, wasn¡¯t the damage too high? It was useless without a basic high attack power. Grid¡¯s weapon was certainly high ss. But why did Lauel say that? Hurent was puzzled as he saw the Lauel looked determined.


    ¡°You... Perhaps, are you going to follow Grid?¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    He was sick of the title of rookie. He wanted to quickly jump to the top of the rankers. But he started toote. When he was level 1, the top rankers were already level 180. Talent alone couldn¡¯t cover that gap. In order to catch up with them...


    "I have seen the power of items through this match.¡±


    Lauel was one of the 10 Rookies. Even now, Ibellin of the Tzedakah Guild has set Lauel as his rival.


    ¡°I will join the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    "...¡±


    2nd on the unified rankings, Zibal. He had the ambition to upy all the territories of Satisfy and be Satisfy¡¯s ruler. But in order to do that, he needed the strongest yers and at the moment, he was eyeing Lauel. He offered shocking treatment to Lauel when inviting him to the guild. However, Lauel was going to turn him down.


    "Lauel, didn¡¯t the Snake Guild promise you millions of gold? Is it worth rejecting such an astronomical sum to follow Grid?¡±


    Lauel nodded without hesitation. "Don¡¯t you now know better than anyone else? You can¡¯t ignore the fact thatbat sense and control isn¡¯t special. The most important aspect of a game is items.¡±


    Millions of gold? What would he do with that? No matter how much money he had, he couldn¡¯t buy the strongest items. In Satisfy, Grid was the only one who could create the most powerful items. His power was necessary in order for Lauel to be a top ranked yer. Basically, Lauel had a great liking towards Grid.


    ¡°Items rather than control... I¡¯m envious of Grid, who made me realize the simplicity and greatness of it. I am fascinated by the strength that logged you out in just 5 seconds. I would like to y the game with him. How about you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Zibal also invited Hurent to join his guild. But Hurent had high pride as a sword saint candidate and was reluctant to go under someone else. Therefore, he hadn¡¯t responded to Zibal¡¯s invitation.


    But now.


    He experienced Grid¡¯s power directly and once he heard Lauel¡¯s words, he started to move. In order to be stronger, items were needed. In order to obtain those items...


    ¡®There is no answer except for Grid.¡¯


    But his pride didn¡¯t tolerate it.


    ¡°...I¡¯m an Aura Master. The strongest items? They¡¯re useless in front of me.¡± Later, his aura would be a legendary rating. ¡°At that time, I will cut down Grid and his blue greatsword.¡±


    The next time they met, he would logout Grid before Grid could even use a skill. Hurent vowed. He left the stadium and headed straight to Incheon International Airport. He was ready to return to the US and pour all his efforts into building up his strength.


    ***


    "Amazing."


    The French representative, Bondre. The 11th ranked user considered Grid¡¯s skills. No, he marvelled at them. Logging out Hurent in just 5 seconds? He never even imagined it. But he didn¡¯t feel threatened.


    "The Restraint and Transcended Link skills are somewhat burdensome.¡±


    Bondre¡¯s ss was an ice mystic. What if he froze the entire ground with overwhelming magic power? Grid¡¯s sword dances wouldn¡¯t be able to be properly enacted. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship needed at least four steps to be activated.


    Could that guy dance properly on frozen ground? It would be lucky if he didn¡¯t fall on his ass.


    ¡¯Looking back at the Bairan battle, he has an artifact that can help him fly.¡¯


    What if Grid flew up to avoid the ice on the floor? Bondre would feel even morefortable.


    The PvP stage was an ind. The atmosphere was filled with moisture. If he froze all that moisture, Grid would be trapped in the sky. The physical constraints of the ice webs meant they couldn¡¯t be broken with CC immunity.


    ¡®An ind is the perfect stage for me. Grid, you can never beat me.¡¯


    [Absolute Zero Lv.2 (76.0%)]


    Freezes the target and deals a fixed damage of 42,000.


    Skill Mana consumption: 50% of your current mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 7 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    It was the ultimate skill he learned from an S-grade magic book. Yura¡¯s Divine Punishment that she showed in the target processing looked miserablepared to this. The casting time was incredibly long, so he didn¡¯t have many opportunities to use it.


    But it was different in a one-on-one duel. If he couldpletely restrain his opponent¡¯s actions, he could use it as a winning card. This was superior in terms of damagepared to Divine Punishment because it was a single target skill.


    It was this Absolute Zero skill that made Yura and Hurent lose to Bondre.


    ¡®Assuming that Grid is level 290, his health must be... No, it isn¡¯t possible even when assuming the worst.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s health must be 35,000 or less.


    "This time you will be the one to die in one blow. Kukukuk...!¡±


    Bondreughed with joy. He would meet with Grid in the round of 16. He would prove he was the strongest bypletely overwhelming Grid, who logged Hurent out in five seconds.


    Bondre was confident. Just like Hurent, a few minutes ago.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    Experts also observed that Bondre was likely to win.


    ¡º An ice mystic is a ss that specializes in restraints and defense. All attacking skills cause slowness and frost, and certain skills freeze the target entirely. This means it¡¯s possible topletely link CCs. ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t just that. An ice mystic also has tremendous defensive abilities. They can use a wide variety of shielding spells, especially against physical attacks. Perfect CC and superior defense ability. It acts as a perfect counter to a physical dealer ss. ¡»


    ¡º Obviously, there are disadvantages to the ss. Their firepower is weak and it isn¡¯t popr in hunting and raids. However, a yer¡¯s health is exceptionally lowpared to a monster. A weak firepower doesn¡¯t matter in PvP. ¡»


    ¡º Hrmm... As our friend mentioned, CC is an advantage of an ice mystic. Didn¡¯t Grid show perfect immunity to Bubat¡¯s CC during the target processing? Isn¡¯t Grid immune to all kinds of CC? Then won¡¯t Bondre¡¯s CC skills be sealed? ¡»


    ¡º That isn¡¯t the case. Even if Grid is immune to CCs, he can¡¯t free himself from the ice. ¡»


    ¡º Why? ¡»


    ¡º If Bondre uses something like ¡®Ice Prison¡¯ or ¡®Ice Spider Web¡¯ to physically block his path, CC resistance is meaningless. Grid will be trapped in a narrow cage and the target of the famous ¡®Absolute Zero.¡¯ ¡»


    ¡º Are you saying he will disable Grid by limiting the space? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. In particr, it should be noted that the stage of the PvP is an ind. In an area with a lot of water, an ice magician¡¯s magic power and casting speed will increase by 20%. Isn¡¯t Bondre strongest in water? It¡¯s hard to imagine he will be defeated. ¡»


    ¡º Victory or defeat doesn¡¯t matter. We should just rejoice over getting to appreciate the beautiful and famous Ice Spider Web. ¡»


    Ice Spider Web was a very effective, but colorful magic. The magic that shaped the webs froze all moisture in the atmosphere andpletely restrained all objects in its range. The target would be trapped in the spider web that came from all four directions and be pure prey. They couldn¡¯t lift a finger because there was no space to move.


    Three months ago, Bondre was able to win a PvPpetition hosted by JIN, a leading Japanesepany, because of the Ice Spider Webs. Hepletely overwhelmed Katz, JIN¡¯s sessor and the third epic ss.


    "That¡¯s right, ss isn¡¯t important. Bondre is a normal ss, but he trampled on an epic ss? He doesn¡¯t have to be afraid, even if his opponent has a legendary ss.¡±


    "Bondre is a smart and solid yer. Unlike Hurent, I believe that he can beat Grid.¡±


    Most of the French agreed with the opinion of the experts. They didn¡¯t doubt Bondre¡¯s victory. There was a basis for their faith. In fact, Bondre had never been defeated in battle. He wasn¡¯t called ¡®100 Matches 100 Victories¡¯ Bondre for no reason.


    But the reaction of the people apart from the French were divided.


    ¡°I no longer believe the words of the experts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t they say that Hurent would unconditionally win against Grid, and the result was the exact opposite?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true that Bondre is strong. He is famous as an undefeated legend...¡±


    "Certainly, Bondre¡¯s level isn¡¯t as high as Hurent¡¯s level. Can¡¯t Grid beat Bondre? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    The Koreanizens also started to discuss it.


    -100 Matches 100 Victories Bondre...Indeed, this time it will be tough for Grid.


    -God Grid will win.


    -Bondre is a famous ranker known for his clever ys.Have you forgotten how he fooled all the other rankers to win thebyrinth breakthrough?Grid already showed Restraint in the battle against Hurent, so he will be thoroughly attacked by Bondre.


    -Won¡¯t God Grid unconditionally win if he manages to approach?


    -An ice mystic is about stiffness.If he installs severalyers of ice barriers and shields, Grid won¡¯t be able to use a skill.Then Hurent will counterattack when Grid can¡¯t use skills.


    -How will he approach in the first ce?To be honest, an ice mystic is a scam.Although the speed of hunting is slow, so it¡¯s difficult to level up.


    -But Bondre is ranked 11th.


    -That means Bondre is really skilled.On the other hand, Grid has all his items.


    -People are acting the same again.


    -Didn¡¯t you say that Grid couldn¡¯t beat Hurent?But the result?Grid won in 5 seconds.Don¡¯t pretend that you know everything.


    -Shut up and praise God Grid.


    ¡°He seems to be facing a strong opponent this time.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t hide their anxious expressions. The experts on the TV were predicting their son¡¯s defeat.


    Sehee reassured her parents. "Oppa will win again."


    Even before the confrontation with Hurent, people around the world said that her brother wouldn¡¯t win. But the result? Her brother won in only 5 seconds. Sehee believed that her brother would win again.


    ¡®All the time and passion that brother has poured into Satisfy...¡¯


    Sehee didn¡¯t know anything about Satisfy. But it was hard to think that her brother, who spent all his time in Satisfy, would be defeated by others.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that right? Oppa. Just win.¡¯


    Her brother had been ignored by others, and now he was being acknowledged by many people all over the world. Sehee¡¯s heart was happy. She was proud of her brother.


    ***


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    Yura was nervous. After Youngwoo defeated Hurent, he didn¡¯t return to the waiting room, but went somewhere else.


    ¡®I need to give Youngwoo-ssi advice...¡¯


    Bondre was apletely different style of opponent from Hurent. She had been directly defeated by him. Youngwoo had logged out Hurent in just five seconds. This was a phenomenal record, but she was worried he would be careless after it.


    ¡®If he¡¯s trapped in an ice prison or web, there will be no room to swing his sword.¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s greatswords were at least 3m in length. Greatswords weren¡¯t a weapon capable of being swung in a tight space. It was the end once he was trapped. The sword wouldn¡¯t be able to swing, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break the wall of ice and he would eventually be the victim of Absolute Zero.


    ¡®He needs to end the match before Bondre uses his ice prisons and webs.¡¯


    Yura wanted to pass this on to Youngwoo. But Youngwoo didn¡¯t pick up his phone and she couldn¡¯t give him advice because he was missing.


    ¡®If he¡¯s careless...¡¯


    As moment Yura was worrying...


    Youngwoo was meeting a person in a secret ce.


    "My name is Rail Smith. My ID in Satisfy is Lauel.¡±


    The person who introduced himself was too young to be called a man, but too mature to be called a boy. He was estimated to be in histe teens. He had blond hair and white skin. His eyes were calm and he had stubborn lips. He had a pretty forehead and narrow jaw. He was so beautiful that he reminded Grid of the main character of a British teen movie.


    Youngwoo felt strong hostility towards him.


    "So what? Why did you call me here?¡±


    Lauel was confused by the expression on Youngwoo¡¯s face and exined. ¡°The Tzedakah Guild... No, not exactly. Please ept me as your subordinate.¡±


    Grid knew who Lauel was. It was because Ibellin often talked about Lauel.


    ¡®A genius among geniuses.¡¯


    The only person who Ibellin considered as a rival. That guy wanted to be Youngwoo¡¯s subordinate? Youngwoo made a funny face and asked bluntly, ¡°Why do you want to follow me? Is it because you want me to make you an item?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lauel also answered honestly.


    Youngwoo nodded.


    "Okay."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lauel was baffled because Youngwoo agreed so easily. In fact, he thought Youngwoo would be reluctant. Everything he prepared to convince Youngwoo became obsolete.


    ¡°The more ves I have, the better.¡±


    "...¡± Lauel didn¡¯t speak Korean perfectly. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know the exact meaning of the word ¡®ve,¡¯ but he was sure it meant ¡®subordinate¡¯ based on the context. ¡°Thank you for epting me. As long as you can give me what I want, I will pledge my loyalty to you forever.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Lauel spoke such words so casually. This guy, there was another person like Huroi.


    ¡¯Not bad.¡¯


    Recently his minerals finder - Minor, had only been rmending dangerous ces to him. For example, Cork Ind Dungeon.


    ¡®I never thought I would have to fight the great demon Hell Gao when I was just trying to mine a mineral. I need a bodyguard in case that absurd situation urs again.¡¯


    He already had a powerful knight called Jude, but Jude was an NPC. Unlike users, NPCs had a finite life. He was reluctant to take them to dangerous ces with him because he was worried about them dying.


    However, Lauel was a user. Youngwoo was making a happy expression when Lauel gave advice to him.


    ¡°You should be careful of Bondre. Don¡¯t give him time to case his ice prisons and webs.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know what ice prisons and webs are, but don¡¯t they require casting time?¡±


    "...Yes, but it will be difficult to approach him.¡±


    Bondre could generate an ice barrier around 1m in diameter in less than 1.5 seconds. Even if Grid advanced while resisting all types of status conditions like slow, frostbite and freeze, he would inevitably be dyed by the barrier.


    "By the time you break the ice barrier, Bondre will finish casting his magic.¡±


    So what? Ranged skills were the answer.


    "If I had to give advice on how to fight...¡±


    Youngwoo waved his hand at Lauel, who was trying to exin the timing to use the Transcended Link skill.


    "I will take care of it."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It would be good to taste frustration at least once. Lauel hoped that after Youngwoo was defeated by Bondre, he would abandon arrogance to be more prudent. He didn¡¯t know. Youngwoo had already suffered numerous setbacks.


    ¡¯Anyway, I can log out Bondre in 5 seconds.¡¯


    Right now, Youngwoo wasn¡¯t being arrogant. He knew his strength better than anyone else, so he calmly grasped the situation.


    ¡¯I¡¯m the strongest.¡¯


    Hurent had referred to boss monsters as fools who just used strength. Boss monsters were strong, but they could be ignored. But what was the reality? The pope, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest, and Hell Gao. Had Hurent ever struggled with big shots like them? Even if he had fought strong boss monsters, had he ever defeated them alone?


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t understand the subject.¡¯


    Youngwoo ignored such a man. Didn¡¯t he smash that conceited guy in 5 seconds? It was funnier the more he thought about it.


    ¡°Puhuhu.¡± Youngwooughed.


    ¡º After a while, the first match of the round of 16 will begin. All participants should go to the capsule room. ¡»


    Youngwoo moved ording to the guide.


    "I am on a different dimension from all of you.¡±


    The only legend. He would show the world why a legend was a legend. And.


    ¡º Grid, who logged out Aura Master Hurent in 5 seconds and the undefeated Bondre! With hundreds of thousands of spectators and hundreds of millions of viewers watching! Their showdown! Start! ¡»


    Papat!


    Grid and Bondre appeared in the deste garden of the Lion¡¯s Castle.


    "Ice Field.¡±


    Bondre didn¡¯t dy. He immediately changed the surroundings to make it more advantageous to him.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejejeok!


    The ground in a 50m radius waspletely frozen. Now Grid would slip if he moved even one step. And. Grid stood in ce, not even trying to take one step.


    Bondreughed.


    ¡¯I¡¯ve blocked his skills.¡¯


    Grid needed at least four steps every time he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. But now he couldn¡¯t move as he liked on the ice field. And even if he didn¡¯t slip?


    ¡®A sharp piece of ice will protrude with every step he makes, meaning it is impossible to do his sword dance.¡¯


    Grid had only one choice. He couldn¡¯t use skills on the ground. So he would inevitably fly up in the sky. Bondre was nning topletely trap Grid using the Ice Spider Web.


    ¡®I will finish it with Absolute Zero.¡¯


    Ssik.


    As Bondre was smiling with satisfaction. Grid still didn¡¯t take a single step as he swung his ck greatsword lightly.


    ¡°Golden sh.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    [Golden sh]


    A skill attached to Dainsleif (Reproduction).


    All enemies in a straight line will receive damage that is equal to 1,000% of your current magic power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    Golden sh was an instant skill, unlike Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. The speed was brilliant when used in a t area. Just...


    Grid was a warrior type yer so he couldn¡¯t use Golden sh efficiently due to hisck of magic power. However, the current Grid...


    Name: Grid


    Level: 253 (11,090/39,556,900)


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * The probability of adding additional options when making items will increase.


    * The probably of item enhancement will increase.


    * All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a penalty depending on the rating of the item.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: First Unique Item Maker


    * Dexterity +200


    Title: Only Legendary Item Maker


    * Dexterity +350


    Title: Knight yer


    * Stamina +100.


    * Strength +30


    Title: Apostle of Justice


    * All stats +10.


    * The Apostle of Justice¡¯s bravery is unmatched.


    Title: Man who has Touched Hell


    * Health +3,000


    * You have the right to go to hell.


    Health: 48,778/48,778 + 9,000


    Mana: 5,118/5,118


    Strength: 2,314(+40) Stamina: 1,182(+110)


    Agility: 647(+10) Intelligence: 643(+210)


    Dexterity: 1,384(+560) Persistence: 808(+10)


    Composure: 594(+10) Indomitable: 675(+10)


    Dignity: 594 (+10) Insight: 907(+10)


    Courage: 538 (+10) Demonic Magic Power: 2 (+10)


    Stat Points: 230


    Weight: 45,019/110,520


    Grid¡¯s intelligence reached 853 when he wore Mcus¡¯ Cloak. He had the level 200 stats awakening. In other words, the second awakening meant mana would increase by 6 and magic damage by 2 with every point in intelligence.


    Grid currently had 1,706 magic power. What if this was multiplied by many times? The attack power would far exceed that of Bondre¡¯s Absolute Zero.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Didn¡¯t Grid always dance when he used a skill? Then what was this skill? He didn¡¯t expect it at all.


    ¡°Ice Barrier!¡±


    Bondre paled as he hurriedly used magic. Ice Barrier was the shield with the most ¡®physical defense¡¯ among all the shields Bondre could use. It was helpless in front of Golden sh that dealt damage proportional to magic power.


    Jjejeong!


    "Heok...!¡±


    Golden shpletely prated through the shield. With its overwhelming aura, the ice barrier copsed instantly.


    [You have suffered 12,530 damage.]


    A blow that took 40% of a user¡¯s health at once would stun the user for three seconds. Just now, Bondre lost 80% of his health.


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    ¡°W-What...!¡±


    He felt a chill go down his spine. Dozens of energy des wereing towards his face.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A devastating explosion shook the Lion¡¯s Castle. Thementator witnessed a faint grey light and shouted reflexively.


    ¡º P-yer Bondre has been logged out...! ¡»


    This time it was 4 seconds. ¡®4 seconds¡¯ was ranked first on the real time search terms of various portal sites. The world was once again in shock.


    Zibal jumped to his feet in shock.


    ¡°He broke the ice barrier? That means his magic power...!¡±


    Zibal hadn¡¯t lost hisposure when Hurent lost. Hurent was overconfident and was stung by Grid. It didn¡¯t mean anything more. But now that idea had changed.


    ¡®A monster.¡¯


    Was Grid hiding a special trick? Nonsense. He wasn¡¯t hiding anything. His power just significantly exceeded Zibal¡¯s predictions. It was immeasurable. Yes, just like Kraugel. He was someone that couldn¡¯t be matched until the third advancement ss.


    Then the world started pouring praise towards Grid. Koreanizens united for the first time in almost 100 years and shouted ¡®God Grid!¡¯ The experts also didn¡¯t ignore Grid anymore.


    ¡º The phrase ¡®Praise God Grid¡¯ is spreading on the Inte. I also want to praise God Grid. ¡»


    ¡º That... Me too... ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Satisfy.


    At a hunting ground, Peak Sword witnessed a partyposed of foreigners and asked them in broken English.


    ¡°Do you know Grid?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    No matter if this was a legendary ss, wasn¡¯t it too strong? Defeating famous rankers in a matter of seconds? It was a ss that would copse the bnce. In addition, Pagma¡¯s Descendant wasn¡¯t a purebat ss, but a production ss. Was Pagma¡¯s Descendant intended to be this strong? Was it perhaps a bug?


    Grid defeated Aura Master Hurent in 5 seconds and Bondre in 4 seconds. His stunning world debut, devastating Satisfy¡¯s strongest yers in a single blow, caused huge waves. Public opinion was boiling. The S.A. Group was flooded with inquiries.


    In the end, Chairman Lim Cheolho judged that he needed to calm the atmosphere and spoke directly. The bnce didn¡¯t copse. Pagma¡¯s Descendant was intended to be this strong, and it wasn¡¯t a bug.


    There were a total of nine legendary sses. They were special sses only for the chosen nine people. All of them were immune to CC. That¡¯s right. The CC Immunity was a passive skill that all nine legendary sses had inmon and was a privilege exclusively for them.


    Was it too much privilege? What could he do?


    Originally, the world wasn¡¯t fair. There was always one person ahead of others when it came to achievements or luck. Was everyone equal in the world? Would that world be fun? A game where no matter how hard you tried, you would end up being like someone else? Would anyone y that game?


    Of course, he was well aware that normal sses might feel deprived. They didn¡¯t need to worry. Satisfy was a world designed to make everyone happy, even if they weren¡¯t equal.


    Didn¡¯t they already directly experience it?


    The ability of all normal sses shot significantly upwards after the second advancement. With such a form, their abilities would improve even more after the third advancement, and the gap with the legendary sses would gradually be narrowed. If the third advancement was stillcking? Then there was the fourth advancement ss.


    Satisfy was a game built to reward everyone. It was inevitable that the hidden sses would lead the way, but if they yed the game to the best of their ability, someday the normal ss users would catch up to them.


    Lim Cheolho, the creator of the virtual reality, was already deified. Satisfy had been released for one year and eight months, and not a single bug had been found. Lim Cheolho¡¯s credibility was absolute for creating such a perfect world. Most of the people in the world were convinced by Lim Cheolho¡¯s remark.


    The controversy about Grid quickly disappeared.


    ¡°...I never thought the day woulde when I would lie.¡±


    After the press conference.


    Lim Cheolho¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t bright as he returned to his office. Pagma¡¯s Descendant was intended to be this strong and it wasn¡¯t a bug.


    This remark. It was a lie.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a bug. But it was true that this went against the intentions of the creators. Pagma¡¯s Descendant should be more normal and weaker than he was now. But Grid had be stronger than was originally nned for Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    Lim Cheolho sat in a chair and recalled Grid¡¯s actions in the PvP. It was overwhelming strength that surpassed insufficient senses and control. The foundation of that strength was his abnormally high stats.


    What was the reason for Grid¡¯s high stats? Grid spent too long making five legendary items after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    "Originally, he should¡¯ve made five legendary items four months earlier than he did, making his stat growth beyond what was expected...¡±


    Grid was toocking in game talent. So he didn¡¯t take advantage of the benefits of his ss and wasted his time. He was stagnant for a long time. Furthermore, he was very unlucky. He fell to a minus level and could barely create legendary items.


    Due to that, he avoided the nned penalty and Pagma¡¯s Descendant received much higher stats than the creators nned. His growth slowed due to insufficient game talent, but this was actually good luck.


    ¡°Kulkul... Indeed, a protagonist is a special existence...¡±


    At the time of the Pope Drevigo raid. Grid had imed he was a protagonist. And he certainly showed the actions of a protagonist. By getting rid of the corrupt pope, he saved thousands of the Reba people and helped Damian be the first unique ss, Goddess¡¯ Agent.


    So far, the protagonist of Satisfy was definitely Grid. He changed thendscape of Satisfy with every action he took.


    But.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t the only protagonist.¡±


    The supeputer Morpheus reported.


    [The current time is 13:01:27. Quest RD-3991X has beenpleted.]


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Lim Cheolho¡¯s gaze was fixed on the extrarge monitor on the wall of the office. There was a man on the monitor that was surrounded by dozens of screens.


    The ID was Kraugel. He had maintained the 1st ranking since Satisfy opened. He was the first to reach level 300 and at this moment, he achieved his third advancement ss. Despite being a normal ss, he became a ¡®sword saint¡¯ candidate.


    "Quest RD-3991X is... The White Swordsman ss?¡±


    Right now, Kraugel was moving from the Western Continent to the Eastern Continent. He was the first user. Krugel became the first to leave footprints on the white snow that no one had stepped on yet.


    ¡®Bypleting arge number of quests first, he will gobble up more than a few titles. This will make him an even more unique person.¡¯


    Lim Cheolho thought for a moment before asking a question out of pure curiosity.


    "If the current Grid fought with Kraugel, who will win?¡±


    [There is a 51.3% probability that Kraugel will win.]


    "Even before he receives the new titles...?¡±


    Once again, the world wasn¡¯t fair. Just as there was a unique genius called Lim Cheolho in the scientificmunity, there was a unique genius called Kraugel in the game world. Originally, no one could exceed them.


    However, there was no Grid in the scientific world, while there was Grid in the game world. He wondered how long Kraugel¡¯s solo dominance could continue.


    ¡®Grid has already exceeded numerous geniuses.¡¯


    Was it just exceeding? Grid started to gather numerous geniuses around him. In contrast, Kraugel was alone. Later, would Grid be able to surpass Kraugel?


    Lim Cheolho was looking forward to it.


    The existence that would reign at the top of the world he created, would it be a genius or a dunce? It was very interesting.


    ***


    3rd on the unified rankings, Chris. He was also the master of the strongest Giant Guild, and predicted it the moment the PvP event began.


    ¡®The opponent I will meet in the finals is Grid.¡¯


    In the round of 32, Grid faced Hurent. Most people thought that Hurent would defeat Grid. Then the round of 16 would be a match between Hurent and Bondre, and the winner of the fight was expected to make it to the final.


    But Chris thought differently. He predicted that Grid would win against Hurent and Bondre ande up to the final match.


    ¡°However, I never predicted he would do it in 5, then 4 seconds.¡±


    Was Chris scared? No. He was somewhat nervous, but not afraid. Rather, his blood was boiling.


    "I am also someone who deals deadly blows.¡±


    Chris used a greatsword. He was able to handle a greatsword much better than Grid. He didn¡¯t think he would be defeated in a frontal match.


    "I¡¯m a little bit behind in stats.¡±


    The difference in stats wasn¡¯t important. If he used his ultimate greatsword strike, he could deal a deadly blow to Grid. Chris had much better techniques than Grid and could overpower him. He was determined to beat Grid, the ¡®Butcher¡¯ who smashed the Giant Guild in the past.


    However, there was a presence who blocked him in the round of 16. It was an opponent he didn¡¯t consider at all.


    The British representative, Regas. Obviously, Regas was at the peak in L.T.S. Chris wasn¡¯t a match for Regas in L.T.S. That changed once Satisfy opened. Chris started Satisfy half a year earlier than Regas, so he was way ahead. Originally, it should¡¯ve been easy to get rid of Regas.


    However.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The kneeling Chris. His expression was shocked.


    Regas was too strong. He used the distinctive brilliance of martial arts andbined them with powerful blows. It was hard to read the orbits of his kicks.


    Chris¡¯ health dropped to half quickly. Chris confirmed the cooldown of his potions and started a conversation in order to buy time.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re much stronger than you were in the target processing. What type of magic did you conjure?¡±


    In the target processing event, Regas had trouble with the 33rd ranked Med. He wasn¡¯t Chris¡¯ opponent. How did he be this strong in a matter of days?


    Regas exined to the confused Chris. "I have a weapon, so there¡¯s a very big difference.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A chill went down Chris¡¯ spine. He btedly noticed the knuckles on Regas¡¯ hands. Chris was reminded that Regas always had bare hands. He was able to realize how Regas became so crazy strong.


    ¡°Did you perhaps...!? You have been ying the game without weapons so far!?¡±


    Regas nodded.


    ¡°I thought it was a luxury for martial artists to use weapons. But this PvPpetition is an exception. It¡¯s a courtesy to do my best when dealing with the strongest opponents.¡±


    [Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 107/149 Attack Power: 201


    Armor Pration: +15% Electric Attribute: +30%


    Critical Hit Chance: +30%


    * There will be additional physical damage when 5bos seed.


    * There will be additional electrical damage when 6bos seed.


    * There will be additional physical and lightning damage when 8bos seed.


    * ¡®Thunder Chariot¡¯ will activate when 10bos seed.


    Knuckles made by the great cksmith ¡®G¡¯ whobined lightning stones with blue orichalcum.


    The primary weakness of knuckles has been ovee with this lightning energy.


    User Restriction: Level 280 or higher. More than 1,200 strength. More than 1,000 agility. Advanced Knuckle Mastery Level 4.


    Regas had never used a weapon since Satisfy started. Thanks to this, the S.A. Group called him a ¡®crazy person.¡¯


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    [The 5thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical damage to the target.]


    Peeng!


    [The 6thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional lightning damage to the target.]


    Kwa kwang!


    [The 8thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical and lightning damage to the target.]


    Jjejejeok!Kwang!


    [The 10thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing Thunder Chariot to be triggered.]


    Kurururung!


    The Lion¡¯s Castle, that was barely maintaining its shape, was swallowed up by lightning.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was aplete copse. The once flourishing Lion¡¯s Castle disappeared into history. It was a scene that represented the decline of the Bonkost Principality.


    ¡º C-Chris has been logged out...! ¡»


    Chris was one of the strongest candidates. Now, the only hope to face Grid was defeated by the 13th ranked Regas? People were in shock. In particr, the Canadians were resentful and frustrated that Canada wasn¡¯t even ranked third overall.


    ¡º After many surprises, the final four have been determined. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s amazing. Three out of the four contestants are members of the Tzedakah Guild. ¡»


    ¡º Grid, Regas and Pon. The Tzedakah Guild, which is said to be the strongest group in Satisfy, is clearly showing its status. ¡»


    ¡°Everybody is strong.¡±


    Jishuka supported everyone. But among them, she especially cheered for Grid over Regas and Pon.


    After that.


    Pon and Regas met in the round of 4 and fought for 17 minutes. The splendor of Taekwondo and the spear made people crazy. In the end, Regas won. It was a victory determined by just a slight difference.


    ¡°I will win next time.¡±


    Pon neatly admitted his defeat. The friendship of the two people became more solid. On the other hand, Grid confronted the 25th ranked Bubat. The result was that Bubat forfeited. It was a waste of time to fight with Grid, who was immune to Bubat¡¯s CC.


    In the finals that followed immediately afterwards, Grid won against Regas. Unlike before, it wasn¡¯t an overwhelming victory. Grid allowed up to 8bos from Regas¡¯ knuckles and suffered a brief crisis. But the fight quickly reversed due to the +9 Failure¡¯s overwhelming attack power.


    Regas gradually realized the importance of items. His superfluous pride as a martial artist blurred.


    ¡º Grid has won! As a result, South Korea is third on the overall rankings! ¡»


    South Korea was the country with the highest potential to not even win a bronze medal in this National Competition. However, Grid had won gold medals in the target processing and PvP, raising South Korea¡¯s ranking to third.


    It was a tremendous achievement that no one could foresee. South Korea was enthusiastic. It was an entirely festive mood.


    The overall rankings:


    1st ce United States: 3 gold medals. 2 silver medals. 1 bronze medal.


    2nd ce France: 2 gold medals. 1 silver medal. 2 bronze medals.


    3rd ce South Korea: 2 gold medals.


    4th ce Canada: 1 gold medal. 2 silver medals.


    The National Competition wasn¡¯t over yet. The pet marathon remained.


    "Now it¡¯s the end of Grid¡¯s role.¡±


    The United States would solidify their first ce. Or France would take away the first ce. Maybe Canada might reim the third ce.


    The users with drake pets participated in the pet marathon.


    ¡º It¡¯s known that there are less than 100 people in Satisfy who have drakes as pets. ¡»


    ¡º Drakes are the most powerful pet. They have tremendous speed, stamina andbat power. A country with a lot of drakes will be the winner of this pet marathon. ¡»


    ¡º Grid has also ced his name on the list for the pet marathon. Does Grid have a drake as a pet? ¡»


    ¡º Even if Grid is a drake user, it¡¯s useless. There isn¡¯t one user in Korea who uses a drake as a pet. The other drakes will concentrate on Grid¡¯s drake and he will eventually be eliminated. ¡»


    ¡º In the end, South Korea will finish fourth in the National Competition. ¡»


    It was a natural analysis. The pet marathon was an event where only the pets participated, not the yers. It was impossible for Grid¡¯s pet to win this event unless it had a legendary rank like Grid. As it happened, all drakes had the same rating. The only difference was their attributes.


    ¡°Summon Drake!¡±


    Yurea ind.


    40 yers representing each country logged into the huge ind that was the size of Jeju Ind. Then the summoned drakes roared.


    Kyaooooh!


    Kuwaaah!


    Fire, frost, poison, wind, etc. The breaths with different attributes emerged as the drakes roared! The crowd was speechless as they were overwhelmed by the spectacr sight.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Grid summoned a cat. People¡¯s expressions twisted.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    Dragons created creatures that vaguely resembled them for fun. Those creatures were the drakes. Drakes had much lower intelligence and physical abilities than the dragons. Compared to dragons that were dozens of meters long, a drake was small, and their bodies were only 3m long, excluding the tail.


    But they couldn¡¯t be ignored. The blood of a dragon flowed through them, so drakes were the strongest monsters. They had a minimum level of 260 and were two times faster and stronger than griffons. Their maximum speed was up to 120km and they could even shoot out breaths.


    That¡¯s right. Drakes were considered as the best pets. They had no faults at all, except that they were very difficult to tame. Drakes had different personalities depending on their attributes.


    The hundreds of millions of viewers were looking forward to seeing how many different types of drakes they could see through this pet marathon. They paid particr attention to Grid.


    "Grid, perhaps he tamed a dark drake?¡±


    "A dark attribute drake? Was there something like that? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. There are less than 100 users in Satisfy who¡¯ve tamed drakes as pets, so there are only one or two who tamed dark drakes.¡±


    "What is good about drakes with the dark attribute?¡±


    "Like bone dragons, their body is made of bone. To be precise, they are undead. Their stamina is infinite.¡±


    ¡°Wow... Does that mean they don¡¯t get tired? Isn¡¯t it a scam? Can¡¯t you travel anywhere on the continent with a dark drake?¡±


    "That doesn¡¯t mean there are no restrictions. The bones in the body must be reced from time to time because their durability is worn down. And they have a chronic weakness. They are significantly less intelligent than other drakes.¡±


    Dark drakes were so dumb that they couldn¡¯t carry outplex orders. So in terms of battle, they were weak. But the amazing thing was that their stamina was infinite. This pet marathon. It was a simple contest about who would reach the goal first. No matter how stupid a dark drake was, they could participate in the simple pet marathon.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    "...He might have a dark drake.¡±


    People had high expectations. The target processing and PvP. Grid had showed shocking appearances since he first emerged in the National Competition, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to tame a dark drake.


    However.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    "...¡±


    The creature that Grid summoned wasn¡¯t the strongest pet, but a small cat.


    ¡°Cat?¡±


    ¡°No, what...¡±


    The expressions of the spectators and viewers instantly became disappointed. But that onlysted for a short time. People startedughing.


    ¡°Gwiyeopda.¡±


    "Cute...!¡±


    ¡°Kawaii~¡±


    "Mignon!"


    "Niedlich~¡±


    "Carino!¡±


    "Lindo...¡±


    ¡°Bellus~¡±


    Korean, English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin and so on. The word for cute in differentnguages simultaneously emerged. Even people who weren¡¯t usually interested in cats were excited. In particr, the children and girls who loved cute things started to flock.


    ¡°Mother! Buy me that!¡±


    ¡°Honey~ let¡¯s raise a cat. Yes?¡±


    The cat that Grid summoned. It had the typical appearance of a Persian cat. Together with the color of its fur, it was very unique and attractive. Only the paws were white, while the rest of the cat waspletely ck. If they saw it in the middle of the night, it would look like four white paws floating.


    Furthermore, it had little devil wings. It pped its wings and flew around Grid, looking very mysterious. It was like something from a fairy tale.


    Thementators were captivated by the cute appearance for a while before asking the pet experts.


    ¡º What is that winged cat? ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    None of the four famous pet experts could open their mouths. All of them were unfamiliar with the winged cat. But they were able to be sure of one thing.


    ¡º That cat will be the prey of the drakes. ¡»


    It was something that no one could deny. A cat couldn¡¯t go against the strongest monster, a drake. There was a huge difference in size. A drake was 3m long, while the cat was only 40cm. The drakes would eat this cat! Swallow it in one gulp! It was edible enough to be swallowed.


    "That cute cat is so pitiful...¡±


    People felt sad. Meanwhile, the pet marathon participants wereughing at Grid.


    ¡°Cat? Haha! I thought a legendary ss would have the best pet?¡±


    ¡°Pet taming isn¡¯t an easy thing to do. He must have no talent, no talent. Kilkil.¡±


    "How good would it be if he could create an item to assist with pet taming? Right?¡±


    "But it¡¯s too much. That cat is too much. I know that South Korea is a country without any drakes, but... No matter what, he intends to enter with a cat?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Shouldn¡¯t it at least be a griffon? Griffons are called the prey of drakes. But at least a griffon would be better against the drakes than a cat.¡±


    Originally, South Korea was a country that should¡¯veest in the National Competition. But thanks to Grid, they became ranked third. The foreign yers wanted to relieve their grudge, so they sneered at Grid.


    Grid snorted. "Enjoy your babbling while you can.¡±


    Noe. A memphis wasn¡¯t a cat. His appearance was incredibly cute, but in fact, he was fearsome. He even had the ¡®strongest in hell¡¯ attached to him.


    ¡°These ridiculous things.¡±


    Gridughed at the participants before ncing at Noe. However, Noe was a little strange. The brave cat he saw the other day was currently shaking for some reason.


    "What?"


    Grid detected Noe¡¯s anxiety and checked the status window.


    Name: Noe


    Species: Memphis


    Level: 1 (0/200)


    Affinity: 5/100


    Health: 5,000/5,000


    Physical Attack Power: 60 Magic Attack Power: 30


    Defense: 50 Magic Resistance: 80


    Attribute: Dark


    Status: Fearful


    (What is this, nyang? Why are there so many dragons, nyang? Kyak! Crazy Master is trying to feed me to dragons! Nyang! Save me, nyang!)


    A memphis was cleverer and stronger than many demonkin, making it beloved by the great demons. Indeed, there were no shortage of demonic beasts in hell. They had high pride and it was rare for them to be intimidated.


    But the story was different when it came to dragons. Dragons were the strongest creature in all of hell and on the earth. They were the only things a memphis was afraid of.


    "D-Dragons are scary! Nyang!¡± Noe mistook the smell of the drakes for the dragons, so he jumped into Grid¡¯s arms. Then Noe shook his head with closed eyes. ¡°This evil master! Are you going to throw me towards dragon as food? Nyang! You will go to hell when you die! Nyang!¡±


    Noe grumbled with resentment. Grid was baffled.


    ¡®This is hell¡¯s strongest demonic beast. Yet he¡¯s afraid of drakes?¡¯


    It waspletely disappointing. Grid clicked his tongue and grabbed Noe. However, Noe immediately struggled.


    ¡°Save Noe! Save me! Nyang!¡±


    Noe cried out loudly with a protruding stomach! His short legs were moving and it was tearful at the frightening thought that Grid would thrown him to the dragons. It was a pathetic appearance, but Grid was indifferent.


    "If you want to live, fly hard and avoid the drakes. You will be safe once you arrive at your destination.¡±


    This was the strongest demonic beast in hell. Grid trusted Noe. This guy was still a baby, but Grid was sure that he was better than the drakes.


    "Go!"


    Grid forcefully pushed Noe at the enemies.


    ¡°This evil bastard! Remove your hand! Nyang! Save Noe! Nyang!¡±


    On the other hand. People were indignant. It was because the appearance of Grid and Noe was caught on screen for all to see.


    ¡º Oh my... That cat is really terrified. ¡»


    ¡º It is amazing that a cat has wings. Then calling it ve... Is ve the name of the cat? ¡»


    ¡º This is a truly sad sight! It isn¡¯t enough that Grid treats his pet as a ve, but now he is abusing it when the whole world is watching? This is too much! ¡»


    ¡º Even if this is virtual reality, it is too much to abuse an animal. It¡¯s clear that the animal protection groups will be in an uproar. In particr, this is a scene that will adversely affect young children¡¯s emotional development. Any parents should cover their children¡¯s eyes at this moment. ¡»


    The crowd was booing.


    ¡°Grid, you bastard! Don¡¯t bother the cat!¡±


    "Making such a cute cat participate in the pet marathon, he¡¯s a sick man!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t show our daughter the sight of a cat being eaten by the drakes! Thepetition¡¯smittee members should have Grid leave immediately!"


    "Treating a small animal as a ve! What a demon!¡±


    "The frightened cat is so pitiful... Sob sob...¡±


    "Mother, that cat, is it going to be eaten by the drakes?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Scary!¡±


    The young children even started to cry. In their eyes, Grid looked like a demon. There was great confusion. Themittee members were worried about whether they should really leave Grid alone. But the yers logged into Satisfy had no idea of the circumstances.


    Tatang!


    Thementator confirmed the time and fired a magic bullet. Regardless of the outside situation, the pet marathon started.


    At that moment.


    ¡°...Nyang?¡±


    Noe had mistaken the smell of a drake for a dragon. As he was being troubled by Grid, he heard the sound of the magic bullet and his spirit cleared. Then his emerald eyes looked at the drakes.


    ¡°...You aren¡¯t a dragon, nyang?¡± Noe regained his mind. ¡°These lizard bastards tricked me! Kyaak!"


    Noe wasn¡¯t nervous anymore. His status changed.


    Status: Angry


    (What are these lizards? Nyang! I thought they were dragons, but they are actually food! Nyang! Daring to deceive a great demonic beast of hell! Nyang! I won¡¯t forgive them! Nyang nyang!)


    The great demon Hell Gaopared the speed of the pavranium to a memphis. But to be precise, a memphis was much faster than the pavranium. It was the fastest creature in hell.


    "Kyaak!"


    The moment the pet marathon started, an amazing sight unfolded. Noe¡¯s small mouth opened to a gigantic size and swallowed the body of a drake.


    ¡°U-Uhh...?¡±


    The master of the swallowed drake was frightened. Then an absurd notification window appeared in his vision.


    [Your drake Johnson¡¯s movement speed has dropped by 50%.]


    Numerous notification windows popped up in front of Grid.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s movement speed has increased by 50%.]


    [Soul Ingestion Lv. 1]


    Has the ability to take away half of the target¡¯s highest stats and transfer it to your master.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Your own decision.


    It was the moment when the effect of ¡®transferring to your master¡¯ from Soul Ingestion was activated.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    Johnson was a drake with the wind attribute. It had the advantage of faster movement speeds than other drakes. It was the most advantageous drake for a pet marathon.


    Johnson¡¯s master, Pesto, didn¡¯t doubt Johnson¡¯s victory in the pet marathon. He believed that his drake would arrive at the destination first and he would obtain the first gold medal for Italy.


    However.


    ¡®Movement speed has dropped by half?¡¯


    He had lost his weapon so easily. Pesto looked at Grid¡¯s pet like it was a ghost.


    ¡®What is that monster?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s pet was a cat. Apart from the wings, it looked exactly like the casts that Pesto knew. However, the small mouth in the ¡®?¡¯ shape opened sorge that it swallowed a 3m long drake. It was a sight so incredible that he couldn¡¯t believe it was happening. It felt like a dream.


    The other participants were also shocked.


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s cat just ate Pesto¡¯s drake.¡±


    "But the drake is fine?¡±


    "Don¡¯t be fooled. Look at Pesto¡¯splexion. It ispletely white. Something absurd definitely happened.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Grid... He wouldn¡¯t carry around an ordinary cat.¡±


    The pet marathon began in earnest. The 38 drakes, except for Grid and Pesto¡¯s pets who were still at the starting line, pped their wings and started to fly. The yers were relieved.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what happened, but it¡¯s good.¡¯


    Johnson was a strong candidate to win. They weren¡¯t sure about what exactly happened, but it was good news for other yers. They now knew that Grid¡¯s pet wasn¡¯t an ordinary cat, but it didn¡¯t matter to them.


    The other drakes were already 500m ahead, while Grid and Pesto¡¯s pets were still at the starting line. The two of them had dropped out. The yers were sure of it.


    ¡°Keeeok.¡±


    On the other hand, Noe was busy burping with a swollen stomach. Then Grid prompted him.


    ¡°Start quickly.¡±


    Grid had be close to Huroi. He experienced Huroi¡¯s drake directly. He had to admire a drake¡¯s speed and stamina. To be honest, he was skeptical if Noe could afford to be so free. Noe sent a ridiculing expression towards the uneasy Grid. He ced his pink soles on Grid¡¯s waist and eximed.


    "Is Master a coward, nyang? This is the best body in hell, the lizards can¡¯t defeat me nyang! Don¡¯t rush me! Nyang!¡±


    The east side of the Yurea Ind was a mighty mountain. It was Chingsu Mountain. The pets had topete to reach the top of Chingsu Mountain.


    Then Noe dered confidently.


    ¡°I¡¯m the fastest! Nyang!¡±


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s movement speed has returned to normal.]


    "...¡±


    That¡¯s right. The duration of the ¡®Soul Ingestion¡¯ effect onlysted for three seconds. Grid had already confirmed the duration while colliding with Yoshimura during the Hell Gao raid.


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted.


    ¡°This stupid cat...¡±


    Meanwhile, Pesto¡¯s expression brightened.


    [Your drake Johnson¡¯s movement speed has returned to normal.]


    ¡®The effect is huge but the duration is very short!¡¯


    The delighted Pesto ordered Johnson.


    "Go forward! Get rid of everyone ahead of you."


    Kyaooooh!


    Johnson responded by vigorously pping its wings. Then it started to chase the drakes ahead of it. Tremendous speed. This was truly a wind drake. But Noe didn¡¯t fall behind that speed.


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    Noe clung to Johnson¡¯s back and swallowed Johnson again.


    [Your drake Johnson¡¯s movement speed has dropped by 50%.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Pesto was surprised. This crazy debuff skill, the cooldown time was short? This was totally a scam!


    "Why are you only bothering my Johnson!¡±


    Pesto cried out angrily after confirming the effect on Johnson. Noe caught up to the 38 drakes.


    ¡°Predation! Nyang!¡±


    Jjeok!


    Noe¡¯s mouth was wide open. Then he swallowed the 3m long drakes.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s movement speed has increased by 30%.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s health has increased by 250%.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s defense has increased by 500%.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s attack power has increased by 400%.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The owners of the drakes swallowed by Noe were astonished.


    [Your drake Thunder¡¯s movement speed has decreased by 50%.]


    [Your drake Ultima¡¯s health has decreased by 50%.]


    [Your drake Bugu¡¯s defense has decreased by 50%.]


    [Your drake Ole¡¯s attack power has decreased by 50%.]


    What nonsense was this? The highest stats of their drakes disappeared.


    Kyaack!


    The drakes swallowed by Noe werepletely terrified. They instinctively recognized a predator higher than them and felt fear. The drakes were confused andgged behind. On the other hand, Noe started to outpace them at an overwhelming speed.


    ¡º What is going on...? ¡»


    Thementator couldn¡¯t exin the situation. The spectators and viewers were frustrated. The experts were showing great interest.


    ¡ºThat isn¡¯t just a cat with wings and the ability to speak a humannguage. ¡»


    ¡º It is a species that can be partially gigantic! Such creatures are very rare and valuable! ¡»


    ¡º The cat¡¯s momentum rises every time it swallows a drake! This act of swallowing seems to take away the stats of the target! ¡»


    It was an urate analysis. They weren¡¯t experts for nothing. The spectators and viewers became aware of the greatness of Noe.


    "Cat-chan is amazing!¡±


    "Using a skill to take away the target¡¯s stats...!¡±


    "Furthermore, the cooldown time is short. Isn¡¯t thispletely a scam?¡±


    ¡°Grid even has a legendary grade pet!¡±


    The world was full of admiration. Meanwhile, Zibal, who was participating in the pet marathon, grinded his teeth together.


    ¡°Grid, this guy...!¡±


    The United States were the definite winners. Most people and experts predicted that the United States would win with at least five gold medals in this National Competition. But the result? They only won three gold medals. They didn¡¯t predict that two gold medals would be taken away by South Korea.


    Now at this moment. Another gold medal was being taken away. South Korea would have an equal number of gold medals. The difference in the silver and bronze medals meant the US would still be first, but their pride was upset. They wouldn¡¯t be happy to win like this.


    South Korea, the candidate for the worst country, had deprived them of three gold medals? It was all due to Grid! The US, with its overwhelming power, was suffering due to one person!


    "This is shameful...! My pride won¡¯t tolerate this!¡±


    There were a total of six American yers participating in the pet marathon. As the country with the strongest power, they had the most drake users. Zibal ordered them.


    "Kill that cat!¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The feast of breath attacks began. After that, the drakes poured fire, ice, poison and light breaths at Noe. Noe was only level 1, so the attacks were quite burdensome on him.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s has suffered 2,430 damage.]


    After 3 seconds of buffs, all stats returned to normal. Noe¡¯s health was almost halved by the bombardment of breath attacks.


    ¡°Noe...!¡±


    Grid was worried. However, Noe was the number one demonic beast of hell. He had no opponent except for dragons. Although he was still young, drakes were on apletely inferior level.


    ¡°I am angry! Nyang!¡±


    Noe, who had gone ahead, turned around. Then he grinned at the six US team¡¯s drakes flying towards him.


    "Kyaak!"


    Noe¡¯s fur bristled.


    Flinch.


    The drakes felt the threat and stopped. But it was only for a moment.


    ¡°Attack!"


    The drakes regained their courage at their master¡¯smand and shot breaths towards Noe or attacked with their tails. This was the start of Noe¡¯s full-fledged actions. He used simple movements to avoid the breath and Fluidization to neutralize the tail attacks. Then he opened his mouth again and devoured the stats of all six drakes.


    Kyaooooh!


    The drakes panicked! Then Noe approached and waved his paws randomly at one of the drakes.


    [Scratch Lv. 1]


    Your paws will attack and poison the target.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Whenever you like.


    [Your drake Captain America has suffered 2,900 damage.]


    [It has be poisoned and is in a petrified state for 3 seconds.]


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    Captain America was Zibal¡¯s drake. Its level was 150. That little cat¡¯s scratch managed to petrify it for three seconds? The damage to its health wasn¡¯t too big, but the status condition was huge.


    The same was true for the other drakes. They were struck by petrification and hung in the air like stone statues. Then they fell towards the ground.


    Kwaang!


    The US team¡¯s drakes shook from the great shock. Among them, the one with the lowest level turned to grey light. Noe¡¯s level skyrocketed.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has...]


    Noe gained 26 levels in an instant!


    "This body is the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!¡±


    Dozens of cameras focused on his roar. The hundreds of millions of viewers were stunned.


    ¡°Best demonic beast of hell?¡±


    ¡°That cat is a demonic beast of hell?¡±


    ¡°Wow... Demonic beasts, I have never seen them.¡±


    The experts were excited.


    ¡º Hell is an unknownnd with no information revealed about it! Sometimes, demonic beasts and demonkin emerge from hell as boss monsters, but...! ¡»


    ¡º He tamed a demonic beast! Grid is indeed amazing! ¡»


    ¡º Kuk...! He is God Grid! ¡»


    ¡º I would like to analyze that cat that ims to be the best demonic beast of hell. I would be very grateful if God Grid cooperates with me after this tournament. ¡»


    Zibal stared at Grid.


    "Demonic beast of hell..? Best demonic beast of hell? What the hell are you? You have already gone to hell?¡±


    Grid seemed to be an adventurer on an entirely different dimension. He tamed a beast from uncharted territory? This was intimidating. At that moment, Zibal and the owners of the drakes, who imed themselves as ones who mastered the best pets, felt ashamed.


    The truth was different.


    ¡®I have never been to hell.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t even know where hell was. It was a ce he never wanted to visit.


    Grid shouted, ¡°Go! Noe!¡±


    The remaining distance to the goal was 1km. There was no signs that Noe would be defeated after he overpowered the US team¡¯s drakes. At this time, a very good prey was approaching.


    It was Johnson.


    ¡°Hahahaha! This is a break! Win while that monster cat is distracted by other drakes, Johnson!¡±


    The drake passed by the US team¡¯s drakes and Noe. It was the moment when the drake that Noe ate twice took the lead. This drake became good food for Noe.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    He ignored the US team¡¯s drakes that he already defeated and swallowed Johnson.


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s movement speed has increased by 50%.]


    [Your drake Johnson¡¯s movement speed has dropped by 50%.]


    ¡°Kek.¡±


    The surprised Pesto bit his tongue. He felt wronged.


    ¡®Does this skill have no cooldown time?¡¯


    It was ridiculous. Was this truly the best demonic beast of hell?


    And in the end. Noe arrived first at their destination. He stood on top of the mountain and waved his short legs.


    ¡°I am the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang! Master¡¯s Noe! Nyang!¡±


    "...¡±


    A cat pretending to be Grid¡¯s ve. People started to feelpassion for it. Grid, who enved a demonic beast, was like the devil.


    ¡º Grid has won! ¡»


    Grid was indeed a great figure. He won a gold medal in all three of his events. And in this pet marathon, the US team couldn¡¯t even acquire a bronze medal. Therefore, the overall ranking was determined as the US in first ce, South Korea in second ce and France in third.


    "Waaaaaaaah!"


    The Koreans cheered at the unbelievable results. The French were aiming for third in the first ce, so they were satisfied. But the Americans had rotten expressions on their faces. The first ce would ¡®obviously¡¯ the US, because they had overwhelming power.


    The United States, which was originally supposed to take first ce with a bigger difference, barely managed to win because there was only one Grid. Zibal was bombarded by the media. He was used of being ipetent as a team leader.


    On the other hand, Grid emerged as the hero of South Korea.


    The South Korean government provided him with a huge reward of 300 million won per gold medal. There were numerous requests for CFs. He was also flooded with requests from various talk shows and entertainment programs.


    It was time to hire a manager.


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid! God Grid!¡±


    000-0 Street, XX Neighbourhood, Geumcheon-gu.


    Youngwoo panicked as he returned home. A massive crowd of people appeared in his neighbourhood and warmly weed him. At the entrance of the neighborhood, the banner stating ¡®South Korea¡¯s Hero, God Grid!¡¯ was hung.


    It was the moment when Youngwoo¡¯s image of an unemployed youth freeloading off his parentspletely changed. The children, youths and adults of the neighborhood all treated him differently.


    At this time, Yura was a great help to Youngwoo.


    She was aware that Youngwoo wanted to build a building, so she used her intelligencework and rmended purchasingnd where the prices were still low, but would jump up in the future.


    After gaining 990 million won and finally barely reaching his target of 10 billion won, Youngwoo immediately bought thend and started construction on a seven-story building with a constructionpany that Yura rmended.


    Then Jishuka dered.


    "I will build a ce next to Grid¡¯s building. I wanted to stay close to Grid anyway.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing. I want to be always involved in Taekwondo, except for when I¡¯m ying Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°I like Korean women...¡±


    Jishuka, Regas and Pon nned to move to South Korea. Most of the Tzedakah Guild made a lot of money from illegal gambling and followed suit. It was because it seemed fun. Yura btedly heard the news and also started construction on a building next to Youngwoo¡¯s. Jishuka became alert.


    After that.


    Thanks to Youngwoo, Yura and the Tzedakah Guild, a certain satellite city in Seoul, which hadn¡¯t flourished yet, was transformed into a luxury buildingplex.


    And Youngwoo was panicked. He was informed of ie-rted health insurance premiums, pension insurance premiums, ie tax,nd tax, and building tax. However, Grid had to pay fees to the item trading site when converting Satisfy¡¯s gold to cash, so he shed tears of blood when the tax bomb hit.


    For a while, he was in a deficit.


    He was very stressed and suffered from hair loss until Yura rmended a talented tax consultant to him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    Yubadakan was one of the most developed cities in the Harken Kingdom.


    Due to the enormous capital and the ability ofpetent politicians, the poption exceeded 70,000. There were many hunting grounds, so there was a high floating poption. The city markets were always crowded. Thanks to that, the economic growth was constant.


    The owner of this rich city who would gather more than 1.5 million gold each month? It was a user, not an NPC. The user was Zibal.


    ¡°Kukukul! You looked down on Grid, so aren¡¯t you funny now?¡±


    Yubadakan Castle.


    Asuka, the 12th executive of the Snake Guild, sneered. "Youughed when ck Teddy and I were defeated by him, but what about you? It was very fun watching your drake be beaten by a cat! Kukuku!¡±


    Immediately after the Pope Drevigo raid. Asuka was a member of the Tzedakah Guild at the time and fought Grid with ck Teddy, Box and Toban, and was badly defeated. Due to that incident, Zibal kept making fun of her.


    But what now? Grid wasn¡¯t an existence that could be ignored. Zibal was also hurt by him. Asuka felt good. It was like 10 years was taken off of her. Asuka couldn¡¯t stopughing.


    "How do you feel being beaten by someone you ignored? Huh?¡±


    "Asuka, act more moderately...¡±


    The moment that Box tried to restrain Asuka.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zibal respectfully apologized to Asuka. ¡°I underestimated Grid. I¡¯m really sorry for making fun of you.¡±


    Asuka wasn¡¯t a narrow-minded person. She was satisfied with Zibal acknowledging his error and bowing to her in front of the 13 executives.


    "Well, okay. I will be generous and understand your ignorance.¡±


    "Thank you.¡±


    In the end, the atmosphere calmed down. However, the expressions of the executives still wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°Master. Public opinion about you has been the worst since the National Competition.¡±


    "You are the face of the Snake Guild. Your reputation falling means that the reputation of the guild falls. For the moment, you should focus on recovering your image.¡±


    ¡°No, I would rather you get your third advancement ss. It¡¯s imperative that you narrow the gap with Kraugel and Grid.¡±


    "Did I hear that you failed to invite Hurent and Lauel? It¡¯s a top priority to rece them with other talented people.¡±


    "Contact Katz. He changed after being defeated by Bondre a few months ago, so wouldn¡¯t he have definitely grown?¡±


    "We need to boost the morale of the guild after they saw the strength of the Tzedakah Guild... The guild members depend not on us executives, but the guild master.¡±


    The executives discussed Zibal¡¯s future route. They came up with ideas about what the guild master needed to do for the guild. But Zibal wasn¡¯t able to concentrate on the meeting.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    The First National Competition ended yesterday. Zibal was going to perform brilliantly while millions of people were watching. If he had seeded, the reputation of the Snake Guild would naturally increase and their forces would expand rapidly.


    But that n was in vain due to Grid. The most brilliant performer in the National Competition was Grid, not Zibal. People¡¯s attention were focused on the Tzedakah Guild, not the Snake Guild. The Tzedakah Guild was now going to grow at a tremendous pace.


    ¡®The number of users migrating to Bairan is skyrocketing...¡¯


    Some of them were the talents that he wanted. Yes, like Lauel.


    ¡®This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    First of all, he needed to swallow the power of the Harken Kingdom, making it the base of his ambition to conquer the entire continent. Money, talent and military power. At first, he nned to collect the talents using money and that would pave the way for his military power.


    However, he realized something in the National Competition. It took more than money to collect people.


    The reason.


    ¡®...Items.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s ck greatsword and blue greatsword that cut down the best rankers like cream cheese. Chris was defeated by Regas¡¯ knuckles. Pon¡¯s red spear that pushed Regas to the point of death.


    The enormous power of these four items couldn¡¯t leave Zibal¡¯s mind. He was full of a desire to have them. It was a desire that all users felt, not just him. Indeed, didn¡¯t Lauel go to Grid after seeing his items? He wondered if all the talents would be taken away by Grid at this time.


    One of the executives mentioned an interesting story to Zibal.


    ¡°Should we contact Panmir?¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir. He was originally a person that guilds actually sought after, but he was overshadowed by the emergence of Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found Panmir¡¯s location. He is staying in the city of dwarves.¡±


    ¡°Dwarves...?¡±


    Dwarves were innate cksmiths. They produced countless cksmiths with outstanding talent. They were so arrogant that they ignored human cksmiths. Then how could Panmir stay in the city of dwarves?


    The executives spected.


    "Panmir might be recognized by the dwarves and performing a hidden ss change quest.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...?¡±


    A small number of dwarves were able to give life to items. And the species itself was capable of dealing well with gunpowder. Pagma might be the overall better cksmith, but they surpassed Pagma in certain areas. What if Panmir inherited the talent of the dwarves?


    ¡¯The only rival of Grid will be born.¡¯


    They had to invite him. Zibal decided and immediately got up.


    ¡°I will go and see Panmir.¡±


    After that. Zibal seeded in inviting Panmir, and the Snake Guild grew rapidly with his help.


    ***


    The Yatan Church¡¯s Third Temple.


    The Yatan servants gathered at the temple in the destroyed Bonkost Principality. Yura was also there.


    "Finally, the sessor of Priest Mcus has been decided.¡±


    Since the Tzedakah Guild and Grid killed Mcus... The Yatan Church had gradually weakened because they couldn¡¯t proceed with their religious rituals. Now a new priest was selected.


    ¡®Level 420...?¡¯


    Yura was astonished as she confirmed the newly elected priest. It was because the level of the new priest was 100 higher than Mcus.


    ¡¯A fourth advancement NPC...¡¯


    It was the same as the Second Servant and the Third Servant. Neberius¡¯s sessor in the future was expected to be in the same ss. Yura was curious about the identity of the First Servant.


    ¡®How strong is the existence who reigns above all of them?¡¯


    She had never met the First Servant. Grid said that he needed to receive God Yatan¡¯s blessing for his quest, but she hadn¡¯t been able to figure out how to help. The Second Servant, Likaos, ordered her.


    ¡°Eighth Servant. You are still too weak to show the grandeur of God Yatan. Embark on the Path of Penance and grow.¡±


    [The quest ¡®Path of Penance ¡¯ has been created.]


    [Path of Penance]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Meet the First Servant unharmed.


    Quest Clear Conditions: ??


    Quest Failure: ??


    The description was too poor for a quest of the highest difficulty. She already had a headache.


    ¡®This will be a tough quest.¡¯


    But she finally met the minimum qualifications to meet the First Servant. Yura was filled with tension and anticipation.


    ¡°For the sake of God Yatan.¡±


    Based on Satisfy¡¯s worldview, she was an obviously evil person.


    ***


    "Thanks for the hard work."


    S Broadcasting Station located in Ilsan. Youngwoo quickly got up as soon as he finished his talk show. The main host, PDs and other staff members approached and greeted him.


    ¡°You did a really good job.¡±


    ¡°The broadcast turned out well thanks to you.¡±


    "Youngwoo-ssi, I¡¯ll see you next time. I want to treat you to a meal.¡±


    ¡°Will you connect to Satisfy as soon as you go home? Please reveal your level!¡±


    Satisfy revolutionized global innovation as the first virtual reality game that surpassed existing technology. It secured over two billion users and deeply prated into the world economy. It had an overwhelming influence in all areas. The Korean people were extremely proud that this great work was made in South Korea.


    But there was one problem. South Korea reigned as a powerhouse in games decades ago, but it was now weak. Satisfy was definitely a Korean game, but most Koreans didn¡¯t y it. Most of the content in Satisfy was dominated by users from the US, France, Canada and China. South Korea had Yura and Peak Sword, but that wasn¡¯t enough.


    The Korean people felt a severe thirst. Why were the Koreans showing weakness in a proud domestic game enjoyed by the world? It was painful.


    But not anymore.


    One month ago.


    Shin Youngwoo participated in the National Competition as a representative of South Korea, and won three gold medals with overwhelming ability. This resolved the thirst of the Korean people all at once.


    Youngwoo became the hero of South Korea. Any Korean person would love Youngwoo. His poprity transcended Park Jisung and Kim Yuna in the past. It was close to Yura.


    Youngwoo¡¯s appearances on TV always had unconditionally high ratings, and his CF¡¯s caused sale volumes to rise. Therefore, Youngwoo emerged as the blue chip in broadcasting and advertising.


    Many broadcasters and advertisers tried to get him.


    But Youngwoo was a very busy person. He tried to y Satisfy at least 14 hours a day.


    ¡¯Broadcasts are hard.¡¯


    In order for Youngwoo to earn arge profit in Satisfy, he needed to make a level 200 item with at least a unique rating. However, he couldn¡¯t make unique rated items whenever he wanted. Sometimes he would invest a whole week into making items and only got one epic rated item.


    On the other hand, he could earn tens of millions of won from one broadcast and hundreds of millions of won from one CF. However, Youngwoo didn¡¯t like broadcasts and advertising. At first, he was excited about being on TV, but not anymore.


    It was difficult for him to be on broadcasts because he was in andcked improvisation skills, while CFs required shooting the same scene many times, showing hisck of acting skills and concentration.


    Due to that, he started getting hair loss. Youngwoo would much rather y Satisfy.


    ¡¯It¡¯s like living on pine needles.¡¯


    In the first ce, it was much more profitable to invest time in Satisfy than to invest time in broadcasting. It was still profitable, even if he produced rare and epic items.


    ¡®The experience of my production skills goes up.¡¯


    The higher the level of the production skill, the better the items produced. Youngwoo nned to stop broadcasting and focus on Satisfy. Yura¡¯s advice also yed a big role in him making this decision.


    ¡®Minimize my image consumption.¡¯


    She said that his influence would decrease because he was too frequently exposed to the public. Youngwoo agreed. In the future, broadcasts and CFs would only be filmed when necessary.


    "I hope we will shoot together next time.¡±


    "If I have time.¡±


    Youngwoo gave a vague answer to the eager PD and left the studio at a busy pace. As soon as he reached the parking lot, he got into 23 and looked in the mirror.


    "Phew, isn¡¯t it better now?¡±


    Youngwoo had almost no sleep and worked for the past month in order to cope with the tax bomb thrown at him. He yed Satisfy 14 hours a day to make items, then he spent 6 hours doing broadcasts or advertisements. He only slept four hours a day.


    The stress caused by fatigue made his hair loss progress quickly, so Youngwoo was worried that he would end up like a bald Japanese youkai. However, he steadily took medicines and found a good tax ountant thanks to Yura, so he was gradually oveing his hair loss. Hair started to appear again on the empty parts of his head.


    "Okay, sooner orter, I will be fine.¡±


    Buaang!


    Did it notice Master¡¯s delight. 23¡¯s engine sounded livelier than usual. The destination was naturally his home.


    Three months remained until thepletion of his building, so Youngwoo¡¯s family continued staying in their original house until then.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186


    ¡º There are many users who are exploring the path to hell in order to obtain a memphis,monly referred to as ¡®Noe.¡¯ There was a theory that the entrance to hell is somewhere in the Astra Mountains, but that turned out to be false. ¡®User robbers¡¯ in the Astra Mountains are believed to have spread the information in order to attract people, so please be careful. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯ve just received breaking news. It¡¯s said that a map of the legendary ¡®Siren Kingdom¡¯ is being circted. Countless users are now heading to the Siren Kingdom. Who was the first person to find the Siren Kingdom? There are all types of spection among the experts... ¡»


    Youngwoo listened to Satisfy rted news while driving. It wasn¡¯t out of interest, but obligation. He was now well aware that information was power.


    ¡°The first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom... They would get titles, money and reputation. It¡¯s huge.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know who it was, but he was envious. His stomach started hurting.


    ¡®...Mind control. Mind control.¡¯


    Youngwoo was worried that his hair loss would start again, so he tried to stay calm until he arrived at his destination.


    Creak.


    Youngwoo parked 23 and got down. Just two weeks ago, the front of Youngwoo¡¯s house was crowded with people, but not anymore. The people of the neighborhood strictly controlled the ess of outsiders, so Youngwoo¡¯s family was able to regain their normal lives.


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s mother looked 10 years younger. She had been suffering because of her son over the past few years, but now she was always happy because her son was the hero of South Korea. She could see the greatness of her son. She was weed everywhere she went, just because she was Youngwoo¡¯s mother.


    "Was the filmingpleted well? Wash your hands first. Thene eat. I roasted some croaker."


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    In the past, Youngwoo hadn¡¯t been motivated by anything. Even eating or washing up was troublesome. But now he waspletely different. His motivation was revived. He even jogged in the morning with Sehee.


    ¡°Oppa, did you only sleep four hours yesterday?¡± Sehee came out from where she was studying in her room and asked. She didn¡¯t show it, but recently she was very worried about her brother. She was afraid he might copse from overwork. There was also the tax bombs.


    Youngwoo replied while eating rice. ¡°I will be able to sleep more from today onwards. For the time being, I will refrain from broadcasting activities. So let¡¯s jog every morning, starting from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I thought that you didn¡¯t want to exercise?¡±


    ¡°I have to do it. I need to take care of my health.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the right idea. Health is more important than money.¡± Those were his father¡¯s words. He was always strict because he wanted his son to grow up as quickly as possible, and now he treated his son with sincerity.


    ¡°Youngwoo, you have already seeded. You have acquired tremendous wealth and honor at a young age. You¡¯ve also paid off my debt. That alone is enough. Don¡¯t ruin your health by being too greedy.


    That¡¯s right. It was enough. How many people built up 10 billion won assets at the age of 28, as well as acquired a worldwide reputation? The best athletes had hundreds of millions in their bank ounts in their 20¡¯s, but Youngwoo¡¯s father thought that wasn¡¯t necessary.


    He thought that Youngwoo had the same thought. But Youngwoo was stillcking. Youngwoo was much greedier than his father thought.


    ¡®It¡¯s better to have more money, Father. Now we are eating yellow corvina as a side dish, but what about in the past?¡¯


    Up tost year. Youngwoo never saw any beef in his house. There was a lot of radish soups and the meat was always pork. The taste wasn¡¯t that good. The radish soup was too light, and the pork was too dry. Youngwoo misunderstood while eating the radish soup and pork.


    ¡®The beef won¡¯t taste that good in soup... Is there a rule that we shouldn¡¯t have beef in our house?¡¯


    But what was the truth?


    This year, he ate a lot of beef. The soup broth boiled with brisket was much sweeter and tastier, while the pork skewers made with good pork were soft and easy to chew. It went without saying that the beef short ribs melted in his mouth.


    That¡¯s right. There wasn¡¯t a rule against beef. It was just that his family didn¡¯t have money for beef. The difference between having money and no money was revealed from such a small thing.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to make more money, Father.¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s father was a person who lived thinking that he should save, rather than earn a lot. Youngwoo didn¡¯t say it aloud, but he was much greedier than his father. He already had a taste of money, so he didn¡¯t want to lose it. He didn¡¯t want to go back to the life where he didn¡¯t have any money.


    ¡®Yes... I will ept Huroi and Lauel¡¯s opinions.¡¯


    Youngwoo felt aware of it after his father. He was looking at a higher ce.


    ¡¯Be a lord.¡¯


    Bairan Vige, ruled by the Tzedakah Guild, was elevated to a city 10 days ago. People were attracted to Grid, Jishuka, Pon and Regas¡¯ actions in the National Competition. And Bairan¡¯s monthly taxes collected was a huge 500,000 gold. It was valued at approximately 600 million won.


    It meant that developing one territory would earn him a huge amount of money every month. He couldn¡¯t not feel greedy.


    ¡®I will have an estate.¡¯


    In Satisfy, Youngwoo was the husband of a territory owner.


    But being the husband and being the lord were distinctly different. As Irene¡¯s husband, he might have some influence on the policies, but he wasn¡¯t authorized to directly manage the taxes. Youngwoo wanted to own a territory himself.


    After the meal ended.


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...Good night.¡±


    Sehee wanted to say something, but in the end, she just went back to her room. She was acting strange.


    ¡°Good night~¡±


    Youngwoo was so deep in thought that he couldn¡¯t notice his sister¡¯s strange behavior. He immediately entered the capsule.


    ¡°Then I will begin.¡±


    The time finally came to log into Satisfy. But before that, there was something he had to do.


    "First of all."


    Ttalkak!


    Youngwoo essed the Inte and entered ¡®Grid¡¯s Fan Cafe.¡¯ Then as one of the 1.36 million members, he started writing praise about Grid. He did this on a daily basis.


    <Grid-nim looks so cool!>


    The more I look, the more handsome he is. ^^ ~ There was a rumor that he was bald, but that is clearly groundless ^^??


    "Good."


    He wore a partial wig for a while before of his hair loss. There was some rumors saying that he looked strange on air or that he was bald. Youngwoo was satisfied with the post he wrote about himself and seeded in joining Noe¡¯s fan club.


    Noe¡¯s fan club had 500,000 more members than his.


    ¡®Dammit...¡¯


    A cat was more popr than him? His pride hurt every time he saw it. Youngwoo started writing nderous words about Noe as usual.


    <Noe is in-looking ?>


    Noe will ruin Grid¡¯s beauty when ced side-by-side. The cat is arrogant.


    ¡°Now I have released some of my frustration. Huhuhut...!¡±


    Youngwoo was satisfied when looking at his malicious post. He finally logged into Satisfy.


    ***


    "Dear husband~¡±


    Winston Castle.


    A woman with a small figure entered Grid¡¯s arms as soon as he opened his eyes. Grid smiled at the familiar sight as soon as he logged in.


    ¡°Have you been waiting? Irene.¡±


    Grid¡¯s facial expression and tone differed depending on who the opponent was. Shin Youngwoo or Grid. He was a cksmith or a swordsman. Grid had been living this four-fold life for a long time, so his acting ability naturally increased. No, maybe he had several personalities.


    ¡°Am I that good?¡± Grid asked Irene with gentle eyes.


    "There is no one better than you in this world.¡±


    ¡°Irene...¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    The two of them slept together just yesterday. This was already the 8th time. Grid was a ¡®god¡¯ in bed thanks to his high stamina and dexterity stat, so it was natural to be loved.


    "Every day, I want every day to be like yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Gridughed awkwardly as Irene honestly expressed her desire. Then he asked, ¡°Where are my knights?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Everyone is busy today.¡±


    Grid had a total of three knights. One was the NPC Jude, while the other two were Huroi and Lauel. The first dual ss and the strongest of the Ten Rookies had pledged their loyalty to Grid. Due to the game system, he had to pay at least 500 gold monthly to each knight, but it was worth it.


    The master/ve rtionship was useful in many ways. For example.


    ¡°Summon Knights.¡±


    [Which knight would you like to summon?]


    "Huroi and Lauel.¡±


    [The summoningmand has been sent. The response is pending.]


    [The targets have epted the summons.]


    [The knights Huroi and Lauel have been summoned.]


    Once the knights answered their master¡¯s call, they would be summoned to his side, no matter how far away the two of them were. It was a skill so it couldn¡¯t be used in some areas or when he had the silence debuff on him, but Grid was resistant to the silence debuff. It meant Grid could summon the knights at any time, so this system was very good to him.


    "You came, Lord.¡±


    Huroi was loyal to Grid and now he waspletely immersed in genuinely serving Grid. He was like a character from a historical drama.


    "You connected to the gamete today.¡±


    Lauel was no different from Huroi. He was faithful to his role. He didn¡¯t use the exaggerated title of Lord, but he bowed after being summoned. Grid looked at his two subordinates for a while.


    "Come, get up. Huhuhut... I am very d to see your dependable appearances.¡±


    "...¡±


    Irene was embarrassed for some reason. She used the excuse that she was busy and left this ce. This meant only three people remained in Grid¡¯s office.


    Lauel asked as soon as Irene left. "You could just whisper to us. Why did you use the summoning? Don¡¯t you know that the skill has a cooldown time of 36 hours? What will happen if you can¡¯t use it during a crucial moment?¡±


    Grid was unique to Lauel, because he was the only one who could produce the items Lauel wanted. Grid spoke like it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    "Well, what is the big deal?¡±


    "...¡±


    This wasplete carelessness. It was hard to make Grid act carefully after he defeated big names in the National Competition. Sooner orter, his nose would be hurt by it.


    ¡®That big nose, I will protect it.¡¯


    As Lauel was thinking about the weapon Grid would produce for him, Huroi asked Grid a question.


    "Then you summoned us because...?¡±


    Huroi had been in the process ofpleting a monster hunting sub-quest that took him three hours by drake to get there. He wanted to believe that Grid summoned him because it was urgent.


    Then Grid opened his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be a lord.¡±


    ¡®Finally...!¡¯


    It was after the National Competition. One month passed in reality, while it was three months in Satisfy. During that time, Grid had created items for the Tzedakah and umted wealth and skill levels. Grid acted faithfully as the guild¡¯s cksmith. Grid was satisfied with this. He was overjoyed every time he got a new production method.


    But Huroi and Lauel thought this was a waste of Grid¡¯s power. It was unfortunate to see such a unique existence be satisfied with being the cksmith of a small guild, without anyrger goals.


    The two of them tried to persuade Grid. Escape from the small cage called the Tzedakah Guild and expand into the wider world.


    Grid worried over his decision for a few days.


    ¡°I will withdraw from the Tzedakah Guild. I will create my own unique force, based on your opinions.¡±


    In the end, he decided. Thanks to this, Huroi and Lauel were ecstatic. They thought that the moment to show off their talents had arrived.


    ¡®Lord will be the first user...¡¯


    ¡¯To be a king.¡¯


    The two men were thinking about the Snake Guild. With Grid¡¯s power, couldn¡¯t they dream about conquering the continent? It wasn¡¯t Zibal, but Grid¡¯s fate to be the first emperor. The two people didn¡¯t doubt it.


    Grid currently only had the simple goal of ¡®bing a lord,¡¯ but Huroi and Lauel were dreaming of cing Grid on a higher mountain. In order to do that...


    "After establishing your new guild, invite the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    Inevitably, a lot of talent was required. The Tzedakah Guild had the strongest rankers and were a force that must be absorbed.


    Lauel exined, "The Tzedakah Guild is already addicted to the items you produce and won¡¯t want to lose this. Some of them, including Jishuka, have a vested interest in you. They will surely join you. If you want, they will surely be your subordinates.¡±


    Lauel was certain of it. He had only followed Grid for a month and within that month, he became someone that couldn¡¯t live without Grid. He was a ve to items.


    At the same time.


    "It has been a long time.¡±


    A blonde female was attracting attention as she entered Winston. The girl¡¯s ID was Euphemina. She was the first epic ss and the first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187


    "The time for revenge hase.¡±


    The assassins Shay, Kerb and Sniffer. The three people tried to hunt Grid without knowing his identity, but it was frustrating that they lost their items. Their grudge against Grid was quite deep. They felt angry whenever they thought about the value of the dropped items.


    ¡°We must assassinate him and make him drop his items.¡±


    The three people finally came to Winston after leaving Rolling. They were eyeing the enormous items that Grid used in the National Competition. In particr, they wanted the blue greatsword and golden des. If the assassination was sessful, they would be able to get a jackpot from his items.


    ¡®Our stealth is now at level 6...¡¯


    ¡¯... If we can approach Grid, we can sessfully assassinate him.¡¯


    Shay was ranked 3rd, Kerb ranked 7th, and Sniffer ranked 9th. Their rankings had risenpared to before. In addition, they had a third advancement assassin NPC on their side. Afterpleting an S-grade quest for the Assassins Association, they could hire the best assassin for an expensive price.


    They could assassinate Grid if they had the power of this assassin. At least, they thought so.


    ***


    ss: Duplicator


    * The target¡¯s skill can be perfectly replicated.


    Title: A Qualified Hero


    * You won¡¯t get tired easily.


    *Your stats will grow faster.


    Title: Competitor


    * Interacts with high luck.


    * Skill ¡®Rolling Dice¡¯ can be used.


    Title: Friend of the Water n.


    * It is possible to breathe in water for a long time.


    * Movement speed in water doesn¡¯t decrease.


    * Have a high affinity with the Water n.


    Title: One who Receives Sunlight


    * Health +2,000. Mana +2,000.


    * Under sunlight, all skills will increase by 7%.


    * Under sunlight, the power of fire skills will increase by 16%.


    [Skill Observation Lv.8 (51.3%)]


    You can observe the skill used by the target and analyze the information thoroughly.


    The analysis of the skill can be saved for only 3 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.


    [Skill Duplication]


    Sessfully duplicate the observed skill.


    The duplicated skill will be permanently stored in your skills list until it is used. It will be deleted when used once.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,050


    Skill Cooldown Time: 8 hours.


    [Rolling Dice]


    Roll a dice and a phenomenon will ur, depending on the number that is rolled.


    * If the target is yourself or an ally: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 4 or higher is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 3 or lower.


    * If the target is an enemy: There will be a beneficial effect if the number 3 or lower is rolled. There will be a harmful effect if the number rolled is 4 or higher.


    Skill Mana Cost: 30


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    The first epic hidden ss, Euphemina. In other words, she was superior. If she invested a few days into duplicating dozens of skills, she could be called the strongest. She was the one who defeated the 1st ranked assassin, Faker.


    ¡°Once the lord changed, it really developed a lot.¡±


    She entered Winston quietly. It had been already half a year in reality since she came to Winston to participate in the item production game with Grid. She felt refreshed.


    ¡®It¡¯spletely like heavenpared to when the viinous lord ruled.¡¯


    Winston wasrge half a year ago. The poption wasrge and it was economically developed. Nevertheless, the faces of the NPC residents were always dark. The lord was selfish and always neglected the interests of the people.


    But now the people¡¯s faces were full of energy. There were many facilities to take care of them. The new ruler was certainly worthy.


    ¡®By the way... Where is Khan¡¯s smithy again?¡¯


    Euphemina was amazed as she saw the bustling streets and tried to remember the way. However, Winston had changed too much, so it wasn¡¯t easy to find the way. She had to spend quite a lot of time looking for Khan¡¯s smithy.


    After a while.


    "Show me a level 150 longsword.¡±


    "Are these the only helmets?¡±


    "Wow, this te armor is amazing! How much?¡±


    ¡°Look at this greatsword... Amazing.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Euphemina was surprised as she arrived at Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡¯Oh my god, why are there so many people?¡¯


    The smithy was bustling with guests. No, it wasn¡¯t enough to call it bustling. The queue of customers was at least 100m long. This was the aftermath of the National Competition. After Grid revealed his identity in the National Competition, many people frequently visited Khan¡¯s smithy.


    They went looking for Khan¡¯s smithy in the hope of purchasing items made by Grid, but they became fascinated by Khan¡¯s items. It was natural. Khan¡¯s cksmithing skill rose by five levels thanks to cksmith¡¯s Affection, and it was now advanced level 7.


    A cksmith of the same level didn¡¯t exist on the entire continent. Therefore, word of mouth spread about the outstanding performance of his items and visitors from other countries also came.


    "Uhh, there is no end to the procession of customers.¡±


    Khan hired four workers, but the smithy was non stop busy. It was a lot of money to pass onto Grid, but his old age meant that he had limited stamina.


    ¡°Sigh... Huh?¡±


    Khan was making items without stopping in order to catch up with orders, only to find a familiar girl among the customers. Color returned to his face.


    ¡°Ohh! Isn¡¯t it Euphemina? It¡¯s been a long time!¡±


    Khan liked Euphemina a lot. She was the one who helped saved Grid, who had been locked in prison after the item production game.


    ¡°It has been a long time Khan. You look younger.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I stopped drinking thanks to Grid and was rejuvenated. You are more beautiful than before. Have you been well?¡±


    Euphemina didn¡¯t dislike it. ¡°Uhh, don¡¯t be ridiculous. Anyway, I have been travelling the continent in order to find the best orb production method.¡±


    "Huhu, and did you find it?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Khan looked expectant as Euphemina pulled out an old scroll. Khan¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    "This is truly a great orb... Even the word ¡®best¡¯ is attached to it.¡±


    It was a tremendous orb that he couldn¡¯t produce with his skill. It was doubtful that even his grandfather could produce it, despite being a craftsman.


    ¡®But if it¡¯s Grid...¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? You¡¯re truly a determined woman.¡±


    Euphemina spoke to the admiring Khan. ¡°Where is Grid? Is he in the middle of making items?¡±


    Khan shook his head.


    "Grid isn¡¯t here. There will be an uproar if he showed up here. He already hasn¡¯t been here for a few days.¡±


    Eupheminaughed. ¡°Right. Now that Grid is a huge celebrity, his actions will be limited. So where should I go to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Khan didn¡¯t answer right away. He was reluctant to reveal Grid¡¯s whereabouts, even if the other person was Euphemina.


    ¡¯In the first ce, Grid doesn¡¯t like Euphemina...¡¯


    Euphemina nodded with understanding.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult. Well, it can¡¯t be helped if there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    Originally, Euphemina nned to visit Grid without contacting him beforehand. Now she was forced to send him a whisper in order to find his location.


    -Grid.


    Euphemina¡¯s whisper reached Grid.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    Winston Castle. Grid was discussing future policies with Huroi and Lauel when he suddenly shuddered.


    Huroi cried out with fright. ¡°My Lord! What is going on?¡±


    Was there an assassin? Huroi was about to draw his sword.


    "What it it?¡±


    Lauel also panicked. He was quite surprised. Grid¡¯splexion was pale. He was even sweating, so his condition wasn¡¯t right. It was the first time Lauel saw Grid like this. The Grid he knew was always dignified and had no fear of the world.


    But what was this situation? Grid was acting like a frightened rodent in front of the cat?


    ¡®To make Grid shake to this extent... What on earth happened?¡¯


    Gulp.


    Was a disastering? Lauel nervously gulped as Grid opened his mouth. "...Euphemina sent me a whisper. That girl, she is currently in Winston.¡±


    ¡°Euphemina?¡±


    It was an unfamiliar name to Lauel. On the other hand, Huroi was d.


    "Euphemina is here? Ohh, isn¡¯t it a reunion after a long time?¡±


    From Huroi¡¯s perspective, Euphemina was another savior. In the past. She rescued Grid in the prison, meaning Grid was able to save Huroi.


    ¡°Why did shee here now? I want to meet her... Um? Hum hum.¡± Huroi was excited about the idea of reuniting with Euphemina, when he suddenly fell silent. He stared at Grid. ¡°Isn¡¯t Euphemina good? Why don¡¯t you ept her as your subordinate?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was reluctant to meet Euphemina. Huroi btedly noticed this fact.


    ¡®Is the rtionship between My Lord and Euphemina not as favorable as I thought?¡¯


    Lauel asked, "Who is Euphemina?¡±


    Grid gave a clear description.


    ¡°She is a terrible person.¡±


    Duplicator. Euphemina was able to duplicate top-grade spells and instantly use them without casting. Grid didn¡¯t know about the disadvantages so from his point of view, she was the most OP person.


    ¡°She has one of the three epic sses. I promised her that I would make her an item, but I¡¯m worried about what she will do if I make an item below the unique rating.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Agnus and Katz were the only ones known to have an epic ss. The first epic ss waspletely hidden. No one knew their identity. But it turned out that Grid was acquainted with the first epic ss. Lauel was filled with admiration.


    ¡¯He is big.¡¯ Lauel was very interested. ¡®If Grid could bring an epic ss to his side...¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s eyes shone as Grid ordered Huroi.


    ¡°Go to Khan¡¯s smithy. Then bring Euphemina to the castle.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Huroi politely answered and left the castle.


    Winston Street.


    As Huroi moved alone, a group was secretly following him. It was Shay¡¯s group.


    ¡°ording to the information collected, that guy is Grid¡¯s aide.¡±


    "He is 900th on the unified rankings.¡±


    "His ss isn¡¯t anything special either. An orator?¡±


    "ording to our source, he¡¯s the embarrassing type of person who always bows down to Grid. Considering his ss, he will be weaker than we think.¡±


    ¡°Kill him. Won¡¯t Grid be angry if we kill that guy? I want to see him shaking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s kill him.¡±


    Shay¡¯s party had fairly decent intelligence. They looked at Huroi and made fun of him.


    A deserted alleyway. Three assassins appeared behind Huroi, who was heading to Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°...You are?¡± Huroi asked calmly and Sniffer smiled.


    "We are the ones who will kill you.¡±


    Shay remarked.


    "The viins have appeared. I guess?¡±


    "...Viins?¡±


    This was the first time he appeared in public since Grid participated in the National Competition.


    Huroi frowned. "Someone dares touch My Lord... Aren¡¯t your mothers ashamed of giving birth to people like you?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Why was he suddenly talking about their parents? What was this wicked guy? Then a notification window shed in front of Shay.


    [You have been overwhelmed by the spiteful tongue. Defense and attack power will decrease by 30%.]


    In this gap, Huroi pulled out his sword. It was a one-handed sword that seemed to be apact version of Dainsleif.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    If Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a ss that relied on items, orators were a ss that specialized in talking.


    They could get more favorable conditions for quests by talking to NPCs, or give buffs or debuffs with specific remarks. In particr, orators were absolutely necessary for nobles and lords. It was possible to boost the morale of the army through eloquence, and it was easily to appeal to the people and take control of the public opinion.


    But an orator wasn¡¯t a preferred ss for users. Most users were reluctant to be orators, so they were a very rare ss. The problem was that it was difficult to raise their level. The weapon they could equip was ¡®books.¡¯ They had only one attack skill. There were no defense or escape skills. They had lower health than a magician.


    First of all, the problem was that their weapon was a book. A book had the option of adding to the narrative power, but it didn¡¯t have the ability to increase magic power or store magic like orbs. They had to charge with the weapon and swing it at the target. But would the target be hurt if hit with a book? Not at all. The attack power was too weak. A book exerted much less damage than a cksmith¡¯s hammer.


    The only attack skill an orator possessed was Spiteful Tongue. This was also a problem. It wasn¡¯t practical at all, because there was a 80 second cooldown and it only dealt 200% damage to a single target.


    It was practically impossible for an orator to hunt solo. They had to rely on hunting in parties. Unfortunately, it was difficult for an orator to find a party. It was due to theck of viability. What did the great buffs and debuffs matter?


    It was obvious when an orator participated in battle. Their constants words were tiring. The party members also had to keep on eye on the orator to make sure they didn¡¯t die. Most users didn¡¯t like having orators in their party. Apart from the orator ss, there were clerics, ck magicians, dancers, linkers, etc. to give buff skills, so there was no need to add an unstable orator to the party.


    As a result, it was very difficult for an orator to level up through hunting. They weren¡¯t able to level up through production like production sses, so they had to rely on leveling up through quests.


    In other words, the level of difficulty for an orator was the highest among all sses in Satisfy, and most users avoided the orator ss due to this. This was despite the fact that orators were a ss that nobles and lords all over the continent would pay expensive money for!


    Grid was truly lucky to obtain the 1st ranked orator as his subordinate.


    ¡¯...Does Grid know such facts?¡¯ Lauel questioned as he looked at Grid, who always made Huroi run errands.


    At the same time, in the outskirts of Winston.


    ¡°...Sword?¡±


    The ¡®unique¡¯ Huroi who obtained a second ss in Satisfy. Shay¡¯s party was frowning at the horrifying debuff that was ced on them. Now the orator was armed with a sword? Moreover, the sword had a sinister appearance. Didn¡¯t it resemble the greatsword that Grid used to smash them in the past? They felt anxious as the bad memory popped up.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... No?¡¯


    Shay tried to calm down as he smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°An orator armed with a sword... Isn¡¯t he still an easy threat? Right? Are you bluffing? You, you can¡¯t wield that. Right?¡±


    Huroi was exactly 937th on the unified rankings. This was a simr ranking to Shay, and was high enough to bepared to Kerb and Sniffer. Nevertheless, the reason why Shay dared face Huroi was simple.


    Huroi was an orator. Wasn¡¯t an orator the weakest? His level might be high, but it was thanks to Grid¡¯s power and repeated party hunting. Huroi himself would be extremely weak. Why was he armed with a sword?


    Shay rapidly became uneasy. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t grasp Huroi properly.


    ¡°...Originally, I was a helpless existence.¡± Huroi gazed at Shay¡¯s party and brought up an old story. "I raised my level while doing small quests. Then one day.¡±


    Yes, he first met his lord in Winston.


    ¡°I acquired the first S-grade quest of my life.¡±


    He was forced to do an outrageous quest where he was trapped in a narrow dungeon for 50 hours of real time. It was unimaginably painful. It wasn¡¯t a level he could endure with his usual mentality.


    He wanted to give up and logout many times. But he endured it. He persevered in the hopes of going beyond the limits of an orator. However, he kept waiting and waiting.


    "I didn¡¯t think the quest would end.¡±


    A quest where he had to wait for a savior who might not appear. Huroi had gone half crazy by the quest. He couldn¡¯t log out for more than 150 hours in game time and was trapped in a dark ce. His sense of time blurred. He wasn¡¯t aware of what he was doing. It was just hell.


    Just before the quest¡¯s time limit ended. A ray of light appeared in the darkness. It was the moment when Grid appeared.


    "...My Lord saved me. Thanks to him, my wait wasn¡¯t in vain and I was able toplete the quest.¡±


    He got a new strength.


    Second ss: Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner.


    * A matchless bravery.


    * When you are with the Apostle of Justice, all stats will increase by 20%.


    * The skills Unbreakable Justice and Sacrifice for Justice can be used.


    Title ¡®One who Ovees Hardships.¡¯


    * Holds extremely high mental strength.


    * Won¡¯t give in to any trials.


    * Skill ¡®Strong Will¡¯ can be used.


    "Master has given me new strength.¡±


    Now he was strong. He only existed for his lord!


    "I won¡¯t allow anyone to harm My Lord!¡±


    Shay¡¯s party was thrilled by Huroi¡¯s story.


    ¡¯This is a touching story...¡¯


    ¡®Grid, this guy...!¡¯


    ¡®My heart is heavy!¡¯


    This was truly an orator. Huroi¡¯s story made people listen to him. Therefore, Shay¡¯s party couldn¡¯t help concentrating on Huroi¡¯s story. It was like they were the protagonists of the story. They were thrilled when Huroi got to the part when he was saved. They couldn¡¯t help thinking of Grid as wonderful, despite being their enemy.


    That was the problem.


    [You have be fascinated by the interesting story.]


    [You feel like the main character of the story.]


    [Thanks to the story, you have lost all sense of reality. You are unable to grasp the situation.]


    [You will feel confused for 3 seconds.]


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Originally, an orator¡¯s weapon was their mouth. Giving an orator a chance to use their mouth was no different from suicide.


    ¡°W-What is this...!¡±


    ¡°Shit! What is this fraudulent skill?¡±


    Shay¡¯s group never had experience dealing with orators, so they became easily confused. Huroi stared at them and shouted, ¡°You dare try to kill me? Come!¡±


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    This was the highest buff skill of an orator, that applied a buff to all allies for two seconds. Then Huroi swung his ck sword.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    [Unbreakable Justice Lv.5 (88.1%)]


    Deals 650% of your attack power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    Unbreakable Justice was an unique skill that only the Apostle of Justice and his partner could use. It dealt damage in a wide area and the cooldown time was very shortpared to its power.


    But Grid hardly ever used Unbreakable Justice after acquiring Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Compared to the legendary rated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Unbreakable Justice had no advantages except that it was an immediate use skill. For Grid, it was more mana efficient to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship than Unbreakable Justice.


    But Unbreakable Justice was Huroi¡¯s main skill. He relied on the skill so much that he already built up tremendous proficiency with it. It was level 5. Now it dealt 650% wide area damage. Furthermore, the ck sword that Huroi was currently armed with...


    [Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 49/51 Attack Power: 423


    Attack Speed: -7% uracy: -2%


    A trial work by the legendary cksmith G.


    A one-handed sword that can be easily used by anyone, and is designed to exert high attack power.


    It¡¯s an aggressive design made by referencing Dainsleif (Reproduction), and has seeded in manifesting great attack power. However, it emphasizes convenience, so the overall perfection is poor, meaning additional functions such as durability are weak.


    If steel was used as the main material rather than ck iron, the limitations of this work would be more prominent and it would be treated as a consumable item.


    User Restriction: Level 230 or higher. 300 strength. Beginner Sword Mastery.


    Weight: 410


    Huroi generated the Sword Mastery passive after acquiring his second ss. He could now use a sword as a weapon. But he was an orator and his strength stat was very low, so it was impossible for him to use a proper sword for his level.


    His troubles ended after Grid made the Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype) for him. The name indicated that Grid nned to earn money through mass production of it someday, but the attack power was already beyond the limits of a one-handed sword. It wasparable to the minimum attack power of Dainsleif.


    Half of Grid¡¯s intentions when producing it was sessful.


    Kwaaaang!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,910 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 9,250 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 10,180 damage to the target.]


    Assassins invested their points into agility instead of stamina. Therefore, they relied on high evasion instead of defense. But they were in a state of confusion and couldn¡¯t avoid the attacks. Shay¡¯s party was struck by the power of Unbreakable Justice.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    The enormous damage caused them to suffer from confusion again. It was the ¡®confusion linkage¡¯ that they had only heard rumors about. An orator managing to do something like this...


    ¡®...Does this make sense?¡¯


    ¡®Ah... Really, shit...¡¯


    Shay was grouchy. They dreamed of getting revenge on Grid, only to be killed by his subordinate before even meeting Grid? And the subordinate was an orator?


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    They couldn¡¯t help cursing. Three assassins being beaten by an orator. If this was known, they would be ridiculed everywhere they went. They were also worried about their experience and items dropping.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    "This is the end."


    Huroi was an ordinary orator until level 127, so he invested his stat points in both intelligence and persuasion. Since getting a second ss at level 127, he was now level 236 and he invested his stats primarily into strength, stamina and agility.


    It was to take advantage of the Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner ss. The courage stat he acquired increased his attack and defense at the same time.


    But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Even considering the effect of his courage stat, his starting line waspletely different. Therefore, Huroi wascking in physical abilitypared to others of the same level. His Sword Mastery was only intermediate level 2.


    It would take more time for Huroi to demonstrate the truebat ability of his ss. However, things changed recently thanks to Grid. Grid created and produced the Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype) for him, which was enough to cover Huroi¡¯sckingbat power.


    This was the power of items.


    Swaeek!


    The ck sword that the group was confronted with!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Shay¡¯s group tried to get revenge on Grid, but they would die without seeing him? No. They still had a means. Just before his heart was pierced by the sword, Shay shouted urgently.


    "Kasim!!"


    At that moment. A shadow emerged from behind Shay and wielded his daggers.


    Chaaeng!


    The movements were as fast as lightning. The dagger blocked the ck sword and then sliced at Huroi¡¯s neck.


    [You have suffered 4,140 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The bleeding Huroi retreated and immediately took a potion to restore his health. It was instincts that caused him to move and avoid death. The person who appeared from the shadow, Kasim, looked at Huroi and asked.


    "You escaped a fatal wound? Your sensitivity is better than I thought?¡±


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a yer?¡¯


    It was a thin man wrapped in grey clothing. The name ¡®Kasim¡¯ floating above his head was green, indicating an NPC. Huroi was baffled.


    ¡¯An NPC assassin is escorting them.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t a normal assassin. Huroi lost 4,000 health from one blow. It was estimated that the opponent was at least a level 280 named assassin. How did Shay¡¯s party get such a big shot as an escort? Huroi was questioning it while Shay overcame his confusion and shouted while taking a health potion.


    "Willingly give up your life! Kasim is a third advancement assassin! You¡¯re not his opponent!¡±


    ¡®Third advancement ss?¡¯


    Huroi started sweating. The abilities of a second and third advancement ss were as different as the sky and the earth. If two level 299 and one level 300 person fought, the third advancement level 300 person would win.


    Furthermore, Huroi was only level 236. Not just the ss difference, but the level difference was enormous. For him, the current situation wasn¡¯t good. He had to judge carefully.


    ¡®Calm down.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of pride. He didn¡¯t know who these people were and he didn¡¯t want to die. First, he had to escape from them and secure his safety. Then he would send a whisper to Euphemina. As Huroi was making a decision, Shay¡¯s party became excited and their momentum increased.


    "Wepleted a S-grade quest and paid a huge sum of money to hire Kasim! All in order to get revenge on Grid!¡±


    "Before we kill Grid, we will experiment with Kasim¡¯s power on you!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    They wanted to hurt Grid? He finally figured out why he was attacked. Huroi froze in ce instead of stepping back. Then he red like a devil at Shay¡¯s party.


    "You guys, I will kill you here.¡±


    He would wipe out Shay¡¯s group, even if he died from that NPC assassin. It was his duty.


    "I will never let you see My Lord¡¯s shadow!¡± The furious Huroi summoned his drake. ¡°Descend! Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds!¡±


    The naming sense of the Mongols was emotional and descriptive. The fire drake ¡®Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds¡¯ flew above Huroi¡¯s head. Shay¡¯s party were pushed back against the walls by the wind pressure.


    ¡°Drake...!¡±


    After the National Competition, the drakes had lost most of their dignity. In the pet marathon, dozens of drakes were defeated by Grid¡¯s cat. Some people dismissed drakes, stating that their reputation was exaggerated.


    But what was the truth? Drakes were still great pets. Theirbat ability, mobility, intelligence, stamina, and all other abilities were overwhelming. Grid¡¯s cat, the best demonic beast of hell, was just unusually strong.


    "This guy has strong items and a strong pet? What the, you! You arepatible with Grid!¡±


    Huroi didn¡¯t respond to the shouting Shay. He justmanded the drake.


    ¡°Turn these people to ashes. I acknowledge you. You are the strongest drake, so you can do it.¡±


    Kwaaaaah!


    [Your drake ¡®Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds¡¯ was inspired by your words and his morale has risen. His attack power and magic power has greatly increased.]


    Hwaruruk!


    The drake was powered by the orator¡¯s buff skill and spewed out a mighty fire breath. This was a narrow alley. Shay¡¯s party couldn¡¯t escape it, while Winston became covered with mes. Many people witnessed it.


    ¡°What? A drake?¡±


    ¡°Wow... Is it a fight between rankers?¡±


    "In the middle of the city? Amazing! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Was there anything more fun than watching a fight? This was a great opportunity to enjoy it. Numerous users and people scattered around the city rushed in the direction of the turmoil. The soldiers also saw it and hurried.


    ¡°Captain! We have to hurry!¡±


    "Go ahead and bring the guards!¡±


    Winston¡¯s security policies were excellent! The guards took pride in this. They immediately went to the scene of the crime in order to calm the turmoil. But the security chief was the problem.


    "We need to turn off the lights. Wind...? Fan?¡±


    The chief of the security forces saw the mes burning the city and wondered what was necessary to suppress the fire. The person was none other than Jude. In order to evenly grow his stats, Grid had given him all types of tasks such as monster subjugation, security activities, minerals extraction, sparring, etc.


    "First of all, a fan. Please.¡±


    Jude¡¯s intelligence was at the level of an idiot. He came up with a stupid answer to the troubled guards.


    ¡°Fans won¡¯t be able to stop this!¡±


    "Bring in others to put it out!¡±


    The guards urged him. In the end, Jude reached the limits of his patience. As always, he didn¡¯t think.


    "I will go.¡±


    The fire didn¡¯t matter. He would go there and see. He forgot about Grid¡¯s urging to always think carefully before acting, and chose swiftness.


    Tadak!


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    The guards were dismayed. Jude ran three times faster than them despite wearing full-te armor and carrying a 3m long greatsword on his shoulder. He didn¡¯t look like a human in their eyes. Indeed, there was a reason for his ignorance.


    At Khan¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Hrmm, isn¡¯t there a splendid fight over there?¡± Euphemina¡¯s eyes shone as she discovered the fire outside the window. "I will go.¡±


    For Euphemina, fights were important. It was an opportunity to duplicate outstanding skills. She, like everyone else, ran straight in the direction of the turmoil. Thanks to this, Khan was finally able to breathe. He was able to take a break for the first time today as the customers ran out towards the fight.


    At the same time, Winston Castle.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid had one habit. He disassembled and assembled items every day to increase the understanding of items. He had reached 100% understanding with Dainsleif a long time ago, so now he was devoted to disassembling and assembling the Holy Light Armor.


    Grid was waiting for Euphemina at the castle¡¯s smithy. Then he heard the soldiers rushing towards the mes that were soaring in the area where Khan¡¯s smithy was located.


    ¡°Khan...!¡±


    Was Khan in danger? Grid worriedly ran out of the smithy, then equipped Braham¡¯s Boots and flew into the sky. Lauel followed behind him.


    ***


    The fire drake¡¯s greatest strength was their high damage. The drake¡¯s fire breath was the strongest among any other drakes. However.


    ¡°How is this possible...?¡±


    Huroi couldn¡¯t believe the sight in front of him. The moment that Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds fired his breath. Kasim summoned dozens of shadow soldiers as a barrier,pletely blocking the breath. Due to that, the breath didn¡¯t cover Shay¡¯s group and scattered in all directions. There was a sea of fire.


    ¡®How does an assassin have that type of defensive capabilities?¡¯


    An assassin was agile. They had outstanding attack power and mobility. On the other hand, their defensive ability was poor. However, Kasim use the shadow soldiers as shields and showed excellent defense. He waspletely different from the known concepts of assassins.


    Shay shouted to the stunned Huroi. "This is the power of the third advancement! It¡¯s my future! How about it? Isn¡¯t it a sspletely iparable to an orator? Hahahat!¡±


    Assassins were ssified into four major categories. There were those who specialized in stealth and assassination like Faker, those who used swords like Shay, those who threw weapons like Sniffer and those who installed traps like Kerb.


    But that was the case for second advancement assassins. A third advancement assassin had more techniques. One of them was shadows. The shadow technique allowed the assassin to perfect assimte to other¡¯s shadows, move between shadows or even summon shadow soldiers.


    And Kasim was a master of shadows. He was the peak of the assassins, only rivaled by Doran. He wasn¡¯t someone that the present Huroi could deal with.


    "Let¡¯s y a little bit.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Kasim disappeared into Shay¡¯s shadow. Then he appeared in the shadow behind Huroi and wielded his dagger.


    Seokeok!


    [You have suffered 4,010 damage.]


    "Ugh!"


    Kasim relentlessly aimed at the weak points. It was impossible to defend or avoid. If Huroi tried to fight back, Kasim would hide in the shadows again so it was useless.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    If he attacked the shadow, Kasim would reappear in the shadows of other objects. It was a spectacr sight. The people who gathered admired it.


    ¡°He is terrific. What is that skill?¡±


    "A hidden ss?¡±


    ¡°Assassin...? Considering that he¡¯s an NPC, is he a third advancement ss?¡±


    "Wow, this is a big hit. I¡¯m going to be an assassin.¡±


    Sakak!Seokeok!


    Huroi lost most of his health after being attacked by Kasim, who used all the shadows around him. He would¡¯ve died already if it wasn¡¯t for the drake protecting him.


    [The Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner¡¯s bravery is unmatched. Your current health has fallen below 20%, so all stats will increase by 30%.]


    This was hisst chance. He was strengthened so he needed to defeat Shay¡¯s group now. After judging that Kasim had disappeared into the shadows again, he headed towards the giggling Shay¡¯s group, who were caught off guard. Then something rose from Shay¡¯s shadow. A shadow soldier.


    Kwachak!


    Huroi¡¯s desperate sword swing collided with a shadow soldier and was nullified.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The moment that Huroi felt despair.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun. I will end it quickly.¡±


    Kasim emerged from the shadow behind Huroi and pointed his dagger at Huroi¡¯s neck. Then a woman¡¯s voice was heard.


    "Raise Shadow Soldiers.¡±


    Kuoooh!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kasim was amazed. Shadow soldiers rose in the vicinity and attacked him?


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Kasim¡¯s attack was defeated and he lost interest in Huroi.


    ¡®The same technique as mine was used?¡¯


    Did that mean there was an assassin with a simr level in the area? Kasim started to observe the spectators. Hemanded the shadow soldiers in the crowd and quickly discover who was attacking him. It was a blonde girl.


    Kasim thought it was ridiculous.


    "An assassin wouldn¡¯t have such white skin. Then how did you use the shadows technique?"


    The blonde girl, Euphemina replied to Kasim. "What is this? Is it a technique that only you can use?¡±


    "Kukuk...! Stop talking nonsense!¡±


    It must be ck magic. Kasim ignored the shadow soldiers and focused on Huroi. He would take care of that girl after killing his target. However.


    "What are you doing?¡±


    A cold voice was heard from above. Kasim and Huroi. Thousands of spectators, including Euphemina and Jude, turned their gaze towards the sky.


    Shay shouted, ¡°Grid!¡±


    That¡¯s right. The person who appeared in the sky was Grid. The spectators¡¯ eyes shone likenterns.


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid has showed up!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant...!¡±


    "Kyaaak! Oppa!¡±


    Indeed, he was really popr. Everyone praised Grid, irrespective of national and gender. People shouted at Grid to look at them and enthusiastically waved their arms. However, Grid¡¯s eyes were only fixed on Kasim. He didn¡¯t like Kasim pointing a dagger at the wounded Huroi¡¯s neck.


    "Take your hands off what is mine.¡±


    Themand entered Kasim¡¯s ears, who replied. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°Then die.¡±


    Chwachwachwachwachwachwa!


    Seven golden des were revealed as everyone was paying attention. It was the special item of Pagma¡¯s Descendant that attracted the attention of the world at the National Competition. People were excited, while Kasim breathed out.


    ¡¯Artifacts that move by themselves?¡¯


    He originally didn¡¯t feel anything remarkable from Grid. But he seemed to be more than what Shay¡¯s group told him. In addition, there was a boy with silver hair with him. But the more important thing...


    ¡®Why does he have Doran¡¯s Ring?¡¯ Kasim¡¯s attention was stolen by the blue ring on Grid¡¯s finger. ¡®This is interesting. I need to learn a bit more, rather than fighting needlessly.¡¯


    In the end, Kasim let Huroi go. Then he disappeared into the shadows.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Shay¡¯s group was left alone. How could they think that Kasim would flee? How much money did they spend to hire him?


    ¡®Is this a lie?¡¯


    Grid smiled at Shay¡¯s party who couldn¡¯t grasp the situation.


    "You came again? Did youe to give me more items? Eh?¡±


    Grid showed the Kenen¡¯s Belt, the trap instation tool and poison blender that he received from them. They wanted to kill him even more. However, it was an impossible task without Kasim.


    ¡°...Haha.¡±


    Shay¡¯s groupughed awkwardly, but Grid asked coldly, ¡°Is something funny?¡±


    Thanks to realizing his strong sense of camaraderie at the National Competition, Grid was furious at the people who hurt Huroi. He was pulling out Failure to kill them when Lauel stopped him.


    ¡°Imprison them instead of killing them.¡±


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t that a waste of the taxpayer¡¯s money?¡±


    Lauel whispered to the grim-looking Grid.


    "If a criminal is put in prison, the ruler can check the criminal¡¯s belongings. You can dispose of them after asking Lady Irene to check the items they have. Anyway, can¡¯t you kill PK users at any time? It is more beneficial to trade them the items for their lives.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Lauel had a lot of ideas and knowledge. Therefore, he was always helpful. This was the reason his mother told him to make smart friends when he was in elementary school. Grid was convinced and ordered Jude.


    ¡°Lock them up in jail.¡±


    Euphemina approached him. She carried the production method to create the best orb associated with Braham.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    One and a half years ago in Satisfy time. It was a story when Grid was still level 21 after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®How about an item production game over the smithy?¡¯


    The Mero Company was exploiting the residents of Winston, when Rabbit came to Khan and made a suggestion. From Khan¡¯s point of view, epting the offer and winning the game was the only way to keep the smithy.


    But Khan was an alcoholic and not in a position to y. He couldn¡¯t fully demonstrate his abilities as a cksmith. So Khan asked Grid to participate in the game for him. Grid was blinded by thepensation and readily epted.


    Hepeted with Euphemina, who was hired by the Mero Company, to make an item. The result was Grid¡¯s loss. Grid would¡¯ve won if the contest was normal, but due to the tyranny of the Mero Company, he was arrested during the contest and locked in prison.


    The situation was desperate. Grid was unlucky enough to fail the quest and was fuming in prison. He waspletely out of his mind, screaming that the game gods had cursed him. But then an unexpected savior appeared.


    It was Euphemina. Thanks to her help, Grid was able to regain the Ideal Dagger, rescue Huroi, and gain the title ¡®Apostle of Justice.¡¯ Strictly speaking, Euphemina was Grid¡¯s savior. But.


    ¡®I¡¯m not pleased at all.¡¯


    Grid was ufortable reuniting with Euphemina. He was reminded of old memories and positive sentiment was unwee. It wasn¡¯t because he had bad feelings towards Euphemina. Grid was just scared.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t produce a unique rated orb... what will she do?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know about the disadvantages of the Duplicator ss, and he thought Euphemina was the best OP. He was suspicious of anyone stronger than him. Euphemina wanted at least a unique rated orb in exchange for returning the Ideal Dagger.


    What if he didn¡¯t meet her expectations? Would she PK him if hepleted a normal or rare rated orb?


    Grid was really scared. He couldn¡¯t afford to endure the bombardment of Euphemina¡¯s best spells.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    On the other hand, Euphemina was very d to see Grid. In the past, Grid deliberately (?) acted foolish, but he actually had a legendary ss. She was d about the fact that the famous Pagma¡¯s Descendant would make her an item.


    "I watched your great performance in the National Competition on TV. You were really cool.¡±


    Euphemina greeted him with charming eyes, and boasted an outstanding beauty that attracted people¡¯s attention. The onlookers made a fuss.


    "Who¡¯s that girl?¡±


    "Seriously adorable. I want to put her in my pocket.¡±


    ¡°Damn Grid... He already has Yura and Jishuka, now there¡¯s this girl. I¡¯m seriously envious.¡±


    "Beauties always follow the heroes. God Grid deserves to be king of the harem."


    Euphemina had a short height of 150cm and a small figure. The innocent face was cute and stimted a protective instinct. Some men were filled with desire towards her. But she didn¡¯t suit Grid¡¯s taste. Grid favoured a mature body more than Euphemina¡¯s childish one. Therefore, Grid could be calm without being swayed by Euphemina.


    ¡°There are many eyes watching. Let¡¯s talk after moving.¡±


    ¡¯That attitude is still present.¡¯


    Grid was like this thest time they met. He was indifferent to her beauty. No matter how lovely her eyes, he never noticed it. She even suspected if he was gay or impotent. But he got into a scandal with Yura and Jishuka during the National Competition.


    Euphemina¡¯s pride was hurt.


    ¡®Are Yura and Jishuka better than me?¡¯


    She ran after Grid¡¯s party with puffed up cheeks and they soon arrived at Winston Castle.


    "Wee!"


    The soldiers saluted Grid and hurriedly opened the gates.


    "You worked hard.¡±


    Grid naturally greeted the soldiers and entered. Euphemina admired him. "You seem to have be a noble?¡±


    As the overall level of users increased in rec ent years, quite a few rankers had be nobles. Experts spected that there were at least 15 rankers who were awarded the title of a baron. Euphemina also wanted to be a baron. As expected, a legendary ss was truly great.


    Then the boy with the ID of Lauel said unexpectedly. "He is a viscount. In addition, he is the husband of Lady Winston.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Euphemina was stunned. He wasn¡¯t a baron, but a viscount? He was at the same level as masters ofrge guilds like Zibal and Chris?


    ¡®And Lady Winston...¡¯


    Irene. She was the only sessor of Earl Steim, one of the supreme powers in the Eternal Kingdom. Her marriage was significant enough to cause an uproar in the world. But her undisclosed marriage partner was a user, not a noble NPC?


    ¡®It was Grid...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t get married to a noble just because he had a legendary ss. The rtionship between Grid and Irene was obviously deeper than anyone imagined. That type of bond couldn¡¯t be gained by ident. Euphemina misunderstood that Grid intentionally approached Irene to marry her.


    ¡®Marrying a female NPC, he is ying apletely different game from others.


    It was like the dating simtion games that girls liked to y.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Euphemina¡¯s eyes shone brightly likenterns as she watched Grid. ¡®The first legendary ss person transcendsmon sense.¡¯


    Grid was the first person whose skills couldn¡¯t be duplicated by Euphemina. Therefore, she tended to overestimate Grid. During the National Competition, people ignored Grid for hiscking control. But she thought differently.


    ¡®There is no need for control, as he can just roughly use his skills.¡¯


    She was proven right by Grid¡¯s overwhelming actions in PvP. It might be a fate that started badly, but Euphemina was proud that she knew Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t know her inner thoughts. He had no interest.


    "Did you obtain all the materials needed to make the orb?¡±


    Winston Castle¡¯s smithy.


    Grid asked in a blunt voice as he lit the furnace. Euphemina felt unhappy at his continued apathetic attitude and responded with a sullen face.


    "Of course. It took me a year to get the orb production method and then six months to obtain all the ingredients listed. My preparation is perfect.¡±


    ¡®One year? Half a year?¡¯


    Was she crazy? Investing a year and a half just to make a single item? Grid thought Euphemina was a fool. But in reality, Euphemina was extremely normal.


    Users yed the game with specific goals. The characteristic of heavy game users was doing their best to achieve that goal, no matter how long it took, while light game users gave up when it became difficult.


    Euphemina was a level 283 private ranker, so of course she was a heavy user. She didn¡¯t think it was strange to invest a year and a half to obtaining the best orb. It was just the way she enjoyed the game.


    In the past, Grid was also like her. Grid was someone who discovered Pagma¡¯s Rare Book after a few months of hard work without giving up. But Grid had changed. He forgot how to enjoy ying the game because he considered it as a means of making money. It was impossible for the current Grid to understand Euphemina.


    ¡¯She truly is scary.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t upset her. He didn¡¯t want to imagine what type of terrible things would happen if he broke Euphemina¡¯s year and a half of hard work.


    ¡¯It must be at least a unique rating.¡¯


    Grid pledged. He prayed to the gods.


    ¡¯God, Buddha, Goddess Reba, God Judar, God Dominion, please protect my experience.¡¯


    Grid might not be religious, but he didn¡¯t reject the existence of a god. He sincerely prayed to the popr gods in reality and Satisfy. He begged them to help him make a unique rated orb. After a short prayer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Grid braced his heart and cut to the chase.


    Then.


    "I¡¯m asking you, the legendary cksmith.¡±


    Euphemina handed Grid the production method that she took a year to obtain.


    [¡¯Mumud¡¯s Orb Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡®...Mumud?¡¯


    The name of the most powerful orb was truly terrible. He was disappointed.


    ¡®It¡¯s like Dainsleif.¡¯


    Grid had no idea who Mumud was. So he was surprised when he opened the production method.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    [Mumud¡¯s Orb Production Method]


    Learning Conditions:


    Mastered the cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill.


    Or have Dwarven cksmith¡¯s Craftmanship skill level 5 or higher.


    * Mumud¡¯s Orb


    An orb designed by the dwarven craftsman Milepeu, who taught Pagma before he became a legend. It was widely known as Mumud¡¯s Orb because Braham¡¯s disciple, Mumud, loved this orb all of his life.


    It needed the cksmith craftsmanship skill to be mastered? The learning conditions were unusually high. It was the highest level among all the production methods that Grid had acquired so far. Even Albatino, who was called the greatest cksmith before Pagma¡¯s appearance, wouldn¡¯t be able to make this orb.


    In other words.


    ¡®This orb, it¡¯s an item of a higher rank than Dainsleif.¡¯


    This was a precious production method he got for free, without having to pay for it. Euphemina hadn¡¯t wasted the year and half that she invested in this. Grid thanked Euphemina. He felt appreciation towards her for the first time.


    ¡°Euphemina.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Euphemina was surprised when Grid called her name for the first time. Grid promised her, "I will do my best."


    ¡°...¡±


    The reunion after one and a half years. Grid never paid attention to Euphemina even once. But his attitude changed at this moment. He gazed at her with calm eyes. His facial expression made him look like an entirely different man.


    Euphemina felt confident in him and smiled brightly.


    "Thank you."


    A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [¡¯Mumud¡¯s Orb Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    This was a rare opportunity to create the best item. As a cksmith, Grid was very motivated.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    [Mumud¡¯s Orb]


    Rating: Rare ~ Legendary


    Rare Rating Information:


    Durability: 149/149 Magic Damage: +13%


    Magic Casting Speed: +5%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 3


    * You can permanently store one spell at or below B-grade.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 175/175 Magic Damage: +16%


    Magic Casting Speed: +8%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 3


    * You can permanently store one spell at or below B-grade.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 200/200 Magic Damage: +20%


    Magic Casting Speed: +12%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 4


    * You can permanently store one spell at or below A-grade.


    * 10% reduction in skill cooldown time.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 247/247 Magic Damage: +27%


    Magic Casting Speed: +18%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 4


    * You can permanently store one spell at or below S-grade.


    * 15% reduction in skill cooldown time.


    A orb designed by the dwarven craftsman Milepeu, who taught Pagma before he became a legend.


    The crystal ball made bybining the abyss mithril, Frost Queen¡¯s Breath and Water n King¡¯s Tears allows it to contain enormous power and special functions.


    User Restriction: Level 280 or higher. More than 3,000 intelligence. Advanced Orb Mastery Level 5.


    Weight: 150


    Grid was astounded as he checked the orb¡¯s information.


    ¡®A magic possession item?¡¯


    The concept of storing and possession was different. Stored magic was consumed once it was used, while possessed magic became the unique function of the item and could be used permanently. It was reminiscent of the Fly magic that belonged to Braham¡¯s Boots and allowed non-magicians to fly.


    The efficiency of magic possession items were excellent. Depending on what magic the item possessed, the use could be very different. Indeed, millions of people wanted magic possession items. They wanted a magic possession item for themselves.


    But they were rare treasures that couldn¡¯t be bought even with money. Even some of the earliest users who had been ying Satisfy since it opened couldn¡¯t see a magic possession item. There was only a rare chance of acquiring them through monster hunting, boss raids and quest rewards. In the past, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Vantner would¡¯ve paid everything he had to buy Braham¡¯s Boots off Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s an area that cksmiths can¡¯t produce.¡¯


    Grid was a legendary cksmith, but he didn¡¯t know how to make magic possession items. His (Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill was level 5, but the knowledge about how to make magic possession items was nk.


    Based on this, Grid assumed that Pagma didn¡¯t know how to make magic possession items. But now he learned how to make Mumud¡¯s Orb. Grid became the first and only person in the world of two billion users to create a magic possession item.


    ¡®If I study Mumud¡¯s Orb, I might be able to figure out how to make magic possession items.¡¯


    The dwarven craftsman Milepeu, who taught Pagma. Grid also got a chance to receive his teachings through this work.


    Kkuok.


    Grid held the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer with all his strength.


    Dugun dugun.


    His heart beat wildly.


    Ssik.


    A smile appeared on his face. There was a sense of excitement. He was filled with joy.


    ¡¯Through this production...¡¯


    He would grow. He could go beyond Pagma in this specific area. In return for this opportunity to grow, he would bless Euphemina by producing a unique rated orb for her. Grid confirmed the list of materials needed for the production and reached out to Euphemina.


    Then Euphemina handed him the materials.


    [5]


    [One Frost Queen¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [One Water n King¡¯s Tears has been acquired.]


    [22]


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    These were the precious materials that she barely collected after investing half a year and going through all types of incidents. The mithril abyss, Frost Queen¡¯s Breath and Water n King¡¯s Tears were impossible to determine the value, while the magic stones were worth 4,000 gold each.


    What if the orb was created using these materials and an epic or lower rating emerged? She wouldn¡¯t be able to hide her disappointment. Euphemina was eager to avoid such a thing, while Grid dly nodded.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    At that moment.


    ¡®This is serious.¡¯ Lauel had been remaining silent to not interfere with the two people, but hisplexion quickly deteriorated. He had been with Grid for a while, so he was well aware that when Grid told people to believe in him, the worst result would emerge.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll believe in you.¡±


    Euphemina was delighted without knowing anything.


    Lauel smiled awkwardly at her. "Let¡¯s leave Grid alone so that he can concentrate.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She smiled. Euphemina felt better thanks to Grid and beamed brightly. Lauel made a sad expression and left the smithy. Lauel gritted his teeth.


    ¡®A unique orb has gone away.¡¯


    It was the worst. Lauel wanted to make Euphemina join Grid. If Grid was to produce a unique or higher rated orb, it was likely that Euphemina would be Grid¡¯s ve. However, the situation wasn¡¯t right, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been big if she became our colleague...¡¯


    Some people might calmly enjoy Satisfy in their own way. Those who suffered from disabilities in reality could enjoy a normal day, ces more beautiful than Earth could be seen, or they could enjoy foods that didn¡¯t exist in reality.


    However, Satisfy had the system of level up and a gap between the rich and the poor. In the end, apetitive society was inevitable. Due to that, only a few users yed Satisfy like a regr online game.


    They frantically levelled up andpeted against each other. They tried to build power, wealth, and reputation, so they could someday be nobles and kings. Satisfy¡¯s vast territory, currently owned by NPC nobles and royalty, would gradually fall into the hands of users.


    It was a natural flow and Lauel hoped to piggyback on Grid along that flow. He dreamed that the person he followed would be a king. In order to do that, he needed a lot of human resources such as Euphemina. Thus, Lauel was very disappointed at missing this chance.


    On the other hand, Huroi was btedly thanking Euphemina. "I really appreciate it. In the past and this time, you saved my life.¡±


    Euphemina exined, "It was Grid, not me, who helped you in the past. I just helped Grid to clear my own quest. So don¡¯t think about the past. This time... it¡¯s too hard to pretend that I didn¡¯t see it, so it isn¡¯t something to be thankful for.¡±


    Euphemina was the type of person to deceive others to aplish her goals. But she wasn¡¯t heartless towards those she knew. This was her weakness and strength. Euphemina blushed as she replied to Huroi¡¯s thanks.


    Huroi quietly smiled as he watched her. Thanks to her, his life was saved from Kasim and he avoided losing any experience. He was going to repay the favor someday. As such, Euphemina built up a positive impression with Grid and Huroi.


    However, Euphemina wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. Grid got a precious production method for free, while Huroi could keep his experience. But her only interest was on the result of the orb.


    Puruk!Puruk!


    A sound was heard from inside the smithy. Euphemina peeked at Grid through a small window. His sweating appearance in front of the st furnace was very attractive.


    ¡®He has changed.¡¯


    The Grid in Euphemina¡¯s memories was very different. His appearance was less than ordinary. Now Grid had a good appearance. She liked the high nose and moderately protruding forehead, and his eyes without double eyelids emanated the mysterious charm of Asians. It was difficult to call him a handsome person. However, he had a look that would appeal to quite a few people.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t appear to have had stic surgery... Anyway, the difference is his hairstyle and facial expression. His physique has also improved.¡¯


    Previously, Grid¡¯s hair covered his good forehead and nose. It was just messy. In addition, his expression was always full of discontent and he keptining. She couldn¡¯t feel any attractiveness from a man who had no muscles. His slumped shoulders and bent over back were especially jarring. But now his hairstyle was neat, his physique improved, his expressions and gestures showed confidence, making his overall impressionpletely different than before.


    ¡®It is a miraculous change.¡¯


    It felt good. She thought seriously about whether someday she could also make a more positive change. It was the moment when Grid¡¯s existence became big in the journey of her maturing process.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    abyss mithril have been acquired.deluxe magic stones have been acquired.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    ¡®The more I look, the more impressive it is.¡¯


    He had to admit it.


    Mumud¡¯s Orb was truly qualified to be called the best. In addition to being able to possess magic, it had a number of functions that were different from ordinary orbs, such as increasing the casting speed of magic and reducing skill cooldown time.


    However, the magic damage was somewhat in. Of course, it was excellentpared to other orbs, butckingpared to the other features. Why was this?


    Grid pondered. Then he realized.


    ¡¯Bnce. Magic damage was intentionally suppressed to maintain bnce. If the basic performance is good along with the additional options, it will inevitably lead to higher usage conditions.¡¯


    It was a great study for Grid.


    ¡®When I create new items in the future, I have to pay attention to the bnce.¡¯


    The first item that Grid created, Failure, only specialized in aggression. Indeed, it showed tremendous attack power. If he was to exclude the weapons possessed by Reba¡¯s Daughters, he could positively assert that Failure was currently the strongest weapon.


    But in return, Failure had ridiculously high usage conditions. It required Advanced Sword Mastery level 8 and more than 5,000 strength. It was estimated that users with more than 5,000 strength wouldn¡¯t appear for at least two years, so Failure was nothing but a special item for Grid until then.


    Failure was a failure for a reason.


    ¡®If I designed it to be more versatile like Mumud¡¯s Orb by lowering the attack power...¡¯


    The usage conditions would¡¯ve been lowered and it would be more usable.


    ¡®Then by now, I would be sitting in money.¡¯


    It was the moment he learned how to create the best items with the right level of performance. Grid was enlightened and felt a huge sense of aplishment. He was filled with joy.


    ¡®I can see a way to improve the Mass-produced One-handed Sword. Okay. Then let¡¯s get started.¡¯


    Grid smiled and started to observe the materials needed to make Mumud¡¯s Orb. The abyss mithril, Frost Queen¡¯s Breath and Water n King¡¯s Tears were unfamiliar items. He was deeply interested. However...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression twisted after he checked the details of the items. It was unbelievable that he had been smiling with joy just a moment ago.


    [Frost Queen¡¯s Breath]


    The extremely low temperature climate of Heraris caused the Frost Queen¡¯s breath to crystallize. This crystal will never melt and has the effect of amplifying magic power.


    Weight: 0.1


    [Abyss Mithril]


    Deep in the ocean.


    A rare mineral that is only found near the Siren Kingdom.


    Its harmony with magic power is three times better than normal mithril.


    Weight: 15


    [Water n King¡¯s Tears]


    The Siren King sheds tears every five months, longing for his daughter who left the world before him.


    These tears have the mysterious function of imbuing items with magic.


    Weight: 0.1


    Grid was happy at first. It was because he easily figured out how to create magic possession items.


    ¡®The secret is the tears of the Water n. If I design an item with this as the material, I can create magic items that possess spells.¡¯


    What if S-grade magic was attached to weapons and armor? He would be iparably stronger.


    ¡®If my armor has Counter Barrier and my weapon has Meteor, I can be a 100 man... no, a 1,000 man army?


    Maybe it would be enough to fight with the great demon Hell Gao.


    ¡®Then what about the pavranium?¡¯


    What if magic possession items were made out of pavranium? The golden discs that could drop Meteor from the sky. Golden des that fired all types of spells while flying. Golden boomerangs that could create a sea of fire. Golden needles that could emit lightning. Golden items with all types of magic attached to them would reign hell down on his opponents.


    From then on, a true overgeared person would be born.


    ¡®I am a genius.¡¯


    He thought about the good idea for a while. The momentumsted.


    But then his face distorted. There was one part that disturbed him from the beginning. How was Euphemina able to obtain the abyss mithril and Water n King¡¯s Tears?


    ¡®The first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom. It was Euphemina.¡¯


    How much did she gain as the first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom? The amount of money would be huge. When considering the quests and titles, he was sure that she would¡¯ve benefited beyond imagination.


    Shake shake.


    "Kuoh...¡±


    How did Grid feel about it? His stomach started cramping. He was conflicted.


    ¡®I want to return the favor by making a unique rated orb, but...¡¯


    Thanks to Euphemina, he was able to acquire a precious production method and learned how to make magic possession items. He was so grateful that he wanted to do something for her. He might seem simple, but now he felt a huge affinity with Euphemina. He didn¡¯t feel reluctant to see her anymore.


    ¡®But Euphemina has more luck than a lottery winner. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to let her experience some trials?¡¯


    He was blinded by jealousy. He might¡¯ve maturedpared to the past, but human nature didn¡¯t change easily. After all, Grid was still active as keyboard warrior. In the end, he eventually started with the intention of shoddily making an orb.


    He poured the abyss mithril into the furnace and worked the bellows. It was silent. But then, ¡°Sigh. I can¡¯t do this.¡±


    This rottenness wouldn¡¯t help him in the long run. Grid controlled his heart. Then he took a serious posture. He smelted the abyss mithril to the best of his ability.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    He started to make the ornaments and handle part of the orb.


    ¡°...¡±


    The work had to be careful in order to properly express the old-fashioned design and make it a perfect fit. The extremely focused Grid handled the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer very delicately.


    Three hourster.


    Grid finallypleted the handle and started smelting the magic stones. Then ording to the process described in the production method, he mixed the Frost Queen¡¯s Breath with the Water n King¡¯s Tears.


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    The finished crystal glistened with a blue color. As the name suggested, this was a transparent crystal. But it was as hard as steel. The magic stones, Frost Queen¡¯s Breath and Water n King¡¯s Tearsbined into one and were reborn as a whole new mineral. Just as Pagma and Braham created the mineral called pavranium, Milepeu created this blue crystal mineral.


    ¡¯Milepeu... he was an amazing person. Then Euphemina will take this special mineral as well as being the Siren Kingdom¡¯s first discoverer?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling jealous of Euphemina again. Naturally, his hands became dull.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    The crystal that was supposed to have a smooth bead shape became distorted.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Grid looked at the shabby appearance caused by his jealousy and controlled his heart.


    ¡®Wake up.¡¯


    Grid focused. He tried to get rid of his malice. He did his best to deal with the delicate modifications.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The crystal ball became increasingly beautiful and sleek. He had a hunch that at least an epic rated orb would be produced. Grid¡¯s stomach cramps appeared again at this thought.


    "Kuoh...!"


    Why did he have to give the best gift to Euphemina, who was already the first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom? Was it fair for one person to have such a monopoly on good luck?


    ¡¯Dammit! I should make it rare rated.¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid¡¯s hammering once again became sloppy.


    But then,


    ¡®...This isn¡¯t it. Euphemina gave me a big present...¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    He worked delicately.


    ¡®Ohh! First she has the fraudulent ss of Duplicator, now she found the Siren Kingdom...¡¯


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    More shoddy work.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Then he did his best.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Shoddy work. He didn¡¯t know how many times this repeated. Due to this uncontroble behavior, Grid was like a madman.


    ¡°Hah... what am I doing now?¡±


    Before he knew it, a whole night passed. The crystal ball was finished perfectly when seen from the outside.


    Clink.


    Despite the unfaithful attitude of the maker, a blue crystal ball with a beautiful shape attached to blue silver handles could be seen.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how many times he sighed during this work. It must¡¯ve been at least 100 times. Yet he didn¡¯t stop working. Grid¡¯s heart didn¡¯t wander anymore as he finished the job. And along the way.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated. Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or sad at the notification windows that shed in session. This was the result.


    [Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb]


    Durability: 311/311 Magic Damage: +34%


    Magic Casting Speed: +23%


    Number of spells that can be stored: 4


    * You can permanently store one spell at or below the S-grade.


    * 15% reduction in skill cooldown time.


    * There is a certain chance that magic damage will decrease by 50%.


    * There is a certain chance that magic damage will increase by 100%.


    * When using the possessed magic, there is a certain chance of the effect halving or doubling.


    Among the items made by the great cksmith ¡®G,¡¯ this is the third piece born with emotions. It has been affected by the indecisiveness of its creator. Due to the emotional ups and down, it might not work properly or perform better than expected.


    Thepatibility with its creator will differ depending on its mood on the day.


    User Restriction: Level 280 or higher. More than 3,000 intelligence. Advanced Orb Mastery Level 5.


    Weight: 150


    [An legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    ¡°...This, is it okay?¡±


    Grid found it difficult to predict how Euphemina would react.


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 4 increased the basic abilities of the item by 18% and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath Lv. 3 increased it by 8%, so the basic performance of the orb rose sharply. However, he was uneasy because the power might be halved.


    ¡®How did it turn out like this?¡¯


    Grid was worried about the finished orb, even if it had a legendary rating.


    He didn¡¯t know.


    In the past, Euphemina acquired the title of ¡®Competitor¡¯ for winning the item production game and opened the good luck stat. After that, she was more likely to get a positive result when it came to random effects.


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Euphemina waspletely thrilled by the orb. Her face brightened like the dawn and she even shed tears. The reaction was natural. The orb Grid produced far exceeded her expectations. Moreover, the random option made it seem like an exclusive item just for her.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Euphemina was truly impressed. It was even greater than the joy she felt at discovering the Siren Kingdom.


    ¡°I¡¯m really grateful. Encountering you was the best luck I ever had.¡±


    The smiling Euphemina still looked pretty, despite her runny nose. This was the first time Grid truly saw her without any pretenses.


    ¡°What, why are you crying?¡±


    Grid¡¯s jealousy had already disappeared like melted snow. On this day. Grid achieved great growth as a cksmith and overcame the ¡®Believe in me¡¯ jinx. And Euphemina became a ve to the power of items.


    Huroi and Lauel really liked their new colleague.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193


    It was around one year and eight months ago in reality. Satisfy¡¯s serviceunched with the interest of the world.


    Since that day, Euphemina had been ying Satisfy for more than 14 hours everyday, without taking a single day off. 19 years old, 20 years old, the precious time of her youth was spent in a game.


    Some would say that her youth was wasted. These youthful days would nevere back. They didn¡¯t know. Euphemina didn¡¯t have any regrets. Satisfy was a more joyful and precious world for her, who was always alone in her own home environment.


    And today. In this precious world, it was the first time that Euphemina met an object of longing. That person was Grid.


    ¡®He can produce legendary items...¡¯


    Euphemina had killed countless monsters and raided bosses, eventually reaching level 283. She cleared hundreds of quests. Nevertheless, the maximum rating of items she acquired was a unique rating.


    Legendary items? She never even saw it. She thought legendary items were something that only existed in fantasies. Therefore, she never imagined that Grid would make a legendary rated orb. She just wanted Grid to make a unique rated orb.


    However, Grid made a legendary rated orb. The result was truly amazing. To be honest, she couldn¡¯t really believe it. It felt like a dream. It was like a halo wasing from Grid. She was blinded by him.


    ¡®Grid, you are the god in my heart from this moment on.¡¯


    Euphemina was ecstatic.


    Lauel whispered to her, ¡°If you be Grid¡¯s subordinate, you will be able to get more magnificent items like this orb.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was the temptation of the devil. It was impossible for her to refuse. Euphemina became Grid¡¯s subordinate.


    ***


    ¡°You can use this room in the future. You will normally have freedom, and only have to follow Grid when there is a specific mission.¡±


    "I understand."


    ¡°Then I will be going. Huroi and I have to apany Grid to Bairan.¡±


    Winston Castle.


    Euphemina received a ce to stay. It was a moderatelyrge room. When she opened the window, she saw a beautiful garden and a wide sky. But most of all, it was close to Grid¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°Hihit.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t helpughing. She had been ying Satisfy for a long time, but it was the first time she felt excited to gain colleagues. She was happy because she could see the glorious Grid every day. She was very excited about the adventures she would experience with Grid.


    "First of all, I need to permanently store a spell on my orb.¡±


    Thanks to Grid making a legendary orb, she could give the orb an S-grade spell. Euphemina called up her skills list. The S-grade magic that she duplicated and stored were ssified separately.


    [Demon King¡¯s Tail Lv. 2]


    It can burn up to 16 people.


    It will deal 2,509 fixed fire damage per second for up to 4 seconds.


    Skill Range: 10m radius


    Skill Mana Cost: 3,200


    Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.


    [Fluid Escape Lv. 1]


    The soul and body of the caster will be separated for 3 seconds.


    The caster can control the soul that emerged from the body, while the body will be immune to all damage.


    The soul can deal 1,030 + (half of the caster¡¯s current magic power) damage to all targets in the way.


    As soon as the soul returns to the body, a shockwave will be generated, pushing all nearby enemies back.


    Skill Mana consumption: 65% of your current mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    [Storm Gravity Field Lv. 1]


    Installs a gravity field 5m in diameter at the specified location. It will take 1.2 seconds to install and all objects trapped in the gravity field will be suppressed for 2 seconds. After that, the raging storm will deal 8,600~15,900 damage.


    Skill Range: 20m radius


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 18 minutes.


    [Carshian¡¯s Fury Lv. 2]


    Shields the caster with a fire shield.


    The shield absorbs a total of 15,000 damage and will return half of the absorbed damage back to the opponent.


    Physical defense and magic resistance will increase by 20%, and fire resistance by 99% while the shield is active.


    Skill Mana Cost: 3,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    In order to acquire S-grade magic, a user had to be at least level 280 and meet other difficult conditions. In the first ce, S-grade spellbooks were rare. Looking at the users and NPCs, there were only a few who had acquired S-grade magic.


    Therefore, Euphemina couldn¡¯t duplicate a lot of S-grade magic. Her choices were narrow. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t disappointed. The reason was simple. It was because of Fluid Escape, a fraudulent magic that had the most usefulness among her S-grade spells. It was a rare spell that dealt damage proportional to magic power and made the body invincible.


    Learning this spell was the standards of a great magician. In the past, Euphemina followed Earl Ashur for a month before barely managing to duplicate it. She cherished it so much that she didn¡¯t even use it when her life was in danger, so she permanently stored it in the orb without hesitation.


    [Do you want to attribute the spell ¡®Fluid Escape¡¯ to the Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The spell can¡¯t be released when attached to an item. Do you still want to progress?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The blue orb shone brightly.


    [The skill ¡®Fluid Escape¡¯ has been removed from the Duplicator¡¯s skills list.]


    [¡¯Fluid Escape¡¯ now belongs to the Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb.]


    Bururu.


    Euphemina¡¯s small body shook as she confirmed the result. It was due to the thrill she felt. Her cheeks flushed and she stroked the orb with a joyful expression.


    "Beautiful. This is too good.¡±


    At this moment, she finally realized that she was the owner of such a great item. She tried to equip the orb in order to fully realize it.


    [You have equipped the Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb.]


    The normal notification window appeared.


    [Your position has been revealed to someone. You won¡¯t be able to escape from the eyes of surveince.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Then an unknown notification window popped up.


    "What does that mean?¡± Euphemina was stunned as she blinked herrge eyes. Then she nodded as if she understood. "My position is being delivered to Grid.¡±


    The orb¡¯s maker was Grid, so it made sense to think so. It was a legendary item. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to have specific features built into it, so she didn¡¯t think about it any longer. She rushed in front of the mirror and admired the beautiful sight of her holding the blue orb.


    But what was the truth? The eyes of surveince on her wasn¡¯t from Grid. At the same time, in one of the 27 golembyrinths throughout the continent.


    [I finally found it.]


    The voice off the great magician Braham rang out through thebyrinth. He issued amand to thousands of golems.


    [Show the fool who dared to ignore the great me.]


    Kuuong!Kuuong!


    All types of powerful golems moved in unison. They were slowly but surely heading to the same destination. Soon after, this spectacr scene was captured by users across the world and would once again bring a big wave to Satisfy.


    ***


    ¡°What?¡±


    Bairan Castle.


    Grid visited with some shocking words. The Tzedakah Guild gathered in the meeting room didn¡¯t wee it.


    "Are you serious about withdrawing from the guild?¡± Toban asked again and Grid nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why all of a sudden?¡± The one who asked was Overgeared No. 2, Ibellin. He was looking at Lauel. ¡°What did that guy say to mislead Grid?¡±


    As one of the 10 Rookies, Ibellin had a fierce rivalry with Lauel. So he growled every time they met, but Lauel never gave him a second thought. But this time was an exception. Lauel replied to Ibellin.


    "Ibellin. Are you saying that Grid is an idiot who would be swayed by my words?¡±


    Twitch.


    Huroi¡¯s eyes narrowed from where he was silently standing behind Grid. Ibellin was baffled.


    ¡°W-What...? What did you leap to that conclusion? That isn¡¯t what I meant!¡±


    "Quiet."


    Jishuka finally came forward. Her folded arms highlighted her big chest as she stared intently at Grid.


    "Why do you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a lord.¡± Grid answered simply.


    Jishuka asked him again, ¡°Why?¡±


    "You¡¯re asking why?¡± Grid made the shape of a coin with his fingers and spoke bluntly. ¡°Because of money.¡±


    Now they understood everything. Certainly, the amount of taxes collected from Bairan after being promoted to a city was so big that it couldn¡¯t be ignored. It was natural to feel greedy. Especially for Grid, who was only ying the game for money.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be a lord even if you belong to the guild?¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t want Grid to leave. Putting aside her personal feelings, she didn¡¯t want to lose one of the factors that made the guild strong.


    "Well...that...¡±


    Grid tried to exin but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Then Lauel came out.


    ¡°In order to be a lord, a certain position is required. It isn¡¯t enough to be a viscount. Grid is only a member of the guild, but he also has a lot of subordinates. Therefore, he can¡¯t be left as a guild member of the Tzedakah Guild.


    Grid nodded.


    "That¡¯s what I was trying to say.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The eyes of the Tzedakah Guild members were cold as they looked at Laeul. They didn¡¯t like that he was encouraging Grid to cut ties with his closepanions. Based on this situation, Lauel seemed to be trying to separate them from Grid.


    Only Faker was watching Lauel with a happy expression.


    ¡¯Indeed... he fills everything that Grid iscking.¡¯


    It was really great. The other guild members were jealous of being deprived of Grid and didn¡¯t recognize him. But Faker knew that someday the guild members would recognize Lauel.


    Jishuka exined, "Grid, if it is just money then, I will give you the taxes from Bairan. So why don¡¯t we stay like this?¡±


    The taxes from Bairan were shared fairly between the guild members. Now she would ignore the other guild members and give the taxes to Grid. It was a truly shocking offer. The other members expressed no dissatisfaction, despite Jishuka deciding it on her own. It was because Grid was worth more. They already made a lot of money due to betting on Grid in the National Competition.


    On the other hand, Lauel wanted to curse. He thought that Grid would ept Jishuka¡¯s proposal. But Grid¡¯s response was surprising.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Didn¡¯t Grid want money? Hadn¡¯t he suffered from hair loss due to the money problems recently? Then why did he so easily refuse? It was so surprising that even Huroi and Lauel shook. Everyone was confused by Grid¡¯s shocking remark.


    "I can¡¯t be satisfied with just the taxes of one city.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Bairan achieved an incredible growth after the National Competition and was now called the thirdrgest city in the north. Yet this city wasn¡¯t enough for him?


    "Grid, perhaps you...¡±


    Grid was looking higher. Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened as she realized this fact, while Grid dered.


    "The minimum of what I want is a territory the size of Winston. That is the starting point."


    Huroi and Lauel asked him to be king. He would grasp it first before the two billion users of Satisfy. He couldn¡¯t resist. Why? It was a chance to be the richest man on Earth.


    "Jishuka, take the kids ande under me.¡±


    ¡°Huh...!¡± Jishuka burst out. He wanted to swallow the elites who were in the top 100 of the unified rankings at all once? "Aplete thief.¡±


    There was no saying more urate than that.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    "Jishuka, take the kids ande under me.¡±


    The moment that Grid said so. Lauel winced and hurriedly sent him a whisper.


    -Grid, what did you say just now?


    Grid was confused.


    -What¡¯s wrong?


    Lauel spoke with frustration.


    -Your way of talking is wrong!


    Lauel knew that the Tzedakah Guild was a prestigious guild that existed since the days of L.T.S. The scale was small, but they had a tradition of at least six years. They had the pride of those who reigned at the top. But rather than respecting them, Grid told them toe under him? It was obvious that the proud guild members would be disappointed and repelled by Grid.


    -You should negotiate.You have to respect them.Then convince them to cooperate.Do you think that if you speak to them like that, they will just follow you?


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid noticed his mistake. If he thought about it from the position of the guild members, he realized that he made a huge mistake.


    ¡®Disgusting.¡¯ Was he any different from Lee Junho in his high school days, who made Grid his bread shuttle just because he was more powerful? ¡®In the first ce, the words I chose were wrong.¡¯


    But things had changed since entering the Tzedakah Guild. Grid had many memories with his guild members. They got to know each other little by little. Grid recognized the guild members as friends or colleagues. Yet he told them toe under him, like they were servants.


    Grid was very disappointed in himself.


    ¡®How could I treat them like this?¡¯


    He controlled them with his items, so did he subconsciously perceive them as below him?


    ¡®I am better than them. I also have high fame.¡¯


    Was he ignoring them? Just like the alumni ignored him in the past?


    ¡®Dammit! Just a while ago in the National Competition, I realized that I fought for mypanions!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s character had deepened and maturedpared to the past. But that was only whenpared to the past. His personality was stillcking. The evidence was that he was jealous of Noe¡¯s poprity and posted maliciousments about him on the Inte. His nature was filled with self-righteousness and egotism due to his unfavorable environment, so he couldn¡¯t mature in such a short amount of time.


    But.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll correct what I just said.¡±


    By default, Grid was someone who tried hard. Thanks to his efforts, he could barely be middle of the pack at school, despite having no talents. In addition, he was able to be the first legendary ss in Satisfy.


    As long as he realized and corrected his mistakes, he would change quickly.


    "I will say it again. All of you, please join the guild that I will make. I want to continue to be with you, and I need your strength. I will also give you strength... Let¡¯s join together to build a country. I consider you as friends and colleagues, so please.¡±


    Grid bowed deeply. His attitude was very polite. The stiff expressions of Jishuka and the guild members slowly released.


    Jishuka spoke, ¡°Give us time to talk about it.¡±


    ***


    "What should we do?¡±


    Grid returned to Winston after causing a fuss. The Tzedakah Guild started to engage in an in-depth discussion.


    ¡°Grid is a necessary existence for us. Not just as a cksmith, but also as a warrior. He¡¯s a source of great strength. We can¡¯t lose him.¡±


    "I agree with that part, but can Grid be the leader of a guild?¡±


    Leadership was needed to lead an organization. In order to exert leadership, they needed charisma to force people or to make people loyal to them. But that ability wasn¡¯t something that anyone could have.


    Why was the Tzedakah Guild operating on a small scale? There were many reasons, but the important one was that there was no leader in the guild. Those who acted to rise to the top possessed strong individualistic tendencies. None of them had the talent to lead others. Even Jishuka was limited to justmanding the current personnel.


    Grid was stingy, filled with jealousy and only acted for money, so could he fulfill the role of a leader? Furthermore, he wanted to be a king? It was impossible.


    ¡°A clever person like Lauel can make up for the intelligence that Grid iscking. But it is impossible for someone who isn¡¯t a leader to maintain or expand the organization.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. If Grid creates a guild, won¡¯t it soon copse?¡±


    Apetent leader of a small guild was better than an ipetent one of arge guild. Everyone thought so. They judged that it was just Grid¡¯s futile dream. But an unexpected person came up with a different opinion.


    ¡°Grid is a natural leader.¡±


    What was this nonsense? Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on one person. The person who received their interest. It was Toban. He was the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s chief of staff, who became Grid¡¯s ve in the past. At one time, he was reluctant about Grid, but now he appreciated Grid more than anyone else.


    ¡°What is required to be a leader? Isn¡¯t it to unite and lead the organization, and ultimately develop the organization? Think about it. Grid has a power that can rece leadership.¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    The guild members started murmuring.


    ¡°Power that can rece leadership?¡¯


    ¡°What is it? I can¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    Toban gave a hint to the guild members who couldn¡¯t understand. "Don¡¯t overlook the fact that Satisfy is a game.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Jishuka and Pon noticed before anyone else. They shouted at the same time. ¡°Items!¡±


    Toban was satisfied.


    "That¡¯s right. When people y games, they have one basic desire. And Grid can meet those needs. As long as he makes items for the guild members, they will never betray him. And Grid will evolve while trying to do his best for the guild.¡±


    The main reason why the Tzedakah Guild was reluctant to lose Grid was due to his ability to make items. That¡¯s right. At least in Satisfy, Grid was fully qualified to be a leader.


    ¡°If Grid produces items for the guild members with high achievements as a reward, the members won¡¯t want to leave Grid forever. At the same time, they will gradually be elites.¡±


    "Just like us...¡±


    In the first ce, a smart person like Lauel wouldn¡¯t be Grid¡¯s king maker if he didn¡¯t have a reason. Lauel obviously nned to foster the strongest guild through Grid. The guild would be tremendously powerful through items.


    "It¡¯s lucky that Grid has Lauel.¡± Those were Jishuka¡¯s words. She continued. ¡°Thanks to Lauel, Grid will be able to reign at the top.¡±


    Currently, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was the strongest ss in existence. But there were a total of nine legendary sses in Satisfy. As a cksmith, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was rtively weak inbatpared to the other legendary sses.


    If Grid kept ying the game in an individual manner, there would eventuallye a day when he couldn¡¯t surpass this limit and would have to concede the position of the best to someone else.


    But the story would change if he owned the strongest guild. The strongest guild that only Grid could create! This power would make Grid reign at the top!


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go under Grid? Anyway, we have reached the limitations of expanding our power.¡±


    "I think so as well. I don¡¯t want to watch Zibal or Chris¡¯ guilds slowly swallow up this continent.¡±


    "Certainly... unlike L.T.S., there is a limit to what a small number of people can do in Satisfy. It would be better in the long run to be included in a bigger force.¡±


    "I can never escape from Grid¡¯s items. I unconditionally want to go under Grid.¡±


    All the guild members agreed. It was decided.


    Jishuka stood up and dered, "Today, the Tzedakah Guild will be disbanded. The 21 members, including myself, will go under grid."


    They dreamed of bing the strongest, like they were in L.T.S. In order to achieve those dreams, they chose Grid. Thanks to that, Grid swallowed up the strongest force for free. It was an event that would go down in history.


    ***


    The guild that represented the Eternal Kingdom was by far the Giant Guild. The Tzedakah Guild was famous for its small number of elites, but that couldn¡¯tpare to the Giant Guild. It was because the Giant Guild had more than 700 people. It was a level that could deal with the Snake Guild, who was expanding its power in the Haken Kingdom.


    ¡°Golem army?¡±


    Pedro City, in the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Chris was stunned. More than 1,000 golems were advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom.


    "What type of magician can control over 1,000 golems? It isn¡¯t possible, even if all the great magicians on the continent joined their power together. Isn¡¯t this ridiculous?¡±


    The golems weren¡¯t roaming a particr area. Rather, they were moving with a clear destination, so someone was obviously controlling the golem. One of the seven captains, Zirkan, responded to Chris with wide eyes.


    ¡°This information is definite. The golems are currently advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom, and it is likely that the south will be the first target, based on their movement path.¡±


    Another of the seven captains, Ases, spoke. ¡°In the future, there will be a quest from the king of the Eternal Kingdom to defeat the golem army.¡±


    Chris smiled widely. ¡°This is a good sign.¡±


    So what if over 1,000 golems gathered? They were just slow masses of stones. Chris was determined to defeat the golems in order to raise the guild¡¯s reputation and increase their contribution to the kingdom.


    "This is an opportunity to be an earl.¡±


    After Chris was defeated by Regas in the National Competition.


    The Giant Guild became confused. The loss of the guild master reduced the guild¡¯s morale, and the guild seemed to be walking down a path of decline.


    However, Chris was a person with outstanding charisma. He led the guild along with the seven captains, and the Giant Guild managed to escape its confusion. They boasted a stronger force than before.


    Chris was confident.


    ¡°We will be thoroughly prepared when the king¡¯s quest arrives. First of all, tell the magicians to store AOE magic in their orbs, and distributerge weapons to the physical damage dealers.


    Then after a few days. There was a messenger from the capital.


    ¡°In the name of the 13th king of the Eternal Kingdom, King Wiesbaden. Viscount Chris, ughter the golems that dare advance towards my sacred kingdom!¡±


    [Defense War]


    Difficulty: S


    Precisely 1,231 golems have crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Defend the Eternal Kingdom.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golem army (0/1,231)


    Quest Clear Rewards: One small city. 25,000 contribution to the kingdom. The guild level will rise by 1. Two million gold will be obtained.


    Quest Failure: The golems will advance to the capital of the Eternal Kingdom. The kingdom will fall into chaos.


    They were colossal rewards.


    Chris¡¯ blood was boiling.


    ¡®Zibal, you aren¡¯t the first user who will be an earl. I will also be the first one to get 1,000 guild members!¡¯


    Chris didn¡¯t doubt it. He had experience with clearing guild quests with an A-grade difficulty, so he didn¡¯t shrink back before the S-grade one. He just wanted to defeat the golems to achieve his goals. All the Giant Guild members, there wasn¡¯t one person who thought this quest might fail.


    Three dayster.


    Breaking news appeared around the world.


    ¡º A few days ago, golems gathered from all over the continent and advanced into the Eternal Kingdom. The Giant Guild acted to intercept them... ¡»


    It was a tragedy. The Giant Guild could only defeat 300 golems. The southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was ravaged. Chris was desperate as he looked at Pedro, swallowed up by a raging fire.


    ¡°How did this happen...?¡±


    One year and six months ago.


    When Chris became a viscount and gained Pedro, it had only been a small vige when he first arrived. In the past year and a half, Chris had developed it into a city. It was lost in an instant. All the buildings copsed, while thousands of NPCs turned into grey light. The damage would be difficult to repair.


    Chris was frustrated, but he had no choice but to watch as the golems advanced to the capital. The true destination of the mighty golem army was the north of the Eternal Kingdom. They nned to advanced from the south to the north through the capital.


    The great magician Braham did this just to draw Grid¡¯s attention.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    Humanity started to receive news through smartphones dozens of years ago. Nevertheless, newspapers still had a steady consumer base.


    The full subway. Some passengers were holding newspapers in their hands. The newspapers were published by different ces, shown by the different political stances. However, the newspapers all had the same headlines.


    [The Golem Army¡¯s Attack on the Eternal Kingdom!]


    One month after the National Competition. There hadn¡¯t been any special incidents in Satisfy, except for the fact that Kraugel was the first user to get a third advancement ss.


    The Inte was in an uproar.


    -Why the Eternal Kingdom?The Eternal Kingdom is neutral, so there shouldn¡¯t be any countries hostile towards them?What kingdom sent the golems to the Eternal Kingdom?


    -There are 17 kingdoms on the continent.They all have their own interests, so even a neutral kingdom isn¡¯t guaranteed to be safe.


    -To be able to send so many golems, isn¡¯t it impossible for one country alone to have that strength?It is impossible to control that many golems unless dozens of great magicians join forces.


    -Wow!Then several countries have united to attack the Eternal Kingdom...?


    -Is this the precursor to a massive episode?


    -No matter how high their numbers, golems are golems.How did the Giant Guild get smashed by the golems?


    Chris¡¯ level was 298 and he had the dignity of the third ranked user. The seven captains were top ranked users over level 260, and the average level of the 700 Giant Guild members was 180. It was honestly unbelievable that more than 1,000 golems with a maximum level of 200 could one-sidedly massacre the Giant Guild.


    As the world became increasingly confused, footage started to be shown around the world.


    ¡º This is a video of the Eternal Kingdom war that we just obtained. Watch this video and you will see how bad the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s current crisis is. ¡»


    The screen that switched.


    "Through this war, our Giant Guild will take one step further. Record this glorious moment carefully.¡±


    The video started with Chris talking to the camera.


    Kuuong!Kuwuong!


    The massive sound of footsteps shaking the ground was clearly heard from far away. The viewpoint of the camera, as well as Chris and the guild members¡¯ eyes, moved towards the horizon.


    Kuoooh!


    One, two, three. Tens, hundreds. Over 1,000 golems were slowly but surely approaching from the horizon. They gradually came closer. The appearance of the golems lined up was truly spectacr. It was like a ridgeline.


    The size of the golems varied. The names were also very unusual. There were around 1,000 ¡®old golems¡¯ that didn¡¯t look much different from existing golems, and 200 small golems with the same body shape as humans called ¡®soul dolls.¡¯ Finally, there were 12 extrarge golems exceeding 8m in height and 4m in width that were called ¡®ancient weapons.¡¯


    "The names are great.¡± Chris spoke warily. ¡°Based on the names alone, they seem much stronger than existing golems. In particr, those super-sized golems and humanoid golems.¡±


    The magician Ases, one of the seven captains and a specialist in petrification magic, came up with his own opinion.


    ¡°The humanoid golems look very difficult. We should take care of them first.¡±


    The advantages of a golem were their high physical defense and health. Instead, they were vulnerable to magic and rtively slow, making them easy to deal with. It was clear that if the humanoid golems had the existing strengths of a golem and were fast, they would be hard to deal with.


    Ases¡¯ments quickly convinced Chris.


    ¡°Okay. Take care of the humanoid golems.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    From then on, a splendid magical bombardment began. Ases and 200 magicians attacked the humanoid golems with their most powerful magic.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    An explosion urred in many parts of the wilderness and a dust storm rose. The camera became blurry and nothing could be seen in front. They suspected that the powerful magical bombardment wouldpletely destroy the 1,000 golems.


    However.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    After a while, the dust storm lifted and everyone was astonished. The golem army waspletely fine. They didn¡¯t even suffer minor damage from the magical bombardment of Ases and the other guild magicians.


    Ases¡¯ face turned white.


    "Anti-magic Shield...?¡±


    The Anti-magic Shield was a spell that blocked all types of magic. It was a perfect counter for magicians and ssified as S-grade magic, so it wasn¡¯t something that everyone could use. However, the golems were using Anti-magic Shields.


    Ases stared nkly at the pink transparent shields deployed by the 12 super-sized golems.


    ¡°No way. How is this possible?¡±


    The golems could use magic? In addition, it was S-grade magic? The Giant Guild couldn¡¯t understand it. In particr, Ases and the magicians lost their morale.


    ¡°I used all my mana...¡±


    "I used all the magic stored in my orb...¡±


    "We couldn¡¯t even do any damage...¡±


    "What should we do if the golems are immune to magic?¡±


    The Giant Guild¡¯s morale rapidly deteriorated. The golem army continued to advance and was gradually getting closer. Chris hurriedly ordered, ¡°We will change the target to the super-sized golems.¡±


    The magicians were useless as long as the super-sized golems used the Anti-magic Shield. That¡¯s why Chris decided to deal with the super-sized golems first, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Kuwaaah!


    The physical damage dealers and tankers tried to attack the huge golems, but the old golems blocked their way. Their appearance was simr to general golems, but they weren¡¯t ordinary.


    ¡°These damn things!¡±


    Chris and the damage dealers charged at the golems with theirrge, prearranged weapons. But the defense of the golems was umon. Their attacks didn¡¯t work as they wanted. They felt much more solid than the hardest iron golem.


    Chris realized that the situation was worse than he thought. He smashed a golem using his strongest technique.


    [You have destroyed an old golem.]


    [350,300 experience has been acquired.]


    In the case of a monster that was already hunted, the level and details could be grasped. Chris used this basic system to verify the information of the old golems.


    [Old Golem]


    Level: 240


    A relic of the past. A golem made of volcanic rock mixed with ck iron, making it harder than an iron golem. Existing magicians can¡¯t produce this level of golem.


    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    Existing golems had a level range of 50~200. However, the old golems were level 240. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for Chris and the seven captains, but they were too hard for the general guild members to deal with.


    Chris shouted.


    "Every three people organize into one group to fight!¡±


    The average level of the Giant Guild was 180. He judged that three members would be able to deal with one old golem. But the problem wasn¡¯t the old golems. The real crisis started once the 200 humanoid golems entered the battlefield.


    Pepeok!Kwakwang!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    "H-Hik!"


    The guild members were logged out in front of the swift and urate attacks of the humanoid golems. The perplexed Chris ordered the seven captains.


    "We will mark the humanoid golems! Kuk!¡±


    The strength of the humanoid golems transcendedmon sense. Not only were they fast, but theirbat skills were very good. Some of them wielded their fists and feet like a martial artist, while others used parts of their bodies like swords or spears. Even the seven captains found it hard if they were attacked by two or more humanoid golems.


    There were 200 of them.


    Kwajak!


    Chris defeated a humanoid golem and confirmed the details.


    [Soul Doll]


    Level: 280


    A battle doll made by capturing the soul of a warrior. The ego isn¡¯t maintained but the soul can demonstrate its original life¡¯s fighting skills.


    ¡®What is this fraudulent..!?¡¯


    The strength of the soul dolls was at the level of a field boss. What type of magician created these monsters? Chris got goosebumps. The battlefield was disadvantageous. Magic shields didn¡¯t help because of the Anti-magic Shield, and most guild members were too busy dealing with the old golems.


    The seven captains were unable to cope with the pincer attacks of the soul dolls. It had been less than 10 minutes after the fight started, and half of the guild members had already been logged out.


    ¡®It is finished.¡¯


    The S-rank guild quest exceededmon sense. Chris realized this and shouted angrily, ¡°These damn pieces of scum! I will smash one more of you before I die!¡±


    The soul dolls came from every direction. Chris wielded his greatsword at them. The third ranked user didn¡¯t fall down easily. Over time, all the guild members were logged out, but he survived and defeated hundreds of golems. But he wasn¡¯t invincible. Soon after his stamina was depleted, he left the battlefield. Then he could only helplessly scream as the golems destroyed Pedro.


    The war footage switched back to the news studio. The hosts and experts appeared with a serious expression.


    ¡º The biggest reason Chris was defeated in his match against Regas was because he was careless. As he proved now, Chris is much more powerful than what he showed in the National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. He¡¯s stronger than Regas, and not weak. But that alone can¡¯t stop the golem¡¯s advance. It¡¯s sad. ¡»


    ¡º In particr, the soul dolls are too powerful. Chris was only able to defeat four soul dolls. The ancient weapons are extraordinary, but they didn¡¯t directly participate in battle. Who is the creator of these mighty golems? ¡»


    ¡º The old golems and ancient weapons... Based on their name, they seem to be a heritage of the past. Maybe it is the legacy of the great magician Braham. ¡»


    ¡º Braham? Aren¡¯t you thinking too much? Even if the creator of these golems is Braham, what type of magician can control Braham¡¯s golems? ¡»


    ¡º Perhaps the golems are made by Braham¡¯s disciple. Well, it will be revealed gradually. Right now, the key question is whether or not the Eternal Kingdom can withstand the attacks of the golems. ¡»


    ¡º The military power of the Eternal Kingdom is very powerful. That¡¯s why they could exist as a neutral kingdom. But that is a story of when it is a human against human battle... They might be helpless against the golems. ¡»


    ¡º Then there is only one conclusion. Users, please leave for the Eternal Kingdom right now! It¡¯s a great opportunity to get a quest that will give you enormous rewards! ¡»


    The users and guilds already knew this and were moving towards the Eternal Kingdom. King Wiesbaden of the Eternal Kingdom gave a wide range of quests to prevent the unprecedented advance of the golems.


    [Fight the Golems]


    Difficulty: B~S


    The Giant Guild was brave enough to defeat the golems that crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom, but were eventually defeated. As a result, the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was destroyed and the golem¡¯s army is advancing towards the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.


    King Wiesbaden senses the crisis and summoned his troops from all over the kingdom. He is asking you to cooperate with them.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golems.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    After defeating an old golem, 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    After defeating a soul doll, 1,000 gold and 500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    After defeating an ancient weapon, 3,000 gold and 1,500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    100 gold was worth 120,000 won. In addition, umting 3,000 kingdom contribution could earn the user the title of a baron, and 10,000 contribution gave the title of a viscount. From the users¡¯ perspective, there was no reason not to join this quest. From all over the continent, tens of thousands of users gathered in the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡°Everyone! I have a party! We must make a party to defeat the golems!¡±


    In Satisfy, up to 24 people could join one party. The users formed parties and went to war. But could regr users handle the soul dolls that even the seven captains of the Giant Guild had difficulty with? It was a useless defense.


    Most parties barely managed to defeat one or two old golems, but they were easily destroyed by the soul dolls. The Anti-magic Shields didn¡¯t allow magicians to exert their power, so the battlefield went badly.


    And.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    Hundreds of users were logged out when the ancient weapons asionally fired a massive ray of magic energy, causing the Eternal Kingdom to face a crisis. The users didn¡¯t want to continue any further, forcing the Eternal Kingdom to fight against the golems with their own soldiers.


    King Wiesbaden was furious.


    ¡°What wicked person? Why? What purpose is there behind giving this trial to my kingdom?¡±


    On the other hand, a grocery store in the capital.


    Two girls was pushing through a crowd, struggling to get anything done.


    "I chose this ce because I heard it was the mostfortable ce for beginners to start, but what is this? We can¡¯t go hunting because of these big stones, so we can¡¯t do anything until the capsule room booking time ends.


    The ID of theining girl was ¡®Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯. It was a fairly childish name, but her face was really pretty. She actually was sexy. Her name was Park Yerim in reality. She was the best friend of Grid¡¯s younger sister Sehee. Sehee was the neat girl standing next to her.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    Sehee was in her second year of high school, and she was a girl who only knew about studying. She studied all day, except for jogging in the morning and yoga in the evening.


    Idol music, makeup, dramas, shopping, etc. She wasn¡¯t interested in all the hobbies that other girls her age enjoyed. She only went to school, the library, and home. Was studying interesting? No. It was due to her strong sense of responsibility. She was worried about her brother and determined to seed in order to support her family.


    But then her brother seeded. He became the best celebrity and was economically wealthy. Thanks to that, Sehee was able to escape the obsession that she should do well for her brother. She still studied, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have a hobby? She had room enough to think.


    And the thing she became most interested in was Satisfy. She couldn¡¯t ignore the game that many people in the world were enjoying, and a strong point was that she could enjoy it with her brother.


    Saturday at 1 p.m. Sehee visited a capsule room for the first time in her life with Yerim.


    ¡°Hey~ aren¡¯t the two of you really pretty? I will y with you, giving you items and helping you hunt. Just let me know your game IDs.¡±


    "Come here and sit down. I¡¯ll buy you some drinks.¡±


    Most of the capsule room customers were university students. Most workers enjoyed Satisfy at home by purchasing a capsule directly, but the capsule fee was too expensive for students. Some university students lied to their parents about going to school and headed to the capsule room instead.


    ¡°Wow~ that uniform! Young Ladies High School?¡±


    ¡°Wow. Isn¡¯t Young Ladies High School ranked in the top 10? These pretty girls are good at studying.¡±


    "Students of the Young Ladies High School are great. Please marry me. Yes~?¡±


    For university students who were interested in the opposite sex, the emergence of beautiful girls like Sehee and Yerim was an exciting event. They persistently clung to Sehee and Yerim.


    ¡®How cheap.¡¯


    To Yerim, these people looked like nerdy university students. She decided to teach these guys who didn¡¯t know the world about how fearful women could be by eating their items and capsule fees.


    Yerim¡¯s eyes curved as she started to smile. Sehee noticed Yerim was emitting her distinctive pose to deceive a man and urgently restrained her.


    ¡°Just ignore them.¡±


    Sehee hated all men except for her father and brother. She kept attracting men due to her innate beauty, but she found it annoying.


    "Hrmm~"


    If it was like the old days, Yerim would¡¯ve thoroughly tricked the university students without listening to Sehee.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t want to have any shes with my future sister-inw.¡¯


    Yerim easily followed Sehee¡¯s words. Afterwards, they connected to Satisfy and created a character in the city called Reinhardt, the capital of the Eternal Kingdom. As they were people experiencing virtual reality for the first time, they were astonished at the implementation of their five senses that was just like reality.


    Yerim moved her body back and forth, drinking in the clean air when she suddenly grumbled. ¡°What is this? Why don¡¯t you want to tell your brother that we started the game? Isn¡¯t it morefortable and enjoyable to y with him?¡±


    ¡°If Oppa knows that I started Satisfy, he¡¯ll order a capsule for me. Not long ago, I rejected his offer to buy me a capsule.¡±


    Yerim¡¯s eyes started sparkling.


    ¡°Youngwoo oppa is truly great. What brother would buy a 10 million won machine for his sister? It¡¯s on a different level from my brother. Then..." Yerim didn¡¯t understand why Sehee was reluctant to have her brother buy her a capsule. "If your brother wants to buy it, shouldn¡¯t you just ept gratefully? Why did you refuse?¡±


    Sehee was worried about her brother.


    "I don¡¯t want to spend money just because Oppa is making it. I want Oppa to value his money and save it.¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s poprity seemed eternal for now, but she didn¡¯t know about the future. What if one day, a virtual reality game bigger than Satisfy was released? At that time, her brother¡¯s ie would decrease. Sehee hoped that her brother would be someone who thought about the future.


    ¡°If I had a capsule, wouldn¡¯t I use it all the time? It¡¯s a luxury. Once I get a job and buy a capsule using my own money, then I¡¯ll tell Oppa that I¡¯m ying Satisfy.¡±


    Yerim clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Amazing, amazing. You¡¯re a very virtuous woman.¡±


    Someday when she married Youngwoo, it would be very tiring to have Sehee as a sister-inw.


    Yerim opened the map. Then along with Sehee, she started exploring Reinhardt. The scenery of Reinhardt was very beautiful, looking much bigger and more spectacr than medieval movies that cost hundreds of millions to produce. Due to the wealth of things to see, the two girls didn¡¯t know how to spend their time.


    "Those girls are pretty.¡±


    "An Oriental girl is white, but aren¡¯t they whiter than white? There are no ws. Aplete milky skin.¡±


    "They look likeplete noobs... Isn¡¯t there a chance to be friends if we help them on a quest or hunt?¡±


    In the end, Yerim and Sehee was followed by a lot of male users. Two girls with prominent beauty were walking beside each other, so it was natural for them to catch the attention of men. In particr, Yerim had the ID of Sexy Schoolgirl, so many men were interested.


    ¡®Schoolgirl...¡¯


    ¡¯Sexy Schoolgirl...¡¯


    ¡®Her ID is actually Sexy Schoolgirl...¡¯


    Gulp!


    The male users couldn¡¯t help gulping! Suddenly, a quest window appeared before them as they watched the girls with serpentine eyes.


    [Fight the Golems]


    Difficulty: B~S


    Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golems.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    After defeating an old golem, 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    After defeating a soul doll, 1,000 gold and 500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    After defeating an ancient weapon, 3,000 gold and 1,500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.


    "Huh, it is finally here.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the rewards greater than expected?¡±


    ¡°It means the opponents are tough. Anyway, it is good. This is an opportunity to reverse my life.¡±


    The users already knew that the golem army was advancing to Reinhardt. They rushed out of the city to defeat the golems. Meanwhile, Yerim and Sehee were confused after being given the quest.


    "I was just walking and I received a quest? Was it originally like this?¡±


    "What are golems?¡±


    ¡°I saw them in movies. They are giants made of stone, but very solid and strong.¡±


    ¡°Strong? Can we get rid of them?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know...¡±


    The male users approached the two stunned girls.


    "Golems are monsters that beginners can¡¯t deal with. Don¡¯t even think about leaving the city, or you will be wiped out in two minutes.¡±


    The users who approached with friendly smiles were armed with brilliant armor and weapons. It was in stark contrast to Sehee and Yerim, who wore shabby clothing. Yerim¡¯s eyes widened and glistened.


    ¡°Oh my, really? The rewards are too tempting. As beginners, do we have no chance for the rewards? Right?¡±


    Yerim¡¯s seduction was a truly great thing. The male users were dazzled by her eyes and nodded excitedly.


    "You can get the rewards if you party with us!¡±


    ¡°Really! We can defeat the golems, so you can get the rewards just by watching!¡±


    Yerim was pleased by the reaction andughed. Then she raised a hand and asked, ¡°So, who are the cool men who will invite us to the party?¡±


    ¡°Me!¡±


    "No,e with us, Sexy Schoolgirl!¡±


    "I have the highest level here! Come to our party!¡±


    Users over level 150peted to get two level 1 users into their party. As the situation grew bigger, Sehee sighed with a troubled expression while Yerimughed.


    Then after a while.


    The two girls were shocked at the cruel scene in front of them. The party of 22 men who were over level 150 left the gate and all 22 men were instantly defeated by a huge golem.


    "H-Hik!"


    ¡°S-Save me...!"


    Screams were urring everywhere. Sehee and Yerim were still underage so the protection system worked, meaning they didn¡¯t see blood sttering and wounds were blurred. But they still felt fear and disgust at the sight of people being killed by golems.


    ¡°Ooof...!¡±


    Sehee and Yerim were nauseous at the sight of people they just talked to dying, and fled back to the city.


    Originally, beginners slowly adapted to the system by hunting small creatures such as rabbits and deer. Therefore, the two girls received a big shock because they witnessed the death of humans as soon as they started Satisfy.


    ¡°It¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    "Oh my god, what is this terrible game?"


    Hundreds of thousands of people were crowded in the city. There were those who came to fight the golems realized the powerlessness and withdrew, the merchants, the frightened NPCs and the beginners.


    All types of people gathered. Sehee and Yerim were pushed by the crowd and suffered trying to take just one step.


    "We can¡¯t move because of all the people.¡±


    "Uhh I chose the city that was first ranked in the rmendations, so what is this situation?¡±


    It was at this time.


    Kuuong!Kuuong!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The huge 10m walls of Reinhardt were unable to cope with the magic energy fired by the ancient weapons and copsed.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    ¡°R-Run away!¡±


    The soul dolls and old golems moved through the destroyed walls and started to indiscriminately attack people.


    The armies of the nobles that were gathered from all over the ce resisted, but they were helpless. The average level of the soldiers was 60~90, so they died in one blow from the golems. Unless they were top rankers, the users also had difficulty.


    It was truly hell. Sehee and Yerim¡¯s first sight of Satisfy was truly terrible. They were in tears as they watched the expressionless golems killing the screaming users and NPCs.


    ¡°Scary...¡±


    ¡°Those cruel monsters are killing children! Bad people!¡±


    It was true. The golems were killing all humans indiscriminately. Even users who could resurrect again were running away from the golems, so what about the NPCs? Those who had a finite life tried their best to escape from the golems. But they were so many people that it wasn¡¯t easy to move. Some people died from being trampled by others.


    ¡°Ahhh! Mother! Mother!¡±


    A five year old child lost his mother in the crowd. He cried and fell down.


    Grrr...!


    Then a huge shadow covered the boy¡¯s small body. It was an old golem. It¡¯s huge hand descended towards the boy. Sehee was surprised and reflexively moved her body. There was no time for Yerim to stop her. Sehee was acting in the hope that she could somehow save that boy.


    Most users considered NPCs as artificial intelligences and masses of data, but Sehee had been in Satisfy for less than an hour and didn¡¯t know about NPCs.


    Kuuong!


    Sehee embraced the boy and prepared for death. The golem¡¯s merciless hand flew towards her back. People thought that both the boy and Sehee would die. But there were numerous knights and soldiers here in Reinhardt. It wasn¡¯t strange that someone found the people in crisis and ran to save them. Fortunately, their savior was very strong.


    Chaaeng!


    Phoenix, the strongest knight of the north, blocked the golem¡¯s hand with the Sword of Self-transcendence.


    "Flee with the child!¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you!¡±


    Sehee thanked him and lifted the boy. In a corner of her vision, notification windows emerged.


    [You are weak. Nevertheless, you have the spirit of sacrifice to save others. You will be an example to the people.]


    [You have reached the conditions required to be the growth type hidden ss ¡®Saintess.¡¯]


    A level 1 female user willing to sacrifice herself for a NPC. If someone fulfilled this condition in Satisfy, they would receive the hidden ss called ¡®Saintess.¡¯ The Saintess was Satisfy¡¯s strongest healer, who could heal with her own abilities without borrowing the divine powers of Goddess Reba. It was a hidden healing ss that could reign supreme in Satisfy, and the one who obtained it was the younger sister of the first legendary ss.


    ¡®A hidden ss?¡¯


    Sehee might be a beginner in Satisfy, but she knew the greatness of a hidden ss. A soul doll approached her as she was feeling stunned.


    "Danger!"


    This time, it was Yerim¡¯s turn. She pushed Sehee aside and faced the soul doll instead.


    At that moment. A blue greatsword fell from the sky.


    Peeeeeong!


    The soul doll hit by Grid was unable to cope with the shock and copsed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197


    Sword of Self-transcendence.


    Divine Shield.


    Thorn of Deep Grievance.


    Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer.


    Failure.


    Relieved Wave Armor.


    Fantastic Pickaxe.


    Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb.


    This was the list of legendary items that Grid made after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. He¡¯d made only eight legendary items in a period of a year and a half. From the viewpoint of the S.A. Group, it was a very small number. They were saddened that Grid couldn¡¯t show off his presence as a legendary cksmith.


    But from the standpoint of Grid who lived an unlucky life, eight legendary items was amazing. No, it was more urate to call them his salvation. Now Grid was in a state where he didn¡¯tin even if the items were normal or rare rated.


    "Hrmm..."


    There was a ¡®special event¡¯ when he made five legendary items, giving Grid a reward and punishment. His mind wasplicated after recently making a legendary item (Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb).


    Sooner orter, he would make 10 legendary items. Would the special event at that time be beneficial? Or would the punishment be bigger? He was full of expectations and fear. He was worried that the small amount of stats gained form unique rated items would disappear.


    ¡®Do I have be nerfed again?¡¯


    A nerfed Grid got +4 to all stats when making a unique rated item and a +10 to all stats when it was a legendary item. This was lower than the stats that ordinary cksmiths gained when making items. Realistically, the parts about stats acquisition was unlikely to be downgraded any more.


    Grid thought about it positively.


    ¡®Something good will surely happen when I make the 10th legendary item.


    He hoped for that day toe.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    A full day had passed since he returned to Bairan. Grid was making items while waiting for the Tzedakah Guild to choose. Based on the enlightenment he got from making the Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb, he sought to create a one-handed sword that improved the prototype¡¯s shorings.


    After a while.


    [Mass-produced One-handed Sword]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 171/171 Attack Power: 264


    Attack Speed: +8% uracy: +3%


    A weapon made by the legendary cksmith G.


    A one-handed sword that can be easily used by anyone, and is designed to exert high attack power.


    It¡¯s an aggressive design that references Dainsleif (Reproduction), and works to improve the disadvantages of the prototype.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. 1,000 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 1.


    ¡®A failure.¡¯


    Compared to the prototype, it had a much better bnce, but the conditions of use were too high. Of course, it was rather lowpared to other weapons of the same ss, but Grid wanted it to be a weapon that anyone could use.


    "Next time, I¡¯ll have to delete an option.¡±


    Thanks to the attack speed and attack uracy options, the usage conditions seemed to be higher. Grid decided to change the design to something simpler and cruder. Then he would change the materials to get more attack power.


    Didididi.


    His rm rang. He checked the upper left hand corner and confirmed that it was 12:50 p.m. in reality. Lunch time. Grid had to log out. Then Shin Youngwoo emerged from the capsule in reality.


    "Today is kan jajang.¡± (A different type of jajangmyeon.)


    A few months ago, Youngwoo had to worry about eating cold noodles or ramen noodles. He couldn¡¯t enjoy the luxury of eating expensive delivered food. But now the situation changed. Thanks to his economic sess, he could eat delivered food at will. It wasn¡¯t burdensome to eat the more expensive kan jajang over the normal jajangmyeon.


    This type of thing was a huge happiness for someone like Youngwoo. It was a happiness that only those who experienced poverty could understand. Youngwoo ordered the delivery and sat down on the sofa. Then he habitually turned on the TV.


    ¡®Will the Tzedakah Guild join me?¡¯


    The Tzedakah Guild had built up their reputation and memories, so they might not want to disband the guild.


    ¡¯But I overlooked that and even said those words... I¡¯m disappointed in myself.¡¯


    From Youngwoo¡¯s point of view, it was hard to be confident that the Tzedakah Guild woulde to him. It was fortunate they didn¡¯t call him a traitor for trying to withdraw from the guild.


    ¡®But Lauel told me to wait and believe, so let¡¯s hope.¡¯


    The new on TV was conveying the situation of Reinhardt, the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡º A huge 100,000 users gathered in Reinhardt to carry out the golem quest. In addition, nobles from all over the kingdom came withrge armies under the order of King Wiesbaden. ¡»


    ¡º This is the end of the golem¡¯s advance. No matter how strong they are, there are only 1,000 golems. Can 1,000 enemies deal with 100,000 users and 200,000 soldiers? ¡»


    It was the opinion of the experts, and Youngwoo agreed.


    "My father-inw brought 60,000 troops... Reinhardt will be safe.¡±


    Youngwoo hadn¡¯t seen the war video between the Giant Guild and the golems. It was because he was busy discussing with the guild and making items. He just knew that the golems were on their way to the kingdom¡¯s capital. So he thought it was easy to defeat the golems. He dismissed the invasion of Reinhardt as a small event.


    However.


    Kwaaaaah!


    He was able to see that the atmosphere was incredibly because he was watching the Reinhardt war video in real time.


    ¡°What are these golems? Why are they so strong?¡±


    The golems that invaded Reinhardt were beyondmon sense. They were too difficult for the normal users to handle, even when gathered in groups of dozens or hundreds. The NPC soldiers couldn¡¯t even survive one blow from the golems. The high level users and NPC knights were ughtered by the sleek humanoid golems.


    There was also the super-sized golems. There were exactly 12 golems that could use magic. Every time theyunched magic energy, hundreds of users and NPCs turned to grey light. They also protected the golems by using Anti-magic Shields to block the attacks of the human magicians.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Reinhardt quickly fell into a crisis. The walls crumbled and the users tried to get away. Despair filled the faces of the nobles and military leaders. Youngwoo thought it was absurd. Based on the video, the 12 super-sized golems were at least as strong as the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. And the 200 humanoid golems were like boss-sized monsters.


    What type of magician could make this golem?


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    Youngwoo was feeling doubts when his eyes suddenly widened. It was because he found a familiar face in the video where people were dying in Reinhardt.


    ¡°Sehee?¡±


    It was clearly Sehee. His sister Sehee was squatting in a corner of Reinhardt and shaking.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    The reason why Sehee was ying Satisfy didn¡¯t matter now. He threw his food on the table and rushed out. He headed straight to the capsule. He was determined to rescue Sehee before the food got cold.


    ***


    Winston Castle.


    Lauel sent a whisper to Grid like he had been waiting.


    -You came.A king¡¯s quest was granted to all users within the Eternal Kingdom a little while ago.The rewards are enormous, so why don¡¯t you try the quest?


    Then the [Fight the Golems] quest window emerged in front of Grid. Meanwhile, Irene came running.


    "Dear husband!¡±


    ¡°Irene?¡±


    Irene was teary-eyed. She rushed at the confused Grid.


    "The battle for Reinhardt isn¡¯t going well. I¡¯m anxious about my father."


    After the [Fight the Golems] quest, a new quest appeared.


    [Save Earl Steim]


    Difficulty: A


    The golems that invaded Reinhardt Capital are stronger than expected and the situation has worsened.


    Earl Steim is almost certainly in a crisis.


    Save him for Lady Irene.


    Quest Clear Conditions: The survival of Earl Steim.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Your affinity with Earl Steim will reach the maximum and you will be able to exercise great power in the north.


    Quest Failure: Level -1. If Earl Steim dies, Lady Irene will be locked in grief for a while. There is room for your marital rtions to worsen.


    "Please help my father.¡±


    Despite being a NPC, Irene was a precious person who taught Grid how to love. Grid didn¡¯t want to see her look sad.


    He decided. "I will bring Father-inw back unharmed. So don¡¯t worry and wait.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    He needed to arrive in Reinhardt as quickly as possible. But Grid hadn¡¯t been to Reinhardt so he couldn¡¯t measure the exact distance.


    -Lauel, what is the distance from Winston to Reinhardt?


    -It will probably take half a day if you use Fly.


    -This...


    Noe was too small to ride, so he needed help from a drake. He was about to call Huroi when Lauel gave him advice.


    -Euphemina is a Duplicator, and doesn¡¯t she always have a number of spells copied?She might¡¯ve duplicated Mass Teleport.


    He was truly smart. The impressed Grid sent a whisper to Euphemina.


    -Euphemina, do you have Mass Teleport avable?


    ¡°I do. It is precious magic that I¡¯ve saved, but I am willing to use it for you. What¡¯s the destination?¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s answer came from behind him. She had good timing as she was on standby in Winston. It was lovely.


    Grid smiled brightly and immediately replied. ¡°Reinhardt.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Are there no mighty warriors to deal with those golems? The shortage of talent is too great!¡±


    Reinhardt.


    King Wiesbaden screamed from the walls.


    The north¡¯s strongest knight, Phoenix. The west¡¯s strongest knight, Ector. The east¡¯s strongest knight, Kis. King Wiesbaden felt desperate, as there weren¡¯t enough people in the kingdom to deal with the golems except for these three and a few others.


    Even the royal bodyguards made up of elite knights were helpless in front of the golems. The hundreds of thousands of troops? They were useless. The soldiers stabbed with their swords and spears, but they couldn¡¯t even scratch the golems.


    Magic was necessary to deal with golems, but the magic had no effect because of the Anti-magic Shield. It was a total crisis. The city was rapidly copsing. Wiesbaden and the nobles prayed to the gods.


    ¡°Reba, goddess of light! Please give me strength to protect my kingdom and my people...!¡±


    The gods certainly existed. However, there were few cases where prayers seeded. The king and nobles knew this. In the end, the prayers dwindled.


    Kuuong!Kuuong!


    There was only the sound of walls and buildings copsed, as well as the screams of the people.


    ***


    ¡°All of them are gathered together."


    Happy, the 304th ranker on the unified rankings looked at the battlefield and clicked his tongue. Out of the 100,000 users in Reinhardt, 99,900 of them were average level users, so the situation went bad.


    "Sigh, I was expecting more.¡±


    The top ranking yers tended to engage in personal hunting rather than events. Happy once again realized that he had to leave Reinhardt. Most users were like him. How many of the 100,000 users gathered here were willing to fight in the hopes of protecting Reinhardt? Most of the people came to try out the quest, and there was no merit to them staying.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    There was a big fuss in North Street. The gazes of Happy and other users turned in that direction. Then they saw it. A female user wearing novice clothing was throwing herself over a NPC. The peopleughed.


    "Pfff, beginners are so pure.¡±


    "I agree. At first, I tried to save NPCs as well. Kilkil.¡±


    "Well, it¡¯s not like experience will drop when dying for a beginner. Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The users mocking the beginner turned their eyes towards the sky. It was the same for King Wiesbaden and the nobles on the wall. A bright light shed in the evening sky and started to grow.


    ¡°Mass Teleport?¡±


    A few people quickly figured out the identity of the light. Soon, a man and woman emerged from the light. There was a blonde girl with a lovely doll-like appearance and an Asian man.


    "This damn thing!¡±


    The Asian man who appeared from the Mass Teleport. He plummeted towards the ground while screaming.


    ¡°Get your hands off my sister!¡±


    His furious voice spread through Reinhardt. Everyone, including the users, NPCs and golems, turned their gaze towards the sky. Then they witnessed it at the same time. The blue greatsword reminiscent of a predator of that sea that smashed into the soul doll!


    ¡°Heok! T-That person!¡±


    ¡°G...God...!¡±


    The person who used the blue greatsword in the National Competition. He was an existence that all users in Satisfy knew. The first legendary ss. That¡¯s right. It was the moment when Grid appeared.


    The users cheered as they saw him.


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid has showed up!¡±


    ¡º Grid has appeared with exquisite timing! ¡»


    ¡º Doesn¡¯t this remind you of the scene in the National Competition a few months ago? ¡»


    ¡º A protagonist always followed the basic rule ofingte. ¡»


    The Reinhardt war video got the highest ratings as it was broadcasted through various channels around the world. Grid seeded in protecting Sehee and Yerim as the world watched.


    He shouted. ¡°Summon Knights! Huroi! Lauel! Jude!¡±


    Pak!Papat!


    In front of Grid, the strongest of the 10 Rookies appeared. There was also the first ranked orator Huroi that some people knew about. In addition, there was an NPC.


    ¡®Summon knights?¡¯


    ¡¯Truly God Grid...! He¡¯s be a noble!¡¯


    ¡¯He summoned three knights, so he is a viscount? Amazing...¡¯


    As people felt admiration, Gridmanded his party.


    ¡°Smash all these damn golems. First, I need to make a party with my sister.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was the moment when the struggle was about to begin.


    Gonna be busy this week for Christmas, so I¡¯m going to be posting all of this week¡¯s chapters today and tomorrow.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Sniffle! Thank you.¡±


    Shortly after Sehee rescued the NPC boy.


    Kiyaaak!


    A soul doll sprang towards Sehee.


    "Danger!


    Yerim moved. It was a reflexive action. She just wanted to help a friend in crisis, so Yerim pushed Sehee and became the target of the soul doll instead. She would¡¯ve done the same thing even if this was reality. Sehee was her only friend, so she was as precious as family.


    Anyway, the Satisfy system recognized her as a ¡®hero who saved the Saintess.¡¯


    [The Saintess is the symbol of wisdom and virtue.]


    [I apud your courage for making a sacrifice on behalf of the unique Saintess who will benefit the world.]


    [You can convert to the epic rated hidden ss, Saintess¡¯ Knight.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Yerim became stunned as she checked the odd notification window that appeared in front of her. She faced the soul doll¡¯s kick with her pretty face. At that moment. A blue greatsword fell from the sky like a lightning bolt.


    Peeeeeong!


    Kyaak!


    It was a truly amazing sight. The soul dolls were armed with spectacr weapons and armor, so they couldn¡¯t be defeated even when attacked in groups. Who was the person who saved them by showing strength on another dimension?


    Sehee and Yerim gazed at the man who descended from the sky. He had neat ck hair with a crown on top of it. He wore red and gold armor that matched with the ck boots. A cloak that emitted a bloody smell. Seven golden des revolved around him.


    He was a person who showed his absolute dignity in the National Competition. That person was Shin Youngwoo, Grid.


    ¡°Oppa?¡±


    The two girls¡¯ eyes fluttered. How did he know toe to this ce and save them? The girls felt like it was destiny.


    ¡®As expected from Oppa.¡¯


    ¡®He truly is my prince.¡¯


    ¡°Come this way.¡±


    Grid hid the girls behind his back and studied the situation. Hundreds of golems were approaching. They were red from the blood of the ughtered humans.


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid gritted his teeth. If he had been even a littleter, these damn bastards would¡¯ve hurt his little sister and her friend. The Grid from a month ago would¡¯ve rushed over to the golems straight away. But since Lauel joined him, his prudence had doubled every day.


    Yesterday, he had a slip of the tongue with the Tzedakah Guild members, but that didn¡¯t often happen.


    -Euphemina, how many golems are there?


    Euphemina observed Reinhardt from the sky and replied.


    -There are 733 old golems, 187 soul dolls and 12 ancient weapons.


    As a Duplicator, Euphemina had high insight. It was higher than Grid, whose insight was currently close to 1,000. Thanks to that, she could quickly and urately identity the number of golems.


    Grid nodded and measured thebat power of the golems.


    ¡®The old golems have abat power of 9,300, the soul dolls are 15,000 and the ancient weapons are 26,000...¡¯


    Grid frowned.


    ¡®The pope¡¯s attack power was 24,000.¡¯


    Even a difference of 100 was big when it came tobat power. Let¡¯s assume that 1 was the power of an ant and 100 was the power of an eagle. The ancient weapons had 2,000 morebat power than the pope, so they were hard to ignore.


    ¡®There are 12 opponents more powerful than the pope...¡¯


    Even the weakest of the old golems were stronger than the knights. Every soul doll was equivalent to a top ranker. Grid couldn¡¯t afford to take on these golems alone. Wasn¡¯t ¡®Fight the Golems¡¯ a cooperative quest in the beginning? Grid thought for a moment before shouting.


    ¡°Summon Knights! Huroi! Lauel! Jude!¡±


    Pak!Papat!


    It was the moment when the privilege of a noble was invoked. The called people appeared in a sh of light around Grid. Grid invited them and Euphemina to the party before saying.


    ¡°Smash all these damn golems. First, I need to make a party with my sister.¡±


    [Ruby has joined the party.]


    [Sexy Schoolgirl has joined the party.]


    ¡®Sister?¡¯


    They turned their gaze behind Grid. They were surprised to see two beautiful girls wearing novice clothing. The party information window showed they were only level 1.


    Lauel asked, "Do you n to be a bus?¡±


    Bus. It was a term used for high level users raising a low level user. In Satisfy, it was impossible to hunt in a party with a 35 level difference, because the low level user wouldn¡¯t gain any experience.


    "A level 1 noble will be born.¡±


    However, the rewards for a cooperative quest were shared equally among all party members. If Grid killed one golem, it was treated as all the party members killing one golem. And the rewards for the ¡®Fight the Golem quest were as followed:


    After defeating an old golem, 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution would be acquired.


    After defeating a soul doll, 1,000 gold and 500 kingdom contribution would be acquired.


    After defeating an ancient weapon, 3,000 gold and 1,500 kingdom contribution would be acquired.


    A user couldn¡¯t be an earl, marquis or duke just through contribution points. However, a baron required 3,000 points and a viscount 10,000 points to be upgraded, regardless of the level.


    In other words.


    ¡®Thanks to Grid, Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl can enjoy the game from level 1.¡¯


    Was this being born with a gold spoon?


    ¡®No... It is diamond cutlery, not a gold spoon. No, it is adamantium.¡¯


    Anyway, the world was unfair. Lauel became aware of this once again as Grid ordered.


    "Jude, Ruby and Se...xy Schoolgirl...¡±


    What was with this ID? Grid looked at Yerim incredulously. Yerim justughed at him. Grid sighed before speaking again.


    "Jude, protect Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl. The rest will help me deal with the ancient weapons.¡±


    The main reason for the NPC army and the users¡¯ck of strength was because magic attacks didn¡¯t work on the golems. In order to allow Euphemina and the other magicians to y an active role and to make the battlefield more favorable, they had to deal with the ancient weapons first.


    "Right? Lauel.¡±


    ¡°You are wise.¡±


    Lauelplimented and Grid grasped the +9 Failure. The thrilled Huroi shouted, ¡°My Lord! You are a divine being and nobody can block your way! All results will be done ording to your will!¡±


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [Your attack power and magic attack power will significantly rise for the next attack.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    A buff skill that was only possible for a second advancement orator was applied to Grid! He smiled and called out the name of his skill.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Transcended Link!¡±


    The goal was the ancient weapon 200m ahead. A total of 20 energy des that inflicted 150% of his damage per hit flew towards it. The golem that didn¡¯t allow one attack while advancing from the south of the Eternal Kingdom was hit.


    Kuuuuong.


    Transcended Link was a critical and caused the ancient weapon to fall to one knee. In the aftermath, the buildings in the area shook greatly.


    Kik.Kikik.


    The ancient golem suffered damage that was more than two-thirds of its health and made a bizarre sound. Then the Anti-magic Shield was turned off. Euphemina saw this and used magic from the sky.


    ¡°Storm Gravity Field.¡±


    Jjejejeok!


    A gravitational field 5m in diameter was created around the fallen ancient weapon. 10 old golems and one soul doll in the vicinity were also sucked into the gravitational field. Then on top of that.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A huge storm struck from the sky.


    [The Indecisive Mumud¡¯s Orb¡¯s option effect is activated, increasing magic damage by 100%.]


    [Magic damage has increased by 68%.]


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The golems shrieked from inside the storm. Their bodies slowly disintegrated and stone powder was spread all over the ce. Then Lauel came out. Armed with Grid¡¯s unique rated qi gun, Lauel proved why he was 1st on the qigong master rankings.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Scream.¡±


    It was a neat finish. The golems, trapped in the gravitation field, copsed due to the damage and soon turned to grey light.


    [You have destroyed an ancient weapon.]


    [3,342,000 experience has been distributed.]


    [You have destroyed a soul doll.]


    [87,300 experience has been distributed.]


    [You have destroyed an old golem.]


    [24,550 experience has been distributed.]


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    The golems had overwhelmed the hundreds of thousands of troops in Reinhardt with absolute strength. Yet they copsed due to thebination of only four skills, so people were amazed beyond admiration.


    In particr, Happy, who was ranked 304th.


    ¡®What type of monsters are they?¡¯


    Everyone knew that Grid was strong. But what about Huroi? As the only nonbat ss in the top 1,000 rankings, his strength was more than Happy imagined. Grid had obviously be twice as strong due to his fraudulent buff ability.


    Lauel was also more than rumored. His rapid growth seemed to be rted to the huge qi gun on his shoulder.


    There was also the person called Euphemina...


    ¡®Who is she?¡¯


    She was apletely unfamiliar person, but she was a powerful magician who seemed to have the strength of the 5th ranked Yura. Finally.


    "Ruby. Sexy Schoolgirl. Jude will protect them.¡±


    Kwaaaaang!


    The NPC was armed with the ck sword that Grid used to defeat Bondre in the National Competition, and was overwhelming three old golems alone.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    People were so surprised that they couldn¡¯t help huping. As hups were heard from all directions, Grid wasn¡¯t feeling very impressed.


    "These golems, why don¡¯t they drop items?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t always answer Grid¡¯s questions.


    ¡º Grid doesn¡¯t just have outstanding ability as an individual. He also has strong knights. ¡»


    ¡º In particr, the user called Euphemina used S-grade magic without any casting time.. She must have a hidden ss. ¡»


    ¡º The conclusion is that we must praise God Grid. ¡»


    The anchors and experts rying the Reinhardt war situation praised Grid. Theizens were the same. It has been a long time since the National Competition, so they watched the exciting battle video and praised God Grid. The seeds of praising Grid were nted in Satisfy.


    It was the same for Wiesbaden, king of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡°Ohh...! Who¡¯s the brave person who is dealing out justice to the cruel golems? Goddess Reba heard our prayers and sent us a mighty warrior...!¡±


    Earl Steim proudly exined.


    "He¡¯s my son-inw."


    Earl Steim cleared his throat and proudly stuck out his chest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199


    "Son-inw?¡±


    The fact that Earl Steim¡¯s son-inw was amoner had now spread through the kingdom. The royal family and nobles thought that Earl Steim was crazy. What idiot would marry his sessor to amoner instead of a political force or a rich noble?


    Earl Steim was over 60 years old, so they thought he had be senile. But now...


    ¡®It was like this. Such a sly snake wouldn¡¯t pass on his only sessor to some rabble.¡¯


    ¡¯Despite being amoner, he has great abilities.¡¯


    ¡®So reliable... I¡¯m envious.¡¯


    The nobles saw the ck-haired man as a heroic warrior. Didn¡¯t he defeat an ancient weapon that couldn¡¯t be scratched by hundreds of thousands of troops?


    King Wiesbaden was amazed. "Your son-inw is a hero fighting for the kingdom! Earl Steim¡¯s acumen is truly amazing! Your presence if the light of hope for this kingdom!¡±


    There were two dukes and three marquis in the Eternal Kingdom, but Earl Steim had the highest authority. It was because his family was able to build up his power by defending and developing the north over three generations. Thus, many nobles were watching out for Earl Steim. The king praised Earl Steim, so the nobles became nervous.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way to stop the rise of Earl Steim.¡¯


    ¡®He might be a marquis due to this achievement.¡¯


    Several shrewd nobles started to tter Earl Steim.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Having a heroic warrior as a son-inw, your abilities are really impressive.¡±


    ¡°The power of the earl, who has obtained a heroic warrior, will affect other countries. I respect you.¡±


    Heroic warrior! This meant they were someone who was talented and brave, and who alone could exert the value of hundreds of thousands of troops. A person of this era who deserved to be admired.


    Earl Steim was annoyed at the nobles who misunderstood Grid.


    "My son-inw isn¡¯t a heroic level warrior...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Aren¡¯t you too humble?¡±


    The nobles thought that Earl Steim was being modest. They misunderstood and thought he was managing his image. But what was the truth?


    "My son-inw is a heroic warrior, but a legendary warrior! Hahahahat!¡±


    "...¡±


    It was the moment when Earl Steim¡¯s pride in his son-inw reached the peak. The king and nobles were embarrassed.


    ¡®What is he saying now...?¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s too arrogant just because we ttered him a little bit.¡¯


    They thought Earl Steim was bluffing. It was natural. There were only nine legendary warriors in history. After Pagma and Sword Saint Muller, only one legendary warrior had appeared in thest 100 years. Now Earl Steim was calling his son-inw a legend? Wasn¡¯t this more arrogant than necessary?


    "My son-inw, isn¡¯t he the greatest? Hahahat!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    The king and noblesughed at Earl Steim.


    ***


    Reinhardt¡¯s West Street.


    Kiyaaak!


    "Ugh!"


    The army from the north were facing a major crisis.


    They were hit by rays fired by ancient weapons in session, and had already lost one-third of their troops. The old golems were pushing the soldiers and the knights were struggling against the soul dolls.


    Captain Phoenix, who they had been relying on, left for a while to save a boy and girl, so the situation be more desperate.


    ¡°H-Help me...! Kuak!"


    "Ugh! My wife in Winston will be a widow today... Please remarry a better man...¡±


    Kyaak!


    Three soul dolls entered into the gap between soldiers and swung a sword made up of parts from their bodies. The series of assaults caused many victims.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Winston¡¯s knight, Romeo Laniche, hade as part of Earl Steim¡¯s troops. He was stabbed in the stomach by a soul doll.


    Flop!


    He fell to the ground and gazed up at the sky, thinking about his old colleague. Knight Deck, who lost his life while facing the Awakened Guardian of the Forest for Viscount Grid. Romeo smiled at the thought of reuniting with an old friend.


    ¡°Deck... I will be your sparring opponent again in the afterlife...¡±


    He had stepped down from the line of session for Viscount Laniche. He was bachelor and only cared about training. He had no regrets about leaving this world because he didn¡¯t have a wife or child to worry about. Just,


    ¡®It is too bad that I haven¡¯t dated in awhile.¡¯


    Romeomented as he closed his eyes. He was prepared to ept death. But he couldn¡¯t die.


    "I can¡¯t watch my wife¡¯s knight die before my eyes. She will be sad.¡±


    Jeeeong!


    It was Grid. He killed the soul doll with a blue greatsword and threw a potion at Romeo.


    "Viscount Grid...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this an exquisite moment of salvation? Romeo and the Winston soldiers were thrilled.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Romeo didn¡¯t expect it, but he was joyful after he was saved. He bowed to Grid who said, ¡°Stay alive and pay me 50 gold. It¡¯s the value of the potion.¡±


    ¡°...The price of this potion is 8 gold.¡± Romeo said carefully, but it was useless.


    It was because Grid had already left this ce. He was heading towards the center of the gathered soul dolls and old golems that were ughtering the northern army.


    ¡°Viscount Grid!¡±


    The knights and soldiers were worried about Grid. It was hard to imagine that Grid would be safe alone against all those strong golems. However, Grid was a legend. He fought alone against Pope Drevigo, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest, Neberius of the Yatan Church and the great demon Hell Gao. The ancient weapons might be different, but the old golems and soul dolls couldn¡¯t do any harm to him.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.¡±


    He dodged the golems¡¯ attacks while dancing. The muscles that squeezed during the dance were released at once. At the same time, the blue greatsword moved explosively. 21 blue and white energy des sped through the air at a terrible speed,pressing all the air it passed through.


    "...¡±


    Silence fell. The knights, soldiers and golems were all silent.


    "This is the time.¡±


    After Grid spoke,


    Pipit!Pipipipipit!


    Thepressed air exploded, breaking the bodies of the old golems and soul dolls into dozens of pieces.


    Kukukukukung!


    The golems scattered as pieces of stones. Grid stepped forward. This gaze was directed at the ancient weapon 100m ahead.


    ¡°My Lord! I¡¯m ready!¡± Huroi shouted as he followed Grid.


    Grid responded to him. "I am also ready.¡±


    The voice of an orator rang through Reinhardt.


    ¡°The world is watching My Lord! Show them your dignity! I, Huroi, will help you with my strength!¡±


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [Your attack power and magic attack power will significantly rise for the next attack.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    Huroi¡¯s ¡®Morale Boost¡¯ buff skill had a cooldown time of 10 minutes. It meant that 10 minutes had passed since the first ancient weapon was defeated, and it was the moment that Grid would turn the battlefield upside down again.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage! Fly.¡±


    Grid used his own buff skill and flew into the sky. It was the sight of a cksmith holding a big sword in one hand while using magic. People witnessed it many times in the National Competition, but they were still impressed.


    ¡º God Grid hase forward! ¡»


    The cries of the program anchors rying Reinhardt¡¯s war situation resonated through the TVs.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    A white light surrounded the blue greatsword, like the sight of the universe in a dark night sky. Grid approached the ancient weapon from the sky, while unfolding a sword dance like a butterfly. The air around him was heavy, due to all the hatred and killing intent. It was a precursor of a disaster.


    [Linked Kill]


    A minimum of three to seven blows will be randomly generated that will deal 1500% damage per hit (the current damage of Kill -300%).


    The hundreds of thousands of NPCs and users in Reinhardt. In addition, the hundreds of millions of viewers watching it in real time.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    The greatest skill that he used to defeat Hell Gao was activated.


    Roaaaaar!


    The ancient weapon whose height exceeded 8m. The white glow from the blue greatsword aimed at the giant¡¯s head.


    Jjejeong!


    [Critical!]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 6,250,900 damage to the target.]


    The second blow.


    Jjejejeok!


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 2,238,400 damage to the target.]


    The third blow.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    [You have dealt 445,200 damage to the target.]


    The fourth blow.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 4,851,000 damage to the target.]


    "...¡±


    This was the perfect deadly move that made the world shocked. The head of the ancient weapon waspletely destroyed.


    Kung!Kukung!Kukukukung!


    The scattered rocks fell like meteors, destroying the surrounding buildings.


    Kukukukukung...


    The ancient weapon sat down silently. Lauel scratched his head while looking at the dust that rose. "This time, I didn¡¯t have a chance to act.¡±


    In fact, Lauel was sweating. He didn¡¯t know that Grid was this strong.


    ¡®Did he not show all of his skills in the National Competition?¡¯


    Gulp.


    Lauel gulped while Sexy Schoolgirl shouted excitedly, ¡°Oppa is so cool!¡±


    This was the beginning.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    Starting with the Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯s cry, all the NPCs and users in Reinhardt started shouting.


    ¡°L-Legendary...!¡±


    The mouths of the king and nobles on the walls looked like a goldfish¡¯s mouth. Earl Steim¡¯s power soared into the sky today. On the other hand, Grid was grumbling. "These damn golems don¡¯t give items to the end. They also give less experience.¡±


    Lauel clicked his tongue from his spot on the ground.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these golems quest monsters? Every time you hunt, you can earn 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution. Isn¡¯t this enough?¡±


    Grid tsked. "Why can¡¯t I be greedy? Isn¡¯t it natural to wish for more?¡±


    Lauel was amazed by his words.


    ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone like this.¡¯


    Indeed, there seemed to be no end to Grid¡¯s greed. While they were caught off guard,


    Kikik.Kik.


    A strange sound was heard from the body of the ancient weapon.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The seven golden des moved before Grid could react. The moment that the golden des gathered together to protect Grid.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    A powerful explosion urred around the body of the ancient weapon.


    [You have suffered 591,140 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid was swept away by the st and crashed into the ground. The astonished Huroi, Lauel and Euphemina ran towards him. Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl were pale and stuck in their ce like a stone statue.


    At the same time. In the golembyrinths scattered all over the continent, Braham¡¯s murmur rang out.


    [My golems will grow as they fight and will eventually destroy Grid. I will teach you a lesson. Then... Huh?]


    The 28 scattered pieces of Braham¡¯s soul became agitated.


    [What power is this?]


    As Braham was feeling confused, a notification window appeared in front of all users connected to Satisfy.


    [The Saintess, an existence with superior wisdom and virtue, has emerged.]


    [The Saintess will be an example for the people and will benefit the whole world.]


    ¡°...Sehee?¡±


    Reinhardt.


    Grid was surprised. It wasn¡¯t because of the notification window in front of him, but because the status of the party window had changed.


    Name: Ruby


    Level: 1


    ss: Saintess


    "Don¡¯t hurt my brother!¡±


    Sehee rarely showed her true feelings. Her warm touched started to heal Grid¡¯s ragged body.


    [20% of your total health has been restored.]


    "... Percentage heal?¡±


    The strongest healer in Satisfy appeared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200


    Kuaaaaaaang!


    There was a sh of light from the ancient weapon and a powerful explosion urred. Everything within a radius of 15m was destroyed.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Sehee became pale as she witnessed Grid being swept up in the explosion. Grid¡¯s health in the party window was at the very minimum.


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Huroi and Lauel had only seen Grid¡¯s invincible appearance. Grid dying in battle? They never even imagined it. The two people filled with severe confusion and the panicked Euphemina ran towards Grid. On the other hand, Grid was relieved and surprised.


    ¡°Ouch... Why did an explosion ur all of a sudden? I have a headache.¡± Grid questioned it. He grumbled as he rose from his spot.


    Exactly one. He only had one point of health left. Thanks to this one point, he didn¡¯t die. It truly was like a miracle.


    The excited Huroi shouted, "The heavens helped you!¡±


    Lauel was relieved. "It is hard to believe that you survived that explosion. What type of defense do you have?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t higher than most people. It is the power of items?¡±


    Grid spoke with a smile, but he was inwardly ufortable.


    ¡®I lost my insurance.¡¯


    The reason why Grid could be confident in battle every time was because he believed in his invincible passive. Compared to ordinary users, he had two lives. Now that he lost his invincible passive, he was forced to cower.


    ¡®The cooldown of the invincible passive is one day...¡¯


    Grid decided that he should be cautious. Then he asked Lauel. ¡°The first one didn¡¯t explode. Then why did the second ancient weapon explode? What is the rule?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to guess urately with only two examples. The best we can do now is fight with the assumption that the 10 remaining ancient weapons will explode after death.¡±


    ¡°That means we need to leave immediately after killing...¡±


    Grid was looking troubled when the golems started to gather from all directions. It was the worst situation. The golems scattered throughout Reinhardt all started targeting Grid. There were 800 of them. Grid¡¯s group had destroyed a lot, but there were still many of them left. It was a life or death crisis.


    "It seems that you drew the aggro after sessively killing the ancient weapons. Euphemina, have you duplicated Heal?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t. The Reba priests are so precious that I didn¡¯t have many opportunities to duplicate Heal.¡±


    ¡°Retreat.¡±


    Grid needed time to recover. Huroi and Lauel tried to get him to escape, but the soul dolls¡¯ speed was too fast.


    Kyaak!


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Huroi barely prevented the onught from the soul dolls and sat down after being stabbed. It was difficult for him to deal with the soul dolls with his skills. He barely managed to survive thanks to the protection of his drake. Lauel was also vulnerable when it came to closebat.


    Euphemina tried to support the two, but it was no use because of the Anti-magic Shield.


    In the end, Grid had only one way out. In the past, he would¡¯ve saved his life by running away alone. However, now he had no thoughts of throwing away hispanions.


    "Support me from the rear.¡±


    Grid had been sitting in order to speed up his recovery, but now he stood up. Then he stepped out in front of the part and took the finest potion.


    [7,500 health has been be restored.]


    ¡°Che.¡±


    If hebined all his items and titles, Grid¡¯s health was close to 60,000. The recovery amount of 7,500 wasn¡¯t great.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Grid became aware of the danger of allowing attacks and his movements became very passive. He couldn¡¯t help sweating as 100 soul dolls and 700 old golems came at him. He defended with the pavranium while waiting for the cooldown time of the potion to run out.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The 10 ancient weapons in different locations fired their rays of magic power, further pushing Grid on the defensive.


    "Protect Viscount Grid!¡±


    The northern troops from Winston tried to help Grid¡¯s party. But it didn¡¯t help much. The casualties kept increasing. Grid felt regret.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve worn Doran¡¯s Ring in advance.¡¯


    Grid had be better at using Doran¡¯s Ring in battle. He wore Doran¡¯s Ring the moment the enemy used a powerful skill in order to maximize the recovery effect. But he didn¡¯t wear Doran¡¯s Ring in battle.


    He was too overconfident. As a result, he couldn¡¯t cope with the sudden explosion of the ancient weapon and couldn¡¯t use Doran¡¯s Ring to restore his health. So now he was in a crisis.


    ¡°Oppa...!¡±


    Grid was dealing with the golems with a low amount of health. He was visibly struggling to Sehee.


    ¡®I want to help.¡¯


    Sehee didn¡¯t want to see her brother being harassed. She also didn¡¯t want to ignore the soldiers dying for her brother. More power was needed.


    "I will be a Saintess.¡±


    Immediately after the announcement that she could be a Saintess, a golden exmation mark appeared on one side. Unlike her brother, Sehee immediately realized what this exmation mark was.


    ¡®If I click on this, I can go through the process of bing a Saintess?¡¯


    Ttalkak.


    Sehee touched the exmation mark. Then the warm voice of a woman started to flow into her brain.


    [The Saintess must be a role model for everyone. If you be the Saintess, you are obliged to do 50 or more good works every month. If you vite this rule, you will be deprived of your status and won¡¯t be able to be a Saintess again.]


    [It isn¡¯t possible for a Saintess to acquire any skills other than ss specific skills.]


    [A Saintess can only use ss specific weapons.]


    [Do you still want to be a Saintess after knowing these facts?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Swaahh!


    After answering, Sehee¡¯s body started to shine with a warm golden light. The notification windows shed before her.


    [You have be the growth type hidden ss, a Saintess.]


    [A Saintess ss starts at the epic rating. You must meet certain conditions in order to raise the rating.]


    [You have obtained the Saintess ss weapon, Wooden Staff. As the ss rating grows, the rating of the weapon will also grow.]


    [The Goodness stat has been opened.]


    [The Composure stat has opened.]


    [The skill Hope has been created.]


    [The skill Discipline has been created.]


    [The skill Benevolent Light has been created.]


    [The skill Upright Heart has been created.]


    [The title ¡®Everyone¡¯s Role Model¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The skill Sacrifice has been created.]


    [Congrattions! You are a unique existence in Satisfy. Your great power to heal others without borrowing from divine power is backed by a strong sense of responsibility.]


    Sehee wasn¡¯t a fool. She equipped the Wooden Staff and quickly discovered what skills could help her brother.


    [Wooden Staff]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 200/200 Attack Power/Defense: 133


    * All stats +50.


    A staff made of unidentified wood. It is very hard and can¡¯t be cut by a sword.


    There are no special features yet.


    Conditions of Use: Saintess.


    Weight: 180


    [Hope]


    Skill Rating: Epic


    Randomly recovers 10~30% of the target¡¯s maximum health.


    Skill Mana Consumption: 10% of your maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute and 30 seconds.


    * The skill rating will increase as the ss rating increases.


    [Discipline]


    Skill Rating: Epic


    After restoring the party member¡¯s condition, the status conditions immunity effect will be given for a certain period of time.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    * The skill rating will increase as the ss rating increases.


    [Benevolent Light Lv. 1]


    Restores the health of the party members, including yourself, by 3,500 + (Goodness x 3 + Intelligence x 2).


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.


    [Upright Heart Passive]


    Skill Rating: Epic


    Immune to all abnormal conditions.


    You will give off a feeling of threat to vampires, demonkin and other such corrupt beings.


    * The skill rating will increase as the ss rating increases.


    [Sacrifice]


    Skill Rating: Epic


    Resurrects the dead in return for your health and mana dropping to 1 point. This skill can¡¯t be used on NPCs.


    This skill will do huge damage when used on a corrupt being.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    * The skill rating will increase as the ss rating increases.


    She needed to use the Hope skill to help her brother. She wascking mana at level 1, so Hope and Sacrifice were the only skills she could use. Sehee was determined to reach Grid, but Jude restrained her.


    "Ruby. Sexy Schoolgirl. You shouldn¡¯t go to that dangerous ce. You must be safe. It is Viscount Grid¡¯smand.¡±


    Sehee saw that Jude was a simple person and easily convinced him.


    "Do you think that our lives are more important than the life of Viscount Grid? We aren¡¯t the ones in danger right now, it¡¯s Grid. If we don¡¯t help him, he might lose his life.¡±


    "... Viscount Grid is more important.¡±


    Jude grabbed the ck greatsword with both hands. Then he ran 150m to the ce where Grid was located, mercilessly breaking through the old golems and soul dolls.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    Kiyaaaaak!


    After Grid¡¯s nurturing, Jude¡¯s strength was now at 2,080.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Among the top rankers, it was extremely rare to have a strength exceeding 2,000. In addition, the power of the +8 Dainsleif that Jude wielded with all his power wasparable to Grid¡¯s offensive power, making it difficult for the old golems and soul dolls to endure.


    In the end, Sehee was able to approach Grid safely thanks to Jude.


    ¡°Sehee?¡±


    "Don¡¯t hurt Oppa!¡±


    Sehee used the Hope skill and a warm light surrounded Grid¡¯s body.


    [20% of your total health has been restored.]


    [The option effect of the Holy Light Armor has increased the power of recovery magic by 300%.]


    [35,580 health has been restored.]


    It was the moment when the strongest healer and the best armor evoked a massive synergy effect.


    "... Percentage heal?¡±


    Grid was astonished. His sister was a beginner, but then she suddenly became a Saintess and could use a healing skill?


    Sehee shouted while he was confused, "Oppa, aren¡¯t you the best? Go and smash these bad guys!¡±


    The best? He was the pathetic person who did nothing for 28 years and worried his family. Grid was thrilled.


    ¡®Thank you, Satisfy.¡¯


    He became the legendary Pagma¡¯s Descendant in Satisfy and was able to change his life. The worst person turned into the best.


    ¡¯Without Satisfy, I would still be living a trivial life...¡¯


    At this moment, Grid was able topletely remove his shame at his pathetic past self and he felt his blood boiling. Aura sprang up around him. He felt stronger than when he received Huroi¡¯s Morale Boost buff. Thanks to Sehee¡¯s heal, he recovered 40,000 health. Therefore, he started his sword dance with confidence.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Wave!¡±


    Roaaaaar!


    Hundreds of blue-white waves of energy spread all over the ce. The golems directly attacked by him suffered great damage and suffered a slow debuff at the same time. But there were many more golems unaffected.


    Kiyaaak!


    The attacks of the soul dolls randomly struck Grid¡¯s body. Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. He kept attacking as he was being hit. Grid had the strong healer called Sehee behind him, so he was able to use hisbat style that required no control to destroy the soul dolls.


    [You have suffered 3,300 damage.]


    [You have dealt 20,900 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 2,930 damage.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 44,200 damage to the target.]


    [You have suffered 3,080 damage.]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 101,500 damage to the target.]


    [You have destroyed a soul doll.]


    [15% of your total health has been restored.]


    [The option effect of the Holy Light Armor has increased the power of recovery magic by 300%.]


    [26,685 health has been restored.]


    ¡°Sehee! You¡¯re really the best! The best! Puhat! Puhahahat!¡±


    This synergy between brother and sister was truly good. Grid couldn¡¯t stopughing. His momentum increased as he fought.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Now Sehee was level 13. She got a lot of experience in return for using healing on the level 270 Grid.


    "...¡±


    Huroi, Lauel and Euphemina were speechless at the sight. A ss that could only use heals from level 1? Yet the amount of healing was so enormous? Didn¡¯t this rival the heals of high level priests? In particr, Euphemina received a great shock.


    [You have failed to observe the target¡¯s skill.]


    [You have failed to observe the target¡¯s skill.]


    [You have failed to observe the target¡¯s skill.]


    It has been a very long time since she failed to observe Grid and Agnus¡¯ skills.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201


    [You have failed to observe the target¡¯s skill.]


    She tried a few more times but it was the same result. Euphemina became certain.


    ¡°A Saintess is a ss that has at least a unique rating.¡±


    "Based on what?¡±


    Lauel made a disbelieving expression, causing Euphemina to exin.


    ¡°A Duplicator has a clear limit as an epic ss. It¡¯s impossible for me to duplicate skills that have a higher rating than myself.


    ¡°In other words... You failed to duplicate Ruby¡¯s skill?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The only skills that I have failed to duplicate after raising my insight to a certain level belonged to Grid and Agnus... It is an experience I haven¡¯t suffered in a long time.¡±


    ¡°Agnus?¡± The 7th ranked Agnus was known to have an epic ss. He was surprised by Euphemina¡¯s words. "Agnus is an epic ss, so isn¡¯t he equivalent to you? So why did your Skill Observation fail?¡±


    "He must have a growth type hidden ss.¡±


    "Like Hurent?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Growth type sses are considered to have a higher rating than epic sses, so I can¡¯t duplicate his skills.¡±


    Agnus was someone thoroughly wrapped in a veil of mystery. He never showed up in public. Traces of him could only be found in the rankings list or from NPCs. He changed his appearance every time, so there were rumors that he was an NPC instead of a user, or a game operator, or so on.


    However, Euphemina seemed to be familiar with Agnus, so this was an opportunity for Lauel.


    ¡°What exactly is Agnus¡¯ ss?¡±


    ¡°At first I thought he was a necromancer type, but considering the various features, it is more appropriate to call him a lich.¡±


    ¡°Lich? You mean an undead?¡±


    Lich were one of the strongest undead. They transcended the concept of life and death, and were known to have infinite magic power. If Agnus was a lich, it was reasonable to assume that he was stronger than Grid.


    "On the surface, he doesn¡¯t seem to be an undead, but... It¡¯s a bit difficult to exin. You¡¯ll know if you meet him.¡±


    Lauel showed great interest. ¡°Where should I go to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being very active? Are you perhaps thinking about trying to get Agnus as Grid¡¯s subordinate? I would forget about it. Agnus is a very dangerous and abnormal figure. It isn¡¯t possible to have a positive oue when you get in touch with him.¡±


    ¡°... I will listen to you.¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯t the important thing right now. Grid¡¯s sister had obtained a hidden ss that at least had a unique rating.


    ¡®Did those siblings receive the blessing of the game gods?¡¯


    The older brother was the first legendary ss, while the younger sister received a hidden ss at level 1. It was clear that Grid and his sister had saved a country in a previous life.


    ¡®Anyway, this is good.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s power was grounded on the basis of being the best after Duplicator Euphemina and then Saintess Ruby joined. This would grow further if the Tzedakah Guild joined. Lauel envisioned a brilliant future, causing his mind to spin faster than before.


    ¡®Grid and his sister are fighting well, but it isn¡¯t good to drag this out.¡¯ A stamina system existed for users. Stamina would decrease the longer the battlested, so even Grid would face a crisis. ¡®The golems are only concentrating on Grid. And the ancient weapons will probably explode every time they die. Then...¡¯


    Lauel shouted as he came up with a way to end this battle thatsted nearly 30 minutes.


    ¡°Grid! Drive all the golems towards the ancient weapons!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The golems were endlesslying towards him! Grid was enjoying the battle due to Sehee¡¯s strong support, and he saw the golems as chunks of experience. He turned his gaze towards Lauel and then frowned.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much? I have to deal with the ancient weapon at the same time. Do you want me to die?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t understand Lauel¡¯s intent. Unlike his sister, he was stupid, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Kuwaaaang!


    ¡°Dragon ws.¡± Lauel used an earth barrier to block the magic power heading towards Grid and shouted again. ¡°Just do as I say! Focus on defeating the ancient weapon and run away immediately!¡±


    In Satisfy, qi was a different concept of mana. For this reason, there was a separate ss called the qigong master. The Anti-magic Shield wasn¡¯t immune to skills of a qigong master.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Whispers!¡±


    [The amount of damage the target will receive has increased by 30%.]


    Kukukukung!


    The ancient weapon was affected by Lauel¡¯s skill and started to twitch. Grid confirmed this and reached out to Jude.


    "Jude, let me borrow your sword for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll willingly do it.¡±


    Float.


    Grid put the +8 Dainsleif in his inventory and used Fly. Sehee used Hope on him once again and Huroi cast a buff skill.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He had full health. The strongest buff skill was nestled in his body. The best. An invincible feeling. There was nothing to fear in this world. It was just...


    ¡®The kan jajang would¡¯ve already be soggy.¡¯


    Won¡¯t the food be tasteless? It was quite annoying, but he still felt good. His dear sister andpanions. Now that they were enjoying Satisfy and relying on each other, Grid was truly happy. He had lived a lonely life without any friends, so this experience was truly precious to him.


    Ssik!


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and flew towards the ancient weapon that received the debuff from Lauel. He was like an eagle flying towards his prey.


    Kiyaaak!


    The old golems and soul dolls ignored the others, only chasing after Grid. Grid was annoyed by them, but recalled Lauel¡¯s words and ignored them.


    Kuoooh!


    The ancient weapon remained silent as Grid approached, thenunched its magic power. It was evidence that the golems were intelligent.


    "Che!"


    Grid judged that it was too close to avoid and wore Doran¡¯s Ring.


    [You have suffered 23,900 damage.]


    [Healing effects will be reduced.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The options of Doran¡¯s Ring and the Holy Light Armor have been applied to restore 35,850 health.]


    ¡®Healing effect reduction?¡¯


    That hadn¡¯t existed before. Grid became convinced. The ancient weapons were steadily evolving during the battle. They were optimizing themselves to kill Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s great, but useless.¡¯


    The moon and stars were covered by a dark cloud of darkness. The ¡®20% increase in damage in dark ces¡¯ effect was applied, making Failure more powerful.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    A dazzling sword dance unfolded continuously.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Link!¡±


    ¡°Transcend!¡±


    There was a storm of blue-white energy des as the skills were connected. The power wasckingpared to Linked Kill and Transcended Link, so the ancient weapon wasn¡¯t destroyed immediately. However, it was enough to release the Anti-magic Shield.


    Gruruk!


    Then Grid swapped weapons. He used Dainsleif instead of Failure. Dainsleif gained additional attack power in proportion to the number of enemies, so it was just as good as Failure right now.


    Chaaeng!


    He used a skill straight after equipping it.


    "Golden sh!"


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A ray of gold crossed the night sky like the sun.


    Kuaaaah!


    The ancient weapon screamed as the ray prated through it.


    Kiik!Kiiik!


    The 800 golems following Grid were enraged. They watched the copsing ancient weapon and howled like children losing their parents. In the midst of this turmoil, Euphemina yelled.


    ¡°Exploit! Thunder Storm! Light Sword! Blizzard!¡±


    It was a feast of A-grade magic. She didn¡¯t go through the process of chanting the spell, so the powerful magic perfectly hit the ancient weapon.


    [You have destroyed an ancient weapon.]


    [3,342,000 experience has been distributed.]


    ¡°Avoid it!¡±


    Lauel shouted the moment the notification window popped up, and Grid responded by disappearing at full speed.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    It was a close call. Immediately after Grid escaped from the range of the explosion, a strong explosion urred around the body of the ancient weapon. Most of the 800 golems following Grid were swept away by the explosion and turned to ashes.


    ¡°Wow... This was what you intended.¡± Grid was full of admiration as he saw the result and recognized Lauel¡¯s intentions. He got goosebumps. "Lauel, aren¡¯t you really smart? The best.¡±


    Lauel bowed gracefully towards Grid, who was looking at him with envy.


    ¡°You are the one who is the best. I¡¯m just your bridesmaid.¡±


    ¡®...My hands and feet are shrivelling.¡¯


    Grid was suffering from Lauel¡¯s cheesy words when someone appeared in front of them. Euphemina had figured out the number of surviving golems.


    ¡°There are 43 old golems, 11 soul dolls and 9 ancient weapons remaining. This battle, let¡¯s finish it.¡±


    "Good."


    Grid handed Dainsleif back to Jude and gave amand.


    ¡°The golems are only focused on me. You don¡¯t have to protect Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl anymore. Attack the ones after me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jude was better than Huroi and Lauel when it came to simplebat ability. He was an idiot who couldn¡¯t be assigned important missions, but Jude was a very dependable person on the battlefield. Once his rampage started, the surviving old golems and soul dolls were overwhelmed. They were beaten and became mere pieces of stone.


    ¡º Jude... I¡¯ve never heard of him, but he must be a named NPC. To obtain NPCs as knights, at a minimum, an S-grade quest needs to be cleared and affinity built up... Grid is truly amazing. ¡»


    As the world was impressed by Jude, Grid was taking care of the remaining ancient weapons with Huroi, Lauel and Euphemina. The old golems and soul dolls were no longer obstructing them, so their speed at destroying the ancient golems was faster than before.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202


    ¡°Amazing! Amazing!¡±


    The directors and PDs of the broadcasting stations rying the Reinhardt war were excited. Grid¡¯spanions yed an active role against the golems and audience ratings were high, so it was natural to feel excited.


    ¡®Grid is a genuine star!¡¯


    This golem army had smashed the 700 Giant Guild members led by the 3rd ranked Chris, whose battle power was evaluated as over the Tzedakah Guild in Satisfy. Indeed, Grid was a legend. Whenever he appeared in public, he overwhelmed the audience with his power, causing the audience ratings to rise every time he appeared. He created the buzzword ¡®Praise God Grid.¡¯


    "It would be nice if he summoned Noe...¡±


    However, human greed was endless!


    The station PDs were hoping for the appearance of Noe, who was just as popr as Grid. If the cute Noe emerged, the audience ratings would clearly rise because the hearts of the children and female viewers would be captured.


    On the other hand, the hosts¡¯ mouths were dry from praising Grid¡¯s group.


    ¡º The orator¡¯s buffs and debuffs are only applied once, but they are extremely effective. If they are used well, an orator can y a more active role than existing buffing sses. It¡¯s a ss that deserves to be reevaluated. ¡»


    ¡º Reevaluated? Don¡¯t you know about orators? Orators are a ss that had been treated as top rankers by the nobles since the beginning. But they are difficult to find because they¡¯re a difficult ss to level up. ¡»


    ¡º The advantage of an orator isn¡¯t only the buffs and debuffs. A orator is basically a speech-giving ss. They are politically useful. It is natural for the top rankers to be jealous of Grid for acquiring the 1st ranked orator. ¡»


    ¡º Lauel is truly worthy of his fame. He fully understands the qigong master ss. Rather than acting aggressively, he serves as a supporter and assists Grid. ¡»


    ¡º In fact, qigong masters are more suitable to be rear damage dealers rather than supporters. But since Grid is in the party, there¡¯s enough attack power. Therefore, his role in the group is changed. Lauel¡¯s flexible mindset is great. ¡»


    ¡º Above all, the best one is the user called Euphemina. She can cast all types of spells without chanting? It¡¯s obvious that she has a hidden ss, and she might be stronger than Grid. Perhaps she is a legendary grade magician? ¡»


    ¡º If you look at the fact that she doesn¡¯t show many S-grade magic, it¡¯s hard to imagine her as a legendary magician. It is more likely that she¡¯s a unique rated magician. Anyway, I am certain that she is better than Yura and Bondre. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯m focused on the girl called Ruby. She is aplete beginner when looking at her clothing, but isn¡¯t she supporting her colleagues with tremendous amounts of healing? ¡»


    ¡º Sometimes, there are people with unique tastes. There are many high level users who deliberately look like beginners... ¡»


    ¡º Didn¡¯t the rare ss Skin Creator recently appeared? The Skin Creator can freely change the appearance of items, right? Maybe the clothes she¡¯s wearing now are actually really dazzling. ¡»


    ¡º Is that rough-looking wooden staff actually a unique-rated weapon? Hahaha, in any case, Grid is really great. He has the named NPC Jude, the 1st ranked orator, the 1st ranked qigong master as well as the best magicians and priest as hispanions... It¡¯s clear that he has a great personality. ¡»


    ¡º I agree with you 100 times over. He must be charming to attract such excellent people. Grid has to be a generous, charismatic, wise, and good man. ¡»


    As the misunderstanding about Grid deepened, Grid¡¯s group was defeating the sixth ancient weapon. The remaining six ancient weapons were upgraded based on the information gathered from the destroyed ancient weapons.


    [It is necessary to be tolerant to spiteful words.]


    [Deletenguageprehension feature.]


    "This is pretty hard.¡±


    It was hard for Grid to look rxed. The ancient weapons became noticeably stronger every time one was destroyed. That¡¯s why theirbat power rose from 26,000 to 32,000. It was around the same level of the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. Grid¡¯s party faced difficulties the moment the sixth ancient weapon was killed.


    "Spiteful Tongue isn¡¯t working.¡±


    "The resistance to qi has increased, so my skills aren¡¯t being applied properly.¡±


    ¡°The durability of the Anti-magic Shield has risen.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    Grid could feel the physical defense of the ancient weapons rising. He trembled.


    "The golems grow as we fight. What type of freak made these monsters?¡±


    They might be able to destroy some more, but it was difficult to predict how strong the remaining ancient weapon would be.


    ¡°There¡¯s no chance of victory. We should retreat. Didn¡¯t we do enough?¡±


    "But if we retreat, Reinhardt will eventually copse. The kingdom contribution that we earned will be useless.¡±


    A skeptical mood began to form. Grid¡¯s only method was to rely on Lauel.


    ¡°Is there a solution?¡±


    "The solution is simple. Destroy the remaining six ancient weapons simultaneously.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was an impossible task. Assuming that Grid alone could handle an ancient weapon, the rest of the group couldn¡¯t take care of even one ancient weapon. It was impossible to kill six ancient weapons at the same time, even if all of the 100,000 watching users joined.


    However, Earl Steim noticed the situation and directlymanded the army.


    "The only solution is to destroy thoserge golems at the same time. Winston¡¯s army! Everyone join forces to help my son-inw defend this kingdom!¡±


    "Ohhh!¡±


    Earl Steim raised the morale of the army by appealing to the fact that his son-inw was a legendary warrior! He was a seasoned leader and reorganized the army with the strongest knights of each region at the forefront, advancing them towards the six ancient weapons. His fighting spirit caught the aggro of the ancient weapons.


    Jeeeok!


    The ancient weapons concentrated their magic power rays at Earl Steim.


    ¡°Father-inw!¡±


    Grid had a quest called ¡®Save Earl Steim.¡¯ The damage caused by the quest failure was a problem, but he also didn¡¯t want to see Irene sad.


    ¡°Damn bastards!¡±


    He tried to fly at full speed to protect Earl Steim, but it was useless. The magic power rays far exceeded Grid¡¯s speed.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The six rays of magic energy struck Earl Steim and caused a powerful explosion. The soldiers near him flew away and became rags. Earl Steim at the center of the explosion must be reduced to ashes.


    ¡°Father-inw...!¡±


    Grid was shaken. She had the most beautiful smile, but he was pained at the thought of his Irene crying for a while.


    Then a familiar woman¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid closed his eyes because he was afraid to confirm the death of Earl Steim. He slowly opened his eyes. Then he saw it.


    "You struggled to fight without us.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild. Armed with epic, unique and legendary items that had G engraved on them, Vantner and Toban protected Earl Steim while Jishuka and the others surrounded them.


    ¡°Everyone...!¡±


    Jishuka spoke to the thrilled Grid. ¡°Please give us amand, Captain.¡±


    It was the moment when the Tzedakah Guild expressed their intention to go under Grid.


    Lauel shouted, ¡°First of all, establish the guild!¡±


    A minimum of 15 people were required to establish a guild. The golem army invasion had another quest for guilds, so this was a perfect opportunity to raise the guild experience. Grid grasped Lauel¡¯s intention and acted quickly.


    ¡°Establish Guild.¡±


    [To establish a guild, you need to get approval from the association.]


    [You can set up the guild without an approval procedure because you are a high-ranking noble.]


    [Please decide the name of the guild.]


    ¡°The guild name...¡±


    Lauel prompted Grid.


    ¡°The guild name is a very important symbol for the guild. It should be a meaningful and cool name. Personally, I rmend Darkfire Masters, Blood Ice Makers, The Blessed of the Gods, Silver Dragons, etc.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid had called himself overgeared since the time of the Neberius raid. It was a wordy based on the temr knights. (TL: In Korean, not English.)


    Grid really liked the word. The word was moved around his mouth. The guild name...


    "Overgeared Knights is more extravagant than necessary... Let¡¯s just stick to the simple Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Lauel was shocked. His face turned white and anger filled his eyes. ¡°Overgeared, are you thinking properly? It¡¯spletely childish! Elementary school students willugh at the name! Please be joking!¡±


    "Blood Ice Makers? I think Overgeared is a lot better than that.¡±


    ¡°What about Blood Ice Makers? It¡¯s cool! On the contrary, what is Overgeared? This guild name will stick with us for the rest of all lives, so it needs to be better!¡±


    Lauel was extremely opposed, but the reaction of the Tzedakah Guild members were unexpectedly positive.


    ¡°Overgeared... It clearly expresses the characteristics of the guild.¡±


    "The names of the other guilds are too extravagant and childish. This is simple and clear.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared people belong to the Overgeared Guild! Kukuk, it¡¯s simple and entertaining!¡±


    ¡°T-These crazy people...!¡±


    Lauel felt like he was in a nightmare. He sent a look of help towards Huroi and Euphemina, but it was useless. Huroi only followed Grid¡¯s will and Euphemina didn¡¯t care about the name of the guild.


    In the end.


    [¡¯Grid¡¯ and 27panions have established the Overgeared Guild.]


    Guild Name: Overgeared


    Level: 1 (0/100,000)


    Reputation: 0


    Master: Grid


    Capacity: 28/30


    Affiliation: The Eternal Kingdom


    Alliances: North of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Hostile Rtionships: None


    Inclination: An unconditionally favorable rtionship with Winston.


    Territory: None


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous... The guild name is Overgeared...? I am an overgeared!¡±


    Lauel seemed like he received a really big shock. In fact, the name ¡®Overgeared¡¯ was favored by the public, so Lauel was the only one who didn¡¯t like it. A new quest window appeared in front of Grid.


    [Defense War II]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    The golem army was much more powerful than anyone expected.


    The kingdom¡¯s strongest guilds and armies couldn¡¯t prevent the golems from advancing.


    The most powerful golems called the ancient weapons have plunged the Eternal Kingdom into a crisis.


    Defend the Eternal Kingdom by defeating them.


    Only you are thest hope of the Eternal Kingdom. The anxious King Wiesbaden can only rely on you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Defeat the ancient weapons (0/6)


    Quest Clear Rewards: One big city. 50,000 contribution to the kingdom. The guild level will rise by 2. Five million gold will be obtained.


    Quest Failure: The likely copse of the Eternal Kingdom.


    It was clearly an opportunity. Grid ordered everyone, including the frustrated Lauel.


    "Defeat the six ancient weapons at the same time. Huroi! Toban! Buffs!¡±


    It was the first time that the legendary Overgeared group left their footsteps in history.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203


    "Overgeared! Let¡¯s show the world the emergence of the Overgeared Guild and elevate our lord!¡±


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [Your attack power and magic attack power will significantly rise for the next attack.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    The strongest buff skill of the 1st ranked orator, Morale Boost was applied to all guild members. The Tzedakah Guild members murmured about the overwhelming effect.


    ¡°Wow, the effect is really great.¡±


    "It¡¯s a buff that makes a deadly strike possible...¡±


    Jishuka spoke to rile up Toban. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the 1st ranked pdin prove that he isn¡¯tcking inparison?¡±


    Compared to the other guild members, his level was rtively low, but Toban was now level 280. He was at least 10 levels higher than Grid. He used a buff skill that could be called the ultimate skill of the second advancement pdin.


    ¡°God Judar¡¯s Blessing!¡±


    [All stats will increase by 20% for 5 minutes.]


    [Your health and defense will increase by 30% for 10 minutes.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lauel finally recovered from his shock of Grid calling the guild Overgeared.


    ¡®This is the best skill of the first ranked Judar pdin that I¡¯ve only heard about!¡¯


    It was a great buff that waspletely different from Huroi¡¯s buff. All members of the Tzedakah Guild were truly monsters. Lauel was feeling admiration while Jishuka loaded a Super-special Jaffa Arrow.


    ¡°Then shall we begin?¡±


    Grid made the unique rated ¡®Smander¡¯s Horn¡¯ for her, and it could be called the most powerful bow currently in existence. The disadvantage was its slow firing speed, but the attack power was ruthlessly high. It also increased the attack power of the fire attribute, so thepatibility with Jishuka was very good.


    "Firecrackers.¡±


    The woman called an expert archer, her bow skills had reached the realm of a god. It was the moment when the 1st ranked archer entered the battle.


    Syuok!Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    The only drawback of the Smander¡¯s Horn was its slow speed, and this was ovee with her rapid-fire speed skills, as she shot seven arrows with barely any timepses between them. The arrows were aimed at the ancient weapon 2,300m ahead of her.


    Pepepepeong!


    It was amazing. The arrows flying alone exploded. Then like a firecracker, mes appeared at the end and added eleration.


    Kuoooh!


    The ancient weapon felt danger. In order to counter the arrows, it opened its mouth and tried tounch the magic energy. Instead white magic power started to gather around the mouth. But Jishuka¡¯s arrows didn¡¯t give it time to charge its magic power. It struck the ancient weapon and caused another explosion.


    Kurururung.


    The massive body of the ancient weapon made a strange sound. Then a notification window appeared in front of Jishuka.


    [The target¡¯s mana core has been shocked.]


    [The target¡¯s magic power flow has been blocked.]


    [The target can¡¯t use magic for three seconds.]


    The effect of Firecracker worked properly. The Anti-magic Shield of the ancient weapon was temporarily released. The first ranked mixed magician Lae and the second ranked wind magician Zednos acted.


    ¡°Demon King¡¯s Tail Fire.¡±


    ¡°Tyrant¡¯s Hammer!¡±


    Jishuka used her strongest skill.


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Everything in a straight line was swallowed up by the mes. The ancient weapon that Jishuka target was hit by ck mes, a giant hammer and a mighty phoenix. Its eyes turned red as it looked around. It was asking its fellow golems for help.


    But there was no one who could help it. The other five ancient weapons were in the same situation as him. All the ancient weapons were being beaten by the Overgeared members who had divided into several groups.


    In particr, the ancient weapon being attacked by Regas was suffering the most.


    Pepeng!


    [The 5thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical damage to the target.]


    Pepepeng!


    [The 6thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional lightning damage to the target.]


    Kwang kwang kwang!


    [The 8thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical and lightning damage to the target.]


    Jjejejeok!Kwang!


    [The 10thbo has been achieved!]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing Thunder Chariot to be triggered.]


    Kurururung!


    Was this person descended from the realm of the gods? A thunderous chariot fell from the sky and forced the ancient weapon on its knees. Then an eagle flew over its head and suddenly transformed into a human.


    Beasts of Prey Toon. He wore silver wristdes with the G engraved on them and he shouted like a lion.


    [Weaken all nearby enemies.]


    ¡°Kukuk! Kuhahat! Now I will slice you up!¡±


    Toon transformed into a werewolf and his greatly improved wristdes shed. The ancient weapon had its whole body electrocuted so it couldn¡¯t cope and suffered great damage. On the other hand, the ancient weapon in front of the south wall staggered under thebined attacks of Pon and Vantner.


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    "Ura! Ura! Urahh~!


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Kuooooh!


    The ancient weapon was unable to endure anymore and swung its arms. The agile spearman Pon moved away, while Guardian Knight Vantner defended himself with his shield.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    It was a terrible damage. Vantner failed topletely absorb the damage and stiffened from the aftermath. The ancient weapon was about to fire its magic power at him. Vantner realized this and screamed.


    ¡°Hey! Help me, Pon!¡±


    "Are you stiffened right now? Just hold it.¡±


    Instead of helping Vantner, Pon jumped forward using Vantner¡¯s shoulder. Then he aimed a skill towards the ancient weapon.


    ¡°Mach Spear!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    It was an unbeatable attack. The sonic spear passed through the thick head of the ancient weapon.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Half of the head was broken and the ancient weapon staggered. Ponnded on the ground and cheered. Vantner red at him angrily, ¡°You jerk...! How dare you use apanion as a sacrifice? Eh? Did you feel good?¡±


    Vantner had turned charcoal after being hit by the magic ray. He was truly angry, but Pon just shrugged.


    "It¡¯s called teamwork."


    "Shit! What is this teamwork?¡±


    Vantner¡¯s face turned red. He seemed like a boiled octopus, causing Pon tough. In the end, Vantner couldn¡¯t bear it and swung his axe at Pon.


    "Today I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Try it if you can, bald bastard.¡±


    "...¡±


    The ancient weapon thought it was ridiculous. Fighting each other in front of it? This was an opportunity. It swung its arms at the fighting Pon and Vantner. But Pon once again easily avoided the attack, while Vantner defended with his shield.


    The same pattern was repeated. The ancient weapon had only one choice. It ignored the fast Pon and tried tounch a magic ray towards the rigid Vantner. Vantner once again contemted.


    ¡°Hey Pon! This time you should really help me! I will die this time! Yes?¡±


    "Use your Invincible skill~¡±


    Vantner had been putting points in stamina since the Mcus raid. Now his survival ability was as excellent as a cockroach¡¯s. Pon knew this better than anyone else, so he once again one-sidedly used Vantner as a tanker.


    "True Illusion!¡±


    Kwaaaaah!


    The ancient weapon fired magic power at Vantner, and at the same time, it was stabbed dozens of times. Pon made a satisfied noise as he saw it.


    "My skills are indeed perfect."


    An axe flew at him.


    ¡°Those two are still acting like that.¡±


    The city. Faker smiled as he watched Pon and Vantner in the distance. Faker told them, "Pay attention to the opponent in front of you. There was no room for cockiness.¡±


    The 1st ranked assassin didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition. When the top rankers spent time at the National Competition, he focused solely on leveling up. As a result, he was now level 293 and 17th on the unified ranking.


    He showed the result of his training.


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    He created 20 clones and climbed the ancient weapons from all sides. The ancient weapon was in the middle of the city, so it was covered with the blood of many people. The humans were so weak that the golem disregarded them.


    However.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The ancient weapon was astonished. This was because the 20 daggers stabbed in its body caused it great damage. Holes were made in its solid body.


    Kwaaaaah!


    These humans were unlike anyone the ancient weapon had encountered before, so it swung its arms like windmills to somehow shake them off. Faker didn¡¯t try to defend himself. Instead, he just moved forward. He moved in an incredibly agile manner and avoided the attack of the ancient weapon, rushing at its neck.


    Kyak!


    The confused ancient weapon opened its mouth tounch magic power.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Faker threw five daggers into the mouth of the ancient weapon. The daggers exploded.


    Pepepepeok!


    Then another ancient weapon flopped to the ground. But it¡¯smitment was great. In the midst of its copse, it swung its arm and attacked Faker. Faker was unable to freely move during the descent and was in a crisis. An assassin¡¯s health and defense was extremely low, so he could die from this attack.


    ¡¯It is failure at a critical moment.¡¯


    The moment that Faker frowned, a lightning bolt struck from the sky. The lightning bolt was powerful enough topletely shift the orbit of the gigantic arm heading towards Faker. Faker shifted his gaze towards the person who prevented his death. Then he saw a beautiful blonde girl.


    Faker cried out, ¡°That girl...!¡±


    ¡°Euphemina...!¡±


    Euphemina hadpletely shattered Faker¡¯s group in the past. Due to that, she climbed onto the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s kill list. However, that was in the past. The Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t exist anymore. In the future, she would be a colleague.


    Faker forgot about the past and thanked her.


    ¡°I owe you a debt.¡±


    Euphemina smiled awkwardly.


    Among all the guild members, Ibellin wasn¡¯t shining as brightly.


    "Lauel, can you bind the ancient weapon with Dragon¡¯s Wings?¡±


    ¡°I can only bind it for one second.¡±


    ¡°That will be enough."


    Lauel was known as the strongest among the 10 Rookies and Ibelline was the second strongest. Once they joined forces, they showed amazing results.


    ¡°Wind Dragon¡¯s Wings!¡±


    [The target¡¯s movements have been bound.]


    ¡°Laceration!¡±


    [Laceration]


    The target¡¯s body will be brutally torn open by Thorn. The target will receive fixed damage equal to 60% of their current health.


    Skill Mana Cost: 500


    Skill Usage Condition: Target must be in a bound state.


    Chwachachachak!


    The Thorn of Deep Grievance ripped through the ancient weapon with no mercy. The ancient weapon was severely damaged by a single strike and fell into a stunned state.


    "...¡±


    It was an incredible sight. The powerful ancient weapon lost 60% of its health in one shot? The attack power that Ibellin showed was within Grid¡¯s level, so Lauel was incredible confused. He was rmed because this guy showed better skills than he thought. But he pretended to be unconcerned.


    ¡°I guess even slugs have a talent for rolling around on the ground.¡±


    Ibellin shouted angrily, "Who are you calling a slug? Dammit! I will soon be able to surpass you!¡±


    Lauel snorted. ¡°This is just the power of items.¡±


    Lauel was also an overgeared person. On the other hand, Grid was confronting an ancient weapon in front of the inner wall.


    ¡°Have strength!¡±


    King Wiesbaden desperately encouraged Grid from the walls. After a while, a satisfied smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°Transcended Link. Linked Kill.¡±


    Subtle emotions crossed the faces of King Wiesbaden and the nobles. The 100,000 users in Reinhardt and the millions of viewers watched as two of the best skills were used in session.


    sh!


    A white light got rid of the darkness. Earl Steim watched the artificial white sky and shouted excitedly, "My son-inw is a legend!"


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    20 blue-white energy des flooded towards the ancient weapons.


    ¡º It hase! The strongest skill! ¡»


    The broadcast host shouted in a loud voice. The viewers¡¯ hands became sweaty. Reinhardt¡¯s 100,000 users was thrilled.


    Grid felt joy.


    [The fusion skill ¡®Transcended Link¡¯ has increased a level.]


    [Transcended Link Lv. 2]


    You will temporarily be in a transcended linked state.


    A total of 20 strikes will beunched, dealing 180% attack power with each hit.


    Every time a target is hit, they will be stiff for 0.1 seconds.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Transcend and Link.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,600


    Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.


    There was an exhrating feeling the moment the skill level rose. He immediately felt stronger. The storm leapt from Grid towards the stiffened ancient weapon. Then there was one rotation of Kill.


    Jeeeong!


    [Critical!]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 12,140,700 damage to the target.]


    Using repulsive force, there was another rotation and a second blow.


    Jjejeong!


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 2,612,000 damage to the target.]


    The third blow.


    Jjejejeok!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 1,205,800 damage to the target.]


    The fourth blow.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    [You have dealt 500,300 damage to the target.]


    The fifth blow.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 5,579,000 damage to the target.]


    Grid¡¯s basic stats were high and Toban¡¯s buff also yed a huge role. The stats that had risen dramatically, the strongest skill and the absolute power of his weapon, this trinity proved to be extremely powerful. Grid felt extreme pleasure at dealing more than 10 million damage in one blow.


    Tak.


    Gridnded on the ground the moment that Transcended Link was finished.


    Kukukukukung...


    The ancient weapon became aplete rag. Shouts echoed from Reinhardt.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Grid! Grid! Grid!¡±


    Hundreds of thousands of NPCs chanted Grid¡¯s name. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, the king and royal family would¡¯ve died and perhaps their kingdom would¡¯ve been lost. For them, Grid was the hero of their kingdom.


    King Wiesbaden was thrilled to tears. "Thanks to the great hero, the 400 year history of the kingdom has been preserved...!¡±


    The nobles were convinced as they saw it.


    ¡¯Earl Steim will surely gain the title of duke.¡¯


    ¡®His son-inw will at least be an earl...¡¯


    The key person of the kingdom was now destined to be Earl Steim. The politicallyplicated nobles felt a grudge towards Grid.


    ¡º Truly God Grid! He¡¯s on a different dimension! ¡»


    The broadcasting anchors were very excited.


    ¡º Today, we have learned one fact! Grid is the strongest! There is no doubt about it! This talent in the National Competition wasn¡¯t just a bubble! ¡»


    ¡º In fact, it isn¡¯t just Grid¡¯s power. Grid absorbed the power of the Tzedakah Guild while everyone was watching. Today is an important day where the power dynamics of Satisfy will rapidly change. ¡»


    ¡º From Bairan Vige to the present day... Grid is really bing a legend. ¡»


    ¡º He will be the first user to be an earl. How much power will he have as an earl? I¡¯m already curious and excited. ¡»


    ¡º Will it stop at just getting the title of an earl? In my opinion, it¡¯s different... ¡»


    All six ancient weapons were humiliated. Soon, the golem invasion would end. Everyone believed it.


    Lauel spoke, "Grid, give us a signal so that we can finish the ancient weapon at the same time.¡±


    The ancient weapons had to be killed simultaneously. It would be seriously troublesome if the survivors evolved in real time. Grid nodded and shouted, ¡°I will count to three. One! Two!¡±


    "...¡±


    The guild members concentrated their power. They were prepared to kill the ancient weapons the moment Grid countered to three.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Finally, the moment that Grid counted to three! Each guild team made their final strikes against the ancient weapons. Pon and Vantner were the problem.


    "I will finish it!¡±


    "No, me!¡±


    The two people¡¯s argument eventually caused an ident. The two people¡¯s silly pride meant they struggled over who would deal the final blow, and eventually couldn¡¯t finish off the ancient weapon.


    [High fire and lightning resistance are necessary.]


    [Minerals that have high conductivity must be excluded from the body.]


    [The body will be smaller by abandoning the massive minerals. It will restore the lost agility.]


    [The firing rate of magic power should be increased.]


    [Instead of lowering the power of the mana, rebuild the magic circles so that it is dispersed better.]


    [Tolerance to edged tools should be increased.]


    [Tolerance to explosions should be increased.]


    [It is determined that flying ability should be acquired.]


    Clink!Clink clink.


    The ancient weapon was only partially destroyed by Mach Spear. It started rebuilding its body based on the information left behind by the deaths of the other five ancient weapons. It was like a cube. The 8m tall body was repeatedly folded and stretched. Then light shed and it had a new appearance.


    Grrr.


    The transformed ancient weapon looked like a soul doll. It had a height of 2m. The body resembled that of a human. At first nce, it seemed weaker, but that was only the outer appearance. The presence felt from it was unusual.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°No, are your brains working? What are you doing?¡±


    The guild members scolded Pon and Vantner. The situation became like this because of their futile pride, so the atmosphere cooled. Pon and Vantner thought they had to make up for their mistakes.


    ¡°We will handle this.¡±


    "I will clean up my shit!¡±


    The two people cooperated for the first time in ages. They held their weapons in a serious manner and rushed to the evolved ancient weapon. But it was useless.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Why has its defense increased so much when its size is smaller?¡±


    Pon and Vantner¡¯s spear and axe didn¡¯t do much damage to the evolved ancient weapon. The ancient weapon seemed tough at the two people and raised a finger.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What did this mean? The two people were dumbfounded by the actions of the ancient weapon. Then two rays of magic power were fired at their hearts.


    [You have suffered 18,010 damage.]


    [Healing effects will be reduced.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Vantner lost 30% of his health despite his legendary rated armor. Then what about Pon, who was a damage dealer?


    [You have suffered serious damage!]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    [Healing effects will be reduced.]


    Pon lost 60% of his health at once and became stunned. The evolved ancient weapon was approaching him.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Pon turned pale. The ancient weapon head-butted him.


    ¡°Hope!¡±


    Sehee urgently used her healing skill, but the healing effect was reduced due to the debuff. He was on the verge of dying. The guild members came out to save him. Toban stood in front of him and used a defense skill, while Jishuka, Lae and Zednos attacked from the rear. The damage dealers, led by Regas and Faker, immediately cast their ultimate skills.


    But.


    Peeeeeong!


    The evolved ancient weapon exerted overwhelming power. The Anti-magic Shield it unfolded defeated all magic while avoiding Jishuka¡¯s arrows at the same time. Then it dealt great damage to Regas and Faker. Finally, the magic power rays were fired everywhere and casualties followed.


    ¡°...It¡¯s the end.¡±


    Vantner thought it was over. He felt guilty when watching his colleagues be hurt because of him. Someone ced a hand on his shoulder. It was arge, powerful and trustworthy hand. It was full of calluses, like the hand of a warrior or a cksmith. It was Grid¡¯s hand.


    "Sorry...!¡± Vantner couldn¡¯t lift his head. He didn¡¯t me Grid for resenting him. But Grid was smiling.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I will be your strength.¡±


    The day he asked the Tzedakah Guild toe under him. Grid had asked them to be his strength. He also vowed to be their strength. Grid was prepared to defend that promise now.


    ¡®He has changed again.¡¯


    Vantner and the guild members were very shocked. It was surprising that Grid, who normally hated any losses, had matured even further. As everyone watched, Grid summoned the worst pet.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    It was the best demonic beast of hell. He appeared with shining eyes.


    "Will you give me something delicious today? Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. It might be the most delicious prey you¡¯ve ever eaten.¡±


    The reason that Grid hadn¡¯t summoned Noe during the battle was because of jealousy.


    Noe had far more fans than him. So if Noe yed an important role in public, Grid was afraid that his poprity would bepletely overshadowed. Therefore, Grid was determined to end this battle with his own strength. But he was unable to measure thebat strength of the evolved ancient weapon. Grid predicted it was at the same level as Hell Gao who had been weakened twice.


    Grid had just used Transcended Link and Linked Kill, so it wasn¡¯t an enemy he could face right now. He was forced to depend on Noe.


    "The fan cafe numbers will go up again...¡±


    Grid swallowed his regret.


    ¡°Swallow it.¡±


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    Noe flew away immediately. Then he opened his mouth and swallowed the evolved ancient weapon.


    [The memphis has taken part of the target¡¯s soul.]


    [There will be a 50% decline in the target¡¯s main stats for 3 seconds.]


    [The stats taken from the target will be transferred to the master.]


    [Stamina has increased by 2,133.]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Kill!¡±


    It was lucky. A critical, as well as the option effects of Failure and the Holy Light Gloves were applied. The ancient weapon¡¯s health and defense was greatly reduced, so it was forced to suffer great damage. The guild members unleashed their offensive towards it.


    In particr, Euphemina used the S-grade magic that she saved.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The ancient weapon resisted as much as it could. But the minimum level of the Overgeared Guild members was 270. The one with the lowest level was Grid. The evolved ancient weapon continued to be swallowed by Noe and couldn¡¯t endure their onught for long.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Sehee¡¯s level kept rising continuously while using the wide-area heal. It was great for Grid. Then the ancient weapon finally died. As it died, it dropped an item called ¡®Braham¡¯s Message.¡¯


    ¡®Braham...! Is he the cause of this?¡¯


    Grid wanted to read the message right away. But he had to put it off for a while. King Wiesbaden himself was running over.


    "Thank you! Thank you!¡±


    The king grabbed Grid¡¯s hands and shouted. He reigned as the absolute person since his birth, so it was amazing to see him bow his head.


    Now only the rewards were left. Grid headed to the pce with the Overgeared Guild. The reporters tried to follow to ry the situation, but they were stopped by the guards.


    Lauel gave Grid advice. "Grid, you should ask the king to allow them toe. We need to inform the world about how much you and the Overgeared Guild has grown from today¡¯s achievement. This is an opportunity to make everyone look up to us.¡±


    Lauel was Grid¡¯s adviser. Grid had never once suffered damage from his words. Thus, he epted Lauel¡¯s advice.


    After that.


    King¡¯s Wiesbaden gratitude to Grid¡¯s group was ryed to the world in real time. Grid¡¯s reputation skyrocketed.


    It was the first time that Director Yoon Sangmin of the S.A. Group reacted positively to him.


    ¡°Yes, this is like a legendary ss.¡±


    The activities of a unique existence that caused a positive influence. He was delighted that many users would want to be Grid and would y Satisfy even harder.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205


    In this ¡®Golem Army Invasion¡¯ episode, the army of the Eternal Kingdom was helpless.


    Not only did 1,000 golems advance to the capital, but the hundreds of thousands of troops couldn¡¯t eradicate them.


    On the Inte, theizensughed at the fact that the Eternal Kingdom couldn¡¯t do anything. They ridiculed King Wiesbaden and the nobles, stating that they were raising dogs instead of recruiting soldiers.


    ¡®They don¡¯t know.¡¯


    The Eternal Kingdom wasn¡¯t weak. Rather, they were strong. The evidence was that the Eternal Kingdom had maintained its position of neutrality for many years.


    ¡®But this time, their opponents were too bad.¡¯


    The golem army was unreasonably strong. In fact, the Giant Guild and 100,000 users weren¡¯t able topete with the golems.


    ¡®Even I was barely able to destroy a soul doll, but the people of Grid¡¯s group are monsters...¡¯


    Huroi, Lauel, Euphemina and Grid. Grid already had powerful users and he absorbed the Tzedakah Guild while the world was watching. It was obvious that Grid¡¯s power would be stronger than the Giant Guild or Snake Guild in the future.


    ¡®Overgeared... Should I apply? My life will be set if I could join.¡¯


    Reinhardt was busy with recovery efforts.


    "Can you help me?"


    "I need a hand.¡±


    The soldiers and residents gave quests to join the restoration work. However, the 304th ranked Happy ignored them and headed towards the royal pce.


    ¡®There are more people than I thought.¡¯


    Thousands of users were gathered in a huge training ground. They were people who made great achievements in the ¡®Fight the Golems¡¯ quest. It was a small number considering that 100,000 users gathered in Reinhardt.


    The administrators gave them their rewards in turn.


    ¡°You are the 16 member squad that destroyed an old golem? It was hard. I want to thank you on behalf of the kingdom. You will be awarded with 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution.¡±


    300 gold was worth 360,000 won. The users were quite satisfied. Sometimes, they looked with envy as a party that killed more than two old golems appeared.


    ¡°Ohh! Sir Happy!¡± Once Happy¡¯s turn came, the administrator was very enthusiastic. "Many soldiers and people witnessed you bing active on the battlefield. You took on an old golem and soul doll alone? You will be awarded with 1,900 gold and 800 kingdom contribution. I am grateful for your defense of the kingdom.¡±


    The users made a fuss.


    ¡°Wow, amazing. He defeated an old golem and soul doll alone?¡±


    "1,900 gold... I¡¯m envious...¡±


    "But isn¡¯t Happy a ranker?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He¡¯s in the 300s or 400s?¡±


    "Kyah~ as expected from a ranker.¡±


    Happy snorted at the users¡¯ envious gazes.


    ¡®They shouldn¡¯t be envious of me.¡¯


    Happy¡¯s gaze turned towards the golden group in the distance. At this moment, the king was paying direct attention to Grid. How much would Grid¡¯s group be rewarded? Happy was restless. He wanted to log out and watch the awards ceremony on TV.


    ***


    ¡®The legendary great magician...¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t thought that Braham was such a great person. A person who had already died for hundreds of years had moved golems that caused a kingdom to fall into crisis. Braham¡¯s ability was mind-boggling. But why did he invade the Eternal Kingdom?


    ¡®Whatever the reason, I don¡¯t like it.¡¯


    Due to that damn crazy magician, Sehee and his father-inw almost died. Grid wanted to check what was contained in Braham¡¯s Message.


    ¡®However, I have to receive this first.¡¯


    The brilliant golden awards ceremony.


    "Glory to Viscount Grid!¡±


    Cheok!


    The soldiers saluted as soon as Grid¡¯s party entered. It was unbelievable that they had just suffered from an invasion and lost family and friends. Grid was impressed by how strong their minds were.


    ¡®I remember my days as a soldier.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s military service wasn¡¯t good, but now he glorified those memories. Grid was proud of the soldiers who did their duty. At this moment, he felt a sense of gratitude to the Korean soldiers who were suffering to defend the country. It was sad that the world still wasn¡¯t united.


    ¡¯Aren¡¯t North Korean women pretty as well? I wish we could be unified.¡¯


    Thump, thump.


    Grid walked straight through with an upright posture. He had great physical strength and concentration due to his stats, so dignity radiated from him. The king seated on the throne and the nobles gulped.


    ¡®Indeed, this is the appearance of a legendary warrior. There are no chinks.¡¯


    ¡®He has a deep look in his eyes. It¡¯s like the ocean.¡¯


    ¡®I am envious of that firm waist and broad shoulders... I would be able to love more women if I had that body in my youth...¡¯


    When armed with the Holy Light Crown, Grid¡¯s dignity exceeded 850 points. This was a figure that surpassed those of the major nobles of one kingdom, so it had a tremendous effect. The nobles forgot that Grid was amoner and gazed at him with envy.


    ¡°Thank you, once again.¡±


    Wiesbaden expressed his gratitude again from his throne. He couldn¡¯t imagine that the cause of this incident was Grid, so he just considered Grid as his savior. But the important thing was that Grid also didn¡¯t know he was the culprit.


    Grid showed a wait-and-see attitude.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, this kingdom might¡¯ve disappeared from history.¡±


    Grid currently had the upper hand. He judged that there was no need for him to show humility.


    "I hope that Your Majesty will show me your sincerity.¡±


    It was a rudement to the king of a nation. If Grid was a normal person, the king would¡¯ve been very unhappy and the nobles would¡¯ve resented him. However, Grid had high dignity and was the hero of the kingdom. No one questioned Grid¡¯s words. To them, Grid just looked like a charming figure. Grid would be praised as manly even if he took off his pants.


    "Earl Aden.¡±


    The king called the person in charge of finances. Then an old nobleman came forward and said, "First of all, I will reward the achievements of Baroness Jishuka and the other 21 people who joined the battlefieldter.¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild stepped forward as they were called.


    Earl Aden conveyed King Wiesbaden¡¯s will.


    "Baroness Jishuka and 21 others have saved Earl Steim and defended their kingdom, helping Viscount Grid defeat six of the ancient weapons. You will be awarded 20,000 gold and 10,000 kingdom contribution. In addition, they will be given the title of Viscount for their loyalty to their kingdom."


    "We are much obliged.¡±


    Thepensation was as they expected. The Tzedakah Guild members werepletely satisfied. The media were excited.


    ¡º The experts specte that there should be 20 users who became nobles in Satisfy. Among them, the only viscounts are Grid, Zibal and Chris. ¡»


    ¡º But now, 22 more viscounts are born. In addition, all 22 people are Grid¡¯s subordinates. They can appoint three knights each, so the result is that Grid has around 70 knights. This is a truly tremendous power. ¡»


    The earl continued.


    "Huroi, Lauel, Euphemina, Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl. You joined forces with Grid to defeat 733 old golems, 187 soul dolls and 12 ancient weapons. If you hadn¡¯t acted, this country would be in a great crisis. You will be honored as a hero of the kingdom, receive 442,900 gold and 184,800 kingdom contribution, as well as the title of Earl.¡±


    Numerous notification windows popped up in front of the five people.


    [The title ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Hero¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The title ¡®First Earl¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [You have be an earl of the Eternal Kingdom.]


    [In ordance with thews of the Eternal Kingdom, an earl can have 10,000 soldiers and five knights, and can have up to three spouses. You will receive a monthly sry of 3,000 gold.]


    [Kingdom¡¯s Hero]


    A hero who saved the Eternal Kingdom from a crisis.


    * All stats +120.


    * The highest reputation throughout the Eternal Kingdom.


    [First Earl]


    A user has be an earl for the first time.


    * Dignity +200


    * Charm +500.


    * If you have more than 500 charm, people of both sexes will show great favor towards you.


    ¡º Earl...? ¡»


    The reporters of each broadcasting station were astonished.


    ¡º It¡¯s amazing. Didn¡¯t the kingdom originally have a limit on the number of senior nobles? To appoint five earls in one day... ¡»


    ¡º It means they are big enough to make the Eternal Kingdom endure the financial bleeding. ¡»


    ¡º If they are earls, then... Grid should be at least a marquis. ¡»


    ¡º Grid is truly amazing. He¡¯s writing a new legend every time. ¡»


    ¡º ... Sexy Schoolgirl didn¡¯t do anything during the battle, but she was still counted? ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Five earls were born, and all of them were Grid¡¯s subordinates. The world became frenzied at the breaking news. Huroi, Lauel and Euphemina were pleased at gaining more rewards than expected.


    But Sehee and Yerim didn¡¯t care.


    "Is an earl good?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps?¡±


    "Is 442,900 gold a lot?¡±


    "Well, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel sighed as he looked at the two girls. People who were born with gold spoons couldn¡¯t perceive how good they had it.


    ¡¯I wish I had a brother or sister like Grid too...¡¯


    As Lauel was feeling jealousy, Grid was receiving his rewards.


    "Viscount Grid, you led your knights and colleagues to defeat 733 old golems, 187 soul dolls and 12 ancient weapons. Your achievements can¡¯t be denied. You will be praised as the country¡¯s hero...¡±


    "The next part will be a burden for Earl Aden.¡±


    King Wiesbaden got up from the throne. Then he congratted Grid instead of Earl Aden.


    "Viscount Grid will be given 500,000 gold, an infinite amount of kingdom contribution and therge city Reidan. In addition, you will be awarded the title of duke and your statue will be set up in the Hall of Fame, keeping you alive to the next generation.¡±


    [The title ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Hero¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The title ¡®First Duke¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [You have be a duke of the Eternal Kingdom.]


    [Depending on the historical background of the continent, a duke has no limit on their expansion of power. The royal family won¡¯t be able to openly bind you.]


    [Please note that there will be repercussions if you expand your power to the extent that it infringes on the royal family¡¯s authority.]


    [If a statue is made in the Hall of Fame, special effects will ur.]


    [First Duke]


    A user has be a duke for the first time.


    * Dignity +600


    * Charm +800.


    [As a prominent figure, your reputation across the continent has risen by 10,000.]


    "I want you to pledge eternal loyalty to the royal family.¡±


    "I, Grid...¡±


    Grid was about to pledge to Wiesbaden when Lauel urgently sent him a whisper.


    -Only swear allegiance to King Wiesbaden, not the royal family.


    Grid didn¡¯t understand. But he did as Lauel said.


    "I, Grid, swear eternal loyalty to Your Majesty.¡±


    "...¡±


    Some nobles frowned. In particr, the princes¡¯ faces filled with anger. However, King Wiesbaden was over 70 years old and in a state of considerable decline. He didn¡¯t find any issue with Grid¡¯s remark and smiled.


    On this day.


    New articles praising Grid were spread all over the Inte. The number of fan cafes for Grid increased exponentially. But since the number of Noe¡¯s fan clubs increased more, Grid was struck with a sense of defeat.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206


    After Grid became a duke.


    "Thank you. Thanks to you, the kingdom was protected and my position rose. It was the luck of a lifetime that I could get you as a son-inw.¡±


    Earl Steim became a marquis. It was appreciated that he dispatched more troops than anyone else and that Grid was his son-inw. A marquis had a son-inw that was a duke. Earl Steim¡¯s faction now became thergest in the kingdom. All of Marquis Steim¡¯s authority would be inherited by Irene, so this was a good thing for Grid.


    "I will ask you to continue looking after my daughter, Duke Grid.¡±


    "I understand, Marquis Steim.¡±


    "But when will you give me a granddaughter? Duke Grid.¡±


    "We are working on it, Marquis Steim.¡±


    "I should prepare some healthy food for you! Hahahat!¡±


    "It is only once a month...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Once a month?¡±


    "I¡¯m just talking to myself. Ignore it. Hahaha!¡±


    The two people were so excited that they didn¡¯t notice the media focusing on them.


    ¡º Earl Steim... No, doesn¡¯t the rtionship between Marquis Steim and Grid seem really good? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Based on the contents of the conversation, it seems like a father and son-inw rtionship. ¡»


    ¡º Did Marquis Steim have a daughter? ¡»


    ¡º He has only one. Thedy of Winston, Irene ¡»


    ¡º Heok...! That beauty? ¡»


    ¡º She is a beauty among beauties. She is a person who always upies the top ranks in NPC poprity polls. A big uproar urred when it was announced that she was married. To think that her marriage partner is a user instead of an NPC, and that he was Grid... ¡»


    ¡º Hah! ¡»


    The broadcasters sighed. They were envious of Grid to the point that their stomachs hurt. Among the viewers, the men were throwing their remote controls and there was also a fuss on the Inte.


    -He married Irene, but still has Yura and Jishuka?


    -A married couple can sleep together once a month...


    -Hasn¡¯t the marriagested eight months in Satisfy time?So at least eight times...


    -Damn!My Irene was defiled!


    -Most important, Irene is the sole sessor of Marquis Steim.If Marquis Steim dies, Grid will inherit.


    -Crazy ????


    -By the way.In the midst of this, don¡¯t you think that Euphemina, Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl are pretty?


    -?? They are in the same ss as Yura and Jishuka.


    -So many beautiful women are around Grid...Furthermore, how much of Marquis Steim¡¯s power will Grid take onter?Hah...I¡¯m really envious of God Grid.


    As more curses than praise about Grid started to spread on the Inte, Grid was looking at several notification windows.


    [The quest ¡®Save Earl Steim¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [Affinity with Marquis Steim has risen to the maximum. Marquis Steim will even jump into a fire for you.]


    [The quest ¡®Defense War II¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [The kingdom contribution of the Overgeared Guild has increased by 50,000.]


    [The level of the Overgeared Guild has increased by 2.]


    [5]


    [You have acquired the big city Reidan.]


    Apart from the 500,000 gold he received from the king, Grid was able to acquire another 5 million gold from the quest reward. 5.5 million gold. It was equivalent to 6.6 billion won. It was the first time Grid made such a huge amount of money at once.


    ¡®The quest reward is much higher than the price of a legendary item...¡¯


    Considering the contents of the quest, it was a satisfactory amount. But there was also a sense of dissatisfaction. He thought it would be more profitable to go around clearing quests than working hard at making items.


    ¡®The problem is how often quests like this will ur.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t often. The probability of suchrge quests happening was very low. Grid thought about Braham¡¯s soul, scattered inbyrinths across the continent.


    ¡®I hope that he continues to invade the kingdom in the future.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he be a tycoon if he defended the kingdom every time Braham attacked? Lauel approached the giggling Grid and spoke, "Your expression is too sneaky. Perhaps, are you thinking of the 5 million gold earned bypleting the guild quest as your personal property?¡±


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t my property, than whose is it?¡±


    Lauel sighed with a look of deep disappointment and exined to Grid. "Of course, it is the guild¡¯s property. The rewards earned by clearing the guild quest will obviously be invested in the guild.¡±


    ¡°What? I have to do that?¡±


    ¡°It is possible for you to swallow it up alone. The problem is the credit. Do you want to disappoint the guild members?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid turned pale. He even broke out into a sweat. He was a person who only acted for the purpose of money.


    Lauel soothed him, "Have a broader perspective. If you invest that 5 million gold into our development, you will receive bigger profits in the future. Please think wisely and shake off this small regret.¡±


    Grid listened to him. Grid was aiming for the position of king, rather than being a duke. He was determined to make a fortune by bing the king of a kingdom. Investing in order to reach that goal wasn¡¯t a waste.


    At that time, King Wiesbaden yelled out.


    "I will hold a banquet for Duke Grid and the Overgeared Guild!¡±


    "Thank you for Your Majesty¡¯s grace.¡±


    Lauel thanked him and the quick-witted members did the same. However, the important Grid was standing at a distance.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lauel asked.


    Then Grid spoke with embarrassment.


    "I have to eat my kan jajang.¡±


    Due to its nature, the speed at which the kan jajang became soggy was slower than ordinary jajangmyeon. So Grid was hoping that it wasn¡¯tpletely wasted yet.


    Lauel frowned, "Don¡¯t say strange things and please attend the banquet.¡±


    Lauel also tasted the food called jajangmyeon when he visited South Korea. He thought it was a delicious, salty food. But it wasn¡¯t good enough to postpone the king¡¯s banquet. In the end, Grid was too embarrassed to log out.


    ¡®My 7,000 won...¡¯


    Grid tried to soothe his mind as his stomach hurt.


    ***


    Reinhardt Pce where the king resided was luxurious and spectacr. There was nothing missing.


    ¡°This garden is seven times as big as Winston Castle¡¯s garden.¡±


    "There are six training grounds behind the barracks. I could build some buildings on how big thend here is.¡±


    "I can see gold and jewels every time I turn my head. Amazing.¡±


    The live broadcast to the world was finished. Grid and the Overgeared members got to look around the pce while the banquet was being prepared. Grid was the only one grumbling while everyone else was fascinated by the scale and beauty of the pce.


    "My kan jajang...¡±


    "Why do you keep saying that? Is the state not good?¡±


    "What is kan jajang? Is it the name of an item?¡±


    The guild members were curious while Sehee and Yerim were freaked out.


    "500,000 million...?


    "5-5-5-500 million?¡±


    Huroi held a calctor in his hand and nodded. "Whenparing the Korean won and the gold exchange rate, it is exactly 531,480 million.


    It was the value of the 442,900 gold they received as the quest reward. Sehee and Yerim were stunned. The two girls¡¯ mouths dropped open for a while before they said somethingpletely frustrating.


    "Was it originally this easy to make money?¡±


    It was a misunderstanding. The two girls had only been ying Satisfy for a few hours. They mistook Satisfy for a great game that made everyone rich. Lauel was frustrated and exined it to the two girls.


    ¡°Ordinary people can¡¯t earn a huge sum from Satisfy, even if they invest all their time. The two of you could achieve this great luck due to Grid.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡®My brother was a bigger man than I thought.¡¯


    ¡¯Youngwoo oppa is first-rate husband material.¡¯


    Jishuka frowned as she watched the two girls from afar.


    ¡°Sexy Schoolgirl? Who is this child? Is she looking at Grid?¡±


    Jishuka had spent a few days at Grid¡¯s house. So she was friendly with Sehee, but unfamiliar with Yerim. Vantner didn¡¯t notice she was annoyed and said,


    "Ruby¡¯s friend, isn¡¯t she pretty? She will be as sexy as you in 2~3 years.¡±


    Another guild member disagreed.


    ¡°Right now is good enough.¡±


    ¡°Um... Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl are both very beautiful. I don¡¯t like Yura or Jishuka.¡±


    "I¡¯m going to vote for Euphemina.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you lolicon.¡±


    The fired up Jishuka met the eyes of Sexy Schoolgirl. At that moment.


    Pisik.


    It was obvious ridicule. Sexy Schoolgirl wasughing at Jishuka.


    ¡®I am better than the old one.¡¯


    She seemed to be saying.


    "This girl with the perverted ID...!¡±


    In the end, Jishuka exploded. She was about to run towards Yerim when Jude intervened.


    "Ruby. Sexy Schoolgirl. Jude will protect them.¡±


    "You idiot, won¡¯t you go away?


    ¡°Jude. He isn¡¯t stupid. I heard that Grid is stupider.¡±


    ¡°That idiot is more than an idiot! You fool!¡±


    "I¡¯m not an idiot. Idiot.¡±


    ¡°The banquet is ready.¡±


    The timing was good.


    A situation was about to break out when a low ranking noble ran over an led the party to the banquet hall. There was no armed conflict, but the strange air between Jishuka and Yerim continued throughout the banquet.


    "Oppa~ ahh~ please.¡± Yerim spoke in her natural coquettish manner.


    "I will give this to you.¡± Jishuka acted awkwardly.


    The two women sat with Grid between them and tried to force feed him. They shoved so many foods into his mouth that he had no room to enjoy the taste.


    ¡°Kekek.¡±


    Marquis Steimughed as he watched Grid choking.


    ¡°Ah! Heroes are always surrounded by beauties! Hahaha! It¡¯s like looking at my younger days! Hahahahat!¡±


    Marquis Steim had only one wife. But he wasn¡¯t going to force his son-inw to that. Lauel clicked his tongue.


    ¡®I feel sorry for Lady Irene.¡¯


    The situation was ridiculous. It was worse than the Korean morning dramas he watched while staying in South Korea for the National Competition. On the other hand, Sehee was filled with displeasure. She looked at her brother surrounded by women and cut her steak with a knife.


    ¡°An enemy!¡±


    Jude sensed a strong killing intent and pulled out his sword, causing confusion. Thus, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually progressed in a strange direction.


    ***


    Yubadakan Castle in Haken Kingdom.


    ¡°It¡¯s lucky. His subordinates acquired titles, but he was the only one granted a territory. Aren¡¯t they just nobles in name?¡±


    Box, one of the Snake Guild¡¯s 13 executives, said.


    Then Zibal frowned. "Lucky? Lucky? You fool, the fact that they got the titles is what matters.¡±


    The fact that they received a title meant they were eligible to be lords.


    ¡°In the future, Grid will expand his territory with no restrictions as a lord, then he will give it to one of his subordinates. Grid¡¯s power will keep expanding. Imagine how great his authority will be with dozens of lords.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s terrible.¡±


    Box realized that the situation was more severe than he realized. Then Zibal made his decision.


    "We need to put aside our differences. I must contact the leaders of the seven guilds.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    million gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207


    After the banquet ended. Grid and the Overgeared Guild returned to the north.


    ¡°What? All your stats have risen by 120?¡±


    The Tzedakah Guild admired the effect of the Kingdom¡¯s Hero title. In the case of rankers, they had at least seven different types of stats. Assuming that all stats +120 were applied to all seven, it was simr to gaining 84 levels.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s almost a legendary title."


    "A hero of a kingdom would naturally be recorded in history, and they will eventually be a legend.¡±


    ¡°Aww... I wish we had joined the war a little sooner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious. It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    The former Tzedakah Guild members regretted that they didn¡¯t get the title because they arrivedte to the battlefield. They never even imagined it. The fact that the legendary ss Grid currently had 13 types of stats.


    ¡¯I want to boast about it.¡¯


    Grid was stiff. He wanted to brag to the about members about gaining ¡®1,560 stat points!¡¯


    But.


    ¡®I have to be careful.¡¯


    Grid was determined not to act childishly in the future. It was the right judgment as the leader of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to make the guild members feel bad.¡¯


    Grid learned how to care for others the more mature he became. He barely suppressed his childish nature and changed the topic.


    ¡°Sehee, what happened to you?¡±


    She had just started Satisfy, so he was curious about how she obtained the Saintess ss.


    "It is...¡±


    Sehee was sulky for some reason, so Yerim exined on behalf of her. Grid listened to the story beforeughing.


    "It¡¯s just like you.¡±


    Sacrificing herself to save others without any benefit? It was difficult for Grid to understand Sehee. He was worried that someone would take advantage of her good nature. But he was proud of Sehee. His sister could be as kind as she wanted.


    Grid was smiling warmly when Yerim asked him a question.


    "By the way Oppa. I also got the hidden ss called Saintess¡¯ Knight? How do I change to it?"


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid and the other guild members were shocked. Both Sehee and Yerim got a hidden ss at level 1?


    ¡®What is this good luck?¡¯


    ¡¯If I stay with Grid, I might open the good luck stat in reality...¡¯


    ¡®It was good that I boughtnd next to Grid¡¯s building... I should move to South Korea as soon as possible.¡¯


    Lauel¡¯splexion rapidly brightened as the guild members gossiped.


    ¡¯Sexy Schoolgirl seemed useless, but that was a mistake. Great.¡¯


    Laeul came forward. ¡°Let me exin. The conditions are different for each ss change but generally...¡±


    With Lauel¡¯s help, Yerim was able to change to the Saintess¡¯ Knight ss.


    ¡°Is this good?¡±


    A Saintess¡¯ Knights had lower base abilitiespared to other epic sses. The performance of the newly opened stats were moderate to low, and the power and function of the active skills were too in.


    However, the passive skills were admirable. If she was in a party with the Saintess, the performance of all skills rose by 20%, stats rose by 30% and her resistance increased by 50%. In addition, her defense increased by 40% of the Saintess¡¯ defense. It seemed to be an upgraded version of Huroi¡¯s second ss, Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner.


    "Both of you should stick together in the game.¡±


    Satisfy would deepen the friendship between the two girls. Grid was very proud that Sehee had such a good best friend. It was because he recently became aware of how important the existence of friends was.


    Before they knew it, the party reached the junction between Winston and Bairan.


    Lauel pointed out Jishuka. "Jishuka, you should say goodbye here. Please rule Bairan as you have been doing so far.¡±


    Jishuka responded in a frustrated manner.


    "Shouldn¡¯t I be near Grid to help him? Can¡¯t I leave Bairan to someone else and go with him to Reidan?¡±


    "Do you think there are any guild members who can rule a city like Bairan as well as you?¡±


    Jishuka was the only guild member who had proven their ability to manage a territory. They had to depend on Jishuka, who was an experienced person.


    ¡°The guild members will begin to rule over small viges and gain experience as a lord. Then your sessor can be decided, so please endure until then.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to umte minerals in the guild¡¯s warehouse while steadily doing the Guardian of the Forest raid.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    Jishuka elected three guild members to help her and was about to leave with a bleak expression. Then Lauel offered something that interested her. ¡°Do you want to swear a knight¡¯s oath to Grid before leaving? Then Grid can summon you anytime he needs you.¡±


    "I-Is that so?¡±


    She could fly to Grid¡¯s side no matter how far away she was. Jishuka was enthusiastic and pledged to Grid without any hesitation.


    [You have be the knight of Duke Grid of the Eternal Kingdom.]


    [Grid can summon you to his side at any time, assuming that you agree.]


    "Hehe, then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Jishuka finally regained her energy and headed towards Bairan with the three guild members.


    Lauel added something. ¡°In addition, keep searching for talent in Bairan. Please gather three great knights each. In addition, don¡¯t neglect the recruitment of soldiers.¡±


    The knights and soldiers would be Grid¡¯s power. Jishuka remembered this point and nodded while leaving. Then the rest of the guild members headed to Winston with Grid.


    ***


    "Dear husband!¡± Irene met Grid¡¯s group as they arrived in Winston. She didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s eyes as she fell into Grid¡¯s arms. "Thank you for being safe! Thank you for helping my father! Thank you for protecting the kingdom! I¡¯m so proud that you have be a duke!¡±


    Irene¡¯s face was filled with love as she buried it into his chest without hesitation. Grid stroked her silver hair with a gentle expression before looking back.


    Sehee and Yerim were staring at him.


    ¡®Why do they look so angry?¡¯


    Grid wondered as he introduced Irene to Sehee and Yerim.


    "This is my wife.¡±


    "...¡±


    Sehee and Yerim already knew that Grid was a married man in Satisfy. It was natural since his father-inw was Marquis Steim. But they felt strange and ufortable when they directly saw the woman who was Grid¡¯s wife.


    ¡®Our parents are unaware that he is a married man... He¡¯s apletely bad person.¡¯


    ¡¯I want to win Youngwoo oppa first.¡¯


    Irene confirmed that the girls were looking at her with hostility and spoke with an uneasy expression. "Dear husband, have you obtained concubines as soon as you became a duke? My heart hurts...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that. They are...¡±


    There was no time for Grid to exin. Sehee and Yerim cried out.


    "W-Who is Oppa¡¯s concubine?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Youngwoo oppa¡¯s concubine. I will be his legal wife!¡±


    It was quite a big disturbance. Sehee was confused about what was happening, while Yerim tantly spoke Irene.


    ¡°Well, this is a game world, not reality. So Oppa and I can get married. I don¡¯t want that, but if Oppa asks me... Uh.¡±


    ¡°You are Youngwoo oppa¡¯s wife with that body? Bah, did you use magic?¡±


    "Oh my, oh my. What nonsense is this fox speaking?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Grid sighed and suddenly checked the time. It was 7 p.m. in reality. It had been 6 hours in reality and 18 hours in Satisfy time since the kan jajang arrived. Grid separated the two girls from Irene and said.


    "You guys should log out. Even if it¡¯s Saturday, your parents will worry if you go homete.¡±


    "Ah...!¡±


    Many events had urred since connecting to the game. There was the battle with the golem army, the banquet, the journey, etc. Due to that, the girls hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the time.


    ¡°It¡¯s already this time?¡±


    The girls btedly realized the situation and prepared to log out. But before they logged out.


    "Today¡¯s money, I¡¯ll give it to Oppa.¡±


    "Me too.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim were only 18 years old this year. For them, 500,000 gold was a huge sum of money. Then what about 500 million won? It was an amount they couldn¡¯t handle. It made them scared.


    Grid understood their minds and received the 442,900 gold that Sehee received from the ¡®Fight the Golems¡¯ quest. However, he refused Yerim¡¯s money.


    "I¡¯ll take care of Sehee¡¯s money and return it when she is an adult. But Yerim, this is your money. If you want, then I¡¯ll exchange it for cash and give it to your parents.¡±


    Yerim stuck out her tongue. "Oppa, why are you acting like this? Please take my money. Then at ater time, make me an item with that money. I heard from the guild members that the items you make are expensive.¡±


    Lauel prompted the hesitant Grid. ¡°Take it. Please manage Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯s capital for a while until they level up. Then make them items. It¡¯s also good for the guild.¡±


    Eventually, Grid nodded. Sehee and Yerim confirmed it and logged out. The mood finally stabilized.


    "Irene, I will need to go away for a while.¡±


    Irene looked sad.


    "... Are you leaving for Reidan straight away?¡±


    Tears filled her beautiful eyes. She didn¡¯t want to be separated from him. Grid ached as he watched Irene, who was like a wet puppy in the rain, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    "Someday we will be able to travel together.¡±


    "...¡±


    Irene wanted to tell Grid not to leave. Or she wanted to follow him. But she had a role to y as the heir of a marquis, and Grid was in a difficult position because he just became a duke. Things might change in the future.


    "Before you leave, let me feel your love for thest time.¡± Irene held Grid tightly. She didn¡¯t care about the eyes of the soldiers, knights and guild members as she kissed Grid and dered. "I want to conceive a child with you today.¡±


    "...¡±


    Speaking such an explicit remark in public? The embarrassed Grid blushed while everyone else shifted their gaze as they coughed or whistled. But Irene¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shake at all. She was serious. Grid was spellbound by her heart and beauty.


    ¡°I understand. I will do my best today.¡±


    After that. The two people headed to the bedroom and shared a hot and precious time. Grid¡¯srge and thick fingers moved over Irene¡¯s silky skin...


    The details will be omitted.


    "Ahh, dear husband...¡±


    Grid went deeper than ever...


    Omitted.


    ***


    ¡°Then I will move.¡±


    As Grid and Irene were busy, Lauel headed towards the dungeon. Shay¡¯s party was contained there. Lauel made a suggestion to the people who had already been trapped in prison for three days.


    ¡°Give me the most expensive item you have. Then I¡¯ll guarantee your freedom and safety.¡±


    Shay snorted. ¡°We will be released after three hours, so why should we?¡±


    Huroi¡¯s situation in the past was a special case. Normally, no matter how big the crime, a user couldn¡¯t be locked up in prison for more than three days. Shay¡¯s group knew this better than anyone, so theyughed at Lauel¡¯s suggestion.


    Lauel looked at them coldly. ¡°I will make it easier for you to understand. I will kill you if you don¡¯t pass me an item. If you have eyes and ears, you should already know that I have that power.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    PK users like Shay¡¯s party had a high probability of dropping items when they died. Lauel looked at their frightened expression and pulled out a list. It was the list that Irene gave him.


    "This is a list of items that you currently own. Give me your most expensive and precious item. Then I will spare your lives.¡±


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    Shay¡¯s party thought it was ridiculous. This young man called Lauel, he was as evil as them, who had threatened so many people? Once again, Shay¡¯s party vowed not to mess with Grid.


    On the other hand, Grid spent precious time with Irene before calling for Euphemina.


    "Do you remember Rabbit?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208


    "Do you remember Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dear name.¡±


    Euphemina met Grid due to Rabbit¡¯s quest. Rabbit asked Euphemina to participate in the item making game against Grid, then he asked her to rescue Grid from prison. He had a smarter, more flexible mindset than most humans, so she couldn¡¯t forget him.


    ¡°I remember. He was the brains of the Mero Company.¡±


    "You remembered pretty quickly. What do you think about inviting him to the guild?¡±


    "...¡±


    Did Grid really share his affection with Irene? He was soaked with sweat. His upper body was somewhat revealed by the robe he loosely wore, revealing a masculine appearance. It was appropriate to call him sexy.


    It was the effect of the charm stat. Grid¡¯s charm had sharply rising after bing the first duke, so most people would feel favorable towards him. It was the reason why Euphemina was enchanted. But Grid wasn¡¯t yet aware of this fact.


    ¡°Euphemina?¡±


    Euphemina regained her spirit and asked, "Ah, what did you say just now?"


    Grid repeated. ¡°What do you think about inviting Rabbit to the guild?¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s opinion was positive.


    ¡°I want to invite him. Wasn¡¯t he the one who drove the Mero Company to the top in the north? If you take into consideration his outstanding brain and experiences, his talent as a merchant and his ability to discern your value, he must be a named-grade NPC.¡±


    Their encounter with Rabbit was short, but intense. It was amon feeling for both Grid and Euphemina.


    ¡°He is probably a named NPC... I agree.¡±


    The current Grid was sure that Rabbit was an NPC with a much higher rating than Jude or Minor. He would be a great help if he was invited. But there was one problem. Rabbit was the hero who helped Grid and Euphemina save the people of Winston, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that he was the number two of the Mero Company. Thanks to that, Marquis Steim sentenced him to 10 years in prison.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Rabbit still trapped in Frontier¡¯s prison? Can you invite a prisoner to the guild? I can¡¯t figure out how to get him out of prison."


    "Why can¡¯t I get him out?¡±


    Grid opened his inventory. Then he pulled out an item he got along with Reidan.


    [Great Lord¡¯s Sword]


    Durability: 220/220 Attack Power: 220


    * Dignity +150


    * Insight +150


    * Leadership +150


    * Skill ¡¯Character Observation¡¯ will be generated.


    * Skill ¡®Talent Search¡¯ will be generated.


    A rare sword only given to the best lords.


    You can observe the soldiers and residents more closely and efficientlymand them.


    Weight: 200


    It was an upgraded version of the Ruler¡¯s Sword.


    Grid handed it to Euphemina.


    ¡°I am a duke. With my authority, I can pardon a sinner sentenced by a marquis. Probably.¡±


    "...Probably.¡± Grid shrugged at Euphemina¡¯s questioning gaze. "Will he refuse the request of his son-inw who¡¯s a duke? He became a marquis thanks to me, so he should listen to this small request. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    "Ah, that¡¯s right. I understand. I will go to Frontier and invite Rabbit to the guild. But I don¡¯t need this sword.¡±


    "We don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t you want to examine Rabbit with the sword first in order to determine if he is worth it?¡±


    ¡°The Character Observation skill was created on its own once my insight reached 1,600. So I don¡¯t need that item¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°1,600...?¡±


    Grid currently only had 1,100 insight, even if the effect of Kingdom¡¯s Hero was applied. However, Euphemina was a Duplicator and her main stat was insight, so it exceeded 1,600 points.


    ¡®I¡¯m envious.¡¯


    Character Observation was a skill to check the NPC¡¯s stat information, skills information and potential. It would be much morefortable if he could use this useful skill without relying on an item.


    Euphemina asked Grid. "Should Ie back to Winston with Rabbit?¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°No, go to Reidan. We will be departing for Reidan soon.¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    Euphemina said goodbye and left the office. Grid was left alone and he started thinking as he looked at the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®Is there a hidden talent in Winston?¡¯ Grid wanted to take care of everything before leaving Winston. ¡®I should explore with Talent Search.¡¯


    Grid was about to head into the city with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword when he suddenly stopped.


    ¡°That reminds me of Kesan Canyon...¡±


    It happened when Grid entered Kesan Canyon to acquire Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. The NPC who called himself the captain of the Saharan Empire¡¯s knights had tried to give him a quest.


    ¡®Was his name Piero? He was incredibly strong.¡¯


    He had never seen such a strong NPC since Doran. Who was stronger between him and Jude? Jude wasn¡¯t a match, even armed with the +8 Dainsleif.


    ¡®I have to invite him.¡¯


    Grid worried for a while before quickly making a decision.


    ¡°I will attempt it once.¡±


    He had nothing to lose if the invitation failed. This was because the NPC had a quest rted to the Saharan Empire.


    ¡°Reidan is near the border of Saharan, so that¡¯s a plus.¡±


    Grid determined his goal and gathered the guild members.


    "Take Khan and head to Reidan first. Join forces and organize the ce until I arrive. Oh, don¡¯t forget to take Minor along as well. I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll escape if he isn¡¯t under someone¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Vantner was puzzled.


    "You aren¡¯ting with us?¡±


    "I have a ce I need to stop by first.¡±


    Lauel had just taken the items away from Shay¡¯s party and he admonished Grid. "You¡¯re the leader of the guild. When you are doing your personal activities, you are obliged to exin the situation to the guild members in more detail. So that we don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Grid briefly exined. ¡°I am going to pick up a treasure before heading to Reidan.¡±


    Treasure? The guild members were expectant after seeing Grid¡¯s attitude. Then they left for Reindan. Reidan was located to the west of the kingdom, so it would be a long journey.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid separated from the guild, had a gratifying farewell with Irene, and ended up alone. He opened Braham¡¯s Message as he flew towards Kesan Canyon.


    [Are you sure you want to open Braham¡¯s Message?]


    [There is unidentified magic power. You need to be careful.]


    Grid flinched. He recalled the time when he opened Braham¡¯s treasure box in the Golem¡¯s Labyrinth. He only opened the message after he fully armed himself with items and the pavranium.


    [The unidentified magic power has formed someone¡¯s voice.]


    Braham¡¯s voice was directly transmitted to his brain.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant, the fact that you received this message means that you¡¯ve defeated my golem army? This is a simple warning. Gain the four blessings of the gods and make the Vessel of the Soul! Then resurrect my body! If you keep dying, then you will suffer a disaster!]


    "He invaded the kingdom just to intimidate me?¡±


    This crazy bastard. He killed thousands of people just for that reason?


    ¡¯He is beyond selfish.¡¯


    Grid called up the information of the quest he had been postponing.


    [Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection]


    Rating: Second ss Quest.


    The legendary great magician Braham was a genius. He reigned as the best magician ever since he started learning magic. There was a myth that he survived against the fire dragon Trauka without dying.


    As he grew old, he started mourning the fact that he was a mortal. Mentally and physically, he had already transcended humanity. Therefore, he wanted to be immortal.


    After much research, he designed the ¡®Vessel of the Soul¡¯ that will regenerate his mortal soul into an immortal soul.


    But the Vessel of the Soul is an object that doesn¡¯t exist in this world and is impossible to create.


    He searched for an entirely new mineral that could be used as a material for the Vessel of the Soul and learned that his old friend Pagma was trying to create a mineral that wasn¡¯t part of this world. He went to Pagma and assisted in the work.


    The twobined their power and created the mineral called pavranium.


    Braham had no doubts that pavranium could be used to make the Vessel of the Soul.


    But the only cksmith who could smelt pavranium was Pagma, who unfortunately died of old age.


    In the end, Braham didn¡¯t achieve his wish!


    He looked forward to the day that Pagma¡¯s Descendant would be born to create the Vessel of the Soul, creating 28 mines and setting up mazes all over the ce before he died.


    Eachbyrinth is full of minerals, and he believed that it would be enough to lure Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Now 300 years have passed.


    Out of 28 pieces of Braham¡¯s soul that were sealed in 28byrinths, one has finally encountered you.


    Braham wants you to make the Vessel of the Soul. Through the Vessel of the Soul, he will be resurrected with the soul and body of an immortal.


    * Second ss Quest Clear Condition: Create the Vessel of the Soul.


    Second ss Quest Clear Reward: Arge amount of pavranium.


    In order to create the Vessel of the Soul, the pavranium needed to obtain four blessings. But Grid had a hostile rtionship with the Yatan Church, so it was close to impossible to receive their blessing.


    ¡®No matter how much Braham threatens, it¡¯s currently an impossible quest. There¡¯s something strange.¡¯


    Legend had it that Pagma died 100 years ago. But when reading the details of this quest, Braham¡¯s time of death was 300 years ago. From this perspective, Braham¡¯s story about the pavranium seemed to be full of mistakes. The past Grid wasn¡¯t cautious and didn¡¯t recognize this mistake, but now he was different.


    ¡¯There¡¯s something fishy about Braham.¡¯


    In fact, he could obtain the quest rewards with just Minor. Hadn¡¯t Grid already found seven pieces of pavranium in the north thanks to Minor?


    ¡°Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection? Damn, I can¡¯tplete this quest. If you want to warn me, then warn me. I don¡¯t like this attitude. Damn bastard.¡±


    Obviously, he had an obligation toplete the ss quest. He had to clear the ss quest in order to fully understand the story about Pagma and toplete his ss. But Grid wasn¡¯t nervous. If all of the pavranium was recovered, it was assumed that the story would develop without Braham¡¯s help. It was a wisdom he naturally acquired while clearing various types of difficult quests.


    [Braham¡¯s Message has been destroyed.]


    Grid removed the ridiculous message and his flight speed increased. Then after two hours, he arrived at Kesan Canyon.


    "It was around this ce?¡±


    Loran Falls was one of the most sacred ces for the people of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Grid shouted, ¡°Come out! Piero!¡±


    His powerful voice echoed through the canyon. After a while.


    "My name is Piaro, not Piero.¡±


    The middle-aged man showed up in front of Grid. Grid waspletely different from the past, so Piaro didn¡¯t recognize him.


    "Who are you? Were you sent by Asmophel?¡± In the past, Piaro thought highly of Grid¡¯s development. However, the current Piaro recognized Grid as strong and was very alert. "Based on your skills... It seems like you can handle the current Asmophel?"


    An endless sense of dignity could be seen. This was the current Grid. Piaro was extremely nervous while Grid cut to the chase.


    ¡°You, won¡¯t you be my knight?¡±


    Grid observed Piaro¡¯s details using the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and was more stimted than when he made a legendary item.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209


    Name: Piaro


    Age: 39 Gender: Male


    ss: Swordsman/ Hermit


    Title: Great Swordsman


    * The closest person to bing a sword saint in this age.


    * When a de type weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 40% and attack speed by 10%. This effect is applied separately from the Sword Mastery skill effect.


    Level: 367


    Strength: 2,038 Stamina: 1,380


    Agility: 1,910 Intelligence: 530


    Leadership: 812 Indomitable: 824


    Skills: Trap Instation (C+), Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (B), Overwhelming (A), Empire¡¯s Military Tactics (A+), Great Swordsman¡¯s Enlightenment (S+), Supreme Swordsmanship (SS), Fated to Perish (??).


    A descendant of a prestigious bloodline in the Saharan Empire, he was born with a natural talent for swordsmanship and military tactics. He joined the knights at a young age and became a captain in only 12 years.


    In the following 5 years, he seeded in winning a lot of achievements. However, 2 years ago, he witnessed the liaison between Asmophel and Empress Marie.


    He was wrongfully branded as an imperial traitor and forced to flee.


    * Currently, this person is suffering from a severe sickness of the heart. He has lost his original nature and all stats are reduced by 20% from those shown in the status window.


    [Trap Instation]


    Piaro can install simple traps. It¡¯s a skill acquired to beat his pursuers.


    [Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship]


    The basic swordsmanship passed down to the knights of the Saharan Empire. It is made of five forms and is easy to learn, but the power is rtively good.


    Piaro has reconstructed this swordsmanship and raised it to a higher level.


    [Overwhelming]


    Piaro can overwhelm a target that has a much lower level than you. The overwhelmed target will feel fear.


    [Empire¡¯s Military Tactics]


    High level military tactics that the Saharanmanders learn. Piaro personally studied these tactics and raised it to another level.


    He can seamlesslymand thousands of troops.


    [Great Swordsman¡¯s Enlightenment]


    Pairo developed aura after achieving enlightenment as a swordsman. Be cautious, since the forming the aura will take some time.


    Now that he has be one with the sword, his aura has be intangible and more powerful.


    His sword techniques have gone beyond the limits of a human.


    [Supreme Swordsmanship]


    The swordsmanship that was passed through Piaro¡¯s family for generations. Piaro was able to be a great swordsman by mastering this swordsmanship that hasn¡¯t been mastered by anyone in his family for hundreds of years.


    There is a theory that this swordsmanship originated on the Eastern Continent.


    [Fated to Perish]


    Piaro¡¯s unique technique. The sword will attack one point on the target. The target hit by the sword must die.


    Piaro is deserving to be a legend just from this technique alone.


    Skill Mana Consumption: 40% of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * This skill can¡¯t be applied in quests and raids.


    ¡¯It is beyond my expectations.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s passive skill wasparable to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship (Lv. 2), which increased physical attack by 30%, critical hit rate by 20%, and critical damage by 10%. Moreover, his active skills were brilliant.


    ¡®In particr, the Fated to Perish skill is terrifying. A skill that will 100% kill a person?¡¯


    It was a technique that made him eligible to be a legend. It was safe to call this a legendary rated skill. But Grid admired something else about Piaro.


    ¡®There is no limit on his stats increase.¡¯


    So far, all NPCs that Grid observed had a limit on their stats. It was the same with higher rated NPCs like Jude and Minor. Piaro¡¯s name might be marked with gold, but there were no limits on his stats, so he could grow infinitely like a user.


    ¡®Yes, this is truly a named-grade NPC.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled. ¡°You, won¡¯t you be my knight?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Piaro frowned. "There are several things to point out. First of all, who are you?¡±


    Grid introduced himself in a confident manner.


    ¡°I¡¯m Grid, Pagma¡¯s Descendant and a duke of the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    The Saharan Empire was the peak nation on the continent, so they dismissed the Eternal Kingdom. In fact, the Eternal Kingdom offered a tribute to the empire, just like other kingdoms. Piaro was a noble of the Saharan Empire, so the duke of a small kingdom didn¡¯t seem great at all.


    Just, ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    Piaro couldn¡¯t stand still. cksmith Pagma, he had earned the reputation as the best swordsman since Sword Saint Muller. It was natural that Piaro was interested in a legend¡¯s descendant.


    ¡°Is this the truth?¡±


    Piaro quickly showed abat posture. It was his instincts as a swordsman.


    Grid smiled awkwardly. ¡°Why do you suddenly look like that? Do you want to fight? I don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    Piaro pointed his sword at Grid. ¡°You are the one who rambled first. Suddenly asking me to be your knight? I should first check to see if you are qualified.¡±


    Piaro could urately guess the level of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Then he could gauge his gap with Sword Saint Muller. Piaro decided and rushed towards Grid. Grid thought it was ridiculous as the distance between them was narrowed in an instant.


    ¡®Is he seriously brandishing a sword at me? Is he crazy about fighting?¡¯


    Grid had wanted to avoid the fight. His weak self in the past would¡¯ve run away, but now he was strong. He pulled out the +9 Failure.


    Jeeeong!


    Piaro admired the blue shark-shaped greatsword.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great sword.¡±


    Grid identified Piaro¡¯s sword and scoffed.


    "Your sword is unimpressive. Well, if it¡¯s repaired, then it will improve.¡±


    ¡°Weapons aren¡¯t important.¡±


    Kkirik!


    Piaro rotated the sword in his hand that had collided with Failure. Then Grid felt a tremendous pressure and almost let go of Failure. He had to tighten his grip in order to not lose it.


    ¡®I have more strength, but why am I being pushed in a power struggle? Is this technique?¡¯


    At this time, all of Grid¡¯s strength was concentrated on his upper body. Piaro kicked Grid¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid stumbled. Piaro¡¯s foot aimed at his face while he was leaning sideways.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid raised his knee to defend against the kick. This time, his strength was concentrated on his lower body.


    Chukak.


    Piaro rotated his sword again and struck Failure. Blood spurted from Grid¡¯s chest. Piaro expressed his thoughts. "Poor techniques. Your im about being Pagma¡¯s Descendant is false. Or was Pagma¡¯s skill this low in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°Poor techniques? It doesn¡¯t matter if you disrespect Pagma, but don¡¯t humiliate me!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid became serious. His pride was dented so he triggered Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link. 21 blue-white des were generated and covered Piaro at a fearsome speed.


    However.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Piaro defended against all 21 strikes by moving his sword with minimal movements. His stats might¡¯ve fallen by 20%, but this was possible because his agility was twice as high as Grid¡¯s. In the meantime, Grid had only been investing his points in strength and stamina. But now he gained enlightenment.


    ¡®Speed is really important in swordsmanship. I need to invest in agility in the future.¡¯


    ¡°Is this your best technique?¡±


    Piaro was disappointed and looked at Grid with derision.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Grid used abo skill that he developed over his manybat experiences. Theoretically, it was abo guaranteed to win.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint!¡±


    Grid first restrained Piaro¡¯s actions. Rather than linking with Kill which might kill Piaro, he struck three times. Then once Restraint was almost over, he used Wave to slow down Piaro¡¯s movements and used Link again.


    Piaro¡¯s high agility and passive skill meant he defended against most of the attacks, but he eventually allowed two attacks and coughed out blood.


    Then he dropped his sword.


    ¡°What? Is this the end?¡± Grid was immersed in the duel, so he couldn¡¯t help asking Piaro with a frown.


    "Doesn¡¯t it seem like you¡¯re holding back? I admit defeat.¡±


    In fact, Piaro also hadn¡¯t used all his strength. He didn¡¯t use Fated to Perish. But even if he used it, Grid had his invincible passive skill. Grid didn¡¯t doubt his victory, so his expression brightened.


    ¡°Okay. Now that I¡¯ve won, will you be my knight?¡±


    Piaro shook his head. "I just said I would see if you are qualified. I never promised to be your knight. I¡¯m sorry, but I promised to never swear allegiance to anyone again. I can¡¯t ept your request.¡±


    "Are you traumatized because of your experience of being abandoned by your master?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid spoke honestly to the baffled Piaro. "I¡¯m well aware of your situation. Weren¡¯t you framed by a colleague and became a fugitive? The fact that the emperor didn¡¯t help you meant that he also doubted your loyalty... Now you¡¯re determined topletely iste yourself from the world after being betrayed by your colleagues?¡±


    Piaro showed killing intent for the first time.


    "The empire is the only one who should know that story. It isn¡¯t something that can be discovered through rumors. Did Asmophel tell you?¡±


    ¡°No? I heard this story directly from you.¡±


    What was this nonsense? Piaro still looked puzzled, so Grid pointed to his face.


    ¡°Look closely. Aren¡¯t I somehow familiar?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it...?¡± Piaro finally remembered. "Are you the person from that time?¡±


    A year and a half ago. There was one person who entered Kesan Canyon, a ce where powerful monsters were found, by himself. At the time, he was weak, but he seemed like he would grow quickly. So Piaro asked him to act on Piaro¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Amazing. Your skills, atmosphere and appearance have changed. I didn¡¯t think you would be the ugly person from that time.¡±


    "No matter how ugly I was, saying that...¡±


    Grid was shocked and frustrated by Piaro¡¯s blunt words.


    After a short silence.


    Grid barely managed to regain his mind and proposed.


    ¡°I will get revenge for you. Instead,e with me. Isn¡¯t it too unfair for you to live away from the world just because of a traitor?¡±


    Piaro questioned him. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you need me. Isn¡¯t the Eternal Kingdom guaranteed peace as a neutral kingdom? Why do you need my help?¡±


    ¡°I want you to escort me when I go to find minerals...¡±


    "What nonsense...¡±


    In fact, Grid¡¯s intentions didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡¯If I can achieve my revenge...¡¯


    Piaro lost everything due to Asmophel. His colleagues loyal to him were killed. Revenge was Piaro¡¯sst desire.


    ¡®If I can achieve my revenge, I¡¯m even willing to sell my soul to the devil.¡¯


    But the problem was after his revenge was achieved. Was he willing to pledge the rest of his life to someone?


    As Piaro hesitated, Grid stabbed right to his core.


    "You wanted a duel as soon as you heard that I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so aren¡¯t you still longing for strength? Don¡¯t you want to be a sword saint? Among mypanions, there are many strong people. Don¡¯t you want to live and train with them?¡±


    "... But I doubt that I can be loyal to you.¡±


    "You don¡¯t have to force yourself to be loyal. You don¡¯t have to pledge to be a knight if you¡¯re unwilling. Stay as my guest. You can decide for yourself if you want to follow me.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to miss Piaro, so he eventually took a step back. Therefore, Piaro had no choice but to ept Grid¡¯s proposal.


    On that day, Grid left the city where he lived for a year and eight months after he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was the moment when the legend shifted to a new stage.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210


    Most of the magic forms used by magicians today were established by Braham. Thanks to Braham, the science of magic was able to develop and the authority of magicians rose. For magicians, Braham was a teacher and object of respect.


    But what was the truth? Braham¡¯s achievements that people knew about actually belonged to Mumud. The person who simplifiedplicated magic forms, made it easier for training, and spread it into the world was Mumud, not Braham.


    Then why was Mumud unknown, and Braham praised by the world? Braham was the only one who knew.


    The Golem¡¯s Labyrinths.


    [You ignored my warning. Pagma¡¯s Descendant, you are the first person to make me so angry after Mumud.]


    Braham was furious at Grid, who didn¡¯t respond to his message. His 28 souls twisted like they were mes in front of the wind.


    [I will make you regret it.]


    In the past, Mumud was Braham¡¯s best disciple. Mumud¡¯s talents grew day by day and would eventually transcend him. Braham couldn¡¯t tolerate it. He couldn¡¯t let his top position be taken by his disciple, so he monitored Mumud¡¯s every move.


    That¡¯s how the ¡®Eyes of Surveince¡¯ magic was attached to Mumud¡¯s Orb.


    [I will find out your weakness.]


    Grid had reproduced Mumud¡¯s Orb for Euphemina, allowing him to be watched. The day woulde when Grid would eventually move ording to Braham¡¯s will.


    ***


    Deep in the forest.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡±


    A man with matted hair was waiting when Grid logged in. It was Great Swordsman Piaro. He was seated in front of a campfire and Grid greeted him.


    "Good morning. Have you eaten?¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude towards Piaro was very friendly. It was much more favorable than when he dealt with beautiful people like Yura and Jishuka. But Piaro was unfriendly.


    ¡°I ate. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid¡¯s smile didn¡¯t go away. He was happy at the thought of having the strongest swordsman as his colleague.


    ¡®If Piaro bes a sword saint...¡¯


    He would have unsurpassed power. He didn¡¯t need to be afraid of demons like Hell Gao anymore. Maybe he could try raiding a dragon.


    ¡®It is enough for now.¡¯


    Strength, stamina, agility. If these threebat rted stats werebined, Piaro had higher stats than Grid. Piaro also had the strongest skills as well. It was very reassuring to Grid. But there was one drawback.


    ¡®His appearance is deplorable.¡¯


    It might be due to his sickness of the heart. Piaro looked so old that it was hard to believe he was 29 years old. It was more believable if he was 50 years old.


    ¡®It¡¯s a matter of style.¡¯


    His shabby attire and shaggy hair made him look like a homeless person. He had a scruffy beard and he stank.


    ¡®Appearance is important.¡¯


    Grid once had the worst appearance, so he knew the importance of appearance better than anyone else. Wasn¡¯t he despised by other people just because he was ugly or because of his clothes? Grid determined that it wasn¡¯t good to leave Piaro as he was and pulled clothes out of his inventory. It was noble clothing that he received from Irene. Grid was hesitant because it was an item worth 50 gold, but he closed his eyes and handed it to Piaro.


    ¡°Put this on. And why don¡¯t you cut or tie your hair up?¡±


    Piaro refused. "I don¡¯t care about my appearance.¡±


    "I¡¯m embarrassed to go around with you.¡±


    It was something his sister often said to him. Grid felt a sh of understanding.


    ¡®This is how Sehee felt.¡¯


    Grid smiled bitterly as Piaro responded bluntly.


    ¡°You have to endure it if you want me toe with you.¡±


    "Ah...¡±


    Piaro¡¯s nerves were sharp. Anger was the only thing that could be seen in both eyes. It was because he was obsessed with revenge. As stated in the status window, Piaro was currently suffering from a sickness of the heart and lost his original nature.


    Grid felt the need to take care of him. Rather than forcing or persuading him, Grid would let him do as he wanted. It was the best and smartest choice for Grid, who had little experience with building up rtionships with people.


    Grrr.


    A pair of twin ogres appeared in front of the two people who had been walking for half a day. They were powerful level 260 monsters, but they were nothing more than puppies in front of the legendary Grid and Great Swordsman Piaro.


    Seokeok!


    It only took Piaro a matter of seconds.


    Peeeeok!


    Grid took around one minute to destroy his twin ogre.


    Piaro asked him.


    "I felt it when we fought the other day, but your basics are terrible. You can implement Pagma¡¯s wonderful techniques, but you haven¡¯t mastered the sword."


    Grid had been using a greatsword as a weapon since Satisfy began. He might not be the best, but he was confident that he knew the basics. However, considering his experience and level, it was true that hecked skill.


    Grid became aware of it because of Piaro and gave an excuse. "I don¡¯t care about swordsmanship. Anyway, I am armed with excellent weapons and armor. If I rely on my equipment, I can overpower my opponent.¡±


    ¡°That is wrong for warriors. Moreover, it¡¯s bad to just rely on equipment if your equipment isn¡¯t suitable.¡± Piaro pointed to Braham¡¯s Boots. ¡°If you really want to rely on equipment, you should change those shoes first.¡±


    "Why?¡±


    The defense of Braham¡¯s Boots were outstanding considering they had a level 240 limit. Moreover, it was light andfortable to wear, speeding up movement speed. It was nothingpared to Failure or the Holy Light set, but it was a worthy item because Fly was attached to it.


    Grid sent him a nce stating ¡®you don¡¯t know anything,¡¯ so Piaro exined.


    ¡°The greatsword emphasizes power over swiftness. In order to put as much weight as possible behind your strikes, you should wear sturdy shoes that can withstand the weight.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t smart. If he heard an exnation when he wasn¡¯t prepared in advance, he was slow to understand. Piaro gave him a more direct exnation.


    "If you wear heavy boots, it is easier to concentrate your weight and you can gain more power behind your strikes. So I rmend heavy boots.¡±


    ¡®So... Wearing heavy boots will increase the attack power of the greatsword?¡¯ Grid was delighted after sessfully interpreting it. ¡®I found a hidden system!¡¯


    Grid was thrilled about finding a hidden system that most people didn¡¯t know about. Named NPCs could give all sorts of specific advice. His liking towards Piaro increased.


    ¡®I will be able to get ahead of others.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know.


    If a heavy weapon user was armed with heavy boots, the system would given additional attack power. This was alreadymon sense to most users. It showed that Grid was still ignorant when it came to overall game knowledge.


    ***


    "Is this Patrian?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After a three day journey, Grid and Piaro arrived at Patrian. The fortified city, Patrian. It was a strategic point at the border of the Gauss Kingdom, while also establishing the boundary that separated the western and northern parts of the Eternal Kingdom.


    In addition, it was Grid¡¯s starting city.


    ¡®I lived here for nearly a year...¡¯


    Grid not only hunted countless orcs and goblins around Patrian, he also cleared all types of quests. Thanks to that, he was able to maximize his affinity with all the residents of Patrian, and received Earl Ashur¡¯s quest, where he eventually became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°That bastard Ashur...¡±


    Grid gritted his teeth as he once again recalled Earl Ashur. He was forced to be Pagma¡¯s Descendant due to Earl Ashur, and he trembled as he recalled his days as a minus level.


    ¡®...I vowed that I would get revenge once I became stronger.¡¯


    Grid had been filled with fury towards Earl Ashur for a while. But that was the past. Due to his rtionship with Earl Ashur, he ended up benefiting.


    ¡°We will stay here today and leave tomorrow.¡±


    At this speed, they could arrive in Reidan in four days. The rxed Grid entered Patrian with Piaro. At that moment, Earl Ashur¡¯s magic detected Grid¡¯s presence. He checked Grid¡¯s identity through the magic spheres he installed throughout Patrian and rose to his feet.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t afraid of this ce...!¡±


    Earl Ashur had dreamt about getting revenge on Grid, after losing Pagma¡¯s Rare Book in front of his eyes. He immediately summoned his knights.


    ¡°We¡¯re going hunting.¡±


    It was a great opportunity to repay the grudge. Earl Ashur was ovee with joy, despite being aware of Grid¡¯s importance. He knew that Grid had be a duke, but he didn¡¯t care.


    ***


    ¡°This meal tastes terrible.¡±


    Patrian was a fortified city, not a tourist one. Therefore, it didn¡¯t have a system designed to care for outsiders. The amodations they found didn¡¯t have proper facilities. Piaro looked at Grid, who wasining about the cheap inn¡¯s poor meal, and asked.


    "Why are you hiding your identity?¡±


    Grid said he was a duke of the kingdom. If this was true, he should be treated with great hospitality by the owner of the city. Yet Grid hid his identity with a hat before entering the city. It was like he was a wanted person, rather than a duke.


    Grid exined to the suspicious Piaro. "We are only staying overnight, and I don¡¯t want to be bothered.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Well, Grid¡¯s actions didn¡¯t matter. Piaro only cared about his revenge. Piaro thought so and tilted his ss. It was cheap alcohol, but this was the first time he could drink in two years. On the other hand, the users were looking at Grid and Piaro with strange expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s a strangebination.¡±


    "Why are those two together?¡±


    Grid was dressed in his beginners clothing to conceal his identity, while Piaro seemed like a beggar. People recognized Grid as a beginner, and Piaro as a beggar NPC. They were puzzled about why an NPC would be with a beginner.


    "No matter how cheap the food here is, it would be somewhat burdensome for a beginner to afford... How can he buy drinks as well?¡±


    ¡°The smell is too much.¡±


    ¡°Really annoying. What is that?¡±


    The female users found the odoring from Piaro annoying. The male users saw the female users¡¯ reactions and came forward.


    ¡°Hey, Beggar. I don¡¯t know why a poor person is trying to get drunk, but can you stop disturbing the other guests with your rancid smell?¡±


    ¡°Thedies have lost their appetite because of you. Get lost.¡±


    In the first ce, users didn¡¯t care about NPCs. It was natural for the treatment to be worse when the NPC was a beggar. Piaro ignored them. Grid didn¡¯t care. The two men weren¡¯t worth dealing with, so he just enjoyed his food and drink.


    ¡°The steamed lizardmen tails are good to eat. They¡¯re simr to pig trotters.¡±


    ¡°What are pig trotters? I¡¯ve tasted all types of delicacies in the empire, but I¡¯ve never heard of such a dish.


    "It is delicious pig¡¯s feet.¡±


    ¡°Hah~ the beggar is ignoring us.¡±


    The level 109 Coke became angry at being ignored by the beggar and eventuallymitted a mistake. His hand moved like he was about to do something. Piaro didn¡¯t allow it. He spat out the bone of the lizardman tail that he was eating.


    ¡°Eek.¡±


    [You have suffered 3,190 damage.]


    Coke¡¯s eyes widened as he screamed. It was because he was hit in the forehead by a bone and lost more than a third of his health.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211


    Coke was confused.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    He lost more than a third of his health when hit by a bone thrown by a beggar?


    ¡®A bug?¡¯


    It was a reasonable guess. A bug made more sense than a high level user like him being so damaged by a bone.


    Who was he?


    Less than half a year after starting Satisfy, he reached level 109 and was one of the best known yers in Patrian. He also had a chance to hunt one of the most notorious monsters near Patrian, the orc captain, alone.


    ¡®I will be a god in the future, so I can¡¯t be hurt by a bone...!¡¯


    Coke¡¯s goal was Grid. It was his desire to be called God Coke on the world stage, just like Grid. He had such a lofty goal that today¡¯s experience was even more humiliating.


    "You hit me so, I¡¯ll hit you back!¡±


    Coke rolled up his sleeves. Then he swung his hand at Piaro¡¯s head.


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    [You have suffered 3,140 damage.]


    This time, it was a bean. It wasn¡¯t even a big kidney bean, but a small pea. He was shocked as a pea flew out and hit him.


    ¡®Unbelievable! It wasn¡¯t a bug?¡¯


    Jeurereuk.


    Blood poured from Coke¡¯s mouth as he finally figured out the situation. He was able to realize that Piaro wasn¡¯t a beggar, but a tremendously high level NPC.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t understand the subject!¡¯


    Satisfy was famous for never having a bug since it opened. It was rumored that the creator, Lim Cheolho, was a god. Coke btedly tried to change his attitude. He attempted to avoid a situation by apologizing to Piaro. But it was still a crisis because the other users didn¡¯t understand the atmosphere.


    ¡°That guy is throwing food! Coke! Smash him!¡±


    "Teach that beginner and NPC a lesson!¡±


    The users didn¡¯t know that Coke was already half dead!


    ¡°Coke! Coke! Coke!¡±


    ¡°Get rid of that beggar!¡±


    Coke was upset because of their cheers and fighting atmosphere.


    ¡®Please figure out the atmosphere!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to be killed by bones and peas in front of Patrian¡¯s users, who looked up to him. Coke nervously looked at Piaro, but Piaro had no interest in him. He dismissed Coke at the level of a flying insect.


    Grid felt admiration.


    ¡°What did you just do? It looks like you dealt big damage with the bone and pea?¡±


    The user with the ID of Coke, based on the items he wore, he had a minimum level of 100. In addition, his armor had at least a rare rating. It was amazing that Coke coughed up blood after being hit by a bean.


    Piaro exined to Grid. ¡°I used qi. I can maximize my power by injecting qi into an object. In my hands, even a feather can be a sharp sword.¡±


    ¡°It is like a wuxia master.¡±


    "Wuxia? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Strong people like you who transform the world.¡±


    Grid and Piaro didn¡¯t care about the other people making a fuss. The users became increasingly furious.


    "That beggar is ignoring us until the end...!¡±


    Coke didn¡¯t take action, so the level 78th monk called Pitu and the level 85 berserker Dais rose from their seats. As they were approaching Piaro, the door of the inn suddenly opened.


    "Sir Dio ising!¡±


    Dozens of soldiers rushed into the narrow inn. They stood and saluted as a white armored knight entered. The young man had particrly noticeable blonde eyshes. He looked around the inn with narrowed eyes.


    "It stinks. Are people eating worse than pigs? It¡¯s incredibly stinky.¡± Dio held a blue rose in one hand and raised it to his nose. He smelled it and asked. ¡°Has anyone here seen Duke Grid?¡±


    ¡°Duke Grid?¡±


    ¡°Is he talking about God Grid?¡±


    There were no high level monsters near Patrian. It was because the knights and soldiers of Patrian used the monsters to train.


    ¡°Why would they be looking for a high level user in Patrian?¡±


    "No. Why would God Gride to this type of ce?¡±


    "You really don¡¯t know.¡± In the end, Dio started to examine the users¡¯ faces for Grid. ¡°You¡¯re not it. You also aren¡¯t it. You as well. Um...?¡±


    Dio¡¯s gaze went to a corner. There was a beginner adventurer sitting next to a beggar.


    "Take your hat off. Heok?¡±


    Dio approached Grid andmanded, only to be terrified. It was because of an enormous stench that spread.


    ¡°Dirty guy...!¡±


    Dio was a noble and a knight, so he had an unusually obsessive temperament about being clean. He became furious at Piaro, who hadn¡¯t taken a bath for at least a month.


    "How dare you go around in such a disgusting manner! What a shameless bastard! My nose will be paralyzed because of you! Don¡¯t make me nauseous and go away!¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The users annoyed by Piaro thought this was a cool remark.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid rose from his seat. He judged that it would be better to leave because Earl Ashur seemed to have noticed him.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to dy the time.¡¯


    The big city Reidan. He had tremendous expectations about his city. He wanted to arrive quickly and check how much taxes he would get. Dio caught up with Grid who was trying to leave.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you to take off your hat?¡±


    "...The boat might¡¯ve already sailed.¡± Grid grinned at Dio and asked. ¡°Do you really think that I am Duke Grid?¡±


    Dio bluntly replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I received a tip that Duke Grid was here.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted. ¡°Then why are you speaking like that?¡±


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    An enormous pressure was released. Dio, the soldiers and the users in the inn were overwhelmed by the pressure and hesitated. It was because Grid¡¯s dignity stat wasparable to the king of a nation. He threw off his hat.


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    ¡°God Grid!¡±


    Dio was astonished, while the other users cried out. Grid pressed his finger to Dio¡¯s forehead. ¡°If you knew I was Duke Grid, why did you speak without using honorifics? Eh? What did you originally say? Did you call me a bastard? Eh? Are we friends?¡±


    Grid had bad feelings towards Earl Ashur¡¯s knights as well. The one who killed Grid when he acquired Pagma¡¯s Rare Book wasn¡¯t Earl Ashur, but Earl Ashur¡¯s knights. And Dio was one of them.


    ¡°I tried to endure it, but this bastard is too arrogant.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t suppress his rage and pped Dio. It was a terrible experience for Dio, who had never even been scolded by his parents.


    "Y-You hit me...!¡±


    He bit his lips as Grid hit Dio¡¯s cheeks again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even apologize for not bowing! This rude bastard!¡±


    Grid had matured after several incidents, but the roots of a human didn¡¯t easily change. Grid¡¯s natural tendencies weren¡¯t good. Grid pped Dio in front of all these people, without considering Dio¡¯s position at all.


    p!p!p!


    Dio¡¯s handsome face quickly swelled up like a toad. In the end, Dio¡¯s string of reason snapped. He grabbed his sword, forgetting Earl Ashur¡¯s order to ¡®graciously¡¯ bring Grid to him.


    "Such humiliation...!¡±


    "What? Do you dare to show disrespect to a duke? You want to be like this until the end?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes shone. It was the same as when he was called the Psychopath Butcher. "You are sentenced to death."


    Jeeeong!


    He swung Failure. Dio couldn¡¯t cope with a single strike and was thrown back into the wall.


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    The soldiers panicked as they watched Dio coughing up blood. Should they protect their leader? But wasn¡¯t that considered a rebellion against the duke? As the soldiers were troubled, the cool de was held to Dio¡¯s jaw.


    "Do you remember that day?"


    ¡°That day...?¡±


    ¡°The day that I found Pagma¡¯s Rare Book.¡±


    ¡°I clearly remember.¡±


    Dio couldn¡¯t forget, since it was the day that Earl Ashur¡¯s anger pierced the sky. Grid gritted his teeth, "On that day, I was killed by your swords. I will give you a chance to experience the same pain.¡±


    Unlike a user who would resurrect if they died, the life of a NPC was finite. In Satisfy, killing an NPC was equivalent to murder in reality. Grid was unwilling to harm an NPC. It was even more so after forming a rtionship with Khan. Due to that, he didn¡¯t intend to kill Dio and was just nning to terrify him.


    However, Dio became honestly scared and pissed himself. He started foaming at the mouth and lost consciousness. It was an event that would be a lifelong trauma for Dio, who had been an elite since childhood.


    ***


    ¡°It seems strange if you¡¯re the duke of the kingdom.¡± Piaro remarked.


    Grid shrugged. "This was a dirty case. I have a bad chemistry with this ce.¡±


    "So that¡¯s why you hid your identity.¡±


    The two people left the inn and were moving to exit Patrian. Coke rushed after them.


    ¡°Grid! Grid!¡±


    Grid frowned. "Can¡¯t you see that I am moving in secret? Why are you calling out the name of a person without thinking?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry. I was so excited that I wasn¡¯t thinking...¡± Coke took out a piece of paper and asked Grid. ¡°Please sign this!¡±


    "...Sign?¡± Grid¡¯s distorted expression disappeared. ¡°Are you my fan?"


    "You¡¯re my idol! I want to be just like you!¡±


    "Hmm hmm.¡±


    He was an idol. Grid had been ignored by others for his whole life, so he had to be thrilled. He signed Coke¡¯s piece of paper.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It was the moment when Coke, who would be included in the next 10 Rookies, became Grid¡¯s real fan.


    Meanwhile, Earl Ashur received the news about Dio.


    "I can¡¯t leave this alone.¡±


    The embarrassment of his subordinate was the embarrassment of the owner! Earl Ashur became more furious at Grid and grasped his exact position with the magic spheres. Then he used Mass Teleport on him and his knights.


    Grid stopped as he was leaving Patrian. He saw the light from the sky and Ashur appeared in front of him.


    "In the end, you came here. Do you really want to die? Are you crazy?¡± Earl Ashur angrily asked Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like I was in the past. I¡¯m no longer to be trifled with. Can you afford to go against me?¡± Grid asked arrogantly, and Earl Ashur scoffed.


    "I¡¯m the only great magician in the Eternal Kingdom, and one of the 10 great magicians on the continent.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Earl Ashur was the strongest man in the kingdom. That¡¯s why he was appointed to the strategic point of Patrian.


    "I¡¯m not afraid of Pagma¡¯s power. You aren¡¯t Pagma. I have enough skills to get rid of you... Heok?¡±


    Earl Ashur suddenly became shocked. It was because an overwhelming amount of energy was being emitted.


    "I would like topete with one of the 10 great magicians of the continent.¡±


    It was the moment when Piaro¡¯spetitive spirit was triggered.


    "W-Who are you?"


    Earl Ashur could no longer worry about Grid due to the unexpected emergence of a monster. It was putting the cart before the horse.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212


    The Eternal Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. Over the past decades, there had been countless disputes and frequent bloodshed. The Eternal Kingdom used the guide of being a neutral kingdom to monopolize some of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s products.


    But the Gauss Kingdom wasn¡¯t able to induce conflict with the Eternal Kingdom. It was because the great magician Ashur was present at the border. Earl Ashur¡¯s power was like a nuclear warhead in modern society, so it was enough to suppress any conflicts.


    But Piaro was more than that.


    "W-Who are you?"


    In the beginning, Earl Ashur had no interest in the beggar. No, he hadn¡¯t even noticed. He only paid attention to Grid. Now the beggar was emitting an energy that could reverse the situation. At this moment, Earl Ashur¡¯s five senses were only concentrated on the beggar. His original purpose of taking care of Grid disappeared.


    ¡¯Is this fear I¡¯m feeling?¡¯ Goosebumps covered his entire body. ¡®There was a monster like this hiding in the kingdom?¡¯


    Earl Ashur gulped as Piaro asked for a duel.


    ¡°I want to experience the skills of one of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. I have no reason to fight you, nor do I want to fight."


    Earl Ashur was adamant. But Piaro just pulled out his sword.


    He was still obsessed with revenge, but he was also thirsty to fight against the strong. He was filled with a desire to be a sword saint. In particr, he was obsessed with Earl Ashur, because he had no experience fighting great magicians.


    ¡°You have no choice.¡±


    ¡®Crazy bastard!¡¯


    This was his only chance to get revenge on Grid, who stole Pagma¡¯s Rare Book, as well as his son¡¯s crush. Once Grid arrived at Reidan and solidified his position as a duke, Earl Ashur would no longer be able to act against him. Later, he would be forced to bow before Duke Grid.


    But at this critical junction, someone interfered. Earl Ashur¡¯s anger soared.


    "Who the hell are you?¡±


    Earl Ashur knew about the group with the strange name of Overgeared who were working with Grid. But there was no information about this beggar being part of Overgeared.


    Where did this guy suddenly pop out from?


    "Why are you with Grid? Are you his protector?¡±


    "Protector? You¡¯re mistaken. I don¡¯t have anything to do with Duke Grid. This is my personal interest.¡±


    In the first ce, did Grid need his protection? It was clear that this person called Ashur didn¡¯t know much about Grid.


    "Anyway, you aren¡¯t Duke Grid¡¯s opponent. It is better for you topete against me. Right now, I am in an iplete condition.¡±


    ¡°This person!¡±


    Earl Ashur sounded resentful towards Piaro, but his head was calm.


    ¡¯I must be calm. I shouldn¡¯t turn him into my enemy.¡¯


    The rumors might be exaggerated, but Grid¡¯s strength that he showed in Reinhardt wasn¡¯t negligible. Grid was praised as the kingdom¡¯s hero, so Earl Ashur had to fight seriously. After fighting with a much stronger opponent, could he take care of Grid?


    ¡®It is impossible.¡¯


    The wisest choice was to let Grid go. But.


    ¡®I can¡¯t miss the chance for revenge that will nevere again.¡¯ Earl Ashur made a decision. ¡®Create a space where Grid and I can fight.¡¯


    In other words, create a three dimensional space. Space magic was different from other magic, so the consumption of magic power was very extreme. Even Earl Ashur had to consume half of his magic power to create a space ward. But he was willing to do this to handle Grid.


    ¡°Buy me some time.¡±


    An earl was only supposed to have five knights, but Earl Ashur had dozens of knights as amander of a fortified city. He not only had great individual power, but his forces surpassed that of his title.


    The elite knights got into formation at once. In that gap, Earl Ashur chanted a spell.


    "Shake hands.¡±


    Elite knights? They were nothingpared to the knights of the Saharan Empire, the strongest nation on the continent. Furthermore, Piaro was the captain of the Red Knights.


    "It¡¯s a waste of manpower."


    Piaro¡¯s missing sword shot straight ahead. A knight defended by raising his shield, but Piaro predicted this.


    "Supreme Swordsmanship 3rd style.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It wasparable with the skill of a martial artist. Piaro¡¯s sword collided with the shield. The owner of the shield became a rag, while the other knights standing behind him spurted blood. It was the moment when the knights that Earl Ashur was proud of were knocked down by a single blow.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    "Defense is useless?"


    The knights freaked out as it felt like they were hit by a tornado. Piaro leapt lightly. He didn¡¯t give the knights time to reform their formation.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    He really was like a god. Piaro defied thews of gravity as he stood in the air and wielded his sword. The vulnerable knights were unable to respond as the sword techniques fell from the sky. They couldn¡¯t use the advantage of numbers to threaten Piaro, so they could only defend.


    However, Piaro¡¯s sword elerated so quickly that it was difficult to chase with the eyes, making it virtually impossible to defend.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Jacks, the leader of the knights, swung his halberd and tried to counterattack in the gap when his men were being attacked. But it was difficult to hit, because Piaro rotated his body in the air at a dizzying speed.


    ¡°This monster!¡±


    It was unbelievable. Hepletely avoided therge and wide attack of the halberd in the air? Was this old man a rumored assassin? Jacks continuously wielded his halberd. The opponent avoided it until the end. Then there was an unforgettable experience.


    "What?"


    The halberd started to be sucked into the rotating Piaro, as if it was attracted by a ma. Jacks tried to withstand it with all his strength, but it was useless. He let go of the halberd.


    Jjejejeok!


    The halberd lost its master and shattered in the air.


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    The falling fragments of the halberd aimed precisely at the knights on the ground. They were wearing expensive armor, but whether it was coincidence of Piaro¡¯s intentions, the fragments only aimed at the gaps on the armor. The armor was useless and the knights instantly copsed.


    ¡°M-Monster...!¡±


    Jacks couldn¡¯t close his mouth. Earl Ashur was even more surprised.


    ¡®They couldn¡¯tst?¡¯


    One minute. That was the amount of time required to generate the ward. The 23 knights couldn¡¯t withstand that short amount of time.


    Cheok.


    Atst, Piaronded on the ground and stepped forward, ignoring Jacks. He neared Earl Ashur.


    "In the end, we have to fight?¡± Earl Ashur screamed at Piaro. ¡°That¡¯s right! Okay! Let¡¯s try it once!¡±


    It seemed he couldn¡¯t avoid the fight. Earl Ashur pulled out a staff that was 50 cm in length. Most magicians used orbs due to the versatility of the orb that could store magic. However, Earl Ashur was fast in magic casting, so he used a staff that amplified magic.


    ¡°Haste!¡±


    One of the most important elements in a magic battle was speed. The opponent must hit before the magician finished casting a spell, and the magician must finish casting a spell before allowing an attack. Earl Ashur quickly increased his movement speed with Haste and widened the distance with Piaro.


    He already finished casting the next spell.


    "Orion¡¯s Illusion!"


    It was an illusion technique. Earl Ashur created five clones of himself and once again opened up the distance while Piaro was searching for the real body. Next was debuff magic.


    ¡°Soul Weakness!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s body became as sticky as oil and unpleasant magic power suppressed him.


    "Disgusting."


    Piaro¡¯s body lost its swiftness, but he bent like a bow and shot forward like a thunderbolt. He maximized his body¡¯s ability to increase speed, offsetting the effect of the debuff.


    ¡¯Did he resist? My magic? No, it¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes widened as he faced Piaro. But he tried to remain calm and finished casting the magic spell.


    ¡°Ice Tornado!¡±


    It was a mixture of two A-grade spells with different attributes, and exerted more power than an A-grade spell. It was still significantly less powerful than S-grade magic, so why did he use it?


    Even a great magician couldn¡¯t cast S-grade spells in an instant. Using S-grade magic without precautionary measures against a person like Piaro was close to suicide.


    Jjejejejeok!


    Piaro¡¯s body froze as he approached Earl Ashur. Earl Ashur¡¯s magic power exceededmon sense, so there was no one who wouldn¡¯t be frozen.


    ¡®This guy won¡¯t die like this.¡¯


    Earl Ashur believed that Piaro would recover within five seconds and started to chant a S-grade spell in that gap. However, he underestimated Piaro.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Earl Ashur was shocked. An intangible energy was felt from the frost and it shattered before even a few words could be chanted?


    ¡°You¡¯ve already recovered?¡±


    It was too fast to use S-grade magic. He had to quickly umte more damage using A-grade spells. He btedly responded to Piaro¡¯s sword that was flying.


    "Shield!"


    It was the manifestation of basic defensive magic that even beginners could use.


    "Great magic power.¡±


    Piaro admired Ashur, who absorbed most of the damage with his shield. However, he continued to wield his sword. Earl Ashur stood firm. He tried to avoid as much damage as possible by relying on the previously activated Haste, while minimizing the actual damage using Shield.


    Despite the continuous wounds he kept receiving, he used Shield while chanting S-grade magic in his head. Earl Ashur¡¯s concentration was truly worthy of respect.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Piaro was swinging his sword when he suddenly felt rmed. He detected a strong magic power and used the Supreme Swordsmanship 5th style, a defense technique.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Something intangible shot out of Earl Ashur the moment the spell waspleted.


    ¡°Fluid Escape.¡±


    Fluid Escape was a spell that separated the soul and body of the caster for three seconds. The caster could control the soul that emerged from the body, while the body became immune to all damage.


    Jeeeong!


    Earl Ashur¡¯s body wasn¡¯t damaged at all despite being hit.


    ¡®This is the power of Fluid Escape!¡¯


    Earl Ashur¡¯s soul passed through Piaro¡¯s body and dealt damage in proportion to his magic power.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Blood poured from Piaro.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tangle with this monster forever.¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s soul headed towards Grid, who was watching the battle with folded arms. He didn¡¯t give up on his original goal of aiming for Grid.


    "Die!"


    Kwaaaang!


    Earl Ashur¡¯s soul went through the grid.


    [You have suffered 40,985 damage.]


    [You have received catastrophic damage all at once, and your spirit can¡¯t endure it.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid was unprepared for the damage and suffered. The soul¡¯s movement speed was so remarkable that the pavranium respondedte. It was virtually impossible for a human to perceive it. Ashur¡¯s soul returned to his body.


    "You deceived me!¡±


    Piaro suffered great damage to his pride and wielded his sword, but there was a powerful shockwave as soon as the soul returned to the body. Piaro knew this fact, but he was confident that he could neutralize it with his de.


    However, Earl Ashur¡¯s magic power couldn¡¯t be pierced by the sword.


    Peeng!


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Piaro was pushed back by the shockwave. While he was upset, Earl Ashur aimed at Grid.


    "This is the end!"


    Finally, his grudge would be repaid. Earl Ashur was determined to kill Grid while Grid was suffering from great damage and not in the right mindset. But what was this? Grid moved smoothly and Earl Ashur¡¯s vision was covered with blue-white light.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Earl Ashur screamed at the unexpected attack. He suffered cumtive damage when reciting the S-grade magic, so he easily fell down.


    Grid pointed Failure at him and said, "Beg me, Duke Grid, for your life.¡±


    ¡°W-What...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword damage was as powerful as Piaro¡¯s. No, maybe even more than that. Earl Ashur thought it was ridiculous.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213


    ¡®He¡¯s this strong?¡¯


    Earl Ashur was exposed to news about Grid¡¯s actions in Reinhardt. The strongest golem army, that hundreds of thousands of troops couldn¡¯t go against, was cut like carrots. But weren¡¯t rumors always exaggerated?


    During Grid¡¯s novice adventurer days. Earl Ashur remembered that he had no talent and was a fool, so he had no choice but tough at the rumors. Grid might have the ability of a legend, but it was dulled because he couldn¡¯t use it properly. The nobles must¡¯ve intentionally inted the rumors in order to boost the morale of the people.


    But that wasn¡¯t it. Now Grid was the hero in the rumors. At that moment, Earl Ashur¡¯s memories of the beginner Grid werepletely blown away. His narrow perception disappeared and he started to perceive the current Grid correctly.


    ¡®Indeed, this is an absolute presence.¡¯


    The two eyes reminiscent of rotten fish. The mean eyes when facing the weak now shone as they contemted the world in a much stronger face. The weak body that always shrank back. The pathetic flesh that ran away when hunting orcs and was killed by the orc captain, it was now standing firmly like a mountain.


    That disgusting face. He didn¡¯t care about how he looked and was always jealous of others. That horrible face now emitted a dignity that charmed all the people of the kingdom.


    ¡®Is it possible for a person to change this way...?¡¯


    "You want me to beg for my life?¡±


    Earl Ashur quietly observed Grid and the blue sword in his hand. The sword gleaming with a white light was something that could only be seen in legends. Earl Ashur felt a fear of death. His instincts were shouting at him to sumb to Grid.


    This was the effect of Grid¡¯s high dignity stat. However, Earl Ashur had the highest pride as the strongest person in the Eternal Kingdom and a great magician, so he didn¡¯t give in easily.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t been sure Pagma¡¯s Rare Book actually existed.


    Earl Ashur decided to use Grid, who was easy to take advantage of. However, he gave reasonablepensation and didn¡¯t put a time limit on the quest. It was a quest he seriously entrusted to Grid, because he believed in Grid¡¯s inherent tenacity. Did he give a novice adventurer the quest in an attempt to trick him?


    No, it was Grid who abandoned the faith first. Grid was blinded by greed after discovering Pagma¡¯s Rare Book and broke the promise, trying to take the book for himself.


    ¡®That wasn¡¯t all.¡¯


    His precious son nd had been in love with Irene for many years. The woman who seemed likely to marry nd had been taken away by Grid. It was better to choose death than to submit to Grid, who wasn¡¯t just his enemy, but his son¡¯s enemy as well.


    Grid was baffled as he watched Earl Ashur tightly close his eyes.


    ¡¯He really wants me to kill him?¡¯


    Grid had hated Earl Ashur since he was killed. But it was his choice to quickly find Pagma¡¯s Rare Book without understanding the subject. He wasn¡¯t forced by Earl Ashur. Nevertheless, whenever he suffered a trial, he med everything on Earl Ashur.


    His habit of ming others was the problem. Strictly speaking, there was no reason for Grid to resent Earl Ashur. If Pagma¡¯s Rare Book hadn¡¯t existed, Grid wouldn¡¯t have found it or turned into Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    As a result, Earl Ashur was Grid¡¯s benefactor. Of course, that was just the result, and there was no need for Grid to feel gratitude. It was through Grid¡¯s willpower that he found Pagma¡¯s Rare Book and became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was due to Grid¡¯s own efforts that he could grow until now, and it wasn¡¯t thanks to Earl Ashur.


    Anyway, this was the conclusion.


    ¡®I have overwhelmed him but... Looking at this, I don¡¯t need to kill him.¡¯


    Grid still didn¡¯t like Earl Ashur. In fact, he had the experience of being murdered by Earl Ashur¡¯s knights, and he had been directly threatened with death by Earl Ashur, so it wasn¡¯t easy to feel forgiveness.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough to feel the urge to murder him. His conscience didn¡¯t allow him to.


    ¡°Sigh, okay. Forget it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Earl Ashur was confused as Grid sighed and took back his sword. "I tried to kill you. But you will spare me?¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s strength transcended his title, but he was still an earl. Grid was a duke, but Earl Ashur treated him badly and even tried to kill him because of a grudge of the past. Now that he discovered that Grid was really qualified to be a duke, Earl Ashur was aware that hemitted a crime. He thought it was natural to be executed, so he couldn¡¯t ept this.


    "Is there something you will demand separately of me?¡±


    Earl Ashur eyed Grid warily.


    ¡®I had mercy on him, yet he¡¯s still doubting me?¡¯ Grid¡¯s heart beat faster. The Grid of the past would¡¯ve been swept away by his emotions and spoken nonsense. ¡®It¡¯s better to ask for something in exchange for saving him.¡¯


    Grid had learned to take advantage of certain situations. He had learned it by watching Lauel for three months. What could he get from Earl Ashur?


    Grid thought about it.


    ¡®Money? Jewelry? Land? Items?¡¯


    He was greedy. As Grid was deeply troubled about what he should ask for, Lauel sent him a whisper.


    -Grid, everyone has arrived in Reidan except for Euphemina.When are you going to arrive?


    -I think it will take three more days.


    -Three days?What is taking so long? Can¡¯t youe quickly if you use Fly?Come quickly.There is a mountain of work to do.


    -I have apanion.But mypanion doesn¡¯t want to ride a carriage, so we¡¯re walking.Just handle things for a few days.


    -Companion...?Who are you talking about?


    -You¡¯ll see when you meet him.It is good that you got in touch with me.I actually...


    Grid briefly exined to Lauel about the rtionship between him and Earl Ashur, as well as the current situation.


    -...In these circumstances, what should I ask from Earl Ashur?


    -Earl Ashur...


    As one of the 10 great magicians on the continent, Earl Ashur was a huge celebrity. Lauel already knew about him, so he thought carefully before asking.


    -There is a story I¡¯ve heard from Vantner.I heard he caused a disturbance along with Earl Ashur¡¯s son on the day of your wedding to Irene?


    -Really?I didn¡¯t know.I couldn¡¯t pay attention to anything else on that day.


    -Pay attention to him.Ask Earl Ashur to give you his son.


    -Eh?What are you saying?


    Lauel clearly predicted that Grid wouldn¡¯t understand and added a detailed exnation.


    -Earl Ashur is famous for his love for his son.If you keep his son, he won¡¯t be able to go against you again and he will have to move ording to your will.Earl Ashur¡¯s mighty power will surely help one day.


    ¡®What a great guy.¡¯


    Lauel looked at benefits rather than money, so Grid thought he was truly great. One day he would be smart like Lauel. A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face and Earl Ashur¡¯s anxiety was heightened.


    Then Grid demanded, "Give me your son."


    ¡°What...?¡± It was like a bolt out of the blue to Earl Ashur. He absolutely couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°You mean to take my son hostage!¡±


    The 48 year old Earl Ashur was still young and beautiful. His appearance was like the protagonist of a manhwa, and he had been very popr since childhood. When he was a young man and still active among the social circles, dozens of women clung to him.


    But Earl Ashur only loved one woman. She wasn¡¯t beautiful, but Earl Ashur fell for her warm-heartedness. Their marriage was sessful. They had two sons and lived happily.


    It was a short moment of happiness.


    Unfortunately, Earl Ashur¡¯s wife suffered from a terminal illness and died at a young age. Earl Ashur tasted the pain of his heart breaking. However, he didn¡¯t have time to mourn. He had an obligation to defend the kingdom and had to take care of his two young sons.


    Earl Ashur was faithful to his duties and raised his sons at the same time. His first son became a royal mage, and his second son became a magic swordsman because he showed talent in both magic and swordsmanship. Earl Ashur was able to fill the nk spot left by his wife with his pride for his two sons.


    But the heavens were too harsh on Earl Ashur.


    Just two years ago. His first son went on a monster conquest and died. After that, Earl Ashur¡¯s nature became somewhat strange. His gentleness disappeared. However, he still cared about his remaining son. nd was his only blood, and Earl Ashur cherished him more than his own life.


    "My flesh and soul might burn, but I will never sell my son. Just kill me.¡±


    ¡¯Stubborn...¡¯


    What should he do? Grid wasn¡¯t smart, so the only method he coulde up with was to use force. But this problem didn¡¯t need to be resolved with force.


    ¡°I will follow you.¡±


    A blond man appeared while Grid was feeling confused. The person was nd.


    "Why are you...!?¡±


    nd ignored the panicked Earl Ashur and bowed before Grid. "I, nd de Ian, son of Earl Ashur, greet Duke Grid, the great hero of this kingdom.¡±


    nd and Grid had dueled once over Irene. But in the end, nd was defeated and kicked out from the wedding. After that, he lived in pain for a while, but now he was determined.


    "I will go to Reidan ording to Duke Grid¡¯s will.¡±


    It was the only way to save his father. Earl Ashur¡¯s face turned white.


    ¡°nd! Why are you deciding this by yourself?¡±


    Grid was the rival who deprived nd of his beloved. Earl Ashur couldn¡¯t tolerate his son being Grid¡¯s hostage. He started to gather magic power in his pained body.


    "I will kill you and give your soul to God Yatan if you touch one hair on my son!¡±


    nd came forward before Grid could frown. He fell to his knees.


    ¡°Duke Grid, my father lost his temper because he cares too much about me. Please show mercy one more time.¡±


    ¡°B-nd...¡±


    He was begging to his rival because of his father! Earl Ashur was shocked by causing more humiliation to his son and fell silent. Then nd reassured him. "Father, I will go and study under Duke Grid. Please trust in your son and wait for me to return. Don¡¯t skip any meals.¡±


    "Ugh...¡±


    Earl Ashur was frustrated. His eyes had been clouded by his grudge, and now his son was taken as a hostage. Grid ced a hand on his shoulder.


    "Earl Ashur, don¡¯t worry. I will look after your son.¡±


    Ssik.


    Wasn¡¯t he a demon? He could smile brightly and enjoy the pain and sorrows of others. To Earl Ashur, Grid didn¡¯t look like a human. However, Grid was obviously a human.


    ¡¯Please don¡¯t overdo it. I won¡¯t eat your son.¡¯


    Grid inwardly spoke before ncing at Piaro and nd.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After a few moments. The only thing left was a disastrous scene where Earl Ashur lookedpletely insane and the wounded knights looked wretched.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214


    Grid and Piaro walked alongside each other, while nd awkwardly followed behind. Grid looked at Piaro to verify.


    ¡°How was it? The skills of one of the 10 great magicians on the continent?¡±


    ¡°It was more than I expected. He was mentally strong enough to withstand my oppression. If he used an orb as a weapon, it would¡¯ve been a close fight.¡±


    For magicians, the staff was a weapon with the concept of high risk and high return. There was no magic storage function, so its stability was poor, but the magic amplification rate was so high that it was possible to use a powerful one-shot.


    Most magicians were burdened by the high risk and turned away from the staff, but Earl Ashur had overpowering magic casting speed. Unlike regr magicians, he used a staff as a weapon, and that was a weakness when dealing with someone strong like Piaro today. He was defeated before he could use magic in front of Piaro.


    ¡®Ashur is really strong.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t show it, but he was terrified when hit by Ashur¡¯s Fluid Escape.


    He wore the Armor of Holy Light made out of the god mineral adamantium by the legendary cksmith Pagma. The legendary item had the effect of ¡®50% reduction in magic damage,¡¯ so he was surprised that he suffered 40,000 damage from a single strike.


    ¡®Ashur showed a more powerful damage than the other boss monsters I havee against...¡¯


    It was overwhelming. Grid received so much damage, while Piaro survived Earl Ashur¡¯s attack without any damage.


    ¡®Did he temporarily raise his defense through the operation of qi?¡¯


    Grid was reminded of body protection qi from martial arts.


    ¡°How strong is Asmophel that you can¡¯t get revenge by yourself?¡±


    Piaro grimaced as he heard the dirty name. "It¡¯s difficult to reach him, rather than him being strong. There is nobody who doesn¡¯t know my face in the empire. If I step foot in the empire, I will die immediately.¡±


    ¡°Stopining. Who can kill you so easily? Even if you¡¯re besieged, can¡¯t you use Fated to Perish to knock them down? You don¡¯t have to worry if you fought like you did against Ashur.¡±


    "If it was so simple, would I be hiding for the past two years? You have no idea of the power of the empire.¡±


    Piaro suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    "A monster.¡±


    "Monster?¡±


    After escaping from the thick forest, Grid turned his gaze in the direction Piaro was indicating. An endless expanse of desert stretched out before them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even see an ant, let alone a monster?¡±


    Piaro spoke briefly towards Grid, who was trying to see what was visible.


    ¡°Below.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    There was a subtle vibration from the ground. Grid checked the sand and moved as he realized his mistake.


    Kwaang!


    In the ce where Grid were just standing, a huge elongated creature came up. It was a centipede. An extrarge centipede that had lived for thousands of years.


    Kiyaaak!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    The length of the body was well over 10m, and the hundreds of legs were as big as human limbs. They wriggled in a disgusting manner. Grid felt disgusted by the creature that had a yellow liquid pouring from it and blocked his nose.


    "You¡¯re squeamish like a girl.¡±


    ¡°What does being a man or woman have to do with anything? Dammit.¡±


    This was an insect. It was the first time he saw such a big one. It was much bigger than the spiders in Kesan Canyon. Grid jumped and cut down at the centipede. The surface of the centipede was very hard. It wasn¡¯t easily destroyed by the +9 Failure, an absolute weapon. It was a defenseparable to the ancient weapon.


    ¡®Is it a monster that specializes in defense?¡¯


    The determined Grid didn¡¯t consider a counterattack and kept striking. However, the centipede was surprisingly agile. It quickly moved its massive body and attacked.


    [You have suffered 6,300 damage.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was safe to say that this was the first time Grid suffered so much damage from a normal monster after wearing the Holy Light set, the strongest armor currently in existence. A very surprised Grid corrected his posture. He finally took the battle seriously.


    But the desert terrain hindered him.


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Grid¡¯s stride was off due to the thick sand, leading to a weakening of his grip. A normal person would¡¯ve suffered a great setback, but this was Grid.


    ¡°Fly!¡±


    He used the magic possessed by Braham¡¯s Boots to fly into the sky and strike the centipede¡¯s head. However, the counterattack wasn¡¯t formidable enough. Grid was pushed back and winced. In the meantime, another centipede emerged from the ground and Grid was pincer attacked by two enemies.


    Piaro tried to help, but suddenly stopped. He carefully observed and advised Grid.


    ¡°When attacking in any situation, ce weight on the end of your sword. It is the basics even when flying through the air. Mobilize not just your limbs, but the muscles in your neck, and then transfer your weight to the end of your sword. You are too distracted to do the basic movements. Organic movements are needed to get the most out of your power. But before that, fix the habit of your head first...¡±


    ¡®What is he saying?¡¯


    Grid was disturbed by Piaro while fighting the two centipedes. It was impossible for him to understand what Piaro was talking about, so he was confused.


    ¡®I¡¯m ying right now, so why is he acting like this is a sword dojo?¡¯


    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t need it. He ignored the words of the best swordsman pouring into his ears and leaned on his skills, as he always did.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    The dozens of blue-white energy des fell and shattered the two centipedes.


    [The giant worm has been destroyed.]


    [2,330,900 experience has been acquired.]


    [The giant worm has been destroyed.]


    [2,340,100 experience has been acquired.]


    [The giant worm¡¯s leg has been acquired.]


    The giant worms gave a huge amount of experience. Grid was surprised and confirmed the details of the giant worm.


    [Giant Worm]


    Level: 330


    A worm that lives in the western part of the Eternal Kingdom. It dwells deep in the earth, and once it detects the presence of creatures, it will emerge through the ground and attack. It is a verymon species in the western desert.


    Some schrs specte that they can be used as medicines, but in fact, they have no nutritional value.


    ¡®Level 330? A monster of this level is amon worm?¡¯


    There were such strong monsters in the western part of the Eternal Kingdom, but very few users knew about it. Most users weren¡¯t able to advance to the west because they couldn¡¯t break through the habitat of the twin ogres, so information was scarce.


    ¡®The western part is the most difficult area in the Eternal Kingdom. So when creating a character, there are no starting viges in the west.


    This was good news. Wasn¡¯t Reidan located at the end of the western area? There was a possibility that it was inhabited by level 400 monsters. Grid and the Overgeared Guild could hunt the strongest monsters, which meant they could grow quickly.


    But if he thought about it.


    ¡®No, wait. Then isn¡¯t it impossible for beginner or mid level users toe to Reidan?¡¯


    If there was no influx of users in Reidan, Grid would have to grow the economy solely based on NPCs. It was the worst. There was a setback in his n to get rich from hundreds of thousands of people.


    ¡°Dammit...¡± Grid frowned and cursed. Then another giant worm popped up. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t panic. He carelessly thought that Lauel would take care of everything and concentrated on the monsters in front of him.


    ¡®This is an opportunity to raise my level.¡¯


    After the reunion with Euphemina, Grid hadn¡¯t been able to hunt for a while due torge and small incidents. His level was stagnant at 270, so he was delighted to raise it by hunting these chunks of experience.


    "I will begin in earnest."


    Grid checked his status window. At the time of the National Competition, he was level 253 and had 230 stat points. Now he was level 270 and had 400 stat points.


    ¡°Invest all points in agility.¡±


    He referenced Piaro¡¯s stats.


    [Agility has permanently increased by 400.]


    His agility rose by 400. In other words, Grid had elevated his agility by 40 levels and his body feltpletely lighter. He started to hunt the giant worms at a quick pacepared to the past.


    Piaro remained on the ground and constantly advised Grid in the sky.


    ¡°If you concentrate more strength in your thighs and buttocks, then your upper body¡¯s forward speed will increase. This means that the speed of your sword will increase. In addition, it is better not to think about the direction of the swing and just do it naturally.¡±


    ¡®Who cares about my thighs? And what is this nonsense about telling me not to think? Am I Jude?¡¯


    The teachings of a great swordsman could increase even the level of a useless knight. In particr, Piaro was able to teach because he mastered the Empire¡¯s Military Tactics and had experiencemanding the Red Knights. There were many people who would pay money to receive his teachings.


    Grid was receiving it for free, so it was like winning the lottery. It was an opportunity to dramatically increase his so-called ¡®control.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t know how to appreciate it and found the advice jarring.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Kiyaaaaak!


    [The giant worm has been destroyed.]


    [2,339,500 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡°Puhahat! I hope I will level up today?¡±


    Grid¡¯s experience gauge had umted a lot before the golem invasion, so it was already over 70%. He used his skills and enthusiastically killed the giant worm. On the other hand, Piaro was curious. It was because Grid¡¯s abilities didn¡¯t improve, despite his teachings.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Piaro thought that Grid was an extraordinary and clever person. The evidence was that he didn¡¯t immediately execute Earl Ashur, taking his son as hostage instead in order to set foot on the political stage.


    ¡®A person that smart should be able to understand my teachings.¡¯


    So why didn¡¯t his skills improve? Piaro was puzzled and came to a conclusion.


    ¡®Pride.¡¯


    As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid wanted to refuse the teachings of people other than Pagma.


    ¡®He would be much stronger if he could take advantage of his physical abilities.¡¯


    If Grid¡¯s basics were tightened up, he would be a great sparring opponent. But it wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s gaze suddenly shifted to nd. nd was struggling alone in the distance against a giant worm. However, his skills had risen dramaticallypared to when he hunted the horned goblins a few hours ago. He had absorbed Piaro¡¯s teachings towards Grid.


    ¡¯Indeed, a lion¡¯s cub.¡¯


    A rare talent. He was a genius who inherited his father¡¯s magic power and a talent in swordsmanship. Piaro thought that he should teach nd well in the several days before they arrived in Reidan.


    ***


    [Unified Rankings]


    1st. Kraugel - White Swordsman.


    2nd. Zibal - Debirion¡¯s Envoy


    3rd. Chris - Destruction Warrior


    ¡®Chris finally got his third advancement ss. Destruction Warrior, he chose the ss that fit his alignment the best. He would¡¯ve received it a little quicker if it wasn¡¯t for the golem army.¡¯


    It was Kraugel¡¯s habit to check the rankings from time to time. Looking at the trends of those pursuing him was the basics.


    ¡°Now then.¡±


    He had been hunting for 15 hours without stopping, so he started sorting the items in his full inventory. He calcted the items that weren¡¯t priced yet, the items needed for production and quests, the remaining junk items, and if he could get more from selling them to an NPC or user.


    After a while.


    Kraugel finished organizing his items and rose from this spot. Then he went through his skills list and made ns.


    ¡®I have raised the skill level of the two sword style to intermediate, so I should challenge it again.¡¯


    Kraugel, who chose the third ss of White Swordsman, had crossed from the West to the East Continent, but he couldn¡¯t fully capture it. He struggled against the high barrier of the East Continent for a while, and got new titles and steadily raised his level, bing even stronger.


    His next goal was to attack the eastern and southern parts of the Saharan Empire, as well as thebyrinths in Orias, and the western part of the Eternal Kingdom. After staying in the West Continent for awhile, he would once again challenge the unchartednd of the East Continent.


    Kraugel was a true gamer and the 1st ranked user, ying the game with joy and thorough nning.


    It was a lot different from someone else.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215


    Reidan was a three or four days¡¯ walk away from Patrian. However, Grid¡¯s party encountered monsters all the time. They didn¡¯t avoid it, so their journey was dyed several times.


    ¡®The experience is really good.¡¯


    It had been six days since leaving Patrian.


    Meanwhile, Grid hunted the strongest monsters in the west and reached level 273. In addition, his experience gauge was at 60%. It was a stunning level-up speed that users couldn¡¯t dream of matching, simply due to the fact that he leveled up every two days.


    Grid didn¡¯t know this, but even Kraugel wasn¡¯t able to level up as quickly as Grid currently was when he was level 270.


    ¡®I will be level 275 by the time I reach Reidan,¡¯ Grid excitedly thought to himself. Even the top rankers would find it hard to hunt these western monsters, so he was proud of his items and his skills.


    ¡®This game is truly about items. Control? That was something that only losers who didn¡¯t have good items worried about. Puhahat!¡¯


    In the first ce, control was a means used by the weak to try and win against the strong. He didn¡¯t need control if he had overwhelming power. Grid had such a narrow mindset ever since his sess in the Mcus raid. He had no doubts that items were the best.


    But that firm belief of Grid¡¯s was about to be shaken.


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... Wow, this is really dirty. The giant worms before were just exercise.¡±


    Grid was exhausted as he walked through the vast desert towards Reidan. Thanks to his passive resistance, he didn¡¯t get heat stroke. However, the heat was enough to make his stamina fall faster than usual. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t adapt to the desert terrain.


    On the other hand, the monsters kept bing stronger and stronger. Four basilisks, monsters that were treated as boss-grade monsters in the north, appeared before Grid. Grid seeded in unleashing all sorts of skills against the basilisks, but he was pincer attacked by the monsters and faced a crisis.


    "Ah, really! Let me take a break!¡±


    He was at his wit¡¯s end. His control was immature so he constantly allowed the monsters to attack him, so even the best armor couldn¡¯t endure and he lost health. In the situation, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if his invincible passive was activated.


    ¡®Even Braham¡¯s golem army wouldn¡¯t be able to exert much power against the monsters here.¡¯


    The western monsters were strong and numerous. It was the reason why the kingdom chose to let the giant worms spread instead of subjugating them.


    ¡®It is impossible for the kingdom to manage the west properly. So the king sent me here.¡¯


    It was a correct guess. King Wiesbaden wished for Grid to cleanse the west that had be barren because of the mighty monsters, giving him Reidan. It showed absolute confidence in Grid. However, Grid thought he was used by the king and couldn¡¯t help cursing.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    As Grid cursed the king, a massive desert toad stretched out its tongue, its sticky mucus flopping out from its mouth and covering Grid¡¯s body. This mucus was a type of poison that paralyzed the target in an instant. However...


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid resisted and fought back. The +9 Failure passed through the toad¡¯s fat belly. However, the western monsters were so weak to die from one of Grid¡¯s blows. The toad moved its tongue like a whip for a counterattack.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s reaction was toote as he was buried deep in the toad¡¯s stomach. Ku tang tang tang!


    Grid was stronger than steel and full of resilience, but he was struck in the head and fell. Other monsters swarmed to his fallen body.


    ¡°Kuak...! Transcend and Transcended Link¡¯s cooldown time isn¡¯t over!¡± Grid tended to depend on skills as hecked control, but there was a fatal weakness. If the skills weren¡¯t avable due to the cooldown time, he couldn¡¯t help being weak. ¡°Piaro! Help me... Eh?¡±


    In the end, Grid tried to rely on Piaro. However, he was surprised. It was because nd started moving. Grid hadn¡¯t been paying any attention during thest six days, but nd had be extremely strong during that short period.


    ¡¯What is this all of a sudden?¡¯


    This was the person who struggled against the level 280 horned goblins only six days ago. But now he was fighting one-on-one with the western monsters that were at least 50 levels higher than him, so he had truly developed.


    ¡¯Surely, it isn¡¯t a bug...¡¯


    What was the secret behind this sudden growth? Grid questioned as he moved to the rear after nd pulled aggro. Then he equipped the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and examined nd.


    Name: nd


    Age: 25 Gender: Male


    upation: Magic Swordsman


    Title: Great Magician¡¯s Son


    He has inherited the magical talents of his father, Earl Ashur. Receive a bonus to his magic casting speed and mana regeneration speed. Every time his level increased, his intelligence will increase significantly.


    Title: Marquis Steim¡¯s Disciple


    He once learned swordsmanship from Marquis Steim, a swordsman of the north. When a de type weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 20% and attack speed by 10%.


    Level: 255


    Strength: 1,331/1,990 Stamina: 420/1,030


    Agility: 519/1,401 Intelligence: 2,540/4,550


    Charm: 212/800


    Skills: Northern Swordsmanship (B), Spell Casting eleration (S), Magic Power Concentration (S), 9 C-grade Spells, 5 B-grade spells, 2 A-grade spells.


    * Click on the details to examine the spells that the target has currently acquired.


    nd. In his childhood and adolescence, he studied magic under his father and swordsmanship under Marquis Steim. He followed the typical elite course, and was a young genius considered to be the cornerstone of the Eternal Kingdom in the future.


    ¡®There is nothing special?¡¯


    Grid had observed nd¡¯s details shortly after obtaining him as a hostage. The difference between then and now was only five levels, and a small rise in stats.


    ¡®Then why did he be so much stronger?¡¯


    Grid was curious.


    "That¡¯s it. You understood correctly. You shouldn¡¯t y around when holding a sword in your hand. Rather than avoiding the enemy¡¯s attacks, it is better to aim for defense or a counterattack. Even if your opponent is stronger than you, they will be easier to defeat if you keep moving your sword.¡±


    Piaro was talking to nd. Then Grid realized.


    ¡®It is thanks to Piaro¡¯s teachings!¡¯


    He might be a great swordsman, but was it possible for a person to grow so quickly just from his advice? Grid started to observe Piaro and nd. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t go ahead alone and hunted monsters near them.


    ¡°You are too tied up with being a magic swordsman. Magic casting and swordsmanship can¡¯t be done at the same time, so a gap will ur. However, this doesn¡¯t mean you should throw away magic. You have more talent in magic than in the sword, so if you are facing a stronger enemy, you should concentrate on your magic. Your swordsmanship is ideal for minimal defense.


    Piaro would give advice and nd would apply the teachings in real time whenever a monster appeared. nd¡¯s rapid growth had a big impact on Grid. Learning how to fight properly. In other words, the power of control was more than he thought possible.


    ¡®...If Ibine control with items, how much stronger can I be?¡¯


    Grid finally became aware of it. He was able to understand that he would reach his limits in the future if he just relied on his items. In the end, he asked Piaro, "Please teach me as well.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there was no need before?¡±


    ¡°Originally, a person¡¯s mind is flexible. Now I want to learn from you.¡±


    ¡®Is he because he can no longer sit back and watch nd grow alone? Did he lose his confidence as Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡¯


    Piaro was able to understand that Grid was an unprincipled person. He was the type of person that Piaro disliked. But Piaro readily epted Grid¡¯s request. It was in the hope that he could enhance his strength by raising Grid¡¯s.


    Piaro¡¯s frozen mind that was obsessed with revenge was slowly reviving as he met Grid and nd. It was a small but significant change.


    After that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move your head. How many times do I have to tell you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to shake my head every time I move? How can I control my body?¡±


    "Try to make an effort. Think while you are fighting. And don¡¯t rely on Fly. Warriors must be ustomed to various terrains, so fighting in the desert will be a valuable experience for you.¡±


    "How can I wield my sword when my feet are buried in the sand?¡±


    "Put your weight on the tip of your sword, not your feet.¡±


    "So how do I do that?¡±


    "... How many times do I need to exin that you have to move your muscles well?¡±


    "No, how do I move my muscles?¡±


    "...¡±


    The reason why nd could grow rapidly was that he was a genius. The best teacher and best disciple met, so the synergy exploded. But Grid was a stupid person. It wasn¡¯t easy for even a great swordsman to teach him.


    Piaro suffered as he taught Grid, whockedprehension and was slow to learn. He started to feel pain.


    ¡®I thought he was a smart person, but that isn¡¯t it...¡¯


    How could such a stupid person have gained Pagma¡¯s power and inheritance? Piaro wondered. He honestly wanted to give up on teaching Grid. However, he couldn¡¯t take back his words so he kept teaching Grid.


    Grid grumbled that it was difficult andplex, but he did his best to follow the teachings. Grid repeated this in the three days before arrived at Reidan and finally improved.


    ¡°He is a little bit ordinary now.¡±


    Grid was able to build up the basic skills of a swordsman. This was the limit of his capabilities and of a great swordsman¡¯s teaching ability.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t think it is possible for Grid to grow beyond this.¡¯


    Piaro was overwhelmed with a sense of defeat. Then Grid¡¯s party arrived at Reidan.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216


    Nine days ago.


    The Overgeared members utilized the excellent transportation method of carriages and arrived in Reidan ahead of Grid, but they tasted huge disappointment.


    The best city in the west, Reidan! ording to the map, it was the secondrgest city of the Eternal Kingdom. The Overgeared members were full of expectations, but they were baffled because it looked more like a ruin.


    ¡°What happened here?"


    ¡°Wow, there is nothing big in the city.¡±


    ¡°The shops are closed, the doors broken and the poor are on the street...¡±


    ¡°The rice fields are like a wastnd.¡±


    "In the first ce, doesn¡¯t the poption seem too small?¡±


    Huroi, Lauel, and Faker remained calm while the guild members were making a disturbance. They looked over Reidan because bringing up its information.


    Name: Reidan


    Size: Big City


    Ruler: Grid (Duke of the Eternal Kingdom. Master of the Overgeared Guild)


    Administrator: Arik (C-grade administrative ability)


    * The higher the administrative ability of the administrator, the higher the overall development of the estate.


    Affiliation: The Eternal Kingdom


    Poption: NPCs - 20,551. yers - 0.


    Troops: Knights - 2 (Huroi, Lauel).


    Soldiers - 141


    Security: 5/100


    * The state of security is the worst. It isn¡¯t unusual if the people turn into a mob straight away. Gangsters and monsters will often pop up near the vige.


    * Security will increase hourly in proportion to the number of soldiers.


    * People jobs and food for a policing activity is not avable, even if the police do not rise.


    Internal Affairs: 169/4,500


    * Increasing the number of shopping malls, public cultural facilities and buildings will increase the internal affairs number.


    Foreign Affairs: The Butin Barony in the Saharan Empire.


    Forces hostile to the ruler: Yatan Church.


    Forces hostile to your affiliated groups: Gauss Kingdom, Luvia Principality.


    Specialties: None.


    Distinguished Figure: None.


    "The situation isn¡¯t as good as I expected."


    ¡°It seems like it.¡±


    While moving from Winston to Reidan, the guild members were attracted to the monsters of the west and devoted themselves to hunting. They waited for monsters to attack the moving carriage, then quickly hunted them for experience. Therefore, they thought the west was a blessednd.


    But Huroi, Lauel, and Faker thought that the strong monsters in the west were a negative point. The monsters were so strong that the essibility of general users was low, and the area would be difficult to manage. Now the reality they faced was worse than their expectations.


    ¡°A city that can amodate over 500,000 people only has a poption of 20,000...¡±


    "Furthermore, there are no users.¡±


    "The biggest priority right now is to pay the people raise the security level.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild currently had 5 million gold in funds. 5 million gold. While that amount of gold might soundrge for a single person, it wasn¡¯t enough to fund a big city. Not only that, 5 million gold didn¡¯t even seem like enough to develop an empty, deste city.


    Now they had to pay expenses to raise the goodwill of the people? Was it even possible to produce food in this city in the first ce? It wasn¡¯t possible to even make barley bread. It was inevitable that they would have to import ingredients, but merchants were aware of the situation and wouldn¡¯te to Reidan.


    ¡¯Considering the transportation cost...¡¯


    Lauel calcted that he had to set a minimum of 3 silver for one meal. If it was 20,000 people, he would have to pay 600 gold. This was one meal. It was ridiculous to spend hundreds of thousands of gold on meals until a fundamental solution was set up.


    But Lauel couldn¡¯t alienate the people. Did he feelpassion when seeing their skinny selves? No. That was irrelevant. People were the national power. He needed to restore them first, then there would be a rise in security andbor. There was no other choice.


    "After making the people useful, set them to clearing the fields.¡±


    "But doesn¡¯t the lord have to give permission?¡±


    Huroi was cautious. He knew that restoring the people was the most pressing issue, but he wondered if Grid would understand. Grid would wonder why they were wasting money on people¡¯s meals.


    Huroi spoke to the worried Lauel,


    ¡°South Korean doesn¡¯t give up on making hot pepper paste just because of worms. That is a saying in South Korea.¡±


    This was the right choice, even if it was against Grid¡¯s will. This was Chief Lauel¡¯s conviction to grow the Overgeared Guild. Hoewever, the saying was too provocative.


    Huroi thought about the saying that Lauel mentioned and became indignant, ¡°Don¡¯tpare My Lord to measly worms!¡±


    "Ah no, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Lauel sweated profusely as he tried to soothe Huroi. On the other hand, Faker disappeared from next to the two men, moving through the yellow dust before arriving at the castle.


    "Why didn¡¯t you move quickly after hearing that the new lord¡¯s men had arrived? Your greeting iste!¡±


    ¡°T-That... I was afraid that I would be stoned by the people if I left the castle and that made mete.¡±


    "Pathetic guy. You are armed with sword and armor, but are afraid of rocks? What a worthless person. Tsk tsk.¡±


    A fat, middle-aged man hurried to the entrance of the castle with his soldiers. This greasy man¡¯s name was Arik, the administrator of Reidan. He was a bar and often received treatment as a noble.


    Faker pointed his dagger at Arik without hesitation.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Arik eximed as he saw the shadows in the yellow dust.


    "W-Who are you?"


    Faker replied in a cold voice, ¡°A person with a lot of questions for you.¡±


    ¡°W-What...? Kiyaaack~!¡±


    It was in an instant. Faker and Arik disappeared into the yellow dust like they weren¡¯t there in the first ce.


    ¡°Administrator Arik?¡±


    The stunned soldiers looked around, but they couldn¡¯t find any traces of Arik.


    ***


    ¡¯This is a normal level?¡¯


    nd had watched Grid training under Piaro for the past three days. nd originally saw Grid as very strong. Grid would be much stronger under Piaro¡¯s teachings and would have no education.


    However, Piaro evaluated Grid as ordinary. Grid was satisfied that he wasn¡¯t worsepared to others.


    nd couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®Why are his skills so bad and dull? Doesn¡¯t he have great skills?¡¯


    It was the difference in perspective. From nd¡¯s point of view, Earl Steim and Phoenix were the strongest swordsmen until he met Piaro, but Grid seemed to have a lot of talent. On the other hand, Gridpared his abilities to the top rankers and boss monsters, and decided this was good.


    Then what about Piaro? He evaluated Grid¡¯s ability as ¡®poor inparison to his amount of power.¡¯


    The conclusion.


    ¡°Puhahat! Now I can easily hunt monsters in the west without having to rely on skills!¡±


    ¡°This is just the basics. Only the lousy people rely solely on skills. You still have a long way to go.¡±


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep practicing steadily? Continue teaching me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. It is unlikely that your skills will improve, even if I keep teaching you.¡±


    "Don¡¯t give up so easily. It isn¡¯t that hard, is it?¡±


    "This is a realistic analysis, not one based on any emotions.¡±


    Grid was strong. It was true that he wascking control skillspared to top rankers, but from a normal point of view, he was beyond the average level. However, the monsters in the west were so strong that his limits started to show.


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    Now Grid had perfectly adapted to the strange terrain of the desert. He ran on the sand with light footsteps and freely wielded Failure, causing the monsters of the west to copse. As a result, Grid reached level 275 and finally arrived in Reidan.


    "This is your city?¡±


    The scale of Reidan that came into view was huge. The exterior walls weren¡¯t very high or well-maintained, but they spectacrly stretched out along the horizon.


    ¡°This is a huge cityparable to the capital of a kingdom.¡±


    Grid smiled at Piaro¡¯s admiring words.


    ¡°It is the second biggest city in the Eternal Kingdom after Reinhardt.¡±


    Grid was filled with anticipation. He imagined hundreds of thousands of people in Reidan greeting him with confetti.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid prompted nd and Piaro and increased the pace. Then he was confused as he found people working on clearing thend.


    ¡®Are they refugees?¡¯


    The people were skinny, dressed in poor clothes and looked like refugees. Grid wondered why they were doing field work in Reidan.


    ¡®They seem to be ves.¡¯


    He wondered if the people of Reidan hired ved to work on the farnd. Grid tsked at the thought. ¡®They might be ves but they should be properly fed. What unscrupulous employers.¡¯


    The people of Reidan didn¡¯t seem to have a good mentality. However, their mentality had nothing to do with Grid.


    ¡®They are just my taxes.¡¯


    Lulul.


    Grid looked at the nearest entrance to the city and hummed with a happy heart. He imagined a fanfare and hundreds of thousands of people weing him. However.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid witnessed a bizarre sight and stopped walking. The Overgeared members were working among the tens of thousands of ves?


    ¡®W-What?¡¯


    Grid saw the Overgeared members sweating hard as they worked and stopped humming. An ominous thought struck him before Regas saw him and ran over with a bright smile.


    ¡°You finally came!¡±


    Regas¡¯ solid upper body was stained with sweat and dust. He looked like a worker in a coal mine so Grid asked him.


    ¡°What are you doing right now?¡±


    "As you can see, we are clearing the fields with the people.¡±


    "... With the people?¡±


    Where were the people? Grid only saw the Overgeared members and the ves.


    ¡°I greet My Lord.¡±


    Huroi came running. He was also sweaty. Grid saw the rake in his hand and asked again, ¡°What are you doing right now?¡±


    Huroi had the same answer as Regas, "We are clearing the fields with the people.¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. The people...¡±


    Lauel rushed over at that time. ¡°Why were you sote?¡±


    Lauel berated with a scruffy appearance as well. He also held farming equipment in his hands.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t respond to my whispers, so I had to start the guild members on the urgent tasks. First of all, we are joining forces with the people to connect the waterways and nt the fields, so we will be able to produce simple food in a few months.¡±


    Grid finally perceived reality. Then he desperately asked. ¡°Where are the people?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see them?¡± Lauel turned his gaze to the fields. Lauel¡¯s finger was pointing to the people on the fields, the thin ones who Grid thought were ves. "They are your people.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, why me?¡±


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s expectations copsed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217


    ¡°Damn! What is this? I knew things were going too well!¡±


    His fate changed after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. In the past, he lived an unlucky life. After bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, most of the results were positive, no matter what hardship he went through. But why did he have to go through hardship everywhere he went? Did he have to ept it just because things worked out well?


    Grid suppressed his anger. He looked around at all the people before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the kingdom¡¯s secondrgest city? Doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s rich? So why are the people in this state? Eh? Were they robbed by a group of thieves or something?¡±


    ¡°In the past, it was the richest city in the kingdom; however, everything changed 10 years ago when the giant worms appeared.¡±


    ¡°The giant worms? What do those monsters have to do with Reidan?"


    Lauel exined to Grid, ¡°This is what Faker found out after questioning the administrator and the people here.¡±


    10 years ago. Reidan was the secondrgest city after Reinhardt and was called the second capital of the kingdom. However, this situation changed once the giant worms appeared on arge scale.


    The giant worms ravaging thend were so strong that they couldn¡¯t be subjugated with a regr army. They quickly turned the western part of the kingdom into a desert, leading to a shortage in resources and supplies, including water.


    To make matters worse, all types of desert monsters started to appear. This situation got so bad that it Reidan was eventually isted from the kingdom around it, falling into a food shortage.


    ¡°Large-scale support from the kingdom became impossible so the former lord of Reidan gave up. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their home.¡±


    But some people didn¡¯t leave. It was due to the circumstances of each people. 40,000 people remained behind in Reidan.


    "They had to prioritize protecting the rivers andkes that hadn¡¯t been dried up yet. But with their strength, they couldn¡¯t protect the rivers andkes from monsters.¡±


    King Wiesbaden tried to help by searching for talent to rebuild the west. However, there was no one good except for Earl Ashur, and Earl Ashur couldn¡¯t leave Patrian.


    "In the end, people were unable to get help from the kingdom and chose the empire. They asked the empire to be saved and the empire readily epted. It was a chance to absorb part of thend of the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    The empire dispatched the ck Knights. The ck Knights were the second strongest knights after the Red Knights. But it was impossible for them topletely get rid of all the monsters in the west.


    ¡°At this point, the empire had to make a decision. In order to obtain the west, they would have tomit arge force. And that is a big burden from the position of the empire.¡±


    Finally, the empire made a choice.


    ¡°They will protect the Hebend River directly connected to Reidan from the monsters. In return, the people of Reiden will have to make an offering to the empire every year. They offered that deal.¡±


    ¡°It is a reasonable proposal. The people of Reidan would¡¯ve had to ept.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But the problem was that the amount of wealth the empire asked for grew every year.¡±


    Thanks to the protection of the empire, the people of Reidan were able to relieve the food shortage through farming. The economy was slowly revived, but so what? They became poor again after giving their wealth to the empire every year. Finally, there was a food crisis again.


    "In the end, the people of Reidan reached the point where they couldn¡¯t listen to the demands of the empire anymore. The empire withdrew their forces and as a result, there were only 20,000 people left in Reidan. They were on the brink of starvation. This was the situation when we arrived.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t believe it. "Why did the kingdom abandon Reidan? It might be impossible to get rid of the monsters in the west, but isn¡¯t it possible to give them the minimum of supplies?¡±


    "There was no merit. They didn¡¯t feel the value of helping the foolish people who won¡¯t abandon and that can¡¯t be rebuilt.¡±


    It was cold but the right decision. At least, Grid thought so. ¡°Yes, I understand the position of the kingdom. So in the end, aren¡¯t the people of the kingdom the real issue at hand? Why would they insist on staying in Reidan, in spite the circumstances? Isn¡¯t it a simple fix if they just leave?¡±


    "It is unfortunate... 10 years ago, the lord recruited troops to raid the vampireir. Most of the people who didn¡¯t leave Reidan are the families of the young men conscripted to the vampire raid.¡±


    "They don¡¯t know when their sons or husbands will return so they remained in Reidan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As you know, this world is different from modern society and the reunion of separated families is almost impossible...¡±


    10 years ago. The giant worms emerged soon after the vampire raid began. And Reidan fell in just five months. The vampire subjugation troops were scheduled to return in half a year, so the families of the soldiers had to wait until then.


    They waited one year, two years, three years, four years, etc, but the vampire subjugation team didn¡¯t return. However, the family members kept staying in Reidan. The result was that 10 years passed. 40,000 people waited for the vampire subjugation team, but half of them gave up or starved to death.


    "They have been waiting 10 years for the vampire subjugation team¡¯s return, despite the fact that the troops have probably been annihted... Blood rtionships are scary.¡±


    Grid thought that the people of Reiden were stupid, but he also feltpassion. It was because his family probably would¡¯ve made the same choice if they were in the same position as the people of Reidan.


    "The conclusion is that the former lord is a stupid jerk? Why did he try to clear the vampireirs?¡±


    "Until the giant worms appeared, the vampires were the only threat to Reidan. The vampireirs are somewhere in the west and the vampires often used the people of Reidan as their food. The former lord made an unavoidable decision.¡±


    Vampire Duke Marie Rose. Grid recalled the vampire that he met in the past on the way to the pope and shuddered.


    "...Are the vampires still active these days?¡±


    ¡°No. Vampires haven¡¯t appeared since monsters emerged in the west. Considering the strength of the vampires, they wouldn¡¯t have been wiped out by the monsters. So it is possible that they turned the monsters into their food source.¡±


    ¡°That is lucky. Um... So? What should I do next?¡±


    Lauel answered instantly as if it were obvious, ¡°We need to focus on clearing the fields.¡±


    "...¡±


    In the nine days of Grid¡¯s absence, the Overgeared members defeated the monsters around Hebend River and connected the waterways to the fields. Now it was a beautiful sight because they worked hard with the people to clear the fields.


    "Labor is good. The sight of the people sweating while working is beautiful.¡± But Grid hated doing it. ¡°I am the duke yet I have to work in the fields with the people? Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    Lauel shrugged at Grid¡¯s obvious dislike.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. You have a different workspace.¡±


    Lauel received Grid¡¯smand and brought Khan to this ce. As soon as they got here, he gave support staff to Khan to build a facility. That¡¯s right, it was a smithy.


    "Please do your duties as a legendary cksmith. There is a limit to the amount of farming equipment that can be produced by Khan alone. Please help him produce arge quantity of farming equipment.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A legendary cksmith needed to make farmer¡¯s tools?


    "Hey, what¡¯s with that look you¡¯re giving me?¡± Lauel scolded Grid. "We need your strength to revive Reidan, and you want to refuse? Don¡¯t you feel any sense of responsibility as the Lord?¡±


    Grid acquiesced and no longerined loudly,


    "...I wascking in understanding.¡±


    ¡®I became too arrogant after I became a duke.¡¯


    Only farming equipment? A cksmith couldn¡¯t afford to have the word ¡®only¡¯ in their minds. Grid regained his pride as a cksmith. In his mind, he threw away his futile bravado and rolled up his sleeves. Then he pulled out his cksmith¡¯s hammer and dered, "Believe in me.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face twisted as he heard the ominous words. But he thought about it and became relieved.


    ¡®In the first ce, farming equipment with a rating other than normal doesn¡¯t exist, so I don¡¯t have to worry.¡¯


    Combat ss users had no idea about production and production items. They weren¡¯t interested because there were few opportunities to use it. A hammer was just a hammer, a pickaxe was just a pickaxe, a hoe was just a hoe etc. Moreover, most of the production items distributed had a normal rating.


    cksmiths aimed for mass production so it was less likely for a production ss item to have a high-rating. But who was Grid? He always invested at least 20 hours, no matter what item he was making, and had already produced a legendary rated hammer and pickaxe.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going. I¡¯ll go to work.¡±


    He would produce the best farming equipment that could be used easily, even by those who were starving and had no strength! Grid pledged as he entered the city.


    Lauel shouted after him. "By the way Grid, who are these two people?¡±


    "Ah.¡± Grid was reminded of Piaro and nd and told the two people. ¡°This is what happened, so I¡¯ll have to stay in the smithy for a while. In the meantime, you will be bored. Right? Shouldn¡¯t you move your body to avoid being bored? Right?¡±


    ¡°If I look around the city and train nd some more, I won¡¯t be bored.¡±


    Piaro gave his opinion. But Grid responded like he didn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°I will tell you how to relieve your boredom.¡±


    Grid¡¯s finger pointed to the fields.


    Piaro and nd were always in the best position because of their noble family and their natural talents, so they couldn¡¯t grasp Grid¡¯s intentions at first. They never imagined that there would be a person who assigned them to work in the fields.


    "Help me clear the fields. Please.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    nd was astonished. He was an elite of the kingdom with the best bloodline flowing through him! A cornerstone of the kingdom was made to do field work?


    No, he could understand since he was a hostage. But wasn¡¯t Piaro a former captain of a troop of knights, and also one of the best swordsmen on the continent? Despite his great achievements, he was still forced to work in the fields?


    nd thought that Grid was crazy. But what was this?


    ¡°Physical training is good to increase the body¡¯s stamina. Moreover, since I¡¯ve never had experience working in the field, it is an opportunity to develop muscles I haven¡¯t used very well or to experience new movements. I understand.¡±


    Piaro readily epted? Great Swordsman. The one closest to bing a sword saint positively evaluated the field work and started stretching, so nd fell silent and also started loosening up his body.


    ¡°Are you really working in the fields?¡±


    Grid was surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected Piaro to ept his request.


    ¡°Why so easily?¡±


    Piaro saw Grid¡¯s confused face and said. "I have regained my motivation after being with you and nd for the past nine days. I don¡¯t want revenge to be my whole life. You will get revenge for me sooner orter, so I have to shake off the past and try to live in the future. I¡¯m not a noble anymore, so it is a good idea to learn about the lives of themon people in advance.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Grid bowed respectfully to him not only to thank him for his help in the fields but also for his willingness to live.


    ¡¯A person like that was affected by me...¡¯


    Grid had enough influence to change someone¡¯s life. He realized this thanks to Piaro and thought deeply.


    ¡®A lord is a person who rules over tens of thousands of people. He was also a guild master who led the Overgeared members. He should never forget. My thoughts and actions can change the fate of arge number of people.¡¯


    Grid vowed to be more mature every time he experienced certain events. However, he couldn¡¯t abandon his inherent nature and was prone to losing his prudence whenever he was in a hurry. So he thought that he should manage himself more thoroughly.


    He left Winston for the west. This was the moment that Grid¡¯s heart once again grew in response to Piaro¡¯s words.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218


    "Lauel, Piaro, and nd will help in the fields while I am in the smithy. Thank them for their help.¡±


    "No, who are they?¡±


    Lauel wanted Grid to introduce the two men. But rather than introducing them, Grid spoke to the two men and asked them to work. Lauel thought it was absurd.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Lauel called again, but Grid didn¡¯t look back and left. It was because it wouldn¡¯t be fun to reveal Piaro¡¯s identity immediately.


    ¡¯He will experience it directly. He will feel astonishment, admiration, and reverence. There are only a few name-grade NPCs in Satisfy.¡¯


    Grid imagined Lauel and the Overgeared members¡¯ reactions after grasping Piaro¡¯s identity as a great swordsman. Piaro would teach the Overgeared members and they would be more powerful.


    ***


    ¡®So insensitive.¡¯


    Lauel faced Piaro and nd after Grid left. He started awkwardly for a moment before observing the two people. He looked at the middle-aged Piaro standing next to nd. Piaro was wearing dirty clothes that couldn¡¯t even be used as rags, and a horrible stench came from him.


    ¡®He was called nd so he must be Earl Ashur¡¯s son...¡¯ Lauel easily understood nd¡¯s identity, but the problem was Piaro. ¡®Who is this person? His physique is good but his condition is too bad.¡¯


    Grid had mentioned that he was apanied by someone when he took Earl Ashur¡¯s son as a hostage. However, he didn¡¯t say who it was.


    ¡®Disappointing.¡¯


    Lauel hoped that Grid would bring someone with enormous talent to help, but did he just bring a ve over?


    ¡¯He wasted nine days to bring someone like this here...¡¯


    Lauel was deeply disappointed. He wanted to make Grid aware of his position. Then he smiled. Lauel didn¡¯t let his inner emotions show as he as greeted the two people.


    "I am Lauel, Grid¡¯s chief of staff. I¡¯m proficient in handling people. Can I hear your introductions?¡±


    Lauel was active in the golem invasion and grew further on his way to the west, so he was now level 287. He was first in the qigong master rankings, but he introduced himself as ¡®proficient in handling people.¡¯


    "I am nd de Ian, the youngest son of Earl Ashur. I know a bit of magic and have some skill in the sword.¡±


    He had poor magic abilitypared to his father. In addition, his swordsmanship was at a baby¡¯s levelpared to Grid and Piaro. Therefore, nd introduced himself as a beginner despite having a high level.


    Piaro was even worse, ¡°I am Piaro. I have nothing to introduce other than my name. I know how to use the sword, but I am stillcking.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t achieved the level of a sword saint yet, and thus, Piaro introduced himself as an average swordsman.


    ¡®There is a reason why Grid gave them field work: they just aren¡¯t useful anywhere else.¡¯


    Lauel had no expectations of Piaro and nd¡¯s fighting power.


    ¡®Well, a beggar is better than a freeloader.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t very inspired, but Lauel nodded and handed rakes to the two men.


    "Use this to get rid of foreign matter in the ground such as stones, then prepare thend for nting seeds.¡±


    Lauel was sure that they wouldn¡¯t do the work properly. nd was a noble and wouldn¡¯t want to work hard in the fields, while the ve Piaro was probably just hoping for a meal.


    "Um, this is the farming equipment used by themon people.¡±


    "I never thought that I would hold a tool like this in my entire life.¡±


    ¡°This is also an experience.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Piaro and nd talked amongst themselves, but Lauel showed no interest in their conversation. Lauel pointed to the vastnd as they marvelled over the rakes.


    "Clear this piece ofnd by the end of the day. If you don¡¯t know how to do it, please ask the people nearby. If you can¡¯t do it, then take a break. I don¡¯t intend to force you to work.¡±


    Most of the 20,551 people of Reiden were engaged in clearing the wilderness. It was safe to assume that all those with the physical strength, regardless of age and sex, were working. But the efficiency fell too much, due to theck of farming equipment.


    Putting together the farming equipment owned by the people and the ones currently produced by Khan, there was only around 3,000 tools. It meant that among the thousands of people working, only 3,000 were actually efficient. The rest of the people could only pick up the stones by hand.


    In this situation, Lauel wasn¡¯t certain that he should give the tools to nd and Piaro. He deliberately gave an absurd quota to Piaro and nd. He wanted them to give up quickly so that the precious farming equipment wasn¡¯t wasted.


    ¡¯I gave them 10 times more work than the others, so they will give up quickly.¡¯


    Lauel left the two people and got to work.


    ¡°Dragon ws.¡±


    Once Lauel used his skill, five sharp pirs rose from the ground before disappearing. Then around 50 pyeong ofnd was overturned at once (1 pyeong= around 32 square feet). Lauel scraped all the foreign matter that emerged from the ground with the rake, beforeying down the ground again.


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    Lauel was pleased. Clearing 50 pyeong in an instant. He immediately moved to another ce and repeated the same thing. He was doing the job of hundreds alone. nd watched him silently before eximing.


    ¡°Magic can be applied to clear thend quickly. I should give it a try.¡±


    nd was about to use magic when Piaro restrained him.


    "Why use magic for something that doesn¡¯t need it? Do you want to miss this golden opportunity to do physical exercise?¡±


    nd realized his mistake and said, ¡°I was too short-sighted.¡±


    ¡°Look over there.¡± Piaro pointed to the people working hard and sweating. "We must learn from them. New movements will be acquired and this will nourish your swordsmanship.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Piaro and nd started to observe themon people. They thoroughly grasped how to clear the ground. After a while.


    "How about it? Isn¡¯t this training?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It ces a severe burden on the waist, shoulders and knees. This was the first time my body has been so overworked.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t exercise butbor. It was new for Piaro and nd, who were nobles. They repeatedly moved their rakes with their disciplined bodies. It was an incredibly fast speed. Both of them had good physical skills and picked up the tricks from the ordinary people, so they finished Lauel¡¯s ridiculous quota in just one and a half hours.


    ¡°Lauel.¡±


    ¡®They are finally here.¡¯


    Lauel had been working hard using his skill and rake, so he was satisfied when he heard Piaro¡¯s voice,


    ¡°Was it tough? You must¡¯ve suffered a lot. Then, go rest. Oh, please return the rakes as well.¡±


    Piaro spoke to Lauel who didn¡¯t look back at him,


    "Why should we rest? I am here to report that we have finished our work. Is there anything more we can do?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Lauel doubted his ears and turned towards Piaro. Piaro was nowpletely covered in dirt. It was proof that he had been working hard. But clearing a 500 pyeong sizednd in just two hours?


    Lauel couldn¡¯t believe it as he asked,


    "If you don¡¯t mind, can I go and check it myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Piaro wasn¡¯t offended. It was natural since this was the first time he did it.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The usually calm Lauel let out a cry of surprise. The 500 pyeong sizednd that he entrusted to both Piaro and nd really had been cleared.


    ¡®What type of magic was used?¡¯


    Lauel couldn¡¯t close his mouth and Piaro prompted him, ¡°Then, please give us the next task.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    There was a lot of wilderness that needed to be cleared. Lauel entrusted Piaro and nd with another piece ofnd that was 500 pyeong. Then he watched both of them.


    Buzz buzz.


    The other Overgeared members quickly gathered in Lauel¡¯s vicinity, all interested in the turmoil. They folded their arms and watched nd and Piaro. The person who started work first was nd.


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he quite good?¡±


    The Overgeared members let out sounds of admiration. nd cleared the field 10 times faster than an average person, a speedparable to when the Overgeared members used their skills. The Overgeared members were able to predict that nd¡¯s strength and stamina wereparable to theirs.


    Then what about the other person? The Overgeared members focused on Piaro, who btedly started after sufficient stretching. Then they were shocked.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°A professional farmer...!¡±


    The speed at which Piaro cleared the field was 10 times faster than nd. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of good stamina. He had a perfect grasp of how to use the rake to overturn the ground more effectively. His exquisite movements made the rake move through the ground like it was water. It was a godly skill that allowed all the foreign substances in the ground to be piled up in a corner.


    ¡°Hah...! Grid brought someone huge!¡±


    ¡°Yes. He brought a master of farming. With those skills, he is almost like a legendary farmer. We can¡¯t be fooled by his appearance...¡±


    "But how did Grid know that we needed a farmer for Reidan?¡±


    ¡°This Huroi! I am impressed with My Lord¡¯s foresight!¡±


    At that moment.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Piaro¡¯s transcendent senses detected the flow of water deep in the earth. He asked Lauel, ¡°Does this ce not have enough water connected to it right now?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. We n to connect more channels in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    No matter how clever Lauel was, he couldn¡¯t immediately understand Piaro¡¯s remark. Lauel and the Overgeared members were feeling puzzled as Piaro pushed his rake deep into the ground. Suddenly, the earth started to shake as an intangible wave of energy was released.


    "An earthquake all of a sudden...!¡±


    Lauel and the Overgeared members thought that a giant worm might pop up, while the residents were confused.


    At that moment.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    A sound echoed out from where Piaro was standing before a pir of water exploded upwards, seemingly piercing the sky.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    The people cheered at the unbelievable sight while Lauel and the Overgeared members were shocked. There was the gurgle of water as Piaro wiped the water and dirt off his face before saying,


    ¡°This is a good plot ofnd.¡±


    "...¡±


    Piaro was clever and talented, so he was the best at whatever he did. It was the moment when the great swordsman became known as a legendary farmer and legendary feng shui person. On this day, there was a festive atmosphere in Reidan. A precious source of water had been found in thend that had been turned into a wilderness, so the peopleughed, cried, and wept.


    At the same time.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°How sad, I can¡¯t even rest and have to work immediately after being overworked in a week-long monster hunt...¡±


    Grid, Duke of the Eternal Kingdom and Lord of Reidan, was fiercely hammering in front of the roaring st furnace. His rank was the highest, but he was also the busiest.


    This was normal.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219


    ¡°Khan!¡±


    Three hours before Piaro was misunderstood as a legendary farmer and feng shui expert.


    Grid came to the smithy where Khan was working alone.


    ¡°Ohh! You came!¡±


    ¡°I missed you!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to eat, because I wanted to see you!"


    "Eh? Should I have missed meals as well?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Grid and Khan hugged as they reunited after a long time. It was a friendship that transcended identity and age, so they weed each other enthusiastically.


    ¡°I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to adapt to the warm weather of the west, but you seem fine. Rather, you look healthier."


    Khan was in thetter half of his 60¡¯s. He had passed the average life expectancy of the people of the Eternal Kingdom, so it was safe to say that he was at the end of his life. But after returning to being a cksmith thanks to Grid, Khan worked all day and looked like he was in his 40¡¯s or 50¡¯s.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry. I have been working with fire all my life, so how can I be threatened by this heat?¡±


    "You¡¯re a great inspiration.¡±


    Grid smiled. However, he knew that the lifespan of an NPC was finite so he couldn¡¯t suppress the uneasiness in his life.


    ¡®Please live for a long time.¡¯


    The first friend in his life, Khan. Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the sadness that woulde when he needed to say farewell to the person who opened up his heart. Khan noticed the sad emotions in Grid¡¯s smile and became slightly teary.


    ¡®He reminds me of my son.¡¯


    Histe son. If he hadn¡¯t be sick and died early, he would¡¯ve been Duke Grid¡¯s age right now.


    ¡®Originally, my son should be the one worrying about me...¡¯


    He wanted to see his son. But he could appease that longing with Duke Grid beside him. Khan was thankful for Duke Grid filling his vacancy. Khan swallowed back his tears and bowed his head.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?"


    Grid didn¡¯t understand the intentions behind Khan¡¯s sudden action. Khan smiled at his puzzled expression.


    "Didn¡¯t youe here to help me? So I wanted to thank you! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°What...? This is originally my work.¡± Grid brought Khan to Reidan so that Khan wouldn¡¯t be lonely, not for the manpower. ¡°But the situation of the city is a little inconvenient right now, so I am grateful for your help. Let¡¯s work together to solve the problem.¡±


    Grid took off the Holy Light set and changed into old clothing. The dirty novice clothing was what Grid wore when he worked as a cksmith. The efficiency increased because it was easy to move in the clothing. The only downside was that Grid looked like aplete beggar when he wore it.


    ¡°Ohh! You can¡¯t hide your dignity with these shabby clothes!¡±


    Grid¡¯s current dignity and charm stats wereparable to the king of a kingdom, so he was always brimming with elegance.


    Grid swept away his hair and revealed his great forehead. He tied a cloth around his head so that his hair wouldn¡¯t flow down, and looked around the smithy.


    ¡®It is unbelievablyrge.¡¯


    A general smithy only had one or two small or medium sized furnaces installed. Usually only three to five people could work at the same time in a smithy.


    However, the Overgeared members looked at the future and invested in Reidan¡¯s smithy, giving it a total of eightrge furnaces. The sight of eightrge furnaces lined up in a row was impressive.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this at the level of a factory? Dozens of cksmiths can work at the same time and produce arge quantity of items.¡¯


    But that was a story forter, when they had many cksmiths. Currently, there was only Grid and Khan, so the big size of the smithy couldn¡¯t be taken advantage of.


    ¡®I should look into inviting cksmith users.¡¯


    Grid looked at the smithy before deciding to start working. However, he didn¡¯t have the method to make a rake.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how to make any farming equipment.¡¯


    It was because he never needed to make farming equipment before. But that wasn¡¯t a problem. Grid had the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill. Grid held one of the rakes made by Khan and used appraisal.


    [Sturdy Rake]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 20/20 Attack Power: 3~7


    A farming equipment suitable for digging at the ground.


    It is made by cksmith Khan who can represent a region, so it is a rake with excellent durability.


    Weight: 60


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You have grasped the materials that make up Sturdy Rake, the production method, and the intentions of its creator.]


    [Your understanding of the Sturdy Rake is now at 100%. You will be able to use the Sturdy Rake perfectly.]


    [You have learned how to make a rake.]


    The rake production method was added. Grid was satisfied and started work.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    He bent the structure at the end to resemble a trident. It was a simple structure, so Khan was able to produce one rake in just 20 minutes. Yet Grid was different. Just like when raiding boss monsters, Grid was extremely focused as he devoted himself to making one rake.


    He carefully shaped the ends like he was making a sword, then hebined it with the handle part. Grid had over 2,000 dexterity, so his hands delicately handled the rake like he was touching Irene¡¯s pale body.


    Two hourster.


    ¡°Ah, I should take a rest.¡±


    Age didn¡¯t lie. The weary Khan stopped working. On the other hand, Grid had superhuman stamina and wasn¡¯t exhausted. Khan looked closely at his work and was shocked.


    ¡°No, what are you doing right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Grid looked like he didn¡¯t understand, so Khan asked.


    "Why are you spending two hours making a rake? I¡¯ve already finished six rakes in two hours... Isn¡¯t this a waste of time?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± Grid identified the six rakes made by Khan. Of course, they were all normal rated. The degree ofpletion wasn¡¯t satisfactory, considering Khan¡¯s skill. ¡°Khan.¡±


    Grid stared straight at Khan. Khan flinched at the sight. Grid¡¯s eyes were as deep as the ocean, like a wise man. It was quite different from the usual Grid.


    ¡¯Grid can also look like this...!¡¯


    Then Grid asked the astounded Khan. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you always do your best when making equipment? So why are you roughly making the farming equipment?¡±


    ¡°That... Produce as much as possible. Lauel said to mass produce as much farming equipment as possible so that he could put more manpower into the rehabilitation project."


    ¡°Mass production? Even lowly cksmiths can do something like that."


    Grid emanated a huge pressure. Right now, he wasn¡¯t a greedy young man or Khan¡¯s valued friend. There was no doubt that he was a legendary cksmith, Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    "Your role isn¡¯t to produce average farming equipment for ordinary farmers.¡±


    "Then what is my role?¡±


    Grid replied firmly to Khan¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s to make the best farming equipment that will help ordinary farmers be the best. That is your mission as an advanced cksmith. Please don¡¯t forget your pride as an advanced cksmith, no matter the situation.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Khan had worked with Grid for a long time and umted experience. Thanks to the skill cksmith¡¯s Affection, his cksmithing skill reached advanced level 7. He was one of the best cksmiths that currently existed, and he realized the truth of Grid¡¯s words.


    "You¡¯re absolutely right!¡±


    Khan was highly motivated. Grid handed the rake that he¡¯d justpleted to Khan.


    "Look at what I created.¡±


    ¡°Truly brilliant...!¡±


    [Ideal Rake]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 50/50 Attack Power: 25~31


    * Stamina +7.


    * Dexterity +12.


    * It will slightly improve the quality of the soil.


    A farming equipment suitable for digging at the ground.


    An item made by the cksmith ¡®G¡¯ who has a reputation close to a legend. Despite the use of bad quality iron and wood as the material, its function is outstanding.


    The three delicate prongs will make the soil finer, improving soil quality.


    Weight: 51


    ¡®The one rake that Grid made in two hours is much more valuable than the six rakes that I made!¡¯


    He also wanted to make a good rake. Khan pledged before standing in front of the furnace again.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    "Don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    Grid was concerned about Khan¡¯s health, but the highly concentrated Khan could no longer hear his voice.


    ¡®Yes, this is like him.¡¯


    Grid smiled warmly before starting to make his second rake.


    Two hourster.


    Grid and Khan bothpleted a rare rated rake. But once again, two hourster...


    ¡°Yes! It can¡¯t bepared to your work, but I have also produced a satisfactory rake!¡±


    Khan seeded in making an epic rated rake. The performance was less than Grid¡¯s, but it was clearly an excellent rake. Indeed, this was the dignity of an Advanced cksmith level 7. Then what about Grid?


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    It was a normal rating. Grid was embarrassed. He didn¡¯t know that a normal rating would emerge when he was making such a simple item.


    ¡°Are you trying to deceive me with a rake?¡±


    Grid¡¯s pride as a legendary cksmith was once again wounded. Once again, two hourster. Grid and Khan bothpleted a rare rated rake.


    "Not bad."


    Khan was happy. But Grid was boiling with anger.


    ¡°Ugh, dammit...!¡±


    A legendary cksmith was having such a hard time making farming equipment? This wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°Are you tricking me again? These damn scum!¡±


    Grid yelled at the operators who were watching from somewhere. Then Khan sent him a pitiful look.


    ¡°It has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen this...¡±


    It was a frequent phenomenon when they worked together. Khan left Grid shouting alone and started making a new rake.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Now it was time for dinner. Lauel finished today¡¯s work and ran to the smithy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat. Then we need to consult with the guild about the estate management ns... Eh?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expressions twisted. He wondered how much Grid and Khan would¡¯ve made in half a day, but there was less than 20 tools.


    "Surely you weren¡¯t ying around?¡±


    Lauel expected a legendary cksmith to work like a machine. He was feeling disappointed when Grid threw him a rake.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ying around. Look at this.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why did he need to look at the details of a rake? Lauel felt doubts and examined the rake.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Lauel was beyond shocked.


    [Perfect Rake]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 71/71 Attack Power: 49~61


    * Stamina +15


    * Dexterity +28


    * Greatly improves the soil quality.


    A farming equipment suitable for digging at the ground.


    An item made by the cksmith ¡®G¡¯ who has a reputation close to a legend. Despite the use of bad quality iron and wood as the material, its function is outstanding.


    The three delicate prongs will make the soil finer, improving soil quality. The three prongs are bent at the ideal angle to work the soil. Even a child can use this rake to turn a wastnd into an excellent garden.


    Weight: 45


    The rake was a tool that helped adult males clear a 1,000 pyeong sizend in one day. However, the people of Reidan were starving for a long time and their physical condition wasn¡¯t good, so each person could only clear 100 pyeong a day.


    ¡®The people of Reidan will be able to do more than that if they have this rake. The soil improvement means that thend will give a good harvest.¡¯


    This game was truly about items. Grid was the truth. Lauel once again thought that it was a good idea to follow Grid. He didn¡¯t doubt that one day, the people of Reidan would be armed with the power of items.


    Then he suddenly got an ominous feeling.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that when he bes a king...¡¯


    Surely he wouldn¡¯t name it Overgeared Kingdom? Lauel made a tearful face.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220


    The central spire of Reidan Castle was a huge 11 stories. It was nearly twice as high as the spire of the lord¡¯s castle inmon cities.


    ¡°Is the height of the central spire important?¡±


    "In a sense, it symbolizes the power of the lord. The greater the prestige and power of the lord, the higher the height of the spires.¡±


    "In other words, the former lord of Reidan enjoyed the same authority as the king.¡±


    "That is the correct interpretation."


    In fact, the size of Reidan Castle wasparable to the king¡¯s pce.


    ¡°The castle has a total of 127 rooms. In addition, there are six other outbuildings. There are five gardens, three parade grounds, and a barracks that can amodate 8,000 troops.¡±


    There were no small decorations or basic furniture left. It was left untouched for a long time, so there were many rusty ces and it was deste. But the form itself waspletely preserved, so Grid was amazed.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising. I thought the castle would bepletely ruined like the city.¡±


    ¡°The people of Reidan sacrificed themselves to protect it.¡±


    The days when the empire defended the Hebend River. The people of Reidan had to give a certain amount as tribute to the empire, and it came to the point where they had to dismantle the city¡¯s buildings. However, they couldn¡¯t touch the castle, which was the symbol of Reiden, and theirst remaining pride. As a result, the entire scenery around Reidan Castle was a ruin.


    Grid was deeply impressed by Lauel¡¯s exnation.


    ¡®The people of Reidan might be dying of starvation, but they protected their pride...¡¯


    Grid was a selfish person, but at least he had patriotism. It was the result of the forceful education during military service. Thanks to that, he was able to understand the hearts of the Reidan people withoutughing at them.


    ¡®The people really love the ce where they grew up.¡¯ Grid had a positive observation.


    ¡°It will be a big help to me to save the people of Reidan. Then the people of Reidan will be loyal and follow any orders. Isn¡¯t that right? Lauel.¡±


    Lauel was impressed. "I can¡¯t believe you thought that deeply.¡±


    Anyone could think about it. But he thought that Grid couldn¡¯t.


    Grid spoke to the astonished Lauel. ¡°Don¡¯t exploit the people or give unreasonablemands.¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    Lauel was shocked. He was more surprised than when he observed the unique rated rake several hours ago.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Grid the type of person to use others for his own sake? It was unbelievable to Lauel that he would make such a statement about the people. He was at a loss when Grid whispered to him.


    "I am the lord of the people, so I can¡¯t act childish. Just do it properly.¡±


    The people were the cash flow. Grid still thought so. He wanted to do the minimum amount to protect them. This was the least he could do for the people who sacrificed themselves to protect the symbol of the lord.


    ¡°In the first ce, people must live here. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Grid was the lord of Reidan and leader of the Overgeared Guild, so he decided to act in a manner that wouldn¡¯t shame them. Now he was trying to act ording to that determination. Lauel smiled with satisfaction at Grid¡¯s growth.


    ¡°I will keep it in mind.¡±


    "I know.¡±


    Grid went ahead. After a few hours, he grasped the structure of the castle.


    ¡°It¡¯s really big. This great castle is mine?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t just this castle. You¡¯re the master of everything in Reidan. In addition, you¡¯re eligible to get your hands on something greater. The spires of Reidan will be higher than the royal pce.¡± Huroi remarked as he appeared.


    Grid smiled. ¡°Wee Huroi. Your words always make me feel better. Thank you.¡±


    Thank you? Huroi was baffled. The original Grid wasn¡¯t someone who would express appreciation for anything.


    ¡®Reciprocating the goodwill of others...¡¯


    The selfish Grid was starting to fill up hiscking spots. It was gratifying. He noticed things that weren¡¯t pointed out.


    ¡®He grows every time I see him.¡¯


    Huroi and Lauel were impressed.


    Thump thump.


    Grid moved to the great hall that could amodate around 500 people. Apart from the old throne, it was just a room full of dust. However, Grid didn¡¯t doubt that this would soon shine a brilliant gold. He sat on the throne and quietly closed his eyes.


    ¡°Now it feels real.¡±


    He was a duke of the Eternal Kingdom. Next to the king, he had the highest status and held the greatest power in his hand. He represented Huroi, Lauel, Jishuka and the other Overgeared members.


    But.


    ¡®Am I qualified?¡¯


    Many memories went through Grid¡¯s mind. At a young age, he learned to be anxious around others. As an adolescent, he had many limitations. In his 20¡¯s, he experienced a lot of frustration. Hardships came to mind.


    His memories before Satisfy were the worst. But everything changed after he started Satisfy and became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. He used the abilities he obtained to ovee his limitations, as well as the trials that he received.


    ¡®Is this purely the result of good luck?¡¯


    Grid wondered. After a long moment of thinking, he came up with an answer.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    There was a lot of luck, but in the end, it was his own strength and efforts that led to this result. It was unclear if the Northern End Cave even existed, but he had found it after several months of exploration.


    ¡®I am qualified. I was able to climb up to this point because I¡¯m qualified.¡¯


    Sururuk.


    Grid was filled with joyful emotions and slowly opened his eyes. Was this the influence of his higher charm stat? Or was it the effect of the true pride that he realized at this moment? Grid¡¯s eyes were deeper than ever, like the sea.


    ¡°Huroi, Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid called out and Huroi bowed with a sincere heart. Lauel followed as well. The two of them prostrated before him. It was amon action. Grid didn¡¯t feel awkward because of their exaggerated behavior.


    "Both of you said that I¡¯m destined to be the best. Was that false or exaggerated?¡±


    Huroi and Lauel responded in unshakable voices.


    "My Lord is already the best.¡±


    ¡°You are the only person I acknowledge. So you are a qualified person."


    They were sincere. Grid¡¯s power, stats and abilities were among the top out of the two billion users in Satisfy. The only w was that he wascing financial power, but he could ovee it if Reidan developed.


    Defects in personality and intelligence? Grid was developing, so that wasn¡¯t a problem.


    "...Yes, I will believe you and take pride in myself.¡±


    At this moment, Grid developed some self-pride. This was pure pride, not arrogance or egotism.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    He let out a deep exhale. The victim mentality and inferiorityplex was deeply rooted because of his experiences in the past. He hadn¡¯t fully shed it yet, but this was the moment his heart cleared. His jealousy towards others disappeared. His heart was light. His head became clear and his vision widened.


    ¡°This feels much better.¡±


    Grid said with a bright smile.


    Now he was reaching the end of his steady internal growth process.


    ***


    Reidan was a veryrge city that could amodate 430,000 people, but it was currently impossible to increase the poption. It was because Reidan didn¡¯t have any charms to attract people from other parts of the world to it.


    Lauel believed that they should make good use of the 20,551 people currently living in Reidan.


    ¡°We have addressed the food shortage. The pace of the farnd clearing has increased exponentially thanks to the discovery of water by Piaro, the legendary farmer and feng shui expert. It¡¯s easy to spread drinking water.¡±


    ¡®Legendary farmer? Feng shui expert?¡¯


    Grid and the Overgeared members were in the meeting room. How did Piaro be a legendary farmer and feng shui expert? Grid questioned this while Lauelid out policies for the future.


    Developing agriculture would encourage the birth of the people, promote consumption and attract external resources. In addition, there was a n to grow the smithy on arge scale, centering on Grid and Khan. This would build up a foothold to be amercial city.


    ¡°At this time, the role of the Overgeared members is to subjugate the monsters. We need to reduce the power of the monsters upying the west. In particr, the ultimate goal is to destroy all the giant worms.¡±


    As with most online games, Satisfy¡¯s monsters respawned after a certain period of time from their deaths. But monsters that caused certain episodes, such as the giant worms, were in the special category.


    "There is probably the home of the giant worms somewhere underground. If we find and destroy it, I¡¯m sure that the giant worms will no longer respawn.¡±


    The giant worms had to be destroyed. Then the west could develop and the episode would move to the next stage. Lauel¡¯s words stirred the enthusiasm of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Levels are guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The monsters in the west give a lot of experience.¡±


    "In return, they are too strong.¡±


    ¡°We have the power of our items. Have you forgotten? We fortunately have Grid.¡±


    "Lauel, are there no longer any viges or cities in the west where people live? If it¡¯s possible to find a ce where people are still living, can¡¯t we bring them to Reidan to increase the poption?¡±


    This was the opinion of Toban, the former chief of staff of the Tzedakah Guild. The Overgeared members responded positively to his words, but Lauel expressed concern.


    "For the time being, I don¡¯t n to search for other viges or cities. We should ignore the cities and viges found in the middle of the desert. There is likely to be a vampireir.¡±


    Vampires had a minimum level of 250. However, this was the case of the young vampires. Vampires who lived for over 300 years were likely to have levels over 400. The possibility of being wiped out was high if they stepped into a vampireir, so Lauel wanted to avoid such a situation.


    Grid rose from his seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now. There¡¯s a mountain of work piled up in the smithy.¡±


    Grid¡¯s word was far from being a lord. In fact, Lauel was taking the role of the lord while Grid acted like a cksmith. At first nce, the situations should be reversed, but this was actually right.


    Grid wasn¡¯t smart enough to lead a big city. It was Grid himself who appointed Lauel to this role.


    After that.


    The Overgeared members were able to level up and secure resources by hunting the monsters. The desertification of Reidan meant that timber wascking, so securing timber was the first priority.


    Piaro and nd immersed themselves in farming with the people, while Jude was tasked with training the strong people who Grid discovered through the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡°Jump. Roll. Gear up. Spear...? Stab and swing your spear.¡±


    Jude¡¯s reckless training caused many soldiers to leave. However, a handful endured and were gradually reborn into elite soldiers. Unfortunately, their Weapons Mastery skill didn¡¯t grow, but the speed of their strength and stamina rise was abnormally fast.


    ¡°Anyway, my soldiers don¡¯t need a high Weapons Mastery skill.¡±


    Grid made weapons with low usage conditions and high attack power and spread them to the soldiers. Even the farm equipment was powerful, so the soldiers armed with his items were different from other soldiers in the region.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid worked in the smithy around the clock. He was now working on construction tools instead of farming tools. Agriculture was stable now, so they were focusing on constructing facilities with the resources secured by the Overgeared members.


    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m dying, but my persistence and dexterity stats are rapidly growing.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t bored. Obtaining a different oue every time from his production work was a different type of fun from hunting and boss raids. In any case, he was a cksmith and needed to do it for the rest of his life.


    ¡®Irene will like it.¡¯


    His dexterity stat kept rising, so he would be able to make Irene even happier. Gridughed while thinking about it.


    On the other hand, Khan was busy nurturing young cksmiths.


    ¡°Hey! That forging quality isn¡¯t great! Hey! If you put the firewood in now, your control of the fire will fall!¡±


    Khan¡¯s voice seemed to be more vigorous as the days passed. Khan¡¯s passion made Grid smile.


    Then after a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Rabbit finally arrived.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221


    Rabbit was from a rural part of the country, but his genius and talent caused him to rise to the top of the Mero Company. In the past, he was the first to recognize that the level 21 Grid had a huge talent and suggested a partnership.


    "Thismoner, Rabbit, greets the great hero, Duke Grid.¡±


    Rabbit hadn¡¯t changed since the first day they met. He wore thin-rimmed sses and gave off the impression of a cultured gentleman. There were no signs of greed in his eyes, but he looked more like a saint than a merchant.


    But what was the truth? Unlike his appearance, Rabbit was as greedy as Grid. That¡¯s how he was able to seed as a merchant.


    ¡®A true chatan gives a sense of confidence to the other person.¡¯


    Grid grinned with satisfaction and greeted Rabbit. ¡°You must¡¯ve had a hard time. Isn¡¯t it nice to see people after being stuck in prison for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to the people of Winston treating me as a hero, Marquis Steim gave me many conveniences.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m relieved to see that you¡¯re healthy. It¡¯s nice to meet you again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s insight detected the changes in Grid. His gestures, expressions, speech, etc. From head to toe, everything about the current Grid waspletely different from the Grid of the past. It wasn¡¯t a simple change, so Rabbit felt a thrill.


    ¡°I underestimated you.¡±


    The future that Rabbit saw for Grid was the best cksmith and the richest person. But the current Grid was...


    "You are pursuing the path of rising to the top, where everyone will look up at you.¡±


    It was heartfelt appreciation. The Grid from a while ago would¡¯ve overreacted. But now Gridbined reality and humility.


    "It¡¯s a challenge. I¡¯mcking a lot, so I need your help. Will you serve me?¡±


    Rabbit bowed. Then he answered formally, showing his loyalty with honest words.


    ¡°Duke Grid, I don¡¯t doubt that you are the one who will make me the richest man on the continent. So I¡¯m willing to follow you.¡±


    Grid also responded honestly. "Not the richest person on the continent. I will be the richest person.¡±


    "Haha, then I will just dream of being rich.¡±


    ¡°So be it.¡±


    Grid smiled as he pulled out the Great Lord¡¯s Sword andid it on Rabbit¡¯s shoulder. It wasn¡¯t a problem that this was a smithy instead of a pce. Rather, it was more meaningful because a smithy was the ce where Grid¡¯s identity was established.


    ¡°From this moment on, you will be a viscount of the Eternal Kingdom. But you need only be loyal to me.¡±


    When Marquis Steim was still an earl, he had appointed Grid as a viscount, despite Grid being amoner. As a duke, Grid also had the authority to arbitrarily give someone a title. But he had no ns to abuse Rabbit, as he nned to give Rabbit a monthly sry that suited his title.


    He could sell titles to users, but Lauel had dissuaded him from doing this.


    "Both I and my descendants will be faithful only to My Lord.¡±


    A notification window popped up the moment Rabbit made the oath.


    [You have used your authority as a duke to appoint ¡®Rabbit¡¯ as a viscount.]


    [You have an obligation to give Rabbit a monthly sry of 500 gold every month. Rabbit¡¯s loyalty will fall if you don¡¯t pay this sry.]


    Delight appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡¯As I expected, he¡¯s a named NPC.¡¯


    Name: Rabbit


    Age: 37 Gender: Male


    upation: Merchant/ Viscount of the Eternal Kingdom


    Title: Wealthy Merchant


    * The best merchant of this era. He has the ability to create demand even for simple stones.


    Level: 307


    Strength: 49 Stamina: 380


    Agility: 150 Intelligence: 2,241


    Political Power: 1,505 Insight: 1,533


    Leadership: 512 Charm: 210


    Skills: Composure (A+), Detection (A+), Administration (S), Business Acumen (S+), Wisdom of a Great Merchant (SS).


    Born in Winston, in the northern part of the kingdom. He was born amoner, but he devoted himself to his studies. After proving that he had talent, he received a sponsorship to the Central Academy and graduated as the best student.


    He served as a royal administrator, but received unfair treatment due to hismoner status. Therefore, he became a merchant and made the best achievements.


    Due to his poor childhood, he has a tendency to cling to money.


    [Composure (A+)]


    No matter what situation he faces, he won¡¯t lose hisposure. It¡¯s rare for him to make mistakes because his brain is active at all times.


    [Detection (A+)]


    Can see the essence of humans and objects. He can easilymunicate with anyone and always gets the best results.


    [Administration (S)]


    If he belongs to a certain power, the ability to manage the affairs is excellent. It is at a level that can develop a small vige into a city.


    [Business Acumen (S+)]


    The trading ability has reached the highest level. Even a piece of garbage can be made into a product.


    [Wisdom of a Great Merchant (SS)]


    The experience and know how of someone who made argepany.


    ¡¯S-grade Administration...¡¯


    The speed of development of a city was proportional to the grade of the administrator. The role of an administrator was very important, but it wasn¡¯t an easy task to find one with a high rating. Winston was the secondrgest city in the north, and even Administrator Valdi only had a B-grade. Then how fast would a ce grow with a S-grade administrator? He didn¡¯t dare imagine it.


    ¡®His ability as a merchant is S+ and SS...¡¯


    Rabbit even had the ability to make goods out of rubbish. Based on the description, it was aplete scam. Grid was confused.


    ¡®How should I handle him?¡¯


    Should Rabbit serve as an administrator, or work as a merchant? Rabbit spoke while he couldn¡¯t make a decision.


    "Before I came to see you, I looked over Reidan. It¡¯s good that you are clearing the fields and connecting waterways, but I feel like it¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°Too much?¡±


    "Doesn¡¯t Reidan only have a poption of 20,000? If the number of fields are reduced by a third, it will be enough to feed the people."


    Grid exined the situation. "Once the clearing of the fields is done, we n to expand farming and build this up as an agricultural city. This will be the basis to be amercial city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the wrong choice. Due to the hot climate of Reidan, only a limited number of crops can be grown. Reidan isn¡¯t suitable as an agricultural city.¡±


    "There are no problems with the species restrictions. In the first ce, we were nning to concentrate and export the crops that can be harvested quickly.¡±


    Lauel entered the smithy at this time and rebutted. He had an upset expression on his face and Rabbit responded appropriately.


    "Crops that can be harvested quickly aren¡¯tpetitive. They are easy to get anywhere.¡±


    Lauel red at him.


    ¡°We can ovee it by selling a lot at a cheap price. Currently, the only advantage of Reidan is the spaciousnd. Using thend is the only way to build up funds, so the reality is that Reidan can only be an agricultural city. No, first, who are you?¡±


    Grid introduced him. ¡°This is Rabbit. He was once the number two of the Mero Company, thergest in the north.¡±


    Lauel was angry. He was only the number two of a northernpany, yet he dared try to decide the city¡¯s policies.


    Grid handed him the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    "What is this?¡±


    Grid exined to the bewildered Lauel. ¡°Wear it and examine Rabbit yourself.¡±


    "What are you trying...¡±


    Lauel was annoyed that Grid would listen to the opinion of a merchant over him. He grumbled as he wore the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and observed Rabbit.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    These days, Lauel was often surprised.


    Grid persuaded Lauel as he checked Rabbit¡¯s stats and skills. "I¡¯m not discrediting your abilities, but why don¡¯t you try and listen to Rabbit¡¯s thoughts? Who knows? It might help you as well.¡±


    "...¡±


    ***


    "I will entrust the overall management of the territory to Rabbit. I will work in the fields.¡±


    Lauel decided. He recognized that Rabbit¡¯s administrative ability was superior to his.


    Grid questioned him. ¡°Can¡¯t you also show great abilities as an administrator? Isn¡¯t it better to have Rabbit create a businesspany, since it will make more use of his talents?¡±


    "Even though I have business ability, I don¡¯t have the ¡®Administration¡¯ skill.¡±


    In the end, Satisfy was a game. The importance of skills was higher than practical abilities. Administrators greatly increased the pace of domestic development because they had the Administration skill.


    ¡°In addition, diplomacy is included in the work of an administrator. Rabbit¡¯s talent as a merchant will manifest itself in the form of diplomacy.


    Lauel¡¯s guess was correct.


    After being appointed as the administrator, Rabbit reduced the scale of agriculture and invested in alchemy as well as facilities to amplify the value of cksmiths, including Grid and Khan. At the same time, he exerted his talent as a merchant by talking diplomatically with ¡®Baron Butin of the Saharan Empire.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°The alchemists say that the sand of the desert has no value in alchemy.¡±


    Currently, Reidan¡¯s only avable resource was sand. Sand was the basic material required for construction, but that was the role of sea sand. Unlike the sand at the sea, the desert sand was so fine that there was no ce to use it.


    Modern society could utilize the desert sand due to advanced technology, but Satisfy¡¯s background was a medieval fantasy, so its technology was inferior to modern times. Rabbit tried to use the sand in magic and alchemy, but he couldn¡¯t achieve satisfactory results.


    Then one day.


    "Let¡¯s export the sand to Baron Butin.¡±


    Rabbit came to Lauel and spoke nonsense. Lauel was perplexed. "Why should we export desert sand to Baron Butin?¡±


    The desert was all over the west. There was an excess of sand so there was no point in exporting it. It was realistically impossible. Rabbit smiled at Lauel¡¯s disapproval and exined.


    ¡°I will make it so that the baron has to import it.¡± Rabbit noted that Baron Butin owned one of the empire¡¯s resorts where many wealthy people and nobles visited. ¡°The people of Reidan have lived in this hot and deste ce for 10 years. I will advertise it like this. The sand of Reidan remedy of longevity that will improve human health.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Lauel was stunned by the absurd words.


    Rabbit continued. "It¡¯s a luxury product made with magic, and those who don¡¯t have it will covet it. I will set the price higher so that the image of a luxury product will be firmly established. The longevity remedy won¡¯t be credible if it¡¯s cheap.¡±


    "No, what type of sophistry...?¡±


    Lauel wondered if Rabbit was sane. But Rabbit didn¡¯t care and kept talking.


    "I will use Khan as my advertising model. He¡¯s older than 60, so if we put him front and center, the trust of the customers will increase and the reputation of the longevity remedy will rise.¡±


    Rabbit referred to the sands of Reidan as a ¡®longevity remedy.¡¯ Lauel was convinced that Rabbit was crazy. Rabbit had high stats and great skills as a named NPC, but he had a clear w in his personality.


    But what was the truth?


    "It¡¯s selling well.¡±


    The sands of Reidan were called the ¡®Longevity Remedy¡¯ and started to be imported at the mad price of 3 gold per 10 grams.


    Once the nobles and wealthy people who visited the Butin Barony heard about the reason why the sand of Reidan was called the Longevity Remedy, they couldn¡¯t resist buying out of curiosity.


    "This might cause a serious problem in the future...¡±


    Lauel was concerned, but Rabbit reassured him.


    "3 gold is huge for amoner, but this is trivial for the rich.¡±


    Even if they knew it was a scam, they could justugh it off. They didn¡¯t have to get angry over that level of money. In the first ce, there was no reason to call it a scam. How could people know their exact lifespan? There was no way to prove that the lifespan of a person was increased or not increased by the Longevity Remedy, so there was no reason to call it a scam.


    ¡°The one thing I regret is that there aren¡¯t more people visiting the Butin Barony. For the moment, the profit from selling this will stay at around 800 gold per month. But if the rumors of the goods be widespread in the future, things will change again."


    ¡°...This is a good idea.¡±


    800 gold a month. It was a ridiculously small sum for a big city. But the product being sold was mere sand. They just needed to put the sand that could be found anywhere in pretty ss bottles and sell them for 3 gold each. The profit was 99.9%. If the sales amount rose like Rabbit predicted, it would be a powerful revenue source for Reidan.


    ¡®He truly is a wealthy merchant...¡¯


    ¡®This is aplete scam.¡¯


    Lauel and the Overgeared members were alerted to the true nature behind Rabbit¡¯s face.


    Grid justughed.


    All types of talented people were gathering around him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222


    One month in reality and three months in Satisfy time passed.


    In the meantime, Reidan¡¯s crops grew well. It was because the water channels discovered by Piaro provided nutrients to thend, and Grid¡¯s equipment improved the soil quality.


    The financial burden diminished, so they no longer needed to import food at high prices. In addition, vegetation started to grow, the yellow dust became weak, and the people became healthier. The sight of the sick children improving brought tears to the people¡¯s eyes.


    "This is all thanks to Duke Grid."


    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right!¡±


    The people had been suffering for the past 10 years and were about to starve to death, so Grid and the Overgeared members were like angels sent by Goddess Reba. The people were absolutely obedient to Grid and the Overgeared members, who were their saviors.


    They were educated and trained as farmers, cksmiths, architects, soldiers, etc. As a result, they were able to feel a sense of aplishment from reviving the city with their own strength.


    Reidan was full of vitality.


    "Have you been out on the streetstely? Voices praising My Lord are everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve been so busy that I don¡¯t have time to go outside.¡±


    In the past, Huroi had vowed to serve Grid to repay the favor. But now it was different. Huroi respected the maturing Grid and was loyal to him based on that.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    The ghost town on the verge of destruction had now be lively. Thanks to the Overgeared members, the monsters didn¡¯t threaten Reidan, and a small but powerful army was being trained by Jude.


    Khan was nurturing young cksmiths, and thanks to Rabbit, the overall speed of development of Reidan increased. Euphemina showed her strength in many fields by duplicating monster taming, cksmithing and architectural skills.


    In particr, Jishuka yed a huge role as ruler of Bairan. She and the other two Overgeared members trained the knights and soldiers, and continued hunting the frostlight orcs and raiding the Guardian of the Forest. Thanks to this, the guild¡¯s warehouse was filled with various minerals and sylphid scales. Soon, all members of Overgeared were going to have an invisibility cloak.


    The person who brought together such excellent talents and strong personalities? It was none other than Grid. Huroi¡¯s respect for Grid increased day by day.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied with the present state. It was because Reidan was still in a deficit.


    ¡®We only have a smithy, barracks, and alchemy institute as facilities.¡±


    The number of people wasn¡¯t increasing. Taxes also couldn¡¯t be raised. Even though he made five items a day, he couldn¡¯t see any profit at all. So Grid was in a bad mood. What would¡¯ve happened if Grid sold the 450 items he made over the past three months to users instead of investing it in Reidan?


    ¡®I would¡¯ve earned at least 1.5 billion won, even if I have to pay taxes and take into ount the price of the materials...¡¯


    Of the 450 items, not one legendary rated item was produced, but there were two unique rated items. However, he couldn¡¯t sell them to users and used them for the facilities. Lauel encouraged the grumbling Grid.


    "Don¡¯t dwell on the immediate damages. Thanks to the items you made, the efficiency of each work field has increased by several times, and will return to you as a bigger profit.¡±


    "I know."


    Now it was time for lunch. Due to all the work, Grid ate at the smithy while discussing things with Huroi and Lauel. On the other hand, Khan was busy teaching the young cksmiths.


    Lauel clicked his tongue. ¡°Khan is growing stronger every day. As I look at his increased health, I sometimes wonder if Reidan¡¯s desert sand really does improve longevity.¡±


    "That inspiration is innate. Which reminds me, has there been a steady increase in sales for the Longevity Remedy?¡±


    "Yes, this month¡¯s sales has reached 1,230 gold.¡±


    "Still, it isn¡¯t even a quarter of Rabbit¡¯s pay.¡±


    Rabbit received a 500 gold sry as a viscount, then another 5,300 gold as his administrator sry. This was the ¡®minimum¡¯ value set by Rabbit himself. Even if he pledged his loyalty, he wouldn¡¯t work for less than 5,300 gold a month. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Reidan¡¯s current deficit was due to Rabbit.


    ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t begrudge him. Sir Rabbit¡¯s value can¡¯t be converted to money.¡±


    "I know.¡±


    Thanks to Rabbit, Reidan was growing quickly. The increase of domestic affairs was unrivaled whenpared to other cities. Indeed, a named NPC like Rabbit with an S-grade administrative skill was worth any price.


    ¡®Don¡¯t fret and look to the future.¡¯


    After Reidan developed, the giant worms would be destroyed and the western area would be restored. Then he would use the western area as the foundation for bing king. It was one of his immediate goals.


    ¡¯Then I will make money.¡¯


    Grid would be a tycoon. He didn¡¯t want to suffer again because he didn¡¯t have money.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid ate the food that had been grown in three months, the rainbow potato. He hadn¡¯t been able to hunt for the past three months, so his level was stuck at 275, but he wasn¡¯t nervous because his stats increased every time he made an item higher than the epic rating.


    Grid was a cksmith, so he could level up his stats even if he worked in the smithy.


    ***


    The Butin Barony was at the eastern end of the Saharan Empire. It was a rural area, with only the natural view of the sea. Furthermore, it was a very peaceful ce where monsters didn¡¯t pop up, so it was extremely rare for users toe here.


    However, the 3rd ranking merchant, Muto, operated a smallpany and was extremely focused on trading with the Butin Barony. The Butin Barony might be empty of users, but it was a resort for rich NPCs and nobles.


    ¡°The Longevity Remedy?¡±


    Muto was focused on supplying luxury goods to the rich and nobles who visited the Butin Barony. His sales rate had decreased suddenly, and he finally identified the reason. He looked at the small amount of sand in the ss bottle and frowned.


    "This sand is sold as a luxury product under the name Longevity Remedy? The selling rate of my products is falling because of this?¡±


    Muto had seen countless items. As a merchant, his insight was excellent, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to see that the Longevity Remedy was just simple sand.


    "It¡¯s a really good idea.¡±


    Which merchant came up with the idea of marketing the sand of Reidan as the Longevity Remedy? Muto marveled after hearing about it from the NPCs of the Butin Barony.


    ¡°This level of business acumen is almost at the level of a scam."


    There must be a tremendous merchant hiding in Reidan. Muto was sure of it. He worried about how he couldpete with such a huge merchant and soon came up with an idea.


    "Isn¡¯t there a huge desert surrounding Reidan?¡±


    Ssik.


    Muto smiled with satisfaction and immediately led hispany to Reidan. But he faced difficulties as soon as he crossed the border.


    "W-What is this?"


    The guards of the Muto Company were over level 200. As mercenaries hired at an expensive price, they perfectly protected thepany from monsters and bandits. But as soon as they entered the territory of Reidan, the giant worms, desert toads and other powerful monsters devoured the guards.


    ¡°T-This is crazy...!¡±


    Why were the monsters so strong? The twin ogres were the strongest monsters he had seen so far, and they were nothing against the western monsters.


    ¡°R-Run away!¡±


    The Muto Company had to run away from the crazy monsters. But Muto still didn¡¯t forget to put the sand from the desert into his bag.


    ¡°Pant pant! Damn! I almost got killed!¡±


    Muto trembled as he barely survived and returned to the Butin Barony. He was desperate, since he lost half of the guards in the desert.


    ¡°I have to sell all of the sand to recoup some of the losses.¡±


    Muto went to find a merchant NPC. Then he brought out the Longevity Remedy he made from the sands of Reidan. However, the NPC clicked his tongue.


    "The Longevity Remedy is made from sand collected in the center of Reidan, not ordinary sand from the desert. We only acknowledge the sand from Reidan¡¯s lord as the Longevity Remedy, while everything else is rubbish. Let¡¯s stop any transactions in the future. I no longer want to work with a crook like you.¡±


    "...¡±


    This was bad. He thought it would be easy. But his opponent had already prated into his brain. Muto was frustrated after losing many guards and clients because of mere sand.


    ***


    "Garlic.¡± Shin Youngwoo logged out of Satisfy and went out into the living room for dinner. Then he found his parents peeling garlic and sat down beside them. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents ran a vegetable store, and garlic was treated as amodity. They had to work hard everyday to peel the garlic. In the past, he didn¡¯t help his parents, but now he was different.


    He matured and was willing to help his parents. But his parents refused.


    "Youngwoo, aren¡¯t you having a hard time ying the game? You should take this time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is our job. Youngwoo, you should go eat and focus on the game again.¡±


    His parents dismissed the game in the past, but now they recognized it as his workce. Youngwoo felt a sense of gratitude and sat down with a bright smile.


    ¡°I want to help.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy for a person with less experience to peel garlic. The surface of garlic was hard and the skin was very thin. It needed some tricks to peel the skin attached to the surface. Youngwoo had no dexterity since he was a child. Until he joined the army, he couldn¡¯t even tie his shoces properly. It normally took Youngwoo a long time to peel one garlic, so he wouldn¡¯t be a big help.


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents knew this fact, but they didn¡¯t stop him, since their son said he was willing to help.


    Then after a while.


    ¡°Oh my? Youngwoo, when did your dexterity be so good?¡±


    His mother was full of admiration. Youngwoo quickly peeled the skin of the garlic like a pro. The speed wasparable to his parents, who had been running a vegetable store for decades. His father was also surprised.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Youngwoo was even more amazed than his parents.


    ¡®Unbelievable. Why is it so much easier to peel garlic?¡¯


    He felt like his dexterity had increased dramatically, unlike the past. What was the reason? Youngwoo pondered over it as he peeled the garlic. Then he got the answer within minutes.


    ¡¯It is the result of repetitive actions!¡¯


    A delicate hand was needed to make items. Since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Youngwoo had made thousands of items. It seemed that his dexterity in reality increased through his memories and this experience.


    ¡®I¡¯ve seen it in the news before.¡¯


    A person repeatedly practiced swordsmanship Satisfy, and their skills increased in reality. It was the inevitable result of repetitive practice. Of course, a person¡¯s physical ability in reality was significant lower than it was in Satisfy, so it was impossible to implement all the techniques. However, following some techniques wasn¡¯t difficult.


    It was the same reason why Youngwoo¡¯s dexterity rose now.


    ¡°Huhuhu...¡±


    Youngwooughed with satisfaction. He was d that if he ever obtained a lover in reality, he would be able to make her happy with his dexterity. It was the moment when the legendary hand dexterity that brought ecstasy to women in Satisfy appeared in reality.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223


    He helped his parents with the garlic and finished his meal. Then Youngwoo connected to his fan cafe and cheered.


    ¡°Finally...!¡±


    Yesterday, the fan cafe had exactly 1,998,411 members, and now it exceeded two million. There was the golem invasion and he became the first user to be a duke, so his poprity had greatly increased.


    ¡®I¡¯m happy.¡¯


    The fact that two million people were showing interest and liking towards him made Youngwoo¡¯s heart overwhelmed. He had been ignored and despised for a long time, so the affection of others was new and he felt happy every day.


    ¡®I wonder what Noe¡¯s fan cafe is like these days.¡¯


    After a long absence, Youngwoo essed Noe¡¯s fan cafe andughed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t catch up with his poprity.¡±


    Noe¡¯s fan cafe had reached 2.75 million members. The speed was rising much faster than Youngwoo¡¯s fan cafes. The difference between the two fan cafes was increasing day by day. In the past, Youngwoo would be trembling with jealousy, but now he was different. Hepletely shook off the inferiorityplex that was deeply rooted in him and wasn¡¯t easily jealous anymore.


    ¡¯Noe¡¯s rising poprity will increase awareness towards me, since I¡¯m his owner.¡¯


    Youngwoo had been watching Lauel for months, so even his thinking ability was improving. He thought positively and stopped writing badments on Noe¡¯s fan cafe.


    "Grid doesn¡¯t know about Noe?¡±


    It was the title of the day¡¯s most popr post. What was this nonsense? Noe was his pet. There was nothing he didn¡¯t know about Noe. He was the only one who knew about the stupid and simple personality hidden behind Noe¡¯s cute looks.


    Youngwoo wondered how this spective post became the most popr.


    Title: Grid doesn¡¯t know about Noe?


    Content: It has been a long time since Noe appeared in Reinhardt, making us cheer.


    Noe¡¯s eyes that shine like jewels and the beauty that is enough to overpower our gaze. But he is ¡®still¡¯ strong. Noe was able to weaken the suddenly evolved ancient weapon by swallowing it, allowing Grid and the Overgeared Guild to win against the golem army.


    Now I have a question. Originally, don¡¯t pets change shape and have a stronger presence as they level up? But Noe¡¯s appearance hasn¡¯t changed since the National Competition. In order words, it means that Noe¡¯s level isn¡¯t much different from the National Competition and Grid isn¡¯t nurturing him properly.


    Think of it from Grid¡¯s perspective. As the first legendary ss, he¡¯s a person with a very busy schedule. If you look at TV right now, his CFs y sessively. As a top star, he has little time to y Satisfy.


    Grid thought the words he read were absurd.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    The CFs recently being aired were all filmed right after the National Competition. Currently, Grid hadpletely stopped all broadcasting activities. He was on Satisfy all the time except when eating and sleeping, and was struggling to manage Reidan.


    However, the author of the post didn¡¯t know this and was just rattling off nonsense. Youngwoo felt frustrated as he read the rest of the post.


    The fact that Grid has less time to y Satisfy means less time to raise Noe. So Noe¡¯s level hasn¡¯t changed since the National Competition. Then I can deduce that Grid has a very poor understanding of ¡®top-grade pets.¡¯


    Typical pets lost their loyalty to their owners and will return to the wild state if they are away from their owners for long periods of time. The owners of these pets usually put them in the inventory when they can¡¯t be with the pet for a long time (e.g. when logged out).


    But what about drakes? As a ¡®top-grade pet,¡¯ its loyalty isn¡¯t easily lost, even when it has a long period of activity separate from its owner. This is why the owners of drakes can let them freely graze. A drake¡¯s owner often lets it hunt alone to raise their level and don¡¯t keep them in their inventory, even when they are logged out.


    So let¡¯s point out the problem. Noe is better than a drake. The evidence is that he overwhelmed dozens of drakes alone and called himself the best demonic beast of hell. In other words, Noe should enjoy more freedom than a drake.


    If Grid had given Noe freedom, then I¡¯m sure his growth would be tremendous. However, Gridcks understanding of pets and didn¡¯t give freedom to Noe, probably keeping Noe in his inventory.


    Noe¡¯s growth became stagnant. This is proof of Grid¡¯s ignorance, and is an insult to the top-grade pets.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Youngwoo realized it as he read the post.


    ¡®I am reallycking understanding about pets.¡¯


    In the case of amon pet, the pet would hunt monsters with its master and the experience would be split between master and pet. This was why Youngwoo didn¡¯t raise Noe¡¯s level. Noe was very powerful even without raising his level, and Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to lose his experience to Noe.


    ¡®However, a top-grade pet can hunt independently from the owner and grow on their own?¡¯


    They didn¡¯t easily betray their owner.


    ¡®In the future, I should give Noe freedom so that he can grow.¡¯


    Noe hadn¡¯t eaten since the golem invasion. Apart from that one time, he was always in his inventory.


    ¡°...It must be frustrating.¡±


    Youngwoo was able to realize Noe¡¯s grievances. He felt sorry towards Noe. Then he thanked the author of the post for giving him new knowledge.


    ¡°He went too far.¡±


    At the same time, Youngwoo was also angry. In amunity of 2.75 million members, it was too much to call someone ignorant just from mere deduction.


    ¡®I represent the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t ignore it because it was the same as insulting the Overgeared Guild. Youngwoo took immediate action.


    God Grid isn¡¯t Bald¡¯sment: Yes, next pet person please ^?^ I am an expert on all sses ~


    The author of the post that Youngwoo read was a expert on pets. But in front of the keyboard warrior, he became a ¡®person who doesn¡¯t know about pets¡¯ and a ¡®non-expert.¡¯


    After that.


    ¡°Nyang! The best demonic beast of hell has emerged!¡±


    Noe was still at level 35, despite destroying the ancient weapon.


    ¡°Is it time to eat? Nyang?¡±


    Eyes filled with expectations looked at Grid, whomanded.


    ¡°From now on, you can move freely in the vicinity of Reidan. You can eat as many monsters as you like, but don¡¯t do anything that will harm humans. In addition, report to me if you see anything suspicious... Finally, fly to me whenever I call, no matter what you are doing. Don¡¯t forget that I am your only master."


    "Nyong...¡±


    Noe¡¯s eyes became wet. The ¡®?¡¯ shape snout opened with excitement as he asked.


    ¡°Master is really giving Noe freedom...? Noe can go...? Believe in Noe! Nyang!¡±


    "Yes, as long as you follow my rules.¡±


    "Thank you! Nyang! Master is the best! Nyang!¡±


    The little demon wings pped as Noe circled around Grid before flying high into the sky.


    ¡°Cat...?¡±


    The people of Reidan were stunned as they saw a ck cat flying in the sky. It was the historic day when Noe, who would be revered as the guardian of the Reidan people, appeared in front of them for the first time.


    ***


    Sehee and Yerim were stars among the high school poption of South Korea. They were in the top 10 nationwide of the mock exams and also beauties, so they were the target of envy.


    Recently, their poprity had skyrocketed. Before they were just stars of the high schools, but now they were stars of South Korea. Even foreigners recognized them. It was the aftermath of the golem invasion of Reinhardt that urred around a month and a half ago in reality.


    "Ruby!"


    ¡°Sexy Schoolgirl!¡±


    The two girls who worked with Grid to save the Eternal Kingdom and became the first earls! People were enthusiastic every time they saw them.


    "How did you join the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    "What is God Grid like?¡±


    "What is the secret to ying well while studying?¡±


    ¡°Why is your ID Sexy Schoolgirl...?¡±


    Sehee and Yerim had to suffer from a barrage of questions. Various media also visited to request an interview. There were manypanies who showed interest in them, causing a flood of CF model requests.


    ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    It reached the point where it was impossible for Sehee and Yerim to go out without a disguise. After school ended. Before leaving the ssroom, the two girls covered their faces as much as possible with masks and scarves. They mixed among the students and barely managed to leave the school.


    Afterwards, the ce they went to was a capsule room, not their homes or the library. They had a n to y Satisfy three times a week and followed it.


    Three hourster.


    "Today was so much fun! Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am now fully adapted to the new skills, so it¡¯s fun to y.¡±


    Sehee was now level 70 after the golem invasion. On the other hand, the Saintess¡¯ Knight Yerim was still level 51 because she couldn¡¯t raise her level during the golem invasion. However, it wasn¡¯t a problem when the two girls yed in a party.


    The Saintess and Saintess¡¯ Knight sses had great synergy. In addition, Youngwoo made items for them, so it was possible for them to hunt level 100 monsters when they joined forces. To borrow a phrase from Lauel, they were ¡®golden spoons¡¯ who yed the game to help Youngwoo after they raised their levels.


    ¡°It really is Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl.¡±


    There were university students who followed Sehee and Yerim after they left the capsule room. They had seen through Sehee and Yerim¡¯s disguise.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t even 10 p.m. yet, so why are you going home?¡±


    "Let me buy you something delicious. We should be friendly, as we¡¯re both Satisfy users.¡±


    The four university students were all confident with their appearances. In fact, they were online shopping mall advertising models and were confident that pure high school girls would fall for them. But Yerim and Sehee weren¡¯t people who only looked at appearance.


    Sehee had a hatred for men other than her brother, while Yerim looked at money.


    ¡°Do you have a lot of money? We only eat expensive things.¡±


    Yerim gave a dazzling smile and provoked the university students. The university students felt their hearts thump before they shouted.


    "Tell us what you want! We will buy you anything!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. In fact, someone is already buying us a meal.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Grid?¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    "...¡±


    The eyes of the four university students sharply cooled. In fact, they were avid fans of Yura and Jishuka. But they had the scandal with Grid at the National Competition, turning the students into fierce anti-fans of Grid. They couldn¡¯t tolerate that Grid had already gobbled up the world¡¯s best beauties, Yura and Jishuka, and now he was monopolizing Sehee and Yerim as well.


    ¡°That bastard Grid...¡±


    ¡°Hey, both of you. You shouldn¡¯t hang out with that type of yboy. Throw away that trash guy ande y with us.¡±


    The university students became agitated after hearing Grid¡¯s name and forcibly grabbed Sehee and Yerim¡¯s wrists.


    "Remove your hand.¡±


    A voice filled with anger was heard. It was a voice familiar to anyone in South Korea and the world.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was Shin Youngwoo. After Sehee and Yerim became famous, Youngwoo was worried about their safety. Therefore, he took on the role of bringing them home every night. Today he came to pick them up, only to be furious as he saw this scene.


    ¡°Take your hands off them right now. Then I will overlook it this time.¡±


    Youngwoo held a phone in his hand and pressed 112. But at that time, his phone ran out of battery.


    Beep.


    It turned off with a loud noise.


    ¡°Ah, this, really...¡¯


    Why was this happening to him?


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224


    Youngwoo¡¯s knowledge of human rtionships was still limited. Youngwoo only used his phone to order delivery. He treated his phone as a decoration and didn¡¯t care about the battery life, leading to this situation.


    ¡®I¡¯m screwed.¡¯


    Youngwoo was about to report the university students to the police, when he was shaken by the situation not turning out as nned. The four university students were aggressive towards him.


    ¡°Grid, isn¡¯t it hard to manage your estate?¡±


    "Weren¡¯t you with Yura and Jishuka during the National Competition, so why are you free now?¡±


    "I looked at your age on the Inte, so why are you trying to monopolize these girls as well? Do you want to be handcuffed for viting thew. Eh? Don¡¯t you know?¡±


    The university students knew without a doubt that Youngwoo was older than them. They didn¡¯t even think about releasing the wrists of Sehee and Yerim.


    ¡®Those jerks.¡¯


    Youngwoo was angry when he heard the university students¡¯ tone of voice and his sister¡¯s pained expression. He wanted to run there and punch them in the jaw. But this was reality, not Satisfy.


    In reality, Youngwoo was helpless. He had always been one-sidedly beaten by strong people. He had been beaten up many times, but now he wanted tomit violence against four healthy university students?


    It was impossible.


    First of all, Youngwoo looked around. It was to ask someone for help. Unfortunately, there was no one on the streets. It wasn¡¯t 10 p.m. yet, but it was fairly quiet. It was the result of Sehee and Yerim finding a empty ce to avoid their poprity.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t ideal...¡¯


    Youngwoo took a deep breath. He suppressed his anger as much as possible and smiled.


    "Let the kids go. Yes? We aren¡¯t shooting a drama, so this isn¡¯t interesting. Right?¡±


    Youngwoo tried to persuade the university students. However, the university students didn¡¯t move at all.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    The university students couldn¡¯t tolerate that he was monopolizing all the pretty women. Taking Yura and Jishuka, now he was taking their future prospects? The infuriated university students started to handle Sehee and Yerim more roughly. They dragged them with force and provoked Youngwoo.


    "These girls will y with us tonight. Anyway, what does it matter who we are? We¡¯re also people who make money from the game. It doesn¡¯t matter who you y with, as long as the man gives you money right?¡±


    "Let go of me!¡±


    Sehee struggled to shake off the university students. However, a female high school student was unable to win against the strength of men in their early 20¡¯s.


    ¡°Stay still!¡±


    The university students grabbed Sehee harder instead of releasing her. Then they raised their hand like they would strike her.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you act more moderately?¡±


    At that time, the silent Yerim frowned.


    "These damn scum... Do you want to die?¡± Youngwoo¡¯s string of tension was snapped.


    It didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t fight well. He couldn¡¯t stand to see his little sister insulted and treated like this.


    ¡®Even though I was a loser.¡¯


    When he was a highschool student. Youngwoo was always hit by Lee Junho for no reason. But he couldn¡¯t fight back because he was afraid of bigger retribution. Heughed it off, even if he didn¡¯t want to. He started to be ignored by the other students and this became a great trauma when he was an adult.


    ¡®It has been awhile since I¡¯ve ovee it.¡¯


    Youngwoo was no longer a loser. He wouldn¡¯t give in to these thugs just because he was scared.


    ¡°What? You will kill us?¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha!¡±


    The university studentsughed at Youngwoo. In fact, Youngwoo¡¯s school days were famous on the Inte. Some of his ssmates circted Youngwoo¡¯s past onto the Inte after he became famous.


    ¡°This bastard can¡¯t distinguish between reality and a game.¡±


    "Hey Grid. This is reality, not Satisfy. Try and do Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship here! Kill! It isn¡¯t possible. Then what is with this courage? Eh?¡±


    The university students regarded Youngwoo as weak prey. Even Youngwoo himself didn¡¯t think he could fight against the university students. However, he couldn¡¯t retreat, so he just clenched his fists.


    ¡®It¡¯s shaky.¡¯


    A university student spat out his phlegm and approached. Youngwoo wondered if he could beat any of them. The Youngwoo of the past wouldn¡¯t have endured the pressure and run away. However, he improved his self-esteem through Satisfy and had the feeling of ¡®courage.¡¯


    ¡®If I have to fight, I will fight.¡¯


    Fighting spirit rose in Youngwoo¡¯s eyes. In reality, he wasn¡¯t Satisfy¡¯s Grid, but he had his own pride.


    "This damn bastard.¡±


    The university student became angry at the sight of Youngwoo and punched at him. The university student¡¯s fist was quick. He had no qualms about hitting a person. Youngwoo was surprised when he saw the flying punch.


    ¡®It¡¯s slow?¡¯


    Youngwoo had experienced numerous battles with strong opponents in Satisfy. Just like his dexterity, his vision in reality was also impacted. The university students hadn¡¯t learned martial arts, so they weren¡¯t a threat to Youngwoo.


    Deftly.


    Youngwoo seeded in avoiding the fist with the university student with swift movements.


    ¡°What? He avoided it?¡±


    The university student made an expression like it was ludicrous. Then he spat out his cigarette and kicked out. As a Korean citizen, he was taught Taekwondo during his childhood, so his kick contained more power and speed than his fist.


    ¡®If you concentrate more strength in your thighs and buttocks, then your upper body¡¯s forward speed will increase.¡¯


    The teachings of Piaro passed through Youngwoo¡¯s head. At the same time, Youngwoo¡¯s upper body moved forward. Then the kick of the university student flew above Youngwoo¡¯s head and hit the air. Youngwoo remembered the teachings of Piaro and felt something eerie as the kick passed above him.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just the limbs. Mobilize the muscles of the throat to put weight on the end of the sword.¡¯


    Sword? He had swung it thousands of times. Controlling his muscles? He received a thorough education from Piaro. Youngwoo thought of his fingertips as a sword and swung them.


    Peeok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The university student couldn¡¯t respond to the hand gesture that came from below him. He was hit in the chin and couldn¡¯t even scream before copsing.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The university students never imagined their friend being defeated and were shocked. Youngwoo was even more surprised than them.


    ¡®I won?¡¯


    He had hit a person for the first time since being born. He even knocked the person down. Before, he had always run away or was beaten up.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Youngwoo¡¯s heart thudded at the whole new experience. The other university students rushed towards him.


    "This jerk!¡±


    A university student flew towards Youngwoo with all his strength. Youngwoo was still calm.


    ¡®It¡¯s sloppy.¡¯


    The orbit of the kick was very simple. Youngwoo took two steps back and swung his arm.


    Chaaeng!


    Youngwoo¡¯s hand urately struck the university student¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The time when he went to Cork Ind to collect the fire stones. Youngwoo had flown there without a break, and was able to taste the pleasure of pushing his body to the limit. He wanted to taste this addictive sensation in reality and jogged with Sehee every morning, as well as going mountain climbing on the weekend. He also didn¡¯t forget simple weight training.


    This had been repeated for three months. As a result, Youngwoo¡¯s body was disciplinedpared to the weak bodies of the university students that were filled with alcohol and tobo.


    ¡°I-It hurts...¡±


    The university student that was struck by Youngwoo¡¯s hand shuddered at the pain. It was just like being hit by a metal pipe. It was natural. Youngwoo followed the teachings of a great swordsman, so he showed a power that ordinary people couldn¡¯t endure.


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    ording to the rumors floating around the Inte, Youngwoo was a loser who was always beaten up. But he could actually fight well? The remaining two university students were shaken.


    On the other hand, Youngwoo admired his own ability and wanted to fight some more. He wanted to enjoy this strength.


    ¡°What? You aren¡¯ting?¡±


    Youngwoo moved his finger and provoked them. The remaining two university students couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and moved.


    "What is that triumphant air!?¡±


    Pepeok!Peok!


    The dog fight started. The university students randomly swung their fists and feet at Youngwoo. If two opponents struck at the same time, Youngwoo wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid it unless he was a martial artist.


    Youngwoo responded to both attacks using the footwork he acquired from Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. He was like Bruce Lee as he moved like flowing water to evade the attacks from both people.


    However, it was only for a moment. Youngwoo¡¯s body wasn¡¯t tempered enough to keep up these actions. His health was at the level of the general public. He couldn¡¯t reproduce Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship forever. There came a time when he stepped wrongly, twisting his feet and causing his posture to copse.


    ¡°Hahat! This jerk is a fool!¡±


    Youngwoo was indiscriminately attacked by the university students whoughed at him.


    ¡°Ugh! Eek!¡±


    Bam bam bam!


    Youngwoo felt like he could see the illusion of stars shing in front of his eyes. But in the meantime, Sehee and Yerim were freed.


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    Youngwoo swallowed down the words to call the police quickly. Even if he didn¡¯t say it, he believed that they would report it to the police station.


    At that moment.


    "That is enough.¡±


    Unlike Sehee, who was screaming and wondering what to do, Yerim jumped lightly. Youngwoo was attracted by her white and smooth legs as she kicked the university students.


    Pakak!


    Despite wearing a short skirt, Yerim¡¯s kick perfectly struck the backs of the university students.


    "Cough..."


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Youngwoo suspected that they might¡¯ve died. The university students exposed the whites of their eyes as they fainted.


    ¡®What? Why is she so strong?¡¯


    Yerim reached out a hand to the stunned Youngwoo.


    ¡°Can you rise? My prince.¡±


    Yerim looked very beautiful under the streetlights. She had a mature appearance that made it hard to believe she was a high school student, and her half moon eyes were sure to fascinate anyone.


    But she was a minor, so Youngwoo didn¡¯t consider her that way.


    After that.


    ¡°What? 3rd dan Taekwondo? Hey, then why were you just watching? It¡¯s really too much.¡±


    In front of a convenience store.


    Sehee and Yerim were rubbing eggs on Youngwoo¡¯s bruised face. Youngwoo was surrounded by two pretty girls, so he looked like a harem king from a manhwa. But Youngwoo didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s gazes.


    He was busy grumbling.


    ¡°If Yerim had fought from the beginning, Oppa wouldn¡¯t look like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to interfere in a fight between men, so I endured it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a fight between men... It was one against four.¡±


    "Hihi, anyway, it was great.¡±


    Youngwoo was strong like a normal person. He might not be really strong, but his courage to protect his sister deserved praise. Today, Yerim¡¯s crush on Youngwoo became much bigger. She really wanted to marry Youngwoo.


    ¡°Urgh... Then let¡¯s go back. And from now on, both of you are banned from going to a capsule room. I will buy both of you capsules. Yes? Eh?¡±


    Youngwoo tried to get up from the chair he was sitting on. But his muscles were sore from the aftermath of the fight and being hit. Yerim grabbed Youngwoo to stop him from falling sideways.


    ¡°Haah.¡± Yerim let out a strange sound. It was because Youngwoo¡¯s fingers had moved from her underarm to her waist.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Youngwoo became surprised by the sound while Yerim blushed and her eyes became moist.


    ¡°...Oppa is a really great person.¡±


    What did that mean? Sehee didn¡¯t know the meaning, but Youngwoo understood it properly. He cleared his throat from the embarrassment.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225


    ¡°Finally! Finally level 300!¡±


    It had been four months since the Overgeared Guild moved to Reidan. Toban was thest member of the former Tzedakah Guild to reach level 300. The powerful monsters of the west stimted their growth.


    ¡°There will be a cataclysm in the unified rankings.¡±


    ¡°Cataclysm?¡±


    "The top seven have firmly maintained their rankings but... I can safely say that most of the top 40 rankings are dominated by the Overgeared members.¡±


    "Why is that a cataclysm? It isn¡¯t anything special.¡±


    Originally, all of the Tzedakah Guild members were ranked in the top 50. The average ranking had only risen by 10, so Grid thought it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    ¡®It is rather strange that no one has entered the top seven, despite the items I made.¡¯


    Grid might be disappointed, but the world was astonished. The top 100 rankings didn¡¯t fluctuate easily, so the present growth rate of the Overgeared members was unprecedented. Mediapanies around the world wondered ¡®What secrets are hidden in Reidan that can allow them to grow so quickly?¡¯


    ¡º The reporters have failed to enter the west. ¡»


    ¡º In the western part of the Eternal Kingdom, there are monsters that have never been seen before. Experts specte that only a party of at least level 280 users or rankers can enter... ¡»


    ¡ºIt seems like the Overgeared members are raising their level quickly by hunting the powerful monsters in the west. ¡»


    ¡º Um... The monsters in the west will be a double-edged sword to the Overgeared Guild. The level up speed of the Overgeared members has risen exponentially, but there are few users who can move to Reidan due to the high entry barriers. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Reidan¡¯s speed of development will be slow. Duke Grid will definitely be hurt. ¡»


    Ttang!Ttang!


    There was the constant sound of hammering from therge smithy in Reidan. The 30 young cksmiths taught by Khan were constantly producing the supplies that Reidan needed.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Grid was still busy despite the manpower increasing. After their third advancement ss, the Overgeared membersmissioned more powerful items, so he needed to continue making items.


    ¡®But this damn hammering will be over soon.¡¯


    He only had fivemissions left. Grid was free after he made those five items.


    ¡®Let¡¯s n for the future.¡¯


    Grid had personal challenges. The first was toplete his ss quest, the second was to recover all the pavranium, and the third was toplete Piaro¡¯s quest. His work as a lord? He had the iparably clever Lauel and Rabbit to take care of it, so there were no problems.


    ¡°You over there.¡±


    Grid stopped hammering and called out to a soldier guarding the entrance of the smithy.


    "Did you call?"


    The soldier ran over with tight discipline.


    ¡®The great duke called me!¡¯


    The soldier¡¯s eyes shone likenterns as Grid ordered. ¡°Bring Minor here.¡±


    "Yes!"


    After 30 minutes.


    "Oh, what do you want?"


    A boy with a disgruntled expression came to the smithy. Despite possessing the talents of a great miner, he was fostered as a ¡®minerals detector¡¯ because he possessed the skill ¡®Minerals Master (S+).


    "I will give you an escort to search for the presence of the golem¡¯sbyrinths here in the west.¡±


    "It isn¡¯t an escort, but surveince.¡±


    ¡°Someday, I will give you freedom if you swear true allegiance to me.¡±


    "...Well, I do acknowledge you these days. You¡¯re amoner who became a duke. But I¡¯m still wondering if a genius like me should devote the rest of my life to you.¡±


    Minor possessed the skill ¡®Talent will Reveal Itself (SS).¡¯ His talent would always be clear to others, so he was destined to receive a lot of temptations in life. He was arrogant and would easily betray a person, so his loyalty wasn¡¯t guaranteed.


    ¡°Is itcking to be the subordinate of a duke?¡±


    "Indeed. At a minimum, shouldn¡¯t it be a king?¡±


    ¡°Hoh... You should remember that.¡±


    Grid would surely be a king and would obtain him. Grid pledged as he waved his hands.


    ¡°Go now.¡±


    "Yes, yes."


    Minor gave an insincere answer. But Grid knew better than anyone that he would work properly.


    ¡®The problem if searching for pavranium in the west is resolved...¡¯


    The only things left were the ss quest and Piaro¡¯s revenge quest. However, he couldn¡¯t proceed with his ss quest right now. It was impossible for Grid to get God Yatan to bless the pavranium.


    ¡®Even Yura doesn¡¯t knew where the First Servant of the Yatan Church is... First, I should resolve Piaro¡¯s grudge.¡¯


    The cause of Piaro¡¯s heart sickness, Asmophel. If Grid defeated the former vice-captain of the Red Knights, Piaro could be freed from these chains.


    ¡®Once he is in a perfect condition, he might be my subordinate...¡¯


    The hopeful Grid continued making items.


    Then five itemster.


    Gridpletely all the items for the guild members and used the skill the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 12/15.


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    Then the familiar notification windows started to emerge.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    "Heavy boots.¡±


    [Have you decided on ¡®Heavy Boots?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    ¡°Um...¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t use only high grade minerals such as ck iron, mithril and blue orichalcum as materials. The reason Grid wanted to make heavy boots was because he wanted weight. ording to Piaro¡¯s advice, the heavier the shoes worn, the greater the power of the greatsword.


    "The main material will be steel. I will mix blue orichalcum into it to add strength and hardness, and to make it exert more power in dark ces. Ah, I have to make the color darker by mixing in ck iron so that it will harmonize with my armor.¡±


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Please design the item.]


    Grid was a lot more smart and skillfulpared to when he first created Failure. He perfectly drew the shape of the boots he wanted on the nk blueprint in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    Over the past four months, he made more than 600 items and his dexterity stat exceeded 3,000 points. Thanks to that, Grid was able to draw a delicate image and the shape of the boots waspleted in a practical and excellent manner. They were big, ck boots that came up to just below the knees. They had a rustic type of beauty.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    Grid clicked the button without hesitation. Then the shape of the boots was corrected by the system to make it look more perfect.


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    "Heavy and solid boots. Thanks to the nature of blue orichalcum, the defense will increase in dark ces.¡±


    It was a simple, but urate description. Based on Grid¡¯s description, the system started distributing the performance and options of the item.


    [Finally, please decide the name of the item.]


    From now on, all the items he created would proudly boast of the legendary cksmith who created them. Grid replied in a proud voice, "Grid¡¯s Boots.¡±


    [Have you decided on ¡®Grid¡¯s Boots?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid nned to attach his name to every item he designed in the future.


    ¡¯I will aim toplete a set item based on these boots.¡¯


    [A new item, ¡®Grid¡¯s Boots¡¯ have been created.]


    [Grid¡¯s Boots]


    Rating: Epic ~ Legendary


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 335/335 Defense: 324


    Movement Speed: -12%


    Evasion Rate: -14%


    * Increases defense by 10% against attacks from the bottom.


    * When using a dashing skill, there is a 30% chance of failure.


    * Defense will increase by 10% in dark ces.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 401/401 Defense: 388


    Movement Speed: -10%


    Evasion Rate: -12%


    * Increases defense by 12% against attacks from the bottom.


    * When using a dashing skill, there is a 25% chance of failure.


    * Defense will increase by 15% in dark ces.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 496/496 Defense: 470


    Movement Speed: -8%


    Evasion Rate: -10%


    * Increases defense by 15% against attacks from the bottom.


    * When using a dashing skill, there is a 20% chance of failure.


    * Defense will increase by 20% in dark ces.


    An item designed by a legendary cksmith. Designed with a perfectbination of steel, ck iron and blue orichalcum, it boasts overwhelming defense. However, there are many disadvantages to its function because it is only focused on defense.


    In particr, it is too heavy, so movement is restricted.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher. More than 1,450 strength. More than 1,200 stamina. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery Level 5 or higher.


    Weight: 2,930


    The effectiveness was very lowpared to Braham¡¯s Boots. It could be considered to be boots designed specifically for tanker sses, rather than damage dealers who relied on charging techniques. However, the defense was nearly twice as strong as armor of the same ss. The defense was unusually high for boots, considering that boots had a quarter of the defense of armor.


    ¡®This is perfect for me.¡¯


    In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t have a evasive type of fighting style. He favored swinging the sword. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of control, but a style unique to the greatsword. Furthermore, Grid had no charging skills.


    ¡®The boots won¡¯t have any negative effect on me, except for a reduction in movement speed. These boots will also suit Vantner and Toban.¡¯


    Grid was satisfied with the finished creation. He dreamed that one day, both him and the Overgeared members would be armed with a ¡®Grid set,¡¯ and started to make an item for himself.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    The skills of a legendary cksmith was constantly studied by 30 young cksmiths and Khan, so the future was bright.


    ***


    It had been a year since the fall of Pope Drevigo. Who would be the new pope after Drevigo? Numerous senior priests ran as pope candidates. Most of them were good priests and had a sense of mission to lead 70 million people to the path of light.


    However, a small number of them wanted to be the pope to satisfy their individual needs. In particr, Pascal of the Judar Church was very ambitious.


    ¡°What if I became the master of 70 million people? The momentum of our family will pierce the sky and Father will surely be a duke.¡±


    Pascal¡¯s father was an earl of the Saharan Empire. Originally Pascal was a viscount, but he joined the church and became the leader of the Judar Church. Now he was looking at a higher ce.


    ¡°I understand. Pascal, I will help you be the pope.¡±


    Thergest religion on the continent was on the verge of falling into the hands of the empire. At this time, the 70 million people who followed Goddess Reba¡¯s teachings might be a political tool of the empire.


    "Isabel-chan!¡±


    The first unique hidden ss, Damian, was trembling with sorrow. It was because Isabel¡¯s life was sharply decreasing after the unsealing of Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226


    White Transformation referred to the technique of borrowing the goddess¡¯ power stored in the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church. It was a technique that allowed a person to borrow power that exceeded the human body. However, this power ced a heavy burden on the body.


    Reba¡¯s Daughters refrained from using White Transformation as much as possible, and shortened the duration when they inevitably had to use it. But Isabel had been in the White Transformation state for the past year.


    It was because Grid unsealed Lifael¡¯s Spear. Her life energy was rapidly bing depleted.


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    Her tinum hair had turned grey. Her shining eyes were faded like she was dead, and her normally flushed cheeks were pale. Nevertheless, she still looked beautiful.


    ¡®Right now she is only 18 years old...¡¯


    She was about to die at this age.


    Damian looked at Isabel out of habit and finally started crying. ¡°How many times have I told you? I said that Lifael¡¯s Spear must be sealed! Then why... Why aren¡¯t you listening to me? Huh...? Isabel-chan, are the orders so important? More than your life?¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    Isabel lying in bed didn¡¯t answer. She was staring at the distant sky out the window and her hearing had long been lost. She didn¡¯t even hear Damian¡¯s voice shouting right beside her.


    "Isabel-chan...¡±


    Damian¡¯s handsome face twisted. His face was streaked with tears and a runny nose, so someoneughed at him.


    ¡°Why are you empathizing with tools?¡±


    It was Pascal. He entered Isabel¡¯s room without knocking, causing Damian to tremble.


    ¡°You...! How many times have I warned you not to describe them as tools?¡±


    Damian hated Pascal.


    The 5th Pope Franz felt a moment ofpassion and sealed the divine artifacts of the church, leading to the weakening of the church. This was the logic used to convince the church that Lifael¡¯s Spear shouldn¡¯t be sealed again.


    The person who spoke it was Pascal.


    Pascal just shrugged. ¡°Reba¡¯s Daughters are fostered to serve this church in exchange for their lives. Don¡¯t get caught up in useless sympathy and think about what is needed to keep the church. You are just damaging yourself.¡±


    As his descendant, Pascal respected 5th Pope Franz. However, he couldn¡¯t understand all of Franz¡¯ policies. From the beginning, weren¡¯t Reba¡¯s Daughters people brought up as tools? Sealing the power of the divine artifacts just because they couldn¡¯t endure it?


    It was preposterous. An ignorant mistake. Pascal and most of the senior priests of the Reba Church thought this way. They nned to contact Pagma¡¯s Descendant so that he could release the seals of the two remaining artifacts as soon as possible.


    But Damian couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    "I will never ept it.¡±


    Reba¡¯s pdins were much weaker than the Judar and Dominion pdins, so it wasn¡¯t a popr ss. However, Damian walked this path to the end without giving up just because of Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    Isabel, Rin, Luna. Damian longed for these three girls to always be happy. He wished for them to smile forever. He couldn¡¯t stand them suffering.


    "They are people like us. And they have worked harder for this church than anyone else. To disparage them and call them mere tools... Goddess Reba won¡¯t forgive it.¡±


    ¡°You dare mention Goddess Reba? You are deceived by the beautiful appearance of the tools and lost control. Stupid.¡±


    Pascalughed at Damian. It was simr to those who ridiculed Damian in reality for running a fancafe of Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    Damian couldn¡¯t understand them. "...Why do you have to ridicule someone¡¯s love and respect?¡±


    "The problem is that the target is a tool, not a person.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t this just like people in reality saying that Reba¡¯s Daughters are NPCs, not humans...?¡±


    "Reality? NPC? I can¡¯t understand thenguage you are using.¡±


    "Shut up!¡±


    "...¡±


    Pascal was the former leader of the Judar Church and a pope candidate, so he had mighty divine power. Reba¡¯s Daughters were the only ones in the church with higher divine power than him.


    However, at this moment.


    "They are people too! They rejoice in every moment! They are impressed! Angry! Sad! They are the same as us! Not tools or NPCs! Don¡¯tpare them to such things!¡±


    The divine power that Damian emitted was threatening. It was a threat to Pascal, who was likely to be the pope after Drevigo.


    ¡®This is the power of the Goddess¡¯ Agent...!¡¯


    Pascal had always ignored Damian, who usually chased after Reba¡¯s Daughters. He hadughed when he heard some priests talk about trying to put Damian as pope, but now he was wary of Damian.


    The upset Damian proimed to him. ¡°I will change everything! I will root out all the rotten people, including you, who treat Reba¡¯s Daughters as sub-human beings! For Isabel-chan and Rin-chan! And for the sake of Luna-chan!¡±


    Damian epted the quest that he put on hold.


    ¡°I...! I will be the pope!¡±


    [The quest ¡®Be the Pope¡¯ has been epted.]


    [Be the Pope]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    It has been one year since the death of 13th Pope Drevigo.


    The Reba Church has barely recovered from the confusion and is now preparing to elect a new pope. However, Pascal is now the most powerful pope candidate and he ns to use the Reba Church as a political tool.


    As the agent of the goddess, you have an obligation to guide the Reba Church to the right path and to stop Pascal¡¯s ambitions. Your power, beliefs and willpower will y a major role in defeating irrational violence and calming political strife.


    After your crowning, you can never disobey Goddess Reba.


    The faithful church members will cheer for you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: In three months, be the pope in the pope¡¯s election.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Second ss ¡®Pope¡¯ will be obtained. ¡®Goddess Reba¡¯s Armor,¡¯ ¡®Goddess Reba¡¯s Helmet,¡¯ and ¡®Goddess Reba¡¯s Gloves¡¯ will be acquired.


    Quest Failure: Pascal will be the pope. The Reba Church will decline even worse than the days of Drevigo.


    ¡°You will be the pope?¡±


    Pascal was angry. He¡¯d already bought more than half of the votes. This deration had no foundation to seed.


    ¡°Well, good. As the Goddess¡¯ Agent, you are qualified to be a pope candidate. I respect you.¡±


    Thump thump.


    Pascal nodded before heading over to Isabel¡¯s bed. Isabel looked at him and he gave her an order.


    ¡°A Yatan Temple was found in Kent Vige on the outskirts of the empire. Show them the divine power of the spear. Ah, can you hear me? This is themand. Read this and act ordingly.¡±


    The user of Lifael¡¯s Spear always had White Transformation triggered. Naturally, the work had to be done fast, so the elders assigned Isabel more duties than the other two Reba¡¯s Daughters. As a result, Isabel¡¯s life energy was depleting more quickly, but the elders didn¡¯t care. They were already preparing substitutes inrge quantities.


    ¡°I will go.¡± Damian intercepted themand. "I will take on all the duties that she will perform in the future.¡±


    Pascal rejected it. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before? Are you making fun of the elders¡¯mands? As you know, the pope¡¯s seat is currently empty so they are working on his behalf. Viting their orders is like going against the pope...¡±


    ¡°I am the Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡± Damian responded strongly to Pascal, who tried to repeat an exnation that Damian had heard several times already. "As you said, the elders aren¡¯t the pope.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anymore about the elders¡¯ orders. Only the true pope and Goddess Reba canmand me.¡±


    Damian¡¯s words sounded good, but he had a weak base. The senior priests didn¡¯t treat Damian as important and ignored his opinions. But now Damian made his position clear, so Pascal couldn¡¯t help feeling dumbfounded.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Pascal tried to think.


    ¡®If this guy is busy on the battlefield, he will be less likely to win the pope¡¯s election held in three months.¡¯


    Damian wasn¡¯tpetition in the first ce, but it would be a good idea to clear the path.


    Pascal nodded. ¡°Go ahead. But I doubt that you will be able to perform the difficult missions with your abilities.¡±


    ¡°I am strong.¡±


    He had a unique hidden ss. Now Damian was different from the past. He was no longer the extra who just watched while Grid fought Drevigo. Damian was also a protagonist.


    ¡°Kukuk, good. Prepare your heart. If you be tired and fall down, Isabel will take on the missions again.¡±


    Then Pascal left the room. Damian cursed him and nned for the future.


    ¡¯The mission is in the east of the empire. It is rtively close to the western part of the Eternal Kingdom.¡¯ Reidan was located in the west of the Eternal Kingdom. ¡®I will stop by to meet him.¡¯


    The person who went against Pope Drevigo and saved Reba¡¯s Daughters. He helped Damian be the Goddess¡¯ Agent. Also...


    ¡®The only one who can seal Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid. He was the only person Damian could rely on.


    ¡°Damian...¡±


    Isabel called out to Damian who was about to leave. Damian took a deep breath. His expression that was distorted with rage gradually softened to a smile.


    ¡°I am going, Isabel-chan. Please stay well.¡±


    Damian said goodbye to her with a smile.


    ***


    [The experience of (Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 5 has increased by 19%.]


    [A unique rated item was produced, increasing all stats by +4.]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +150.]


    [You currently have 25,110 reputation throughout the continent. You can use the Reputation Store when your reputation reaches over 30,000.]


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    Grid was very satisfied as he checked the result.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    [Grid¡¯s Boots]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 477/477 Defense: 483


    Movement Speed: -10%


    Evasion Rate: -7%


    * Increases defense by 12% against attacks from the bottom.


    * When using a dashing skill, there is a 25% chance of failure.


    * Defense will increase by 15% in dark ces.


    Weight: 1,930


    ¡°Good, good. It wasn¡¯t an epic rating.¡±


    In the past four months, Grid had produced over 630 items, but he hadn¡¯t produced one legendary item. However, he produced five unique rated items, so he was very pleased.


    ¡®Five unique items out of 630 items... It¡¯s so rare that I was lucky. And honestly, I am reluctant to make any more legendary items.¡¯


    Grid had made eight legendary items after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. If he produced two more, a ¡®special event¡¯ was likely to ur that would make him feel sick. He would rather make unique items.


    ¡®The unique rated items aren¡¯t greatlyckingpared to legendary items.¡¯


    The 30 young cksmiths approached Grid who was grinning with satisfaction. They admired Grid¡¯s Boots.


    ¡°Duke Grid, this is a work of art!¡±


    ¡°The degree ofpletion can¡¯t be described in words!¡±


    "Such elegance hidden inside a primitive design...! It truly is high quality!¡±


    It was practically impossible for inferior cksmiths to understand the work of the legendary cksmith Grid. They just felt like it was great. But unlike their current appearance, their potential for development was enormous.


    Grid had searched the 20,000 people of Reidan and selected those with excellent qualities, then Khan taught them. The ability of Grid and Khan to closely observe their skills exceededmon sense.


    ¡®At least eight of them are going to be advanced cksmiths. I will raise new cksmiths around them.¡¯


    They were people who might¡¯ve be advanced cksmiths in another city. Grid had the cksmith¡¯s Affection skill, so he wasn¡¯t exaggerating.


    [cksmith¡¯s Affection]


    Appreciation of the NPC, which is the maximum skill level of the cksmith, a minimum of 1 and a maximum of up to 5 randomly.


    The cksmith who received your teachings will be loyal to you for life and will share with you every time they learn new item production methods.


    ¡¯Anyway, next is the enhancement...¡¯


    Grid had a passive skill that ¡®increased the probability of item enhancement.¡¯ He enhanced Dainsleif to +8 and Failure to +9, so Grid wanted to try strengthening these boots to at least +8.


    ¡®I¡¯m aiming to use the Grid set for a long time, so I want to try enhancement...¡¯


    To do this, he needed enhancement stones. But the price of the enhancement stones was rising. At the present time, the price of a general enhancement stone was 180 gold and a blessed enhancement stone was 2,500 gold. Given his previous experience and the current price of the enhancement stones, he would need at least 500,000 gold to enhance one piece of equipment to +8.


    ¡®Dammit, why does the price of the enhancement stones keep climbing? In the old days, the price of the enhancement stones were 100 gold and the blessed enhancement stones were 1,200 gold.¡¯


    It was because the overall level of the users had risen. The higher the level, the longer it took to get out of that level section. Therefore, users felt the need to enhance their current items. As demand grew, the price of the enhancement stones also grew. There was no reason for the price of the enhancement stones to go down, unless the S.A. Group significantly increased the drop rate.


    However, the S.A. Group wasn¡¯t able to raise the drop rate of the enhancement stones. In order to maintain game service for a long time, the minimum requirement was to avoid gold intion.


    However, Grid couldn¡¯t think of suchplex things. He justmented and sighed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid suddenly became confused. It was because the 30 cksmiths admiring Grid¡¯s Boots were now depressed.


    "What¡¯s wrong?¡± Grid questioned and the cksmiths started exining.


    ¡°Lauelmanded us to produce boots and gauntlets to supply the soldiers. We¡¯re working hard on the boots and gauntlets, but...¡±


    ¡°After seeing Duke Grid¡¯s work, the boots and gauntlets that we produced are too insignificant.¡±


    "We know that it isn¡¯t possible to make items at the same level as Duke Grid, but can you teach us so that we can at least mimic it?¡±


    Khan had already passed on the boots production method to them. However, they were hoping for Grid to teach them instead of Khan.


    ¡¯I feel sorry...¡¯


    Grid watched Khan. But Khan just smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Their desire to learn from you is very natural.¡±


    A legendary cksmith was on a different dimension from an advanced cksmith. Khan knew this better than anyone. Grid saw his heart and nodded. Then he started smelting four pieces of iron ore in front of the 30 cksmiths.


    ¡°It is very simple to make boots. Watch and learn.¡±


    "Yes!"


    ¡¯I can receive the teachings of the great Duke Grid!¡¯


    The 30 cksmiths¡¯ eyes shone as they watched Grid. Grid made the boots while adding brief exnations, then...


    [The experience of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath Skill Lv. 4 has increased by 9%.]


    [The experience of (Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 5 has increased by 19%.]


    [When legendary rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +10.]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +500.]


    "...¡±


    Grid made legendary rated level 80 steel boots, shortening the time to the ¡®special event.¡¯


    ¡°Wah! Really amazing boots!¡±


    ¡°You can easily produce such a great piece!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Duke Grid is a legend!¡±


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    Grid shed tears. If Grid¡¯s Boots were made with the legendary rating, he wouldn¡¯t have felt so bad. Now one more legendary item remained until the special event happened.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid could only sigh as he left the smithy. He couldn¡¯t let go of his unhappiness atpleting boots for a soldier with a legendary rating.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Trudge trudge.


    He had no strength in his steps. Grid staggered like a man who had lost his country. The people who saw him started to worry.


    "Duke Grid is always proud and dignified, yet now he is having a hard time...¡±


    ¡°Surely a crisis isn¡¯t approaching Reidan?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s arge monster invasion...?¡±


    Originally, it was aw that bad rumors spread faster. The security rating that was maintained at a stable figure thanks to Jude and the soldier¡¯s efforts dropped dramatically. Jude and the Overgeared members were confused when they found out that the cause was Grid, but Grid didn¡¯t even know about it.


    ***


    Reidan Castle.


    ¡®ording to Piaro, Asmophel¡¯s escorts are very strong...¡¯


    Grid was unable to abandon enhancing the boots and searched the guild¡¯s warehouse. He hoped to find enhancement stones inside. However, the guild¡¯s warehouse only had a few minerals and sylphid scales that were supplied by Jishuka in Bairan.


    "In the end, I¡¯ll have to buy them.¡±


    Grid checked his inventory. He currently had 20,000 gold. It was the money he acquired from disposing of the loot dropped by monsters that he hunted on the way here. What about the 5.5 million gold acquired from the golem invasion? Five million gold was used as the guild¡¯s funds, while the remaining 500,000 was converted to Korean money.


    Grid currently didn¡¯t have enough money.


    ¡°With this much money, I can only enhance it to +5 if I¡¯m lucky.¡±


    More money was needed. Grid went to his private warehouse. But there wasn¡¯t a single item in his warehouse that was worth money. A few months ago, he disposed of most of his items to acquire the money for hisnd and building in reality.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    He was a duke! Why did he have to be the owner of a big city?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid was grumbling that Reidan was a poor city when he suddenly found an item in a corner of the warehouse. It was a ss bottle the size of his little finger. There was golden liquid in the ss bottle.


    ¡®Maybe this will make me some money?¡¯


    [Goddess¡¯ Essence]


    Weight: 0.1


    It was an item he acquired from the Pope Drevigo raid. However, even the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill didn¡¯t have an exnation, so he didn¡¯t know where to use it.


    ¡®The pope wouldn¡¯t drop a cheap item...¡¯


    Pope Drevigo was the one who dropped the Holy Light Battle Gear, which was the strongest armor set. Grid thought that the Goddess¡¯ Essence dropped by Drevigo was bound to have considerable value. But it was just a vague expectation. It was difficult to gauge the value because he didn¡¯t know where to use it.


    ¡®What should I do? Ah!¡¯


    It was a mysterious item that couldn¡¯t be determined with the eyes of a cksmith. Then a well-informed person was needed to figure out the identity. And he had such a person nearby.


    It was Rabbit.


    ¡®He has handled many goods, so won¡¯t he be able to recognize the value of this?¡¯


    Please let it be a valuable item, as he expected. Grid eagerly looked for Rabbit.


    ***


    Rabbit¡¯s office had documents stacked up like a mountain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Rabbit observed the Goddess¡¯ Essence a few times before giving up.


    Grid panicked at the unexpected result. ¡°There¡¯s something you can¡¯t grasp with your insight?¡±


    "I know that is is liquid that contains the divine power of Goddess Reba. But it is hard to tell what the effect will be.¡±


    "It can¡¯t be sold?¡±


    ¡°Be cautious.¡± The always calm Rabbit raised his voice. "This liquid contains the divine power of Goddess Reba. You will regret it someday if you decide to sell it. You should treasure it for now.¡±


    "I need a quick source of money.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I need enhancement stones.¡±


    ¡°Enhancement stones...¡±


    Rabbit unfolded a gigantic map of the western part of the kingdom. During the past four months, the Overgeared members had adventured andpleted this map.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228


    Everything on the map seemed to have a smaller scale. Reidan, marked in the middle of the map, was only the size of a 500 won coin.


    ¡®500 won... Arge city that can amodate 430,000 people is only the size of a 500 won coin...¡¯


    It showed how big the west truly was.


    The Eternal Kingdom was divided into four regions: the east, west, north and south. However, the size of the four regions wasn¡¯t constant. The west was thergest, followed by the north, east and south.


    But thisrge territory suddenly became a desert. What if he destroyed the giant worms and restored the west? Grid was the next in line to the main power in the north of the Eternal Kingdom. He would be able to establish a unique position.


    "Look here.¡± Rabbit pointed to one side of the map. It was the Hebend River that prated through Reidan. "As you can see, the viges and cities are concentrated on the southern basin of the Hebend River.¡±


    Were there survivors in those ces? But that didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was surprised by Rabbit¡¯s sudden question.


    ¡®Why are the cities and viges concentrated there? Why is he asking me this? How should I know?¡¯


    The Grid of the past would¡¯ve expressed his disgruntled thoughts. However, the current Grid was eager to improve his thinking abilities.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    He used hiscking brain to think again. As a result, he barely found an answer. ¡°Is it because of water?¡±


    People needed water to live. It was a simple reason and answer. But it was wrong.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Isn¡¯t it also easy to secure water from the north basin? The reason why the poption was concentrated on the southern basin in the past was because there was something to attract people there, besides water.¡±


    "What does that mean?"


    ¡°It¡¯s the mines. As you can see, there¡¯s a small mountain range, so it¡¯s geographically possible.¡±


    "Mines?¡±


    This was good news. It didn¡¯t matter if it was iron ore, silver or gold. Securing any resources, whetherrge or small, would unconditionally benefit them. It was good news for Reidan. However.


    "I¡¯m d to hear it, but why are you suddenly talking about mines? It¡¯s just mines. You can take care of it with Lauel. Right now, I need enhancement stones. How did the conversation switch to this?¡±


    ¡®Indeed... There is this type of response when hearing about the possibility of mines.¡¯


    Rabbit realized it clearly. Grid was different from amon lord. He had little interest in his role as a lord.


    ¡®He only devoted himself to working in the smithy for the past four months.¡¯ Some people might me Grid for being irresponsible. But Rabbit thought about it positively. ¡¯The duke is right. He might be the best cksmith and warrior, but he iscking in knowledge. It¡¯s better for him to stay away from the administration side.¡¯


    Despite theirck of political power, there were lords who forcefully tried to control their politics. On the other hand, Grid chose to rely onpetent subordinates because he recognized his own deficiencies. He was the ideal lord who knew the limits of what he could do.


    ¡®He is truly wise and wonderful.¡¯


    Grid was different from the stupid leader of the Mero Company that Rabbit served in the past.


    Rabbit continued the exnation. ¡°The Overgeared members have explored the southern basin to see if there really are mines. But there was a strong boss monster, so the Overgeared members abandoned the exploration and ssified it as a danger zone.¡±


    "Which of the Overgeared members went?¡±


    ¡°All of them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Overgeared Guild was strong. They were all rankers in the top 40. But despite them acting together, there was a boss monster powerful enough to make them retreat?


    ¡®Is it at the level of theplete Hell Gao?¡¯ Even Grid wasn¡¯t an opponent for theplete version of Hell Gao. He barely managed to defeat Hell Gao after weakening him by taking two fire stones. ¡®The current Overgeared members are much stronger...¡¯


    Regas was the first member of the Overgeared Guild to obtain his third advancement ss. He chose the Asura ss. It was a fighting demon that suited his personality. Then Regas went straight to Grid and asked for a duel. It was revenge for losing in the finals of the PvP match. As a result, Grid won.


    ¡®I almost had to use my invincible passive.¡¯


    It was a shame, because the duel was after his training period with Piaro. After reaching the third advancement ss, Regas was much stronger than before. It was the same for the other Overgeared members. But there was a boss monster in the west that they couldn¡¯t defeat?


    ¡®It is a terrible ce.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and prompted.


    ¡°So? What does that have to do with the enhancement stones?¡±


    "Did you hear the exnation about why I invested more than half of the guild funds into the alchemy institutes?¡±


    "I heard from Lauel. Isn¡¯t the effect of alchemy amazing? It can make various buff potions, as well as assign special options to items.¡±


    ¡°There are many other things that alchemy can do. But most cities avoid investing in alchemy. It is to the point that even the richest cities that represent a kingdom are reluctant concerning alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "Because it isn¡¯t certain.¡±


    The effects of items made with alchemy weren¡¯t constant, but often random. Furthermore, the sess rate of alchemy itself was extremely low. For example, even if the alchemy institute had the highest level, the probability of producing buff potions is less than 70%, and the probability of sessfully giving an option to an item was less than 30%.


    In addition, the prices of the materials needed for alchemy were too high. In conclusion, alchemy was a bad investment.


    Grid frowned at the exnation. ¡°What is this? Isn¡¯t itplete rubbish?¡±


    2,937,000 gold out of the five million guild funds had been invested in alchemy. Grid felt like he had been hit in the back of his head.


    ¡®This man is determined to destroy me!¡¯


    Rabbit saw Grid¡¯s expression and exined. "I n to develop Reidan into the second Talima.¡±


    "Talima? The dwarf city?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    The dwarf city Talima was called the city of heaven. Regardless of the rating, it was said that battle gear with a special performance were widely distributed. Even a small store would have a solid piece of equipmentparable to a unique-rated item, so many people wanted to go there to purchase battle gear. But it was impossible. Talima was located within the territory of the dragon Trauka, and was a city that humans couldn¡¯t enter.


    "What if Reidan has items like Talima?¡±


    Certainly, the city would be able to show off a unique presence. People woulde from all over the continent to Reidan. Rabbit hoped that day woulde, so he encouraged the training of cksmiths and invested in alchemy.


    "Alchemy is a way to make the items produced by you and your cksmiths shine. I am convinced that the only city on the continent worthy of investing in alchemy is Reidan.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    If it developed the way Rabbit wished, a huge economic effect would be created. Grid hoped for that day as well. But.


    "Isn¡¯t the sess rate of alchemy the worst? Can we afford it? What if we have bad luck and be bankrupt instead of bing the second Talima?¡±


    "Do you remember Administrator Arik?¡±


    ¡°Arik? Ahh, the lord of this ce until I was appointed?" Arik was a funny person. The episode rted to him was a sight to behold. ¡°Isn¡¯t he locked up in prison? What about him?¡±


    ¡°The reason Lauel didn¡¯t kill him was to retrieve information about the west from him. I was also able to gain valuable information from him.¡±


    ¡°What information?¡±


    "Somewhere in the west, there is a mine for yellow mithril.¡±


    "Yellow mithril?"


    It was Rabbit¡¯s decisive reason for investing in alchemy.


    "Yellow mithril is the material for fairy dust. And fairy dust is a raw material that dramatically increases the chances of alchemy seeding. I am guessing that there is a yellow mithril mine in the southern basin of the Hebend River.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It was a mineral that made it possible to ovee the low sess rate of alchemy. Grid was thrilled. The radiant future of Reidan was drawn in his mind and he became excited.


    "...By the way, what about the enhancement stones?¡±


    He was still curious about the topic of conversation. Grid finally reached the limits of his patience so Rabbit cut to the chase.


    "Enhancement stones can be made with alchemy.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He thought enhancement stones only dropped from boss monsters, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised.


    "Generally, it is wiser to avoid making enhancement stones because the probability of sess is extremely low. But that story will change if we get our hands on fairy dust.¡±


    It was the moment when the reason for Rabbit¡¯s lengthy exnation was revealed.


    ¡°So the conclusion is, please go and secure the mine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Grid instantly replied. There was no reason to refuse. The boss monster might be hard for the Overgeared members to raid, but the story would be different if Grid and Noe¡¯s powers were added.


    "Then I¡¯ll go immediately.¡±


    Grid was unstoppable once he made a decision. He immediately convened the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were excited to be raiding with Grid after a long time.


    "It¡¯s the first time since the golem invasion.¡±


    "We¡¯ll be able to knock down that monster if we have Grid.¡±


    Grid looked at the Overgeared members and asked them, "What type of monster is it? A demonkin?¡±


    "No, it is a doppelganger.¡±


    ¡°Doppelganger?¡±


    A doppelganger was a monster that copied the form and abilities of the target. They were obviously hard to deal with but...


    "Even if he turns into one of us, we have the advantage in numbers. Can¡¯t you easily defeat it?"


    Pon exined, "As you said, the doppelganger is easy to deal with if it turns into one of us. But it¡¯s transforming into someone else who is much stronger than us.¡±


    Vantner continued. ¡°It was really incredibly strong. The body is slim and the face is handsome, and he moves quickly while using a sword as big as Dainsleif.¡±


    Regas also spoke. "The way he moves the greatsword reminds me of you, Grid.¡±


    Faker added. ¡°The basic moves are simr to Grid, but the sword techniques are several times better than Grid."


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The opponent was that great? Grid was very curious about the power of the doppelganger that the strongest people in the Overgeared Guild were praising.


    ¡®I will soon see.¡¯


    The Overgeared members finished their preparations. Gridmanded, "Depart. Jude, you will protect Reidan along with the soldiers.¡±


    "Yes..."


    Jude was disappointed that he couldn¡¯t go with them and stepped back.


    "I will apany you.¡±


    The continent¡¯s strongest swordsman. It was Piaro. However, he was different from before. He was neatly shaved and wearing clean clothes. It was hard to imagine that he was a beggar a few months ago, as he was now giving off a strong impression.


    "Please add your strength.¡±


    Grid dly weed Piaro, while the Overgeared members were confused.


    ¡®Why is he taking a farmer along?¡¯


    A farmer was useless in a raid. What role did a farmer have in a raid? Farmers were meant to be in the fields. Lauel was about to say something, but stopped.


    ¡®That reminds me, isn¡¯t Piaro an expert in feng shui?¡¯


    Was Grid nning to use Piaro¡¯s power to secure usefulnds?


    ¡®It is surprising. He¡¯s so clever...¡¯


    Lauel embraced the thought that Grid was growing. Grid seemed to be apletely different person than before.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229


    In the National Competition and golem invasion event, Grid proved to be the strongest. But now two months of real time had passed after the golem invasion, so was he still the strongest?


    ¡º I don¡¯t think so. ¡»


    ¡º What¡¯s the basis for your im? ¡»


    ¡º The performance of a third advancement ss is far superior to the second advancement ss. It¡¯s on apletely different dimension. Most of the top 50 rankers have reached their third advancement ss, so Duke Grid, who is immature in control, is no longer unique. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Duke Grid overpowered the rankers in the National Competition with his items and ss, but now he¡¯s lost the advantage of his ss. ¡»


    ¡º What if Grid ovees his insufficient control skills? ¡»


    ¡º Haha! The possibility doesn¡¯t exist. Looking at it from a professional point of view, Duke Grid has no talent for control. The only advantage he has is his items. ¡»


    ¡º The advantage will be offset by the fantastic control of the other ranked yers. ¡»


    As the information of the third advancement sses started to be revealed one by one, the experts started to criticize Grid. In the first ce, Pagma¡¯s Descendant wasn¡¯t a ss specialized inbat. The experts were convinced that the third advancement rankers would be able to show skills well beyond Grid.


    At the Second National Competition in Paris nine monthster, Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to win.


    ¡º Ah, fans of Duke Grid, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not disrespecting Grid himself. He is a good leader who has absorbed the Tzedakah Guild, and also have talented people like Huroi, Lauel, Euphemina and Ruby. ¡»


    ¡º I also know that Duke Grid¡¯s cksmith skills are great. However, we are currently analyzing Duke Grid¡¯sbat ability, so we have to criticize it. ¡»


    In fact, Satisfy experts had a grudge against Grid. It was because their analysis of Grid during the National Competition was wrong and they were embarrassed in front of the public.


    ¡®It would be nice if Grid¡¯s era ends quickly.¡¯


    ¡¯I don¡¯t want to discuss Grid anymore. It¡¯s embarrassing every time my analysis is wrong.¡¯


    Would these wishese true?


    ***


    "Sura Charge!¡±


    Pepepepeong!


    After converting to an Asura, Regas¡¯bat power was twice as high as a martial artist. The enemy was confused by the punching and kicking changing trajectories, then he would dominate the battlefield by linking lightning and dark skills. The sight of him facing four giant worms simultaneously was excellent.


    ¡®He¡¯s stronger than when I won the duel. Has hepletely adapted to his new ss?¡¯


    "Nobody can call Regas a Taekwon Master now. Sooner orter, he will be called a war god.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As Grid and Lauel admired him, the spear knight aboard a camel started moving.


    Puk!Puk puk!


    Rumble!


    Kiyack!


    A spear knight¡¯s attack power increased when riding on a ¡®mount¡¯ such as a horse or pet, so it was a spectacr sight. Even the monsters in the west were unable to cope with his blows. But it was impossible to kill the western monsters in one blow unless they were Grid.


    Pon soon faced five giant worms. Was this a crisis? No.


    "Gatling Spear.¡±


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    The sonic spear moved several times in a fan-like range. Then the five giant worms became rags and transformed into light.


    ¡®Great.¡¯


    Gatling Spear exerted a powerparable to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill. Unlike the single-target Kill, it was a wide range attack. Grid was filled with admiration.


    ¡®I have higher stats than Pon and the performance of Failure is much better than Pon¡¯s weapon...¡¯


    Nevertheless, the difference in passive skills was too great. Combat sses all had the passive skill of Weapons Mastery, which had the effect of adding attack power. Meanwhile, Grid had a clear limit since he relied exclusively on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 2 (89.9%)]


    -When the skill is deactivated-


    You can be one with the sword at any time. Increases physical attack by 30%, critical hit rate by 20% and critical damage by 10%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The skill consumes no mana.


    -When the skill is activated-


    Be one with the sword. Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend, Transcended Link and Linked Kill You can unleash a total of seven sword techniques.


    * The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.


    * 20 mana is required to activate the skill.


    * Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had a fatal weakness. The effect of the passive skill disappeared when he used an active skill. The effect of a 30% increase in attack power, 20% increase in critical hit rate and 10% increase in critical damage wouldn¡¯t be applied to skills like Kill and Link.


    ¡¯The passive skill only applied to the base damage... This is the limit of the ss called Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    But Grid wasn¡¯t worried. Rather, he was overflowing with confidence.


    ¡¯Right now, Regas and Pon¡¯s strength might seemparable to me, but that¡¯s only for the moment. That gap will increase again the moment I reach level 300.¡¯


    There was an old saying in games that ¡®levels were bullies.¡¯ That saying was also established in Satisfy.


    10 stat points were gained every time the level increased, and users would be stronger as their stats increased. It wasn¡¯t just because of simple reasons like wearing better items or getting stronger skills, but also due to the unique function of stats.


    For example, the strength stat. A level 200 user¡¯s strength stat had 0.3 attack power, 7 health points and a weight limit increase of 40 with every point. A level 300 user¡¯s strength stat had 0.4 attack power, 9 health points and a weight limit increased of 50 with every point.


    In this way, the effect of the stats increased every 100 levels. This was called the stats awakening. The sum of the level 275 Grid¡¯s stats were currently higher than the stats of the level 300 Overgeared members. Looking at the total number of stats, Grid¡¯s level was nearly 380.


    He went through a process called minus level, obtained special titles, and produced countless items. What if Grid reached level 300 and received the third stats awakening?


    ¡®The difference between our passive skills only applies for now.¡¯


    The source of Grid¡¯s power was his overwhelming stats. Grid was more familiar with this than anyone else, so he didn¡¯t have to be nervous about the growth of others.


    ¡®If Iplete the Grid set then...¡¯


    He was the strongest.


    ¡°Huhuhu...¡±


    ¡®Why all of a sudden?¡¯


    Grid smiled and Lauel felt a shiver. It was like encountering a monster on the level of a demonkin. Then Huroi shouted.


    ¡°My Lord! Seven basilisks are present 800 meters to the south!¡±


    The Overgeared members were nervous.


    ¡°Seven basilisks?¡±


    ¡°We should bypass them.¡±


    The respawn rate of the western monsters was unusually fast. If a battlested for an extended period of time in one ce, they would end up surrounded by monsters. The basilisk was one of the strongest monsters in the west, so it was obvious they would face a crisis if they had to fight seven of them.


    ¡°There is a small mountain to the west. It might dy our journey, but we can bypass the monsters.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Grid ignored Lauel¡¯s advice and grabbed Failure. ¡°I haven¡¯t hunted in 131 days. I will use this opportunity to increase my experience.¡±


    The desert was a harsh terrain. Every time they moved, their feet sank into the sand, severely limiting their movements. The Overgeared members were experts inbat and already adapted to the desert terrain, but what about Grid?


    The Overgeared members were worried. Grid¡¯s dull movements andck ofbat sense meant it was impossible for him to exert his full power in the desert. So they were going to move first to clear any monsters they encountered on the journey to their destination.


    But what was the truth?


    Jebeok jebeok.


    Grid was armed with heavy boots and walked in the desert like it was a ins area. He even sped up and ran. This was due to the thorough education from Piaro.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°What has gotten into Grid...?¡±


    The Overgeared members doubted their eyes.


    Kiyaaak!


    A basilisk noticed a human running over and opened its mouth. Then the light of petrification that also caused great damage shed. It was a skill that was hard to respond to because the range of the light was wide and fast.


    The Overgeared members were sure that Grid would suffer great damage. Gridcked control skills, so he was always hit by monsters. They thought it would be the same again this time. However.


    ¡°Have I only fought you once or twice?¡±


    Grid had moved to Reidan from Patrian. Grid had been taught by Piaro and killed numerous basilisks, so he already predicted this. He was able to urately estimate the timing of the sh and fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave to offset it. Then he approached the basilisk that was slowed, used cksmith¡¯s Rage and stabbed the basilisk in its weak eyes.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The basilisk struggled from the pain. Suddenly, the six other basilisks surrounded Grid and swung their tails.


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The Overgeared members paled. If the six basilisks attacked at the same time, Grid would definitely die. But Grid was already in the rear. He avoided four tails flying from the front, and defended against the other tails using the pavranium.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Kieek?


    The basilisks were confused at the appearance of the golden des that blocked their attacks. They felt danger. It was because they saw the ck eyes of the human in the gap between the golden des, looking at them like they were prey.


    One of the top predators of the desert was prey? This human was dangerous. The basilisks were instinctively engulfed in fear.


    ¡°First one.¡±


    Grid stepped forward towards the basilisk that he had attacked first.


    Teong!


    The heavy weight of Grid¡¯s boots made the desert sand run loose. Then Grid¡¯s greatsword, which had a different power than before, struck the basilisk¡¯s wounded eyes. This wasn¡¯t the end. Grid evaded the basilisk¡¯s subsequent counterattack and triggered Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    The sword followed the movements while he evaded.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The blue greatsword reminiscent of an ocean predator prated the skull of the basilisk.


    Kuwaaah!


    One of the seven basilisks instantly turned into a grey light. The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t close their mouths as they watched.


    "Is that Grid?¡±


    The control skills that Grid used at this moment weren¡¯t particrly outstanding. Anyone who yed the game could show such movements. But who was Grid? He was mocked by everyone for having poor control skills. This person who wasn¡¯t talented was taught the skills.


    He overcame the weakness in himself.


    ¡®Has Grid always been working where we couldn¡¯t see him?¡¯


    ¡®How much effort did he put in?¡¯


    ¡¯This is truly my lord! I am proud!¡¯


    "No, aren¡¯t you going to help me? Aaaaack!"


    "...¡±


    While the Overgeared members were feeling thrilled, Grid was bing bloody due to the other six basilisks. The party window showed that his health gauge was exponentially dropping. The Overgeared members freaked out as they saw it and hurriedly moved to save him.


    On the other hand, Piaro observed Grid¡¯s battle from beginning to end and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Really, there are no signs of improvement.¡±


    Vantner heard Piaro¡¯s voice and shook his head.


    ¡®This farmer isn¡¯t sane either.¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230


    ¡°My Lord! There are 15 cacti in a cluster 400m ahead! It is presumed to be mine cacti in disguise, so pay special attention..."


    "Advance and destroy them!¡±


    ¡°My Lord! Two golden toads in the oasis are mating! It is wiser to bypass them...¡±


    ¡°Two field bosses appeared at the same time? This is a jackpot! Charge!"


    "My Lord! Dozens of desert toads are chasing us 800m in the rear! We have to speed up or they will catch us...!¡±


    "Do they want revenge for the golden toads? Okay! Stop! We will meet the prey who are willinglying to us!¡±


    ¡°My Lord... There is a small nest of giant worms below the mountain...¡±


    "Go in and sweep them up!¡±


    "...¡±


    From the sky, Huroi was able to grasp the terrain in advance and discover the enemies. If he depended on his scouting ability as master of a drake, he would be able to minimize their shes with monsters until they reached their destination.


    But who was Grid? He was enthusiastic after not hunting for a long time, so the monsters of the west were destined to be destroyed. If Huroi discovered an enemy, Grid rushed in, rather than avoiding it. Due to that, the Overgeared members became tired.


    ¡°Pant pant! Damn, doesn¡¯t Grid get tired?¡±


    ¡°I feel it every time, but Grid¡¯s stamina is much higher than we think.¡±


    ¡°Uhh... It¡¯s unbearably hot."


    It was very hard to march through the desert. The Overgeared members were top rankers, but they were also users. Due to the repeated battles and heat, their stamina was quickly depleted. On the other hand, Grid was fine. His stamina was twice as high as the Overgeared members thanks to his persistence stat, which he raised throughbor and cksmith work.


    ¡®No matter how strong the monsters in the west are, fields bosses have obvious limits.¡¯


    Field bosses were weaker than quest bosses or dungeon bosses, and their item drop rate was also low. Grid and the Overgeared members hunted onerge cactus and two golden toads, but only obtained two epic items and five enhancement stones.


    As Grid was feeling disappointment, ¡°River!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived!¡±


    The group arrived at the Hebend River. It was only 10 hours from Reidan. If they fully exploited Huroi¡¯s scouting ability, they would¡¯ve been able to arrive within three hours. However, Grid made their journey at least three times longer.


    ¡°Grid, all the guild members are tired. It¡¯ste at night, so why don¡¯t we take a break?¡± Pon suggested.


    Grid checked the status of the Overgeared members.


    "I understand. Get ready to camp.¡±


    Stamina recovery was slow outdoors. Meals and simple rest weren¡¯t sufficient, so it was better to take a short nap. The Overgeared members gathered near the river and pulled out a tents from the inventory. They were impressed when they saw Grid setting up his. It was because Grid¡¯s setting up skill wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    "Wow, isn¡¯t this great? It is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone build a tent as quickly as Grid.¡±


    "Has he set up a lot of tents in reality? Does he go camping often?¡±


    ¡®What camping...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have any friends to go camping with. The reason why Grid¡¯s tent building skill was so good was because he was thoroughly trained in the army. Grid had over 3,000 dexterity points, so he could set up a tent several times faster than ordinary users.


    Were there any advantages to building a tent quickly? No. It wouldn¡¯t be helpful in reality unless he had a lover to go on a camping trip with.


    "Let¡¯s eat."


    Once the setting up of tents wasplete, the Overgeared members sat down in front of a fire. The food they prepared wasmon. It was the rainbow potato, the only food currently grown in Reidan.


    "I¡¯m sick of eating this for every meal.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    The rainbow potato had seven vors. The red portion had a meat vor, the yellow portion was fried shrimp vor, the orange portion was tangerine sauce, and so on. It had a soft, strong or delicious taste, but in the end, it was just a potato. Basically, it was hard because they had to eat this for every meal.


    "It would be nice if we had a good chef.¡±


    In the case of a chef with high cooking skills, it was possible to make food using wild grasses and monsters. In addition, the dishes would give a small buff so it was a very useful ability.


    ¡®Euphemina can duplicate the cooking skill...¡¯


    Euphemina wasn¡¯t included in this raid. Currently, she was making a great contribution to the security and internal affairs development of Reidan by duplicating skills like the monster taming, cksmithing, alchemy, building, etc. It was too much to rely on her for cooking as well, so Grid shook his head.


    ¡®We can¡¯t always depend on Euphemina.¡¯


    She might leave the guild. In fact, there was a limit to relying on only one person, so Grid decided that it was better to recruit users with various secondary sses like chefs.


    ¡°Now my eyes are tired.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    The guild members finished their meal. Grid rose from his spot and proimed, "Leave the lookout position to me. Everybody, you should get a good sleep.¡±


    Grid had matured and was now sacrificing himself for his colleagues. But the Overgeared members refused.


    ¡°Grid is the core power of this raid group. You can¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m still okay because I have a lot of stamina.¡±


    "It isn¡¯t enough just to be okay. You have to be well prepared. The opponent is strong.¡±


    In the end, Grid was excluded from being on guard and the members started to consult among themselves. The scheduled break was four hours. In the meantime, eight people should stand guard in intervals of 30 minutes.


    ¡°The eight people with the highest stamina stat will have to sacrifice 30 minutes.¡±


    Every time.


    The higher the stamina stat, the higher the maximum stamina and the quicker the recovery speed. Therefore, the guard positions were always taken by the tankers. Vantner and Toban groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of being a tanker all day long...¡±


    "A tanker is a sinner.¡±


    It might be a reasonable method, but the tankers couldn¡¯t helpining. Lauel watched them and made a wise suggestion.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Piaro stand guard?¡±


    On the way here. It was obvious but Piaro didn¡¯t take part in any battles. He just had to walk. Lauel guessed that Piaro still had a lot of stamina left.


    ¡®A legendary farmer should have high basic stats... A four hour guard shift shouldn¡¯t be a huge burden to him.¡¯


    Piaro readily nodded at Lauel¡¯s suggestion. "I understand. Leave it to me and get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The faces of the Overgeared members brightened. They didn¡¯t know why Piaro participated in this raid, but they were delighted that he was here. However, some people showed negative reactions.


    "This is a danger zone, so we shouldn¡¯t leave the guard position to a farmer.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. What if monsters hide in the fog at dawn and attack? A farmer wouldn¡¯t be able to detect the attack of a monster, so we will be vulnerable to danger.¡±


    ¡®They don¡¯t know the honor it is to have a great swordsman standing guard...¡¯


    Grid found this situation hrious. How long would they mistake Piaro for a farmer? It was interesting to watch since he knew the truth. He smiled and settled the situation. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t doubt Piaro¡¯s ability to be a lookout. Don¡¯t you know that he is a legendary farmer, not an ordinary farmer?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Overgeared members were confused.


    "Why should a legendary farmer be good at being a lookout?¡±


    ¡°Exin it so that we can understand.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was stressed because the members asked for rification. It was impossible to give a convincing exnation since it was just a thoughtless remark that he spoke.


    At that moment, Lauel made a guess. "Farmers have to protect their fields from ice, beasts and monsters. A legendary farmer should have an excellent ability to defend his fields, meaning that his ability to sense beasts and monsters is sharp. This is the reason why Grid told us to trust the legendary farmer.¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    Grid agreed with Lauel¡¯s interpretation. The Overgeared members with a negative reaction started to understand.


    ¡°I see... Farmers have this ability...¡±


    ¡°Okay then. Piaro, please work hard for four hours. It is a request.¡±


    The Overgeared members entered their tents. Pon was thest one to enter and he spoke to Piaro.


    ¡°There is a huge monster that lives in Hebend River. It¡¯s extremely powerful, unlike the golden toads that we hunted during the day. If it emerges, let us know without any dy.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Pon finally entered his tent. Piaro sat in front of a campfire alone and recalled the past.


    ¡®It reminds me of my days as a knight.¡¯


    During his time in the Red Knights, they went on many expeditions and set up campsites. At that time, he was with his colleagues. But due to Asmophel¡¯s false usation, they were all dead.


    Tadak.Tak.


    "...¡±


    Piaro was organizing the branches for the campfire when he suddenly shifted his gaze to the river. It was early dawn. Something was moving silently in the fog. It was hard to detect even by the most skilled person. But who was Piaro? It was extremely rare that anything could seed in an ambush in front of a great swordsman.


    "You are the monster of Hebend River.¡±


    Piaro threw the branch he was holding into the river. As he threw it into the river, something let out a sharp scream.


    On this day. The top predator of the Hebend River for thest decade met its end.


    ***


    "Okay, perfect."


    Grid and the Overgeared members slept for four hours and recovered enough stamina. They ate a rainbow potato and moved straight to their destination. They finally reached the edge of the mountains after passing throughrge and small ghost viges.


    Grid and the Overgeared members no longer encountered monsters. Grid was puzzled by the bamboo forest that stretched along the mountain path.


    "How was this forest preserved without being turned into a desert? Is this ce safe from the giant worms?¡±


    Lauel exined. ¡°The doppelganger here blocks the path of monsters as well as humans. Thanks to it, this forest and the mine in the mountains behind it are safely preserved.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    It was a strange phenomenon where a monster defended thend from another monster. Grid felt great interest as he stepped into the bamboo forest. At that moment.


    [You have entered the mysterious forest.]


    [Your mind has be calm.]


    [You will be helpless in the midst of this tranquility.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Ugh...! This feeling is so disgusting.¡±


    "I just want to sleep.¡±


    With the exception of Grid, the Overgeared members were ovee by the helpless feeling. Their bodies became limp and they had pained expressions on their faces. On the other hand, Grid kept moving forward and was astonished.


    ¡°...Pagma?¡±


    The center of the forest where bamboo soared into the sky. One man was sitting on a t rock. He had an egg-shaped face on a slender body. White skin and red lips. His long eyes that were smiling. He gave off such a beautiful and neat impression that it was hard to believe he was a man. He looked exactly like Pagma, who Grid had seen depicted on the murals at Loran Falls.


    Suuk.


    Pagma sat quietly on the rock and slowly moved. The silk clothes that seemed toe from the Joseon Era pped as he moved and shifted his gaze towards Grid. The look in those eyes contained outright hostility.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231


    The moment he locked eyes with Pagma.


    Duguen!


    Grid stiffened and his heart beat faster. His eyes shook as sweat started running down his body. It was a phenomenon of fear that transcended tension and agitation. Was he overwhelmed by the killing intent that Pagma was emitting?


    No.


    This was sheer instinct. The source of all his abilities was Pagma, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling awe and a sense of smallness when facing Pagma.


    ¡®Wake up.¡¯ Grid sobered up. ¡®This guy is just a doppelganger of Pagma. Don¡¯t be misled by appearances.¡¯


    The name that floated above his head wasn¡¯t Pagma, but ¡®Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest.¡¯ Grid confirmed this again and barely controlled his mind. After a moment, hisposure was restored.


    ¡®It will be hard.¡¯ Who would¡¯ve expected that the target of the raid would be Pagma¡¯s doppelganger? ¡®I never even imagined it.¡¯


    Looking back at it now, the features described by the Overgeared members resembled Pagma. But hadn¡¯t Pagma died more than 100 years ago? It was virtually impossible to imagine that the present doppelganger could copy a person from so long ago.


    "...¡±


    The staring battle between Grid and the doppelganger continued. There were all types ofplex emotions and doubts in Grid¡¯s eyes, while the doppelganger only contained hostility towards the enemy.


    It was clear that this situation couldn¡¯t be contained. The doppelganger attacked Grid first. He lightly swung a jade green greatsword in his hand.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid blocked the descending greatsword with Failure. The destructive power behind the blow was beyond imagination. The attack power wasparable to Hell Gao who was in a perfect condition.


    ¡°Lauel! A doppelganger copies the appearance of the target. But can itpletely copy their abilities as well?¡± He hurriedly asked.


    Lauel shook his head. "There are limits to a doppelganger¡¯s ability to copy. It can¡¯t fully copy the ability of a person stronger than itself.¡±


    It meant that the doppelganger wasn¡¯t as strong as Pagma, who was the greatest swordsman after Muller. In other words, the doppelganger in front of Grid was an unfinished product that couldn¡¯tpletely copy Pagma¡¯s power.


    However.


    Jjejejeok!


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    Bottom, side, top. The doppelganger showed off a dazzling skill with the greatsword, with barely a time difference in each strike. This drove Grid back.


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 3.]


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 8.]


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Even the performance of the weapon was great. It was the first time he saw a weapon that could damage the durability of Failure so quickly. If the durability of Failure waspromised, it meant that the doppelganger¡¯s weapon dealt twice the damage.


    ¡°Lauel! What about the doppelganger¡¯s ability to copy items?¡±


    The material that made up a doppelganger was so flexible that it reproduced human hair and skin, even tears and blood.


    ¡°Depending on its strength, it can exert a strengthparable to orichalcum. Due to this, most items reproduced by doppelgangers are known to perform better than the original.¡±


    It was impossible topletely copy the works of the legendary cksmith, Pagma. The greatsword used by the doppelganger was obviously below the level of the original.


    ¡¯Nevertheless, it can deal such damage to Failure?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s pride was crushed. He had been trying so hard for the two years since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but he couldn¡¯t even bepared to Pagma¡¯s copy?


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Grid¡¯s sword became increasingly dull due to his agitation. On the other hand, the sword of the doppelganger was as sharp as ever, since his emotions never changed.


    Chukak.


    ¡°...Uh!¡±


    Grid finally started to be injured. Red blood stained his clothing. The flow of battle was heading towards Grid¡¯s defeat.


    ¡°Quickly help Grid...!¡±


    The Overgeared members were nervous. They wanted to go out and help Grid right away. But it was difficult to take a step because they were still caught by the feeling of helplessness. This helpless feeling was so strong that they wouldn¡¯t be able to move their fingertips unless their survival instincts were invoked.


    ¡°We have to hope that Grid will survive until the doppelganger attacks us...¡±


    ¡°But look at this. Isn¡¯t the doppelganger¡¯s swordsmanship extremely simr to Grid¡¯s swordsmanship?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I wasn¡¯t sure before, but now that they are side by side, the two sword styles look exactly the same.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡±


    The Overgeared members figured out the doppelganger¡¯s identity. To be precise, it was the identity of the person that the doppelganger copied. However, the weight of that name wasn¡¯t light, so they couldn¡¯t express it with their mouths.


    On the other hand, Lauel had no such obstacles. ¡°It seems to be Pagma, as everyone is thinking.¡±


    "...¡±


    Pagma. One of the nine legends and the source of Grid¡¯s strength. But now. As a result of the golem invasion, Grid encountered Pagma¡¯s doppelganger in the west.


    What did this suggest?


    "Through this raid, Grid will go through a big change. He will acquire new skills, quests or items and he will develop dramatically. The reason why the king appointed Grid as lord of Reiden is due to Satisfy¡¯s arrangements for Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    Lauel looked at it from a very positive perspective. It was the same for the other Overgeared members.


    Teong!


    Meanwhile, Grid defended against the onught of the doppelganger and he couldn¡¯t retreat as the bamboo forest blocked the exit. There was no ce to back off anymore, so he could only counterattack.


    ¡°Damn! Let¡¯s try it once!¡±


    How long was he going to be pushed by Pagma¡¯s clone, who wasn¡¯t even Pagma? The moment when Grid was about to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    "Stop!" The silent Piaro suddenly shouted. Grid was surprised and stopped.


    "...¡±


    The doppelganger¡¯s sword had shed through the spot where Grid was about to move to. If Grid had used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, his heart would¡¯ve been pierced by that greatsword.


    Gulp.


    Grid swallowed his dry saliva as Piaro scolded him.


    "Why aren¡¯t you calm? Watch the opponent. The difference between him and you isn¡¯t great. There is no reason for it to be so one-sided.¡±


    The difference wasn¡¯t great? Wasn¡¯t his attack speed and attack power twice as high as Grid¡¯s? Piaro gave the confused Grid a hint. "Just as he knows your swordsmanship, don¡¯t you also know his swordsmanship? If so, can¡¯t you cope?¡±


    "...¡±


    If it was four months ago, Grid would¡¯ve found it hard to understand Piaro¡¯s advice. But now it was different. Grid had steadily developed thinking skills in his everyday life. As a result, he was able to use Piaro¡¯s advice as perfect nourishment.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. That guy¡¯s swordsmanship is based on Pagma.¡¯ A stabbing attack contained the simplified footwork of Kill while a sh had the simplified footwork of Link. ¡®If I watch his foot movements, I can predict his next attack.¡¯


    Again, let¡¯s do it properly. Grid took a deep breath. In this gap, the doppelganger had taken two steps forward. It was the footwork of Link. A shing attack. But would it be horizontal or vertical? If it was horizontal, would ite from the right or left side?


    ¡®Read the enemy¡¯s gaze and shoulder motions.¡¯


    He recalled Piaro¡¯s teachings. Then.


    ¡®The right!¡¯


    The movement was seen. Grid seeded in detecting and avoiding the doppelganger¡¯s sword, despite it moving twice as fast as him. It was a very good move, impressing everyone watching.


    ¡®He listened to the advice of the farmer and...¡¯


    ¡¯He grew in real time?¡¯


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    The eyes of the Overgeared members¡¯ widened. Their gazes turned towards Piaro. Piaro was standing with folded arms. It was the opposite of the members who were filled with the helpless feeling.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be...?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t just a farmer? It was when the Overgeared members were starting to realize Piaro¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    Pipit!Pipipipipit!


    Dozens of blue-white energy des were created. Did it shatter the body of the doppelganger? It failed. The doppelgangerpletely blocked Grid¡¯s attack using the same technique.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The blue-white des and the jade des collided together, causing the bamboo to shake from the force. The Overgeared members watched with amazement and awe.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Grid used another skill to not lose his momentum. However, once again, the doppelganger reacted with the same technique to neutralize Grid¡¯s attack.


    Peeeeeong!


    The collision between Kill and Kill caused a powerful explosion. The center of the forest was destroyed because it couldn¡¯t cope with the explosion. The rock where the doppelganger first sat was shattered and the fragments scattered everywhere, injuring the Overgeared members.


    "How about this?¡±


    Grid used a fusion skill. This skill was based on his own experience, so he thought the doppelganger wouldn¡¯t have this skill.


    ¡°Transcended Link!¡±


    A total of 20 strikes that dealt 180% physical damage was shot out with no time difference. It was a merciless bombardment that even turned an ancient weapon to rags, so Grid didn¡¯t doubt its power. However, the doppelganger coped by using a skill that Grid didn¡¯t know yet.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members¡¯ eyes widened. The doppelganger moved the jade sword in a half moon and absorbed all the energy of Transcended Link, while a vortex appeared around the doppelganger? This wasn¡¯t the end.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The energy of Transcended Link that was sucked into the vortex reappeared. At the same time, it reversed course and aimed for Grid. It was a perfect counterattack.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    "My Lord!¡±


    The 20 energy des moved through the bamboo forest in a zigzag, heading towards Grid. The Overgeared members were certain that Grid would die. But Piaro didn¡¯t allow it. He suddenly appeared in front of Grid and pulled out his sword. Then he struck the blue-white energy des one by one.


    Kwang!


    Two.


    Kwang!


    Three.


    Kwa kwang!


    Four.


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    In turn, he blocked all 20 blows.


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members and Grid couldn¡¯t believe the sight that was in front of them.


    ¡®Blowing away my Transcended Link like hitting a baseball...? Was Piaro this strong?¡¯


    ¡®No... What the hell is this farmer?¡¯


    As an awkward silence flowed, Piaro stepped back and urged Grid. "Fight again from the beginning. Absorb the techniques in Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship that you don¡¯t know and make them your own. Then you will be stronger."


    Piaro had figured out the identity of the doppelganger with the second blow that Grid and the doppelganger exchanged. However, he didn¡¯t step forward because he judged there was no value in it.


    ¡®This is a great stepping stone for Duke Grid.¡¯


    The private lessons of the continent¡¯s greatest swordsman, the second stage began.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232


    The doppelganger couldn¡¯tpletely reproduce Pagma¡¯s power in its entirety. Nevertheless, its stats were equivalent to Hell Gao. Since Grid had a tendency to rely entirely on skills, it was natural that he waspletely defeated in the first battle after Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was blocked.


    This horrific monster...


    ¡®Fight again?¡¯


    Grid was unwilling. Wouldn¡¯t the result be the same even if they fought a few times? He would be much morefortable if Piaro went out and took care of it. But he quickly fixed that idea.


    ¡®Piaro said to absorb Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Yes, this is a chance to be stronger.¡¯


    More and more strength. He needed enough strength to do the things he had to do.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Grid hesitated before taking a deep breath.


    Kuoooh!


    The doppelganger stabbed forward. The attack was deafening, and despite being 5m away, seemed like it would reach his stomach.


    Piaro eximed from behind him. ¡°There are obviously limits to a greatsword. It¡¯s big, dull and hard to move on the fly. The stabbing of a greatsword is extremely simple, and can easily be seen. Don¡¯t worry about hidden weapons and block.¡±


    It was convincing advice. Grid¡¯s confidence was elevated and he moved calmly. Utilizing the footwork of Link to move left and right, he avoided the doppelganger¡¯s stab.


    Kudududuk!


    The jade greatsword passed by the side of the Holy Light Armor. Sparks scattered like firecrackers and the doppelganger could be seen beyond them.


    ¡°Once the stab misses, a gap will be exposed. This is an opportunity to hit back.¡±


    A greatsword was big and heavy. What if the greatsword was stabbed but didn¡¯t hit the target? The person holding the greatsword would lose their bnce and their posture would copse.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction as he counterattacked. His greatsword curved from the bottom up and aimed for the doppelganger¡¯s heart.


    Seokeok!


    It was avoided. The doppelganger demonstrated his agility by twisting his upper body to avoid being hit. However, the front of his clothing was loosened, clearing revealing the doppelganger¡¯s upper body.


    "Kyaaak!"


    Lae, a member of the party, let out a sound of appreciation. The doppelganger copied Pagma¡¯s appearance and was so beautiful that he caught her heart instantly. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the sleek muscr body was the creation of a god. But the body wasn¡¯t an important factor in battle. Only the strong would win.


    "Ohhhh!"


    Failure passed over the doppelganger¡¯s head and once again descended.


    Sukakak!


    Heavy. Grid took full advantage of Grid¡¯s boots, so the weight at the end of his sword was iparable to before. He could even easily disintegrate a rock. Could the doppelganger withstand it?


    Of course, it was possible. This doppelganger had been a named boss of the Mysterious Forest for at least 100 years. Apart from its stats, its health would be in the millions.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 17,790 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Indeed, there isn¡¯t a single scratch on him.¡¯


    Grid was dismayed when he saw that the doppelganger¡¯s health gauge didn¡¯t seem to decrease at all. Then the jade greatsword aimed at Grid¡¯s side.


    ¡¯Ah!¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    Jeeeong!


    The seven golden des moved to protect Grid. Theybined into one to form a barrier that defended against the greatsword. But they couldn¡¯t fully absorb the shock and became stuck in ce.


    Piaro spoke again. ¡°The biggest disadvantage of a greatsword is that it will take a long time to recover the weapon after an attack. You forgot this point and allowed a counterattack.¡±


    Then what should he do?


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    As Grid was confused, the momentum of the doppelganger rose again. He started an endless onught and didn¡¯t allow time for Grid to take any countermeasures. The pavranium moved to protect Grid, but there was a limit since it stiffened every time.


    ¡°The opponent¡¯s behavior is correct. You should do it as well. If you take advantage of the recoil that urs when you attack, you can link more strikes.¡±


    ¡°Urgh...!¡±


    Grid felt the need to stop the doppelganger¡¯s attacks. If so, he should evade rather than defend. In fact, Piaro had advised ¡®don¡¯t y around when you have a sword in your hand.¡¯ However, the enemy¡¯s attack speed was much faster than Grid¡¯s attack speed, so it wasn¡¯t easy to react.


    Then what should he do? Grid finally allowed an attack and the next blow aimed for his neck. Then.


    Teong!


    Piaro stepped forward again. He blocked the doppelganger¡¯s sword and saved Grid¡¯s life once again.


    ¡°Why do you only use the golden des as a defense tool? Optimize your control and use them as weapons if possible. Now fight again.¡±


    "...¡±


    After that.


    The same thing was repeated many times. Grid listened to Piaro¡¯s advice, dealt with the doppelganger and when faced with death from an error, he was saved by Piaro.


    Grid felt like he was in a game room.


    ¡®Just when I think the game is over, the neighborhood boy will put in another coin.¡¯


    In fact, he had never met such a good person.


    ¡°If you have an opponent with higher health, you must go all out on attack instead of defense. Fight again.¡±


    ¡°The technique of lifting from the bottom to the top is inevitably weaker because the force is countered by gravity. You might be using this technique to damage the enemy, but it is actually having an adverse effect. In the first ce, is it possible with such a huge weapon? Fight again.¡±


    "Don¡¯t neglect the golden des just because they can¡¯t kill the enemy. If you make them persevere to cover the enemy¡¯s view, they can be a bigger help than a few colleagues. Fight again.¡±


    ¡°I exined why stabbing a greatsword is a simple technique, but I don¡¯t know why you are so obsessed with it. You should only stab in a situation where you can definitely knock your opponent away. You should know that the greatsword is designed for both stabbing and shing. Don¡¯t forget to use the right greatsword technique when appropriate. Fight again.¡±


    ¡°Again.¡±


    ¡°Fight again!¡±


    ¡°Again! Again! Again!¡±


    ¡°...Pant pant.¡±


    How many times did he need to repeat this damn battle? It hadn¡¯t been dawn when they arrived here in the bamboo forest but now the sun was high in the sky. Grid was mentally and physically exhausted.


    On the other hand, the Overgeared members...


    "Yum yum. Grid is suffering a lot.¡±


    ¡°The strongest NPC is teaching him swordsmanship and protecting his life, so how is he suffering? I would be excited.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exciting, but hard.¡±


    "Is it easy to fight for over half a day?¡±


    ¡°Indeed... If I was continuously fighting against the enemy like Grid, my stamina would¡¯ve reached its limit already.¡±


    The Overgeared members were already freed from the helpless feeling and were eating in front of a campfire. They baked and boiled the rainbow potatoes, rxing as they watched Grid fight.


    It wasn¡¯t because they werezy. The Overgeared members also had a desire to join the raid. Growing through struggles was the joy they desired. But they couldn¡¯t move. Piaro was training Grid against Pagma¡¯s doppelganger, so there was no room for them to intervene.


    "Anyway, Grid¡¯s growth rate is remarkable.¡± Lauel remarked.


    The Overgeared members agreed.


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a tremendous growth.¡±


    The doppelganger hadpletely overwhelmed Grid in the first battle. He was attacked without being able to hit back once, and faced the crisis of death. In the second battle, Grid managed to strike once. The third battle, it was two attacks and the fourth battle, three attacks and so on. And in the 51st battle, Grid was exchanging blows at a levelparable to the doppelganger. It was especially impressive the way he avoided death every time.


    ¡°Grid is a nk te. It¡¯s obvious if he grows even a little bit.¡±


    The synergy of the best teacher and best sparring partner (?) raised Grid¡¯s control. What user wouldn¡¯t want to experience something like this? The Overgeared members really envied Grid.


    ¡°I wish I had a mentor like that...¡±


    ¡°How did Grid obtain such a great NPC?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s creepy that he was doing a farmer cosy for a while.¡±


    What was Piaro¡¯s identity? And what circumstances were there that led him to teach Grid? It happened when the Overgeared members¡¯ questions were deepening.


    ¡°Sob...!¡±


    Grid eventually copsed. His stamina waspletely depleted. On the other hand, the doppelganger was still fine. Grid had fought for half a day, but the doppelganger¡¯s health was still at 9/10ths.


    Piaro stopped him from finishing off Grid and turned his gaze to the Overgeared members. Then he pointed to Regas.


    ¡°You there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?"


    Regas felt irritated when he saw that Grid was getting stronger and trained alone. He imagined Pagma¡¯s doppelganger as a virtual enemy in his mind, and started sparring against it. Therefore, he was stunned when Piaro suddenly pointed him out.


    Piaro instructed. ¡°You will deal with this enemy while Duke Grid is resting.¡±


    Regas¡¯ eyes shone like jewels. "Are you going to train me?¡±


    Piaro didn¡¯t deny it. "I have been watching your potential from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Regas was jubnt. It was an opportunity to be trained by Piaro, who was stronger than anyone he knew. Piaro started the lesson as soon as he came running.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°What is this...? That NPC will teach anyone?"


    ¡°Amazing! We can receive his teachings?¡±


    The Overgeared members were excited. They expected to be stronger after being taught by Piaro. And that expectation became reality.


    "Next."


    Piaro switched the members in turn and allowed them to spar against Pagma¡¯s doppelganger. He also developed the Overgeared members by pointing out the strengths and weaknesses that he had observed while staying in Reidan. It was in the hope that they would be stronger and make him stronger.


    The great swordsman Piaro would be a great fortune to Grid and the Overgeared members.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    It was well into dawn.


    The Mysterious Forest, which looked like thendscape of an Oriental painting, had long been devastated.


    "...¡±


    Dark blue paint smeared the sky. A man was standing with mes behind him. He had ck hair that was thicker than silk and his white skin was dusty and scarred.


    Suuk.


    Dozens of of enemies were reflected in the lonely eyes. The humans fell down, got up, and fell down again. It wanted to kill them so they couldn¡¯t fight again, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    They were getting stronger over time, and there was an excellent human who protected them. He probably showed half the strength of my original master. I couldn¡¯t do anything because he easily overwhelmed me.


    How long could I hold on?


    In the past, a human army came. One day there were countless monsters. I had defended this forest from all types of beings for a long time, but this was my first moment of great crisis. But I soon calmed my mind.


    ¡®I...¡¯


    I had to defend it. She was on the hill beyond this forest. She was the only one who didn¡¯t hate me, when I could do nothing but imitate the image of others. I didn¡¯t remember thest time I saw her, but her warmth was still vivid. I wouldn¡¯t let these intruders make it through this forest to ruin her happiness.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    One of the humans spoke a familiar technique. It was the same technique used by my original master. It wasn¡¯t hard to cope with. I also used the same technique. I was much faster at using the technique than the human, so it was a simple matter.


    However.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The human¡¯s movements changed in the middle. The footwork suddenly changed from Kill to Link.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    ¡°Link!¡±


    The man dodged Kill and fired dozens of energy des.


    Pit!Pipipipipit!


    I couldn¡¯t deal with the dozens of energy des alone. In other words, blood spurted from the body of Pagma¡¯s doppelganger. One fifth of my health gauge was lost at once. The human was excited after seeding in the attack.


    ¡°How is it? You were tricked? Isn¡¯t it amazing? Eh?¡±


    Grid. It was his 83rd showdown with the doppelganger. He changed sword techniques in the middle, and had now be a clever warrior. A brave warrior.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Piaro praised him. Piaro truly felt admiration.


    ¡®The journey from Patrian to Reidan...¡¯


    Piaro had seen that Grid¡¯s talent was already facing limitations. Grid was so clueless that he was deemed virtually impossible to teach. But now there was a good teaching material. That¡¯s right, it was Pagma¡¯s doppelganger. Pagma¡¯s abilities might not bepletely copied, but the doppelganger was far superior to Grid.


    Piaro gave directions to Grid. As the battle with the doppelganger continued, Grid gained enlightenment and grew.


    ¡®The mentor gives their student a glimpse of the bowl, a good opponent strips off the limits, and an ideal opponent makes them forget about the limits.¡¯


    Those were his master¡¯s words. An ideal opponent. Piaro also wanted to find it. Just like the current Grid.


    ¡°Grr...!¡±


    Pagma¡¯s doppelganger made a sound. He emitted an immensely strong killing intent. He showed extreme survival instincts now that his life was in danger.


    ¡°From now on, it is the real battle. Duke Grid, I wish you the best.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After receiving Piaro¡¯s encouragement, Grid stepped forward with confidence. The doppelganger aimed an entirely new technique at him.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, it was made up of skills that dealt additional damage in proportion to physical damage. In addition, most of them were non-targeted skills and often missed. But Pinnacle was different. It was a targeted skill and had an additional option of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense. The range of movement was proportional to the length of the weapon.


    Kwachak!


    It was the culmination. It was an attack that was impossible for Grid to respond to.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Holy Light Armor. It was the ultimate armor made by the legendary cksmith Pagma out of the god mineral, adamantium. But it couldn¡¯t boast aplete defense in front of Pinnacle. Grid fell down while Piaro was amazed by the manifestation of an amazing sword technique.


    ¡®Pagma! The more I see your swordsmanship, the more I want to meet you, not the fake ones...!¡¯


    A cksmith, but also a master of the sword. The sword technique that could separate the sky and the mountains. Indeed, the best swordsman after Sword Saint Muller...


    ¡®They are stronger than my current self!¡¯


    Piaro resented that he was born in this age. Why couldn¡¯t he be born in the same time as Muller and Pagma? If he had lived under the same sky as them, he would¡¯ve been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them eventually.


    However, there were no such people in the present age. He was alone and stagnant. The moment that Piaro wasmenting this,


    ¡°...Kuk, okay.¡± A pale green light shed around Grid¡¯s bloody body. ¡°It was good that I managed to wear Doran¡¯s Ring in advance.¡±


    Grid said as he got up. His appearance was normal. The huge wound on Grid¡¯s chest disappeared without a trace, and there were no other signs of injuries. The power of items. The healing of Doran¡¯s Ring was amplified by the Holy Light Armor,pletely restoring Grid¡¯s health.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Piaro was shaken. Even a legendary Saintess couldn¡¯tpletely heal a dying person all at once, let alone Grid, who wasn¡¯t a Saintess.


    Ttuduk!Ttududuk!


    Grid stretched his body. He prepared for a new strike.


    "I can learn it as well.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship usually consisted of three to seven steps of footwork. It was extremely simple, but it was possible to unfold the ultimate swordsmanship with this simplicity. It was difficult to imitate Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, and it was impossible to activate even if it was imitated.


    But it was possible for Grid. He could make Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship his own, just by looking. How was it possible when he had no talent?


    The reason was simple. He was Pagma¡¯s Descendant. For that reason alone, Grid had managed to learn Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship after looking at the murals. But now there was a person to teach him the forms of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship directly. It was optimal.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Teong!


    The heavy weight of Grid¡¯s boots shook the ground. Grid expressed the essence of a warrior god with this sword technique.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    [You have learned a new skill.]


    [Pinnacle Lv. 1]


    A sword that expresses the essence of a warrior god.


    Deals 700% of your attack power to a single target. This skill will ignore 60% of the target¡¯s armor.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 750


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.


    It was an intermediate skill between Kill and Link. It also consumed much less mana and had a shorter cooldown than Kill. The important thing was that it was a targeted skill, unlike Link or Kill. If this skill had been recorded in the murals at Loran Falls, the past Grid would¡¯ve found it much easier to raise his level.


    Kuoooh!


    Failure moved in a half moon shape. The sh covered Pagma¡¯s doppelganger. But the doppelganger was already prepared.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    A counterattack used at the perfect timing. Pinnacle was caught by the vortex and returned to Grid. The energy de faced Grid. Could he afford to endure this attack now that Doran¡¯s Ring was on cooldown?


    No.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    [Revolve Lv. 1]


    Like the eye of a storm, it is calm and powerful.


    It will return all attacks that hit it within 0.5 seconds of casting with 100% of the power.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 minutes.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Overgeared members were exhausted after fighting the doppelganger while Grid was resting. Their eyes watching the battlefield became wide with shock. Piaro was the same.


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    Everyone was shocked. Yesterday and today, Grid¡¯s control abilities had made a breakthrough, but they didn¡¯t think it was at the level of counterattacking at the perfect timing.


    Counterattacking was a difficult technique to do. It was necessary to use the technique in the right ce and at the right time to neutralize the enemy¡¯s attack. It was a technique that wasn¡¯t easy to use without making a lot of effort.


    But Grid had seeded. He reacted to a counterattack with a counterattack. This meant he had predicted the behavior of the enemy. Grid¡¯s growth level exceeded everyone¡¯s predicted range.


    Seokeok!


    [The +9 Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ to be generated.]


    [The +9 Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 1,375,900 damage to the target.]


    The doppelganger¡¯s right arm was cut off. The jade sword was separated from its master and fell to the ground. Grid¡¯s eyes became sharper than ever.


    ¡®If you catch a chance at victory, link the attack!¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s cry that he heard yesterday rang loudly in his ears.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    As the doppelganger was struggling with losing one arm and his sword, Grid used a skill. It was a skill that surpassed Transcended Link. Linked Kill.


    Kwachak!


    A shark, the predator that ruled the world¡¯s oceans for 415 million years! Failure tore at the body of the doppelganger in session. One time! Two times! Three times! Four times! Five times! Six times! Seven times!


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [All of your stamina has been depleted due to the maximum number of Linked Kill blows being triggered.]


    [Your stamina will fall to 0 and you can¡¯t move.]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision blurred. He tried to hold on but eventually copsed like a puppet whose strings were cut. Then notification windows appeared in his vision.


    [You have defeated the Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest that has existed for 153 years.]


    [8,450,109 experience has been acquired.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 6,300 gold.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Guardian¡¯s Ne.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Guardian¡¯s Bracelet.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 13 weapon enhancement stones..]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 15 armor enhancement stones..]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 4 blessed weapon enhancement stones..]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 6 blessed armor enhancement stones..]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°Hah... Haha...¡±


    When he checked the time, he had been fighting for 23 hours and 21 minutes. In the meantime, Grid had been defeated 82 times and the Overgeared members had tasted at least 10 defeats. But in the end, the battle was their victory.


    Gridughed. He couldn¡¯t lift a finger, so he justy on the cold dirt floor andughed. He had gone beyond his limits, so an unexined pleasure gripped him. The Overgeared members ran to him.


    "My Lord! Great!¡±


    ¡°Grid! You were really cool!¡±


    ¡°Grid! You are such a great guy! Hahat! Puhahahat!¡±


    Laughter echoed in the Mysterious Forest, which had been filled with screams for a long time. Pagma¡¯s doppelganger couldn¡¯t help smiling as he heard it.


    Memories of the past came to mind. The pureughter in her childhood. The sharpughter when she was a girl. The tenderughter when she was a youngdy...


    "...¡±


    His vision darkened. He couldn¡¯t think anymore. Then the voices of the humans were heard.


    ¡°Eh? He isn¡¯t dead? He¡¯s squirming?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s lost the cloned appearance, but the nucleus of the body is still alive. However, it might as well be dead because there is a huge degeneration in both abilities and intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Should we kill him?¡±


    ¡°Considering the tendencies of a doppelganger, I think it¡¯s worth exploring him. Let him recover.¡±


    The doppelganger became like a melted tire and didn¡¯t move.


    On the other hand, Piaro had the shivers. He once again realized after witnessing Grid¡¯s power. He might not be born under the same sky as Muller or Pagma, but he was under the same sky as Pagma¡¯s power.


    ¡®It is you.¡¯


    The person who would lead him to the realm of a sword saint.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234


    After restoring the proper amount of stamina. Grid barely managed to sit up on a t piece of rock. He noticed the eyes of the Overgeared members looking at him.


    ¡®The atmosphere has changed.¡¯


    Was it because he overcame this big trial by surpassing his limit several times over? Grid felt like he had achieved excellent personal growth. Grid shared the item information with the Overgeared members.


    [Guardian¡¯s Ne]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 23/23 Defense: 35


    * Indomitable +30


    * When the set is worn: Defense +100


    * When the set is worn: Indomitable +50


    A ne manifested by the Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest.


    It gives the wearer a strong willpower and defense.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher.


    Weight: 15


    [Guardian¡¯s Bracelet]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 21/21 Defense: 37


    * Indomitable +30


    * When the set is worn: Defense +100


    * When the set is worn: Indomitable +50


    A bracelet manifested by the Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest.


    It gives the wearer a strong willpower and defense.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher.


    Weight: 11


    "Oh, it¡¯ a magic essory?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Defense is attached to an essory?¡±


    Most essories didn¡¯t have much defense. For example, while Doran¡¯s Ring could exert tremendous healing ability equivalent to a legendary rating, it didn¡¯t give even one point of defense. On the other hand, the Guardian¡¯s Ne and Bracelet both had extremely high defense.


    ¡®With the set effect, they increase defense by 172 points...¡¯


    It wasparable to a level 300 heavy gauntlets or heavy boots of the normal rating. It was amazing that these two essories gave such high defense. However, the members weren¡¯t happy.


    ¡°Just high defense? They don¡¯t have any options.¡±


    ¡°Yes. An essory should at least have some attribute resistance.¡±


    ¡°I need essories that decrease cooldown time.¡±


    "It raises the indomitable stat, but the stat itself isn¡¯t all that great.¡±


    [Indomitable]


    Has a certain probability of invalidating a portion of the iing damage. The lower the health, the higher the probability.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    ording to the stated description, Indomitable was a very useful special stat. In particr, it was an essential stat for tankers. However, because the probability of the stat¡¯s effect being activated was extremely low, people treated ¡®indomitable¡¯ as a trash stat.


    Grid was more familiar with this than anyone else.


    ¡®The indomitable stat really is trash.¡¯


    Grid currently had close to 900 points in Indomitable. Despite this fact, he never experienced the indomitable effect. These were the only essories that a strong boss monster dropped? The Overgeared members were disappointed.


    But Grid was different.


    "If you guys don¡¯t mind, I would like to use these essories.¡±


    After he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Grid had been self-sufficient regarding items through production and raids. However, essories weren¡¯t an area that cksmiths could produce and because boss monsters didn¡¯t often drop them, Grid didn¡¯t have any.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t find someone who could handle the purple orichalcum...¡¯


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, he was grateful even for the Guardian essory set. The Overgeared members unconditionally agreed to Grid¡¯s request.


    ¡°Grid, you should do what you want.¡±


    ¡°You are the first ce in this raid. It is natural for you to have what you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid expressed his gratitude and shared the information of the greatsword.


    [Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 731/731 Attack Power: 780~1,516


    Attack Speed: -6%


    * Ignores 20% of the enemy¡¯s defense.


    * Increases the power of attack skills by 20%.


    A greatsword that the Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest copied.


    It imitated the work of the legendary cksmith Pagma, but the resemnce is only in the appearance. The power isn¡¯tparable to Pagma¡¯s works.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher. More than 2,010 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Weight: 3,955


    ¡°Wow...!¡±


    ¡°It is terrific!¡±


    It was overwhelming performance. The Overgeared members let out sounds of admiration. Grid was also impressed.


    ¡®It is at this level, despite not beingparable to Pagma¡¯s work?¡¯


    The damage was slightly less than the unique rated Failure, but the options of the greatsword showed other advantages. In particr, the 20% increase in attack skills damage captivated Grid¡¯s heart.


    ¡®If I use this greatsword, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship will be greatly strengthened...¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a weapon good enough to rece Failure. It meant it wasn¡¯t suitable for Grid to use. The Overgeared members were also simr.


    "It is a pity that it¡¯s a greatsword.¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if it was a one-handed weapon...¡±


    No one used the greatsword as a weapon among the Overgeared members. Beast Master Toon could handle a greatsword, but his primary weapon was a wrist de. Both Grid and the Overgeared members felt regret.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try challenging the two sword style?¡± Lauel suggested.


    ¡°Two sword style? Dual swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Some swordsmen sses acquired a passive skill called the ¡®Two Sword Style¡¯, where they used two swords instead of a shield and boasted powerful attacks and dazzling attack orbits.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the skill called Two Sword Style... But it shouldn¡¯t be a problem?¡±


    As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid could handle all weapons regardless of whether he had the required weapon mastery skill. The Overgeared members knew this fact. However, Grid thought negatively.


    "How can I do dual swordsmanship with a greatsword...¡±


    The weight wasn¡¯t a problem. Grid¡¯s strength stat was unrivaled. Failure was light by default, but he could swing the rtively heavy Doppelganger¡¯s Greatword with one hand. But there was a problem. Both Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword had a length of 2m. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to wield two weapons longer than his height at the same time.


    Lauel persuaded Grid.


    ¡°Your control skills have increased by leaps and bounds during this raid. It is more than you can imagine yourself. I am confident that if you try hard and don¡¯t give up, I am convinced that you can do it. Besides, don¡¯t you have a great mentor?¡±


    Lauel pointed towards Piaro and said,


    "Toon uses two wrist des and Piaro is the strongest swordsman. If you study with them, won¡¯t you be able to master the Two Sword Style someday?¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Certainly, it was a tempting suggestion. The Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword increased basic damage and skills damage. By taking advantage of the two weapons and using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, he would be able to achieve a much higher attack power.


    ¡®I want to challenge it.¡¯


    His blood was boiling. But there was a problem. The Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was an item obtained in a raid group with the Overgeared members. He couldn¡¯t take all the items alone.


    Grid hesitated.


    ¡°Do as Lauel says.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It is a good idea. Grid, can¡¯t you use any weapon without limit? You should take advantage of this advantage.¡±


    "You will raise your defense with the essories, so it¡¯s ideal if you can increase your attack power.¡±


    ¡°Everyone...¡±


    They were generously giving it to me. Were they doing him a favor? The Grid in the past would¡¯ve giggled and epted it without any conflicts. But now he was different. He had something called a conscience.


    The Overgeared members encouraged him when he hesitated.


    "In the first ce, you are the only one who can use a greatsword. Should we sell it to others for money? Absolutely not. I don¡¯t want a ranker getting their hands on a powerful weapon.¡±


    "That¡¯s right, should we raise a rival with our own hands?¡±


    ¡°In addition, we owe a lot to Grid.¡±


    After he became the master of the Overgeared Guild. Grid produced the guild members¡¯ items for free. He thought it was something he should do as the guild master. He was always thankful to the Overgeared members.


    Now that favor was returning to him.


    ¡°Thank you...!¡±


    The Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was worth at least three million gold. Grid was thrilled by the Overgeared members¡¯ actions.


    ***


    ¡°It is extremely difficult to adapt to using two swords in a short period of time. In particr, it is theoretically impossible to master dual wielding with greatswords.


    ¡°Do you mean I should give up?¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. It is possible to ovee it with Pagma¡¯s power. But it will take time. First of all, don¡¯t fret. I will try to train you so that you can use dual swords with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members passed through the Mysterious Forest and climbed the mountain. It was to search for the presence of a mine. While they were moving, Grid discussed how to dual wield with Piaro.


    Huroi was walking ahead and he shouted.


    ¡°There is a small cabin on the slopes of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°A cabin?¡±


    A person lived in a dangerous area where no one could enter because of the doppelganger? Grid and the Overgeared members were curious but didn¡¯t forget their boundaries. They knocked on the door of the cabin.


    ¡°Is anyone here?¡±


    "...¡±


    There was no answer. There were also no sounds.


    ¡°Should we enter?¡±


    Vantner wasn¡¯t sure if there was andlord present, but he opened the old door. Then the smell of mold tormented the group.


    "This house has been neglected for at least a decade.¡±


    Grid¡¯s group started to search the house. However, there was nothing in the house except for a small bed and desk.


    ¡°Huh? What is this?¡±


    Vantner discovered an old storage box. It was made of birch and locked like a treasure chest. What was inside? Vantner was curious and tried to break the box. But the system rejected it.


    [Nothing happened.]


    ¡°This... It looks like we need a key to open the box?¡±


    "Leave it to me."


    Grid came forward. He pulled out his ¡®Master Key.¡¯


    Clink.


    The rusty lock was opened with no resistance.


    ¡°This...?¡±


    There was a small book in the storage box. Grid opened it.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235


    There was a small book kept in a firmly locked box. It was someone¡¯s diary. The first few chapters were filled with crooked letters like a child had written it.


    Summer, Year 259 of the Kingdom.


    I met a child who looked exactly like me in the forest on the way out of the vige.


    The person said hello! I also smiled and greeted the child.


    "Year 259...¡±


    "146 years ago."


    It was a diary from a long time ago. It was remarkably well preserved without anything being erased. Grid turned to the next chapter.


    Winter, Year 259 of the Kingdom.


    I went to the forest for the first time in a while.


    The child who looked exactly like me was wearing summer clothes. I took off my hat and scarf and gave it to the child, whoughed.


    Winter, Year 259 of the Kingdom.


    I told my dad about the child in the forest.


    My dad became angry. He said the child was a dangerous monster. He told me not to meet the child again.


    ¡°The child in this diary is the doppelganger?¡±


    "Indeed."


    Not all monsters were aggressive. There were monsters that attacked humans first, and those that didn¡¯t. The Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest seemed to be a gentle monster in the past.


    ¡®If this guy was like this, why did he attack us first?¡¯


    Grid and the Overgeared members had questions.


    Spring, Year 260 of the Kingdom.


    Dad said that child in the forest was dangerous, but he didn¡¯t know.


    I went to see her again.


    The child treasured the hat and scarf that I gave her.


    ¡°Hello!¡± I greeted her. She replied with those words.


    We promised to be friends.


    Spring, Year 260 of the Kingdom.


    I named my friend Randy. My name is Wendy and together, we¡¯ll look like sisters.


    Autumn, Year 260 of the Kingdom.


    Randy now speaks very well. She can follow everything that I say.


    My good friend is smart.


    Winter, Year 260 of the Kingdom.


    I yed with Randy every day and was caught by my dad. Dad took out his bow, stating that he was going to kick Randy out.


    I was scared and followed.


    My dad saw Randy¡¯s greeting and couldn¡¯t shoot the bow. Thank god.


    Summer, Year 261 of the Kingdom.


    My dad taught Randy how to use the bow. Now Randy is better at hunting than Dad.


    Thanks to Randy, my family never goes hungry.


    Thank you Randy.


    But I like rabbit meat more than boar meat.


    The days in the diary flowed quickly. The young girl called Wendy spent her days pleasantly. Her father and her friend Randy gave her new experiences every day. The feelings conveyed from the diary were happy, so the hearts of Grid and the Overgeared members became warm.


    Unfortunately, the contents of the diary started to enter a new phase. It was when Wendy¡¯s handwriting started to mature.


    Spring, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    There seems to be an amazing mine behind our house. The vigers gathered together to check it, before saying that they should report it to the lord of Reidan.


    Spring, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    The lord visited with dozens of knights. He told my dad to guide him to the mine.


    The sight of the lord watching me was somewhat unpleasant.


    Summer, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    Oh my god!


    A gentleman more beautiful than me came to the mine. His dignified manner and fine skin was like a prince from a fairy tale.


    The prince was concerned.


    ¡°The minds of humans are still too immature to bear this mineral.¡±


    ¡°Is she talking about Pagma?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡±


    Grid was sure of it after reading the contents of the diary. As Rabbit guessed, there was a mine in this mountain, and the mineral there was so huge that Pagma had to pay attention to it.


    ¡®Yellow mithril.¡¯


    Grid kept reading the diary.


    Autumn, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    The lord dered that he would develop the mine. Then he ordered me to pour him a drink.


    As I was serving him, the lord kept touching my hips.


    I was ufortable, but refrained because he was the lord.


    Autumn, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    The lord said he would make me his concubine.


    What is a concubine?


    When I asked my father what that meant, he just shed tears.


    Autumn, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    The vigers told me. There were one or two women who went to be the lord¡¯s concubines, but they were all treated as ythings.


    Everyone is worried about me.


    Scary...


    Winter, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    I exined the matter to Randy, stating that I would need to leave home soon to be the lord¡¯s concubine.


    I don¡¯t want to leave my father and Randy.


    I cried loudly and Randy patted my back.


    Randy is always nice. Winter with Randy wasn¡¯t too cold.


    Winter, Year 270 of the Kingdom.


    It¡¯s serious.


    The lord tried to visit the mine, but was attacked by a monster in the Mysterious Forest.


    The identity of a monster is a doppelganger.


    Randy...


    Spring, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    I heard that the angry lord organized an army to kill Randy.


    I¡¯m worried about Randy and can¡¯t sleep.


    Spring, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    As soon as dawn came, I went to Randy.


    Randy¡¯s appearance was different.


    She looked exactly the same as one of the lord¡¯s knights.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. I will protect Wendy.¡±


    Randy shouted at me to run away.


    No matter how I tried to persuade her, Randy wouldn¡¯t step back.


    What if Randy was hurt?


    I was afraid and sad.


    "Since then...¡±


    In order to defend the girl called Wendy, the gentle doppelganger started attacking anyone who invaded the forest. He had been fighting for 100 years.


    "The Guardian essories were made by the doppelganger for this.¡±


    What happened to Wendy in the end? Then how did the doppelganger take on Pagma¡¯s appearance? Grid and the Overgeared members became immersed in the diary.


    Spring, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    It¡¯s said that Randy defeated the army sent by the lord by herself.


    It¡¯s scary that many people died. But Randy was unharmed, so I was happy.


    I went to Randy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect Wendy. Don¡¯t worry, Wendy, don¡¯t worry."


    Randy repeatedly said the same thing while bleeding.


    She was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t get up properly.


    I had been saving up herbs to treat Randy.


    But Randy was impervious to the effects of the herbs.


    I will be with Randy tonight to look after her.


    Spring, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    A few dayster, Randy¡¯s wounds haven¡¯t healed.


    ording to rumors, the lord is preparing a new army.


    Please... Somebody please help Randy.


    Summer, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    I was leaning on Randy¡¯s shoulders.


    "Your killing originates from a noble heart.¡±


    The prince I sawst year appeared.


    Despite Randy swinging the sword, the prince hammered at her.


    No!


    I yelled, but the prince didn¡¯t stop. Randy¡¯s body kept being hit.


    Then something strange happened.


    Randy¡¯s wounds became better.


    "Is this the concept of repair? The material that makes up the body of a doppelganger can be called a metal.¡± Lauel asked.


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    It seemed like he could do it as well. Grid thought before turning to the next chapter.


    Summer, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    "This world is full of danger. Humans are threatened by monsters and are busy fighting among themselves, while the demons underground are helped by the Yatan Church.¡±


    The prince who called himself Pagma said difficult words.


    He smiled at me while patting Randy¡¯s head.


    "There is a bnce to be kept. If the present day Eternal Kingdom has the power to threaten the empire, it would cause great confusion. I will give you the right to use some of my strength, so you must defend this forest thoroughly. The consequence of that will result in Wendy¡¯s safety.¡±


    "...¡±


    Randy was smarter than me. Unlike me, Randy understood the words and nodded.


    Then on this day. Randy¡¯s appearance changed into that of the beautiful prince.


    Summer, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    Randy defeated the lord¡¯s army.


    This time, Randy wasn¡¯t seriously injured.


    Thank god. But I was worried.


    Randy¡¯s atmosphere changed.


    The warmth of his eyes felt a bit cold.


    Winter, Year 271 of the Kingdom.


    Randy continued to fight for thest few months. The lord hired mercenaries after the army couldn¡¯t defeat Randy.


    Randy warned me when I visited him.


    "Don¡¯te here anymore. Wendy should stay with your dad.¡±


    ¡®Why...?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends? Why are you rejecting me?¡±


    I asked him and Randy exined.


    ¡°I¡¯m able to easily kill humans. And Wendy is a human. I... I¡¯m scared.¡±


    Randy looked lonely. My heart hurts.


    Spring, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    I visited Randy today.


    Randy acted as usual.


    He told me to ¡®Go back¡¯ and then fell silent. He didn¡¯t respond to any of my stories.


    I¡¯m sorry and scared. More than anything, I am sorry.


    Summer, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    Randy has killed many people.


    ¡®Are you okay?¡¯


    There was no answer from Randy. Now he didn¡¯t even look at me. He just looked into the distance. He¡¯s changing more and more.


    Because of me...


    Winter, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    My dad went to the vige to sell leather and hasn¡¯t returned for several days. I tried to visit the vige, but Randy blocked my way.


    He still didn¡¯t speak.


    Winter, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    I have to go to the vige today!


    I yelled at Randy.


    I spoke harshly when I said it wasn¡¯t necessary for him to protect me.


    Then Randy opened the way.


    In retrospect, Randy looked very sad.


    Winter, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    I arrived in the vige and heard shocking news.


    My dad was arrested by the lord.


    His crime was conspiring with the doppelganger.


    The lord found out that my dad and I were close to Randy.


    It¡¯s all my fault.


    The sweet and pure Randy became covered in blood and my dad was suffering...


    All my fault.


    Winter, Year 272 of the Kingdom.


    The lord promised to release my father. Instead, I would be his concubine.


    I have no other options.


    Spring, Year 273 of the Kingdom.


    I met Randyst night.


    I couldn¡¯t bear to tell him, who was trying to protect me, that I was leaving.


    Thank you, I¡¯m sorry. And I can only say that I love you.


    Now I am leaving this house. I will never be able toe back. However, I lied and told Randy I would be back after a while.


    Today will be myst diary entry.


    ¡°...Poor Randy!¡±


    Vantner burst into tears. Unlike his rough appearance, he was very sensitive. Therefore, tears and snot were running down his face.


    ¡°Shit! Poor Randy! He struggled to protect Wendy, but in the end he couldn¡¯t protect her! He didn¡¯t even know that he couldn¡¯t protect Wendy. Until now! For over 100 years, he has been waiting for Wendy toe back!¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members were solemn. They didn¡¯t know the circumstances of the doppelganger and just thought he was a bad guy. Grid saw their depressed expressions and smiled.


    "Even if it wasn¡¯t us, someday someone else would¡¯ve done the same thing. It¡¯s fortunate that we know how Randy was feeling due to this book.¡±


    It was a maturement that they couldn¡¯t believe.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    ¡°My Lord...¡±


    The Overgeared membersforted by Grid were impressed. They felt genuine respect for the ever-changing and growing Grid. Grid turned to the ¡®realst chapter¡¯ of the diary.


    Summer, Year 286 of the Kingdom.


    The lord abandoned me.


    My soul and body that have be rags have finally found freedom.


    The Mysterious Forest that I hadn¡¯t returned to in 13 years.


    Randy was waiting for me, looking just like he did in the past.


    Randy...


    There were so many words I wanted to say. I wanted to express my pain. But I didn¡¯t want Randy¡¯s heart to hurt, so I smiled as brightly as possible.


    I¡¯m back.


    In thest chapter of the diary, small traces of blood could be seen. It seemed like Wendy became sick while living the lonely life of the lord¡¯s concubine.


    ¡°She died shortly after returning home. The doppelganger must not understand that humans have a different life-span and had been waiting until this day.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid closed the diary.


    Then a notification window popped up.


    [You have learned a little more about the person called Pagma.]


    [There is a bond with Pagma. The growth rate of your skills will increase.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The legendary skills had the disadvantage that their effect and power were excellent, but the growth speed was slow. This would ovee that shoring. Grid was delighted by the unexpected harvest when the notification windows were renewed.


    [You have discovered the story of the Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest.]


    [The Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest that fell by your hands is now different from the past. Its intelligence, physical abilities and most of its memories have been degraded. But if you call it Randy, it will be delighted and follow you.]


    This was an opportunity to get a new pet. Grid couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡®I will be your new friend.¡¯


    Ttalkak.


    Grid decided to put the diary back in its ce. Then he ordered the Overgeared members.


    "After confirming the mine, I will collect the doppelganger and return.¡±


    It was an expedition where he could obtain many things.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236


    Grid and the Overgeared members returned.


    It took four days, which was twice as long as the nned schedule. Rabbit came out and met them.


    ¡°I was worried since you werete.¡±


    Vantner grumbled, "As part of training, we defeated all of the monsters on the way and back from the destination.¡±


    Grid received the grumbles andughed. "We¡¯ve be a lot stronger thanks to that.¡±


    It was true.


    During the past four days, they constantly hunted as well as raided the doppelganger. Therefore, the Overgeared members made tremendous progress. It wasn¡¯t just increasing their levels and items. Their control and ability to cooperate with each other had increased dramatically. It was thanks to Piaro¡¯s teachings, who was an expert in tactics as well as swordsmanship.


    Rabbit spoke bitterly, "Please stick to the schedule in the future. There will be a big loss if the schedule is out of order.¡±


    Grid listened to him. He and the Overgeared members all had important positions in Reidan. It was too much to dy them with him. Grid carved that advice into himself.


    ¡°I will be careful.¡±


    ¡®He has be more mature.¡¯


    Rabbit smiled as he perceived the new changes in Grid."Anyway, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine. What was the result?¡±


    Did a mine really exist in Alzar Mountain?


    If there was a mine, was it really a yellow mithril mine? Rabbit was full of expectations, and Grid didn¡¯t disappoint him.


    "The mine was secured. As you guessed, it¡¯s a yellow mithril mine.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Yellow mithril had appeared in the history of alchemy hundreds of years ago. None of the present day people had witnessed yellow mithril. Now Reidan obtained a monopoly on yellow mithril. It was a feat that even the empire, which upied more than half of the territory on the continent, had failed at.


    The resulting ripple effect would be huge.


    "You did a great job. Reidan¡¯s future has been obtained.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Reidan would be able to establish a unique position with alchemy. It was expected that there would be an explosive synergy with alchemy and the legendary cksmith.


    As a result, Reidan would be the Talima of the human world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the meeting room. We need to discuss mine development and the alchemy investment funds." Rabbit said excitedly, but Grid shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Discuss it with the Overgeared members and proceed on your own.¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    Rabbit already knew that Grid was deliberately avoiding his duties as a lord and didn¡¯t panic. He just felt relief for being trusted, and a burning motivation.


    ¡®I will do my best to make both of us rich.¡¯


    The decisive Rabbit moved to the meeting room with the Overgeared members. A small woman was left alone with Grid. A female with twin tailed blonde hair, it was Euphemina.


    "You seem to havepleted all the work well. Congrattions.¡±


    Euphemina was tired. It was natural, since she had been working without a break since returning from Frontier with Rabbit.


    ¡°Why did you call me? Do you have something else for me to do?¡±


    There were sharp points in Euphemina¡¯s words. It seemed that she wanted to hit him.


    Then Grid spoke some surprising words.


    ¡°Rest for the moment.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s eyes widened. She was confused by Grid¡¯s unexpected words.


    "I know that you¡¯ve been working harder than anyone else over the past few months. Haven¡¯t you gone through a lot since joining the guild? Take some time to recharge and get a good night¡¯s sleep. You can also raise your level, which you have been postponing.¡±


    "Is it okay?¡±


    Reidan was short-handedpared to the size of the city. In such a situation, it would be a big blow if an elite like Euphemina was to leave. Gridughed at her hesitance.


    ¡°Yes, Reidan is quite stable thanks to your work. The experts in each field have been trained, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Euphemina was moved.


    In retrospect, this was the first time Grid had been so kind to her. He was always chilly and awkward, so this attitude change felt like a reward for her hard work. But that good atmosphere didn¡¯tst for long.


    "I rmend the Siren Kingdom as the hunting ground. While you are there, you should get some of the Water n King¡¯s tears.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s intentions were revealed. Euphemina¡¯s expression cooled.


    "You want me to go to the Siren Kingdom and get the tears of the water n king?¡±


    The effect of the Water n King¡¯s Tears was unrivaled. It was a rare material that permanently gave magic to an item. But it was hard to find. Grid once again gave her a mission under the guise of a vacation.


    ¡¯How long must I be abused?¡¯


    Euphemina sighed. She was treated as a princess everywhere she went, but now she was just a worker? She felt skeptical about whether she really should¡¯ve joined the Overgeared Guild. Then Grid handed an item to her. It wasn¡¯t a robe or a cloak. It was a hooded zip up that could be seen in modern society.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Euphemina was puzzled by the unfamiliar item and asked Grid.


    ¡°A gift.¡±


    "What...?¡±


    Euphemina didn¡¯t show much of a response. She saw the Hooded Zip Up as just a decorative item. But she was shocked as soon as she confirmed the item information.


    ¡°I-Invisibility cloak?¡±


    Around 200 years ago, the legendary tailor Kruger made five invisibility cloaks, two of which still reportedly existed. But no one knew where to obtain them. Invisibility cloaks were a super rare system. Euphemina was thrilled by the gift.


    ¡°I will go to the Siren Kingdom!¡±


    Euphemina once again thought it was good that she joined Overgeared. Grid¡¯s mood improved as he saw her happiness.


    Give and take. The joy of a colleague was his joy. The growth of a colleague was his growth.


    Grid honestly thought so.


    ***


    Khan¡¯s smithy.


    Grid opened the pet inventory and pulled out the ¡®Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest.¡¯


    Crash.


    The liquid was reminiscent of molten metal and stretched over the floor without much effort. Grid pulled out his hammer.


    ¡®Repair it.¡¯


    In Wendy¡¯s diary, Pagma had repaired the doppelganger. On the basis of that, Pagma¡¯s Descendant should also be able to repair the doppelganger. Grid didn¡¯t doubt it. Then he started to repair the doppelganger with the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Repair skill Lv. 3.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    It wasn¡¯t easy to repair the doppelganger. He didn¡¯t know the repair method because he had no understanding of the structure of the body. He had no choice but to study it. Grid believed in himself. To be precise, he believed in the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Repair skill. He was sure the skill would lead him correctly.


    Then one hourter. Grid finally determined the core and hammered quickly.


    [Your dexterity has risen by 5.]


    [Your persistence has risen by 3.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Repair skill has reached level 4.]


    [The Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest has been restored!]


    The wee notification windows popped up as the doppelganger started to move. Now it had a slime like appearance. Grid confirmed the information window.


    Name: Not Set


    Species: Doppelganger


    Level: 1 (0/200)


    Affinity: 0/100


    Health: 1,200/1,200


    Physical Attack Power: 15 Magic Attack Power: 2


    Defense: 30 Magic Resistance: 6


    Attributes: Nothing


    Status: Confusion


    (Who am I...?)


    * A doppelganger that existed for over 150 years in the Mysterious Forest. It has umted wisdom through human rtions and has a lot ofbat experience.


    Above all, there is the power to copy the appearance and abilities of the legendary cksmith Pagma, so it isn¡¯tparable to normal doppelgangers.


    -Current Skills List-


    [Copy Lv. 10 (Mastered)]


    Can perfectly copy the appearance of a target with a lower level than it. The stats are only 80% copied. Only some skills (random) will be copied.


    It canpletely copy the appearance of a target on the same level as it. The stats are only 50% copied. Only some skills (random) will be copied.


    Can perfectly copy the appearance of a target with a higher level. The stats are only 20% copied. Only a small number of skills (random) will be copied.


    Perfectly copies the owner¡¯s appearance. The stats are only 30% copied. Only some skills (selected) will be copied.


    [Language Ability Lv. 1]


    Thenguage ability is at the level of a five year old child.


    [Half Immortality (Passive)]


    Somewhere in the doppelganger¡¯s body, there is a core of life energy. The doppelganger won¡¯t die unless this core ispletely destroyed.


    ¡¯Wonderful.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled. The basic stats of the doppelganger at level one were very lowpared to Noe, but the Copy skill was excellent. Grid could use it as a clone that demonstrated 30% of his stats.


    ¡®I have to take care to raise its level.¡¯


    Grid set a policy to treat the doppelganger differently from Noe. If Noe knew, he would be jealous.


    ¡°Wh...o?¡± The doppelganger was confused. ¡°Who am I...? You... Who?¡±


    Grid kindly exined to the doppelganger who was asking questions. ¡°Your name is Randy. And I am Grid. We are friends.¡±


    ¡°Ran...dy. Frie...nds.¡±


    Was it a remainder of the lost memories? The doppelganger slowly changed to look like a five or six year old girl. She had orange hair and was very cute. She would be beautiful when she was older.


    ¡®This child is Wendy.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened. He feltpassion for Randy and Wendy¡¯s unhappy life.


    ¡°Randy. Good name. Friend. Good."


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it.¡±


    Randy smiled very brightly. Grid couldn¡¯t help stroking her hair.


    ¡®There might¡¯ve been a sad ending in your past life, but this life will be different.¡¯


    Grid decided. He aimed to give Randy happiness.


    ¡°Next...¡±


    He needed to strengthen the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword and Grid¡¯s Boots in turn. Grid took out arge amount of enhancement stones that the Overgeared members had conceded to him.


    ¡¯After this preparation, I¡¯ll get revenge for Piaro.¡¯


    It was the moment when a new legend in the history of the Saharan Empire would soon be recorded.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237


    Grid had a lot of experience with items enhancement. Grid had done a lot of enhancementpared to the other users of Satisfy. Grid took advantage of his passive skill that ¡®increased the probability of enhancement¡¯ to enhance the guild members¡¯ items.


    ¡®There¡¯s no trick to enhancement.¡¯


    Enhancement wasn¡¯t affected by stats such as dexterity. Superstitions such as enhancing at certain times, or repairing the item first before enhancement were useless. The sess was purely based on luck. It was a truth he had learned from countless enhancements.


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    Grid looked at the dozens of enhancement stones in his inventory. He was extremely nervous. He was more nervous than when he went to see his first love, Ahyoung.


    ¡®I need either the greatsword or the boots to reach at least +7...¡¯


    Would he be sessful? Would his hair loss return if he received damage from this? It was a matter of money, so he was bound to be more sensitive. God, Buddha, goddess Reba, etc. Grid prayed earnestly to the gods that existed in the game and reality, then started the enhancement with trembling hands.


    ***


    The discussion on the mine development and alchemy investment funding was over. The results were positive because Lauel and Rabbit were in agreement. However, the Overgeared members who left the meeting room weren¡¯t happy.


    "We¡¯re going to suffer over the next few months.¡± Vantner grumbled.


    He had a mission to destroy the monsters around the path from Reidan to Alzar Mountain. Wouldn¡¯t the monsters just respawn if they were killed? At least 10 giant worm nests needed to be destroyed.


    The 17 Overgeared members working with Vantner sighed. But Pon envied them.


    ¡¯It¡¯s better than me...¡¯


    Pon wasmanded to identity all the dungeons and boss monsters in the west. It was a mission to investigate which hunting ground would give them the most money. He was in charge, since it was a highly difficult mission.


    Regas, who received the mission with him, smiled and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s interesting. Let¡¯s take this opportunity to challenge a two person raid.¡± It was Regas¡¯ dream to grow stronger through struggling. Pon had to be with this ignorant guy whose brain was made up of muscles. He could see a rocky path in front of him.


    Lauel encouraged them.


    ¡°Our roles are important while Grid is away. Let¡¯s take responsibility by raising our levels and developing the city.¡±


    ¡°Grid is going to the Saharan Empire?¡±


    "Yes, he says there is an important quest from Piaro.¡±


    ¡°The empire... I hope that Grid doesn¡¯t encounter any bumps in the road.¡±


    The world was wide and there were a lot of monsters. And most of the monsters were in the empire.


    ***


    The spacious fields of Reidan.


    Piaro was standing where wheat had started to grow. Looking at his sweaty appearance, he really was like a farmer. Then nd and the workers saw a wee face.


    ¡°Duke Grid ising here.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of all the workers turned to one side at once. It was really the lord.


    People cheered.


    "Hooray Duke Grid! Hooray Duke Grid!¡±


    The people of Reidan had one mindset. They cheered every time they saw Grid. It wasn¡¯t because someone forced them. The people were just absolutely loyal to Grid.


    "The enhancement was good.¡±


    A blue energy was rising like a haze from Grid¡¯s boots. Grid¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t because Piaro noticed quickly. He was able to strengthen both the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword and Grid¡¯s Boots to +8.


    He was lucky. In this event, his knowledge of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased, he got a doppelganger for a pet, and he found a yellow mithril mine. Everything was going well.


    Grid wanted to maintain this momentum.


    ¡°I think that now is the time to get your revenge. I will head to the empire.¡±


    His eyes were determined. Piaro felt a strong trust in Grid.


    ¡°I believe you can get the job done.¡±


    [A quest has been created.]


    [The True Traitor of the Red Knights]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Asmophel dared to rendezvous with the empress and was caught by Piaro. Piaro and his men were framed and branded as traitors.


    Due to that, he lost his men and had to flee. Now Piaro has no intention of forgiving Asmophel.


    However, it is virtually impossible for Piaro to get revenge himself.


    Piaro has made you his agent of revenge.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill Asmophel, the former vice captain of the Red Knights.


    Quest Reward: Piaro¡¯s affinity will reach the peak.


    Quest Failure: Level -6.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡®It has changed in many ways.¡¯


    In the past when Grid was a beginner, the level of difficulty for this quest was S-grade. And the quest rewards were the title of ¡®Agent of Revenge¡¯ and Piaro¡¯s sword. Now the difficulty had been raised and the rewards changed.


    It was a phenomenon that urred when his rtionship with Piaro improved and Piaro¡¯s heart stabilized.


    ¡®What will happen if my affinity with Piaro reaches the maximum?¡¯


    Was it possible he would teach Grid his sword techniques?


    ¡®That won¡¯t happen.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s swordsmanship belonged to his family. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to teach others. Grid thought about it differently.


    ¡®Will he be my subordinate?¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s power was beyond imagination. If Grid could obtain Piaro as a subordinate, it would be like obtaining a group of men. Grid was filled with great expectations and epted the quest.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    Piaro saw his confidence and warned him. "I¡¯ve said it before, but the empire is full of strong people. The process to approach Asmophel was difficult, so be cautious.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Grid answered well, but he wasn¡¯t particrly nervous. Piaro spoke again. "Don¡¯t trust your techniques. The two sword technique isn¡¯t something that can bepletely handled with such a short amount of training.¡±


    Grid had practiced dual wielding on the way back from the doppelganger raid. Grid nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know.¡±


    Grid replied like this, but his inner intentions were different.


    ¡®Right now I¡¯mcking, but that will change over time.¡¯


    His destination was the capital of the empire, Titan. It would take at least 20 days to arrive. If he practiced steadily on the way, he would be able to use the two sword style sufficiently. It was possible because Piaro trained him well in the basics.


    ***


    The empire was the center of the world. It was natural for the empire to be the master of the continent, and it was right for kingdoms outside the empire to obey them. It was a very arrogant and selfish thought.


    But no kingdom could condemn them. The power of the Saharan Empire was overwhelming.


    "This is the vige of the Ul n.¡±


    The master of the White Wolf Guild, Veradin, was a baron of the empire. He received an order from Earl Zebra to subjugate the immigrants, and he finally found the base of the enemy. It was the aplishment at the end of a one week journey.


    Veradin was cautious. ¡°How many enemies?¡±


    Kiki, a sniper used the Hawk¡¯s Eyes skill and reported. ¡°1,050 people. More than half of them are women and young children.¡±


    It meant that less than 500 people could fight properly. Veradin was relieved.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for tactics. Rush from the front and wipe them out.¡±


    Kiki¡¯s reaction was unsure. "No matter how I think about it, this isn¡¯t something that people should do.¡±


    The Ul n were ordinary humans rather than monsters. They were a poor n because they weren¡¯t designated as citizens of the empire. It was a pity, because they were once a flourishing nation until they were deprived of theirnd by the empire. The few remaining people chose to hide in the most remote areas.


    Kiki was unwilling to kill them.


    Veradin rebuked her. ¡°They¡¯re just NPCs. Don¡¯t be shaken by unnecessary sentiments.¡±


    If they killed the Ul n, their contribution to the empire would increase by 12 per person. Veradin wanted to build a foundation to be a viscount by performing this quest perfectly.


    Kiki sighed.


    ¡°Sigh... I wish a golem army would arrive.¡±


    This was the story about the golem invasion that took ce in the Eternal Kingdom several months ago. Naturally, Grid¡¯s name emerged.


    ¡°That Grid brat was really lucky.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He happened to be a duke in one shot by killing the golem army that invaded the kingdom by chance."


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m envious! If we belonged to the Eternal Kingdom, we would¡¯ve been able to defeat the golems and upied a duke¡¯s seat!¡±


    As the guild members started talking about unnecessary things, Veradin scolded them.


    "Focus on the mission.¡±


    "Yes!"


    The guild members restored their posture. Unlike Kiki, they didn¡¯t show any resistance to hunting the Ul n. Weren¡¯t NPCs just a lump of graphics and artificial intelligence? They resembled people, but weren¡¯t actually people.


    It was easy to kill them. It was nothing. Veradin confirmed that the guild members were emanating a fighting spirit and ordered.


    ¡°Trample them.¡±


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    Except for Kiki, 24 guild members went down the mountain together.


    It was a tremendous speed. They didn¡¯t slow down despite the rugged rocks. The Ul n discovered them along the way and fired arrows and magic from the watchtower. However, it was useless. They avoided or defended against all attacks and quickly reached the goal.


    "Get lost!¡±


    "Thanks for the contribution~¡±


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    It was an unbelievable situation where only 24 people wiped out 1,000 people. The small vige soon turned into a hell. It was a one-sided massacre.


    "P-Please, my only daughter...¡±


    "Just die quietly.¡±


    People begged, but the White Wolf guild members had no mercy. The women, children, and elderly were murdered. But the cruel killing didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the boy detective, so why do incidents happen everywhere I go? Well, I got a quest and it isn¡¯t too bad...¡±


    The White Wolf members were confused. It was because a user, not an NPC, emerged from one corner of the vige.


    ¡®Who is that person?¡¯


    He was wearing a broad-brimmed hat so his appearance and ID couldn¡¯t be determined. The White Wolf members asked the man.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    "Me?" The man held a jade greatsword in his hand and replied, ¡°This time I am the Apostle of Justice.¡±


    Puok!


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Veradin¡¯s eyes widened. The same man appeared behind Veradin¡¯s ally and stabbed him?


    ¡°A clone...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a normal clone. It was the first time he saw a clone that could exert such power.


    ¡®A high level user!¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238


    Most clones were illusions. They were merely a gimmick that couldn¡¯t exert substantial force. However, the unidentified man¡¯s clone dealt a real blow. The guild member Elvo screamed as he was hit.


    The White Wolf guild members became frightened.


    ¡®I heard that a third advancement assassin can have a perfect clone.¡¯


    ¡®What? Then this man is an assassin over level 300?¡¯


    ¡®Is that Faker...?¡¯


    Faker was the number one assassin and 14th ranked monster on the unified rankings. It was rare for him to reveal himself in public, but there were many rumors. It was said that the number of users assassinated was over 10,000, and rankers were always attacked by him.


    There was a rumor that even the first ranked Kraugel suffered a level decrease after being assassinated by Faker. Of course, they were lies. Faker wasn¡¯t a yer killer. He was like Regas and liked personal training.


    But rumors were always distorted and exaggerated. The White Wolf Guild misunderstood Faker as a murderer. Was the man in front of them really Faker?


    ¡®We are inferior.¡¯


    ¡®Today is my day to die!¡¯


    The White Wolf members started to shake. They gulped and shivered. Veradin spoke a few words to calm them down. "Assassins don¡¯t use a greatsword. In addition, they are covert. If he was Faker, we would already be dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    They were confused and overlooked the obvious facts. The guild members regained their calm as Veradin exined.


    "That person is likely to have a hidden ss.¡±


    It was a reasonable guess. Hidden sses existed in Satisfy. It wasn¡¯t strange if there was a hidden ss specialized in clones. The guild members were relieved.


    "Phew... I¡¯m d. I don¡¯t want to go against Faker.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with a hidden ss is easier than dealing with a third advancement ranker.¡±


    "Those people are too scary.¡±


    It showed how much the dignity of hidden sses had been lost since the third advancement sses. Veradin was rmed at the guild members¡¯ rxation and warned them.


    "It¡¯s still difficult to gauge the opponent¡¯s ability. Don¡¯t act hastily and step back.¡±


    Th White Wolf members had strong loyalty. They stepped back without a fuss as soon as Veradinmanded them.


    Step step.


    The unidentified man walked through the streets.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t fighting back? Are you scared?¡±


    As a guild master, Veradin was always cautious. He didn¡¯t fall for the taunts. He closely watched the man and the clone as he asked. "What is your rtionship with the Ul n? Why are you helping them?¡±


    The answer was concise. ¡°I got a quest.¡±


    That person was Grid. During his journey, he identally visited the Ul n¡¯s vige and got a quest when the vige was attacked by the enemy. He couldn¡¯t help wondering if he was cursed to get involved in incidents wherever he went.


    [Ul n¡¯s Rescue]


    Difficulty: A


    The Ul n have been deprived of their kingdom by the Saharan Empire, and the survivors are hiding in remote areas. However, they couldn¡¯t escape from the empire¡¯s surveince and an invasion is once again urring.


    Free them from the clutches of the empire.


    Then you will be their sun.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the invaders.


    Quest Reward: Your affinity with the Ul n will reach the maximum.


    Quest Failure: The Ul n will perish.


    Four days ago.


    Prior to leaving Reidan, Grid had studied the empire and found that it carried out a policy of genocide. Minorities who didn¡¯t serve the emperor were ughtered in various parts of the empire. Indeed, it was a brutal oppression. If they wanted to try and oppose it?


    It was futile. Grid hadn¡¯t epted the Ul n¡¯s quest for a noble reason. He just coveted the reward.


    ¡®If they don¡¯t have a ce to go to and their affinity is at the maximum...¡¯


    Couldn¡¯t he ept them as his people? The Ul n¡¯s quest was a chance to increase the poption of Reidan. It would be ideal if he could bring all the persecuted minorities in the empire to Reidan. Grid was starting to think and act in the manner of a lord. Lauel would be impressed if he knew.


    "You have two choices."


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone with killing intent. He was inwardly furious after witnessing the brutality of the White Wolf Guild. Grid had high respect for NPCs due to the influence of Khan and Irene.


    ¡°You can die easily, or you can get beaten up first before you die. Choose.¡±


    "Crazy bastard!¡±


    The White Wolf members were furious. What was this damn arrogant guy saying?


    ¡°Veradin! How long are you going to let that brat¡¯s mouth run wild? We should attack him right now! Anyway, he¡¯s alone!¡±


    Elvo was particrly furious. He was surprise attacked by the clone and suffered damage. Veradin checked Elvo¡¯s health gauge.


    ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Elvo was a berserker, so his defense was very low. However, he only lost one-fifth of his health after the surprise attack.


    ¡®The clone isn¡¯t very strong.¡¯


    The unknown man¡¯s clone was much weaker than he was. This evidence clearly showed that it wasn¡¯t very strong. ¡®Maybe he can produce a lot of clones. But it¡¯s easy to deal with clones at this level.¡¯


    Veradin made a judgment call and ordered the guild members.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to avoid this fight. Do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Elvo was in the lead. At level 179, he was the lowest among the White Wolf members, but he liked being in the vanguard. He was very courageous and not afraid of others.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Elvo was full of killing intent. He wanted to deal a nasty blow to the clone.


    "Dash!"


    Teong!


    A distance of 3m was narrowed in an instant. Elvo smiled with satisfaction at his own dashing ability. Then he used the ¡®Madness Vortex¡¯ skill. This was the manifestation of five powerful blows that could even cause great damage to an ogre.


    However, it met the wrong opponent.


    [The target has resisted the damage.]


    "Eh?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t defense but resistance. The skill apparently hit. Then what the hell was the resistance to damage? Grid stared at the stunned Elvo.


    "You want me to die?¡±


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The prideful Elvo was now like a terrified rodent. It was because of the dignity stat, which had a low chance of making the enemy yield. Grid had over 1,500 dignity, so it was hard for low or medium ranked users to endure his greatness.


    [You have be lost in front of an immeasurable existence. Your head involuntarily bows. Your body is shaky and head begins to move.]


    ¡®W-What...!¡¯


    He was stunned just because he met the person¡¯s gaze? Was this guy a medusa boss? Elvo couldn¡¯t believe the situation right now. It was a dream. The other guild members didn¡¯t know the situation and were rushing around, like moths to a me.


    ¡°Magic Transmission!¡±


    "Atra¡¯s Poison!¡±


    ¡°Fire Spear!¡±


    ¡°Lower Cut!¡±


    "This is a kick! Abyooo~!¡±


    All types of CC, physical attacks and magic attacks were used. 20 enemies used skills at the same time, so Grid seemed to be in danger. The silent clone came out. It was the doppelganger Randy.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The counterattack skill was activated at the perfect timing. The White Wolf members were attacked by their own skills.


    "Kuaaaak!"


    ¡°What is this absurd thing?¡±


    The White Wolf Guild members were agitated. What was with this clone¡¯s skill? Furthermore, it was a counterattack skill that even a person found difficult to use? The one who was most surprised was Veradin.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t show his skills in the first surprise attack!¡¯


    He realized it right away. Randy had 30% of Grid¡¯s currentbat power. To be honest, he was equivalent to level 200. If he wanted, he couldn¡¯t cut the guild member in half with the first attack.


    But Randy refrained. He deliberately pretended to be weak to make the enemies less vignt. This was Randy¡¯s instinctive judgment, not Grid¡¯s orders. He lost his memories of the past, but the battle experience umted for more than 100 years was firmly engraved in him.


    Grid admired Randy¡¯s strategy.


    ¡°Look at those facial expressions. I was surprised as well. Isn¡¯t my friend really great?¡±


    ¡®Friend?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it a clone? Then what was it? The White Wolf members fell into the ck hole of confusion.


    Puok!


    Then the jade greatsword prated Elvo¡¯s chest.


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [The enemy has attacked five times using an unknown ability.]


    [You have suffered 103,900 damage.]


    ¡®Over 100,000? Not 10,000, but 100,000? I don¡¯t even have 20,000 health!¡¯


    Elvo¡¯s vision turned grey.


    ¡®Is this a dream?¡¯


    [Your party member Elvo has died.]


    Silence filled the area. A monster beyond imagination had appeared in front of the White Wolf members.


    But Veradin kept calm. He was part of the 10 Rookies along with Lauel and Ibellin, and he was now level 281. He didn¡¯t feel frustrated when meeting a strong opponent. Moreover, he had a hidden card. There was a sniper who remained in the mountain.


    -Now.


    Veradin whispered and gave the signal. There was a small sh from the low mountain 300m in the rear, then an arrow came flying.


    Peeeeeong!


    Kiki was also part of the 10 Rookies. The White Wolf Guild¡¯s number two person. Her sniper skill wasparable to Jishuka, the expert archer. She precisely fired an arrow at Grid¡¯s head. Veradin had no doubt that the person would experience great damage or confusion, and took out his staff. He was trying to raise the corpses of the Ul and Elvo with magic when he suddenly froze.


    ¡°T-This...?¡±


    Cries of shock burst out everywhere. They saw it. The famous golden des.


    ¡°I am surprised.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was heard from behind the golden des that protected their master from the arrow. The voice was filled with a powerful anger that could stop the heart of the person who heard it.


    Sururuk.


    Was it due to the shock wave caused by the arrow and des colliding? The hat the man was wearing fell off. The ID that most people in the world knew was exposed.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    The first legendary ss, three gold medal holder in the National Competition, the hero of the golem invasion, the first user to be a duke, GOD, etc. He had countless nicknames attached to him.


    Then he pulled out the blue greatsword that he used to defeat Hurent in five seconds. The people present felt frightened at Grid holding two huge swords in each of his hands.


    "Don¡¯t use surprise attacks!¡±


    ¡®You did it first!¡¯


    The White Wolf members wanted to cry out. But they couldn¡¯t grumble. Grid¡¯s eyes fixed to the top of the mountain 300m away.


    ¡°You first of all. Transcended Link.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Blue-white and jade energy des emerged at the same time. It was the moment when one small mountain permanently vanished from the map of the Saharan Empire.


    [Your party member Kiki has died.]


    "...I would¡¯ve rather met Faker.¡±


    The White Wolf membersined. Veradin couldn¡¯t keep hisposure anymore. This was the worst catastrophe since the guild¡¯sunch. The result was aplete annihtion.


    ***


    ¡°Huh? The size of the desert is less than it was a year ago?"


    A ck-haired man dressed in white stepped foot in the western part of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239


    ¡®An A-grade quest was surprisingly tough.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s power was unique: ever since he had obtained it, he had almost easily solved all A-grade quests. But this time was different. He lost more than one-sixth of his stamina and health at the cost of hunting 25 enemies.


    ¡°It was an unexpected melee.¡±


    Anybody who heard that statement would cry out, as there was no such thing. It was more urate to say that it was a ughter of 25 people without a conscience. However, Grid thought differently. This was shocking for him, the one who had overwhelmed the top rankers in the National Competition!


    ¡®The average level of the enemy was only around 200. Yet I couldn¡¯t seed in an instant...¡¯ This was because Veradin was a necromancer. ¡¯That bastard was too strong.¡¯


    A necromancer was a nuisance as an opponent. They didn¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe, as corpses were unconditionally revived and used as soldiers. It was a ss that consumed the enemy¡¯s resources (health, mana, stamina etc.) because it was so easy to make.


    In the case of Veradin, his level was high and knew how to fight. The undead soldiers were skilled in offense and defense, so they harassed him. Veradin¡¯sbat ability was no less than that of the Overgeared members.


    ¡®It would be nice to create an item that could easily kill the undead.¡¯


    Indeed, experience was very important. Grid gained insight from his newbat experience. He was able to make more advanced ns by adding items to fight the undead in the future. Grid was quickly evolving in real time.


    He touched the Guardian¡¯s Bracelet with a gentle expression.


    ¡¯The more I use this, the more I like it.¡¯


    Originally, Grid¡¯s indomitable stat was 900. Now, however, it was over 1,000 after wearing the Guardian essories set. As a result, the effect of the indomitable stat was often triggered. Hepletely resisted the attacks of lower-levelled enemies.


    It was the result of his abnormally high defense and indomitable stat.


    ¡®Randy was more than I expected.¡¯


    Grid had no doubts about Randy¡¯s fighting skills. Randy copied 30% Grid¡¯s stats and items, so he was around a level 180 swordsman. However, the legendary-rated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship gave Randy wings.


    Randy copied Pinnacle and Link, as well as the highly usable Revolve. He was able to beat quite a few level 200 users, and was a really good colleague. Grid praised him as Randy returned to the shape of a little girl.


    ¡°You fought well.¡±


    Randy¡¯s buggy eyes shone like stars.


    ¡°Praise! Happy!¡±


    It was a lovely smiling face with a flush.


    ¡®Sehee was once cute like this.¡¯


    Grid patted her head and said,


    ¡°I also want to fight with Master! Nyang! Why don¡¯t you let me fight? Nyang! Why is the best demonic beast being treated like this? Kyang!¡±


    Noe had been hunting alone around Reidan and was now level 143. He was hoping to grow with his master while traveling together this time, but Master was too busy with the doppelganger and not looking at Noe. He didn¡¯t like it.


    Grid soothed the jealous Noe, "You are my precious secret weapon. I don¡¯t need to borrow the strength of my great secret weapon for something minor like this."


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohhhh!¡±


    The words ¡®secret weapon¡¯, ¡®precious¡¯ and ¡®great¡¯ were attached to him, so Noe really liked it. He danced with his short limbs. It was cute and ridiculous since Noe¡¯s chubby body was shaking. Grid observed Noe¡¯s appearance. The horns that rose from the forehead were slightly bigger and the fangs were sharper.


    ¡®He is bing increasingly like a demonic beast.¡¯ Grid¡¯s demonic power rose by one every time he PKed. ¡®Surely I won¡¯t be a demon if my demonic power stat increases?¡¯


    The higher the demonic power, the more likely he was to go to hell. However, at present, there was no way of going in and out of hell so he couldn¡¯t help imagining bad things.


    Then the Ul n survivors came running.


    ¡°Hero!¡±


    The vige mayor, Buda greeted him on behalf of everyone.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t help us, our people would¡¯ve been lost in the backdrops of history! I don¡¯t know how to express our gratitude!¡±


    [The quest ¡®Ul n¡¯s Rescue¡¯ has beenplete.]


    [Affinity with the Ul n has risen to the maximum. The Ul n will jump over a cliff for you.]


    The Ul n bowed to Grid. Grid took out the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and looked at their abilities.


    ¡®Their intelligence stat is very high?¡¯


    General NPCs had an intelligence around 100. But the average of the Ul n was 300. In particr, a girl called Hwarin stood out.


    Name: Hwarin.


    Age: 11 Gender: Female


    upation: Refugee


    Title: Last of the Ul n¡¯s Royal Family.


    Level: 7


    Strength: 3/70 Stamina: 12/249


    Agility: 14/398 Intelligence: 120/1,890


    Charm: 155/1,503 Dignity: 30/550


    Skills: Haven¡¯t learnt any yet.


    A survivor of the Ul Kingdom that the Saharan Empire destroyed. Her identity might be hidden but she actually has the noble lineage of the Ul n.


    ¡®This is good.¡¯


    The Ul n was an excellent race. They would be useful in many ways. Among them, it was possible to train some as magicians. Grid asked them, ¡°The empire isn¡¯t a ce where you can live. Would you consider moving to the Eternal Kingdom?¡±


    "The Eternal Kingdom...?¡± The Eternal Kingdom was one of the great powers among the 17 nations of the continent. But these kingdoms weren¡¯t in the same position as the empire. ¡°Will the Eternal Kingdom ept us, who are hunted by the empire? It might provide grounds for the empire to...?¡±


    "If you move in secret then the empire won¡¯t notice.¡±


    "But the royal family won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, go to Reidan. Even the royal family can¡¯t intervene in the administration of a duchy."


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am the master of Reidan. I promise the people there will treat you without discrimination.¡±


    ¡°Heok...! That means you are a duke!¡±


    The Ul n were perplexed. Why was the duke of another kingdom in the empire? They couldn¡¯t understand it with theirmon sense.


    Grid whispered to Lauel.


    -I need someone who can lead 930 people from Earl Zebra¡¯s territory in the empire to Reidan.


    -Yes?


    Grid exined the situation to the confused Lauel. The joyful Lauel then rmended Faker. Grid responded with surprise.


    -Faker?Is it okay?


    Faker always moved in the darkness. He didn¡¯t show himself in public, and wasn¡¯t a suitable figure to lead people. But Lauel gave a different opinion.


    -Faker¡¯s trap instation ability and situational judgment abilities are unique.If there are pursuers, he can install traps as quickly as possible as well as secretly lead the Ul n.


    -I know his abilities but...Isn¡¯t there someone better than Faker?


    -There is a lot of work piled up in Reidan.It is impossible to send more than two people, so please trust Faker.


    It was decided. Then Grid used a skill.


    ¡°Summon Knight.¡±


    [Summon a knight. Currently you have Huroi, Lauel, Jude, Jishuka, Euphemina, Faker, Pon and Regas. Which knight would you like to summon?]


    ¡°Faker.¡±


    [The target has epted the summons.]


    Sururuk.


    A man wrapped in a ck cloak rose from Grid¡¯s shadow. He spoke to Grid with a nonchnt expression.


    "You worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Suuk.


    Faker observed the Ul n with emotional eyes. The Ul n felt like crying as they saw him.


    ¡®Those eyes feel like they are prating me to the bone.¡¯


    ¡®I-I¡¯m scared.¡¯


    The Ul n felt fear. They were affected by Faker¡¯s killing intent stat. That¡¯s why Faker normally acted in secret. He had to consume his mental power to hide this killing intent. For an assassin, the killing intent stat was like a type of penalty.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Faker didn¡¯t dy. He instructed the frightened Ul n to grab their luggage and immediately left the vige.


    After a few days with Faker, the Ul n felt like they were sitting on a thorny cushion. Faker didn¡¯t say a single word, but they became increasingly frightened of him. They felt like they would die if they touched him, and couldn¡¯t even breathe.


    On the other hand, Grid changed his schedule and was busy hunting. It was an inevitable choice because his infamy went up due to PKing. It was impossible to enter a vige or city if his infamy figure was high. It might be okay to move freely in the Eternal Kingdom, regardless of his infamy figure, but this was the empire. It was necessary to lower his infamy by hunting monsters.


    However, the monsters in Zebra were only level 180~220. They gave less experience and it wasn¡¯t easy to decrease his infamy. Grid was nervous because he was dying more than he wanted, but he still remained calm. He bought time by practicing dual swordsmanship and raising the experience of Randy and Noe.


    Then a homing pigeon arrived.


    It was the letter from Irene that regrly arrived once a week. Normally the letters expressed a desire to see him, but today¡¯s one was special.


    ¡°This letter?¡±


    Grid was astonished.


    Irene was always stating that she wanted to get pregnant, but he didn¡¯t think it was really capable to get pregnant from a rtionship between a user and NPC.


    Around a month ago, my stomach has started hurting.I didn¡¯t think much of it, but then I started experiencing pregnancy symptoms.Somehow, I feel like my belly has...Happy tears are flowing.I would like to have a son that resembles Dear Husband.


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    A child?


    Grid was more baffled than d. It was confusing because it was a totally unexpected an unfamiliar experience. Then a notification window popped up.


    [Do you want to honor the news of your wife¡¯s pregnancy?]


    [The birth of a new life should be congratted, but those with no sense of responsibility should keep in mind that they don¡¯t deserve to be a parent. Think carefully.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240


    Satisfy had some areas that werepletely different from reality. If a user had a child in Satisfy, there could be various problems.


    There were too many risk factors, such as neglecting reality by being too immersed in the child in the game or ignoring the child in the game because they were too busy ying. Only those who had established mature values were eligible to enjoy Satisfy¡¯s parenting system.


    ¡®Can I really do well?¡¯


    The Grid of the past would¡¯ve said okay without thinking about it. But the current Grid realized the seriousness of the situation. He thought carefully about it.


    ¡®I...¡¯


    He was still too immature to be a parent. But he wanted Irene to be happy. She was one of the most precious people to him, despite being a person in virtual reality. Thanks to her, he learned how to love. Grid wanted to make her dreame true. He didn¡¯t want her to be disappointed.


    ¡®I also want the result of the love that I share with Irene.¡¯


    After a few hours of deliberation, Grid made a decision.


    ¡°I am grateful for the news of the pregnancy.¡±


    The notification windows immediately blinked and responded.


    [Congrattions on your wife¡¯s pregnancy!]


    [The preferences and abilities of the child will be affected from prenatal development.]


    [What type of child do you want? The child you want and the child your wife wants will affect prenatal development. Work hard tomunicate with your wife.]


    ¡°I wish my child...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that hard to imagine.


    ¡®Someone different from me.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want them to be petty or stupid. Grid had no talent and was narrow-minded, so he hoped that his own child wouldn¡¯t experience such an unfortunate life.


    ¡®I want someone who resembles my wife, a child who is bright, generous, and pretty. First of all, I wish for a clever child to be born. Congrattions on your pregnancy. And thank you.¡¯


    Grid wrote it in the letter to Irene. It was difficult to find traces of his childhood in his careful expression. Grid would turn 28 years old in five months in real time. He was bing a true adult with this pregnancy.


    "Taemyeong means ¡®fortune¡¯ in the sense of a jackpot...¡±


    There was no question that he still had no naming sense. Even so, it was fortunate that he only thought about Taemyeong.


    ***


    A regr board meeting held at the head office of the S.A. Group.


    The main agenda of the meeting was to set the budget for the Second National Competition to be held in Paris next year. At the end of the meeting, one member was brought up. Grid.


    "It¡¯s actually Grid again!¡±


    "Isn¡¯t the parenting system only activated for mature yers?¡±


    The executives heard the report from the operations team leader and expressed their anxiety. Recently, Grid was conducting himself as a legendary ss, but the prejudice didn¡¯t easily disappear.


    The executives had been watching Grid from the beginning and still saw him as that. Now he would have a child with an NPC? Just imagining it was terrible. They were worried about the worst situation.


    "He will raise a child? This is ridiculous!¡±


    Games had implemented a parenting system many times in the past. There was even a separate child raising simtion game. A typical example was Princess Mama. Such games didn¡¯t make users feel any responsibility. Users could delete their child or neglect them. Such an act didn¡¯t cause any moral issues either. The characters in a typical game were nothing more than 2D characters that acted and talked ording to a given scenario.


    Then what about the characters in Satisfy? The supeputer Morpheus gave all Satisfy NPCs the perfect artificial intelligence. As a result, NPCs had thoughts and emotions. They were no different from humans.


    It was only a matter of time until an immature user experienced the parenting system. If the users neglected or abused their children in the game, the creators couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of social problems.


    The parenting system was a double-edged sword. Satisfy¡¯s game would be better if used well, but public opinion would take a hit if it was exploited.


    The development team arranged the parenting system so that only a very small number of users could experience it. It was based on the fact that the married couple¡¯s liking was at the maximum, and the parenting system was designed to be activated only for users who had maximum respect for NPCs.


    But Grid? The person who sent malicious emails to the group when he couldn¡¯t make legendary items was selected for the parenting system! The executives were convinced that there was clearly an error. They couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    A surprising figure emerged to defend Grid. It was Director Yoon Sangmin. In the past, he had a tendency to hate Grid more than anyone else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the recent Grid? He has grown. He¡¯s different form the past. So don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°We all know that his abilities have grown. Didn¡¯t he win three gold medals and save the kingdom from the golem army? What we are pointing out is a personality matter.¡±


    "He has grown up personally.¡±


    It was Director Yoon Sangmin.


    The executives frowned.


    "How do you know that?¡±


    "You will quickly notice if you show a little interest and watch him.¡± Grid¡¯s inner growth was something that could be seen just from his actions. ¡°In the first ce, the system chooses. This means that Grid is qualified, so there is no room to negotiate.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    The executives stared dumbly. Director Yoon Sangmin, who calmed the turmoil, was very interested in Grid.


    ¡®A human who learns and develops through the game.¡¯


    A typical human became an adult by learning and experiencing society. Then they had a tendency to spill out all their stress in games. There were many reasons why good humans in society would be notorious viins in games.


    But Grid was a special case. Hecked social skills, but was growing through the game. He was a good example of a Satisfy user and could be used as a means of publicity. Of course, that was under the assumption that Grid epted.


    ***


    "Shit!"


    The atmosphere of the White Wolf guild wasn¡¯t great. They failed their quest because of an unexpected person, and their pride was hurt because one person wiped out the whole guild. Veradin encouraged the resentful and frustrated guild members.


    "Don¡¯t mind it. Grid is the best. It isn¡¯t a shame to be defeated by him.¡±


    That¡¯s right. As the first ranked Kraugel maintained an air of mystery around him, Grid had to be rated as the strongest for the moment. He was underestimated by the public because of hiscking control, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily true. No, it was great.


    As Veradin said, it wasn¡¯t shameful for their small guild to be defeated by Grid, who was at the top. This was the obvious result.


    However, the guild members were worried about Veradin. A month ago, Veradin had cleared a S+ grade quest and acquired the bones of the high ranking demonkin, Dantalian. In the battle against Grid, he had summoned the undead Dantalian using the bones.


    It was his trump card. Even Grid showed worry.


    Veradin was strong as long as he had Dantalian. It was amazing that he managed to annoy Grid for a while, despite not reaching level 300 yet. Veradin clearly demonstrated his abilities that were above his ranking.


    The problem was that the guild members were weak. They weren¡¯t a help to Veradin at all. They were sorry to see Veradin dragged down because of useless subordinates. They couldn¡¯t lift their heads.


    In this sober atmosphere, Kiki threw out a question.


    "But Veradin, why didn¡¯t you report Grid to Earl Zebra?¡±


    Grid was a duke of the Eternal Kingdom. It was a big problem if he was in the territory of the empire. If this was reported to the upper ranks, Grid would surely experiencerge problems. Veradin held a key for revenge, so Kiki wondered why he didn¡¯t use it.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t time yet.¡±


    Veradin answered vaguely and Kiki realized that he was thinking about a bigger picture.


    ***


    Thest time that Kraugel visited the western part of the Eternal Kingdom was eight months ago.


    At that time, the west waspletely a desert and it was infested with monsters. If he took a step, he would be confronted with monsters. If he moved a little bit, he would bepletely isted.


    But now the situation had changed. The scale of the desert was reduced and there were less monsters than before. It had turned into more ideal hunting grounds. Kraugel spected that Grid had destroyed several giant worm nests after bing lord of Reidan.


    Kraugel had to admire it.


    ¡¯Grid is greater than the rumors say. After absorbing the Tzedakah Guild, he¡¯s quickly growing his power.¡¯


    Kraugel also knew about Grid. He was a celebrity that most people in the world knew. However, he hadn¡¯t paid Grid any special attention. Kraugel devoted himself entirely to adventuring and hunting, while Grid participated in external events and was judged to be apletely different style of user.


    He didn¡¯t care because he didn¡¯t think he would be involved with Grid in Satisfy.


    ¡®My inventory weight is at its limit. Is Reidan the only well-equipped city or vige near here?¡¯


    In thest 10 days, Kraugel had killed the western monsters while heading for Reidan. It wasn¡¯t to meet Grid, but to dispose of his loot.


    ¡°It¡¯s an agricultural city.¡± Kraugel arrived at REidan and admired the cast fields of wheat stretching out. He never imagined that a city in the middle of the desert would¡¯ve developed agriculture. ¡®He was sessful in clearing the desert and has an excellent ability in managing affairs.¡¯


    Grid showed great strength in the National Competition and in the golem army, but he was skilled in other areas as well. He was a legendary cksmith, had top rankers as subordinates and even had great skills as a lord? He was truly a near-perfect figure.


    ¡®Zibal isn¡¯t equipped with things like this. The first user to be king might be Grid, not Zibal.¡¯


    Did Kraugel have any regrets? No. Kraugel was the type of person who enjoyed ying the game alone. He perceived that his areas of activities werepletely different from Grid¡¯s. Therefore, he didn¡¯t have a sense of crisis orpetitiveness towards Grid.


    Step, step.


    Kraugel was crossing the fields to enter Reidan. At that time, an NPC holding a rake in one hand and a hoe in the other appeared and asked him.


    "Who are you?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241


    Kraugel was just walking along. He couldn¡¯t think of anything in his behavior that would¡¯ve caused wariness. So why was this person blocking the road? The farmer¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t make sense.


    Kraugel felt doubts before making a reasonable guess.


    ¡®It¡¯s rare for people toe here, so they are unfamiliar with it.¡¯


    Reidan was isted. The size of the desert might¡¯ve been reduced by Grid and the Overgeared members¡¯ activities, but essibility was still low. It was almost impossible to make it past the desert to Reidan until it was a party of rankers.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t any outsiders here so... It¡¯s natural for the residents to be wary of outsiders.¡¯


    Kraugel guessed the reason for the farmer¡¯s attitude and exined.


    "I am an ordinary adventurer. I¡¯m not a suspicious person, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s reputation across the continent exceeded 40,000. Since Satisfy opened, he had always maintained his first ce ranking and cleared dungeons and quests faster than others, gaining reputation from this. At the present time, Kraugel was the only person who could use the Reputation Store.


    ¡®My high reputation will give confidence to that NPC.¡¯


    Kraugel thought the farmer would release his vignce and step back. But what was this? The farmer showed an unexpected reaction.


    "Based on your stride, you¡¯re not an ordinary adventurer.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    There was no change in Kraugel¡¯s expression. He smiled as always. But his mind was quite shaken.


    ¡¯My stride is unusual? Is he referring to White Light Steps?¡¯


    White Light Steps was a skill Kraugel acquired after bing the White Swordsman. Basically, it increased his movement speed and ability to adapt to terrain. It could also be used for dashing or evasion. The white light normally couldn¡¯t be seen unless under intense sunlight or clear moonlight.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t an ordinary farmer.¡¯


    The NPC in front of him, Piaro, looked like a farmer in every way. He wore a straw hat to protect him from the sun, dirty work clothes, and held a hand plow and hoe in his hands. It was difficult to recognize him as anything other than a farmer.


    But you shouldn¡¯t judge people by appearances. Kraugel¡¯s sharp eyes examined Piaro.


    "Who are you really? You aren¡¯t a normal farmer, are you?¡±


    Piaro wanted to answer Kraugel honestly.


    ¡®I have always dreamed of a confrontation with a strong person like you, who is also wishing to achieve the status of sword saint. Compete with me.¡¯ This was what he wanted to say.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Piaro! It¡¯s time to take a break! You worked hard in today¡¯s farming, so eat a lot!¡±


    One farmer couldn¡¯t grasp the atmosphere and came shouting. It was really exquisite timing. Thanks to that, Piaro was embarrassed.


    "You go eat by yourself.¡± Piaro said with a frown, before trying to introduce himself again. ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Piaro! Administrator Rabbit asked if you have found another source of water yet?¡±


    A soldier shouted at him.


    ¡®No, what was this?¡¯


    Why was he pestered every time he was trying to introduce himself? Piaro felt a little annoyed at being disturbed. But as a potential sword saint, it was funny that he would get irritated over something like this. He endured patiently.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to found a source of water. Tell him that it will take more time.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    The soldier left and Piaro tried to introduce himself again. However, Kraugel raised a hand and stopped him.


    ¡°I understand even if you don¡¯t say it. Aren¡¯t you a geomancer?¡±


    The main task of a geomancer was to find things based on topography. Kraugel¡¯s sharp eyes were convinced.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I have trained a lot of skills, but I have no intention of harming Reidan. I just want to stop by the general store. Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    "...¡±


    Piaropletely missed the opportunity to introduce himself. Piaro was embarrassed by Kraugel¡¯s misunderstanding. But he quickly regained hisposure. So what is he was misunderstood as a farmer or geomancer? It was enough if he couldpete with someone strong.


    "You can¡¯t enter Reidan unless you knock me down first.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s hoe moved in a line. It was a surprise attack, but Kraugel had a passive skill called Keen Senses. In response to Keen Senses, he used White Light Steps and avoided the attack. But the hoe was like a living snake. It changed the orbit and once again aimed at the target that it missed.


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes sunk coldly. He had natural talent and trained hard, so he didn¡¯t easily allow attacks. There was a sh of something silver. It was the ¡®White Fang¡¯ sword that he acquired from one of the great demons, Drasion, who was defeated by Sword Saint Muller.


    Chengkang!


    The hoe and White Fangpeted in strength. Piaro was excited when he saw that Kraugel wasn¡¯t pushed by his strength.


    ¡°Indeed...! You truly aren¡¯t ordinary!¡±


    "You will regret it.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s voice was cold. He was basically a good person, but he showed no mercy to his enemies. He couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to Piaro¡¯s actions.


    Kakakang!


    White Fang slid down the hoe and stabbed at Piaro¡¯s thigh. There was enough momentum to cut off one leg entirely. Piaro defended himself with the hand plow.


    Jeeeong!


    The repulsive force caused Kraugel¡¯s body to rise high in the air. On the other hand, Piaro¡¯s feet were deeply embedded in the ground. Piaro shouted towards Kraugel, who had an incredibly angry expression on his face for someone who had just been a gentle youth.


    "I am someone seeking the status of sword saint! I formally apply for a duel!¡±


    ¡°Sword saint...?¡±


    Among the titles Kraugel had earned, there was the ¡®Sword Saint Candidate.¡¯ He naturally acquired the title while developing his swordsmanship through hunting and raids. After being nominated as a sword saint candidate, Kraugel was spurred to level up even more. He wanted to obtain a legendary ss by bing a sword saint.


    His goal was to be the strongest, so he needed to have a legendary ss. In the meantime, he had many opportunities to obtain a lot of hidden sses. But he was still in the third stage of the sword saint candidate. At least fives stages were required to be a sword saint, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡®A farmer is seeking this realm... No, he¡¯s a geomancer.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s pride was upset. The person who talked about bing a sword saint was holding a hoe and hand plow instead of a sword! Before talking about bing a sword saint, he should start with a sword!


    "You haven¡¯t grasped the subject.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s sentences became shorter. It was due to his rage.


    Taack!


    Kraugel used a different application of White Light Steps and rushed through the air like a meteor. The power caused the wheat in the area to tten and the ground to sink. It was the manifestation of ¡®Meteor Sword.¡¯


    ¡®Wonderful!¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t an easy technique unless the body¡¯s physical abilities were raised to the maximum. It was here that Piaro could demonstrate his stats. He crossed the hoe and hand plow, forming a perfect defense posture that the Meteor Sword struck.


    Peeeeeong!


    Kraugel¡¯s white clothing fluttered like a g swept by a storm. Kraugel¡¯s expression twisted while a smile appeared on Piaro¡¯s face.


    ¡®My sword was blocked by farming equipment?¡¯


    ¡®My whole body is grinning! This is such an exhrating feeling!¡¯


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Syuok!


    The battle between the two continued, with Piaro disappearing from in front of Kraugel¡¯s eyes. Then he immediately appeared in the rear and struck.


    ¡®Drasion¡¯s speed...!¡¯


    Drasion might¡¯ve been defeated, but he didn¡¯tpletely lose his dignity as one of the 33 great demons. He was the strongest among all the bosses that Kraugel had raided. The highest ranking demonkin couldn¡¯tpare.


    But a geomancer had a skill simr to Drasion. No, it was more than that. This wasn¡¯t a geomancer. He was a hermit. It would be nice if he helped Kraugel, but he actually started a fight.


    Kaang!


    ¡°React to this!"


    Piaro was pleased as Kraugel blocked his attack like he had eyes in the back of his head. Piaro was frantic with delight. He wanted to sing and dance.


    ¡®My eyes were correct!¡¯


    It was like any other day. He opened his eyes at dawn, trained with the sword before going out to the fields to do farming work. He enjoyed the pleasure of sweating. Then Kraugel appeared. Piaro was aware of it the moment he saw the white-clothed man walking. This person was stronger than anybody he had seen so far!


    ¡°Hahahahat!¡±


    He had just been a supporter in Grid¡¯s fight with the doppelganger. This duel would surely improve him. Piaro was filled with joy and plunged towards Kraugel. The hoe flew towards Kraugel¡¯s chest, who avoided it.


    ¡®I am quickly adapting.¡¯


    There was a clear pattern to Piaro¡¯s techniques. Based on a specific swordsmanship style, the hoe and hand plow were wielded like a longsword and dagger. Piaro stabbed rapidly and efficiently.


    It was an easy style for Kraugel to read.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Piaro let out a sound of admiration. It was amazing to see Kraugel attacking and defending with the sword in one motion. Kraugel provoked Piaro, who had light injuries.


    "You are strong, but aren¡¯t you toocking to be a sword saint?¡±


    There were many titles that top rankers had attacked to Kraugel. God of Control, Lord of the Counter, etc. He had a reason for being so confident. Kraugel¡¯s quick brain and urate predictions were able to quickly realize the enemy¡¯s attack patterns, while his exquisite reflexes and precise moves allowed him to counterattack. The more obvious the form, the easier he countered.


    "I also know my shorings. That¡¯s why I applied for a duel.¡± Up to now, Piaro had been using the imperial swordsmanship. It was the same as when he briefly fought Grid at Loran Falls. ¡°But now it will be different.¡±


    Ching!


    Piaro dumped the hoe and hand plow. Then he grabbed the sword that had been dropped in a corner of the field and took the posture of the Supreme Swordsmanship.


    "Open your eyes!¡±


    Swaeek!


    It was extreme speed. The stab was like a fired bullet. Kraugel had a hole drilled in him and blood poured out. But he didn¡¯t allow it to be a one-sided attack. White Fang had curved outwards and slightly neutralized the stab. He urately captured the narrow range that was the disadvantage of a stab.


    ¡°Then what about this? Supreme Swordsmanship 1st style.¡±


    There was a huge momentum that was like a mountain. Kraugel determined that he couldn¡¯t defend against this and attempted to use White Light Steps, but his movements were restrained by an intangible force. Therefore, Kraugel responded with a skill.


    ¡°Storm Sword!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The storm of white des crashed into Piaro¡¯s sh. A powerful explosion shook the earth.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 242

    Chapter 242


    "He¡¯s particrly intense today.¡±


    "That means his opponent is strong. It is the first time I¡¯ve seen anyone who can push Piaro like this.¡±


    ¡°But who is that person? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen him.¡±


    "I think he¡¯s Duke Grid¡¯s new subordinate?¡±


    The wheat field was bing more destroyed due to Piaro and the ck-haired swordsman¡¯s duel. It was already a 50m radius of destruction. It had returned to the time when it was still a wastnd.


    But there was no sense of confusion or frustration in the expressions of the farmers watching the confrontation. They were used to this. Piaro often sparred with the Overgeared members, so it wasn¡¯t just once or twice that the fields turned into a mess. Rabbit admonished him to shift ces when fighting, but Piaro stood firm.


    If he destroyed the field, then he would have more work to do. It was a bizarre logic, but the fields had officially been turned into a sparring ground. Piaro was a realbor addict.


    "nd, isn¡¯t that Piaro¡¯s share?¡±


    There was also a noble among the farmers. nd was caught eating Piaro¡¯s snack and cried out.


    "Why is this Piaro¡¯s share? Piaro said he wouldn¡¯t eat!¡±


    "I don¡¯t know...¡±


    "Uhuh! Piaro said it! Then the person who eats it first is the owner!¡±


    "...¡±


    nd hadpletely adapted to the farmer¡¯s life. It was hard to believe that he was a noble. He was covered in dirt and chewing on a potato. The farmers knew the circumstances of being taken hostage and feltpassion for him.


    However, nd was happy. He found these days 100 times more free and enjoyable than the time when he needed to be conscious of other people.


    <i>Caw~!</i>


    A roc flew in the sky. It had arge body and liked eating wheat. A couple of days ago, the monster had tried to loot the wheat field. But before it could reach the wheat field, it was hit in the sky. It was magic that nd had strengthened through continuous duels with Piaro. Blood spilled out and the body of the monster fell to one side of Reidan¡¯s wheat field.


    This ce was peaceful today. There were few ces safer on the continent than this.


    ***


    The power of Advanced Sword Mastery Level 7, his passive skill ¡®Sword Reinforcement and the effect of various titles, including Sword Saint Candidate, ovepped with the power of Storm Sword and allowed him to cope with the Supreme Swordsmanship.


    Piaroughed as the Storm Sword neutralized his strike.


    ¡®Huhu, it was offset.¡¯


    There were few people who survived against Supreme Swordsmanship 1st style. But Kraugel defended against it. Piaro thought that Kraugel would at least get a serious injury.


    ¡®My condition isn¡¯t very good right now.¡¯


    As a great swordsman, he didn¡¯t cling to weapons or armor. He didn¡¯t feel the need to rely on tools. But at this moment, he felt regret about his tools. If he had been armed with a better sword, would the Supreme Swordsmanship 1st style be able to be blocked?


    Shake shake.


    Piaro shook off his thoughts.


    ¡®Muller wouldn¡¯t me his tools.¡¯


    It wasughable that a person aiming to be a sword saint would me his tools. The purpose of this duel wasn¡¯t a one-sided victory. It was something that would assist his growth. He should be happy if his opponent held on for a long time.


    ¡®This technique is relentless.¡¯


    The remnants of the Storm Sword persistently clung to Piaro. Piaro had to waste time to defeat these persistent fragments and Kraugel didn¡¯t miss this gap. He used Mole Ascension.


    Pahat!


    White Fang moved through the earth. Piaro also didn¡¯t stay still. He responded with Supreme Swordsmanship, 5th style.


    Pachichik!


    Colorless energy unfolded around him like a spider web. It destroyed the remnants of the Storm Sword, while at the same time, neutralizing Mole Ascension and covering Kraugel.


    ¡®Nine.¡¯


    Kraugel grasped the number of invisible energy. It was because of the power of Keen Senses.


    ¡®I can¡¯t block all of them.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s brain rotation speed was unmatched. He determined his actions quickly and protected his vital spots.


    [You have suffered 8,830 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,200 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,050 damage.]


    ¡¯The damage is more than expected.¡¯


    The legendary armor and artifacts that he gathered while raiding a lot of boss monsters weren¡¯t much help. Piaro had a power that made defense useless. Kraugel endured the pain and didn¡¯t dy his next attack. It was his turn to take off some flesh and bones.


    ¡°Moonrise Sword.¡±


    It was a skill that exerted its full power under the light of the full moon. But he was currently in a predicament and couldn¡¯t afford to not use it. The moon moved behind the sun.


    Susuk.Sususuk.


    Kraugel elerated and activated the stealth function in the zing sunlight. It was the effect of the white light, which utilized the refraction of light. Kraugel had amazing control skills, so this technique was perfect in his hands.


    ¡®Hah.¡¯


    Piaro had to concentrate in order to not miss the disappearing Kraugel. However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t emitting any energy. As soon as he disappeared from view, Piaro couldn¡¯t detect him. It was the moment when the man who reached the peak of two billion users met the strongest swordsman on the continent.


    Piaro was tense. This was the first time he sweated in a long time. White Fang prated through his qi defense.


    [You have dealt 12,400 damage to the target.]


    The attack hit, but Kraugel¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®I can only deal this much damage, despite attacking a person wearing no armor... I could only exert 30% of my power.¡¯


    Kraugel was regretful about his attack. But he believed that he could change the flow with this. He went on the offensive against Piaro. However, the power of Supreme Swordsmanship was scary.


    Piaro¡¯s sword started to intentionally harmonize with Kraugel¡¯s de. Kraugel was forced back by the sword and forced to feel like he was caught in arge spider web. He couldn¡¯t even unfold his swordsmanship.


    ¡®Calm down. It doesn¡¯t matter if his swordsmanship style is stronger than mine.¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Kraugel was aware of it. The world was wide and there were many monsters. He might be the strongest among users, but he knew that there were stronger monsters and NPCs that could trample on him. He was prepared to taste the bitter sense of defeat at any time. But he never dreamt that one day he would be defeated by a farmer.


    ¡¯No, it hasn¡¯t been decided yet.¡¯


    Kraugel tried to suppress his sense of defeat. Piaro used the Supreme Swordsmanship, 3rd style. It wasn¡¯t a speed that could be followed with the eyes. A normal person wouldn¡¯t have been able to cope and would¡¯ve been pierced through the heart.


    But Kraugel was sessful in responding. He instantly twisted White Fang.


    Jjejeong!


    The moment he defended against the attack, Kraugel realized that he had made a mistake.


    ¡®Force palm?¡¯


    Peeng!


    Qi was delivered through White Fang. Blood poured out from Kraugel¡¯s mouth.


    [You have suffered 18,900 damage.]


    He lost half of his life. Fortunately, Piaro had discarded his sword. If it had been a sword then it wouldn¡¯t have ended well.


    ¡®I have half my mana left.¡¯


    He needed to arrange his power. Kraugel had many powerful sword skills such as Meteor Sword, Storm Sword and Moonrise.


    sh!


    One of the ultimate skills of a White Swordsman, White Light Sword, generated a brilliant light. Piaro was disappointed as he lost sight of him. A white light covered him. Piaro felt a sense of crisis and shouted.


    ¡°Supreme Swordsmanship 4th Style!¡±


    Something terrific happened. White Fang, which should¡¯ve pierced Piaro, was sucked towards something like a ma. The momentum of White Light Sword naturally copsed.


    Kudududuk!


    Piaro¡¯s discarded sword attracted White Fang using a maic force.


    ¡®I can¡¯t resist this force...!¡¯


    The maic force was too strong, and control was useless. There were few options left for Kraugel. He couldn¡¯t lose this weapon, so he was forced to use ¡®Tearing the Sky.¡¯ Tearing the Sky was another one of the White Swordsman¡¯s ultimate moves. It consumed a lot of mana, so it was a skill he was reluctant to use.


    Kwajajak!Kwajajajajak!


    White Fang was surrounded by the ws of a beast and started to resist the maic force, tearing it up. The skill proved why it was called Tearing the Sky.


    [The durability of the White Fang has decreased by 213.]


    ¡®This is nonsense.¡¯


    His weapon¡¯s durability had decreased by two-thirds at once. This was dangerous. He hadn¡¯t been able to repair it for 10 days, so the low durability caused it to shine red. It might break if he kept on fighting.


    ¡®Even my mana is at the bottom. Meanwhile, my opponent is fine.¡¯


    Piaro only lost one-fifth of his health from the attack. Moreover, he seemed to have a lot of cards left.


    ¡®Should I just stick with it?¡¯


    If he bought the Sweet Candy from the Reputation Store, all his stats would increase by 30% for 10 minutes. It might be a 30% increase, but his overallbat strength would be approximately twice as high. If he opened up the ¡®Super Sensitivity¡¯ effect, he might be able equal Piaro.


    ¡®No, maybe I can win.¡¯


    But there was no need to take it that far.


    ¡®There is no reason to take a loss in a fight where I have nothing to gain.¡¯


    The Sweet Candy was something he used in the Drasion raid.


    Muller defeated Drasion, Hell Gao, Lepir, and Kurson, so there were 29 great demons left. He didn¡¯t want to waste the candy that he reserved for use against dragon raids or the 29 great demons.


    In the end, Kraugel made a reasonable choice. He admitted defeat.


    "It¡¯s my defeat."


    It was an absurd development. He never imagined that he would be defeated in a city he stopped at to dispose of his loot.


    Piaro shook hands with Kraugel and said. "It was a good fight."


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me?¡±


    Kraugel questioned, making Piaro click his tongue.


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. Why would I kill a person for no reason? You would¡¯ve died if I wanted to kill you.¡±


    He had the skill Fated to Perish. Kraugel couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    "You seemed to be filled with killing intent.¡±


    Piaro picked up the sword he threw to one side of the wheat field and apologized.


    ¡°I wanted it to be a sincere fight. I¡¯m sorry."


    Kraugel asked a question. ¡°What type of person is Duke Grid? Why is a strong person like you acting as a farmer in Reidan?¡±


    It was okay if Piaro was stronger than him. He knew that was reality. However, he couldn¡¯t ept this strong person being someone else¡¯s subordinate. Aside from the problem of pride, it was too dangerous.


    Piaro frankly exined to Kraugel, who had a serious expression. "I¡¯m not Duke Grid¡¯s subordinate. I am doing field work as part of training, and I receive a reward for finding water.¡±


    "Field work as training?¡±


    Piaro made a proposal to the confused Kraugel. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it with me? Together, we will be able to quickly grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Together...¡±


    What were they going to do?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Kraugel made an uneasy expression. Piaro pointed to Reidan¡¯s fields. ¡°Work in the morning, spar in the afternoon.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°You will really be stronger. Do you want to try it for a month?¡±


    ¡¯It is different.¡¯


    A notification window popped up in front of Kraugel, who was going to dismiss it as nonsense.


    [A hidden quest has been created.]


    ¡®This...¡¯


    The quest was amazing. If he practiced together with Piaro, he would be closer to bing a sword saint.


    ¡®A month isn¡¯t a short amount of time, but...¡¯


    This was an opportunity to go beyond the wall. It was a different concept from simply raising his level, so it was worth investing time into. No, he couldn¡¯t miss this. It was a once in a lifetime chance at a jackpot.


    "I understand. I will stay with you for the moment.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    On this day.


    A good farmer was added to Reidan. But this was a minor thing, so it wasn¡¯t reported to the higher ups. Grid was currently in the empire, while the Overgeared members weren¡¯t present due to the mine development mission or raids.


    Grid and the Overgeared members didn¡¯t know that the first ranked user was growing the food they were going to eat.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243


    The shortest distance from Reidan to Titan was via Viscount Welkun¡¯s territory. But Grid headed there through Earl Zebra¡¯s territory. It was a huge dy of 10 days, but he didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡®Lauel told me to stop here and get the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.¡¯


    Do so through any means, he had added. It meant the item called the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch had great value.


    ¡¯ughterer.¡¯


    ording to Lauel, the ughterer was an inhabitant of Earl Zebra¡¯s underground area. Earl Zebra¡¯s hobby was the torture and gruesome killing of half human, half beast species.


    ¡®But it was impossible to control.¡¯


    Half human, half beast. Depending on the circumstances of this species¡¯ growth, they could be either human or beast. It was a natural result that one of them would be an evil beast from Earl Zebra¡¯s brutal actions.


    ¡®I will know what type of person he is when we meet.¡¯


    Grid focused on hunting for four days and decreased his infamy, allowing him to move on.


    ***


    ¡®This is a bad ce.¡¯


    Earl Zebra¡¯s castle.


    The entrance was exceptionally dark and deste, reminding Grid of the entrance to a dungeon. It felt like once he entered, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get out again. It was a very bold person who would be able to step in here.


    But Grid didn¡¯t feel any fear. He went forward without any hesitation. As his self-esteem grew, he became less cowardly. He wasn¡¯t the same as the person who used to pee at the sight of ghosts.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    The soldiers guarding the gate looked at Grid suspiciously. The person was wearing a deep hat that covered his face. Grid took off the hat. His dignity stat was over 1,500 points and he had 25,000 continent reputation, so he was extremely influential. The soldiers seemed to see a halo around Grid. They felt a baseless confidence.


    ¡°Where do youe from?¡±


    The soldiers misunderstood Grid as a high-ranking noble of the empire and became polite. This was a familiar transformation. Grid didn¡¯t feel much from it and responded with a nonchnt expression.


    ¡°I came to fight against the ughterer.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡± The soldiers gulped. This person would fight against the fearsome ughterer!


    ¡®Furthermore, by himself?¡¯


    ¡®The others all tried to bring morepanions...¡¯


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    The soldiers asked with disbelieving expressions and Grid nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ***


    "Hrmm."


    Earl Zebra¡¯s body weighed 0.1 tons. It wasn¡¯t pleasant to look at his belly fat and greasy face. He stroked his droopy chin and looked at Grid before speaking.


    "What are you?¡±


    Earl Zebra waspetent and ordinary. He had no apparent talents. He became an earl because he inherited it from his father, just as his father did. But his eyes were good at looking at people. He often mingled with high-ranking nobles in the social circles, so he could feel the dignitying from the other person.


    In his view, Grid had a dignitypared to the royal family.


    ¡®However, he isn¡¯t any royal member that I know.¡¯


    In the first ce, why would royaltye to this area to try and fight a monster? The royal family were like gods in this world, so it was natural for them to pursue safety.


    ¡®Royalty from a foreign kingdom?¡¯


    Grid replied to Earl Zebra.


    "I am someone who will solve your problem. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    It was truly a cheeky tone. Earl Zebra didn¡¯t like it, as well as the fact that Grid didn¡¯t disclose his identity. But he didn¡¯t feel the need to dwell on it.


    ¡®Anyway, he will die.¡¯


    The ughter had evolved into an evil beast half a year ago. Like every day, Earl Zebra was torturing and killing somebody when a man watching the scene suddenly trembled and transformed. Now an uncontroble monster lived under the castle.


    It was serious. Earl Zebra was keen to defeat it. He used the most powerful knights and magicians in his family, hired top-ranking mercenaries and even recruited adventurers. But in the end, he failed.


    So far, the number of people who had attempted to defeat the ughterer was over 800, and all 800 of them had died. That ughterer was strong. In addition, there was a problem with the environment. The basement was narrow and the ughterer wasrge.


    The maximum number of people allowed in the basement was three. It was the crucial reason why the strongest knights and magicians in his family couldn¡¯t kill the ughterer. It was impossible for only three people to get rid of the ughterer.


    But the ck-haired man in front of him was alone.


    ¡°Kukukuk. Yes, yes. I understand. It doesn¡¯t matter who you are. Just please fix my problem.¡±


    The knights had already been killed by the ughterer. Four dayster, reinforcements from the Red Knights would arrive. Earl Zebra wasn¡¯t expecting anything from Grid, so he spoke vaguely.


    Then a quest window appeared in front of Grid.


    [Fight the ughterer]


    Difficulty: S+


    In the past, Earl Zebra found a half man, half beast species from the ve market and purchased it. He enjoyed ying with his toy in the basement of the castle as he tortured them.


    But eternal joy doesn¡¯t exist.


    Zebra became bored of torturing stupid monsters who couldn¡¯t speak thenguage, and became addicted to torturing the ¡®good humans.¡¯


    He framed innocent people, made them prisoners, dragged them under the castle, tortured them, then killed them.


    The half man, half beast watched this every day and became frightened, finally showing self-protective instincts. He opened the strength of an evil beast.


    The ughterer has been subjected to numerous tortures and has the ability to grasp humans.


    He is strong and dangerous.


    He will be a great disaster someday if left unchecked now.


    Quest Clear Conditions: ughterer¡¯s death.


    Quest Clear Rewards: ck Quartz Earrings.


    Quest Failure: Level -6. Reputation throughout the continent - 1,000.


    ¡®S+.¡¯


    It meant it was extremely difficultpared to S-grade quests. He heard that the number of participants who could participate in this quest was only three.


    ¡®Lauel said that the ughterer can¡¯t be defeated unless Pon, Regas and Faker formed a team.¡¯


    But.


    ¡®I think you can clear it alone.¡¯


    Lauel was always a reasonable person. Grid could trust his words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The soldiers guided Grid down to the basement. They walked down a narrow staircase for three minutes before arriving in front of an iron door that was firmly closed.


    ¡°O-Over here.¡±


    The sound of the ughterer breathing could be heard, so a soldier opened the lock with trembling hands. Then the soldiers ran away before the iron door opened. Grid was left alone.


    ¡®No matter how strong, you must be weaker than Hell Gao.¡¯


    He had experience fighting against the strong evil aura of Hell Gao, a great demon. He acquired two new sword techniques. His control skills were rapidly rising due to Noe and Randy. Grid was in his strongest state since starting Satisfy. The greatness he showed the world at the National Competition? The Grid at that time was nothingpared to the current Grid.


    Step step.


    Grid listened to the sound of his footsteps echoing in the basement. The sound of the ughterer also entered his ears.


    Kuoooh!


    The ughterer¡¯s appearance was horrible and sad. His skin was peeled off and rusted metal pieces were embedded deeply inside his body. There were also pieces of flesh out of ce. These were signs of Earl Zebra¡¯s torture. His face couldn¡¯t be identified because he was wearing a mask, but he had an eye patch and only one eyeball.


    ¡°Poor fellow. I will kill you quickly so that you don¡¯t suffer anymore.¡±


    Grid pulled out two greatswords. A blue greatsword in his right hand and a jade greatsword in his left.


    [The +9 Failure has been equipped. Due to the effect of orichalcum, your damage has risen by 30% in this dark ce.]


    [The +8 Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword has been equipped. One 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power is applied due to the double wielding penalty.]


    Kuaaaaah!


    The ughterer roared. When it saw the weapons, it was reminded of its nightmarish days of being tortured.


    [The cry of the ughterer has caused fear.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The persistent eyes of the ughterer will prate through your weaknesses.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Kung kung!


    The ughterer rushed with its massive body. Then it randomly swung its weapon.


    ¡®How crude.¡¯


    Grid had fought Randy, who copied Pagma¡¯s power, a total of 83 times. In the end, the ughterer couldn¡¯t pose a threatpared to the Randy.


    Chengkang!


    The jade greatsword blocked off the path.


    Puok!


    The blue greatsword pierced the heart of the ughterer. The thing that should be noted here was that it wasn¡¯t one strike. Grid smashed the flesh of the ughterer with his weapons.


    Kuaaaang!


    The ughterer cried like a child struggling with pain. Grid cut the lower part of the ughterer with the jade greatsword while he used Pinnacle with the blue greatsword. The blue greatsword fell like a thunderbolt towards the ughterer¡¯s chest. The rotten blood mixed with pus sttered out and covered one wall of the basement.


    The ughterer was filled with rage. Why did he have to always suffer like this? He didn¡¯t want to be born a monster! The ughterer seemed to be crying out. As hiss weapon fell towards Grid¡¯s head...


    Chaaeng!


    Randy appeared in the shape of Grid and used Revolve.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡±


    Suuuk.


    Seven des spread out in the air. The golden des shone brilliantly in the dark basement and poured towards the ughterer. Noe was also active.


    "I¡¯m going to eat! Nyang!¡±


    The huge mouth swallowed up the ughterer.


    [Strength has increased by 1,831.]


    Grid was reinforced by the stats received from Noe, and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill.


    The option effect of the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was applied, giving him a 20% increase in his skill damage. In addition, the ¡®Five Joint Attack¡¯s option effect of Failure and the Holy Light Gloves were activated. Therefore, Link Kill was reborn a his strongest skill.


    [You have killed the ughterer.]


    [108,950,109 experience has been acquired.] One-third of this will each be distributed equally to Noe and Randy.]


    [The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch has been acquired.]


    [The ughterer¡¯s Mask has been acquired.]


    [Three weapon enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [A Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stone has been acquired.]


    The ughterer¡¯s eternal pain ended. Grid appraised the items that were dropped and understood why Lauel told him toe here.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 244

    Chapter 244


    The material and shape of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch looked ordinary. It was just a ck eye patch made of leather. Nothing special could be seen about the eye patch. The Grid of the past would¡¯veined before appraising it.


    ¡°This is shit! I wasted 10 days just trying to get an eyepatch? Damn! What is this? Lauel, you $%!#$!¡±


    He would say. He would throw a tantrum. But Grid was no longer so immature.


    ¡®Lauel wouldn¡¯t advise me to get this for nothing.¡¯


    There must be something about the item. An item wasn¡¯t something that could be distinguished with just the appearance. Grid had high expectations.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 7/7


    * The skill ¡®Vital Spot Detection¡¯ will be generated.


    The ughterer was tortured for a long time. He was also forced to watch the torture of countless people.


    As a result, he has a high grasp of vital spots.


    This eyepatch has been used by the ughterer for a long time and gained this ability.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 0.1


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [This is an item with a grudge. The wearer will be dominated by the impulse to kill and will be a reckless murderer.]


    Curse. It was a cursed item. It was impossible to y the game normally if he was a senseless murderer. But Grid didn¡¯t care. Curse? He could just resist it.


    "Lauel, this nice guy.¡±


    Grid was thrilled. He wanted to summon Lauel right now and embrace him. The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch was a good item. No, it wasn¡¯t just at the level of good. It was an item that helped Pagma¡¯s Descendant take off the ¡®limit.¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think I would get Vital Spot Detection.¡¯


    Vital Spot Detection. It was a top grade passive skill that only a small number of sses optimized for battle would acquire. The function was simple. As the name suggested, it identified the opponent¡¯s vital spots.


    But this simple function had enormous power. If the vital spot was hit correctly, the probability of a critical hit would increase, causing bleeding, paralysis and other conditions. In other words, it meant that his attack power would increase dramatically.


    ¡®Lauel, he got something huge from Haynes.¡¯


    First ranked monster discerner, Haynes. He was able to predict the items that monsters would drop based on their characteristics. If Minor was a minerals detector, Haynes was an item detector.


    ¡®Lauel would¡¯ve paid a lot of money to get this information from Haynes.¡¯


    Grid realized that Lauel¡¯s heart was deepening. He worked hard to ovee his master¡¯s weakness, so Grid¡¯s liking towards him increased.


    ¡®Lauel is busy with acting as the lord... I must surely reward his hard work.¡¯


    Grid promised happily as he wore the eye patch. Then something interesting happened. The left eye, covered by an eye patch, started to emit a dim red light. It was so weak that it was hardly noticeable in a bright ce. However, it was clearly visible in dark spaces like this basement.


    Lauel would be very excited when he saw this.


    [Your hatred for humans is growing. You are filled with the urge to murder someone.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid was being provided a new perspective. Randy stood beside him and Grid could clearly see the ¡®core¡¯ of the doppelganger. It wasn¡¯t precise, but it was powerful enough to be able to grasp the target¡¯s vital points.


    ¡®I was worried that the vision on one side would be obscured. Fortunately, that isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    It was a perfect artifact. Of course, that was on the assumption that the murderous impulse curse could be suppressed. Grid¡¯s joy wasparable to when he raided the pope and acquired the Holy Light set.


    ¡°Then...¡± Grid watched Noe. He had a cute tail of modest length. A white part at the end looked like a flower. "Your tail is your weakness...¡±


    "I am the best demonic beast of hell. I don¡¯t have a weakness! Nyang!¡±


    Noe bluffed and raised his palms. He seemed to be bewildered at his weakness being seen through. Grid thought about making Noe an armor to defend his tail. Then he turned his attention to another item dropped by the ughterer.


    The ughterer¡¯s Mask. It was an iron mask designed to cover the right half of the face.


    ¡®The material is ck iron.¡¯


    Unlike ordinary masks, this one was made from a good mineral. However, the design was dismal. The crying eye shape seemed the opposite of the smiling mouth shape. It looked like a clown¡¯s mask. There were even a few teardrops carved into it.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t hear anything about this mask.¡¯


    It was probably a small item that wasn¡¯t worth emphasizing. Grid didn¡¯t have much expectations.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [The ughterer¡¯s Mask]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 39/39 Defense: 21


    * The skill ¡®Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears¡¯ will be generated.


    It is a mask that reflects the sadness of the ughterer, a being who lived a painful life just before he was born as a half man, half beast.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 55


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [This is an item with a grudge. The wearer will be dominated by the impulse to kill and will be a reckless murderer.]


    [Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears]


    When hit, there is a 8% chance of releasing a blood flow. The ejected blood will paint the ughterer¡¯s mask with blood. When this happens 10 times, the mask will turn a distinct red.


    At that time, the wearer¡¯s attack power will increase by 50% for 5 seconds.


    ¡°Crazy.¡± He reflexively eximed.


    Grid was astonished. Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears. It might be a conditionally triggered skill, but its power was excellent. It was a fraudulent skill. It was a legendary rated artifact.


    ¡®Lauel didn¡¯t mention this item because he didn¡¯t know.¡¯


    It was proof that Haynes was stillcking. As a result, it was a huge profit. If Haynes knew about the existence of this mask, Lauel would¡¯ve had to pay a bigger fee.


    ¡°Kukukuk.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing. Half his face was covered with a ck mask and his left eye shone red, making him look like a demon. The level of oppression was much higher than when he wore the Frostlight Orc Chief¡¯s Helmet in the past.


    Lauel would be shocked if he saw it.


    ***


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    Earl Zebra ran after hearing the news and couldn¡¯t believe the scene in front of him. The undefeatable ughterer was dead, leaving only a few body parts behind. This was caused by only one person!


    ¡°W-Who are you? Heok?¡±


    Was this really the skills of a human? Zebra gulped after asking the question. He was frightened after seeing Grid in the bizarre mask and eye patch.


    ¡®There is a red light in his eyes...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t look like a human being at all. Maybe he was a real demon? Grid reached out to Earl Zebra.


    ¡°Give me the earrings.¡±


    ¡°U-Understood!¡±


    Earl Zebra handed his most prized treasure to Grid. The ck Quartz Earrings increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 15%. It was a beautiful treasure that had been passed down through his family for generations. He never thought there woulde a day when he would really give this to someone. Now it was wasted.


    ¡®I was supposed to give this to the knights who areing to kill the ughterer... Shit, I need to send assassins after this guy.¡¯


    Earl Zebra¡¯s greed caused him to make a wicked n. But who was the greedy one? It was Grid. Grid could read Earl Zebra¡¯s eyes instantly.


    ¡®This ridiculous guy.¡¯


    Pisik.


    Grid smirked. Then Earl Zebra asked him.


    ¡°W-Why are you suddenly smiling?¡±


    ¡°Cute.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Earl Zebra¡¯s face filled with anger. He was an earl of the great empire and over 40 years old, yet he was called cute? As if he was a pet? This was an obvious taunt.


    ¡®This insane bastard!¡¯


    Earl Zebra didn¡¯t like Grid at all. From the beginning, this young man had a nasty spirit. Earl Zebra wanted to brutally torture and kill Grid.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    However, Earl Zebra had difficulty meeting the eyes of Grid, who killed the ughterer alone. First, he just wanted Grid to get lost. Grid equipped the ck Quartz Earrings.


    [Intelligence will increase by 15%.]


    ¡®This is the reward for a S+ grade quest.¡¯


    In fact, an essory that increased intelligence by 15% was very valuable. Any magician would covet it. But thanks to the effects of all types of titles, Grid¡¯s intelligence already exceeded 1,000 and he didn¡¯t need it. He was able to have enough mana to use all his skills and didn¡¯t use Dainsleif anymore, so magic power wasn¡¯t that important.


    ¡®I will use this until I can find a craftsman who can make an essory out of blue orichalcum.¡¯


    Grid threw a question to Earl Zebra, who was avoiding his gaze.


    "Do you think about weak people?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a confusing question. Earl Zebra wanted this ghastly man to disappear. But he didn¡¯t dare express his heart.


    "That is something I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He was a powerful man, born as the son of an earl. Tens of thousands of people bowed before him, and thousands of soldiers obeyed him. Weak? He had no interest in such things.


    Grid nodded. ¡°Right. You wouldn¡¯t know about such a thing."


    He was never subjected to one-sided bullying. Grid knew there was nothing as painful and terrible as that. He had no desire to save Earl Zebra, who hadmitted a crime against his people and tortured people for his own entertainment.


    ¡°You, aren¡¯t you weak?¡±


    The red eyes swept over Earl Zebra¡¯s entire body. Zebra¡¯s instincts screamed at him and he stepped back.


    ¡°W-What? What are you trying to do?¡±


    Grid shrugged.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡±


    Then he just left? Earl Zebra was relieved to hear Grid¡¯s footsteps leaving. He waited until he couldn¡¯t hear the footsteps anymore, before running to someone else.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245


    ¡°Come out!¡±


    Earl Zebra ran into his great hall and shouted. Then nine assassins showed up. Earl Zebra absolutely believed in the ck Arrows group. The assassination ability of those who served Earl Zebra¡¯s family for generations was unmatched. There was no history of failed assassinations.


    Earl Zebra ordered.


    "Kill the guy who was here a little while ago! Get me the ck Quartz Earrings back!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The assassins suddenly disappeared. Earl Zebra was facing them, and even he wasn¡¯t sure when they disappeared. Earl Zebra felt relieved by their excellent skills and smiled evilly.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter what a monster that guy is.¡¯


    What opponents couldn¡¯t those assassins kill? Earl Zebra imagined the situation where that person would die and was very satisfied. The moment he was humming.


    ¡°Nyang.¡±


    A small cat entered the great war. It was a cat with smooth ck fur. Only the end of his four feet and tail were white as snow.


    ¡®C-Cute!¡¯


    Earl Zebra thought as he watched the cat. The cat¡¯s charm was so absolute that even a crazy human was captivated by it. Earl Zebra was deceived for a moment. He felt a desire to keep that cat around him for the rest of his life.


    But it was only for a moment. Earl Zebra barely managed to regain his spirit.


    ¡°What are the guards doing? Why can¡¯t the guards keep a beast out of here? Do you really want to die?"


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    The soldiers who rushed over at the noise were pale. They had obviously been standing guard fiercely. It was impossible for even an ant to enter. How was a cat able to get in?


    "Why are you just standing there?¡±


    The soldiers tried to get rid of the cat. However, the cat was very agile, despite its chubbiness. It jumped around the great hall like it was its own home.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Earl Zebra and the soldiers¡¯ eyes widened. They witnessed small wings appearing on the cat¡¯s back. They looked closely and saw a small horn on his forehead.


    ¡°M-Monster...!¡±


    Earl Zebra btedly grasped the identity of the cat and shook his hands. But his dull hands couldn¡¯t prevent the aggressive cat¡¯s dash.


    ¡°Kiyaaah!¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    The short paws of the cat swung at lightning speed. Earl Zebra was filled with a terrible pain. He felt a burning sensation from his face.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    A sharp scream rang out. Earl Zebra¡¯s face was bloody like it was mangled.


    "H-Hik."


    The soldiers were terrified. It was obvious that Earl Zebra¡¯s anger would fall on them, who couldn¡¯t prevent the monster from entering.


    ¡®He is going to torture us terribly!¡¯


    ¡®W-What should we do?¡¯


    ¡®Why did this happen?¡¯


    The soldiers fixed their eyes on their spears as they talked. Then they crept towards Earl Zebra, who was filled with a lot of agony and pain.


    ¡°Y-You guys...!¡±


    Earl Zebra lived a life that wasn¡¯t filled with suffering, simply because he was born of a noble lineage. Today was his first time experiencing a major injury since he was born. It was also because of his subordinates.


    ¡°How dare you try to harm your master! Don¡¯t you know that this is a felony? Your limbs will be cut off and you will all die!¡±


    Earl Zebra cried out. But the threat didn¡¯t vanish. The soldiers raised their spears. Earl Zebra wanted to avoid this and quickly changed his attitude.


    "If you put down your spears now, I will forgive you and give you a great reward! So please calm down!¡±


    He tried to negotiate, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Do you think that we¡¯ll believe your words? We know that you tell dozens of lies to those you torture!¡±


    "We hated you from the beginning! You human butcher! It¡¯s better to get rid of a guy like you!¡±


    ¡°One of the girls you framed and killed was my rtive! She was only 15 years old! You son of a bitch.¡±


    The anger that had been suppressed was being expressed. If they didn¡¯t kill the earl, they would die anyway. The soldiers were well aware that there was no turning back. They stabbed Earl Zebra with their spears.


    Puk!Puk puk puk!


    ¡°Y-You...! You guys! Kuheook!¡±


    It was the end of the human who was more cruel and wicked than a demon.


    ¡°Nyang.¡±


    The cat, who was the culprit of this situation, slowly escaped from the great hall.


    ***


    "Was this what you aimed for?¡±


    On the outer walls. Kiki had reported the situation in the castle after she used her Hawk Eyes skill.


    Veradin shook his head.


    ¡°No. I just wanted to obtain the bones of the ughterer.¡±


    Veradin couldn¡¯t know why Grid, a duke of the Eternal Kingdom, came to visit Earl Zebra. But he could roughly guess the reason why. The ughterer was a bounty monster for many rankers. Maybe Grid came here to raid this ce? He predicted Grid¡¯s presence and didn¡¯t report it to Earl Zebra. As a result, Grid raided the ughterer.


    Thus far, it was as nned. But he had no idea Earl Zebra would be killed. In fact, it was the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra, but the ck cat that caused the incident obviously belonged to Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising.¡±


    Was Grid acting for the people of another kingdom that weren¡¯t rted to him? A strange smile appeared on Veradin¡¯s face.


    Kiki questioned him, "What should we do? There will be an uproar.¡±


    The empire wouldn¡¯t stay silent after a noble was killed. Arge scale investigation team would be sent and the atmosphere would be bloody for a while. That wasn¡¯t the only problem. The son of Earl Zebra was still young. In addition, he grew up watching his crazy father and was emotionally unstable. In short, he was easily manipted. It was doubtful that the other nobles would give a territory to acking boy. It was expected that a bloody faction strife over the territory would ur.


    ¡°Veradin? What are you thinking? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to report Grid right now?¡±


    ¡°Dismissed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kiki couldn¡¯t believe it. Grid was an enemy. Now only did he hurt their guild, he damaged Earl Zebra¡¯s territory, the home of their guild. Yet Veradin was intending to let Grid go?


    Veradin exined the n. "We will arrest the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra and get a huge achievement. Then we can increase our influence and make the son of Earl Zebra a lord.¡±


    He was drawing a big picture.


    ¡°This is an opportunity to go further.¡±


    Veradin believed that this work would allow him to devour Earl Zebra¡¯s territory in the future. He would give this estate to his master, Agnus.


    ***


    The outskirts of Earl Zebra¡¯s castle.


    Grid was waiting for Noe.


    ¡®I wanted to kill him myself.¡¯


    Earl Zebra was a wicked man who shouldn¡¯t be saved. Grid had gone through many adventures, but it was the first time he saw such a brutal person. But it was too dangerous to kill the earl himself.


    It would be difficult to ess Asmophel if the empire was chasing him, and it would also put the Eternal Kingdom in a difficult position. If he knew that Veradin was a noble of the empire, Grid wouldn¡¯t have touched the White Wolf Guild either. But Grid didn¡¯t know the truth about Veradin, so he couldn¡¯t feel d that Veradin didn¡¯t report him.


    "Grid is a good person? Then you punished a bad person?¡±


    Randy started questioning the division between good and evil. Grid was satisfied at the friend who grew up everyday and replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid wasn¡¯t a good man. He wouldn¡¯t sacrifice his life unless it was for his colleagues. But he had the minimum of conscience. He couldn¡¯t turn away from those who were in fear from Earl Zebra. If hecked strength, he might¡¯ve turned away for his ownfort.


    ¡®I¡¯m no longer a weakling.¡¯


    He was willing to help someone if he could help. But that story was based on the assumption that he woulde to no harm. This was Grid¡¯s evolution. It wasn¡¯t quite justice. However, he wasn¡¯t really reprehensible.


    ¡°Rather...¡±


    Grid sensed uninvited people approaching their hiding spot. It wasn¡¯t difficult to detect them because he had over 1,400 insight.


    ¡°These guys, they were sent by Zebra.¡±


    The criteria that Grid used to judge the skills of an assassin was Faker. These assassins weren¡¯t a match for Faker. In other words, Grid didn¡¯t acknowledge most of the assassins in the world. It wasn¡¯t just arrogance.


    His position was right. An assassin¡¯s weapons were their secrecy and swiftness, but it was virtually impossible for them to threaten Grid with his high insight and unreasonable defense. They needed to have at least Faker¡¯s skills to threaten him.


    Susuk.


    The assassins were unaware that they would be detected. After steadily narrowing down the distance, they aimed their daggers at Grid¡¯s neck. At that moment.


    Chaaeng!


    Golden des flew and blocked the assassins¡¯ daggers.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you using cute tricks?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The assassins¡¯ expressions didn¡¯t change. But they were incredibly surprised.


    ¡®He noticed our surprise attack? It couldn¡¯t be.¡¯


    They tried stabbing again, but it was useless.


    Puok!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The golden des were thrown by someone unknown and flew again, sticking into the assassin¡¯s thigh. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 1,590 damage to the target.]


    ¡®There is only this much damage, even if it¡¯s a critical attack.¡¯


    Pavranium was the strongest mineral. If he made a weapon using pavranium, the attack power would be beyond Failure. But right now, the des made from pavranium couldn¡¯t exert their full strength. They were made with only a small amount of pavranium, so the attack power wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡®Minor must find the westernbyrinths quickly.¡¯


    He wanted to secure more pavranium. Minor had a lot of responsibility. As Grid was thinking this, the assassins became wary.


    ¡®This person has apanion!¡¯


    Grid was obviously alone when he came to the castle. But now he had a girl with him, as well as a hidden guard. They had to find the guard hiding somewhere that was throwing the golden des. But they couldn¡¯t detect the person.


    Grid smiled like they were funny and pointed towards the sky.


    ¡°Above.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    At that moment. The assassins looked up at the sky and witnessed the golden des moving alone.


    ¡®Artifact!¡¯


    The astonished assassins looked back at Grid.


    ¡°Keok...¡±


    "Ugh...¡±


    Three of the assassins were skewered with a blue greatsword.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    This was too absurd!


    ¡°Are we being hunted?¡±


    The past Grid and current Grid had something inmon. He showed no mercy to his enemies.


    "Don¡¯t waste your time and die obediently.¡±


    An iron mask that covered half the face. At first nce, it seemed to be crying, but now it was smiling. The assassins experienced the greatest horror since they were born.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246


    ¡®Are we going to die like this?¡¯


    The assassins were trained to maintain theirposure under any circumstances. Surveince, assault, assassination, etc. Their tasks required secrecy and patience, so suppressing their emotions was the most basic skill.


    But now the ck Arrow assassins lost theirposure. In other words, they were clearly terrified. This was evidence that their status was low. An excellent assassin would¡¯ve kept theirposure, no matter how strong their target.


    "Your master is a dog and you¡¯re just at the level of a gangster.¡±


    Step, step.


    The target moved closer and approached them. The assassins were good at using a dagger, so they weed closebat, but this situation was an exception.


    ¡®There is no chance when facing him from the front.¡¯


    Their colleagues were killed in the blink of an eye. The six assassins quickly determined and spread out. Then they threw their daggers.


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Dozens of daggers flooded towards Grid. It seemed like there was no room to evade. The assassins naturally thought that Grid would bleed. They had an extremely poor imagination.


    Suuk.


    A jade greatsword was calmly and quickly pulled out. Then dozens of daggers flying at Grid were sucked into the centre of a vortex. This wasn¡¯t the end. Then the direction of the vortex changed and the daggers popped out like bullets.


    It was Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve.


    Puk!Puuok!


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    "Kkuk!¡±


    The effect of ¡®skill damage increased by 20%¡¯ made the daggers bombardment much more powerful than when the assassins threw them. The assassins hit by the daggers became a hedgehog.


    ¡®Being hit by my own attack!¡¯


    It was serious. The eyes of the assassins swayed like amp in front of the wind. Grid triggered cksmith¡¯s Rage and wielded the blue greatsword like a lightning bolt.


    Seokeok!


    Two colleagues lost their lives at once. The bodies and heads were separated, turning them to ash at once.


    ¡®He is too strong...!¡¯


    The assassins were well aware of the fact that the ughterer was strong. But they were confident that they could kill the ughterer if all nine assassins did a pincer attack. However, the number of people who could ess the basement was limited to three.


    It meant that the target was a monster who had taken on the ughterer alone. However, the nine of them could beat the target if they fought together. But that wasn¡¯t it. The target¡¯s strength far exceeded the assumed range. He might even be a match for the famous Red Knights.


    The ck Arrows that followed Earl Zebra andmitted many bad acts were wiped out on this day.


    ***


    ¡®If I aim at a vital spot, the chances of activating the Bisect skill is much higher... Is it? I need to experiment a bit more.¡¯


    Grid defeated the ughterer and gained a lot of experience. He defeated nine ck Arrows assassins with an average level of 240, and his level rose due to the additional experience. 288. Based on his level, he was now within the top 500 rankings.


    But that strength? His rank had nothing to do with it.


    ¡®My agility is too low.¡¯


    Grid invested all 10 stat points into agility, but he still felt that it wascking. Piaro¡¯s strength and agility was a 1:1 ratio. Grid had used him for reference and invested all points into agility for several months, but his ratio was still a mess. He had invested most of his stat points into strength until he met Piaro.


    Grid currently had 2,810 strength and 1,606 agility. He had to make the ratio of these two stats 1:1. If he wanted to use the ideal swordsmanship that bnced strength and speed, he needed to gain at least another 120 levels.


    ¡®My vision is dark.¡¯


    But did he feel desperate? No way.


    ¡®I have to concentrate on hunting every time I take a break.¡¯


    Right now, Grid didn¡¯t care about overworking himself. He would be rewarded for all the effort he put in. He was well aware of this fact.


    Noe flew to him. "Praise the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!¡±


    Based on his expression, he hadpleted his task properly. This was the end of Earl Zebra¡¯s reign.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Titan.¡±


    Now Grid didn¡¯t need the hat. The mask and eyepatch hid his features, so his ID was automatically hidden.


    Grid moved forward without hesitation. He met monsters on the way to Titan and gradually adjusted to dual wielding and using the Vital Spot Detection skill. After the battle, he recreated the contents and sought how to ovee his weaknesses.


    The journey to Tital would take approximately a fortnight. Until then, Grid¡¯s goal was to reach at least level 291.


    Randy and Noe became surprisingly friendly.


    ¡°Noe! Cute!¡±


    ¡°Kyang! Pat the best demonic beast of hell on the head! Stroke my chin as well! Kyang!¡±


    ***


    The 31st knight, Idan. He was the youngest of the Red Knights. He was only 14 years old when he joined the knights and now he was 23 years old. He wasn¡¯t from a prestigious family.


    But nobody could ignore him.


    Who would make fun of him, one of the empire¡¯s strongest knights?


    ¡°Hrmm~¡±


    The scene where Earl Zebra was murdered. There were dozens of nobles and knights present. They stood like stone statues and watched Idan. On the other hand, Idan didn¡¯t look at them. He questioned the seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra, as well as the circumstances around his murder.


    "Um~ I see.¡±


    After a while.


    Idan made an expression like he finally grasped the situation. Then at the ce where Earl Zebra was killed. In other words, he sat on the throne in the great hall. Nobody pointed out that this behavior was unbing.


    Idan ordered.


    "Destroy them and their families.¡±


    ¡°S-Sir Idan!¡±


    The seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra cried out. Didn¡¯t he say that their families would live if they cooperated with the investigation? It was a ruthlessmand! Idan smiled at those who were looking at him with eyes full of pleading and resentment.


    "I understand the reason why you needed to kill Earl Zebra. In addition, I know that Earl Zebra deserved to die. But a crime is a crime. I need to enforce thew.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this? You promised to spare our families!¡±


    "That was if you cooperated.¡±


    "We willingly cooperated!¡±


    ¡°Yes~? When?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The soldiers realized it. Idan was an evil person. He was just as vicious as Earl Zebra. It was chilling to see himugh as he sentenced dozens of people to death. Idan watched the soldiers who were dragged to the execution area before turning to the nobles.


    ¡°Did you say you were Baron Veradin?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Veradin was called by Idan and took one step forward. Idan observed him closely before smiling.


    ¡°You identally witnessed the murder of Earl Zebra at the hands of his soldiers and arrested them... Aren¡¯t you wonderful?¡±


    It was tantly sarcastic. The situation was excellent enough to make Veradin stand out, and Idan clearly smelt it. Veradin didn¡¯t shake. He bowed while maintaining a calm expression.


    ¡°I might¡¯ve been able to save Earl Zebra if I arrived at the scene a little sooner. I am sorry.¡±


    Idan¡¯s eyes darkened. Veradin was a pretty tough guy.


    "Do you know anything about the killer of the ughterer?¡±


    Just before Earl Zebra was murdered, someone had killed the ughterer by himself. Idan suspected that these things were rted. However, it was a problem because Veradin, who was presumed to be in the center of the case, remained consistent until the end.


    "This is all the soldiers said. He was alone, and was a ck-haired man full of grace. I didn¡¯t see him myself.¡±


    "Yes, I understand."


    That was the end. Idan left without looking at Earl Zebra¡¯s body. Then he looked at direction where the killer of the ughterer had headed.


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    The empire¡¯s judgment division determined that the ughterer was an A+ grade monster. Three ck knights weren¡¯t able to defeat it, so he was sent alone. He didn¡¯t like the fact that he was pushed to do this troublesome thing. Now he was irritated because the situation had be moreplicated.


    ¡®A person who can handle an A+ grade monster alone isn¡¯t ordinary... The seniors won¡¯t like it if I return without investigating the person¡¯s identity.¡¯


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    He could only sigh.


    ***


    ¡°Is this authentic information?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now is the perfect time.¡±


    Zibal was second on the unified rankings. The Snake Guild, led by him, was growing rapidly, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling anxiety. The total number of guild members was 275 and their average level exceeded 230.


    At least 100 of them were in the top 1,000 rankers. He had recently achieved his goal of bing an earl of the Haken Kingdom. He would be the first user to be a king. But there was a big stumbling block.


    It was none other than Grid. Grid had be a duke at once due to therge-scale golem invasion. It was highly likely that Grid would take the title of first king. Zibal couldn¡¯t sit back, and instead made a n.


    Seven guilds had joined forces to keep Grid and Reidan in check. The leaders of the seven guilds pledged to cooperate. They would suppress Grid. But there was a problem.


    Grid and the Overgeared Guild were too big. How could they invade Reidan when there was a group of monsterspletely dominating the 10th to 40th ces in the unified rankings? If the seven guildsbined, it might be possible to kill the Overgeared members, but they would have to take huge damage. It would turn into a loss for them.


    Zibal and the leaders of the seven guilds couldn¡¯t carelessly take action. They were worried for the past few months, but had to wait.


    Then a chance arrived. ording to a scouting team dispatched to the western part of the Eternal KIngdom, Grid had recently disappeared and the Overgeared members had left Reidan to develop a mine.


    Currently, Reidan waspletely vacant. What if they invaded and destroyed the facilities? It would be a huge blow that Grid would find difficult to ovee.


    "Head to Reidan right now. Put on a helmet or mask to hide your identity and move as secretly and quickly as possible.


    At the same time, Reidan.


    ¡°This is Grid¡¯s city...!¡±


    The sight of the endless fields and walls made Damian overwhelmed. He had travelled to many big cities during his adventures, but in terms of size, Reidan was the best.


    ¡°Being a duke is really great! Ruling this great city! Amazing! The poption must be at least over 100,000!¡±


    Damian looked around at the surroundings and admired it.


    Were visitors unwee? Two farmers suddenly arrived in front of him and asked him a question.


    "Who are you?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247


    Damian was just walking along. He couldn¡¯t think of anything in his behavior that would¡¯ve caused wariness. So why were these people blocking the road? The attitude of the farmers didn¡¯t make sense.


    Damian thought about it before making a reasonable guess.


    ¡®They don¡¯t like me because I¡¯m an otaku.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s equipment were engraved with all types of phrases. The phrases written in gold looked very nice, because they had a sense of harmony with the white color of the gear. However, this changed after seeing the contents of the phrases.


    I love you Rin-chan, beautiful Isabel-chan, cute Luna-chan, Reba¡¯s Daughters forever, and so on.


    The contents of the phrases were things that invited disdain. Some people were so disgusted that they caused a fight because they didn¡¯t want to see it. In reality and in games, an otaku was a target of hatred and derision.


    But Damian didn¡¯t give in. He wanted to freely express his love for Reba¡¯s Daughters. He couldn¡¯t understand why he should be criticized for the act of loving someone so purely and enthusiastically.


    ¡°I¡¯m a pdin of the Reba Church. Why are you asking me who I am?¡±


    Damian¡¯s attitude was cold.


    One of the farmers smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be an ordinary pdin.¡±


    Damian eximed. ¡°Yes! I am not an ordinary pdin, I¡¯m an otaku pdin! So what? Do you want to beat me up?¡±


    ¡°Otaku? What is that? Anyway, won¡¯t you fight me? The divine power that I can feel around you is very interestingpared to all the pdins and priests I¡¯ve met so far.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Damian finally figured out the situation. These farmers weren¡¯t mad at him for being an otaku. They were just crazy. A farmer who detected his powerful divine power and wanted to challenge him? It was safe to say that he had crossed a line.


    ¡®He¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    Damian feltpassion for the farmer. Then he sincerely prayed.


    "Goddess of light, please bless these poor people...¡±


    After a moment. Damian finished praying and said goodbye to the farmers.


    "I hope that you will restore your spirit under Goddess Reba¡¯s divine favor. Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    Damian didn¡¯t look back. He didn¡¯t want to encounter these crazy farmers for long, so he hurried towards the gate.


    ¡®I need to meet Grid as soon as possible.¡¯


    He needed to ask Grid to seal Lifael¡¯s Spear. He just wondered if the greedy Grid would do it.


    ¡®I will save Isabel-chan, even if I have to give him all my possessions.¡¯


    He would devote his soul for her. It was when he was making a pledge again.


    Peeng!


    There was a loud sound. Damian turned his head to see a hoe flying towards him.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    There was clearly killing intent. An overwhelming qi. It would cause great damage if he didn¡¯t block it. Damian instinctively sensed and hurriedly raised his shield.


    Chaaeng!


    A strong shockwave urred as a result of the hoe and white shield colliding. The whole wheat field shook. Damian was appalled.


    ¡®Strong!¡¯


    It was incredible attack power. It was enough to make his spine chill, the first pdin of the Reba Church. As he was feeling confused, the farmer pulled back his hoe and threw off his straw hat.


    An NPC called Piaro. He looked amused as he held a hoe in one hand and a hand plow in the other.


    "Good defense. I¡¯ll have to use Supreme Swordsmanship.¡±


    Piaro was excited. First there was Duke Grid, the Overgeared members, Kraugel, and now Damian. He was excited by the fact that he met powerful people who couldn¡¯t be overpowered with the Imperial Swordsmanship.


    ¡®I have to deal with him seriously, like when I am fighting Kraugel.¡¯


    When hepeted with Duke Grid at Loran Falls. At that time, Piaro hadn¡¯t been in the proper mental state. He wasn¡¯t able to demonstrate his skills properly. But after being with Duke Grid for the past few months, Piaro had be emotionally stable. Now he could exert his full skills.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Damian quickly rejected. There was no reason to fight. But Piaro was stubborn.


    "You must take me down in order to enter Reidan.¡±


    "What¡¯s this?¡±


    Damian thought it was ridiculous. It was a city where a farmer was the gatekeeper. The other farmer standing silently suddenly whispered to Piaro.


    ¡°Please do it moderately. I also want to fight with him.¡±


    He was Kraugel. He had been working in the fields and training with Piaro for a fortnight. Thanks to Piaro, he had certainly be stronger than before. Now he only lost half his health when confronting Piaro. Even that monster was looking forward to a fight with Damian.


    An exceptional person who rose to be the number two pdin, despite being a pdin of the Reban Church. But one day, he suddenly disappeared from the rankings list, so there were rumors that he obtained a hidden ss.


    That person was Damian. Damian was famous, so Kraugel was interested in news about him. But Damian himself was unaware that he was a celebrity. He was only interested in Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    Anyway, that celebrity was currently in a desperate crisis.


    The continent¡¯s strongest swordsman, Piaro.


    The peak of two billion users, Kraugel.


    He was destined to fight those two in turn.


    ***


    The Ice Flower Guild was one of the axis of the seven guilds. They had 30 members. They were few in number, but all 30 members were elites in the top 100 of the magician rankings.


    In particr, their guild master Bondre was an overwhelming talent. He was the first ranking magician and 11th on the unified rankings just a month ago. Thanks to the Overgeared members, his ranking was pushed to 17th. However, there was nobody who would disagree that he was strong.


    Ah, there was Grid. In the National Competition, Grid had logged out Bondre in four seconds.


    But that was then and this was now. After his disgrace in the National Competition, Bondre struggled to acquire more S-grade magic. He poured all his money, time, and effort into it. As a result, Bondre was now much more powerful than he was in the National Competition.


    He had three S-grade magic spells. Nine monthster, the Second National Competition would be held in France, his home country. At that ce, he nned to thoroughly get revenge on Grid.


    "I will log you out in three seconds.¡± But before that. "Today, I will shatter your estate.¡±


    That damn Grid was the lord of Reidan. Bondre would make it a vacant lot. The development of the city that urred in thest few months would be in vain! Cruelly! Perfectly!


    "I will make you crumble! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    "The disease has returned.¡±


    The guild members talked among themselves as they watched their guild master having an outburst. Their guild master was often like this after being defeated by Grid in the National Competition. They missed his past appearance.


    ¡°Huh? What is that?"


    There was a strange forest filled with thorny vines. This was currently the west of the Eternal Kingdom. The desert would soon appear in front of everyone. The Ice Flower Guild suddenly stopped marching.


    It was because there were hundreds of people in the distance. They were blocking the forest¡¯s narrow path.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they seem like refugees?¡±


    "Their timing is dirty.¡±


    The guild was close to Reidan. However, the 900 refugees made their march slow down, so the Ice Flower Guild became irritated.


    ¡°Just kill them.¡±


    Bondre witnessed it and spat out terrible words. The guild members winced and calmed Bondre down.


    "Our infamy will shoot through the roof if we kill so many people. It will be impossible to y the game normally for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. Please take it easy.¡±


    ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit! I want to smash Reidan right now!¡±


    ¡°Look! We can fly in the sky!¡±


    Bondre was losing his mind because his enemy¡¯s empty house was right in front of him. The guild members tried to calm him down. They could fly in the sky using magic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fly through the sky until we escape the forest. How about it? Okay?¡±


    Bondre barely recovered control and nodded.


    ¡°Sigh... Okay. It¡¯s unfortunate that mana will be consumed, but it¡¯s still less than killing those people.¡±


    Float.


    The moment Bondre was using Fly along with his guild members. A hand sprang out from a thorny vine and grabbed a guild member.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The Ice Flower Guild couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. They were stunned as they received a notification window.


    [Your party member Ren has died.]


    "What?¡±


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    What was going on? Bondre aimed magic in the direction that the mysterious hand protruded from.


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    Kwajajajajak!


    The ice bombs rapidly cooled the vines and destroyed them. Then Ren¡¯s dead body came into view.


    ¡®Where?¡¯


    They had to find the person who killed Ren. Bondre and the guild members searched the area, but they couldn¡¯t find the enemy.


    Puk!


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    [Your party member Silver has died.]


    Bondre and the guild members paled. Apanion standing near them had died and they still couldn¡¯t detect the enemy. It was like there was a ghost.


    ¡®Assassin.¡¯


    A strong assassin that the level 303 Bondre couldn¡¯t detect, that was powerful enough to kill magicians whose levels were in thete 200s. Yes, like Faker.


    ¡®Faker?¡¯ A chill went down Bondre¡¯s spine. ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Was it really Faker? If so!


    Bondre hurriedly eximed. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here! Get out of the forest now!¡±


    An assassin was the counter of a magician. Magicians had low health, defense and agility, so they couldn¡¯t afford to go against the swift assassins. It was worse in a dark ce like this with many obstacles. They had to move to a wide area. The Ice Flower Guild made this judgment and instantly used Haste. It was to escape the forest after increasing their movement speed.


    But the person in the darkness had no intention of letting them go. He threw daggers aimed at the magicians.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248


    If the Overgeared members were asked who they trusted the most, they would answer without hesitation: Faker.


    He gazed into the shadows that hispanions couldn¡¯t see and, with the tip of his weapon, destroyed any who was brave enough to try and harm hispanions. His reason for being silent was caution, and his remarks became reality.


    ¡°You will die here today.¡±


    Five minutes after the battlemenced, Faker finally revealed himself. A terrible anger appeared on Bondre¡¯s face as he eximed, ¡°Faker, this guy!¡±


    It was only five minutes, the amount of time it took to go to the bathroom. That was it. During that period of time, 11 of Bondre¡¯s colleagues were killed. The dagger had a dispel function that made the shields of the magicians useless.


    ¡°What are you doing here? How did you predict that we would be going through this ce? No, how did you know that we were going to invade Reidan in the first ce? Did you nt a spy?¡±


    Spy? There wasn¡¯t enough manpower in Reidan for that. It was just a coincidence. Faker had to avoid the gaze of the empire while he was transporting the refugees. He chose this narrow thorny vine forest as his route and encountered the Ice Flower Guild.


    This could be called luck. Did he need to exin all of this to Bondre? No.


    Bondre¡¯s face turned red as Faker remained silent.


    ¡°Damn bastard! Are you ignoring me now?¡±


    Chwachachachak!


    Six ice pirs emerged from the ground. He had used S-grade magic a little while ago topletely devastate the forest and make Faker reveal himself.


    It was the moment when magic of the same level was manifested. Bondre stood in the cold air and smiled as he said, ¡°This is one of the spells I prepared to kill Grid. Can you hold on?¡±


    Ice Dragon¡¯s Fury: an S-grade spell.


    Six huge ice pirs swirled in the air like a flight of Dragons.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you before trampling on Reidan!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The six ice pirs attacked Faker from all directions. Power, speed, and range. Nothing wascking. The only downside of this magic was that it consumed arge amount of mana. However, it wouldn¡¯tpletely deplete the mana of a top grade magician.


    ¡®As long as his cover is gone, he will die! Come on! The person who took the 11th rank that was originally my position!¡¯


    Bondre was sure of his victory. He knew he could neutralize an assassin¡¯s swiftness with a wide area magic spell.


    Don¡¯t give an assassin time to avoid. The rtively weak attack powerpared to a single damage skill? It didn¡¯t matter. Assassins had low health, just like magicians. Once hit by the spell, the only result was...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The confident Bondre¡¯s eyes shook, refusing to believe the spectacle unfolding before them.


    Left.


    Kwajak!


    Right.


    Kwajajak!


    Left again.


    Kwa kwang!


    This time it was up. While six ice pirs rotated like the saw des in a blender, Faker moved so fast that only afterimages were left behind. What about the cold air that caused the speed to drop?


    ¡®How high is Faker¡¯s agility?¡¯


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just a matter of agility. High speed that couldn¡¯t be controlled was akin to having a pearl ne around a pig¡¯s neck. But Faker was inplete control of the speed that transcendedmon sense. No, it wasn¡¯t just at the level of control.


    ¡®Godly co...!¡¯


    Godly control. It was a modifier that only existed for Kraugel so far! As Bondre was in shock, Faker expressed his gratitude to Grid.


    ¡®I always admire the items you make.¡¯


    Wind God¡¯s Leather Armor. It was the armor that Grid made based on the production method that Faker had obtained. Originally, this armor increased the wearer¡¯s agility by 6% and all speeds by 12%. However, Grid¡¯s recreation of the armor increased agility by 8% and all speeds by 15%.


    Susuk.Sususuk.


    The afterimages increased.


    One of the third assassin sses, ¡®Master of Swiftness,¡¯ the ss that required the highest level of control among all the sses in Satisfy. After meeting Grid¡¯s items and Faker¡¯s control, its capabilities were increased by 200% .


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    The six pirs gradually lost momentum, while Faker¡¯s speed increased. Anyone looking at him was likely to feel dizzy. The guild members tried casting magic in order to limit Faker¡¯s movements.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Daggers flew and stopped their casting. There wasn¡¯t a pattern, but he avoided the big magic that dominated the whole area while stopping other magic casting.


    ¡®This is a scam!¡¯ It was strange. Faker¡¯s skills were more than rumored. ¡®Weren¡¯t the original rumors exaggerated? So why is it the opposite?¡¯


    The duration of Ice Dragon¡¯s Fury finally ended. Bondre hurriedly eximed, "Use the spells in your orb!¡±


    They could use the spells stored in their orbs without any casting. But the magicians were reluctant to use it. It was ast resort. Now it was time to use theirst resort.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Kwajik!Kwajijijik!


    Magics with all types of attributes immediately appeared and aimed for Faker. As he flew around the ice pirs, the spells struck his body.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! We did it!¡±


    No, it was a misunderstanding. Their spells had hit an afterimage, not Faker¡¯s body. Faker¡¯s condition was rtively fine.


    ¡°This damn thing!¡±


    Bondre cursed as Faker only suffered minor damage. He invoked ¡®Double Casting¡¯ and used two spells at the same time.


    Kuuong!


    After minimizing Faker¡¯s activities radius using an ice barrier,


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    Then he unfolded the Ice Spider Web. The other guild members cast spells at the same time.


    ¡®What will Faker do now?¡¯


    The Master of Swiftness ss had clear limits. It couldn¡¯t move through the shadows like a Master of Shadows, nor did it have defense abilities. The only advantage was speed, so it was possible to disable the ss if speed was suppressed.


    Peeng!


    Faker threw smoke bombs.


    Due to the thick smoke, Bondre and the magicians were unable to see Faker.


    Bondreughed.


    "Kuhahahaha! This guy! You can¡¯t do anything with the Ice Spider Web pressuring you!¡±


    The magicians used magic of the wind attribute. A gust of wind blew away the smokescreen, revealing Faker who would be stuck in the Ice Spider Web...


    "...Where did he go?¡±


    Bondre and the magicians were stunned. How did he conceal himself on t ground without any cover?


    ¡®Hide!¡¯ It was clear that he dug a tunnel to hide in. ¡®Such a pathetic method!¡¯


    Bondre used detection magic.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Sweat trickled down Bondre¡¯s cheek. The detection magic was telling him that Faker was behind his back.


    Suuk.


    A sharp dagger aimed towards Bondre¡¯s neck. At the same time, Faker released the white hoodie he was wearing.


    ¡°Invisibility cloak...!¡±


    At this moment. The Ice Flower Guild were reminded. Faker was an Overgeared member. In other words, this meant that Faker was equipped with the power of items.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Bondre cursed as the dagger was stuck in his neck.


    Under the zing sun. Red flowers bloomed on the gleaming spider webs.


    ***


    Bunny Bunny.


    He was once the world¡¯s best gaming BJ. The average number of people who watched the broadcast in real time was close to 150,000. But that was a story of the past. Currently, the average number of viewers had dropped to 30,000.


    In order to ovee this crisis, it was necessary to renew his viewers and gain some publicity. He needed new broadcast material that attracted people¡¯s attention. More provocative material.


    Bunny Bunny used hiswork and was able to obtain the best information that the seven guilds would unite and attempt to invade Reidan.


    ¡°Okay. Good video quality, good angle."


    The fortified city, Patrian. Beyond it was the west of the Eternal Kingdom.


    Bunny Bunny activated the video recording feature and filmed the Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild. The two guilds had approximately 200 members. Bunny Bunny checked that there was nobody around and whispered as he ryed the situation.


    ¡°Can you see them? Their IDs can¡¯t be confirmed because they are wearing masks, but considering their features, they are surely the Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild. The information I obtained was true.¡±


    Bunny Bunny was cautious.


    ¡°Oh, the two guilds have started moving. I will follow from a distance so that I won¡¯t get caught.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be good if he was discovered. The seven guilds didn¡¯t want it known that they united and were going to invade Reidan. Why? It was shameful. The seven guilds that represented Satisfy had joined forces to invade just one city.


    "The master of the Yak Guild, Bubat is covering his face, but it is easy to guess his identity. It is because his size is as big as a bull. Huh? What is this situation?¡±


    Bunny Bunny was following the two guilds at a reasonable distance when he suddenly stopped. Dozens of knights were blocking the march of the two guilds.


    ¡°Wow, what is this? Why are the knights stopping the Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild? Isn¡¯t it curious? Right? Should I go closer? Okay. I will risk my life and narrow the distance in order to get rid of your curiosity.¡±


    Bunny Bunny was a level 209 assassin. He used Stealth and hid behind cover, so both guilds couldn¡¯t detect him. In the first ce, they were busy concentrating on the knights.


    "What are you guys? Why are you blocking our way?¡±


    ¡°What is this? Huh?¡±


    The guild members questioned the knights, but they stayed silent. They stood like an iron wall to block the guild members. In the end, Bubat couldn¡¯t bear it and went forward directly.


    ¡°Why are you preventing us from using the gate? If you don¡¯t give a reasonable exnation, I will break through by force.¡±


    At that moment.


    "You have no right to ask questions.¡±


    A middle-aged man with white robes emerged. The name above his head was Ashur. The master of the city.


    ¡®Earl Ashur...!¡¯


    Earl Ashur was one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. Why was such a big person blocking their way?


    Earl Ashur asked the curious guild members. ¡°Why do you want to go to the west?¡±


    "There is no reason to answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Reason?¡± Ashur snorted. Then he released his overwhelming magic power.


    ¡°Eek...!¡±


    The faces of the guild members turned white. The strong magic power felt like steel crushing their bodies. Earl Ashur¡¯s golden eyes sunk.


    "It is natural for you to answer my questions. There is no need to discuss why. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...! What the hell was this? Why is this happening?


    It was absurd. Bubat couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. Earl Ashur raised his voice and asked again, No, he ordered.


    ¡°Tell me why you are going to the west.¡±


    The magic balls installed throughout Patrian were Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes and ears. Through the magic balls, Earl Ashur already knew that they were going to invade Reidan. Nevertheless, it was a type of game to listen to their answers.


    Bubat lied. "We are just going hunting...¡±


    ¡°Hunting? Kukuk, that is an obvious lie. Another lying bastard from the past just came to mind."


    Earl Ashur¡¯s precious son was being held hostage in Reidan. He had no intention of letting these guys go, when they might harm his son.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice. Return the way you came, or have your bones buried in my city.¡±


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Dozens of knights drew their swords, while the soldiers on the wall pulled back their bowstrings. Earl Ashur¡¯s expression was arrogant as he stood behind them. Bunny Bunny was thrilled as he recorded the situation while hiding.


    ¡¯Doesn¡¯t it seem like Earl Ashur is Duke Grid¡¯s ally?¡¯


    One of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians was loyal to a user! This was a scoop above all other scoops. He was convinced that if he broadcasted the current scene, he could get a lot of viewers.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249


    The Yak Guild¡¯s master, Bubat.


    Hebined bold judgments and powerful CCs to be called Satisfy¡¯s best initiator. The battlefield was always favorable to his allies when he was fighting in the lead. His nickname was ¡®Yak who Promises Victory.¡¯


    But at the time of the National Competition, Bubat was helpless. He didn¡¯t live up to his reputation and disappointed people. Was it because he was in a bad condition? No. It was because he met Yura and Grid in session. In the case of Yura, his CC was destroyed by her excellent physical abilities. Grid was too bad because he resisted all CCs.


    Bubat was frustrated because it couldn¡¯t be helped. Now it was a few monthster. Bubat tried. He raised his level during hunting, acquired new skills, and maximized his control. He had the ability to fight against Yura and Grid. If he were to face them again, he had the confidence to grab hold of their ankles.


    However,


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    Before he met Yura and Grid, he once again experienced helplessness and frustration. For Bubat, reality was terrible.


    Earl Ashur ridiculed him, ¡°Your skills are pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Bubat couldn¡¯t say anything to the Earl¡¯s words. Earl Ashur was really brilliant. Regardless of his skill, his ability to respond with appropriate magic was beyond the scope ofmon sense. In this battle, Bubat was already wounded, while Earl Ashur didn¡¯t have a single speck of dirt on his white robes.


    One of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians. A monster who deterred war just by being present. In modern society, he was equivalent to a nuclear warhead. However, he was more than the rumors.


    ¡®Far stronger than Yura.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. If Earl Ashur and Yura had the same level and stats, Earl Ashur would have the advantage. There was the named NPCpensation effect.


    Named NPCs that had a profound effect on the worldview and story of the game, like Earl Ashur, had all their abilities (attack, defense, magic power, health, mana, skill cooldown, etc) set higher than a user.


    This was a type of protection system applied as a fixed effect, regardless of stats. Earl Ashur and Piaro were both named NPCs, but because it was divided by grade, Earl Ashur was defeated.


    ¡°I¡¯m not someone that small fries like you can dare to look at.¡±


    Kurururung!


    In one hand, lightning.


    Suuuk.


    In the other hand, Earl Ashur manifested water vapor. The destructive power of a magician who mastered various types of attribute magic became more evident when dealing with arge group.


    ¡°I will bury your bones in this city. Your bodies will be fertilizer to help the roses bloom.¡±


    Kwarururung!


    The water vapor spread and a thunderstorm formed. The Yak and Zeraph Guild members that were in range were electrocuted. Arrows from the soldiers poured from above them like rain while the knights continued the onught.


    "Ohhhh!"


    The top-ranked yers, including Bubat, fought desperately. They overcame the electric shock as soon as possible and smashed the knights. In particr, Bubat¡¯s activities were dazzling. He was like an angry yak as he blew away two knights with his shoulders. The knight with a blue rose in his mouth, Dio was only able topete with him for a while.


    But Bubat was still insignificant in Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°nning to invade Reidan with such skills, you should reevaluate. Don¡¯t you know? There is a monster at Reidan.¡±


    Ttaak. Hwaruruk!Hwaruk!Hwaruk!


    Earl Ashur started to generate continuous fire arrows from his fingers. He proved that C-grade magic could be as overwhelming as A-grade magic with his speed and magic power.


    Pepepepeong!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    People burned like straw. The earth shook and a storm appeared. The unrealistic scene of two of the seven guilds representing Satisfy copsing was recorded by Bunny Bunny in high definition.


    ¡°Amazing...! Amazing! Puhahaha!¡±


    One of the 10 great magicians on the continent was protecting Grid! Bunny Bunny was convinced that he could break his record of maximum viewers with this broadcast. He would also be inundated with interview requests from various media.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long before he returned to his days as the world¡¯s best gaming BJ.


    ***


    ¡°Ku... Kuock...!¡±


    The Ice Flower Guild¡¯sst survivor, Reis. The struggling man eventually copsed. One of the seven guilds had beenpletely wiped out by Faker. Why did something so ridiculous happen?


    The timing worked out well for Faker. This was the time when the difference between the third and second advancement sses was beginning to emerge. Out of the 30 Ice Flower Guild members, only Bondre had a third advancement ss. In other words, it meant Bondre was the only one able to face Faker.


    But Bondre was a magician. Faker was an assassin, so he perfectly countered Bondre. It was the difference in sses. This difference meant that the Ice Flower Guild was easily handled by Faker.


    It might¡¯ve been different if this moment urred three months ago. Or after some more time. No matter how great Faker was, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to smash the Ice Flower Guild then.


    [Your stamina is depleted.]


    [You won¡¯t be able to take any action.]


    Flop!


    Faker sat on the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. Master of Swiftness had a fatal weakness. It was fast moving, but the stamina consumption rate was unmatched. It was a difficult challenge to ovee. Grid was trying to solve it somehow, but the result was still unknown.


    Shake shake.


    Faker got up with great difficulty. His stamina was fixed at zero. Despite finding it difficult to lift even one finger, he attempted to move his feet with the belief that he should protect Reidan.


    ¡®Only me.¡¯


    Based on the conversation of the Ice Flower Guild members, the fore invading Reidan was the seven guilds. Faker knew that Reidan was empty due to the Overgeared members being busy with the mine development, so there was no one else able to defend Reidan.


    But.


    Flop!


    Faker couldn¡¯t move a single step and fell to the ground. Stamina depletion wasn¡¯t a problem that could be ovee with mental power.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    It would¡¯ve been nice if he was the one here right now. Faker was sad. His expressionless face distorted with despair and frustration. Suddenly, the hiding Ul n ran over to him with worried expressions.


    At first, they were afraid of Faker. However, now they trusted him.


    On this day.


    Faker became a legend. A living god who exterminated one of the seven guilds alone. It was extremely natural that having a famous subordinate would increase Grid¡¯s reputation.


    ***


    Just before Faker attacked the Ice Flower Guild. Faker sent a shocking whisper to Lauel.


    -The seven guilds are heading to Reidan.The Ice Flower Guild¡¯s currently location is the thorny vine forest.In addition, I don¡¯t know the location of the other six guilds.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There was a massive raid when Reidan was empty? It meant that the enemies urately grasped Reidan¡¯s situation.


    ¡®I was too rxed.¡¯


    He had to be more thorough when it came to blocking spies. But he didn¡¯t, so this was all his fault. He was ipetent as the lord¡¯s representative.


    Kwaduduk!


    He was angry at himself. Indeed, a lot of people were trying to restrain Reidan, but he couldn¡¯t stop this situation anymore. Lauel didn¡¯t want tomunicate this to Grid, who trusted him and put everything into his hands.


    ¡°Shit...! Shit!¡±


    ¡°Lauel? What happened?¡±


    Alzar Mountain. The Overgeared members, who were clearing the monsters around the mine, heading over to Lauel. Lauel was rarely so agitated, so they felt anxiety.


    Lauel took a deep breath and exined the situation. ¡°The seven guilds are heading to Reidan.¡±


    "What?¡±


    The Overgeared members cried out with shock. Among them, Vantner was especially angry.


    "Those damn bastards...! Damn! What should we do? It will take at least half a day to get to Reidan!¡±


    Lauel turned his attention to Huroi.


    ¡°Huroi, how many people can board your drake?¡±


    "Three people.¡±


    Given the speed of a drake, they would be able to reach Reidan in three hours. Lauel examined the Overgeared members. It was to select two people that would arrive in Reidan first with Huroi.


    "...¡±


    It was regrettable.


    The strongest members of the Overgeared Guild, Pon and Regas were off on the dungeon mission (and imunicado), while Faker was on a private mission. Jishuka was all the way in Bairan.


    Then the next most powerful...


    ¡°Vantner and Toon. Please move to Reidan first with Huroi. If the enemies haven¡¯t invaded yet when you arrive, cooperate with Jude to increase the defense. If they are already in battle...¡±


    Lauel stopped speaking and closed his eyes. Then he spoke difficult words.


    ¡°Discard Reidan. Focus on saving Khan, Rabbit, Piaro, and Jude.¡±


    It was a realistic judgment. It was virtually impossible to resist the seven guilds with a small number of people. They needed to be prepared for the destruction of the internal facilities. For now, the priority was saving the people who shouldn¡¯t be lost.


    "I understand...¡±


    To be honest, Vantner wanted to say, ¡®Why should we give up on Reidan?¡¯ He wanted to shout that he would protect Reidan on his own. But Lauel was acting on behalf of Grid. Vantner chose to remain silent and obey themand. It was because Vantner recognized Grid as his leader.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Huroi, Vantner, and Toon boarded the drake and began their journey to Reidan. The remaining members moved with Lauel.


    "Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t worry about your stamina and mana. Our goal is to arrive at Reidan quickly.¡±


    Reidan would already be ashes when they arrived.


    "We must kill the invaders."


    Grid would be the first user to be king. He was off limits. The enemies dared to aim at him? There were no thoughts about forgiveness.


    ***


    Reidan.


    Zibal looked at the vast wheat fields with derision.


    ¡°Developing such arge city as an agricultural city, Grid has no talent for internal affairs.¡±


    Indeed, Grid was ipetent. The only thing he could boast of was that he had a legendary ss. The user who could be the first king? Not this guy.


    "First of all, shall we turn these fields to ashes?¡±


    There were many guilds that hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but Zibal didn¡¯t care. He instructed the magicians to burn everything with fire magic.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Four farmers appeared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250


    Reidan¡¯s golden wheat field.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard...¡¯


    [Goddess¡¯ Agent]


    The owner of the unique ss, Damian, was working hard in the fields. He wore a straw hat to protect him from the sun and harvested wheat with a sickle, looking like the very image of a skilled farmer.


    Why? Why was a pope candidate working in the fields during such a busy time? In order to exin, they had to go back in time to one week ago.


    One week ago.


    "You can¡¯t enter Reidan unless you knock me down first.¡±


    Damian looked at the strange farmer and realized that he had stepped on nasty poo.


    ¡®It¡¯s sad.¡¯


    Piaro. This farmer was crazy. It was an undeniable truth. He grabbed a random stranger passing by and applied for a duel. Now the farmer was acting like a gangster after being rejected? This aggressive and stubborn temperament was far beyond the norm. He was also strong. It was difficult to avoid a strong person who was crazy.


    ¡®I was wrong.¡¯


    Damian sighed with regret. He came to this distant ce to meet Grid. But before he could even meet Grid, he felt like reality was harsh because he was grabbed by someone crazy.


    ¡®Sigh... I can¡¯t avoid this fight.¡¯


    Damian had to meet Grid. It was to ask Grid to seal Lifael¡¯s Spear. He needed to knock down this crazy farmer who was blocking the road. He decided and triggered Light¡¯s Blessing.


    Chaaeng!


    A golden pir dropped from the sky. Damian¡¯s attack, defense and uracy instantly rose by 80%. Light¡¯s Blessing. The disadvantage was that the cooldown was long, but the effect was excellent. No, this was the strongest buff skill that went beyond excellence.


    Piaro admired it. "This is truly amazing divine power!"


    Damian red at him. "I will listen to your request. Be careful not to die.¡±


    ¡°A good fighting spirit.¡±


    No more dialogue was necessary. The two men immediately collided. Damian was a stable one-handed sword fighting machine. Piaro dropped his hand plow and hoe and started using his sword. The confrontation between the two seemed fierce at first nce.


    The result?


    Damian was defeated in 10 minutes.


    "Your defense is stronger than the emperor¡¯s royal guards and your healing power is almost equal to a priest. You are the first to stand up against me for so long. This taste... No, it will be fun to train my swordsmanship.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s praise followed. But Damian couldn¡¯t hear his voice.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Thanks to Grid, Damian had been the Goddess¡¯ Agent until now. How many times had he won in battle? He couldn¡¯t count the number of monsters that he had one-sidedly ughtered. The infamous boss monsters? He could survive their attacks for several hours.


    Damian was the peak of the pdins. He had such pride. Yet he was defeated by a farmer. And in only 10 minutes!


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    Damian was shocked. He couldn¡¯t understand it. Surprisingly, another farmer approached him after the first battle was won. It was Kraugel, who hid his identity.


    ¡°Let¡¯s also fight.¡±


    ¡°...Shit! Okay! Fight! Let¡¯s fight! Damn! These farmers don¡¯t get tired!¡±


    Damian was extremely agitated. Sadly, he was forced to ept the confrontation with Kraugel. The result? This time, he was also defeated. Fortunately(?), he persisted for 20 minutes this time. However, this wasn¡¯tforting either.


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    It was his second consecutive loss to a farmer. Damian was frustrated. He had no doubt that he had be a protagonist, but he was merely an extra. Piaro made a suggestion to him. ¡°In fact... Duke Grid is currently away from here. He won¡¯t be back for at least three weeks, so why don¡¯t we do this task together?"


    Together?


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Damian couldn¡¯t understand, so Piaro pointed to the wheat field.


    ¡°Work in the morning, spar in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why? Indeed, this farmer was crazy. Damian naturally was going to refuse. At that moment, the quest information window popped up. It wasn¡¯t a normal quest. It was the rumored ¡®hidden¡¯ quest.


    [Fun and Enjoyable Training!]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Live with the farmer Piaro in Reidan. If you join him, you can grow significantly.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Live together with Piaro for three weeks. You must perfectly follow Piaro¡¯s schedule.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Strength +30. Stamina +60. Advanced Sword Mastery will rise by two levels. The skill ¡®Farming¡¯ will be obtained.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    In the case of advanced Sword Mastery, a minimum of three months training was required to raise one level. This was under the assumption that they hunted without rest. Yet he could gain two levels of sword mastery in only three weeks? His stats would even increase by 90 points. This was the same as gaining nine levels.


    ¡¯There is the farming skill... No, isn¡¯t the farming skill useless?¡¯


    Anyway, the quest was too attractive to refuse. The quest name sounded unlucky, but it wasn¡¯t bad. This crazy farmer wasn¡¯t just blowing smoke. In the end, Damian epted Piaro¡¯s offer.


    It had been a week since then. Damian became stronger. He hadn¡¯tpleted the quest yet, so his skill level and stats hadn¡¯t risen. However, he sparred against the two farmers (Piaro and the still nameless person), and his control skills made a breakthrough.


    Now he could hold out for 15 minutes against Piaro.


    ¡®I should be happy, but...¡¯


    Damian was confused because he still didn¡¯t know Piaro¡¯s true identity. He was also worried about forgetting himself. But Damian had to meet Grid. There was no need to fret while waiting for Grid toe back. Damian cleared his mind and worked hard. He carried 10 stacks of harvested wheat on both shoulders.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Far beyond the wheat fields. A group of people seemed to be approaching. Damian cocked his head.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    There had been no visitors to Reidan for the past week. Reidan was apletely isted city. So why was there suddenly a group of hundreds? Damian questioned this.


    ¡°Very wee guests came.¡±


    Piaroughed. Damian was uneasy because of his enthusiasm.


    ***


    The Libra Oasis.


    It was the gathering ce of the seven guilds.


    ¡°They don¡¯t have the concept of time.¡±


    The promised time to meet had passed. Originally, the six guilds apart from the Giant Guild, who didn¡¯t participate in this, were supposed to have gathered here 10 minutes ago. But the Ice Flower Guild, Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    The master of the Golden Guild, Seuron,ined. ¡°Hey Zibal. How much more time should I waste? Do you think the time of our guild is so trivial?¡±


    The Golden Guild.


    It was the nextrgest guild after the Snake Guild and Giant Guild. Their self-esteem had recently risen into the sky. The guild master Seuron had acquired a unique hidden ss. He was 70th on the unified rankings during the National Competition, and was now ranked 23rd.


    The possibilities for further development in the future were endless. It was evaluated that the fighting ability of his ss, ¡®Soul Predator¡¯ was much higher than Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°We will wait 10 more minutes. We shouldn¡¯t act on our own.¡±


    The guild master of the Hades Guild, Hao, also reached the limits of his patience. Hao was 16th on the unified rankings. He was a top yer who Yura had pointed out as one of the people she couldn¡¯t beat. Zibal didn¡¯t want to have a dispute with them.


    ¡®Anyway, Reidan is vacant.¡¯


    In fact, the Snake Guild alone was sufficient to decimate Reidan. But Zibal requested the aid of the seven guilds in order to promote their friendship. In particr, the Giant Guild, the Golden Guild and the Hades Guild. He could rest assured if he was in an alliance with them. For now.


    "Okay, we¡¯ill go trample and plunder Reidan.¡±


    The Snake Guild had 275 people. The Golden Guild had 211 people. The Hades Guild had 70 people.


    They stepped towards Reidan without hesitation. A n to take care of Reidan¡¯s defense troops? There was no need. An army of NPCs wasn¡¯t a match against them.


    ¡°Developing such arge city as an agricultural city, Grid has no talent for internal affairs.¡±


    Zibal looked at the vast wheat fields and ridiculed. He turned his gaze towards the strongest magician in the guild.


    "First of all, shall we turn these fields to ashes?¡±


    "Leave it to me."


    The magician, Big Boy was about to summon his mes, when...


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Four farmers appeared. The farmers held hand plows, scythes, hoes, etc, in their hands. One of the farmers in a straw hat spoke as he stepped forward.


    ¡°You¡¯re filled with killing intent. Are you an enemy of Reidan?¡±


    ¡°Puhahahat!¡± Zibal startedughing. A farmer dared to question the march of this great army so confidently. "Are you like your master? Even the farmers in this area are dumb.¡±


    Zibalughed for a while before a cool expression appeared.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Zibal ordered. It was as easy as catching a fly. To him, the farmers were nothing but flies. Big Boyunched magic towards the farmer.


    [me Tsunami]


    In order to burn the wheat fields at once, he cast arge scale A-grade magic towards the four farmers. The tsunami of mes caused the whole area to be hot, and the four farmers would turn to ash...


    ¡°Eh? Ehhhh?¡±


    Big Boy was shocked. It wasn¡¯t just him. Everyone here was shocked. When the farmer swung his hoe, the fierce mes disappeared like they were a lie.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    The members of the three guilds couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. Piaro threw off his straw hat andughed brightly. ¡°Wee to Reidan.¡±


    ¡°Get ready for battle! Heok?¡±


    Zibal realized that something was strange and quickly ordered the guild members. But it was toote. Piaro had already approached.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Kwarurung!


    Thunder was heard as the hand plow moved.


    Puk!


    The sharp end of the hand plow was stuck in Zibal¡¯s forehead.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You have died.]


    "???"


    The 2nd ranked user died with a single blow. The more than 550 guild members couldn¡¯t recognize the situation properly. On the other hand, Kraugel and Damian were astonished.


    ¡°A instantaneous death skill...!¡±


    It was a scam. Piaro was more powerful than they thought.


    ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯


    As Kraugel and Damian felt deep doubts, the members of the three guilds were in great confusion.


    "W-Who are you?"


    It was a strange sight to see hundreds of guild members step away from one farmer. Piaro introduced himself.


    "I am a farmer of Reidan.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Now he really was just a farmer. In fact, he received a monthly sry of 73 silver from Administrator Rabbit. It was fun to save the money. For reference, Rabbit received 5,300 gold every month.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251


    "I am a farmer of Reidan.¡±


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t convincing that the monster who killed Zibal was a farmer. What idiot would believe him? The members of the three guilds thought Piaro was mocking them. But their emotions were more fearful than angry.


    In the case of the Snake Guild, they wanted revenge for their murdered master, but were unable to move. It was because their legs were shaking after seeing the hand plow covered in their master¡¯s blood.


    ¡®Stronger than a boss monster! I will die if I get hit by that hand plow!¡¯


    The penalty that urred due to death was fatal. Experience dropped and there was a chance of losing items. They had to deal with such a monster? The executives cried out to the guild members who were overwhelmed by Piaro¡¯s strength.


    ¡°What are you doing? The opponent is your master¡¯s enemy! Get revenge, even if you have to sacrifice your lives!¡±


    If they stepped back with fear, they would lose their prestigious status. They would be aughing stock and eventually dissolve. The guild members recognized this fact. They no longer hesitated and besieged Piaro.


    ¡®Fuck. Yes! I¡¯d rather die! It¡¯s better than the guild being ruined!¡¯


    ¡®I will kill him, even if I have to die!¡¯


    The benefits that the guild gave them were astronomical. The guild couldn¡¯t be lost. The determination of the Snake Guild members was passed onto Piaro.


    Piaro smiled.


    ¡®How many battlefields have I been on?¡¯


    In the days of the Red Knights, Piaro¡¯s life was war and the battlefield was his home. He felt joy as he recalled the days when he was surrounded by hundreds of enemies and his colleagues. His blood was boiling.


    ¡°This is exciting.¡±


    It was different from a spar. There was no need to suppress his strength. It was a chance to unleash the Supreme Swordsmanship that had grown by working in the fields for several months and training with strong people.


    He went on a rampage.


    Puok!


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    A Snake Guild member was pierced in the heart with a hoe. Piaro was proficient in the hoe after using it for several months. He narrowed the gap and killed the opponent before they realized.


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    After their master, their colleagues were killed(and by farming equipment), so the Snake Guild members were outraged. Their anger now outstripped their fear. This was what Piaro wanted.


    He withdrew his hoe and used Supreme Swordsmanship, 5th style. The waves of light formed a square and swirled around the enemies. It was a wide-range skill that couldn¡¯t be defended or avoided. Blood flew from all sides, like a spider web. It was an unbelievable sight because there wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood from Piaro in the center.


    Piaro¡¯s gaze headed towards Asuka.


    Asuka. In the past, she was the berserker who drove Grid to the defensive. Piaro could see her strength with one nce.


    "How dare you aim for the Young Lady!¡±


    ck Teddy summoned five bears to block the rushing Piaro. They were white bears wearing sunsses. Their red cloaks pped nicely as they unfolded their martial arts and intercepted Piaro.


    Kuwaaah!


    They were very fast and strong. It was also difficult to find a gap in their solid formation. They could even fight against a 3rd advancement ss. However, they met the wrong opponent.


    [C Bear 1 has disappeared.]


    [C Bear 3 has disappeared.]


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    After blocking the attack with the hoe, he counterattacked with the hand plow. Piaro repeated this process and the bears fell helplessly before him. They weren¡¯t bears, but puppies. ck Teddy was able to realize it.


    ¡®H-He is on a different dimension.¡¯


    The executives of the Snake Guild were going crazy.


    ¡®Where did Grid pick up this monster?¡¯


    A named NPC. It wasn¡¯t easy to meet them, and impossible to capture them. They had a huge influence on Satisfy¡¯s world, so it was virtually impossible for a user to obtain one. However, Grid had one as a subordinate. He even seemed to be a farmer.


    The executives couldn¡¯t even be jealous. It was amazing. No, it was a surprise that was beyond awe. Grid was incredible.


    Puk!Puk!Puk!


    Piaropletely destroyed ck Teddy¡¯s bears and immediately hit him with the hand plow.


    [You have suffered 7,350 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,350 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,350 damage.]


    ¡°Heeok?¡±


    It was fixed damage that ignored defense. It was the manifestation of qi.


    ck Teddy died. The first ranked user in the pet rankings died because of a hand plow. But he wasn¡¯t ashamed. Hadn¡¯t this hand plow killed the second ranked user? It was fortunate that the rumor ¡®ck Teddy died from a hand plow!¡¯ was suppressed by ¡®Zibal died by a hand plow!¡¯


    [You have died.]


    ck Teddy couldn¡¯t read the orbit of the hand plows and eventually died. Everyone watching was at a loss for words.


    Zibal was killed first by a hand plow, but people thought it was due to the ¡®instantaneous death¡¯ skill being activated.


    But they could see that the instantaneous death skill wasn¡¯t the problem. Piaro¡¯s basic attack power was too strong. It was like an upgraded version of Hurent¡¯s Aura Master. Who could endure it?


    Among the people standing like a stone statue, Asuka burned with determination. She was a berserker. She was strong in a crisis. Due to the correction effect of the ¡®Berserk¡¯ passive skill, fear began to change into pleasure. Her aggressive tendencies were maximized.


    ¡°I will get revenge for what Grid did to me in the past by killing Grid¡¯s subordinate!¡±


    Asuka proimed and grabbed her legendary item ¡®Ainas¡¯ Sickle.¡¯


    Piaro encouraged her, "Please have strength.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t Duke Grid¡¯s subordinate. Well, this misunderstanding didn¡¯t matter.


    Chwaruruk!


    Asuka threw the sickle as hard as she could. As the chains unfolded, the tip of the sickle dropped like lightning.


    ¡°Hoh, good skills.¡±


    Piaro admired and defended against the sickle with his hoe.


    ¡®He was caught!¡¯


    Asuka smiled with satisfaction. She grabbed the chain and pulled the hoe towards her.


    ¡°This is great technique and strength.¡±


    Piaro praised. After pulling him close, Asuka swapped to Euprates¡¯ Greatsword. Indeed, the power was brilliant. As a tycoon¡¯s daughter, she owned several legendary items.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Euprates¡¯ Greatsword distorted the atmosphere. It was the moment when the ultimate skill of the 3rd advancement berserker, Madness¡¯ Wrath was unfolded through the greatsword. Piaro¡¯s excited expression cooled.


    ¡°Your greatsword techniques arecking. Especially whenpared to Duke Grid.¡±


    Asuka was the guild¡¯s number two and ranked 31st overall. It meant she was as strong as the Overgeared members. But no matter what she did, she wasn¡¯t a match for Piaro. Supreme Swordsmanship¡¯s 4th stylepletely neutralized Madness¡¯ Wrath, then he linked it with the 1st style.


    Peeng!


    Cracks appeared in the greatsword and the hand plow struck Asuka.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    A berserker¡¯s defense was weak. She invested all her points in strength and agility, and neglected stamina. But even so, for a skill to decrease her health by two-thirds? Asuka was unable to deal with the destructive power and copsed. But she quickly stood up. A berserker¡¯s physical ability rose in proportion to their lost health. She became stronger the more injured she became.


    ¡°The real fight is from now on!¡±


    Asuka swapped out the broken greatsword to ¡®Heroic Death Spear.¡¯ Then she moved the spear in a dazzling manner. Piaro was disappointed again.


    "Your spearsmanship is unremarkablepared to Viscount Pon.¡±


    Chaaeng!


    His hoe blocked the coarse spear. It was followed by his hand plow. It was a technique thatbined dual wielding the hand plow and hoe with his judgment. Asuka couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Puk!


    ¡°Ahat!¡±


    Asuka cried out as she was hit in the forehead. She was hit twice by the hand plow and her health was now at the bottom. It was truly absurd. She gritted her teeth. Then she lifted the sickle again and pushed on with her increased physical abilities. But hercking control skills couldn¡¯t deal any harm to Piaro. She attempted to take his bones and flesh as ast resort, but Piaro wasn¡¯t easily hit.


    The hoe and hand plow barrier only gave Asuka despair. In the end, she also died. It was the moment that embarrassing rumors about ¡®dying from a hand plow!¡¯ spread.


    The Snake Guild¡¯s chief of staff, Box, quickly grasped the situation.


    ¡®We can¡¯t beat him.¡¯


    Piaro was an absolute existence. The perfectbat abilitybined with high stats was a wall that couldn¡¯t be crossed with the users¡¯ current level. Box bet that even if the 1st ranked Kraugel was in this ce, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt Piaro.


    ¡®The user¡¯s level must be at least 360 in order topete with him. Then...¡¯


    He gave up on killing Piaro. Box made a decision and shouted to Seuron and Hao, ¡°We will tie up his feet! You must smash Reidan during that gap!¡±


    Yes, they couldn¡¯t go back with only losses. Their initial purpose was to devastate Reidan. They had to slow down Grid¡¯s expansion. For that, Box would sacrifice anything. Box¡¯s decision made Seuron and Haough.


    ¡°Good judgment.¡±


    To be honest, Seuron and Hao were reluctant to deal with the NPC called Piaro. They wanted to retreat, but they no longer needed to thanks to the Snake Guild¡¯s decision. The Snake Guild would tie up Piaro¡¯s feet while they headed towards Reidan.


    So what if three farmers were blocking their way? Were named NPCs somon? The other three farmers were clearly weaker than Piaro. Maybe they were just ordinary farmers.


    Soul Predator Sueron led the way. He had already recovered the souls of the Snake Guild members who died, and summoned and fired three soul spears.


    "Get lost.¡±


    The unique skill, Soul Spears, had the ability to deal a deadly blow. It was difficult for even top rankers to deal with the attack power, so the three farmers would be killed instantly. However.


    Peeng!


    One farmer biting a potato summoned magic and destroyed a soul spear.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The eyes of Seuron and the 211 Golden Guild members widened. However, that wasn¡¯t the end. Another farmer took out a shield and gently blocked two soul spears.


    "W-What are these guys?¡±


    The named NPC called Piaro wasn¡¯t the only one! Seuron had to find a hole. He targeted the only farmer among the three who hadn¡¯t moved.


    "That fellow!" He must be an ordinary farmer! Break through him!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Golden Guild vigorously replied. The farmer, Kraugel, faced them andughed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252


    Sueron jumped with surprise. Rather than the farmer panicking...


    ¡®Laughing?¡¯ Why was he acting so freely? ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    He was a named NPC as well?


    "Stop!"


    Seuron sensed something and urgently shouted. But it was toote. Three vanguard members came close to the farmer and brandished their swords. The ominous prediction was true.


    Kwakakakang!


    A small sickle that was less than 40cm long. The farmer blocked the attacksing from three directions with a single swipe of the sickle. He predicted where the opponent would attack and easily responded. The Golden Guild members were baffled. It felt like their minds were being read.


    Chaaeng!


    The farmer pushed away the three swords that were in contact with the sickle. Then the owners of the swords had both arms thrown into the air, exposing a gap. One farmer overwhelmed the strength of three people alone.


    No, it wasn¡¯t just that. This was just a trick. He maximized his strength by exerting the enemies¡¯ original strength.


    ¡®Does this make sense?¡¯


    The Golden Guild members were confused. The farmer¡¯s palm... No, it felt like they were dancing on Buddha¡¯s palm. The farmer attacked them.


    Puk!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The sickle precisely entered the gaps in their armor and injured the Golden Guild members. However, it didn¡¯t cause any fatal damage. The attack power was minusculepared to Piaro, who was furiously killing the enemies.


    "This isn¡¯t a match for my skills.¡±


    Kraugelined and abandoned his sickle. Then he pulled out a silver sword and cut the necks of the Golden Guild members. It was the moment when Kraugel showed no mercy to his enemies. The dying Golden Guild members felt resentment towards Seuron.


    ¡®Calling him a hole...¡¯


    ¡®Master, how is that a hole...? Damn...¡¯


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    The three people lost their lives and Seuron cursed. He couldn¡¯t understand it at all. What the hell was this area? Why were the farmers so strong? It was frustrating. It felt like this was Alice in Wondend. He lost his sense of reason and shouted curses.


    ¡°How rotten! What is this farmer? Does this mean soldiers can be dragon yers? Dammit! Does this make sense?¡±


    What magic did that bastard Grid have to attract all these talented people? And why were they working as farmers? He couldn¡¯t understand it, no matter how much he thought. He couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. It felt like his heart was going to explode.


    His eyes became bloodshot as the farmer suggested to him.


    "The damage will only increase if you send out your members. Isn¡¯t it better for the master to go out directly?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The three vanguard members were level 230. They were higher than the average level of the guild members. There would be a tremendous loss if he made his members face this man. But how could he retreat?


    It wasn¡¯t possible. Their enemy was in front of them. If the guild master showed his back, he would lose his dignity and sincerity. Seuron had to go. He was confident that he could bring down that farmer. This farmer was definitely weaker than the monster Piaro.


    Seuron responded to the suggestion. "Come, I will kill you myself.¡±


    First, he would strip the farmer of the straw hat. Then he would watch him die! He took the souls of the dead guild member with Soul Exploitation, and summoned Soul Arrows.


    Pepepeng!


    Three soul arrows emanated a green light and were fired. It was a formidable speed. However, it didn¡¯t reach the speed of Jishuka¡¯s arrows. It wasn¡¯t at a level that could threaten Kraugel. Kraugel moved his head to avoid the arrows.


    Sueron didn¡¯t panic. Rather, he smiled.


    ¡°Soul Explosion!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The three soul arrows that passed by Kraugel exploded. It was the moment when a unique skill that inflicted damage in proportion to the caster¡¯s attack power and magic power was activated.


    Sueron anticipated that the farmer would be torn to rags. However, the smoke from the explosion dispersed and the farmer only suffered minor damage. The farmer advised Seuron, "Your skill linkage is dyed. So it¡¯s easy to react. Would you like to practice so you can link it faster?¡±


    "Nonsense!¡±


    It was impossible to speed up the linkage of skills. It was fast enough right now. And the timing was perfect. The other opponents normally died from thisbo.


    ¡®You are the strange one!¡¯


    Seuron barely swallowed back the words.


    "What are you trying to teach me?¡±


    Seuron¡¯s pride was wounded. He summoned a weapon from the inventory.


    [Brutal Heavy Sword]


    It was the weapon he obtained after clearing Vasco¡¯sbyrinth with his guild members. It was a legendary one-handed sword that increased the wearer¡¯s strength and intelligence simultaneously. It was good since a Soul Predator¡¯s skills were affected by both attack power and magic power.


    Sueron wielded the sword firmly. Kraugel defended with White Fang.


    Kaaang!


    Sparks flew as the two men¡¯s weapons collided.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    The two people exchanged 13 blows on the ground and in the sky. Seuron¡¯s cloak and Kraugel¡¯s straw hat crossed several times as a brilliant battle was staged. Kraugel¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡®He is a good swordsman and his Sword Mastery level is high.¡¯


    Soul Predator. The skill tree seemed like a magician type, but it was closer to a magic swordsman type. Seuron strengthened himself with Soul Transference.


    Chaaeng!


    The enhanced attack power increased Seuron¡¯s momentum. The sword became much heavier than before. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t overwhelm Kraugel. Kraugel taught himself how to handle steel. He moved like water and subdued Seuron.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Seuron became angry as the fight didn¡¯t proceed the way he wanted. But it was a basic thing to not lose consciousness during a battle. He tried to be as calm as possible. There was a conflict between reason and emotion. In that moment, reason barely triumphed.


    Seuron¡¯s sword regained its tranquility.


    ¡°I will win! Soul Plundering!¡±


    [Soul Plundering]


    Takes away some of the soul of the living target. The opponent who lost a part of their soul will find their body hard to control for a certain period of time.


    ¡®A good skill.¡¯


    Kraugel admired it as the heavy sword struck his shoulder. It was originally a blow to the heart, but Kraugel minimized the damage.


    ¡®Moving without a soul!¡¯


    The farmer felt stronger the more Seuron thought about it. Seuron started to shake.


    ¡®I thought I was stronger...!¡¯


    Soul Predator was abat specialized ss that had a variety of usefulbat skills.


    Kraugel and Agnus weren¡¯t involved in external activities, so they were excluded. However, if he waspared to the current Overgeared members and Grid, Seuron was convinced that he was the strongest.


    But now he realized he still had a long way to go. An NPC was grabbing at his ankles. Maybe he was weaker than he thought.


    ¡®I need to focus on levelling up for a while.¡¯


    Sueron decided, while Kraugel became more thrilled after seeing his injury.


    ¡®It is more than rumored.¡¯


    Kraugel highly appreciated the Soul Predator ss and Seuron¡¯s swordsmanship. It was enough to say that Seuron was one of the strongest among the users he met.


    ¡®Fun.¡¯


    Originally, Kraugel wasn¡¯t interested in PvP. His only concerns were adventuring, hunting, and raids. But living with Piaro changed this. It was fun to battle the strong. PvP had a different vor from raids. This process was clearly connected with bing a sword saint. Next year, it might be good to participate in the National Competition.


    ¡°Kukukuk.¡±


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Seuron looked at the farmer who seemed crazy because he startedughing at his blood. Kraugel approached him. The sky above the sky. This title referred to the person with true talent who reached this infinite ground.


    ¡°Moonrise Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    At this moment. Seuron realized it. The farmer in front of him hadn¡¯t used any skills until now!


    Susuk.Sususuk.


    Two moons were in the night sky. Kraugel activated the stealth function as he stood under the moonlight. Seuron had to concentrate in order to not miss the disappearing Kraugel. But how could he detect Kraugel, when even Piaro couldn¡¯t?


    Kraugelpletely faded away. Seuron was frightened as he consumed the souls of five Snake Guild members and activated Soul Armor.


    Pahat!


    A transparent green armor wasid over Seuron¡¯s armor. Seuron was prepared for the attack that he knew he would face.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Ku...heok!¡±


    Sueron received a strong pressure from an unseen ce. He would¡¯ve been dealt a fatal blow if it wasn¡¯t for Soul Armor. He barely withstood the offensive and started sweating.


    ¡®My Soul Armor was destroyed!¡¯


    The damage that Soul Armor Lv. 2 could absorb was 17,300 damage. It was destroyed with one blow and he was also damaged.


    ¡®This monster!¡¯


    Seuron was stumbling with agitation when a straw hat appeared. The eyes shining under the hat was enough to cause a chill to go down Seuron¡¯s spine.


    "Mole Ascension.¡±


    Pahat!


    White light soared from the ground. Seuron was astonished but he couldn¡¯t react. Had he ever felt this helpless since bing a Soul Predator? Absolutely not. This was the first time.


    ¡°Sh...it! You! Who the hell are you?¡±


    Seuron questioned Kraugel as he coughed up blood. Then Kraugel was reminded of Piaro¡¯s introduction and replied, ¡°I am a farmer of Reidan.¡±


    "That term...!¡± It was spoken like it was the same as a knight or magician. ¡°You can¡¯t just be a farmer!¡±


    Kraugel nodded at Seuron¡¯s question.


    "That¡¯s right. I am a farmer.¡±


    It was true. For the next two weeks, Kraugel was a farmer. He was provided three meals a day and a snack, just like other farmers. Amodation was provided because it was a short-term contract. However, there was no sry.


    "Dammit!"


    Seuron was tired of the joke and used 11 souls to activate Soul Prison in an attempt to restrain Kraugel. This was the strongest binding skill that could trap even a level 280 boss monster for 5 seconds.


    ¡°Taste inevitable death.¡±


    Seuron squeezed out all his mana and created 39 Soul Spears. Then heunched it towards the farmer. Once he linked Soul Explosion, the farmer was destined to be scattered to pieces. At that moment.


    "White Light Sword.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s White Light shone with an intense light. The light was glorious enough to eradicate the darkness for a moment.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    It was like a sh shot. Seuron couldn¡¯t open his eyes at all. It was difficult to control the Soul Spears. The 200 members of the Golden Guild tried to help Seuron, but they couldn¡¯t move. They stopped in ce. Hao and the Hades Guild members watching the battle were also forced to bow their heads.


    After a moment.


    Seuron was dead when the white light faded away and everyone opened their eyes. His heart was pierced by the farmer¡¯s sword and he screamed as he turned into grey light.


    ¡°Run away.¡±


    Hao¡¯s judgment was quick.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253


    The peak of two billion users, Kraugel.


    Hao had met him before. It was one year ago in Elgad Forest.


    Elgad¡¯s Forest. At the time, the users in the top 100 rankings had to form a party of at least seven rankers to hunt in the forest. Kraugel was ying solo there. He ughtered the killer spiders and butterflies in Elgad¡¯s Forest alone, and Hao realized it.


    ¡®This is a mountain that can¡¯t be climbed.¡¯


    The dimensions they were in werepletely different. The battle sense that perfectly used the terrain, as well as the godly control skills. Hao couldn¡¯t even think ¡®I want to be like that.¡¯ Kraugel was an awe-inspiring figure and a wall that couldn¡¯t be surpassed.


    Him.


    Hao was praised as a genius, and this was the first time he got a sense of inferiority.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    He was in Reidan. The mysterious farmer fighting Seuron. He was Kraugel. Hao could see it. He had repeated Kraugel¡¯s moves that he saw one year ago over and over in his head. He was able to match Kraugel¡¯s movements to the farmer.


    "White Light Sword.¡±


    Arge-scale attack skill that caused blindness was triggered. Hao stood still as he closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes to see Seuron turn into a grey light.


    ¡°Ha... haha.¡±


    Hao could onlyugh. Kraugel easily handled Seuron, who was on the same level as Hao. Indeed, the sky above the sky. Kraugel was still strong. No, he became stronger. His legs trembled as he felt a thrill again.


    ¡°Run away.¡± Hemanded the guild members.


    Invade Reidan? It was impossible. As long as Kraugel was here, it was an impregnable fortress.


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    The Hades Guild retreated.


    ***


    "Should we just let them go?¡± Damian asked.


    Kraugel replied, ¡°Then should we chase them?¡±


    ¡°Um... There is no need.¡±


    There was no reason to pursue those running away. They were farmers, not Reidan¡¯s guardian knights. They just needed to protect the fields.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to fight.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Reidan¡¯s defense was left to Grid and the Overgeared Guild, not their problem. They became involved in the battle in the first ce due to Piaro. Reidan was unharmed. It would¡¯ve been big if they hadn¡¯t moved.


    ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s okay now.¡¯


    He was also a bit proud at helping protect Grid¡¯s estate.


    ¡°By the way, who are you?¡±


    Damian was well aware of Seuron¡¯s fame. He was evaluated to be stronger than Grid. Damien wondered about the identity of the farmer who easily defeated him. The straw hat that hadn¡¯t been taken off over the past week was especially annoying today.


    Kraugel smiled. "You aren¡¯t the type of person who will be interested.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Damian didn¡¯t deny it. Damian was only obsessed with Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    ¡°Shit! You damn bastards! They¡¯re running away!¡±


    "Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°How rotten! I won¡¯t step foot on thisnd again!¡±


    Once the Hades Guild quietly escaped from the farmer, the Golden Guild also started to run away. They knew they weren¡¯t in a position to defend the guild¡¯s honor.


    nd, who was eating his third rainbow potato, expressed his anxiety. ¡°Isn¡¯t dinner time over? Do we have to starve this evening?¡±


    "...¡±


    Damian and Kraugel felt sorry for nd. They heard he was from a prestigious noble family, but the stress of being taken hostage must be quiterge.


    ***


    Box, the Snake Guild¡¯s chief of staff. The first ranked linker was thest survivor of the Snake Guild.


    ¡°This ability is very interesting. It is really great that you can blend the skills of your colleagues, making them more powerful and efficient.¡±


    Piaroplimented, but Box wasn¡¯t d. Many of his colleagues killed earlier were also highly praised. But they were eventually killed. In any case, he would die. Box tried ast hurrah. The linker¡¯s ultimate skill, Puppet, was deployed as he tried to control Piaro.


    But it was useless. Piaro had grown further through this battle. He approached before Box could use the skill and overpowered him. Even if the skill was activated, he couldn¡¯t be controlled by Box.


    Puk!


    The hand plow was covered by a colourless qi and stuck in Box¡¯s forehead. ¡®Dying by a hand plow!¡¯ It was the moment when the 275th protagonist of the rumor was born.


    ¡°K... Kuock...!¡±


    Box turned into grey light. Piaro¡¯s eyes were as deep as the sea as he watched silently. Piaro had grown steadily since he began his field work in Reidan, and he gained enormous awareness based on today¡¯s battle.


    ¡®I¡¯m not Muller.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. He was Piaro.


    Noble of the Saharan Empire, Piaro.


    Captain of the Red Knights, Piaro.


    Traitor Piaro.


    Great Swordsman Piaro.


    Farmer Piaro.


    Piaro, friend of Grid, the Overgeared Guild, Kraugel, Damian, and nd.


    Yes, he was Piaro. He was distinctly different from Muller. There was no need to follow Muller¡¯s specter.


    ¡®I am enough by myself.¡¯


    Shaaaaaah.


    The light from the two moons shining on Piaro¡¯s body was reminiscent of the Milky Way. An intense and unsteady energy rose, causing the atmosphere to shake around Piaro. At this moment, Piaro became a legend. Was it the sword saint status he had been craving?


    No. Piaro already deemed that a ¡®sword¡¯ wasn¡¯t necessary. He was able to achieve a lot with a whole range of agricultural equipment such as a hand plow, sickle and hoe. There was no need to be obsessed with the title of sword saint.


    [A legendary farmer has been born!]


    [Every farmer in the world will look up to him and praise him!]


    The notification window about the birth of a new legend appeared in front of all the users connected to Satisfy. It was breaking news in the international media. On the other hand, Damian and Kraugel saw Piaro¡¯s evolution directly and were confused.


    ¡®Why a farmer?¡¯


    Piaro was a swordsman. But he became a farmer...


    It was shocking. However, Piaro was happy. What did it matter if he was a farmer or sword saint? He was already enough. There was no need to discuss titles.


    ¡°Pagma... Were you also like me?¡±


    The great swordsman who became a legendary cksmith, Pagma. Piaro smiled at the thought. A farmer was supreme. If he plowed thend, thend would be fertile. When he wielded the farming equipment, he could destroy hundreds of enemies.


    The new legends were a cksmith and a farmer.


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... Shit, it¡¯s hard to move.¡±


    The desert at night was cold enough to freeze their bones. The morale of the surviving Golden Guild waspletely low as they crossed the desert.


    ¡®We were hit by a farmer.¡¯


    ¡®Surely they won¡¯t chase us?¡¯


    The confusion and fear from the unrealistic experience became increasingly heavy. The endless desert made the Golden Guild nervous.


    Kuwaaah!


    Kyaooooh!


    Giant worms and desert toads constantly appeared.


    ¡°Shit...! If only Master was here!¡±


    The Golden Guild just barely managed to win against a giant worm. For those with an average level below 230, the western monsters were too strong. They once again realized how strong Seuron was. What type of monster was that farmer to kill Seuron...?


    "Pay attention! Or else we will be wiped out!¡±


    The Golden Guild were filled with a desire to live. They gritted their teeth and fought the monsters continuously. But there were some things that couldn¡¯t be ovee by effort alone. In the end, there were less than 100 survivors of the Golden Guild remaining. Those who survived had almost all their health, mana and stamina gone.


    Where did it go wrong? Why was one of the strongest guilds in Satisfy suffering like this? As all of them fell into deep despair, someone muttered.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t touch Grid...¡±


    "...¡±


    The Golden Guild members hadn¡¯t even seen Grid. But Grid was the cause of all of this. Grid was expanding his forces, so the seven guilds felt the need to contain him and invaded Reidan.


    The result was this. They were screwed. Their fear of Grid grew. The Golden Guild members were now sick of even seeing the initial G. They pledged several times that they wouldn¡¯t step on Grid¡¯s shadow in the future.


    Kuooooh!


    Something huge was flying in the sky. A red drake.


    ¡°This!¡±


    The Golden Guild members were exhausted to the limit, and now they were being troubled by a drake.


    "Keep your formations!¡±


    "Aaaagh!"


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It lost some of its majesty after the advent of Noe, but the drake was still ssified as the strongest pet. As it shot out fire, the cooled down sand of the desert burned red. Three men appeared before the Golden Guild, who were screaming in the sea of fire. They were familiar people to the Golden Guild.


    ¡°These bastards... Are they already going back after destroying Reidan?¡±


    A distraught bald man flushed red. He was extremely angry as he wielded his axe at the Golden Guild.


    ¡°V-Vantner...!¡±


    The first ranked guardian knight. A monster that boasted an overwhelming tanking ability and had the same strength as an ogre. He defended from the attacks of the Golden Guild with a shield, then ughtered the members with twin axes.


    The destructive power of Beast Master Toon was even scarier.


    "You guys dare do something to our city! Grid¡¯s city!¡±


    The silver wristdes became bloody in an instant. It was the blood of the Golden Guild members. The Golden Guild members were falsely used. They would¡¯ve felt less wronged if they really had shattered Reidan. But they couldn¡¯t even invade properly, let alone shatter Reidan. They were defeated by farmers and ran away before they could even enter Reidan. However, the Golden Guild members were ughtered because it was believed that they destroyed Reidan.


    A savior was needed. The eyes of the Golden Guild rolled back and forth before finding one. Unlike Vantner and Toon, Huroi was watching the situation with a fairly calm expression. He seemed to be the only rational person here.


    The Golden Guild members asked him for assistance.


    ¡°Huroi! Please spare us! We didn¡¯t do any damage to Reidan!¡±


    "We are greatly reflecting! Please calm those two people down!¡±


    Huroi stared at them begging and crying before speaking.


    "Your parents should live a long and happy life.¡±


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    There was a line that shouldn¡¯t be exceeded. It was to mention parents. The Golden Guild members abused by that spiteful tongue realized it.


    Huroi was worse than Vantner and Toon.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254


    ¡®Genius at fighting¡¯ Hao. He was a ranker who represented the Chinese people. The members of the Hades Guild, who he selected and trained himself, were very strong. They tended to be evaluated lower because of their small size, but that was just from people who weren¡¯t aware.


    The Hades Guild¡¯s presence was assured within the seven guilds. They had an average level of 253. This was overwhelming high, despite their small number. A perfect unit of individuals. There was a hierarchical rtionship like in the army, and there was excellent teamwork and tactical abilities...


    Thebat power of the Hades Guild was among the top in the seven guilds.


    Kieek!


    Kyaak!


    The moonlight that shone on the night desert. The Hades Guild marched unceasingly under Hao¡¯smand. The cold temperature, sandy terrain and strong desert monsters didn¡¯t slow down their march.


    [Your level has risen.]


    "Isn¡¯t this ce the best hunting ground?¡±


    "It¡¯s the reason why the levels of the Overgeared members soared.¡±


    The desert monsters were over level 300, so they gave a lot of experience. It was more than imagined. Thanks to this, the level of the Hades Guild members quickly rose. The Hades Guild wanted to stay here to level up.


    Hao prompted them. "Don¡¯t be immersed in battle and speed up your march.¡±


    Hao was still nervous. He wondered if pursuers would catch up with them and kept looking back. He was clearly on the edge. The farmer called Piaro killed Zibal in one shot, but the Hades Guild couldn¡¯t understand why their master was afraid of the farmer who took a while to kill Seuron.


    ¡°The farmer who defeated Seuron is strong, but isn¡¯t he less than the one called Piaro? I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so afraid of him.¡±


    Hao spoke the truth. ¡°The farmer who killed Seuron is the sky above the sky.¡±


    ¡°Sky above the sky...?¡±


    Only one person came to mind.


    "Do you meant Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The straw hat hid his identity, but I was able to recognize him.¡±


    Kraugel. He was the only one who Hao admired and was afraid of. The Hades Guild could understand why their master was so irritated. The Hades Guild members made a fuss.


    ¡°This is a serious problem. If Kraugel is Grid¡¯s subordinate...


    Grid was alreadyying the groundwork to be the best force. If Kraugel was added, the growth rate would be unmatched. Hao calmed the guild members who were greatly concerned.


    ¡°Kraugel isn¡¯t Grid¡¯s subordinate. They are just cooperating a while for some reason." Kraugel was the sky. "He is an individual existence who won¡¯t be under someone else.¡±


    "...¡±


    Hao promised, but the Hades Guild members were still worried. Grid had already absorbed the Tzedakah Guild... They wondered if he really could obtain Kraugel as well. But they didn¡¯t speak these thoughts out loud. It was only a guess and they didn¡¯t want to worry Hao.


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They moved away from Reidan. They would soon reach the end of the desert and enter the empire¡¯s territory. Then they would be safe. The Hades Guild¡¯s march elerated. Nobody seemed able to stop them as they ughtered the desert monsters while moving forward.


    But life was a series of walls. Once they crossed one wall, a new wall was waiting for them. This was a story that applied to everyone.


    ¡°Stop here.¡± A voice stopped the Hades Guild, as if the person knew they woulde here. "Even if you are leaving, shouldn¡¯t you be punished?¡±


    The youth with silver hair. Lauel. One of the 10 Rookies. No, it was funny to call him a rookie now. He had grown at a monstrous rate after joining Overgeared and was now one of the powerhouses in this world.


    "The price for stepping on Duke Grid¡¯s territory with your dirty feet, pay it with your lives.¡±


    Lauel spoke coldly while the Overgeared members stared grimly from behind him. Hao looked at their faces and stiffened.


    ¡¯They might have fewer people, but...¡¯


    There were 28 members in the Overgeared Guild. However, Grid was in the empire, Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl were novices, and Jishuka was active in Bairan with three other members. In addition, Pon, Regas and Euphemina were on separate missions, while Vantner¡¯s group was engaged with the Golden Guild. Except for Lauel, there were only 15 people present.


    Meanwhile, the Hades Guild had 80 people. The Hades Guild clearly had the advantage. The difference in numbers was too big. But battles in Satisfy were more about quality than quantity. Hao was reminded of this truth.


    The 15 members of Overgeared were 3rd advancement users, while the 80 members of the Hades Guild were 2nd advancement users. The Overgeared members¡¯ victory was obvious. Hao made a judgment call and ordered the guild members.


    {All of you, run away.}


    The Hades Guild members were upset by themand.


    {Run away?}


    {What are you saying?}


    {I will stop the enemies. Run away through the gap.}


    Once again, the Hades Guild members didn¡¯t like the order. Surviving by sacrificing their master? Their loyalty couldn¡¯t allow it.


    {Master should escape while we buy some time.}


    {We can¡¯t pass Master to the enemies.}


    Hao scolded the rebelling Hades Guild members.


    {The power of the guild will fall rapidly if all of you are wiped out here. Retreat.}


    Sacrificing 79 people or sacrificing one person. Looking at it, thetter was clearly the wiser choice. The Hades Guild knew this better than anyone else. But Hao was 16th on the unified rankings. The level difference between the 11th rank and 50th rank was only four levels, so Hao¡¯s ranking would fall exponentially if he died and lost experience.


    {The rankings is a mere symbol, so don¡¯t get bogged down with it. Run away. We can n our revengeter.}


    The Hades Guild would eventually get their third advancement sses. Once the gap of power was reduced, it would be possible to crush the Overgeared members. The present disgrace would be paid back at that time.


    {...I understand.}


    The Hades Guild members backed off as they saw their guild master¡¯s determination.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t let them go. No mercy could be shown to the invaders. They tried to chase after the Hades Guild members running away, but Hao blocked their way. He pulled out an iron bar and drew a line in the sand.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What did this line in the sand mean? The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t understand. Hao let them know the meaning of the line.


    "For the next five minutes, you can¡¯t cross this line.¡±


    Satisfy didn¡¯t have a species selection function. When a character was created, users unconditionally started the game with the ¡®human¡¯ species. If so, did this mean that all two billion users were humans?


    That wasn¡¯t the case. It was a minority, but a few users were different. There were certain quests that would change a user¡¯s species. Haopleted one of them.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    The sides of Hao¡¯s shoulders and back, as well as the skin near the chest and abdomen were split open, revealing the red scales hidden inside.


    p.


    A pair of wings emerged from his back, while the whites and the pupils of his eyes turned gold. Half draconian. That was Hao. The power of a draconian increased his strength, agility, health and resistance by 10%. He also got an iplete flying ability and fire ability. The disadvantage was that he couldn¡¯t use most of the skills avable to humans, but the draconian Hao was less likely to rely on skills.


    He had the ultimate physical form, so he relied on this and secondary weapons to win. The transformation into a draconian maximized hisbat power.


    {Toban, Lae and Zednos. The three of you, please handle Hao. The remaining personnel will chase after and destroy the enemies.}


    Lauel ordered. Hao was one of the strongest PK users, so three people should be enough to handle him. Lauel judged the situation and issued themand.


    ¡°Only three? Are you looking down on me?¡±


    Hao scoffed as he saw the three people take a triangr formation.


    Chwaruruk!


    Hao suddenly used a chain and pulled Toban¡¯s shield towards him. It was very fast and delicate control. Toban wasn¡¯t prepared and his body leaned heavily forward. Hao hit the back of his head with the iron bar then aimed at Lae.


    The bewildered Lae defended with magic stored in her orb, but her mistake was using non-targeted magic. It was virtually impossible to hit Hao with non-targeted spells. This was the reason why the 5th ranked Yura evaluated that she wouldn¡¯t win against Hao.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    The weapon urately struck Lae¡¯s heart. She suffered a great deal of damage and sat down. Hao didn¡¯t hesitate as he linked abo to kill her.


    ¡°Shit! Stop it quickly!¡±


    Lae cried out and Ibellin moved. The blue mberge that Grid made for him after his third advancement ss tore towards Hao.


    ¡°Newbie.¡±


    Hao burst outughing. Ibellin came at him from the front with such a low level of skill.


    Chwaruruk!


    A secondary weapon. They were difficult to control, so most users didn¡¯t use them.


    Hao had the Secondary Weapons Mastery. He threw a chain and tied up Ibellin¡¯s wrist. Then he used the power of the draconians to blow him away, before aiming his iron rod at Lae¡¯s belly again. Lae¡¯s body was thrown into the air, then the iron bar rotated and hit Laell¡¯a slender neck.


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Lae groaned as her blood soaked the sand. As a magician, she couldn¡¯t bear Hao¡¯s attack power. She would¡¯ve died already if it wasn¡¯t for Toban¡¯s defense buff and Zednos¡¯ shield. Hao saw that she was stunned and aimed at Zednos. Zednos didn¡¯t have time to cast a spell due to Hao¡¯s speed, and had to concentrate on defense. Then a shield appeared before him.


    Toban had recovered and protected Zednos.


    Peeeeeong!


    Something unbelievable happened the moment the iron bar collided with therge shield. The Overgeared Guild¡¯s strongest tanker. No, the best ranker in Satisfy, Toban was pushed back two steps.


    Toban expressed his displeasure.


    ¡®This guy!¡¯


    Hao was able to pinpoint exactly where to hit on Toban¡¯s shield to apply great pressure. Toban felt like he was facing Piaro. Hao¡¯s skills were truly amazing. At the very least, he was on the level of Pon and Regas.


    Hao looked around at the Overgeared members and dered, ¡°Four minutes. I can endure for four more minutes.¡±


    It was already one minute after his five minute deration. The Hades Guild was gradually moving away from this spot. After four minutes, it would be too difficult to chase them.


    Lauel was irritated and changed his order. "First of all, take him down first!¡±


    The Overgeared members aimed all their power at Hao.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255


    Strength was rtive.


    The Overgeared Guild was called a group of powerhouses, but it was possible to distinguish between the weak and strong within them. Based on the Overgeared members, Lauel was part of the weak group.


    Grid, Pon, Regas, Jishuka, Faker, Euphemina, Toon and Vantner, all the strongest ones were missing.


    ¡®But even so...¡¯


    15 against 1. Hao really endured for five minutes. To be exact, it was five minutes and three seconds. It was something that even Pon or Regas couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡®The two of them would¡¯ve killed almost half of us in three minutes, then they would¡¯ve died.¡¯


    If it was Grid?


    ¡®...We would be wiped out in a few minutes.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s abilities had grown by leaps and bounds since the doppelganger raid. Lauel didn¡¯t want to imagine it. He clicked his tongue. Then he analyzed Hao.


    ¡®Clever.¡¯


    A person who transformed into a draconian. Hao fully utilized the characteristics of a half draconian as well as the desertndscape. Aiming me Explosion at the sand constantly caused a sandstorm to appear, obstructing the vision of the Overgeared members. He also used his flying ability to avoid fatal skills.


    Rather than killing his enemies, he thoroughly fought in order to buy time. His persistence and control of the chain that tied down the Overgeared members was enough to cause a thrill.


    ¡°Kill me.¡± As Lauel was deep in thought, Hao was caught by Ibellin and spoke proudly. He didn¡¯t fear death. He was satisfied that he allowed his guild members to retreat safely.


    On the other hand, the faces of the Overgeared members werepletely twisted. 15 people were tied up by one person for more than five minutes, causing their pride to be crushed. Haoforted them. It was the attitude of a winner.


    "You aren¡¯t weak. You are stronger than the rumors. However, I am just exceptional.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t arrogance. Hao¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. The Overgeared members were stronger than in the past due to Piaro, but Hao surpassed them.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Lauel¡¯s face. In fact, in this battle, Lauel felt a bigger sense of defeat than anyone else. He was the one who led the group. He was proud of the tactics that he could carry out.


    The chief of staff, Lauel, was unable to cope with Hao properly. Lauel was tactically defeated by Hao. But.


    ¡®I won.¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s smile widened. He told Hao the truth.


    ¡°The Hades Guild¡¯s retreat failed.¡±


    "Bah, what benefits are there to lying now?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lie. Check the guild chat if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    After a moment. Hao¡¯s eyes trembled.


    ¡°You..! What did you do?¡±


    Lauel exined. "I guessed the retreat route of the Hades Guild and left someone there. I also ordered the team wiping out the Golden Guild to head there when they finished.¡±


    A separate force. There was Faker who had recovered from wiping out the Ice Flower Guild. Currently, the Hades Guild was isted by Faker and Huroi¡¯s group at the border between the empire and the western part of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Hao was frustrated. If they were going to die anyway, he should¡¯ve at least taken out one more enemy. He was feeling regret when Lauel suggested, ¡°Are you willing to serve Duke Grid?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The leader of one of the seven guilds, the one in the lead of billions of people, why should he go under someone? In addition, it was under a trivial guy, whose only advantage was his legendary ss?


    "A dragon can¡¯t serve a dog.¡± Hao refused.


    The faces of the Overgeared members turned red as Grid was called a dog.


    "Don¡¯t bother with anything unnecessary and just kill me!¡±


    Ibellin had suffered from being dragged by chains throughout the battle, so he was angrier than anyone else. Lauel restrained him as he was about to stab his mberge through Hao¡¯s heart. Then he asked Hao.


    ¡°Grid is the sky, not a dog... If he proves this fact, will you serve him?¡±


    Lauel coveted Hao. It wasn¡¯t just due to his powerful force. The noble spirit that sacrificed himself for his subordinates, as well as the appropriate tactical abilities were all coveted by Lauel. He was a necessary person to the Overgeared Guild, who only tended to focus on individual power.


    Hao snorted. "There is already a sky.¡±


    Yes, the sky. The sky they were talking about was Kraugel. Grid wasn¡¯t a match. Lauelughed at Hao.


    ¡°Okay. I am looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hao was stunned as Lauel released him. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation as Lauel continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the day we¡¯re reunited. I will let all of your guild members go safely, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be willing to serve Grid, even if you do this.¡±


    "Will you serve Grid if he proves that he is the sky?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡±


    How could a dog or cow be the sky? Lauel grinned triumphantly at Hao.


    ¡°Watch his path. You will soon know that he is the only sky.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡± Haoughed. Was this the level of a fanatic? It felt like there was a pseudo-religion based on Grid. "Okay, I understand. I will watch.¡±


    Hao wasn¡¯t expecting anything. He epted the favor and immediately left this ce.


    Ibellin didn¡¯t like it and asked Lauel.


    ¡°They are the bastards who invaded Reidan for no reason! Why are you letting him go? Are you crazy?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you hear the report from Huroi? ording to the Golden Guild¡¯s statement, isn¡¯t Reidan safe? You should think more practically, rather than being ovee by petty grudges.¡±


    ¡°Shit! What will happen if they try to strike again?¡±


    "At that time." Lauel¡¯s blue eyes froze over. "After we kill them, we will trample on their estates.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t allow an invasion a second time, and there would be no more forgiveness.


    ***


    Day arrived. Reidan¡¯s fields. In the early morning, the Overgeared members came to where the farmers were sweating. Lauel bowed deeply to Piaro. ¡°Thank you for saving Reidan. This great grace, I will spend the rest of my life repaying it.¡±


    Piaroughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just acting ording to the value of the meals.¡±


    ¡°Value of the meal...¡±


    The price of a meal for a farmer was 73 silver.


    ¡®Reidan is worth 73 silver...¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s feelings wereplicated. Lauel looked around at the vast farming fields. The harvest was in full swing. Good quality wheat was being produced inrge quantities. In the future, the people of Reidan would be able to eat bread, not just potatoes.


    This was all due to Piaro. Not only did he do the work of 100 people alone, he kept finding sources of water and bringing life to the fields. Despite being a great swordsman, he wasn¡¯t arrogant, faithfully carried out his duties, and showed respect.


    ¡°However... I heard there were a lot of enemies. How did you repel them by yourself?¡±


    Lauel heard it from the enemies, but he honestly didn¡¯t believe it. In particr, there were many people with a strong reputation among the enemies, such as Zibal, Seuron and Hao. Piaro repelled all of them? It was impossible unless Piaro was a legend on the level of Pagma or Muller.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be...¡¯ He couldn¡¯t imagine that the ¡®legendary farmer emergence¡¯ message that appearedst night was referring to Piaro. Piaro aimed for a sword saint. He wasn¡¯t a farmer. As Lauel was feeling puzzled, Piaro pointed to three farmers.


    One was nd and the other two were wearing straw hats, so he couldn¡¯t see who they were.


    "They helped me."


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    There were more farmers in Reidan who were great warriors? Lauel approached them. The two farmers cutting the wheat with a sickle panicked.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to meet you...¡¯


    The 1st ranked Kraugel. He didn¡¯t want to let others know that he had been working in the fields for two weeks already. It would be a big nuisance. So he...


    ¡°My mother is calling me. I need to go. Logout.¡±


    "...¡±


    Logging out to a parent¡¯s intervention. It was a phenomena that frightened many of Satisfy¡¯s users. There were people who were forced to terminate the game during a raid because their mother told them to eat. In such cases, the users were registered on a cklist and it would be difficult for them to participate in a raid group again. Anyway, this happened, so Damian was left alone.


    ¡°Eh? Who was just here?¡±


    Lauel was very surprised to see the person he thought was a NPC log out. A user was working as a farmer in Reidan? He must have a high level, so why was he working as a farmer...? Lauel¡¯s confusion and doubts poured onto Damian.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing field work here?¡±


    "...¡±


    Damian wasn¡¯t prepared. He was embarrassed to reveal that a high ranking pdin was acting as a farmer. He wanted to log out. However, he soon changed his mind.


    ¡®He is the person closest to Grid.¡¯


    If he exined to Lauel why he had to meet Grid, it would be easier to arrange a meeting with Grid.


    Suuk.


    Damian took off his straw hat. The dark blue, purplish hair caught Lauel¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes shook as the attractive appearance was revealed.


    Damian. An exceptional person who rose to be the number two pdin, despite being a pdin of the Reban Church. But one day, he suddenly disappeared from the rankings list so there were rumors that he obtained a hidden ss. And he was an otaku. Why was such a famous person doing field work here?


    Damian awkwardly greeted the speechless Lauel and Overgeared members.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    "...¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256


    The VIP room in the lord¡¯s castle.


    Damian sat facing the Overgeared members and opened his mouth. He talked about how he met Grid and the circumstances behind his arrival in Reidan. Damian exined all the facts as much as possible. There was no reason to hide it from the Overgeared members.


    The silently listening Vantner started tearing up.


    "Struggling to save a beloved woman...! It¡¯s truly a beautiful story!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t good seeing a big bald man crying. If Pon was here, he would definitely tease Vantner. But Pon was still on the mission with Regas. They had already disappeared for two days. It was estimated that they discovered an instance dungeon and were cut off from the outside world.


    Lauel ignored Vantner¡¯s runny nose and asked Damian.


    "I understand that you have to meet Grid in order to save Reba¡¯s Daughters. But why were you working in the fields? Someone like you would¡¯ve been treated very well if you visited the administrator, and then we could¡¯ve been contacted quickly.¡±


    There were dozens ofrge and small religions in Satisfy, but the Reba Church was unequaled. The number of members was estimated to exceed 80 million. Damian was a pope candidate, so he would be given VIP treatment wherever he went. So why was he farming?


    ¡°That...¡±


    Damian wanted to throw up as the Overgeared members looked at him with confusion.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t he meet the administrator of the city?¡¯ This was all due to Piaro. But he was too embarrassed to tell them the truth. In addition, his grudge against Piaro disappeared after receiving the hidden quest. Rather, they were friends now.


    He covered up the truth. ¡°I originally liked doing farming work.¡±


    "I see.¡±


    People always had a variety of hobbies. There was no reason to lie, so the Overgeared members didn¡¯t doubt Damian¡¯s words.


    That¡¯s right. The Overgeared members didn¡¯t know about the atrocities Piaro wasmitting outside. They couldn¡¯t imagine that Piaro would fight people passing them, then make them be farmers. Damian felt sorry for the second and third victims who would appear in the future.


    "Who was the other person with you?¡±


    ¡°An outsider. I don¡¯t know who he is either. He never revealed his identity until the end.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡®Perhaps I should put the Eyes of Surveince on him.¡¯


    Lauel wasn¡¯t too wary. Piaro would¡¯ve filtered out anyone who wanted to harm Reidan. Lauel trusted Piaro. Now Lauel¡¯s concern was focused solely on Damian.


    ¡®If Grid is the benefactor of the pope...¡¯


    The rtionship between Reidan and the Reba Church would be closer, and there would be an active exchange. If they could build a Reba Temple in Reidan, all residents would get the buff effect and there would be priests present. The number of people would also naturally increase.


    Lauel grabbed Damian¡¯s dirty hands.


    ¡°Damian, the Overgeared Guild is wholeheartedlymitted to helping you. I will help you win the pope election, as well as persuade Grid to save Reba¡¯s Daughters. Just tell me if you have anything you need.¡±


    This was a pumpkin vine that rolled over. Lauel absolutely wouldn¡¯t miss it. Lauel smiled as kindly as possible. It was the smile of hospitality workers. However, Damian wasn¡¯t familiar with Lauel and was genuinely thrilled.


    "So kind...! Thank you! Thank you so much! I will give you a pillow printed with an image of my beautiful Isabel-chan as a present!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... I¡¯m d to be able to help you. The alter ego that I sealed in the past is dancing.¡±


    ¡®What are they saying?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t properly interpret the conversation between Lauel and Damian. It was hard to crack.


    ***


    Rabbit was aware of Piaro¡¯s abilities, even before the Overgeared members knew Piaro¡¯s identity. It wasn¡¯t difficult to grasp the reality of a person with his discerning eyes. Even so, there was only one reason why he left Piaro as a farmer.


    Reidan¡¯s finances. If he acknowledged Piaro¡¯s skills and gave him the right position, Rabbit would have to pay him a high sry. This would increase Reidan¡¯s financial burdens. Rabbit pretended not to know Piaro¡¯s true abilities and kept him as a farmer.


    As as result, Rabbit got the maximum efficiency for a minimum wage. In addition, the wheat fields were a farmer¡¯s domain. The farmer Piaro, who received a sry of 73 silver, defended Reidan by defeating the enemies who invaded his territory.


    The result was more than expected. It was truly amazing. But at the same time, it was frustrating.


    ¡®I need to reward him for his performance...¡¯


    If Rabbit converted the value of Piaro¡¯s work to money, it would be at least several hundred million gold. Of course, Reidan didn¡¯t have those type of funds.


    ¡®I have to give him something.¡¯


    A granting of a prize was the domain of the lord, not the administrator. Grid was currently away, so it was impossible to give the rightpensation to Piaro.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    Rabbit showed the utmost sincerity to Piaro within the scope of his current authority.


    [I, Administrator Rabbit, appoint the farmer Piaro to be the wheat fields manager.]


    It was the moment when Piaro¡¯s sry was raised to 2 gold and 30 silver. It was a wage increase of more than three times. This was the amount of money that Rabbit¡¯s conscience allowed.


    ***


    [One of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians fighting for Duke Grid!]


    The provocative title heated up the Inte all over the world.


    The real-time search queries were taken up by ¡®Grid,¡¯ ¡®Earl Ashur,¡¯ ¡®10 great magicians of the continent,¡¯ ¡®seven guilds,¡¯ ¡®Reidan¡¯s invasion,¡¯ and so on. The news about the emergence of a legendary farmer was buried under all of this.


    Bunny Bunny, the one who spread this incident, received a huge jackpot.


    ¡®The seven guilds except for the Giant Guild conspired to invade Reidan. In the process, the Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild were ruthlessly trampled on by Earl Ashur.¡¯


    The contents and images meant that Bunny Bunny¡¯s live inte broadcast reached 300,000, and the cumtive viewers rose to 600,000 in one day. Bunny Bunny not only umted an enormous wealth, he also recovered his reputation.


    The world¡¯s best gaming BJ seeded in a splendid recovery.


    -Grid is amazing.He has Earl Ashur as a subordinate. ??


    -Isn¡¯t Earl Ashur the strongest person in the Eternal Kingdom...?Wow, really?He really is God Grid.


    -I¡¯m living in the US and Grid appears on TV every day. ??? I don¡¯t think there is anyone in the US who doesn¡¯t know about Grid. ???


    -I¡¯m going to school in Japan. After the National Competition, all my Japanese friends ask me about Grid.I am proud to be Korean thanks to Grid-nim.?


    -But what about the four guilds apart from the Yak Guild and Zeraph Guild?


    -My friend¡¯s cousin¡¯s wife¡¯s friend is part of the Golden Guild and ording to him, the seven guilds were wiped out by the farmers of Reidan.


    -Sigh... ? ? There is a fantasy novelist everywhere.If you are writing a novel, it should at least make sense.


    The Koreanizens were particrly excited. They were proud to be Korean every time Grid did something that caught the attention of the world.


    But in fact, Grid himself didn¡¯t know about Reidan¡¯s invasion. The Overgeared members didn¡¯t report anything to him because they were afraid it would interfere with his quest. Thanks to that, Grid was able to solely concentrate on his quest.


    ***


    The capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan.


    Grid arrived in front of Asmophel¡¯s mansion after a three week journey and opened his status window.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 291


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    ...


    Strength: 2,770(+140) Stamina: 1,246(+120)


    Agility: 1,626(+110) Intelligence: 711(+310)


    Dexterity: 1,634(+660) Persistence: 958(+110)


    Composure: 658(+110) Indomitable: 913(+220)


    Dignity: 1,566(+110) Insight: 1,406(+110)


    Courage: 602(+110) Demonic Magic Power: 31


    ...


    The stats were beyond overwhelming. Due to the penalty that happened when producing his fifth legendary item, his stats growth rate was several times slower than it was in the past, but he wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    He still grew when making items and the titles he acquired after much hardships also significantly increased his stats. He had items, skills, and now control. Grid could confidently assert,¡®I am the best.¡¯


    He had reached his peak after living 28 years. His confidence and motivation boiled over.


    ¡°Asmophel.¡± The person who framed Piaro as a traitor. "Now it¡¯s time for you to lose.¡±


    The red light of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch shone as he put on the white Hooded Zip Up.


    ***


    Asmophel was a noble and sincere man. He was born as the eldest son of Earl Pedro, one of the three fingers of the emperor and loyal to his role while suffering from severe pressure. He didn¡¯t neglect training in the sword ording to thews of his family. As a result, he joined the Red Knights at a young age and raised his reputation.


    This was a life of fragility. He built new achievements almost every day and expanded his socialwork. Amosphel was praised as a pir of the empire along with his closest friend, Piaro. But he lost everything the moment he fell for Empress Marie¡¯s trick.


    He stabbed the dagger in the hearts of his friends and colleagues. Every day was a nightmare.


    ¡°Damn bitch!¡±


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Amosphel knocked over the table filled with alcohol.


    Empress Marie. He borrowed the power of alcohol to forget about that damn woman, but he couldn¡¯t forget. Her intense beauty couldn¡¯t be erased from his mind.


    ¡°Piaro...! My friend!¡±


    He was sorry. Really sorry. He had shouted it over a hundred times already. But he was well aware that his heart couldn¡¯t be passed onto Piaro. That made his heart more pained.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The knights heard the fuss and came running. They wore red armor. They were knights loyal to Marie, who watched over Asmophel under the name of protection. Due to them, Asmophel was trapped in this mansion for years.


    "Dog scum..."


    Asmophel didn¡¯t hide his hatred and anger. He looked around to find a weapon. But there were no weapons. The knights whispered to each other before bringing over a magician. It was a ck magician. Asmophel trembled as soon as he saw the ck magician.


    "S-Stop!¡±


    He tried to resist, but it was useless. He suffered a serious injury from Piaro and his body and mind had beenpromised by drugs and ck magic for years. Therefore, he now had a weak iron will.


    Teong!


    A powerful brainwashing magic was used and Asmophel¡¯s angry and fearful face became expressionless.


    ¡°Who is Piaro?¡±


    "A traitor of the empire and your enemy.¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s eyes became wet as he answered the questions without hesitation. It was the remnant of the tears he shed before being brainwashed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257


    The task of the Yatan Church was to create chaos in the world.


    It was to create an environment where dark magic was activated by drawing out the pain and despair in people¡¯s hearts, then bringing the 33 great demons to the earth.


    It was the will of God Yatan.


    ***


    Three years ago.


    Emperor Juander recruited top healers and priests from all over the continent. It was to save Empress Aria, who was on her deathbed. But nobody could heal Aria. The healers and priests said it was impossible unless the legendary Saintess appeared.


    The gold piled up like a mountain and the imperial treasures didn¡¯t help. Aria, the mother of the imperial princes and princesses. Juander had to watch as his dear wife died.


    After Aria died.


    Juander truly loved her, so he fell into a deep sorrow. He neglected the affairs of the empire, drank every night, and became ill. It was his 2nd Empress, Marie, whoforted him. She was the mother of the 4th Imperial Prince and had an intense beauty.


    Thanks to her devotion, Juander managed to ovee his grief. From then on, Marie¡¯s world opened. Juander overcame his sense of loss thanks to Marie. Therefore, he favored Marie and her power skyrocketed into the sky.


    It was the prelude to amon story. Marie did all types of things in order to make her son the next in line. Using her beauty, power, and the ck magicians under her, she did all types of wicked things, including dissolving the Red Knights and nobles who supported the 1st Imperial Prince.


    Now three years had passed. Marie had an iparably strong support basepared to the past. Numerous nobles supported her and the 4th Prince, while the reorganized Red Knights were loyal to her.


    Marie was satisfied. She had no doubt that her son would be the next emperor. However, the one whoughed at her was her closest ck magician, Dive.


    Dive. A ck magician who served Marie¡¯s family before she became an empress. In fact, he had died in the past. It was at the hand of the 7th Servant, Dark Bus. That¡¯s right. Dark Bus was currently pretending to be Dive. He was the best at curses in the Yatan Church, and his mission was to confuse the Saharan Empire.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long now.¡±


    Once the 4th Prince, whocked adaptability, became their heir, the forces supporting the 1st Prince wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it and a bloody battle would take ce in the empire. What would happen if the empire fell into chaos?


    Many people would feel despair or die, and the ck magic woulde to life. It would be enough magic power to call up a great demon!


    "I will soon bepensated for my hard work over thest three years.¡±


    It was a really hard three years. The empire¡¯s magicians and sages were powerful, so he had to pay extra attention to avoid being noticed. He could never rx. But now the hardships were over.


    ¡°Kulkulkul...¡±


    It was the moment when the old man¡¯sughter echoed in the dark room...


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The extensive ward that he installed around Asmophel¡¯s mansion was destroyed. Dark Bus perceived this and panicked.


    ¡°Intruder?¡±


    Asmophel was a useful tool. He was once praised for being a pir of the empire, and his emotional despair was very strong after setting up Piaro as a traitor. Dark Bus was obliged to maintain Asmophel¡¯s brainwashing. Therefore, he stayed in Asmophel¡¯s mansion to watch and protect him.


    For the past several years, he had been careful to prevent any outsider from stepping foot into Asmophel¡¯s mansion. But at this moment, his amulet was destroyed and an intruder was allowed.


    ¡®My wards were broken so easily?¡¯


    It was rare for someone to have this power on the continent. The person would certainly be a great force. But his magic power detected only one intruder. He didn¡¯t have to be too nervous. Dark Bus recovered hisposure. He went to the living room and found the knights.


    The Red Knights had finished their shift and had swapped with the ck Knights.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    It was a crisis so Dark Bus needed those he could trust. Dark Bus found it hard to direct the Red Knights. They were too proud. Dark Bus was apanied by only the ck Knights and left the mansion.


    "Attention!¡±


    The soldiers standing on the edge of the gardens found Dark Bus¡¯ group and saluted. The soldiers weren¡¯t yet aware of the presence of an intruder.


    ¡¯It¡¯s a covert intrusion...¡¯


    But it was useless in front of Dark Bus. He could detect the enemy¡¯s position with his magic power.


    Ssik.


    Dark Bus smiled and shouted to the ck Knights.


    "Intruder! Gather your power and take a defensive posture!¡±


    Once themand was received, the soldiers rushed to the entrance of the mansion. There were 120 elite soldiers, two ck Knights and Dark Bus; it was a truly spectacr sight.


    Paruru.


    Dark Bus used his powerful magic power to detect the intruder. 200 meters ahead.


    ¡°Reveal yourself!¡±


    Dark Bus shouted and released his magic power, causing the intruder to be revealed. It was a man wearing a bizarre type of robe and a mask covered his face.


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    ck hair and red eyes shining in the darkness. A person he had never seen before.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The intruder, Grid, answered Dark Bus¡¯ question. ¡°What else? An enemy.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t speak for long. It took him three weeks to get here, so he didn¡¯t want to waste time when he had reached the quest¡¯s end point.


    Tadat!


    Grid gradually narrowed the 200m distance to the soldiers. The elite soldiers of the empire were calm. They pulled out their swords and took the posture of the Imperial Swordsmanship. The soldiers in the rear of the mansion shot fire arrows.


    ¡®Fairly good.¡¯ Grid admired. The soldiers seemed to have a very high levelpared to those he had previously seen. ¡®But so what?¡¯


    Chaeeeeeng!


    He used the Divine Shield to defend against the arrows, then he swapped the shield with Failure.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Ku...heok!¡±


    Five soldiers groaned and were thrown into the air as the blue-white Failure moved. Grid¡¯s strength transcended an ogre, and was at a level that the soldiers couldn¡¯t afford to go against.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    The other soldiers moved forward, trampling on their colleagues. Then Grid used a skill.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    cksmith¡¯s Rage Lv. 4 increased Grid¡¯s attack power by 25% and his attack speed by 40%. There was also Failure¡¯s option that ¡®increased attack power by 20% in the dark.¡¯


    Seokeok!Kwajijik!


    Under the moonlight, the sword sliced through the armour and shields, damaging the bodies of the soldiers. It was an overwhelming dance. The fatalities would keep increasing if they attacked in ones or twos. There was no chance of victory. The soldiers surrounded Grid and exchanged signals to attack from all sides. Gridughed as the soldiers prepared a circr formation to iste him.


    ¡®I can break through with power.¡¯


    The concept of tactics was different in the face of a clear difference in power. He could kill more than half of them if he used Transcended Link. However, Grid knew it was a foolish thing to waste skills against these minor opponents. But he also didn¡¯t want to waste stamina fighting them one by one.


    ¡®Let¡¯s take it easy.¡¯


    During the past three weeks, Grid¡¯s experience had increased from constant hunting and levelling.


    Grid¡¯s vision expanded and he now looked at the entire battlefield. There were flower beds, trees and fountains all over the garden. Grid moved towards the mostplex terrain, in order to make it difficult for the opponent to pass.


    The formation of the soldiers following him slowly copsed. The two or three soldiers chasing after him? They died from the greatsword before they could approach Grid.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    The soldiers were unable to take advantage of their superior numbers as Grid ran through the garden. The soldiers shrank back as the flesh and blood of their colleagues scattered. They no longer tried to chase Grid. The ck Knights determined the flow and asked Dark Bus.


    "Sir Dive, please use curse magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dark Bus replied and quickly drew a red magic circle. It was the appearance of a magic circle that dramatically increased ck magic casting speed. Dark Buspleted the magic circle and started sessively casting curses.


    ¡°Amplify Damage! Lower Resist! Lower Blessing!¡±


    It was the moment when curse magic that had tremendous power, such as increasing the damage received, reducing resistance and reducing stats all hit Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The ck Knights moved. They were confident that they could destroy the weakened intruder in 10 seconds. Dark Bus hurriedly eximed.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute...!¡±


    The curse magic didn¡¯t work! However, he had no time to say this. The ck Knights who transcended human physical abilities were already close to Grid. Grid faced them and sent them a disturbing smile.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint.¡±


    An unknown fear dominated the ck Knights.


    ¡°Kuk...?¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    The ck Knights were confused and backed away. Grid stepped away from the fountain and narrowed the distance to them using the footwork of Kill.


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The ck Knight pierced by the blue greatsword couldn¡¯t even scream. Arge amount of blood spilled out as the ck knight flopped down.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    The other ck Knight cried out as he saw his colleague hit. He barely escaped from the influence of Restraint.


    ¡°You! What type of ck magic did you use?¡±


    "ck magic?¡±


    Grid contemted the ck Knights. The Vital Spot Detection of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch was activated, and the red light became darker.


    "This is a technique, not ck magic.¡±


    Seven golden des appeared behind Grid.


    Puuoooook!


    It was a perfect uracy and speed that was hard to respond to. The golden des persistently aimed at the seams of the ck Knight¡¯s armor. The movements of the ck Knight slowed down as des were inserted in the joints, then Grid used Link.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    The ck Knight tried his best. He swung the sword in his hand. Resistance was hopeless. Link was currently level 5. The ability of the level 255 ck Knight couldn¡¯t resist it.


    10, 15, 20, 25, 30 times. Dozens of energy des sliced apart the body of the ck Knight in an instant.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Plop!


    The ragged ck Knight stumbled and fell into the fountain. The soldiers were at a loss for words as they saw the blood spreading. Two of the ck Knights that represented the empire had died in the blink of an eye? Was it an impossible dream?


    The soldiers thought they were having a nightmare. Dark Bus had been baffled that his curse magic didn¡¯t work. Now he btedly noticed Grid¡¯s identity.


    ¡¯Resisting curses, that blue greatsword and the golden des...! Yes! He¡¯s the one Bk told me about!¡¯


    The Fifth Servant of the Yatan Church, Bk. He invaded Bairan along with the Fourth Servant, Neberius, and was defeated. At that time, Bk had said. In Bairan, there is a monster that users a blue greatsword and golden artifact. He killed Mcus and Neberius. He called himself...


    ¡°Temr...¡±


    No.


    "Overgeared!¡±


    Why was this person here? He should be in the Eternal Kingdom, so why did hee to the empire to interfere with Dark Bus?


    ¡°Do you intend to waste my three years of hard work?¡±


    Dark Bus was frustrated. He wondered if God Yatan had abandoned him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258


    ¡®He¡¯s evidently from the Reba Church!¡¯


    Why did the person with the power to kill two of the Yatan¡¯s Servants appear in front of him now? It was to kill Dark Bus. Grid was the secret weapon of the Reba Church. He existed in order to obstruct the tasks of our church.


    Dark Bus misunderstood. It was a reasonable misunderstanding.


    ¡®I must kill him here. If we allow him to run free anymore, our church will be in a quandary.¡¯


    Dark Bus continued to cast magic on Grid, who was focusing on fighting with the soldiers. But it wasn¡¯t easy to hit him. It was difficult to find a gap due to Grid¡¯s proper use of the terrain, and the golden des responded quickly to repeatedly block the magic.


    ¡®Shit... He¡¯s someone who defeated Neberius, and I can¡¯t raise my attack power.¡¯


    Dark Bus specialized in curse magic, but his attack magic was weak. He was the best at making a plot and directing the stage, but hisbat power was the weakest among the Yatan Servants.


    ¡®Why curse magic...!?¡¯


    The fundamental problem was that Grid was fully resistant to curses. Dark Bus couldn¡¯t exert any power against him. It was really the worst situation. Dark Bus wondered about what to do and quickly recalled something.


    ¡®Asmophel!¡¯


    Asmophel was the next greatest swordsman after Piaro. He lost his skills over the past years, but he was still stronger than a regr knight.


    ¡®He has recently recovered from the wound given by Piaro... In the past few years, he has been constantly taking God Yatan¡¯s essence.¡¯


    If Dark Bus strengthened him with magic power, the strongest monster would be born.


    ¡®Overgeared! This ce will be your grave today!¡¯


    Dark Bus shouted with a smile.


    ¡°Come out! Asmophel!¡±


    Dark Bus was the friendly courier bringing Grid¡¯s quest target to him. He was the popr type.


    ***


    Two soldiers crossed the garden and stabbed at Grid. A notification window popped up in front of Grid while he avoided the attacks.


    [Your demonic power has increased by two.]


    Demonic power. It was unfortunate stat that allowed him entry to hell if the number increased enough. Every time he killed a user or NPC, this stat increased by one.


    Hell, the name was ominous, so he didn¡¯t want to go there.


    ¡®The useless stat keeps on rising.¡¯


    Grid examined the battlefield. There were 61 soldiers remaining. There was also the ck magician that was as annoying as a fly. If he killed all of them, his demonic power would rise to 154.


    ¡®There is the possibility that reinforcements will arrive.¡¯


    Should he borrow his pet¡¯s hands? Would his demonic power soar if he killed a person with his pet? Randy hadn¡¯t killed anyone when he fought the White Wolf Guild. Randy yed a supporting role while Grid massacred them. Therefore, there was no basis for this premise.


    It was worth experimenting. Grid pulled Noe out of the inventory. There was no need to summon Randy to experiment. He didn¡¯t want to distribute his experience between two pets.


    ¡°Jjang! The best demonic beast of hell has emerged! Nyang!¡±


    Noe wanted to appear nicely and stretched out his limbs. But his limbs were so short that it looked funny rather than nice.


    ¡®Howe he¡¯s getting cuter?¡¯


    Grid wanted to say. Along with the sound effect... How was this guy a demonic beast from hell? Gridughed and confirmed Noe¡¯s status window.


    Name: Noe


    Species: Memphis


    Level: 151


    Status: Happy


    (Ohhhh! This gorgeous appearance has emerged! Nyahahat!)


    ...


    -Current Skills List-


    [Fluidization] [Soul Ingestion] [Scratch] [Bewitchment]


    ...


    Noe acquired the Bewitchment skill when he reached level 150. It was a useful skill that caused the enemy to lose their will to fight. The imperial soldiers might have excellent skills, but they weren¡¯t a match for Noe. Noe could hunt much higher level monsters if he used his skills well. Unless Noe wasn¡¯t alert and allowed attacks, it was a fraudulent existence.


    Grid defended against the magicing from the ck magician with the pavranium, while ordering Noe at the same time.


    ¡°Go on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Noe pped his small wings and flew to a soldier. The soldier tried to shake Noe off, but he was very slippery. He lightly moved to the side and stretched out his short legs. The moment the soldier was struck with the soft pink soles, the soldier witnessed stars revolving around his head.


    ¡®It hurts?¡¯


    To the soldier¡¯s astonishment, blood poured down from the wound. The cat followed up with the sharp ws.


    ¡°Nya nya nya nya nyang!¡±


    Noe wielded his paws at a speed that wasn¡¯t visible. The soldier¡¯s face quickly became bloody.


    ¡°This crazy cat!¡±


    The soldier struggled to shake Noe off. He waved his sword around. But Noe didn¡¯t stop attacking while evading. Relentless and cruel. He truly was a demonic beast of hell.


    "Ugh."


    Grid¡¯s face distorted the moment the soldier copsed.


    [125,600 experience has been acquired. Some experience has been distributed to your pet ¡®Noe.¡¯]


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    It seemed that his demonic power rose even when it was his pet doing the murdering. Therefore, Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. He recalled Noe in order to monopolize the experience, and started the ughter.


    Grid constantly used the Hooded Zip Up and started wielding two greatswords. The soldiers were unable to cling to Grid¡¯s body due to the moving barrier of golden des. They died in vain.


    ¡®Just a little bit more.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes fixed on the entrance of the mansion after killing three soldiers with the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword.


    There. Asmophel was in that mansion. This long journey ended with killing him. The quest reward would increase Piaro¡¯s affinity to the maximum, then...


    ¡®Piaro, be my sword.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled with excitement at the thought of gaining a great swordsman as a subordinate.


    Peeng!


    The warlock guarding the entrance of the mansion fired magic again. Grid frowned.


    ¡®This bug is annoying.¡¯


    A ck magician was very weak. Based on the level of attack magic used, it seemed like he was only around level 200. But he was a little annoying to Grid. Grid took care of the remaining soldiers and then rushed to the mansion. He was ready to quickly get rid of this ck magician and fight against Asmophel.


    ¡®Did he hear the disturbance and already run away?¡¯


    The moment Grid was worrying about this...


    ¡°Come out! Asmophel!¡±


    The sloppy looking ck magician shouted and a slender man appeared. The name above his head was clearly Asmophel.


    "...What?¡±


    His target wasing to him? Grid was surprised by the unexpected development and the ck magician shouted.


    "Your rampage ends here! You will receive divine punishment...!¡±


    Dark Bus couldn¡¯t finish his cry. It was because Grid¡¯s Failure had already hit his neck.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Dark Bus fell with a moaning sound that was simr to the wind blowing. The Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was embedded deep into his heart.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The incensed Dark Bus jumped up. He had the weakestbat power of the Yatan Servants. However, he was a named boss so his health was in the millions. He wouldn¡¯t die from these two strikes.


    Grid questioned.


    ¡®Why hasn¡¯t he died yet?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know Dark Bus¡¯ identity. He just thought the opponent was a simple ck magician. He assumed that one or two blows would kill Dark Bus. However, he had unexpectedly high health. Therefore, Grid used his insight and confirmed Dark Bus¡¯ attack power.


    ¡®20,000.¡¯


    It was thebat power of a field boss. Then why was he so weak?


    ¡®Anyway, I think he is the mid-boss of this quest.¡¯


    Grid determined and pulled out Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword. Blood sprang out from both of Dark Bus¡¯ injuries. Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword rose above his head before once again descending.


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle. It exerted tremendous power.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Deep wounds were carved on both of Dark Bus¡¯ shoulders. Dark Bus couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡®Mana Shield is useless!¡¯


    The opponent was stronger than imagined. If this continued, he would die. It wasn¡¯t good to face Grid from the front. Dark Bus hid behind Asmophel. Then he tried tomand the brainwashed Asmosphel who was standing around like a doll. But Grid¡¯s actions were faster.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The shockwaves aimed at Dark Bus. He was filled with pain as his neck was struck.


    Puok!


    [Critical!]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    Flop.


    Dark Bus lost his head and copsed. It was truly thest attack.


    ¡°Why is a magician so durable... Huh?¡±


    Grid clicked his tongue at the persistent health. Then notification windows shed in front of Grid.


    [You have defeated the Seventh Servant Dark Bus, who spread chaos through the world!]


    [You have saved the Saharan Empire from a crisis by interfering with the conspiracy of the Yatan Church.]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +3.000.]


    [You currently have 28,110 reputation throughout the continent. You can use the Reputation Store when your reputation reaches over 30,000.]


    [The title ¡®Secret Hero¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The title ¡¯Yatan Servant¡¯s ughterer¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [Three Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [Seven Blessed Armour Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [Three deluxe magic stones has been acquired.]


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings have been acquired.]


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Ring has been acquired.]


    [88,052,440 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was stunned. A Yatan Servant? This weak guy?


    Asmophel was liberated from the brainwashing and approached Grid, who was staring nkly at Dark Bus¡¯ corpse.


    "The hero who punished the wicked Yatan Servant. My savior... Can you listen to my unfair story?¡±


    [¡¯The True Traitor of the Red Knights (SS)¡¯ quest has been changed to the ¡®Hidden Story (Hidden)¡¯ quest.]


    What was this situation?


    "???"


    The question marks in Grid¡¯s head didn¡¯t disappear. Asmosphel spoke as Grid made a stupid expression.


    "One day, Empress Marie came to me.¡±


    It was a long story. Asmophel exined in detail how Marie approached him and sowed discord with Piaro. The Yatan Essence. A single drop of it could extremely weaken the human mind and cause the body¡¯s mana to be chaotic.


    He talked about the process of being brainwashed by Dark Bus and bing a perfect puppet. Asmophel was trembling and crying when talking about being used, and eventually ruining Piaro and his colleagues.


    ¡°Someday... If the dayes when you meet a man called Piaro, please tell him this. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Asmophel pulled out his sword and pointed it at his own neck. He moved the sword without any hesitation. Asmophel¡¯s sword touched his neck. He intended to atone for his atrocities with death.


    But he couldn¡¯t die. Grid stopped him before the sword could deeply pierce his neck. Grid reached out to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave it to others and apologize directly.¡±


    The first condition of the hidden quest that Grid obtained was the reunion of Piaro and Asmophel. The people who were praised as the pirs of the empire in the past were about to be reborn as Reidan¡¯s pirs.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259


    The day before the seven guilds invaded Reidan.


    Pon and Regas travelled through the desert and discovered a dungeon entrance that reminded them of an ant hill.


    ¡°This dungeon isn¡¯t marked on the map, is it?¡± Regas asked.


    Pon checked the map and nodded. Then Regas immediately entered the dungeon. There was no time to stop him. It was a really remarkable performance. Pon followed after Regas.


    10 seconds after they entered the dungeon. The entrance to the dungeon disappeared into the desert.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Pon and Regas were surprised after entering the dungeon, and then a series of notification windows appeared in front of them.


    [You have entered the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (13).]


    [Benefits will be given to the first dungeon finders! The gold and item drop rate in the dungeon will increase by 8%! This benefit willst for 10 days and will disappear when you die.]


    It was regrettable that the experience rate didn¡¯t increase, but it was still good. But the rest was the problem.


    [The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]


    [You can¡¯t escape the dungeon until you have died or kill the dungeon boss.]


    It was an unusual type of dungeon. The most powerful duo in Overgeared were tasked with ¡®collecting information about the western dungeons and finding the ideal hunting ground.¡¯ This was the moment that they fell into a desperate crisis.


    "We¡¯re trapped...¡±


    Pon was well aware of vampires. They were a top-rankingbat species that possessed attack cancelling skills and enchanting skills. They were especially strong in dark ces. The entry of light waspletely blocked and they were trapped in a city of vampires...


    ¡®We will die.¡¯


    As Pon was feeling frustrated, Regas looked at the dungeon unfolding before him with bright eyes.


    "Isn¡¯t it unbelievably amazing here?¡±


    High buildings and pointed spires. Gothic buildings reminiscent of Notre Dame Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral were scattered throughout the dark dungeon. The spectacr and dreary scenery overwhelmed the onlookers, but Regas was pleased about finding a new dungeon.


    ¡°We should hunt before the buff ends.¡±


    "...¡±


    Anyone would be afraid of the death penalty. In particr, it was more severe for rankers. But Regas wasn¡¯t afraid of death. He might be 12th on the unified rankings, but he enjoyed the challenge.


    ¡¯In any case, this is fun.¡¯


    Regas smiled at the sight.


    Pon smiled and moved.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They had to fight anyway, so they should do it thoroughly. It would be ideal if they killed all the vampires and boss before the buff ended.


    Pon and Regas moved in secret. It was the start of an epic struggle.


    ***


    Jude. He was Grid¡¯s knight and served at the captain of the security forces in Reidan. He would stop any harm from happening to Duke Grid¡¯s city.


    This was Jude¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°Captain, get some rest now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    There was no rest for Jude. He always tried to maintain Reidan¡¯s safety, except for when he slept. He even ate when he was patrolling.


    ¡®Captain is admirable.¡¯


    ¡®I have to work harder!¡¯


    Jude chewing dry bread while patrolling became a model for the soldiers. The soldiers of Reidan became more diligent every day. They endured the harsh training and their growth speed was very fast. They were basically overgeared soldiers, so it was only a matter of time before they were reborn as elites.


    "Today. Reidan. Safe.¡±


    Jude didn¡¯t know.


    One night a week ago. Hundreds of people had tried to invade Reidan while he was sleeping. He never knew that they were repelled by only four farmers. Was it because he was an idiot with only 20 intelligence?


    No. This was Lauel¡¯s intent. Lauel didn¡¯t announce the Reidan invasion so that the people weren¡¯t disturbed. It was easy to cover up. It was night time and the enemies could only reach the wheat fields outside the walls. They even retreated quickly. Only a few people knew about what happened that night. It was sad, but Jude wasn¡¯t included in this minority.


    ¡°Jude. Today. Strong.¡±


    Today, Reidan was peaceful. The people believed it was due to Jude¡¯s merits.


    ¡°Captain Jude! Please work hard today!¡±


    "Thank you!"


    Jude was proud every time people greeted him. He worked harder as he patrolled. Everything was for Duke Grid.


    ***


    [The hidden quest ¡®Fun and Enjoyable Training!¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    As soon as the notification window popped up, Kraugel put down the farming equipment that he had been holding for a month.


    ¡®The end.¡¯


    It was disappointing. He was d to be able to leave on new adventures, but he was sorry to say goodbye to Reidan. In hindsight, this was the first time he¡¯d stayed in one ce for so long.


    ¡®I¡¯ll miss it.¡¯


    He looked over the vast wheat fields. The fun and precious memories from thest month, which couldn¡¯t be forgotten, were engraved on his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    He approached an impressive middle-aged man with amanding presence and deep gaze. The fact that he wasn¡¯t a simple person could be seen from his eyes.


    Piaro. The first ranked Kraugel couldn¡¯t win against him in the end. Kraugel smiled gently and bowed deeply to him.


    "Thank you for everything.¡±


    It was the luck of a lifetime that he met Piaro. Thanks to working tirelessly in the field and sparring with Piaro, Kraugel could finally cross the wall. Sword Saint 4th Stage. There was one more step until he became a sword saint.


    ¡°You shoulde back here often. You¡¯re always wee.¡±


    Piaro reached out his hand. It was a dirty hand covered with calluses. Kraugel could see a little bit of the road that Piaro had been walking in the meantime. Kraugel grabbed the hand politely.


    ¡°Yes, Brother.¡±


    Then when he next came to visit...


    ¡®I will be the best.¡¯


    Kraugel had been greatly disappointed when Piaro became a farmer. He thought that Piaro gave up the road to being a sword saint. But that wasn¡¯t it. He realized it when they were together. Piaro didn¡¯t give up. He chose a more suitable path for himself.


    The ss wasn¡¯t important. It was important that he was a legend. Currently, Piaro seeded inbining farming equipment with swordsmanship, and Sword Saint Muller couldn¡¯t even bepared. Piaro had be the strongest man. In order topete with him...


    ¡®I also have to be a legend.¡¯


    Sword saint. It didn¡¯t matter how long it would take, Kraugel was determined to achieve it. He wanted to be equal to Piaro and face him.


    ***


    ¡®I have noticed.¡¯


    A man wearing a straw hat was saying goodbye to Piaro. He didn¡¯t take off his hat to the end. Faker followed him and as soon as he left Reidan, he used White Light Steps.


    ¡®It truly is him...¡¯


    Faker was convinced after seeing the white light.


    ¡®The sky above the sky.¡¯


    The peak of two billion users, Kraugel. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for him to throw Faker off his scent. A faint smile broke out on Faker¡¯s face. Kraugel had a rtionship with Reidan and might be a positive influence on Gridter on.


    ***


    [The hidden quest ¡®Fun and Enjoyable Training!¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    It was eight days after Kraugel left. Damian also finished the quest.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Damian confirmed his ascending stats and skill level from the quest reward and was filled with joy. It was unbelievablepensation for such a short period of time. Damian achieved a dramatic growthpared to three weeks ago.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice to share this joy with Rin-chan.¡±


    Damian felt regret. He turned his attention to the horizon beyond the wheat field.


    ¡¯Now I just have to wait for Grid.¡¯


    Today was the day that Grid was scheduled to return. Damian was filled with expectations.


    ¡®If Grid could seal Lifael¡¯s Spear...¡¯


    Isabel-chan could be saved. On the other hand, he was worried.


    ¡¯What if Grid refuses my request?¡¯


    The Grid that Damian knew was a very greedy person. He couldn¡¯t imagine that such a person would help others out of simple goodwill.


    ¡®Lauel says I should have faith, but...¡¯


    He had to prepare for the worst. Damian started to prepare the treasures to be given to Grid. He disposed of all items except for his main equipment, and even changed his savings to gold.


    ¡¯I¡¯m willing to sell my house...¡¯


    Damian firmed up his heart.


    And that night.


    Grid finally returned. Asmophel was with him.


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    Grid returned after five weeks and was now level 295. He grew even more after a long journey, making the Overgeared members overwhelmed. In particr, Lauel was feeling a thrill.


    ¡®G-Great!¡¯


    The eyes that shone with a red light! It waspletely to Lauel¡¯s taste. Grid scratched his head as he looked at the people around him. His eyes were tinged with affection.


    "What happened?¡±


    Damian shook his head from where he was standing behind the Overgeared members and looked at Grid.


    ¡®What¡¯s this? He doesn¡¯t know that his city was invaded?¡¯


    The invasion of Reidan by the seven guilds was a global issue. Even people who didn¡¯t y Satisfy a lot were aware of this incident thanks to the news. Therefore, it was surprising that the person involved, Grid, wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    Lauelughed. "Were you so busy with the quest that you didn¡¯t watch TV?¡±


    "Yes. I¡¯m so busy ying the game that I reduced my sleeping time.¡±


    This quest was annoying in many ways. It was a long distance to Titan and Asmophel¡¯s mansion was hard to find. It was due to the wards installed by Dark Bus. Grid trembled as he recalled the day he saw Titan, the biggest city on the continent, much bigger than Reidan. He was lucky that thest boss was weak. If the opponent had been strong, he would¡¯ve started crying.


    ¡®I had a hard time but it was worth it. The reward was good and most of all, it was linked with a hidden quest.¡¯


    Grid wanted to finish this quest by reuniting Piaro and Asmophel as soon as possible. Then he would logout, wash, and go to sleep. He also missed his mother¡¯s meals. He hadn¡¯t seen the faces of his family for several days.


    "But why are you talking about the TV? What happened?¡±


    "Just something trivial... You can check it slowlyter on.¡±


    ¡°I have something separate to do. Where¡¯s Piaro¡¯s house?¡±


    Grid questioned and Lauel and the Overgeared members guided him. Damian noticed that it wasn¡¯t his turn yet and followed them silently.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260


    ¡°This is the ce.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know exactly what type of treatment Piaro was receiving. He vaguely thought that Piaro would be well respected andfortable because he was so talented. But it turned out he was mistaken.


    ¡®I never thought he would live in a ce like this.¡¯


    [Farmer¡¯s House]


    Arge-scale amodation where widowers or single farmers lived together.


    A great swordsman was staying in a shabby ce like this? Grid was baffled.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Reidan wide? Why is it so hard to give him a house?"


    A great swordsman who was soon to be a sword saint. Wasn¡¯t he a good mentor to everyone? Lauel exined to Grid, who was looking at them with rebuke in his eyes. ¡°Piaro himself didn¡¯t want to stay anywhere else. He said that he doesn¡¯t deserve to live afortable life.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became dark.


    ¡®It¡¯s because of guilt.¡¯


    He felt guilty for the family members and colleagues who died because he was falsely used. Maybe Piaro hadn¡¯t slept well for a single day in thest few years.


    ¡®On the surface, he acts brightly.¡¯


    Recently, Grid thought Piaro had ovee most of the wounds in his heart, but that was a misunderstanding.


    ¡°Duke Grid came...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Grid restrained Lauel from shouting loudly and asked Asmophel. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Asmophel, who had been silent since arriving in Reidan, opened his mouth for the first time. "I have been prepared to die for a long time.¡±


    "Don¡¯t talk about dying so easily.¡±


    The reward of the hidden quest ¡®Hidden Story¡¯ was that Asmophel¡¯s affinity would rise to the maximum along with Piaro. Grid hoped that the named NPC, Asmophel, wouldn¡¯t die. But the problem was that his survival depended on Piaro, not Grid.


    ¡®I am shaking.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath and entered the house. Among the farmers who were exhausted by deepbor, the mediating Piaro was sitting alone. The moment that Piaro¡¯s eyes opened and made contact with him, Grid instinctively realized.


    ¡®He has be stronger.¡¯


    Piaro was originally strong. However, Grid fought against Piaro and was confident of winning. Their skill with the sword might be different, but Grid believed he could defeat Piaro if he summoned Noe and Randy.


    But he was wrong. Grid¡¯s high insight warned that Piaro was a monster that couldn¡¯t be predicted. He waspletely different from five years ago.


    ¡¯It¡¯s more than Hell Gao¡¯s presence...¡¯


    Surely he didn¡¯t achieve the status of sword saint while Grid was gone?


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart started to thump wildly. He imagined Piaro bing a sword saint and his excitement heightened.


    ¡°You have be stronger, Duke Grid.¡±


    Piaro stood up and faced Grid. His eyes gazed deeply into Grid.


    ¡®I want to fight.¡¯


    Grid wanted to test his skills against the current Piaro. Grid was filled with an extreme fighting spirit. But now wasn¡¯t the time. The quest came first.


    ¡°Did you kill Asmophel?¡±


    Piaro¡¯s eyes filled with deep emotions. It was a glimpse of his hatred towards Asmophel.


    Grid replied.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    "You didn¡¯t?" He wasn¡¯t that weak, was he? "What does this mean?"


    Piaro made a confused expression and Grid pointed to the doorway.


    "I brought him to see you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The culprit of everything! If that guy came here, Piaro would tear off his limbs and grind up his bones! Piaro rushed out of the room right away. His face looked like a scary demon as he saw his enemy. Damian and all of the Overgeared members, except for Grid, were overpowered by his pressure.


    ¡°Asmophel!¡±


    ¡°...Piaro.¡±


    A street where darkness descended. The two friends who hadn¡¯t reunited in three years, the distance between them was quickly narrowed down.


    Kwack!


    Piaro¡¯s hand grabbed Asmophel¡¯s neck. Asmophel¡¯s pale face twisted. But it wasn¡¯t due to physical pain. It was because all his emotions burst out when he saw Piaro and he wanted to cry. Piaro, who had pulled out his sword, paused when he saw Asmophel¡¯s face.


    ¡°You..! Why is a shameful person like you shedding tears?"


    ¡°I¡¯m...sorry...¡±


    Despite his constricted neck, Asmophel seeded in spitting out the words that he had cried many times over the years. At that moment, Piaro¡¯s heart thumped. He sensed something.. Maybe the atrocitiesmitted by Asmophel were against his will.


    However, that wasn¡¯t an important issue right now. No matter the hidden story, Asmophel¡¯s sin couldn¡¯t be rationalized.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Piaro shook off his curiosity and tightened his grip around Asmophel¡¯s neck. Asmophel didn¡¯t resist at all. He just repeated his apologies while being suffocated. He had long been determined to atone with his death.


    ¡®Kill me. Brutally tear me apart, burn my body and drop my filthy soul into hell. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as your grudge is resolved.¡¯


    Piaro read Asmophel¡¯s heart through his eyes. He had been friends with Asmophel for 25 years. This meant that Piaro could read his mind through his eyes. That¡¯s why the sense of betrayal was more prevalent.


    "This awful bastard!"


    The sword flew towards Asmophel¡¯s neck. Grid saw this and turned his head away.


    ¡®I failed to get Asmophel.¡¯


    Asmophel would die like this. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a situation he could intervene in. Grid judged this and was about to retreat.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Piaro cursed. Grid turned his head again to see that the sword was stopped underneath Asmophel¡¯s jaws. "Dammit!"


    Piaro threw Asmophel away. Then he sat down. His noble friend, Asmophel. A great man and friend until the day of betrayal. Piaro was the person who knew him better than anyone.


    "Let me hear your story."


    He wasn¡¯t about to forgive Asmophel. He had just been curious since a long time ago. Why their rtionship ended in such a catastrophic manner, Piaro wanted to know it.


    "...¡±


    Asmophel didn¡¯t say anything. He knew there was no excuse for what he did. Piaro roughly grabbed his cor. ¡°Say something!¡±


    He had lost everything. Ironically, the only friend left was this enemy. He was sorry to his dead family and colleagues, but he wanted to hear the story. Asmophel read Piaro¡¯s feelings and painfully managed to open his mouth. He spoke the truth that he had buried in his heart for as long as he could.


    "...¡±


    Piaro¡¯s murderous expression became distressed as he heard the story. The biggest victim of this story was Asmophel. Asmophel didn¡¯t try to justify himself. He described himself as weak and the worst trash. But it wasn¡¯t a position epted by the listeners at all.


    "...¡±


    Asmophel tried to speak as calmly as possible. He constantly listed why he should die. He kept emphasizing his sins. However, Piaro¡¯s hatred towards Asmophel lessened.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    He mmed his fist into the ground after losing the target of his anger. Tears flowed down from Piaro¡¯s eyes. He was confused after knowing the whole truth. Piaro couldn¡¯t kill Asmophel. But it was right to kill Asmophel in order to appease the souls of Piaro¡¯s family and colleagues.


    As he was wondering what to do, Grid approached him. "I know that it is hard to forgive. However, now that you have learned the truth, isn¡¯t it foolish to kill him?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a separate target for revenge?¡±


    Empress Marie. The woman who took away the happiness of countless people due to her greed.


    "Kill her.¡±


    Grid said bluntly. Lauel had a headache.


    ¡®Couldn¡¯t you phrase it in a nicer way?¡¯


    ¡®Be my person. Increase my strength with your abilities and be a weapon against the empress. I will be your sword and strike down your true enemy¡¯ etc etc.


    Weren¡¯t they great lines? As Lauel was filled with regret, Piaro was forgiving Asmophel.


    "I can no longer resent you after finding out that you were used in Marie¡¯s wicked schemes.¡±


    Asmophel wept. He could only repeat his apologies. It was the end Grid wanted. He smiled as he watched them.


    [The hidden quest ¡®Hidden Story¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [The rtionship between Piaro and Asmophel has improved.]


    [The affinity with the two people has risen to the maximum.]


    [If you recruit Piaro, there will be a 20% increase in the effect of the barracks and a 100% increase in the chance of getting a good harvest. In addition, you can create a ¡®knights division.¡¯]


    [If you recruit Asmophel, the effect of the techniques research institutes will increase by 20%. In addition, you can create a ¡®knights division.¡¯]


    [Knights Division]


    You can have a group of knights.


    The buff effect will depend on the person appointed as the captain.


    [Barracks Effect]


    Affects the training speed of the soldiers.


    The soldiers will gain new tactics as their level and abilities increase, and the number of weapons that can be used will increase as well.


    [Techniques Research Institute Effect]


    Affects the speed at which soldiers and people gain skill experience.


    The higher the skill level, the greater the variety of skills avable to soldiers and also increases the power of the skill.


    The reward of the hidden quest was more than Grid imagined.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    It was a big hit. This was an exorbitant level that couldn¡¯t be easily expressed. Grid felt like he owned the world. He clenched his fists tightly as he felt a thrill.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    Now he had a question.


    ¡®What is the 100% increase in the chance of a good harvest?¡¯


    What rtionship did that have with a sword saint? Grid was puzzled until he suddenly recalled the notification window that appeared when he was in Titan.


    [A legendary farmer has been born!]


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯ No. It couldn¡¯t be. ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    He tried to shake off his sinister imagination.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261


    Piaro was a legendary farmer? How absurd. No, this was almost the level of paranoia. It was a development that wouldn¡¯t be found even in third-rate web novels all over the world.


    ¡¯Piaro dreamed of being a sword saint, so why would he be a farmer?¡¯


    The reason that Piaro increased the chances of a good harvest was...


    ¡®He probably learned a technique while farming as a hobby.¡¯


    It was a reasonable guess. Piaro was a very versatile person, so it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    ¡¯I just had an absurd delusion.¡¯


    He was afraid that Jude wasughing at him. Grid smiled before regaining his calm. Then he looked at Piaro and Asmophel. They needed time alone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave here.¡±


    Grid said and the Overgeared members followed him. Damian was with them. Piaro and Asmophel started to have a long conversation once they were left alone.


    On this day, both of them vowed. Duke Grid who relieved their misunderstanding and helped them see the true object of their revenge. They pledged eternal loyalty to the one who saved them from hell.


    ***


    The road to the castle. The stunningndscape of the significantly developed Reidan captured Grid¡¯s attention.


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely more than the old Reidan now.¡¯


    But it was far less than Winston. The size was more than twice the sum of those two cities, but the overall facilities were less. The problem was that the poption was small from the beginning. The best administrator, Rabbit, was active, but the speed of development was slow because there was no manpower.


    "Lauel, are there ns to deal with the poption crisis?¡±


    "As you did before, we n to secure and migrate the minorities that are being persecuted everywhere in the empire.¡±


    Just like the case with the Ul n. But there was a clear limit to this method. The Overgeared members would suffer too much. In addition, it was unlikely that the empire would keep allowing it.


    ¡°Is there a natural way to increase the poption?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know it yet, but Reidan became famous thanks to the invasion of the seven guilds. Many people were showing interest in Reidan. Lauel was sure that at this moment, many users would be trying to move to Reidan. But the problem was that the barrier of entry was too high. It was unknown how many of them would reach Reidan.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think too hastily. First,plete the mine development and connect the roads. Then the deployment of troops will be easier and the number of monsters will gradually decrease... We can only wait until then.¡±


    "What is the speed of progress for the mine development?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t enough skilled workers. In particr, securing miners is difficult. It seems like it will take more time than nned.¡±


    ¡°Miners...¡±


    It would be ideal if Minor acted as a miner, but the search for pavranium came first. Right now, it was too early to stick Minor in the mines.


    ¡¯I shouldn¡¯t worry too much. By the way, why hasn¡¯t there been news from Minor?¡¯


    Minor was on a mission to find all thebyrinths in the west. Grid was worried that he had run across monsters and was in a crisis. No, that clever boy wouldn¡¯t be caught so easily.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t worry.¡¯


    Grid changed topics. "Then Lauel, do other guilds already have a knights division?¡±


    ¡°Knights division? I don¡¯t think there would be a lot? If the guild creates a specific organization and call it a knights division, then it will be a knights division. Well, it¡¯s easy to mass produce.¡±


    It seemed he didn¡¯t know there was a separate system called a knights division.


    ¡®Then I am the first master of a true knights division?¡¯


    It was probably the case. It wasn¡¯t easy to obtain named NPCs.


    ¡®The first knights division...¡¯


    In Satisfy, the meaning of ¡®first¡¯ was very big. It was an achievement that would often give special benefits.


    ¡®What benefits will I receive?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart started to be restless again. But this wasn¡¯t a problem. In order to prevent the suffering and frustration that he felt in the past, he always maintained the proper tension.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you have returned safely."


    ¡°Duke Grid! Wee!"


    The entrance of the castle. Grid was greeted by Administrator Rabbit and Jude, who had been informed of his arrival in advance. Grid observed them with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and smiled.


    ¡®They have also developed.¡¯


    Rabbit had gained a lot of intelligence and political power, while Jude had gained a lot of strength and stamina. It showed how faithfully they had taken on their roles.


    ¡°You went through many hardships while I was gone.¡±


    Grid patted their shoulders. Administrator Rabbit bowed humbly, while the pleased Jude snorted like a bull. They apanied Grid into the castle. The 1,000 nervous soldiers saluted in unison.


    ¡°Kingdom¡¯s hero! Reidan¡¯s sun! We greet the great Duke Grid!¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    The shouts shook the castle. Grid observed them as he walked past.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t inferior whenpared with the empire¡¯s soldiers.¡¯


    It was a tremendous growth rate. It was evidence that Jude¡¯s ignorant training method was having a great effect. It was the power of the ¡®I have no Idea (SS)¡¯ skill. He had no thoughts. Jude¡¯s ability to raise the soldiers made Grid smile.


    The eyes of a man closely watching him shone. It was Damian.


    ¡®This is the time!¡¯


    Since Grid arrived in Reidan. Damian had been waiting for the right timing to say hello and he finally grabbed the chance. Grid seemed to be in a good mood right now!


    ¡°Grid! It has been a long time!¡±


    Damian went forward and greeted him. He was nervous, but tried not to show it to Grid. He went down on one knee and bowed.


    Grid asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡± It was an unexpected response. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t remember me?¡±


    Damian felt like crying. Grid looked at the disappointed person in front of him. From Grid¡¯s standpoint, Damian was nothing more than an extra in the pope raid. It was also a long time ago.


    Damian reminded himself of this and formally introduced himself. "I am Damian, a pdin of the Reba Church and the Goddess¡¯ Agent. Around one year and two months ago in Satisfy time, I buffed Grid while you raided Pope Drevigo.¡±


    "Ah.¡±


    Now Grid remembered Damian. The otaku pdin. He hadn¡¯t known it at the time, but looking back now, Damian¡¯s buffing ability was remarkable.


    ¡°I remember. Then why are you here?¡±


    Did he perhaps want to join the Overgeared Guild? Grid was filled with big expectations when Damian suddenly cried out.


    ¡°Please save Isabel-chan!¡±


    ¡°Isabel?¡±


    Who was that again?


    ¡®Ah, I remember.¡¯ One of Reba¡¯s Daughters. She had blonde hair and used an exceptional spear. ¡®Did something happen to her?¡¯


    No, why was this person asking for help from Grid?


    ¡®Ah right.¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He remembered what he did.


    ¡®Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    It was a special weapon for Reba¡¯s Daughters that Pagma had sealed. He had released the seal. Then he neglected to return.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Isabel was dying because of him. Grid became ufortable as he identified the situation. He felt guilty about putting someone¡¯s life at risk, and he was also worried that Damian would impensation for the damages.


    ¡®I have no money.¡¯


    Damian begged the nervous Grid again. ¡°I will give you all my assets! So please... Please save Isabel-chan!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid through Damian would impensation for damages, but he was actually rewarding Grid? And it was money?


    ¡®A pushover?¡¯


    At that time, Lauel sent a whisper to Grid.


    -Damian is a pope candidate.How about helping him?If he bes a pope, Reidan will be able to form a friendship with the mighty forces of the Reba Church.The profit from it can¡¯t be converted into money.


    ¡®Pope candidate...¡¯


    In fact, Grid intended to help Damian from the beginning. More than anything else, he felt sorry towards Isabel. In addition...


    ¡®Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    A divine item. It was a great opportunity to observe it in detail.


    ¡®Finally.¡¯


    It would be possible to create divine items. A weapon above Failure. No, maybe an item that exceeded Pagma¡¯s works would be born. A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Damian panicked at Grid¡¯s sudden question. Grid exined to the bewildered Damian. ¡°How much will you give me in return for sealing Lifael¡¯s Spear? How much?¡±


    Grid had to take everything he could. This wasn¡¯t a shameless greed. It was foolish to miss the opportunity to obtain something, unless he was a pushover.


    ¡®I have already been a pushover in the past.¡¯


    Damian said carefully, "I have currently prepared 530,000 gold...¡±


    It was the amount he prepared as a deposit.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    How much was that in Korean money?


    ¡¯636 million won...¡¯


    Grid calcted it in his head. Damian felt anxious when Grid showed no reaction and hurriedly said.


    "I-If I dispose of my mansion, I can get an additional 1.2 million gold!¡±


    ¡°Mansion?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It is a small mansion where I live in Tokyo, Japan!¡±


    ¡®He will sell his house in reality just for an NPC?¡¯


    In the past, Grid would¡¯veughed at Damian. But not anymore. Irene, Khan, Piaro. Grid experienced the love of NPCs so he felt more affinity towards Damian.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a bad person.¡¯


    He was a pushover. That wasn¡¯t all. Damian was a pope candidate. The possibility that Damian could be a pope should be kept in mind.


    ¡®I have to think about future rtionship rather than be greedy for money now.¡¯


    If he did this favor for Damian, it would be a great help to Grid in the future.


    ¡°I will ept just 530,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Damian was well aware of what a greedy person Grid was. He waspletely determined to save Isabel-chan and had been expecting to spend a huge amount of money. He was even prepared to sell his organs if he had to. But it was a misunderstanding. Grid wasn¡¯t that evil. Rather, he was a generous person.


    ¡°Thank you! I really appreciate it!¡±


    Grid was willing to help him! Damian was so thrilled that he started crying. Grid, who was willing to spare Isabel-chan from suffering pain, looked like an angel to Damian in this moment. On the other hand, Grid was excited.


    ¡®This is an opportunity to observe a divine weapon.¡¯


    He felt like he found a bundle of money on the way to picking up his lottery winnings.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262


    After epting Damian¡¯s request, Grid received administrative reports from Rabbit and the Overgeared Guild. It couldn¡¯t be helped. It was the least he had to do as the lord. As a result, one hour passed.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    The fatigue umted over his five week quest was too high. The problem was theck of sleep.


    "Grid, are you departing for the Vatican?¡±


    Outside the meeting room. Damian came up to him and asked. His eyes shone brightly and Grid waved his hands at him.


    "I have to rest first. I will contact youter, so head to the Vatican first.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Frankly, Damian wanted Grid to go to the Vatican right now. His heart hurt when he thought of Isabel, who was suffering at this moment. But he couldn¡¯t rush Grid and obediently stepped back. He had been waiting a few months, so couldn¡¯t he wait a day or two?


    He bowed politely to Grid who logged out. Then Grid headed straight to bed.


    ***


    Since the National Competition.


    10 months of Satisfy time had passed and Yura had dedicated herself to only one quest.


    [Path of Penance]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Meet the First Servant unharmed.


    Quest Clear Rewards: ???


    It was a quest that didn¡¯t give her any clues. During the quest, Yura had to face countless adversities. She had experienced frustration several times. But she didn¡¯t give up. If she was a person to give up easily, then she wouldn¡¯t have be 5th in the unified rankings. Her tenacity and obsession exceeded the category of ordinary people.


    ¡®I finally found it.¡¯


    The dirt and blood didn¡¯t cause Yura¡¯s beauty to fade. She was still beautiful at the end of the long struggle, when she finally reached her destination. It was hard to find one w with her beautiful white skin and ebony hair.


    Step step.


    Deep in the cave. Yura climbed onto the altar in the middle of the cave. There was a pure white me on the altar.


    [Lovely child, you have reached this ce with your weak human body.]


    Was this the voice of an angel? A very sweet and beautiful voice came from the me. Yura¡¯s eyes trembled. Her long eyshes quivered.


    ¡®My guess was right.¡¯


    Everything about Yatan¡¯s First Servant was veiled. He wasn¡¯t a human. The evidence? The white me in front of her. The identity of this me was the soul of a demon.


    [You are entitled to receive my, Amoract¡¯s, power.]


    The demon of conflict, Amoract. One of the 33 great demons was Yatan¡¯s First Servant.


    Demon, demonic views, religion founded by a demon. That was the Yatan Church. There were many hints.


    The aim of the Yatan Church was to bring the 33 great demons to the earth. Yatan¡¯s servants included the demonkin Bk and others. Legend said that the 33 great demons were creatures of God Yatan.


    Combining all these features, it wasn¡¯t a religion that existed for humans. It was obvious that the Yatan Church was the enemy of humanity.


    [Child, I will give you infinite power.]


    Amoract enticed her.


    [I will help you break away from that weak human body.]


    Then a notification window popped up in front of Yura.


    [The quest ¡®Path of Penance (SS)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [If you ept Amoract¡¯s magic power, you will be changed from human to half demonkin. Demonkin can evolve into demons.]


    [Will you ept Amoract¡¯s magic power?]


    ¡®I¡¯m being given a choice?¡¯


    She could choose if she wanted thepensation or not. It was unheard of for the quest to leave it up to the user. What did this suggest? Yura¡¯s brain was activated. Based on the information and experience that she had umted over the years, her high intelligence quickly analyzed the situation.


    Yura found the answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll refuse.¡±


    Amoract¡¯s soul was shocked. It shook at the unexpected choice.


    [Child, why? Why are you refusing my power?]


    "...¡±


    [Child, do you intend to betray God Yatan?]


    After bing a ck magician and joining the Yatan Church. Yura hadmitted many wrongdoings. This was the fate of a ck magician. The quests given to ck magicians always required causing conflict or harming people.


    Did she feel guilty? It was ufortable, but it was a level that she could endure. Satisfy was essentially a game. It was different from reality. She had a clear distinction between good and evil, and she wasn¡¯t evil. Yura just faithfully yed her role as a user who chose the path of evil. The result was that she became Yatan¡¯s Servant.


    But now she felt irritated. Was she btedly feeling guilty? No. There was a reason.


    ¡°Yes, I intend to betray you. If I ept your strength and remain God Yatan¡¯s Servant forever, I will eventually be the enemy of that man.¡±


    [Man? Who are you talking about?]


    ¡°Grid.¡± Yura¡¯s clear eyes pierced into Amoract¡¯s soul. ¡°The Yatan Servants¡¯ ughterer.¡±


    [What?]


    Not long ago, Yura received the news that Grid killed Dark Bus, making it a total of three Yatan Servants. It had been a long time since the Yatan Church designed Grid as an enemy. Yura didn¡¯t want to support the Yatan Church anymore. But she couldn¡¯t leave the Yatan Church. It was a foolish act, since she would lose everything she obtained so far.


    Now the situation changed. Why did a choice exist for a SS-grade quest reward? It was easy to guess. If she refused thepensation, she could get a corresponding ¡®hidden reward.¡¯


    "Yatan¡¯s Servant, I will quit. In fact, I didn¡¯t like Yatan from the beginning.¡±


    She just chose a ck magician because it seemed interesting. If she knew that she had to unconditionally serve God Yatan, she wouldn¡¯t have be a ck magician in the first ce.


    [Disgraceful girl!]


    Amoract¡¯s warm and gently voice changed to something terrible. The momentum alone seemed like it could kill Yura. But Yura didn¡¯t shrink back. She was well aware that it wasn¡¯t possible for Amoract to appear on the earth at this time.


    Ttiring.


    [You have refused Amoract¡¯s magic power.]


    [You have been deprived of your position as Yatan¡¯s Servant.]


    [You are expelled from the Yatan Church.]


    [You have lost your ck magic power.]


    [The Yatan Church will be forever hostile to you.]


    [The legendary ss, Demon yer, has been obtained.]


    [Your level has dropped.]


    [You are now level 1.]


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    She had expected to get a legendary ss. However, she had no idea that she would drop to level one. The list of newly acquired skills appeared in front of the surprised Yura.


    On this day.


    Yura¡¯s name disappeared from the list of rankers. Of course it was a big topic. All types of spection urred across the world.


    ***


    He woke up at 4:30 in the morning. He had slept for 13 hours. Youngwoo exited his room with a nk expression, where his parents greeted him.


    ¡°Son! Why is it so hard to see you when we live in the same house?¡±


    "It has been 10 days.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents were farmers who grew crops and sold them at their vegetable store. They went to work early in the morning and came homete at night. On the other hand, Youngwoo spend most of his day in the capsule. In particr, he had been ying for an exceptionally long time during the past 12 days because of the quest. It couldn¡¯t be helped that it was hard for the three people to see each other.


    ¡°I heard Youngwoo¡¯s story on the news a few days ago. I know that you are busy doing big things, but don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    "Take care of your health. I¡¯m concerned because you haven¡¯t been exercising recently. If you get sick, we won¡¯t be the only ones who will feel sad.¡±


    ¡®A big deal... The nation...¡¯


    Youngwoo was treated as a hero after raising the status of South Korea in the National Competition. To be honest, he still hadn¡¯t adapted to it. It was too big of a gap from when he was taunted as a game obsessed loser.


    ¡®I have be sessful in my field.¡¯


    It felt good. He was very proud of it, especially when he saw how proud his parents were of him. Youngwoo was stretching while listening to their words, when he suddenly wondered.


    "I appeared on the news?¡±


    "Yes, there was something about how the seven or eight guilds invaded your city?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Youngwoo, you and your colleagues repelled them without any damage?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Asura? Ashur? Some unbelievably great earl helped you?¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    "The experts who appear on TV praise our son every day. Ohoho.¡±


    "...¡±


    Youngwoo was confused as soon as he woke up. He couldn¡¯t understand anything the two people were saying.


    ¡®Roughly speaking... An alliance of seven guilds tried to invade Reidan and it seems like they were defeated by Earl Ashur.¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t he know about this?


    ¡®That Lauel.¡¯


    The ¡®little thing¡¯ he talked about was referring to this incident.


    ¡®It was trivial.¡¯


    Youngwooughed. He was able to guess why the Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t report this incident to him.


    ¡®There was no damage, so it wasn¡¯t important.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t want to disturb his quest. Then when he returned frompleting the quest, he was too tired to stay connected for long. He could feel that hispanions¡¯ thoughts towards him were growing.


    ¡¯I reap what I sow.¡¯


    In the past, Shin Youngwoo was filled with poison and only concerned about himself. At that time, he was always alone. He didn¡¯t respect anyone. He didn¡¯t care for others. But not anymore. After he seeded, he could afford to care for others, and as a result, he was respected. Now he could call them ¡®friends.¡¯ These were truly happy days.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a while?¡±


    He finished eating breakfast with his parents. Then Sehee greeted him as she came out of the bath. Her sister had be prettier in the short time they hadn¡¯t seen each other.


    ¡°You have grown...¡± Youngwoo said as he looked at her from head to toe, causing Sehee to blush.


    "Where are you looking like a pervert?¡±


    ¡°Pervert?¡±


    Why should he be called a pervert when he was just confirming his sister¡¯s growth? Sehee threw a white sweatshirt towards the bewildered Youngwoo.


    "Now that you have some time to rx, shouldn¡¯t you go exercising?¡±


    "Is that so?¡±


    In thest 12 days, he hadn¡¯t moved his body except when he was doing some light stretches and push-ups.


    It was frustrating, so Youngwoo was pleased that his sister offered to go running with him. He went out after a long time and ran excitedly. Youngwoo¡¯s body and spirit felt refreshed from the clean air entering his lungs.


    Then they returned home. A man was waiting at their house for Youngwoo..


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time that we¡¯ve met in reality.¡±


    Peak Mine... No, Peak Sword.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time that we¡¯ve met in reality.¡±


    Youngwoo returned home after jogging with Sehee. Youngwoo encountered a man in his mid-30¡¯s in a nice suit.


    ¡°Peak Sword?¡±


    He gave off a stronger feeling in the game, but it was definitely Peak Sword. He was a South Korean who always asked foreigners ¡®Do you know?¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s an honor that God Grid recognized me.¡±


    "It isn¡¯t unusual.¡±


    In fact, Youngwoo had a close rtionship with Peak Sword. A friendship formed after they raided Hell Gao in Cork Ind Dungeon together, as well as the Sakura Guild. Youngwoo didn¡¯t feel ufortable despite Peak Sword visiting without any notice. Rather, there was a pleasant feeling. But he was confused.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re usually jogging around this time, so I came to find you in the morning. I was afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to meet you, but luckily, I got the timing right.


    Peak Sword extended a card.


    [Korean Patriotic Association]


    President Kang Daehan.


    Kang Daehan. It was Peak Sword¡¯s real name.


    ¡°Korean Patriotic Association? What is that?¡±


    "Our task is to spread South Korea to the world. For example, if we encounter a foreigner...¡±


    "I understand."


    He didn¡¯t want to hear a more detailed exnation. He could guess it was something absurd just from the description.


    ¡°For reference, my sibling¡¯s name is Minguk.¡± (TL: South Korea pronounced in Korean is Daehan Minguk.)


    Daehan and Minguk. It was clear that Peak Sword¡¯s unique patriotism came from his parents.


    ¡°It¡¯s a cool name.¡±


    "Right? But my sibling hates the name.¡±


    "Why?"


    ¡°She¡¯s a girl.¡±


    ¡°A girl is called Kang Minguk?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "...I would hate it as well.¡±


    "Yes, I am the same. But she can¡¯t change her name. If the name of Minguk disappears, the meaning of my name won¡¯t be shown. In the first ce, does it make sense to change the names our parents give us?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Then...


    ¡®Why are we having such a pointless conversation?¡¯


    He was dragged into Peak Sword¡¯s pace. Peak Sword seemed to have a lot of talent as an insurance salesman. Youngwoo raised his awareness and asked.


    ¡°Why did youe to find me?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Peak Sword was about to exin when he suddenly saw Sehee. He greeted Sehee with a heavy 90 degree bow. ¡°It is an honor to meet God Grid¡¯s sister and Saintess Ruby. This brother and sister are truly the treasure of South Korea.¡±


    Sehee turned red. She was embarrassed by the excessive formality and praise.


    ¡°Oppa, I will enter first. Talk to each other.¡±


    She hurried into the house while Peak Sword looked after her with a warm expression.


    ¡°She is pretty and polite. My sister Minguk is also pretty.¡±


    "...¡±


    "Well, won¡¯t do we go drink coffee and have a talk?¡±


    Youngwoo was thirsty after jogging so he nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two men found a nearby cafe.


    ***


    The end of June. Thanks to the university students who had already finished their final exams, the Tomorrow Cafe had a few empty seats.


    Rattle.


    "Wee."


    The employee said as the door opened. Some of the guests reflexively gazed towards the entrance and were shocked.


    ¡°Peak Sword?¡±


    ¡°Wow, it really is Peak Sword.¡±


    Peak Sword, the other South Korean ranker apart from Yura. He was a top star of Korea.


    Snap snap!


    People started taking photos of Peak Sword with their phones.


    Rattle.


    Another guest entered the cafe after Peak Sword. Youngwoo.


    ¡°G-God Grid!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Grid! We live in the same neighborhood, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen him in real life!¡±


    "Kyaaak! Youngwoo-ssi is so cool!¡±


    "What is Noe doing?¡±


    The attention of the people instantly concentrated on Youngwoo. Youngwoo was the trend right now. It was enough to make Peak Sword seem like a third-rate celebrity. Peak Sword watched Youngwoo proudly before giving his order to the employee.


    ¡°Cappu...chino.¡±


    His voice was shaking. He appeared to be sad. Youngwoo ignored the people and ordered a banana shake. The two people were seated at a table in the corner. Finally, Peak Sword cut to the chase.


    ¡°I want to merge the Silver Knights Guild into the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "We want to be members of Overgeared.¡±


    The scale of the Silver Knights Guild was huge. There were more than 200 guild members and they were the owners of Cork Ind, famous for their gold mines and sightseeing spots, so they were well funded. It was enough to put their name on the list of top 50 guilds. This great guild wanted to be merged into Overgeared. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    Youngwoo questioned it. ¡°The Silver Knights Guild is enjoying great glory, so why you you want to enter the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    Peak Sword replied honestly. ¡°Our guild¡¯s growth is up to here. There is nobody in the guild with a unique talent, and Cork Ind has a geographical limit as an ind. It¡¯s difficult to expand our forces, and we will eventually be left behind.¡±


    Then they would be culled.


    ¡°In addition, I want to add strength to the team that you are leading, the pride of South Korea. I want to build the strongest guild together and raise the status of South Korea.¡±


    Peak Sword never dreamed that Youngwoo would refuse the offer. Who would refuse the chance to devour a huge guild? But Youngwoo showed a surprisingly cold reaction. The reason was simple.


    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something. I didn¡¯t establish Overgeared for my country. The only reason I made Overgeared is so that my colleagues and I can earn money and live better.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Youngwoo waspletely different from Peak Sword. He had an entirely different nature.


    ¡°Increasing South Korea¡¯s status? Don¡¯t even dream of joining my guild if it is for such a reason. The Overgeared members and I don¡¯t care about that. Don¡¯t you know that Overgeared is a multinational guild?¡±


    Honestly, it was a waste. Youngwoo wanted to close his eyes and swallow up the Silver Knights Guild. However, if he allowed them to join while still thinking this foolishness, it could cause a crack in his guild in the future.


    He had now broadened his view. It was one of the virtues infused in him by Lauel.


    ¡®Above all, I like this guy.¡¯


    If he had no affection for Peak Sword, he might¡¯ve merged the guild without hesitation. Then once he took full advantage, he would¡¯ve discarded them. This was also the specialty of Lauel and Rabbit. But Youngwoo liked Peak Sword. He didn¡¯t want their rtionship to be broken.


    Peak Sword was embarrassed after reading this.


    ¡°Thank you for speaking honestly. My thoughts were too selfish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thankful that you understand.¡±


    A waitress brought over the drinks they ordered. She brought the drinks directly because she wanted to see Youngwoo close up.


    ¡®He is okay.¡¯ He had sharp eyes and an impressive physique. It was hard to call him handsome at first sight, but he became more charming the more she looked. ¡®He is constructing a 10 billion won building?¡¯


    Her life would be easy if she caught this man. These were the thoughts revolving around the waitress¡¯ head. She tried to get his attention, but Youngwoo wasn¡¯t interested. Hisck of experience with poprity was the cause. Youngwoo couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning of the gaze that the female sent him. It might¡¯ve been different if the employee had a D cup.


    Youngwoo drank his banana shake. Peak Sword waited for the waitress to withdraw before speaking again.


    ¡°I still want to merge the Silver Knights Guild into the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    What? Youngwoo frowned as Peak Sword repeated his words. Peak Sword bowed his head. "I am also a ranker. I want a better environment. I want to belong to the best guild and y in a better environment. It is the same for everyone else in the Silver Knights Guild.¡±


    Overgeared Guild. The synergy between the legendary cksmith and top talents was sure to explode, resulting in the strongest force in the future. Peak Sword¡¯s personal greed made him want to join. This decision was solidified after he actually met Youngwoo. From his point of view, Youngwoo was a good person.


    ¡°More than anything, I want to be with you. I still can¡¯t forget that Hell Gao raid. It was the most enjoyable day of my gaming life.¡±


    "Hrmm." Youngwoo remembered the swordsman who mined the fire stones and gave a strange smile. "Are you mining these days?¡±


    During the Hell Gao raid, Peak Sword awakened to the fun of mining. He felt an addictive pleasure every time he obtained a fire stone.


    ¡°I often enjoy it. When hunting in the dungeon, I will mine while waiting for my health to recover. It¡¯s much better than just sitting down and resting. I have fun, earn money, and my stats go up.¡±


    "What¡¯s the level of your mining skill?¡±


    ¡°Beginner level 9. I will master the beginner level soon.¡±


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Youngwoo thought Peak Sword had some talent when watching him mine the fire stones, but his growth was faster than expected. It would be good to get more miners.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot of mines on Cork Ind? Miners as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Most of the residents of Cork Ind are in the mining business. In addition, there are a few miners in the guild.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s smile widened further.


    ¡°Okay. I will ept the Silver Knights Guild.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s pleasure couldn¡¯t be described. Youngwoo added a condition. "However, you must promise not to force the other guild members to love South Korea.¡±


    Youngwoo was also Korean. It was a rotten country in many ways, but he still loved South Korea. However, he didn¡¯t want to force the guild members to feel the same way.


    Peak Sword agreed. ¡°I understand.¡±


    With this, it was finished. Youngwoo finished the banana shake and rose from his seat.


    "Let¡¯s go. I need to connect to Satisfy and share this guild merger with Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Peak Sword cried out jubntly. Did he abandon his patriotism to join Overgeared? No. Not at all. He knew. Even if he didn¡¯t taken any actions for South Korea, as long as Koreans belonged to the Overgeared Guild, the status of South Korea would naturally increase. There were many benefits to joining Overgeared.


    "Hey."


    Youngwoo left the cafe with Peak Sword. Peak Sword called out to a foreign couple passing by. He pointed to Youngwoo and asked.


    ¡°Do you know Grid?¡±


    "...¡±


    Youngwoo was embarrassed. Peak Sword was paying attention to his actions, but there seemed to be a limit. He was worried that the Overgeared members wouldn¡¯t be able to adapt for a while.


    ¡®Well, those parts will be handled by Lauel.¡¯


    It was fortunate that he had Lauel. Youngwoo said goodbye to Peak Sword and went home. Then he entered his capsule.


    "Login."


    There was a mountain of work to do. After epting Piaro and Asmophel, he had to create a knights division. After that, he had to observe and seal Lifael¡¯s Spear, acquire the design for a myth rated item, and save Isabel.


    ¡®I also need to make more of the Grid set.¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s vision darkened as he nned many things.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264


    {Wee.}


    {You came!}


    {Are you rested?}


    The Overgeared members weed Grid when he connected. Grid looked at the guild members list and questioned.


    {Where and what are Pon and Regas doing?}


    They were connected, but their location was marked as ¡®unknown.¡¯ This was the first time.


    {They have been like that for a fortnight already. I can¡¯t get in touch with them, so it seems like they¡¯re trapped in an unusual dungeon.}


    {Should we organize a search party?}


    {Search party? Grid, are you worried about those two?}


    {There¡¯s no need to worry about them. Look at their levels. It went up by one in just a fortnight.}


    {I think they found a huge hunting ground}


    {We don¡¯t need to worry about those monsters. It¡¯s a waste of emotions.}


    ¡®Really?¡¯ Pon and Regas were level 307. It was two levels higher than Faker. It was a rapid growth, considering there had only been a one level difference between them. ¡®Where did they discover such a great hunting ground?¡¯


    From level 299, the amount of experience needed to gain one level increased exponentially. But they were level 306 and gained one level in just a fortnight... The stunned Grid recovered his mind. Then he delivered the news.


    {By the way, the Silver Knights Guild will merge into the Overgeared Guild.}


    {The Silver Knights Guild? What about Peak Sword?}


    Currently, the members of Overgeared were rapidly raising their level and causing an upheaval in the rankings. The existing rankers dropped at least 5 spots, 20 if it was severe. They were stolen by the Overgeared members.


    On the other hand, Peak Sword rose in the rankings. 15th on the unified rankings. It was in the absence of the best hunting ground called Reidan. This meant that his level of skill was the same as Pon and Regas.


    The Overgeared members were interested.


    {Hey, Peak Sword will be ourpanion? Isn¡¯t this encouraging?}


    {Peak Sword is the master of drawing a sword. I watched his war video against the Sakura Guild one year ago.}


    {I also saw that video. Peak Sword was so great at that time. A Sakura Guild member died every time he drew the sword.}


    {Did you see that lump of pride, Yoshimura, run away?}


    ¡®...Is Peak Sword that great?¡¯


    Grid liked Peak Sword. He liked and respected Peak Sword¡¯s personality. However, he didn¡¯t acknowledge Peak Sword¡¯sbat ability. At the time of the Hell Gao raid, Peak Sword had just been a miner and wasn¡¯t helpful inbat.


    ¡®He helped once when I was in danger.¡¯


    Peak Sword had grabbed Hell Gao¡¯s attention. Thanks to that, Grod could get one fire stone unharmed. That¡¯s it. After that, Peak Sword didn¡¯t y any offensive role.


    ¡®Well, at that time, Peak Sword was only a second ss.¡¯


    The abilities of a 2nd advancement ss couldn¡¯t afford to take on Hell Gao. Now Peak Sword would have a third advancement ss and be much stronger than he was in the past.


    {But why is the Silver Knights Guild trying to merge with us?}


    {The Silver Knights Guild rules Cork Ind. The scale of their guild is huge and they have tremendous financial power. So why the merger?}


    Grid exined to the puzzled Overgeared members. After listening to the story, the Overgeared members recalled what they knew about Peak Sword and were convinced.


    {Ah, that makes sense if it¡¯s Peak Sword.}


    {It isn¡¯t strange if he builds a religion to Grid.}


    {Lauel, the matter of the guild merger...}


    {Leave it to me.}


    Lauel was very happy. Piaro, Asmopehl, Rabbit, and the Silver Knights Guild... It was amazing that Grid was constantly rallying the best powers. Grid truly was great.


    ¡°They seem to like it.¡±


    The guild chat window was in a frenzy. Everyone was excited because the Silver Knights Guild would merge with them.


    The Overgeared Guild was in a difficult situation. The Overgeared Guild had too little manpower. They might be the top rankers, but including Grid, there were only 28 people in the guild. It was hard to include two of them(Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl), as they didn¡¯t y often. In this situation, absorbing the Silver Knights Guild was huge.


    Then Piaro and Asmophel approached Grid.


    ¡°Duke Grid.¡±


    Piaro. A man who respected Grid but didn¡¯t yield to him. He bowed towards Grid. It was the same for Asmophel.


    "Give us an opportunity to serve you."


    Finally, the moment hade. Grid smiled widely.


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±


    The sunshine through the window shone on Grid¡¯s face. It was a bright and dignified face. Piaro recalled the day he first met Grid in Kesan Canyon. Grid had been a dark and depressed young man. He was really ugly.


    ¡®But his potential is excellent.¡¯


    Piaro never realized that Grid would grow to this point.


    ***


    The great hall was wide without any decorations, and it reflected Reidan¡¯s financial condition. In short, it was pitiful. Piaro and Asmophel vowed allegiance to Grid in this ce as the Overgeared members watched.


    Grid experienced a new system.


    [You have epted Piaro as a subordinate. The effect of Reidan¡¯s barracks will increase by 30%. The probability of a good harvest will increase by 100%.]


    [You have epted Asmophel as a subordinate. The effect of Reidan¡¯s techniques research institute will increase by 30%.]


    [You have people who are qualified to lead a knights division. Would you like to establish a knights division?]


    There was no reason to hesitate.


    ¡°Form a knights division.¡±


    [Appoint a leader for the knights division that will be created.]


    -List of people who can be appointed as leader of a knights division-


    [Piaro]


    Piaro can lead a total of 50 knights.


    Piaro¡¯s knights will have their physical attack power increased by 10%, attack speed by 3% and movement speed by 5%.


    The effect is permanent as long as the person belongs to the knights division.


    Knights Division¡¯s Passive Skills: Increased Health Regeneration (High), Decreased Stamina Consumption (Medium).


    [Asmophel]


    Asmophel can lead a total of 35 knights.


    Asmophel¡¯s knights will have a 5% increase in physical attack power and magic power. Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 8%.


    The effect is permanent as long as the person belongs to the knights division.


    Knights Division¡¯s Passive Skills: Increased Mana Regeneration (Medium), Decreased Stamina Consumption (Low)


    It seemed that sses that depended on skills were better suited to Asmophel¡¯s knights division.


    ¡®Huge buffs.¡¯


    Only admiration emerged. Grid formed two knights divisions.


    "Piaro and Asmophel.¡±


    [Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s knights divisions have been created.]


    [Please name the knights division.]


    ¡°1st Overgeared Knights Division. 2nd Overgeared Knights Division.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait a minute!" Lauel hurried out from where he had been watching nervously. Then he trembled as he begged. ¡°Please! Please give it a fantastic name!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Was it too shabby to divide it by one and two? Grid felt some remorse after seeing Lauel¡¯s tears. Therefore, Grid renamed it.


    ¡°Overgeared Knights Division. Overgeared Magic Knights Division.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel was at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t help resenting Grid¡¯s naming sense. But when he thought about it, hadn¡¯t the boat already sailed after the guild was called Overgeared? Given the name of the guild, Overgeared Knights Division and Overgeared Magic Knights Division wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t feel good.¡¯


    Was his taste increasingly bing like Grid? It was like a nightmare for Lauel. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [Congrattions! You have be the first owner of a knights division!]


    [¡¯Ruler¡¯s Cloak¡¯ has been acquired.]


    A bright red cloak. There was the golden insignia of a dragon on the shoulder. It was a gorgeous and elegant cloak that caught everyone¡¯s eyes.


    [Ruler¡¯s Cloak]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: None


    * Skills ¡®Charge Command,¡¯ ¡®Military Command,¡¯ and ¡®Ruler¡¯s Voice¡¯ will be generated.


    It is a cloak that symbolized the monarch who is qualified to rule over an army.


    Weight: 33


    [Charge Command]


    Grants the ¡®Charge¡¯ skill to your soldiers.


    When the soldiers advance in the direction of the enemies, movement speed and damage will increase by 200%, depending on the distance.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Nothing will be consumed by the skill.


    [Military Command]


    You can change the direction of the marching soldiers immediately.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.


    Nothing will be consumed by the skill.


    [Ruler¡¯s Voice (Passive)]


    You can deliver a clear voice to soldiers at any location.


    ¡®These are skills to be used in a war.¡¯


    They were simple but effective skills. Considering that most of Satisfy¡¯s users were ordinary people who hadn¡¯tmanded an army before, the value of this item was astronomical.


    Grid was in the army, so he could recognize the value of the cloak.


    ¡®Sure and swiftmands will make an army stronger. Unfortunately...¡¯


    There were no separate features. It would¡¯ve been better if it had the option of raising defense, resistance or stats. He used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill, but there were no hidden functions. Maybe if he used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Disassembly skill?


    ¡®Maybe there is something.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t perfect yet. It was still only Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was difficult to see himself as a true legend. If he mastered the skills of a legendary cksmith orpleted a quest...


    ¡®At that time, my current self will be noparison. Maybe I will learn modification skills.¡¯


    If he wanted that day toe, he should y the game harder. Grid made up his mind and put the Ruler¡¯s Cloak in his inventory. Then he spoke to those who were gathered in the great hall.


    ¡°Each of you should join the knights division and then continue with your missions. Lauel should coordinate with Rabbit to give Piaro and Asmophel separate areas. Ah, and please handle the guild merger.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡®I will take care of it.Believe in me,¡¯ he wanted to answer.


    But he somehow wasn¡¯t feeling motivated today. It might be due to the ¡®Overgeared Magic Knights Division¡¯ floating in his status window.


    ¡°Sob sob.¡±


    Lauel could only cry. At that time, Grid approached Piaro and asked an absurd question.


    "Piaro, can I join your knights division?¡±


    He wanted the buff. Unfortunately, the lord couldn¡¯t join the knights division.


    ¡°...That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid wanted to cry like Lauel.


    ***


    Grid left the rest in Lauel¡¯s hands. Huroi joined him as he left.


    "I will apany you, My Lord.¡±


    The red drake was waiting for Grid in the garden. Huroi was to be Grid¡¯s driver. They were ready to go to the Vatican.


    ¡¯In any case, this is great.¡¯


    Huroi was the colleague who followed Grid before anyone else, so he was a special existence for Grid. Grid got on the drake with a willing heart and confirmed Huroi¡¯s level.


    ¡®290.¡¯


    Ssik.


    There was a meaningful smile on his face. Huroi couldn¡¯t help feeling curious as he saw it.


    ¡®What is he thinking about?¡¯


    Grid asked the puzzled Huroi. ¡°You heard about what happened between me and Damian?¡±


    "Yes, I was impressed after hearing that you raided Pope Drevigo alone.¡±


    ¡°The Reba people know me well. Right?¡±


    "Of course. They all praise My Lord. Just...¡±


    There was one point. Damian was fighting the other candidates to be pope. Maybe those candidates would be hostile to Grid. Saving Isabel meant being Damian¡¯s guardian. Huroi got an eerie feeling.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    The pope candidates who were hostile to Lord Grid...


    "Why aren¡¯t you starting? Aren¡¯t we going to the Vatican?¡±


    "...¡±


    It was certain. His lord was ready to provoke a bloodbath in the Vatican.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265


    A golden ceiling and white exterior walls. Three big and ornate buildings like pces were situated on the hills of Rolling.They were in harmony with the forest andndscape. There was a small waterfall behind each building. A golden statue of Reba rose in the center.


    It was the center of the Reba Church, the most important religion on the continent. This was the Vatican.


    "Isabel-chan!¡±


    Damian returned to the Vatican and sought out Isabel. It was to check her status.


    "...¡±


    Isabel¡¯s health hadn¡¯t improved. No, it was worse.She seemed to havepletely lost her hearing and vision. There was no reaction when he called from right beside her.


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    She coughed up blood. The crumbly tinum hair was pulled off with a single touch, and the skin was pulled tightly over her skull.Isabel sat on a shabby bed like a doll without a soul.


    Damian¡¯s eyes crumbled at the sight.


    ¡°Dammit... Why is this room always cold...?¡±


    ¡°You came.¡±


    A priest with a faint presence approached. His emotionless eyes gave off an ominous feeling but unlike his appearance, he could be trusted.


    It was Cassus.He had been taking care of Isabel when Damian wasn¡¯t present.


    "The mission to destroy the Yatan Church found in the west of the empire... I thought you would finish it in 40 days ande back.¡±


    It was a weekter than expected.Goddess¡¯ Agent, Damian.Maybe his skills didn¡¯t meet everyone¡¯s expectations?


    Damian exined to the concerned Cassus.¡°I aplished my mission more than a month ago. I was dying my stay in the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    More than a month ago?He spent only a few days destroying one of the Yatan Church¡¯s temples?Cassus felt thrilled.


    "But why the Eternal Kingdom...?¡±


    "I met Grid.¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The only person able to seal Lifael¡¯s Spear.In the past, he saved the Reba Church by bringing down the corrupt Pope Drevigo.


    "He¡¯sing here now.¡±Just as he did in the past, he would save Isabel. She would regain her beautiful smile."I will startpeting with Pascal in that gap.¡±


    There was 42 days left until the pope election.Damian thought this was sufficient.Thanks to the ss effect of Goddess¡¯ Agent, many members of the church believed in and followed him.


    ¡®I will base the campaign on them, defeat Pascal, and be the pope.¡¯


    Pascal from the Judar church was the number one candidate.He was politically strong and experienced. He also had the honor of being 5th Pope Franz¡¯s direct descendant.His father was even an earl of the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®But he¡¯s corrupt.¡¯He wanted to use the Reba Church to strengthen his family¡¯s power.¡®If he bes the pope, the Reba Church will walk a worse path than when Drevigo was in charge.¡¯


    Many members of the church already knew this truth.Those members would choose Damian for the future of the church.


    An innocent Damian believed so.


    ***


    The elders assembly.


    They were the agency that acted on behalf of the empty vacant pope position. It consisted of 23 of the highest ranking elders.


    They summoned Damian and ordered."There¡¯s a report that the Yatan followers are active in the Gauss Kingdom. Goddess¡¯ Agent, Damian. Immediately go to the Gauss Kingdom, then search and destroy the Yatan Temple.¡±


    ¡°There are 42 days left until the pope election. I am a pope candidate. You want me to leave during such an important period in the campaign?¡±


    Damian was 30 years old.He lived his life in his own way so hecked social experience. He wasn¡¯t ustomed with such irrational practices.


    The eldersughed at his naive self."You can¡¯t do your duties because of the election? You¡¯re confessing your own ipetence.¡±


    "This is a task you should do as a dutiful son... Tsk, how pathetic.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cause trouble with your work just because you are registered as a pope candidate. Why don¡¯t you just resign your candidacy?¡±


    "Or Isabel will do the work.¡±


    Being ignored, mocked, provoked and looking at him with contempt.It was obvious that the elders assembly were hostile towards Damian.


    ¡¯They are fully with Pascal. But this is still too much.¡¯


    Damian was honestly shocked.He was afraid since they opposed him so inly.


    ¡¯I was thinking too easily.¡¯


    Damian was doing Isabel¡¯s missions to save her. On the other hand, the elders assembly were trying to get rid of Isabel.They wanted Isabel to die so they could find a new master for Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®In this situation...¡¯


    He needed to neglect the campaign for Isabel¡¯s mission?If Isabel performed this task, then she would die.He couldn¡¯t allow it.


    Damian wanted to be a pope for Reba¡¯s Daughters.He couldn¡¯t throw Isabel away just because of the election.


    ¡°...I understand. I will go to the Gauss Kingdom immediately.¡±


    He was desperate.This mission included searching for the temple. It was doubtful if he could find the Yatan Church before the pope election day.


    ¡¯In the first ce, this temple might not even exist.¡¯


    It was an obvious trap.But he had no choice. It was impossible to disobey themand if he wanted to protect Isabel.


    ¡®Isabel needs to survive until Grid arrives and seals Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    Four days.From Reidan to the Vatican, that was how long it took running nonstop.Grid had sent a whisper yesterday that he was leaving Reidan, so Isabel needed to survive three more days.


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    Step step.


    Damian left the assembly room with powerless steps.He inwardly begged.


    ¡®Please save Isabel-chan, Grid.¡¯


    By the time he got back, Isabel¡¯s health would be restored. He would be able to see her smile.


    Creak.


    The gigantic door of the room opened by itself.It seemed to be urging Damian to leave.The moment that Damian was about to walk out the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A voice he wanted to hear was heard from outside the door.Damian¡¯s gaze moved upwards from the floor.


    "Isabel-chan...¡±


    She held Lifael¡¯s Spear in her hand and blocked the door.She was standing straight on her own. Her eyes were also clear.


    This was the power of White Transformation.The transcendental divine power was restoring her broken body.


    Of course, this was only temporary.Now that the spear was in her hand, Isabel would be in greater pain than before. No, she would die.


    ¡°Why...? Why? Why are you here?¡±


    Three days. She could¡¯ve lived if she waited three days.


    ¡°So why...?¡±


    As Damian felt frustration and despair, Isabel smiled.


    ¡°Thank you again, Damian.¡±She had dimly heard his cry.She knew that he struggled alone for them."You must be the pope.¡±


    It must happen.If Pascal became the pope, there would be more miserable children like her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know this? Damian, you can¡¯t miss the opportunity to be pope because of me.¡±


    "...¡±


    Damian was well aware of this.If he didn¡¯t want the second or third Isabel to be born, he must be the pope.Now was the time for Isabel to sacrifice herself.


    ¡®But I don¡¯t want you to die.¡¯


    Damian was confused.


    Isabel stroked his head as he hesitated.


    "I will go to the Gauss Kingdom. In the meantime, you should be the pope. Please seed for Rin, Luna, and my sessor. Be sure to protect those children.¡±


    She stroked his hair. It was a bony hand.But it was warm.Tears formed in Damian¡¯s eyes as he felt Isabel¡¯s hand.


    Then a manughed at him."Someone who wants to be pope is shedding tears in front of others?¡±


    It was Pascal.He touched his thin mustache and ridiculed Damian.


    ¡°You truly don¡¯t have the dignity of a pope. It will be a disgrace to the church if this crybaby bes the pope. Isn¡¯t that right, Elders?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Damian is a small bowl."


    "The pope must be Pascal.¡±


    The 23 elders chimed in to support Pascal. They mocked Damian.Then Isabel red at them.


    "Daring to disparage the Goddess¡¯ Agent, isn¡¯t this no different from sphemy?¡±


    "Your attitude is bad. Isabel, the Yatan Church is your enemy, not us.¡±


    Pascal approached Isabel who was holding Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡°Know your subject. You have forgotten your position. You are Goddess Reba¡¯s daughter only because you can handle the divine artifact of our church. You are only a tool. A weapon of war to fight for the goddess and our church.¡±


    Pascal¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice as he faced Isabel. It didn¡¯t seem like the eyes of a person.


    "Just like this spear, you are a weapon of ughter. Don¡¯t think and don¡¯t talk. Do you understand?¡±


    "Shut up!¡±


    Damian eximed. He wanted to beat up Pascal right away.But if he did that, he would be immediately kicked out of the church. It would ruin everything.


    Damian clenched his fists as Pascal looked at him.


    "Reba¡¯s Daughter, who you love so much, is being abused in front of you. But you are swallowing your anger? You are just a coward who can only shout.¡±


    ¡°Put away that cheap provocation.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Damian, Isabel and Pascal. The eyes of everyone present widened.


    "You are having a lot of fun after grabbing the weapon point. Is it fun to harass people?¡±


    180 cm tall with a solid body.ck hair and sharp eyes.The eyes and voice that were filled with confidence.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid.He was walking from the other end of the hall.


    ¡°Multiple people are bullying one person? Huh?¡±


    ¡°W-Why are you here?¡±


    Pascal and the elders were disturbed by the emergence of an unexpected person. Isabel was stunned.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Damian smiled widely.Grid¡¯s appearance was exquisite timing and he patted Damian¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°You endured well.¡±


    Grid arrived at the Vatican much faster than expected thanks to Huroi¡¯s drake.He dered to the frowning Pascal and elders.


    ¡°From now on, I am behind Damian.¡±


    "...Behind?¡±


    Pascal couldn¡¯t properly understand Grid¡¯s words.Huroi tranted it for him."As of this time, I, Duke Grid of the Eternal Kingdom, am the guardian of Damian, the Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡±


    Orator Huroi¡¯s voice was filled with charisma. It pierced through the spacious building and made Pascal and the elders feel sick.


    Grid dered, ¡°Don¡¯t bother him. Or you will be scolded by me.¡±


    "If you ridicule pope candidate Damian again, you will be punished ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyints? Then bring it on, you masses of experience. I¡¯m in a different position from Damian, so I can deal with you as I like.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was hard to wrap their heads around it.Even Huroi was speechless as silence filled the room.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266


    ¡®It¡¯s baffling.¡¯


    Grid.He was a very special person for the Reba Church.The hero who saved their church by punishing the corrupt Pope Drevigo.


    Most of the members praised Grid¡¯s feat.A big wave was unavoidable if he imed to be Damian¡¯s guardian.Numerous members were likely to support Damian.


    ¡®That Damian, he was preparing for his loss.¡¯


    It was a deadly move.The elders never imagined that such a foolish guy would call someone big like Grid to help him.


    ¡®It¡¯s a crisis.¡¯


    The election wasn¡¯t the only method that Grid could help Damian.By sealing Lifael¡¯s Spear, it was possible to remove Damian¡¯s weakness.


    ¡®Ah, this is a quandary.¡¯


    Unlike the elders, Pascal¡¯s face was rxed.He had experience with Grid, and could turn this crisis into an opportunity.


    ¡®Grid isn¡¯t a hero.¡¯


    The reason why Grid defeated Drevigo.It wasn¡¯t for the Reba Church, but for Grid himself.Pascal knew the truth.


    ¡®He said he killed Drevigo because he needed to bless the odd mineral called pavranium.¡¯


    Grid was selfish and violent.At the time that the pavranium received God Judar¡¯s blessing, Pascal had peeked at Grid¡¯s nature.


    ¡®The more selfish a person is, the easier it is to handle them.¡¯


    Why was Grid iming to be Damian¡¯s guardian?It was because there was something good in it for him.


    Ssik.


    Pascal smiled widely.


    ¡®Grid, I can give more to you than Damian.¡¯


    Wealth, power, and beauty.He would give Grid everything he wanted.


    ¡®So leave Damian ande to me.¡¯


    If he could get Grid on his side, he could unseal all three divine artifacts as well as win the election.It was a great opportunity to be pope with the strongest Reba¡¯s Daughters. Pascal had this thought and broke the ufortable silence.¡°Hey hey! Who is this? The savior of the Reba Church! Hero among heroes! If it isn¡¯t Grid!¡±


    Pascal eximed while smiling as brightly as possible. He praised Grid with exaggerated words and shook hands with him.


    "I¡¯m so d to see you again.¡±


    Grid was confused.


    ¡®This guy, he can smile instead of feeling angry after my tant provocation?¡¯


    It was an unexpected response.


    ¡®He was like this in the past.¡¯


    Grid had taken the Holy Light set that Pascal wanted. But rather than being hostile to Grid, Pascal weed him.


    He thanked Grid for punishing Drevigo, held a banquet and gave God Judar¡¯s blessing without any conditions.He was someone to watch out for. Pascal was someone reluctant to make strong enemies.


    ¡®I have to provoke him some more.¡¯


    Grid thought this and responded to the handshake.


    ¡°Nice to see you as well.¡±


    Pascal¡¯s spirit rose at Grid¡¯s response.


    ¡®It¡¯s like this. I don¡¯t know about the other elders, but he shouldn¡¯t be rude to me.¡¯


    Grid should also be aware of it.The fact that Pascal would be more helpful than Damian.Pascal was filled with confidence and quickly led the situation.


    ¡°You¡¯re a duke of the Eternal Kingdom? You¡¯re truly a hero. Your outstanding abilities have been recognized. Now, let¡¯s move the location. I will prepare a reunion celebration banquet, so let¡¯s talk to each other after a long time.¡±


    Damian paled as he watched the situation.


    ¡®Grid and Pascal knew each other?¡¯


    It was serious.Pascal was extremely rich. Grid could be tempted by money.As Damian was worrying, Pascal nailed in the final wedge.


    "Sir Grid, I will prepare many gifts for you today.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, gifts. i am looking forward to it.¡±


    Grid started to show interest.Damian was frustrated, while Pascal showed a deep smile.It was at that moment.


    "But Pascal, I¡¯m a duke, right?¡±


    Kwack!


    Grid gripped the hand he was shaking with more strength.Pascal¡¯s face rapidly twisted.


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    It was an incredible grip.Pascal started to feel pain in his hands. He struggled, but Grid didn¡¯t let go.


    "You aren¡¯t a pope yet. A pope candidate is asking for a handshake instead of politely greeting me? You seem to be making fun of me, Pascal. Was it a lie when you praised me as a hero?¡±


    ¡¯You¡¯re just the duke of a small kingdom!¡¯


    Pascal was a noble of the Saharan Empire.He recognized all nations apart from the empire as small, and thought they were barbaric.He was a nationalist who believed that only the empire should be blessed by Goddess Reba.For Pascal, there was no humiliation worse than being treated like this by a noble of a small kingdom.


    ¡°What is this violence? Heok?¡±


    Pascal yelled, then became filled with consternation the moment he met Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®You...!¡¯


    He was unable to read the emotions or measure the depth in Grid¡¯s eyes.He didn¡¯t know the intentions, but Grid had such profound eyes. Grid¡¯s eyes were showing a clear meaning.A provocation.¡®Bring it on Pascal. I want to destroy you.¡¯Grid¡¯s eyes were clearly saying that.


    ¡®A beast!¡¯


    The moment that Pascal was feeling agitated, someone fell from the ceiling.A knight wearing red armor.His name was Kamiyan. The 30th knight of the Red Knights, the emperor gave him to Pascal in the hope that Pascal would be the pope.


    ¡°Let go.¡±


    Kamiyan warned with his sword at Grid¡¯s neck.Grid snorted.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°I will cut off your hand.¡±


    Kamiyan showed no hesitation.His sword moved towards the hand that was holding Pascal¡¯s.


    Pascal shouted, "Stop!"


    Kamiyan¡¯s sword stopped just above Grid¡¯s wrist.Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed from where he had been able to summon Failure from the inventory.


    ¡®Too bad.¡¯


    Pascal barely managed to escape from Grid¡¯s hand.


    "Sir Grid, I will close my eyes to your rudeness today.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to? I told you already. If you have aint thene forward. Bring it on.¡±


    "...¡±


    Anger boiled inside Pascal¡¯s heart.


    He was the son of a Saharan noble, who had gained a high status after joining the Reba Church. This was the first time that he had been treated like this. Pascal couldn¡¯t be rational or prudent anymore. In his heart, he wanted to tell Kamiyan to immediately hit Grid¡¯s neck. But he had to endure it.He needed Grid¡¯s strength to release the seals on the three divine artifacts.


    ¡°I hope that we canugh with each other when we meet again soon. I will always have a gift for you.¡±


    Pascal withdrew with a red face. Kamiyan and the elders followed him.Grid¡¯s face was filled with regret as he looked at them.


    ¡®His endurance is great.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t attack senior NPC priests first.As long as they weren¡¯t abandoned by the goddess like Drevigo, they were always protected by the goddess. If he attacked them first, the goddess would curse him.


    [Goddess¡¯ Curse]


    The unlucky stat will be generated.


    The unlucky stat was vague since it wasn¡¯t a status condition. Grid was reluctant to be cursed by the goddess.That¡¯s why he tried to provoke Pascal, but eventually failed.


    ¡¯Well, don¡¯t be nervous and just wait.¡¯


    From Pascal¡¯s point of view, Grid was an eyesore.He would eventually attack Grid.


    After Pascal and the elders left.


    Isabel, who had remained silent the whole time, approached Grid.


    ¡°It has been a long time.¡±


    It was a dissatisfied voice.It seemed like she had something toin about.


    ¡®I hate you.¡¯


    Isabel was gued with terrible pain because of Grid.This situation happened because Grid forgot to seal Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    "I¡¯m sorry.¡±Grid sincerely apologized.


    Isabel gritted her teeth at the sight of him."Why are you sorry? Are you apologizing for unsealing Lifael¡¯s Spear? Don¡¯t make meugh. I was able to save my friends thanks to you releasing the seal. Thanks to you, the entire church was saved. So don¡¯t apologize.¡±


    She was grateful.


    ¡®Then why is she angry?¡¯


    Tears filled Isabel¡¯s eyes while Grid was puzzled.


    "You always do this. Why do you only show up when I¡¯m in a desperate crisis? Like a prince on a white horse.¡±


    Isabel had a crush on Grid.Her emotions were stimted because she was saved just before falling to hell.But Grid had already ignored her once.It would be the same this time as well.


    ¡°You won¡¯t ept me anyway, so why are you acting like this...?¡±Isabel whispered as she bowed her head. Her words didn¡¯t reach Grid. The problem was that her voice was too small.


    ¡®Her condition is strange. Indeed, she must be in a lot of pain.¡¯


    Grid watched Isabel.Her beautiful tinum hair was now close to grey and it wasn¡¯t even shiny. Her lustrous red lips were pale and her skinny body looked like a mummy. There was a bigger problem.


    ¡¯Her breasts have decreased in size.¡¯


    It was the effect of losing weight.Her original B cup breasts were now an A cup.It was really a pity.


    ¡°W-Where are you looking? Pervert!¡±Isabel covered her chest with her arms and shouted.


    "What is there to look at?¡±


    ¡°What is there to look at? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to exin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡±


    It had been a really long time since Isabel had been so energetic.Damian watched her and Grid and smiled.


    ¡®Isabel-chan, you have always missed Grid.¡¯


    He hoped her heart would bemunicated to Grid.He truly was cheering her on.Damian wasn¡¯t a rival for Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s natural for the heroine to be connected with the hero.¡¯


    He was just an extra. He was too ipetent, so he was satisfied just watching Reba¡¯s Daughters from the side. Huroi approached Damian and whispered. "Don¡¯t worry. She doesn¡¯t fit My Lord¡¯s taste.¡±


    "...¡±


    The beautiful Isabel-chan didn¡¯t suit Grid¡¯s taste?It was upsetting.Damian was making a subtle expression when Grid urged him.


    ¡°How long are we going to stand here? Guide me to a suitable ce.¡±


    It was time to figure out how to create and seal Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267


    ¡°Beautiful and benevolent Goddess Reba, give your light to this weak and foolish servant who can¡¯t move without it. I will use your light to save the weak and punish the wicked.¡±


    The first prayer room.Pascal was praying in a ce that originally only the pope could use.It was to shake off his anger about Grid and regain his senses.


    ¡°...May the whole world be bathed in the warm light.¡±


    After a long time, his prayers finished.Pascal made a refreshed expression and got up from his seat. His anger was cleansed and he was now calm.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t simply riches or power that the current Grid is coveting now.¡¯


    If it was, Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to shake off his temptation.


    ¡®It seems like there is a special link between him and Damian.¡¯This was an unexpected variable. ¡®But eternal friendship doesn¡¯t exist. Even blood and flesh will kill each other in front of greed.¡¯


    The only concept that didn¡¯t change in this world was faith.


    Ssik.


    Pascalmanded with a smile, "Open the warehouse."


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Pascal¡¯s loyal followers that he brought from the Judar Church moved immediately.


    Creak.


    The secret warehouse door behind the statue opened and glittering gold poured out.There were treasures and gold piled up in the warehouse. Pascal used the secret warehouse that Drevigo had made during his days as the pope.


    ¡¯Grid, how much will make you satisfied?¡¯


    Pascal¡¯s men started to gather up the gold coins. These gold coins would be used to obtain Grid.


    ¡®I will offer more if it¡¯s stillcking. If that is not enough, I will give even more. In the end, you will be caught by my hands.¡¯


    Kamiyan watched Pascal and asked.¡°That person called Grid, isn¡¯t it better to just kill him?¡±


    "He is the only one who can unseal the three divine artifacts of our church. He can¡¯t die.¡±


    "What if you can¡¯t obtain him?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that won¡¯t happen. He¡¯s very greedy. He will surely ept my heart.¡±


    "...¡±


    Pascal was confident, but Kamiyan was unsure.


    ¡¯He¡¯s a wild beast. He can never be tamed.¡¯


    Kamiyan had noticed it when he aimed his sword at Grid¡¯s wrist.Grid didn¡¯t blink once. He was prepared to give his hand to strike Kamiyan¡¯s neck.Honestly, it gave Kamiyan goose bumps.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a skill that develops after fighting once or twice. His momentum was overwhelming. Perhaps I would¡¯ve had to fight properly. His power might be praised by the church, but it will be painful in many ways if he bes an enemy.¡¯


    The emperor hadmanded Kamiyan.Pascal must be pope.Kamiyan faithfully carried out the emperor¡¯smands, so he couldn¡¯t neglect any dangers.


    ¡°Come out.¡±


    Kamiyan moved to avoid Pascal¡¯s eyes and summoned an assassin from the emperor.An assassin of the emperor, the assassin called ¡®Crow.¡¯There was a shing light in the darkness and the shadow asked Kamiyan.


    "You saw that guy called Grid, right? Can you assassinate him?¡±


    ¡°Is that a question that needs to be asked? I can even kill a mouse.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie.Crow had the ability to assassinate enemy knights.One day, the strongest assassins Doran and Kasim disappeared, so Crow was now the strongest assassin in existence.


    ¡°Good answer. Kill Grid as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Look forward to tomorrow morning. He will be hung on Goddess Reba¡¯s statue.¡±


    Crow immediately disappeared.


    ***


    Grid frowned as he was guided into Isabel¡¯s room.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    It was a small room where the only furniture was a shabby bed.A chill that would make the bones ache dominated the inside of the room.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t even a firece? It will be freezing in the middle of winter.¡±


    He touched the grey wall and stone powder fell down.


    ¡°Hey, you will catch pneumonia.¡±


    Grid shook off the dust and turned to Isabel.


    ¡°It¡¯s still like this?¡±


    "...¡±


    Reba¡¯s Daughters had also suffered under Drevigo.Despite being the strong force, they didn¡¯t rebel against the leaders of the church and endured this unfair treatment.


    It was frustrating when he thought about it, but what could he do? The church raised Reba¡¯s Daughters as a weapon and they were taught only obedience. This deep brainwashing was like a shackle.


    It was the church¡¯s fault, not theirs.On the surface, the church expressed peace and charity, but there was no charity. From what Grid could see, the Reba Church was no different from the Yatan Church.


    ¡®Bad people.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted as he thought about how Pascal and the elders treated Damian and Isabel.


    The words that the assassin Shay had spoken popped up.


    ¡®The Yatan Church is the one that stands for pure evil. They believe that evil is the right way. But the people from the Reba Churchmit atrocities, even though they realize they have to do good deeds. The front and back are different, so they are far sneakier and more dangerous than the Yatan Church.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the case with the Reba Church in the past. But Drevigo ruined everything.


    ¡®He caused the rot.¡¯


    The current leaders of the Reba Church were those affected by Drevigo.Most of them had already tasted the sweet fruit he offered them and realized they felt joy in harassing others.


    Could they let go of this pleasure?


    No.The evidence was that they were following Pascal without trying to ovee his temptations.Pruning was required.


    ¡®Damian should be pope.¡¯


    He might be an otaku, but Damian was a pure person. The Reba Church would change if he became the pope.


    ¡®First of all, Pascal can¡¯t be pope.¡¯


    Pascal was from the empire. He was the son of the powerful Earl Chirita of the empire. If Pascal became the pope, the empire would be able to utilize the Reba Church freely. Lauel was convinced that the empire would be much stronger than it was now. Grid agreed.


    ¡®Someday I will be hostile to the empire when I be king, so they shouldn¡¯t be stronger than they are now.¡¯


    Grid silently thought for a moment before opening his mouth.


    "Damian, you should start your campaign right now. Make sure you thoroughly advertise that I am your guardian. Huroi will help you.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The first ranked orator, Huroi.His words had the power to capture people¡¯s ears and hearts.He would surely be a great strength to Damian.


    "In the meantime, I will seal Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡±


    Grid sat on Isabel¡¯s bed. Then he observed Lifael¡¯s Spear in her hand.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,500/1,500


    Attack Power: :1,330~1,890


    * Divine Power +3,000


    * All stats +200.


    * 300% increase in health recovery.


    * Fixed damage of +5,000 on each attack.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Shield of Light¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light of Guidance¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®White Transformation¡¯ will always be invoked.


    * Attack power +50% against those with dark magic power.


    It is one of the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church.


    It contains a tremendous divine power that human beings can¡¯t afford to handle, cing a heavy burden on the user¡¯s mind and body.


    Since Reba¡¯s Daughters became short-lived after being unable to cope with the power of this weapon, 5th Pope Franz asked Pagma to seal its power.


    However, Pagma¡¯s Descendant appeared in the days of 13th Pope Drevigo and released the seal on the weapon.


    Conditions of Use: Reba¡¯s Daughter.


    Weight: 400


    [You have already uncovered the hidden feature of the item.]


    ¡¯In order to reseal this...¡¯


    He needed to understand the structure of the item.Then he could figure out how to make it.In order to do so, the process of disassembly and assembly, as well as observation, were essential.


    After bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid had often disassembled and assembled items. He was confident that he could quickly grasp the structure of Lifael¡¯s Spear. That¡¯s why he thought this task would be easy.


    ¡®But the reality is different.¡¯


    Things became difficult.Isabel was the problem.Her health was far more serious than expected.If she let go of Lifael¡¯s Spear, she would die immediately.It meant that he couldn¡¯t disassemble Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®I have to do it with observation.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t guarantee how long it would take.But one thing was clear.


    "Isabel, I will be sure to save you.¡±


    Isabel was a precious person.She was a person he shared memories with and was loved by somebody.Damian thought of her the same way Grid thought of Irene.


    ¡®I won¡¯t allow you to die.¡¯


    Grid started to observe Lifael¡¯s Spear. He carefully looked at the features several times.Was it possible to raise the understanding of an item to 100% just by looking at it? It was impossible at this time.It was out of reach with Grid¡¯s current abilities.But Grid believed in his imperfection.


    ¡®I have abilities that haven¡¯t blossomed yet.¡¯


    Originally, if hepleted the ss quests, then he would gain abilities.These abilities were drawn out of him.


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s ss quest couldn¡¯t proceed at the moment. It had already been more than a year since he received it.


    ¡®The developers aren¡¯t brainless or maniptive.¡¯


    It was clear that they would¡¯ve prepared some way to awaken his power in the case of an iplete ss quest.


    The answer was likely to be hidden in Lifael¡¯s Spear.What was the reason for Grid unsealing Lifael¡¯s Spear?The system.In the past, the system arrow led Grid to unseal Lifael¡¯s Spear.That lead to this present situation.It was a clear arrangement.


    ¡®An arrangement that will allow my skills to blossom.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes sharpened as he observed Lifael¡¯s Spear. His concentration started to rise to the extreme.The willpower and spirit he trained over many experiences was in effect.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    Isabel¡¯s mind calmed as she sat opposite Grid.Somehow, she seemed to hear the voice of Goddess Reba.


    ¡®Believe in him.¡¯


    ***


    A serene dawn.


    Crow appeared in the shadows of the window and looked at Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s already been 8 hours.¡¯


    Grid was sitting in a small room.He had been examining Lifael¡¯s Spear for 8 hours already. His mind was solely focused on Lifael¡¯s Spear.It meant he was full of holes.


    ¡®Reba¡¯s Daughter has fallen asleep. This will be an easier assassination than I expected.¡¯


    Crownded underneath a tree. Then he entered the building that contained Grid.He didn¡¯t make the slightest noise during all of this.


    "...¡±


    Crow moved stealthily down the hall. Even the sensitive rats didn¡¯t detect his presence.But something was looking at him from the shadows.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268


    But something was looking at him from the shadows.


    Noe.


    Twitch, twitch.Twitch, twitch.


    His small, chubby butt shook from side to side. The short paws werepletely pressed against the floor. The best demonic beast of hell was moving secretly to catch his prey.


    ¡®This is a scientific, beautiful and perfectly designed hunting posture! Nyang!¡¯


    "...¡±


    Crow was unable to perceive Noe¡¯s presence in the darkness. He was a good assassin, but it wasn¡¯t at the level of sensing the best demonic beast of hell.


    Suuk.


    Crow climbed towards thending of the third floor. The third floor was where Isabel¡¯s room was located.


    ¡®Soon.¡¯


    Crow imagined it. Stabbing Grid with his dagger. It was at that moment.


    "Kyong!¡±


    Noe jumped towards Crow. The sharp and small fangs gleamed in the darkness.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Crow was confused. He never thought the day woulde when he was surprised by a cat.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t notice a cat following me?¡¯


    It was the biggest shame and embarrassment he¡¯d experienced since he was born. But it was only for a moment. He quickly regained hisposure. Crow was a professional. He had survived many crises and assassinated 89 humans. In the process, he realized something. It was that he must remain calm under any circumstances. Crow¡¯s experience meant he didn¡¯t make a fuss about the surprise appearance of a cat.


    Paang!


    Crow blocked the cat¡¯s paw swiping at him with his dagger. Then Crow hesitated as he was about to counterattack.


    Snap.


    He couldn¡¯t properly move his wrist after the blow.


    ¡®Why is this cat so strong?¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a normal cat. Crow noticed Noe¡¯s peculiarities. There were small horns on the forehead and short wings on the back. A high ss demonic beast.


    ¡®How is this demonic beast here?¡¯


    This ce was the Vatican. The Vatican was filled with divine power. Monsters couldn¡¯te near the Vatican. A monster that took one step inside the Vatican would die from the divine power.


    That was the problem. Currently, Noe couldn¡¯t exercise his skills properly.


    ¡®It¡¯s serious.¡¯


    Noe¡¯s master had ordered. Be prepared for any enemy while Master was concentrating. If an enemy invades, don¡¯t hesitate to hurry to Grid and tell him the news. But the problem was...


    ¡®I unconsciously moved.¡¯


    Noe recognized himself as a rational being, but reality was different. Noe was still young and faithful to his instincts. When a dark man showed up and moved quietly through the darkness, he instinctively attacked. It was unintentionally done and the current situation was the result.


    Noe was affected. He couldn¡¯t gather any strength in his body. The divine power of the Reba Church¡¯s Vatican was terrible. But how could the best demonic beast of hell lose to a human?


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    Noe once again swung his paws.


    Chukak.


    Sharp ws tore at Crow¡¯s ears. Crow felt a chill as he barely managed to escape a deadly blow.


    ¡®Fast...! A high ss demonic beast!¡¯


    The cat was clearly a demonic beast. It might not look like it, but it must be a huge monster. Maybe it had the skills of an intermediate level demonkin. If not, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to move inside the Vatican that was filled with divine power.


    ¡®I need to take it seriously.¡¯


    The reason why a demonic beast was here didn¡¯t matter. It was just one more target to kill.


    Clink.


    Crow, who had been fighting with only one dagger, pulled out a short sword. A dagger in his right hand and a short sword in his left hand. His attitude changed after he grabbed another weapon. It was the appearance of the famous Crow.


    ¡°Kiyong!¡±


    ¡®No strength.¡¯


    Crow defended against Noe¡¯s scratches with his short sword. He drew his short sword in a diagonal line. Then he stabbed with his dagger. A light wound appeared on Noe¡¯s chest. The sword sword was cut slightly and the dagger was avoided.


    Crow¡¯s expression twisted.


    ¡®It avoided it?¡¯


    Noe bared his fangs.


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    Noe¡¯s ws became faster and stronger. Crow found it difficult to avoid, and he tried to defend by crossing his short sword and dagger. Then he realized Noe¡¯s real power.


    ¡®A senior demonkin!¡¯


    Was this possible? Weren¡¯t demonic beasts originally subordinates of the demonkin? Crow was shocked and pulled out the trump card he had been saving. The walls, the floor and the shadows on the ceiling started to shake. A shadow technique was activated.


    Noe¡¯s eyes widened with surprise at the strange sensation, while Crow smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°Go to hell.¡±


    Crow was convinced of his victory and opened his mouth for the first time. At the same time, the shadows on all four sides moved and changed their shape into that of a thorn.


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Six thorns flew from different orbits and pierced Noe¡¯s body. Noe determined it was dangerous and used Fluidization.


    [Fluidization]


    It was a skill that made it impossible for physical damage to impact his body. However, Noe couldn¡¯t use it properly due to the influence of divine power. He couldn¡¯t use Soul Ingestion at all. Unfortunately, Fluidization didn¡¯t work and Noe received damage.


    Puok!


    "What, nyang?¡±


    One of the six thorns prated Noe¡¯s small body. Noe let out a pained scream and fell to the floor.


    ¡®It is unfair, nyang.¡¯


    The biggest problem was that Noe couldn¡¯t use the Soul Ingestion skill. Noe hated the Vatican.


    Crow trampled on Noe¡¯s protruding belly. Noe¡¯s snout gaped open. Then a pained sound emerged. Crowughed at him. "This is the end of the demonic beast.¡±


    Clink.


    Crow aimed at Noe¡¯s face with the short sword.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to here.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Suddenly, a voice was heard. The surprised Crow hurriedly turned his head, but no one could see it. There were just darkness all over the ce.


    ¡®A hallucination?¡¯


    He had no choice but to feel doubts. There were no signs of anyone. It was a stealth ability beyond human limits.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Crow¡¯s eyes twitched as he felt something. He was losing control of the shadows.


    Pahat!


    The shadows rose like a wave. Crow tried to avoid it, but it was impossible. The speed of the shadows was too fast.


    Kwack!


    Crow¡¯s body was pressured by the shadows.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    Crow turned pale was he was caught by the shadows and thrown into the air.


    ¡®The speed of the shadow control is ridiculously fast...!¡¯


    The shadow technique could evolve to this extent? He couldn¡¯t believe it. While Crow was feeling confusion, the shadows kept tightening around his body. Crow struggled but the pain just got worse. Who on earth could so easily overpower him? Crow¡¯s questions were deepening when a man appeared from the darkness.


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    It was a man with ck skin. His body was very dry and his arms were abnormally long. There was only one person who came to mind once all these things were summed up.


    Crow screamed, "Kasim!"


    Someone who could control shadows beyond mere attacking and defending. He was able to make soldiers from shadows. The assassin who led an army. His nickname...


    ¡°King of Shadows!¡±


    Why was that monster here? Crow had more questions. But the answer that came to him was death. The shadows pressed on him more strongly and he couldn¡¯t even scream as he died. Kasim removed Crow¡¯s body so there were no traces left. The shadows swept over the area and even the bloodstains disappeared.


    ¡°The more I look, the cuter it is.¡±


    Kasim looked at Noe, who was unconscious, and disappeared into the shadows.


    ***


    Chirp!Tweet!


    Birds made noises. Warm sunshine wrapped around his body.


    ¡°Nya.¡±


    Noe woke up from his serene sleep. Then he looked to the left and right.


    ¡°Heok! What is going on? Kyak!¡±


    When it was dawn. He had been fighting a savage human. Then he was hit by a lousy technique and got knocked out. Noe thought up to here and found it ridiculous. How could the best demonic beast of hell by beaten by a human?


    "It¡¯s a disgrace! Nyang!¡±


    This was uneptable, even if the location was the Vatican. Why should this great body, that could ovee humanity with its paws, suffer from such indignity? Noe trembled with anger and btedly questioned it.


    ¡°Why am I alive? Nyang?¡±


    If he was knocked out by a human, wouldn¡¯t he be killed? Noe pondered it and concluded.


    ¡°It was a dream! Nyang!¡±


    That¡¯s right. What happenedst night wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡°Nyahahat! That is it! How can the best demonic beast of hell be beaten by a human? Nyahahat!¡±


    Noe was sure of it.


    In fact, he had no choice but to think that way. Otherwise, how could Noe exin why he was still alive? Due to his tremendous resilience, the wounds he had the day before werepletely gone, so Noe¡¯s thoughts were justified.


    Ttiring~


    Noe¡¯s status changed from frustration to self-gratification. But Grid had no interest in Noe. He was too busy with Lifael¡¯s Spear and didn¡¯t see the pet window at all.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m screwed.¡¯


    Grid was feeling nervous. He had observed Lifael¡¯s Spear, but despite two days passing, he couldn¡¯t figure out a way to seal it.


    ¡®Was I thinking too easily?¡¯ Had he let his recent victories get to him?


    ¡®I can¡¯t understand what¡¯s connecting the parts of the spear.¡¯


    The bonding area was too clean. Grid wasn¡¯t even sure what techniques were used.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to do this with forging alone. However, it isn¡¯t one whole item...¡¯


    If he disassembled and assembled the spear, he could uncover the secrets behind how the two parts were joined. But he couldn¡¯t do that because of Isabel. Grid continued to observe the spear while logically grasping its structure.


    The next day, an uninvited guest came. It was Pascal.


    ¡°I want to give you a present.¡±


    Pascal extended a box containing one million gold. It was almost twice as much as Damian¡¯s 530,000 gold. It was 1.2 billion won in cash.


    [Would you like to receive Pascal¡¯s gift?]


    [If you receive the gift, you must unconditionally ept one of Pascal¡¯s requests.]


    ¡°Are you kidding me? This is the extent of your gift? Get lost.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t simple enough to cling to simple profits anymore. He was always looking ahead. He wouldn¡¯t allow the empire to swallow the Reba Church just for one million gold.


    Two more days passed. Grid drove away Pascal and decided to change his viewpoint while observing Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®Maybe the secret isn¡¯t in the technique but the materials?¡¯


    The main ingredient of Lifael¡¯s Spear was adamantium. Adamantium was a silver material but the color of thebined area was blue.


    ¡®No minerals were used other than adamantium. It seems like the adamantium is mixed with something else.


    There was clearly something.


    ¡®This... perhaps?¡¯


    At that moment, something passed through Grid¡¯s head.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269


    ¡®This... perhaps?¡¯


    At that moment, something passed through Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®Goddess¡¯ Essence!¡¯


    The Goddess¡¯ Essence was an unknown item dropped by Pope Drevigo. He had neglected it for over a year. Grid pulled it out of his inventory.


    ¡®It is unlikely that Drevigo would¡¯ve dropped a useless item.¡¯


    Drevigo wasn¡¯t a typical boss. He was a person who had a big influence on Satisfy¡¯s story. The man who ruined Satisfy¡¯s first religion, the Reba Church. What was the probability that the liquid he dropped was simple water?


    ¡®None.¡¯


    The name alone made it sound special. Grid thought about it. The reason why he unsealed Lifael¡¯s Spear. The cause of Pascal¡¯s appearance. The cause of the elders sympathizing with Pascal¡¯s cause...


    It was all due to Drevigo.


    ¡®It¡¯s highly likely that the item dropped by him is a solution to this.¡¯


    This was originally a game. The items that the final boss dropped were often clues to ovee despair.


    ¡°I shall check it.¡±


    Grid decided and opened the lid of the small ss bottle. Then he ced one drop of it on Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Tok.


    The moment that Lifael¡¯s Spear made of adamantium and the Goddess¡¯ Essence met.


    Swaaaah!


    A bright blue light emerged and filled the small room.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Isabel eximed.


    Grid gazed at the beautiful light before turning to her. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [The information about the Goddess¡¯ Essence has been updated.]


    ***


    Five days had passed with no news from Crow. Kamiyan was forced to admit it.


    ¡®Crow has died.¡¯


    At first, Kamiyan was dubious. Crow¡¯s assassination skills were the best. It was difficult to imagine that he failed in his assassination. But on the fifth day, it was obvious that Crow had failed.


    ¡¯Stupid, you spoke such confident words.¡¯


    Anyway, things had be clear.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s strength is on the same level as me. There is no doubt.¡¯


    Even more.


    ¡®I have to be careful.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t announced that there was an assassination attempt. It was like he had never received the assassination threat. It was a clear sign of his willingness to remain calm until he figured out who was behind it.


    ¡®I thought he was ridiculous when he treated Pascal and the elders in that way, but he¡¯s actually a fox.¡¯


    A tricky bastard. To be praised by members of the church while having individual power...


    ¡®Pascal¡¯s gift attempts are failing every day. It isn¡¯t good to drag this out longer.¡¯


    Kamiyan shifted his gaze out the window. Damian and Huroi were still campaigning today. They were a nuisance.


    ¡®Especially that person called Huroi...¡¯


    His speaking ability wasn¡¯tmon. He quickly took control of the hearts of the church members. Some of the senior priests bought by Pascal now seemed to favor Damian. If Huroi called dog feces a drug, they would believe it.


    ¡®I will deal with it personally.¡¯


    In one week. The event that took ce exactly 30 days before the pope election. The pope candidates would give speeches to the priests of the Reba Church scattered across the continent, as well as the nobles.


    At that time, Earl Chirita of the Saharan Empire was going to attend. Pascal¡¯s father was different from Pascal. He got rid of any risks.


    ¡®I have to receive his support to hit Grid.¡¯


    He acknowledged that Grid¡¯s individual power was superior. However, Grid¡¯s total power wasn¡¯t good. It was a Reba¡¯s Daughter who might die today, Damian, and the orator Huroi. It would be easy to take care of him if Kamiyan joined forces with Earl Chirita.


    ***


    [Goddess¡¯ Essence]


    A liquid that contains the divine power of Goddess Reba. It is simple liquid to the general public, but it is a poison to those who possess ck magic power and a miracle drug to those who serve the goddess.


    When mixed with minerals, it will maximize the viscosity of the minerals and improve the mineral¡¯s unique functions. In addition, it will inject divine power.


    Weight: 0.1


    ¡¯Maximizing the viscosity? Does it mean like y? This would make it easier to shape the item.¡¯


    The secret of the spearbination was hidden here.


    [Your understanding of Lifael¡¯s Spear will increase by 40%.]


    [You have discovered the hidden secret of the item! A great achievement!]


    [Insight has increased by 30.]


    [Intelligence has increased by 30.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has improved. When you observe an item, the understanding of it will increase.]


    ¡°Wow. Amazing.¡±


    Grid was delighted. He was pleased that he had uncovered the purpose of the Goddess¡¯ Essence and the secret behind how the spear was joined. Now he also received bonuses.


    ¡®Even more.¡¯


    Grid turned to stare at Isabel. Herplexion had noticeably improved. It was the healing effect caused by the ripple that urred when the Goddess¡¯ Essence touched Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®First, save Isabel.¡¯


    This was imperative. Isabel needed to be healthy to be separated from Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®Then I can proceed with the disassembly and assembly process.¡¯


    The mission was clear. Grid rose from his spot. He handed the Goddess¡¯ Essence to Isabel, who admired it.


    "Drink."


    Isabel refused, ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t receive such a precious thing.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you at the crossroad of life and death? Just drink.¡±


    "I don¡¯t want to."


    "Why won¡¯t you drink it? Just drink a drop.¡±


    There was 1 ml of Goddess¡¯ Essence. The volume of one drop of water was 1/20ml, so it meant there were 20 drops. Isabel¡¯s health improved because of just one drop resonating with Lifael¡¯s Spear. Isabel could be healed if she drank one drop directly.


    Grid was confident. But Isabel was stubborn.


    "I appreciate the courtesy, but I don¡¯t want to be beholden to you anymore.¡±


    "No, isn¡¯t it just one drop?¡±


    "I don¡¯t want to."


    Thest five days. Isabel had many conversations with Grid while they were alone. In the process, she discovered something. Grid was already married. She couldn¡¯t look at Grid in this way anymore. Isabel suppressed her feelings for Grid. In order to do so, she needed to draw a line. She didn¡¯t want to receive Grid¡¯s kindness anymore.


    Grid shrugged as she bowed her head. ¡°Isabel, aren¡¯t you misunderstanding me?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The reason I helped you is because it benefits me. It isn¡¯t unconditional goodness. So don¡¯t be mistaken and drink it right now. I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Isabel was too embarrassed to refuse after Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    "...¡±


    Isabel epted the small ss bottle from Grid. Then she hesitantly raised it to her mouth. She was concerned that she would identally drink several drops.


    ¡®She has be very timid.¡¯


    Originally, Isabel was a very willful girl. But she suffered thanks to Drevigo and Pascal. She was a tool, not a human, and was going to die... She had listened to those words for a while and couldn¡¯t help changing. She truly was a poor kid.


    Grid sighed and took the bottle from her. He ced a drop of liquid on his finger and raised it to Isabel¡¯s mouth.


    "Lick."


    "Eh...¡±


    Isabel¡¯s face reddened. A man. Furthermore, the man wanted her to lick his finger. Her mind becameplicated.


    ¡°Ah really, do I have to feed it to you directly?¡±


    Grid shoved his finger into Isabel¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Hah...!¡±


    Combined with the title effects, Grid¡¯s dexterity was over 2,300. Isabel shivered as Grid¡¯s finger entered his mouth. The sensations that she felt for the first time stirred her body and made her dizzy.


    ¡°Hah...!¡±


    The thick and solid finger touched Isabel¡¯s uv...


    Omitted.


    After a moment.


    ¡°Hah... Hah...¡±


    The drained Isabel copsed on her bed. A warm blue light wrapped around her body. The Goddess¡¯ Essence was immediately effective. Her tinum hair started to shine beautifully again, while her rough skin became transparent and smooth.


    ¡°Really pretty. Now if you can just recover your old figure.¡±


    Isabel¡¯s faced turned redder at Grid¡¯spliment. She covered her face with both hands and gasped for breath, while Grid wondered.


    ¡®Her status is odd.¡¯


    Her health is recovering. But why did she look more tired?


    Dok.Dok dok.


    As Grid was feeling puzzled, a homing pigeon tapped on the window. It was a homing pigeon sent by Irene. Grid received the letter before taking Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    "You said there was a smithy here? I will go to the smithy, so you rest here.¡±


    "Yes..."


    Isabel¡¯s eyes were wet as she peeked at Grid through the gap in her fingers. It seemed like she was eager for something. Her eyes were enough to remind him of Irene in bed.


    Gulp.


    Grid involuntarily swallowed his dry saliva. It was to shake off his raunchy imagination.


    ¡®It seems that the process of restoring her health is quite pleasant.¡¯


    Grid thought and left the room.


    ¡°Nyang.¡±


    Noe was sunbathing on the windowsill in the corridor. Grid looked at the cat rolling around on his plump stomach like he was pathetic.


    "Tsk tsk, I gave him a job, but he¡¯s just sleeping.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t aware that an assassin hade after him five days ago. It was a pity for Noe.


    [White Transformation is activated.]


    [You don¡¯t have any divine power. White Transformation has failed to be activated. Side effects will ur to your body.]


    [You have resisted.]


    The notification windows kept popping up.


    Before heading to the smithy, Grid stopped in the garden and put down Lifael¡¯s Spear. Then he sat on a bench and opened the letter.


    [I can feel the movements of the child in my belly. Every day is mysterious and fun. I want to share this happiness with you soon. Dear Husband, what do you want your child to be interested in when they grow up?]


    [Answer your wife¡¯s question. This will affect the child¡¯s abilities after they are born.]


    I want the child to be interested in martial arts. I want the child to be interested in magic. I want the child to be interested in learning. I want the child to be interested in theology. I want the child to be interested in techniques. I just want the child to be healthy.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like number four.¡¯


    Grid had a negative opinion of religion thanks to Drevigo and Pascal.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want number six either. The child might turn out like Jude.¡¯


    Among the remaining options, the most attractive one was...


    ¡®Techniques.¡¯


    Grid thought that his child would be the estate¡¯sbor force when they were older, and started to write his reply. He wrote that he loved Irene and then gave his answer.


    ¡®I will go to her once I finish my work here.¡¯


    Grid finished the letter and tied it to the leg of the homing pigeon.


    Kwaduduk.


    The homing pigeon flew towards the south west. It was the direction of Winston. As Grid was looking after the pigeon, someone approached.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270


    ¡°Duke Grid! What are you doing outside today?¡±


    It was Pascal, who was apanied by his men. A person needed to bend in order to obtain anything big. Pascal was determined to obtain Grid andpletely abandoned his pride. He ced his disgrace deep into his heart and acted politely to Grid. He also didn¡¯t forget to have a bright smile on his face.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Pascal instructed his men to drop the treasure chest. His eyes shone. It was because he found Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    The false smile that concealed his anger inside transformed into a real one.


    ¡®Isabel seems to have finally died.¡¯


    She was just like a cockroach. It would be morefortable if she died.


    ¡®It feels like a 10 year blockage has finally been relieved.¡¯


    Reba¡¯s Daughters were meant to followmands. They should be controlled. In that sense, Isabel, Rin, and Luna were truly troublesome. The former Pope Ruiz, who led the church to the light, and the former Pope Drevigo who corrupted the church. These girls served both popes, so they grew to a level where they could judge right and wrong. Rather than obeying orders unconditionally, they questioned it.


    It was serious.


    ¡®They are tools.¡¯


    For Pascal, who nned to make the Reba Church a part of the Saharan Empire, the current Reba¡¯s Daughters were an eyesore. But now Isabel was dead, so his worries had disappeared. He would give Lifael¡¯s Spear to a new owner, then order Rin and Luna to be removed in turn.


    ¡®Finally, my world wille.¡¯


    He felt like he was flying with joy. Pascal¡¯s heart wanted to burst out. But he refrained after looking at Grid. Grid was looking at him with cold eyes. "A girl who had her life sucked out for Goddess Reba and the church has died. Why are you so happy?¡±


    ¡®Sucked out?¡¯


    Pascal¡¯s face distorted. He wanted to beat Grid up for using such words to diminish serving the noble goddess. But what about all his patience so far?


    Pascal barely repressed his anger and opened his mouth. ¡°As you have said, Isabel is a child who has served the goddess and the church for all of her life. That child is heading to the goddess¡¯ side... She can serve the goddess forever in the world of the gods and live happily ever after. I am happy and proud, so I can¡¯t help smiling at the thought.¡±


    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t stand the nonsense. Pascal handed him the treasure chest.


    ¡°I wish you would ept this today.¡±


    [Pascal wants to give you 1.8 million gold. Would you like to receive Pascal¡¯s gift?]


    [If you receive the gift, you must unconditionally ept one of Pascal¡¯s requests.]


    "Damian won¡¯t be pope anyway. What can he do if he wins the hearts of the congregation? There are only 100 senior priests with voting rights and at least 80% of them are already mine. Duke Grid, please look at the future and make a wise choice...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± Grid interrupted Pascal¡¯s words. ¡°I have no intention of holding hands with you, when just looking at your face makes me nauseous.¡±


    Grid hated Pascal. This was because Pascal resembled those who tormented him in the past. He couldn¡¯t erase the image of Pascal bullying Damian and Isabel in his mind. He would never hold hands with Pascal, even if he was given 100 million gold. In the first ce, political issues were also intertwined.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    The smile had disappeared from Pascal¡¯s face. His patience had reached its limit.


    ¡°Then is it fine to stop talking nicely? For the past few days, I have done my best to be friends with you, but you always mock my efforts and insult me. Don¡¯t you know the meaning of courtesy?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be polite to you? Don¡¯t you usually enjoy mocking and insulting your opponent?¡±


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude showed that he wouldn¡¯t be persuaded. Pascal was nervous and spoke bluntly.


    "Tell me what you want! I¡¯m willing to give you whatever you want as long as you join my side! What would make you hold my hand?¡±


    ¡°You will give me anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    "Hoh, isn¡¯t this very tempting?¡±


    There was finally a nibble. Pascal was delighted and prepared to listen to Grid¡¯s requirements. Grid told him, "A thousand trillion.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A thousand trillion? Was it the name of a treasure?


    ¡®It is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it?¡¯


    Grid spoke again to Pascal, who was struggling to understand.


    "Give me one thousand trillion gold. Then I will be your true friend.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    He reflexively eximed. One thousand trillion gold was the empire¡¯s treasury. No, it was an astronomical sum that would wipe out all the treasuries of the nations on the continent. Grid demanding such a ridiculous amount showed he wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°What? Crazy? You said you would give my anything I want, but I¡¯m crazy?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I became delirious due to my shock...¡±


    Grid waved his hand at Pascal. He didn¡¯t want to hear any excuses.


    "The negotiations have copsed. Then let¡¯s each go our own way.¡±


    Grid reached for Lifael¡¯s Spear. It was for the purpose of moving to the smithy. Then the silently watching Kamiyan aimed his sword at Grid¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Leave Lifael¡¯s Spear. How long is an outsider going to carry the item of the church?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes sank as he looked down at the shining de.


    ¡°Second.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This is the second time you¡¯ve pointed a sword at my neck. I¡¯m the duke of a kingdom.¡±


    Kamiyan ridiculed him, ¡°So what? Will you run to Wiesbaden, your king, and tell on me?¡±


    The knight of another nation was disparaging his king. How heated would Grid be? Kamiyan deliberately tried to provoke Grid. Grid would lose his temper and be unable to use his skills properly. But his intentions came to naught. In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t have much loyalty to the king.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you called my king¡¯s name as if he was the next door neighbor¡¯s dog.¡±


    Grid grabbed Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    [White Transformation is activated.]


    [You don¡¯t have any divine power. White Transformation has failed to be activated. Side effects will ur to your body.]


    [You have resisted.]


    "You can¡¯t afford to y with me.¡±


    The reason that Grid couldn¡¯t attack the elders and Pascal was due to the Goddess¡¯ Curse. On the other hand, what about Kamiyan? He wasn¡¯t a priest of the Reba Church.


    There was no reason to hold back.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Suuk.


    Grid knew the strongest spearman, Pon. He had watched Pon fighting. In fact, they had sparred many times. Grid had developed an iplete method of Pon¡¯s spear technique.


    Chaaeng!


    The spear moved in a diagonal manner, causing Kamiyan¡¯s sword to be deflected downwards.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Kamiyan was surprised by the naturally flowing spear and stepped back. Grid extended his right leg back in this gap and stabbed the spear forward.


    Peeeeeong!


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear¡¯s option effect is activated, dealing an additional 5,000 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    Kamiyan couldn¡¯t believe it. Grid¡¯s stab suddenly shifted to a circle. It was an irregr attack that even those with ¡®Keen Senses¡¯ couldn¡¯t respond to.


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    Kamiyan was hit in his waist by a heavy blow, causing him to fall down while coughing up blood.


    ¡®Such power...!¡¯


    Kamiyan was stunned. The pain was as if his bones were broken, while his internal organs felt like they were going to burst. This was the power of a myth rated weapon and skill.


    ¡°T-this is impossible...¡±


    Pascal was astonished as he watched Kamiyan. Red Knight. One of the strongest knights on the continent fell down so easily? There was something even more surprising.


    "H-How can you use Lifael¡¯s Spear?¡±


    The Reba Church¡¯s three divine artifacts were avable only to selected beings. They needed to have innate transcendent divine power. The person also needed to pray to Goddess Reba for at least nine years. Finally...


    ¡®They needed to be a woman!¡¯


    Pascal shouted.


    ¡°Y-You...¡± Grid remained impassive as Pascal turned pale blue. "Grid, you! Are you a woman?¡±


    "...¡±


    It was the most ufortable phrase Grid had heard since he was born. It wasn¡¯t even worth arguing about, so the 181cm tall and sturdy Grid tightened his grip on Lifael¡¯s Spear. He really meant to kill Kamiyan.


    Pascal couldn¡¯t ept it and used Heal. Kamiyan was able to recover thanks to this and rose from his spot. There was fear on his face as he fixed his sword posture.


    ¡®I has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen Heal.¡¯


    Heal in Satisfy was much better than in usual games. It was because too much had to be given up in order to be Reba¡¯s priests. There were very few users who chose to be a Reba priest.


    ¡®There are too many eyes watching.¡¯


    People were flocking to the garden. Grid believed that killing Kamiyan could adversely affect Damian¡¯s election, so he withdrew.


    "I will leave it for today.¡±


    Kamiyan¡¯s eyes red at he gazed after Grid who was leaving leisurely.


    ¡®Kill...! I will kill you Grid!¡¯


    The reason he was defeated today was due to his carelessness. He never dreamt that Grid could use a divine weapon.


    ¡®Damn bastard!¡¯


    The wound in his side was causing him severe pain. He felt nauseous. Kamiyan pledged that he would make Grid kneel in a week when Earl Chirita back.


    ¡°Then I am going.¡±


    The smithy inside the Vatican. The weapons for pdins were produced here. Grid held the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer in his hand.


    ¡°Shall I begin?¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Lifael¡¯s Spear. The weapon that a god made was reinterpreted by human hands.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271


    Combat. In particr, reying battles where one was defeated was a big help to their growth.


    Kamiyan closed his eyes and reyed it.


    ¡®When Grid decided to stab me.¡¯


    What if he didn¡¯t defend, but decided to push forward instead?


    ¡®I would still be hit. If Grid hit me from the side, the result would be the same.¡¯


    What if he backed off?


    ¡®I would still be hit. At that time, Grid was already narrowing the distance between us with the maximum stride.¡¯


    No matter how he looked, defense was the best choice. However, the problem was that Kamiyan¡¯s swordsmanship couldn¡¯t defend against it.


    ¡®It took an instant for the straight orbit to change into a circle.¡¯


    The spear flying in a straight line changed to a circr orbit just before it his his sword. Honestly, it gave Kamiyan goose bumps. He was able to feel that Grid was an expert with the spear.


    ¡¯I have to respond with a skill.¡¯


    If he used Super Armor, he could defend against the attack. Then he would be able to counterattack while Grid was being pushed back.


    ¡®Then I would¡¯ve been the winner.¡¯


    He was hesitant to use his trump card in the first battle. He didn¡¯t use the skill, so the result was a defeat.


    ¡°Dammit... I didn¡¯t think it would hurt so much.¡±


    He wore the Red Armor, but he couldn¡¯t even survive one shot. The attack power of Lifael¡¯s Spear was beyond imagination. It was truly a divine artifact.


    ¡®It was a wrong fight from the beginning.¡¯


    Kamiyan hadn¡¯t expected that Grid could use Lifael¡¯s Spear. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t vignt and didn¡¯t respond when Grid retrieved Lifael¡¯s Spear. From there, the flow passed onto Grid. It was unfair.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he a swordsman?¡¯


    Several members of the church had witnessed Grid fighting against Drevigo. There were also elders among them. The elders had exined what happened. Grid was said to use a greatsword. Then how could he use a spear?


    ¡®In addition, it¡¯s Lifael¡¯s Spear!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Lifael¡¯s Spear a weapon that could only be used by a few ¡®women¡¯ who received the goddess¡¯ divine message?


    ¡°It¡¯s really annoying.¡±


    The biggest cause of his defeat was ¡®wrong information.¡¯ This error-prone information nted useless preconceptions and caused him to lose.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve assumed that Grid could use Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    Then he wouldn¡¯t have been hit so hard!


    Kwaduduk!


    Kamiyan gritted his teeth. It was enough to drive him crazy. He was boiling with anger. The anger was unleashed through his sword, as he trained.


    ¡°Grid! Next time will be different! I will be alert! I will show you the true power of the Red Knights!¡±


    It was evaluated by the enemies that the current Red Knights were weaker than they were in the past. It was inevitable. The former Red Knights had the great swordsman Piaro, so the current Red Knights without Piaro were judged to be one level lower. Duke Limit had never once won against Piaro. But that was a story of the past.


    ¡®Lord Limit is now over Piaro.¡¯


    It was clear that the Red Knights who studied under Duke Limit had also surpassed him. In order to prove it, the Red Knights had to be undefeated. Kamiyan was determined to beat Grid.


    ¡°You will see soon!¡±


    Kwajak!


    Kamiyan¡¯s sword was covered in aura and smashed therge rock. He became even stronger.


    ***


    ¡°Pagma.¡±


    The legendary cksmith and the best swordsman after Sword Saint Muller. He was known to be able to handle all types of weapons. The same was true for Grid, who inherited his power. But to even be able to use the three divine artifacts of the church...


    ¡°This is very frustrating.¡±


    Pascal needed to quickly determine Isabel¡¯s sessor. Pascal nned to raise his position by appointing a girl he secretly fostered as the new Reba¡¯s Daughter. But the problem was that Grid would definitely not hand over Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡°...Damian, that bastard.¡±


    This must be Damian¡¯s trick. He asked Grid to protect Lifael¡¯s Spear in order to contain Pascal.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be hit by such a trick.¡± Pascal went to meet the elders. He made them write an order for Grid to return Lifael¡¯s Spear. "Grid, even you can¡¯t vite the official order of our church.¡±


    If themand was broken?


    ¡®Then it can¡¯t be helped. You will be considered an enemy... Huh?¡¯


    Pascal held the order while heading towards the smithy.


    "Pascal?"


    ¡°Damian!¡±


    Pascal stumbled across Damian, who was campaigning. Damian was raising the atmosphere with the help of that fellow called Huroi, who was like a chatan. Pascal was upset when he saw Damian.


    ¡°You! Lifael¡¯s Spear is a divine artifact of our church! How could you give it to Grid illegally? You have to clear this up or you will be punished!¡±


    Damian didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What are you saying? The current owner of Lifael¡¯s Spear is Isabel-chan. She is the one who left it directly to Grid...¡±


    "Shut up!"


    "...¡±


    "Isabel is already dead! So the ownership of Lifael¡¯s Spear returned to the elders... Heok?¡±


    Pascal suddenly closed his mouth. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Hisplexion was worse than when he wondered if Grid was a woman. It was because he saw a woman with brightly shining tinum hair approaching.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss?¡± The woman questioned. It was Isabel.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Isabel wasn¡¯t dead? Rather than dying, her color waspletely recovered and she was walking fine on her own? Damian asked the stunned Pascal, "Isabel-chan is dead? Have you finally be senile?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    How did she suddenly recover her health after dying?


    ¡®Things are going terribly wrong!¡¯


    Some unknown actions were urring in a ce that he couldn¡¯t see. This was a serious problem. Pascal held his head as he tried to understand the situation. Then he saw something dropping. It was hair. The stress that urred since Grid appeared led to hair loss.


    Hwaduk.Hwaduuk.


    "...¡±


    A bunch of hair fell every time he touched his head, causing Pascal¡¯s anger to escape.


    ¡°Gridddd!¡±


    This person. Things started to be twisted the moment he appeared. Pascal could no longer tolerate Grid¡¯s presence. He nervously tore up the order he just had written.


    ¡®Grid! You are now my enemy!¡¯


    It was thoroughly decided. Damian and Isabel felt a sense of catharsis after seeing Pascal¡¯s state and pped.


    ***


    [Light Wheel]


    Stabbing, hacking, cutting, etc.


    Any type of attack will be linked to a circr attack. The target won¡¯t be able to escape this irregr attack.


    * The hit rate is 100%.


    * Contains the light attribute.


    This skill gave Lifael¡¯s Spear a 100% hit rate. There was no resource consumption or cooldown time. This skill had a ¡®high¡¯ chance of activating during a general attack, and the power was really fraudulent.


    ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t good because there was no additional damage.¡±


    It was a miscalction. Thanks to the extraordinary high base damage of Lifael¡¯s Spear, the option of a 100% hit rate was huge. It was enough to knock down a famous Red Knight with one hit. It was an unexpected result even for Grid.


    ¡®Lifael¡¯s Spear. This is the majesty of a myth rated weapon.¡¯


    But there was one regrettable thing.


    ¡°A spear doesn¡¯t fit with me.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 3 When deactivated, it increased Grid¡¯s attack power by 32%, the chance of a critical attack by 22% and the damage of a critical attack by 15%. When activated, it allowed him to use active skills such as Kill, Link and Transcend.


    However, this was on the condition that it was a sword type weapon. The skill wasn¡¯t activated when weapons other than a sword type were equipped. It was a sad fact for Grid.


    ¡®I have to give up on using Lifael¡¯s Spear for myself.¡¯


    However, he scheduled it to be included in Grid¡¯s set. It was for Pon, the guild members, and the soldiers who used the spear as their main weapon. That¡¯s right. Grid nned for a day when the guild members and soldiers would wear Grid¡¯s set.


    ¡°Kukukuk! Puhahahat!¡±


    Overgeared Kingdom! Grid felt a thrill at the people who would praise the cool name, while the soldiers of his fantastic kingdom would wear the Grid set.


    ¡°That person... Isn¡¯t he scary?¡±


    ¡°Right? I think so as well.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like a normal person...¡±


    The smithy inside the Vatican. The cksmiths muttered as they felt an negative energying from Grid. Their eyes weren¡¯t good as they looked at Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t care about the gaze of others. No. To be precise, there was no need to worry about it. His mind was solely focused on Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Lifael¡¯s Spear waspletely disassembled over two days. Grid tried to figure out the hidden structure of the spear through the process of reassembly. He spent a few days studying the spear in the smithy.


    The process of observation, disassembly and assembly were tirelessly repeated. Thanks to his natural talents of ¡®persistence¡¯ and ¡®concentration,¡¯ Grid was able to immerse himself in the tedious process without ending it. The result...


    [Your understanding of Lifael¡¯s Spear is now at 100%!]


    [Blueprint: Lifael¡¯s Spear has been acquired.]


    [Experiencing every detail of a myth rated weapon will raise your skills to the next level!]


    [The level of all skills rted to production will increase by one.]


    [(Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has evolved into (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.]


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Including the time he spent with Isabel in her room, he achieved this in 11 days. The hidden abilities didn¡¯t appear as he expected, but he grasped how to use the Goddess¡¯ Essence and various skills were strengthened. No, that wasn¡¯t all. He had acquired the design of a myth rated item.


    Grid was just as happy as when he obtained Piaro and Asmophel.


    ¡°First of all.¡±


    Right now, he had no material to make Lifael¡¯s Spear. But...


    Grid made a meaningful smile and grasped the hammer again.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272


    ¡®I just need to obtain the materials if I don¡¯t have them.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with greed as he dismantled Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I get some profit?¡¯


    Grid had saved Isabel by sacrificing the Goddess¡¯ Essence. He wanted to receive a little something in return.


    ¡®I will melt Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    Then he could obtain some adamantium. It was a unique opportunity to obtain a god mineral for free.


    ¡®It will be okay if I can take off a small portion of the spear.¡¯


    (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill was level 6 and ¡®greedy eyes¡¯ was mastered. ording to the result of his analysis, Lifael¡¯s Spear was longer and thicker than necessary. It was somewhat unsuitable for women to use.


    ¡®It will turn out nicely for Isabel if I reduce the length and thickness of the spear.¡¯


    Grid justified it to himself as he threw the spear into the furnace. There was no hesitation. The essence of Grid¡¯s nature was greed. This was fueled by his desire as a cksmith to make an item of a higher level as soon as possible. The present Grid was the embodiment of desire. No one could control him. Even the person involved couldn¡¯t suppress himself. He was like a drug addict in front of drugs.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid¡¯s hands were much faster and sophisticated than before. It was thanks to the increase in skill level of his production skills. Lifael¡¯s Spear became shorter and thinner under his hands.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The cksmiths in the smithy were at a loss for words. They looked at Grid¡¯s skills and wondered if this was a cksmith of the gods.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished!¡±


    After three hours of struggle, Grid reconstructed Lifael¡¯s Spear. His face distorted. The result was terrible.


    [Iplete Lifael¡¯s Spear has been created.]


    [Iplete Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    The harmony designed by god is broken. This is a useless stick.


    ¡°...It¡¯s like this.¡±


    Had he experienced this only one or twice? Satisfy was thoroughly designed not to give any easy benefits.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The frustrated Grid started to restore Lifael¡¯s Spear. Unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t be helped. He didn¡¯t know what Goddess Reba would do if he gave Isabel an iplete spear.


    Ttiring~


    Thus, he invested another three hours into restoring Lifael¡¯s Spear. Then there was a cheerful sound effect and an unbelievable message window popped up.


    [The result was terrible, but your vision and spirit to challenge reinterpreting a god¡¯s weapon is deserving of high praise. You are qualified to be a true legend.]


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The skill ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction Lv. 1]


    Reinterpret items with a 100% understanding into a new form.


    The performance of the modified item will depend on your interpretation, skill and intentions.


    * An item can only be reconstructed once.


    * When the skill level increases, the number of reconstructions will increase by one.


    [You have taken one step closer to bing a true legend by opening the hidden piece ¡®Sealed Ability.¡¯ Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 10%.]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +2.000.]


    [You currently have 30,011 reputation throughout the continent. You can now use the Reputation Store.]


    "...The old saying isn¡¯t wrong.¡± Grid clenched his fists before he burst outughing. "Nice people live well! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Grid benefited greatly from returning Lifael¡¯s Spear to its original shape, and saw himself as a good person. That¡¯s right. His original malicious intent of trying to obtain adamantium was erased from his memories. The brain resembled its owner and was selfish.


    ***


    OGC was the world¡¯s first gaming specialty channel.


    Decades before the emergence of virtual reality games, it held various game content and established the e-sports culture. Now Satisfy dominated the games market and OGC reigned as one of the world¡¯s top gaming stations.


    "Let¡¯s do a live broadcast of the pope candidates¡¯ speeches.¡±


    The director of OGC. He was a former PD who rose to an executive status, and had many aplishments. It was enough to give him the nickname of ¡®Guaranteed Viewership.¡¯ But the members of his nning team raised concerns.


    ¡°How many people will be interested in who the pope of the Reba Church is? No one will be interested apart from the users who are part of the Reba Church.¡±


    "Speech events are just static. The ratings will hit the floor and it won¡¯t be easy to obtain advertisements.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to air the PvP tournament that is taking ce in the Zik Principality at that time?¡±


    "We can record it, but why does it have to be a live broadcast? It¡¯s the prime time.¡±


    "It isn¡¯t worth recording. It is better to cover it briefly in the news...¡±


    The director watched his rebellious team and pped. Once he confirmed that their attention was on him, he made a shocking remark.


    ¡°I was informed that a user is a pope candidate.¡±


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    ¡°I-Is this true?¡±


    Last year, the Reba Church had around 71 million members. But this year, the number of members had crossed 80 million. It was estimated that it would cross 90 million by the end of this year. It truly was Satisfy¡¯s first religion, as the growth rate was unbelievable. It was difficult to gauge how big it would grow in the future.


    Then what if the master of this religion was a user? This was a rare scoop. It was a scoopparable to the events that Grid was involved in. The motivation of the nning team started to burn.


    "A live broadcast is good! Start promoting it right now!¡±


    ¡°I will seek sponsors.¡±


    "I will obtain advertisements!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa.¡± The director calmed his excited team members. ¡°Do you want to create rumors? I don¡¯t want to share this expensive information with other broadcasters. Our goal is to have the exclusive live coverage. This information should only be disclosed once it has started.¡±


    As SNS evolved, the people¡¯s speed of information sharing was fast enough to exceedmon sense.


    ¡°This pope candidates speech event. At the start, the ratings might by less than 0.1%, but it will reach at least 15%. The prices of the ads we insert in the middle will be a new record. Now, go and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Ku~ we will be busy.¡±


    At the time, the director didn¡¯t know this. OGC would secure the highest audience rating since its creation.


    ***


    Earl Chirita.


    Pascal¡¯s father was a mere viscount 10 years ago. The political circles of the empire didn¡¯t pay attention to him. But 10 years ago. His position suddenly changed after his son Pascal became the head of the Judar Church. He was the father of the leader of a church with 20 million members, so he yed a major role in politics and he earned the title of earl.


    And now...


    "Hup~! The air of the Vatican is very clear!¡±


    Earl Chirita received the favor of Emperor Juander. It meant he became one of the best powers in the empire. It was natural, since his son would soon be pope. The earl¡¯s body was covered with various luxuries, so he really stood out. The various nobles who came to listen to the speeches of the pope candidates gathered around him.


    "Earl Chirita, it¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    "In a month, you will be the father of His Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you be awarded the title of duke at that time?¡±


    The earl was excited at the behavior of the nobles from other nations. His life had changed like this thanks to having a good son. Pascal approached him at this time.


    "Wee, Earl Chirita.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, Sir Pascal. It has been a long time.¡±


    Pascal was married to the church. Since he had an official position, he had to treat his father like everyone else. The two people excused themselves and moved to a secret ce.


    "Did you receive support from the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes. He sent five ck Knights and one Red Knight.


    Pascal¡¯s face twisted.


    ¡®Only one Red Knight...¡¯


    The Red Knights were called the strongest group on the continent. But not long ago, didn¡¯t Grid take down Kamiyan with one blow? He was skeptical about sending only one Red Knight as support.


    "What is the number of the knight?¡±


    ¡°The 19th knight.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Pascal¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. The disappointment and anxiety on his face disappeared.


    ¡®A knight in the 10¡¯s was sent!¡¯


    The number attached to the knight was a measure of strength. The 30th knight was called a 100 man army, while the 20th knight was called a 1,000 man army. The 10th knight? They were at a level that could cope with five people with the strength of the 20th knight alone. The 19th knight was dozens of times stronger than the 30th knight, Kamiyan.


    ¡®The emperor truly cares about me!¡¯


    Pascal trembled with excitement when Earl Chirita asked him.


    "But why did you ask for support?¡±


    ¡°A fly is bothering me.¡±


    Pascal had seen Grid as a disaster just a while ago. But not anymore. Now that the 19th knight came, Grid was just a fly.


    ¡®My hair loss will soon disappear.¡¯


    Pascal¡¯s forehead had be exposed in just a few days, but now he had a wide smile on his face.


    ***


    ¡°There will be a fuss.¡±


    The Vatican was fully crowded. Grid frowned as he watched the surging crowd.


    ¡®OGC Station?¡¯


    Broadcast cameras were installed throughout the Vatican. Choi Hyeyoung, an OGC announcer was rehearsing in front of the fountain.


    ¡®It will be annoying.¡¯


    The public¡¯s interest in the pope election seemed to be much higher than expected. If they saw him here, he would be flooded with interview requests. In order to avoid this, Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s mask and eye patch. His face and ID were hidden.


    ¡®It¡¯s easier these days.¡¯


    Damian and Huroi approached the relieved Grid. Isabel was with them. Then Grid handed Lifael¡¯s Spear to her.


    "White Transformation was sealed. It won¡¯t eat at your health anymore.¡±


    "Thank you... Thank you very much.¡±


    Isabel was thrilled to tears. Thanks to Grid, she was saved from a hellish life and she liked Grid more than before. To her, Grid and Damian were bright lights from Goddess Reba. Meanwhile, Huroi was sighing with relief.


    ¡®I was worried that My Lord would try to take some of the materials and receive a divine punishment...¡¯


    Fortunately, it seemed like he didn¡¯t do anything to the divine weapon.


    ¡®Not bing greedy when seeing such a great item... My Lord has grown further. It¡¯s reallymendable.¡¯


    Huroi gave Grid a thumbs up.


    ¡®Why is he doing that?¡¯ Grid was bewildered.


    Meanwhile, there were eyes closely watching him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273


    OGC Station¡¯s PD, Park Jongsoo. He entered Satisfy directly and watched Damian.


    ¡°He¡¯s the pope candidate?¡±


    "Yes, the audience ratings will be 15% due to him. Stick seven cameras to him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the rumored Isabel who is a Reba¡¯s Daughter? She¡¯s prettier than the rumors say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Put two cameras on her.¡±


    Her beauty will increase the number of male viewers. It was an indispensable element in broadcasting.


    ¡°I understand. Eh? That person...?" Park PD was looking at Damian and Isabel, when he became excited at the sight of an Asian man. ¡°Huroi! The person next to Damian is Huroi!¡±


    ¡°Huroi? The first ranked orator, Huroi?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Overgeared!¡±


    ¡°The person closest to Grid?¡±


    "It¡¯s certain!"


    ¡°Hoh? What is this?¡±


    Someone close to Grid was attached to a pope candidate? The eyes of the director shone.


    ¡®Is Grid rted to this election?¡¯


    Grid. He was the first to obtain a legendary ss and South Korea¡¯s pride. He was involved in a variety of events, and now he was intervening in the Reba Church?


    ¡°Maybe this... Perhaps we might obtain a scoop?¡±


    Of course, regardless of Grid, Huroi could be doing a personal activity.


    "But we need to keep an eye out. We need to find out what type of rtionship pope candidate Damian and Grid have. Put two cameras on Huroi as well.¡±


    "Yes, I understand. Then what about that man?¡±


    The man wore a bizarre half mask that had a curious symmetry between crying and smiling. His face and ID couldn¡¯t be seen. He seemed to be close with Damian¡¯s group.


    "Put one camera on him.¡±


    The courtyard that Huroi was in. Park PD agreed with the director¡¯smand to observe the man more thoroughly.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s current insight stat exceeded 1,400. He could feel the attention of two low level users from 50m away.


    ¡®They are the station officials.¡¯


    As soon as they logged out, the cameras would start to roll. Grid was able to grasp their exact distance, despite not seeing them.


    ¡®It¡¯s too annoying, which is why I hid my identity.¡¯


    Grid scoffed. He didn¡¯t find the cameras particrly intrusive. It would be easy to escape them.


    Damian asked him, ¡°You have sealed Lifael¡¯s Spear, so are you returning to Reidan?¡±


    Both Damian and Isabel looked regretful. Grid shook his head.


    ¡°No. I still have something to do.¡±


    Pascal finally recognized Grid as an enemy. It was what he wanted. The moment that Pascal attacked him...


    ¡®I will get experience.¡¯


    Damian spoke to Grid who was smiling wickedly. "Then please watch over me. I will do my best. I will tell everyone why I must be pope. I believe it is the reward for your infinite grace.¡±


    Damian had been making speeches with Huroi, so his eyes were filled with confidence. Grid nodded as he saw the imposing gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Then go and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Grid, you must tell me before you leave. Don¡¯t leave without telling me. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Damian and Isabel left for the venue, leaving Grid and Huroi alone. Isabel looked back a few times, like she was worried that Grid might disappear, but Damian just looked ahead and vowed again.


    ¡®I have to work hard today to build a foundation that will allow me to be pope.¡¯


    Grid saved Isabel-chan. Huroi also helped Damian gain the trust of the church¡¯s members. Damian was desperate to give back to those who hadn¡¯t been able to hunt for two weeks because they were stuck in the Vatican.


    ¡®I need to gain the ability to repay them. And in order to defend Isabel, I must be pope.¡¯


    Damian looked like he was heading to the battlefield. After a moment. Huroi asked carefully after he was left alone with Grid.


    ¡°Can I ask what it is you still have to do?¡±


    ¡°Hunting.¡±


    ¡°Hunting... What are you saying?¡±


    "Yes, apart from Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl, aren¡¯t you and I the only ones who haven¡¯t reached level 300? Since we came all the way here, shouldn¡¯t we get some levels?¡±


    The Vatican was an area with no monsters. It meant there was nothing to hunt.


    ¡°What are you going to catch to level up...? Can I ask about your n?¡±


    He had some idea. But he wanted his prediction to be wrong, so he asked out loud. Gridughed at Huroi. ¡°Elders.¡±


    Pascal and the elders. They were trash who despised the weak and were a huge barrier to Damian. What would they do if Damian gave a good speech? He could never be pope with Pascal in the way. Grid had to take care of Pascal.


    ¡°And.¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted behind Huroi.


    "There is a bonus of seven knights.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Huroi hurriedly looked back. There were two knights in red armor and five knights in ck armor.


    "Grid, I will pay back that disgrace.¡±


    Grid weed Kamiyan, ¡°You came.¡±


    He was rxed. ording to his own experience, the ck Knights and Red Knights were weak, unlike the rumors. The rumors must be exaggerated. Grid judged that he could take care of two Red Knights and the ck Knights in an instant.


    At that moment.


    [The pope candidate¡¯s speech event will begin soon. For the sake of safety, all outsiders are prohibited from possessing weapons.]


    [All weapons in your inventory will be disabled.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The bewildered Grid and Huroi cried out. Kamiyanughed at them and pulled out his sword. Kamiyan received the warning from Pascal ahead of time and registered the knights with the Reba Church. It was an effective temporary measure. Unlike Grid and Huroi, they could use weapons.


    ¡°This will be your grave."


    ¡®Ah, really.¡¯


    It had been a really long time since he stepped in shit. As Kamiyan approached, Grid retreated behind Huroi and said.


    ¡°We should leave here for now.¡±


    ¡°Good decision!¡± Huroi immediately summoned his drake. ¡°Descend! Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds!¡±


    "...¡±


    There was only silence. Grid¡¯s expression stiffened.


    "Why isn¡¯t your drakeing?¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡± Huroi started sweating. "My pet summoning doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°That joke isn¡¯t funny in a situation like this."


    Grid tried to summon Noe and Randy.


    [Goddess Reba is watching the pope candidates. Due to the extreme divine power concentrated on the Vatican, non-human existences can¡¯t enter.]


    [Pet summoning has failed.]


    ¡°There really is a variety of things.¡±


    The rxation disappeared from Grid¡¯s face as he grumbled.


    ***


    ¡°The problem with the Reba Church is that it is divided into several factions. Unity must be achieved in order to properly go against the Yatan Church...¡±


    The speeches from the pope candidates began. They were free to speak as they liked. It caused drowsiness.


    OGC Station. The employees had dark expressions. It was because the rating for the live broadcast didn¡¯t meet their expectations.


    ¡°Did you spread the information that a user is appearing among the pope candidates?¡±


    ¡°The candidate¡¯s speeches are more boring than expected. There isn¡¯t enough to make the viewers stick around.


    ¡°Try to focus on Damian more than the speeches of the other pope candidates. Keep filming the people I mentioned.¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    Out of the dozens of monitors, the most notable one was Isabel¡¯s beautiful face.


    ¡°This?¡±


    The director was biting his fingernails out of nervousness, when his eyes suddenly widened. Something was happening on a small monitor at the bottom.


    ¡°Number 19! Look at monitor number 19!¡±


    ***


    -This is boring.


    -Why am I watching this broadcast?


    -Isabel is really pretty.


    Theizens, who came to the OGC web channel after hearing that there was a user among the pope candidates, startedining. The chat window was bombarded with curses.


    -No fun.No fun.


    -Guys, is the pope going to be decided today?


    -Nope.The pope election is in one month.This is just publicity for the pope candidates.


    -What? Then I don¡¯t need to watch this.


    -I know who the pope candidate is, so I will be going.


    -The PvP tournament is live on another channel right now.There is more benefit to watching that.


    -I should go see.There¡¯s no point watching this broadcast.


    Thus. There was a quick reduction in the number of viewers on the OGC web channel. Suddenly, knights in red armor and ck armor filled the screen that previously contained Isabel¡¯s face and the boring pope candidates.


    -Huh?Red Knights?


    -Wow!Red Knights and ck Knights?


    -This isn¡¯t fake?


    -It¡¯s real if you look at the pattern on the armor.


    -The Saharan Empire¡¯s strongest knights!


    Their unannounced appearance excited the viewers.


    -But why are the Red Knights and cks Knights in the Vatican?


    -Who are they fighting?


    The attention of the audience focused on the people that the enemy knights were attacking. The opponents were two users. One was an unidentified masked man and the other was the first ranked orator, Huroi.


    -Why are users fighting knights...?


    -Huroi will die.


    -Even if he is part of the Overgeared Guild, he still can¡¯t beat a knight ~ ? ? ?


    -It will be the first time the Overgeared Guild is defeated.


    -Who is the masked man?


    -Who cares? It won¡¯tst long.


    It was a one-sided battle. The knight called Kamiyan was driving back the man in the mask, while five ck Knights were surrounding Huroi. They wielded swords, while the masked man and Huroi could only evade and defend without any weapons.


    Why weren¡¯t they holding weapons? As the viewers started to question it, subtitles rose that exined the current situation.


    [Non-Reba Church members are prohibited from using weapons.]


    Who was the man in the mask? Why and how were they under attack by the Red Knights and ck Knights? The viewers wondered. But they quickly realized that their questions wouldn¡¯t be resolved.


    -It¡¯s over.


    -Boring.


    This fight will soon be over.


    The man in the mask and Huroi would soon be pierced by the swords and turned to ashes, then the screen would once again show the boring speeches of the pope candidates. The viewers were sure of it, but the man in the video didn¡¯t allow the obvious development.


    "You disgraceful bastards are really cheap.¡±


    The man in the mask cursed...


    This voice was familiar?


    -Eh???


    -Grid?


    -God Grid!


    Thements in the chat window and the ratings started to rise exponentially. OGC¡¯s director was startled. As everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the screen...


    ¡°Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡±


    Grid pulled out a gold spear. It was the pavranium that used to be divided into seven des in the past. Now it exerted an overwhelming attack power, causing blood to spray from Kamiyan¡¯s chest. Earlier, the director said that Damian would cause the ratings to rise to 15%.


    ¡°We are unable to measure the audience ratings!!!¡±


    The call to raise the advertising shook OGC Station.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274


    Detecting the target. Predicting the risks. These were phrases that described the insight stat. Before meeting Piaro, Grid had only used insight to measurebat power. But in fact, insight was an absolute factor that could elevate hisbat power.


    In other words, he could predict risks.


    "You rat bastards!¡±


    He could read the enemy¡¯s movements. Grid didn¡¯t easily allow Kamiyan to attack him. He evaded or defended, then linked a counterattack. These were movements that Piaro had taught him several times.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    The efficient movements helped him draw out 100% of his abilities. Grid dealt a strong punch.


    ¡°K-Kuaaack! You bastard!¡±


    Kamiyan couldn¡¯t believe it. Rather than overwhelming an opponent who didn¡¯t have a weapon, he was receiving damage.


    ¡®The difference between me and this guy is sorge? Something is wrong...! It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Kamiyan believed that the empire was the whole world. He was indifferent to the happenings of small kingdoms. Therefore, he had no idea about Grid. He only knew about the first time Grid came to the Vatican. Grid was just someone who ¡®barely¡¯ defeated ex-pope Drevigo.


    But what was the truth? Grid had experience raiding bosses much more powerful than Drevigo. Under the guidance of Piaro, he had fought Pagma¡¯s clone 83 times. To be exact, Grid studied under Piaro, who was once the captain of the Red Knights. He wasn¡¯t an opponent that the 30th knight Kamiyan could go against.


    Grid provoked Kamiyan. ¡°Is your sword just a decoration? Isn¡¯t it disgraceful that you can¡¯t even subdue a bare handed opponent?¡±


    "Shut up!"


    Kamiyan lost hisposure, then a gold spear suddenly flew and stabbed his chest. It was because his movements had be bigger after falling for Grid¡¯s provocation. This gave an advantage to Grid. The ¡®Vital Spot Detection¡¯ of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patchbined with his high insight to create an explosive synergy. At this moment, Grid was the person controlling the puppet called Kamiyan.


    Peok!Peeeeok!


    The strongest martial artist, Regas. It might be awkward, but Grid could follow his movements. Sometimes short, sometimes cool, his powerful fists stretched out nonstop. The attacks that tenaciously aimed at the seams of his armor confused Kamiyan.


    ¡¯Another five...!¡¯


    When Grid punched once, his gloves intermittently emitted light. Once that happened, Kamiyan felt like he was struck five times. It was the effect of the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ attached to Holy Light Gloves.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was actively relying on his items as always.


    Swaeek!


    Puk!


    Lifael¡¯s Spear shot like a bullet every time there was a gap. This was the pinnacle of the power of items, a reproduction of a divine weapon made of pavranium. Unlike Grid¡¯s bare hands, it dealt damage to Kamiyan that couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    [You have dealt 3,830 damage to the target.]


    ¡¯Okay, this time it struck properly.¡¯


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: None


    Attack Power: 101~730


    * Divine Power +200


    * Fixed damage of +1,500 on each attack.


    * There is a low probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill.


    * Attack power +20% against those with dark magic power.


    Maybe by the cksmith G, who is being reborn as a true legend.


    It is a miniature version of one of the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church, Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    It is made from the legendary mineral with a a will, pavranium. Therefore, it has a strong tendency to protect its owner. It makes decisions and moves by itself.


    Weight: 14


    There was no handgrip on the spear, so people couldn¡¯t use it directly. So it wasn¡¯t ssified as a weapon. It might be due to that, or because it had divine power, but Lifael¡¯s Spear was free from the ban on weapons.


    Grid aggressively took advantage of it. Kamiyan became increasingly injured.


    ¡°Kuaaah! Kill! I will kill you!¡±


    Originally, Kamiyan was nning to y with Grid slowly. Now he became irritated and impatiently used a skill.


    Papat!


    Kamiyan used Keen Senses and consecutively avoided Grid¡¯s attack. His sword drew several lines without a time dy. It was the manifestation of Dual Cross Sword. It was only four strokes, but the quickly wasparable to Link. This was followed by a wave of energy.


    The red light from Grid¡¯s eyes darkened. His high insight was warning him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it.¡¯


    Should he fight back right afterwards? No. Grid¡¯s bare hands would only receive damage that way. It was too weak. Then,


    ¡®Crush it.¡¯


    Grid formed a fist. Confronting an aura de with his bare hands, it was crazy. Kamiyan believed that Grid¡¯s fist would be torn into eight pieces. The millions of viewers watching the battle were the same. But it was too arrogant to judge a legend by a moderate genius.


    There was a reason for Grid¡¯s behavior that the public couldn¡¯t imagine. The power of items.


    Chaaeng!


    The moment the cross sword collided with Grid¡¯s fist...


    sh!


    There was a light from the ruby ring Grid was wearing.


    [The option effect of ¡®Dark Bus¡¯ Earring¡¯ is activated, neutralizing the target skill.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kamiyan was shocked!


    -Wow, what is that?


    -The skill disappeared;;


    -No, in the first ce, why is Grid¡¯s control so good?How can he punch back against such quick swordsmanship?Is that really Grid?


    -His agility is high.


    -?? It seems like his agility is maximized by his gear.


    The viewers admired it.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t avoid it, then I should use it.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression shot through the magic ball was splendid.


    ¡®Take a good look.¡¯


    Chaaeng!


    Grid¡¯s fist pierced through the cross sword and struck Kamiyan¡¯s face. Kamiyan staggered and Lifael¡¯s Spear aimed towards him. Grid took out the Red Lightning Summoning Bead that he obtained from hunting the Frostlight Orc Chief in the past.


    ¡®I am the master of the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild was the strongest.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look down on us!¡¯


    This was a warning to the seven guilds who dared to invade Reidan while he was away. Then the red lightning bolt fell.


    Kurururung.


    The red lightning bolt that fell from the sky was nestled in Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Puok!


    Additional lightning damage was added to the spear, which pierced Kamiyan.


    [Critical!]


    [The red lightning adds 30% damage. The target has received an electric shock.]


    [You have dealt 17,300 damage to the target.]


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Kamiyan screamed. It was the worst pain since the battle began. Now that he was in shock, it was a chance to deal a fatal injury. Grid determined and activated cksmith¡¯s Rage. Rather than using Grid¡¯s Boots that maximized the power of a greatsword, Grid equipped Braham¡¯s Boots. Then he wore the Hooded Zip Up. His movement speed was increased by 40%.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute...!¡±


    Kamiyan begged as he was faced with the evil red light, but it was useless. Unbreakable Justice, the skill that was learned by rescuing Huroi and acquiring the title of Apostle of Justice. It was expressed through Grid¡¯s fist.


    Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kamiyan couldn¡¯t even scream. His head was struck and he was thrown into the smithy wall. His teeth were broken and blood covered the ughterer¡¯s Mask.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 7,020 damage to the target.]


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    Cracks started to appear on the wall of the smithy above where Kamiyan¡¯s head had struck. This scene was proof of Grid¡¯s strength, which exceeded the level of a human. But more than two-thirds of Kamiyan¡¯s health still remained.


    This was the limit of bare fists. First of all, Kamiyan¡¯s health and defense was too high.


    ¡®He won¡¯t be defeated unless he dies.¡¯


    There was another Red Knight in the distance. Grid would take full advantage of thezy attitude of the knight who stood on the sidelines without participating. Grid would kill Kamiyan before the knight intervened.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!Jjejejeok!


    Grid¡¯s fists continuously punched Kamiyan¡¯s face. Grid¡¯s damage and speed were enhanced by cksmith¡¯s Rage, so hepletely neutralized Kamiyan. Kamiyan used Super Armor and tried to get away from Grid, but Dark Bus¡¯ Ring neutralized it.


    ¡®This bastard is a dragon!¡¯


    The golden spear, fast moving boots, ring that neutralized skills, gloves that hit several times, armor with overwhelming defense, and so on. Grid was covered with artifacts that appeared in legends. It was like an imperial treasury was walking around. Due to the short life span of humans, it was impossible to collect such artifacts in their entire life.


    Kamiyan didn¡¯t like Grid. In the meantime, Grid¡¯s punching continued.


    Kururung!


    The wall of the smithypletely copsed. As the ce to lean on disappeared, Kamiyan fell down and Grid¡¯s knee hit his jaw. Then Lifael¡¯s Spear flew towards Kamiyan and wounded him,


    Puoook!


    Blood scattered all over the remnants of the smithy. It was a scene reminiscent of a battlefield.


    -Wow...


    -God...


    This strength was beyondmon sense. After the golem invasion, Grid had grown much more aware from the public¡¯s eyes. He seemed to have also ovee his only weakness, control. Items, skills, stats and now control, Grid was bing truly perfect.


    -I had to change my underwear.


    -I¡¯m wearing a diaper.


    -But isn¡¯t a Red Knight weaker than the rumors?


    -This is the 30th knight?It is said that they are strong ording to their number.


    --??The single numbers must be a real wall.


    -What? I was almost scared of Grid again.


    -I am scared.??


    -So that¡¯s the 30th knight?Even other rankers can defeat him.


    -No.Grid is using his bare hands.


    -What bare hands?He has the golden spear.Isn¡¯t that a weapon?


    There were dozens of chat messages per second in the OGC web channel chat window. The chat administrators tried to restrain abusive users, but were forced to give up halfway. On the other hand, the TV channel¡¯s ratings were exceeding 30%. The ratings soared in real time.


    It was 6:20 p.m. on a Saturday. It was prime time with various popr programs, so this was a phenomenal record for a cable channel.


    ¡¯Indeed, Grid¡¯s power on audience ratings is beyond imagination.¡¯


    It was difficult to predict how the ratings would go up. But there was one problem.


    "Isn¡¯t this too cruel?¡±


    "We will be hit with a warning. We might have to stop broadcasting for a while.¡±


    Grid¡¯s battle style wasn¡¯t good for minors to watch. The opponent was an NPC, but Grid kept smiling as he hit the vital points. He was called a psychopath for a reason. The team members were concerned.


    ¡°I will take responsibility for everything. Don¡¯t worry and keep broadcasting.¡±


    His broadcaster¡¯s blood was boiling. He would take responsibility for any repercussions, even if he needed to take off his clothes. He would write a new legend in the broadcasting world.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275


    19th knight, Fulito. He was dissatisfied with this mission. His high pride meant he was upset at having to follow the orders of a priest.


    ¡®I am a knight in the 10s.¡¯


    He questioned why a such a distinguished person the Red Knights had to do a chore like this.


    ¡®It is sufficient for the guys in the 20s, tsk.¡¯


    This disgruntled thought disappeared the moment he witnessed Grid overwhelming Kamiyan.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    Was he a duke of the Eternal Kingdom? That person called Grid, his skills were excellent and he was also holding several artifacts that were at the level of a national treasure. In particr, the performance of the golden spear was phenomenal.


    ¡®Apetent person is hiding in a small kingdom.¡¯


    It was true that Kamiyan was inexperienced, but he was still a Red Knight. He was a member of the strongest group. It was honestly surprising that Grid could crush him so easily.


    ¡®It is approximately the level of the 21st knight. I have to intervene.¡¯


    The restlessness and boredom in Fulito¡¯s eyes disappeared. He was finally motivated.


    "Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    Lifael¡¯s Spear stabbed continuously at Kamiyan, who suffered a fatal wound. Right before Kamiyan died, Fulito fired a skill. At the same time, Grid used Fly. Fulito witnessed Grid flying towards him and smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡®Did you notice that I am your rival?¡¯


    Fulito wasn¡¯t careless. He pulled out his sword and tried to attack Grid, only to stop.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Regardless of his will, his consciousness headed to another ce. He becamepletely indifferent to Grid. He didn¡¯t swing his sword.


    ¡®Why am I doing this?¡¯


    Swaeek!


    Grid brushed past the side of the confused Fulito. It was a dreadful speed.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner. Very few people knew about this part of Huroi¡¯s identity. When he was with Grid, all of his stats increased by 20%. He also had many skills that could be used without needing weapons. But he was different from Grid.


    He didn¡¯t have overwhelming stats like Grid. He was fundamentally an orator, so hisbat rted stats like strength, stamina and agility were extremely low. He didn¡¯t even have the power of his items. It was impossible for him to confront five ck Knights with his bare hands.


    "Ugh...¡±


    Huroi moaned while bleeding. The ck Knights red angrily at him.


    "Wicked person! How could you scorn myte grandmother? I will surely kill you!¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking about my parents?¡±


    ¡°My colleagues didn¡¯t ask me to pick up soap!¡±


    That¡¯s right.


    Huroi had already ridiculed them. He debuffed the enemies, but now he reached his limit. The cooldown of Spiteful Tongue had yet to end and his whole body was already wounded. His health had fallen to a dangerous level.


    But Huroi wasn¡¯t worried about his own life right now. He could die a hundred times. Lost experience and items? It was iparable to his lord¡¯s life. Huroi just wanted his lord to be safe.


    ¡°M-My Lord...!¡±


    How much frustration was he feeling while fighting against a Red Knight with his bare hands? Huroi turned his gaze towards Grid. He thought that Grid would be going through a lot. But it was different.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die! Puhahahat!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was fine. He was enjoying himself while one-sidedly beating up the Red Knight. The knight¡¯s face was swollen to the point that it was pitiful.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Huroi felt like an idiot for worrying.


    Puok!


    As Huroi¡¯s attention was wandering, a sword flew and deeply pierced his side.


    ¡°Where are you looking?¡±


    ¡°Kuck!¡±


    Huroi¡¯s field of view shook. Now he had less than two-tenths of his health left. If he received two or three more attacks then he would die. Huroi gritted his teeth.


    ¡®I need to bring one of them with me.¡¯


    It would relieve the burden on Grid. Huroi made up his mind and moved with all his strength. He grabbed one of the ck Knights and punched with all his strength. But with his skills and strength, he couldn¡¯t hurt the ck Knight. His fists falling on the ck armor was just like a cotton bat.


    ¡°This weak brat! I don¡¯t even feel a tingle!"


    The sneering knight grabbed Huroi¡¯s wrist and raised his arm. Then the area around Huroi¡¯s heart was exposed. Another ck Knight stabbed precisely with his sword.


    -This is normal.How can a ck Knight be taken down without a weapon?


    -Right...Grid is abnormal.


    Huroi and the viewers took Huroi¡¯s death for granted. But Grid was different. Grid didn¡¯t party with Huroi because of the waste of experience, but he didn¡¯t want Huroi to die. He was anxious about Huroi and used the ¡®Secret Hero¡¯ ability.


    Secret Hero was one of the titles he won while raiding Dark Bus. The condition to acquire this title was to ¡®raid¡¯ three named bosses higher in level ¡®alone.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a title that just anyone could get, and its value was unmatched.


    [You have dispersed the consciousness of the enemies.]


    The aggro was turned off.


    [The skill ¡®Influence¡¯ has been activated. This effect willst for 10 seconds.]


    [Reduces the defense of all enemies within 50m of you by 50%.]


    [The skill ¡®Freely Move¡¯ can be used once.]


    [Creates a high level daash skill that avoids all attacks until it reaches the ¡®desired target¡¯ that is within 200 meters.]


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    Teong!


    Grid became furious after seeing Huroi and floated in the air. Then he rushed towards the ck Knights. His movement speed was so fast that the camera lost him for a moment.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Fulito, who was rushing towards Grid, stopped in ce. He wasn¡¯t able to focus on Grid due to the effect of his consciousness being dispersed. Grid ignored him and passed by.


    "A really strange ability.¡±


    Fulio clicked his tongue and swung his sword towards the distant Grid.


    Pahat!


    A strong aura poured out like a sh of light. Grid¡¯s back was fully exposed. It was natural that he would be hit by Fulito¡¯s aura. But Grid had Freely Move activated. He was able to avoid all attacks except for automatic targeting skills. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Grid moved his body and avoided Fulito¡¯s attack. Then he broke through four ck Knights.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The ck Knight trying to stab Huroi¡¯s heart was shocked. Grid¡¯s movements were phenomenal.


    "Get lost."


    Peeok!Puk!


    "Ugh!"


    Thebo of Lifael¡¯s Spear and Unbreakable Justice was used. The ck Knight¡¯s defense was reduced due to Influence, so he suffered great damage. Grid kicked the ck Knight away and grabbed Huroi.


    "Are you still weak? You still have the status of a punching bag.¡±


    ¡°Haha... I am weak.¡±


    In the end, the power of his items was stillcking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s aim for the third advancement ss soon. Then I¡¯ll make new items for you. Your biggest problem is that you arecking items.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Join my party now.¡±


    It happened when Grid extended a hand to Huroi. Kamiyan regained his posture, rushed over and attacked Huroi.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Huroi¡¯s blood soaked Grid¡¯s Hooded Zip Up. Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. Huroi was worried about Grid even when dying.


    ¡°Please... Stay alive. My Lord absolutely can¡¯t copse.¡±


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [Your attack power and magic attack power will significantly rise for the next attack.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    Flop!


    Huroi sat down after using the strongest buff skill that he saved for Grid. Kamiyan wielded his sword again, aiming at Huroi who only have a sliver of health left. He saw that Grid cared about Huroi.


    Chaaeng!


    It went as Kamiyan intended. Grid moved to protect Huroi. He took out the Divine Shield after a long time and blocked Kamiyan¡¯s attack.


    ¡°You! You are like a turtle!¡±


    Kamiyanughed at Grid who was protecting his colleague with a shield and swung his sword.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Puok!Puk puk!


    Grid could only face Kamiyan and defend. He couldn¡¯t respond to the ck Knights who were stabbing from the rear. He couldn¡¯t avoid it and protect Huroi at the same time. Huroi didn¡¯t like it.


    "My Lord, why are you sacrificing yourself for me! Wake up! Fight against the enemies! I don¡¯t want to grab at My Lord¡¯s ankles!¡±


    "You and I, aren¡¯t we friends before the master and subordinate rtionship?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    "Well, I usually treat you more like a subordinate than a friend.¡±


    He would repay Huroi¡¯s honest heart someday. He had promised many times.


    Puk!Puuok!


    Seokeok!


    After that, the injuries on Grid¡¯s body increased as he protected Huroi.


    ¡®Foolish man. Sacrificing yourself to protect your subordinate, you are no match for me.¡¯


    Fulito folded his arms. He lost interest in Grid and returned to his bystander¡¯s attitude. Meanwhile, Kamiyan¡¯s onught continued.


    "Without that golden spear, you are nothing!¡±


    Kamiyan didn¡¯t give Grid a chance to breathe. Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Health, defense and dexterity will rise by 200% for one hour.]


    It was a skill that couldn¡¯t be used intentionally. It was only triggered when he was showing extreme patience. Grid had some room to move thanks to its help, while Kamiyan and the ck Knights turned pale.


    ¡®What ridiculous defense!¡¯


    Grid wouldn¡¯t fall, no matter how much he was injured. Therefore, Kamiyan and the ck Knights looked at Grid like he was a monster. Grid¡¯s armor and shield were so powerful. How long could he endure?


    ¡°Light Sword!¡±


    Kamiyan used a skill that he developed from Duke Limit.


    Chaaeng!


    A sword of aura moved through the air and struck the Divine Shield. It was the overwhelming attack power. Grid¡¯s body was defenseless for a moment, and five ck Knights stabbed at him.


    At that moment. The ughterer¡¯s Mask that covered half of Grid¡¯s face was painted a clear red. This was why Grid allowed the attacks of the ck Knights without defending using Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    [The effect of Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears is activated. Attack power will increase by 50% for 5 seconds.]


    "Now it¡¯s my turn.¡± Grid invoked cksmith¡¯s Rage and dered towards Kamiyan. ¡°I will kill all of you within five seconds.¡±


    A dark red light shone from his eyes. Kamiyan perceived the danger and triggered Keen Senses. Grid¡¯s fist flew towards him. Kamiyan tried to avoid it, but Lifael¡¯s Spear flew and constricted his behavior.


    ¡°Kuheook!¡±


    What was this damage? It was much more powerful than before. Grid¡¯s fists continuously struck Kamiyan¡¯s face, who was shocked by the previous impact through the red armor. The ck Knights tried to control Grid by attacking him, but it was useless. Lifael¡¯s Spear flew over and protected him.


    Chaaeng!Jjang!Jjejejeok!


    Crash!


    cksmith¡¯s Rage, Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears and Morale Boost.


    Kamiyan was constantly struck for four seconds by Grid¡¯s fists that had the strongest buff skills ovepped, and eventually kneeled down. His remaining health was already low so he couldn¡¯t survive five seconds.


    ¡°This... Yo...u.¡±


    A grey pir rose into the sky. It symbolized Kamiyan¡¯s end.


    "...¡±


    A Red Knight was defeated with bare hands! Everyone was shocked. All of South Korea was shaking. The news spread around the world within minutes. Currently, OGC¡¯s audience rating was 41%.


    "Are you having fun?¡±


    OGC Station.


    The director was cheering like it was a jackpot, when a visitor arrived. Her perfect proportions and slender legs captivated everyone¡¯s eyes. She was so beautiful that all other existences faded away. It was none other than Yura.


    "I came to receive Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s payment.¡±


    Yura made a smile that fascinated those of all ages. Her eyes were as cold as ice.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276


    Yura was praised as one of the best beauties in the world. Her beauty transcended race and people¡¯s tastes. She was a hundred times more beautiful in reality than on TV or photos. It felt like they would go blind when they stared at her.


    It was so astounding that everyone was silent.


    ¡°...¡±


    The director was entranced by Yura¡¯s beauty and came forward. He was 45 years old. He married his first love 20 years ago and hadn¡¯t cheated once. But this was the first time he faced a crisis.


    ¡°Hum hum! Hum!¡± The director regained his senses. He cleared his throat and smiled brightly. ¡°It is the most auspicious day for this station thanks to Yura-ssi¡¯s presence. But why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°I came to im Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s fee.¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo...?¡±


    One man came to mind.


    ¡®Grid.¡¯


    His real name was Shin Youngwoo. The team members were agitated.


    "Did Grid give you permission to broadcast live?¡±


    "What permission? We didn¡¯t know it was Grid in the first ce.¡±


    "Huh, you can be in big trouble if you aren¡¯t careful.¡±


    "Why is Yuraing forward for Grid?¡±


    ¡°The rumor that she is close to Grid is true.¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t Grid together with Jishuka? Wasn¡¯t there a scandalst time?¡±


    ¡°There was also a scandal with Yura.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The men trembled. They really envied Grid. It was to the point where they wanted to cry.


    ¡®In my next life, I must be born as Grid!¡¯


    They would hit the ground and wail with regret if they were born as Grid, but they didn¡¯t know this fact.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±


    The director led Yura to his office. The chief director¡¯s office. Elegance flowed from Yura as she sat on the sofa. Even the way she held the cup of tea was reminiscent of a noble. Yura sipped the tea before cutting to the chase.


    "Pay Youngwoo-ssi 30% of the ad revenue generated by this broadcast. Then Youngwoo-ssi will forget that it was broadcasted without his permission.¡±


    "30% of the ad revenue?¡±


    It was absurd. It was enough to break down the broadcasting system.


    "This joke is too much.¡±


    Currently, the best star in South Korea was Yura. Even she wasn¡¯t given a proportion of the advertising revenue for a broadcast. Grid was a popr trend, but Yura¡¯s demands were too unrealistic.


    "I will give 350 million won.¡±


    It was an amount that put him in the same ss as Yura. This was more than necessary. But it didn¡¯te close to satisfying Yura.


    ¡°You know that you can be held seriously liable if you use the gamey video of another person formercial purposes without permission.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Many cruel things were shown on this broadcast, so the Communications Commission is likely toe down harshly on you. It will be bothersome. Excess greed is just a poison.¡±


    Yura was one of the wealthiest people in South Korea. She had the bestwyers. The director wasn¡¯t ignorant of this. He thought carefully and replied, "I know that our position is disadvantageous. But 30% is too much.¡±


    It was estimated that the advertising revenue of this live broadcast would be close to 15 billion won. This was an industry record. But to hand over one-third of it to an individual? It was beyondmon sense and he couldn¡¯t make the decision alone.


    ¡°In the first ce, we ryed without knowing that the man in the mask was Grid. There is no reason to believe that we intentionally exploited Grid. In addition, Grid didn¡¯t directly reveal his face, so it doesn¡¯t infringe on his image rights. Besides, the filming stage was a public event. We have the right to broadcast everything that happens in a public venue...¡±


    In fact, OGC Station¡¯s position wasn¡¯t disadvantageous. However, the person holding the sword was Yura.


    "Please handle it flexibly. If you show me your sincerity, I will coordinate my schedule with OGC. Who knows? Youngwoo-ssi might also like OGC because of this work.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t time to look at the immediate profit and loss. Grid and Yura. Wasn¡¯t this an opportunity to build a rtionship with the two top stars who represented South Korea? If he could n a broadcast around them, OGC would be able to steadily generate profits like today.


    ¡°I will contact you after a meeting. If we¡¯re to transfer the advertising revenue, we will need to draw up a few separate contracts that I hope you¡¯ll review.¡±


    "Okay, now the conversation is good.¡±


    Yura smiled brightly at the director¡¯s clever judgment. Then the director asked her a careful question as she rose from her seat.


    ¡°However... You recently disappeared from the rankings. Is it because you obtained a hidden ss like everyone guessed?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one day I will exin in an interview with OGC news.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! If this is true... I¡¯m happy just imagining it!¡±


    A huge smile. The director¡¯s rising lips were unwilling to go down. He escorted Yura out of the building.


    Click.


    Yura entered the limousine with a bright expression. She was very satisfied, because the negotiations proceeded more easily than she had expected.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been different if this was a major broadcasting station.¡¯ Fortunately, the opponent was OGC. As a broadcaster that only dealt with the ¡®games¡¯ genre, they appreciated Grid¡¯s value. ¡®Won¡¯t Youngwoo-ssi be happy?¡¯


    Demon yer was a ss hostile to the Yatan Church and demonkin. Therefore, she had no choice but to build up a rtionship with the Reba Church. Yura was interested in the pope candidates for this reason. She watched OGC¡¯s live broadcast of the speeches.


    But what was this? The broadcast¡¯s main character changed to Grid. Yura was worried when she watched the broadcast. Grid still didn¡¯t know about the broadcasting world and this could harm him. She was concerned and immediately took action.


    She visited OGC and made it so that Grid received a huge profit rather than a loss.


    Her reasoning was simple: Yura wanted to look good to Grid. As the former 5th ranked user, she was well aware of Overgeared¡¯s importance and wished to join them. She needed a ce to rely on until her level was restored.


    A few private emotions were also mixed in.


    ***


    The Vatican.


    ¡°Such a pathetic person.¡±


    Kamiyan might be inexperienced, but Fulito never thought he would be killed by a fist. He was the shame of the Red Knights. Fulito didn¡¯t mourn Kamiyan¡¯s death. Rather, he cursed Kamiyan.


    "I¡¯m in this embarrassing situation because of that jerk.¡±


    After Piaro betrayed the empire. The new Red Knights developed by Sword Duke Limit were reputed to be ck-hearted. They sneered at the residents of the empire, calling anyone not part of the Red Knights weak. In such a situation, a Red Knight was killed by a man¡¯s bare fists? The dignity of the Red Knights was shaken to its roots.


    Fulito was obliged to prevent this situation.


    "Wait until the end of the event." Grid would be able to use weapons once the event was over. ¡°At that time, I will beat you up and regain the dignity of the Red Knights.¡±


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    This was good news for Grid. Fulito¡¯sbat power couldn¡¯t be measured. He was much strongerpared to Kamiyan. He wasn¡¯t someone that could be beaten just by relying on Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid hadn¡¯t been sure how to deal with him, so it was good that Fulito was giving him a chance.


    The viewers cheered.


    -Wow, Fulito of the Red Knights is a little scary.He gave Grid time to beat his colleague to death.


    -His confidence is incredible.Is he a single number?


    -No, single number knights have gold epaulettes on their shoulders.


    -Hrmm...Then he must be in the 10¡¯s.


    -Even the 20th knight is several times stronger than the 30th knight.


    The illegal gambling sites were booming with all types of spections.


    [Grid vs. Red Knight Fulito]


    The gamblers started betting on who would win the match. Surprisingly, many gamblers bet on Fulito¡¯s victory. He had leisurely watched while Kamiyan was killed by Grid. Considering that he also gave Grid time to use weapons, Fulito must be much stronger. In any case, Fulito seemed certain that he was stronger than Grid, so the winner of the battle would naturally be Fulito.


    -It¡¯s time for my chicken toe.


    -My chicken arrived 5 minutes ago and I¡¯ve already eaten two chicken legs.


    -Sigh...When will this start? I will drink a bottle of soju while waiting.


    -There are many boring pope candidates.


    -Ah???? I just remembered that this broadcast was originally a speech event for the pope candidates ????


    As Grid waited for the end of the event, OGC¡¯s audience ratings surpassed 43%. Rumors that the confrontation between Grid and the Red Knight would be started soon began to spread. Millions of foreign viewers flooded to the OGC web channel, almost paralyzing the server.


    As the whole world was watching,


    [The pope candidate¡¯s speech event has ended.]


    [The weapons that have been disabled for safety are released.]


    [The +9 Failure has been equipped.]


    [The +8 Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword has been equipped. Only 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power will be applied due to the penalty.]


    Grid held the two greatswords in both hands. The users were excited.


    -Two sword style?


    -Is he a rookie?How can Two Sword Style be used with greatswords?Really stupid;;


    -It should be very restrictive to swing tworge weapons at the same time.His posture will easily crumble.


    -Aish, you should only use one greatsword while fighting.This is just to look cool.


    Themunity of the gambling sites fell into chaos. The gamblers who bet on Grid startedining.


    -Ah, this sucks.


    -I stupidly believed in him.Hah...


    -I was mistaken when I thought he was better than before.


    -The nightmare is starting again...


    -Does he know he¡¯s being ridiculed?


    Grid attacked Fulito without saying a single word.


    Jjejeong!


    When the attack from the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was blocked...


    Papat!


    Failure was swung. Unlike Kamiyan¡¯s Keen Senses which was an active skill, Fulito¡¯s movements were affected by a passive skill, so it was hard to hit him. Fulito avoided Grid¡¯s counterattack and used a skill.


    ¡°Light Sword.¡±


    The power of this skill was iparable to what Kamiyan used before. It was obvious that Grid would take a lot of damage when defending, and the orbit was too exquisite to avoid. Then what should Grid do? The maturing Grid knew how to cope with this.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    A counterattack triggered at the perfect timing. The power of the skill also rose due to the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword. Blood spurted from Fulito¡¯s chest.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Fulito was shocked. Grid was much stronger than when he defeated Kamiyan. It was natural.


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased attack power, critical attack chance, and critical attack damage, as well as generating all types of passive skills. But this was only applied when a sword type weapon was equipped.


    When armed with a greatsword, Grid was strong enough to exceed the extent that Fulito had assumed.


    -Wow, Two Sword Style really appeared.


    -Kyah~ truly God Grid.


    As always, the viewers¡¯ switch in opinion was fast. The people who were ignoring Grid just a minute ago were now praising him.


    Currently, OGC¡¯s audience rating was 45%. Reaching 50% wasn¡¯t a dream. It was a record in the decades of Korean broadcasting. Grid was once again writing a new legend.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277


    Rankers were mainly popr around the world, but Grid was different. Most foreigners disliked Grid. There were those who mocked and criticized him for his poor control skills in the National Competition.


    But at this moment, the flow started to change. Grid elevated his control after endless efforts and was silencing the criticism against him.


    ¡°Aura Festival!¡±


    Pepeng!Pepepepeong!


    It was like firecrackers. The chain of aura explosions put pressure on Grid.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s concentrate.¡¯


    It was a great skill, but there was no need to shrink back in front of it. A red light shone from Grid¡¯s eyes. He utilized his high insight to grasp the trajectory of the explosions and evade, causing the viewers to feel admiration.


    [You have suffered 2,362 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,510 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,487...]


    The advantage of Aura Festival was its range. It was such a widespread attack that it was impossible to avoid them allpletely with Grid¡¯s agility. However, it was such arge-scale skill that its damage was weak. Allowing a few attacks wasn¡¯t fatal. Thanks to the doppelganger¡¯s essory set, his indomitable stat was maximized and helped reduce the damage.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The atmosphere in the sky started swarming towards Grid. A huge explosion of energy burst from Grid. No, it was at the level of a gravity pull. It was the precursor to Grid¡¯s conversion from a close range damage dealer to a ranged damage dealer.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    Supak!


    Every time Grid swung the sword,


    Kukwakwang!


    An energy de was shot at Fulito on the ground. The momentum wasparable to lightning.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The attack speed and downpour of energy des from Grid served as a disaster for Fulito. Failure hit once. Then the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword hit once again. The two greatswords that were continuously swung without rest were fast and strong. They didn¡¯t give Fulito any breathing room.


    ¡®An entirely different level!¡¯


    Fulito ran around the crumbling ground and gradually realized the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡®A single number...!¡¯


    The single number knights were a target of awe for their fellow Red Knights. Grid¡¯s skills resembled them. From the moment Aura Festival was beaten, Fulito had already determined the gap between himself and Grid.


    ¡®Eternal! A mere small kingdom was hiding a monster like this!¡¯


    It was scandalous and dangerous. He had to tell this fact to the emperor. There was an obligation to raise their vignce towards the Eternal Kingdom.


    Peeng!


    Fulito was hit in the right shoulder.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    He was helpless. He couldn¡¯t avoid the storm of energy des that was pouring towards him. Fulito used Super Armor.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The golden protectiveyer neutralized the energy des. It was tremendous defense, but unfortunately, the duration of Super Armor wasn¡¯t very long. Fulito shouted to the ck Knights.


    ¡°I will retreat! Tie up his feet and earn me some time!¡±


    It was a desperatemand. The ck Knights paled at the thought of sacrificing themselves. But the principles of the subordinates were absolute. The ck Knights grasped their swords and attacked. They confronted Grid¡¯s energy des to allow Fulito to retreat.


    Grid stopped using Transcend and descended to the ground before using Link.


    "This is Huroi¡¯s share.¡±


    It was punishment for their sin of attacking Huroi.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    The ck Knights¡¯ attacks were offset by Link and then the onught began.


    Pit!Pipipipipit!


    Puhwahak!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Blood emerged from the seams of the ck armor. His swordsmanshipbined with Vital Spot Detection was much more maturepared to the past.


    ¡°Don¡¯t send...!¡±


    The ck Knights barely managed to strike back against Grid. They all aimed at him. They used their strongest skills, without caring about defense. It was an obvious crisis for Grid.


    -Wow.


    -Will Grid die?


    The viewers were immersed in the broadcast and forgot to eat their chicken.


    Hwiririk!


    A white hooded zip up was seen. Grid used the movements that he saw when Piaro sparred against Faker and rotated his body like a spin top. The ck Knights simultaneously used five skills, but two of them were non-targeted skills and didn¡¯t hit him. He was lightly grazed and only received minor damage.


    "Shit!"


    The frustrated ck Knights found themselves covered in a blue light. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave threatened the five ck Knights.


    ¡°This is my share!¡±


    This was punishment for the sin of aiming their swords against him!


    ¡°Kuheok!¡±


    The waves of energy that stretched out from Grid caused the ck Knights to scream. In the process, Grid was hit by three skills, but he suffered less damage than the ck Knights. It was natural. Grid was currently armed with the armor set made by the legendary cksmith Pagma out of a god mineral.


    "This is my share! Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°Why do you have another share?¡±


    The behavior of Grid, who took more of a share than the beaten up Huroi, confused the ck Knights. Anyway, the attack hit them regardless of their feelings.


    Seokeok!


    The ck Knights were slowed by the effects of Grid, and the one in the front had his armorpletely broken by Grid. It was the power of Failure.


    [You have defeated ck Knight Dever.]


    [8,960,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [79]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Grid had gained arge amount of experience from Kamiyan, so he enjoyed the sight of the level up notification window. He was now level 296. There were four more levels left until he reached 300. Very soon, his stats would undergo the third awakening.


    Ssik!


    Laughing while cutting a person in half? Grid was wearing a bizarre mask with an eerie red light behind it. He looked like a blood covered demon as heughed. In other words, he seemed crazy.


    -It reminds me of old times.


    -When Grid was called the Butcher?


    -Right.It when when he killed the Giant Guild. At that time, a regr user going against the Giant Guild. It was invigorating to watch.


    What was the reason why users became fans of rankers? It was because they could live vicariously through them. The users were thrilled when they saw the rankers do things that were impossible for them. Then they gradually became fans. This was how the viewers watching Grid felt now. There were also foreigners watching the broadcast through the web channel. In the chat window, the anti-fans fell silent.


    Teong!


    Grid used Fly magic to break through the ck Knight that turned into ash. He moved at a fast speed and reached Fulito, before switching his shoes. Braham¡¯s Boots disappeared and Grid¡¯s Boots were equipped.


    At the same time, the Fly spell was turned off. Grid¡¯s body rapidly gained weight and fell to the ground. Fulito used a skill to defend against the two greatswords that were falling rapidly.


    ¡°Red Sword!¡±


    It was one of the strongest skills passed down through the Red Knights for generations. A secret technique that only the Red Knights from the 10s onwards could receive.


    Hwaruruk!


    The golden aura around Fulito¡¯s sword was stained red. It was mes itself. The mes flying towards Grid were enough to blow away a small mountain. But the viewers knew.


    -Grid has more skills.


    -Legendary skills.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The greatsword was strengthened by Grid¡¯s Boots, so the fierce Kill decided Victory.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Heeok?¡±


    Kill crushed the Red Sword that it collided with. One of the Red Knights, with their 300 years of history, copsed to this extent? Fulito¡¯s face was stunned as the blow overwhelmed the Red Sword. Fulito screamed as he offset half the power of Kill with Limit Sword.


    ¡°Who the hell are you? How could a strong person like you be so anonymous in the meantime?¡±


    Fulito had determined that the source of Grid¡¯s power was in the artifacts, including the golden spear. But that was a clear misjudgment. Grid¡¯s strength was his swordsmanship. It was a rare transcendental swordsmanship.


    Transcendental swordsmanship! It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Grid had inherited the powers of Pagma, the legendary cksmith and great swordsman, as well as studied under Piaro. Just looking at this environmental aspects, Grid had the foundations to leapfrog above existing legends.


    The problem was that his natural talent was low.


    ¡°Anonymous? I am famous?¡±


    The Red Knights believed that the Saharan Empire was the whole world. Grid was well aware that they were frogs in a well and stabbed Failure at Fulito¡¯s heart.


    "It won¡¯t be so easy!¡±


    Fulito fired Super Sensitivity, whichsted for five seconds, avoided Failure and rushed to Grid¡¯s side. Using Super Sensitivity caused his brain to overload, so Fulito was already determined to die.


    ¡¯If I have to die, I will take you with me!¡¯


    This was thest resort. But by the time he reached his destination, the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword was already flying. Grid had predicted the behavior. If the stabbing of a greatsword failed, how would the enemy respond?


    ¡®I fought Randy who cloned Pagma over 80 times.¡¯


    Puok!


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    "Goodbye, fake knight.¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel. Only Red Knights with their strength would be a threat to Grid. No, Piaro¡¯s strength surpassed Grid. Compared to them, Fulito was just shameful.


    "Kukuk...! You might be strong enough to win over Kamiyan and I! There are many Red Knights who I can¡¯t bepared with! You can¡¯t go against the single number knights!¡±


    "Stop speaking long words.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t exert his full skills in this battle. There were still a lot of items and title effects that would be saved.


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    Fulito still had one-third of his health left despite his heart being pierced. He was secretly preparing a counterattack. He secretly gathered his aura while pulling Grid¡¯s attention. He was nning to inflict damage on Grid by exploding his aura and then link up his swordsmanship. But Grid¡¯s sword was faster than the aura explosion.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Grid read the suspicious actions and sessively swung Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword. The two greatswords crossed many times and Fulito¡¯s health fell to the bottom. Grid checked it and dered.


    ¡®Bring it on, Pascal.¡¯


    The price for aiming at Grid¡¯s life would be repaid. Then Grid smiled as many notification windows appeared in front of him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    [You have defeated Fulito, the 19th Red Knight of the Saharan Empire, who ughtered ethnic minorities under their banner.]


    [If this news is spread to the empire, the empire will order your assassination.]


    [43,908,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [81]


    [Red Armor has been acquired.]


    [Skill Book: Aura Festival has been acquired.]


    [Red Armor]


    Rating: Unique


    ...


    ...


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery Level 5 or higher.


    [Skill Book: Aura Festival]


    Rating: Unique


    Launches aura that causes a wide explosion.


    The higher the skill level, the better the range and power.


    Acquisition Conditions: Must be able to use aura.


    The red armor was too heavy and boasted high durability and defense instead of having options. It wascking for the Overgeared members to use.


    ¡®But it can be sold at a pretty high price.¡¯


    The Overgeared members felt like the Red Armor wascking because Grid made items for them, but general users were different. For general users, the Red Armor was an S-grade item. It was the case even if they couldn¡¯t wear the armor.


    ¡®But it¡¯s better to sell it after making modifications.¡¯


    If the reconstruction was sessful, the value of the item might surge. Maybe it would be enough for the Overgeared members to use.


    ¡®Skill book...¡¯


    It was amazing. Aura Festival. There was a reason why it was dangerous.


    ¡®Unique skill.¡¯


    Skills could be used permanently once learned. The value of a unique skillbook was simr or better than the value of a legendary item.


    ¡®I should sell this to Pon or Ibellin.¡¯


    He earned a huge amount of money after a long time. He had been living as a beggar after pouring all his money into the building construction, and now he had room to spare again.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have a pizza for celebration.¡¯


    He nned to eat a cheese crust, which cost an extra 3,000 won more. He would also add grated Parmesan cheese and hot sauce for an extra 700 won each.


    ¡°Kukukuk.¡±


    Grid was filled with joy. His smiling face while wearing a bloody mask caused the viewers to get the chills.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid stoppingughing and turned his gaze towards the camera.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t a few people watching?¡¯


    OGC was recognized as a professional gaming channel. Grid assumed there would be at least 100,000 people watching the broadcast right now.


    ¡®A broadcast that appeared unexpectedly.¡¯


    He should thoroughly utilize this. Grid started promoting his guild.


    "The Overgeared Guild is recruiting guild members with secondary sses like cleaners, chefs, tailors, construction workers, cksmiths, alchemists, etc. For more information, please contact Lauel.¡±


    Except for Grid and Euphemina, the Overgeared members were solely dedicated tobat. The soon to be merged Silver Knights Guild also had a much higher percentage ofbat sses. In order to develop his estate, he needed to employ arge number of secondary sses.


    ¡®Maybe 100 people will apply to join. There should be a few talented people that could be used.¡¯


    Grid never knew it, but OGC¡¯s audience rating now exceeded 55%. The peak audience rating was close to 63%. A record was set after half a century. It was the first time a single channel in South Korea monopolized the views since the end of full-fledged channels in 2011.


    15 seconds of advertisements were sold for around 3 billion won. Now that the broadcast reached its climax, Grid was promoting to millions of people for free. The impact was tremendous. Right now, tens of thousands of users were writing letters to Lauel to ask to join the guild.


    Now Lauel was so busy that he even ran out of time to sleep. Grid unintentionally gave a lot of work to Lauel.


    Then a new notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [The time attack quest ¡®Evidence Destruction¡¯ has been created.]


    [Evidence Destruction]


    Level of Difficulty: AAA


    The fact that you have defeated the ck Knights and Red Knights of the Saharan Empire will inevitably bring a crisis towards you.


    Destroy the remaining enemies and kill or appease the leaders of the incident.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Eliminate the surviving ck Knights (0/4). Kill or reconcile with the leaders of this incident, Pascal and the elders.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Rumors about you won¡¯t spread to the Saharan Empire.


    Quest Failure: The Saharan Empire will issue an order for your death.


    Time Period: 2 hours.


    ¡°Huroi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huroi had restored his health under the protection of Lifael¡¯s Spear while Grid had been fighting Fulito. Grid told him, "Kill the remaining ck Knights.¡±


    It would give him an opportunity to get revenge for his humiliation and get some experience. Huroi was thrilled as he understood the meaning and replied, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    "Okay.¡±


    Grid immediately left the ce. His destination was the elders¡¯ meeting room. After being left alone, the ck Knights immediately surrounded Huroi. They smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°Grid, he¡¯s stupid. Leaving you alone.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll kill you, then return to the empire to use Grid!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention My Lord¡¯s name with your dirty mouth.¡±


    "Someone who will soon die should shut their mouths!¡±


    The ck Knights made fun of Huroi. They had seen Huroi¡¯s skills earlier, and they was terrible. Didn¡¯t Grid actually say it? Huroi was weak. The ck Knights were the second most influential knights group on the continent. It was four against one, so the fight seemed advantageous to the ck Knights.


    "Die!"


    The ck Knights attacked in unison. The momentum was overwhelming. However, Huroi didn¡¯t shrink back. Huroi pulled out the smaller one-handed version of Dainsleif and defended against the ck Knights¡¯ attacks.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    "You aren¡¯t our opponent!¡±


    The ck Knights increased their momentum and tried to attack again. Then a huge shadow appeared above them.


    Kuwooooh!


    A red drake roared. It was said that only 100 out of two billion users owned a drake. This was Huroi¡¯s true identity.


    "I am weak, but that is only whenpared to My Lord.¡±


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    Kwaaaaah!


    mes poured out. Huroi broke down the ck Knights one by one. The Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner started his rampage.


    -Wow...


    An orator killing the ck Knights? Huroi¡¯s appearance gave a new shock to the viewers.


    ***


    One hour before the pope¡¯s speech event began.


    Pon and Regas, who had been out of contact for a month, finally returned to Reidan. Did they seed in clearing the dungeon? No. It was a failure. The strongest duo in Overgeared died without even reaching the boss. The vampire city had countless numbers of powerful vampires.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dungeon that is originally intended for two users. There needs to be at least 10 third advancement sses in the party. More than 20 people is probably necessary if we want to clear it within four days.¡±


    ¡°The vampires¡¯ evasion ability is designed to disable attacks apart from the divine attribute. If we want to hunt them more easily, we need weapons or skills with divine power.¡±


    "We tried to reach the boss and obtain the information before we died, but it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    "Our preparations were too insufficient. We ran out of potions and food, and our items¡¯ durability fell, so it was unavoidable.¡±


    And so on.


    Pon and Regas shared the information about the vampire city with the guild members. Lauel looked at the overall situation.


    ¡®There are at least 13 vampire cities in the western part of the Eternal Kingdom.¡¯


    The city was categorized as a dungeon and the entrance was blocked 10 seconds after people entered. The exit wouldn¡¯t be created until the vampire boss was knocked down. The only way to escape was to hunt the boss or die.


    ¡¯In the 13th city, the vampires are at least level 280 to 350. They are sensitive to the smell and blood and light, and have excellent ability to read facial expressions. Their main skills are dark magic and the evasion of other attributes. Some of them use the sword as a weapon. The items they drop are various jewellery and cloth armor.¡¯


    In the case of ¡®true blood vampires,¡¯ which were ssified as quasi boss grade monsters, they also dropped spellbooks and elixirs.


    ¡®Elixirs... It¡¯s huge.¡¯


    Elixirs permanently raised stats. Naturally the value was astronomical. A vampire city was a great growth tform for a guild if they could monopolize it.


    ¡®The boss monster information is still unknown.¡¯


    Seuk seuk.


    Lauel¡¯s hands moved quickly as he wrote a report for Grid. He was concentrating when he heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a while?¡±


    Lauel was an earl of the Eternal Kingdom and acting lord of Reidan. There was only one person, apart from the Overgeared members, who would treat him like this. It was Minor, who was famous for being indifferent.


    About 3 months ago. Grid had ordered the minerals detector boy to search for pavranium, and he had finally returned safely.


    ¡°Sigh, really. It was a hard search.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t object to the rude behavior of the boy, who sat on the couch without permission. Lauel¡¯s standards for evaluating people were their capabilities over personality.


    That was how he decided to follow Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯vee back safely.¡±


    Lauel said with a smile, causing Minor to shrug.


    "I¡¯m not d at all.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re still like this. By the way, did you find the golem¡¯sbyrinths?¡±


    ¡°No. Nobyrinths exist here in the west.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expression stiffened. "No pavranium...? Duke Grid will be very disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Who said there is no pavranium? I just said there were no golembyrinths.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Minor handed a map to the puzzled Lauel. ¡°I can feel the energy of pavranium from these dungeons marked here.¡±


    A map of the west. There were 15 ces marked with a X and unfortunately, one of the coincided with the vampire city.


    ¡®This, perhaps...?¡¯ Lauel asked. "Are the dungeon entrances in the form of an ant hill?¡±


    "Eh? How did you know?¡±


    Indeed. The ces that Minor marked on the map were vampire cities.


    ¡°Kukukuk...¡±


    Lauel covered his face with his hand and his shoulders shook as heughed. He muttered as he exposed the whites of his teeth.


    ¡°This, this... If the pavranium are sealed in the vampire cities... Lady Luck that I used to love in my past life hasn¡¯t forgotten me, and it¡¯s giving me great help. In order to give back to her, I should retrieve the memories of my past life that I have sealed. Then I will give her a kiss on the cheek.¡±


    ¡®Crazy guy.¡¯


    Minor was a young boy, but he could see that normal people were rare to find around Grid. It was natural. Grid himself wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡®I don¡¯t belong in this ce. I should be the emperor¡¯s genius right hand.¡¯


    He dreamed of a ce with great fame.


    ¡°Huhuhut...¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk...¡±


    Lauel and Minorughed wildly while absorbed in their thoughts.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Jude felt a strange feeling as he came to the office to report to Lauel.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279


    "There¡¯s gold painted on his mouth.¡±


    Damian was the biggest yer in the pope candidates¡¯ speech event. The other candidates criticized the factions, the Yatan Church, and showed their political colors, while Damian emphasized charity.


    By calling up the basic doctrines pursued by the Reba Church, it stimted the nature of the clergy and reminded them of how wicked Pascal¡¯s behavior was. It was a speech technique based on Huroi¡¯s teachings that if the audience¡¯s attention was scattered, it was better to approach them indirectly.


    The effect was big. Pascal¡¯s supporters stood indecisively as cracks showed, and some showed a small affinity for Damian. In the past two weeks, Huroi had thoroughly trained Damian. But Pascal was scornful.


    "Your ideals can never be realized. Most of the existing senior priests are already dirty because of Drevigo. Charity? Why are you so obsessed with that meaningless act?¡±


    "What do you want to say?¡±


    "It means that ttering the junior priests are useless. The senior priests with the right to vote won¡¯t agree with you. Your speech targeted the wrong people.¡±


    Damian wasn¡¯t upset at all.


    ¡°That might be the case right now. However, it will change slowly. Most of the priests aren¡¯t rotten to the core, unlike you. I will try my best to help the priests recover their past. Today is only the first step.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Damian¡¯s atmosphere had changed significantly over the past two weeks. He was more proud and didn¡¯t know fear. A firm belief was giving him confidence. He had unwavering eyes since Grid emerged.


    ¡®It¡¯s unlucky.¡¯


    He was bing more like that dirty Grid. Pascal shrugged and said with a sigh. "Well, you might believe in Grid now, but that is just short-lived. Sooner orter, you will realize reality. I look forward to it. In a month, I will be pope and treat Reba¡¯s Daughters harshly. You will be helpless and have to watch with despair.¡±


    Isabel, standing next to Damian, flinched. Her past hell-like days surfaced when she saw Pascal¡¯s snake eyes. She felt the fear more strongly because she was at the crossroad of life and death just a few days ago. Damian hid Isabel behind his back and dered, "Even if you are the pope, I will protect Isabel-chan.¡±


    "You still haven¡¯t grasped things to the end. If you don¡¯t have the strength, you should shut up and sit down. It¡¯s providence.¡±


    Only the strong could reign, while the weak existed to be trampled on. It was the value of the empire that conquered many colonies and turned the people into livestock. If Pascal became the pope, the Reba Church would be transformed into a religion that followed the interests of the empire.


    ¡°Hahahahat!¡±


    Damian covered the frightened Isabel. Pascalughed at them and left the room. Damian shook his head and reassured Isabel.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Isabel-chan will be happy. I will make it so.¡±


    ¡°Damian...¡±


    The young man¡¯s pure and true heart started to reach the girl.


    ***


    The elders¡¯ meeting room.


    23 elders were having a drinking party in a ce that oversaw the divine affairs of the Reba Church. Some people had naked women beside them. They were prostitutes that Earl Chirita brought from the empire.


    Pascal¡¯s face twisted. "What are you doing? Have you forgotten how many people from all over the world areing to see the Vatican today? You should be careful today when there are a lot of eyes!¡±


    ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t be so angry. Aren¡¯t we in a secret ce?¡± Earl Chirita rose from his seat among the elders. He pulled Pascal down into a chair and smiled at him. ¡°That guy called Grid, he should be dead by now.¡±


    Pascal suppressed his temper.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it obvious? 19th Knight Fulito is capable of killing thousands of soldiers alone. As soon as Grid became his target, there was no room to escape, no matter what tricks he used.¡±


    There was no doubt. The Red Knights might be less than the ones of the previous generation, but the power of the knights in the 10¡¯s was absolute. They couldn¡¯t be defeated.


    "Let¡¯s drink to my son, he will be the father of 80 millions members in a month.¡±


    Pascal received Earl Chirita¡¯s drink. They were father and son, but their behavior was quite natural.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid was an eyesore. He couldn¡¯t help feeling pleasure at the thought of Grid being dead. It seemed like new hair would grow out from his bald patches.


    ¡®I am finally free from that damn hair loss.¡¯


    Pascal was feeling invigorated over the ss of alcohol when the door burst open. Was it Fulito returning after his mission? Everybody thought so.


    ¡°Kuak!"


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Someone crossed the door without permission. No, one of Earl Chirita¡¯s knights came flying. He was one of the six knights guarding the entrance. He was already dying.


    ¡°R-Run away.¡± The knight stuttered. He was frightened. It was like he had witnessed the grim reaper.


    ¡°Run away?¡±


    This was the meeting room of the elders. As one of the most sacred ces in the Vatican, its safety was guaranteed for hundreds of years. This was the final stronghold that people escaped to, not run away from! So what was this person saying now?


    A drunk elder rose from his seat.


    "Who dares intrude on this sacred ce?¡±


    ¡°Is this a sacred ce? I thought it was a rotten ce?¡±


    Then a sarcastic voice was heard from behind the door.


    Step step.


    The steps came closer. It was someone that nobody expected. The identity of the intruder...


    ¡°G-Grid?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    Pascal and the elders looked like they were seeing ghosts. Wasn¡¯t Grid supposed to be killed by the Red Knights and ck Knights!?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    A chill went down Pascal¡¯s spine.


    ¡®Grid defeated the 19th knight?¡¯


    As the confusion spread, Grid looked over at the prostitutes. There were some women withrge breasts, and usually his gaze would be fixed on them.


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    At this moment, Grid was convinced.


    ¡®Goddess Reba is wrong.¡¯


    They broke the doctrines andmitted wicked acts, but they still had divine power as long as they sincerely believed in her? She was a very narrow-minded and careless goddess.


    ¡®No, the goddess might just be pure.¡¯


    The problem was with those who abused the purity of the goddess.


    ¡¯Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡¯


    Now there was only one thing Grid wanted. "All of you will die here.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Pascal and the elders flinched with fright. Grid grinned at them with a hard expression in his eyes.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m in a different position from Damian, so I can deal with you as I like. This is the truth, but thank you for aiming at me.¡±


    Pascal and the elders turned red. The system recognized that they had sent the Red Knights and ck Knights as assassins. Therefore, he could attack them without fearing the Goddess¡¯ Curse. Earl Chirita yelled at the grinning Grid.


    ¡°You dumb bastard! Don¡¯t you know who I am? Who are you toe her and say such random things?¡±


    Thanks to his son, Earl Chirita had lost his sense of reason. He thought that everything would always go his way.


    "What are you doing? Go and kill him!¡±


    He ordered the wounded knights. They were going to die anyway. The knights of Earl Chirita rose up again. Then they immediately struck at Grid. They didn¡¯t feel fighting spirit, or the will to live. They only felt fear. However, they weren¡¯t in the 200¡¯s yet and couldn¡¯t be Grid¡¯s opponent.


    Seokeok!


    The biggest advantage of a greatsword was its destructive power. The superb sword cut the knights to pieces. The blood of the knights scattered all over the table filled with delicacies.


    "Kyaaak!"


    The prostitutes and Earl Chirita fell back down.


    ¡°R-Really... He is stronger than Fulito...¡±


    Earl Chirita muttered nkly, while Pascal tried to calm Grid down.


    "Duke Grid, what happened that made you in such a rage? First of all, let¡¯s settle down and talk out the misunderstanding.¡±


    Indeed, Pascal was a real trickster. At this moment, his acting was really natural.


    Grid snorted. ¡°What should we speak about when you sent the Red Knights and ck Knights to assassinate me? Just stay silent and die."


    Pascal angrily denied it. "No, was there such a thing? I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡±


    "Stop acting.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Grid didn¡¯t believe him, so Pascal nced towards Earl Chirita. "Earl Chirita, was it you? Did you send assassins to kill Duke Grid?¡±


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    This guy was trying to sell out his own father? Earl Chirita received a big shock and was speechless. Pascal whispered to him, ¡°Sacrifice yourself. I am the one who is going to be the pope.¡±


    "Pascal...! How can you do this to your father?¡±


    Pascal¡¯s expression became angry as he gazed at Earl Chirita.


    "Over the past decades, you were able to be a favored lord thanks to me. Haven¡¯t I done my best as your child? On the other hand, what about you? Have you done anything for me as my father?¡±


    ¡°P-Pascal...¡±


    "You should be a father once before you die. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°U-Ugh...¡±


    Earl Chirita finally shed tears. It wasn¡¯t due to fear of Grid. He was shocked and sad when he was treated as insignificant by his son, who was his only pride. As he bowed his head and sobbed, Pascal grinned towards Grid.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s like this. Earl Chirita seems to have done something foolish. Now Duke Grid. Pour your wrath towards the earl and receive my ss of alcohol...¡±


    "Crazy bastard.¡±


    The fundamental reason why Grid hated Pascal was because he was the type to trample on the weak. He was in a bad mood whenever he saw Pascal, because he was reminded of the people who taunted and bothered him in the past. But at this moment, Grid found another reason to hate Pascal.


    ¡°Unfilial bastard.¡±


    Grid was born and grew up in the East. He was a filial son who gave the chicken legs to his parents whenever they ate chicken. Pascal sacrificing his father was uneptable, causing Grid to feel extreme hatred.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try these tricks on me. In any case, I am the only one who can leave here alive.¡±


    Grid clearly changed as he equipped the mask and eye patch. Pascal was threatened by the red light and shouted.


    "Quit being stupid! The Saharan Empire will punish you if you touch its ambassadors! Aren¡¯t you afraid of them?¡±


    "Of course I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be the enemy of the Saharan Empire just yet. Reidan would be crushed in half a day if it had to face the power of the empire.


    ¡°So I have to kill all of you. The fact that I killed the Red Knights and ck Knights can¡¯t be passed onto the empire.¡±


    "You should be worried! Even if you kill us, things would go out of control! Do you think there is no one who witnessed you heading here? You will die after being pinpointed as the criminal, and Damian won¡¯t be pope since he has ties with you!¡±


    "There¡¯s no need to worry about that. ¡®I¡¯ am currently chatting with the church members in the Vatican¡¯s gardens.¡±


    Doppelganger Randy.


    ¡°I have the perfect alibi.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. You will die soon.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid¡¯s killing intent thickened. Pascal realized the battle was unavoidable and shouted to the elders.


    "We can endure if we use buffs and heals! The pdins will rush over once the turmoil grows!¡±


    Pascal¡¯s divine power was currently close to former pope Drevigo. It was truly great to have pope level divine power despite not being crowned pope yet. What if Pascal and the 23 elders decided to join forces?


    ¡®We won¡¯t die!¡¯


    As long as they weren¡¯t killed by a single blow, they could continue to heal each other. It was a fairly rational thinking. But the problem was that the opponent was Grid. Divine power and ck magic power were the antithesis of each other.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    ckening. This was a skill that belonged to the legendary rated essory, ¡®Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings.¡¯ It had goodpatibility with Grid, who possessed demonic power.


    Sururuk.


    His skin became pale white and there were no whites in his eyes, as it became entirely ck. The ck hair fluttering with demonic energy made him look ominous. Grid¡¯s current appearance wasn¡¯t much different from the demons imagined by humans.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    A berserk demonic power filled the room. The elders¡¯ meeting room was filled with fear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Kwa kwang!


    Kukwakwang!


    It was like being hit by a tsunami of ck energy des. The elders¡¯ meeting room was turned into ruins in an instant.


    ¡®Enormous damage!¡¯


    Pascal and the elders thought. The prostitutes shaking in the corner were protected by Lifael¡¯s Spear, but the elders only had each other to rely on..


    ¡°Holy Shield!¡±


    ¡°Resist the Dark!¡±


    Pascal and the others increased their physical and ck magic resistance before using heals on each other. There was no room to worry about mana. Their top priority was enduring and surviving the aggressive attack.


    ¡°The pdins will rush over when the turmoil grows! Buy time until then!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop healing!¡±


    sh!


    The green light restoring their wounds and health shone without rest. It was like looking at an aurora. These were heals used by the highest ranked priests of the Reba Church. It could even endure a dragon¡¯s breath for a while. But the current reality was different.


    ¡¯The amount of recovery can¡¯t keep up with the damage!¡¯


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a destructive power that humans can exert! Grid is surely a demonkin!¡¯


    The +9 Failure. It was a weapon that had an attack powerparable to the Reba Church¡¯s three divine artefacts. The +8 Doppelganger¡¯s Sword. The attack power couldn¡¯t be fully exerted thanks to the penalty, but it had the option to increase the damage of skills by 20%.


    The power of the legendary skills used by these two swords was more than imagined.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The 23 elders had an average level of 300. Among them, seven were still second advancement priests with a level of 290. They were the ones severely injured.


    ck magic was the antithesis of divine power.


    ¡®These people are the hole.¡¯


    The seven elders were torn into rags. Grid¡¯s red light detected their weaknesses.


    ¡®I have to finish it as quickly as possible.¡±


    The duration of ckening was only five minutes. If he didn¡¯t win in five minutes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cope with the resilience of Pascal and the elders¡¯ heals.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    [Attack power will increase by 25% and attack speed will increase by 40%.]


    cksmith¡¯s Rage was now level 4, so the duration was longer. 35 seconds. It was a golden opportunity for Grid.


    Teong!


    He leapt over the crushed round table. He moved carefully so that the prostitutes wouldn¡¯t be harmed.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Pit!Pipipipipit!


    Several dozens of ck energy swords were drawn around the seven elders as Grid narrowed the distance. Afterimages were formed because of his quick speed.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The elders didn¡¯t even notice that they were cut.


    Puhahak!


    They were bewildered for a moment. Blood simultaneously poured from the bodies of the seven elders.


    ¡°Hueok!¡±


    ¡°H-Help me...!¡±


    Those struck didn¡¯t even know it. How creepy was this? The terrified elders used Heal. However, Grid¡¯s attack speed was much faster than the casting speed of Heal. In the first ce, they shouldn¡¯t have allowed him to get close.


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    The ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ attached to the Holy Light Gloves and the ¡®Bisect¡¯ skill attached to Failure turned the elders to grey ash.


    [You have defeated the corrupt elder Huda.]


    [12,910,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [Advanced priest¡¯s clothing has been acquired.]


    [A high quality emerald ring has been acquired.]


    [You have killed a human in the half demon state, so demonic magic power has increased by 10.]


    [You have defeated the corrupt elder Furell.]


    [12,552,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Advanced priest¡¯s shoes have been acquired.]


    [You have killed a human in the half demon...]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The notification windows after killing the seven second advancement elders came to a halt in Grid¡¯s sight. The dropped items weren¡¯t anything special, but the experience was significant. However, the fact that demonic power increased by 10 points made Grid uneasy.


    The increase in demonic power made it possible for him to go to hell, but was that really all? Perhaps he might change species into a demon.


    Chaaeng!


    A green light hit Grid while he was filled with anxiety. It was a Heal from Pascal. He had aimed it perfectly after Grid took care of the seven elders.


    [You have been affected by Great Heal.]


    [The Holy Light Armor raises the recovery magic¡¯s power by 300%.]


    [Great Heal is a deadly poison to a half demon!]


    [You have suffered 23,640 damage.]


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    The Holy Light Armor gave Grid absolute power. That strongest armor was now his weakness. Grid¡¯s health gauge fell by two-thirds in a single blow. Pascal identified Grid¡¯s pain and was confused.


    ¡®What? It was more effective than expected?¡¯


    Why? Pascal didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but he interpreted it in his own way.


    ¡®The goddess is blessing me!¡¯


    For sure! Goddess Reba was hoping for Grid¡¯s death! Pascal was convinced by this and his momentum rose.


    ¡°Now! Pour out your heals towards him! Give the goddess¡¯ punishment to that wicked demon, who is trying to deceive everyone!¡±


    sh!


    All of the survive 16 priests were third advancement priests. The power of the Great Heals they used was different from the seven elders who died earlier.


    Chaaeng!Jjejeong!


    16 rays of green light hit Grid. At first, Grid tried to avoid it, but he stopped in ce as soon as one attack was allowed. Grid was caught by the light and hit by multiple healing magic. Pascal and the elders smiled with satisfaction at the sight.


    ¡®Surprisingly easy!¡¯


    ¡¯He sold his soul to the demons!¡¯


    ¡®Grid is killed!¡¯


    The moment that Pascal and the elders were convinced of their victory.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Rather than dying within the light, Grid started moving again.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Teong!


    Grid approached the astonished Pascal. It was really a tremendous speed. It was due to Quick Movements that was attached to the +8 Ideal Dagger. A blue light shot in a straight line.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Pascal¡¯s Holy Divine Shield was crushed in a single blow. This was despite the fact that it was three times more powerful than a typical Holy Shield.


    ¡°Y-You! Why are you alive?¡±


    Grid¡¯s status wasn¡¯t fine either. He was deeply wounded everywhere and shedding blood.. There was a hole in the vicinity of his chest. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died. However, Grid had a passive skill.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Grid had long been dependent on the invincible skill, and he was now enraged.


    "Rotten bastards! How can multiple people attack one person?¡±


    ¡°What now...? Aren¡¯t you the one who came to attack all of us alone?¡±


    Pascal felt that Grid was ridiculous as he used Heal on himself. At the same time, his Holy Divine Shield was restored. It was double casting. Grid didn¡¯t stay still. Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears had been activated and his attack power increased.


    After using Wave to slow down Pascal and the elders¡¯ speed, he was able to link Unbreakable Justice with no time difference, not giving Pascal the chance toplete the shield. Then he used his strongest skill straight away.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Puk!


    One blow to Pascal¡¯s heart.


    Puok!


    The second blow.


    Puoook!


    The third blow. Two greatswords stabbed at the same time. Grid smacked his lips.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been able to kill him if there were two more blows.¡¯


    The number of strikes that Linked Kill dealt was random. It couldn¡¯t be intentionally controlled. It was unfortunate. Pascal was struck in the heart and suffering from terrible pain.


    "Y-You cruel bastard...!¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t once frowned while persistently aiming at the heart. Now he looked like he found this delicious, so he certainly wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°What right do you have to denounce and punish me, when you are just as cruel?¡±


    Pascal cried out to Grid with an unfair expression.


    "The right of the strong."


    This was enough. Pascal had trampled on many weak people just because he was strong. Now he was reaping what he sowed. Pascal felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.


    There were no apparent objections, so Grid wielded Failure sessively. The elders used Heal to save Pascal, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Pascal was directly hit by Linked Kill and lost almost all his health. Demonic power also infiltrated his body, so Heal couldn¡¯t have a proper effect.


    ¡°This guy!¡±


    The veins bulged on the balding Pascal¡¯s head and his eyes became red and bloodshot. In one month! In one month, he would¡¯ve be pope and reigned over 80 million people!


    "Why did you appear before me...? Youuu! Kuaaaaak! I won¡¯t die alone! Light ze!¡±


    Pascal was level 330. His divine power was lower than former Pope Drevigo, but his level was much higher. Named NPCs grew in proportion to the average level of the users. The magic that he used couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeong!


    Pascal caused a divine explosion, firing dozens of magic power rays at Grid.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a big deal!¡¯


    There were still two seconds left on the invincible duration. Grid attacked without fleeing from the magic power rays.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Pascal couldn¡¯t understand the situation at all. He meant for both of them to die, so why didn¡¯t this person lose momentum?


    "Even if you are a zombie, you won¡¯t be able to survive this! Goddess¡¯ Wrath!¡±


    Pascal had no ce to retreat anymore. He depleted all of his divine power and health to cast this spell. It was his final decision to end Grid who ruined his life.


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    Tworge gold circles, approximately 3m in diameter, were quickly created behind Pascal¡¯s back. It was the magic spell that Pope Drevigo used in the past. The size of the magic circles was much smaller than when Drevigo used it, since he wascking divine power. However, it was still enough power against the current Grid.


    Kuwaaaang!


    A brilliant sh of light was emitted from the circles. The whole room shook and cracked in the aftermath. This was the goddess¡¯ magic that surpassed Transcended Link in terms of power. As the light shot at him, notification windows appeared in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [The duration of Invicible is over.]


    Would he die?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    The strength of Pascal with the healing shuttles called the elders was beyond Grid¡¯s expectations. But the result wouldn¡¯t change. Grid knew it from the beginning.


    ¡®I will win.¡¯


    It had been a year and three months since the fall of Pope Drevigo. In the meantime, Grid had made considerable progress. Regardless of the variables, it was impossible for Grid to be defeated by Pascal, who was on the same level as Drevigo.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    It was the skill attached to the title ¡®Secret Hero.¡¯ There were limits to the range of use, and the cooldown time was one hour.However, it was a top dashing skill that allowed him to avoid all non-targeting skills until he reached his target.


    Teong!


    Grid rushed towards Pascal. He turned in the air and avoided two shes of light from Goddess¡¯ Wrath.


    Kuooooh!


    His raging demonic power concentrated on Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    His magic couldn¡¯t hit the target in front of it? The greatswords fell towards the astonished Pascal.


    ¡°Pinnacle!¡±


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle has increased.]


    [The amount of damage done to the target and the mana consumption will increase.]


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Pascal screamed. The elders determined they couldn¡¯t save him and used Heal against Grid.


    sh!


    It was immediately after Invincible and Freely Move ran out. He only had one health left and 16 rays of green light were aiming at the unprotected Grid. Would he die now? No. Grid was no longer the helpless person who tasted countless deaths.


    He was careful and clever... No, it wasmon sense. It was easy to calcte.


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings have been turned off.]


    [The effect of ckening will disappear.]


    [You have been affected by Great Heal.]


    [The Holy Light Armor raises the recovery magic¡¯s power by 300%.]


    [Your health has been restored.]


    [Your health has been restored.]


    [Your health...]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Shortly before dying. Pascal was happy at the thought of having Grid as apanion on his journey of death, only for his expression to twist. Grid was close to death, only to be restored by the elders¡¯ Heal.


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    It was Pascal¡¯sst call before he turned to ash.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281


    Earl Chirita¡¯s third son, Pascal. He was well aware of the world¡¯s unreasonableness, just because he was bornter in the line of session. Did he feel frustration and resentment against the world?


    No. Pascal tried hard. After looking for a path, he endured the trials and only served Goddess Reba. As a result, his fate changed. He could soon be pope.


    ¡®Now it is my turn to reign!¡¯


    He was ready to enjoy the end of this unreasonable world.


    Then Grid intruded.


    ¡®Grid! You ruined my life!¡¯


    He felt resentful. His heart felt like he was going to burst. Blood was ejected from his eyes.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Pascal¡¯s resentful gaze prated Grid as he started turning grey. Grid knew that curses were contained in that gaze. But Grid wasn¡¯t afraid.


    ¡®Curse? Try it if you want.¡¯


    He had already lived and overcame a life of hell. Even if this curse opened up a new hell, he could ovee it. It was the firm belief of the growing Grid.


    "This guyyyy!¡±


    Pascal witnessed Grid¡¯s unshakable eyes and couldn¡¯t hide his anger even as he disappeared. The scream echoed through the room, then new notification windows appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [You have defeated pope candidate Pascal, who has caused heartbreak to numerous people.]


    [725,477,950 experience has been acquired.]


    ...


    ...


    The amount of experience was a huge 720 million! Pascal gave a truly huge amount of experience as a high level named boss. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. He seemed disappointed.


    ¡®I thought it would be at least two levels.¡¯


    So far, Grid always gained multiple levels every time he raided a boss. But now he was level 296, so things were different. The problem was that the amount of experience needed to level up dramatically increased. Despite having gained over 700 million experience points, the experience gauge wasn¡¯t even half full.


    This was an unexpected result.


    ¡®Now it¡¯s impossible to raise my level with raids alone.¡¯


    Grid had made giant leaps in level by hunting bosses alone, but now there was a limit to that method. Now grinding mobs was required. Prepare potions, go to hunting grounds, kill monsters and repeat. It was time to experience these repetitive tasks. Of course, the first hunting targets were...


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The 16 remaining elders flinched as they met Grid¡¯s greedy eyes.


    ¡°All of you.¡±


    The ¡®ckening¡¯ effect that belonged to the Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings could only be used once every 12 hours. The duration was five minutes and the cooldown time was 12 hours. Unlike White Transformation attached to the divine artifacts, the ckening built into this one artifact was iplete. It wasn¡¯t efficient.


    Now Grid couldn¡¯t rely on demonic power. He faced the 16 elders with pure power.


    ¡°Holy Missile!¡±


    ¡°Holy Wave!¡±


    ¡°Great Heal!¡±


    The elders tried to resist Grid. Their determination not to suffer like Pascal amplified their concentration. Their spell casting speed was faster than before.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Grid had acquired one of the hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ and his skills cooldown time was reduced by 10%. Now he was able to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship more often. After swiftly shing at two elders, he finished with Unbreakable Justice. This was followed by Kill.


    Puok!


    Despite hispanions using Heal on him, the elder coughed up blood on the Hooded Zip Up. He looked stunned at the blue greatsword piercing his chest.


    ¡°K-Kuack...!¡±


    [You have defeated the corrupt elder Haiber.]


    [45,908,230 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    [You have defeated the corrupt elder Sairus.]


    [46,441,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    [You have defeated the corrupt elder Raid.]


    ...


    ...


    The experience of third advancement priests was terrific. It was at least 10 times more than normal monsters. It was possible because they were semi-named NPCs. It was pleasing for Grid, but the actual situation wasn¡¯t good.


    After ckening was gone, Grid didn¡¯t deal much damage to the elders. It was impossible to hurt them without using a skill. Grid was stuck with his skills on cooldown, so the elders were able to hold on with Heal, while aiming attack magic at Grid.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The bombardment of light continued. The number of wounds on Grid increased. The Holy Light Armor was dyed with blood and became rags.


    ¡¯This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    Grid determined and recalled the pavranium that was protecting the prostitutes. It was an unavoidable choice.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    The golden spear started to assist Grid. Sometimes it defended Grid, sometimes it attacked the enemy, doubling Grid¡¯s attack power.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Lifael¡¯s Spear broke the Holy Shield and the Grid attacked, lowering the health of the elders. He took mana potions and used skills whenever the cooldown ended, dealing with the elders one by one.


    ¡®It is hard to endure!¡¯


    The faces of the elders were panicked. In the first ce, priests were more suitable for secondary roles than fighting at the front. Their ability alone couldn¡¯t deal fatal injuries to Grid.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Grid¡¯s rampage grew increasingly wild. His physical abilities far exceeded the elders. Of course, there was a moment of crisis, but Doran¡¯s Ring saved him. 5 seconds of invincibility and Doran¡¯s ring.


    It was like Grid had three lives. It was a fraudulentbination of his ss and items.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    There were eight elders left. They eventually used the worst means. They took the prostitutes trembling in the corner as a hostage.


    "Don¡¯t move a single muscle. If you move, I will kill them¡±


    Innocent prostitutes. They witnessed a scene of ughter and were now being threatened. It was regrettable. The elders smiled as Grid hesitated.


    ¡®Indeed, it worked!¡¯


    ¡®Now we just need to hold on until the pdins arrive!¡¯


    Grid had protected the prostitutes with the golden spear. Thus, the elders assumed that he cherished the life of the prostitutes. But.


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid once against started walking. He didn¡¯t care that the power of the elders was aimed at the prostitutes.


    ¡°I won¡¯t receive any damages even if they die.¡±


    Of course, he felt bad. This was a moral issue. He might be called a psychopath, but who would ept an innocent person being swept away by the turmoil he caused. Thus, Grid did his best. He took care not to damage the prostitutes and supported Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    That was enough. He didn¡¯t want to fail the quest because of them.


    ¡®This is better.¡¯


    The prostitutes were witnesses. As the witnesses who saw Grid hunt Pascal and the elders, there was concern that she would bear testimony against Grid. It was better for them to die instead of Grid.


    Step, step.


    The frightened elders cried out as Grid approached.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯te closer! I really will kill them!¡±


    Yiing.


    The power in the fingertips of the elders pointed towards the prostitutes became stronger. Grid snorted. ¡°Kill them?¡±


    Teong!


    Grid leapt forward. The eyes of the elders widened as Grid drew his sword.


    "I really will kill them!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The bodies of the fearful prostitutes were swept away by an explosion of light. Grid¡¯s eyes sank as he identified their ashes.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Chaaeng!


    A wave of energy hit the eight elders. Their speed fell and they were cut by the blue sword. After around 10 minutes of fighting.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Now there was only Grid and Earl Chirita left in the room.


    ¡°P-Please! Please spare me!¡±


    Earl Chirita staggered and begged as he approached Grid. He witnessed the helpless Pascal and the elders, and was half insane. Grid spoke coldly, "I told you. I¡¯m the only one who will survive here.¡±


    Puok!


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    [Earl Chirita of the Saharan Empire has been defeated.]


    [3,110,400 experience has been acquired.]


    [2,000 gold has been acquired.]


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    "This is another unexpected harvest.¡±


    2,000 gold. It was 2.4 million won. Earl Chirita dropped a huge amount of gold from his luxurious clothing.


    [The time attack quest ¡®Evidence Destruction¡¯ has beenpleted!]


    [Rumors about you won¡¯t spread to the Saharan Empire!]


    Kurururu...


    Due to the aftermath of the battle, the room started to copse. Grid identified the sinking ceiling and cracking pirs, before hurriedly leaving this ce.


    "Master! Why do you look like this? Nyang!¡±


    Grid escaped to Isabel¡¯s room. Noe worried about him as hey on the bed. It was because the atmosphere around Grid was dark. Grid stroked Noe¡¯s head while feeling guilty about the prostitutes who died because of him.


    "It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    He forgot this fact sometimes due to his love for Irene, but this was ultimately a game world. It was good to cherish NPCs, but this could also be a poison. Grid controlled his heart. Then he looked at the items Pascal dropped one by one.


    [1]


    [5]


    [7]


    [11]


    [Pascal¡¯s Secret Warehouse Key]


    No equipment items dropped. It was somewhat disappointing, but Grid was satisfied enough.


    [Goddess¡¯ Essence]


    It was an essential material when making the three divine artifacts of the Reba Church (Reproduction). It was only a small amount of essence, but he was happy that Pascal dropped it.


    [High-rated Magic Stones]


    Each one was worth 4,000 gold and could be used to make magic items.


    ¡®The more enhancement stones I have, the better.¡¯


    None of the items dropped by Pascal were unrecognizable. Among them, Grid was particrly interested in a golden key.


    [Pascal¡¯s Secret Warehouse Key]


    The key to opening Pascal¡¯s secret warehouse.


    There is a mountain of gold and silver piled up in Pascal¡¯s warehouse.


    ¡®Mountain...!¡¯


    How many riches were there for it to be described as a mountain?


    ¡®I will be rich!¡¯


    Grid rose up excitedly. Then he received a whisper from Damian.


    -It is a mess out here!Someone has killed Pascal and the elders!


    -I killed him.


    -Huh?


    Grid asked the puzzled Damian.


    -Do you know the location of Pascal¡¯s warehouse?


    Damian was absent minded for a moment, before replying btedly.


    -Warehouse...?I don¡¯t know, but Pascal always uses the first prayer room.


    ¡®The first prayer room.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He ran straight towards the first prayer room.


    Clink.


    He opened the warehouse door by inserting the key.


    Swaaaaah!


    The brilliant gold light filled his field of view. It was painful to the eyes.


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Gold was really piled up like a mountain inside the huge warehouse. It was the epitome of a dragon¡¯sir.


    "Is this all mine?¡±


    If he took all of this, he would have tens of billions of won. He was so excited that his sphincter muscles contracted.


    ¡°Puhahaha! I will be rich! Rich!¡±


    The joyful Grid!


    The notification window that popped out was like lightning out of the blue.


    [The safekeeping system of the secret warehouse has failed to detect Pascal¡¯s divine power and has activated.]


    [The warehouse will explode after three minutes!]


    [Gather as much riches as possible in three minutes.]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Things were going to well. What should he do to get as much gold as possible in three minutes? Grid thought hurriedly as he poured gold coins into the mouth of the confused Noe.


    ¡°Summon Knight.¡±


    The system that he never used when he was a crisis, in order to save experience, was triggered.


    "I have responded to My Lord¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Please give amand."


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Piaro, Asmophel and 10 members of Overgeared emerged from the light. Grid shouted, "Get the money! Money!¡±


    "...¡±


    Their historic first mission, after being the pirs of the empire in the past, was to pick up gold coins. Complex emotions crossed Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s face.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    Goddess¡¯ EssenceBlessed Weapon Enhancement StonesBlessed Armor Enhancement StonesHigh-rated Magic Stones

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282


    ¡®I want to see him.¡¯


    Expert archer Jishuka.


    She was doing her duties as ruler of Bairan. When developing Bairan, she regrly raided the Guardian of the Forest and distributed the resources generated from the raid. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Reidan was able to hold on thanks to her efforts.


    However, Jishuka felt irritated. She hadn¡¯t met Grid once in seven months. She was dying to see Grid. She was regarded as the most beautiful woman in South America and courted by the world¡¯s top 0.1% males, but she was irritated because of Grid.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    She sighed and wanted to drop everything so that she could go to Grid¡¯s side.


    [Your lord ¡®Grid¡¯ has summoned you. Would you like to ept the summons?]


    ¡°Oh my?¡±


    The notification window she had been waiting for finally appeared at the right timing.


    ¡®Do you know that I want to see you right now?¡¯


    It must be telepathy. Jishuka felt like this was fated, and her heart started thumping. Her delusions unfolded due to herck of dating experience.


    ¡¯Asking for a summoning without prior notice...¡¯


    Did he prepare a surprise event?


    "Jishuka, I wanted to see you too. I imagined your beautiful appearance every night and struggled."


    She imagined Grid talking like this with a sexy appearance. She smiled widely. Jishuka¡¯s blinded eyes looked down at her body. She was shy. This was the first time she had liked someone since she was born. The problem was that her clothing and attire were unsuited for minors to see.


    ¡°I will respond to the summons.¡±


    Jishuka responded to Grid¡¯s call without worrying about it. The sight she first witnessed after being teleported to Grid¡¯s side was a mountain of gold coins.


    ¡®Did he prepare this for me?¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s long eyshes trembled. She was touched by Grid¡¯s event.


    "This money would be used for our wedding funds.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s face turned red as she imagined it.


    ¡®Grid, dating shoulde before marriage.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t urgent to get married before they even had a chance to date. She might have a crush on Grid, but she wasn¡¯t someone who acted prematurely. Jishuka wanted to know more about Grid before she got married. What type of man he was during the day and what type of man he was at night...?


    Then familiar voices broke through her delusions.


    ¡°Hey Jishuka. Hasn¡¯t it been a while?¡±


    "Have you be prettier in the meantime? Did you get a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Why does women¡¯s armor be more exposed the higher the level? I am thankful."


    Pon, Regas, Vantner, Toban, Faker, etc. Once she returned her eyes to reality, she was able to see all of the Tzedakah members.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t trying to meet her alone? The embarrassed Jishuka turned her gaze towards Grid. Grid didn¡¯t even look at her. He was busy shoving gold coins into Noe¡¯s mouth. Grid shouted, "Get the money! Money! This ce will explode in 2 minutes and 40 seconds, so make sure you get as much money as you can!¡±


    ¡°...This is the reason for summoning us.¡±


    The Overgeared members quickly grasped the situation. On the other hand, Lauel urged the nk Jishuka.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go and grab the money.¡±


    It was a huge amount of gold coins. If they could obtain it, Reidan could ovee its financial burdens.


    [62]


    [75]


    ¡°There is a limit to picking it up one by one.¡±


    The amount of gold coins a user could take in a single action was limited. The problem was the volume that the hands could contain.


    "If Euphemina was here, she could move it all at once with Mass Teleport.¡±


    ¡°That... Why is she disconnected when this is happening?¡±


    "I¡¯ll use a shovel.¡±


    "Should I pick it up with my shield?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a good idea?¡±


    "Hrmm."


    Lauel thought for awhile between the grumbling Vantner and Toban before using a skill.


    ¡°Dragon ws.¡±


    Kururung!


    Three stone pirs appeared from the bottom of the warehouse and soon disappeared. Lauel confirmed the depths of the pit, then created wind.


    ¡°Wind Dragon¡¯s Roar.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The wind poured the gold coins into the pit like a waterfall. The gold coins buried in the ground were not guaranteed to be safe from the explosion that would soon ur. The other Overgeared members also started utilizing their skills.


    ¡°Mach Spear!¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    Vantner¡¯s sonic spear broke the wall of the warehouse. A passage was opened to the outside.


    "Charge!"


    Kuuong!Kung!


    Thebination of Vantner and Toban, standing side by side with their shield, was reminiscent of a bulldozer. They slowly pushed the mountain of gold coins towards the copsed wall. On the other hand, Piaro climbed on top of a mountain with a hand plow and hoe in both hands.


    "Free Farming.¡±


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    It was amazing. The hoe and hand plow moved at a speed that wasn¡¯t visible, extracting gold coins from the mountain. Arge amount of gold flew outside the wall and piled up neatly. Amosphel, who hadn¡¯t been able to adapt to the mood, no longer stayed still.


    ¡°Aura Explosion.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Due to the strong explosion, a holerger than the one drilled by Pon appeared in the wall. Asmophel aimed arge Aura Tornado there and blew a huge amount of gold coins out the wall. It was an amazing sight. It seemed like they could carry out most of the gold coins in the warehouse within the time limit.


    Then what about Grid?


    ¡°Oh! I will pack all of this!¡±


    Both hands squeezed out gold coins into his inventory and Noe¡¯s mouth. Piaro suggested that Grid was so blinded by money he couldn¡¯t look around.


    ¡°This limited field of view is poisonous.¡±


    Grid already knew this. But he forgot due to his boiling greed. Grid recovered quickly and observed the Overgeared members.


    ¡®I can use skills.¡¯


    Grid had ate epiphany and let go of Noe. Tears appeared in Noe¡¯srge eyes.


    "Spit spit spit! These shiny things are tasteless! Nyang! Kuuock!¡±


    ¡°Taste isn¡¯t important. Don¡¯t spit it out and keep eating... You, why are you burping?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I won¡¯t eat this? Nyang!¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t chew it and keep it in your mouth! Like a squirrel keeps acorns!¡±


    Noe, the best demonic beast of hell. When using Soul Ingestion, the size of his mouth could be increased freely. It was obvious that he could constantly inhale the gold coins. The confident Grid ordered Noe to obtain the gold coins, then he pulled out Failure.


    ¡¯Grid, how much have your skills increased now?¡¯


    The attention of the Overgeared members focused on Grid. Piaro and Asmophel were also expectant. Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and used a skill.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.¡±


    Kuooooh!


    There was an emission of energy and Grid¡¯s ck hair fluttered. The red light contemted the gold coins and he carefully swung Failure.


    Kwaang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Kurururung!


    The mountain of gold coins¡¯ bnce copsed due to the exquisite strike and poured out of the hole in the warehouse previously created by Pon and Asmophel. Piaro and the Overgeared members were amazed as they saw the gold coins pouring out like the tide.


    ¡¯Wonderful.¡¯


    His skills had increased. It was proof that Grid hadn¡¯t be rxing while acting alone for the past few months. The ability to break down the bnce of things was great, even if he relied on the power of an item. As everyone was feeling thrilled, Jishuka pouted and pulled back her bowstring.


    "Avoid this. Phoenix Arrow!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It was overwhelming power. Half of the mountain of gold coins left in the warehouse caught on fire as they were blown outside. A great amount of them couldn¡¯t withstand the high temperatures and melted, but it wasn¡¯t regrettable. It was already 10 seconds until the warehouse exploded. If Jishuka hadn¡¯t acted, half of the mountain of gold coins would be lost.


    ¡°Pant pant... Avoid it!¡±


    Grid winced after almost being hit by the Phoenix Arrow, then he and the other members ran out of the warehouse. Immediately afterwards, there was an explosion that shook the earth.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    The guests gathered near the copsed building turned their gaze in the direction of the explosion. The first prayer room beyond the waterfall was burning. The pdins shouted, "It must be the criminal who murdered the elders! Go there now!¡±


    Damian quickly called out to them. "Wait a minute."


    ¡°Yes, Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡±


    Damian might¡¯ve been ignored by the elders, but he gained great support among the members. Damian spoke to the pdins who stopped.


    "You will remain here and investigate. I will go there with Isabel-chan and Grid.¡±


    "I will follow the will of the Goddess¡¯ Agent.¡±


    Damian was currently one of the highest ranking survivors. The pdins immediately opened the path for him.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Damian nced at Isabel and Grid. The Grid in this location was Randy. His shape was gradually bing strange due to the influence of divine power. He was like Grid, but not.


    ¡°Follow!¡±


    The OGC team moved hastily after Damian¡¯s group. OGC Station wanted to find out who killed the elders of the Reba Church. However, Damian didn¡¯t stand still. He exhibited the swordsmanship that he developed training with Piaro and Kraugel. Then he poured our dozens of magic spells. It caused indignation among the viewers, but he didn¡¯t hesitate.


    It was an effort to protect Grid.


    ***


    "It is Pascal¡¯s hidden wealth.¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members were shoving the scattered gold coins into their inventory. Damian¡¯s expression twisted as he saw this. He remembered what Pascal had done with these riches and hated it.


    "Damian, be the pope.¡± Grid spoke with a serious expression. He didn¡¯t look as impressive while squatting down and picking up gold coins. But to Damian, Grid seemed to shine.


    ¡°I will surely be the pope, whom you need.¡±


    Grid had done everything. He saved Isabel and killed Pascal. If Damian couldn¡¯t be pope after this, he would have no pride left. Grid was reassured by Damian¡¯s resolute eyes andughed, ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    "...¡±


    Damian was shaken. He was well aware that Grid didn¡¯t help him for pure motivations. But Grid still believed in him? It was the first time Damian, who was an otaku, was treated like this.


    ¡°Perhaps... Would you like to join Overgeared?¡±


    A pope bing a guild member? It was nice to hear. However, Lauel restrained Grid.


    ¡°The Reba Church is supposed to be neutral on the surface.¡±


    It was right to maintain the neutrality of the Reba Church, who preached their doctrines regardless of species or nationality. It was feared that the value of the church would decline if various powers opposed the tant favoritism.


    "That¡¯s right.¡± Grid was sincerely sorry and held out a hand to Damian. "Well, so what if we aren¡¯t in the same guild? It doesn¡¯t change the fact that we are eternalpanions. Join the guild after your term as a pope is over.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    He got a friend. Damian smiled with delight and shook Grid¡¯s hands.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    gold has been acquired.gold has been acquired.

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283


    The mountain of gold coins was close to a height of 4m. During the three minute time limit, how much could the Overgeared members obtain? The result of adding up the amounts they obtained.


    "21 million gold."


    ¡°Heok! Really?¡±


    "Wow, terrific."


    "Grid did it again! This is amazing!¡±


    21 million gold! When converted to Korean money, it would be around 25.5 billion won. It was close to half the sries of the world¡¯s top sports yers. The impressed Pon asked Vantner.


    ¡°At the time of the Vasco raid, how much profit did Seuron get?¡±


    Two months before the Reidan invasion. Soul Predator Seuron went through Vasco¡¯s Labyrinth with his guild members. Vantner had watched it in real time, so he pulled up his memories.


    ¡°Adding up the value of the Brutal Heavy Sword, it was about 8 million gold.¡±


    ¡°Grid got nearly three times that amount alone?¡±


    Strictly speaking, this time it wasn¡¯t alone. If it was Grid alone, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to pick up 200,000 gold by hand. It was true that he raided Pascal through his own efforts, choices and abilities. His decision to summon the knights was admirable. Grid¡¯s achievements couldn¡¯t be downyed.


    "Grid, you¡¯re the best.¡±


    "Of course our master should be the best.¡±


    "Congrats on bing a rich man!¡±


    The Overgeared members praised Grid. They sincerely congratted him for the huge sum of money, and rejoiced as if it was their own. There was no jealousy or envy. Their respect and friendship with Grid wasn¡¯t cheap.


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    ¡°Kilkil.¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members were excited, producing a cheerful atmosphere. On the other hand, Grid was silent. The Overgeared members thought he was so happy that he was at a loss for words.


    But it was a misunderstanding. Grid was sincerely angry. He was speechless because it was ridiculous.


    ¡®Why? Why isn¡¯t it one trillion?¡¯


    The amount of gold coins that Grid had seen in the warehouse was beyond imagination. He thought it would be at least one trillion won. Yet he only got 21 million gold?


    ¡°This is ridiculous! We carried out most of the gold coins in the warehouse before it exploded! Countless gold coins were kept! But why? Why is it only 21 million gold!!!¡±


    "...¡±


    Who would use the word ¡®only¡¯ for 21 million gold? The Overgeared members fell silent at this unexpected reaction.


    "It¡¯s a scam! A scam!¡±


    Lauel exined to the furious Grid.


    ¡°The explosion was so strong that it affected the outside of the building. At that time, a lot of gold coins were lost. In addition, there were many gold coins that were damaged after being hit by a skill.¡±


    Gold coins that were damaged slightly were always destroyed. It seemed to be some type of safety device designed by the S.A Group.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± The damaged gold coins were designed to be destroyed and the warehouse to explode? ¡°You bastards!¡±


    It couldn¡¯t resist angrily screaming out curses. After losing his temper, the only person who couldpletely calm him down was Lauel.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t 21 million gold a huge amount? In fact, the S.A. Group must be more baffled right now. They never imagined that we could get so many gold coins in just three minutes.¡±


    How could they imagine that he would use the skill Summon Knight for gold coins? They might¡¯ve predicted that Grid could only obtain up to one million gold. The result was that Grid had hit the S.A. Group in the back of the head. Grid should be the one feeling invigorated. However, Grid didn¡¯t get anyfort from this.


    ¡°Shit! Dammit! The gold coins could at least be melted down and made into metal, so why were they destroyed?¡±


    ¡®It does seem to be the case.¡¯


    The Overgeared members started to sympathize with Grid. The S.A. Group¡¯s effort to fight intion wasn¡¯t so well received. There were more than two billion users in Satisfy. If the NPCs were included, billions of people used the same currency. The possibility of the value of currency falling was extremely low.


    Grid and the group left the Vatican.


    "You said you were going to Winston?¡±


    ¡°Sigh... Yes.¡±


    "I thought so. You should show your face to your wife.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t she pregnant?¡±


    "The childcare system and a prince maker, I am envious. It would be fun to raise a child."


    ¡°Umm... Grid Junior. Umm...¡±


    Grid regained control once the story of Irene and his child emerged. He couldn¡¯t lose hisposure so easily when he was going to be a father. After a moment of consideration, he handed Lauel 20 million gold.


    ¡°Let¡¯s use this money for Reidan¡¯s development fund. If all of you weren¡¯t here in the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain so much.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lauel and the Overgeared members were greatly amazed. They never dreamed that Grid would be willing to invest the money into the territory.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I ipetent because I do nothing as a lord? I should at least give you money.¡±


    Grid should originally be the one working the hardest for Reidan. But what was the reality? Grid didn¡¯t fulfill his obligations as the lord, and the Overgeared members were suffering from all types of problems. Grid was always sorry and thankful about this fact. He wanted to help with the development of the estate.


    "If Reidan develops, the benefits will return to all of us in the end. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°Your words are correct.¡±


    The development of Reidan would make Overgeared strong. This would be a stepping stone to build Grid¡¯s kingdom and would bring enormous wealth to Grid. 20 million gold couldn¡¯t bepared to that huge amount of money. Grid already knew this. That¡¯s why he decided to invest in Reidan.


    "By the time youe back, Reidan will be more developed than before. Look forward to it.¡±


    This 20 million gold was enough to invigorate Reidan. Once the yellow mithril mine was activated and the alchemy business expanded, Reidan would be one step closer to its goal.


    ¡®The second Talima!¡¯


    Talima. A city of dwarves that produced the best battle gear. But it was in the territory of the dragon Trauka, so it was off limits to humans. If Reidan could one daypete with Talima...


    Lauel¡¯s brain turned quickly. He kept in mind the merger with the Silver Knights Guild and made ns for Reidan¡¯s development.


    ***


    "This is the first time we have walked together alone.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    After saying goodbye to Lauel¡¯s group. Grid and Jishuka were heading to Winston.


    Gulp!


    Grid couldn¡¯t help gulping through the journey. This was a very natural phenomenon. He couldn¡¯t help appreciating Jishuka¡¯s beautiful face and great body.


    ¡®Grid is looking at me.¡¯


    Jishuka was conscious of Grid¡¯s eyes and deliberately walked like a model. She showed a gentle gait that emphasized the curves of her body.


    Gulp!


    Grid couldn¡¯t resist staring at her swaying hips. This was unavoidable. Jishuka¡¯s busty body was perfectly to Grid¡¯s taste. It was the same with her personality.


    ¡°Let¡¯s camp here today. Excuse me... Grid, can I use your arm as a pillow?¡±


    "Huhu, Grid¡¯s body is so solid.¡±


    A provocation woman by night.


    ¡°I will cook.¡±


    "Oh my, Grid. Shouldn¡¯t you watch where you are going? You should focus on hunting.¡±


    "I am embarrassed.¡±


    A mild-mannered woman during the day.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    Grid¡¯s appreciation towards Jishuka rose exponentially. He was seriously considering buying a ¡®Love Potion¡¯ from the Reputation Store that would reset the penalty once a month. However, Jishuka had no intention of allowing that.


    ¡®There is no point in Satisfy.¡¯


    Grid was already married to Irene. She couldn¡¯t be a concubine. It was appropriate to convey her true heart in reality. Right now, she was just acting to stimte Grid. Thanks to that, Grid was suffering. He wanted to quickly see Irene.


    ***


    Just before arriving in Winston. Grid promised to meet Jishuka six hourster and logged out. It was because he received a call from Sehee outside the capsule.


    ¡°Why did you call?¡±


    Grid exited the capsule and bluntly asked Sehee.


    ¡°A guest.¡±


    ¡°Guest?¡±


    He saw that it was 11 a.m. A Sunday morning. What guest woulde at a time when families should be together? Grid tilted his head. No, Youngwoo went out into the living room. Then he panicked.


    "Y-Yura?¡±


    Yura was sitting on the sofa and smiling while chatting with his parents. She looked particrly beautiful. Her neat charm was the best. If Jishuka¡¯s beauty 100% matched his tastes, Yura had a beauty that made his taste meaningless.


    Youngwoo admired Yura¡¯s beauty before recovering his spirit. It was due to his mother¡¯s words.


    "Youngwoo, what are you staring at? Come and sit down.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Grid awkwardly sat on the couch. His parents were sitting side by side on one sofa, so Youngwoo naturally sat beside Yura. A nice scent tickled his nose. Yura asked for understanding from his parents and said to Youngwoo.


    "Please buy me a meal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Youngwoo was confused by the sudden request. "Why are you suddenly asking me to buy you a lot of food? Can¡¯t you buy food for yourself? No, how did you hear that I made money?¡±


    This witch hade for his money! Yura was different from the Overgeared members. She helped him a lot, but he was still wary of her. It wasn¡¯t enough to be considered a friend yet. His parents noticed Yura¡¯s sad expression and scolded him.


    ¡°How can you talk that way to a guest?¡±


    "Youngwoo, we taught you better.¡±


    Yura was pretty, talented, and had a lot of money. Youngwoo¡¯s parents wanted her to be their daughter-inw.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know that her nickname is Blood Witch.¡¯


    A murderer who hurt people without changing her facial expression! The impression from his first meeting still wasn¡¯t erased from his brain. Youngwoo sighed and got up from his seat.


    "Let¡¯s go."


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t care about washing up. He was still dressed in sweats that had food sttered on them. Youngwoo¡¯s mother tried to convince him to change, but Yura didn¡¯t care. She thought that Youngwoo not caring about impressing others was attractive.


    ***


    A restaurant near his house.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    Yura observed the inside of the shabby restaurant while Youngwoo ordered two servings of bulgogi rice. Yura extended a passbook to him.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    "This is the broadcast fee from OGC Station.¡±


    "Ah.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect much of a broadcast fee. Youngwoo didn¡¯t understand why Yura had it, but he was happy about receiving money.


    ¡®I should go to a restaurant tonight for a celebration.¡¯


    He would eat a big meal. Bean sprouts as well. A lot of monkfish! He thought it was millions of won, but his eyes bugged out when he opened the passbook.


    "Eh...? Eek!¡±


    It was a huge amount. A huge 500,000 mi...


    "No, it is 5 billion?¡±


    Yura exined to the astounded Youngwoo.


    "Some of it was withheld as tax.¡±


    ¡°N-No, why is it so much?¡±


    "It is my ability.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t arrogance. Yura was just telling the truth.


    "Why are you doing this for me?¡±


    Yura answered Youngwoo¡¯s question without hesitation. She had a busy life, so time was valuable to her.


    ¡°Please let me join Overgeared.¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t hesitate. Collecting talent was his desire and Yura was a better talent than anyone else. Wasn¡¯t she 5th on the unified rankings? That¡¯s right. As a private ranker, Youngwoo wasn¡¯t interested in the ranking system and didn¡¯t yet know that Yura had disappeared from the rankings list.


    "Wee!¡±


    The two people ate the delicious bulgogi meat. Yura had a happy expression throughout the meal. People who knew her would be surprised.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284


    ¡®Did he forget about me?¡¯


    The great magician Braham. Much longer than a year ago, he hadmissioned Grid to make him a Vessel of the Soul. A Vessel of the Soul was necessary for his resurrection. But until now, there was no news from Grid. Based on the little he observed through Mumud¡¯s Orb, Grid seemed to have no desire to fulfill the request.


    ¡®He ns to take all the pavranium!¡¯


    Braham had reached the limits of his patience. He had sent a golem army as a warning. However, things didn¡¯t work out and Braham¡¯s anger skyrocketed.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant...!]


    The expression of a soul¡¯s emotions was honest. His soul fragments scattered throughout the continent simultaneously turned red. There was someone who found one of the soul pieces.


    The first vampire city.


    ¡°Oh my? I feel a dirty magic power, who is it?¡±


    The wards were easily cracked and a mysterious woman appeared in front of Braham¡¯s soul. The magic power that could be seen inside her was tremendous, like the light from a dragon heart. It was enough to make even Braham nervous.


    [Y-You...!]


    A ck-haired beauty who exuded gentleness and sensuality. She was so beautiful that it was unrealistic, but Braham¡¯s soul shook frantically.


    [Marie Rose! How did you escape from your seal?]


    Vampire duke, Marie Rose. A direct descendant of the founder Shizo Beriache and the one with the strongest magic power, she directly grabbed Braham¡¯s soul.


    ¡°I was able to break the seal at any time. I was just bored and enjoyed sleeping.¡±


    Then she woke up due to the bloody smelling from a human male¡¯s cloak. Marie Rose¡¯s eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.


    "Braham, you lost your pure blood and degenerated, eventually dying. Now only your soul is left. This insignificant appearance suits you.¡±


    [Don¡¯t taunt me!]


    Marie Rose gazed at Braham¡¯s soul, which was gradually turning redder.


    "Our Braham wouldn¡¯t have no countermeasures. What are you nning to do now?¡±


    Marie Rose handled Braham¡¯s soul like it was y, then she suddenly smiled. It was a brilliant smile that was enough to illuminate the dark city.


    "You, are you dreaming about resurrection?¡±


    Braham was a peculiar presence. He didn¡¯t rely on the innate power of the n and explored magic power. He might¡¯vepleted the resurrection magic. Braham didn¡¯t deny it.


    [Then what are you going to do? You can¡¯t stop my resurrection! If even one of my souls hidden in all parts of the continent doesn¡¯t disappear, I will someday be fully resurrected! Then I will surely use all my effort to destroy you!]


    Marie Rose found the shouting soul to be cute.


    "I wonder how far you can go as a mortal.¡±


    [...!]


    Mortal! Braham hated that cursed word. Marie Rose returned the soul to its original position and turned around. Braham called out to her.


    [Aren¡¯t you going to destroy my soul fragment here?]


    Braham had been banished from the n. He used the fact that it was dark to hide his soul in the n¡¯s cities, but he thought they would be destroyed because they were found by Marie Rose.


    However, Marie Rose had no intention of dealing with Braham. Braham was a mere worm in front of her.


    ¡°How annoying.¡±


    This was the end.


    Marie Rose immediately returned to her pce. Braham¡¯s soul looked like a me as he watched her leave.


    ¡®This mutation that transcends the founder...!¡¯ He must be resurrected. ¡®I will kill the one who made me like this, take away the their heart, and regain eternal life!¡¯


    ***


    Winston had problems. As it grew into the secondrgest city in the north, all types of groups infiltrated it and problems urred. Various forces were created and confronted each other, causing the deterioration of security.


    ¡®Lady Irene needs to recover...¡¯


    After entering the sixth month of her pregnancy, Irene became depressed. Her only flesh and blood, her father, was at Frontier, and her husband Grid was in Reidan, so she was alone.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    A wrinkled face sighed. Winston¡¯s chief knight, Phoenix, was now old. It was too much for him to supervise the work that Irene was supposed to do.


    ¡®If only Grid was here.¡¯


    Phoenix was sighing over a pile of documents, when an urgent voice was heard.


    ¡°Captain Phoenix! Blood is being shed in Rein!¡±


    Rein was the name of a bar in the slums. It was a ce filled with many crooks that disturbed security. Phoenix¡¯s face twisted.


    "Who is causing trouble?¡±


    ¡°The Double-Billed Merchant Group and the Yellow Guild are colliding!¡±


    The Double-Billed Merchant Group had a tight grip on Winston¡¯s market.


    Recently, they started to buy orc leather and collided with the Ikeil Merchant Group as they expanded their business. The Ikeil Group seemed to have hired the Yellow Guild to attack the the Double-Billed Merchant Group.


    ¡¯Those Yellow bastards!¡¯


    The Yellow Guild was a powerful group. The average level was close to 200 and they were the strongest guild in Winston. In order to suppress them, Phoenix had to go out himself.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Phoenix was apanied by soldiers and knights.


    ***


    "The strongest knight in the north isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Rein Tavern. Dozens of people watched as Phoenix fell to his knees. He was badly hit by the Yellow Guild.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Phoenix gritted his teeth.


    He was ring at a priest of the Reba Church.


    Dong Pao. The Reba Church priest, who once enjoyed PKing with Shay¡¯s group, recently added his strength to the Yellow Guild. Of course, it was due to money. How wonderful and happy was it to earn money by ying games?


    ¡°This is a tip.¡±


    The master of the Yellow Guild, Ank, threw a purse towards Dong Pao. It was the payment for approaching Phoenix as a Reba priest and distracting him. Dong Pao smiled with satisfaction after confirming the amount.


    ¡°Good, good. Don¡¯t forget to kill all the witnesses just in case.¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Ank had no intention of sparing Phoenix and his men. Was he scared by the penalty of killing the knights and soldiers? He could take the chance. He nned to leave the Eternal Kingdom after this work.


    ¡®If only I can obtain the Sword of Self-transcendence!¡¯


    Sword of Self-transcendence. A legendary item that was supposed produced by Grid during his novice days. The expected selling price was 1.5 million gold.


    ¡®No, the number of users who are level 180 have increased recently, so it will go over 2 million if I put it on auction.¡¯


    It was an amount that could reverse his life.


    ¡®I can go drink with girls!¡¯


    Indeed, it was a low level of greed. The joyful Ank approached Phoenix. Phoenix was in a miserable condition. He fell into a trap and struggled against 40 Yellow Guild members alone. More than half of the guild members had died, so the price wasn¡¯t cheap.


    "Please drop the Sword of Self-transcendence after dying.¡±


    Ssik!


    Ank said with a smile. If he could get money, he wouldn¡¯t feel guilty for killing NPCs. Ank was a man who didn¡¯t care about killing.


    Swaeek!


    The moment that a vicious sword was able to stab into Phoenix¡¯s forehead.


    Puok!


    A golden de flew and stabbed Ank in the neck.


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A throwing weapon could cause him that much damage? Ank turned his gaze in the direction where the de was thrown.


    "Where is this fellow?¡±


    The answer came from behind him.


    "Guess."


    Kwajak!


    [You have suffered 11,900 damage.]


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    Why was this attack power so strong? The astonished Ank looked at the greatsword that was stabbed in his side. It was a blue greatsword that reminded him of the predator of the sea.


    ¡®D-Don¡¯t tell me!¡¯


    Ank turned pale and looked back. Then it was like he saw a ghost.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Why was he here in the north when he should be in the west? Ank and the other Yellow Guild members couldn¡¯t believe it. Grid swung the greatsword at those who were speechless.


    "These cheeky bastards, how dare you mess around in my wife¡¯s territory?¡±


    Peok!Puk puk!


    The one-sided assault wasn¡¯t even worth describing. Users in the early 200¡¯s couldn¡¯t stand up to Grid.


    "G-Grid, it has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you.¡±


    Dong Pao, who was hiding in the corner, awkwardly greeted Grid. The scammer started to act.


    "Today I was moved by the guidance of Goddess Reba. I happened to be reunited by you in this ce! Grid! I have been repenting since I first met you, but then I was taken hostage by these viinous people and used! You have saved me, so I should repay this grace...!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Dong Pao was embarrassed by the unexpected question.


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t remember me?¡±


    "Yes, I can¡¯t remember you because my brain capacity isn¡¯t good enough.¡±


    ¡°W-What are you saying?¡±


    "Shut up.¡±


    Peok!Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Kuheook!¡±


    On this day.


    The Yellow Guild and Dong Pao, who was beaten up like a dog, were deprived of their citizenship. Now they couldn¡¯t step anywhere in the Steim territory. They were also sentenced to two weeks of Satisfy time in prison.


    It was frustrating for a user to be imprisoned for two weeks. In particr, Dong Pao felt the desire to quit the game because his work had been ruined twice by Grid.


    "I need to set up security straight away.¡±


    Grid received a report on the statue of Winston from Phoenix and immediately summoned Jude. Jude was very strong after being armed with Dainsleif and the best armor. His level was above Phoenix, who was no longer developing due to his age.


    ¡°Teach the soldiers here and punish those who cause disturbances without any mercy.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jude had no thoughts. He just followed Grid¡¯s orders. The Winston soldiers had to taste hell from Jude¡¯s harsh training. There were deserters and wounded soldiers as a result, but the few soldiers who endured the training could be elites.


    Jude rallied the soldiers and quickly stabilized Winston¡¯s security.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285


    A pleasant breeze blew over the grass. A young couple was sitting next to each other under a big tree.


    Grid and Irene.


    "Dear husband. Heheh.¡±


    There seemed to be hearts around them. Irene was reunited with Grid after six months, so she was the happiest person in the world.


    ¡°This moment seems so unreal. I don¡¯t want this dream to end.¡±


    Irene¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t be erased. She had already ovee the depression she had been suffering from. The more she rejoiced, the more pained Grid became. He felt sorry that he made her so lonely.


    ¡®I want to take her to Reidan.¡¯


    It was his original desire. But unfortunately, Irene couldn¡¯t leave Winston.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Their love deepened in proportion to the amount of time they missed each other. The two people felt like this time was more precious than ever as they hugged each other.


    "I¡¯m happy about this system.¡±


    The parenting system. There was a child in Irene¡¯s belly. Grid pressed his face to Irene¡¯s swollen belly.


    Duguen.Duguen.


    The sound of the fetus¡¯ heartbeat reached his ears. It was a small but energetic sound.


    Grid felt the infinite mysteries.


    ¡®My child...¡¯


    He would be a father. He felt fear since it was his first experience, but his happiness was greater. It felt like he had left his trace in this world. Words couldn¡¯t describe the sense of fulfillment.


    ¡®I was lonely untilst year and never thought this day woulde.¡¯


    Money, colleagues, friends. A woman he loved and now a home. Grid had obtained all these things from Satisfy. Satisfy wasn¡¯t just a game, but a world that was as precious as reality. Irene¡¯s small hand grabbed Grid¡¯s big and rough hands. She felt a desire that she expressed.


    ¡°I want our child to be a boy with nice hands like yours. Do you want that as well?¡±


    The Eternal Kingdom¡¯s treatment of women wasn¡¯t as bad as the south. Compared with other kingdoms, the social status of women was very high. But it was an undeniable reality that most nobles wanted a male heir.


    For Irene, she was Marquis Steim¡¯s only daughter, so she was well aware of this. Marquis Steim had actually wanted a son. Irene wanted to have a son, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling a little bitter from her position as a woman.


    Grid¡¯s high insight read her mind and he answered quickly. ¡°I¡¯d like a daughter.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t a daughtercking in many ways to be the heir?¡±


    ¡°No, such things don¡¯t matter. I just want a daughter who is as beautiful and kind as you.¡±


    Love wasn¡¯t a skill. Grid were merely telling the truth. Irene was thrilled by his unexpected answer. Her eyes filled with tears and she blushed.


    ¡°Dear husband is so good.¡±


    "...¡±


    The moist eyes and flushed cheeks were adorable. This stimulus caused Grid to gulp. Irene could see what he wanted.


    ¡°I love you. It is hard with the child in my belly but...¡±


    ¡°Eh... H-Huh?¡±


    Irene was still a girl. She had a purity that made it seem like she hadn¡¯t known a man yet. Therefore, Grid was embarrassed by the meaningful remark she made that didn¡¯t match her appearance.


    "Now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for time.¡±


    Irene led Grid to her bedroom. After that. The two people shared their love in a different way due to Irene¡¯s pregnancy, and the result was good.


    [The child in the belly has felt the couple¡¯s true love.]


    [All stats of the child in the belly will permanently increase by one.]


    ***


    A whisper came from Lauel.


    After 10 days, he intended to hold a merger ceremony with the Silver Knights Guild.


    ¡°I guess I have to leave.¡±


    Grid had spent three happy days with Irene. He wanted to stay near Irene, but he couldn¡¯t enjoy it forever. He knew the responsibility as the Overgeared master had to be fulfilled.


    ¡®If I have my kingdom, I won¡¯t see anyone else and will ce you as my queen.¡¯


    This was one more reason to be king. Phoenix approached Grid as he prepared to leave. ¡°Duke Grid, can¡¯t you take Lady Irene with you?¡±


    "Take Irene to Reidan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lord. That is Marquis Steim¡¯s wish.¡±


    She would give birth in 4 months. Marquis Steim didn¡¯t want her to be lonely in the meantime. It was the same with Grid, but wasn¡¯t Irene ruler of Winston?


    "Can she leave this ce?¡±


    "Marquis Steim has sent a substitute.¡±


    "That is good.¡±


    Grid smiled widely. Phoenix was in tears as he saw Grid¡¯s delight.


    ¡®My Lady, you are truly loved.¡¯


    ¡°Hold on tightly to me.¡±


    Grid hugged Irene and flew with Braham¡¯s Boots. The sight of the two people in the clouds was reminiscent of a scene in a romantic movie.


    "It is too mysterious and exciting. It¡¯s like a fairy tale world.¡±


    ¡°I think every moment with you is a fairy tale.¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    [The child in the belly has felt the couple¡¯s true love.]


    [All stats of the child in the belly will permanently increase by one.]


    [The child in the belly has witnessed the marvels of nature.]


    [The child in the belly is curious.]


    [The intelligence of child in the belly will permanently increase by two.]


    "My mana is low. Let¡¯s walk for a while.¡±


    "Huhut, I remember walking through the forest with you on the day we met.¡±


    In the past, Grid had rescued Irene from Mcus and they headed through the forest. He recalled that time. Grid wrapped an arm around Irene¡¯s slender shoulders.


    ¡°Danger won¡¯te to you again. I will protect you.¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    [The child in the belly has felt the couple¡¯s true love.]


    [All stats of the child in the belly will permanently increase by one.]


    The couple¡¯s liking grew exponentially during the journey to Reidan and had a good effect on the child. Monsters and thieves appeared asionally to threaten the couple, but they were just experience to Grid.


    [The child in the belly has witnessed his father¡¯s sword dance and admires it.]


    [The child in the belly is interested in swordsmanship.]


    [The strength of child in the belly will permanently increase by one.]


    [The child in the belly has witnessed his father¡¯s weapon repairing and admires it.]


    [The child in the belly is interested in cksmithing.]


    [The dexterity of child in the belly will permanently increase by one.]


    Every so often, these notification windows would pop up in front of Grid.


    ¡¯This is like a joke.¡¯


    Level 1 characters had a total of 22 stat points.. On the other hand, it seemed like the baby would have at least 50 stat points from the moment they were born.


    ¡¯Well, the important thing is the maximum limit of the stats.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t expect much from the stats of his child. It was because NPCs had a limit on their stats, except for named NPCs. He just hoped for a nice and pretty child who resembled Irene. That¡¯s right. He was forgetting. It was the fact that his child was a special person who inherited the blood of the legendary Grid and Marquis Steim of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ***


    Guild Name: Overgeared


    Level: 10 (MAX)


    Master: Grid


    Capacity: 28/250


    Affiliation: The Eternal Kingdom


    Alliances: Marquis Steim


    Hostile Rtionships: There are no forces that can be called clear enemies, but there are many who are on guard.


    Inclination: An unconditionally favorable rtionship with Marquis Steim.


    Territory: Reidan.


    Originally, raising the level of a guild was very tough. It took the top guilds at least a year to reach level 10. But Overgeared was a special case. Due to the huge rewards from the golem invasion, they were able to achieve level 10 in just 7 months. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    "Why is there only 250 guild members? This guild system ispletely bad.¡±


    The Silver Knights Guild had a total of exactly 225 members. The conditions of the merger included all of them, so Grid was puzzled.


    Lauel exined. "You can make another guild.¡±


    "One person can make multiple guilds?¡±


    ¡°No. Someone in Overgeared should create a new guild and assign that guild to Overgeared. In other words, it is a second guild.¡±


    "Ah, this is how the guilds with more than 250 members operate?¡±


    "Yes..."


    Lauel¡¯s eyes became weary. Grid didn¡¯t even know this basic system.


    "Yes, well. Create a new guild.¡±


    "I¡¯m stillcking.¡± Lauel pointed to Jishuka. ¡°Jishuka was the master of the Tzedakah Guild, which is like the mother of Overgeared. She can lead a second guild well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Grid had absolute trust in Lauel. He believed he would seed if he followed Lauel¡¯s advice. However, Jishuka refused to be the master of the second guild. She already had enough responsibility as ruler of Bairan.


    Lauel reassured her. "Over the past six months, the Overgeared members have been learning how to manage a territory. There are many people who can handle Bairan on your behalf, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The Overgeared members gathered together and Jishuka formed a new guild.


    ¡°What will the guild name be?¡±


    It was up to the guild master to pick a name. Jishuka and the Overgeared members focused on Grid. Grid thought about it.


    ¡°Overgeared Two.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really!¡±


    Lauel cried out angrily, but the Overgeared members didn¡¯t show any signs of rejection. They had already adapted to Grid¡¯s naming sense. On the other hand, Lauel was desperate.


    ¡°The second and third guilds are usually named ording to their role! The second guild will be filled with secondary sses, so you should name it ording to its characteristics!¡±


    ¡°Workforce?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    In the end, it was determined that the second guild would be called Overgeared Two.


    ***


    The day of the guild merger.


    The 225 members of the Silver Knights Guild, including Peak Sword, arrived in Reidan. Thanks to the power of the 15th ranked Peak Sword, the monsters in the desert couldn¡¯t stop them.


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    The Silver Knights Guild were overwhelmed by Reidan. Reidan¡¯s development was increasing by leaps and bounds. It was a big city with all types of buildings, and the soldiers were well armed. In particr, the alchemy facilities and agricultural fields couldn¡¯t bepared to other cities.


    This was the power of the 20 million gold that Grid invested.


    ¡°Wee to Reidan.¡±


    A ck haired man appeared among the soldiers. It was Grid. There were almost 30 members of Overgeared following him, all of whom were rankers or famous. Peak Sword and the Silver Knights Guild trembled at the thought that they would soon be one group.


    ¡°Master, I look forward to working with you.¡±


    Peak Sword knew how to distinguish between public and private. He might be older than Grid in reality, but he knew his status was far below Grid¡¯s in Satisfy. This attitude would help establish the discipline in the newly expanded Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°I am as well.¡±


    It was the moment when the man who was ignored by the neighborhood children was reborn as the leader of a huge guild. If a documentary was made of Grid, this would be a featured scene.


    Was this the life that Grid would walk from now on? No, it still wasn¡¯t smooth. Right now, the minerals detector Minor was hurriedly heading towards him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286


    The announcement of the merger between the Silver Knights Guild and Overgeared was an issue that would cover a whole page of newspapers in various countries. But the merger ceremony was small. Not one reporter was invited. There was no reason to help other forces by publicizing the growth of Overgeared.


    It wasn¡¯t yet time.


    ¡°Puhahahat!¡±


    ¡°Kukuku!¡±


    A banquet was held after the merger. It was intended to promote unity with the existing members of Overgeared and the new members from the Silver Knights Guild. The atmosphere was good.


    ¡°Vantner! It¡¯s an honor to be your colleague! I have admired you for a long time! You are the reason why I became a strength type guardian knight!¡±


    "Oh, you¡¯repletely ruined. You¡¯re still level 180, so I rmend you delete your character and raise a new one. Or else you will have to live with this bad build for the rest of your life.¡±


    "...¡±


    "Faker, I heard about how you smashed one of the seven guilds, the Ice Flower Guild, alone, and I trembled. How should I develop my stats and skills to be a great assassin like you?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Mister? Mister Faker? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Mister?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Regas! I heard that you really like Taekwondo and South Korea? The South Koreans thank you! Then have you tried kimchi? Huh? Do you know kimchi?¡±


    "...¡±


    Both guilds were a bit unconventional. It seemed like more time was needed to be closer. Grid was busy observing the faces of the guild members.


    ¡®Do you know kimchi...? That person is simr to Peak Sword. The Korean Patriotic Association? Huh, that person looks fairly young, but he¡¯s quite reticent? I should watch closely because I¡¯m a cksmith.¡¯


    The 225 new colleagues were future friends and family members. Grid made an effort to remember their IDs, faces and features. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy. How easy was it to remember 225 names and faces?


    ¡®Ouch, my head hurts.¡¯


    In the end, Grid¡¯s brain was overloaded less than an hourter. In the past, his brain would¡¯ve been paralyzed in five minutes, so this was a great improvement. Jishuka, Lauel and Peak Sword were engaged in a conversation next to Grid.


    "The average level of the Silver Knights Guild is 220? At this level, they can¡¯t exert any strength against the desert monsters, so it is urgent to raise their level. Let¡¯s have the Overgeared members take turns to help them.¡±


    ¡°No. Improving the working environment of the yellow mithril mine is the top priority. The low level members should be sent to Cork Ind and Bairan to make them grow, while the higher levelled guild members should devote their efforts to fighting monsters near the mine.¡±


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t the low level guild members fall too far behind?¡±


    ¡°No. For the lower levels, the environment of Bairan and Cork Ind is much better than Reidan for hunting. In the first ce, I have negative feelings towards power levelling. What will happen when they borrow the power of others to level up? It¡¯s obvious that they will be unable to exert the appropriate skills for their level."


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was too short-sighted."


    "The key is who we should appoint to Bairan and Cork Ind? A good lord will develop both the territory and the low level guild members well. It might be better for Peak Sword to be kept as the lord of Cork Ind. How about it? Peak Sword.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t possible. Grid told me to go and mine.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Peak Sword was a swordsman. He was ranked 15th on the unified rankings, and it was evaluated that he should be on the same level as Pon and Regas. He was someone who couldpete with the top rankers. That type of person was being used as a miner?


    ¡®What is Grid thinking? Is there a story I don¡¯t know?¡¯


    As Lauel was feeling confused, a boy rushed into the banquet hall. It was the minerals detector, Minor. The boy ran over to where Grid was sitting.


    ¡°Pant pant... Hey, Duke. Shouldn¡¯t you move quickly to obtain the pavranium?¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°The pavranium sealed in the vampire cities are beginning to be eroded by a strange energy.¡±


    Minor was arrogant and had no loyalty to Grid. But he was surprisingly faithful to his duties. Today he had gone to look at the state of the pavranium.


    ¡°Strange energy?¡±


    What was he talking about? A quest window appeared in front of the frowning Grid.


    [A new quest has been created!]


    [Vampire City!]


    Difficulty: ?


    An incident has happened in the vampire cities that is the center of chaos.


    The enormous power has spread its presence throughout the 15 vampire cities, blessing the vampires while harming the pavranium.


    If you can¡¯t secure the pavranium quickly, this presence will erode and alter the pavranium, making it lose its extraordinary function and turning it into an ordinary mineral.


    Head to the vampire cities right now to secure the pavranium.


    * Every vampire city has one piece of pavranium sealed inside it.


    * Obtain as much pavranium as possible within 90 days.


    * The pavranium that can¡¯t be secured within 90 days will be permanently destroyed.


    * It is highly likely for there to be hidden quests linked along the way.


    ¡®The degree of difficulty is a question mark ¡¯?¡¯¡¯ A question mark! In Satisfy, this often referred to matters that were ¡®impossible to measure.¡¯ This meant that the difficulty of this quest was likely to be the highest difficulty that exceeded the SS-grade.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He knew about the vampire cities thanks to Lauel. In order to clear one city, wasn¡¯t at least 10 third advancement sses required?


    ¡®The estimated time to clear one city is 10 days.¡¯


    It was huge enough that it couldn¡¯t bepared with normal dungeons, and the level of the monsters was also high. In any case, this was the conclusion.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a quest that is impossible to clear by myself?¡¯


    No, what was this dirty thing! Pavranium could be considered the inherent weapon of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and was limited to exactly 28 pieces. He couldn¡¯t help cursing at the possibility of losing 15 of them.


    ¡°Ahh... Dammit, really. Things were going too well.¡±


    He once again realized there was nothing free in this world. Jishuka and Lauel became worried after seeing hearing sigh.


    ¡°What is it Grid? What type of quest did you get?¡±


    ¡°Can you share the quest?¡±


    After a moment. Jishuka and Lauel frowned after confirming the contents of the quest.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a quest that can¡¯t be cleared?¡±


    Pon and Regas had failed to clear even one vampire city. This was despite the fact that they invested one whole month. Grid had to clear 15 cities in 90 days alone? It was impossible.


    "But it¡¯s a quest that must be cleared. Losing the pavranium is like weakening Grid. It can¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°How about the guild members help you out?¡±


    "That would be good. However, our guild now has to manage three territories. The number of people who can support Grid is around 10.¡±


    Euphemina wasn¡¯t at the merger ceremony because she was on a separate mission. Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl weren¡¯t even level 120 yet, so they were out of the question.


    ¡°10 of them... Even if it isn¡¯t 15, we can at least obtain 9 pieces of pavranium.¡±


    "Yes, it is possible."


    Grid¡¯s face wasn¡¯t good as he looked at the two people discussing the matter.


    ¡°Stop it. I don¡¯t want to bother the guild members because of my personal quest.¡±


    It was the right mindset. A guild master using members for individual quests was harmful behavior that should be avoided. Lauel smiled at him and exined, ¡°A lot of experience can be gained from the vampire cities, as well as a low probability of obtaining elixirs. The guild members can develop by helping you with your quest.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Suddenly, a group of Overgeared members gathered near the hesitant Grid.


    "I haven¡¯t been hunting in a long time.¡±


    "Let¡¯s gain some levels.¡±


    The Overgeared members were hoping to be the strongest rankers. They didn¡¯t want to miss an opportunity to raise their level at the best hunting grounds. In particr, Vantner was extremely active.


    ¡°I need some stamina elixirs. Please take me with you.¡±


    "...¡±


    Whatever their reasons, they were still trying to help him. It was differentpared to the days when Grid couldn¡¯t depend on anyone, so he couldn¡¯t help forming some happy tears. A wide smile spread on Grid¡¯s face.


    "Thank you. The next time youe to Korea, I will buy you kanjajang.¡±


    The golem invasion of Reinhardt. Grid had rejected going to the king¡¯s banquet because he wanted to eat kanjajang. Through this remark, he convinced the Overgeared members.


    ¡®Kanjajang... It must be an incredibly precious food.¡¯


    ¡®Is it the food for the Korean royalty?¡¯


    How expensive was it? As the Overgeared members were engrossed in this vain delusion, Peak Sword watched quietly and mourned.


    ¡°I like jjampong.¡± (Jjampong=like a spicy seafood noodle soup. It ismon in Korea to ask if you like jajangmyeon or jjampong more)


    Now that they were colleagues, Peak Sword was thinking about helping Grid.


    ***


    The expedition was organized.


    Grid, Jishuka, Pon, Regas, Peak Sword and Faker were the damage dealers, while Vantner was the tanker. Huroi came to buff while Zednos was the support in the rear. They had 90 days to clear 15 dungeons, so thebination was important.


    It was abination aimed at quickly reaching the boss by piercing through the mobs. Lauel couldn¡¯t leave as temporary lord, so he wasn¡¯t part of this expedition. Before the expedition departed, Lauel warned them again.


    "As you all know, the bnce of the cooperation is important. There is a probability of surprise attacks, so always keep an eye on your surroundings.


    "I understand, I understand. Are you our mother? How many times do you have to repeat the same thing?¡±


    Vantner whined, but Lauel continued speaking without paying attention to him.


    ¡°Considering that the entrance if blocked andmunication cut off once you enter the city, there is a 99% chance that summoning your knights won¡¯t work. Please don¡¯t face a desperate situation.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t be so uneasy if Piaro and Asmophel were included in this expedition. But unlike users, NPCs had only one life. They couldn¡¯t be risked. Gridughed at the worried Lauel.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid pledged toplete Lifael¡¯s Spear through this expedition.


    ¡®If I can reim all 15 pieces of pavranium, I can make a Lifael¡¯s Spear that is purelyposed of pavranium.¡¯


    It was a weapon that could easily ovee Failure. His heart was already thumping as he imagined the weapon flying around alone and helping him out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart."


    The strongest party in Satisfy¡¯s history, led by Grid, embarked on their journey. There was a person following them.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    There was a mysterious person following Grid¡¯s party. He had long arms, thick lips, and impressive skin that was as ck as charcoal. His name was Kasim. Thest descendant of the Nero people destroyed by the Saharan Empire, and the ultimate assassin with the title of ¡®King of Shadows.¡¯


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Kasim had observed Grid from before he became a duke. He always maintained a distance of 5m from Grid. Recently, he had to increase the distance to 7m thanks to the skills of the young assassin called Faker, but it wasn¡¯t a huge hindrance. There was still arge difference between Kasim and Faker¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Vampire city...¡±


    Kasim found out the destination of Grid¡¯s party.


    Vampires. A branch of the demonkin, they lived in the human world rather than in hell. Their strength was overwhelming. It was natural since they were designed to hunt humans. Entering theirir was an act of suicide.


    ¡¯In particr, the problem is the True Blood n. Duke Grid can deal with a viscount but...¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t a match for earls yet. Kasim was sure of this because he had a firm grasp of Grid and the Overgeared members¡¯ power.


    ¡¯If they meet an earl, they will all be wiped out.¡¯


    Should he stop it? No, that wasn¡¯t necessary. Based on Kasim¡¯s observations, Grid and hispanions were all immortal cursed existences(users). The cost of death for them wasn¡¯t big.


    ¡®Sometimes defeat is a good medicine.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that right? Doran. They had fought thousands of times and a defeat in one spar didn¡¯t always mean victory in the next.


    ¡°...I miss you.¡±


    Doran. A friend who grew up together under the same mentor. Why did Grid have the ring Doran inherited from their mentor? Kasim questioned. He was following Grid to figure out why. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out why. All his questions were answered after finding out that Grid was Irene¡¯s husband.


    Nevertheless, the reason he stayed with Grid was because he saw the possibility of Grid growing to rival the Saharan Empire. The Saharan Empire! They persecuted the innocent minorities and wiped them out if they refused to submit.


    Kasim had a huge grudge against the empire. He wanted to watch Grid one day destroy the empire.


    Suruk.


    Kasim disappeared. He would stay by Irene¡¯s side until Grid came back. Nothing should grab Grid¡¯s ankle while he was growing. Kasim nned to thoroughly protect Irene, who Grid loved.


    Piaro was working in the fields, Asmophel training soldiers, and Kasim was hiding in the city. Now Reidan was much safer than when Kraugel had been here. It was an impregnable fortress unless a dragon or great demon attacked.


    Administrator Rabbit could develop the city with confidence.


    ¡®In a few months, we can finally escape from a the deficit. I have to slowly raise thebor costs to increase the efficiency of the workers. Is it enough if I raise it by 0.1%?¡¯


    Grid was unaware of this, but there were many positive people around him. All of this was created by Grid¡¯s changes and growth, so he should be proud.


    ***


    [The giant worm has been destroyed.]


    [2,330,900 experience has been acquired.]


    [The desert toad has been destroyed.]


    [2,607,400 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡®It is great.¡¯


    They headed to the vampire cities. Grid¡¯s group yed desert creatures as they moved forward. Peak Sword marvelled from among them.


    ¡®These monsters give too much experience. I can¡¯t adapt.¡¯


    The desert monsters gave at least 20% more experience than the monsters on the top floor of Cork Dungeon. However, it didn¡¯t take long to hunt them. This was absurd. It was the reason why the Overgeared members monopolized the top rankings after Grid was appointed as lord of Reidan.


    ¡®The vampires will give a lot more experience than the desert monsters. Maybe I might achieve level 307 in this expedition.¡¯


    Peak Sword didn¡¯t think that entering the top 10 was a dream. On the other hand, Grid was full ofints.


    ¡¯The experience is too low.¡¯


    Most users raised their levels by hunting or quests, but Grid was a special case who raised it through raids. So it was natural for him toin.


    Considering that the knights and elders of the Reba Church gave tens of millions of experience, and Pascal gave 700 million experience, the two million of the desert monsters was terrible.


    ¡®When can I reach level 300?¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant didn¡¯t have the concept of second or third ss advancements. But at level 300, his stats went through the third awakening like any other user. Since Grid had unusually high stats, he would be dramatically strengthened the moment he reached level 300.


    He dreamed of that day, but Grid was currently only level 296. His experience gauge wasn¡¯t even half full yet. He was sighing when he suddenly recalled the Reputation Store. He broke through 30,000 reputation after obtaining the ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ hidden piece and was able to use the Reputation Store.


    He had looked at it the other day.


    ¡¯There is a potion that gives an experience buff.¡¯ What if he took that potion after entering a vampire city? ¡®I can level up!¡¯


    Grid opened the Reputation Store.


    ¡°Reputation Store!¡±


    Ttiring~


    [This is a special service for the best in Satisfy!]


    Immediately after this phrase, a golden carriage only visible to Grids eyes fell from the sky. It was very simr to the golden carriage that asionally came to front line troops that had no PX (Post exchange).


    Grid was convinced that the inventor of this system was someone who served in the military.


    [Introducing the luxurious goods to our guest!]


    [Sweet Candy]


    A little candy bar!


    A candy with natural sweetness is the best!


    There are no chemicals added!


    Effects: When the sweet candy is in your mouth, all stats will rise by 30% for 5 minutes.


    * This item can only be purchased five times per ount.


    Price: 20,000 reputation.


    It started with the limited-edition products that offered the best performance to...


    [Good-looking Sunsses]


    Therge frame is the highlight of the square sunsses!


    It is big enough to cover half the face, so it will help someone ugly look handsome!


    Effect: Look handsome.


    * The charm stat isn¡¯t created or increased. It is a simple essory with no special function other than a visual effect.


    Price: 5,000 reputation.


    ...Items that had no practical use.


    The golden carriage. No, the Reputation Store had around 30 products disyed. There were event-limited products that were asionally released. In any case, Grid only needed one item right now.


    ¡®Where is the experience potion? Ah, found it!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s gaze fixed on a specific produce.


    [Draw! Draw! Draw everything!]


    A random drawing machine.


    At the price of 999 reputation, you can get a variety of items randomly.


    * Limited edition items aren¡¯t included.


    * There is a certain chance of gaining an experience buff potion.


    Price: 999 reputation.


    ¡¯This is great!¡¯


    Satisfy didn¡¯t have a maximum level, so experience buffs could exponentially increase the gap between users. The experience buff potionsmon in ordinary games couldn¡¯t be found in Satisfy.


    But the Reputation Store was a special ce. Only a few users could gather such great achievements, so it needed to be attractive to them. That attraction was the experience buff potion.


    Grid went over there in a sh.


    ¡®The cost is cheap. Why is it 999 reputation instead of 1,000?¡¯


    There were many 20,000 products in the world valued at 29,990 won. This was a marketing technique to deceive people.


    ¡®It is an opportunity to get a buff potion for a low price!¡¯


    999 reputation. Considering that he got 150 reputation when making a unique item and 500 reputation from a legendary item, it wasn¡¯t a cheap price. However, Grid judged that it was worthwhile to try and used 999 reputation on the drawing machine.


    [Draw! Draw! You have drawn a product.]


    Chwaruruk!


    The goods in the machine started spinning. Then after a while.


    Rattle!


    An item popped out.


    [Congrattions! Pretty Hairpin has been acquired!]


    [Pretty Hairpin]


    A colourful and pretty hairpin.


    If you gift it to a woman, she will be delighted.


    Weight: 0.1


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was the result of losing his mind at the thought of a experience buff potion. Grid temporarily forgot about the odds of a game like this.


    "Dammit!"


    The blue hairpin was really pretty. It would surely have a great effect with Irene¡¯s silver hair. However, it wasn¡¯t worth wasting 999 reputation on. Grid cursed and tried to throw the hairpin away, but eventually put it in his inventory. It would be a gift for Irene.


    He pictured Irene and his anger calmed.


    "Yes, it is hard for things to happen the first time.¡±


    The second time. He would try a second draw. Grid bought another spin.


    [Congrattions! You have acquired the world¡¯s most delicious skewer.]


    [World¡¯s Most Delicious Skewer]


    It is a skewer of a hell dog¡¯s hind legs aged for 100 days, then roasted with a secret sauce.


    It is the supreme taste that gourmet raiders enjoy.


    "It¡¯s just dog meat!"


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    ¡°There is even a failure?¡±


    Prior to the release of virtual reality games. Grid hadn¡¯t experienced the mobile games that most people in the world yed. He only yed MMORPGs that he could enjoy on his PC. He didn¡¯t know the fear of drawing games, and was confused.


    ¡°Dammit! Bullshit!¡±


    Grid¡¯s anger aimed at innocent creatures. On the way to the vampire city, Grid killed more monsters than anyone else. Even Pon and Regas were surprised at his speedy hunting.


    ¡°Grid is really motivated.¡±


    ¡°He is in a high position, so he feels a strong sense of responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Grid has matured even more after the guild merger. Truly wonderful.¡±


    Bias was scary. Filled with misunderstandings, Grid¡¯s party finally arrived at a vampire city.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288


    The 13th vampire city.


    Pon and Regas had already explored this ce, so they opened their mouths prior to entering.


    "Once we enter here, we have to go down a 12m high cliff. There is no danger when climbing down the cliff, but there is a risk of falling down because it¡¯s dark and steep. The people with less than 400 agility should move carefully.¡±


    "There aren¡¯t any lights and it is dark, so you won¡¯t be able to see anything for around two minutes. Your vision won¡¯t be perfect after two minutes pass. The darkness ces a limit on our mobility, so it will be difficult for us to exert 100% of our power. Ah, Jishuka and Faker have their passive skills Hawk Eyes and Assassin¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    Vantner expressed his doubts.


    "Why can¡¯t we light torches if it is dark? Why are we trying to stay in the dark? Are we cavemen?¡±


    ¡°The vampires pay attention to fire. You will be isted as soon as you turn on the torch.¡±


    "Ah, that¡¯s right. I heard that before.¡±


    ¡°Stupid.¡±


    Pon continued the exnation.


    ¡°There is a city half the size of Bairan below the cliff. The average level of the vampire familiars wandering the streets are well below the giant worms. However,bat capabilities depend on the existence, so be vignt.¡±


    "Familiar? Where are the vampires?¡±


    "The vampires are asleep in buildings scattered throughout the city. Once we enter a building, they will wake up. But there are rare cases of some of them ambushing us.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... The boss must be sleeping in one of the buildings.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable guess. We can only go through the buildings in order to find the boss.¡±


    "In the process, you should be careful of the True Blood vampires. Sometimes they pop up and they are much stronger than ordinary vampires.¡±


    "How so?"


    ¡°It was hard to kill them even if Regas and I joined forces.¡±


    ¡°A field boss?¡±


    ¡°No, not that strong. If we don¡¯t have divine power, we can¡¯t do much damage. However, if all of us join forces, we should be able to easily defeat them.¡±


    Jishuka, Grid, Pon, Regas, Faker and Peak Sword, the most powerful damage dealers were gathered together. It was Pon¡¯s judgment that they could exert attack power that could easily take care of the True Blood vampires.


    ¡°Okay. Immediately after entry, please pay attention to the darkness and cliff, and refrain from manifesting as much light as possible. The True Blood vampires... Quickly handle them. This should be enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid did a final check on the status of the party.


    Party Name: Pavranium Expedition


    Party Leader: Grid (Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Level 296)


    Party Members List:


    Pon (Spear Knight. Level 307)


    Regas (Asura. Level 307)


    Peak Sword (Hidden Sword) Level 306)


    Faker (Master of Swiftness. Level 305)


    Jishuka (Red me Archer) Level 305)


    Vantner (Impregnable Fortress. Level 302)


    Zednos (Storm Magician. Level 301)


    Huroi (Orator. Level 292)


    Item Distribution Method: Party Leader Acquisition


    Thanks to enough rest, everyone¡¯s health, mana, and stamina were full. The item distribution method was also correct.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy any longer. He entered the ant hell.


    [You have entered the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (13).]


    [The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]


    [You can¡¯t escape the dungeon until you have died or kill the dungeon boss.]


    ¡®It is dark.¡¯


    It was his first feeling after entering. There was a deep darkness that dominated the whole area. He would be confused if he didn¡¯t listen to Pon and Regas beforehand. It was as the party was trying to adapt to the darkness.


    Puduk.Kwaduduk.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    They heard the sound of wings pping, then hundreds of small red lights appeared in the darkness. It was countless bats flocking.


    ¡°Crazy! What is this? I didn¡¯t think there would be an attack until we went down the cliff!¡±


    The wrong information could be a big threat on the battlefield. Everyone could understand why Vantner cursed as he quickly set up his shield.


    Teteng! Teteteteng!


    [Grid¡¯s Shield: Prototype A]


    It was a shield based on the Divine Shield, andbined high defense and magical resistance.


    He used ck iron, which was rtively easy to obtain among the higher ranked minerals. The disadvantage was that it was heavy, but that wasn¡¯t difficult for Vantner, who had abnormally high strength.


    The hundreds of bats rammed into the giant ck shield and scattered blood.


    Kwajik!


    There was a creepy sound as small skulls were crushed sessively.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A groan emerged from Vantner¡¯s mouth. He could block the bats flying in front, but he was bitten by the bats that fled to the left and right.


    ¡°Damn! Forcing me to use a skill so early! Guard of Steel!¡±


    [For three minutes, physical defense will increase by 30% and there will be a 50% increase in resistance to stabbing and cutting.]


    Tatak!Tak!


    Vantner¡¯s defense became firmer. The small but sharp teeth of the bats no longer reached Vantner¡¯s flesh. Jishuka and Faker were the first ones in the party to adapt to the darkness and they started supporting Vantner.


    ¡°Dancing Arrows.¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    It was a skill associated with Multi-shot. Dozens of arrows were fired at the same time and rotated as they pierced the bats, changing their orbit. The bats were hit by the arrows flying in all directions and fell down the cliff.


    Faker¡¯s actions were also great. He threw 20 daggers equipped with an ¡®Explosion Rune,¡¯ turning the bats to ashes. By the time the rest of the party adapted to the darkness, most of the bats were already destroyed. Vantner sat down and gasped for breath.


    ¡°Pant... Pant, dammit. I almost died as soon as I came in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think the pattern would¡¯ve changed.¡±


    The monsters in most dungeons had a constant position and behavior pattern. They thought it would be the same here. Vantner could no longer grumble after seeing Pon¡¯s sincere apology. Afterwards, Grid¡¯s group waited until Vantner had recovered his health. Vantner was the party¡¯s only tanker, so his status was important.


    "Easy, easy.¡±


    "Yes.¡±


    Once Vantner recovered, the group started descending the cliff. While everyone was struggling, Grid and Zednos could rx. They were able to use Fly magic. The two people were able to descendfortably.


    Taack!


    The two peoplended first below the cliff and looked around. It was to prepare for any enemies while the group was descending the cliff. Not surprisingly, there were fiverge wolves rushing in the distance.


    ¡°They are scarilyrge.¡±


    Their size was muchrger thanmon wolves. It was at the level of a bear. But Grid and Zednos didn¡¯t feel any fear.


    [The +9 Failure has been equipped.]


    [The attack power of the +9 Failure will increase by 20% in dark ces.]


    [The +8 Grid¡¯s Boots has been equipped.]


    [The defense of the +8 Grid¡¯s Boots will increase by 20% in dark ces.]


    Grid believed in his items.


    ¡¯Grid is with me!¡¯


    Zednos believed in Grid. The wolves, who wanted to prey on the two people, quickly realized their folly.


    Yip!Yelp!


    [You have defeated a vampire wolf.]


    [490,800 experience has been distributed.]


    [You have defeated a vampire wolf.]


    [487,210 experience has been distributed.]


    [Vampire wolf leather has been acquired.]


    [Vampire Wolf Leather]


    Very sturdy leather. If it can be tanned well, it will be a suitable material for making armor.


    Weight: 15


    The experience was quite good considering it was being shared by nine people. Indeed, the vampire cities were good ces to level up.


    ¡®There are three tailors in the Silver Knights Guild right?¡¯


    Grid could also make leather armor. But several experiments showed that the performance was considerably worse than when he used minerals. From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was more profitable to make things other than leather armor.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we distribute the various materials among the guild members and give them requests? We will sell the items made from these materials and raise the guild¡¯s profits. There will be a separate reward for the makers.¡±


    Grid gave his opinion to the people who descended the cliff. It was rare for Grid to have such a n. No, it was the first time, so his impressedpanions nodded their heads. Pon and Regas were silent for a moment at the sight of Grid¡¯s further growth, but then they expressed their concerns.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. The atmosphere is different from when we came here before.¡±


    "The bats and vampire wolves weren¡¯t here before. The environmental radius of the familiars is much wider than before. The experience given has also increased by 10%.¡±


    Regas was talking when Pon suddenly asked Grid about his quest contents.


    ¡°You said that strange energy ising from the vampire cities?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is the problem. The strange energy seems to have increased the difficulty of the vampire cities.¡±


    Gulp!


    Peak Sword was nervous. He worried about this expedition failing. However, the other Overgeared members were grateful. If the difficulty had gone up...


    "There is a higher probability of huge benefits!¡±


    "That¡¯s right! Level up speed will be fast!"


    "...¡±


    It was difficult for the tense Peak Sword to understand the mindset of the Overgeared members. He was stunned and swept away in their flow. They called the familiars roaming the streets, umting experience and items. Then they were soon standing in front of an old-fashioned gothic high-rise building.


    ¡°There are around 10 of these buildings?¡±


    They had to search the buildings quickly and thoroughly in order to kill the boss and secure the pavranium. The moment Grid tried to open the huge door of the building.


    [The master of the 13th city, Vampire Earl Elfin Stone has appeared.]


    [A strong evil influence is making your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. Your body is subjected to a strong oppression.]


    The notification windows simultaneously appeared in front of Grid¡¯s party.


    Sururuk.


    ck smoke appeared over Grid¡¯s head. The blond handsome man who emerged from the smoke was more beautiful than jewelry.


    "Humans dare enter my city! Polluting the air!¡±


    Elfin Stone had a story. It was around a month ago. He woke up after a few months of sleeping, only to find his city a wreck. He heard from his subordinates that it was due to two crazy humans. Humans dared invade a vampire¡¯s city with just two of them?


    It was ridiculous and reprehensible. The incensed Elfin Stone couldn¡¯t sleep properly for the past two months. He was so angry that he couldn¡¯t sleep well. Today, he got only 18 hours of sleep and went out for a stroll. However, he discovered some humans. It was a great opportunity to get rid of his anger.


    "Die so that I can sleep!¡±


    Elfin Stone aimed his strongest skill at the man who seemed to be the strongest among the humans.


    [Extreme Blood Transfusion]


    It was a terrifying attack and recovery skill that restored his health by taking awayrge quantities of the target¡¯s health. The disadvantage was that he could only use it once a day, but it was suitable for scaring these trivial beings.


    Puhahahak!


    The human male was covered by a curtain of blood. He would certainly die! Elfin Stone was certain of it.


    "Kukukuk, I wille back in awhile. I will kill another person, and then another one the time after that! This will be repeated again and again. I will show you the extreme taste of fear!¡±


    Suruk!


    Elfin Stone turned into smoke and disappeared. At the same time, the blood curtain was lifted. Grid emerged alive from it.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    The mighty passive with a 24 hour cooldown time had been lost. But he lived.


    Grid and Elfin Stone, both of them were floored.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289


    "Humans dare enter my city! Polluting the air!¡±


    The Overgeared members were appalled the moment the blond man appeared. Ominous notification windows consecutively appeared in front of them.


    [For the next five minutes, you can¡¯t use ¡®Wind Curtain,¡¯ ¡®ck Mace,¡¯ and ¡®Storm of Eternity.¡¯]


    [For the next five minutes, you can¡¯t use ¡®Shield Throw,¡¯ ¡®Damage Break,¡¯ and ¡®Guardian¡¯s Power.¡¯]


    [For the next five minutes, you can¡¯t use ¡®Multi-shot,¡¯ and ¡®Red me Arrows.¡¯]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    With the exception of Grid, all of them had at least two or three skills sealed off. Those who unfortunately had their main skills sealed were particrly disappointed. But that wasn¡¯t the end.


    [All speed will decrease by 30% for the next five minutes.]


    It was a very strong oppression. If just attack speed or movement speed was reduced, the user wouldn¡¯t be able to exercise their true ability. This level of oppression was tremendous.


    ¡°Grid! Avoid it!"


    Faker hurriedly eximed. But it was toote. The vampire earl, Elfin Stone. The furious master of the city was already attacking Grid.


    Puhahahak!


    A bloody curtain swallowed up Grid. Elfin Stone was convinced that Grid had died.


    "Kukukuk, I wille back in awhile. I will kill another person, and then another one the time after that! This will be repeated again and again. I will show you the extreme taste of fear!¡±


    Suruk!


    Elfin Stone assimted with darkness and disappeared like a mirage. The Overgeared members didn¡¯t even think about chasing him. They were grateful that he left. Elfin Stone¡¯s presence was that overwhelming.


    "...¡±


    After a few moments of silence. The curtain of blood lifted and Grid frowned.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Grid only had one point of health left. This wasn¡¯t the end. His whole body was bloody and most of his defense equipment, excluding the Holy Light Armor, was in rags.


    ¡°Grid! Are you okay?¡±


    The members came running. Anxiety was on their faces. In particr, Jishuka was deathly pale. This was a reminder that her heart was thinking of Grid.


    ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m not okay.¡±


    Gulp gulp.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Tears formed as the potion poured down his throat. Super Health Recovery Potion. It was a potion made by the alchemists of Reidan. The price of this top grade potion which restored 15,000 health was worth 10 gold. If he drank three bottles of this, he could buy two chickens in reality.


    Peak Sword sighed with relief. "Phew, it¡¯s fortunate. Surviving with only one point of health left, isn¡¯t this aplete miracle? It is unbelievable despite seeing it with my own eyes. It¡¯s surprising.¡±


    Peak Sword didn¡¯t know about Grid¡¯s invincible passive. Grid exined to him. He thought Peak Sword needed to know if they were to be trusted colleagues.


    ¡°I have an invincible passive. If I die, my health will be fixed at one point and I will be immune to all damage for five seconds. The cooldown time is 24 hours.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Despite the long cooldown, it prevented Grid from dying? It was like having two lives! Aplete scam. A legendary ss was truly different.


    Gridughed at the envious Peak Sword.


    "So always keep this in mind. In the worst situation, I will stand in front.¡±


    Grid emphasized this. If a stranger heard this, they would think he purposely had Elfin Stone aim at him.


    ¡°Hey Regas. Elfin Stone never appeared earlier when you were exining?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen him.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. We explored for a month and never encountered him.¡±


    "Then you were lucky.¡±


    "...¡±


    The mood became serious. This was because the strength of the city¡¯s boss transcended the scope of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Grid is the one with the highest health, but even his invincible passive was invoked. This means that we shouldn¡¯t give him a chance to use the skill. However, the casting time is short and it¡¯s difficult to prepare since we can¡¯t detect when he will appear.¡±


    "This means we will die one by one whenever he appears.¡±


    "Should we do a full-scale attack rather than being wiped out one by one?¡±


    ¡°The result is that we will likely be wiped out. We can¡¯t rule out the possibility that our main skills will be sealed.¡±


    Five minutes was a long time in a struggle with a strong enemy. Having their skills sealed for five minutes was huge and beyond imagination.


    ¡°What should we...?¡±


    ¡°There is no answer.¡±


    It was apletely depressed mood. Grid heard this and quietly muttered, "It wouldn¡¯t be so desperate if I had more time.¡±


    Yes, time to raise his level.


    ¡¯If I reach level 300...¡¯


    Elfin Stone was obviously strong. It was around the same as Hell Gao when he had all his fire stones. In particr, the ability to erase skills was the best. Grid¡¯s insight showed him the worst situation. But what if he achieved level 300 and his stats were awakened to the third level?


    ¡®It will be possible to read when he appears and counterattack.¡¯


    If he could fight back with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve, he could cause fatal damage to him. He would be able to hold on for five minutes while his colleagues¡¯bat power was reduced.


    ¡®Then the chances of this raid seeding will dramatically increase.¡¯


    But Grid was only level 296. Since entering here, he had gained a lot of experience and could reach level 297. However, reaching level 300 wasn¡¯t possible in a day or two. It was only possible if he drank an experience potion and swept away all the vampires in the city.


    "Dammit."


    Elfin Stone said he woulde backter. It might be in five minutes, or maybe ten minutes. Grid had no time. The conclusion.


    ¡®This expedition will fail.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened. There were 15 vampire cities to clear, but he was already stuck at the first one. It was frustrating.


    ¡°Dammit! The quest difficulty is too high!¡±


    Grid was furious at the thought of losing 15 pavranium. The Overgeared members also looked desperate. They all realized that the expedition was likely to fail, so they couldn¡¯tfort Grid. But Jishuka was different.


    Prior to Satisfy opening, she was one of the best yers in the MMORPG ¡®L.T.S.¡¯ so she came up with an analysis that gave hope to Grid.


    ¡°The time it takes for Elfin Stone to reappear might be longer than we think. I don¡¯t think the cooldown will be short when looking at the power of this skill.¡±


    The monster¡¯s rhythm usually followed the skill reuse time. Just like the Fusers of Skeleton Ind. They appeared after exactly seven minutes, spat acid and ran away.


    ¡°If the period before he returns is long, there¡¯s hope for us. Let¡¯s raise Grid to level 300.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Run away and give the experience to Grid. Given the amount of experience these monsters give, Grid can achieve level 300 in at least a week.¡±


    ¡°Once Grid reaches level 300, there is a higher chance to defeat Elfin Stone. But how should we deal with Elfin Stone who keeps appearing?¡±


    "We can only hold out against his skill as long as possible. The first few times won¡¯t be possible, so we will have to sacrifice ourselves. We might find a way to handle it eventually."


    There was no method other than the one Jishuka proposed. All the members agreed to the Grid-building project. Grid felt ashamed.


    "I¡¯m sorry for putting you at risk due to my personal quest.¡±


    ¡°If you are sorry, work hard. Please try and reach level 300.¡±


    He would surely do so. Grid nodded and opened the Reputation Store.


    ¡®I need to save even one of these people.¡¯


    He needed to reach level 300 as soon as possible. Thus, he needed the experience potion.


    ¡®This time I will draw it!¡¯


    Grid stood in front of the ¡®Draw! Draw! Draw Everything!¡¯ machine. He had 28,013 reputation. One try consumed 999 reputation, so he had a total of 28 attempts.


    ¡¯I should at least get one out of 28 attempts. I will certainly do it. It is strange if I don¡¯t get one.¡¯


    Rattle.


    Grid pulled the machine. The result...


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Two sessive failures! Grid¡¯s heart sank. If possible, he wanted to return to the time before he started drawing items. His reputation vanished for nothing. However, reality was cold and temptation was terrible. He couldn¡¯t turn back time or stop the drawing.


    Draw! In the past, it was the worst gambling system that gued many gamers¡¯ wallets and bloated the game producers. Now it was causing great pain to Grid.


    ¡°Shit! Yes! Let¡¯s try it!¡±


    In the end, Grid cursed and started the machine again.


    [Congrattions! The best chocte has been acquired.]


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    [Congrattions! Block Toys to Help a Child¡¯s Development has been acquired.]


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    [This! You have failed! Unfortunately, please look for the next opportunity.]


    Ah! Why were the odds so low the more he drew? Grid¡¯s nervousness reached its peak as his reputation dropped below 10,000.


    ¡®Putting aside the experience potion, why isn¡¯t anything usefuling out?¡¯


    His head hurt and he was dizzy. He wanted to stop now, but his hand was turning the machine continuously. He wanted to get his money¡¯s worth somehow. His remaining reputation dropped to 6,000.


    [Congrattions! An Experience Increase Potion has been acquired.]


    [Experience Increase Potion]


    Increases experience gained by 20% for the next three days.


    Weight: 0.1


    ¡°F-finally...!¡±


    He was happy. He was happy, so why was his chest so sore? He felt like a loser because most of the reputation he earned over the past year was gone.


    ¡°Sigh... At least it appeared.¡±


    Grid disciplined his mind and pulled Mcus¡¯ Cloak out of the inventory. It was the moment when the cloak, which easily attracted monsters because of the bloody smell, was revealed after a long time. Grid passed it to Vantner.


    "Put it on.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    What could be done to speed up Grid¡¯s experience gain? Vantner¡¯s vision darkened as he was discussing it with the group.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290


    ¡°M-Mcus¡¯s Cloak.¡±


    This was a little too much. Weren¡¯t vampires sensitive to the smell of blood? The vampires woulde flocking like dogs if Mcus¡¯ Cloak was used. It was like digging his grave.


    ¡®I have to wear this?¡¯


    Vantner hesitated. On the other hand, Grid and his colleagues showed a firm determination.


    ¡°Vantner, there is no time to spare.¡±


    "Speed is important. We have to make them keeping.¡±


    "We will help you, so don¡¯t worry and put on the cloak.¡±


    ¡°...Okay, I understand.¡±


    Every member of Overgeared was prepared to die. Vantner was no different. He prepared his mind and took the lead after wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He entered therge building in front of him.


    ***


    "It is really wide. It is bigger than it seems from the outside.¡±


    ¡°This is bad. It is better to fight a lot of enemies in a narrow space.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This ce ispletely open without any cover.¡±


    The voices of the party members echoed in every corner. The first floor of the building was a huge hall. It could amodate at least 2,000 people. The ceiling reached to the 7th floor and there were two staircases leading upstairs.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to get in a formation on the stairs, as it¡¯ll be easier for us to be surrounded by the enemies on the upper levels than to be surrounded on all sides.¡±


    This was Jishuka¡¯s opinion. The other members agreed and quickly moved.


    ¡°It is dreary.¡±


    "It is like a cemetery.¡±


    In the center of the dark hallway, hundreds of coffins were randomly arranged. It was a creepy sight.


    Kung!Kung kung!


    It happened when Grid¡¯s party reached the stairs. The silent building suddenly became noisy. It was because the hundreds of coffins started shaking in unison. The vampires sleeping in the coffins were reacting to the bloody smell of Mcus¡¯ Cloak.


    "They¡¯reing!"


    ¡°Be prepared.¡±


    Grid¡¯s group quickly got into formation and pulled out their weapons.


    There was a dark red greatbow that resembled a roaring dragon, a blue spear with a great appearance, gauntlets that seemed like they could easily crush the enemy, dazzling silver daggers and so on.


    They were all Grid¡¯s works. The existence of Grid for the Overgeared members was incrediblyrge.


    Kung!Kung!


    Kwajak!


    The coffins opened and the vampires appeared. They had pale skin, long fangs, and red eyes. Their red eyes turned towards Grid¡¯s group. To be precise, it was towards Vantner.


    ¡°This fragrance is good.¡±


    ¡°As soon as I open my eyes, I can celebrate with human blood.¡±


    The vampires were the top predators. They didn¡¯t feel any nervousness about the people who invaded their territory. Rather, theyughed like they were happy.


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    The vampires living in the underground cities were different from those who popped up all over the continent. Theirbat power was between level 280~350.


    ¡°Give me blood! I shall enjoy it!¡±


    "Ohuhut, shall we aim for that man¡¯s clean neck?¡±


    The 200 vampires quickly narrowed the distance to Grid¡¯s group. It was a tremendous speed. They aimed for Vantner who monopolized their aggro.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold out for long! Guard of Steel! Guardian of Wisdom! Giant¡¯s Blessing!¡±


    [For three minutes, physical defense will increase by 30% and there will be a 50% increase in resistance to stabbing and cutting.]


    [For three minutes, magic resistance will increase by 30% and attributes resistance will increase by 50%.]


    [A shield that will absorb 20,000 damage has been created.]


    Vantner had invested all his stat points into strength until level 200. Nheless, he was able to y his role as ranker thanks to the excellent defense skills of a guardian knight.


    ¡°Sun Guard!¡±


    sh!


    A bright light shone on the bald Vantner. It was the reflection of the light emitted from his shield.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The sudden emergence of light caused the vampires to lose momentum. Most of them lost their eyesight and stopped in ce for a moment. But the 50 vampires in the rear were rtively fine. They hit Vantner first.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    Kukwakwang!


    [You have suffered 5,600 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,980 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,110 damage.]


    ¡°Ack! It hurts! Hurts!¡±


    Vampires had excellent physical abilities, magic power, and intelligence. They used magic to provoke Vantner¡¯s magic resistance skills, then linked physical attacks. In some cases, it was the opposite. Vantner was unable to demonstrate aplete defense and was quickly wounded.


    The Overgeared members weren¡¯t watching quietly. Zednos started first. As Vantner pulled the aggro at the bottom of the stairs, hepleted the long chant for the Storm of Eternity.


    Kwaang!


    The storm rapidly rotated around a previously determined point, trapping the 50 vampires within and making unable to do anything. It was the ultimate storm from the Storm Magician Zednos that could confine many enemies for a minimum of 30 seconds to a maximum of 5 minutes. The disadvantage was that no attacks from outside could ur, but it was a strategically useful magic.


    ¡°Well done!¡±


    Thanks to Zednos, Vantner could now breathe. He took a potion, while the remaining 150 vampires restored their eyesight and rushed over. Vantner¡¯s suffering began from now.


    ¡°S-Save me! Aaack~!¡±


    Papat!Papapat!


    The vampires were skilled in hand to handbat or swordsmanship, depending on their strength and agility. They aimed magic towards Vantner who was struggling to block the attacks with his shield.


    ¡°Cripple!¡±


    "Dark Binding!¡±


    "Neder¡¯s Grab!¡±


    Various curse magic lowered Vantner¡¯s magic resistance and his body was restrained.


    ¡°This!¡±


    His limbs were caught by hands of darkness. The vampires¡¯ swords aimed at his weak points. One greedy vampire even used his fangs.


    Puok!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Vantner screamed as his neck was bitten and he was stabbed through the armor. Vantner felt a sense of hopelessness. If his health fell to the bottom when there was no healer, it was likely he would have to use his one-time invincible skill, ¡®Guardian¡¯s Power.¡¯ However, he needed to save this for Elfin Stone¡¯s reappearance.


    ¡°Shit! Do something!¡±


    Vantner shouted as vampires constantly approached him. His colleagues responded.


    "You are doing well!¡±


    ¡°It will be over soon!¡±


    Pon, Regas, Faker, and Peak Sword. Once all of the vampires were focused on Vantner, the four of them seeded in efficiently killing. The vampires were taken by surprise and received fatal damage.


    ¡°Kuhak!¡±


    ¡°You dare! These humans!¡±


    The wounded vampires then shifted their gaze to the four people and said,


    "The main character is here. Ah, should I say heroine?¡±


    Unlike the lower part of the stairway that was like hell, the upper part was tranquil. Jishuka unabashedly exposed her sensual body and pulled her bowstring.


    Pepepepeong!


    Dozens of arrows soared into the air like missiles. It was once again a perfect surprise attack on the vampires defending against the onught of the four people.


    "Kuaaaak!"


    There was a flood of fire and blood. The silent and dark interior of the building quickly heated up. The vampires struggling in the sea of fire now had 60% health left. Finally, it was the turn of the protagonist.


    ¡°My Lord! Now!"


    [Your morale has increased.]


    [Your attack power and magic attack power will significantly rise for the next attack.]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    Huroi used the strongest buff on Grid. Grid withdrew from the party in order to monopolize the experience, took the experience buff potion and put on the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. He used cksmith¡¯s Rage and started his sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Who said that dark spaces limited abilities? No, it was quite the opposite.


    Kuoooooh!


    In the darkness, the blue Failure showed its true value. A powerful aura surrounded it and seeped into the area. This was the precursor to the strongest wide area skill.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    It had risen one level after the Pascal raid, so the power of Transcended Link was incredible. Not only had the number of strikes and the damage increase, it also had a pration effect.


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The blue-ck energy des swallowed everything in its path and attacked the vampires confronting the Overgeared members. Then it passed through the vampires that had just escaped from Zednos¡¯ storm.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 5,490,500 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 5,670,000 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ..


    [This is a phenomenal record!]


    [You have dealt over 100 million total damage in 5 seconds!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +5,000.]


    He had to make 10 legendary items to get this much reputation!


    ¡®I have recovered five draws of the machine!¡¯


    It was an unexpected massive revenue.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Keooook!¡±


    The building echoed with screams. Most of the 200 vampires were seriously injured and trembled. The important thing was to increase his experience! Grid jumped from the stairs into the center of the vampires and used Wave.


    Kurururung!


    The waves of energy stretched over all the vampires, dealing a huge blow and slowing them down.


    ¡°You!"


    "I will take your blood!¡±


    The vampires were provoked and only focused on Grid. At first nce, it seemed dangerous. But the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t help Grid. There was a concern that they would be judged to deal more damage, greatly reducing the amount of experience gained by Grid.


    [Your attack has missed.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid showed a puzzled reaction. The vampires changed their bodies to ck smoke, so all his skills and attacks missed. The momentum of the vampires rose.


    "Kuhahahaha! I¡¯m not someone who can be killed by a human!¡±


    ¡°Your attacks can no longer harm us!¡±


    Shaaaah!


    The ck smoke moved like a hurricane around Grid. Once Grid was confused, they nned to use the blood transfusion skill. But it was impossible for their n to be realized.


    "Go around once.¡±


    Grid issued amand to someone.


    Noe? Randy? No. Grid had no intention of sharing his experience with the children. Grid issued themand to Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    "Heok!"


    The Reba artifact that was the antithesis of all beings with dark power! The power of the reproduction was weaker than the original, but it was enough to turn the vampires back to their bodies.


    "U-Unbelievable!"


    The vampires weren¡¯t able to move properly. They were in a severely wounded state and influence by the divine power. Grid looked at their forms that had lost their arrogance, as they crawled on the floor and tried to escape.


    ¡°Kuhahahahat! These lovely guys!¡±


    The strongest boss, Elfin Stone. Grid was so happy about the experience in front of him that he forgot about Elfin Stone¡¯s existence.


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    The blue greatsword killed a vampire every time it moved. Of course, the vampires didn¡¯t stay still. They tried to attack. But Jishuka and Zednos interrupted using arrows and magic. Pon, Regas, Faker and Peak Sword blocked any methods of retreat.


    The current Grid was on a bus from a huge conglomerate. No, he was on afortable ne. The destination was level 300.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291


    [A junior vampire was vanquished.]


    [4,901,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [4,855,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [6,954,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [6,899,000 experience has been acquired.]


    The amount of experience from the vampires was more than expected. It was nearly three times as much as the desert monsters. This was a considerable number considering that the Overgeared members also got some experience for reducing the vampire¡¯s health.


    This was also due of the experience buff potion.


    ¡®Reputation is worthwhile!¡¯


    It was the moment when wasting 25,000 paid off. However, he had no intention of challenging it again.


    ¡®I might draw a red pepper again.¡¯


    Grid vowed again. The battle wasn¡¯t very good. It was due to the resistance of the surviving vampires.


    ¡°Blood Transfusion!¡±


    ¡°Dark Missile!¡±


    The vampires determined they couldn¡¯t beat Grid in a melee, so they opened the distance and used magic. Due to that, Grid¡¯s body became injured. There was a chance topletely resist ck magic with the Holy Light Armor or counter the vampires¡¯ evasion with Lifael¡¯s Creation.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for these two things, Grid might¡¯ve be a cold carcass by now. The vampires were strong. It varied from individual to individual, but they were several times stronger than the ck Knights. In particr, the vampire¡¯s bloodsucking skill. They kept recovering their health. The answer was to smash them in one blow.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    For fusion skills like Linked Kill and Transcended Link, the higher the level, the greater the features. For example, Transcended Link received a pration effect when it reached level 3. On the other hand, basic skills like Kill, Link, and Wave only increased the damage whenever their skill levels went up.


    For example, while Link had a skill level of 5, it was weak inparison to the power of the fusion skills. If the vampires were in a perfect state, they would¡¯ve survived Link; however, they were now severely injured and were thus swiftly torn apart by Grid¡¯s sword.


    sh!


    Once 50 out of 200 vampires had died, a pir of light fell onto Grid¡¯s body.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [10]


    Grid had already been on the verge of leveling up when he entered the building, and now he reached level 297. There were only three levels remaining before he reached level 300.


    "Distribute my stat points.¡±


    Grid distributed the 10 points he gained into agility as usual. His stats distribution method was based on the great swordsman Piaro.


    Strength 1: Agility 1: Stamina 0.7.


    Piaro was aiming to be a sword saint, so there was no way his stats would be a mess. Grid spected that Piaro¡¯s stats ratio was likely to be the perfect golden ratio. And his guess was right. As Grid¡¯s agility neared his strength, the power of his swordsmanship gradually increased.


    Seokeok!Puk!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    His attacks became faster and more powerful than before, as he stabbed and shed at the vampires. The vampires were dying at a faster speed.


    [The Finest Tailcoat have been acquired.]


    [Junior Vampire¡¯s Ring has been acquired.]


    [Finest Tailcoat]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 120/120 Defense: 301


    Charm +50


    An essential item for stylish vampires.


    This tailcoat is wonderful enough to capture everyone¡¯s attention. It also has excellent defense and can be used for protection.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. A man.


    Weight: 120


    [Junior Vampire¡¯s Ring]


    Rating: Epic


    * During normal attacks, 5% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * This effect is only invoked once every 15 seconds.


    A unique magic power dwells in the vampire¡¯s ring.


    It is a ring used by junior vampires so the rating is low, but it is very helpful for the wearer¡¯s survival.


    User Restriction: Level 280 or higher.


    Weight: 1


    The item drop rate of vampires was very low. If he killed 30~40 vampires, only one of them would drop an item, so it was the worst drop rate. However, the value of the items dropped was very good.


    ¡¯Vampire essories!¡¯


    Vampire items dramatically increasedbat endurance and survival. They were very rare, meaning this was the first time Grid saw one since theunch of Satisfy.


    ¡®Let¡¯s try out the effect.¡¯


    [The Junior Vampire¡¯s Ring has been worn.]


    Puk!Puk puk!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    ¡°I...! To a human...!¡±


    After being pierced by Lifael¡¯s Spear, the vampires were hit by Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword. The wounds Grid received from them slowly recovered. This was the greatness of the Holy Light Armourbined with the vampire¡¯s ring.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 9,300 damage to the target.]


    [5% of the damage has been absorbed due to the option effect of the Junior Vampire¡¯s


    [The option effect of the Holy Light Armor has increased the power of recovery magic by 300%.]


    [1,350 health has been restored.]


    The effect was only triggered once every 15 seconds, but this was enough for Grid. Sometimes, the 5 Joint Attacks skill of the Holy Light Gloves was triggered, causing his health gauge to climb noticeably. Thanks to his items and skills, Grid¡¯s base damage was uniquely high.


    "Kukukuk! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    "V-Vampire ughterer!¡±


    Grid burst outughing while wearing the ughterer¡¯s eye patch and mask, filling the vampires with terror. The situation hadpletely changed. The vampires on the first-floor were all killed by Grid, giving him experience and new items.


    Before he knew it, Grid¡¯s experience gauge exceeded 20%. But he couldn¡¯t be pleased. He was worried about Elfin Stone appearing, and the vampires on the upper levels also started to gather. The upper floor vampires had a much higher level than the first-floor vampires.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    The Overgeared members stood on the stairs and intercepted the vampires¡¯ path. Rather than acting straight away, they made a defensive formation. It was to give Grid time to recover his health, mana, and stamina. Grid felt thankful and rested straight away.


    Meanwhile, Vantner once again tasted hell.


    "Ugh! I need to endure this again!¡±


    Peok!Peok peok!


    Kwajak!


    Vantner cursed Mcus¡¯ Cloak. No, hemented that he chose a tanker. It didn¡¯t fit his aptitude. He mistakenly raised this character, but he wanted to delete it and make a new character. As he wasining, the Overgeared members lowered the vampires¡¯ health. Then Grid finished them off at the proper timing.


    It took half a day to finish attacking one whole building, and Grid¡¯s experience gauge was up to 60%. This was a ridiculous growth rate considering it took the Overgeared members an average of two weeks to go from 297 to 298.


    ¡°Wow, it is faster than expected."


    ¡°It is natural. There are seven users in the top 20, as well as Huroi.¡±


    "That¡¯s true. Anyway, if we clear four more buildings in the future, you will reach level 299.¡±


    "The problem begins at level 299. The amount of experience needed to level up is four times as much as level 298.¡±


    "Considering it takes half a day to clear one building... You can achieve level 300 in five days?¡±


    "Assuming that Elfin Stone doesn¡¯t appear.¡±


    "...¡±


    The key was who Elfin Stone would use his skill on after reappearing. Vantner and Huroi had a one-time invincible skill that could invalidate damage, but the others were different.


    ¡°If one person dies, the bnce of the party is disrupted, drastically slowing down the speed of the hunt.¡±


    ¡°Well... It depends on luck. But why hasn¡¯t he appeared yet?¡±


    It has been half a day since Elfin Stone first emerged. It was a long time considering he said he would be back.


    ¡°Well, it is good if he iste.¡±


    The Overgeared members moved to the next building. In this building, a few True Blood vampires emerged.


    [True Blood Vampire: Boras]


    [True Blood Vampire: Rujul]


    As named monsters, they were very strong. They were far superior to the 19th Knight, Fulito, and also had dozens of subordinates. Vantner felt a crisis. He inevitably had to use his invincible skill, Guardian¡¯s Power. It had a cooldown time of 48 hours, so one of the precautionary measures against Elfin Stone fell.


    The party¡¯s morale fell. Huroi tried to encourage them.


    "Don¡¯t worry. The next time Elfin Stone appears, I¡¯ll try to provoke him.¡±


    It was impossible. Elfin Stone appeared and used the skill instantly. It wasn¡¯t a skill that someone could deliberately draw towards them. But Huroi believed in his speaking ability.


    ¡°Words are faster than action. I will try to attract his aggro before he uses the skill.¡±


    "...¡±


    Sooner orter, Elfin Stone¡¯s parents would be mentioned. The Overgeared members were now familiar with Huroi. They were grateful that Huroi wasn¡¯t their enemy. They shook just imagining what he would say.


    [The True Blood vampire, Boras has been destroyed.]


    [44,690,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [Aplete ruby has been acquired.]


    [The True Blood vampire, Rujul has been destroyed.]


    [45,900,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Third Piece of ??? has been acquired.]


    [Complete Ruby]


    A gem that can be used as a material for top-rated essories.


    Weight: 2


    [Third Piece of ???]


    It can¡¯t be determined what this is a piece of yet.


    A minimum of three pieces must be collected before it can be determined.


    Weight: 15


    The second building waspleted. With the help of his colleagues, Grid was about to kill 150 vampires and two True Blood vampires to reach level 298. However, there was a feeling of disappointment.


    ¡¯True Blood vampires have a chance of dropping elixirs.¡¯


    Drinking an elixir could permanently increase stats! If not, how good would it be if an intermediate or advanced vampire essory dropped? It was clear that the Blood-sucking Third Piece of ??? was a unique item, but he didn¡¯t know if it was more or less valuable than elixirs and vampire essories.


    Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [The cooldown time of the title skill ¡®One who Became a Legend is over.]


    His invincible passive skill was restored.


    ¡®Now I can fight with more ease.¡¯


    He felt anxious when he didn¡¯t have this immortality. Just as Grid was sighing with relief...


    "Didn¡¯t I say I woulde back?¡±


    An eerie voice was heard from above Grid¡¯s head.


    [The master of the 13th city, Vampire Earl Elfin Stone has appeared.]


    [A strong evil influence is making your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. Your body is subjected to a strong oppression.]


    "Elfin Stone!¡±


    He was finally here. Huroi hurriedly opened his mouth.


    "You...¡±


    However, this time actions were faster than words. Huroi only managed to speak one word before Grid was swallowed up by a curtain of blood. Elfin Stone smiled coldly.


    "I wille back soon. I will kill another person, and then another one the time after that! This will be repeated again and again. I will show you the extreme taste of fear!¡±


    Suruk!


    All traces of Elfin Stone disappeared. Grid trembled once he got out of the curtain.


    ¡°That crazy bastard!¡±


    Why did he keep attacking Grid? Grid was grateful, but he felt very dirty.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    stat points have been acquired.

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292


    [You have been hit by a deadly blow!]


    [You have suffered 68,300 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    At level 200, one strength stat increased health by five, while one stamina stat increased health by twenty. If he added the 6,000 health from the Holy Light set, and the 3,000 health from the Man who has Touched Hell title, Grid had more than 55,000 health in total.


    That was 6,000 points higher than Vantner, who already had a high amount of health due to his ss characteristics. Therefore, Grid could be called the user with the highest health among the two billion users.


    Despite this fact, however, Elfin Ston¡¯s attack contained an enormous power that wiped out all of Grid¡¯s health in one blow. The Holy Light Armor reduced 50% of magic damage, so this skill could truly be called a blow of death.


    "Kuaaaak! That crazy bastard!¡±


    Grid died again as soon as the cooldown time of his invincible passive ended, so he couldn¡¯t help being furious. He pulled his hair and stomped his feet. On the other hand, the faces of the Overgeared members were rosy. It was thanks to the positive hint they received.


    "Elfin Stone¡¯s re-emergence cycle is 24 hours.¡±


    "Elfin Stone attacks the person with the highest number of stats.¡±


    ¡°Elfin Stone is arrogant. He doesn¡¯t have any doubts about Grid being alive.¡±


    In other words.


    "He will continue to attack Grid whenever he appears.¡±


    ¡°This is ideal. If this continues, all of us will be able to live until Grid reaches level 300.¡±


    ¡°We can prepare perfectly for the fight against Elfin Stone.¡±


    "...¡±


    The biggest advantage of a virtual reality was the perfect implementation of the five senses. But this was a great disadvantage in battle. It hurt if the enemy struck you. It wasn¡¯t just their imagination, they really felt pain.


    Suffering arge amount of damage at once was like being hit by a person¡¯s fist. Did he have to suffer from this terrible pain for the next five days until he reached level 300?


    Grid was sad. He looked at his happy andughing colleagues. He couldn¡¯t deny that this was a good thing. Grid calmed his mind and urged the members.


    "Let¡¯s move on to the next building."


    He was eager to reach level 300 quickly so he wouldn¡¯t be hit by that skill so much. Grid rushed ahead. The party members followed him to the third building. They had already cleared two buildings, so the cooperative y of Grid¡¯s group had developed. It was easier to kill the vampires.


    Grid¡¯s experience gauge continued rising at a fast speed.


    ***


    "I can sleep today.¡±


    He would return to strike terrible fear into the humans who dared invade his city. As soon as he arrived at his mansion, Elfin Stone changed into pajamas and put on a sleeping hat beforeying down in a white coffin. He was happy imagining the humans who would be shivering with fear right now.


    ¡®Kukuk, they must want to die soon. But I have no intention of killing you all at once. Slowly... Hrmm.¡±


    He was sleepy. Vampires were powerful existences but they were victims of the ¡®Curse of Idleness.¡¯ An average vampire slept for 20 hours and the stronger vampires slept for even longer. Elfin Stone was an earl, so he had to sleep for at least 23 hours a day and could sleep for a year straight.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Elfin Stone fell asleep.


    ***


    Satisfy¡¯s 8th Development Team Leader, Ashley Tosun. He was one of the 33 scientists who built the virtual reality system with Lim Cheolho. In thepany, he was known as the father of vampires. He was the one who made the vampires in Satisfy.


    Of course, he also designed Elfin Stone. If enemies threatened the city, Elfin Stone would repeat the act of murdering the ¡®strongest being¡¯ every 24 hours for seven days. After losing seven of their strongest consecutively, the invading party would panic, lost strength and be destroyed.


    However...


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    The 13th city had one of the highest difficulties among the 15 vampire cities. Ashley monitored the entry of Grid¡¯s party and was convinced that their expedition would fail. However, now he felt some doubts.


    It was because Grid¡¯s immortal passive neutralized the characteristics of Elfin Stone. Elfin Stone wasn¡¯t able to distinguish the power of Grid¡¯s group, despite appearing there for the second time.


    ¡°This is really...¡±


    The problem was that Grid¡¯s attack power, defense, and magic power were the highest among the party members. Originally, Pagma¡¯s Descendant wasn¡¯t a ss that could be strengthened to such a degree.


    The moment five legendary items were made, their stats growth would gradually fall and theirbat power gradually weakened, making them more suitable as a production ss. Grid was unlucky so it took a long time to produce five legendary items.


    This was a factor that wasn¡¯t expected and as a result, Grid¡¯s stats were abnormally increased. Thanks to that, Grid seeded in various raids and continued to grow stronger. The process was tough, but it was a good oue for Grid.


    ¡°Maybe this... He might collect all the pieces?¡±


    Team Leader Ashley had an expression of interest on his face. Following Lim Cheolho and Yoon Sangmin, another fan of Grid¡¯s appeared in the S.A. Group.


    ***


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid¡¯s party cleared the third building. The profits from this building were tremendous. No elixirs or spellbooks were obtained, but one vampire¡¯s ring was acquired. It was regretful that it was just from a junior vampire, but it was millions of times better than nothing.


    After a short discussing, the party chose Peak Sword as the owner of the ring. His offensive power as a swordsman was the best among the group, so he could maximize the effectiveness of the ring.


    ¡°I have a vampire essory...¡±


    Peak Sword was full of strong motivation as they challenged the hunting grounds. It was really good that he merged with Overgeared. Peak Sword¡¯s endurance in battle dramatically increased.


    Hidden Sword. It was a ss with a fatal disadvantage in that both general attacks and skills must go through the process of the sword being drawn, so the attack time was too long. However, the attack power and attack speed were both at the top.


    The moment the sword hidden in the sheath was revealed, the target was already wounded. Now the vampires suffered from it.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°T-These humans...!¡±


    The fourth building had a structure simr to a cathedral. There were coffins jammed together between long benches. It seemed to be a meeting ce for vampires.


    Taack!


    The moment Peak Sword leaped over the benches and pulled his sword from his sheath.


    Seokeok!


    There was a sh of light and blood burst from a vampire¡¯s chest. It was very difficult to fight against this invisible and fast attack.


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    Peak Sword didn¡¯t even allow a counterattack. He always held his sheath in his hand and used it as a protective shield. His health was maintained thanks to the vampire ring as he blocked the vampires¡¯ attacks and unsheathed his sword again.


    Due to Peak Sword¡¯s actions, the fourth building was cleared faster than the third. Now Grid was level 299. It was estimated that his experience gauge would reach 20% after the next building.


    ¡®Okay, not long now.¡¯


    If his stats went through the third awakening, he would be able to beat Elfin Stone, who already attacked him twice. The moment Grid was imagining this, a notification window appeared in front of him.


    [The cooldown time of the title skill ¡®One who Became a Legend is over.]


    Originally this would be good news, but now it was a different matter.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    Grid braced himself for the pain that was about toe. A blond man appeared above his head. It was Elfin Stone.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I woulde back?¡±


    Puhahahak!


    A red light swallowed up Grid. Elfin Stone was convinced that Grid had died and shouted.


    "I wille back soon. I will kill another person, and then another one the time after that! This will be repeated again and again. I will show you the extreme taste of fear... Huh?¡±


    The excited Elfin Stone shook his head. The number of humans.


    ¡®It is the same as yesterday?¡¯


    There were nine people yesterday and he killed one, so there should be eight people left? Thinking back, he felt like the number of humans on the first day was nine...


    ¡®I am mistaken.¡¯


    Elfin Stone smiled. There were no humans who could survive Extreme Blood Transfusion. The humans originally had 11 people. Elfin Stone believed in his skills rather than his memory.


    ¡°Now then. I will see you again soon.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid wanted to correct it to tomorrow, rather than soon. The party was convinced that Elfin Stone was very dumb after he disappeared. But in fact, Elfin Stone¡¯s intelligence wasn¡¯t low. Elfin Stone slept for 23 hours a day and was barely awake the rest of the time.


    It was reasonable that he couldn¡¯t remember the exact number of Grid¡¯s party. Why would he need to remember how much prey there was? He didn¡¯t care about the numbers of Grid¡¯s group.


    ¡°Damn bastard...¡±


    Grid cursed as the curtain lifted. His items¡¯ durability was already at its limit, and repairs were needed.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The legendary cksmith took out his hammer and repaired his equipment. The party members were envious of him.


    If one¡¯s equipment was damaged during a hunt, then ordinary users would have to repair their equipment using the expensive Repair Tool Set. However, Grid could freely repair his items and even umte skill proficiency while doing so.


    Grid promised again,


    ¡®Elfin Stone...! I will repay this disgrace and inflict double the suffering on you!¡¯


    ***


    [The duration of the Experience Increase Potion is over.]


    ¡°Ah, damn.¡±


    It happened after clearing the seventh building. His experience gauge hadn¡¯t reached 50% yet, but he heard the worst news.


    ¡®It seems like I have to attack three more buildings before I can level up.¡¯


    From level 299, the amount of experience required to level up increased by four times. He needed to kill the vampires without any rest. Elfin Stone appeared again when Grid was fretting. This was the fourth appearance. However, this time he was a little strange. He looked at Grid without attacking immediately.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Elfin Stone asked the nervous Grid.


    ¡°You, why are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s party were thunderstruck at the unexpected response. Maybe Elfin Stone would change his behavior pattern and kill them all. In other words, it was the worst situation.


    ¡®I¡¯m not level 300 yet...!¡¯


    Unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡®There is no way other than to fight.¡¯


    The moment Grid was about to summon Noe and Randy.


    ¡°Your parents must¡¯ve had a hard time after giving birth to you!¡±


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Huroi revealed his personality. Elfin Stone received a big shock and his handsome face distorted.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293


    Earl Elfin Stone woke up!


    Then he found Grid¡¯s party today. He had killed one human every day for the past three days. However, it was strange.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t there the same number as yesterday?¡¯


    This time he wasn¡¯t mistaken. He counted yesterday, so he knew the exact number. The number of humans hadn¡¯t decreased.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Elfin Stone questioned as he looked at Grid¡¯s group. It was to find out if the person he thought he killed yesterday was alive or not. But just as humans had difficulty distinguishing between beasts, vampires had difficulty distinguishing between humans.


    Sniff sniff.


    Sniff sniff!


    Elfin Stone was unable to find Grid with his eyes, so he sniffed like a dog. He was looking for the smell of blood.


    ¡¯This guy!¡¯


    Elfin Stone¡¯s gaze fixed on Grid. His air was rough, but he was a strong-looking fellow. In other words, he was definitely the one who Elfin Stone attacked yesterday. No, it wasn¡¯t just yesterday, but the first and second day as well.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s eyes sank coldly.


    ¡°You, why are you still alive?¡±


    How did he survive Extreme Blood Transfusion for three days in a row? He certainly wasn¡¯t an ordinary guy. This was a good guy.


    ¡®It was a close call.¡¯


    He almost missed a delicacy. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to realize that he almost destroyed good human blood. He was thankful for the human¡¯s survival!


    ¡®Should I try it once?¡¯


    Step, step.


    Elfin Stone felt a strong appeal from Grid and moved slowly. Grid shook nervously as Elfin Stone approached.


    ¡°Your parents must¡¯ve had a hard time after giving birth to you!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Even the lowest of humans thought about their parents. Then what about the vampires who recognized themselves as superior to humans? In particr, the True Blood considered their parent as a god.


    Shizo Beriache. She was the one who gave them eternal life! She wasn¡¯t an existence that a mere human could disparage.


    "This is the second time I have be so angry over the past 300 years!¡±


    The blood rose to Elfin Stone¡¯s head. His face distorted in a terrible manner and he shouted.


    ¡°I will feed on all of you today!¡±


    Kuwooooh!


    Elfin Stone released his overwhelming magic power. It hadn¡¯t reached the level of a great demon, but it was several times stronger than the best rated demonkin. It was slightly above Hell Gao after his flesh was destroyed by Muller.


    Grid and Peak Sword spected from among the astonished party members. They had fought with Hell Gao, so they could more urately assess Elfin Stone¡¯s strength.


    ¡®This is bad!¡¯


    Hell Gao had the fire stones weakness, but Elfin Stone was different. Grid observed him with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch, but he couldn¡¯t grasp any weak points. In other words, he was one of the high ranking bosses.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    Huroi¡¯s aggro was too much. He stimted Elfin Stone more than necessary. He knew he would be severely beaten up one day because he mentioned the parents, but...


    ¡®Why is it today?¡¯


    Gridmented, while Jishuka tried to encourage the party members.


    ¡°This is fine! There¡¯s a chance to win!¡±


    The first reason they were afraid of Elfin Stone was his attack the moment he appeared. It was a level of surprise they couldn¡¯t cope with, and they had to assume that one person would die. But now the situation had changed. Elfin Stone was in front of them, so there was no need to fear a surprise attack. If they built a good formation, there was a chance...


    "...Not.¡±


    The group had to shake their heads when Elfin Stone showed a formidable appearance.


    ¡°Blood Field!¡±


    Puhahahak!


    Magic power stretched out around Elfin Stone and dominated thend in a 30m radius. Grid¡¯s party was within it. To be precise, the party was adversely affected except for Grid.


    [Your blood is influenced by Blood Field.]


    [153 health will be transferred to Earl Elfin Stone per second.]


    [All healing effects will be reduced by 80%.]


    The people with the lowest health in the party were Jishuka, Zednos and Faker. Archers, magicians and assassins all had around 20,000~30,000 health. Losing 153 health per second was a huge pressure on them. They would lost two-thirds of their life in just two minutes.


    Furthermore, this health would also restore Elfin Stone? It meant that Elfin Stone recovered 1,400 health per second.


    ¡°Such a scam.¡±


    ¡°Fighting here means defeat.¡±


    The party tried to escape from the area of Blood Field. But Elfin Stone wasn¡¯t standing still.


    "Blood Requiem."


    Elfin Stone swung both arms. It was reminiscent of the elegant actions of a conductor. Then pirs of blood fell over the party members¡¯ heads.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Blood Requiem! It didn¡¯t matter how many people were in the group. It was Elfin Stone¡¯s unique skill that attacked all enemies inside the Blood Field. The damage was at least 10,000! The wide area skill had incredible power.


    ¡°Kuack, how do we defeat that?¡±


    "I¡¯m going crazy."


    The Overgeared members coughed up blood and took potions to restore their health. However, the 80% reduction in healing effects meant the potions weren¡¯t effective. Grid urgently summoned Noe and Randy.


    He nned to have Noe eat Elfin Stone¡¯s stats and have Randy copy some of Elfin Stone¡¯s skills to increase the odds. But Noe and Randy couldn¡¯t y a role.


    ¡°I can¡¯t swallow the souls of noble True Blood vampires... I tried to swallow, but the curse of blood turned on me, nyang...¡±


    Noe¡¯s short legs twisted and he flopped down. He was depressed that he couldn¡¯t help Grid. Randy also an apologetic expression on his face.


    "I can¡¯t copy that target.¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you copy Pagma? Is Elfin Stone stronger than Pagma?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the case. There was the racial limitation and physiology that couldn¡¯t be ovee. The True Blood vampires were a superior species to doppelgangers, so it was impossible to copy them.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    The trump cards he believed in had disappeared. It was a desperate situation. Elfin Stone summoned something while Grid was feeling frustrated.


    "Iyarugt.¡±


    ¡¯Yakult?¡¯


    The pronunciation was simr to the 200 won drink that Grid enjoyed. But it wasn¡¯t a weapon that could be made fun of. From the handle to the de, it was a smooth strip of red. Elfin Stone¡¯s slightly curved sword was made of blood stone and was so sharp it could cut anything.


    Blood stone! If adamantium represented the world of the gods, blood stone was a mineral that represented hell. Adamantium asionally appeared in the human world because the gods loved humanity, but blood stones were different. There had been little present throughout the history of the human world, so it was an unfamiliar mineral to Grid.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    It felt a lot different from Pagma¡¯s words. If it wasn¡¯t Pagma, what cksmith could make this type of sword? Grid was fascinated by the beautiful appearance and rational structure of Iyarugt, when he suddenly recalled the ¡®Third Piece of ???¡¯.


    It was because the color of the unidentified fragment was simr to the color of Iyarugt. Elfin Stone¡¯s white robes pped amidst the bloody magic power as he dered.


    "There has only been one being who survived Iyarugt. And there will be no one else in the future."


    Chaaeng!


    Elfin Stone¡¯s first target was Huroi. Peak Sword defended against the blood red sword. It was possible to predict the behavior.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Elfin Stone¡¯s eyes curved up slightly. He was somewhat surprised that a human managed to defend against his sword. But that was it. Peak Sword recovered the sword that confronted Iyarugt, exposing a one second gap when it was put back in the sheath.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Ku...heok!¡±


    The red sword moved through this gap and struck Peak Sword¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡®This is like Iyarugt is...!¡¯


    It was obvious that it was an ego sword. The ego sword showed its owner the best route. Peak Sword was able to tell. Elfin Stone¡¯s movements weren¡¯t optimized for swordsmanship, making it difficult to predict the sword.


    Peeng!


    Elfin Stone was wielding the sword at Peak Sword again when a spear aimed at his side. It was Pon¡¯s Mach Spear. But even that wasn¡¯t a big threat to Elfin Stone. Ordinary vampires could only turn all of their body into smoke, but Elfin Stone could change certain parts of his body. His waist turned into ck smoke and Pon¡¯s spear missed, then he swung his arm to counter.


    ¡°How the hell do we kill him?¡±


    Pon grabbed his wounded chest and eximed. In the meantime, the other party members started the offensive. ming arrows, unpredictable kicks, swift daggers and powerful storms. Everything covered Elfin Stone.


    Not even Elfin Stone could neutralize all these attacks. The Overgeared members standards were too high. However, there was no fatal damage.


    ¡®We will be wiped out if this continues.¡¯


    At a time when everyone was certain, Grid thought of a way to break from this situation. It was only possible because it was Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294


    ¡°What method...? How can we escape from the immediate crisis?¡¯


    Grid had numerous experiences with raids. He had raised his level through raids rather than hunting. Therefore, it was safe to say that he was crazy in an emergency. Furthermore, the bosses of Grid¡¯s raids weren¡¯t monsters that appeared with a ¡°Kuwoooh!¡±


    Satisfy had named bosses that exerted a big and small influence on the worldview of the game, and they overflowed with individuality. Perhaps that was why?


    Grid had a very unique perspective about bosses. He didn¡¯t just concentrate on thebat patterns of the bosses like everyone else, he also considered their personality and background. The more he identified the boss¡¯ tendencies, the easier the raid was...


    At the time of the Pascal raid, Grid hadn¡¯t haphazardly used his strength. The situation was designed to work in his favor. He was a professional. He would be the first job called ¡®raid expert,¡¯ who gave raid advice to various guilds and users. But it was a shame that Grid had no brains to turn this talent into money.


    ¡®Elfin Stone is the key to this situation.¡¯


    Grid thought about it. Elfin Stone was able to destroy their party at any time. But in the past four days, he only attempted to kill one of them. Why? It was surprisingly simple when looking at his nature.


    ¡®It was for fun.¡¯


    Elfin Stone repeated the same thing every time he appeared. He would let them experience extreme fear by killing one person a day.


    ¡®His aim is to see us scared and shivering.¡¯


    What if he focused on killing all of them at once?


    ¡®It would be futile.¡¯


    He would lose his toys and Elfin Stone didn¡¯t want that.


    ¡®I have to use this point.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face darkened.


    "Rapid Pressure.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    As Grid was thinking, the Overgeared members were struggling. Elfin Stone¡¯s aggro was thoroughly taken by Huroi, so the party members left Huroi¡¯s protection to Vantner and focused on attacking.


    The Overgeared members had different characteristics and could create a 120% synergy by connecting their skills. They were indeed users in the top 20 rankings, and were models for everyone.


    In particr, Faker¡¯s performance was dazzling. It was difficult for even Elfin Stone to respond to his swiftness. The dagger caused blood to shed before he could turn his body into smoke.


    However, Blood Field was the problem. Elfin Stone recovered over 1,000 health per second from the Overgeared members! His recovery power was phenomenal. It was estimated that his total health was 8 million. It was impossible to knock him down with the attack power of a few people.


    "Lightning Kill!¡±


    Kwajijijik!


    Regas¡¯ fist pierced Elfin Stone¡¯s chest. However, Elfin Stone didn¡¯t suffer any damage. He turned into smoke at the point of attack.


    ¡°This is the real thing!¡±


    Regas rotated his body without recalling his fist. He aimed his heel towards Elfin Stone¡¯s head. It was an irregr and exciting attack.


    "Kkuk...!¡±


    Regas¡¯ strength was his unpredictable attack patterns. Elfin Stone didn¡¯t expect this type of behavior and groaned. On the other hand, Pon was rushing forward.


    ¡°Rain Spear!¡±


    Pepeng!Pepepeng!


    Pon leapt and repeated stabbed his spear. The spear poured down like rain. It was an unavoidable attack, as long as the whole body wasn¡¯t turned into smoke. But if the whole body was turned into smoke, there was arge dy and counter attacking was impossible. It was an act that Elfin Stone had to avoid.


    "Blood Shield!"


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    Elfin Stone consumed some of his health to release blood, creating dozens of red shields. The spears and shields collided in the air.


    Puk!Puk puk!


    Faker approached in secret and repeatedly stabbed Elfin Stone in the neck. The higher the number of hits, the more damage that would be umted. Elfin Stone shouted.


    "I¡¯ll have to deal with you first!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Faker was nervous. It was because Elfin Stone¡¯s gaze was no longer focused on Huroi.


    Peeng!


    Iyarugt glowed red, causing his ears to burst.


    Chiing!


    The Overgeared members instantly felt their ears ringing. This was the ¡®Blood Cry¡¯ skill attached to Iyarugt. The Overgeared members lost their bnce and Elfin Stone used a skill.


    ¡°Blood Thorns!¡±


    Puuok!Puuok!


    Dozens of thorns emerged from Blood Field and stabbed Faker¡¯s thigh. Blood Thorn! The attack power wasn¡¯t strong, but it was the worst magic that polluted the blood stream of the target. Movement speed was drastically reduced, so Faker¡¯s swiftness was blocked.


    Elfin Stone smiled and wielded Iyarugt. He wanted to cut Faker¡¯s head off. Just in time, ming arrows came flying and stopped the action. It was Jishuka¡¯s cover.


    ¡°You are pretty good humans.¡±


    Elfin Stone was stimted by the Overgeared members. Elfin Stone was in a better position the longer this went on.


    Kwajak!


    Elfin Stone lightly snapped an arrow. His current health was still at 8/10ths. On the other hand, the Overgeared members had their health reduced by at least one-third to a half. It was the power of Blood Field.


    "If this continues, we¡¯ll be wiped out in two minutes.¡±


    Zednos restored Faker¡¯s movement speed with Blessing of the Wind, and spoke with a desperate expression. Vantner shrugged.


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Elfin Stone¡¯s strengths weren¡¯t his attack power, magic power, defense, or speed. These were lowpared to bosses of the same level. However, the reason he felt so strong was his unrivaled utility.


    Wide area status damage, wide area defense and attack skills, wide area vampire skills, single target defense skills and so on. It seemed impossible unless all the Overgeared members were summoned.


    Could they win even if Grid reached level 300? It happened when the party members were feeling doubts.


    {Sacrifice Huroi. The reason why Elfin Stone is on a rampage is Huroi, so he will stop after Huroi dies.}


    What nonsense was Grid speaking?


    ¡°...?¡±


    Everyone except for Huroi frowned and doubted their ears. Regas evaded Iyarugt¡¯s fierce attack and questioned Grid.


    {Selling out ourpanion? Did I hear it wrong?}


    Grid shook his head.


    {No, you heard it properly.}


    Pon shouted angrily.


    {Don¡¯t make us disappointed!}


    Jishuka was the same.


    {Grid, a man who sells out hispanions doesn¡¯t deserve to stand at the top.}


    Peak Sword, Zednos and Faker didn¡¯t give opinions, but they couldn¡¯t hide their ufortable feelings. It was a natural criticism. But Grid wasn¡¯t ashamed. He looked at all the members with dignified eyes.


    ¡°This is to protect morepanions.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid wasn¡¯t going to sacrifice Huroi for nothing.


    ¡®Eight people will be saved by one sacrifice.¡¯


    Ordinary people couldn¡¯t easily make the choice to sacrifice someone for the greater good. Especially if the person was someone precious. However, Grid was more pragmatic. Making decisions out of affection? Grid wasn¡¯t the type.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Faker was hit by an attack. Grid ran towards him and pulled out Failure.


    Chaaeng!


    The blue Failure collided with the red Iyarugt.


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 5.]


    The strength of the blood stone was far superior to that of the blue orichalcum. Looking at just strength, it seemed to be above adamantium.


    ¡®The creator of Iyarugt is better than my current self.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and sent a whisper to Huroi.


    -Do you understand what I mean?You have to sacrifice yourself for everyone.


    Huroi didn¡¯t hesitate at all...


    -I understand, My Lord.


    The reaction was as expected. This made Grid¡¯s heart ache even more. Grid smiled bitterly.


    -Why don¡¯t you ever say it if you don¡¯t like something?I¡¯m even more sorry if you are too good.


    -I only follow My Lord¡¯smands.If it¡¯s a reasonable order like right now, I am even more willing!


    The loss of experience, item durability loss or item drop penalties after death were fatal to anyone. In particr, Huroi¡¯sbat power was low so his level up speed was slow. Thus, it was more critical. Nevertheless, Huroi was always willing to follow Grid¡¯s orders.


    -I will surely get revenge on Elfin Stone.And I will make sure that you arepensated enough to make up for today¡¯s sacrifice.


    -There is no need forpensation.It is my mission to sacrifice myself for My Lord and your precious people. I desire nothing in return.In addition, this situation is all my fault...


    -I don¡¯t need you to take responsibility.And don¡¯t forget that you are also a precious person to me.


    -...


    Grid prepared his heart. He proposed to Elfin Stone, who was gazing at him coldly over the sword.


    ¡°I will hand over mypanion who dared to mention your parents. Kill him to release your anger.¡±


    Elfin Stone couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    "Selling out yourpanion to save your life? Humans are truly dirty and ugly.¡±


    "So, you don¡¯t want to?¡±


    A smile appeared on Elfin Stone¡¯s face.


    ¡°I want.¡±


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    It was as Grid expected. Elfin Stone waned to enjoy the game of hunting humans for a long time.


    "Go and die."


    Gridmanded as he treated from Elfin Stone, and Huroi took immediate action. He ran over to Elfin Stone. The people who saw him cried out.


    ¡°No!¡±


    "What are you doing, you crazy guy!?¡±


    The words were useless. Grid had already made up his mind, and Huroi followed Grid.


    ¡°I will kill you cruelly.¡±


    Puok!


    Huroi didn¡¯t resist as Elfin Stone yed with him like a toy. Blood Thorns pierced his ankles to restrict movement, while Iyarugt cut at his wrists so he couldn¡¯t hold a sword. Then the body was sliced up like steak, until he eventually hacked into the head.


    "...¡±


    The physical pain was nothingpared to the mental impact, but Huroi didn¡¯t even groan. His mind had been disciplined by spending hundreds of hours trapped in a dark dungeon.


    "I can¡¯t look anymore!¡±


    The Overgeared members were filled with righteous indignation. Grid warned those who were about to save Huroi.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous and get out of here quickly. If you vite thismand, I will expel you from the guild.¡±


    "...¡±


    Gridcked charisma. What did it matter how high his dignity stat was? He seemed frivolous because he only cared about money and mor. But at this moment, he was different. He felt guilt and sorrow at forcing someone to die.


    Grid tried to keep the emotions from his eyes as he made a strong expression. The qualities of a leader were slowly blooming. The Overgeared members calmed down and retreated.


    On this day, Huroi died.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295


    "...¡±


    As soon as they ran away from the area of Blood Field, a notification window popped up.


    [Your party member Huroi has died.]


    The atmosphere was heavy.


    ¡°Shit... There is a day when I have to sacrifice mypanion to live...¡±


    ¡°This is the result of ourck of power. Let¡¯s take this opportunity to work harder.¡±


    The party members no longer med Grid. They knew Grid hadn¡¯t chosen to abandon Huroi because he wanted to. When they looked at it calmly, Grid¡¯s decision was right. No, maybe it was better. Thanks to Grid¡¯s decision, the rest of the party were able to escape the crisis.


    He took the nature of the boss into consideration and created such a situation? It was the day they noticed that Grid wasn¡¯t evolving in just personality and abilities, but in intelligence as well. The present situation wasn¡¯t bad when they thought about it positively.


    But Regas was still shivering.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been better for all of us to die, rather than sacrificing someone.¡±


    Originally, Regas was a sympathetic person who valued righteousness above all else. When Grid was still immature. Regas was the only one who respected and trusted Grid, who was ignored by everyone else. Thus, Grid could understand Regas¡¯ anger. But understanding didn¡¯t mean he could ept it.


    ¡°If you have time to grumble, kill more monsters. We now have to clear four buildings in 23 hours.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s group took an average of 10 hours to clear a building. This was a lot. The first two days, it took them at least 12 hours to finish a building.


    There were many strong vampires in each building. In particr, those with more than two True Blood vampires were particrly dangerous. There were times when Vantner needed to use his invincible skill.


    Now Grid dered that the strategy was to spend six hours per building. In particr, the number of people had decreased by one. In a way, it proved that Grid was the most enraged person about Huroi¡¯s sacrifice.


    "Look. We¡¯ll be wiped out if we hurry. It will be unlucky if we encounter a party with more than three True Blood vampires, and if there is no rest...¡±


    ¡°Vantner is correct. We should maintain our previous pace. Don¡¯t you know that we can get more hurt if we¡¯re too hasty? Grid, I understand your feelings, but don¡¯t be too irritated.¡±


    Pon persuaded. However, Jishuka and Peak Sword¡¯s thoughts were different.


    "No, we have to do as Grid says. Elfin Stone wille to us again tomorrow.¡±


    "If Grid doesn¡¯t reach level 300 by then, this situation will happen again.¡±


    The goal was set.


    ¡°More haste and more speed. We have to hurry.¡±


    Grid entered the new building and immediately aimed Transcend at the ceiling.


    Kurururung!


    There was a loud sound as the ceiling copsed and dust covered the ce.


    Bump!


    Kung!Kung!


    There were piles of stones.


    Kwaang!


    Kwang!Kwang!


    The coffins in the part of the hall with the copsed ceiling opened simultaneously. Hundreds of vampires escaped and gazed around angrily.


    "Who dares to awaken us from our sleep!?¡±


    "These human scum want to die!¡±


    "No, I want to kill you.¡±


    Grid held Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword with a cold expression.


    ¡®I am angry.¡¯


    His party members were here to help him with his quest. He was shaken by his helplessness.


    ¡°I...!¡±


    Grid led the way. There was no stopping. The red light of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch shone in the darkness.


    ¡°I! I¡¯m going to be stronger!¡±


    Yes, he would be strong enough not to experience this dirty feeling twice. The best! Grid finally had a goal to y this game. What was the one thing he needed? Numerousbat experience, level and senses. As well as the power of items.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Grid entered the middle of hundreds of vampires! In the darkness, Failure and Grid¡¯s Boots became more powerful. Now he was able to fight better than before he arrived in the vampire city.


    He had struggled with arge number of enemies all day long and grew more proficient. But he should remain calm at all times.


    ¡°Kek! Ugh! H-Hik! Save me!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid moved like a madman among the vampires and quickly became ragged. The party members had to struggle to clean up his mess.


    ***


    Reidan Castle¡¯s resurrection point.


    Pahat!


    Huroi appeared with a burst of light. He looked fine considering that his body had been torn apart by Elfin Stone a while ago.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Huroi¡¯s breathing was rough. His body was trembling like crazy. He had a strong mentality, but he hadn¡¯t experienced his body being hacked apart before. He breathed out as he shook off the shock and opened the status window. He checked his experience gauge.


    ¡®10%....¡¯


    The drop in experience was a huge 29.3%. From level 200 onwards, the loss of experience after death was in proportion to the level.


    ¡®Fortunately, no items dropped.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tforting. The durability of all of his items had dropped by at least 100 points. If Huroi was an ordinary user without Grid, he would¡¯ve had to spend a lot of money on repairs.


    ¡°Huroi?¡±


    Lauel ran over to Huroi. He was the busiest person in the guild. Lauel was tired.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    He knew of only two ways to escape from a vampire city. It was to kill the boss or die. There was only one reason for one member of the party to return.


    ¡°...You, did you die?¡±


    Huroi nodded at Lauel¡¯s question.


    "The boss is too strong."


    "Please tell me the story.¡±


    There was no reason to hide it. Huroi told Lauel all the details of what happened in the vampire city. Lauel¡¯s reaction to the story was surprisingly bright.


    "Grid used such a method? Haha! Incredible! Grid¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t just a decoration!¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel was truly jubnt about Grid¡¯s growth. But this choice of words was inappropriate, so Huroi couldn¡¯t help ring.


    ***


    ¡°Grid¡¯s expedition of the 13th expedition will end in failure. Maybe this time tomorrow, Grid¡¯s party will appear at the resurrection point.¡±


    The meeting room in Reidan Castle.


    Lauel convened the former members of the Tzedakah Guild and delivered the news of Grid¡¯s party to them. The Overgeared members murmured at the desperate story.


    Toban gritted his teeth, "I should¡¯ve gone.¡±


    Toban was a pdin with divine power. He was the antithesis of vampires. But he didn¡¯t take part in the expedition because he was in charge of the yellow mithril mine. There were few people in Overgeared who could manage the workers, so Toban was an invaluable presence.


    Lauel waited until the atmosphere calmed and opened his mouth again.


    ¡°As you know, pavranium is indispensable for Grid. The more pavranium that Grid obtains, the stronger he will be. So I will send an additional two people to support Grid¡¯s party.¡±


    Reidan, Bairan, Cork Ind. These three territories must be managed so more support was impossible. Just sending two people as support was hard for Lauel. If only two people were missing, Lauel would have to reduce his sleeping time and managing the territory would be more difficult.


    Toban dered, ¡°I am going to join.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not you.¡±


    ¡°Ik...! Think about it! I will be the biggest help to Grid¡¯s party right now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. But now that the number of miners is over 100 people, you can¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Then what about me?¡±


    It was the human beast, Toon. Lauel shook his head again.


    ¡°Not you either. If you leave the guild while the main force is absent, the guild¡¯s attack power will drop to a dangerous level.¡±


    ¡°Then who are you going to send?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Lauel examined the Overgeared members. Including Huroi, there were a total of three people. Who could be a big help to Grid without taking away too much from the territory management?


    Lauel struggled before pointing out one person.


    ¡°Ibellin.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The mberge master, Ibellin! He was delighted at being called. For the past few days, he had just been hunting the monsters near the mine.


    ¡°The second one... Hah.¡± Lauel sighed at the thought. "No matter how I look, there isn¡¯t another useless person like Ibellin.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Lauel and Ibellin were still rivals from their days in the Ten Rookies. As the two people were fighting, somebody knocked on the door of the meeting room.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Lauel called out and a soldier opened the door.


    ¡°A guest hase.¡±


    ¡°Guest?¡±


    What guest woulde to the guild?


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...¡±


    The Overgeared members were surprised. It was because they confirmed the identity of the guest.


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    Even the voice was beautiful. White skin and ck hair. A slender figure and neat impression that radiated charm. It was her, Yura.


    Lauel smiled widely.


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... Shit, I¡¯m going to die now.¡±


    The bloodstained Vantner cursed and screamed. The situation was desperate. There were over 100 vampires surrounding Grid¡¯s current party, and there were also three True Blood vampires.


    On the other hand, the eight people of Grid¡¯s group were now ragged. Their health and mana was at the bottom and even their stamina was low, so it was difficult to raise a finger. It was the aftermath of hunting without any rest.


    "It¡¯s too much.¡±


    "I wanted to m my fist into that bastard Elfin Stone¡¯s face. It¡¯s too bad I¡¯ll die before that.¡±


    The party assumed the worst. Even Jishuka, who always encouraged the group, was silent. Grid stared at her chest that moved with every hard breath she took and tightened his grip on Failure.


    Kwajak!


    He squeezed out all his strength and aimed at the skull of a vampire. The vampires¡¯ aggro fell on him and they simultaneously stared at Grid.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    ¡°Hey! How can the leader die first? We should be the first ones to die!¡±


    The terrified party members moved towards Grid.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. He kept panting as he wielded his sword towards the vampires. The only good thing was that Lifael¡¯s Spear wasn¡¯t affected by his tiredness and hovered beside him. Grid would¡¯ve died sooner if it wasn¡¯t for Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    "Sigh, onest rampage.¡±


    Vantner was stimted by Grid and grabbed his shield. He had already consumed his invincible skill and couldn¡¯t even use basic defense skills. Potion? He took them every time the cooldown ended. The other members were the same.


    "Die!"


    The vampires unleashed an onught. The three True Blood vampires were at the center. Vantner wanted to block their attacks with his shield, but he was forced down. The other party members also killed two or three vampires before reaching their limits. They allowed attacks and their health quickly sank to the bottom.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    The enemies prated through the copsed front line and aimed at Jishuka. Zednos squeezed out thest of his mana, but the wind failed to be of any help to Jishuka. This was the end.


    ¡°Hah... Hah...¡±


    The party members could only await death. Just as the vampires were about to take away thest of their health.


    Chaaeng!


    There was a splendid pir of light. It was the signal that someone had levelled up. That someone was naturally...


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    It was Grid.


    [Congrattions!]


    [You have reached level 300 and achieved the third stats awakening!]


    [For every point of stamina, health will increase by 25 and defense will increase by 0.9.]


    [For every point of strength, health will increase by 7 and attack will increase by 0.6.]


    [For every point of intelligence...]


    ...


    ...


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The skill ¡®Item Combination¡¯ has been acquired.]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296


    [All resources will be restored to the maximum inmemoration of reaching level 300.]


    It happened at level 100 and level 200. Health, mana and even stamina werepletely restored, encouraging the party¡¯s morale.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Grid stretched and stood upright. As his wounds were restored by the level up, he dered to the vampires.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    The aftermath of the various stats awakening was abnormally high. It was beyond imagination. Even Grid was surprised.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The vampires were shocked. The person who was dying just a moment ago now swiftly attacked, showing ridiculous attack power.


    ¡°What is this...? Kyaack!¡±


    The 20 vampires surrounding Grid immediately copsed. The blue and jade lights shed all over the ce, while blood and flesh scattered. Death with one blow! Reign supreme! The words that could represent the present Grid were exaggerated. He was truly overwhelming!


    "Oh my, look at this.¡±


    A mere mortal couldn¡¯t grasp who they were going against, it was unpleasant. A True Blood vampire about to bite Vantner stood up. Her name was Lexi. She had exceptional magic power and skill in blood magic.


    "Give me a handful of blood. Blood Chain.¡±


    Puhahahak!


    The blood emitted by Lexi split into dozens of stems and surrounded Grid. It was a wide area magic that bound and attacked the target, and was difficult to avoid. However, it wasn¡¯t a threat to the current Grid.


    His enhanced agility and insight allowed Grid to use more sophisticated movements. He avoided the first two blood flows and used Revolve. The blood streams that should¡¯ve wrapped around Grid reversed directions and covered Lexi.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Who would¡¯ve thought that she would be hit by her own attack? Lexi became an unexpected victim and screamed in pain. Grid neared where she was trapped and swung Failure towards her chest. There was no such thing as mercy to women.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lexi¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. This human could damage the body of a True Blood vampire that was harder than steel? She looked at the huge wound on her chest and used a spell.


    "Blood Shield!"


    Using the blood spurting from her chest, Lexi unfolded multiple shields in the air and tried to open the distance. But it was useless.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The red shields were smashed by the jade greatsword. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill, aimed at Lexi.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Lexi tried to prevent it. She turned to smoke to prevent the dreadful greatsword precisely aiming at her pretty face. But...


    Puok!


    Lifael¡¯s Spear flew around Grid, defending against the vampire¡¯s attacks before aiming at Lexi¡¯s chest. The smoke was lost and Lexi¡¯s body was clearly revealed again.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Lexi raised her arms and covered her face. Her appearance was pitiful, but her arms could exert a defense superior to steel shields. However, it was mere paper in front of the damage of Kill that came from the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword.


    Peeok!


    There was a sound like a watermelon cracking.


    Crash!


    A True Blood vampire might have eternal life, but even they were bound to die if they lost their heads. Lexi copsed like a broken doll and turned into a grey light.


    [The True Blood vampire, Lexi has been destroyed.]


    [56,901,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Sixth Piece of ??? has been acquired.]


    [An Intermediate Vampire¡¯s Ring has been acquired.]


    He didn¡¯t know exactly what the ¡®??? Piece¡¯ was yet. He could only infer that it was a fragment of something made by the same mineral as Iyarugt. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a jackpot, but the Intermediate Vampire¡¯s Ring was different.


    [Intermediate Vampire¡¯s Ring]


    Rating: Unique


    * During normal attacks, 10% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * This effect is only invoked once every 12 seconds.


    A unique magic power dwells in the vampire¡¯s ring.


    It greatly elevates the wearer¡¯s survival skills.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher.


    Weight: 1


    It was able to absorb 5% more health than the Junior Vampire¡¯s Ring, and the cooldown time was three seconds shorter. Grid wore the ring without any hesitation. Unfortunately, its function didn¡¯t ovep with the Junior Vampire¡¯s Ring.


    "I¡¯m grateful for this.¡±


    Vampire items were very rare, so the Intermediate Vampire¡¯s Ring would be worth hundreds of gold.


    Step, step.


    Grid ran through the remnants of vampires and stood in front of the party members, as if protecting them.


    ¡°Everyone has suffered. Now you can rest.¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members looked shocked. Grid¡¯s strength was more than they imagined, so they were speechless. He became so much stronger just from reaching level 300? It was difficult to tell how high Grid¡¯s total stats were.


    "This guyyyy!¡±


    The aggro of the vampires instantly focused on Grid after Lexi died. The two True Blood vampires were also mixed in. The Overgeared members were worried, but Grid was pleased. He was grateful that the prey came to him. Just as Elfin Stone saw hunting humans as entertainment, Grid had reached a point where hunting vampires could be viewed as entertainment.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    Kurururung!


    The waves of energy! The vampires were swept away by a terrible pain and realized something. Humans weren¡¯t a subspecies. Their potential was even greater than the vampires. They weren¡¯t a species to be ignored and treated like cattle.


    ***


    A ck magician was more difficult to solo than attack sses because they specialized in debuff magic. ck magicians hunting alone was considered a penance. Most ck magicians focused on party-oriented y.


    But with the exception of special circumstances, more parties preferred buffers over debuffers. ck magicians couldn¡¯t easily find parties, making it difficult to find them in the rankings.


    Except of course for Yura. She was a mythical figure who maintained her fifth spot in the unified rankings despite being a ck magician. She was special. A genius among genii. She was evaluated like this, and many users yearned for her.


    This precious talent suddenly visited Reidan. Lauel and the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t help being excited.


    "What brings a person like you to this humble city?¡± Lauel asked her.


    Lauel also admired Yura. What guy wouldn¡¯t have a crush on a world-ss beauty who was good at games? Yura smiled brightly at Lauel and the Overgeared members, whose eyes were shining likenterns.


    Ahh, so beautiful and brilliant. They were convinced that her presence contributed to world peace.


    ¡°I want to join Overgeared. Youngwoo-ssi... No, Grid has already agreed, so please check with him.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Yura¡¯s smile captivated Lauel and the Overgeared members. They let out surprised yelps. One of the solo rankers, apart from Kraugel and Agnbus, was asking to join Overgeared! It was shocking but joyful.


    "Wee!¡± Lauel shouted.


    Yura thought that his words and phrases resembled Grid. Lauel would probably be shocked if she knew what she was thinking. But it was the truth. The longer he spent with Grid, the more Lauel resembled Grid.


    Lauel liked Grid from the bottom of his heart. But he didn¡¯t want to be simr to Grid.


    ***


    The epic battle ended.


    ¡°Brilliant.¡±


    "Grid, you were cool.¡±


    ¡°Kyah! Truly God Grid! Do you know God Grid?¡±


    "Are those the only English words you know...?¡±


    The Overgeared members were able to escape from the crisis and praised Grid. But the good atmosphere didn¡¯tst long. It was true that Grid was stronger than expected, but could he take down Elfin Stone?


    Grid spoke to the worried party.


    "Don¡¯t waste time on worrying. There is one hour left until Elfin Stone appears. In order to increase the odds, we need to recover as much stamina as possible.¡±


    Grid¡¯s state was the worst. The Overgeared members constantly supported him, but he fought against almost 100 vampires alone. His whole body was wounded and his items durability was low.


    He wondered if he could fully recover his stamina before Elfin Stone appeared. However, Grid had a trump card.


    [Item Combination]


    Two items with a 100% understanding can bebined to enhance the performance.


    The performance of thebined items will depend on thepatibility between the items.


    * Thebination retention time is limited to two minutes. Once this time limit is over, the items will return to their original appearance. At this time, the durability of the items will decrease by 50. This is consumed on a fixed basis.


    * The time it takes for thebination to ur will depend on the structure of the item.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.


    What if hebined Failure and Lifael¡¯s Spear?


    ¡®It will be a great weapon if the advantages are maximized.¡¯


    Grid believed that he could create the strongest weapon that would defeat Elfin Stone. But he kept in mind that thebination time was only two minutes. In addition, he was anxious since the time it took tobine items wasn¡¯t precisely specified.


    ¡®I wish I could experiment with it.¡¯


    Newly acquired skills always made people excited. Grid shared the sentiment and wanted to try out Item Combination. But there was the cooldown time. He needed it when dealing with Elfin Stone, so he had to restrain himself.


    ¡®Well, it will be okay. I have a strong style.¡¯


    Grid evaluated himself and rxed. Then he started repairing his items. There wasn¡¯t much time left before Elfin Stone¡¯s emergence.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297


    ¡°What will happen?¡±


    Three men were sitting side by side in a spacious living room that was like a yground. What was the identity of those enjoying the cool soju and spicy chicken feet while wearing 3D sses?


    They were Chairman Lim Cheolho, Director Yoon Sangmin, and Team Leader Ashley Tosun. They were major figures in thepany. The reason why these busy people gathered in Lim Cheolho¡¯s mansion wasn¡¯t for a simple drinking party.


    On the big screen, Grid¡¯s party would soon encounter Elfin Stone. Could they really seed in the Elfin Stone raid? The three people wanted to check it out. There was a debate.


    ¡°In order to raid Elfin Stone, at least three third advancement healers are needed in the party.¡±


    The top priority was to neutralize Elfin Stone¡¯s Blood Field. But Elfin Stone took only 1.8 seconds to deploy Blood Field. It was difficult to block it from being activated, so it needed to be offset with continuous healing. A eight person party with no healers wouldn¡¯t be able to raid Elfin Stone.


    The father of vampires, Team Leader Ashley, was confident.


    "I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened if Huroi was alive, but the possibility of Grid¡¯s current party sessfully raiding Elfin Stone is zero.¡±


    Huroi was able to maximize the attack power of the party members while maintaining aggro. Ashley thought that Grid was stupid for sacrificing someone so important to the party. But Lim Cheolho gave a different opinion. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s party would¡¯ve been wiped out if they hadn¡¯t sacrificed Huroi.


    "In addition, the strength of Pagma''s Descendant is far above what was originally nned. One of the five people who can cause miracles in Satisfy is Grid.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t the only special one in the party. Jishuka, Peak Sword, Pon, Regas, Faker, Vantner and Zednos. They had excellent control and senses, demonstrating a strength that was beyond the concept of levels and sses.


    "Wouldn¡¯t they have the power to beat Elfin Stone?¡±


    Yoon Sangmin ate a chicken feet and spected carefully.


    "I agree with both of you. But to be honest, I don¡¯t think Grid¡¯s party can seed in this raid. The influence of Blood Field is too strong.¡±


    In the past, Yoon Sangmin cursed Grid for being stupid and frustrating. He was resentful that someone so stupid took one of the nine legendary sses. But now he was different. He watched the changes and growth of Grid that took ce over a year, and now supported Grid. His wife didn¡¯t know it, but he was a great member of Grid¡¯s fan club. However, even Yoon Sangmin was skeptical about this raid.


    Lim Cheolho¡¯s lips, which were swollen due to eating spicy chicken feet, curved in a smile.


    ¡°Then my odds will rise.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The leaders of the world¡¯srgest corporation gathered to bet on Grid. They seemed to have a lot of free time, but this wasn¡¯t the case. They weren¡¯t wasting time watching Grid. Grid was a special existence. They didn¡¯t want to miss the biography of a person who grew up through Satisfy.


    ***


    The former 5th ranked Yura. She was the world¡¯s best female ranker who suddenly lost her ranking four months ago. What was the reason? This was still a big issue and caused curiosity among countless people.


    Lauel and the Overgeared members were exposed to the truth.


    ¡°Demon yer...!¡±


    Yura joined Overgeared with the authority of the lord¡¯s agent, Lauel. The guild members weren¡¯t familiar with her ss. As many people guessed, she obtained a hidden ss. It was also a legendary hidden ss!


    Lauel and the Overgeared members were thrilled. The Demon yer ss was written in gold, just like Pagma¡¯s Descendant. But there was something odd.


    ¡®ording to Grid, legendary sses get their level reset to level 1?¡¯


    On the other hand, Yura was currently level 203. It meant she went from level 1 to level 203 in just four months. A typical user. No, it was three times faster than the growth rate of the strongest rankers.


    ¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    She was someone who maintained the 5th ranking as a ck magician that was hard to raise. Acquiring a legendary ss was like growing wings on her back. She used her innate talents, effort and the know-how she umted as the 5th ranked user to raise her level at a speed that exceededmon sense.


    Lauel and the Overgeared members were amazed, while Yura watched Reidan Castle¡¯s resurrection point.


    ¡®I was told Youngwoo-ssi would appear soon.¡¯


    She heard about what happened. The group of eight encountered a boss that was impossible to raid and would be wiped out.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯


    Yura was always watching Grid. She looked at all the stories rted to him. Taking into ount Grid¡¯s growth and the features of a legendary ss...


    ''Youngwoo-ssi can produce results that others can¡¯t imagine.¡¯


    Yura knew about Grid¡¯s past. He had gone through all types of hardships due to ack of natural talents and bad fortune. He had lived an unhappy life for 26 out of his 27 years and suffered countless wounds. Yura wanted him to no longer feel despair. She simply wanted him to be happy.


    ¡®I will share my good luck. So pleasee back safely with a bright expression.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s true heart was shown when Grid was in trouble.


    ***


    Elfin Stone slept for 23 hours and his condition was the best. The day before, he tortured the human who dared insult Shizo Beriache and was able to get a good rest.


    "Today I should work harder than usual.¡±


    There were thousands of familiars who roamed the underground city that was Elfin Stone¡¯s home. They became Elfin Stone¡¯s eyes and ears when he was awake. Elfin Stone knew that Grid¡¯s group had ughtered the vampires in the city.


    "The city will bepletely destroyed in the near future if this is left alone.¡±


    Elfin Stone didn¡¯t care about the deaths of the ordinary vampires. He could always raise more. However, the True Blood vampires were different. Only Shizo Beriache and her immediate family could create them. They were precious resources. It was troublesome to lose them.


    ¡®I have to eat two people from today onwards.¡¯


    He would keep the ck haired man alive until the end. He would leave the most delicious food tost.


    ''He sold out hispanion, but in the moment when he epts death, will he feel despair?¡¯


    It was fun to imagine the people crying. Earl Elfin Stone maximized his outward appearance by changing into a white tailcoat. He strolled out of his mansion. His destination was the location of Grid¡¯s party.


    ***


    ¡®Which one should I eat?¡¯


    In the thick darkness. Elfin Stone¡¯s red eyes burned as he sniffed. It was to distinguish between the members of Grid¡¯s party. He would hunt Pon and Regas today.


    ''It is better to get rid of those two first.¡¯


    In fact, the assassin called Faker was the most annoying. However, Regas and Pon were a little bit stronger than Faker. Their physical strength was good, so it would be annoying if they were left alive for a long time.


    If he took care of them first, he could enjoy the slow hunt.


    ¡®Then I am going.¡¯


    Sururuk.


    Elfin Stone turned into ck smoke andpletely assimted with the darkness. He approached Grid like lightning, at a speed that far exceeded Faker¡¯s.


    ¡®Now! Give me your fresh blood!¡¯


    Humans were truly inferior. No one noticed that he was approaching above their heads. This stupidity was funny. Earl Elfin Stone ridiculed them and used Extreme Blood Transfusion. His target was Pon.


    Puhahahak!


    A blood curtain stretched out towards Pon. Now Pon would be destroyed and his health would be Elfin Stone¡¯s food. This was normal. However.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Elfin Stone¡¯s eyes widened. The ck haired man called Grid! The man behind Pon was staring at him?


    ¡®A human noticed my approach? This has never happened before.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what was happening. But it was toote. Extreme Blood Transfusion was already used and Pon would soon die. This was Elfin Stone¡¯s unshakable faith. But Grid broke that faith. Just like the other bosses that Grid hunted, Elfin Stone was forced to feel confusion.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was an unbelievable sight. The Extreme Blood Transfusion heading towards Pon was caught by Grid¡¯s greatsword and turned back towards Elfin Stone?


    "Heok!"


    Extreme Blood Transfusion was the strongest magic. He couldn¡¯t avoid being wounded. Elfin Stone turned pale and hurriedly tried to turn to smoke. It was neutralized by the golden spear that stabbed his side.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Puhahahak!


    The blood curtain swallowed up Elfin Stone. This process happened in a short amount of time. All the Overgeared members nervously waiting for Elfin Stone to appear were surprised. Grid suddenly moved and Elfin Stone fell wounded from the sky.


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    Elfin Stone vomited blood on the ground. The face beautiful enough to captivate a man was distorted.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The angry and confused Elfin Stone immediately got up. The terrible notification windows popped up in front of the Overgeared members.


    [The master of the 13th city, Vampire Earl Elfin Stone has appeared.]


    [A strong evil influence is making your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. Your body is subjected to a strong oppression.]


    The Overgeared members were helpless. At least two to three skills were sealed and all speeds reduced, so their minds and bodies felt very heavy. But Grid was fine.


    [You have resisted.]


    It was a resistance only given to legendary sses. Grid was able to exert his strength.


    ¡°Blood Field!¡±


    Elfin Stone sealed some of the powers of the humans with his evil influence, and he didn¡¯t miss this gap to use a skill. No, he attempted to use it.


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was before Blood Field waspleted. Grid rushed at a speedparable to the assassin called Faker and stabbed his blue greatsword at Elfin Stone¡¯s heart. His magic power flowed backwards and Blood Field was stopped.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    This guy, he wasn¡¯t affected by the evil influence? Grid gazed calmly at the disbelieving Elfin Stone. It was a cold look.


    ¡°My share ends here. After this, it¡¯s Huroi¡¯s share.¡±


    In the past, Grid found it difficult to control his emotions. His personality was immature and hecked social skills, often making him go on a rampage when he was angry, sad or happy. But now it was different.


    The experience of sacrificing his close friend made Grid fully aware of what it meant to be ¡®on top.¡¯ Now he was able to stay calm, despite being filled with anger and a desire for vengeance.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    The sword was wielded dozens of times without a time difference in an unshaken and sophisticated manner.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    On this day, Elfin Stone screamed for the second time since he had been born.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298


    ¡®This is the ability of a human?¡¯


    Elfin Stone had existed for over 350 years. Over the years, he¡¯d met countless humans. Among them were genii as well as those called warriors. But in the end, they were inferior. For Elfin Stone, humans were just prey to be hunted and eaten.


    But his perception changed at this moment. Extreme Blood Transfusion, that couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye, was blocked by a sword? It was outstanding. This person wasn¡¯t inferior.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s face twisted.


    ¡®It is like Braham said.¡¯


    Braham, the first one to give him anger and pain. Braham did all types of bad things and was eventually banished.


    [Do you fail to understand my inquiring mind even until the end? Brethren, you are worse than humans. The humans you regard as livestock aren¡¯tzy. They are different from us, they are always working and developing. One day a transcendent entity will emerge that will threaten us, and it will be a human.]


    ¡®That damn bastard...!¡¯


    Braham Eshwald, who studied human magic and vampire magic, sacrificing countless vampires in the process. Some of Elfin Stone¡¯s blood rtives were theb rats, including his lover, Leah.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukuk...¡±


    How hard had he worked over the past hundreds of years? In order to forget the terrible memories, Elfin Stone slept more and hunted to clear the wounds in his heart. Meeting these humans stirred up his memories again.


    ¡®It makes me think of Braham¡¯s disgusting face.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t forgive Braham. Elfin Stone¡¯s eyes were full of hate as he red at Grid.


    "Your skills are decent, but in the end, you¡¯re just a human! You are my prey!¡±


    Puhahahak!


    Elfin Stone¡¯s blood gathered into a sphere. It shot towards Grid and caused a powerful explosion. It was the manifestation then explosion of blood. Its power was far above those of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians.


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it.¡¯


    The st range was too big. He had no choice but to defend. However, he wondered if he couldpletely absorb the damage with the Divine Shield. The moment Grid was about to take out the Divine Shield.


    ¡°I will protect the leader!¡±


    Vantner embraced Grid and used ¡®Thousand Shields,¡¯ a skill that greatly reduced the power of magic, thereby reducing the power of Blood Explosion.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuak! I¡¯m dead!¡±


    Even Thousand Shields couldn¡¯tpletely suppress the force of Blood Explosion. Thousand Shields was destroyed by the explosion and Vantner suffered severe injuries from the contaminated blood scattered by the explosion. Grid raised his thumb from within Vantner¡¯s arms.


    "Thank you. Although it isn¡¯t a great feeling to be in a man¡¯s arms.¡±


    "Kukuk! I¡¯m not doing this because I like it! Now go!¡±


    Vantner shouted with augh. The new version of Grid had already shot forward.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Elfin Stone saw that Grid was fine and furiously fired Blood Missiles. The blood-guided missiles chased Grid and tried to block his approach.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to shake off.¡¯


    The missiles were fast and relentless. Avoidance and interception was impossible. He couldn¡¯t protect his body with just Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡¯It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    Grid started his footwork. He nned to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, to shoot down the missiles. But at the moment, dozens of ming arrows appeared from the rear.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    It was amazing. They shot down all the missiles aiming at Grid. There was only one person in Satisfy with such bow skills. Expert archer Jishuka.


    "Leave the cover to me.¡±


    Jishuka winked with a bright appearance. Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he kept moving forward. He narrowed the distance to Elfin Stone and dered.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Kuwooooh!


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    The two greatswords that came flying at Elfin Stone! The dimension of the swordsmanship was different than before. Elfin Stone used Fly and tried to avoid it in the air. However, he couldn¡¯t fly because a strong wind pressure pushed down on his shoulders.


    It was the influence of Zednos¡¯ Storm of Eternity. The original Storm of Eternity was a magic thatpletely restrained the target. However, Elfin Stone¡¯s magic resistance was so high that only some of his movements could be limited.


    Of course, that alone was a great help to Grid. Grid realized. Yes, now he wasn¡¯t alone. He could count on the people with him.


    ¡®Now I...!¡¯


    He was stronger than ever!


    Puoook!


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The two greatswords prated Elfin Stone¡¯s chest. It was enough to drive him crazy. Grid alone was enough to make Elfin Stone feel alert, but the humans supporting Grid meant the battle was developing in an unexpected way.


    It would¡¯ve been different if Blood Field was deployed, but there was still 3 minutes left of the cooldown time. It was the worst situation caused by his failure to use the skill before.


    ¡°I will kill all of you in this ce!¡±


    Today would be different from yesterday. There were no negotiations. Using the blood from his chest as a medium, he blew Grid away with an explosion and called out.


    "Iyarugt!¡±


    Kiiing-


    It was the advent of the red longsword. The moment that ¡®Blood Cry¡¯ cause the Overgeared members to lose their sense of bnce...


    ¡¯Now!¡¯


    Grid would also be affected by Blood Cry! Elfin Stone smiled and wielded Iyarugt. The red line crossed Grid¡¯s stumbling body...


    "What?"


    Elfin Stone was confused. Grid defended against his sword?


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t affected by his evil influence and he wasn¡¯t disturbed by Iyarugt¡¯s Blood Cry? Was this really a human? Grid confirmed Elfin Stone¡¯s shaken eyes and replied.


    "Who will kill who?¡±


    Grid scoffed. His gaze was focused behind Elfin Stone.


    ¡¯Ah!¡¯


    Elfin Stone hurriedly moved his sword. But it was toote.


    ¡°The Price of Living.¡±


    Puk!Puk puk puk!


    Faker¡¯s silver dagger pierced Elfin Stone¡¯s neck again and again. The Price of Living. It was a skill that did more damage ording to the number of strikes. Yesterday, Elfin Stone had only allowed three strikes, but today was the worst. He actually allowed seven hits. This was due to Grid perfectly catching the aggro.


    ¡°Kuock... You rat bastards!¡±


    Elfin Stone¡¯s health gauge naturally decreased as Iyarugt aimed at Faker. The aggro was changed to him due to the Price of Living. In a normal raid, drawing aggro could endanger the part. But this situation was different. It was because Grid originally had more utility as a damage dealer than as a tanker.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle!¡±


    Seokeok!


    Pinnacle was used. Elfin Stone paid a heavy price for looking away from Grid.


    [You have dealt 210,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡¯Not enough.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression became dark. This was because 5 Joint Attacks wasn¡¯t activated. Elfin Stone¡¯s current health was at 80%. This was the result of being hit by Extreme Blood Transfusion, Kill, Price of Living and Pinnacle.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s health and defense was outstanding as a named boss.


    ¡®I was unlucky!¡¯


    If 5 Joint Attacks was activated with Kill, it would¡¯ve been a fatal wound. However, he had the worst luck and 5 Joint Attacks wasn¡¯t activated at all.


    ¡®No, there is no need to worry.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. He was reminded that he hadpanions to cover for hiscking luck.


    ¡°Sura Descends!¡±


    Regas approached Elfin Stone¡¯s side and started his lightning assault. His destructive power at this moment was enough to make even Grid speechless.


    Pepeok!Pepepepeok!


    The shining punches and kicks that left an afterglow! Once Regas became an Asura, the true power of Grid¡¯s Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles started to explode.


    [The 6thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 5,000 fixed damage to the target.]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical damage to the target.]


    Peeng!


    [The 7thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 8,000 fixed damage to the target.]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional lightning damage to the target.]


    Kwa kwang!


    [The 8thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 12,000 fixed damage to the target.]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical and lightning damage to the target.]


    Jjejejeok!


    [The 10thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 20,000 fixed damage to the target.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles is activated, deploying Lightning Beam three times.


    Chaaeng!


    [The 12thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 30,000 fixed damage to the target.]


    [The effect of the ¡®Lightning Duke¡¯s Knuckles¡¯ has been activated, causing additional physical damage proportional to the target¡¯s maximum health.]


    ¡°Kuheok! Ugh! Kuak!¡±


    Elfin Stone groaned. Regas opened up the power of an Asura and demonstrated a speed and power that couldn¡¯t be endured by even Elfin Stone. However, the disadvantages were that the duration was short and the after effect wasrge.


    Regas¡¯sbo reached its peak.


    ¡°This is thest one!¡±


    Kwajak!Kwajajajak!


    [The 15thbo has been achieved!]


    [The unique effect of the Asura ss is activated, dealing 100,000 fixed damage to the target and reducing defense and recovery by 50% for 5 minutes. In addition, Lightning Spear is used.]


    Puoook!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    90% of Elfin Stone¡¯s total screams urred today. He was pierced by the lightning spear that fell from the sky and finally sat down. Lightning Spear. It was the Asura¡¯s ultimate move that disabled the target for 1.5 seconds.


    ¡°Heok... P-Please...¡±


    Flop!


    The drained Regas copsed. He consumed arge amount of stamina at once, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to move for three seconds. It was up to hispanions to fill this gap.


    ¡°Mach Spear!"


    "Draw Sword, Blow.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow!¡±


    "ck Winds!¡±


    The party members¡¯ ultimate moves poured out. Elfin Stone tried to turn to smoke, but Lifael¡¯s Spear was the problem. He was forced to allow the attacks.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and started his sword dance. Thanks to the party members, Elfin Stone¡¯s health had fallen to 45%, so Grid would used Linked Kill to ensure their victory. However, something unexpected happened.


    ¡°You dare...! You dare!!!¡±


    Certain bosses became stronger once health fell to a certain level, and Elfin Stone was one of them.


    Puhahahak!


    Magic power stretched out around Elfin Stone and dominated thend. Blood Field, which Grid had previously blocked, was instantly used.


    [Vampire Earl, Elfin Stone has opened up his real power. All of Elfin Stone¡¯s stats will rise and his recovery ability will increase by 300%.]


    [Your blood is influenced by Blood Field.]


    [153 health will be transferred to Earl Elfin Stone per second.]


    [All healing effects will be reduced by 80%.]


    The Overgeared members felt desperate as the notification window appeared before them.


    "I will eat all of you.¡±


    Elfin Stone got up and dered. His red eyes were tinged with ck. The feeling of intimidation was iparable.


    "...Now how should we defeat him?¡±


    The Overgeared members were lost. They weren¡¯t sure how to deal with Elfin Stone, who had all his stats increased by Blood Field. As everyone was feeling desperate...


    "Don¡¯t you know that I have a hidden power as well?¡±


    Grid spoke meaningful words. Elfin Stone and the Overgeared members focused on him.


    ¡®A hidden power?¡¯


    Elfin Stone was nervous.


    ¡®Truly God Grid!¡¯


    ¡®He had a trump card!¡¯


    The Overgeared members were delighted. As everyone¡¯s attention was fixed on him, Grid shouted.


    ¡°Item! Combi!! Nation!!!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was it a cool animation like the transformation robots that were popr in his grandfather¡¯s generation. No, it was...


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid took out a hammer and anvil, before squatting down and starting to hammer. Honestly, it was ludicrous behavior.


    "This person has be crazy from fear.¡±


    The previously tense Elfin Stone ridiculed Grid. The Overgeared members felt embarrassed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299


    The premise of this raid¡¯s sess was the obstruction of Blood Field. But in the end, that failed. Elfin Stone opened his real power and seeded in using Blood Field. The chances of this raid seeding declined exponentially. If Elfin Stone couldn¡¯t be defeated in the next three minutes, Grid¡¯s party wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid annihtion.


    ¡®I need more power.¡¯


    There was no room to be leisurely. Grid pulled out two essories from his inventory.


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Ring]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 15/15


    A ring worn by the 7th Yatan Servant, Dark Bus.


    The wearer¡¯s mana is constantly consumed, and the dispel function will depend on this.


    * 50 mana per second will be consumed by the ring. If the consumed mana reaches 5,000 then you can use Skill Deletion twice in 10 minutes.


    * If you lose more than 5,000 mana and Skill Deletion isn¡¯t used twice within 10 minutes, the ring will overload and explode. At this time, the wearer will suffer a deadly wound and the ring is permanently destroyed.


    * Within 3 minutes of wearing the ring, the ring will disappear if you don¡¯t lose more than 5,000 mana.


    * Skill Deletion is only used when the hand wearing the ring touches the desired skill.


    * Skill Deletion doesn¡¯t apply to skills with a continuous effect.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher.


    Weight: 0.1


    A thin ck ring. There were severe restrictions on the use and the conditions were tricky. In particr, Grid¡¯s total mana was only slightly above 4,000. In order to properly use Dark Bus¡¯ Ring, he needed to take mana potions and use skills systematically. It definitely hurt in many ways, but...


    ¡®The performance is excellent.¡¯


    He had mastered the use during the process of beating Kamiyan. Grid wore the ring then pulled out small ck earrings.


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 55/55


    Earrings worn by the 7th Yatan Servant, Dark Bus.


    A vehicle to summon a great demon, it has powerful ck magic.


    There is enough magic power to control the body and mind of the wearer.


    * The skill ¡®ckening¡¯ can be used every 12 hours.


    * The maximum duration of ckening is 5 minutes.


    *The frequent use of ckening has the potential to awaken you as a non-human being.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Has a reserve of ck magic power.


    Weight: 0.1


    The conditions of user were simplepared to the ring, but it was dangerous.


    ¡®I don¡¯t mind.¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t use it now, when would he use it? There was no point saving it. Grid wore the earrings without hesitation. Then he used the new skill he acquired after reaching level 300.


    ¡°Item! Combi!! Nation!!!¡±


    Grid was expecting a cool scene from a movie.


    Bam bam bam~ baaaam~


    He expected a magnificent background music while the two items fused together nicely. But reality was a gutter.


    [Take out your hammer and anvil.]


    After the notification window emerged, his body moved and pulled out a hammer and anvil. Then...


    [Put the two items to bebined on top of the anvil.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was apletely unexpected coercion. Grid was baffled. However, he couldn¡¯t afford to waste time. He hurriedly did as the system directed. He ced Lifael¡¯s Spear and Failure on top of the anvil.


    At that moment.


    [Try tobine Lifael¡¯s Spear and Failure.]


    Ttang!Ttang!


    His body moved on its own again. Regardless of his will, Grid started hammering the items. Item Combination was a skill where forced motion was applied.


    ¡®I look stupid.¡¯


    Squatting and hammering during a battle? What type of skill was this? Grid inwardly cursed.


    "This person has be crazy from fear.¡±


    "...¡±


    Elfin Stone treated him as a madman. Even the party members had shame in their gazes. Grid felt embarrassed and like it was unfair. A notification window appeared in front of him.


    [Analyzing the time required tobine the items. Please wait for a moment.]


    [...3]


    [...2]


    [...1]


    Ttiring~


    [The analysis has seeded! It will take 43 seconds tobine Lifael¡¯s Spear and Failure.]


    [Keep hammering for 43 seconds.]


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He had to hammer for 43 seconds during a battle? Wasn¡¯t it asking the enemy to eat him? Furthermore, the opponent was the strongest boss.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    The party members asked the pale Grid.


    {What are you doing? Why are you hammering? Did you eat something bad?}


    {Grid, no matter how desperate the situation, calm down and act wisely.}


    He was treated as apletely crazy person. Grid exined the situation.


    {These are the motions of a newly acquired skill. I need you to buy me 40 seconds.}


    {...}


    The party members frowned. A skill that had forced motions during a battle. It was also 40 seconds? It just sounded like nonsense. However, there was no reason for Grid to be joking. The party members checked on Elfin Stone.


    Elfin Stone kept an eye on Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s suspicious.¡±


    The blue greatsword and golden spear emitted a strong aura every time Grid hammered. Elfin Stone was nervous.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but I won¡¯t let you.¡±


    Kurururung.


    Powerful magic started to concentrate on the blood-drenched ground. It was the forerunner of Blood Wave, a magic linked with Blood Field.


    ¡°Protect Grid!¡±


    On this cracking ground, the wave of magic power aimed at Grid. Zednos detected this and acted to protect Grid.


    ¡°Do you think you can stop me?¡±


    Elfin Stone was overflowing with confidence. He had absolutely faith in himself now that Blood Field was deployed. And the reason for his faith was shown as the magic was deployed.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Waves of red magic sprang from the ground and flooded towards the Overgeared members. Vantner used Thousand Shields and Zednos triggered Wind Curtain. The two skills boasted excellent magic resistance, but it wasn¡¯t enough to handle Blood Wave.


    Pepeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    "Aack!"


    ¡°Ah! I will die!¡±


    Thousand Shields shattered while Wind Curtain was scattered like an illusion. Vantner and Zednos were hit by Blood Wave and fell down. Blood Wave continued despite the actions of the two men.


    The goal was Grid. Peak Sword interrupted.


    "Draw Sword, Annihte.¡±


    Seokeok!


    The moment Peak Sword drew his sword, light gleamed and crossed Blood Wave. It was possible because Blood Wave¡¯s power was weakened by Vantner and Zednos¡¯ sacrifice.


    ¡°Okay! Eek?¡±


    He protected God Grid! Peak Sword¡¯s excited face suddenly distorted with pain. It was because his thighs were pierced by red thorns that emerged at his feet.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s movement speed significantly reduced. Elfin Stone moved past him.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Peak Sword couldn¡¯t let him pass and put a hand on his sheath again.


    [You have suffered 9,980 damage.]


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    The notification window was apanied by intense pain. He wasn¡¯t able to recognize it, but he was hit by Iyarugt.


    "It¡¯s natural to kneel before me.¡±


    Elfin Stone checked that Peak Sword was down and got closer to Grid. Grid saw it and checked the remaining time.


    [27]


    ¡®Should I cancel the skill?¡¯


    No, he couldn¡¯t do that now. He would believe in hispanions and wait.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    In response to Grid¡¯s belief, the duo of Pon and Regas blocked Elfin Stone¡¯s path.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The spear and unpredictable attacks aimed at Elfin Stone. But Elfin Stone was freed from Lifael¡¯s Spear, so he could avoid their attacks by turning into smoke.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you understand the subject?¡±


    Sususuk.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s body scattered as smoke before returning to its original form. The location was behind Pon and Regas.


    ¡°Ghost!¡±


    The scared Pon and Regas aimed their spears and fists behind them. However, Iyarugt was faster.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    "Kkuk...!¡±


    The red sword shed at Pon and Regas¡¯ chest. The two people suffered huge damage and had to take a health potion. However, only 20% of the potion¡¯s effect was applied thanks to the influence of Blood Field.


    Pahat!


    Faker appeared behind Elfin Stone, who was trying to deal the finishing blow to the duo. Elfin Stone was always hit by Faker¡¯s surprise attack, but now he was different. Faker¡¯s swiftness and stealth were useless in front of the fully powered Elfin Stone.


    ¡°Blood Tornado.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Blood winds stirred around Elfin Stone¡¯s body. Faker wasn¡¯t able to attack Elfin Stone and was blown away.


    ¡°Too strong.¡±


    Jishuka bit her lip as she fired arrows to cover herpanions. Elfin Stone was too strong. She didn¡¯t know how to deal with him.


    "Kuhahahaha!¡±


    Elfin Stone ran wild like a fish that met water and finally burst outughing. He felt great pleasure in knocking down the humans who dared threaten him.


    ¡°Now! Only the two of you are left!¡±


    Grid was still hammering and Jishuka was protecting him. Elfin Stone¡¯s gaze was fixed on both of them. Around him were the copsed Overgeared members. Blood Field was constantly taking their health and they would die within a minute.


    ¡°I will eat until I¡¯m satisfied!¡±


    Teong!


    Elfin Stone leapt energetically and narrowed the distant to Grid and Jishuka instantly. Jishuka used Multi-shot and Dancing Arrows to try and slow Elfin Stone¡¯s momentum, but it was wishful thinking.


    Seokeok!


    Blood rose from Jishuka¡¯s smooth shoulders and Elfin Stone finally reached Grid.


    "Iyarugt!¡±


    Kiing!


    The red Iyarugt responded to Elfin Stone¡¯s call and aimed for Grid. At the same time, the sword emanated an abnormal sharpness that seemed like it would stab right through Grid¡¯s armor.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid was still hammering. Iyarugt was bound to be stabbed into his neck. The Overgeared members closed their eyes.


    ¡®This is the end.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t know what the newly acquired skill was, but it wouldn¡¯t work since it took too long to activate. It was over. The Overgeared members were desperate while Elfin Stone was delighted.


    [The items have sessfullybined!]


    The notification window he had been waiting for finally appeared. A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    ck magic exploded.


    ¡®This power...!¡¯


    Amazement appeared on Elfin Stone¡¯s face.


    Peeeeeong!


    The gold-blue greatsword collided with Iyarugt and the earth shook. The ensuing blood that scattered came from Elfin Stone.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    seconds until the items arebined.

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300


    [The items have sessfullybined!]


    [(Combination) Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power: 1,100~2,390 Defense: 100


    * Agility +100


    * Divine Power +400


    * Fixed damage of +2,200 on each attack.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill.


    * Attack power +30% against those with ck magic power.


    * There is a certain probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be generated.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 15 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +30% in dark ces.


    A weapon that maximizes the merits of the legendary rated ¡®Failure¡¯ and ¡®Lifael¡¯s Spear (Reproduction)¡¯ after beingbined by the legendary cksmith G.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * Thebination time is 2 minutes.


    * This item can¡¯t be traded.


    ¡®Transcendent legendary...!¡¯


    The result was more than expected. The performance of Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear was close to a mythical weapon. It was safe to say that Item Combination was one of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s ultimate techniques.


    ¡®It is a pity that thebination time is only 2 minutes.¡¯


    Anyway, this battle would be decided within a short amount of time. Elfin Stone would either be killed in two minutes, or Grid¡¯s party would be wiped out. This was the only oue now that Blood Field was deployed.


    Grid held the golden Failure. He revealed his power.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    ck magic stirred as Grid¡¯s skin became pale and the whites of his eyes turned ck.


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    ckening was a skill that greatly increased hisbat rted stats in return for half of his maximum health. Grid felt strength boiling inside him. However, his status was a little strange. His heart rate elevated and he had an excruciating headache. it was hard to breathe through the pain in his head.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    A notification window popped up the moment Grid felt doubts.


    [Your demonic force and divine power of the weapon opposes each other.]


    [The divine power of (Combination) Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear has doubled the strength of the demonic power.]


    [All your attacks will have both demonic and divine power at the same time.]


    [Whenever you hit a target with an attack, there is a sh between the demonic power and divine power, causing an explosion.]


    [The demonic power will increase the power of ckening by devouring the divine power.]


    [Maximum health will drop by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 10% each.]


    It was an obvious mistake. He was so focused on gaining power to ovee the crisis that he didn¡¯t consider thepatibility of Lifael¡¯s Spear and ckening.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The headache was getting worse. Iyarugt came running at his neck.


    Chaaeng!


    Failure¡¯s de had a small de reminiscent of a shark¡¯s fin attached to it. It blocked Iyarugt¡¯s sword. Grid didn¡¯t intentionally use his swordsmanship, relying on the power of the items.


    [The option effect of (Combination) Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear has been activated in order to block the enemy¡¯s attack.]


    Kwaang!


    A dark explosion urred at the point where the two swords hit each other. Both Grid and Elfin Stone suffered damage.


    [You have suffered 5,300 damage.]


    [You have dealt 15,900 damage to the target.]


    It was an explosion that contained demonic and divine power. Unlike Grid who had a certain resistance to both attributes and the Holy Light Armor which reduced magic damage, Elfin Stone was vulnerable to divine power and suffered greatly.


    But the result wasn¡¯t good for Grid either. Grid¡¯s maximum health had fallen to 16,000 points, so 5,300 damage was fatal to him. Meanwhile, Elfin Stone¡¯s current health was 4 million. From his standpoint, the damage from the explosion wasn¡¯t that threatening.


    However, Elfin Stone didn¡¯t know this about Grid. He thought Grid intentionally caused the explosion and felt a chill.


    ¡®Is this really a human?¡¯


    A human manifested demonic power and divine power while exerting a physical ability that wasparable to a True Blood earl. It was both transcendent and strange.


    ¡°What the hell is your identity?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. To be precise, he had no room to speak. He was barely maintaining his reason with this severe headache.


    "Kuaaaah!"


    It was like the roar of a beast. Grid approached Elfin Stone and used Kill. The speed and damage wasn¡¯tparable to the past. It was a tremendous level. It was a fearful attack. Elfin Stone moved with all his might and seeded in evading Kill.


    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    Elfin Stone sweated as he barely avoided the attack.


    ¡®I felt fear!¡¯


    He was a direct descendant of Shizo Beriache. Yet he was scared of this unknown human?


    ¡®I can¡¯t tolerate it.¡¯


    Embarrassment boiled inside him.


    Kwaduduk!


    Elfin Stone widened the distance with Grid. If the two swords collided with each other, there would be an explosion. So he tried to use magic so that he wouldn¡¯t be damaged.


    This was a big mistake. Grid had Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend. He was able to switch to ranged attacks and thus was safe from the explosion that urred every time the attack hit the distant target.


    Pepepepeok!


    Explosions kept urring around Elfin Stone as he was hit by a bombardment of energy des.


    [You have dealt 15,760 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 16,400 damage to the target.]


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 82,900 damage to the target.]


    [The option effect of (Combination) Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 60,040 damage to the target.]


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Elfin Stone let out a horrible shriek. The heavy onught and explosion of ck light contained a destructive power that even a vampire earl couldn¡¯t ignore.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°Really strong.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s terrifying.¡±


    The Overgeared members were stunned. They might be in the top 20 rankings, the attack power shown by Grid was different.


    ¡®Maybe. Maybe this...¡¯


    At this moment, wasn¡¯t Gridparable to Kraugel? Pon had encountered Kraugel in the past and knew his strength. Just as he was thinking that.


    ¡°Shit! Shitt!¡±


    Elfin Stone started cursing. It wasn¡¯t possible to turn to smoke due to the divine power in Grid¡¯s attacks, while Blood Shield couldn¡¯tpletely protect his body from the damage of the explosions.


    ¡®In the first ce, it was wrong for me to move back!¡¯


    Elfin Stone btedly realized and changed his posture. Anyway, it was meaningless to defend so he nned to confront Grid with force. It was both his pride and a wise judgment.


    Kuwooooh!


    Elfin Stone¡¯s scattered blood gathered in one ce. Then the blood turned into a spear and shot towards Grid.


    "Heart Seeker!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Heart Seeker was a targeted skill that unconditionally hit the target. It was a definite death sentence. The strength surpassed Extreme Blood Transfusion, but Elfin Stone was reluctant to use it because it consumed his health. The fact that Elfin Stone used Heart Seeker meant he recognized that Grid was strong.


    Kiiiing.


    It was an absolute majesty. The bloody spear prated straight through Grid¡¯s bombardment of Transcend and cksmith¡¯s Rage. Then...


    Puoook!


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The Overgeared members paled from fear. Grid failed to respond to the spear and it pierced his heart.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Red blood poured from Grid¡¯s nose and mouth. Elfin Stone wasn¡¯t careless.


    ¡®He survived the Extreme Blood Transfusion¡¯


    Confirmation was necessary. Elfin Stone once again used another spell despite already consuming arge amount of health and magic power.


    ¡°Blood Wave!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Blood Wave shot towards Grid. A smile appeared on Elfin Stone¡¯s mouth as he confirmed that Grid was about to be hit by it.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid used the Skill Deletion of Dark Bus¡¯ Ring and prated through Blood Wave to reach Elfin Stone. Elfin Stone tried to hinder Grid by hurriedly deploying Blood Thorn. However, Grid used the left and right movements of Link to avoid most of the thornsing from the ground.


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    Elfin Stone shot out Blood Laser. It was blood magic that prated through a narrow range. But Grid waved his hand and destroyed it. He actively utilized Dark Bus¡¯ Ring.


    ¡°This is nonsense!¡±


    Elfin Stone was rmed by the sight! In the end, Grid narrowed down the distance, avoiding Iyarugt with the footwork of Kill. Then he used his best skill.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Kuwooooh!


    Both ck and gold light shot out like fireworks.


    Chaaeng!


    Elfin Stone used Iyarugt to resist the first strike of Linked Kill. But the explosion that urred afterwards was the problem.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Elfin Stone shook. It was the same with Grid. Elfin Stone was the one who fixed his posture first. It was close, but this difference could be huge in battle. Iyarugt aimed for Grid¡¯s heart. Grid¡¯s immortal passive was activated after Heart Seeker, so this was a tremendous crisis from Grid¡¯s standpoint.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose aftering this far.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t give up. He might die but he continued to use Linked Kill. And he received a reward for this.


    [The option effect of (Combination) Failure + Lifael¡¯s Spear is activated, causing the skill ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ to be generated.]


    It was a skill that unfolded at an exquisite moment. Thanks to that, Linked Kill¡¯s thrust quickly changed. Elfin Stone exposed a gap after aiming Iyarugt at Grid, and was wounded instead.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 304,600 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    The magic sword Iyarugt made the wearer into a master of swordsmanship. But what was this sword technique? Elfin Stone staggered from the shock and was struck by the third consecutive Linked Kill.


    Puok!


    [You have dealt 119,400 damage to the target.]


    Next was the fourth blow.


    [You have dealt 122,000 damage to the target.]


    Then the fifth.


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 608,500 damage to the target.]


    The sixth blow.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 3,054,900 damage to the target.]


    Grid¡¯s sword kept striking at Elfin Stone. The explosion that urred every time alsonded on Grid. Grid wore Doran¡¯s Ring and took a supreme health potion, but the amount of recovery couldn¡¯t keep up with the damage. In the end.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuock!¡±


    His love, Leah. Elfin Stone recalled thest time he saw her smiling face and scattered into ck smoke.


    [You have died.]


    Grid also turned into a grey light.


    [Vampire Earl Elfin Stone is forced to sleep after exhausting all his powers.]


    [Your party leader Grid has died.]


    [The Pavranium Expedition has acquired Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.]


    [The Pavranium Expedition has acquired Iyarugt.]


    [The Pavranium Expedition has acquired the 4th Piece of ???.]


    [The Pavranium Expedition has be the first party to capture a vampire city!]


    [The Pavranium Expedition party members will receive bonus experience points and increased item acquisition rate in all vampire cities for the next month.]


    Many notification windows popped up. However, Grid¡¯s vision was turning ck so he had no way to verify it.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301


    On therge screen, Elfin Stone scattered into ck smoke. It was an incredible result.


    Lim Cheolho stretched out a hand towards Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashley, whose mouths were gaping open.


    "Come on, give it to me.¡±


    The two people pulled out a 50,000 won note.


    ¡°Ugh...! My allowance...¡±


    "I won¡¯t be able to buy chicken this week...¡±


    Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashley had some of the highest sries in South Korea. However, they both had strict wives and only lived on a small amount of money. Their loss in the bet was really heartbreaking.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have bet... I never imagined this.¡±


    They were convinced that Grid¡¯s party wouldn¡¯t seed in the Elfin Stone raid. Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. "Grid won because he blocked the first Blood Field. If Blood Field was deployed at the beginning of the raid, the Overgeared members wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on that long.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Grid¡¯s skills were improving day by day.


    After reaching level 300 and waiting a short time to activate his newly acquired Item Combination skill, he could exert a fighting powerparable to thebat specialist legendary sses.


    It was strong enough to transcend all presumptions. There was a reason Grid was included in the ¡®five people who could make miracles¡¯ that Lim Cheolho mentioned.


    ¡°But Grid... Isn¡¯t it a little dangerous? Didn¡¯t he die in the ckening state?¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolhoughed at Yoon Sangmin.


    "Grid will get to experience a whole new world.¡±


    In the meantime, Grid¡¯s radius of activity was too narrow. The Human World. He was active only in the Eternal Kingdom on the continent. It was necessary to experience the wide world that two billion users enjoyed.


    "In the first ce, it isn¡¯t a dangerous ce. Most of the residents are friendly and simr to humans.¡±


    ***


    [You have died.]


    Grid had died before in the past. He died four times to the green slime that even level 5 beginners could go against. However, death was unfamiliar to Grid after he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Thest time was with Doran. It had been a long time since he struggled against Yura and died. If it was the Grid of the past, he would¡¯ve been trembling about the penalties caused by death. He would¡¯ve cursed. But now he was different. He was worried about the safety of his party members.


    ¡®Is everybody okay?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t sure if the Elfin Stone raid seeded. His mind had darkened the moment the 5th strike of Linked Kill hadnded.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Lv.300 (11.05%)


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid smiled as he checked the experience gauge on his status window. When he encountered Elfin Stone, Grid¡¯s experience gauge was only 0%. If he had failed the Elfin Stone raid? Of course, his level would¡¯ve decreased. However, now his experience gauge was at 11%.


    In other words.


    "The raid was a sess."


    The death penalty at level 300 meant a 30% drop in experience, so he had gained 41% experience from Elfin Stone. It was a huge number, as expected of a named boss.


    ¡¯Everyone will be safe.¡¯


    Thank god. A relieved Grid was reminded of the pavranium.


    ¡¯Did he drop my pavranium?¡¯


    There was no need to worry even if it didn¡¯t drop. His party members would search the city for it.


    ¡°In the meantime, I...¡±


    The durability of his items was ruined by death. In particr, the itembination meant that Failure only had 10 durability remaining. If things went wrong, it would¡¯ve been destroyed.


    ¡®I need to repair my items.¡¯


    Grid turned to head to Khan¡¯s smithy and hesitated.


    ¡°...Where is this ce?¡±


    Grid¡¯s resurrection point was Reidan. Thendscape that unfolded before his eyes should be familiar. But the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar. It was a small and tranquil vige with around 20 shacks. Grid stood alone in the center of it.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The confused Grid unfolded the map. However, Grid¡¯s location wasn¡¯t marked anywhere on the map.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Grid frowned and swept over the vige. There wasn¡¯t a general store in the vige. There were just 20 shacks, macaroon trees, and a small stream.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t any people.¡¯


    Grid picked a sweet and sour macaroon and ced it in his mouth. Why did he resurrect here instead of Reidan? A bug was unlikely. He never once heard of a bug being discovered in Satisfy.


    ¡°Kuk....¡±


    Grid¡¯s thinking ability was unable to analyze the current situation.


    ¡®I need to go back to Reidan.¡¯


    In order to do that, he needed to know his current location. Grid tried to ask the guild members for assistance.


    {Does anyone know my location right now?}


    [You have failed to send a message to the guild. Hell is disconnected from the human world.]


    ¡°...Hell?¡±


    Hell was a ce with a blue sky and warm breezes? Shouldn¡¯t hell be darker and filled withva?


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    In the end, Grid revealed his nature.


    "This is hell! I fell down into hell!¡±


    If he knew this, he would¡¯ve lived a nice... No, he would¡¯ve paid more attention to his demonic power figure!


    ¡®I killed too many people in the empire, the Vatican, and Winston.¡¯


    Grid currently had 401 demonic power. It happened when Grid was sure that he fell into hell because his demonic power was too high.


    ¡°They are...?¡±


    A group was entering through the entrance of the vige. They had strange appearances. Some men had horns on their foreheads, while some women had purple skin. They didn¡¯t look strong, but it was hard to see them as humans.


    ¡®Demonkin?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to fight when the durability of his items was so low.


    The demonkin found Grid who was trying to run away. It was so fast that Grid failed to escape.


    ¡®Damn... In the end I have to fight. But demonkin do farming?¡¯


    The demonkin held farming equipment in their hands and their clothes were dirty. It was like Piaro¡¯s usual appearance. The demonkin asked him a question.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°A traveller...? Why would a travellere to a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The demonkin weren¡¯t wary or hostile towards Grid. They treated him normally. It was great for Grid.


    ¡®The demonkin aren¡¯t hostile towards humans?¡¯


    Grid felt doubt and suddenly looked down at his hands. They were pale. He looked at the rest of his body, but it was the same. Grid realized.


    ¡¯ckening wasn¡¯t over.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid was currently in a half demon state. The demonkin perceived him as their own people. An old demonkin put down a basket full of unfamiliar nts and looked benignly at Grid.


    "You seem stiff for some reason. Don¡¯t be nervous. Everyone¡¯s just curious because it has been almost 100 years since a visitor came to this vige. Wasn¡¯t it an exhausting trip? Would you like to have a meal? As you can see, this is a poor vige and we can only cook Atura grass.¡±


    "...Grass? You eat grass? You don¡¯t eat humans?¡±


    Grid blinked and questioned. The demonkinughed.


    ¡°This young friend made a funny joke.¡±


    "How can we eat humans?¡±


    "We are fortunate not to be eaten by humans.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Their perception of humans was quite strange. These demonkin seemed different from the stories that Grid had heard.


    ¡®Living in this shabby neighborhood... Are they weak among the demonkin?¡¯


    Then Grid cocked his head with surprise. It was became a demonkin called Helmis came up and grabbed his wrist.


    ¡¯Do they know that I am human?¡¯


    Grid was nervous as Helmis looked at his hands with interest.


    ¡°Looking at your calluses, you are a cksmith? Isn¡¯t this very interesting? I¡¯ve never heard that there was another cksmith among the demonkin.¡±


    ¡®cksmith?¡¯


    cksmith among the demonkin?


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯


    Was the one who made Iyarugt a demonkin?


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [ckening will end in one minute.]


    ckening wasn¡¯t lifted even if he died. The problem was that it wouldn¡¯tst forever.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he changed back to a human here. The demonkin were surprisingly good people so Grid asked them.


    "Do you know how to go to the Human World?¡±


    The demonkin said hopelessly.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know either. Even the great demons can¡¯t freely enter the human world, so how can trivial people like us know the way?¡±


    "Why do you want to go to the Human World? You, aren¡¯t you a little strange?¡±


    ¡°Something is suspicious.¡±


    The demonkin started to question Grid.


    ¡®Did I screw up?¡¯


    Grid gulped. At that moment, Noe jumped out of Grid¡¯s pet inventory.


    ¡°Nyang! It was the smell of home!¡±


    The short-legged cat sniffed and his tail waved as he smelled the familiar scent of hell. Looking at his bright expression, Noe seemed quite happy. He even seemed to be doing a shoulder dance.


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    Grid wanted to continue watching Noe dance. The demonkin¡¯s faces turned pale as they gazed at Grid.


    "Heok! M-Memphis!¡±


    ¡°The best demonic beast of hell!¡±


    The astonished demonkin shouted and knelt down when they saw Noe. A memphis. The most intelligent and mighty servants of the great demons, they were objects of worship formon demonkin. Then Noe finally noticed the bowing demonkin.


    "Ah! Do you see Master? This body is so great!¡±


    Grid scolded him.


    ¡°You only hid when I was trying to hunt Elfin Stone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Noe¡¯s expression changed rapidly. The demonkin started specting when they heard Noe called Grid his master.


    ¡°M-Memphis¡¯ Master!¡±


    "We didn¡¯t know who you were and we dared offend you!¡±


    ¡°Kill us!¡±


    Although they were demonkin, they were also friendly people who invited him for a meal. It happened when Grid was about to answer them.


    [The duration of ckening is over.]


    [Your demonic power is sealed and your species has returned to a human being.]


    [It is impossible for ordinary humans to enter hell. You are expelled from hell.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision blurred. Then after a moment, he opened his eyes at Reidan¡¯t resurrection point.


    {Grid! Are you okay?}


    {What, why were you marked in an unknown location?}


    There was an uproar in the guild chat window. Jishuka and the Pavranium Expedition members were moring. Grid could feel how worried they were.


    ¡®The Elfin Stone raid must¡¯ve seeded if they can make contact with the outside world.¡¯


    {Grid! Look look! These are the items Elfin Stone dropped!}


    {Really amazing! A growth type item! We didn¡¯t even know that these items existed!}


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t because he checked the item options of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and Iyarugt that was shared by the party members. There was another reason why he was surprised.


    ¡°You came.¡±


    ¡°...Yura?¡±


    Why was she here? Yura looked at Grid and her cheeks puffed out. She could make a cute face like this?


    Yura was standing next to Lauel and the Overgeared members.


    ¡®Acting like this because she¡¯s pretty. Tsk tsk, those pathetic guys.¡¯


    Grid was smiling despite this. The power of beauty was truly great.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302


    Grid¡¯s party would fail at the Elfin Stone raid. It was regrettable, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Elfin Stone was too strong. The Overgeared members all thought so, except for Yura.


    She believed that Grid would produce results that would overturn everyone¡¯s expectations. This wasn¡¯t an inadequate belief that stemmed from her liking towards him. It was because she became a Demon yer and realized the power of a legendary ss.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t struggling with the strong help you?¡±


    She believed that Grid would seed in the raid. Yura smiled at Grid. Grid¡¯s expression was full of confidence as he replied.


    "Yes, it was a very big help."


    There was an insurmountable wall in Grid¡¯s consciousness. It was none other than Hell Gao. The great demon whose body was sealed by Sword Saint Muller, with only the soul remaining. He was very strong. It was impossible to defeat him unless the fire stones were taken.


    But now it was different. Grid wasparable to Hell Gao. No, he might even be stronger after gaining the experience of defeating Elfin Stone.


    ¡¯Sooner orter, I will hunt Hell Gao again.¡¯


    Then it would be different from the past. Grid would raid Hell Gao without resorting to the fire stones, and would eventually reach a higher ground.


    ¡®I must be the best.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to ever sacrifice his colleagues again due to his own helplessness. It was enough to only experience that dirty feeling once. Grid¡¯s expression as he vowed was more mature than before. The growth of the 28 year old youth was continuing without stopping.


    How charming would he be once he was over 30 years old? Yura¡¯s heart thumped at the thought. She trembled as Grid stared at her.


    ¡°But why is your level so low? The 5th ce ranker is only level 203? Have you been cheating people?¡±


    What was this? He seemed to go back to the time when he spat things out without thinking. But Yura epted it well. She thought he was better than a man who was pretentious or always bluffed.


    ¡°Check my ss.¡±


    "ss? Aren¡¯t you a ck magician?¡± Grid only saw Yura¡¯s level in the guild members information and btedly confirmed her ss. Then he was shocked. ¡°Demon yer? What is this? Huh? Uh? L-Legendary...!¡±


    At the press conference for the 1st National Competition, Lim Cheolho had stated this: There were a total of nine legendary sses.


    However, two legendary sses were part of Overgeared. Grid¡¯s heart was overflowing with joy.


    ¡°You are really wee!¡±


    Grid was so happy he wanted to embrace her. But he didn¡¯t want to bebelled as a molester and refrained.


    After that.


    Grid left Reidan with Yura and Huroi. It was to join up with the Pavranium Expedition. He had 84 days left in his quest to secure the remaining pavranium. City 13 was one of the most difficult ones, and it was already cleared. Their power was strengthened, so it would be easier to secure the rest of the pavranium.


    ***


    The 13th vampire city.


    After Grid died killing Elfin Stone, the surviving party members searched all over the city. The ultimate goal of this expedition was to secure the pavranium. But it was difficult to find. The scale of the city was too big and it was also dark.


    "The torches have already run out.¡±


    "If I had known this, I would¡¯ve packed more.¡±


    ¡°Zednos. You¡¯re a third advancement magician, and yet you can¡¯t use any light magic?¡±


    ¡°I only learned wind magic.¡±


    "Sigh, you should learn the basic spells, regardless of attribute.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to continue with this path. Who knows? If I keep learning only one type of magic, I might obtain a hidden ss.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... What if we ask for Minor to be sent? He would find it quickly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look a little more.¡±


    Four more hours passed. They killed the scattered remnants of the vampires¡¯ familiars while searching and eventually found a deep cave. The entrance was covered by a rock wall, making it look like a secretive and suspicious ce.


    ¡°This seems like it?¡±


    Vantner took the lead. The moment when all the people behind him entered the cave.


    [The Guardian of the Labyrinth has detected an intruder and woken up from a long sleep.]


    [The traps have been activated.]


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    Kwarururung!


    A rain of arrows fell from the ceiling while spikes rose up from the ground. The chain lightning that came from the walls was stronger than many magicians. In the past, Grid couldn¡¯t cope with the damage from Braham¡¯s traps and survived due to his immortal passive. But it was somewhatcking to threaten the current Overgeared members.


    ¡°Titan.¡±


    Kuwaaah!


    Vantner summoned an illusionary giant. It was a skill that increased the physical defense power of each party member, as well as blocking the projectiles.


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    Most of the arrows were neutralized by the giant. The thorns rising from the ground pierced the soles of their feet, but the increase in defense allowed them to avoid any fatal wounds.


    ¡°Wind Curtain!¡±


    Chain Lighting was weakened by Zednos¡¯ magic. Thanks to that, the party members could escape from the traps. Two veryrge golems were waiting for them.


    "Wow, they¡¯re huge. Aren¡¯t they a bit bigger than the ancient weapons that attacked Reinhardt?¡±


    ¡°This golem...¡±


    Jishuka and Vantner were familiar with these golems. The two people thought about it.


    ¡°They resemble the golem that Grid fought when he obtained the pavranium.¡±


    "However, they look much bigger and stronger.¡±


    "It means this ce definitely has pavranium.¡±


    "Okay, let¡¯s take them down lightly.¡±


    The two guardians of thebyrinth! They were 150 levels higher than the golems that Grid defeated in the past. They were also stronger than the ancient weapons that invaded Reinhardt. But the Overgeared members also grew. The golems couldn¡¯t exert any power against the elites of the Overgeared Guild. No matter how high their stats, the golems had simple defensive patterns, so they weren¡¯t a threat to rankers who had transcendent control skills.


    ¡°The defense is quite high.¡±


    "Slow down and concentrate on the feet. Knock it down.¡±


    ¡°Zednos, look for the mana core. Then I can deal fatal damage to the mana core with my quick-draw sword technique.¡±


    Kurururu!


    20 minutes after the battle started. The guardians of thebyrinth had high defense and health, but they eventually copsed. The party members¡¯ expressions brightened as they identified all the minerals that dropped.


    It was because they imagined Grid¡¯s happiness. As they were thinking this, someone¡¯s voice was delivered into their minds.


    [Now dogs and cows dare touch my things.]


    ¡°Dog?¡±


    ¡°Cow?¡±


    "Us?¡±


    He was referring to them, who were in the top 20 of two billion users?


    ¡°Who are you to say that?"


    Vantner growled and asked the voice.


    [I am the great magician Braham.]


    Braham was looking forward to it. He wanted to see their terrified reactions when they heard his name. However, the Overgeared members responded in apletely unexpected way.


    "It¡¯s just a specter of the past.¡±


    "You¡¯re the one who installed the traps? You have a sneaky personality.¡±


    "If you¡¯re dead, you should leave peacefully. Why are you staying in this world to harm people?¡±


    "Give us the pavranium.¡±


    [You guys...!]


    Braham knew that the intruders were Grid¡¯s subordinates. It was thanks to Euphemina, who was currently in the Siren Kingdom. Braham had watched them through Mumud¡¯s Orb when she had been staying at Reidan. Braham didn¡¯t like them.


    [You truly fit together! All of you are just like Pagma¡¯s Descendant!]


    Grid, the thief who stole the pavranium instead of making the Vessel of the Soul. Even now, he was sending his minions to rob Braham¡¯s pavranium. It was an act that couldn¡¯t be forgiven.


    [I will show you!]


    Grid would take a direct hit if he killed these guys! Braham pulled out the weapon he had prepared for when he would reunite with Grid.


    [Mumud!]


    Kwajak!


    An old coffin emerged from the ground. The Overgeared members were surprised at the sight of the coffin.


    ¡°Another vampire?¡±


    ¡°What magician can summon a vampire?¡±


    The Overgeared members determined that it was a vampire, but this was a big mistake.


    Creak.


    It was a skeleton, not a vampire, that emerged from the open coffin.


    "Skeleton?"


    In Satisfy, skeletons were summoned using bones. What skeleton was kept in a coffin? Zednos turned pale as he found the orb in the skeleton¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Mumud...! I knew that name was familiar. He was Braham¡¯s disciple!¡±


    "Then?"


    "That skeleton, it¡¯s a lich!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    A lich was on a different dimension from a skeleton. They possessed infinite magic power and were rumored to surpass the 10 great magicians of the continent. Braham¡¯s soul fluttered as he identified the nervous reactions of the Overgeared members.


    [Demands are a privilege of the strong. You want me to give you the pavranium? You children who don¡¯t understand who you are going against, I will punish you.]


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The lich stood up. The magic power emitted by it was reminiscent of Elfin Stone.


    "Let¡¯s escape. We can wait until Grides back.¡±


    "Yes, we don¡¯t have to fight it now. Let¡¯s go back safely.¡±


    They were still exhausted after the Elfin Stone raid. The risk was high and there was no merit to fighting the lich without a n. The Overgeared members quickly judged the situation and tried to escape.


    Step step.


    At that moment, someone¡¯s footsteps were heard in the cave.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    ¡®Grid!¡¯


    Grid always appeared with perfect timing. He was like a character in a movie who appeared in a moment of crisis. He was a person who made them feel a strange anticipation.


    ¡°I finally found it. Lich Mumud.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Overgeared members thought the footsteps belonged to Grid. Their brightened faces distorted instantly. They never imagined the true identity of the owner of the footsteps.


    ¡°Why are there so many guests?¡±


    A man appeared in front of the Overgeared members and the lich. He swept back his pale green hair and scanned the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Look at these guys who are rushing around because they received their third advancement. Don¡¯t you know how to y alone?¡±


    Who could speak in such an unreasonable manner to the prestigious Overgeared members? There was only one person. This man had the nickname of Crazy Person. Or Mad Dog.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±


    He was ranked 6th after Yura disappeared from the rankings list. He was originally thought to have an epic ss, but now it was known that he had a hidden growth ss. He never showed up in public. However, a few top rankers knew his strength. They often bumped into him at the hunting grounds.


    "Hey, Overgeared noobs.¡±


    Jishuka, Peak Sword, Pon, Regas, Faker, Vantner and Zednos. Agnus didn¡¯t shrink back despite facing the party of eight. Rather, he poked fun at them.


    "I¡¯ve been looking for that lich for 11 months. Don¡¯t touch my prey or I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Vantner cried out furiously towards Agnus. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, don¡¯t make fun of us!¡±


    Agnus shrugged. "Bald Vantner. You¡¯re really stupid.¡±


    Vantner¡¯s face turned red.


    "I¡¯m not stupid or bald! This is a shaved head! Aren¡¯t you the one interfering? We found this ce first!¡±


    ¡°So what? Are you going to fight that lich?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    "Kukuk! Aren¡¯t you funny? You look tired, probably from defeating the master of this city? Mumud was close to being a legendary magician. Now that he¡¯s beyond death, he¡¯s even stronger. He isn¡¯t something you guys can go against.¡±


    "You bastard! Yet you want to raid him alone...? Oof! Oof!¡±


    ¡°Rx. Our purpose isn¡¯t to raid the lich.¡±


    Jishuka blocked Vantner¡¯s mouth. Then she suggested to Agnus.


    "I will give you that lich. We won¡¯t get involved in the raid. Instead, we have something separate to do. Can you not restrain us?¡±


    "I will think about it if you kneel down.¡±


    "You should act in moderation, Agnus.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, yes, yes. I understand.¡±


    Jishuka was surprisingly passive towards Agnus. This was also a good development for the Overgeared members. Agnus would get the lich and they could concentrate on securing the pavranium.


    Vantner couldn¡¯t ept it.


    {Are you going to just let him go? Why are we leaving it alone when he is treating us like this?}


    Vantner was the lowest ranking member of the party. He had no experience with Agnus. However, the other members were different. They all had at least one hunting ground ovep with Agnus.


    {It¡¯s better to avoid Agnus.}


    The sky above the sky, Kraugel. Pon acknowledged Kraugel as this. However, that was just in a one-on-one fight. Agnus was king of the dead and could rule over hundreds.


    {He¡¯s a man who absolutely shouldn¡¯t be our enemy.}


    Vantner didn¡¯t understand.


    {All of you have been saying that he¡¯s great for a long time, but I honestly don¡¯t know. Is he so strong that we have to flee, despite there being eight of us?}


    {We aren¡¯t running away. We are just avoiding him?}


    {That is the same thing! Ah, damn! I¡¯m sorry towards Grid! Ignoring the Overgeared Guild is no different from ignoring Grid!}


    {...Speaking of Grid. If the two people meet, they will fight.}


    {Their personalities are simr. Grid and Agnus absolutely shouldn¡¯t meet.}


    {We need to find the pavranium before Grid arrives.}


    Papat!


    The determined Overgeared members scatter all over the cave. Vantner was left staring at Agnus alone, and eventually had to follow his party members. Agnus looked at them and muttered.


    "Don¡¯t rush. I have to test the performance against you if I get Mumud.¡±


    Braham shouted at Agnus, who was smiling in a disgusted manner.


    [Why do things keep on getting twisted? Who are you?]


    "Me?" Agnus¡¯ gaze shifted towards Braham¡¯s soul. "I am someone looking for your body.¡±


    Kwajik!Kwajijik!


    The ground around Agnus split apart and hundreds of skeletons popped out. Death knights and a lich were included. Third advancement necromancers could obtain death knights, but liches were different. There was no lich summoning in the skill tree of the third advancement necromancer.


    In the first ce, liches were originally human. Even the great magician Braham couldn¡¯t fully control Lich Mumud. He took advantage of the coffin for vampires. Braham identified the lich summoned by Agnus and was astonished.


    [You...! You are Baal¡¯s Contractor!]


    "Don¡¯t bring up that damn name.¡±


    Agnus frowned and waved his hand. Then the death knights and hundreds of skeletons hit Lich Mumud.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Mumud fired off magic power. The sh of light shot forward in a straight line, turning the skeletons in front to powder. It was like a dark dragon¡¯s breath.


    ¡°Hoh.¡± Agnus didn¡¯t shake despite losing dozens of skeletons at once. Rather, he was pleased. "As expected."


    Now, be his.


    ¡°Kuahahaha!"


    Agnus burst outughing. In response, the death knights, lich and skeletons¡¯ eyes turned red. Braham¡¯s soul shook like amp in front of the wind.


    [This dog...!]


    He couldn¡¯t lose Mumud. Braham only had a handful of souls left, so Mumud was almost his only support. But Baal¡¯s Contractor showed no mercy. The powers of the death knights and lich strengthened the skeleton soldiers, gradually driving Mumud on the defensive.


    [Indeed, you were chosen by Baal for a reason...!]


    Puok!


    The death knight¡¯s sword struck Braham¡¯s soul fragment. At the same time, Braham¡¯s voice stopped. It took a few more minutes before Lich Mumud was under control.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Agnus made a tired expression. His dark circles had noticeably be thicker. He sighed and swept away his matted hair. Then he approached the captured Lich Mumud and drew an unidentified sigil on the skull. It was a sigil of absolute domination, that could only be used three times in total.


    Kyaak!


    Lich Mumud screamed. It was strange, since the undead couldn¡¯t feel pain.


    ¡°Kukuk.¡±


    After a while. Lich Mumud stood next to Agnus. Agnus stroked his skull like he was cute and looked around.


    The Overgeared members had already left.


    ¡°I took too long.Well, it¡¯s okay. This has brought me closer to my heart¡¯s desire. I¡¯ve be the owner of two liches.The third and final one will be saved for you, Braham.¡±


    He would surely find out where Braham was buried.


    ¡°Kukukuk!¡±


    Agnusughed and left the cave.


    After a while.


    The Overgeared members appeared one by one in a corner of the empty cave. They wore the invisibility cloaks and received a huge shock as they watched Agnus. Vantner was sweating as he asked.


    "Agnus is a necromancer with a lich? I can understand the death knights and skeleton soldiers, but how can he summon a lich? Even Braham can¡¯t...¡±


    A lich and three death knights. It was a power that could be considered an army. It was a level that could wreck a nation.


    Pon looked troubled. ¡°His strength is on apletely different dimensionpared to when I saw himst year. This is making me anxious.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t good for such a crazy person to gain such power.


    ***


    "The entrance is open."


    The 13th vampire city. The entrance that was like an ant hill was wide open. The city¡¯s master Elfin Stone was defeated, so the entrance was released.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    Grid was waiting with Huroi and Yura, and eventually sent a whisper to Jishuka.


    -We just arrived at the city¡¯s entrance.Where are you?Have you found the pavranium yet?


    Jishuka hurriedly replied.


    -We found it!We will leave here soon, so head towards the 14th city first.


    -Why do we need to go first?We¡¯ll wait at the entrance.


    -No, just go ahead!


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    It was strange. A thought crossed Grid¡¯s mind as he frowned.


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯


    Could they be in danger? They were considerate and didn¡¯t want him to get caught up in it? It was quite possible.


    ¡®How useless.¡¯


    Grid was no longer a person to be protected. It was the opposite. Grid turned a cold gaze towards Yura and Huroi.


    ¡°Are you ready to fight?¡±


    "Of course, My Lord.¡±


    "I¡¯m always ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid¡¯s group went through the entrance. At the same time.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Agnus popped out of the ant hill. It was exquisite timing that allowed Grid¡¯s party to barely avoid him.


    ¡°Was I mistaken?¡±


    He thought he felt something when he warped through the doorway, but he wasn¡¯t sure. In any case, his work here was over, so Agnus looked at his schedule.


    "Next is the Sword Grave.¡±


    The legendary cksmith, Pagma. At the end of his life, he allegedly made and destroyed thousands of swords. ording to the history records acquired through quests, Braham often visited it...


    Agnus sent a whisper.


    -Veradin, have you located the Sword Grave?


    -I¡¯m sorry.I mobilized all of my resources, but couldn¡¯t find it.


    -Really worthless.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    -Find it quickly.I¡¯ll head to the next one.


    -I will keep that in mind.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Agnus clicked his tongue and started to cross the desert. He didn¡¯t shed a single drop of sweat, despite the boiling heat.


    ***


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re safe?¡±


    Around 10 minutes after entering the 13th vampire city. Grid reunited with the Pavranium Expedition. Jishuka examined the puzzled looking Grid and asked.


    ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not injured? You weren¡¯t bitten by a crazy dog?¡±


    Jishuka told Grid to head to the 14th city first because she was worried that he would face Agnus. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like that happened.


    ¡°Why would there be a dog in the desert?¡±


    Grid responded like it was absurd. A relieved Jishuka handed him presents.


    ¡°Then take this.¡±


    They were the items dropped by Elfin Stone, various minerals, and pavranium.


    ¡°Everyone has suffered.¡±


    Grid bowed in thanks to Jishuka and hispanions. The party members smiled brightly.


    "It was you who suffered the most.¡±


    Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t the case.


    Grid got a bus ride from them. If they hadn¡¯t given up the experience, he wouldn¡¯t have reached level 300 and they would¡¯ve failed to clear the city. Securing the pavranium? He couldn¡¯t even dream of it.


    Grid vowed.


    ¡°Once this expedition is over, I will give all of you the best items.


    "Are you talking about the Grid set you mentioned before?¡±


    The moment that the party members were bing excited.


    ¡°What? Why is this girl here?¡±


    Jishuka btedly discovered Yura with Grid. Yura calmly replied, ¡°You still speak in such a violent manner. I¡¯m afraid that it will have an adverse effect on Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi? He¡¯s Duke Grid. Can¡¯t you distinguish between reality and the game?¡±


    "I will call him what I like. It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Pajijik!


    Sparks flew as the two women¡¯s gazes crossed.


    ¡®Beauties are fighting over Grid...¡¯


    ¡®Grid already has Irene...¡¯


    The party members were jealous of Grid. They were truly envious. However, Grid didn¡¯t pay attention to them. He was busy identifying the newly acquired items.


    [Three pieces of ??? have been collected.]


    [The information about the ??? Pieces has been updated.]


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304


    [Three pieces of ??? have been collected.]


    [The information about the ??? Pieces has been updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [Red Mirror Piece]


    Pieces of a round mirror made of blood stones.


    The exact function of the mirror isn¡¯t known.


    The third prince of the Saharan Empire is looking for this mirror. It is rmended that you gather all the pieces and give them to him.


    Weight: 3


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    Grid verified the updated information of the unknown pieces. Then another item passed through his head.


    ¡®Amethyst Shield!¡¯


    [Amethyst Shield]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 200


    Defense: 200 Magic Resistance: 200


    A beautiful shield that shines purple, red, or ck depending on the angle. It is a symbolic piece that is awarded only to the head of the Red Knights.


    It was an item lost three years ago when Piaro, who was framed as a traitor by Asmophel, fled to the Eternal Kingdom.


    The third prince of the Saharan Empire is looking for this shield. It is rmended that you bring it to him.


    Weight: 350


    It was an item he acquired more than a year ago in Satisfy time. The Awakened Guardian of the Forest had dropped it. How could he meet a prince of the empire? He had ced the item in his inventory and forgotten about it.


    ¡®The performance isn¡¯t very good, but I kept it because it¡¯s a quest item.¡¯


    How could he have forgotten about it...?


    ¡¯Well, a busy person can forget about the little things.¡¯


    His memory wasn¡¯t bad. Grid had a habit of getting involved in incidents every day, so he rationalized it to himself.


    ¡®Anyway, there seems to be a big episode since the empire¡¯s third prince is always mentioned.¡¯


    Could he get a hint from Piaro, the owner of the Amethyst Shield?


    ¡®Once this expedition is over, I should talk with Piaro.¡¯


    Grid determined and checked the remaining items. First was Iyarugt.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Iyarugt]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Durability: 351/351 Attack Power: 793


    * Sword Mastery Level +5.


    * The skill ¡®Blood Cry¡¯ is generated.


    * Decreases the healing ability of the target by 50% when they are hit.


    * A critical strike will cause a bleeding status that willst for 3 seconds. The bleeding damage will be proportional to your attack power.


    * The target¡¯s bleeding effect will be maximized when threebos are achieved. At this time, the damage done to the target will increase by 200% for 1 second.


    * When fivebos are achieved, the target¡¯s thinking ability will be destroyed for 0.3 seconds. At this time, you can link the skill ¡®Hell Sword.¡¯


    Iyarugt is a sword made by the only cksmith of hell, out of a soul and blood stones. It has exceptional damage for a one-handed sword.


    The soul of Iyarugt will turn the wearer into a master of swordsmanship. However, he rarely epts anyone as a master.


    Conditions of Use: A person chosen by Iyarugt.


    Weight: 290


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    ¡®Amazing...!¡¯


    A legendary rated two-handed sword had an attack power of 1,040~2,166. On the other hand, Iyarugt was a unique rated one-handed sword, but its attack power was close to 800. This was a tremendous number considering the fact that two-handed swords normally had more attack power, while one-handed swords normally had more speed.


    ¡®It also increases the level of Sword Mastery by 5. The average damage might rise or fall slightlypared to Failure. It will be far superior if it¡¯s raised to a legendary rating.¡¯


    It was an excellent sword. The material was far superior to blue orichalcum, but there was also the skills of the cksmith.


    ¡®Hell¡¯s only cksmith...¡¯


    Helmis. A demonkin he met when he died in the ckening State and fell to hell.


    ¡®Is it his work?¡¯ But it was strange. ¡®He seems to have an affinity with the cksmithing ss itself... If we meet again, will he teach me?¡¯


    Grid was filled with expectations. But he didn¡¯t want to go to hell. Of course, hell was very different from his imagination. It was a peaceful world with a clear blue sky and grasnds. The demonkin were also surprisingly friendly.


    However, he shouldn¡¯t be misled by appearances. A rash decision was always poisonous.


    ¡®Hell is thend of evil.¡¯


    He should avoid that ce, as long as he didn¡¯t know what risks might be present. Grid dismissed the reunion with Helmis and examined Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring next.


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring]


    Rating: Epic (Growth)


    * During normal attacks, 12% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * During skill attacks, 5% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * This effect is only invoked once every 21 seconds.


    * Strength, stamina and health +20


    A ring that contains Earl Elfin Stone¡¯s unique magic power.


    It raises the potential and survival ability of the wearer.


    Weight: 1


    ¡®This is also amazing...!¡¯


    In Satisfy, a potion¡¯s cooldown time was long and healers were precious, so the value of a vampire¡¯s ring was astronomical. In addition, Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring was applied to skill attacks. This was a unique feature that went againstmon sense, and thepatibility with Grid¡¯s legendary skills was excellent. The only thingcking was that the cooldown time was 21 seconds, but that wasn¡¯t a huge disadvantage.


    ¡®It gives me a 60 point stat bonus...¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it like gaining six levels? Grid¡¯s heart pumped. He was d about obtaining another top quality essory after Doran¡¯s Ring and Dark Bus¡¯ Ring. It was worth sacrificing his life to seed in this raid.


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [This item has a hidden function.]


    [The information of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring has been updated.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He was amazed to see the true function of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.


    * If this ring grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Earl Elfin Stone.


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    He was able to summon the strongest and worst boss? There was no mention of whether the summoned person would be a subordinate, or if he would still be hostile to Grid. But if he thought about it withmon sense, Elfin Stone was more likely to be his subordinate.


    Grid clenched his fists tightly. He was thrilled as he imagined Elfin Stone bing his ve. However, there was one thing that bothered him. Grid turned to stare at the party members.


    "All of you should know the value of these items. It¡¯s too burdensome for me to gobble them up alone.¡±


    The party members smiled brightly.


    "Don¡¯t you normally do this for us?¡±


    "We can get items from a legendary cksmith for free, as long as we provide the materials.¡±


    "Besides, don¡¯t forget that the main yer in this raid is Grid.¡±


    "In the first ce, we wouldn¡¯t have raided Elfin Stone if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone...¡±


    He was deeply grateful for their help with his quest, as well as giving him such consideration. Where in the world did such nice and kind friends existed? Grid vowed yet again. He had to return double the grace they showed to him. But before that, there was something he needed to do.


    ¡°Jishuka. Please fire Phoenix Arrow here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?"


    Phoenix Arrow was a symbol of Jishuka¡¯s authority, as well as her ultimate skill. It was the strongest skill that summoned a fire bird and turned the whole area into a sea of fire. Why did Grid want her to use Phoenix Arrow here? Grid pointed towards the pavranium that Jishuka had given him.


    ¡°To smelt this.¡±


    "...¡±


    Jishuka recalled a disgraceful moment from the past. Grid had wanted her to use her ultimate skill as a substitute for a st furnace. Her pride was upset. However, she couldn¡¯t refuse her guild master just because of pride. Moreover, Yura was also present. Jishuka wanted to prove that she was better than Yura.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Jishuka used Phoenix Arrow. It was a tremendous decision considering her normal prideful personality. Her colleagues looked at her with a pitying gaze.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s attitude towards women is toocking.¡¯


    ¡¯He isn¡¯t delicate...¡¯


    ¡®Our poor Jishuka. Falling in love with an uncaring guy like that.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid became a bad guy who devoted himself to making an item. Using the fire that Phoenix Arrow generated, he smelted the pavranium and attached it to Lifael¡¯s Spear. As a result, a small handle was attached to Lifael¡¯s Spear. It meant that he could swing Lifael¡¯s Spear by holding it in his hand.


    But it still wasn¡¯tplete. In order to truly be reborn as Lifael¡¯s Spear, he needed to acquire the remaining 14 pavranium.


    ¡®If I collect all 14 pavranium...¡¯


    The length of the handle had to be increased in order to enhance the spear to its best performance. At that time, it would be truly reborn as Lifael¡¯s Spear. Its power would beparable or even higher than Iyarugt¡¯s.


    ¡°Give me any equipment you want repaired."


    Grid reached out to his party members. Then they entrusted him with the items that were damaged during the course of the city raid.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Indeed, Grid was a legendary cksmith. There were dozens of items to be repaired. His speed was several times faster than ordinary cksmiths. Grid¡¯s true power was revealed when he was holding the hammer.


    After that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart."


    After the maintenance, Grid¡¯s party left the 13th city and headed towards the 14th city. They nned to conquer the 14th and 15th cities first, then start sequentially from 12 down to 1. They were tired at the thought of all the city masters being like Elfin Stone, but the party didn¡¯t shrink back.


    It was because Grid¡¯s increased strength and the addition of Yura raised the morale of the party. Unlike the concerns of the party, the expedition proceeded smoothly. The masters of the 14th and 15th cities were only barons, not earls. They were ridiculously weakpared to Elfin Stone.


    ¡°Indeed, if vampires like Elfin Stone were somon, then this world would¡¯ve already been dominated by vampires.¡±


    The party was able to deduce that the difficulty of the 13th city was exceptionally high. Only Grid was suffering among the party members who had regained theirposure.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305


    ¡®No, dammit!¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant could wear all types of equipment items unconditionally. This was one of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s greatest strengths, and was the source of his destructive power. However, he couldn¡¯t equip Iyarugt. It was because Iyarugt rejected Grid.


    -An inferior demonkin?The demonic power that I feel from you is too weak and low quality.You don¡¯t deserve to be my master.


    [You are rejected by Iyarugt.]


    [You have failed to wear Iyarugt.]


    If Iyarugt had cursed him, he could¡¯ve cancelled it with his passive immune status. But Iyarugt just didn¡¯t tolerate Grid¡¯s existence itself. It wasn¡¯t a matter that could be ovee with status immunity.


    Grid was baffled. He never imagined that there would be an item he couldn¡¯t wear.


    ¡®It¡¯s frustrating.¡¯


    There was only one way to increase the rating of a growth item. Use it a lot. However, Grid couldn¡¯t wear it so he had no way to increase the rating. Grid wanted Iyarugt to be a legendary weapon, so he was now in a difficult situation.


    ¡®I have to increase my demonic power?¡¯


    Iyarugt rejected Grid because his demonic power was too low. If he increased his demonic power, Iyarugt would no longer reject Grid. But Grid was unwilling.


    ¡®The higher the demonic power, the more likely I am to go to hell.¡¯


    Demonic power rising. It meant he would be a demon sooner. The reason Grid could be sure of this was because of the notification windows he saw when he was in hell.


    [The duration of ckening is over.]


    [Your demonic power is sealed and your species has returned to a human being.]


    [It is impossible for ordinary humans to enter hell. You are expelled from hell.]


    The system had clearly said so. It was impossible for a human to enter and stay in hell. In other words, if his demonic power was high enough to allow him entry to hell, he had already be a demon.


    ¡®A demon...¡¯


    If he yed a species hostile to humans, would it be possible to progress normally in the game? It would be tough. He wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his position as lord of Reidan, which meant the copse of Overgeared. In the worst case scenario, Irene and Khan would leave his side. Grid wanted to avoid bing a demon as much as possible.


    ¡®For the time being, I will use Iyarugt only when ckening is activated.¡¯


    If he handled it briefly, he would improve his understanding of the item. If it reached 100% understanding...


    ¡¯At that time, I will use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction.¡¯


    He would change Iyarugt into a soul that obeyed him, making him the perfect master of Iyarugt. Grid¡¯s face distorted in a wicked manner as he pledged.


    ¡®I will change its name to Yakult.¡¯


    It was a 200 won drink that Grid had drank since he was a child, and Iyarugt was hard to pronounce. It was a good choice to change the name into something easier to call.


    ¡°Kukukuk...!¡±


    The demon sword Iyarugt, which had swordsmanshipparable to a great demon. It wasn¡¯t long until his noble pride would be brutally trampled on.


    ***


    Yura joined the party from the 14th city onwards. She was level 203 when she joined. She might¡¯ve been the former 5th ranked user and a legendary ss, but wasn¡¯t her level too low? The party members judged that Yura joining them was too premature. She would be a burden, rather than help the party.


    But she defied everyone¡¯s predictions. The legendary ss, Demon yer, seemed to be fatal to all demonkin. Yura showed off a transcendentbat power against the vampires.


    Tatang!Tang tang!


    A Demon yer¡¯s main weapon was a magic gun. For convenience, a magic gun was a weapon that could only be produced at an alchemy facility and it depended on the user¡¯s control ability. It required discharging a constant amount of magic power quickly and properly as a bullet.


    Every attack required a series of steps, so it wasn¡¯t easy. If Grid was given a magic gun to use, he would fail more than 100 times. Maybe it would take him more than three minutes to shoot a bullet.


    But Yura was different. She skillfully handled the magic gun based on her masterful control from her time as a ck magician, as well as her innate talent. Even magic gunmen would admire her skill.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaak!¡±


    The pure white pistol blended with Yura¡¯s white skin. Every time she fired a magic bullet, the inferior vampires would shed blood.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The vampires made disbelieving expressions. A human woman with ebony hair tied up. She was so beautiful that she even attracted the vampires who regarded humans as food, and she didn¡¯t have any divine power. Yet her abilities were deadly to them.


    Their bodies turned to ck smoke, but still received damage. It was an attack that even neutralized the ck smoke.


    ¡°This woman...! What is your identity?¡±


    A vampire shouted when he saw his kin die from the bullets. The vampires reigned as a top-level predator, but they were now terrified of a human. Furthermore, a Korean woman! Peak Sword¡¯s patriotism rose at the sight.


    ¡°Do you know Yura!!!?¡±


    "...That person, it¡¯s obvious that ¡®do you know¡¯ are the only English words he speaks.¡±


    "He doesn¡¯t even know how to use it correctly.¡±


    The party clicked their tongue at Peak Sword¡¯s tendencies. Yura just focused on the battle. The passive skill that was fatal to all demonkin, ¡®Purification¡¯ was refined into the magic bullets and then she shot them with ¡®Demonkin Contempt.¡¯


    Tatang!Tang tang!


    The biggest advantage of a magic gun was the speed of the bullets. It was almost impossible to cope with the bullets, unlike arrows. The disadvantage was the slow firing speed.


    Unlike the guns of modern society, the magic guns had to undergo the magic refinement process, making the shooting speed very slow. This was a fundamental problem that couldn¡¯t be ovee, even with Yura¡¯s skill.


    Click!


    Yura shot at the head of a bullet and was reloading her magic power.


    ¡°Damn human!¡±


    The surviving vampires rushed over and wielded their sharp nails at Yura.


    ¡°This!¡±


    Vantner, the only tanker of the party, was protecting Zednos. It was because Zednos used a wide area spell and attracted the aggro. He couldn¡¯t help Yura. Someone ran over as Vantner looked shocked.


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    The person desperately called out Yura¡¯s name. Was it Grid? No. Grid was struggling with Iyarugt while hunting alone. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t paying attention to Yura. The person rushing to help Yura was Peak Sword. Yura was the proud daughter of South Korea, so he couldn¡¯t tolerate her being hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯ming! Yura!¡±


    Peak Sword shouted. In fact, Yura didn¡¯t need his help. A legendary ss. In addition, it was abat focused legendary ss.


    Supak!


    Yura put away her magic gun and pulled out a sword. She used the skill ¡®Brilliance Sword¡¯ and swung at the vampires. The vampires tasted the pain of burning flesh. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t help admiring it.


    ¡°You can even use swordsmanship...!¡±


    That¡¯s right. A Demon yer¡¯s main weapon actually wasn¡¯t a magic gun. A Demon yer possessed the Weapons Mastery skill and could use all types of weapons. It was just that the active skills specialized in the gun and one-handed swordsmanship.


    "You¡¯re really running wild against the small fry!¡±


    The intermediate vampires witnessed the junior ones being beaten up by Yura and rushed over. Panic appeared on Yura¡¯s face. The junior vampires were in the mid-200s, while the intermediate vampires were at least level 280. The level difference between them was sorge that Yura couldn¡¯t do any damage at all.


    "Where are you looking?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s voice was heard as Yura looked around for a way to escape the vampires. Jishuka was talking to the vampires.


    "Your opponent is me!"


    Pepepeng!


    The arrows revolved like a drill and pierced the hearts of the vampires. Jishuka connected fire arrows with the dancing arrows, causing them to explode.


    "I didn¡¯t help you. I was just maintaining my experience.¡±


    Yura smiled at the words.


    ¡®I¡¯m happy.¡¯


    Due to her innate talent and beauty, Yura was always alone. People of the same sex were jealous or wanted to borrow money from her, so she never opened up her heart to make friends. But the Overgeared members were different.


    They were all people with the same talent as Yura. They didn¡¯t give Yura special treatment or try to keep her in check. Yura was able to realize again. It was much more rewarding being with someone, rather than being alone.


    ¡®It is really good that I joined Overgeared.¡¯


    The reason why Yura joined Overgeared was because of Grid. She wanted to quickly regain her ranking by joining Overgeared. There was also her personal liking. Grid was different from ordinary men. He was indifferent to her. Every once in a while, he showed annoyance.


    This aspect was attractive to Yura. Was she masochistic? No (perhaps). Yura just feltfortable with the man who didn¡¯t put pressure on her. The main point was that Grid¡¯s help in the National Competition was very attractive. It was the first time she had a crush on someone, so Yura wanted to be near Grid.


    However, now she liked the Overgeared Guild itself.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to here!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    It was around two days after Grid¡¯s party started killing the vampires in the 10th city. The boss appeared in the middle of the city, as windows of a building were shattered. Just like the 14th, 15th, 12th and 11th cities, the boss was a True Blood Baron.


    ¡°Daring to make a mess in my city! It can¡¯t be forgiven!¡±


    Kuooooh!


    Bloody magic power spread in all directions. The surge of magic power was enormous. It was much stronger than a normal dungeon boss. But it was nothingpared to Elfin Stone. Grid¡¯s party had experience raiding Elfin Stone, so the baron vampires were no threat.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Grid revealed his power from the beginning. The red sword and dark powering from him made him look like a grim reaper.


    ¡°K-Keok! Why are humans so strong...?¡±


    The boss of the 10th city scattered into ck smoke. The vampire ring he dropped was distributed among the Overgeared members.


    "Okay.¡±


    His understanding of Iyarugt was approaching 20%. It was very slow, but it was at least going up. Grid once again vowed to rename him Yakult and started searching for the pavranium.


    Then he encountered Braham¡¯s soul in the cave with the pavranium. It was a reunion after around one and a half years of Satisfy time.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant! We finally meet!]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    It was an unexpected reunion. It was because Braham¡¯s soul didn¡¯t appear in the 11~15th cities. To be honest, Grid had almost forgotten about Braham¡¯s existence.


    ¡®Will he be angry?¡¯


    Grid was stealing the pavranium instead of performing the quest, so Braham would obviously be angry. Grid greeted him awkwardly.


    ¡°I-It has been a while.¡±


    But Braham¡¯s response was surprising.


    [Please help me!]


    Not only was Braham not angry, he was actually begging. It was different from the personality that Grid knew. The ss quest left abandoned was about to undergo an upheaval.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306


    Braham Eshwald.


    One of the nine direct descendants of Shizo Beriache. He was one of the cleverest in the n, and one day he had a deep question.


    ¡®God Yatan gave us the Curse of Idleness because of our strength and ambition, but why?¡¯


    God Yatan had a destructive desire. He wished to bring destruction to all the beings blessed by the goddess of light, Reba. Absolute strength and cruelty was necessary to aplish this desire, and the right species was the vampires.


    Vampires were powerful and could achieve God Yatan¡¯s wish. So why seal their power with the Curse of Idleness? He couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Furthermore.


    ¡¯Why wasn¡¯t any prohibition ced on the great demons?¡¯


    It stunk. Braham smelled something nasty and started to explore deeper into the gods. Then after 483 years, he discovered a fact. God Yatan¡¯s destructive instinct only activated in a certain cycle.


    ¡®Once human desires reaches the peak, chaos wille to the world.¡¯


    In other words, it happened when Goddess Reba could no longer control the world. Only then would God Yatan¡¯s destructive instincts be exercised.


    ¡¯God Yatan will emerge to destroy the world, then Goddess Reba will once again create a new world.¡¯


    Yatan and Reba. The two opposing gods on the surface were actually cooperating with each other.


    ¡°Kukuk... We¡¯re just ythings in the hands of the gods.¡±


    Even now, the creatures of Yatan and Reba were hating and ughtering each other. It was originally designed like this. Yatan and Reba were actually in a rtionship to maintain the bnce of this world?


    Braham felt a great sense of betrayal. His infinite reverence for Yatan vanished. He suddenly realized the reason why Shizo Beriache, originally one of the great demons, was expelled from hell into the human world.


    ¡®Mother was like me.¡¯


    The clever Beriache would¡¯ve known about the reality of Yatan. She questioned him and was cursed with the Curse of Idleness, as well as being expelled from hell.


    ¡®What about the other great demons?¡¯


    Did they know the truth, or were they just obedient puppets?


    ¡®No matter what.¡¯


    There was only one thing Braham wanted.


    ¡®I will ovee the Curse of Idleness.¡¯


    Shizo Beriache was a great demon of predation. The vampires who inherited her blood also had the same tendencies. Among them, Braham wanted to eat knowledge. However, due to the Curse of Idleness, he slept most of the day and it was almost impossible.


    ¡®There is deep meaning in the great god¡¯s curse.¡¯


    He must¡¯ve cursed us to restrain our appetites. But what was the reality?


    ¡®There is no god in the first ce.¡¯


    Yatan. In other words, the omnipotent entity they thought of as a god didn¡¯t exist. He was a passive machine that existed just for the providence of the world. There was no reason to serve it or endure the current trials.


    ¡¯Yatan, I will ovee the curse youid on us and will be faithful to my instincts.¡¯


    He would umte knowledge and be a perfect existence! On that day, Braham pledged to explore all the disciplines and magic of the world. Over hundreds of years, he built up his knowledge and devoted himself to magic research by using all types of species as his test subjects. Among them were his n members.


    And this was the beginning of the worst situation.


    ***


    ¡°Braham! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    A vampire was crying while hugging his lover¡¯s dead body. It was Elfin Stone, the 9th child of Shizo Beriache.


    ¡°Leah, you dare do to her...! Leah!!!¡±


    Elfin Stone was enraged that his lover was the victim of the research. Braham asked him, ¡°Brother, do you fail to understand my inquiring mind even until the end? Don¡¯t you wonder about the source of my inquisitiveness?¡±


    "I don¡¯t understand! How can I understand your strange behavior when studying magic, to the point of even sacrificing your n members? You¡¯re just crazy!¡±


    "...You¡¯re saying this as well?¡±


    He med the Curse of Idleness. They didn¡¯t question anything. They found everything annoying and only coped with the things in front of them.


    ¡°There is no value for our n.¡±


    Braham confirmed it.


    "Brethren, listen to me. You¡¯re worse than the humans you treat as livestock. You have no right to grab at my ankles.¡±


    "Stop talking such sophistry!¡±


    Elfin Stone used Blood Field and summoned Iyarugt to attack Braham. But he wasn¡¯t his match from the beginning. Braham was a duke while Elfin Stone was just an earl, so the difference was clear.


    ¡°Dammit...! Dammit! Brahammmm!¡±


    "Disgusting.¡±


    The sight of the screaming and bleeding Elfin was sad and funny. Even as Elfin Stone was about to be killed by the enemy, he couldn¡¯t endure the drowsiness and his eyes were closing.


    ¡°Braham.¡±


    A woman appeared in front of theughing Braham. Shizo Beriache.


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    Braham was shaken. Beriache had been sleeping for hundreds of years after being directly cursed by Yatan, so why was she awake at this time?


    ¡®She should¡¯ve woken up in 50 years.¡¯


    Braham was confused when he suddenly felt something strange from Beriache.


    ¡®I can¡¯t feel her vitality.¡¯


    Beriache was dying. Why? She should have eternal life.


    ¡®That girl...!¡¯


    Braham btedly noticed the girl standing next to Beriache. It was a ck-haired girl who looked exactly like Beriache.


    "Is this my 10th sibling?¡±


    Braham¡¯s expression distorted. The magic powering from the girl was far beyond Beriache¡¯s power.


    ¡°Mother! You gave birth to a being beyond yourself!¡±


    "...You broke the taboo that the n members shouldn¡¯t be harmed, no matter what.¡±


    "Mother, that...¡±


    Braham tried to exin, but closed his mouth. He knew that his actions of sacrificing his n members for his greed wouldn¡¯t be forgiven. Beriache looked at him with hatred.


    ¡°I have loved you more than anyone.¡±


    "...¡±


    Tears appeared in Braham¡¯s eyes. It was because Beriache, who should be enjoying eternal life, now had wrinkles on her neck. All of this was due to that girl! Braham struck at at his new sibling. And he failed to hit the girl, Marie Rose.


    "Excuse me for doing this from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The power of Marie Rose was absolute. Despite being a newborn, she defeated Braham who was the strongest of the n.


    Paduduk!


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    Braham groaned angrily as he grabbed his injured wrist. Beriache¡¯s hate-filled gaze didn¡¯t leave him. She was merciless.


    "I have warned all of you that our n has a craving for predation, so an unimaginable situation will ur if we hurt each other. You have killed many n members while I was sleeping, and now you want to harm your sibling in front of me? I will punish you to set an example!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Braham¡¯s expression twisted. Marie Rose¡¯s little fangs bit his neck and all the blood in his system was sucked out, causing unimaginable pain. On this day, Braham lost his eternal life. He was banished from the n.


    After 100 years.


    Braham concealed himself as a human while studying magic and seeded in oveing the Curse of Idleness. But now he had a finite life. He needed to regain eternal life in order to eat more knowledge.


    Braham started to explore immortality magic, and in the process, he gained the title of great magician. In the end, he couldn¡¯tplete the magic of eternal life. But there was no need to feel despair. It was the next best thing, but hepleted the resurrection magic.


    ***


    Braham finished recalling the past and returned to reality. He stood in front of the human called Grid.


    [I asked you to make me the Vessel of the Soul. Then I will be resurrected. I will be able to repeat this resurrection several times in the future. But you said that you can¡¯t create the Vessel of the Soul because you can¡¯t receive God Yatan¡¯s blessing?]


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible, since I have a hostile rtionship with the Yatan Church."


    Braham begged Grid.


    [If so, please give me permission to possess your body.]


    "Possess... What?¡±


    Grid doubted his ears. Possession! It meant that a ghost would be inside his body! Wasn¡¯t this the material of a third-rate horror movie?


    ¡°W-What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Grid disliked supernatural phenomena. Braham tried to persuade him.


    [There is no need to worry about your body. The only thing I will do is fly to the Yatan Church to receive Yatan¡¯s blessing.]


    ¡°Will it be that easy?¡±


    Grid asked suspiciously, but Braham answered without hesitation.


    [I can smash the Yatan Church, even if I was upying the body of a five year old child.]


    Indeed, this was the confidence of a legendary great magician who survived fighting against the dragon Trauka.


    [I will give you all the pavranium I possess if you let me borrow your body for half a day. In addition, I will teach you one spell.]


    "Why does an already dead person want to be resurrected?¡±


    Braham¡¯s answer was simple and concise.


    [I want to explore all the knowledge that exists in this world. I will be immortal!]


    Then a notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [The Second ss Quest: [Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection has been updated.]


    [Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection]


    Great Magician Braham is insatiable. He has no intention of stopping his search for knowledge.


    It is part of his natural instincts, so he can¡¯t be condemned.


    Quest Clear Conditions: ept Braham¡¯s soul and make a Vessel of the Soul out of the pavranium that has been blessed by God Yatan.


    Quest Clear Reward: Learn a magic spell. Acquire all the pavranium scattered throughout the continent.


    ¡®The total number of pavranium was 28.¡¯


    Out of that number, Grid currently owned 11 pavranium.


    ¡®I need at least 18 pieces of pavranium to perfectly reproduce Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    If he obtained all the pavranium, he would have 10 pieces remaining, even if he made Lifael¡¯s Spear. No, he didn¡¯t need to cling to Lifael¡¯s Spear. He should be able to create an even better item if he took advantage of all 28 pavranium. But the reward of the magic spell attracted Grid more than the pavranium.


    ¡®Can I really learn magic as a cksmith?¡¯


    It might be only one spell, but it was a spell taught by a great magician. Obviously the spell would be terrific. The thrilled Grid epted the changed quest without hesitation.


    ¡°Okay! I will ept your request!¡±


    At the same time.


    [An excellent choice!]


    Braham¡¯s soul fragment shouted and flew towards Grid.


    [Braham is trying to enter your body. Would you like to ept?]


    "Of course!"


    At the same time, Grid¡¯s body was surrounded by light.


    [You have epted the soul of the great magician, Braham.]


    [Your ss will be changed from Pagma¡¯s Descendant to Great Magician.]


    [From now on, your body will move ording to Braham¡¯s will.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The party members watching the situation let out impressed sounds. It was because Grid¡¯s status window was amazing after he epted Braham¡¯s soul.


    Grid (Great Magician)


    Lv. 545


    Health: 858,310


    Mana: 13,965,000


    The party information window didn¡¯t show detailed information such as attack power, magic power, defense, skills list, etc. However, they could guess it based on the level, health and mana. The white-haired, red-eyed Grid spoke to the open mouthed party members.


    "I am thankful to everybody. The securing of the pavranium is now meaningless, so return to Reidan first.¡±


    Pahat!


    Grid¡¯s body disappeared with the light.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307


    A vast body of water. There was a sh of light over the endless sea and a man appeared.


    Grid. As Braham¡¯s soul upied his body and immediately teleported to this ce, he opened up the status window.


    Name: Braham Eshwald (Grid)


    ss: Great Magician


    Title: Possessor of Great Knowledge


    * The best intellectual of this time. The truth hasn¡¯t been learned yet, so he is still obstinate. This pursuit of knowledge is very strong, sometimes acting as a poison.


    * Intelligence will rise by 35%.


    * There is a low probability of running wild.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: ???


    * ???


    Level: 545


    Health: 858,310/858,310 (Correction)


    Mana: 13,964,000/13,965,000 (Correction)


    Strength: 258 Stamina: 3,400


    Agility: 1,009 Intelligence: 15,880


    * In this human flesh, Braham Eshwald¡¯s full strength can¡¯t be drawn out. Most of his stats are sealed.


    Every level up gave 10 stat points. In other words, it meant that the sum total of Braham¡¯s stats at level 545 exceeded 20,000, which was beyondmon sense. Of course, there were many ways to raise stats apart from levelling up, but even considering this, Braham¡¯s stats were too unrealistic.


    Grid¡¯s total stats exceeded 14,000, but that was because he had arge variety of stats. Grid only had around 6,000 points in hisbat rted stats. It was ridiculously high, but it just seemed shabby in front of Braham.


    ¡®It even says that Braham¡¯s stats are sealed. What was his original strength?¡¯


    Considering his health and mana, Braham¡¯s strength and stamina should be at least 10 times higher than it was now.


    ¡®Rather...¡¯


    ¡®In this human flesh, Braham Eshwald¡¯s full strength can¡¯t be drawn out.¡¯


    This phrase really bothered him.


    "You, are you not a human?¡±


    [My appearance is no different from humans, and I have a finite life.]


    ¡®...Does that mean he¡¯s human?¡¯


    Humans were humans. No. If that was the case, answer simply instead of making it soplicated.


    "So, where is this ce?¡±


    It was difficult to distinguish the sea from the sky. Grid was confused about whether his feet were in the sky or sea right now, or if he was standing upright or upside down. Brahamughed at him, who was struggling before the overwhelming majesty of nature.


    [A legend feels awe at something like this?]


    "Isn¡¯t it natural for humans to feel smaller in front of nature?¡±


    [A legend is transcendent. You shouldn¡¯t think of yourself as a simple person. It is no different from making a wall around yourself.]


    ¡®It is usible.¡¯


    Originally, Grid was suspicious of Braham. Pagma was recorded as dying 100 years ago. On the other hand, Braham said that Pagma died 300 years ago, making him a liar and suspicious. But was it because Braham¡¯s soul was now inside him? His suspicions and wariness towards Braham faded and he started to sympathize with the words.


    [You should only beware those who can threaten you, and feel contempt towards the rest. That is the attitude of a legend.]


    "Then do you fear caution as well?¡±


    Grid sounded him out. Grid¡¯s mouth smiled. It was Braham¡¯s smile.


    [I am beyond the boundaries of fear.]


    ¡°...Ah, I see.¡±


    It was like this when they met a year and a half ago. Braham had high pride. He was already dead, but what would he have been like when alive?


    "In any case, where is this ce?¡±


    Grid asked Braham again.


    [The Red Sea]


    Red Sea. It was thergest sea that separated the East Continent and West Continent. In the past thousands of years, both continents had poured a myriad of resources into crossing the sea, but they failed.


    Only a few people seeded in intercontinental movement. In the process, tens of thousands of victims were said to have shed blood here, turning the sea red.


    [This is the center of the world. It is a source of infinite mana. That is where the worst creatures can exist deep in the sea.]


    "You don¡¯t have to exin every trivial detail.¡±


    [Okay, I will get to the point. I can obtain something from here.]


    Kuooooong.


    Immediately after Braham¡¯s meaningful remark, big waves urred on the surface of the sea.


    Kururung!


    A tsunami urred in a short amount of time. A thunderstorm urred in the darkened sky, causing a shiver to go down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡°What is this all of a sudden... Heok?¡¯


    The grumbling Grid suddenly realized it. The source of irritation that stirred the endless sky and sea. It was Braham. The notification windows proved this.


    [Braham has used Spell Drain.]


    [There is no target.]


    [The target isn¡¯t limited.]


    [Magic power has been stolen from the atmosphere.]


    [Magic power has been stolen from the sea.]


    [Magic power has been stolen from the sun.]


    [Your magic power has temporarily increased.]


    [Your magic power has temporarily increased.]


    [Your magic power has temporarily...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    Spell Drain. It was a magic that could steal a certain amount of magic power from the targeted user, monster, or NPC. It was a basic spell that any magician could learn, and the effects were insignificant.


    Braham¡¯s Spell Drain was showing a power that was beyondmon sense. By designating the target as all of nature, the amplification rate of the magic power was unthinkable.


    [This is enough.]


    Braham stopped Spell Drain when his magic power was several times higher than before and used Teleport. Grid¡¯s body disappeared again with the light.


    ***


    The location of the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple changed from time to time. There were many hostile forces, so they had to keep the location a secret. Since Satisfy opened, there wasn¡¯t a single user who knew the location of the temple. Even the ck magicians who were members of the church didn¡¯t know the location of the main temple.


    But today.


    ¡°I finally found it.¡±


    The 1st ranked explorer, Skunk¡¯s party seeded in finding the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple. It was truly a historic achievement.


    "Isn¡¯t it small and unimpressive? I thought it would be a nice ce like the Reba Church¡¯s Vatican.¡±


    "The Vatican is unnecessarily big."


    Eighth Canyon. The steep walls were in the shape of the number eight, and the temple was located on the outskirts of the canyon. At first nce, it was like a shabby temple in a rural vige. However, the three pirs ced at the entrance of the temple looked exactly like those described in the book.


    "Contact every guild and church. Sell this information at an expensive price.¡±


    The Yatan Church hadmitted a lot of evils. There were many users with quests to subjugate the Yatan Church. Skunk¡¯s party could be rich if they traded the information.


    "Hao is offering 1.5 million gold.¡±


    ¡°That dog.¡±


    ¡°The Giant Guild is offering 1.8 million gold.¡±


    ¡°It is stillcking.¡±


    "The Violet Guild is offering 2.35 million gold.


    "Violet? Oh, the first pdin of the Dominion Church.¡±


    Damian of the Reba Church, Toban of the Judar Church, and Violet of the Dominion Church. They were often called the three main pdins. Among them, Violet¡¯s ranking was the lowest. However, it was rumored that herbat ability was the best. In the first ce, it was natural that the Dominion Church¡¯s pdins would be more specialized in battle than the pdins of other religions.


    ¡°2.53 million gold... It¡¯s a little less than I expected.¡±


    Skunk made an ambiguous expression while hispanions tried to persuade him.


    "It has already been one year and eight months since the massive war between the allies and the Yatan Church started. But there are fewer people obsessed with the Yatan Church¡¯s quest than I thought.¡±


    "The Dominion Church is a religion that admires war.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will offer more than Violet. Make the deal with Violet.¡±


    Skunk nodded.


    "Hmm, okay. Instead, I have a condition.¡±


    "What condition?"


    "She shoulde with reporters from at least 15 countries.¡±


    Skunk¡¯s party had found the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple! Skunk was nning to increase the value of himself and his party by spreading this great news all over the world. The party members nodded.


    Then three dayster. Skunk¡¯s party met up with Violet. Dozens of reporters filmed their meeting.


    "The publicity is excellent.¡±


    Skunk shrugged at Violet, who handed over the advance with a cynical smile.


    "Don¡¯t you want to spread the word that you are the one who shattered the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple? Take them to the Yatan Temple and have then film you in action.¡±


    "Our guild operates an inte broadcasting station. It is more profitable to spread the quest¡¯s progress through the guild¡¯s station rather than sell it to other broadcasters.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so? Then the reporters should go home alone.¡±


    Violet paid the reporters for their work. Then she followed Skunk¡¯s guidance and headed towards the main temple.


    ¡°Chase after them.¡±


    The reporters weren¡¯t going to miss this scoop. Unlike their promise to Violet, they secretly followed her group instead of leaving. The next day. The Violet Guild were able to reach the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple, hidden in Eight Canyon.


    ¡°This is the ce....¡±


    Gulp.


    Violet¡¯s party members couldn¡¯t hide their tension as they stood in front of the main temple. Tallos, the Yatan Church¡¯s First Servant, was at the main temple. Could they really seed in raiding him?


    There were over 90 of them and their preparations wereplete, but the information about Tallos wascking. They only heard rumors that he was the strongest ck magician.


    Violet encouraged her uneasy troops.


    ¡°The ssbination of our group is ideal, and there are four people who have third advancement sses. Our strength is enough to kill the First Servant, and then we will shatter the main temple of the Yatan Church.¡±


    There was a reason for Violet¡¯s confidence.


    [Kill the First Servant of Yatan (SS+)]


    It had been one year and eight months since she received this quest. Violet was only a first advancement pdin who hadn¡¯t reached level 200 yet when she got it. Now she was a third advancement pdin.


    Couldn¡¯t she defeat Tallos, who was a named grade boss that she received at the time of the second advancement? Tallos¡¯ level was likely to be lower than everyone expected. Violet made this positive analysis and her group entered the main temple, with the reporters following closely behind.


    Then after a while. Violet¡¯s group fell into misery.


    "Look at these trivial things.¡±


    Yatan¡¯s First Servant, Tallos. His strength was beyond belief. As a fourth advancement ck magician, he overwhelmed Violet¡¯s group alone. Even his subordinates were third advancement ck magicians.


    Violet¡¯s face distorted as she fell victim to a curse.


    ¡°This is crazy...!¡±


    She would miserably fail the quest that she had for one year and eight months! Violet thought it was unfair. Her stomach cramped because she paid 2.35 million gold to Skunk and 300,000 gold on the preparations. She wanted to split apart the head of the alliance general who gave her this difficult quest at level 200.


    On the other hand, the reporters were busy capturing this scene. They forgot about acting secretly so that they wouldn¡¯t be seen by Violet.


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    ¡®A huge scoop!¡¯


    Yatan¡¯s First Servant that was wrapped in a veil of mystery, Tallos! He was more than expected. The audience ratings would be huge the moment they showed therge scale group that included four third advancement users being overwhelmed. The reporters could get this year¡¯s press award and special bonuses.


    The moment that Violet¡¯s group was feeling desperate.


    "Magic Missile."


    It was a basic spell that level 10 magicians who just started the game could learn. The weak spell pierced through the temple and struck Tallos¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was wrong with him? Tallos, who hadn¡¯t flinched despite being hit by the third advancement users, was screaming with pain. It was natural for all eyes to move in the direction that Magic Missile came from.


    ¡°A fake. Hey, where is Amoract¡¯s soul hiding?¡±


    The white haired man speaking in a haughty manner to Tallos. The people who identified him were astonished.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    The man who made Tallos scream with just one Magic Missile. The ID ¡®Grid¡¯ was above his head. Violet¡¯s group and the reporters were extremely confused.


    "Is that Grid?¡±


    The first legendary ss, Grid! How many people in this world didn¡¯t know him? Except for children under six years old and elderly people over 80, most people had probably heard Grid¡¯s name.


    Violet¡¯s group also knew about Grid. How he lived a hard life before obtaining a legendary ss, how he absorbed the Tzedakah Guild, and so on. There wasn¡¯t much that the rankers and reporters didn¡¯t know about Grid.


    That¡¯s why the impact wasrger.


    ¡®How could Grid use a spell?¡¯


    He often used Fly. However, it was already analyzed that it was a magic that only showed up when he was wearing certain boots. Then what about now? They didn¡¯t know why, but Grid wasn¡¯t wearing a single item. He was wearing the basic clothes that were provided to everyone.


    In other words, the Magic Missile he used a while ago wasn¡¯t magic attached to an item, but a spell he used directly.


    ¡®How can a cksmith use magic...? Heok! D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    ¡®Perhaps! A second ss!¡¯


    The mysterious Mongol was the first to earn a second ss. Over a period of a year and a half, more than 100 people with second sses had appeared. They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that Grid was one of them.


    ¡®A legendary ss and now a second ss...!?¡¯


    ¡®This is a headline!¡¯


    The cameras of the excited reporters were focused solely on Grid. They hadpletely lose interest in Violet¡¯s group.


    ¡®This is...!¡¯


    Violet felt bad for many reasons. She invested millions of gold in this raid, reporters were filming this failure, and now Grid interfered? It was tiring and annoying. She threatened the reporters with legal action, then shouted to Grid.


    ¡°Grid! Don¡¯t you know the basic etiquette? Intervening in an ongoing raid without permission, it is an act that deserves criticism!¡±


    Violet was a woman, but she spoke like a man. In addition, her outward appearance was no different from a man. Her hair was short and she was wearing heavy armor with no embellishments. Theplex about her physique was arge reason behind her neutral appearance.


    "Etiquette?"


    Grid slowly descended from the copsed ceiling. He looked down at Violet with a chilling gaze and smirked.


    ¡°You want to impose etiquette on someone superior to you?¡±


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Violet¡¯s face reddened. Speaking in this tone to someone he met for the first time? And he was superior? What a bunch of crap!


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such an arrogant expression!¡±


    Grid was a legendary ss, duke of a kingdom, and master of the Overgeared Guild. As a representative of all of them, he should be more careful with his remarks and behavior. Violet was extremely disappointed and embarrassed about these arrogant actions.


    The same was true for Grid.


    ¡®Braham you bastard...!¡¯


    Braham currently had control of Grid¡¯s body. He was the one who just said those words.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡±


    Grid shouted, but it only echoed in Braham¡¯s brain. He was feeling frustrated while Braham approached Violet. Redness appeared on both of Violet¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡®H-Handsome?¡¯


    Originally, Grid¡¯s appearance was ordinary. His cool eyes and prideful attitude made him look not bad, but he couldn¡¯t be called handsome. But now he was different. The white skin that was in harmony with the white hair, the sharp jaws, and the ruby eyes. The subtle difference highlighted his facial faces and brought Grid¡¯s appearance to another level.


    Even Violet¡¯s heart started pounded, despitecking confidence as a woman and building up a wall against the opposite sex. The reporters also realized that Grid¡¯s appearance was different from normal.


    ¡®What? How is he so handsome just from dying his hair?¡¯


    ¡®This is obviously...¡¯


    The puzzled reporters suddenly recalled something.


    ¡®stic surgery!¡¯


    The reporters were convinced that Grid received stic surgery, since South Korea was famous for it. But it was a misunderstanding. Grid didn¡¯t get stic surgery. He had no majorints about his face, and was brave enough to endure it if he ever received a terrible injury.


    If it wasn¡¯t stic surgery, how did Grid look like this? It was the aftermath of epting Braham¡¯s soul. Grid¡¯s appearance was partially assimted with Braham¡¯s appearance. Just as women had the power of makeup and celebrities had lighting, Grid currently had the power of a soul.


    "I am not the one being rude, you are. You should be thankful that I saved you, yet you dared speak to me in such a way.¡±


    ¡®Wow, really arrogant.¡¯


    Violet¡¯s group and the reporters all clicked their tongue at Grid¡¯s arrogance. Violet was filled with anger. She wanted to apply for a PK duel with Grid right away. But her opponent was the leader of Overgeared. She didn¡¯t know how her guild would suffer if she did.


    Violet refused to talk to Grid anymore, but he didn¡¯t mind. No, Braham liked it.


    "Yes, lower your tail. It is your duty.¡±


    ¡¯I¡¯m screwed!¡¯


    Grid wanted to cry. He was scared about gaining arge number of anti-fans because of Braham.


    ¡®I will be cursed in every Inte article about me!¡¯


    The number of fan club members would decrease and there would be a flood of personal attacks. In the worst case, people might curse his parents, like how Huroi normally spoke. As Grid was grieving, his body moved on its own.


    He ignored Violet¡¯s group and faced Tallos.


    ¡°Where is Amoract¡¯s soul hiding?¡±


    During the time Grid wasted speaking to Violet, Tallos had restored his wounds.


    "What is Amoract¡¯s soul? Why are you asking me?¡±


    "Magic Missile."


    Puok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Tallos was appalled. It was because the Magic Missile used by the white haired person prated his chest once again.


    ¡®How can this be?¡¯


    Tallos was a fourth advancement ck magician and one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. Strong magic power was always surrounding his body, so weak spells couldn¡¯t prate through it.


    Now a Magic Missile pierced his chest. It was something that shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    "No way... What the hell is your identity?¡±


    He tried to repair the wound while asking the question, but Grid once againunched a Magic Missile. Tallos was hit in the thigh and fell to his knees.


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    Tallos was about to go crazy. He was elected as the agent of Amoract, yet he was suffering because of Magic Missiles? He couldn¡¯t ept it. Grid fired another Magic Missile at Tallos, who realized the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Tallos screamed as his heart was pierced this time. He coughed up arge amount of blood, as Grid casually asked.


    "Just answer my question. Where is Amoract¡¯s soul hiding?¡±


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    Unlike what the world knew, Tallos wasn¡¯t Yatan¡¯s First Servant. The true First Servant was Amoract, the great demon of conflict. The only ones who knew this truth were the servants of Yatan.


    Tallos questioned it.


    ¡®What is his identity? How is he so strong, and how does he know about Amoract?¡¯


    Grid fired another Magic Missile at him after he didn¡¯t answer.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Tallos fell after being hit. It was painful, but his shame was greater. He was one of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians! On the surface, he was Yatan¡¯s First Servant! The dogs of the Dominion Church were watching as he was humiliated by Magic Missile! It was an absolute disgrace!


    The incensed Tallos started to attack.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you...! Death Fear!¡±


    Kyaaaak!


    The illusion of hundreds of evil spirits appeared behind Tallos, and a powerful shock wave urred. The members of the Yatan Church, Violet¡¯s group, and reporters from various national television stations.


    All of them felt terrible pain and panic under the influence of the magic that didn¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe. They copsed and their blood vessels turned ck. But Grid was fine. Tallos was greatly confused, but he didn¡¯t make a mistake and linked the next spell.


    ¡°Dark Rage!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Grid was hit by ck magic power. It was a spell that could even prate the thick leather of a basilisk. Tallos smiled with satisfaction but was still alert. Magic was linked continuously and the ground around Grid was devastated as it burned with mes summoned from hell.


    He used all his power. It was normal for Grid to be turned into ashes. However, he was fine.


    "O-Only Shield...!¡±


    The lowest level defense magic, Shield. It absorbed a certain amount of damage. This extremely simple and basic magic disabled four of his strongest ck spells. Did he have trouble? No, it was simple!


    ¡°Does this make sense?¡±


    20 years. Tallos had been ying the role of Amoract¡¯s representative for that long. He always maintained his grandeur, but now he was suffering like this.


    ¡°You monster! I¡¯m not a match for you, so kill me quickly!¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude towards him didn¡¯t change at all.


    "Magic Missile."


    "Kuaaaaak! Shit! Shit!! Kill me in one blow with Meteor!¡±


    "Magic Missile."


    ¡°Kuheok! You cruel bastard!¡±


    The First Servant of Yatan, killed by Magic Missile! If this rumor spread, he was concerned that the image of the Yatan Church would be severely damaged. Tallos hoped that the white haired man would kill him with higher level magic.


    However, the white haired man continued to use Magic Missile, making Tallos go crazy. It didn¡¯t take long for the strong mental power of the strongest ck magician to sumb.


    ¡°P-Please... Please stop with Magic Missile...¡±


    Tallos was begging. Grid stopped just as he was about to use Magic Missile again.


    ¡°Where is Amoract¡¯s soul hiding?¡±


    "L-Ludhadan Cave...¡±


    Magic Missile was more effective than any mental spell. The stronger the opponent¡¯s pride, the more they were affected. It was enough to open Tallos¡¯ mouth, despite his deep loyalty to Amoract.


    ¡°Okay. I will take your trivial life in exchange for that answer.¡±


    Tallos begged. He wasn¡¯t begging for his life. He wanted something separate.


    ¡°P-Please kill me with advanced magic.¡±


    He would be too embarrassed if he was killed with Magic Missile. Tallos didn¡¯t want such a situation. Grid nodded at Tallos, who was desperately asking for advanced magic.


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    "This dog ?...!"


    Tallos¡¯ curse didn¡¯tst long. He was swallowed by mes that were as hot as hellfire and turned to ashes.


    [You have defeated Amoract¡¯s agent, Tallos.]


    [2,620,090,770 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [A Dark Rune has been acquired.]


    ¡®Wow...¡¯


    Grid confirmed that Braham was still level 545 in the status window. This meant that Grid was the one who levelled up, not Braham.


    ¡®S-Such profit...¡¯


    The Overgeared members would be shocked. Grid raised his level and received an unidentified rune just for epting Braham¡¯s soul! He was feeling thrilled by the unexpected gain when the reporters rushed towards him.


    "Did you acquire a magician as a second ss?¡±


    ¡°Why is your Magic Missile so powerful? That was Magic Missile, right?¡±


    "Your shield¡¯s defense was beyond imagination! How high is your magic power?¡±


    "The fireball seemed like hellfire! What¡¯s the secret behind this great skill?¡±


    The reporters looked at him with envy. Their resentment towards Grid¡¯s arrogant attitude disappeared.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309


    "The Violet Guild is famous for their excellent raid skills. A month ago, they raided the Rotten Horned Rayon. They couldn¡¯tpete with Tallos¡¯ strength, but you seeded with just Magic Missile and Fireball. Please give us an exnation.¡±


    The questions of the excited reporters continued. Grid was troubled because some of the questions were are sharp as knives.


    ¡®Rumors might spread that I am a bugged user, or that the S.A. Group is supporting me from the rear.¡¯


    Based on the experience he gained, Tallos was far more powerful than Pascal. It was impossible for a user to kill him alone, especially with just basic magic. Grid was troubled by the suspicious reporters.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand me.¡±


    Braham borrowed Grid¡¯s mouth and started to chatter.


    ¡°I am a legend. I am omnipotent. Trivial beings like you can never imagine, let alone understand me. It is normal.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The reporters were shocked. At this moment, Grid was beyond arrogance...


    ¡®Chuunibyou!¡¯


    He was calling himself omnipotent with a serious expression? It was also in front of dozens of cameras! Grid wanted to curl his hands in shame.


    ¡®How embarrassing.¡¯


    Grid used to be a chuunibyou. But at the age of 27, Grid met the chuunibyou Lauel and was able to ovee it. Therefore, the 28 year old Grid had a stigma towards being called a chuunibyou.


    ¡¯Braham, please act more moderately for me!¡¯


    He was thankful for gaining a level, but that was it. He didn¡¯t know how to get rid of the mess that Braham had entangled him in. As Grid was feeling troubled, Braham used Teleport and left the reporters behind.


    ***


    ¡°13 minutes ago in real time, the guild master of Overgeared, Grid, destroyed the First Servant of Yatan with Magic Missiles and Fireball.¡±


    "Tallos, Yatan¡¯s First Servant, is a fourth advancement ck magician, and even Violet¡¯s group failed in the raid. Grid killed him with basic magic, so his strength is beyondmon sense...¡±


    ¡°People all over the world are raising suspicions that Grid is a bugged yer. The S.A. Group has issued an official position that this isn¡¯t the case. However, the suspicions of users isn¡¯t fading. There¡¯s a conspiracy theory that there is some type of deal between Grid and the S.A. Group.¡±


    The international media covered the Grid incident. Of course, the public opinion wasn¡¯t good. Most people were suspicious of Grid¡¯s overwhelming strength. There was a lot of spection on SNS.


    Then the experts from various fields stabilized public opinion.


    "Grid is likely doing a story-driven quest.¡±


    "Story-driven quest? Ah, you are talking about the ¡®Bring Chocte to the Mother Wolf¡¯ type of quest?


    "Correct. A typical quest that urs only when the user meets certain conditions. A story-driven quest is often to ¡®experience something.¡¯ A typical example is ¡®Bring Chocte to the Mother Wolf¡¯ quest that most of us would¡¯ve experienced in the early days.¡±


    Bring chocte to the mother wolf. It was a quest acquired at level 8. The user who epted the quest wouldn¡¯t be able to control their body, as they turned into a young wolf and brought chocte to the mother wolf. The user¡¯s role was just to observe the story of the wolf and appreciate it.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s appearance and tone are different from usual. The fact that he also easily handled a named boss is proof that it isn¡¯t Grid. It is likely that he is experiencing something very special.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. However, who is that special being?¡±


    South Korea, the United States, France, Canada, Russia, China, Japan and so on. The international experts came up with amon thought.


    ¡°Braham Eshwald.¡±


    ¡°The legendary great magician.¡±


    After that, the portal sites around the world became dominated by articles about Grid.


    [The legendary cksmith, Grid! He is experiencing what is it like to be a legendary great magician!]


    [Is a great magician the second ss that Grid will acquire?]


    [The arrogance of a talented and handsome man is charming? Women all over the world are raving over the white haired Grid!]


    [Grid¡¯s arrogant way of talking is trending on SNS... It¡¯s likely to be a social problem.]


    [The poprity of Grid in Japan, the origin of chuunibyou, is huge! Is this the advent of the 5th Korean wave?]


    [The number of Grid¡¯s fan club members have doubled in 3 hours... The advertisements are soaring.]


    ***


    ¡®It would¡¯ve be a mess by now.¡¯


    Grid sighed. He was afraid of the aftermath of Braham¡¯s words.


    ¡®I saw the reporters¡¯ faces. Their reactions were disgust.¡¯


    He could easily imagine how they would write the articles. Grid chuunibyou, Grid is arrogant, Grid is bugged, Grid is crazy, and so on. All types of malicious articles would spread on the Inte, and he would gain millions of anti-fans.


    ¡®I am probably taking over the real time search words...¡¯


    He was afraid to log out. Knowing his bad luck, he might be chased around the streets.


    ¡¯Should I hire bodyguards?¡¯


    How long would his sufferingst? Grid had no idea of the actual situation and was feeling frustration, while Braham scoffed as he moved through the Ludhadan Cave.


    ¡¯Amoract, you are as careful as Mother said.¡¯


    The level of the veil ced over the cave was considerable.


    ¡®But it isn¡¯t at a level to mislead me.¡¯


    Grid asked as Braham moved deeper into the cave without hesitation.


    "By the way, who is Amoract?¡±


    Why did he need to hide himself behind a representative? Braham¡¯s answer was simple and concise.


    "The great demon of conflict.¡±


    ¡°Great demon...! The First Servant of Yatan is a great demon?¡±


    Grid waspletely shocked by the unexpected answer.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t mean to fight a great demon right now?¡±


    ¡°The Amoract here isn¡¯t in a perfect state. It¡¯s just a part of Amoract¡¯s soul, so there¡¯s no need to feel scared. A soul fragment is helpless against me.¡±


    A great demon wasn¡¯t his opponent. It was like he was dering that a great demon wasn¡¯t tough.


    ***


    The deepest part of the dark cave. There was a white soul floating above an altar in the center of arge space.


    [You came.]


    The soul greeted Braham. The response was as if it had been waiting for Braham. Braham borrowed Grid¡¯s mouth and said.


    "Amoract, you were aware that I would look for you.¡±


    [Of course. I know you need the blessing of the gods to get rid of your mortality.]


    "If my guess is correct, you¡¯re going to listen to my demands?¡±


    [That¡¯s right.]


    "Kukukuk, Marie Rose must be pretty annoying to Yatan.¡±


    ¡®Marie Rose?¡¯


    It was a familiar name to Grid. A vampire duke who showed absolute dignity. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he recalled her existence.


    ¡®If she¡¯s somewhere in the vampire cities...¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been impossible to obtain all the pavranium. It was fortunate that he epted Braham¡¯s soul toplete the quest.


    [God Yatan favors you, regardless of Marie Rose. Always remember this.]


    "He isn¡¯t a god.¡±


    [...Be careful with your mouth.]


    Amoract¡¯s sweet voice hardened. It was a level of intimidation that made Grid¡¯s chest tighten. However, Braham wasn¡¯t agitated at all.


    "Shouldn¡¯t you step foot on thisnd before trying to intimidate me?¡±


    [It isn¡¯t about intimidation, but manners.]


    "I won¡¯t show courtesy to Yatan. I don¡¯t serve him anymore.¡±


    ¡®Anymore?¡¯


    Did this mean Braham once served Yatan? Grid had doubts, but it wasn¡¯t a question that could be resolved at this time. Braham ordered Grid.


    "Take out the pavranium.¡±


    [You have temporarily gained control of your body.]


    The notification window popped up and Grid regained his freedom.


    ¡®Now I got a little taste.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t pleasant to give up control of his body to others. Grid felt peace of mind as he summoned Lifael¡¯s Spear. Then Brahammanded Amoract.


    "Now give it Yatan¡¯s blessing.¡±


    [I don¡¯t like it but... Okay. This is the will of God Yatan.]


    Amoract¡¯s white soul grew bigger and bigger. Then after a short period of time, a dark beam fell from the ceiling.


    Chaaeng!


    Lifae¡¯s Spear was struck by the dark light and shook. Then the notification windows were updated.


    [God Yatan¡¯s blessing has fallen on the pavranium.]


    [Pavranium has gained the ability to increase magic power.]


    Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing boosted recovery speed, God Dominion¡¯s blessing increased attack power and God Judar¡¯s blessing increased defense. These blessings were always applied to Grid, who was the owner of the pavranium.


    Grid had been expecting a lot from God Yatan¡¯s blessing. However, the magic power buff was disappointing. Magic power wasn¡¯t very important since Grid couldn¡¯t just magic.


    ¡®No, no.¡¯


    Given that he would learn one spell from Braham, it wasn¡¯t so bad that his magic power increased. Grid thought about it positively, while Braham was feeling thrilled. Their souls were assimted so Grid could feel his intense joy.


    ¡°Finally...! The time has finallye!¡±


    The resurrection that he had been desiring for hundreds of years. The excited Braham shouted.


    ¡°Now Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Make the Vessel of the Soul!¡±


    "Okay.¡±


    Braham¡¯s dubious elements weren¡¯t important to Grid right now. Grid just wanted the enormous rewards from Braham.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid stripped a small amount of pavranium from Lifael¡¯s Spear and made a small bowl. It was a bowl that seemed somewhat rough, but the craftsmanship of the maker could be seen.


    ¡°Kukukuk! Kuahahaha!"


    Braham¡¯s soul left Grid¡¯s body and moved to the Vessel of the Soul.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 310

    Chapter 310


    The moment Braham¡¯s soul was added to the Vessel of the Soul.


    <i>sh!</i>


    A blue light emerged that brightened the dark cave. Grid¡¯s heart shook wildly.


    ¡¯With my hand, I¡¯m reviving a legendary great magician...!¡¯


    Braham Eshwald. He was the person who established the current magic system and was regarded as the father of magic. The achievements he left behind were so great that he was truly worthy of being called a legend.


    Grid would resurrect that person with his hands! He was filled with a strange pride at the thought.


    [The soul fragments of Braham scattered all over the continent have gathered in the Vessel of the Soul.]


    The moment the notification windows appeared.


    <i>Syuong! Syuuong!</i>


    Dozens of blue souls shot through the entrance of the space. It was truly spectacr. The appearance of the souls flying in the darkness was like looking at the universe. If there was only one w...


    ¡®I should¡¯ve made the bowl more beautiful.¡¯


    The bowl produced by Grid was too in. It had a bright gold color, but the shape was just a rice bowl. Brahan¡¯s soul pieces were the rice. To be precise, it looked like blue rice was being cooked.


    ¡®Cough... I¡¯m sorry Braham.¡¯


    It was a true emotion. Grid received Braham¡¯s soul and shared some emotions and thoughts, so a rapport had developed. Despite his wariness towards Braham, he felt a sense of kinship with him.


    It wasplete carelessness. This was Braham¡¯s intention. Braham¡¯s soul asked Grid a question as he started to unite with the Vessel of the Soul.


    [Do you remember the words I said on the first day we met?]


    ¡°Roughly.¡±


    [History states that Pagma died 100 years ago. But I told you that Pagma died 300 years ago. Have you ever wondered why?]


    "Either you or history, one of you is telling a lie.¡±


    Of course, it was likely that Braham was the one who spoke the lie. Grid had obtained Wendy¡¯s diary from the doppelganger raid. Pagma had appeared before them 140 years ago. In other words, Braham was a liar when he said that Pagma died 300 years ago.


    However, the truth was different.


    [No, there is no lie. Both statements are true. Pagma died 300 years ago, but he existed 100 years ago.]


    ¡®What are you saying?¡¯


    Grid¡¯sprehension wasn¡¯t excellent. He couldn¡¯t understand Braham¡¯s words.


    [I first met Pagma around 300 years ago, and I was amazed beyond admiration. His cksmithing skills far exceed human standards, making even me feel awe.]


    After that, they became friends. Braham, looked down on others, including his kin. This was the first andst time he respected and socialized with others.


    [Pagma taught me a lot. I was able to evolve further thanks to him.]


    They spent 10 years together. Braham¡¯s vast knowledge was expressed with Pagma¡¯s techniques, greatly contributing to the growth of both.


    [Thanks to Pagma, I was able to study the magic of eternal life more deeply and seeded in designing the Vessel of the Soul. However, in order to produce the Vessel of the Soul, a special mineral that transcends the god mineral adamantium was required. The only person who could create that mineral is Pagma.]


    The mineral that the two people created was called pavranium.


    "But didn¡¯t you say that Pagma died of old age after making the pavranium?¡±


    [I thought it was like that.]


    ¡°...Thought?¡±


    They were meaningful words. As Grid wondered this, Braham¡¯s soul fragmentsbined into one. The blue that was like the clear sea switched to an ominous red color.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant, my soul has be perfect. It¡¯s all thanks to you.]


    "Stop making small talk about Pagma. Give me the rewards that you promised.¡±


    [But isn¡¯t it strange?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Braham¡¯s words were designed to amplify his curiosity. Grid frowned with irritation and Braham spat out horrifying words.


    [Is it possible to resurrect with just a perfect soul? There is no body.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He finally noticed that something was wrong. Braham¡¯s soul flew towards Grid as he hurriedly pulled out Failure from his inventory.


    [Give me your lowly body!]


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    Just what was this bullshit? What type of quest was this? Grid couldn¡¯t understand the situation at all.


    ¡®The quest clear condition was to produce the Vessel of the Soul!¡¯


    Grid had already made the Vessel of the Soul. The Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection quest should¡¯ve beenpleted by now. But rather than the quest being cleared, Braham was aiming for him. This was going against the system.


    ¡®Is it a bug? I thought this was a bug free game! Dammit!¡¯


    Would he be the first user to experience a bug in Satisfy?


    ¡®Why do I always have to go through this...!?¡¯


    Grid grumbled andined to the gods, while struggling against Braham¡¯s soul. Braham¡¯s soul circled him and evaded Grid, before entering Grid¡¯s body.


    [The Great Magician Braham is trying to take away your body.]


    [The yer¡¯s body is safely protected. Braham¡¯s attempt has been neutralized.]


    ¡®So it¡¯s like this...! There isn¡¯t a bug in Satisfy!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s terrified expression changed to delight as the notification window popped up. Braham spoke to the relieved Grid.


    [Didn¡¯t I say it at the Red Sea? Be wary of anyone who can threaten you.]


    "Why are you preaching after trying to strike me in the back of the head? You bastard! You were trying to take the pavranium and get out of teaching me magic, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    [It¡¯s a misunderstanding. As you know, only you and Pagma can control the pavranium. Apart from the Vessel of the Soul, the pavranium is just a simple mineral in my hands. It¡¯s also very easy for me to teach you magic. I will fulfill my promise.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this the person trying to kill him a moment ago?


    ¡®A personality disorder?¡¯


    For example, multiple personalities. Then a notification window popped up in front of the suspicious Grid.


    [The quest ¡®Great Magician¡¯s Resurrection¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [17 pieces of pavranium have been acquired.]


    [You have acquired the spell ¡®Magic Missile.¡¯]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    It was very encouraging that he cleared the quest safely. He was also happy at acquiring arge number of pavranium. But he actually learnt Magic Missile?


    Joy and anger.


    ¡°You... You!¡±


    A legendary great magician taught him basic magic? Grid¡¯s face turned red as Braham spoke.


    [Know and understand the subject. Youmitted a crime by stealing the pavranium for one and a half years, but now I feel good and will forgive you.]


    Braham¡¯s soul was arrogant to the end as he faded away.


    ¡°Dammit...! Dammit!¡±


    Grid yelled as he was left alone. Amoract¡¯s soul carefully looked at Grid from the alter.


    ¡®The Yatan Servants¡¯ ughterer. He has gained Braham¡¯s favor.¡¯


    <i>Sururuk.</i>


    Amoract¡¯s soul disappeared from the cave. He failed to turn Yura into a demon, but he seeded in setting up a way to keep Marie Rose in check, so his role in the human world wasplete.


    ***


    "In the end, it went as nned.¡±


    The chairman¡¯s office in S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters. Lim Cheolho smiled bitterly as he monitored Ludhadan Cave.


    Braham. This was a mysterious existence. He was captivated by the irresistible instinct for knowledge and ended up experimenting on his n. Braham envied his disciple Mumud, but never harmed him, despite intercepting his achievements. He also hated and missed the friend who betrayed him.


    However...


    ¡®He tried to kill Grid, but also feels favorable towards him.¡¯


    Just as Grid felt close to Braham through their souls assimting, Braham also felt close to Grid.


    ¡®Or he might¡¯ve judged that Grid is worthy after inheriting Pagma¡¯s skill.


    It was hard to judge Braham. He was an imperfect existence that felt a conflict before his instincts and the humanity he acquired. Lim Cheolho had always been interested in Braham, whose personality changed drastically after losing eternal life and living as a human.


    ¡°Living a life where he lies to himself and others, turning a blind eye to his changing self... It¡¯s lonely.¡±


    No matter how tragic, Satisfy¡¯s story was going through the nned sequence. It might not change much for the users who were ying the game, but the progress of the story was fun to watch as an observer.


    ***


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid sighed as he remained alone in the cave.


    "Magic Missile... I am a Magic Missile magician...¡±


    Magic Missile was a basic spell that magicians acquired at level 10. It was a basic spell, so the magic power efficiency was terrible. It was hard to inflict a scratch against someone with a certain level of magic resistance. The only advantage was its fast casting speed.


    ¡®If I can use it properly, I can use it to disperse the enemy¡¯s gaze or to restrict their movements.¡¯


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t do any damage if the enemy¡¯s magic resistance was high.


    ¡®I can only use it to hunt slimes...¡¯


    Now that he was level 301, he wouldn¡¯t be hunting slimes anytime soon.


    ¡°Hah, really.¡±


    Grid grumbled and confirmed the information of Magic Missile.


    [Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    A magic missile developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    It boasts tremendous power, but consumes a lot of resources.


    It deals damage equal to twice your current magic power to the target. It also ignores the enemy¡¯s magic resistance.


    Resource Consumption: 400 Mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 1 second.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 seconds.


    "What type of Magic Missile uses 400 mana?¡±


    It consumed more mana than Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link. A beginner level spell consumed mana that was equal to a legendary skill?


    ¡®What is this...? Heok?¡±


    Grid skimmed through the spell¡¯s exnation and was btedly shocked.


    ¡®Deals damage that is double my magic power? Ignores magic resistance?¡¯


    What about a regr Magic Missile?


    {Does anyone have the information on Magic Missile?}


    Grid asked in the guild chat window, and a few magicians shared their skill.


    [Magic Missile Lv. 10 (Master)]


    It is one of the most basic spells.


    Deals damage equivalent to 5% of your current magic power to the target.


    Resource consumption: 20 Mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 1 second.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 seconds.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    It turned out that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary Magic Missile. The Magic Missile that Braham gave him was a legendary magic. Grid¡¯s magic power was lowpared to magicians, but it wasn¡¯t bad to use it as a trump card.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t hate you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s opinion of Braham was bing better. The rtionship with him, it might end here.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311


    ¡¯Naive... No, a fool. Learn how to be more suspicious and vignt.¡¯


    Braham had no intention of taking Grid¡¯s body from the beginning. He needed to be resurrected in his own body, not somebody else¡¯s.


    The reason why he attempted to take Grid¡¯s body was to make an rm ring with Grid. It might seem threatening, but it was intended to do a favor for Grid.


    Why?


    ¡®He¡¯s a person who makes me nervous, but he¡¯s also the benefactor who achieved my 300 year old wish.¡¯


    It was his way of expressing his appreciation. Grid didn¡¯t know it.


    [Well, we might be enemies when next we meet.]


    Braham¡¯s soul started moving. His destination was the Sword Grave. It was where Braham¡¯s body was sealed.


    ***


    Reidan was a city that aimed to be the next Talima. Therefore, Administrator Rabbit invested most of the budget into cksmithing and alchemy development.


    But it was funny. Currently, the most developed area in Reidan was agriculture. Fields spread out in all directions around Reidan.


    "Now the crops are growing.¡±


    Grid returned afterpleting a quest that he had left alone for a year and a half. He looked around at the fields.


    ¡°I think the scale has be bigger...¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why, but Piaro had a passive skill that had a 100% chance of making thend fertile. Thanks to this, Reidan always enjoyed the pleasure of a good harvest, no matter what crops were grown. The agricultural products ounted for thergest portion of the items that Reidan exported.


    ¡¯It is rumored that this is an agricultural city.¡¯


    A city with a legendary cksmith had be an agricultural city? It was indeed ironic. Honestly, Grid didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The agricultural section of Reidan was growing despite not having a big budget invested in it! He didn¡¯t know if he should be d or sad. The confused Grid stopped in ce at the rice fields. It was because a scene captured his gaze.


    ¡°You can do it! A neer will arrive in one hour!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Heok? Dammit! We have been waiting for a new guy!¡±


    Heave ho, heave ho.


    Farmers were working hard, using various farming equipment. Users were mixed in among them?


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The desert ecosystem had stabilized thanks to the activities of the Overgeared members, but the barrier of entry was still high. It was unthinkable to step foot in this ce unless they were level 260+ users. In Reidan, it was difficult to find users other than the Overgeared members, and the residents were NPCs. In such a situation, why were users farming?


    As Grid was feeling doubts. Piaro, leader of Overgeared Knights Division andmander in chief of Reidan appeared in the fields. He started to lecture the hard working users in the field.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about the quality of the hand plow. More wrist...¡±


    "Isn¡¯t the ground too fine? This isn¡¯t the only way to nt seedlings. Brownie trees grow better in rough soil.¡±


    "...¡±


    [A legendary farmer has been born!]


    He recalled the phrase he witnessed a few months ago. Grid was nk with shock for a moment, before shaking his head.


    "No. Piaro dreams of being a sword saint, so he can¡¯t be a farmer. My Piaro isn¡¯t a farmer.¡±


    He decided, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to check Piaro¡¯s details using the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®I should ask about the Amethyst Shield next time...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to talk to Piaro while he was wearing a straw hat.


    Trudge trudge.


    Grid¡¯s footsteps were heavy as he ignored Piaro and moved away from the fields. On the other hand, 21 users were working in the fields under Piaro¡¯s direction.


    ¡®Dammit... A 55th ranked magician has to be farming.¡¯


    ¡®I have to swing a hand plow instead of a sword...¡¯


    The 21 users caught by Piaro had a high level. Most of them were in thete 200s. They came to Reidan to join Overgeared, but unfortunately couldn¡¯t join the guild. It was because they were caught by a crazy farmer.


    The crazy farmer was naturally Piaro.


    In the past when he dreamed of bing a sword saint, he enjoyed fighting with strong users and caught the ankles of high level users. After bing a legendary farmer, he caught the users¡¯ ankles for another reason.


    ¡°I will develop Reidan into the best agricultural city.¡±


    The problem was that Administrator Rabbit didn¡¯t increase their budget. In particr, he wascking manpower. Insufficient manpower? He had to make up the difference.


    "Uhuh! That isn¡¯t how you use a hand plow!¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    The users caught by Piaro could only sigh. However, the reason they stayed in the fields was because of the reward of the quest.


    [Fun and Enjoyable Training!]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Live with the farmer Piaro in Reidan. If you join him, you can grow significantly.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Live together with Piaro for three weeks.


    Quest Clear Rewards: All stats +10. The skill ¡®Farming¡¯ will be obtained.


    The reward was lowpared to the hidden quest that Kraugel and Damian received. However, that was just a story for the two people. From a general point of view, the reward of +10 to all stats was tremendous.


    ¡°There is a crazy farmer in Reidan. He will fight you and knock you down. Don¡¯t run away. That¡¯s right. If you can endure the trials that will follow, you will be able to taste sweet fruit.¡±


    A strange rumor started to circte on the Inte. Most people thought it was a ghost story, but the seven guilds were different.


    ¡°Crazy farmer...!¡±


    Reidan was still being guarded by him? The 2nd ranked Zibal grabbed his forehead. His forehead was still sore.


    ***


    The first person Grid looked for when he arrived in Reidan wasn¡¯t Irene or Khan. It wasn¡¯t Lauel or Rabbit either.


    ¡°Eh? Grid?¡±


    Lae. A beautiful British woman who was a world ss idol.


    Grid was once her fan. Rather than her excellent vocal ability or appearance, Grid liked her because her body suited his tastes. Her breasts were veryrge. It was enough to be reminiscent of fruit.


    "...¡±


    ¡°What did you find me for?¡±


    Grid stared at her breasts as always. Lae¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment and she hurriedly asked. Grid regained his spirit at her reaction and exined his purpose.


    "Hum hum, this time I learned magic. I want to urately test its power.¡±


    Lae was in charge of the magicians at Reidan. There was a facility for measuring magic power in the mage barracks that she was in charge of, and Grid wanted to use it.


    ¡°Magic?¡±


    Lae¡¯s eyes widened. The cksmith Grid could use magic?


    ¡°How can you use magic...? Ah! You did a quest rted to Braham. Did you learn a spell from Braham? What spell did he teach you?¡±


    Grid replied to Lae without hiding anything.


    "Magic Missile."


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    Indeed, it would be hard to teach a cksmith proper magic. Lae couldn¡¯t hide her disappointment and led Grid to the training ground behind the barracks.


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    ¡°Ice Arrow!¡±


    It was the Ul n, who Grid had saved from destruction. They were gifted in magic and were training on one side of the training ground. Lae pointed to a silver scarecrow as Grid was observing the Ul n with a proud expression.


    The scarecrow was produced by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. It was a type of magic sandbag that could set the magic resistance from 0 to 5,000.


    ¡°First, set the magic resistance to zero.¡±


    Grid stood in front of the scarecrow and Lae said to him.


    ¡°I have set it up.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Magic Missile!¡±


    Grid aimed at the scarecrow and shouted. Then a white sh struck the scarecrow.


    [You have dealt 2,894 damage to the target.]


    The effects of various titles, Mcus¡¯ Cloak and the ck Quartz Earrings meant that he currently had 1,048 intelligence. The resulting magic power was 1,258. The buff on the pavranium increased magic power by 15%, so Grid¡¯s final magic power was 1,447.


    The expected maximum damage of Magic Missile (Enhanced) was 2,894, and this was the result that emerged. Lae was startled.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this surprisingly powerful? Is he wearing items that amplify magic power?¡¯


    A cksmith didn¡¯t invest points in the intelligence stat. Lae thought that Grid had 400 intelligence at most. The damage that users could exercise with a Lv. 1 Magic Missile and 400 magic power was very small.


    Grid¡¯s Magic Missile was remarkably powerful. Grid spoke to the stunned Lae.


    "Increase the scarecrow¡¯s magic resistance to the maximum.¡±


    The maximum was 5,000. Even most boss monsters didn¡¯t have this much magic resistance. Magic Missile would bepletely ineffective against it.


    ¡°There will be no damage.¡±


    Grid just urged Lae.


    "Hurry.¡±


    ¡¯It¡¯s a pointless experiment.¡¯


    Lae thought that Grid was so excited about magic that rational judgment was impossible. She imagined Grid¡¯s look of disappointment as she set the scarecrow¡¯s magic resistance to 5,000. Then after a while.


    [You have dealt 2,894 damage to the target.]


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Lae was astonished. Grid¡¯s Magic Missile ignored 100% of the target¡¯s magic resistance. In short, it was a scam. Lae huped with surprise, while Grid made a satisfied expression.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t very efficient in hunting or raids.¡¯


    It was great against users whose maximum health was only 10,000. The activation time was one second and the cooldown time was five seconds. It was a spell that would be very useful in PvP.


    A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. Then a guest came to see him. It was apletely unexpected guest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312


    Following the Magic Missile test, Grid headed to Khan¡¯s smithy. Thanks to Grid, Khan was able to achieve Advanced cksmithing level 7. He was a more capable cksmith than he was in Winston.


    He supervised and taught over 80 young cksmiths, while producing the supplies that Rabbit and the armymissioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you look younger?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face brightened after not seeing Khan for a long time. Khan looked much better than before. Khan chuckled.


    "Interacting with young people, isn¡¯t it natural to be younger and healthier? This is all due to you. I¡¯m so happy that I could meet you at the end of my life and enjoy such blessings.¡±


    "I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re happy.¡±


    Grid had known Khan since the days when he was invisible. Grid¡¯s affection for Khan was endless, and Khan was the same.


    "For the rest of my life, I will always work hard for you. I will raise the cksmiths of Reidan until I die.¡±


    "No, you¡¯re still young and healthy, so you have a lot of time left. Don¡¯t say that even as a joke. Huh?¡±


    Grid btedly looked around the castle. The other cksmiths were watching him nervously. Work had stopped since the duke came and they were also restless.


    ¡°You worked hard. Don¡¯t mind me and continue what you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The cksmiths bowed deeply and returned to their ce. Grid stood next to Khan and observed them.


    "There are already two cksmiths who have risen to the intermediate rank.¡±


    It had only been half a year since Reidan started training cksmiths. The fact that intermediate cksmiths were already born was an incredible growth.


    "The environment is good. They can often see the work of a legendary cksmith, so their talent can bloom faster."


    That¡¯s right. It was useless to have excellent talent if the environment didn¡¯t support them. The reason why the cksmiths of Reidan could develop rapidly was because they received teachings from Grid and Khan, and had a good space to work.


    "Until the day that they all be craftsmen, please continue to work for a long time Khan.¡±


    Khan was the first friend in Grid¡¯s life, so he was more important than anyone else. Grid was eager for Khan to live a long time.


    "I understand. I will persistently survive and raise 10,000 craftsmen.¡±


    It was a joke, but Grid wanted it to be reality.


    "I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Hah, truly. You want this old man to overdo it.¡±


    "You won¡¯t grow old. You will still be in full swing even when you¡¯re 70."


    ¡°So I will be in a cage?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    Duke Grid and themoner Khan, it was a strange rtionship. The difference between the two people was greater than the heavens and earth. Yet they were on such friendly terms...


    ¡®Indeed, our teacher is great!¡¯


    The young cksmiths felt more respect towards Khan and were brimming with enthusiasm.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The hammering sounds in Reidan didn¡¯t stop today.


    ***


    Grid confirmed that there were promising and talented cksmiths. He was filled with joy as Irene greeted him.


    "Dear husband~¡±


    Irene ran into Grid¡¯s arms with arge smile. As always, she freely expressed her affection towards Grid. Irene¡¯s love was delightful and precious for Grid, who had little experience with being loved by someone.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you have returned safely."


    Irene buried her face in Grid¡¯s wide chest. A pleasant smell exuded from her soft and clean skin.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    ¡°I also wanted to see you.¡±


    Grid kissed Irene¡¯s forehead. The words were great. It was an an unimaginable appearance for the normal Grid.


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Lauel saw Grid and Irene and gave a meaningful smile. He covered half his face with one hand and sent a provocative gaze towards Grid.


    "I saw it on the news, but I am convinced at this moment.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid was confused by the words and looked at Lauel in a questioning manner.


    Kukuk, Lauel¡¯s shoulders shook as heughed.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been my only friend and rival in a past life, Angel Sylvanus.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s chunnibyou symptom was in full bloom after witnessing the white haired Grid. He recognized Grid as simr to himself and included Grid in his delusional worldview.


    ¡®When will this sickness be healed...?¡¯


    Tsk, Grid ignored Lauel and touched Irene¡¯s belly.


    ¡°In the next two months, I can meet Gold.¡±


    ¡°Huhut, that¡¯s right. I wish that day wille quickly.¡±


    ¡°...Gold?¡± Lauel¡¯s face was disturbed as he regained his reason. "Grid, are you nning to call your child Gold?¡±


    Surely he wouldn¡¯t name his child Gold? It was something that shouldn¡¯t happen. The possibility of it being called Grid II was also too big.


    "You have to consider the position of the child when naming it!¡±


    Grid looked sharply at Lauel.


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m not crazy enough to call my child Gold? It¡¯s just a temporary name.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    He was d. Grid¡¯s naming sense was too bad. Then Lauel asked again.


    "What will you name the child when it is born?¡±


    Grid replied with a confident expression, ¡°I was thinking of Grene after Irene.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Grene.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was this a joke?


    ¡®Of course it¡¯s a joke.¡¯


    Lauel wanted to believe that. But Grid¡¯s proud expression and Irene¡¯s reaction were terrible.


    "Oh my, dear husband. The name Grene is too pretty. It is a pretty and cute name that will suit a boy or a girl.¡±


    ¡®What on earth...?¡¯


    It was scary. Irene thought any suggestion from Grid was good. Nobody knew that this absolute love and faith came from Grid¡¯s dexterity.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s office. Grid called Piaro and asked him.


    "What do you know about the 3rd Prince of the Saharan Empire?¡±


    "He¡¯s the third son of the deceased Empress Aria and has an introverted personality, unlike his siblings. I only saw him a few times and don¡¯t know any details. Why are you suddenly asking about him?¡±


    ¡°This.¡±


    Grid pulled the Amethyst Shield out of his inventory. Piaro¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    "How do you have this...?¡±


    "A monster called the Guardian of the Forest dropped it. It was originally an object of honor?¡±


    "It is a symbol that has been inherited from generation to generation by the captain of the Red Knights.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything special about it?¡±


    "Yes, it is just a shield with a gorgeous appearance. The performance itself isn¡¯t very good.¡±


    "Then why is the 3rd Prince looking for this?¡±


    "3rd Prince...?¡±


    ¡°It seems like he is looking for several things.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± Piaro suddenly recalled one fact. "That reminds me, there was a time when the 3rd Prince was interested in some ritual. His hobby is rituals, so he might be collecting the items necessary for it."


    ¡°Ritual? What ritual?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It is just likely that the Amethyst Shield is useful as a tool for the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Was it a ck magic ritual?


    ¡®It is a shame.¡¯ It might be better not to hand these things over to the 3rd Prince. ¡®But it could be a quest rted to an episode, so I can¡¯t ignore itpletely... Well, I¡¯ll look at the situation and act ordingly.¡¯


    In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t urgent. Grid had separate priorities. At that time, Lauel sent a whisper to Grid.


    -A guest hase.


    ¡®Guest?¡¯


    The guest wouldn¡¯t be normal if they could arrive in Reidan. In particr, the person must be big if Lauel was talking to him about it.


    -Who?


    -Chris.


    -Chris?3rd on the unified rankings?


    -Yes.


    Chris was the head of the Giant Guild, thergest of the seven guilds. Grid hadn¡¯t heard about him since the First National Competition and the Reinhardt golem invasion.


    ¡®But Chris has a hostile rtionship with the Tzedakah Guild.¡¯


    Why would he take the risk toe here? Grid was interested and immediately rose from his spot.


    -Bring him to the drawing room.


    ***


    The Giant Guild lost their territory after the golem invasion and had a hard time for half a year. In particr, Chris¡¯ reputation was hit hard because he was defeated by Regas in the National Competition.


    But Chris and the Giant Guild didn¡¯t get frustrated. They overcame the trials! Their power became bigger than before. In particr, Chris obtained a very useful second ss. He was several times stronger than before.


    However, there was a problem. He couldn¡¯t find a satisfactory weapon. Despite watching the item trading sites and in-game auction site for 24 hours a day, a suitable weapon didn¡¯t show up. Chris gradually became nervous because he knew how important items were to the game.


    Thus, he looked for Grid.


    "Make me the strongest weapon.¡±


    This was the first time Grid met Chris. He only saw the 3rd ranking user on the news or from far away. In the past, the Giant Guild had a conflict with the Tzedakah Guild, but Grid had no personal grudge against Chris.


    However, the other members of the Tzedakah Guild were a problem.


    "I remember that Jishuka hates you quite a bit. Why should I ignore my guild members to make you an item?¡±


    Grid had the advantage. Grid was currently in a much higher position. Of course, Grid didn¡¯t intend this, but it worked out excellently. Chris was in a bad position and had to bow to Grid.


    "I will give you a lot of money. In addition, the Tzedakah Guild doesn¡¯t have a big grudge towards me.¡±


    "Then why was there a feud?¡±


    ¡°It was due to my one-sidedpetition, and the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t avoid the fight.¡±


    When ying the game called L.T.S., Chris and the Giant Guild had always been defeated by the Tzedakah Guild. The grudge was deeply rooted and this sense ofpetitiveness carried over to Satisfy.


    On the other hand, the Tzedakah Guild didn¡¯t even look at the Giant Guild. It was the victim who clung onto the rtionship.


    ¡°I will check it out. In any case, how much will you pay me if I make you an item?¡±


    "I will give you something more precious than money.¡±


    Chris pulled a potion out of his inventory. Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he examined the details.


    ¡®Elixir...!¡¯


    It was a rare potion that was hard to obtain, even after clearing five vampire cities. Companies with huge assets and rankers aiming for the top wanted them, but the supply was scarce and the price soared.


    Elixirs were also necessary for Grid. To be precise, it was the agility elixir. In order for his swordsmanship to be more powerful, it was necessary to make his agility equal to his strength. Coincidentally, the elixir that Chris presented was the agility elixir.


    Grid¡¯s brain started to rotate quickly.


    ¡®It is a deal that must be unconditionally epted.¡¯


    However, there was a problem. Chris might be the enemy of Overgeared. Obviously, he should avoid the act of making his enemies stronger.


    ¡¯But it is too good to decline... Aha.¡¯


    Ssik.


    A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he contemted the elixir in front of him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313


    ¡®Grid will ept the deal.¡¯


    The value of elixirs were so high that Chris was convinced. Satisfy had all types of medicines, but the effect of the elixirs were unique among them.


    ¡®It can increase the stat by up to 10 points...¡¯


    Taking one was like gaining one level. How many people in the world could resist this? He could confidently dere that there were none.


    ¡°Okay, I will make you a weapon.¡±


    Grid naturally epted the deal.


    "Please make me the best weapon. Like the blue greatsword that you are using." Chris earnestly asked again. He would cancel the deal if it wasn¡¯t simr to Failure.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    Grid pledged.


    He wanted to obtain the elixir, and he also felt honored.


    ¡®Please make me the best weapon.¡¯


    It was the first time he received an itemmission from a non-guild member. He felt proud as the master of Overgeared and a legendary cksmith. He had no intention of poorly carrying out the request.


    ¡®I will add this to the Grid set.¡¯


    After Grid¡¯s Boots, it was time to make a greatsword. Failure, Dainsleif, the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword, Lifael¡¯s Spear, Iyarugt and so on. Grid¡¯s Greatsword would be created based on the best weapons that he had used in the past.


    ¡®I¡¯ll add a special option.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s wily smile grew thicker.


    ***


    "I can¡¯t see the Tzedakah Guild members anywhere.¡±


    "Are they hiding because they heard we were here?¡±


    Five people were gathered in the garden of Reidan¡¯s castle. They were the five captains of the Giant Guild. They came with Grid to Reidan and were greatly disappointed. The Tzedakah Guild had been their enemies since the days of L.T.S. Now they couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere.


    ¡°I wanted to see Regas after such a long time.¡±


    In particr, the 1st ranked magic swordsman, Mihara, was disappointed. He fought a total of 14 times with Regas, and the result was three draws and 11 losses. Today, he intended to add a win to this humiliating number, but couldn¡¯t find Regas anywhere.


    ¡°We didn¡¯te here to fight. Please suppress your emotions and don¡¯t make trouble.¡±


    It was the 1st ranked swordsman, Zirkan. He had lost his ranking to Ibellin for a while, but now he consolidated his first rank. Ibellin was promising as one of the 10 Rookies, but he didn¡¯t have enough experience to go beyond Zirkan yet.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll restrain myself. I was just saying.¡±


    Mihara had a tendency to be wild and self-indulgent, but he alwaysplied with Zirkan¡¯s orders. The other captains were the same. Zirkan was Chris¡¯ teacher, so it was hard to resist him.


    ¡°By the way, this castle... There¡¯s nothing to see.¡±


    The only woman, Pinky, changed topics. She thought that Reidan¡¯s castle was ugly. It wasrge, but there were no gorgeousndscaping or decorations. It wasn¡¯t just that.


    ¡°The poption is small.¡±


    Reidan was a big city, but there were no people on the streets. The difficulty of the desert was too high and essibility was low.


    ¡°The speed of Reidan¡¯s development is much slower than our predictions.¡±


    "In the first ce, there aren¡¯t even 30 members in Overgeared. They don¡¯t have the ability to properly manage this big city.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t the farming doing well?¡±


    "It is a testament to their ipetence that such a big city was developed into an agricultural city.¡±


    The Overgeared members were only good for fighting. The overall ability of the guild was low. The five captains of the Giant Guild thought so. They didn¡¯t know that Overgeared had secretly absorbed the Silver Knights Guild. In addition, there was a yellow mithril mine somewhere in the vast desert.


    Bairan was a small city in the north of the Eternal Kingdom. Cork Ind, which had a wealth of resources. What if the five captains found out that the current Overgeared members were divided between these three ces?


    They would be shocked by the power of Overgeared.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m bored. I will be going for a walk, so please let me know when Masteres out.¡±


    "Don¡¯t cause any incidents.¡±


    "Okay, I understand. Who do you think I am?¡±


    Heughed heartily at the Overgeared members. In order to soothe his boredom, Mihara left the group and wandered around.


    "Wow, there really is nothing to see. How is this a duchy?"


    Mihara was in the worst mood after finding out that Regas wasn¡¯t here. He was someone who always pursued stimtion, so he didn¡¯t wee an ordinary situation.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The grumbling Mihara suddenly stopped walking. His gaze was fixed on the old fountain. A pretty NPC maid caught his eye.


    ¡°This is perfect for wasting time.¡±


    Mihara approached the maid.


    "Hey, let me touch your body.¡±


    Unless they were NPCs that gave quests, users didn¡¯t usually show any respect towards general NPCs. In particr, NPCs with a low status weren¡¯t treated as people. Since humans always hurt each other, it was impossible to protect the rights of NPCs. This was one of the biggest problems with Satisfy, which guaranteed a high degree of freedom.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The maid, pouring water on the flowers, was disgusted at the man who suddenly appeared and grabbed her ass. Mihara found her reaction funny.


    "What are you screaming about? Isn¡¯t it just a small touch?¡±


    At that moment.


    "Who are you?"


    A deep voice was heard in Mihara¡¯s ear. Mihara moved his gaze. A middle-aged man could be seen. He held a hand plow and looked like a farmer. His name was Piaro. He was also an NPC like the maid.


    "This is an agricultural city, so there are farmers everywhere.¡±


    Mihara angrily waved his hand.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    "I asked who you were.¡±


    Rather than stepping back, Piaro asked again. Mihara no longer paid attention to him. He chose to keep touching the maid¡¯s body rather than care about a farmer NPC. Mihara couldn¡¯t imagine the disaster that this act would bring.


    "All of Reidan belongs to Duke Grid. Even the emperor of the Saharan Empire can¡¯t covet anything here.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s voice lowered even more. Mihara frowned.


    ¡°This bastard is talking nonsense. I am busy touching this maid¡¯s... Heok?¡±


    A hand plow flew towards Mihara. Mihara¡¯s level and and agility were lower, so he barely detected it. Mihara used Haste to evade the hand plow and seethed.


    "How dare a farmer threaten me?¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Mihara pulled out a ming sword. At this point, his judgment was blurred by the threat from the farmer. He tried to kill Piaro. But it was nothing from the viewpoint of Piaro.


    ¡°This is Reidan.¡±


    Teong!


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    Mihara was astonished. It was because the farmer threw a small seed at him.


    "You trash.¡±


    Teong!


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    Mihara was struck on the forehead with a seed.


    [You have suffered 9,150 damage.]


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t make sense...!¡¯


    "This is a ce where a person like you isn¡¯t allowed.¡±


    Teong!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Mihara shrieked. A seed flew again and struck his heart, causing him terrible suffering.


    ¡¯W-Will I be killed by a seed?¡¯


    Mihara checked his health gauge and thought this was a nightmare. The farmer threw seeds at the 1st ranked magic swordsman. It was a small seed like a sunflower seed, but he couldn¡¯t be killed by this. But reality was relentless.


    [You have died.]


    Mihara was hit in the forehead by a fourth seed and saw a grey world.


    ¡®I won¡¯t touch an NPC¡¯s butt again...!¡¯


    The NPC protection system had been strengthened so far! Mihara was logged out.


    ***


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 12/18.


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    A long time after Grid¡¯s Boots, Grid started to design an item. Prior to creating Grid¡¯s Greatsword, he sketched a n in his head. It was tremendous prudencepared to the days when he created items without any thought.


    ¡®The worst thing about Failure is the excessive size.¡¯


    A greatsword was cool when bigger. It was the reason why Grid designed Failure to be 3m long, but he experienced difort after using it. It took too long to recover the sword, and it was greatly constrained by the terrain. In particr, it often hit the floor.


    ¡®A length of 1m and 40cm is the most suitable.¡¯


    It would be better to increase the width by 4cm. One of the advantages of a greatsword was that it was suitable to use for defense.


    ¡®Let¡¯s increase the feeling of weight.¡¯


    The biggest advantage of Failure was that it was made of blue orichalcum and was lightweight. The attack speed wasn¡¯t decreased despite being a big sword, but its destructive power wasn¡¯t maximized because it had no weight behind it.


    ¡®Then the materials will be a mix of blue orichalcum and ck iron.¡¯


    The cutting power of the de would be maximized by increasing the blue orum content, while the weight of the de would be increased due to the ck iron.


    "...¡±


    Grid had already closed his eyes for two areas as he drew out the shape of a new item. The young cksmiths in the smithy couldn¡¯t understand his behavior as Grid mediated to one side.


    ¡°Why is he only doing that aftering to work?¡±


    ¡°Is he taking a nap?¡±


    "What reason would he have for taking a nap? That is meditation. The duke is trying to figure out the type of weapon he will create before he begins.¡±


    ¡®Hoh.¡¯


    Among the cksmiths sharing their opinions, there was those with exceptional eyes. They were the two young men who became intermediate cksmiths first. Khan¡¯s evaluation of them increased.


    ¡®They are the children who will be a great force for Grid after me.¡¯


    Currently, Khan was giving a break to all the cksmiths. He wanted to give them a chance to see Grid work. The young cksmiths asked questions as they looked at Grid¡¯s actions, allowing them to grow step by step.


    "Now, let¡¯s get started."


    After the meditation, Grid used the Item Creation skill and designed Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Then he finally pulled out his hammer.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The young cksmiths of Reidan watched every move that the legendary cksmith made.


    ***


    It was three days after Grid received themission.


    -It ispleted.


    Chris was hunting monsters in the desert when he finally received Grid¡¯s whisper. He joyfully headed straight towards Reidan.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Chris was amazed as he received the details of the item created. The performance of the item was more than he expected. But his face stiffened after he checked the options.


    * This item can only be repaired by the maker.


    ¡®This guy...!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he very sly, unlike the rumors of his stupidity? Chris didn¡¯t know that Grid had grown steadily.


    ¡°Is it a deal?¡±


    Gridughed as he asked. Chris was very displeased. But the performance of the item was so desirable that he inevitably nodded.


    ¡°I will... trade...¡±


    It was the moment the 3rd ranked user and head of the Giant Guild fell ve to the power of items. Now he became someone who couldn¡¯t live without Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 314

    Chapter 314


    So far, Grid only considered the performance when it came to item creation and production.


    This was understandable. Items were things that existed for the convenience of the user and to increase their stats. The most important factor for an item was the performance, and Grid always considered this.


    However, the circumstances were different this time. He had to make an item for someone who wasn¡¯t a colleague, but a potential enemy.


    ¡®It will be sickening if a future enemy is armed with the most powerful item I have created.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t refuse the deal. If so, he needed to set up a device so that Chris wouldn¡¯t be an enemy. How? The conclusion he came to after a long period of thinking.


    ¡®I need to make the buyer of the item dependent on the creator.¡¯


    But how? Grid came up with a simple yet dramatic solution.


    ¡®This item can only be repaired by the maker.¡¯


    The absolute maker of the item! Grid¡¯s Greatsword would establish a rtionship between the maker and buyer, and it would be effective as a type of ve contract.


    ¡®I need to make aplicated structure so that only the maker can repair it.¡¯


    Designing it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡®I am a legendary cksmith.¡¯


    Great Magician Braham had said it. A legend was a transcendental presence. Don¡¯t make a wall himself.


    ¡°I will design an item that no one can imitate.¡±


    Grid encouraged morale by copying Braham¡¯s tone. He grabbed the thought, used Item Creation and designed Grid¡¯s Greatsword. It was a practical design that excluded beauty. He considered the bnce between performance and usage conditions.


    The strengths werebined. It contained a distinctiveness. It was faithful to the basics while bringing out the best performance.


    Ttiring~


    His design was finished after struggling for half a day.


    [¡¯Grid¡¯s Greatsword¡¯ has been added to the list of item production methods!]


    Grid was satisfied.


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 575/575


    Attack Power: 953~1,191


    Attack Speed: -5%


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®3 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * The damage of shing attacks will increase by 20%.


    * Skill damage will increase by 10%.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    * It you hit the same target six times, the sixth attack will unconditionally be a critical attack.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 840/840


    Attack Power: 1,274~1,440


    Attack Speed: -3%


    * There is a certain probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®3 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * The damage of shing attacks will increase by 30%.


    * Skill damage will increase by 20%.


    * Attack power +20% in dark ces.


    * It you hit the same target five times, the fifth attack will unconditionally be a critical attack.


    * If you seeded in linking a skill within 0.5 seconds of 3 Joint Attacks, additional damage will be inflicted on the target.


    It is a weapon designed by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    In a blind spot in the center of the de, the content of ck iron is increased to maximize the weight, and the cutting power is increased by adding blue orichalcum to both sides of the de.


    It is designed for the user¡¯s convenience and is perfectly bnced, helping the user achieve the best swordsmanship.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. More than 2,800 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 5 or higher.


    * This item can only be repaired by the maker.


    Weight: 1,540


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword wasn¡¯t better than Failure. The attack speed, maximum attack power and durability of Failure were all better than Grid¡¯s Greatsword. In addition, the level limit of 300 was identical.


    But Grid appreciated Grid¡¯s Greatsword more than Failure. There were many reasons.


    First of all, the design of Grid¡¯s Greatsword was more efficient than Failure. Unlike Failure, which was inconvenient to use due to its excessive size, Grid¡¯s Greatsword had a very appropriate size.


    In addition, the minimum attack power of Grid¡¯s Greatsword was far superior. When attacking a target, the minimum attack power was always guaranteed, unlike the maximum attack power. A weapon with a higher minimum damage was bound to have higher damage. There were also the options that increased shing damage and skill damage.


    There was only one part where Grid¡¯s Greatsword was worse than Failure. It had 3 Joint Attacks instead of 5 Joint Attacks. Grid had done his best to pass on the merits of Failure onto Grid¡¯s Greatsword, but it wasn¡¯t aplete sess.


    But Grid thought about it positively.


    ¡®This is fine. The terms of use might be ridiculously higher if it was 5 Joint Attacks.¡¯


    There was also a secret hidden in Grid¡¯s Greatsword. There was a deep groove across the center of the de. It had a tremendous effect when used, but only Grid, who designed it, knew about it.


    "Then let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and stood in front of the furnace. Then he confirmed the number of minerals he currently had in stock.


    29 blue orichalcum.


    99 ck iron.


    1,290 iron ores.


    32 mithril.


    Blue orichalcum was a mineral dropped only by the Guardian of the Forest. There was a limit on the quantity that could be obtained, so it was virtually impossible for a person to have this much.


    But Grid had Jishuka. While acting as ruler of Bairan, she steadily raided the Guardian of the Forest, gathered the blue orichalcum, and gave them all to Grid. The value of her help couldn¡¯t be converted to money, and Grid really appreciated her at this moment.


    ¡®Thank you, Jishuka.¡¯


    Grid felt thankful once again and started to melt the minerals in the furnace. His perfect understanding of the minerals and control of the temperature was engraved into the young cksmiths.


    ***


    ¡®Finally...¡¯


    Over the past two days, Grid dedicated himself to making the item. As a result, two greatswords were in front of him. They were ck swords with a deep groove in the center, while the des gave off a subtle blue light. The harmony of colors was luxurious and seemed to improve the quality itself.


    However, both were iplete, as the handle wasn¡¯t attached yet.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The handle was a length that could be grasped with both hands. Grid took a deep breath beforebining it with the greatswords. The young cksmiths felt doubts.


    ¡®Why is he upset beforebining the handles?¡¯


    ¡®Is something wrong?¡¯


    The young cksmiths thought Grid had a deep meaning behind dying thepletion of the sword. But it was a misunderstanding. The present Grid was engulfed with fear.


    ¡®What if both arepleted with a unique rating...?¡¯


    Grid used 19 blue orichalcum and 44 ck iron just to produce one greatsword. ck iron was a rtivelymon mineral that could be obtained with money, but the blue orichalcum was different. It was a rare mineral that could only be obtained once every three months.


    What if he used 19 of them just for a unique rated greatsword to be produced? It was obvious why he was trembling with nervousness. There was also the ¡®special event¡¯ that would happen in exchange for making the 10th legendary item. Even if he received a penalty, Grid wanted this to be a legendary greatsword. He couldn¡¯t always avoid legendary items.


    ¡®Please...!¡¯


    Grid strongly grasped the hammer.


    ¡®God, Buddha, Goddess Reba, God Yatan! Please give me good luck!¡¯


    Grid even prayed to God Yatan! As everyone watched, he attached a handle to the two-handed greatsword. The result was amazing.


    [You have seeded in making Grid¡¯s Greatsword (Legendary)!]


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    [You have seeded in making Grid¡¯s Greatsword (Legendary)!]


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohh!!¡±


    The cksmiths were unable to close their mouths as they watched thepletion of the greatsword. Khan was teary-eyed. He was pleased because Grid gave birth to a wonderful result. On the other hand, Grid was distracted.


    [You have proven your potential by making 10 legendary items.]


    [Now you are growing into a cksmithparable to Pagma.]


    [The penalty that urs when an item¡¯s usage conditions isn¡¯t met has disappeared.]


    "Penalty removal!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. The greatest disadvantage grabbing onto his ankles since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant was now gone. Grid trembled with excitement. But that joy was brief.


    [Your growth has deteriorated due to the blossoming of your potential.]


    [You won¡¯t acquire any additional stats in the future when making items with a unique rating.]


    ¡°This damn thing!¡±


    He had already expected to experience a penalty to some extent. But once the moment came, he couldn¡¯t help feeling bad.


    ¡®If I want to increase my stats in the future, I have to produce legendary items...!¡¯


    The rate of producing legendary items was the worst. He had been Pagma¡¯s Descendant for over a year and he had only been able to produce 11. Grid felt desperate and frustrated. In the past, he would¡¯ve cursed at the game operators for a few days. But now it was different.


    Grid quickly overcame the frustration due to the growth in his mentality.


    ¡®...Not bad.¡¯


    The deterioration of his stats increase was bad, but the item penalty had also disappeared. What did this suggest?


    ¡¯In the future, I will truly be dependent on the power of items.¡¯


    It was the rise of the overgeared legend, which didn¡¯t require potions or skills.


    ***


    ¡°I will... trade...¡±


    The legendary rated Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Chris verified the details of it and finally epted the deal. A ve contract. In the future, Chris would have to leave the repairing to Grid, so he could never be Grid¡¯s enemy. If he did something wrong against Grid, his item wouldn¡¯t be repaired.


    "Okay, let¡¯s work well together in the future.¡±


    Grid held out a hand to shake.


    "...¡±


    Chris looked at his smile and once again wondered if his choice was right. However, he desired Grid¡¯s Greatsword too much. It was the best item Chris had seen while reaching level 314.


    ¡°P... Please...¡±


    Chris shook his hand without any strength. The look in Grid¡¯s eyes was rxed as he looked at Grid. The present Grid was closer to being reborn with the attitude of a legendary, like Braham mentioned.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315


    [Your agility has increased by 10.]


    Afterpleting the deal with Chris. Grid took the elixir without any dy, and his body felt lighter.


    Strength: 2,790


    Agility: 1,756


    ¡®There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡¯


    He needed to gain at least 104 levels in order to make the ratio of strength and agility 1:1. Grid thought it was frankly out of the question. Amoract¡¯s agent, Tallos. Despite the fact that he gained a huge 2.6 billion experience, he only gained one level. So how long would it take to gain 104 levels?


    ¡®Every time my level increases, the amount of experience required increases too much. This is why a fourth advancement ss hasn¡¯t emerged even after one year.¡¯


    No, would it be possible for Kraugel to get a fourth advancement ss in one year? His level was 319, which was four levels higher than the second ce.


    ¡®A monster... That guy must be only hunting.¡¯


    The 1st ranked Kraugel. Grid had never met him and never saw him on TV. However, Grid acknowledged that his level up ability was unique.


    ¡®Anyway, it would be nice if I could frequently take the agility elixir.¡¯


    It was an unrealistic wish. Elixirs were a rare potion. This type of transaction might not happen again.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid looked at the location of his guild members. The Pavranium Expedition was still hunting in the remaining vampires cities. After raiding Elfin Stone, they got experience and item acquisition buffs.


    ¡®Wow... Pon and Regas are already level 308. Aren¡¯t they umting a lot of experience? I should go back to the vampire cities.¡¯


    [Experience and item acquisition rate has increased by 5%. This effect only applies to the vampire cities. The time remaining is 25 days, 13 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds.]


    ¡®The next 25 and a half days. If I hunt while the buff is maintained...¡¯


    Couldn¡¯t he gain at least three levels and an elixir if he was lucky? The inspired Grid headed to the smithy before leaving. He had some work to do.


    First of all.


    "Item Creation.¡±


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡°Armor.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    ¡°Blue orichalcum and ck iron.¡±


    [Please design the item.]


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of him. It was already the seventh design, so Grid was able to seamlessly design an armor. After a while, Gridpleted the armor with a satisfactory appearance and exined the features of the item.


    "This armor can never be pierced. It won¡¯t get any scratches from a sword, and even a dragon¡¯s breath won¡¯t melt it."


    [That isn¡¯t possible. There are limits on the level of material and design used.]


    "...Indeed.¡±


    It was as expected. The item penalty had disappeared, but his dream of arming himself with a weapon with 999,999,999 attack power and armor with 999,999,999 defense was just a fanciful dream.


    In the first ce, (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill was only level 6. The standards of an item that could be made with blue orum and ck iron was only slightly better than Failure. In the past, Failure was created without taking into ount the conditions of use.


    ¡®This will change if I use pavranium as a mineral, but...¡¯


    It needed to be on the level of Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid¡¯scking design level was a big obstacle.


    ¡®Right now, it is better to use pavranium was a secondary item than an equipment item. It is urgent to obtain minerals better than blue orichalcum.¡¯


    Grid realized this and summoned Minor, the minerals detector.


    "Find and report on any minerals that are superior to blue orichalcum.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is this?"


    Minor frowned at the words.


    "Didn¡¯t you promise to let me live as a miner if you collected all the pavranium!?¡±


    Minor¡¯s innate talents were more suited to minerals detection than mining. Minor¡¯s grand ambition was to be a legendary miner that surpassed Gis and be the right arm of the emperor. But Minor trembled because Grid didn¡¯t give him a chance to be a miner.


    Grid patted the boy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Endure it a little longer. Don¡¯t you know that I am a legendary cksmith? I sincerely hope that you will be a great miner and give strength to me. But not yet.¡±


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Minor gritted his teeth. There was poison in his eyes. This was truly the attitude of someone who would betray his master. Grid inwardly tsked.


    ¡®He needs to know reality.¡¯


    Minor¡¯s talent was clearly outstanding. He had the qualities to be a huge miner. But it wasn¡¯t enough to be a legendary miner. That¡¯s what the Great Lord¡¯s Sword was telling him. In other words, Minor¡¯s dream was useless.


    ¡®You are more suitable as a minerals detector.¡¯


    The ability of minerals detection was rare. Grid asionally observed the people of Winston Bairan and Reidan, but Minor was the only NPC with a minerals detection talent. Grid hoped that Minor would grow as a minerals detector and would be a great force for him.


    "Hasn¡¯t your mother¡¯s health worsened in Bairan? I will talk to the lord of Bairan to give your mother the best treatment. Now Minor. If you want your mother to regain her health, go on an adventure. Find the best minerals. Fighting!¡±


    ¡°Shit...! Shit! This evil person!¡±


    Minor was only 14 years old. Grid struck at the boy¡¯s weakness, so he seemed evil. However, Grid was convinced that this was the right way to deal with Minor. He believed that a life as a minerals detector would work out better for Minor than just being an excellent miner.


    Minor trembled and left. Then Grid sent a whisper to Euphemina.


    -How many of the Water n King¡¯s Tears did you obtain?


    -Four.


    -Oh, that is a lot more than I thought?


    Water n King¡¯s Tears. It was a rare material that permanently gave magic to an item. It was a production material with a unique effect, but the Water n¡¯s King only shed tears for one day every five months. Grid was surprised because Euphemina collected four tears in the three months after leaving for the Siren Kingdom.


    -I was lucky.I got a special quest.


    -Special quest?What is it?


    -Hehe, I¡¯ll tell youter.


    ¡®She¡¯s excited.¡¯


    She must¡¯ve gotten a fairly good quest.


    Grid nodded with a smile.


    -Yes, I¡¯m looking forward to the good news.If you have any difficulties along the way, please feel free to contact me. First of all, ce the tears in the guild¡¯s warehouse.


    After a while.


    Grid picked up the Water n King¡¯s tears from the warehouse and started to smelt the pavranium.


    ***


    ¡¯A legendary item maker... This really exists!¡¯


    Chris¡¯s smile stretched from ear to ear after he made the deal with Grid. He might be in an unfavorable position to Grid, but what were the chances to get such a good item? It was safe to say that it wasn¡¯tmon.


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword transcendedmon sense, and it was more than what Chris wanted. Chris was convinced that the performance was more than Kraugel¡¯s White Fang and Seuron¡¯s Brutal Heavy Sword.


    ¡®I can use it until at least level 360.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword was much better than the level 320 unique rated item that Chris acquired from a raid. Based on his analysis, he judged that level 350~360 items wouldn¡¯t be as good as Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about weapons for at least 10 months. But the situation is serious...¡¯


    Didn¡¯t it mean that Grid and the Overgeared members were armed with such items? Grid seemed remarkably strongpared to other forces.


    ¡®Can they be left unchecked?¡¯


    Chris was the master of the Giant Guild. He wanted a higher position and to be a king, so that he could obtain the best wealth and power. From this standpoint, Grid was likely to be a big obstacle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chris spoke to the Five Captains. (TL: Author uses the Five Captains as a title here, rather than using it to signify the number of people. So he will keep referring to them as the Five Captains, despite one being missing.)


    Chris walked towards the gate with them when he suddenly felt doubts.


    ¡°Mihara?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since three days ago, when he said he was going to Pedro first.¡±


    Mihara had been acting freely in Reidan. His capricious personality meant it wasn¡¯t strange for him to return first.


    ¡°That guy. Huh?¡±


    Chris suddenly stopped walking. The fields stretched out widely outside Reidan.


    There was a farmer blocking their way?


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    One of the Five Captains, Ases questioned the farmer who was blocking their path. Then the farmer held out five hoes.


    "Clear the ground.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Was this farmer crazy? He appeared and told them to clear the ground? Everyone was speechless because it was so absurd, then Chris spoke.


    "Why should we help you?¡±


    The farmer, Piaro¡¯s, logic was simple.


    ¡°Yourpanion dared touch a maid of Duke Grid¡¯s. You failed to properly control yourpanion, so now you will help develop Reidan¡¯s agriculture.¡±


    Theirpanion molested a maid? Chris and the Five Captains were feeling disbelief when they remembered Mihara.


    ¡¯That stupid brat is doing something trashy again...!¡¯


    Mihara always caused incidents in the past. Chris sighed and nodded.


    "I understand what you want to say. I will punish the one who touched the maid. Don¡¯t be too angry and open the path.¡±


    Chris thought the farmer called Piaro was doing some type of performance. He thought it was the cry of a weak farmer who knew about Mihara¡¯s sin. But it was a misconception.


    "I have already punished him, so now you have to work in the fields.¡±


    In the end, Ases raised his voice.


    "Why do you keep talking nonsense? This is a viscount of the Eternal Kingdom and master of the Giant Guild, Chris! You shouldn¡¯t even look him in the eyes, so how can you skip etiquette and even ask him to work in the fields?¡±


    It had been a long time since they started Satisfy, and they hadn¡¯t interacted with farmers for a while. Piaro looked indifferently at Ases, who was seething with anger.


    ¡°I watched from afar, and you didn¡¯t show any politeness towards Duke Grid. I¡¯m just following your rude behavior.¡±


    ¡°Rude behavior...!¡±


    Unlike NPCs, etiquette didn¡¯t y a huge role between users. Chris and the Five Captains had to bow and be polite to Duke Grid? It was impossible. The five people thought that the farmer wasn¡¯t aware of reality.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Their ankles couldn¡¯t be grabbed by a farmer forever. Ases pushed the farmer. No, it was a shove.


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    Ases¡¯ eyes widened. He wanted to grab the wrist of the farmer, but his vision instantly changed to that of the sky.


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    Asesy on the ground while the Five Captains were amazed, Chris as well.


    ¡®Reidan¡¯s monster farmer...! He really exists!¡¯


    They believed it was a rumor, but now they knew it wasn¡¯t the case. Chris felt a great interest and grabbed Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who knocked down Zibal? Those skills, show them to me!¡±


    The reason why the alliance of the seven guilds, except for the Giant Guild, failed to invade Reidan was due to the unidentified farmers. A farmer who was strong enough to knock down the 2nd ranked Zibal, what if Chris beat him?


    After obtaining a second ss, the 3rd ranked Chris believed that he was stronger than Zibal. He rushed towards Piaro.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 316

    Chapter 316


    The 1st National Competition and Reinhardt¡¯s golem invasion.


    Grid appeared in public and always used a greatsword. Nevertheless, the public perceived the best user of the greatsword to be Chris, not Grid. It was natural. Grid overwhelmed his enemies with skills and items, but his ability with the sword itself wasn¡¯t special. The ability he showed at the time of fighting the Red Knight was merely excellent.


    On the other hand, Chris¡¯ greatsword technique caused the viewers to feel wonder.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who knocked down Zibal? Those skills, show them to me!¡±


    A greatsword covered in a blue light. It had a considerable weight to it at first nce and felt good in his hand. The speed wasn¡¯t fast. But a considerable pressure was felt from it.


    This was the effect of the passive skill, Rule with Might¡¯s Path. All enemies in the path of the charge had their casting speed and agility slightly reduced.


    ¡®He¡¯s scared.¡¯


    Piaro stood still despite Chris¡¯ rush. The disappointed Chris mistook it for fear.


    ¡®This is the person who knocked down Zibal?¡¯


    No, his opponent¡¯s level wasn¡¯t low. It was just that his level was higher. The Rule with Might¡¯s Path skill had a greater effect depending on his strength. The effect of having 3,000 strength at level 314 was now being demonstrated.


    Chris neared Piaro, who was standing like a stone, and wielded his greatsword.


    Kwaang!


    There was no superfluous movements in the sh. There was a violent explosion of wind and the target was pushed back.


    ¡®Perfect!¡¯


    Chris admired. The size and shape of the greatsword was very suitable, making the time it took to pull back the sword shorter than usual.


    So far, he had used hundreds of greatswords, but this was the first time he had a greatsword that was perfect for his hands. It seemed to be a greatsword made exactly for him. He felt awe towards the maker, Grid.


    ¡®Dead?¡¯


    Chris was worried that he might¡¯ve killed Piaro with this strike. NPCs had one life. No, it was because they only had one precious life that they were NPCs. He felt a little guilty about taking his life...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Chris¡¯ gaze had been glued to Grid¡¯s Greatsword. He was confused as he looked towards Piaro. It was because Piaro was still alive and well. Piaro clicked his tongue.


    "Looking away after one hit? Your arrogance has reached the extremes. It¡¯s important to believe in yourself, but that can be a poison.¡±


    Chris couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡®There was clearly the sensation of something being hit?¡¯


    Was he mistaken? Chris was feeling confused when he suddenly saw the cut up straw hat at Piaro¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Ninja...!¡±


    Like most westerners, Chris, a Canadian, had fantasies about ninjas. He knew a little bit about ninjas, and learned that there was a ninja technique where the body was swapped with something else. Once he saw it, he was certain that Piaro was a ninja pretending to be a farmer.


    ¡®An assassin-type hidden ss NPC! No wonder Zibal was killed!¡¯


    Chris was nervous. He guessed that now the ninja would throw knives at him, or aim a lightning punch at him.


    ¡®I must be prepared!¡¯


    Like other warriors, Chris¡¯ agility was only 200, because he focused his stat points on strength. It was virtually impossible for him to see and respond to the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    ¡®I won¡¯t give up!¡¯


    Chris got ready to fight back. He could ovee hisck of agility with thorough preparation and prediction. Piaro felt pleased at the sight.


    ¡®Excellent.¡¯


    His lord had many outstanding talents. In particr, Regas and Ibellin were amazing. And the man in front of him had their level of talent. It was a more refined talent. This was the first time since Kraugel.


    ¡°I acknowledge your skills.¡±


    Piaro acknowledged Chris. He pulled out a weapon with a serious expression.


    Gulp!


    Chris gulped. Would he pull out a recognizable ninja weapon? Or maybe a whip? A ball and chain?


    ¡®Is it a whip?¡¯


    Chris¡¯ head spun quickly. He would take different actions depending on what weapon Piaro pulled out. But the weapon Piaro heldpletely deviated from Chris¡¯ predictions.


    ¡°Hand plow!¡±


    That¡¯s right. Piaro¡¯s weapon was a hand plow. It seemed to have just been used, as it was covered with moist soil. Chris failed to conceal his embarrassment as he shouted.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a hand plow! You¡¯re deceiving me!¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Was there a need for long words? It was better to show it with actions.


    Teong!


    Piaro moved. It was truly tremendous speed suitable for a ninja. The distance that Chris decided was ideal was instantly narrow, and the hand plow moved.


    ¡°You!"


    The incensed Chris swung his greatsword. He was determined to blow away the hand plow and Piaro. However.


    Dok.


    "What?"


    As he aimed for Piaro¡¯s chest, the hand plow struck the front of the greatsword. Chris¡¯ bnce copsed and his upper body leaned forward.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The eyes of the captains watching widened. They couldn¡¯t understand why Chris looked like this. But Chris and Zirkan were different. They determined the situation in an instant.


    ¡®It was what he intended!¡¯


    Large weapons were much heavier and longer than one-handed weapons. The weight was great and had to be focused in order to exert more destructive power. Chris was faithful to the basics, and Piaro aimed for this. He urately grasped the point where Chris focused the weight of the greatsword and struck it, causing Chris¡¯ center of gravity to shift.


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this like the protagonists of the 20th century Hong Kong movies? The hand plow flew towards the stumbling Chris. It was an attack that used the recoil of hitting the greatsword to link the next strike. Chris felt a chill and raised his shoulders. The hand plow that should¡¯ve pierced his neck struck his shoulder instead.


    [You have suffered 12,300 damage.]


    ¡¯What is with this hand plow¡¯s damage...!?¡¯


    Even if this was a critical hit, it was an unbelievable amount of damage. Piaro was stronger than a named boss. Chris groaned and tilted his body forward. After limiting Piaro¡¯s movements by sticking close to his body, he recovered the greatsword.


    At this time, the greatsword moved naturally to strike at Piaro¡¯s heart. Based on his hundreds of thousands ofbat experience, Chris showed his dignity that threatened the enemy no matter what situation he was in.


    "Sowing.¡±


    A smile appeared on Piaro¡¯s face after he was lightly wounded on the chest. He sprinkled several small seeds at Chris¡¯ feet.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Why were seeds being sowed in a battle? Chris was confused, before suddenly realizing.


    ¡®This is a mere trick!¡¯


    The opponent was a ninja. Ninjas were people who used tricks to deceive the enemy. Chris nced away from the seeds that fell at his feet. It was a fatal mistake to ignore this.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Chris tried to swing his greatsword again. The seeds that Piaro sowed had sprouted and sped tightly around Chris¡¯ ankles and thighs.


    "What is this?¡±


    nts instantly grew from the seeds that were just sown? In addition, the pressure of the nts was very high. It wasn¡¯t something that could be understood with Chris¡¯mon sense.


    It was natural. It was a legendary skill. Piaro who chose the path of a farmer after forsaking a sword saint! The ¡®Free Farming¡¯ method that hepleted after bing a farmer was at a levelparable to the legends in history.


    In other words, today¡¯s Piaro was much stronger than the one whopeted with Grid.


    "You are the second strongest person I have ever met. You should be proud of your potential.¡±


    The second? Then who was the first?


    ¡®Is he talking about Zibal...!¡¯


    Chris¡¯ ego was shattered. The difference between them was just one level. He couldn¡¯t ovee that level difference, but he believed he was stronger. But he was weaker?


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Chris shouted and aimed his sword at the nts around his lower body. Then an energy de aimed at Piaro. It was the Rule with Might Sword that made ranged attacks possible. As the powerful de was about to prate Piaro¡¯s chest,


    "Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡±


    Piaro pulled out a plow and started digging at the ground. As it struck the ground, the soil rose up and became a barrier that blocked the de.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    Satisfy had started exactly two years and two months ago. He steadily trained with the goal of bing number one. He was even equipped with the best items. Chris thought this person was a ninja who hid as a farmer, but he actually was overwhelmed by a real farmer?


    He suffered defeat from farming methods such as sowing, nt growing and plowing.


    ¡®I can¡¯t ept it!¡¯


    Chris barely managed to restore his mental state. The opponent was someone who beat Zibal. It was naive to think he could win when his level was lower than Zibal¡¯s, but Chris couldn¡¯t tolerate this.


    "Kuaaaah!"


    Chris used Tyrant¡¯s Strength which temporarily increased his strength by 20%, tearing apart the nts binding his lower body. It was done with pure strength. Piaro saw this and thought.


    ¡®I amcking practice.¡¯


    Free Farming Style 1 ¡®Sowing¡¯ and style 2 ¡®Rapid Growth.¡¯ The durability of the nts grown was weaker than expected. It was proof that Rapid Growth hadn¡¯t reached the right level yet.


    ¡®I have to work harder in the fields.¡¯


    As Piaro vowed this, the energy des covered Piaro. The hand plow defended against every strike, then Piaro tried to break Chris¡¯ center of gravity again.


    ¡®His enlightenment is fast.¡¯


    Piaro was surprised to see Chris¡¯ skill in recovering his greatsword every time the hand plow collided with it.


    ¡®It¡¯s higher than Kraugel when I first met him.¡¯


    Piaro acknowledged it and started to swing his hand plow. His skill with the farming equipment overwhelmed Chris. But Chris¡¯ momentum didn¡¯t go down. His chest was struck but he didn¡¯t retreat as he shouted.


    ¡°I am above Zibal!¡±


    Kuwaaah!


    It was like a lion¡¯s roar. There were farmers and users scattered throughout the vast fields. They were amazed and frightened, while the captains of the Giant Guild also blocked their ears. It was the power of Chris¡¯ second ss, Tyrant.


    ¡®This is the time!¡¯


    There was no one who would be safe when facing Tyrant¡¯s Growl. Chris used the gap caused by Tyrant¡¯s Growl to attack the temporarily confused Piaro.


    Kurururung.


    There was an earthquake centered on Piaro. The only person able to withstand this earthquake was Chris, the one who caused it. Chris expected Piaro to be swept away by Tyrant¡¯s Advent.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Chris was at a loss after using the skill. He saw Piaro standing on arge number of rice nts growing out of cracks in the copsingnd.


    "You have messed up thend. You will have more work to do.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was strange. It sounded like Piaro was trying to make Chris do something. Chris was feeling confused when rice rained down on him. He defended by swinging his greatsword.


    [The durability of Grid¡¯s Greatsword has decreased by 10.]


    [The durability of Grid¡¯s Greatsword has decreased by 11.]


    Hollow rice. They were a weak nt that had no sense of weight. No, this was a concept higher than aura. Chris couldn¡¯t endure it, and became a rag along with Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ***


    ¡°Repair my greatsword.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    20 minutes after saying goodbye, Chris returned. He handed his greatsword to Grid. Grid frowned as he checked the greatsword, which was cracked.


    ¡°What is this? Did you meet a dragon?¡±


    ¡®You awful bastard!¡¯


    Chris believed that this incident was caused by Grid. The monster called Piaro was Grid¡¯s subordinate, so he was forced to think this way.


    ¡®Is it to let us know who is superior in our rtionship?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t believe the rumors. Grid was rumored to be stupid, but he was actually incredibly scary. Grid extended a hand to Chris.


    "The cost of the repairs. It is 3 gold for every one point of durability.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    It was 10 times more expensive than the normal repair price. It was an unreasonable price, but he couldn¡¯t refuse the transaction.


    ¡®This demon... I absolutely can¡¯t make him an enemy!¡¯


    Chris handed over 853 gold with trembling hands and returned to the fields. The five leaders of the Giant Guild had to work there.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 317

    Chapter 317


    ¡°Sigh... It is hard, hard.¡±


    "It is too hard to fill the quota. Does it make sense that there are only 400 people working in these vast fields? Looking at the scale, there should be at least 10 times more workers.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! If this is an agricultural city, increase the number of farmers!¡±


    "They want to save money on thebor costs. I heard that Grid is quite cheap.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s beyond the level of cheap. Cuttingbor costs and kidnapping users to be farmers, is this something normal people would do?¡±


    The 21 users caught by Piaro and forced to work. Theyined about Grid every time they gathered. It was because they were convinced that Piaro, who kidnapped them and turned them into farmers, was doing it under Grid¡¯s orders.


    However, the reason they didn¡¯t run away was due to the rewards of the hidden quest. Honestly, they were happy about getting a hidden quest and didn¡¯t hold any animosity towards Grid. The reason they came to Reidan was because they wanted to join Overgeared, and they basically liked Grid.


    But the work was too hard, so it was hard to survive unless theyined. It was inevitable that Grid would be frequently mentioned.


    ¡°Are they new?¡±


    The grumbling users working in the fields focused on one ce. From far away, Piaro was leading five people over.


    ¡°This time it¡¯s a group of five.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk, poor guys.¡±


    The average level of the 21 users was 270. They had to be at least that level to cross the desert to Reidan. The group of five people would also be high level users. Wasn¡¯t it too absurd that they were being dragged as dogs to be farmers? They felt a sense ofpassion.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    The users looking at the five neers sympathetically became confused. They were the master of the Giant Guild and the Five Captains!


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous!¡±


    They were dealt a big blow in the golem invasion, but they were still very strong. The Giant Guild was one of the best guilds. In particr, the Five Captains were third advancement users and Chris was 3rd on the unified rankings, so they were a high sky for the users. But they weren¡¯t even Piaro¡¯s opponent?


    ¡®That crazy farmer is bigger than we thought!¡¯


    The users were astonished, while Piaro introduced Chris¡¯ group to them.


    "They are new farmers. I hope you get along well with them in the future.¡±


    ¡°Who is a farmer?¡±


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    Chris, the 3rd ranked user, leader of the Giant Guild and viscount of the Eternal Kingdom was being introduced as a new farmer! The captains trembled at Piaro¡¯s absurd attitude.


    But Chris wasn¡¯t offended. The opponent was stronger than him. Despite being able to kill him, Chris was spared and given a hidden quest. He didn¡¯t intend to make a fuss.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get along well."


    Chris greeted the senior farmers with respect. The Five Captains were forced to bow their heads.


    "W-We will work hard.¡±


    On this day, Chris and the Five Captains joined the fun and exciting training.


    A strange rumor started to circte on the Inte. The master of the Giant Guild and the Five Captains became serfs of Grid. It was a rumor that couldn¡¯t be believed. No one believed the rumor.


    ¡°What is this nonsense?¡±


    Grid was more disbelieving than anyone else.


    ***


    Grid had obtained 27 pavranium for helping with Braham¡¯s resurrection. Originally, there were 28 pavranium. However, one of them became the Vessel of the Soul and entered Braham¡¯s possession.


    ¡®It is painful that I can¡¯t get one, but...¡¯


    Fortunately, all 27 out of 27 pavranium had the blessing of the four gods. As the master of the pavranium, Grid received a 15% buff on his attack power, defense, recovery and magic power. As a legendary ss exclusive item, the pavranium was truly a scam.


    ¡®It was only because of Braham that I could receive the blessing of God Yatan, so let¡¯s not think too much about giving him one pavranium.¡¯


    Grid had be a very positive and generous personpared to the past. In fact, a little while ago, he had reduced Chris¡¯ repair price by 2 gold.


    ¡®2 gold is two ramyun.¡¯


    He could imagine how much Chris appreciated it. Grid didn¡¯t doubt that Chris would feel a great affection towards him. He thought about a future alliance with the Giant Guild, then wondered what he should do with the pavranium.


    ¡®I can¡¯t make Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    Lifael¡¯s Spear was the strongest weapon in existence. It was an undeniable truth. Unfortunately, it was an inefficient weapon for Grid. The spear wasn¡¯t influenced by Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and he was poisoned by its divine power when he used ckening.


    ¡®It is enough to have Grid¡¯s Greatsword, Failure, and Yakult as weapons.¡¯


    Then would it be better to make armor?


    Grid was equipped with the Holy Light armor, gloves and a crown that were made by Pagma, and they boasted an outstanding performance when worn as a set. He also efficiently swapped between Grid¡¯s Boots and Braham¡¯s Boots for the shoes.


    On the other hand, he wascking a shield. But Grid used a greatsword as a weapon, so there weren¡¯t many opportunities to use a shield.


    ¡®Is there anything special that isn¡¯t a weapon or armor?¡¯


    Pavranium was a mineral with its own will. It considered Grid¡¯s safety as the top priority and moved with its own judgment. It was far more efficient to give it freedom than to limit it to his body. What was the best type of item to utilize that freedom?


    ¡®A symbol of freedom...¡¯


    "Snack."


    "...It is a snack. Eh?¡±


    Grid frowned. Snack? Who was the person who suddenly interfered with his deep thoughts by speaking nonsense? Grid shifted his gaze in that direction. The guy who had devoted himself to monster hunting since arriving in Reidan was now resting on the window sill.


    "Give me a snack! Give it to me! Nyang!¡±


    He had a very proud and arrogant attitude. It was almost amand.


    "Have you lost your senses? No, in the first ce, why are you after a snack? Don¡¯t you eat monster or human souls?¡±


    ¡°That is food! Snacks are snacks, nyang!¡±


    "What jerk gave you the concept of snacks...?¡±


    "Your wife! Nyang!¡±


    "...¡±


    Setting aside where he learnt the word ¡®wife,¡¯ he was talking about Irene.


    ¡®I heard that Irene has a hobby of baking cake these days.¡¯


    Irene was the daughter of an earl, so she never learned how to cook. Now aftering to Reidan, she wanted to learn how to cook and bake, so that she could give Grid a little joy. Thanks to her, the Overgeared members and the soldiers were able to enjoy sweet snacks. Noe seemed to have been added as well.


    ¡°Sigh, okay. Take a nap and don¡¯t interfere with my work."


    Grid decided to ignore Noe and started thinking again about what to make with the pavranium.


    ¡®An item that can highlight the advantage of moving on its own...¡¯


    "Teddy bear.¡±


    "...A teddy bear is good... Ah, you.¡±


    Grid frowned. Teddy bear? Who was interfering this time? The incensed Grid turned towards the owner of the voice. It was Randy, who was in the appearance of a little girl.


    "I received a teddy bear from Irene!¡±


    Randy was pure and cute as she extended the bear. Grid nodded roughly towards the child.


    ¡°Okay. Go and y with the teddy bear.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Randy smiled and went next to Noe to y with the bear. But her ying didn¡¯tst long. Noe teased Randy by repeatedly batting at the teddy bear.


    "...I¡¯m going crazy."


    Randy started crying while Noeughed, interrupting Grid¡¯s meditation time. So he kicked them out. Then he wondered again.


    ¡®The item I should make out of pavranium...¡¯


    "Please make farming equipment.¡±


    "...The answer is farming equipment... Hah.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted like a demon. Farming equipment? This time, someone was pouring cold water on him! The owner of the voice was Piaro. Piaro was wearing dirt-stained clothing. Grid could no longer overlook it.


    "Piaro, what is your job?¡±


    ¡°I am the leader of the Overgeared Knights Division,mander of Reidan, and a farmer.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t there something strange in there?¡±


    "No.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    "Why on earth do you keep clinging to being a farmer? Are you doing your duties as knight captain andmander of Reidan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Piaro answered without hesitation. He felt pride in his responsibilities.


    "Then I¡¯m d. But what about your goal of bing a sword saint? If you don¡¯t have time due to your duties, isn¡¯t it better to quit farming and practice your swordsmanship?¡±


    [A legendary farmer has been born!]


    The main character of the notification window that all users in Satisfy saw wasn¡¯t Piaro. Grid was certain, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous. In this case, his uneasy feeling was proven correct.


    ¡°I realized that I am a farmer, not a sword saint.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was no longer a fool. Piaro was faithful to his role as a farmer. It was rumored that the seven guilds¡¯ invasion of Reidan was repelled by farmers. The users doing field work, and so on. All of these things attested to the fact that Piaro was the legendary farmer.


    Grid just didn¡¯t want to admit it.


    Sword Saint Muller. Grid hoped that Piaro¡¯s strength would be recognized as the strongest among the legends.


    "...Is it because your talent isn¡¯t enough to pursue the peak of swordsmanship? In the end, you gave up and became a farmer.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t hide his anger as he tried to provoke Piaro.


    "...¡±


    Piaro knew the role that Grid wanted for him. He knew the sense of loss that Grid would be feeling. Piaro was determined to prove himself to Grid. He would prove that he was superiorpared to when he was a great swordsman.


    "Farming is the foundation of our lives and it is more valuable than anything else in the world. I just chose a more valuable path.¡±


    ¡°It is possible for women to harvest the crops. You aren¡¯t the only one who can do farming."


    "However, I¡¯m the only one who can master it.¡±


    "Why do you need to master farming? Ah, to create a good harvest? It is very minor. If you have power, you can upy more territory. Then there would be more people and we can secure arge amount of food using it. It is much more profitable to develop the armed forces to aim for morend.¡±


    ¡°Mastering farming isn¡¯t merely raising crops. I can exert more power if I have an understanding of nature. I can confident that I am necessary for My Lord.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then prove it. What type of power can a farmer exert?¡±


    This was what Piaro wanted. He had been wanting this situation since he asked for farming equipment.


    ¡®I must be acknowledged by My Lord.¡¯


    He would let Grid know the greatness of a farmer. Piaro took out his hand plow and plow, while Grid armed himself with Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°I will return you to your original form. Your hands are meant to hold a sword, not dirt-stained farming equipment!¡±


    At present, Piaro wasn¡¯t sane. Grid had to return him to the right path. Grid put on the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and used cksmith¡¯s Rage to overpower Piaro. Piaro made a sad expression.


    ¡®His talent is weakpared to Kraugel and Chris.¡¯


    Grid made great strides after defeating Pagma¡¯s Doppelganger, but his lord was fundamentally unskilled. It was unlikely that his growth had continued since then.


    ¡®You might be poisoned with frustration after losing, but I believe that you can ovee this poison as usual.¡¯


    Piaro would first relieve his burden by proving his value. Piaro judged and blocked the blue greatsword Grid was swinging, then counterattacked while avoiding a dark blue greatsword. In his head, Grid had already copsed.


    But what was Grid¡¯s specialty? It was the power to oveemon sense and destroy predictions.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    As soon as the blue greatsword and hand plow collided, Piaro¡¯s eyes widened.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318


    As soon as the blue greatsword and hand plow collided, Piaro¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®Heavy!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s swordsmanship was rough. It wasn¡¯t outstanding. However, his high strength and agility wrecked considerable havoc.


    ¡®How far has hee?¡¯


    Piaro had experience teaching Grid. He knew more than anyone that Grid was dull-witted. Even though he inherited the legendary skills, Piaro was confident that a rapid growth wasn¡¯t possible for Grid.


    But he was mistaken. Grid¡¯s growth rate wasparable to the geniuses that Piaro recognized, Regas and Ibellin.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    The synergy between the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and his high insight exploded. As Piaro was feeling confused, Grid¡¯s eye shed red and he shook the hand plow off Failure. At this point, Grid¡¯s greatsword moved horizontally.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Piaro groaned. A powerful shock was delivered despite the defense of the plow. cksmith¡¯s Rage and the buff on the pavranium meant that Grid¡¯s attack power currently surpassed Chris. In particr, Grid¡¯s high agility gave him wings.


    Chaaeng!Jjang!Jjejeong!


    In the time it took Chris to attack twice, Grid had attacked three times. Piaro was very surprised. It was surprising since Grid was predicted to be below Chris¡¯ level. But this surprise didn¡¯tst long.


    Grid had onecking point. It was his understanding of swordsmanship. Chris executed a trajectory that forced the enemy¡¯s movement to slow, while Grid was just fast.


    First, defend and then pierce through the gap. Piaro turned to the left, aiming his hand plow at Grid¡¯s left shoulder. It was an attack that precisely aimed for the weak point, but something unexpected happened.


    A golden de flew and guarded Grid. Piaro blocked the attack and was amazed.


    ¡®Indeed!¡¯


    A legendary cksmith. Grid made up for hisck of swordsmanship with tools. However, didn¡¯t the golden de stiffen from one strike? Piaro didn¡¯t consider the pavranium to be a variable. This was a natural judgment. It was too early to express this as carelessness.


    But who was Grid? Once again, he was a legendary cksmith. He transcended predictions with his items.


    Peeng!


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Piaro had been the strongest ever since he became a great swordsman. He was considered invincible and rarely experienced a fright. The golden de went stiff after protecting Grid¡¯s shoulder. Then itunched Magic Missile!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was apletely unexpected type of attack. He never imagined that magic woulde from the de. Then Grid leapt forward through that gap.


    Chaaeng!


    Once the attack was blocked, he took advantage of the rebound and swung Grid¡¯s Greatsword. It was an exciting linkedbo.


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Blood dripped down Piaro¡¯s chest. However, the damage didn¡¯t seem to be great and there was no shaking in his posture. Grid knew how robust he was and linked the attacks without hesitation.


    shing and a descending cut. Landing and then a horizontal sh. The subsequent counterattack was defended by Failure and then countered with Grid¡¯s Greatsword. He seeded in a total of five attacks with Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Then the option of Grid¡¯s Greatsword was activated, making the fifth attack a critical attack.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 22,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Ridiculously durable.¡¯


    The person wounded was Piaro, but Grid was the one who felt surprised. It was because Piaro¡¯s defensive power exceeded Elfin Stone¡¯s, despite him only wearing simple clothes. His health must be at least 300,000.


    Piaro was a legendary farmer, so he now had significantly higher stats than when he was a great swordsman. In addition, he raised his level through continuous training. Piaro¡¯s current level was 405, which was 38 levels higher than when Grid observed him with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    Grid was only level 301, so his attacks couldn¡¯t deal proper damage. This was a judgment based on level that the system decided by default.


    Piaro expressed his respect.


    ¡°I am proud of you.¡±


    Had he been working hard since the day he struggled with Pagma¡¯s doppelganger?


    ¡°I have to salute My Lord, who has done your best despite yourck of talent.¡±


    [Piaro¡¯s loyalty has soared to the peak.]


    [The absolute trust in his lord has increased Piaro¡¯s willingness and opened up his potential. Piaro¡¯s stats will permanently increase by 10%.]


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Grid would normally be d about the notification windows. But now was an exception.


    "W-Wait a minute!"


    Piaro should be stronger after the battle! He didn¡¯t have time to put that thought in his mouth.


    "Free Farming 1st Style, Sowing.¡±


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Piaro sprinkled dozens of seeds.


    The pavranium responded because it was aimed at Grid.


    Out of the 27 pavranium, four of the pavranium turned into des had been mixed with the Water n King¡¯s Tears. The remaining 23 were the basic form, showing a weak defense. They couldn¡¯t fully defend against all the seeds sowed around Grid and stiffened.


    [You have suffered 9,320 damage.]


    ¡°This damn thing!¡±


    Grid was hit by a rice seed that prated through the stiff pavranium and screamed. In the past, a low level user in Patrian was hit by a bone and died. Now Grid was in the same position.


    "Free Farming 2nd Style, Rapid Growth.¡±


    Kwaduk!Kudududuk!


    After hitting the pavranium or Grid, the seeds on the floor started growing rapidly.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid freaked out as he saw the rice growing.


    "This is a power that only a legendary farmer can exert.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s will was firm. As a legendary farmer, he wasn¡¯t ipetent. So he wanted to be acknowledged. But Grid couldn¡¯t ept it. No matter how strong a legendary farmer, he couldn¡¯t get rid of the idea that a sword saint was better.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    A sword dance was quickly unfolded.


    Pit!Pipipipipit!


    Dozens of attacks flew out and scattered the rice nts. Grid and Piaro¡¯s eyes met.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    "Free Farming!¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The air around Grid sank heavily. The intense aura around Grid was concentrated at the end of the greatsword, making the target feel an extreme threat. It was the manifestation of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill.


    Piaro¡¯s skill was even more amazing.


    ¡°6th Style! iling!¡±


    The plow was reced by a il. It ruthlessly struck Grid¡¯s Greatsword that was aiming for his chest.


    Pepeok!Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Grid was surprised. It was because the energy of Kill was unable to bear the power of the il and dissipated.


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    iling! One of his strongest skills was disabled by a farming technique. The thing that made him even more irate was that the old il Piaro was using was a rare rated farming tool that Grid made a few months ago. In contrast, his weapon was legendary rated!


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    It felt like he was grain hit by a il. Piaro¡¯s skill wasn¡¯t just strong. It also had a tendency to break the enemy¡¯s self-esteem. It was very powerful.


    ¡®He might be a farmer, but a legend is a legend. This is pretty amazi... No, no.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t acknowledge Piaro as a farmer. Piaro should only be a sword saint. Grid barely recovered from his confusion and gave orders to four pavranium des that contained Magic Missile.


    ¡®Shoot from all directions!¡¯


    The pavranium only followed Grid¡¯s will. They immediately reacted by surrounding Piaro and firing Magic Missile all at once.


    ¡®This basic magic isn¡¯t a threat to me!¡¯


    Piaro was caught off guard before, but not now.


    Piaro demonstrated the hidden technique of Free Farming, ¡®Natural State.¡¯ Then the earth, air, trees and everything in nature gave him strength, causing his stats to rise dramatically. It was natural that his magic resistance would also increase.


    But it was useless.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The Magic Missile (Enhanced) Grid received from Brahampletely ignored the target¡¯s magic resistance. Despite the use of Natural State, Piaro suffered a lot of damage.


    ¡¯What is with the strength of this magic?¡¯


    Piaro had fought with Earl Ashur, one of the 10 great magicians of the continent. But Earl Ashur didn¡¯t have magic that was this fast and powerful.


    ¡®The magic of an artifact transcends that of a great magician...!¡¯


    His lord was truly great. Piaro felt sincere respect.


    On the other hand, Grid was cursing.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    He was able to add magic to pavranium thanks to the Water n King¡¯s Tears sent by Euphemina, but there was a problem. In order to deploy the Magic Missile attributed to the pavranium, Grid¡¯s mana was consumed.


    Mcus¡¯ Cloak and the ck Quartz Earrings increased Grid¡¯s intelligence, giving him mana close to 16,000. The mana cost of the legendary skills was very high, so it was too much to use both Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and Magic Missile (Enhanced).


    But in this situation, Piaro became even stronger.


    ¡®Natural State...¡¯


    It amplified his stats, like Braham¡¯s Magic Drain. It was an excellent legendary buff skill.


    ¡®On the other hand, my cksmith¡¯s Rage...¡¯


    cksmith¡¯s Rage was based on sympathizing with cksmiths! It couldn¡¯t be denied that it was a great buff that increased attack damage and attack speed, but the disadvantage was that the duration was too short. The skill at level 5 onlysted for 35 seconds. Piaro¡¯s Natural State and Braham¡¯s Magic Drain were undeniably better.


    Pepeok!Bam bam bam!


    "Ugh!"


    Would cksmith¡¯s Rage one day be reborn to match a legendary skill? Grid¡¯s thinking was broken by Piaro¡¯s il. Grid tried to defend, but it was difficult. The il was light, its attack speed was fast and its trajectory was irregr.


    ¡®This is a joke...!¡¯


    Piaro was very fast after using Natural State. He avoided all the Magic Missiles fired by the pavranium again. Grid was distressed about the one-sided beating.


    ¡®If only I had two more hands...!¡¯


    He would be able to resist Piaro¡¯s il and also reverse the situation by using Item Combination.


    ¡®Ah?¡¯


    Grid was struck with an epiphany.


    ¡®Yes, hands!¡¯


    The hands of a legendary cksmith! What if he could reproduce these great hands with the pavranium? Just imagine it! The legendary cksmith hands that moved ording to hismand.


    Duringbat, he could use multiple items, maximizing the power of his items. In addition, they could be his substitute for the long activation time of Item Combination.


    ¡®I can make several items at the same time, so the efficiency of my work will increase!¡¯


    ...Irene would also be pleased.


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and called out.


    ¡°Time! Wait! Stop! I said stop!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Not admitting defeat in a battle, just stopping? Piaro stopped moving his il. It was truly great loyalty. Grid shouted to him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight again tomorrow!¡±


    Grid was too careless today. Even if Piaro was a farmer, he was still a legend. Tomorrow, if Grid lost again despite his full preparations...


    ¡®At that time, I will respect your choice.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with confidence. The reason why he felt confident despite not reducing Piaro¡¯s health by one-tenth today was because he had absolute faith. He had faith in his items.


    At this moment, a legend of the new era started to evolve. He was in the process of catching up to the legends of the previous generation and oveing them.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319


    ¡®Piaro is at least level 400.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t even need to observe him with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. There was no other way to exin why his attacks didn¡¯t do any damage despite Piaro wearing no armor.


    ¡®At least a 100 level difference...¡¯


    The difference of 100 levels was big. It was a gap that couldn¡¯t be filled. Apart from the levelpensation system, the difference between the stat numbers and power of skills was different. Usingmon sense, the probability that Grid would beat Piaro was 0%.


    But.


    ¡®I have a means of destroyingmon sense.¡¯


    This meant...


    ¡®Of course it¡¯s items.¡¯


    It was the attraction of items that could destroy the bnce of the system. For those who couldn¡¯t afford it, items were a curse. But it was the opposite for Grid. He would stand at the peak as an overgeared person. On the other hand, Piaro was only using rare rated farming equipment and old clothing.


    ¡®The odds are good enough.¡¯


    Grid knew the strength of a legendary farmer. However, how could itpare to a sword saint?


    ¡¯Piaro, I will break your stubbornness.¡¯


    He would make Piaro dream of bing a sword saint again! Grid pledged and used the item disassembly skill. After extracting the Water n King¡¯s Tears from the four golden des, he poured a total of 27 pavranium into the furnace.


    It was the beginning of the smelting.


    ¡¯What is he trying to make this time?¡¯


    Khan and the young cksmiths flocked to Grid¡¯s side. They focused on Grid¡¯s behavior and tried to figure out his intentions. However, they couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s state.


    ¡®What is he doing?¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid produced a mold while the pavranium melted. But the model of the mold wasn¡¯tmon. It wasn¡¯t a de or a spear, but Grid¡¯s hand itself.


    ***


    The pavranium expedition repeatedly attacked the 10~15th vampire cities.


    They wanted to challenge the cities that hadn¡¯t been attacked yet, but they took Grid¡¯s warning to heart.


    "There is a vampire duke called Marie Rose. Braham says she¡¯s sleeping somewhere inside the cities. If we don¡¯t want to be killed, only hunt in the ces that we have secured. Yes? How old is she? Um... She is strong enough to wipe out all of the Overgeared members? This is aplete scam, a scam.¡±


    ¡®Many times stronger than Elfin Stone...¡¯


    ¡®Perhaps a dragon ss?¡¯


    Grid had seeded in the Elfin Stone raid after reaching level 300. He recently became more and more suited to be called the strongest. They were also proud that the Overgeared members was the best guild. But this vampire had a presence that could overwhelm all of them alone?


    Indeed, Satisfy was wide. There were many unknown areas and existences that hadn¡¯t been met yet.


    "The elixirs are really dirty. Since the first day we came here with Grid, the number of vampires we hunted has surpassed 10,000. So why hasn¡¯t even one elixir dropped?¡±


    ¡°I agree. If only one stamina elixir dropped...¡±


    ¡°There is even the buff that increases item acquisition, so the drop rate is worse than rumored.¡±


    "We still obtained 11 Junior Vampire Rings. That is big enough.¡±


    In cities where they had already raided the boss once, the appearance rate of the True Blood vampires dropped. The boss was also weaker than the first boss. This meant the difficulty of the dungeon fell, resulting in lower quality items dropped.


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t make as much as they expected. But their attitudes were positive. It was because the vampires gave a lot of experience. The vampire cities were still the best hunting grounds. It was phenomenal, causing the level 203 Yura to rise to 210 in just one week.


    "But why isn¡¯t Grid here? There are only 25 days left on the experience buff.¡±


    "He has something important to do, so he wille in two days.¡±


    ¡°Important? He made a greatsword for Chris a few days ago, so what now?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Chris hit Grid in the back of the head?¡±


    "That¡¯s not it. He said that he¡¯s making an item that is the peak of being overgeared."


    "Peak of overgeared...?¡±


    Swords, spears, bows, etc. They were always discussed when talking about the peak of fighting. But the peak of being overgeared, they couldn¡¯t understand what this meant.


    "Did he find a way to do Item Combination without the merging time?¡±


    ¡°...It might be possible.¡±


    Didn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s Descendant have many abilities? In addition, couldn¡¯t Grid take advantage of all of them? The Overgeared members still couldn¡¯t predict the result.


    ***


    Grid thought rapidly.


    ¡®Hands? They¡¯re easy to make!¡¯


    Grid currently had close to 2,600 points in dexterity. There was also arge rise in proficiency due to making the two greatswords. Grid was more confident than ever, and made molds in the shape of his hands. Then he poured the molten pavranium in the five molds.


    After a while.


    ¡°Okay! Perfect!¡±


    Five golden hands floated and started moving around Grid. Grid was filled with joy. It was fun to imagine how these five hands could help him in the future. He couldn¡¯t ignore the battle-oriented aspects.


    Just imagine it! The five hands would protect him with shields, while attacking the enemy with swords. Grid would be absolutely invincible.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Khan and the cksmiths were amazed to see hands floating in the air alone. Creating moving hands, they looked at Grid like he was a god.


    "Huhut... Now, shall I test your performance?¡±


    Grid took out Failure, Iyarugt, Grid¡¯s Greatsword, the Ideal Dagger and the Divine Shield from his inventory andmanded the five hands.


    "Arm yourselves!¡±


    Pa pa pa pat!


    The five hands flew towards Grid and collided with the five items. That¡¯s right. They collided instead of grabbing the weapons.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Rather than equipping the items, the hands let them drop to the ground. Grid was dismayed.


    "What are you doing? To hold an item, you must fold your fingers. Why are you keeping your palms open?¡±


    He asked with frustrating, but the pavranium didn¡¯t answer. They might have a will, but the pavranium was only a mineral. They couldn¡¯t possibly talk.


    ¡°Ah, this is frustrating.¡±


    The five hands lined up in front of Grid. Then he tried to teach them by repeatedly folding and unfolding his fingers.


    ¡°This is rock! This is scissors! This is paper! Now follow me!¡±


    "...¡±


    The pavranium didn¡¯t move despite his passionate shouts. They just kept their palms open.


    "No, try to follow me!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid cursed at the five hands floating in the air. The cksmiths were baffled because Grid wasn¡¯t acting as normal.


    ¡®Why is he acting like this?¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    ¡®Why is the great sun of Reidan...?¡¯


    Among the young cksmiths, Khan shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen this...¡±


    ***


    [Hand Model of a Legendary cksmith]


    Attack Power: 22


    A model of the hands of the legendary cksmith Grid.


    It is made of pavranium, so it can move by itself.


    If the open palms hit the opponent¡¯s cheeks, the provocation effect is activated.


    Weight: 15


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid read the item description several times and btedly realized. How delicate were the hands of a body? Due to the presence of multiple joints and muscles, fine control and all types of actions were possible.


    In other words, it was necessary to produce the joints for these pavranium hands to function properly. Without the joints, it was no different from a ster of a hand. The fingers couldn¡¯t bend.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid could only sigh. He needed to fully understand the structure of a hand in order to produce what he desired. It was dark in front of him.


    "First of all, look at the encyclopedia... Although...¡±


    Didn¡¯t the anatomy books need at least an IQ of 100 to understand? Grid trembled.


    ¡°Needing to know the structure of the human body to make an item in game...!?¡±


    The Grid in the past would¡¯ve cursed, asking why they didn¡¯t make a game for stupid people to y. However, not the current Grid. In order to get what he wanted, he needed to put in the effort.


    He took a deep breath and logged out.


    ***


    ¡®The hands consist of the thumb, the index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger. The thumb consists of two joints, while the fingers have three joints... The front and back of the finger have tendons, while the outer sides have the nerves and blood vessels...¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo searched for ¡®hand¡¯ in Korea¡¯srgest portal site. He entered a medical encyclopedia and learned about the shape and structure of the hands. He repeated the same thing several times in order to memorize it. It couldn¡¯t be helped because he didn¡¯t have a good memory.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to forget the contents after logging in.¡¯


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t think this was necessary. In order to create an item that perfectly reproduced the functions of the hand, he could rely on the correction effect of the creation skill. He just needed the basic knowledge in order to draw a blueprint.


    But Youngwoo did his best to memorize the contents. It was an act that originated from the desire to create perfect hands.


    His mother¡¯s voice was heard while he was studying for a long time.


    ¡°Youngwoo! Take out the trash!¡±


    "...Disturbing your son who is studying for the first time in five years!¡±


    His mother always had excellent timing. If he wanted to do his homework, he would be interrupted. If he sat down in preparation to study for five hours straight, she woulde into his room and lecture him.


    "Is she a psychic...?¡±


    Maybe she had a hidden psychic ability? Youngwoo childishly imagined it and followed her order. He didn¡¯t forget to wear a mask and sunsses that perfectly covered his face.


    ¡®I will have millions of anti-fans because of Braham, so I have to be careful.¡¯


    Maybe he would be attacked. Youngwoo was too afraid to search his name on the Inte these days. He still didn¡¯t know the repercussions of the incident with Braham.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320


    What should he do if he encountered someone? The nervous Youngwoo shot a movie for three minutes while taking out the trash bags. He looked around every time he took a step, and asionally took a low crawling posture. He hid behind a telephone pole whenever car lights approached.


    He was a former sergeant of the Republic of Korea army and was a reservist. Thanks to this, he was able to return home safely after taking out the trash.


    ¡°Sigh... It was good that I went into the army.¡±


    He had struggled during his days of active duty, but the things he learned during the army were really worthwhile. First of all, the army was a sacred duty. Youngwoo didn¡¯t think it was a waste of time to go into the army. Rather, he took pride in it.


    His mother, who was peeling garlic in the living room, looked at him with confusion.


    ¡°Why are you wearing a mask and sunsses at night?¡±


    "I have to do this because of a false usation. I have to consider my body, so have Sehee take out the trash for a while.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane? False usation? Consider your body?¡±


    His mother had a concerned expression on his face. Youngwoo didn¡¯t want his mother to be concerned and changed the topic.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke, a joke. I¡¯ll help you with the garlic.¡±


    Pak!Pa pa pa pat!


    Youngwoo peeled the garlic at a great speed. It was a level that transcended the skill of his mother, who had been peeling garlic for 30 years. His mother was astonished when she saw how quickly the white flesh of the garlic was revealed.


    ¡®My son is also talented!¡¯


    Youngwoo hadn¡¯t done well since he was a child. He didn¡¯t reveal any talents. His mother always took it to heart. She felt sorry that her son had no talent, and she also felt guilty.


    But now he had her ability to peel garlic. She was thrilled that her son¡¯s talent was btedly discovered. It was to the point of tears. But he wasn¡¯t particrly happy.


    ***


    After dinner, Grid essed Satisfy.


    He went to visit Irene as always. She would give birth in 50 days, so Grid was motivated to whisper endearments to her and to maintain a faithful attitude.


    "Dear husband, have a good day today.¡±


    Jjuk!


    Irene¡¯s lips touching his cheek was softer and more thrilling than anything else in the world. Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [The child in the belly has felt the true love of the couple, increasing all stats by 1.]


    It happened for the first time in a while. It had been 10 days The rise in the child¡¯s stats was constantly being repeated in a certain period of time.


    ¡®A good start!¡¯


    The road was clear. The confident Grid ran to the smithy.


    ¡°We greet the great sun of Reidan, Duke Grid!¡±


    The young cksmiths greeted him in unison. Khan alsoughed. Grid responded to them, then closed his eyes.


    ¡¯Concentrate.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He recalled the structure of the hand that he had memorized and immediately triggered the creation skill.


    "Item Creation.¡±


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡®Will it work?¡¯


    Item Creation wasn¡¯t an almighty skill. A simple example was that Grid couldn¡¯t create essories. Grid could only create items that were suitable for cksmiths to produce.


    Gulp.


    Grid gulped nervously and replied.


    ¡°Hands. I want to create hands.¡±


    [...]


    It was silent for a while. The system didn¡¯t have a reaction.


    ¡¯Is it impossible?¡¯


    It was the worst case scenario. The moment Grid was going to frown with disappointment,


    [It is hands, not gauntlets?]


    The notification window was different from usual. It was a more organic question.


    ¡¯Something ising!¡¯


    Grid sensed this was a prelude to a special event and nodded.


    "That¡¯s right! I want to create hands! Hands based on mine!¡±


    [It is possible if you set the material as pavranium.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    His morale started to rise. Grid was delighted. He shouted with excitement.


    ¡°I will set the material as pavranium!¡±


    At that moment.


    Ttiring~


    A cheerful sound was heard, and he couldn¡¯t imagine what happened next.


    [You have had the same idea as the legendary cksmith Pagma.]


    [The third ss quest ¡®What Pagma couldn¡¯t Achieve¡¯ has been created.]


    [What Pagma couldn¡¯t Achieve]


    Difficulty: ss Quest.


    300 years ago, the legendary cksmith created the strongest mineral called pavranium.


    Pavranium is a mineral with a transcendent performance, even above the god mineral adamantium. It is said that it would¡¯ve never beenpleted without the knowledge of Great Magician Braham.


    Pagma was inspired. It was his desire to make something that even transcended the gods using the pavranium. But there was a clear limit to the quantity of pavranium, so Pagma had to think about how to use the pavranium.


    At this time, he came up with the ¡®God Hand.¡¯


    Several golden hands that could demonstrate a dexterity equivalent to the legendary cksmith! With the God Hands, Pagma believed he could produce items in an area that he had never reached.


    However, he was unable to make the God Hands. Human life was finite and Pagma was already old.


    Now you have reached the same idea as Pagma, so create and produce the God Hands. Transcend the foundation set by Pagma by achieving the goal that Pagma couldn¡¯t reach.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Fully produce hands made of pavranium.


    Quest Clear Reward: One of the hidden pieces of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, ¡®Sealed Abilities¡¯ will open.


    ¡®It is as Braham said!¡¯


    Pagma existed 300 years ago. In addition, he was dying at that point. So how did he appear in history 100 years ago? Grid gradually started to ept Pagma¡¯s existence.


    ¡®Perhaps a ghost... No, it¡¯s useless to think about it now.¡¯


    It was something he would naturally discover during the progression of his story quests. Grid shook his head and focused on the challenge ahead of him.


    ¡®I¡¯ll do it!¡¯


    Grid was filled with a burning motivation. He was confident after memorizing the shape and structure of a hand for three hours.


    [Please design the God Hand.]


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of him.


    Grid drew the structure he learned and a form that resembled his own hand. As a result, he was able to design a quality hand that exceeded his knowledge due to the Item Creation skill¡¯spensation effect.


    [¡¯Design: God Hand¡¯ has been acquired!]


    God Hand. The name itself was tremendous. The performance was obviously great just based on the name. The blissful Grid smelted the pavranium. Then he used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer to forge it.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid focused silently. He didn¡¯t let anything obstruct him.


    "...¡±


    It was quiet. For Grid, the only things that existed in the world at present were the pavranium, the anvil, and the hammer. There was nothing else.


    Ttaang - ttang -!


    The hammer and Grid were no longer separate existences. They were fully joined. The hammer was Grid and Grid was the hammer. The body and hammer moved as one.


    Ttaaang!


    The pavranium gradually took the shape of the God Hands. Theplex and delicate structure was recreated. A clear sound rang out. Khan and the young cksmiths were impressed as they watched the golden hands beingpleted.


    [Your extreme concentration has activated the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    At the end of a long work, Grid finally returned to reality. His eyes widened as he confirmed the result.


    ***


    ¡®There is no possibility that I will lose today.¡¯


    Piaro didn¡¯t doubt it. Grid¡¯s level was beyond his expectations, but it still wasn¡¯t a match for Piaro.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry towards My Lord.¡¯


    Grid was growing quickly. But that was it. Grid hadn¡¯t yet be a suitable candidate for the title of legend.


    ¡®There is still a sky between you and me.¡¯


    A person¡¯s skills couldn¡¯t transcend that gap overnight. Piaro recalled the battle from the day before and was confident that he could win against Grid today without any injuries.


    Puk!Puk puk puk puk!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    As Piaro was thinking, his hands moved without any rest. He quickly dug out the vegetables in no time. Chris and the Five Captains were amazed at the sight.


    ¡®I want such a farmer in our territory!¡¯


    It was Chris¡¯ desperate wish. Pedro. The territory ruled by the Giant Guild was different from the past. Everything was trampled by the golem army, so they were currently in the process of rebuilding.


    Of course, the fields were also a mess, and it was impossible to produce food. But what if they obtained a Piaro? Pedro¡¯s crops would get better every quarter and the Giant Guild¡¯s finances would rise. People would be motivated after getting food and the rate of the reconstruction would increase by several times.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Chris could only sigh. He was envious of Grid, who had a great number of named NPCs like Piaro.


    ¡°Um, I should end it here today.¡±


    Piaro rose from his spot. He finished work three hours earlier than usual.


    "Are you going already? What about the sparring?¡±


    It was Chris who talked to Piaro with extreme respect.


    "I have something important to do today. After finishing the field work, we will spar at night. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    The dirt-stained Piaro left the fields.


    "It must be huge if that old man, who is crazy about farming, left.¡±


    "Maybe something happened with Overgeared?¡±


    The Five Captains¡¯ guesses were reasonable. Piaro usually cherished working in the fields. What happened that would make him leave early?


    "Follow him.¡±


    Chris felt curious and followed Piaro. Piaro¡¯s insight was so high that they had to be a considerable distance behind, but they were able to easily follow him. It was because Reidan¡¯s poption was low.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    Chris and the Five Captains followed Piaro to arge smithy. They were confused at the sight of Piaro confronting Grid. Grid was armed with two greatswords and had a grim expression on his face, like he was nning to fight Piaro.


    ¡®Is there a feud between the two?¡¯


    If so, was this a chance to recruit Piaro? Chris was inwardly cheering with delight.


    "This idiot doesn¡¯t understand who he is facing.¡±


    The other captains scoffed, except for Zirkan. Grid couldn¡¯t beat Piaro, who defeated even them. The Five Captains predicted that Grid would be killed with a hand plow in 10 seconds. They believed it was a natural result.


    ¡®Because we were beaten!¡¯


    After reaching the third advancement, the Five Captains were stronger than ever. They were aware of the level of Grid¡¯s skills. But what was the truth?


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The Five Captains watched the sight unfold before their eyes and couldn¡¯t close their mouths. Chris was also shocked.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321


    ¡°I greet My Lord!¡±


    The vacant lot in front of Khan¡¯s smithy. Piaro came at the promised time. Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good. It was because Piaro was the same as yesterday. He was wearing old clothes covered in soil and holding a rusty hand plow.


    The outright image of a farmer. In addition, a poor farmer!


    "Not dressing formally as the captain of the Overgeared Knights Division andmander of Reidan. Can¡¯t this be interpreted as disloyalty towards me?¡±


    Grid came out strongly. It seemed he still hadn¡¯t epted Piaro as a farmer.


    Piaro stood his ground.


    "I dress appropriately when carrying out my duties asmander and captain of knights division. Right now, I am a farmer, so I look like this.¡±


    "This damn farmer¡¯s life, I¡¯ll settle this today.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Isn¡¯t this the increase in power that My Lord wanted? As a farmer, I am capable of exercising power beyond what was possible before. Now I am much stronger than when I was a great swordsman. Please respect the path I chose and acknowledge this fact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weaker than a sword saint! Get rid of that farmer and be a sword saint!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t speak for long. He pulled out two weapons.


    [The +9 Failure has been equipped.]


    [The +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword has been equipped.]


    The in Grid¡¯s Greatsword from yesterday was now shining with the color of a +8 enhancement. It was a result of investing all the enhancement stones that Grid had gathered. It was unfortunate that it didn¡¯t reach +9.


    ¡°Today I am different from yesterday!¡±


    Confidence filled Grid¡¯s eyes. Piaro couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡®Why does he believe this?¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he see the difference between them yesterday? His skills couldn¡¯t have gone up in a single day, so what was the basis for his confidence?


    ¡®He is the master of 20,000 people and a legend.¡¯


    It was a bigger problem if he was arrogant. This could easily create enemies and cause danger. Piaro had a different set of values from Braham. Out of loyalty to Grid, he made a decision to break Grid down.


    ¡°I will show you my power today.¡±


    As soon as Piaro armed himself with a hand plow and hoe, Grid attacked as if he had been waiting. He advanced and utilized the long reach of Failure.


    Chaaeng!


    He blocked with the hand plow, and used the repulsive force to retreat back.


    Kuooooh!


    The air around Grid started to boil. His ck hair and the stones on the ground started rising. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.


    [Entering the transcendent mode.]


    [Attack power is doubled. Your basic attacks will be converted to ranged attacks.]


    [This effect willst for 30 seconds.]


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, avoid this.¡±


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid continuously wielded his two greatswords. He swung them without a break. Every time he did, powerful energy des poured out.


    ¡®Hah.¡¯


    Piaro admired it. Grid¡¯s momentum rose and Transcend had a powerful force.


    ¡®Certainly, he is different from yesterday.¡¯


    Yesterday, Grid relied on pure swordsmanship and suffered. Today, Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship from the beginning. It was a very wise decision. The legendary skills were the only means of narrowing the gap between Piaro and himself. Piaro was impressed with Grid¡¯s wisdom.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    The difference in basic abilities was too great. Wisdom alone couldn¡¯t ovee the fundamental issue.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Piaro confronted the heavy bombardment with his hand plow and hoe. There was an explosion whenever the farming equipment collided with an energy de, and the energy de would disappear. Piaro wasn¡¯t hurt by Grid¡¯s skill.


    But to a third party, Piaro seemed to be in a great crisis. Piaro was in the center of a series of explosions and seemed like he would be injured.


    ¡°This is impossible...¡±


    "Wow, that isplete damage.¡±


    Chris and the Five Captains were astonished as they watched the battle from a distance. Grid¡¯s use of Transcend was great. It looked impressive. Grid seemed like he waspletely overwhelming PIaro.


    ¡®Grid can easily fight an opponent we couldn¡¯t...?¡¯


    ¡®Grid is strong!¡¯


    They thought they had be stronger than him after reaching the third advancement, but this was a mistake. Compared to Grid¡¯s legendary ss, they were stillcking. As they grew, Grid was also growing. Chris and the Five Captains¡¯ pride was crushed at this time.


    "Sowing.¡±


    Piaro spoke from the centre of the explosion. Chris and the Five Captains were delighted as they confirmed that Piaro was fine.


    ¡®Indeed! Piaro would never be defeated by Grid!¡¯


    ¡®Grid, it looked amazing, but there was no substance behind it!¡¯


    They weren¡¯t any worse than Grid after reaching the third advancement. As Chris and the Five Captains were feeling happy, seeds shot like bullets towards Grid. The female of the Five Captains, Pinky, was certain.


    ¡°This is the end for Grid.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s seeds weren¡¯t something that could be blocked or avoided. They were fast and powerful, unconditionally dealing blows to the target. A few days ago, Pinky had been hit by the rice seeds and feel into a critical state. How could Grid handle this technique?


    Pinky was certain. But she too arrogant. Pinky made this conclusion on the assumption that she was superior to Grid. But the reality was that Grid was much better than her.


    ¡°Freely Move.¡±


    It was the skill attached to the title ¡®Secret Hero.¡¯ There were limits to the range of use, and the cooldown time was one hour. However, it was a top dashing skill that allowed him to avoid all non-targeting skills until he reached his target.


    Piaro¡¯s Sowing was quick and exquisite, but they couldn¡¯t reach Grid unless it was a targeted skill.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. Grid showed a surprising swiftness as he approached through the rice seeds.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I different from yesterday?¡±


    Puok!


    Grid whispered to the surprised Piaro and attacked. With the help of Freely Move, he arrived in front of Piaro and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle.


    ¡°This is impossible!¡±


    The Five Captains were shocked. Piaro had a big wound on his shoulder and was bleeding. They couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°The opponent that even Chris couldn¡¯t harm...¡¯


    ¡®He received a fatal wound!¡¯


    Chris reminded the dumbfounded Five Captains.


    ¡°No, Piaro is fine. This is the limit for Grid.¡±


    It was true.


    Piaro¡¯s posture didn¡¯t copse despite the wound on his shoulder. Grid struck properly, but the level difference made it possible to avoid a fatal blow.


    Chaaeng!


    Piaro ignored the greatsword stuck in his shoulder and struck forward with his hoe.


    ¡®I will be hit!¡¯


    Grid read it with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and his insight, and tried to defend. He wanted to block the hoe by moving Grid¡¯s Greatsword. However, Piaro¡¯s attack contained an anomaly. It seemed to rush in front, but it actually moved to the side, making Grid¡¯s defense useless.


    [You have suffered 11,900 damage.]


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    Grid paled as his side was struck. He was wearing the most powerful armor set in existence, but he received so much damage from a rare rated farming equipment? The hand plow flew towards his forehead.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    This time, Ases was sure of it. A few days ago, he had been defeated by Piaro¡¯s blow to his forehead with a hand plow. However, this was also a mistake. Grid had something that Ases didn¡¯t. It was the power of items.


    Jeeeong!


    "Ah!¡±


    Piaro cried out with rm. He was greatly astonished. It was natural. A shield suddenly appeared in front of Grid and blocked the hand plow. The hand holding the shield didn¡¯t belong to Grid...


    ¡®A hand that¡¯s moving alone!¡¯


    This hand even held an item! He could imagine all the ways that it could be used. Gridughed at the shaken Piaro.


    ¡°Let me show you the power of items.¡±


    Grid dered and threw Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword into the air.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Forsaking a weapon during battle? Chris and the Five Captains couldn¡¯t grasp the exact situation because they were watching from afar.


    ¡°E-Eh?¡±


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Something ridiculous happened. Two more gold hands appeared and grabbed the greatswords thrown by Grid?


    ¡°Take a good look!¡±


    Chris hurriedly spoke. This might be the only opportunity to get a glimpse of Grid¡¯s power. He couldn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Chris and the Five Captains flinched with surprise while they were concentrating. It was due to the appearance of a handsome man with blonde hair to his waist. His name was Asmophel, and he wore white armor and a blue cloak.


    An NPC.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Chris¡¯s response was angry because he was interrupted in an important moment by a NPC. Asmophel responded with a nonchnt expression.


    "A captain of the Overgeared Knights Division.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Knights Division?¡±


    ¡°Pfff!¡±


    The name of the knights division was funny. Chris and the Five Captains reflexivelyughed. Asmophel didn¡¯t like this reaction.


    "Now you¡¯re sneering at My Lord¡¯s knights.¡±


    Suuk.


    Asmophel pulled out a sword. It was a one-handed sword that seemed to be apact version of Dainsleif.


    ¡°Who dares draw a sword in front of us?¡±


    "Everyone is looking down on us! Don¡¯t make fun of us just because we¡¯re covered in dirt!¡±


    The Five Captains were furious and armed themselves, and they had to pay a harsh price.


    ¡°Red Sword.¡±


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    It happened in an instant. There was a red storm of light and all of the Five Captains, except for Zirkan, were bleeding.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t only one monster...!¡±


    Zirkan barely defended against the attack, but it was pure luck. Zirkan¡¯s eyes shook as he realized the difference with Asmophel from just one skill. Asmophel saw him and sighed.


    ¡°Many of my skills are dead.¡±


    He was once the only rival of a great swordsman, so it was shameful that he couldn¡¯t get rid of this weak person with one blow. Chris shouted as Asmophel was about to attack again.


    "Look!¡±


    "...¡±


    Chris was clever and had experience with Piaro. He was well aware of how to act foolish.


    "We have a mission from Piaro to work in the rice fields! Then we¡¯re going!¡±


    What was more valuable than their lives? Chris and the Five Captains ran away from Amosphel. Asmophel didn¡¯t bother chasing after them. The important thing right now was the confrontation between his lord and his friend.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Asmophel knew Piaro¡¯s strength better than anyone else. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t believe the sight that was unfolding before his eyes. The four golden hands that were holding three greatswords and one dagger.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    His lord was surrounded by ck magic. Piaro started to be pushed back.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 322

    Chapter 322


    Grid was shaken when Transcend was blocked.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it was defeated!¡¯


    The number of times he had fired the energy des in 30 seconds was well over 50 times. But Piaro stood in ce and blocked it with a hand plow? He recognized Piaro¡¯s skill from the beginning, but his agility seemed higher than yesterday.


    ¡®Truly amazing.¡¯


    Grid felt a thrill. He realized that he was blessed to have such a great subordinate. But Grid didn¡¯t like that Piaro was a farmer. His subordinate would be much stronger if he was a sword saint!


    ¡¯Now I will make you a sword saint!¡¯


    Grid rushed forward towards Piaro while avoiding the dozens of seeds. He used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle that could only be performed once an hour. But the result fell short of expectations.


    [You have dealt 10,500 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Ah! Damn level system!¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s stats were high and the level difference of 100 was too much. His attack power wasn¡¯t properly applied, catching Grid¡¯s ankles. But he didn¡¯t feel despair. He had the power of items!


    ¡®It is impossible to win with skills alone!¡¯


    Grid faced the iing hand plow and finally summoned a God Hand, defending by equipping the Divine Shield.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Piaro was greatly surprised by the sight. Grid smiled at the sight.


    ¡°Let me show you the power of items.¡±


    [God Hand]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Durability: Infinite


    Dexterity: 814 Strength: 813


    A hand made by the legendary cksmith Grid, using the material pavranium that was made by the former legends Pagma and Braham. Since it reproduces Grid¡¯s hands, all items can be worn without restrictions.


    An item born from the intervention of three legends, it has the ability to transcend a divine item.


    However, steady learning is essential in order to open up its potential.


    * The unique rated ¡®God Hand¡¯ only receives 30% of its master¡¯s strength and dexterity.


    * The unique rated ¡®God Hand¡¯ isn¡¯t yet able to reproduce its master¡¯s skills.


    However, the skills possessed by items can be fully used. Buff skills will influence the master.


    * ¡®God Hand¡¯ can learn cksmithing, swordsmanship and shield techniques.


    Currently, the cksmith skill of God Hand is advanced level 1, while Sword Mastery and Shield Mastery are beginner level 2. Once the mastery reaches a certain level, the rating of God Hand will increase.


    * Magic Missile (Enhanced) is attached. Due to the effect of the Water n King¡¯s Tears, this spell is reproduced with 100% of its power.


    * Depending on the usage, it is easy to obtain the favor of the opposite sex.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 21


    The conditions of use was Grid rather than Pagma¡¯s Descendant. As a dedicated item exclusively for Grid, its performance and role fulfilled his expectations. There was a high likelihood of growth. It might beparable or exceed a myth rated item, so he was full of expectations for the future.


    But there was one regrettable thing.


    ¡®I was only able to make four.¡¯


    He was able to make five if he only reproduced the shape, but the pavranium consumption rate was too high once he had to make all the structures.


    ¡®Well, I still like it.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it still four hands more than other people? Grid threw Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword into the air.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Forsaking a weapon during battle? Piaro couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s intentions and was confused.


    ¡®Perhaps...! There isn¡¯t only one golden hand!¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s gaze hurriedly turned towards the sky. Two golden hands appeared and grabbed the greatswords. Piaro paled.


    ¡°Is it the time to look away?¡±


    Grid reced the Divine Shield with the Ideal Dagger, then he shouted.


    ¡°Cut!¡±


    Papat!Papapat!


    The speed of the pavranium wasparable to hell¡¯s best demonic beast, a memphis. An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t be able to react. Three God Hands approached and wielded their greatswords and daggers at Piaro. The golden hands were moving and wielding their weapons by themselves. They might be fast and amazing, but their sword skills were terrible. It was like child¡¯s y to Piaro.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the end!¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Piaro blocked all the hand attacks with just one hand plow! He tried to aim the hoe at Grid.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡®There was one more hand!¡¯


    A chill went down Piaro¡¯s spine. A golden hand holding a jade greatsword aimed at his back! Grid realized it the moment he saw Piaro sense and defend against the attack.


    ¡®The current God Hands can¡¯t go against Piaro.¡¯


    He was a monster who blocked all attacks, even if they struck simultaneously from all four directions.


    ¡®But it is okay.¡¯


    The presence of the God Hands alone were a great help to him. The swordsmanship and strength were low, but all the items were top rated weapons. Piaro was forced to be conscious of them, and Grid would aim for that gap.


    ¡¯I will do my best.¡¯


    Kuwaaaang!


    Grid was covered in ck energy. It was the manifestation of ckening that belonged to Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings.


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    Piaro¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®Demonic energy!¡¯


    His lord wasn¡¯t a human? He suspected for a moment. Then he noticed that the cause of Grid¡¯s demonic energy was the earrings he was wearing. Piaro frowned despite feeling relieved.


    "This doesn¡¯t look good!¡±


    Grid¡¯s skin was whitened and his eyes turned ck, making his appearance unbearable. Piaro didn¡¯t like that his lord was borrowing the power of a demon. But Grid wouldn¡¯t hear of it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give it any big meaning. This is just an extension of the items system.¡±


    Grid¡¯s nature was more aggressive in the ckening state. How far would this power go against Piaro? Grid felt pleasure as he gave an order to the hands.


    After deploying Wind st attached to the Ideal Dagger, while Failure and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword simultaneously hit the left and right sides of Piaro. At this time, Grid¡¯s Greatsword was falling from the air.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    The attacks towards Piaro weren¡¯t threatening at all. They were easy to beat. However, he couldn¡¯t help taking action towards them.


    "Iyarugt.¡±


    Grid summoned the demonic sword that he got from the Elfin Stone raid. The demonic energy left an afterimage and a red line was painted.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    Piaro was astonished. Grid¡¯s damage and speed was iparable after he used ckening. The speed wasn¡¯t much different from Piaro. Moreover, Grid¡¯s swordsmanship suddenly increased greatly. It was thanks to Iyarugt.


    [Due to the option effect of Iyarugt, Sword Mastery has increased by 5 levels.]


    [You don¡¯t have the Sword Mastery skill. Beginner Sword Mastery level 5 is created while wearing Iyarugt.]


    It didn¡¯t seem to be that much. What was the effect of beginner Sword Mastery level 5? It increased attack power and attack speed by 3% when a sword was worn. However, Grid¡¯s basic stats were unusually high. He was in a state where his stats were enhanced by ckening. This 3% was forced to be arge number.


    Moreover, there was Iyarugt¡¯s real strength.


    [The strongest enemy I have met in centuries! Go and fight! Fight without stopping! Let me grow!]


    Iyarugt. The strongest demonkin when alive. His spirit dwelled in Iyarugt, transmitting his excitement to Grid. In Grid¡¯s field of view, dozens of red lines were created and cleared. Grid followed the most brilliant line and swung his sword. This became the best trajectory that put pressure on Piaro.


    ¡®My Lord...!¡¯


    Piaro was thrilled as he confronted it. Since acquiring the title of great swordsman, how long had it been since he was pushed on the defensive by someone? It was the first time. Thus, he was d. He was even more delighted that the opponent was his lord!


    ¡°Free Farming 4th Style!¡±


    The demonic sword was too sharp. Once the hand plow¡¯s durability fell to the limit, he was forced to pull out a plow.


    ¡°Plow the Field!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    As the plow swept through the ground, the earth shook like there was an earthquake and pirs of earth rose.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid reflexively moved backwards and barely avoided the pirs. But the crisis was still continuing. Piaro sprinkled seeds on thend that was cleared. The seeds quickly grew into thorny vines that surrounded Grid¡¯s body. It was the linkage of Plowing, Sowing and then Rapid Growth.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid quickly cried out as he was about to be overtaken by the front vines. Then four golden hands flow and swung their weapons, cutting through the thorns. However, there was a limit. The thorns grew faster than the hands could act.


    In the end, Grid was forced to use Link in order to avoid the crisis. It was the moment he wasted an important skill for defensive purposes. Piaro leapt quickly and wielded his sickle.


    "Free Farming 5th Style, Harvest!¡±


    Seokeok!Seokekeok!


    The huge thorns were separated from the roots by the sickle. At the same time, they moved like a wave towards Grid¡¯s body.


    [You have suffered 9,100 damage.]


    [You have suffered 8,700 damage.]


    [You have suffered 8,930 damage.]


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    It made him feel very bad. The problem was the skill name of ¡®Harvest.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to die from a farmer¡¯s sickle.


    [Now!]


    Iyarugt had been waiting for this opportunity and presented a new sword trajectory to Grid. It was a sword trajectory that aimed perfectly for when Piaronded. However, Grid¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch it. The distance to Piaro was too far. He did the next best thing and fired off four Magic Missiles, but he was interrupted by the thorns.


    [What are you doing, ipetent bastard!]


    Iyarugt urged him as he felt frustration.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid was baffled. Then he came up with an idea. It was the skill belonging to the Ideal Dagger that he forgot about for a while.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid shouted and the hand with the Ideal Dagger used the skill. Quick Movements was used.


    [Your evasion rate is increased by 30% and your agility doubled for 1 minute.]


    This was why Grid kept the level 180 Ideal Dagger. Double his agility! The Ideal Dagger¡¯s abilities were low, but the skill attached to it was great.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Grid rushed along the sword path. This speed overturnedmon sense, so there was no way for the confused Piaro to avoid it.


    Puok!


    A red sh wasunched in a straight line towards Piaro¡¯s shoulders. Originally, it was aimed at the heart. However, the orbit was twisted because of Piaro¡¯s il. But Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. It was because he knew his present speed far exceeded Piaro¡¯s.


    Seokeok!


    [You have dealt 3,900 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 3,790 damage to the target.]


    [You have seeded in the 3rdbo!]


    [The amount of damage the target will receive will increase by 200% for 1 second!]


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Kuooooh!


    A skill wasunched with Iyarugt. It was Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill. Grid had the legendary skills so there was no sense not using them.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 125,600 damage to the target.]


    Piaro¡¯s health fell by half in an instant.


    [Piaro has realized what he iscking. The level of his farming techniques have risen from this enlightenment!]


    [A hidden quest has been created.]


    A quest window appeared to increase the value of this match.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323


    Piaro allowed Grid to deal a deadly attack.


    He realized it.


    ¡®My use of the farming equipment is wrong!¡¯


    He had already mastered swordsmanship. Therefore, he used it as the base for his farming techniques. He was following its principles.


    ¡®This is an obvious mistake!¡¯


    Farming and swordsmanship werepletely different. Wasn¡¯t farming equipment a tool for life, while a sword was a tool for death? The farming equipment could be enhanced by the sword techniques, but they were fundamentally different. It was right to change his approach.


    ¡®Discard swordsmanship!¡¯


    There was no reason to use swordsmanship with farming techniques. It was poison from the beginning, since he should use swordsmanship with a sword. Piaro¡¯s awareness drastically changed. He seemed to be another person.


    The hands gripping the farming equipment loosened, and he now had a free and rxed attitude. He stood like a farmer.


    sh!


    Piaro¡¯s body was surrounded by light. A quest window appeared in front of the confused Grid.


    [Lord¡¯s Confidence]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Piaro has gained new enlightenment and awakened as a true farmer.


    He haspletely forsaken the sword.


    At this moment, he wants to be acknowledged by you.


    Spar with Piaro!


    Please experience Piaro¡¯s skills and acknowledge him!


    Depending on the results, Piaro will grow even more!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Win or lose in a spar with Piaro.


    Defeat in a spar with Piaro: Piaro will gain great pride as a farmer. Piaro¡¯s stats and skills will significantly rise.


    Victory in a spar with Piaro: Piaro will feel skeptical and once again walk on the path of the sword again. The stats that rose as a result of Piaro bing a legend will be destroyed.


    [Hidden Quest ¡®Lord¡¯s Confidence¡¯ will proceed.]


    [Now you and Piaro have entered sparring mode.]


    [The spar will continue until the health of one person reaches the minimum.]


    [You won¡¯t die in sparring mode.]


    Lord¡¯s Confidence. This was a type of bonus quest. Grid was the lord, so being defeated by Piaro would raise Piaro¡¯s morale and allow him to grow. It would be a huge benefit and Piaro would be able to be even stronger.


    If Grid was a conventional lord, he would be happy and dancing while thanking the heavens. However, Grid was hoping that Piaro would be a sword saint. Grid was paying attention to the result of his victory, not his defeat.


    ¡®Walk the path of the sword again?¡¯


    It was confusing. He would either make Piaro definitely stronger as a farmer, or make him walk the path of the sword again.


    ¡®If he walks the path of the sword, he can develop into a sword saint.¡¯


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t be certain of this. No matter how great Piaro was, it wasn¡¯t certain that he would be a sword saint. It was also disconcerting that Piaro¡¯s current abilities would fall.


    ¡®Is it right to lose?¡¯


    No, no.


    Kkuok!


    Grid strongly grasped Iyarugt.


    ¡®I will do my best.¡¯


    Lose on purpose? Piaro wouldn¡¯t want such a method.


    ¡®If you want to prove the value of a farmer, beat me.¡¯


    If he couldn¡¯t beat Grid, take up the sword again. Pioneer your path with your own strength!


    Teong!


    Grid jumped forward at that thought. There was still 30 seconds left of Quick Movements. Grid meant to win during that time.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [Attack power will increase by 25% and attack speed will increase by 40%.] This effect willst for 35 seconds.]


    Grid¡¯s strength reached the peak. He approached Piaro and excitedly attacked him. He wasn¡¯t just fast. The trajectory was the best because he attacked along the path that Iyarugt was telling him.


    However, Piaro avoided it. It was an unexpected move. He bent over and squatted down?


    [This guy¡¯s talent suddenly became low!]


    Iyarugt was disappointed. It meant he didn¡¯t understand Piaro¡¯s intention, and was proof that Piaro was far beyond Iyarugt.


    Puok!


    Piaro squatted and hit the ground hard with the hand plow. Water shot up in an instant.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The problem was that the gushing water interrupted his field of view. Grid was confused and in this gap, Piaro quickly sprinkled seeds all over thend. At the same time, something incredible happened.


    The whole area was quickly transformed into a field. Numerous wheat tinged with gold grew around Grid.


    ¡®This is nonsense!¡¯


    A wheat field just before harvest was created in just an instant? It was just as spectacr as the magic that Braham showed. No, in a sense, it was more amazing. Piaro started doing PR to the disbelieving Grid.


    "Imagine it. What if a legendary farmer is marching with an army and circumstances lead to a food shortage? I can immediately clear a field and feed the soldiers!¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    It was amazing to hear. There would be no food shortages with an army led by Piaro. Grid was about to be persuaded when he asked a question.


    "What if there is no water?¡±


    "Use the water from nearby rivers or have magicians summon water.¡±


    "What if there are no rivers or magicians?¡±


    "...It will rain.¡±


    "If it doesn¡¯t rain?¡±


    "Free Farming 5th Style, Harvest!¡±


    The time for questions was over. At this moment, Piaro gained a new enlightenment again and wielded the sickle. A sharp qi was projected and the wheat was cut.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Grid immediately bowed to avoid it and cried out. There were thousands, tens of thousands of wheat scattered everywhere. It was a dizzying sight.


    ¡®This is too unnecessary!¡¯


    It happened when Grid was nervously brushing away the wheat in front of him.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeok!


    The many wheat exploded without notice.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Grid screamed as the entire field was engulfed in an explosion. If it hadn¡¯t been for the God Hand covering him, Grid would¡¯ve suffered so much damage it wouldn¡¯t be strange for his health to fall to the minimum.


    ¡°Kuk...! Ugh! Cough! Cough!¡±


    The harvested wheat exploded?


    "How is there such a process in farming!?¡±


    Grid shouted as he was covered with scorched flour. Piaro bluntly replied.


    ¡°It is polishing.¡±


    ¡°What polishing!?¡±


    Polishing referred to the process of removing the surface of the grain to make it clean and white, not turning it into ashes. Grid was about to reply when he suddenly realized.


    ¡¯I lost myposure. I was too shaken because of the wheat field.¡¯


    Grid barely managed to focus his mind. In order to gain the momentum again, he decided to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Dozens of dark energy des overpowered Piaro. It contained a fierce momentum worthy of one of the best skills.


    Grid didn¡¯t stay still either.


    He moved forward, nning to attack when Piaro was distracted defending against the energy des. It was an excellent n. But the opponent was too strong. Piaro used Natural State and overwhelmed Grid¡¯s speed.


    Teteteteng!


    The il flew forward. Like a feather duster, it moved without hesitation towards Grid. It scattered something with every move, reminiscent of dust.


    ¡°Ugh! Kkuk! Keok! Kek!¡±


    This dust. Grid kept moaning. His health gauge fell in an instant. Iyarugt was astonished.


    [I can¡¯t read the trajectory!]


    ¡®Useless!¡¯


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t in a position to me others. Grid felt helpless. Piaro was really strong. He used all types of items and skills to win, but he couldn¡¯t narrow the gap. Yes, it felt like he was facing a wall that couldn¡¯t be ovee.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t give up. He still had a trump card remaining!


    ¡°Piaro...! I¡¯m not backing down yet!¡±


    What were the God Hands doing now while Grid was being beaten by the il? Why didn¡¯t theye and protect their master? Piaro saw Grid¡¯s confident face and suddenly found the four hands hammering at an anvil behind Grid.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    Piaro was alert.


    [You have seeded inbining Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword!]


    Grid smiled. The God Hands flew quickly and handed the greatsword to Grid. Thebination of Grid¡¯s Greatsword and Failure was truly transcendent. This wasn¡¯t the end. In the center of the merged greatsword, the Darkness Rune was installed. Then an explosion demonic energy was emitted from the greatsword, making it a perfect match with the ckened Grid.


    But it didn¡¯t work against Piaro.


    Peok!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    So what if he had the strongest weapon in hand? He couldn¡¯t even swing it! The duration of Quick Movements was over, so Grid could ovee Piaro¡¯s speed in the Natural State. He allowed attacks and in the end, he was forced to admit it.


    "You as a farmer...! Farmer! Ugh! I will recognize your path as a farmer!¡±


    At the same time.


    [Your health has fallen to a minimum, so sparring mode is finished!]


    [The hidden quest ¡®Lord¡¯s Confidence¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [Piaro¡¯s stats and skills will significantly rise.]


    As a result of today, Piaro was able to be reborn as a true legend. His level was still lowpared to the previous legends, but all other aspects wereparable. Then Grid...


    ¡°Damn! I¡¯m also a legend, but why am I in this shape?¡±


    The great demons, Braham, Marie Rose and now Piaro. There were too many mountains to ovee. Grid was eager to be stronger. He didn¡¯t want to feel this helpless again, or experience failure.


    ¡®In order to be stronger.¡¯


    Increasing his control and agility was a top priority. The means that could help both grow at the same time was naturally hunting.


    ¡®Level up!¡¯


    But before that, there was something Grid had to do. It was to create a set of farming equipment.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    As the best weapons (?) used by his top subordinate, Grid devoted a few days to making it. Thanks to that, even Piaro was equipped with the power of items. In short, a monstrous scam was born.


    "Okay.¡±


    Grid was barely satisfied with his work and headed towards the vampire cities. He joined the Pavranium Expedition and hunted until the experience and item acquisition buff was over. By the time he reached level 305 and returned, there was less than a month left before Irene gave birth.


    ***


    Epilogue


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chris and the Five Captains were bewildered as they plowed the fields. It was because Piaro had six sheaths hanging at his waist. He normally wore farming equipment there, so why were there sheaths?


    ¡®No, is he holding a knife?¡¯


    ¡®There are six of them...¡¯


    Were they going crazy?


    Piaro cleared his throat as he approached Chris and the Five Captains. Then he proudly straightened and pulled out the knife from the sheath... No, it was farming equipment. That¡¯s right. The luxurious sheaths at Piaro¡¯s waist were actually for farming equipment. It was the work that Grid had carefully made for Piaro.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Chris was filled with a strong desire to possess them. He also wanted to have such nice storage ces for farming equipment. Chris was third on the unified rankings.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Dozens of blue-ck energy des covered the vampires. The vampires cursed as they suffered damage.


    ¡°Damn human!¡±


    "How ludicrous!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    50 vampires rushed over in unison, so Grid had no choice but to run away.


    ¡°Hohohohut!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s intimidated!¡±


    The vampires enjoyed hunting humans. They herded Grid like a bunny and surrounded him.


    Flop!


    Grid¡¯s legs loosed with fear as he saw their sharp fangs and he sank to the ground. The trembling and tearful Grid was reminiscent of a frail girl. It was a sad sight that stimted protective instincts. But the vampires didn¡¯t have any mercy.


    ¡°Eat!¡±


    The moment that the hungry vampires were going to pounce on Grid.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    A ck cat fell on a vampire¡¯s head. The vampire screamed as the front paws hit his forehead.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°What is it? Heok?¡±


    He was in pain from a cat? The vampires freaked out when they discovered the identity of the cat.


    ¡°Memphis...!¡±


    Noe puffed up his plump belly andughed.


    ¡°Nyahahat! That¡¯s right! This is the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!¡±


    "Why is a great demon¡¯s pet cat here?¡±


    "I¡¯m not a cat! Kyang!¡±


    "Get rid of him!¡±


    The vampires were also demonkin. However, they were expelled from hell and became hostile towards other demonkin. They no longer aimed for Grid and started attacking Noe, when four white shes prated their chests.


    Magic Missile.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Keook! How can Magic Missile deal so much damage?¡±


    The astonished vampires turned their gazes in the direction that the magic came from. There were four golden hands holding greatswords and a dagger.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Hands that could move on their own and fire magic? The vampires couldn¡¯t understand the golden hands. The golden hands flew towards the confused vampires and wielded their swords.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The swordsmanship wasn¡¯t great, but it was fast. Moreover, the weapons were so powerful that they couldn¡¯t avoid a deadly blow when hit.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    The vampires screamed due to the demonic beast of hell and the unknown hands! It happened when they were feeling extreme confusion and fear.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    Kwaang!


    After the waves of energy, a person appeared wielding a demonic sword. The vampires weren¡¯t able to cope and turned to a grey light.


    "I¡¯m still scared.¡±


    The demonic Grid looked at the Grid who was crying on one side. To be precise, it was Randy who copied him. Randy kept crying as she returned to the appearance of a young girl.


    ¡°I won¡¯t cry next time!¡±


    ¡°You are admirable.¡±


    ¡°You should praise me! Nyang!¡±


    As Grid, Randy and Noe were having a conversation, the God Hands were struggling with the vampires.


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has increased to beginner level 6.]


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    A grin appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he confirmed the notification window. The mastery level of God Hand grew steadily in proportion to the number of times it was used. It was quite powerfulpared to when he fought with Piaro. Indeed, it was encouraging.


    On the other hand, the Overgeared members were speechless.


    ¡®This is a scam.¡¯


    ¡®It is outrageous.¡¯


    They met Grid again a week after the Elfin Stone raid. He had be an iparable monster in just a few days. It wasn¡¯t just the concept of increased control.


    Four golden hands, Noe and Randy. They moved in all directions around Grid, so Grid¡¯s hunting rate was unmatched. Grid hunted at least 10 vampires in the time it took Pon and Regas to hunt two or three. This was an average figure, and he hunted up to 100 vampires at a time.


    It was abination of being overgeared and his pets. This hunting speed was much faster than the top ranked necromancer. Thanks to that Grid was able to gain four levels in 42 days. It wasn¡¯t just due to his speed of hunting. There was the power of the buffs from the Elfin Stone raid and the experience potion from the Reputation Store.


    That¡¯s right. After being defeated by Piaro, Grid was filled with a desire to be stronger and tried his hand at gambling again. The result was that he exhausted all his reputation, but could gain three experience potions.


    Grid thought positively.


    ¡®In the first ce, the high value products have a limited number of purchases per ount.¡¯


    Assuming that they were purchased only when absolutely necessary, it wasn¡¯t a bad choice to invest his reputation into experience potions. But due to the nature of the drawing, there was a possibility of not giving a single item he wanted if his luck was bad.


    ***


    Grid reached level 305 and returning from the vampire cities, deciding to stay in Reidan for a while. Irene was going to give birth in less than a month, so he wanted to always stay beside her.


    He nned to use this time to fulfill his duties as a lord and cksmith.


    [Minerals Strengthening]


    Increase the hardness and strength of specified minerals, while lowering the brittleness.


    Hardness meant the hardness of the mineral¡¯s surface, strength meant the degree to which the mineral could withstand force and brittleness was how fragile it was. Generally, hardness and strength were directly proportional to each other, but brittleness tended to increase from impacts. Afterpleting the third ss quest, Grid obtained Minerals Strengthening. If he used this skill, he could make the ideal mineral.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem useful right away.¡¯


    Minerals Strengthening wasn¡¯t an immediate skill. If he put 30 grams of a mineral in the strengthening frame, he needed to wait 30 days. An average of 4kg worth of minerals was needed for a one-handed sword, so it didn¡¯t seem that useful. Grid was honestly disappointed at first.


    But after thinking about it more, he wondered if Minerals Strengthening was the foundation for Minerals Creation.


    ¡®Just like Pagma and Braham created the pavranium, one day I will be able to create my own mineral.¡¯


    Grid thought positively about it and ced a small amount of blue orichalcum in the strengthening frame. He wanted to strengthen the pavranium, but that meant having to disassemble one of his hands.


    It was something Grid wanted to avoid if he was going to quickly raise the rating of the hands.


    [30]


    ¡°There is no time eleration function.¡±


    Grid pulled out the 30 grams of enhanced blue orichalcum that he had put in the frame before going to the vampire cities. It was certainly a bit harder than the normal blue orichalcum.


    ¡°Um... I have to steadily use this function.¡±


    Grid was experimenting in a corner of the smithy with a notification window appeared.


    [Congrattions! The level of the alchemy facilities in Reidan have risen to intermediate level 4!]


    At the same time, Administrator Rabbit ran in.


    ¡°Duke Grid! The level of the alchemy facilities finally reached intermediate level 4! If we can keep up this speed of development, it can be an advanced facility in one year and one month!¡±


    Once the alchemy facilities reached an advanced level, they would be able to fully utilize the yellow mithril. After that, they would be able to randomly assign special options to items and the value of the items would skyrocket.


    However, Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°One year and one month? I invested 30 million, but we still need to wait one year and one month?¡±


    "As you know, alchemy is a discipline that is neglected in all kingdoms. The field isn¡¯t systematically developed and it¡¯s hard to find experts, so the development itself is bound to be dyed. The work has been progressing faster than nned thanks to your investment, so I hope that you will wait for me.¡±


    Administrator Rabbit was capable. He was the great man who made the ghost city of Reidan turn a profit, so Grid absolutely trusted him. Grid nodded and had a question after he confirmed the status of the estate.


    ¡°But look at this. Why is agricultural our most profitable area? It is ridiculously highpared to the investment amount. Is this all thanks to Piaro?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right. Sir Piaro¡¯s ability as a farmer is wonderful enough to be written in the history books. It was truly a wise decision when you allowed him to remain a farmer.¡±


    Lauel, who was with Grid all the time, also agreed.


    "I think it was a good decision as well. The person who was hoping Piaro would be a sword saint is now appreciating him as a farmer, I never dreamt this day woulde. It was a wise and charitable choice.¡±


    Charitable? Wise?


    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯


    There was no deep meaning behind Grid acknowledging Piaro as a farmer. He just lost. However, he couldn¡¯t bear to tell the truth to his subordinates, so he remained silent.


    ***


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s current total ount bnce was 5,013,009,281 won. Youngwoo¡¯s day started by essing his Inte banking. 5 billion won! Every time he checked the ount bnce, he still couldn¡¯t help thinking this was a dream, causing him to cry.


    ¡°One year ago, I was debt-ridden...! Sob!¡±


    Why did he get tears every time he checked in the morning?


    Blow!


    Youngwoo pulled the tissue away from his nose and prayed again.


    "God, Buddha, gods of heaven and earth. Please take care of me...¡±


    Youngwoo requested every time despite never making a donation to a church or temple. He wandered into the kitchen and made an espresso with the coffee machine he bought a while ago. He took a sip and handed it to his sister Sehee, who emerged from her room.


    "Drink. This is called a morning coffee.¡±


    "...Can I not drink?¡±


    ¡°No? Didn¡¯t you want to drink from the beginning?¡±


    Youngwoo earnestly mixed the coffee. Sehee sat in front of the TV and asked him.


    ¡°Are youing to my school festival?¡±


    It was the autumn festival held at the Young Ladies High School in three days. There were many pretty girls and the scale was big, so it was a fairly famous festival. Many ordinary people came to visit. Youngwoo recalled the text he received from Yerim a few days ago and shook his head.


    "Yerim invited me, but I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Braham¡¯s actions might¡¯ve caused him to get millions of anti-fans. He was still afraid to search up his name on the Inte, so he couldn¡¯t go outside. Recently, he had to cover his face with a mask when going jogging.


    ¡®Maybe someone will be aiming to kidnap me.¡¯


    Usually ordinary people enjoyed themselves when they became rich, but Youngwoo was different. He cherished his body even more. A wide smile appeared on Sehee¡¯s face.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Sehee hummed as she headed towards the bathroom and Grid sighed.


    ¡°She is ashamed of her brother...¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be helped if he was hated by his younger sister. He was now helping his family, but he had been acting pathetically for decades. Youngwoo rose from his spot and headed towards the capsule. He would soothe his heart by spending time with his lovely Irene and concentrating on work.


    On the other hand, in the empty living room, news was flowing out of the TV about the Young Ladies High School¡¯s festival.


    [It¡¯s said that actor Kim Doohyun will participate in the autumn festival of the Young Ladies High School...]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    grams of blue orichalcum have entered the strengthening frame. There are 30 days until the strengthening isplete.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325


    The 31 year old Kim Doohyun.


    A male actor from South Korea who boasted a warm appearance. Three months ago, he became popr as a world star in the Hollywood movie, ¡®The Diary of a Murderer.¡¯ Over thest three months, he had shot 15 CFs, and his poprity rose.


    During a time when Satisfy¡¯s rankers were crowding the CF market, Kim Doohyun¡¯s breakthrough had given hope to other actors.


    ¡°You want to cancel a shoot to attend a festival? Hey, Doohyun. Why are you doing something so stupid? Are you trying to cause a stir?¡±


    The representative of thepany tried to persuade him, but it was useless. There was a look in Doohyun¡¯s eyes that couldn¡¯t be read. He exuded a mysterious charm as he looked out the window and spoke firmly.


    "There is something more important than immediate money and poprity. I will attend the Young Ladies High School festival.¡±


    The expression of the representative darkened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the rumors are true?¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡±


    "You are... There¡¯s a rumor that you are a high school girl killer.¡±


    "...¡±


    Doohyun remained silent. He had a reticent personality and he didn¡¯t feel there was any value in answering this question.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    The representative could only sigh. He worried that if a scandal broke out after touching a high school girl, it would be fatal to Doohyun¡¯s poprity.


    ***


    "I¡¯vee to ask you to repair the sword.¡±


    The master of the Giant Guid, Chris, now had to often visit Reidan. It was troublesome and tedious, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The only person who could repair Grid¡¯s Greatsword was Grid.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t too bad? While hunting the desert monsters on your way, you can get experience and items.¡±


    "I won¡¯t deny it.¡±


    Chris hunted in the basilisk area on the way to and from Reidan. The desert basilisks usually moved in groups of three, so rankers were unable to hunt them alone. However, Chris was third on the unified rankings.


    He utilized his abilities and know-how to hunt basilisks alone, earning great profits. And above all, Piaro was in Reidan. Every time he sparred with Piaro, his skills grew steadily, making Chris want to stay in Reidan all the time.


    "Today I will give you a discount of four gold. It¡¯s 599 gold.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid spoke like he hadn¡¯t overpriced it in the first ce. It was frustrating. But it was a little cheaper since it was less than 600 gold.


    ¡®...No, it¡¯s expensive! I shouldn¡¯t be swayed!¡¯


    Chris regained his spirit and paid the repairing fee with trembling hands. He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.


    "The Blood Carnival¡¯s celebrity hunting has recently been going too far. You should be careful.¡±


    "Blood Carnival?"


    The Overgeared members often told him to pay attention to the person called Agnus. Grid thought that the Blood Carnival was rted to Agnus.


    "Is that the group that Agnus belongs to?¡±


    Chris sighed.


    "Your information is too weak, despite having Faker as a subordinate. Or are you just not interested in the situation? Agnus has no affiliation with the Blood Carnival. The Blood Carnival are a group of unofficial rankers.¡±


    ¡°Are they strong?¡±


    ¡°Not only are they strong, they¡¯re bloodthirsty. You won¡¯t be safe if you be their target. They are just as dangerous as Agnus. So be careful. It will be troublesome if you get caught when repairing my weapon.¡±


    "Hrmm... I will keep it in mind.¡±


    Chris¡¯ tone wasn¡¯t sweet. But it was true that he was doing Grid a favor. Grid smiled and apanied Chris outside.


    "Go well and rx in the future. This isn¡¯t a historical drama, so there¡¯s no need to act like it.¡±


    "I understand. I¡¯m not saying this because I like it.¡±


    Chris said goodbye to Grid and went to find Piaro. He applied for a spar and then asked, ¡°Is there a big difference between my skills and Zibal¡¯s?¡±


    ording to the rumors circting among the seven guilds, Zibal was said to have been narrowly defeated by Piaro. Then what about Chris? He couldn¡¯t deal a small wound to Piaro, meaning he was much worse than Zibal!


    Piaro asked Chris, ¡°Zibal? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even remember Zibal¡¯s name?


    ¡®Then does Piaro remember me?¡¯


    Chris was mistaken and became greatly frustrated. He was leaving with powerless footsteps when Piaro spoke.


    "I don¡¯t know who Zibal is so I can¡¯t predict the difference between him and you, but I can tell you one thing. You are the third strongest person I have seen recently. You should have great pride in yourself.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Chris¡¯ eyes widened. Was he thrilled by Piaro¡¯s words? No. It was an unpleasant feeling and a big shock.


    ¡¯Last time, I was the second strongest!¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t mistaken. He had definitely heard this from Piaro on the first day. At that time, he was second. Now he was third?


    "I know that you sparred with Duke Grid recently. Is Duke Grid stronger than me?¡±


    Piaro nodded without hesitation.


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    "Then... The other person who is stronger than me. Who is stronger, him or Duke Grid?¡±


    Piaro thought about it a little bit this time. Then he answered with an ufortable expression.


    "My Lord is not yet his opponent.¡±


    "...I see.¡±


    Zibal, when did he be so strong? Chris was amazed by Zibal.


    ¡®He truly is 2nd on the unified rankings. You must be the next strongest after Kraugel and Agnus.¡¯


    His evaluation of Zibal was rising every day. Zibal didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling good.


    ***


    One of the best benefits about God Hands was the automatic hunting. If the hands were still within 30m of Grid when the monster was killed, Grid would gain the experience without having to do anything.


    Grid wanted to make better use of this advantage.


    ¡®Should I create a portable furnace?¡¯


    Only doing cksmithing at the smithy, or doing it while letting the God Hands hunt. Which one would be more beneficial? Of course, it was thetter. He would be able to acquire experience and items through hunting, while making items at the same time.


    It could also be the reverse. Grid could hunt while the God Hands made items.


    "...Am I a genius?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. Grid was serious. He truly admired himself foring up with such a brilliant idea.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it once.¡±


    Grid used Item Creation to try and design a portable furnace. The result was sessful. His knowledge as a legendary cksmith meant he perfectly understood the structure of a furnace, making it easy for Grid to produce the desired item.


    [¡¯Blueprint: Portable Furnace¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [Portable Furnace]


    Rating: Unique


    It is a furnace that can be used anytime and anywhere, as long as there is enough firewood and adequate space.


    However, it is impossible to smeltrge quantities of minerals at the same time because of its small size.


    * Item creation speed is 60% lower than when using a normal furnace.


    Weight: 7,390


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid was excited. It might be slower, but he was happy about being able to smelt minerals and modify items anytime and anywhere. It felt like he had grown wings on his back.


    A huge smile!


    Grid started to produce the portable furnace.


    ***


    Puuok!Puuok!


    Kyaack!


    [2,121,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [2,287,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has increased to beginner level 7.]


    "Kyong!¡±


    "Hang on!"


    Kuwek!


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen to 190.]


    [The level of the doppelganger Randy has risen to 126.]


    Ttang!Ttang!


    [You have seeded in making Mass Production Grid¡¯s Sword (Rare)!]


    An interesting sight was taking ce in the desert near Reidan Castle¡¯s wall. Grid was sitting at an anvil in front of a small de furnace and making items with a hammer, while four golden hands and two cats flew around hunting monsters.


    The four golden hands were the God Hands, while the two cats were Noe and Randy, who had copied his appearance. Grid actively utilized his hands and pets to hunt, while earning profit through item making.


    "The giant worm died and left a shell! Nyang!¡±


    "I got the tongue of the desert toad! Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Leave it there.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid kept hammering. Loot was piled up like a mountain on the side. It was thanks to the hands, Noe and Randy were gathering the items dropped from the monsters they hunted. It was an amazing, absurd, and fraudulent sight, as Grid earned experience and money while sitting.


    ¡°Wow... Is it possible for Grid to raise his level to 5th on the unified rankings?¡±


    "Setting aside Noe and Randy, now he has the hands as well? He can nap while the God Hands hunt and raise his level.¡±


    ¡°Macro...¡±


    The legendary ss exclusive items were truly great. The Overgeared members were envious of Grid.


    ***


    "I heard that Kim Doohyun has decided to visit Ruby¡¯s school festival?¡±


    It happened while Grid was distributing the ¡®Mass Production Grid Set¡¯ to the soldiers of Reidan. Thanks to the hands, he made items and earned experience for free.


    Grid was confused. "Who is Kim Doohyun?¡±


    Peak Sword thought it was absurd.


    ¡°Wow... You don¡¯t know Kim Doohyun?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Who is he?¡±


    Peak Sword exined to Grid who asked again.


    "His Hollywood movie ranked first in the North American and Korean box office for five consecutive weeks, he is the protagonist of a ¡®Diary of a Murderer.¡¯ He¡¯s the pride of the Korean cinema, and the Korean Patriotic Association has awarded him two medals.¡±


    "...Did you give permission to give him the medal?¡±


    "Why is permission needed for the medal? It¡¯s based on the person¡¯s achievements.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so? I didn¡¯t know since I have never received it.¡±


    "Anyway, there is one area where Kim Doohyun iscking.¡±


    "What is it?


    "Two years ago, there was a rumor that he was dating a minor, a 17 year old idol.¡±


    "How old is Kim Doohyun?¡±


    "31.¡±


    "Hmm, well. Age doesn¡¯t matter when ites to love... Heok! Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face suddenly distorted. He felt an ominous feeling. Peak Sword snapped his fingers.


    "That¡¯s right! Isn¡¯t Ruby pretty? A girl who ispletely different from you and praised as the second Yura! I am worried that Kim Doohyun might try to approach Ruby.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was hoping that his sister Sehee would meet a good man that he could be friends with. But he didn¡¯t like it if the other person was a celebrity. It was because he encountered the ugly side of the entertainment industry when he did the broadcasts after the National Competition.


    ¡®A good actor would have a lot of females who like him.¡¯


    It was okay if he was a yboy, but Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate a yboy flirting with his sister. Grid hurriedly got up. He checked the time and saw that the festival would start in two hours. Grid was about to log out.


    ¡°...That reminds me, I have to be afraid of the people at the festival.¡±


    How terrible would it be if he was surrounded by anti-fans? Peak Sword saw Grid¡¯s expression and misunderstood.


    ¡®Truly God Grid! As the protagonist of the 5th Hallyu Wave, he is so popr that it is a burden to go alone!¡¯


    Peak Sword suggested, ¡°I will go with you! I will act as your manager!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was unwilling. He would be more noticeable if he went together with Peak Sword.


    ¡®But isn¡¯t it safer than being alone?¡¯


    Peak Sword was a Taekwondo ck belt holder and his appearance was quite threatening. Grid determined that he was sufficient as a bodyguard and nodded.


    ***


    ¡®I can finally meet Noe.¡¯


    World star Kim Doohyun was a quiet man. He was mistaken as a cold city man because he was a man of few words. But what was the truth? Kim Doohyun was from the countryside, and he was a warm man who loved animals.


    The rumor about him being a schoolgirl killer was untrue. The idol who confessed to him started the rumor.


    ¡®I want to touch Noe¡¯s padded feet.¡¯


    Doohyun liked all animals, but he especially loved cats. He thought cats were perfect. They had a cute unexpected charm, and always made him smile. Among them, Noe was at the peak. The shining ck fur and eyes, the small horns and tail, all of it was very cute. The pink soles and small wings on the back were also impressive.


    That¡¯s right.


    Kim Doohyun was a fan of Noe. He was one of the top 10 members of the Noe fan cafe, which had nearly five million members. It was a sign that he participated more than anyone else when it came to the cafe activities.


    He had only one wish! It was to see Noe in person and touch him! In order to fulfill this wish, he decided to attend the Young Ladies High School festival. The famous Saintess Ruby attended the school, so he thought he would be able to meet her older brother, Grid, there.


    ¡®This is an opportunity to make friends with Grid and see Noe.¡¯


    The problem was that the opposite of the world star¡¯s wish urred.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326


    There were less than 400 students enrolled in the Young Ladies HIgh School. However, the scale of the school was incrediblyrge. A total area of 161,150 ©O. There were two ygrounds, as well as an indoor and outdoor pool. It was fully equipped with training rooms, exhibition halls, gymnasiums, and various facilities.


    It was simr to the size of a university, so it was remarkable for a high school. Why was a high school like this created? The reason was the ideology of Kim Jeongsook, the founder of the school and chairman of the foundation.


    An affluent environment was needed to bring up a greatdy!


    It was her philosophy.


    In fact, the Young Ladies High School was able to be one of the most prestigious schools after 50 years. Many girls wanted to enter the Young Ladies High School due to the excellent facilities and beautifulndscape.


    It meant that the Young Ladies High School¡¯srge grounds was working for them.


    ***


    The festival of the Young Ladies High School was in full swing.


    In this crowd, there were two men. The people whopletely covered their faces withrge sunsses and a mask were none other than Youngwoo and Peak Sword.


    ¡°Wow, why is this school so big? I heard the rumors, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this.¡±


    Youngwoo went to a local university. It was a university that he could afford, and the size was very small. Compared to that, the Young Ladies High School was three times bigger.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your sister¡¯s school? But this is your first time seeing it?¡±


    "I always waited at the front gate. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen inside.¡±


    ¡°I see... Huh?¡±


    Peak Sword frowned while conversing with Grid. He trembled.


    ¡°Takoyaki? Okonomiyaki? Yakisoba? Dammit! This isn¡¯t Japan! Why are these dishes being sold at a Korean high school festival?¡±


    Peak Sword was angry. Many of the stalls lined up from the front gate of the school to the inside of the campus had signboards written in Japanese. It was like walking the streets of Hongdae, only to find a Japanese pub. It was hard to tell if this was Korea or Japan.


    ¡°The Korean people are very kind and generous! Our ancestors suffered during the Japanese upation, but their descendants have forgiven Japan and epted their culture! My goodness! Our tolerance is too great!¡±


    "...¡±


    Peak Sword was president of the Korean Patriotic Association and loved Korea very much. He tended to think too positively. Youngwoo clicked his tongue and looked around.


    ¡®There are too many people.¡¯


    Youngwoo wasn¡¯t interested in whether the street vendors sold Korean, Japanese, or Chinese food. Youngwoo was only worried about Sehee.


    ¡®Kim Doohyun!¡¯


    Youngwoo was determined to stop Doohyun from reaching Sehee and using his position of world star on her. But there was a problem. It was this great crowd. It was hard to take a step, because the crowd was much greater than he expected. It would take him 10 minutes to move 100 meters.


    ¡®Maybe many fans came because they heard Kim Doohyun wasing...¡¯


    It happened when Youngwoo was busy thinking.


    "Hey there, handsome oppa.¡±


    One student approached them with a shy expression. It was a small student wearing an apron and cooking hat. She was very cute and pretty.


    "Huh, why did you call me?¡±


    He was reminded of Sehee when he saw the schoolgirl, so he was very kind and friendly. It didn¡¯t match his usual appearance, so Peak Sword got goosebumps.


    "We have a new desert that our dessert club has released for this festival. Would you like to try it? It is only 3,000 won.¡±


    The schoolgirl waved her apron to tempt them. That¡¯s right. She was active in soliciting street sales for the stall her club was operating. Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to spend money. However, this person might be Sehee¡¯s friend. Youngwoo finally nodded.


    "Yes, give me one."


    ¡°Hehe! Thank you!¡±


    The schoolgirl dragged Youngwoo and Peak Sword to her stall. But the menu attached to the street stall was strange.


    ¡®Kimchi ice cream? Kimchi cake?¡¯


    He got an ominous feeling. Youngwoo turned pale, while Peak Sword¡¯s eyes shone likenterns.


    ¡°Ohh! These kids are the only ones! Making kimchi as a dessert so that it is more essible to foreigners, it¡¯s really amazing!¡±


    "...It is amazing.¡±


    In the first ce, why did they need to force kimchi onto foreigners? In addition, wasn¡¯t there any other food to represent Korea except for kimchi? Youngwoo couldn¡¯t understand it at all. Then he heard the voice of the schoolgirl holding a cup of kimchi ice cream.


    ¡°Look. Didn¡¯t I bring some people? I smiled once and they followed right after me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it seems like they are suckers for schoolgirls.¡±


    "...¡±


    Please make your words more inaudible. Youngwoo reminded himself of his sister and swallowed down his anger as he reached out for the two ice creams.


    ¡°8,000 won!¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say it was 3,000 won?¡±


    ¡°Two of them cost 8,000 won!¡±


    Youngwoo looked at the smiling face of the schoolgirl and his expression darkened. Kids were truly scary these days. Youngwoo sighed and flicked the girl¡¯s forehead.


    "Act moderately, you brat. Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°H-Hik.¡±


    Tears filled the high school girl¡¯s eyes.


    Youngwoo had a good skeletal frame and his strength was quite good from exercising for a while. He didn¡¯t know how to control his strength. Youngwoo was confused when he saw the girl crying and stroked her forehead. It was an effort to relieve the pain.


    "D-Don¡¯t cry. Then the price...¡±


    ¡°Hnng.¡±


    The girl let out a strange sound as she was touched in the forehead. Her neck, ears and cheeks turned red while her legs loosened. Youngwoo was horrified when he saw her cloudy eyes.


    ¡®My damn dexterity...!¡¯


    It was good that it was effective, but there was a time and ce! Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to be called a sexual harasser, so he hurriedly shouted towards Peak Sword.


    "Quickly pay the price!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes!¡±


    What was the problem? Peak Sword couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Wasn¡¯t he the one who wanted to buy the ice cream in the first ce? He paid 8,000 won and followed behind Youngwoo.


    After a moment.


    "Ohhhhhh!" This is a real delicacy! The sweet kimchi melts on the tongue! Foreigners will love it!¡±


    "...Eat everything.¡±


    Youngwoo passed his ice cream to the thrilled Peak Sword. Then he opened up his phone. He checked the text message that he received from Yerim one hour ago.


    [At this festival, Sehee and I are working at a haunted house *^0^* I am a sexy ? ghost]


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    A photo was attached to the words. Yerim was wearing a uniform that revealed her white thighs and part of her chest, not looking suitable for her age.


    ¡°This is obviously a virgin ghost.¡±


    There were no male ghosts. Well, it was still nice to see. However, he was concerned and ufortable when he thought of his sister dressing like this. Kim Doohyun was sure to target her! Youngwoo nervously tried to find a way through the crowd when he was reminded of something.


    ¡®My dexterity.¡¯


    He made thousands of items in Satisfy and pleasured Irene, training his dexterity. It reached the point where he decided to use these techniques in real life.


    ¡®It will turn out okay. I¡¯ve figured out the trick after peeling garlic every night.¡¯


    It was being used against schoolgirls? This wasn¡¯t what Youngwoo intended at the time.


    Ttuduk!Dduk.


    Youngwoo opened his hands and told Peak Sword.


    ¡°Follow along well.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    How was he going to make it through the crowd? Peak Sword looked puzzled while eating the ice cream.


    ¡°Hnng!¡±


    "Hat!"


    "Kyaak!¡±


    Whenever Grid¡¯s hands lightly touched the waist or back of a woman obstructing their way, the woman would make a strange sound and sit down.


    ¡®W-What is this?¡¯


    It was like Moses¡¯ miracle was being reproduced. The women sat down and opened the path whenever Youngwoo moved, so this phenomenon could only be described as a miracle.


    ¡°T-Truly God Grid...!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know the principle behind it, but God Grid was really great. Peak Sword followed proudly behind Youngwoo.


    ***


    The festival was held for a total of three days, with an average of 10,000 visitors during the festival. It went beyond the concept of a high school festival, and also yed arge economic role. It was intentional marketing when the Young Ladies High School festival was often mentioned in the news.


    "I am very pleased that Doohyun-ssi has decided to attend our festival.¡±


    The principle of the Young Ladies High School, Lee Cheongsun, weed Kim Doohyun enthusiastically. Every year at the festival, she spent a lot of money to invite idols. However, Kim Doohyun decided to attend the festival for no attendance fee, despite being a world star.


    Thanks to this, Lee Cheongsun was very pleased. She would be highly evaluated by the board of directors.


    "It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Kim Doohyun started to check the festival¡¯s schedule. He only checked the events rted to Satisfy.


    Satisfy pet contest.


    Satisfy swimmingpetition.


    Satisfy fightingpetition.


    "Did Grid decide to participate in any events?¡±


    After the short meeting, Doohyun asked the question he really wanted to know. Principle Lee Cheongsun¡¯s eyes darkened.


    "He isn¡¯t participating in any events. I sent him a request to attend the festival, but he rejected it.¡±


    Doohyun was embarrassed. If he was Grid, he would¡¯ve wanted to raise his sister¡¯s status by attending events at the school, so it was surprising that he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®Priorities need to be separated... Indeed, Grid¡¯s nature is suitable to be Noe¡¯s master. I have to learn from him.¡¯


    Doohyun misunderstood and asked again.


    ¡°Ruby... No, did Miss Sehee decide to participate in any events?¡±


    ¡°Look here. The fightingpetition.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was surprising. He expected her to participate in the pet contest or swimmingpetition, but it was the fightingpetition? Anyway, this was the schedule. He would naturally approach Sehee and then get to know Grid.


    Doohyun made up his mind.


    ¡°I also want to participate in the fightingpetition. Ah, the pet contest...¡±


    Doohyun enjoyed Satisfy. On days when he wasn¡¯t busy, it wasn¡¯t unusual for him to y with his pet dog or y Satisfy. He had mentioned it a few times in interviews. Most people would think he was just doing something he liked.


    ¡®How cute will the kids in the pet contest be?¡¯


    Dugun dugun.


    His heart beat in anticipation. Doohyun¡¯s face was much more attractive than usual. Principle Lee Cheongsun, who was 60 years old this year, couldn¡¯t help feeling attracted.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327


    Buzz buzz!


    A disturbance urred at the Young Ladies High School festival. It was because hundreds of women fell down for unknown reasons. The victims showedmon symptoms of a red face and panting. Fortunately, it was a temporary phenomenon and they recovered quickly.


    However, the Young Ladies High School was obliged to discover the cause. They dispatched medical staff and guards to investigate, but weren¡¯t able to achieve clear results.


    "The good news is that the victims aren¡¯t offended by what they went through. They actually said they felt good.¡±


    ¡°What? But they suddenly copsed? Why?"


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why.¡±


    "Hmm, this is good. I thought they would be crying out forpensation.¡±


    "Yes, thanks to this, the festival won¡¯t have any problems.¡±


    "But it isn¡¯t all good... What happened to cause this incident?¡±


    "All the affected women will have something inmon. We¡¯ll check it with the CCTVs.¡±


    The Young Ladies High School. They had CCTVs installed all over the grounds.


    It was confident to the square, so the students¡¯ privacy was guaranteed.


    ¡°This!¡±


    The staff and medical personnel who watched the recorded video were amazed. A mysterious man who covered his face with big sunsses and a mask! Whenever his long and thick fingers touched a woman, the woman fell down!


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    "He must be spreading a virus. Otherwise, the phenomenon can¡¯t be exined.¡±


    "A special agent sent from the North!¡±


    ¡°Hah, truly. How is that a virus? How ignorant.¡±


    "...¡±


    "Uh, anyway, he needs to be arrested for the sake of maintaining public order...¡±


    "Don¡¯t call the police. It is just a pervert, and we don¡¯t want to spoil the atmosphere by calling the police.¡±


    Dozens of security guards were quickly dispatched. It was in order to secretly capture Youngwoo. However, Youngwoo didn¡¯t have to worry. He had a shield called Peak Sword!


    ***


    ¡°Pant pant... Is it here?"


    The duo of Youngwoo and Peak Sword broke through the crowd. They finally arrived in front of the haunted house.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    Youngwoo gasped for breath. He felt an ufortable pain from his ten fingers. It was the result of continuously using them. He had overworked himself.


    ¡®Reality is different from the game.¡¯


    In the game, he was able to move his fingers all night to please Irene. But in reality, he onlysted 30 minutes. The difference between the game and reality was huge. Youngwoo sighed and called Sehee.


    [The phone is turned off, and the voicemail...]


    Sehee¡¯s phone was turned off. Yerim¡¯s phone was the same.


    ¡¯She hasn¡¯t checked the message yet.¡¯


    Youngwoo had urgently headed towards the Young Ladies High School for a reason. He couldn¡¯t get in touch with either Sehee or Yerim. All the text messages from Yerim were around a few hours ago. It seemed they couldn¡¯t check their phones because they were busy with the festival.


    Youngwoo was frustrated and nervous because he couldn¡¯t warn them to be careful of Kim Doohyun.


    ¡¯That¡¯s why I came here to talk to them directly!¡¯


    Youngwoo had an extreme hatred of supernatural phenomenon. Honestly, ghosts were scary. In the past, he had seen the ghosts of Khan¡¯s ancestors in Satisfy. But wasn¡¯t the haunted house in front of him made by schoolgirls? It would be at the level of charming.


    Youngwoo turned to stare at Peak Sword. A garlic smell wasing from Peak Sword after he ate two kimchi ice creams. Youngwoo ordered him.


    "I¡¯ll enter and meet Sehee, so wait here.¡±


    "I want to go in and y.¡±


    ¡°Did wee here to y? Something might happen. What if those kidse out while I¡¯m inside?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes! I understand!¡±


    Peak Sword reminded himself of his duties. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to act as Youngwoo¡¯s manager? It was right to perform this role instead of enjoying himself. Peak Sword nodded at the entrance to the haunted house. After paying the entrance fee of 9,000 won, Youngwoo entered the haunted house.


    And.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaah!¡±


    Youngwoo thought that his heart was going to stop. It was the first time he screamed like this since he had been born. It was because he encountered bizarre bloody dolls as soon as he entered the haunted house.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    Youngwoo realized. This haunted house wasn¡¯t at the level of being charming. The props inside and the dismal lighting maximized fear. The intermittent sound effects caused the heart to sink. It was proof that the level of special effects of the Young Ladies High School went beyond the ability of ordinary high schools. It wasparable to Hollywood.


    ¡®Go back now.¡¯


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t have the courage to go through thebyrinth alone. He tried to go back, only to stop. He came here for his sister¡¯s sake, only to run away because he was scared? He was a truly pathetic brother.


    ¡°How rotten...¡±


    Youngwoo cursed and took a deep breath. He controlled his mind and headed through thebyrinth. It was courageouspared to the past.


    ***


    A ghost stood at the end of the darkbyrinth. It was Yerim, dressed in a high exposure costume.


    Kyaaaack!


    Someone screamed from the entrance.


    ¡®That customer won¡¯t be able to reach here.¡¯


    Yerim sighed. The problem was that the haunted house was too realistic. Everyone who entered was too frightened and ran away, so it was boring for Yerim, who was located at the end of thebyrinth. There wasn¡¯t a single customer who reached her, even two hours after opening the haunted house.


    "There are too many scary things.¡±


    Yerim licked her lips and looked at herself. Indeed, she looked sexy. It was unfortunate that Yerim couldn¡¯t show this fascinating appearance towards anyone.


    ¡®¡¯Well, I am satisfied as long as I can show my husband, Youngwoo.¡¯


    Yerim smiled cheerfully and turned on her phone. It was okay since there weren¡¯t any customers.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yerim¡¯s eyes widened.


    It was because there were arge number of missed calls and messages from Youngwoo.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Did he get her report about her sexy look? Yerim thought it was because of the photograph she sent him and checked the messages.


    -What is with those clothes?


    -Is Sehee with you?


    -Why is your phone turned off? ¨D,.¨D


    -Hey, be careful of that guy called Kim Doohyun.That bastard might try tricks on you.


    ¡°He¡¯s worried.¡±


    Yerim¡¯s white face flushed. The opposite sex was attracted to her. It was a normal routine for Yerim, but this was the first time she received attention from the person she liked. It was also her first experience with liking someone.


    Dugun dugun.


    Her heart beat faster.


    -Shin Youngwoo, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.I won¡¯t cheat even if he is a world star ? and Sehee is currently doing the Sati...


    Yerim was carefully writing a reply.


    ¡°I finally found you.¡±


    2 hours and 23 minutes after the opening of the haunted house. The first guest arrived at the end of thebyrinth where Yerim was located. Yerim confirmed his appearance and her eyes curved as she smiled. It was an alluring smile that would even overwhelm adult women.


    ¡°So good.¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Youngwoo was exhausted because he had to ovee many adversities. He was unable to cope with Yerim¡¯s voice and his legs copsed. Yerim¡¯s beauty and charm wasparable to Youngwoo¡¯s dexterity.


    Thepatibility of both would be fantastic.


    ***


    The Young Ladies High School¡¯s 2nd yground. This yground was normally used for various athletic students, but now thousands of people were gathered there. The reason was that Satisfy¡¯s fightingpetition would shortly be held here.


    "Doohyun oppa is participating right?¡±


    "Announcer Lee Minjung as well!¡±


    "I came to see Saintess Ruby!¡±


    ¡°Sehee! Sehee! Sehee!¡±


    ¡°Doohyun! Doohyun! Doohyun!¡±


    "M-Minjung! Minjung!¡±


    Principle Lee Cheongsun waspetent. She found out about the poprity of Shin Sehee, Kim Dooyun and Lee Minjung and used them in the marketing. As a result, the fightingpetition was able to enjoy an exceptional boom. Lee Cheongsun felt thrilled as she watched the audience.


    Meanwhile, Sehee was in the waiting room and looking at the list of participants.


    There were 16 participants. They were celebrities in every field. Celebrities, athletes, the literary field, etc.


    They were people who would attract attention. The Young Ladies High School¡¯s Satisfy tournaments were for goodwill and publicity, so the inclusion of celebrities was a basic premise. Of course, the bnce was a mess.


    There were level 40 beginners as well as users over level 200. But nobody cared about that. Winning or losing wasn¡¯t important in thispetition.


    ¡®My opponent is...¡¯


    Go Jimyung. It was the KBO league yer. (TL: Baseball) He once had the reputation of the best hitter in South Korea. However, sincest year, he had entered a rtionship with the leader of the girl group Farina and his score plummeted.


    He received a lot of criticism from his fans, but he was still fairly popr.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    Go Jimyung¡¯s level in Satisfy was 187. It was the second highest level among the 16 participants. Sehee would naturally be defeated in a fight against Go Jimyung, but she didn¡¯t mind. In the first ce, she participated in thepetition because of the school¡¯s request. They asked her to participate in Satisfy rted events for the sake of the festival. As a student, Sehee couldn¡¯t refuse. It was good for her to be eliminated quickly.


    She didn¡¯t notice Go Jimyung sneakily looking at her. He was very motivated. It was his girlfriend Reina¡¯s request.


    "Aren¡¯t there are a lot of penalties when dying in the game? You must kill that girl called Sehee in this tournament.¡±


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know why, but I should listen to the request of my goddess.¡¯


    The Young Ladies High School¡¯s fightingpetition would be held in sparring mode. Health would only fall to a minimum and the participants wouldn¡¯t die. But that wasn¡¯t an obstacle. If his opponent applied for sparring mode, he would decline and then kill her.


    ¡®Kukukuk.¡¯


    Go Jimyung was seduced by a bad woman. As a result, his life was gradually on the verge of self-destruction.


    ¡®I feel dirty for some reason.¡¯


    At Yerim¡¯s suggestion, Youngwoo was wearing a festival doll mask instead of sunsses. He arrived at the 2nd yground with Yerim and Peak Sword, and felt an instinctive displeasure.


    ¡®This is all due to Kim Doohyun.¡¯


    Youngwoo was horrified as he imagined the actor flirting with his sister at this moment.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328


    Reina. The leader of the popr girl group Farina, she fell in love with Doohyun at first sight two years ago and confessed to him.


    The result? It was cold. She had received many confessions, but it was her first experience with being rejected. Reina received a big shock and her pride was shattered. Love transformed into love-hate, and love-hate turned into obsession.


    She spread rumors that she was dating Doohyun, causing severe damage to his image. That¡¯s right. It was Reina who gave Doohyun the stigma of a high school girl killer.


    ¡°Kim Doohyun...¡±


    Last year, as soon as her CSATs were over, Reina started dating Go Jimyung. But she was still obsessed with Doohyun. In the first ce, she dated Go Jimyung in order to induce Doohyun¡¯s jealousy. However, there were no results until today.


    "Do you think that I will let you flirt with other girls?¡±


    Reina was trying to do something crazy once again.


    Shin Sehee. Pretty. No, to be honest, she was a very pretty girl. She looked prettier than Reina, despite all the makeup Reina wore. Was she just pretty? Her grades were in the top of the country and she got a hidden ss in Satisfy. She was even the sister of the famous Grid.


    In other words, a perfect daughter-inw.


    ording to Reina¡¯s conjecture, Doohyun attended the festival in order to seduce Sehee. Why else would a world star participate in a high school festival? Reina had no intention of forgiving Sehee.


    She nned to use Go Jimyung to thoroughly trample on Sehee.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m toote.¡¯


    The fightingpetition¡¯s waiting room. By the time Doohyun arrived, it was Sehee¡¯s turn. She was standing next to the two Satisfy capsules on the stage.


    ¡®We will talk after the match.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Doohyun¡¯s face. He imagined a scene where he became friendly with Sehee and Grid, then he would meet Noe one day. However, Doohyun¡¯s smile didn¡¯tst long. It was because he saw that Go Jimyung was Sehee¡¯s first opponent.


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯


    Doohyun knew better than anyone that Reina wasn¡¯t a normal person. Was it really a coincidence that her lover participated in this festival and faced Sehee? Unfortunately, the odds weren¡¯t great.


    Doohyun ran off somewhere.


    ***


    ¡¯Oh my, she looks so beautiful.¡¯


    Announcer Lee Minjung had great skills and a beautiful appearance. The reason why she was able to climb to the position of top MC was because she was aware of how to use her beauty. However, even she paled in front of Sehee.


    Big eyes and a small face. Sehee looked like a doll. There was a reason the press called her Little Yura. It was an unusual beauty. The discouraged Lee Minjung suddenly regained her spirit. She shouted towards the audience members who were watching the stage with shining eyes.


    "From now on, I will start the Young Ladies High School¡¯s Satisfy fightingpetition. But before that, shouldn¡¯t we first take the time to talk with the participants?¡±


    Lee Minjung¡¯s ability was outstanding. She increased the atmosphere by interviewing the nervous Sehee and excited Go Jimyung. Once the audience¡¯s excitement reached its peak, Announcer Lee Minjung finally announced the beginning of the first match.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    "Sehee, have strength!¡±


    ¡°Go Jimyung! Just like when you y baseball!¡±


    Sehee and Go Jimyung entered the capsules as the crowd cheered.


    ***


    Pahat!


    Rania Coast.


    Lights shed in the ce designated as the stage for thepetition, before scattering like ss fragments. The sparkling light reflected off the sea shone on the white clothes of the beautiful girl who appeared.


    She was Ruby, Shin Sehee.


    "Sigh, a hidden ss has a gorgeous effect when logging in.¡± Go Jimyung pulled out a mace and approached Sehee. He spoke in a very small voice. "A brother and sister both got a hidden ss, do you have a rtionship with the S.A. Group? Will you introduce me?¡±


    Sehee didn¡¯t answer. From the beginning, she didn¡¯t like Go Jimyung. It was because she felt that Go Jimyung had a hostile rtionship towards her. In particr, the wily look in his eyes was ufortable.


    Go Jimyung frowned, "Not answering, are you ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Just start.¡±


    Sehee replied bluntly and sent an invitation for a spar.


    Go Jimyung refused, ¡°Look at how rude you are. Grid¡¯s personality is the same, so aren¡¯t you truly siblings?¡±


    Sehee¡¯s eyes sank coldly.


    "Are you messing with my family?¡±


    "I never said anything. I just told the truth!¡±


    Buuong.


    Go Jimyung wielded his mace as hard as he could. It wasn¡¯t the usual form of swinging it since he was a top batter. Sehee couldn¡¯t avoid the hit and coughed up blood.


    [You have suffered 1,880 damage.]


    Sehee was only level 116. She was focused on her studies so she didn¡¯t have much time to y the game. However, the armur that Grid produced for her was epic rated and its performance was unrivalled. Thanks to this, Sehee was able to endure the attack of the level 187 Go Jimyung without a fatal injury.


    Go Jimyung¡¯s expression distorted further.


    ¡°What? Why are you only bleeding this much? Oh, aren¡¯t you Overgeared¡¯s little sister?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the application for a spar?¡±


    "Yes, but you can¡¯t kill people in sparring mode.¡±


    ¡°Can you afford the storm that will happen? A famous baseball yer ignoring the rules of the game and killing a high school girl, there will be public criticism.¡±


    "I don¡¯t care about the public¡¯s opinion. I only want to be loved by my goddess. In the first ce, I will retire without renewing my contract after this season.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even 30 years old. It seems a bit disappointing to retire already.¡±


    "Kukuk! Is it disappointing? Do you know my annual sry after travelling back and forth between Korea and Japan for years? It is an average of 10.2 billion, 10.2 billion! I have enough money for my sick brother to not have to work for the rest of his life!"


    There was nothing else to be said. Sehee sighed and used Hope. It was a top rated healing skill that consumed 10% of her mana to restore 10~30% of her health.


    [Your mana has fallen by 816 after using the skill Hope.]


    [2,005 health has been restored after using the skill Hope.]


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    It was inevitable for celebrities to have anti-fans, and Grid had many toxic anti-fans. Sehee believed that her brother was the reason why Go Jimyung was hostile towards her, and she didn¡¯t want to lose. This person who disliked her brother.


    ¡®It is hateful!¡¯


    [You have worn the +9 Wooden Staff.]


    It was her ss-exclusive weapon that Grid enhanced. Sehee swung it. Go Jimyung avoided the ridiculous attack andughed.


    ¡°Puhahat! What is that wooden stick? Did you steal the stick that my sick grandmother used?¡±


    Go Jimyung¡¯s mace descended. He was a warrior with a blunt weapon as his primary weapon, so he wasn¡¯t very agile. Sehee was able to respond to it. She raised the wooden staff with both hands and blocked the attack.


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    The difference in strength was too big. Sehee¡¯s stats were aimed towards stamina and intelligence, so her strength was very low. A warning window shed in front of her.


    [You have received a great shock, paralyzing both arms for one second.]


    One second paralysis in a battle was fatal. It was the perfect opportunity for the opponent to link their attacks. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem for Sehee.


    [You have resisted thanks to the effect of Upright Heart.]


    It was the power of her ss.


    Chaeng!Chaaeng!


    Kwaang!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Go Jimyung frowned. The lower levelled Sehee blocked the sessive attacks.


    ¡¯This staff, is it a legendary weapon?¡¯


    The material looked like ordinary wood, but a white light was surrounding it. Would someone really bother to enhance an ordinary wooden staff to +9? It was certainly an unusual weapon.


    ¡®It looks like Grid made it.¡¯


    A dark smile appeared on Go Jimyung¡¯s face. Overgeared? He also had it!


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I have a lot of money. Do you think I¡¯m armed withmon items?¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Then Go Jimyung¡¯s mace started to emit huge mes. It was the majesty of a unique rated weapon.


    Peeng!Pepeng!


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Sehee wasn¡¯t ustomed to PK and screamed when she could no longer defend. The mes that constantly came from Go Jimyung¡¯s mes were painful. Sehee used her two healing skills, but the cooldown time was 1 minute and 30 seconds, and 3 minutes, so she could only receive damage.


    Sehee¡¯s body became darkened and Go Jimyung was convinced that he would win.


    ***


    Youngwoo was foul-mouthed. The people who heard it couldn¡¯t help turning red. His number of curses increased after he became friends with Huroi. It meant Huroi was an effective teacher. Of course, this was when he maintained his reason.


    ¡°This crazy bastard!¡±


    Youngwoo finally got up from where he was sitting in the audience and rushed somewhere. He couldn¡¯t tolerate the situation that was happening on the monitor. Go Jimyung¡¯s ID turned red the moment he attacked Sehee. This proved that the confrontation between the two people wasn¡¯t in sparring mode, but was an ordinary PK.


    "Hey, these #%@!% organizers! What are you doing? Sehee is in danger!¡±


    A person wearing a doll mask screamed. He was d that no one knew who he was. Peak Sword calmed Youngwoo down.


    ¡°Look backstage. The management is around Go Jimyung¡¯s capsule. They will soon normalize the situation.¡±


    ¡°Calm down?¡±


    Youngwoo struck Peak Sword. At this moment, his worry for his sister allowed him to temporarily ovee a taekwondo master.


    "Oh my!¡±


    Peak Sword fell on his butt as Youngwoo ran straight for the stage. Yerim watched him with a rapt expression.


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    Yerim had been watching in her ghost costume. She was fascinated by Youngwoo¡¯s appearance and exhaled.


    ¡°Is he like this in bed?¡±


    Puok!


    The men gazed at the excited Yerim and immediately got nosebleeds. Yerim¡¯s innate power of seduction was too excessive. Perhaps she was a subus in a past life.


    ***


    ¡°I will connect and mediate.¡±


    Behind Sehee and Go Jimyung¡¯s capsules. Kim Doohyun and the organizers were standing beside an extra capsule prepared for these type of situations.


    ¡°A warning message has already been delivered to Go Jimyung. He will soon calm down and switch to sparring mode, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    "He intentionally avoided a spar in the first ce! Let me directly connect!¡± Doohyun cried out furiously.


    But the organizers were frustrating to deal with.


    "Haha, what reason would Go Jimyung have to do that? Doohyun-ssi, please calm down. A third party¡¯s entry into the contest will cause a disruption to the schedule. As you know, those who are participating in thepetition have a tight schedule because they are VIPs...¡±


    "Get lost!"


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Doohyun and the organizers suddenly flew back. It was because a man in a doll mask ran between them and gave a drop kick.


    ¡°Eek! What are you doing?¡±


    "Me?"


    The unidentified man opened the capsule without permission. Then he threw off the doll mask. The eyes of the organizers and Doohyun widened as soon as the man¡¯s face was exposed.


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    "Yes, I am Sehee¡¯s brother. So don¡¯t interfere. And you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Doohyun was confused about being pointed out by Grid. Youngwoo growled at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can create a dramatic scenario so that you can save Sehee like a white prince.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why was he saying? Doohyun was baffled while Youngwoo sat in the capsule and logged into Satisfy.


    [Iris recognition...]


    [The user¡¯s information has beenpleted.]


    [The user isn¡¯t registered with this capsule. Checking the capsule information...]


    [A S.A. Group approved event capsule. Capsule number 31F000B4C.]


    [The log in location is forcefully designated as Rania Coast.]


    [A legendary presence, wee!]


    The familiar and unfamiliar notification windows alternated.


    ¡°You.¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa?¡±


    Grid, Sehee and Go Jimyung faced each other. The burning mace hitting Sehee like a sandbag was stopped due to Go Jimyung¡¯s shock.


    ¡°Grid! Why are you here?¡±


    "Go Jimyung? You are permanently forbidden ess to the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    Someday he would be the king of the Eternal Kingdom. He could say such remarks because of this thought. Go Jimyung¡¯s teeth grinded together at Grid¡¯s deration.


    ¡°You are just the master of Overgeared! You don¡¯t have the authority to say this!¡±


    ¡°Just Overgeared?¡±


    This low level person was treated Overgeared so lightly? The most important element in the game was items, and the power of items was great.


    "Then I won¡¯t use items to defeat you.¡±


    Grid spoke meaningfully and raised a finger. Go Jimyung and the thousands of people watching were confused. At that moment.


    "Magic Missile."


    Peeng!


    A white sh shot out from Grid¡¯s finger. Go Jimyung was hit in the heart and blood emerged from his mouth.


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    How could Magic Missile do so much damage? Go Jimyung couldn¡¯t believe it. Grid aimed at the stricken Go Jimyung again.


    "Magic Missile."


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    At this moment. The number one search term on the portal sites was Magic Missile. The second ce search query was ¡®Grid¡¯s Magic Missile learning method,¡¯ not Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329


    The Young Ladies High School¡¯s Satisfy fightingpetition. This part of the school festival was a hot topic of interest. The 16 participants were celebrities in their field and it was a chance to see Saintess Ruby.


    In fact, tens of thousands of people were watching the match on the Inte.


    -Eh?Why is Go Jimyung¡¯s ID red?


    -He isn¡¯t in sparring mode.


    -Wow, look at that jerk Go Jimyung trying to kill Sehee.Is he crazy?


    -He has gotten into many incidents since dating Reina, and he¡¯s alienating his fans.


    -This is why you should meet a good person...?? What are the organizers doing?They¡¯re just letting it y out?


    -This XX, trying to kill our Saintess!


    The public weren¡¯t fools. The viewers saw that Go Jimyung was intentionally trying to hurt Sehee. However, the Young Ladies High School didn¡¯t do anything to stop the match. The audience and viewers condemned the Young Ladies High School and Go Jimyung, but their cries didn¡¯t work. If they didn¡¯t help Sehee, she would eventually die of her wounds.


    It was at that moment.


    "Magic Missile."


    Grid. One of Satisfy¡¯s greatest users, he appeared without warning to punish Go Jimyung. Did anyone me him for breaking the rules of thepetition? No. The audience and viewers all cheered.


    ¡°Truly God Grid!¡±


    Peak Sword felt joy. Magic Missile. The Magic Missile fired fired from the middle finger crushed the other person¡¯s body and mind. The ruthless attitude of Grid towards the enemy was very exciting to Peak Sword. A truly dependable colleague.


    At this moment, five people approached him. They were solid men dressed in ck suits. They had a menacing atmosphere around them, so Peak Sword became alert.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You will be arrested for lewd conduction, including sexual assault.¡±


    ¡°What? Sexual assault? Lewd conduct? Me?¡±


    Peak Sword was dumbfounded. He couldn¡¯t understand what these people were rattling on about.


    ¡°In the first ce, are you even capable of arresting people? You aren¡¯t the police.¡±


    ¡°We might not be the police, but we have the power to capture criminals on this campus and transfer them to the police.¡±


    "No, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about? Why am I being treated as a criminal?¡±


    Ah, perhaps? A scene passed through Peak Sword¡¯s brain. It was the miracle of Moses that Grid caused.


    ¡°Hah, truly.¡±


    He had be Grid¡¯s patsy.


    ¡®This is unfair.¡¯


    Peak Sword wanted to be honest. The molester was Grid, not him. However, Peak Sword couldn¡¯t sell out a friend. He couldn¡¯t speak honestly.


    "Catch him!"


    The guards hired by the Young Ladies High School were elites in their field. They boasted excellent physical strength and athleticism. Peak Sword wanted to cry out as he was dramatically chased by them.


    ¡®Why is it like this?¡¯


    ***


    ¡®T-This... How did this happen?¡¯


    Go Jimyung couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. Grid suddenly appeared and he fell into a critical state after being hit by two Magic Missiles? The confused Go Jimyung fell down as Grid stopped in front of him.


    "You dare to beat up my sister? What type of guy are you?¡±


    There was uncontroble rage in Grid¡¯s sharp eyes. Go Jimyung watched Grid¡¯s magic power concentrating and felt fear. Was he worried that he would be killed and drop experience and items?


    No. If he invested time and money, he could recover this experience and items. Go Jimyung was afraid of his girlfriend, Reina¡¯s, rage. She asked him for this favor, so would she be disappointed and want to break up? He was horrified just imagining it.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    He was thinking about how to stop his death and suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Stop! If you touch me then you won¡¯t be safe! I know gangsters!¡±


    "Gangsters?¡±


    Grid jumped. He was helpless in reality, unlike the game. He couldn¡¯t easily ovee Go Jimyung¡¯s threat.


    ¡®You lousy bastard.¡¯


    Grid hesitated when he suddenly recalled Beast Master Toon. He had been active in Overgeared since the days of the Tzedakah Guild, but wasn¡¯t he in the mafia? He was also constructing a building in Korea like the other guild members.


    A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°You know gangsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes! He is very cruel!¡±


    "Is he worse than the Italian mafia?¡±


    ¡°What? The mafia?¡±


    "Yes, the mafia. My friend is part of the mafia!¡±


    Grid spoke arrogantly. Go Jimyung was dumbfounded. A friend was in the mafia? What type of bluff was this?


    ¡®Crazy bastard!¡¯


    Go Jimyung shouted at him, "If that is true then kill me!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t hesitate.


    "Magic Missile."


    Peeng!


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    Once again, a white sh emitted from the middle finger pierced the head of Go Jimyung. Go Jimyung realized his mistake.


    ¡®This guy really has a friend in the mafia...!¡¯


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 18.7% of your experience and the ming Mace (Unique).]


    ***


    ¡°Kuaaah!¡±


    Go Jimyung sprang out from the capsule. It wasn¡¯t a problem to lose experience or items. He was afraid of Reina and he was also furious. He was killed in front of thousands of people using Magic Missile!


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    Go Jimyung kicked out angrily. He looked around and ran towards the capsule where Grid was sitting. No, he tried to.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you act more moderately?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    Go Jimyung¡¯s face distorted like he was a demon. Kim Doohyun. A world star and Reina¡¯s old love. The man who was an eyesore was now blocking his way at this crucial moment.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be injured then get lost!¡±


    Go Jimyung was once the greatest batter. In particr, his arm and shoulder muscles were very developed. Most people avoided his eyes when he spoke in a threatening manner. However, Kim Doohyun was different. He stood in front of Go Jimyung with a silent expression.


    Go Jimyung made a fist.


    At the same time.


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    Go Jimyung¡¯s head shot up. With the benefit of hindsight, he realized that Kim Doohyun¡¯s elbow has hit his jaw.


    "T-This...!¡±


    Crash!


    Go Jimyung was shocked at being pushed back, while Kim Doohyun whispered in his ears.


    ¡°Go and tell Reina this. ¡®The reason I¡¯ve been ignoring your actions is because you¡¯re still young. But now that you are an adult, you will be held responsible for your own actions.¡¯¡±


    ¡°K-Kuack...¡±


    Thanks to the his natural strength and athleticism, Go Jimyung was a king in his school days. After graduating from university, he made his professional debut and had never had a shameful day like this.


    ¡®You damn...! You will see one day!¡¯


    Go Jimyung became weak and fell unconscious. Grid, who was spying on them from inside the capsule, ran outside.


    ¡®He is really stunned!¡¯


    Grid ran to check Go Jimyung¡¯s state and kicked him. Now he felt relieved.


    ¡°Then.¡± Grid red at Kim Doohyun. "Did you make Go Jimyung do this so that you can look cool in front of Sehee?¡±


    Kim Doohyun was able to realize why Grid was hostile to him.


    ¡®He heard that I am a high school girl killer.¡¯


    Doohyun spoke bluntly, "I participated in the festival in an attempt to meet Sehee, so that I can meet you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Grid still didn¡¯t rx. Doohyun took out his smartphone, entered Noe¡¯s fan cafe and showed it to Grid.


    "Look at this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was this? Grid remained alert while checking the screen of the phone. Then he became aware of Doohyun¡¯s true identity.


    Member ID: Noe¡¯s ve


    Member Rating: Best Member


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Grid was confused.


    Doohyun bowed and begged, ¡°Please ept me into Overgeared!¡±


    "...Your level?¡±


    "Well... I have recently been busy so I didn¡¯t have much time to y the game. I¡¯m level 190.¡±


    Was he unqualified to join Overgeared? Doohyun¡¯s earnest expression was very different from his usual image. Grid¡¯s anger disappeared and he now felt sympathy.


    ¡®Level 190 is pretty good?¡¯


    Grid thought again.


    ¡°Your ss? If you are a production ss then I will consider letting you join the guild.¡±


    "I¡¯m not a production ss, but a pet master... A unique ss. Is it not possible?¡±


    Grid grabbed Doohyun¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Wee!¡±


    "...¡±


    ***


    ¡°There¡¯s less than a month left.¡±


    This was how long King Wiesbaden of the Eternal KIngdom had left to live. The 1st Prince, Ren¡¯s, face darkened. He wasn¡¯t mourning his father¡¯s death. He was afraid of the monsters living in Reidan.


    The golem invasion of Reinhardt. Ren still remembered the words of Duke Grid.


    "I, Grid, swear eternal loyalty to Your Majesty.¡±


    He sworeallegiance to King Wiesbaden, not the royal family. This was like a deration of war towards the 1st prince, so Ren was always afraid.


    ¡®I must strike first.¡¯


    Ren watched the situation of Reidan. He knew that Reidan currently only had 1,000 troops.


    ¡®There won¡¯t be another opportunity if I don¡¯t strike now.¡¯


    Ren made up his mind and hurried to his pce. Then he called the strongest warriors that he¡¯d invited from all over the continent.


    "I want you to join my army that will conquer Reidan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll willingly do it.¡±


    The warriors answered without hesitation, including a grey haired middle aged man. His name was Hurent. He was the one who lost to Grid in the 1st National Competition in just 5 seconds.


    [The quest is in progress.]


    Hurent checked the notification window in front of him and smiled.


    ¡®Grid, I will pay back the humiliation in the past.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s eyes were filled with confidence.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 330

    Chapter 330


    "Duke Grid still hasn¡¯t learned of my father¡¯s illness. The proof of this is that Reidan¡¯s army is still weak, so we must strike against Reidan at this time. There won¡¯t be another chance.¡±


    1st Prince Ren was well aware of how strong Grid and his subordinates were. It was natural, since he¡¯d witnessed their actions in the Reinhardt golem invasion. Nevertheless, the reason he was hostile to Grid was firstly, it was obvious that Ren would be eaten up if he stayed still. Secondly, he believed in the power of his warriors, including Hurent.


    The contents of the linked quest was being updated in front of Hurent.


    [Prince of the Eternal Kingdom - Chapter IV-]


    Level of Difficulty: Not measurable.


    1st Prince Ren has seen the strength of aura and has absolute confidence in you. He believes that you are the only rival for Duke Grid.


    Advance to Reidan with Ren¡¯s army!


    Strike down hard on Duke Grid, who is making fun of the royal family!


    Quest Clear Conditions: upy Reidan.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Ren will be crowned king and you will gain the title of Merit King. If you establish a kingdom, special benefits will be given.


    Quest Failure: Unpredictable.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    It was impossible to measure the degree of difficulty. Quests with users as the target often couldn¡¯t guess the difficulty or consequences. Hurent smiled and nodded without hesitation.


    "I am willing to help you.¡±


    It was around 10 months ago in real time. Hurent had been humiliated after losing to Grid in just 5 seconds. It was also in front of the entire world. How much contempt had he received since then?


    ¡®I¡¯m going to regain my honor with this quest.¡¯


    Merit King? It was just minor title. Hurent wanted to regain the title of the strongest, and he believed that he was now qualified.


    ¡®Grid, I will show you the true power of an aura master. It will be in front of the whole world!¡¯


    His efforts over the past 10 months would cause a disaster.


    ***


    Garosu-gil Road during autumn.


    "What exactly is a pet master?¡±


    After the festival was over. Youngwoo went to a restaurant with Sehee, Yerim, and Doohyun. Doohyun exined to Youngwoo after ordering the food.


    ¡°You can look at it as an enhanced version of a monster tamer. I can train monsters to act as pets or temporarily take away another person¡¯s pet. I can also buff my pets and your pets.¡±


    Buff fellow pets? Even the strongest buffer, Huroi couldn¡¯t do this. Huroi could only give buffs to his own pet. Furthermore.


    "Take away another person¡¯s pet?¡±


    "I canmand the pets. The duration is a minimum of 15 seconds and it can go up to 50 seconds.¡±


    "Can the pets that youmand use their skills?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a scam.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Taking an enemy¡¯s pet and using their original abilities? It would consume the mana of the pet and hit the enemy. If the pet possessed a buffing skill, it could be used on allies.


    Anyway, it was very useful. This could be a great advantage inbat.


    ¡°But the real power of a pet master is something else.¡±


    Doohyun was speaking many words, unlike his usual self. Was it due to the beautiful Sehee and Yerim? Not at all. Doohyun was only looking at Youngwoo. To be precise, he was excited about meeting Youngwoo¡¯s pet, Noe.


    ¡°Your true ability?¡±


    "I can check the details of the targeted pet. It means I can quickly grasp the stats, skills, weaknesses and advantages of the pet. Also.¡±


    ¡®Also?¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s eyes lit up. The better Overgeared became, the happier he was. He was full of expectations for what Kim Doohyun called the ultimate advantage of a pet master.


    "I have the pet beauty ability.¡±


    ¡°...Beauty?¡±


    "Yes, so please introduce me to Noe. If I can, I will make Noe more beautiful. I want to be Noe¡¯s private hairdresser!¡±


    "...¡±


    A unique hidden ss was dreaming of being a hairdresser? It seemed like this new member also wasn¡¯t normal. Youngwoo recalled something that Vantner said about the Tzedakah Guild in the past.


    "By the way, it looks like the people who joined the guild after Grid aren¡¯t normal. A crazy person attracts other crazy people.¡±


    ¡®Is it me?¡¯


    He btedly realized that Yerim was holding some rolled pasta to his mouth.


    ¡°How about it? Is it delicious?¡±


    Youngwoo was surprised and told the truth, "Not so much. It is too salty so I would rather buy two cups of ramyun.¡±


    "The food that a sexy woman like me is giving you isn¡¯t delicious?¡±


    "What sexy woman...? You aren¡¯t sexy.¡±


    "Aish~ even with this?¡±


    "Hik! Don¡¯t do that in a public ce!¡±


    ¡®Grid, this person.¡¯


    Doohyun realized it as he saw Youngwoo sitting between Yerim and Sehee. Youngwoo was the true high school girl killer.


    "But where did Peak Sword go?¡±


    Towards the end of the meal. Yerim had an afterthought. Until now, they hadpletely forgotten about Peak Sword.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably out there ying around.¡±


    Peak Sword, who receive the stigma of a sexual harasser due to Youngwoo! He had been chased after by security guards for hours.


    ***


    [Mass Production Grid Set]


    It consisted of weapons, helmet, armor, gloves and shoes. The weapons were one-handed swords, spears, bows, and shields, and Grid designed them with the intention of giving them to the soldiers of Reidan. They had an excellent performance and the effect when worn as a set was great,pared to other equipment of the same level.


    However, there was a problem. The level restriction was 160. On the other hand, Reidan¡¯s soldiers were level 133, so the equipment couldn¡¯t be distributed immediately.


    ¡®But the performance will go down if the level limit is lowered too much.¡¯


    What should he do? Grid thought about it and summoned Piaro and Asmophel.


    ***


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel blinked after they came running at Grid¡¯s call.


    Beside Reidan¡¯s outer walls. Grid was sitting in front of a portable furnace and making items, while four golden hands were hunting monsters near him.


    ¡®However, the level is still low.¡¯


    The giant worms were very weak monsters, based on Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s standards. They were able to cut the giant worms easily, and it would be the same if Duke Grid used a skill. Then what about these golden hands?


    The four hands joined forces, but it took them more than four minutes to hunt a giant worm. They couldn¡¯t take the initiative when fighting. It was strange that swords were moving on their own, but it wasn¡¯t that scary when looking closely. The only point worth paying attention to was the exceptional speed.


    However, Piaro appreciated the potential of the golden hands.


    ¡®They¡¯re much better than when I fought him. I¡¯m looking forward to how they grow in the future.¡¯


    Grid asked Piaro and Asmophel.


    ¡°How long does it take for the soldiers to gain one level?¡±


    "Currently, it¡¯s five days.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The level up speed was much faster than expected. Considering that the level of the Winston soldiers remained in the 80¡¯s for several months, the soldiers of Reidan were raising their levels at a phenomenal rate. It was a glimpse of Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s outstanding training methods, who were once destined to be the pirs of the empire.


    ¡°Then the soldiers will reach level 160 in five months?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Asmophel answered without hesitation. He was so confident that Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling greedy.


    "Can you raise their level faster?¡±


    ¡°The intensity of the training is already very high. If we overwork the soldiers, they might be injured and there will be manyints.¡±


    "Does it matter as long as they don¡¯t die? And so what aboutints? A soldier needs to do this.¡±


    Grid had experience being a soldier in the South Korean army. High intensity training? As long as they didn¡¯t die, they would eventually adapt. And if they worked hard, they would be too tired toin.


    ¡°Yes? Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel swore allegiance to Grid. They had a obligation to follow him, even if it was a somewhat difficultmand. In the end, the soldiers of Reidan had to suffer.


    ¡°Run! Roll! Gear up!¡±


    ¡°Stab! Shoot! Cut! Chop!¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel showed no mercy. The 1,000 soldiers of Reidan had to endure harsh training every day until their muscles screamed. As a result, the level up speed of the soldiers increased from 1.3 times to 1.5 times.


    [The loyalty of Reidan¡¯s soldiers has dropped by 9.]


    [Reidan¡¯s soldiers don¡¯t respect you.]


    "...¡±


    Grid was the target of the soldiers¡¯ resentment. It was very serious from a ruler¡¯s point of view. If the loyalty of soldiers towards the lord was lowered, it was difficult to restore.


    But Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. Why?


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Every day and night without covering production and mass production-type grid set. Grid knew that the soldiers¡¯ respect and loyalty would rise again the day the Grid set was distributed to them.


    ***


    Irene¡¯s due date was in five days. Because of this, one of the main powers of the Eternal Kingdom and ruler of the north, Marquis Steim visited Reidan.


    ¡°Wee, father-inw.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! The duke came out to meet me, I¡¯m so ttered!¡±


    Marquis Steim¡¯s eyes were bright as he looked at Reidan. He only knew Reidan as a ghost town, but it had developed quickly after Grid became the lord. The poption was still only 20,000, but it was excellentpared to other cities in the Eternal Kingdom.


    No, it was unchallenged when it came to agriculture. Even the Saharan Empire didn¡¯t have such a great agricultural city.


    ¡®I¡¯m amazed at the level of determination to develop an agricultural city in the middle of the desert!¡¯


    Indeed, his son-inw was great. Marquis Steim smiled proudly.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 331

    Chapter 331


    Irene¡¯s bedroom.


    "Father!"


    ¡°My daughter!¡±


    Irene and Marquis Steim hugged tightly.


    It had been nine months since they had seen each other, so they couldn¡¯t control their emotions. They checked each other¡¯s health and shed tears of joy. In particr, Marquis Steim sniffed with a runny nose.


    Irene used to follow her father around everywhere. Now his daughter was going to be a mother, so he felt strange and lonely. Marquis Steim confirmed her appearance and shifted his gaze towards Grid.


    "I hope you will always love and cherish my daughter like you do now.¡±


    Grid answered with a genuine heart, without hesitation.


    "I will love her more than I do now.¡±


    At the same time.


    [The child in the belly has felt the true love of the couple, increasing all stats by 1.]


    Grid whispered words of love to Irene every day, but there had been no response from the baby in thest few days. There was five days left before she gave birth. Perhaps today would be thest prenatal education.


    ***


    Grid was chatting with Irene and Marquis Steim.


    Outside Irene¡¯s bedroom, the knights of both families were standing side by side. The eyes of a young man suddenly sharpened. His name was Laden. After Phoenix, he was the best talent in the north.


    "There are four people, not three in the bedroom. Does Duke Grid have a shadow?¡±


    ¡®Four people?¡¯


    Piaro and Asmophel were confused at Laden¡¯s question. They could only feel three people in Irene¡¯s bedroom. Duke Grid, Irene and Marquis Steim.


    ¡®Does this young man want to show off his skills?¡¯


    A knight of the marquis. He was making something simple, bigger.


    ¡°Did you say you are Sir Laden? Are you certain enough to interrupt the duchess?¡±


    Irene needed absolute stability. Taking the risk to go into Irene¡¯s bedroom and making a disturbance? What if there was no third person? It was obvious that Duke Grid and Marquis Steim would be furious.


    Piaro warned Laden that he would be held responsible. Laden understood and nodded, ¡°I will take responsibility.¡±


    If so, there was no need to dy. Piaro knocked on Irene¡¯s bedroom door.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Piaro and Laden confirmed Grid¡¯s response. Then the knights of both families entered Irene¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    Irene became upset at the crowd entering, so Grid frowned.


    ¡°Why is it so loud?¡±


    Laden took a step forward.


    ¡°There is a rodent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Rodent? Grid was feeling confused while Laden pulled out a sword at his waist. Then he kept stabbing his sword at the ceiling?


    ¡°...Gone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was the worst. Piaro hit his forehead and Grid¡¯s expression distorted. Laden exined, "A little while ago, I felt someone hiding on the ceiling. But now they have disappeared.¡±


    Grid was dumbfounded. His insight was a huge 1,550. Faker couldn¡¯t even secretly approach within 3m without Grid noticing.


    ¡°There was a rodent hiding above me? If this is true, why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±


    "...¡±


    Laden couldn¡¯t say anything. He just bowed his head and waited to be punished. Grid asked Marquis Steim, ¡°Who is this person?¡±


    Marquis Steim replied with a little bit of embarrassment.


    "An outstanding person. He¡¯s still young so he sometimes makes mistakes, please understand.¡±


    "Ah.¡±


    The Northern Nova, Laden. It was the moment when he was branded as a bluffer by Grid.


    ***


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    King of Shadows, Kasim. He was the strongest assassin in the world. It was surprising that he was caught by a young man.


    ¡®Time has given birth to talent.¡¯


    The Eternal Kingdom. Compared with the Saharan Empire, a great number of talented people were being born in the small kingdoms. In simple terms, the Saharan Empire had 10 times the poption of the Eternal Kingdom, so they produced more talent. This wasn¡¯t a good thing from the viewpoint of Kasim, who was burning with vengeance towards the empire.


    ¡®Anyway, I¡¯ll have to be more careful for the moment.¡¯


    Suruk.


    Kasim disappeared into the darkness.


    ***


    ¡°My money.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid went to the smithy for the first time in a while. Two anvils were lined up next to him and on top of them, four hands were hammering like Grid. The young cksmiths were amazed by the sight.


    Khan approached Grid, ¡°You look upset. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    "Marquis Steim brought a young knight and he made me upset.¡±


    "Huhu, giving you a bad impression. The young man is pitiful.¡±


    "Irene is sensitive because of the child... Ah, I want to block his career path.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea in your position. You¡¯ve witnessed it from the side of the victim, that persecuting the weak can cause bad feelings.¡±


    "...Indeed. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡±


    Up until two years ago, Grid was also weak. He knew how terrible it was to be persecuted by strong men. But now that he had power, he was thinking about abusing it? Grid was disappointed in himself.


    "Thank you. You¡¯re too good for me.¡±


    "Huhu, you are also very very good.¡±


    "An old man should keep his dignity.¡±


    Grid smiled and leaned his head against Khan¡¯s shoulder for a moment. It was like a grandchild leaning on his grandfather. But the young cksmiths thought differently.


    ¡®These two are very close.¡¯


    ¡®A love that transcends status, sex and even age?¡¯


    ¡®Umm... They should watch their mouths.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    In the midst of this deepening misunderstanding, the God Hands kept working. They produced the necessary basics for the Mass Production Set and delivered it to Grid, who only trusted himself with the high quality materials.


    [The skill level of the God Hand¡¯s cksmithing has increased to advanced level 2.]


    [The skill level of (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has increased to level 7.]


    [The number of times the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill can be used has increased by three. Number of items that can be created at present: 13/21.]


    Grid¡¯s growth continued today.


    ***


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡®How rotten!¡¯


    ¡°Roll!¡±


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    ¡°Gear up!¡±


    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    Reidan¡¯s training grounds. Thanks to the ¡®Will of Duke Grid!¡¯, the soldiers were being overworked today. They rolled over sand that was burning from the sun, crawled out, jumped over dangerous obstacles, and endlessly stabbed their swords and spears.


    ¡®How long will thisst?¡¯


    These questions were on the verge of disappearing. It felt like all thoughts were being swept away due to the pain. It was the process where their muscles were being reconstructed. They wanted to give up many times.


    "The more you sweat, the more you guarantee your family¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go back to the old days of starvation! Then withstand it! Protect your home!¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel cried out every time their hearts weakened.


    ¡¯Yes, stand up!¡¯


    The soldiers¡¯ eyes were filled with hate. Wasn¡¯t it funny to give up now? They had always been training with the idea of oveing these trials. Still, they swore at Grid when they were tired.


    ¡®If I think about it, there isn¡¯t a war right now, so why do we need to be trained like this?¡¯


    ¡¯Duke Grid must be bullying us on purpose!¡¯


    ¡¯Damn Duke Grid! Curse Reidan¡¯s sun! Fall on the road and break your nose!¡¯


    [The loyalty of Reidan¡¯s soldiers has dropped by 7.]


    [Rumors have spread that the soldiers of Reidan hate you.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Loyalty could be raised at any time. Grid thought this and ordered that the training be gradually increased, not decreased. Now he started to feel rmed. He was being hated? Wasn¡¯t this a stage beyond resentment?


    ¡®It is time to give them a carrot.¡¯


    Grid looked at the list of Reidan soldiers. The list briefly listened the information of Reidan¡¯s 1,003 soldiers. It was their name, gender, level, and upation. The detailed stats, skills and unique story could only be checked with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he sorted the list of soldiers in order of level. One person. There was one soldier who achieved level 150? Compared to the average level of the other soldiers, which ranged between 136~139, it was a tremendous growth rate.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid summoned Piaro.


    "Did you call?"


    After Lauel and Rabbit, Piaro was the next busiest person. It couldn¡¯t be helped, since he had to manage the fields and army at the same time. But unlike Lauel and Rabbit, who were always tired, his color was very good. It seemed he had no concept of tiredness because his basic stamina was so high. He was busy, so Grid immediately cut to the chase.


    "When I saw the list of soldiers, Royman stands out. What happened? What special training did you give them?¡±


    "Nothing. Asmophel and I instruct all the soldiers the same.¡±


    "Then why is Royman¡¯s growth rate so different?¡±


    "It¡¯s the difference between talent and motivation. There are soldiers who follow the training schedule without thinking, but there are also soldiers who try to make it work better for their growth.¡±


    "Hrmm, can you give extra training for the soldier called Royman?¡±


    "Do you want Royman to grow faster?¡±


    "Yes, to at least level 160.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I had already nned to configure a special group, so I will direct my training towards Royman.¡±


    ¡°Special group?¡±


    It seemed to be something great. What would be the name of this special group?


    ¡®Overgeared Task Force?¡¯


    It happened when Grid¡¯s eyes were shining likenterns.


    ¡°Duke Grid! Irene had gone intobor!¡±


    "What?¡±


    Her expected due date was supposed to be in two days. Grid abandoned the items he was making and ran to the castle in a hurry. Piaro also followed. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [When the baby is born, do you want it to be a boy or a girl? Your answer will have a profound impact on the child¡¯s gender.]


    Grid answered without hesitation.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332


    Grid answered without hesitation.


    "Daughter! I want a daughter!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t a son better than a daughter as the sessor? That didn¡¯t matter to Grid. He just wanted a child that was like Irene. The girl would be bright, kind, and beautiful, unlike him.


    ¡®I am afraid a son will resemble me!¡¯


    Typically, a daughter resembled the father and the son resembled the mother, but Grid didn¡¯t believe this. He didn¡¯t think a girl would have his appearance and personality.


    [Do you really want a daughter?]


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    [Okay. The baby who will be born soon will reflect your will.]


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    From the smithy to the castle. Grid ran through the streets using the shortest path. He wanted to see his child¡¯s face as soon as possible.


    ***


    "You aren¡¯tte.¡±


    Lauel was waiting for him at the gates.


    "It¡¯s been 30 minutes since them midwife entered. Maybe the child will be born soon. Before that, are you really going to name your child Grene? Huh? How about rethinking the name?¡±


    Lauel was sleep deprived, as always. In the game, he was busy managing Reidan, Bairan, and Cork Ind, while in reality, he was responding to the endless flood of inquiries about joining the guild. So Lauel¡¯s somewhat tense words were heard as they headed to the 3rd floor.


    Cry!Cry!


    The cries of a newborn baby was heard from Irene¡¯s bedroom at the end of the hall.


    ¡°Congrattions!¡±


    The maid assisting the midwife ran out and shouted. The emotions in Grid¡¯s heart were indescribable. He really became a father! He felt a vague fear, but his joy was much greater.


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    The maid responded with a bright expression.


    ¡°Your son!¡±


    Eh?


    "What?¡±


    It was an unexpected and shocking answer. Grid received a mental blow. On the other hand, Marquis Steim and his vassals were dancing.


    "A precious baby boy was born in our family! A young gentleman, young gentleman!¡±


    "Congrattions Duke Grid and Marquis Steim!¡±


    "I wish you the best!¡±


    "...¡±


    A young gentleman.


    ¡®A son?¡¯


    Didn¡¯t it say that his choice would have arge effect on the gender of the child when born, so what was this?


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Grid btedly replied.


    ¡®I was originally unlucky.¡¯


    When had anything ever gone as he wanted? There were few asions. The result always went against him. He had been lucky since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but before that, he had been so unlucky that he wondered if he had sold a country in his previous life.


    Yes, this was the reality.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Grid sighed and entered Irene¡¯s bedroom.


    ***


    ¡°Dear husband... It¡¯s a boy who resembles you. I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    Irene¡¯splexion was noticeably tired. It was difficult to fathom how painful childbirth would be. But Irene¡¯s smile was brighter than ever. Grid realized something.


    ¡®It might be more influenced by Irene¡¯s wish than my bad luck.¡¯


    Grid was relieved when he saw the baby in Irene¡¯s eyes. What did it matter if it was a daughter or a son? Proof of their precious love had been born. He was d and happy. In the first ce...


    ¡®We can always have another child if I want a daughter.¡¯


    Irene was the only daughter of her family, so she had a strong desire for many children. She wanted to constantly give birth if she could. Grid smiled and kissed Irene¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve suffered. Thank you. Thank you for giving this gift to me. Above all, I wish for you to be healthy.¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    Irene was always affectionate towards Grid. Irene was thrilled and handed the child to Grid.


    "Please hug him.¡±


    ¡°U-Um.¡±


    Grid was startled. Didn¡¯t the child have ck hair like him? It was concerning. His son, he looked like Grid.


    ¡®Please let his nature be different...¡¯


    Grid sincerely wished as Irene handed the child to him. Then his eyes widened.


    ¡®Why is he so pretty?¡¯


    Babies who were just born and couldn¡¯t open their eyes reminded him of monkeys. But what was this? The white skin was resilient and the already opened eyes were blue like Irene. They were intense eyes like gemstones.


    Grid¡¯s mouth stretched widely as he looked at his son. It was an exquisitebination of himself and Irene, so an infinite affection rose inside him.


    "What is the name of our grandchild?¡±


    Marquis Steim asked. His mouth was also stretched widely. He looked even more delighted than Grid.


    "The child¡¯s name...¡±


    Everyone¡¯s attention focused on Grid. In particr, Lauel was staring at him with eager eyes.


    ¡¯Please don¡¯t let it be Grene!¡¯


    Was his wish heard? Grid spoke a normal name for some reason.


    ¡°Lord.¡±


    Don¡¯t be despised like him, be loved and respected by all. Don¡¯t be envious of others like him, but have a wide heart. It was a name filled with these wishes.


    ¡®Lord...!¡¯


    It was a good name. It happened when everyone, including Lauel, was feeling happy.


    "Maybe I should add my initial preceding it, G-lord.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expression twisted. He shouted angrily.


    ¡°Glord! That is a name that copies the format of an orc chief!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid felt relieved of the frustration that filled him for a decade. Glord. It was a name that he came up thanks to all his naming experience.


    "Phew, it¡¯s cool.¡±


    Lauel saw Grid¡¯s expression and shouted again.


    ¡°Please just name him Lord!¡±


    "Isn¡¯t that toomon?¡±


    ¡°It is better than a name that copies an orc chief!¡±


    He was correct. Glord was a proper noun in Satisfy, so it was right to avoid it. After a moment, Grid nodded.


    "Okay, I understand. The name of this child is Lord.¡±


    At that moment.


    [Congrattions on the fruit of the couple¡¯s love!]


    [You are the first user to be a father!]


    [The title ¡®First Father¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [First Father]


    * When you are in a party with your child, all of your stats will increase by 8%.


    If the child¡¯s health drops below 30%, the passive skill ¡®Father¡¯s Instinctive Love¡¯ will be activated, increasing movement speed by 80% for 20 seconds and resetting skill cooldown.


    Resetting skill cooldown time! It was truly a huge passive skill. Grid was d when he suddenly felt doubts.


    ¡®Party?¡¯


    Why would he go hunting with his child?


    ¡®Why is it like this?¡¯


    Then Lord¡¯s status window floated in front of Grid¡¯s eyes.


    Name: Lord Steim


    Age: 0 years Gender: Male


    upation: Young Nobleman


    Title: Grid¡¯s Son


    * The son of a legendary cksmith. He has inherited most of his father¡¯s abilities.


    Title: Genius of Eternal


    * A genius that represents a country. He overwhelms local geniuses, and his level and abilities will rise 40% faster than normal. In addition, he can acquire skills in a wide range of fields.


    However, there is a limit to the level and abilities that can be raised until he is 15 years old.


    Title: One who Will Be a Legend


    A person who will leave his name in history. There is an 80% chance of being immune to all status effects and illnesses. When attacked, if his health falls to 1 point, he will enter the immortal state for 2.5 seconds.


    Level: 1


    Strength: 31 Stamina: 39


    Agility: 25 Intelligence: 47


    Dexterity: 90 Charm: 100


    Dignity: 15 Insight: 78


    Skills: Beginner cksmith Skill (F), Beginner Weapons Mastery (C), Discerning Eyes (S), Overwhelming Charm (S), Famous and Legendary Pedigree (SS).


    His mother is the sessor of a noble family in the Eternal Kingdom and his father is a legend. He has inherited all of his parent¡¯s strengths, so his potential is outstanding. Teaching him will be inspiring.


    However, his talent and environment are so good that he is likely to be arrogant. Education will determine his history.


    ¡°This ispletely...¡±


    A gold spoon in Satisfy. Grid was forced to admire it.


    Lord Steim. It was the day when the overlord of the world, who wouldter have the name of the Overgeared n, was born.


    ***


    "Abu. Abu.¡±


    It had been a week since Lord was born. Compared to when he was born, the beauty of the child was already shining. He had Grid¡¯s eyes and high nose, the good parts of Grid, as well as Irene¡¯s face, skin, lips, and pupils.


    "So pretty."


    Saintess Ruby arrived in Reidan two days ago. She had wanted to see her nephew¡¯s face. She smiled and didn¡¯t leave Lord¡¯s side. On the other hand, three women were ufortable.


    Yura, Jishuka, and Sexy Schoolgirl. The women who gathered in one ce after a long time were struggling.


    "Well, I¡¯ll admit that the baby is pretty. However, the next baby that I¡¯ll give birth to will be better. Think about it. How dignified and sexy would a child born from Grid and I be?¡±


    It was Jishuka who talked with confidence. Sexy Schoolgirl couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    "Oh my~ Jishuka, are you going to marry Grid? Ah, in the game like Irene?¡±


    "Huhut, this young girl is talking nonsense. If I was to marry Grid, it should be in reality. You can y the role of concubine in the game.¡±


    ¡°Sister, do you not like me? Are you afraid that I will be sexier than you after one or two years? Yes?¡±


    "This kid, shouldn¡¯t you be more self-conscious?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet. I don¡¯t have the emotions of a kid.¡±


    Yura intervened between the two girls. She was calm in front of Lord, unlike Jishuka and Sexy Schoolgirl.


    "Yura, aren¡¯t you worried? Irene and Grid will probably be closer after Lord is born. Our positions will be smaller."


    Yura spoke to Sexy Schoolgirl in a nonchnt manner, "I am already treated as a folding screen. I don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    "...¡±


    In the meantime, Grid was indifferent towards Yura. One of the world¡¯s most beautiful women, Yura, was treated as a folding screen. Jishuka and Sexy Schoolgirl honestly couldn¡¯t believe it. Seheeughed from where she was ying with Lord with the baby toys that Grid had drawn.


    ¡¯It is because Oppa is very shy.¡¯


    Everyone forgot it because Grid was married, but he had no experience with love in reality. In reality, he hadn¡¯t even held hands with a woman. An unrealistically beautiful and talented woman like Yura was too high of a barrier to be his first love. Ah, it might be different if Yura had a big chest like Jishuka.


    At the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    The soldier Royman reached level 160 under the thorough guidance of Piaro and Asmophel. Grid was thrilled when he confirmed Royman¡¯s information with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    At this time, a huge 5,000 troops were entering Reidan¡¯s vast desert.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 333

    Chapter 333


    1st Prince Ren¡¯s expedition to Reidan had to proceed in secret.


    Spreading the news would allow Grid time to respond. Ren secretly recruited his army by organizing small number of troops and moving through through the estates of the nobles. It took a lot of time due to that, but Ren didn¡¯t hesitate.


    It was right to be prudent.


    ***


    The day before Grid¡¯s son, Lord, was born. There was a big disturbance in the fortified city of Patrian. 1st Prince Ren visited the city with 7,000 troops.


    ¡°I greet the prince.¡±


    Earl Ashur greeted him. He had the strength to control the bnce of the world, but he did his duty as someone loyal to the nation.


    ¡°Earl, you don¡¯t need to do this. Get up. Come on."


    Prince Ren was ufortable. Even the prince of a kingdom couldn¡¯t afford to go against a great magician. It was the same in the empire.


    Earl Ashur asked him, ¡°Why has the prince visited this ce with an army?¡±


    Prince Ren exined honestly. He intended to from the beginning.


    "Unfortunately, the king¡¯s life won¡¯tst much longer. I feel like as part of my duty to the stability of the kingdom and the royal family, I have decided to strike at Grid.¡±


    "...¡±


    Earl Ashur had also heard rumors about what Grid had said at the rewards ceremony after the golem invasion. He understood the feelings and position of Prince Ren. But he was confused. The wicked Grid was holding his son hostage. His son might be in danger if Reidan was invaded.


    Prince Ren saw Earl Ashur¡¯s worried face and opened his mouth.


    "I¡¯m well aware of your situation. Your son nd is being held hostage in Reidan? Several months ago, Duke Grid used this weakness so that you would help him.¡±


    "...¡±


    Earl Ashur couldn¡¯t say anything. He was too proud to admit the fact that one of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians was in someone else¡¯s hands.


    Prince Ren looked at him. "I will surely defeat Duke Grid and rescue Sir nd. Trust me and cooperate with me.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a good n?¡±


    Prince Ren was well aware of the strength of Grid¡¯s forces. Then what was this confidence? Earl Ashur showed interest and Prince Ren introduced a few people to him. It was the Royal Knightsmander, Chucksley, and other people, including Hurent.


    Earl Ashur was amazed as he examined their faces.


    ¡®Prince Ren had such awork?¡¯


    Recently, Chucksley was in the spotlight for shooting down three flying birds with one arrow. The kingdom¡¯s influential figures were following Ren. Among them were users (those who received the blessing of God), such as Hurent.


    Their power was hard for even Earl Ashur to gauge.


    Ren exined to him, "The ideal thing would be for you to personally join my army, but... Duke Grid could hurt nd. I can¡¯t ask that of you, so please do me a favor. Teleport 3,000 of my soldiers to the Altes Mountains.¡±


    Altes Mountains!


    Strictly speaking, it was the territory of the Saharan Empire located to the west of Reidan. It was the exact opposite position to Patrian, which was to the east of Reidan.


    "A diversion?¡±


    "Yes, the 4,000 soldiers will cross the desert and draw Duke Grid¡¯s eyes, while 3,000 soldiers will attack from the rear.¡±


    Reidan had many excellent talents, but there were only 1,000 soldiers. A diversion was highly likely to work. It wasn¡¯t bad. However, Earl Ashur found it hard to answer.


    Teleporting 3,000 people?


    It might be possible for the legendary Braham, but it was hard for Earl Ashur.


    ¡®2,000 soldiers might be possible.¡¯


    He would consume all his magic power at once and would probably receive a serious injury. It would be difficult to use magic for at least a fortnight.


    Prince Ren kneeled and looked up at Ashur. "I know that this is an unreasonable demand. But please, for the royal family. No, for the sake of this kingdom and Sir nd.¡±


    The prince of a kingdom. The heir to the throne was kneeling while thousands of soldiers watched on. If Earl Ashur rejected this, it was clear that his reputation would be the worst. Earl Ashur realized.


    ¡®1st Prince... He is quiet sly, unlike his pure and decent appearance.¡¯


    Now Earl Ashur realized how he could acquire so many talents.


    ¡®Yes, he will be able to deal with that evil Grid.¡¯


    Earl Ashurughed. He was ted by Prince Ren¡¯s n and answered.


    ¡°I understand. I will follow your will. However, my lowly ability can only teleport 2,000 troops.¡±


    ¡°That alone is good enough! Thank you!"


    Prince Ren was thrilled to tears. Earl Ashur knew the tears were false, but the soldiers were different.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    ¡°Hooray 1st Prince!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Earl Ashur!¡±


    [The morale of the army has risen. The stats of all soldiers will rise by 5% and the stamina consumption rate will decrease. This effect will continue as long as morale doesn¡¯t fall.]


    It was auspicious.


    Hurent smiled at the notification window.


    ¡°The great magician who grabbed the ankles of the seven guilds is helping me. How about it? Bunny Bunny. Do you feel the difference between me and the seven guilds?¡±


    He would get revenge on Grid and get rid of his humiliation in front of the whole world. Hurent took Bunny Bunny, the best gaming BJ in the world, with him to fulfill that. Bunny Bunny, who had been recording the whole process with his camera, raised his thumb.


    "I must admit that there is a clear difference.¡±


    In fact, this situation was Prince Ren¡¯s achievement, but Hurent ignored that. Hurent had the vision to recognize Prince Ren¡¯s skill and ept the quest.


    ***


    Name: Karin


    Age: 21 Gender: Female


    upation: Soldier


    Title: Royman


    A pseudonym used since she started pretending to be male. She really feels like a man, so her confidence increased and her strength increased by 5%. However, her charm is greatly reduced.


    Title: New Star of the West


    A genius that represents the region. Her level and abilities will rise 20% faster than normal. In the ¡®desert¡¯ terrain, all stats will increase by 150%.


    Title: Watched by a Legend


    She has attracted the attention of the legend Piaro. He has given her private lessons under the guise of military training. The rise in stats is veryrge and it is highly possible to acquire new skills.


    Strength: 630 (¡ø) Stamina: 331 (¡ø)


    Agility: 655 (¡ø) Intelligence: 99 (¡ø)


    Belief: 10


    Skills: Beginner Bow Mastery (F), Beginner Shield Mastery (F), Intermediate Sword Mastery (D), Farming (B), Prestigious Pedigree (A), Life Saving Sword (S)


    In the days when Reidan was called the second capital, Karin was born the daughter of Reidan¡¯s greatest warrior. She trained in swordsmanship for a long time and dreamed of bing a knight like her brothers.


    But 10 years ago, Reidan became a desert, and her dreams were shattered. She lost her father to the monsters that constantly appeared, and her brothers disappeared in the vampire cities. Their status was unclear and her family fell.


    No, it is correct to say that all of Reidan fell. Since then, Karin has been living every day waiting for her brothers to return. She is truly grateful to Duke Grid for restoring Reidan and giving her time to wait for her brothers.


    She even abandoned her sex in order to do her best as a soldier.


    Grid trembled.


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    A named NPC with no limit on how their stats could increase. It was very difficult to build a rtionship with these people. He heard it was more likely to win the lottery. However, named NPCs kept appearing around Grid.


    ¡®My luck is getting stronger!¡¯


    Grid thought this, but it was hard to see it simply as luck. It was simple when considering Grid¡¯s current status. A legendary cksmith and duke of a kingdom. The number of people he had was still small, but he had unshakable power. It was natural for talent to gather around this power.


    "But to think she was a woman.¡±


    She was quite pretty. Her skin was rough and her hair was short, but her thick lips and long eyshes were attractive.


    ¡°Woman?¡±


    Piaro expressed doubts about Grid¡¯s words. Woman? Royman? That excellent soldier? It was ridiculous. It was the moment Grid was about to exin to the disbelieving Piaro.


    "Right? She is...¡±


    ¡°Duke Grid!¡±


    Royman fell to her knees. She looked up at Grid with mournful eyes.


    ¡°I am a man! My dream is to be a knight and then a soldier, bing a good man at your side!¡±


    "...¡±


    So please keep this a secret. Grid understood the implications.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke, a joke. Rather, I have a gift for you.¡±


    Grid opened his inventory.


    In the inventory, 31 sets of ¡®Mass Production Grid Set¡¯ were listed by type. In fact, he had over 100 sets but they were left in the warehouse due to their weight. Everything he put in the warehouse were normal~rare rated.


    On the other hand, the Grid sets in his inventory had an average of an epic rating.


    "Now, take this."


    He gave Royman a unique rated set with the highestpletion.


    "U-Unbelievable."


    The duke was personally giving her battle gear? The emotional Royman epted the battle gear. Grid looked at her tearful eyes and urged her.


    "Go ahead and put it on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    Royman held the Grid set in her arms and ran into the barracks. Piaro didn¡¯t like this.


    "That kid always changes his clothes secretly. It¡¯s one of his few shorings.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid heard that Piaro had no experience with dating. It seemed like he didn¡¯t have a sense for women and couldn¡¯t distinguish a man from a woman. Grid couldn¡¯t say anything. He never would¡¯ve thought Royman was a girl if he hadn¡¯t checked her details.


    After a moment.


    ¡°This is amazing!¡±


    Royman ran out in grey armor made of steel and ck iron.


    ¡°Is it good?¡±


    "Not good, it¡¯s great! I have never seen such great battle gear since I was born! Three times...! No, I feel four times stronger!¡±


    "That is being overgeared.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared...! I don¡¯t know what that means, but it¡¯s really amazing!¡±


    Royman¡¯s tone kept rising due to her excitement. She couldn¡¯t hide her female tone and Piaro frowned. Piaro determined that it was a top priority to raise Royman¡¯s masculinity.


    "If you are four time stronger, the intensity of your training should be increased by four times.¡±


    ¡°Huh? A-Are you serious?¡±


    "Have I ever spoken in vain?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was already working twice as hard as other soldiers and even had to do field work at dawn, now she was going to get more training? And by four times? Royman couldn¡¯t help feeling afraid. She was like a frightened puppy.


    However, Piaro had no mercy.


    ¡°Jump! Run straight up Altes Mountains!¡±


    "A-Altes Mountains! It will take two days just getting there!¡±


    " We will be back by tomorrow morning!


    ¡°P-Piaro!¡±


    Piaro was full of motivation and Royman started her suffering as she began to run. There was anxiety on Grid¡¯s face as he looked at them moving away. Thinking about it again, didn¡¯t Royman have the Farming skill?


    "Surely the special group doesn¡¯t have something to do with farming?¡±


    No way. He had a bad thought. Grid left this ce.


    At the same time, Altes Mountains.


    Pahat!Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Thousands of rays of light fell. Hurent and Bunny Bunny were at the forefront of the 2,000 troops that appeared.


    "The great Hurent¡¯s y, I want you to capture it on camera.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, please leave it to me.¡±


    The humiliated Hurent getting revenge on Grid. As long as he recorded this clearly and broadcasted it, Bunny Bunny could be rich overnight.


    ¡®I wish that there would be many cool scenes!¡¯


    He wanted to capture the brilliant battlefield where strong yers fought and skills ran rampant. It was Bunny Bunny¡¯s desire.


    "I hope you can clear the fields here.¡±


    "Piaro, why are you taking out a hand plow all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°This is part of the training. And while doing field work, take off your armor. Feel nature with your flesh.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The spectacr sight of Hurent and Bunny Bunny¡¯s army appeared in the distance.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334


    ¡®The two of them have good chemistry.¡¯


    Piaro was a person who liked to teach others. There was no one in the Tzedakah Guild who hadn¡¯t been taught by Piaro. Royman also dreamed of reaching a higher ground, so if they stuck together, they could be a fantasy pair.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t lean towards bing a farmer.¡¯


    The unique rated Mass Production Grid set. It had a 160 level limit and had significant value. In particr, it was suitable for people who wanted to grow rapidly. It was an investment, so Grid wanted Royman to achieve a growth beyond his expectations.


    "Duke, we¡¯ll return to the north.¡±


    The road to the castle. Earl Steim¡¯s knights came and spoke to him.


    ¡°My father-inw?¡±


    Grid was puzzled because he didn¡¯t see Marquis Steim and Laden exined.


    ¡°The lord wants to stay near the young nobleman. We have to protect him, but the north is currently slightly unstable. It can¡¯t be left empty, so we¡¯ll return first. I ask you to please look after My Lord.¡±


    "I don¡¯t care what you say, but isn¡¯t the situation in the north unstable? Is it okay for Father-inw to leave his position?¡±


    ¡°We will go first so that it will be okay, even if My Lord isn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡¯Father-inw has many good subordinates.¡¯


    Grid nodded.


    "Okay, I understand. I will look after Father-inw, so please go. If you¡¯re having a hard time in the north, go to Jude in Winston. He doesn¡¯t have any thoughts, but he has great strength, unlike a braggart like you.¡±


    "...I will listen. I am grateful for your care.¡±


    Laden and the knights respectfully said goodbye and left Reidan. It was with 1,000 soldiers. 500 elites were left behind to protect Marquis Steim.


    "Vacating his territory because of his grandchild. He had no dignity as a marquis.¡±


    Grid said so, but he fully understood Marquis Steim¡¯s mind. Lord was cute, smart and pretty!


    ¡°Lord, wait! Father ising!¡±


    Grid hastened his pace. He wanted to see his son¡¯s face as soon as possible. Lauel gazed at Grid as he entered in a hurry.


    "Do you know that your work efficiency has been very poor since Lord was born?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Grid knew. Every day, he had yed with Lord for at least two hours, so he had a tendency to neglect item making and hunting. Lauel grinned at Grid, who couldn¡¯t speak.


    "Well, your current look is very good.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid was confused since he thought he would be scolded again. Lauel gazed at him carefully.


    "It is right to get used to loving someone. You will learn to be generous through this.¡±


    Grid was fundamentally a simple and narrow-minded person. What was the reason? Lauel could roughly guess.


    ¡®It is because he has been despised most of his life by others.¡¯


    Grd had a low self-esteem and was narrow-mindedpared to his ability. He wasn¡¯t good at interacting with others. If Lauel listened to the Tzedakah Guild, Grid was much worse in the past. He only thought about himself and was always jealous of others.


    But Grid started changing, and at the center of this change were Irene and Khan. Receiving love and giving love. Grid became more mature because he experienced one of the basic principles of human rtions.


    "You will eventually rule over millions of people and receive a lifetime of taxes from them. To be a good and wise king, you must learnpassion first.¡±


    "...¡±


    If Grid was a normal user, he would¡¯ve responded incredulously. Love? Charity? Good and wise king?


    ¡®Are you shooting a movie alone? This is just a game,¡¯ was what they would say.


    However, Grid was different from amon user. Satisfy wasn¡¯t a simple game for Grid. It was a world that was a precious as reality, where he got wealth, friends, a lover and a child.


    "I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. But isn¡¯t it better to think of the people first instead of me? We can¡¯t even raise the taxes, right?¡±


    "It will be fine as long as I coordinate with you. As you know, I have the qualities of a tyrant like you. The two of usplement each other.¡±


    ¡°Qualities of a tyrant... Two of us...¡±


    Grid shivered. He struggled to shake off this feeling.


    ***


    Reidan¡¯s desert was full of heat.


    There were powerful and wild monsters here, as Prince Ren was well aware. Nevertheless, the reason why he marched his army without any hesitation was because he had a countermeasure.


    "That way."


    ¡°Beyond there as well!¡±


    The Royal Knights Captain, Chucksley. The best archer in the pce, Ferrell.


    The two people, known as the strongest men, were leading a handful of troops. Their mission was to eliminate the monsters on the way. It was possible because the royal monster schrs disyed the location of the desert monsters on the map.


    "It¡¯s easy.¡±


    The squads scattered in all directions around their base, defeating monsters. This allowed the base to safely advance. While this progressed smoothly, the smiling Ren gave orders to 20 assassins.


    "Head to Reidan first. If the war begins and there¡¯s a gap in Reidan¡¯s defenses, grab the duchess and bring her to me. Alternatively, you can also kill her."


    "Yes!¡±


    The assassins moved quickly. Ren confirmed this and gained greater confidence, speeding up his march.


    ¡°Hurry! We have to arrive at Reidan tomorrow to match up with Hurent¡¯s schedule!¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    The soldiers¡¯ morale increased. The heat of the desert? It wasn¡¯t an obstacle for a person who would soon be king.


    ***


    "What¡¯s this?"


    The northern knight leading 1,000 soldiers across the desert. He looked up at the high sand dune and stopped the march.


    Tadat!


    Laden climbed up the sand dune. The soldiers admired his slick movements. Then the sight of thousands of soldiers appeared before him.


    "That g is...!¡±


    Laden¡¯s expression stiffened. It was a silver dragon with wings. It represented the royal family of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡®Why are royal troops here in the west?¡¯


    The royal army was advancing towards Reidan.


    ¡®Is it to celebrate the young lord¡¯s birth?¡¯


    However, the scale of the march was too big.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    1st Prince Ren hated Duke Grid. No, strictly speaking, he was afraid of the duke. A rat cornered by a cat would act! Marquis Steim was concerned that Prince Ren would act against Grid after King Wiesbaden died. Therefore, he wanted to mediate between Prince Ren and Grid.


    ¡®My Lord¡¯s efforts have been ruined.¡¯


    It was clear that King Wiesbaden was dying. It happened when Laden was thinking.


    "Why are northern troops here in the west?¡±


    He heard someone¡¯s voice behind him. Laden turned and saw 300 people on horseback. They were one of the squads hunting monsters. The elite royal cavalry, the Iron Wind. The leader of the Iron Wind, Beida, was famous for being a master of two spears.


    ¡°I asked why northern troops are here in the west.¡±


    Beida approached and asked again. There weren¡¯t any hostile intentions and they were from the same kingdom, so the northern soldiers didn¡¯t bother him. But Laden was different.


    "Get down!"


    Laden shouted to the soldiers. The spear flew over the heads of the soldiers who had reflexively ducked. The spear was swung by Beida.


    "H-Hik!"


    The soldiers who survived peed themselves. The few people who were unable to escape had their heads separated from their bodies, causing the entire northern army to turn white. Beida¡¯s gaze fell on Laden.


    ¡°You have very good eyes. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°You keep asking questions. You¡¯re like a coquettish woman.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Laden¡¯s attitude that showed no fear stimted Beida. He slowly revealed the wild nature that was hidden under his calm expression.


    ¡°You...! I will cut off your arms and legs first before asking again. Hiyah!"


    Beida ran forward. It was a speed beyondmon sense as he rushed through the desert hills. The northern troops were frightened, but Laden remained calm.


    "The sin of killing Marquis Steim¡¯s soldiers, I will pay it back with death.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Laden ced a hand on the sheathe at his waist and watched Beida.


    "You are still wet behind the eyes!¡±


    Puok!


    Beida¡¯s spear stuck in the sand. It was the ce where Laden had been standing just a moment ago. Laden avoided the spear and swung his sword at Beida¡¯s thigh.


    Chaaeng!


    Beida defended with his spear and dered angrily.


    "You are fast but not very strong... Kuk?¡±


    Beida paled as he realized it. Blood was rising from the wrist that held the spear.


    ¡°You!"


    Phoenix wasn¡¯t the only strong one in the north? Laden knocked down the astonished Beida andmanded the northern troops.


    "Kill all of them and return to Reidan.¡±


    Until yesterday, they were serving the same king. Laden believed that Marquis Steim would be on Duke Grid¡¯s side, rather than Prince Ren, and quickly knew what to do.


    ***


    ¡®It won¡¯t be long now.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s mood was heightened as he descended towards the foot of the mountain. His blood boiled as he thought of paying back the 5 second humiliation.


    ¡®I will show you the true power of aura.¡¯


    The biggest advantages of aura were the fixed damage and form changes. At the time of the National Competition, Hurent couldn¡¯t properly make use of the form changes, but now it was different.


    It was a power that made imagination be reality. With this fraudulent power, Hurent believed that he could defeat Grid. No, it wasn¡¯t just Grid. It included Kraugel, the top rankers, Agnus and the hidden rankers.


    Hurent had no doubt that he would overwhelm all of them.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    It happened when Hurent and the 2,000 troops had just left Altes Mountains and were about to enter the desert. Two farmers blocked their path. Hurent was upset and fired aura at them. The farmers¡¯ eyes widened as they saw the aura stretching like a whip.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335


    Swaeek!


    The aura whip aimed at the farmers. The farmers standing here were Piaro and Royman.


    ¡®How can aura have this form?¡¯


    Royman was familiar with aura. Her father was a prominent swordsman and able to skillfully use aura. But this was the first time she had seen such a changeable aura. It was released from the sword? This wasn¡¯t aura, but magic!


    ¡®There are many masters in this world!¡¯


    Royman epted Hurent as a master of a new world. She felt awe.


    Chaaeng!


    The aura de aimed for her neck as she stared nkly. Piaro tsked and blocked it with a hand plow.


    "Not reacting when a de ising at your neck, it¡¯s a convenient way tomit suicide.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    Royman was confused. That amazing aura was blocked by a hand plow?


    ¡¯I knew Sir Piaro was strong, but this much?¡¯


    Royman expected Piaro to have the strength of an ordinary knight. It was natural since he did field work every day. He didn¡¯t look very special. But not now. Perhaps Piaro¡¯s strength was higher than Asmophel.


    ¡°I will teach you to reflexively defend, even if you don¡¯t have two arms. Let¡¯s nt rice for three hours every day starting from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She was sincerely grateful for her life being spared. He would be her savior for the rest of her life. But nting rice? This wasn¡¯t a penalty game, so Royman couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    On the other hand, Piaro was somewhat confused.


    ¡®Is there another strong person?¡¯


    The Red Knights.


    Piaro carried out wars all over the continent when he was a part of them. He spent more days falling asleep on the battlefield than he did at home, and he had to face countless enemies. He saw the powerhouses that represented each nation.


    However, the enemies he met while staying at this peaceful(?) Reidan were much more brilliant. It was truly amazing.


    ¡®Reidan entices powerhouses.¡¯


    Or maybe it was just a different time. In any case, Piaro enjoyed it. The invasion of enemies would be the food that further strengthened the legendary farmer¡¯s power. He was caught up in this positive feeling and told Hurent what he thought.


    ¡°Your ability to control aura is amazing. But it¡¯s stillcking strength.¡±


    "...Ah.¡±


    A farmer praising an aura master¡¯s aura, Hurent couldn¡¯t be happy.


    ¡®However, his skills are real.¡¯


    The dirt-covered farmer had blocked his aura with a hand plow. It wasn¡¯t a dream. The 2,000 soldiers all saw it.


    ¡®The rumors were true?¡¯


    He heard that there were powerful farmers in Reidan. There were rumors that the reason the seven guilds failed was due to farmers.


    ¡¯Of course, I thought it was nonsense.¡¯


    Now it seemed to be true.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Hurent turned towards Bunny Bunny. Bunny Bunny had the camera in hand and was filming the situation. From his excited expression, he also seemed to be aware of the rumors about Reidan¡¯s farmers.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to take risks before meeting Grid.¡¯


    He was confident about getting revenge on Grid, so he couldn¡¯t fall victim to this farmer. Hurent judged and turned towards Royman.


    ¡®Use him.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s judgment and execution were excellent. There were no unnecessary dys. In order to increase his concentration, he closed his eyes and used ¡®Aura Impact.¡¯


    [You have released your aura.]


    [urately imagine the shape of the aura within 2 seconds. If there is even a small error in the image, the skill will fail.]


    He had been practicing image training every day for the past 10 months in order to bring out the true power of an aura master! Hurent¡¯s eyes shed and he shouted.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Roar!¡±


    [You have developed the breath of a dragon! By reproducing the power of a transcendent being, the power of your aura is greatly increased!]


    [There is a limit to the power that a unique rated aura can exert.]


    Kuwaaaang!


    The aura fired by Hurent blew out in a straight line. The strong energy that stirred the earth and caused a sand storm couldn¡¯t bepared to the whip from before.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Piaro was sincerely amazed. When he was a great swordsman, he realized the limits of aura. However, the man in front of him was different. He broke through the limits of aura. He was a truly respectable person who achieved a level that Piaro couldn¡¯t reach.


    "In honor of your talent, I will also use my full power.¡±


    Piaro couldn¡¯t afford to rx. To be precise, he had no room to spare. He had to protect Royman, who would grow to be a strength for his lord. The power of the aura breath was strong and wide. He couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch.


    ¡°Free Farming 4th Style.¡±


    Suruk.


    Piaro moved his hand to his waist. It was to extract a plow from one of the six sheaths hanging there. A plow that Grid created. As soon as he pulled it out, Piaro¡¯s power exploded.


    The power of items.


    [All skills rted to farming will increase by 20%.]


    ¡°Plow the Field!¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Piaro¡¯s plow struck the ground, causing it to rise like a tsunami.


    ***


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    The world¡¯s top gaming BJ, Bunny Bunny. He pointed his camera and admired the whip-like aura. Hurent¡¯s control skills were extraordinary. However, Bunny Bunny was disappointed when the shabby farmer blocked it with a hand plow.


    ¡®A farmer could block that skill?¡¯


    Aura Master Hurent. His aura was gorgeous, but it was without strength. There was a reason he was defeated by Grid in 5 seconds.


    ¡®Instead of getting revenge on Grid, will he die in four seconds this time?¡¯


    Bunny Bunny was extremely disappointed in Hurent when he suddenly had a thought.


    ¡®I heard a rumor that there was a monster famer in Reidan...¡¯


    Was the rumor true?


    ¡®A huge scoop!¡¯


    This was a great opportunity to inform the world about the truth of the rumors. The excited Bunny Bunny focused on filming. Hurent used a tremendous skill that was reminiscent of a dragon¡¯s breath.


    ¡®Ohhh!¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s abilities were real. It was too early to be disappointed in him. Bunny Bunny started sweating as he saw the power of that breath. How would the rumored farmer cope with this cool technique?


    ¡®Increase my viewership with a spectacr battle scene!¡¯


    Bunny Bunny prayed, but his wish was soon popped.


    ¡°Another farming equipment?¡±


    The hand plow changed to a plow! The farmer called Piaro didn¡¯t seem to be showing a brilliant battle scene, unlike Bunny Bunny¡¯s expectations. No, Bunny Bunny was crazy to have high expectations in the first ce.


    Bunny Bunny frowned.


    "Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    The earth rose and collided with Hurent¡¯s aura breath. At the same time, the ground started to be cleared for use as a farming field.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s camera picked up the stunning sight. Streams of water were rising from the center of the clearednd.


    ¡®This is the desert!¡¯


    Water was found in the desert? Bunny Bunny¡¯s cognitive abilities failed to keep up with the scene in front of him.


    "Free Farming 1st Style, Sowing.¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Seeds poured down like rain over the confused Bunny Bunny and 2,000 soldiers.


    ¡¯What is this?¡¯


    It was a series of processes that reminded him of farming.


    ¡®No, this is impossible.¡¯


    No one was crazy enough to start farming in front of 2,000 enemies...


    "Free Farming 2nd Style, Rapid Growth.¡±


    Kwaduk!Kudududuk!


    "Heok!"


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s face turned white. It was because the thousands of seeds scattered on the ground started to sprout all at once.


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    He wanted a spectacr battle scene, but it was a farming diary? Bunny Bunny felt more anger than wonder as he stared at the scene of a desert being turned into rice fields. At this time, Hurent was aiming for Royman.


    ***


    [Block Toys to Help a Child¡¯s Development.]


    It was an item Grid got from the Reputation Store. At first he thought it was a useless item, but he was d to see Lord ying well with them.


    "Abu. Abu.¡±


    A small baby was sitting on the bed and building a spire with the blocks. It was a crude shape that anyone could recognize as a castle. A child only 10 days old was building a castle with blocks? It was an unbelievable sight.


    ¡°A genius! The best genius of the continent!!¡±


    Marquis Steim was sure of it. It was an objective assessment, not because he was blinded by love. Irene made a happy expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that his dexterity resembles my husband¡¯s. I think he will be a master of cksmithing.¡±


    Grid replied with a smile.


    "He¡¯s just like you.¡±


    "Dear husband...¡±


    ¡°Irene.¡±


    The eyes of the couple were filled with affection. The couple¡¯s love was much deeper than before. Every night, the six hands...


    Omitted.


    So it was natural that their love would deepen.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Marquis Steim coughed as the coupled embraced each other. It was a signal that they shouldn¡¯t forget he was here.


    "What type of education are you nning on focusing on for Lord?¡±


    Marquis Steim¡¯s question activated the child care system.


    [Please select Lord¡¯s education.]


    [Lord¡¯s age is still young, so there are limited options to choose from.]


    Leave it until he is older. Basic academic education. Basic etiquette education.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t rush.¡¯


    What education should he give to a child who was only 10 days old? Grid was able to pick option one when he suddenly stopped.


    ¡®No, if I think about it, isn¡¯t the current Lord twice as intelligent as Jude?¡¯


    Jude¡¯s maximum intelligence was set at 20, while Lord was born with 48 intelligence. He was young, but had a good brain, so he was already at a level that could be taught. That¡¯s why basic academics and etiquette were provided in the options.


    ¡®He is highly likely to be arrogant.¡¯


    Grid pondered and made a decision.


    ¡°I will teach him etiquette. He was born with a gold spoon, but he shouldn¡¯t be too indulged.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes. Early education is important. It¡¯s especially important for talented children.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in favor of Dear Husband¡¯s will.¡±


    [Lord¡¯s early education method has been selected. Your wife Irene will teach Lord.]


    At this moment.


    ¡¯Eh?¡¯


    Grid could see Lord¡¯s face, which had been smiling happily the whole time. Now Lord looked like he wanted toin about something.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me he doesn¡¯t want to study?¡¯


    Did he understand their words?


    ¡®I must be mistaken.¡¯


    Grid was being too sensitive. Gridughed it off.


    "There¡¯s a strange expression on Lord¡¯s face, so it seems like he has done a poo.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, really?


    Irene confirmed it and called a maid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336


    ¡°Indeed, my grandchild is great! He doesn¡¯t cry when doing a poo, he¡¯s a real man! Just like me!"


    "It¡¯s good if you¡¯re dexterous like me. He is also pretty like Irene, and smart.¡±


    ¡°Ha! He¡¯s perfect! It is almost a perfect work by God! Giving birth to such a great son, I respect you!¡±


    "I admire the man who helped give birth to a lovely woman like Irene!¡±


    ¡°Kelkelkel!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Grid and Marquis Steim made a fuss as the maid changed Lord¡¯s diaper. The great lords who represented their nation had forgotten their dignity. Irene was somewhat disgruntled, but didn¡¯t say anything. She didn¡¯t want to break their excitement because she understood their hearts.


    "Lord is sleepy. We shouldn¡¯t interrupt his nap time, so we should go out.¡±


    ¡°T-This... I want to y together a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Father is right. Don¡¯t you know how important sleeping is for a child when growing up? We shouldn¡¯t prevent him from sleeping."


    ¡°...It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Sleep well, Lord. Chu.¡±


    The Grid couple left the child to the nanny and left the room with Marquis Steim.


    After a moment.


    It happened when the nanny fell asleep.


    "...¡±


    Somebody fell from the ceiling. It was done secretly with no sound. The sleeping nanny and knights guarding outside didn¡¯t notice the appearance of the visitor. It was natural. The man with dark skin and long arms was none other than Kasim, king of shadows.


    How many people could detect Kasim¡¯s stealth? There were only a few throughout the continent.


    ¡®He¡¯s cuter up close.¡¯


    Originally Kasim was protecting Irene, but now he was by Lord¡¯s side. Most nobles cherished their heir more than their wives. Grid was the same, so Kasim changed his protection priorities.


    ¡¯Once he¡¯s older, he will attract many women.¡¯


    Thest 10 days.


    Kasim was amazed as he watched Lord. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful and clever newborn. Kasim didn¡¯t share a single drop of blood with him, but he was d to watch.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the empire...¡¯


    He would be able to marry a Nero woman, have a child, and live a normal life.


    Kwaduduk!


    It was at this moment that Kasim¡¯s desire for revenge on the empire was revived. Suddenly, the sleeping Lord opened his eyes. The newborn baby detected him when the nanny and knights outside the door couldn¡¯t.


    Kasim was thrilled.


    ¡®His innate senses goes far beyond an ordinary person.¡¯


    "Abu! Abu!¡±


    Lord reached out to Kasim. There was clearly a smile in his eyes. It felt like he was just looking at Kasim.


    ¡®Does he know that I am guarding him?¡¯


    This baby was the real thing. Kasim, the strongest assassin currently in existence. He became greedy when he saw the transcendent genius.


    "Little boy, do you want to y with me every night from now on?¡±


    "Abu! Abu!¡±


    His eyes shone like they hadnterns. It seemed like an answer. Kasim smiled with satisfaction, picked up the block pieces and arranged them on one side of Lord.


    ¡°Throw this. Like so.¡±


    Kasim demonstrated directly. He threw a block and hit one of the dolls ced on the window frame.


    Tok! After seeing that the doll fell, Lordughed. But with the baby¡¯s control, the dolls were still too far away.


    "Bubu! Bu!¡±


    Lord waved his arms when the block he threw wasn¡¯t able to reach the window. His pride seemed to be hurt that he couldn¡¯t match Kasim. Kasim thought it was absurd.


    ¡®A newborn baby is aware of my words and is also burning for victory...!¡¯


    Also!


    ¡®His strength is already better than most boys!¡¯


    The block that Lord threw was very light. In order to throw it towards the window, he needed the strength of a 14 year old. However, Lord was still 0 years old. Kasim¡¯s enthusiasm grew. This child¡¯s innate senses and power!


    ¡®I might be able to impart thepleteness of the secret techniques Master left behind!¡¯


    Doran and Kasim were slightlycking in talent. They could only learn half of their master¡¯s secret techniques.


    ¡®But this child...!¡¯


    Lord Steim.


    It was the day he met the first of his seven mentors.


    ***


    "Oh my!"


    The nanny woke up and felt like she had been hit by lightning. It was because the formerly clean room now had blocks scattered around it.


    ¡®Was it the young Lord?¡¯


    A newborn baby climbed down from bed and yed with toys? It was nonsense, the nanny was well aware of this. But if someone had entered the room, the knights outside the door would¡¯ve called out and woken her up. She was forced to suspect Lord.


    However...


    Lord was in a deep sleep. His sleeping form was consistent with when shest saw him.


    ¡®Lord is sleeping, so what happened?¡¯


    She got goosebumps. It seemed to be a ghost. On the other hand, Kasim was shocked from his spot on the ceiling.


    ¡®A newborn baby is pretending to sleep!¡¯


    It was amazing.


    ***


    The desert had been turned into a field.


    The soldiers freaked out as the hot desert turned into a golden wheat field.


    ¡°Wow... What is this?"


    ¡°Am I dreaming right now?¡±


    The 2,000 soldiers were confused at the unbelievable situation.


    ¡®What is this sudden scene?¡¯


    Bunny Bunny was angry.


    "What¡¯s the point of making a field? It¡¯s in vain!¡±


    Hurent rushed towards Royman.


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Royman barely defended against Hurent¡¯s blow. A blue light aimed at her waist. It was Aura Impact, which he used to create another de and attack through the gap.


    ¡®It is the end!¡¯


    Royman felt sure of her death. She closed her eyes as the aura de flew at her.


    "Is there more than one life? Fight to the end and don¡¯t give up so easily.¡±


    Piaro. He seemed to be busy with the wheat field, but he ran to protect Royman.


    ¡°Sir Piaro...!¡±


    Royman looked at Piaro different after her life was saved again. She was full of longing. But she couldn¡¯t look into Piaro¡¯s eyes for long. She was embarrassed and shyly bowed her head.


    "...¡±


    A person of talent who had just started to walk along his path. There was no need to feel ashamed for being powerless against the strong. He spoke words offort, "I will add two hours of nting.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Piaro had no mercy. He turned towards Hurent after reducing Royman¡¯s sleeping time to 3 hours and 30 minutes. Hurent was smiling despite his attack being blocked. He could afford to rx.


    "I heard that a crazy farmer was the guardian of Reidan. I¡¯m embarrassed, since I didn¡¯t expect it to be true.¡±


    ¡°You seem quite amused for someone who is embarrassed.¡±


    "Of course I¡¯m amused. What if I defeat the farmer who stopped the seven guilds from reaching Reidan? Won¡¯t my evaluation soar up infinitely?¡±


    "Don¡¯t put impossible words in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. I know the long and short of it.¡±


    "It seems like you believe in the 2,000 soldiers.¡±


    "No, I only believe in me."


    Ttaak!


    Hurent snapped his fingers. Was it a signal for the soldiers to attack? Piaro thought so, but the soldiers didn¡¯t move.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Piaro was puzzled as Royman suddenly groaned. It was because she started to feel pain from her side, which had been lightly grazed by the aura de.


    ¡°My aura left a mark.¡±


    "Mark?"


    ¡°Yes, a mark where aura can manifest. Imagine it. If I release aura from your lover¡¯s side, what will happen to your lover? She is so fragile that she will break in two.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s eyes widened. He was certainly upset.


    Hurent smiled with satisfaction.


    "Now, make your choice. Allow my army to advance! Or I will break your precious lover apart in front of you!¡±


    Hurent shouted with confidence towards Piaro.


    "Is that a mark that can be carved into the ground?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What? There was no tension in that question. Hurent was confused and nodded.


    "T-That¡¯s correct. It is a technique with a high utilization.¡±


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Ssik!


    A smile appeared on Piaro¡¯s face. He looked very wicked.


    "Won¡¯t this be useful for clearing the fields?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Clearing the fields? What was this? Hurent couldn¡¯t understand the words and frowned. Piaro copied his style of speaking.


    ¡°I will give you a choice. Work in the fields with me. Or do you want to work in the fields after losing all 2,000 soldiers?¡±


    ¡®No, what nonsense is he saying?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Hurent the one in an advantageous position right now? It was like talking to a wall. Hurent realized it.


    ¡®He was called a crazy farmer for a reason!¡¯


    This farmer truly wasn¡¯t sane. Hurent determined and triggered the skill to let Piaro know his position.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Royman couldn¡¯t bear the paining from her waist and sat down. Her side was already soaked with blood. Piaro saw it and shouted, ¡°You have chosen!¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°Free Farming 8th Style. Polishing!¡±


    The reason why Piaro left Hurent alone and cleared the field. It was because his enemy wasn¡¯t just Hurent. Piaro was thinking about the big picture.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeok!


    The wheat field that covered the whole area. Explosions urred where the 2,000 soldiers and Hurent were standing. The myriad of wheat had be powerful bombs, destroying the whole area.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hurent was at a loss for words as he saw the soldiers screaming and dying. A ranged skill that could target 2,000 people? This was equivalent to the Meteor skill that could only be learned by a legendary great magician.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, a legendary...!¡±


    Piaro approached the astonished Hurent and wielded his hand plow.


    Puk!


    [You have suffered 15,500 damage.]


    Puk!


    [You have suffered 15,900 damage.]


    Puk!


    [You have suffered 16,100 damage.]


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage in a short period of time! You are in a critical condition!]


    ¡®T-This is crazy!¡¯


    What was this? Hurent was hit sessively in the forehead by a hand plow and sat down.


    The sight behind Piaro was a mountain of bodies and a river of blood.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337


    Hurent had been ying Satisfy since the closed beta. He went through a lot of adventures, so he knew better than anyone how vast the world was. A farmer was stronger than him? He could ept it.


    Yes, it wasn¡¯t surprising if a legendary farmer could use a meteor type skill.


    ¡®The legendary fisherman might be friends with the dragon king by now.¡¯


    There were many hermits in this world. But there was one thing that Hurent couldn¡¯t ept. A legendary farmer was excellent. Then why was he Grid¡¯s subordinate?


    ¡®Grid, where is your limit?¡¯


    He gained a legendary ss faster than anybody else, and now he also had a legendary NPC? Grid was an object of hatred, but Hurent had to acknowledge his superior abilities. Piaro reached out to the frustrated Hurent.


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    "...¡±


    The crazy farmer. He didn¡¯t even blink after killing thousands of people, making him look strange. Hurent wanted to resist. However, his body wasn¡¯t in a state where it could move. In the end, he had to give up.


    ¡°Yes, I will follow. Drag me to Grid, where you can boil or bake me to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°No, you will do farming with me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Was he really crazy?


    It was funny to say this with his own mouth, but Hurent was the leader of an army that wanted to invade Reidan. From Reidan¡¯s point of view, he was a sinner that they could acquire a lot of information from. As a person of high importance, it was right to handle him carefully.


    But he was going to do farming? It was surreal and his ego was hurt. Did Piaro read his mind? Piaro made a ridiculing sound at Hurent¡¯s expression.


    "The leader of an army who died before reaching Reidan has no value. You just have to think about doing farming.¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Hurent¡¯s ego was shattered. He panicked and made a mistake.


    ¡°I have a lot of confidential information! If you don¡¯t obtain the information from me, Reidan will be turned into a sea of fire! So treat me as a high priority prisoner!¡±


    "Oh, really?"


    Piaro¡¯s expression changed. It was the moment Piaro transformed from a farmer into themander of Reidan. Hurent realized his mistake.


    ***


    ¡°Kuheok! Cough! Cough!¡±


    The explosion of countless wheat was enormous. More than half of the 2,000 soldiers died, and the rest were seriously injured. Bunny Bunny¡¯s state was in the middle. He barely survived with 15% of his health left and he was gripped with an unknown terror.


    ¡®He is a huge monster!¡¯


    Reidan¡¯s crazy farmer. Rumor had it that he overwhelmed the 2nd ranked Zibal and the 3rd ranked Chris, turning Chris into a serf. The rumor that he blocked the seven guilds alone(?) was also not an exaggeration.


    ¡®How terrible was Zibal¡¯s fight with that monster?¡¯


    The world was wide and there were many monsters. Bunny Bunny was caught in a desire to capture all of them with his camera. He wanted to be a conglomerate by monopolizing all the viewers.


    But to do this, he needed to survive. Swiftness was needed to catch all types of scoop, so he steadily raised his agility with every level. It should be enough to avoid death.


    ¡¯The first thing is to live.¡¯


    It was enough that he captured video of the rumored farmer. The farmer made a wheat field in an instant and used it for an explosion that destroyed most of the 2,000 soldiers. There was no longer any reason to stay here.


    Then Hurent? Wasn¡¯t Hurent going to get revenge on Grid?


    Puk!


    "Heok!¡±


    Puk!


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    Puk!


    ¡°Kuheeok!¡±


    "...¡±


    Looking at Hurent being hit three times on the forehead with a hand plow, Hurent¡¯s desire for revenge on Grid seemed like a dream.


    ¡®Discard Hurent!¡¯


    Bunny Bunny determined, wore the ¡®Fast Boots,¡¯ and quickly left the battlefield. He was nning to join Prince Ren. Prince Ren had many talents who were above Hurent. What if he filmed the gorgeous sh between them and Overgeared?


    ¡®I will be sitting on money! I must shoot a video worth 100 billion dors today!¡¯


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s aspirations were great.


    ***


    ¡°Where have all the kids gone? Why don¡¯t I see any of the guild members?¡±


    After ying with Lord. Grid stopped by Lauel¡¯s office before going to the smithy. As always, paper was piled up like a mountain.


    "Everybody is busy. They aren¡¯t at the estate because they aremitted to their missions or hunting.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t they only hunting in the vampire cities?¡±


    "That is the most efficient method. Aside from the experience, vampire items and elixirs can be obtained. The desert ecosystem is in a fairly stable state, so this is appropriate.¡±


    "Did anyone find an elixir?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The drop rate was truly the worst. It was a shame for Grid, who coveted the agility elixir.


    Lauel asked him.


    "Do you remember how 10 years ago, the former lord of Reidan sent out an expedition to the vampire cities?¡±


    "I remember. Why are you asking about it all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying because the Overgeared members haven¡¯t found any traces of the vampire expedition, despite searching all over the vampire cities.¡±


    "Why is it annoying? It was 10 years ago, so is it strange for all evidence to be wiped out?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The records left behind showed that there were close to 18,000 people on the vampire expedition. It is normal that some traces of them should remain.¡±


    "Well, there are many vampire cities that we haven¡¯t visited yet. The evidence might be somewhere there. But is it an important issue?¡±


    "At the present time, no.¡±


    "At the present time? Then it could be an important issueter on?¡±


    The moment Grid asked the question.


    ¡°Earl Lauel¡±


    A young knight ran into the office. Entering the office without even knocking on the door? Lauel was offended, but this didn¡¯t seem like a situation where etiquette was important. The knight¡¯s entire body was covered in wounds.


    "Aren¡¯t you one of Marquis Steim¡¯s knights? What is going on?"


    "Well... Heok!¡±


    The knight was going to exin to Lauel when he panicked. It was because he noticed Grid sitting on the couch.


    ¡°I-I greet Duke Grid!¡±


    Grid waved his hand.


    ¡°There is no time to say hello so please exin.¡±


    "Ah, yes! 5,000 enemy troops are advancing towards Reidan!¡±


    "5,000 enemy troops?¡±


    The face of the knight was filled with despair.


    ¡°It is the royal troops!¡±


    "Royal troops? Eternal?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Sir Laden is leading the 1,000 northern soldiers to slow the enemy¡¯s march, but it¡¯s a terrible situation!¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Why is the royal army of the Eternal Kingdoming to invade Reidan? Aren¡¯t we on the same side?¡±


    Lauel smiled. ¡°The rice that we sowed was eaten.¡±


    "Sowed rice...?¡±


    The Grid in the past would¡¯ve failed to understand the present situation until the end. But Lauel had been his subordinate for 9 months in reality and 27 months in game time. It had been so long, so how could Grid not learn something?


    "Did King Wiesbaden die?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes widened. He honestly never imagined that Grid would guess this himself.


    ¡®He has grown steadily, but to think he reached this level!¡¯


    The astonished Lauel was speechless for a while.


    "This situation is interesting.¡±


    Grid rose from his spot and smiled darkly.


    "Lauel, have Asmophel convene the soldiers. It¡¯s time for the storm.¡±


    Grid headed towards his private warehouse. The warehouse was filled with ¡®Mass Production Grid Sets.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    ¡°M-Marquis Steim... I couldn¡¯t hold out until the end...I¡¯m sorry... Cough! Cough!¡±


    The 1,000 troops led by Laden and 10 knights. They fell into a crisis after wiping out the Iron Wind troops. It was because he was caught by the unit led by the great swordsman, Chucksley.


    ¡°You¡¯re great.¡±


    Great Swordsman Chucksley. He wasparable to the past Piaro of the empire. He praised Laden, who defended against his sword four times.


    ¡°20 yearster. No, you might¡¯ve been able to hit me in 10 years. I have never seen anyone with such a terrific talent like you.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Laden had defeated Beida and several others talents alone. He was exhausted and at a disadvantage when facing Chucksley. To be honest, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he copsed immediately. However, Laden didn¡¯t show weakness to the end. He knew that the moment he fell, the 1,000 troops he treasured would be wiped out.


    ¡®I have to give my all for My Lord.¡¯


    He felt disappointment and despair at not meeting expectations.


    Kkuok!


    Laden tightened his grip on his sword. He ignored the blood in his mouth andughed.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t need 10 years. Five years. No, I will go beyond you in three years.¡±


    "...¡±


    Chucksley¡¯s face distorted. He was unable to deny Laden¡¯s arrogant remark, making him feel ufortable.


    "Isn¡¯t that only if you survive?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    "Yes, try to survive.¡±


    Chucksley¡¯s family had been loyal to the royal family for generations. For him, Marquis Steim was an annoying presence that could threaten the royal family. It was more so after his son-inw became Duke Grid.


    But now. It was a golden opportunity to catch both Marquis Steim and Duke Grid. It was fortunate that he met the northern troops by chance in the desert. It was evidence that Marquis Steim was in Reidan!


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Chucksley¡¯s swordsmanship was sophisticated without any deviations. He was faithful to the basics, which excluded any variables. However, it wasn¡¯t something that Laden, whocked training and experience, could go against.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Puok!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    As the exchange of blows continued, Laden¡¯s wounds increased while Chucksley¡¯s technique became sharper. The northern army and Chucksley¡¯s ck unit were clearly divided as they watched the confrontation.


    ¡®We won.¡¯


    ¡®It is over.¡¯


    The ck unit cheered while the northern troops were frustrated. At this moment, 5,000 soldiers appeared on the horizon. Was it the appearance of a friend like a miracle? No way. The identity of the great army was the main troops of Prince Ren, the enemy.


    Tears flowed down Laden¡¯s bloody and dirty cheeks as he saw it.


    ¡®My Lord...¡¯


    He felt guilty for hiscking strength.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    He reached his physical limits. Nevertheless, he was able to hold on for only one reason. It was to hold up the enemies until Marquis Steim received the news of the invasion. Laden struggled to buy some time.


    But now it was over. The moment he witnessed the 5,000 troops, unbearable despair suppressed Laden¡¯s tired mind and body.


    "Bow to the prince!¡±


    Chucksley easily overpowered Laden and forced him to kneel.


    ¡°K-Kuack...!¡±


    Laden didn¡¯t want to bow his head. The royal family of Eternal? Future king? No matter what, it was still his lord¡¯s enemy.


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    Chucksley pushed down Laden¡¯s head. Due to the pressure on his neck, Laden¡¯s gaze was finally directed towards the ground. The satisfied Chucksley bowed to the prince.


    ¡°I greet the prince!¡±


    "You suffered on the way here.¡±


    Prince Ren talked to Chucksley before turning his gaze to Laden.


    ¡°You defeated Beida? You have great skills for your young age. I heard that the northern powerhouse is Phoenix, but that seems to be a story of the past.¡±


    "...¡±


    Laden didn¡¯t answer. It was enough to incite the wrath of the royal retainers, including Chucksley.


    ¡°You! You should appreciate the prince¡¯s generosity!¡±


    "Shut your mouth, it isn¡¯t an honor!¡±


    "Calm down.¡±


    Ren stared at the northern army. They looked frightened. They were used of opposing the royal family, so only fools wouldn¡¯t realize they would die. Ren smiled benevolently towards them.


    ¡°You are also people of the Eternal Kingdom and it is right to follow me, sessor of the royal family. If you repent and surrender, I will forgive and ept your sin.¡±


    In the end, they were people from the same nation. The prince¡¯s attitude weakened the hearts of the northern troops. They started looking at each other the moment they saw a hole to survive.


    At this point, Laden shouted, ¡°The one who protected us was Marquis Steim, not the king! It is only thanks to the marquis that our northern people can exist, and we have pledged allegiance to him! So I can¡¯t ept your suggestion!¡±


    The north was formerly and of war. The area was filled with the most monsters and barbarians, causing the royal family to give up on it. Thanks to that, the northern people were always threatened and felt despair.


    The person who led them was Marquis Steim. He wasn¡¯t frustrated, despite the royal family cutting off their support. He had excellent leadership and united the northern people to protect and stabilize his territory.


    Marquis Steim was a hero and savior for the northern people. The northern troops recalled this thanks to Laden¡¯s cry and firmed up their hearts. Rather than surrendering, they held their weapons and took an attitude of resistance to the end.


    ¡°Everybody is so excited to die.¡±


    Ren¡¯s expression distorted. It was unpleasant to miss the opportunity to obtain 1,000 soldiers. He revealed his true nature as he gave an order to Chucksley.


    "Kill those useless dogs.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Chucksley answered and pointed his sword at Laden¡¯s neck. Laden didn¡¯t feel any regret. It was better to die than to beg for life and betray his master.


    ¡®Duke Grid, please guard my lord.¡¯


    Kingdom¡¯s Hero. His strength would be able to ovee this ordeal. Laden didn¡¯t doubt it and closed his eyes.


    Jeeeong!


    A golden hand glowed under the desert sun. It shed through the 5,000 troops and protected Laden.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Chucksley¡¯s eyes widened. It was absurd. A golden hand was flying alone and swinging a sword without a master? It wasn¡¯t very threatening, but he had to admit that it was fast. He couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°What type of person?¡±


    Chucksley shouted as he blocked the golden hand. The answer came from the sky.


    ¡°The duke.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a calm and rxing voice. It was the middle of a battlefield. Chucksley, Prince Ren, the 5,000 royal troops, Laden, and the northern army stared up at the sky. There was a man with ck hair. The man had a small crown on his head. He wore harmonious red armor and ck boots as he looked down at the battlefield.


    "Beggars move around in groups. Foolish.¡±


    The man spoke with arrogance on his face. That person was Grid. A person who rose from amoner to a duke! His sudden appearance reversed the atmosphere of the battlefield.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    ¡°Duke Grid!!¡±


    The 5,000 royal troops shrank back because of a single man, while the northern army were delighted. It was a presence beyondmon sense.


    ***


    Fast Boots boasted a wonderful movement speed. Stamina and endurance suffered from a rapid decline, but movement speed increased by up to three times in all terrains.


    Bunny Bunny ran through the desert and was able to catch up to Prince Ren.


    ¡®I¡¯m not toote!¡¯


    Bunny Bunny felt relieved and switched his view to camera mode.


    Peeng!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Something moved swiftly over his head. At first, he thought it was a huge bird. But then he zoomed in and saw that it was Grid.


    "It¡¯s natural!¡±


    Bunny Bunny thought Grid appeared in a dramatic moment to save the northern troops. Grid had done it countless times in the National Competition and the Reinhardt golem invasion. He was a hero who made the crowd cheer by appearing at the perfect timing.


    ¡®Why did I only realize this now?¡¯


    Unlike other celebrities in Satisfy, Grid had a lot of anti-fans. This was because he relied on items rather than skills. It was the same with Bunny Bunny. Bunny Bunny didn¡¯t like Grid. He judged that it was difficult to raise the public¡¯s enthusiasm for Grid as the protagonist. In other words, it wasn¡¯t easy.


    He always watching Grid through sunsses, but it was different now. Now he btedly realized. In the first ce, items weren¡¯t a factor that could be underestimated. Didn¡¯t Bunny Bunny arrive here quickly because of the Fast Boots? Items were an indispensable element in the game. It meant he wasn¡¯t looking at Grid through sunsses.


    Bunny Bunny discarded his useless egotism and focused on Grid.


    ¡°Grid! Show me the performance of a hero!¡±


    His video would make people cheer all over the world.


    ***


    [Great Lord¡¯s Sword]


    It was a rare sword only given to the greatest lords and it made it possible to closely observe the target. Normally this target was only limited to one person. It was difficult to observe several people at the same time.


    However, Grid had a high level of insight. His insight further amplified the power of the Character Observation skill attached to the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. Thanks to that, Grid could simultaneously observe the information of the people on the battlefield.


    Instead, the information was very brief.


    Name: Chucksley Rokan.


    Level: 313


    Name: Ferrell Shaiva du Bon.


    Level: 305


    Name: Andu


    Level: 301


    ...


    ..


    It included the knights of the royal army.


    Name: Laden


    Level: 258


    ...


    ..


    The northern knights. In addition, there were the royal soldiers and the northern soldiers. Grid could identify their name and levels. It was impossible to check the details information including stats, skills and stories, but this alone was a big help.


    ¡®The average level is 130... It is surprisingly high.¡¯


    The average level of the northern soldiers was 110, while the average level of the royal soldiers was 20 higher. Given that the Winston soldiers he saw a few months ago weren¡¯t even level 100 yet, the level of the royal soldiers was well above the average. In other words, they were the elite of the kingdom.


    ¡®But so what?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t as good as Reidan¡¯s soldiers. The average level of Reidan¡¯s soldiers was 148.


    ¡¯Today they will reach 160!¡¯


    Ssik!


    It was truly a wily smile. It was enough to make the royal army uneasy. Grid dismissed the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and swapped Braham¡¯s Boots with Grid¡¯s Boots.


    [The magic Fly is no longer avable. Fly is stopped.]


    [You will fall.]


    Kwaang!


    Grid¡¯s Boots boasted a heavy weight. Sand scattered as Grid fell onto the desert sand.


    ¡°D-Duke Grid!¡±


    Laden was baffled. He discarded his favourable position in the sky and fell into the middle of the enemy? He couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s judgment. Grid spoke harshly towards him.


    ¡°You are really weak.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    "I¡¯ve known you since you started bluffing. You are a braggart who can¡¯t fight properly.¡±


    Grid judged Laden using three things.


    Firstly, it was the first time they met. Laden said there was a rodent hiding in Irene¡¯s bedroom. But the result? There wasn¡¯t even a fly, let alone a rodent.


    The second was his level. The level of the royal knights was at least 300, while Laden was only level 258. It meant that while everyone was hunting hard, Laden was ying alone.


    The third thing was results. The royal knights and soldiers were fine, while Laden and the northern army were dying. No matter how great the number, this one-sided result proved that he was powerless.


    ¡°Tsk tsk... I don¡¯t understand why Father-inw appreciates you so much.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Laden¡¯s heart was stabbed as he heard the words.


    ¡®The duke¡¯s words are true. I am too weak and useless.¡¯


    Laden fell into shame. He felt guilty to his lord. Meanwhile, the royal army was astonished.


    ¡®He got rid of Beida and the Iron Wind.¡¯


    ¡®He is strong enough to defend against Chucksley¡¯s sword many times.¡¯


    ¡®Yet he is weak?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s measure of strength seemed to be much different from theirs. Indeed, it was natural. Grid was the kingdom¡¯s hero. He already showed overwhelming strength in the golem invasion. They couldn¡¯t bepared. The 5,000 army shrank back.


    "Plunging into enemy territory alone, you don¡¯t understand the situation.¡±


    Chucksley pointed his sword at Grid. His momentum was great. Great Swordsman. He had the title of one of the continent¡¯s strongest swordsman, so he didn¡¯t shrink back despite the opponent being Grid.


    ¡°During the Reinhardt invasion, I was somewhatcking. I could only watch you from a distance.¡±


    But.


    "Since then, I have made an effort to be stronger than before.¡±


    Chucksley wielded his sword. It was a straight trajectory with no ws. It truly was a sleek and sophisticated blow. Bunny Bunny eximed as he filmed the scene from a considerable distance.


    ¡®Too fast!¡¯


    It was an unavoidable attack. The problem was that Grid gave the enemy an opportunity. Bunny Bunny was sure that Grid would be hit first.


    But.


    Jeeeong!


    A blood sword emerged from a dark space in front of him. It wasn¡¯t a greatsword that Grid normally used, so his attack speed surpassed that of Chucksley.


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    It was so fast that it couldn¡¯t be seen! Grid scoffed at Chucksley, whose attack was blocked.


    "Are you a fool? Do you think that I was ying around while you became stronger? I have grown stronger, just like you. You won¡¯t catch up.¡±


    "Won¡¯t catch up?¡± (TL: Grid uses an Inte ng that basically means someone who can¡¯t catch up)


    What did that mean? Grid¡¯s onught poured towards the puzzled Chucksley.


    The repetitive use, disassembly and assembly process led to a 100% understanding, and Iyarugt was now going to turn the battlefield into disarray.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339


    At the time of the pope candidates episode.


    Grid got a great chance to study Lifael¡¯s Spear. He repeatedly disassembled and reassembled a myth rated item and raised his understanding to 100%. This was valuable research that couldn¡¯t be converted into money. It was a dream that other cksmiths couldn¡¯t even hope for.


    "Cry, Yakult."


    It wasn¡¯t difficult for Grid to raise his understanding of Iyarugt, which was still only unique rated. It was very easypared to understanding Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid was now able to control Iyarugt without resorting to ckening.


    However, the renaming failed.


    [Iyarugt is the best sword of hell! You, don¡¯t rece my noble name just because you find it hard to pronounce!]


    Iyarugt had tremendous pride in his name. He followed Grid, but he couldn¡¯t ept a new name. He didn¡¯t know what it meant, but he felt an instinctive rejection towards Yakult. Grid didn¡¯t care. The sword would obey hismand, no matter what name he called it.


    [Iyarugt has used Blood Cry.]


    [All targets within a 30m radius will lose their sense of bnce for 1.5 seconds.]


    Kiiing...


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Blood Cry didn¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe. The northern troops and royal army around Grid all groaned with pain and stumbled. It was the same for Prince Ren and his escort knights.


    ¡®Making me fall to my knees!¡¯


    Prince Ren was the heir of the Eternal Kingdom. As the 1st Prince, he had never bowed to anyone except the king. But now. Grid used a skill to make him kneel for a while. It was really terrible. His ego was shattered.


    ¡®No?¡¯


    Amazement appeared on Prince Ren¡¯s face as he looked up. He looked around and saw that knights and soldiers on both sides were all kneeling together. Even Chucksley seemed on the brink of copse.


    The person who was standing in this spot? It was only Grid. It was an absurd appearance where he overpowered everyone.


    ¡®This is the strength of a legend...!¡¯


    He truly was a fearful enemy. If possible, he never wanted to go against Grid. However, he was a mountain that must be ovee if Ren wanted to be king. While Prince Ren was shivering, Grid was baffled.


    ¡°What? You endured it?¡±


    Blood Cry consumed a lot of mana and had a long cooldown time. It was also dangerous because it didn¡¯t distinguish between enemies. It was a great way to exert his power, but Chucksley was rtively stable. He had resistanceparable to a boss monster.


    "I won¡¯t fall from something like this!¡±


    Chucksley demonstrated an extreme mental strength as he overcame Blood Cry and defended against Grid¡¯s attack, then he fought back. It was a simple trajectory. Thanks to the Iyarugt, Grid was able to respond without much difficulty.


    Chaaeng!


    Chucksley and Iyarugt collided in an impressive manner and dust flew all over the ce. It was an ignorant attack. Grid and Chucksley exchanged looks through the dust. Unlike theposed Chucksley, Grid didn¡¯t look very good.


    He was confused because the opponent was exceedingly stronger than he expected.


    ¡®What is this guy?¡¯


    He had high status resistance and his swordsmanship was odd. His technique seemed simple, but it was strong when actually facing it.


    ¡®This is the first time.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s surroundings were filled with geniuses. Except for Grid, even Jude could be considered a genius in certain areas. In particr, there were the sword geniuses, Piaro and Ibellin. What did they have inmon?


    They were the masters of anomalies. They used unconventional swordsmanship to confuse and overwhelm their opponent. Then what about Chucksley? He didn¡¯t show any gaps, because he was faithful to the basics and excluded variables.


    This style of swordsmanship was bad for Grid, who was stillcking. All of Grid¡¯s techniques were blocked.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    ¡®Hey, this...¡¯


    The more Gridpeted with the sword, the more he understood Chucksley¡¯s strength. Grid had the advantage in speed, but he couldn¡¯t use it.


    ¡®I want to see his status window.¡¯


    He wanted to swap to the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and view Chucksley¡¯s information. Chucksley was probably a named NPC. But he couldn¡¯t afford to do it.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The extremely honest, but fast and powerful sword, put pressure on Grid. Grid was forced to focus on defense.


    ¡°Okay! You¡¯re doing well, Sir Chucksley!¡±


    Prince Ren cheered after standing up. He gained confidence after seeing Chucksley overpower Grid.


    ¡°Grid! This is the result of your pride and self-righteousness!¡±


    How could he confront 5,000 soldiers alone? The royal army was helped by Grid¡¯s stupidity. Prince Ren was sure that he would win this war.


    ¡°Kill him! Kill Grid and go straight to Reidan!¡±


    Prince Ren shouted while Bunny Bunny cursed in the distance.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    The protagonist of Bunny Bunny¡¯s video was originally Hurent. But Hurent was dominated in an instant by a farmer. Then he tried turning the main character into Grid, but...


    ¡®Grid is losing to Chucksley!¡¯


    Bunny Bunny didn¡¯t want this result. He wanted Grid to defeat the strong enemies. However, the current situation looked helpless. Bunny Bunny was feeling resentful when a voice entered his ears.


    ¡°The majority of the northern army seems to have survived. We made good time.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Bunny Bunny was a second advancement assassin. A person could get close to him without him noticing? They could only be a top ranker. In other words, the owner of the voice next to Bunny Bunny wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Bunny Bunny turned around and was shocked. It was the master of beauty, Lauel of the silver hair. One of the 10 Rookies who yed for the US team in the National Competition, and someone who was now one of Grid¡¯s top aides.


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s eyes shone at meeting a celebrity and Lauel grinned.


    "It¡¯s interesting to see Bunny Bunny, who I¡¯ve only seen on TV before. Are you live?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s impossible. I need to solve the problem of image rights, so I¡¯m taking a recording.¡±


    "Ah, it¡¯s a relief that you aren¡¯t stupid. Please contact me before you start the broadcast. We have to talk about the distribution of revenue.¡±


    "Yes, yes. I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s profile stated that he was 20 years old. Bunny Bunny was seven years older. But he couldn¡¯t feelfortable around Lauel. The only thing that mattered in society was power and wealth.


    "Earl Lauel, the soldiers are ready.¡±


    A blond man appeared behind Lauel. He was an NPC called Asmophel. There were 1,000 soldiers gathered behind him with excellent military discipline. Every soldier had killing intent in their eyes and they were orderly. Compared to them, the royal army that was considered the best in the Eternal Kingdom was like a child.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Bunny Bunny admired it. He never imagined that Grid could train an army to this degree.


    ¡®Grid is even great at nurturing an army!¡¯


    The more he discovered, the greater he thought Grid was. But what was this? Why was he on the verge of dying alone in enemy territory? Bunny Bunny directed his gaze back to the battlefield.


    Grid was still dueling Chucksley. He didn¡¯t have any wounds, but it was the same for Chucksley. Chucksley overpowered Grid with his swordsmanship, while Grid made up for what he wascking with speed.


    The problem was that there were 5,000 soldiers behind Chucksley.


    ¡®The moment those 5,000 soldiers move...¡¯


    The bnce would copse and Grid would die. Bunny Bunny felt nervous and asked.


    "Lauel, shouldn¡¯t you help Grid?¡±


    Lauel was rxed. As he watched the battle of Grid and Chucksley through the dust, he made a meaningful remark.


    "You don¡¯t know Grid¡¯s abilities.¡±


    In the first ce, Grid¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t swordsmanship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s ying around with swordsmanship with that person, but I don¡¯t need to worry. Knight Chucksley, he might be strong, but he isn¡¯tparable to the people that Grid has faced so far. Isn¡¯t that right? Sir Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°The opponent¡¯s skill is still insufficient.¡±


    ¡®ying around? A great swordsman iscking?¡¯


    Bunny Bunny doubted his ears. He thought that Lauel and Asmophel were speaking unreasonably. At that moment.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    A terrible scream shot into the sky. It must be Grid! Bunny Bunny freaked out and zoomed in on the direction.


    ¡°This is impossible!¡±


    Bunny Bunny was at a loss for words. The great swordsman Chucksley, who had been dominating the whole time, was now bleeding from the chest.


    ¡°Now.¡±


    Lauel instructed Asmophel, who shouted towards the soldiers.


    ¡°Aim your bows!¡±


    Reidan¡¯s soldiers moved in a sleek manner. They quickly stabilized their feet in the sand, took out a bow and pulled back the bowstring.


    ¡®What are they thinking?¡¯


    Bunny Bunny wondered. The distance from here to Grid was approximately 300m. It was too far to hit the mark. Even if there was a lucky shot, it was obvious that the person wouldn¡¯t suffer a great impact because the power would be greatly reduced.


    However, Reidan¡¯s soldiers had a hidden secret. It was the power of items. Reidan¡¯s soldiers were equipped with items produced by Khan. The power and uracy werepletely different from typical bows. What if the power of qigong master Lauel was added?


    ¡°Wind Dragon¡¯s Roar.¡±


    Kuoooooh!!


    A westerly wind started to sweep through the desert.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    1,000 arrows were simultaneously shot. On the battlefield, the royal army watching Grid was forced to ept the baptism of arrows pouring down.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Bunny Bunny trembled.


    It was the first time he saw the scene of 1,000 soldiers being wrapped in a pir of light, symbolizing they had levelled up at the same time.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340


    Training, training, training! And more training! Why did they have to go through such hellish days. Reidan¡¯s soldiers had always questioned it. They couldn¡¯t understand why they had to train so much every day.


    ¡®I know that it¡¯s necessary to be stronger to protect our home and families. But still, isn¡¯t this too much? Once we adjust to a training regime, we are forced to do a new one and then adjust to that. What if this keeps repeating?¡¯


    "The baker was a former soldier. I don¡¯t think there is any army on the continent training as hard as us.¡±


    ¡°The infantry in the rear are grumbling. The level of training we receive has already exceeded the level of ordinary soldiers?¡±


    "Of course. Isn¡¯t our training at the level of special forces? It¡¯s crazy. Why do we have to climb a wall without adder?¡±


    "I don¡¯t like the giant worm hell training. When I move through sand that is pouring down like a waterfall, I really feel like a hamster on a wheel. Then when I see the giant worms, I get goosebumps...¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it ridiculous to train new archers by firing at birds? No, we¡¯re infantry, so why do we need to have good archery skills?¡±


    "I don¡¯t understand why we have to do field work. Isn¡¯t this exploitation ofbor instead of training?¡±


    ¡°Hah... Why is the duke giving us such trials?¡±


    Reidan¡¯s soldiers loved and respected Grid. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Duke Grid was the one who saved them from starving in their bleak homnd. The soldiers wouldy down their lives for Grid.


    But those thoughts gradually faded. As they were forced to do harsh training by Grid, this gratitude disappeared and hatred started growing. It was a natural phenomenon. The training that the soldiers of Reidan received?


    It was simr to the training received by the ck Knights, the second strongest knights division of the empire. It was much higherpared to normal training, so it was at a mental and physical level that ordinary soldiers couldn¡¯t afford.


    But they somehow managed to endure.


    Piaro and Asmophel.


    It was possible because the two people, who were originally supposed to be pirs of the empire, instructed them.


    ***


    ¡°Prepare!¡±


    A westerly wind started blowing in the desert. The soldiers of Reidan pulled back their bowstrings without a single error. These were the poisonous eyes of those who had endured the hell training.


    Grid was struggling on the battlefield alone.


    "Shoot!"


    Pak!Pa pa pa pa pak!


    The 1,000 soldiers simultaneously fired their bows. Their posture was really good and the arrows flying with the wind were perfect.


    Puk!Puuoooook!


    "Kyaak!"


    "Hik!"


    Khan had achieved Advanced cksmithing level 8. He was Albatino¡¯s descendant, and Grid¡¯s friend and disciple, so the power of the arrow and bows he produced were beyond imagination.


    The arrows flew 300m away and killed the royal troops.


    ¡°Do it again!¡±


    The soldiers of Reidan became covered with the level up pirs of light as the number of casualties in the royal army increased. Their strength, stamina, and agility increased as they pulled the bowstring again.


    Grid¡¯s form was seen in their fierce gazes.


    ¡®Duke Grid!¡¯


    ¡®This is why you forced us to do such difficult training!¡¯


    ¡®You predicted the enemy¡¯s invasion!¡¯


    ¡®I am impressed with My Lord¡¯s foresight! I really admire you!¡¯


    Today.


    The unexpected invasion of Reidan and the misunderstanding involving Grid allowed all their hatred to disappear. Loyalty burned fiercely inside them.


    ¡®Facing the enemy alone to minimize the damage!¡¯


    ¡¯You are truly great and courageous!¡¯


    ¡®I will devote myself more to you!¡¯


    It was the first battle they had been in since they started training with Jude. The soldiers of Reidan showed a high concentration which greatly affected their skills.


    "Shoot!"


    Pak!Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Asmophel ordered and arrows once again flew.


    Puk!Puuoooook!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Kuheok!¡±


    Reidan¡¯s soldiers kept growing in real time through level ups. Hundreds of royal soldiers couldn¡¯t endure the powerful arrows and died.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Prince Ren was severely shaken. The 5,000 soldiers were focused on Grid and allowed a surprise attack. The shock was huge. He felt desperation and despair on this battlefield where one man demonstrated an absolute power.


    ***


    Ferrell, the chief archer of the Eternal Kingdom, was amazed.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that they¡¯re all archers!¡¯


    Reidan¡¯s 1,000 soldiers. Firing arrows from a distance of 300m wasn¡¯t something that ordinary soldiers were capable of. By default, talented people needed to train their archery skills for 10 years before being capable of this.


    Thus Ferrell was confused.


    ¡®I thought that Reidan was a dying city.¡¯


    There were 20,000 people in the city and Grid had only taken over it for 16 months. He could train such elite archers in only 16 months? It was nonsense. It was impossible. Ferrell was confident because he had personally trained archers.


    ¡®Also!¡¯


    He heard that Reidan had a total of 1,000 troops. Wasn¡¯t it probable that all 1,000 would be archers? No. An army without infantry was powerless. Grid would be insane to train an entire army to be archers.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be...!¡¯


    A shocking thought passed through Ferrell¡¯s mind.


    ¡®What if they¡¯re all knights?¡¯


    Archery was included in the arsenal of knights, and a knight level talent would be capable of learning archery to this degree after 16 months.


    ¡®This! Reidan is aplete gold mine!¡¯


    There were so many talents to train as knights! Ferrell misunderstood and pulled out his bow. It was the Thunder Bow, which was a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation.


    ¡°Reidan...! I will cut off that bud!¡¯


    Pachik!Pachichik!


    Thunder sparked as Ferrell pulled back the bow. There was a sh and an arrow that was more like a lightning bolt flew.


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The screaming in the sky! Thunderbolts after thunderbolts appeared in session. Reidan¡¯s 1,000 soldiers. They didn¡¯t know what to do when faced with the magic arrow.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    ¡°Suddenly!¡±


    The soldiers of Reidan had endured hell training that put them on the verge of death. But this was the first time they experienced such a sudden danger. They paled as they saw the flying arrow, then someone appeared in front of them.


    With his red cloak pping, it was Asmophel. He took out a long sword that he had used since his days in the Red Knights. He moved his sword in a trajectory that was like a stream of paper, or a calligrapher writing on nk paper.


    Pepepepeong!


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ferrel¡¯s vision was as good as a hawk, so he was shocked. It was the first time he saw a sword destroying his arrow.


    ¡®Even Captain Chucksley can¡¯t face my arrow head on...!¡¯


    Ferrell was astonished and blinked nkly.


    "Try and stop this!¡±


    There was no meaning for an archer who couldn¡¯t hit his target. Ferrell was the best archer in the kingdom and fired his bow again. The arrow he fired this time was several times stronger and faster than the previous one.


    Kwa kwang!


    Thunder rang out as the arrow flew towards Amosphel¡¯s nose. The corners of Asmophel¡¯s gorgeous lips curved up. Was this his first chance to y an active role since serving Duke Grid? The only thing he had done so far was collect gold coins and train the soldiers.


    Asmophel wanted to prove his value by ying an active role and Ferrell was a good opponent. Asmophel¡¯s manifested a red aura and blocked Ferrel¡¯s arrow with his strength, then he shouted.


    "I will cut off the enemy¡¯s head!¡±


    Taack!


    It happened when Asmophel jumped from the sand dune and was about to head to the enemy.


    ¡°That bow, it looks good?¡±


    To be precise, he was interested in the materials that made up the bow. Grid didn¡¯t hide the greed in his eyes as he reached Ferrell first. Asmophel wanted to cry.


    "My Lord! Please give me a chance to work!¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s voice failed to reach Grid. It was due to the screams of the thousands of confused royal soldiers being attacked that dominated the battlefield.


    Puok!


    "Kuk...!¡±


    Ferrell was only focused on Asmophel. He thought Grid was fighting Chucksley and had no idea that he would receive a surprise attack. He allowed the attack and started bleeding, while Grid connected the next blow.


    [Critical!]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s option effect is activated, reducing the target¡¯s healing power by 50%.]


    [Critical!]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s option effect is activated, giving the target a bleeding status that willst for 3 seconds.


    [The 3rdbo has been achieved!]


    [The bleeding effect is maximized. The damage that the target will receive is increased by 200% for 1 second.]


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he aimed at the named NPC who had a high health.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle.¡±


    Seokeok!


    Pinnacle descended. Blood spurted like a fountain from Ferrell¡¯s chest, filling his field of view as Grid raised his sword to strike again.


    [The 5thbo has been achieved!]


    [The target¡¯s thinking ability has been destroyed for 0.3 seconds! You can link Hell Sword.]


    In the blink of an eye. Ferrell was stunned by the repeated onught.


    ¡°Hell Sword.¡±


    Kwajik!


    Pajijijijijik¨D!


    Dozens of red-ck stems emerged from Iyarugt and pierced Ferrell¡¯s chest.


    The sight,


    ¡°Okay! Gorgeous! The best!!¡±


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s video seamlessly moved between the sky and the ground. Grid dominating the battlefield would surely be passed onto the viewers.


    On the other hand.


    "Ferrell!"


    Chucksley fell victim to Grid who suddenly used a skill when exchanging sword blows. He was outraged by the sight of Ferrell being blindsided due to his carelessness and attacked Grid.


    ¡°Rising Sword!¡±


    It was an extremely irregr technique that looked like it rose from the ground. Chucksley was sure that Grid would be hit by this technique. But he was wrong. The reason why Grid was unable to subdue Chucksley despite his speed advantage was due to the firmness of the swordsmanship. Chucksley used a big technique and abandoned his own strength, revealing a gap.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid was hit in the chest while Chucksley¡¯s waist was struck. The difference between the two sword skills was clear. Grid was hurt in a much more deadly area. It was the moment when Chucksley seemed to have the initiative.


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    Prince Ren and the royal troops cheered, while Asmophel and Reidan¡¯s soldiers felt desperate. Even Bunny Bunny¡¯s face darkened as he filmed. Except for one person. Lauel had a smile on his face as he looked at Grid.


    "Gotcha.¡±


    Grid grasped Chucksley¡¯s neck.


    ¡°My Lord¡¯s strength isn¡¯t swordsmanship.¡±


    Lauel shrugged. This was a fact that the two people knew. Grid wasn¡¯t a swordsman.


    ¡°It¡¯s being overgeared.¡±


    Receiving a wound in a critical area? His armor had outstanding defense and minimized the damage. He couldn¡¯t hit the enemy? He would maximize his damage with superior weapons.


    Clink!


    Clink clink.


    Four golden hands shed and surrounded the gasping Chucksley. Then a white sh stunned the battlefield.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341


    Grid had done his best in the duel to persuade Piaro. He took out all the cards he had and realized one thing in the process of defeat. The suitable weapon for more advanced swordsmanship was a one-handed sword, not a greatsword.


    ¡®The rtively big and heavy greatsword¡¯s trajectory is simple and limited.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s basic battle style was to repeatedly hit. Therefore, he preferred a greatsword with strong destructive power. Pagma¡¯s Descendant had a damage oriented skill tree, so the greatsword was very good for that.


    However, Grid felt the limitations. From Elfin Stone to Braham and Piaro. The appearance of unmatched powerhouses meant that his previous way of fighting became ineffective. So what about strong destructive power? It couldn¡¯t deal with the strong opponents!


    ¡¯I need to familiarize myself with one-handed swords.¡¯


    He obtained the strongest one-handed sword, Iyarugt, which wasn¡¯tcking in powerpared to a greatsword. After the confrontation with Piaro, Grid devoted himself to training with the one-handed sword.


    What if it was the him in the past? ¡®How annoying. All I need is items.¡¯


    Grid would think that, but now it was different. He did his best to get used to one-handed swords, just like when he made items. This change was possible because he had a desire to be stronger.


    ***


    ¡®Compared to the old days, I increased my control skills and didn¡¯t neglect training.¡¯


    He was arrogant. He learned today that against Chucksley, a knight he¡¯d never heard of, his techniques didn¡¯t work. Iyarugt gave him the best sword trajectory, but he could only hold on. To be honest, it was quite frustrating for Grid.


    He judged that it was hard to ovee Chucksley without the help of the God Hands. But this ce was in the middle of the enemies. He didn¡¯t know when other enemies would attack, so he had to ce the God Hands on the defensive.


    Then the situation changed. Allies arrived and the enemies had fallen into confusion. The focus on Grid was eased. Grid used that chance to deploy Magic Missile that he¡¯d saved as a trump card and managed to shake off Chucksley.


    He pursued Chucksley¡¯s ally and this became the bait.


    ***


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Chucksley was hit by Kill and his health gauge fell to two-thirds. Grid took great damage when enduring the blow to grab Chucksley¡¯s neck, and blood was pouring from his chest. But his health gauge wasn¡¯t reduced at all.


    It was the power of the Holy Light Armor and Doran¡¯s Ring.


    Grid sensed the power of the Rising Sword used by Chucksley and wore Doran¡¯s Ring in advance. It was the judgment ability he was able to exert due to the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. The ability to use this item perfectly would impress rankers.


    Grid smiled coolly and whispered to Chucksley.


    "Have you heard of being overgeared?¡±


    ¡°Overgeared?¡±


    What did that mean? Grid used such difficult terms to understand. To Chucksley, Grid was an intellectual.


    ¡®I thought he was ignorant because he was amoner, but he uses suchplicated jargon...!¡¯


    It was incredibly frustrating to listen to. Four golden hands flew around Chucksley, who was unable to interpret the meaning of overgeared.


    ¡®This!¡¯


    The golden hands were moving and wielding their weapons by themselves. There were three of them? Chucksley detected the danger and shook off Grid. Grid was unable to suppress him with force and shouted without any dy.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    Jiing.


    Grid¡¯s magic power gathered at the tips of the four hands.


    Pepepepeng!


    White shes of light flew out and hit Chucksley.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Chucksley felt a pain that couldn¡¯t be ignored. The Magic Missilesunched by the golden hands contained incredible power for low-grade magic. Chucksley couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡®Why is the resistance of my White Armor being ignored!?¡¯


    The Lokan family that Chucksley came from had served the Eternal royal family for generations. He had countless achievements and received the praise and recognition of people. One of the things he received was the White Armor.


    The armor boasted good physical defense and high magic resistance, so it easily blocked variables. Chucksley was always invincible in war when wearing this armor. He crushed the enemy¡¯s physical attacks with his sword and resisted the enemy¡¯s surprise magic attacks with his armor.


    However!


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    This low level spell prated his armor and dealt a perfect blow? No, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a cksmith, so how could he use magic in the first ce? The secret must be in the gold hands!


    ¡®What is the identity of those golden hands...?¡¯


    Chucksley¡¯s head was a mess as he coughed up blood. He wasn¡¯t able to figure out Grid. It felt like he was facing a person on a different dimension. Yes, this was the feeling he¡¯d had using the Reinhardt golem invasion.


    ¡®Why...?¡¯


    He had trained in swordsmanship until he vomited blood and as a result, he got the title of great swordsman. The person who was once called the greatest swordsman, Piaro, had disappeared. But there was still such a gap between them?


    ¡®This is a legend!¡¯


    Hadn¡¯t Grid already be a legend? Grid¡¯s growth should already be over and he should be stagnant.


    ¡°Why...? Why have you be stronger?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were different from when they first met. Grid no longer ignored Chucksley and respected him. He honored the strong. That¡¯s why he spoke honestly.


    "I am still weak."


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid defeated the golems who were threatening the kingdom and now overcame Chucksley! Then what were these words? Chucksley was agitated as Grid repeated something he had heard.


    ¡°The world is wide and there are many strong people. You will know if you ever meet a real powerhouse one day. How iplete I am.¡±


    Braham and Piaro. Compared to them, he wasn¡¯t a legend. He had yet to achieve his full growth. One reason was that he couldn¡¯tplete the ss quest, but Grid knew the truth.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t because of the ss quests.¡¯


    It was because he didn¡¯t have the ability to progress through the ss quests. If it was Yura or Huroi, they wouldn¡¯t have been stupid enough to be stuck for such a long time on one quest.


    ¡®I have no talent.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have control skills like Regas and Faker, or the ability to raise his level like Jishuka or Pon. Grid didn¡¯t have any advantages that would be his weapons. The reason he was able to get to his current position was his tenacity. Without that tenacity, Grid wouldn¡¯t have be Pagma¡¯s Descendant and would still be ordinary. No, he would¡¯ve still been a low level user.


    ¡°Well, I mean... I will devote myself more and more. As long as I can survive here.¡±


    Killing intent filled Grid¡¯s eyes. Respect for the strong? This was enough. Grid had no intention of forgiving the enemy who dared to invade Reidan. It wasn¡¯t simply due to the threat of losing his territory.


    Reidan had 20,000 people. The people had an infinite affection towards him. The enemies in front of him were trying to harm those people. He couldn¡¯t forgive them. No, he couldn¡¯t tolerate their existence.


    -Grid, everything is ready.


    Theposition of the battlefield had transformed to the ideal form. Reidan¡¯s soldiers fired arrows without a break and reduced the number of royal soldiers, while Laden and the northern army tied up their feet. Then Lauel cast the strongest skill of a third advancement qigong master, ¡®Master of Flow.¡¯


    Now all that was left...


    Please imprint on the world that your territory is off limits.


    -Y-Yes...


    Lauel would take care of it. Grid decided to take Ferrell¡¯s life first. Ferrell was gasping due to his wounds and couldn¡¯t resist the sword that pierced him.


    [You have defeated Viscount Ferrell, the best archer of the Eternal Kingdom.]


    [The Bon family will be forever hostile towards you.]


    [356,410,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Thunder Bow has been acquired.]


    [Your demonic power has increased by two.]


    "Ferrell!"


    Chucksley and Ferrell were fellows who relied on each other. Chucksley gazed at Grid with hateful eyes. Grid thought this was ludicrous.


    "Don¡¯t forget who caused this situation. You¡¯re the ones who aimed your swords first. Forgetting the fact that I saved the kingdom, all of you are less than dogs.¡±


    Grid looked arrogant and wicked. The conditions to instill fear and regret in the enemy wasn¡¯t just overwhelming power, but also attitude. He had been intentionally trained in this by Huroi.


    ¡°This guy!¡±


    "Viscount Ferrell!¡±


    Ferrel Shaiva du Bon. The ruler of the family who ruled the Shaiva estate for generations and who had a high reputation. His death would be enough to buy the wrath of the Shaiva estate and the royal family. A huge 300 knights and soldiers headed towards Grid.


    "Protect the duke!¡±


    Laden screamed and tried to move the army. However, Grid raised his hand and stopped him.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The isted Grid gazed at the 300 enemies rushing towards him. Prince Ren watched the battlefield from where he was hiding among the escort knights.


    ¡¯That guy, I will make him regret it.¡¯


    Grid started his sword dance. It was a enchanting sight as a sword dance was unfolded in the middle of a battlefield filled with blood and flesh... No, he seemed like a madman who couldn¡¯t grasp the mood.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    Kurururu!


    Iyarugt had a higher attack speed than the greatsword. It exerted havoc in a long battle, but it was forced to fall behind a greatsword when it came to single attack skills.


    Grid had swapped to Grid¡¯s Greatsword the moment he started the sword dance. Grid¡¯s Greatsword was a superior weapon with the best attack power, and an option effect that increased the damage of skills.


    It wasn¡¯t possible for the 300 troops from the Shaiva estate to endure the ck waves spreading all over the ce.


    ¡®This monster!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes gleamed with a red light and caused infinite fear inside Prince Ren. However, Prince Ren endured it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it! Time is on our side!¡±


    After a while. If they waited a little longer, the 2,000 soldiers would cross the Altes Mountains and hit Reidan.


    Also!


    ¡®Grid! Your wife will enter my hands soon!¡¯


    Until then, they just needed to endure. Prince Ren was confident that he would win the war with this web-like strategy.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342


    Puk!


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Puk puk!


    ¡®It will be soon!¡¯


    A young man was digging at the ground. He was a beautiful young man. His beauty and grace didn¡¯t fade, despite having sunburned skin and dirt stains.


    ¡®Not long now!¡¯


    Puk puk!Puk!


    The young man with the shy expression. He was digging at the ground with a hand plow when he heard the cry he had been waiting for.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for a snack!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The pupils of the young man greatly expanded. He jumped up and quickly used magic.


    ¡°Haste!¡±


    Haste. It was a spell that raised the target¡¯s speed from 1.2 to 2.5 times. It wasn¡¯t easy to learn, but it was a useful magic that could be used extensively. Even if a person learned it, their performance would differ ording to the capacity of the caster.


    A magician who could double their speed with Haste? There were no more than 100 of them on the continent. However!


    Swaeeek!


    The squatting young man showed off a phenomenal performance. His speed was doubled and no one could catch up with him.


    "That lousy person...!¡±


    "He¡¯s trying to take all the potatoes today!¡±


    The farmers were indignant. The young man who used Haste was nd. He didn¡¯t hesitate tomit a foul by using magic to gain more potatoes.


    ¡°Did you forget that Piaro said we should divide it among ourselves?¡±


    ¡°I will tell Piaro!"


    The farmers saw that he was about to leave and used a childish attack. nd hesitated for a moment.


    ¡®I have to eat!¡¯


    Earl. nd who had a rich life as the son of Earl Ashur, one of the 10 great magicians on the continent! For him, potatoes were just food that pigs were forced to eat. He had never eaten potatoes, and only consumed the finest ingredients, which were more nutritious and tastier than potatoes.


    However, that changed after being held hostage in Reidan. nd ate only potatoes to survive. Then he became thrilled. He was surprised by the gorgeous taste and the instant feeling of fullness.


    In particr, the Rainbow Potato was a delicacy. He could get seven different types of tastes from one potato. A potato that he could only eat after being captured and suffering from a desperate situation. To nd, it was more sacred than any blessing from a god. He was able to shake off all types of troubles and anxieties thanks to it.


    There was plenty of food in the developed Reidan, but the potatoes were still the best for nd.


    ***


    "You want one today?¡±


    The housewives asked nd, who had run across the vast fields. nd nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The housewives thought it was pitiful. The beautiful young man in front of them. The housewives heard he was a precious child of a prestigious family. What wrong did hemit to live in very to Duke Grid?


    Every day nd worked in the fields, then there were rumors that he was taken separately by Piaro to be beaten in all types of ways. It was clear that this young man must be experiencing a terrible life. It was painful enough to want to die every day.


    ¡®Eating to relieve his stress...¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity for such a good looking person.¡¯


    A housewife tearfully handed the snack to nd. There were 10 baked potatoes and 10 boiled potatoes.


    "As you know, there is only supposed to be one potato per person...¡±


    "I know that you are always suffering, so I will give you all of this.¡±


    ¡°Please eat and gain strength!¡±


    ¡®The people pity me.¡¯


    nd had a unique bloodline and had been on the best elite course in the kingdom. He didn¡¯t have many opportunities to associate with themon people. However, his time in Reidan started to change his perception little by little.


    ¡®The people have a hard life, but they still take care of others. It¡¯s too much.¡¯


    It was ridiculous. But he couldn¡¯t help admiring it. nd received the handkerchief containing potatoes and frowned.


    "There¡¯s no need to worry about me. My bloodline means my physical strength isn¡¯t weak, so I won¡¯t get sick. There¡¯s no need for unnecessary worry.¡±


    nd¡¯s speech was prideful and could hurt the housewives¡¯s feelings. But the housewives were fine. They thought it was cute that the young man didn¡¯t know how to express himself.


    "Potato... I originally thought it was pig food, but I will eat it anyway.¡±


    Bah! nd snorted and held the handkerchief close to his chest. Contrary to what he said, he clearly cherished the potatoes. He left the ce. At this time, the farmers btedly arrived.


    "He took so much!¡±


    "Some of us might not have enough to eat!¡±


    "Damn that man!¡±


    ¡®Noisy.¡¯


    They were so excited that they had to run around and yell? It truly was shameful. nd clicked his tongue and moved to a secluded ce. It was near the north wall. He sat down to eat the potatoes when his eyes sank.


    ¡®There are a bunch of rats¡¯.


    There was a suspicious group clinging to one side of Reidan¡¯s high walls. There were 20 of them. They were moving carefully and slowly climbing the wall. The color of their clothes was simr to the color of the wall, making their stealth great.


    The nd from before he came to Reidan wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect them.


    "Hrmm."


    Half a day ago. Asmophel led the army away, so it seemed like something big was urring.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡±


    nd didn¡¯t care if the 20 assassins climbing the wall were sessful in infiltrating Reidan. He wouldn¡¯t care even if they ughtered people and set Reidan on fire. In fact, looking at it from his position, he should be apuding them.


    ¡°Then why...?¡±


    Why didn¡¯t he like it? nd ced a boiled potato in his mouth and stood up. The delicious potatoes, the farmers who suffered with him, and the housewives who cooked the potatoes and cared about him. They might be harmed.


    ¡°I feel bad.¡±


    More than anything else.


    ¡°...Irene.¡±


    The woman he once loved was in Reidan. He had no lingering feelings for her. She had already be the woman of another man.


    ¡®I want her to be happy.¡¯


    nd¡¯s mind was made up by the time he put the third potato in his mouth.


    ¡°Fire Arrow.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    The 20 assassins climbing the wall. Eight fire arrows were shot at them. The momentum waspletely different from a usual Fire Arrow. It was natural. He had been trained by Piaro for 16 months while doing field work every day.


    He farmed... No, he could now borrow the natural mana of the ground. It was simr to the Natural State that belonged to the legendary Piaro.


    ***


    Daluka. An assassin wrapped in the veil of mystery. There were many spections that Doran and Kasim were disciples of Daluka. Then one day 10 years ago. The Eternal Kingdom were lucky enough to obtain one of Daluka¡¯s hidden techniques.


    From then on, they started raising the Silver Dragons group. They took 5,000 orphans from all over the kingdom and trained them as assassins, giving them Daluka¡¯s hidden technique.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. Of the 5,000 children who endured the training and survived, only 40 were trained in Daluka¡¯s technique. Of these 40 people, not one of them had mastered the technique. They could only scratch the surface.


    But this alone was enough. One year since theunch of the Silver Dragons group. The Silver Dragons had a 100% sess rate with their missions. Prince Ren was confident. With the power of the Silver Dragons, the Eternal Kingdom would grow until they could eventually threaten the Saharan Empire.


    At that time, the silver dragon drawn on the g would spread open both wings again.


    ¡®What is happening?¡¯


    The 20 members of the Silver Dragons were baffled. Agricultural fields spread out in all directions from Reidan¡¯s outer walls. They had to pass through this ce to get to Reidan, but the conditions of the farmers were strange.


    ¡®Why are they farmers?¡¯


    There were dozens of farmers scattered through the vast fields. But their movements were unusual. The way they wielded the sickle and hand plow was reminiscent of swordsmanship. In particr, a few farmers were strong enough to make the Silver Dragon members sensitive towards them. They seemed like influential people who would represent a kingdom.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    The Silver Dragons had learned Daluka¡¯s Absence of Worldly Desires technique. It was a breathing method that allowed them to infiltrate many ces, even if it was only at the 5th stage. And the 20 people assigned to this mission were elite 5th stage Absence of Worldly Desires members. It meant they wouldn¡¯t show any agitation, even when facing death.


    However, the farmers couldn¡¯t help making their hearts unsettled.


    ¡®It is better to move more carefully.¡¯


    The Silver Dragon members made the correct judgment andy t on the ground, crawling through the fields. They didn¡¯t want to be seen by the farmers. The result.


    ¡®Pant pant... It¡¯s dirty.¡¯


    A lot of time and stamina was consumed by the time the Silver Dragons reached Reidan¡¯s outer walls, making them fall behind schedule. Originally, they should¡¯ve already had the duchess. Yet they hadn¡¯t even crossed the outer walls yet? It was truly shocking for the Silver Dragon members.


    But they were elites.


    ¡®Erase the shaking.¡¯


    The members regained their calm thanks to Absence of Worldly Desires. Then they used ¡®Daluka¡¯s Clothes.¡¯ It was a technique that could achieve the ultimate stealth by making them like a chameleon.


    Susuk.


    Sususuk.


    Even the gods in the sky wouldn¡¯t be able to see them right now! Then fire arrows flew towards the backs of the Silver Dragons climbing without any doubts.


    "Heok!"


    How were they noticed? The Silver Dragons avoided the magic and hurriedly looked around. The magic flew from the direction of one person. It was a farmer eating potatoes. The sun-tanned skin really made him seem like a hillbilly. It was unexpected, but this person was certainly a farmer.


    ¡®Did he use the magic?¡¯


    It was fast and powerful magic that they couldn¡¯tpletely avoid!


    ¡®The farmers in this area are crazy!¡¯


    The eyes of the Silver Dragons shook. Their 5th stage Absence of Worldly Desires started shaking.


    ¡®We can¡¯t dy any longer. Should we ignore him and continue the mission?¡¯


    ¡®No. Witnesses must be taken care of immediately in order toplete the secret mission.¡¯


    The Silver Dragons made a quick decision. They dropped down from the wall towards the farmer chewing potatoes. A magician had very weak defense. They believed that they could easily overpower the magician.


    The magician¡¯s bombardment? There was no need to worry about that. Don¡¯t give him time to cast!


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The confident faces of the Silver Dragons distorted. The guy was a farmer or magician. Now he was creating a shield and pulling out a sword?


    ¡®What is his identity?¡¯


    Farmer, magician, swordsman. It was uncertain. nd shot Fire st at the Silver Dragons. Using another spell while creating a shield as well?


    "Double casting!"


    The Silver Dragons paled. Their 5th stage Absence of Worldly Desires was broken.


    At the same time.


    ¡°Throw it again.¡±


    King of Shadows, Kasim. The strongest assassin who had taken numerous lives was busy spending time with a newborn baby. He kept forcing the baby to do something.


    "Abu! Abuuuu!¡±


    The baby mored with sharp eyes that resembled his father¡¯s. It felt like he was saying that he would do it this time. Then...


    Peok!


    Lord flew a block at a doll 3m away and it fell. It was an achievement that had taken two days. The growth was much faster than what Kasim predicted. Kasim was convinced as he felt something beyond admiration.


    ¡®This child...! This child will be able to master all of Master¡¯s skills!¡¯


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 343

    Chapter 343


    The power of a legend was truly great. Duke Grid, who saved the 1,000 northern troops, and caught the ankles of the 5,000 royal troops. He clearly proved his strength. Honestly, Prince Ren felt awe. Grid, who swept through the battlefield with four golden hands, was like the incarnation of the battlefield itself.


    But!


    ¡®The important thing in a war is resources, but power!¡¯


    War wasn¡¯t just limited to the battlefield. Those who had a bigger perspective of the strategies and tactics spread out like cobwebs would win. In that sense, Grid was the worst. A ruler plunging into enemy lines alone? It was truly stupid.


    ¡®Grid! I will make you regret the fact that you entered the middle of the enemy troops!¡¯


    After a while, a separate group would hit Reidan from the rear, and then the Silver Dragons would capture the duke¡¯s wife. Then the initiative would bepletely on Prince Ren¡¯s side. Grid would bepletely isted. The victory of the royal army would go as he nned.


    ¡®Huhut! Your stamina can¡¯t endure forever!¡¯


    In fact, Grid¡¯s movements were different from when he first appeared. He was tired and dusty from dealing with the soldiers, arrows, magic, and the surprise attacks of the knights. He had clearly be sluggish.


    ¡®I just need to buy a bit more time!¡¯


    A dark smile spread on Prince Ren¡¯s face as he watched Grid. He already felt like he had won. He just needed to hang on longer.


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    "Heeok!"


    A rain of arrows from Reidan¡¯s soldiers fell around Grid. It felt like the arrows wreaking havoc on the royal soldiers were bing stronger?


    ¡®I must be mistaken.¡¯


    At first, he thought so. But he soon realized.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t mistaken!¡¯


    Puuoooook!


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    The number of casualties from the arrows were rising rapidly. It was clear that the attack power of Reidan¡¯s soldiers had increased significantly since the beginning.


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    Chucksley called out to Ren, who was pale and nervous.


    "The archery skills of the enemies are growing in real time! If this is the case, we won¡¯t be able to control the damage to our side! It¡¯s better to have the knights keep Duke Grid in check, while the soldiers defend against the arrows!¡±


    ¡°No! We can¡¯t do that!¡±


    Training one knight was much more difficult than nurturing 1,000 soldiers. Prince Ren wanted to minimize the sacrifices of the knights. The role of grabbing Grid¡¯s ankle should be left to the soldiers.


    ¡®I just need to endure a little longer!¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be long now. Soon, an army would appear and hit the enemy archers from behind. However!


    "Prince! The arrival time of the reinforcements has been exceeded!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Prince Ren looked up at the sky. It was just before the sun was about to set. If things went ording to Prince Ren¡¯s n, it was time for Hurent¡¯s group to arrive here and ughter the enemies. Then why?


    ¡®Why haven¡¯t they arrived yet?¡¯


    Hurent wasparable to Chucksley. Hurent and the 2,000 troops couldn¡¯t be held back by monsters or thieves. Prince Ren thought for a moment before his eyes widened.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    What if Grid had discovered the existence of the second group?


    ¡®He might¡¯ve prepared an ambush for them!¡¯


    Grid! A person who didn¡¯t receive formal education managed to see the flow of the battlefield?


    ¡®Does he have an innate talent for strategy?¡¯


    Grid noticed the existence of the second group and prepared an ambush for them! It was just amazing. Then another sad piece of news was passed onto the disgruntled Prince Ren.


    "Prince! I can¡¯t detect the Silver Dragons!¡±


    "W-What?¡±


    There was a magic power detector imnted in the bodies of the Silver Dragons. The purpose was to thoroughly supervise and manage them, as it was possible the brainwashing might be broken and betrayal would ur.


    Now they couldn¡¯t be detected? This meant the death of the Silver Dragons.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Prince Ren had 100% confidence in the abilities of the Silver Dragons. He didn¡¯t doubt that they were the strongest assassination group on the continent. Yet they failed to abduct one woman? He couldn¡¯t even imagine it.


    ¡®Unless the duchess is protected by someone as strong as Grid, it is unlikely that the Silver Dragons will fail... Heok!


    Perhaps the duchess had a protector that was as strong as Grid? The Overgeared members who assisted Grid during the Reinhardt golem invasion in the past. Prince Ren shook as he was reminded of their existence.


    ¡®Considering their abilities at the time, can the Silver Dragons go against them?¡¯


    Grid!


    ¡®What the hell are you...?¡¯


    Prince Ren was suffering from extreme confusion when Chucksley shouted at him.


    "It¡¯s difficult toe back from this situation! We should change our strategy now!¡±


    "W-Why? What should we do?¡±


    "It¡¯s meaningless to buy time!¡±


    Chucksley tightened his grip on the sword he was holding.


    "Put all our strength into killing Duke Grid!¡±


    It was a signal. The knight captain Chucksley and deputy captain Andu. Those two skilled people, 50 royal knights, and thousands of soldiers rushed towards Grid. It was an offensive that wasn¡¯t afraid of losing people.


    Dust covered the area where Grid was standing.


    ***


    ¡®It¡¯s dirty.¡¯


    The average level of the enemy was only 130. Setting aside Grid, most rankers would be able to ughter the royal soldiers alone. However, Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to hurt the royal soldiers. He had an obligation to concede the experience to the soldiers of Reidan.


    It was hard.He had to subdue them without killing! He had to regte his strength, causing his stamina to be quickly consumed.


    ¡®In the first ce, there are too many of them.¡¯


    5,000 enemies. When he faced them directly, there seemed to be no end to them. The soldiers of Reidan killed hundreds of enemies with their arrows, but nothing changed. When 10 soldiers were killed, countless others took their ce.


    The attacksing from all directions? He would¡¯ve been hit a few times if it wasn¡¯t for the God Hands.


    ¡®War is never easy.¡¯


    He wanted to evolve Reidan¡¯s strength so that he wouldn¡¯t suffer from this again. Grid breathed out roughly as dust covered him on all sides.


    ¡°Hit Duke Grid!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid frowned. Chucksley and the knights who had been by Prince Ren¡¯s side. They were simultaneously rushing towards him? The soldiers built a defensive formation around them and also ran.


    "This is a bit dangerous?"


    Grid was thinking when a whisper from Lauel was heard.


    -Pull out your power.


    The chunnibyou instructed Grid. Lauel sensed his reluctance and urged him.


    -You can¡¯t afford to let the soldiers attack any longer.Excessive greed will poison you.I¡¯ll let the soldiers know what they have to do, so go crazy.


    -Yes, I understand.


    There was no room to spare. Grid nodded and took a position that was suitable for unfolding his sword dance.


    ¡°Duke Grid!¡±


    Laden and the northern troops rushed to protect Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s too unreasonable! Leave it to me and avoid them!¡±


    ¡°...You.¡±


    Laden¡¯s expression was shrouded. At first nce, he was ready to die. Grid realized why Marquis Steim appreciated Laden so much.


    ¡®His loyalty is at the level of Jude.¡¯


    No, it was higher than Jude. Jude didn¡¯t care about his life because he had no thoughts, but Laden was prepared to sacrifice his life despite having a normal brain.


    ¡®It would be better if he had the skills to back it up.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know Laden¡¯s skill and misunderstood to the end. Meanwhile, Laden wielded his sword at Chucksley.


    "I won¡¯t let you pass!¡±


    ¡°Newbie! Open the path!¡±


    Laden and Chucksley¡¯s swords collided in the air.


    "Think about your body.¡±


    Grid grabbed Laden¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back. Thanks to this, Laden was safe from Chucksley¡¯s attack. However, Grid was the one in trouble instead. Chucksley let dozens of knights to strike at Grid.


    ¡°Duke Grid!!¡±


    Laden hurriedly eximed. It was impossible for Grid to deal with dozens of knights alone. Even the four golden hands were useless because they were busy dealing with the soldiers. The shouting Laden feared the worst for Grid. Grid couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    ¡°Cute guy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    He was smiling in this situation? Laden was worried that Grid had lost his mind. Then an amazing sight urred in front of him.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint.¡±


    It was a daunting sword dance. Grid¡¯s feet trampled on the desert sand and was reminiscent of a military style.


    Jeeeong!


    The air around Grid became heavy and oppressive.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    The knights and soldiers around Grid lost their momentum and retreated. There was only one person. Chucksley was able to ovee the oppression with his mind and body, and stabbed at Grid. But his sword didn¡¯t reach Grid.


    Pahat!


    Something rose from behind Grid. It looked exactly like Grid and rushed out to defend against Chucksley¡¯s sword. It was Doppelganger Randy, who copied Grid¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°A clone...!¡±


    Chucksley and the knights were agitated.


    It wasmon sense that clones were merely illusions. However, Grid¡¯s clone clearly felt real. It was like facing another Grid.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Why do you have these techniques when you¡¯re a cksmith?¡±


    The confused Chucksley shouted.


    ¡°The power of pets.¡±


    ¡°Power of pets?¡±


    What was that? Chucksley¡¯s mind becameplicated because Grid used hard to understand words. Meanwhile, his swordsmanship overwhelmed Doppelganger Randy, who only had 30% of Grid¡¯s abilities. But he couldn¡¯t y around forever.


    "Dragon¡¯s Stretching.¡±


    The qigong master¡¯s third advancement ss, ¡®Master of the Flow.¡¯ Its singlebat ability was rtively inferior, but it was a ss that existed for war because it could change the climate and terrain...


    In order to fulfill his role as Grid¡¯s aide, Lauel used a skill he obtained after bing Master of the Flow.


    Kurururu!


    The desert shook. The earthquake stirred up the area, causing the sand to pour down in all directions and swallow up the royal troops.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Darker than the starless night sky. Grid released his power in the center of the chaos and brought disaster to the royal army. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, Link, Kill, Transcend, etc. Grid poured out everything without holding back. He also had the support of Lauel, the northern troops and Reidan¡¯s troops, causing the war to end quickly.


    The northern army in the middle of the battlefield was forced to suffer great damage, but it was a great achievement for Reidan because they weren¡¯t damaged and they raised their levels. It was truly a one-sided victory.


    But Asmophel wasn¡¯t satisfied with this result.


    ¡°Please give me a chance to do something...¡±


    He wanted to be seen by His Lord. Then Grid cried out to the eagerly waiting Asmophel.


    ¡°Asmophel! Recover the loot with the soldiers!¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    It was this role again. Asmophel, who was once considered one of the two pirs of the Saharan Empire. The tears of a person that Piaro acknowledged soaked the battlefield.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344


    ¡®He is already tired.¡¯


    Grid yed a big role on the battlefield, but Lauel wasn¡¯t satisfied. Honestly, it was below expectations.


    ¡®I wanted him to show that he wasn¡¯tcking anything.¡¯


    The ability to read and respond to the enemy¡¯s movements, ability to utilize the terrain, the timing to use skills and take potions, the abilities of the items, etc. The current Grid wasn¡¯t bad overall, but it wasn¡¯t enough topare with the high rankers.


    This wasn¡¯t meant to disparage him. The most appropriate expression was not the best or the worst.


    ¡®It¡¯s more exciting to see Yura¡¯s skills. Grid is stillcking. First of all, he has poor control over his stamina and mana.¡¯


    Grid had to bear that in mind at all times. The power of legendary skills was excellent, but they consumed a lot of resources.


    ¡®Every time he is a crisis, he has a habit of relying on Wave and Restraint. It is a fatal weakness against those who can avoid non-targeted skills. I don¡¯t know why he uses Magic Missile so much.¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡®The God Hands have a mere artificial intelligence. There are attacks that the God Hands can¡¯t cope with right now... For example, what if they are attacked by a superior attack?¡¯


    Among the rankers, there were those who were called ¡®supreme.¡¯ As a simple example, Kraugel and Agnus had something inmon. A way to strike at them couldn¡¯t be found. Then what about Grid?


    There were still a lot of gaps. As far as Lauel could see, Yura would surpass Grid as soon as she reached level 300.


    ¡®For sure...¡¯


    Grid was steadily growing and would continue to do so. Lauel trusted him, but he still couldn¡¯t help feeling worried. It was because every human had a limit.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter if Grid reached the limits of his talent.


    ¡®He can ovee it with items.¡¯


    Grid had the skill to create legendary items. It was possible to createpletely new types of items, making the possibilities endless.


    ¡®I will help you make more creative items than typical items.¡¯


    Lauel thought while looking at the battlefield andmanding the soldiers. Unlike his attitude, his vision captured the movements of Prince Ren.


    ¡°He¡¯s finally leaving the battlefield.¡±


    The knights blocked Grid, while the northern troops and Reidan troops were busy dealing with the soldiers. No one noticed that the enemy, Prince Ren, was running away. Lauelughed.


    ¡®This will make him easier to capture.¡¯


    Lauel opened the list of Reidan¡¯s soldiers and arranged them in order of level. Then he named 13 soldiers.


    "Arm yourselves with this and follow me.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The soldiers that Lauel pointed out. They had all reached the level 160 required for the Mass Production Grid Set.


    ***


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible! This is ridiculous!¡¯


    Prince Ren had an excruciating headache. The moon shining down on the cold desert didn¡¯t cool the boiling heat in his head.


    ¡®Using power to ovee the difference in numbers and detecting all my strategies!¡¯


    Grid!


    He was far beyond what Prince Ren assumed. A person that shouldn¡¯t be turned into an enemy. Despite the loss of his royal dignity, he had to admit this. The Patrian horses running through the desert sand.


    Prince Ren held the reins tightly as pain, anger, regret, and despair dominated his mind. The defeat today might¡¯vepletely destroyed the foundation of the 1st Prince. He was feeling frustrating when a group appeared behind him.


    Lauel and the 13 soldiers.


    "Prince Ren! If you don¡¯t want to die, surrender right now! Stop if you want to live!¡±


    "Would you stop if you were me?¡±


    Prince Ren thought scoffed at Lauel¡¯s nonsensical words and spurred the horse on. Lauel sighed and beckoned to the soldiers.


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shoot a bow while riding on a horse? The Reidan soldiers were baffled. They were novices in riding horses, so shooting on horseback was a long time away. Lauel shouted as they hesitated.


    "Trust in the power of items!¡±


    ¡°Items...!¡±


    Common NPCs didn¡¯t know the concept of being overgeared, but the soldiers of Reidan were different. Their superiors had sat them down and told them about being overgeared and the power of items. They pulled out their bows while their horses ran.


    Lauel was the same. Then a notification window popped up in front of him.


    [You have let go of the horse¡¯s reins! Danger! The risk of falling from the horse will increase by 60%!]


    [The Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Gaiters have attached to the stirrups. The risk of falling has decreased significantly.]


    ¡®He made it properly!¡¯


    The skills of elite soldiers included horseback riding. But it took a considerable amount of time to train them to wield a sword or shoot arrows on a running horse. In particr, the desert terrain of Reidan made it harder for beginners to learn. Lauel was worried about this and made a request to Grid.


    Solve it with items. Grid¡¯s response to this was the Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Gaiters. It was made in a form where the gaiters could be attached to the stirrups. There was the disadvantage of being ufortable when getting off the horse, but...


    ¡®We will get used to it!¡¯


    Kirik!


    On a running horse! Lauel and 13 soldiers pulled back their bowstrings! Prince Ren was shocked by the sight.


    ¡®Soldiers have learned the skill of fighting on horseback?¡¯


    It was difficult for even knights to learn! A smile appeared on Lauel¡¯s face as he saw Prince Ren¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Reidan¡¯s soldiers, you are the loyal subordinates of Duke Grid! ce your anger in the sharp arrowheads! Pass on the arrows of regret and despair towards the head of the enemy who dared invade Reidan!¡±


    The 13 soldiers got goosebumps at Lauel¡¯s horrific shout. But they were the soldiers who endured Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s hell training, so they calmed their minds and fired the bow in an unwavering manner.


    Pahat!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    "Protect the prince!¡±


    As the heir, Prince Ren¡¯s importance was very high in the Eternal Kingdom. He was constantly guarded by members of the Silver Dragons. Daluka¡¯s Clothes were turned off, and the five Silver Dragons following the prince revealed themselves, breaking the 14 arrows with their daggers. The silver color in the darkness was very sharp.


    ¡®They are strong!¡¯


    Panic appeared on the soldiers¡¯ faces. Their skills weren¡¯t at the level to deal with high level assassins. But Lauel was still smiling.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    It was the best demonic beast in hell. Throughout this war, he had been asleep on Lauel¡¯s chest. Grid had ordered that he escort Lauel.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    A ck cat with small demon wings! His chubby body flew to the assassins and swung his sharp ws.


    ¡°Nya nya nya nya nyang!¡±


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    The Silver Dragons were strong. It wasn¡¯t easy for Noe, who was only in the early 200¡¯s, to easily overpower them. The daggers focused on blocking Noe¡¯s attacks. However, Noe had a secret technique.


    "Kyong!¡±


    Noe¡¯s mouth stretched wide open. The agility of the Silver Dragons was swallowed by Noe.


    "I¡¯m much betterpared to my previous life.¡±


    Qi was focused on Lauel¡¯s fingertips. Then the Dragon¡¯s ws sprang up from the ground and fatally injured the weakened Silver Dragons.


    "U-Unbelievable!"


    The Silver Dragons were easily subdued!


    ¡®What is that crazy cat?¡¯


    Prince Ren increased the speed of his horse. But Noe¡¯s movement speed far exceeded it after taking the agility of the Silver Dragons.


    Peok!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The cat¡¯s paws struck the back of Prince Ren¡¯s head and knocked him down. It was the shame of a lifetime.


    ***


    The Reidan army¡¯s military barracks. The 1st Prince Ren, who abandoned his army and retreated, and the soldiers who were captured.


    "You guys dare!? Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±


    Royalty. Ren, who was first in the line of session, recognized himself as a holy presence. Wasn¡¯t it too insulting to be caught by soldiers and dragged around like a dog? He would rather die than bear this shame. Grid read the anger and resentment filling those stubborn eyes and scoffed.


    "This totally crazy bastard.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    He might be a prisoner, but wasn¡¯t he still a prince of the Eternal Kingdom? He should be treated with a minimum of courtesy, not dragged around and forced to kneel like a dog!


    ¡°E-Ek? Duke Grid! You! How can you say such words?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy. Aren¡¯t you really crazy? First, you¡¯re the one who invaded my territory, but you want to me me? What is with this impertinent attitude?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Prince Ren coughed up blood. It felt like something was broken. Grid sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t know your mistake.¡±


    This was the temperament of the strong. They were ustomed to trampling on others and living their own way. They were unaware of their own faults.


    ¡®It was the same with Lee Junho and Choi Chansung.¡¯


    Grid had been bullied by them for a long time, so he was well aware of it.


    ¡°People like you don¡¯t change easily. It¡¯s the same for me.¡±


    Grid¡¯s current personality was mostly shaped by what he experienced.


    He had been submissive and trampled on for most of his life, giving him an obsession to pay back any grudges and a tendency for violence. His basic tendencies still hadn¡¯t changed, even with his life improving.


    "Lower your eyes.¡±


    Peeok!


    Grid didn¡¯t treat the other person in a special manner just because he was a prince. He forced Prince Ren to bow his head and made an immediate decision.


    "You are sentenced to death."


    There was amotion in the surroundings. There was a captivityw in the West Continent. It was amonw thatsted for hundreds of years that prisoners couldn¡¯t be harmed if they were nobility or royalty. The fact that Grid would vite thisw astonished Prince Ren and the royal army.


    Lauel sent Grid a whisper.


    -Hold on.If you kill Prince Ren, Reidan will be independent and have apletely hostile rtionship with the Eternal Kingdom.


    -Then let¡¯s be independent.Won¡¯t I be king anyway?


    -It¡¯s premature.If Reidan bes independent from Eternal right now, there¡¯s a possibility that Marquis Steim¡¯s northern territory will be taken while it is isted, and Reidan is likely to be the empire¡¯s prey.


    -Hmm.


    Grid¡¯s understanding was low. But he paid attention to what the other person said.


    -I don¡¯t know...Then what should I do?


    -Be magnanimous and spare him.Anyway, Prince Ren is responsible for this war and he haspletely lost his foundation.By sending him back alive, you can make him build up forces loyal to you, killing two birds with one stone.More forces will support you and Reidan can establish a greater presence in the Eternal Kingdom.


    -But I already dered that I wouldn¡¯t send the invaders back alive.


    -I¡¯m telling you to reverse the decision.You won¡¯t lose any dignity.No, many users will admire your wise choice.


    -That...Really?


    Reversing the decision. Grid didn¡¯t particrly like it.


    -You, you aren¡¯t nning to stab me in the backter right?


    -It will never happen, as long as you are ruling above me.


    -...I will work hard, even if you¡¯re scary.


    -Huhuhut!


    The smiling chuunibyou Lauel. The fact that he would nevermit betrayal, Grid knew this better than anyone else.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 345

    Chapter 345


    Grid epted Lauel¡¯s advice and nodded.


    -I¡¯m convinced.Then let¡¯s handle Prince Ren.


    Grid¡¯s ck eyes that were filled with anger slowly calmed down. He learned from watching Huroi and Lauel. He thought carefully before opening his mouth.


    "Prince Ren, let me ask you one thing. The fact that you invaded Reidan means that something happened to the king?¡±


    ¡®He is too clever.¡¯


    Grid saw through his tricks and neutralized them. Those ck eyes. They gave the illusion that they could see through everything. It was hard to believe that Grid didn¡¯te from noble birth.


    Prince Ren felt awe as he gulped and nodded.


    "Yes. The life of the king is running out and I had to strike at you in order to safely seed the throne."


    Prince Ren replied. His face once again distorted with rage and resentment.


    "You...! If you had just pledged allegiance to the royal family and not just the king on that day! I wouldn¡¯t have chosen such an extreme method!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a simple matter of transferring responsibility. Prince Ren exposed himself to Grid. The position that Prince Ren was in, it was all as Lauel intended. Lauel had a wicked smile on his face.


    ¡®Your extreme choice has weakened the royal family¡¯s power and raised Grid¡¯s position.¡¯


    ¡®That Lauel.¡¯


    Grid got goosebumps at Lauel¡¯s smiling face. Smart guys were too frightening.


    ¡°Hrmm... As you said, I swore allegiance to the king.¡±


    Grid read the wider political perspective. He suppressed his trivial rage towards Prince Ren.


    "I, Grid Reidan du Steim have decided. Prince Ren tried to shake my foundation by invading, but Prince Ren is also the king¡¯s sessor and the pir of the Eternal Kingdom. As your servant, I will forgive the prince¡¯s sins.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of Prince Ren and the royal army widened. Grid was treating the prince with disrespect, but that wasn¡¯t the problem right now. Forgive the sins. This meant no responsibility would be held. Such great mercy was unheard of.


    Prince Ren couldn¡¯t believe it and asked again, "Just before, you gave me the death penalty...! Why are you suddenly eliminating my sin? What absurd thing are you trying to do?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes became t.


    "Why are you having a conniption when I¡¯m giving you a break?¡±


    Grid eventually revealed his true nature due to Prince Ren¡¯s attitude. Lauel shook his head and nced at Bunny Bunny. This scene was meant to be edited. The quick-witted Bunny Bunny immediately nodded.


    Grid spoke again, ¡°I¡¯ll let it go. You¡¯re the sessor to the king who I swore allegiance to. In order to maintain my loyalty to the king and to suppress chaos in the Eternal Kingdom, I will let it go, you jerk.¡±


    "Why...? Why would you make such a decision...?¡±


    Prince Ren was thrilled after realizing that Grid¡¯s heart was as wide as the sea. He felt guilty.


    ¡®Whatever the reason, I tried to destroy Duke Grid.¡¯


    The fact that he was forgiven...


    Prince Ren was deeply moved as he spoke.


    "I, 1st Prince Ren of the Eternal Kingdom, make this pledge. Duke Grid, sacrificing yourself to forgive this sinner for the sake of the kingdom... I will never forget this and spend the rest of my life paying it back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stab me in the back.¡±


    Grid grumbled and rose from his seat. Then the 1,000 Reidan troops and 500 surviving northern troops stood on his left and right. It was truly spectacr. He was certainly one of the top users among the two billion users.


    ¡®Everyone starts the game on equal terms.¡¯


    However, while some people were still wrestling with orcs, Grid became the duke of a kingdom and reigned over thousands of soldiers. He was truly a great person. Bunny Bunny¡¯s gaze was filled with envy as he looked at Grid...


    ¡®Now I see that he is a good person.¡¯


    After using ckening, Grid¡¯s eyes becamepletely ck and he turned pale. The distinct tones gave him the illusion of being handsome. He appeared very well on the screen. Still, it was noparison to the ¡®white-haired Grid version,¡¯ which once made women around the world feel thrilled.


    ¡°Then I will leave now.¡±


    Bunny Bunny captured Grid¡¯s image. He had no regrets. The army withdrew from the barracks and returned to Reidan. Thest thing he saw before leaving was Chucksley, who was mixed in among the royal army survivors.


    Chucksley vowed.


    ¡®A hero of the kingdom who has a wide range of skills.¡¯


    He was deeply grateful that his prince was forgiven.


    ¡®I swear that the Lokan family will honor you and your family forever.¡¯


    It originally should be like this. Grid was the kingdom¡¯s hero. However, Prince Ren and Chucksley forgot this fact while they were busy being defensive, so they truly felt guilty.


    ***


    ¡°I am thankful that my life is spared, but... It¡¯s bittersweet. Now I¡¯mpletely out of the line of session.¡±


    There weren¡¯t even 1,000 royal troops left. Out of 7,000 troops, he lost more than 6,000. In addition, he lost 24 Silver Dragons, 39 knights, Ferrell, and Andu. Due to this war, the forces supporting the royal family were hit hard, so he couldn¡¯t avoid taking responsibility. He would be pushed down the line of session and probably disciplined.


    "The blood of the royal family is more precious than any other gem. Your Highness was able to keep your life, so that¡¯s enough. In addition, it¡¯s a big achievement that you confirmed Duke Grid¡¯s loyalty to the royal family.


    Chucksley reassured him as much as possible. Prince Ren was grateful that he always served the royal family with a great heart.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. I have to stay by Father¡¯s side when it is the end.¡±


    King Wiesbaden had less than a week left to live. Prince Ren¡¯s sin would be heavier if he wasn¡¯t by his father¡¯s side. Prince Ren and Chucksley hastened their pace with an impatient mind, when two men appeared in front of them.


    One was Eternal¡¯s 2nd Prince, An, while the other one was covered in robes and unidentified.


    ¡°An? Why are you here?¡±


    Prince Ren was confused by his brother¡¯s unexpected appearance.


    "I was sure that Brother would be defeated. Did you really think you could defeat the legendary Duke Grid with just an army of 7,000? A legend isn¡¯t someone who can be hurt by a soldier. The royal family doesn¡¯t yet have the power to oppose Duke Grid.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I was overwhelmed by my anxiety, dealing a big blow to the royal family.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. Rather, I¡¯m thankful to Brother. Why do you think I didn¡¯t stop you, despite foreseeing your defeat?¡±


    An was originally a reticent prince. He didn¡¯t open his mouth easily and even when he spoke, he thought about it at least 10 times. Ren might be his brother, but he¡¯d rarely heard An¡¯s voice in thest 30 years.


    But now.


    An was speaking without hesitation, with a provocative expression. The contents were also disturbing. Prince Ren¡¯s expression distorted.


    "An, don¡¯t tell me that you...¡±


    A wide smile spread on An¡¯s face.


    "Did you notice? I wanted Brother to self-destruct. In that sense, the current result is a little unfortunate. It would¡¯ve been ideal if you lost your life to Duke Grid.¡±


    ¡°Prince An! That¡¯s too much!¡±


    Chucksley was someone who had sworn allegiance to the royal family itself, not to Prince Ren. He prayed for the well-being of the royal family. He didn¡¯t want disagreements between the princes. An reached out Chucksley, who was trying to calm down the mood.


    "Sir Chucksley,e. I will take the life of my big brother here, and I hope that you won¡¯t be swept away by it.¡±


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    Chucksley doubted his ears. He couldn¡¯t move easily as An spoke to the robed man with him.


    ¡°Please spare Sir Chucksley, if possible. He¡¯s the treasure of our kingdom.¡±


    The silent robed man nodded.


    "I understand.¡±


    p.


    The unidentified man threw his robe into the sky, making Prince Ren look away for a moment.


    Teong!


    The man who took off his robe suddenly approached Prince Ren.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Chucksley hurriedly moved. He did his best to block the sword that was about to stab Prince Ren. However, the man¡¯s swordsmanship was at a level that Chucksley couldn¡¯t go against. It avoided Chucksley¡¯s sword and moved across Prince Ren¡¯s body in a diagonal line.


    ¡°Ke...heok!¡±


    Prince Ren coughed up blood as the sword went through his armor. The hot blood quickly soaked the cold desert sand.


    "Prince!!¡±


    He had to live! Chucksley was filled with that conviction and rushed to Prince Ren. Somehow, they had to leave this ce and do first aid. However, the unidentified man An brought blocked Chucksley¡¯s way.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    He was a great swordsman. One of the strongest swordsman on the continent. Now there was a swordsman who surpassed him? The unidentified man replied to the confused Chucksley.


    ¡°I am called the 9th knight.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Chucksley btedly examined the man. The man was wearing red armor that symbolized the Red Knights.


    ¡°A single number knight!¡±


    The strongest knights of the Saharan Empire who dominated the continent for hundreds of years. It was said that their reputation was known even on the East Continent.


    But!


    ¡®I am a great swordsman!¡¯


    If a singly number knight was the strongest knight in the empire, he was the strongest swordsman on the continent. It was normal for him to be upset.


    ¡®Then why?¡¯


    The 9th knight shrugged at the confused Chucksley.


    ¡°A mere 100 years ago, Great Swordsman wasn¡¯t the title for the strongest swordsman. A sword saint was the best."


    ¡°But in thest 100 years, nobody with the qualifications to be a sword saint has emerged. A great swordsman appears once every 20 years.¡±


    ¡°You might¡¯ve perceived yourself to be the strongest, but there are many talented people born with the qualities of a sword saint. If you look at it, a great swordsman ismon.¡±


    ¡°You are also a great swordsman!¡±


    "Indeed. But I am much closer to bing a sword saint than you.¡±


    Puok!


    A strange sword with a Y-shaped end. It bounced off Chucksley¡¯s sword and pierced Prince Ren¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    The body of Prince Ren in his arms was rapidly cooling down. Chucksley despaired as he sensed this, while Prince An took care of the soldiers with the 9th knight.


    ***


    Originally, 20 members of the Silver Dragons came to kidnap Irene.


    They were held captive by a potato enthusiast who might be a swordsman, magician, or farmer, and thought they would be killed. However, the potato enthusiast unexpectedly gave them mercy. Rather than taking their lives, he removed the magic power detectors controlling their bodies and minds?


    "There must be a reason you guys wanted to do something so bad. Anyway, now you¡¯re free. I don¡¯t want to defile my body and soul by killing you.¡±


    They were orphans and then forced to be assassins. Now he gave freedom to those who had always lived in hell? The Silver Dragons were impressed. They were grateful to the potato enthusiast whose name they didn¡¯t know. The problem was that they now had no ce to go.


    ¡°We want to follow you with a sincere heart.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was annoying for the potato enthusiast, nd. He didn¡¯t need the help of these weak assassins. But they would be helpful to someone else.


    "You are just a nuisance to me. However, if you want to do something, protect Duchess Irene.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Silver Dragons moved immediately. At this time, Irene was in Lord¡¯s room. It was the realm of Kasim, king of shadows.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    "Heok!"


    There was someone whose presence they couldn¡¯t detect? Kasim examined the Silver Dragons who appeared.


    "Hoh, that is Daluka¡¯s breathing method? You guys are learning something pretty interesting.¡±


    Lord Steim, who would be the continent¡¯s future.


    It was the day when the foundation of the strongest assassin group, ¡®Overgeared Shadows¡¯ was set.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 346

    Chapter 346


    When they returned to Reidan.


    The level difference between Reidan and the northern army was evident during the marching process. Reidan¡¯s soldiers weren¡¯t breathless at all, while the tired northern army was on the brink of copse.


    The northern troops had made great sacrifices in the war, so were they exhausted because of mental weakness?


    No.


    It was the difference in basic stats. The northern army was regarded as one of the best in the Eternal Kingdom, but it wasn¡¯tparable to Reidan¡¯s army, who had endured the hell training by Piaro and Asmophel.


    Reidan¡¯s soldiers not only had a high level, their strength and stamina also far exceeded the average. Moreover, their ability to adapt to the terrain was so high that it was difficult to see them as soldiers.


    ¡®I would like to get a copy of the soldier training method of Reidan.¡¯


    While Laden was feeling impressed with Reidan¡¯s army, Grid spoke to Asmophel in the lead.


    ¡°Asmophel, you had a hard time training the army. Thanks to your hard work, I was able to win easier in the this war.¡±


    "You¡¯re overpraising me, My Lord. In addition, the military training wasn¡¯t done solely by me.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t too much praise. The difference between the royal army and Reidan¡¯s army is as big as the sky and the earth. This was my chance to get to know your abilities. And Piaro? Doesn¡¯t he usually spend his days in the field? You are a hundred times better than him.¡±


    ¡°My Lord...!¡±


    After serving Grid, Asmophel had been in the shadows without performing well. He was afraid that he would never be seen by Grid, but this was groundless. Grid recognized his efforts and acknowledged his abilities.


    Asmophel was thrilled and eximed, ¡°I will work hard to achieve your goals in the future!¡±


    ¡°Yes, good. Continue to focus on training the army.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s official position was head of the Overgeared Knights Division 2. In fact, this didn¡¯t mean training the soldiers. The leaders of the knights division were supposed to performance high level missions. In particr, Asmophel yed a pivotal role in the Saharan Empire, the strongest nation on the continent.


    ¡®He wants me to continue the military training in the future?¡¯


    The problem was that Asmophel wasn¡¯t active.


    ¡®My Lord is still not aware of my skills.¡¯


    His position was being downgraded to a mere trainer? Grid asked the anxious and frustrated Asmophel, ¡°By the way, how much loot did you get?¡±


    "...The royal army dropped 933 des, 712 spears, 250 bows, 195 shields and 141 armor pieces.¡±


    ¡°Is that the end?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That... They are all the items dropped by the royal soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t there 4,000 casualties? So shouldn¡¯t there be at least 4,000 items dropped?¡±


    "...¡±


    Just like monsters and users, NPCs didn¡¯t always drop items when they died. It was natural for there to be many cases of empty hands. Grid was well aware of this, but he still thought it was too low. Asmophel stayed silent and Grid asked Lauel.


    "Lauel, how much money did we win? You said we could sit on a pile of money if we took the spoils? But what is this? Were my expectations too high?¡±


    ¡°There is a total of 2,090 normal rated level 130 equipment. 141 normal rated armor. If I calcte it at the minimum price, it is a profit of 25,000 gold... Sooner orter, you will be a building owner. Are you really going to dismiss this much money?"


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    25,000 gold was around 30 million won. The profit earned from half a day of fighting was enormous.


    ¡°How can it be so much money?¡±


    ¡°Level 130 normal rated weapons are at least 10 gold, while armor is 30 gold. You can¡¯t ignore quantity. If you melt all of it and use it as material to make items, you will be able to earn a bigger profit.¡±


    "...War is a good thing.¡±


    "Indeed. If you take advantage of war, not only can you gain loot, you can also establish a logistics business. It will be very beneficial to the economy. This is why the empire has been constantly fighting for hundreds of years.¡±


    ¡°Then should we fight every day from now on?¡±


    ¡°Is it that easy? Well, it is undeniable that Reidan is a territory optimized to serve as a base for war. There is a desert everywhere and monsters pop up inrge quantities. We can also producerge amounts of food thanks to Piaro. It will be useful when it¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Piaro...¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted as he heard that name. The person who had the role ofmander didn¡¯t participate in this war. It was scandalous the more he thought about it.


    ¡°Why did he go to Altes Mountain just before there was a war? He used the excuse of just training one soldier. His timing is really great.¡±


    Piaro had actually smashed the separate group led by Hurent that attacked in the rear. He even obtained 850 new farmers... No, he had secured prisoners. Piaro could be said to have the best achievement in this war, but Grid didn¡¯t know this.


    ***


    ¡°Your Highness...! Your Highness!¡±


    The cold desert night. A person of a noble lineage died without leaving a will behind.


    Chucksley hugged Prince Ren¡¯s corpse and tears flowed down. An¡¯s expression was benevolent as he looked at Chucksley.


    "Sir Chucksley, I am reassured of your loyalty to the royal family. Now, take my hand. Serve me until the day I die.¡±


    "...¡±


    Chucksley didn¡¯t have any particr special feelings for Prince Ren. He equally revered all of the royal family. But at this moment, he felt hostile towards An. His cruelty where he didn¡¯t blink when he murdered his brother was rejected by Chucksley.


    ¡®He is scary!¡¯


    In addition, the value of Chucksley¡¯s existence was decreased. He felt helpless that he couldn¡¯t protect Prince Ren. Chucksley swallowed his fear, anger, and despair as he bowed to An.


    ¡°...I will follow.¡±


    This was his duty. No matter what An was, Chucksley had to follow him since he served the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s royal family.


    But.


    ¡®A person blinded by the throne and borrowing the power of a foreign nation to kill his brother, I can¡¯t really be loyal to you.¡¯


    He would just perform his duty. Chucksley¡¯s hot loyalty for the royal family cooled. However, Prince An wasn¡¯t aware of his internal thoughts and was happy.


    "Today is a happy day.¡±


    Prince An, who was destined not to be king just because he was born two yearster than Prince Ren. He had always cursed his fate. As a prince who couldn¡¯t be king, he hated his rotten life. Now his fate changed thanks to Prince Ren¡¯s stupidity.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back. I will take care of my brother who was killed by Duke Grid.¡±


    February 10th, Year 406 of the Eternal Kingdom.


    1st Prince Ren started his invasion of Reidan with only an army of 7,000 people.


    February 17th, Year 406 of the Eternal Kingdom.


    13th King Wiesbaden died and 2nd Prince An became king.


    February 21st, Year 406 of the Eternal Kingdom.


    14th King An dered at a meeting.


    ¡°Duke Grid might¡¯ve killed the prince, but he isn¡¯t guilty. Prince Ren forgot about Duke Grid¡¯s merits and invaded without any justification. He was clearly wrong and Duke Grid only defended himself."


    After that. Grid was able to maintain his position and lead a life that wasn¡¯t any different from before, despite being charged with killing Prince Ren. His position as one of the great lords of the Eternal Kingdom was still solid.


    But this wasn¡¯t what Lauel desired.


    ¡®In my original n, Grid¡¯s position should already be beyond the royal family¡¯s.¡¯


    He intended to take advantage of Prince Ren. However, all his ns were useless after someone killed Prince Ren. The culprit who killed Prince Ren? Lauel was convinced that it was King An. But this wasn¡¯t a problem that he could bring to the surface. There was no exact proof and no justification for it. King An was showing favor towards Grid.


    ¡®Clever.¡¯


    By acting like this, he restrained Grid from growing, while umting friendship with Grid. On the other hand, the king teamed up with the empire and could expand his economic and military power.


    ¡®There was an attitude of explicit cooperation with the empire immediately after An was crowned King. This proves that the imperial royal family is behind An. An will be able toy his foundation thanks to the empire, while the empire can perfectly control the Eternal Kingdom. It¡¯s a good thing for both of them.¡¯


    An, he was a troublesome opponent. Rather than frowning, Lauelughed at the thought.


    ¡°Kukukuk...! King An, this was good. You¡¯re the first opponent to stimte my passion. The folds of my brain are twitching with excitement.¡±


    Lauel held up a big hand and covered half of his small face. He leaned back on the window and lifted the transparent ss.


    "I can¡¯t wait. The master of the ss filled with bitter tears will be me.¡±


    So...


    Grid was rejoicing while Lauel was immersed in this atmosphere.


    "King An sent another gift? Hey, he¡¯s a nice guy. Hahaha! He is much better than the former king!¡±


    After the war.


    He acquired a lot of loot and King An sent gold treasures, so Reidan became abundant. This would be the foundation on which all 1,000 of Reidan¡¯s soldiers could arm themselves with the Mass Production Grid Set. The soldiers of Reidan were being reborn as true elites.


    ***


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid was busy making the Mass Production Grid sets with the four God Hands. He went out for a walk and to spend time with Lord, only for his eyes to widen. The cause was therge number of farmers working in the fields. It seemed to have grown by 1,000 people.


    "Where did all these peoplee from?¡¯


    Reidan was suffering from a poption problem, so how were there so many farmers? Piaro came over to the grumbling Grid and exined.


    "I picked them up by chance in the Altes Mountains.¡±


    "...¡±


    Picked up people in the mountains? It was also more than 800 people? It was a ridiculous exnation. However, Grid believed it because he had a history of bringing the Ul n here.


    "There must be an ethnic minority living in the Altes Mountains. Very good. It is no wonder why I didn¡¯t see you during the war.¡±


    It was the moment when soldiers of the Eternal Kingdom were treated as a minority.


    Royman had a question. She confirmed that Grid was busy with Lord in his arms and asked Piaro.


    "Piaro, why didn¡¯t you tell the duke the truth? They aren¡¯t a minority, but people from the Eternal Kingdom like us.¡±


    "I don¡¯t want the workforce I obtained to be taken away into the army. This isn¡¯t an act to deceive My Lord. Farming is a national power, so in the end, I made a choice for My Lord. I will also train them to do some military exercises.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Royman witnessed Piaro¡¯s overwhelming skills and sincerely admired Piaro. Everything that Piaro said sounded right. Anyway, 850 farmers were added to Reidan. They worked in the fields in the morning and received military training at night. Mixed among them was Aura Master Hurent.


    ¡®What am I doing now?¡¯


    It was very confusing and embarrassing, but he couldn¡¯t help desiring the results of the ¡®¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï Fun and Exciting Training.¡¯ Reidan was bing stronger day by day.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 347

    Chapter 347


    The typical profit structure of BJs was through lunar balloons (goods received from viewers).


    In fact, the main source of ie for BJs was advertising.


    Brands advertised themselves through the BJ¡¯s clothes or essories. There were also banner ads inserted on the screen and video ads that increased sequentially ording to the number of video ybacks.


    A BJ¡¯s advertising revenue increased dramatically depending on the number of viewers and video ys, so the popr BJs made millions of won as monthly revenue.


    The pinnacle of this was Bunny Bunny. After his splendid recovery through the ¡®Seven Guilds invasion of Reidan,¡¯ the average number of viewers was 150,000. The viewers were from all over the world. Once the broadcast started, there were a flurry of lunar balloons. The advertisingpanies also guaranteed him the best treatment.


    "The new broadcast will raise my value even more.¡±


    Tadak.Tadak.Tadak.


    Bunny Bunny sat in front of aputer for three days. He had his meals in front of aputer and reduced his sleep. He concentrated on editing the video while wearing thick sses.


    ¡°Okay, very nice.¡±


    Bunny Bunny was very pleased with the 10 hour video that was gradually beingpleted.


    Prince Ren marching off resolutely. A young knight struggling against the great swordsman, Chucksley. Grid appearing in a dramatic moment to overpower Prince Ren¡¯s army. The Reidan soldiers, who turned the royal army into masses of experience. In the end, Prince Ren fell to his knees before Grid. Grid showed mercy to Prince Ren and reigned over thousands of soldiers.


    As a bonus, the farmer who crushed Hurent...


    The war footage of the Reidan army and royal army was a blockbuster. There were plenty of spectacr and stimting sights to make the viewers enthralled. Thanks to Bunny Bunny¡¯s great filming and editing techniques, there was nothing boring.


    ¡®In particr, the finale is the highlight.¡¯


    Grid looked down at the kneeling Prince Ren with a haughty attitude. The viewers would realize something when watching Grid say ¡®I will forgive your sins.¡¯ They would know that Grid was a clever person who looked to the future.


    ¡®The ones who mock Grid for only using items will be shut down.¡¯


    Bunny Bunny liked Grid¡¯s character very much. He showed a great dignity as a lord, while showing abrupt speeches and absolute force. He always appeared in dramatic moment and was suitable to be a protagonist.


    ¡®His appearance is also bing better.¡¯


    His skeleton had been further refined by exercise. In particr, his sharp jawline was now visible. It was a subtle difference when actually looking at him, but it was different in the video. This was because elements on the screen could be changed significantly by minor factors.


    ¡®I want to get closer to Grid in the future in order to obtain more opportunities to film.¡¯


    Ttiring~


    Bunny Bunny was putting the final touches on the editing when an email arrived. It was from Lauel. Bunny Bunny narrowed his eyes as he checked the contents of the email.


    ¡°He is as thorough as rumored.¡±


    Lauel had two requirements. First, pay 40% of all Grid-rted proceeds to Overgeared. Secondly, delete the scene where Grid allowed Prince Ren to live.


    ¡®The profit distribution is more than twice the average...¡¯


    Still, it was something he could afford. It was worth spending this much. But why did he want to delete thest scene that would imprint Grid¡¯s charisma onto the public?


    Why? Bunny Bunny worried about it for a long time before figuring out Lauel¡¯s intentions.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t Grid framed for killing Prince Ren?¡¯


    In such a situation, what if it spread that Grid released Prince Ren?


    ¡®...Some people might think that Grid stabbed Prince Ren in the back.¡¯


    It would be misunderstood that Grid let Prince Ren leave alive, only to chase and assassinate him.


    ¡®It is a situation where the person who killed Prince Ren can¡¯t be specifically pointed out. Well, the misunderstanding might be resolved if Grid tries to exin it.¡¯


    However, it was a sensitive issue, so the public might be indifferent to the rification.


    ¡®Yes, there is no need to scratch at the surface.¡¯


    Bunny Bunny was convinced and started editing the video again.


    Then two dayster.


    The nine hour video of the war between Grid and Prince Ren was broadcasted by Bunny Bunny. The reaction was explosive. It exceeded even Bunny Bunny¡¯s expectations.


    -Wow...That knight called Laden has excellent skills.Not giving into the enemy until the end for his lord...


    -A Named NPC?Ordinary yers like us can never meet them...?


    -Chucksley is the real thing.He¡¯s a great swordsman.


    -Ohh!Grid!


    -Crazy; Look at Grid;;;


    -Wow...I never thought he could match Chucksley...He¡¯s even giving Reidan¡¯s soldiers experience while dealing with Chucksley ??


    -I can¡¯t look away.


    -I felt it since he hit the Red Knight, but Grid has really improved his control skills.


    -I agree.There is noparison to the National Competition or the golem invasion.


    -What are those golden hands? ;;


    -What Grid ??? Does he want to be a thousand-armed person in the future? ?????


    -Grid oppa has used ckening.


    -I prefer the white version.


    In the past, there were many people who expressed dissatisfaction towards Grid. Some even showed hostility. They couldn¡¯t acknowledged Grid, who showed poor skills and only relied on items. But now it was different.


    People felt attracted to Grid. Over time, the users saw Grid growing and ¡®wanted to be like Grid someday.¡¯


    -Eh?


    The enthusiastic audience watching Bunny Bunny¡¯s broadcast became quiet. It was due to Hurent, who won Prince Ren¡¯s trust and led 2,000 troops. He repeatedly said that he would repay his grudge while moving through the Altes Mountains.


    -Farmers?


    That¡¯s right. Farmers blocked their way. The viewers were disappointed.


    -What is wrong with those farmers? ??


    -Blocking the front of an army...Do they want tomit suicide?


    -How poor...Pitiful.


    That was themon belief. All the viewers were worried about the lives of the farmers. But what was the real scene? 2,000 soldiers were defeated by a farmer who used a legendary wide area skill. They should be worried about Hurent.


    Puk.


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    Puk.


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    Puk.


    ¡°Heeeok...!¡±


    "...¡±


    At present, the number of viewers for Bunny Bunny¡¯s broadcast had reached 300,000. The first user to be a duke, Grid, and the prince of a kingdom were fighting. It was a hot topic that caused the audience interest to explode.


    As hundreds of thousands of viewers watched, Hurent was defeated by a farmer. He was hit in the forehead three times by a hand plow and became a rag. It was a shocking event that would cause a wave beyond the legendary ¡®5 second logout¡¯ incident.


    The world was in an uproar for a while. News rted to Grid was yed unceasingly in South Korea as well as the world.


    <Duke Grid has the strongest soldiers!!>


    <The crazy farmer of Reidan wasn¡¯t a rumor. He actually exists.>


    <Even the farmers of Reidan are strong... What is Reidan¡¯s strength?>


    ¡°This war hasn¡¯t revealed Duke Grid¡¯s real power. Jishuka, Regas, Pon and the other Overgeared members didn¡¯t participate.¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s actual power must be several times stronger than what was shown here.¡±


    Various media and public opinion was concentrated not just on Grid, but Grid¡¯s forces. Numerous experts rated Grid¡¯s power as two or three times what was shown. But they didn¡¯t know. Two times? Three times? How funny. After merging with the Silver Knights Guild and obtaining Yura, Grid was 10 times stronger than what he showed in the war.


    Even now.


    Grid¡¯s strength was increasing by leaps and bounds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s build a temple for Goddess Reba in Reidan."


    14th Pope Damian. The first user to acquire the status of pope was trying to start his first foreign activity after stabilizing the church.


    ***


    The spacious fields of Reidan.


    Hurent hadn¡¯t been able to stretch his back for hours already. There was no time to breathe, thanks to Piaro¡¯s thorough supervision.


    "Don¡¯t bend your knees when bowing your back.¡±


    Furthermore, Piaro had too many unnecessary requirements. Hurent was exhausted and he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bend my knees when bowing my waist? Isn¡¯t that too hard? It¡¯splete torture!¡±


    ¡°Hard work is the way you train your body. If it¡¯s easier, your body won¡¯t be trained and you might be hurt in the long run.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Hurent was confused. Wasn¡¯t he a prisoner? But he was being trained rather than treated as simplebor. In fact, the rewards for the ¡®¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Fun and Exciting Training!¡¯ was of immense value.


    ¡°Why are you being so good to me? Do you n to make me Grid¡¯s subordinate? It won¡¯t work. I will never be Grid¡¯s subordinate. My goal is to make Grid kneel within four seconds.


    Piaro exined to Hurent.


    ¡°In one week, I will be heading into Altes Mountain to do a mass-scalend clearing. My goal is to train you as much as possible by then to make you the bestbor force."


    ¡°...Dammit. I knew it. You wouldn¡¯t do this for no reason.¡±


    Hurent grumbled but followed Piaro¡¯s instructions. He couldn¡¯t help it when looking at the quest reward. The moment he was immersed in the rice nting.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Brother.¡±


    A man with his face and name deeply covered by a straw hat arrived. He walked across the fields in a leisurely manner and gave a friendly greeting to Piaro.


    ¡°You have grown!¡±


    Piaro was a crazy farmer who attacked people for no reason.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who he is, but I feel sorry for him.¡¯


    Hurent shook his head. The man with the straw hat. The foolish man who greeted Piaro was attacked. Piaro¡¯s hand plow attacks were quick and irregr. Even an aura master couldn¡¯t match it. Hurent predicted that the man in the straw hat would have his forehead struck by a hand plow.


    However, the result was different from what he expected.


    Chaaeng!


    A beautifully shining white sword easily blocked Piaro¡¯s hand plow.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    That crazy farmer¡¯s hand plow could be blocked? Hurent was astonished while Piaro cried out.


    "You have far exceeded my past self...!¡±


    There were only two people who had ever made Piaro feel thrilled. Pagma¡¯s Descendant Grid and White Swordsman Kraugel. That¡¯s right. The identity of the man in the straw hat was the 1st ranked user, Kraugel.


    "I¡¯m stuck at thest wall blocking my ultimate goal. I¡¯m asking for a spar with you in order to break that wall.¡±


    The peak of two billion users and...


    A unique existence who gobbled up all types of titles. He was trying to get ahead of everyone else.


    And on this day.


    It was the historic first meeting between Grid and Kraugel. It was a turning point for both men.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 348

    Chapter 348


    "I¡¯m stuck at thest wall blocking my ultimate goal. I¡¯m asking for a spar with you in order to break that wall.¡±


    "Hoh, the ultimate goal you are aiming at. The goal must be...¡±


    They were meaningful words.


    Piaro asked carefully, ¡°Is it bing a sword saint?¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Sword Saint. It meant a saint of the sword. A person who reached the extremes of swordsmanship and received enlightenment was always the strongest in history. Muller, who managed to suppress and seal the bodies of the great demons like Hell Gao, Drasion, Morax, Astaroth, and Purpu.


    After Muller, no sword saint had been born in thest 100 years. Now Kraugel was close to reaching a level that even Piaro couldn¡¯t achieve.


    ¡®He has enough talent.¡¯


    Piaro had been very amazed when he first met Kraugel. It was because Kraugel¡¯s talent was higher than the person who was praised as the strongest swordsman on the continent. Yes, Piaro had seen through him from the beginning. If there was a person who would surpass him one day, it would surely be Kraugel.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    He felt strangely irritated after seeing Kraugel¡¯s growth.


    ¡®I never even saw the threshold...¡¯


    Duguen.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    His heart beat wildly. The fighting spirit that had been lost since bing a farmer was currently wriggling. This uncontroble fighting spirit made his blood be hot likeva.


    "Are you qualified?¡±


    Was he qualified to achieve something that even Piaro, a legend, couldn¡¯t do? Kraugel read Piaro¡¯s feelings from his provocative question and made a serious expression.


    "Please check it for yourself.¡±


    Just as Piaro was always the strongest, Kraugel was the same. He was always aware of his position as the peak of two billion users. He didn¡¯t consider himself inferior to others, and was filled with passion and pride. For him, Piaro was a good friend as well as a mountain that must be surpassed.


    "I will apply for a spar. Do you ept?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Piaro nodded. This would allow Kraugel to achieve the quest prerequisites.


    [Sword Saint]


    Difficulty: SSS


    Win against a legend.


    It was a simple and clear quest, assuming that he could meet a legend. But the degree of difficulty was high enough to be described as absurd. A person who wasn¡¯t a legend had to win over a legend? This was indeed...


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Rather than grumbling or being disgusted like a regr person, he felt delighted. New challenges were necessary to increase his passion. On the other hand, Hurent doubted his ears.


    ¡®Sword saint? A sword saint! It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    There were only one other person who was a candidate for a sword saint. Hurent stared at the man in the straw hat. He wanted to look at the skill of a sword saint candidate. He left the field and followed after Piaro and the man.


    ***


    ¡°Stab.¡±


    "Hiyap!¡±


    ¡°Cut.¡±


    "Haap!¡±


    ¡°Chop.¡±


    "Huriyat~!¡±


    The war 10 days ago had awakened Reidan¡¯s soldiers. Reidan¡¯s soldiers no longer wasted timeining during the practical training. They needed strength to protect their family, home, lover, and friends!


    They couldn¡¯t bezy because they felt the importance of it through the war. Now, even if Asmophel didn¡¯t force them, the soldiers enthusiastically immersed themselves in training and wanted to increase its intensity.


    Their grudge against Grid melted away. They felt greater loyalty than before.


    He trained them in anticipation of the enemy¡¯s invasion, showed them a great dance on the battlefield and gave them the most powerful ¡®Mass Produced Grid Set,¡¯ so the soldiers felt respect and thanks.


    ¡°How about it, young lord? These brave young men are soldiers of Duke Grid. Aren¡¯t they really reliable?¡±


    Asmophel asked with a confident expression. Lord sighed as he watched the soldiers¡¯ training from within Ruby¡¯s arms.


    "Abu... Bububu.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Asmophel was stunned. Lord¡¯s attitude and disgruntled expression seemed like he was saying, ¡®The level of the soldiers is poor.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The young lord could understand his words and answered them? Furthermore, he could see the strength of the trained soldiers? No, how could a baby sigh in the first ce?


    ¡®...Was I dreaming for a moment?¡¯


    Asmophel wasn¡¯t convinced and felt confused in many ways. Ruby smiled at him.


    "It hasn¡¯t even been a month since my nephew was born. How can he understand your words? Don¡¯t pay attention to the baby¡¯s reactions.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Yes, he was interpreting it in the wrong way. Asmophel nodded at Ruby¡¯s words, while Lord pointed elsewhere with his fingers. It was the direction of the magic tower.


    "Oh my, does this mean you want to see where the magicians are?¡±


    Ruby asked and Lord nodded. Asmophel saw him and was terrified.


    ¡®You really are aware of our words!¡¯


    He heard that Lord was a genius, but he thought it was exaggerated. Now it turned out that the rumor actually downyed it.


    ¡¯Being able tomunicate with adults less than a month after being born... There is no doubt that he will be an outstanding schr or magician in the future.¡¯


    It was understandable that he should think so. Lord didn¡¯t respond to the strong soldiers of Reidan because he didn¡¯t have the knowledge.


    ¡®He was born with intelligence, not the eyes to see martial arts.¡¯


    The moment Asmophel thought this.


    "I want to use this ce, so can you ask the soldiers to leave?¡±


    Piaro, a long-time friend andmander of Reidan, visited and asked for help. He was supposed to be doing field work at this time, so Asmophel questioned him.


    "What will you be doing?"


    Piaro pointed to the man in the straw hat who came with him.


    "I am going to spar with this friend.¡±


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Asmophel detected Kraugel¡¯s strength with one nce and expressed interest.


    ¡®He¡¯s difficult to measure.¡¯


    It was the first time he had seen this since Piaro. Asmophel checked the schedule and ordered the soldiers.


    "Go around the desert once.¡±


    The desert around Reidan was vast, but Asmophel spoke it easily. Frankly, it was a tall order. Yet the soldiers replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    They would run until they died. This was the current attitude of the Reidan soldiers. The soldiers got ready and left the training grounds at noon.


    Then the huge training grounds that could amodate thousands of people only contained Piaro, Kraugel, Asmophel, Ruby, and Lord. There was a total of six people if Hurent was included.


    He thought he had gone unnoticed, but Hurent had been caught from the beginning. Asmophel approached him as he watched from behind a huge tree.


    "Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed in this ce.¡±


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Hurent was startled. He hid himself as much as possible using aura, but he was still found in an instant? This person called Asmophel, he definitely had great skills like Piaro.


    ¡®Where did Grid collect all these monsters?¡¯


    Hurent was a famous ranker, but he didn¡¯t have much experience with named NPCs. Acquiring named NPCs as subordinates? He never even imagined it. Named NPCs had a strong influence on Satisfy¡¯s world and each one had a distinct personality, making it hard to be friends with them.


    Hurent was admiring Grid when Asmophel urged him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave?¡±


    "Hrmm.¡±


    Hurent didn¡¯t want to step back. He wanted to peek at the skills of the man in the straw hat.


    "Can¡¯t I just watch a little bit?¡±


    Asmophel nced coldly at Hurent.


    ¡°Why should I do such a favor for an outsider?¡±


    He disliked repeating the same words. Hurent shrank back at his pressure. A heat spread through his body.


    ¡®When did I be an aura master?¡¯


    After being defeated by Grid in the 1st National Competition in five seconds, he hunted and trained repeatedly, raising his aura to the unique rating. He believed he was the strongest. He was sure he could beat the famous Kraugel and Agnus. His confidence soared into the sky.


    However, his confidence crashed down after he met Piaro. A legendary farmer had oppressed him with three blows from a hand plow, so he had to question his own abilities.


    Therefore.


    "I will back off...¡±


    Hurent decided to retreat. This was the first time in his life that he had acted as a mild sheep. Hurent swallowed down his shame and left the training ground. He couldn¡¯t help wondering. He had always reigned as the strongest except for the 5 second event, so why was he so weak here?


    This Reidan, it was extraordinary. It felt like Alice in Wondend.


    ***


    Saintess Ruby.


    Grid¡¯s sister and a high school student. Her goal was to aim for a prestigious university, so there was little time to y the game. She yed for 30 minutes a day. That¡¯s why her level was still low, despite changing to a hidden ss alongside Yerim. She was a real light user.


    But she had changed recently. It was since Lord was born. He might be a child in the game, but he was her cute and pretty nephew. Ruby looked at Lord and became fascinated by him. She recently spent more than an hour a day connecting to Satisfy and spending time with Lord.


    It was the same today. She was enjoying a peaceful time while holding Lord in her arms. Lord was very happy to spend time with his beautiful aunt. He enjoyed his aunt¡¯s soft and nice scent. But there was a limit for babies.


    "Hrmm.¡±


    Lord started to yawn. It was the signal that it was nap time.


    ¡°I must go back now.¡±


    It was time to return to reality. It happened when Ruby was about to leave the training ground and log out.


    Chaaeng!


    Kraugel and Piaro shed with each other.


    "Abu?¡±


    The sleepiness suddenly fled from Lord¡¯s eyes.


    "Abu! Abuuuu!¡±


    Lord shouted excitedly, waving his short arms. His blue eyes shone as he watched the confrontation between Kraugel and Piaro. Asmophel was astonished when he saw it.


    ¡¯The young lord...!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t see Reidan¡¯s soldiers as ¡®poor¡¯ because he didn¡¯t have the ability to see martial arts.


    ¡®It is because his vision was too high!¡¯


    The man in the straw hat wielded his sword at Piaro. And the legendary Piaro. The two people caught Lord¡¯s interest. Asmophel trembled. It was difficult for him to figure out what Lord¡¯s character would grow intoter on.


    "Abuoo-!¡±


    Lord was touched by the confrontation between the two people and gradually grew. The child could instinctively feel it. The fact that one of his future seven mentors was in front of him.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349


    Four months ago in Satisfy time.


    Kraugel had spent one month with Piaro. He watched Piaro¡¯s every move and they sparred together 30 times. He personally witnessed when Piaro became a legendary farmer. Thus, Kraugel knew Piaro¡¯s strength better than anyone.


    ¡®The basic level difference is huge.¡¯


    At the time of separation, Piaro was level 380. This wasn¡¯t mere spection. It was calcted using all types of indicators, so Kraugel was convinced that it was urate. He trusted his understanding of the game.


    ¡®And now.¡¯


    Kraugel calcted that Piaro should be level 385~386. It was the conclusion he came to after studying the experience values required to level up and the growth rate of named NPCs. On the other hand, what was Kraugel¡¯s level?


    326.


    ¡®There are 60 levels between us.¡¯


    It meant he dealt 30% less damage and would receive 30% more damage. It was a big penalty, considering there was such a big difference in the basic stats of normal sses and legendary sses. But Kraugel didn¡¯t shrink back.


    ¡®The odds are good enough.¡¯


    Kraugel had maintained the 1st ranking since Satisfy opened. He was the first in all types of fields, gobbling up achievements and titles. This could cover the gap in level and ss.


    ¡®Also.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s farming technique was based on the sword. Plow, sickle, hand plow, il etc. It was unusual since farming equipment were used as weapons, but it was still in the form of swordsmanship.


    ¡®It is ideal to use swordsmanship with a sword.¡¯


    Using swordsmanship with farming equipment? It was meaningless and the only fatal weakness of the ¡®farmer¡¯ Piaro. This was the decisive reason why Kraugel thought he had a chance of winning.


    ¡®I only have to be careful of the instant kill skill.¡¯


    It was Fated to Perish, which logged Zibal out in a single blow.


    ¡®I can¡¯t allow him to use it.¡¯


    The recent broadcast of ¡®Polishing¡¯ had caused a stir, but Kraugel felt more appreciation for ¡®Fated to Perish.¡¯


    Clink.


    Kraugel took out White Fang. It was the legendary sword that he acquired from one of the great demons Drasion, who was defeated by Sword Saint Muller.


    "Can you give me a chance to attack first?¡±


    In a duel, attacking first was important. It was a means of ensuring a definite advantage for a short time. That¡¯s right. Now Kraugel was asking Piaro to concede something. He weighed up all the penalties and decided that this advantage wasn¡¯t too much to ask for.


    Of course, Piaro should reject. But who was Piaro? He was a person who had always been called the strongest. He showed off a confident figure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ept.¡±


    It was as Kraugel expected. Piaro gave Kraugel a chance to win and Kraugel had no intention of missing it.


    ¡®The opponent is a legend. The difference in stamina is overwhelming, so it will be disadvantageous to me in the long run. I have to finish it quickly.¡¯


    Pahat!


    It was a time when the sun was shining overhead. Under intense sunlight or moonlight, this footwork gave off a stealth function around Kraugel¡¯s body. White Light Steps. In the past, Piaro hadn¡¯t been able to see through Kraugel¡¯s stealth.


    But now he was different. He was quick to respond to Kraugel¡¯s movements, blocking White Fang that aimed for his left side.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡¯Indeed, the gap in level is too big.¡¯


    The stealth was useless. If he couldn¡¯t lean on White Light Steps, his odds would fall by 1%.


    ¡®It is still within the permitted range.¡¯


    Kraugel was still calm. He wasn¡¯t shaken even when faced with the worst situation. It was the attitude of someone at the top. On the other hand, Piaro blocked White Fang with a hand plow in his left hand and wielded a sickle with his right hand.


    It was a diagonal attack. It was fast enough to exceed Kraugel¡¯s predicted range.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    How could Piaro¡¯s agility be far beyond the assumed level? Kraugel was surprised, but he responded without making a mistake.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Chaaeng!


    In a 0.1 second gap, Kraugel avoided Piaro¡¯s strike and counterattacked. He didn¡¯t need to go through a process of decision making to respond. He used his experience and reflexes developed from countless battles. Of course, the help of ¡®Keen Senses¡¯ was also great.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Kraugel let out a groan. He blocked the hand plow and sickle with White Fang, but was baffled by the strength behind them. A normal person would¡¯ve felt sure of their defeat the moment they felt this gap in strength. But Kraugel saw an opportunity in the crisis.


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡±


    Kwajak!Kwajajajak!


    One of the ultimate skills of a White Swordsman was revealed. A beast¡¯s ws shed with Piaro¡¯s equipment.


    Chaaeng!


    There was a slight crack in the hand plow and sickle as blood flowed from Piaro¡¯s chest.


    ¡®The equipment that My Lord made...!¡¯


    Piaro was startled. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised that the farming equipment made by a legendary cksmith was damaged by the blow. However, Kraugel was even more surprised.


    ¡®There wasn¡¯t a lot of damage?¡¯


    The damage form for Tearing the Sky was difficult to calcte because it was utilized as a counterattack and the orbit was limited, while also taking into ount the user¡¯s attack power + attack power of the enemy.


    Kraugel had predicted that Piaro would receive at least 40,000 damage. However, the damage was only 7,000, making Kraugel realize.


    ¡®Piaro must be over level 400.¡¯


    This was bad. The level difference was toorge for the damage form to be properly applied. The fourth stats awakening was a wall that couldn¡¯t be ovee by the effects of different titles.


    ¡®How? How did Brother grow so quickly?¡¯


    Kraugel didn¡¯t know it, but this was all due to Chris, other high level yers, and Grid. Kraugel didn¡¯t know that Piaro was constantly turning high level rankers who visited Reidan into farmers and training them, as well as achieving rapid growth through his spar with Grid.


    It was a pity.


    Swaeek!


    Kraugel was hit by a il while trying to regain hisposure. His eyes widened as he was about to read the orbit.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t swordsmanship?¡¯


    Piaro had changed from swordsmanship to farming techniques. It was an entirely new form. It was the moment when the strength of ¡®Sword Saint Candidate¡¯ Kraugel to see through numerous swordsmanship techniques was neutralized.


    Peeeeok!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Kraugel wasn¡¯t able to react and was hit hard, causing his shoulders to shake. The right arm holding White Fang fell into a paralysis state. Piaro read this and thought.


    ¡®Counterattacking is impossible.¡¯


    Kraugel would absolutely take an evasive action. It was likely to be the footwork called White Light Steps. Piaro determined this and swung the il.


    Suuk.


    Far from Kraugel avoiding it, he clung to Piaro. It was an approach that applied a footwork different to the White Light Steps. Kraugel used brilliant footwork toe close, making it difficult for Piaro to attack.


    It was the precursor of ¡®Hwimori.¡¯


    Peok!Pepeok!


    Pepepepeok!


    Kraugel was able to reach the East Continent with the help of the sage, Sticks. Before he changed to a white swordsman, he explored the ce that imitated the culture of the east and reproduced the fast and odd footwork of someone he met. Piaro felt like he was possessed by a ghost as he was kicked.


    But.


    "It¡¯s just a tickle!¡±


    Piaro had been hit by Tearing the Sky, so the kick couldn¡¯t do much damage to him. Piaro epted all of Kraugel¡¯s kicks, but he was fine. He pushed Kraugel with his shoulder, withdrew the il that stretched forward, while at the same time, taking out a plow with his other hand.


    "Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Kraugel stumbled and the ground around him was cleared in an instant. Piaro was about to sow seeds when he stopped. It was due to the storm caused by Hwimori.


    Puk.Puk puk!


    Puuoooook!


    The kicks were fast and light, but were weak. Piaro¡¯s body seemed to be affected by the technique.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Piaro coughed out ck blood. At this point, Kraugel overcame the paralysis in his right hand.


    ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The light de tore Piaro¡¯s old clothes to shreds. Piaro¡¯s health gauge was decreasing little by little as he allowed sessive attacks. However, he wasn¡¯t upset at all. Rather, his momentum increased.


    "Fun!!!!"


    Kraugel had a different type of power from Grid. It was the first time in ages that an opponent made Piaro so excited. The excited Piaro dug at a vein of water.


    Peeng!


    A pir of water shot up and crashed into Kraugel¡¯s body. Piaro linked Sowing and Rapid Growth together.


    Kwarururung!


    ¡®Legendary skills...!¡¯


    Kraugel paled as he witnessed the thorns growing rapidly in the field. He escaped through the air with White Light Steps and restored the posture of White Fang. It was the manifestation of ¡®Meteor Sword.¡¯


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The whole area was scorched. The meteor des that feel from Kraugel¡¯s sword went through the thorny vines. At the center of the field, Kraugel¡¯s White Fang and Piaro¡¯s hand plow collided head on.


    ¡¯Blocking Meteor Sword...!¡¯


    Even theposed Kraugel couldn¡¯t stay calm. Heunched a nervous onught, causing a thunderous sound to ring out every time it was stopped by Piaro¡¯s farming equipment. Piaro was amazed.


    ¡®He has already prated through my farming techniques!¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s vision surpassed Piaro¡¯s. Kraugel subsequently crushed the seven farming tools used by Piaro, increasing the number of wounds on Piaro¡¯s body. It was based on pure control ability and battle senses.


    But his level was a problem.


    Piaro still had more than two-thirds of his health left despite allowing sessive attacks, while Kraugel avoided most attacks but his health fell to less than half. His movements were rtively highpared to Piaro, so he was consuming stamina quickly.


    ¡®White Light Sword isn¡¯t a match.¡¯


    After blinding the opponent, he could link his top skills. But Piaro was a legend and immune to status conditions. It meant that the opponent was someone he couldn¡¯t unleash 100% of the white swordsman¡¯s power against.


    ¡¯No, those are all excuses.¡¯


    He had encountered numerous opponents immune to CC and he had beaten them all. He always overcame hiscking areas with his control. However, his skills weren¡¯t prevailing against Piaro.


    The moment that Kraugel thought this.


    ¡°I guess I should use all my power.¡±


    Piaro barely escaped from a nasty wound, spoke meaningful words and used Natural State. At the same time, his amplified stats overturned the situation. Now Kraugel was the one allowing attacks.


    Piaro¡¯s speed and power, enhanced by Natural State, started to overwhelm Kraugel. Most of his health was lost in an instant, causing Kraugel¡¯s eyes to sh.


    ¡°Super Sensitivity.¡±


    [Super Sensitivity has been used.]


    [100% of your mana has been consumed.]


    [For the next six seconds, all senses transcend cognition.]


    [Agility is increased by 20% and you can 100% predict the behavior of all objects within 10 meters.]


    [This will be exhausted in six seconds.]


    Kraugel¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t due to skills or title effects. Kraugel himself had natural abilities. The moment Super Sensitivity was used, Kraugel was reborn.


    Seokeok!


    It was enough to ovee Piaro¡¯s enhanced speed and deal a deadly blow.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    This was an unfamiliar experience to Piaro. Was it because he received a deadly wound? No, this wasn¡¯t something new. Piaro was always injured when he fought. The problem was his instincts. His instincts were shouting that it was dangerous. It warned him not to confront Kraugel.


    ¡®Does it want me to run away?¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s fighting spirit peaked. The moment he lost his dignity as the strongest person, he showed a technique that he didn¡¯t use against Grid.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style!¡±


    ¡®This!¡¯


    Kraugel entered the transcendent realm thanks to Super Sensitivity. He tried to escape the moment Piaro spoke with a serious look on his face. It was because he perceived the danger that couldn¡¯t be resisted. However, it was already toote.


    "Pounding Mortar!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It was a disaster. Something fell from the sky and dug into the ground, like a mortar. At the same time, Reidan shook. It was like a great earthquake.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350


    "Pounding Mortar!¡±


    The moment that Piaro took out his peak technique.


    Kurururu!


    A tremendous sound was heard from the ground. Thunder? No. It was a more threatening and artificial feeling.


    Kuooooh!


    Therger the shadow cast became, the heavier the atmosphere.


    Jjirak.Jjirak.


    Kraugel¡¯s body was filled with an instinctive fear.


    ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯


    Kraugel stood on turbulent ground. He looked up at the sky and faced a disaster. It was as big as a house. It was falling down at a fast speed.


    Kuwaaaaaah!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t even scream. The enormous mortar caused infinite suffering and fear as the mind and body crumbled. It was a pressure that could kill someone.


    ***


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [The durability of the in Straw Hat (Normal) has beenpletely lost and is permanently destroyed.]


    [The durability of the White Clouds Clothing (Unique) has decreased by 128.]


    [The durability of the White Clouds Footwear (Unique) has decreased by 150.]


    [The durability of the White Clouds Gloves (Unique) has decreased by 163. There is a risk of damage.]


    [The durability of the White Fang (Legendary) has decreased by 61.]


    [You won¡¯t die in sparring mode. Your health has fallen to a minimum, so sparring mode is finished!]


    The mortar that was the size of a house. It disappeared like a ¡®mirage¡¯ after it crushed Kraugel.


    "...¡±


    There were no more clouds in the sky. This was the aftermath of being torn by the force of Pounding Mortar. Kraugel was at a loss for words and btedly realized.


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    Did he lose because Piaro was over level 400? It was nonsense. A level difference in the game was due to the difference in skills. It meant his growth processgged behind.


    ¡®Ipletely lost.¡¯


    What if they fought again?


    ¡®It will still be the same.¡¯


    The current Piaro was different from the past. He was a legend whopletely overcame his immaturity after just bing a farmer and relied on swordsmanship.


    ¡®He is a wall that can¡¯t be ovee.¡¯


    Did Kraugel¡¯s heart sink down after realizing this? No.


    ¡®...I can¡¯t ovee him yet.¡¯


    People praised Kraugel as a genius. He overcame trials and adversity, believing in this talent alone. Of course, that was a big mistake.


    ¡®One day, I will go beyond him.¡¯


    Were there any geniuses who had it easy? Unlike what other people thought, Kraugel was ustomed to defeat and failure. He always faced challenges, because he was always challenging difficult situations. But he didn¡¯t give up. By working hard and oveing the trials, he trained and raised himself. He would continue doing so in the future.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukukuk.¡±


    The straw hat¡¯s destruction exposed the ck-haired man with a wounded face.


    [Kraugel]


    The world¡¯s most prominent name burst outughing as heid on the ground.


    ¡°Kuhahahahat!¡±


    It was a coolughing sound that made the listeners happy. He was delighted by the spar that allowed him to realize his own shorings.


    ***


    Ruby and Lord were present at the outskirts of the training grounds where Piaro and Kraugel were sparring. Nevertheless, what was the reason why Piaro was able to use his peak technique? It was because he trusted Asmophel.


    Kuuuuuuong!


    The moment therge mortar mmed against Kraugel and the training ground.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Asmophel protected Ruby and Lord. He held the two people in their arms to protect them from the earthquake, creating a barrier from the sand storm. There was a wave of energy.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Abuuuu!¡±


    Ruby expressed her gratitude while Lord cried out loudly.


    "This world might perish, but I will protect both of you.¡±


    Asmophel asserted. His loyalty moved Ruby¡¯s heart. On the other hand, Lord showed no interest in Asmophel.


    "Abu! Abuuuu!¡±


    How could a baby be so strong? After forcefully pushing Ruby away, Lord fell to the ground and started to move towards the center of the training ground. The crawling speed made it hard to believe he was a newborn baby.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Umm?¡±


    Piaro was tired from the aftermath of using Pounding Mortar. He was thrilled when he found the approaching Lord.


    "Young Lord...! Do you recognize my skills?¡±


    Piaro had a discerning eye. He had glimpsed Lord¡¯s genius early on. He wanted to propose a lifetime of doing field work together, so he coveted Lord¡¯s talent.


    ¡®As expected of the young lord.¡¯


    He understood Piaro¡¯s strength through this duel. He wanted Piaro to serve as a mentor and they would work together in the fields! The young Lord would be his best disciple.


    ¡®No, I¡¯m still not good enough!¡¯


    The moment that Piaro was full of expectations. The crawling Lord reached Piaro. Then he just passed by Piaro.


    "...¡±


    Hwiing~


    The wind blew. Piaro was ashamed.


    ¡¯This baby...?¡¯


    The depressed ground that was hit by the mortar. Kraugel found the baby crawling towards him and was disconcerted. It was so unrealistic that he couldn¡¯t say anything to Lord.


    "Abu! Abuuuu! Bubu!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t understand thenguage of a newborn baby. But he dimly understood the meaning. The blue eyes staring at him. There was clearly envy in the eyes that shone as bright as jewels.


    ***


    [Thunder Bow]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 366/490


    Attack Power: 370~601


    * Arrows can¡¯t be loaded.


    * 100 mana will be consumed per attack.


    * The skill ¡®Prating sh¡¯ will be generated.


    * 10% increase in firing speed.


    A heirloom of the Bon family in the Eternal Kingdom.


    A bow made from a mixture of magic stones and ure stones, it consumed the user¡¯s mana every time the bowstring is pulled to create a light arrow.


    If amon arrow is loaded, it won¡¯t be able to withstand the lightning and will be ashes.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. More than 2,000 agility. Advanced Bow Mastery level 5 or higher.


    This was the bow dropped by the best archer in the Eternal Kingdom, Ferrell. It was something that many archers would covet. However, Grid didn¡¯t appreciate the Thunder Bow¡¯s performance.


    ¡®How many archers will have such high mana?¡¯


    Consuming 100 mana just to shoot one arrow? Even Jishuka, an expert archer, wouldn¡¯t be able to fire more than 40 rounds. Its endurance was poor.


    ¡®The attack power is twice as high as simr bows.¡¯


    In the first ce, the attack power of the bow itself wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡¯The attack power of the arrow is more important.¡¯


    Yet arrows couldn¡¯t be loaded? Could this really be called a bow?


    ¡°Trash.¡±


    Grid came to this conclusion and dismantled the Thunder Bow. He didn¡¯t hesitate at all. The reason why Grid coveted this bow from the beginning was the ¡®ure stone.¡¯


    ¡°Then I¡¯m starting.¡±


    Grid approached the st furnace. The four God Hands kept the furnace temperature high. Their ability to control the bellows was at the level of advanced cksmiths.


    "This should be enough.¡±


    Grid confirmed the temperature and threw the disassembled Thunder Bow into it. It was to dissolve the rush, debris and other foreign matter through smelting in order to extract pure ure stones.


    After a while.


    [You have seeded in refining the mineral!]


    [3]


    Ttiring~


    [Ure Stone]


    A mineral that is produced only when the great demon Astaroth is present in the human world.


    The lightning attribute could be given to an item and it is also good to feed to demonic beasts.


    The demonic beast will be very pleased when fed.


    Weight: 5


    ¡°The concept of the mineral is simr to the fire stones that show up when Hell Gao appears... Eh?¡±


    Grid was immersed in reading the item exnation and suddenly made an absurd expression.


    ¡°Feed it to a demonic beast?¡±


    Was he crazy?


    "What type of crazy person would feed these precious minerals to a demonic beast?¡±


    It was a really useless function. He had no intention of feeding this to Noe. Grid put the three ure stones in his inventory. He was nning to use it as a mineral when creating new items.


    At that moment.


    Kuuong!


    Therge smithy that contained 100 cksmiths shook greatly. Everything on disy on one side of the smith fell to the ground, and the mes in dozens of furnaces shot upwards. The minerals were burned and lost their value.


    ¡°E-Earthquake?¡±


    "What are you doing? Go and grab the minerals!¡±


    The smithy instantly became a mess. An earthquake in the middle of a desert city? The cksmiths were unfamiliar with natural disasters but they showed professionalism, gathering the minerals and turning off the fire.


    On the other hand, Grid was angry.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t an earthquake.¡¯


    His high insight let him know. The previous shook was due to the aftermath of battle.


    "Khan, please deal with the situation here.¡±


    It was good to have someone to trust. Grid entrusted the smithy to Khan and left.


    ***


    Kraugel recovered his stamina to a certain extent.


    "Brother, you truly are great. I was able to learn many things. I¡¯m not lying when I say that I admire you.¡±


    "...¡±


    Piaro always wanted to be the strongest. It was the destiny of the strongest to be connected with strong people. But there was something that couldn¡¯t be helped. Kraugel¡¯s talents were beyond prediction, so Piaro had to be prepared.


    ¡°Really? Someday you will surpass me.¡±


    He had learned this from the young Lord. The young Lord had gone to Kruagel. The young Lord felt that today¡¯s winner was Piaro, but it would be different in the future. Kraugel asked the jealous Piaro.


    ¡°By the way, what is with this child?¡±


    At first nce, this baby wasn¡¯t ordinary. It wasn¡¯t Piaro who answered the puzzled Kraugel.


    ¡°My son.¡±


    A heavy voice resonated through the training ground.


    ¡°I greet My Lord!¡±


    Piaro, the absolutely strongest man who could look down at the whole world, and the best knight Asmophel, bowed down. It was shocking for Kraugel.


    Step, step.


    "Abu! Abuuuu!¡±


    Lord smiled brightly. The owner of the voice, Grid, smiled at Kraugel.


    ¡°What is the 1st ranked user doing in mynd?¡±


    Grid was showing obvious hostility. It was natural. He didn¡¯t feel good because he witnessed a person he didn¡¯t knowughing with his family and friends. Wasn¡¯t he also the culprit because the destruction of the training ground?


    "...¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t open his mouth. Piaro spoke on his behalf.


    "My Lord, this person is called Kraugel. He is a brother that I have a close friendship with.¡±


    ¡®Brother...¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s heart warmed. He was touched that Piaro tried to defend him. But this impression didn¡¯tst long. Piaro wasn¡¯t ¡®defending¡¯ but ¡®reporting.¡¯ Brothers? That was important, but his loyalty came first.


    "After not meeting for a long time, he applied for a spar and I epted, resulting in the training ground being like this. I will dispose of him ording to My Lord¡¯s decision.¡±


    "...¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    pieces of ure stone has been acquired.

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351


    "You¡¯re the cause of this?¡±


    Grid received an exnation from Piaro and observed the pit in the ground. The traces left behind of the battle were impressive. He was able to get an indirect glimpse of the 1st ranked Kraugel.


    ¡®Hepeted against Piaro, who was reborn was a legend.¡¯


    In the previous confrontation, Grid was able to consume only half of Piaro¡¯s life. Then what about now?


    ¡®I can only decrease it by 1/4th.¡¯


    Piaro had grown.


    During the spar with Grid, he had woken up to the true use of farming techniques. Then after the spar, he gained the bonus of increasing his stats and greatly increasing his skills. There was also the bonus of raising his level.


    Then a person who managed topete against Piaro?


    ¡®Even a normal ss...¡¯


    Kwack.


    Grid clenched his fists with all his strength. Strange emotions sprang up, making his chest burn hot. Kraugel noticed his silence and apologized.


    ¡°My first impression is bad. I apologize that Reidan suffered damage because of my personal greed. I will pay you back as much as possible.¡±


    The person who actually caused the damage was Piaro. However, Kraugel felt a strong sense of responsibility. He applied for a spar with Piaro and this incident happened, so he thought it was primarily his fault.


    Grid made a snide remark at his sincere apology.


    "Yes, a good answer deserving of the number one rank. Do you have a lot of money?¡±


    An earthquake had urred in the aftermath of the battle, causing all of Reidan to shake. Just looking at Reidan¡¯s smithy alone, the overall loss of wealth was quite big.


    ¡°Can it be reimbursed by an individual alone? As a close brother to Piaro, shouldn¡¯t you take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°M-My Lord.¡±


    Piaro stuttered. He felt like his lord was more upset than usual.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Piaro couldn¡¯t figure out Grid¡¯s heart. Asmophel was different. He could read the emotions in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¯Envy and jealousy...¡¯


    Asmophel was born as the second son, so he always felt these emotions. Now Grid was disying it towards Kraugel. They were emotions that couldn¡¯t be understood by Piaro and Kraugel, who were always the best.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about reimbursement. Instead.¡±


    Shaaaaaah-


    A clear blue transparent sword appeared in Grid¡¯s left hand and a ck-blue greatsword in his right hand. It was Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°Fight me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Wanting to randomly fight? Kraugel was baffled. He couldn¡¯t understand why things were happening like this. In addition, this was Grid¡¯s city. Everything here belonged to Grid. Piaro wasn¡¯t an exception.


    ¡¯Does he mean to iste me?¡¯


    A death penalty was huge. Should Kraugel interpret it as never stepping foot in this city again? Kraugel looked grim while Grid pointed Failure at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too deeply about it. I am applying for a fair one-on-one fight.¡±


    A one-on-one match? If so, Kraugel weed it. Grid was also a legend. It was a golden opportunity to win against a legend andplete the ¡®Sword Saint¡¯ quest. But Kraugel couldn¡¯t justify epting the fight. Using aplete strange to clear his quest, his ego couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    "Why do you want to fight me?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s sentences became shorter. It was natural. Grid didn¡¯t show any courtesies to him, so there was no need to be polite.


    ¡°You are called the top, or the sky above the sky? I want to see if you¡¯re really such a great person.¡±


    "Do you have the qualifications to get a glimpse of my skills?¡±


    "You¡¯ll find out soon."


    Grid sent a sparring application to Kraugel. This was Reidan, Grid¡¯s domain. Despite Kraugel receiving a big penalty if he died, Grid applied for a duel, demonstrating that he took this fight seriously.


    ¡°Sehee... No, Ruby. Use healing on him.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to fight?¡±


    Ruby asked in a testy manner. She was worried about her brother because she had seen Kraugel¡¯s skills. However, she was embarrassed to show her worry, so she looked testy instead. Grid prompted her.


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    ¡°...Be careful.¡±


    Ruby read her brother¡¯s sincerity towards Kraugel and ended up using ¡®Hope.¡¯ Hope was the ultimate heal that randomly recovers 10~30% of the target¡¯s maximum health. Kraugel confirmed his rising health and admired it.


    ¡®Saintess...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sister.


    Kraugel wondered.


    ¡®Territory, family, subordinates, colleagues, and friends.¡¯


    Was it fun to be in such a limited space with the same group of people? Did they need to repeat what they always did in reality in the game? The world of Satisfy. It was so wide that it would take the rest of his life to explore it. As a user of the game, wasn¡¯t it right to travel around alone, not bound by anything, in order to experience new things faster than anyone else?


    Sehee used Hope in session and Kraugel¡¯s health reached the maximum. Kraugel made a decision and shared his quest information with Grid.


    [Sword Saint]


    Difficulty: SSS


    Win against a legend.


    ¡°This confrontation with you might be a help to me. Is it still okay?¡±


    Grid stopped.


    Sword saint. Could he give the strongest legendary ss to other users? The past Grid would¡¯ve cancelled the fight immediately. But now he was different. He was the leader of Overgeared, a lord, and the father of a child. Eyes were watching him. In particr, he couldn¡¯t take it back with Lord watching.


    ¡®What would Lauel do?¡¯


    Grid worried about it for a moment.


    "It¡¯s also a good thing if you turn into a sword saint because of me. The 1st ranked user owing me a favor, won¡¯t you pay it back one day?¡±


    He phrased it in such a way that Kraugel owed him a favor, despite Grid being the one to propose the fight in the first ce.


    "And I don¡¯t think I will lose.¡±


    He expressed his dignity with an expression of unwavering confidence.


    Kraugel replied honestly, "Grid, I have seen your capabilities many times on broadcast. That¡¯s why I know it well. You can never beat me.¡±


    "Stop speaking so long.¡±


    At the time of the Elfin Stone raid. After sacrificing Huroi due to his powerlessness, Grid pledged never to feel so helpless again.


    ¡®I will be the best. I will be the best and not sacrifice my colleagues again.¡¯


    It was his dream, whether it was fanciful or not.


    ¡®I will check it through you.¡¯


    Step, step.


    Grid walked out without hesitation. At first nce, it was an ordinary gait, but he was actually using the footwork of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. He was hiding the use of his skill. Two years in real time after Satisfy opened, he was finally using the basics of the game. But Kraugel saw it instantly.


    It was easy because he had keen eyes and good insight.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Kraugel sidestepped the legendary skill and counterattacked.


    "Mole Ascension.¡±


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. It was a rtively demanding skill that required taking an average of five steps. Grid had used it for hours over the years and gradually adapted. The skill was used at an iparable speed to before, resulting in damage to the unique presence called the sky above the sky, Kraugel.


    [You have suffered 17,500 damage.]


    The white swordsman¡¯s defense was lower than other third advancement normal sses. Moreover, he didn¡¯t wear his gloves because he was afraid they would break if they received further damage.


    On the other hand, Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a legendary ss that could exert the ultimate attack power. Grid was equipped with the best items. Kraugel¡¯s health was cut by a quarter in a single blow.


    This was also due to the title effects and defense, otherwise it would¡¯ve been a fatal blow. However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t shocked by Grid¡¯s attack power.


    ¡¯I was wounded by a user?¡¯


    There were no users who had touched his body except for Agnus, king of the dead, and the ¡®duo¡¯ from Blood Carnival. Kraugel¡¯s eyes sunk. It was the moment he recognized Grid as a strong person.


    ¡°White Light Steps.¡±


    Susuk.


    Under the sun, Kraugel disappeared from Grid¡¯s field of view.


    ¡®Stealth?¡¯


    Grid watched carefully. He thought about what to do and pulled out Kenen¡¯s Belt.


    Pepeng!


    Grid¡¯s appearance was obscured by the smoke that emerged. But Kraugel still remained calm. He quickly saw Grid¡¯s shape being covered by the smoke screen and stopped his attack.


    ¡®Gone?¡¯


    The puzzled Kraugel stopped as ¡®Keen Senses¡¯ sent him a sharp warning. The danger came from behind him.


    "If you use stealth, I will be invisible.¡±


    Grid revealed his appearance in a white hooded zipper and swung his greatsword. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle, fell vertically towards Kraugel.


    ¡®An invisibility cloak, it¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    Kraugelughed to see Grid using such great items so casually. He rotated his body and swung White Fang. It was the appearance of his counterattack, Tearing the Sky, whose orbit was limited to going up.


    Chaaeng!


    [You have suffered 21,050 damage.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid was hit by the powerful skill and his health gauge sharply declined. Kraugel didn¡¯t give him a break. He continuously swung White Fang and seized the momentum.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    ¡®This orbit...!¡¯


    Grid was currently armed with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. His high insight and synergy with the item meant he could reach most of the enemy¡¯s attack orbit. However, Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship contained a much deeper orbit than that of Piaro.


    [You have suffered 3,500 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,610 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,485 damage.]


    The wounds on Grid continued to increase. He tried to counterattack with Link, but Kraugel didn¡¯t allow it. He avoided or blocked everything. In the first ce, it was almost impossible to hit Kraugel with a non-targeted skill. Kraugel¡¯s control skills were that excellent. In the end, Grid summoned the God Hands.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Light shed from four direction and threatened Kraugel. Grid gave Grid¡¯s Greatsword, Failure, and the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword to the God Hands, then used Quick Movements. He summoned Iyarugt while rushing forward.


    [Over here!]


    Iyarugt gave him the best sword path. The red light shot forward towards Kraugel. But Kraugel barely managed to respond. He avoided it using the least amount of movements, and counterattacked, stabbing White Fang into Grid¡¯s chest.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 8,300 damage to the target.]


    Kraugel thought it was absurd.


    ¡®His defense is ridiculously high.¡¯


    It was hard to imagine what type of armor Grid was wearing. However, Grid thought it was more absurd.


    ¡®The defense isn¡¯t applied properly because he is only hitting my vital spots.¡¯


    Hitting his vital spots every time? He was like a supeputer, not a person.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Energy gathered around Grid and surged violently like a wave.


    It was the precursor of Wave.


    But it wasn¡¯t manifested.


    Kraugel hit Grid¡¯s legs, causing the sword dance to be cancelled.


    ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    As Grid stumbled, Storm Sword emerged from White Fang and hit Grid¡¯s chest. Blood spurted from Grid¡¯s chest, while Kraugel leapt forward and attempted to link ¡®Meteor Sword.¡¯ The God Hands tried to keep him in check but it was wishful thinking. The God Hands¡¯ Sword Mastery skill was still at the beginner level, meaning it was impossible to threaten Kraugel.


    ¡°Meteor Sword.¡±


    The moment that Kraugel had shaken off all the God Hands and seeded in using Meteor Sword. Blood Cry.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s body shook as a strong wave was emitted. A strong tempest hit him and he lost his bnce. As he started to fall helplessly, a sh came from Grid. His skin whitened and a ck haze of demonic energy appeared around him.


    The speed of his demonic sword was iparable to before. It was the linkage of cksmith¡¯s Rage and ckening. It was Grid¡¯s power.


    Puok!


    The clouds that were already torn due to Pounding Mortar scattered even more. In the center of it, Grid had stabbed Kraugel¡¯s heart with Iyarugt. Blood spurted up like rain.


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    Piaro groaned.


    Kraugel. As someone who was always looking for the best opportunity in a crisis, he managed to counterattack.


    Puok!


    White Fang flew and prated Grid¡¯s neck. Even Iyarugt couldn¡¯t see the sword orbit, so Grid couldn¡¯t take advantage of Doran¡¯s Ring.


    [How did he...?]


    ¡°Ugh...! Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s current health, which decreased due to ckening consuming maximum health in exchange for attack power, rapidly headed towards the bottom. But he didn¡¯t shrink back. It was because he believed in his immortality passive.


    Kraugel¡¯s attacks? He could still allow attacks for five seconds. Grid judged calmly and used Restraint, nning to connect it with Link to end Kraugel. However, Kraugel used his skill faster than he could use Restraint.


    Chaaeng!


    The powerful kicking effect of ¡®Charging¡¯ mmed Grid¡¯s body to the ground.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352


    Kuwuong!


    Dust rose as Grid crashed into the ground. Grid was rtively fine. No, his health wasn¡¯t very good, but he was rtively rosy. The wounds on his body were fairly recovered. It was thanks to recovering 13,000 health after wearing Doran¡¯s Ring as well as utilizing the option effect of the Holy Light Armor the moment he got kicked at close range.


    But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if I took advantage of it when it was a sword attack, not a kick.¡±


    His health would¡¯ve been three times higher than it was now.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Yakult.¡±


    [...]


    Iyarugt was silent despite being called Yakult. He felt bad that he couldn¡¯t read Kraugel¡¯s sword orbit and caused Grid to fall into an awful position.


    ¡°It was the same when I fought Piaro and Chucksley. You seem to have no use.¡±


    [That...! It¡¯s because most of my original abilities are sealed! If I could really demonstrate my abilities, these guys would be nothing!]


    "Well, let¡¯s say that is true.¡±


    In fact, Iyarugt¡¯s rating was unique. It would be more help once the rating was increased to legendary.


    The center of the depressed ground.


    Suuk.


    Grid, who was deeply embedded in it, slowly raised his body. It wasn¡¯t meant to be, but this break away from the battle was very important. Grid¡¯s head calmed and prevailed over his frustration. He suppressed his extreme idea of relying on his immortality. Grid would use this incident to further strengthen himself.


    ¡®Did I use ckening too soon?¡¯


    ckening consumed 50% of his maximum health to increase his damage, magic power and agility by 20%. It was a double edged sword because he could suffer catastrophic damage if hit by the enemy. Just like before.


    ¡®If I used it when things were more conclusive... No, it¡¯s better to use it than to save it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to threaten him if I didn¡¯t use ckening.¡¯


    The difference in skills was too great. Kraugel could avoid most non-targeted skill and find the perfect opportunity to counterattack.


    ¡®Based on his attack speed and attack power, there surprisingly isn¡¯t much difference between our stats.¡¯


    This was the part he was most curious about. Grid had went through the minus levels, received all types of titles, and steadily raised his stats through making items. It was right that he would have more stats than anyone else.


    However, Kraugel¡¯s stats were also unbelievable.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it natural?¡¯


    The 1st ranked Kraugel. He was ahead of everyone else, and gained a lot of advantages from this. He gobbled up the useful quests and titles, so his stats were likely to have significant growth. He probably also did separate training.


    ¡®When I was level 80...¡¯


    Yes, it was before he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®At that time, Kraugel had already crossed level 240.¡¯


    It was correct that there was a gap between both of them that couldn¡¯t be narrowed yet.


    ¡®At least, I think he¡¯s ahead of me inbat rted skills.¡¯


    Kraugel was equipped with the appropriate items. His defense wasn¡¯t great, but his weapon was enormous. It wasparable to the legendary weapons produced by Grid.


    ¡°...In many ways, I still have a long way to go.¡±


    Was he going to lose? The moment that thought ran through his head.


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid¡¯s face distorted in a frightening manner. In the past, he had lived as a loser due to hiscking talent.


    ¡®Let¡¯s stop losing now.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he ovee acking talent with effort? Some people might think it was ridiculous, but Grid was most aware of it. He was able to be Pagma¡¯s Descendant due to his own efforts.


    ¡®I want to win.¡¯


    Kraugel. He was praised as the sky above the sky, and an object of envy for rankers. Grid wanted to wash away the stigma of the past and start a new stage by winning against him. He wanted to be recognized as a true talent.


    In order to do that, he needed to put in more effort. As much as possible.


    ¡°This is the second round.¡±


    [Grid¡¯s Boots have been removed. Movement speed and evasion rate have been restored to normal.]


    This was his first mistake. Grid¡¯s Boots were designed to boost the power of a greatsword, but it was poison when used with the one-handed Iyarugt. The slowness and lowered evasion rate weren¡¯t taken into consideration.


    [Braham¡¯s Boots have been equipped. Movement speed has increased by 10%. Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 20%.]


    Braham¡¯s Boots were limited in defense, but they had excellent options. Indeed, it was an item from a legendary great magician. Grid didn¡¯t sell them and used them steadily for a reason.


    [The spell ¡®Fly¡¯ has been used.]


    Teong!


    Grid flew up. The lightness wasn¡¯tparable to before.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant... What?"


    At the top of the pit in the training ground. Kraugel was gasping for breath when his eyes widened. It was because he saw through the smoke, Grid flying up while looking fine.


    ¡®Is he a human?¡¯


    He had to question it.


    ¡®Sword Saint Candidate Stage 5,¡¯ ¡®Virtuous Man of the West Continent,¡¯ ¡®Pandea¡¯s Hero,¡¯ ¡®Person who Creates Miracles,¡¯ ¡®First...,¡¯ ¡®First...,¡¯ ¡®First...,¡¯ ¡®First...¡¯


    The value of all the titles that Kraugel obtained couldn¡¯t be converted into money. His attack power was unmatched and users couldn¡¯t endure it. But Grid endured it again and again. Now his health had recovered like a lie, and his momentum had risen even more.


    In Kraugel¡¯s eyes, Grid was like a boss monster.


    ¡®He was once a subject of ridicule, but he¡¯s truly a legend.¡¯


    Kraugel also had eyes and ears. The owner of a legendary ss with poor control skills. A coward who overcame his shorings with items and his ss. Now he was an overgeared person with some ability.


    Kraugel was knowledgeable about Grid. In fact, he watched the video of the pope candidate speeches. But now he realized. Everyone was always growing, and Grid was the same. Grid had grown.


    The proof was that he was one of the few yers who managed to hurt Kraugel.


    ¡®You aren¡¯t slow-witted.¡¯


    Grid put in more effort than other people.


    ¡¯In the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t have be a legend if he didn¡¯t work hard.¡¯


    Kraugel admitted it. Grid was a great person. He shouldn¡¯t be taunted by anyone.


    "I will sincerely pay my respects to my opponent. Meteor Sword.¡±


    Kraugel used the skill that had been cancelled because of Blood Cry. Qi energy filled the atmosphere like meteors.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Kraugel rose steadily while Grid started his sword dance. It was as Kraugel expected. Grid was a character with legendary items and skills, so he would be more confident in them than in anything else. It was obvious that he would confront Meteor Sword head on.


    ¡®That¡¯s your mistake.¡¯


    Meteor Sword was a multi-stage skill. It cut several times in a short period and every time it hit, the damage increased. This could cause terrible damage when facing it head on. Kraugel was confident, but Grid made a choice that was contrary to Kraugel¡¯s prediction.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The flow of air caused by Kraugel¡¯s qi changed. Grid absorbed the transcendent energy.


    ¡®The second mistake.¡¯


    It was trying to face someone with better control skills than him head on.


    [Entering the transcendent mode.]


    [Your attack power is doubled and your default attacks will turn into ranged attacks. This effect willst for 30 seconds.]


    Suuk.


    Utilizing the advantage of Fly, Grid floated in the air and opened up a distance from Kraugel. At the same time, the energy des shot forward.


    [You have suffered 10,700 damage.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Meteor Sword¡¯s course was simple. This was the limit of a targeted skill, which resulted in a restriction of Kraugel¡¯s control skills. Kraugel was hit by a ck energy de and blood poured from his mouth.


    ¡®Change the route...!¡¯


    Kwaang!


    Kraugel fell to the ground and got straight up. There were three energy des already heading towards him. Kraugel rolled on the ground and used a skill.


    Kururung!


    A white cloud spread from White Fang and covered the area. It was a trick to hide Kraugel¡¯s body. But it was useless. Grid had abination of high insight and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. He couldn¡¯t detect Kraugel¡¯s sword, but he wasn¡¯tpletely helpless.


    Grid ¡®quickly¡¯ grasped Kraugel¡¯s location within the clouds. It was proof of how high Grid¡¯s present concentrating was.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Sharp energy des flooded towards Kraugel every time Grid swung his sword. Kraugel, who was hoping to avoid the incessant energy des, allowed another attack.


    ¡®Kuk... Is this different from the skill called Transcended Link?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t use Transcend in the two broadcasts Kraugel had watched. The only ranged attack he used was Transcended Link. The difference between the one-time Transcended Link and the persistent Transcend made Kraugel feel baffled.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    A heavy rain of energy des poured down from the sky. Kraugel used his power to avoid it and eventually regained hisposure. He was truly a genius who adapted to the speed and trajectory of the energy des.


    Shortly afterwards, the heavy rain of energy des stopped.


    ¡®The duration of the skill is over.¡¯


    Kraugel determined and jump up towards Grid. A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°Fake.¡±


    Peeng!


    The duration of Transcend was 30 seconds. There was still five seconds remaining. Grid once again fired energy des at Kraugel. Unlike the ground, there was a limit to moving in the air, so Grid believed that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the attack. However, Kraugel changed the trajectory of his body using the back of White Fang. It wasn¡¯t like Grid¡¯s flying magic, but he seemed like he was flying through the sky.


    ¡®Dodge it!¡¯


    Grid felt shocked.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Kraugel moved through the air and reached Grid, swinging White Fang.


    Seokeok!


    Grid¡¯s chest was badly cut. Kraugel heard Grid speak the moment he was able to link the next attack.


    ¡°The third mistake...¡±


    God Hands.


    He reproduced his hands, but so far he only used it for Magic Missile or wielding weapons. Indeed, it was the worst mistake.


    Deopsseok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kraugel got goosebumps. The swordsmanship was pathetic, but the four golden hands had far superior movement speed. They flew over and held onto his wrists and ankles. He was easily caught by the hands. Kraugel tried to quickly remove them, but a gap was shown.


    Grid didn¡¯t miss that gap.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    ¡°Super Sensitivity!¡±


    [The cooldown time of Super Sensitivity still isn¡¯t over.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    Just as the excellent use of skills was recognized as part of one¡¯s abilities, making use of good items was also a part of their abilities. Grid climbed the cliff persistently, despite being frustrated by his poor talent.


    He defeated the ¡®sky above the sky¡¯ that even famous rankers couldn¡¯t reach. The Overgeared members, who btedly arrived, witnessed the scene and couldn¡¯t close their mouths. On the other hand, Lord¡¯s eyes were shining like jewels as he was held in Ruby¡¯s arms.


    Lord Steim. It was the moment when the perception that ¡®Father is the best¡¯ was stamped on the future absolute power.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [The durability of the White Clouds Clothing (Unique) has decreased by 15.]


    [The durability of the White Clouds Footwear (Unique) has decreased by 21. There is a risk of damage.]


    [The durability of the White Fang (Legendary) has decreased by 9.]


    [You won¡¯t die in sparring mode. Your health has fallen to the minimum, so sparring mode is finished!]


    Kraugel had been reigning at the top since Satisfy opened. He was praised for being the sky above the sky.


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    It was just after he fought Piaro and he had many disadvantages, so was this the cause of his defeat? It was flimsy.


    ¡®I lost to his efforts.¡¯


    There were no excuses. If he made excuses every time he tasted frustration, the present Kraugel wouldn¡¯t have existed.


    <i>Shaaaaaah</i>-


    Was it mourning for the broken sky? Dark clouds formed in the blue sky and rain poured down.


    ¡°Ku...ock!¡±


    Kraugel exchanged looks with Grid as blood flowed from his body. He was about to fall when Grid caught up.


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die if you fall from this height.¡±


    Grid used more strength while bluntly speaking. He was tired, so it was difficult to control his body. Kraugelughed as his head rested on Grid¡¯s neck.


    "I¡¯m thankful that you saved my life.¡±


    "Of course. You would¡¯ve lost your experience if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡±


    "...Yes, thanks to you, I¡¯m able to keep my number one ranking.¡±


    "Protect that position until I take it from you.¡±


    "It means I will have to y the game for 100 years.¡±


    "...It won¡¯t take that long.¡±


    After decreasing his body fat through constant exercise, Grid showed off his good frame, as well as his thick eyebrows and high nose. Once he entered histe 20¡¯s, he was able to look more mature and gave off a manly charm.


    On the other hand, Kraugel was a man with a neutral type of charm. He was beautiful with stubborn eyes, fine skin, red legs, and well styled ck hair. The two men leaning against each other whilending on the ground gave women a strange stimulus.


    ¡®It¡¯s to the extent that I feel jealous.¡¯


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡®Now I am being pushed by a man.¡¯


    Yura was frustrated.


    ¡®I would rather see Oppa with a man rather than a woman...¡¯


    Ruby had dangerous thoughts.


    The two men, Grid and Kraugel, descended safely and stared at each other for a moment, while they were watched by the Overgeared members.


    ¡®Can I win if we fight again?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to turn him into an enemy.¡¯


    Grid felt awe towards Kraugel. The jealousy caused by an inferiorityplex waspletely erased. Was it the leisure of a winner? It wasn¡¯t such a simple concept. This was pure respect. He was driven to the defensive by Kraugel, who had a normal ss. Grid was d to meet him.


    Kraugel also had simr feelings to Grid. Grid had the best talent, despite not inheriting talent from the heavens. Kraugel felt respect for Grid, who put in effort to ovee everything he had endured over the years.


    Kraugel asked, "How do you have time to grow despite your status, family, and colleagues?¡±


    Grid asked in return. ¡°Is it possible for a person to grow alone? I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    "...I think the concept of growth that I am talking about is different from your concept of growth. But, well, I understand.¡±


    Kraugel epted it and stood up. The rain stopped and the sun appeared again. A smile appeared on Kraugel¡¯s face.


    ¡°It looks good.¡±


    People crowded around the wounded Grid. They were the famous rankers belonging to Overgeared, baby Lord, Ruby, and Piaro. Dozens of people were only looking at Grid. Looking at their worried and proud eyes, Kraugel was able to see how much they cared about Grid.


    He wanted to be the best. So he had to get ahead of anyone. Alone, quickly.


    Grid became a new inspiration to Kraugel, who always isted himself.


    "I will see you again one day.¡±


    Then Grid caught up to Kraugel, who was trying to leave alone.


    "Stop by the smithy. I will repair your items.¡±


    "I don¡¯t want to owe more than this.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t you going to pay for the cost of the repairs? So it isn¡¯t a debt. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    "...¡±


    ***


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jishuka asked.


    How did the 1st ranked Kraugele to Reidan and how did he face Grid? Jishuka and the Overgeared members wondered about the situation.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Piaro exined honestly. The Overgeared members were filled with anticipation after finding out the whole story.


    ¡®Kraugel is a close brother to Piaro?¡¯


    ¡¯Hopefully this...¡¯


    ¡¯Is it possible for Kraugel to join Overgeared?¡¯


    If so, it was a jackpot. The power of Overgeared would jump by leaps and bounds.


    ***


    [+8 White Clouds Clothing]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 150/389 Defense: 317+168


    * Overall speed will increase by 5 + 1.5%.


    * Evasion rate will increase by 10 + 3%.


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +300, evasion +5%.


    -When 5 set items are equipped: Defense +600, evasion +12%.


    Clothing that the people of the East Continent enjoy.


    The appearance is in, but its functionality isn¡¯t.


    The blue leopard¡¯s fur woven into the silk material gives it excellent defense and durability.


    Weight: 411


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. White Swordsman, saurabi, spiritualist, daoist, etc.


    [+8 White Clouds Gloves]


    Rating: Unique (Set)


    Durability: 11/190 Defense: 53+36


    * There is a low chance of activating 3 Joint Attacks.


    * Attack speed will increase by 4 + 1%


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +100, evasion +5%.


    -When 5 set items are equipped: Defense +250, evasion +12%.


    ...


    ...


    [+9 White Clouds Footwear]


    Durability: 25/210 Defense: 120+62


    * There is a 5~15% reduction in skill cooldown time.


    * The effect of movement skills will increase by 10 + 4%.


    ...


    ...


    The smithy. Grid was convinced when looking at Kraugel¡¯s equipment.


    ¡¯Saurabi, spiritualist, daoist... Just like this continent mimics the culture of the west, the East Continent must be based on oriental culture.¡¯


    The appearance of the clothing was very simr to those worn in the Joseon Dynasty.


    Also.


    ¡®It¡¯s like Pagma¡¯s attire.¡¯


    It might be the case. No, there was a high probability that he needed to visit the East Continent. But how? As Grid yed Satisfy, he constantly heard talk about the East Continent. Even the exnation of Piaro¡¯s Supreme Swordsmanship mentioned the East Continent.


    Grid learned something in the process. In order to reach the East Continent, he had to cross the Dead Sea. Beyond the Dead Sea? It was impossible to enter the East Continent.


    ¡®How was Kraugel able to enter the East Continent?¡¯


    Grid was curious. He wanted to ask Kraugel about this. But he didn¡¯t open his mouth. What did Kraugel have to do to reach the East Continent? Grid didn¡¯t want to be the impertinent person who asked for such high value information. This was also his pride.


    Grid repressed his curiosity and asked, ¡°The set item effect? Take out the other two. I will repair the whole set.¡±


    ¡°This is all.¡±


    "...Do you mean you were only wearing three pieces of armor when fighting me?¡±


    In fact, it was two pieces. He didn¡¯t wear the gloves. However, Kraugel didn¡¯t give a lengthy exnation. It was just the excuses of a loser.


    "It was the same when fighting Brother Piaro.¡±


    ¡°...You are great.¡±


    Grid started to repair the White Clouds clothing, shoes and gloves. As a legendary cksmith, Grid could produce cloth-type armor with good quality, so repairing them wasn¡¯t difficult. Kraugel watched Grid and admired his dexterity, then he handed over White Fang.


    ¡°Can you repair this as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid repaired the armor and grabbed White Fang. Then he became thrilled.


    ¡®Truly great.¡¯


    [+9 White Fang]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 170/409 Attack Power: 915+486


    * Attack speed will increase by 7 + 2%.


    * Skill damage will increase by 10 + 5%.


    * Ignores 20 + 10% of the target¡¯s defense.


    * After seeding in threebos, further damage will be dealt in the form of cutting damage.


    The favorite weapon of one of the 33 great demons, Drasion.


    Weight: 887


    User Restriction: Level 310 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery level 5 or higher.


    ¡®There was a reason to be scared. How did he get this to +9...? He must¡¯ve spent a lot of money.¡¯


    The probability of enhancing legendary equipment was the worst. Grid had a passive skill that increased enhancement rate, but even he had to pour a huge amount of money into enhancing Failure to +9.


    It was impossible to gauge how much money Kraugel would¡¯ve spent in enhancing White Fang.


    ¡®Anyway, its performance is great.¡¯


    White Fang. As a great demon¡¯s weapon, it was a very excellent weapon.


    The options were somewhatcking, but that wasn¡¯t a disadvantage. The few options meant that the basic attack power was unique. It wasparable to Failure, despite being a one-handed sword.


    Grid was admiring it when he felt doubts.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too weak for a weapon used by a great demon? The level limit is too low.¡¯


    The material was strange. The color was reminiscent of mithril at first nce, but its hardiness was several times better than mithril.


    ¡®A metal that even a legendary cksmith can¡¯t recognize...¡¯


    It was likely to be a mineral that could only be collected from hell, like the blood stones.


    ¡®If I know the exact material, my proficiency in the cksmithing skills will greatly increase...¡¯


    Grid thought for a moment and opened his mouth.


    "Maybe. It¡¯s possible that I can draw out the true power of this sword.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Draw out the true power of the sword? Kraugel didn¡¯t know about the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill, so he couldn¡¯t understand the concept. Grid made a suggestion to the puzzled Kraugel.


    "If I was to upgrade the performance of this sword, could you help me with one thing in return?¡±


    Games. In particr, items were especially important in MMORPGs. It was an unchanging truth that the 1st ranked Kraugel was well aware of. Therefore, he spent a lot of money on enhancing his equipment.


    That¡¯s right. The reason that Kraugel didn¡¯t have the full armor set was the limitation of the the white swordsman ss. In this situation a legendary cksmith was offering an item upgrade. It was an irresistible temptation.


    "I am willing to ept the deal. However, I will pay the value of the upgrade if you make a ridiculous demand.¡±


    "Okay.¡±


    Grid used a skill with a happy face.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has been used.]


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in White Fang!]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in White Fang!]


    [The information about White Fang has been updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [+9 True White Fang]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 170/609 Attack Power: 1,015 + 539.


    * Attack speed will increase by 10 + 3%.


    * Skill damage will increase by 15 + 7%.


    * Ignores 25 + 15% of the target¡¯s defense.


    * shing attacks will add an additional 20 + 10% damage.


    * After seeding in threebos, further damage will be dealt in the form of cutting damage.


    * The skill ¡®Heart Selection¡¯ will be generated.


    * The curse ¡®Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze¡¯ will be applied.


    It was produced by smelting the fang of the evil dragon Bunhelier, giving it the ultimate power. But it contains a curse. The owner will be followed by Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze.


    The great demon Drasion sealed a portion of the sword¡¯s power to avoid this gaze, but the legendary cksmith Grid released the seal.


    Weight: 887


    [Heart Selection]


    Passive.


    When striking at the target¡¯s heart (including both normal and skill attacks), there is a normal chance that double the damage will be dealt. There is also a low chance of instantly killing the opponent.


    Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.


    [Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze]


    Curse.


    The evil dragon Bunhelier is always watching over you.


    You might be attacked on a day when Bunhelier is feeling grumpy.


    Skill Activation Condition: random.


    [Information about ¡®Bunhelier¡¯s Fang¡¯ used to make the item has been obtained!]


    [The skill proficiency of (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has increased by 10%.]


    ¡®Amazing...!¡¯


    There was a persistent problem with legendary skills. Was it the long cooldown time and resource consumption? No, that was a secondary issue. It was basically very difficult to raise the level.


    It was the same for the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill. Grid had be Pagma¡¯s Descendant three years ago in Satisfy time. He invested a considerable amount of time and effort into making items, but was only able to raise the level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill to seven.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. After reaching level seven, his skill proficiency only increased by 1% when making unique items. But now, he gained 10% experience just from learning about a new mineral


    It was a dragon material. Grid felt like everything paid off.


    ¡®Moreover, the results of the White Fang appraisal are also good.¡¯


    The attack power and durability increased by 100 and 200 respectively, and an additional option was added. Grid was thrilled with the performance, as he got some idea of what Iyarugt would be like if it grew to the legendary level.


    In particr, the skill Heart Selection would have a great synergy with Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s godly control skills meant he could freely take advantage of Heart Selection. But there was one thing Grid couldn¡¯t ept.


    ¡®A cursed item?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face stiffened as he read the item description until the end. It was good that White Fang¡¯s performance was enhanced. But a curse? It was the worst curse, to be surveilled and attacked by a dragon!


    ¡®...Crazy.¡¯


    It seemed like he had done something wrong. After the spar with Kraugel. Grid wanted to do a favor for him, but it turned out to be poison.


    Gulp.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    Kraugel had an ominous feeling after seeing Grid¡¯s color drain away and snatched White Fang. Then he stood like a petrified statue after checking the item information.


    "...¡±


    An awkward atmosphere flowed.


    Grid and Kraugel. The two men both remained silent. Grid was the one to break the ufortable silence first.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I am ashamed.¡±


    Grid was no longer shameless. He acknowledged his own mistakes and was ready to take responsibility for them. This was because he had to maintain his honor as Lord of Reidan, leader of Overgeared and father of Lord.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. It wasn¡¯t maliciously done. Give me time and I will return the item to its original state.¡±


    Grid apologized again. Kraugel looked at White Fang quietly and spoke in a trembling voice.


    ¡°...Amazing.¡±


    ¡°Eh... Huh?¡±


    "Seeing the hidden abilities of an item and drawing them out, you truly are a legendary cksmith. Among the two billion users, you¡¯re the only one who can do this. It is truly amazing.¡±


    Kraugel expressed his admiration. The peak of two billion users, how many users were able to impress the 1st ranked Kraugel? It would be enough to be counted on 10 fingers. Grid¡¯s ability was unique and great.


    Hwik.


    Hwiik.


    Kraugel wielded White Fang a few times and spoke to Grid.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was stunned. Kraugel¡¯s reaction waspletely different from his expectations, making him confused. Kraugel shrugged at the puzzled Grid.


    ¡°Thanks to you, I can now own the best item.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Kraugel was sincerely happy. The True White Fang¡¯s performance was enhanced. In particr, he was inspired by the Heart Selection skill.


    ¡®I will be two, no three times stronger than before.¡¯


    Kraugel was confident that the Heart Selection skill would be his greatest weapon in the future. Striking the target¡¯s heart? It was easy for him, since he hadplete control over his movements.


    Grid carefully asked the delighted Kraugel.


    ¡°That... Is it okay? There¡¯s a curse.¡±


    Kraugelughed.


    "Ah, you were worried. You don¡¯t have to worry about Bunhelier. I remember a verse from the folk song of the Trempet people, stating that ¡®Evil dragon, a hero sealed it 500 years ago.¡¯ It is highly unlikely that Bunhelier will appear at this time.¡±


    ¡®Where is Trempet?¡¯


    While ordinary users yed the game by exploring Satisfy, Grid was a unique case who stayed in the Eternal Kingdom. In other words, he didn¡¯t know the names of rural areas.


    ¡®And a verse from a folk song?¡¯


    Grid was insufficient in this regard. He yed Satisfy and often missed minor parts. Kraugel was the opposite. His senses were sharp and he was cautious about everything, so he didn¡¯t miss anything trivial. The evidence was that he remembered the folk song of a remote vige in a small kingdom called Trempet.


    ¡°So, what is the price I have to pay?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t able to easily speak the price for repairing the True White Fang. The thing he most wanted was to obtain Kraugel. Of course, it was to join Overgeared. But Grid couldn¡¯t readily say this.


    Wasn¡¯t the reason why Kraugel was always alone, despite being ranked 1st for the past several years, because he wanted to do it himself? Grid had to take into consideration Kraugel¡¯s tendency to dislike belonging to groups. It was proof that he grew.


    Grid thought about it for a while before opening his mouth.


    "Tell me how to get to the East Continent.¡¯


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s mind became lighter. He had inflicted damage to the territory in his spar with Piaro. Grid had protected his experience. White Fang received an upgrade. He was thankful for the help, so he could relieve his burden by telling Grid the way to get to the East Continent.


    The value of this information was great. It was information that could only bepleted if knowledge and information gathered around the continent for at least one year were aligned like puzzle pieces.


    ¡°There is an archipgo in the sea south of the Sea Kingdom Media called Benhen. It is an archipgo made up of a total of 66 small inds.¡±


    Grid listened closely.


    Kraugel sent him a provocative look.


    "There is a sage present somewhere called Sticks. If you find him, you will be able to move to the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°If I can find him? Are you saying that he¡¯s hiding in a ce that is hard to find?¡±


    ¡°The Behen Archipgo is a very dangerous ce. You have to cross 66 inds one after another. A few high rankers became frustrated and couldn¡¯t even pass the 10th ind. And Sticks usually lives on the 25~29th inds."


    "Media... Behen... Sticks...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t forget to take notes of the information obtained. Kraugel was shaking with excitement as he watched Grid.


    ¡®What ind can he reach?¡¯


    Even Kraugel reached his limit at the 30th ind. This ind was believed to be the limit of the current users. But Grid was the one who beat him. Maybe he would be able to get something bigger from Sticks?


    ¡®I am looking forward to it.¡¯


    A person ridiculed as a dull-witted. Kraugel hoped that despite all the trials, despair and frustration, Grid would grow up and inspire Kraugel to grow. It was the true wish of Kraugel, who gained a precious rival.


    ***


    ¡°Why is it so bustling?¡±


    Grid fully repaired Kraugel¡¯s items. He was confused as he left the smithy with Kraugel. Jishuka, Lauel, Regas, Pon, Vantner, and the other members of Overgeared were all gathered in front of the smithy.


    Their eyes were staring at Kraugel. They were hoping that Kraugel would join Overgeared.


    ¡°Eh, um...¡±


    Grid was perplexed. As leader of Overgeared, he had failed to meet their expectations. Grid felt guilty and turned towards Kraugel.


    ¡°How is it? Do you want to have a meal with us?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Just as Grid¡¯s liking towards Kraugel increased after the spar, Kraugel also liked Grid as well. He personally wanted to be friends with Grid. He believed that both of them could help each other.


    However, he was burdened by the attitude of the Overgeared members. Kraugel slowly opened his mouth as he watched the Overgeared members, who were saying ¡®be our friend¡¯ with their eyes.


    ¡°My mother suddenly called, so I should go. Log out.¡±


    Suruk.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The peak of two billion users. The sky above the sky. The best. The absolute leader of the rankings, who monopolized all types of titles, Kraugel.


    Was he an elementary school student, to use his mother as an excuse to log out? It was a rather childish appearance. Grid and the Overgeared members thought it was absurd.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355


    After a few minutes of silence.


    Vantner stared at the spot where Kraugel logged out.


    ¡°We should stay here until Kraugel logs in again.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea? Once he logs in, we will immediately kidnap him.¡±


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll make him a ve of Overgeared!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! The 1st ranked user will join Overgeared!¡±


    The members of Overgeared made a n. Grid frowned at them and said, ¡°Cut it out. Don¡¯t force it.¡±


    Jishuka was surprised.


    "You want to miss out on the chance to get the best power?¡±


    Grid was the embodiment of greed. Considering Grid¡¯s usual tendencies, he should be obsessed with obtaining Kraugel. She couldn¡¯t help feeling curious.


    ¡®Does he personally not like Kraugel?¡¯


    Grid spoke to the questioning Overgeared members.


    "We can¡¯t get colleagues by force, right?¡±


    Of course, there were those who were baited by Overgeared. For example, Lauel. But Lauel and Kraugel were different. Lauel was a person who became fascinated with the power of items when he was looking for power, while Kraugel was a person who disliked belonging to a group.


    If they forced him to join, would he really be born again as a truepanion?


    ¡°And I already have the best colleagues. All of you. So don¡¯t cling to Kraugel.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a pretense at all. Grid believed that he could aplish any goal with his current colleagues. He didn¡¯t feel great regret towards Kraugel. Grid had a separate role that he wanted for Kraugel.


    ¡®Kraugel.¡¯


    Go your own way. Be sure to be a sword saint. Then on the day they met again.


    ¡®Make me grow stronger.¡¯


    Grid had learned a lot in the spar with Kraugel. How to avoid non-targeted skills, how to deal with targeted skills, how to use mana and physical strength, how to use items and skills, how to use the terrain and so on. Every one of Kraugel¡¯s judgments and movements were deeply engraved in his heart.


    ¡¯Of course, I can¡¯t be like Kraugel right away.¡¯


    Grid believed it. If he keep trying and trying, one day he would be able to fight a better match against Kraugel.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was conscious of Kraugel as his rival. A stupid person having a rivalry with the best genius? Some people mightugh. But Grid didn¡¯t doubt his eligibility. It was because he had a high pride as the unique being who broke the sky above the sky. It was a pride unmatched by the arrogance that had been used to cover up his deficiency.


    ***


    Jishuka returned to the castle with Grid and asked.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call us when Prince Ren¡¯s army tried to invade Reidan? Do you know how absurd it was when I had to hear from the news that our territory was invaded by the enemy?¡±


    "You were working hard hunting the vampires, so I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. In the first ce, it was possible to resolve it with Lauel alone.¡±


    "You should call us if there is an incident! What if you were in danger?¡±


    "...¡±


    In the past, Grid would¡¯ve responded casually, saying ¡®If I was, I would summon a knight.¡¯ But now Grid was different. He realized why Jishuka was angry and apologized.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry the actions that I chose made you dissatisfied."


    It wasn¡¯t because he thought they were useless, or because he didn¡¯t think of them as colleagues. It was pure goodwill. Grid apologized with gentle eyes and Jishuka couldn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡®It is bing harder to deal with him.¡¯


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t help being conscious of Grid. Grid had a weak and stupid side, so sometimes he felt young. That wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Since bing a father, Grid had been changing rapidly. He felt a strong sense of responsibility and his deficiencies were being erased one by one.


    Jishuka liked this appearance even more.


    ¡®He will be great by the time he reaches 30 years old.¡¯


    She wanted to see the mature Grid. As Jishuka felt mesmerized, Lauel approached Grid. Then he randomly apologized.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What is it all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Actually...¡±


    Lauel honestly confessed.


    ¡°When I saw you on the battlefield a while ago, I thought you were stillcking. But this time, I realized that my eyes were wrong. You won against Kraugel, the sky above the sky. In the future, I won¡¯t doubt your skills again.¡±


    After the 1st National Competition, Lauel had been with Grid for more than 10 months in real time. So far, Lauel had never looked at Grid with ¡®envy¡¯ or ¡®respect.¡¯ But now it was different. The emotions in Lauel¡¯s eyes deepened.


    "I, Lauel, will stop following you just for your items. In the future, I will serve you will an honest and pure mind. This is the true oath of my soul that will prate the past and present.¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members got goosebumps at Lauel¡¯s words. Their hands and feet shrunk and they couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Huroi was the only one thrilled by Lauel¡¯s oath.


    ***


    Going back in time, to when Grid had justpleted the Elfin Stone raid.


    ¡º A non-NPC yer was elected as the pope! In addition! A Japanese person! ¡»


    Japan was overturned.


    Damian. An exceptional person who rose to the 2nd ranked pdin, despite being a pdin of the Reba Church. One day, he suddenly disappeared from the rankings list, so there was a rumor that he¡¯d obtained a hidden ss. And he was an otaku.


    One of Japan¡¯s best Satisfy yers was elected as pope of the Reba Church. The Japanese were filled with joy. They weren¡¯t able to win a medal at the 1st Satisfy National Competition, but Japan cheered at the birth of a savior.


    ¡º Damian! Congrattions on being elected pope! The Japanese people are very proud! ¡»


    ¡º Thank you. ¡»


    ¡º How hard was it for you to be a pope? The whole nation wants to know. What how did you ovee the trials and adversities to achieve something so great? ¡»


    The power of the pope of the Reba Church was absolute. Even the kings of a few kingdoms had to bow to the pope. This was why the Japanese had high hopes. Damian would develop a lot of policies favouring the Japanese users, making a great contribution to Satisfy¡¯s development in Japan.


    This changed once Damian started the interviews with various media outlets.


    ¡º I only became the pope thanks to Grid. ¡»


    ¡º The legendary cksmith Grid? There was a big battle with Grid and the Red Knight on the day of the pope candidate speeches. Was this how he helped Damian? ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t just that. From beginning to end, I could only be pope thanks to Grid¡¯s help. ¡»


    Grid¡¯s poprity was steadily rising.


    In particr, since the release of the white-haired version of Grid, arge fandom had formed in Japan. It was enough to make him the protagonist of the 5th Korean wave. But as always, the Korean wave was a story that applied only to a small number of people.


    Most of the Japanese people didn¡¯t care about the Korean wave. In such a situation, the Japanese hero Damian praised Grid exclusively, causing resentment. Grid was one of the main people who frustrated Japan in the National Competition, causing a bacsh among the extreme right-wing people.


    ¡°Why is Damian attributing all his achievements towards Grid?¡±


    "Doesn¡¯t he know how much Japan suffered because of Grid?¡±


    "Grid is our nemesis! Not only did he destroy the Japanese rankers in the National Competition, he was also involved when the Sakura Guild attacked the Silver Knights Guild in the past!¡±


    ¡°What? Grid ispletely the worst! Damian, why is he praising that bastard? Is he a Zainichi (A Japanese word referring to Koreans who live in Japan)?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible! It makes no sense that a pure blood Japanese would be a traitor!¡±


    The Japanese felt public outrage.


    ¡®Damian is a Zainichi¡¯ appeared on various SNS. A rumor that he ¡®wanted to improve the image of Korea in Japan¡¯ started to spread. It was the dirty masterpiece of the Japanese extreme right-wing forces.


    But Damian didn¡¯t care. He had always been mocked for being an otaku, so such usations were familiar to him.


    ¡º Rumors are raging about whether Damian is Korean or not. What do you think about this? ¡»


    ¡º I am a pure blood Japanese. ¡»


    ¡º However, Damian tends to portray Korea in a good manner by mentioning Grid in all interviews. There are many people who are questioning your intentions. ¡»


    ¡º I have never portrayed Korea in a good manner. I just thanked Grid, and it was misinterpreted by some people. ¡»


    ¡º In any case, it¡¯s true that Damian¡¯s image isn¡¯t good for our country. In order to change your image and remove suspicions, why don¡¯t you build a Reba Temple in the territories ruled by the Japanese? ¡»


    ¡º Strict conditions must be met in order to build a Reba Temple in certain areas. A temple can¡¯t be built just because we belong to the same country. ¡»


    ¡º Then... Damian, do you have no intention of helping Japan after bing pope? ¡»


    ¡º Of course. What does being pope have to do with Japan? As a pope, I must always be neutral. ¡»


    ¡º ...I see. Then can I ask about your first official n of action as pope? ¡»


    ¡º It is to build a temple of Goddess Reba in Reidan. ¡»


    ¡º No, didn¡¯t you say that strict conditions had to be met to build a temple? Reidan¡¯s current poption is only 20,000, so doesn¡¯t it fail to meet the conditions? You said you are neutral, but aren¡¯t you tantly favoring Grid? ¡»


    Fuji TV. It was one of Japanese¡¯s leading right-wing media outlet, with the announcer representing the extreme right-wing people. He conducted an interview with a very negative view on Damian¡¯s behavior.


    If Damian was amon person, he would¡¯ve been afraid of the influence and retaliation of the extreme right wing forces. But Damian was an otaku. An otaku¡¯s firm belief wasn¡¯t easy to bend.


    ¡º I¡¯m not showing favoritism to Grid, but repaying his grace. Grid is the person who saved me and the Reba Church! Goddess Reba has given me a divine message to repay his grace! Praise God Grid!! ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    ¡°Crazy bastard!¡±


    The Japanese extreme right wing forces were furious. The Japanese had gained great power, but that person wouldn¡¯t help his own people, or convince the Koreans to help him. They started thinking up a terrible n.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356


    What was the terrible n that the Japanese right wing forces set up?


    "We will kill Damian. Let¡¯s show him the taste of fear and despair, so that he won¡¯t talk about Grid again.¡±


    "We will tame him and use him to thoroughly strengthen the forces of the Japanese guilds.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s support the rankers who will participate in the next National Competition. If there are 10 Reba healers per ranker, who would be able to beat them in the National Competition?¡±


    That¡¯s right. In the name of patriotism, they were trying to use force to dominate someone else¡¯s life. It was aplete human rights vition and a terrifying idea.


    ¡®I want to step on Grid.¡¯


    That thought was on their minds. The right wing Japanese forces had no intention of touching Grid. The Seven Guilds didn¡¯t have the power to threaten Grid, so they couldn¡¯t even if they wanted to.


    They were weak to the strong, and strong against the weak. Just like the mass protests against Korean and the small anti-Chinese protests, the Japanese extreme right wing forces chose the path they believed was wise.


    Grid was the fundamental problem, but they turned away from him and aimed the arrow at the rtively weaker Damian. But they overlooked one thing.


    Damian was never weak. He might¡¯ve been acting as an informal ranker for nearly a year, but he was originally a high ranker. He was also the first person to obtain a unique hidden ss. Now he had be the pope.


    He was definitely one of the strongest people. However, whenpared to Grid...


    ***


    Lauel was always interested in international affairs.


    Collecting a wide range of information while ying Satisfy was a basic skill, and knowing the issues of each country was a great help when it came to gathering information.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was early in the morning. Prior to essing Satisfy, Lauel was looking at the overseas topics and was baffled when looking at the news from Japan.


    [Pope Damian! He announced that he would build a Goddess Reba temple in Reidan!!]


    ¡°This person...!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expression twisted. Didn¡¯t he advise him several times that the cooperative rtionship between Overgeared and the Reba Church should proceed discreetly?


    In fact, during Damian¡¯s campaign, Grid and Huroi had acted as carefully as possible. They tried to help Damian¡¯s campaign while avoiding people¡¯s attention. On the day of the pope speech candidates, they identally appeared on air, but there was no doubt that they were trying their best.


    Now Damian was turning all their hard work to naught.


    "Stop worshipping Grid!¡±


    The more influential religions were, the less biased they should be. They had to maintain a neutral position and treat everyone equally. It was because certain powers might collude with others to weaken the power of the religion.


    Lauel immediately connected to Satisfy and whispered to Damian.


    -Why are you ignoring my advice?How many times have I told you that you must keep your help towards Grid and Overgeared a secret?


    -It couldn¡¯t be helped.It¡¯s hard to maintain a neutral position forever because I¡¯m receiving too much pressure inside and outside of the game.I had to make a choice.


    -Inside the game?Apart from the Japanese extreme right wing groups, there is another force putting pressure on you?


    -Yes, the Saharan Empire is trying to take the Reba Church as a state religion.


    Lauel¡¯s expression stiffened.


    The Saharan Empire, based on a nationalist ideology, was trying to make thergest religion on the continent its state religion? The aftermath would be enormous. It would be prohibited to serve Goddess Reba unless they were part of the empire.


    The Saharan Empire was already the greatest power. There were a total of 17 nations on the continent, but it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that all of them were under the rule of the empire.


    ¡®The Saharan Empire...¡¯


    They grew arrogant, as there were no enemies in the world.


    ¡®If I was going to hand the Reba Church over to you, I wouldn¡¯t have made Damian the pope.¡¯


    The cynical Lauelid out a map of the West Continent. Then he examined several kingdoms that bordered the Saharan Empire.


    ***


    Thorny Vine Forest.


    It was one of the roads connected Reidan and the Saharan Empire, and was the ce where the legend of Faker, the god of death, began.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this where the Ice Flower Guild was wiped out by Faker?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that ridiculous rumour? The Ice Flower Guild is one of the strongest guilds, and part of the Seven Guilds. How could they be wiped out by Faker?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Bondre alone would be able to take care of Faker.¡±


    ¡°Grid just spread an exaggerated rumor in order to increase the reputation of Overgeared. It¡¯s just a bluff.¡±


    Japan¡¯s leading right wing guild, the 180 yers of Sakura, were hiding in the forest. Their goal was Damian. Their first task was to kidnap and detain the traitor who was heading for Reidan.


    "We can wait around here. We¡¯ll make that traitor pay for betraying his country.¡±


    ¡°Building a temple in Grid¡¯s damn territory, he must be a Zainichi.¡±


    "Whoa whoa, suppress your killing intent. We can¡¯t kill the person who will be our puppet.¡±


    The Sakura Guild members gritted their teeth. After a while, they witnessed a long procession entering the forest.


    "Happy-chan~ isn¡¯t it difficult? Do you want me to do it?¡±


    "Your Holiness, please maintain your dignity.¡±


    "I don¡¯t care about my dignity if it means ignoring girls who are having a hard time.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Now~ Happy-chan,e on. Yes? Are you shy? You arepletely cute. I want to pat your head like this.¡±


    "Kyaaak! Your Holiness! Don¡¯t use too much strength!¡±


    The Sakura Guild members frowned. Pope Damian was part of a procession with 200 young girls? They heard he was an otaku, but they didn¡¯t know he was a lolicon as well.


    "He¡¯s enjoying this world properly after bing pope.¡±


    "Bringing his harem girls on a journey...!¡±


    "Is he the emperor of the Lorije Empire?¡±


    Kkirik!


    Yoshimura, the master of the Sakura Guild, pulled back his bowstring. The bow of the person who was once the 2nd ranked archer was aimed exactly at Damian¡¯s heart.


    ¡°First, eat this!¡±


    Piing.


    A quick shot was fired. Yoshimura might¡¯ve fallen to 4th ce on the archer rankings, but it was rare to see someone with such a good bow skill in the world. The arrow quickly broke through the gap in thorns and precisely struck at Damian¡¯s heart...


    ¡°...This is?¡±


    Yoshimura was astonished. The 200 beautiful girls in white clothing who were following Damian. The young girls aged from 10 to 15 years old instantly brought out spears, swords, and shields, and blocked Yoshimura¡¯s arrow?


    ¡®Reading the arrow¡¯s position and even blocking it? An arrow shot by Yoshimura?¡¯


    ¡®These kids are freely swinging a de bigger than their bodies?¡¯


    ¡®The speed at which they take their formation is like well-trained soldiers!¡¯


    The Sakura Guild members couldn¡¯t believe the sight that was happening in front of them. They wondered how little girls could show such great talents and agile movements. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    "...¡±


    Deep in the quiet forest.


    The Sakura members¡¯ mouths gaped open as they hid, while the beautiful girls looked around the forest while holding weapons. Damian stood in the center and gave a meaningful smile.


    "Trying to fight the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates, how foolish.¡±


    The eyes of the Sakura Guild members shook.


    ¡¯Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates!¡¯


    The Reba Church only chose girls who were born with divine ability and talents, secretly training them to be the strongest pdins who could handle the three divine artifacts. And the name of the strongest pdins were called ¡®Reba¡¯s Daughters.¡¯


    These girls were the candidates?


    ¡¯Shit! Aren¡¯t the candidates secretly fostered in a secret temple of the Reba Church? Why are they apanying Damian?¡¯


    ¡®These young girls are unbelievably strong...!¡¯


    The confused Sakura Guild members were about to turn back after realizing the situation, when...


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Eyes.¡±


    Pahat!


    A golden light concentrated on Damian¡¯s fingertips and spread out all over the ce.


    [The pope receives Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing.]


    [Goddess Reba detects all living things within 300m of you. Undead and the demonkin will receive great damage.]


    ¡°There are exactly 180 people.¡±


    Damian¡¯s eyes sank coldly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want blood covering the fine hands of these girls. I will do it myself. Goddess¡¯ Blessing.¡±


    Pahat!


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    It was truly spectacr. More than 200 green lights streaked through the dark forest, falling from the sky and hitting Damian and the girls.


    [The Goddess¡¯ Blessing increases you and your party members¡¯ stats by 10% for 5 minutes, negates one strike and will create a shield that absorbs 8,000 damage.]


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The Sakura Guild watching Damian frowned. It was due to the intensity of the green light that wrapped around Damian and the girls that made them shine. Damian gazed towards the location where most of them were gathered.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath.¡±


    Chiiiiiing!


    Two huge magic circles, around 3m in diameter, were quickly created behind Damian¡¯s back.


    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯


    The Sakura Guild couldn¡¯t get a sense of Damian¡¯s actions. It was natural. Among the users, only Grid would recognize the pope¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Damian¡¯s deration was a signal.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It was like watching an anti-tank gun. Two huge rays were fired from the magic circles created behind Damian¡¯s back, moving in a straight line that swallowed everything in its path. Half of the forest was destroyed.


    [Party member Gigs has suffered 14,100 damage!]


    [Party member Kinji has suffered 15,500 damage!]


    [Party member Rokman has suffered 14,990 damage!]


    [Party member Yoshimura has suffered 12,100 damage!]


    [Party member Orochi has suffered 9,900 damage!]


    [Party member...]


    [Party...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    The faces of the Sakura Guild members turned white. It only took a few seconds to cast arge area skill that inflicted huge damage to dozens of guild members that were at least level 210? This was aplete scam!


    ¡°How...? How can a user be so strong? This is ridiculous! It¡¯s unbnced!¡±


    Damian justughed.


    "The pope¡¯s tenure is limited to one year, so shouldn¡¯t I be able to exercise this much power? Your level is just too low.¡±


    ¡°Eek! We would be able to win if you weren¡¯t the pope!¡±


    "I know that I¡¯m the pope, but you¡¯re stupid.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know a pope was so strong! Shit! Damn! If you were weak, we would be able to easily take care of you!¡±


    Truly unscrupulous guys. Damian sighed and pulled out a sword. Then he threw off his white clothing, revealing golden armor. ¡®I love Isabel-chan, Rin-chan and Luna-chan¡¯ was beautifully engraved on the armor.


    "I don¡¯t need to use the pope¡¯s power on you.¡±


    Teong!


    Damian rushed towards Yoshimura, the master of the Sakura Guild. Yoshimura calmly fired an arrow, despite being surprised at the pdin¡¯s speed. It was a strong blow, but the arrow was offset by the shield of light around Damian.


    "It¡¯s just this much.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Seokeok!


    Great skills.


    Damian showed a high level of swordsmanship that Yoshimura couldn¡¯t escape with his agility, leaving him wounded. It was far beyond the range that the Yoshimura Guild estimated for the first unique hidden ss and the pope.


    Damian might look silly because he was an otaku, but his ability was actually really great. However, whenpared with Grid...


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357


    All pdins had simr swordsmanship.


    Every time they wielded the sword, they poured their whole heart into it, making it close to the concept of breaking the target. Due to this, the orbit was simple, and when the attack failed, it inevitably revealed a gap.


    Yoshimura had a lot of experience and was aware of this fact. How could an archer with high agility struggle against a pdin? It was like that until now. For Yoshimura, pdins were merely solid targets. They wouldn¡¯t easily fall down, but they weren¡¯t a threat.


    Damian was the exception.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    Every time Damian wielded his sword, Yoshimura¡¯s body became covered in wounds. Yoshimura couldn¡¯t avoid his attacks.


    ¡°You..! How can a pdin use such splendid swordsmanship? Is it because you¡¯re a hidden ss and not a pdin anymore?¡±


    It was an incorrect guess. As Goddess¡¯ Agent, Damian was still a pdin. However, it was a unique ss. He was able to learn a higher Sword Mastery skill than general pdins, and that was the key to his high quality swordsmanship. Furthermore, Damian...


    ¡°I¡¯m a pdin. A pdin with the strongest master.¡±


    That¡¯s right.


    Damian was a person taught by Piaro. He grew by leaps and bounds when he was farming under Piaro. It was thanks to a clear enlightenment, as well as the quest reward for ¡®¡ï Hidden Quest¡ï Fun and Exciting Training!¡¯


    "Supreme Swordsmanship might be slower than other swordsmanship techniques and less varied, but it is the most excellent one.¡±


    "Why?"


    "A good sword might be controlled with strength, while an excellent sword is controlled by the mind and heart. It can elerate ording to the speed of the mind, while making many changes like the heart.¡±


    "...¡±


    As a pdin, Damian couldn¡¯t understand it. If this was reality, Damian wouldn¡¯t have felt anything from Piaro¡¯s teachings. But a game was different from reality.


    [You have received the teachings of the sword by Piaro and awakened!]


    [uracy is increased by 30% when wearing sword type weapons. This effect is applied separately from the Sword Mastery skill.]


    In other words, it was an additional reward for the hidden quest. Damian was well behaved and built up a great deal of favor during the hidden quest, and was able to gain great strength thanks to it.


    ¡°The strongest teacher? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know.¡±


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Yoshimura was deeply stabbed in the side and eventually sat down. Orochi saw this and ran over aggressively.


    ¡°How dare you do this to Master!?¡±


    The strongest person in the Sakura Guild, Orochi. He was the master of twin swordsmanship. He was particrly strong in PvP as a high ranking yer, capable of dazzling the target with his swordsmanship.


    But he wasn¡¯t Damian¡¯s opponent. Damian scoffed as he easily defended against Orochi¡¯s sword with a shield.


    ¡°Even Reidan¡¯s farmer who likes potatoes will yawn against you.¡±


    Reidan¡¯s farmer who likes potatoes?


    ¡®Who is that?¡¯


    Did he mean the legendary farmer who caused an uproar in the world by smashing Hurent and 2,000 troops in a short amount of time? Orochi felt doubts.


    Chaaeng!


    Damian pushed at Orochi using his shield and then stabbed his chest.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t my opponent. You should at least be a temporary farmer in order to deal with me. Oh, I am stillckingpared to him.¡±


    Temporary farmer?


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    "I also don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    From then on, a one-sided massacre took ce. The Sakura Guildcked a third advancement ss, so they were totally overwhelmed by Damian, who was over level 300. Damian¡¯s basic defense was high and his healing was fraudulent, so it was difficult to kill him.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Damian¡¯s endurance in battle was the best. The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates were also a problem. The Sakura Guild¡¯s hands and feet were tied up because they thoroughly assisted Damian.


    ¡°Shit! Shitt!¡±


    Once their colleagues started dying, the Sakura Guild members became angry.


    Yoshimura cried out, ¡°Why? Why are you helping a Korean person!?¡± (TL: Once again, a Japanese word meaning Korean person that has negative connotations)


    "Korean person? What an old-fashioned and racist remark. You should apologize.¡±


    ¡°What? You... Keook...!¡±


    Damian no longer continued the conversation. He knew that the opponents weren¡¯t worth talking with, so he just silently killed the Sakura Guild members.


    On this day.


    The Sakura Guild suffered big damage. All the guild members died and lost experience and some items. It was a huge loss, making them unable to do anything big for a while.


    ***


    Grid became certain of one thing after the spar with Kraugel. His goal of bing the best wasn¡¯t a fanciful dream.


    ¡®Geniuses... No, it¡¯s true that my talent is poopared to the general public.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t deny it, since it was a reality he¡¯d realized since his childhood.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Grid had a weapon that no one else had. It was the power of items. It wasn¡¯t the usual items, but the items which had copsed the sky above the sky.


    ¡®First, polish the weapons.¡¯


    In order to regr users to obtain items, they had to devote themselves to raids or hunting. However, Grid was different. As a legendary cksmith, he was able to produce ideal items directly.


    ¡®But it isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    There was a limit on the performance of items. It was virtually impossible to make a 10 billion damage weapon that could kill a target unconditionally, or to be invincible by making a 10 billion defense armor.


    ¡®It¡¯s about creating ideal items within the limits.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be done by staying in the smithy. Grid knew from experience. Then what did he have to do?


    "...¡±


    Reidan¡¯s smithy.


    Grid was locked in thought for a while.


    ¡°Expand my insights.¡±


    Would it be possible to build up his current skills if he was alone like Kraugel, even if he was a genius? It wasn¡¯t possible. Through repeated adventures, meeting new people and enemies, and learning and growing through them.


    ¡®I should do that.¡¯


    There was a ce that Grid decided to go.


    ¡®Behen Archipgo.¡¯


    It was made up of 66 inds. Even Kraugel had only managed to reach the 30th ind. By challenging it and experiencing new things, he could ovee his shorings and design more ideal items.


    The determined Grid moved to the castle.


    ***


    "Abu! Abuuuu!¡±


    "Wee back."


    Irene and Lord weed Grid. Irene¡¯s affectionate gaze and Lord¡¯s envious gaze were directed towards Grid.


    ¡®I want to make them happy for the rest of my life.¡¯


    Satisfy was different from reality. Enemies were everywhere and his precious people could be in danger at any time. In order topletely protect them, Grid wanted to be stronger. Grid summoned Lauel.


    "Did you call?"


    Lauel, who was buried in a pile of papers in his office, came running wildly. Grid was thankful for his diligence, despite always being tired.


    ¡°I¡¯m ipetent, so you¡¯re experiencing a lot of hardships by taking on everything.¡±


    "I wanted to do it. You don¡¯t have to worry. Continue to rely on me.¡±


    "Yes, I will believe in you and leave for a while.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to go to a ce called the Behen Archipgo. Please look after Reidan and my family while I¡¯m not here. Ah, can I also take some of the potions produced by the alchemy facility?¡¯


    ¡°Huh? Ah yes, of course.¡±


    Lauel was confused, but he didn¡¯t ponder over Grid¡¯s choices and actions. Grid had be more cautious since the spar with Kraugel, so Lauel thoroughly trusted him. After that, Grid made love to Irene, said goodbye to Lord, and left for the Media Kingdom.


    ¡°Aba! Abubu! Abu!¡±


    Lord held the ¡®Baby¡¯s Wooden Sword¡¯ in his hands and cried out as he looked at his father¡¯s distant back. But there was no one who could understand the baby¡¯s words. People thought that Lord was just saying goodbye to his father.


    However, the truth was different.


    A few dayster. After some suffering, the pope procession seeded in crossing the desert and finally arrived in Reidan. Damian¡¯s heart was overflowing with joy. He was happy because he could see Grid and Piaro, who had helped him a lot without ming him for being an otaku.


    But the touching reunion didn¡¯t ur easily.


    "A murderer like you can¡¯t enter the city!¡±


    The soldiers guarding Reidan¡¯s gates blocked Damian¡¯s way. It was unavoidable. Damian¡¯s name was bright red from killing the Sakura Guild.


    "No, I¡¯m the pope.¡±


    "Nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Why would the popemit such butchery?¡±


    ¡°A murderer is trying to lie! Disgraceful person! Get out now!¡±


    "...¡±


    After a while, Damian was able to enter Reidan due to Lauel. However, Grid wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    ***


    There were countless yers hoping to cross to the East Continent.


    There were those who wanted to get ahead of everyone else, those who aimed for a reversal in a newnd, etc. All types of people tried to reach the East Continent. The wealthy even invested an astronomical amount of money.


    However, most of them failed to reach the East Continent. They became stuck at the Dead Sea. Only a very small number of people seeded. Out of two billion users, less than 1,000 seeded in figuring out how to get to the East Continent.


    They were the people who grasped the existence of Sage Sticks by clearing a lot of linked quests. However, fewer than 10 people managed to cross to the Eastern Continent.


    Behen Archipgo. It was a difficult task to break through the 66 inds, which were like an instant dungeon.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    After a long journey, Grid arrived at the Behen Archipgo and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Was he nervous because he remembered Kraugel saying that even famous high rankers had been eliminated at the first ind?


    No. Grid was actually filled with confidence. The reason for his deep breathing was to stop himself from bing angry.


    "Now, shall I get started?"


    Grid readied himself and started to cross the bridge between the maind and the first ind. A notification window appeared at the end of the bridge.


    [Do you want to enter the instant dungeon ¡®Behen Archipgo¡¯?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The ¡®Behen Archipgo¡¯ is limited to one person and the escape method is unknown. Death is highly likely. Do you still want to enter?]


    ¡°Go.¡±


    At the same time. Grid¡¯s body was sucked into the gate.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since there was a challenger.¡±


    The hidden sage, Sticks. He gazed into his magic ball and saw a man with ck hair. Sticks examined him closely and didn¡¯t feel inspired.


    ¡°Anyway, he will be eliminated.¡±


    The first ind dropped the challenger¡¯s stamina to the limit. Faced with the terrible limit, they would cause their own self-destruction. Over the past few decades, most challengers lost their lives at the first ind.


    Sticks was sure that the same thing would happened to this ck-haired man. However, the result was different from what he expected.


    ¡°Heok! N-No, how...?¡±


    Sticks was shocked. He looked like he saw a ghost. It was natural. The first ind. The goal was to take advantage of the ind terrain to hold out against the monsters that appeared ¡®infinitely¡¯ for 20 minutes.


    They should reduce the area that the monsters could attack from by moving to the hignds or into narrow ces. It was amon strategy, but most people didn¡¯t survive for 20 minutes even if they knew the strategy. There was a limit to their stamina.


    However, the man with ck hair used an unconventional method. He cleared the first ind easily without using a strategy. After summoning four golden hands that each held a weapon, he waited for the monsters to appear and killed them. It was a method that destroyedmon sense, making even the sage Sticks embarrassed.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358


    [You have entered the first ind.]


    The first ind was much smaller than Grid expected. The area of one tenth of Yeouido Park. The structure was very simple. There were several rock piles, as well as white sand.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything?¡±


    Grid was looking around with confusion when he saw the notification window that popped up.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [First Ind]


    Survive for 20 minutes!


    First Clear Reward: 1 Challenger Point.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    ¡°Survive?¡±


    This ce was Behen Archipgo, where even high ranking users died. What terrible things would happen in the future that he needed to ¡®survive?¡¯ Ordinary people would be extremely nervous and uneasy.


    But Grid was the person who broke the sky above the sky. This created a high pride, and he wasn¡¯t easily upset. Grid was only focused on thepensation.


    ¡®Challenger points? Is it something that only applies to certain areas?¡¯


    Reputation was used as the currency in the Reputation Store.


    ¡®What can I buy with this?¡¯


    Grid was full of anticipation. He used Braham¡¯s Boots and looked over the ind from the sky. It was to grasp the situation before the mission started.


    ¡®Magic circle?¡¯


    There were fourrge magic circles engraved on the ind. What were they for? Another person would¡¯ve been able to grasp it more quickly, but Grid just had the intelligence of an ordinary person and only came up with an idea after a while.


    ¡®Are they ces where monsters are created?¡¯


    Since it stated that he had to survive for 20 minutes, it meant he would be threatened for 20 minutes. Grid guessed that monsters would pour out of the circles as soon as the survival mission started.


    But he wasn¡¯t fully convinced. It was to leave his mind flexible to cope with unexpected situations.


    ¡°I have to prepare.¡±


    There was a few minutes left until the start of the mission.


    In order to secure the minimum of safety and prevent himself from wasting mana, Gridnded on some rocks. He summoned the God Hands and gave them the strongest weapons, before moving them to the different magic circles.


    "Attack as soon as the enemy appears.¡±


    The four God Hands swung their weapons as if in reply to Grid¡¯smand. After a while.


    [The first ind¡¯s mission has begun.]


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. He was delighted that his expectations were correct. That¡¯s right. Monsters were created at the four magic circles.


    Kieeeek!


    Kyaack!


    The monsters that emerged from the magic circles were the creepy sellobu.


    ¡®It has been a long time.¡¯


    Sellobus. They were a spider type monster with low defense and stamina, but high attack power and speed. The sellobus were so fast that humans couldn¡¯t counter. They were ghastly monsters that ughtered yers all over the continent.


    ¡®Only level 200.¡¯


    Now Grid could destroy the sellobus in one blow. But the God Hands were different. The God Hands only had 30% of Grid¡¯s stats. In addition, his Sword Mastery was only beginner level 7. They had the most advanced weapons, but they couldn¡¯t stop the sellobus instantly. It took them an average of three to four hits.


    ¡®Too slow.¡¯


    The speed at which the sellobus were created was much faster than the speed of the God Hands¡¯ hunting. Their numbers started to get out of control and they shot poisonous liquid at Grid.


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    As expected of an offensive monster, their damage was wless. The cumtive damage was a burden on Grid.


    ¡¯It¡¯s a waste of experience, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link, to kill the sellobus around him, then pulled out his next method.


    ¡°Noe, Randy.¡±


    "Snack time! Nyang!¡±


    "Randy, Grid okay.¡±


    Noe and Randy, who was in the form of Grid, appeared. Grid ordered the two of them.


    ¡°Support the God Hands in the east and north. I will support the hands in the south and west.¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Noe replied energetically, moving his wings and heading east. On the other hand, Randy didn¡¯t know where the north was. However, he soon moved quickly when Grid pointed. Thanks to them joining, the east and north God Hands could quickly kill the sellobus.


    Grid also wasn¡¯t idle. He reached out his hands to the left and right and fired the Magic Missiles, assisting the God Hands that were suffering under the sellobus. From this point on, numerous notification windows appeared in front of Grid.


    [You have killed a sellobus.]


    [612,000 experience has been distributed.]


    [Your pet Noe has acquired 204,000 experience.]


    [Your pet Randy has acquired 204,000 experience.]


    [You have killed a sellobus.]


    [612,000 experience has been distributed.]


    [Your pet Noe...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Wow, this is a big hit."


    Grid was astonished. He killed almost four sellobus per second, so the speed of his experience gain was beyond imagination. It was around 10 times faster than the current best hunting ground, the vampire cities.


    This wasn¡¯t the end.


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has increased from beginner level 7 to beginner level 8.]


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has increased from beginner level 8 to beginner level 9.]


    The Sword Mastery of the God Hands grew at a tremendous rate as they wielded their swords without a break. Grid trembled with something that was beyond joy. As the Sword Mastery level of the God Hands increased, the speed of the sellobu hunting became even faster, causing an equivalent rise in the speed of acquiring experience. Now it was 20 times faster than when hunting in the vampire cities.


    [You have killed a sellobus.]


    [You have killed a sellobus.]


    [You have killed...]


    ...


    ...


    [The level of Noe has risen!]


    [The level of Randy has risen!]


    [The level of Randy has risen!]


    ¡°Yes! This is honey! Amazing!¡±


    Grid was so excited that he couldn¡¯t help cheering. The first ind that frustrated so many challengers...


    Thend of despair turned into a great hunting ground for Grid.


    ***


    [You have cleared the first ind.]


    [You have acquired 1 challenger point for the mission sess.]


    [Challenger Point]


    Can be used to purchase items from the Challenger Store that exists somewhere in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°Ah, too bad.¡±


    Grid ended up hunting for 20 minutes. He gained an extra 15% experience.


    ¡°It would be nice if the mission was surviving for 20 days instead of 20 minutes... Or maybe 20 hours...¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart wanted to take advantage of the first ind. He wanted to repeatedly clear the first ind so that he could catch up with Kraugel¡¯s level. But it was a stupid idea. There were still a lot of inds. Wasn¡¯t it likely to have a better hunting groundter on?


    ¡¯In the first ce, I need to escape from here before I can do it again, and I don¡¯t know how to escape.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t yet fully grasped the system of the Behen Archipgo. He needed to be more careful. He disciplined his heart and stepped onto the newly created bridge. The gate to the second ind was located at the end of the bridge.


    ***


    [You have entered the second ind.]


    This ind was at least 10 timesrger than the first ind. The scenery was also different. There was the sound of waterfalls from the lush jungle, as well as a small mountain at each end of the ind. There were alsokes and caves.


    ¡°Huh? Treasure chest?¡±


    Grid looked around and noticed one ce. It was a towering rock wall just behind the starting point. There were 10 golden boxes shining brightly.


    ¡°What is this... No, is it a trap?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t act carelessly, unlike the past, and notification windows appeared in front of him.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [Second Ind]


    Open the locked treasure chests!


    There are 10 keys hidden throughout the ind.


    It is important to find as many keys as possible, as each box has a different key.


    Time Limit: 3 days.


    First Clear Reward: Every time you open a box, 1 Challenger Point.


    * If two or more boxes can¡¯t be opened within the specified time, you will be expelled from the ind.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    "This time, it involves searching.¡±


    It seemed to be very difficult to find the keys if the time limit was three days.


    ¡®Of course it¡¯s hard.¡¯


    The ind was big and the terrain was tooplicated. There were bushes,kes, waterfalls, caves, and cliffs all over. He had to find a small key in this ce? It was no different from finding a needle in the desert.


    But Grid didn¡¯t show any signs of being troubled. He still had a bright smile on his face.


    ***


    ¡°The second ind had the most dropouts.¡±


    Sticks observed Grid through the magic ball. He didn¡¯t have much expectations.


    It was true that the ck-haired man broke through the first ind in an extraordinary manner, but the difficulty of the second ind was extremely high whenpared with the first ind.


    "In order to break through the second ind, you need the intelligence to bring together the different clues observed, without missing a single one. But...¡±


    The ck haired man was sitting in front of the magic circle and just resting during the 30 minute preparation time before the mission began. He was wasting this time and not even looking for clues, so it was like the ck haired man had already given up.


    "I don¡¯t have much expectation for him.¡±


    Sticks was surprised when he looked at the magic ball. Why was he so surprised?


    ¡°Keok...! Keok keok.... N-No! Don¡¯t tell me that person is a legendary thief?¡±


    Sticks was bound to think so. The treasure boxes that couldn¡¯t be opened unless it was the right key, the ck haired man opened them with one key in his possession. It was a dexterity that could only be admired.


    "T-The second ind in just 10 seconds...!?¡±


    It was an unprecedented record. It was the moment when Sticks, who was called a sage because he was wiser than anyone else, became a fool. On this day, Grid reached the ninth ind. It also meant that Sticks was surprised a total of nine times.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359


    [You have cleared the ninth ind.]


    [You have acquired 24 challenger points for the mission sess.]


    ¡®I have a total of 102 points.¡¯


    Grid reached the ninth ind at a fast pace and was still okay. There were no signs of exhaustion at all. It was natural. He didn¡¯t get tired because it wasn¡¯t hard for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s easier than expected.¡±


    To be honest, Grid felt deted. But he didn¡¯t be overconfident. Wasn¡¯t the Behen Archipgo the ce that caused difficulty for Kraugel?


    ¡®The difficulty is likely to rise exponentially over the next few inds.


    Grid thought this and controlled his heart. He didn¡¯t know.


    The endless monsters on the first ind, the hidden keys on the second ind, capturing the escaped fox mice on the third ind, swallowing the raging fire on the fourth ind, surviving the blizzard on the fifth ind, passing through the poisonous sixth ind, the seventh and eighth inds where the strong boss monsters appeared...


    And the ninth ind that he just cleared...


    From a general point of view, they weren¡¯t easy. Grid was the only person who felt like the hell inds were easy. Even Kraugel suffered on the first and second inds.


    [Do you want to enter the 10th ind?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid was sucked into the gate.


    ***


    The 2nd National Competition was to be held in Paris in around two months.


    Thanks to that, the employees of the S.A. Group were constantly busy. They ate rice and frequently worked overtime, so they couldn¡¯t stay healthy. They had to coordinate the details before the opening of the global festival.


    ¡°Hah, it¡¯s hard.¡±


    Even Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was more passionate than anyone, was sick. As soon as he returned from Paris, he sat down in his massage chair at work.


    ¡°I¡¯m too old. No matter how much I manage myself, I quickly be exhausted.¡±


    Kkuok.Kkuok.


    The massage chair worked on his shoulders and back, giving a very good effect. Chairman Lim Cheolho properly recovered from his fatigue and asked the supeputer Morpheus.


    "Did anything happen to them?¡±


    Them. They were the five miracles, including Grid and Kraugel. They were people who repeatedly caused results that even Morpheus couldn¡¯t predict. Chairman Lim Cheolho watched the five of them with interest.


    Before leaving for Paris, he asked Morpheus to monitor them. Morpheus reported with a mechanical voice.


    [Kraugel and Grid confronted each other, while Agnus encountered Braham¡¯s soul. The other two are just raising their level.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lim Cheolho doubted his ears. His focus wasn¡¯t on the part about Agnus and Braham. The meeting between the two of them was scheduled, so there was nothing special about it. On the other hand, Kraugel and Grid were different.


    ¡°What did you say just now? Kraugel and Grid fought? Why?¡±


    [Kraugel visited Reidan after acquiring the Sword Saint quest.]


    ¡°Hah...! He has the Sword Saint quest already!?¡±


    Kraugel was really amazing. As a yer, he was perfect withoutcking anything. No, his perfection could be described as transcendental. That¡¯s why even the supeputer Morpheus couldn¡¯t predict all his actions.


    ¡°He will safely be a sword saint.¡±


    It would be easy for him to deal with the rtively weaker Grid.


    Sword saint. The most powerful battle focused ss. In the future, how much stronger would Kraugel be? Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s expectations were amplified. Morpheus spoke unexpected words.


    [Kraugel failed to obtain the sword saint ss.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be... Surely he didn¡¯t lose to Grid?¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho knew better than anyone how great Grid¡¯s power was. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Lim Cheolho evaluated Grid higher than Grid did himself. But Kraugel was different. In particr, he was an overwhelming presence in PvP. Apart from Agnus, there was no yer who could win against Kraugel in a one-on-one match.


    Morpheus exined to the confused Lim Cheolho.


    [Kraugel was iplete. The cooldown time of an important skill hadn¡¯t recovered yet, and his equipment was damaged, so he didn¡¯t wear all of them against Grid. As a result, Grid¡¯s odds increased from 21.13% to 54.98%.]


    ¡°Grid¡¯s odds were so high from the beginning?¡±


    [I analyzed the skill tree, items possessed and umted battle data of both people, but I can¡¯t be sure it is urate. Kraugel has made my analysis meaningless 185 times and Grid 13 times.]


    That was why they were called miraculous beings. A smile appeared on Lim Cheolho¡¯s face and heughed loudly.


    ¡¯Today is chicken and beer.¡¯


    Lim Cheolho decided to have chicken and beer while watching footage of the match between Kraugel and Grid. He was the one with the most assets in the world.


    ***


    [You have entered the tenth ind.]


    It was a room rather than an ind. The floor, walls, and ceiling were painted white, and the size of the empty room couldn¡¯t be measured. It was hard to get a sense of the distance. Grid frowned as he looked around.


    "What¡¯s this?"


    There were white pointed pirs rising from the ground. They were thin metal poles around 5cm wide and 2m long.


    ¡°There are hundreds... No, thousands?¡±


    What was the identity of this pirs? A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [Tenth Ind]


    Avoid the lightning that will pour down like rain!


    The lightning can¡¯t be defended against by any means. You can only evade.


    Mission Sess Conditions: Reach the gate for the eleventh ind.


    First Clear Reward: 30 Challenger Points.


    * You will instantly die if hit by a lightning strike.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    [The ceiling is opened.]


    Kurururung.


    Then a roar was heard from above. He looked up and saw the sky that was revealed by the opened ceiling. It was a sky full of dark clouds.


    ¡®A lightning storm that can¡¯t be defended against.¡¯


    The lightning storm that would cause instant death woulde pouring down. Considering the speed of the lightning, it was a mission that couldn¡¯t be cleared. Only people with excellent control abilities could. For example, people like Kraugel, Regas, and Faker.


    "The difficulty is growing.¡±


    Grid finally became nervous. As he was worrying about what to do, he became interested in the pirs that appeared everywhere.


    ¡®They wouldn¡¯t be here for no reason.¡¯


    Identifying the use of the pirs was a priority. Grid approached the pir closest to him and used a skill.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill has been used.]


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [Lightning Rod]


    Durability: 1/20


    A metal rod with a pointed end that attracts and absorbs lightning.


    The durability is weak because it is severely damaged. It will immediately turn to ashes from one lightning strike.


    Weight: 3


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [Your understanding of the Lightning Rod is now 100%.]


    [The ¡®Lightning Rod¡¯ production method has been acquired.]


    ¡°Ah, a lightning rod. I have to use this to avoid the lightning.¡±


    Grid grasped the identity of the rods and looked more closely. The distance between lightning rods was around 15m on average. People had to properly utilize their dashing skills to use the lightning rod and avoid the lightning.


    ¡®Can I do it?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to do it with his control skills. He worried for a while beforeing up with an idea.


    ¡®It¡¯s really good that I made this.¡¯


    The item that Grid took from his inventory was the Portable Furnace that he created.


    ***


    The number of yers who had challenged the Behen Archipgo was exactly 990 so far. More than half of them were high rankers who dropped out at the first and second inds. Only 392 people reached the tenth ind.


    Of those 392 people, only 65 passed the tenth ind. The degree of difficulty of the tenth ind was iparable.


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    Sweat flowed down Sticks¡¯ jaw as he sat on the ground. The burden on his heart was very painful. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards the magic ball again.


    "He really won¡¯t pass here.¡±


    This person stimted his bad heart, so Sticks couldn¡¯t help giving him a bad evaluation. Sticks could clearly see that the ck haired man had a strange ability, but the tenth ind was a ce where only people with divine control skills could pass.


    ¡®It means he can no longer depend on artifacts.¡¯


    Could that man move 2,000 meters while avoiding lightning that fell three or four times per second? Sticks believed it was impossible. It wasn¡¯t a baseless idea. Unfortunately, that ck haired man didn¡¯t seem to be able to perfectly control his excellent body.


    ¡°Ordinary movements will never... Huh?¡±


    Sticks murmured with confusion. In the middle of the magic space, the man pulled out a portable furnace and started lighting it with the bellows?


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    There was no ¡®portable st furnace¡¯ in Sticks¡¯ wisdom. A furnace couldn¡¯t be easily handled unless the person was a cksmith.


    ¡°In the first ce...¡±


    Why bring out a furnace in this situation?


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    No, it was a problem because he wasn¡¯t crazy. Sticks¡¯ confusion increased as the ck haired man raised the temperature of the furnace and started to smelt the iron ore.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Sticks had arge amount of knowledge as a sage. So he was forced to feel astonished.


    ¡°What? That smelting skill?¡±


    The ck haired man exerted a tremendous smelting skill thatpletely destroyed the concept of ¡®smelting¡¯ that existed in Sticks¡¯ knowledge. The iron was instantly melted and purified.


    "A legendary cksmith...!¡±


    He seemed like a magician when shooting magic, a warrior when wielding the sword, a person with a lot of artifacts, and a thief who could easily open solid locks. Now he was also like a cksmith.


    ¡°What¡¯s your identity?¡±


    A question mark appeared over Sticks¡¯ head.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The mysterious man finished smelting the iron and started hammering it. Soon after that...


    ¡°Lightning rod?¡±


    That¡¯s right. A metal rod, simr to the lightning rods rising from the ground of the tenth ind, was born in the hands of the ck haired man. However, the size was significant. It was a huge 7m in length.


    "...¡±


    Sticks was no longer surprised. No, he tried not to be surprised. He was afraid that his heart pain would ur again.


    Kururung!Kurururung.


    Suddenly, a heavy rain of lightning started. The ck haired man was safe. It was thanks to the floating golden hands that carried therge lightning rod. The man moved like a noble covered by the umbre his retinue was holding as he moved through the ind.


    ¡°Uh... Urghh...¡±


    In the end, Sticks was surprised and he grabbed his chest as he copsed. It didn¡¯t match the appearance of the imposing Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360


    The 31 year old Kim Doohyun.


    Korea¡¯s top star had an outstanding appearance and a proven performance in Hollywood. Despite his busy schedule, he steadily yed Satisfy and finally arrived at the desert city of Reidan.


    "How exciting.¡±


    Kim Doohyun, who only just reached level 197, ¡®Nyangmong¡¯ was deeply moved. It was hard to cross the scorching desert that contained powerful monsters.


    ¡®If I was a normal ss user, I would¡¯ve never been able to make it through the desert.¡¯


    Nyangmong was a pet master. As a unique ss, he possessed useful skills and it couldn¡¯t be denied that he was a master of solo y.


    An average person could have three pets, but he could have nine. He could even temporarily make monsters friendly, so the monsters in the desert might be strong, but they couldn¡¯t block his way.


    However, they were nothing in front of some farmers.


    ¡®It is immenselyrge.¡¯


    Outside Reidan. Vast rice fields stretched out from the outer walls into the horizon.


    ¡®Grid is the owner of this big city. A duke¡¯s authority is beyond my imagination.¡¯


    Indeed, there was something admirable about someone who was the best in their field. He could feel how great Grid truly was.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve worked hard in order to climb up to his present ce.¡¯


    Nyangmong had also undergone countless trials in order to be a top star. Therefore, he had a shallow idea of Grid¡¯s life. Grid might be younger than him, but it was respectable, regardless of age.


    Step, step.


    His footsteps were light as he walked through the rice fields. He hummed as he thought about soon being able to meet Noe. A farmer blocked his cheerful humming.


    "Who are you?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    Nyangmong was just walking along. He couldn¡¯t think of anything in his behavior that would¡¯ve caused wariness. Then why was this person blocking the road? Nyangmong was confused by the farmer¡¯s question.


    "I am called Nyangmong...¡±


    The farmer closely observed Nyangmong. To be precise, he looked at the nine pets following Nyangmong. It was surprising that the various pets were showing absolute loyalty and affection towards Nyangmong.


    "I covet your talent. The giant oaks can be used for farming.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Farming? It was strange that a farmer would say that to someone passing by. That¡¯s right. Nyangmong didn¡¯t know about the crazy farmer of Reidan. He had a busy schedule and yed Satisy whenever he was free, so he couldn¡¯t watch TV.


    "I¡¯m not a farmer. Please open the path. I have to go to Reidan.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t permitted to enter Reidan without my permission.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you the owner of thisnd?¡±


    "The owner of thisnd is Duke Grid.¡±


    "Then why should I get your permission?¡±


    "It¡¯s my heart."


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    Nyangmong seriously felt doubts. He felt like there was nothing good about the farmer in front of him. The farmer caught up to him while he was trying to run away.


    After a while. Nyangmong and his lovely nine pets were brutally destroyed by the farmer. From Nyangmong¡¯s standpoint, it was truly absurd and unreasonable.


    -G-Grid, I finally arrived in Reidan. But I was caught by a mad farmer and forced to be a serf.Help me...


    [The other person is in a ce where they can¡¯t receive whispers.]


    -Ruby, help me...


    [The other person isn¡¯t connected to the game.]


    "...¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    It was the day when the professional cattle man was born in Reidan. As a unique ss, his abilities were excellent. Reidan¡¯s agriculture was bing stronger day by day. Nyangmong also became stronger. He was still inadequate to join Overgeared, but he grew rapidly thanks to the ¡®¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Fun and Exciting Training!¡¯


    ***


    [You have entered the 11th ind.]


    He disabled the lightning storm by making a huge lightning rod. Grid broke through the notorious tenth ind in a smart manner, but he was still restless.


    ¡®Other cksmiths could¡¯vee up with the same idea as me.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t special. He repeated that painful truth many times. But it was also encouraging. He had managed to think about a way to break throughpared to the old days when he couldn¡¯t think of ideas by himself.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s grow slowly.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes filled with an emotion he didn¡¯t have in the past. It was a phenomenon where he became aware of hisck of talent and tried to be wiser.


    ¡®Somehow, my head is clear.¡¯


    It was the moment when his way of thinking started to expand. Now Grid was evolving. It wasn¡¯t a cataclysmic thing. It was the fruit of his steady progress over the past two years as Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Was this impossible? No, it was possible. Grid wasn¡¯t dull-witted. Every human was able to broaden their thoughts and knowledge through learning, experience, and self-reflection. Grid was the same.


    ¡°That reminds me.¡±


    Was it because his thinking ability was higher than before? Grid had a new question.


    ¡®What¡¯s on thest ind?¡¯


    The reason why Grid visited the Behen Archipgo was to meet Sage Sticks, but the ultimate content of the archipgo wasn¡¯t Sticks. Sticks was located on the 25~29th inds. Not thest ind.


    In other words, what was on the 66th ind and why did the Behen Archipgo called them ¡®challengers?¡¯ With the benefit of hindsight, he noticed the name ¡®Challenger Point.¡¯


    "It¡¯s a question that can be resolved when I meet Sticks.¡±


    It was foolish to waste his thoughts on meaningless things that he couldn¡¯t figure out alone. Once he met Sticks, he would obtain the way to the East Continent was well as figure out what was on the 66th ind. He should directly ask Sticks any questions he had.


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [11th Ind]


    Defeat the lizardwoman!


    First Clear Reward: 36 Challenger Points.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    Lizardwoman. The lizardwoman was the boss monster that lizardmen served, and her value was quite high. The reason was that she dropped the Pink Leather necessary for making the finest leather armor.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid had a chance to raid the lizardwoman, which was difficult to see easily, but he didn¡¯t show much inspiration. Was it because he didn¡¯t know the value of pink leather? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid also knew about the value of the pink leather. He¡¯d even dealt with it directly. Every time Faker asked Grid to make him an item, pink leather was needed.


    The reason why Grid didn¡¯t show any inspiration was because based on previous experience, the monsters of the Behen Archipgo didn¡¯t drop any items. That¡¯s right. The monsters that emerged on the Behen Archipgo was merely a collection of experience.


    It was disappointing, but Grid didn¡¯t mind. The reason he first visited the Behen Archipgo wasn¡¯t to obtain items, but to meet Sticks. He just had to move forward.


    Grid used Fly and observed the location of the lizardmen vige from the sky. It was arge vige with 207 huts that could amodate a few lizardmen at once. Grid was able to roughly guess the number of lizardmen, and he continued to observe the vige to point out the important areas.


    ¡®There are three ponds.¡¯


    He calcted all the variables involved in hunting a powerful lizardwoman and arge number of lizardmen.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid moved hastily to take advantage of his 30 minute preparation time, taking out his st furnace and smelting iron. He made arge iron te that was over 20m in diameter. An ordinary cksmith would need several hours to spread the iron so much. But Grid was a legendary cksmith. He even had the four God Hands.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid and the God Hands hammered at the iron te. After a while, hepleted three iron tes and moved to the lizardman¡¯s vige again. His timing was perfect as the notification window popped up.


    [The mission has started!]


    At the same time, lizardmen popped out of the 297 huts. There was close to 1,000 of them. Grid witnessed the sight and shouted.


    ¡°Noe, Randy! Help the God Hands cover the pond with these tes! I will cover you!¡±


    ¡°I understand, Grid.¡±


    ¡°Nyahahat! Master, believe in me!¡± Nyang!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend flew towards the lizardmen on the path towards the pond. Some of the lizardmen hurriedly raised their shields to save their lives, but others were sliced apart.


    Kieek!


    Kyaack!


    The screams of the lizardmen filled the vige as blood sttered. But there were too many lizardmen. Grid didn¡¯t rest as he wielded his two greatswords, but the number of enemies didn¡¯t decrease.


    Chaaeng!


    The lizardmen narrowed the distance to Grid, who kept attacking.


    Huuuuuuong!


    The God Hands, Noe, and Randy finally blocked the three ponds with the iron tes.


    Kik?


    The lizardmen were amazed by the sound of iron tes falling. The ponds that amplified their strengths were hidden. That¡¯s right. The lizardmen were monsters who received stat bonuses from water.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid was reminded of this trait when observing the vige, and covered all the ponds in the vige with the iron tes.


    ¡°Transcended Link!¡±


    Kyaack!


    Kieeeek!


    The level of the lizardmen warriors living in the same vige as the lizardwoman was quite high at 230. But they didn¡¯t receive any stat bonuses, making it hard to endure Grid¡¯s attacks. Their shields were also useless. Grid used his most powerful skills with the +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword, before handing it to the God Hands.


    Then he took out Iyarugt and cut at the lizardmen with Noe and Randy.


    Kyaaaak!


    The lizardwoman grasped the situation and came out with a roar. She was quite strong as a level 300 field boss, but it wasckingpared to Hell Gao and Elfin Stone, and Grid was stronger than ever.


    The 11th ind was easily cleared and Grid continued up to the 20th ind. However, the 20th ind was different. Thousands of eyes floated in a huge circle in the sky like a sun, watching Grid. He couldn¡¯t help gulping at the sight.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361


    [You have entered the 20th ind.]


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    Grid¡¯splexion was haggard as he gasped for breath. It was natural. He¡¯d spent a total of 45 hours and 19 minutes breaking through 19 inds. It meant more than 15 hours in real time. Connecting to virtual reality for 15 hours a day wasn¡¯t easy. The physiological needs were a basic problem, and he also consumed a lot of mental and physical power.


    ¡®Since the 11th ind, I wasted a lot of time.¡¯


    The 11th to 19th inds were hunting or raid missions. It inevitably took a long time, causing Grid¡¯s exhaustion to sharply rise.


    ¡¯I¡¯d rather finish this off today.¡¯


    There was no time limit to the Behen Archipgo. There was no reason to endanger himself by being impatient. His level had risen to 306 and Grid was about to log out when he suddenly stopped.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    A huge shadow from the sky started to darken the surface of the ind. It seemed like night time.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Grid looked up and was shocked. A huge circle was hiding the sun. It was a circle made of tens of thousands of eyes.


    "Ugh."


    Grid frowned with disgust. He had to swallow to push down his urge to vomit. The appearance of the circle was that bizarre. There were countless things like blood vessels on the surface that squirmed as the eyes blinked. The bloated eyeballs stimted human fear and disgust to the limit.


    What was this mission? The familiar notification window rose up as Grid ignored the eyes.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [20th Ind]


    Avoid the gaze of the hell moon!


    First Clear Reward: 130 Challenger Points.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    ¡®Hell moon?¡¯


    The hell moon looked like this?


    ¡®Perhaps.¡¯


    Grid had experience with visiting hell. The hell that he saw was nothing like the human world. It was hard to believe that such a terrible moon would appear.


    ¡®But who knows? I went to hell during the day.¡¯


    It was disgusting to see. However, it was imperative to observe the target in order to understand the purpose of the mission. It happened when Grid was looking up at the hell moon.


    [A helper fairy has appeared.]


    A system that didn¡¯t exist until after the 19th ind wasunched.


    "Hello Challenger.¡±


    Was it a height of 50cm? A little male fairy appeared in a burst of light and greeted him. His behavior and tone were extremely polite, but his expression was full of yfulness.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The fairy exined to the confused Grid.


    "I am Bini, a fairy of love and justice, who has been asked by Sage Sticks to help the challengers.¡±


    "Sticks asked you?¡±


    "Yes, Sticks is anxiously waiting for a great challenger who can defeat the Behen Archipgo.¡±


    "Hoping for...?¡±


    Grid thought that the trials that existed on each ind were Sticks¡¯ work. He thought it was to prove the qualifications of ¡®those who wanted to go to the East Continent.¡¯ Now he realized he was mistaken.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Sticks, who made all the trials for each ind?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know. It was like this from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°What is on thest ind?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know that either. You can ask Sticks if you meet him.¡±


    "...I thought you were a helper fairy. You aren¡¯t very helpful.¡±


    "Nope, I¡¯m sure that I will help. My role is to help the challengers ovee the trials.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you appear earlier?¡±


    "I can¡¯t help the rabble! I only help the challengers who have reached the 20th ind by themselves! So please pay attention to me from now on!¡±


    Bini took out sses and started to exin.


    ¡°In order to escape the 20th ind, you have to avoid the hell moon¡¯s gaze. There is a theory that the hell moon has 66,666 eyes. There is no ce on this ind where the hell moon¡¯s eyes can¡¯t reach.¡±


    ¡°Then how do I escape it?¡±


    "Pretend that you aren¡¯t a person.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Pretend that he wasn¡¯t a person?


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid was baffled by the ridiculousmand when he recalled ckening.


    "What if I turn into a demon?¡±


    "Wow, a challenger has the power of ckening? Indeed, you¡¯re someone who managed to get here! But unfortunately, that is wrong. It isn¡¯t the right answer. The hell moon is hostile to all living creatures.¡±


    "Then from the beginning, it¡¯s creatures.¡±


    "Challenger is a human, so I tried to exin it from your eye level. Hehet.¡±


    ¡°So how do I pretend to not be a creature?¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The hell moon doesn¡¯t recognize any stopped being as a creature. Just stop when the hell moon¡¯s eyes are open. And exactly once every five seconds, you have to slowly move one step while all of the hell moon¡¯s eyes are closed.¡±


    ¡®Is it like Red Light Green Light?¡¯


    Grid was reminded of a familiar game as he looked over the ind. Then he frowned. The size of the ind was considerable. It seemed to be two or three times the size of Yeouido.


    ¡°Moving one step every five seconds... Where is my destination?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice trembled as he asked.


    Bini replied with arge grin, ¡°To the other end of the ind. The gate to the next ind is there.¡±


    "...¡±


    If a person¡¯s thinking power increased, would their personality change? That wasn¡¯t the case. He might be developing, but this expansion of thinking power didn¡¯t change his essential nature.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Grid eventually revealed his true nature as he grabbed the diaper Bini was wearing. Bini was very embarrassed because half of his butt was exposed.


    "What are you doing!?¡±


    Bini shivered as as Grid¡¯s face came close to his.


    ¡°Your method of helping me is to tell me that moving one step every five seconds is the best way to make it past this ind? Rather than giving me help, you are just making fun of me.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t imagine how many days it would take to make it to the other end of the ind using Bini¡¯s method. In the first ce, it was doubtful if he could maintain his concentration and patience.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the worst if I have to stop when a monster is attacking.¡¯


    Bini hurriedly exined to the furious Grid.


    ¡°12 hours! In 12 hours, the sun wille up! Once the sun rises, the hell moon will hide itself!¡±


    "I can only move one step every five seconds during the night, but I can act freely during the day?¡±


    "That¡¯s right! Move during the day and fight with the hell moon at night! You only have to suffer for a few days! It will be difficult with sleep deprivation, but it¡¯s possible!¡±


    ¡®The difficulty is too high.¡¯


    It was the moment he admired Kraugel, who reached the 30th ind.


    ¡®Wait... Could I use that?¡¯


    Grid released the diaper as he had a wonderful thought. The second item that he created after Failure. Could he take advantage of it?


    "Does the hell moon rely on senses other than sight?¡±


    ¡°No. I have never heard of that.¡±


    Sticks was probably watching right now...


    Tears of shame came to Bini¡¯s eyes as he answered.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. He came up with a way to avoid the eyes of the hell moon. But now wasn¡¯t the time. He needed time to rest, both physically and mentally.


    ¡°Log out.¡±


    ***


    "Ah, so good.¡±


    A restful night¡¯s sleep felt good. Youngwoo stretched as he went out to the living room, where he saw Sehee.


    "I got a call from Team Leader Do Minjun.


    ¡°Team Leader Do Minjun?¡±


    She was a young elite of Saint Constructions. Saint Constructions. It was that best constructionpany that didn¡¯t belong to any big corporations, and it was ranked 5th in South Korea. It was also the constructionpany responsible for the construction of Youngwoo¡¯s 10 billion won building.


    ¡°What did Team Leader Do Minjun want?¡±


    "It was an interim report about how the construction is going well. She told Oppa toe visit the site. It is the first time that a client hasn¡¯t visited their own building.¡±


    "Where can I find the time to go there? I¡¯m too busy ying the game."


    "Shin Youngwoo, you are very trusting of people these days. In the old days, you would¡¯ve thought they did a bad job since you can¡¯t see them. You would¡¯ve monitored the construction site 24 hours a day.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Saint Constructions doing the work in my name? In addition, it was apany rmended by Yura. Well, I don¡¯t care. Sehee, do you want to go with our parents?¡±


    ¡°Yes, understood.¡±


    Originally, Sehee thought of her brother as an object to be cared for. But that had changed. Now she trusted and followed her brother. Her brother¡¯s words and behavior were increasing.


    Why did she trust her brother? Was it because her brother was earning a lot of money? Or because he was a celebrity? It wasn¡¯t for such petty reasons. It was because Youngwoo¡¯s nature itself had changed.


    "Kraugel, isn¡¯t he an unbelievably great guy when I searched on the Inte?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t just at the level of being great.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited about winning over such a man?¡±


    ¡°There are no grounds for it. I probably would¡¯ve lost if he and I fought under the same conditions.¡±


    "...¡±


    He was now equipped with humility? Sehee gave a bittersweet smile as she saw her brother¡¯s deep eyes.


    ¡®Why is he changing every day?¡¯


    Her brother was growing everyday, but Sehee didn¡¯t feel good. It felt like her brother was bing more and more distant. However, she was also proud.


    "I¡¯ll get dressed and have breakfast.¡±


    ***


    ¡°When will hee?¡±


    Those blessed or cursed by the gods to not die. In other words, Sticks was aware of the existence of users. He waited calmly after the ck haired man suddenly disappeared from the 20th ind.


    Dok.Dok dok.


    Sticks tapped his staff while watching the magic ball. His eyes deep inside the robe contained tension and irritation. The moment that the ck haired man appeared again.


    ¡°Medicine. My medicine.¡±


    He swallowed his medicine first to prepare for what would happen. It was a homemade medicine. He took a deep breath to maintain hisposure, before turning his eyes to the magic ball again.


    ¡¯Can he even break through the 20th ind?¡¯


    Honestly, the possibility was low. So far, there had only been one person to pass the 20th ind. It meant the difficulty of the 20th ind was extremely high. Extreme patience was needed in order to avoid the gaze of the hell moon. At the same time, they needed wisdom to prevent the raids of monsters.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t be disappointed. Empty your mind.¡¯


    But why? His expectations kept growing. The ck haired man, so far he had exceeded Sticks¡¯ wisdom.


    "Start!"


    Gulp!


    It happened when Sticks was looking at the red eyes of the hell moon and gulped.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone!!¡±


    It was a perfect invisibility that was iparable to stealth techniques. The ck haired man suddenly disappeared and avoided the gaze of the hell moon.


    ¡°This...! This isn¡¯t invisibility magic!¡±


    As expected from a sage. Sticks quickly figured out why the man couldn¡¯t be seen anymore. It made him even more surprised.


    ¡°Invisibility cloak...! A heritage of the altar of legends...!¡±


    There were only two historic treasures left, so why did that man have it? There were no clues to that man¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Uh... Kuock...!¡±


    It was the moment that the sage¡¯s wisdom became unclear.


    Flop!


    Sticks once again experienced a big shock, grabbing his chest and copsing. He took the medicine prescribed by a professional pharmacist.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362


    [Hooded Zip Up]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 57/61 Defense: 10


    * Movement speed will increase by 30%.


    * Wind resistance will increase by 20%.


    A cloak designed by a legendary cksmith. However, the appearance is different from the normal look of a cloak.


    Thanks to the sylphid scales being used as the material, affinity with wind and movement speed will increase. You can hide while wearing it, but the stealth will be turned off when an enemy is attacked.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 5


    The biggest advantage was the duration of the Hooded Zip Up. His stealth was maintained just by wearing it. However, it didn¡¯t consume any mana because it wasn¡¯t magical invisibility. Unlike an assassin¡¯s stealth skill, it could be seen through. It had the disadvantage of being ineffective against those with sharp senses.


    But this disadvantage didn¡¯t apply on the 20th ind. The hell moon only depended on sight. Grid rushed forward with his movement buff, and the hell moon wasn¡¯t able to find him. Grid was able to easily break through the 20th ind by avoiding the monsters scattered everywhere.


    The Hooded Zip Up was the perfect counter for the 20th ind.


    ***


    [You have entered the 21st ind.]


    ¡®Amazing. It¡¯s really amazing.¡¯


    Grid felt thrilled during the process of breaking through the 20th ind. Was he admiring his own ability? No. Grid was admiring Kraugel. Kraugel might be a sword saint candidate, but in the end, he only had a normal ss.


    He didn¡¯t have ess to all types of items like Grid, so how did he reach the 30th ind? His skills were truly phenomenal.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t only strong in battle and hunting. Kraugel is an overwhelming monster in all respects.¡¯


    As he imagined the process that Kraugel used to pass the 20th ind, Grid realized the weight of the of his nicknames.


    ¡°Challenger?¡±


    Bini called out to the nk Grid. Grid quickly recovered and looked around. The foggy 21st ind stretched out before him. He couldn¡¯t see ahead of him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t even see my hands.¡¯


    It was impossible to identify anything in front of him thanks to the thick fog. There was a sense of anxiety at not being able to see. Biniughed at the anxious Grid.


    "You are lucky to win the Fog Ind. You can pass the 21st ind for free.¡±


    ¡°Fog Ind?¡±


    ¡°It is an ind with a store.¡±


    ¡®A store...¡¯


    Grid thought about the challenger points.


    ¡°Are you talking about the Challenger Store?¡±


    "Yes, it is a store where you can buy goods with challenger points.¡±


    ¡°Store... In other words, the emergence of Fog Ind is random?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. One extremely lucky person met the Fog Ind on the 10th ind. One unlucky person didn¡¯t see it despite reaching the 30th ind."


    ¡®That unlucky person is Kraugel.¡¯


    Oh my god, there was a person who actually had worse luck that Grid. Grid felt sympathy as he asked Bini.


    ¡°So, do you know where the store is located? I can¡¯t see in front of me because of the fog.¡±


    ¡°It is anywhere you go. The store will naturally be waiting for you. It¡¯s better to think in advance about what you will buy from the store. The store is only open for five minutes.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know what it sells.¡±


    "Hehe, did you forget that I am the helper fairy? I have already figured out most of the goods sold in the store.¡±


    ¡°Ohu?¡±


    This person seemed quite helpful.


    Grid admired it as Bini put on his sses again.


    ¡°There are four types of products sold at the store on Fog Ind. There are teleportation scrolls to the East Continent, elixirs, various ss change books, and skill books. The ss change books range from normal to rare rated, while the skill books range from normal to unique rated.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    The items sold in the store were really great. They were rare things that couldn¡¯t be bought with money.


    "Among them, the item with the lowest value of the East Continent portal scroll. Maybe it¡¯s sold because most of the challengerse here to find a way to move to the East Continent? But you can get it for free when you meet Sticks.¡±


    ¡°Kraugel... The person who reached the 30th ind got the scroll from Sticks?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. But luckily for them, six challengers met the store before the 10th ind and purchased the portal scroll. They didn¡¯t even try to challenge theter inds. Cowards.¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t cowardly, but wise. There are seven users who have moved to the East Continent so far.¡¯


    Grid thought about it as he moved through the fog and encountered a carriage. It was a pumpkin shaped carriage that emitted a gentle and calm light.


    "That is the Challenger Store.¡±


    Grid received Bini¡¯s guidance and approached the carriage. Various goods were on disy in the carriage.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a store owner?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s an unattended store.¡±


    "Ah.¡±


    If there was an owner, he would¡¯ve been able to ask questions. Grid started to scan the products.


    [East Continent Movement Portal Scroll]


    You can go to the starting vige of ¡®Pangea¡¯ on the East Continent.


    Weight: 0.1


    Price: 50 Challenger Points


    [Elixir]


    A medicine that increases a certain stat by 10 points.


    Weight: 10


    Price: 250 Challenger Points.


    ¡®An elixir is so cheap!¡¯


    After clearing 20 inds, Grid had exactly 901 challenger points. It meant he could buy three elixirs that were worth millions of gold. He thought of the elixirs as cheap, but the reality was quite different.


    The people fortunate enough to find the pumpkin carriage on the 10th ind had an average of 150 points. In other words, from a general point of view, the elixirs weren¡¯t cheap at all. It wasn¡¯t a kindness to the other challengers of Behen Archipgo, except for Grid.


    Grid took a look at the other goods.


    [Lightning Swordsman ss Change Book]


    Rating: Rare


    You can change into a lightning swordsman.


    Weight: 100


    Price: 1,000 Challenger Points.


    [Explosion Sorcerer ss Change Book]


    Rating: Rare


    You can change into a explosion sorcerer.


    Weight: 100


    Price: 1,000 Challenger Points.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Rare rated hidden sses. A year ago, they would¡¯ve sold for billions of won. Now the value of a rare ss had been greatly reduced. People learned that there was a very small gap between 3rd advancement sses and rare rated sses.


    Rare sses didn¡¯t go for a lot of money anymore.


    ¡®Bini said that the sses only go up to rare rated.¡¯


    Grid was disappointed after checking the list of ss change books, then looked at the skill books.


    [Dash to Turn the Tables]


    Rating: Rare


    Dashes to the target and deals damage proportional to the target¡¯s defense. They will be in a rigid state for 0.3 seconds.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Price: 400 Challenger Points.


    [zing Short Rain]


    Rating: Epic


    Causing a rain of fire for three seconds in the specified area. The damage dealt to the enemy is proportional to the caster¡¯s magic power and physical attack power.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Price: 900 Challenger Points.


    ¡®Pass.¡¯


    Most yers coveted rare and epic rated skills. But Grid had legendary skills and wasn¡¯t interested. For Grid, they were just a waste of points. However, unique rated skills were different.


    19th knight, Fulito. Like the skill book ¡®Aura Festival¡¯ that he dropped, all of his unique skills had an outstanding performance. Grid also desired them.


    ¡®Aura Festival is rotting in my warehouse.¡¯


    Aura Festival was a lesser version of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link. Grid kept it in storage because there was no reason for him to learn it. He waited for an opportunity to sell it at a high price.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he closely looked at the skills list. The skill he was looking at wasn¡¯t a hidden skill that had a rare, epic, or unique rating. It was a normal rated skill that attracted Grid¡¯s attention.


    [Weapons Mastery]


    Rating: Normal


    Type: Passive


    The Weapons Mastery skill.


    Price: 6,000 Challenger Points.


    ¡®Weapons Mastery!¡¯


    Weapons Mastery. It was a skill that increase attack power and uracy rate regardless of what type of weapon was used. Only a small number ofbat specialized sses could obtain it, and it could be called the strongest weapon unique to a few sses.


    However, this crazy store was selling the strongest weapon.


    ¡®I want it!¡¯


    Grid was filled with extreme greed. It was natural. Grid had the strongest passive skill that allowed him to use all weapons, so this was a ridiculous skill suited for him. His limitation was that he didn¡¯t have any mastery type skill.


    Now he could ovee that limitation. It was natural that his greed was boiling. The problem was the price.


    "Why is a normal skill so expensive?¡±


    "Originally, passive skills are expensive. Among them, the Weapons Mastery skill is the most expensive.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    The store would close soon. Grid checked the time limit and was irritated.


    "If you miss this store now, does it mean I can¡¯t use it again?¡±


    ¡°No. As I said earlier, Fog Ind randomly emerges. It might appear again in the future. But it isn¡¯t certain.¡±


    ¡®Then I will wait for next time.¡¯


    He had to clear all the items to get Weapons Mastery. The East Continent Portal Scroll was something he could get in the process of meeting Sticks. Grid decided to leave the store. Bini¡¯s eyes glowed likenterns as he looked at Grid.


    "I was afraid that you would buy the portal scroll and leave, but you truly are the challenger who broke through to the 20th ind.¡±


    "It¡¯s a waste to buy something when I can get it for free.¡±


    Would he be able to collect 6,000 challenger points?


    ¡¯Even if I fail this time...¡¯


    He would get stronger and challenge it again. Grid was sucked into the gate.


    ***


    [You have entered the 22nd ind.]


    "Come quickly."


    Grid was burning with enthusiasm. As soon as he entered the new ind, he looked around the structure of the ind as usual while waiting for Bini to exin.


    Bini exined.


    ¡°Up to the 25th ind, it¡¯s a fight against time.¡±


    Then a mission was created to prove these words.


    [22nd Ind]


    Wipe out the monsters!


    First Clear Reward: 162 Challenger Points.


    ¡°Okay, I see.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He immediately summoned the God Hands, Noe, and Randy and went to wipe out the ind¡¯s monsters. Experience, skill proficiency, and challenger points piled up, causing Grid¡¯s will to burn.


    Four dayster. Grid killed thousands of monsters on the three inds and finally reached the 25th ind.


    Sticks was waiting for him.


    ¡°You... You are Pagma¡¯s Descendant... Even... Hell¡¯s strongest... Demonic beast... If it¡¯s you... Contaminated Hall of Fame... Arrived... Ugh! Kuk!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sticks fell over while talking. Grid was nervous when he saw Sticks barely breathing in a scruffy robe.


    ¡®Something is strange.¡¯


    Grid knew how unlucky he was. The cruel reality spread out in front of him.


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Save Sticks!]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Sticks¡¯ illness has worsened after watching your surprising performance.


    Fortunately, it can still be treated with medicine.


    After learning the method to prepare the medicine from Sticks, take care of him!


    Quest eptance Reward: ¡®Recipe: Elf¡¯s Miraculous Medicine¡¯ will be acquired.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with Sticks will rise to the maximum.


    Quest Failure: Sticks¡¯ Death.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    "...No, why will he die if it can still be treated with medicine?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t convinced, but it was a hidden quest. The reward seemed special and Sticks couldn¡¯t die. Grid thought as positively as possible and helped Sticks.


    Sururuk.


    Sticks¡¯ face was exposed as the hood fell off. He was a surprisingly young man covered in sweat. He was a beautiful man with pointed ears.


    ¡°Elf...?¡±


    Grid had yed Satisfy for nearly two years, but it was the first time he saw an elf. He was curious, but dissatisfaction filled Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡¯Normally, shouldn¡¯t it be a female elf?¡¯


    The first elf he met was a male? He had to nurse a man alone on an ind with no one else! Once again, reality was relentless, unlike the movies and manhwa.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363


    The 25th ind was quite small and shabby. It was around 10 pyeong wide, and there were palm trees all over. Grid looked Sticks down under the shade of a tree and prompted.


    "Hey, if you want to live then tell me the elf¡¯s recipe.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Urgh...¡±


    Sticks was sweating and breathing in an ufortable manner. His state was so serious that it was hard for him to speak. Grid hurriedly fed various potions to him, but they didn¡¯t have any effect.


    The helper fairy, Bini, trembled and made a fuss.


    ¡°Challenger! Please use your talents to save Sticks!¡±


    What should he do? The Grid in the past would¡¯ve been confused about what to do. But he had greatly developed after meeting Kraugel and challenging the Behen Archipgo. He thought of a means to ovee the situation using his expanded thinking ability.


    "Believe in me and wait."


    Grid calmed Bini down and grabbed a sword.


    [Great Lord¡¯s Sword]


    It was a rare sword given only to the dukes of each kingdom, and greatly increased the insight, dignity and leadership of the wearer. It was a superb artifact that allowed him to peek at the stats and skills of the target NPC through the Character Observation skill.


    ¡®Sticks, if you want to live, give me a hint.¡¯


    [Character Observation has been used.]


    Ttiring~


    Name: Sticks


    Age: 881 years old Gender: Male


    Race: Elf upation: Sage


    Title: Wise Star


    * Benevolent and wise. Has extensive knowledge.


    * Isted for a long time from the world. His knowledge is outdated.


    Level: 401


    Strength: 403 (¨‹) Stamina: 880 (¨‹)


    Agility: 1,201 (¨‹) Intelligence: 1,930 (¨‹)


    Wisdom: 2876 (¨‹) Charm: 2,490


    Skills: Archery (B), Social Sciences (B¨‹), Engineering (B¨‹), Medicine (B¨‹), Humanities (B¨‹), Art (S), Magic Studies (S), Natural Sciences (S¨‹), Elementary Science (S+), Learning (SS), Education (SS).


    A high elf with a noble lineage.


    Originally, he should have a lifespan that is close to an eternal life. But in the process of protecting the world tree, he received the anger of the gourmet dragon Reiders and got a disease.


    * Currently in a state where his overall stats are declining.


    The world tree existed in Elf Forest. In other words, Sticks was originally a person from Elf Forest. Why did hee to the Behen Archipgo? Grid thought about this and turned to stare at Bini.


    ¡°Why did Stickse to the Behen Archipgo? Is it rted to the disease from Reiders?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! His original purpose foring here was to treat his disease!¡±


    "Is there a medicine that grows only in this ce?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know. Aftering here, I only saw Sticks eating the blue coconut... Ah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that.¡±


    The means to treat the disease. Grid turned his gaze towards the palm trees. The blue coconuts filled his field of view. Grid had the God Hands gather the coconuts and brought them to Sticks.


    "Can you calm down if you eat this?¡±


    Sticks saw the blue coconuts and barely managed to open his mouth.


    ¡°That... It if¡¯s with the leaves of the world tree...¡±


    ¡°Mix them together?¡±


    Sticks nodded. Grid cut the coconut shells while asking Bini.


    ¡°What are the leaves of the world tree?¡±


    "I¡¯ll find them!¡±


    Piece by piece. Bini searched inside Sticks¡¯ robe. After a while, he pulled out some green leaves and handed them to Grid.


    [Leaves of the World Tree (6) have been acquired.]


    [Leaves of the World Tree]


    Leaves that periodically fall from the world tree that defends nature. They don¡¯t dry out even after hundreds of years.


    Weight: 0.1


    "How many should I mix in?¡±


    Sticks raised one finger at Grid¡¯s question. Grid put one leaf into the coconut and mixed it well. Then something interesting happened. The transparent liquid inside the coconut turned emerald.


    [You have seeded in preparing the ¡®Elf Miraculous Medicine¡¯!]


    [Recipe: Elf Miraculous Medicine has been acquired!]


    [Elf Miraculous Medicine]


    Recovers from all abnormal states immediately.


    The effects are exceptional, but the recipe is extremely simple. Anyone can make it.


    Grid was astonished.


    ¡®Recovers from all abnormal states immediately!¡¯


    It was truly a great medicine. The Overgeared members wouldn¡¯t have had such a hard time during the Elfin Stone raid if they had this.


    ¡¯But the question is how to secure a lot of leaves of the world tree and blue coconuts.¡¯


    Gulp gulp.


    Was this like a person who had been thirsty for 10 years finally getting water? While Grid was thinking, Sticks was consuming the medicine. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [The first aid for Sticks is sessful!]


    [An elf will never forget your grace. Sticks sees you as a savior and will show your great affection in the future!]


    ¡°Heok... Heok... Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to ovee a big crisis.¡±


    Sticks got up and respectfully bowed.


    ¡°I am the high elf, Sticks. Can I ask for my benefactor¡¯s name?¡±


    Sticks¡¯s beauty was more brilliant than before after his color was restored. Despite being male, he was beautiful enough topare to Yura and Jishuka.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    Grid answered briefly and Sticks asked again.


    ¡°Are you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. How did you know?¡±


    Sticks pulled out a transparent magic orb.


    ¡°I observed you through this and realized it along the way. Powerful swordsmanship, the ability to possess and utilize all types of artifacts. Also showing great cksmithing... There¡¯s only one person whoes to mind after all this is added up, Pagma.¡±


    Grid nodded and asked a question.


    ¡°What is the Contaminated Hall of Fame?¡±


    "It refers to the current Behen Archipgo. The original name of the Behen Archipgo was the Hall of Fame.¡±


    "The Hall of Fame?"


    "A sacred ce that celebrates the feats of legends...¡±


    Stick¡¯s golden eyes shone like jewels as he looked at Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ce of session where the power left by the former legends are transferred to the current legends. It¡¯s fate that you came to this ce.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was an unexpected and shocking answer. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [A legendary ss quest ¡®Hall of Fame¡¯ has been created.]


    [The legendary ss quest ¡®Hall of Fame¡¯ has changed to ¡®¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Contaminated Hall of Fame.¡¯]


    ***


    The Overgeared members ranging from the former Tzedakah Guild members, Yura, Huroi, and Peak Sword. They were growing rapidly. They repeated hunted in the vampire cities, causing their levels to rise and the rankings to shake every day.


    In particr, the vampire rings were a huge help. Unlike Grid, who steadily enjoyed the effect of Doran¡¯s Ring and the Holy Light Armor, recovery items were desperately needed by ordinary users.


    "Let¡¯s move onto the next city.¡±


    The 10th city. Two months ago, Grid had encountered Braham¡¯s soul. The Overgeared members were no longer interested in a ce where strong bosses didn¡¯t appear. They wanted stronger enemies for even faster growth.


    "Didn¡¯t My Lord say not to widen the area because we might encounter a vampire called Marie Rose?¡±


    "What if we don¡¯t encounter Marie Rose, but an Elfin stone level boss? We don¡¯t have God Grid this time.¡±


    Huroi and Peak Sword were cautious and wanted to listen to Grid¡¯s words. But who were Yura and the Tzedakah Guild members? They were people who always dreamed about reaching the top. Their basic ideals were very high.


    "Meeting a strong enemy is also an experience.¡±


    "So what if we die? It¡¯s better to find good hunting grounds, even if we have to sacrifice ourselves, rather than be stagnant. Adventuring is the foundation of growth.¡±


    ¡°And we have enough power to raid a Elfin Stone level boss.¡±


    The Overgeared members were growing. It was because they witnessed Grid mowing down Kraugel. They praised Kraugel as the sky above the sky and regarded him as an insurmountable wall. Thus, they felt shame after Grid broke that wall.


    Why should they set limits on themselves? Why shouldn¡¯t they experience setbacks?


    "It¡¯s time for a new challenge.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry too much if we meet a vampire stronger than Elfin Stone. This time, I¡¯m with you.¡±


    Jishuka and Yura were sympathetic to those with the radical thoughts. The situation was like this, so Huroi and Peak Sword couldn¡¯t say anything more.


    On this day.


    The vampire expedition led by Yura and Jishuka entered the 9th city.


    ***


    It had been 97 years.


    Sticks, who came to the Behen Archipgo to collect the blue coconuts, was astonished. He admired the inds with beautiful scenery that were a monument to admire previous legends, as well as the sanctuaries with a mysterious atmosphere.


    Then it was transformed by someone and filled with trials.


    "In order for the current legends to be true legends, they need to inherit the forces left behind by the former legends. However, all types of trials interfered with the legends entering, so I have to sacrifice myself.¡±


    He waited for a hero, in order to tell them the importance of the Behen Archipgo and cleansing it together. Sticks waited and dreamt about that day.


    [You have entered the 29th ind.]


    [This is a save point. Do you want to save your position?]


    [You have been registered. When you enter the Behen Archipgoter on, you will start from the 29th ind.]


    Grid moved on while listening to Sticks¡¯ long story. He smiled as he passed through the 29th ind.


    "I will do my best so that your efforts aren¡¯t in vain.¡±


    Grid coveted many skills that Sticks had, especially the Learning and Education skills. What if he let Sticks educate the talents in Reidan, as well as his son? In short, it was the best. That¡¯s right. Grid was determined to obtain Sticks. Thus, he tried to show off his best side as much as possible.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    Grid confidently said as he stepped into the gate for the 30th ind.


    At that moment.


    [You have entered the 30th ind.]


    [Your level has dropped to level 1.]


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    "This is the reason why I couldn¡¯t break through here.¡±


    Sticks btedly sighed.


    ¡°There is a very powerful curse. I can¡¯t draw out all my strength.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid frowned.


    TL: I know, gourmet dragon is weird, but I doubled checked with several other trantors. So I guess its just a dragon that really likes food, unless the author gives a more detailed exnationter on.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364


    ording to Sticks, the Behen Archipgo was a beautiful and holy ce until 200 years ago. It was praised as a sanctuary where former legends passed on their power to current legends. But that was a story of the past.


    Now the Behen Archipgo was transformed into a field of trials with all types of dangers. Who caused this? Sticks didn¡¯t know, despite his age. He vaguely guessed that he would find the answer if he reached thest ind.


    "I must find the answer. If the session doesn¡¯t function properly, the legends of the current day won¡¯t be able to exercise their full strength.¡±


    "What does that have to do with you?¡±


    Sticks wasn¡¯t a legend. He wouldn¡¯t lose anything if the Hall of Fame failed to function.


    "I don¡¯t know why you sacrificed 97 years because you want to purify this ce. But I am thankful from my position.¡±


    Sticks smiled gently and exined his reason.


    ¡°The legends need their strength to protect the order of this world.¡±


    ¡°The order of this world?¡±


    It was cloudy, but Grid got a rough feeling.


    "You¡¯re doing this for everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "It¡¯s a noble mission."


    It wasn¡¯t a mockery. His son Lord, his beloved Irene, Khan, Piaro, Jude, Rabbit, and everyone else. Grid was aware of the precious world they lived in. He didn¡¯t know the specifics, but Sticks was sacrificing himself to protect the world.


    "I will repay you for your hard work. Believe in me.¡±


    Grid confidently said as he stepped into the gate for the 30th ind. Then he was shocked.


    [You have entered the 30th ind.]


    [Your level has dropped to level 1.]


    "E-Eh?¡±


    Grid doubted his eyes. His level had dropped to one? His cognitive ability couldn¡¯t figure this out.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Sticks sighed and said to the confused Grid.


    "Has your body changed? This is the reason why I couldn¡¯t break through here. There is a very powerful curse, so I can¡¯t draw out all my strength.¡±


    "...¡±


    No, wasn¡¯t it too much for a curse to bring him back to level one? Sticks exined to Grid.


    "It reproduces the nightmare of the challenger.¡±


    The 30th ind, Nightmare.


    ¡°This ind reproduces the greatest trial that the challenger has already experienced. In my case, I was confronted with Reiders in front of the world tree. My power was suppressed to what it used to be and I couldn¡¯t run away from Reiders. I can never break through the 30th ind. I hope that the trials you experienced in the past aren¡¯t too heavy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A question mark appeared above Grid¡¯s head as he listened to Sticks.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t the greatest trial when I was looking for Pagma¡¯s Rare Book?¡¯


    His level and situation at that time should be reproduced, so why was he level one? What big ordeal could he experience at level one?


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid looked around at the scenery of the ind and frowned. The scene reproduced by the 30th ind. He btedly realized that it was the beginner area around the fortified city of Patrian.


    ¡®I was killed dozens of times by the rabbits and bears.¡¯


    It was the moment when the ck history he sealed off for his self-defense emerged again.


    ***


    ¡°Piaro intervened.¡±


    The showdown between the 1st ranked Kraugel and legendary ss Grid. Chairman Lim Cheolho watched the recorded video from beginning to end and was convinced by the results.


    ¡°But surely... I didn¡¯t know that Kraugel would challenge Piaro.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s pride and challenging spirit was higher than predicted, as he chose the hard way by challenging the strongest. Lim Cheolho emptied a beer can andughed.


    ¡°I never imagined that Piaro would grow to that extent.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t enough to create a new legendary ss, which was different from the nine legendary sses that were inherited. Piaro¡¯s current appearance was contradictory to the original n. ¡®Originally, he was a key character prepared for the Empress Marie, Episode 3 storyline, as well as the people¡¯s alliance storyline.


    Grid was amazing, finding a character filled with hatred and vengeance and making him walk a new path.


    ¡®Making an NPC his subordinate and actively utilizing him...¡¯


    Satisfy was a game with arge degree of freedom. He didn¡¯t know if Grid did this on purpose from beginning to end.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho emptied his third can of beer and rose from his seat. It was to get a new can of beer out of the fridge. At that moment.


    [Quest SH100B7 has been triggered.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes widened as he heard Morpheus¡¯ words.


    "By whom?¡±


    In fact, it was a nonsensical question. Quest SH100B7. It was a quest activated when a legendary ss user reached the 25th ind of the Contaminated Heben Archipgo. At this point, there were only two legendary sses.


    Grid and Yura. But Yura¡¯s level was still too low.


    [Grid.]


    "Kuooh, of course.¡±


    Lim Cheolho was sad. Grid¡¯s current self couldn¡¯t clear the Contaminated Behen Archipgo quest.


    "It is rtively easy to reach the 25th ind using items...¡±


    But from the 30th ind, a higher level of control was required. Most of the items wouldn¡¯t be applied, so Grid was at a disadvantage.


    ¡°It might be possible if Grid maintains his current growth and challenges it again in half a year. At present, isn¡¯t the quest clearance rate close to zero?¡±


    Morpheus replied with an answer that surprised Lim Cheolho.


    [Grid has a 88.19% of clearing the SH100B7 quest. The difficulty of his trials is very low.]


    "...¡±


    Lim Cheolho ordered one more chicken. He was nning to monitor Grid in real time.


    ***


    [30th Ind]


    The ce and situation where you had the most deaths is 100% recreated.


    Ovee the trial and jump past your previous self!


    Mission Clear Condition: Gain three levels.


    First Clear Reward: 500 Challenger Points.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    ¡®The space where I suffered the most deaths...¡¯


    Thus, the space reproduced was the novice area of Patrian. It was a reminder of how ipetent Grid was when he first started ying the virtual reality game.


    Hop hop.


    Bark bark.Bark bark bark!


    There were rabbits in the forest, deer at theke shore, and dogs ying with children. Sticks nervously observed the scenery of the peaceful forest and tilted his head.


    ¡°Why was this chosen as a trial?¡±


    Grid was too embarrassed to exin to Sticks. It was too unfortunate to see that these rabbits and deer wereparable to a terrible dragon like Reiders. Therefore, Grid remained silent as he opened his status window.


    Name: Grid


    ss: Beginner


    Health: 123 Mana: 15


    Strength: 6 Stamina: 7


    Agility: 4 Intelligence: 5


    Skills Possessed: None


    "...¡±


    The situation was recreated 100%, so even his ss and titles were reset. He was armed with equipment for beginners. Most of his hard earned items were disabled.


    Sticks kept making a fuss.


    "Where is this ce? It¡¯s somon that it¡¯s difficult to tell. Is there a huge monster at the end of this forest? An ordeal given to Pagma¡¯s Descendant... Heok, don¡¯t tell me you met a dragon? This... It¡¯s said that the difficulty of the 30th ind has increased in proportion to the challenger¡¯s ability.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. He ignored Sticks, walking out towards the rabbits grazing.


    ¡®I will get revenge.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t been able to adapt to virtual reality games yet. He couldn¡¯t move his fingers or toes at all, and his arms and legs moved separately from what he wanted.


    ¡®The white rabbit who killed me with its front teeth, the ck rabbit who pped me with its hind legs, the grey rabbit that headbutted me to death!¡¯


    He wouldpletely wash away his disgrace and write a new history!


    Buuong~


    Grid firmed up his heart and wielded his sword. The wooden sword flew at a very slow speed. It was a level that the hopping rabbits could avoid.


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    Just a few minutes ago, Grid had 2,800 strength and 1,800 agility. It was difficult to adapt after it decreased to 6 and 4 points respectively. It was like regressing from a healthy adult to a newborn baby.


    Grid was embarrassed by the slow attack as the rabbit ran up to him. In the past, the grey rabbit had given Grid hell by hitting him a few times. But now its strikes couldn¡¯t hit Grid.


    Deftly.


    Grid used the footwork of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, to move to the left and evade the grey rabbit. They were skilled movements that an ordinary level 1 user wouldn¡¯t be able to show. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was like a level 60 user. It was enough to be listed in the Guinness Book of Records for movements that a level 1 beginner could show.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Grid marvelled at his own ability. However, there was no time to rest. The rabbit started to realize that its attack was in vain and called its kin for a pincer attack.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face tensed for the first time. In the past, he would¡¯ve allowed the rabbits¡¯ pincer attack. But now Grid was different.


    ¡°I...!¡±


    Teong!


    Grid showed the highest concentration as he blocked the white rabbit¡¯s long, pointed front teeth with a wooden sword. At the same time, he aimed his fist.


    Peeok!


    The white rabbit was in tears after being hit hard. The eyes of the ck rabbit shone. The ck rabbit¡¯s kick aimed at Grid¡¯s chest, who avoided it.


    ¡®This ridiculous guy.¡¯


    Grid scoffed and aimed his wooden sword.


    Ppak!


    Jjik!


    The ck rabbit¡¯s head was hit hard and it copsed. Grid kicked it and roared.


    ¡°I am a legend!!!¡±


    Currently, Grid¡¯s performance was higher than his stats.


    In no time, he had fully adapted to his 6 strength and 4 agility, and could freely manipte his body to strike at the rabbit with the wooden sword.


    He was the legend who killed several strong bosses, such as the Yatan Servants, Pope Drevigo, the Great Demon Hell Gao, Vampire Earl Elfin Stone, and who had experience fighting the legendary Piaro and 1st ranked Kraugel.


    Peeok!Peok peok!Peeeeok!


    [You have defeated a white rabbit.]


    [5]


    [You have defeated a ck rabbit.]


    [5]


    ...


    ...


    Grid¡¯s fighting style became more sophisticated the more he fought. He beat the rabbits with a skill that was hard to believe for a level 1 user. But Sticks wasn¡¯t inspired as he watched from the side.


    At the same time, in Reidan.


    ¡°Abubu! Abuoo~!¡±


    Lord, armed with the ¡®Baby Wooden Sword¡¯ made by his father Grid, was hunting a ¡®desert rabbit¡¯ that was twice as powerful as a normal rabbit. Lord caught the rabbit while crawling around on all fours. It was enough to raise the admiration of Piaro, who once dreamt of being a sword saint.


    ¡¯The young lord has an excellent talent in swordsmanship.¡¯


    Perhaps, the ultimate genius wasn¡¯t Kraugel, as Piaro thought.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    experience has been acquired.experience has been acquired.

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365


    Peok peok!


    Peok peok peok!


    The battle between Grid and the rabbits wasing to an end. He squeezed out hisst remaining power to prevent the rabbits from attacking, evading and then seeding in a counterattack to win.


    Jjik!


    Kuuong!


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    The rabbits made X-shaped eyes and died. Grid saw them and felt like a 10 year slump had disappeared. He had been killed by rabbits more than a dozen times in the past! He was d to be able to erase that terrible ck history that he didn¡¯t want to think about again. His mind was lightened and pleasure filled his body.


    He felt rejuvenated.


    ¡°Kuahahahat!¡±


    Gridughed with joy. Of course, he paid special attention to his image as lord of Reidan and master of Overgeared. He tried tough in as dignified a manner as possible. Sticks¡¯ face was confused as he watched Grid.


    ¡®One of the nine legends, Pagma¡¯s Descendant is fighting with rabbits?¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be. Sticks denied reality and urged Grid.


    "Grid, stop joking and start now.¡±


    This seemed like a peaceful forest, but there would certainly be a fearsome monster at the end.


    ¡¯I encountered a gourmet dragon... What if Grid encounters a light dragon or dark dragon?¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t be deceived by Grid who was harassing ¡®innocent¡¯ rabbits. There was a high possibility that a rare dragon existed in this forest. In a short while, Grid would fight against the dragon.


    The moment Sticks tried to maintain his tension.


    ~sh!


    A sh of light fell onto Grid¡¯s body, who was holding a wooden sword above a rabbit. It was the symbol of a level up. Sticks saw it and faced reality.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me... Does this mean hunting rabbits was really your biggest ordeal?¡±


    No, what was this? Sticks couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid turned away from the confused Sticks. He was embarrassed and had nothing to say. He just checked the notification window that appeared.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [10]


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    The lower the level, the lower the power of the stats. The basics stats were so low that it was easy to feel strong with a new investment of stat points.


    ¡®First of all, increase agility to 10.¡¯


    The rest would be invested in strength. It was the ideal stat distribution to increase the speed of hunting for novice beginners.


    [Your agility has risen.]


    [Your agility has risen.]


    ...


    [Your strength has risen.]


    [Your strength...]


    ...


    Gaining three levels was the condition to clearing the 30th ind. Grid invested his stat points without any dy.


    ¡®Next is the deer.¡¯


    He faced the threat that were the thirsty deer at theke shore.


    Sneak sneak.


    Grid approached the deer as sneakily as possible. Originally, the deer were difficult for level 2 beginners. The deer¡¯s physical strength and attack power was at least three times higher than rabbits.


    But who was Grid?


    ¡®I am a legend!¡¯


    Grid was filled with courage as he hunted the deer. He paid attention to the deer¡¯s kick, keeping a distance favorable to him before striking the deer with the sword.


    The 30th ind. The worst gateway that caused a challenger¡¯s despair by 100% reproducing their worst trial...


    It was the moment when 1st ranked Kraugel¡¯s ce of frustration was turned into a basic training field for Grid.


    ***


    [You have seeded in the mission.]


    [500 challenger points have been acquired.]


    [Your level has returned to normal.]


    Grid, who returned to the level 306 Pagma¡¯s Descendant from the level 3 beginner, was impressed.


    ¡®My body feels great.¡¯


    His body was light and boiling with power. He stretched out his hand and a sharp wave burst out. He jumped slightly and reached an explosive height. He had perfect and delicate control over each of his 10 fingers.


    This was the flesh of a legend,pared to a level 3 beginner.


    ¡®I was unaware that my body has grown to this extent.¡¯


    In other words, it meant he hadn¡¯t been using his body properly.


    ¡®Moving forward, I have to pay more attention to it.¡¯


    Grid contemted on his past self. He was growing in real time. Sticks wasn¡¯t aware of this and asked with a loud voice.


    ¡°...Are you really Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    It was a question full of distrust. Grid¡¯s appearance was shocking as he struggled with the rabbits and deers. In the end, Grid couldn¡¯t ignore him any longer and spoke honestly.


    ¡°I am dull-witted. I was always inferior to others, and went through trials that others wouldn¡¯t have experienced. Does that mean I shouldn¡¯t be a legend?¡±


    Pride was in Grid¡¯s eyes. It was pride in himself. Sticks felt his confidence and shook his head.


    "No, that isn¡¯t it. I don¡¯t have any doubts.¡±


    A dull-witted person was born again as a legend. That was even better than the genius legends. It meant he tried harder than anyone else.


    "Maybe I respect you more.¡±


    Sticks smiled and spoke in a straightforward manner. Grid smiled in response and walked to the gate of the 31st ind.


    ***


    [You have entered the 31st ind.]


    The 31st ind was uncharted territory for Sticks. He was surprised to see the scene stretched out in front of him.


    ¡°City...?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The 31st ind was a city. Hundreds of buildings were lined in four rows, and the streets were crowded with carriages and people. ¡®Where is this ce? Why is a city recreated?¡¯ Grid¡¯s voice was heard as Sticks tried to reason it out.


    ¡°This is the fortified city of Patrian.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t forget the city that he stayed in for one year, from level 1 to level 80.


    ¡°But why was this recreated? From what I recalled, I died less than 10 times in the city.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You died so many times within a city? Did youmit a crime that deserved the death penalty?¡±


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s impossible. I was just walking on the streets when I was hit by a wagon, died from a flowerpot dropped from the third floor, or was caught and killed by hoodlums.¡±


    "Your luck isn¡¯t ordinary.¡±


    As the two people talked, several notification windows popped up. Thanks to this, Grid knew what needed to be done here.


    [Your level has dropped to level 23.]


    [A mission will be created.]


    [31st Ind]


    The ce and situation of the quest that you failed the most number of times has been 100% created.


    Ovee the trial and jump past your previous self!


    Mission Clear Conditions: Seed in the quest that you failed in the past.


    First Clear Reward: 600 Challenger Points.


    First Clear Reward 2: The rewards you obtain with the quest.


    [The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]


    "The quest I failed the most times?¡±


    It was difficult to pinpoint what quest he failed the most number of times. A golden exmation point appeared on one side as Grid tried to recall the memory. It was a quest window.


    [Participate in the Reserve Forces Training]


    Level of Difficulty: Regr quest.


    Patrian is a fortified city built for the purpose of controlling the Gauss Kingdom.


    yers who belong to Patrian are obliged to do a certain amount of training as part of the reserve forces.


    Train under the instructor at the training ground.


    Quest Clear Condition: Get a passing grade for each training course.


    Quest Reward: Depends on the passing rank.


    ¡°Ah, this quest.¡±


    It was a quest that repeated once a month. They would be trapped in the barracks if they refused to do it. It was an obligatory quest that users belonging to Patrian had to perform. Of course, Grid also participated in the full time training.


    However, there was a problem.


    ¡®I never got a passing score...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know how many times he failed. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The significance of the military training was to raise usable soldiers. It was natural for Patrian to endeavor to nurture reservists to a level that could be used. The problem was that Grid didn¡¯t respond to Patrian¡¯s efforts.


    ¡®The training was too difficult.¡¯


    Patrian¡¯s reserve army training wasrgely divided into weapons training, formation building training, and squad training, which was very difficult.


    ¡®There were many people besides me who didn¡¯t receive a passing mark.¡¯


    In fact, there were less than 10 people, but Grid¡¯s memories showed that there were hundreds of them.


    ***


    Name: Grid


    ss: Warrior


    Level: 23


    Health: 1,161 Mana: 45


    Strength: 187 Stamina: 40


    Agility: 22 Intelligence: 15


    Skills Possessed:


    Beginner Sword Mastery Lv. 2, Beginner Armor Mastery Lv.2, Charge Lv. 1, Full Swing Lv. 1.


    ¡°The stats distribution is too ignorant.¡±


    The bnce of stats was too bad. He wanted to curse his level 23 self.


    ¡®It¡¯s all about strength except for a little bit of stamina.¡¯


    His agility and intelligence was stagnant as the basic ability of a warrior. His attack speed and evasion were the lowest, and he didn¡¯t have the mana to use skills. Using the Charge or Full Swing skill once would deplete all his mana.


    The items he had:


    [Blunt Greatsword]


    Attack Power: 32~71


    Attack Speed: -3%


    [Old Skull Helmet]


    Defense: 2


    [Old Orc Armor]


    Defense: 13


    [Old Goblin Shoes]


    Defense: 2


    ¡®The items are also messed up... No, isn¡¯t it better to have set items from one type of monster?¡¯


    How had he been ying the game in the past?


    ¡®This is why I only reached level 80 despite ying the game for a whole year... No, I only got to level 79.¡¯


    He could only sigh. In his current state, it was doubtful if he could clear the quest.


    ¡®I just need to focus on the training and it will be good.¡¯


    It was a matter of technical training and sparring. He could handle the sword at a good level and was also decent with the spear due to Pon. Therefore, he was only worried about archery. He didn¡¯t have Bow Mastery and his agility was the lowest, so he wondered if he could hit the target with a single arrow.


    ¡®I am also worried about not being able to use skills properly during the spar.¡¯


    Sticks looked at Grid¡¯s anxious expression and became nervous.


    "Is the difficulty of this trial so high? Don¡¯t tell me...! This time it is a dragon...!¡±


    He was suffering under a curse from a dragon, so his dragon trauma was quite strong.


    "Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t meet a dragon when you are with me.¡±


    Grid reassured Sticks and took a deep breath.


    ¡®Now believe in me.¡¯


    Since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he went against many enemies that ordinary users couldn¡¯t ovee alone. Now he would ovee his past self.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid braced himself and entered the training camp. The instructor saw him and shouted.


    "There you are, Blue Falcon! You¡¯rete again! Hurry up, hurry, you bastard who is weaker than a dog!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Blue Falcon! (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blue_falcon)


    It was an embarrassing nickname that he had erased from his memories. Grid¡¯s face distorted like a demon as he stared at the instructor. The castle¡¯s training instructor. The old man who ignored him and harassed him to death!


    ¡®I might¡¯ve had no experience at that time...!¡¯


    But not anymore.


    ¡®I will make shock appear on your face!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s determination was boiling up.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    stat points have been acquired.

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366


    Grid was well aware of the importance of drills as a former member of the South Korean army.


    It was to quickly and easily control the army, for order and unity, to reduce the number of incidents, and to instill a sense of purpose. Drills were the most basic and crucial virtue of the army.


    ¡°The biggest reason why an army operates effectively is due to the formations. Imagine arge group of people. What if the shield troops were in the rear and the archers were in the vanguard? Isn¡¯t that just rubbish?¡±


    The higher the level of training, the faster the speed of the formation. The faster the speed that a formation was formed, the higher the probability was of winning the war. Grid smiled as he watched the instructor exin why drills were so important.


    ¡®In the past, I wasn¡¯t able to concentrate.¡¯


    The reserves were brought to the training ground and given theoretical education. What type of game was this? In the past, Grid had grumbled and couldn¡¯t concentrate on learning.


    "Hey, Blue Falcon."


    Instructor Kaesul red at Grid.


    "Why is it that you doze off every time I an educating you?¡±


    Patrian was a fortified city, so the military training was very strict. Of course, this also applied to yers.


    "Is my education useless? Have you already mastered this?¡±


    The instructor shouted angrily.


    ¡°Stand up!¡±


    Grid stood up. He knew it was wrong tough at the instructor, and absolute obedience was necessary to receive a passing score.


    "Attention! Parade rest! Align right!¡±


    Grid followed the simplemand while the instructor smiled.


    "I will teach you to smile while I¡¯m talking.¡±


    After that, the instructor forced Grid to follow all types of actions. He tried to make it confusing andplex by making Grid move to the front, back, and right side, then he would punish Grid when he got it wrong. However...


    Cheok!


    Cheok cheok cheok cheok!


    ¡®Wow.¡¯


    Instructor Kaesul was puzzled when Grid didn¡¯t hesitate when following the orders.


    Blue Falcon, Grid. He never received a passing grade in any training and was inferior to the other troops, so how could he follow this? Despite his weak stamina, he performed themands perfectly without losing concentration.


    There was something even more surprising.


    ¡®Did his eyes always look like this?¡¯


    Grid was famous with Instructor Kaeul and the assistants. He was dumb, not motivated, weak, and had eyes like rotten fish. Now Grid wasn¡¯t stupid, was full of desire, and concentrated enough to ovee his weak stamina.


    The rotten fish eyes? They were sharp and keen, like there was a reversal. Some people would shrink back when facing it.


    ¡°...Hum hum.¡±


    When would this inferior soldier copse? Instructor Kaesul kept givingmands and eventually gave up. He cleared his throat and spoke while avoiding Grid¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°You have mastered these drills. How hard did you practice? Go back to your spot.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Grid responded vigorously and rejoined the ranks. Honestly, he didn¡¯t feel good. As the duke of a kingdom, he was being insulted by a trainer and tested on an extreme level? It was shameful. But this wasn¡¯t a situation to hold onto his pride.


    ¡®Right now, I¡¯m only a level 23 warrior.¡¯


    Yes, this was currently the past. He had to conform to this situation in order to pass the 31st ind.


    ¡°I will conduct the test from now on!¡±


    After around three hours of training, the test was started. The result was amazing. Blue Falcon Grid was ranked number one in the test. Compared to the other reservists, he maintained his concentration and performed the drills of the instructorpletely and thoroughly.


    ¡®Did he eat something wrong?¡¯


    The instructor and assistants were bewildered.


    ***


    Camp building exercises. It was about climbing up a mountain behind the training ground and making a shelter.


    "It¡¯s just shovelling.¡±


    ¡°How hard is it to dig a pit?¡±


    The reservists holding one shovel thought it was easy. However, Grid knew the significance of building a camp. It was to provide cover from enemy attacks and to protect their teammates.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just digging a pit. It needs to have defensive power.¡¯


    Grid judged and looked carefully at the mountain. Then he found a ce where there were vines and bushes between two trees. He approached it and started digging. The other reservistsughed at him.


    ¡®The trees and bushes will interfere with the digging action.¡¯


    ¡®It will take a while to dig a pit.¡¯


    ¡®Noob, no wonder why he¡¯s being ignored by the instructor.¡¯


    He would receive the lowest points. The reservists made fun of Grid and started digging at the ground. Their digging pace was incredible. It was obvious that they wanted to finish this tiresome training.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s digging speed was slow.


    ¡®Digging too quickly is exhausting.¡¯


    Grid had served in the Korean army for more than a year, so he was used tobor. For Grid, digging was one of his few specialties.


    ¡®Digging works the heart and muscles because it leans on the upper body.¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t want to copse from tiredness, it was more effective to do it slowly and steadily.


    Puk!


    His right hand grasped the handle while his left hand grasped the bottom portion of the shovel. His speed was very slowpared to others, but that onlysted for a short period of time. The speed at which Grid dug the ground was three times faster than the others. The others became exhausted while Grid maintained his pace.


    ¡°Hah... Oveing low stamina with know-how.¡±


    The instructor and assistants observing the reservists couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off Grid. Grid¡¯s digging skill was the best. It was enough to remind them of a professional digger. It was natural that Grid would take the first ce in the camp building test.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face brightened as he erased a few pathetic memories from the past. His high pride after fighting with Kraugel became more robust.


    ***


    Weapons testing.


    The reservists, who learned the basic skills of handling spears, swords, and bows, stood in front of a scarecrow.


    Instructor Kaesul shouted, "First is the spear!¡±


    At the same time.


    Blue, red, and green dots covered the bodies of the scarecrows in front of the reservists. The blue dots were the size of a 500 yen coin, while the red and green dots were like billiard balls.


    ¡°Over the next three minutes, the three types of dots will emerge alternately. You will get one point when striking the blue dot, 5 points for the red dot, and 10 points for the green dot. You will pass if you get at least 50 points in three minutes."


    In the past, this was a test that Grid had never seeded in.


    The dots with the three colors shed too quickly before disappearing, and there was no regrity. In the past, Grid couldn¡¯t exert much control over the spear and wasn¡¯t able to gain 50 points in three minutes.


    Now it was different.


    Cheok!


    Grid moved his right foot back and wielded the spear. He¡¯d hunted with the strongest spearman Pon, and got a look at the spear techniques and movements.


    More than anything, the current Grid...


    ¡®I am a person who understands the divine spear.¡¯


    Once he understood the structure of a weapon, he naturally realized how to use it.


    sh!


    Grid¡¯s eyes saw the signal in front of him.


    Beeeok-!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The instructors, assistants and even reservists were surprised by the sound and turned their attention to Grid. Grid had stabbed precisely at the blue dot on the scarecrow. Everyone who saw it were shocked beyond admiration, but Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡®Indeed, my agility is too low.¡¯


    The speed of the spear was slow and it wasn¡¯t very precise. He tried to aim at the center of the blue dot, but it deviated to the left. Grid wasining when he suddenly realized.


    ¡®Kraugel wouldn¡¯tin like me.¡¯


    He would ovee the ordeal, no matter how bad his condition.


    ¡®Yes, I don¡¯t have the time for regrets.¡¯


    He concentrated harder and tried to use the spear to the best of his ability.


    Peeeeeong!


    The spear let out a sound again as it struck. The instructor couldn¡¯t close his mouth when he saw that Grid once again hit the blue spot.


    ¡®No, what¡¯s up with him today?¡¯


    He knew the Blue Falcon. He seemed like apletely different person.


    Diririri-


    After a while, Grid¡¯s scarecrow scoreboard achieved 100 points.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The instructor turned pale. 100 points in 1 minute and 23 seconds. Grid set a record that even the most experienced knight apprentices couldn¡¯t beat. The instructor couldn¡¯t tell if this was a dream or reality.


    A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [You have set a new record in Patrian¡¯s reserve forces training Spear Test!]


    [The rare skill ¡®Spear Shot¡¯ has been acquired as a hidden reward.]


    [Spear Shot Lv.1]


    Throws a spear that deals 600% physical damage to the target. The enemy will fall down.


    * You must reim the spear in the thrown window. If you fail to retrieve it within 30 seconds, you will lose ownership of the spear.


    Mana Consumption: 150


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Grid was astonished by thepletely unexpected benefit.


    It was a hassle to recover the thrown spear, butpared to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, the skill cooldown time was very short and the damage was also good. In addition, it was a medium range skill that would be useful in many ways.


    ¡®This... Will I be able to get rare skills in the sword test and archery test?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s motivation grew even more.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367


    ¡®It isn¡¯t bad to have one spear.¡¯


    Spear Shot.


    It was a skill that used the concept of ¡®throwing the spear,¡¯ so it was somewhat tricky for general warriors to use. The slightest slip meant they could lose their weapon. But Grid was different. There were many ways for him to retrieve the thrown spear using the God Hands. He was confident that he could use Spear Shot properly.


    ¡°The test has finished!¡±


    While Grid was feeling satisfied with his new skill, all of the reservists ended their test. The average score of the reservists was 50 points, and it took a full three minutes. It was a level that was barely above the cut line. There were four people who failed.


    Grid¡¯s score of 100 points in 1 minute and 23 seconds became even more outstanding.


    ¡°Hrmm... Next is the swordsmanship test.¡±


    Instructor Kaesul was still stunned. The sudden change and growth of Blue Falcon Grid was unbelievable, even when he saw it directly with his own eyes. While Instructor Kaesul was feeling confused, Grid and the reservists followed the assistants. Each of them stood in front of a new scarecrow.


    The scarecrows had solid lines on them.


    The instructor exined.


    ¡°If you cut along the solid red line, you will get 5 points. If you stab it, you will lose 5 points. Stabbing the green dot will earn you 5 points, cutting it will lose you 5 points. Stabbing the blue line will earn you 10 points, cutting it will lose you 10 points. You will pass if you get 50 points in three minutes.¡±


    It was a bit moreplicatedpared to the spearmanship test. Grid wascking in the past and had barely gained any points from the three colored solid lines. In particr, the weapon that Grid normally used was a greatsword, and it wasn¡¯t effective when it came to stabbing. This was the biggest cause of his low score.


    However, after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid had used Kill hundreds of times. Now he could stab with a greatsword. The continuously intersecting solid lines and dots? Compared to Piaro and Kraugel¡¯s movements, they were trivial enough to make him yawn.


    ¡°G-Grid passed...!¡±


    100 points in 39 seconds. Grid was like one with the sword as he obtained this score. Instructor Kaesul and the assistants¡¯ mouths gaped open at the sight.


    ¡®He has the makings of a knight!¡¯


    ¡¯He was just acting as a Blue Falcon until now!¡¯


    They didn¡¯t know why he was acting. Anyway, they had to admit it. Grid had the best qualities. On the other hand, Grid wasn¡¯t feeling inspired at all. He had fought against countless strong enemies, so striking a scarecrow was just boring.


    [You have set a new record in Patrian¡¯s reserve forces training Swordsmanship Test!]


    [The rare skill ¡®Continuous Stab¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Continuous Stab Lv. 1]


    Quickly stab the target 5 times.


    Every stab that hits will deal 100%, 120%, 150%, 190%, and 240% of your attack power respectively.


    Mana Consumption: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.


    It was a multiple hits skill. It could be defended against or avoided, but it was useful against sluggish enemies, as it was a type of skill that contained explosive power.


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s weaker than Kill.¡¯


    It was a good substitute skill for when Kill was on cooldown.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    In the past, he felt like it was hell. Now he was getting great rewards from the reservist training, so he wanted to dance with joy.


    ***


    Shoot!


    Grid and the reservists stood side by side with a target 10m in front of them. The archery test was about to begin.


    ¡®This test is to get 50 points with 10 arrows.¡¯


    The target was divided into 10 points, 8 points, 6 points, 4 points and 2 points. Tension filled Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®In the past, I couldn¡¯t even hit the target with one arrow.¡¯


    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t very confident. In the absence of Bow Mastery, the hit rate of the arrows was proportional to agility.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    He had watched Jishuka shoot for more than a year. He¡¯d made hundreds of bows for Jishuka and the soldiers of Reidan.


    ¡®I¡¯m not aplete newbie to archery.¡¯


    Believe in himself.


    ¡®10 meters. It is only 10 meters away. I can focus enough.¡¯


    Every time he made a bow and tested the performance, the target distance was 100 meters. Grid took a deep breath and watched the center of the round target. He was aiming for 10 points.


    ¡®I will be sure to acquire a rare skill!¡¯


    He felt hope as the distance to the target was too short. He could do it if he concentrated.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Grid was trying to reproduce Jishuka¡¯s posture when he frowned. It was because the quality of the training arrows for the test was very low.


    ¡®Did beginner level 3 or lower cksmiths make this?¡¯


    The shaft was twisted and the weight bnce was off.


    ¡®Anyway, the reservist training environment is disappointing in reality and the game.¡¯


    The shaft should be leveled and the bnce between the arrowhead and shaft adjusted. The weight of the arrowheads should also be bnced. An unbnced arrow wouldn¡¯t fly far, no matter how hard they were shot.


    ¡®A material with a heavy weight can cover it to some extent, but this arrow is made from the worst material.¡¯


    The legendary cksmith, Grid. As Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he had made over 100,000 arrows. He might¡¯ve lost the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill, but his eye for arrows hadn¡¯t disappeared.


    ¡®I can win, even without the power of items.¡¯


    Determination shed in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Grid, what is it?¡±


    Instructor Kaesul¡¯s attitude towards Grid had toned down. He didn¡¯t call Grid ¡®Blue Falcon¡¯ or curse at him. Grid unabashedly demanded, "The arrows I¡¯ve received are in a very bad state. Can I have a look at the ones in your hands?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Instructor Kaesul was very embarrassed.


    ¡°Look. The structure of the arrow is so simple that anyone can easily make it, but it doesn¡¯t just depend on the arrow when being fired. A novice who doesn¡¯t know anything touching them, of course the arrows will be bad. If the arrows are a problem, I will give you new arrows.¡±


    Instructor Kaesul gave a signal. Then an assistant brought new arrows to Grid. But the state of the arrows were just as bad.


    ¡®It might be different if I had the Bow Mastery skill.¡¯


    Grid was determined and asked again.


    ¡°Let me handle the arrows myself."


    "Geez, he isn¡¯t a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°It seems he¡¯s be arrogant just because he gained some skills.¡±


    The assistantsined. They were dissatisfied with Grid, who was slowing down their schedule. However, the response of Instructor Kaesul was surprisingly favorable.


    "I understand. If you can, then try it.¡±


    The reason why Instructor Kaesul felt contempt towards Grid before wasn¡¯t just because he was ipetent. Grid didn¡¯t try to ovee his ipetence and had an attitude of hating everything.


    Now Grid was overflowing with enthusiasm. The instructor didn¡¯t want to pour cold water on that positive change.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid left the group of reservists. While the other reservists did the test, Grid started to repair the arrows.


    ¡®I would prefer to cut the shaft thinly and make it tter.¡¯


    Grid currently had 0 dexterity. He wasn¡¯t able to exert his full ability just by relying on experience and theory alone.


    ¡®I could break the shaft. Forget my greed and focus on the bnce.¡¯


    Grid picked up a stone that was three times smaller than the arrowhead. Then he tore a few branches and tied it to the back of the arrowhead.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The arrows, which were so light they couldn¡¯t go against wind resistance, now had a moderate weight. Grid smiled with delight and pulled some of the feathers behind the shaft. It was an extreme measure to bnce the left and right side of the shaft.


    ¡®It¡¯s crude, but better than before.¡¯


    A notification window popped up as Grid tried to improve the curve of the shaft.


    [The options of the ¡®Reserve Troops¡¯ Arrow¡¯ has changed.]


    [Reserve Troops¡¯ Arrow]


    Attack Power: 1~2 uracy: +2


    Someone saw what was wrong with the arrow and fixed it.


    The workmanship is poor, but the performance of the arrows has improved. It will fly quite far when fired well.


    Weight: 0.01


    ¡°Now it purely depends on my abilities.¡±


    Grid spoke to an assistant and took deep breaths on the shooting range.


    Kkirik!


    He remained tense, but there was no hesitation in his actions. The bowstring was drawn back.


    ¡®Remember when I test the performance of my bows.¡¯


    He followed the posture of an expert archer. It was a posture he had seen from Jishuka since the days of the Mcus raid. He would be able to hit a target 10 meters away.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid stopped breathing and aimed the arrow tip. At that moment, the arrow burst out with a cheerful sound and flew away. It fell in a parab and seeded in prating the target. It was 6 points. He was aiming for the center, but it deviated to the right.


    ¡®Then.¡¯


    Grid aimed more to the left of the first shot. But he failed to read the wind direction in his rush. The direction of the wind changed and the arrows fell down. It was another 6 points. His opportunity to acquire a rare skill was flying away.


    The Grid in the past would¡¯ve cursed with irritation.


    But.


    ¡®It¡¯s still okay.¡¯


    Grid was calm. The reservist training included sparring, so the level of the participants needed to be simr. In other words, the power of the 50 reservists currently participating in the training were around level 20 like Grid. It would be difficult for them to hit the targets with all 10 arrows.


    ¡®The record will be for the level 20 reservists in the past. It¡¯s still possible.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t give up. This time, Grid raised his concentration to the maximum, read the wind direction, and fired the arrow.


    Puok!


    10 points. There was no difficulty after he got it once.


    Puk puk puk!


    Gridpletely grabbed the feeling and got 10 points eight times in a row. The result.


    ¡°Grid has 92 points!¡±


    [You have set a new record in Patrian¡¯s reserve forces training Archery Test!]


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368


    ¡°G-Grid has 92 points!?¡±


    [You have set a new record in Patrian¡¯s reserve forces training Archery Test!]


    [Your understanding of archery, the bow, and arrows is higher than your ability.]


    [An ability correction will be applied to the hiddenpensation.]


    [The normal skill ¡®Bow Mastery¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Bow Mastery]


    Beginner: Lv.1


    You can handle all types of bows.


    When equipped with a bow, attack power and hit rate will increase by 4%, and the probability of a critical hit will increase in proportion to agility.


    Current Critical Hit Probability Increase: 0%.


    ¡®Bow Mastery!¡¯


    An archer had been described many times as a ss that exerted a unique physical attack power. The reason? It was thanks to the Bow Mastery skill. Bow Mastery had the highest attack and uracy rate of all masteries, and was the source of an archer¡¯s power.


    ¡®I never thought I would get Bow Mastery.¡¯


    Grid was strong at a distance because he had Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend, and Transcended Link, as well as Magic Missile. But that was a story when he had enough mana. The skill cooldown time was also a problem.


    ¡®On the other hand, a bow guarantees steady attacks if there are enough arrows.¡¯


    Grid referred to Piaro¡¯s stats distribution when increasing his agility. For him, Bow Mastery was a very good passive skill.


    ¡®If I can get Weapons Mastery as well...¡¯


    The foundation for further strengthening would bepleted. Grid¡¯s body shivered as he thought about it.


    ***


    The stats of the level 23 Grid were a mess, but the level of the reserve troops participating in the training were only level 20. Grid was at the top of the rankings and won in the sparring. Hepletely overpowered his opponent.


    "The top graduate, Grid!¡±


    p p p!


    The training graduation ceremony. Instructor Kaesul called out his name and the assistants and reservists pped. Grid had shown enough during the training to be respected by everyone.


    ¡®Not Pagma¡¯s Descendant...¡¯


    ¡®Shin Youngwoo¡¯ was the one acknowledged. He was beyond thrilled by his own growth. Grid smiled and walked up to the stage. Then...


    [You have taken the top position in the training of Patrian¡¯s reserve forces!]


    [You have obtained the first prize ¡®Senior Reserve Forces Citation¡¯.]


    [Senior Reserve Forces Citation]


    You have be the role model for the Patrian reservists.


    I want to thank you for your enthusiasm during training.


    -Earl Ashur-


    "???"


    Surely that wasn¡¯t it? Grid was expecting more from thepensation, so confusion filled his face. Instructor Kaesul smiled at him and said.


    "It is an honor to receive a citation from Earl Ashur, lord of Patrian, and a great magician of the continent. It is an heirloom that can be passed on to your descendants.¡±


    ¡°This nonsense... There isn¡¯t a separatepensation?¡±


    The moment that Grid asked this question.


    [Mission sess!]


    [You have cleared the 31st ind.]


    [You have acquired 600 challenger points for the mission sess.]


    [Your level has returned to normal.]


    [The skills Spear Shot, Continuous Stab, and Bow Mastery have been acquired.]


    Shaaaaah-


    The fortified city of Patrien, Instructor Kaesul, the assistants, and the reservists. The perfect reproduction of the 31st ind scattered like a mirage. Grid was left alone. He changed his mind about tearing up Earl Ashur¡¯s citation and throwing it away.


    "...It isn¡¯t bad to keep it as a memento.¡±


    It was the first award he received in his life. His personal feelings towards Earl Ashur had already been resolved to a certain extent, so Grid ced the citation on one side of his inventory.


    ***


    Reidan went through a big change while Grid was away.


    First of all, the monsters around the yellow mithril mine dried up. It was thanks to the great sess of the knights who raised their level in Winston and returned. Reidan was now able to extract the yellow mithril in earnest. The yellow mithril caused a remarkable growth in the alchemy technology of Reidan, thanks to the fairy dust. It finally reached a level where alchemy could bebined with cksmithing.


    Secondly, the magical talents of the ¡®Ul n¡¯ that Grid rescued from the empire had blossomed from the steady education. Reidan now had 930 magicians. Among them was Princess Hwarin of the Ul n, whose ability was unrivalled. The unique rated passive skill, ¡®party¡¯s magic power increased by 30%¡¯ was a treasure for the magicians.


    Thirdly, the farming area of Reidan extended to the Altes Mountains. This would increase food production by three times.


    Lauel was confused, ¡®There is a limited number of farmers, so how has Piaro developed agriculture to this degree? Surely he didn¡¯t do all that work alone?¡¯


    Lauel wasn¡¯t yet aware that Aura Master Hurent and Pet Master Nyangmong were being held by Piaro.


    Fourthly, a Reba Temple started to be built under Pope Damian¡¯s authority. The Reba Temple would give a big blessing to the city and foster healers, so the poption of Reidan would increase dramatically.


    Fifthly, the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates brought by Damian were incorporated into Reidan. Piaro trained them to be the best farmers in the future. No, they were going to be the pdin unit.


    Lauel was worried about the fifth point.


    "Is this too excessive?¡±


    Reba¡¯s Daughters were the absolute force of the Reba Church. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that without Reba¡¯s Daughters, there would be no Reba Church. The Reba Church wouldn¡¯t be convinced by Damian¡¯spassion for the candidates.


    "You might get kicked out of the pope position before you can finish your term. Your tenure needs tost in order to help Grid.¡±


    The power of the pope was mighty. It was best to aim for remaining pope for the rest of his life. However, Damian might lose his position just because of a few girls. Lauel felt like he was stupid.


    But Damian was stubborn.


    "The reason I became pope was because I hoped a second Isabel, Rin and Luna wouldn¡¯t be born. You can¡¯t imagine it. The pain of the young girls who are stuck in a facility, undergoing constant brainwashing and hard training... Being used as a weapon for all their lives, it isn¡¯t possible for me to tell you how harsh it is.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Lauel was someone who would use and ughter yers to achieve his goal. He couldn¡¯t understand Damian, who empathized with NPCs. But he tried to understand. Grid was close to NPCs like Irene, and had a child called Lord.


    Lauel had a duty to take into ount Damian¡¯s heart.


    "...To be honest, I still don¡¯t understand you and Grid. However, I respect it. I will find a way to solidify your position that will be shaken by this incident.¡±


    Damian¡¯s nervous face rxed.


    "Thank you!"


    ¡®Contact with the vampire cities has been disconnected and the work I have to worry about is growing.¡¯ Lauel¡¯s dark circles thickened.


    ***


    All the inds in the 30¡¯s reproduced the challenger¡¯s past trials. Situations where the challenger died a lot or failed a quest many times appeared sequentially. The rankers were armed with excellent talents and skills. For those who didn¡¯t y an easy game, the inds in the 30¡¯s were a disaster.


    But Grid was different. The trials that Grid suffered in the past, he could now easily ovee.


    [You have entered the 40th ind.]


    [This is a save point. Do you want to save your position?]


    [You have been registered. When you enter the Behen Archipgoter on, you will start from the 40th ind.]


    ¡°That is amazing. It¡¯s really wonderful.¡±


    Sticks kept praising Grid. He wasn¡¯t able to ovee his trials, and he was impressed by the fact that Grid grew in real time.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about catching orcs and goblins?¡±


    Grid responded with a smile and checked the time.


    ¡®I should rest for a while.¡¯


    A total of one month had passed since he entered the Behen Archipgo. It took longer than expected, so Grid needed to manage his stamina. After six hours of game connection, he adjusted his condition by logging out, eating, and exercising.


    ***


    ¡®The harvest that I obtained from the inds in the 30¡¯s is great.¡¯


    Apart from Spear Shot, Continuous Strike, and Bow Mastery, he gained 7 strength and stamina, as well as 5 agility and intelligence.


    The rewards earned from the quest were cumtive, demonstrating the effect of two elixirs. What were the rewards waiting for him on the remaining inds?


    Behen Archipgo. There was no ce more appropriate for growth.


    ¡®It would be good to use it as a training ce for the guild members before it is cleansed.¡¯


    The Tzedakah Guild, Yura, and Peak Sword were skilled enough to reach the 20th ind. If they could collect a few elixirs with the challenger points, Overgeared would be even stronger.


    Ttiring~


    Shin Youngwoo was thinking about this when a message arrived on his phone.


    -A mail has arrived.


    ¡®Is it the periodic report from Lauel?¡¯


    Youngwoo stopped running and opened the mail.


    The third week of September.


    The alchemy facility has sessfully studied yellow mithril, producing fairy dust.


    * As soon as Grid returns, be prepared to try a fusion of alchemy and cksmithing techniques.


    <ol start="2"> A magic unit has been constructed around Princess Hwarin of the Ul n. Piaro has expanded the farming area..........<ol start="7"> It is now the 24th day of Satisfy time since the vampire expedition entered the 9th city. I have lost touch with them.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s expression hardened as he read the contents of the mail. Marie Rose. The name of a transcendent being prated his mind.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be...!¡¯


    Youngwoo rushed back along the jogging course he had just run. He was breathing roughly, but didn¡¯t easily copse.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.  </ol></ol>

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369


    Most gamers liked to dream, but they became frustrated by their talent and environmental limitations, causing them to abandon their dreams.


    From a general point of view, Grid was also like this. However, Grid obtained an opportunity after hard work. He had been trying his best ever since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    He wanted to escape his poverty, wanted to show off, and then wanted to ovee his inferiority. Now he didn¡¯t want to lose what he had obtained, and also to protect his precious ones. His aspirations were refined in a more upright direction.


    He couldn¡¯t sit still while his colleagues were at risk.


    "Login."


    ***


    Behen Archipgo, the 40th ind.


    Sticks was drinking a blue coconut.


    "Why did youe back so soon this time?¡±


    Grid cut right to the point.


    ¡°Instant dun... No, can you forcefully enter a ce where ess is limited, like the Behen Archipgo?¡±


    No. Anyone would give that answer. But Grid was full of hope. Sticks. He was called a sage because he umted more knowledge and wisdom than others. Indeed, Sticks met Grid¡¯s expectations.


    "There is one way. But it is likely to fail and I can only try it twice a year.¡±


    "Can you give it a try for me?¡±


    ¡°...Can I ask about the situation?¡±


    Grid was his benefactor and had infinite appeal. But Sticks couldn¡¯t blindly help without knowing the situation.


    "There are people who I want to protect.¡±


    Grid gave a clear and brief exnation. His eyes were deep, warm and bright. Sticks didn¡¯t inquire anymore after hearing the exnation.


    "First, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Sticks got up from his seat. The purification of the Contaminated Behen Archipgo? It was better for Grid to solve his problem first before returning. Grid would be able to concentrate more.


    ***


    The members of the vampire expedition were as followed. Pon, Regas, Faker, Jishuka, Yura, Huroi, Peak Sword, Vantner, Toban, Zednos, Ibellin, and Toon. They were the elites of Overgeared.


    Since raiding Elfin Stone and growing from the 10th vampire city, they were filled with confidence. With the exception of Marie Rose, who Grid told them to be careful of, they were convinced that there weren¡¯t any vampires they couldn¡¯t raid.


    Now they greatly regretted challenging the 9th city.


    "Dammit, I¡¯m lost at this age.¡±


    The 9th city was a castle. The castle was several timesrger than Reidan, the secondrgest city in the Eternal Kingdom. Traps were set up everywhere, the corridors were likebyrinths, and the Overgeared members unintentionally became scattered.


    "Ka~kung.¡±


    Pon and Vantner were separated from the group. They were moving between a forest of pirs when a yful woman¡¯s voice was heard from behind them. The surprised Pon and Vantner swung their weapons, but they only hurt the pirs and felt a pain from their wrists.


    ¡°Oh! This nasty woman!¡±


    Vantner¡¯s bald head turned red. He was like an octopus, so Pon burst outughing. Vantner¡¯s head became even redder.


    "This situation isn¡¯t funny!¡±


    ¡°You should look in the mirror. It¡¯s impossible not tough.¡±


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    Vantner and Pon were still at odds. It happened when the agitated Vantner was going to grab Pon¡¯s cor.


    "If you¡¯re bored, then y with me.¡±


    The yful voice of a woman was heard from the ceiling instead of behind a pir. Pon was still being held by the cor, but stabbed upwards with his spear. Vantner let go and grabbed his axe.


    They leapt towards the vampire baron, Ran.


    Puuok!


    The sharp fingernails moved with high agility and scratched the chests of the two men.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Pon and Vantner¡¯s faces became irritated at their failed counterattack.


    "Huhuhut~ silly Brothers.¡±


    Ran hid herself in the darkness and taunted them, causing Vantner to grumble.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Faker be a match for that woman?¡±


    ¡°I agree. If Faker was here, then we would be able to easily catch that woman instead of suffering like this.¡±


    "That¡¯s what I wanted to say!¡±


    The two of them couldn¡¯t work together and the number of wounds gradually increased. Ran¡¯sughter echoed in the darkness.


    ***


    ¡°Do you think this body will be hurt by that small dagger?¡±


    Arge hall on the first floor of the castle. Faker had fallen into a trap and was fighting a vampire alone. Like his name, Mountain held an unusuallyrge weapon and was covered with armor. The body of the vampire baron was as big as his name. He was at least 3m tall.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    His throwing skill wasn¡¯t enough to get past the defense. Rare tension appeared on Faker¡¯s face.


    ***


    "This is the worst."


    A corridor to the north of the castle¡¯s first floor. Jishuka and Zednos was isted in the middle of it without any cover. There were vampire soldiersing from both sides of the corridor.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let them get here.¡±


    "I know.¡±


    Jishuka was an archer and Zednos was a magician. They were vulnerable when it came to closebat. They shot arrows and magic to the other side of the hall to prevent vampires from approaching...


    ¡°Damn humans!¡±


    The number of angry vampires didn¡¯t show signs of diminishing. Zednos saw that they were gradually narrowing the distance and clicked his tongue.


    "The average level is 20 levels higher than the vampires of the 10th city?¡±


    "...I agree.¡±


    The two people felt desperate.


    ***


    ¡°Is everybody safe?¡±


    Regas, Huroi, Peak Sword, Toban, Ibellin, and Toon. They were at the forefront of the party and was move towards the 2nd floor when they activated the ¡®Teleportation Trap.¡¯ It was impossible for them to confirm if the colleagues left on the 1st floor were safe.


    "I can¡¯t see their health and location.¡±


    "I think they are in danger.¡±


    ¡°No, Regas. This is why I told you to let Faker go first. Why were you in the front when you don¡¯t have a searching ability?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I was so motivated that I moved ahead.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down to the 1st floor instead of ming anyone.¡±


    Peak Sword. He used to be the guild master of the Silver Knights Guild. When he was serious, he showed a high leadership and judgment ability. The others were well aware of this fact and followed Peak Sword without saying anything.


    However, there were people blocking the path to the 1st floor. They were three vampire barons.


    ¡°...This ce is great.¡±


    In the 10th city, one or two vampire barons emerged as intermediate bosses. However, the 9th city contained an absurd number of vampire barons.


    "Draw Sword, Annihte.¡±


    Sakak-!


    Peak Sword initiated the battle.


    ***


    Demon yer, Yura. Her level was 247. The level that the general public took two years to obtain was achieved in just seven months. It was the result of the know-how from her 5th ce ranking, a legendary ss, and the best hunting ground that was the vampire cities.


    The present Yura was strong enough topare with the main powers of Overgeared. However, her level wasn¡¯t enough to deal with a vampire viscount alone.


    "Is this your limit?¡±


    A viscount was far stronger than the vampire barons. The viscount, Tiramet, looked down at the kneeling Yura. He was overflowing with magic power and his infinite physical strength made him arrogant.


    "I was a bit nervous about the dirty bullets you shoot, but it isn¡¯t interesting. A Demon yer is just this much.¡±


    Yura asked Tiramet, who had spoken in a ridiculing tone.


    ¡°You know about a Demon yer?¡±


    "It¡¯s impossible for me to not know.¡±


    Tiramet raised his silver hair. Then he revealed a deep wound on his forehead.


    ¡°I was wounded by that guy.¡±


    His killing intent rose. Tiramet¡¯s hostility exploded as he thought about the past.


    "Woman who inherited that power. Today I will thoroughly step on you.¡±


    Peeng!


    Like most vampires, Tiramet was good at magic and physical fighting. He used a style of fighting that weakened the enemy with magic and then ended it with physical attacks.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be hit by the same thing again.¡±


    Yura cancelled the magic by shooting a purification bullet and immediately opened the distance. She narrowly avoided a flying kick and fired a bullet again.


    Tatang!


    It hit. The bullet urately hit between Tiramet¡¯s eyes. It was a great marksmanship. However, Yura¡¯splexion was still pale. She was only level 247, so she couldn¡¯t deal a big blow to a named level 360 boss.


    ¡°Kuk...! Girl!¡±


    A Demon yer¡¯s attack was a deadly poison to demonkin. No matter the level difference, Tiramet felt a great deal of pain, so his anger soared into the sky.


    Peeng!Peeng!


    Kwaang!


    Every time he waved his hand, ck magic power struck to constrict Yura¡¯s behavior.


    "I¡¯ll break you!¡±


    A smile broke out on Tiramet¡¯s face because he was confident in hisbat abilities. His kick flew out like lightning and aimed urately at Yura¡¯s face.


    Peeok!


    A sound rang out. Tiramet was convinced it was the sound of fragile human bones being broken.


    "Kukuk...! Huh?¡±


    Tiramet stoppedughing while imagining brains pouring out of the dying human. He felt doubts.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Where did the golden shield that appeared in front of his lege from?


    ¡®What is this damn girl...!?¡¯


    The moment that Tiramet backed away.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A storm of blue-ck energy des flew and covered Tiramet. Tiramet reflexively used a defense spell and was astonished.


    ¡®Strong...!¡¯


    It was a level of damage that couldn¡¯t be defended against. Tiramet¡¯s body became wounded as he moved backwards.


    ¡°What bastard?¡±


    Immediately after the storm of des finished, the outraged Tiramet tried to counterattack. He was about to use magic when he stopped. Four golden hands came flying over and bound his arms and legs!


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Tiramet struggled to shake off the golden hands. But this wasn¡¯t an easy task. He had the advantage in power, but the dexterity of the fingers meant he couldn¡¯t easily get rid of them. At that moment, a gap was revealed for a few seconds.


    Someone was flying above Tiramet¡¯s head. It was a ck haired human.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    It was Grid.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370


    Elfin Stone, master of the 13th city, was an earl, while the master of cities in the 10s were viscounts. Yura was well aware of the strength of a viscount type vampire.


    ¡®At least five of the elites of Overgeared must be present to raid them.¡¯


    It might be possible if shepleted all her ss quests and went over level 300, but she couldn¡¯t do it alone right now. Yura judged this and focused on survival. She fought defensively in order to buy as much time as possible for her scattered colleagues to return.


    But Tiramet¡¯sbat power was too destructive. He was stronger than the other viscounts she had met.


    ¡¯He met a former Demon yer and survived.¡¯


    It was clearly a unique event, meaning...


    ¡®Named boss!¡¯


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Yura avoided the bleeding magic, but her range of actions was constrained. Soon after, she was faced with a kick flying at her.


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it.¡¯


    She would lose at least a third of her health. The key was to not allow any linked attacks. Yura calcted the angle and deliberately moved her body. The moment she was hit, she would be blown back to the rear pir and nned to use that gap to regain her posture.


    At that moment.


    Syuk~


    Chaaeng!


    A shining golden shield came flying and protected Yura from Tiramet¡¯s kick.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Yura¡¯s normally always calm eyes widened. She knew who the owner of this golden shield was.


    ¡®Grid!¡¯


    Why was he here when he should be in the Behen Archipgo? How did he enter, and why did he only show up in important moments to help her?


    ¡®I will keep depending on you if this happens.¡¯


    Even Yura¡¯s sad expression was beautiful.


    ***


    The True Blood vampires were divided into two types.


    There were the nine children born directly by Shizo Beriache, and those made using their blood. Viscount Tiramet was a direct descendant. He was at least three times stronger than the usual made vampire viscounts, so it was right to call him a quasi-earl.


    He was being threatened by a human? It didn¡¯t make sense. Unless his opponent had the title of a legend!


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill.¡±


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s body was pierced five times by a blue-ck energy de, causing him to scream terribly. The ck haired human who suddenly appeared, his attack power was devastating.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The angry Tiramet waved his hand, causing his magic power to move. It was the manifestation of transfusion magic that hit all targets and took away their health.


    ¡®A non-targeted skill.¡¯


    The ck haired man, Grid¡¯s, eyes changed. He withdrew the greatsword that was inserted into Tiramet¡¯s chest, while using the footwork of Link to avoid the blood magic. It was a remarkable aplishment, considering the timing and speed of the magic. Of course, the aid of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch was also great.


    ¡°You rat bastard!¡±


    Tiramet shouted as his health went down and he punched out. But Grid¡¯s skill deployment was quicker, since he was alreadypleting the footsteps of Link.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    A little while ago, Grid had stabbed Tiramet¡¯s chest rather than his head. The head would receive more damage, but he wasn¡¯t able to hit the enemy¡¯s head with 100% uracy with his current skills.


    On the other hand, Link was different. The range of the shes was much wider than a stabbing attack.


    ¡°This will hurt.¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    At the same time as Grid¡¯s promation, Tiramet¡¯s face was mangled. Tiramet was shaken by the terrible pain and pulled out a trump card.


    ¡°Blood Tornado!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Magic power moved around Tiramet like a whirlwind. Grid¡¯s body was swept into the air by it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Five blood missiles flew towards Grid.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Syuok!Syuok!


    Two golden hands came flying at Grid¡¯s call. They spread open their palms and blocked the Blood Missile, but stiffened. The three remaining Blood Missiles hit Grid¡¯s head and chest.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    There was an explosion and Grid coughed up blood. Tiramet confirmed it andughed with excitement.


    ¡°Kuhahat! You¡¯re quite strong, but you¡¯re still human! There¡¯s arge physical difference between you and I! A human body is like dry leaves, while the body of a True Blood vampire is like steel!¡±


    This was true, but Tiramet was also hurt by his wounds. The damage from the human destroyedmon sense and half his health was consumed.


    ¡¯But!¡¯


    He had vampire magic. Tiramet smiled and aimed magic at both Grid and Yura.


    "My body is a stone.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s eyes widened. The human received three Blood Missiles and was far from death!


    "Why is a human so durable...?¡±


    "Magic Missile."


    Jiing.


    Peeng!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 2. The legendary spell, which had be more powerful in the Behen Archipgo, urately prated Tiramet¡¯s heart. Tiramet thought it was ludicrous.


    ¡¯I was hit by a Magic Missile?¡¯


    Why was a magician so tough? No, why did he use a sword so well if he was a magician? Tiramet was feeling astonished when Grid appeared above him, drinking a health potion.


    Chaaeng!


    The blue-ck greatsword struck like a lightning bolt! The momentum was great, but it was easily caught by Tiramet¡¯s left hand.


    "This body won¡¯t be caught by the same pattern!¡±


    Tirament stretched out his right hand. He grabbed Grid¡¯s neck and pushed him into a pir.


    ¡°Blood Burn!¡±


    Peeng!


    Grid¡¯s body was pushed into the pir and swept away by the explosion of blood.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Yura¡¯s face paled. No matter how good his items, stats, and ss, she was worried that Grid wouldn¡¯t be safe from this attack. She had forgotten for a moment. Grid was someone who fought against Kraugel.


    "Already making me use Doran¡¯s ring.¡±


    Grid¡¯s appearance was moderately fine. But his expression wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®I still have a long way to go.¡¯


    Kraugel wouldn¡¯t have been caught by the neck when the attack was blocked.


    ¡¯He would¡¯ve aimed for the head with the first Linked Kill.¡¯


    Was Grid frustrated after knowing he wascking so much, despite going to the Behen Archipgo? No. Just like Kraugel and Yura, Grid was now aiming to be the best. He couldn¡¯t be so easily frustrated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start properly.¡±


    "This guy keeps on speaking nonsense... Hah?¡±


    Tiramet, who wasughing with a rxed expression, hurriedly moved from his position. Two golden hands appeared in the air. The hands could fly on their own through the air with weapons?


    ¡®Artifacts that can be used for both offense and defense, and move by themselves...! It is big!¡¯


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The God Hands¡¯ Sword Mastery level had grown from the beginner to intermediate level. It was the result of Grid repeatedly using them in the Behen Archipgo. They wielded the Ideal Dagger, the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword, and fired Magic Missiles to tie up Tiramet¡¯s feet for a while.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough to drive Tiramet to the defensive.


    ¡°What can you do with such shameful artifacts?¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    Tiramet grasped the trajectory of the two God Hands, avoided them and reached for Grid.


    "Die!"


    Peeng!


    He fired Blood Fire, which dealt both fire damage proportional to his health. Grid faced the heat and revealed his power for the first time.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power, and agility will increase by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    ¡°Quick Movements.¡±


    [The skill attached to the Ideal Dagger equipped to the God Hand has now been activated.]


    [Your evasion rate is increased by 30% and your agility is doubled for 1 minute.]


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    [Attack power will increase by 25% and attack speed will increase by 40% for 35 seconds.]


    Then...


    [The items have sessfullybined!]


    [Thebination time of Failure and Iyarugt willst 2 minutes.]


    The reason that Grid only used two God Hands during the battle wasn¡¯t to make fun of Tiramet. He recognized and appreciated Tiramet¡¯s strength, so he had used the Item Combination skill with two God Hands just before entering battle.


    Clink!


    The two God Hands flew here and gave Grid a new weapon. Based on his increased agility, Grid evaded the Blood Fire and gave orders to each God Hand.


    "Open. Magic Missile."


    Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    Pepepepeng!


    The hands scattered all over the ce fired a Magic Missile at Tiramet, making it difficult for Tiramet to avoid.


    "This technique... Heok?¡±


    Tiramet cried out as he deployed Blood Shields to defend against the Magic Missiles. The ck haired man, who was hard to define as a human anymore, wasing closer?


    "Fling Blood!"


    ¡°Continuous Stab!¡±


    Puok!


    Jjejeong!Puk!


    Chaaeng!Jjejeong!


    Tiramet wasn¡¯t ordinary. Using the Fling Blood skill, he was able to boost his stats and defend against three of Grid¡¯s five attacks. Grid judged that he was unable to achieve fivebos in this situation and used Blood Cry.


    Kakiing.


    ¡°Kuk... No, that¡¯s Elfin Stone¡¯s!¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s eyes widened. Grid saw an opportunity and chopped at Tiramet¡¯s shoulder with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle. From here, Iyarugt¡¯s power activated properly.


    [The 3rdbo has been achieved!]


    [The damage done to the target will increase by 200% for 1 second.]


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    [Critical!]


    ¡°Urgh...¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s face wrinkled as he was affected. Yet he tried to fight back, proving his strength. It wasn¡¯tparable to Elfin Stone, but Tiramet far exceeded the weakened Hell Gao. Grid was expecting Tiramet¡¯s counterattack.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    The counterattack came on cue. It was the moment when Grid¡¯s aim waspleted.


    [The 5thbo has been achieved!]


    [The target¡¯s sense of reason has copsed for 0.3 seconds.]


    [The skill ¡®Hell Sword¡¯ can be linked.]


    The skill must be activated within 0.3 seconds. Now Grid could strike at the right timing.


    ¡°Hell Sword.¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 371

    Chapter 371


    Hell Sword.


    It was a conditional activation skill attached to Iyarugt, and the power was great. It wasparable to the legendary skill, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. If he analyzed it in detail, it overwhelmed the power of Kill Lv. 4.


    [Hell Sword]


    Inflicts 2,400% physical attack power to the target.


    Every time the target is hit, an addition 100% damage will be dealt.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.


    Chiiiiing!


    Iyarugt wasbined with Failure.


    Pachik!


    Pachichik!


    ck sparks rose around Iyarugt. A crescent shaped line was drawn. It was a bisection.


    Sakak-!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Tiramet was shed from the crown of the head to the crotch. A total of 24 ck rays gathered around him, making him unable to scream. Grid moved and controlled everything.


    ¡®One.¡¯


    Peng!


    ¡®Two.¡¯


    Pepeng!


    ¡®Three.¡¯


    Peeng!


    He manipted the direction by moving his fingers. Of the 24 rays, only three managed to hit Tiramet. The remaining 21 ceased to exist after the one second time limit.


    ¡®It¡¯s too hard.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t adapt to the continuousmand input. It wasplicated and the time was too short. It wasn¡¯t something he could adapt to after one or two times.


    ¡®If I knew, I would¡¯ve gone to the game room more often when I was young...¡¯


    He wasted his time sitting at a desk and studying. In the corner of Grid¡¯s field of view, the notification windows were being updated sequentially.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 1,229,112 damage to the target.]


    [Health has been absorbed due to the option effect of Iyarugt¡¯s Ring.]


    [You have dealt 17,071 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 17,071 damage to the target.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 51,213 damage to the target.]


    [The duration of cksmith¡¯s Rage is over.]


    After Hell Sword, he followed it with thebo of Transcended Link, Linked Kill, Link, Kill, Pinnacle, and Revolve. He even used Item Combination and ckening. At this point, Grid was betting on Tiramet¡¯s end.


    ¡®He shouldn¡¯t still be alive.¡¯


    He used all his strength against Tiramet from the beginning. He only had 33 mana left after using his strongest skills in session. What if Tiramet survived? Grid would be forced on the defensive until the mana potions and skills cooldown ended.


    But that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®Hell Gao with one fire stone obtained wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand thisbo...¡¯


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he dead?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t receive any messages about Tiramet¡¯s death, or the experience and items obtained. Grid stayed alert.


    ¡°...Ahh, yes, yes. This is why Elfin Stone suffered.¡±


    Tiramet opened his mouth while his heath gauge waspletely exhausted.


    ¡°It¡¯s because his body is weak, unlike me.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was baffled about why this guy didn¡¯t die. Tiramet¡¯s body was torn like a rag, but magic power rose around him like a rag.


    "Among my siblings, I am weak in magic. Unlike my other siblings, I can¡¯t use magic effectively. But instead...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was because the ck magic power around Tirametpletely restored his body.


    "I have the ability to focus my magic power on regeneration. It¡¯s the perfect immortality."


    Tirametughed, revealing pointed teeth.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s start again.¡±


    Cheok!


    Tiramet took a fighting stance. He was like a skillful martial artist. Yes, it was a form that was reminiscent of Regas. It reflected the will to not be caught by surprise anymore.


    "For reference, I be stronger every time I half die and revive.¡±


    Peeeong!


    Tiramet moved one foot and swung his fist, causing magic power and wind pressure to explode at the same time. It was abination of magic damage and physical damage.


    ¡®This is a viscount?¡¯


    Apart from the tremendous attack power, his speed was also faster. Grid called the God Hands and took an active defense. It would be enough until the mana potions and skills cooldown ended.


    But Tiramet¡¯s stats were significantly higher than before. It was difficult for Grid, who couldn¡¯t use a single skill.


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    As the number of Tiramet¡¯s kicks and punches increased, the intervals at which the God Hands stiffened became shorter. Grid realized that the God Hands would soon be neutralized.


    ¡®It is bad for me.¡¯


    In the case of Elfin Stone who used Blood Field, he was skilled in CC and magic, but his physical ability itself wasn¡¯t special. Elfin Stone was unable to exert a great deal of force against Grid, who could neutralize CC and a few spells. Tiramet was the opposite case. He was a difficult opponent for Grid to take advantage of, since he depended on physical skills.


    ¡®In the first ce, his revival ability is ridiculous.¡¯


    Grid was foolish to use the strongest skillbo to end it quickly. If he hadn¡¯t grown, he would¡¯ve fallen into disarray and chaos.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    As Grid looked worse, Tiramet¡¯s momentum rose. The speed at which he wielded his fists and feet gradually rose. Grid tried to block but there was no escape.


    "I¡¯m not a viscount because I¡¯m weaker than Elfin Stone. I just don¡¯t want to be annoyed by the responsibilities.¡±


    Taack!


    Grid started relying on the Divine Shield.


    Tiramet used the shield as a springboard and spun like a drill as he fell. The magic power concentrated on his toes caused a tornado, causing the area to be affected by the aftermath of the intense aura.


    ¡®It¡¯s no use.¡¯


    Grid judged and took evasive action, but it was impossible to escape from Tiramet. It was because the duration of Quick Movements was over.


    ¡°Hahahahat! Yes, you humans are best suited to being on the ground!¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s feet crushed Grid¡¯s shoulders.


    Kwaaaaang!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Grid let out a terrible scream. Tiramet grabbed Grid¡¯s head and whispered in a grim voice.


    "I will break you from now on.¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Tiremet¡¯s knee struck Grid¡¯s face.


    Jjang!


    The second blow.


    Jjejejeok!


    Three blows in a row.


    Yura screamed as blood scattered from Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ***


    [Mana has been consumed to refine the ¡®Extinction Bullet¡¯.]


    [Your magic gun doesn¡¯t support rifle mode. There is a very high probability of a misfire.]


    [The Extinction Bullet has failed tounch properly.]


    [The durability of the Emilfa Magic Gun has fallen by 95. It might be destroyed.]


    [Mana has been consumed to use the ¡®Vindictive Sword¡¯.]


    [Your magic gun doesn¡¯t support bay mode. There is a very high probability that Vindictive Sword won¡¯t manifest.]


    [Vindictive Sword has failed to be activated.]


    [The durability of the Emilfa Magic Sword has fallen to 0 and it has been destroyed!]


    [Destroyed items can¡¯t be recovered!]


    Demon yer Yura was still unable to exert her full strength. Was it because she failed toplete her ss quest? That¡¯s right. Was it because her stats hadn¡¯t gone through the third awakening? That was also right.


    But the most important reason was that her magic weapon was only level 180. A magic engineering gun. For convenience, the magic gun was a weapon that could only be produced at an alchemist¡¯s facility.


    In fact, magic guns produced by the alchemy facilities were merely unfinished products. Human alchemists only grasped the approximately working principles of a magic gun, but they didn¡¯t yet understand the exact structure. The true magic guns that supported pistol mode, rifle mode, and bay mode could only be made by dwarves.


    However, Yura was blocked from proceeding with her ss quest and was unable to enter the dwarf city of Talima.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    The only man who stirred her heart. Yura felt grief about not being able to do anything, despite him being trampled on. Yura¡¯s chest ached.


    ¡®Why are you doing this for me?¡¯


    Why did he have to sacrifice himself? She felt sorry for Grid and hated her own helplessness.


    ¡®I have to save him somehow.¡¯


    She tried to use her strongest skills, only for her weapon to be destroyed. Yura urgently armed herself with her secondary weapon, the level 120 Rianfa Magic Gun, and rushed to Tiramet. She felt gratitude and guilt to Grid, as well as her own pride. Thebination of emotions linked together to make her behave that way.


    "You have forgotten your opponent...!¡±


    Stop! Yura shouted at Tiramet and pointed the muzzle, only to stop. It was because she heard Grid¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Rx. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    The voice was too good for a dying person caught by Tiramet. His voice came from a strange location. Tiramet jumped with surprise.


    "A fake?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The Grid beaten up by Tiramet was Randy, not the real body. Grid fell from above Tiramet¡¯s head. It was the moment when Randy¡¯s new skill, after achieving level 200 in the Behen Archipgo, ¡®Change position with the copied target¡¯ was used to great effect.


    ¡°These people swapped...!¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Tiramet cried out with pain after Iyarugt¡¯s head was pierced. However, it was too much to say that Grid would win. Grid was stillcking mana and the cooldown of other skills hadn¡¯te back in full.


    Furthermore.


    ¡¯What if I pour everything into it and he doesn¡¯t die?¡¯


    It was the worst. Then it would really be over.


    ¡®There is the possibility that the boss can¡¯t be defeated until certain conditions are met.¡¯


    Grid suggested to Yura.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away.¡±


    But Yura¡¯s opinion was different. She felt relief when she realized that Grid was safe, and regained her cool head. She figured out a way to kill Tiramet with her brains.


    ¡°There is a wound where he was hit by a former Demon yer.¡±


    Why didn¡¯t the wound heal despite her overwhelming regenerative power? The answer was likely to be in the ss called Demon yer.


    "Maybe I¡¯m the only one who can kill him.¡±


    It was a rational judgment. Someone pped at her judgment. It was Sticks. He was watching the battle from outside the area and he grinned at Yura.


    "It¡¯s the correct conclusion."


    ¡°You...?¡±


    It was the first time that Yura had seen an elf. She was confused for a while and realized.


    "Grid, did you manage toe here with his help?¡±


    Grid nodded.


    "That¡¯s right. The hidden sage, Sticks.¡±


    Sticks handed a small box to Yura.


    "This is the gun that Alex used in his youth.¡±


    Alex. A former Demon yer and a man who was a close friend of Sticks. Grid, who was barely maintaining hisposure, snapped out.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any items that Pagma used in his youth?¡±


    "No, I wasn¡¯t close to Pagma.¡±


    Sticks replied firmly. Grid thought it was unfair.


    ***


    Damian, who had been staying in Reidan for a month.


    He was having a lot of fun. Was he watching the construction process of the temple? That was secondary.


    Lord Steim. It was a lot of fun to y with Grid¡¯s son.


    "You already understand the principles to manifesting divine power. Lord isn¡¯t just a genius, but a super genius.¡±


    ¡°Bubu!¡±


    Lord nodded proudly as a warm ray of light poured out from his fingertips. It was a feeble light, but considering that he had only be training for a month, Lord really was a genius. He understood whatever was taught, so Damian felt a sense of fulfillment.


    ¡°You can use divine power to protect your friends and easily deal with demonkin. For example, the vampires.¡±


    Damian was intent on teaching Lord.


    Kasim and the Silver Dragons assassins hiding in the darkness were guarding Lord¡¯s back.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 372

    Chapter 372


    "You deceived me.¡±


    Randy, who copied Grid¡¯s appearance, was beaten to death. Tiramet nervously threw down the slime-like creature.


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s health has fallen to 0.]


    [Randy is forced to return to the pet inventory. You can¡¯t summon it for the next 24 hours.]


    "You will pay with your lives.¡±


    Kwajak!


    Tiramet broke the ground as he leapt. The speed at which he reached Grid¡¯s group, only Grid could react and cope. Yura was too low in level and Sticks¡¯ eyesight was low.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid blocked Tiramet¡¯s fists with thebined Failure and Iyarugt and was pushed back two steps. Grid had a unique strength stat among users, yet he was pushed back by the force.


    Pakak!


    Tiramet tilted her upper body and swung his fist at Grid¡¯s temple.


    [You have suffered 9,975 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Grid groaned as his body threw back against a wall. Tiramet¡¯s basic attack was very difficult to deal with because itbined magic damage and physical damage, and also had changing features.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    Grid was filled with extreme tension. In the past, he might¡¯ve fallen into a panic. However, it was a good opportunity for the current Grid to face strong opposition.


    ¡¯Kraugel, you could¡¯ve beaten this guy.¡¯


    Grid wanted to prove that he was one step closer to Kraugel. Grid rose with this thought. Then he immediately rushed towards Tiramet. Despite being wounded, his momentum didn¡¯t die.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Tiramet yelled as he received a nasty cut from Grid¡¯s Greatsword. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t avoid it, but that he didn¡¯t. Tiramet grasped Grid¡¯s face with arge hand. The moment his fangs shone in a threatening manner.


    "Magic Missile."


    Peeng!


    A white sh aimed urately between Tiramet¡¯s two eyes, while the God Hands grabbed the shaking Tiramet. At the same time, blood rose from Tiramet¡¯s neck. Tirament got a headache.


    ¡®How is he maintaining his concentration?¡¯


    His first attacks were in vain and now he was overwhelmed in battle, so why didn¡¯t he feel despair? This person had a different mentality from ordinary humans.


    ¡®So far, all the humans have felt despair and frustration after realizing that I¡¯m an immortal being.¡¯


    Tiramet didn¡¯t like it. Tiramet¡¯s eyes shone red as he used magic to drive Grid on the defensive. Meanwhile, Yura was trying to grasp the function of the item.


    [Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Gun]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 215/215


    * Pistol Mode


    Attack Power: 419


    Mana Purification Rate: +30%


    * Rifle Mode


    Attack Power: 914


    Mana Purification Rate: -20%


    Firing Speed: -50%


    * Bay Mode


    Attack Power: 705


    Attack Speed: +10%


    Stabbing Attack: +30%


    * It is only possible to change modes once every 5 seconds.


    A magic weapon made by the dwarven craftsman Milepeu, who taught Pagma before he became a legend.


    Contains the essence of dwarf technology.


    Conditions of Use: Demon yer


    ¡®It¡¯s great.¡¯


    The magic guns used by Yura only supported pistol mode. In addition, it wascking when it came to attack power, and didn¡¯t have the option to increase the speed at which mana was purified into bullets.


    Sticks smiled as she checked Alex¡¯s magic gun and shook.


    "I have watched you closely. This gun can bring out your true strength.¡±


    Yura had a question.


    ¡°Why are you giving me this gun without any conditions? Today is the first time we¡¯ve met.¡±


    "You are Grid¡¯s colleague.¡±


    Originally, a Demon yer had to visit the Behen Archipgo and reach the 25th ind to obtain Alex¡¯s magic gun. It was a type of hidden quest. However, Yura skipped the intermediate process and got a reward just because she was Grid¡¯s colleague.


    ¡®It was you.¡¯


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Grid was having a bloody fight with Tiramet. Yura¡¯s eyes further deepened as she looked at him.


    ¡®He is a man like a fis.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t escape from him. She never imagined that she would be so dependent on someone. Yura aimed at Tiramet¡¯s head and made a subtle smile.


    Wiing- click.


    [Alex¡¯s gun will switch to rifle mode.]


    The blue barrel stretched out and Yura¡¯s mana was transferred into the gun.


    "Extinction."


    Peeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Sticks¡¯ eyes shone as he watched Yura from the side. It was because the speed at which she refined mana into a bullet reminded him of Alex. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was faster.


    Kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s face half exploded while he was busy dealing with Grid and the God Hands. Blood and flesh dripped down and his skull was revealed. It was an urate shooting skill and great power.


    Tiramet struggled with the pain. His hate-filled eyes gazed at Yura and Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Grid¡¯s greatsword urately hit Tiramet¡¯s half-face. Tiramet couldn¡¯t even scream.


    Puk puk puk!


    Grid¡¯s greatsword kept targeting Tiramet¡¯s face. Unfortunately, two of them missed, but four strikes were sessful. A critical popped up all four times, and the effect of the Holy Light Gloves was activated three times.


    Grid had the momentum.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    [Link has risen to level 6.]


    [The power of Link will rise.]


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Tiramet was amazed. Despite the deadly injury, most of the swift sword strikes were blocked with both arms. But now his opponent wasn¡¯t just Grid. Focusing on Grid once again revealed a gap to Yura.


    ¡°Vindictive Sword.¡±


    Shaaaah!


    She used Extinction Bullet to approach Tiramet and then used an aura sword attack. The white sh in a straight line once again caused great damage to Tiramet.


    Grid was amazed.


    ¡®It is very strong.¡¯


    Demon yer. It was a great demonstration of the passive and active skills that dealt additional damage to the demonkin. Yura¡¯s level, stats and items were far below Grid¡¯s, but she dealt 1.5 times more damage to Tiramet.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Tiramet was confused. It was absurd that one of Beriache¡¯s nine direct descendants was on the defensive from two humans. It was a shock that wasparable to when he met Alex, 150 years ago.


    ¡®First retreat...¡¯


    Pahat!


    Tiramet¡¯s body scattered into smoke as he forgot about his pride. He nned to retreat, but Grid and Yura didn¡¯t allow him to.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    [Wave has risen to level 5.]


    [The power of Wave will rise.]


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Waves spread in all directions, slowing down Tiramet¡¯s speed.


    ¡°Light of the End.¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Yura caused a golden explosion that shook the space.


    ¡°This... W-what is this...? Kuaaaaak!"


    The overwhelming regenerative power of Tiramet was neutralized by the Demon yer. Tiramet started to disappear without recovering from his fatal injuries. His screams echoed in the area as he faded away.


    [Vampire Viscount Tiramet is forced to sleep after exhausting all his powers.]


    [1,325,810,470 experience has been acquired.]


    [Tiremet¡¯s Belt has been acquired.]


    [Tiremet¡¯s Shoulderguards has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Tiremet¡¯s strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness.]


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Tiramet¡¯s Shoulderguards]


    Rating: Unique


    Defense: 95 Health: +3,000


    * There is a low chance of nullifying physical attacks.


    It is the favourite shoulderguards of the vampire viscount, Tiramet. Gives the wearer a high survival capacity.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher.


    Weight: 190


    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt]


    Rating: Epic (Growth)


    * Reduce damage received by 10%.


    * Stamina +100.


    A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet.


    Weight: 13


    [This item has a hidden function.]


    [The information about Tiramet¡¯s Belt has been updated.]


    * If this belt grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Viscount Tiramet.


    ¡®Hah...¡¯


    Elfin Stone¡¯s ring could summon Elfin Stone and Tiramet¡¯s Belt could summon Tiramet. Assuming that all items with the unique mana was like this, it seemed that summoning the vampires would make them his subordinates.


    ¡®It is a big hit.¡¯


    The thought of having big bosses like Elfin Stone and Tiramet as subordinates in the future was electrifying. Yura approached Grid and reached out.


    ¡°...Please.¡±


    "Yes, of course.¡±


    She wanted the items to be distributed. Grid interpreted it that way and handed Tiramet¡¯s Belt to Yura.


    ¡®It is a bit disappointing.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have been able to raid Tiramet without Yura¡¯s help. In addition, Yura¡¯s growth was Overgeared¡¯s growth, so it was natural and reasonable to distribute the items to her. But Yura didn¡¯t take Tiramet¡¯s belt.


    "Not the items.¡±


    "...Then what?¡±


    Grid felt puzzled, while Yura blushed and avoided his gaze.


    "Hold my hand. As a token for my efforts.¡±


    Yura asked shyly. Grid was bewildered, but he shook her hand vigorously.


    Sticks shook his head.


    ***


    "Mama! Ma!¡±


    Lord¡¯s sense of bnce increased day by day and he started walking a week ago. He didn¡¯t fall until he reached his mother Irene. Irene was thrilled and hugged Lord.


    ¡°My son, you are the spitting image of your great father.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Ruby, who was staring at Lord from the side, was embarrassed. Her brother was someone who wore diapers until he was 5 years old. It was ridiculous that he would bepared to the super genius Lord.


    But sometimes it was good for the truth to be buried. Ruby remained silent.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 373

    Chapter 373


    ¡¯I haven¡¯t grown enough.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s total health in his ckened state was slightly less than 30,000. Tiramet could kill him in just 3~4 hits. But Grid had endured it. The attacks with a rtively easy orbit were directly blocked and avoided, while he relied on the God Hands and Randy for the attacks that were difficult to cope with.


    Grid¡¯s self-evaluation of his control and ability to use items.


    ¡®There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t satisfied. It was a fact that the enemies he would face in the future would continue to be strong.


    ¡®Is there a definitive way to be stronger? No matter how much control I develop, it¡¯s impossible to not get hit at all during a battle.¡¯


    What if he made an item that received hits?


    ¡®A simple example is a damage reflective item.¡¯


    Or,¡®Armor with a ck hole? I will drag the enemies that hit me to another dimension.¡¯ It was fun to imagine fanciful things. For Grid, imagination was a type of power.


    Why?


    ¡®I have the Item Creation skill.¡¯


    There were many items in Satisfy that had functions that Grid didn¡¯t know yet. Grid¡¯s imagination meant he had infinite possibilities. Grid believed in his own potential and grasped the Rune of Darkness.


    [Rune of Darkness]


    Bound Item


    It is permanently preserved in your inventory. Trading, dropping, or destroying it is impossible.


    -Usage Effect: Demonic power state will rise in exchange for its use.


    * Normal attacks and skill attacks will deal an addition 20% dark damage.


    Unique Lasting Effect: When dealing with named demonkin and demons, you can absorb unique attributes.


    * Tiramet¡¯s Power: If your health drops below 10%, health will be restored to 30% in an instant. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    ¡®My survivability is getting higher.¡¯


    Grid observed the Rune of Darkness and came up with one idea.


    ¡®It would be ideal to be a pure tanker.¡¯


    There were many damage dealers in Overgeared, but few tankers. The only tankers to be relied on were Vantner and Toban.


    ¡®If I be a tanker, the synergy with the guild will explode...¡¯


    He imagined himself armed with heavy armor and shields. Then he frowned.


    ¡¯...Then Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship will be useless.¡¯


    Grid was someone with the strongest attack skills. It was a waste of talent to turn into a pure tanker. But when he thought about it more, it wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡®No, can¡¯t I swap between items?¡¯


    What if he had an offensive set and defensive set that could be swapped if necessary?


    ¡®It would be easier to cope with a sudden situation like the Tiramet raid.¡¯


    The appearance of the concentrating Grid was mature and gentle. Yura¡¯s gem-like eyes were wet as she watched him.


    ***


    "It¡¯s dirty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    The east side of the first floor of the castle, where towering pirs spread out like a forest. The irritation of Pon and Vantner were soaring. They were angry at the tricks of Ran, the vampire baron who attacked through the darkness and the pirs.


    ¡°The terrain is too much of a disadvantage. I would rather break it all down.¡±


    Crunch.


    Pon greatly twisted the arm holding the spear. His muscles swelled up as he gathered his strength.


    "Crasher Spear.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It destroyed everything in its path. It was a powerful attack that would even make the allies afraid. The spear cut from top to bottom, causing the towers to copse. Then the shadow hiding behind the pirs came into view.


    Vantner didn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    ¡°Sun Guard!¡±


    ~sh!


    Vantner¡¯s shield shone like the sun and drove away the darkness. The light rays were so bright that it was reminiscent of a nightclub. Ran no longer had a ce to hide and fired magic bullets at the two people.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal!¡±


    The magic wasughablepared to Elfin Stone. Vantner blocked the magic bullets with his shield, while Pon flew through the dust and tried to aim his spear... But Vantner ran ahead and interfered with Pon¡¯s path.


    Kung!


    ¡°You damn pig!¡±


    Pon staggered as he was hit by Vantner¡¯s massive body. Vantner also cried out.


    ¡°You idiot! There is a path in front of you. Why run towards me?¡±


    "Why do I need to exin each reason individually? You ignorant bastard.¡±


    Pon and Vantner growled at each other. Thanks to this, Ran passed the crisis and was able to escape through the pirs in the rear that hadn¡¯t yet copsed.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that their teamwork is a mess.¡¯


    Ran thought with relief and fired magic from behind a pir.


    Jiing.


    Peng!


    The red sh broke the ceiling and the falling debris restrained Pon and Vantner¡¯s actions. Ran moved back through the darkness and aimed sharp nails at Pon¡¯s neck.


    Puok!


    The blood red nails pierced a hole in Pon¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Puhaha! You were hit!¡±


    Vantnerughed and taunted Pon. The journey of the two people was long and harsh.


    ***


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    Grid appraised Alex¡¯s gun. He was somewhat disappointed with the results and moved quickly with Yura, Sticks, and Bini.


    ¡°Over there is the closest.¡±


    Sticks borrowed the power of the earth and wind elementals to figure out where a battle was urring. He also allowed Grid to enter the vampire city, so he was helpful in many ways.


    ¡®But he didn¡¯t give me an item...¡¯


    Yura got Alex¡¯s gun for free. Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit jealous.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Grid moved through the door that Sticks indicated and made an absurd expression. It was the same for Yura who followed behind him. The reason?


    ¡°You useless octopus head!¡±


    "I would¡¯ve died earlier if I wasn¡¯t a tanker!¡±


    "If you weren¡¯t there, the vampire baron would be killed!¡±


    "...¡±


    There was evidence of destruction through the room. There were still dozens of pirs left and Pon and Vantner were fighting each other. It was in front of the enemy.


    ¡°Hohohohut!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°How rotten!¡±


    Because they were grabbing each other¡¯s cors, Pon and Vantner weren¡¯t free. The two men allowed the female vampire to attack and retreat behind the pirs, causing Grid to feel anger.


    "I won¡¯t say anything about the personal rtionship between the two of you. But...¡±


    Step, step.


    Grid moved and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint. Ran, who was flying to the new target Grid like a moth to the fire, stopped in the air.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Ran¡¯s body started sweating as Grid activated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle, then followed up with Kill.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Ran let out a terrible scream and rushed towards Pon and Vantner. She was released from Restraint and attempted to hide in the darkness, but Yura didn¡¯t allow it.


    "Purification Bullet."


    Tatatang!Tang tang!


    The bullets made from blue mana turned Ran¡¯s body into a beehive.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Puk puk puk!


    Grid neatly finished it off.


    [Vampire Baron Ran has been destroyed.]


    [525,810,470 experience has been acquired.]


    [Two Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [Seven weapon enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [Skillbook: Dark Fairy Tale has been acquired.]


    Swaaah.


    Blood poured out and a ck smoke rose. In the meantime, Grid sent a very sharp and intimidating look towards Pon and Vantner.


    "In the future, fight in the appropriate time and ce. Think about the pain that your colleagues are going through while you unnecessarily waste time here.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Grid ran here from the Behen Archipgo for his colleagues. He couldn¡¯t stand Pon and Vantner, who ignored their colleagues because of personal feelings.


    "...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    "I will be careful in the future."


    Pon and Vantner bowed and apologized. They understood the reason why Grid was angry and acknowledged their mistakes, and were also aware of Grid as their leader. Grid reached out to the two people who couldn¡¯t lift their heads. Was it an offer to shake hands so that they weren¡¯t too discouraged? Pon and Vantner interpreted Grid¡¯s gesture in this way.


    ¡°Lend me a spear.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid made an unpredictable demand.


    ***


    Arge hall on the first floor of the castle. Faker was struggling in a ce where chandeliers hung like ornaments.


    Kuuong!


    The vampire baron, Mountain. He wore unusually heavy armor and used a heavy weapon for a vampire. The ground shook every time he moved, threatening Faker¡¯s sense of bnce.


    Chaaeng!


    Faker, whose posture copsed and was slow to react, blocked the mace with his dagger. Faker used the recoil that urred when the weapons collided to float in the air like a feather, while Mountain reached out a hand.


    ¡°Blood Binding.¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Blood chains rose up and surrounded Faker¡¯s body. But it was merely Faker¡¯s clone.


    Peeng!


    The chains exploded and the remnants of Faker¡¯s clone filled the air.


    Suuk.


    Faker took advantage of the swiftness of his ss and appeared behind Mountain. He swung at Mountain¡¯s thick neck. Faker aimed precisely at the gap in the armor joints.


    Puk!


    Puk puk!


    As the number of hits increase, the damage built up. The blow, that caused a deadly blow to Elfin Stone, pierced Mountain¡¯s neck in session. No emotions appeared in Faker¡¯s eyes as blood soaked his face.


    ¡°You rat bastard..!¡±


    Mountain shook from the shock and released magic power in every direction. Thanks to that, Faker flew back. Arge axe flew at him as he tried to regain his bnce in the air.


    ¡®I have to allow this.¡¯


    If he used ¡®sh¡¯ here, his mana and skills linkage would be twisted. It happened when Faker was preparing for the shock.


    ¡°Spear Shot.¡±


    Kurururu!


    Peeng!


    A silver-white spear flew from the entrance and prated Mountain¡¯s head. Thanks to that, Faker was able to avoid therge axe whose obit was changed, and he moved his face towards the entrance.


    ¡°Thank you, Pon... Grid?¡±


    He never imagined that Grid would be the person who saved him. Grid waved at Faker, who had a rare look of shock in his eyes.


    "To be driven on the defensive, isn¡¯t this too bad?¡±


    Faker was someone who was often beside Grid. He was reminded of this and shrugged at Grid.


    "...But with you, I can be extraordinary.¡±


    It was a signal.


    ¡°These damn humans!¡±


    Mountain¡¯s aggro shifted to Grid and Grid handled it as always. Thanks to him blocking Mountain, Faker could move like he had wings on his back. Once Vantner and Yura stepped in, Mountain quickly became scarred.


    ¡°My spear. My spear...¡±


    Pon was busy reiming his spear.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 374

    Chapter 374


    [Vampire Baron Mountain has been destroyed.]


    [211,555,002 experience has been acquired.]


    [Three Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [Nine armor enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [Skillbook: Skin Enhancement has been acquired.]


    A vampire baron. A semi-boss grade monster that could be raided in 10~15 minutes when five of the Overgeared elites were gathered together. But once the power of Grid and Yura were added, the raid speed was shortened by at least three times.


    ¡°Catching a semi-boss monster in 5 minutes...¡¯


    "...¡±


    The power of Grid and Yura was so good that it made Pon, Vantner, and Faker lose their words. They knew from the beginning that Grid had the trinity of stats, items, and ss, but Yura¡¯s growth was astonishing and dazzling.


    "It¡¯s the power of my ss and items.¡±


    Yura exined briefly and clearly. She was also bing overgeared.


    ***


    A corridor to the north on the castle¡¯s first floor. Jishuka and Zednos were isted in the middle with enemies on both sides. It was the aftermath of the teleportation trap that Regas stepped on.


    "Multi Shot."


    ¡°Wind Wave.¡±


    Jishuka blocked the vampires in the right corridor, while Zednos blocked the ones in the left corridor. Arrows and magic poured out and slowed down the vampires¡¯ momentum. But of course, there was a limit.The number of vampires was endless, so Jishuka and Zednos¡¯ mana gradually depleted.


    ¡°The respawn speed is ridiculous.¡±


    "We¡¯re really isted in the worst ce.¡±


    Their stamina fell to a dangerous level. Jishuka and Zednos were covered with sweat and breathing roughly.


    Peeng!


    Pepeng!


    The vampires took advantage of it with their magic. One of the blood shots flew through the gap and hit Jishuka¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s form copsed as she was loading a new arrow, Zednos was shocked and dozens of vampires approached the two.


    ¡°Wind Cutter! Wind Missile!¡±


    Zednos started to go on a rampage. He only thought about protecting Jishuka, so he cast magic without considering his mana. Thanks to that, they could pass the immediate criss.


    [You have no mana.]


    [Your mana potion cooldown time hasn¡¯t returned.]


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Zednos¡¯ face turned white. Then Jishuka¡¯s voice was heard.


    "Bow down.¡±


    Zednos didn¡¯t dy. He thoroughly trusted Jishuka and immediately followed her words.


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A giant fire bird flew over Zednos¡¯ head and turned one of the corridors into fire. Over 50 vampires were swept away and Jishuka urged.


    ¡°Use this gap to escape.¡±


    Zednos didn¡¯t easily move.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    "What? I¡¯m buying time while you run away.¡±


    Jishuka stood up to secure Zednos¡¯ retreat. Despite her noticeable slowed speed after Phoenix Arrow, she stood up to the vampires approaching from the other corridor. The arrows fired from her hand precisely prated the vampires.


    The mithril arrows and silver arrows dealt additional damage to the vampires, but Jishuka was already exhausted. The vampires were shot in the head, but continued to move forward to hit Jishuka.


    ¡°J-Jishuka.¡±


    Why aren¡¯t you leaving? Shouldn¡¯t you go and join our colleagues?¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Jishuka had opened a path, but it was unknown when new vampires would appear. Zednos didn¡¯t want Jishuka¡¯s sacrifice to be in vain and was about to leave.


    "Jishuka, avoid it.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Between Jishuka and Zednos. Someone suddenly appeared in a ce where nothing had been present. It was Grid who was wearing a white hooded zip up.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    As the blue-ck energy des shot out, dozens of vampires in the corridor facing Jishuka disappeared. New vampires appeared straight afterwards, but the respawn rate couldn¡¯t hold up against the overwhelming attack power of Grid.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Jishuka, who was saved by Grid at the moment of crisis, felt thrilled and hugged Grid. Her sweaty skin and something big gave a huge stimulus to Grid.


    ¡®Ga... Ganadaramabasa...¡¯


    It was a soft and supple feeling. Grid¡¯s nose was affected by the excitement. Yura, who btedly arrived, witnessed his appearance and looked down at her chest.


    ¡®I¡¯m not small either.¡¯


    It was significantlyrger than the average size of Korean women, but Grid¡¯s taste was too unrealistic.


    ***


    Regas had an overwhelmingbat sense, Peak Sword had a sword that was hard to read and cope with, Toon could transform into all types of beasts and demonstrated effectivebat power, Ibellin¡¯s talents weren¡¯t fully developed yet, but he was recognized as a genius by Piaro, Toban was the 1st ranked pdin that acted as a poison to vampires, and Huroi was the 1st ranked orator.


    Thisbination showed the strongestbat power. Regas and Toon acted behind Huroi and Toban, who attracted the enemy¡¯s gaze. Peak Sword and Ibellin struck through any gaps, so the three vampire barons didn¡¯tst long.


    [A strength elixir has been acquired.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing.¡±


    It had been two months since Overgeared started exploring the vampire cities. They had hunted tens of thousands of vampires so far, but not one elixir had dropped. The party were thrilled by the unexpected benefit and then realized.


    "There¡¯s no time to be idle. Let¡¯s go save our colleagues.¡±


    The vampire expedition was strong. But without Toban and Huroi, the stability of the party would fall. Peak Sword knew this point and urged the party. At this moment...


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Grid. Their boss came.


    ***


    "Damn Regas, I had to suffer because of you.¡±


    "Please never go in front again.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Pon and Vantner scolded Regas. Regas¡¯ behavior put his colleagues at risk, so he was deserving of criticism.


    "I will be careful about bing too excited.¡±


    Regas regretted his mistake and showed repentance. Pon and Vantner closed their mouths with satisfaction, and Jishuka asked Grid.


    "How did you get here?¡±


    A vampire city¡¯s entrance was blocked after someone entered. It meant it was impossible to enter the city while the dungeon raid was going on.


    Grid exined, ¡°This is his power.¡±


    Everybody looked at Sticks. Elves, the noble race that was called the incarnation of beauty and who fought for the pace of the world. Among them, the well known high elf Sticks introduced himself to everyone.


    ¡°Hello, I am Sticks. I owe Grid my life.¡±


    ¡®Another named NPC...¡¯


    Grid¡¯swork expanded every day, causing the Overgeared members to feel surprised. It was an unique ability to be friendly with named NPCs. Grid suggested to the excited and happy guild members.


    "Let¡¯s leave here. If we borrow Sticks¡¯ power, we can escape from this ce."


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Overgeared members were rmed.


    "Grid, is it okay to leave when we can capture this ce?¡±


    "The 1st floor has been cleared, so why do we have to run away?¡±


    Some of the party members weren¡¯t convinced.


    "I¡¯m in favor at Grid¡¯s suggestion. There are many baron grade vampires on the 1st floor. In the worst case scenario, the 2nd floor might be filled with viscounts.¡±


    "The 1st floor¡¯s boss was a viscount called Tiramet. It is likely that marquis grade vampires will emerge on the 2nd and 3rd floor.¡±


    "In the worst case, Marie Rose might appear and I don¡¯t think we can go against her with our strength.¡±


    There were some members who agreed with Grid. It was those who had fallen into danger and needed to be rescued by Grid. In this bad atmosphere, Grid gave them a meaningful smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do special training.¡±


    "Special training?¡±


    "There is a ce called the Behen Archipgo. The entry is limited to one person, but since it¡¯s an instant dungeon, you can enter separately and proceed at the same time."


    What was the Behen Archipgo and what could they get from there? Grid started to exin what he had experienced. The faces of the Overgeared members turned rosy as they listened to the story.


    ***


    The Sword Grave.


    Hundreds of thousands of weapons were embedded in the hill, and it was known as the ce where the legendary cksmith Pagma spent hisst years. But Agnus¡¯ reason for finding it was unrted to Pagma.


    The legendary magician Braham. It was to secure his body.


    "I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He heard that there was an ice wall somewhere in the Sword Grave, and Braham¡¯s body was sealed there. But despite searching for nearly a month, Agnus couldn¡¯t find any ice walls.


    ¡°At that time, I should¡¯ve secured the soul.¡±


    One month ago. Agnus had encountered Braham¡¯s soul here, but missed it. He still trembled when he thought about that time.


    "I didn¡¯t think his soul could use magic.¡±


    Takak.


    Takak takak!


    As Agnus leaned back against a greatsword, hundreds of his summoned skeletons were thoroughly searching the hill. They touched the swords embedded in the hill, searched the ground and tried to find Braham¡¯s body. However, finding the body was impossible.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t stay here forever.¡±


    Fortunately, there were a lot of monsters in the vicinity so his level up speed didn¡¯tg behind. But due to staying in one ce for one month, his various quests didn¡¯t progress. In the end, Agnus confirmed the Rune of Death.


    [Rune of Death]


    Bound Item


    It is permanently preserved in your inventory. Trading, dropping or destroying it is impossible.


    -Usage Effect: Increases the abilities of your summons in exchange for some leadership stats.


    * There is a 20% increase in the stats of all summons.


    Unique Lasting Effect: When you take the body of a named person or monster and make it your own, you can absorb their unique characteristics.


    * Blue Knight¡¯s Faith: Creates a shield that absorbs 10,000 damage. Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * Bentao¡¯s Talisman: Exchange your health with the target¡¯s health. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    * Tarant¡¯s Swordsmanship: The Advanced Sword Mastery skill is created. You can use ¡®Bloodless¡¯ when wearing a sword type weapon. It is a unique andsting effect.


    * Mumud¡¯s Knowledge: Magic casting speed will increase by 15%. Mana regeneration rate will increase by 30%. It is a unique andsting effect.


    If it went as originally nned, Braham¡¯s trait should also belong to the Rune of Death.


    ¡®I wanted a legendary lich.¡¯


    Agnus sent a whisper to Veradin.


    -Where is the nest of the great demon, Furfu?


    Time was equal to everyone. As Grid and the Overgeared Guild were growing, the other yers were equally growing.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375


    The influence of the 1st National Competition was enormous. The average worldwide ratings surpassed 63%, overwhelming the audience of existingpetitions like the Olympics and the World Cup.


    It was a natural phenomenon. The number of people who yed Satisfy or engaged in Satisfy rted businesses was in the billions.


    "I read an article about the economic effects of the National Competition.¡±


    S.A. Group¡¯s director of operations, Yoon Sangmin. He was directly facing Shin Youngwoo, one of the busiest people in the world.


    "The S.A. Group really appreciates the possibility of developing the National Competition. We want to broaden the influence of the National Competition every year, and have decided to make a biggest investment.¡±


    Cafe XX in Geumcheon-gu.


    Shin Youngwoo drank coffee while listening to the story and Yoon Sangmin smiled confidently at him.


    ¡°We will be offering unparalleled benefits to the participants of the National Competitionpared tost year.¡±


    In other words.


    ¡°You want to convince me, Shin Youngwoo, to participate in the 2nd National Competition.¡± Youngwoo opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°Please persuade me.¡±


    He finally showed some interest. Yoon Sangmin was relieved and started the briefing.


    "It¡¯s simple. We will increase the value of each medal.¡±


    The value of the medals wasn¡¯t high in the 1st National Competition. The governments just paid the medalists a prize money.


    "But from the 2nd National Competition onwards, the S.A. Group will also give a reward. We will give special items to the medalists.¡±


    ¡°What is the performance of the items?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have high expectations. He thought it would be an epic~ unique rated essory. But Yoon Sangmin¡¯s reply was unbelievable.


    "Since Pagma¡¯s Descendant is in the cksmith category... You will be able to acquire the god mineral adamantium. The more high value medals you get, the more adamantium you can obtain.¡±


    "!!!!"


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. Adamantium! As the best mineral in the world, it didn¡¯t have a will, but its performance wasparable to pavranium. Adamantium was also the material of the Holy Light Set, which Pagma had produced in the past.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure how to obtain it.¡¯


    As long as he could secure adamantium, he would be able to design more diverse and powerful items. It was a reward that he couldn¡¯t miss. Yoon Sangmin watched Shin Youngwoo shake and gave a meaningful smile.


    ¡®A small provocation is needed.¡¯


    Yoon Sangmin had been observing Shin Youngwoo for almost a year. He knew how to handle Shin Youngwoo.


    ¡°Of course, gaining medals won¡¯t be an easy task. The 2nd National Competition is a lot different from the 1st National Competition. It is virtually impossible for South Korea, a country weak in Satisfy, to aim for a medal.¡±


    "...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    Himself, Yura, and Peak Sword. The strongest members of Overgeared were gathered in South Korea, yet it was still ssified as weak? He couldn¡¯t tolerate it. Rather than patriotism, his self-esteem was leader of Overgeared was stimted.


    The Shin Youngwoo of the past would¡¯ve dered that he would participate in the 2nd National Competition right now. But.


    ¡®There is a reason why I didn¡¯t put my name on the participants list until thest moment.¡¯


    In the 1st National Competition, Shin Youngwoo won three gold medals and ced South Korea third in the overall rankings. The world was paying attention to what he would do in the 2nd National Competition. In other words, Shin Youngwoo was a ¡®symbol¡¯ of the National Competition.


    ¡®Lauel gave me advice.¡¯


    Ask to be treated as a symbol. South Korea and the S.A. Group would do their best to contact him, so please stand firmly.


    "Director Yoon, let¡¯s clean this up.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s expression and tone werepletely calm, unlike what he expected. Yoon Sangmin felt surprised, but he was a talented person who became a big business executive at a young age. He didn¡¯t reveal his psychological state.


    "Speak.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin said with a smile.


    ¡°Give permission for the Overgeared Guild to do the opening for the National Competition.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo made a ridiculous demand. He wanted them to hand over the opening of the event, which would be watched by billions of people, to specific users? This was going too far! If Shin Youngwoo was an ordinary ranker, Yoon Sangmin would¡¯ve scoffed and left.


    But Shin Youngwoo was a person whose personality and intelligence developed through Satisfy. Shin Youngwoo was a good example of Satisfy, so Yoon Sangmin listened to him.


    "What¡¯s the reason for your absurd request?¡±


    ¡°Guild promotion.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Guild promotion?¡±


    He was going to use the opening that billions of people would watch in order to promote the guild?


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Overgeared already have a reputation as one of the best guilds? I don¡¯t think you need marketing.¡±


    "The issue is that we are one of the best guilds. Overgeared should be a unique and exclusive guild.¡±


    Right now, Shin Youngwoo was representing Lauel¡¯s opinion. In Satisfy, the ultimate content was to have a kingdom.


    In the first ce, Overgeared was an organization designed to make Youngwoo king. In order to build and defend a kingdom, they needed to have strong national power. And in order to advance, they needed to prevent the invasion of foreign powers.


    There were many forces beside the seven guilds that could threaten them. The opening of the National Competition was a means to show off the majesty of Overgeared and to deter the ambitions of others.


    Lauel was hovering around Youngwoo¡¯s head. Was this being too serious towards a game? This question was funny. Satisfy was a huge ¡®cash¡¯ game. If he set up a kingdom, he could umte wealth beyond imagination. It was natural to be serious.


    ¡®Ser yers and basketball yers, sports which are less popr than Satisfy, are earning hundreds of billions of won a year.¡¯


    It was reasonable for Satisfy yers to sit on a pile of money.


    ***


    The opening of the 2nd National Competition was to provide a spectacr sight.


    Against the backdrop of Paris, France, seven yers representing each country formed a group and acted out a specific situation. The overwhelming CG and story stimted the people of the world, while the world¡¯s best rock band celebrated their 30th anniversary by singing the opening song.


    The opening that S.A. Group¡¯s marketing team nned. It was cancelled.


    S.A. Group¡¯s executives. Several dozens executives gathered together with Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    "The opening that Grid proposed isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, the opening that our marketing team produced was vague when it came to the order of appearance for each country.¡±


    It was because the venue was Paris, so the French team should being the opening. However, the United States was ranked 1st in the 1st National Competition.


    "The order of the appearance of Grid, who won three gold models with his own strength, was also vague.¡±


    However, Grid¡¯s opening was different. Rather than emphasizing the nationality of the National Competition, the focus was on individual traits and Grid could clearly be called the symbol of the National Competition.


    Of course, the intentions were impure. Of the 224 National Competition participants, 43 of them belonged to Overgeared. Those people would do the opening with Grid. It was like a promotional video for Overgeared.


    There was resistance.


    ¡°There are already rumors that our group is supporting the Korean rankers like Grid and Yura. This will just give the media around the world an excuse totch onto.¡±


    ¡°The purpose of the National Competition is to turn Satisfy into a sport. The aim is to encourage the people of each country to immerse themselves in the game while cheering on their teams. We should focus on the countries, rather than individuals.¡±


    There was a debate. But it eventually tilted to one side. It was due to Yoon Sang-min¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Grid has dered that he won¡¯t participate in the National Competition unless he¡¯s given the right to direct the opening.¡±


    He yed a dominant role in the 1st National Competition andter on in Satisfy, the main character who constantly raised a topic. If the best star of Satisfy didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition, it was inevitable that the poprity would drop.


    "It¡¯s a problem that we can afford. Whether or not Grid participates in the National Competition, the average audience rating is likely to be no different fromst year.¡±


    Nevertheless, there was a separate reason for Yoon Sangmin and some executives to stick to Grid.


    ¡°But the story changes with Kraugel.¡±


    The 1st ranked Kraugel. His poprity was higher than Grid, and he had the title of sky above the sky. His fans were at the level of fanatics. Unfortunately, he never once made a public appearance.


    However.


    ¡°If Gridpetes in the National Competition, Kraugel will also participate.¡±


    Humans with the word ¡®best¡¯ attached to them had something inmon. Their pride was huge. Kraugel wanted to face Grid on the world stage of the National Competition.


    ¡°If Kraugel participates in the National Competition, the power of the 2nd National Competition will overwhelm the first one.¡±


    "...¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a single executive who denied Yoon Sangmin¡¯s words.


    It was decided.


    ***


    ¡º The 2nd National Competition will take ce in 43 days! Kraugel, Grid, Zibal, and Chris will be participating, as well as many more countries than the 1st National Competition¡¯... ¡»


    ¡º A total of 32 countries are participating in the 2nd National Competition, and the events are open to the public. Compared with the 1st National Competition... ¡»


    ¡º Today, when the 2nd National Competition is 42 days away, the opening video was released through the Inte and worldwide broadcasters! ¡»


    ¡º The opening video, which is causing hot repercussions through the public, is well received because it expresses the characteristics of each yer representing the countries. But at the same time, it is also being criticized. ¡»


    ¡º The title is called the National Competition, yet it is more focused on the participants than the countries. But... ¡»


    ¡º This brilliant video thatsts 4 minutes and 31 seconds is enough to make everyone¡¯s heart beat faster. ¡»


    ?-


    It started with the thrilling performance of the rock band, which had been popr for 30 years.


    Syuong~


    A red meteor flew across the dark blue sky.


    Peeng!


    The camera shook with distant explosions.


    Ssik.


    A ck haired and white skinned man filled the screen. It was Grid¡¯s ckening state. The camera rapidly rotated around him, revealing the members of Overgeared. The viewers cheered as Yura and Jishuka, dressed more beautifully than ever, appeared behind Grid¡¯s shoulders.


    After that, it showed yers from various countries, including Zibal and Chris. Before they knew it, the camera reached someone staring up at the redet. The man had a neat beauty that couldn¡¯t be believed, the sky above the sky, Kraugel.


    The lone Kraugel and Grid, with 42 colleagues, exchanged a nce.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 376

    Chapter 376


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    A haze spread around Grid¡¯s body and there was a faint light as he started a sword dance. The first legendary ss in Satisfy demonstrated absolute dominance.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    20 red-ck energy des filled with strength flooded towards Kraugel. The sight caused the billions of people watching the video to hold their breath.


    Sururuk.


    Kraugel avoided them with minimal movements, neared Grid, and his white sword moved in a curved line.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid defended like he was waiting for it. The camera shook as the two swords hit each other. Then it changed to a ck and white screen with 2XX3.10.27 on it. It was the opening video that announced the date and time of the 2nd National Competition.


    -Great.


    -It¡¯s cool, really cool.


    -The opening of a game should taste like this.


    -Something is bubbling up inside me.It¡¯s much cooler than the Demon Hero movies.


    -Everybody has different tastes ^^. I prefer the Demon Hero movies.


    The public¡¯s interest in the opening video of the 2nd National Competition was hot. Among them, the Korean people were enthusiastic about the existence of Yura and Peak Sword.


    -Yura and Peak Sword are in position with the Overgeared members.


    -When did they join Overgeared?


    -There is continuous breaking news.


    -Wow...I never imagined that Yura and Peak Sword would join Overgeared.Grid¡¯s forces seem truly unique.


    -It is likely that there are eight main guilds in Satisfy now, not seven.The existing seven guilds and Overgeared.


    -Isn¡¯t Peak Sword the master of the Silver Knights?Did the Silver knights merge with Overgeared?


    -It¡¯s likely.


    -We can think of Overgeared as a Korean guild.Their master is Korean and most of the guild members are Korean.


    -Kya ~ ~!Do you know Overgeared?


    -Hah...Yura and Jishuka are really pretty.I will have no other wishes in my life if I can meet them once once.


    -No, it¡¯s absurd to get both of them ?? Choose one of the two??


    -He¡¯s even a couple in the game with Irene. Ah, I¡¯m so envious.


    -People can get everything if they are sessful in their field.I will try my best when ites to writingments on the Inte as well. ^^


    -Then I guess I only have Satisfy from now on.I will be like Grid and buy an 800 million won car.


    -I¡¯ve been only ying Satisfy since it opened, but I¡¯m still level 250 ???. I can¡¯t be Grid.


    -Fun.The users with levels above 250 shouldment here.


    The dignity of Grid and Overgeared were clearlymunicated to the Korean people. It was Lauel¡¯s intention. However, contrary to Lauel¡¯s intentions, the people of other countries were concentrating on something else.


    -Wow...Kraugel will participate in thepetition.


    -Yes.I thought he would stick to the mysterious concept for the rest of his life.


    -It isn¡¯t a mysterious concept. He just focuses on levelling up to the end.


    -I wonder why Kraugel is participating in the tournament?


    -Of course, he must covet the prizes.


    -Now that Grid¡¯s reputation is growing to a level that can threaten him, his pride means he hase to show the difference in skill.


    -Indeed...Kraugel is in a different ss.


    -What are you saying ?? Grid has shown many times what he can achieve, their sses are too different.


    -What nonsense. Don¡¯t you see how easily Kraugel avoided Grid¡¯s skill?Kraugel is a wall.I don¡¯t mean to ignore Grid, but Kraugel is too great.


    -What are you saying?How do you know Kraugel managed to avoid Grid¡¯s skill?You can¡¯t distinguish between reality and directing.


    -You don¡¯t believe Kraugel¡¯s skills?In the old days, rankers shot videos of Kraugel hunting and his control ability exceededmon sense.Search on Mytube.


    -Ah, that video...It had over a billion hits.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face distorted as he confirmed the public¡¯s reaction. Public interest was focused on Grid and Kraugel, not Grid and Overgeared, so his initial intention to maximize the existence of Overgeared was broken. He was upset.


    ¡®It is because of Kraugel.¡¯


    He wondered why the S.A. Group listened to their request, but it was because there was this motivation behind it.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    The opening was a secondary problem. Lauel nned to impress the public with the Overgeared Guild by having the members win a medal in each event. Now he might miss it due to the variable called Kraugel.


    ¡®Considering Kraugel¡¯s inclinations, he is likely to participate in PvP, raid, and the siege.¡¯


    The gold medals in the three most popr events in the National Competition were very valuable. However, as long as Kraugel existed, it was realistic for the Overgeared members to give up on the gold medal.


    ¡¯...No, not if it¡¯s Grid.¡¯


    ording to Grid, the reason he could win against Kraugel was because Kraugel wasn¡¯t in a perfect condition. But Lauel believed.


    ¡®The sky isn¡¯t untouchable.¡¯


    Snow, rain, thunder, and typhoons would pour down, but the sky wouldn¡¯t fall. Lauel knew that Kraugel shouldn¡¯t have been knocked down, even if he was in an imperfect condition. Grid being able to break down the sky, it wasn¡¯t a coincidence or a miracle...


    ¡®It is skills.¡¯


    Kwack!


    Lauel clenched his fists and started to write a letter to someone. He was someone who always tried to change the worst crisis into an opportunity.


    ***


    ¡®Genius at fighting¡¯ Hao.


    The millions of Chinese people were thrilled and enthusiastic when he expressed his intention to participate in the 2nd National Competition, since he didn¡¯t participate in the first one. They expected to see China ranked first in the National Competition.


    However, Hao was different.


    ¡®...Kraugel.¡¯


    His only object of reverence.


    ¡¯I didn¡¯t think you would participate in this tournament.¡¯


    Hao¡¯s expression was already tense and sweat was trickling down.


    ¡®Can I y an active role against Kraugel?¡¯


    No. Hao was sure of it. He would never be able to reach the faraway sky that was Kraugel. Then a homing pigeon flew towards him. The sender was Lauel. The chief of staff of Overgeared wrote the letter.


    [You didn¡¯t ept my friend request, so I can¡¯t send you a whisper. Thus, I had to send a letter.


    You are the first person to not ept the best of the 10 Rookies and the brains of Overgeared¡¯s request.


    This provocative attitude stimted the other soul in my heart...]


    Omitted.


    Hao quickly skimmed down the nonsense and found the main point.


    [Do you remember the promise that you made in the past? If my lord, Grid, breaks down the sky and bes a new sky, you will spread your wings and fly into Grid¡¯s arms.]


    "...¡±


    Hao distinctly remembered it. The seven guilds failed to invade Reidan because they were crushed by farmers, and Hao was forced to retreat. Hao received an offer to serve Grid in exchange for his life.


    At that time, Hao said that the only thing to hold a dragon was a sky, and of course, that sky was Kraugel. Grid would break Kraugel?


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Kwajak!


    Hao crumpled up the letter. He acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills. Grid had appropriate control and exceptional items. The current Grid was one of the top rankers. But he was nothingpared to Kraugel.


    ¡®Someone who can¡¯t ovee me won¡¯t be able to beat Kraugel.¡¯


    The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. Hao¡¯s chest burned hot when he thought about Kraugel.


    ¡®It would be good to make them understand their target.¡¯


    Overgeared Guild. He would let them know that the world was very narrow. Hao¡¯s golden eyes became determined to prove it.


    ***


    Grid and the Overgeared members escaped from the 9th vampire city with the help of Sage Sticks. They had a busy day with various media interviews and filming the opening video of the National Competition. Now they gathered in Reidan after a long time.


    ¡°Ba! Baba!¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Lord toddled forward and greeted them. Grid was moved to tears by the appearance of his big son.


    ¡°Is he calling me papa? Didn¡¯t you hear?¡±


    It was exciting for Grid, but the other Overgeared members didn¡¯t show much reaction. It was because...


    ¡°Ba! Bababa!¡±


    Lord used the same title for all the Overgeared members, not just Grid!


    ¡°Heok... Surely you haven¡¯t forgotten your dad after not meeting for so long?¡±


    Grid turned blue with shock. Lord turned his gaze away from the one who couldn¡¯t hide his sadness and smiled meaningfully. Kasim watched him in the darkness and shook.


    ¡®A little baby is already teasing an adult...¡¯


    ***


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid shared the joy of a reunion with Irene and left the bedroom. He observed the sleeping Lord with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and was astonished.


    Name: Lord Steim


    Age: 0 years Gender: Male


    upation: Young Nobleman


    Title: Grid¡¯s Son


    * The son of a legendary cksmith. He has inherited most of his father¡¯s abilities.


    Title: Genius of the Continent


    * A genius that represents one continent. He overwhelms national geniuses, and his level and abilities will rise 60% faster than normal. In addition, he can acquire skills in a wide range of fields.


    However, there is a limit to the level and abilities that can be raised until he is 15 years old.


    Title: One who Will Be a Legend


    A person who will leave his name in history. There is an 80% chance of being immune to all status effects and illnesses. When attacked, if his health falls to 1 point, he will enter the immortal state for 2.5 seconds.


    Level: 3


    Strength: 40 Stamina: 45


    Agility: 54 Intelligence: 47


    Dexterity: 90 Charm: 100


    Dignity: 17 Insight: 80


    Skills: Beginner cksmith Skill (F), Beginner Weapons Mastery (C), Daluka¡¯s Methods (A+) Discerning Eyes (S), Overwhelming Charm (S), Lantier¡¯s Method (SS), Famous and Legendary Pedigree (SS).


    His mother is the sessor of a noble family in the Eternal Kingdom and his father is a legend.


    He has inherited all of his parent¡¯s strengths, so his potential is outstanding. Teaching him will be inspiring.


    However, his talent and environment are so good that he is likely to be arrogant. Education will determine his history.


    ¡®There is a title change and two more skills?¡¯


    ording to Irene, Lord had received constant discipline during the month when Grid was away. It wasn¡¯t surprising that his level and stats rose slightly. But why did ¡®Genius of Eternal¡¯ change to ¡®Genius of the Continent?¡¯


    It meant an increase in potential. There must¡¯ve been a reason.


    ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯


    Daluka¡¯s Methods and Lantier¡¯s Methods. He was also nervous about the high ratings of the newly acquired skills. In particr, Lantier¡¯s Methods was a huge SS grade, meaning it was a legendary skill.


    ¡®Who is the discipline teacher...?¡¯


    How was he teaching to make a monster like this? This waspletely...


    ¡®A profit.¡¯


    Grid sent a whisper to Rabbit, telling him to raise the discipline teacher¡¯s sry. Thanks to this, the wages of the discipline teacher rose from the minimum wage by 1 silver.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377


    At the time of the National Competition¡¯s opening video shoot.


    A total of 224 yers from 32 countries gathered in France, where the S.A. Group had created a temporary server. They were the top performers that represented each country and Satisfy. The most prominent person among them was the 1st ranked Kraugel.


    "Wow, being able to see Kraugel in real life, I am really rewarded for being a ranker.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly young. He isn¡¯t even 30 years old and is already at the peak of two billion users...¡±


    "I¡¯ve been a fan of Kraugel for a long time. Can we bribe him to enter our guild?¡±


    "If he was easily bribed, he would¡¯ve already joined a group. Most of us here are probably fans of Kraugel.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s greatness was better known by the rankers than anyone else. The higher the level, the harder it was to raise the level, so rankers could experience it more than ordinary users. For the rankers, Kraugel was a transcendent being who was beyond the realm of a genius.


    Buzz buzz.


    Like children who had never seen a celebrity, the rankers kept their eyes on Kraugel and made a fuss. Most of them wanted to speak to Kraugel. However, no one dared to approach Kraugel. They just gazed at the distant sky.


    It was the same with Zibal.


    ¡®I am shrinking back...¡¯


    Zibal. He was the leader of the Snake Guild and 2nd on the unified rankings. He had failed against Overgeared, but there were few people who could deny that he was one of the best in the world. Yet even he flinched in front of Kraugel.


    In the midst of this awkward atmosphere.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Someone reached out to say hello to Kraugel. It was Grid. The rankersughed at him.


    ¡®The Overgeared Guild is trying to cling to Kraugel.¡¯


    ¡®He will be despised by Kraugel.¡¯


    The rankers didn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Grid and Kraugel. They thought that Kraugel would show contempt to Grid, who would be ashamed. But they were wrong. Surprisingly, Kraugel weed Grid. It seemed like the two men already knew each other.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    ¡°Have you been well? I saw the rankings list. You¡¯ve widened the gap with the 2nd ce?¡±


    ¡°This is all thanks to you. The performance of White Fang has been upgraded, increasing the efficiency of hunting and raids. Thank you.¡±


    "I ought to be thanking you. Thanks to you, I was able to visit the Behen Archipgo and grow.¡±


    "Were you able to reach the 30th ind?¡±


    The 30th ind. The trials of the past were reproduced, causing Kraugel to be eliminated. Then Grid gave a shocking answer.


    "I¡¯ve just arrived at the 40th ind.¡±


    "...¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened. He acknowledged Grid¡¯s abilities to reach an area before him, but this frankly exceeded expectations. He felt like he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer. But it was a positive stimulus.


    "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m worse than anyone else.¡±


    Interesting. Existences that could drive him forward, how many were there?


    Grid smiled meaningfully and told Kraugel the truth, "I didn¡¯t set a high record because I¡¯m better than you. The trials of the Behen Archipgo are just suited for me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be humble.¡±


    Grid and Kraugel suddenly stopped talking while walking next to each other. It was because they felt the others following them.


    "There are many ears listening. Tell me the details next time.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Grid called out as Kruagel was saying goodbye to him. He dered with a provocative gaze.


    "Have you seen the n for the opening? Thest scene ends with me attacking you. I will do my best, so be careful not to die.¡±


    He was curious. As his skills grew, who would prevail between him and Kraugel? Grid¡¯s eyes zed with determination and Kraugel nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    And on this day.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    One of Grid¡¯s ultimate skills, Transcended Link was avoided by Kraugel. There was exactly 20 of them. It wasn¡¯t frustration that Grid felt.


    ¡®I still have a long way to go.¡¯


    He had to keep growing. Grid was full of motivation, while Kraugel felt admiration.


    ¡®The orbit is sharper.¡¯


    During the spar that urred two months ago in Satisfy time, the Transcended Link sent by Grid hadn¡¯t given Kraugel any sense of threat. It aimed in a straight line towards the target, making it easy for Kraugel to read and avoid.


    But this Transcended Link was different. The orbit wasn¡¯t in a straight line, with different directions mixed together. If the orbit became even more irregr...


    ¡®It will be very interesting.¡¯


    Among the yers, the only ones who could provoke him were the malicious ones. A prime example was Agnus. But Grid was different. It was really positive that he met someone with pure intentions. The more time he spent with Grid, the more convinced he was that he would develop further.


    ¡®Also.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t easily overlook the fact that Grid was ahead of him in the Behen Archipgo.


    Chaaeng!


    Kraugel swung White Fang at Grid, who blocked it. This verified Kraugel¡¯s determination.


    ¡®I also need a new challenge.¡¯


    He would keep developing until the National Competition began. He promised himself as he received a signal stating that the filming was over.


    ¡°Kraugel, it is nice to meet you. I am the 2nd ranked Zibal and I¡¯m just below you on the rankings.¡±


    Zibal approached and held out a hand to shake. He thought that Kraugel would ept his greeting after talking so nicely with Grid. Kraugel sent him a sorry look.


    ¡°My mother is calling.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    In front of more than 200 rankers and 100 S.A. Group officials.


    Pahat!


    Kraugel refused to shake hands with Zibal and logged out.


    ¡°Pfff!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s face became hot as Chris started tough.


    ***


    A shabby housingplex on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia. One of the crumbling houses was Kraugel¡¯s residence.


    Kraugel.


    He was a Koryoin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryo-saram) who grew up in poverty.


    Due to this, he was the target of prejudice and discrimination, suffering many crises in his life. But thanks to the teachings of his kind and wise mother, he didn¡¯t give up and was able to enter a prestigious university, eventually getting a good job.


    She was a gigantic existence and he could never pay back what she had done for him. Recently, his mother had be thinner.


    Pipipipipi!


    The emergency light installed on the capsule started shing. As soon as he heard it, Kraugel logged out of the game and left the capsule. The ce he headed was his mother¡¯s bedroom. She had an incurable disease that couldn¡¯t be cured with modern medicine, Alzheimer¡¯s.


    He tried to invite the world¡¯s best medical staff with the money he earned, but his mother¡¯s condition didn¡¯t improve.


    "My son! Where is my son?¡±


    His mother gazed at Kraugel with a mad look. She threw things around her in a rage, until Kraugel hugged her.


    "Don¡¯t worry, calm down. You will be able to meet your son soon.¡±


    Kraugel never smiled. In order to cure his mother¡¯s illness, he quit his job and devoted himself to Satisfy, never giving up. The wealth he umted through Satisfy was poured into his mother¡¯s treatment, and he believed that one day his mother¡¯s warm touch would return.


    Until then, in order to endure without despair, Kraugel watched his mother with all his heart, while feeling pleasure ying Satisfy. He alwaysmitted himself to everything, so the negative thoughts didn¡¯t invade his life.


    ***


    ¡º We have learned one thing from the fact that the Silver Knights Guild was absorbed into Overgeared. The Overgeared Guild has a total of three territories. Reidan, Bairan, and Cork Ind. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it unheard of for one guild to be running three territories? There is spection that the Overgeared Guild is umting a lot of wealth. What do you think about this ¡»


    ¡º Of course they are making a huge amount of money. Reidan is arge city, Bairan has many hunting grounds with various levels and Cork Ind is famous for its tourist attraction. They will be sweeping up a huge amount of taxes every month. ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared Guild¡¯s funding ability will evolve every day. At this moment, there are many reasons why so many yers want to join Overgeared. ¡»


    The opening video for the 2nd National Competition was avable. The media focusing on Kraugel started to shift their attention to Grid and Overgeared. It was because of theck of information on Kraugel. Thanks to Lauel¡¯s n, the Overgeared Guild became a hot topic and their poprity rose every day.


    "There are too many fanciful stories. Overgeared is rich? Nonsense. We are living in poverty every day.¡±


    Vantner snorted. All the revenue was poured into Reidan, so it was funny that the experts were predicting that they were a rich guild when they were actually suffering.


    ¡°Reidan is so isted that there is a lot of futile spection. It is unlikely that anyone can guess the actual situation of Reidan.¡±


    Lauel was very satisfied. As the reputation of Overgeared expanded, the number of hostile forces would reduce while talents woulde swarming.


    ¡°By the way, when are we departing for the Behen Archipgo?¡± Regas asked.


    He was always dreaming about bing stronger, so he had great enthusiasm towards the Behen Archipgo. Most of the Overgeared members were the same. Lauel rose from his seat.


    "We will depart in an hour. Sticks will guide us.¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    "Grid will stay in Reidan for a few days. He wants to try thebination of cksmithing and alchemy.¡±


    "Willbining alchemy and cksmithing recreate the dwarves¡¯ unique techniques?¡±


    ¡°That is a long story forter. For the moment, adding a unique option to an item is the limit.¡±


    Lauel believed that this one option might upset the battlefield.


    ***


    [Baby¡¯s cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 28/28 Attack Power: 10~12


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +2%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +1%


    * Dexterity +5.


    A hammer made of a solid, but light, ck stone.


    The legendary cksmith Grid made it for his young son, so the focus is on making it easy to use.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 3


    "Lord, you will be working with Papa for awhile.¡±


    It was funny that the son of a legendary cksmith was learning the techniques of a beginner cksmith. During his stay in Reidan, Grid nned to train Lord.


    ¡°Ba! Bababa!¡±


    Lord was excited. Lord really wanted to share this with his father.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Dung dung!Dung!


    The two people started hammering at an anvil. Kasim¡¯s covert skills and vignce rose every day as he watched the simr father and son.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378


    There were 17 nations on the West Continent.


    Once the number of people and users from these 17 nations were added up, the poption of the West Continent was in the billions. Lord was considered the foremost genius among them. Lord¡¯s learning ability, speed of development, and thinking power clearly went beyondmon sense.


    But cksmithing wasn¡¯t easy.


    Dung!Dung dung!


    "...¡±


    It had been less than 100 days since Lord was born. Tapping minerals with a light hammer wouldn¡¯t affect it. Lord¡¯s innate dexterity was high, but he had no experience and his strength was low.


    "Puhut.¡±


    Who knew that his son could make such a face? Lord was sweating, but he couldn¡¯t get any results from the hammering. Things didn¡¯t go the way he wanted, so he puffed up his cheeks in a cute and lovely manner.


    Grid stroked Lord¡¯s dark hair that resembled his and called out to a cksmith.


    "Bring me some y.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    It was themand of Duke Grid, lord of Reidan and a legendary cksmith. The cksmith immediately ran and grabbed some y.


    ¡°Abuuuu!¡±


    His father looked wonderful when ordering people around. Lord looked at his father with eyes full of envy. At this moment, Lord was determined to learn how to speak as soon as possible. Grid didn¡¯t know this and handed his son the y.


    "You don¡¯t have to make anything useful right away. Hammer at this to figure out the form.¡±


    "Bubu! Buuu!¡±


    Lord startedining at his father¡¯s words. His ego was bruised.


    "Bububu!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not a four or five year old child. I can¡¯t y with y!¡¯ Grid was embarrassed by Lord¡¯s attitude.


    "Do you have a high pride like Irene?¡±


    He had a noble lineage. Khan approached as Grid was clicking his tongue.


    ¡°Huhu, isn¡¯t it easy to teach the young lord?¡±


    ¡°The child has my natural dexterity, but as you can see, he¡¯s too young to refine the minerals.¡±


    "It¡¯s natural. Genius doesn¡¯t mean everything. The young lord won¡¯t be able to deal with fire and minerals until he¡¯s at least 12 years old. You have to teach him step by step.¡±


    Huff!


    Lord¡¯s eyes twitched. Kasim glimpsed it from where he was hiding in the darkness.


    ¡®Heok... Lord is provoked.¡¯


    Kasim had been teaching Lord for over two months, so he fully saw through Lord¡¯s character. Lord had a strong pride and was full ofmitment to fulfill that desire. Lord never retreated from anything.


    ¡°Ba! Abubu!¡±


    The excited Lord mored at Grid and Khan. Grid and Khan didn¡¯t understand Lord¡¯s words, but Kasim understood exactly what he meant.


    ¡®Rather than 12 years old, you will be a cksmith by 2 years old?¡¯


    Wait, then when will you practice my master, Lantier¡¯s, techniques? Lord gazed at the worried Kasim. He would try his best to prevent any disruption to the existing schedule.


    ¡®Hrmm... Lord might be able to do it.¡¯


    Kasim didn¡¯t ce Lord in the category of a genius. He recognized Lord as a transcendent being beyond the realm of a human. Therefore, he didn¡¯t see Lord¡¯s determination as a bluff.


    "What does he keep saying?¡±


    "Huhu, he is saying that he loves you.¡±


    "Haha, is that it, Lord? I love you too.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Abuuuu!¡±


    Unlike Kasim, Grid and Khan spent less time with Lord. The two people didn¡¯t understand what Lord meant, so they just thought he was cute. From this day onward, Lord¡¯s special training began.


    ***


    The usage of alchemy was categorized into five broad categories.


    Production of various potions. Raising the rating of minerals. Creation of weapon and armor enhancement stones. Making special items. Giving items extra options.


    It was truly amazing. Alchemy facilities seemed absolutely useful. But what was the reality? Most kingdoms on the West Continent didn¡¯t invest funds in alchemy. It meant that the value of alchemy was low, and there was a reason for this.


    Alchemy was a field where the possibility of ¡®failure¡¯ always needed to be kept in mind. When doing certain things with alchemy, there was always a higher chance of failure than sess. It also applied to the creation of potions.


    [Reidan¡¯s Alchemy Facility]


    Level: Intermediate 8.


    * Superb quality health and mana recovery potions can be created.


    -The sess rate is 36%.


    * Advanced buff potions can be created.


    -The sess rate is 14%.


    * The lowest grade to low grade minerals can be upgraded.


    -The sess rate is 14%.


    * One option can be given to items.


    -The sess rate is 1%.


    "...?"


    One year had passed since the beginning of Overgeared¡¯s reign in Reidan, and the Overgeared Guild has poured an enormous amount of money into alchemy. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the revenue from Raiden, Bairan, Cork Ind and the individual members of the guild were invested in the alchemy facilities.


    But it was like this. It was natural that Grid¡¯s reaction would be cold.


    "I was expecting a lot from giving items an option, but what is the probability of sess? Only 1%?¡±


    Executive Rabbit exined.


    "As I said before, once the level of the alchemy facility reaches the advanced level, the probability of the item options will increase dramatically. Before that, I want to test it out today..."


    "Hoh, the probability will jump dramatically? What percentage will it rise to?¡±


    "Around 5%...¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    Grid frowned. The value of the alchemy facility that he and his guild members plunged a lot of money into seemed absurdly low.


    "It is no wonder why other kingdoms don¡¯t invest a lot of money in alchemy facilities.¡±


    He was too blinded by the goal of making Reidan a second Talima. Honestly, he didn¡¯t know if it was worth it. It was almost a scam. Rabbit sent Grid a meaningful smile.


    "But Reidan has yellow mithril.¡±


    Yellow mithril. A mineral that could only be mined from the mine near Reidan. It was the raw mineral of fairy dust, which dramatically increased the probability of sess in alchemy. It was the basis for Rabbit¡¯s im to develop alchemy in Reidan.


    "I have prepared fairy dust. I want to let my lord experience it.¡±


    [Fairy dust has been acquired.]


    [Fairy Dust]


    A powder made by refining yellow mithril at an alchemy facility.


    Increases the sess rate of alchemy by 20%.


    Weight: 0.1


    ¡¯20 percent...¡¯


    It was still a low probability. Grid was so regretful that he wanted to turn back the time that he invested into the alchemy facility.


    But.


    ¡®It is true that the probability increased dramatically.¡¯


    While the sess rate of other alchemists stayed in the single digits, Reidan had at least a 20% chance of sess. Reidan was the only city on the West Continent that could demonstrate the value of alchemy.


    They were setting their feet in an area that other kingdoms couldn¡¯t even see. Grid tried to think as positively as possible.


    ¡°Okay, I will try it once. How great will an option given to an item be?¡±


    ***


    The best alchemist on the continent, Silverun. He had been involved in alchemy since he was a young man and poured his life into alchemy for thest 50 years.


    However, the science of alchemy wasn¡¯t recognized anywhere, meaning Silverun couldn¡¯t receive the environment and funds to utilize alchemy. He was like an invisible man whose existence wasn¡¯t acknowledged by the world. Unfortunately, Silverun couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to unfold his knowledge and talents.


    Then one day.


    ¡°Duke Grid of the Eternal Kingdom has heard rumors about you and is personally sending you an invitation. Duke Grid doesn¡¯t doubt your alchemy skills. Why not spread out your wings with his support?¡±


    Rabbit came to Silverun and introduced himself as the administrator of Reidan.


    Silverun. The best alchemist on the continent who wasn¡¯t recognized by anyone. He lived in lonely poverty, so Duke Grid was a very special person to him. Silverun vowed. For Duke Grid¡¯s sake, he would show the value of alchemy to the world.


    ...Grid didn¡¯t know this.


    ¡°I greet Duke Grid!¡±


    Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    Silverun greeted Grid, who visited there after a long time. It was a truly exaggerated greeting.


    ¡®Who is this person?¡¯


    Rabbit whispered to the puzzled Grid.


    "I picked him up for My Lord.¡±


    "...¡±


    He felt like this whenever he met up with Lauel and Rabbit. It truly was convenient to be with smart people. Grid, who acquired another loyal person without knowing, reached out to Silverun.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!! Ohh!!¡±


    The great duke who acknowledged alchemy was holding out a hand to him? Silverun grasped Grid¡¯s hand with his trembling fingers.


    "It is so inspiring that the duke himself will visit here. I¡¯m in tears.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was very burdensome. Grid turned away from the tearful Silverun and looked around the alchemy facility.


    "I want to give this sword a new option.¡±


    The sword that Grid took out was Iyarugt. It was a growth type item that could increase to the legendary rank, an ego sword that had the soul of a demon in it.


    Would the effect of alchemy work on special items like this?


    Silverun gave a positive answer to the dubious Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible for me.¡±


    Silverun had the best ability in this field. He was filled with confidence.


    ¡°But you should know that the level of options given to an item with intermediate alchemy ranges from a minimum of F grade to a maximum of A grade. In addition, as you know, alchemy is a discipline that always has a possibility of failure.


    ¡°If the option fails, will the inherent performance of the item fall?¡±


    "There is no such thing.¡±


    "Okay, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    "I will guide you there.¡±


    It was a chance to repay the grace of the master who acknowledged alchemy and Silverun. Silverun was filled with enthusiasm and showed Grid to one side of the facility. It was a room that was filled with many equipment.


    Silverun ced Iyarugt on an altar that was located in the center.


    ¡°Then I will start.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    An intense blue light filled the room the moment Silverun gave a signal. In the midst of this light, a notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [You are attempting to grant a new option to Iyarugt.]


    [Congrattions! A new option has sessfully been granted.]


    Ttiring~


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face became baffled as he checked the option.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379


    [You are attempting to grant a new option to Iyarugt.]


    [Congrattions! A new option has sessfully been granted.]


    Grid was excited by the notification window.


    ¡®It seeded at once!¡¯


    Grid had bad luck. He hardly ever won in an odds game until now. If there was a lottery with a 99% chance of winning, he would be the 1% who didn¡¯t win. Now he won in a game where the odds of winning was only 21%.


    Grid was deeply thrilled. But it onlysted for a moment.


    [The B grade option ¡®Coolness¡¯ has been given to Iyarugt.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Iyarugt has be even cooler.]


    Ttiring~


    [+8 Iyarugt]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Durability: 351/351 Attack Power: 793+365


    ...


    ...


    * The ¡®Coolness¡¯ option has been added with alchemy.


    "?????"


    What? Coolness? The coolness level rose?


    ¡®No, what is this?¡¯


    Among the many options, it happened to be coolness? He thought things were going too well. He never dreamt that it would be such a useless option.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this... Things never work out well at once...¡±


    Grid was feeling frustrated when Silverun cheered.


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohhh! The best of the B grade options, ¡®Coolness¡¯ was given! It¡¯s beyond expectations!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Coolness was the best option in the B grade? Grid doubted his ears.


    ¡®This is the best option for the B grade? Then how bad are the other options?¡¯


    The science of alchemy, the more he knew, the worst he thought it was. The money he invested was being ruined. Rabbit gave positive feedback while Grid was squeezing his head.


    "Coolness is an important factor. Whether it is people or object, a good appearance is an easy way to build up favor.¡±


    It was the same in reality. People were constantly trying to be cool. They paid attention to their hair style and attire, and could spend hundreds of millions of won on luxury goods and stic surgery.


    The reason was simple. To increase the value. In fact, when a person judged an object, appearance was an important concept that they looked at first.


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    When Grid thought about it, he heard rumors that the hidden ss Skin Maker, the user was making a killing when it came to money. It only changed the appearance of an item, not the performance, but there were many people who paid big money to look more beautiful.


    Grid observed Iyarugt and had a positive opinion. A gentle radiance was flowing from the long, red de. Certainly, it looked much cooler than before.


    Buuong.Buoong.


    Every time he wielded it, Iyarugt shone like jewels. Grid looked cooler when he wielded it. It was obvious that people¡¯s attention would be concentrated on him in the National Competition. But once again, Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ***


    "Until the alchemy facility reaches the advanced level, we will continue to umte fairy dust without using it.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Grid replied in a listless voice. He was disappointed by the option given to Iyarugt. Rabbit bowed with an awkward expression.


    ¡°Then I will be going back to work.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Work hard.¡±


    Grid separated from Rabbit and returned to the smithy. He wanted to make weapons to utilize Spear Shot and Bow Mastery prior to departing for the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®It¡¯s enough to make the same bow that I made for Jishuka.¡¯


    He would made a spear that was specifically for throwing. Grid devised a n.


    ***


    "Create hand plow.¡±


    [The hand plow has been developed.]


    Paaaat!


    Over 50 hand plows rose simultaneously at the newly opened fields near the Altes Mountains. It wasn¡¯t a typical hand plow, but a hand plow developed with aura.


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    The 50 aura hand plows started digging at the ground at once. It was an overwhelming sight. It was as efficient as 100 farmers doing field work at the same time. It was the majesty of Aura Master Hurent.


    Hurent. He was embarrassed worldwide after being defeated by Gird in PvP in just 5 seconds. He had a strong desire for revenge against Grid.


    ¡®In the next 40 days.¡¯


    The 2nd National Competition would be held in 40 days.


    As a representative of the United States, Hurent would participate in the National Competition,pete against Grid and win this time. But there was a problem.


    ¡°My eyes are correct. Your skills are very suitable for field work. Do you want to work with me a little longer?¡±


    Legendary farmer Piaro. He was a wicked person who kidnapped Hurent, but Hurent knew how much the value of the hidden quest was worth. Hurent felt his resentment towards Piaro melting away like snow, so he carefully asked.


    ¡°How much longer?¡±


    ¡°Three months?¡±


    ¡°Three months...!¡±


    It was too long. He had many things to prepare for the National Competition, which would take ce in 40 days..


    "Can¡¯t it be one month?¡±


    Piaro shook his head at Hurent¡¯s question.


    ¡°If you are only going to help for a month, it is best to just leave now. I am going to teach you a new skill, suitable for farming, and it can¡¯t be learned in one month...¡±


    "...¡±


    Hurent stood at the crossroad of choice. Should he leave Piaro right away to dream of revenge on Grid, or get stronger by staying near Piaro and then get revenge on Grid?


    ¡°U-Ummm...


    Hurent tried to think objectively. Could he win against Grid right now?


    ¡¯To be honest, there¡¯s no guarantee.¡¯


    Three months ago in Satisfy time. He was convinced that he was stronger than Grid when he invaded Reidan with Prince Ren, but not anymore. It was because of Piaro¡¯s words.


    "You are strong. But there are many people stronger than you. What? How do youpare to My Lord? Of course, My Lord is stronger than you.¡±


    At first, Hurent thought that Piaro was biased. However, after experiencing Piaro¡¯s personality, he knew that Piaro wasn¡¯t someone who spoke empty words.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t beat Grid now...¡¯


    He was likely to once again be embarrassed in front of the world. If that was the case...


    "...I will help you.¡±


    There were many opportunities. Even if he didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition this year, there was the one next year and the year after that. Until then, Hurent wanted to grow as much as possible. He was determined to evolve the Aura Master ss to legendary.


    "Good choice."


    Piaro smiled at Hurent¡¯s newmitment. Since this day, Reidan¡¯s agriculture started to develop at a faster pace and Hurent gradually adapted to the life of a farmer. He tried so hard for Reidan that his revenge on Grid was in vain.


    ***


    Zibal of the Snake Guild, Chris of the Giant Guild, Seuron of the Golden Guild, Hao of the Hades Guild, Bondre of the Ice Flower Guild, Bubat of the Yak Guild, and Ralph of the Zeraph Guild.


    The leaders of the seven guilds gathered in one ce. They were the strongest yers in the top 30 of the unified rankings and also participants of the 2nd National Competition.


    ¡°It has been nine months since we united to invade Reidan and were disgraced.¡±


    After that, the seven guilds lost their honor and dignity. The seven guilds were once an object of fear, and now they were made fun of. Only the Overgeared Guild was the best.


    "We must regain our honor in the National Competition.¡±


    Seuron expressed doubts at Zibal¡¯s words.


    "You mean to smash the Overgeared Guild in the National Competition? How?¡±


    The National Competition wasn¡¯t a guild war. It was apetition in which countries fought against each other. The members of Overgeared were divided into several nationalities, so it would be very difficult to only be hostile to Overgeared.


    Zibal smiled in a meaningful manner.


    "Grid is the symbol of Overgeared. In addition, Grid is Korean. We must thoroughly shatter South Korea.¡±


    The power of a symbol was beyond imagination. What if theypletely trampled on the Korean team led by Grid? It would prove that the seven guilds were still alive, while being able to crush Overgeared¡¯s reputation.


    "The Overgeared Guild is no longer the best.¡±


    Zibal was certain because he had items made by Panmir, the 1st ranked cksmith, in his inventory. The items were produced with dwarf techniques, so they weren¡¯tckingpared to Grid¡¯s items.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join forces to trample on South Korea and regain the honor of the seven guilds.¡±


    The difference between the best and the worst was huge. When the seven guilds were called the best, the masters of these guilds earned a huge amount of money. It was natural to miss those days. The silent Chris gazed at Zibal and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Zibal, since when were you our representative?¡±


    Originally, the seven guilds weren¡¯t one.


    Like regr guilds, they kept each other in check. Sometimes they were hostile, sometimes they were allies as they allpeted against each other. At one point, Zibal established the alliance of seven guilds and took the lead.


    Chris didn¡¯t like this fact.


    "Hey, Chris. What are you saying? Representative? I¡¯m the representative? I never thought of myself like that. I see all of you as equalpanions.¡±


    The seven guild masters were all people full of pride. Chris said something that would irritate them, so Zibal tried tough it off. He wanted to make sure that the atmosphere of the alliance didn¡¯t deteriorate.


    Chris scoffed, ¡°Who¡¯s yourpanion?¡±


    Chris never participated in the alliance of the seven guilds. He didn¡¯t participate in the Reidan invasion. The reason he attended this meeting was to make it clear.


    "The name ¡®Seven Guilds Alliance,¡¯ don¡¯t use it in the future. My Giant Guild has never joined the alliance.¡±


    Chris dered and rose from his seat. The other guild masters didn¡¯t care about his actions. There was no reason to force him to join the alliance just because they were the seven guilds. But Zibal thought differently. He judged that it would be better to break Chris down, rather than leaving him as a variable.


    Zibal stood in Chris¡¯ way and smiled grimly.


    "The rumor that you joined Grid is true.¡±


    "Chris and Grid?¡±


    The impassive guild members started to react. Chris frowned.


    "I¡¯m with Grid? What are you talking about?¡±


    "One of my men came across you in a hunting ground... The weapon you used at that time looks exactly like one of Grid¡¯s weapons.¡±


    The atmosphere of the room sunk.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380


    "One of my men came across you in a hunting ground... The weapon you used at that time looks exactly like one of Grid¡¯s weapons.¡±


    He was probably referring to Grid¡¯s Greatsword. In this chilly atmosphere, Chris responded nervously.


    "I will say it again. In this world, aren¡¯t there one or two items that resemble each other?¡±


    Chris tried to leave as nned, but Zibal grabbed his shoulder.


    "This isn¡¯t like you, Chris. Originally, wouldn¡¯t you be angry when receiving an unfair usation like this? Are you justughing because what I said was the truth?¡±


    "I¡¯ve only ever responded in a gentlemanly manner.¡±


    Kwack!


    Chris firmly shoved at Zibal¡¯s hand on his shoulder. Chris had high strength due to all hisbor, so Zibal wasn¡¯t able to cope with it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push people with unfounded rumors.¡±


    Chris spat out. He didn¡¯t shrink back, despite knowing that no one was on his side. This was the dignity of the third ranked user. But the opponent was Zibal. He might¡¯ve been killed in one blow by a crazy farmer, but his strength and influence among the users was absolute. No matter how high Chris¡¯ charisma, Zibal wasn¡¯t affected at all.


    ¡°If you¡¯re so confident, why don¡¯t you share the details of your weapon with us?¡±


    Ssik.


    Zibal suggested with a bright smile. He didn¡¯t have anything to lose in this situation. If the weapon information was revealed and it was rted to Grid, Zibal would be right. Otherwise, he could apologize if it was unrted to Grid.


    Chris faltered for a moment before acting wisely.


    "Please don¡¯t go overboard, Zibal. Who would reveal the information of their item?¡±


    Items could be a person¡¯s strength or weakness, so it was always a variable. Disclosing a weapon¡¯s information was no different from revealing a private part. The masters of the seven guilds knew this better than anyone else.


    They tried to deter Zibal.


    "Zibal, please act moderately. Don¡¯t make trouble when you are already struggling with Overgeared and the Blood Carnival.¡±


    "Yes, why are you suddenly doing this to Chris?¡±


    The flow started to change. It happened when Chris was feeling relieved.


    "Do you use the same weapon as Grid?¡±


    The master of the Golden Guild, Seuron, stood up. Abat specialized unique ss, Soul Predator. He might¡¯ve been defeated by the crazy farmer during the Reidan invasion, but Seuron hadn¡¯t fully adapted to his ss at the time.


    But now it was different. Now Seuron would be able to fight the temporary and full-time farmers.


    "I don¡¯t want to obediently send away a person who might be the enemy of our alliance.¡±


    Seuron spoke meaningful words and raised his Brutal Heavy Sword. After being defeated by the temporary farmer, he invested more than 10 million gold to increase it to a +9 weapon. His finances suffered quite a blow, but Seuron was satisfied. The gap between a +9 and a +8 weapon wasrge.


    "Hey, Chris. Take out your weapon.¡±


    Seuron¡¯s goal was to be number one. By default, he was aggressive so he didn¡¯t want to miss a chance to kill apetitor.


    ¡°You don¡¯t intend to bring it out obediently? Then I will make you take it out.¡±


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Four spears appeared in thin air on Seuron¡¯s left and right. It was the manifestation of the Soul Spears, which required a human or monster soul to be summoned. Sueron umted the maximum number of souls through continuous hunting, so he was in the best condition.


    Pepepepeng!


    The soul spears shone as they shot forward. It was a very fast attack that was hard for Chris to deal with, because he invested most of his points in strength instead of agility.


    Puuok!


    Two spears pierced Chris¡¯ body. Seuron used this time to approach Chris with the Brutal Heavy Sword while using Soul Shackles. Chris stood at the crossroads of choice. Should he take out Grid¡¯s Greatsword, or take out a second weapon to block it?


    ¡®I have no choice.¡¯


    Chris had no intention of deepening the false usation that he had an alliance with Grid. His guild would be damaged if he became hostile to these people. In the end, Chris pulled out his secondary weapon.


    Jjejeong!


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Seuron¡¯s eyes widened. He admired the fact that Chris struck the Soul Shackles and blocked his sword the moment he took out his weapon.


    ¡¯Chris¡¯ control is greater than rumored.¡¯


    They were slow and efficient movements. It allowed for the maximum effect with minimal movements. Chris¡¯ greatsword technique was truly brilliant.


    ¡°But.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t Seuron¡¯s opponent.


    Yiing.


    The sword that was engaged with Chris¡¯ greatsword was reinforced with the effect of Soul Transference. At that moment.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Chris¡¯ strength became meaningless. As the weapon¡¯s attack power was enhanced, Chris started to be pushed back. This game was truly about items. Chris realized again as he was pushed back a few steps.


    Soul Arrows flew towards his head. Chris sensed it.


    ¡¯It¡¯s abo!¡¯


    If he was hit by continuous attacks, the probability of falling into a stiffened state was very high. And top rankers were able to fully take advantage of that moment of stiffness. Chris prepared for pain and suffering.


    Suddenly, the arrows pouring down on him were shattered by a chain. Hao intervened in the battle.


    "Seuron, don¡¯t just do whatever you like.¡±


    There were many crazy people in the world. It wasn¡¯t unusual for someone to enjoy fighting like Seuron. But there was an appropriate line. Hao didn¡¯t understand Zibal and Sueron, who were trying to make someone big like Chris into an enemy.


    ¡°Hey Hao. Isn¡¯t Chris suspicious? Look at the weapon that he brought out. It¡¯splete rubbish! Do you think that is his real weapon? He¡¯s hiding his weapon!¡±


    "Let¡¯s say Chris¡¯ weapon and Grid¡¯s weapon are the same. Is that solid proof that the two are colluding?¡±


    "...¡±


    Hao asked logically and Seuron fell silent. Bubat also started to help Hao. He shook a hand towards Seuron and Chris.


    ¡°Let them y. It isn¡¯t bad to experience each other¡¯s ability ahead of the National Competition. Isn¡¯t it beneficial?¡±


    Seuron shook. He already concluded that Chris was below him. That wasn¡¯t all. Everyone in this ce thought so. It was a very short fight, but it was true that Seuronpletely overwhelmed Chris.


    "...I¡¯m going if there isn¡¯t anything else.¡±


    Chris stepped back.


    It felt like he was a dog retreating with his tail down.


    "To think that he is 3rd in the rankings. How pathetic.¡±


    Seuronughed at Chris. Seuron and everyone in this room couldn¡¯t imagine it. Chris actually hid his skills.


    ¡®There will be many opportunities in the future.¡¯


    And the best stage was only 40 days away. Chris¡¯ eyes filled with fighting spirit.


    ***


    Weapons Mastery.


    It was the ultimate mastery skill that gave extra damage no matter what weapon was equipped. But it wasn¡¯t a miracle. The extra damage that Weapons Mastery gave was lowpared to the mastery skills optimized for only one weapon.


    Therefore, Grid was obsessed with the level of Bow Mastery. If Weapons Mastery added 10% additional damage and Bow Mastery added 11% additional damage, the effect that Grid would gain when he was using a bow was Bow Mastery, not Weapons Mastery.


    In other words, even if Gridter learned Weapons Mastery, Bow Mastery could be used to the end.


    ¡®If I can give items an option that quickly increases the experience of the mastery skills...¡¯


    How good would it be? He didn¡¯t intend to use the alchemy facility. Alchemy gave random options and the sess rate was low, so he couldn¡¯t rely on it.


    ¡°Khan.¡±


    In this situation, Grid tried to get Khan¡¯s advice. Khan¡¯s was an advanced level 8 cksmith. As well as being excellent in daily life, he had umted experience for decades, making him very knowledgeable.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of an item that can quickly increase the experience of mastery skills?¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    Khan¡¯s family had been in the cksmithing business for generations. Among his ancestors was Albatino, who inspired the legendary cksmith Pagma. Khan looked through his decades of knowledge and finally shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I don¡¯t know...¡±


    Grid had always been a big help to Khan. He wanted to pay Grid back if he ever got the chance. But now he couldn¡¯t help Grid when he needed it, making Khan feel depressed. His shoulders were sagging when he had a thought.


    ¡°Perhaps you should ask Piaro.¡±


    "Piaro?¡±


    "Yes, shouldn¡¯t he know how to train in weapons more efficiently? If you listen to him, you might gain an idea about how to add it to an item.¡±


    It was the power of infinite favorability. Khan freely gave Grid advice. Grid gained great enlightenment and hugged Khan.


    "Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Haha! I¡¯m happy to help!¡±


    The sight of the two people hugging was familiar to the cksmiths of Reidan. The cksmiths just looked away, trying not to interfere in the rtionship between Grid and Khan.


    On the other hand, Lord was shocked.


    ¡°Abubu...?¡±


    Lord was hammering in a corner of the smithy. He was happy to hear his father¡¯s voice, only to get question marks above his head. Lord couldn¡¯t understand why his father was hugging someone other than his mother. In the darkness, Kasim whispered to him.


    "This is the friendship between men.¡±


    "Woo...¡±


    He liked the sound of the word ¡®friendship.¡¯ Lord vowed. Someday, he would find himself wonderful friends.


    Later, Lord would have the strongest colleagues.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381


    Piaro had already lived a failed life once.


    He was swept away in conspiracies and betrayal, losing everything. The reason why Piaro could recover again was due to Grid. Grid motivated him when he was heart sick, and also released the misunderstanding with Asmophel.


    For Piaro, Grid was a benefactor who he would serve his whole life. But what about Piaro? Why was he training Grid¡¯s enemies like Chris and Hurent? This was an insult to Grid and people could use Piaro.


    However, Piaro was confident. In the past, he had experienced betrayal and learned from it. The present Piaro could see into a person¡¯s true nature.


    ¡¯The more I look, the more sincere and motivated he is.¡¯


    The fields near Altes Mountains.


    Piaro watched the hard-working Hurent with a satisfied expression. Piaro judged that Hurent was a person with a good character. He was burning with a desire for revenge due to past events, but this vengeance was due to passion rather than malicious looks.


    If Piaro guided him well, Hurent would be a person who would surely grow in a positive direction and had the potential to be Grid¡¯s right handter on.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know about all the possibilities of aura.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s aura was different from the usual aura. It wasn¡¯t limited to pure power, but also focused on the shape¡¯s diversity. Therefore, it was more useful and had unlimited possibilities for development. If he grew up well, he would show a heroic figure on the battlefield as well as show huge efficiency on the fields.


    ¡®I need to steadily give him carrots.¡¯


    Everything was for his lord. Piaro could truthfully say this.


    ***


    The distance between Reidan and the fields near the Altes Mountains was one day.


    But Grid managed to arrive in less than half a day. It was the result of utilizing the movement speed buff of Braham¡¯s Boots and Quick Movements from the Ideal Dagger.


    "The desert is bing a forest...¡±


    Unlike the fields on the outskirts of Reidan, half of the fields cleared by Piaro near the Altes Mountains were orchards. There were immature trees that still hadn¡¯t born fruit, but it was likely to be a lush forest.


    Grid was amazed by Piaro¡¯s power.


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s a legendary farmer, making a forest in the desert...¡±


    ording to Administrator Rabbit, Piaro had less than 500 farmers. But Piaro was very grateful because he was able to secure human resources and develop the agriculture on his own.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face suddenly distorted as he was filled with admiration. It was because he witnessed 200 young girls in their early teens who were working under the sun.


    "Turning young children into serfs...¡±


    The girls seemed pretty, but their skin was tanned. If he looked closely, their hands were full of calluses, which meant they hadn¡¯t just been working for a day or two. Grid was very disappointed with Piaro.


    "No matter how obsessed he is with farming, does he have to make little girls work?¡±


    Originally, Grid was selfish. He wasn¡¯t interested no matter what misfortune other people went through. But now it was different. As Lord¡¯s father, he couldn¡¯t watch in silence as children were overworked.


    "I must speak to them.¡±


    It happened the moment Grid stepped on the fields.


    sh!


    The 200 girls holding farming equipment in their hands. The moment he stepped on the field, their eyes changed and they pulled out their weapons? Grid realized it the moment he saw the girls pulling out their swords, spears, and shields.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that they are the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates?¡¯


    Lauel had sent him a report. The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates were being trained by Piaro. In other words, these 200 girls weren¡¯t serfs, but Piaro¡¯s disciples. The farming itself was part of the training.


    ¡®Phew... I¡¯m d they aren¡¯t unfortunate girls.¡¯


    Just as Grid was sighing with relief...


    ¡°This is Reidan, the territory of the great Duke Grid.¡±


    ¡°Goddess Reba won¡¯t forgive anyone who invades it.¡±


    ¡°We will follow Piaro¡¯s will and repel all intruders.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was a problem. 200 girls rushed towards Grid, calling him an intruder. Grid didn¡¯t know what to do at first.


    Buuong.


    Syuk!


    Peeng!


    The 200 girls handled the swords, spears, and shields in a wonderful manner. Grid felt pleasure.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this tremendous?¡¯


    Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    As a symbol of the Reba Church¡¯s mightiest forces, their abilities were far beyond what Grid imagined. It wasn¡¯t something that yers could afford to go against. The candidates all had excellent qualities. Maybe they were named NPCs. It was enough to make him think.


    ¡°You are strong!¡±


    "But you can¡¯t go any further than this!¡±


    The girls cried out as their attacks were in vain. Nevertheless, they were the secret weapons of the greatest religion on the continent, so they didn¡¯t lose their courage.


    Grid¡¯s heart leapt.


    ¡®Bing stronger.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t talking about himself. Reidan¡¯s farmers, Reidan and Overgeared were bing stronger in real time. These great results were achieved with all his colleagues, not alone. It was fun to develop his forces, and he felt even more proud that the growth wasn¡¯t alone.


    "Let me help you train.¡±


    Grid imagined the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates growing up to be a symbol of Overgeared. He shook with joy and pulled out Iyarugt. At this moment, the eyes of the 200 girls shone likenterns.


    ¡®Beautiful!¡¯


    The effect of the alchemy B grade ¡®Coolness¡¯ was amazing. Iyarugt shone like jewels every time it moved, making everyone dazzled by its appearance. It wasn¡¯t a concept that had the same effect as ¡®bewitchment,¡¯ but it was effective to stamp Grid¡¯s existence into the viewers.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint.¡±


    Grid started to unfold a spectacr sword dance. At this point, a brilliant light flowed around him like cherry blossoms. Grid had +600 dignity and +800 charm thanks to the effect of the ¡®First Duke¡¯ title, so it was enough to stimte the young girls.


    Piaro came after hearing the nose and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Duke Grid. Tricking young girls...¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid caused a huge misunderstanding and it almost became a social problem.


    ***


    "How do you quickly raise the technical proficiency of weapons?¡±


    In the mid-point between the field and orchards. Surrounded by 200 girls, Grid sought advice from Piaro.


    "Isn¡¯t repetitive movements the most important thing?¡±


    "I want a shortcut. Then I can add it as an option to the weapon.¡±


    "You want to make weapons that can quickly raise the skill level. Hrmm...¡±


    Piaro started to think about it. Just as Khan was ignorant about the technical parts behind using weapons, Piaro couldn¡¯t easily answer because he was ignorant of cksmithing. As Piaro was thinking, the girls started talking to Grid.


    "Duke Grid, it¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    "Thanks to the duke, Damian has be the pope and peace is restored in our Reba Church.¡±


    ¡°Goddess Reba has certainly blessed you.¡±


    The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates were brainwashed in a secret facility for a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 10 years. They weren¡¯t like others their age, and were restrained from thinking and making decisions by themselves.


    However, they could change thanks to Damian and Piaro. They realized the happiness that humans should pursue and transformed into youthful young girls. In other words, the current Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates were susceptible girls.


    It was a good age to experience first love, and Grid was very suitable for that purpose. The hero who saved them, the one who received the Goddess¡¯ blessing, the charm of an adult male. The tall, solid body and mature facial features were stamped in the girls¡¯ hearts.


    But Grid knew. Girls¡¯ hearts changed as easily as the wind blew.


    ¡®It is simr to middle-school girls.¡¯


    Gridughed as he patted a girl¡¯s head and spoke.


    "Please grow up healthy and pretty, and look after my son Lord.¡±


    ¡°Yes...! Duke Grid!¡±


    Grid never imagined how much his innocent request would make Lord suffer. The pretty girlsughed as they heard the words, then Piaro finally spoke.


    "If you use weapons in bad shape, you will increase your proficiency faster in exchange for oveing the difficulties. How about using that part in the weapons production?¡±


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Grid thought about it. A weapon that reproduced bad conditions every time it was used?


    ¡®...Can I make a garbage item?¡¯


    The legendary cksmith was trying to do trolling.


    ***


    The elites of the Overgeared Guild gathered at the Behen Archipgo. It included all the members of the Tzedakah Guild, as well as Yura, Lauel, Peak Sword, and Huroi. They only had one goal.


    "Be stronger.¡±


    Grid had prepared a strategy for them. They had to pass as many inds as possible and secure arge number of points in order to buy the necessary elixirs and skillbooks.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    The Overgeared members entered the Behen Archipgo one by one. The Behen Archipgo was an instant dungeon with a one person entry limit, so they had to proceed separately.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Lauel confirmed the position of his colleagues in the rear and sent a whisper to Euphemina one more time.


    -Are you really not going to challenge the Behen Archipgo?


    -Yes, I think I should focus on my ongoing quest.


    -It seems to be a massive quest.Can I ask about the contents?


    -That...


    Euphemina¡¯s story began and a dark smile appeared on Lauel¡¯s face.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 382

    Chapter 382


    What items should he make in order to quickly raise the level of Bow Mastery? Grid listened to Khan and Piaro¡¯s advice and came to a conclusion.


    ¡®I have to make a bow that is hard to handle.¡¯


    If a weapon was used in the worst condition, the faster the skill proficiency would go up! Grid look at his list of item production methods. Grid received themission of items from the Overgeared members, so there were already hundreds of items in his items production method list.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The bow production methods that Jishuka collected with much difficulty. Among them, Grid looked at the ones with the highest level limit.


    ¡¯The fire attribute bows that Jishuka favors aren¡¯tpatible with me.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have any fire rted skills. He avoided the bows that strengthened the fire attribute instead of the basic performance.


    ¡®Pass on the greatbow.¡¯


    Its speed was slow, but it had high uracy rate and attack power. The problem was that the uracy was high. Grid wanted to produce a bow that had bad conditions.


    ¡®I need a low uracy.¡¯


    It was an obvious story, but Grid always tried to make the best items. He never had the experience of making failed items. Was that why?


    Ssik!


    Grid was having a lot of fun at this moment. It was fun to think differently about items with disadvantages, rather than advantages.


    ¡®People troll for a reason.¡¯


    Grid realized this as he looked at two production methods.


    [Pattern: Angel Bow]


    Rating: Rare ~ Unique


    Rare Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 230~249 Firing Speed: +13%


    * When an arrow hits the target three times in a row, 150% additional damage will be done.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 269~280 Firing Speed: +17%


    * When an arrow hits the target three times in a row, 200% additional damage will be done.


    * There is a 10% chance that the target will fall into the ¡®bewitched¡¯ state.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 300~334 Firing Speed: +21%


    * When an arrow hits the target three times in a row, 300% additional damage will be done.


    * There is a 20% chance that the target will fall into the ¡®bewitched¡¯ state.


    A beautiful bow with both ends of the bow spread like the wings of an angel.


    Every time an arrow is shot, it feels deceptive because the white feathers are blurred.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Bow Mastery level 2 or higher.


    [Pattern: Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Rare ~ Unique


    Rare Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 210~228 Firing Speed: +16%


    * Every time you shoot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 1%. This effect will only be applied up to 50%.


    Epic Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 230~250 Firing Speed: +19%


    * Every time you shoot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 1%. This effect will only be applied up to 55%.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 253~280 Firing Speed: +25%


    * Every time you shoot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 1%. This effect will only be applied up to 60%.


    A bow with a resilient bowstring.


    It is optimized for fast shooting.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Bow Mastery level 2 or higher.


    ¡®I will make the Quick Fire Bow.¡¯


    The basic conditions for raising the mastery level was to use it quickly. The faster the firing speed, the better it was for Grid. Grid settled in front of a furnace.


    Hwaruruk!


    The perfect senses of a legendary cksmith controlled the furnace¡¯s temperature to the ideal level.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    He perfectly controlled the power at which he hammered at the molten metal.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°Duke Grid!¡±


    The young cksmiths in the smithy admired it. Grid¡¯s skill was amazing every time they saw it. But the shape of the finished product was a bit odd.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The bnce of the bow made by Grid was off. To be honest, the young cksmiths thought that the bow had a very poor quality. But wasn¡¯t Grid a legendary cksmith? No matter how bad the bow looked, it was made by Grid, so the young cksmiths tried to think positively.


    It was simr to the evaluation of works by renowned painters who just put dots on a piece of paper, and it would sell for millions. Gridpleted one bow.


    Ttiring~


    [The Extremely Disgraceful Quick Fire Bow has been created.]


    [Extremely Disgraceful Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Rare


    Attack Power: 30~183 Firing Speed: +5%


    uracy: -80%


    * It is unknown where the arrows will fly.


    A bow made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    The structure of the bow is good, but the bnce is off. Therefore, the power and uracy is very low.


    It is unknown where the arrows will fly, making it the worst.


    If you use this bow, you might attack the same side.


    It is the stain of Grid¡¯s life.


    Conditions of Use: None. It is advised not to use this weapon.


    "...¡±


    Grid had the level 7 (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill. It meant that all the items made by Grid would receive at least 20% more stats than what was specified in the production method.


    But the shape was like this. The power of thepleted Quick Fire Bow was too terrible.


    ¡®Maybe I should go against the production method.¡¯


    The way to make an item was to 100% follow the production method. He made an item with a unique look and performance despite following the production method. What if he didn¡¯t make it ording to the production method? He didn¡¯t know what obstacles would ur.


    ¡®But I don¡¯t want to use the Item Creation skill for a troll item.¡¯


    Kwack!


    Grid once again started hammering. This time, he started to make a new bow, nning to improve the bnce slightly.


    The result.


    Ttiring~


    [The Strange Quick Fire Bow has been created.]


    [Strange Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Rare


    Attack Power: 160~181 Firing Speed: +12%


    uracy: -60%


    * * Every time you shoot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 0.5%. This effect will only be applied up to 30%.


    * It is unknown where the arrows will fly.


    ...


    ...


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Bow Mastery level 2 or higher.


    ¡®This time it is slightly better.¡¯


    But it wasn¡¯t enough. Obviously, Grid wanted a bow with a low hit rate. However, it didn¡¯t make sense to not know where the arrows would fly. Grid didn¡¯t want to be someone who killed his team members, so he started carefully hammering again.


    The result of the third bow was very positive.


    [Poor Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Rare


    Attack Power: 180~203 Firing Speed: +14%


    uracy: -40%


    * Every time you shot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 1%. This effect will only be applied up to 40%.


    * The probability that the arrow will fly in an unintended direction is very high.


    * If you hit the ¡®desired target,¡¯ you will gain additional Bow Mastery experience.


    A bow made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    It¡¯s great if you can hit the target with this bow.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Bow Mastery level 2 or higher.


    Additional mastery skill experience! He finally got the option that he wanted.


    "A little bit more.¡¯


    Grid made a determined expression and started hammering again. On the other hand.


    ¡°Abubu?¡±


    In order to be recognized by his father, Lord visited the smithy today. He identified that his father was making bows and grabbed one of them.


    ¡°Abubu!¡±


    What was Lord saying? The bows made by his father were wonderful. He seemed to be saying. In the darkness, Kasim whispered to him.


    ¡°Well done. I should teach you archery as well.¡±


    A bow made by a legendary cksmith so be easy to use and have a high uracy rate.


    ¡®Although, it is a bit strange.¡¯


    Kasim felt doubts as he pulled out an arrow and handed it to Lord.


    ¡°Now, shoot an arrow.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    None of the people currently in the smithy were paying attention to Lord. Khan and the 100 young cksmiths were watching Grid, while Grid was dedicated to making items. There seemed to be no problem if Lord shot an arrow.


    ¡°Abuuuu!¡±


    Lord nodded vigorously. Kasim confirmed it with a proud face and showed him how to shoot the bow.


    Consequently, Lord pulled the bow.


    Kiririk!


    ¡°Okay, now is the time. Pull the bowstring.¡±


    Kasim looked at Lord¡¯s posture and breath before giving a signal.


    Tatang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kasim was astonished as soon as the arrow left the bow. Lord was aiming at the wall of the smithy, but why did the arrow fly in the opposite direction?


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    Kasim was currently the strongest assassin. He had very high agility and excellent skills. He had hardly ever been hit by an arrow. However.


    Puk!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    An arrow was stuck to Kasim¡¯s ass. The arrow flew in a trajectory that couldn¡¯t be seen with the eyes. Kasim was thrilled.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be...!¡¯


    Was Lord the seconding of Povia, the legendary archer? In the midst of this deepening misunderstanding...


    "Abu?¡±


    [The beginner ¡®Bow Mastery¡¯ skill has been acquired.]


    Lord grew quickly because his arrow had hit Kasim, who was over level 360.


    ¡°Abuuuu!¡±


    Lord rejoiced as he held the Extremely Disgraceful Quick Fire Bow in his hand.


    ***


    ¡°Everyone is amazing.¡±


    Behen Archipgo, the 40th ind.


    Sage Sticks watched the Overgeared members with shining eyes. All of them entered the Contaminated Behen Archipgo and passed through the 10th ind.


    ¡°All of Grid¡¯s subordinates are talented.¡±


    Looking at just their talent, the Overgeared members currently challenging the Behen Archipgo were so powerful that they could be legends. They were the ones who would write a new history with their own strength.


    But all of them were Grid¡¯s subordinates.


    "The more I see, the more amazing they are.¡±


    Grid became even bigger in Sticks¡¯ mind. He once again felt admiration.


    ¡°Wahh! Sticks! What should I do?¡±


    The helper fairy, Bini, pped his small wings with confusion.


    As a helper fairy, he had to give advice to the challengers who entered the 20th ind. Now that dozens of challengers entered the 20th ind at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help being confused.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Sticks was at a loss for words.


    The fame of the Overgeared Guild was rising even today.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 383

    Chapter 383


    The key to firing quickly was the resilience of the bow. It was the reason why a drake¡¯s tendon was one of the materials necessary to produce the Quick Fire Bow.


    Drake. The strongest pet that a yer could tame. It had excellentbat power and was difficult to hunt due to its high intelligence. In the first ce, they were hard to find because the poption was low. Even if they found a drake, yers were more inclined to tame them than hunt them.


    For these reasons, it was difficult to obtain a drake¡¯s tendons, and the price was very expensive. Despite only having a small number of users, the minimum price was 10,000 gold each. Grid might be wealthy, but it was a huge burden to invest a lot of it into expensive materials.


    ¡®I have to be satisfied with this one.¡¯


    [Spiral Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 215~249 Firing Speed: +17%


    uracy: -30%


    * Every time you shoot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 1%. This effect will only be applied up to 50%.


    * It is difficult to control the trajectory of the arrow.


    * If you hit the ¡®desired target¡¯, you will gain additional Bow Mastery experience.


    ...


    ...


    Honestly, Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. However, this was the best of the five bows that Grid made.


    ¡®It is enough if it increases the experience rate of the mastery skill.¡¯


    Anyway, his intentions were achieved. Grid would raise the level of Bow Mastery by controlling the trajectory of the arrow.


    ¡®There is a lot of work to do before the National Competition.¡¯


    He needed to raise the level of his newly learned skills while attacking the Behen Archipgo. he also needed to figure out his deficiencies while doing it and create new items. There were 40 days left in real time until the National Competition started, and Grid nned to increase his gamey time even further.


    The only space where he could prove his worth was in Satisfy, which he devoted his life to.


    ***


    ¡º Which country do you think will win the 2nd National Competition? ¡»


    It was thetest international news.


    Once the anchor asked a question, the experts in each field came up with enthusiastic answers.


    ¡º The United States will be first. The average level of the US team participants is the highest of all the participating countries. ¡»


    ¡º The United States has many top rankers such as Zibal, Asuka, Lauel, Box, and ck Teddy. Unlikest year, I don¡¯t think Hurent is participating, but the power bnce is much better than other countries. ¡»


    ¡º But won¡¯t Lauel act as a variable? Isn¡¯t Lauel one of the closest people to Grid in Overgeared? During thepetition, it¡¯s possible that he will help South Korea, not the United States... ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared members aren¡¯t young three year olds who can¡¯t distinguish between different matters. They know that the National Competition is ssified as a different area. ¡»


    ¡º In the first ce, there¡¯s no need to be concerned. Helping other nations is a vition of the rules and they won¡¯t be able to escape severe punishment. Not just Lauel, but all the other Overgeared members will keep this in mind. ¡»


    It was logical. In fact, the Overgeared members were going to fight for the honor of their country in the National Competition. Grid was destined to face Lauel¡¯s smarts, as well aspeting against the members such as Pon, Regas, and Faker.


    ¡º Who are other contenders apart from the United States? ¡»


    ¡º Canada and France have the most top rankers next to the United States. ¡»


    ¡º What about South Korea, who have Grid and Yura, or Russia, who has Kraugel? ¡»


    ¡º The 2nd National Competition is very different from the 1st National Competition. There are more events and some rules have changed, so it¡¯s impossible for a few yers to raise a country. South Korea will be in the top 15, while Russia will be in the top 18. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t South Korea still too high? Isn¡¯t it a country without any rankers except for Grid, Yura, and Peak Sword? ¡»


    ¡º Of course, on the surface, South Korea is ssified as a weak team. But Yura is a variable. If she obtained a unique hidden ss as rumored... ¡»


    In the 1st National Competition, South Korea was ssified as the weakest. Most of the participating countries looked down on South Korea. Compared to that time, the evaluation of South Korea in the 2nd National Competition was very good.


    The reactions of the Korean people varied.


    -Why are they ignoring South Korea?Did they forget Korea¡¯s third cest year?


    -I agree.Evenst year, Peak Sword didn¡¯t participate.


    -Yura was just a normal ss.


    -But this year, we will get a better ranking because we have Peak Sword and Yura, who has a hidden ss.


    South Korea can be one of the contenders for victory.


    -Are the people from the Patriotic Association bombarding the message boards?


    -What was the reason why Korea could get the 3rd rankingst year?Grid was too good.


    -Correct.South Korea is still a country weak in Satisfy.Last year, Grid won all three gold medals for South Korea. This year andst year, the overall power of South Korea is too weak.


    -Don¡¯t you think that Grid can win three gold medals this year?Of course.He is God Grid.But the problem is that the value of the gold medals this year is very different fromst year.Inst year¡¯s National Competition, there were nine events. But now there are 21 events.


    -Peak Sword?In other countries, Peak Sword is just an average yer.


    There were also skeptics. As it happened, most Koreans shared negative opinions like this. Peak Sword was irritated.


    ¡°It¡¯s so funny that I have to sit down.¡±


    The Patriotic Association¡¯s headquarters in Seoul. Peak Sword essed the Inte as soon as he logged out, and now his expression distorted.


    "They are underestimating God Grid and South Korea. And what? I only have average skills in other countries? These guys, do you know Peak Sword?"


    Peak Sword¡¯s enthusiasm grew. He had to make South Korea the winner of the 2nd National Competition...


    ¡°...It seems too fanciful.¡±


    Peak Sword thought realistically. He would make South Korea enter the top 10 rankings of the 2nd National Competition. Step by step, he was hopeful that one day, South Korea would raise its status in Satisfy.


    Up until this point, people around the world, including Peak Sword, were unaware of something. This was just the opening of the legend of Grid and the Overgeared Guild.


    ***


    Grid, Grid, Grid, Grid, Grid, Grid, Grid!


    This name was heard if the TV or radio was turned out, from phones, in the newspapers, on the Inte and even when neighborhood aunties gathered together. There was only talk about the National Competition and Grid everywhere in South Korea.


    It was enough to drive Go Jimyung crazy.


    ¡°Damn Grid!¡±


    Go Jimyung.


    A yer of the KBO League.


    He once had the reputation of the best hitter in South Korea. However, sincest year, he entered a rtionship with the leader of the girl group Farina and his performance fell, as well as being caught up in a series of idents.


    It wasn¡¯t just a level to be dropped from the team, but an exit from the league itself.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    In the Young Ladies High School¡¯s Satisfy tournament, Go Jimyung was asked by his girlfriend to defeat Ruby. He risked breaking the rules to kill Ruby, but failed due to Grid getting in his way. In the aftermath of that, he was pushed to his current crisis. He had been branded as garbage by the public and his girlfriend broke up with him.


    Go Jimyung considered the cause of this to be Grid. It was the typical ming everything on others.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Go Jimyung went somewhere. It was to call the chief of the big gang ¡®Poisonous Wave,¡¯ who lived in the back world of Seoul.


    ***


    "We¡¯ll check on the building and sleep at Grandpa¡¯s house.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents and sister went on a family outing after a long time. Of course, Youngwoo didn¡¯t go with them. It was because he was busy preparing for the National Competition.


    "Please stay healthy.¡±


    As soon as his family members left, Youngwoo logged straight back into Satisfy. There was someone waiting for him.


    ***


    000-0 Street, XX Neighborhood, Geumcheon-gu.


    Grid was a famous resident of the area. It was also a ce where people constantly went in order to meet Grid. But due to the opposition of the residents, the district council designated it as a out-of-bounds area and the defense was tight.


    As a result, Grid¡¯s neighborhood changed into one that was good to live in. Grid¡¯s poprity in the area skyrocketed.


    ¡°Why does a poor area like this have the same defense as the pce?¡±


    The person in charge of distributing drugs for the Poisonous Wave gang, Kang Cheolgyu. He was known as one of the Five Fingers in Seoul due to his excellent punching skills. Go Jimyung was a senior from his hometown, so it was easy for Kang Cheolgyu to ept the request to cripple someone.


    The problem was reaching the target¡¯s house. It unexpectedly took him two hours.


    "I will charge another 500 million won.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu had a sly smile on his face. His eyes were looking at the 800 million won car in front of the target¡¯s home.


    ¡®Grid. Grid...¡¯


    More Koreans set up Grid as a hero, but Kang Cheolgyu thought it was ridiculous. The hero of their country was a gamer? Kang Cheolgyu wasn¡¯t able to understand the psychology of people who were so enthusiastic about a gaming contest.


    "Drink alcohol over ying games, stupid people.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu waited for Grid¡¯s door to open. He nned to aim for the moment when Grid left the house. For 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours... 10 hours passed, but Grid¡¯s door never opened.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯ting out? It was a cold autumn night. Kang Cheolgyu was weak to the cold, so hisplexion gradually became worn down.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 384

    Chapter 384


    "Whistle!"


    A chilly autumn morning, in front of Grid¡¯s house. Before he knew it, Kang Cheolgyu had been waiting for 13 hours and his nose became runny. He felt confused as his cold body shook.


    ¡®The car isn¡¯t leaving...¡¯


    For Kang Cheolgyu, a house was just a ce to sleep. To him, it was impossible for someone to stay in their house for more than 13 hours.


    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯


    A single storey house. It was a very small house that was 25 pyeong, and this included the garden area. Kang Cheolgyu somehow felt sorry as he thought of the young man living alone there.


    ¡°Poor fellow.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu lost his parents early on. He lived in poverty and had no ce to lean on. He remembered the days when he lived in a basement room off ramyun noodles and how cold it was. Now the current Grid seemed to ovep with his own past, causing Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s heart to feel sorry.


    ¡°...No, wait.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Grid living with his family?


    ¡®I¡¯m not in a position to worry about him.¡¯


    Kang Cheolgyu was suddenly filled with doubts.


    ¡®Even though he lives with his family, why hasn¡¯t anyone left for 13 hours?¡¯


    The lights in the house weren¡¯t even turned on.


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯


    Could it be a robbery?


    Kang Cheolgyu was worried.


    ¡®Perhaps Grid and his family are being held hostage by robbers?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t possible. Grid was his target. He needed to hurt Grid to be paid.


    ¡°Shit, I guess I have to rescue them.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu might have a good fighting ability, but his head was bad. It wasn¡¯t just that he didn¡¯t go to school and read, but that he was born with a terrible brain. He forgot the reason that he watched Grid¡¯s house for 13 hours was because the house had a security sticker on it and started to climb the fence.


    The reason for making such a stupid choice was nervousness.


    Chirpppppppp!


    The sensor detected Kang Cheolgyu hanging from the fence and the rm sounded. It was a loud noise that rang out through the neighborhood.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu was startled and jumped from the fence. He tried to escape when someone blocked his way.


    "A rat came here.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The man was wearing a eyepatch over his left eye. He was a young Westerner with a big nose, light green eyes, and short grey hair.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu was alert as the Western spoke in a foreignnguage that couldn¡¯t be understood.


    ¡°Kyaaack~ spit!¡±


    The Westerner didn¡¯t speak for long. He spat out phlegm and acted like he was going to make a move on Kang Cheolgyu. Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s face distorted.


    "This crazy one-eyed bastard.¡±


    They wanted to act against the chief of the Poisoned Wave gang?


    "I don¡¯t know who you are, but you will regret this.¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s fists were fast and powerful. It was three consecutive blows and a jab, a perfect killing technique based on boxing. But the Westerner was several times better. The Westerner blocked all of Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s punches with just his right hand, then grabbed Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s wrist.


    Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s face paled.


    ¡®This guy!¡¯


    He saw through the lightning fast punches and even neutralized it? The movements were at the level of a world-ss boxer! The Westerner saw Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s shaking eyes and raised a long leg.


    Pakak!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Kang Cheolgyu shook as he raised his left arm to guard against the Westerner¡¯s attack. He tried to pull away the right wrist held by the Westerner, but the grip was too powerful. The Westerner pulled Kang Cheolgyu and raised his knee.


    Peeok!


    "Heeok!"


    Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s nose was crushed by the hard knee. The Westerner still gripped his wrist as he tried to block the blood. Kang Cheolgyu determined he couldn¡¯t break free with force, so he rotated and swung his elbow.


    The Westerner had a sharp scar on his nose. It was like a knife cut.


    ¡®Fairly good.¡¯


    The Westerner was somewhat impressed. But it was only up to there. Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s strength was broken after he suffered great damage to his face. In the first ce, the Westerner was more proficient, since Kang Cheolgyu suffered from a one-sided violence.


    Bam bam!Bam bam bam!


    The Westerner was really cruel. He kept punching, punching, and punching Kang Cheolgyu. Blood flowed down from Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s face, and he now seemed pitiful.


    ¡°You... Who the hell are you...?¡±


    Why was this Westerner so strong, and why was he beating Kang Cheolgyu to death like this? The Westerner introduced himself to Kang Cheolgyu.


    ¡°I¡¯m Grid¡¯s bodyguard, Toon.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The identity of the Westerner was beast master Toon. He once broke the bnce of the Italian mafia, and was the strongest yer in reality. The reason he was staying in South Korea was at Yura¡¯s request.


    "Toon-ssi, you arecking funds to buynd in South Korea? If you want to move to South Korea like the other guild members, I will arrange a ce for you to live. Instead, please be responsible for Grid-ssi¡¯s safety.¡±


    Grid¡¯s safety was the desire of all Overgeared members, not just Yura. Because there was Grid, the Overgeared Guild could exist. Because there was the Overgeared Guild, they could be in their current positions.


    In particr, Toon had a great tendency to rely on Overgeared. The existence of colleagues who he could rely on was very important for an orphan.


    "Touch, Grid, kill.¡±


    Chill.


    Toon¡¯s eyes were as cold as a beast as he spoke in broken Korean. Kang Cheolgyu nodded.


    ¡°U-Understood. I won¡¯t step on Grid¡¯s shadow in the future!¡±


    The moment he dered this.


    Creak.


    The door to Grid¡¯s house opened and a young man appeared. Grid had been lying in the capsule for 13 hours and ran over when he heard the rm sound.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on? Eh? Toon? Why are you here? When did youe to Korea?¡±


    There was an unidentified man and Toon. Grid couldn¡¯t figure out why. At this time, three securitypany cars arrived in front of Grid¡¯s house.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡±


    The securitypany¡¯s employees descended from the cars and checked Grid¡¯s safety. Grid wasn¡¯t just a customer, they were also fans of Grid.


    ¡°Eh... Well, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Grid replied while standing next to Toon, so that there wouldn¡¯t be any misunderstandings. Meanwhile, the securitypany employees arrested Kang Cheolgyu and reported it to the police station. The officers were astonished when they saw Kang Cheolgyu¡¯s face.


    And at dawn. There was an explosion of TV and Inte news.


    [Grid, he yed a significant role in the arrest of a drug trafficker.]


    [Kang Cheolgyu, the chief of the drug dealers in South Korea, was caught by Grid and his colleague Toon.]


    [The city of Seoul is awarding an honorary citizen¡¯s medal to Grid and Toon.]


    [The National Police Agency will provide an appreciation que and prize money to Grid and Toon.]


    [The Blue House is thinking about a president¡¯s citation.]


    ¡°...Ah, I have to y the game.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t even know why he received the honorary citizen¡¯s medal. It was an honor, but Grid¡¯s expression showed that it was merely inconvenient. He didn¡¯t want to waste time travelling to Seoul City Hall and the police station with Toon, as well as have interviews with reporters.


    "I don¡¯t have time to y the game.¡±


    "...¡±


    Toon felt vaguely sorry towards Grid.


    ***


    [You have entered the 40th ind.]


    Grid educated Lord and made a spear and bow to be used. He was fully prepared and returned to the Behen Archipgo. Sticks greeted him.


    ¡°You finally came.¡±


    ¡°I will start the challenge immediately.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t ask if the other Overgeared members had reached the 20th ind. He had faith that his colleagues would do well, and now he had to concentrate on his own development. The reason why Grid was so worried?


    It was simple. The 2nd Satisfy National Competition was to be held in Paris, France. Grid had to y a big role there.


    ¡®I must unconditionally win three gold medals.¡¯


    Was it because he coveted the god mineral adamantium? Of course. But that was just secondary. The reason Grid wanted to act in the National Competition was because he was aware of his position as representative of the country.


    Grid had the hopes of 50 million people and his family on him. Grid didn¡¯t want to disappoint them. That¡¯s right. Now Grid felt a strong sense of responsibility. It was a noble attitude that couldn¡¯t bepared with his personal feelings during the 1st National Competition.


    ¡°Hoo.¡±


    Grid breathed in deeply as he stepped foot into the gate of the 41st ind. His vision darkened before a newndscape unfolded in front of him. It was a serene bamboo forest.


    [You have entered the 41st ind.]


    [A mission will be created.]


    [41st Ind]


    Fight with yourself and win.


    First Clear Compensation: You can raise the level of one skill.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t any challenger points?¡¯


    But Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. Grid had legendary skills that were hard to raise their levels, so he was quite pleased with a skills level up.


    ¡®This feels like a bonus stage.¡¯


    The mission of the 41st ind was to ovee his ¡®past self¡¯ and transcend his ¡®present self.¡¯ It felt like a test. What was at the end of the Behen Archipgo, which forced the challenger to constantly grow?


    Grid wondered while looking around nervously.


    Sururuk.


    A person who looked exactly like Grid appeared. There were four golden hands moving around him.


    ¡®The God Hands are recreated?¡¯


    It seemed like the copy of Grid reproduced all of Grid¡¯s items and skills. Grid became tense. Then the clone moved to Grid¡¯s shock and horror.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    ¡°...What?!¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 385

    Chapter 385


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    ¡°...What!?¡±


    The disadvantage of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was its high mana consumption and long cooldowns. But he overcame those shorings with the powerfulbination of skills. That¡¯s right. Grid knew that it was possible tobine the skills of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. But ording to the experiments conducted by Grid, it was limited tobining two skills. However, Grid¡¯s clone hadbined three skills.


    ¡®I never managed to do it.¡¯


    The impact on Grid was great. It showed a skillbination that he didn¡¯t even know about? His pride was hurt and he was confused. Now he couldn¡¯t afford to be worried.


    ¡®It¡¯s urgent to determine what skills it has.¡¯


    The time that passed was less than a second. Grid¡¯s brain started turning quickly.


    ¡®In the case of the level 2 Linked Kill, the power of Kill is weakened, but it can shoot anywhere from 3~8 attacks.¡¯


    Then what if Wave was added to it?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    A terrible thought passed through Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®Will Kill be continuously unfolded in a wave?¡¯


    No, that was too much of a scam. There was no way. He tried to shake his head, but couldn¡¯t help but have a bad feeling.


    Kurururung!


    Grid¡¯s clone moved its sword in the air and quickly connected Kill.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The red afterglow of Kill was oveid with the blue of Wave, spreading out in all directions. It was truly overwhelming. The power of each one was lethal, and also had the slowing function of Wave. Grid used Fly to escape, but it chased after him like a hungry beast.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    Grid felt like when he was confronting Piaro¡¯s skill. The fusion of three of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship skills was powerful and perfect. Yes, this was a true legendary skill.


    ¡®I must learn it.¡¯


    Grid felt admiration, astonishment, and desperation. He needed to cope with the eight Kills. His past self would¡¯ve likely been hit before he could escape. But.


    ¡®I have Revolve.¡¯


    Revolve had a cooldown time of 2 minutes. But using it first would be disadvantageous. What if he used Revolve? The other side would also use Revolve to send it back to him.


    ¡®Not yet.¡¯


    Grid summoned four God Hands to block four of the Kill attacks. However, the clone also used his God Hands to keep Grid¡¯s God Hands in check.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    Grid saw that the God Hands were blocked and summoned Randy.


    ¡®Change locations with me!¡¯


    -Yes!


    He felt sorry and ashamed that he had to sacrifice Randy. But what could he do? A user would lose experience and items when dying, but a pet only received the penalty of not being summoned for 24 hours. Objectively, it was right to sacrifice Randy instead of Grid.


    Supak!


    Randy copied Grid¡¯s appearance as soon as he appeared and changed positions with Grid.


    Pepepepeok!


    Afterwards, Randy was hit by the eight Kill attacks.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Randy cried out with pain as he turned to grey. Grid felt a stinging pain in his chest.


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s health has fallen to 0.]


    [Randy is forced to return to the pet inventory. You can¡¯t summon it for the next 24 hours.]


    ¡°You!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were grim as he saw the rising notification windows. Randy and Kill collided, causing an explosion. Then Grid moved through it and used Kill on the clone. Grid wanted his clone to respond with Revolve. Grid would then respond with the Lv.3 Revolve, which returned 160% of the damage. He could neutralize the counterattack and cause more damage at the same time.


    However, the clone didn¡¯t do as Grid wanted. Unlike the stupid BOT (artificial intelligence yers) that could be seen in normal games, Grid¡¯s clone was equipped with the artificial intelligence of a named NPC. The clone recognized the fact that using Revolve first was a disadvantage.


    Puok!


    It was perfectly calcted. The clone judged that he wouldn¡¯t die even if he was stabbed in the heart with Kill. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. The clone started moving his feet the moment he was hit by Kill.


    ¡¯This is the footwork of Link...!¡¯


    Kill had straight footwork, while Link was curved. Of course, Grid judged that it was possible to avoid Kill using the movements of Link. In fact, Grid¡¯s clone knew it as well.


    Halt!


    The clone used the footwork of Kill to move backwards, then moved to the left and right. At this point, Grid cut at his clone with Link.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Blood sttered. However, the momentum of Grid¡¯s clone didn¡¯t die. Grid received solid evidence. Grid¡¯s clone seeded in using a skill while hit by Link.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Combining a skill without using Link as the medium? Grid¡¯s eyes widened. At this moment, Grid¡¯s confusion was reaching the extreme. But the countless battle experience he¡¯d built up so far wasn¡¯t in vain.


    Grid acted instinctively. He responded by twisting the trajectory of Link to cut the Pinnacle Kill. But Link was a technique that focused on speed rather than power. The power wasn¡¯tparable to Pinnacle Kill or Kill. It was a bad idea to defend against thebined Pinnacle Kill with Link.


    Chaaeng!


    Pinnacle Kill crushed the power of Link.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 59,300 damage.]


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Grid let out arge scream and felt stunned. A targeted skill thatbined the power of Kill and Pinnacle. It was an outrageous power that made Grid¡¯s defense obsolete.


    [You have lost more than half of your health in one blow! You will be stunned for three seconds!]


    [Resisted with the passive effect of One who Became a Legend.]


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    Grid hurriedly moved. He wanted to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, to open up the distance and escape. However, there was a clear difference between Grid and Grid¡¯s clone. The moment that Grid¡¯s clone used Linked Kill Wave, Grid had tried to find a way to avoid it. But the clone¡¯s main focus was on blocking Grid¡¯s skills. This meant that the clone was a cut above Grid.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid shook tremendously as he used Wave. It was because the clone precisely broke his ankle, causing his posture to copse. Due to that, the skill casting was cancelled.


    ¡®This rotten person knows my weaknesses better than me.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help cursing. Grid was stillcking. He hated his own ignorance that allowed the clone to stop his casting.


    Swaeek!


    Iyarugt was swung towards Grid. After using the skill with Grid¡¯s Greatsword, it had swapped to Iyarugt. It was proof that the clone had highprehension of items.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Peeng!


    ck magic exploded with Grid in the center. Grid avoided the enemy¡¯s attacks while confirming his rising stats. He linked cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements, before using Linked Kill. It was so fast that Grid¡¯s clone couldn¡¯t prevent it.


    Puok!


    Puk puk!


    [You have dealt 35,300 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 36,106 damage to the target.]


    ¡®I did it properly!¡¯


    He stabbed the greatsword forward and bet on his victory. Grid believed he would clear the 40th ind the moment that the next Linked Kill strike was about to strike flesh But what was the truth? It was the wrong judgment.


    [The target has recovered 54,159 health.]


    Doran¡¯s Ring instantly restored 50% of the damage as health, while the Holy Light Armor raised health regeneration by 300%.


    Grid¡¯s clone quickly restored his health by taking advantage of these two items. He followed up with cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements, seeding in avoiding Grid¡¯s third Linked Kill.


    ¡®It¡¯s a scam.¡¯


    The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring and the Holy Light Armor was ridiculously excellent. Had he been using such fraudulent items all this time? He felt sorry for all the enemies he¡¯d faced in the meantime.


    ¡®Well, whatever.¡¯


    Doran¡¯s Ring had a cooldown time of 10 minutes. Grid hadn¡¯t used Doran¡¯s Ring yet. He had one more card than the clone.


    ¡¯...It¡¯s still absurd.¡¯


    The clone might show new fusion skills in the future. Grid clicked his tongue and fired the remaining Linked Kill. But the clone responded in an unexpected manner. He didn¡¯t avoid and responded with Revolve?


    Jjejejeok!


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and counterattacked.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Revolve was countered with Revolve. This was the ideal result! Grid cheered as the energy of Linked Kill became iparable to before. It was immensely powerful. Grid was confident this would defeat the clone in one shot.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve.¡±


    A new Grid appeared behind the clone and used Revolve? It was Doppelganger Randy.


    ¡®It also cloned the pet!¡¯


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Grid realized.


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t win like this. A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. Was it an insane smile? No, he was smiling with joy.


    ¡®I have to do it again.¡¯


    Until the advent of the National Competition, he would absorb everything and grow.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    Grid realized he was defeated, but he didn¡¯t get frustrated. He was burning with motivation.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the only chance. I must go beyond you (me).¡¯


    The clone had 100% of his stats, skills, and items. The clone was now kindly telling him.


    ¡®You can be as capable of me. So exert yourself.¡¯


    Kwack!


    Grid strengthened his grip on his greatsword. The duration of his immortality was 5 seconds. In the meantime, Grid was trying tobine Linked Kill Wave or Pinnacle Kill. He didn¡¯t worry about winning, losing, or dying right now.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.¡±


    Cheook!


    Grid started a light and cheerful dance like a butterfly. His ck eyes shone more sharply than usual, resembling that of a bird of prey. Grid¡¯s appearance was gradually developing along with his solid heart and mature brain. His appearance and expression that were full of passion didn¡¯t look bad.


    Teong!


    Grid lightly circled around and narrowed the distance to the clone. At this time, Grid¡¯s Greatsword moved horizontally in the movements of Kill. It was the precursor for Linked Kill. Grid tried to link Wave to it.


    However.


    [The cooldown time of Linked Kill hasn¡¯t returned.]


    [The casting of Linked Kill is cancelled.]


    Of course it was like this. Combining Linked Kill and Wave was an iprehensible realm for Grid.


    ¡®Why is my clone capable of it?¡¯


    Grid was confused, but didn¡¯t stop his actions. He used Pinnacle and Kill. He wanted to try to acquire Pinnacle Kill. But once again, thebination of Pinnacle Kill didn¡¯t work. Pinnacle was activated before Kill waspleted.


    Seokeok!


    The power might be less than that of Kill, but Pinnacle fell and deeply cut the heart of the clone. However, it wasn¡¯t enough damage to threaten the clone whose health had recovered thanks to Doran¡¯s Ring and the Holy Light Armor.


    Grid was wishing for one thing in this situation.


    ¡®Come on, counterattack.¡¯


    Honestly, he wanted to avoid losing. The first problem was that he could lose his experience and items, and the second problem was his pride. That¡¯s right. Grid didn¡¯t give up despite sensing defeat.


    The moment the clone¡¯s counterattack reached him, he wore Doran¡¯s Ring in order to recover his health and hope for a reversal. But the clone was Grid. No, he knew Grid better than Grid did himself. The clone acted with the knowledge that it would be pointless and dangerous to attack the invincible Grid.


    Suuk.


    ¡®You bastard!¡¯


    Rather than fighting back, the clone ran away, causing Grid to frown. He ran all over the battlefield, causing irritation to rise. Right before the immortal duration ended...


    Snap!


    [15,000 health has been restored.]


    Grid took the super health recovery potion taken from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The clone calmly devoted himself to defense. He fully understood and blocked Grid¡¯s sword with Iyarugt. Then he started counterattacking as soon as Grid¡¯s immortal state was over. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to use a powerful one shot technique that would keep Grid from relying on Doran¡¯s Ring.


    It was Kill. ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, and Quick Movements. Since Grid used it one step ahead of the other, the effects ran out for Grid first. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t avoid the clone¡¯s Kill.


    [Doran¡¯s Ring has been equipped.]


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You have died because health has dropped to 0.]


    [You have lost 30.6% experience.]


    [Mission failed!]


    [Exiting the 41st ind.]


    [Moving to thest save point, the 40th ind.]


    A ck screen that hadn¡¯t been seen for a long time. Grid¡¯s vision turned ck.


    ***


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The 41st ind. The moment that Grid came here after dying, he saw Sticks¡¯ distressed face. He was worried that Grid would suffer a mental blow, since this was his first defeat since entering the Behen Archipgo. But Grid was fine.


    "Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Grid smiled at the worried Sticks and though positively.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t lose any items.¡¯


    Of course, it was painful to lose a lot of experience. His current experience gauge was 2%. If he challenged the 41st ind and failed again, he couldn¡¯t avoid losing a level. But Grid didn¡¯t shrink back.


    ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯


    He might fail a few more times, but if he overcame this trial, he would surely grow. Grid was confident and grateful for this situation.


    ¡®I have to ovee this trial.¡¯


    Effort was needed.


    ¡®I need to wait until the cooldown of Randy and the immortality passive returns.¡¯


    The next 24 hours. In the meantime, Grid concentrated on studying Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡®The order of the skills isn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    The wrong element was somewhere else. Finding it was the key.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid took deep breaths and sat down to meditate. He tried to follow Regas¡¯ usual practices.


    ¡®Think about it.¡¯


    The clone¡¯s Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill were different from when he used it. Grid recalled the previous battle and concentrated on analyzing it. He tried to get a clear picture of each and every one of the clone¡¯s actions.


    ***


    "Meditation is the act of transcending from the pain of the mind and returning to a pure state of mind, without any distortions. It is the best way to look at yourself, or to look at specific situations and find a solution.¡±


    The desert city of Reidan.


    Piaro returned to the city after working all day in the fields, and was giving a lecture to Lord.


    "Meditation can also be used as a means to increase strength and stamina, and to reduce the cooldown of your skills. But humans are always self-centered. Meditation is a very challenging method of training that even the most famous knights find difficult. So young Lord, you don¡¯t need to practice it right away. It is sufficient to know the concept... Heok?¡±


    Piaro made a sound of surprise.


    Lord Steim. The genius that Grid and Irene gave birth to quietly closed his eyes and started to maintain a constant breathing.


    ¡®A perfect state of selflessness!¡¯


    Lord¡¯s mana flowed around him as he breathed. It proved that Lord was affecting nature, so it was natural for Piaro to be astonished.


    ¡®I was only able to acquire Natural State after bing a legend.¡¯


    Of course, Lord wasn¡¯t perfect yet. But just awakening the basic concepts was a tremendous achievement. It was because some of the world¡¯s most powerful and tenacious minds couldn¡¯t enter this natural state.


    ¡®This is...¡¯


    What was Lord going to grow up into? Maybe he would be the only one who could transcend Muller, one of the greatest legends in history.


    ¡®He will grow more and more in the future.¡¯


    It would surely give Piaro a new enlightenment. Piaro¡¯s heart burned hot.


    ***


    [The skill ¡®Meditation¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [Meditation]


    Increases health and mana regeneration rate by 50%, and stamina regeneration by 30%.


    Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 10%.


    Resource Consumption: None.


    Skill Activation Condition: Focus.


    * This isn¡¯t a skill that can be artificially invoked. It will activate automatically when your concentration is extremely high.


    In Satisfy, there were several skills that could be learned naturally when certain conditions were met. One of them was Meditation.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Despite the fact that Grid gained a way to increase his stamina recovery rate and reduce skill cooldown time, he didn¡¯t make a fuss. He kept calm. He was too busy focusing.


    ¡®Think about it.¡¯


    Grid quickly erased any thoughts about the Meditation skill and recalled the movements of the clone. Was there any difference in the actions that the clone took with Link? No. He was certain. If so, was there something different about the actions of Kill? There was also nothing. He was certain. What about the behavior of the clone when using Wave or Pinnacle?


    ¡®It is me.¡¯


    Then why was it only possible for the clone to use Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill?


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Grid had been thinking for over five hours when he finally got a sh.


    ¡®The timing is different.¡¯


    The action that connected Link and Kill, in the case of Linked Kill, it seemed to have been done immediately. However, Linked Kill Wave seemed to have a slight gap. But he didn¡¯t know the exact interval.


    ¡®I will try it once.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy once he had this thought. He got up and used Grid¡¯s Greatsword to try and connect Link and Kill with a little time difference.


    Then Link was triggered.


    ¡®The interval is too long.¡¯


    There was no need to worry about it. He would shorten the interval in the next attempt. Grid took a deep breath and made a second attempt. The result? It was also a failure. In order to used Linked Kill Wave, the timing of Link and Kill had to be sophisticated and perfect.


    ¡¯I will challenge until it seeds.¡¯


    Failure wasn¡¯t shameful. It was a stepping stone to sess. Grid knew this fact better than anybody because he had repeatedly lived a life of failure.


    After that.


    Grid failed to use Linked Wave Kill several times, but he didn¡¯t give up to the end. A smile appeared on the face of the watching Sticks.


    ¡®Truly Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    Sticks knew that Pagma¡¯s Rare Book was one of the treasures that couldn¡¯t be found. Yet Grid managed to find it. Sticks guessed that Grid¡¯s tenacity was great, but it was actually even more than he expected. In Sticks¡¯ eyes, Grid was the type of person who would have a much brighter future.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387


    [You have entered the 20th ind.]


    The time it took Grid to pass 19 inds and reach the 20th ind was exactly 45 hours and 19 minutes. He broke through the treasure hunt mission with a versatile key and avoided the thunderstorm with a giant lightning rod. These missions wasted a lot of time for ordinary contestants.


    It was the same with the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were prepared due to Grid who had reached the 40th ind. They were able to enter the 20th ind as fast as Grid.


    ¡®The mission of the 20th ind is to avoid the eyes of the hell moon.¡¯


    The Overgeared members thought of the method that Grid came up with.


    Sururuk.


    They used the invisibility cloak and hid their traces on the ind. Thanks to that, the hell moon couldn¡¯t do anything. All of this was thanks to Grid.


    ***


    39 days remained until the National Competition.


    The 1st ranked Kraugel stood at the crossroad of choice. For the remaining period of time, he could re-challenge the Behen Archipgo or re-challenge Piaro.


    ¡®I can acquire skills and elixirs in the Behen Archipgo.¡¯


    If he won against Piaro, he could change to a legendary ss. Even if he only seeded in one of the options, Kraugel could y an overwhelming role in the National Competition.


    ¡®Both are likely to fail.¡¯


    Could he challenge Piaro and win? Kraugel calcted that the odds were only 30%. Then what about the Behen Archipgo?


    ¡®The probability of clearing the Behen Archipgo is even lower.¡¯


    The reason why Kraugel couldn¡¯t re-challenge the Behen Archipgo was the nonsensical 31st ind. The 31st ind recreated his past trials. There, Kraugel had to fight the great demon Furfu. It was in a state where his level was lower than 180.


    ¡®Furfu...¡¯


    One of the great demons who lost to Sword Saint Muller. In the past, Kraugel had dismissed Furfu. A great demon who lost his body. Kraugel was confident that he could raid Furfu by himself, despite Furfu borrowing the body of an intermediate demon.


    The result? It was terrible. He had been killed three times in session, with Furfu chasing him to the ends of the world. If he hadn¡¯t received help, he might¡¯ve died a few more times.


    ¡®The Behen Archipgo isn¡¯t a ce I can clear with my abilities.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s expression was bitter as he made this judgment. Hepared himself with Grid. Grid, the first yer who defeated him. He said he passed the 30th ind. Grid was a man with the amazing ability to ovee past trials.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Kraugel thought this and turned his attention to the East Continent. He could gain exclusive White Swordsman items, exclusive skills and rapid level increase from the East Continent. There were many rewards that were less valuable than the Behen Archipgo or Piaro, but they couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡®I have to stay on the East Continent until the National Competition.¡¯


    Kraugel made his decision and used the East Continent¡¯s portal scroll.


    ***


    ¡°This is very hard.¡±


    The 41st ind.


    Grid studied thebination of Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill in three days of game time, but didn¡¯t achieve the desired result. It wasn¡¯t easy to catch the timing if Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡®It is absurd.¡¯


    He tried from 0.1 seconds to 3 seconds to connect Link and Kill. But rather than Linked Kill Wave, only Link or Linked Kill were activated, making Grid go crazy.


    ¡¯I¡¯ve been doing this for three days already...¡¯


    The fact that he couldn¡¯t get the results he wanted despite doing his best was irritating him. Grid¡¯s head hurt. He once againmented his low talents. But he wasn¡¯t frustrated. Grid still had hope.


    ¡¯Perhaps it isn¡¯t the gap between Link and Kill, but the fulfillment of other conditions.¡¯


    How could he figure out what conditions there were?


    "I will fight my clone one more time.¡±


    Grid knew better than anyone that he couldn¡¯t win against his clone in his current state. However, Grid wasn¡¯t afraid. If he was afraid of failure, he would be stagnant.


    ¡°Do it again.¡±


    Grid breathed in deeply and moved through the gate of the 41st ind. He would once again fight with the clone, while taking note of the process for Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.


    ***


    [You have entered the 41st ind.]


    [A mission will be created.]


    [41st Ind]


    Fight with yourself and win.


    First Clear Compensation: You can raise the level of one skill.


    A t ind with no geographical features. The moment Grid stepped onto the small ind, the clone came forward to meet him.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Indeed, it was the same as three days ago. Grid¡¯s clone attacked the moment Grid entered the ind.


    ¡¯Will he open with Linked Kill Wave again?¡¯


    Grid focused. He watched the movements of the clone without blinking in order to figure out the secret behind Linked Kill Wave. Then the skill was used.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    It used Transcended Link instead of the skill Grid wanted? Grid also used Transcended Link, as dozens of energy des were fired. The bombardment caused the earth to shake. The impact was enormous as it was a sh between legendary skills.


    Kuaaaaang!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The swirling sandstorm disturbed Grid¡¯s visibility and he retreated backwards, while the clone made another choice. Despite the pain of the sand getting into the eyes, the clone persevered as he rushed forward and swung Iyarugt at Grid. It was immediately after using Transcended Link and Grid was still armed with Grid¡¯s Greatsword, so he couldn¡¯t read Iyarugt¡¯s orbit.


    Seokeok!


    Grid¡¯s thigh was cut. He btedly swapped to Iyarugt, but...


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The clone swapped from Iyarugt back to Grid¡¯s Greatsword, and used a skill, hitting Grid sessively.


    ¡¯Why is his weapons swapping speed so quick?¡¯


    Weapon swapping required a series of processes. It required opening the inventory, putting in the item then bringing out the desired item. In Grid¡¯s case, the process took around 2 seconds on average. Grid was confused because the clone did it in less than a second.


    ¡®Will I get used to it if I do it often?¡¯


    Grid suppressed the confusion and thought as positively as possible while wielding Iyarugt. It was necessary to deal as much damage as possible while the clone was armed with Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    Puok!


    Iyarugt stabbed at the clone¡¯s side, leaving a blood-like glow.


    ¡®I have to continue this momentum.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t use a skill. He quickly wielded Iyarugt, not giving the clone a chance to use skills. It was clearly an effective choice. The clone was forced to concentrate on defense.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The battle entered a lull. Iyarugt and Iyarugt collided with each other, leaving a bloody afterglow in the area.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think about it.¡¯


    How could he shake off the clone in order to use a skill and change the shape of the battle? The clone extended a finger while Grid was thinking.


    "Magic Missile."


    Peeng!


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    Magic Missile (Enhanced)¡¯s casting time was only one second. It required one finger to be extended, so it was possible to cast while wielding a sword. Grid also knew this, but the one who changed the battlefield using Magic Missile was the clone. It proved that the clone¡¯s thinking ability was better than Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid winced as he was hit by Magic Missile. The clone swapped to Grid¡¯s Greatsword in an instant and carried out the footwork of Link. Grid also wanted to offset it by using Link the same way, but the problem was that it took time to swap to Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    The moment Grid¡¯s Greatsword was pulled out, the clone¡¯s Link was alreadyplete.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid gritted his teeth. It was to prepare for the pain. But the pain didn¡¯te. The clone was still continuing its sword dance.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Link and then Kill.


    ¡®Linked Kill!¡¯


    It was lucky. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to cope if Link was immediately used, but he was given time.


    Taack!


    Grid hurriedly pulled out the Divine Shield.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The clonebined Linked Kill with Wave. It was Linked Kill Wave.


    Kurururung!


    Subsequently, waves of Kill attacks filled the air.


    ¡®I understand!¡¯


    Grid gained enlightenment. In order tobine Linked Kill Wave, it was essential to withdraw back before connecting each sword technique.


    ¡®Finally, I also...!¡¯


    Grid watched carefully. But it wasn¡¯t a situation where he could just sit back and enjoy.


    Pepepepeng!


    8 Kill attacks were directly aimed at Grid. Grid summoned Randy and had him use Revolve.


    Chaaeng!


    The 8 Kills were sucked in by Revolve and turned around, heading back to the clone. The clone remained calm. He also summoned Randy and responded by using Revolve. In the meantime, Grid waspletely aware the movements of Link and Kill.


    He calcted the time urately and didn¡¯t forget to step backwards before connecting Link and Kill. Then he started on the sword dance for Wave.


    Kuwooooh!


    A powerful energy centred on Grid. It was the energy of Linked Kill Wave.


    ¡®Okay!¡¯


    Grid was filled with joy. After two Revolves, the more powerful Kill attacks headed towards him.


    Kuaaaaaaang!


    There was an explosion and the earth shook. Did Grid receive catastrophic damage? He seeded in Linked Kill Wave, but couldn¡¯t even use it? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid wasn¡¯t in a crisis.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    By changing his position with Randy, he was able to appear at the side of the clone and unfold the best skill.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 388

    Chapter 388


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Kukukukung!


    A thunderous sound burst from Grid¡¯s sword. It was the strongest skill, which cast Kill eight times continuously and attached the features of Wave to it, Linked Kill Wave. The momentum and strength was legendary.


    [The new skill fusion has seeded.]


    [Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the sessful fusion of a new skill.]


    [Linked Kill Wave is added to the list of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship techniques.]


    [Linked Kill Wave]


    Performs three sword dances simultaneously.


    Summons eight consecutive Kill attacks that inflicts 1,500% attack power, chasing all objects within a 2m radius.


    The targets hit will have all speeds reduced by 50%.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, and Wave.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    It was a targeted skill that dealt up to 12,000% damage. Depending on the number of targets, it could be used as a single or wide area skill. The threebination skill was several times stronger than the twobination skill, and the utilization was also high. It was truly a legendary skill.


    Pepepepeng!


    The fierce momentum of Linked Wave Kill shot towards the clone. At first nce, it seemed to be Grid¡¯s victory. But what about the clone? Just as Grid summoned Randy to deal with Linked Kill Wave, the clone could use the same method.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The clone¡¯s Randy was hit by Linked Kill Wave instead, turning him to grey.


    Grid¡¯s eyes looked all over the ce.


    ¡®Where?¡¯


    Randy¡¯s ¡®Change Locations with the Copied Target¡¯ was simr to Teleport. Depending on where Randy was when switching positions with the target, he could aim for the enemy¡¯s blind spot. Grid nervously looked around with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.


    Kuooooh!


    A menacing aura of hatred and killing intent filled the air. The clone was using Kill. Grid determined that it was difficult to avoid or defend against and used a skill.


    ¡°Freely Move.¡±


    It was the skill attached to the title ¡®Secret Hero.¡¯ There were limits to the range of use, and the cooldown time was one hour. However, it was a top dashing skill that allowed him to avoid all non-targeting skills until he reached his target.


    Suuk!


    He avoided Kill and at the same time, leapt towards the clone and used Pinnacle.


    Puok!


    Blood spurted from the clone¡¯s chest. But the clone didn¡¯t shrink back. Pinnacle had the advantage of being a targeted skill, but the power was less than Kill. It was difficult to inflict death on the clone who was armed with all types of items.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid defended against the clone¡¯s counterattack. Since both sides had equal stats, no one was overwhelmed in a frontal battle. A tense contest began.


    Kikik!Kkikikik!


    Grid exchanged blows with Grid¡¯s Greatsword and provoked the clone.


    "Why don¡¯t you use Pinnacle Kill? Won¡¯t it be hard to beat me without that?¡±


    "...¡±


    The clone didn¡¯t say anything. The clone was Grid, but it capabilities were confined. The clone was a puppet doll without feelings. The reason for the clone¡¯s existence was to kill Grid, so it had no thoughts orments.


    "Magic Missile."


    "Magic Missile."


    It was at the same time. Grid and the clone looked at each other through interlocking swords and fired Magic Missiles, both of them flying back with damage.


    ¡®This time, we did it simultaneously.¡¯


    Grid was satisfied. Previously, he hadn¡¯t been able to use Magic Missile first and was one-sidedly hit.


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Four golden hands appeared behind the clone¡¯s back. It was the copied God Hands. They were armed with the Ideal Dagger, the Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword, Failure, and Iyarugt. Grid also summoned the God Hands.


    Pahat!


    It was truly spectacr. Four golden hands holding weapons were behind Grid and the clone. Someone who could use five weapons at the same time. It was a nonsensical fraudulent character from the point of view of an ordinary person.


    ¡®How can I take advantage of God Hands in this situation?¡¯


    The reason Grid didn¡¯t take out the God Hands was because it wasn¡¯t useful. What would happen if he took out the God Hands? The clone would just use his God Hands to neutralize it, and it would eventually be a one-on-one match again.


    Cheook!


    Did the clone want to prove Grid¡¯s thoughts wrong? The clone started to actively make use of the God Hands.


    Hwiririk!


    ¡®Wheel formation?¡¯


    The God Hands formed a circr shape and rotated, wielding the weapons one after another at Grid¡¯s God Hands. Rise and fall. Rise and fall. The effect of the wheel formation, which didn¡¯t have any breaks between attacks, was amazing.


    Grid¡¯s God Hands werepletely overwhelmed and made obsolete.


    ¡®This is possible!¡¯


    Themands that Grid gave to the God Hands were simple. It was ssified as attack, defense and waiting. He only gave detailedmands when he wanted them to grab onto something. It was because Grid didn¡¯t have the ability to concentrate while giving moreplexmands.


    Think about it. Focusing on battle while givingplexmands to four God Hands? An ordinary person couldn¡¯t do it.


    On the other hand, the clone was different. He had the same stats as Grid, but was optimized for battle. Since he only existed to hurt Grid, his concentration was extremely excellent.


    Jjejeong!


    The clone¡¯s God Hands kept rotating. Grid¡¯s God Hands were attacked with no time difference and they stiffened in order, then the clone¡¯s God Hands flew towards Grid. Of course, the God Hands couldn¡¯t threaten Grid.


    The wheel formation? How funny. The God Hands only had level 2 intermediate Sword Mastery, so Grid was able to shake them off with no difficulty. But the problem was the time spent in the process. The clone approached while Grid was dealing with the God Hands and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.


    Pipit!


    Pipipipipit!


    "Ku...ack!¡±


    Blood sttered from Grid¡¯s body. If the God Hands hadn¡¯t lost their stiffness and flown over to defend him, Grid would¡¯ve suffered unimaginable damage. Grid fired Magic Missile and retreated in order to drink a health potion. However, there was no time to drink a potion because the clone¡¯s God Hands attacked.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Grid was busy blocking the strikes of the God Hands.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    The difference in basic judgment ability and control was too great, despite the clone having the same stats and items.


    Ssik!


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. He was happy. He realized that he still had room to grow.


    ¡®I have to try and improve the control of the God Hands.¡¯


    After learning a new skillbination, now he could see the usefulness of the God Hands. Grid grinned with joy as hemanded the God Hands to capture the fake ones. At this time, the clone started to deploy Pinnacle Kill.


    At this moment.


    ¡®I must look.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s concentration became extremely high.


    Kkuok!


    A stronger force was added to the God Hands holding the fakes. It was testament to the fact that Grid¡¯s order to ¡®hold¡¯ the God Hands was more borate.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    The clone¡¯s sword moved.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid showed an extreme concentration as he followed the actions of the clone.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The curved orbit of Pinnacle changed to a straight line. Grid did the same.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    [The new skill fusion has seeded.]


    [Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the sessful fusion of a new skill.]


    [Pinnacle Kill is added to the list of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship techniques.]


    [Pinnacle Kill]


    Performs two sword dances simultaneously.


    Deals 2,000% of your attack power to a specified target.


    It changes the trajectory of the sword in the middle, making it hard to deal with.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Pinnacle and Kill.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Health Consumed by Skill: 4,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Puok!


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    At the same time, blood poured from the nose and mouth of Grid and the clone. At the same time, both of them lost half their health. They quickly raised their swords and made different choices. The clone immediately used Linked Kill, while Grid summoned Noe to slow down the clone.


    ¡°The best demonic beast of hell has emerged! Nyahahat!¡±


    Noeughed as he appeared after a long time. But thisughter didn¡¯tst long. It was because Noe was hit by the clone¡¯s Linked Kill.


    "Kyaak!"


    Noe¡¯s fur bristled. He got fresh air after a long time, but was surprised at instantly suffering a crisis. But who was Noe? The greatest demonic beast of hell, a memphis. He had the best speed in hell and the skill to minimize physical damage, Fluidization.


    Puok!


    Puk puk!


    Noe barely escaped the second Linked Kill by using Fluidization. The guy with a cute mouth barely escaped! Then he opened his mouth. It was the manifestation of the worst skill, Soul Ingestion, which take away half of the highest stats of the target.


    Noe swallowed up the clone.


    [The effect of Soul Ingestion will increase your strength by 1,408 for the next minute.]


    Power boiled up inside him. Grid paused as he was about to use Linked Kill.


    ¡®Will the clone also be able to summon Noe?¡¯


    Now that his strength temporarily rose to 4,224, what if the clone summoned Noe and used Soul Ingestion? The clone¡¯s strength would increase dramatically. Grid visualized the worst case scenario and couldn¡¯t easily attacked.


    ¡°Stupid master! What nyang? Attack this guy! Nyang!¡±


    Noe moved forward to deal a blow to the clone instead of his hesitating master. But despite the use of Fluidization, it was difficult to deal a fatal blow. Grid heard Noe¡¯s voice and rushed forward.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Puk puk puk!


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was confused. The clone didn¡¯t resist the attack and allowed it.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t the clone summon Noe? Did he read the question in Grid¡¯s heart? Sticks admired Noe while exining.


    "A memphis is the most perfect creature after a dragon, except for their personality. Even the mysterious Behen Archipgo can¡¯t reproduce a memphis.¡±


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    If he had known this earlier, he would¡¯ve summoned Noe from the beginning. No, if he did that, he might not have learned Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill. Grid smiled positively and opened up the distance as much as possible.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 389

    Chapter 389


    The duration of immortality was 5 seconds. Grid would just receive damage if he tried to fight during that time. Grid nned to secure and maintain a safe distance from the clone until the immortality ended.


    ¡¯Once it finishes, I will immediately attack and finish off the clone.¡¯


    He would get revenge on the clone.


    ¡®How is it? Frustrating?¡¯


    Grid smiled like a wicked person in the movies or manhwa. Suddenly, the clone sat down.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was confused. The clone was sitting down and closing his eyes? It was an unexpected development.


    ¡®What is he doing...? It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because the clone¡¯splexion started to improve rapidly.


    ¡®Meditation!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. After obtaining a safe distance from Grid, the clone used Meditation to restore his health and mana.


    ¡®He can use Meditation as he likes?¡¯


    Meditation was a skill that spontaneously urred when concentration was extremely high. It wasn¡¯t a skill that could be used anytime a person wanted. But the clone seemed to be the exception.


    "Che!"


    Grid urgently used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Every time Grid wielded his sword, an energy de was fired at the clone. However, it took more than three seconds toplete this sequence. The clone had already recovered some health. In addition, the clone took a super health recovery potion and used Transcend to cancel out Grid¡¯s energy des.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid realized that his control skills were stillcking. The clone¡¯s energy des had a much higher hit ratio than his.


    ¡®Launching the energy des while taking evasion action.¡¯


    It was an area impossible for him. Grid tried to think as calmly as possible while being full of wounds.


    ¡®There is no need to fret. The clone has lost his immortality.¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid still had his immortality. He had more advantages. There was no need to shrink back. Grid swapped to Iyarugt and rushed forward.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Iyarugt was the sword that told its master the best route. It would be able to make up for Iyarugt¡¯sck of control skills. The battle with the clone began in earnest. However, this tense fight didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill.¡±


    The clone¡¯s Meditation skill meant that the cooldown time of the skills was shortened. The clone was able to use the skills faster than Grid, causing the situation to rapidly be disadvantageous.


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    ¡°Kuuack!¡±


    The God Hands tried to defend Grid, but they were obstructed by the clone¡¯s God Hands. Grid was hit by Linked Kill and his health quickly depleted. Doran¡¯s Ring didn¡¯t show a big effect, so he entered the immortal state.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The agitated Grid struck the clone. He was determined to kill the clone during the five seconds of the immortality passive. However, the clone easily escaped from Grid using the Fly attached to Braham¡¯s Boots. Grid also btedly swapped from Grid¡¯s Boots to Braham¡¯s Boots, but the distance between them widened considerably.


    ¡°Master, believe in me! Nyang!¡±


    Noe reached the clone and swung his paws several times. But Noe¡¯s ws couldn¡¯tpletely neutralize the defenses of the enemies, despite being harder than steel. The Holy Light Armor set was truly excellent.


    After a while, the second battle ended with Grid¡¯s defeat.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You have died because health has dropped to 0.]


    [You have lost 30.6% experience.]


    [Your level has dropped to 305.]


    [You have lost 10 stat points.]


    [Mission failed!]


    [Exiting the 41st ind.]


    [Moving to thest save point, the 40th ind.]


    ***


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Grid¡¯s fury when he returned to the 40th ind wasn¡¯t just because of his level drop.


    ¡¯I got Noe¡¯s help!¡¯


    On the other hand, the clone didn¡¯t have Noe. Even so, he lost. It was a huge shame.


    ¡°Have strength, nyang.¡±


    Noe said while patting Grid¡¯s shoulder. It was tofort him. Noe had been with Grid for a long time, so his affinity towards Grid was very high.


    "Wasn¡¯t Master originally weak and useless, nyang? Don¡¯t be frustrated by one or two losses, nyang!¡±


    "...¡±


    Noe used great demons as a criteria for determining strength. It was the instinct of a memphis, a beast of hell. From Noe¡¯s position, Grid had always been weak.


    "...That isn¡¯tforting at all.¡±


    Grid was feeling resentment to Noe when he suddenly had a question.


    ¡°Sticks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grid.¡±


    "Are you sure that the 41st ind can¡¯t reproduce a memphis?¡±


    ording to Sticks¡¯ logic, a memphis was the best creature after a dragon, so the Behen Archipgo couldn¡¯t reproduce it. There was a fault here.


    "Didn¡¯t you say something on the way to the vampire city? The Behen Archipgo can reproduce a great demon and a dragon. So why can¡¯t it reproduce a memphis?"


    ¡°Good question.¡±


    Sticks smiled and exined.


    "The dragons and great demons reproduced by the Behen Archipgo have amon point. Their bodies aren¡¯tplete.¡±


    ¡°Bodies aren¡¯tplete?¡±


    "Yes, all the great demons reproduced by the Behen Archipgo were those who had been sealed by Sword Saint Muller...¡±


    The gourmet dragon reproduced during Sticks¡¯ trial weren¡¯t really clones. Dragons were heavy on their hips and couldn¡¯t move directly without magic, so the gourmet dragon Reiders was just a fake.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Both the great demons and dragons are iplete beings, so the Behen Archipgo could reproduce them.¡±


    Grid had another question.


    "Then the weakened great demons and dragons are less than a memphis?¡±


    "Maybe if the memphis is an adult?¡±


    "Adult...¡±


    Grid stared at Noe. He was a chubby cat with horns on his forehead and small wings on his back. Now he looked cute, but what if he was an adult?


    ¡°Will he grow to be like a dragon?¡±


    Sticks looked at Grid andughed.


    "No, there will be no big change in his appearance.¡±


    ¡°Um... Then I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid wanted Noe to always be cute. There were many fans in Noe¡¯s fan club just because of his appearance.


    ¡¯One day, I will hold a fan meeting for Noe...¡¯


    He would be very happy if he could get close to the female members and build up a good rtionship. Grid imagined the bright future before having to face reality.


    ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about these things.¡¯


    The clone on the 41st ind was too strong. Grid could only use 50% of his own abilities, while the clone could take full advantage of it. He couldn¡¯t find the answer to win against the clone.


    ¡®It might be possible if my control skills grow dramatically.¡¯


    Indeed, there was no end to learning. Once he grew, he would meet stronger enemies who mocked his growth.


    ¡®If only I had as much talent as the Overgeared members.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be necessary to undergo such frequent trials. The so-called geniuses, their growth rate was so fast that they were able to cope with new trials.


    ¡®On the other hand, I...¡¯


    Grid received direct teachings from Piaro and grew through the advice of his guild members, but he was stillcking. It was painful and sad that he had no talent.


    ¡°...Wait.¡±


    Let¡¯s look back. Since when had he been so obsessed with control skills?


    ¡®It has been since I became aware of Piaro.¡¯


    He realized that he needed control to deal with strong enemies. From that day on, he worked hard on improving his control skills. But was this really right?


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if I try as hard as others.¡¯


    He would only be able to achieve 20%~30% of their skills. It was too inefficient. Grid¡¯s developed thinking ability came to this conclusion.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to be so obsessed with control.¡¯


    Was he dull-witted? No, he was Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®I am a legendary cksmith.¡¯


    He could create and produce all types of weapons, and use them with no restrictions.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s return to the beginning.¡¯


    The answer was the power of items. Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he pulled out tools, including the portable furnace. Grid¡¯s brain spun rapidly.


    ¡®In order to clear the 41st ind...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t just make a good item. What would happen if he made a good item? The clone could also use it, making him stronger.


    ¡®The item I need right now.¡¯


    A gamble. In order to pass the trials that couldn¡¯t be ovee with pure talent, Grid had to seek the help of the heavens.


    ¡®I need to hope that my worst luck also applies to the clone.¡¯


    Grid remembered Euphemina¡¯s Rolling Dice skill. It was a skill that could quickly change a situation, either positively or negatively, by randomly generating different effects. If this could be applied to an item...


    ¡®Just wait, Clone.¡¯


    Victory or defeat would be determined by luck. He only needed to beat the clone once.


    ***


    Blood Carnival.


    A guild made up of unofficial rankers, its wickedness was unmatched. Hired murders, raid interference, stealing goods from merchantpanies, etc. The Blood Carnival only moved for the sake of money. The number of yers affected by them was unimaginable, including many top rankers.


    ¡°There¡¯s a new request.¡±


    Blood Carnival¡¯s master. A secret existence whose identity was unknown, they smiled from behind a veil.


    ¡°It¡¯s to defeat Kraugel in the National Competition. At the time, the person fulfilling the request must have the logo of a particrpany stamped on their item.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a top grade request.¡±


    "It seems to be a means for corporate advertising. Won¡¯t the price be huge?¡±


    Kraugel had the myth of being undefeated. What if the world was watching when he was defeated? The international media would focus on the person who defeated Kraugel, and thepany associated with the person would receive an astronomical advertising effect.


    ¡°What event?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if Kraugel loses in any event. However, the pay will be three times higher if Kraugel is knocked down in the PvP event.¡±


    "Then of course it has to be PvP.¡±


    "But is anyone participating in the National Competition?¡±


    "I am.¡±


    One of the strongest yers in the Blood Carnival stepped forward. His face was full of confidence.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 390

    Chapter 390


    Who was the hero of the informal rankers? If they heard such a question, ordinary people would say Grid. Grid¡¯s aplishments were great.


    But there was aw that existed in every world. There were those hiding in the darkness of Satisfy who were stronger than Grid. Tarma was one of them.


    Tarma. A yer who had been acting as PKer since his early days in Satisfy. A notorious dark gamer, he had a very brilliant career. The most outstanding achievement...


    "The 2nd ranked Zibal lost his life to me.¡±


    It was true. Tarma¡¯s PK skills were unmatched. In the first ce, he had a hidden ss specializing in PKing. The reigning Kraugel would lose his life to Tarma.


    ¡°Hoh, Tarma should be able to do it.¡±


    "If Tarma ys in PvP, he will be able to move onto the finals.¡±


    The top rankers and Overgeared members that Tarma would meet in PvP? None of them could win in a one-on-one fight against Tarma. The executives of Blood Carnival felt reassured. Tarma was that excellent.


    "Well, it¡¯s doubtful that you will win against Kraugel just because you reach the finals.¡±


    "Kraugel is special.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a monster beyond the level of a genius. There¡¯s no one except Agnus and the twins in our guild who can fight one-on-one with Kraugel and definitely win.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you dog scum.¡±


    Tarma cursed at his colleagues. He spoke confidently to the master hidden by a veil.


    ¡°Tell this to the client. I, Tarma, will surely defeat Kraugel. Oh, and ask them to give me an allowance for every celebrity I defeat in PvP.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The master of the Blood Carnival smiled from behind his veil. They trusted Tarma¡¯s skills.


    ***


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 13/21.]


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill.¡±


    The moment Grid used the skill.


    Ttiring.


    There was a loud sound effect and the notification window appeared.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t want a powerful weapon. Grid wanted a weapon that purely relied on luck. He judged that it was the only method to deal with the clone.


    ¡¯I¡¯m sick of making swords.¡¯


    Anyway, it was a random item. It wasn¡¯t an item he would use often unless he was in a situation like this, so making a different form would be fun.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be difficult to deal with, or have a low uracy.¡¯


    What was a fun and different weapon with a guaranteed hit rate? Grid thought for awhile and recalled Piaro¡¯s il. il. A farming tool used to harvest grains. There were three or four long twigs hanging at the end of a pole, and it was waved around.


    ¡®It is hard to avoid.¡¯


    Grid came to this conclusion after thinking about his fight with Piaro and smiled wickedly.


    ¡®That damn clone... I will let you taste this dirty feeling.¡¯


    He made a decision.


    ¡°I want to create a il.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Sticks was surprised from where he was watching. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill was a trump card of Pagma in the past. It needed to be used carefully because there was a limited number of uses. Yet Grid was using the skill to create a farming equipment.


    Sticks asked Grid, ¡°You¡¯re going to use this to create a il? Please give me a convincing exnation.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was because he wanted to make a weapon with a high hit rate. A il was a weapon with a high hit rate. But he also wanted something different, and being hit by a il would give a dirty feeling to the target. It was a little embarrassing to answer honestly.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid ignored Sticks and proceeded to the next stage of Item Creation.


    [Have you decided on a il?]


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    "...¡±


    The reason why Grid could think of producing an item with a random effect was thanks to the gift that Alchemist Silverun gave him before he left Reidan. It was right after granting an option to Iyarugt and before heading back to the Behen Archipgo again.


    "I heard you are going to a very dangerous ce. I will be praying for your safe return.¡±


    Silverun approached Grid and handed over a bottle filled with liquid.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Was he trying to poison Grid because he knew that Grid thought alchemy was useless? Silverun smiled at Grid¡¯s question and exined.


    ¡°It is a mystery potion that I poured all my knowledge of alchemy into.¡±


    "What does that mean?"


    "I also don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    "Haha, to be precise, a random effect will be triggered. I¡¯m excited because I don¡¯t know the result. Isn¡¯t this the attraction of alchemy? Anyway, if you¡¯re in a moment of crisis, you can try drinking it. Who knows? The best results might happen.¡±


    "...¡±


    This was a crazy person. Gridpletely lost trust in alchemy and the alchemists. Grid had pledged not to use this liquid for all his life. But now, a few dayster.


    "The material will be Silverun¡¯s Secret Remedy and ck iron wood.¡±


    Grid was entirely dependent on Silverun¡¯s secret remedy.


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Please design the item.]


    The moment that the materials for the item was determined, a nk blueprint appeared in front of Grid. This was already the 9th item creation. Grid skillfully drew on the blueprint.


    ¡®The il used by Piaro is the ideal form for a il.¡¯


    Suksak suksak.


    The il drawn on the blueprint bore a striking resemnce to Piaro¡¯s. A long time passed. Grid was pleased with the final design and pressed the confirmation button.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    ¡°I have decided.¡±


    [A great work of art has beenpleted.]


    [One skill count has been consumed.]


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    A system that required the features of the il. Grid knew. A fanciful description actually acted as a poison to an item.


    Grid started to carefully exin.


    "Designed with ck iron wood, it has excellent sticity and attack power. It is sharp, like a sword made out of steel. Silverun¡¯s Secret Remedy is added, so there will be a random effect every time the target is struck.¡±


    [It has been applied.]


    The blueprint of the il that Grid drew was modified. The skillpensation effect. After a while, the perfected il design emerged in front of Grid.


    ¡®Okay, this is good.¡¯


    The flexible pole was 1.3m long, while the four twigs hanging from it were sharp and threatening like a de. It was more like farming equipment than a weapon, but Grid liked this. It was already fun to see how the dignity of the enemy would copse when they were beaten by farming equipment.


    [Please name the item.]


    The system made a final request. This was Grid¡¯s answer.


    "Motley il.¡±


    ¡°...No, why?¡±


    The name was the worst. Sticks was at a loss for words. Well, it didn¡¯t matter because Grid was satisfied with thepleted design.


    [Motley il]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 259/259 Attack Power: 143~191


    * A special effect will ur every time the target is hit. The effect is unpredictable.


    * Thrashing speed will increase by 150%.


    * There is no guarantee how the condition of the thrashed grain will change.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 307/307 Attack Power: 218~275


    * A special effect will ur every time the target is hit. The effect is unpredictable.


    * Thrashing speed will increase by 200%.


    * There is no guarantee how the condition of the thrashed grain will change.


    Farming equipment designed by Grid, who has been reborn as a legend.


    It¡¯s made of solid ck iron wood and has excellent durability and attack power. It¡¯s at a level to be called a weapon.


    However, the effects can¡¯t be guaranteed due to the influence of Silverun¡¯s Secret Remedy. Use with caution. It is rmended that you don¡¯t use it.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 109


    ¡°Um... ck iron wood is expensive, but I would like to give a present to Piaro.¡±


    Grid spoke big words. Anyway, thanks to this Motley il, Piaroter on... Omitted.


    ***


    After the creation of the Motley il. Grid logged out and rested, then returned to work in the best conditions.


    "Please give me a legendary item.¡±


    Grid had produced the 10th legendary item and went through the second special event. Now he only got additional stats if he made a legendary item.


    It was natural that Grid hoped for the il to have a legendary rating.


    ¡®I wonder about the effect of the third special event.¡¯


    Grid had stayed in Reidan for a while to make the Mass Production Grid Set. He made more than 1,000 sets, with two legendary items sessfully being produced. Now Grid just needed three more legendary items to experience the third special event. Grid wanted that day to ur, despite the possibility of a penalty. He believed that the benefits would outweigh the damage.


    ¡°Now, shall I begin?¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid was fundamentally a cksmith. His face was more energetic than ever as he knocked on the anvil with the hammer.


    Sticks felt strange.


    ¡®Indeed, he has the coolness of a legend, but I don¡¯t trust it.¡¯


    A legendary cksmith created farming equipment. It was even called the Motley il? Sticks thought that Grid had already given up on cleaning the Behen Archipgo. His heart hurt.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 391

    Chapter 391


    The il was a swinging tool. It was impossible to stab or cut with it. It was why Grid chose the ck iron wood as the material.


    ¡®Resilience is important for this type of weapon.¡¯


    ck iron wood was ¡®bent iron.¡¯


    It had high rigidity and sticity. Generally, it was used as a material for spears and the price was very expensive. The rankers and knights of each kingdom needed to have spears made of ck iron wood.


    ¡®In short, it¡¯s one of the best materials.¡¯


    It was impossible to buy it without any pressure. However, Grid judged that it was natural to have the finest materials for the items he created. It was an item created by a legendary cksmith, how could he usecking materials?


    ¡®It hurts that the expenses are so big.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid swallowed back his tears and devoted himself to working on the ck iron wood. First of all, he made a 1.3 meter pole and attached four long sticks to the end. The pole was at a width that wasfortable to hold in his hands, while the slender twigs were trimmed as sharply and thinly as possible.


    ¡®I have a good feeling.¡¯


    Shaving,bining, etc. After repeating a series of processes, Grid looked at the thin sticks that had been shaped and expected the birth of a legendary item. But Grid¡¯s feeling of ¡®not bad¡¯ didn¡¯t fit.


    [You havepleted the production of the Motley il.]


    [Motley il.]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 259/259 Attack Power: 143~191


    * A special effect will ur every time the target is hit. The effect is unpredictable.


    * Thrashing speed will increase by 150%.


    * There is no guarantee how the condition of the thrashed grain will change.


    Farming equipment designed by Grid who has been reborn as a legend.


    It¡¯s made of solid ck iron wood and has excellent durability and attack power. It¡¯s at a level to be called a weapon.


    However, the effects can¡¯t be guaranteed due to the influence of Silverun¡¯s Secret Remedy. Use with caution. It is rmended that you don¡¯t use it.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 109


    "...Shit, just a little bit more.¡±


    It would be nice if his hope worked out just once. Sticks didn¡¯t notice Grid¡¯s frustration and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great il. It seems to be a good farming equipment.¡±


    It was his sarcastic way of asking why Grid was making farming equipment. In the end, Grid dered.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t conventional farming equipment, but a weapon. I¡¯m going to use this to break through the 41st ind.¡±


    "A weapon...!!¡±


    Sticks admired it. Grid¡¯s spirit was amazing to think about using a il as a trump weapon. Sticks was a sage. He was a wise man. He tried to understand Grid rather than treat him as a strange person.


    ¡¯There must be something deeply profound.¡¯


    However, that didn¡¯t mean he had confidence. Sticks looked over. Grid was grabbing the hammer again.


    ¡®I will give the unique-rated one as a gift to Piaro.¡¯


    He would challenge it one more time.


    ¡¯I have to get a legendary rated il!¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid pledged and started working on the spare ck iron wood. Finally, he got the desired form and added Silverun¡¯s Secret Remedy. As a result, once again, a unique-rated il waspleted.


    ¡°...This $%!#.¡±


    It had been a really long time since Grid cursed like this. His thinking power might¡¯ve expanded and his personality matured, but his essence couldn¡¯t change. A year and a half had passed since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Meanwhile, only 12 legendary items were made. Even a saint would be enraged.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t a legendary cksmith make legendary items?¡¯


    Probability games were really rotten. Grid realized it once again and soothed his mind.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s calm down. It isn¡¯t necessary to have a legendary il to break through the 41st ind.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid didn¡¯t want a il for its attack power. He only needed a random effect to cause a reversal. He wanted a legendary rated il for the special event and rise in stats, but it was better not to be obsessed with it.


    ¡°Now I will practice.¡±


    21 hours passed since the creation and production of the il. Grid needed to get used to the il in the next three hours, until the cooldown of his immortality and Noe and Randy returned.


    ***


    The 41st ind.


    ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    "...¡±


    The clone was puzzled when it saw Grid holding a il. As a person with 100% of Grid¡¯s abilities, it found it strange that Grid would use the il.


    [Motley il.]


    ...


    ...


    "...¡±


    The clone checked the options of the il and couldn¡¯t understand Grid more and more.


    ¡®It¡¯s an inefficient weapon.¡¯


    Why did he appear with this? The clone questioned it, but didn¡¯t think deeply. The reason for the clone¡¯s existence was just to hurt Grid. It was useless to question the behavior of someone who would die soon.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Teong!


    The clone moved forward. It was dazzling like a butterfly¡¯s wings. It was the precursor of Link.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    The clone quickly unfolded the attack. The sharp energy des shot out from Grid¡¯s Greatsword and aimed at Grid. The Grid from 24 hours ago would¡¯ve avoided this attack and fought back. But now Grid had regained his original judgment. The swords flying towards him?


    ¡¯I won¡¯t stop it!¡¯


    Pepepepeok!


    Blood spread like a fog around Grid¡¯s body was he was hit by Link. Why didn¡¯t Grid take any defensive actions? It was for a quick counterattack. Grid didn¡¯t resist the enemy¡¯s attack and swung the il.


    Hwiririk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The clone¡¯s eyes shook. That¡¯s right, it was hit. Grid¡¯s speed was iparably faster, causing the clone to feel confused.


    Peeok!


    The clone was struck in the face with the il. There was the sound of a watermelon bursting and blood scattered, but it was just the appearance. The four thin sticks on the il were so sharp that they triggered bleeding, but the damage was actually low. But was damage important?


    Ssik!


    Grid¡¯s mouth curved upwards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it once!¡±


    The Motley il caused a random effect when it hit the target. It could give a buff or a debuff. It would be the worst if the target was giving a buff.


    ¡¯A debuff is no use.¡¯


    Grid knew. The clone was the same as him. A debuff wouldn¡¯t have a big effect. Nevertheless, the reason why Grid fought with the il was because he believed.


    ¡®It will have a definite effect, not simple debuffs...!¡¯


    For example, the effect of decreasing the target¡¯s health to 1 point or increasing the weight gauge to MAX. These effects weren¡¯t ssified as debuffs, so Grid couldn¡¯t withstand the physical effects.


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    The il had an immediate effect after hitting the clone. A light shed once.


    [The target¡¯s attack power will double for 10 seconds.]


    "...¡±


    Grid had already decided. An unlucky bastard like him, depending on an item with random effects, the probability of getting a positive oue was like winning the lottery. But still, this was too much.


    ¡®If it is double the attack power...!¡¯


    Grid stepped back as the clone¡¯s greatsword started moving.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    This was a basic attack, but the level was that of a skill. Grid¡¯s eyes shook as he received great damage. However, he didn¡¯t forget to fight back.


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    [The target¡¯s maximum health will triple for 10 seconds.]


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    [The target¡¯s skill damage will increase by 20% for 10 seconds.]


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    [Grants a shield spell to the target.]


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    [The target has been affected by the silence state.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    "Ah, really!¡±


    Grid¡¯s anger soared as the battle continued.


    Pisik.


    The clone ridiculed him. It was the first emotion that the clone showed.


    ¡°You bastard...!¡±


    Grid gritted his teeth. At first nce, it seemed like he had lost his reason. But reality was different. Grid had already anticipated this and was prepared to die a few more times. He constantly struck the clone and activated the effect of the il.


    On the other hand, the clone was careless. It was because the effect of the il continuously favored him. He was careless as Grid continued to swing the il. He didn¡¯t avoid Grid¡¯s attack as he kept pressing Grid.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    In the end, Grid went on the defensive. In order to generate more effects, he tried to speed up his attacks using ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements, but it just ended up helping the clone.


    ¡®I have no choice but to be lucky in the next challenge.¡¯


    Grid gave up on this game. He cleared his mind and wielded the il. The clone didn¡¯t even bother avoiding the il. The odds of the il threatening him was like finding a needle in the desert. Indeed, it showed that the clone had a very high artificial intelligence.


    The concept of ¡®chance¡¯ was insignificant to him. The clone was making fun of him.


    Peeok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Immediately before Grid¡¯s immortality passive was over. The clone was surprised when it was struck in the face just as the match was about to finish. Grid was even more surprised.


    [The effect of the Motley il is triggered!]


    [Change health values with the target.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The confused clone hurriedly tried to pull out a potion.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and kicked the clone¡¯s abdomen. The clone¡¯s health fell to 1 and it entered the immortality state.


    ¡°I can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡±


    Grid dered and summoned Noe and Randy. The moment of the end of the long battle was approaching.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 392

    Chapter 392


    ¡®Really long...¡¯


    Grid had been tied up by the 41st ind for five days. If Grid was an ordinary yer, he likely would¡¯ve been satisfied and abandoned the 41st ind the moment that his new skills were acquired.


    This was normal. What yer in this world could repeatedly challenge death? There would only be 1 in every 10,000. The more high level a yer was, the more cautious they were.


    But Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He was obsessed with oveing his inadequate talent and was persistent. For Grid, giving up was a concept that should be avoided, and was one of the driving forces behind why he could stand shoulder to shoulder with geniuses.


    "Well, it ended sooner than expected.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know that the effect of the Motley il would resolve it from the beginning. He thought he would have to repeat his death several times. Yet the best oue urred in the very first fight.


    ¡®God has a conscience.¡¯


    Was God sorry about always giving Grid bad luck and gave him good luck once in a while?


    Ssik!


    Grid smiled as he swapped to Grid¡¯s Greatsword and neared the clone. The clone was in the immortal state. Grid was cautious of Meditation, so he was thankful for the clone¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The sword technique was unfolded and eight stormy energy des flooded towards Grid. Grid was lost the immortal passive, so the clone needed to gain the advantage in these five seconds. It was what Grid expected.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Compared to the best artificial intelligence, his skill development rate was rather slow. Originally, it was difficult for him to use Linked Wave Kill, but the power of ¡®prediction¡¯ was great. Grid anticipated that the clone would use Linked Wave Kill and seeded in unfolding it at the same time.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The storm of swords swallowed up each other and a powerful shock wave urred. Thend shook and the sea became chaotic.


    ¡°Noe! Randy!¡±


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    A tsunami seemed like it would swallow the ind. Noe and Randy flew towards the clone at the same time. Randy used Link while Noe opened his mouth and attempted to steal the stats. But the clone wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, and Quick Movements.¡±


    Peeng!


    The clone used buff skills as an explosion of dark magic urred around him, shrugging off Noe and Randy and aiming for Grid.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The movements were as fast as lightning. Grid reeled back as he was stabbed in the heart with Iyarugt. If the tsunami hadn¡¯t covered Grid and the clone at the same time, abo would¡¯ve seeded.


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid and the clone were swept to the edge of the ind by the tsunami. He swapped from Grid¡¯s Boots to Braham¡¯s Boots and used Fly to escape the destruction of the sea.


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    The damp Gridughed while panting. On the other hand, the clone revealed impatience. There was less than two seconds remaining on the immortality.


    "Magic Missile."


    Pepepepeng!


    He summoned the fake God Hands and fired four Magic Missiles at Grid. At the same time, the clone used Transcended Link. Surprisingly, Grid responded with Revolve. Why would he use Revolve first when it was unconditionally disadvantageous to him?


    The clone was confused and also started to use Revolve. But at that moment.


    Pe-ng!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    A sh of light struck the clone, who had been paying attention to the approaching strengthened Transcended Link. Where did this attacke from? It was from below. It came from the sea where the clone was standing.


    Magic Missile flew from it. The moment that the tsunami urred, Grid left one of the God Hands in the sea and waited for this moment.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The clone stumbled. He had a paleplexion and coughed up blood. It was an unbelievable situation for the clone. cing items to take advantage of the terrain and using a skill to draw attention? It was ridiculous that Grid had threatened the clone with such a trick.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I grown? It is all thanks to you. You have helped a lot in developing me.¡±


    Grid dealt the killing blow.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    The clone screamed with rage as it turned to grey.


    [You have won the fight against yourself!]


    [You have seeded in beating the 41st ind!]


    [You have acquired 1 skill level point from the mission clear reward.]


    Grid lost a huge 61.2% experience from the 42nd ind. As a result, Grid¡¯s level fell to 305. He would have to hunt for at least 20 days to recover 61.2% of his experience. The time loss was enormous.


    But Grid didn¡¯t think he received any damages. He gained the strongest skills Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill, as well as richbat experience.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    It was strength that transcended the concept of level. A noble pride could be seen in Grid¡¯s smile of satisfaction. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [You have ovee your limitations and have taken one step closer to being a legend.]


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Eyes¡¯ has been acquired.]


    So far, Grid had acquired three hidden pieces. The first hidden piece gave him a 10% reduction in his skills cooldown time and also the Item Modification skill. He got Item Combination from the second hidden piece, and Minerals Strengthening from the third one.


    ¡¯Since then, it¡¯s been a while...¡¯


    cksmith¡¯s Eyes? Grid felt anticipation as he checked the description of the skill.


    [cksmith¡¯s Eyes]


    You can see some of the abilities and options when looking at the target item. Limited to equipped items.


    * The closer the distance to the target item, the better the analytical power.


    "In short... It is an item observation skill that applies to items I don¡¯t own.¡±


    For example, he could get a glimpse of the armor and weapon that the enemy was using?


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was the point of this skill? What was the point of checking items? Grid thought for a moment and was btedly thrilled.


    ¡°Heok, isn¡¯t this a huge skill?¡±


    It was a huge scam being able to see the details of the enemy¡¯s items. Why? He could block the trump cards hidden in the enemy¡¯s items in advance, and also exploit the weaknesses.


    "Kuoh...¡±


    Grid¡¯s fists clenched as he shuddered. It was a state where he couldn¡¯t contain his joy.


    ¡°I like it when Grid is happy.¡±


    "Me too, nyang.¡±


    Noe and Randyughed and Grid stroked their heads. Sticks smiled as he watched the group of three. There was one fact that Grid overlooked. Grid¡¯s clone had died in the ckening State. The present Grid never imagined that this variable would provide a fun and positive environment for him.


    ***


    [Skill Level Point]


    Increases the skill level of a specified skill by 100%.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Raise the level of any skill?


    It would be nice to raise the level of powerful fusion skills like Linked Kill Wave, Pinnacle Kill, Transcended Link and Linked Kill. Unfortunately, the fusion skills didn¡¯t have the concept of level.


    They were so powerful that they were already judged asplete skills.


    ¡®It is better to raise the level of Kill.¡¯


    No, it might not be the case. Grid couldn¡¯t decide hastily.


    ¡®It might be good to raise the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.¡¯


    It was hard to choose right now. Grid decided to save the skill point and not use it hastily. Then Sticks approached him.


    ¡°Do you want to move on to the next ind?¡±


    Grid nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°I will do that.¡±


    There was 36 days left until the National Competition. Prior to that, Grid nned to capture all of the Behen Archipgo, so he hastened his steps.


    [You have entered the 42nd ind.]


    [You have entered the 43rd ind.]


    [You have entered the...]


    The trials to ovee himself seemed to have ended. The 42nd to 49th inds were ordinary missions such as monster hunting and boss raids.


    ¡®It isfortable.¡¯


    The monsters inhabiting the inds in the 40¡¯s weren¡¯t weak. They were just very easypared to when dealing with his clone. Thus, Grid¡¯s momentum continued until he reached the 50th ind.


    ***


    Braham, who had mastered magic while being a direct descendant of Shizo Beriache. In the end, he was regarded as a legend and was close to the title of the strongest. Then what about now? After losing his body and bing a soul, he was weak and miserable. The glory of the past couldn¡¯t be found anywhere.


    [Dammit...! Dammit!]


    The 1st great demon, Baal. That monster¡¯s contractor was one of the few people able to fight with a dragon. They caused trouble for Braham every time.


    [It can¡¯t happen again this time.]


    Braham went looking for his body sealed at the Sword Grave, only to be weakened by Agnus. He felt irritation at his soul losing strength and was eventually reminded of Grid.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant will be able to do it.]


    Just as Pagma had the power of a great demon.


    Pa-at!


    Braham¡¯s soul squeezed out all his remaining magic power and triggered detection magic throughout the continent. It was to find Grid.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 393

    Chapter 393


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    The 3rd ranked Chris¡¯ pride was as high as the sky. It was understandable. It would be strange to have low self-esteem when he was top three among two billion users.


    Chris only felt his limits with two people: Kraugel and Grid. In the case of Kraugel, he was overwhelmed by the incredible level up speed and physical abilities, while Grid was a legendary cksmith.


    In other words.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t believe I was jerked around by Zibal.¡¯


    Chris thought that everyone except for Kraugel and Grid were less than him. Zibal was one level higher than Chris and fought closely with Piaro, but when Chris thought about it objectively, Zibal was a person with high political skills. He was right below Chris. But such a person yed with him.


    Chris¡¯ pride was greatly damaged when Zibal raised doubts at the gathering of the leaders of the seven guilds. It would be difficult to recover unless he showed his strength to Zibal.


    ¡¯I want topletely smash Zibal and the Snake Guild.¡¯


    The Giant Guild, led by Chris, was the strongest guild in the past, but not anymore. It fell after being hit hard by the Reinhardt golem invasion. Now it would be fortunate if his guild power could be considered in the top three of the seven guilds.


    In this situation, he couldn¡¯t guarantee an unconditional victory if he shed with the Snake Guild. In addition, there was the problem of the other guilds allied with the Snake Guild. If Chris struck at the Snake Guild, the entire Giant Guild might be isted.


    In the end, Chris had only one choice.


    ¡®I have to aim for the National Competition.¡¯


    He would meet the seven guilds, including Zibal and Seuron, in the National Competition.


    ¡®Trample them.¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Chris was one of the strongest people in the world, despite being defeated by a farmer. His biggest strength? It wasn¡¯t his level, control or items. It was his unique rated second ss, Tyrant. This was Chris¡¯ biggest weapon.


    A second ss was a great concept. Since a user had two sses, it was hard to list the effects and benefits.


    ***


    Huroi¡¯sbat power was the worst until he got his second ss, Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner. He couldn¡¯t use any weapons apart from a book and because he was an orator, he had to fight with words instead of attack skills. In the past, Huroi could only believe in his mouth every time he experienced a crisis.


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    Behen Archipgo, the 31st ind.


    After falling into his days as a level 73 orator, Huroi fell into a desperate crisis. He was surrounded by 13 level 85 monsters, the grey-mane wolves that boasted superb attack power and agility.


    ¡®This is an ind that recreates my past trials.¡¯


    Huroi was desperate. He couldn¡¯t use a sword without his second ss and his overall stats were the worst. He wasn¡¯t sure how to handle this crisis.


    ¡®How did My Lord ovee such trials?¡¯


    Huroi once again thought that Grid was great.


    ¡¯It was worth giving him all my loyalty.¡¯


    Kwack!


    Huroi gained courage from this. As Grid¡¯s right arm, he didn¡¯t want to cause shame. Huroi wanted to ovee this trial. He made fun of the wolves.


    "Your mother is a fox!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The mother who gave birth to the wolves was a fox? It was an insult.


    ¡°Awooooo!¡±


    Bark!Bark bark!


    The angry wolves started to go crazy, falling into a mental shock from Huroi¡¯s Spiteful Tongue.


    "Your father has a yellow mane!¡±


    "You are dogs!¡±


    ¡°Your ancestors were turned into my jerky!¡±


    It was a really low mud fight that made the listeners frown.


    ***


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    It was one month to the National Competition. Chairman Lim Cheolho, who hadn¡¯t been able to monitor the rankings for a while due to his busy schedule, watched the recorded video of when Grid hit the 41st ind andughed.


    Was he happy about Grid¡¯s growth? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid was making steady progress, so this wasn¡¯t anything new. Right now, Lim Cheolho¡¯s attention was on the clone who died in the ckening state.


    "The clone should¡¯ve been destroyed at the moment of death...¡±


    But it actually fell to hell due to the ckening state, bing an independent entitypletely separate from Grid.


    "It this a bug?¡±


    Lim Cheolho was the creator of Satisfy, but he didn¡¯t build all the systems alone. In order to minimize errors and create arger system, Lim Cheolho left Satisfy¡¯s overall operation to the supeputer, Morpheus. Despite the end of ckening, Grid¡¯s clone wasn¡¯t pushed out of hell to the human world. Therefore, Lim Cheolho felt doubts.


    Morpheus exined.


    [It isn¡¯t a bug. Z10B005 isn¡¯t a user. Therefore, he isn¡¯t subject to the rules of ckening and hell.]


    "Hrmm... This situation is very interesting.¡±


    Hell started to tremble with the arrival of Grid¡¯s clone. What change would this cause in hell? In addition, how could the clone grow now that it was independent from Grid?


    Lim Cheolho was very excited and was looking forward to it.


    ***


    [You have entered the 50th ind.]


    [This is a save point. Would you like to register?]


    [You have been registered. When you enter the Behen Archipgoter on, you will start from the 50th ind.]


    On the 41st ind, Grid tasted great adversity. After that, he seeded in reaching the 50th ind in a short amount of time. But it wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling.


    "The mobs are over level 360.¡±


    The higher the number of the ind, the higher the level of the monsters. On the 49th ind, the average level of the monsters was 360~370. It was at least 55 levels higher than Grid. Their basic stats were very good and they had good defense, making it hard for Grid.


    Was it possible to go 5 against 1? He fought against level 360 monsters in a 5 against 1 match. It was great enough to make general rankers lose their words. But once again, Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. The stronger the monsters, the slower his hunting speed.


    "It¡¯s doubtful if I can reach the end of the Behen Archipgo by the time the National Competition arrives.¡±


    It was a month in reality and 90 days in Satisfy time before the National Competition arrived. It might not be possible to reach the 66th ind in this period of time if the difficulty kept increasing.


    ¡°In order to increase the speed of hunting, I need Fog Ind.¡±


    Before he knew it, Grid had collected 18,851 challenger points. It was enough to purchase the Weapons Mastery skill book and 51 elixirs.


    ¡®51 elixirs.¡¯


    It was equivalent to 51 levels. If he was able to acquire Weapons Mastery and the elixirs, Grid would be able to hunt the monsters of the Behen Archipgo more easily.


    ¡®It is also possible to make the ratio of strength and agility 1:1.¡¯


    This meant he could copy Piaro¡¯s stats distribution. Grid was convinced that he would surely be stronger if he made the ratio of strength and agility 1:1.


    ¡®I won¡¯t follow anyone else, only Piaro.¡¯


    Since Satisfy opened, Piaro was the third strongest person Grid had ever met. The vampire duke Marie Rose and great magician Braham were the other two, so Grid judged that he would be stronger if he copied Piaro¡¯s stats distribution.


    ¡°Huhuhut!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid repaired the items whose durability were severely damaged in the Behen Archipgo andughed. He was imagining the scene where he would reach Fog Ind and bepensated for his hard work.


    That¡¯s right. Grid had forgotten. The fact this his wishes didn¡¯t always ur the way he wanted.


    ***


    [You have entered the 51st ind.]


    [A mission will be created.]


    [51st Ind]


    Defeat 10 golden crowns in 20 minutes.


    First Clear Reward: 1,900 Challenger Points.


    ¡¯Golden crowns?¡¯


    It was a high level mob that Grid was unfamiliar with. It was the same with ¡®golden crown.¡¯ It was the first time Grid had even heard the name.


    ¡°What nuisances will appear this time?¡±


    Unlike hisint, Grid¡¯s expression was bright. Grid boasted the ultimate attack power, so he was confident in time attack missions.


    Kkirik.Kik.


    It was a small ind with rock walls rising in every direction. Grid was about to deploy Fly to find the monsters called golden crowns when he suddenly stopped. It was because he had an unidentified sounding from a rtively close ce. Grid pulled out the blue-ck Grid¡¯s Greatsword and prepared himself.


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    A monster wearing a golden crown on its head fell from a rock wall. At the same time, it swung a big and heavy club.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid moved the greatsword horizontally and blocked it, before moving forward.


    ¡®It is dirty.¡¯


    The power wasn¡¯t a joke. The damage was almost at the level of a skill. It felt like he would lose at least 6,000 health if he was hit with it.


    "But it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Grid had met many strong enemies since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was enough to make fun ofmon monsters like these.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Grid blocked the club and used a skill while narrowing the distance.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puok!


    It was a monster with green, bumpy skin and a golden crown. The blue-ck greatsword precisely struck the heart. However.


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Kyaooooh!¡±


    The golden crown started to counterattack.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    He was puzzled by the unexpected situation. Most yers would feel confused if the skill damage they were so proud of didn¡¯t affect the target. However, Grid was surprisingly strong against variables.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been through this once or twice.¡¯


    Jjeejeeeong!


    There was a piercing roar as the greatsword and club collided. Grid calmed down while frowning at the echoing sound. He used his developed thinking skills to try and find the blind spot of the golden crowns.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 394

    Chapter 394


    ¡®For Kill to only do 1 damage, it isn¡¯t just physical defense. They have resistance to physical attacks. The status resistance is also high.¡¯


    [Kill Lv. 6 (57.1%)]


    A killing sword that expresses hatred.


    Deals 1,800% of your attack power to a single target. There will be a bleeding and desperation effect.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,000


    Skill Stamina Consumption: Consumes 20% of your stamina.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 380 seconds


    As with any skill, Kill was steadily strengthened as the level rose. The resource consumption and cooldown time decreased, while the power increased. The level 360~370 monsters on the inds in the 40¡¯s would lose more than 60% of their health if hit by Grid¡¯s Kill unleashed from Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    However, the golden crown received only 1 damage. This couldn¡¯t be exined with just high defense.


    ¡®I need to check to make sure.¡¯


    Grid thought and nned as the golden crown aimed the club at his head.


    Peeok!


    [You have suffered 6,360 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a damage that Grid could make fun of.


    ¡®One-tenth of my health disappeared in one blow.¡¯


    At level 300, one strength stat increased health by 7, while one stamina stat increased health by 25.


    There was the 6,000 health added by the Holy Light Set, the 3,000 health added by the Man who has Touched Hell title, and 3,000 health added by Tiramet¡¯s Belt and Tiramet¡¯s Shoulderguards, giving Grid approximately 63,000 health.


    Now he received 6,000 damage from base damage, not a skill, so he became tense.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s concentrate.¡¯


    Grid moved forward. He aimed Pinnacle at the golden crown.


    [Pinnacle Lv. 3 (15.9%)]


    A sword that expresses the essence of a warrior god.


    Deals 780% of your attack power to a single target. This skill will ignore 62% of the target¡¯s armor.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 700


    Skill Cooldown Time: 143 seconds


    Seokeok!


    Pinnacle shed at the wide chest of the golden crown. Looking at the momentum, it was a blow that could cut the golden crown in half. But the result?


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    Grid was convinced. This green monster with a golden crown resisted physical attacks. The proof was that Pinnacle, which ignored the target¡¯s defense, only dealt 1 damage.


    ¡®Their weakness...¡¯


    Magic. Enemies immune to physical damage were vulnerable to magic, just as those immune to magic were vulnerable to physical attacks. This wasmon sense for users ying Satisfy, and the reason why party y was prevalent in Satisfy.


    It was difficult for a warrior with strong physical attacks or a magician with high magic power to ovee crises in the game alone. But Grid was different. He had the ability to y the game by himself.


    Was it because of his legendary ss? No, it was because of his rtionship with Braham. Due to that bond, Grid had learned magic.


    "Magic Missile."


    Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 2 (37%)


    A magic missile developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    It boasts tremendous power, but consumes a lot of resources.


    It deals damage equal to twice your current magic power to the target. It also ignores the enemy¡¯s magic resistance.


    Resource Consumption: 380 Mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 1 second.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 4.8 seconds


    Peeng!


    A sharp sh of light pierced the heart of the golden crown.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The biggest advantage of Magic Missile was its fast casting speed. Grid smiled with satisfaction as he saw the golden crown that couldn¡¯t cope with the sudden emergence of Magic Missile. But that smile didn¡¯tst long.


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    It resisted physical and magic attacks? The golden crown struck the confused Grid.


    [You have suffered 6,160 damage.]


    ¡°This really hurts.¡±


    Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. His ability to read the enemy¡¯s attack orbit was excellent. But the golden crown was a level 380 monster, so its physical abilities far overwhelmed the level 305 Grid. In addition, there was the penalty due to the level difference.


    As a result, Grid couldn¡¯t fully read the movements of the golden crown and allowed a sessive string of attacks. Grid was pushed back by the momentum.


    ¡°Kiyaaak!¡±


    The golden crown approached and swung its club again.


    Jjejejeok!


    ¡®This damn monster...!¡¯


    There was 17 minutes and 1 second remaining for the mission time limit. He needed to hunt 10 golden crowns in 20 minutes, but he couldn¡¯t even hunt one in 3 minutes, making Grid feel nervous. But he didn¡¯t despair.


    ¡®Keep myposure.¡¯


    Grid had numerous experiences with unexpected things. He wouldn¡¯t repeat the same mistakes again.


    Jjang!Jjejeong!


    Grid calmly blocked the golden crown¡¯s onught.


    ¡®Physical attacks and magic attacks don¡¯t work on the opponent.¡¯


    Then how could he hunt them?


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Grid was blocking the club from hitting his corbone when he remembered an unusual monster.


    ¡®Mimic!¡¯


    Mimic. They were monsters that looked like treasure chests to deceive adventurers. One of their greatest strengths was that they had the ¡®resist all damage¡¯ passive. Grid had only met a mimic once.


    ¡®No matter the attack, it only suffers 1 damage.¡¯


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that a mimic was invincible. The maximum health of a mimic was 10~120 depending on their level. Grid only dealt 1 damage, but he would be able to hunt it if he hit it many times in a row.


    That¡¯s right. Grid judged that the golden crown was a monster like a mimic.


    ¡®It is only 1 damage per hit, but they have low health.¡¯


    He just needed to hit them a lot. Grod swapped from Grid¡¯s Greatsword to Iyarugt to increase his attack speed and used Link.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    [Link Lv. 7 (61.2%)]


    A dazzling sword dance that is like the wings of a butterfly.


    Deals 800% of your attack power to a single target.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 60 seconds


    The number of strikes for Link was proportional to the attack speed. With Iyarugt, he could do a total of 25 strikes.


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    The biggest advantage was that continuous attacks caused the target to stiffen. Due to the series of attacks, the golden crowns were unable to move. Grid used Continuous Stab during that gap. It was the skill he acquired from the reservist training.


    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    A total of five stabs struck the golden crown¡¯s body. In the midst of this, the God Hands were also moving rapidly. All of them held a weapon and attacked the golden hands without stopping.


    ¡®It should be now.¡¯


    Grid believed that the golden crown¡¯s health gauge should¡¯ve fallen sharply. But reality was relentless when he checked it with his eyes.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Despite the efforts of Grid and the God Hands, the golden crown¡¯s health gauge was still full. Grid realized. The golden crown was different from a mimic.


    ¡®Should I try another way?¡¯


    Pakak!


    Grid¡¯s face was hit by the club while he was trying to think.


    Kuuong!


    Grid felt pain as he was thrown back and hit a rock.


    "Kilkil!¡±


    Grid heard a badugh from above his head.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    Grid stiffened as he looked in the direction of theughter. Then he felt despair. Three golden crowns were looking down at him from a rock.


    ¡®The worst.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t do anything against one golden crown. Now three more enemies were added.


    ¡®I am going to die from normal mobs, not a boss.¡¯


    In the beginning, Grid was killed by rabbits. But this experience became unfamiliar since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The mental blow was very big.


    ¡¯There has to be a way...¡¯


    The three golden crowns jumped from the rock.


    Fortunately, there was ack of cooperation and the separate attacks could be blocked by the God Hands, buying time for Grid¡¯s brain to work. He couldn¡¯t think of a way to ovee this crisis.


    ¡®Should I just give up and die?¡¯


    He had barely recovered the experience that he lost from dying to the clone, and now he had to die again? It couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡®It would be better to give up the mission and survive.¡¯


    Grid decided and was about to summon Randy and Noe.


    [The name is golden crown? The body isn¡¯t the green monster, but the crown on its head.]


    It was an unexpected voice. The familiar voice entered Grid¡¯s ears.


    ¡°You...!?¡±


    Grid was confused by the unimaginable existence and raised his head to look at the sky, where a faint soul was floating. It was Braham¡¯s soul.


    [Pagma¡¯s Descendant is ying around in the yground that Pagma made.]


    Originally, Braham¡¯s voice was filled with infinite power. It contained absolutely confidence and magic power. But not anymore. Compared to before, Braham¡¯s voice was very weak.


    ¡¯He still hasn¡¯t found his body? What on earth happened?¡¯


    Why did hee here in the first ce? Grid was puzzled but still kept an eye on the golden crowns. After avoiding the clubs flying from the front and rear, he cut the golden crown of a green monster with Iyarugt.


    Then.


    [You have dealt 5,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡®This is the strategy to handle them.¡¯


    Thanks to Braham, Grid got a glimpse of the light. But he still had to give up on the mission. There was 12 minutes and 59 seconds remaining. He might¡¯ve discovered the weakness of the golden crowns, but it was difficult to beat 10 of them in that time.


    Braham suggested to Grid.


    [ept my soul once again. This time for a bit longer than before.]


    Grid received a hidden quest.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 395

    Chapter 395


    ¡®A yground made by Pagma?¡¯


    This ce called the Behen Archipgo, hadn¡¯t the Hall of Fame existed since a long time ago? The timing wasn¡¯t right to say that Pagma made it.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    Did it mean that Pagma made the ¡®Contaminated¡¯ Behen Archipgo?


    ¡®In other words, the person who contaminated the Behen Archipgo is Pagma?¡¯


    Pagma was always being exposed through Braham. Grid didn¡¯t 100% trust Braham, but he had positive feelings towards him.


    ¡°And why should I ept your soul again? Did you fail to recover your original body?¡±


    No, what was this? Didn¡¯t he say he would be resurrected if Grid made him the Vessel of the Soul?


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    The onught of the golden crowns continued while Grid was asking Braham questions. It wasn¡¯t easy to cope with the clubs from four golden crowns, and Grid couldn¡¯t rely on the God Hands. The Sword Mastery level of the God Hands couldn¡¯t cope with the remarkable movement of the level 380 golden crowns.


    Braham gave advice to the struggling Grid.


    [The golden crown is a parasitic being that uses other monsters as a host. Since there isn¡¯t a limit in controlling the host¡¯s body, the overall stats are better than other monsters at the same level. With your present skills, it isn¡¯t easy to overwhelm them. So ept my soul.]


    "Speaking nonsense with my body, do you think I would agree to that again? Don¡¯t just speak one-sidedly. Answer my questions.¡±


    Grid suffered greatly from the arrogant and chuuni words that poured from his mouth when he epted Braham¡¯s soul. He didn¡¯t want to have the same experience again. In the first ce, he was uneasy with not having control of his body.


    Peeng!


    Grid temporarily restrained the behavior of the golden crowns with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint. At the same time, he fired Magic Missile at the golden crown opposite him. The golden crown screamed but didn¡¯t die.


    ¡°Kakakakak!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Indeed, it was as Braham said.


    The golden crowns didn¡¯t care about the safety of the host monster.


    It showed movements beyond the limit, not caring if the muscles or joints were damaged. The arms swung the club like an electric fan. The bones that protruded from the broken elbows were used as weapons, making Grid feel confused in many ways.


    [The petty questions that you have, if you ept me then you will naturally get the answers. You can also easily ovee this crisis.]


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Legendary Great Magician]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Braham has failed to recover his original body. He wants to stay in a safe space until he recovers his exhausted magic power, and has chosen your body as that space.


    If you ept Braham¡¯s soul, you will gain a powerful force.


    Quest eptance Reward: 50% increase in affinity with Braham. The legendary second ss ¡®Legendary Great magician¡¯ will be acquired.


    ¡®Legendary second ss?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mind shook like he was struck by a hammer. It was a truly shocking offer. He would get a second ss that was hard to obtain, and it was also a legendary ss? Was there anyone in the world who could enjoy such good luck?


    ¡¯This is a dream, right?¡¯


    Since Huroi first obtained a second ss, it was said that less than 100 users had obtained a second ss. Most of them received a normal rated second ss. The number of people with a higher rated second ss could be counted on one hand. A legendary second ss was an uncharted territory.


    But he was able to obtain it.


    ¡®A legendary cksmith and a legendary great magician...!¡¯


    Grid shook.


    Sticks, who had been silent, cautioned him.


    "Grid, you might not know it, but Braham is actually a vampire, not a human. He is also one of the nine direct descendants of Beriache. Don¡¯t be misled by him just because he is a legend. You might be his host, just like the golden crown monsters.¡±


    Sticks earnestly spoke. Grid looked at him in a mysterious manner.


    "The man who was silently watching while I was attacked by the golden crowns is now speaking up.¡±


    Now Grid knew Braham¡¯s identity. But Braham helped him, so Grid didn¡¯t feel negatively towards him. So what if he wasn¡¯t human? Grid had gone through too many things to be prejudiced towards a person because of their species.


    Sticks was embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯m called a sage, but I don¡¯t know everything. I didn¡¯t know about the golden crowns, so I wasn¡¯t able to give you advice. It wasn¡¯t done maliciously.¡±


    "You don¡¯t have to be so serious. I¡¯m not trying to sell you off.¡±


    Grid was no longer interested in Sticks. He summoned Noe and Randy and started to attack the golden crowns while talking to Braham¡¯s soul.


    "Braham, if I ept your soul, will you also freely move my body likest time?¡±


    If so, he couldn¡¯t ept this hidden quest, even if he wanted the legendary second ss. Grid¡¯s caution couldn¡¯t bepared to the past. Braham inwardly admired it while answering.


    [No, your flesh will purely be yours if you ept me. I won¡¯t take over your body unless you want it yourself.]


    "It is a spiritual rapport?¡±


    Once Grid epted Braham¡¯s soul, he would be able to share his thoughts with Braham andmunicate. It was a mysterious experience in many ways. Braham wasn¡¯t 100% reliable, so it was right to draw a line.


    [Right now, I am very weak. If Imunicate with you spiritually, I am likely to be influenced and absorbed by you. Rapport... It doesn¡¯t exist unless I take over your body.]


    It was a satisfactory answer. Grid nodded and asked a question.


    "What is the duration of your stay?¡±


    [A minimum of one year.]


    ¡°Give me a definite answer. Up to how many years?¡±


    [...Four years.]


    From one to four years. It meant that Grid could only have the legendary second ss for that long and of course, it was based on Satisfy time. Grid was a little disappointed.


    ¡®It is too short.¡¯


    It would be hard to bear if he suddenly lost power one day. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ignore that power from the beginning? Braham read Grid¡¯s worry and tempted him.


    [Do you think you will get nothing from me? You will be able to learn all types of magic and wisdom from me. Isn¡¯t that alone beneficial?]


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    There was no reason for Grid to reject. Sticks tried to stop him, but it was useless.


    "Grid, you don¡¯t know how atrocious the demonkin are...?¡±


    "Demonkin or human, it doesn¡¯t matter. I want to be stronger. "


    The reason that Grid was so devoted to Satisfy, despite making enough money, was to prove the value of his existence. In order to get further away from his despised past, Grid was looking higher and higher.


    His first goal was to win three gold medals in the National Competition. Grid once again wanted to be recognized. In particr, for those who tormented him, he wanted to show that he was living well. In order to do that, he needed to cross beyond the mountain called Kraugel.


    "Braham, I will ept your soul.¡±


    [A wise choice.]


    sh!


    Braham¡¯s soul was sucked into Grid¡¯s chest. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [You have be one with Braham¡¯s soul.]


    [The second ss ¡®Legendary Great Magician¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [You are the first yer to achieve two legendary sses!]


    [It is truly a great achievement!! The title ¡®Glimpsed the Myths¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [Glimpsed the Myths]


    The minimum qualification to raise your ss rating to ¡®Myth.¡¯


    The title itself has no effect.


    ¡®Myth...!¡¯


    Most yers already knew about it. The highest rating in Satisfy was myth, not legend. They were able to know this because there were all types of myth rated items, including the Reba Church¡¯s three divine artifacts.


    But who could¡¯ve imagined it? A yer could actually reach the myth rating.


    ¡®Lauel didn¡¯t even know it.¡¯


    It was a great feeling of aplishment to obtain new information before anyone else. A notification window appeared in front of Grid. But the contents...


    [You have learned all of Braham¡¯s magic.]


    [It failed because of your low intelligence!]


    [In order to master Braham¡¯s magic, you must raise your intelligence.]


    [In order to provide Braham¡¯s soul with steady magic power and restore it, you must raise your intelligence.]


    [6]


    [The skill ¡®Assimtion¡¯ has been generated.]


    [Assimtion]


    Will awaken Braham¡¯s sleeping consciousness in your body and be one.


    At this time, your ss will be converted to Great Magician¡¯ and control of the flesh will be transferred to Braham.


    Skill Duration: 3 minutes


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 days


    ¡°...?¡±


    He acquired a legendary second ss, but why didn¡¯t the result look good? No, it didn¡¯t look good.


    ¡°%$(#!!¡±


    It stunk. He gained 10 stat points per level. Of those, six would be forcibly invested in intelligence? Grid naturally cursed. He couldn¡¯t control his anger, so Sticks asked with an anxious expression.


    ¡°Did Braham deceive you? A demonkin isn¡¯t someone you should encounter.¡±


    "...¡±


    The elves who wanted to keep the bnce of the world, and the demonkin who wanted to destroy the world, their rtionship was the worst. Grid continued to ignore Sticks¡¯ remark, since he had a bias against Braham.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t deceived.¡¯


    It was his fault for not asking what penalties he would receive if he epted Braham¡¯s soul.


    ¡®For example, I already had the experience of falling to level 1 after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant...¡¯


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t regret it, since obtaining a legendary second ss was priceless. He never thought it was possible.


    "First of all, I have to test Braham¡¯s strength.¡±


    The time left to clear the mission of the 51st ind was only 8 minutes and 35 seconds. He needed to hunt 10 golden crowns. It was an impossible task for Grid alone, even if he summoned Noe and Randy.


    ¡®But what if I use Braham¡¯s abilities?¡¯


    ¡°Assimtion.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s wide shoulders and thick forearms started to gradually change. His jawline became tapered and his ck hair was as white as snow.


    "...Kukukuk, failing to catch such dogs.¡¯ I will burn them together with the whole ind.¡±


    It was the white-haired version of Grid that attracted female hearts and brought about the 5th Korean Wave in Japan. This was indeed...


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    [The magic isn¡¯t cast because your intelligence is too low.]


    "...¡±


    The first time Grid epted Braham¡¯s soul, it was full of magic power. Then what about now?


    ¡®...Shit, it¡¯s like this.¡¯


    Now Grid wanted to cry at thepensation of the hidden quest. In many ways, it was regretful.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    stat points will be forcibly invested into intelligence every time your level goes up.

 Chapter 396

    Chapter 396


    Behen Archipgo, the 51st ind.


    Four golden crowns faced the white-haired Grid.


    ¡°Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!¡±


    [The magic isn¡¯t cast because your intelligence is too low.]


    [The magic isn¡¯t cast because your intelligence is too low.]


    [The magic isn¡¯t cast...]


    "...¡±


    He tried again, but the result was the same. The white-haired Grid, no, Braham, couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°How can this be? How bad is your head that you can even get the form for Fireball wrong?¡±


    Grid snapped back.


    ¡®My head isn¡¯t bad!¡¯


    It was true. If they used the scale of the ¡®intelligence stat¡¯ to measure good or bad, Grid¡¯s head wasn¡¯t bad. Why? Mcus¡¯ Cloak increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 200 and the ck Quartz Earrings increased it by 15%, so he had close to 1,200 intelligence.


    The influence of items was great. Which cksmith in the world would have intelligence over 1,000? No, it wasn¡¯t just cksmiths. Grid was currently level 305. Among the level 305 users, it was extremely rare for them to have more than 1,000 unless they were magicians or schrs.


    In other words, Grid was smarter than average. Once again, Grid was smart when using the intelligence stat as a measuring stick. But Braham saw Grid at the level of an idiot.


    "What a fool.¡±


    The level of Braham¡¯s magic spells could be broken down into 10 levels. There were many types and uses. However, Grid¡¯s current intelligence meant he could only use the lowest 10th level magic. Braham couldn¡¯t even use Fireball, which was 9th level magic? Braham¡¯s Fireball wasn¡¯t a regr Fireball, but an enhanced one. It was impossible toplete theplex form with Grid¡¯s current intelligence.


    "Your intelligence is a means to ovee a crisis, but it¡¯s like I entered the body of a skunk.¡±


    ¡®...W-What?¡¯


    Why did he keep being med for not being able to use magic? Grid thought it was ridiculous, so words couldn¡¯te out properly.


    Braham exined, "Currently, most of my soul is asleep in your body. I am just a fragment of that soul. I have to borrow your brain and magic power to use magic. But it has no meaning with your current status.¡±


    ¡®Eek...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s anger skyrocketed. He epted Braham¡¯s soul to be stronger, but the reality was that he just became angrier. It was truly a cursed life. There was no way to solve this.


    ¡®Then is there any meaning in epting you?¡¯


    "Let¡¯s see?¡±


    Braham just nodded at the agitated Grid. His rxed attitude made Grid more heated up.


    ¡®Dammit! What the hell is this?¡¯


    Grid cursed and shouted.


    ¡°Kieeek!¡±


    "Kyaak!"


    Suddenly, the mood of the golden crowns changed and they sprang at Grid. The atmosphere of the white-haired Grid was different from before, but they judged that he was still easy. Grid wanted to cry.


    ¡®Will I die like this?¡¯


    The duration of Assimtion, this useless skill where the miracle was 1+1=0, had 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining. Grid had given over control of his body to Braham, so he thought he would die because he couldn¡¯t rely on items or Noe and Randy.


    Braham read Grid¡¯s fearful mind.


    "I must look very funny to you.¡±


    Braham was special among the legends. Unlike the other legends of human origin, his abilities were overwhelming. He was also unique enough to raise the science of magic to another level.


    "Do you think that this body will be hit by hybrids?¡±


    ¡¯...!¡¯


    Grid was beyond shocked. Braham¡¯s vision of the four rushing golden crowns was different from his own.


    "Magic Missile."


    Peng!


    Pepepeng!


    Great magician. A legendary great magician was on a different dimension. The skill description for Magic Missile (Enhanced) said that it had a cooldown time of 5 seconds, but Braham was able to shoot four without a time difference.


    ¡°Kuwek!¡±


    The golden crowns was urately pierced and the monsters hesitated in pain. Braham didn¡¯t give them a break.


    "Magic Missile."


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    He used only Magic Missiles. But the power was effective enough. Braham was in assimtion state. In other words, Grid¡¯s ss was Great Magician. His Magic Missile was at the 10th level and the power was iparable to Grid¡¯s Magic Missile.


    Finally.


    [The golden crown has been defeated.]


    [13,498,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [The golden crown has been defeated.]


    [13,498,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [The golden crown...]


    ...


    ...


    Golden crowns. Golden crowns that emitted light to attract monsters.


    They used the lured monsters as hosts and were capable of showing overwhelmingbat power, but they had one weakness. The health of the golden crowns were low whenpared to monsters of the same level.


    Grid was filled with joy as he saw that they couldn¡¯t endure the bombardment of master level Magic Missiles.


    ¡®This might be possible!¡¯


    He thought he might be able to clear the mission of the 51st ind.


    ¡®There is 7 minutes and 34 seconds until the mission ends.¡¯


    Assimtion would end in 1 minute and 59 seconds. Would Braham be able to defeat 6 golden crowns in that time? Grid was looking forward to it, and Braham tried to meet those expectations. He used Magic Detection (Enhanced) to find the location of the golden crowns on the ind, then fired Magic Missiles towards them.


    Pepepepeng!


    "Kyaak!"


    ¡®Wow.¡¯


    Grid once again felt admiration.


    In the case of Grid, he fought it difficult to hit four targets that were 50 meters ahead with Magic Missile. Meanwhile, Braham urately struck the golden crowns that were 200 meters ahead.


    ¡®Great.¡¯


    Six golden crowns around the ind were hit and flocked towards Braham. Grid trembled as he sensed the approaching sess of the mission.


    ¡®Shit, my mana is gone.¡¯


    ¡°...?¡±


    At level 300, every point in intelligence gave him 6 mana. Grid had 1,193 intelligence, giving him 7,158 mana. The master level Magic Missile (Enhanced) cost 350 mana, while the master level Magic Detection (Enhanced) cost 2,000 mana. Braham wasn¡¯t joking when he said his mana ran out.


    Grid looked at the six golden crowns approaching and shouted.


    ¡¯A great magician can¡¯t even properly control his mana?¡¯


    ¡°It is the first time I¡¯ve had such a small amount of mana, so I made a mistake.¡±


    ¡®Shit! Don¡¯t waste time giving me excuses. Drink a mana potion!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s skills had a high consumption rate. Thus, he always kept mana potions on him.


    Click.


    Braham identified the mana potions in Grid¡¯s inventory and pulled out one of them. It wasn¡¯t the advanced mana potion that cost 20 gold each. Instead, it was the super mana potion produced by Reidan¡¯t alchemy facility that didn¡¯t have a price yet?


    ¡®No, what are you...?¡¯


    In fact, even advanced mana potions were a luxury for Grid. The mana restored by an advanced mana potion was higher than Grid¡¯s total mana. However, the reason that Grid had the advanced mana potions was because the intermediate ones werecking. Anyway, for Grid who was always in pain when drinking an advanced mana potion, he couldn¡¯t stand Braham drinking a super mana potion. He even felt hatred.


    ¡®You...! What are you doing?¡¯


    The price of an advanced mana potion was more expensive than a chicken. But the super mana potions were at least 10 times more expensive. Braham shrugged at Grid, who couldn¡¯t believe the scene urring in front of him.


    "My mouth has luxurious tastes.¡±


    ¡®What...? It¡¯s the same!¡¯


    Grid felt anger and annoyance. While Grid¡¯s regret deepened, Braham showed his worth.


    "Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile."


    It was only one type of spell. Thanks to this, Grid was able to safely clear the 51st ind.


    [1,900 challenger points have been acquired.]


    [The gate to the 52nd ind is open.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [As someone with a second ss, you will receive a level up bonus. 12 stat points have been acquired.]


    [6]


    [The duration of Assimtion is over. Braham¡¯s soul will be asleep for 10 days.]


    "...¡±


    It was easy to clear the ind and reach level 305 thanks to Braham. However, he couldn¡¯t feel any happiness.


    Grid pledged.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t summon him in the future.¡¯


    Grid thought he might die if he had to often face Braham. But Grid was also dimly aware. Braham had a great affinity towards him. His words, tone and expression were much softer than they were in the past.


    ¡®He will gradually reveal Pagma¡¯s secrets.¡¯


    Grid gained the solid insurance called Braham, so his expression was bright, despite wasting points in intelligence. It was exactly 30 days in real time until the National Competition.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    stat points will be forcibly invested in intelligence.

 Chapter 397

    Chapter 397


    ¡¯It isn¡¯t a big loss if I think about it calmly.¡¯


    A typical yer gained 10 stat points for each level increase. But those with second sses like Grid were able to gain two additional stat points. Six of them were forcibly invested in intelligence, but it wasn¡¯t a negative thing.


    ¡®Intelligence increases my maximum mana, so I¡¯ll be able to use more skills and the power of my magic will also increase.


    Above all, the important part was for Grid was to increase the efficiency of the Assimtion skill. It was very difficult to give control of his body to Braham, but there was an irresistible appeal about Assimtion.


    The charm of it was shining in the ¡®Magic List¡¯ right now.


    -Avable Magic Spells that can be Learned!-


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    A magic detection spell developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    Emits arge amount of mana in all directions, locating all living things in a radius of 10 meters.


    The higher the magic level, the wider the detection range and the more information that can be seen.


    Resource Consumption: 3,000 Mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 6 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    -If you use this spell three times in Great Magician mode, you will learn it.


    Thus, it was possible for Grid to acquire magic used by Braham in Assimtion mode. It meant he could get the unique magic of a legendary great magician for free. This was aplete scam. It was so crazy that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for others to be blinded by jealousy.


    ¡®I want to learn more of Braham¡¯s magic, so I need to raise my intelligence.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s main duty was as a cksmith and then a swordsman. If he was blinded by immediate greed and invested a lot of stat points in intelligence, he was likely to shed tears of blood in the future.


    ¡®A weak hybrid is the worst. Don¡¯t be impatient.¡¯


    Of course, the way to raise his intelligence wasn¡¯t just stat points. He could wear items that increased his intelligence, such as Mcus¡¯ Cloak and the ck Quartz Earrings. But it wasn¡¯t easy to make items that raised stats. If it was that easy, Grid would¡¯ve made agility items from scratch in order to make his agility and strength ratio 1:1.


    ¡°I will try to challenge itter. First, I need to try my best to finish the Behen Archipgo.¡±


    He saved his 6 remaining stat points despite being filled with the sudden desire to raise intelligence.


    ***


    ¡º There were a total of eight events in the 1st National Competition. ¡»


    <The 2nd National Competition¡¯s Special Broadcast>


    The director of the broadcast, which expected them to have a lot of interest, pointed to the monitor on the stage. Boss raid, PvP, pet marathon, escape thebyrinth, the target processing match, international siege, and various production events were listed on the monitor.


    These were the events in the 1st National Competition


    ¡º Unlike the 1st National Competition where there were 17 participating countries, this time there is a total of 32 participating countries. The size and interest are naturally bigger. ¡»


    ¡º The S.A. Group has found that it¡¯s hard to show the best of the yers with only eight events, and there is also a limit on the spectacles provided to the viewers. ¡»


    ¡º The number of events has been increased to 13, and many of them are nonbat events. It is more friendly to various sses rather than just thebat sses. ¡»


    ¡º Still, the most popr event in the 2nd National Competition will be the PvP, just like the 1st National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º The S.A. Group said they would be changing the PvP system so that no nasty results like the Grid vs Hurent 3 second incident or Grid vs Bondre 4 second incident will ur again. ¡»


    ¡º The damage of PvP (yer VS yer) will be reduced by 50%pared to the damage of PvE (yer VS Environment: a yer¡¯s actions against monsters, dungeons, traps, terrain, etc). ¡»


    ¡º In other words, if you use a skill that deals 100% damage to a monster, it will only deal 50% damage to a user. This will make the strategic elements of PvP more advanced, and viewers will be able to watch the spectacr sights for a longer time. ¡»


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    "This means they don¡¯t need to watch out for the destructiveness of people like Grid or Chris.¡±


    "The importance of control has increased.¡±


    "The tankers will be the biggest beneficiaries.¡±


    The faces of the PvP participants in the National Competition brightened after they confirmed the changes. On the other hand, the Koreanizens felt resentful.


    -Ah...One of Grid¡¯s gold medals will fly away.


    -To be honest, Grid¡¯s strength is his powerful attacks. This is basically a patch to seal it.It is absurd;;


    -This is a patchpletely aimed at Grid.It isn¡¯t fair.


    -Once upon a time, when Korea was still the gaming powerhouses, there were many patches to bnce the power of the Korean yers.This reminds me of that time.


    -This is what is called a ¡®nerf.¡¯


    -Wow, that¡¯s a ssic game term;;; my father used it when he was young;;; how old is it?


    -Anyway, now that Grid can¡¯t win a gold medal in PvP, Korea will never enter the top 10.


    -This is really...The S.A. Group is aplete traitor...Screwing up their own country like this...


    -This is the conspiracy of the world governments. It¡¯s only the Koreans who are suffering.


    The foreigners named this PvP system the ¡®Grid Nerf.¡¯


    In particr, countries such as China and Japan, who had a big sense ofpetitiveness with South Korea, were dancing with joy.


    -Ah, ah.A small nation like South Korea is being squished by the world.


    -China will prove that they are the best country in Asia!


    -The best in Asia!China is the center of the world!Hao is participating, so it¡¯s natural that he will win!


    -Don¡¯t make meugh.Japan is better than China.


    -China¡¯s only strength is their tactics, because each country in the National Competition is limited to 7 participants.


    -In the end, Damian, Katz, and Yoshimura are the best in Asia.


    -Let¡¯s see.


    The 50% reduced PvP damage in the National Competition. As this patch was shaking the world...


    [You have entered the 56st ind.]


    ¡°Heok... Heok... Wow, this. It is really too much. The difficulty rises exponentially every time I pass an ind.¡±


    The main subject of all the conversations, Grid, was solely devoted to capturing the Behen Archipgo. Was he pioneering his own way, regardless of what people said? That wasn¡¯t it. Recently, Grid only had time to y the game, sleep, and eat.


    He was unaware of what was going around the world. Did he check the TV or Inte? No. Every moment of the day was too precious for Grid. The difficulty of the Behen Archipgo was so high that he had to focus his whole mind on it.


    In other words, Grid didn¡¯t know that he was nerfed in the National Competition. Thus, the world started to misunderstand him.


    -Grid is silent.


    -Yes.He didn¡¯tin to the S.A. Group despite being nerfed. ??


    -If this had happened to other rankers, they would be using the S.A. Group in various interviews around the world;;


    -It¡¯smon sense to ask forpensation.


    -Grid is seriously...A guy like this is cool.


    -Truly God Grid!


    The old stories on the Inte paint Grid asplete trash, but they must be written by anti-fans.


    -Absolutely.Grid is amazing.


    The spread of things was scary. Once favourable opinions about Grid started to appear, Koreans as well as people from all over the world started praising Grid¡¯s attitude.


    He was acknowledged by the racists filled with the ideology of white supremacists, and even some terrible terrorist groups in the Middle East supported Grid. It was an amazing phenomenon.


    Once it was 22 days away from the National Competition, South Korea had a talk show about Grid.


    The guest was Peak Sword.


    ¡º Why isn¡¯t Grid reacting to this patch? To Grid, this nerf is a minor problem. He is like this. Nerf? Try it. No one can stop me Why? I am God Grid! A healthy person from Korea! Do you know God Grid? Hooray South Korea! ¡»


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Things had already be too big by the time Grid heard about it.


    In Grid¡¯s mind, he immediately wanted to call the S.A. Group and say, ¡®Why do you have to patch a person? Aren¡¯t games supposed to be fair?¡¯ However, he was too embarrassed toe forward now.


    It was due to Peak Sword¡¯s words on the talk show.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Peak Sword. They had known each other for over a year, but he still wasn¡¯t aware of Grid¡¯s personality? The power of bias was too terrible.


    ***


    ¡°Unfortunately, this is where I give up.¡±


    "This is also my limit.¡±


    "Everyone seems to be the same.¡±


    The Overgeared members challenging the Behen Archipgo. The vast majority of them failed to pass the 31st ind and raised the white g. The worst trials of the past caused even the famous geniuses to feel despair.


    "How did Grid pass?¡±


    ¡°How far has Grid developed...?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on the same side, but he¡¯s still scary.¡±


    The concept of the 31st ind. The more genius a person was, the greater the difficulty they faced. Lauel was aware of this fact, but he didn¡¯t want to pour cold water on the Overgeared members praising Grid.


    ¡®Their respect and affection towards Grid is bing stronger.¡¯


    Lauel predicted that on the 31st ind, Grid likely faced monsters like ogres.


    ¡®In other words, the 31st ind is a privilege for bad yers.¡¯


    Except for Grid, it was natural for the Overgeared members to drop out at the 31st ind.


    However.


    How did Yura, Jishuka, and Huroi pass the 31st ind? Lauel found the results iprehensible.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


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    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 398

    Chapter 398


    ¡®Well, I can understand Huroi to some extent.¡¯


    Thebat skills of the orator ss were the worst, so his past ordeals were likely to have a low degree of difficulty. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Huroi to ovee the trial, since he had grown after acquiring his second ss.


    ¡®But Yura and Jishuka are different.¡¯


    They were both geniuses. The difficulty of their past trials would be beyond imagination. So how did they get past the 31st ind?


    ¡®Did they never have hard times because they were so good in the first ce? If so, it¡¯s great enough to bepared to this body.¡¯


    As Lauel was taking these ridiculous thoughts seriously, the other Overgeared members wereparing the items they purchased on Fog Ind.


    ¡°I bought five agility elixirs and one rare skill book.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, I bought 13 stamina elixirs. I¡¯m bing increasingly qualified to be called a tanker.¡±


    "Wow, Faker and Vantner hit the jackpot.


    ¡°I¡¯m envious... I found Fog Ind too quickly and only bought four elixirs.¡±


    ¡°I reached the 31st Ind and didn¡¯t see Fog Ind at all. It¡¯s irritating.¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    The system of the Fog Ind in the Behen Archipgo purely depended on luck. It wasn¡¯t easy to use the ind because it appeared too soon or toote.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Grid.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The world thought that Grid was an extremely lucky person. Wasn¡¯t Grid the first legendary ss? People appreciated Grid¡¯s luck and assumed he was a person who saved a country in his previous life.


    However, the Overgeared members knew the truth. Grid was never lucky. The question was whether he had been abandoned by Lady Luck.


    "A legendary cksmith who has bad luck and can¡¯t make legendary items...¡±


    ¡°Even if hepletely clears the Behen Archipgo, what if Fog Ind never appears again?¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members were genuinely concerned, while Lauel¡¯s heart ached.


    ¡®Even if you have bad luck as usual, keep up your mental strength, My Lord.¡¯


    ***


    The Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Grid frowned after entering the 56th ind. There were two caves in front of him.


    ¡®Why two instead of one?¡¯


    Did he have to attack both?


    ¡®The scale isn¡¯t a joke.¡¯


    On the 55th ind, level 400 monsters started to pop up. If there were many monsters in the huge caves in front of him, Grid wouldn¡¯t dare to challenge it.


    ¡®It will take a long time to deal with those in the cave due to the level difference...¡¯


    As he continued further into the Behen Archipgo, the difficulty increased exponentially. Grid¡¯s confidence was declining when a notification window appeared in front of him.


    [A mission will be created.]


    [56th Ind]


    Break through thebyrinth!


    First Clear Reward: 2,150 challenger points. ess to Treasure Ind for 3 minutes.


    ¡®Treasure Ind!¡¯


    Grid, whose shoulders were slumped, instantly brightened.


    ¡®Treasure Ind, the name is fantastic!¡¯


    A ce where legendary achievements were celebrated, the Behen Archipgo. In some ways, it was the most sacred ce on the whole continent. A hidden Treasure Ind, wouldn¡¯t tremendous treasures be buried there?


    ¡®It will be great if I can obtain adamantium.¡¯


    The Holy Light Set that he used since the Pope Drevigo raid was made of the god mineral adamantium. Grid was convinced that he could make huge items if he had adamantium.


    ¡°Okay... I will challenge it.¡±


    Grid regained his motivation and neared the entrance of the two caves. At the same time, Grid¡¯s body stiffened like a stone statue.


    ¡®Eh? I can¡¯t move?¡¯


    It was different from a status condition. His hands were stiff and couldn¡¯t move as a choice entered his view.


    [Do you want to go to the left cave or the right cave?]


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯


    From the moment he entered his ind, thebyrinth had already begun. He wasn¡¯t able to move in a direction other than the two options.


    ¡®There are no variables.¡¯


    Grid turned his gaze to the rear. He wanted to ask Sticks, ¡®What should I do to clear thebyrinth?¡¯ But he couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just my movements, but my mouth as well...¡¯


    It seemed to be the same for Sticks. He was standing as stiffly as Grid.


    ¡®This is confusing.¡¯


    Grid had no experience withbyrinths. Theplex structure and traps made the difficulty of clearingbyrinths so high that he never challenged it. In other words, Grid didn¡¯t have the knowledge to break throughbyrinths. It was dark in front of Grid.


    ¡®In the end, I have to gamble.¡¯


    Grid thought about it for a while before taking one step forward. The direction he chose was the right cave. The result.


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    As soon as Grid entered the right cave, he automatically screamed. It was natural. There were six paths in front of him!


    ¡¯I won¡¯t be able to pass it like this.¡¯


    Grid was able to get a sense of how much time it would take to pass through this massivebyrinth.


    ¡®Maybe I won¡¯t be able to pass it before the National Competition begins...¡¯


    It was the worst. He was desperate. However, Grid had a trump card.


    ¡°Assimtion.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s hair became white and his eyes shone like rubies. Did he borrow the wisdom of a sage? No, he borrowed the wisdom of someone much higher than that. Grid was gradually bing more versatile.


    ¡°Hoh, you thought about using this method to take advantage of my wisdom.¡±


    Braham used Magic Detection (Enhanced) and walked towards the path with the most powerful and malicious aura.


    After a moment.


    Braham handled the hidden monster and appeared in front of a new crossroads. Then he taught Grid.


    "Thebyrinth has a habit of not wanting to miss anyone who steps in it. The closer you are to the exit, the more danger there will be. Use Magic Detection to move slowly.¡±


    The duration of Assimtion was 3 minutes. Braham gave Grid great advice and then fell asleep. A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®Thank you, Braham.¡¯


    Thanks to him, Grid got a hint about how to break through thebyrinth and learned new magic.


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    A magic detection developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    Emits arge amount of mana in all directions, locating all living things in a radius of 10 meters.


    The higher the magic level, the wider the detection range and the more information that can be seen.


    Resource Consumption: 3,000 Mana.


    Skill Casting Time: 6 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    ¡®If I move using Braham¡¯s advice...¡¯


    Paaaat!


    This time, Grid stood in front of eight paths and used Magic Detection that he had learned from Braham. Mana stretched out in all directions around Grid.


    ¡®I found it!¡¯


    The strongest aura was felt from the end of one of the eight paths. Grid was sure that there was a monster there. He summoned the God Hands, Randy, and Noe and entered the battle with his full power.


    ¡°Heok... Heok...¡±


    The monster that appeared in thebyrinth had a level between 400~410. The level difference between the level 306 Grid and the monsters was so great that he didn¡¯t do much damage, while Grid suffered from tremendous damage whenever he received a hit. It was like a boss raid every time Grid encountered a monster.


    ¡®The problem isn¡¯t the monsters.¡¯


    The reuse time of Magic Detection was 10 minutes. This was reduced to 8 minutes if he wore Braham¡¯s Boots, which reduced cooldown time. As a result, Grid could only move every 8 minutes.


    ¡®How long will it take to break through thisbyrinth?¡¯


    His eyes were dark. He was mentally very tired. But.


    ¡®I will continue.¡¯


    Labor was a familiar area for Grid. Grid¡¯s grim mentality started to shine.


    ***


    The master of the Yak Guild, part of the seven guilds, was Bubat.


    He was 53rd on the unified rankings. It couldn¡¯t bepared to his 25th rank in the past, but nobody said that he was worse than before. Hebined bold judgments and powerful CCs to be called Satisfy¡¯s best initiator. The battlefield was always favorable to his allies when Bubat was fighting in the lead. His nickname was ¡®Yak who Promises Victory.¡¯


    But at the time of thest National Competition, Bubat was helpless. He didn¡¯t live up to his reputation and disappointed people. Was it because he was in a bad condition? No. It was because he met Yura and Grid in session. In the case of Yura, his CC was destroyed by her excellent physical abilities. Grid was too bad because he resisted all CCs.


    Bubat was frustrated because it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be the one feeling frustrated in this National Competition.¡±


    After reaching level 300, Bubat obtained many hitting skills. Unlike the past where he relied exclusively on CC, he now had appropriate attack skills. Besides, Bubat was fundamentally a tanker!


    ¡°The biggest beneficiary of the patch is me! Huhuhut!¡±


    Grid¡¯s legendary skills? 50% reduction in damage meant that Bubat could endure several blows. He would make it became a long battle and eventually break Grid with his high stamina.


    ¡°I will repay the shame of the past while gaining a gold medal for my country, Turkey!¡±


    "Waaaaaaaah!"


    The people of Turkey cheered at Bubat¡¯s deration.


    At this moment.


    It wasn¡¯t just Bubat. All the participants from all over the world were confident that they could handle Grid. One patch made a person into a pushover.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 399

    Chapter 399


    "Grid? Certainly, he has grown. I was impressed when I saw the Eternal Kingdom war video.¡±


    The strongest nation in Satisfy, the USA.


    Thousands of people gathered at a press conference for Zibal. The theme of the interview was the 2nd National Competition. However, most of the questions were about Grid.


    ¡°In the past, Grid yed while relying on his items, skills, and stats. Now he hasbined it with moderate control skills. Considering his talents, I guess it¡¯s a result of his efforts. I admire his efforts.¡±


    "You described Grid¡¯s control as ¡®moderate.¡¯ Are you saying that it isn¡¯t at an amazing level?¡±


    ¡°Well... Isn¡¯t it good enough from the public¡¯s point of view?¡±


    "Then he hasn¡¯t reached the level of high rankers yet. It¡¯s said that Grid¡¯s power will be weakened in the National Competition due to the patch. How do you see it?¡±


    "I also have the same opinion. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid¡¯s items and stats... He will be very ordinary.¡±


    "I have a question about that. Is Grid really weak? If his damage has been halved, can¡¯t Grid overwhelm the opponent in two blows instead of one?¡±


    The reporter¡¯s question caused all the people in the room tough, including Zibal. The reporter¡¯s question was very rudimentary. Zibal stoppedughing and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Satisfy¡¯s stats aren¡¯t just attack power and health. Isn¡¯t there also the concept of defense? For example, let¡¯s say my defense is 100 and Grid¡¯s attack power is 1,000. How much damage will I get if I am attacked by Grid?¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it 900?¡±


    The old and retired reporter didn¡¯t know much about Satisfy. He was out of date, and in fact, he hadn¡¯t even been intending to attend this press conference. But a sudden mishap urred and he attended on behalf of his junior.


    Zibal saw that he was ayman and kindly exined.


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. A form is applied to defense. First of all, besides the defense that can be found in the stats window, every ss has a unique resistance that is additionally added to defense to reduce the enemy damage.¡±


    ¡°In other words, this patch will reduce Grid¡¯s attack power by more than 50%?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t this patch fatal to other yers with low attack power, not just Grid? How will you cause damage to each other?¡±


    The reporter continued to ask basic questions. Zibal shook his head and pointed to his head and heart.


    "It is to attack the enemy¡¯s weak points. Be faster and more urate.¡±


    But Grid didn¡¯t have that type of skill. The old reporter finally understood and sat down to take notes. Other reporters¡¯ questions followed.


    "Now that Grid¡¯s influence in PvP has weakened, what is your prediction for South Korea¡¯s overall ranking?¡±


    ¡°22nd? As you know, there isn¡¯t any other talent in South Korea besides Yura. There will be a limit to her alone.¡±


    "What about Peak Sword?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Peak Sword is excellent. But his attack mode is one strike. It¡¯s very powerful, but the dy after each attack is long. He¡¯s also one of the victims of this patch. South Korea is tragic in many ways.¡±


    "What about Russia and Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°Russia has some great participants and Kraugel is the onlypetitor I admire... They can easily enter the top 10.¡±


    ¡°What about the host, France?¡±


    ¡°They can get at least in the top 5.¡±


    "The United States?"


    ¡°Of course, we will be 1st. As always, in all areas.¡±


    ***


    Beijing, China.


    "Hao. You didn¡¯t participate in the 1st National Competition held in South Koreast year. Because of that, China was forced to stay in 7th ce. The reason you expressed your intention to participate in this National Competition is to sooth the disappointment of our Chinese people, right?¡±


    Hao kept his 16th ranking despite the Overgeared members causing a cataclysm in the unified rankings. The miracle of their country was known as a genius of fighting. Whether it was a solo exhibition or team y, he boasted overwhelming stats in PvP.


    Last year, Hao¡¯s vacancy was huge for China, who couldn¡¯t achieve remarkable results in PvP rted events. He felt cynical towards the reporters¡¯ questions.


    ¡®I want to say that it has no rtion to the hearts of the people.¡¯


    Hao was a Chinese person, so he knew them well. If he made a slip of the tongue, he could be kidnapped one day.


    Hao took a deep breath and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Last year, I didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition due to personal circumstances and deeply regretted it. I swear before the spirit of the great Mao Zedong and China, I will lead our country to victory in this National Competition.¡±


    ¡°Last year, Grid and South Korea interfered with China and rose to the 3rd spot. Now that Grid has been nerfed, will you be able to repay the past disgrace?¡±


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    ording to Lauel, Grid was someone beyond Kraugel. He would dismiss it as nonsense, but Lauel wasn¡¯t someone to exaggerate. It was clear that Grid had something.


    ¡®I can¡¯t say anything good.¡¯


    Hao looked around the room. The reporters were staring with expectations in their eyes. Hao sighed and eventually opened his mouth.


    "Whether Grid is nerfed or not, he wasn¡¯t my opponent in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    The reporters got the answer they wanted. It was natural for the people of a great country to win over those of a small country.


    Snap!


    Snap snap!


    Hao¡¯s remarks were written on Inte articles as photos were taken of him. Meanwhile, Hao sipped his cold water.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a lie.¡¯


    The only one better than him was Kraugel. Hao had a high evaluation of his own skills. It was because he was able to tie up the feet of several Overgeared members alone during the Reidan invasion.


    ***


    Paris. France.


    ¡°Bondre, you experienced a humiliating defeat after being logged out by Grid in just 4 seconds. Did that incident cause trauma? Will you be able to participate well in the National Competition?¡±


    France was a strong favorite in the 1st National Competition. Surprisingly, many experts analyzed that France would win over the United States. But France¡¯s greatest yer, Bondre, was torn apart by Grid and everything became a tangled mess. France narrowly settled for second ce.


    Bondre scoffed at the reporters¡¯ malicious question and made a scathing remark.


    "Trauma? That¡¯s something that will happen to hyenas like you. I am a beast of prey. I will never shrink back.¡±


    ¡°Your confidence is good. But isn¡¯t this patch fatal for you? Your Absolute Zero won¡¯t be able to function properly.¡±


    France was the host country of the 2nd National Competition. As the host country, the entire nation was hoping for them to win. But the public didn¡¯t trust Bondre. Bondre ridiculed the reporter¡¯s question.


    "You still think that Absolute Zero is my only skill?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°A year has passed since the first National Competition. In the meantime, I have learned many powerful spells. In the first ce, an ice mystic specializes in defense and utility rather than high attack power. This patch is just giving me wings."


    Bondre was so angry that he spoke in informalnguage. He dered to the dozens of media outlets gathered in this ce, "Those uncivilized Koreans who eat dog meat, I will shatter them. Then your attitude towards me will change. I will lead France to victory.¡±


    ***


    Ottawa, Canada.


    3rd ranked Chris was also holding a press conference.


    "Last year, Canada was one of the strong candidates to win the National Competition. But we had to experience the shocking result of not being able to enter the top 3.¡±


    "This year, the country is hoping for a different result. Chris, do you have the confidence to revive people¡¯s expectations?¡±


    Please provide a satisfying answer. Chris read the words in the reporters¡¯ eyes and bowed his head.


    "Last year, I was helpless. I lost to Zibal in the boss raid, was defeated by Bondre in thebyrinth breakthrough, and was defeated by Regas in PvP. I want to borrow this ce to once again apologize.¡±


    In fact, Chris shouldn¡¯t have to apologize. Last year, Chris was very cool. He won the silver medal in the boss raid andbyrinth breakthrough, and reached the quarter-finals in PvP. That¡¯s right. Chris struggled against the best yers of the world alone.


    "Lift your head!"


    "You¡¯re our hero!¡±


    The reporters cried out, causing Chris to slowly raise his head. Then he smiled at them.


    "I will try to show a better performance this year. I am confident of winning against all opponents except for Kraugel and Grid.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid?¡±


    The reporters were startled. Wasn¡¯t Grid a victim of the patch? At this moment, rankers and experts from all over the world were evaluating that Grid would find it hard to y a big role in the National Competition. Why did Chris see Grid as superior to him?


    ¡¯Chris is also a victim of the patch, but...¡¯


    ¡®Chris has much higher skills when ites to the greatsword. He is different from Grid.¡¯


    Chrisughed at the reporters faces.


    ¡®I can¡¯t easily beat Grid, whopeted with the crazy farmer for a long time.¡¯


    The world didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s true value. Chris couldn¡¯tprehend the public opinion, who ridiculed Grid despite all his achievements just because of his normal control. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean Chris was already obsessed with defeat.


    Grid and Kraugel. Both men weren¡¯t easy to beat, but Chris didn¡¯t think there was no chance at all. This was the pride of the 3rd ranked user.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 400

    Chapter 400


    Japan, Tokyo.


    Yoshimura eximed under a splendid chandelier in the press conference room.


    "Yoshimura will make Japan the most powerful Asian country!¡±


    Among the Japanese, Yoshimura was known as the ¡®Defeated General.¡¯ His fight against the Korean Silver Knights Guild for Cork Ind was a disaster. Then he was defeated by Damian, who was considered a traitor from the right side extremists.


    Yoshimura had once been the 2nd ranked archer, but now his peak was over. Nevertheless, the Japanese still trusted Yoshimura. Yoshimura¡¯s achievements in the past were so great that there were still a lot of expectations. Unfortunately, Japan didn¡¯t have as many talented people as Yoshimura.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    ¡°It truly is Yoshimura!¡±


    The reporters apuded at Yoshimura¡¯s mboyant appearance. But they didn¡¯t ask any questions because there was no big interest. The reporters were interested in Damian and Katz who were sitting to Yoshimura¡¯s left and right.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Yoshimura felt ashamed and sat down. The reporters first questioned Katz, who hadn¡¯t appeared in public for a long time.


    "Katz, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you after a long time. What have you been doing this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Bah, what a stupid question. Can¡¯t you tell by looking at the list of rankers? I have been raising my level.¡±


    Katz was the son of one of thergest conglomerates in Japan. He grew up with everything since childhood, causing him to be arrogant. Due to that, he had a lot of anti-fans around the world. But the Japanese didn¡¯t hate Katz.


    The reason was simple. Katz was one of Japan¡¯s few hopes.


    The third epic hidden ss. Blood Warrior Katz, he dreamt of bing the 1st ranked user and only focused on hunting for the past year and a half.


    ¡°That reminds me, you reached 19th on the unified rankings two weeks ago. At that time, all of the Japanese media outlets reported on Katz¡¯ news.¡±


    ¡°You must be happy to be the first Japanese person ranked in the top 20.¡±


    "...¡±


    The reporters praised him, but Katz was offended. It was embarrassing. A year and a half ago. He dered to the world that he would take the first position in six months, but he hadn¡¯t even entered the single digits yet. This caused Katz to go crazy.


    19th out of two billion users. It was certainly a huge achievement, but Katz¡¯ pride was too high. Katz wasn¡¯t satisfied at all.


    ¡°What events do you n to participate in this time?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±


    "What are you expecting Japan¡¯s ranking to be?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡±


    "...¡±


    Based on Katz¡¯ attitude, it seemed unreasonable to ask him any more questions. The reporters were satisfied that photos and videos were taken of Katz and turned their eyes to Damian.


    ¡°The pope is known to have a special rtionship with Grid. Will you be able to face Grid as an enemy in the National Competition?¡±


    It was a question with hidden meanings. Damian chose Grid over his country. Would he be able to face Grid as an enemy in the National Competition? As Yoshimura felt tense and Katz indifferent, Damian dered with a proud expression.


    "I know how to distinguish between the two. In the National Competition, Grid is naturally my enemy.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    The questions from the reporters poured out.


    "What sort of events will you participate in?¡±


    "Anybat rted events are okay.¡±


    "Does this mean you have confidence in battle?¡±


    "Of course. I am really big.¡±


    "What are you expecting Japan¡¯s ranking to be?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± Damian nced sideways at Katz. "At least in the top 10?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Being in the top 10 out of 32 countries wasn¡¯t low. It was likely to be the highest rank among the Asian countries. Damian, who had responded coldly to requests for cooperation from the right-wing groups, was now speaking favorably about Japan, causing the reporters to feel excited.


    They were once again d that a powerful presence like the pope was a Japanese. But some right-wing media groups questioned Damian.


    ¡°Is there still no y to build a Reba Temple in the territories that the Japanese Guilds rule over?¡±


    "How about giving healers from the Reba Church as support for Japanese rankers?¡±


    Questions not rted to the National Competition started to pour out. Damian was silent. He couldn¡¯t understand the psychology of the extreme right-wingers who wanted one-sided help just because he was Japanese.


    "Tsk, I am building a temple in Reidan.¡±


    "You really must be a Korean.¡±


    The moment that the right-wing reporters made the atmosphere ufortable.


    ¡°What do you think about this bnce patch?¡±


    One young reporter asked a new question that reversed the mood. Damian¡¯s answer was enough to excite the Japanese people watching the press conference broadcast.


    "It¡¯s a patch to benefit me.¡±


    Damian had strong defense, recovery skills, and phenomenal buff skills. What person could damage him with this patch?


    "At least in the National Competition, I am invincible.¡±


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    Japan was overturned. The expectations of Japanese people towards Damian skyrocketed. The Inte spected that perhaps Damian could win three gold medals in the National Competition. However, Damian poured cold water on them.


    "Well, as long as I don¡¯t go against Grid.¡±


    "...¡±


    Why? Why did Damian praise Grid so much? The Japanese people didn¡¯t know the details about the rtionship between Grid and Damian, so they questioned it. More people wondered if Damian was actually a Korean.


    ***


    Moscow, Russia.


    The press conference held for the participants of the 2nd National Competition.


    "...¡±


    In the end, Kraugel didn¡¯t attend.


    ***


    Seoul, South Korea.


    "Zibal doesn¡¯t know anything. If he meets God Grid in the same event, he will eventually have to give God Grid the gold medal.¡±


    Kang Daehan of the Korean Patriotic Association. His ID was Peak Sword in Satisfy and he was sitting in front of hundreds of reporters.


    ¡°And Hao? He doesn¡¯t seem Chinese with how rude he is. Whether God Grid is nerfed or not, he is no match for God Grid.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me... Kang Daehan, why didn¡¯t Yura and Youngwoo attend this interview...?¡±


    ¡°Also!¡±


    Peak Sword didn¡¯t answer the reporters¡¯ questions. It was only 17 days until the National Competition. There was only one reason why Peak Sword attended this press conference despite being busy. It was to refute the words of rankers around the world.


    Kung!


    Peak Sword mmed his hand on the table and shouted.


    ¡°Bondre, the French person who called Koreans uncivilized because we eat dog meat! The French eat foie gras, which is far more atrocious! A pot calling the kettle ck. Bondre, I will make you feel ashamed, so be prepared! Understood? Hooray South Korea!¡±


    "...¡±


    It was the moment when the National Competition¡¯s press conference was turned into a Korean Patriotic Association meeting. The reporters thought it was silly, but also nice to have a character like Peak Sword in South Korea. He made them feel much better.


    ***


    As the whole world was paying attention to the 2nd National Competition, Grid was still wandering thebyrinth.


    [You have killed a cavalry knight.]


    [16,112,300 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡®Heok... Heok... Wow, I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    He had spent a fortnight of Satisfy time trapped in thebyrinth. It was hard to keep moving through the darkbyrinth without knowing how much was left until the exit.


    ¡®It might be different if the monsters are weak.¡¯


    The monster that appeared in thebyrinth were between level 400~420.


    It took Grid at least three minutes to hunt one. The monsters were strong. Allowing one attack would decrease his health by at least one-fourth. If he met three or more monsters at once, it was hard to deal with them without relying on his immortality passive.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the immortal passive, I would¡¯ve died and gone back to the 50th ind.¡¯


    Just imagining it was horrible. Grid gulped and used magic.


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 1 (93.1%)]


    -The cooldown time is 4 minutes and 42 seconds-


    ¡®Sigh...¡¯


    After entering thebyrinth, the newly acquired skill was almost at level 2. It was catching up with the level of Magic Missile. It showed how many times Grid had used Magic Detection, and how long he had travelled. Yet he still couldn¡¯t find the exit...


    Grid sighed and sat down. He would try and use Meditation to recover his health, mana, and stamina while waiting for the cooldown time of Magic Detection to end. But it was difficult to use Meditation since he needed the utmost concentration.


    Grid was able to seed in Meditation after two minutes.


    [Entering a meditative state.]


    [Increases health and mana regeneration rate by 50%, and stamina regeneration by 30%.]


    [Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 10%.]


    ¡¯Not bad.¡¯


    At first, it took him more than five minutes to seed in Meditation. Grid was fairly satisfied with the current speed of Meditation while thinking back to that time.


    ¡®The level of the God Hands¡¯ Sword Mastery has gone up by quite a lot.¡¯


    Grid had certainly improved whenpared to before he entered the Behen Archipgo. He was proud that he didn¡¯t walk on this path in vain. However...


    ¡¯When can I escape thisbyrinth?¡¯


    He wanted to at least clear it before the National Competition began. Come to think of it, he should be able to use Magic Detection again. Grid got up and approached the three paths in front of him.


    ¡®Magic Detection.¡¯


    Pahat!


    Mana poured out as Grid tried to find life in one of the paths. However.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    No signs of life were detected anywhere. This was the first time.


    ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    ording to Braham¡¯s advice, the closer he was to the exit of thebyrinth, the bigger the risk. But all three paths had no danger, so Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling confused.


    ¡®Should I ask Braham for help again?¡¯


    He already relied on Assimtion when he faced a big crisis three days ago. If he waited for the cooldown of Assimtion to return, wouldn¡¯t he need to wait at least six more days here? It was too big of a waste of time.


    ¡®In the first ce...¡¯


    He felt like he degenerated every time he depended on Braham.


    ¡®Yes, haven¡¯t I been doing it all by myself so far?¡¯


    How could he ovee this situation? Grid took a deep breath and focused his mind to the limits. Then he discovered an answer.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    So far, monsters were waiting on all the paths he took...


    ¡®Maybe I have already passed thebyrinth?¡¯


    It was possible that the exit was right in front of him. However, he couldn¡¯t go back after stepping on a new path, so he was terrified.


    ¡®It will produce a much more valuable result than staying here.¡¯


    If his thoughts were wrong and he fell into a newbyrinth, he would just need to find the way out again. Grid raised all his courage and took the path in the middle.


    At that moment.


    [You have seeded in breaking through thebyrinth!]


    [You have acquired 2,150 challenger points for the mission sess.]


    [You have entered Treasure Ind (the 57th ind)!!]


    [Escape from Treasure Ind in the next three minutes.]


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohhhhhh!"


    Grid was extremely excited. It was strange not to get excited as the ind full of gold and treasures appeared before him.


    ¡¯Today¡¯s lunch is seafood jajang!¡¯


    The moment that Grid decided to summon Noe and Randy to get more treasures.


    [Fog Ind haunts this ind.]


    Treasure Ind was covered with a thick fog.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid shed tears. They were deep tears of regret.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 401

    Chapter 401


    [Fog Ind haunts this ind.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid had eagerly hoped to encounter Fog Ind. It was because he had a lot of challenger points stored that could be exchanged for goods. But why? Why did it appear at this timing?


    Flop.


    Grid opened his mouth like a carp and sat down listlessly. He howled like a man who lost his country after seeing all the treasures disappearing in the fog.


    "Treasure...!! My treasure!!!¡±


    Grid had to go through many trials to reach this 57th ind. The clone on the 41st ind, the golden crowns, the strong monsters in the 50s inds and thebyrinth he just passed. The degree of difficulty for the Behen Archipgo was atrocious.


    How good would it be if Fog Ind had appeared in such a difficult area?


    ¡®Then I wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much...¡¯


    The probability of missing a bonus stage like Treasure Ind would¡¯ve fallen dramatically. But reality was a gutter.


    "Dammit!"


    Grid realized once again. Lady Luck had abandoned him. It was rare for there to be such an unlucky person in the world.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Grid kept weeping. If it was the Grid of the past, it would¡¯ve taken him a considerable amount of time to escape from the shock. But now it was different. His spirit recovered fairly quickly.


    ¡®...Still, the harder the ind, the better thepensation.¡¯


    Let¡¯s take an extreme example.


    What if Fog Ind appeared on the 41st ind? Grid wouldn¡¯t have met the clone and never had the chance to learn Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s good that it didn¡¯t show up on the 40th ind.¡¯


    Grid developed his thinking skills and thought as positively as possible as he got up.


    "It¡¯s enough to get what I want.¡±


    Grid wiped away his tears and walked through the thick fog. Then after a while, he saw a light. It was the light emitted by the pumpkin-shaped carriage. Grid identified the products on disy as he approached the carriage.


    ¡®Pass on the hidden sses.¡¯


    Fog Ind sold a total of 13 hidden sses. The rare sses ranged from 1,000~15,000 challenger points. Currently, Grid had umted 31,001 challenger points and could purchase any of the ss change books.


    However, they didn¡¯t catch his attention. Since the emergence of the third advancement sses, the value of the rare hidden sses had fallen. There was no reason to invest points in it.


    ¡®Next are the skill books...¡¯


    There were a total of 46 skill books listed. The rating went from normal to unique. In particr, several unique rated active skills boasted outstanding abilities. However, Grid was a legend. He had the legendary skills, so there was no reason to be obsessed with unique rated skills.


    The mastery skills were the exception.


    [Skill Book: Weapons Mastery]


    Rating: Normal


    Type: Passive


    The Weapons Mastery skill is generated.


    Price: 6,000 Challenger Points.


    Weapons Mastery raised the power of every type of weapon. It was the highest mastery skill.


    ¡°I have to learn this.¡±


    Of course, Weapons Mastery had its drawbacks. The increase in abilities was smallpared to the mastery skills that were specific to one weapon. But Grid didn¡¯t care. Weapons Mastery was a skill with fantasticpatibility with Grid, who could use any weapon without restrictions.


    ¡®Live!¡¯


    Over the past several months, he had worked hard collecting challenger points. Grid consumed 6,000 challenger points without hesitation.


    [Skill Book: Weapons Mastery has been acquired.]


    "Okay.¡±


    Grid was delighted as he confirmed that the skill book had entered his inventory. He was happy that he got the skill he wanted.


    "Learn it... Hrmm?¡±


    The reason Grid purchased the skill book wasn¡¯t just to look at it. He nned to acquire it immediately without letting it stay in the inventory for too long. Then he stopped moving as a skill book caught his eyes.


    ¡®Magic Mastery!¡¯


    [Skill Book: Magic Mastery]


    Rating: Normal


    Type: Passive


    The Magic Mastery skill is generated.


    Price: 5,000 Challenger Points.


    ¡°Ummm...¡±


    Magic Mastery? It increased magic power and shortened casting time. Of course, Magic Mastery wasn¡¯t the same as the Weapons Mastery skill that could be learned from a skill book. This was because it needed a magician ss to learn.


    ¡®Originally, I would have no rtion with this skill.¡¯


    But thanks to the Behen Archipgo, he had a chance to enter a new realm.


    ¡®I can now learn magic from Braham through Assimtion...¡¯


    Learning Magic Mastery wouldn¡¯t harm him.


    ¡®No, this is a skill that must be learned.¡¯


    Grid had low intelligence and couldn¡¯t master Braham¡¯s magic. He could only learn the lowest level of magic. But how could Braham¡¯s magic bemon? Magic Missile (Enhanced) and Magic Detection (Enhanced) had features that were iparable to magic of the same type that ordinary magicians had. He had to unconditionally learn Magic Mastery.


    ¡®The price is too expensive.¡¯


    It cost 5,000 challenger points. He could buy at least 20 elixirs with that. Braham¡¯s magic might be powerful, but was it enough to give up 20 elixirs? Grid worried about it for a while before deciding.


    ¡®...I will learn it.¡¯


    Grid was looking into the future. He would keep levelling up and increasing intelligence. Then someday, he would be able to learn higher level magic from Braham. Grid bought the Magic Mastery skill book.


    The result.


    Remaining Challenger Points: 20,001


    ¡°Ugh....¡±


    Grid had over 30,000 points just a while ago, so he felt pained seeing it fall to 20,000.


    But!


    ¡®It isn¡¯t in vain.¡¯


    It was a skill book he purchased in order to be stronger. He shouldn¡¯t be sorry. Grid controlled his heart and finally looked at the list of elixirs.


    [Strength Elixir]


    Permanently increases strength by 10 points.


    Price: 250 Challenger Points.


    [Stamina Elixir]


    Permanently increases stamina by 10 points.


    Price: 250 Challenger Points.


    [Agility Elixir]


    Permanently increases agility by 10 points.


    Price: 250 Challenger Points.


    [Intelligence Elixir]


    Permanently increases intelligence by 10 points.


    Price: 250 Challenger Points.


    From amon sense of view, the most important stat for a cksmith was stamina and then strength. However, Grid didn¡¯t buy elixirs for those two stats. In the first ce, his strength and stamina were high enough.


    ¡®Right now, I need agility.¡¯


    Piaro had a strength to agility ratio of 1:1 when he was a great swordsman. Grid followed it in a desire to be stronger.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 306


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    Title: ...


    ...


    ...


    Strength: 2,830 (+160)


    Stamina: 1,306 (+230)


    Agility: 1,836 (+130)


    Intelligence: 771 (+340)


    Dexterity: 2,916 (+680)


    Persistence: 1,102 (+130)


    Composure: 718 (+130)


    Indomitable: 973 (+240)


    Dignity: 1,626 (+130)


    Insight: 1,466 (+130)


    Courage: 662 (+130)


    Demonic Magic Power: 102


    Stat Points: 6


    ...


    ...


    "I should use all the remaining points to buy agility elixirs.¡±


    20,000 points was at least 80 elixirs. It meant he could gain 800 agility at once, which was equal to 80 levels. Grid pressed the purchase button under the agility elixir.


    [A consumable item. Please enter the number you want to purchase.]


    Grid smiled with satisfaction at the notification window and was about to reply with ¡®80¡¯ when he stopped.


    ¡®...Is this really right?¡¯


    If it was before he fought the clone, Grid wouldn¡¯t have hesitated. Now he was different. He could learn magic due to assimting with Braham¡¯s soul, and at the same time, he acquired Magic Mastery. Wasn¡¯t it right to invest in intelligence in order to take advantage of this?


    ¡®Every time I level up, six points will be put in intelligence.¡¯


    If he gained 100 levels, he would only increase intelligence by 600 points. It was questionable if he could even learn Fire Ball before Braham¡¯s soul left.


    ¡®Yes, don¡¯t be nervous and look at the future. I¡¯m not tied to a legend. I will be a myth.¡¯


    He should look at the forest, not the trees. Grid took a deep breath as he recalled Lauel¡¯s saying and opened his mouth.


    ¡°I will buy 40 agility elixirs and 40 intelligence elixirs.¡±


    Was being an all-rounder bad? Yes, amon all-rounder stunk. There were many people who weren¡¯t strong or weak. But a legendary all-rounder was different. He would be an universal being.


    Grid didn¡¯t have any doubts as his eyes shone brighter than ever.


    ***


    [You have learned Weapons Mastery.]


    [Weapons Mastery Lv. 1]


    * When a weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 2% and attack speed by 1%.


    [You have learned Magic Mastery.]


    [Magic Mastery Lv. 1]


    Increases magic power by 3% and reduces casting time by 1%.


    [You have taken the agility elixir.]


    [Agility has risen permanently by 400.]


    [You have taken the intelligence elixir.]


    [Intelligence has risen permanently by 400.]


    He gained 800 stat points and two mastery skills at once. Now Grid was much stronger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s speed up the process.¡±


    Grid was full of confidence as he moved through the gate to the 58th ind. The 58th ind was a time attack type hunting dungeon. Grid was able to clear it within the time limit due to his increased attack and magic power.


    At the same time, the level of Weapons Mastery and Magic Mastery rose steadily. The level of the monsters was over 400, but the Mastery skills were only beginner level, so the increase in experience was bound to berge.


    Grid was thrilled with his growth.


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 Chapter 402

    Chapter 402


    Two months ago, the Overgeared members had difficulty hunting in the vampire cities. But this was old news. The Overgeared members had ovee various trials in the Behen Archipgo and made remarkable progress. No vampire except for Beriache¡¯s direct descendants could threaten them.


    A vampire city.


    The members of Overgeared, who became stronger in the Behen Archipgo, were massacring the vampires.


    -Kyaack!


    -H-Hiik!


    "...¡±


    The expression ¡®the monsters have dried up¡¯ seemed to be used in this case. Lauel frowned after seeing the disappearing vampires and expressed his doubts.


    ¡°Everybody, didn¡¯t you buy a East Continent Portal Scroll?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course.¡±


    ¡°After the elixirs and skill books, I used the remaining points to buy a portal scroll.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here? Why aren¡¯t you going to the East Continent?¡±


    Lauel was once known as the hero of the Ten Rookies. If he had chosen abat specialist ss as his third advancement ss, he would¡¯ve be much stronger. But Lauel sacrificed himself.


    Rather than enhancing his individual strength, he chose the ¡®Flow Master¡¯ ss. He could temporarily change the weather and terrain, but hisbat power was the lowest.


    ¡°I have beengging behind for a while and can only hunt vampires, but... why are you raising your level here? I will pass this area by releasing my sealed self and causing bloodshed. You should go on a new adventure.¡±


    "...¡±


    Anyway, Lauel¡¯s tone was really annoying. The Overgeared members scratched their heads like they were embarrassed by him and exined.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we discover the presence of the Behen Archipgo because of Grid?¡±


    "If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, it would be hard to figure out how to move the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it feel like a mutiny if we go to the East Continent before Grid?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like pouring cold water on him.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s blue eyes shook as he heard the Overgeared members¡¯ exnation. He was thrilled.


    ¡°You were trying to maintain your loyalty to My Lord. Isn¡¯t this good?¡±


    One of the basic conditions for establishing a strong force was camaraderie. And the Overgeared members already had it. Lauel smiled and proudly said, ¡°How wonderful. Then stop your solo y and join a party with me.¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be loyal to me as well?¡±


    "...¡±


    Party y had the advantage of hunting much faster than solo y, but it also had the disadvantage of sharing experience and items. It was a loss to do party y in an area where the number of monsters was limited.


    But the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t refuse Lauel¡¯s request. They knew better than anyone, even Grid, how hard he worked for the guild.


    ***


    [Your level has risen.]


    [12]


    [Six points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    The 59th ind.


    It was a hell-like space where monsters level 420 or higher popped up on arge scale. Grid had to deal with at least three or four monsters that were 114 levels higher than him. It was a desperate situation for anyone, but Grid could earn a lot.


    The 400 extra points in agility and intelligence, as well as Weapons Mastery and Magic Mastery helped a lot.


    [Weapons Mastery level is beginner level 6.]


    [Magic Mastery level is beginner level 4.]


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has increased to intermediate level 7.]


    [Your memphis Noe has risen to level 202.]


    [Doppelganger Randy has risen to level 161.]


    ¡®It¡¯s hard.¡¯


    It was big. The difficulty meant that Grid achieved a fast and steady growth.


    ¡®It would be nice if I had more potions.


    In fact, Grid couldn¡¯t predict that the difficulty of the Behen Archipgo so much. He didn¡¯t have enough potions in the middle of his raid.


    Chaeng!Chaaeng!


    Grid felt regret as he was immersed in battle. Noe and Randy kept one monster tied up, while Grid faced two monsters at the same time. He faced each remaining monster one by one, as blue mes rose around it. He activated cksmith¡¯s Eyes, a skill that he acquired through a hidden piece like Item Combination.


    [cksmith¡¯s Eyes (Lv. 1) has seen through the target¡¯s item.]


    [You have explored the function of the armour that the Troll Lord is wearing!]


    [Time Worn Leather Vest]


    Defense: ???


    Option 1: ???


    Option 2: ???


    Option 3: Reduce damage of stabbing attacks.


    ¡®Ah, I got it.¡¯


    He felt something was unusual when using Kill and Link.


    Chaaeng!


    Due to his rise in agility, he could swing Grid¡¯s Greatsword faster than before. The moment he defended against the troll lord¡¯s axe, he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill.


    Seokeok!


    [You have dealt 90,300 damage to the target.]


    [You have lost 4,500 health due to the influence of Pinnacle Kill.]


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Trolls were monsters with high health and regenerative ability. Among them, the troll lord was at the peak. But the boss was shaky in front of the destructive power of Pinnacle Kill, whichpletely ignored defense. Grid hurriedly withdrew from the monster that lost 90,000 health at once and scattered yellow blood.


    "Ah, really.¡±


    Grid knew that he shouldn¡¯t give a troll a chance to act. However, the troll lord¡¯s blood was highly acidic. Blood sprayed every time there was an injury, so Grid couldn¡¯t easily linkbos. He had to widen the distance.


    Kudu!Kududuk!


    The troll lord quickly recovered from Grid¡¯s wounds. It sent Grid a provocative smile. It was like saying ¡®you can never hurt me.¡¯ Grid thought it was ridiculous.


    "You aren¡¯t a named boss.¡±


    What were the four God Hands doing while Grid was fighting?


    Shuuuuong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The troll lord¡¯s eyes widened.


    shing golden hands came out from a cave and gave a new weapon to Grid.


    ¡°This is called Item Combination.¡±


    Kuoooooh-!


    It was a blue shark-shaped greatsword with red lights scattered around it like cherry blossoms. It was the beautiful harmony of Iyarugt and Failure.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°Ki...! Kieeeeeek!¡±


    So what if it was difficult to get close due to the acidic blood? He would attack from a distance. Gridughed as the troll lord turned to grey ash. However, he couldn¡¯tugh for long. His skills were on cooldown and new monsters were gathering.


    ***


    [You have entered the 60th ind.]


    [This is a save point. Would you like to register?]


    [You have been registered. When you enter the Behen Archipgoter on, you will start from the 60th ind.]


    ¡°Heok... Heok... Wow, I thought I was going to fall behind.¡±


    Grid broke through the 59th ind and sat on the ground. He wanted to Meditate to restore health and stamina, but it wasn¡¯t easy to enter the state.


    ¡®I can¡¯t adapt to the new skills.¡¯


    The condition to activate cksmith¡¯s Eyes was to watch the equipment for at least 3 seconds. Was this hard? Of course it was difficult during a battle. His field of view narrowed and he often missed the target¡¯s movements, exposing a gap.


    The problems didn¡¯t end there.


    ¡®The information of the items covers my vision.¡¯


    During a battle, the item information window seriously disturbed his view. It felt like the navigation screen was hidden while he was driving. Anyway, it seemed like he would take a long time to adapt.


    ¡®I can gradually adapt.¡¯


    Grid looked at his immediate problem. The inds in the 60s. Would he be able to progress through here? The difficulty of the Behen Archipgo was amplified every 10 inds. Thest ind in the Behen Archipgo was the 66th ind.


    It was possible to infer that the difficulty of the inds from 60 onwards would be iparably higher than before.


    ¡®Originally, I wanted to clear this ce before the National Competition.¡¯


    It seemed to be an impossible task. Grid sighed as he thought about it. Did it read his anxiety? The cooldown time of Assimtion ended and Braham¡¯s soul woke up.


    [Challenge it first.]


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    Grid had increasingly started to rely on Braham. Grid weed Braham¡¯s voice and asked.


    "Do you mean I can win if I challenge the Behen Archipgo?¡±


    Braham scoffed.


    [You are too arrogant. I said that this is a yground made by Pagma. You haven¡¯t reached Pagma¡¯s full capacity yet and don¡¯t have the ability to clear this ce. I want you to challenge it to realize that you are still weak.]


    "...I wondered about this before, but what do you mean by a yground that Pagma created?¡±


    [Do you know about the original Behen Archipgo?]


    ¡°I heard from Sticks. It was a Hall of Fame that celebrated the achievements of legends and a training ground for current legends.¡±


    [That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a shameful ce for those who are hostile to legends.]


    "Those who are hostile to legends?¡±


    [Great demons. They saw an opportunity to destroy the Behen Archipgo, which connects legends. In order to prevent this, Pagma installed various gateways.]


    ¡°A space created to prevent the great demons...¡±


    Grid suddenly felt some doubts.


    ¡°How did Pagma make this space?¡±


    Pagma was a legendary cksmith, not a god. He could install various devices, but it wasn¡¯t possible to summon the monsters, reproduce past trials, or clone the contestants.


    ¡®It might be different if he was a magician.¡¯


    Then Braham spoke meaningful words to Grid.


    [It¡¯s possible for a great demon.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.


    stat points have been acquired.

 Chapter 403

    <h4>Chapter 403</h4>


    Chapter 403


    <hr>


    [It¡¯s possible for a great demon.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Pagma was a great demon?It was ridiculous.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid attempted to deny it when he suddenly stopped.He didn¡¯t know enough about Pagma to judge, and Braham¡¯s nature was also odd.


    ¡®In fact, isn¡¯t Braham a vampire, rather than a human?¡¯


    A legendary great magician was a demonkin, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if a legendary cksmith was also one.But why?


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t it mentioned in the legends?¡¯


    Braham sensed Grid¡¯s confusion andughed.


    [Aren¡¯t you an idiot, to take my words at face value?]


    Grid frowned.


    "I have taken the intelligence elixirs, so why are you still seeing me as an idiot? No, what does that mean?¡±


    [To put it more urately, Pagma is a human who epted the power of a great demon.]


    "He epted the power of a great demon?¡±


    [Baal.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was startled.Did he know the weight of the name Baal?No.It was because Grid felt Braham¡¯s anger.The anger was deeply imprinted in Braham¡¯s soul like an abyss and it slowly boiled up.Grid held Braham¡¯s soul, so he was also angry.


    [Pagma was Baal¡¯s contractor.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was once again surprised.Questions filled his eyes.


    "What is Baal¡¯s contractor?¡±


    [...Hah.]


    It was the first time Grid discovered that souls could also sigh.


    ***


    The 1st great demon, Baal.As the peak of the 33 demons, he reigned as the master of hell.It was easy to call him the demon king.He was an absolute existence that even the dragons guarded against.


    [He is more faithful to his instincts as a demon than anyone else. He is proud, destructive, and does anything for pleasure. ntings seeds of chaos through contracts with humans is very entertaining for him.]


    "Why did Pagma sign with such a bad demon?¡±


    [Ironically, he had to borrow Baal¡¯s strength to protect the Behen Archipgo.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The words were confusing.Pagma wanted to protect the Behen Archipgo from the great demons, so he borrowed the power of a great demon?


    [It¡¯s as you said. Baal likes taunting and deception.]


    "So?"


    [It is irrelevant to Baal whether the target being deceived is a human or a great demon like himself.]


    "...¡±


    The Grid in the past would¡¯ve been frustrated without understanding to the end.But now it was different. He properly interpreted Braham¡¯s remark using his developed thinking ability.


    ¡°Baal wanted to enjoy the entertainment of protecting the invasion of great demons with the power of a great demon, so he signed a contract with Pagma?¡±


    [That¡¯s right.]


    In other words, Baal screwed over his own people.Grid couldn¡¯t understand Baal.Brahamughed at his confusion.


    [Don¡¯t look at great demons with the prejudice. Don¡¯t humans also betray and hurt their own people?]


    "But isn¡¯t Baal the master of hell? Isn¡¯t he the king of the great demons? A king sacrificing his servants just for entertainment... I guess there are some.¡±


    When he thought about it, there were many crazy people in the world.Grid was convinced and defined Baal as a psychopath great demon.


    ¡°Um... Yes, this is why the Behen Archipgo changed in this way.¡±


    If so, there was another question.Why did Pagma leave the Behen Archipgo in this state?He protected the Behen Archipgo with a contract with a great demon, and then the Behen Archipgo eventually deteriorated and the original function was lost.If Pagma truly wanted to protect the Behen Archipgo, he would¡¯ve returned it to its original state after the great demons were repelled.


    But he didn¡¯t...


    ¡®Was there a chance that the great demons would invade again?¡¯


    Or maybe Pagma had no more power left.


    Grid asked a question.


    ¡°What happened after Pagma contracted with a great demon to protect the Behen Archipgo? Did he die? Or is he still alive?¡±


    [Why do you think he is still alive?]


    ¡°He contracted with a great demon, so wouldn¡¯t his lifespan increase?¡±


    [That¡¯s a ridiculous notion. The reason why demons contract with humans is to basically take their life force and soul.]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t something strange? Pagma lived for a long time, right? Didn¡¯t you say that he lived for hundreds of years? Wasn¡¯t it because of his contract with the great demon?¡±


    [You are mistaken. Pagma made the contract with Baal 100 years ago, not 300 years.]


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Grid btedly recalled that Sticks mentioned the Behen Archipgo being fine 200 years ago.Then a new question arose.


    "Does that mean that Pagma can live for hundreds of years, regardless of the contract with a great demon?¡±


    What was Pagma¡¯s identity?


    ¡°How can a human live that long?¡±


    [...]


    The silent Braham didn¡¯t answer, anger filling him again.Grid¡¯s spine became soaked with cold sweat before Braham finally broke the silence.


    [The reason why Pagma could live for hundreds of years, despite being a human, was because my lifespan was taken.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    His words didn¡¯t make sense.Obviously, Braham was a vampire.Unlike humans, they had a life expectancy close to infinity so there might be a way to transfer his lifespan to someone. It wasn¡¯t strange for a non-human and legendary great magician to do something that was beyondmon sense.


    However, Braham said that his lifespan was ¡®taken.¡¯


    ¡°Does that mean you didn¡¯t give it willingly? Weren¡¯t you and Pagma close friends?¡±


    [What if I was deceived and betrayed?]


    "...¡±


    He wanted to hear more of the story.Grid was curious, but Braham didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.


    [Well, if you want to know more about Pagma, reach thest ind. Move to the 61st ind. Then after experiencing the difference between your skills and Pagma¡¯s, see if you can challenge it again.]


    What on earth was on the inds in the 60s that Braham was so sure he couldn¡¯t ovee?Braham spoke to the troubled Grid.


    [It is your duty to break through this ce, so don¡¯t think about giving up.]


    ¡°I won¡¯t give up, even if you hadn¡¯t said this. I¡¯m just a little worried about how dangerous it can be.¡±


    [What do you have to fear with an immortal body? As I said repeatedly, challenge it once.]


    It was as Braham said.The Behen Archipgo was deeply rted to Pagma, and there was a high possibility that a quest rted to Pagma''s Sessor was hidden here.Grid felt a need to investigate the inds.


    "Okay.¡±


    Grid moved towards the gate of the 61st ind with determination.Then Sticks, who had been watching silently, urgently called out.


    ¡°Braham is a demonkin. You must not be misled by him.¡±


    "I know that elves and demonkin have a bad rtionship. But shouldn¡¯t you cool your head? Aren¡¯t you the one who is the most desperate for the Behen Archipgo to be purified? I can also get rewards, so I have to move forward.¡±


    "...¡±


    That¡¯s right.He wasn¡¯t someone who would be dazzled by Braham¡¯s existence.


    The enlightened Sticks followed behind Grid.


    ***


    [You have entered the 61st ind.]


    <em>Kuooooh!</em>


    An ind covered with fire.The lush forest was burning and the river running through it was an ominous red.


    [The temperature is very high.]


    [You are affected by the heat.]


    [Health and stamina are being continuously consumed.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡®The legendary passive is a scam.¡¯


    Satisfy fully implemented the five senses.Users naturally felt the heat and cold, causing climate to be a disaster to them sometimes.However, Grid didn¡¯t feel it due to being Pagma''s Sessor. He was able to maintain a proper body temperature and y the game in a much more pleasant environment than others.


    ¡°Pant pant...¡±


    Unlike Grid¡¯s refreshed face, Sticks standing behind him was sweating like a dog.It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he copsed immediately.


    "If you¡¯re a sage, shouldn¡¯t you have a countermeasure for the heat?¡±


    ¡°There are a few ways, but I don¡¯t have the materials...¡±


    "Can¡¯t you use magic?¡±


    "It¡¯s hard to use mana because of my illness...¡±


    "...¡±


    Please don¡¯t die.Grid desired Sticks as a tutor for Lord, so he prayed while moving forward.


    ¡®There are no monsters or missions.¡¯


    The shape itself seemed different from the other inds.


    "...¡±


    Grid crossed the zing ind, looking to the left and right. His attitude was more cautious than ever.He was extremely concentrated as he prepared for any sudden attacks.However, it was meaningless in front of an strong enemy that couldn¡¯t be defended against.


    <em>Step, step.</em>


    The footsteps moving through the forest sounded rxed and proud.The owner of the footsteps didn¡¯t seem to care at all that Grid discovered his position.


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    Grid turned his gaze in the direction of the footsteps.Then he frowned.He couldn¡¯t see anything because of the smoke.


    ¡®The smoke has thickened?¡¯


    <em>Step, step.</em>


    The footsteps were getting closer.Grid urgently pulled out his weapon and was surprised when he used Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 2.


    [No life has been detected.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There was no life detected despite the footsteps?Grid was baffled, but he wielded Iyarugt in the direction the footsteps came from.But the smoke. No, it was darker than mere smoke and he couldn¡¯t properly see the target.


    <em>Puok!</em>


    [You have suffered 50,040 damage.]


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    The enemy had moved?The attack was supposed to be in front of him, but it turned in a sh and struck his back. Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he lost more than two-thirds of his health with one blow.


    [That¡¯s right. It¡¯s Lantier.]


    Braham prated the identity of the enemy hidden in the smoke.


    Favorite

 Chapter 404

    Chapter 404


    "Lantier?¡±


    It was a familiar name to Grid.


    ¡®Where did I hear it?¡¯


    He thought about it, but nothing came to mind. He summoned Noe and Randy, ced the God Hands all over the ce, took a defensive position and asked while drinking a potion.


    ¡°Who is Lantier?¡±


    [Lantier isn¡¯t an individual¡¯s name.]


    Eclipse, the strongest and and worst assassination group believed to have existed more than a thousand years ago.


    [Lantier is the name that has been passed down to the leaders over generations. But there is only one Lantier that I know.]


    Suuuuoh.


    The ck smoke started to be thicker. As the ck smoke became thicker until Grid couldn¡¯t see in front of him anymore, Braham spoke shocking words.


    [The legendary assassin.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The moment Grid felt astonished.


    Peeng!


    One of the God Hands protecting Grid was struck by a weapon. It couldn¡¯t deal with the shock and went flying. It was the first time that the God Hands had this strong reaction to an attack instead of stiffening. He could infer how high the enemy¡¯s attack power was.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid narrowly twisted his head to avoid the hand flying at his head. Noe hurriedly yelled as he looked at the God Hand.


    "Behind you! Nyang!¡±


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    When it first appeared, it instantly moved from the front to the back. It seemed to have a troublesome skill to instantly appear behind the target.


    ¡°Save me!¡±


    Once Gridmanded, the God Hands moved all at once and gathered behind Grid. At the same time, it happened.


    Chaaeng!


    The dagger that flew like lightning and tried to pierce Grid¡¯s neck collided with the God Hands instead. A shock wave urred and cleared the smoke, allowing Grid to confirm Lantier¡¯s appearance.


    ¡®Skeleton?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Lantier wasn¡¯t a human. He had died a long time ago, bing a skeleton. Lantier was moving with such a body.


    An enemy whopeted with the four God Hands with the dagger held by thin finger bones. There was an aquamarine light shining eerily in their eye sockets.


    ¡®Undead...! This is why I couldn¡¯t detect it with magic power!¡¯


    [No, the result would be the same even if Lantier was alive. It isn¡¯t easy to find Lantier when he doesn¡¯t want to be found.]


    The basics of an assassin was hiding. They had the ability to erase their presence. Lantier was a top assassin who got the title of a legend, so it wasn¡¯t just at the level of erasing himself. He could deny his existence in the world.


    On the other hands, Grid¡¯s Magic Detection was only at level 2. It was virtually impossible for the current Grid to find Lantier, let alone when he was undead.


    Sururuk.


    The skeleton, Lantier, disappeared into the smoke again. Grid tried to find him using his high insight and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. But it was wishful thinking. Grid lost Lantier and asked Braham.


    "Why is he an undead?¡±


    The answer was simple.


    [Baal¡¯s contractor has the ability of a necromancer. Pagma found Lantier¡¯s body and turned him into a death knight.]


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    In other words, Pagma was a legendary cksmith, a great swordsman, and a necromancer?


    ¡®It¡¯s a scam.¡¯


    He also helped neutralized the invasion of the great demons alone. Grid felt desperate because of this. If the legendary assassin¡¯s death knight emerged on the 61st ind...


    ¡®It is likely that other legends will emerge on the 62nd~66th inds.¡¯


    The difference between the power of the previous legends and the current legends was remarkable. The previous legends were regarded asplete, while the current legends were still growing. Grid¡¯s level was low and he hadn¡¯t finished all his ss quests yet.


    ¡®How do I clear this ce?¡¯


    Braham gave hope to the frowning Grid.


    [The undead legends are very weakpared to theirplete state. On the other hand, you have me. If you rely on me and keep learning magic, one day you will be able to beat them.]


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    Pagma might be a legendary cksmith and necromancer, but Grid was a legendary cksmith and magician. He was also qualified to be the strongest, and had the potential to ovee any trials. Just...


    [I just question if you can even learn Fireball.]


    "...¡±


    This situation wasn¡¯t positive. Then Braham whispered to the frustrated Grid.


    [He¡¯sing back.]


    It was true. The God Hands that Grid scattered in all directions sensed the enemy and flinched. They were like a spider web. And a spider web was weak. A spider web might be strong enough to hold a small bird, but it was easily torn by beasts.


    Syuk!


    Lantier¡¯s ck cloak pped as he appeared through the smoke. He easily shrugged off the God Hands flying from all directions and broke through Noe and Randy. Noe¡¯s ws tried to sh it, but it seemed like the cloak had a high resistance. Lantier¡¯s dagger was then captured by Grid using the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.


    ¡®Okay, I read the orbit!¡¯


    This was the synergy between his high insight, the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch, and Iyarugt. Grid moved quickly and sessfully avoided it. But the problem urred next.


    Pahat!


    Lantier once again appeared behind Grid and stabbed. Grid wouldn¡¯t suffer from this again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot who will fall for the same trick three times!¡±


    Grid had already used the footwork of Revolve and nned to return Lantier¡¯s strike back to him, causing 50,000 damage. Braham clicked his tongue.


    [This obvious tactic is a trap.]


    Chaaeng!


    Lantier was blown away by Iyarugt. Grid smiled with satisfaction as he looked through the scattered red afterglow, only for his eyes to widen.


    ¡®Fake?¡¯


    Lantier disappeared like an illusion after being hit by Revolve. He appeared to the side of Grid. Grid tasted a terrible pain the moment he realized.


    Puok!


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    "Hat!"


    Grid could onlyugh. It was only two blows and his immortality passive was activated. The strength of the opponent was too surreal.


    [You have inherited Pagma¡¯s power, but this is reality. As you are now, you can¡¯t even win against a creature made by Pagma.]


    Why did Braham want Grid to realize his own powerlessness? It was simple. Braham wanted Grid to crave magic. In other words, he would want to grow as a magician now.


    Why? Did Braham want to resurrect himself faster by raising Grid¡¯s intelligence? Of course, that was one reason. Rather, it was more because he believed that a magician was greater than a cksmith.


    Braham thought it was better for Grid to grow as a magician. But Grid was a cksmith to the bones. Right now, he was thinking from the perspective of a cksmith.


    ¡®Lantier is strong for a reason. His basic abilities and skills are excellent, but he also has good items.¡¯


    The dagger shone with a white light. Grid just guessed, but it was probably made from adamantium. Assuming that the weapon was made by Pagma in his prime, the attack power of this dagger was probably far superior to Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡®The cloak also has high defense, so I can¡¯t imagine the defense of the armor.¡¯


    Thus, his conclusion.


    ¡®In order to beat this ce, do I need stronger items?¡¯


    Unlike Braham¡¯s intentions, Grid¡¯s desire as a cksmith was ignited as he activated ckening and fought with Lantier for five seconds. The result was, of course, was a total failure. Lantier didn¡¯t allow Grid to hit him once. Noe, Randy and the God Hands were obsolete in front of the legendary assassin.


    [You have died.]


    [Returning to the 60th ind.]


    ***


    ¡°This game is truly about items.¡±


    Level, stats, skills, and magic growth were just the basic premises. Later, when Grid once again challenged the Behen Archipgo, the most important thing to pay attention to was items.


    ¡®Let¡¯s assume that the legends on the 62nd~66th inds are also undead.¡¯


    He needed to make items that would be deadly to the undead.


    ¡®I also need to make items for Noe and Randy.¡¯


    In retrospect, Noe always used his ws to fight and Randy used the copied weapon. They would be much stronger if he equipped them with items.


    ¡®As a bonus, I will learn magic.¡¯


    That would be the icing on the cake!


    ¡°Kukukuk!¡±


    [...]


    Gridughed because he had tasted failure and frustration many times. This point of view was quite different from what Braham predicted.


    ¡®Has he lost his pride after the fight?¡¯


    Braham didn¡¯t know anything about psychology and had this absurd thought. His anger soared into the sky.


    ¡®He considers magic a bonus.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s affinity for Grid fell by 2. As a result, Braham¡¯s affinity for Grid was at 68 points. If the two of them were the opposite sex, it would be high enough for marriage.


    ***


    It was an joyous day for Reidan.


    Lord Grid returned after a long time.


    "Dear husband!¡±


    Irene, the heir to the best family in the kingdom anddy of Bairan, as well as Grid¡¯s duchess. She rushed to the outskirts of the city and greeted Grid. She was still bright, beautiful, and lovely.


    ¡°Irene.¡±


    "Dear husband~!¡±


    Irene had be more aggressive after giving birth to Lord. She didn¡¯t care about the residents and soldiers watching as she hugged and kissed Grid. Grid was feeling embarrassed when Lauel sent him a whisper.


    -In order to raise Reidan¡¯s fertility rate, you must set an example as the lord.Please share your hot love even more where people are watching.


    "...¡±


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 405

    Chapter 405


    -In order to raise Reidan¡¯s fertility rate, you must set an example as the lord.Please share your hot love even more where people are watching.


    Lauel meant to actively express positive affection. A simple example was to stroke her cheek or whisper loving words in her ears. He wanted to engrave the perception ¡®this couple¡¯s rtionship is beautiful and happy!¡¯ into the public.


    But Grid misunderstood.


    ¡®This guy has seen too many Japanese videos.¡¯


    Why would he share a hot love in front of everyone? Wasn¡¯t a hot love beyond kissing? Doing this act in the middle of the city, not the bedroom, and in front of more than 20,000 people? It was impossible unless he was aplete pervert. It was apletely crazy idea.


    -W-What is it?


    Lauel saw the contempt in Grid¡¯s eyes and panicked. It was the day when the pure youth Lauel wasbelled as a pervert.


    And on this day. Lauel was disappointed with Grid¡¯s uncooperative attitude and made a pledge.


    ¡®I will take initiative for My Lord.¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s project to create a second generation had begun. It was at this time that the legendary ¡®Reidan¡¯s Female NPC Strategy¡¯ was written.


    ***


    It was only six days before the National Competition and Grid was supposed to leave for France in four days.


    Based on Satisfy, Grid had 12 days to spare.


    ¡®I must finish all the preparations.¡¯


    Thus, he hurriedly returned to Reidan. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be like this.


    "I love you, but I¡¯m sorry. Please be satisfied with this today."


    Time was short. Grid saw Irene¡¯s nakedness after a long time and used his hand techniques. After a while.


    ¡°...I love you, dear husband.¡±


    Grid¡¯s dexterity stat had long gone beyond the realm of a human. Grid satisfied Irene in a short amount of time and left for the smithy.


    ***


    Reidan¡¯s superrge smithy.


    Khan and the young cksmiths weed Grid, who had been missing for a few months. Grid observed Khan with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and felt admiration.


    ¡®Advanced level 8?¡¯


    In fact, Grid had thought Khan¡¯s cksmithing skill would stagnate at advanced level 7. But in contrast to his expectations, Khan was steadily developing. The process of training talented young cksmiths seemed to give Khan a new understanding.


    "Maybe you have a chance to be a craftsman?¡±


    "Huhu, you are overrating me.¡±


    Historically, only 10 cksmith craftsmen had emerged. Khan didn¡¯t dare aim to be recognized as a craftsman. But Grid thought differently.


    ¡®Khan is Albatino¡¯s descendant. Hees from a long bloodline of cksmiths and has more passion than anyone. If I support him well, he can be a craftsman.¡¯


    Maybe he would be reborn as a named NPC. Grid felt greedy as he headed towards the furnace located in the innermost area of the smithy. A typical furnace was always dirty, but Grid¡¯s was clean. It was thanks to Khan always cleaning it for him.


    ¡®Really, I¡¯m touched by that old man every time.¡¯


    His first friend, Khan. He prayed for the old man to live as long as possible. Grid¡¯s eyes were red as he started to prepare the firewood, while the young cksmiths freaked out.


    ¡°Duke Grid! Let us do these menial tasks!¡±


    "It isn¡¯t your duty!¡±


    It was impressive. Two years ago in real time, he had been told by the old cksmith in Bairan that he couldn¡¯t even cut firewood. Now he was in a position where he shouldn¡¯t be cutting them. He realized that he had be sessful.


    Gridughed and waved to the young cksmiths.


    "You can go and do your work. Today, I want to go back to my state of mind as a beginner.¡±


    Grid thought that going through all the cksmithing processes would improve his concentration. He prepared enough firewood and lit the furnace.


    Tak!Tatak!


    The mes in the furnace started to slowly rise. Grid controlled the temperature of the mes and suddenlyughed.


    ¡®If Braham saw this, he would beughing at me.¡¯


    He would¡¯ve argued that he could¡¯ve raised the temperature of the mes instantly with magic power. But right now, Braham was silent. To be precise, he fell asleep just after using Assimtion.


    Did this mean that Grid used Assimtion recently? No. Grid hadn¡¯t use Assimtion during the past fortnight. The reason why Braham was exhausted and sleeping was due to what happened when Grid died on the 61st ind some time ago.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to go to hell.¡¯


    Grid had used ckening against Lantier, and was in danger of falling into hell due to dying in the ckening state. Braham said that if he fell into hell in this state, he would fall prey to the great demons. Therefore, he suppressed the dark gate trying to suck Grid into hell with magic.


    In exchange, a message was added to Grid¡¯s current status window.


    * Braham has 69 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, and 15 seconds left to restore his magic power and wake up. You can¡¯t use the Assimtion skill until Braham wakes up *


    By the time 69 days passed in Satisfy time, the National Competition would being to an end. In other words, Grid had lost a powerful weapon in the National Competition. But Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. He believed he could y a role in the National Competition alone, without Braham¡¯s help.


    ¡®I will make that beliefe true.¡¯


    He needed items. He realized that there was a limit to developing his control. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t be a genius like Kraugel and the Overgeared members. Therefore, he needed to make the best items.


    ¡®Horse knight¡¯s helmet, troll lord¡¯s vest, crying ogre¡¯s gauntlets and golden crown¡¯s leggings.¡¯


    In addition, Lantier¡¯s cloak. Grid wanted to reproduce some of the items of the monsters he met in thetter half of the Behen Archipgo. It was because he needed new, more powerful armor.


    ¡®The Holy Light set is really good. But...¡¯


    The Holy Light Armor had a high probability of resisting dark magic, increased the effectiveness of healing magic by 300%, and increased resistance to physical attacks. The Holy Light Gloves raised attack speed and uracy, and had a low chance of activating the 5 Joint Attacks skill. The Holy Light Crown raised his intelligence and dignity stats.


    Once these three items were worn as a set, defense and health rose significantly. It was why Grid had been steadily using it since level 170. Yes, the Holy Light Set was very good.


    ¡®If it was half a year to a year ago, I would still be able to call it a top-ss armor.¡¯


    But not anymore. As the level of monsters and users increased, the value of the Holy Light set was falling. He was able to realize it after meeting Kraugel and experiencing the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®The problem is that the basic defense is too low.¡¯


    In particr, the crown and gloves had poor defense. It was almost defenseless. In the case of the Holy Light Armor, it wasn¡¯t bad, but the defense wasn¡¯t very high for armor. If there was no set effect, he wouldn¡¯t have used it from the beginning.


    ¡®The 5 Joint Attacks of the gloves isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯


    At this point, the only advantage of the Holy Light Set was for healing or when facing magic. This thought became more widespread after dying from two of Lantier¡¯s blows.


    ¡®I have to make an armor set for defense.¡¯


    Monsters easily neutralized his attacks in the Behen Archipgo. He would gather the characteristics of the armor they were wearing.


    ¡®First.¡¯


    Grid confirmed that the furnace was at the right temperature and extracted the ck iron and ogre blood.


    ¡®Let¡¯s make the troll lord¡¯s breastte.¡¯


    From the time he became duke of Reidan until the present time, he¡¯d earned around 147,000 gold from hunting and various quests. Of course, there was a separate sum that he invested into Reidan.


    In any case, 147,000 gold was approximately 200 million won. Grid was nning to pour all of this gold into making items.


    ¡®I will use the finest materials.¡¯


    The National Competition. It was the best stage of Satisfy that the entire world was paying attention to. Grid needed to invest enough to prove his worth on that stage. However, the concept of ¡®enough¡¯ wasn¡¯t understood properly by Grid.


    In fact, 200 million wasn¡¯t a big sum. The rankers of various countries participating in the National Competition poured at least billions of won into upgrading items and skill books. Were they crazy?


    Not at all. This was a realistic amount. There were many sponsors attracted to the rankers participating in the National Competition, so money poured out abundantly. Of course, manypanies offered to sponsor Grid.


    However, Grid refused. It was because the amount was too small. None of thepanies set a high price on Grid, who had been nerfed. Mostpanies predicted that Grid would lose his events, so the average value they offered was 300 million. This was lowpared to rankers like Chris and Zibal, who had been offered 12 times as much.


    Grid¡¯s pride was hurt and he had to refuse the offers. Someone might think he was stupid for kicking away 300 million because of his pride. But Grid thought differently.


    ¡®I will get the best result.¡¯


    Companies that sponsored him would get astronomical results. Grid knew this fact, so epting only 300 million won would make his stomach cramp with irritation.


    Grid vowed again. He would prove his worth to those who underestimated him and make them shed tears..


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 406

    Chapter 406


    Scale armor.


    As the name suggested, it was armor simr to the scales of a fish. Several small pieces of iron tes were put on leather straps and then joined together with thick cloth or leather. The range of activity was high because it allowed free movements of the body. In addition, it was good at deflecting swords and other sharp weapons. It had resistance to stabbing and shing as options.


    But the basic defense power was inferior whenpared to other heavy armor. In particr, it was difficult to avoid a fatal injury if the joints where the iron tes were joined together were attacked.


    ¡®In the end, the gap between iron tes is the biggest problem.¡¯


    That¡¯s why tankers hardly wore scale armor, despite it being ssified as heavy armor. The scale armor had obvious advantages, but there were also obvious limitations. However, Grid thought of a way to ovee the limitations of scale armor. It was thanks to the hint from the troll lord¡¯s breastte.


    ¡®If I make multipleyers of iron tes, I can maintain the advantages of scale armor while covering the deficient defense.¡¯


    Typical scale armor was oneyer of joined iron tes. The moment the weapon struck between the tes, the defense was forced to fail. The troll lord¡¯s breastte minimized this weakness with a doubleyer of iron tes. Was it possible that cksmiths had never thought of this idea?


    No. Existing cksmiths also knew that multipleyers of iron tes would increase the defense. The reason why they didn¡¯t make it...


    ¡®The higher the iron content, the higher the weight and the more limited the movements.¡¯


    In other words, it lost the advantages inherent to scale armor. Heavy and movement-limiting scale armor? Who would want to use it? If it was going to be inconvenient anyway, they might as well wear heavy armor with much higher defense.


    ¡®But the items I make are different.¡¯


    ck iron was two times harder and three times lighter than iron.


    ¡®I can use this to make the tes as thinly as possible.¡¯


    He would make scale armor that was light and easy to move in, even if the iron tes were doubled or tripled. This wasn¡¯t an easy task. ck iron smelting was seven times more difficult than iron smelting. Even Khan, whose cksmith skill was advanced level 8, wouldn¡¯t be able to smelt ck iron so thinly and shape hundreds of scales.


    However, Grid was different. Grid¡¯s cksmith skill was legendary level 7 and his dexterity was close to 3,000. For him, smelting ck iron was just as hard as ordinary cksmiths smelting iron.


    ¡®I¡¯ll prove why I¡¯m a legend.¡¯


    Compared to other legends, it was true that he wascking many things when it came tobat. However, as a cksmith, he could proudly say that he was the best.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The taste of holding minerals in his hands was the best. The pleasure was greaterpared to when killing monsters. Grid¡¯s concentration rose rapidly as he started hitting the ck iron on the anvil.


    ¡®The width of the iron te shouldn¡¯t be too wide.¡¯


    The joints between the iron tes increased the flexibility of the scale armor. Grid wanted the iron tes to have a narrow width, in order to maximize the characteristics. However, the smaller the tes, the longer the working time.


    In particr, the number of iron tes increased because he needed to make threeyers. It was impossible to make hundreds of small iron tes and join them together, even if it took two full days.


    But Grid was a craftsman. The increasing workload? It didn¡¯t matter. It was necessary if he wanted to make better items.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Small and thin ck iron pieces were refined in Grid¡¯s hands. The appearance, size, and shine reminded him of ck dragon scales.


    ¡®Beautiful scales.¡¯


    ¡®The scales are at least three times smaller than the scales of typical scale armor, but the details are much better. The technique of the duke is really delicate.¡¯


    ¡®Wow... It seems like he has made over 100 already? How many is the duke nning to make?¡¯


    ¡®This would be incredibly boring and difficult work for me.¡¯


    Khan and the young cksmiths were amazed at Grid¡¯s workmanship and care.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been activated.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has increased the effectiveness of your production items]


    The roosters cried out at dawn. Beyond the cksmith¡¯s window, the spires of the castle rose in the distance. However, Grid didn¡¯t take a break.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid relied on his high stamina to continue making the iron tes. He devoted himself to work, despite the day passing and it bing night again. Excluding meal time and sleeping time, he never released his hammer.


    Then two dayster.


    [You have sessfully made the ¡®Scale Armor.¡¯]


    [The structure is different from the ¡®Scale Armor¡¯ on your production list.]


    [Analyzing the scale armor.]


    [The function of your scale armor is phenomenal.]


    [Scale Armor (Enhanced)]


    Scale armor modified by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    Unlike conventional scale armor, it has a tripleyer of iron tes.


    ck iron is used to minimize the weight, and 621 iron tes were made as small as possible in order to increase the range of movement.


    ¡°...?¡±


    [Scale Armor (Enhanced)]


    Scale armor modified by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    Grid felt a sense of deja vu from these words. At first, he couldn¡¯t think of anything, but then he remembered.


    [Magic Missile (Enhanced)]


    A magic missile developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    Yes, it was Braham¡¯s magic. Just as Braham strengthened existing magic, Grid was able to strengthen existing items. At this moment, Grid was able to truly understand why he was a legendary cksmith.


    [Please decide the name of the item you have created.]


    The system asked before listing the item¡¯s ratings and options.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Grid thought carefully and came to a conclusion.


    ¡¯I made threeyers of iron tes.¡¯


    It matched well with the threeyered meat that Koreans were familiar with.


    "Let¡¯s call it Three Layers.¡±


    It was the worst. Lauel would¡¯ve tried anything to stop Grid if he was present. Unfortunately, Lauel wasn¡¯t here. For the sake of Reidan¡¯s future, Lauel was busy interacting with female NPCs and didn¡¯t care about Grid. It was really a pity.


    [Have you decided on ¡®Three Layers?¡¯]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [¡¯Three Layers¡¯ has been added to the list of item production methods!]


    [Three Layers has beenpleted.]


    [Three Layers]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 721/721 Defense: 1,115


    * 30% reduction in damage from physical attacks.


    * 50% reduction in damage from stabbing attacks.


    * Passive skill ¡®Sword Breaker¡¯ will be generated.


    * Strength +50


    Scale armor modified by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    The 621 small, iron tes made by hand and joined into threeyers has ensured a high defense and range of movement.


    In addition, each iron te has a small groove. If the enemy¡¯s weapon strikes it, there is a certain probability of the weapon being damaged.


    Like the ck dragon scales, these 621 iron tes will shine whenever the wearer moves.


    Ogre¡¯s blood was used to increase the durability of the leather straps, slightly increasing the strength of the wearer.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher. 1,500 strength. 1,830 stamina. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery Level 5 or higher.


    Weight: 2,501


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    It had been two and a half years since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Not in game time, but in real time. Grid had made a huge number of items in the meantime, but only 12 legendary items so far. He had no luck, despite being a legendary cksmith.


    Thus, Grid cleared his mind. In the process of making items, Grid didn¡¯t dare think about making legendary items.


    But today. He had a hard time over the past few months due to the Behen Archipgo, and now he made a legendary item after a long time. Grid was filled with anticipation.


    ¡°Finally... Finally, the heavens knows my skills and heart.¡±


    Being rewarded for their efforts, it might be natural for geniuses, but not ordinary people. No matter how hard they tried, they often didn¡¯t get reasonable rewards. It was particrly bad for Grid.


    But now Grid¡¯s efforts were seeing results. It was a result achieved through Grid¡¯s growth.


    ¡°Okay... Keep this momentum going.¡±


    Grid was very pleased with the result. The material used for the Holy Light Set was adamantium, so the options and durability were much better. However, the defense of the Three Layers was superior.


    "Next is the helmet and leggings.¡±


    The bnce patch to the National Competition that nerfed him?


    [Grid¡¯s attack power, which is his biggest weapon, is suppressed.]


    Grid smiled as he recalled that headline.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a damage dealer.¡¯


    Items were flexible. An overgeared person could be a damage dealer or tanker. In this National Competition, Grid was nning to show off an attack power that didn¡¯t yield to the patch, as well as his defense. In other words, he would be a wless damage dealer tank that would overturn the world.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The helmet, leggings, and gauntlet were graduallypleted, while Lantier¡¯s Cloak was reproduced through Item Creation. It wasn¡¯t long before he would be a matchless overgeared person.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 407

    Chapter 407


    Cloak.


    It referred to a coat hanging from the shoulders without any sleeves. From a general point of view, tailors made cloaks because themonly used materials were cloth and leather.


    But cksmiths also knew how to make cloaks. It was natural. cksmiths made all types of leather armor, and due to this they were also skilled at making cloaks.


    Of course, it was a reality that the options and designsgged behind cloaks made by tailors, since they were specialists in cloth and leather. However, the cksmith cloaks had better basic defense.


    From that point of view, Lantier¡¯s Cloak was clearly made by a cksmith.


    ¡®The cloak stopped my de.¡¯


    What was the quality and sticity of the cloak that it couldn¡¯t even be torn by Noe¡¯s ws? Grid thought about it during his return journey to Reidan. He actively used his knowledge and experience as Pagma¡¯s Descendant, looking at every type of leather. The leather he came up with?


    ¡®None.¡¯


    Of course, there were some leathers that were as hard as rocks that were excellent in defense. Typical examples were minotaur leather and blue griffin leather. In fact, they were used as materials for the best leather armor. But they weren¡¯t appropriate as a material for a cloak.


    ¡®It¡¯s too thick and heavy. They aren¡¯t soft enough, despite being leather.¡¯


    Making a cloak with it? Rather than a cloak, it was more like a box. There was no utility as a cloak. If so, what was Lantier¡¯s Cloak made out of?


    ¡®I bet it isn¡¯t cloth.¡¯


    Pagma had prepared the equipment for Lantier, who became a death knight. Pagma was a cksmith, so he couldn¡¯t handle cloth at a high level.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he recalled something. He remembered that with Lantier¡¯s Cloak, the inside and outside were different colors.


    ¡®The outer part is ck.¡¯


    And the inner lining was red.


    ¡®Pagma used two types of leather to increase the defense of the cloak.¡¯


    Once he realized this, he knew that he didn¡¯t have to cling to minotaur or griffin leather. The durability might be lower, but there were more suitable leathers to make the cloak. Now Grid went through the different types of leather to find a red and ck one.


    ¡®...None?¡¯


    The ck leather wasn¡¯t too much trouble, but there was no red leather. The only one simr to red leather was the pink leather of the lizard queen.


    ¡®The lizard queen¡¯s leather is too hard to be used as the inner lining of the cloak...¡¯


    In the past week, Grid hadpleted his armor, helmet, and leggings. He faced a challenge when he tried to recreate Lantier¡¯s Cloak using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill.


    ***


    Her eyes were confident and her mouth rxed. Yura was filled with unique intellectual charm and was the most beautiful woman in Asia. Her hairstyle had changed somehow. Her ebony hair fell down and reached her chest.


    ¡®I am ashamed.¡¯


    Yura blushed as she stood in a full-length mirror. The pink flush on her white face was reminiscent of a peach.


    ¡®It feels awkward.¡¯


    Her short dress revealed her thighs. It highlighted Yura¡¯s ideal figure. Yura normally wore jeans, simple t-shirts, or suits, so she couldn¡¯t adapt to her appearance in the mirror. She shivered shyly at the thought of going out with her body exposed. Honestly, she wanted to change her clothes right now.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Today she was meeting Grid. In other words, she was meeting Shin Youngwoo. She wanted to increase her favorability with the first man she was interested in. Therefore, she changed her style. It was to match Grid¡¯s taste.


    The problem was her breast size. Didn¡¯t Grid like at least a D cup?


    "...¡±


    Yura thought about borrowing the power of items, but shook her head. It was a matter of pride. She was already bigger than average.


    On this day.


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I die right now!¡±


    The men who witnessed Yura on the streets cried out emotionally, regardless of their age. There were some people who vowed never to wash their eyes.


    ***


    Ding dong~


    There were 3 days remaining until the National Competition.


    Someone visited Youngwoo¡¯s house.


    ¡°Ohh~! God Grid!¡±


    It was Peak Sword.


    Youngwoo frowned in dislike at his loud voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re as lively as ever.¡±


    "I have to wee God Grid, so of course I will be energetic!¡±


    ¡°Ah, really.¡±


    Peak Sword was like Khan. They were people who had an infinite affection towards Grid. He couldn¡¯t be disgusted by such people. Shin Youngwooughed and wore slippers onto the porch.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Light blue old slippers and a green training suit. Peak Sword was impressed as he looked Youngwoo up and down. Youngwoo¡¯s body was much fitter than it was several months ago. His broad shoulders and thick thighs were very good.


    "Last time, you were jogging every morning. Now it seems like you are constantly working out as well?¡±


    "I need to be healthy so I can focus more on the game.¡±


    That¡¯s right. He couldn¡¯t y the game without stamina. In particr, the fatigue of virtual reality games was very high.


    ¡°This is a very good attitude. But what are those severe dark circles under your eyes? Have you been sleepingtely?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making a few items before the National Competition... Huh?¡±


    Youngwoo, who came out of the house, discovered the car that Peak Sword was standing next to and felt astonished. Peak Sword saw his expression and asked earnestly.


    ¡°How is it? Isn¡¯t my new car very good? It is a rare sports sedan that can stand side-by-side next to God Grid¡¯s 800 million won 13 series. Right?¡±


    ¡°...Moonlight blue.¡±


    Youngwoo was paying attention to the color of Peak Sword¡¯s car. It was blue under the sunlight, but ck when in the shade.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    The red leather that made up Lantier¡¯s Cloak. It might not be red. After remembering that the 61st ind was covered with mes, Youngwoo was enlightened and rushed into his house.


    "I¡¯m going back into the game!¡±


    ¡°Eh? H-Huh?¡±


    Peak Sword panicked. Wasn¡¯t today the day when he promised to attend the operational meeting with the participations of the Korean national team? Now he was going to one-sidedly withdraw from that promise?


    "We can work out the ns, but Yura will be disappointed...¡±


    Yura and Peak Sword were friends since a long time ago. Peak Sword one-sidedly followed Yura after joining the ¡®Do you know club?¡¯, but he could still be regarded as a friend. In particr, after their reunion in the Overgeared Guild, they became closer and Peak Sword was able to notice that Yura was attracted to Youngwoo. She would be worried about what to wear today, but Youngwoo...


    ¡°Well, this is fine.¡±


    This was God Grid, who broke the sky. The only Korean yer who could be viewed as Satisfy¡¯s best. Peak Sword didn¡¯t want to disturb him. He respected Youngwoo¡¯s choice, since it would eventually boost the status of South Korea.


    As a result, Yura became depressed.


    "...Youngwoo-ssi isn¡¯ting?¡±


    ¡°Ah, eh, yes...¡±


    "...¡±


    The finest Korean restaurant in Gangnam.


    Yura, who was waiting for Youngwoo and Peak Sword with the other participants of the National Competition, changed clothes. She put on a white shirt and jeans instead of the alluring one piece dress that showed off her body.


    The men in the room were forced to me Youngwoo, while the women could be freed from their feelings of self-consciousness.


    ***


    ¡°Yes, this is it! Why didn¡¯t I think of this?¡±


    Reidan¡¯s superrge smithy.


    As soon as he reconnected to the game, Grid opened the ¡®Item Production List¡¯ and cheered. The item he was looking at was the leather armor that he gave to Faker a few months back.


    [Chameleon Armor]


    Rating: Epic ~ Legendary


    Epic Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Unique Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 390/390 Defense: 539


    * 35% reduction in damage from stabbing, cutting, and throwing attacks.


    * There is a normal chance of disrupting the enemy¡¯s gaze.


    * The effect of the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill will rise.


    * Various resistances will increase depending on the climate.


    Armor made from the skin of the chameleon lord.


    It boasts excellent sticity and changes color and options depending on the surrounding materials and climate.


    ...


    ...


    Chameleon. The chameleon was around 2 meters in size and had muscr human limbs. Their leather was very resilient, making them resistant to physical attacks. Their color and nature changed instantly in order to protect themselves from danger.


    It was shown that Lantier¡¯s Cloak could neutralize Noe¡¯s ws and stay in the zing fire.


    ¡®Due to the high sticity, a synergy will ur when it is attached to other leather. Then wouldn¡¯t it be good to use the leather of the puri minotaur?


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and recreated Lantier¡¯s Cloak using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill. The result was a great sess.


    [Lantier¡¯s Cloak]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary


    Unique Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 153/153 Defense: 206


    * 20% reduction in damage from stabbing, cutting and throwing attacks.


    * There is a 10% probability of deflecting the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * Various resistances will increase depending on the climate.


    The puri minotaur leather is used as the outer material, while the chameleon lord¡¯s leather is used for the inner lining.


    The chameleon lord¡¯s leather slightly alleviates the rigidity of the puri minotaur¡¯s leather.


    The cloak boasts an unbelievable defense and is especially strong against des. There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attack.


    The chameleon lord¡¯s leather isn¡¯t exposed to the outside, so the effect of disturbing the line of sight and increasing stealth can¡¯t be expected.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher.


    Weight: 690


    ¡°Good!¡±


    This was an excellent protective cloak that all Overgeared tankers should have. There were 10 hours before his departure to France.


    Grid was bing aplete tanker. His thorough preparations for the National Competition wereplete.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 408

    Chapter 408


    ¡°What? 9 hours?¡±


    9 hours.


    It was the time it took to travel from South Korea to Paris, France. This was even non-stop.


    "We aren¡¯t riding a boat. Why does a ne ride take so long?¡±


    ¡°France is at the western end of Europe. It only takes 9 hours because this is a new passenger ne. It takes around 12 hours when flying on an older passenger ne.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    The road to Incheon International Airport. Youngwoo felt ufortable as he rode in a car with Peak Sword.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t 9 hours 27 hours in Satisfy time?¡¯


    27 hours was a long time. Based on his level 307, hunting for 27 hours was enough to raise his experience gauge by 1.5%. What about cksmithing? He could use that time toplete Noe and Randy¡¯s items. Maybe he could even enjoy a hot love with Irene.


    He had to waste that time stuck on a ne? It was especially painful for Youngwoo, who used time and effort to cover hiscking talents and skills. It was enough to make him tremble.


    "Anyway, I can just go online from home. Why do I need to gather in Paris?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo muttered from the passenger seat. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t concentrate on driving and turned on the self-driving capabilities of the vehicle.


    "What don¡¯t you like? Tell me what it is that makes you ufortable. I¡¯ll resolve it for you! Ah, are you worried there won¡¯t be any kimchi in Paris? Don¡¯t worry! I wrote out a list of Korean marts and Korean restaurants. If you want, I can even cook kimchi stew in front of the Eiffel Tower!¡±


    "...¡±


    Youngwoo was reminded that Peak Sword was someone who grabbed foreigners on the street and asked ¡°Do you know kimchi?¡±


    "...No, please don¡¯t do that. I just don¡¯t like that I can¡¯t y the game while stuck on the ne for 9 hours.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Peak Sword understood Youngwoo¡¯s feelings and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re really diligent. Then should we use Yura¡¯s private ne?¡±


    ¡°Private ne?¡±


    "I heard it in the meeting yesterday. There are Satisfy capsules on Yura¡¯s private ne, so if you want to y Satisfy while travelling to France, you can use Yura¡¯s private ne."


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The fact that she had a private ne was surprising, and there was also a Satisfy capsule on it? It was an unrealistic world for Youngwoo, despite being the owner of a 10 billion won building that would bepleted in the near future.


    ¡®How rich is she?¡¯


    Yura¡¯s astronomical strength was shocking. Youngwoo was at a loss for words as Peak Sword asked again.


    "How about it? Do you want to take Yura¡¯s private ne?¡±


    There was no need to think.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll contact her. Yura will be very happy.¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t question why Yura would be happy, because his head was filled with the National Competition. He was looking forward to it. He wanted to show his worth to the people of the world who kept denying him.


    ***


    "Wee."


    It was a long flight to France. Yura was originally dressedfortably, but she changed once she heard the news that Youngwoo wasing. Her short skirt caught Youngwoo¡¯s attention.


    ¡®Really pretty.¡¯


    Like everyone else, Youngwoo couldn¡¯t help feeling admiration every time he met Yura. Hers was a timeless beauty that transcended the concept of race, causing everything in her surroundings to fade away. Jishuka was the only one who didn¡¯t lose to Yura when it came to beauty.


    ¡¯No, Marie Rose as well.¡¯


    Marie Rosebined Yura¡¯s simple and intelligent charm with Jishuka¡¯s provocative beauty. She might be an NPC, but he couldn¡¯t understand how she could be so perfectly beautiful.


    ¡®There is an effect.¡¯


    Yura saw that Youngwoo was staring at her and felt delight. She thought it was correct to choose clothing that suited Youngwoo¡¯s taste. But that joy was brief.


    ¡°Where is the capsule?¡±


    "...¡±


    Yura felt ashamed as Youngwoo looked at her chest for a moment before asking. Youngwoo¡¯s taste was firm.


    ***


    Grid sighed with relief as he connected to Satisfy.


    "Hah, I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    He knew that Yura was pretty from the moment he saw her on TV. But he never saw her wearing these types of clothes. He felt a new charm from the always neat Yura.


    ¡®Her body is so pretty that my ideal type might change.¡¯


    That¡¯s right.


    It wasn¡¯t because of indifference that Grid ran straight into the capsule without having a long conversation with Yura. Rather, he was too conscious. She was too pretty. He couldn¡¯t face her head on. Yura was a burden for Grid, who stillcked resistance to ¡®real women.¡¯


    ¡®What is this? Yura wouldn¡¯t be interested in me.¡¯


    Yura always showed a positive attitude, but it was a type of partnership rather than a crush. He couldn¡¯t misunderstand.


    ¡®Why would a woman like that like me?¡¯


    Yura¡¯s perfect man had to be smart, sweet, handsome, rich, and have a good family. As Grid was recognizing Yura as part of a different world, Peak Sword sent a whisper to him.


    -Did you read the article that was announced a month ago?


    -Article?


    -It said that due to reducing the number of participants for each country, the chances of winning medals will increase.


    -I don¡¯t think I saw the article since I was in the Behen Archipgo...In what way?


    -The 1st National Competition had a maximum of three events for one person, regardless of individual or team events. Meanwhile, the 2nd Competition doesn¡¯t have a limit on the number of team events.


    -Team?


    -Boss raid, target match, and siege.The rules of these three events have been changed in order to allow all participants from all countries to participate.That¡¯s why the participants gathered together for an operational meeting yesterday.


    -Hoh.


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    -If I win three gold medals individually and three gold medals in the team events, does this mean that South Korea can win the National Competition?


    -It¡¯s possible.


    -But it isn¡¯t realistic.


    Despite the presence of Grid, Yura, and Peak Sword, South Korea was ssified as weak because the level of the other participants was poor. In addition, unlike Grid, Peak Sword was greatly weakened by this patch. South Korea was forced to be weak in team events.


    -Unfortunately, in the siege and target match, there¡¯s no way for us to win the gold meal.But the boss raid is different.


    Peak Sword had been watching Grid all the time. Grid¡¯s harsh raid experience was much more thanmon users, so Peak Sword ced hope there.


    -I believe that if we support you well during the raid, we can get a gold medal.


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand it.


    -I don¡¯t know the siege rules, but why not the target match?Can¡¯t we get a gold medal in the target match?


    Yura was a long distance damage dealer with her magic gun, while Grid could release Magic Missile with the God Hands. Grid judged that if the two peoplebined powers, they would be able to y an overwhelming role in the target match. But Peak Sword thought differently.


    -I don¡¯t have the ability to protect you and Yura from the other participants.


    -Hrmm.


    -I¡¯m sorry to be holding onto your ankles.


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t like Peak Sword¡¯s attitude. Who was Peak Sword? He might be ridiculous, but Peak Sword was a proud Korean. It was disturbing to see him shrink back like this.


    -Is the damage from the patch that big?


    Grid spoke in a serious voice.


    Peak Sword replied honestly.


    -It¡¯s the concept of my ss.My base damage is very highpared to otherbat sses, but the dy after an attack is big.If I can¡¯t deal a fatal blow with one strike, it will be counterattacked and I will be defeated. If my damage is halved in the National Competition...


    He stopped talking.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Grid thought for a long time before asking.


    -Is the dy after an attack affected by the attack speed?


    -The dy is reduced if my attack speed is high.But the minimum length of a weapon that I can equip is 1 meter and 50 centimeters, and long swords have a limit on their attack speed.


    ¡®That¡¯s prejudice.¡¯


    In the past, Grid had made the Ideal Dagger when he first faced Euphemina in the cksmith match. It was a weapon with an excellent buff that raised his agility and attack speed. If the options of the Ideal Dagger could be reproduced with a sword, it would be worth using as one of his gship weapons. However, it wasn¡¯t possible to maximize the effect if he gave the option of the Ideal Dagger to a heavy sword.


    ¡®I thought of a longsword.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make it. Grid had concentrated on producing armor instead of the National Competition was because he was fully satisfied with the weapons he was currently using. In particr, Iyarugt¡¯s experience was at 83%, so it was likely that it would grow to a legendary level during the National Competition. PvP weapon experience gain was simr to PvE experience gain.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I willck attack power, because I also have Item Combination.¡¯


    But wouldn¡¯t it be better to be properly prepared? He should speed up the production of the Ideal Long Sword.


    -I will be working on a sword until we get to Paris.


    -Sword?F-For me?


    -Don¡¯t get me wrong. It isn¡¯t just for you.Now get the materials I need.


    -Yes, I understand!I will acquire them for you now!


    Just like Grid upgraded his items before the National Competition, the members of Overgeared also wanted to upgrade their items. But they didn¡¯t ask Grid because they were likely to be his enemies in the National Competition.


    Grid also knew this fact, but Peak Sword was different. At the very least, he would be an ally in the team event.


    ¡°I should increase the power of the same side.¡±


    People who yed the game knew this feeling.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 409

    Chapter 409


    Paris, Charles de Gaulle International Airport.


    It was one of the busiest airports in Europe, with around 530,000 nesnding and taking off every year. It was always bustling with people. It was good to see it crowded.


    ¡°It wasrge and scary.¡±


    Korea¡¯s national team descended from Yura¡¯s private ne and entered the 2E terminal. Their mouths dropped open as they saw the interior.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem bigger than Incheon Airport?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s two times bigger than Incheon National Airport.¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at the map. It takes an hour to walk to the nearest exit.¡±


    Yura exined to the astonished group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can catch a bus.¡±


    Yura was the best beauty and ranked 5th in the unified rankings, so she had always been an object of interest and was invited to many countries. This was already her 9th visit to Paris. She was familiar with thendscape, and after following her, the group of people walked 20 minutes to a bus stop and boarded a bus.


    Due to his habit from his school days, Youngwoo sat directly behind the driver¡¯s seat and sighed.


    ¡°Are we moving to the city with this bus?¡±


    He was worried about moving through arge airport, so he was d that they could move rtivelyfortably. Yura spoke shocking words to the relieved Youngwoo.


    ¡°This is the airport shuttle bus.¡±


    "Airport shuttle...?¡±


    "Yes, we will take this to the nearest taxi stop and take a taxi to the city.¡±


    "...¡±


    The airport was enough to make a person tired. Youngwoo looked out the window and pledged not to visit Paris again. Paris was one of the world¡¯s top tourist destinations, but Satisfy had a lot more beautiful spots. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel any inspiration.


    On the other hand, Yura was sitting next to Youngwoo and smiling softly. Youngwoo¡¯s forearms were now solid and burly, different from when they first met. It was a pleasant and reassuring sight.


    ¡®Why is she sitting next to me when there are plenty of empty seats?¡¯


    It felt good to touch Yura¡¯s soft skin. From the side, her nose was as beautiful as a sophisticated artwork. There were no spots on her white skin, making her look like a pure snow field.


    Thump thump thump thump.


    Youngwoo¡¯s heart started beating faster as he became conscious of Yura.


    ¡®Remain calm, calm.¡¯


    The nervous Youngwoo formed tight fists. He was worried about what might happen if he moved a finger by mistake and touched Yura¡¯s body.


    ***


    The Korean team travelled 40 minutes by taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport and arrived at their hotel.


    Shang X L Hotel. It was a 5 star hotel located 600 meters from the Eiffel Tower. The luxurious interior was reminiscent of a pce from medieval times, and the guest rooms had a view of the Eiffel Tower and Montmarte.


    "Furthermore, the restaurants in this ce made it into the Michelin Guide?¡±


    "The rate for the rooms is probably ridiculously expensive.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the cheapest room rate is 2 million won per night, while the expensive rooms are priced at 30~40 million won.¡±


    ¡°30~40 million? F-For one day...?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "...¡±


    A total of 224 people were participating in the 2nd Satisfy National Competition. The S.A. Group provided amodations at 5 star hotels for all of them. It was for 16 days. Indeed, this was the power of the world¡¯s number one group.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been great if Sehee could participate in this tournament.¡¯


    Youngwoo admired the luxurious room assigned to him and was reminded of his sister Sehee. He imagined how delighted Sehee would be to see this ce.


    ¡®Well, there¡¯s no urgency. I will be with her starting from next year¡¯s National Competition.¡¯


    Currently, Sehee was a student. She had little time to y Satisfy because of her studies, and her level was low, so she couldn¡¯t participate in the National Competition. But it would be different starting next year. Sehee had a good understanding of the value of Satisfy and her Saintess ss. Therefore, she was nning to concentrate on Satisfy after she entered university.


    ¡°By the way, what are these clothes?¡±


    Youngwoo frowned as he unpacked his clothes. It wasn¡¯t the training clothes and slippers that he normally wore. Instead, there were sneakers, cks, cotton shirts, and jeans. There were even nice shoes.


    ¡®You want me to wear something like this?¡¯


    Youngwoo dressed just for convenience. Style? He had no interest in that.


    He was traumatized by being ignored by his first love Ahyoung after wearing fashionable clothes to pursue her, and he didn¡¯t pay attention to fashion after that. In particr, he hated the cramped nature of the cored shirts.


    Sehee knew these tendencies and still packed these clothes?


    ¡°Sehee, this girl...¡±


    She pretended that she wanted to pack because he would be gone for a while, but it was just a trick? Youngwooined as he showered and changed clothes.


    He selected one of the coordinated sets that Sehee had arranged from 1 to 19. He chose the 1st set because it had number 1 on it. Today was his first day in Paris. He would wear set 2 on the next day.


    [Roll your shirt up to your elbow and tuck it in your pants! Wear this watch!]


    "...Wow, the man who will be her husbandter on will really be tired.¡±


    Youngwoo checked the note that Sehee left and dressed ording to the contents of the note. He stood in front of the mirror and his eyes widened.


    ¡®Don¡¯t I look very handsome?¡¯


    In the past, Youngwoo had heard many times that he was ugly. The protruding cheekbones, high T zone, and eyes without double eyelids gave him an overall nervous impression. His skin was rough and his shoulders were hunched over, so he gave off a bad impression.


    But in the past year and a half, Youngwoo had gained weight and trained his body through exercise. His features also matured as he got older and his skin care was goodpared to the past.


    No, even if he didn¡¯tpare to the past, he looked good whenpared to the average Korean male. His high T zone and filled up cheeks emanated a Western charm, while his wide shoulders entuated his masculinity. In particr, his eyes were sexy to women.


    Due to Sehee¡¯s styling, Youngwoo was able to show off his charms.


    Knock knock.


    Youngwoo was staring nkly in front of a mirror and became astonished at the sound of knocking.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    "Are you ready?¡±


    Peak Sword came into the room and felt amazed.


    "Ohu, you¡¯re dressed properly for once.¡±


    Peak Sword raised his thumb. Youngwoo felt better and left the room. The two people headed to the ground floor of the hotel, where the press conference would be held. The US, British, and Turkish teams, who were also staying at the same hotel, were seated already.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Regas waved from where he was sitting as the representative of the British team. On the other hand, the US team leader Zibal was indifferent to Youngwoo, and Bubat, the Turkish representative, was staring at Youngwoo.


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m South Korea¡¯s representative?¡±


    He was confused when he saw ¡®Shin Youngwoo¡¯ as the Korean team leader and Yura btedly exined.


    ¡°We decided that at the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Why? Heok.¡±


    Youngwoo swallowed his breath at Yura¡¯s appearance. Yura appeared wearing a dress, looking like the goddess of beauty had descended. Youngwoo couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the neckline that was revealed by her tied up hair.


    ¡°You are the strongest among us, and aren¡¯t you also the master of Overgeared? Who else would be the representative?¡±


    ¡®Do I have leadership?¡¯


    As the master of Overgeared, all he did was make items and hunt. Youngwoo wasn¡¯t convinced, but Yura¡¯s evaluation was different. During the Elfin Stone raid, Youngwoo showed unexpected leadership that minimized the damage to his colleagues.


    Yura was very appreciative of Youngwoo¡¯s potential as the leader, so she aimed to train this potential in the National Competition.


    ¡°Yes... Eh... Um...¡±


    Youngwoo was swayed by the unexpected praise and Peak Sword pushed him.


    ¡°What? Everybody is waiting for you, God Grid.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    In the end, Youngwoo sat in the seat of the Korean team¡¯s representative. At that moment.


    ¡®His expression changed?¡¯


    The hundreds of reporters and staff gathered at the meeting ce were surprised at the same time. Youngwoo¡¯s silly expression changed as soon as he sat down. His eyes gazed sharply as hundreds of eyes focused on him.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. I am Shin Youngwoo, also known as Grid, the Korean team¡¯s representative.¡±


    An ordinary person would be nervous in front of the public. It was hard to maintain their spirit while being burdened by the many gazes focused on them. Especially the Youngwoo of the past.


    Hecked confidence, so he had troublemunicating with someone in front of his eyes. He always looked at the ground. But he had developed since starting Satisfy. He realized his value and found his confidence. He became familiar with the public gaze as duke, hero of the kingdom, and head of Overgeared.


    Grid was the leader of more than 20,000 people and hundreds of guild members. How could he shrink back in front of hundreds of journalists? It was impossible.


    "Is this a live broadcast? I would like to say hello to all the people who are watching me right now.¡±


    Rxed eyes and stable intonation. It was iparable to the Youngwoo from the 1st National Competition.


    ¡°God Grid, this is why I decided to follow you.¡±


    Peak Sword knew how rare it was for a person to grow and change quickly. Peak Sword once again felt inspired to follow Youngwoo.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Today, from Youngwoo¡¯s style to his attitude, everything was Yura¡¯s favorite. On the other hand, the Korean people watching the press conference live on TV and on the Inte were impressed.


    "Was Grid¡¯s personality always so intense?¡±


    ¡°Last year, he seemed like a child, but now he clearly isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he look handsomer than before? stic surgery?¡±


    ¡°How is that stic surgery? He used to look like that from the beginning, but it was just his style. You should go in front of a mirror and look at yourself. You look stupid.¡±


    ¡°I think he did a lot of exercise.¡±


    "A diamond in the rough...¡±


    Satisfy had a culture beyond a simple game. And the representative of Satisfy in South Korea was Grid.


    Ttiring~


    Ttiring~


    The rankings of the search portals were renewed about Grid. Youngwoo¡¯s parents watching the TV in their vegetable store was also impressed.


    "Our son has be more dependable... Our son is the representative of South Korea for two consecutive years...¡±


    "We gave birth to such a good son. Right?¡±


    The National Competition hadn¡¯t even started yet. However, Youngwoo had already be prominent. Not as Grid, but as ¡®Shin Youngwoo.¡¯


    One foreign reporter didn¡¯t like it and threw a provocative question at him from the beginning.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 410

    Chapter 410


    "Mr. Grid, you didn¡¯t fight back despite the one-sided damage caused by this patch. Are you admitting that it¡¯s reasonable for you to be nerfed?¡±


    Last year, Grid was able to y a role in the National Competition due to his ss and items. The result wasn¡¯t due to Grid¡¯s skills. This patch was to eliminate that unreasonable thing, so even Grid couldn¡¯tin if he had a conscience.


    The reporter interpreted it this way ording to his taste.


    From Youngwoo¡¯s position, it was an unpleasant attitude. He had great pride in himself, so if it was one year ago, he would¡¯ve immediately be angry at the reporter. He would¡¯ve snapped angrily.


    But now Youngwoo didn¡¯t do that. He represented Overgeared and South Korea, and this press conference was a live world stage. Therefore, Youngwoo took a deep breath and watched the reporter. The ID hanging from the reporter¡¯s chest had their name, the name of their mediapany, and their country.


    ¡®French.¡¯


    One of the candidates to win in the 1st National Competition. The French pointed out Bondre as the person to win the championship for their country. However, Bondre was defeated in four seconds after meeting Youngwoo in PvP. This shocking disgrace moved France further away from the championship.


    The antagonism that originated at that time, as well as vignce and anxiety that the same thing might ur this time, dominated the French reporter. The enlightened Youngwoo felt more sympathetic towards the reporters.


    ¡®His self-esteem is low.¡¯


    Just like Youngwoo in the old days. As a strong winner, Youngwoo was able to respond to the reporter in a calm tone.


    ¡°Everyone seems to have misunderstood. I¡¯m not a victim of this patch.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The French journalist was embarrassed and the audience was agitated.


    A confused Chinese reporter asked.


    "Mr. Grid, isn¡¯t your greatest strength your unbeatable attack power? Due to this patch, you lost that strength and will inevitably be in a disadvantageous position in PvP. Compared to the other rankers, isn¡¯t your control rtivelycking?¡±


    ¡°Why is my strength seen as attack power?¡±


    "You¡¯re the one who logged out Hurent of the United States in just 5 seconds and Bondre of France in just 4 seconds. Attack power is naturally your greatest strength.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    A smile appeared on Youngwoo¡¯s face. The people watching the broadcast and the reporters couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of this smile. But Yura, Peak Sword, and Regas knew the meaning of Youngwoo¡¯s smile.


    ¡®It¡¯s ridicule.¡¯


    ¡®How absurd.¡¯


    ¡®The worst personality.¡¯


    Youngwoo enjoyed the questions spreading through the reporters and opened his mouth.


    "You are pure.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Suddenly calling them pure? That smile seemed to beughing at them. Youngwoo asked a Chinese reporter who had an unpleasant expression on his face.


    ¡°What is the source of my strong attack power?¡±


    "It¡¯s obviously your strong items.¡±


    "In other words, the power of items. That is the right answer.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Youngwoo exined to the bewildered reporter.


    "My strength isn¡¯t attack power, but items. And items aren¡¯t just limited to weapons.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of the Chinese reporter widened. He understood the meaning of Youngwoo¡¯s words. Youngwoo turned his gaze away from the reporters and dered towards the camera.


    "If I can¡¯t reproduce the strongest attack power because of the patch, then I will show the strongest defense. I will thoroughly use this patch to look much better thanst year.¡±


    The nerf sniping at him? He would easily pass through it.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    The reportersughed. Youngwoo¡¯s words were too ridiculous.


    "The cksmith ss is known to have low defense and because of the inherent limit of production sses, I don¡¯t think a legendary cksmith will be much different.¡±


    "I¡¯ve never seen you use defensive skills.¡±


    "It¡¯smon sense that you can¡¯t y as a tanker by just relying on armor, without any defense skills?¡±


    ¡°You might¡¯ve ovee the limitations of your ss with items during the 1st National Competition, where there were only second advancement users, but this year will be different. Other participants have grown stronger by leaps and bounds.¡±


    "Mr. Grid, you are too obsessed with items.¡±


    The reporters weren¡¯t wrong. The reporters were experts in Satisfy and had a basis for their words. However, the problem was that Youngwoo was a special case.


    ¡°You will soon see. Ah, I will tell you this ahead of time.¡±


    Youngwoo scanned Zibal and Bubat with ridicule.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone who participates in thispetition isn¡¯t equipped with items. The high rankers received a lot of money from sponsors, so it is irresponsible if they don¡¯t have good items. Don¡¯t use bad items as an excuseter on if you have a conscience.¡±


    The tone was provocative.


    Bubat responded to the taunt.


    "Aren¡¯t you the one who relies on items? Don¡¯t speak nonsense! I bet that this year, you will earn 0 gold medals!¡±


    Zibal was the same.


    "A person who only relies on items is saying this... I guess there isn¡¯t a lot of talent in South Korea. There is a rumor that Yura, who disappeared from the rankings after obtaining a hidden ss, isn¡¯t as good as before. Well, I think it is good enough for South Korea to maintain a low profile in thispetition.¡±


    After that, the reporters didn¡¯t ask Youngwoo anymore questions. It was an attitude like they were no longer interested in South Korea. Thus, a Korean reporter asked Youngwoo a new question.


    "Grid, do you n to participate in the cksmith productionpetition? As a legendary cksmith, you will surely get a gold medal if you participate.¡±


    The reporter wanted to show to the world that Korea could also get a gold medal. The international reporters read his intentions and stiffened.


    "A gold medal doesn¡¯t have the same value.¡±


    "Winning a gold medal in a non-popr event isn¡¯t a big story.¡±


    ¡°So what... Whether it is a gold medal in a popr or non-popr event, it still shows in the score. It looks like South Korea won¡¯t leavepletely empty.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong as well. Have you seen the performance of the items made by the top ranking cksmithstely? There¡¯s no guarantee that Grid can get a gold medal, even if he¡¯s a legendary cksmith.¡±


    "...¡±


    The Korean reporter¡¯s face reddened with shame as the reaction was different than what he thought. It was a fact that anyone knew, but most of the Korean people watching the press conference were angry at the insult.


    Knowing this, Youngwoo abandoned his patience and revealed a bit of his true nature. He would give a thrill to the Korean citizens, as well as enhance the image of himself and Overgeared.


    "If I participate in the cksmithpetition, isn¡¯t this too unfair?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was natural for cksmiths to participate in the cksmithpetition. But it was too unfair? Grid was extremely arrogant. Just because he was a legend, he assumed that all cksmiths were below him. It was a higher assessment of himself than necessary.


    In front of the frowning reporters, Youngwoo raised five fingers.


    "This is the minimum number of gold medals South Korea will be able to win in this National Competition without me participating in the cksmith tournament. Expect it."


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Everyone was silent from the crazy nonsense.


    ***


    [Grid, he dered that he will win at least 5 gold medals.]


    [Grid won¡¯t participate in the cksmithpetition. Can South Korea win a gold medal?]


    [The importance of representatives... South Korea will suffer a great disgrace due to Grid¡¯s arrogance.]


    The media headlines of each country were dominated by Grid. On the other hand, there were only a few small articles about the 2nd ranked Zibal.


    ¡°Grid, this guy...¡±


    Originally, he was supposed to be the main character of the press conference, but that changed due to Grid. His ego was badly hurt as he threw the newspapers to the side with a red face. Then he asked the young man with silver hair who was enjoying his tea.


    "What do you think are the five events Grid is talking about?¡±


    ¡°Boss raid, target match and siege.¡±


    ¡°What? The team events?¡±


    ¡°And all otherbat-rted individual events.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel, the youth with silver hair drinking expensive ck tea, just spoke ridiculous words. He was the chief of staff of Overgeared and Grid¡¯s chief aide, the person closest to Grid. Still, he was from the United States.


    "I knew that Grid was arrogant, but this... Does he really believe that he¡¯s the strongest?¡±


    No, Grid always thought he wascking. That¡¯s why it was scarier.


    ¡®He¡¯s someone who has already broken the sky above the sky.¡¯


    Lauel shook his head and exined.


    "Grid said this based on his skills.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really?¡±


    Zibal thought it was absurd.


    "How can you evaluate Grid¡¯s skills so highly? Now that the average stats of users are going up and the value of items is decreasing, why are you so obsessed with Grid, who has nothing except for items?¡±


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    Lauel burst outughing and swept back his hair. He covered half of his face with one hand, his blue eyes peeking out from the gap in the fingers.


    ¡°This is why I don¡¯t appreciate you, Zibal. Your zeal to judge people and circumstances based on prejudices just proves your limitations. The brightest moment for you is the present, not the future."


    Zibal¡¯s face turnedpletely red as he shook. He tried not to get angry at Lauel, who was disparaging him. Then Lauel spoke some shocking words.


    "Tomorrow, in the target match, the US is looking for a silver medal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was natural that the US would win gold at team events. The US team¡¯s overall ability was high when taking into consideration the average level, equipment, and skills of the participants. Yet they were looking at a silver medal?


    Lauel continued to speak nonsense.


    "When I pierce through the world with my eyes, the winner of the gold medal is South Korea.¡±


    Kung!


    Zibal pounded on the table, standing up and ring at Lauel.


    "I know that you¡¯re loyal to Grid... But keep in mind that your country is always your priority. You are Grid¡¯s enemy in the National Competition. Don¡¯t mislead your allies and encourage confusion with your words.¡±


    "I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Lauelughed excitedly, like this was refreshing. Zibal hurriedly left this ce. It was because he would crush Lauel¡¯s pretty face if he stayed any longer.


    And the next day. After the grand opening ceremony, which was much bigger than the 1st National Competition, the first scheduled event began. It was the target processing match. The rules were simple.


    The S.A. Group designated 21 uninhabited inds for this National Competition. The representatives of 32 countries would be on the uninhabited ind called ¡®Tira.¡¯ Each representative had to destroy small targets 5cm in diameter that were moving at a speed of 40m per second. Each target would give points, and the representatives could be attacked and logged out.


    Destroying one target gave one point, and no additional points were gained by logging out another user. The country that earned a total of 400 points first would win.


    ¡º Which country will be the first to win 400 points in this match? ¡»


    -Waaahhhhhhhh!


    Hundreds of thousands of spectators cheered in the Stade de France National Stadium as the host raised the atmosphere. Among them, very few people were paying attention to South Korea.


    Despite Grid¡¯s deration at the press conference, almost no one predicted that South Korea could win a medal at the team events.


    But let¡¯s go back to the situation from the beginning.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    White shes emerged from four golden hands shining brilliantly under the sun. At the same time as the signal to start the match, the small targets were destroyed. The speed was fast enough to be unmatched by other teams.


    ¡°Stop him!"


    The bewildered representatives from all over the world surrounded Grid.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid used his strongest skill while feeling thankful to the enemiesing at him all at once. The result? Silence filled the agitated Stade de France National Stadium.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 411

    Chapter 411


    One hour before the start of the opening event, in the Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    Peak Sword was pointing at 11 areas on a map of Tira.


    "The target processing will be very crowded because everybody from 32 countries is participating.¡±


    A huge 224 people were divided into 32 teams topete. Enemies would be present in all directions.


    "The team that stands out too much is likely to be attacked. We should first focus on securing terrain favorable to taking care of the targets.¡±


    Yura¡¯s marksmanship was optimized for targeting. But if she focused on destroying the targets, it was likely to raise the alertness of the other teams. Peak Sword decided that it wasn¡¯t toote to start the target processing after leaving the center of the battlefield and finding a suitable spot.


    Park Jonghwa checked the points on the map and was puzzled.


    "Why are they hills and rivers?¡±


    Park Jonghwa was a level 235 archer. It was 39 levels lower than the average level of the participants in the National Competition, but he was the top ranker in the Korean team after Peak Sword, Yura, and Grid.


    He was a famous miser who always smoked and left his wallet at home when meeting friends, but he was quite good as an archer. From his point of view, the areas marked by Peak Sword weren¡¯t very appealing.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to upy the hignds? It¡¯s easy to shoot the targets and snipe enemies.¡±


    "The higher the terrain, the more noticeable we are to other teams. We won¡¯t be able to upy it for long.¡±


    Peak Sword realistically analyzed the power of the South Korean team. Apart from Grid and Yura, it was true that the average stats of the members was weaker than other teams. It was right to be extremely careful.


    "...¡±


    Park Jonghwa couldn¡¯t say anything further. His pride was strong, so he didn¡¯t like this opinions being ignored.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to build a barrier on a hill or river. Compared to the hignds, thepetition to upy them will be lower. I think it¡¯s good.¡±


    The level 233 tanker, Kyunghoon, responded positively to Peak Sword. The level 220 magician Sumin and level 191 tailor Jinhee also agreed.


    Since the most important Grid and Yura had nothing to see, they decided to go with Peak Sword¡¯s n.


    Peak Sword pointed to Area B among the 11 areas.


    "This point is particrly good. It¡¯s deep in the forest and optimized for people to act secretly. As soon as the target processing starts, we¡¯ll move to the northern forest, avoiding the enemy¡¯s gaze and securing Point B. Then Jinhee will unfold his defensive tent and...¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    The silent Grid finally opened his mouth. Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on him.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Peak Sword nced at Grid. Grid and Yura rmended that he act as the operations manager in this National Competition, but Grid had the final say on ns. This was the authority and responsibility of the captain.


    "At first, I thought it was a good n. But as I heard more, I noticed something strange.¡±


    "What is strange?¡±


    Peak Sword couldn¡¯t easily understand Grid¡¯s thoughts.


    Grid told him.


    "Avoid conflicts with enemies and build up a base before aiming for the targets? Can we get a gold medal with such rxed actions?


    ¡°Gold medal...?¡±


    Jonghwa, Kyunghoon, Sumin, and Jinhee looked surprised at the words. South Korea, the team with the lowest average level and power, they would win a gold medal at the team events? It was only a dream. They thought Grid was joking.


    However, Grid was serious.


    "Don¡¯t we need to obtain 400 points first to win the gold? Why are you wasting time camping? Meanwhile, the other teams will raise their scores by a significant amount. Just focus on taking care of the targets from the beginning.¡±


    Park Jonghwa frowned.


    "Do you n to start a full-scale war with the enemies? It¡¯s just a path to self-destruction. Grid, you might be strong, but the four of us aren¡¯t. With our specs, it¡¯s impossible topete 1-on-1 with the representatives from other countries. It¡¯s a team event, so you have to consider the average level of the team members.¡±


    Park Jonghwa believed that he was a clever person. He was absolutely negative about things that he saw were wrong.


    "We¡¯ll be destroyed in an instant, even if we only face the US team.¡±


    Grid burst outughing at the certain person.


    "Self-destruction? Destroyed in an instant?¡±


    Flinch.


    Grid¡¯s eyes shed ferociously. People shrank back at the sight. Grid hammered in the point.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter if you discount your own value, but don¡¯t put others down. In particr, I am stronger than you could possibly imagine.¡±


    Grid turned to stare at Peak Sword.


    "Answer me. What ranking will South Korea get with your n?¡±


    ¡°3rd ce.¡±


    Peak Sword was confident in his n. Their average power might be weak, but Peak Sword believed that they could win a bronze medal if they had a favorable terrain and the power of Grid and Yura.


    The bronze medal. Being ranked third among 32 countries was amazing. Perhaps most Korean people didn¡¯t even hope for it. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied with this. Grid wanted the gold medal in order to obtain adamantium.


    ¡°3rd ce? Come on, let¡¯s go for something higher. Yura will focus on handling the targets from the beginning, while the rest of the members will try and protect her.¡±


    ¡°But, we¡¯ll be hit right away...¡±


    ¡°In particr, we will be defeated in an instant if hit by the high rankers.¡±


    The higher rankers mentioned here were those in the top 80 who hadpleted their third ss advancement. Grid spoke to the nervous team members.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will burn them all.¡±


    This was the result.


    ¡°South Korea! Block South Korea!¡±


    ¡°Is he crazy?¡±


    Shortly after themencement of the target processing. The 31 teams watching each other concentrated on South Korea at once. It was a natural phenomenon. They didn¡¯t know where this confidence came from, but after the game started, only South Korea was destroying targets.


    They were a good scapegoat for the other countries, who had to reduce the number ofpetitors.


    "We are going as well.¡±


    Grid smiled as he confirmed that the representatives of other countries were acting to stop the Korean team. Zibal wanted to smash Grid, who was like an eyesore.


    Lauel calmed him down.


    ¡°Why do you need to be so obsessed with the Korean team when the other teams will take care of them? We¡¯ll use this time to take over the hignds and concentrate on target processing.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Yes, why should Zibal care about this person? Don¡¯t get caught up in his emotions. Zibal coldly nodded and the US team broke away from the confusion. Britain, Russia, Canada, Italy, Brazil, Japan, and other teams from 20 countries made the same decision as the US.


    The teams aiming at South Korea were made up of 11 countries, including the Turkish team led by Bubat and the French team led by Bondre. It wasn¡¯t a small number. The 7 members of South Korea had to fend off 77 people.


    Bubat and Bondre smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡®PvP damage has been reduced by 50%.¡¯


    ¡®Grid¡¯s Transcended Link is a ranged skill and can¡¯t threaten us.¡¯


    ¡®Stupid Koreans! You will be embarrassed as the first to leave!¡¯


    The 77 enemies rushed joyfully. They were like moths to a me as Grid looked at them and started his sword dance. The sword dance had an unmatched splendorpared to his previous one.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    [Linked Kill Wave]


    Performs three sword dances simultaneously.


    Summons eight consecutive Kill attacks that inflicts 1,500% attack power, chasing all objects within a 2m radius.


    The targets hit will have all speeds reduced by 50%.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, and Wave.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was Grid¡¯s Greatsword, which had a basic attack power that exceeded Iyarugt and increased the damage of skills. The eight stems of energy released from it caused fear to appear in the enemies aiming for Grid.


    ¡®Linked Wave Kill?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s different from Transcended Link!¡¯


    ¡¯Much more powerful...!¡¯


    Pak!


    Papapat!


    The representatives attacking Grid scattered. It was an almost instinctive behavior. However, it was already toote. Eight of them already became targets of Linked Kill Wave.


    Swaeeeeek!


    Linked Kill Wave changed orbits like a guided missile and chased after eight people.


    [You have suffered 31,300 damage.]


    [You have be stunned from the big blow.]


    [You have suffered 34,100 damage.]


    [You have died.]


    [The Frame Shield has been used. Your defense will increase by 30% for 10 seconds.]


    [You have suffered 19,500 damage.]


    [Three Step Turn has been used.]


    [The evasion has failed.]


    [You have suffered 37,500 damage.]


    [You have died.]


    ...


    ...


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was an overwhelming sight. It was enough to silence the hundreds of thousands of spectators in the Stade de France National Stadium, as the strongest representatives turned to grey.


    ¡°S-Such a thing...¡±


    In the National Competition, PvP damage was reduced by 50%. Killing rankers with one blow?


    ¡®Why is he so strong?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s attack power was beyond everyone¡¯s imagination.


    ¡®The patch has no meaning!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this patch to nerf Grid, who showed a unique strength in the National Competitionst year? Bondre whispered to Bubat, who was amazed at the unbelievable result.


    ¡°Stay calm. The deceased were only rankers in the 200¡¯s who don¡¯t have their third advancement ss. Furthermore, most of them are damage dealers. Grid only attacked rtively weak opponents.¡±


    It was heard. Bubat regained his calmness and smiled grimly.


    "Grid, I think you used your ultimate skill. But didn¡¯t you just handle the small fries?¡±


    Grid retorted.


    ¡°You should know that you¡¯re also a small fry."


    Grid had to repay the debt to the masters of the seven guilds. Those naughty people who tried to invade Reidan when he wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Teong!


    Grid leapt forward and unfolded his sword dance. Bubat reflexively took a defensive posture. However, Grid didn¡¯t use a skill.


    "Fake, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid passed by Bubat and reached Bondre. Bondre was excited to face Grid. 4 seconds! How much had he been embarrassed after being defeated by Grid in the National Competitionst year? This was a perfect chance to pay back the grudge of that time. He had been waiting for this day!


    "Crying Ice Spears!¡±


    Kwaduk!


    Kwadududuk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The hundreds of thousands of spectators were astonished at the overwhelming sight that urred. Bondre fled to the sky to avoid Grid, created dozens of sharp ice spears and caused them to rain down.


    ¡°Bondre, that bastard!¡±


    The representatives from other countries, who were paying attention to the Korean team, screamed angrily. It was because they suffered a great deal of damage from Bondre¡¯s wide area magic, despite temporarily being on the same side.


    [You have dealt 8,900 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 7,500 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Hahat! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Bondre was thrilled by the constantly rising notification windows. He was excited with this spell that showed off his great power. Bondre believed that Grid was being beaten by the magic and would soon die.


    Crying Ice Spear was a continuously unfolding spell thatsted as long as his mana allowed, so it was possible for Bondre topletely destroy the area. But there was a phrase that constantly appeared between the notification windows that were rising.


    [You have dealt 3,100 damage to the target.]


    [The target has resisted the damage.]


    [You have dealt 2,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Bondre¡¯s eyes widened. There was one person who wasn¡¯t receiving his magic damage properly! That someone was naturally...


    ¡°Gridddd!¡±


    "Fly, Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Blood sttered from Bondre¡¯s chest as he screamed at Grid, turning the ice spears red. The red ice spears had hit the strongest defense items against magic, the Holy Light Set.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 412

    Chapter 412


    [Ice Shield (Lv.8) has been used.]


    [Creates a shield that absorbs 10,000 (+11,532) damage.]


    [The shield will increase your physical defense by 30% and magic resistance by 20%, and will reflect back 30% of the damage as ice debris.]


    It was necessary to use a lot of magic in order to increase the proficiency of magic. But it shouldn¡¯t be used in a meaningless manner. It needed to be used with a purpose to increase proficiency.


    For example, in order to increase the proficiency of shield magic, it was necessary to defend against an enemy attack with the shield.


    However, a magician was a ss with low health and weak defense. They were extremely reluctant to allow enemy attacks, so the actualbat method was focused on not allowing enemy attacks. They took advantage of various spells to maintain a proper distance from the enemy and killed them before the enemy could approach.


    Therefore, most magicians only had low level shielding magic. However, Bondre raised the level of Ice Shield through his constant efforts. If he raised it two more levels, it would be mastered. It was a result of abandoning the typical magicianbat style and confronting the enemy¡¯s attacks with his shield.


    Why? Why suffer in order to raise the level of Ice Shield? The reason was simple. It was to prepare for a decisive battle with Grid.


    ¡®I only dreamed about getting revenge!¡¯


    Grid used Fly and his various resistances to magic in order to instantly narrow the distance. Indeed, this was the counter for a magician. But Bondre had already faced Grid once before and didn¡¯t panic. As soon as he faced Grid¡¯s Kill, he calmly cast the Ice Shield and then started the chant for an attack spell.


    ¡®The shield can endure the bombardment!¡¯


    Bondre believed in his shield. He was convinced that his level 8 Ice Shield couldn¡¯t be destroyed in the National Competition where PvP damage was reduced by 50%. But Grid caused a reversal.


    Jjejeong!


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 23,210 damage.]


    [21,532 damage has been absorbed.]


    [The target will receive 30% of the damage.]


    [You have dealt 6,963 damage to the target.]


    [Ice Shield is turned off.]


    ¡°Cough...! N-No, this is crazy!¡±


    Bondre¡¯s face distorted as he coughed up blood. Grid suffered the most damage, but Bondre¡¯s mental shock was great.


    ¡¯What a monster!¡¯


    His shield was smashed despite the 50% drop in damage? How powerful was Grid¡¯s original attack? It was only a moment, but Bondre felt afraid of Grid. But it cleared in an instant. As the peak of 41,000 ice mystics and a representative of his country, he could never weaken or feel distress.


    Jjejeong!


    Bondre barely sidestepped Grid¡¯s swing and shouted thest words of his spell.


    ¡°Ice Dragon¡¯s Fury!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The whole area became dominated with a chill. From the turbulent earth, huge ice pirs rose like dragons and threatened Grid. Power, speed and range. Bondre¡¯s magic wasn¡¯tcking anything.


    The earth quickly froze and frost covered the forest. The frost, ice pirs and Grid who was stiff like a statue, not moving. It was like he was overwhelmed by the phenomenal magic.


    The French people who saw it cheered.


    "Grid is stuck!¡±


    ¡°There is no escaping this magic! Indeed, Bondre is great! A genius!¡±


    "That¡¯s right! Last year Bondre wasn¡¯t alert! Go Bondre! Take down Grid!¡±


    ¡°Bondre!! Bondre!! Bondre!!¡±


    At this moment, most people in the world thought that Grid would be defeated. Bondre was different from the person who couldn¡¯t endure Grid¡¯s strikest year. This impression was imnted on the spectators.


    In the distance, the US teampeting with other teams to capture the hignds also believed in Bondre¡¯s victory.


    Zibal smiled at the sight of the ice pirs rising high in the sky.


    ¡°Bondre¡¯s mighty power can¡¯t be endured. By taking advantage of the structure of ice, the enemy¡¯s actions are blocked and aplete victory can be achieved. The sessful emergence of S-grade magic means it is the end for Grid.¡±


    "Don¡¯t make meugh."


    Someone snorted at Zibal¡¯s words. It was Pon, a member of the Spanish team that was confronting the US team. He asserted as he threatened Zibal with his spear.


    "You can¡¯t measure Grid.¡±


    "Baby small fry.¡±


    Pon, who was 10th on the unified rankings, was one of the five influential figures of Overgeared. But Zibal was 2nd on the rankings. It was natural that he should be dominant. However...


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zibal was shocked. Pon¡¯s spear flying from the front suddenly changed orbit to the side. It was unexpected and Zibal was slow to respond.


    Puok!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Zibal groaned as his side was hit. He was once again shocked as he saw the damage.


    ¡®Why is it so painful?¡¯


    Zibal had been steadily taking elixirs and used the overwhelming resources he umted as master of one of the seven guilds to arm himself with the strongest equipment. He was even 20 levels higher than Pon. From amon sense point of view, it was normal for Zibal to not suffer great damage from Pon. But he was confused by the unexpected damage.


    Lauel summoned a gust of wind to block Pon¡¯s next attack and warned.


    "Zibal, I admit that you are strong. But don¡¯t be overconfident. The power of Overgeared can¡¯t bepared to what it was a year ago.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Due to the Reidan desert, the vampire cities and the Behen Archipgo, the Overgeared members reached a level that was beyondmon sense. And Grid had achieved overwhelming development among the Overgeared members.


    [A powerful frost has frozen your body. All speeds will decrease by 20%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Kurururu!


    "Heok!¡±


    Grid stood still as he faced the huge and mighty ice pir dragons. He wasn¡¯t humbly epting death. By rotating his sword, he reversed the path of the ice pir, causing Bondre to be directly hit.


    "W-What? A counterattack...!¡±


    Typically, counterattacks could only be used against attacks of the same type. Physical force was counterattacked with a physical attack, while magic was counterattacked with magic. However, Grid used physical force to counterattack against magic. Furthermore, the attack was returned with more than 100% of the damage.


    It was unbelievable, a fraudulent skill.


    But Bondre wasn¡¯t surprised at the function of the skill itself. He was amazed at Grid¡¯s skill to fully utilize the counterattack. It needed to be used at the perfect timing, so very few yers could use a counterattack in a fight against top rankers.


    But Grid...


    Grid, who was rated as having a low level of control, used a counterattack perfectly against Bondre.


    ¡®This guy... What has he been doing in the past year?¡¯


    Bondre became bloody. He looked at the deep eyes of the approaching Grid and realized.


    ¡®I can¡¯t measure him.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what trials Grid had gone through over the past year and how he had ovee them. Bondre couldn¡¯t imagine it at all.


    {Bondre! We¡¯ll join in!}


    The French representatives hadn¡¯t participated in the battle because Bondre asked for a one-on-one match against Grid. Bondre hurriedly shouted at them.


    {No, abandon me and run away. We can¡¯t handle Grid without some sacrifices.}


    {What?}


    The rankings were constantly going down due to the rapid growth of the Overgeared members, but Bondre was still in the top 20. His pride was high and he had some of the best skills. Bondre and most people believed that he was defeated by Gridst year because he wasn¡¯t vignt.


    But right now, Bondre acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills. This person was above him. It was unfamiliar to the French team, who knew Bondre well.


    {I will earn as much time as possible, so run away. Leave the South Korean team alone and focus on the targets. Aim for a bronze medal.}


    As Bondre was talking with his team members...


    Shaaaaaah-


    Grid recalled Grid¡¯s Greatsword and took out Iyarugt. The sword scattered a red light like jewels, capturing the eyes of the hundreds of thousands of spectators. The cameras were dazzled by Iyarugt¡¯s beauty and zoomed in. It was natural that the appearance of Grid, the master of Iyarugt, would receive the attention of people from all over the world.


    "Bondre, you developed a lotpared tost year. I acknowledge your growth.¡±


    Grid¡¯s original personality would¡¯ve mocked Bondre. Bondre was one of the guild masters who dared to invade Reidan. However, Grid didn¡¯t disparage Bondre.


    Was he worried about the image of Overgeared in thepetition where millions of people were watching?


    That was a secondary problem. Grid didn¡¯t ridicule Bondre, because he truly acknowledged Bondre¡¯s skills. He could see how hard he had worked and how much Bondre had grown over the past year, and Grid couldn¡¯t put him down.


    ¡°You are strong. But I am stronger.¡±


    "...Hat! You are ridiculous.¡±


    Bondre burst outughing and summoned ice barriers. He was worried that his team members would be Grid¡¯s targets and wanted to buy as much time as possible by squeezing out all his power.


    "It won¡¯t be so easy when we meet again next year.¡±


    Bondre shouted at Grid from behind the ice barriers. Grid nodded and rushed forward.


    Chaaeng!Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    Subsequently, the ice barriers were destroyed by Iyarugt. The sharp ice arrows and ice spears couldn¡¯t stop Grid¡¯s movements. Grid didn¡¯t try to avoid the ice arrows and spears. He just epted them while approaching Bondre.


    The magic resistance of the Holy Light Set was extremely high and there was also the 50% drop in PvP damage. The synergy between the patch and his armor made Bondre into a fool.


    ¡º B-Bondre, logout!! ¡»


    Bondre, a leading figure in France, eventually kneeled down and died. This helplessness left a great shock on the French people.


    "Next."


    The rejoicing of the winner was short. After confirming that Bondre has logged out, Grid headed towards the South Korean team who were experiencing a crisis.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Peeng!


    The explosion of demonic power made a road around Grid. Grid¡¯s skin became paler and contrasted with his ck hair, causing the female viewers to cheer.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 413

    Chapter 413


    ¡º ... ¡»


    The broadcastingpanies showing the National Competition fell silent at the same time. They were shocked by Grid¡¯s abilities that surpassed the imagination and were at a loss for words. But as professionals, they couldn¡¯t remain silent forever.


    The broadcasters hurriedly regained their minds and proceeded again.


    ¡º Basically, Satisfy implements a system where the yer¡¯s defense mitigates the damage as a percentage. ¡»


    ¡º In the National Competition, PvP damage is reduced by 50%. ¡»


    ¡º Experts observed that PvP damage is actually 30~35% in the National Competition due to the yer¡¯s defense... ¡»


    ¡º ...Grid quickly took care of Bondre and eight representatives. ¡»


    ¡º Grid¡¯s damage is far too powerful. It seems like there¡¯s a limit that the yer¡¯s defense can alleviate his attack. Even the patch can¡¯t stop his might. ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t just high attack power. Grid perfectly utilized a counterattack against the high ranker Bondre. Is this just a coincidence? No. Grid is different fromst year. Now Grid seems to have high quality control. ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    The hosts praised him while the experts who predicted that ¡®it is fortunate if South Korea doesn¡¯test¡¯ were silent. Grid¡¯s show was amazing. It was beyond expectations. God Grid. It was the moment when the arrogant nickname was once again engraved onto the minds of the world.


    On the other hand, Bubat of the Turkish team had a rxed expression on his face. Grid¡¯s level was just what he expected.


    ¡®Indeed, the patch had an impact.¡¯


    When Grid used the new skill called Linked Kill Wave, Bubat predicted that all the people hit by it would die. But the result was only four deaths, three serious injuries and one minor injury.


    This alone was a very traumatic incident.


    There were few people who could sweep away the skilled people of each country with one blow. However, wasn¡¯t their opponent Grid? Grid was a monster who destroyed dozens of people in the National Competitionst year with just Transcended Link. Compared tost year, his power had definitely fallen.


    ¡¯He isn¡¯t a threat to me now.¡¯


    Bubat was convinced as he looked at Grid, who even Bubat couldn¡¯t defeat. There was a reason for Bubat¡¯s confidence.


    [Undefeated King¡¯s Battle Gear Set]


    Madra, a man who had never been defeated and was called the Undefeated King. He was the 9th king of the Lubana Kingdom, which was now absorbed by the Saharan Empire. There was a legend that the Lubana Kingdom was unbeatable during his rule. The Saharan Empire in its prime couldn¡¯t upy the Lubana Kingdom that Madra defended. The Lubana Kingdom was safe until Madra¡¯s death.


    ¡¯The undefeated king who endured the onught of the enemy knights alone.¡¯


    Now Bubat had the strongest set of armor used by a legendary person. Bubat gained wings from the set and had the best tanking power.


    ¡®You can¡¯t imagine the sacrifices I made to get this, Grid.¡¯


    Despite the failures he experienced, Bubat¡¯s eyes remained brilliant and strong. After arming himself with a blue armour and holding arge shield in his hands, Bubat ran towards Grid and shouted.


    ¡°I will stop you!¡±


    Bubat took out his unique rated weapon, ¡®Seres¡¯ Hammer.¡¯


    ¡®Now Grid will be frustrated.¡¯


    He defeated four yers with Linked Kill Wave and all the French yers retreated after Bondre¡¯s defeat, but the number of people here was still overwhelming. The South Korean team were surrounded and under pressure from over 60 enemies. South Korea would be in a crisis if Grid didn¡¯t get there quickly, so Grid would be in a hurry.


    Then as if to prove his impatience...


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Peeng!


    Demonic energy exploded from Grid. Grid increased his attack power but received a penalty of lowering his health.


    ¡®As expected!¡¯


    Bubat smiled with satisfaction as he watched the nervous Grid.


    "Bring it on!¡±


    Kuwong!


    [Taunting Shout has been activated.]


    [The enemy will be provoked.]


    The rare hidden ss, Crusher. His stats was that of a typical tanker, but the greatest advantage of the ss was its ability to destroy formations. He used the ¡®Unconditional¡¯ skill to rush within 3m of the target and used CCbos to instantly destroy the enemy.


    Butst year, this didn¡¯t exert any power on Grid. Grid was immune to abnormal status conditions.


    ¡®Now it is different!¡¯


    In the course of achieving level 310, Bubat acquired skills that forced the enemy into an abnormal status. This was originally designed to allow CC to work on boss raids, but it was currently deadly to Grid.


    [¡¯Bubat¡¯ has taunted you.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    Grid frowned.


    ¡®Lauel¡¯s concern was right.¡¯


    Lauel was sure that for the sake of bnce, skills that ovee the status conditions immunity would surely emerge. Grid had scoffed at the time, but Lauel¡¯s concern was turned to reality.


    It was like when a gamepany sold the cash shop item ¡®Shield that absolutely defends against an enemy¡¯s attack¡¯ andter sold an ¡®item that breaks down the absolute shield¡¯ at a higher price.


    As the zoomed in face of Grid distorted, the hundreds of millions of viewers realized the situation that was happening. The silent experts suddenly shouted.


    ¡º That armor that Bubat is wearing...! I¡¯ve seen it in an ancient book! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s Undefeated King Madra¡¯s battle gear set! ¡»


    ¡º Undefeated King Madra was called a legendary tanker. There is a record stating that he endured the onught of the Red Knights alone! ¡»


    ¡º Bubat¡¯s tanking power will be beyond imagination. Grid won¡¯t be able to defeat Bubat. ¡»


    ¡º In the end, Grid failed to save the Korean team. ¡»


    The experts raised the anxiety of the Korean viewers.


    -Wow, really.I looked up Undefeated King Madra and he is wearing the exact same armor as Bubat.


    -One of the best tankers is equipped with the best armor...However, God Grid will win.


    -A lot of Grid¡¯s skills must be on cooldown...It might be tough.


    If this was the reaction of Koreans, what about the foreigners? Most people believed that Bubat was a mountain that Grid couldn¡¯t cross. However.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid arrived in front of Bubat, regardless of his will, due to the taunt. He used cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements.


    ¡°Haha! Try and hit me! You will realize that it is futile and feel despair!¡±


    Bubat provoked Grid to the end. Iyarugt aimed for the weak spot detected by the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    [Pinnacle Lv. 4 (0.5%)


    A sword that expresses the essence of a warrior god.


    Deals 800% of your attack power to a single target. This skill will ignore 64% of the target¡¯s armor.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s attack speed suddenly became very fast? The attack orbit was hard to read. More than anything else...


    [You have suffered 17,050 damage.]


    ¡®It hurts?¡¯


    No, what was this?


    The shield held in Bubat¡¯s hand became obsolete.


    ¡°U-Uhh?¡±


    Bubat blinked because he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. It was natural. The Crusher possessed the highest level of defense among the numerous sses in Satisfy, and Bubat was also wearing the strongest armor set belonging to the undefeated king.


    Then why was it so painful? Bubat staggered and seemed to fall into a state of confusion. He tried to counterattack with his hammer, but Grid boasted extreme agility due to Quick Movements.


    The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and Iyarugt told him the attack orbit and he could defend against it. But Grid ignored the hammer. He judged that Bubat¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t threatening at all.


    Peeok!


    [You have dealt 1,090 damage to the target.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Bubat¡¯s eyes widened with astonishment.


    It was a unique rated hammer, so why didn¡¯t it do any damage?


    ¡®What? Isn¡¯t this a big deal?¡¯


    Did Grid¡¯s defence go beyond their predictions?


    ¡®A tanker? Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    "If I can¡¯t reproduce the strongest attack power because of the patch, then I will show the strongest defense. I will thoroughly use this patch to look much better thanst year.¡±


    Grid¡¯s remark from the press conference entered his mind. That¡¯s right. Bubat never even imagined it. Grid hadn¡¯t even pulled out Three Layers yet. Grid aimed a finger at the confused Bubat¡¯s forehead.


    "Magic Missile."


    Magic Missile (Enhanced) constantly gained proficiency in the Behen Archipgo, but it was still level 2. The experience was only at 60%. The proficiency gain rate of legendary skills was the worst.


    On the other hand, the damage of the legendary magic was strong. It ignored the enemy¡¯s magic resistance and dealt damage equal to twice Grid¡¯s current magic power. Grid was still wearing the Holy Light set, meaning his intelligence was increased by 200 due to the Holy Light Crown. The elixirs also increased his intelligence by 400.


    Bubat was surprised by the high damage.


    Peeng!


    "Ugh!"


    Bubat¡¯s head snapped back after he was hit by Magic Missile. Looking at the blue sky, Bubat was convinced that the situation was the worst. Notification windows appeared in front of Grid.


    [Critical!]


    [The option effect of Iyarugt has caused the target to bleed.]


    [The 3rdbo has been achieved!]


    [The option effect of Iyarugt maximizes the bleeding of the target. The damage done to the target will increase by 200% for 1 second.]


    Grid attacked during this gap. It was Pinnacle Kill.


    [Pinnacle Kill]


    An attack thatpletely ignores the target¡¯s defense and deals 2,000% of your attack power.


    * The sword can change orbit in the middle, making it hard to deal with.


    Seokeok!


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Just like most tankers, Bubat invested his stat points into stamina, and his agility was very low. However, he hardly ever encountered inconveniences due to low agility. Was it sometimes difficult to respond to enemy attacks because of low agility?


    It didn¡¯t matter. His defense was high, so he could endure it. But Grid¡¯s attacks were an exception. They hurt. He struck continuously and eventually linked Hell Sword.


    It was a legendary attack skill attached to Iyarugt. It was another star. It happened in less than a minute.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 414

    Chapter 414


    ¡º Bubat has been logged out! ¡»


    Criticisms towards Bubat flooded in as he died.


    The Turkish people were disappointed by his pathetic ability that allowed Grid¡¯s attacks.


    -There are arge number of allies, so it¡¯s natural to tank while your allies deal damage to the enemies.


    -What type of tanker challenges a person to a one-on-one battle?


    -Bubatcks one-on-one experience.Seriously the worst.


    -Basically, Grid is the strongest.How did such a monster appear in a small and weak Satisfy country like South Korea?I¡¯m sick because we have been grabbed by South Korea two years in a row.


    -This year, the one with the lowest ranking seems to be Turkey.


    -Won¡¯t Bubat lose his sponsors soon?


    "...¡±


    The logged out Bubat couldn¡¯t raise his head. He was afraid to return to Turkey. On the other hand, Grid remained on the battlefield and was still admiring it.


    ¡®It¡¯s a huge passive skill.¡¯


    Grid confirmed the damage of Pinnacle and decided that it was possible to finish off Bubat with Pinnacle Kill. But he was wrong. Pinnacle Kill did much less damage than expected. It was presumed that Bubat had a passive skill where ¡®only a % of the maximum health¡¯ was decreased by a strong blow.


    ¡®If his armor was unsealed, it would¡¯ve taken much longer.¡¯


    Grid had the cksmith¡¯s Eyes skill.


    He could check the information of an item if he looked at it for three seconds. This could be a double-edged sword.


    It was because the item information window interfered with his field of view.


    Anyway, Grid learned one thing through the cksmith¡¯s Eyes. Bubat¡¯s armor was currently sealed and couldn¡¯t perform at its full capabilities.


    ¡®The undefeated king.¡¯


    Was he also one of the nine legends? Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good as he moved. He spent longer than expected dealing with Bondre and Bubat.


    ¡¯I feel like my luck is really bad.¡¯


    There was one reason why Grid used the Holy Light set instead of the newly created equipment, including Three Layers and Lantier¡¯s Cloak. He was hoping to trigger the 5 Joint Attacks skill attached to the Holy Light Gloves. If 5 Joint Attacks was activated, Grid would be able to deal with the enemy faster because he could deal five times as much damage.


    However, the problem was that it wasn¡¯t activated. Since he entered the Behen Archipgo until now, the number of times 5 Joint Attacks was activated had significantly decreased. Grid felt like his odds when it came to games of luck was bing worse.


    ¡®I am angry.¡¯


    He wanted to make an item that would increase his luck.


    ¡®...Eh? Isn¡¯t this good?¡¯


    It was better than the good luck state in many ways. In an extreme example, if he wore items that increased luck, he could increase the chances of producing higher rated items. Grid thought such things while moving to save the Korean team.


    At this moment. He didn¡¯t show any signs of nerves, despite the Korean team being in a crisis.


    Why?


    He believed in hispanions.


    The reason why Grid decided on this high risk operation, which was to immediately attack the targets and attract the aggro of the enemies, was because he trusted in Yura and Peak Sword¡¯s abilities.


    ***


    4 minutes after themencement of the target processing.


    While Grid was defeating Bondre and Bubat in session, the Korean team was struggling against the allied teams.


    ¡°Fire Wall!¡±


    "Multi Shot."


    The archer Jonghwa and the magician Sumin didn¡¯t consider their mana, trying their best to tie up the feet of the enemies while the tailor Jinhee did his best to set up a protective tent. The tanker Kyunghoon used skills to slow down the enemies¡¯ advance.


    But they were weak. They were at least 40 levels lower than the other yers, making it impossible to endure.


    "Shit, when is Griding?¡±


    Park Jonghwa said nervously.


    He had a negative impression of this n from the beginning, so he couldn¡¯t help grumbling. He fired his arrows relentlessly, but there wasn¡¯t a single enemy who copsed. His weak arrows couldn¡¯t prate the enemies¡¯ defenses.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Rather, his wounds increased due to the counterattacks. His health had already fallen to a risky level. He would¡¯ve died sooner if it wasn¡¯t for the 50% reduced PvP damage patch. Sumin¡¯s mana reached the bottom.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use magic anymore...¡±


    ¡°Shit! Hey, Jinhee! Haven¡¯t youpleted the tent yet?¡±


    "I-I¡¯m sorry. I think it will take 3 more minutes.¡±


    ¡°This... Ugh!¡±


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Kyunghoon barely blocked an attack with his shield and went flying. The person who blew him away was Australia¡¯s leading ranker, Luca.


    ¡°Stop the senseless resistance. Aren¡¯t you just tiring yourselves out in this attempt to buy time?¡±


    Luca was 80th on the unified rankings and had a third advancement ss. The Korean team members couldn¡¯t go against him. He faced them with cold eyes.


    ¡®The end.¡¯


    Park Jonghwa thought with frustration.


    "Our goal is to win, not buy time.¡±


    Yura was handling the targets with her rifle while being protected by her team members. This time, she was the one protecting her team members. Luca looked at her andughed.


    "I wondered what type of hidden ss you got after disappearing from the rankings, but it was just a gunman?¡±


    Gunman, a hidden ss. One of their advantages was that they used a rifle, which had a longer attack distance and more powerful attacks than archers. They had the highest attack power among physical damage dealers.


    But the weakness was clear. They had low health and defense, and their evasion rate was ridiculously low. They didn¡¯t have as many utility skills as magicians. It was safe to say that once they allowed the enemies to approach, they would die.


    For Luca, a gunman was just good prey.


    "I don¡¯t like the pretty faces of Asian people, so I will use this opportunity to trample on it.¡±


    Luca grinned and rushed towards Yura. His speed was very fast. His defense and evasion was great, so he avoided any fatal blows from the few shots fired by Yura.


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    The South Korean team was desperate. It was the same for all Koreans watching the game. They didn¡¯t want to see the goddess of Korea being trampled on. Did their wish reach the sky?


    Yura didn¡¯t panic. She avoided Luca¡¯s attack and cut at him. Yes, it was a cut. From a gunman.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Luca¡¯s eyes widened as he felt terrible pain.


    ***


    ¡°Draw Sword.¡±


    The moment that Peak Sword ced his hand on his sheath. Ten team members jumping at him flinched back. Peak Sword normally seemed stupid, but his presence was different on the battlefield.


    ¡°Annihte.¡±


    sh!


    It was well known that Peak Sword had cut apart dozens of enemies during the Silver Knights war with Japan¡¯s Sakura Guild over Cork Ind. That famous story was now being reproduced in the eyes of the world.


    Seokeok!


    Peak Sword felt the ultimate pleasure at his Draw Sword. By using the shortest distance from the sheath to the attack point, the enemy couldn¡¯t recognize it.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Kukukukukung!


    There was a sh and everyone in front of Peak Sword copsed. The rankers felt a chill.


    [You have suffered 13,520 damage.]


    [You have suffered 12,144 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,050 damage.]


    [You have suffered 8,600....]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The pain camete.


    ¡®How can a ranged skill do so much damage...?¡¯


    The rankers suffered serious damage from the strikes and couldn¡¯t believe it. However, Peak Sword wasn¡¯t satisfied with his own attack.


    ¡®Damn, the effect of the patch is too great.¡¯


    The only advantage of his ss with a long attack dy was the power of his strikes. It was worth it since one attack could deal a fatal blow to the enemies. However, in the National Competition, Peak Sword couldn¡¯t exert his original strength and the advantage of his ss disappeared.


    "Hit him!¡±


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    The wounded rankers of the allied teams rushed towards Peak Sword. They were aware of the weakness of Peak Sword¡¯s ss. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t link an attack until the sword returned to the sheath, so their aim was this defenseless gap.


    But Peak Sword¡¯s weapon was made by a legendary cksmith.


    [Ideal Longsword]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 308/308 Attack Power: 680


    Attack Speed: +21%


    * The skill ¡®Wind st¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Quick Movements¡¯ is generated.


    User Restriction: Level 310 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery level 5 or higher.


    The durability and attack power wasckingpared to the same unique-rated Iyarugt, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that it was one of the best one-handed swords. Furthermore, it was a longsword that maximized the advantages of Grid¡¯s Ideal Dagger.


    It was a very suitable weapon for Peak Sword, whose attack speed was important. Furthermore, Grid had prepared another gift for Peak Sword. The gift was a sheath.


    [Peak Sword¡¯s Sheath]


    * 20% increase in sword drawing speed.


    * 40% increase in sword recovering speed.


    It was a sheath that used one of the Water n King¡¯s Tears that Euphemina obtained in the Siren Kingdom to attach Zednos¡¯ wind magic. A gust of wind urred to increase the speed of Draw Sword. at the same time, a whirlwind would recover the sword.


    ¡°God Grid! I will surely be more overgeared!¡±


    Peak Sword tearfully cried out. The faces of the rankers turned pale at the sight.


    ¡¯That recovering speed...¡¯


    ¡¯Ridiculously fast!¡¯


    The rankers didn¡¯t step back, despite the sight before them exceedingmon sense. To be precise, they couldn¡¯t step back. It was already all or nothing with Peak Sword.


    "Die!"


    "A country weak in Satisfy, you should copse quickly!¡±


    All types of weapons stabbed at Peak Sword.


    Peeeeeong!


    The storm surrounded Peak Sword as there was once again a dazzling light.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Peak Sword was thrilled as he confirmed the enemies¡¯ screams and copse.


    ¡®This is the power of items!¡¯


    Oveing the limitations of his ss with items... Peak Sword was excited and amazed.


    At the same time.


    ¡°T-The sky above the sky...!¡±


    While South Korea and the allied teams were fighting chaotically on one side of Tira, Kraugel was in full swing elsewhere.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 415

    Chapter 415


    Tira had three mountains.


    The highest mountain was 723 meters above sea level and was the closest area to the sky. There was no better ce to aim for the targets moving around in the sky. The team that won this spot?


    The United States. This was the inevitable result. The seven US representatives were all third advancement sses and had the best names.


    1st among the 10 Rookies, a Genius among Geniuses, Grid¡¯s Brain, Chunni... Lauel had many titles, and even he was merely ordinary in the US team. They had many business cards among them.


    ¡¯Lauel, this child.¡¯


    Pon, who had been struggling to upy the hignds, was hit by andslide and fell down a cliff. The culprit who caused thendslide was Lauel.


    ¡°Kuoong.¡±


    Pon barely inserted his spear into the cliff and saved himself from crashing down, but it was dangerous. It wouldn¡¯t be unusual for Pon to be logged out if he fell down.


    {Attack Zibal... Ugh!}


    {This! Zephyr is preventing the use of my skills!}


    {Dammit! Skull is behind you!!}


    {L-Lauel is causing anotherndslide...! Kuaaack!}


    Pon was isted and the Spanish team¡¯s party chat window was frenzied. The seven Spanish rankers were strong, but it wasn¡¯t enough against the United States. The average power of the United States was overwhelming.


    ¡®That Lauel, he¡¯s the same as always, but now he is so scary.¡¯


    It was unfortunate that they ovepped with the US team.


    ¡®We need to give up on the medal.¡¯


    Pon saw his colleagues being logged out one by one and pulled out the spear rammed in the cliff. Then as he fell, he used hisst remaining mana to fire a blow. The target was the back of Zibal¡¯s head at the top of the mountain.


    "I will make you a friend on my journey.¡±


    Pajik!Pajijik!


    Lightning formed around the red spear held in Pon¡¯s hand. It was the precursor of Rail Spear, which used electromaic force to shoot the spear faster than the speed of sound.


    Kurururung!


    The cliff where countless joys and sorrows were taking ce. Light shone in that dark ce and a thunderous roar was heard. The moment the sound was heard, the spear was already almost at Zibal¡¯s head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zibal¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Dragon ws. Wind Dragon¡¯s Roar.¡±


    Kurururung!


    Lauel considered Pon¡¯s nature and predicted this situation, using two skills at the same time to protect Zibal. He summoned a wind to slow down the speed of the Rail Spear, then caused the ground to raise, creating a barrier to block the weakened Rail Spear.


    But it was useless. The power of the Rail Spear was too strong. It simply tore down the wind and earth barrier in its way. Lauel failed to protect Zibal and Zibal received a big blow. He would need to withdraw from battle for a while.


    ¡°Poooooon!¡±


    "...Hat! Hahahahat!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s shriek of rage was heard from the top of the mountain, while Ponughed loudly from the bottom. This battlefield was bing more intense.


    ***


    ¡º Pon has been logged out! The Spanish team has been annihted! ¡»


    ¡º Spain couldn¡¯t win against the United States. The United States is really strong! I can guarantee that the United States is the strongest at team events! ¡»


    At the start of the event, the Korean team and the teams that allied against them were struggling against each other. The Brazil team, led by Jishuka, moved secretly and reached the depths of the northern forest.


    ¡°Is there a need to fight? You shouldn¡¯t forget the fundamental purpose of shooting the target.¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Truly a godly archer. Jishuka fired without a break, quickly taking care of the flying targets in the area. Jishuka handled several more targets and asked the team members.


    ¡°Huhu, how about it? Aren¡¯t we first?¡±


    "Of course! Eh?"


    A Brazilian ranker responded and then checked the scoreboard, only to feel shocked. No matter how they looked at it, the score was strange. Jishuka became anxious when she saw him stiffen and checked the scoreboard. Then she was shocked.


    1st. South Korea - 41 points.


    2nd. Brazil - 23 points.


    3rd. United States - 18 points.


    4th. Russia - 11 points.


    ...


    ...


    ¡°What... What?¡±


    How could Korea flourish, despite being the target of various teams from the beginning? The confused Jishuka burst outughing.


    ¡®The God Hands.¡¯


    Grid was facing the allied teams, while the God Hands were destroying the targets in the sky. The God Hands were very simple and easy to control, so it was possible.


    ¡°He¡¯s truly a great man.¡±


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t understand why Grid destroyed the targets and attracted aggro the moment the game started. But now she sensed Grid¡¯s deep meaning.


    ¡®The God Hands havepletely disappeared from the minds of the enemies. Grid is taking advantage of his presence.¡¯


    He even used Yura as bait. On the current battlefield, it was rare for people to be aware of the presence of the God Hands in the sky. If South Korea was able to withstand the barrage, they would obviously obtain the medal.


    Since the allied teams were mostly weaker countries that couldn¡¯t have won medals in the first ce, it was likely that Korea could endure the alliance¡¯s offensive. Apart from Grid, South Korea also had Yura and Peak Sword.


    ¡®Grid, you¡¯re great. But I¡¯m sorry. The gold medal is mine.¡¯


    Jishuka only started the target hunting after entering the forest and securing her safety. In other words, she started the match verytepared to the South Korean team. Nevertheless, the gap was gradually narrowing.


    The Brazil team could safely concentrate on the target hunting, while South Korea had to deal with enemy teams. Thus, there was a difference in speed. In particr, Jishuka¡¯s archery was very great.


    ¡¯Grid, be satisfied with the silver medal.¡¯


    Jishuka knew how to distinguish between public and private matters. She didn¡¯t worry about her colleagues and wanted respect.


    Kkirik!


    Jishuka pulled her bowstring while feeling sorry to Grid in her heart. She would win the gold medal, be stronger, and get the title of strongest woman. Her gaze became more intense and sexier. However, her brightly shining eyes soon became shaken.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave you alone, so I came after you.¡±


    A low voice was heard from the dark forest. The owner of the charming voice showed up between the trees. Jishuka and the Brazilian rankers paled as they saw him.


    ¡°T-The sky above the sky...!¡±


    The 1st ranked user, Kraugel. His waist long hair was tied up and his beautiful eyes shone.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I have to do this.¡±


    He would make Russia 1st on the overall rankings. It was the condition of payment for the new drug developed by the Russian government that would help Kraugel¡¯s mother. Kraugel only epted these terms for his mother.


    He vowed to knock down thepetitors, trample on them and lead Russia to victory. His goal in the target processing match was to assassinate the ranged dealers, and Jishuka was his fifth victim.


    That¡¯s right. Unlike Grid, Kraugel had stealthily and faithfully acted in his role as a close range damage dealer to assassinate four ranged dealers while Grid was attracting the public¡¯s attention. They didn¡¯t even know it.


    ¡°Who said I will be easy?¡±


    She didn¡¯t think she would be caught by such a big person...


    Jishuka felt astonished, frustrated, and desperate as she pulled back her bowstring.


    Kkirik!


    The bow that originally aimed at the target switched to Kraugel...


    Peeng!


    Godly archer. The arrow of the godly archer that exceeded the human condition left the bowstring.


    Kiiiing-!


    Pepepepeng!


    The arrow rotated and split into five arrows, exploding and blocking Kraugel¡¯s escape. Jishuka pulled her bowstring again during the time when Kruagel was dyed. She was hoping that Kraugel was alone.


    ¡®First of all, I will deal as much damage as possible while the team members take up a pincer formation.¡¯


    They had a chance of winning, even if the opponent was Kraugel. The 14th ranked Jishuka was qualified to make this positive analysis. However, her opponent was the sky above the sky, who made even gods insignificant.


    His innate skills and Keen Senses passive skill meant that he escaped most of Jishuka¡¯s exploding arrows. Kraugel avoided big injuries and rushed through the st towards Jishuka.


    ¡°...Oh?¡±


    She didn¡¯t think there would be someone who could emerge unscathed from that attack. Jishuka was at a loss, but she calmly fired her bow.


    Swaeek!


    Sharp arrows rained down on Kraugel¡¯s head.


    Suuk.


    Kraugel twisted and avoided the arrows. As expected, Jishuka¡¯s arrows exploded to try and inflict damage on Kraugel. Kraugel used White Light Steps and easily avoided it. He steadily broke through the Brazilian rankers.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s moves weren¡¯t as destructive as Grid and Chris, and they weren¡¯t as dazzling as Faker or Regas. But he was as strong as Grid and Chris, as fast as Faker, and as unconventional as Regas.


    He was like flowing water. All of his actions seemed natural.


    "...Why did you lose to Grid?¡±


    Kraugel avoided Jishuka¡¯s continuously firing arrows and eliminated the Brazil team in an instant. A few arrows hit his body, but he exquisitely avoided any fatal blows. The reason why Kraugel was called the sky above the sky, Jishuka understood after seeing it directly.


    ***


    ¡º Jishuka has been logged out! The Brazil team has been wiped out! ¡»


    ¡°Once again, the world is wide and there are many strong people. Right?¡±


    Pon and Jishuka. Grid didn¡¯t know that some of the strongest people in Overgeared were eliminated in session.


    The teams from 11 countries also couldn¡¯t have imagined. The fact that they would be crushed by a country weak in Satisfy, South Korea.


    ¡°M-Monster...¡±


    Thest survivor turned to grey. All of the team members were dead, and Grid was at the center. He was breathing roughly, but there were no obvious wounds on his body.


    Armor that looked like it was made out of ck dragon scales. Giant red gauntlets reminiscent of an ogre¡¯s fist. A ck cloak that changed color whenever it pped in the wind. Gold leggings and a te helmet with horns rising up on both sides.


    Armed with new items, Grid¡¯s appearance was like a magnificent mountain. The world was shocked because it looked like he would never copse.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 416

    Chapter 416


    There was nothing in front of strength.


    This was one of the truths of the game. It was an undeniablew.


    An extreme example of thisw was applied in boss raids. Bosses that had millions of health? If they suffered from tens of thousands of damage from dozens of yers, they would eventually fall.


    But what if the boss monster had the power to knock down the yers in one go? This truth was likely to be broken. In that sense, it wasn¡¯t impossible for Grid to wipe out 37 people from the allied teams alone.


    ***


    South Korea vs the allies.


    Despite the efforts of Yura and Peak Sword, South Korea went increasingly on the defensive because the numerical disadvantage was too much. All of the Korean yers except for Yura and Peak Sword were logged out.


    This was the end for South Korea! The moment that the people of the world were thinking the worst.


    ¡°The protagonist appears.¡±


    After defeating Bondre and Bubat, Grid finally joined the battlefield. As always, he appeared with truly exquisite timing. Originally, thementators and spectators would be thrilled to see him...


    ¡º Grid¡¯s outfit is really unique. ¡»


    ¡º Um... It is vague. ¡»


    Thementators and spectators were embarrassed as they saw Grid. ck armor and cloak, golden leggings and helmet, and red gauntlets. Grid¡¯s appearance was ridiculous after he wore different armor.


    ¡°He has no sense of aesthetics.¡±


    ¡°How can he go around looking like that? Isn¡¯t it embarrassing?¡±


    "My daughter is in elementary school and she has a better grasp of colors than Grid...¡±


    If they looked at Grid¡¯s armor individually, all the pieces were beautifully designed and nicely colored. But the harmony of colors together was a mess. The ck armor and red gauntlets were okay, but the armor was the same color as the cloak, as well as the leggings and helmet...


    Thebination didn¡¯t look good. It was a funny outfit thatedians would wear when they yed punishment games.


    "Grid, what are you doing? Are you aiming to kill us withughter?¡±


    ¡°How thick is the sheet of iron in front of your face that you can go around like that?¡±


    "I would rather be naked.¡±


    The momentum of the allied teams rose. Theyughed at Grid¡¯s state and lost their tension. In the first ce, Grid had wasted a lot of skills and mana while dealing with Bondre and Bubat, so the allied teams believed that they could easily kill Grid if they worked together.


    But the result? They were all wiped out. Most of the team members had second advancement users and weren¡¯t able to prate Grid¡¯s defense. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s attack power shattered the defense of the allied teams.


    Grid paid back every blow with 10 blows and ughtered 37 people.


    Hit, hit, hit, and hit. Grid¡¯s simple battle strategy caused the enemies to feel an enormous fear.


    "If I can¡¯t reproduce the strongest attack power because of the patch then I will show the strongest defense.¡±


    He didn¡¯t keep this deration. Unlike his deration, he showed the strongest attack power and the strongest defense. It was truly an overwhelming disy of items. It was a show of hope for millions of people dreaming of being overgeared.


    ¡º A-Amazing... Amazing! ¡»


    ¡º The current Grid can probably deal with two third advancement sses alone... ¡»


    ¡º At the end of Grid¡¯s performance, the allied teams have been knocked out! ¡»


    It was the moment when thementators praised Grid for the annihtion of the allied teams.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Zibal was sitting down and resting to recover from the powerful damage dealt by Pon. He watched the scoreboard with bloodshot eyes.


    1st. South Korea - 83 points.


    2nd. United States - 68 points.


    3rd. Russia - 47 points.


    4th. Canada - 36 points.


    ...


    ...


    Kwaduduk!


    The allied teams, those guys were useless. Not only did they not destroy the South Korean team, they couldn¡¯t even stop South Korean from hitting the targets. Lauel saw that Korea was ahead and said.


    "I hoped that we could catch up while South Korea¡¯s scoring was slowed down. Now that they can concentrate on the target processing, we¡¯ll be forced to defend second ce.¡±


    "What if we hit South Korea?¡±


    ¡°We have a chance. South Korea is tired and we¡¯re all strong, except for you.¡±


    Lauel emphasized the ¡®except for you¡¯ part. Zibal frowned at the words, causing Lauel tough.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t say how long it will take to defeat Grid. Currently, Grid has at least 3,100 defense and he seemed to have an extreme resistance to physical attacks.¡±


    "...¡±


    The average defense of the third advancement tankers was at least 2,500. Yet it was estimated that Grid had a defense that easily surpassed 3,000, despite being a cksmith and not a tanker. He didn¡¯t even have any passive skills to increase his defense.


    ¡®Damn items.¡¯


    Zibal also had excellent items due to the 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir. It was why he wasn¡¯t killed by Pon¡¯s Rail Spear. But somehow, it seemed shameful in front of Grid.


    ¡°If we fight Korea, we¡¯ll be giving a chance to Russia and Canada. It¡¯s better to be satisfied with second ce.¡±


    The top of the mountain. Lauel handled the targets while looking down at the Russian team. It was honestly surprising. Despite Kraugel not being present, the six people were handling the targets quickly while confronting the Italian team.


    ¡®The four third advancement ss rankers have better skills than rumored. Is Kraugel raising their morale?¡¯


    ¡º Sofia has been logged out! The Hungary team is eliminated! ¡»


    ¡°...A monster.¡±


    After crossing the forest and mountains, Kraugel assassinated famous ranged damage dealers. His destructive power was beyondmon sense. It was unrealistic. Lauel questioned if even Grid could withstand Kraugel¡¯s onught.


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯


    Looking at the situation, Kraugel was the most active person on the battlefield. Maybe he was aiming for gold? Lauel had overlooked Russia¡¯s power and realized itte.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case...!¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s next target would be...


    ¡®Yura of South Korea.¡¯


    Would the biggest match of Grid vs Kraugel ur in the opening event? Before being Lauel of Overgeared or Lauel of the United States, Lauel was a yer of Satisfy. His honest desire as a pure yer was to watch the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel.


    It was themon wish among the hundreds of millions of people watching the Nationalpetition.


    ***


    "...¡±


    The Chinese and Japanese teams were facing each other on the lowest of the three mountains on Tira. Both teams believed themselves to be Asia¡¯s ambassadors, so they couldn¡¯t focus on target processing because they were busy interfering with each other.


    However, there were three people who weren¡¯t tense. They were Japan¡¯s Damian and Katz, and China¡¯s Hao.


    ¡°Indeed! Grid truly is great!¡±


    Damian. The strongest pdin who rose to be the first pope user was merely watching Grid¡¯s activities and feeling admiration.


    "Bah, how boring."


    Katz. One of Japan¡¯s top rankers and an epic ss user, he yawned without any hesitation.


    ¡°The sky above the sky...¡±


    Hao. The draconian and king of fighting was only conscious of Kraugel.


    "...Hey guys. What do we do now?"


    Yoshimura, who was once called one of the best rankers in Japan. He was strong against the weak and weak against the strong.


    Then Katz stepped forward.


    "Indeed, it¡¯s less boring to kill these uncivilized bastards than to stay still.¡±


    The faces of the Chinese rankers reddened.


    ¡°What? Uncivilized?¡±


    "This nasty brat is speaking nonsense!¡±


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    The Chinese rankers were hot-blooded. Once Katz provoked them, the rankers rushed forward at once.


    ¡°Kukuk.¡±


    Katzughed and pulled out a sword from his waist. It was the moment when the might of the Blood Warrior, which absorbed the enemy¡¯s health with every attack and could use wide range skills using blood, was exposed. Hao saw Katz¡¯ strength instantly and finally came forward.


    The struggle between the two Asian countries started in earnest. The Chinese maind and Japanese ind simultaneously went wild. But Damian¡¯s remark poured cold water on them.


    ¡°Korea will be the best anyway.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was the moment when the ¡®Damian is Korean¡¯ theory became stronger.


    ***


    ¡®A 10 billion won neck.¡¯


    Tarma was part of a dark gamers group, Blood Carnival, whichmitted all types of bad acts. He participated in the National Competition for Greece and his goal was to assassinate Kraugel. He was involved in all possible events that Kraugel would participate in, and he would aim for Kraugel¡¯s neck every time. He didn¡¯t care about the gold medal.


    ¡®I will gain additional benefits if I kill him three times in PvP... Killing other famous rankers will also gain me benefits. Kukuk, I will make hundreds of millions of won and migrate to the US.¡¯


    He would enjoy a luxurious life in a mansion with beauties every day! He dreamt of a brilliant future as he moved after Kraugel. Then a golden hand hovered around him? It was Grid¡¯s famous God Hands.


    ¡®This is very irritating.¡¯


    Armed with a sword, it was flying alone and handling the targets. It didn¡¯t care about what was happening in the surroundings. Tarma was afraid he might be spotted by Kruagel because of the God Hand, so he nervously hit the hand with a dagger.


    Chaaeng!


    The hand was hit hard and stiffened.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He hit it hard enough for it to go flying, but it just stayed in ce?


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    Jjang!Jjang!Jjang!


    Tarma scowled and hit the God Hand several more times. Then all of the scattered God Hands gathered and headed towards Tarma. They recognized him as an enemy.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    They not only moved by themselves, but had the ability to make decisions. There was a reason why Grid was famous for his items. Tarma was feeling confused when he heard an unfamiliar voice.


    ¡°What are you doing, assaulting someone else¡¯s item?¡±


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    Grid appeared in front of Tarma, who had promised to win against Kraugel.


    Tarma snorted.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 417

    Chapter 417


    Grid.


    He was a legendary ss, and the most famous one among the informal rankers. He was behind so many topics that even people indifferent to Satisfy knew Grid¡¯s name.


    But evaluations were split in two. He was either an inexperienced person lucky to obtain a legendary ss, or he had the ability itself to acquire a legendary ss. And so on. A person who received both praise and criticism like Grid was rare.


    However, those who praised Grid and those who criticized him came to amon consensus. Grid was strong.


    But Tarma thought differently.


    ¡®I¡¯m stronger than a cksmith.¡¯


    In fact, Tarma had seen Grid¡¯s battle video several times. Grid wascking a lot when seen from the viewpoint of abat specialist. Hisbat skills were all aggressive andcked any defense, but he had no control skills to cover for thatck of defense.


    ¡¯Well, he might seem good when looking at it from the level of the public.¡¯


    Tarma ridiculed and made a shooing motion with his hand.


    ¡°Get lost, small fry. I don¡¯t have time to deal with you.¡±


    Before the National Competition started, the world predicted that Grid wouldn¡¯t y a big role, and it was the same for Tarma¡¯s client. Tarma¡¯s client didn¡¯t put a bounty on Grid¡¯s head. In other words, Tarma didn¡¯t target Grid. It was a waste of energy to kill him. He intended on sending Grid away, but his tone was the problem.


    Get lost, small fry? Grid didn¡¯t like Tarma¡¯s attitude.


    "What did you call me? Get lost?¡±


    ¡°What? What are you saying?"


    Tarma didn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s ng. Then Grid raised his middle finger.


    "Eat this.¡±


    Grid was more weing towards the people around him, but his innate personality was still far from being gentle. The worst of his nature emerged when it came to people like Tarma.


    ¡°You bastard...¡±


    Tarma¡¯s face distorted like he was a demon. The second reason for Grid¡¯s grudge was that Tarma was at the point where Grid expected Kraugel to be. Due to that, Grid missed the timing for a perfect surprise attack.


    "This can¡¯t be forgiven..."


    Tarma growled out.


    "Small fry, I will give you a chance to die under my glorious hands.¡±


    The world knew Faker as the strongest assassin. Faker was responsible for wiping out one of the seven guilds, the Ice Flower Guild. But those who knew Tarma evaluated Tarma as higher than Faker.


    The unofficial ranker, Assassin Tarma. The activities he showed in the world of darkness were greater than Faker¡¯s achievements.


    ¡º Tarma? Who¡¯s that? ¡»


    ¡º Um, let¡¯s see... A third advancement assassin belonging to Greece. His ss is Shadow Master... He¡¯s an unofficial ranker because his level isn¡¯t disclosed. ¡»


    There were currently hundreds of cameras installed on Tira Ind, capturing the movements of the participants in real time. However, the videos that the broadcasting stations could show were limited, so the users who weren¡¯t famous weren¡¯t exposed to the viewers. One of them was Tarma.


    But at this moment. Grid destroyed the allied teams and came across Tarma, making Tarma subject to the attention of the world.


    -Tarma?He has a third advancement ss, which means he¡¯s at a minimum, the same level as the 80th ranker.


    -There seems to be little exposure about him.He¡¯s probably a person who only eats and hunts.


    Most viewers didn¡¯t know Tarma. It was the same for the internationalmentators. But those who knew the world of Satisfy more deeply were well aware of Tarma.


    ¡º Tarma is a well known assassin. ¡»


    ¡º There is a rumor that Tarma has assassinated over 100 rankers. Even the 2nd ranked Zibal was assassinated by Tarma. ¡»


    ¡º Have you heard about that dark gamer group called Blood Carnival? Tarma is one of the monsters of that infamous group. ¡»


    ¡º There¡¯s a saying that the true god of death is Tarma, not Faker. ¡»


    The Inte was shocked by thements from the experts. The real time search terms on Inte portal sites were dominated by Tarma and Blood Carnival.


    -Wow...This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of Blood Carnival, but their power is huge.


    -An unbelievably wicked group...Are they the Triads of Satisfy?


    -13 kingdoms have bounties on the Blood Carnival, but their base can¡¯t be found.


    -It seems like Tarma isn¡¯t a simple assassin;; Did Grid pick the wrong opponent?Isn¡¯t it dangerous?


    -Yiing


    Dozens of drones scattered through the forest started gathering around Grid and Tarma. It was proof that the world was paying attention to both people.


    ¡°Hah, this is really...¡±


    Tarma scratched his head as he saw all the cameras. He was only in the National Competition to assassinate Kraugel, so he wanted to avoid people¡¯s attention to act more freely. However, this was ruined due to Grid.


    "After I kill you, all the participating countries will be alert towards me. I¡¯m being bothered by this little chick.¡±


    Suuk.


    Tarmained while pulling out the logo of the Lion Group. The Lion Group. One of the world¡¯s top 10panies, they were the ones who sponsored Tarma.


    "Since so much attention is being paid to a small fry, I might as well get money from it.¡±


    Tarma attached the logo of the Lion Group to his chest. Then he started to emit a dark aura as he pulled out two yellow daggers. It was a PK only weapon that he acquired from quests in Gaya, the sandy kingdom on the East continent that most users hadn¡¯t even seen yet.


    "This is the strongest weapon that makes those on the West Continent look stupid. Overgeared? Pffft! That¡¯s a word that describes me!"


    Tarma shouted with confidence and shadows emerged from everywhere. The ground, bushes, trees, rocks, etc. Tarma¡¯s shadow spread all over the ce and deceived the viewers.


    ¡°The shadows are moving!¡±


    Tarma disappeared into a shadow. It was perfect. It was at a level that could be called the strongest hiding technique, so thements, experts and viewers around the world admired it.


    But Grid was different. In the past, Grid had experienced the shadow assassin called Kasim. He was able to grasp Tarma¡¯s identity the moment that Tarma¡¯s shadow started wriggling. Based on this, he used Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 2 in advance.


    Magic Detection Lv. 2 had a long casting time and couldn¡¯t urately detect the position of an assassin moving in real time. However, Grid¡¯s Magic Detection was one developed by the legendary great magician, Braham. It transcendedmon sense.


    Furthermore, Grid had his high insight and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. All the conditions were in ce to make it a perfect disaster for Tarma.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tarma emerged from the shadow of the tree next to Grid. He stared at Grid, intent on killing Grid before he was detected. But Grid¡¯s Greatsword was aiming towards the point where he appeared.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Puk!Puk!Puk.


    ¡°...!¡±


    An assassin¡¯s weaknesses were their low health and defense. They were proud of their excellent stealth and lethality, but their bodies were the weakest of all damage dealers. How could an assassin survive Linked Kill, which was superior to Linked Kill Wave when it came to just attack power? It was only fortunate if they could avoid it.


    Tarma couldn¡¯t even scream as he turned to grey.


    ¡º Wow. ¡»


    Thementators and experts took a deep breath. The 1st ranked real time topic on search portals was ¡®3 seconds.¡¯ After logging out Hurent in 5 seconds and Bondre in 4 seconds in thest National Competition, now Grid had set a new record. It was very cliche, but the world was once again astonished.


    From the first day of the National Competition, Grid was overturning the world several times.


    ***


    ¡®A very strong guy.¡¯


    Grid realized the moment he read where Tarma would emerge and used Linked Kill. Tarma didn¡¯t give up and fought back, cutting Grid¡¯s wrist.


    ¡®I received 3,000 damage...¡¯


    Grid resisted it, but the attack also caused poisoning and paralysis. The power was tremendous. If he couldn¡¯t kill Tarma with one blow and if Linked Kill had only done three strikes, Grid thought it would have been dangerous.


    That¡¯s right.


    Grid had eyes that could measure an opponent¡¯s ability just by exchanging one blow. It was something he developed after numerous battles with enemies stronger than him. Now Grid was bing a real powerhouse.


    ¡º The US team has started catching up with the South Korean team! ¡»


    ¡º Currently, there are only three survivors in the Korean team. It¡¯s inevitable that their speed will slow downpared to other teams. Isn¡¯t it possible for them to lose their first ce to the United States? ¡»


    ¡°This...¡±


    The words of thementators rmed Grid. After confirming the scoreboard, Grid used Fly and flew in the direction where targets were concentrated, unleashing Wave. Dozens of targets exploded.


    However, there was a limit to his mana. Grid had the God Hands continue to handle the targets and dropped to the ground after his mana was depleted. The Korean viewers who saw it were frustrated. The targets were difficult to deal with from the ground and South Korea only had one ranged damage dealer, Yura, so the US team was able to catch up. Maybe Russia and Canada would also catch up.


    But who was Grid? He was a legendary cksmith that could use all weapons. He had acquired the Weapons Mastery skill in the Behen Archipgo. Thementators and viewers were shocked as they saw him take out a bow.


    ¡º Bow? Why is he bringing out a bow? ¡»


    ¡º Don¡¯t tell me... Surely a cksmith isn¡¯t trying to shoot a bow... ¡»


    Pagma was a legendary cksmith and great swordsman. Everyone could understand why Pagma¡¯s Descendant would use a sword, but they never imagined that he could shoot a bow.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 418

    Chapter 418


    [Spiral Quick Fire Bow]


    Rating: Epic


    Attack Power: 215~249 Firing Speed: +17%


    uracy: -30%


    * Every time you shot an arrow, the firing speed will increase by 0.5%. This effect will only be applied up to 50%.


    * It is difficult to control the trajectory of the arrow.


    * If you hit the ¡®desired target,¡¯ you will gain additional Bow Mastery experience.


    A bow made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    The structure of the bow and arrow is unusual. It is difficult to predict the trajectory of an arrow the user even hit rate is very poor.


    Kkirik!


    Grid took out the bow that he made after much suffering. Then a notification window appeared in front of him.


    [The effect of Beginner Weapons Mastery Lv. 8 is higher than the effect of Beginner Bow Mastery Lv. 3.]


    [The passive Weapons Mastery skill is applied.]


    Grid learned Bow Mastery much faster than Weapons Mastery. However, the level of Weapons Mastery was much higher than Bow Mastery because Grid¡¯s main weapon was a sword. Weapons Mastery umted experience with any type of weapon, while Bow Mastery only gained experience when using a bow.


    ¡®When I use the bow, both Weapons Mastery and Bow Mastery increases. If the level of the two masteries is simr someday, I will start to see the advantage of Bow Mastery.¡¯


    Paang!


    Unless they were somebat specialized ss, more ordinary users only learned one type of mastery. cksmiths didn¡¯t have any mastery skill at all. Grid was a cksmith, yet he possessed Weapons Mastery, Bow Mastery, and Magic Mastery.


    He had endless potential.


    ¡º H-He is really shooting a bow! ¡»


    One arrow left Grid¡¯s bowstring. The spectators looked on as it moved in a zigzag, the movements hard to predict. It was the moment that the dignity of the legendary Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss was howed to the world.


    Grid was confident.


    ¡¯I¡¯m no longer someone you can ignore.¡¯


    Grid had lived a life where he wasn¡¯t acknowledged by people. He had always been despised for hisck of talent. But now it was different.


    Satisfy. In the end, it was a game where Grid broke the prejudices of the people who knew him and became the best.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡º Grid has urately hit the target!!! ¡»


    [Firing speed has increased by 1%.]


    [The arrow has hit the desired target. Additional Bow Mastery experienced has been acquired.]


    Kkirik!


    Grid pulled the bowstring again with calm eyes. As the stagnant score of South Korea started moving again...


    [Your arrow has missed.]


    [Your arrow has missed.]


    [Your arrow...]


    "...This is rotten.¡±


    Indeed, his luck was bad. It happened when Grid saw that the arrows were flying in a different direction.


    ¡º The situation is turned upside down! The United States has surpassed South Korea¡¯s score! ¡»


    ¡º Russia and Canada are also close to South Korea¡¯s score! ¡»


    ¡º The other countries are finally fully engaged in the target processing, but South Korea has only three survivors. They will keep falling behind. ¡»


    ¡º Hah... Regas and Seuron are still fighting. I want to express my sympathies to the people of Britain and Argentina. ¡»


    ¡º To the people of China and Japan... ¡»


    ¡®Is there nothing I can do?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart weakened for the first time in a while. He had been trying so hard for the past year, so he felt frustrated because he couldn¡¯t achieve his desired result.


    ¡®...No, it isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯


    Grid bit his lip and firmed up his heart. The bowstring was pulled close to his red lips. Grid was extremely focused when there was a new change on the battlefield. The scores of the US and Russia stopped.


    ***


    {Shit! East cliff! Check it! }


    {U-Uhh? What? Why isn¡¯t magic working?}


    {There¡¯s a reason. Haven¡¯t you heard the rumor that it is impossible to hit him with non-targeted skills?}


    {I thought it was an exaggerated rumor.}


    {An exaggeration? There is never any exaggeration when describing him. Rather, it¡¯s toocking.}


    Economies, industrial, science, culture, arts, military, academics, sports, etc. The United States had always been the leader in every field. There was nothingparable to thergest and strongest country in the world.


    It was natural that the United States would hold the title of the strongest in Satisfy. But the strongest United States was currently in turmoil. It was due to only one person. The sky above the sky.


    ¡®Kraugel...!¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s face distorted as he clung to the top of the mountain and looked at the battlefield.


    ¡®It¡¯s my mistake.¡¯


    It happened the moment he was convinced that Kraugel would target South Korea¡¯s Yura.


    ¡®We should¡¯ve adjusted the pace of our scoring until Kraugel had a direct conflict with South Korea.¡¯


    But that didn¡¯t happen. The United States overtook South Korea¡¯s score before Yura was attacked, causing Kraugel to switch targets. Kraugel was only aiming for gold. From his point of view, it was natural for him to target the most threatening country.


    ¡°Ugh... My health...¡±


    There were some rules in the 2nd National Competition¡¯s PvP field. First, damage was reduced by 50%. Second, various recovery potions and buff potions couldn¡¯t be taken. Third, pets couldn¡¯t be summoned.


    These were measures to ensure that the participants fought purely with theirbat abilities, and to allow the viewers to watch entertaining scenes for a longer time. It was why Zibal still wasn¡¯t fully functional after receiving arge injury from Pon¡¯s Rail Spear. Only two-thirds of his health had recovered.


    How could they deal with the monster called Kraugel in this state? It was a very regrettable thing for Zibal. But he couldn¡¯t stay still.


    Lauel restrained him.


    "You should try to recover a bit more. If you rush it, you will just be hurt worse.¡±


    Healers were rare and precious in this game. He realized it again. Therefore, the value of Pope Damian and the Reba Church, which could train healers, was more important. He needed to be turned into a perfect ally.


    In this dire situation, Lauel was still thinking about Overgeared.


    {Russia is approaching through the western path. All personnel, except for Skull, should prepare to face the enemy. I will stop Kraugel in the east with Skull.}


    The United State¡¯s power was certainly unique. Theypletely overwhelmed Spain. It should be rtively easy to deal with Russia if Kraugel¡¯s feet were tied up. Lauel believed so and used Dragon¡¯s Stretch to cause andslide.


    Kraugel confirmed that most of the US rankers moved away, used White Light Steps to avoid the 8th ranked Skull and came face to face with Lauel.


    ¡®Indeed. He always targets the head.¡¯


    Smart people were always a target. Lauel predicted that Kraugel would aim for him. It was the reason why he made Zibal keep recovering here.


    ¡°Zibal! Let¡¯s see if your hands can reach the sky!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ranked 2nd! I¡¯m the only person qualified to crack the sky!¡±


    Zibal received Lauel¡¯s provocation and jumped up to face Kraugel. He had shown excellent skills in hunting and boss raids, but nothing in PvP. He didn¡¯t participate in the 1st National Competition¡¯s PvP event, so he had to prove himself now. The reason he neglected PvP was because he wasn¡¯t interested, not because he was weak!


    ¡°Kraugelllllll!¡±


    Zibal screamed and pulled out a grey rod. It was the emergence of the ego weapon made by the 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir, who used the techniques learned from the dwarf city Talima.


    Peeng!


    The grey rod was 1m in length and soared into the sky. The length quickly grew to 3m in an instant and aimed for Kraugel¡¯s chest.


    Suuk.


    The moment that Kraugel avoided it.


    Pakak!


    The end of the grey rod turned at a right angle and hit Kraugel¡¯s temple. Kraugel couldn¡¯t ovee the shock and fell down.


    Kuuuuong.


    "...This is items.¡±


    Lauel never imagined that Zibal could do this much. On the other hand, the world was in great disorder.


    ¡º T-The sky above the sky...! The sky above the sky!!! ¡»


    ¡º He fell!!! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s because of Zibal! ¡»


    They were skeptical of his abilities since he was assassinated by Tarma who was logged out by Grid in 3 seconds, but he truly was the 2nd rank. The rumor that he had a close fight with the crazy farmer of Reidan wasn¡¯t a lie.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Zibal! Zibal! Zibal!¡±


    The Americans cheered and stomped their feet. A stir filled the Stade de France National Stadium.


    ¡°I am Zibal! I am the most powerful American!¡±


    Zibal shouted excitedly. Kraugel responded by slowly raising his body. His condition wasn¡¯t good. Was it due to the injury from Zibal? No. Kraugel¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t so poor that Zibal¡¯s blow would cause a big injury.


    Kraugel was just tired. It had been 30 minutes since the target processing started and he had wiped out more than 10 countries alone. His stamina was low and as a result, his concentration dropped, and his movements became less stable.


    "It¡¯s very unfortunate that it isn¡¯t Grid, but this is a chance to break down the sky in front of the whole world...¡±


    Lauel finished casting Dragon Stretch and reached out towards Kraugel. The 8th ranked Skull had climbed the cliff and was aiming for Kraugel¡¯s back.


    ¡°Just rest.¡±


    Lauel proposed.


    Kurururung!


    Dragon Stretch crumbled the floor around Kraugel.


    "Open Arms!¡±


    Skull continuous hit Kruagel¡¯s back.


    ¡°I will wash away the stain on my reputation today!¡±


    Zibal controlled the grey rod and aimed it at Kraugel¡¯s head.


    "...¡±


    Kraugel faced strong skills. He was sweating so much it was like raindrops, but he remembered his sick mother. A deep desire filled his ck eyes. He struggled and endured because he only wished for his mother¡¯s recovery.


    ¡°Super Sensitivity.¡±


    Kakiing.


    The strongest skill that only a person who obtained the title of great swordsman could use was activated and the owner moved between Zibal, Lauel, and Skull.


    Seokeok!


    Peok!


    Kwang!


    America¡¯s strongest yers were shattered by thebination of a speed that couldn¡¯t be followed with the eyes, an attack that seemed beyond cognitive ability, and the hard to match destructive power.


    At this moment, Kraugel was invincible. This was a truth that nobody in the world could argue against. The sky that Grid wanted to reach was endlessly high.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 419

    Chapter 419


    ¡º Skull and Lauel have been logged out!! ¡»


    ¡º The survivors of the US team have started to retreat. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a big matter that Kraugel alone tied up three rankers. Russia has the numerical superiority. ¡»


    ¡º Zibal survived, but his loss in power is severe. The United States seems to be getting further away from the medal. ¡»


    ¡º Who could¡¯ve imagined that a strong champion like the United States would be knocked out? Amazing! Kraugel is really great! ¡»


    Since Satisfy¡¯s opening, Kraugel had maintained his first ce ranking on the unified rankings chart. However, due to his nature of acting alone without appearing in public, the public had no chance to get to know his skills. They just guessed he was strong based on the few rankers who were witnesses.


    To be honest, the public thought that all the nicknames for Kraugel were exaggerated. But that changed today. They were able to realize it after seeing Kraugel directly.


    The rumors about Kraugel weren¡¯t exaggerated. Rather, they weren¡¯t urate enough.


    Kraugel was truly a transcendent figure.


    ***


    ¡°So what if the trivial monkey is good at fighting?¡±


    The skinheads of Russia showed extreme racism. Over the past century, the number of Asians assaulted or killed by them was over 100,000.


    The Koryoin were no exception. Most Koreans voluntarily acquired Russian citizenship and lived in Russia for several generations, but they weren¡¯t recognized by the skinheads. They were treated with threats and contempt. In 2005, there was a well known incident where the Koryoin Russian karate champion, ¡®Yakov Khan¡¯ was murdered by skinheads.


    ¡°What are you doing? Thepetition isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    Alexander. He was a skinhead and 22nd on the overall rankings. He treated Kraugel as less than a human. He didn¡¯t cheer, honor, or respect Kraugel, who yed a bigger role than anyone else. He was just like a dog.


    "...¡±


    Kraugel led Russia to victory by defeating Jishuka, Skull, and Lauel. He couldn¡¯t even hold his body up properly as Alexander whispered to him.


    "Shake it off and keep going. Don¡¯t you have to work hard to treat your mother¡¯s disease?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not getting up?¡±


    Alexander knew why Kraugel was in this National Competition and thoroughly took advantage of it.


    "Oh, I¡¯m not feeling motivated anymore. I am tired of ying in the National Competition, so how about I quit and take a break?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll get up.¡±


    Kraugel restrained Alexander, who was about to lie down, and barely got up. His legs were staggering as Alexander pointed to the scoreboard.


    "While we were fighting the United States, South Korea took back the number one spot. If you don¡¯t want to miss out on the gold medal, you need to shatter them.¡±


    ¡°...I will do so.¡±


    A new medicine that could treat his mother¡¯s disease. It would take at least two years before it wasmercialized. Kraugel couldn¡¯t wait until then, so he firmed up his heart.


    ***


    1st. South Korea - 244 points.


    2nd. Russia - 195 points.


    3rd. United States - 167 points.


    4th. Canada - 153 points.


    5th. United Kingdom - 119 points.


    ...


    ...


    Grid¡¯s face was tense as he checked the scoreboard.


    ¡®The score of the Russians has started to rise again.¡¯


    It meant that the battle between the US and Russia ended in Russia¡¯s victory


    "As expected from Kraugel.¡±


    The average power of the United States was higher than Russia. The US was only defeated due to the variable called Kraugel. Yura and Peak Sword hadn¡¯t expected the current situation and were surprised, but Grid was different.


    ¡®I can¡¯t y a more active role on this stage than Kraugel.¡¯


    In the past, Grid had defeated Kraugel because Kraugel wasn¡¯t in a perfect state. It was natural for Kraugel to achieve all of this, since he was so strong.


    "Hrmm."


    South Korea had once again regained first ce, but their the situation wasn¡¯t very good right now. Grid¡¯s God Hands were slowly and steadily umting points. However, Peak Sword was limited to close range damage, while Yura consumed mana with every shot. Yura¡¯s target processing speed was remarkably reduced and the targets flying through the sky were too small to handle.


    ¡®It would be a great help if Park Jonghwa was still alive.¡¯


    Grid judged that Russia and Canada would eventually beat them.


    ¡®The secret to how Russia is able to reach here.¡¯


    They actively utilized the weapon called Kraugel. Kraugel moved through Tira, fighting the elements that threatened Russia alone. And right now, the country threatened Russia was South Korea.


    Kraugel needed to move again for Russia to get a more definitive victory. South Korea would be a target.


    ¡®Kraugel will soon attack.¡¯


    What will be the result if I fight against him?


    ¡®South Korea will lose.¡¯


    Even if Grid caught Kraugel¡¯s ankle, Yura and Peak Sword were the only ones handling the target, so the speed of scoring will be slow. In the end, Russia would catch up.


    ¡®If Yura and Peak Sword can confront Kraugel...¡¯


    It was counterproductive. Yura had grown quickly through the vampire cities and the Behen Archipgo, but she was still only level 260. Peak Sword wasn¡¯t Kraugel¡¯s opponent in the first ce. Grid could only handle dozens of targets before the two people were logged out by Kraugel. Then Grid would be left alone.


    The result where South Korea was defeated didn¡¯t change.


    ¡®How to get first?¡¯


    If Grid was an ordinary yer, he would¡¯ve abandoned the gold medal. But Grid wasn¡¯t amon yer. Like Kraugel, he had a destructive power that overturnedmon sense. Thus, he could do something.


    ¡®What if I hit Russia?¡¯


    Yes, he didn¡¯t have to take the risk of facing Kraugel. While Kraugel ran to this ce to confront Yura and Peak Sword, he would run and smash the Russian team.


    ¡®Afterwards, avoid Kraugel¡¯s pursuit and handle the targets with the God Hands.


    Canada remained a problem, but Korea, Canada, and Russia weren¡¯t the only countries remaining on the battlefield. Britain, Argentina, China, and Japan were still in a rtively good condition. They were also aiming for a medal, so they would read the situation and keep Canada in check.


    "Okay.¡±


    The cooldown of most skills had returned and his mana had recovered by quite a bit. Grid made a decision and spoke to Yura and Peak Sword.


    ¡°Stand out so that you will be Kraugel¡¯s target. Then when Kraugel attacks, escape as far as possible and buy some time.¡±


    ¡°Grid, don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    Yura was smart and Peak Sword had been the leader of a guild. They figured out Grid¡¯s n at once.


    "Are you going to strike Russia alone?¡±


    "It¡¯s too dangerous, even if you¡¯re God Grid! Russia didn¡¯t beat the United States just because of Kraugel. The average power of Russia is strong, especially Alexander...!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it high list, high return? If we want the best result, I have to take this risk.¡±


    Grid cut off Peak Sword¡¯s anxious words and entered the forest. Peak Sword looked at his back with dismay and muttered.


    ¡°It is high risk, not high list...¡±


    Kindergartens taught English these days, so shouldn¡¯t he know more? Peak Sword felt very good about his English, despite only saying ¡®Do you know?¡¯


    ***


    ¡°South Korea¡¯s scoring rate has slowed down?¡±


    "Is Kraugel already raiding Korea¡¯s base?


    ¡°No, Kraugel is tired. It will take him a considerable amount of time to reach the Korean base, and even if he reaches it, he won¡¯t pose a great threat to Grid.¡±


    ¡°Then why is South Korea¡¯s score rising so slowly?¡±


    ¡°Are they frightened of Kraugel?¡±


    "Well, there is Yura in the Korean team. She will quickly identify that she is Kraugel¡¯s next target."


    ¡°Hahat! Cowards.¡±


    The Russian representatives were on top of the mountain that was originally the US team¡¯s base. As a result, the speed of their scoring was very fast. It was at least five times faster than South Korea, so a reversal would happen soon.


    ¡°But Alexander, isn¡¯t it better not to bother Kraugel so much in the National Competition?¡±


    "I also agree. Kraugel is currently ourrgest power. It could backfire if you keep crushing his pride and morale.¡±


    Apart from Alexander, the Russian team representatives didn¡¯t know the real reason why Kraugel participated in the National Competition. They just thought he wanted a gold medal and a reward like themselves.


    Alexander snorted.


    "Don¡¯t worry. He wants to win the championship for Russia more than anyone else. He will do his best to the end, even if he¡¯s treated as a dog.¡±


    Alexander disliked Kraugel. He felt honored to participate in order to make Russia great, and couldn¡¯t stand the attitude of someone who participated for personal reasons. Thus, he wanted to crush Kraugel even more.


    The Russian representatives were chatting while handling the targets.


    ¡°Are you harassing Kraugel? Hyenas are bothering a lion?¡±


    It was a familiar but also unfamiliar voice. Alexander and the other Russian rankers looked in the direction of the voice.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    Why was this bastard here? The Russian representatives quickly figured out the situation.


    ¡°Hoh, I see. You want to hit us while Kraugel hits South Korea?¡±


    They felt grateful.


    ¡°nning to raid us alone, you¡¯re crazy. Didn¡¯t you juste here to die?¡±


    "You hit a couple of small fries and think you are so great?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t Kraugel. Did you call us hyenas and Kraugel a lion? Then you are a dog, a dog.¡±


    Grid had been bullied throughout school and disliked harassment. He could roughly guess Kraugel¡¯s position after hearing the conversation of the Russian rankers, so his eyes were sharp.


    ¡°I¡¯m a tiger, dumb bastards.¡±


    Kwack!


    Before arriving here, Grid used the Item Combination skill. Bybining Grid¡¯s Greatsword and Failure, he held the weapon with the highest attack power.


    ¡°Transcended Link. And Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    The bombardment struck the Russian team.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The energy des, which were more threatening than a storm, destroyed the edge of the mountain peak. Unlike Lauel, who caused andslide by taking advantage of the terrain, Grid caused andslide using pure destructive power.


    The Russian representatives screamed as they were hit.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 420

    Chapter 420


    Kurururung!


    The mountain wasn¡¯t able to cope with the explosion generated by Transcended Link and copsed.


    The Russians showed their skills as the stones poured down like hail. Transcended Link was a non-targeted skill, so it could be avoided with control, while Linked Kill Wave could be countered with a corresponding skill.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeong!


    Indeed, third advancement sses were different. The two second advancement users were unable to cope with Transcended Link properly, while the four third advancement sses handled Linked Kill Wave. They were hit by thendslide, but they moved their bodies properly and avoided a fatal injury. They were different from small fries.


    Among them, the 22nd ranked Alexander was a military student. He focused on the small shields hanging on both wrists and hardened them,pletely neutralizing the strike of Linked Kill Wave. He wasn¡¯t a tanker, so it was probably a skill to neutralize techniques.


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re a monster.¡±


    Alexander shook his hands like it was numb.


    "If it¡¯s just the power of the skill alone, you are stronger than Kraugel.¡±


    Just.


    "Aren¡¯t your total abilities below me?¡±


    Alexander had also participated in the National Competitionst year. He saw Grid defeat Hurent and Bondre in session, winning the PvP event. At the time, he had been honestly surprised. He realized that he couldn¡¯t beat this yellow monkey and his pride was hurt.


    But now it was different. Over the past year, Alexander had be stronger. He advanced faster than others. Grid would also be stronger thanst year, but Alexander was certain that he had a bigger growth.


    ¡°I also experienced the East Continent.¡±


    One of the people who knew about the Behen Archipgo.


    In this notorious instant dungeon, Alexander reached the 15th ind and luckily found Fog Ind. He bought arge number of elixirs and moved to the East Continent. There, he seeded in countless quests, receiving all types of titles and a second ss.


    "My current stats are around 400 points higher than the same level users. By hardening my aura, I can exert powerful attack power and defense at the same time. Can a monkey like you handle me?¡±


    Grid listened to the story andughed.


    Alexander frowned.


    ¡°What is funny?¡±


    "In my experience, talkative people like you usually die in one blow. I¡¯m just curious about how many seconds it will take for you to die.¡±


    It was an obvious provocation. Grid noticed Alexander¡¯s temper and taunted him. But Alexander was a surprisingly cool person.


    ¡°Hey monkey. I know that you¡¯ve been a winner for a while. But keep this in mind.¡±


    The world was wide and there were many people.


    ¡°There are more than two billion users in Satisfy. Why do only a few rankers participate in the National Competition to represent their country? You¡¯re strong, but there are countless others in the world that you don¡¯t know about.¡±


    The true users that were Kraugel¡¯s level didn¡¯t show up in the National Competition. Why? They didn¡¯t want to expose their power to the world.


    ¡°They don¡¯t crave anything enough to risk exposing themselves. They areplete products.¡±


    "What is your point?¡±


    "Well, to put it simply, it means that the rankers whopeted in the National Competition are only B-ss. They arecking many parts and are weak and pitiful beings who made a choice to expose their power. Don¡¯t be so arrogant when you have only yed against them.¡±


    ¡°...Hoh.¡±


    It was a usible logic. Grid had reasons for participating in the National Competition. First of all, he wanted the world to acknowledge his abilities. Secondly, he wanted to obtain adamantium and promote Overgeared. He wouldn¡¯t have bothered participating in the National Competition if he had no purpose. In fact, Faker hadn¡¯t participated in the National Competition for two years in a row.


    Grid thought about it and came to a conclusion.


    "Then Alexander, aren¡¯t you also B-ss? Are you giving me an advance warning before I knock you out?¡±


    Alexander snorted.


    ¡°No, I am A-ss.¡±


    Alexander was already strong enough. He knew it wasn¡¯t ideal to fight in the National Competition and expose his power. Nevertheless, he participated in the National Competition for only one reason.


    ¡°I participated in thispetition for the glory of my country. Now, experience the power of an A-ss. Be the cornerstone of Russia¡¯s glory!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    It was because something as sharp as thorns rose from the ground at his feet.


    His high insight and the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch meant Grid quickly detected the abnormality of the ground. Then he moved around with the agility he gained in the Behen Archipgo, avoiding the thorns.


    The swift movements were more than Alexander anticipated.


    ¡®Yes, this is the trinity of items, stats and skills.¡¯


    Alexander linked skills while admiring it.


    ¡°It is useless! Aura Explosion!¡±


    Pepepepeong!


    The aura thorns that rose from the ground where Grid stood became hard. They exploded and caused damage to Grid...


    [You have dealt 680 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 599 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 605 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Alexander¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    ¡®What? Why isn¡¯t the damage higher?¡¯


    That Grid, did he move quickly and get away from the st radius? Alexander watched the dust caused by the explosion and btedly realized.


    ¡®No, he didn¡¯t avoid it.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s defense was just absurdly high.


    ¡®Overgeared...¡¯


    The first time that Grid appeared in front of the world in the past. He called himself overgeared when facing Neberius, a Yatan Servant. It was a defense that made Alexander recall Grid¡¯s intense first appearance.


    ¡®But it will eventually break!¡¯


    Alexander moved forward.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Twin swords shed through the air towards Grid. If Grid didn¡¯t have flying magic, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to respond easily. Now Grid was ustomed to Fly after nearly two years. He could move as freely in the sky as he could on the ground. It was rtively easy to block Alexander¡¯s swords.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Currently, Grid was armed with a greatsword. It wasmon sense that his attack speed would be slow. But Grid¡¯s attack speed was very fast. The attack speed was between that of a one-handed sword and a greatsword, so it was hard to defend against.


    ¡®Even the destructive power...!¡¯


    Alexander barely defended with his shield, but he couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the greatsword. He fell to the ground. Grid immediately rushed towards him.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    In the empty air, he moved while using Link.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    A quick swordsmanship that made it hard to believe it came from a greatsword. Dozens of ck lights appeared around Alexander¡¯s body. Grid believed that dozens of strikes would emerge from Alexander¡¯s body. It was a maneuver to deal with Link.


    But Alexander wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. As soon as Grid used Link, he developed an aura tornado, creating a barrier of aura around his body and making it harder.


    At that moment.


    Pepepepeong!


    Link hit the aura barrier and it broke. Grid and Alexander¡¯s gazes met through hundreds of scattered aura fragments. Alexanderughed.


    "Louder than before! Aura Explosion!¡±


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid groaned.


    It was the first pained expression he made after the target processing started. It would be difficult to cope with the damage caused by the simultaneous explosion of dozens of aura fragments.


    ¡°This is the power of an A-ss!¡±


    Alexander took advantage of the momentum to hit Grid¡¯s chest with his left hand, while pushing the sword in his right hand into Grid¡¯s abdomen. It wasn¡¯t a weak attack. However, Grid¡¯s items were much better.


    [The Largest Gloves have reduced physical damage by 4%.]


    [The Shiny Gauntlets have reduced physical damage by 5%.]


    [The Heavy Helmet has reduced physical damage by 6%.]


    [Lantier¡¯s Cloak has reduced the damage of all stabbing and cutting attacks by 20%.]


    [Triple Layers has reduced physical damage by 4%.]


    [Triple Layers has reduced the damage of stabbing attacks by 50%.]


    [The enemy¡¯s sword is caught in the gap of Three Layers. The skill ¡®Sword Breaker¡¯ is used.]


    [The target¡¯s weapon durability has dropped.]


    Kwajijik!


    "...What?¡±


    Alexander paled. The durability of his swords decreased severely just from cutting and stabbing Grid. It even got stuck. It was like dealing with a named golem boss.


    Grid told him.


    ¡°If you are A-ss, then I am S-ss?¡±


    ¡®Damn items...!¡¯


    Alexander removed his sword and attacked Grid again.


    It was the manifestation of his strongest attack skill, ¡®Exceed Sword,¡¯ which concentrated hardened aura at the end of the sword. Exceed Sword had the option of ignoring a certain amount of the enemy¡¯s defenses.


    Grid didn¡¯t avoid it. To be honest, it was difficult to avoid it. He didn¡¯t bother wasting strength and just let it hit. He believed in the Heavy Helmet, Largest Gloves, Shiny Gauntlets, Triple Layers, and Lantier¡¯s Cloak, which had high resistance to physical attacks.


    Of course, his items certainly paid back Grid¡¯s faith.


    [You have suffered 8,144 damage.]


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    Alexander¡¯s strongest attack skill only did this much damage? The durability of his sword was further reduced. Grid struck the miserable Alexander. Alexander couldn¡¯t avoid it. Grid used a skill the moment he weed the attack, so there was no time to avoid it.


    Linked Kill pierced Alexander¡¯s heart before Alexander could recover his sword.


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    Alexander did his best to the end.


    He seeded in defending against the first strike of Linked Kill with his hardened aura shield. But Grid¡¯s Linked Kill was a skill that hit the target at least three times. Luckily, this time it was six strikes.


    Alexander couldn¡¯t deal with the overwhelming power exerted by Grid¡¯s Greatsword + Failure and turned to grey.


    "...¡±


    The Russian representatives were speechless.


    They never imagined that Alexander, who was the next strongest after Kraugel, would lose against Grid. Frankly speaking, they expected Alexander to crush Grid. But the result was the opposite.


    Then Grid said to them.


    ¡°Am I still a dog?¡±


    The Russian representatives shook their heads.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 421

    Chapter 421


    Grid¡¯s shocking strength and bravery were backed by his items. It was enough to qualify as a tiger. It was rtively easy to avoid thebo of Transcended Link and Linked Kill Wave, but even Russia was forced to shrink back from the power of the items.


    ¡®Alexander was overwhelmed... I didn¡¯t know that the power of items was this much.¡¯


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a match for Kraugel, but it can bepared to Night. ¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s a limit on what the three of us can do.¡¯


    Night.


    Night, an unofficial ranker who destroyed Alexander at the PvPpetition held by the Russian government. Grid was so strong that they were reminded of Night¡¯s strength. The Russian representatives shuddered, while the third advancement users thought quickly.


    ¡®The two second advancement sses failed to escape from Grid¡¯s Transcended Link and fell down the mountain.¡¯


    ¡®Those two are weak. If we¡¯re killed by Grid, it¡¯s impossible to win with just Kraugel and those two.¡¯


    ¡®We shouldpromise here.¡¯


    Step, step.


    Grid was approaching. If they didn¡¯t want to experience a catastrophe, they needed to make a quick decision. The Russia representatives made a suggestion to Grid.


    "How about making an alliance?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you suffered a big loss of power? We won¡¯t fight until the end, instead we will help each other out with other countries. Won¡¯t we be invincible if we join forces?¡±


    "Let¡¯s share the gold and silver medal.¡±


    The Russians thought that Grid would willingly ept the proposal. Currently, the only survivors of the Korean team were Grid, Yura, and Peak Sword. It was also clear that Yura and Peak Sword would soon be logged out by Kraugel.


    ¡®Grid would be left alone.¡¯


    ¡®Grid will stubbornly fight.¡¯


    ¡¯It¡¯s the end for South Korea if Grid dies.¡¯


    ¡®If Grid isn¡¯t a fool, he won¡¯t fight us until the end.¡¯


    The Russian representatives were sure of it.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Grid showed an unexpected reaction. Was he stupid? No. He had steadily developed in the past year. It wasn¡¯t just his power, but his thinking abilities as well. He was always aware of Lauel¡¯s advice and grasped the battlefield more urately.


    ¡°The moment we ally with each other, it¡¯s likely that the other counties busy fighting each other will be alert towards us.¡±


    The countries currently alive were powerful. It wouldn¡¯t be good if they worked together in a pincer attack.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it simple. I will kill you here as originally nned.¡±


    The Russians thought it was absurd. They hurriedly tried to persuade him.


    ¡°Think about it calmly! It¡¯s better tobine strengths rather than fighting and destroying both of us!¡±


    ¡°Destroying?¡± Grid asked like he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I will be destroyed by you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Russian representatives frowned.


    ¡°What is with this reaction? Don¡¯t tell me you believe that you can easily beat the three of us alone?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that hard?¡±


    Grid shrugged as he held Grid¡¯s Greatsword + Failure, which only had a short duration remaining. Grid¡¯s Greatsword and Failure were both weapons with a legendary rating. Once they were joined together through Item Combination, their power exceeded the ¡®sealed¡¯ myth rated weapons.


    It was a weapon that couldn¡¯t be understood using themon sense of current users. What happened if the Rune of Darkness effect was added to the cksmith¡¯s Rage buff skill? It would make the 50% drop in PvP damage pointless.


    [Opening the Rune of Darkness. Demonic power has permanently increased by 10. * For one minute, 20% addition shadow damage will be added to normal attacks and skills.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been used. Attack power will increase by 25% and attack speed will increase by 40% for 35 seconds.]


    Teong!


    Grid rushed towards the Russian representatives. The Russians clicked their tongues at his ridiculous judgment and threw their weapons to weaken Grid¡¯s power.


    Teteteteng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Their eyes widened. Grid surrounded his body with the ck cloak and the weapons thrown at it were stuck or bounced back.


    {W-What? Did you see that? What in the world is that cloak?}


    {I¡¯ve seen several legendary cloaks, but nothing like this...}


    {Don¡¯t make a big fuss. Stay calm.}


    Indeed, it was funny to be surprised at items. From the very beginning, Grid was the king of being overgeared.


    {No matter how great his items are, he¡¯ll have definite limits.}


    Grid¡¯s control skills were at the level of the low level rankers.


    {Aim at this point.}


    Pahat!


    As soon as Grid got within a certain distance, the representatives of Russia formed a triangle shape with Grid in the center, isting him. They linked skills that made use of the strengths of their different weapons, disturbing Grid and dealing constant damage.


    It wasn¡¯t that Grid didn¡¯t know their intentions. His intensebat experience amplified Grid¡¯s judgement ability in a positive direction.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid moved naturally while using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, avoiding the Russian rankers¡¯ non-targeted skills. This made the Russians feel astonished.


    ¡®Avoidance skills?¡¯


    ¡®Grid?¡¯


    They didn¡¯t know. Over the past year, how hard Grid had been working to defeat stronger enemies and how much he developed. Then Grid gave them despair.


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    A wide area CC was activated in an instant, causing the Russians to look contemtive. Grid swapped from Braham¡¯s Boots to Grid¡¯s Boots to raise the destructive power even more, and dealt a blow to them. At this moment,mentators, experts and viewers around the world were thrilled.


    ¡º Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, it had an obvious weakness! The footwork is needed to use it. ¡»


    ¡º In fact, inst year¡¯s National Competition, Grid was hit by a few rankers using this weakness. ¡»


    ¡º But this year¡¯s Grid is different! He uses the skill while moving! Grid has learned how to avoid this weak point! ¡»


    ¡º Oveing weaknesses and sublimating weapons...! It¡¯s really amazing! Really great! Grid is actually a genius! ¡»


    It was more than two years since Grid was exposed to the world. It wasn¡¯t a short amount of time, and atst, the world started to see Grid¡¯s true value.


    A true top ss.


    ***


    ¡®A monster was hiding on this small ind.¡¯


    The Chinese representatives were upset. They ignored Japan as a small country. Yet Katz¡¯ strength was incredible. It was more than they predicted. Meanwhile, Damian was also very surprised.


    ¡®He¡¯s above the average level of Overgeared.¡¯


    ¡®Genius at fighting¡¯ Hao.


    The best person in China, whose poption was over 1.3 billion, his strength was unrivalled. In particr, he had excellent control skill over secondary weapons like chains. Damian thought that Hao was equal to the top members of Overgeared.


    Yet the more surprising thing...


    ¡®Katz is the same as Hao.¡¯


    "Blood Breath!¡±


    ¡°Dragon Fear!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    It was like a Hollywood blockbuster movie. As the magnificent and destructive confrontation between Hao and Katz deepened, the environment became worse. Damian used a wide range protection spell so that his teammates wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the damage.


    ¡®What will be the oue?¡¯


    The Chinese representatives stood arrogantly, believing only in Hao¡¯s strength. On the other hand, the Japanese were nervous that Katz would be defeated by Hao. In the end, Japan couldn¡¯t wait any longer and moved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight head on. Retreat and fight!¡±


    China boasted the best power in Asia and their average level was higher than Japan by 15. There were three third advancement sses. The moment that Yoshimura and the Japanese representatives were being pushed back by the momentum of the Chinese representatives.


    "Don¡¯t run away and fight. Divine Protection, Incarnation of Light, Goddess¡¯ Blessing.¡±


    Damain used various buff skills.


    [Divine Protection increases the defense of you and your party by 20% for 3 minutes.]


    [Light Incarnation increases the attack power of you and your party by 10% for 3 minutes.]


    [The Goddess¡¯ Blessing increases you and your party members¡¯ stats by 10% for 5 minutes, negates one strike and will create a shield that absorbs 8,000 damage.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The effect wasparable to the buffs used by priests. In particr, the effects of Goddess¡¯ Protection was beyond imagination, causing the Japanese rankers to feel shocked.


    Katz was also impressed.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t the pope for nothing.¡¯


    The Blood Warrior had a passive blood-sucking effect, so his battle endurance was very good. With Damian¡¯s buffs and healings, Katz would be able to hunt infinitely. Katz decided that he would surely turn Damian into his own person after the National Competition ended. He didn¡¯t doubt it, because he believed in his wealth.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Hao groaned because he couldn¡¯t adjust to Katz¡¯ rise in stats. It happened when Katz smiled triumphantly and was going to link abo.


    "Shed Weapon.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hao showed wonderful control through a different skill. He urately grasped the orbit and speed of Katz¡¯ sword, grabbed it and dropped Katz¡¯ weapon to the ground.


    [Your weapon ¡®Crave¡¯ has been released!]


    [This is the result of a skill. You won¡¯t lose ownership of the item. In 12 seconds, the item will return to your inventory.]


    ¡®My weapon was forcefully removed?¡¯


    If he couldn¡¯t pick up the sword that fell to the ground, he wouldn¡¯t have a weapon for 12 seconds. Hao hit Katz¡¯ chest and shoulders and used another skill.


    "Shed Armor!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Once his armor was caught in Hao¡¯s hands, Katz cursed as he felt the worst result. Then Hao¡¯s sword tore through the single piece of cloth and pierced his abdomen.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s up to here.¡¯


    Hao wanted to finish Katz offpletely. But he was worried about Damian¡¯s intervention. While Katz was flinching, Hao stepped back and examined the battlefield.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Most of the screams came from the Chinese representatives. China waspletely shaken by Japan.


    ¡®Pope...¡¯


    Along with the fraudulent buffs, Damian asionally used offensive magic and healing magic. He was showing off the ridiculous abilities of the first pope user, standing there with aidback expression, like an old man who was drinking alcohol.


    ¡®Japan is a strong team this year.¡¯


    They were also a candidate to win. Japan felt stronger than any country that Grid and the Overgeared members belonged to. It was almost like Russia or the United States. Thus, Hao had a question.


    ¡°Why? If you have this much power, why aren¡¯t you absorbed in the target processing? Why abandon getting a medal?¡±


    Damian responded like it was obvious.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Grid participating in this? Rather than losing and lowering the morale of the team, it¡¯s better to give up on this event.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hao had no direct experience with Grid. He¡¯d only witnessed Grid¡¯s videos in the past, so he couldn¡¯t understand.


    Lauel and Damian. Why did people who he acknowledged keep overestimating Grid?


    ¡®No?¡¯


    The puzzled Hao became shocked. The only object of his awe, the score of the Russian team that Kraugel belonged to,pletely stopped, while Korea¡¯s score started to rapidly elerate.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 422

    Chapter 422


    Hao was able to guess what had happened when the scoreboards of Korea and Russia, who were first and second, stopped at almost the same time. Korea and Russia were confronting each other. Then after a while, Russia¡¯s score would move again while Korea¡¯s score would stop forever.


    Hao believed it.


    The result was the exact opposite.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... Don¡¯t tell me Grid defeated Kraugel?¡¯


    Hao was confused. The words that Lauel spoke during the Reidan invasion rang in his ears.


    ¡°Watch Grid¡¯s path. You will soon know that he is the only sky.¡±


    It was an obvious lie, so Hao just snorted. But.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Stagger.


    Hao¡¯s body lost its bnce. He leaned back against a tree and could barely stand because of dizziness. Hao had received a huge mental shock.


    ¡®Kraugel.¡¯


    The only one who brought frustration to Hao, who had believed he was the most gifted person in the world. No matter how Hao tried, he could never reach that sky. That high sky was being copsed by another person, not him? He was bested by Grid?


    ¡°I have to confirm it... I must see it with my own eyes.¡±


    Until then, he couldn¡¯t understand. Like a man possessed by a ghost, Hao tried to escape the battlefield. Damian blocked his way.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go. If I let you go, I will be misunderstood by people again. This time, I might be called Chinese.¡±


    "You aren¡¯t qualified to decide if I go or not.¡±


    Hao didn¡¯t understand what Damian was talking about, but he opened his true power.


    Kwaang!


    There was an intense wave of energy.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejeok!


    Hao¡¯s muscles rapidly swelled, while the skin of his chest, back, shoulders, abdomen, thighs and other parts of the body cracked. What appeared in the cracks of the skin? It wasn¡¯t flesh, muscles, or blood vessels. It was red scales.


    p.


    A pair of wings emerged from Hao¡¯s back and spread wide. They resembled the wings of a dragon.


    Kudu!Kududuk!


    10 ck fingernails protruded like des, while the white pupils tinged with gold froze the heart of anyone who looked in them.


    Kururung!


    Hot breath emerged like mes. The facial features were close to that of a human, but Hao also had partial features that were simr to a dragon. Currently, Hao¡¯s half-draconian form was level 2.


    It increased his strength, agility, health, and resistance by 15%. He also got an iplete flying ability, fire ability, and stamina regeneration ability. The disadvantage was that he couldn¡¯t use most of the skills avable to humans, but the draconian Hao was less likely to rely on skills.


    He had the ultimate physical form, so he relied on this and secondary weapons to win. The transformation into a draconian maximized hisbat power.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    A breath spewed out. His feelings about Kraugel were close to pure longing. One day, in the process of gazing at Kraugel with a desire to ovee him, he became a passionate follower of Kraugel.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t know Hao, but Hao¡¯s route in life was closely rted to Kraugel. The reason why he participated in this National Competition was because he heard Kraugel was participating.


    Peeng!


    Damian used a shield to block the fired breath and Hao approached Damian. Then he wielded his sharp ws. It was once against defended by Damian¡¯s shield.


    Hwaruruk!


    However, he was burned by the influence of the mes around Hao¡¯s body. Damian didn¡¯t feel great pain. He was the first pdin of the Reba Church, obtained the the first unique ss Goddess¡¯ Agent and was now the pope.


    His swordsmanship was taught by Piaro and wasparable to Grid¡¯s level. He boasted an overwhelming defense and endured Hao¡¯s mes.


    Sakak-!


    He couldn¡¯t dream of being a great swordsman, but he fought Hao with skills that could match a great swordsman.


    Hao shook.


    ¡®He¡¯s even good with the sword?¡¯


    Hao knew that the pope was the ultimate priest. He was far different from the pdins that used swords and blunt weapons. But Damian had the various buff skills, healing skills and wide area attack skills of a pope, as well as the swordsmanship of a pdin.


    That¡¯s right. Damian was a fraudulent character with the potential to be the greatest pope ever. He was really top ss.


    Chaaeng!


    The moment Damian tried to sh at him, Hao spun to minimize damage and counterattack by kicking at Damian. Using the rebound, he opened the distance and used chains to restrain Damian¡¯s wrists.


    Kkirik!Kik.


    Damian¡¯s wrists were bound and he couldn¡¯t use a sword or shield. Hao looked at his confused expression and spread open his wings as widely as possible. Then he pped once.


    Peeng!


    Hao¡¯s body elerated and he shot towards Damian like a lightning bolt. It would be hard for Damian to cope. The wrists restrained by chains were pulled to the left and right, and he was forced to stand with his arms wide open like a crucified Damian. The moment Hao was about to stab his ws into Damian¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath.¡±


    In the end, Damian showed off the power of the pope.


    Chiiiiiing!


    Two huge magic circles, around 3m in diameter, were quickly created behind Damian¡¯s back.


    Peeeeeong!


    Two huge pirs of light, which erased everything in a straight line, emerged from the circles and prated Hao¡¯s body. The momentum was so enormous that it caused an upheaval in the earth. Thanks to this, Hao flew far away and the chains binding Damian were loosened.


    After releasing the chains, Damian wiped the sweat off his forehead.


    "If this was before I became the pope, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to deal with you.¡±


    Hao angrily replied to Damian.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same now that you¡¯re the pope. I admit that you¡¯re strong, but you can¡¯t beat me.¡±


    Wide area magic had limits. In addition, the current state of the battle was the National Competition, where PvP damage was only at 50%. Hao wasn¡¯t affected by Goddess¡¯ Wrath. He was just knocked back.


    Hao regained his posture and rushed to Damian again. He freely took advantage of the momentary eleration caused by pping his wings, showing off dazzling movements. Damian¡¯s defenses were exquisitely shredded and his counterattacks avoided.


    As the battle progressed, Damian suffered one-sided damage.


    ¡°You¡¯re really strong.¡±


    Damian spoke honestly. Damian had lost one-third of his health, while Hao¡¯s health had recovered. Hao was really strong. It was difficult to hit him because his movements were so great.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to show this skill to someone other than Grid.¡±


    Damian sighed.


    He used the ultimate skill of the Goddess¡¯ Agent, Light¡¯s Blessing. It was the manifestation of the highest buff skill that wasparable to the pope¡¯s Goddess¡¯ Blessing.


    [Light¡¯s Blessing will increase the defense attack power and uracy of you and your party members by 80% for 3 minutes.]


    It was ridiculous. The downside of this skill was the somewhat long cooldown time and high mana cost. In the case of the Goddess¡¯ Agent, the maximum mana wasn¡¯t high. Therefore, if a slight mistake was made with controlling mana, the skill couldn¡¯t be used at all.


    But now Damian was the pope. His mana was at least 10 times higher than it was before, so he was able to use this buff skill without any burden.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The hit rate of Damian¡¯s sword suddenly increased. He read the orbit and moved like his body was a ma. Hao was upset.


    ¡®A buff that dramatically increases hit rate...!¡¯


    High uracy was the ¡®system¡¯ that disrupted control based evasion. It was the reason why rankers valued uracy highly. However, items or skills that increased uracy were rare. Therefore, it was hard to find a ranker with a level of uracy that would make Hao¡¯s control skills ineffective.


    That person showed himself now.


    Damian. Thanks to the buff, even his damage and defense greatly increased.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    The flow started to reverse. Hao went on the defensive. More importantly, the Japanese representatives started to overwhelm the Chinese side. After a while, Hao, the only survivor of China, was isted.


    This sight shocked Asia.


    ¡º C-China...! Asia¡¯s strongest country has been defeated by Japan! ¡»


    ¡º Damian¡¯s abilities are far too great. He¡¯s fighting one-on-one with Hao and isn¡¯t pushed back at all. He also multiplied his party¡¯s abilities several times with buffs... ¡»


    ¡º Maybe Japan will cause the biggest upset of the tournament? ¡»


    ¡º It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Japan became the champion this year. ¡»


    The stir created by Damian was even greater than that caused by Grid. On the other hand, Hao asked a final question before he was logged out.


    "Despite having this much power, why do you value Grid so much?¡±


    Damian replied.


    "The one who made me who I am now is Grid.¡±


    The defeat of the fallen pope Drevigo, the conversion to Goddess¡¯ Agent, and the defeat of pope candidate Pascal was all thanks to Grid.


    With Damian¡¯s abilities alone, he would¡¯ve been limited to just being the Reba Church¡¯s first pdin. It was only thanks to Grid that Damian could grow and save Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    ¡°Grid is my god. It¡¯s natural that he¡¯s much greater than me."


    "...¡±


    Currently, Damien had the attention of the world. Hundreds of cameras were filming Damian and transmitting it to every country in real time. Whether they understood or not. Thanks to Damian deifying Grid, the world was turned upside down.


    The world¡¯s curiosity and enthusiasm for Grid deepened further.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 423

    Chapter 423


    Before Grid raided Russia.


    As Grid predicted, Kraugel targeted South Korea. It was because among the countries that remained, South Korea had the highest score. Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to fight to kill. He nned to keep Korea in check by preventing them from concentrating on the target processing.


    Kraugel wasn¡¯t in a perfect state. Yes, he was like a car out of fuel. It was the same as just after his confrontation with Piaro. What if he faced Grid now?


    Kraugel was sure that the probability of his defeat was more than 80%. It was shocking if Kraugel was to be defeated by someone, but Kraugel knew. He wasn¡¯t invincible. In addition, Grid was strong.


    ¡®This?¡¯


    Kraugel stopped moving through the forest. In the sky above. The golden hands holding weapons were handling the targets.


    ¡®...The God Hands.¡¯


    South Korea¡¯s score was slowly but steadily rising. Kraugel realized that it was thanks to the God Hands. He looked around and confirmed that there were no signs of Grid. He had to neutralize the God Hands.


    But.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡¯Indeed, destroying them is impossible.¡¯


    The God Hands were ridiculously durable. After being hard by White Fang, causing them to stiffen for 2~3 seconds was the limit.


    Bururu.


    The God Hands¡¯ protection system was activated. They started targeting Kraugel.


    ¡®The Sword Mastery skill is attached?¡¯


    The God Hands had grownpared to when he faced them in Reidan. They were stronger and faster. Kraugel guessed that the God Hands could hunt level 200 monsters alone. They were really great items.


    Indeed, it was the private item of Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®Will a sword saint have an item only for them?¡¯


    Kraugel imagined it as he avoided the attacks of the God Hands in a rxed manner. It was like a professional boxer facing four elementary school children.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Once the God Hands were drawn to him, South Korea¡¯s score hadpletely stopped. Now Kraugel jumped with surprise. It was because Russia had been increasing the gap from South Korea, only for their score to suddenly stop.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Kraugel felt like he had been hit in the back of the head. It was clear that someone attacked Russia while he was away, and that someone was likely to be Grid.


    ¡®Go back.¡¯


    Kraugel determined that it was impossible for Russia¡¯s representatives to deal with Grid and was going to return.


    Tatang!


    Around 120 meters to the rear. A sniper shot came from behind a huge rock. A bullet made of magic power. Based on the direction of the sound and the wind, Kraugel predicted the point of impact. He moved his waist and avoided the magic bullet.


    Peeng!


    The tree behind Kraugel exploded, the shockwave causing Kraugel¡¯s long ponytail to be a mess. It revealed his face that was as beautiful as a sculpture.


    ¡º As expected from Kraugel! This is the control skill of the 1st ranked user! As long as it isn¡¯t a definitive attack, he can avoid almost all of it! ¡»


    ¡º I received some statistics just now. In this target processing match, Kraugel avoided a total of 502 out of 537 non-targeted skills... Heok, is this data wrong? ¡»


    ¡º He has gone beyond the realm of a human... ¡»


    The former 5th ranked Yura. Despite her appearance and her hidden ss, the world was only focused on Kraugel. Yura one of the most popr women in the world, was only a supporting figure when ced next to Kraugel, the peak of two billion users.


    ¡º How long will Yura grab Kraugel¡¯s ankle? ¡»


    ¡º Currently, Kraugel is in a tired state. Since she was the 5th ranked user, shouldn¡¯t Yura be able to hold on for five minutes? ¡»


    ¡º No. Since the old days, Yura was vulnerable to closebat. She can only withstand for one minute. ¡»


    As thementators and experts spected, Kraugel rushed towards Yura with White Fang. Kruagel was convinced that Yura was a gunman, so he focused on narrowing the distance. Yura nned to buy time while running away, but...


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s speed was much faster than expected. The actual speed of movement was simr to Yura, but Kraugel grasped the forest terrain in an instant and minimized his movements, making it more efficient.


    Kraugel caught up to Yura. At this time, the God Hands hadpletely left Grid¡¯s sphere of influence. Therefore, they no longer targeted Kraugel and were forced to return to Grid¡¯s inventory.


    Chaaeng!


    Kraugel wielded White Fang without any hesitation. Yura defended with Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Gun in rifle mode and shuddered. Kraugel¡¯s white sword had gone over the top of the barrel and stabbed into her heart.


    Puok!


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    A truth that everyone overlooked was that Kraugel¡¯s greatest strength wasn¡¯t his control skill, but his ridiculously high level. Due to the gap in level, there was a bonus to the attack power, defense resistance and uracy.


    Yura had just reached level 260 and wasn¡¯t able to cope with Kraugel who was level 343. She suffered great damage. Kraugel was surprised by this.


    ¡°You, why is your level so low?¡±


    Yura was 5th on the unified rankings. Half a year ago, she had already crossed level 300. But looking at the damage that Yura received, she didn¡¯t seem to have experienced her third stats awakening yet. She was just a paper body, despite the excellent condition of her armor.


    Why? What would make her level drop so drastically? Kraugel was feeling confused when Yura whispered in his ear.


    ¡°I believe that one day you will know why.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kraugel hurriedly moved back. Yura¡¯s magic gun suddenly transformed into a sword. The barrel divided into four and a blue de emerged.


    Pit!


    The aim was Kraugel¡¯s face. The sword left a wound on his left eye, causing blood to flow.


    "...¡±


    The owner of the second legendary ss, Yura. Like a flower blossoming, the blue light of the sword illuminated the strong will in her eyes. Kraugel¡¯s ck eyes sank coldly while thementators were extremely excited.


    ¡º Yura has dealt a wound to Kraugel! ¡»


    ¡º Yura¡¯s strength can¡¯t be ignored! ¡»


    ¡º What is Yura¡¯s weapon? How did the magic gun turn into a sword? ¡»


    General magic engineering guns only supported rifle mode and pistol mode. But Yura¡¯s magic gun changed into a sword, making thementators feel disbelief. The experts spected.


    ¡º It¡¯s a magic engineering gun made by dwarves. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s likely that Yura has travelled to the dwarf city of Talima. ¡»


    ¡º However, this isn¡¯t a card that will upset the battlefield. ¡»


    Yura was presumed to have obtained the gunman hidden ss. She didn¡¯t possess the Sword Mastery skill. In the first ce, swordsmanship was out of the question for a ck magician. This was what the experts thought, but...


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Surprisingly, Yura¡¯s swordsmanship was at a good level. She fought back and directly received Kraugel¡¯s counterattacks. The spectacr effects that urred when the two people crossed swords dazzled the viewers.


    But this tense confrontation didn¡¯tst long. Yura¡¯s swordsmanship wasn¡¯tparable to Kraugel, and above all, their level and stats difference was too great.


    Peok!


    After throwing away Yura¡¯s sword, Kraugel raised his sword vertically. He put his knee on Yura¡¯s shoulder and held the handle of his sword. It was the precursor of ¡®Jajinmori.¡¯ (TL: only thing I could find was rted to music, basically the fastest tempo.)


    Peeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    He was kicked in the chest and Yura rushed away. Kraugel tried to hit her by throwing a secondary weapon. But at this time, he felt an intense energy from the rear.


    While Yura grabbed Kraugel¡¯s attention, Peak Sword aimed for a surprise attack from the rear.


    ¡°Draw Sword, Sudden.¡±


    Piing.


    Once Peak Sword¡¯s sword was pulled out, there was a sharp burst of energy and it suddenly flew at Kraugel. Fast. In the first ce, drawing sword techniques weren¡¯t easy to avoid. Even Kraugel, with his keen senses and insight, wasn¡¯t able to avoid the skill that was used with perfect timing.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The sword prated Kraugel¡¯s chest, causing him to cough up blood.


    ¡¯Dangerous.¡¯


    The moment this thought crossed his mind, the figure of his mother appeared in front of him.


    ¡¯...Stand up.¡¯


    Kraugel was at thest of his strength. Yura turned her weapon back into pistol mode and fired magic bullets at him.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    Kraugel¡¯s body was consecutively hit by magic bullets. Peak Sword recovered his sword and prepared for his next attack. Then Kraugel used ¡®True Clouds¡¯. A blue cloud-like haze covered the area.


    ¡®I can¡¯t see.¡¯


    Yura and Peak Sword were nervous because they could see Kraugel within the clouds. They didn¡¯t know when and where Kraugel would appear to attack them. After 20 seconds, Kraugel didn¡¯t attack them and the cloudspletely disappeared.


    He had run away. It was because the continuous battles had pushed Kraugel¡¯s stamina and mana to the depleted state. Kraugel decided to survive and maintain Russia¡¯s score, keeping the silver medal, rather than kill Yura and Peak Sword.


    Then 20 minutester. South Korea scored 400 points and the target processing match was automatically stopped.


    ***


    ¡º The 2nd Satisfy National Competition, there was an upset from the very first event! ¡»


    <The shocking drop of the United States and the rise of South Korea, Russia, and Japan.>


    <Zibal is weak, Kraugel is strong. The gap between the 1st and 2nd ranked users is like the difference between heaven and earth?>


    <The tearful struggle of Russia¡¯s only survivor, Kraugel... After keeping Canada in check, he won the silver medal.>


    <Grid, an attack power and defense that surpassed the nerf.>


    <(Review) Let¡¯s analyze Grid¡¯s items in depth.>


    <(Column) Maybe the real strongest person is Damian?>


    <The Reba Church¡¯s pope has deified Grid... I hope Goddess Reba¡¯s jealousy won¡¯t turn to Grid.>


    <Is Damian really Korean instead of Japanese?>


    <The copse of China, which was proud of being Asia¡¯s strongest country.>


    <Greece and Britain fought the entire time, and couldn¡¯t even handle one target... The people of both countries are ming Regas and Seuron.>


    <Canada¡¯s Vantner and Chris conflicted with each other, causing them to eventually miss the silver medal.>


    <Bondre and Bubat are people of the past.>


    <Tarma had zero presence. Are the rumors exaggerated, or is Grid too strong?>


    <(Column) The gap between second and third advancement sses is greater than expected.>


    After the opening day finished. There was a brief press conference and the yers returned to their rooms.


    Shang X L Hotel. The Korean representatives were gathered in Grid¡¯s room.


    ¡°Amazing! Amazing! Korea won the gold medal at a team event. No one would¡¯ve imagined it!!¡±


    Peak Sword shouted excitedly.


    ¡°This is all thanks to Grid, Yura, and Peak Sword.¡±


    "I¡¯m sorry that we were no help to you.¡±


    "Hah, we are useless. We werepletely disruptive...¡±


    Kyunghook, Sumin, and Jinhee couldn¡¯t lift their heads. The proud people trembled from their helplessness. The atmosphere suddenly sank. Surprisingly, the one to encourage them wasn¡¯t Peak Sword.


    It was Grid.


    "No, this result is due to all of us. If all of you weren¡¯t present, we wouldn¡¯t have won the gold medal.¡±


    Grid had been despised for ipetence his whole life. That¡¯s why he knew.


    "There are no worthless people in the world. Everyone has their own personality and talent. Always have pride in yourself.¡±


    As soon as a human saw themselves as unnecessary, their lives would be at risk. Their self-esteem would copse and they couldn¡¯t ovee misfortunes due to their misery. Just like the Grid of the past.


    The smiling Grid. As the protagonist of the gold medal, he wasn¡¯t arrogant and shared his achievements with everyone. Yura felt that he had matured. It was interesting and pleasant to watch a man who was bing an adult day by day.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 424

    Chapter 424


    Ture Hotel.


    The hotel where Russia, Brazil, and Japan were staying had a special area. It was a capsule room limited for just the National Competition. The representatives from various countries could y Satisfy any time they wanted in their hotels.


    Kraugel visited this ce. There was 14 hours and 23 minutes remaining until the start of day two of the National Competition. In the meantime, Kraugel nned to raise his level in Satisfy. Most representatives were exploring Paris or unburdening themselves with drinking, but Kraugel couldn¡¯t afford to enjoy the present.


    His only aim was to win the National Competition, and he would do his best to achieve this goal. Kraugel was about to sit in the capsule when someone called to him. It was Alexander, one of the representatives of Russia.


    "So what if you y games until you die? In the end, it¡¯s about winning the gold medals.¡±


    Alexander moved in front of Kraugel. He had a height of 190cm and a muscr figure, making him look threatening to anyone. His thick finger poked Kraugel¡¯s chest.


    ¡°The sky above the sky? Stop fooling around. In the end, because of your ipetence, Russia missed the gold medal and you won¡¯t be able to fix your mother¡¯s illness.¡±


    The skinhead Alexander treated yellow skinned people as more useless than monkeys. Russia was beaten by Grid and Alexander pushed all responsibilities Kraugel, who didn¡¯te to save them. Kraugel was silent for a moment.


    Kwack!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Alexander¡¯s face crumpled. It was because Kraugel grabbed his wrist and his grip was too strong and terrible.


    ¡®How does a yellow skinned person have such power?¡¯


    Kraugel was as feminine as a woman. Alexander couldn¡¯t believe that Kraugel could exert more power than him. With a force that was enough to break the wrist, Kraugel whispered in a deste voice.


    "I was forced to endure it on the opening day, but not anymore.¡±


    Yes, Kraugel hadn¡¯t figured out the team¡¯s tendencies at the start of the match. He was forced to give the lead to Alexander, but not anymore.


    "You aren¡¯t in a position to say anything. I am the dominant one in this rtionship.¡±


    Flinch!


    Kraugel¡¯s ck eyes were deeper than the abyss. Alexander felt a strange fear because he couldn¡¯t read any emotions in these eyes. This was just a yellow skinned person. Alexander couldn¡¯t admit it and tried to swing his fist.


    "This damn monkey hasn¡¯t grasped who you are going against...!¡±


    "...¡±


    Did the physical abilities of the real body affect the virtual reality body? The experts¡¯ opinion was ¡®no.¡¯ The body in virtual reality waspletely separate from the physical body. In order to move the virtual reality body better, the important factor wasn¡¯t the physical abilities, but the interaction of the brain.


    In this regard, Kraugel thought that ¡®experience¡¯ was an important factor. For example, swordsmanship. Swinging a sword 10 times in reality meant it was possible to use a sword in the virtual world without Sword Mastery. Of course, the ability to use a sword wasmunicated throughmands from the brain.


    Before Satisfy was released. They were the days when he didn¡¯t know about his mother¡¯s condition. Kraugel participated in many sports and martial arts with pure passion. It was with the attitude of bing the supreme person in Satisfy.


    A slender body? That was only when wearing clothes. Kraugel¡¯s sleek muscles hidden under his clothes wereparable to professional martial artists.


    Peeok!


    "Kuack...!"


    Kraugel evaded Alexander¡¯s fist and punched his face. The process was as fast as lightning, causing Alexander to fall and see stars.


    Kuuong!


    Kraugel ced his foot on Alexander¡¯s thick neck.


    Kkuok!


    ¡°Kek...! Keeek!¡±


    Alexander felt great pain from his vocal cords being pressed on. Kraugel spoke to the terrified Alexander.


    ¡°I know people like you. You¡¯re a type of gangster who doesn¡¯t obey until you are trampled on. You decided that I couldn¡¯t be targeted in virtual reality, but reality is different. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Kkuok!


    Kraugel ced greater weight onto the foot on Alexander¡¯s neck. In the end, Alexander¡¯s face turned white. He still couldn¡¯t see any emotions in Kraugel¡¯s eyes. Alexander realized that Kraugel wasn¡¯t afraid of hurting people.


    ¡®This guy... This guy is the real deal.¡¯


    He could kill a person. A person who absolutely shouldn¡¯t be touched.


    Alexander shook as Kraugel gave ast warning.


    ¡°If you ever mention my mother with that filthy mouth of yours again, I will pull your tongue out. In addition, don¡¯t grab my ankle in the next team event. New medicine? Russia isn¡¯t the only one who has it, so you can¡¯t control me.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Tang tang!


    Alexander, who had difficulty breathing, banged his hand several times on the floor in surrender. It was a signal of surrender. But Kraugel didn¡¯t let him off easily. He pressed down on Alexander¡¯s neck, staring down silently for a long amount of time.


    Alexander felt dizzy due tock of oxygen and couldn¡¯t meet Kraugel¡¯s eyes. The hierarchical rtionship was perfectly established.


    ¡¯An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.¡¯


    Kraugel was forced to be an eternal outsider in Russia, where trash like Alexander lived. This personality was revealed during his first meeting with Piaro. Alexander ran away after Kraugel let him go.


    Kraugely down in the capsule with an uneasy expression.


    ¡¯Russia is the only one who has the new medicine.¡¯


    Satisfy was thergest culture and business in the world, so Kraugel¡¯s value was astronomical. There were countless countries who wanted him to immigrate there. However, none of them had developed a new drug that could treat Alzheimer¡¯s.


    Yes, Kraugel needed to lead Russia to victory.


    [Scanning your body.]


    [Recognize your iris.]


    [Verifying the user¡¯s information.]


    [The capsule protection system is working.]


    [Log in to Satisfy.]


    Chiiiiing!


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes slowly cleared. His five senses were sucked into Satisfy. Then after a while. A capsule in the corner opened. The person who got up was Jishuka.


    ¡°Kraugel had this story.¡±


    She hadid down in the capsule before Kraugel and heard a noise before logging in. Then she unintentionally learned Kraugel¡¯s story. This information, she needed to tell Grid and Overgeared. Jishuka rushed over to Shang X L Hotel.


    ***


    "Thebination of sweet and salty is very good.¡±


    "It melts in my mouth.¡±


    Shang X L Hotel¡¯s restaurant.


    The South Korean representatives were dining there. The restaurant had three Michelin stars, so the food was excellent. Even Peak Sword, who was an enthusiast about Korean food, had to acknowledge this taste.


    ¡°The cooking skills are great. I want to try the kimchi stew made by the chef of this restaurant.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was hard to understand why he would want to eat kimchi stew made by a French chef. In this atmosphere, Grid felt frustrated.


    "Why is the rate of service so slow when the amount of food is so small? The restaurant owner is incrediblyzy.¡±


    Grid was a typical modern Korean used to delivery food. The average time was 15 minutes. However, the French restaurant took 2~3 hours on average for a course, causing Grid to feel horribly frustrated.


    "In this case, it would be better to just boil ramyun. Michelin is a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Um... I would like to try the soybean paste stew made by the chef of this restaurant...¡±


    "...¡±


    The frustrated Grid and Peak Sword who was talking nonsense. The two people made it difficult to rx and enjoy the food. The party thought that they shouldn¡¯t eat with Grid and Peak Sword from the next meal onwards.


    On the other hand, Yura was d. She felt a strange happiness just sitting at the same table as Grid. If she was with Grid, she could endure eating instant noodles three times a day for the rest of her life.


    "You¡¯re this far from home, how about having a ss of wine?¡±


    A restaurant where a nice piano melody was flowing. A youth with silver hair approached the raucous South Korean table. His blue eyes was as beautiful and clear as the sky. It was Lauel. Despite his casual appearance, he looked like a noble as he held out a bottle of red wine.


    It was a rtively recent vintage of Romane X. Only 6,000 bottles of wine were produced a year, it was one of the finest limited quality wines. Lauel had prepared such a precious wine for Grid and was touched by his own loyalty.


    ¡°This body of wine, like the blood that flowed in my body for thousands of years, isvish and sublime. This red wine is the symbol of me, Lauel... It reflects my will to be in your heart forever.¡±


    The Korean members paled. Their hands and feet shrivelled up from Lauel¡¯s words. But Grid, Peak Sword, and Yura were fine. Yura had outstandingposure, while Grid and Peak Sword didn¡¯t have good English.


    "Okay, okay."


    ¡°Do you know God Grid?¡±


    Grid and Peak Sword responded as they epted the wine that Lauel brought. However, drinking soju and rice wine was still the best.


    "...¡±


    Lauel was speechless as he watched tens of thousands of dors disappearing in vain. In this chaotic atmosphere...


    ¡°Listen to my story!¡±


    Jishuka ran in and started to tell Kraugel¡¯s story. But there wasn¡¯t a trantor so the only people who could understand here were Yura and Lauel. Lauel watched Grid and said to Yura and Jishuka.


    ¡°For the moment, keep this a secret from Grid.¡±


    Lauel knew that Grid and Kraugel had a great affinity with each other. If Grid knew about Kraugel¡¯s circumstances, he might not be able to fully concentrate on the National Competition.


    ¡°I will fix this problem.¡±


    He learned how to get Kraugel into Overgeared. Lauel smiled with satisfaction and headed to his room.


    Then the next day. The 2nd day of the National Competition began.


    Glossary of Common Korean Terms.


    OG: Glossary Link.


    Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.


    Check out my Patreon for early ess to a certain number of unedited chapters and well as achieve the goals for extra chapters. The early ess chapters will be updated after I finish releasing all chapters for the day.

 Chapter 425

    Chapter 425


    There was a total of three events on the 2nd day of the National Competition.


    The first game was ¡®Keep the Base.¡¯


    The goal was to defend against an infinite amount of monsters, installing defense turrets and traps from goods present in the base, surviving longer than anyone else. The cement of the turrets and traps was the key, requiring a high amount of strategy and wits.


    Park Jonghwa was the Korean representative who participated in this game.


    ¡º Lauel of the United States has won the gold medal and Bondre of France has won the silver medal! ¡»


    ¡º Bondre was doing well until the middle of the game, where he rapidly lost concentration in the second part. ¡»


    ¡º In a situation where the anti-aircraft guns were insufficient, the appearance of the flying monsters on arge scale was a critical factor. ¡»


    ¡º On the other hand, Lauel had enough anti-aircraft guns. Despite the fact that flying monsters didn¡¯t appear until the second half, he didn¡¯t neglect the existence of the anti-aircraft guns on the list, consistently installing them. ¡»


    ¡º The bronze medal went to Vantner of Canada, who used the traps well. ¡»


    ¡º Using his taunting and charging skills properly, he ced the monsters into the traps. It¡¯s to be admired. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s the hot-blooded person who grabbed Chris¡¯ ankle during the target processing. ¡»


    ¡º Um... Originally, tankers should have good teamwork. However, Vantner seems more specialized in solo y. He¡¯s a person who would act like a variable in Overgeared. ¡»


    The Spanish representative, Pon, snorted as he watched the match.


    "He¡¯s a vacuum, not a variable.¡±


    Pon smiled sarcastically. He fought with Vantner every day, but they had known each other for a long time. Pon congratted Vantner and was happy.


    The second event that followed was ¡®Catching Pigs.¡¯ Out of the thousands of identical pink pigs, the participants had to find the pigs with ck dots and handle them. The pigs without dots had unlimited health and couldn¡¯t be killed, so their numbers continued to grow.


    The gold medal winner was the person with the ability to observe their target and not lose concentration...


    ¡º Brazil¡¯s Jishuka! ¡»


    ¡º Her observation abilities are great. How can she find the dots among all the identical pigs? ¡»


    ¡º It must be Hawk Eyes, Hawk Eyes. It is the ability to see 30m away while maintaining a safe distance from the target. ¡»


    ¡º The crowd became mixed up again when a target was handled, but she didn¡¯t miss any shots. She has great concentration. ¡»


    ¡º Jishuka alone scored higher than the sum of the scores of the 2~5th ces. ¡»


    ¡º In one word, it¡¯s overwhelming. ¡»


    In the second event, Brazil won the gold medal, Britain the silver medal, and the bronze medal went to the United States. The countries with outstanding archers monopolized the score.


    "Grid, did you see? Later in the night, I will go to your room and receive your congrattions!¡±


    At the press conference after the event. One of the sexiest women in the world, Jishuka made a remark that caused shockwaves.


    -Going to his room? -_-;;


    -An adult man and woman, what are they going to do in the room...?


    -Hah...I¡¯m jealous of Grid...Doing things at night with a sexy girl like that...


    -He probably saved the in a past life.


    -Damn Grid...


    ¡°Why are my ears ticklish?¡±


    As Grid be the public enemy of the men of the world, thepetition was bing heated up.


    Then the third game in the afternoon.


    Hell running. It was a map that embodied a part of hell. The first person to arrive at the destination while avoiding obstacles and the threat of the demonkin would be the winner. The interest of the Satisfy yers was very high. It wasparable to their interest in team events and PvP.


    Hell. It was a great opportunity for them to indirectly experience thend that no one had visited yet.


    ¡°You should pay attention. Hell is likely to be the ultimate content in Satisfy.¡±


    The reserved audience seats. Lauel suddenly came to the ce where the Korean representatives were gathered and sat beside Grid.


    "Hell will be one of the countlessnds that you will reign over.¡±


    Except for Grid and Peak Sword, the Korean representatives moved away from Lauel. They still didn¡¯t have resistance towards his chuuni nature.


    "Hell... It was a little strange.¡±


    Grid was currently wearing an interpreter. Thanks to that, Lauel understood his words and was shocked.


    ¡°Have you visited hell before?¡±


    ¡°Just for a short time.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    He visited hell? It sounded like a joke or a bluff. But the one saying it was Grid. Lauel had to believe him.


    ¡°What was it like?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes shone likenterns, but Grid turned his gaze away. Yura was participating in ¡®Hell Running¡¯ for South Korea. The match was about to start.


    ¡°Confirm it with your own eyes. It¡¯s much better than hearing from me, since I only experienced it for a few minutes.¡±


    Grid was also interested in hell. His demonic power was now at 830, so Grid never knew when he would go back to hell.


    ***


    It was very meaningful to experience certain contents ahead of others. They were able to acquire faster and more urate information than others, bing a driving force of their growth. In that sense, hell running was a very important event and the participants were spectacr.


    Zibal of the United States, Hao of China, Seuron of Argentina, Regas of Britain, etc. The strongest people of each country were participating in this event. Their intentions were to experience hell, rather than focus on the gold medal. In a nutshell, they prioritized individual development rather than national honor.


    The criticism of the people? In this event, they didn¡¯t mind. They were those who were dreaming higher.


    Kraugel foresaw this. That¡¯s why Alexander participated in hell running instead of Kraugel. He judged that Alexander would be able to secure gold. He might miss out on the opportunity to experience hell, but he was doing his best to treat his mother¡¯s illness.


    [You have entered hell.]


    [You are affected by a strong evil energy.]


    [Your body is exhausted. Attack power, defense, and agility will decrease by 30%.]


    [Health won¡¯t recover naturally.]


    [You have received a mental blow. Mana regeneration rate will slow by 50%.]


    ¡°There are a lot of debuffs.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no health recovery? Do we have to depend on only potions and recovery skills?¡±


    ¡°Look at the speed of mana regeneration. We can¡¯t abuse our skills.¡±


    ¡°Um... Solo y in hell is impossible.¡±


    The representatives were confused by the debuffs. They felt like they were being rejected from hell. However, Yura was different.


    [Hell is a Demon yer¡¯s true stage!]


    [All stats will increase by 20%.]


    [Skill cooldown time will be reduced by 20%.]


    [The power of all purification skills will increase by 15%.]


    [Magic bullet production rate has increased to the maximum.]


    [Health and mana regeneration rate will increase by 50%.]


    ¡®My stage.¡¯


    The Demon yer ss. Yura was amazed and thrilled by the power of the legendary ss, which was superior in all respects to a normal ss. However, it fell behind in many ways whenpared to Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Of course, Grid had opened up several hidden pieces while Yura couldn¡¯t open even one. Even taking that in consideration, the Demon yer was abat specialized ss, yet it had a much weaker impact than Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Yura wondered if she was wrong about this ss and became anxious. But now it turned out that the Demon yer had a real stage. In ordance with the name, this was a ss that exerted its true power in hell. This was very positive news. Sooner orter, the content about hell would open and Demon yer was predicted to be the strongest ss in hell.


    Yura was looking forward to how she could develop in the future.


    ¡º 32 participants representing each country are at the starting line. ¡»


    ¡º We have all the greatest yers gathered together. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯m particrly looking forward to Damian, Hao, Sueron, Zibal, Pon, and Regas. ¡»


    ¡º I don¡¯t know what type of variables the stage called hell will produce... For now, they could be considered the biggest favorites to win. ¡»


    ¡º In particr, I¡¯m expecting a lot from Damian. A pope who can use the power of the goddess of light will surely do great damage to the demonkin. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. In this event, there¡¯s more room for Damian to act than Kraugel. ¡»


    ¡º Is that why Kraugel gave up on this event? ¡»


    People didn¡¯t care about Yura. She struggled against Kraugel, so the expectations for her were low. The hidden ss she obtained wasn¡¯t that great and the limitations were clear. But after a while, people in the world were paying attention to Yura.


    Hell moon. It distinguished between those who experienced the Behen Archipgo and those who hadn¡¯t. Yura quickly dealt with the demonkin and avoided the obstacles. The other participants were focused on grasping hell itself.


    In contrast, Alexander was running alone andining about Yura. He couldn¡¯t overlook the fact that she was ahead of him.


    ¡®This damn girl.¡¯


    She was beautiful and had excellent abilities. But she was still yellow skinned. Kraugel and Grid were inevitable, but other yellow skinned people shouldn¡¯t be ahead of him. Why? The race itself was trivial.


    Alexander thought this and attacked Yura. The hardened aura stretched out and stabbed Yura in the back. Alexander was strong and had a much higher level than Yura. When viewed objectively, Alexander was in a position to crush Yura. But an unexpected result urred.


    The environment was the problem. Currently, Alexander received serious debuffs while Yura received ratherrge buffs.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Yura stopped Alexander¡¯s attack by turning her weapon into a sword, then she immediately fired a magic bullet. Alexander suffered terrible pain. After firing at him a few more times, Yura shifted her gun into a sword and attacked. After that. The main character of hell running and the one who won gold was Yura. Alexander barely escaped from Yura and received the silver medal.


    After the event was over. n front of reporters, Yura looked at the camera and said.


    "Grid, tonight I will go to your room for praise...please let me in.¡±


    Her expression was detached but her voice was shaky. Her white face turned red. Yura was embarrassed, but she didn¡¯t want to lose to Jishuka. There was another uproar on the Inte.


    -Grid #[email protected]#


    -A man must have no conscience to steal two beautiful girls.


    It was the day when the incarnation of jealousy was born all over the world. Grid¡¯s anti-fan cafe, which had been quiet for a while, suddenly became noisy.

 Chapter 426

    Chapter 426


    ¡º This year¡¯s National Competition has reduced the number of participants in each country. ¡»


    ¡º Thus, the siege system has been changed. ¡»


    ¡º Now that the siege is ahead of us, let¡¯s take a look at that changed system. ¡»


    Siege was ssified as a team event. All participants from 32 countries had an obligation to participate. It would be held in a tournament form, the matches determined by drawing lots.


    ¡º Up to here is the same asst year. However, there are a few things added. Every country will get 50 NPCs that are level 300. It¡¯s the organizer¡¯s intention to expand the size of the siege and diversify the strategies. ¡»


    ¡º Level 300 means they are third advancement NPCs. The presence of these NPCs will be overwhelming given that only 47 out of the 224 National Competition participants are third advancement. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. The key to this siege is how effectively you use the NPCs, rather than the strength of individuals. ¡»


    ¡º Will they destroy the enemies or take possession of the enemy¡¯s castle? The two countries with the highest probability of winning are... ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s the United States and Japan. The United States has Lauel¡¯s strategies while Japan has Damian¡¯s buffs. ¡»


    ¡º Lauel¡¯s strategy and Damian¡¯s buffs... Doesn¡¯t Damian have a high chance? So what if Lauel has an outstanding strategy? The Japanese team¡¯s NPCs who receive Damian¡¯s buffs will be overwhelming. ¡»


    ¡º We can¡¯t ignore Bubat of Turkey. He might be defeated by Grid every time in PvP, but Bubat¡¯s true strength shines inrge scale battles. Bubat might sweep through the battlefield. ¡»


    ¡º We also can¡¯t miss Canada. As the peak of the guardian knights, Vantner has wide range taunts and the strongest tanking power. If this isbined with Chris¡¯ overwhelming damage, they can neutralize the NPCs. ¡»


    ¡º These five countries can be considered the best candidates. ¡»


    ¡º What about Russia and South Korea? They have Kraugel and Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Haha, that¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s true that Kraugel and Grid are the strongest. ¡»


    ¡º But Russia and South Korea don¡¯t have any obvious buffers or strategists. ¡»


    ¡º If the third advancement NPCs can tie up Kraugel and Grid¡¯s feet, Russia and South Korea will copse. ¡»


    ¡º In particr, the South Korean yers are weak... I think it will be hard for them to even move to the round of 16. ¡»


    The second day of events finished. Yura and Jishuka really came to Grid¡¯s room. The purpose of their visit to Grid was very pure, unlike people¡¯s dirty imaginations. They each won a gold medal. Therefore, they wanted to celebrate with their favorite man. They just wanted to have a good time talking with Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Both women had no dating experience and were acting cautiously. Fortunately, Grid didn¡¯t misunderstand Yura and Jishuka¡¯s visit. It was because Grid lost confidence in rtionships after being trampled on by his first love, Ahyoung. He thought that Yura and Jishuka treated him this way because they were friends and colleagues. He never imagined that the world¡¯s greatest beauties and talents would like him. He treated them as friends.


    He sat on the couch and watched TV with them without any agitation. Grid was even chewing dried squid.


    "...¡±


    Even so, was there no mood? Yura wore a white dress down to her ankles and showed an innocent beauty. Jishuka wore a figure revealing dress that reflected her sensuality. They wanted to maximize their charms to appeal to Grid. They gazed at Grid who was scratching his stomach while wearing a t-shirt and shorts.


    In this ufortable atmosphere, Grid spoke after being deeply immersed in the news for a long time.


    "No matter how hard I think, it will be difficult to win a gold medal in the siege.¡±


    Grid knew better than anyone about Lauel and Damian¡¯s strengths. He couldn¡¯t beat them when it came to a siege. Jishuka leaned her chest on Grid¡¯s forearm and responded.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you giving up too easily?¡±


    Grid was aiming for the top. It was to reign as the absolute existence. Jishuka thought that Grid should try his best in any situation. Grid felt Jishuka¡¯s soft chest and Yura¡¯s cold eyes and cleared his throat. Then he spoke while chewing on dried squid.


    "I have directly experienced Damian¡¯s buff, and it¡¯s aplete scam. If it¡¯s given to 50 third advancement NPCs...¡±


    Was it adding wings to a tiger? No, more than that. It was giving birth to a monster unit. It was terrible when he imagined it.


    "Then Youngwoo, do you think that Japan will win the siege event?¡±


    Grid nodded at Yura¡¯s question.


    ¡°Japan or the United States.¡±


    The arena selected for the siege was Anterava Forest. Tworge castles faced each other across a forest. But this forest was huge. The thorny road that couldn¡¯t be cut, the misty road where it was impossible to see in front, and the swampy road that was hard to escape from. There were many dangerous areas judged to be impossible to move through, so there were only eight ways to make it through the forest.


    It was a siege map with eight avable routes to invade the other team¡¯s castle. This was enough to make Lauel¡¯s strategies shine.


    ¡®It will happen like this as long as the US and Japan don¡¯t meet in the beginning.¡¯


    In the end, Grid assumed that the US and Japan would y in the finals.


    ¡°Then what about South Korea?¡±


    Jishuka asked Grid, who was locked in serious thought. Grid¡¯s response...


    "As the experts said, we would be lucky to enter the round of 16.¡±


    Yura didn¡¯t deny it. South Korea relied on Grid too much, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to tie Grid up with the third advancement NPCs.


    "Well, Brazil is the same.¡±


    Brazil was ssified as a minor country in Satisfy. Furthermore, Jishuka was a normal ss and didn¡¯t have Grid¡¯s potential.


    Suuk.


    Jishuka smiled bitterly and rose from the couch. She looked around at Grid¡¯s room with curiosity and interest. She was trying to grasp Grid¡¯s taste and tendencies.


    "Hehe, isn¡¯t this bed quite big? It isn¡¯t a bed for people to sleep in alone.¡±


    It was too hard on her yesterday and today and she fought for the honor of her country and Overgeared. Jishuka was mentally and physically tired, so shey on Grid¡¯s bed without any impure intentions. Then she literally fell asleep.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was embarrassed and Yura was caught in a crisis. Yura thought she might lose Grid to Jishuka and eventuallyy on the bed as well. Thanks to that, Grid slept on the couch. To be honest, he wanted to enjoy the luxury of sleeping next to Yura and Jishuka. However, he was afraid that he would be reported as a sexual harasser.


    ***


    Shang X L Hotel¡¯s 3rd floor hallway.


    One man was hiding at the entrance of the corridor and watching Grid¡¯s room. It was the representative of the United States and the 2nd ranked user, Zibal.


    ¡°Ugh... In the end, he¡¯s going to sleep with both of them?¡±


    Zibal was a man. He particrly liked pretty girls. In other words, like most men in the world, he had instinctive feelings for Yura and Jishuka. But they were very tough. He didn¡¯t tell anyone this, but he actually had an experience where he was rejected.


    But Grid! This person who seemed worse than him was currently having a frenzied night with both women. It had already been three hours since Yura and Jishuka entered Grid¡¯s room, and no one hade out. Zibal couldn¡¯t understand why such bright women would fall for Grid.


    ¡®You... You are big.¡¯


    He had items in the game and boundless energy in reality? Zibal was feeling envious when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked back in surprise and saw Lauel.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while. I didn¡¯t expect you to be a voyeur.¡±


    "I¡¯m not a voyeur! What do you think of me...?"


    ¡°Ah, calm down. It doesn¡¯t matter what sickness you are suffering from. Come back to my room.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "Why not? Are you going to hide here all night in front of Grid¡¯s room? Do you want to get a glimpse of Yura and Jishuka¡¯s ankles? Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it! Why do I have to go back to your room with you?¡±


    "I¡¯m holding an operational meeting to prepare for the siege tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Zibal had been blinded by jealousy and couldn¡¯t make a reasonable judgment. Lauel followed him into the elevator and thought.


    ¡®The ideal flow of the siege tomorrow...¡¯


    It included Japan¡¯s early elimination and had Russia fight well. Lauel wanted to eliminate as much risk as possible so that he could confront Russia. The reason was simple. He hoped to use the bait of a gold medal to have Kraugel join Overgeared.


    But he was worried about whether Russia could do well in this siege event. The skills of the Russian representatives, including Kraugel, were greater than he expected. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if they had any talent for strategy.


    ¡®I will feel sick if Russia meets Japan or Turkey early and are eliminated.¡¯


    At this moment. Even Lauel, who acknowledged and worshipped Grid as much as Huroi and Damian, didn¡¯t think much of South Korea¡¯s chances. There was little room for South Korea to y in the siege event.


    ***


    ¡º The 2nd National Competition that the whole world is paying attention to! It¡¯s now day 3! It has started! ¡»


    ¡º The siege is the only event on day 3? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it is a tournament format and team event, so it has tost a long time. ¡»


    ¡º At this moment, a representative from each country is climbing onto the stage. ¡»


    ¡º They¡¯re drawing lots to determine their opponent. ¡»


    ¡º The representatives who pick the United States or Japan as the opponent will receive the grudges of their team members and people. Haha! ¡»


    Who would have the golden hand and who would have the dirt hand? The whole world watched the monitor with anticipation. Then after a while. The world¡¯s greatest dirt hand appeared. A character born with bad luck. Of course...


    ¡°...Sorry.¡±


    It was Grid.


    Grid picked the United States. The Korean people were frustrated, while Grid started sweating.

 Chapter 427

    Chapter 427


    ¡º Huhu, Grid pulled out the A lot. ¡»


    ¡º The first match of the siege... It¡¯s also against the United States. ¡»


    ¡º Look at Grid¡¯s expression. He has never sweated like this before. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a rare appearance. This means he doesn¡¯t have much confidence. ¡»


    The ratings of the siege ry started to rise rapidly. It showed that most people were having great fun with this situation.


    -Didn¡¯t Yura and Jishuka sleep in Grid¡¯s roomst night?


    -I want to deny it, but it¡¯s true...The paparazzi took photos of them leaving Grid¡¯s room this morning...


    -Kuoh...He deserves punishment for being alone with the best beauties in the world.


    -The United States will trample on him!


    -Grid¡¯s misfortune is my happiness!


    Hundreds of millions of men were blinded by jealousy. They wanted to see Grid copse quickly. The Korean people were resigned.


    -Well...It would be hard to win a medal in the siege war, even if we didn¡¯t meet the United States right away.


    -In retrospect, it¡¯s better to be eliminated early.Our yers will be able to take a day off and fight hard tomorrow.


    -In particr, Grid must¡¯ve spent a lot of energyst night.


    -Grid was the one who drew the United States.He thought of the big picture.


    -Truly God Grid.


    The early elimination was confirmed. The Korean citizens tried to think as positively as possible. It was the same with Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯ll finish it quickly and go to the capsule room.¡¯


    What if he concentrated on hunting while the other rankers were busy with the National Competition?


    ¡®I can get a little bit ahead.¡¯


    Grid only thought about the game and had no intention of exploring Paris. Lauel came near him.


    ¡°Think of this as war exercises.¡±


    ¡°War exercises?¡±


    Lauel grinned brightly at Grid.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your ultimate goal to be rich, to be the best, and to be recognized by people? To achieve that goal, you must be a king.¡±


    The first condition for bing a king was lineage, but users had no concept of lineage. What Grid needed was justification and a vast territory. It was his destiny to constantly take part in wars to expand his territory.


    ¡°Originally, a war simtion requires huge manpower and money. It¡¯s difficult to do with Overgeared¡¯s current capacity. But today, we have an opportunity to try a free simtion.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Try your best. I will teach you strategies and tactics. Well, if you¡¯re afraid, you can give up early. This is your limit.¡±


    Lauel was the only one in Overgeared who criticized Grid. Lauel always pointed out Grid¡¯s faults, sometimes making him feel ashamed. The reason? He was hoping for Grid¡¯s development. Yes, it was the same right now. Lauel spoke in a high and mighty tone, clearly provoking Grid.


    He knew. The current Grid had lost motivation. Thus, Lauel couldn¡¯t stay still.


    "...¡±


    The Grid of the past would¡¯ve felt resentful without grasping Lauel¡¯s intentions. But now it was different. He saw why Lauel was provoking him and replied.


    ¡°Okay, bring it on.¡±


    He was idle for a moment. Giving up? It was clear that he forgot himself these days.


    ¡®Wake up.¡¯


    p.


    Grid pped his cheeks with both hands. His ck eyes once again gained their like.


    ¡¯I will try my best to win.¡¯


    As always.


    ***


    "You¡¯re taking care of Grid.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will lose on purpose?¡±


    The American representatives heard the conversation between Lauel and Grid. Lauel shrugged at them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I will fight my best for Grid¡¯s development.¡±


    Above all, he had to win until they met Russia. Lauel had no intention of being defeated by South Korea.


    ¡®The variables that Korea has are the Ruler¡¯s Cloak and the Hooded Zip Up.¡¯


    Lauel was aware of most of Grid and the Overgeared members¡¯ items. First, the Ruler¡¯s Cloak. It was a legendary rated item that Grid acquired the day that Reidan¡¯s Overgeared knights were created. Charge Command, Military Command, and Ruler¡¯s Voice were all skills attached to the Ruler¡¯s Cloak, allowing for a simple and efficientmands delivery system. If Grid took advantage of it, he would be able to efficientlymand 50 NPCs and act as a moderate threat.


    Next was the Hooded Zip Up. The invisibility cloaks made by Grid out of the sylphid scales were luxury Overgeared items. Grid, Yura, and Peak Sword all possessed one, so it was necessary to guard against stealth.


    ¡®Other than that.¡¯


    He needed to pay attention to Grid¡¯s basic attack power. Yura hadn¡¯t grown enough to beparable to the US representatives outside of hell, while Peak Sword could only tie up one US representative. The other Korean representatives weren¡¯t worth discussing.


    "Let¡¯s go."


    South Korea and the United States were the opening match of the siege event. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered for them as they entered the capsule.


    ***


    [You have entered Anterava Forest.]


    [You have 20 minutes before the siege starts. Please prepare during these 20 minutes.]


    ¡°South Korea... They are only good for warming up the body.¡±


    "Can they even warm up the body?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    In fact, the atmosphere in the United States team was the worst when Zibal picked the A lot. The siege where they only knew the map and simple rules. There was a lot of pressure because they didn¡¯t have information about 50 NPCs and were expected to open the event in the first match. They were also worried about meeting Japan in the beginning.


    But Grid pulled out the A lot after Zibal. He was truly a nice guy. The US representatives could rx because they weren¡¯t worried about South Korea. Their footsteps were light as they entered the castle, which had walls of a low height of one metre.


    ¡°Hoh, they are the rumored NPCs.


    "Let¡¯s take a closer look.¡±


    The castle¡¯s garden.


    50 NPcs were present. 15 of them were tankers who were heavy armor and were armed withrge shields, while 20 were closebat soldiers wearing light armor and holding sharp weapons. On top of that, there were 10 archers and 5 magicians.


    "Panmir, check the status of their items. Then we will measure their stats with a simple spar.¡±


    Zibal was surprised to see the NPCs¡¯ faces when he issued the orders.


    "Isn¡¯t it rude to want to look at our equipment and skills just like that?¡±


    "A rude group of people arrived as reinforcements...¡±


    ¡°Do you have any skills? I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    The NPCs remarked. Zibal and the US representatives were baffled at their attitude.


    ¡®These NPCs aren¡¯t our subordinates...¡¯


    ¡®They are equal to our position?¡¯


    ¡¯We are ying the role of NPC reinforcements?¡¯


    Then a notification window appeared in front of the US team.


    [A joint quest has urred.]


    [Siege War]


    Level of Difficulty: Not measurable.


    Two countries are in a war for ownership of Anterava Forest.


    You are a member of Kingdom A.


    Cooperate closely with the knights of Kingdom A to upy the castle of Kingdom B and take over Anterava Forest.


    * This quest is specifically developed for the National Competition and isn¡¯t rted to Satisfy¡¯s story. However, the NPCs understand Satisfy¡¯s worldview.


    Victory Condition: Take over Castle B or wipe out the troops of Kingdom B.


    * The time limit is 2 hours. If there is no victor within the time limit, the country with the highest number of survivors wins.


    * If you don¡¯t attack and only defend, your affinity with the NPCs will drop exponentially and this will lead to defeat.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    They thought that the NPCs had the concept of soldiers. But they were allies? It was quite different from what they expected. It would be difficult to form an absolutemand system.


    "Let¡¯s go the enemy castle. Let those seven people follow our n.¡±


    The NPCs started to act arbitrarily. If the US team couldn¡¯t give orders to them, any ns developed would be useless. What should they do? The US representatives were in turmoil for a while beforeing up with a good idea.


    {Lauel, exin your strategy to the NPCs.}


    {Yes, if they listen to a good n, they will understand and pass themand rights over to you.}


    It was true. However, it was doubtful if exining the n would change the attitude of the NPCs. They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that there might be stupid NPCs. Lauel asked his team members.


    {Who has the dignity, leadership, or charm stats?}


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    The US team members noticed Lauel¡¯s intentions. Among them, Zibal, Skill, and Zephyr went forward. They were top rankers and held various titles, including a nobility title. They had at least 300 points in dignity. In particr, Zibal and Skull had opened up the leadership and charm stat.


    Lauel took the lead and dered to the NPCs.


    "I am Lord Lauel. As an earl and hero of the Eternal Kingdom, we won¡¯t fail. If you trust in my honor and status and follow mymands in this war, I will guarantee victory.¡±


    Lauel was followed up by Zibal, Skull, and Zephyr. Then more than half of the NPCs exchanged looks and nodded.


    ¡°I will trust you for the moment.¡±


    "But if you¡¯re judged ipetent, we will no longer follow your orders. At that time, you will have to follow our orders instead.¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    Lauel and Zibal nodded without hesitation. Exactly 31 NPCs bowed to them, while the remaining 19 NPCs watched silently. Still, it was a level where the chain ofmand could bepleted. On this positive note, Lauel started to exin the n to the NPCs. The NPCs became impressed by Lauel and gradually started to trust him.


    The viewers of the world watched this process and were impressed.


    -Wow, I thought it would be bad at first when I saw the status of the NPCs.


    -The dignity stat of the US representatives is enormous.Now the NPCs are following them willingly.


    -Lauel is first ss.


    -Doesn¡¯t Lauel seem to have over 500 dignity?


    -The dignity stat is the dignity stat, but the NPCs were quickly inspired by the n.It seems like Lauel has prepared a great operation.


    Then what about South Korea? As the US representatives checked the equipment and skills of the NPCs, the screen switched to the Korean castle.


    ¡º Grid is the first user to be a duke, so it¡¯s estimated that his dignity and charm stats are higher than Lauel¡¯s... ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s unknown if the other Korean representatives have opened up special stats like dignity. ¡»


    ¡º In addition, South Korea doesn¡¯t have a strategist like Lauel. We have to worry if it is possible for Grid to persuade the NPCs... Heok? ¡»


    ¡º W-What is this? ¡»


    Thementators were amazed and their mouths dropped open. It was the same with the viewers. Why? Grid wore a small crown and as he walked forward...


    ¡°I will swear allegiance to you!!¡±


    ¡°Just say the word! I will follow you!¡±


    The 50 proud NPCs knelt before him! The world fell into a great shock as Grid smiled.


    ¡¯Lauel, it doesn¡¯t matter if you are good at strategies.¡¯


    Grid would show his unique value by breaking all this down with items. Grid grabbed the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and gave an absurdmand to the kneeling NPCs.


    ¡°Take off your equipment.¡±

 Chapter 428

    Chapter 428


    Apart from strength, stamina, intelligence, and agility, special stats could be opened by clearing specific quests or acquiring a title, position or ss. In addition, it wasn¡¯t possible to put points into special stats, so they were very difficult to increase.


    But Grid was different. Every time Grid created items with a certain rating, ¡®all stats¡¯ increased. There was also the various titles that increased his stats such as Apostle of Justice, Kingdom¡¯s Hero, and First Duke. He even had items. The Holy Light Crown increased his intelligence by 300 and his dignity by 200, while the Great Lord¡¯s Sword gave him 150 dignity, insight, and leadership.


    The result? At present, Grid had 2,000 dignity, 1,000 charm, and 300 leadership.


    This wasn¡¯t the end. There was even the Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss effect of ¡®easily acknowledged.¡¯ NPCs, especially NPCs with the proper perspective, had no choice but to instinctively look up at Grid. They were able to sense that he was a ¡®great person¡¯ simply by meeting Grid¡¯s eyes.


    Grid¡¯s presence was overwhelming. This was one of the reasons Lauel often stated that ¡®Grid is a qualified king.¡¯


    However...


    Now, take off their equipment? No matter how great the person, it was an absurdmand that couldn¡¯t be easily epted. They had to take off their equipment? It might be different if their affinity was high, but the 50 NPCs didn¡¯t follow Grid¡¯s unreasonablemand.


    In this confused atmosphere, Grid put on the Ruler¡¯s Cloak and ordered again.


    "Take it off. If you want to win the war, believe in me.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was just repeating himself. However, Grid¡¯s voice rang out through the castle. There was a heavy weight in his voice that caused the listeners to feel a thrill. This was the effect of the passive skill attached to the Ruler¡¯s Cloak, Ruler¡¯s Voice.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid¡¯s words contained a mysterious power. For some reason, everything that Grid said seemed to be a reality. The 50 NPCs felt an infinite trust in Grid and started taking off their equipment.


    Grid observed them with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®The fastest and most obvious means of making them stronger is item enhancement.¡¯


    At first, he thought about strengthening the equipment of the 50 NPCs. But the economic spending was too big. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that these NPCs were ¡®disposable,¡¯ so he had to avoid excessive investment. In the first ce, he didn¡¯t have a lot of enhancement stones. In order to prepare for the National Competition, he had enhanced the recently produced Triple Layers.


    Thus, Grid came up with two possible methods. The first was to utilize the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill. He nned to strengthen the NPCs by finding hidden features in their items. But the result wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®Is it all a failure?¡¯


    Grid appraised the items of all 50 NPCs, but none of them had a hidden feature. One method was discarded. Grid was disappointed, but he didn¡¯t judge it to be hopeless yet. There was another way to strengthen the NPCs. This method was to utilized the Character Observation skill attached to the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    For example, in this way.


    Name: Tron.


    Level: 300


    ss: Heavy Armor Knight


    Strength: 1,610 Stamina: 1,300


    Agility: 500 Intelligence: 105


    Possessed Skills: Piercing, Charging, Three People Provocation, Shield Throw, Steel Skin, Intermediate Spear Mastery Lv. 3, and Intermediate Shield Mastery Lv. 5.


    Unique Skills: Increased Attack Power (Passive), Rotation Cut, and Advanced Sword Mastery Lv. 5.


    Name: Cary


    Level: 300


    ss: Armored Sword Knight


    Strength: 1,500 Stamina: 600


    Agility: 1,415 Intelligence: 80


    Possessed Skills: Increase Aura Attack Power, Three Stage Cutting, Ascending sh, Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 8.


    Unique skills: Multi Shot, Quick Shot, Advanced Bow Mastery Lv. 6.


    ¡°Tron.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    "Throw away the spear. Take Cary¡¯s sword and use it. Cary, give him the sword and take up a bow.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah... Yes! I understand!¡±


    Everyone in the world had particr aptitude and skills. However, when living in society, it was inevitable that they would face a situation where they had topromise, taking up a job that wasn¡¯t suited to their aptitude or skills. It was the same for NPCs. Some of them were wasting their talents due to their own circumstances, or they weren¡¯t aware of their aptitude.


    Grid realized it when watching the soldiers and knights of Reidan.


    ¡°How did he...?"


    ¡°He noticed my skills at first nce?¡±


    ¡°There were no vacancies in the light armored knights, so I suffered from acquiring shield skills that I¡¯m not interested in."


    ¡°...Thanks to Grid, I¡¯m able to use what I¡¯m interested in."


    [Affinity with Tron has risen by 20.]


    [Affinity with Cary has risen by 20.]


    [Affinity with Faiba has risen by 20...]


    ...


    ...


    The affinity of the NPCs towards Grid started to climb. It was gratitude for Grid identifying their aptitudes and redistributing their items and roles. The amazed NPCs couldn¡¯t tear their gaze away from Grid. It was the same with the Korean representatives.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    ¡®Grid constantly shows things that are beyondmon sense.¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s top ss. Different from normal yers.¡¯


    As the Korean representatives and NPCs were feeling admiration. Grid was observing the rest of the NPCs when he suddenly made a strange smile.


    ¡°I found someone interesting.¡±


    Grid¡¯s sharp eyes were fixed on a NPC called ¡®Lucky¡¯ standing among the magicians. Lucky was the only one among 50 NPCs to have a special stat, and it was the good luck stat. It was a stat that even Grid failed to have, despite his 14 stats. Well, it was a stat that Grid would probably never get.


    ¡°You will use this weapon.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid handed something over to Lucky, causing all eyes to widen. They couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. Grid seemed like he was ying around. It was natural. The new weapon that Grid gave to the ¡®magician¡¯ Lucky was a il.


    ¡°Why... why are you giving me farming equipment...?¡±


    He liked magic, but had no interest in farming. Why was he being given a farming tool in this situation?


    ¡®Is he indirectly saying that I am useless?¡¯


    Lucky was confused. His chest heart at the thought of his presence being denied.


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    As an awkward silence flowed, Grid moved away from Lucky and pointed to another NPC.


    "Swan, follow me for a while.¡±


    Grid was smiling strangely again. The anxious Swan was brought to a tent.


    ***


    ¡º What is he doing? ¡»


    ¡º I can¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s behavior. ¡»


    Thementators for the National Competition were confused. It was difficult for them to understand why Grid had the 50 NPCs take off all the items and they swapped equipment around.


    -He¡¯s changing the role of the NPCs?


    -It¡¯s too absurd and stupid to interpret it as something deep.


    -Why did he give a magician a farming tool?;;;


    -I can¡¯t understand it...


    As the chaos among the viewers increased, some keen experts spected.


    ¡º I just remembered. Grid¡¯s current sword looks simr to the Lord¡¯s Sword. The Lord¡¯s Sword can only be received from the king or emperor, and it¡¯s capable of showing detailed information of the desired character. ¡»


    ¡º In other words, Grid is confirming the abilities of the NPCs and giving them roles and items more suitable to them... ¡»


    ¡º Unfortunately, we can¡¯t be sure about this. The Lord¡¯s Sword is a rare item without a lot of information about it, and Grid¡¯s sword has some differences. ¡»


    ¡º Anyway, one thing is for certain, the act of giving a magician a farming tool is a joke. ¡»


    ¡º Haha... Ah, as we are speaking, the battle between South Korea and the US is about to start. ¡»


    20 minutes of preparation time ended. Now the first match of the siege event started.


    ***


    The US team.


    The US representatives and NPCs, led by Zibal and Lauel, left the castle. Zibal gazed at the Anterava Forest in front of him before turning his attention to the wall. The cksmith Panmir was at the walls.


    "Panmir, I will ask you onest time. Is everything okay with the NPCs¡¯ equipment?"


    "How many times have you asked already? ording to my research, they are armed with level 300 rare items and there¡¯s no problem with the durability.¡±


    "Okay, from now on, concentrate on making siege weapons.¡±


    "I already know, so stop telling me.¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir. He learned the techniques of the dwarven cksmiths. As a result, he could create a variety of items including ego items, magic weapons, and siege weapons. Panmir was confident that he was better than Grid.


    ¡¯Grid, please reach here. Then I will trample on you.¡¯


    Grid luckily found a legendary ss and became the best cksmith without any effort. Panmir¡¯s sense of hostility towards him was incalcble. Panmir started making the siege weapons, while Zibal looked at Skull. Skull led eight NPCs and was going to head to the point where Lauel predicted Grid would appear.


    ¡°Will Grid really appear here?¡±


    "It¡¯s 100% certain.¡±


    "Hrmm... You must have a reason to be so sure. Well, I will believe in your brain for now. But there¡¯s one problem. Do we really need this many people to tie up Grid¡¯s feet? Even Skull...¡±


    Lauel looked at Skull¡¯s unit and reminded Zibal.


    "If Grid uses ckening, he¡¯s stronger than Kraugel before Super Sensitivity is used.¡±


    "To that extent? Even so, the duration is only approximately three minutes.¡±


    "We need Skull and eight third advancement sses to hold on for those three minutes.¡±


    "...¡±


    He was frankly unable to understand. Zibal was 2nd in the rankings, but he would find it hard to face Skull and so many third advancement sses. However, he couldn¡¯t deny Lauel¡¯s opinion.


    "Okay, I understand. Then I will move.¡±


    Zibal disappeared into the forest.

 Chapter 429

    Chapter 429


    There were a total of eight paths in Anterava Forest.


    Some paths were intricately intertwined like mazes, some paths had numerous obstacles, and some were narrow enough to only allow single file movement. Of course, there was also a wide road. They all had different appearances. The paths had different lengths and travel times, but they all had one thing inmon.


    They would eventually lead to the castle. Yes, no matter which route was chosen, they could reach the enemy castle.


    ¡®This is the difficult part.¡¯


    How could they win by moving forward while defending against eight paths? There were too many variables. It was virtually impossible to produce definitive results. But Lauel believed. When the environmental and military conditions were equal, the most important factor in designing a strategy was the enemy¡¯s tendencies.


    Lauel was confident of victory because he perfectly understood Grid¡¯s character.


    ***


    The path through the center of Anterava Forest.


    It was the path that took the shortest amount of time to reach the enemy castle, and was t, so many people could move at the same time. The South Korean side made their way along it. It was meaningless to go against Lauel¡¯s genius, so they judged it was better to concentrate their power in one ce and y a quick game.


    Of course, this was expected by Lauel.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Korean army moving along the path were surprised and stopped. It was because the US team ambushed them from the forest on the left and right. The tankers immediately raised their shields, but...


    Puk!Puuoooook!


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    "Kkuk!¡±


    The US archers had already fired their arrows and the magicians finished casting their spells, causing a great deal of damage to the Korean army. It was difficult to block arrows and magic that was suddenly fired. The Korean troops were confused because of the sudden ambush.


    "Hit them!¡±


    Puaaack!


    The US tankers and close damage dealers lead the way, assaulting the Korean army. Zibal was nning to trample on South Korea, but...


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Did the NPCs have different levels? It was strange. The NPCs that the US and Korea received should be equal, but the Korean NPCs seemed better. It was difficult to overwhelm them, despite starting the battle with a perfect ambush.


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Zibal was tied up by three NPCs. In the rear of the Korean formation, Yura was firing her magic bullets while the magicians cast spells to counterattack. There was a brief lull.


    ¡°Get ready!¡±


    Lauel appeared as the Korean representatives were hurriedly organizing the troops.


    ¡°As expected from Grid. He properly took advantage of the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.¡±


    ¡®Great Lord¡¯s Sword?¡¯


    Zibal had heard of the Lord¡¯s Sword, but it was the first time he heard of the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a special sword only given to dukes?¡¯


    Zibal shook as he felt doubts.


    ¡°Lauel... How were you so certain of our route? What courage did you have toy forces here for an ambush?¡±


    ¡°Prior to the beginning of the siege, I dered to Grid that I would show great strategies and tactics.¡±


    He emphasized strategy.


    ¡°I wanted to nt a bias in Grid. The bias was that Lauel will useplicated maneuvers and strategies.¡±


    As a result, this situation was created.


    "Grid gave up on predicting my movements and decided to focus on moving quickly.¡±


    In fact, it was impossible for Lauel to not know that pressing forward with force was Grid¡¯s specialty. He spoke loudly, causing Peak Sword to look horrified.


    "In other words, we used the route that you intended?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    Papapapang!


    At the same time as Lauel¡¯s reply, the US archers once again shot their bows. But this time, the Korean rankers were prepared and blocked the arrows with their shields. The arrows blocked by the shields fell to the ground, trampled on by the swordsmen.


    "Did you speak to make us uneasy? You guys, you are quite empty. Don¡¯t you have 10 less troops than us?¡±


    A smile spread across Peak Sword¡¯s face.


    ¡°Maybe you were anxious that we wouldn¡¯t use this route and deployed one or two defenders on the other paths?¡±


    Lauel asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    "You¡¯re all in trouble.¡±


    Lauel made an interested expression.


    ¡°Why? Do you think you can break through this road just because there are more of you?¡±


    "Let¡¯s see?¡±


    Grid had redistributed the roles and items of the NPCs, making it possible for the Korean NPCs to be stronger than the US NPCs. But the level different between the two countries was too great. The US had many strong users such as Zibal, so there difference of 10 troops didn¡¯t mean victory was guaranteed.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Peak Sword had faith. It was in Grid. Grid had separated from the main force alone. He selected another route and was moving down that way. Lauel had set aside ns for any situation, so he probably set one or two people on every path. As soon as they encountered Grid, they would be killed as soon as possible and Grid would advance to the US castle faster than anyone else.


    ¡®Until then, we have to somehow endure.¡¯


    Grid would break through and Lauel¡¯s n would be in vain. They had to hang on. Under the leadership of Peak Sword, Korea maintained a thorough defense. Lauel looked at them and muttered.


    ¡°There¡¯s one person missing.¡±


    It was as expected. No other words were needed. They were members of the same guild, so he didn¡¯t want to cruelly give them despair.


    ***


    The road through the southernmost part of the Anterava Forest. It was very narrow, had many obstacles and was long. Of the eight paths through the forest, it was the route that took the most time to reach the enemy castle.


    But Skull and eight NPCs were using this path. Their mission was to grab the feet of Grid, who would appear here. If Grid didn¡¯t show up, they would move to upy the Korean castle. But Lauel was convinced that Grid would appear here.


    If you didn¡¯t have the means to win, you had to bet. If this was a gamble where victory wasn¡¯t assured, Lauel would bet it on a person¡¯s psychology.


    ¡®Grid has flying magic, so theplicated terrain won¡¯t be a problem for him. Lauel said he woulde this way, but...¡¯


    Skull was one of the people who appreciated Lauel. But this time, he couldn¡¯t help feeling dubious. It was questionable if Grid would really appear here. What if he used a different route? The United States would only be able to rely on Panmir.


    "Hat!"


    Skull and the group moved as slowly as possible while Magic Detection was used. Suddenly, he burst outughing at his frustration and anxiety. It was because the symbol of Grid, his items, could be seen from far away. There was a helmet on his head so the ID couldn¡¯t be seen, but who else could it be?


    It was Grid!


    Skull shouted at the group.


    ¡°The enemy! Hit him!¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The NPCs pulled out their weapons and jumped at Grid. The magicians only used basic attack magic, because they had to keep the magic spells in case of an ident. But that alone was enough.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    As expected from third advancement sses. Grid couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks of eight people and was forced on the defensive.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Skull saw an opportunity and aimed for Grid¡¯s beck.


    Puok!


    Nevertheless, he was overgeared. Grid¡¯s defense was so strong that Skull couldn¡¯t cause much damage, but he didn¡¯t panic. Maybe it was because he lostposure from the n going wrong, but Grid was moving terribly, unlike what he showed in the recent target processing match. He was so weak that eight NPCs weren¡¯t needed.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been enough by myself.¡¯


    After falling to the ground to avoid Grid¡¯s counterattack, Skull kicked up and attacked. Grid was hit and stated to hurriedly run away. He was trying to survive and aplish his purpose, running in the direction of the US castle.


    ¡®How ridiculous.¡¯


    Skull chased after Grid. He was now enjoying this hunt.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant... They¡¯re really solid.¡±


    "This is the United States.¡±


    The center of Anterava Forest. South Korea was on the defensive. They couldn¡¯t move easily because their health and stamina were at the bottom. The United States hadpletely surrounded them, but couldn¡¯t rx either. Most of their NPCs were hit hard by the South Korean NPCs. But what could they do when the US representatives like Zibal were more active than the Korean representatives? The Korean NPCs were 1-2 times stronger than the US NPCs, so it took too long to create this situation.


    ¡®How did the Great Lord¡¯s Sword create such a difference in the NPCs?¡¯


    The overgeared Grid. Zibal felt envious. He gave an order to everyone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡±


    Cheok!


    The US troops surrounding South Korea raised their weapons at once, causing the Korean representatives to feel frustration.


    ¡®We couldn¡¯tst.¡¯


    Despite the fact that Grid strengthened the NPCs, they couldn¡¯t hold on before Grid upied the castle. They couldn¡¯t help being ashamed of their helplessness. The United States stepped forward to deal the final blow. At this moment, there was a noise.


    Chwack!


    The strange sound of hitting was heard from the Korean side. It was a very strange, yet light-hearted sound.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The US and Korean representatives were puzzled and turned their heads towards the sound. Then they became embarrassed. A crazy magician was striking someone on the same side?


    ¡®F-Farming equipment.¡¯


    Suddenly, Zibal felt a pained feeling and grabbed his forehead as he recalled the bad memories.


    ¡°...Finally.¡±


    The knight being hit muttered. Unlike the other NPCs, he was a knight without a name because his head was wrapped in cloth.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The eyes of the Korean members¡¯ widened. It was because the low health gauge of the faceless knight suddenly fully recovered. Their doubts deepened and an awkward atmosphere flowed.


    "Do you know how bad I feel that while you are fighting fiercely, I alone am standing still and being hit repeatedly by a il? It was awful. I really thought I was going to die.¡±


    ¡°...Heok!¡±


    The US and Korean representatives stiffened at the same time. Theining knight took off the cloth and the name that appeared above his head...


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was Grid. Originally, he intended to go alone to capture the US castle, but he was caught by Lauel. Despite strengthening the NPCs with Character Observation, he determined that they couldn¡¯t cope with the US forces. Thus, Grid relied solely on items.


    The method was simple. Have Lucky continuously hit him with the Motley il. He would resist the debuffs and continue to be hit until the best buffs urred. It was a dangerous n that could end with the worst case situation of a ¡®definite effect,¡¯ such as health or mana falling to 1 point. However, he couldn¡¯t win against the US using normal methods, so he had to take risks.


    And now, finally.


    [You have received a great blessing from the Motley il!]


    [All resources will recover by 100%!]


    [Your attack power and defense are doubled for 2 minutes!]


    [Your uracy is 100% for two minutes!]


    [The next attack will be a critical hit!]


    "I¡¯m on a roll now.¡±


    Rather than Triple Layers which he let Swan borrow for a while, Grid equipped the Holy Light set, Grid¡¯s Boots, and Iyarugt. He immediately used ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, Quick Movements, and unfolded Pinnacle Kill. Zibal was in pain from being reminded of the farmer and allowed the blow.


    [Critical!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    Grid marvelled at the effect that appeared after a long time. Thanks to this, Zibal received another bad name. It was the bad name of ¡®punching bag.¡¯

 Chapter 430

    Chapter 430


    Debirion. The indigenous god that the monks served. He was known as the god of hunting.


    This was the reason why Zibal was Debirion¡¯s Envoy. He chose a ss specialized in hunting, aiming only to raise his level to reach first in the rankings. The fatal disadvantage was that it was weak at PvP. He originally didn¡¯t greatly feel this disadvantage. His innate sense of battle was great and he couldn¡¯t perceive himself as weak. His experience of being defeated on the battlefield was so low that it could be counted on one hand.


    But that was against ¡®humans.¡¯ Now he realized that he wascking in talentpared to the top sses, the so-called ¡®skies.¡¯


    ¡®During the Reidan invasion...¡¯


    Yes, he was killed in one blow by the hand plow of a crazy farmer. It was Zibal¡¯s history of defeat. Killed by a hand plow! The moment he couldn¡¯t believe this reality, he was killed by the assassin called Tarma and seriously wounded by Pon and Kraugel.


    Above all, at this moment...


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    Puoook!


    ¡°...!¡±


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have died.]


    [This is a server dedicated to the National Competition. The death penalty won¡¯t ur.]


    He died to Grid.


    Defeat, defeat, yet another defeat. The head of the Snake Guild and representative of the United States fell to the status of punching bag. Zibal¡¯s shame and fury pierced the sky.


    ¡®I have always been praised...!¡¯


    He was proud about being better than anyone, so how could he be humiliated so many times in a row? This couldn¡¯t continue. He had to restore his fallen honor. Zibal swore as he watched thendscape change to ck and white.


    ¡®I will be stronger!¡¯


    He would no longer cling to the rankings.


    ¡®I will obtain a strength that transcends the concept of level!¡¯


    Zibal was a fool with talent. On that day, he established a foothold for his efforts.


    ***


    [Your party member Zibal has died.]


    Zibal turned to grey after one blow from Grid. When the 2nd ranked user died, it wasn¡¯t just the people of the world who were shocked. It was Lauel as well.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Lauel valued Zibal in many ways. Bold determination and execution, unique boss raid ability, fast level up skills and innatebat senses. Looking at Zibal¡¯s advantages and the abilities of his character, it was enough to qualify Zibal to be in Satisfy¡¯s top 10. He was strong and bnced.


    Yet he died in one blow. Zibal had less than half his health remaining, but it was an unintended result, considering Zibal¡¯s equipment and level. Lauel¡¯s gaze was stuck on the farming equipment in the hands of the Korean NPC magician.


    ¡®That il...¡¯


    It was probably an item that had a chance to exert the strongest buff. Thanks to it, Grid¡¯s current damage rose by at least double.


    ¡®Crazy. When did he make such a strange item?¡¯


    Grid had stayed in the Behen Archipgo for a while, so failing to grasp histest specs was deadly for Lauel. Lauel was anxious and took a few steps back. It was to look at the entire battlefield.


    Puok!


    Kwajak!


    "...This is bad.¡±


    Blood and screams filled the battlefield. Lauel¡¯s eyes twitched as he saw it. It was so absurd that heughed. Grid was running wild like an unbridled foal. It was impossible to measure his strength as he tore through the US formation in an instant.


    ¡®The third advancement NPCs are being cut down like they are straw.


    Grid¡¯s current strength was just like Kraugel when Super Sensitivity was used. The level of a disaster. A level that humans couldn¡¯t resist. But Lauel didn¡¯t give up. Buffs had a time limit. In particr, the more outstanding the buff, the shorter the duration. Grid could only maintain this for approximately two minutes.


    Lauel started directing the troops again.


    "Set the forest on fire!¡±


    Was it to suppress the Korean army that started to move in response to Grid? The NPCs set fire to the forest and Lauel used Wind Dragon¡¯s Breath, quickly turning the area into a sea of fire.


    "Restrain the actions of the enemies!¡±


    Lauel ordered without hesitation. The magicians summoned stone and ice barriers to forcibly lock Grid into a limited space. But the barriers built by the magicians were nothing in front of Grid.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°T-This is impossible.¡±


    The magicians doubted their eyes. It was an unbelievable sight, the barriers summoned by investing a lot of mana were shattered with a single blow by Grid. In the end, Lauel had no choice but to use Zephyr, who was keeping Peak Sword and Yura in check.


    The 1st ranked acrobat, Zephyr. He was a man skilled in using tricks to distract the enemy with his agile and abnormal behavior. When Kraugel attacked the US, Zephyr was low on mana and couldn¡¯t act against Kraugel. But Zibal dered that Zephyr¡¯s footwork was excellent.


    "Zephyr, please tie up Grid¡¯s feet. In the meantime, I will take the Korean base.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Pahat!


    The monster who killed the 2nd ranked user and six third advancement NPCs in an instant, Grid. Zephyr showed no signs of tension as he headed towards Grid. He believed in his skills.


    ¡®He might be a monster, but he can¡¯t cope with my acrobatics.¡¯


    It was funny that he had to just buy time.


    ¡°Kyakyakyakyak!¡±


    Zephyr burst out into bizarreughter while jumping over Grid¡¯s head and spinning like a spintop. It wasn¡¯t a meaningless act, but the activation of his ¡®Acrobat¡¯s Laugh¡¯ skill. The enemies who heard theughter would temporarily lose their hearing and be confused.


    But Grid resisted.


    Zephyr didn¡¯t panic. He already knew that Grid had status resisting capabilities.


    ¡°Kikikikikik!¡±


    Nevertheless, the reason heughed was because he didn¡¯t want the enemies to approach him and to also raise his morale.


    "Why are you repeating it?¡±


    The confusion was resisted, but the sound of theughter was terrible. Grid frowned and swung Iyarugt towards the approaching Zephyr.


    Pahat!


    Red light scattered like jewels and cut at Zephyr¡¯s body.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    A powerful explosion urred and Grid groaned. It wasn¡¯t Zephyr that Grid attacked, but a Zephyr clone with the ability to explode. Beyond the smoke, Zephyr¡¯s eyes were curved like a crescent moon.


    "Beast¡¯s Ring.¡±


    Peeng!


    A zing ring of fire was created around Grid.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Like an elephant, arge cerberus appeared and jumped towards Grid in the center of the ring. The momentum was so terrifying that Grid reflexively took a defensive posture. However, no shock was delivered. The cerberus prated through Grid and the ring and disappeared like it was a lie.


    ¡¯What is this?¡¯


    A mere trick? This pointless skill... Grid flinched the moment he thought this. It was because the burning ring, centered around him, had started to re up.


    ¡®It is popping!¡¯


    Grid retreated with surprise and at this moment, Zephyr threw 12 balls that he had been rolling around in his hands.


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Kyakyakyak! Does it hurt?¡±


    Zephyr headed towards Grid, who was once again swept away by the explosion. He was overflowing with confidence. Even if he couldn¡¯t kill Grid, he was confident that he could y around with Grid for an hour. Of course, he was too arrogant.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Step.


    Grid stepped forward from the smoke. He spoke to Zephyr, who was summoning hundreds of doves.


    "You will die in five seconds.¡±


    Grid had countlessbat experience. He might not be smart, but he could quickly understand the characteristics of the enemies and judge how to cope with it. That¡¯s how he could say this.


    ¡°Kyakyakyakyak! I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡±


    Zephyr burst outughing like it was really funny and the hundreds of doves flew towards Grid. Grid¡¯s field of view narrowed as hundreds of pping wings and beaks threatened him. Disgusting things like bird dung and feathers also fell down. But Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. He depended on all his buffs to rush in Zephyr¡¯s direction.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult since he¡¯s resistant.¡¯


    Zephyr clicked his tongue and took off his hat. The moment Grid attacked him, he nned to pull out a turtle to defend, and then a rabbit to increase his movement speed and fight back. But Grid was too fast. He stabbed as soon as he arrived, not giving Zephyr time to pull out a turtle or rabbit. Inevitably, he had to use Clown¡¯s Tears.


    It was the ultimate skill that caused a hallucinogenic effect on nearby targets and increase evasion rate by as much as 70%. If hebined all his items, titles and ss effects, it was an additional 21%, giving him an evasion rate of 91%. It would be difficult to hit the current Zephyr even with targeted skills. It was no different from being invincible.


    However...


    Puk!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Zephyr¡¯s heart was pierced by a sword. Questions rose at the unexpected pain.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I avoid it?¡¯


    He evaded Grid¡¯s sword, only to be drawn back like there was a ma. It was a phenomenon that couldn¡¯t be understood. Zephyr coughed up blood as Grid dealt a second blow.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuheok...!¡±


    Why? Why couldn¡¯t he avoid the enemy¡¯s attack? Zephyr was filled with intense doubts when he suddenly had a hypothesis.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that his uracy exceeds my evasion rate?¡¯


    It was ridiculous. There was no way such a fraudulent uracy existed.


    ¡®It¡¯s just luck...!¡¯


    Zephyr denied it as he died.


    "...¡±


    Silence filled the battlefield. This was Zephyr. One of the leading rankers was easily dismissed by Grid. However, the silence didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°What are you doing? Sweep them all away!¡±


    At Grid¡¯s cry, the South Korean representatives and NPCs attacked the US forces.


    "Shoot! Shoot!¡±


    The US archers and magicians resisted. They made Grid their top priority, so all of Grid¡¯s attacks were focused on Grid. However, Grid¡¯s defense had doubled. No matter how strong the third advancement users were, they couldn¡¯t deal a fatal injury. In particr, the Holy Light set resisted some of the magic attacks. His items were really great. Grid used the ability of Elfin Stone¡¯s ring to maintain his health as the enemy bombarded him.


    There was a bright smile on Lauel¡¯s face as they met face-to-face.


    ¡°I am proud of you.¡±


    Usually, he was criticized for only using items. But Lauel knew. A person also needed abilities to utilize their items. A pig wearing a pearl ne? In particr, Grid actively showed the use of strategies with their items. Lauel was thrilled by the dramatic growth.


    ¡°If you have no talent, you wouldn¡¯t have grown to this point. Perhaps you could keep trying because you were stupid. I sincerely respect you.¡±


    Lauel was touched and spoke tearfully. But Grid felt offended.


    ¡®Is that apliment or a curse?¡¯


    Anyway.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell the difference between business and personal matters? Stop being so delighted.¡±


    Right now, Grid was the representative of South Korea. In addition, he fought with his colleagues rather than fighting alone. He couldn¡¯t be beaten on purpose by Lauel. Lauel understood. He was in the same position as Grid.


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was something strange. He was speaking from the standpoint of the winner...


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    The worst result appeared the moment Grid sensed it.


    [Your castle was upied by the enemy!]


    It was the notification window that signalled South Korea¡¯s defeat in the siege. Lauel smiled at Grid.


    "Setting fire to the forest was a signal to Skull.¡±


    "...¡±


    Siege didn¡¯t support the party chat or whisper function. The organizers were hoping for a more realistic and dramatic war to be produced. Thus, Grid was careless.


    Grid was very sad.


    The result of the first siege match. As expected, South Korea lost. But the world didn¡¯t condemn or mock South Korea. Everyone, regardless of race or nationality, praised the Korean representatives, especially Grid.


    "Well fought!"


    Grid received more praise than when he won the gold medal. This meant that Grid showed an amazing scene. Now Grid was growing to be someone¡¯s subject of envy.

 Chapter 431

    Chapter 431


    The NPC called Swan.


    He had the unique skills of ¡®Adaptation¡¯ and ¡®Escape.¡¯


    Adaptation showed the effect of ¡®increased speed of recovery from abnormal conditions,¡¯ ¡®decreased terrain penalty,¡¯ and ¡®decrease in the usage conditions of items.¡¯ Escape had the effect of ¡®never being caught by the enemy and never dying inbat.¡¯


    Grid had an idea the moment he saw Swan with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. He gave Swan the role that he originally intended for himself, under the assumption that Lauel predicted all his thoughts and actions and prepared countermeasures for them. It was to convince the enemy that Swan was Grid and make them follow Lauel¡¯s n.


    The result wasmendable. Swan was armed with Grid¡¯s Greatsword and Triple Layers. He was recognized as Grid and served as good bait for Skull¡¯s group. The US determined that Lauel¡¯s n was a sess andpletely erased their guard against Grid.


    Thanks to this, Grid could act freely. He waited until the buff effect of the Motley il was activated and sessfully pushed the US into a crisis.


    The result was a defeat.


    ***


    After the end of the siege.


    The resurrected NPCs gathered around Grid. The NPCs in the US team seemed to be resurrected as well. The NPCs for the siege weren¡¯t disposable. At least, in the server dedicated to the National Competition, they enjoyed eternal life, just like yers.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was unable to properly perform my role as bait.¡±


    Swan apologized and looked at Grid.


    Grid alternated looking between him and Lucky. He was filled with a powerful possessive desire to have them.


    ¡®I want to take them to Reidan...¡¯


    Third advancement NPCs. The level was nearly twice as high as the soldiers in Reidan, and a lot of them were able to deal with the unbuffed Grid. In addition, Lucky had the good luck special stat and Swan had skills that would be useful in raids. But Grid had to end this rtionship here. They would only temporarily be used for a limited amount of time in the National Competition.


    ¡°You did nothing wrong. I¡¯m sorry that you lost because I wascking.¡±


    Those who were originally in a high position couldn¡¯t easily recognize their mistakes because they had a lot to lose, and were also good at passing on responsibility. But Grid was the opposite. He apologized to Swan and even knocked on his shoulder to encourage him.


    Swan was thrilled because he was a noble person with humility and responsibility. There was a growing sense of respect in his heart. Grid reached out to the thrilled Swan. Did he want to shake hands?


    ¡®A noble man is shaking hands with someone like me...¡¯


    The moment the excited Swan grabbed Grid¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    There was rising resentment in Grid¡¯s eyes as he looked at the bewildered Swan.


    ¡°Are you nning to keep my items?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    He could feel killing intent. The frightened Swan hurriedly started to take off Grid¡¯s items that he had been wearing for a while. Grid also gave back Swan¡¯s items.


    "...¡±


    The two men had an expression of regret as they changed items. Someday, they hoped to meet again. On the other hand, the magician Lucky was staring at Grid in a hot and sticky manner.


    ¡¯The taste of hitting was very good...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t forget the thrilling feeling whenever his il hit Grid¡¯s hard muscles. Due to Grid, Lucky got a new hobby. Unfortunately, his everyday life was destined to be difficult.


    ***


    Thanks to the match between South Korea and the United States, other countries were able to gather useful information.


    First, the NPCs had hidden abilities. Second, the NPCs could be armed with new items. Third, there was no need to be deceived by the eight paths.


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple matter if you walk through the center.¡±


    The shortest and widest path. It was better to concentrate their forces on the most efficient path, rather than disperse their forces and take risks on inurate ns. Most of the countries thought this, making the siege matches very monotonous.


    The moment the siege started, they gathered in the central path and fought. The country who won there would win the siege. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just a contest of power. The battle tactics was the key. The representatives of each country distributed their items as efficiently as possible, armed and strengthened the NPCs, and fought against the enemies in an extraordinary manner.


    As a result, the siege event maintained a steady high audience rating and produced many conversations. But the South Korea vs US match received the highest ratings.


    Grid broke his existing image of ¡®ignorant overgeared¡¯ person and prepared a lot, while Lauel¡¯s brains made everything useless. Grid¡¯s destructive force which smashed the US formations.


    The South Korea vs US match had more elements to stimte the viewers than any other match. Grid and Lauel¡¯s reputations rose in an iparable manner, and this was directly linked to the rise in awareness for the Overgeared Guild.


    ***


    The National Competition¡¯s third day.


    After the round of 32, round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the four finalists were decided. Under the power of Damian, Japan earned the nickname of the ¡®Strongest Army.¡¯ Russia had Kraugel, who broke through the enemy and reached the castle. The world¡¯s strongest United States.


    Thus far, there was nothing big. People predicted that the US and Japan would enter the finals, and Russia¡¯s actions were also within prediction range. But Argentina was different. Few people expected Argentina to advance to the semi-finals. Even the people of Argentina didn¡¯t expect it. Argentina was one of the countries weak in Satisfy, and they didn¡¯t even qualify for the 1st National Competition. They were almost the same as South Korea.


    But they advanced into the top four and were facing the strongest countries. How did they do it?


    Seuron. The result was due to his absolute force.


    ¡°Soul Predator...¡±


    The reserved audience seats. The South Korea representatives, including Yura and Peak Sword, kept a close eye on Seuron. They weren¡¯t the only ones. yers from all countries were concentrating on Seuron as they watched the siege. It was due to Seuron¡¯s presence. His strength wasparable to Kraugel, Damian, and Grid.


    ¡¯This is the dignity ofbat specific sses.¡¯


    Seuron¡¯s uniquebat ability to exploit the souls of enemy and allied corpses to increase his own strength was perfect. It was difficult to find any weak points in all aspects of physical attack, magic attack, defense, resistance, AOE , CC, etc.


    ¡®I think that even God Grid will find it hard against Seuron...¡¯


    Peak Sword had this thought, despite being a passionate follower of Grid. But Grid had no interest in Seuron. Grid was only focused on Kraugel.


    ¡®How can he think about moving like that?¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s movements avoided all the concentrated attacks of dozens of NPCs while breaking through the enemy at the same time. Grid couldn¡¯t even imagine the movements, let alone mimic it. Grid realized one thing.


    ¡®Imagination.¡¯


    Maybe this imagination was one of the important elements of his strength? It was a tremendous weapon because Kraugel could move in ways that others didn¡¯t expect. It was movement beyond predictions. However, did a person have to be smart to be imaginative?


    In other words...


    ¡®He is good at fighting and smart?¡¯


    Grid recalled that he heard people who were smart were good at sports.


    "This is very annoying.¡±


    It was a desperate reality for Grid who wasn¡¯t smart. He felt like he faced a higher barrier than an average person living in this world. The Grid in the past would¡¯ve trembled with anger andmented.


    ¡®But I¡¯m not useless.¡¯


    Grid now knew. It was much more profitable to ovee this than to me his own talent.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Grid grew more and more focused as he watched Kraugel. He was devising methods to win against Kraugel in PvP.


    At that moment.


    Ttiring~


    A mail arrived on Youngwoo¡¯s phone.


    ¡¯Is it Sehee?¡¯


    A phone that almost never rang. He expected it to be from his parents or sister, only to find something interesting. Comet Group. It was a mail from one of the domesticpanies that offered to sponsor Grid.


    [Shin Youngwoo-nim.


    We¡¯ve been watching your activities in the National Competition with great interest. As a Korean citizen, I feel very proud and thankful. If you don¡¯t mind, can we discuss the contract that was cancelled the other day? We will do our best to satisfy you. Please give us a positive response.


    Head of the Public Rtions Team, Yook Shihyun.]


    It was thepany that offered him 300 million. 300 million. He couldn¡¯t deny that it was a huge amount of money to receive just for wearing the mark of the Comet Group on his chest. However, Grid¡¯s value was much higher than that. It wasn¡¯t a baseless pride. Weren¡¯t there articles about Zibal getting 3.6 billion from the world sspany Radidas?


    ¡®I should get at least 1 billion...¡¯


    Yura spoke to Grid, who was looking at the text message.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you replying to it?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid turned to look at Yura. There was a pink flush on Yura¡¯s white cheeks. She couldn¡¯t help feeling embarrassed as Grid stared at her. But Grid wasn¡¯t conscious about this at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet them at all. They don¡¯t know my value.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a grudge. Above all, Grid was in the position of master of Overgeared, so he couldn¡¯t put down his value. He was worried that the value of Overgeared would fall if he was too cheap.


    Yura asked him with a serious expression, "Youngwoo, your current cash assets should be around 6 billion?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s around 5 billion.¡±


    If he added the building that was to bepleted in a month, his total assets would be 15 billion. It was huge for Grid, who was debt-ridden two years ago. He couldn¡¯t help being proud as he recalled those days. The fact that he could eat food without worrying about money made him feel like he could have the world.


    Yura handed out reality to Grid with a gentle expression.


    "Youngwoo, 5 billion isn¡¯t as much money as you think. It is likely that you will have to spend billions of won if you want to buy high end materials like adamantium or dragon scales, that ultimately must be collected.¡±


    Then Peak Sword chimed in.


    ¡°There are many rich people in the world, and at this moment, a new rich person is being born. There are hundreds of gold spoons in South Korea alone who can collect cars worth more than 5 billion won. As the average level of the users in Satisfy increases, the value of items will rise more and more. We need to have enough money to adapt to the times.¡±


    The end point was simple. If he was aiming to be a king, he shouldn¡¯t becent with what he currently had. Grid wasn¡¯t in a position where he could reject the pumpkin that rolled up to him.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Grid received enlightenment and replied to the team leader.


    -4 billion.

 Chapter 432

    Chapter 432


    The average number of viewers for the Super Bowl was just 100 million people, so why were the advertising fees much higher than the Olympics and World Cup? It was due to the abundant concentration.


    Unlike the Olympics and World Cup, which were festivals of the world, the Super Bowl was only for the US. From thepany¡¯s point of view, it was easy to identify and capture the needs of the Super Bowl viewers. A single ad was able to reach 100 million potential customers, so the value of the Super Bowl ads was inevitably high.


    It 2030, it was natural for the advertising fee per second to exceed 250 million won.


    On the other hand, the Olympics and World Cup? The number of viewers overwhelmed the Super Bowl, but the concentration was too low. It was necessary to produce several advertisements in ordance to the interests of each country, and the advertisement effect was also limited because viewers were interested in different events and countries.


    The first time it urred,panies from each country thought that the Satisfy National Competition would be simr to the Olympics. It might have the highest number of viewers, but the advertising effect would be lowpared to the number of viewers. They didn¡¯t actively invest in any advertisements, choosing to sponsor individual participants, simr to the Olympics. In the first ce, it was funny to call gamers ¡®yers¡¯ and to sponsor them.


    But the result was shocking. The Satisfy National Competition attracted the attention of people around the world, even though there were few participating countries. The advertising effect far exceeded the Super Bowl. In particr, the performance of the individual yers had a huge impact.


    Sports and games were different areas. When watching athletes, the consciousness of the viewers stopped at ¡®great.¡¯ Meanwhile with gamers, it extended to ¡®I am going to be like that,¡¯ making the viewers immersion very high. Thus, the value of gamers was soaring. If they could sponsor a top-ss gamer, apany wouldn¡¯t hesitate to invest billions of won.


    Nevertheless, the 224 gamers participating in the 2nd National Competition had an average sponsorship value of 500 million won. This market was still not properly formed. Satisfy gamers didn¡¯t know their value. They were people who yed games from home, so they didn¡¯t understand economic principles.


    What did thepanies think about this? They sucked as much from the yers as possible. Sooner orter, the yers would have professional managers to handle these things. At that time, the value of the yers would surge. Until that day, thepanies wanted to benefit as much from the yers as possible without paying as much.


    But it was reaching the limit. The yers were starting to realize their value. The evidence was the 4 billion proposed by Grid.


    ¡°He came out surprisingly strong.¡±


    The Comet Group¡¯s PR team leader, Yoo Shihyun,ughed as she saw Grid¡¯s reply. She didn¡¯t think Grid woulde out like this.


    ¡®This is because of Radidas.¡¯


    Radidas sponsoring Zibal for 3.6 billion won was the trigger. The yers looked at Zibal and started to realize their true value. Grid suggesting 4 billion meant he judged that his value was higher than Zibal¡¯s value.


    ¡°...Well, it¡¯s appropriate.¡±


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t just appropriate, but the best. As a result of sponsoring Grid for 4 billion won, the Comet Group could enjoy the huge promotion effect of tens of billions, maybe trillions of won. Grid¡¯s power was that great. His global poprity was increasingly rising. Grid himself might not be aware of his true value.


    Yoo Shihyun smiled and called the direct line of the president of the Comet Group.


    Then after a while.


    After discussing with the president, she came to the best conclusion. She would offer Grid 10 billion won in exchange for a two-year contract. Grid¡¯s value would obviously rise by the time the 3rd National Competition arrived, so it was a tremendous benefit to keep Grid when his price was still cheap. She was convinced that he would take the deal if she offered more than double the 4 billion won.


    -Can I meet you now?I¡¯m in Paris.


    Even at this moment, Grid¡¯s value was going up. Otherpanies would try to make contact with Grid. Thus Yoo Shihyun urgently sent a reply to Grid.


    Grid¡¯s answer was ¡®Okay.¡¯


    "Good.¡±


    A smile appeared on Yook Shihyun¡¯s face. She sat in front of a mirror and made herself look as beautiful as possible. The basics of selling something was to convey a good feeling.


    ***


    "Now I¡¯m going to make money.¡±


    The semi-finals were just beginning.


    United States vs Japan.


    Russia vs Argentina.


    It was very interesting to study. Peak Sword was puzzled when Grid got up during such an important time.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to watch the matches?¡±


    "I can watch it on TV.¡±


    Even if he sat in the audience, it was still watching on a monitor. He could watch it on any TV. In particr, his hotel room had a 3D TV that was a huge 120 inches. He would rather watch it on TV.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go as well.¡±


    Yura got up along with Grid. It was regarding a business deal, so she was uneasy about Grid going alone. However, Grid refused.


    ¡°I can do it alone.¡±


    So far, Yura had handled his money. Grid thought he was sufficient since he learned from watching her.


    "If I keep depending on you, I will be a fool who can¡¯t do anything alone. In the first ce, you can¡¯t be with me forever, can you?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡®We can be together forever.¡¯ Yura wanted to say, but Grid had left before she could even open her mouth.


    ***


    The area around the Eiffel Tower was always troublesome. It was because there were too many tourists. But this was the time when the National Competition was in full swing. The streets were empty, as if to prove the overwhelming poprity of the National Competition.


    There were only a few roadside cafes that had guests.


    Thanks to that, Grid was about to recognize the person he was meeting at first nce. There was only one Asian woman sitting alone at the promised meeting ce.


    ¡°Team Leader Yook Shihyun?¡±


    "Hello, Shin Youngwoo-nim. It¡¯s great that I can meet a global star directly.¡±


    The woman who answered Grid¡¯s call greeted him politely. She smiled brightly and handed Grid her business card. Grid confirmed it and sat across from her. Yook Shihyun inwardly panicked. A man who remained nonchnt after seeing her beautiful face and body was unfamiliar to her.


    ¡®I thought he was a womanizer because he¡¯s dating Yura and Jishuka at the same time.¡¯


    Yook Shihyun started a long attempt to persuade him. She talked about the Comet Group¡¯s social position and the benefits that Grid would enjoy if he was sponsored by the Comet Group. But Grid interrupted her in the middle.


    ¡°The conclusion.¡±


    Would she give him the 4 billion won that he asked for? Yook Shihyun smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°I will offer you 10 billion won. However, it¡¯s for a two year contract.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. His pupils didn¡¯t even move. It was different from what Shihyun expected.


    ¡®He can remain so calm after hearing 10 billion won?¡¯


    In the game, Grid was close to a beast. He was always violent and crushed any enemy. But he was actually a very smart person. Yook Shihyun considered Grid¡¯s potential for development and became greedy. She felt possessive.


    On the other hand, Grid was very surprised, unlike his outer appearance.


    ¡®10 billion?¡¯


    It might have a two-year contract attached, but it was more than Grid wanted. 10 billion! It might be insignificant to some rich people because it was ¡®much lower than the price of the mansion my parents bought me for my birthday,¡¯ but it was very big for Grid.


    Wasn¡¯t it equivalent to four or five legendary items? Grid had only created 13 legendary items since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a windfall?¡¯


    Grid was about to chuckle when he suddenly had a thought. He learned all sorts of knowledge and reasoning during the year he spent with Lauel, so his thinking ability expanded.


    ¡®My value was higher than I thought.¡¯


    It was rare for there to be any free favors in the world. Especially when it came to businesspanies. The 4 billion he proposed was changed to 10 billion? A two-year contract... Maybe it means that my value will far exceed 10 billion won next year.¡¯


    Grid had experienced the worst result one or two times after chasing the greed that was right in front of him. Grid took time to calmly consider it before opening his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡±


    Of course he was confused! It was the first time that apany had ced his value so high! Yook Shihyun had a satisfied expression on her face as she looked at Grid.


    "I was hoping for 4 billion won per event, only to be offered 10 billion won for a two-year contract... Is the Comet Group a crook?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Yook Shihyun couldn¡¯t understand for a moment. But she soon realized.


    ¡®You¡¯re the crook!¡¯


    Well, strictly speaking, Grid had a point while the Comet Group was the crook. There was an awkward silence between them for a while.


    Ttiring~


    A mail arrived on Grid¡¯s phone. No, it wasn¡¯t one.


    Ttiring.


    Ttiring.


    Ttiring.


    Grid¡¯s phone kept on making noise! Yook Shihyun had an uneasy expression on her face as Grid checked the contents and rose.


    "Onepany who offered me 3.5 billion won per event has eventually offered 4 billion won in response to my request.¡±


    Of course, it was a lie. But Grid was convinced that it would be realistic. Yook Shihyun cried out in a desperate voice.


    "4.1 billion! We will give you 4.1 billion!¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    It was a painful thing for those who had no money. Grid grasped the concept of money andughed.


    ¡®Indeed, this is why sports athletes have annual sries of over 100 billion won.¡¯


    Was his worth lower than them? No one could say that. This was the era where virtual reality games was more popr than any sport! Grid ordered coffee and dered.


    ¡°4.2 billion. I will give you until I finish this coffee to reply.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was an espresso! The cup of coffee was the size of two thumbs, causing Yoo Shihyun to urgently call the president.

 Chapter 433

    Chapter 433


    Among the seven guilds, the Golden Guild was at a medium level. Seuron was the master and he had gradually been growing stronger after acquiring the Soul Predator ss. It was enough to make him aspire to be the peak of two billion users.


    ¡°Kukukuk!¡±


    Argentina met Russia in the semi-finals. Seuron was thrilled to face Kraugel.


    "Kraugel, I¡¯m lucky that I have a chance to defeat you in front of the world.¡±


    Argentina wasn¡¯t active in the target processing match because they didn¡¯t havepetent ranged dealers. Since they weren¡¯t in the race for the medal, Seuron wasn¡¯t obsessed with the event and just enjoyed himself. But things were different now.


    In the battlefield where a hundred people were fighting for their lives, Seuron was able to create an environment with fresh souls,plementing his ss effect. Seuron was confident. It might not be possible yet in a one-on-one match, but he could defeat Kraugel on the battlefield.


    "Be the stepping stone of my fame!¡±


    Seuron excitedly pulled out some of the souls umted in his body and turned them into beads. They were beads the size of soybeans.


    Suuuuok.


    Dozens of glittering jade beads circled around Seuron. It was a beautiful effectparable to Grid¡¯s Iyarugt.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Seuron shouted like a young child firing an imaginary gun. Dozens of beads turned fiercely and shot off. Their goal was Kraugel. The Russian representatives and NPCs near Kraugel weren¡¯t targeted because they were recognized as trivial by Seuron.


    Tutututututung!


    The soul beads shot forward at a speed that second advancement sses couldn¡¯t see and attacked Kraugel. They were like bullets fired from machine guns. The phenomenal thing was that Kraugel avoided all the beads. It was a miraculous move thatbined Keen Senses, his high agility and his innate skills.


    Kraugel ran in a zigzag and reached Seuron, wielding White Fang.


    Chaaeng!


    Seuron defended with the Brutal Heavy Sword and felt the difference in strength.


    ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s clear that his battle stats have reached at least level 400.¡¯


    It was the result ofpleting various quests and titles first. It was unknown if any elixirs had been taken. It was truly unique. Kraugel¡¯s stats were beyondmon sense.


    Peeok!


    Seuron was shaken by the blow, while Kraugel removed his sword and dealt a second strike. The moment that Kraugel was going to deal a critical strike.


    Pahat!


    The soul beads that stopped in the ce where Kraugel was first standing started to move again. They flew to Kraugel and spread like a spider¡¯s web. Kraugel¡¯s reaction was somewhatte because he hadn¡¯t expected such an efficient skill. One arm was caught in a spider web.


    [Your right arm is temporarily restrained.]


    "...¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expressionless face slightly distorted. Seuron¡¯s sword came flying as he swiftly switched White Fang to his left hand. Seuronughed as he avoided Kruagel¡¯s counterattack and kept attacking.


    "Kukuk, I will bind your soul!¡±


    Seuron¡¯s skill was activated. The soul web in contact with Kraugel¡¯s body linked to Kraugel¡¯s soul, giving Seuron temporary control of Kraugel¡¯s soul.


    [Your body is out of control for seven seconds!]


    Kraugel had a different experience. His right foot moved when he tried to move his left arm. When he tried to move his left feet, his right arm moved. Kraugel¡¯s best strength, his control, was contained.


    Seokeok!


    At this moment, Seuron summoned 14 soul spears and shouted with all his might.


    ¡°Taste this unbreakable power!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Since changing to a Soul Predator, Seuron had never been defeated. There was only one person. He was defeated during the Reidan raid by the ¡®temporary farmer.¡¯ But that farmer was a named NPC, so he didn¡¯t count as a user. At this moment, Seuron was sure of his victory. He didn¡¯t know. The fact that the Kraugel in front of him was that farmer!


    ¡°You have certainly grown.¡±


    Kraugel acknowledged Seuron, even when they met in the past at Reidan. He avoided all the soul spears pouring towards him and praised Seuron.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Seuron was shocked. It was natural to be surprised, since the soul-controlled Kraugel moved just as swiftly and precisely as before.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...! He was able to adapt in such a short amount of time?¡±


    White Fang pierced Seuron¡¯s neck. Seuron was able to increase his defense using Soul Armor and killed his allies to obtain more souls. Then he attempted a counterattack. The brilliant battle between the two people received praises from all over the world.


    ***


    ¡°Ah, I think I am going crazy.¡±


    Brr!


    Grid¡¯s body continuously shook after he left the cafe. At first nce, the jerkiness was like a tap dance. It was the aftereffect of drinking the espresso. A headache wasing.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t like bitterness and only took the syrupy cold medicine for children when he had a cold. For him, coffee was like rotten water. He was disgusted by Americans who could drink it like it was bottled water. That¡¯s why he only ordered juice or hot chocte at a cafe.


    Then why did he drink a cup of espresso? It felt like he was drinking poison. But it was worthwhile. He got the ideal contract! Grid purposely chose a smaller drink in order to give Yook Shihyun a feeling of pressure.


    That¡¯s right. The reason why Grid ordered an espresso was that it was necessary to his bluff. Now he was using a process called ¡®pre-nning.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t just rush forward forever. He acted cautiously.


    -Please read the contract carefully.Read it several times until youpletely understand it.Don¡¯t forget to record it.


    -God Grid!Isn¡¯t is amazing for a Korean to contract with a Koreanpany?


    -? Go! ¡ôIf you join ¡ô ? ¡ùYou will get ??a 1 million?¡ïcash bonus¡ï


    -Team Leader Kim Minyoung.^^


    Grid intended for messages to arrive during his conversation with Yook Shihyun. He had asked Yura and Peak Sword in advance to send him a message at this exact time. The spam messages came flying by chance. He hadn¡¯t signed up for the spam blocker service because it cost him 2,000 won each month...


    ¡®This is why people say that money shouldn¡¯t be spent.¡¯


    Grid received a new enlightenment and vowed he would only order jajangmyun instead of kanjajang.


    ¡º Oh my god...! The United States¡¯ castle was captured! ¡»


    ¡º Against everyone¡¯s expectations, Russia has won! ¡»


    The road to Shang X L Hotel. A loud noise was heard from the store that Grid was pssing, and Grid turned towards the TV in the store.


    ¡®Russia won?¡¯


    It was also against the United States? Grid clenched his fists tightly. He couldn¡¯t suppress his feelings after learning that Kraugel had ovee the United States.


    ¡®Kraugel...¡¯


    Was he superior to Grid in every way? Grid couldn¡¯t ept it. He didn¡¯t intend to derail the value of the person called Kraugel. Grid couldn¡¯t evaluate Kraugel¡¯s innate talent and achievements. However, Lauel was a normal ss user who beat Grid!


    It was a cruel reality for Grid. Grid felt how trivial he was. His self-esteem that he raised with much difficulty was crushed at this moment.


    ***


    The 3rd day of the National Competition ended. The National Competition¡¯s ranking was updated.


    1st. South Korea (2 gold)


    2nd. Russia (1 gold, 2 silver)


    3rd. United States (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)


    4th. Brazil (1 gold)


    Joint 5th. United Kingdom and France (1 silver)


    6th. Canada (2 bronze)


    7th. Japan (1 bronze)


    It was a lot different from what most people expected. The most powerful country in Satisfy, the United States was ranked 3rd, while Korea and Brazil stood out? But people weren¡¯t shaken. The National Competition was just beginning. There were 16 events remaining and as the days passed, it was clear that the overall ranking was taking shape as people expected.


    As everyone thought, the overall rankings stabilized on the 14th day of the National Competition.


    1st. Russia (4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)


    2nd. United States (4 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze)


    3rd. Canada (3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)


    4th. South Korea (2 gold)


    5th. Spain (1 gold, 2 silver)


    6th. Japan (1 gold, 2 bronze)


    7th. Brazil (1 gold)


    Joint 8th ce. United Kingdom, France (3 silver)


    Joint 9th ce. Argentina, China (2 bronze)


    10th. Turkey (1 bronze)


    South Korea and Brazil hadn¡¯t won a single medal since the third day, while the countries considered strong in Satisfy were constantly winning medals. It was the time when the difference between a strong team and a weak team was evident. Now there were only 5 events remaining.


    The people wondered about which of the three countries between the US, Russia, and Canada would win. But no one could easily predict it. All members of the United States could be called top-ss. Russia was slightly weaker than the US, but they had the crown called Kraugel.


    Chris and Vantner were starting to show good chemistry for Canada. They were too powerful. It wouldn¡¯t seem strange if any of them won.


    ¡º We are forgetting something. Isn¡¯t there another country that could be a contender to win? ¡»


    Another championship candidate? The viewers from all over the world were puzzled by the experts¡¯ words when they recalled someone. Grid. The main culprit behind the destruction ofmon sense hadn¡¯tpeted in any solo events yet.


    -Perhaps South Korea is another candidate to win?


    -At any rate, winning gold medals is the best thing to do in the National Competition.If Grid wins the gold medal in the raid event and his three solo events, Korea will win.?????


    -Wow, that¡¯s right.If Grid wins four gold medals and Russia and the US don¡¯t win any, Korea will win.


    -But that¡¯s impossible. -_-;


    Right now, people of the world were aware of Grid¡¯s power. It couldn¡¯t be denied that he was top-ss. The problem was that there were many top-ss yersparable to Grid. Kraugel of Russia, Chris of Canada, Damian of Japan, Seuron of Argentina, Pon of Spain, Regas of Britain, Zibal of the US...all of them were tough.


    Would Grid be able to win four gold medals alone against the specialists of each event? It was impossible.


    ¡º What if... What if Grid really wins four gold medals and leads South Korea to victory? ¡»


    ¡º He will be a myth. ¡»


    ¡º But it¡¯s impossible. The peak of 2 billion users, Kraugel, is standing in his way. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s questionable if he can cross the mountain called Kraugel. In addition, Zibal might seem weak, but isn¡¯t he optimized for raids? There¡¯s a less than 10% chance that South Korea will defeat the US in the raid event. ¡»


    These words kepting. The atmosphere of the people of South Korea, who had been looking forward to Grid¡¯s appearance, became solemn.

 Chapter 434

    "I¡¯m full.¡±


    It was his mother¡¯s words. His mother, who raised him alone in a cold and foreignnd. She went hungry everyday, causing the skin of her belly to go taunt. But she took care of her son¡¯s three meals a day without fail. She endured countless suffering that Kraugel couldn¡¯t even fathom.


    Just.


    He wanted to repay the grace his mother showed when she raised him. But the heavens didn¡¯t allow it. It taunted his mother, as if she was born to be unhappy.


    ***


    After the 14th day of the National Competition, the yers were given two days of rest.


    It was a type of maintenance period. The yers began their preparations for the remaining five events. There were some who obtained new items and raised their levels, some who cleared quests with high rewards, or some who raised their control skills with spars.


    Kraugel was one of them. He entered a dungeon that other yers would find difficult alone and hunted monsters. He gained experience as the talk with the doctor passed through his mind.


    -Your mother¡¯s symptoms are bing worse.If she doesn¡¯t receive the new medicine...


    During the National Competition, Kraugel was forced to hospitalize his mother and constantly kept in contact with her doctor. And the news that was delivered every day was unfortunate. There were physicalplications and his mother might only have a few years left.


    "...¡±


    The only new medicine that could cure Alzheimer¡¯s. Kraugel needed to lead Russia to victory to obtain it. He discarded his pride and conscience and agreed to a dirty deal. At the time of the siege. Kraugel couldn¡¯t refuse Lauel¡¯s suggestion to join Overgeared in exchange for Lauel ¡®conceding¡¯ the game.


    But the current flow wasn¡¯t ideal. Judging by the five events remaining and the list of participants, Russia was unlikely to win. Russia could only aim at the gold medal in PvP, while the US was in a position to win gold medals in the boss raid and cksmith production event.


    Unless there was a special incident, the winner was likely to be the United States.


    ¡®There¡¯s hope if another country wins the boss raid or cksmith event, but...¡¯


    Zibal¡¯s ability in boss raids was unrivalled, while Panmir was the best cksmith after Grid. In addition, Grid dered that he wouldn¡¯t participate in the cksmithing event. It was natural that the US would win gold medals in these two events.


    Had Heaven forsaken his mother?


    Kraugel¡¯s feeling of despair deepened.


    ***


    The Overgeared members knew about Grid¡¯s ability in raids. In particr, Peak Sword had witnessed Grid raiding Hell Gao. After that, there was Vampire Earl Elfin Stone and Vampire Viscount Tiramet... Grid had defeated many named bosses.


    But Zibal was more than that. There were rumors that the number of named boss monsters raided by Zibal was approaching 20. Debirion¡¯s Envoy had a passive skill that dealt addition damage to monsters as well as various active skills. Zibal was a real specialist in raids.


    ¡°God Grid! Let¡¯s aim for a silver medal!"


    Grid watched Zibal¡¯s raid videos. Peak Sword guessed he was nervous and energetically shouted. ¡®Ipetent Peak Sword¡¯ had failed to win a medal during the National Competition, so he could only keep up Grid¡¯s morale.


    Ttiring~


    As they were watching Zibal¡¯s videos against boss monsters and trying to analyze his raid skills more deeply, the phones of Grid and the Korean representatives rang at the same time. It was an announcement delivered to all National Competition participants by the organizers.


    [The information of the raid monster has been released. For more information, please check the TV or the Inte.]


    Grid confirmed the message and terminated the footage being yed, turning the channel to Satisfy¡¯s news station. The middle aged anchor was delivering the hot news that was just received.


    ¡º The information about the boss monsters to be raided by 32 countries has been released. Let¡¯s take a look. ¡»


    The life of breaking news was fast. The anchor moved quickly in case he lost viewers to other stations and the information of the boss monster shed on the screen.


    [Drake]


    Level: 420


    A flying monster with a small amount of dragon¡¯s blood.


    Their intelligence is greatly reducedpared to wyverns, but theirbat power and power of the breath is overwhelmingly superior!


    They have high status resistance, extreme resistance to physical attacks, resistance to magic attacks, rtively high stamina, and can stay in the air infinitely.


    Drop items: Drake¡¯s heart, drake leather, drake¡¯s fang, drake¡¯s bone.


    ¡º Drakes are a senior monster that have never been raided once. It means a strategy hasn¡¯t been revealed yet. ¡»


    ¡º Doesn¡¯t that mean all teams are in an equal position when starting? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. It seems like the organizations have considered equality. ¡»


    ¡º However, the yers will be feeling desperate. In order to hunt flying monsters, ranged damage dealers and magicians are needed. How many ranged damage dealers and magicians are capable of damaging a drake? ¡»


    ¡º Blocking the flying ability is the key to the raid. But how can they block it when the monster has status resistance...? ¡»


    ¡º Since it¡¯s a level 400 monster, they need to be at least at the third advancement to do damage. I wonder how many countries can seed in the raid. ¡»


    ¡°How do we defeat that?¡±


    "Won¡¯t the US also find it hard?¡±


    The South Korean representatives were sulking. Yura and Peak Sword¡¯s expression was also bad. Only seven people were going against a flying boss monster, and South Korea only had Grid and Peak Sword above level 300. Everyone judged that the raid was impossible and felt despair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the capsule room for the next two days.¡±


    Grid rose from his seat.


    "Yes, let¡¯s go hunting. I should gain at least one more level.¡±


    Peak Sword got up along with Grid. It was impossible to think up a strategy to defeat this boss monster. The South Korean representatives were tired and judged it was better to give up early and prepare for other events. It was the same for the representatives gathered in other spaces.


    Only the United States, Russia, Canada, and France were seriously concerned about a strategy against the drake.


    ***


    The National Competition¡¯s 17th day.


    Thest team event, the boss raid would take ce. The interest of the world was hot.


    A drake. People were excited about the chance to indirectly experience the power of boss monsters that were difficult to meet. The yers were motivated, unlike how they were originally. The organizers announced that the teams would keep the items dropped by the drakes.


    It was an extreme measure because they were worried that the unmotivated attitude of the participants would interfere with their performance in the event. The result wasmendable. The representatives who grumbled ¡®How can we catch a drake?¡¯ and nned to drop out early became motivated. They needed to seed in the raid in order to get the items that the drake would drop.


    It was the same with the Korean representatives. The materials dropped by the drake were iparable to the materials distributed in Satisfy so far. It was a profit even if it was shared between seven people.


    ¡°God Grid! Let¡¯s do our best! Even if we can¡¯t win the medal, we must fight to the end and make sure the drake dies!¡±


    Peak Sword shouted with tension. Meanwhile, Grid was still calm. His attitude made Yura uneasy.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid was promised arge amount of money from the Comet Group and raised his value of a Satisfy gamer. Despite feeling proud and pleased with himself, he somehow felt bad since he signed with the Comet Group. She wondered if he had some worries that she didn¡¯t know about?


    Regardless of Yura¡¯s concern, thepetition¡¯s schedule proceeded.


    ¡º All participants should go to the capsule room! ¡»


    The 244 participants from 32 countries moved to the capsules assigned to them and logged into Satisfy. The countries appeared in different maps, but a drake appeared in front of all of them and roared.


    Kurarararara!


    [The dragon¡¯s blood deals fear to all subordinates!]


    [You will be in a rigid state for 10 seconds.]


    [All buffs are deactivated, with defense and resistance reduced by 50%. You will step back from the enemy.]


    [You have temporarily lost your hearing from the drake¡¯s roar!]


    [All types of conversations will be blocked for 1 minute and 30 seconds!]


    [Your body has been suppressed by the gust from the drake¡¯s wings!]


    [As long as the drake¡¯s wings continue to p, all speeds will drop by 30%!]


    Depending on the level and resistance of each yer, the duration of the debuff was different. In any case, all the yers of each country suffered. In particr, the yers who pre-used buff skills lost them before they could even enjoy the effect.


    ¡®Themand system has copsed.!¡¯


    The United States was also overwhelmed. The drake¡¯s roar had the effect of blocking all types of conversations. This was a problem because no matter what they said, the contents wasn¡¯tmunicated to their colleagues. An unknown enemy, the drake.


    Zibal quickly understood thanks to his numerous raid experience, but it was useless because he couldn¡¯tmunicate with his team members.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The drake, which was over 5m in length, moved at a speed that wasn¡¯t suitable for its huge size. It started devastate the US team, making the world feel shock.


    ¡º The strongest US team is trampled on so easily...! Strong! The drake is really strong! ¡»


    ¡º The 30% slowness effect is deadly. Even Kraugel was hit. First of all, the strategy is to stop those wings... ¡»


    ¡º Ah! As soon as you spoke, Bondre of France used ice magic and froze one of the drake¡¯s wings! ¡»


    ¡º ...But it was broken in an instant. Its resistance to magic is ridiculously high. ¡»


    The moment that the atmosphere became serious.


    ¡°Eh? Comet¡¯s new capsule is so much better than the performance of other capsules! I can move smoothly! Hey! It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    The Korean Grid started speaking loudly. The attention of thementators and viewers focused on him. On the upper chest of Grid¡¯s Triple Layers, the logo of the Comet Group could be seen. Yura blushed as she looked at Grid and realized.


    Grid had been ufortable thest few days because he was embarrassed at the thought of speaking such words.


    "...¡±


    Yura looked at Grid while the viewers resented Grid¡¯s obvious PPL (product cement) because it broke the immersion. Grid was being med for being a monster created by the age of materialism. Fortunately, the voices of the viewers didn¡¯t reach Grid.


    Grid wasn¡¯t shaken and could concentrate on the raid. He took out a pole that was 3m long and had a diameter of 80cm, inserting it deep into the group. Then he threw the trident attached to the pile by a rope towards the drake. It was the Spear Shot skill that he obtained from the Behen Archipgo.


    Puok!


    The trident pierced the drake¡¯s leather and it tried to fly away. But the rope connected to the pole pulled it tightly and the drake¡¯s flight was blocked. That¡¯s right. Once again, it was the power of items. During the past two resting days, Grid had devised items that could neutralize the strength of flying monsters.


    He came up with several of them. Grid pulled out new items.


    TL Note: From now on, all previous mentions of drakes will be changed to wyverns. So Huroi¡¯s pet and the pets used during the pet marathon are wyverns, not drakes.

 Chapter 435

    Grid pulled out new items.


    There was a veryrge hammer that could be swung with both hands.


    [Dragon Hammer]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 400/400 Attack Power: 250


    A hammer made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    It is designed to hit the ¡®Dragon Harpoon Pirs.¡¯


    It is very big and heavy and the attack power is excellent. It can be used as a weapon, but it isn¡¯t easy to swing.


    Conditions of Use: More than 3,000 strength.


    Weight: 5,500


    The Dragon Harpoon was a pir with a trident. Yes, thisrge harpoon was designed to block a dragon¡¯s flight.


    [Dragon Harpoon]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 500/500 Attack Power: 620


    * There is a 100% chance of hitting the target when the ¡®restrain¡¯ effect is activated.


    * The restraint effect willst while the pir is embedded in the ground.


    * The pir wille out a little bit every time the opponent resists.


    A secondary weapon made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    The harpoon optimized for throwing is made of jaffa, while the pir designed to be embedded in the ground is made of arge amount of steel.


    The harpoon is thrown after the pir is embedded in the ground, so the superrge weapon is extremely difficult to handle.


    The ridiculous weight and the long time it takes to install makes it impossible to be popr.


    However, the effect is absolute.


    User Restriction: More than 4,000 strength. More than 2,000 dexterity. A skill in the javelin series.


    Weight: 30,000


    Putting aside the weight, the conditions of use were ridiculous. 4,000 strength was a stat that damage dealers only dreamt about, and 2,000 dexterity was impossible to obtain unless they were production ss users. There was also the javelin type skill...


    How many people could meet these three conditions at the same time? It might be different in a few years, but at the moment, it was only Grid. It meant there was no material value. It was clear that no one would buy it if he put it on the auction house.


    But the power was excellent. The attack power and options were very different from normal secondary weapons, and the durability was high enough for it to not be considered consumables. But secondary weapons had limitations that couldn¡¯t be ovee. Their persistence was weak.


    [The target ¡®drake¡¯ is struggling with the Dragon Harpoon!]


    [The pir of the Dragon Harpoon is pulled out a little bit from the ground! (4/5)]


    [The target ¡®drake¡¯ is struggling with the Dragon Harpoon!]


    [The pir of the Dragon Harpoon is pulled out a little bit from the ground! (3/5)]


    Five times. The pir could only withstand the resistance of the object restrained for a certain period of time. Thews of physics didn¡¯t apply. Regardless of the weight or strength of the object being restrained, it could unconditionally resist it five times.


    Kurarararara!


    The drake struggled like crazy against the harpoon. Every time the giant body moved, the rope connected to the trident was pulled more tightly and the pir stuck in the ground shone. Every time the pir was shaken, it felt like a natural disaster where the ground shook and the earth rose was uring.


    ¡º The South Korean team¡¯s drake is extremely angry!¡»


    ¡º The pir won¡¯tst much longer. It will soon regain its freedom. ¡»


    The ry of thementators became urgent. They were imagining the Korean representatives who would soon be killed. But Grid was fine. He held the Dragon Hammer and hit the head of the pir.


    Kwang!


    [The target ¡®drake¡¯ is struggling with the Dragon Harpoon!]


    [The pir of the Dragon Harpoon is pulled out a little bit from the ground! (1/5)]


    [The Dragon Hammer has hit the pir!]


    [The Dragon Harpoon¡¯s pir has sunk deeper into the ground! (2/5)]


    [The durability of the Dragon Harpoon is decreased by 57!]


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for it to be pulled outpletely, but Grid hammered in the pir of the Dragon Harpoon again. It wasn¡¯t a hammering machine.


    Kyaooooh!


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Grid kept hitting the pir while the drake went wild. The rope that connected the harpoon and pir were stretched and loosened repeatedly. Grid confirmed that the durability of the Dragon Harpoon was rapidly decreasing and shouted.


    ¡°What are you doing? Attack it while it can¡¯t fly!¡±


    The Korean representatives lost their hearing from the drake¡¯s roar and couldn¡¯t hear anything. They didn¡¯t understand what Grid was saying. But they weren¡¯t fools, so they knew what to do.


    ¡°Draw Sword, Sudden.¡±


    "Regulus.¡±


    ¡°me that won¡¯t turn off!¡±


    "Shield Boomerang!¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    The Korean representatives attacked the drake using their strongest skills. Yura had already been firing her magic gun from the beginning. However...


    [You have dealt 250,040 damage to the target.]


    [The target has avoided it.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    [The skill can¡¯t prate the target¡¯s leather.]


    The Korean representatives couldn¡¯t damage the drake except for Peak Sword. Was it because the drake¡¯s defense and resistance was ridiculously high? That was a secondary problem. The real problem was the low level of the South Korean team members.


    Apart from the level 306 Grid and the level 309 Peak Sword, the level of the Korean members were in the 200s. In severe cases, there was a 200 level difference with the drake. If the level difference was that big, then damage wasn¡¯t applied properly. It was like smashing an egg against a rock. No, maybe worse than that.


    ¡®I¡¯m not helping at all.¡¯


    Yura was firing her gun. However, her beautiful face distorted as countless MISS messages emerged in front of her. She had reigned for a long time so this helplessness was difficult for her to bear.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The drake fired a breath like this resistance was futile. It was powerful enough to turn this ce into a sea of fire with one breath.


    "Aaaagh!"


    Screams were heard. Peak Sword and Yura endured the breath, but the remaining representatives suffered a deadly blow and fell into confusion.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Grid checked the damage of the breath. While the other team members were feeling stress and despair, he had a smile on his face and made an absurd remark.


    ¡°Maybe I should do this alone? If so, all the drops belong to me okay?¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    He would hunt that huge monster alone? The Korean representatives heard an absurd remark as soon as their hearing was restored, while the pir of the harpoon was pulled out.


    Kuuong!


    The durability was severely damaged and the Dragon Harpoon was a mess as the drake recovered its freedom. Grid ced the Dragon Harpoon to the side and looked at the monster flying into the sky.


    ¡°You¡¯re much weaker than Elfin Stone.¡±


    Vampire Earl Elfin Stone was a named boss with overwhelming abilities and skills. Despite thebined Overgeared elites, they experienced despair several times. On the other hand, the drake wasn¡¯t named and only had a high level. It needed to be raided bybining the strength of the seven representatives, so the organizers came up with this gap between the drake and Elfin Stone. The only part where the drake was more tricky than Elfin Stone was that it was a ¡®flying monster.¡¯


    ¡°I can move in the sky.¡±


    Grid armed himself with Braham¡¯s Boots and flew up. The weapon he held in his hand as he shot through the sky wasn¡¯t Iyarugt, Grid¡¯s Greatsword of Failure.


    [Efficient Hunting Sword]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 410/410 Attack Power: 720


    * Deals an addition 30% damage to monsters.


    * Increases critical rate by 50% when attacking monsters.


    * The chance of a monster dropping items when killed is increased by 20%.


    A longsword made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    A weapon made bybining the advantages of the weapons that monster hunters love.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery level 3. 2,000 strength. 1,000 agility.


    That¡¯s right!


    Grid sessfully produced an item that dealt additional damage to monsters! It was possible because he collected hundreds of production methods during the two years since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was unfortunate that he only strengthened it to +7 because he wascking enhancement stones. But in this state, the monster hunting ability was better than the +9 Iyarugt, the +9 Failure and the +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    "Above all, there is an option to increase the item acquisition rate.¡±


    A weapon optimized for hunting like Debirion! Grid held a de that was reminiscent of a half moon and unleashed his swordsmanship.


    Kurarararak!


    The drake wanted to kill this dirty human.


    Kuoooooh!


    The drake exerted a great pressure on the atmosphere as it headed towards Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. He held his posture to the end.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Puok!


    He stabbed strongly at therge target that was thankfullying towards him on its own.


    Puoook!


    Two hits.


    Puk!Puk!Puk.


    Three hits, four hits, five consecutive hits.


    Peeok!


    The drake hit Grid¡¯s chest, but thanks to the strongest armor Triple Layers, Grid was able to endure the pain and link another sword technique.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    A small human facing a monster that was bigger than a house. How many of the viewers watching thought he was like a me in front of the wind?


    Kieeeeeeek!


    The monster¡¯s fall!


    ***


    ¡º This is impossible! ¡»


    Thementators of the raid were silent. Were they admiring the systematic strength of the US team, which quickly recovered from the confusion and started to hit the drake?


    No.


    Were they admiring the stability of the Japanese team, which relied on Damian¡¯s buffs and tank?


    No.


    Were they admiring Kraugel¡¯s control skills as hepletely controlled the drake¡¯s aggro? That also wasn¡¯t it. The representatives from each country were obviously impressive as they raided the drake in different ways, but it didn¡¯t leave a deep impression.


    Only a single person. Only Korea¡¯s Grid was able to create this feeling of thrill in thementators. Grid faced the drake and yed the role of tanker and damage dealer alone. Control? Strategy? He just smashed at the drake with overwhelming attack power. He also did it alone.


    "God Grid fighting!¡±


    The 15th ranked Peak Sword was cheering hard for Grid.

 Chapter 436

    Kwaaaaah!


    The drake roared as it was repeatedly hit by Grid. At the same time, its tail moved nervously.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid¡¯s body was hit by the quick and sharp tail. He trembled as he coughed up blood.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t a dragon type have more magic damage?¡¯


    A dragon¡¯s strongest technique was well known for being the breath. Grid thought the drake would be the same. However, he was mistaken. The drake had weak breath attacks and strong physical damage, the opposite of the wyverns.


    ¡®Dammit! I thought it was weak due to the first breath!¡¯


    It was actually pretty strong. Every time he was hit by the tail, his health decreased by 6,000 and it caused the ¡®stunned¡¯ and ¡®stiff¡¯ state. Grid was sure that there was no one who could raid a drake alone.


    So what if your raid abilities were excellent?


    The first strike from the tail would cause a state where they would die! However, Grid was different.


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid cleared away the stiff state the moment he was hit by the tail. He moved forward during the opening where the drake pulled back its tail and stabbed his sword. Once again, Grid targeted the drake¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 635,900 damage to the target.]


    The power of the Efficient Hunting Sword was amazing. Criticals kept bursting out every time he used a skill, causing amazing damage. The situation was very pleasant for Grid, who was under the influence of 50% damage reduction in PvP during the National Competition. It felt like the shackles binding his hand and feet were released!


    Kurarararak!


    Why did it keep being hit? The drake was upset by Grid and fired a breath. A huge fire pir headed straight for Grid. The drake was relieved. Itughed because it was confident that the human would be roasted. But Grid was fine! Grid wore Lantier¡¯s Cloak, which had the option to raise various resistances depending on the climate. Grid wrapped the cloak around himself as he advanced through the mes and attacked the caught off guard drake.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    Kieeeeeeek!


    There was a critical and the drake wailed like a newborn baby. It didn¡¯t seem so dreadful now.


    ¡°Wow... Really bad.¡±


    ¡°He keeps hitting the same ce... A demon, a demon.¡±


    The Korean representatives muttered at Grid¡¯s brutality, but they knew. How difficult it was to hit and hit the same spot again and again. To be honest, the Korean representatives were extremely impressed.


    ¡®It¡¯smon sense that if you continue to hit the same area, the defense will weaken and the damage will be bigger.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s really hard to hit the same spot when the target is moving.¡¯


    But Grid was doing it. It was something thatpletely overturned the evaluation that ¡®Grid doesn¡¯t have good control.¡¯


    "You finally understand? This is God Grid¡¯s skills!¡±


    Peak Sword jumped excitedly as he watched Grid¡¯s activities and shouted.


    ¡°God Grid has always faced enemies stronger than himself!¡±


    Nobody knew it except for the Overgeared members, but Grid was the one who faced the most powerful NPC Piaro and the peak of two billion users, Kraugel. No matter how bad Grid was, it was impossible for him to not improve his control. However, Grid¡¯s control wasn¡¯t noticed during this National Competition because his items were so overwhelming. He didn¡¯t have a chance to show off his skills because he defeated the enemies with his items before he could show his control.


    But the drake was strong, giving Grid a chance to show his power.


    ¡°Do you know God Griddddddd?¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s yell reached Grid in the sky.


    Grid frowned.


    "That person is really loud.¡±


    It was enough to disturb him. His concentration was disturbed. Grid would prefer he be quiet, like during the Hell Gao raid.


    ¡®I should make him a pickaxe soon.¡¯


    He could mine minerals during these times. Peak Sword would feel sad if he knew this. Meanwhile, Grid checked the drake¡¯s health gauge. 50%. This was the result after Grid¡¯s serious onught thatsted seven minutes. It was poorpared to the US, Japan, Russia, and Spain who were raiding the drake as a team. In particr, the United States and Japan had already reduced the drake¡¯s health by 70%.


    Grid also expected this. But Grid wasn¡¯t worried. He wouldn¡¯t stop attacking!


    Peeng!Peeng!


    The patterns of the drake changed after it fell to 50%, subsequentlyunching a breath.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t let this hit.¡¯


    The drake¡¯s breath was weaker than expected, but it was still 3,000~4,000 damage. The cumtive damage was a burden. Grid concentrated and avoided it. He had fully adapted to flying magic over the past two years and was able to move freely in the sky.


    However, the problem was that the drake¡¯s breath cooldown time temporarily became 0.


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    It meant it was impossible to avoid the breath indefinitely. In the end, Grid allowed one breath to hit him and was shaken. It was only for a moment, but the drake didn¡¯t miss the gap and swung its tail hard.


    Peeeeok!


    The tail precisely struck Grid¡¯s face. It was a well-timed attack. It was natural that a critical would pop up! The Korean representatives andmentators who saw it were certain. Grid was in danger. In fact, Grid also felt a chill. But he was lucky. Grid didn¡¯t feel any pain. It was thanks to the low probability of invalidating physical attacks option that was attached to Tiramet¡¯s Shoulderguards. It was the moment when the drake¡¯s tail became useless.


    Kurarararara!


    What were these items? The Korean representatives felt like this was what the drake was shouting.


    ¡®If I was the drake, I would feel like dying.¡¯


    ¡®Me too.¡¯


    ¡®I would feel like cursing him now.¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid rushed into the gap caused by the drake recovering its tail and was once again beating it up. The drake¡¯s tail was powerful and fast, but was vulnerable after the gap was revealed. Grid was thoroughly taking advantage of this.


    Kieeeek!


    The drake screamed as its health fell below 50%. It felt danger. Then the changes begun.


    [The drake¡¯ survival instinct has kicked in!]


    [The drake¡¯s heart is beating faster!]


    [The drake¡¯s body is burning!]


    [The drake¡¯s defense and resistance drops, while its speed, attack power and magic power is greatly increased!]


    "Wow."


    The drake was surrounded by mes and looked like a volcano. A volcano floating in the sky! The pressure was so great that it made Grid¡¯s chest tremble.


    Kwaang!


    The drake narrowed the distance to Grid. It was a speed that was above Grid, who had 2,000 agility. Grid borrowed the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch, but still couldn¡¯t fully capture the drake¡¯s movements. It pped its wings once and the drake¡¯s foreleg hit Grid¡¯s nose, making his face distort with pain.


    [You have suffered 9,300 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,710 damage.]


    It hurt. His armor increased physical resistance and Tiramet¡¯s Belt reduced damage by 10%, but he still lost one-seventh of his health from that blow. There was also additional fire damage.


    ¡®The level difference can¡¯t be ignored.¡¯


    Grid dismissed the drake¡¯s strength as nothing more than level. The other representatives would¡¯ve been outraged if they heard this. Why? Flying monsters had the advantage of being able to fly in the sky, so they were originally supposed to have low stats.


    Despite being a flying monster, the drake was superior in all aspects of attack, magic, defense and resistance, so it was really abnormal. Zibal had raided 20 named bosses and even he found it to be one of the strongest. The experts currently rying the situation expressed their fear of the superior species, calling the drake unbnced.


    But Grid didn¡¯t think so.


    The Yatan Servants, Mcus and Neberius. Pope Drevigo and pope candidate Pascal. The great demon Hell Gao and Braham¡¯s golems. Vampire Earl Elfin Stone and Vampire Viscount Tiramet. Piaro and Kraugel...


    The drake wasn¡¯t particrly specialpared to the absurd enemies that Grid had fought. A top species? They were just mass produced anyway. They were different from enemies where only one existed. And Grid was the poster child of unbnced.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kakiing.


    Grid¡¯s skin turned pale and the whites of his eyes became ck. At the same time, there was a gaze of demonic energy around him.


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    He constantly allowed the drake¡¯s attacks and lost half of health. Anyway, his maximum health would be reduced by 50% if he used ckening, so it was good timing.


    ¡¯From now on, it¡¯s dangerous to allow an attack.¡¯


    The drake¡¯s tail whipped and Grid wore Doran¡¯s Ring while thinking. Grid tried to counterattack by using Quick Movements to evade the attack and aim for the gap, but the drake blocked it byunching a breath. It was evidence that the drake was capable of learning. The drake might have less intelligence than a wyvern, but it wasn¡¯t a fool.


    The tail was no longer the drake¡¯s weakness.


    ¡®Learning faster than me...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just fast, but several times faster. Now Grid was dumber than a monster. The drake swung its forelegs at the frustrated Grid. It was ridiculously smallpared to the huge body size, but its strength was powerful. The ws were harder than steel and the speed was like a jab from a world boxing champion.


    However, it wasn¡¯t enough for Grid who had used ckening and Quick Movements. Grid avoided the drake¡¯s attack by borrowing the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and triggered cksmith¡¯s Rage, instantly boosting his attack power and attack speed. Then he once again hit the drake.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The drake suffered a great deal of damagepared to before. It was the result of its resistance and defense weakening after its health fell below 50%. But the drake didn¡¯t back down. Despite the blood pouring down from it, the drake cried out in a berserk manner, shooting a breath while pping its wings at the same time.


    ¡°...!¡±


    mes filled Grid¡¯s vision. His body failed to withstand the strong wind pressure generated by the drake and he fell to the ground. A great crisis! The drake descended and aimed at Grid¡¯s upper body!


    It was like a meteor falling towards Grid, so everyone in the world sensed it. Grid would fail the raid. This meant there was actually a higher chance of Grid seeding in the raid. Grid¡¯s main feature was to overturn people¡¯s expectations!

 Chapter 437

    The drake descended and tried to pin down Grid¡¯s body.


    Thementators foresaw the worst.


    ¡º Grid is in trouble. The drake is too fast and Grid¡¯s posture is off. He can¡¯t avoid it. ¡»


    ¡º He can¡¯t use a skill because he is falling like this. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship is a skill that can only be activated by moving his legs. Now that I look at it, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship is a skill that is limited in many ways. ¡»


    ¡º Why didn¡¯t Grid use Revolve? If he countered the drake¡¯s attack, wouldn¡¯t he be able to take the lead in the battle more efficiently? ¡»


    ¡º He didn¡¯t use it because he couldn¡¯t. Is it so easy to get the right timing for the counterattack? It was more luck than skill that he seeded in countering Bondre¡¯s spell. Originally, a counterattack is very hard to use. Is there anyone in the world who can freely do it except for Kraugel? ¡»


    There was no one who ignored Grid. They all acknowledged Grid¡¯s skill. But looking at it from a realistic perspective, the drake was stronger than Grid and fought well, so it was natural for Grid to be defeated.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Yura, Peak Sword, and the other Korean representatives urgently cried out. They somehow wished to save Grid from the plunging drake. But except for Peak Sword¡¯s attack, the drake wasn¡¯t hurt and its momentum didn¡¯t decrease. Peak Sword¡¯s attack was rtively strong, but it wasn¡¯t enough to change aggro.


    In the end.


    Kurarararara!


    The drake surrounded by fire was on the verge of seizing Grid. The drake seemed to beughing. It revealed its fierce fangs as it got closer, but Grid was smiling rather than looking frightened.


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me.¡±


    Grid said something meaningful the moment it happened.


    Puok!


    A trident came flying and struck the back of the drake¡¯s neck.


    Kieeeeeeek-!


    The drake was shocked by the sudden attack, but it wasn¡¯t at a level to stop its anger towards Grid. It ignored the trident in its neck and attacked Grid. But the drake couldn¡¯t reach Grid. It was because the rope attached to the trident pulled the drake¡¯s neck backwards.


    It was the trident of the Dragon Harpoon. Who could use a weapon with such absurd usage conditions except for Grid?


    The God Hands. Since it reproduced Grid¡¯s hands, all items can be worn without restrictions. A fraudulent item that could use weapons and magic! While Grid was fighting the drake, they repaired the harpoon andbined items. They flew towards Grid and handed him a sword.


    Itbined a blue shark-like sword and the long crescent shaped sword.


    [Failure + Efficient Hunting Sword (Combined)]


    Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power: 1,500~2,180 Attack Power: 120


    * Agility +100


    * There is a certain probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a certain probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * Deals an addition 40% damage to monsters.


    * Increases critical rate by 60% when attacking monsters.


    * The chance of a monster dropping items when killed is increased by 30%.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 15 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +30% in dark ces.


    A weapon that maximizes the merits of the legendary rated ¡®Failure¡¯ and ¡®Efficient Hunting Sword¡¯ after beingbined by the legendary cksmith G.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    * Thebination time is 2 minutes.


    * This item can¡¯t be traded.


    Grid had made two Efficient Hunting Swords, not one. The reason he made more than one was because he wanted a legendary rating. In the end, he failed and only got a unique rating. Still, it wasn¡¯t bad for Grid.


    Kurarararal!


    As the drake was floundering from the Dragon Harpoon, Grid reced the Largest Gloves with the Holy Light Gloves. The sun set behind him as he grabbed the new weapon. It was one of the reasons why Grid didn¡¯t use Item Combination from the beginning. Grid wanted to maximize the option effect of Failure by calcting when the sun would set after the drake appeared. It was called looking at the big picture.


    ¡°Now die and leave your materials. Leather, bones, teeth, ws, heart, eyeballs, everything.¡±


    At this moment, Grid didn¡¯t recognize the drake as an enemy. It was only seen as prey.


    Taack!


    Grid stepped forward with dark energy around him, making him look cruelly beautiful.


    Kuwaaah!


    The drake was exposed due to the Dragon Harpoon and panicked. It roared pathetically and struggled, but it couldn¡¯t escape because a God Hand kept hammering at the pir. Thebination of the Dragon Harpoon, Dragon Hammer, and God Hands could truly be called overgeared. If the durability of the harpoon was infinite then the target could be bound forever.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Grid aimed precisely at the sparkling dot on the drake¡¯s head that he saw with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. The second reason why Grid didn¡¯t use Item Combination from the beginning! It was to create a weakness to maximize the power of Item Combination, and this weakness was the forehead that had been continuously struck!


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    In the darkness, the strongest skill left Grid¡¯s sword. It was an extreme stab that contained killing intent.


    [Critical!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [The Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Failure + Efficient Hunting Sword (Combined) option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated.]


    [Failure + Efficient Hunting Sword (Combined) option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Cutting¡¯ to be generated.]


    [You have dealt 21,300,590 damage to the target.]


    [A yer has dealt 20 million damage in one blow for the first time!]


    [Title: ¡®Death in One Shot¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The passive ¡®30% increase in critical strike damage¡¯ will always be applied.]


    [The savage drake has died and returned to the soil.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired drake fangs (2).]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired drake ws (4).]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired drake scales (6).]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired drake bones (10).]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired a drake heart (1).]


    Kuuuuuuong!


    The drake¡¯s body copsed. It had almost half its health remaining, but it died in a single blow.


    "...¡±


    Thementators were at a loss for words. It was impossible for them to describe the current situation to the viewers. The spectators in the stadium and the viewers around the world had their mouths open like a carp. It was the same with the Korean representatives.


    But the South Korean representatives were surprised for a different reason.


    ¡®When did he set the item drops to the leader setting?¡¯


    No one knew. This meant that everyone was concentrating on Grid¡¯s battle. They hadn¡¯t even realized the God Hands had been hammering in a corner.


    ***


    [The savage drake has died and returned to the soil.]


    14 minutes after the start of the drake raid, the US team seeded.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    "We have the gold medal!"


    The US representatives cheered. They might lose first ce to Russia, so they were d and proud about having won a valuable gold medal. On the other hand, Lauel¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®It is like this despite the fact that I didn¡¯t cooperate properly.¡¯


    Lauel hadn¡¯t given manyments in the operational meeting before the raid. The reason was that he ¡®wasn¡¯t a professional when it came to raids,¡¯ but Lauel took this passive stance because he didn¡¯t want the US to win the gold medal. He stayed silent despite knowing various methods to block the drake¡¯s flight.


    The problem was that Zibal¡¯s raid abilities were too excellent. Zibalpleted a strategy to capture the drake in real time, utilizing the strengths of his team members and leading the raid to sess. As a result, the drake was raided in only 14 minutes and 33 seconds, making the US team sure that they had won the gold medal.


    ¡®20 minutes... No, if only it was 18 minutes.¡¯


    Grid might¡¯ve caught the drake first. Lauel thought it was a pity and logged out. Zibal also logged out with a bright expression.


    ¡®I have finally proven that I¡¯m not a punching bag.¡¯


    He was only weak in PvP. Otherwise, he was top ss. He was excellent in all other areas, especially raids. Zibal confidently exited the capsule and waited for the crowd¡¯s cheers.


    But the reaction was marginal. Only a small amount of apuse was heard intermittently.


    ¡®Are they too surprised?¡¯


    They were speechless because the US team defeated the strong drake too quickly. Zibal¡¯s shoulder¡¯s shook as he couldn¡¯t contain hisughter. He was waiting. There would be the call stating that the US won the gold medal! However...


    ¡º At 14 minutes and 33 seconds, the US has seeded in raiding the drake and won the silver medal! ¡»


    ¡°What?¡±


    The US team couldn¡¯t believe their ears. Lauel was the same. Their gazes was confused as they turned to the scoreboard. It stated the record of the team that raided the drake before the US.


    South Korea: 8 minutes and 59 seconds.


    ¡°...?¡±


    This was ridiculous! It might be possible for Japan with Damian¡¯s buffs, but South Korea took down the drake in 9 minutes? Grid, Peak Sword, and the other weak representatives seeded?


    ¡°It must be a hoax!¡±


    Zibal shouted with a red face. The record of the Korean team was so uneptable that suspicions of maniption naturally arose. Then the electric signboard changed to the Korean team... No, it was the highlight video of Grid¡¯s raid.


    "...¡±


    The mouths of the US representatives fell open as they saw the footage. It seemed like their jaws wouldpletely fall off.


    ¡°Hahat! Puhahahat!¡±


    Only Lauel¡¯s cheerfulughter could be heard.

 Chapter 438

    Hwaruruk!


    The darkness of the world was split apart by a huge spark of light. A great re! Just like a candle on the verge of being blown out, the injured drake was surrounded by mes.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The presence of dragon¡¯s blood in its body was weak. The pressure of the drake¡¯s roar was enormous. It showed off its presence as a superior species that human beings couldn¡¯t afford to look up to. But the drake was just a trivial existence to the man facing him.


    The man flew up and wielded his blue greatsword without any signs of nervousness.


    Seokeok!


    A blue light in the darkness, like the Milky Way. The drake¡¯s huge head was split in two and mes flew all over the ce.


    Hwaduk.


    Hwaduuk.


    The ck haired man with a blue greatsword that split the drake in half with one blow. The man with the wreckage of the drake pouring on him, his name was Grid. He confirmed that the drake had turned to grey and turned his gaze to the camera, opening his mouth.


    ¡°Comet Group.¡±


    What was with the Comet Group? Grid only spoke two words. But that alone was enough. At this moment, the hundreds of millions of viewers focused on Grid discovered the Comet Group. Whether it was positive or negative, the Comet Group enjoyed astronomical advertising thanks to Grid¡¯s words!


    ¡°Amazing...!¡±


    The employees of the Comet Group watched the broadcast in real time and rose from their seats, pping. In particr, the chairman felt like dancing. Thanks to Grid¡¯s words, the Comet Group built global awareness and took a step to bing a globalpany. He was so grateful that he wanted to introduce his granddaughter to him.


    On this day. Grid¡¯s professional attitude as he didn¡¯t forget about PPL became the basis of capitalist society.


    ***


    The waiting room of the US team.


    "That is pure luck!¡±


    Zibal shouted angrily as he saw Grid¡¯s raid video from the beginning. He didn¡¯t say it was due to items. He acknowledged that Grid had the excellent ability to utilize his items. But there were parts he couldn¡¯t admit. It was Grid¡¯s nonsense attack power that wiped out half of the drake¡¯s health with one blow.


    "There was clearly a critical attack, as well as the options of his items and title being triggered!¡±


    It meant that all the potential of the items had been pulled to the extremes. This was a phenomenon that was impossible, equivalent to the luck of winning the lottery. Zibal was in denial.


    "That... That damn bastard has been blessed by the god of games...!¡±


    He said this because he didn¡¯t know how unlucky Grid normally was. Lauelughed silently as he heard.


    ¡®If Grid was truly blessed by the god of games, by now all of his items would have the legendary rank.¡¯


    The value of legendary itemspared to unique items varied by dozens or even hundreds of times. To Lauel, a legendary cksmith who couldn¡¯t produce legendary rate items was the most unfortunate person in the world. The asional good luck kicked in, but the cumtive bad luck made Lauel think.


    ¡®How many countries did you sell in your past life...?¡¯


    No, maybe he was a demon who destroyed the world.


    ¡®Then you and I must¡¯ve been enemies of the past. Well, it¡¯s good. The ghosts of the past life are born again with a connection to the present life.¡¯


    It happened when Lauel was thinking about his past life.


    ¡º Oh my! Thand didn¡¯t give up to the end, but eventually failed in the raid! ¡»


    ¡º Of the 32 countries participating, only 23 seeded in the raid. ¡»


    The raid event ended. The final ranking was South Korea 1st, US 2nd, and Japan 3rd.


    ¡®None of the countries that the Overgeared members belong to failed the raid.¡¯


    It was beneficial since the Overgeared members would acquire the items dropped by the drake. In fact, Lauel couldn¡¯t imagine that Yura and Peak Sword didn¡¯t get any benefits as he headed to the press conference.


    ***


    "Did you make the harpoon set that restrained the drake?¡±


    ¡°How did youe up with the idea of creating such arge secondary weapon? Coming up with repair tools to ovee the limitations of secondary weapons, I¡¯m impressed. Do you mind showing the production process for that harpoon set?¡±


    "What are the God Hands? Let the public see the options of the God Hands!¡±


    ¡°How much power is gained when two swords arebined?¡±


    "You killed the drake when it had 48% of its health left. The experts predict that Grid did approximately 20 million damage. Is this true?¡±


    ¡°When the drake¡¯s health was at 50%, the high ranking yers found that they lost one-fourth of their health every time they were hit by the drake, but you only lost one-tenth of your health. Can you disclose the approximate level of your defense and health?¡±


    ¡°What is the principle behind ckening? It is the power of an artifact?¡±


    At the press conference, representatives of Korea, the US, and Japan were all gathered. But the hundreds of reporters only asked Grid questions. It was testament to the fact that the world¡¯s attention was focused on Grid. Grid couldn¡¯t reveal his own abilities, so he kept stating ¡®Noment.¡¯


    "As of today, the team events are over and there are only four individual events left. One of them is the cksmith production game. Grid, you dered that you won¡¯t participate in the cksmith production game. Is that deration still valid?¡±


    What if? If he really won three gold medals in the individual events, it was a situation where South Korea would be looking at first ce. It wasmon sense that Grid would participate in an event where he was likely to win a gold medal, and the most likely event for Grid to win a gold medal was the cksmith production game.


    The Korean reporters wanted Grid to change his mind and dere that he would participate in the cksmith production game. But Grid thought differently.


    "I¡¯m not going to participate in the cksmith game.¡±


    No, why? The moment that the reporters were going to tear their tongues out at Grid¡¯s stubbornness. One of the US representatives, the 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir suddenly opened his mouth.


    ¡°Grid, are you avoiding me because you are afraid?¡±


    It was an obvious provocation. At this moment, the hearts of the US representatives and the people were crying out. They were surprised at Panmir¡¯s foolishness in allowing Grid to take the gold medal by making him participate in the cksmith game.


    But Panmir had his own pride as a cksmith. He had no doubts that he was a much better cksmith than Grid, who got a legendary ss and would¡¯ve obtained good items without any effort.


    "If you¡¯re a man, try it. Don¡¯t run away likest year.¡±


    Panmir wanted to prove himself. He improved his cksmithing abilities from the beginning to now. His umted effort and passion! Thus, he continued to provoke Grid.


    ¡°I will reveal to the world that you are just a legend in name!¡±


    "...¡±


    Panmir was a middle-aged man with grey hair. He was an older person, so Grid just listened at first. But it was impossible any longer. A legend in name?


    "This is outrageous."


    Suuk.


    Grid turned from the front towards the direction of the US team. The side profile of his high nose and sharp jaw gave off a masculine charm that females liked.


    Snap snap!


    There was the sound of camera shutters snapping in unison.


    Gulp!


    What scoop would they obtain? As the reporters watched Grid and Panmir, Grid finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°Let me show you the difference between you and I.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was the moment when the showdown that the people of the world desired, excluding the US, was achieved.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    Lauel, the US representative, formed a fist underneath the table. Lauel¡¯s gaze moved further, to where Kraugel was standing alone at the back of the wall.


    ¡®Congrattions, Kraugel.¡¯


    There was hope to obtain the precious medicine for his mother.


    ***


    The theme of the cksmith production game was to make a longsword. It wasn¡¯t a special sword. It was an ordinary sword with a level limit of 300. It was a game where the participants would all receive the same production method and materials.


    This was the biggest reason why Grid didn¡¯t want to participate in the cksmith production game. In the end, the production relied on luck! Grid was the icon of bad luck, so he wanted to avoid any game involving a gamble.


    [Ordinary Longsword]


    Rating: Normal ~ Legendary


    "...It will be embarrassing if I make a normal item.¡±


    In the case of items created by Grid himself, the minimum rating was from epic~ unique, while ordinary production methods started from normal~rare. Grid was afraid of the worst, but he soon controlled his mind.


    ¡®I have produced more than 3,000 longswords.¡¯


    Longswords were weapons with excellent bnce. It was the weapon with the highest demand, so Grid had a lot of experience making longswords.


    Reidan¡¯s 1,000 soldiers... No, it was almost 2,000 soldiers now. Grid had been steadily making longswords to distribute to them.


    To be honest, he could make a longsword with his eyes closed. Grid believed in his experience and know-how.


    ¡®Let me prove it.¡¯


    He was a legendary cksmith and he never once neglected that role. Grid worked harder than anyone else because he knew he wasn¡¯t lucky, so his pride wasn¡¯t any lower than Panmir¡¯s.


    "Login."


    Grid headed towards the capsule as soon as he returned to the hotel and connected to Satisfy. First, he wanted to verify the information of the items dropped by the drake.

 Chapter 439

    "Panmir, are you crazy? Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°We have to say farewell to being the strongest country in Satisfy this year. The US will miss out on first ce because of idiots like you.¡±


    After the press conference, the US representatives gathered in one ce. The atmosphere was the worst. They all med Panmir except for Lauel. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if curses emerged. But Panmir didn¡¯t shrink back. He didn¡¯t even feel sorry. He opened his mouth with a serious expression.


    ¡°I have been working as a cksmith since Satisfy opened. From the moment I log in until I log out, I keep hitting the anvil with my hammer.¡±


    He used the same materials and production methods, but did research and used techniques to create better items. Panmir had really trained his skills over the years.


    "Most people think that the result when making items relies purely on luck, but that isn¡¯t true. It also depends on techniques and devotion. Zibal, don¡¯t you know? The fact that I have invested 8 hours to create just one item.¡±


    ¡®Grid takes at least 20 hours to make an item, sometimes it¡¯s two days...¡¯


    Speaking like this when it was only 8 hours! Lauel thought while Zibal nodded.


    ¡°I know it. Panmir, your working time is twice as long as an ordinary cksmith.¡±


    "Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The dissatisfied American representatives started to show interest. Panmir confirmed the calm atmosphere and exined in earnest.


    "I stick to manualbor.¡±


    "Manualbor?¡±


    "In fact, making an item is simple. Open the design of the item you want to make, register the necessary materials, click the ¡®Production¡¯ button and the hammering will start automatically.¡±


    This was how most cksmiths made items. Depending on the item, it would take a minimum of 5 minutes to a maximum of 6 hours. If the time spent was too little, it was likely that defective products would be born. However, since a long investment time didn¡¯t necessarily result in a high rated item, the average time of cksmiths was three hours.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t use the production system. I tap the hammer directly and make the item as best as I can. This is manualbor.¡±


    "What are the benefits?¡±


    "The probability of a high item rating and additional options will increase. Most cksmiths who do manualbor like me be rankers. It¡¯s clearly something that not anyone can do. How easy is it to concentrate and work for hours on one item? It¡¯s a harsh job that consumes stamina.¡±


    Panmir continued.


    ¡°Grid is Pagma¡¯s Descendant and from the moment he changed sses, he learned the finest cksmithing skills. He just has to press the production button and he will easily be able to mass produce rare and epic items. If he¡¯s lucky, maybe he can create unique and legendary items. What does he know about effort? He will never know about manualbor. Even if he knew, he wouldn¡¯t use it when he can take the easy method.¡±


    This was the point.


    ¡°Grid only relies on luck and is different from me. In tomorrow¡¯s game, Grid will rely on luck while I will show my techniques.¡±


    Tomorrow, Grid would simply create top rated items by clicking on the production button as usual. Maybe he could make a legendary item. On the other hand, no matter how much effort and skill Panmir used, he was stuck with epic and unique rated items.


    But Panmir wasn¡¯t shaken. He believed that the epic~unique item he made with all his effort would have a better performance than the ¡®name only¡¯ legendary items that Grid would create.


    Skull, who had been listening to the confident Panmir, spoke a negative opinion.


    ¡°In the end, Satisfy is a game. It¡¯s obvious that the dexterity stat and cksmithing skill level will have a big impact on the oue. Systematically, there is more grounds for defeat than victory. I don¡¯t understand why you are so confident.¡±


    Panmir burst outughing.


    ¡°My cksmith skill is also advanced level 6. I have reached the intermediate level of the dwarf skills learned in Talima. This is why the items I make will have 12% better stats than what is seen on the production method.¡±


    Was that all?


    "My dexterity has been steadily increasing through manual work and is approaching 1,700. I assure you, my dexterity is much higher than Grid, who doesn¡¯t make anything by hand.¡±


    ¡®Grid¡¯s dexterity is almost 3,000.¡¯


    Was it just this? People always evaluated Grid using their ownmon sense. Lauel couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡®We can¡¯t measure him.¡¯


    Grid worked harder than all of them. Unless Panmir realized this, he would always be below Grid.


    Lauel shrugged at this thought.


    ***


    [Drake¡¯s Fang]


    ssified as a ss 2 metal, it¡¯s harder than any metal taken from human mines.


    It¡¯s bigger, less curved, lighter and more stic than an elephant¡¯s ivory. It¡¯s less hard than a drake¡¯s ws, bones, and scales.


    It¡¯s ideal as a material for a spear or bow.


    Weight: 100


    [Drake¡¯s w]


    ssified as a ss 2 metal, it¡¯s harder than any metal taken from human mines.


    A drake¡¯s ws are formed by severalyers.


    Every time five years passes for a drake, anotheryer of the ws will grow. Thus, it¡¯s possible to guess the age of the drake through their ws.


    It¡¯s the hardest of all the drake¡¯s body parts, and is ideal as a solid material for swords or spears.


    However, this makes it very difficult to smelt.


    Weight: 820


    [Drake¡¯s Scale]


    ssified as a ss 2 material, it¡¯s harder than any metal taken from human mines.


    It¡¯s tough and stic. It¡¯s ssified as leather rather than metal, and is ideal as material for armor.


    Weight: 250


    [Drake¡¯s Bones]


    ssified as a ss 2 material, it is harder than any metal taken from human mines.


    The next hardest part after the ws.


    Although it is used as a material in armor, it is very brittle and has a weak impact surface.


    Weight: 300


    [Drake¡¯s Heart]


    A heart with a little bit of dragon¡¯s blood flowing in it.


    Generates an infinitely small amount of magic power and mes.


    Weight: 1,000


    Looking at the mines that existed in the human world, there should be mines in the god world and in hell. It was probably how the god mineral adamantium could exist separately.


    ¡°It¡¯s a jackpot.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was very bright as he verified the information of the materials. Thanks to the two fangs, he could make the best bow and spear! For Grid, who had Bow Mastery and Spear Shot, bows and spears were excellent secondary weapons and worth the investment.


    ¡®I will make a spear with the ws. I will keep the scales and bones for now.¡¯


    Grid had recently produced Triple Layers, the Largest Gloves, and Lantier¡¯s Cloak, so he was satisfied with his own defense. At the very least, he was confident there was no better armor in the National Competition. At this point, making a new armor was no different from a luxury.If a day when he required greater strength arrived, he would use it.


    Grid held the drake¡¯s heart with a desire to deal with new production methods.


    This was the biggest reward from the raid. Grid noted that the heart produced infinite mes.


    ¡®If I melt and attach this to a weapon, it will add fire damage every time I attack. If I attach it to armor, it will create a fire to defend and attack the enemy...¡¯


    It was a pity that there was only one. Why did a drake have only one heart? It would be good if it had 10 of them!


    Khan¡¯s smithy. Someone approached Grid who was in front of the furnace. It was Lauel.


    ¡°I wish you victory in the production game.¡±


    Grid snorted.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell the difference between business and personal matters? Why are you cheering for me?¡¯


    The value of the gold medal in the 2nd National Competition was astronomical. They could get the best reward every time they won a gold medal. As a simple example, adamantium was awarded to cksmiths. Lauel should be praying for the US¡¯ victory, for the sake of his own development.


    "Well, you doing well will work out better for me in the end.¡±


    He swallowed down Kraugel¡¯s story again.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it and do your best. When making an item, please be sure to use manualbor.¡±


    "Manualbor? Of course a cksmith should use manualbor. How else do they make items? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lauel was surprised by Grid¡¯s reaction. He thought for a moment before asking cautiously.


    "Do you know about the production button?¡±


    ¡°Production button? What¡¯s that?¡±


    "...¡±


    Indeed. The legendary cksmith Grid seemed to be carrying a penalty that he didn¡¯t know about. He didn¡¯t benefit from the production system. Grid had been Pagma¡¯s Descendant for over two years and he handcrafted everything individually, even if it was one arrow.


    ¡®This is why he works for so long.¡¯


    Lauel nced at Grid.


    ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Just... Have strength.¡±


    Grid felt bad for some reason.


    ***


    The National Competition¡¯s 17th day.


    It was the day when the cksmith production game was on. There was a total of 23 participants. Originally, the attention of the people should be divided between the 1st ranked Panmir and the 2nd ranked Stein. Now it was directed only towards Grid.


    How great was the item made by a legendary cksmith? The items Grid made were limited and weren¡¯t circted in the market, so people¡¯s curiosity and expectations were amplified to the peak.


    ¡º The time limit to produce an item is 8 hours! cksmiths, please only use the production method and materials you were given! ¡»


    It was prohibited to add additional materials or to modify the design. This was a game to show pure skills under the same conditions.


    ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s a game of luck.¡¯


    Grid grumbled as he stood in front of the furnace. The other cksmiths were the same.


    ¡¯Grid, you¡¯re a legendary cksmith who can easily make items. Your skills are fundamentally different from mine.¡¯


    ¡®Can you imagine doing physicalbor like hammering for 8 hours straight?¡¯


    ¡®We will show you the power of manual work!¡¯


    Before the host announced the start of the match. The cksmiths standing before the furnaces and holding hammers in their hands gazed at Grid heatedly. But Grid wasn¡¯t conscious of their gaze.


    ¡®Make an item in 8 hours? Why is the time limit so short? Isn¡¯t this bad?¡¯


    Grid was more familiar with hardbor than anyone else. The other cksmiths would be shocked if they knew what he was thinking.

 Chapter 440

    ¡º The time limit to produce an item is 8 hours! cksmiths, please only use the production method and materials you were given! ¡»


    The National Competition¡¯s 17th day.


    The cksmith production game began. Originally, this was a minor event. But after Grid announced his intention to participate, the situation reversed. It attracted attentionparable to the team events. The cksmiths participating in the event felt gratitude towards Grid.


    ¡®Thanks to Grid, our value has been raised.¡¯


    ¡®Thank you for sacrificing yourself for us!¡¯


    What if the people watching around the world saw the brilliant work of the advanced cksmiths that made an item better than a legendary cksmith? The cksmith¡¯s reputation would surely soar into the sky. Each item they produced would be a premium and the value would skyrocket.


    The eyes of the cksmiths heated up as they nned to make Grid a sacrifice. Most of them believed themselves to be ¡®craftsman,¡¯ so they were very proud and didn¡¯t feel any fear towards Grid. Grid relied on his ss, while they had technique.


    On the other hand, Grid was looking at the production method and materialsmon to all participants.


    [Production Method: Longsword]


    Rating: Normal ~ Legendary


    An ordinary longsword.


    A distinct disadvantage it that anyone can use it easily andfortably.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Intermedia Sword Mastery level 7. 1,500 strength.


    The making of the longsword was in and simple, without anything special. It was good that it was simple. Grid had produced thousands of longswords, so he could make it with his eyes closed. However, Grid wasn¡¯t careless. The element that had a greatest effect on the result of an item was luck!


    What would happen if he carefully made a longsword? There was a possibility that the result would be a normal sword due to his bad luck. Grid had experienced this thousands of times already!


    ¡®It would be different if I could change the production method.¡¯


    Grid had umted experience and knowledge by making thousands of items. He used that experience and knowledge to change the production method. Grid¡¯s true skill that no one else could do was minimizing the disadvantages of a production method with his own interpretation and highlighting the advantages.


    But this time, the rule was to follow the production method. Therefore, Grid couldn¡¯t show off this skill. He was shaking with nerves.


    ¡®This is the organizer¡¯s maniption...¡¯


    It was clear that the rule was made to purely control him. Due to that, the legendary cksmith had to feel tension against cksmiths who hadn¡¯t even reached the ranks of a craftsman. The world was unfair.


    "Hahh, shi...these evil people. Does it make sense to give a legendary cksmith a penalty every time?¡±


    Grid barely suppressed his urge to curse. A boy came near him as fire started burning in the furnace. It was a pleasant looking boy with a bright smile.


    His ID was Steng. He was 2nd on the cksmith rankings.


    "Grid, it¡¯s been a long time!¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    It was already 2 years. When Irene had just been appointed as rule of Winston, Grid participated in the auction at the lord¡¯s castle and briefly met Steng.


    "I was so surprised when I learnedter that you were a legendary cksmith! It¡¯s a truly delightful and glorious memory!¡±


    "I remember... Are you still training under the NPC?¡±


    Steng was a very bright boy. His positive energy was overflowing, making Grid like him. Steng shook his head at Grid¡¯s question.


    ¡°I have been independent sincest year and now I¡¯m operating a smithy alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re running a smithy alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I direct the production and cirction of items so that I can provide consumers with quality items at a reasonable price. I¡¯m also making a higher profit!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t going through an auction house or merchants, so there was less of a burden from salemissions.


    ¡®Is this good?¡¯


    Running a smithy was pleasurable in many ways for a cksmith. If Grid hadn¡¯t joined up with the Tzedakah Guild, he might be running a smithy now.


    "Do you make a lot of money?¡±


    He estimated that Steng was around 18 years old. Based on the fact that he was British, he might already have a license.


    ¡¯With these looks and driving a supercar, he can change lovers every week...!¡¯


    Grid had a bias towards good looking people, making him feel envious. Steng scratched his head and shrugged.


    ¡°Hehet... I can support my grandmother and my sister on behalf of my deceased parents. I¡¯m always happy and thankful for this fact.¡±


    "...¡±


    Somehow, Grid felt like he hadn¡¯t grown up yet. As soon as he made a fortune and cleared his debts, Grid bough a 800 million won car! He coughed while the temperature of the furnace reached the ideal level. Steng watched Grid pouring in iron ore and pped with admiration.


    ¡°Amazing! Your ability to adjust the fire is spectacr!¡±


    Apart from Grid, the other cksmiths hadn¡¯t been able to start smelting iron ore yet. Adjusting the furnace to the desired temperature was simple and easy for him.


    ¡®I think your skills are much worse than mine.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue. Steng and the other cksmiths weren¡¯t able to handle the fire as well as Panmir, the 1st ranked cksmith who talked highly at the press conference. Panmir was so sloppy that he couldn¡¯t bepared to Khan!


    ¡®This is the first ranked cksmith.¡¯


    It was a disgrace to be nervous about dealing with someone with such low techniques. Grid shook his head and started to concentrate on smelting the iron ore. The impurities in the melted iron ore were filtered out, the orange molten iron emerging from the furnace was brilliant and beautiful.


    Gawking.


    The eyes of the cksmiths watching Grid widened.


    ¡®How can he draw out molten iron with such high purity?¡¯


    ¡®So quickly...!¡¯


    ¡®The power of his ss!¡¯


    The cksmiths admired and denied it. The reason for Grid¡¯s excellent smelting skill wasn¡¯t his experience and techniques, but a skill of his ss. However, Steng thought differently as he watched from beside Grid.


    ¡¯This is Grid¡¯s pure talent!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s movements were of the highest quality. Steng was 2nd on the cksmith rankings, meaning he could recognize that such movements weren¡¯t possible by relying on the auto production system.


    ¡®Grid is also doing manualbor!¡¯


    Steng¡¯s enthusiasm grew. The legendary cksmith was showing his true abilities, stimting Steng. He wanted to do his best topete with Grid and grow more from this experience.


    ¡°Grid! I look forward to going against you!¡±


    ¡°In any case, it¡¯s a game of luck.¡±


    Steng smiled cheerfully and also finished smelting his iron ore. Grid felt surprised by the skill that was different from Panmir and other cksmiths, causing him to tremble as he once again felt the absurdity of the world.


    ¡®This kid... A person who isn¡¯t a legendary cksmith has such talent!?¡¯


    It was also important to have innate talent. Life was also about talent.


    ¡®Howfortable would I be if I had a talent?¡¯


    As he recalled his past, Grid started hammering like crazy.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Steng, who was making a frame for the sword shape prior to forging, was surprised. It was because Grid didn¡¯t put the molten iron into the frame. Rather, he chilled it in water and started hammering at it on the anvil.


    ¡®Going ahead with forging without the shape?¡¯


    Pouring the molten iron into the frame was important for the shape. No, it was an essential process. For a longsword like they were making now, the frame was required to bnce the shape of the de. Yet Grid omitted that process! He just held it with tongs and started hammering at it.


    ¡®What? Surely he hasn¡¯t given up on the game?¡¯


    Steng lost concentration because of his agitation. He couldn¡¯t focus on the quality of his forging as he stared at Grid. It was because the shape wasn¡¯t made by the frame. Rather, the shape was gradually appearing under Grid¡¯s fingertips.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid¡¯s skill transcendedmon sense. It was more amazing than any NPC Steng had met during his quests. Steng could indirectly guess how many items Grid had made in the meantime.


    ¡®People have misunderstood!¡¯


    Was it that easy to be the best in a field? It was impossible to be the best simply by luck. Thus, Steng couldn¡¯t understand or recognize the prejudice of those who dismissed Grid¡¯s abilities as luck simply because he was a legendary cksmith. And he was sure of it at this moment.


    To reach this ce, Grid had been working harder than anyone else! As Stein was feeling thrilled, Grid reheated the steel that was in the shape of a de and kept forging. This was repeated a few times, increasing the strength of the steel. It was also done three times faster than ordinary cksmiths.


    ¡®Amazing...! You¡¯re really amazing!¡¯


    Steng was convinced.


    "Grid, you are a genius who also puts effort in! I respect you!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A genius?


    Grid scoffed because it was one of the silliest things he had heard. Grid didn¡¯t know. From the moment he overcame hiscking talent, he had already crossed the wall of mediocrity.


    ***


    "Isn¡¯t this surprisingly interesting?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exciting.¡±


    8 hours of making items. People thought it would be boring. Nobody imagined it would be fine to watch cksmiths hammering in front of a fire for 8 hours. But the situation was different. Despite producing the same items with the same ingredients, the cksmiths showed different methods of working and it was great to see them working up a sweat in front of hot mes.


    Thementator¡¯s wittyments during the work also made it not boring. They sat with friends, family, or lovers and 8 hours passed in a sh.


    ¡º The participants have started toplete their items! ¡»


    ¡º Ohh...! Look at that glistening sword! Amazing! ¡»


    The swords that the 23 cksmiths made got a close-up in turn. The basic appearance was the same, but each sword was slightly different.


    ¡º Hey! The 1st ranked Panmir and 2nd ranked Steng have made unique rated swords! The other cksmiths also made epic rated or rare rated swords with added options... Eh? ¡»


    The information of the swords were disclosed to the audience and viewers. The MC who entered the stadium and checked the longswords was confused.


    ¡ºL-Legendary cksmith Grid was the only one who made a normal rated sword...? ¡»


    ¡°Normal?¡±


    The viewers doubted their ears as the camera zoomed in on Grid. Whether he knew it or not.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted and he eventually couldn¡¯t resist cursing.


    The world was in turmoil.

 Chapter 441

    [The production of the ¡®Longsword¡¯ has beenplete!]


    [The experience of the Advanced cksmithing Skill Lv. 6 has raised this item¡¯s stats by 9%!]


    [The experience of the Intermediate Dwarf Skill Lv 1 has raised this item¡¯s stats by 3.2%!]


    [The Intermediate Dwarf skill Lv 1 has tried to nt a feeble ego into this item!]


    [Sess!]


    [The Intermediate Dwarf skill Lv 1 has tried to nt a small change function into this item!]


    [Sess!]


    [A unique rated item is made and all stats will rise by 12!]


    Ttiring~


    [Powerful and Noble Long Sword]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 450/450 Attack Power: 451


    * There is a very rare chance for the sword length to change when attacking.


    *Normal attacks will deal an additional 15% damage.


    * uracy will increase by 7%.


    * The durability isn¡¯t easily damaged.


    A longsword made with delicate workmanship by the renowned cksmith Panmir, who has umted training in Talima.


    The merits of a longsword are highlighted and it is very stable. There is an irregr aspect due to the changing qualities.


    The dwarf technique has imnted the creator¡¯s high pride in the sword. It won¡¯t break easily and only the chosen ones can use it.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Intermedia Sword Mastery level 7. 1,500 strength. The user will be selected by the sword.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    His three and a half years as a cksmith! ording to Satisfy time, Panmir had produced at least 20,000 items over 10 years. Among them, more than 500 items had at least 6 hours invested in them. But despite producing so many items, there were few works that Panmir could proudly im to be ¡®masterpieces.¡¯ This meant he was less likely to produce a top rated item with more efficient options.


    But today! In front of the world that was watching, a masterpiece was born! It was perfect timing. He felt like the protagonist of a movie. It was the first time Panmir experienced such bliss in the 50 years he had lived.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Panmir forgot his age and cheered. He was so happy to prove that he was the best cksmith against Grid, who was just luck to be a legend. He was thrilled that the past few years wasn¡¯t in vain.


    ¡®I won!¡¯


    Panmir didn¡¯t doubt it. He was convinced that Grid couldn¡¯t defeat him, even if a legendary rated sword was made. Powerful and noble. Hebined the cksmith skill with the dwarf skill to make the best level 300 two-handed longsword. Then he heard the voice of the MC.


    ¡ºL-Legendary cksmith Grid was the only one who made a normal rated sword...? ¡»


    ¡°...!¡±


    The host confirmed the items created by each participant and dered. Panmir and the other cksmiths were stunned by the host¡¯s words.


    The legendary cksmith Grid made a normal rated item?


    It was a situation they couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡®Even the advanced cksmiths made at least rare rated items...¡¯


    ¡®A legendary cksmith just needs to press the production button and a rare item will pop out.¡¯


    What crazy thing did Grid do to make a normal item? Did he have no luck? There was only one exnation.


    ¡®Did he forget a few ingredients?¡¯


    ¡¯The smelting process seemed perfect... Maybe he made a big mistake during the forging process.¡¯


    As the cksmiths were specting, Steng, who had made a unique sword like Panmir, cried out like he couldn¡¯t understand.


    "It isn¡¯t possible for Grid to make a normal rated item!¡±


    Steng had witnessed the skills and concentration of Grid next to him.


    "Grid struck the steel three times in the time I took to strike it once. When I was breathing from exhaustion, Grid¡¯s posture was unchanged!¡±


    It was a truth without any exaggeration. Steng believed that a normal rated item couldn¡¯t have been produced unless Grid was a viin who destroyed a gxy in his previous life.


    ¡°Check the item information again! This is obviously a mistake...!¡±


    It happened when Steng kept sticking up for Grid.


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    The deeply frowning Grid let out a curse. He felt tremendous anger. It looked like Grid really had made a normal rated item!


    ¡°S-Such a thing...¡±


    A result thatpletely negated Grid¡¯s skills and efforts was born? Was this the rumored maniption of the game operators? Steng paused and stared at Grid.


    ¡®Grid is really unlucky...¡¯


    Steng fully grasped Grid¡¯s character after a few hours. Then Grid asked him.


    ¡°The ownership of the item created... We don¡¯t keep it, do we?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice was trembling. Steng was able to feel how angry he was and barely managed to nod.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct... It was be permanently disyed in the National Competition¡¯s Hall of Fame.¡±


    It meant that a normal rated item produced by the legendary cksmith would be disyed forward to the people of the world. From Grid¡¯s position, it was embarrassing. There was nothing more disgraceful.


    ¡®I would be ashamed and want to find a hole to hide in...¡¯


    Steng was sorry. He was worried that Grid would be frustrated and quit the game. Then Grid grumbled with a deep sigh.


    ¡°Hah, I have to return this. It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Steng soon realized that something was strange. Wasn¡¯t Grid angry at the wrong thing? The host kept talking.


    ¡º How many of you would expect a legendary cksmith to produce a normal item? Yes, that¡¯s right! I couldn¡¯t even expect it! ¡»


    The participants gathered in one ce and looked at the sword made by Grid. Panmir and Steng¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®At first nce, it looks like a in longsword without anything special, but...¡¯


    ¡®This is huger than anticipated!¡¯


    This was a normal rated longsword? In addition to Steng and Panmir, the other cksmiths started to realize that Grid¡¯s sword was unusual. But they were able to grasp this because they were excellent cksmiths. The ordinary public was different.


    -What type of legendary cksmith makes normal items?It might be different if he made it in 10 minutes, but hasn¡¯t he been hammering for 8 hours?


    -Was he just hammering the air?


    -Was he sleeping...? ???


    -I¡¯m only a beginner cksmith, but my analysis is that Grid seems to have very low dexterity.He doesn¡¯t have experience with manual work because he can easily make items with his ss, thus not raising his dexterity.


    -Is that why the result is so bad?No, there¡¯s no way.No matter how low his dexterity is, won¡¯t there be apensation effect due to his legendary ss?Then how did he make a normal rated item?


    -It seems to be the result of his insufficient skills + worst luck.


    -Insufficient skills ??? Hisbat skills have increased sincest year, so he must¡¯ve neglected his cksmithing.


    -Stop talking nonsense.What evidence is there that Grid¡¯s skills arecking?


    -That¡¯s right.Look at the items that Grid was wearing.He made it himself, so it doesn¡¯t make sense to say that Grid¡¯s skills are bad.This time, he was just unlucky.


    -Is there any proof that the items worn were made by Grid?Maybe he obtained them from raids?


    There was a thorough discussion on Grid¡¯s cksmithing skills. To be honest, there was a lot of public criticism and ridicule. People hadn¡¯t forgotten that Grid spent the night with Yura and Jishuka, two of the world¡¯s most beautiful women. At this moment, Grid¡¯s anti-fans were in full active mode.


    Meanwhile, South Korea was in an uproar.


    (Breaking News) Shocking! The legendary cksmith Grid made a normal rated item!


    (Breaking News) South Korea missed the gold medal... It¡¯s virtually impossible to get 1st ce now! Grid, he enjoyed a promiscuous private life and forgot his duties.


    It was regrettable as a citizen of South Korea. South Korea, a country weak in Satisfy, could only dream about being ranked first due to Grid. But the media forgot this fact and wrote articles ming Grid.


    Grid, no, Shin Youngwoo¡¯s family were pained.


    "This is disgusting...! They are scum!¡±


    "Oh my, Honey. No matter how angry you are, don¡¯t use such words in front of Sehee!¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents felt sorry for their son who was on the TV. He was in a farawaynd for the honor of their country, only to receive a massive outpouring of criticism due to one mistake!


    "How resentful would he be!?¡±


    "He paid off all his debt and cleared his father¡¯s debt as well.¡±


    ¡°N-No, Honey... How many times have I told you that I will pay Youngwoo back? If you say that at this timing...¡±


    Sehee, who had been watching TV silently beside her parents, smiled.


    ¡°Oppa is fine.¡±


    Sehee was worried about his ipetent brother and took responsibility for him most of her life. She never outwardly expressed it, but she had been watching her brother closely. She saw her brother¡¯s expression and knew what he was thinking.


    ¡®He is frowning, but his left eyebrow is raised.¡¯


    Right now, her brother was feeling happiness and sadness at the same time. It was Sehee¡¯s analysis that the worst thing hadn¡¯t happened, and her insight was correct.


    ¡º A legendary cksmith made a normal rated item? I think there are countless people who are disappointed with the oue! But let that disappointment go! This is why a legend is a legend! Grid proved to be in a different ss from the other participants!! ¡»


    The host spoke meaningful words, and at the same time, the options of Grid¡¯s sword were revealed.


    [Sealed Transcendent Sword]


    Rating: Normal (Growth)


    Durability: 360/360 Attack Power: 401


    * One option is added every time the rating increases.


    The legendary cksmith Grid made a longsword with skills and amitment beyond human limitations.


    A de of steel that was hammered more than 45,000 times in a short period of time, it is beyond ideal and has a transcendent power.


    However, it is limited by the typical form, causing its power to be sealed.


    It will gradually find the right form and release its true strength in the process of being cut, hit and reworked.


    User Restriction: Level 300 or higher. Intermedia Sword Mastery level 7. 1,500 strength.


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°A growth type item?!¡±


    Panmir, Steng, and the other cksmiths realized it. The typical form that they believed to be ideal was actually a limit, and their mission was to break that limit. It wasn¡¯t possible for them to belittle Grid¡¯s abilities as just due to his luck or ss. Just by looking at the longsword produced by Grid, they found out the difference between his skills and theirs.


    ¡®Grid, I misunderstood you.¡¯


    Grid must have worked and trained like Panmir did to reach his current level.


    ¡¯...Respect.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t see this person properly because he was overwhelmed by his own pride and bias. Feeling embarrassed by his foolish self, Panmir admitted his defeat in his heart and bowed his head. The other cksmiths were the same.


    This was the moment when Grid reigned over the world¡¯s finest cksmiths. The ratings of the National Competition once again set a new record. There was one person who didn¡¯t care.


    ¡®Ah, shit. I became nervous when the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath appeared.¡¯


    Grid was sad.

 Chapter 442

    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Vitality, defense, and dexterity will rise by 200% for one hour.]


    [The production of the ¡®Longsword¡¯ has beenplete!]


    [The skill level of (Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has increased from level 7 to level 8!.]


    [The (Witness of God¡¯s Weapon) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 8 has increased the item¡¯s stats by 20%.]


    From this point on, Grid was filled with great anxiety. The probability of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath being activated was much less than the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience. There was still 0.2% left the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill, so why did it level up?


    ¡®This, perhaps...¡¯


    Could it be that the item he had to give up would have a legendary rating? Grid shivered as the worst situation came to mind.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath Lv. 6 has been activated.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath Skill Lv. 6 has increased the item¡¯s stats by 8%.]


    [The growth type item, ¡®Sealed Transcendent Long Sword¡¯ has been sessfully produced!]


    [As the first yer to produce a growth type item, the title ¡®Person who has Reached the Absolute Truth of Battle Gear¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The title effect ¡®increased item experience gain¡¯ passive will always apply!]


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    An item greater than a legendary item was lost. He felt sick. It was like a lottery winner losing his prize.


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Grid was frustrated.


    ***


    A growth type item.


    It became stronger the more it was used. It could umte experience in PvE and PvP, increasing the rank. Their stats were highpared to items of the same rating, and their stats increase with every rating was also great. Growth type items were ssified into two types.


    First, an item that a specific soul belonged to. Every time the rank of an item rose, the skill or attributes that the soul possessed when it was alive blossomed. The number and power of the skills and stats varied ording to the soul¡¯s rank, and it might not bypatible with the master. There was a special story rted to the soul, meaning it was likely for there to be a hidden quest.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and Iyarugt acquired after the Elfin Stone raid belonged to this category. Nobody knew the soul rating of Elfin Stone and Iyarugt yet.


    Secondly, there were items without a soul. One option was added every time the rating increased. Since options were added to help the user rather than being random, the higher the rating, the better thepatibility with the user. In other words, it had simr characteristics to a ss item. Its power was more stablepared to those with souls, but it also meant it was difficult to enjoy a dramatic effect.


    Grid¡¯s Sealed Transcendent Sword belonged to this type.


    ¡¯No matter what, the value is astronomical!¡¯


    The world was still.


    "...¡±


    The hundreds of thousands of spectators filling the Stade de France National Stadium and the millions of viewers watching the TV and Inte held their breaths. Out of these people, 99.99% were aware of the concept of growth type items. However, they had no experience with seeing them, so the impact of Grid¡¯s work was great.


    ¡¯It is an item that most yers probably can¡¯t get in their entire lives...¡¯


    ¡®Grid made it directly!¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t just a legendary cksmith. The footsteps that Grid was leaving were all legendary. The host opened his mouth while everyone was captivated.


    ¡º As I announced in advance, the item screening criteria for this match is ¡®value.¡¯ ¡»


    The list of 23 swords produced by the cksmiths appeared on the screen.


    ¡º The value is measured by the ¡®rating¡¯ and ¡®performance.¡¯ As you can see, Panmir and Steng¡¯s swords have the best rating, while Panmir has the best performance. ¡»


    Grid¡¯s work wasn¡¯t mentioned. It was natural. For the performance to be good, it needed a higher rating. Grid made a growth type item, but the longsword had a normal rating, meaning the performance was inferior to Panmir¡¯s longsword. But that was only a story for now.


    The 13 silent judges started to open their mouths.


    ¡º We have to consider the potential value of the item. ¡»


    ¡º The item with the highest potential is definitely Grid¡¯s longsword. ¡»


    ¡º The performance will increase as the rating bes higher ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s obvious that Grid¡¯s longsword will perform better than Panmir¡¯s longsword. ¡»


    ¡º Moreover, Panmir¡¯s longsword has a disadvantage. A condition of use is added. ¡»


    ¡º The performance is excellent, but the usefulness and value of the item will decrease if the conditions of use are increased. ¡»


    ¡º Thus, the 13 judges have decided that Grid¡¯s work is the best. ¡»


    ¡º We will award the gold medal to Grid. ¡»


    There was no bacsh against the judges¡¯ decision. There was no room to refute.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Thousands of people screamed and celebrated Grid¡¯s victory. Panmir also admitted defeat. But there was a problem. Grid wanted to reject the gold medal!


    "I would rather have my sword than the gold medal.¡±


    Through thispetition, Grid learned the principles behind making a growth type item. It was to follow the existing production method of an item, but to impose a power that couldn¡¯t be realized by the production method. However, it wasn¡¯t that easy to make. What would happen if he made an item ording to the production method? Even if he made 1,000 or 10,000 items in the future, his luck meant it wasn¡¯t realistic for him to get the items he wanted.


    ¡°Dammit...! Give me my sword!¡±


    Grid was desperate. He was determined to regain the Sealed Transcendent Sword that was in the hands of the host. Fortunately, Grid¡¯s words weren¡¯t passed onto the viewers. It was the power of the mute option.


    ¡°What is Grid saying?¡±


    "Doesn¡¯t it look like he is angry at the host?¡±


    "No, why can¡¯t we hear Grid¡¯s voice?¡±


    The audience murmured as they started to detect the strange atmosphere. Director Yoon Sangmin of the S.A. Group and the French prime minister approached Grid. It was to ce the gold medal around Grid¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ohh, Grid. Nice to meet you. I watched your actions well~¡±


    The French prime minister greeted Grid in poor Korean. There would probably be few people in the world who would refuse a handshake from a high ranking politician of another country. But Grid refused! No, he didn¡¯t even see the French prime minister.


    Grid was only interested in his longsword. Grid started to form tight fists. He was about to lose his temper when Director Yoon Sangmin whispered to him.


    "Grid, your work will be disyed forever in the Hall of Fame and receive numerous praise. Countless people will appreciate your work and honor your achievements, increasing your value. So don¡¯t get stuck on the immediate benefits and calm down.¡±


    The rules were the rules. Not sticking to them would just bring him damages. Grid identified Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s warning and eventually controlled his temper, bowing his head.


    ¡°...Damn.¡±


    "...¡±


    Snap!


    Snap snap!


    Photos were taking of the French prime minister, who barely managed to suppress his unpleasant feelings, cing a gold medal around the frowning Grid¡¯s neck. Shouldn¡¯t a gold medalist be rejoicing? Grid¡¯s current appearance was simr to Sohn Kichung at the Berlin Olympics.


    It was terrible.


    ***


    ¡°I will go beyond you in the next National Competition.¡±


    "Grid, I really learned a lot today! It was a valuable experience! If I get a chance, I will see you againter!¡±


    "...¡±


    The words of the cksmiths, including Panmir and Steng, didn¡¯t reach Grid¡¯s ears. He was locked in deep thought.


    ¡¯Why am I so unlucky?¡¯


    He already realized that he wasn¡¯t a lucky person. But he never imagined that this bad luck would be holding onto his ankles for all his life.


    ¡®Why is it a top item when I can¡¯t keep it?¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t it appear usually? Dammit!


    ¡°...Wait.¡±


    Grid was walking down the corridor when he suddenly smiled. It was because he had an interesting idea.


    ¡¯If I continue to resist and do my best, I will someday ovee even my bad luck.¡¯


    This was just a trial. That¡¯s right. At this moment, Grid perceived that he could ovee the ordeal from the sky.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s see who will win.¡¯


    As always, he would be the final winner. Grid vowed to go against the heavens as he started his mind control. Just look back at this National Competition.


    ¡®I got many things.¡¯


    He learned how to make growth type items and got gold medals. The sword was a small sacrifice to obtain these precious things, so his mind calmed.


    ¡°This is interesting.¡±


    The same fact could be seen from a different perspective. Most people naturally knew this, but Grid only discovered it when he matured. Someone came towards him as he started humming.


    The long National Competition was now reaching its final stages.

 Chapter 443

    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The person who shouted Grid¡¯s name was Blood Warrior Katz. Grid was very surprised because he was an unexpected person.


    ¡®Why is heing to see me?¡¯


    Grid had no connection to Katz. In the days when he was still a beginner. Grid enhanced the Ideal Dagger to +6 and went to the market to boast, only to witness Katz¡¯ +8 weapon by chance.


    "What do you want?¡±


    Katz spoke bluntly to the puzzled Grid.


    ¡°Make me a growth type item! I will give you as much money as you want!¡±


    "...¡±


    As expected from a diamond spoon. Grid shrugged as he was reminded that Katz was the son of a prominent conglomerate in Japan.


    "Unfortunately, I¡¯m not epting productionmissions.¡±


    To be precise, Grid wouldn¡¯t ept it from him. Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to always make growth type items, and even if he made one, the priority would be selling it to the Overgeared members.


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Katz frowned as he received the negative answer. Katz was called rogue, trash, arrogant, and other words. Grid thought that Katz might take a threatening attitude. But reality was different. He might treat others with contempt, was selfish and said foolish things in public, but he wasn¡¯t a fool. He knew that his position was inferior to Grid, so he suppressed his nature and lowered his posture.


    ¡°Your... No, what do I have to do to qualify for your items?¡±


    ¡®Look at this guy.¡¯


    Grid was able to get a glimpse of Katz¡¯ desperation. He was a person prepared to do anything to get what he wanted.


    ¡®...Can I use him?¡¯


    Katz¡¯ value was very high, despite his nature. Grid considered it and made a decision.


    ¡°Go and ask Lauel.¡±


    "Your chief of staff?"


    "Yes, if you want one of my items, try and fulfill Lauel¡¯s request. I will make you an item depending on Lauel¡¯s decision.¡±


    Grid was sure that Katz would be useful to Lauel.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Katz nodded and left this ce. Grid looked at him walking away and was filled with joy.


    ¡®A person who didn¡¯t acknowledge me two years ago is now bowing to me...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Katz. Since his abilities as a cksmith had been revealed, it was clear that many prominent figures would approach him in the future.


    ¡®I am a real big shot.¡¯


    He could assert that he already had a sessful life. Pride boiled inside him. But Grid already knew that this pride shouldn¡¯t transform into arrogance.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t good to be too excited. I have to act more carefully.¡¯


    The attention on him was too high. He had to be careful of every action. Otherwise, there might be a bacsh. Grid took a deep breath and moved to the waiting room.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°God Grid! I knew you would do it!!¡±


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    Yura and Peak Sword weed Grid. They were delighted by Grid¡¯s victory. Thanks to Grid¡¯s gold medal, South Korea now had a chance to take first ce on the overall rankings, but that wasn¡¯t why they were happy. They were delighted solely due to their liking for Grid.


    ¡°Thank you for always encouraging me.¡±


    Grid replied in an unusual tone and sat on the couch. Peak Sword was confused.


    ¡®Why is God Grid acting like this? Did he eat something bad?¡¯


    Ah, he thought about it. It seemed like Grid¡¯s mental state was a mess because he was deprived of the growth type item he made. Would he be able to demonstrate his full ability in the pet marathon if he was in this state? The anxious Peak Sword started thinking up ns to fix Grid¡¯s mental state.


    "I¡¯m going to close my eyes for a while.¡±


    Gridy back on the couch and closed his eyes. Grid wanted to go back into Satisfy and check Noe¡¯s status again, but he didn¡¯t have time.


    Indeed. He had barely closed his eyes for 10 minutes when a call came. As a pet marathon participant, he was invited to attend the press conference.


    ¡°There are no breaks.¡±


    "Time is limited, so it can¡¯t be helped...¡±


    This was why other yers refrained from participating in two events a day.


    ¡®Will Grid¡¯s concentration and staminast?¡¯


    Peak Sword couldn¡¯t hide his worries as he asked.


    ¡°You must be tired from hammering for eight hours. How about you take a break while I go to the press conference?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know about Huroi, but making you my spokesperson...¡±


    Grid was worried it would be a repeat of ¡®Do you know?¡¯


    ¡¯Still, I would rather it be Peak Sword than Huroi.¡¯


    Grid imagined Huroi cursing at the reporters, shook his head and got up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Hoh... Grid said something like that?¡±


    One of the audience seats in front of the pet marathon. Lauel heard the story about how Katz came to him and felt amazement. He realized that Grid was learning how to deal with people.


    ¡®Taking advantage of Katz¡¯ position to send him to me... He really is growing in many ways.¡¯


    Originally, Grid was a slow learning person. He experienced the same conditions as others, but was always behind. However, that changed the moment he visited the Behen Archipgo. His growth rate had elerated.


    ¡°Kukukuk, this is interesting.¡±


    Katz¡¯ hands and feet shrivelled due to Lauel¡¯s uniqueugh.


    ¡®Katz...¡¯


    Considering his power, financial strength, and position in Japan, Katz was an S-ss person. He had many avable things. The disadvantage was his personality, but most members of Overgeared were already strange, so it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡®It¡¯s better to obtain him.¡¯


    Lauel decided and asked Katz.


    "I know you have the power to join guilds, so why haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being interfered with. I dislike rules.¡±


    "Wow, you. You would¡¯ve fainted if you were born a South Korean. You would¡¯ve had to go to the army.¡±


    ¡°...I would¡¯ve gotten out of it. No, why are you suddenly asking this?¡±


    ¡°Join the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°You want me in Overgeared?¡±


    Katz¡¯ face distorted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Katz refused without thinking about it. However, Lauel expected this and justughed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to. You will never be able to obtain Grid¡¯s items.¡±


    "...¡±


    Katz¡¯s eyes shook. He really coveted Grid¡¯s items.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s natural.¡¯


    Katz was aiming for the top. He already dered two years ago that he would reach first in the rankings. However, he wasn¡¯t able to achieve his goal because of hiscking abilities and items.


    ¡®Anyway, there¡¯s nothing to lose.¡¯


    Lauel was overflowing with confidence. He made a wicked grin reminiscent of Grid and made the offer again to Katz.


    ¡°Join Overgeared.¡±


    He swallowed down the words, ¡®be Grid¡¯s ve.¡¯


    ¡°However, if you want to join Overgeared, you have to beat Grid in PvP.¡±


    ¡°Beat Grid?¡±


    "Yes, you¡¯re able to defeat him. Your fighting style is a good match against Grid... How about it? If I tell you how to beat Grid, why don¡¯t you try it once?¡±


    "...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Lauel the closest person to Grid? Why did he want Grid to be eliminated? Katz didn¡¯t question it. He grew up watching friendship be snuffed out like a candle in front of greed. Now Katz only felt one thing.


    Anger!


    "You will teach me how to win against Grid? Stop talking nonsense! I can beat Grid with my own power, even if you don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    Katz¡¯s character had changed a lotpared to when he just became a Blood Warrior. He realized that everything in the world wasn¡¯t solved by money and there were a limit to his talent. From that time, he gave up on his arrogance. In other words, his deration that he could beat Grid was a judgment based on reasonable grounds.


    ¡°Okay, I will beat Grid. In addition, I don¡¯t care how you use me. I will do anything if it means getting Grid¡¯s items. However, if you use me and then hit me in the back of the head, be prepared. I will put my whole power into killing you in the game.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... Our agreement has been established.¡±


    "...¡±


    Goose bumps formed on Katz¡¯ skin.


    ***


    There were 53 people participating in the pet marathon. An average of 1.5 people from each country participated. They sat facing hundreds of reporters.


    ¡°Grid has hell¡¯s best demonic beast, a memphis. Inst year¡¯s National Competition, the memphis showed its dominance by beating dozens of wyverns alone.¡±


    "It is the opinion of many people that the winner of the pet marathon this year will be Grid. What do you think about this?¡±


    Did the other yers have the power to fight against Grid? Most people around the world were curious about this part. The yers answered easily.


    "There is nothing perfect in Satisfy.¡±


    "We have already grasped Noe¡¯s weakness and figured out a strategy.¡±


    ¡°Noe won¡¯t win a gold medal for Grid!¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t this tiring?¡±


    Grid looked tired as he watched the yers shouting with confidence.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the repertoire of every event the same?¡¯


    Before the start of the game, it was a pattern of confidence and then eventual defeat.


    ***


    The pet marathon started 30 minutes after the press conference.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Noe appeared at Grid¡¯s side. He had been eating well over the past year, meaning his ck fur was shiny and his tongue was a vivid pink. The soles of his feet were softer.


    ¡°The best demonic beast of hell has emerged! Nyang!¡±


    Noe shouted as his stomach protruded! The ? shaped mouth opened with acent expression, making people realize.


    ¡°Fearsome guy... The level of cuteness has increased so much that his level must¡¯ve risen tremendously!¡±


    ¡°He will be a tough opponent.¡±


    The other yers who summoned wyverns couldn¡¯t help admiring Noe¡¯s strength. But they still didn¡¯t lose confidence. It was because in thest year, they gained a lot of information and fully understood the memphis¡¯ weakness.

 Chapter 444

    Of the 53 yers who participated in the pet marathon, 52 of them (except for Grid) were pet specialists. Since their sses were in the monster tamer series, their understanding of pets and their ability to collect information was unmatched. It was no wonder that they studied the memphis and came up with a strategy against it.


    ¡®Even if it¡¯s called the best demonic beast of hell...¡¯


    ¡®In the end, a memphis is just a cat monster.¡¯


    ¡®A cat monster has many weaknesses!¡¯


    They made confident expressions and started summoning more pets after the wyverns. Surprisingly, the pets they summoned weren¡¯t strong like wyverns. Rather, they were insect-like monsters such as giant glow worms, gold cockroaches, and light butterflies. They had weakbat ability and low intelligence, so they generally weren¡¯t used.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they going to try their best?¡±


    In order to win the pet marathon, the pet¡¯sbat ability, agility, and endurance were the key. They had to reach the destination first while keeping other pets in check. Then why did they summon weak insect type monsters? The viewers were confused by the unexpected situation.


    On the other hand, the experts immediately understood the yers¡¯ intentions.


    ¡º The yers are well aware of the weaknesses of cat monsters. ¡»


    ¡º For viewers who are unfamiliar with it, there is one thing that the summoned pets have inmon. They produce light by themselves. ¡»


    ¡º And cats are creatures sensitive to light. In particr, they have the habit of chasing light when they see it moving. ¡»


    ¡º In that sense, the giant glow worms, gold cockroaches, and light butterflies will act as counters to the memphis. ¡»


    Giant glow worms, gold cockroaches, and light butterflies. These three monsters had the ability to emit their own light. The worm-like 2 meter long giant glow worm emitted a gentle light from its tail, the gold cockroach shed an intense gold, while the wings of the light butterfly emitted light. They were all beautiful lights used to dazzle their target.


    Noe¡¯s mouth twitched as he saw them.


    ¡°Nyong. Nyong nyong.¡±


    His pupils became bigger. He made a strange sound andy t on the floor, his chubby butt up in the air. He shook his butt to the left and right as the glowing light from the monsters caught his eyes. He looked like a cat trying to hunt a mouse.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Grid was perplexed by Noe¡¯s strange behavior and urgently checked his status.


    Status: Committed


    (I must catch these shiny things! Nyang! I was born into this world to hunt them! Nyang nyang!)


    "This is...¡±


    The only weakness Grid knew was Noe¡¯s tail. He had made a tail guard to thoroughly prepare for this. But he was hit by an unexpected weakness. The moment Grid made an absurd expression.


    ¡º Then the match will start! ¡»


    The referee shouted! A magic bead exploded. The explosion was the signal as the wyverns at the starting line immediately unfolded their wings. The other yers approached Grid as they looked at the wyverns flying away.


    ¡°How about it Grid?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we different from thest National Competition?¡±


    Last year¡¯s National Competition was very different from this year¡¯s. Simply put, this year was much more professional. Themon denominator withst year¡¯s participants was that they had wyverns. However, this year the participants were pet professionals. Unlikest year¡¯s contestants, they had the ability to fight back against Noe.


    "...¡±


    The yersforted the silent Grid.


    "Well, you don¡¯t have to be ashamed. We¡¯re the best in our field.¡±


    ¡°Yes Grid. Don¡¯t bear bad feelings towards us. In the first ce, you couldn¡¯t beat us in this event. No one will criticize you.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was silent to the end.


    ¡°Nyong nyong. Nyong.¡±


    He just quietly watched as Noe sneaked up in order to chase the lights. The yers shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about resisting. Can¡¯t you only have three pets without a skill, and you can only summon two pets at a time?¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, we can summon up to five pets simultaneously. Even if you summon a wyvern-ss pet, we can summon a new pet and neutralize it.¡±


    "Haha, you probably want to hold a sword and fight directly, but how can you? This is the pet marathon stage. You can¡¯t move directly. Just watch silently.¡±


    ¡°Five at a time...¡±


    Grid finally opened his mouth. Then he smiled meaningfully.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? If you can summon five pets, why are you only summoning two?¡±


    As if it was a tacit rule, none of the yers summoned another pet apart from the wyvern and one to keep Noe in check. Grid looked at the yers preparing to pursue the drakes that disappeared beyond the horizon.


    ¡°If you summon several pets at a time, isn¡¯t it harder to control? It is simr to how your control weakens when your wyvern gets further away.¡±


    "...¡±


    The yers were inwardly embarrassed. It was because Grid spoke as if he had just realized something that wasmon sense to everyone else.


    "Well, I guess you learned that by yourself...¡±


    The yers decided to ignore Grid and move quickly. Noe had been neutralized by now. They no longer perceived Grid as an enemy and were nning to focus on victory.


    At that moment.


    "Kyong!¡±


    Noe, who had ran towards the giant glow worm, screamed in pain. He was hurt due to the invisible thread spread like a fortress around the glow worm¡¯s body. The yers saw Noe and smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it. Grid is nowpletely contained.¡¯


    ¡®From now on, the game will truly begin!¡¯


    The yers were happy about blocking the only variable. But they didn¡¯t know one thing. The fact that Grid had a hidden hand!


    ¡°Come out, Randy.¡±


    Jeurereuk.


    Grid gave amand and ck liquid poured out of Grid¡¯s pet inventory.


    ¡®Slime?¡¯


    The yers were confused by Grid¡¯s new pet.


    ¡°What can you do with a slime?¡±


    ¡°This is too shabby for ast hurrah.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t an expert in the field of pets. He might¡¯ve luckily obtained a memphis through a raid or quest, but it would be very difficult to tame the new pet afterwards. Thus, he brought out this slime. The yers smiled like it was cute.


    ¡°Turn into me.¡±


    Grid gave a bizarremand to the ck liquid. Then the liquid wriggled and did something surprising. It transformed into Grid!


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a slime, but a doppelganger?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a ck doppelganger.¡±


    The yers were impressed. A doppelganger could be used in many ways, but they were hard to tame because they were A-grade. It was difficult unless the person was a high quality pet trainer. Grid¡¯s doppelganger seemed different from usual doppelgangers, so they felt wary.


    "He has talent at scaring people.¡±


    ¡°He truly deserves to be called God Grid. He¡¯s very versatile.¡±


    The yers pped. They were curious, but didn¡¯t feel arge amount of tension. It was because doppelgangers didn¡¯t have highbat skills. A doppelganger dominated into a pet had very weak abilities. It could only copy 10% of its master¡¯s stats. It was clear that Grid¡¯s doppelganger was a named monster, but it couldn¡¯t copy more than 15% of his stats.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t worth watching.¡¯


    The insect monsters they summoned could easily handle the doppelganger. Randy gave despair to the confident yers.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    "...What?!¡±


    The doppelganger could copy skills? It was also a legendary rated skill? The yers finally realized the seriousness of the situation and urgently tried to summon new pets.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Waves of energy spread out, hitting the dozens of giant glow worms, gold cockroaches, and light butterflies...


    ¡°The level of those hastily obtained as a countermeasure for Noe wouldn¡¯t be high.¡±


    Grid dered as he watched the dozens of ash pirs rising towards the sky.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to take the gold medal.¡±


    Grid had been aware from a long time ago. He had to be careful of his words in order to not lost his prestige as master of Overgeared and lord of Reidan. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t speak lightly. That¡¯s right. Since the press conference at the beginning of the National Competition, Grid was already convinced that he would win the pet marathon when he dered that ¡®South Korea would win at least five gold medals.¡¯


    ¡°Catch them, Noe.¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Noe regained his spirit and energetically moved. His speedpletely exceeded the speed of the wyverns as he followed their path.


    ¡°Shit! Stop him!¡±


    The yers summoned all their battle pets at once and tried to stop Noe. For this moment, they were allied.


    Grid spoke in a calm voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Randy.¡±


    "Believe in me.¡±


    Clink!


    Randy had copied Pagma¡¯s appearance and defeated Grid 82 times. Once he reached level 240, the ¡®Copy¡¯ skill was strengthened and the strongest doppelganger slowly regained the power of the past. Now he faced the dozens of pets alone. It was enough to thrill the world.


    Grid¡¯s legend was written down.

 Chapter 445

    Randy¡¯s original Copy skill. He could copy 30% of his master¡¯s stats and two random skills. But now things were different. Randy evolved the moment he reached level 240, being able to copy 35% of the master¡¯s stats and three skills! It didn¡¯t matter if the skills were only level 1.


    ¡®Won¡¯t he be able to copy me perfectly someday?¡¯


    Grid appreciated the possibilities of Randy¡¯s development. It wasn¡¯t a baseless overestimation. Gridter found out that ordinary doppelgangers couldn¡¯t copy legendary skills. In other words, Randy was different from ordinary doppelgangers the first time he copied Pagma¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    A pet was ssified as a monster. The effect of the Efficient Hunting Sword inflicted additional damage on monsters, so Grid armed himself with it before calling Randy. Thanks to that, Randy was running wild.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuwek!¡±


    Randy copied Grid¡¯s appearance. With the Efficient Hunting Sword (Copy) in his hand, he ughtered dozens of pets. The pets were much weaker than wyverns and couldn¡¯t stand up to Randy.


    ¡°Kuwaaaah~!¡±


    A big monster, the two-headed hippopotamus, didn¡¯t lose its momentum and tied up Randy¡¯s feet. It withstood Randy¡¯s attack with its very thick skin and then threw him back using its 3.5 ton weight.


    Kuuong!


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Blood emerged from Randy¡¯s mouth. Despite the fact that he was wearing Triple Layers (Copy), his health was reduced by a quarter and his face distorted from the pain.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Grid knew Randy¡¯s heartbreaking story. He sincerely sympathized with Randy. He wanted Randy to be happy, unlike the past. But how could things in the world be easy? Grid always faced a major crisis and every time it happened, Randy experienced pain. In particr, ever since Randy learned the swapping locations skill, the number of times he was used as a bullet had increased.


    Grid felt sorry. However, there was no guilt. Why?


    ¡®Happiness is victory!¡¯


    Randy had to be strong in order to fight and win. That¡¯s right. Grid wanted Randy to be stronger and obtain happiness with his own strength. In fact, Randy was a pet, so being strong was an important factor.


    ¡®I will keep pushing you.¡¯


    Did Randy happen to feel Grid¡¯s scary heart? Randy felt a chill as he avoided the second round of attacks from the two-headed hippo and used Revolve. A counterattack triggered at the perfect timing. The master of the two-headed hippo, the American Btra was shocked.


    "Piercing my Jeep¡¯s leather with a blow...!¡±


    The two-headed hippo had one of the top three defensive power among the big monsters. They were ssified as tank-type pets and Jeep was over level 210. It was the pet that Beletra focused on the most after the wyvern. The food was top quality and Beletra really raised Jeep with a lot of pampering. Yet Jeep lost one-third of its health despite the hard work and love poured into it.


    ¡°What the hell is this doppelganger...?¡±


    As Beletra was in shock, Randy discovered that the weakness was its long body and short legs and linked attacks. It was difficult and slow to cope with the attack because Randy had moved to a ce where the two-headed hippo couldn¡¯t easily see.


    ¡°Kuwaaang!¡±


    The two-headed hippo started to cry and thementators spoke words of admiration towards Randy.


    ¡º A pet using a counterattack...! It¡¯s clear that Grid¡¯s doppelganger must be equipped with the same level of artificial intelligence as an NPC! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s certain. Grid isn¡¯t just overgeared, his pets are over... No, they are really amazing.. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s truly a top presence! ¡»


    In thest National Competition, Grid won three gold medals alone and made South Korea ranked second. This was a tremendous feat and most people predicted that Grid couldn¡¯t do it again. But at this moment! Grid was going to break his record!


    The little demon wings spread open as the chubby legs and tails moved. Thementators guessed that Noe was flying at a speed faster than any monster in the pet marathon and would catch up with the wyverns.


    ¡º Don¡¯t tell me... Grid might really be a myth? ¡»


    Everyone believed it was impossible. But now it didn¡¯t seem impossible. Grid was likely to win a gold medal in this pet marathon, and if so, Grid would¡¯ve won four gold medals alone. South Korea¡¯s current third ce ranking would rise to the top, making Grid the unprecedented person who made a country number one through individual effort.


    This was a solid record worthy of praise.


    ¡º Um... Maybe Grid can even win gold in PvP? ¡»


    ¡º Haha... Then Korea¡¯s 1st rank will be confirmed? ¡»


    ¡º Haha, it¡¯s impossible. Isn¡¯t Kraugel participating in PvP? ¡»


    ¡º Indeed, even Grid can¡¯t beat the sky above the sky. ¡»


    Thementatorsughed while Randy and the pets continued fighting.


    ¡°Shit! We¡¯re using up all our power!¡±


    Despite the fact that they had formed an alliance, the other yers were unable to defeat Randy. They became nervous and summoned new pets in order to attack Randy. Randy¡¯s momentum shrunk after he consumed skills and stamina to defeat the two-headed hippo.


    The monster tamers tamed monsters that were usually difficult to hunt. Randy was Grid¡¯s pet and had a high level, but he couldn¡¯t face all of them.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Randy was pushed to the defensive and couldn¡¯t attack. The crowd and viewers booed as Randy gradually slowed from the wounds on his body.


    ¡°All yers were working together!! Why isn¡¯t the referee stopping this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really too much. No matter how great Grid is, 52 people concentrating on him...¡±


    ¡°Grid and the Overgeared members fought fairly when they met each other in thepetition. What about these bastards? Don¡¯t they have a conscience?¡±


    "Wow, Grid and the Overgeared members are trying their best for the purpose of the National Competition. They are a guild with a very high level of awareness."


    "They are different from the Seven Guilds.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you bastards! Do it properly! This isn¡¯t a pet marathon but a Grid raid!¡±


    The anger of the crowd and public opinion on the Inte became the worst. The referee couldn¡¯t overlook it anymore and was about to restrain the 52 yers.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything now.¡±


    Grid muttered while the whole world was in turmoil. Thementators were talking like madmen.


    ¡º Noe has caught up to the wyverns! ¡»


    ¡º This is despite departing five minuteste...! Indeed, a memphis is the best demonic beast of hell! ¡»


    ¡º The yers made a mistake. They summoned several pets because they were obsessed with Randy. Due to this, they couldn¡¯t control the wyverns in the distance and the wyverns became confused. ¡»


    ¡º Noe didn¡¯t miss this chance! ¡»


    ¡º Ah! Noe just devoured the souls of the wyverns! Wow! Look at that eleration! It¡¯s faster than earlier!! ¡»


    There was no need to argue anymore. Grid won the pet marathon. Grid overwhelmed 52 pet specialists with just two pets. Grid¡¯s pets were just incredible.


    ***


    1st. South Korea (5 gold)


    2nd. United States (4 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze)


    3rd. Russia (4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)


    4th. Canada (3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)


    5th. Spain (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)


    6th. Japan (1 gold, 3 bronze)


    7th. Brazil (1 gold)


    8th. United Kingdom (4 silver)


    9th. France (3 silver)


    Joint 10th ce. Argentina, China (2 bronze)


    12th. Turkey (1 bronze)


    "...¡±


    Kraugel was thrilled when he checked the rankings after the pet marathon. It was surprising that Grid alone could sweep up the cksmith game and pet marathon, where the US had been expected to win gold medals.


    ¡®Grid, you are certainly great.¡¯


    How many people could prove they were the best in several fields? In that sense, Grid was special. He was unique in many ways, including hisbat abilities, cksmithing skills, ability to use items, and his pets.


    Kraugel felt a lot of respect. It was the fourth time that Kraugel had such feelings towards another yer. But he couldn¡¯t get lost in his appreciation. Kraugel had to beposed. He was now in the position to make Russia first and obtain the medicine for his mother. To do that, he had to win the gold medal in PvP. Even if he respected Grid, he couldn¡¯t show this when they met in PvP.


    "...I must win this time.¡±


    There were only two events left in the National Competition. The individual ¡®carriage transporting¡¯ event and PvP. There were no more events where the US could aim for a gold medal. On the other hand, South Korea and Russia were in a position to win a gold medal in PvP, making it likely that one of them would be ranked first in the overall rankings.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Kraugel let out a deep breath and started to examine everything Grid showed in this National Competition. In a survey, 92.3% of respondents predicted that it would be Kraugel¡¯s overwhelming victory in the PvP that was three days away.

 Chapter 446

    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Ku tang tang tang!


    After confirming the updated rankings, Zibal couldn¡¯t contain his anger and kicked the table. As his body that had been trained through exercising, his strength was incredible. The table flew into the door and shattered.


    "The United States...! The US has missed the first ranking!¡±


    The US had been a leader in all areas for nearly two centuries. For example, in the case of sports, the US Olympics had been first in the rankings 25 times. It was natural for the US to win the Satisfy National Competition, so neither the American people or the yers doubted the result.


    But the result changed. It was due to only one person! Grid!


    ¡°That crazy monster...!¡±


    Zibal was truly going crazy. He couldn¡¯t discount Grid¡¯s abilities anymore and had to acknowledge his skills, but this was too much.


    ¡°This is pure luck...¡±


    He tried to argue, but it was too much. Zibal was convinced and eventually admitted it with a deep sigh.


    ¡°What has he been doing over the past year to be such a monster?¡±


    Grid had ovee all the weak points that were pointed out in thest National Competition and highlighted his strengths. It was virtually impossible for a person to grow to such a degree in one year.


    ¡°That guy... Was he originally a genius?¡±


    He lived roughly untilst year, so his skills couldn¡¯t show up properly? Lauel thought it was a ludicrous question.


    ¡®Other people are misunderstanding Grid as a genius...¡¯


    Strictly speaking, Grid was a genius of hard work. Anyway, Lauel felt good about Grid¡¯s evaluation. Zibal¡¯s rage was redirected to Panmir while Lauel was inwardlyughing happily.


    ¡®This is all because of him.¡¯


    If only Panmir hadn¡¯t provoked Grid. Grid wouldn¡¯t have yed in the cksmith production game and the US would¡¯ve solidified the number one spot. The US was ced in the worst situation because of Panmir. Zibal wanted to pour out all the me onto Panmir. But he wasn¡¯t in a position to do so. Panmir was a cksmith that the Snake Guild couldn¡¯t lose before he was the US representative.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Zibal was also at fault for losing the gold medal in the raid event. He took deep breaths and calmed his mind. Then he desperately asked Lauel.


    "Do we have any possibility of winning a gold medal in the carriage transporting?¡±


    "As you know, the carriage transporting participants needs high eloquence or the charm stat to prevent the mercenary NPCs from having dark intentions. Zephyr might be a master of deception, but there is a limit to the sustainability, so he can only win a silver medal.¡±


    In the end, the winner of the carriage transporting was a country with a merchant or orator. If Grid had participated in it, he would¡¯ve easily won the event with his transcendent charm.


    ¡°Hrmm... Then PvP?¡±


    Lauel shrugged at Zibal¡¯s question.


    "I¡¯m well aware of Skull¡¯s strength. It¡¯s why I entrusted Skull with the most important role every time during the siege. But he can¡¯t bepared to Grid and Kraugel.¡±


    "...¡±


    Zibal felt wronged. Look at the current medals status! The 1st ce South Korean had 5 gold, while the third ce Russia had 4 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze. On the other hand, the United States had 4 gold, four silver and 5 bronze medals. If they simply looked at the medal count, the United States was overwhelming.


    He was sincerely angry that they couldn¡¯t aim for first ce because of one gold medal.


    "If only we could win one gold medal...¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t there be an endless number of criticism from the people of their country and the media? Last year, Zibal had been criticized despite leading the US to the number one position in the National Competition. It was because he lost several gold medals to Grid. However, this time the first spot would be taken away, so it was obvious that the criticism would be iparable tost year.


    Skull watched Zibal sigh and opened his mouth.


    "PvP has yet to be determined. Grid and Kraugel might face each other in the beginning and I might break one of them. Already giving up on the championship, I frankly don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Yes, the United States was the strongest. The representatives were the best in their field. Skull¡¯s power might seemckingpared to Grid and Kraugel, but he had never thought of himself as weak.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Skull. I will trust you.¡±


    Zibal regained hisposure and asked Skull for a handshake. But Skull refused to shake hands and walked away.


    "...¡±


    The nickname of the 2nd ranked Zibal was punching bag.


    ***


    ¡º ...For this reason, the winner of the carriage transporting event is likely to be Spain. The 1st ce on the overall rankings will be determined by PvP. ¡»


    The schedule for the National Competition had already been disclosed to the public three months ago. Based on this, after the end of the pet marathon, there would be another three days of rest. The reason for such a break to be included in thepetition?


    It was to give the yers time to recoup, but who would believe that? It was actually so that the French government, the host country of the 2nd National Competition, could attract tourists for a longer time, while the broadcasters could attract more advertising fees.


    This was the age of capitalism. And the monstrous Grid, who led this capitalist era, was talking with Yook Shihyun of the Comet Group.


    -Then I will ask you to act well in your next event.


    ¡°Only if you make the deposit.¡±


    -Huhu, we have thoroughly calcted it.Then I will be going.


    Yook Shihyun gave a charmingugh and hung up the phone. She was young, influential, and thought it would be nice to have a lover like Grid, who was wealthy. She worked extra hard, calling Grid and meeting him for no reason, but it was wishful thinking.


    She couldn¡¯t gain Grid¡¯s attention with just the specs of ¡®pretty charming and good ability!¡¯ There were much more attractive and talented people around Grid! Yura, Jishuka, and Irene. Due to environmental factors, Grid¡¯s eyes for women were mislead and they needed at least a D... Omitted.


    Grid connected to Satisfy and first looked at the state of Assimtion.


    [Assimtion]


    Will awaken Braham¡¯s sleeping consciousness in your body and be one.


    At this time, your ss will be converted to Great Magician¡¯ and control of the flesh will be transferred to Braham.


    Skill Duration: 3 minutes


    Skill Cooldown Time: 9 days, 13 hours, 7 minutes and 5 seconds.


    The reuse time of Assimtion was 10 days. But Braham was hit hard by closing the door to hell, making the skill reuse time increase by more than 80 days. It was why Grid didn¡¯t use Assimtion throughout the National Competition...


    ¡®If the speed of the carriage transporting or PvP is slow, I can use Assimtion in the finals.¡¯


    Please don¡¯t let him meet Kraugel until the finals. It was doubtful if his earnest prayer would work as he wished. In addition, even if he reached the finals, he couldn¡¯t be sure that the cooldown time of Assimtion would be over. Grid took out his hammer and repaired his equipment perfectly, then he left the smithy.


    Unlike usual, he headed straight for the fields without looking for Irene. Piaro and thousands of farmers were seen.


    ¡°What do you get when you nt beans in the field?¡±


    ¡°Beans!¡±


    ¡°So pathetic! You still haven¡¯t seen the peak of agriculture yet! How many times have I told you that a real farmer would make beans and red beans grow at the same time!?¡±


    ¡°No... Piaro, how can we achieve the peak of agriculture?¡±


    ¡°You want us to grow both beans and red beans?¡±


    "Huhu, you have moved a hand plow 100,000 times a day and still haven¡¯t received enlightenment... It reminds me of someone."


    "...¡±


    Grid tried to ignore the conversation and checked the status of the farmers. They had sleek muscles wrapped in something like thin armor and their skin was a healthy bronze. Their eyes were also fierce. They looked more like warriors rather than farmers. In particr, the former soldiers of Prince Ren that Piaro picked up in the Altes Mountains had grown to be knights.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    How did Piaro abuse the farmers to create this? Grid admired Reidan¡¯s farmers who were much more powerful than the empire¡¯s elite soldiers, before approaching Piaro. Piaro already noticed Grid and greeted him politely.


    "You are busier than anyone, so why did youe to this ce?¡±


    Grid bluntly asked him a question.


    "Am I still weaker than Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Piaro replied without thinking about it. It was as Grid expected.


    ¡®I am foolish.¡¯


    Despite establishing a master and subordinate rtionship, Piaro hadn¡¯t changed. He was always honest and loyal. He didn¡¯t butter up to the master in the guise of mocking.


    ¡°Dammit... Okay, I understand.¡±


    The reason Grid visited Piaro before the PvP event was to gain some courage. But it just backfired. Instead of courage, Grid was only able to obtain the painful reality, making him leave the fields with weak steps. Piaro continued bowing until Grid disappeared, then he muttered.


    "However, if the both of you fight, My Lord can win.¡±


    Kraugel was strong because of his extraordinary mind and senses. During a battle, he kept in mind everything that could happen and anticipated the enemy¡¯s behavior, allowing him to respond quickly. But what if he couldn¡¯t predict Grid? Grid¡¯s battle style started to take advantage of his items and there were parts that even Piaro couldn¡¯t understand.


    Why didn¡¯t Piaro tell this to Grid?


    The reason was simple. Grid didn¡¯t ask who would win if he fought Kraugel, only who was stronger. Except for items, Kraugel¡¯s strength was much higher than Grid¡¯s.


    "Let¡¯s go to the rice paddies.¡±


    Piaro held his farming equipment and started to farm again. He was now Piaro, who was a farmer.

 Chapter 447

    ¡°Kieeeek!¡±


    [A junior vampire was destroyed.]


    [4,901,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [6,954,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [One deluxe magic stone has been acquired.]


    Three days until the PvP. It was nine days in Satisfy time, which Grid was going to spend hunting. It was to stimte hisbat senses while raising Iyarugt¡¯s experience at the same time. But it wasn¡¯t easy.


    [Iyarugt]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Experience: 85.98%


    "The experience gain isn¡¯t very good.¡±


    He¡¯d killed 40 junior vampires and 25 intermediate vampires, but the rate of experience increase was only 0.01%. The vampire cities were limited in the number of monsters, the vampires had excellent survival ability, and the speed of hunting was slower, making Grid feel nervous. He wondered if he could raise Iyarugt¡¯s rating in nine days.


    ¡®I would rather fight against other rankers in order to quickly gain experience. Um... Are there any better hunting grounds around here?¡¯


    He missed the inds in the 50¡¯s on the Behen Archipgo where high level monsters were scattered. But Grid¡¯s current save point was the 60th ind. It was pointless to go to the Behen Archipgo because he couldn¡¯t move past the 61st ind.


    "...Information is really important.¡±


    He would¡¯ve been able to ovee this shortage of hunting grounds if he had excellent information. If he knew this, he would¡¯ve made efforts to gather information.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Grid was smacking his lips together with regret when he recalled a conversation he had with Lauel a few months ago.


    ¡®Now that Reidan has the basic facilities, we are nning to install special facilities.¡¯


    ¡®Special facilities?¡¯


    ¡¯Now that we have the minimum of infrastructure and an army by raising agriculture, industrial, and academic facilities to a certain level, we must focus on collecting and exchanging information. First of all, we are going to set up a foreign department and assassin organization. In addition, there will be an adventurer¡¯s guild where we can buy information from adventurer NPCs and yers.¡¯


    ¡®Um, I see... You are quite busy. I believe you will do it well.¡¯


    ¡°This is really...¡±


    At the time, he didn¡¯t know the importance of information andughed at Lauel¡¯s words. But now he realized the importance of information, allowing him to know how excellent Lauel¡¯s foresight was.


    ¡®Lauel, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve given up by now.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have been able to lead Reidan properly, making it decay and eventually giving up. Grid, who was once again grateful for Lauel¡¯s existence, deliberately allowed the vampire to attack his side and counterattacked with Iyarugt.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 79,900 damage to the target.]


    [You have absorbed 9,588 health due to the option effect of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring (Epic).]


    What was one of the most important things in hunting? Was it the overwhelming attack power that could deal with the monsters? Was it the defense that could withstand the monsters¡¯ onught? No. No matter how high these two were, it was meaningless if the duration was short.


    One of the most important parts of hunting was the endurance inbat. It was easier to hunt for a long time because of this endurance. Potions were a necessity for hunting. In general, yers had to hunt while waiting for the cooldown of the potions, making it very tiring.


    However, Grid was different. Grid had Doran¡¯s Ring that could restore damage, as well as Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring which had a bloodsucking effect every 12 seconds! He also had the most efficient potions from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility, giving him the battle duration of a healer. No, he was probably as good as someone else. It wasparable to Blood Warrior Katz.


    ¡®I would like to raise the rating of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.¡¯


    Elfin Stone¡¯s ring didn¡¯t gain as much experience as Iyarugt. The effect only urred once every 12 seconds, so the experience was limited. Simrly, Tiramet¡¯s Belt only umted experience when it was attacked, due to the nature of armor.


    ¡®Still, if Ipare the item experience rate to the rate before getting the buff, it¡¯s definitely faster.¡¯


    It felt 1.5 times faster? But it was stillcking. Grid was immersed in hunting and eventually left the vampire city. Then he sent a whisper to Lauel.


    -Do you have information about any good hunting grounds?


    -No.


    Lauel answered emphatically.


    -...I see.Well, getting new information isn¡¯t that easy.I understand.


    In the end, Grid was forced back into the vampire city. Meanwhile, Lauel apologized several times to Grid in his heart.


    ¡®In fact, I got a new update about a hunting ground that is better than the vampire cities a while ago...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t say it yet. Lauel didn¡¯t want Grid to grow. Why? Lauel was hoping Kraugel would win in PvP!


    ¡®I can create any variables that will stop Kraugel from joining our team. Grid, this result is for you. Please forgive me.¡¯


    It was justified, but deceiving his master weighed on his heart.


    Sigh.


    Lauel sighed heavily, covered half of his face with his hand and leaned against the wall.


    "s, the greed of the loyalist is a terrible and beautiful thing...! But the tears of blood that I am shedding are for Grid. I can tolerate this pain forever...!¡±


    The hands and feet of the maids passing by Lauel curled in disgust. The road to the production of Lauel¡¯s ¡®Reidan Female NPCs strategy¡¯ was long and tough.


    ***


    ¡º Today I¡¯ll take a look at the top candidates to win the National Competition. First, the United States. They have thergest number of medals and there are two events remaining. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for them to obtain a gold medal. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a pity. If they could just win one more gold medal, the US obtaining 1st on the rankings would be a fact. But this isn¡¯t possible... ¡»


    ¡º Still, I think they have shown the dignity of the champion of the 1st National Competition. The United States is the only one out of the 32 participating countries to reach the top in all events. ¡»


    ¡º But it isn¡¯t meaningful. Isn¡¯t a gold medal the best result? Look at South Korea. ¡»


    ¡º They have five medals... All five are gold medals... ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s truly an unusual record. It¡¯s a country specialized in some events. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it more appropriate to see it as ¡®Grid¡¯ rather than a country? Grid alone won four of the five gold medals. ¡»


    ¡º Yura picked up a gold medal in hell running, but she tends to be overshadowed by Grid. To be honest, I can call it a one-man team. ¡»


    ¡º Grid is really great. He¡¯s full of surprises every time he appears in public. But can he y an active role in PvP? ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t possible because there is Kraugel, who is first in the overall rankings. ¡»


    ¡º Grid is more versatile than Kraugel, but in the end, he¡¯s evaluated as weaker than Kraugel. Let¡¯s look at the survey on the Satisfy website. 92.3% of the 280 million respondents stated that Kraugel would win. ¡»


    ¡º Of the 280 million people, around 260 million are expecting Grid to lose? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Kraugel is the peak of two billion users and is called the sky above the sky. It¡¯s natural for him to overwhelm Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Invited experts, do you think that Grid will be defeated by Kraugel? ¡»


    ¡º Grid is difficult to predict, making me reluctant to say anything, but I¡¯m also expecting Kraugel¡¯s victory. ¡»


    ¡º Looking at the two people¡¯sbat records in thispetition, it¡¯s obvious that Kraugel is far superior. ¡»


    ¡º Grid dominates in attack, defense, and health, but Kraugel can neutralize most of that. Meanwhile, Grid can¡¯t neutralize Kraugel¡¯s advantages... ¡»


    ¡º Um... You will see why Kraugel is called a god. ¡»


    The yers, including Grid, were connected to Satisfy to prepare for thest event. The international stations broadcasted special programs every day talking about the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel. Indeed, numerous broadcasters and experts analyzed Grid and Kraugel. Based on this, the likelihood of Kraugel winning in a confrontation between the two people was over 90%.


    Did this indicate that Grid was weak? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid¡¯s strength had been well proven and everyone in the world admitted this. However, the opponent was too bad.


    The sky above the sky, Kraugel. A unique presence that was like an insurmountable mountain. Even the Overgeared members determined that it would be hard for Grid to win.


    ¡®In the Reidan match, Kraugel was tired and not at full strength.¡¯


    ¡®His ultimate skill was on cooldown.¡¯


    But.


    ¡®We couldn¡¯t have won against the weakened Kraugel.¡¯


    ¡®It was only Grid who could win.¡¯


    ¡®Grid, have strength.¡¯


    ¡®Beat everyone¡¯s predictions!¡¯


    Grid, who wanted to raise Iyarugt¡¯s rating. Kraugel analyzed Grid¡¯s power and prepared dozens of strategies in order to block all variables. In addition to them, strong users such as Damian, Pon, Regas, Seuron, Chris, Katz, Hao, and Tarma thoroughly prepared for the PvP.


    As expected, the winner of the carriage transportation was Spain and the PvP opening ceremony was held afterwards.


    ¡º First, the lots will be draw! The 64 participants of PvP are going on the stage! ¡»


    Just like the siege, the opponents they would be facing was decided by drawing lots. This was for the sake of fairness, but Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling anxiety.


    ¡®What if I face Kraugel in round one?¡¯


    Grid feared his own bad luck! He nervously gulped and firmed up his heart. He vowed to ovee his own bad luck.


    ¡®...Go.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes sharpened and he climbed onto the stage with the other yers.


    "Why didn¡¯t you participate in the carriage transportation? You should have high charm as a duke, and then you would¡¯ve won the gold medal in that event.¡±


    Kraugel asked Grid. Grid¡¯s answer was simple.


    ¡°I wanted to fight you again. This time, in equal conditions.¡±


    There was a reason Grid dered that ¡®South Korea¡¯ would win at least five gold medals in the press conference before the National Competition. He didn¡¯t mention six gold medals because he thought he would be defeated in PvP. That¡¯s right. Grid nned to participate in PvP from the beginning.


    He intended to lead South Korea to the championship, win gold medals and receive big rewards.


    ¡°The fight with you is enough to sacrifice them.¡±


    Fighting with someone superior. Grid believed that this would be a stepping stone to help him grow leaps and bounds from the past. No, it didn¡¯t matter. Grid just wanted topete with Kraugel.


    "I am also dreaming high. How high is the sky that I am going to break?¡±


    "...¡±


    The flower of the National Competition, the PvP event. With hundreds of millions of viewers watching in real time, Grid and Kraugel faced each other on the stage.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Grid! Grid!¡±


    ¡°The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky!¡±


    The two people were driving the entire world into a crucible of excitement.

 Chapter 448

    "I will challenge the best, Kraugel.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were burning with passion. Prior to victory and defeat, he was enjoying this moment.


    Kraugel¡¯s conscience was smashed.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know it, but he had already made an unfair deal with Lauel.


    ¡®I don¡¯t deserve to answer your pure heart.¡¯


    Kkuok.


    Kraugel¡¯s face was disgusted and saddened as he formed a fist. Satisfy was no longer a game to him. He couldn¡¯t enjoy it. It was merely a means of achieving his purpose. He felt ashamed and sorry towards the many yers aiming for him, including Grid. But there was no reason to copse from the guilt.


    ¡°...I will only fight to win.¡±


    Kraugel swallowed down the poison in his heart. People didn¡¯t noticed the shade that covered his face as he stepped onto the stage, each step with the hope of fixing his mother¡¯s illness.


    Except for one person.


    "...¡±


    A hospital on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia. Kraugel¡¯s sick mother was lying in a room for a long time. She shed tears as she saw her son on the TV.


    ¡º The lots will be drawn ording to the country¡¯s ranking. ¡»


    Grid received the instructions of the host and was the first of 64 yers to approach the ss barrel. Then he grabbed one of the colorful balls inside it without hesitation. He would drive away the bad luck that gued him all his life! The host identified the number on the ball Grid picked up and shouted.


    ¡º Number 32. Grid has been assigned the 32 group. The next person is Skull of the United States.¡»


    ¡º Skull has been assigned number 12. ¡»


    ¡º Kraugel¡¯s turn is next. .¡»


    A lot of attention! The viewers focused on the TV as Kraugel approached the ss barrel. Then...


    ¡º Number 1! Kraugel is number 1! ¡»


    ¡º Huhu, this is very dramatic. ¡»


    ¡º Indeed. The best candidates to win, Grid and Kraugel, won¡¯t meet until the finals. ¡»


    ¡º If the two yers meet in the finals, won¡¯t the audience ratings exceed imagination? ¡»


    ¡º Maybe most of the world¡¯s roads will be empty? ¡»


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    Thementators were excited, while the audience and viewers were enthusiastic. The international broadcasters cheered. The biggest and best match was likely to happen, giving them record advertising rates! But the person who was even more joyful...


    It was Grid.


    ¡®Yes!¡¯


    Grid inwardly cheered with delight. He couldn¡¯t believe that he wouldn¡¯t meet Kraugel until the finals and thought he had finally shaken off his bad luck. But he soon realized his mistake.


    ¡º Hah... Another strong winning candidate, Hao of China, was assigned to group 32 with Grid. ¡»


    ¡º It will be a fierce battle from the first round. ¡»


    ¡º Chris, 3rd on the unified rankings, and Soul Predator Seuron willpete in the 31st group. ¡»


    ¡º The winner will fight the winner of group 32. ¡»


    ¡º Four winning candidates on one side of the draw... It¡¯s aplete group of death. ¡»


    ¡º Hah, Damian has drawn number 29. ¡»


    "...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t shut his mouth as he saw thepleted tournament table.


    ¡®No, does this make sense?¡¯


    Hao, Chris, Seuron, Pon, Regas, Damian, and Katz. The winning candidates were assigned close to Grid. Grid would have to fight someone strong in every match! Reaching the finals wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    "...This is too mentally exhausting.¡±


    It was impossible to shake off his bad luck.


    Grid shook as he once again realized it.


    "Well, it¡¯s good to build up experience.¡±


    ***


    ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯


    The miracle of the continent, Hao. He had no doubt that Kraugel was the only one stronger than him and now he stared at Grid.


    ¡®I will break him.¡¯


    His strength would surely be proven and Kraugel would be aware of him. Hao burned with motivation as he looked between Kraugel and Grid.


    ¡®Kraugel, I will make you look at me.¡¯


    The only one Hao acknowledged as strong was Kraugel. Hao had always been conscious of Kraugel and aimed for him. He wanted to be recognized and appreciated by Kraugel. Grid was a good scapegoat for this.


    ¡®I willpletely smash him.¡¯


    Hao promised. Lauel looked at Hao with a dark smile from where he was sitting on the stands.


    ***


    "It doesn¡¯t look like Grid will be able to make the finals.¡±


    "Being matched with Hao in the first game...¡±


    ¡°Drawing the 32nd number and fighting four consecutive winning candidates, it¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°One moment of weakness will cause him to be eliminated.¡±


    "What is this table...?¡±


    The expressions of the Korean people were dull. South Korea for number one! The dream that they would able to see due to Grid was going to crumble!


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this maniption?¡±


    ¡°It is 100% manipted. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be so hard for Grid alone.¡±


    ¡°Look at Kraugel¡¯s path. Isn¡¯t his luck ridiculously good? The only one who can face Kraugel on that side is Skull.¡±


    ¡°Bubat or Blood Carnival¡¯s Tarma were brilliant when they first appeared, but they died against Grid.¡±


    ¡°Russia must¡¯ve paid the organizers. They want to win.¡±


    The Korean people couldn¡¯t imagine. The reason why Grid¡¯s draw was the worst. It wasn¡¯t due to maniption, but purely the result of Grid¡¯s bad luck.


    ***


    ¡®This worked out well.¡¯


    Tarma. Even the 2nd ranked user was assassinated by him. He had been ignored by people since dying to Grid, but he didn¡¯t care. No, he viewed the situation positively. It meant his assassination target, Kraugel, wouldn¡¯t be paying attention to him.


    ¡®A 10 billion won neck.¡¯


    He was confident.


    Pisik!


    Tarma smiled as he checked the tournament table. The 1st match of the round of 64. Kraugel vs Tarma.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk! Good, this is very good!¡±


    The worst dark gamers group, Blood Carnival! Tarma would show his abilities that allowed him to be ranked in the top five! Tarma was filled with killing intent as he climbed onto the stage.


    In the center of the huge stage, Kraugel was already waiting. His eyes were sunken as his ck hair fluttered in the wind. Deep and dull eyes. His atmosphere seemed different from the past, but Tarma didn¡¯t care. The atmosphere meant nothing.


    ¡°The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky!¡±


    The crowd yelled. No, the world didn¡¯t doubt Kraugel¡¯s victory and cheered enthusiastically for him. But Tarma wasn¡¯t shaken. Not only did the crowd¡¯s voices not enter the world of Satisfy, he was already ustomed to being med.


    ¡®Kraugel, I will knock you down.¡¯


    Then he would go to the finals and get revenge on Grid.


    ¡°Kilkil.¡±


    Tarmaughed before putting on a mask. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary mask, but an item that strengthened his Stealth skill. The host identified Kraugel and Tarma and shouted.


    ¡º The 2nd National Competition¡¯s closing ceremony, the PvP event! This is now the first match! Start!! ¡»


    The PvP had an environment where participants could fight at will. A t and wide stage. The skill cooldowns and item durability would be reset at the end of each match. In the case of Grid¡¯s Assimtion, it was on cooldown before the match and didn¡¯t get the benefits of this system. In any case, the participants could do their best without worrying, allowing Tarma to open up his hidden power.


    Pahat!


    Tarma created shadows in all directions and hid himself in the shadows. The viewers were nervous when they saw him disappearing on stage.


    ¡º Tarma¡¯s shadow technique has been invoked! ¡»


    ¡ºShadow hiding is easier to hide in than Stealth and the emergence area can¡¯t be predicted. ¡»


    ¡º Viewers, please focus. Tarma will probably emerge soon from the shadows near Kraugel... ¡»


    Thementators worked hard to exin the situation.


    Puok!


    Kraugel suddenly put his hand on the ground and said calmly.


    "Heaven and Earth Rupture.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    It was truly an overwhelming sight. A destructive power that couldn¡¯t bepared to an earthquake shattered the ground and sky with intense force.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Tarma became wounded from the st and emerged near Kraugel with a scream. But it was from Kraugel¡¯s rear side. In the midst of the terrible pain, he tried to stab Kraugel without losing his coolness. However, his powerful dagger with the additional PvP damage and poisoning option didn¡¯t reach Kraugel. Kraugel predicted how Tarma would respond with his natural acumen and sharp senses, easily avoiding it and striking back.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Tarma had his heart pierced by White Fang and realized it as he looked into Kraugel¡¯s hollow eyes.


    ¡®This man is a monster...!¡¯


    The only one worthy of being the first ranked user. The sky above the sky! Someone on an entirely different dimension from Zibal.


    ¡°The sky above the sky...!¡±


    Dozens of shadows spread around the moaning Tarma, surrounding Kraugel. Who could¡¯ve predicted that the shadows would be used as a direct means of attack? Tarma believed that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be able to cope. In fact, Kraugel was upset by the number of Tarma¡¯s clones.


    His intuition told him it would be dangerous to allow an attack. Thus, he used Super Sensitivity. Hepletely surpassed the human realm as he avoided Tarma¡¯s shadow attacks and struck Tarma.


    ¡º Tarma! Logout! ¡»


    The match was over in a sh. Some techniques might be very shy, but they were also meaningless.


    ¡°...A scam.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s almost invincible.¡±


    The audience was startled. Super Sensitivity was a fraudulent scam that allowed Kraugel to have a 100% evasion rate and uracy. It was amazing because no matter how many times they watched, they couldn¡¯t get a sense of Kraugel at all. It was the same with the PvP participants.


    Apart from the few people called the winning candidates, the participants were very wary of Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity. Then Grid...


    "Hrmm.¡±


    He yawned with boredom. It seemed like he had no interest in this match in the first ce. There was no proof that he recognized Tarma as someone strong just a few weeks ago.

 Chapter 449

    ¡®He also used hiding as a means of attack when fighting against me. The specs are excellent. He can¡¯t escape from the innate limitations of an assassin?¡¯


    Surprisingly, Grid was appreciating this battle between Kraugel and Tarma. It was testament to the fact that Grid¡¯s thinking ability had evolved to another level afterpetition with the high rankers and elites during the National Competition.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know about assassination, but using stealth as a means of attack isn¡¯t advisable in an all-out war. It was obvious that the assassin would eventually reappear, and if they could predict where he would reappear depending on the situation, the strength of the hiding ability would be meaningless. It can be dealt with using a wide range attack.¡¯


    Tarma was a shadow assassin. Since he could use shadows as a means of attack and defense, it was better to leave it as a hidden card than to use it to attack. Just like the shadow assassin Grid once met in Winston. Wasn¡¯t he called the king of shadows, Kasim? He utilized not just his own shadow, but all the shadows from the NPCs around him.


    ¡®His ability to utilize stealth was also great...¡¯


    When he first heard the name ¡®King of Shadows,¡¯ he thought it was a bluff. Now that he thought about it, Kasim was a really strong man.


    ¡®...A named NPC.¡¯


    What if Kasim at that time had pointed a knife at him?


    ¡®There is a 100% probability I would¡¯ve died. He didn¡¯t run away because he was afraid.¡¯


    He let Grid off. It was questionable.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid thought deeply, but he had no way of knowing the truth. That¡¯s right. Despite how high his stats and insight rosepared to the past, Grid still didn¡¯t know. The great king of shadows was guarding his son, Lord!


    ***


    PvP.


    The area of one-on-one matches where no one was allowed to intervene. Only an individual¡¯s ability controlled the game. The victors of PvP could enjoy the feelings of joy and pride, while the losers felt the shame of defeat. A scene where hearts intersected.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The crowd shouted loudly. The spectacr battles of the greatest representatives of each country was making the crowd excited.


    ¡°Hey, who is this? Isn¡¯t it the 3rd ranked user who ran away from me with his tail between his legs the other day?¡±


    The 31st match that urred after dozens of matches.


    Chris vs Seuron. Two men who were the masters of one of the seven guilds stood on stage. Soul Predator Seuron started talking.


    "Watching your weak self, I once again realized that the concept of ranking is pointless. Isn¡¯t that right? No matter how high your level, your skills are weak.¡±


    The meeting of the seven guilds that urred a few months ago. Seuron and Chris had fought after an argument. The result was Seuron¡¯s one-sided victory. Chris was defeated without being about to strike back at Seuron. Was Seuron stronger than Chris?


    No. It was because Chris hid his power. At the time, Chris had refused to join the alliance of guilds and they were suspicious that he was allied with Grid, leaving him isted in the middle of enemy territory. He was in danger of being killed, and epted the shameful defeat because of that.


    But now the situation had changed. This was one-on-one, not the middle of enemy territory. No one could intervene in the battle.


    ¡°As you said, rankings aren¡¯t an absolute measure of strength. Otherwise, Zibal wouldn¡¯t be ranked second right now. However, I¡¯m different.¡±


    "Kukk kuk, you have already been one-sidedly crushed by me. What are you going on about?¡±


    ¡°Then take a look.¡±


    Clink!


    Chris pulled out Grid¡¯s Greatsword, which he used 1.2 billion won to strengthen to +9. The blue-ck sword was covered in a white fog, looking overbearing, yet beautiful. Seuron frowned at the sight.


    ¡°You¡¯re using the same weapon as Grid! The rumor that you¡¯re allied with Grid is true!¡±


    ¡°Who says my weapon is the same as Grid¡¯s? It isn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t itpletely different?¡±


    Chris spoke a lie that seemed absurd. Seuron raised his voice.


    ¡°Nonsense! The greatsword you are holding right now looks exactly the same as Grid¡¯s greatsword! It is the same weapon!!"


    Chris shrugged.


    "It¡¯s different. Grid¡¯s Greatsword is only +8, while mine is +9."


    "...¡±


    Grid bowed his head with a grim expression as he watched the match from the standby seat.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Grid could only sigh. The legendary cksmith, Pagma¡¯s Descendant, had a passive that increased the chances of item enhancement. Grid should have more highly enhanced items than anyone else. But Grid had only been able to enhance items up to +8 around 15 times. In particr, he only enhanced 3 items to +9.


    Reaching the maximum enhancement that was +10? It was a product of his imagination.


    "...There is no chance with my bad luck.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t lift his head because he was ashamed. The other yers looked at him with sympathy, while Chris and Seuron pointed swords at each other.


    ¡°I will show you the power of a unique ratedbat ss!¡±


    Seuron had already trampled on Chris once, but he couldn¡¯t help shouting angrily at Chris. On the other hand, Chris was calm.


    "It¡¯s useless if you don¡¯t support your ss with skills.¡±


    No more words were necessary.


    Peeng!


    The moment the host called the start of the match, Seuron used Soul Explosion as a driving force to narrow the distance between him and Chris. At the same time, his sword moved at a fast speed. The number of people who could react to Seuron¡¯s sudden attack could probably be counted on one hand.


    But Chris was 3rd on the rankings. He didn¡¯t raise his level quickly because he got a special ss optimized in hunting like Zibal. Chris wasparable to Kraugel, not Zibal. He was a man who came to his present position with his swordsmanship and skills!


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Seuron¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    ¡®He blocked it?¡¯


    Setting aside Grid, the majority of people who used greatswords had slow attack speeds. It was the same for Chris, who was at the peak of greatsword users. He distributed stats based on strength and stamina rather than agility, and the greatsword itself caused a decrease in attack speed.


    But for Chris, the concept of attack speed was meaningless. He overcame the disadvantages by extracting maximum efficiency for minimal movements. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop Seuron¡¯s sword, so once the two swords collided, Chris concentrated his strength and threw Seuron¡¯s body back before counterattacking.


    ¡®Using attack and defense at the same time...!¡¯


    Seuron was amazed as he summoned Soul Armor to minimize the damage caused by Chris¡¯ counterattack. Then he fired Soul Arrows.


    Pepepepeong!


    Using a ranged attack while moving backwards was a very effective way to keep an enemy in check. Especially if an attack motion wasn¡¯t used. Seuron¡¯s attack skills used souls, so he was able to use them without any motions and his casting time was also fast. This was the tremendous ability of abat specific ss!


    "Hup!"


    Chris couldn¡¯t catch up and stopped the Soul Arrows with his greatsword. Seuron secured the desired distance and used Soul Transformation to strengthen the Brutal Heavy Sword.


    Wuuuong...


    Just like Chris, the Brutal Heavy Sword had been enhanced to +9 and it was wrapped in a strong blue light. Then the light shot out.


    Swaeeeeek!


    Grid was convinced.


    ¡®It should unconditionally be avoided.¡¯


    It was a powerful attack where the damage couldn¡¯t bepletely adsorbed, even if a tanker blocked with a shield. If Chris blocked with the greatsword, he would receive a heavy blow and his greatsword would be damaged. Grid would unconditionally avoid it instead of facing it head on. The attack was so sharp and quick that it would be hard to use Revolve.


    But Chris thought differently. In the first ce, for a greatsword user with low agility, avoiding was something they were bad at! He boldly gave up on defense and swung the greatsword to counterattack!


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    "Hup!"


    Chris and Sueron groaned at the same time. However, the one who suffered greater damage was Chris. Chris¡¯ greatsword had struck Seuron¡¯s shoulder, while Seuron¡¯s sword was pushed deep into Chris¡¯ heart. At this moment, Seuron was sure of his victory.


    He recovered his shield, summoned Soul Spear to block Chris¡¯ movements and cause additional damage, and tried to stab forward again. However, Chris¡¯ toughness was beyond imagination due to the unique rated second ss, Tyrant. He overcame the stiffness that urred due to the deadly blow. Then he ignored the soul bombardment and sent more power into the hands gripping the greatsword.


    Ttududuk!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Chris¡¯ greatsword dug further into Seuron¡¯s shoulder, causing him to scream and bend his knees. Due to this, the orbit of his sword was twisted and he couldn¡¯t reach Chris. The battlefield sharply tilted. Chris used the oppression of a Tyrant to deal a fatalbo. Sueron deployed Soul Prison to block Chris and try to fix the situation,. However, his health quickly became depleted because of Chris¡¯ strong power.


    ¡ºVictory! Chris!! ¡»


    "Wahhhhh!¡±


    "This is a high ranker!¡±


    "Different from Zibal!¡±


    The fierce battle heated up the atmosphere of the Stade de France.


    ¡º Now! Let¡¯s introduce the yers who will be fighting in the next round! ¡»


    ¡º The miracle of the continent! The dragon of China! ¡®Genius at fighting¡¯ Hao!! ¡»


    ¡º A monster who won four gold medals and raised South Korea to the top of the overall rankings! The first legendary ss! Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid!! ¡»


    ¡°The protagonist appears.¡±


    Grid climbed up on stage. The beautiful sword Iyarugt dazzled the spectators as it scattered jewel-like blood red light. Hao dered in front of everyone.


    "10 minutes. I will knock you down in 10 minutes.¡±


    Grid wanted to be the new sky? It wasn¡¯t even funny. Kraugel was the only sky and someday, Hao would break him.


    Grid replied to Hao, who was burning with fighting spirit.


    ¡°I will take one hour. I will knock you out shortly before the time limit.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why did it feel like the two people had changed? Grid always took down his opponents in a short amount of time, so his deration made thementators and crowd feel bewildered.

 Chapter 450

    ¡°I will take one hour. I will knock you out shortly before the time limit.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was strange since Grid always dered that he would suppress his enemies in an instant. The bewilderedmentators and viewers realized at once.


    ¡®Grid has a high appreciation for Hao¡¯s skills.¡¯


    ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s natural. Hao¡¯s control skills have received the ultimate evaluation of society.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he called the miracle of the continent, the genius of fighting?


    ¡®He¡¯s one of the people mentioned outside of Kraugel. Recently, Grid¡¯s control skills have grown to beparable to a high ranker, but it is still less than Hao¡¯s.¡¯


    ¡®Moreover, Hao has a skill to take off weapons and armor. Grid¡¯s biggest strength isn¡¯t avable against Hao.¡¯


    ¡®In other words, it¡¯s the worst... Grid has no luck.¡¯


    People didn¡¯t forget that Grid was a strong champion. But the word champion didn¡¯t mean invincibility. Candidates for winning had their own weaknesses. Unfortunately, Hao was the counter for Grid. Grid was an unlucky person who met Hao in the first round. The viewers watched Grid withpassion, while Hao expressed his confidence.


    "Do you think you can hold onto me for one hour? You will even knock me down? Don¡¯t speak impossible words. You will soon realize the reality.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid suddenly looked surprised at Hao¡¯s provocative remark. He tried to make his eyes as big as possible, but his facial muscles seemed stiff.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Hao and the audience were confused by Grid¡¯s surprised and awkward manner.


    ¡°Hey! Just released by the Comet Group! A diamond studded top of the line sound system installed on the capsule! Wonderful! I can clearly hear Hao¡¯s voice and the sound of his breathing! It is just like talking in real life! Hey! This is amazing! I must buy it!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid used PPL. He stuttered and blushed while shouting, but recited the script to the end. It was an image to show children and teenagers watching the National Competition how hard it was to make money.


    "...Grabbing some advertising fees because it¡¯s obvious you are going to lose.¡±


    Hao frowned. This shameful guy who only cared about money was going to beat Kraugel? Lauel¡¯s crazy words circled around his brain, making Hao angry.


    ¡®I will step on him.¡¯


    Hao also knew that Grid was strong. But it wasn¡¯t at a levelparable to Kraugel or Hao. Hao was qualified to have such high pride. Who was Hao? In the past, he was the monster that tied up 15 members of Overgeared alone for 5 minutes. Lauel had been amazed by his strength and wanted to recruit Hao.


    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t crack the sky. I will smash you before you reach the sky!¡±


    Hao dered. Then...


    ¡º Thest match of the 1st round! Grid vs Hao, the match will start now! It has started! ¡»


    The host shouted. That was the signal.


    Taack!


    Hao rushed as soon as the match started. He simply moved straight ahead, so it was easy for Grid to deal with. The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch, Iyarugt, and his high insight meant he could anticipate Hao¡¯s point of attack and respond with Iyarugt. But at that moment, something amazing happened. Hao¡¯s sword suddenly split into three!


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Which of the three swords were real? Grid was confused.


    Seokeok!


    Hao¡¯s sword shed at Grid¡¯s waist.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    Hao had a passive that ignored some of the opponent¡¯s defense. Grid was amazed when he saw the rising notification window. Hao read his expression and smiled.


    ¡°It must be bad.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. He just gazed at the notification windows in front of him. The shock was too great. Was it because the attack damage was too big? No.


    [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]


    3,000 damage. It was high, despite the fact that Triple Layers and his helmet reduced physical damage. However, this damage wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Grid, whose health was as high as 70,000. To be honest, Grid could express it as a tickle. Why was Grid so surprised? There was a reason.


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.1%!]


    ¡®Jackpot!¡¯


    Grid trembled with joy. The growth type item, Tiramet¡¯s Belt. This epic rated item, which increased its experience whenever it was attacked, only increased by 0.1% whenever it was struck 100 times by a vampire. Yet Hao¡¯s one attack raised the experience! It wasparable to when Grid fought the drake!


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t this mean that Hao¡¯s attack power is high?¡¯


    Grid was thrilled by Hao¡¯s work. Maybe...


    ¡®I might be able to increase the rating of Tiramet¡¯s belt in this round!¡¯


    There were two main reasons why Grid nned to fight Hao for an hour. First of all, he wanted to buy as much time as possible for the cooldown of Assimtion to end. Secondly, he wanted to maximize the experience of Iyarugt, Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, and Tiramet¡¯s Belt. But he had no idea the experience would increase so much.


    ¡®The ss is different.¡¯


    Grid acknowledged it. This much experience hadn¡¯t umted when he allowed hits from Bondre and Alexander. Certainly, Hao seemed to be different from them. In fact, Iyarugt was also nervous. He spoke for the first time in ages since the Piaro and Kraugel duel.


    [This person¡¯s attacks are very good. They are difficult to predict.]


    ¡®I feel it every time. You are really useless when fighting strong opponents.¡¯


    [Eek...! It can¡¯t be helped! I can¡¯t exert my power in this sealed form!]


    Iyarugt had a strong pride as hell¡¯s best swordsman, so his sword kept emitting petals of a bloody light as he protested. The beautiful effect dazzled Hao and the viewers.


    "That sword is too much for you.¡±


    "This guy is so cool because of me.¡±


    He invested a huge amount of money into the alchemy facilities, but the option that was added was ¡®Coolness.¡¯ Grid shuddered as he recalled the terrible result and said to Hao.


    ¡°How long are you going to rest? Come...¡±


    Shortly before his words finished. Hao moved in a zigzag to approach Grid and stabbed. In contrast to the earlier attack, this path was simple and easily blocked by Grid.


    Chaaeng!


    The moment the two swords collided.


    Chwaruruk!


    Hao¡¯s chain wrapped around Grid¡¯s waist with the aim of temporarily stopping Grid¡¯s actions.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The resistance to abnormal statuses didn¡¯t work with physical restraints. Grid¡¯s body was pulled forward and Hao stabbed with his sword. It was two attacks.


    [You have suffered 2,830 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,910 damage.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.2%!]


    "Kuah! It¡¯s true.¡±


    It was good that his item experience was rising, but it was ufortable to be hit so one-sidedly. In addition, the umtion of damage was burdensome.


    ¡®Very strong.¡¯


    The passive that ignored defense reduced the effect of Triple Layers. No, maybe Hao had a passive that dealt extra damage in PvP. Grid frowned as he released the chains and tried to counterattack. Heunched a straight and narrow attack to prevent Hao from avoiding it. The sword with the shortest orbit threatened Hao, but he easily blocked it.


    But there was a problem. It was Grid¡¯s ridiculously high strength.


    Kkirik!Kkikikik!


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    Was this the feeling of being trampled on by an ogre? Grid¡¯s strong power started to crush Hao, who couldn¡¯t bear the weight of Iyarugt.


    Chwaruruk!


    Hao winced, stepped back and once again threw his chain. However, Grid had rich battle experience and was unlikely to be hit by the same pattern. The moment that Hao threw the chain, he narrowly moved to the left, avoiding the chain. At this point, Hao didn¡¯t try to hit back because he was off bnce. This gave Grid the change to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill.


    ¡®Let¡¯s increase Yakult¡¯s experience!¡¯


    Kuooooh!


    The extreme sword filled with killing intent! Hao gulped at the fearsome energy and hurriedly moved.


    ¡®I can¡¯t allow it to happen!¡¯


    Half draconian Hao didn¡¯t have too many active skills, but he had a variety of passive skills. Increase in PvP attack power and defense, ignore some of the target¡¯s defense, neutralize some of the damage received, fast recovery etc. It was easy to say that he had a body optimized forbat. In a battle between yers, it was possible for him to deal more than 10,000 damage. Depending on the situation, he would deliberately allow the enemy to attack and then use it to counterattack.


    However, Grid¡¯s attack power was too burdensome. Hao thought of other rankers dying in one blow and desperately moved his hands.


    Teook!


    It was perfect timing. Hao grabbed Iyarugt with his hand and twisted it slightly.


    [Iyarugt has been unequipped!]


    [This is the result of a skill. You won¡¯t lose ownership of the item. In 12 seconds, the item will return to your inventory.]


    It was the usage of Weapon Shed. A secret technique that needed to be used at the perfect spot that was marked! It was a skill with the highest difficulty, much harder to use than a counterattack, and it made Iyarugt drop to the ground.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Hao used Dragon¡¯s Breath and stabbed his sword at Grid¡¯s heart. Grid was empty handed and couldn¡¯t block the attack, but it was too fast to be avoided. Hao was convinced that he would deal a deadly blow to Grid.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if he uses the God Hands.¡¯


    Hao was ready to threw chains to constrain them. In this situation, the only way for Grid to resist was with Magic Missile. Hao just needed to avoid that and...


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hao, who was smiling confidently, became shocked.


    Jeeeong!


    What gap did he pull it out of? Grid equipped himself with a blue ck sword in lieu of the lost Iyarugt. The camera zoomed in on Hao¡¯s shaky gaze as the attack was blocked.

 Chapter 451

    Hao was confused.


    ¡®It can be dangerous to have my judgment impaired in this state.¡¯


    Hao made a brilliant decision and leapt back, opening a wide distance from Grid. He was worried about the possibility of Grid catching up and dealing a counterattack. Hao thought about it after securing a safe distance.


    ¡®He pulled out a new weapon in one second?¡¯


    It was simple to swap to new items. First open the inventory, reach inside the inventory that was created in the air and think of the ¡®desired item.¡¯ However, it took at least 2.5 seconds toplete this sequence. This was also based on high rankers.


    The time it took to open the inventory and reach inside was around 1 second, then it took around 1.5 seconds to clearly recall the item they wanted. A yer with very high concentration could shorten that time to 2 seconds, but to do it in 1 second?


    It was impossible. Yet Grid did it.


    ¡®What did he do?¡¯


    Hao couldn¡¯t understand it and touched on something sensitive.


    ¡°A bug?¡±


    It was a ridiculous question for anyone who knew the game. Satisfy was famous for never having a bug since it opened. Grid stared serenely into Hao¡¯s shaky gaze andughed.


    ¡°I have been stupid since I was young.¡±


    No matter how hard he studied, he couldn¡¯t do better than others. He couldn¡¯t even maintain an average score. In particr, he always got less than 30 points on tests in subjects where he had to understand forms. There were times when he didn¡¯t even get one point.


    ¡°Thus, I was obsessed with simple memorization. Every day, memorize, memorize, and memorize...¡±


    As a result, he was able to receive 80 points for subjects with simple memorization. He barely seeded in enrolling in university, a ced described as ¡®where those with money can enter.¡¯ But it was very difficult for him to follow the university sses.


    ¡°Then the virtual reality game was released and Imitted to it.¡±


    However, hisck of talent grabbed his ankles even in the game. Grid yed Satisfy all day, but couldn¡¯t reach an average yer. He became debt-ridden instead of making money.


    ¡°I was stupid and kept hunting the same mobs. While others were hunting 10 or 20 of one mob, I was hunting thousands. But what was the point of that? My level and items didn¡¯t develop and I couldn¡¯t pay the capsule fee, forcing me to finally find construction jobs.¡±


    He tried hard at first. But what did it matter?


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t learn skills because Ickedprehension.¡±


    Thus, he focused on simple tasks. Shovelling, carrying materials, cleaning, and so on.


    ¡°I was always bored.¡±


    Study, gaming, and work. He couldn¡¯t do anything other than simple tasks, making him feel ashamed and not enjoy it. But he didn¡¯t give up. Heined about hiscking talent and just wanted to be average. He didn¡¯t want to be ignored by people anymore!


    The result that Grid obtained? Indomitable tenacity. Once the goal was set, Grid focused on it without giving up to the end. In other words, Grid¡¯s concentration was greatly disciplined and this was steadily proven after he changed to Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Every time he made an item, he hammered for many hours and didn¡¯t give up when facing various trials.


    "Therefore, I think my concentration is better than others.¡±


    Grid spoke casually, but his concentration was already beyond the category of a human. He was about to summon the inventory and think about the item he wanted at the same time. It was also in the middle ofbat. Of course, this wasn¡¯t easy.


    It happened since he fought his clone in the Behen Archipgo. He was inspired after seeing the clone swap items as needed and steadily practiced.


    "Well, this is the power of effort.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hao couldn¡¯t understand any of what he just heard. Grid¡¯s words were too ridiculous. Because he was an idiot, he tried hard and gained a concentration that exceeded humans?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that more of a genius than an idiot?¡¯


    There weren¡¯t many people who could ovee their limitations with effort alone. Hao saw Grid as a genius. It was absurd that Grid was so obtuse. On the other hand, Grid was conscious of the camera.


    "Indeed, the diamond ss capsule from the Comet Group is great. As soon as I thought about it, all systems reacted and the inventory was opened immediately. I was able to escape from the crisis thanks to this.¡±


    "...¡±


    PPL even in the midst of this?


    ¡®Stop being so ridiculous!¡¯


    Hao looked at Grid who picked up Iyarugt from the ground with renewed killing intent.


    "Yes, it doesn¡¯t matter if you are an idiot or a genius. Anyway, I¡¯ll be the winner! I¡¯ll show you my real skills!¡±


    Jjejeok!


    Jjejejejeok!


    Hao screamed as his skin split apart and red scales started to emerge. It was the step to transform into a draconian. A pair of huge wings emerged from the back of his body, grabbing the attention of the viewers.


    ¡º The power of a draconian is finally being used! ¡»


    ¡º Hao is very strong in this state. He beat Katz, one of the strong winning PvP candidates, and fought against Damian for a while. ¡»


    Hao¡¯s eyes turnedpletely gold and fangs were revealed as he opened his mouth. Then he fired mes at Grid.


    Peeng!


    Grid avoided it. Triple Layers reduced the damage of physical attacks, but a breath was filled with magic power.


    ¡°How long can youst?¡±


    Hao pped his wings and approached Grid, who was bending back to avoid the breath! The speed was lightning fast as he waved his hands.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    There was a reason he threw away a sword after turning into a draconian. Hao¡¯s sharp ws, which were stronger than a sword, struck Grid¡¯s Triple Layers.


    [You have suffered 3,230 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,260 damage.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.3%!]


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    The more Grid was hit, the more thrilled he felt. He wondered how many times he had such happy moments in his life! Thementators and viewers were rmed as they saw Grid smiling while being wounded.


    ¡®Smiling during this...¡¯


    Was Grid a pervert? There was also the time he was hit by the il during the siege, causing spection to grow.


    ¡°Can you feel the difference?¡±


    Hao shouted. As he kept hitting Grid, Hao was convinced that the ss difference between himself and Grid was like the difference between the sky and the earth. Grid¡¯s health had already fallen to almost half. Hao¡¯s attack speed after throwing away his sword was so fast that the speed of Grid¡¯s health loss elerated.


    Chwaack!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hao¡¯s sharp ws cut at Grid¡¯s chest. Grid was hit hard by the critical, but he wasn¡¯t the one surprised. It was because Hao¡¯s ws were caught on Triple Layers and wouldn¡¯t move!


    [The draconian¡¯s ws have been bound to this armor!]


    [The draconian¡¯s ws have been forcibly pulled out!]


    [The durability of the draconian¡¯s ws has decreased by 3!]


    ¡®How absurd...!¡¯


    After transforming into a draconian, his ws had a durability of 10. Repairing them wasn¡¯t possible and they would be destroyed when the durability was low. It took a day for them to grow back. But Hao had never experienced the durability of his ws falling.


    A half dragon¡¯s ws were very hard. His ws were always fine when hunting golem based monsters or attacking a high ranker¡¯s weapons.


    ¡®This is huge armor...¡¯


    Hao was astonished by Grid¡¯s items as he rotated in the air and the heel of his foot precisely struck Grid¡¯s jaw. At this moment, Grid¡¯s health gauge dropped to one-third. Hao believed that Grid would use the God Hands and ckening and started attacking more fiercely. He fired breaths and swung his ws.


    On the other hand, Grid didn¡¯t even counterattack. He could only block or avoid attacks. Nevertheless, he allowed most attacks, showing how good Hao¡¯s control skills were. Thementators were embarrassed by this one-sided battle.


    ¡º I knew that Hao was the counter to Grid, but this... ¡»


    ¡º I didn¡¯t realize the level difference was so big. ¡»


    ¡º Now Grid is just holding on. ¡»


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Peeok!


    ¡°Use it!¡±


    Peeeeok!


    "It won¡¯t seed!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Hao¡¯s momentum rose as the one-sided violence continued. Grid kept being hit, hit, and hit. Hao confirmed that Grid¡¯s health was down to a quarter and prepared the final blow.


    "This is the end."


    20 minutes had passed since the match started. He couldn¡¯t keep his promise to beat Grid in 10 minutes. Hao was very sorry, but what could he do? Grid¡¯s defense and health were ridiculously excellent! But this was the end. He dealt the ending blow.


    ¡°Dragon ws.¡±


    Kiiing.


    Hao¡¯s ws grew longer. In other words, the draconian¡¯s ws became harder and sharper. At this moment, Hao¡¯s ws were strong enough to match a real dragon¡¯s ws.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The moment when Hao¡¯s ws moved from left to right and hit Grid. Grid stepped backwards and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve. Thementators and viewers regarded it as Grid¡¯sst hurrah. Nobody imagined that Grid, who hadn¡¯t been able to resist until now, would be able to get the right timing.


    However, a chill went down Hao¡¯s spine. The timing of Grid¡¯s counterattack was too perfect!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Kuaaaaack!¡±


    Hao screamed and shed blood.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 25,600 damage to the target.]


    [You have recovered 1,280 health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring!]


    In a single strike, Hao¡¯s health was reduced by almost half while Grid recovered his health. Grid, who moved back and blocked the chain thrown by Hao with Lantier¡¯s cloak, secretly put on Doran¡¯s Ring and provoked Hao.


    ¡°The next 40 minutes. Can you endure?¡±


    ¡°You bastard...!¡±


    The cooldown time for any counterattack skill was long. In addition, few users had two or more counterattack skills. The duration of Dragon ws wasn¡¯t over yet, so Hao swiped at Grid¡¯s face.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 12,590 damage to the target.]


    ¡¯That¡¯s it!¡¯


    It felt like Grid¡¯s defense had decreased suddenly, but it was a good sign. There was no need to worry. This would give him a chance to win again. Hao smiled with satisfaction. But that smile didn¡¯tst long.


    [The target has recovered 18,885 health.]


    "What?¡±


    What effect was this? Hao looked like he had seen a ghost as he stepped back. Grid looked at him and lifted Lantier¡¯s Cloak, which he had wrapped around himself to defend against the chain. The armor revealed was the Holy Light Armor, not Triple Layers. The defense was lower than Triple Layers, but it was the armor with the ridiculous option of increasing the effect of recovery skills by 300%.


    ¡°Come again.¡±


    After the synergy of the Holy Light Armor and Doran¡¯s Ring was revealed, Grid reced it with Triple Layers again. Hao looked at him grimly and came to a simple conclusion.


    ¡°I give up.¡±


    It was a shocking deration. The 1.4 billion Chinese people supporting Hao were frustrated and doubted their ears. But the person who was even more frustrated than the Chinese...


    ¡°Why?¡±


    It was Grid.


    ¡°There are still 40 minutes left! Why?!!¡±


    On this day. One of Grid¡¯s hidden sides was exposed to the world. It didn¡¯t bode well.

 Chapter 452

    ¡®He can restore 150% of the damage done?¡¯


    ¡®It must be a one-time thing.¡¯


    Everyone in the world was paying attention to Grid. The yers who were participating in PvP right now, as well as the healers who didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition.


    Grid. Hebined top ss power with the best cksmithing skill, and was also capable of exercising a tremendous force as head of Overgeared. There were countless forces in the world who hadn¡¯t yet proven to be overwhelming, but were watched with vignce. This was a great chance to analyze Grid¡¯s strengths and weaknesses, so people focused on Grid, especially Kraugel.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    If Kraugel thought about his mother, he hoped that Grid wouldn¡¯t reach the finals. But his heart wanted the opposite result. He wanted topete with Grid. He wanted to fight, enjoy, and develop with Grid.


    ¡¯...A selfish greed.¡¯


    Kraugel painfully repressed his heart and left the waiting room. It was to prepare for the second round that would start in 30 minutes.


    ***


    Boo!


    Boooooo!


    The crowd was booing. Amidst the booing, Chinese curses could be heard.


    "Ni chi fan le ma!¡± (https://hinative/en-US/questions/4621545)


    That was 100% a Korean. In any case, the crowd couldn¡¯t hide their anger towards Hao. There were even people throwing rubbish.


    "Why did you give up!?¡±


    After logging out, Grid refused the interview from the host and ran up to Hao. Why would he give up after beating up Grid for 20 minutes? It was obvious pping and hitting! It didn¡¯t feel like Grid had won. Above all, Grid wanted to fight longer to reduce the cooldown of Assimtion and gain item experience.


    Peok!


    Hao, whose face was hit by a stic bottle thrown by a Chinese audience member, turned towards Grid. His eyes were clear as he looked at Grid, no signs of anger, resentment, or regret anywhere.


    "It¡¯s foolish to cling to a losing fight.¡±


    Things would¡¯ve been different if it wasn¡¯t official. Hao would¡¯ve fought against Grid without giving up to thest minute. He would ¡®learn.¡¯ But this was the National Competition. All types of people were watching the battle and there was great risk in revealing all his skills.


    "I have been fighting you for 20 minutes, but my attitude from the start was the problem. I am ashamed that I didn¡¯t recognize your skills.¡±


    Grid was above him. Hao realized the truth and humbly bowed his head.


    "I am in awe of you.¡±


    Think about it. Why did Grid call himself dull-witted? Then Hao looked back. Grid¡¯s past. All the information on him. Then Hao was able toe to a conclusion. Grid had reached this position because of his hard work. Other rankers had the weapon of ¡®innate talent.¡¯


    "...You are special.¡±


    Hao¡¯s passion was lit. The next person since Kraugel. It was also theplete opposite to Kraugel.


    ¡®The genius Kraugel was the sky from the beginning.¡¯


    The dull-witted Grid was a tower. He stacked the stones piece by piece and headed towards the sky. Hao had no choice but to feel awe. However, there was one thing that worried him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it fall.¡±


    A tower would eventually copse at some point. The more height that was umted, the riskier it was. If Grid met a disaster that couldn¡¯t be ovee with effort, it was doubtful that he could escape from the impact. Hao didn¡¯t know if Grid would admit defeat or give up.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who I should be worried about right now.¡¯


    Hao smiled and turned his back to Grid.


    ¡°If Grid breaks the sky, I will have to serve Grid.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s strong words once again rang in his mind. This time, Hao was no longer offended.


    ***


    32 participants entered the second round. Among them were the strongest candidates: Russia¡¯s Kraugel, Canada¡¯s Chris, Japan¡¯s Damian and Katz, the United States¡¯ Skull, Spain¡¯s Pon, and Britain¡¯s Regas.


    ¡º And there is the Korean Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Hey... I didn¡¯t expect China¡¯s Hao to be eliminated in the first round. It was also a forfeit? It¡¯s an unheard of incident. ¡»


    ¡º Grid¡¯s ability to grow and recover transcended Hao¡¯s expectations. No matter how hard Grid is beaten, he is like a zombie and his attack power even bes stronger? ¡»


    ¡º But Hao still gave up too easily. Maybe Hao¡¯s stamina was too weak ¡»


    The second round started while thementators were talking. The contents of the matches weren¡¯t bad. It was a situation where each of the winning candidates beat the opponent to advance to the next round.


    Kraugel effortlessly won without allowing a single attack. Skull was doing his best in the belief that he would lead the United States to victory. Katz was intoxicated by his own strength. Pon won while dreaming about being the best spearman. It happened when the ratings started to drop slightly due to there being no big surprises.


    ¡º It¡¯s finally here! ¡»


    ¡º The 15th match in the second round! ¡»


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The somewhat quiet atmosphere of the Stade de France National Stadium changed drastically. The ratings of the international broadcasts rose sharply. It was a glimpse of how high the interest in the 15th match was.


    ¡º The main characters of the match that everyone has been waiting for! ¡»


    ¡º Damian and Regas! Regas and Damian! ¡»


    The first user pope, Damian. He specialized in the sword and magic, had overwhelming tanking power and buff power, in addition to his recovery power. He boasted the perfectbat bnce and wasparable to Kraugel and Grid. Regas also couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    He was the strongest since the days when the Overgeared Guild was the Tzedakah Guild. He was the idol of all martial artists in the world for a long time and attracted attention as the only ¡®Asura¡¯ ss.


    ¡º Isn¡¯t the Asura ss really tricky? ¡»


    ¡º It is said to have the highest difficulty among the 3rd advancement sses. I would rather get a hidden ss than the Asura. ¡»


    ¡º There is spection that the Asura 4th advancement ss will be linked to a hidden ss. Due to this, many martial artists haven¡¯t switched to a third advancement ss and are focused on the Asura ss quest. ¡»


    ¡º The strength of an Asura is amazing... Each skill has an abnormally high uracy and every hit addsbo damage. ¡»


    ¡º There is an additional aspect that when fighting the enemy, it deals extra lightning damage. ¡»


    ¡º But it is questionable if he can link abo with Damian... ¡»


    Nobody could predict the winner. Damian and Regas greeted each other onstage.


    ¡°It feels strange to meet you in a ce like this.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two smiling men. They were usually very good friends. Damian liked Regas, who never despised him for being an otaku, while Regas was just friendly to people. But their eyes changed the moment they received the signal to start the battle.


    ¡°Divine Protection, Incarnation of Light, Goddess¡¯ Blessing.¡±


    From the beginning, Damian used buffs that increased his attack power, defense, all stats, and pulled out a shield. It was because it wasn¡¯t possible to deal with Regas in a no buffs state.


    ¡°Great! Hahat!¡±


    Damian was surrounded by a gold and silver aura that gave off a brilliant radiance. Regas couldn¡¯t find a gap and rushed wildly towards him. Kraugel, who returned to the waiting room and watched the match, was rarely amazed.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too hasty?¡¯


    If the opponent used buffs, you should buy time until the buffs ended. Especially if the opponent was someone strong like Damian. Kraugel couldn¡¯t understand why Regas attempted a frontal match against Damian. Even he thought it was too difficult to touch Damian in a full buffed condition.


    It was as he expected. Regas rushed wildly and received a counterattack. Damian¡¯s shield absorbed the damage and unleashed a fast and borate attack. An Asura had the worst defense and it was lightly shattered.


    ¡®...It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Regas countered against Damian¡¯s shield, allowing attacks and not worrying about his rapidly dropping health gauge. His attack speed was slowly but surely getting faster. But the only person who detected this was Kraugel. In fact, even Damian didn¡¯t notice the slight change in Regas and before he knew it, he allowed a strong counterattack.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Damian didn¡¯t have time to raise a shield as he was hit in the stomach, causing him to fall towards the ground. His face was then hit by Regas¡¯ ruthless knee.


    "Kkuk!¡±


    The damage of the second strike was different from the first. The second blow was more painful. The third blow would be even more painful.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t allow him to achieve abo...!¡¯


    Damian hurriedly lifted his shield. The timing and angle was perfect to block Regas¡¯ fist. Just before Regas¡¯ fist was blocked by the big, square shield.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Damian coughed up blood again. He was struck by Regas¡¯ kick!


    ¡®When did he kick...?¡¯


    Regas could freely move his arms and legs with no time difference? No one was surprised by Regas¡¯ skills.


    ¡º Regas, who defeated the 3rd ranked Chris in the National Competitionst year and yed a nice match with Grid...! He has further evolved! ¡»


    ¡º He has good control skillsparable to Hao, and has transcended the existence of a martial artist. I can only feel admiration. ¡»


    Would Regas win this time? As everyone was carefully guessing, Regas¡¯ next attack struck Damian¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The crowd eximed. The morebos that were linked, the more damage that Regas dealt. Damian¡¯s health gauge was noticeably reduced. But Damian was a pope.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Breath.¡±


    An absolute recovery skill. The most powerful healing skill that restored 100% of his health, and 70% of his party member¡¯s health.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Protection.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    A shield that negated the enemy¡¯s attack once, itpletely stopped Regas¡¯bo. Then Damian used an aggressive skill.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath.¡±


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    A gleam of light struck Regas.


    ***


    ¡º The winner is Damian!! ¡»


    Damian vs Regas was the most intense match in the first and second round. The two men fought for 31 minutes and 20 seconds, putting on a show that thrilled the spectators and viewers. Thementators couldn¡¯t express the richness and depth of the confrontation.


    Perhaps that was why? The people of the world couldn¡¯t emerge from the afterglow. They couldn¡¯t focus on anything that the host was saying on stage. But it was only for a short moment.


    Grid and Chris. The moment that the two big names were mentioned by the host, people concentrated their attention on the stage again.

 Chapter 453

    ¡º I must admit that Chris¡¯ name value is the highest. But he lost to Regas inst year¡¯s National Competition. I don¡¯t think he is Grid¡¯s opponent. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t this year¡¯s Chris different fromst year? At this point, Chris is stronger than Regas. Regas couldn¡¯t beat Seuron, while Chris won over Seuron. ¡»


    ¡º During the past year, Chris seems to have pushed his strength of ¡®offensive power¡¯ to the limit. If there is anyone who can crush Grid and Damian¡¯s powerful defense, it¡¯s Chris. ¡»


    ¡º His strength is clear, as well as his weakness. Chris would have invested most of his stats into strength to increase his attack power, which would make his health very low. He won¡¯t be able to withstand Grid¡¯s attacks. He needs to knock down Grid before he falls first. ¡»


    ¡º Putting aside the strength state, doesn¡¯t the stamina stat also increase health? Chris is third on the unified rankings. He should have survival skills due to the know-how and knowledge he umted. Chris¡¯ ability with the greatsword is also unparalleled. ¡»


    Who would win if Grid and Chris fought? Thementators and experts couldn¡¯t easily predict the game. The international broadcasters used real-time ARS to make money, the match between Grid and Chris ending up at 6:4. Grid was slightly ahead.


    On the other hand, Grid and Chris were waging a fierce war of nerves on the stage.


    ¡°You enhanced that weapon to +9. Don¡¯t you have good luck?¡±


    "It¡¯s the power of money, rather than luck. Haven¡¯t you made a lot of money from the Comet Group? Why didn¡¯t you enhance your weapon before the match started? Grid¡¯s Greatsword seems much better than the one-handed sword you are using now.¡±


    "...It isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved by pouring in money.¡±


    For Grid who was dominated by bad luck, Grid¡¯s Greatsword was a cursed weapon. He put his name on it, making the enhancement probability really bad. Grid pledged to change the name of the Grid Set.


    ¡®Well, I have enhanced Iyarugt to +9, so let¡¯s be satisfied with this.¡¯


    Iyarugt had been enhanced to +9 in preparation for the National Competition and had showed off a powerful performance. The problem was that it was insufficientpared to the legendary rated Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡®+9 Grid¡¯s Greatsword...¡¯


    The base attack power of 1,440 would reach 2,500 after reaching +9.


    It had a chance to block the enemy¡¯s attacks, do 3 Joint Attacks, deal 30% increase in cutting damage, 20% increase in skill damage, increased attack power in dark ces, activate a critical after hitting the target five times and if a skill was connected within 0.5 seconds after 3 Joint Attacks, additional damage would be dealt.


    It was a weapon with all types of brilliant and overwhelming options. How much would it hurt? A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he imagined it.


    ¡¯...Not even Triple Layers can endure it.¡¯


    In the first ce, the gaps in Triple Layers was unlikely to do any damage to a greatsword. The de was wide and thick, so the barbs in the gaps wouldn¡¯t work properly.


    ¡®Maybe this time, it¡¯s better to abandon the idea of raising the belt¡¯s experience.¡¯


    Grid decided that in order to avoid as much damage as possible, he would fight aggressively and focus on acquiring experience for just Iyarugt and Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. At the same time, the host announced the start of the match. In order to take advantage of the slow speed of a greatsword, Grid immediately used Link to maximize the quick attack speed of the one-handed Iyarugt. There was no way for Chris to cope.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Dozens of energy des were created and shot towards Chris. Grid imagined Chris shedding blood all over his body. But that didn¡¯t happen.


    "Huup!¡±


    It was because Chris swung his greatsword in a circle and deflected all the strikes. Grid clicked his tongue. Chris¡¯s swordsmanship was perfect. It used the shortest path while the range was veryrge, making it easy to cover for the slow speed.


    ¡®Truly great.¡¯


    Grid felt a lot of emotions as he watched Chris throughout the National Competition. It was envy. Grid treated his greatsword as his main weapon before he got Iyarugt, so he cherished Chris¡¯ swordsmanship.


    ¡®I also want to be like that.¡¯


    ¡®I will be like that.¡¯


    He really didn¡¯t know how many times he thought this.


    Chaaeng!


    Chris deflected the dozens of stranges of Link and counterattacked, striking with the greatsword. Iyarugt blocked it, but Grid was pushed back by the force.


    ¡®This bastard, don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Was Chris¡¯ strength higher than Grid¡¯s? It was an unpleasant experience for Grid to be pushed back, since he always had an edge when it came to strength.


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Chris continued the momentum. He repeatedly twisted his waist and linked a second, third, fourth and fifth attack. Every time the swords collided, the repulsive force slightly increased Chris¡¯ attack speed. And every time Grid defended against an attacking from the left and right, he received a shock and moved backwards.


    [The durability of Iyarugt has decreased by 4!]


    [The experience of Iyarugt has increased by 0.1%!]


    The notification windows appeared, but Grid didn¡¯t seem happy. It was because it was impossible to confront Chris¡¯ sessive attacks.


    Jjejeong!


    In the end, Grid couldn¡¯t bear the weight of Chris¡¯ attack and was bounced back. Chris¡¯ greatsword was already heading towards him at a right angle.


    Seokeok!


    Grid¡¯s chest was cut from the bottom to the top. Grid was astonished.


    [You have suffered 4,977 damage.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he better than expected?¡¯


    He had expected Chris¡¯ attack power to be one step higher than Hao. However, he didn¡¯t know it would be this much. Chris dealt 5,000 damage in one basic blow, making him feel like a boss monster.


    "Magic Missile."


    Grid maintained hisposure, summoning four God Hands and firing Magic Missiles at the same time.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid aimed at the gap while Chris¡¯ body was being hit and used the footwork of Kill. Chris didn¡¯t block or avoid them. To be precise...


    Chris¡¯ choice was hitting them.


    ¡°100 ton Sword!¡±


    ¡®This skill...!¡¯


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Puok!


    As Chris used his skill, Grid¡¯s Kill touched his chest. Grid suffered 10,000 damage while Chris suffered 17,000 damage. Grid¡¯s skill damage was higher, but Chris¡¯ weapon was stronger. The difference in damage came from their defense. Grid also had a slight recovery in health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.


    However, Chris didn¡¯t shrink back. He already aimed his greatsword again towards Grid¡¯s tattered chest. Grid thought that it was best not to confront him head on, so he defended against the attack with the God Hands and used Pinnacle in the gap.


    This was a mistake. Chris¡¯s second ss, Tyrant, had a number of ways to boost his strength stat, one of which was to absorb some of the strength stats of ¡®all beings¡¯ in a 5 meter radius!


    ¡°Hufff!¡±


    The unique rated ¡®God Hands¡¯ received 30% of their master¡¯s strength and dexterity! Chris took away the strength of the God Hands and Grid, sweeping his greatsword through the battlefield. Then.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The four God Hands were unable to withstand Chris¡¯ blow and stiffened. Then just before Gridpleted Pinnacle, Chris¡¯ greatsword struck him.


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [The skill Pinnacle has been cancelled!}


    [You have suffered 8,900 damage.]


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯


    It became more painful! Grid was once again surprised by Chris¡¯ crazy attack power and used Revolve for Chris¡¯ next strike. But the effect was minimal. It was because Chris struck it. Chris hit the reflected Revolve and was able to avoid a fatal blow.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯


    Grid was dumbfounded.


    ¡®He thought to use the momentum?¡¯


    Ssik.


    Chris smiled. Grid realized something.


    ¡®A fake!¡¯


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    Kwang!


    Chris¡¯ onught was very intimidating and Grid rushed to defend with Iyarugt. The red ck and blue ck lights intertwined, causing a wonderful exploding effect that made the viewers feel ecstatic.


    "Grid is being pushed...?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like Grid can endure. Chris¡¯ attack power is so high that an average yer would stiffen every time they defended.¡±


    "Then it is safe to say that Chris¡¯ attacks have a 100% chance of inducing an abnormal status?¡±


    "Really strong... He was strong from the beginning, but now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Was he hiding his skills?¡±


    Chris was underestimated. The spectators and viewers btedly realized that Grid could be defeated.


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    The different in strength and the weapon¡¯s attack power meant that Grid would keep being pushed back. He decided this couldn¡¯t continue and pulled out a means to overturn the situation. ckening? That wasn¡¯t enough.


    Teong!


    Grid recalled Iyarugt after shing with Chris¡¯ greatsword and pulled out the +9 Failure. It was a lightning fast item swap.


    ¡°What are you doing Grid? Pulling out a weapon used in the National Competitionst year! Surely you aren¡¯t giving up?¡±


    Chris didn¡¯t stop attacking Grid despite his misunderstand. The number of attacks increased and Chris was about to invoke the Tyrant¡¯s Pleasure passive. Grid blocked the iing Chris.


    Kwa kwang!


    The result of the collision between the shark-like +9 Failure and the +9 Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Chris was pushed back! Grid stayed firmly in ce while Chris shook slightly. It was apletely reversed situation. Gridughed at Chris, who had a disbelieving expression on his face.


    "It is too bad for you, but Failure is the strongest.¡±


    The +9 Failure had a maximum attack power of 3,682. It was at least 1,000 points higher than the +9 Grid¡¯s Greatsword.

 Chapter 454

    Chris faltered from the shock caused by the exchange between him and Grid. His upper body was shaking as he blocked the continuous attacks from Grid. It meant he was being pushed when it came to power.


    ¡®Chris is being pushed back in a battle of strength?¡¯


    The waiting room assigned to the participants for the third round. Kraugel was surprised as he sat alone and watched the confrontation between Grid and Chris. He didn¡¯t think a yer that could beat Chris when it came to strength existed. It was natural when he thought about it.


    ¡®Chris has a unique strength stat.¡¯


    None of them could win against Chris with strength, even Kraugel. Yet Grid won.


    ¡®The more I know, the more amazing he is...¡¯


    Every person had a different depth and that depth had a limit. As a person was more and more exposed, their foundations would eventually be revealed. But Grid was the opposite. New and wonderful things were discovered about him every time.


    Kraugel was thrilled.


    ¡°Maybe...¡±


    Was it possible for Grid to clear the ¡®Beat Baal¡¯s Contractor¡¯ quest first? Agnus. Grid might be the only one who could go against the monster that was growing rapidly right now.


    Of course.


    ¡°That is a story for a distant future.¡±


    Had Grid ever met Agnus? Kraugel was suddenly curious.


    ***


    A general greatsword design had a linear structure. Due to that, a greatsword had a unique wild charm. However, Grid¡¯s blue greatsword was thin like a shark¡¯s fin and there were curved details in every part of the sword. It was more three dimensional and beautiful. If amon greatsword was Rambo X, Grid¡¯s greatsword was PeXri! It was even more powerful. At first nce, it was better than Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    ¡°Why is the name Failure?¡±


    Chris was pushed in attack power.


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    Chris¡¯s eyes were shaking sharply as he gradually stepped back while defending against Grid¡¯s attacks. There was a big psychological impact.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be like Kraugel.¡¯


    Chris knew he wasn¡¯t perfect, so he dug into one path. It was the path he was most confident in, attack power. He didn¡¯t know about anything else, but he promised to be good with attack power. After receiving the Tyrant second ss and Grid¡¯s Greatsword, he was confident he had achieved his goal.


    But reality was different. He was pushed by Grid¡¯s items.


    ¡°What is that weapon? Why is a greatsword you made more than a year ago better than Grid¡¯s Greatsword?¡±


    Chris had the best knowledge about greatswords. Based on his knowledge and experience, the blue greatsword Grid was currently using was the strongest weapon. Grid exined to the confused Chris.


    ¡°Failure is the origin of Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Strictly speaking, Grid¡¯s Greatsword is the mass produced version of Failure.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword, believed to be the most powerful weapon just two minutes ago, was just a mass produced weapon? Chris gritted his teeth.


    ¡°I see. This is why you didn¡¯t strengthen Grid¡¯s Greatsword to +9. There is no reason to invest a lot of money into mass production items.¡±


    Chris asked him to make the best weapon, but it was actually a mass produced one...


    It felt like a scam. The back of his head was tingling. Grid panicked as he saw the betrayal in Chris¡¯ eyes.


    "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Grid¡¯s Greatsword is actually better than Failure. The options of Grid¡¯s Greatsword are far superior. Failure is only better when ites to attack power.¡±


    ¡°The most important thing when ites to a weapon is attack power!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    The two people kept swinging their swords while they were having a conversation. There was a burst of energy whenever Failure hit Chris¡¯ greatsword.


    ¡°...Well, maybe that¡¯s true. It has high attack power.¡±


    But Failure was still a failure. There was no yer able to meet the conditions of use, so it couldn¡¯t bemercialized.


    ¡®But Chris...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he be able to use Failure in around a year?


    ¡®At that time, I will be using a much better weapon.¡¯


    A sense of superiority. It was enough to make him feel excited. A wide smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. For him who lived a life of defeat and frustration, this feeling of superiority was a very nice and happy feeling. But he wasn¡¯t stupid. He had a duty to try his best to knock Chris down.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    Grid started his sword dance. As he moved forward while shing horizontally, his waist slightly twisted.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    It was different from one year ago. Other people had grown like him and were strong. Thus, Grid felt a greater bliss. Once he knocked down a true powerhouse, his value would rise!


    Peeng!


    It was like a cannon being fired. Chris¡¯ response to the fearsome energy de was simple and ignorant. It was to stop it. This was an inevitable choice. Grid¡¯s attack speed was so fast that Chris couldn¡¯t avoid it with his low agility. In addition, Grid¡¯s agility was over 2,000 points.


    "Smash!"


    Peeeeeong!


    The moment that the unique ss skill ¡®Tyrant¡¯s Destruction¡¯ hit Linked Kill, a huge shockwave urred. It was like an earthquake. The huge rectangr stage shook so much that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it copsed right now.


    "The attack power of the two people... How high is it?¡±


    Thementators and viewers were amazed as theymented on Grid and Chris¡¯ unparalleled destructive power.


    ¡°200 ton Sword!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The second blow of Linked Kill collided with Chris¡¯ skill, causing a roar. The cloaks that Chris and Grid were wearing shook like they were caught in a typhoon.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid shouted as the third consecutive Linked Kill shot forward. The God Hands reacted immediately, attacking Chris with their weapons. Chris endured the pain and used 300 ton Sword, cancelling out the third Linked Kill.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid groaned. He was overwhelmed by Chris from the moment that 200 ton Sword was used. It was difficult to endure the 300 ton Sword.


    [The durability of Failure has decreased by 20.]


    ¡®Enormous damage!¡¯


    Grid admired Chris, while Chris¡¯ appreciation of Grid was more than that.


    ¡®Great mountain...!¡¯


    Chris realized it from the beginning. He couldn¡¯t break Grid down. But he didn¡¯t feel frustrated. Chris enjoyed it. It was an overwhelming experience to fight someone in a contest of strength, making his blood be heated up.


    ¡°1,000 ton Sword!¡±


    The ultimate destructive attack was used in response to the fourth Linked Kill. The momentum was above the level of Kill. Indeed, the ultimate skill of the third advancement ss had as much power as a legendary skill.


    ¡°This is crazy...!¡±


    Should Grid use ckening? Grid¡¯s face paled as he prepared for the shock.


    Kwaaaaang!


    The 1,000 ton Sword literally tore through the 4th Linked Kill and struck Grid¡¯s chest.


    [You have suffered 25,900 damage.]


    [The durability of Triple Layers has decreased by 55!]


    [The durability of the Thick Helmet has decreased by 21.]


    [The durability of the Largest Gloves has decreased by 15!]


    [The durability of the Shiny Leggings has decreased by 34!]


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    It was the moment when the explosive synergy between the passive skill ¡®Defense Pration¡¯ and the passive skill of the unique second ss, ¡®Additional damage is dealt in proportion to the target¡¯s defense¡¯ was disyed. Grid couldn¡¯t avoid huge damage despite being equipped with armor that decreased physical damage.


    Grid¡¯s body was bloody, but he showed signs of life.


    "This is interesting... Would I have died if 3 Joint Attacks was activated? Yes, let¡¯s see who will fall first.¡±


    An eye for an eye! This was it! He would repay the damage that he received. It happened when Grid corrected his posture and was about to use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡º Chris has been defeated! ¡»


    ¡°...?¡±


    Chris turned to grey. Throughout his exchange with Grid, he kept being hit by the God Hands and eventually ran out of health.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid was in a bad mood. He won, but it didn¡¯t seem like he won.


    ***


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have died after one more strike?¡±


    It was unfair that he was beaten up so much and couldn¡¯t repay it. Contrary to the upset Grid, Chris had a refreshed expression on his face. Hepeted in a frontal match without any deception. He might¡¯ve lost, but it felt pleasant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight again if there is another chance.¡±


    "...¡±


    Chris smiled and extended his hand for a handshake. Grid stared at him like an eagle and eventuallyughed.


    "Let¡¯s hang out one day.¡±


    It was a refreshing feeling.


    ***


    The waiting room for the round of 8 contestants.


    Katz was with a surprising person.


    It was Lauel.


    "Should I tell you the way to beat Grid now?¡±


    Lauel asked as soon as the confrontation between Grid and Chris was over. Katz snorted.


    "I can beat him simply because I am stronger.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re reliable. But if you want to increase the odds, you should keep my advice in mind.¡±


    Lauel started to exin. Lauel was more familiar with Grid than anyone else, and he was now giving this information to Katz. Katz asked doubtfully after listening to the exnation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you exposing too much of Grid¡¯s weaknesses? What if Iter be Grid¡¯s enemy?¡±


    Lauel shrugged.


    "You want Grid¡¯s items, so the possibility of you bing hostile to him is very low...¡±


    That was a secondary reason. Lauel really believed in Grid.


    ¡°Grid is growing right at this moment. It¡¯s too quick for others to imagine. He will sooner orter ovee the weaknesses that you currently know.¡±


    "...¡±


    Katz got an impression of Damian around Lauel. It was the appearance of a Grid worshipper.

 Chapter 455

    -Wow...To think that someone could win over Chris with strength...I get serious goosebumps when looking at Grid;;


    -Truly God Grid.He had the worst luck, but still advanced to the 3rd round.


    -He¡¯s on a different level. He¡¯s the first and only one to obtain a legendary ss ??


    -Isn¡¯t it funny when you think about it?He was beaten up, but won... ? ?;;


    -Really?? I think he was hit more often than he dealt damage.In particr, he barely managed to hit Hao.


    -Grid looks like the loser...


    -What if?


    -If Grid really wins gold in PvP, South Korea will be first in the rankings.


    No matter his appearance, Grid was actually a winner. There was the atmosphere of a festival in South Korea. Who would¡¯ve imagined that one of the weakest countries in Satisfy could possibly be first in the rankings? It was thanks to Grid, who caused the people of South Korea to go wild.


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid! God Grid!¡±


    Dream ¡ïe true!


    Grid¡¯s name was chanted in every house and various media outlets praised Grid¡¯s activities. People got together to talk about Grid and even top stars who represented South Korea were supporting Grid on their social medias. The number of members for Grid¡¯s fan club exceeded the members of Noe¡¯s fan club for the first time since its establishment.


    It was a level of poprity equivalent to Park Chanho, Park Seri, Park Jisung, and Kim Yuna, who raised the status of the country in the past and received great love and respect from the people.


    "Our Youngwoo is great!¡±


    Grid¡¯s parents were busy receiving congrattory calls from their cousins and other acquaintances. They felt proud of their son, who could reach his current position with his own strength.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t excited. The attitude of the press could easily be changed at any time, and the mindset of the public changed ordingly. Grid already knew this through experience. Wasn¡¯t it during the cksmithing game? The Korean media criticized him as soon as Grid made a normal item.


    ¡®The reaction of the people is meaningless.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t want a short lived poprity. His goal was to achieve a moreplete and steadfast reputation. Shin Youngwoo wanted to make sure that nobody could ever ignore him again.


    ¡®In order to achieve that wish.¡¯


    He needed to win in PvP. It was the fastest way.


    ***


    The 3rd round.


    There were no surprises regarding the results of the first to sixth matches. Kraugel won in the first match and Skull won in the third match as experts predicted. But no one could easily predict the winner of the seventh match.


    Pon vs Katz.


    The strongest yers representing Spain and Japan! Pon was always mentioned as the top three in Overgeared, while Katz was a Blood Warrior and showed great strength. It was difficult to say who was stronger.


    ¡®I will fight Grid.¡¯


    Pon gazed at Katz with wild eyes. He resembled Regas. He pursued the ultimate peak, and wouldn¡¯t allow anything irrational to interfere in the process. A man who wanted fair growth, fights, and results. It was the reason why Lauel didn¡¯t tell Pon about his ns to recruit Kraugel. If Pon knew Lauel¡¯s n, he would¡¯ve been uncooperative and mad.


    ¡®Pon, please lose to Katz.¡¯


    In the end, Lauel could only hope.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t let Katz be defeated.¡¯


    Pon wasn¡¯t capable of beating Grid. No, not just him, but all of the Overgeared members. Grid was a person who constantly made items that could minimize the disadvantages of the Overgeared members. Therefore, he clearly grasped their strength and weaknesses! If Pon won against Katz and advanced to the fourth round, Gird was sure to advance to the semi-finals.


    Thus, Lauel hoped for Katz to win.


    ¡®Katz is the one who has a chance against Grid.¡¯


    Other people didn¡¯t know it, but Lauel knew. The reason why Grid had allowed arge number of hits during his matches!


    ¡®The reason...¡¯


    He wanted to increase the level of his items.


    ¡®This is an opportunity for Katz.¡¯


    A Blood Warrior became more powerful as more blood was shed. If Grid was fatally wounded and Katz survived the immortal passive...!


    ¡º The 7th match of the 3rd round! Pon against Katz! Katz against Pon! It has started! ¡»


    Lauel watched as Pon and Katz climbed onto the stage. It was only when ¡®riding¡¯ that Pon could reveal the true power of a spear knight. Katz watched Pon¡¯s hair blowing as he rode a white horse and thought.


    ¡®The Overgeared members are handsome or beautiful.¡¯


    There were exceptions such as Grid, Vantner, and Toon, but the proportion of beautiful people was very high. It was enough to make him wonder if the guild members were epted due to their face.


    ¡¯...Should I get stic surgery?¡¯


    Katz was seriously hoping to join Overgeared. The reason was simple. He also wanted items. But he needed to prove himself before joining Overgeared.


    ¡®My own strength!¡¯


    Kwarururung!


    Hundreds of blood vessels started appearing on Katz¡¯ in sword. It was the moment when a Blood Warrior¡¯s vampire sword revealed its disgusting appearance. Katz watched Pon as he was surrounded by a bloody light.


    ¡®I have to be careful with Mach Spear and Rail Spear.¡¯


    Lauel had told Katz the strategy for Pon as well as Grid. Katz himself repeatedly studied Pon¡¯sbat videos dozens of times.


    ¡®It is impossible to react when those two skills are activated. But it¡¯s easy to tell, since they use a unique motion. I can aim for that gap and strike.¡¯


    His first priority was to increase his stats. The moment that Katz stepped forward.


    Pajik!


    ¡°Rail Spear!"


    ¡°...!¡±


    Pon immediately triggered his strongest skill. It was without any preparatory actions!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    What was this? Katz felt confused as he was struck in the heart and received a fatal wound. He was in a ¡®stunned¡¯ condition and the metal shock was too great. Pon exined.


    ¡°The power of items.¡±


    [Pon¡¯s Draw]


    Pon was helpless during the Tiramet raid. It was a special one-time use spear that hemissioned from Grid to ovee his weakness. It had less attack power and durability then a normal spear, but it was easy to use and maximized the passive skill ¡®Shortening the skill motion when riding¡¯ of a spear knight.


    The biggest disadvantage was that it was a one-time consumable. The necessary materials were also difficult to to obtain, making it virtually impossible to make several. This was the first time Pon used the item.


    Ching!


    In the wake of Rail Spear, Pon took out a new spear and rushed over. He ran on the stage and aimed Mach Spear at Katz¡¯ neck, who was still in the stunned state. In order to maximize the characteristics of a Blood Warrior, Katz didn¡¯t wear heavy armor and turned to grey.


    ¡º K-Katz has been logged out! ¡»


    "Waaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    5 seconds. Pon secured a win in only 5 seconds. Thebination of the overwhelming attack power of a spear knight and Grid¡¯s item led to an unexpected variable. Hao, who was well aware of Katz¡¯ strength after facing him in the target processing event, couldn¡¯t help feeling appalled.


    ¡®The Overgeared Guild... Crazy.¡¯


    The reason Pon could win so easily as that he pulled out a trump card. It wouldn¡¯t work so easily on yers in the future. Pon had exposed arge amount of his power to win this showdown. The resulting storm could someday grab Pon on the ankle.


    ¡®Was it worth it to win this match? He can¡¯t win a gold medal anyway.¡¯


    No matter what the users thought, the atmosphere of the National Competition increased because of this confrontation. The heat of the Stade de France National Stadium rose like an active volcano.


    ¡º A shocking result!! ¡»


    ¡º It reminds me of Grid fromst year! ¡»


    Lauel gritted his teeth as the host¡¯s excited voices were heard.


    ¡®Making an item like that and not reporting it to me... No, he kept it a secret because it¡¯s such an item.¡¯


    It was a good move.


    ¡®Now the only one left is Damian...¡¯


    If Damian lost, Grid would meet Kraugel in the finals. If Grid won, the n to recruit Kraugel was useless. Lauel¡¯s sacrifice of one gold medal would be in vain. Grid and Damian walked onstage as Lauel was nervously biting at his fingernails. The host interviewed the yers in order to further enhance the atmosphere.


    ¡°Damian, countless people have predicted your victory. Do you have confidence?¡±


    People were aware that Grid had the special ckening skill. ckening was a skill that transformed a yer into having a dark attribute. It was natural to be vulnerable to Damian, who had the ultimate divine power. However, Damian¡¯s answer was unexpected.


    "Of course, I¡¯m not confident.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Damian surprised the host with his answer. Damian¡¯s absurd remarks didn¡¯t end there.


    ¡°Grid is the one who beat Pope Drevigo and Pope Candidate Pascal in a one-man raid! Grid ispletely a pope killer, a pope killer! A new pope like me isn¡¯t his opponent!"


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The host and viewers doubted their ears. The fact that Grid raided Pascal was something that many people could guess. But to raid him alone? No, the problem wasn¡¯t the pope candidate. Former Pope Drevigo! The existence who killed the ruler of tens of millions of followers was Grid?


    Grid had beenpletely obscure at the time, so this was a very shocking truth.


    ¡°Grid is an onion...¡±


    Someone muttered. There was nothing more suitable to describe Grid.

 Chapter 456

    The US representatives who were supporting Skull on one side.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    They started to deny Damian¡¯s words. 1 year and 8 months ago, Grid had raided the pope alone? It wasn¡¯t something that could be understood withmon sense.


    ¡°That¡¯s when the rankers would¡¯ve had their second ss.¡±


    ¡°Grid would¡¯ve been around level 200. At the time, Grid wouldn¡¯t have the specs to raid a named boss.¡±


    At the time, the Tzedakah Guild had just raided Mcus and became famous. Considering that Grid was a member of the Tzedakah Guild, it was likely that they raided Pope Drevigo as a guild.


    ¡°Damian is a lunatic who calls Grid a ¡®god.¡¯ Most of what he says about Grid is a bluff and exaggeration.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    The US representatives denied reality. Was it possible for one level 200 user to raid a pope? But surprisingly, Zibal believed Damian¡¯s words.


    ¡®It¡¯s certainly possible.¡¯


    The pope was a priest. Compared to his level, hisbat ability and defense was inevitably low. First, he was a humanoid boss with low health.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s nonsensical items and offensive power can neutralize the pope¡¯s heals, killing him. Of course, that is on the assumption that a one-on-one situation was created.¡¯


    The US representatives were buzzing.


    ¡®You are stupid people.¡¯


    Lauel made a proud expression because he knew the truth.


    ¡®Grid was exactly level 150 when he raided the pope. It¡¯s a story that I heard directly from Grid.¡¯


    What level 200? Well, Grid was able to raid Pope Drevigo due to Damian¡¯s buff, but that wasn¡¯t important. Listening to Damian, Grid had actually fought the pope alone.


    ¡®Grid is the best.¡¯


    Grid had aplished a unique feat and kept walking forward. Lauel once again felt thrilled by Grid.


    ¡®I also hope that you win.¡¯


    As someone who swore allegiance to Grid and a fan, Lauel sincerely hoped so. He wanted to see Grid copse the sky above the sky above the whole world. However, Lauel was a politician. Since he wanted glory for Overgeared and Grid, Lauel¡¯s reason had a desire for the opposite result.


    ¡®...Please.¡¯


    There was no one who could win forever. Everyone was supposed to taste frustration. This was life.


    ¡®If you are going to taste frustration anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to do it at a good timing?¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild no longer needed to be afraid if Kraugel sessfully joined. The seven guilds? The hidden forces, including the Blood Carnival? They weren¡¯t worth anything. The Overgeared Guild would be able to challenge the vampire cities, the East Continent, hell, all types of territories, dragonirs, and even the Saharan Empire.


    Lauel imagined it. Grid winning the title of the first user king and his right arm, Kraugel. Then the Overgeared members... It was an idealposition that would lead to a perfect future.


    ¡°Please... Please.¡±


    Lauel suppressed his personal feelings and focused on reason. He could do this because Grid was the type of person who used frustration as a stepping stone for his efforts. Lauel¡¯s trust in Grid was absolute.


    ***


    The mysterious person who killed Pope Drevigo and brought the Reba Church into a new phase was Grid? The spectators and viewers who knew the amazing truth was suspicious, but they were also extremely excited. There was a sense of reverence in their eyes as they gazed at Grid.


    ¡°yer Grid!¡±


    The host didn¡¯t forget his duty in this inmed atmosphere. Countless questions poured towards Grid.


    ¡°Did you really raid Drevigo? Did you get to know Damian in the process? What were the circumstances behind raiding Drevigo? What type of person was Drevigo? Ah! What type of items did Drevigo drop?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond to the host¡¯s questions. He had no obligation to answer and his mind was already focused on Damian.


    ¡®Damian.¡¯


    Since the first day they met, Damian¡¯s eyes had always been on Grid. Grid didn¡¯t mind. Damian always looked at him with a bright smile and spoke his true heart. Damian might be four years older than Grid, but it felt like watching his younger brother.


    ¡°Damian.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Damian smiled and immediately replied to Grid¡¯s call. If Grid demanded his surrender, he would immediately agree. However, Grid didn¡¯t hope for an easy victory.


    ¡°Do your best.¡±


    Grid knew better than anyone that he was stillcking to challenge Kraugel. Grid felt the need to grow, and Damian was strong enough to be the driving force of that growth. Damian might underestimate himself, but Grid highly appreciated Damian¡¯s strength.


    Damian reminded him of Kraugel. In particr, the nonsense buff that raised uracy by 80%... It made it impossible to avoid or defend against attacks.


    "I will challenge you with all my heart!¡±


    Damian¡¯s eyes shone likenterns. His confidence in Grid was absolute and he was convinced he couldn¡¯t beat Grid. He would just try his best.


    ¡°Divine Protection, Incarnation of Light, Goddess¡¯ Blessing, Light¡¯s Blessing, and Divine Favor.¡±


    They were skills that were indispensable for the Goddess¡¯ Agent ss and pope position. The skill names were simr, in, and didn¡¯t have much impact. It was simr to the skills that a priest used. However, the actual strength was absolute.


    sh!


    sh sh!


    There were shes of green, white, and golden light pirs as Damian¡¯s attack, defense, and uracy were increased and a damage neutralizing shield was created. The duration of all buffs was three minutes.


    ¡°I can only show the majesty of a pope for three minutes. I still can¡¯t reach your toes.¡±


    Grid grasped Grid¡¯s Greatsword, which had the option to increase skill damage, and activated the Rune of Darkness socketed in the centre of the greatsword.


    ¡°You keep on disappointing me whenever you say that.¡±


    [The Rune of Darkness effect is activated. Demonic power has permanently increased by 10. For one minute, 20% addition shadow damage will be added to normal attacks and skills.]


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 20% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the ck magic attribute.]


    Kuoooooh-!


    An ominous ck energy appeared around Grid. Lantier¡¯s Cloak also turned ck.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements.¡±


    Peeng!


    It happened when Grid used all his buffs. Grid, whose skin was whitened from ckening, suddenly appeared right in front of Damian.


    ¡°Continuous Stab.¡±


    Peng!


    Pepepeng!


    It was a rare skill acquired in the reservist training reproduced in the Behen Archipgo! Grid used this multi-hit skill instead of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship to get rid of Damian¡¯s one-time attack neutralization shield. But Damian was in a full buff state.


    He reacted perfectly to Grid¡¯s move, setting up a square shield to prevent all attacks. A light shone from the side of the shield. It was the moment that Damian exerted his swordsmanship, which he developed from doing field work with Piaro.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 9,900 damage.]


    Grid suffered terrible damage as he was stabbed in the stomach. Damian exerted the ultimate divine power and also had the attack power buff, so it was impossible for it not hurt. But Grid was calm. He attacked Damian¡¯s right wrist that was exposed beyond the shield with Link. Grid had used Link hundreds or thousands of times, so he was used to unfolding the footwork in a minimal space.


    Pipipipipit!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Seokeok!


    [Goddess¡¯ Protection has invalidated the enemy¡¯s attack.]


    [The absolute shield has disappeared.]


    ¡°As expected from Grid...!¡±


    Damian felt admiration as he blocked all of the Link strikes except for one. Grid confirmed the disappearance of the green light around Damian and used Pinnacle Kill, since it would be able to get through Damian¡¯s high defense. Suddenly, Grid had a question.


    ¡®Why did he use the shield in advance?¡¯


    If he was Damian, he would use the shield at the right timing to neutralize a skill. Why did he meaninglessly consume it ahead of time...? Grid cancelled the casting of Pinnacle Kill and moved. Damian counterattacked with his shield and shouted with a smile.


    ¡°As expected from Grid! You didn¡¯t bite the bait! Goddess¡¯ Wrath!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Damian and Grid¡¯s swords exchanged blows. At the same time, there were two white shes from the magic circles behind Damian. The target was naturally Grid. Grid would be hit because he was busy exchanging blows with Damian. But Grid had the God Hands.


    Pepeng!


    Two God Hands stiffened as they blocked the white shes, while the other two God Hands fired Magic Missiles and hit Damian¡¯s wrist. Damian¡¯s sword became dull for a moment and Grid used Pinnacle in this gap.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    He was hit in the face and Damian entered a state of ¡®blindness.¡¯ It was because blood entered his eyes.


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Fortunately, the duration of blindness was only two seconds. It only took two seconds. Damian raised the shield and hid behind it like a turtle. Grid moved to the rear and repositioned it by taking advantage of the repulsive force of an attack. This allowed the shield to be lifted. He urately struck with Kill.


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Thementators of the international broadcasting stations were silent. Since Grid and Damian in full buff state were so fast, few people could understand the battle process and exin it in real time.

 Chapter 457

    Satisfy¡¯s history was still short. It had been less than two years since e-sports established itself as the most popr culture. The experience of thementators for the broadcasting stations in each country was poor and there were inevitable limits.


    -What are thementators doing?Why aren¡¯t they exining the battle?


    -Really dumb ??? They should take care of their paycheck.


    -Hah...Grid and Damian are so fast that I can¡¯t follow them with the eyes.The screen is switching too swiftly;;


    -Once the game is finished, the video will be reyed in slow motion...


    The viewers around the world startedining. Thementators could only close their mouths with frustration. At this time, ament appeared on the Inte.


    -Korea¡¯s OGC Channel is giving correctmentary.


    OGC was the world¡¯s first gaming specialty channel. It had a history of being an authentic e-sports broadcastingpany. The rich experience and professionalism of thementators there couldn¡¯t bepared to those from other stations. Viewers from all over the world started to flow to OGC¡¯s Inte channel.


    Then they witnessed an unexpected person. It was Peak Sword. On the OGC channel, the local Peak Sword was acting as a guestmentator.


    ¡º Did you see how God Grid¡¯s exquisite skill was used to induce Damian¡¯s blindness? But the even more impressive thing was his ability to control the God Hands just previously! I¡¯m sure you know how difficult it is to give four differentmands to the God Hands while fighting! This is the ss of God Grid! Do you know God Grid? ¡»


    "...¡±


    As expected from a ranker. Peak Sword was able to urately grasp and exin the contents of the battle, relieving the thirst of the viewers. However, they had to suffer through the terribly biasedmentary.


    ***


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Grid¡¯s strike prated straight through Damian¡¯s full te armor. Damian confirmed there was 16,000 damage and was thrilled.


    ¡°As expected from Grid...! That¡¯s amazing! Cough, cough.¡±


    Damian coughed up blood while praising Grid. He confirmed his health gauge as soon as the blindness disappeared.


    ¡®One quarter of my health disappeared with that blow.¡¯


    The unique ss Goddess¡¯ Agent was strictly ssified as a tanker. By default, it boasted high defense and health, especially when the full buff state and additional defense was added. This was the first time Damian experienced receiving more than 10,000 damage from a user.


    ¡®Right now, only 50% of PvP damage is applied.¡¯


    He was convinced by the damage because the opponent was Grid. Damianughed and used a healing skill. It wasn¡¯t Goddess¡¯ Breath, which restored 100% of his health, but Pope¡¯s Charity. He only recovered 5,000 health, but this alone was enough to put a strain on Grid.


    ¡®There is only Pinnacle Kill.¡¯


    Grid was in full buff state. When armed with Grid¡¯s Greatsword, he was confident that he could kill a few high rankers with one blow. It didn¡¯t matter if PvP damage had been reduced to 50%, he only dealt 16,000 damage? Damian¡¯s extraordinarily high defense and healing with a short casting time made him frustrated.


    ¡®A unique battle duration...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s odds might be lowered if they fought for a long time. It was wise to make quick decisions. But there was one thing he had to consider.


    ¡®Why did he consume the shield in advance?¡¯


    How could the skill that would definitely protect Damian¡¯s life be consumed so meaninglessly? But Grid couldn¡¯t guess what Damian¡¯s intentions were. He just instinctively sensed danger based on his cumtivebat experience.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaaeng!


    It was two seconds or so. The four God Hands were bothering Damian while Grid was thinking. Each of them was armed with a sword. It was all blocked by Damian¡¯s shield, but it wasn¡¯t meaningless.


    [The Sword Mastery of ¡®God Hand¡¯ has risen!]


    [The experience of Iyarugt has increased by 0.1%!]


    ¡®...I want a long battle.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s defense abilities were excellent, increasing the experience of the God Hands and Iyarugt. If they fought for a full hour, he might have a chance for Iyarugt¡¯s experience to reach 99%. But Grid shook his head.


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous.¡¯


    What if he lost to Damian because he wanted to raise his item rating? He wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against Kraugel, his goal.


    Pepeng!Peng!


    The battle was entering a new phase. Damian noted that Grid had a high level of physical defense and started to aggressively use magic.


    "Holy Cross!"


    Damian was originally a pdin, so he didn¡¯t have a lot of magic. Apart from Goddess¡¯ Wrath, he only had a few basic magic spells. But that alone was sufficient to threaten Grid in the ckening state. The pope¡¯s absolute divine power burned at Grid.


    [You have suffered 4,100 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,990 damage.]


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    A burning pain! Grid swung his greatsword after being hit by the magic. It was once again easily blocked with Damian¡¯s shield. However, it wasn¡¯t bad for Grid. In return for defending against Grid¡¯s attack, it allowed the God Hand¡¯s strikes to go through!


    ¡°Uhhhh...¡±


    Damian groaned as his side was hit. The God Hands had much lower attack power than Grid, but they were armed with the best items, such as Failure and Iyarugt. They dealt excellent damage, so Damian couldn¡¯t ignore the God Hands.


    ¡®There is a reason why Chris died from the God Hands.¡¯


    Damian was convinced and used Pope¡¯s Charity when the cooldown ended. Then he became confused.


    [2,500 health has been restored.]


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The healing amount was halved. It was due to Iyarugt that one of the God Hands was using. One of Iyarugt¡¯s basic options was to ¡®reduce the target¡¯s healing ability by 50% when attacked,¡¯ and this was fatal for Damian.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    Kurururung!


    As Damian was feeling confused, Grid used the footwork of Wave! Damian was hit and his speed slowed down. For Damian, who was slower than Grid from the start, the slowdown debuff was very painful. Grid¡¯s Greatsword moved in a big line. It wasn¡¯t a profound sword and there was no reason to be excited.


    ¡°Ku....ock!¡±


    Damian failed to defend and tried to counterattack, but he was too slow. Grid avoided the sword and struck again. Blood rose like a fountain at every spot where the blue ck sword moved. Damian kept bleeding. At this point, Grid¡¯s Rune of Darkness activation only had 10 seconds left.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be passive because he feared the opponent. Grid knew that he needed to sacrifice something to achieve any result.


    Kwadududuk!


    Grid twisted his arm in a bizarre direction and used a skill.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    The ultimate cutting skill. It boasted a 100% uracy and the option to ignore defense. The moment that the most powerful skill prated Damian¡¯s body.


    "Sacred and Invible!¡±


    There was a sharp sh of light around Damian¡¯s body and Grid instantly became a rag. It was the effect of a reflection skill.


    [You have dealt 40,600 damage to the target.]


    [The target has reflected the attack!]


    [You have suffered 31,050 damage.]


    Reflection skills were different from counterattack skills. Counterattacking returned the attack to the enemy, on the premise ofpletely protecting the user. On the other hand, reflection skills were triggered when an enemy¡¯s attack hit. The person had to take the damage, so it wasn¡¯tpatible with counterattack skills. However, the advantage was that the difficulty was much lower.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Grid and Damian screamed at the same time. Both were wounded and their health gauges fell sharply. In particr, Grid was on the brink of death. He had less than 100 health left. It was like a miracle that he survived!


    -Wow, Grid survived that. ??;;


    -He has good luck! ??;;


    It was extremely rare for anyone to know about Grid¡¯s immortal passive. It was only the Overgeared members and Kraugel. The viewers thought that Grid¡¯s survival was purely based on luck. But what was the truth?


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Breath.¡±


    Grid decided to fight during the five second window, while Damian set up a square shield and used Heal to slow down his momentum.


    [50% of your health has been restored immediately.]


    ¡°This...¡±


    The one who spoke was Damian, not Grid. Originally, Goddess¡¯ Breath restored 100% of his health, but this was halved due to Iyarugt.


    ¡®Dangerous!¡¯


    Jjejeong!


    The momentum behind Grid¡¯s greatsword was terrifying. Damian had no reason to meet it face-to-face, so he used magic.


    ¡®Damian will win!¡¯


    Everyone in the world was convinced, except for Kraugel and the Overgeared members. It was natural. Grid¡¯s health was currently at the bottom! It was obvious he would die when hit by magic and Damian would be the winner. But the result was different from what everyone expected.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he dead?¡¯


    Pepepepeng!


    Grid flew into the air and pierced through Damian¡¯s magic. He didn¡¯t die and his sword pierced Damian¡¯s heart.


    Puok!


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    The second blow.


    ¡°You...¡±


    The third blow.


    ¡°...Are a god.¡±


    Puok!


    The fourth blow. It was Linked Kill. Damian had all his abilities returned to normal due to the duration of the buffs being over. He couldn¡¯t withstand Linked Kill and turned to grey. Hisst appearance of giving a thumbs up to Grid gave a strong impression to the Korean people.


    "Good work."


    Grid was left alone on stage. Hended on the ground and paid homage to Damian. There was a notification window that the rating of Tiramet¡¯s Belt had increased.

 Chapter 458

    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt has been upgraded from epic to unique!]


    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    * Reduce damage received by 10%.


    * Stamina +250.


    A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet. * If this belt grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Viscount Tiramet.


    Weight: 13


    ¡®It added 150 points to the stamina stat?¡¯


    The third awakening increased health by 25 and defense by 0.9 for each point in stamina. The value of a 250 increase in stamina was tremendous, making Tiramet¡¯s Belt a coveted item for everyone, regardless of ss. He could even summon Tiramet if it was raised to a legendary level. A powerful monster that even Grid found hard to raid.


    ¡®...Then.¡¯


    There was one thing Grid wasn¡¯t happy about. The ¡®Tiramet¡¯s Power¡¯ attached to the Rune of Darkness wasn¡¯t triggered.


    [Tiramet¡¯s Power]


    If your health drops below 10%, 30% health will be restored in an instant.


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    Grid had high expectations for this recovery skill that could overturn the unfavorable battlefield. He always thought of it as a solid insurance. But it was never activated in the critical moments. It was the same when he met Lantier in the Behen Archipgo.


    Grid was embarrassed and betrayed. It felt like he met an insurancepany that he had to pay huge sums to every month. He felt like it was a scam. The Grid of the past would¡¯ve suspected a bug or maniption. But now Grid was different. There was a reason for the phenomena.


    ¡®When I met Lantier, the immortal passive was activated... The immortal passive is triggered when I¡¯m about to die. Maybe this is why Tiramet¡¯s Power doesn¡¯t work.¡¯


    In other words, Tiramet¡¯s Power didn¡¯t restore Grid¡¯s health because he was already dead. In order to enjoy the effect of Tiramet¡¯s Power, his health needed to fall below 10% and have the immortal passive not be activated.


    ¡°Comet Group.¡±


    Grid thought this before suddenly looking at the camera and using PPL. Sure enough, he was the model of promoting in the broadcasting industry. Damian received the crowd¡¯s apuse and cheers as he logged out and greeted Grid.


    "I have learned well, Grid. You are my eternal idol.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate. Don¡¯t you know that the difference between our skills is just one sheet of paper?¡±


    "...¡±


    Damian knew. Grid hadn¡¯t used all his power. If Grid had used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint, the match would¡¯ve been much easier. However, Grid didn¡¯t use Restraint.


    ¡®It is to maintain my pride. If a pope is defeated too easily, my reputation will plummet.¡¯


    Damian interpreted it freely and was thrilled. In fact, Grid hadn¡¯t used Restraint because he wanted to raise his item experience a bit more. In addition, high rankers had a high level, stats, and recovery ability. There were also essories that increased resistance to status conditions. Damian overcame most states in one to three seconds, so the effect of Restraint wasn¡¯t absolute.


    "I want the pope¡¯s term to end quickly so I can serve you.¡±


    Damian wanted to free the Reba¡¯s Daughters during his term and then move to Reidan with Isabel. But that wasn¡¯t what Grid wanted.


    "No. If you really want to follow me, you shouldn¡¯t retire.¡±


    "...¡±


    Maybe he would never be able to retire from being a pope? Damian was seriously worried.


    ***


    ¡º The fourth round is finally here. The end of the long National Competition is approaching. ¡»


    ¡º Viewers, please stay on this channel until thest minute. ¡»


    The broadcasters asked in vain. More viewers around the world were focused on OGC¡¯s channel. They were fascinated by the biased and precisementary of Peak Sword.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be amentator?¡±


    It was a big hit. The OGC director excitedly asked Peak Sword after seeing that the number of viewers was over 100 million.


    ¡°I will answer if you asionally invite me, but I¡¯m a Satisfy yer.¡±


    ¡°Haha, indeed. You are one of the heroes who represent South Korea.¡±


    "...What hero?¡±


    Peak Sword looked sad. It was natural. He was 15th on the unified rankings and one of the strongest in South Korea, but he received the nickname of ¡®Useless Peak Sword.¡¯ He was very frustrated and disappointed that he couldn¡¯t win a medal.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go into mining as Grid suggested...¡¯


    Peak Sword was seriously considering it as the fourth round began.


    The process was very fast. The winner of the first match was Kraugel, the second match was the US¡¯ Skull and the third match was won by Canada¡¯s Dean.


    ¡º Despite PvP damage being reduced by 50%, the match is over in an instant. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s because they are high rankers. Thus, their attack power is too strong. On the other hand, there is a limit to their health. In particr, there are skills that apply fixed damage or ignore defense, making the defense system ineffective. Well, it¡¯s rare for there to be a long battle because the difference between opponents is clear. ¡»


    ¡º The fourth match is starting. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s the Grid vs Pon match that everyone expected. ¡»


    ¡º Peak Sword, who do you think will win? ¡»


    The viewers were able to anticipate Peak Sword¡¯s answer.


    ¡¯Naturally, God Grid will win.¡¯


    ¡®It is his victory.¡¯


    ¡®Will he win in three seconds?¡¯


    Peak Sword had greatly favored Grid over Damian. It was possible to say that he made the buzzword ¡®God Grid.¡¯ But surprisingly, Peak Sword¡¯s answer was different.


    ¡º Pon is very strong. In particr, the attack speed of Rail Spear and Mach Spear will be hard to handle, even for God Grid. If God Grid is hti by one of those two skills, it might be difficult to win. ¡»


    ¡º Hoh... Isn¡¯t this an unexpected answer? Does this mean that God Grid will lose? ¡»


    Peak Sword denied it.


    ¡º No, why will God Grid lose? It will be hard, but God Grid will win. Do you know God Grid? ¡»


    ¡º Ah, yes... ¡»


    It went as they expected. People saw Peak Sword was someone who would say that God Grid would win over Kraugel. At this time, the fourth match of this round started. Whatever the result, it would be interesting and fun! Thementators and viewers were filled with intense anticipation as they started on the match.


    But surprisingly, the match ended easily. Grid used the four God Hands to immediately restrain the legs of the white horse Pon was riding and it tilted. Due to the impact of losing his mount, Pon¡¯s stats fell and he was pushed by Grid¡¯s power. It was a battle method that urately attacked the shorings of a spear knight, who had to be ¡®riding¡¯ to use their full power.


    ¡°Shit... I could¡¯ve fought better if I had a pegasus or soul horse.¡±


    There was a limit to ordinary horses with nobat ability. Grid reached out a hand to Pon.


    "If you buy the diamond ss capsule from the Comet Group, you will get a egg that hatches random pets every day as a gift. Maybe a pegasus will hatch from that? Ha. Ha. Ha.¡±


    "What? Is there something like that? I should buy the diamond ss capsule from the Comet Group right away...!¡±


    "...¡±


    Pon fell for a typical capitalism method. He maximized the effect of Grid¡¯s PPL, increasing the appeal of the Comet Group. The Comet Group epted this very positively. Now there were few people in the world who didn¡¯t know about the Comet Group. In South Korea, the birth of another conglomerate after the S.A. Group was about to be born.


    ***


    ¡¯Am I actually incredibly strong?¡¯


    As a third advancement ss, Dean of Canada was ssified as a high ranker. In fact, he worked with Chris and Vantner during the National Competition to make Canada fourth in the rankings. But he made it to the semi-finals of the PvP. This was an unexpected result for Dean, his teammates, and the Canadian people.


    ¡®At first, I thought I was just lucky...¡¯


    Yes, he thought it was luck when he made it to the round of 16. He never met one of the winning candidates. But this thought changed after he made it to the round of 4. Was there anyone weak among the PvP participants? No. They were all high rankers. Even those who didn¡¯t qualify as winning candidates were in the top 0.1%.


    Was it possible to reach the semi-finals just by being lucky? Never. There was also a limit to luck. He must have skills as a base. Dean realized it.


    ¡®Yes, in fact, I am very strong.¡¯


    His confidence grew steadily.


    ¡®I am qualified to go to the finals.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t attract attention because he wasn¡¯t a winning candidate.


    ¡®I am strong!¡¯


    Dean climbed onto the stage with that firm belief. On the stage, a man with ck hair was waiting for him. Grid had sharp eyes, like a beast of prey. A talented person who had defeated a lot of winning candidates to reach the semi-finals. A monster who won four gold medals alone in the National Competition.


    But.


    ¡®I am also a monster.¡¯


    Dean didn¡¯t shrink back.


    ¡¯I am also equal to Grid.¡¯


    That¡¯s why he was standing on the same stage as Grid.


    ¡°Grid... From now on, you will be the basis of my great legend.¡±


    ¡¯Is he the same as Lauel?¡¯


    Grid wondered as he looked at Dean.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    The host announced the start of the match and at the same time, Dean swung a rod at Grid. Then Dean faced a notification window after 10 seconds.


    [You have died.]


    "...¡±


    He had been lucky. Dean tearfully figured out the truth as he died.


    All that was left was the final match between Kraugel and Grid.

 Chapter 459

    ¡º Grid¡¯s victory!! ¡»


    ¡®This is ridiculous.¡¯


    He only struck a few times before Dean died! Grid was astonished.


    ¡®How did he reach the semi-finals if he was so weak?¡¯


    Currently, Iyarugt had 98.3% experience. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the rating increased. Grid¡¯s goal was to umte as much experience as possible before meeting Kraugel. But Dean was too weak. He only received a few strikes before dying. It was embarrassing because it was unintended.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve adjusted my power.¡¯


    Hao, Chris, Damian, and Pon. He lost touch with reality because he only dealt with strong people through the PvP. His mistake was not adjusting his strength for Dean.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Grid cleared his throat as he logged out. Lauel¡¯s expression was frustrated as he sat with the US representatives.


    ¡®Now everything depends on Kraugel.¡¯


    It was correct to say that it returned to the beginning. Without relying on anything else, fighting using his own strength to create the desired result. Kraugel had always been like that.


    ¡®Have strength.¡¯


    If you want to save your mother. Lauel clenched his fists as the match to determine the third ce started. It was between Skull, who was defeated by Kraugel, and Dean, who was defeated by Grid. The winner was naturally Skull. Skull had a fierce battle against Kraugel and his skills as the 8th ce ranker weren¡¯tckingpared to the other winning candidates.


    "Well fought, Skull!"


    "I won¡¯t forget your performance!¡±


    The Americans in the crowd started to shout Skull¡¯s name. Skull, who struggled to the end to make his country first in the rankings, left a big impression on the American people.


    ¡°Next year... Next year will be different...¡±


    The image of Skull tearing up as he resented his own helplessness was engraved in their minds. Lauel also felt guilty. He deliberately lost in the siege so that he could bring Kraugel to Overgeared. His conscience was pained because he was the reason his country lost first in the overall rankings. But Lauel was the chief of staff for Overgeared. It was natural for him to be faithful to that role.


    ¡°This is the fate of those who bear a mission... I will pay this price in my next life...¡±


    The hands and feelings of the US representatives curled as Lauel spoke in his ownnguage.


    ***


    The long-awaited PvP finals!


    It was the main stage of the National Competition which had been going on for almost a month, so the interest and expectations of the people were very high. Even the elderly had their channels fixed on the Satisfypetition. In particr, Russia and South Korea were in an uproar.


    In this match, the first ranked country would be decided. Therefore, there was heated cheering for Grid and Kraugel.


    ¡º I am so proud of Grid. Hasn¡¯t South Korea¡¯s status in Satisfy increased thanks to Grid? I¡¯m so excited when I see that foreign yers can no longer make fun of South Korea on the Inte. ¡»


    ¡º I never dreamed that South Korea could be ranked first! Thanks to Grid, I¡¯m enjoying watching the National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º The chicken sales have increased by 2,000% during this period! Grid saved our store that was almost ruined! He is the benefactor of my family! ¡»


    ¡º My parents are quite old and not interested in Satisfy... These days, they have started to show interest after watching the news about Grid. Thanks to that, I have a capsule at home. Of course, it was purchased from the Comet Group. ¡»


    ¡º Recently, the Satisfy membership for people over 70 is increasing rapidly. The elderly are saying that Satisfy is like a second life... ¡»


    ¡º As the stock prices of the S.A. Group and the Comet Group are surging rapidly, South Korea¡¯s economic rate is also soaring. Experts call this the ¡®Grid effect¡¯... ¡»


    ¡º Recently, the number of Japanese and Chinese tourists have increased rapidly. They are visiting the area on the outskirts of Seoul, where buildings are being constructed under the names of Grid and the Overgeared members. Economists say this is a phenomenon that suggests a new main street. ¡»


    ¡º The best K-pop group, ¡®We are Legendary ss¡¯ has announced a new song ahead of the PvP finals. The title of the new song is ¡®God Grid¡¯s Praise Song¡¯ and the lyrics wishing for Grid to win the National Competition are receiving favorable reviews. Two minutes after its release, it is first ce in various real time music sites. Their agency, Urek Entertainment, is confident that the God Grid¡¯s Praise Song will enter the Billboard chart as well. ¡»


    ¡º I received information that top star Song Yekyo, who is loved for her cute appearance and morous body, has secretly left for Parisst night. Song-ssi also wrote posts on her SNS supporting Grid. After seeing that Song-sii is going directly to Paris to support Grid,izens are concerned that Song-ssi will be his conquest after Yura and Jishuka. ¡»


    ¡º The president said that we should nurture a second and third Grid at a luncheon with representatives of the ruling and opposing parties. Unexpectedly, the members of both parties all agreed. The Satisfy Rankers Training Policy will be brought up in the near future to the parliament... ¡»


    The wavelength generated by Grid was overturning all of South Korea. Grid¡¯s parents and his sister Sehee became worried once things became too big. They were worried that the people¡¯s excessive interest might put a strain on Grid. There was also the chance that people would stick to Grid and mislead him in the wrong directly.


    But there was no need to worry. Grid had already be ustomed to people¡¯s attention since he became lord of Reidan. He knew how to manage himself well. Also, when people changed, the environment also changed. Now many talents were gathered around Grid and actively assisting him.


    ***


    ¡º Who dares to doubt Grid¡¯s abilities after he climbed to the finals by defeated the winning candidates? Grid is the strongest. ¡»


    ¡º However, that is on the premise of ¡®after Kraugel.¡¯ In the winner¡¯s prediction survey that was held again, only 5% expected Grid to win. Almost everyone is confident that Kraugel will win. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s unavoidable. Kraugel¡¯s undefeated myth is well-known, and the abilities he has shown is beyond Grid. ¡»


    ¡º One variable is that Grid has an immortal skill. I think the key to this match is Grid¡¯s immortal skill ¡»


    "...¡±


    A 30 minute break was given before the finals would take ce and Kraugel was in the waiting room. He meditated with his eyes closed, only thinking about his mother.


    ¡®Mother.¡¯


    The only thing in the world that was irreceable. She lost her husband at a young age due to illness and sacrificed her life to raise her son.


    ¡®I can sacrifice everything.¡¯


    ¡°The effect of this new drug is certain. The clinical trials are done. However, there are no ns formercialization. Why? Because I know its tremendous value. This medicine will be one of Russia¡¯s powerful bargaining tools. Haha, medicine should be used to heal people? That¡¯s right. However, it¡¯s only the people with value.¡±


    If he wanted it, improve his status in Russia! Kraugel once again thought about the Russian government¡¯s proposal. Then he opened the pendant with a portrait of his mother that he always carried around.


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    Kraugel had no memories of a healthy mother. She used her weak body to raise her son alone, bing a middle-aged woman who suffered from illness. This was a chance to repay all that she had done for him. Yes, this was a unique opportunity.


    ¡°...Definitely.¡±


    He would be sure to see her healthy smile.


    ¡®Win.¡¯


    He absolutely couldn¡¯t fail. Kraugel ate all the poison in his heart and rose from his seat. There was five minutes until the finals started.


    ***


    ¡°Lauel, why don¡¯t you report the truth to Grid? If we exin Kraugel¡¯s situation to Grid, won¡¯t it easily solve the problem? A person¡¯s life is at stake. Grid will choose defeat and Kraugel will join the guild.¡±


    This was Vantner¡¯s opinion. Jishuka answered his foolish question.


    "Lauel doesn¡¯t want to ce strain on Grid.¡±


    The reason that Lauel wanted to recruit Kraugel was purely for Grid and Overgeared. In addition, he knew how much Grid had been looking forward to winning against Kraugel. If Grid knew about Kraugel, his dream would be broken and he would receive psychological pressure.


    This was contrary to the reason for recruiting Kraugel Lauel wished for a natural result that Grid could adapt to.


    ¡°Objectively, it¡¯s good to pray for Lauel¡¯s wish toe true.¡±


    But Jishuka¡¯s heart was different.


    ¡°Grid, win.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t necessary to drag Grid down due to Kraugel¡¯s matters. Jishuka knew how hard Grid worked and she wished for his dream toe true.


    ***


    ¡º There are numerous ways to describe this person, but this one will suffice. The peak of two billion users! Kraugel!! ¡»


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    ¡°The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky! The sky above the sky!¡±


    ¡°Show us the dignity of the 1st ranked user!¡±


    The crowd chanted as Kraugel climbed onto the stage. They were fans, regardless of which country they came from. The shouts for Grid were also incredible.


    ¡º The fury of South Korea! The first legendary ss! Grid!! ¡»


    "Go Grid!¡±


    "Show me there is no eternal majesty.¡±


    "...¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid couldn¡¯t hear the loud cheering sound. He could only hear his strong heartbeat. That¡¯s right. Grid was nervous. He tried not to show it. He didn¡¯t want to look strained in front of someone he considered a rival.


    ¡°Kraugel.¡±


    Before the host announced the start of the match. Grid faced Kraugel with a solemn gaze and dered.


    ¡°I will obtain the title of the strongest.¡±

 Chapter 460

    ¡°I will obtain the title of the strongest.¡±


    A challenge towards the sky! Grid¡¯s provocative words heated up the Stade de France National Stadium.


    ¡°Grid! Grid! Grid!!¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can win over Kraugel!?¡±


    Some people cheered for Grid and others disparaged him. Most of them were thetter. It meant that Kraugel¡¯s poprity was absolute. It was natural. Kraugel was a subject of reverence without anyone daring to feel envious and jealous, making him special in people¡¯s hearts.


    In the first ce, looking at it objectively, Grid wasn¡¯t Kraugel¡¯s opponent. People saw Grid as someone who couldn¡¯t grasp who he was going against. In the midst of this turmoil, Kraugel opened his mouth.


    ¡°This time, I won¡¯t lose. No, I can never lose.¡±


    They were shocking words.


    "...¡±


    The crowd instantly fell silent. Everyone shut their mouths and doubted their ears.


    ¡®This time I won¡¯t lose...?¡¯


    ¡¯This time...?¡¯


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Kraugel had already been defeated by Grid? The turmoil disappeared like it was a lie and the match began in silence. The system notification window informed them of the start of the match, rather than the host.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid calmed his trembling heart and moved.


    ¡°White Light Steps.¡±


    Kraugel spoke with a determined expression. The two men with ck hair moved at the same time. Every step that Grid took was gorgeous, with a blood red light scattering with every move. Meanwhile, Kraugel was more elegant and covert. He disappeared from Grid¡¯s field of view in an instant.


    White Light Steps. It was a footwork skill that increased movement speed and improved the ability to adapt to the terrain. It could be applied as a charging or avoidance skill ording to the user¡¯s proficiency. Under intense sunshine or clear moonlight, it had a stealth function. And right now, the sun was shining down on the stage.


    It was a time when Kraugel¡¯s abilities were fully exercised.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    ¡°Disappeared!¡±


    The crowd¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. It was surprising to see Kraugel disappear from in front of Grid. Would he now appear like a ghost, dealing a deadly blow to Grid? Everyone was expecting it.


    Grid used magic while unfolding his sword dance.


    ¡°Magic Detection, Link.¡±


    Magic Detection (Enhanced). It was different from normal Magic Detection. Great Magician Brahampletely overturned the form, minimizing the casting time and maximizing the effect. Due to this, Grid grasped Kraugel¡¯s position in an instant and fired dozens of energy des.


    Kraugel failed in his surprise attack and went on the defensive.


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Fast and strong. Iyarugt¡¯s red light and White Fang¡¯s white light intertwined several times per second, creating an intense storm of energy. Sparks scattered all over the ce, burning some of the stage. The ultimate effects created by two top performers were captivating.


    On the other hand, thementators and even Peak Sword of OGC weren¡¯t able to read the movements of Grid and Kraugel.


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    Godly archer Jishuka. Only the yer with the highest agility and Hawk Eyes could catch Grid and Kraugel¡¯s movements. But she could only see it. It wouldn¡¯t be possible for her to respond if she faced them.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just fast. The sword¡¯s ever changing orbits...¡±


    One of Kraugel¡¯s nicknames was Godly Control. It was a nickname given to those who demonstrated control abilities that transcended the human realm. But Grid? Even Jishuka didn¡¯t know that Grid¡¯s control skills had grown to this point.


    ¡®Did he grow again in this National Competition?¡¯


    In particr, he faced the strongest people in PvP.


    Jjejeong!


    After thest strike from Link, Grid and Kraugel were thrown away from each other. The feelings of the two men who stared at each other werepletely opposite.


    ¡®He¡¯s iparably stronger than before.¡¯


    Kraugel was only feeling admiration.


    ¡®Crazy... Blocking the skill like that?¡¯


    Grid was shocked. Whenever Kraugel encountered Link, he weakened the orbit of Link to his advantageous side, weakening it.


    ¡®Is this a person...?¡¯


    Indeed, Kraugel was a monster who surpassed Piaro during his peak as a great swordsman at the time when Kraugelpeted with Piaro in Reidan. Piaro called Kraugel ¡®a genius who¡¯s eligible to be a sword saint.¡¯ There was nothing to be surprised about.


    ¡®I can never win in a pure physical fight.¡¯ CC needed to be actively utilized.


    Grid decided to use Restraint while summoning the God Hands to keep Kraugel in check. While Kraugel was busy dealing with the God Hands, Grid could safelyplete Restraint. The n worked out exactly as he nned. They wielded their swords andunched Magic Missiles, causing Kraugel to waste around 1.5 seconds. In that gap, Gridpleted Restraint.


    But there was a problem. The moment that the effect of Restraint was activated, one of the ten rings on Kraugel¡¯s fingers shone and a shocking message appeared in front of Grid.


    [The target has resisted the ¡®overwhelmed¡¯ effect!]


    ¡°...Items!¡±


    Yes, the power of items wasn¡¯t exclusive to Grid and the Overgeared members. In particr, Kraugel was someone who experienced more adventures and raids than anyone else. He acquired countless items as well as essories that resisted certain status conditions.


    Kraugel rushed towards the upset Grid and swung White Fang. He aimed for the heart using the passive effect of Heart Selection, but Grid had the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and Iyarugt. He didn¡¯t easily allow an attack.


    Jjejeong!


    White Fang and Iyarugt met once again.


    [The experience of Iyarugt has increased by 0.1%!]


    ¡°Hah...!¡±


    The experience of a unique item went up so much from just one blow? It wasn¡¯t just because of Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship. Their level difference also yed arge role.


    ¡®Anyway, thank you!¡¯


    If he could hold on, it was possible that Iyarugt¡¯s rating would increase in a matter of minutes and he could reverse the battlefield...


    [You have suffered 2,100 damage.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    When? Grid¡¯s eyes trembled as he was stabbed in the side by a dagger that Kraugel had pulled out. Kraugel continued his offensive with White Fang in one hand and a dagger with a dragon¡¯s tail engraved on it in the other.


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Ku....ock!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship became more threatening after he started using two des. The gap between attacks was minimized and the orbit became moreplicated. It was difficult to respond to the attacks that were even more irregr than Regas¡¯.


    Grid started to allow attacks.


    [You have suffered 1,950 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,130 damage.]


    The damage of the dagger wasn¡¯t very burdensome thanks to the increased rating of Tiramet¡¯s Belt. Grid was also wearing the strongest armor, Triple Layers! The problem was White Fang.


    [+9 True White Fang]


    Grid was familiar with its power. If he let Kraugel reach the thirdbo, he couldn¡¯t avoid a serious injury. He tried to somehow stop the attack, but failed.


    [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]


    [Your weakness is exposed!]


    [Doran¡¯s Ring has been equipped.]


    [You were hit by a sharp cut and suffered 12,900 damage!]


    [Health has been absorbed due to the option effect of Doran¡¯s Ring.]


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Grid became covered with wounds and coughed up blood. The crowd and viewers reacted to the sight.


    ¡°The fierce battle became one-sided in an instant...¡±


    ¡°Grid is better than I thought, but it¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed! The sky above the sky won¡¯t lose to Grid!¡±


    Originally, strength was rtive. Grid had shown excellence in the past, but he was shabby in front of the ¡®peak.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Now people were overlooking him. Grid was a person who couldn¡¯t be measured!


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Grid allowed Kraugel to strike him and reached into the air. One of the God Hands flew to him and handed him Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    [The +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword has been equipped as a secondary weapon.]


    [Only 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power is applied due to the double wielding penalty.]


    [Grid¡¯s Greatsword has increased attack power by 30% and skill damage by 20%.]


    Grid also specialized in double wielding. He faced Kraugel while holding Iyarugt in his right hand and Grid¡¯s Greatsword in his left hand. Kraugel became tense.


    ¡®This attack speed with a greatsword...¡¯


    How high was Grid¡¯s agility? In addition, the blue-ck greatsword didn¡¯t seem to have an attack speed drop penalty.


    Jjejeong!


    "Hup...!"


    Kraugel¡¯s body was pushed by the offensive power and flew through the air. He couldn¡¯t withstand it when Grid pushed with strength. This was a chance for Grid. As Kraugel was unable to control his body properly, Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill.


    A targeted skill that couldn¡¯t be avoided, Pinnacle Kill. Kraugel discovered that it contained a mighty power that made defense insignificant, so he tried to use a counterattack.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let this hit.¡¯


    The power was too strong. Unlike Grid, Kraugel¡¯s counterattack skill was ordinary and it was overwhelmed by the attack power of Pinnacle Kill. Should he use Super Sensitivity? Kraugel couldn¡¯t because it was highly likely this would be a prolonged battle against Grid.


    In the end, Kraugel¡¯s choice was a kick at close range.


    "Jajinmori.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The ¡®charged¡¯ kick precisely struck Grid¡¯s abdomen. However, Grid wasn¡¯t pushed away and safely used Pinnacle Kill. Kraugel¡¯s expressions twisted. It was because his kick had been blocked by a God Hand.


    Seokeok!


    A powerful stab prated Kraugel¡¯s abdomen.


    Puok!


    The red rain pouring down from the sky shocked the world.

 Chapter 461

    ¡®It was predicted.¡¯


    Jajinmori was a kick used without any preliminary actions. It hit the target at close range, so it was impossible for the opponent to see it and respond. But Grid perfectly blocked it with the God Hand. It was clear that Grid took into consideration the timing of the action that had been performed only once in public before.


    ¡®That is enough.¡¯


    Kraugel appreciated Grid more than anyone else. Even more than Lauel, Damian, and Peak Sword. But now it seemed like he had undervalued Grid. Grid¡¯s true abilities surpassed Kraugel¡¯s assumed range.


    ¡®An incredible growth rate. Is this due to special training with Piaro?¡¯


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t imagine that Grid had reached the 60th ind of the Behen Archipgo. He raised his rating of Grid to a new level.


    ¡®He can¡¯t be estimated.¡¯


    Kraugel had already prepared a number of things. He looked for the best method in real-time.


    Duk.


    Duduk.


    Blood was dripping from Kraugel¡¯s abdomen. Red and wet drops fell on the stage where signs of destruction remained. It was a very surreal sight.


    ¡°T-This is impossible...¡±


    ¡°Kraugel was wounded...?¡±


    The crowd was shocked, as if the sky had fallen. The sky above the sky. The high sky that no one could reach. Had he ever been hurt in a one-on-one match? No. It wasmon sense that Kraugel was invincible. However, Grid destroyed it at this moment. Theirmon sense was broken!


    ¡º When Kraugel said he lost to Grid... It was true? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s impossible for Kraugel to lose in a one-on-one match. In the first ce, isn¡¯t he a monster that doesn¡¯t get hit by non-targeted skills? It¡¯s impossible for anyone to beat him. ¡»


    ¡º Grid seeded with a targeted skill, but the battle situation will soon change again. It will be favorable towards Kraugel! ¡»


    The people of the world still believed in Kraugel¡¯s victory, but Grid was different. He found hope that he could win. He recovered the greatsword in Kraugel¡¯s abdomen and at the same time, he linked another attack with Iyarugt. Grid¡¯s face had a desire for victory.


    However, reality wasn¡¯t that easy.


    "Mole Ascension.¡±


    Kraugel was over 40 levels higher than Grid. In addition, he possessed more than 15 titles that exerted all types of effects. He wouldn¡¯t copse because of one hit from Pinnacle Kill. He avoided Grid¡¯s attack while a beam shot upwards from White Fang. Iyarugt and Grid¡¯s Greatsword crossed in an X to try and defend, but Kraugel interfered by stabbing the dagger in that gap.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kup...!¡±


    Grid was hit in the jaw and resisted the ¡®fainting¡¯ status. Then he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle. During the process, he was stabbed twice in the side by Kraugel¡¯s dagger, but ignored it. He was convinced that he could take the lead in the battle by umting damage with Pinnacle Kill and now Pinnacle. However, the destructive power of Pinnacle was different from Pinnacle Kill, and Kraugel was able to counter.


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡±


    Tearing the Sky was one of the White Swordsman¡¯s ultimate moves. The fatal disadvantage was that it consumed mana, but it was a counterattack skill that exerted a high power by ignoring a certain percentage of the target¡¯s defense.


    Kwajajajajak!


    Huge beast ws were carved into the sky where Grid was. The aura of Pinnacle was broken and the durability of Iyarugt and Grid¡¯s Greatsword was damaged. Five rows of blood appeared on Grid¡¯s chest.


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Grid let out a rare loud scream. It was because his defense was so high that he rarely felt pain. However, the damage suffered from the +9 True White Fang¡¯s counterattack was enormous. Now almost all his defense was ignored and the pain was unbearable.


    Then Kraugel¡¯s kick hit Grid¡¯s face.


    Peeng!


    There was a sound like a balloon popping. Fortunately, Grid¡¯s face was unharmed. It was impossible to damage Grid with a generic kick, even if it was Kraugel. However, he sessfully used Grid¡¯s face as a foothold to gain a favorable position. His ck robe pped and Kraugel rose in the air, an intense light shining around White Fang.


    It was the precursor to a certain skill that Grid remembered.


    ¡®Meteor Sword!¡¯


    Kuooooooh!


    Kraugel used White Light Steps to shoot towards the ground. A gigantic momentum like a meteor falling was created, and a deep pit formed in the 10m area of the stage around Grid. Grid struggled to try and stand upright.


    ¡®Magic Detection is still on cooldown...!¡¯


    Grid missed Kraugel¡¯s position because of the cloaking effect of White Light Steps and eventually used Revolve. Then he invoked Blood Cry.


    Kiiiing.


    Iyarugt cried out enthusiastically. In the past, it was a bnce loss inducing skill that was able to cancel out Kraugel¡¯s Meteor Sword in Reidan. One of Kraugel¡¯s rings shone.


    Peeng!


    It was a ring with the effect of ¡®awakening.¡¯ It burst and restored the wearer¡¯s mind. Thanks to it, Kraugel was able to get rid of the tinnitus in his ear and safelyplete Meteor Sword.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    It was thanks to the items that boasted the best defense such as Lantier¡¯s Cloak and Triple Layers that his life was saved. The power of the enemy¡¯s sword, which dealt damage equal to the target¡¯s defense + fixed damage, inflicted a serious wound on Grid.


    Tak.


    Unlike his fierce momentum, Krauelnded lightly and threw the dagger to one side. It was towards the four God Hands in the distance, that were hammering in front of a small st furnace. A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [The skill Item Combination has been cancelled!]


    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    It was a difficult skill to use in practice. Grid had one third of his health remaining and was standing at the crossroad of choice.


    ¡®I can¡¯t use ckening either.¡¯


    His stats would rise with ckening and he would be able to fight evenly with Kraugel. But he hesitated. It was because Iyarugt¡¯s experience was at 99%.


    ¡®I can raise the rating if I endure the next 50 or so attacks.¡¯


    If he lowered his health with ckening, it would be harder to hold on. He didn¡¯t want one of them to die before Iyarugt¡¯s rating increased. Of course, it was Grid who was likely to die.


    ¡¯Endure first.¡¯


    He made up his mind and put Grid¡¯s Greatsword into the inventory. He wasn¡¯t confident enough to concentrate on dual wielding while facing Kraugel.


    ¡®Does he have a way?¡¯


    Kraugel felt alert because Grid didn¡¯t use ckening. The health that had decreased due to Pinnacle Kill was slowly recovering due to the effect of the title ¡®Troll King¡¯s Curse.¡¯ He believed that time was on his side, but became nervous due to Grid¡¯s attitude.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I should drag out the time.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t make a hasty decision just because he wanted to free his mother from pain as soon as possible. At this time, Kraugel analyzed the situation more calmly and carefully than before. Thus, he believed in his own judgment.


    ¡®Fast paced!¡¯


    Kurururung!


    There was the sound of thunder from the clear sky and the earth began to surge. The stage that Kraugel and Grid were standing on shook violently, tilting and partially copsing. Thementators shouted simultaneously.


    ¡º This...! ¡»


    ¡º This is the precursor to the wide-range skill that Kraugel used to defeat Tarma! ¡»


    Heaven and Earth Rupture. It was the unique rated skill that Kraugel learned from the East Continent prior to the National Competition. It wasn¡¯tcking in terms of range or power. It was the strongest attack that dominated the sky and earth.


    "Heaven and Earth Rupture.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    From the sky, heavy lightning bolts rained down andva rose from cracks in the ground. There seemed to be no way to escape, meaning Grid would be hit hard. The Russian citizens cheered.


    ¡°Kraugel won!¡±


    "Russia is first!¡±


    On the other hand, the Korean people were frustrated.


    "How to avoid a skill like that...?¡±


    ¡°It seems like the world is tilting...¡±


    It was the moment when the audience ratings of the National Competition reached its peak!


    [The effect of the title ¡®Secret Hero¡¯ has been used.]


    [You have dispersed the consciousness of the enemies.]


    The aggro was turned off.


    [The skill ¡®Influence¡¯ has been activated. This effect willst for 10 seconds.]


    [Reduces the defense of all enemies within 50m of you by 50%.]


    [The skill ¡®Freely Move¡¯ can be used once.]


    It was a high level dash skill that avoided all attacks until it reaches the ¡®desired target¡¯ within 200 meters.


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid used Quick Movements and ran like a lightning bolt. His movement speed was so fast that it left a long afterglow. It wasn¡¯t a straight movement. Grid moved from side to side, avoiding the lightning andva that were in his way.


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was like looking at Kraugel. The crowd and viewers were speechless at Grid¡¯s phenomenal control.


    ¡°ckening. cksmith¡¯s Rage. And Linked Kill.¡±


    Lasting 50 blows against Kraugel? It was crazy. Now he needed to win!


    Peeng!


    Grid made a decision and swung Iyarugt once.


    Pepeng!


    The second blow.


    Pepepeng!


    The third blow. Kraugel stabbed forward in order to break it. But it was useless. Grid¡¯s attack speed was too fast for him to handle and the God Hands also pincer attacked him. This made Kraugel copse in the process of dodging.


    ¡®Toote...!¡¯


    Peeeeeong!


    In the end, the fourth blow of Linked Kill precisely struck Kraugel. Kraugel chose to give up avoidance and blocked. Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible topletely stop it. However, he used Eagle¡¯s Descent and pressed down on Iyarugt in order to minimize the damage. However, due to the high attack power from Grid¡¯s buffed state, Eagle¡¯s Descent couldn¡¯t stop Iyarugt¡¯s momentum.


    Puoook!


    Kraugel¡¯s chest was struck! He had one fifth of his health left, and straightened his staggering posture. Subsequently, White Fang moved upwards in a diagonal manner.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid blocked it and counterattacked. Kraugel also blocked it and repeated a counterattack.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    The bodies of the two men gradually rose into the sky as they exchanged blows. It was a phenomenon caused by not resisting the repulsive force that urred whenever the two swords collided.


    "...¡±


    They knew that Kraugel was strong. But this strong? In addition, how was Grid able to pull out Kraugel¡¯s full power?


    The rankers in the National Competition started to feel the level difference.


    ¡®We... We haven¡¯t even experienced half of their abilities.¡¯


    An entirely different ss. The sky called Kraugel was much higher than they thought, and Grid was an impregnable tower, not one that would copse.

 Chapter 462

    Chaeng!


    Chaeng!


    Grid and Kraugel¡¯s bodies rose into the sky. The blood and sweating from the two men scattered, reflecting like starlight.


    ¡®His attack power is too strong.¡¯


    Kraugel was desperately exchanging blows with Grid, who was in a full buff state. Every time their swords collided, Kraugel twisted the sword¡¯s orbit to offset the powerful destructive force, causing a rapid decline in stamina and pain in his wrist.


    Above all, the big problem was the psychological pressure. What if his concentration was disturbed and he allowed one of Grid¡¯s attacks? The result would be defeat and he wouldn¡¯t be able to treat his mother¡¯s illness. The tension at the thought of his mother¡¯s health caused a huge burden on Kraugel¡¯s mental state.


    ¡®Definitely...!¡¯


    He had to win! Kraugel vowed and his concentration once again began to transcend the category of a human. He raised the passive effect of Keen Senses to the extremes and properly used dual wielding. After blocking Iyarugt with White Fang, he stabbed his dagger in the gap that was exposed.


    Puk!


    Chaeng!


    Puk!


    Chaaeng!


    The number of injuries on Grid started to grow. Blood intermittently covered the mask on his face.


    ¡®It¡¯s unbelievable.¡¯


    Grid was surprised. He had the advantage in attack power, attack speed, and stamina, so why was he the only one getting hurt? The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and Iyarugt gave him the best path, but he never touched Kraugel¡¯s body. It was like grasping at air.


    ¡®This is the sky...¡¯


    No matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to reach it. The Grid of the past would¡¯ve resented the natural difference in talent and felt inferior. He would¡¯ve lost his temper. But now it was different. Grid no longer had a sense of inferiority. Grid started to enjoy himself.


    ¡®If I knock you down...!¡¯


    Yes, he would prove himself to be the strongest if he defeated Kraugel.


    ¡®I will win the title of the strongest!¡¯


    Hisck of talent wouldn¡¯t hold onto his ankles. It was a great opportunity to prove that his effort wasn¡¯t small.


    ¡°Me!¡±


    Jjejeong!


    ¡°I will win!¡±


    Puk!


    Grid shouted as loudly as possible to raise his own morale, but the battlefield was the worst. In fact, he was once again stabbed in the side by Kraugel¡¯s dagger. The OGC station¡¯smentators, who had thergest number of viewers at the moment,were saddened.


    ¡º Ahh... It will end soon. ¡»


    ¡º Grid¡¯s really great. We will never forget his actions in allowing the Korean people a new dream. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Grid deserves to be praised forever as the yer who raised South Korea from being ridiculed in Satisfy to being able to look at first in the rankings. ¡»


    ¡º In the end, Grid is defeated. However, no one should me him. He fought well. ¡»


    It was also alone. The young Satisfy yers in Korea watching the match started to burn with motivation.


    ¡°I will be strong like Grid.¡±


    "I will be Grid¡¯s power in the next National Competition.¡±


    The desire to stand on the same stage as Grid filled the hearts of the young people. That¡¯s right. Just like Grid felt awe and envy toward Kraugel, many young people of South Korea were feeling envy towards him. The past fool who wasn¡¯t acknowledged by anyone!


    ¡º I don¡¯t think God Grid is going to lose. ¡»


    The viewers didn¡¯t resist all thementators predicting that Grid would lose. At the time when everyone was overwhelmed by Kraugel¡¯s power, some people believed in Grid until the end. One of them was OGC¡¯s guestmentator, Peak Sword.


    ¡º God Grid won a fight against Kraugel before. No, it wasn¡¯t just Kraugel. He has always fought stronger enemies alone, and it¡¯s the same this time. Definitely! ¡»


    Starting with Peak Sword¡¯s excitement.


    "Our son will win!¡±


    "...¡±


    Sehee held hands with her parents and prayed for Grid.


    ¡°I bet 100,000 gold that Grid will win!¡±


    ¡°One million gold!¡±


    "Then I am all in!¡±


    "Hey, these people. We can¡¯t bet on Grid.¡±


    The Overgeared members.


    ¡°Dammit... We used to mock and harass you, but not anymore. You might never forgive us, but we are all acknowledging and cheering you on now. So please win, Shin Youngwoo!¡±


    The 45th ss of the Heroes High School.


    "Youngwoo oppa, fighting!¡±


    Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim.


    The people who witnessed Grid¡¯s process of change believed in Grid until the end and cheered him on. They didn¡¯t want Grid¡¯s efforts to be in vain. But reality didn¡¯t flow ording to faith and wishes.


    Puok!


    Grid allowed consecutive dagger strikes and was stabbed in the neck with White Fang.


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    This was the end. The crowd cheered for Kraugel and the people expecting a reversal were saddened. Lauel closed his eyes tightly on the stands. He wanted Kraugel to win, but it was also painful to see Grid¡¯s defeat.


    ¡º Look! Grid still has hope! As seen in the Damian match, he possesses a one time immortal skill! ¡»


    During the battle against Damian, Grid survived being hit by magic despite his extremely low health. After that, thementators were convinced that he had an immortal passive. At this time, a notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [The effect of Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears is activated. Your attack power will increase by 50% for 5 seconds.]


    Every time he allowed an attack from Kraugel, he had be more blood-soaked. The ughterer¡¯s Mask becamepletely covered with red. This was one of Grid¡¯s ns.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Jeeeong!


    "Hup...!"


    The sudden rise in Grid¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t something that Kraugel could overlook. The moment that he collided with Iyarugt, White Fang severely lost its durability and Kraugel¡¯s right arm became numb. The overwhelming difference in strength that urred suddenly! Kraugel¡¯s eyes shook as he couldn¡¯t withstand the effects of gravity anymore and fell to the ground.


    ¡®A berserk skill?¡¯


    A skill that increased attack power as health decreased. Grid was a cksmith, so how did he have a berserk skill? There was no reason to feel doubts. Once again, it was the power of items!


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The God Hands started swinging at Kraugel as he fell, causing him to feel pain. His face became shadowed. It was Grid, who was emitting a different type of energy than the God Hands!


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°Super Sensitivity!¡±


    ¡°Linked Wave Kill!¡±


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Blood red energy des poured down like a tsunami! Every one of them was filled with a strong energy that could be called a disaster.


    ¡®It will be over if just one hits!¡¯


    In addition, he needed to win within seconds after activating Super Sensitivity. The key was to insert thest strike just after Grid¡¯s passive ended.


    Suuk.


    Kraugel barely escaped the bombardment of energy des and widened the distance with Grid. The energy des followed him to the end, but Kraugel¡¯s movements as he used the terrain to destroy them was divine. But Grid was like a wild beast. He didn¡¯t care about being hit in the immortal state, so he chased after Kraugel, narrowing the distance again in an instant.


    In the end, Kraugel allowed Grid an opportunity to attack.


    Chukak.


    The bloody light barely brushed right past Kraugel¡¯s nose. Kraugel barely avoided it thanks to Super Sensitivity and urately struck at both of Grid¡¯s eyes. It was intended to cause the blindness status.


    Supak!


    A white sh aimed urately towards a teardrop. Right before it reached Grid¡¯s eyes, the duration of immortality was 3 seconds and Super Sensitivity was 4 seconds.


    Kaang!


    The God Hands protected Grid from Kraugel¡¯s attack.


    2.5 seconds, 3.5 seconds.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Grid used Wave and reached Kraugel, but Kraugel escaped again.


    2 seconds, 3 seconds.


    Jjejeong!


    The distance once again opened between Kraugel and Grid as Kraugel used the God Hands as a foothold.


    "Huraah!¡±


    Grid predicted that Kraugel would run away and threw a spear.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Kraugel had overlooked this skill and the spear pierced his shoulder. Kraugel rapidly paled while Grid partially recovered some health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.


    1 second, 2 seconds.


    Right here.


    Taack!


    This time, Kraugel rushed towards Grid. He easily dodged the Magic Missiles fired by the God Hands and reached Grid. It was White Light Stepsbined with Super Sensitivity.


    ¡®Finally.¡¯


    This tough fight was over. Kraugel¡¯s mother was in front of him, smiling brightly.


    Syuk!


    Kraugel was filled with hope as his sword was about to pierce Grid¡¯s neck.


    [Braham¡¯s soul, which lost a great deal of power from closing the hell door, has woken up from his sleep!]


    [The cooldown time of Assimtion is over!]


    ¡°Assimtion!¡±


    Grid¡¯sst trump card was used. His hair turned white and his eyes became sharper than usual, causing the hearts of female viewers around the world to throb, while Kraugel¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°Shield.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    A translucent magic barrier blocked Kraugel¡¯s sword. The white haired Grid made a funny expression as Kraugel¡¯s face distorted with shock and despair.


    ¡°This is a talent from the heavens. But you¡¯re still young.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    The moment a spark formed at Grid¡¯s fingertips.


    Tak!


    Kraugel threw away White Fang and ced his hands on the shield surrounding Grid.


    ¡°Crying Tiger.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Peeng!


    An intangible energy pierced Grid¡¯s chest beyond the shield while the mes from Grid burned Kraugel¡¯s body.


    "U-Unbelievable."


    ¡°Who won?¡±


    The world fell into chaos as both men turned grey at almost the same time. Was it the sky or the impregnable tower? The results couldn¡¯t be guaranteed until the video was reyed. However, Grid and Kraugel already knew the result.


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    Kraugel trembled as tears poured from his eyes.

 Chapter 463

    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    The worst notification window emerged as Kraugel was about to strike Grid¡¯s neck with White Fang. Was he going to lose? But Grid still had a trump card.


    [Braham¡¯s soul, which lost a great deal of power from closing the hell door, has woken up from his sleep!]


    [The cooldown time of Assimtion is over!]


    ¡°Shield.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The moment that Assimtion was used, a shield blocked Kraugel¡¯s attack and Grid was convinced of his victory. Until Braham opened his mouth.


    ¡°This is a talent from the heavens. But you are still young.¡±


    ¡®Stop making noise and use a spell!¡¯


    Grid shouted, but Braham trusted his shield. He believed it would never be broken and summoned a me. It wasn¡¯t magic of a particr form. It was simply mes made of pure magic power. Grid¡¯s mana was almost empty, so it was impossible to use a spell.


    ¡®Well, this is enough.¡¯


    The man in front of Braham was also in a bad state. A light attack was possible. The moment that Braham smiled.


    Tak!


    Kraugelid a hand on the shield. It was simr to Regas¡¯ technique, who temporarily boosted his body¡¯s weight by using its rotational power.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    Grid and Braham simultaneously became nervous.


    ¡°Crying Tiger.¡±


    Peeng!


    An intangible energy passed through the shield and struck Grid¡¯s chest. The damage wasn¡¯t strong, but Grid had only recovered 400 health from the effect of Spear Shot and Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. Grid was unable to withstand the blow and died immediately. Once again, he couldn¡¯t enjoy the effect of Tiramet¡¯s Power attached to the Rune of Darkness.


    In his final moments, he saw Kraugel¡¯s body being burned by the mes.


    ***


    Kraugel was uneasy throughout the fight against Grid. In the end, would he lose? Would he not be able to treat his mother¡¯s illness? Grid was so strong that he made even Kraugel, the ultimate yer in the game, have these thoughts.


    The ruler of the battlefield, Ares. The ck and White sisters. And Baal¡¯s Contractor, Agnus.


    Grid was no less skilled than the four people working on Satisfy¡¯s central story and wasn¡¯t left behind when it came to the possibility of development. In particr, at the end.


    ¡°Assimtion.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s heart froze as Grid¡¯s hair turned white and ckening was lifted. Grid¡¯s white haired version had taken out Yatan¡¯s First Servant with Fireball. It was only supposed to be for a certain quest, but this power could be used in PvP? It was outside of Kraugel¡¯s scope and he faced a great crisis.


    But in the end, he won. Kraugel¡¯s Crying Tiger was one step ahead of the white haired Grid¡¯s mes. The difference was as thin as a sheet of paper. If Grid hadn¡¯t been confident and used the magic immediately after Shield, the result would¡¯ve changed.


    [You have won a battle against a legend.]


    [The legendary ss, Sword Saint has been obtained.]


    [Your level has dropped down to level 1.]


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    He felt a surge of emotions. He would be able to free his mother from her suffering. He could repay the love his mother gave him all his life. Once again, he could be called ¡®Son.¡¯ Kraugel trembled as tears poured from his eyes. They was tears of joy.


    ***


    As a result of the video rey, it was discovered that Grid died before Kraugel. It was a mere difference of 0.1 seconds.


    ¡º Only 0.1 seconds... The moment that South Korea and Russia, Grid and Kraugel¡¯s fate changed. ¡»


    ¡º The winner is Kraugel! Russia has taken first in the overall rankings! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s really disappointing from Grid and South Korea¡¯s perspective. If Grid¡¯s magic had been 0.1 seconds faster, South Korea would¡¯ve won first ce. ¡»


    Indeed, it was reallypetitive. As a result, Grid was defeated, but the sky fell. Who could possiblybel Grid as a loser?


    ¡º The title of the sky is no longer exclusive to Kraugel. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Grid also deserves to be called the best. ¡»


    ¡º As of this moment, Satisfy has two suns. ¡»


    Thementators of various stations started to praise Grid and most of the world was in agreement. However, Grid was different.


    ¡¯In the end, I lost.¡¯


    He realized that he was stillcking to receive that title. But Grid wasn¡¯t frustrated. He was d. It was true that the distance between him and Kraugel was gradually narrowing.


    ¡®Next time.¡¯


    Next time would be different. At that time, he would win the title of the strongest. Grid pledged with a grin as he gazed at Kraugel.


    ¡®Is he this happy to win over me?¡¯


    Kraugel was grabbing his chest with tears in his eyes. Grid thoroughly misunderstood the meaning of his tears.


    ¡¯Rejoicing so much after beating me...¡¯


    Huhuhut!


    Grid was proud despite losing.


    ***


    1st. Russia (5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)


    2nd. South Korea (5 gold, 1 silver)


    3rd. United States (4 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze)


    4th. Canada (3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)


    5th. Spain (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)


    6th. Japan (1 gold, 3 bronze)


    7th. Brazil (1 gold)


    8th. United Kingdom (4 silver)


    9th. France (3 silver)


    Joint 10th ce. Argentina, China (2 bronze)


    12th. Turkey (1 bronze)


    The final rankings for the National Competition was revealed. The United States and Canada, who were strong winning candidates, ended up third and fourth respectively. Most people didn¡¯t predict this result. In particr, it was shocking that South Korea, which was evaluated as one of the weakest countries, ended up second in the world.


    ¡º South Korea is a very unusual case. Grid alone won five of the six medals. ¡»


    ¡º It was also 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal. ¡»


    ¡º If I had to pick an MVP for thispetition, I would definitely pick Grid. ¡»


    Of course, Kraugel¡¯s work was also dazzling. The impact alone allowed him to bepared to Grid. However, the person who won more medals was Grid. Few people would disagree if Grid was chosen as the MVP.


    ***


    The 2nd Satisfy National Competition. The best one month festival held in Paris came to an end. The participants from all over the world stood on the stage for the spectacr closing ceremony. The person with the most spotlight was Grid. A new person who was the best! The second sun! And so on.


    Grid had all types of new nicknames and the attention of the media on him was enormous. Beautiful... In particr, morous reporters wanted to interview him about the white haired Grid, causing Yura to poke Grid in the side.


    ¡°You¡¯re drooling.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Unbelievable! He was drooling while the entire world was watching!


    ¡¯Why is there D cup...!?¡¯


    He had worked hard to manage his image, but this blew away instantly. Grid felt embarrassed and blushed, causing Yura to pull out a handkerchief and wipe at his mouth.


    "...¡±


    Really, she was a woman who behaved in misleading ways. The crowd and yers from all over the world looked at Grid with jealousy.


    "People are misunderstanding because you keep acting like this. Act moderately, or I will start thinking that you like me.¡±


    "...¡±


    Yura¡¯s lips twitched. This was a great chance to confess that she liked Grid. But she couldn¡¯t honestly confess. She had received countless love confessions, but it was awkward and embarrassing because she had never confessed to anyone.


    ¡°It¡¯s very lively.¡±


    Peak Swordughed. It was like looking at pure children when he saw Grid and Yura, so it was fun. Of course, he also felt frustrated. For reference, Peak Sword had also been solo since his mother¡¯s womb. While Yura and Grid¡¯s love affair (?) was causing an uproar, Chairman Lim Cheolho of the S.A. Group climbed onto the stage.


    He looked at Grid with an unknown meaning and spoke to the camera.


    ¡°Hello? I am the developer and operator of Satisfy, Lim Cheolho. I would like to thank all the staff and yers who have worked hard for thispetition... Now, I will deliver happy news to all the people watching on their TVs.¡±


    The good news delivered by Lim Cheolho was as followed:


    First of all, tomemorate the National Competition, every yer in Satisfy would receive a 10% experience buff. Secondly, additional buffs would be awarded to yers who had entered the National Competition. The buffs would depend on their country¡¯s ranking.


    Some people shouted that it was unfair. Too much benefit was given to the yers who won medals in the National Competition. But the purpose of the S.A. Group was to increase the influence of the National Competition. It was reasonable to provide properpensation so that the 3rd and 4th National Competitions would be bigger.


    In any case, the Korean yers could look forward to a buff that increased their experience and item acquisition rate by 27% for the next fortnight. As a result, Grid became a true national hero. The Korean yers got a chance to grow rapidly thanks to Grid.


    Grid won four gold medals and one silver medal, so he obtained four adamantium and one bloodstone as the cksmith¡¯s reward. In addition, a huge sum of 20 billion won was added to his bankbook. It was the advertising fee that the Comet Group deposited.


    Once autumn passed. Grid realized that he would be hit with another 38% tax bomb in next year¡¯sprehensive ie tax report and shed tears of blood. He tried tofort himself that the taxes he paid would be used for the country¡¯s development, but the billions of won lost in taxes was still too much of a burden. Would he get hair loss again?


    After the closing ceremony. Lauel approached the worried Grid.


    ¡°I have something to say to you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ***


    "Hee~~ This is the kingdom of the Water n that I heard about. A pretty ce? It makes me furious.¡±


    ¡°Hihit! Yihihihit!¡±


    The Water n kingdom, Siren.


    Uninvited guests came to the ce where Duplicator Euphemina had been staying for several months already. It happened much sooner than Euphemina expected.

 Chapter 464

    ¡°What did you want to talk to me about?¡±


    After the closing ceremony.


    The Overgeared members gathered at a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. As a multinational guild, everyone¡¯s skin and eye colors were different, but there was no sense of incongruity when they were together. They looked at each other with trust and affection, seeming like a family.


    "Baldy.¡±


    "Shut up! I¡¯m not bald, I shaved!¡±


    Of course, there were exceptions such as Pon and Vantner.


    "I have brought Kraugel into Overgeared.¡±


    Lauel spoke amazed words in the midst of the turmoil. Some of the members were agitated.


    "The sky above the sky will join Overgeared?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Pon and Regas asked. Unlike the other Overgeared members, they didn¡¯t know about the n to recruit Kraugel. Of course, Grid was the same. Lauel started to exin the story to those who don¡¯t know.


    ¡°...That is what happened. Thus, we have the right to recruit Kraugel.¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel told the whole story without any exaggeration. His expression was dignified. Lauel believed that Grid and the Overgeared members would be delighted by the Kraugel recruitment project. However, Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good. Grid thought for a moment as he emptied his ss of beer before giving a shocking reaction.


    ¡°Don¡¯t recruit Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    It was unexpected. Why not recruit the best power? Lauel and most of the Overgeared members were puzzled.


    "We must recruit Kraugel! Kraugel¡¯s blood will flow through the arteries of Overgeared! The Overgeared Guild will be stronger than ever...!¡±


    Lauel started to talk about Kraugel¡¯s value, but Grid interrupted.


    "Can you force someone to be our colleague?¡±


    Pon added.


    ¡°Kraugel is the type of person who has always yed the game by himself. Doesn¡¯t everyone know that he hates belonging to a group? Can we obtain his true heart if we recruit him like this? There might be a crack in the rtionship, which could be dangerous one day.¡±


    Lauel countered.


    "People change. Look at us now. The reason we became colleagues wasn¡¯t pure. We joined because there was something we wanted. In the course of fulfilling it, our hearts opened and we became true co-workers. The same is true for Kraugel. He might rebel right now, but someday...¡±


    "No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Grid was adamant. ¡°Not only is he an existence that shouldn¡¯t be caged, we aren¡¯t weak enough that we should be obsessed with him.¡±


    Since he started Satisfy, Kraugel had been a solo yer and this allowed him to reach the peak. His way of ying was appropriate for him. If he was locked into the framework of a group and changed the way he yed, he would no longer be Kraugel. Weren¡¯t there many cases of that in CD games? The enemy would be weak after joining their party!


    ¡°Those are just assumptions!¡±


    It was Lauel who reacted to the end. Most of the members of Overgeared understood his feelings. This was the opportunity to recruit the strongest power, but it might be missed due to internal opposition. How annoyed would Lauel be? Grid saw Lauel¡¯s heart and spoke openly without hiding anything.


    ¡°Lauel, I lost to Kraugel.¡±


    Kraugel was Grid¡¯s goal. He was the sky that Grid wanted to reach. In the end, he failed to reach it.


    ¡°Some people mightugh, but I think of myself as Kraugel¡¯s rival. I want to continuepeting until I someday surpass him.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Lauel realized.


    ¡®I... I can never fathom Grid¡¯s mind!¡¯


    It was very ufortable and damaging to the pride to have someone he couldn¡¯t defeat under him. Lauel understood Grid¡¯s position and nodded.


    "I understand... I won¡¯t make the deal with Kraugel.¡±


    Grid asked like he didn¡¯t understand.


    "Why not?¡±


    "...Didn¡¯t you say not to recruit him?¡±


    Grid smiled wickedly at Lauel.


    ¡°Not recruiting him doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t make a deal.¡±


    ***


    After the closing ceremony, people¡¯s interest in the National Competition started to disperse as other topics became popr in the various media. Kraugel¡¯s name disappearing from the list of rankers¡¯ shocked the world. Therefore, Kraugel was forced to take refuge in the Russian yers¡¯ jet after being chased by reporters.


    ¡®Lauel said he would contact me in 30 minutes.¡¯


    He would connect to Satisfy for a while. Kraugel connected to Satisfy using the capsule installed in the ne. Then he opened his status window.


    Name: Kraugel


    Level: 1


    ss: Sword Saint


    * Sword type weapons can be used without restrictions.


    * You will bring out the hidden functions of sword type weapons when they are equipped.


    * You can create new sword techniques. The number of times it can be created will increase every time the level of ¡®Complete Sword Mastery¡¯ increases.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    Title: East Continent¡¯s Pioneer


    Title: Troll King¡¯s...


    Title: ...


    ...


    ...


    Health: 1,485/1,485


    Mana: 100/100


    Strength: 50 (+120) Stamina:15 (+50)


    Agility: 30 (+60) Intelligence: 10 (+10)


    Composure: 10 Indomitable: 10


    Dignity: 10 Insight: 10 (+40)


    Regeneration: 30


    Super Sensitivity: 0.1


    ¡®It¡¯s beyond imagination...¡¯


    Kraugel was shocked by the Sword Saint ss. His level had fallen to 1 and the skills and stats he worked hard to train had been reset to the beginning. Fortunately, his titles remained and the basic skills and abilities of the Sword Saint were amazing. Russia received a 30% experience buff thanks to being 1st in the overall rankings, so it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to recover his level. In particr, Kraugel¡¯s passive skill Keen Senses disappeared and the originally active Super Sensitivity was changed to a stat.


    ¡®The Super Sensitivity passive...¡¯


    It could be considered a passive that could be trained without any limits. In the short term, the performance was weakerpared to the old Super Sensitivity. However, that would changeter. If he developed the stat properly, Kraugel would be an absolute person who was always in the Super Sensitivity state. Of course, it was likely that the performance would fallpared to the initial Super Sensitivity when it was an active skill.


    -Kraugel!Can youe out for a while?


    A voice came from outside the capsule when Kraugel was connected to the game. Alexander. The skinhead Alexander. As an extreme nationalist, he originally disregarded Kraugel and showed resentment. Now he was acting as Kraugel¡¯s loyal dog. It was because he had infinite respect for Kraugel, who made Russia the first ranked country.


    -What?


    Alexander exined to Kraugel.


    -That monkey...No, a Korean person said he wanted to meet you.


    -Who?


    -G-Grid.Why did hee after losing to you in PvP?What should I do?Should I send him back?


    -No, wait.


    Kraugel immediately logged out. He knew why Grid hade to see him.


    ¡®Lauel told him the story.¡¯


    Now Grid had learned the truth. He came to receive the vow of allegiance. Originally, a group always had a hierarchy. Kraugel smiled bitterly as he emerged from the capsule. Then he witnessed an amazing sight.


    "Ugh...!"


    ¡°Hnng~~¡±


    At the airne¡¯s entrance. The Russia yers with big physiques were falling helplessly. The reason wasn¡¯t clear. He didn¡¯t know why, but this phenomenon was caused every time Grid¡¯s fingers touched their bodies.


    ¡°H-Huaaat~~!¡±


    Another Russia yer let out a strange moan when touched by Grid. At the same time, he blushed and looked down slowly...


    Omitted.


    "W-What the hell is he doing?¡±


    Alexander was terrified and hid his big body behind Kraugel. He was afraid of Grid, who offered ecstasy to his colleagues with just one finger.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Grid discovered Kraugel and greeted him. Kraugel took off the trantor and responded in Korean.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you. It¡¯s only been two hours.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t your Korean quite good?¡±


    "I can¡¯t be poor at my nativenguage.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    Grid took off the useless trantor and nced doubtfully at Kraugel. The outline of the body was correct, but Kraugel looked too much like a woman. It was also a pretty woman. Grid looked at the long eyshes and came to a conclusion.


    "Friends.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Kraugel expected Grid to ask him to join Overgeared, so he was baffled by the words. Grid approached him and reached out a hand.


    "Let¡¯s help each other when it¡¯s difficult. In the future, you don¡¯t have to fight alone like this.¡±


    Grid knew. There were limitations to being alone. Grid anticipated that one day, Kraugel would need his power.


    "I¡¯m not inviting you to join the guild. We¡¯ll just help each other when it¡¯s needed.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡± Kraugel couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Why are you treating me so good?¡±


    Why didn¡¯t Grid forcefully make him join the guild? It was possible in his position. Why do such a big favor?


    Grid replied simply to Kraugel.


    "I need apetitor in the future. I want your development. If I fight against you as you be stronger, I will also develop. In the first ce, I¡¯m already satisfied with having Piaro in the guild.¡±


    "...¡±


    The present Grid waspletely different than the one Kraugel met in Reidan. There were no shadows on his face and his eyes were dignified. He had a dependable atmosphere around him. Kraugel felt thrilled and grabbed Grid¡¯s big and rough hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¡®I will run whenever you call me. And thank you.¡¯


    Kraugel swallowed down those words. He thought that Grid would know even if he didn¡¯t say it. And Grid also knew.


    ¡°Thanking me? Promise me one thing. Every time I call, run over. You are able to treat your mother¡¯s illness thanks to Lauel. Shouldn¡¯t you return the favor?¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    What was the concept of friends that Grid was talking about? Kraugel felt seriously concerned as Grid patted his shoulders.


    "Once your mother recovers,e to South Korea to y. I¡¯ll show you around."


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Thank you. Kraugel gave a rare smile, looking more beautiful than ever. Kraugel longed for the health and well-being of all mothers in the world.


    On this day. The yers who participated in the National Competition left for their home countries. A new adventure was waiting for them.

 Chapter 465

    Grid had many challenges left for him to ovee: An, with the Saharan Empire behind him, the man who kept Reidan in check and also falsely used him of killing Prince Ren. There was also the vampire cities that he needed to fully capture before the war began.


    In addition, he had to figure out what the 3rd prince of the Saharan Empire was nning and figure out a way to capture the Behen Archipgo. The whole process was likely to be linked to hell, so he nned to arrange sufficient preparations such as putting effort into raising Yura.


    Prior to that, Grid had something to do personally.


    ¡®Smelt the adamantium and bloodstone.¡¯


    The moment of making his 15th legendary item was approaching. He would experience further growth with the third special event. ording to Lauel, Kraugel had obtained the strongestbat ss. However, Grid didn¡¯t think he wasgging behind.


    He was able to find a better use of items through this National Competition.


    ¡®Kraugel, the stronger you are, the stronger I will be.¡¯


    But before that!


    ¡®First of all, I will move!¡¯


    The building that costed him both 10 billion won and 13 months of construction was finallypleted. Thanks to the recognition that he developed during the National Competition, inquiries about moving in didn¡¯t cease and the surroundingmercial area began to develop. He heard that the value of the 10 billion won building had actually soared to 15 billion!


    ¡®I am now a topndlord!¡¯


    He would receive monthly rent and not have to worry about starving to death for the rest of his life! The throne that nobody could dream about, Grid felt like he was on top of the whole world!


    ¡°Father, Mother! In the future, I will protect both of you as well as Sehee!"


    Grid confidently swore in front of his family members, who embraced him with tearful eyes. They finally realized that this was the end of hardships and the beginning of happiness. Grid and his family were busy for a while as they moved away from the old house they had been living in for around 30 years.


    ***


    ¡°Eh~~? Kraugel disappeared from the rankings?¡±


    The Belto Kingdom was a very poor kingdom that offered huge tributes to the Saharan Empire every year.


    Few of the two billion yers used the Belto Kingdom as their starting point, as it was ssified as a remote area due to its geographical distance from the center of the continent and its underdeveloped nature. It was natural for there to be a small number of yers.


    However, this ce recently started to change as it gradually grew stronger by absorbing the weak kingdoms around it. How was this possible when the Belto Kingdom had no funds to train the army? It was the result of the unofficial ranker Ares and his soldiers.


    ¡°He finally got a hidden ss?¡±


    Ares, who had been organizing the supplies from the enemies, responded to Luck¡¯s cry. Luck made a frustrated expression.


    ¡°Ah~~ that person has be stronger, and this is your only reaction? You should be more nervous, more nervous!¡±


    ¡°Why should I be nervous about someone who almost lost to a cksmith? He was never my opponent in the first ce.¡±


    "Hyuu~ isn¡¯t your memory really bad? Didn¡¯t you lose to him?¡±


    ¡°At that time, I was weakened. I would¡¯ve won if my condition was perfect.¡¯


    "Hmmm~~ anyway, it is true that he is a tough guy.¡±


    ¡°So what? Should I be shaking with fear?¡±


    "Hyu~~ No, you should keep Kraugel in check. Won¡¯t it be scary if he bes stronger?¡±


    ¡°Aish, making me care about something like this. Release the kids and take care of it.¡±


    "Ye~~~s!¡±


    The number ¡®two billion¡¯ was too big to easily estimate the scale. The best rankers who represented their country in the National Competition? They would be weak against the countless reclusive users scattered across Satisfy.


    These hermits all had one goal inmon: to be a master. Ares was one of said hermits, and his goal was to be the ruler of the continent! He dreamt of building his own country and someday taking over the Saharan Empire.


    ***


    The Water n kingdom, Siren.


    The size of this mysterious kingdom under the sea was quite small. Its poption was only 100,000 strong, and thend was simr in size to Reidan. There were few hunting grounds and quests, so the number of yers became scarce.


    However, this ce was heaven for Siren¡¯s first discoverer, Euphemina. Thanks to the title ¡®Friend of the Water n,¡¯ she easily umted affinity with the water n, and was able to experience many hidden episodes. Four months ago, she received a hidden quest.


    [Uing Destruction]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The heart of the water n contains enormous magic power.


    The prophet ¡®Miong¡¯ has prophesied that evil humans will invade Siren for this purpose.


    You have a connection with the water n through the disciple of a great magician, Mumud.


    Defend Siren against the unknown enemies!


    Quest Clear Condition: Protect Siren from enemy invasion.


    Quest Failure Condition: More than 70% of Siren is destroyed or Siren¡¯s poption is reduced by more than 40%.


    Quest Clear Reward: Acquire the title ¡®Defender of Siren.¡¯ Acquire Mumud¡¯s Spellbook. MAX affinity with the water n¡¯s royal family.


    While Euphemina didn¡¯t know what effect the title ¡®Defender of Siren¡¯ had, since it was a title obtained from saving a kingdom, its effects certainly wouldn¡¯t be low. Euphemina judged that it would show off a tremendous performance. More than that, Euphemina was expecting a lot from Mumud¡¯s Spellbook.


    Mumud, the disciple to the legendary magician Braham. Several documents testified that Mumud might¡¯ve been a better magician than Braham. It was natural that Euphemina was expecting a lot from Mumud¡¯s Spellbook.


    ¡®Finally, maximum affinity with the royal family.¡¯


    Over the years, Euphemina had been steadily building up affinity with the water n¡¯s king, Maxong. She needed to be friendly with Maxong in order to obtain his tears, and the result was sessful. But the other princes were a problem. The conservative princes were unfriendly towards humans and many shes urred.


    What if she defended Siren and the affinity reached the peak? All of the princes would show a favorable attitude to Euphemina and it could be an opportunity to establish an alliance with Overgeared and Reidan.


    ¡®I must keep watch.¡¯


    Two months before the National Competition, Euphemina reported the quest to Grid and he promised to actively help her. It was the day when Euphemina sent a whisper to Grid and he made a meaningful smile. But there was a problem.


    ¡®The invasion is faster than expected!¡¯


    The invasion happened one month earlier than the prophesied date, meaning Grid¡¯s support would be dyed.


    ¡®Grid said that he would send troops three weekster...!¡¯


    She needed to hurry. Euphemina hurriedly sent a whisper to Grid.


    -Grid!


    [The target isn¡¯t connected.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Originally, Grid was someone who always connected to the game except when he was sleeping. Now was the time when Grid should be awake. Then why wasn¡¯t he connected? The confused Euphemina sent another whisper, but the result was the same.


    ¡®Did something happen?¡¯


    It was a desperate situation. Euphemina felt worry instead of resentment towards Grid, who was currently absent. As a member of Overgeared, she had much respect and adoration for Grid.


    -Lauel!


    Euphemina hurriedly sent a whisper to Lauel. Was he carrying out a heavy workload again as soon as the National Competition was over? Lauel replied in a powerless voice,


    -Yes...Tell me, our hidden gem, Euphemina.


    Euphemina shouted urgently,


    -Send support to Siren...!


    Lick!


    ¡°Kyak?!¡±


    Something rough, soft, and sticky licked Euphemina¡¯s white cheeks. Euphemina screamed in horror at the ufortable feeling.


    ¡°Hihit! Yihihihit!¡±


    An unidentified woman with round eyes like a frog ced her face close to Euphemina.


    ¡°You! Did you lick my cheek just now?¡±


    Euphemina stared at the woman with a long tongue with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡°Hiit! Hihit! Soft!¡±


    ¡°I feel bad.¡±


    Euphemina frowned and immediately used magic. Judging by the current situation, it was normal to attack without asking any questions.


    "Aqua Throne!¡±


    It was the spell of the water n¡¯s 1st Prince Paong, who had excellent magical talent. The S-ss magic was the strongest magic to use against a single enemy. However...


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit!¡±


    Peeng!


    The woman with round eyes smiled strangely and floated. The user with an ID of ¡®ck¡¯ faced Aqua Throne head on and wielded sharp ws at Euphemina.


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Euphemina was the first of two billion users to earn an epic hidden ss because of her experience, skills, and effort. In particr, since bing a Duplicator, she had seen many great battles in the pursuit of high rankers. It meant she wasn¡¯t someone who easily allowed an enemy¡¯s frontal attacks. She avoided the attack of the woman and decided to take the situation seriously.


    ¡®Perhaps she is wearing armor and artifacts with high resistance to the water attribute?¡¯


    It was a testament to the fact that the enemies were fully prepared when invading Siren.


    -Send assistance to Siren...!


    Euphemina once again sent a whisper to Lauel, only to see a terrible notification window.


    [You have failed to send a whisper!]


    [The ¡®Chaos Field¡¯ is blocking contact with the outside world!]


    "Ha, you are really prepared.¡±


    They prepared many things in order to carry out the surprise attack. Euphemina pulled out a new duplicated skill as she stared at the ck pendant hanging between ck¡¯s curves.


    ***


    ¡°Brother! Evil humans have broken through the outer wall and entered the city! They are trampling on our homes and the people!¡±


    1st Prince Paong was outraged by the words of 3rd Prince Gulong.


    ¡°This is all due to that human female called Euphemina!¡±


    That cursed human found Siren, making it the target of greedy humans. He cursed with resentment as he ordered the army to take out their spears and orbs.


    ¡°Go and fight! Defend our kingdom and its people against the enemy!¡±


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    Since the loss of the princess years ago, King Maxong had locked himself away. Therefore, it was up to Paong to raise the morale of the soldiers. But war wasn¡¯t something that could be won just by enthusiasm. The human army that invaded Siren was very strong. The soldiers weren¡¯t able to oppose them.


    In particr, the white-haired woman who was like a ghost. Even Paong, who was capable of both magic and using the spear, wasn¡¯t her opponent.


    "The god of the waves has abandoned us...!¡±


    Why did he allow the invasion of the enemies? The terrible screams and the sight of their family and colleagues dying in front of their eyes...


    ¡°It¡¯s good that we were chosen as the vanguard. It is true that Lauel¡¯s eyes are excellent. He ys an active role in the lord¡¯s absence.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop talking nonsense and lie down! The wyvern can¡¯t maintain its bnce!¡±


    ¡°Wow... This is almost a Vantner-level troll.¡±


    Five people rode on Huroi¡¯s wyvern and were crossing the endless ocean. Huroi, Peak Sword, Pon, and Regas. In addition, Blood Warrior Katz.


    At the same time.


    ¡°Ha... It is hard.¡±


    Grid was busy moving. He didn¡¯t hear the ringtone of the phone that he had ced in the corner. In the center of Grid¡¯s new room, the diamond capsule from the Comet Group shed and stood out.

 Chapter 466

    Empress Marie.


    The mother of the 4th prince, she had the ambition to ce her son on the imperial throne. After Empress Aria¡¯s death and captivating the emperor¡¯s heart, she built up a strong rtionship with the nobles and reorganized the Red Knights into her own limbs.


    At one time, the Red Knights were judged to be weaker than the Red Knights of the previous generations. But now? Quite the opposite. The current knights receive the instructions of the enlightened Sword Duke Limit and had the power of a great swordsman. It was no surprise that the Red Knights of the modern world were judged to be much better than the past knights.


    Thanks to that, Marie¡¯s position increased further. Whatever her intentions, she brilliantly trained the Red Knights, making the emperor more favorable towards her.


    Originally, Marie should¡¯ve been happy. However, it was actually a headache. Ever since the Five Pirs were obtained, the emperor recognized the Red Knights as ¡®usable tiles¡¯ again. The number of tasks the Red Knights received from the emperor gradually increased, causing frequent gaps in Marie¡¯s armed forces.


    ¡®Juander... I know that you love me, but it¡¯s impossible for me to control you.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t the emperor of an empire for nothing. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to be deceived by his heart. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯tpletely get him under her thumb. She felt a sense of crisis since Asmophel was kidnapped by someone, and created a new group as a defensive instinct.


    She would use dogs that were only loyal to herself, out of reach of the emperor and other nobles.


    ***


    Once every four months, two full moons would ovep in one night. When the coastal waters of Brinichi experienced a low tide, a secret path would be revealed. A purple road leading into the deep abyss of the sea. It headed towards Siren. That¡¯s right. Originally, Siren was a ce that could only be entered once every four months.


    However, since it was released by Euphemina, numerous yers visited there and seeded in finding several new paths. Now Siren became a ce that could be visited at any time.


    ¡°Is it really there?¡±


    Rab. Based on the speed of the wyvern, it was a ce that could be reached by flying for two hours from Reidan¡¯s desert. Katz gulped as he confirmed the gigantic whirlpool swirling in the centre. They had to fly into that whirlpool to enter Siren? Katz couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°If we fall down there, won¡¯t we 100% die?¡±


    Surely these guys weren¡¯t trying to kill him because they disliked him? Katz didn¡¯t trust his colleagues because he had just joined the team. He couldn¡¯t believe people due to the environment that he grew up in. He fought against his blood brothers and sisters over who would be the sessor.


    For Katz, trusting humans wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so timid.¡±


    As a descendant of an independent fighter, Peak Sword hated Japanese people who made racist remarks like Alexander of Russia. Fortunately, Katz didn¡¯t mind his tone. He didn¡¯t forget his mistake of ignoring and criticizing the Korean people in the past. Katz might have a selfish personality, but he wasn¡¯t the type to deny his mistakes.


    "I understand why you hate me. I want to apologize for my attitude and remarks in the past.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Peak Sword was embarrassed by Katz¡¯ unexpected reaction. The Katz that he knew was a bastard. He didn¡¯t show such a mild attitude in the past.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he a bad guy?¡¯


    How should he respond? Katz kicked the butt of the worried Peak Sword.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you apologizing?¡±


    "Ah, this X!¡±


    Peak Sword fell into the whirlpool that was the entrance and Katz checked to see if he had died or not. Pon and Regasughed like they found it funny. Huroi watched the four crazy people and realized again.


    ¡®Normal people are rare in Overgeared. I should stay alert so that Grid isn¡¯t damaged.¡¯


    Huroi was someone whose specialty was talking about parents. Looking at it objectively, he was the most garbage person in Overgeared.


    ***


    Water n. Their physical characteristics were very simr to humans. They looked like humans apart from the gills on their shoulders and arms, as well as the sparkling scales on their thighs. It was easy to think of them as humans who could live in water.


    However, their strength and magic power were several times higher than normal humans and the possibility of development was high. If they didn¡¯t have the fatal weakness of low fertility and not being able to live long onnd, they would¡¯ve built a civilization that would¡¯ve surpassed humanity.


    ¡°I found a means of harnessing the magic power umted in their hearts. Go to Siren right now and obtain as many hearts as possible... No, take them all.¡±


    White was one of the best users of Blood Carnival. Half a year ago, she joined the Rose Knights who served Empress Marie and had been loyal to Marie ever since. Marie was one of the few people who could satisfy her desires.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad luck not being pretty.¡±


    White reminisced about Marie¡¯s exnation andmand while looking around Siren. She noticed a sand castle rising in the center of the beautiful underwater kingdom.


    Escenteughed at the sight of the water n being killed as they fled.


    "It¡¯s rare to have beauty. Do you think the water n are stupid because they¡¯re fish? Why build a castle with sand?¡±


    Escente was a member of Blood Carnival like White. But he had nothing to do with Marie or the Rose Knights. He could participate in this expedition because White shared the quest with him.


    ¡°One heart is 80 gold... 100 hearts can be converted into 7,000 dors.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 70,000 dors if it is 1,000 hearts! Kukuk! This isn¡¯t a triple S quest! It¡¯s a very lucrative quest!¡±


    In addition to Escente, many Blood Carnival yers participated in this expedition. As many as 30 people. Around one third of Blood Carnival was gathered in Siren. Blood Carnival was a group specializing inbat and ughter, so the capabilities of 30 of them gathered at once was beyond the imagination.


    They¡¯d also hired mercenaries or gathered colleagues, so there were close to 1,000 people. The average level was 233! The seven guilds? Overgeared? Those groups of people couldn¡¯t even give them business cards. The Blood Carnival people were proud and strong.


    The water n soldiers who weren¡¯t used to war were just prey in front of them.


    Seokeok!


    Siren City.


    After killing an elderly man shivering on one side, Escenteughed as he defeated two soldiers who ran over aggressively in session.


    "Easy, easy! Really easy! Their levels are too low! Instead of 1,000, I will catch one million!¡±


    The average level of the thousands of citizens were around 100, while the soldiers had an average level of 180. One variable was being able to use water attribute magic, but that had already been expected. It wasn¡¯t much of a threat since they wore items to increase resistance to the water attribute as much as possible.


    Water n. They were weak and easy prey worth 80 gold each.


    Blood Carnival and their army were filled with excitement as they started the ughter. The Siren Kingdom¡¯s beautifully made city of water and sand became tinged with blood instantly.


    3rd Prince Gulong arrived at the battlefieldte and cried out.


    ¡°Wicked humans...!¡±


    The water n weren¡¯t aggressive. They knew satisfaction and didn¡¯t easily covet things. For them, the human race who didn¡¯t care about deceiving, stealing, or killing others was a target of disgust.


    ¡°Why? Why do youe into the depths of the ocean to invade and ughter us? Even the women and children who can¡¯t resist...!?¡±


    Gulong swung a scimitar at Escente. Escente was surprised as he blocked the attack. It was because after the sword exchange, Gulong leaned forward and knocked against Escent with his rock-hard shoulder. He wasn¡¯t merely a fighter, but a warrior capable of tactics.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Escent was hit in the chest and flew far away, but got up immediately. His mouth twisted in an ugly manner.


    "Does it really mean anything to catch a fish? This damn fish!¡±


    ¡°Disgraceful person!¡±


    Gulong¡¯s movements became more aggressive as he was provoked. It was stronger and quicker due to maximizing the effects of fast swordsmanship, but it also left gaps. Escente counterattacked with a shield and struck Gulong¡¯s jaw.


    ¡°Aha! It is easy to go against a stupid bastard!¡±


    Gulong was a named NPC. If Escente could catch this NPC, wouldn¡¯t he receive at least 100,000 gold? The greedy Escente started to push at Gulong. However, Gulong was stronger than he thought. The third advancement Escente couldn¡¯t knock him down and was eventually driven to the defensive.


    ¡°Somebody help!"


    Escente btedly realized and shouted urgently, but there was no one to help him. The Blood Carnival was merely a group created to share information that was beneficial to one another. There was no desire to help each other. If there wasn¡¯t the minimum of rules, they would¡¯ve already stabbed each other in the back.


    "Block with your shield before you die! That¡¯s what you get for being too greedy!"


    ¡°Kyakyak! Look at that unseemly form! Pathetic!¡±


    Escente¡¯spanions mocked rather than help him.


    ¡°Son of a bitch...!¡±


    After passing through this crisis, Escente wanted to pass on the aggro to the others. But this damn Gulong showed no gaps. At least three third advancement sses working together would be needed to raid him.


    ¡®Why am I facing this monster...?¡¯


    He had only collected 27 hearts. He only got 2,160 gold and the loss would be too big if he died.


    ¡®I¡¯m ruined!¡¯


    The moment Escente was feeling frustration.


    "Kyaaack!¡±


    ¡°Aah! Mother! Father!¡±


    Blood Carnival and their army started to increase the pace of their ughter. They entered the locked houses and killed the people hiding inside, irrespective of gender or age. Screaming women and crying children. They didn¡¯t care about the pain and sadness. They wouldn¡¯t have joined Blood Carnival or epted this quest if they worried about such things in the first ce.


    ¡°Stop! Stop right now!¡±


    Gulong couldn¡¯t bear to see the innocent people being cruelly murdered. Escente stabbed a sword in Gulong¡¯s side and shouted.


    ¡°Hahat! Looking away during a battle!¡±


    "Ugh!"


    Gulong realized that the situation was desperate. The number of his soldiers was ten times more than the number of humans, but numbers had no meaning, considering the strength of the humans. One of the strongest warriors of the water n couldn¡¯t help because he was tied up by one human.


    ¡®Brother...!¡¯


    1st Prince Paong was isted among humans and seemed to be in a crisis. As the prophet Miong said, was god abandoning them? The moment that Gulong closed his eyes, waiting for the human to hurt him...


    Kwajajajak!


    A sh fell from the sky like a lightning bolt and struck Escente¡¯s head. It was an unexpected blow. The skill ignored defense, and Escente, who fell into a stunned state, turned his eyes in the direction it came from. Then he saw a man.


    ¡°A beautiful river of blood.¡±


    Ssik.


    The ID of theughing man was Katz. His smile was tinged with insanity. Compared to Escente and other members of Blood Carnival, he seemed the most insane.


    ¡°Blood Warrior...?¡±


    Kuoooooh!


    The blood of the water n on the battlefield slowly rose into the sky, a strange, cruel, and beautiful sight that enchanted people.

 Chapter 467

    A transparent outer wall surrounded all of Siren. Beyond that, the deep sea views inspired awe in the viewers. However, Katz¡¯ present appearance was more surprising than the scenery.


    ¡°Blood Warrior...! What are you doing here?¡±


    Escente overcame the stunned state in just one second and shouted while taking a potion.


    Katz snorted.


    ¡°A worthless person like you is pretending to be andlord. Why should I tell you my reason foring here? Who are you in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°This crazy guy! Why are you attacking someone you don¡¯t know?¡±


    Escente felt resentful of Katz¡¯ attitude before suddenly realizing.


    "Aha! That¡¯s right! You¡¯re trying to make money here!¡±


    Siren was a kingdomcking hunting grounds and quests. There was only one reason why Katz, a high ranker, woulde to this ce where even level 100 users were reluctant to visit. Escente was sure of it.


    ¡°Yes...! You received the quest from White too! You came here to hunt the water n people!¡±


    Strictly speaking, they were on the same side. So why was he hit?


    ¡°You lousy bastard! You want to obtain the money from the water n on your own!¡±


    Escente was confident of his usible reasoning. Katz thought it was cute.


    ¡°I¡¯m moving for money? Kukuk! That¡¯s a fresh idea.¡±


    ¡¯Ah!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he someone with money? Katz reminded them that he was the son of Japan¡¯s leading conglomerate.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case... Then you came here because...!?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I came here on the side of the water n. As Grid¡¯s servant.¡±


    ¡°...Servant?¡± (Raws is a ng word)


    What? It was a unique Japanese term that Escente couldn¡¯t understand. However, he could infer it from the current context.


    ¡®Katz has joined Overgeared? Then the Overgeared Guild came to save Siren?¡¯


    How did this happen? Did White know about this? But he couldn¡¯t afford to think too deeply.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The shed blood from the brutally murdered water n. It became a stream of blood that flew around Katz as a living snake. It was a very quick attack that made Escente feel surprised and desperate. As a result, he easily avoided it. The trajectory of the blood flow wasn¡¯tplicated, so he could adapt quickly.


    Kwa kwak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwak!


    Straight, right angle, and straight line. The blood flow moved simplypared to the terrible momentum behind it. The targets weren¡¯t hit and only the ground was broken. In the course of avoiding the bloodstream, Escente was brought to the side of his colleagues.


    ¡®Bah! This is nothing... Wait?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this too easy? Soul Predator Seuron, Ruler of the Battlefield Ares, and Blood Warrior Katz. These three were considered dangerous people who should never be met on a battlefield. On a battlefield where an enormous amount of blood was shed, Katz¡¯ skills were enormous.


    Escente predicted the worst oue.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    Maybe moving near his colleagues while avoiding the bloodstream was Katz¡¯ intentions? The moment that ominous thought urred.


    Pepeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The bloodstream suddenly exploded, swallowing up Escente and his colleagues.


    "Kukuk! Small fries!¡±


    A dark smile appeared on Katz¡¯ face. As the Blood Carnival members and their army were screaming from the pain, Katz hummed happily like a psychopath. He pulled out a sword and moved among the enemy.


    "Thank you for your help, but... What is with your happy expression while killing? Do you enjoy ughtering humans?¡±


    "...¡±


    Originally, Katz¡¯ personality meant he would¡¯ve ignored the question from a NPC. But now he was a member of Overgeared and he knew that Grid respected NPCs. Grid was a person who even married a NPC!


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Katz had to consider Grid¡¯s position and the image of the guild. He kindly answered Gulong¡¯s question.


    "That¡¯s right. Is there anything in the world as entertaining as fighting and killing?¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The faces of Gulong and the water n soldiers turned white. It was the moment when the water n people became more prejudiced and distrustful towards humans. It was a misfortune caused by Katz¡¯ unnecessary kindness.


    ***


    Euphemina. She had an appearance like a cute girl and was called the hidden gem of Overgeared. She was almost obscure because she didn¡¯t have any outside activities, but she was actually one of the best powers in the team. She was active in various fields due to duplicating skills, and she always had the greatestbat power. Therefore she was considered a guardian angel of Overgeared.


    Of course, this was on the premise that ¡®top level skills were duplicated inrge quantities.¡¯ In thisplete state, even Grid called her OP and was afraid of her. In fact, she had the power to smash Faker in the past. She even managed to fight with Piaro.


    The current Euphemina was in top shape. It was possible because she had received the hidden quest from the prophet Miong for thest half a year. In the meantime, Euphemina had duplicated the skills of high ranking yers. She didn¡¯t doubt that she was the strongest.


    But this battle was difficult.


    ck.


    The woman, who had a mature body that Grid was partial to, was extraordinarily agile. It was so fast that she couldn¡¯t follow ck with her eyes. It was impossible to hit her without targeted skills. Euphemina invoked one of the S-grade spells that she had saved, Giant¡¯s Embrace, and blocked the swording towards her.


    "Fire Hell!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Tall pirs of fire appeared in an 8 meter area around Euphemina. It was wide area magic. There was no better means to neutralize an enemy¡¯s swiftness than wide area magic. In the end, ck was burned. She tried to retreat from the range of the Fire Hell, but it was already toote. Eupheminapleted the chant for Storm Gravity Field immediately after Fire Hell.


    Kududuk!Kwaduk!


    There was a strange sound and ck¡¯s body plummeted to the ground. She was crushed by the gravity field that had increased by dozens, hundreds of times.


    ¡°Hihit!¡±


    Was it desperation after sensing defeat? ck burst intoughter. Her body was swallowed up by a storm and Euphemina fired several more fire arrows at her. Then ck turned to grey as she died.


    ¡®5 minutes and 31 seconds...¡¯


    Euphemina was tied up by ck for that long. In this process, eight skills had been consumed. Euphemina couldn¡¯t help puffing up both cheeks like a squirrel.


    "Really strong.¡±


    ck wasn¡¯t inferior to the strongest people in Overgeared. Where was this strong person hiding in the meantime? Euphemina questioned as she prepared to move to the center of the battlefield, only to look like she saw a ghost.


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit! How is a cute little girl like you not known to the world? I will ask my sister!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ck. The person who turned grey had once again appeared in front of Euphemina. It was without a single injury!


    ¡°Twins?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be, because the ID was exactly the same! Euphemina¡¯s beautiful red eyes shook. It was just like the first time she met Grid!


    ***


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Siren, which had been peaceful for thousands of years, had turned into a battlefield in only 15 minutes. The city was already being devastated. There were continuous explosions as humans destroyed the civilization built in Siren and indiscriminately massacred the people.


    "Stop...! Please! Please stop!¡±


    1st Prince Paong. He was one of the strongest warriors of the water n and was desperately resisting. He tried to beg. But it was wishful thinking. The overall power gap was so severe that the human atrocities were beyond imagination.


    ¡°P-Prince...¡±


    "Yaong! Myoong!¡±


    The young knights who grew up with him since childhood, as well as the middle-aged knights and magicians who were his teachers. They died one by one to the humans.


    "Despicable...! Wicked humans!¡±


    Shielding the people! Some might think he was foolish andugh. But the water n couldn¡¯t allow their own people to be hurt. By defending the ordinary residents against the enemies, the soldiers were attacked one-sidedly and easily copsed.


    White found it funny.


    "Fools."


    ¡°You are the devil!¡±


    The furious Paong rushed towards White. He first needed to get rid of the human female holding up him. But White was too strong. Even Paong, one of the strongest warriors of the water n, couldn¡¯t go against her.


    Teong!


    She blocked his spear with her bloated belly.


    Peeok!


    Her forearm hit Paong in the face. She had a weight of 2 tons and was a master of fighting, knowing how to use her physical characteristics properly.


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    ¡°I will praise you for notparing me to a pig.¡±


    White smiled and blew a kiss at Paong in a creepy manner. Paong stiffened and White frowned.


    "What is with that look? Do you also not like me for being fat and ugly?¡±


    Peeok!


    The angry White¡¯s gigantic fist struck Paong¡¯s face once more. Paong couldn¡¯t believe it. How could a human without a weapon be so strong? He was feeling confused when he heard somebody¡¯s voice.


    "A martial artist who knows how to properly distribute their weight.¡±


    A clear and clear voice. The owner of the voice without any darkness sounded convinced.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    Paong expressed hostility as a human male approached and held out his hand. His distrust and hatred for humans had reached the peak. Paong pointed his spear at the human male, Regas, who held out his hand with a sad expression to the end.


    ¡°Why...¡± The sadness in the clear eyes turned to anger. "Why do they have to taste this pain and sadness?¡±


    Regas¡¯ alwaysughing eyes turned fierce. He red at the white haired White.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that...! It isn¡¯t a sin to be fat! I¡¯m someone who will be fat even if I only drink water!"


    Peeng!


    White talked nonsense as she struck Regas¡¯ fist. At this moment, Regas realized.


    ¡®I¡¯m not her opponent...!¡¯


    ***


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    Beast human Toon paid a monthly rent and moved to the 5th floor of Grid¡¯s building. He was helping Grid move in return for moving in without a deposit.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hire a movingpany to carry your things?¡±


    Grid replied while carrying a box.


    ¡°Save money. Don¡¯t you know how expensivebor costs are these days?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be much better for you to y the game during the time it would take for you to move everything?¡±


    Grid¡¯s value was astronomical. The revenue he could earn from ying the game for one hour was beyond the imagination of the general public. No, his name recognition was so great that he could make money just from saying ¡®Comet Group¡¯ on the Inte.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Grid was frustrated. ¡°Dammit...! I have been living as a poor man for so long that my sense of economics is strange!"


    He was having trouble adjusting properly. Toon handed a small booklet to the tearful Grid. It was the instructions for the diamond ss capsule given to Grid by the Comet Group.


    "Leave the finishing up to me and go y.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes... Thank you.¡±


    Grid rushed to his room. There was anticipation in Toon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°How much stronger will you be?¡±


    Toon was astounded when he discovered the capsule that Grid had been using during the moving process. The capsule used by Grid was released in the early days and was the infamous lowest priced entry-level capsule that had the ¡®worst assimtion rate.¡¯


    Meanwhile, the diamond capsule was a top rated model. It was 150 times more expensive than the capsule Grid used, and its performance was overwhelming. It was iparable to the intermediate capsules supplied to yers in the National Competition.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that life is about items.¡±


    Toonughed and called the moving center.

 Chapter 468

    ¡°Wow... Isn¡¯t thispletely different from what I expected?¡±


    "Yes, this is serious.¡±


    Huroi, Peak Sword, and Pon entered Siren. They climbed onto the walls of sand and frowned as they looked at the battlefield. The level of the yers who invaded Siren was so high that it exceeded the range assumed.


    ¡°There are 1,000 of them. The average level is in the mid 200s.¡±


    "Of those, around 30 are third advancement sses. This isn¡¯t at the level of rabble. They¡¯re specialized inbat.¡±


    The words were surprisingly casual. No, they weren¡¯t enjoying it as the yers ughtered the people and soldiers of Siren. The eyes of the three people were observing the movements, equipment, and skills of the enemies when they noticed something in the center of the battlefield.


    "Eh?¡±


    "Regas is being pushed?¡±


    "White? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Regas had entered the battlefield first with Katz. Pon and the others weren¡¯t concerned about him. Who was Regas? He was a talented person who fought against Damian in PvP. If Kraugel and Grid were ssified as SSS-grade, Regas was SS-grade. In other words, he was strong. He could dance naked on the battlefield and it was still unlikely he would die from an enemy.


    Thus, Pon¡¯s group weren¡¯t worried about him. But what was this?


    White. A fat woman with an unfamiliar ID waspletely overwhelming Regas. She was better than Regas in stats, skills, and control, forcing Regas on the defensive. It was a level where he was being beaten. In other words, White was a monster on the level of Kraugel.


    ¡°Where has a woman like that been hiding?¡±


    The first time Kraugel became known to the world. People were shocked at how strong a yer could be. They thought Kraugel was an NPC. Now there was White. She showed a shocking presence the first time she appeared in the world, just like Kraugel.


    ¡°...The world is wide.¡±


    Shake shake.


    Pon¡¯s body trembled. Was it from fear and tension? Of course, he felt such emotions. But he was feeling more jubnt. Pon was pursuing the peak. In order to be stronger, he had a tendency to crave fighting the strong. Just like Regas, who wasughing as he fought White. For them, White was a new challenge and a tform for growth.


    ¡°I will join Regas. You should take care of the rest.¡±


    "There are no small fries here.¡± Peak Sword grabbed Pon¡¯s shoulder, reminding him that the enemies were strong. "I understand your heart, but please put up with it. What we have to do now is reduce the number of enemies as much as possible while Regas is tying up that monster¡¯s feet.¡±


    ¡°Peak Sword is right. It¡¯s our job to keep the damage to the water n as minimal as possible until the reinforcements arrive. Forget your personal matters.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Pon recovered his cool thanks to Peak Sword and Huroi, pulling out a spear. He regretted his greed and used Rail Spear.


    "Isn¡¯t it okay to throw this to help Regas?¡±


    The muscles of Pon¡¯s right arm swelled and made a strange sound. Peak Sword and Huroi held their tongues as they saw Pon¡¯s arm twisted at an angle that seemed impossible.


    ¡®That looks terrible.¡¯


    There were skills that caused pain in exchange for their use. There were also skills that caused a loss of health and physical defects. Among them was Pon¡¯s Rail Spear. Pon had to pay a heavy penalty in exchange for using Rail Spear. Instead, the effect was amazing.


    Peeeeeong!


    Huroi and Peak Sword gulped a few times as they watched. Pon¡¯s Rail Spear flew towards White, who was 300 meters away. It was a skill that was impossible to avoid, causing White to let out a scream of pain as her back was pierced. Thanks to this, Regas was able to breathe and he raised a thumb in thanks.


    ¡°Wow. That idiot about fighting thanked you for helping him."


    ¡°Yes. I thought he would be mad about the interference.¡±


    "That girl is really strong.¡±


    Tension started to appear on the faces of the three men. They finally faced the seriousness of the situation. Some of the Blood Carnival members ughtering the water n turned to look at them.


    ¡°Pon!¡±


    ¡°Peak Sword!¡±


    "Why are these Overgeared people...?¡±


    "They¡¯re trying to interfere with us!¡±


    Their position was exposed in exchange for helping Regas and they missed the chance of a surprise attack. The three people exchanged looks as they were targeted by the enemy and then started their own actions.


    ¡°Our future missus Yura is prettier!¡±


    The orator Huroi boosted morale with sweet words.


    ¡°Draw Sword.¡±


    Piing.


    The Ideal Longsword emitted a white light inside the sheath made by Grid.


    "Sudden.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Most of the yers heading over here, except the third advancement users, died from the blow.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Pon was impressed by Peak Sword¡¯s strike and rode a white horse. His spear reached the bottom of the cliff in an instant, and every time he moved in a straight line, two or three enemies died. The water n people who were saved thanked the group with tears of appreciation. Pon¡¯s eyes sharpened as he saw a young child who wouldn¡¯t leave the body of his dead mother.


    "Fall into misery.¡±


    ¡°Crazy...! Stop him!"


    As everyone knew, strength was rtive. Just as Pon saw White as a monster, the Blood Carnival users and their army saw Pon as a monster.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen an immortal skill, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a resurrection skill. Is it a ss trait? Or the effect of an item or title? I very much covet it.¡±


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit!


    The first fight took 4 minutes and 31 seconds, while the second fight took 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Euphemina barely managed to overpower ck and ced a hand on ck¡¯s head. It was a small and soft hand. There was a good scent. But ck could feel it. The stench of death was covered by this sweet fragrance.


    Peeok!


    [Retribution]


    A C-grade spell. Unusually, the power of this spell varied ording to the distance at which it was used. It had the strength of a B-grade spell when used in close range. Euphemina identified that ck¡¯s head was smashed and that she¡¯d died, before taking a deep breath.


    "Resurrecting twice is impossible.¡±


    She received a whisper from Huroi that he arrived in Siren. Euphemina wanted to quickly join her colleagues and minimize the damage to the water n. However...


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit! You, are you getting weaker?"


    ¡°...Eh.¡±


    ck, whose head had been blown away, appeared in front of Euphemina in a perfect state. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t a simple resurrection skill, but a higher level technique.


    ¡°You¡¯re just like a cockroach.¡±


    Euphemina cried out as she once again attacked ck with magic. At the same time, an explosion urred that sent shock waves in every direction, destroying a building. Euphemina¡¯s quest wasn¡¯t just to protect the people of Siren, but the facilities as well.


    Euphemina started to feel nervous. Her skills, mana, and stamina were being rapidly consumed, causing her to think about Grid. Euphemina blushed and shook her head.


    ¡¯This isn¡¯t about any feelings. I was just reminded of that guy.¡¯


    ¡°Hiit? Uhit?¡±


    Euphemina was blushing alone in the midst of battle. ck looked at her strangely. She was being treated as strange by a crazy person. Euphemina¡¯s battle concentration rose because of the unpleasant feeling.


    ***


    "30 unofficial rankers...? And sun-grade users?¡± Lauel analyzed the information arriving from the advance team and was convinced. ¡®Blood Carnival.¡¯


    A force superior to the seven guilds. No, maybe they wereparable to Overgeared. The group that invaded Siren this time held arge number of unofficial rankers.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to be hostile to such a group.¡¯


    Blood Carnival was a group that only pursued money and fun, not knowingmon sense or morality. It was obvious that bing hostile to them would be tiring in many ways. Jishuka saw Lauel¡¯s troubled expression and gave an alluring smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If we handle this perfectly, they¡¯ll be so afraid of us that they won¡¯t bother us again.¡±


    Lauelughed heartily. ¡°That¡¯s correct. We have to smash them so that they won¡¯t be hostile to us anymore.¡±


    Unlike his words, Lauel was feeling ufortable. White was at the level of a sun.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been nice if I brought Faker.¡¯


    To be honest, Lauel judged that him and the first team could save Siren with Euphemina. Therefore, he only brought eight members with him. The reason he thought it would be easy? It was because the force invading Siren were ¡®yers.¡¯ He considered them to be at the level of an average yer.


    However, he was mistaken. It was unexpected that the worst group out of two billion users, Blood Carnival, would be involved.


    ¡®It will be hard. If only Grid was here...¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t he pick up his phone? Lauel was sighing when a guild notification window popped up.


    [Master ¡®Grid¡¯ is connected.]


    ***


    The structure of a virtual reality game was very simple. The yer transmitted brain waves to the server and the server implemented the movements of the yer based on the brain waves. The reaction in Satisfy was slightly slower than it was in reality.


    Let¡¯s say it was 0.1 second. But the worst and cheapest capsule that Grid had been using for over two years was 0.3 secondste. It was an early model and had technical limitations. Grid had never shown interest in the capsule itself and didn¡¯t consider it important. He didn¡¯t think about the 0.3 second dyed reaction time and used the existing capsule.


    Then he felt something in the 2nd National Competition. Fast reactions. As soon as he thought about stretching out his hand, it moved. When he tried to say something, it instantly popped out. It was a subtle difference, but it was hard to adapt to for a while.


    And today.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Grid experienced a new world. His body moved like it did in reality. There wasn¡¯t the slightest disparity between thinking and speaking. He was connected to Satisfy, but why did he feel like it was reality?


    ¡°T-This...!¡± Grid was filled with joy as he recalled the ¡®best sync rate¡¯ that was stated in the instructions of the diamond capsule. ¡°I can please Irene even more!¡±


    He could move his waist more quickly and...


    Omitted.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lulla~


    Grid was humming as he headed to Irene¡¯s room when he suddenly stopped. A whisper arrived from Lauel.

 Chapter 469

    -Grid,e to Siren right now.


    -Why Siren?


    He wanted to please Irene! Was there another husband in the world who thought so much about his wife? Grid was rushing forward when he stopped in ce.


    Lauel exined.


    -The enemy has invaded.There are approximately 1,000 of them.Of those, 30 are third advancement users and one is a sun-grade.In other words, a person who is on a simr level to you.


    ¡®Sun-grade?¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s words were tremendous. Grid smiled, but his eyes were pained.


    -The invasion is a month earlier than scheduled.Okay, I¡¯ll go right now.


    He wanted to enjoy the reunion with Irene and Lord, but it was something he could do anytime. He could postpone it. Grid was worried about his colleagues being harmed and immediately wore Braham¡¯s Boots. He paid attention to Lauel.


    -Currently, whispering seems to be restricted within Siren.Communication with the advance team is intermittently interrupted.If you can¡¯t whisper me on the way, don¡¯t panic and go straight to Siren.I will go ahead and clean the path for you to step on.


    -Uh, yes...Please protect as many of the water n as possible.


    -Your wish will be reality...


    Grid¡¯s hands and feel curled and he felt the desire to block Lauel¡¯s whisper. Why were Grid and Overgeared actively helping in Euphemina¡¯s personal quest? Was it to thank Euphemina, who always did her best for Overgeared? Of course, that was one reason.


    However, there was another reason why Grid and Overgeared decided to support Euphemina. By establishing an alliance with the water n, they had another framework to expand their forces, as well as obtain the tears of the water n¡¯s king. They were the true motives behind the Overgeared Guild. In order to enter the alliance in the best possible position, it was necessary to minimize the damage to Siren and be a great benefactor.


    Grid was hurriedly flying when he heard a longing voice.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    It was Lord. The baby growing up in Satisfy, where time flowed was several times faster than reality, was bing a child in a sh.


    ¡°Lord...!¡±


    Time was tight, but how could he ignore his son? Grid descended to the ground and held Lord. It was very fresh. Lord might be a virtual existence, but he was Grid¡¯s child born from a woman he loved. Lord was pretty and lovely.


    "Where are you going? Father is busy every day and Lord and Mother are worried!¡± From Lord¡¯s position, it had been a few months since he saw his father. As a continent-level genius, he learned quickly and was a mature child.. ¡°I want to y with Father! I can make a knife like Father!!¡±


    ¡°Haha, is that so? I am looking forward to it.¡± Lord had been trying hard all alone. He was truly very admirable. Grid stroked Lord¡¯s ck hair. "I will finish this quickly so that I can see my son¡¯s work. Until then, listen to what your mother says.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Lord had learned all types of things from studying with Sage Sticks. He was well aware of his father¡¯s position as a duke. He knew that his father was busy. Lord tried not to feel sad, but tears couldn¡¯t help forming in his big eyes. Grid was stroking his cheeks when he suddenly felt surprised.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There were dozens of beautiful girls standing behind Lord with shy faces. They were the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates that Damian had brought here.


    ¡®They should be working in the fields with Piaro. Why are they following Lord?¡¯


    Grid questioned it. Lord read his expression and gleefully exined. He pointed at the girl standing closest to him. ¡°This sister is Epona. My first lover."


    "First?"


    Then there was a second? It was real. Lord¡¯s tearspletely disappeared as he pointed to another girl.


    ¡°This sister is Arna... My second lover.¡±


    "...¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the end. Lord had over 20 lovers!


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    A baby who wasn¡¯t even two years old had over 20 lovers? Grid had married Irene at the age of 30 without having a single lover. It was impossible for him to understand Lord¡¯s position.


    ¡®Is he confusing the words ¡®friend¡¯ and ¡®lover¡¯?¡¯


    The problem was that Lord was a genius, so it wasn¡¯t possible. The girl called Epona exined to Grid.


    "Duke Grid, you told us to look after Lord well...¡±


    ¡®Ah right.¡¯


    As soon as he heard the blushing girl¡¯s shy words, Grid recalled the words he said the first time he met the candidates. Yes, Grid had spoken like this on the fields.


    "Please grow up healthy and pretty, and look after my son Lord.¡±


    Grid clicked his tongue.


    ¡®My words at that time gave Lord a harem?¡¯


    Grid recalled that there were 200 Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates and felt resentment towards his own father.


    ¡®Ah...! Father! Why weren¡¯t you like me...?¡¯


    Introduce a girl to your son!


    ¡°Father?¡± Lord was worried about the frustrated Grid. The barely sane Grid grasped Lord¡¯s hand.


    "Yes, it is better to be a yboy than a lifelong solo like me. Just look at Peak Sword. It¡¯s wonderful, Lord. But please take care of yourself. Your essential parts can be ruined if you aren¡¯t careful.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Essential parts? What¡¯s that?"


    ¡°That... I don¡¯t know because I haven¡¯t experienced it.¡±


    But Lord woulde to know through experience. He felt really envious of his son. He was truly the best golden spoon. Grid tearfully gave Lord onest hug and flew off.


    After a while.


    Kasim let out a breath from where he had been observing Grid in Lord¡¯s shadow.


    ¡®Duke Grid... He¡¯spletely different from a few months ago.¡¯


    His expression and tone had be gentlepared to the past, but he was sharper than before. The moment he gazed into thoseughing eyes, he felt a sense of crisis and stopped breathing for a few minutes.


    ¡®Doran, now I can see why you gave your ring to Duke Grid.¡¯


    Since the past, Doran had excellent discerning eyes. Perhaps from the beginning, Doran had recognized that Grid was a great person.


    ¡®Duke Grid, I will punish all the enemies who threaten your precious people. Please rest assured and continue to grow. Then destroy the empire with your own hands and pay back my n¡¯s grudge.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m a farmer or not.¡±


    ¡°Me too... But who cares as long as I get stronger?"


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I don¡¯t want to fight with farming equipment in a war. I¡¯m tired of rainbow potatoes...¡±


    ¡°Heok. Don¡¯t say that when nd is right in front of you. The potato addict will definitely be angry if he hears it.¡±


    The knights and soldierspleted the morning training at the training grounds and moved to the fields under Asmophel¡¯s guidance. It was because they had to farm under the name of ¡®afternoon training.¡¯ Asmophel sent those who were confused about their identity a look of sympathy and stood face to face with Piaro after a while. Worker... No, Piaro smiled as he waited for the soldiers and knights to train.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a lot of trouble since dawn, Captain of the Overgeared Magic Knights.¡±


    "Now you will suffer, Captain of the Overgeared Knights.¡±


    Their best friend. The two men had once fallen into the trap of a wicked woman and regarded each other as enemies. After going through many trials, their rtionship was now stronger than before. It was all thanks to Duke Grid. Piaro and Asmophel. The two who were once called the ¡®Pirs of Saharan¡¯ now respected and followed Grid. It was with loyalty from their hearts.


    What was their lord doing now? The moment that both of them missed Grid.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    A voice was heard from above. It was a low and not very frivolous voice. There was a definitely sense of weight about it. The one who spoke was Grid.


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    Was he looking for Piaro? Asmophel was d to see Grid after a long time, but he also felt sad.


    ¡°Hello? Asmophel, it has been a long time. Your efforts are always appreciated.¡±


    Grid descended from the sky and stood beside the two people. At that moment, the thousands of soldiers and the knights kneeled down.


    ¡°Eternal¡¯s savior! Reidan¡¯s sun! We greet the great Duke Grid!¡±


    The people who had been steadily growing since bing Reidan¡¯s lord. It felt good to hear this. His heart was full. It wasn¡¯t just Reidan¡¯s residents, but many people around the world calling him a sun. Grid was reminded of this as he looked around at his army.


    Now there were 4,000 soldiers. In addition, there were 8 knights. He expected a lot from the knights, since they were selected and trained by Piaro.


    ¡®I am really happy.¡¯


    The once pathetic person was now lord of tens of thousands of people and thousands of soldiers... It was a marvelous story that wouldn¡¯t be believed if he went back three years ago, or even 10 months.


    ¡®Should I write an autobiographyter on?¡¯


    The title would be the ¡®Myth of Overgeared.¡¯ The problem was that at least 50 volumes were expected.


    ¡°My Lord, are you going to join Earl Lauel¡¯s army?¡±


    Piaro was concerned about his lord not getting any rest. Grid nodded while holding the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and summoning Noe.


    "That¡¯s right. I need to borrow some of your stats because I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±


    Grid nned to boost his stamina stat by taking some away from Piaro. Grid was pleased when he used Character Observation and saw how Piaro had grown. Then he saw Asmophel¡¯s status window.


    ¡°...Huge?¡±


    Magnificent Sword Asmophel, he was once the only person who could match Piaro. It wasn¡¯t until two years aftering to Reidan that he regained his former condition and was finally recognized by Grid.


    ¡°Asmophel! You¡¯re a great person!¡±


    ¡°My Lord...!¡±


    His worth was finally seen! Asmophel was feeling thrilled.


    "It is you, nyong!¡± Noe, who was sitting quietly on Grid¡¯s shoulder, suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed Asmophel.


    "High agility isplete! Okay! Thank you! I will be able to arrive much faster thanks to you!¡±


    ¡°M-My Lord...?¡±


    Asmophel, who was covered in Noe¡¯s saliva, stared nkly after Grid who had already disappeared. Once again, Asmophel was one of the strongest in the Saharan Empire. Asmophel missed the glory of the past and became determined.


    ¡°Piaro... I can¡¯t forgive myself for using the pretense of a drug addiction and broken heart to bezy. Please help me. Train me starting from today!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s face turned rosy.


    ¡°Good! First, the hoe!¡±


    ¡°...Me too?¡±


    Once again, Asmophel had been the most powerful person in the empire. He was also a prestigious noble.

 Chapter 470

    Before entering Siren. Lauel cast Wind Dragon¡¯s Breath the moment that the group entered Siren. The arrows and magic flying towards the eight members of Overgeared, including Lauel, were scattered by his wind. Lauel frowned as he verified the destroyed buildings.


    "This is a tremendous wee. Let¡¯s not make too much of a disturbance in the area.¡±


    ¡°What? Did you nt a mole among us? How did you know about our surprise attack in advance?¡±


    The Overgeared members actually came to support Euphemina, who had been active in the guild since the Reinhardt golem invasion. As a matter of fact, Overgeared had no idea that Blood Carnival was involved in this quest. Blood Carnival felt the need to shut out reinforcements from Overgeared and positioned troops at the entrance to Siren. Then they killed anybody who entered.


    However, only innocent people died. The reinforcements from Overgeared blocked the surprise attack.


    Lauel snorted at the Blood Carnival members. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be chief of staff of Overgeared if I couldn¡¯t read your thoughts.¡±


    Lauel smiled and swept back his hair. He was looking at the pendants around the necks of the third advancement users from Blood Carnival.


    ¡®Chaos Field.¡¯


    An item that blocked the whispers of all yers within 10 meters of the wearer.It was less useful because it didn¡¯t distinguish between friends or enemies, but it was rtively cheap and easy to obtain. It was the favorite item of assassin or guerri units.


    ¡®Indeed, this was whymunications with Euphemina and the first team was disconnected.¡¯


    The price was rtively cheappared to the ¡®Complete Chaos Field.¡¯ The price of the Chaos Field was 500 million won. It couldn¡¯t be distributed to all 1,000 people, so it was likely only the 30 third advancement members of Blood Carnival had it. In other words, it meant that Euphemina and the advance team were facing members of Blood Carnival.


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    There was a chance that Euphemina and the advance team could lose their lives. In particr, he was worried about Euphemina, who became vulnerable as more time passed. An arrow shed over the nervous Lauel¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡®Godly archer...!¡¯


    The Blood Carnival members stiffened and took a defensive posture. But it was useless.


    Pepeng!Peng!


    Jishuka¡¯s arrows changed their orbits freely in the air and plugged into the enemies¡¯ gaps. The rising blood was the signal. Toban, Ibellin, and the other members of Overgeared started attacking Blood Carnival.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant... This isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Regas was tying up White¡¯s feet. Pon¡¯s party tried to join Euphemina while wiping out as many enemies as possible. But it was difficult. It was impossible to locate Euphemina and there were too many enemies. After killing five or six enemies at a time, others immediately came forward. In particr, the rear archers and magicians were annoying. It was hard for them to fight and protect the water n.


    ¡°There¡¯s no end to it. My stamina is falling.¡±


    ¡°Regas won¡¯tst long...¡±


    "I¡¯m frustrated because I can¡¯t send a whisper.¡±


    ¡°Kuoong...¡±


    In the midst of this confusion, Pon¡¯s group became surrounded by new enemies. The average level of the enemies was in the mid 200s. They could handle the enemies in seconds if it was a one-on-one match. But it was different when dealing withrge numbers. Their skills, stamina, and concentration were quickly consumed. It wasn¡¯t possible to neutralize all attacksing from various directions unless they were Kraugel, so their health was constantly decreasing.


    But the biggest problem were the contents of the mission. If it was simply a mission about destroying the enemies, it might be possible to kill the enemies without worrying about the future. However, the party had an obligation to protect the water n and join Euphemina. They couldn¡¯t fight blindly.


    ¡°We need to find the right facility to protect the water n.¡±


    Peak Sword was the master of the Silver Knights Guild and his ability to grasp the battlefield was high. Lauel appointed him as leader of the vanguard for a reason. He identified a rtively safe area and instructed Pon and Huroi to move the water n there. Then he blocked the route of the enemies.


    "Draw Sword, Annihte.¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    "Aack!"


    Indeed, the power of Peak Sword was enormous. However, the mana consumption wasrge and the cooldown time was long.


    Puok!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    A scimitar urately aimed for the moment when Peak Sword¡¯s sword was returning to its sheath. Peak Sword was wounded and fell down. It was a huge attack power. Peak Sword red at the person who caused him such damage.


    ¡°Damn bastard using a dirty trick...!¡±


    ¡°me your ipetence for not looking around the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Ipetence! It was a reminded of the nickname Peak Sword got during the 2nd National Competition. Peak Sword had no choice but to respond in a sensitive manner.


    ¡°Dammit! I will show you who is ipetent!¡±


    Peak Sword immediately attacked the owner of the scimitar. The opponent¡¯s ID was Matdashi. It was Korean. A person from the same country! Peak Sword was amazed while attacking.


    ¡°A third advancement ss? There was a third advancement user in South Korea?¡±


    Matdashi shrugged and replied, ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot? Unlike Grid, we don¡¯t do anything prominent. I don¡¯t want everyone in the world to like me, unlike you.¡±


    ¡°You traitor...!¡± Peak Sword wielded his sword with a red face. "You have strength, but you¡¯re living as a hermit! You should participate in the National Competition and increase the status of our country!¡±


    ¡°I live in a democratic country. It¡¯s my freedom to decide what to do.¡±


    Matdashi easily struck Peak Sword one more time. Peak Sword was a quick draw swordsman, not a normal one. His Sword Mastery skill was different from that of general swordsman, so it was very weak. Without a sheath, Peak Sword had no attack skills. He was vulnerable in a one-on-one match, which was why he didn¡¯t participate in PvP at the National Competition.


    Peak Sword needed someone¡¯s help to demonstrate his full strength. However, Peak Sword was currently alone. Pon and Huroi were desperately protecting the water n from the enemies.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯ Peak Sword trembled as he started to allow attacks. ¡®Receiving a surprise attack when Draw Sword is on cooldown...!¡¯


    In a perfect situation, he wouldn¡¯t have gone one-on-one with this guy. The moment that Peak Sword was feeling dejected.


    "Hat, how weak.¡±


    Someone¡¯s mocking words were heard.


    Kurururung!


    Then a pir of blood swept over Matdashi.


    [You have suffered 21,500 damage.]


    [The terrible smell of blood has caused dizziness. Skill casting time is increased by 20% and resistance is decreased by 20%.]


    [Sticky blood has crept into the gaps in your armor. Your armor won¡¯t move properly. Your defense is reduced by 10% and your movement speed has slowed.]


    [Your sword is covered in specks of blood. The de is weakened and attack power is reduced by 10%.]


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    It was basicmon sense that debuffs had weak attack power. However, the pir of blood that swallowed Matdashi was as powerful as the ultimate attack from a high levelled yer. The contents of the debuffs were fatal. Matdashi was appalled.


    ¡®Monster...!¡¯


    Surely a named boss monster hadn¡¯t appeared? Matdashi turned his gaze and witnessed an unexpected person.


    ¡°Blood Warrior?¡±


    Why was someone unrted to Overgeared here?


    "Don¡¯t call me Blood Warrior anymore. I feel like my level is being dragged down because it¡¯s simr to your organization¡¯s name.¡±


    Katz joined the guild because he wanted items. He had a duty to look good to Grid. Thus, he told Peak Sword, ¡°In the future, call me Grid¡¯s servant.¡±


    ¡°Servant...!¡±


    It was a familiar term for Koreans.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening.¡¯


    Either way, it became clear that Katz belonged to Overgeared. Matdashi immediately took action. It was a retreat. He couldn¡¯t beat the Blood Warrior on a battlefield filled with blood!


    ¡°Running away? It¡¯s inevitable. Pride is useless for people like you.¡±


    This person was iming to be Grid¡¯s servant? Peak Sword felt doubts.


    "Blood of One Thousand People. This will hurt a lot.¡±


    Katz aimed the pir of blood at the running Matdashi. The more blood there was, the more that the specialized skills of a Blood Warrior were strengthened. Matdashi couldn¡¯t escape and died.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Katz cut down a third advancement user in an instant, thrilling Peak Sword. Perhaps at this moment, Katz was stronger than Kraugel and Grid? Katz whispered to the dumbfounded Peak Sword.


    "Please tell Grid what just happened.¡±


    "...¡±


    ***


    Blonde hair became wet as sweat flowed down the white cheeks.


    ¡°Hah... Hah...¡±


    Every time she breathed out, her chest shook tremendously. Duplicator Euphemina. She was already exhausted. It was because her stamina was drained during the fight with the third resurrected ck. Euphemina didn¡¯t have a high stamina stat, so her stamina was weak. It was now all used up.


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit!


    On the other hand, ck was fine. Her big breasts shook as sheughed and licked her lips.


    ¡°Did I win? Hithit!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aplete scam.¡±


    How did she keep being resurrected? Skill Observation couldn¡¯t measure the ability of the opponent, so Euphemina had no clue.


    ¡®I can¡¯t endure anymore.¡¯


    This quest was a failure. Her reason for staying in Siren for over eight months waspletely gone. It was unfortunate that all her hard work during that time was in vain. But Euphemina felt more sorry for her colleagues.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give back anything to those who came to help me. I hate owing people.¡¯


    Euphemina was feeling disappointed as ck approached her.


    ¡°Hiit! Hihit! My~ turn~ to ~ kill~?¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    The skills Euphemina had copied were still there. But they were of no value if she couldn¡¯t use them. In the end, Euphemina closed her eyes and cried out.


    ¡°Kill me quickly.¡±


    It was someone else¡¯s voice who responded, not ck.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°...Hiit?¡±


    ck stepped back as she was about to deal the final blow to Euphemina. It was because an unknown energy constrained her behavior. Euphemina knew this energy.


    ¡®Restraint...!¡¯


    Then Kill struck ck.

 Chapter 471

    Pets had different ratings. Of course, the higher the rating, the more valuable the pet.


    So how was this value calcted? Was it based on stats and skills? That¡¯s right. Even appearance was added. A pretty, nice, and cute pet was rated higher than an ugly pet. However, the more important thing than abilities and appearance was their intelligence.


    Pets that could only understand the follow themands of attack, defense, movement, etc. were low rated, even if they had excellent stats and were pretty. They were difficult to utilize effectively. On the other hand, intelligent pets were different.


    They fully understood their master¡¯s words and thoughts and were able to carry out higher rated orders. Thus, they had a higher rating despite their stats being somewhat lower. They were much more useful than the low intelligence pets. This was why wyverns reigned as the ¡®best pet¡¯ for many years.


    Wyverns had high stats and enough intelligence to understand their master¡¯s thoughts. In order to achieve their master¡¯s purpose, a wyvern always did their best and was very helpful to a yer. The value of wyverns was high enough that all yers in the world dreamt of bing the master of a wyvern.


    But now people didn¡¯t call wyverns the best. Pets more excellent than a wyvern had emerged. They were Noe and Randy. As it happened, both of them were Grid¡¯s pets.


    ¡°Nyahahat! Master told me to help! Nyang!¡±


    Noe flew on small wings, causing Regas¡¯ face to brighten.


    ¡°Noe...! Thank you!¡±


    His opponent was a very strong martial artist who freely used her weight while fighting. Asura Regas was the only one capable of going against her and even he was now at his limits. He was just about to die, so Regas was relieved to see Noe. Noe ced his pink soles on Regas¡¯ wounded shoulders and cried out.


    ¡°The strongest demonic beast in hell isn¡¯t someone who will help humans. Nyang! But Master told me to help you! Nyang!¡±


    "Hahat, you are a good kid who listens to your master.¡±


    ¡°Nyahahat!¡±


    Noe danced because of the praise. Regas stroked his chin and requested.


    "Take away her stats.¡±


    "I understand! Nyang!¡±


    Originally, a pet¡¯s skill activation was based on their master¡¯smand. They couldn¡¯t use a skill if they didn¡¯t receive amand. However, Noe was a pet intelligent enough tomunicate with yers. He judged the situation himself and used his skills.


    Noe flew towards White and opened his mouth wide. He nned to swallow White in one go. But White was an agile person with brilliant control. She stepped back, avoiding Noe¡¯s mouth. Then she raised a finger and urately stabbed Noe¡¯s throat. Noe¡¯s eyes widened as he fell to the floor in pain.


    "Ah... Hurts nyong.¡±


    "...¡±


    Regas¡¯ face filled with dark clouds again.


    ***


    [You have been overwhelmed by an enormous energy.]


    [Resistance has failed. Retreating from the source of the energy.]


    [You have suffered 34,720 damage.]


    ck was surprised by the sudden attack. Theughing face that she had throughout her entire fight with Euphemina hardened for the first time.


    ¡°Hi...ik?¡±


    Almost 35,000 of her health had been consumed? It was from just one attack? It made it through all her legendary rated items?


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    A blue-ck greatsword was prating her chest. ck stared at the man with trembling eyes.


    ¡®Grid...!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. It was rare for someone to be able to do this much damage to her. ck recalled that Grid was the head of Overgeared and swung her arms. It was a quick but exquisite gesture. The sharp line of her tachi urately aimed at Grid¡¯s face.


    Suuk.


    Grid retrieved his greatsword and withdrew. He was surprised that ck was rtively fine after being hit by Kill.


    ¡°Your leather armor is quite durable... Eh?¡±


    Shake.


    ¡°...Shaking?¡±


    Was it bigger than Jishuka¡¯s?


    ¡®The armor design is a bikini?¡¯


    It waspletely to his tastes. Instinct was a force that couldn¡¯t be denied! Grid unintentionally became dazed by certain parts of ck¡¯s body and Euphemina shouted urgently.


    ¡°Recover your mind!¡±


    Was it because of jealousy that her ent increased? Euphemina denied it. She believed that her ent increased because she was worried about Grid. It was natural to be worried. Every moment was crucial in a battle. Losing your judgement for one second was a gap that the enemy could exploit. Moreover, 0.1 seconds was important in a battle between strong people. How could Grid be safe when he lost concentration?


    ¡°Hihit!¡±


    ckughed and used Screw Sword. When it hit the target, the attack reduced the healing effect of the target and damaged the item (the item effect decreased). The effects were intimidating, forcing the target to feel worried. ck¡¯s speciality was using footwork to gain control of the opponent¡¯s rear.


    Jjejejeok!


    Indeed. ck moved and the confused Grid barely blocked the attack. Then ck appeared behind Grid in this gap and linked a new strike.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s voice echoed through the deserted area of Siren. Euphemina was worried for Grid, but Grid was still calm. At attack that he couldn¡¯t react to?


    ¡®It is fine.¡¯


    Puok!


    ck¡¯s taichi pierced Grid¡¯s back. It was the skill Pierce Sword, which pierced the body of the target deeply and induced a definite critical hit. The damage coefficient was very high and normal people couldn¡¯t endure this attack. But Grid was fine.


    ¡°Hi...?¡±


    It didn¡¯t even do 10,000 damage? ck was surprised by Grid¡¯s abnormally high defense and tried to reim her sword. However, the barbs in Grid¡¯s armor didn¡¯t make it easy, greatly decreasing the durability of the sword during this process. ck¡¯s body was struck by a sh of bloody light.


    After swapping to Iyarugt, Grid¡¯s attack speed was slightly faster than it was in the National Competition. ck had close to 3,000 agility, but even she was astonished by Grid¡¯s attack speed. She hurriedly raised the small shield worn on her left wrist and tried to defend.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    ck¡¯s body shook after she collided with Iyarugt. Her strength and stamina stats were rtively low and she couldn¡¯t withstand Grid¡¯s overwhelming attack power. Her upper body tilted and ck fell to the ground. Grid pursued her as she drew back. He prepared to link another attack, but ck had already restored her posture and seeded in avoiding it. She was like an acrobat.


    ¡°Hihit!¡±


    ck didn¡¯t shrink back despite the fact that her opponent was the runner-up in the National Competition¡¯s PvP event. Sheughed at Grid. She was confident that she had the advantage in agility and control. However, physical abilities wasn¡¯t the only important factor inbat.


    ¡°The power of items.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ck¡¯s dark eyes shook. It was because something cool and solid came flying and restrained her wrists and ankles. The famous God Hands.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Grid whispered to ck, who was struggling to shake off the God Hands.


    "I don¡¯t see a woman.¡±


    This was a gender equal society!


    Puk!


    ck¡¯s body was stabbed by Iyarugt.


    ¡°Hiik! Hik! Kyaak!¡±


    ck had already suffered a great deal of damage from Kill, so she died after allowing a few more hits.


    ¡°Well.¡±


    Grid felt disappointed at not getting to see ck¡¯srge chest anymore. He stretched out a hand towards Euphemina.


    "You endured well.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s eyes were bigger than usual.


    ¡°You... Haven¡¯t you be stronger?¡±


    "It turned out this way.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say it, but he had suffered a lot of trials while Euphemina was away. The battles against the vampires Earl Elfin Stone and Baron Tiramet improved his battle skills, while his intelligence was forced to develop in the Behen Archipgo. In addition, he overcame his own limitations.


    The peak was the National Competition. Grid saw and learned a lot from fighting the strongest people who represented each country. In particr, he made another breakthrough during the confrontation with Kraugel.


    "By the way, that girl called ck isn¡¯t your opponent. How did you end up in danger?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were quite discerningpared to the old days. Eupheminaughed and exined, ¡°She is like a cockroach. She has resurrected three times already. I became disadvantaged as more time passed.¡±


    ¡°Resurrected? She dies andes back again?¡±


    "Yes, I don¡¯t know if it is a ss specific skill or the effect of an item...¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s face hardened as she spoke.


    ¡°Hiit! Yihihihit!


    ck. She once again appeared with a perfectly fine appearance.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Euphemina started to exin her thoughts to the dumbfounded Grid.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a skill with a limited number of uses. If the number of resurrections was limited, she wouldn¡¯te at me so hard.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t fit that such a fraudulent resurrection skill wouldn¡¯t have any penalties. Perhaps the ck in front of us is just a renewable clone and the real body is hiding somece else. But I refuse to believe there¡¯s such a strong clone.¡±


    ¡°Um... It¡¯s usible. I will set up video shooting mode."


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Euphemina smiled. Grid¡¯s action of recording a video of a fight against someone strong. It showed he was much wiser than before.


    ¡®It will be reyed a few times.¡¯


    He was always ready to study. Euphemina was feeling d when she suddenly frowned.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    It was because she btedly noticed that Grid¡¯s gaze was fixed on ck¡¯s chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s low-grade.¡±


    Euphemina muttered while looking at her own chest. Then ck used ¡®magic.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s this...?¡±


    Euphemina watched the flying mes and fell into confusion. Wasn¡¯t ck an assassin ss? Then how could she use magic?


    "Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s possible to change sses?¡±


    Euphemina panicked.


    "Aha, my physical resistance is high, so you¡¯re trying magic?¡±


    Grid swapped his armor to the Holy Light set and was hit by ck¡¯s magic. It was a way to show off his overwhelming power difference. The effect wasrge. ck confirmed that Grid had only lost as much health as a rat dropping and lost control.

 Chapter 472

    "Hihit, how many recement items do you have?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t change his expression at ck¡¯s question.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it at least more than your number of lives?¡±


    In fact, Grid wasn¡¯t worried if ck ended up having infinite resurrections. It was enough if he killed, killed, and killed again. He could raise his item experience, so it was killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡°Hi... Hihit...¡±


    ck¡¯s face became strained. The yers she had met so far had shrank back from her infinite resurrections. She was afraid of Grid, who showed the attitude of ¡®let¡¯s experiment to see how many times you can resurrect.¡¯ Grid was much more ignorant than Kraugel, but he gave her more pressure.


    ¡°Kihit!¡±


    In the end, ck opted to retreat. She judged that Grid was a bad opponent. In such a situation, pride wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Hwaruruk!


    ck summoned a barrier of fire to block Grid¡¯s path and his field of view. At the same time, ck used Fly to move through the air. However, Grid didn¡¯t miss her. The Holy Light set reduced magic damage. Grid flew through the wall of fire with the brilliant armor and chased after ck. The horrific scenery of the destroyed Siren unfolded under their feet.


    Peng!


    Pepepeng!


    ¡°Hiit! Hihihit!¡±


    As he was about to catch up with her, ck fired sparks towards the rear to keep Grid in check. But it was useless. Grid had high health and didn¡¯t care about the small injuries caused by the magic bombardment. He didn¡¯t bother wasting any time avoiding it.


    ¡°Your mes are rubbishpared to Lae¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Hi...¡±


    Time passed. Grid relied on his high agility to speed up, while ck¡¯s speed feel sharply. The swiftness and stamina she showed when she was an assassin ss weren¡¯t present.


    ¡®It is natural for the stats to change every time she changes ss.¡¯


    Grid flew through the backwind and used cksmith¡¯s Eyes. Then ck¡¯s perfect back... No, he started analyzing the items that ck was wearing.


    ¡®The wand and robe have a significant level...¡¯


    Items that allowed resurrection or switching sses weren¡¯t possible. In other words.


    ¡®It¡¯s a ss specific skill.¡¯


    Of course, it could also be a skill attached to a title. However, that possibility was low. It didn¡¯t make sense to have the fraudulent skills of ¡®resurrection¡¯ and ¡®ss change¡¯ be due to a title. In fact, Grid assumed that ck had a legendary ss.


    ¡®A scam.¡¯


    It was a ss that could resurrect at least four times and could change sses.


    ¡®Assuming that there¡¯s a reasonable penalty, it¡¯s still unbnced.¡¯


    Yes, just like Pagma.


    "Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid narrowed the distance to ck and used Pinnacle. She used magic to create a shield, but it was impossible to deal with Grid¡¯s attack power with a shield. Grid was so powerful that it was absurd.


    ¡°Hihit!¡±


    A very big mouth. ckughed, revealing white teeth as her chest was cut by Grid¡¯s Pinnacle. Hebined it with Iyarugt¡¯sbo effect and finished her off. Grid identified that ck had turned to grey and immediately used magic. Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 2 detected all life within a 13m radius. The mana consumption was 2,000 points, making it a heavy burden to use. However, it was clearly effective because it showed the power of a master level Magic Detection.


    Grid tried to find ck¡¯s body based on Euphemina¡¯s spection that they were clones.


    ¡®Water n. Water n. Water n. Water n. Water n. Water n...¡¯


    Only life that was being snuffed like mes in front of the wind was detected. How much sin was created from killing the innocent? Grid thought with a frown before detecting a new being. It was a yer moving in the opposite direction to ck.


    Name: ???


    Level: ???


    ss: ???


    Race: Human


    Status: yer


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Since Magic Detection was still only at level 2, it was somewhat unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t see the details of the target. At present, it could only identify the location of the target, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem.


    ¡°Quick Movements.¡±


    The deep sea became the sky and the fish were like clouds. Grid saw the mysterious sight as his agility increased and his movement speed became extremely fast. He crossed the space at a fearsome speed. He aimed at the person believed to be ck¡¯s main body.


    After a while. Grid witnessed a thin woman moving while using ruins as a cover.


    ¡¯The front and rear are the same...¡¯


    The woman moving under the cliff had no sense of volume. Her face was too dry, so it looked like a skull. Her front teeth also protruded. Her arms and legs were like thin winter branches. She was a baggy ck dress that highlighted her thin body.


    ¡®ck.¡¯


    The body waspletely different, but Grid was sure about it. It was because the features of the skinny woman was simr to those of ck. In the first ce, her ID was also ck.


    ¡®How many people has she killed?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and quickly descended towards ck.


    ¡°Hiik!¡± ck was shocked as Grid suddenly dropped in front of her and blocked the way. ¡°H-How did you...?¡±


    ck¡¯s ss was an illusionist. She had the power to turn illusions into reality. She was able to create the most ideal being or ce, and gave the creature she created immortal resurrection abilities. She was like a god. The ck that Euphemina fought was an illusion created by ck.


    "Can you exin your tremendous abilities?¡±


    ck retreated from Grid¡¯s interested expression.


    "W-Who would speak to a man who is horny like a dog!?¡±


    ck shouted while covering her chest. Grid found it absurd.


    "Dog? No. I don¡¯t like this type of chest.¡±


    Grid had a clear taste! ck¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mock my body!¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid was able to tell at once. ck had a deep inferiorityplex.


    ¡®Just like the old me.¡¯


    He felt pity. Grid talked rather than try to kill her at once. Did he think about sparing her due to hispassion? No. Grid wasn¡¯tpassionate enough to be generous to an enemy. In particr, she tried to kill his valued colleague, Euphemina. Grid intended to firmly punish ck so that she wouldn¡¯t mess with Overgeared again. He didn¡¯t want to look like a pushover. He nned to let her know why she shouldn¡¯t mess with Overgeared.


    However, he was curious. He wanted to know ck¡¯s ss and skills. He slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s your ss? It has a legendary rating, right?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid asked directly, without any intention of coaxing ck to reveal her identity. ck thought it was absurd.


    "I won¡¯t tell you!¡±


    ¡°I know. Well, I¡¯ll naturally discover it when we fight.¡±


    ¡°Aih!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t die without any resistance. This wasn¡¯t a matter of pride. She wasn¡¯t afraid of falling experience. But what if she died when her infamy was at the peak? She would be sure to drop one of the items kept in her inventory. She kept all types of excellent items on her to equip her illusions.


    ¡¯Illusion Manifestation!¡¯


    ck used her remaining mana to call a new illusion.


    [The number of illusions created today has exceeded 5.]


    [The price of the sacrifice has grown. Your level has dropped by 1.]


    Losing one level was a terrible penalty. That¡¯s right. ck lost experience every time she called an illusion. If the number of summoning was too high in a day, she would lose a level. However, today was her second experience of calling so many illusions that she lost a level. The first was when she met Kraugel.


    ¡®There are two monsters like White...¡¯


    It was also a man!


    Kwaduduk!


    A bewitching woman appeared in front of the enraged ck. She was the ideal woman that ck thought of. The total number of stats was the same as ck. However, the distribution of stats differed depending on the ss. This time, the summoned ck had extremely high stamina and strength.


    Magic swordsman. It was the means that ck thought of to ovee Grid.


    "H-Hit! How about this? Thebination of attack power and magic power will make your items worthless!¡±


    Would he wear the Holy Light set or Triple Layers? ck forced Grid to choose. Grid scoffed.


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±


    Grid reced the Holy Light Armor with Triple Layers. However, he was still wearing the Holy Light Gloves and Crown. It was the attitude of responding with medium defense and magic resistance.


    ¡°...¡±


    ck was at a loss for words. It was the worst. ck felt despair as her illusion was broken by Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill in turn. Of course, ck¡¯s resistance wasn¡¯t terrible. She was stronger than the top rankers who participated in the National Competition. But it wasn¡¯t at a level that could go against Grid using the diamond ss capsule.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    In the end. ck, who had defeated hundreds of people and acted like the ruler of the food chain, was eaten by a beast above her. The beast was naturally Grid.


    [The yer ck has been killed!]


    [The punishment of the wicked person has increased your reputation by 2,000!]


    [Iyarugt has grown from the unique to legendary rating!]


    [The information about Iyarugt has been updated.]


    ¡°Good!¡±


    At the time of the PvP finals. Iyarugt¡¯s experience had stopped at 99.98% and now it had finally evolved. Iyarugt shook. The bloody light that it emitted became more intense and beautiful than ever as it shook.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid looked away from Iyarugt as he turned his head towards the ground. A ring was shining in the ce where ck died.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve picked up an item that a yer dropped.¡±


    Indeed, what was the item dropped by ck who was presumed to have a legendary ss? Grid¡¯s heart pounded as he took a deep breath before checking the item.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t expect too much.¡¯


    Had things every turned out well when he was full of expectations?


    ¡®It will be a garbage item.¡¯


    Grid soothed his mind as much as possible and confirmed the information of the ring. Then he trembled.


    ¡°P... Pro...!¡±


    Indeed.


    ¡°...Profit!! It¡¯s a profit!¡±


    Grid tasted the excitement of winning in the game.

 Chapter 473

    [Ring of Absurdity]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 7/10


    * Reduces the resources consumed by magic or a skill by half.


    * Mana recovery rate will double.


    An artifact produced by the great magician Pauld.


    A masterpiece born by chance, it disys the effect of ignoring ideas.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    ¡®Hoh, this is great. Pauld did well in hisst years.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s soul showed a rare interest.


    "Pauld?¡± Grid asked Braham.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know Eternal Benevolent Pauld? That¡¯s the name that most people know.¡¯


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask if I knew.¡±


    ¡®...Hrmm... Indeed, a cksmith can¡¯t be med for not knowing the history of a magician. Pauld was a poor boy. He was born in the same era as me and never reached the top in his lifetime. Well, he¡¯s a tragic figure. He had some moderate achievements, but it wasckingpared to me.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Grid was tolerant of Braham¡¯s self-pride. He started to closely observe the ring. On the inner side of the ring, unidentified characters were engraved. A regr person would¡¯ve been inspired by the delicate skill, but Grid had 3,000 dexterity and wasn¡¯t very inspired.


    ¡°The effect of the artifact is due to these small characters?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a real jackpot.¡±


    The resources consumed by a magic spell or skill wasn¡¯t just mana. Depending on the type of magic and skill, it could consume health or vitality, all of which werebelled as resources. It was also true for the special gauges like ¡®Fighting Spirit¡¯ that somebat-specialized sses possessed. Fighting spirit umted when fighting and was consumed when using the ultimate skill.


    "This is truly absurd.¡±


    Artifacts that reduced the consumption of resources had astronomically high prices. It was especially true for yers like Grid, whose top skills consumed a lot of resources. No, it was essential. Then why? Why didn¡¯t Grid use such items if they were so good?


    The reason was simple. They were so rare that he couldn¡¯t obtain them. At one time in the past. An artifact that reduced resource consumption by 20% appeared on the auction house and was sold for 3 billion won to an anonymous yer. The mystery person who won the artifact for three billion wonter became the envy of rankers... Resource reduction artifacts were worth it.


    ¡®But this ring...¡¯


    It reduced resource consumption by half. There was also the bonus of doubling mana recovery rate. The value couldn¡¯t be measured. If this ring was ced on the auction site, the numerous wealthy people in the world would run like crazy.


    ¡°Amazing... A serious jackpot...¡±


    Shake shake!


    A jackpot-level item! Grid was unable to convert the value and shivered with joy. There were even tears in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t been so happy since making much more money than expected from saying ¡®Comet Group¡¯ ten times.


    ¡®Should I be a professional bounty hunter who focuses on PKers?¡¯


    Grid seriously thought about it as he turned back to Iyarugt. Iyarugt was floating in the air and still emanating a storm-like energy. The process of evolution would take more time.


    ¡®Indeed, the legendary rating is special.¡¯


    It was fortunate that it didn¡¯t evolve during the confrontation with Kraugel. Grid thought positively as the notification window he was waiting for emerged.


    [The growth of Iyarugt has beenpleted!]


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Iyarugt slowly descended and stopped in front of Grid. The transparent red light had be much darker than before. It was more brilliant and beautiful than a red diamond, one of the best jewels. In particr, the ck handle that rippled like a wave was impressive.


    The overall design of Iyarugt became more stylish and feminine. It wasn¡¯t only beautiful, but also emitted a rough pressure.


    ¡®How much better is the performance?¡¯


    Dugun dugun!


    A notification window popped up in front of the excited Grid.


    [Iyarugt¡¯s unique skills and attributes are opened!]


    [The information about Iyarugt has been updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [Iyarugt]


    Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    Durability: 522/522 Attack Power: 1,293


    * Sword Mastery Level +7.


    * The skill ¡®Blood Cry¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Summon Sword Demon Iyarugt¡¯ has been generated.


    * Decreases the healing ability of the target by 70% when they are hit.


    * A critical strike will cause a bleeding status that willst for 5 seconds. The bleeding damage will be proportional to your attack power.


    * The target¡¯s bleeding effect will be maximized when threebos are achieved. The damage done to the target will increase by 300% for 2 seconds.


    * When fivebos are achieved, the target¡¯s thinking ability will be destroyed for 0.3 seconds. At this time, you can link the skill ¡®Hell Sword.¡¯ ¡®Sword Demon¡¯s Senses¡¯ will be activated, making evasion rate extremely high for 5 seconds.


    *Iyarugt¡¯s sensory effects aren¡¯t activated when Sword Demon¡¯s Senses is used.


    Conditions of Use: A person chosen by Iyarugt.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The basic attack power had increased by a huge 500 points. It was a numberparable to the legendary rated Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Of course, a one-handed sword had much faster attack speed than a greatsword, while Grid¡¯s Greatsword had a high maximum attack value. This was just the default attack power. Considering that the effects of all the options had increased, Iyarugt was a weapon that could be called the best, along with Failure.


    ¡®What is today?¡¯


    Iyarugt¡¯s growth was beyond expectations. He also obtained an unexpected item. He wanted to have another lucky day like today.


    ¡®Maybe...¡¯


    Was this a sign that bad luck wasing?


    ¡°Crazy.¡±


    How big was the bad luck that was going to descend on him? Grid saw a sh and raised his head. Siren¡¯s central city area. He heard a huge explosion and shouting from the ce where Regas was supposedly fighting White.


    ¡®Regas...!¡¯


    There were at least 1,000 enemies, with 30 of them being third advancement sses. Grid started to run. He wanted to keep his promise of not sacrificing his colleagues.


    ***


    ¡®ck died?¡¯


    White saw that ck had died due to the party notification window.


    ¡°Who...? Who dares beat up my sister!?¡±


    It was very difficult to raise the level of an illusionist. ck¡¯sbat ability was weak, so she had to leave all the hunting to her clones. But when the clones died, ck¡¯s experience fell. Raising her level was difficult, so dying was something that must be avoided.


    In particr, ck¡¯s current infamy value was at the maximum. There was a 99% chance of dropping items. An item with a unique rating at the minimum would be lost. This death would be fatal to ck, who kept buying items to arm her clones.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    Now the quest to kill the water n wasn¡¯t an important issue. The rewards for killing 10,000 water n people or 100,000 weren¡¯t a match for ck¡¯s level. White was incensed and called out to her guild members and their army.


    ¡°Kill the water nter! Find all the Overgeared members and wipe them out!¡±


    Originally, Blood Carnival was an organization without a hierarchy. Even the master didn¡¯t give the guild membersmands. There was no guild member who would follow amand. Rather, they tookmissions or exchanged quests. But this was an emergency.


    The Overgeared members were running wild. The Blood Carnival members and their soldiers or friends gathered around White. Then Regas and Noe became surrounded by almost 1,000 soldiers.


    "Kyaak! What is this, nyong!?¡±


    In the past, Noe had mistaken a wyvern for a dragon. He was afraid of death, despite being the best demonic beast of hell. Now his eyes widened and his fur bristled, causing Regas to hug Noe.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I will protect you.¡±


    ¡°Nyoong... How dare a human look so cool, nyang.¡±


    Noe looked at Regas with eyes that shone brightly.


    ¡°Regas!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s call camete. Huroi, Peak Sword, Pon, and the Overgeared members followed after him.


    ¡°Hold on a little longer!¡±


    Lauel hurriedly used Sky Dragon¡¯s Tears and summoned rain and lightning, while Zednos and Lae hurriedly cast spells. Jishuka also fired her bow. Pon, Peak Sword, and the other damage dealers jumped into the battlefield with Huroi¡¯s buffs and Toban¡¯s tanking abilities.


    But it was toote. In the first ce, Regas had fought for too long alone. He didn¡¯t have the power to hold on until his colleagues reached him.


    ¡°Goodbye Noe.¡±


    Regas smiled brightly, revealing his pure white teeth. Ignoring the blood and sweat, he stroked Noe gently and then used thest of his strength to throw Noe into the air. Noe escaped safely from the battlefield thanks to this. Then he found someone and shouted, ¡°Master! Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Freely Move.¡±


    The strongest skill attached to a title that allowed him to avoid all non-targeted skills until he reached his target. Grid instantly reached Regas¡¯ side and muttered in an angry voice.


    ¡°Summon Knights. Faker, Vantner, Toon, Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°You! The bastard who killed my sister! Gridddd!¡±


    White was attempting to attack Regas when she found Grid and switched targets. Grid faced her and spat out the name of thest knight.


    ¡°And Piaro.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Five golden pirs fell around Grid. At the same time, a middle-aged man in dirty work clothing and a hand plow in his hands shed with White.


    Kuaaaaang!


    ¡°...Heok?¡±


    A farmer suddenly appeared? How did he attack her vital spot?


    "T-This disgrace...¡±


    White clutched her forehead where it had been hit by the hand plow while feeling confusion and embarrassment. It might¡¯ve been her weak spot, but the hand plow caused too much damage. The farmer approached White, this time pulling out...


    A sickle.


    ¡°You, do you want to work with me in the fields? It will help you lose weight.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    White shouted while nervously pulling out the hand plow stuck in her forehead, then attacked. It was an attack that concentrated her weight that was close to 200 kg, creating an enormous force. Even Regas couldn¡¯t take this attack head on. But this wasn¡¯t a big threat to Piaro. Lauel might call White sun-grade, but her level hadn¡¯t reached that of the legendary farmer.


    Puk!


    White screamed as a sickle hit her this time instead of a hand plow.

 Chapter 474

    ¡°U... Ugh..."


    She was attacked twice in the same ce? It was also from a farmer!


    ¡°You, what is your identity?¡±


    White had always prided herself on being the strongest yer, so the farmer in front of her was a traumatic existence. It was too much to ept this from an ordinary farmer. But Piaro didn¡¯t consider himself an ordinary farmer.


    ¡°I am a great farmer who serves Duke Grid.¡±


    "Great...! Farmer!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Right... Eh? What? It just means a farmer in the end!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡®This is nonsense! Is he crazy?¡¯


    Somehow, she felt like she shouldn¡¯t face him. White stepped back from Piaro and suddenly recalled something while trying to get help from her colleagues.


    ¡®The Seven Guilds invaded Reidan and were repelled by farmers.¡¯


    It was brief news. It was too absurd and White wasn¡¯t interested in the Seven Guilds in the first ce.


    ¡®Thus, I couldn¡¯t remember...¡¯


    Were the Seven Guilds really defeated by a farmer? Was the farmer in front of her a real farmer?


    ¡®A farmer can be so strong?¡¯


    It was possible. Then there was a problem.


    ¡®Are all of Reidan¡¯s farmers this strong?¡¯


    Reidan. The territory that Grid controlled. If even a farmer was this strong, how much stronger were the soldiers?


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡¯


    At the time when White¡¯s confusion was growing, Piaro invited her again.


    ¡°nts seeds in the ground with me. You have enough talent. It will help you lose weight.¡±


    White¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°You should be d to hear that you have a talent in farming!¡±


    Then!


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! Kill! Kill! Why are you calling a perfectly fine person a pig? Hey, Mister! Would you call me a pig if I was a man? You, right now, this is sexual harassment caused by gender discrimination! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I have never said you were a pig?¡±


    Piaro made a puzzled expression. Sexual harassment caused by sexual discrimination? What did that mean? Piaro couldn¡¯t understand what White was talking about.


    White called out to her colleagues, ¡°What are you doing? First of all, join me in killing this crazy old man... Heok?¡±


    White was amazed as she btedly looked around. This was because therge group of 1,000 people were being ughtered by less than 20 enemies. In particr, the knights summoned by Grid were very active.


    ¡°Go if you can pass me! Puhahat!¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°This is too hard! How can we get through this?¡±


    Dozens of people were tied up by the bald Vantner.


    ¡°Kuhahahahat!¡±


    "Aaaagh!"


    ¡°Kuak!"


    Every time the person called Toon attacked, five or six of them were smashed.


    "...¡±


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Every time Faker appeared without a sound, someone died without knowing why. Above all, there was a great man.


    ¡°Spark Sword.¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    He was an NPC called Asmophel. He swung his sword and the head of an ally fell off. He was like a knight-level NPC, but wasn¡¯t Reidan a city where the farmers were strong? He was probably just a soldier.


    ¡°A soldier is so strong...!¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Asmophel doubted his ears when he was called a soldier.


    "Eeit!¡±


    There was no chance of winning. The Overgeared members were stronger than Blood Carnival. There were two overwhelming NPCs. A numerical advantage was nothing against these monsters. White determined this and flew towards Grid. She nned to take the enemy¡¯s leader as a hostage and reverse the situation. Piaro caught up with her, but she expected that. White responded wisely.


    "Rising Body Fat!¡±


    [The amount of fat in your body has temporarily increased by 10 times.]


    [Invalidates the enemy¡¯s attack for this duration and can fly to any target within 10 meters.]


    Puk!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Piaro was amazed as he hit White in the back with a hand plow. It was because there was a hard sound instead of something behind hit. It was a subtle difference, but it was enough to give him a sense of heterogeneity. At the same time. The hand plow popped out of White¡¯s back. Due to the sticity generated, Piaro¡¯s body was blown far away.


    ¡°Gridddd!¡±


    There was nothing to fear now that the obstruction had gone. White ran like an angry boar towards Grid who killed her sister. She used the sticity of the soles of her feet to lift up her bulging body, giving a sense fear rather than looking funny. But Grid didn¡¯t shrink back.


    ¡®Physical attacks bounce off?¡¯


    He looked at Piaro who had been blown away.


    ¡°God Hands. Use Magic Missile."


    Piing.


    Piiing!Pipipipiping!


    The four God Hands rose up behind Grid and continuously fired white shes. Thanks to the Ring of Absurdity, it was possible to use Magic Missile more easily than before because the resource consumption was halved.


    ¡®Magic Missile?¡¯


    The lowest grade magic wasn¡¯t a threat to White. White made a scoffing noise...


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    "Uck...!"


    White frowned every time she was hit by a white sh.


    ¡®It hurts?¡¯


    It was natural for it to hurt. The power of Magic Missile (Enhanced) attached to the God Hands using the Water n King¡¯s Tears reflected Grid¡¯s intelligence! In addition, Magic Missile was now at level three. The level had risen again after his steady use in the National Competition.


    Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 3! Itpletely ignored the target¡¯s magic resistance and dealt 120% of Grid¡¯s intelligence as damage. Taking into ount the 40 intelligence elixirs he took in the Behen Archipgo, it was 120% of 1,171 intelligence!


    [You have suffered 2,576 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,576 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,576 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,576 damage.]


    ¡°Waaaaah!¡±


    It was an absurd damage. White took a potion as she dropped above Grid¡¯s head. But her massive body couldn¡¯t reach Grid. Grid was already wearing Braham¡¯s Boots and used Fly. The moment that she fell to the ground, he rose into the sky.


    "Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile.¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The four God Hands and Grid unleashed a magical bombardment. He made a hypothesis.


    ¡®White specializes in physical resistance.¡¯


    Asura Regaspeted against Damian in a full buff state and his offensive power caused even Grid to feel afraid. However, White easily won against him and she survived three attacks from Piaro. In particr, one of them bounced off. It meant that she had a strong defense and the ability to neutralize physical attacks.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a magical bombardment.¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Grid stayed in the sky with an emotionless face and fired five Magic Missiles every second. It wasparable to the existing magician rankers. It was an overwhelming force that cksmiths shouldn¡¯t be able to exert. In particr, this power was fatal to White, who was vulnerable to magic.


    ¡°You lousy bastard...! If you¡¯re a man,e down and fight fairly!¡±


    White shouted as she wore a few essories that increased magic resistance.


    Grid replied sarcastically, "Eh? I should fight fairly simply because I¡¯m a man? Isn¡¯t thatpletely sexist?¡±


    ¡®What is this guy?¡¯


    Blood Carnival had a lot of bad people, spiteful people, and crazy people. But there was no one more obnoxious than Grid. He yed for two consecutive years in the National Competition and was the leader of a great guild! White rushed forward again. She tried to reach Grid.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a wild rush. White was the strongest. She calcted the timing and trajectory of Grid¡¯s Magic Missile and leapt using perfect timing.


    At that moment.


    ¡°How dare you?¡±


    The crazy farmer chased after her and swung his il.


    ¡°Hit!¡±


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    White¡¯s wrath soared as she was hit in the back by the il.


    ¡°You cowardly wretch! 2 against 1?¡±


    ¡°How is it cowardly on a battlefield?¡±


    Grid shrugged andughed, but didn¡¯t interfere with Piaro. Piaro faced White rtively alone. Was it to be fair? No. Grid was filled with a great desire to kill all of Blood Carnival¡¯s third advancement users and obtain their items. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t want to lose time with the rtively strong White.


    ¡°Piaro, the item that drops when she dies... No, give me all the loot.¡±


    ¡°Yes My Lord!¡±


    The ¡®she¡¯ was obviously referring to White.


    ¡°Who will be the one who dies?¡±


    Making fun of her? White used her ultimate move to overturn the situation.


    "Fat Burning!¡±


    Chiiiik!


    Smoke started to emerge from the body that was over 200kg. It was the process of which White¡¯s fat was burned.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Piaro was interested and all the Overgeared members, including Grid, were astonished. It was because White¡¯s fat body suddenly became like a model¡¯s. She had long and slender arms and legs, a tight waist, a full ass, andrge breasts. The face was an immense beauty. It was somewhatckingpared to the world-ss beauties like Yura and Jishuka, but she was still beautiful. It was like White won the lottery.


    "Even Kraugel hasn¡¯t seen this appearance of mine. Realize the honor.¡±


    White confidently shouted and kicked towards Piaro. The power and torque behind the kick was tremendous.


    ¡®Will he try to avoid it?¡¯


    In the blink of an eye. The moment that White was trying to predict Piaro¡¯s response.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Puk!


    [You have died.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    One blow from the hand plow. The Blood Carnival members and the soldiers fell into confusion at White¡¯s death.


    ¡°Kill everyone and take their loot!¡±


    Grid¡¯s powerfulmand rang through the battlefield.

 Chapter 475

    Had they ever been hunted? If someone asked them this, the Blood Carnival members would answer ¡®NO.¡¯ They had always reigned at the top of the food chain. At least, until yesterday.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...! What are these monsters?¡±


    Blood Carnival¡¯s Marty¡¯s face was white with terror. He was afraid because he¡¯d umted a lot of infamy and now met enemies stronger than him.


    ¡®I have to somehow escape.¡¯


    The loss of items was more fearful than the experience loss. The items he currently possessed were so expensive that half the money he earned in the past half a year would be blown away.


    ¡°...Now!¡±


    A boy swordsman called Ibellin. At this moment, the mercenaries hired for an expensive amount approached and Ibellin turned his gaze towards the arrowing from the rear.


    Syuok!


    Marty urately measured the timing and threw the bomb. It was a homemade bomb and its power was greater than single-target A-grade magic. Marty had raised his passive skill ¡®Intermediate Bomb Throwing¡¯ to level 9, so the throwing speed and uracy of the bomb were excellent.


    Peeeeeong!


    The bomb exploded where Ibellin was standing. The power of the explosion couldn¡¯t be ignored. Beyond the transparent wall surrounding Siren, the waves surged.


    ¡®Perfect!¡¯


    He did it properly. Ibellin would definitely fall into a stunned state from this damage.


    ¡®Should I finish it off?¡¯ Marty thought about it for a moment. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t waste time catching a kid.¡¯


    Wasting time meant he could be targeted by other Overgeared members. Marty decided to flee and had only taken two steps.


    ¡°It hurts. Don¡¯t you have a great deal of attack power?¡±


    Ibellin¡¯s voice was heard from right next to him.


    ¡®This bastard...!¡¯


    He resisted the stunned state from the bomb and instantly caught up with Marty? Marty observed the essories Ibellin was wearing and spat out a small bomb that had been inserted between his mrs. It was a bomb the size of a bean. It was urately shot at Ibellin¡¯s¡¯ face. But before it hit.


    Puok!


    Ibellin¡¯s mberge was faster as it pierced Marty¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Kuk...! Shit!¡±


    Marty was vulnerable before approaching. He was going to die like this.


    ¡®But I won¡¯t die alone!¡¯ Marty smiled with satisfaction. ¡®The bomb I spat will soon approach... What?¡¯


    Marty¡¯s expression twisted. The small bomb that heunched earlier. He witnessed it split in half on the ground.


    ¡®He stabbed me at the same time as cutting the bomb in half?¡¯


    Puk!Puk puk!


    Ibellin¡¯s mberge pierced Marty again. Marty felt terrible pain as he cried out.


    ¡°This kid...! You¡¯re only ying games without attending school! Why is your control so good...? Cough! Cough!"


    ¡°Ah really. Don¡¯t you know that kids are originally good at ying games? And I¡¯m now 18 years old.¡±


    Ibellin lightly shed Marty¡¯s neck. Once Marty died, Ibellin checked the details of the paper he dropped and scratched his head.


    ¡°Unique rated bomb recipe... This is fairly expensive... Hrmm... I will give it to the alchemy facility.¡±


    A boy with the aspiration to go beyond Kraugel and be the ultimate swordsman. He was one of the 10 Rookies and was growing steadily. It was as a member of Overgeared.


    ***


    "Hey, does this make sense?¡±


    Knox¡¯s face was nk as he looked at the battlefield. The mercenaries that he hired were nothing more than sandbags in front of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Why are the numbers like this?¡±


    The army of 1,000 had decreased to less than 700. Scott exined to the bewildered Knox, "Katz is present. At least 100 people died because of him.¡±


    ¡°Katz? Blood Warrior?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why is he here?¡±


    "It seems like he¡¯s joined Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°Hah... Scary, scary.¡±


    It was difficult to predict the scale that Overgeared would grow to. In particr, the power of the rumored farmer was beyond imagination. There was also the NPC called Asmophel.


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to talk to Master and persuade him to step on them early? It will be hard to keep them in checkter.¡±


    "Brother doesn¡¯t want that. Guild wars are a form of extreme warfare, so it is more efficient to conquer NPCs and tax them.


    "Right... As the Overgeared Guild is growing stronger, so are we. Well, we don¡¯t have to be scared. Obtaining named NPCs is bing a trend.¡±


    "Yes, a farmer is a peasant without much room to grow. We don¡¯t need to fret. Once the scale of the fight expands to a war, we will be victorious.¡±


    Scott and Knox. They were people who served Ares, the ruler of the battlefield who was aiming at bing the ¡®emperor.¡¯ The reason why they apanied Blood Carnival was to keep a close eye on the rumored White and ck sisters.


    "Now that we¡¯re well aware of their skills, they no longer matter. We should go back to Brother now.¡±


    "Wait. Can¡¯t we fight a few members of Overgeared? I¡¯d like to fight that person called Faker.¡±


    ¡°Grid, Piaro, and Asmophel. The three of them are dangerous. We should get out while we can. It¡¯s possible that the person called Lauel can block all paths of retreat.¡±


    ¡°Keok, I understand.¡±


    Scott and Knox hastened to leave. They suppressed the water n soldiers who tried to block them, but didn¡¯t kill any. Meaningless killing wasn¡¯t the path they pursued.


    ***


    ¡°Fire Shield!¡±


    Lae was using magic while Vantner protected her. As the first ranked fire magician and the one in charge of Reidan¡¯s magic tower, she saw a wind de flying towards her and hastily used defensive magic.


    Peeng!


    There was a shockwave as two spells collided. Then a woman could be seen beyond the mes. She was a woman with the ID Maika.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s pathetic to see a global idol ying games. What are you doing? Shouldn¡¯t you be singing songs for your fans?¡±


    Lae calmly replied to Maika¡¯s sarcastic words. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a game. Satisfy is just as fun and precious as reality. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m neglecting my fans. I refrain from appearing on air, but am steadily holding my concerts. Ah, I will be releasing a new song January of next year. Please look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Who said I was your fan?¡±


    Maika became angry when her taunt failed and cast a tornado spell. She nned to break through Lae, who seemed rtively easy among the Overgeared members, and leave the battlefield. But Lae wasn¡¯t an opponent easily dismissed. She might seem weak among the Overgeared members, but the title of 1st ranked fire magician couldn¡¯t be won by just anyone.


    Pepepepeng!


    Lae read the flow of the tornado and shot five arrows at the same time.


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    Maika was astonished. Lae used the direction of the wind to increase the force behind her fire arrows. Wind and fire could be used toplement each other depending on their use, and Maika was pushed by this.


    "Kyaaaaak!"


    Maiak screamed as she was swept up by the mes.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need my help. You have grown, my Lae.¡± Jishuka looked at Lae in a happy manner while killing the enemies from above. Zednos, the 1st ranked wind magician, puffed up his chest proudly.


    ¡°Lae has been sparring with me every day. It¡¯s a piece of cake for her to deal with wind magic.¡±


    "Piece of cake? Isn¡¯t that a Korean saying?¡± (TL: Korean saying tranted loosely into an English equivalent)


    "I¡¯ve often heard Peak Sword say it... I was naturally influenced.¡±


    ¡°Hahat.¡±


    A rxed conversation. Someone might misunderstand the conversation as taking ce between friends enjoying teatime. However, this was the battlefield filled with blood and screams. Jishuka and Zednos had killed over 100 enemies whileughing and talking.


    ¡®Huge firepower.¡¯


    In the sky above. Grid, who was searching for prey using Fly, thought as he saw Jishuka and Zednos. In particr, he admired Jishuka¡¯s attack power every time. He couldn¡¯t deny that archers were the ss with the strongest physical damage.


    ¡°I found you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone again. Approximately 50 meters away from the battlefield. He found a rodent moving in a ce filled with thick seaweed. The ID was extremely red, suggesting that he was a third advancement user of Blood Carnival.


    ¡°Give me your item!¡±


    Grid was aplete thief. He was blinded by greed and started firing at random. He used Transcend, making his ranged attacks extremely powerful.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A heavy bombardment of energy des shattered the ground. Garuda, who was moving through the overgrown seaweed, barely managed to ovee the crisis by using a defensive skill. No, he thought he was safe.


    ¡®When...?¡¯


    Grid kept swinging the sword like crazy in the sky. This guy, how long was he going to keep shooting the energy des?


    ¡®Is his mana infinite...?¡¯


    Garuda couldn¡¯t even imagine that this was an ¡®autoattack¡¯ skill. He hoped that the bombardment would be over, while an unexpected person near him saw the opportunity and waited.


    ¡®Damn Grid!¡¯


    The person with a hostile attitude to Grid was Tarma. It was the assassin who participated in the National Competition to assassinate Kraugel, only to be smashed by Grid and Kraugel in a row.


    ¡¯It¡¯s your fault that I was disgraced!¡¯


    During the target processing. Tarma had a chance to assassinate Kraugel. But he was interrupted by Grid and killed in a matter of seconds, causing a big shock to his spirit.


    ¡®After that, I eventually lost to Kraugel...!¡¯


    His colleagues kept teasing him. His face turned red and his heart was empty when he watched the ¡®Tarma 2 seconds¡¯ video floating around on the Inte. He wanted to hide in a mouse hole.


    ¡®I will get revenge!¡¯


    Tarma calmed his heart and looked for an opportunity. He seized the moment when Garuda died and Grid was picking up his item. It wasplete carelessness!


    ¡®Go!¡¯


    Sururuk.


    Tarma moved without a sound and took control of Grid¡¯s rear. The moment that his dagger was aimed for Grid¡¯s neck.


    [You have died.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    He was dead?


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    When? By who? What was this? As the confused Tarma¡¯s vision turned grey, the name ¡®Faker¡¯ could be seen.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    Grid was shocked when picking up the shoes that Garuda dropped. It was because he found another new item behind him. Euphemina ran up to him.


    ¡°The situation is roughly finished. An audience with the water n¡¯s king... Do you want to go see him with me?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm, I will see him.¡±


    Most of the third advancement Blood Carnival members had died or disappeared, with only the mercenaries remaining on the battlefield. Grid was guided by Euphemina and headed to the royal pce.

 Chapter 476

    The war hadn¡¯t ended yet.


    500 people in the Blood Carnival army had survived and were resisting.


    It was a desperate level of resistance.


    ¡°We must survive...!¡±


    Was it because they didn¡¯t want to die? If they died, they would lose items and experience!


    ¡°Don¡¯t retreat! Push fiercely!¡±


    "There are less than 20 enemies! Consume their stamina!¡±


    The resistance and morale of Blood Carnival gradually grew. A mouse pushed into a corner would fight back at the cat, and the Overgeared members felt pressure due to therge numbers. In these circumstances, Grid was still calm. He didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of tension. He even decided to leave the battlefield.


    "Lauel,e with me and Euphemina to meet the water n¡¯s king.¡± Grid descended from the sky and said.


    Lauel responded in an unwilling manner. ¡°Must you meet him now? The war hasn¡¯t finished yet. Is it necessary to leave your position and risk your friends...?¡±


    "Maxong, the water n¡¯s king, only leaves the bedroom once every three days. It¡¯s currently this time. If not now, we¡¯ll have to wait another three days before we can meet him. Oh, in addition, the system blocks anyone from invading the king¡¯s bedroom.¡±


    Lauel frowned at Euphemina¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°The king is stuck in his bedroom all day? Even now, when there¡¯s a war?¡±


    "He lost his mind when the princess died. It has been years since he stopped caring about the kingdom.¡±


    "Pathetic... A person who doesn¡¯t have the qualities of a king was born to the throne and is now abandoning his kingdom.¡±


    Three days was a long time. There was a lot of work to be done, and this was directly linked with material gains and losses. In the end, Lauel decided to leave the battlefield with Grid. Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous for their colleagues?


    Grid patted Lauel¡¯s shoulders.


    "There¡¯s no need to worry. Piaro and Asmophel are here.¡±


    "I¡¯m well aware of the strength of both of them. Piaro is worth 1,000 people and Asmophel is strong like the Overgeared members. However, the Overgeared members are tired.¡± There were too many enemies. There were six third advancement users still alive. "I wonder if the Overgeared members can hold on until Piaro wipes out the enemies...¡±


    Lauel was worried. It was a reasonable worry. This wasn¡¯t Lauel¡¯s original personality. Depending on the situation, he could even discard his colleagues. Lauel was this type of ruthless person.


    ¡®But not anymore... Lauel, you are changing like me.¡¯


    Grid felt good and patted Lauel¡¯s head.


    ¡°Rest assured. Asmophel¡¯s skills aren¡¯t that low.¡±


    In fact, Grid had also underestimated Asmophel until he saw the ¡®fully recovered Asmophel¡¯ with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. He saw Asmophel at a levelparable to the top rankers in Overgeared. Yes, that was an underestimation. Asmosphel¡¯s real strength that Grid discovered...


    "He¡¯s right next to Piaro.¡±


    It was above Grid. Asmophel even had infinite potential. Grid once again shivered as he recalled Asmophel¡¯s unique characteristics, ¡®Great Talent Matures Late¡¯ and ¡®Determination of the Number Two.¡¯


    ¡®Kraugel will someday go beyond Piaro.¡¯


    Asmophel might be able to rise above him as well.


    ***


    ¡°Unbelievable...! One soldier is so strong!¡±


    "I¡¯m not a soldier. I¡¯m the captain of the Overgeared Magic Knights division under direct control of Duke Grid...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...! I¡¯m going to die because of a soldier...! How shameful!¡±


    "...¡±


    Asmophel was once the next greatest swordsman after Piaro. He was called the ¡®pir¡¯ of the empire, but never felt as frustrated as he did now. It was because the enemies continued to treat him as a soldier after the woman named White called him one. It was pointless no matter how much he exined. The Blood Carnival troops didn¡¯t listen to the words of a soldier. They were busy looking for ways to live.


    "Ugh... A farmer and a soldier are so strong...! How many monsters are present in Reidan?¡±


    "No, I¡¯m not a soldier. I...¡±


    ¡°H-How is that bastard Grid raising his soldiers? Dammit! I¡¯m not going near Reidan for the rest of my life!¡±


    "...¡±


    Had Asmophel ever had a chance to act since serving Duke Grid? No. In the first ce, he couldn¡¯t even step on the stage to demonstrate his skills. However, this time he had a perfect stage. Asmophel didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. He wanted to be acknowledged by Duke Grid. But no matter how valiant he was when killing the enemies, he was treated as a ¡®soldier¡¯ to the end.


    ¡®What if My Lord misunderstands and thinks I¡¯m only a soldier?¡¯


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    Asmophel was anxious and swiftly killed the enemies. The second advancement users. Their strong and controlled attacks were effectively avoided and he dealt a fatal counterattack. Asmophel¡¯s actions were enough to raise the Overgeared members¡¯ admiration.


    ¡®Asmophel was this strong?¡¯


    ¡®I thought he was just an NPC specializing in military training in the barracks...¡¯


    Really strong. A way to describe his strength was Faker¡¯s swiftness with Peak Sword¡¯s attack power, without the long cooldown. It wasparable to Piaro, Grid, and Kraugel, who overwhelmed the enemies with power.


    "...But he¡¯s being treated as a soldier.¡±


    The members of Overgearedughed as they watched the strong Asmophel. The atmosphere of the battlefield changed.


    ***


    Euphemina described Siren as a ¡®well.¡¯ The kingdom had a poption of only 200,000. It was located deep in the sea and there were no exchanges with other countries, knowing only their own culture.


    ¡°Most of the water n people are narrow minded andzy. They have a very narrow viewpoint and no passion. For them, this is the whole world.¡± This simpleness felt good. ¡°Those who crave development or change are rare, and King Maxong is the same. In fact, most of the water n don¡¯t care if the king rules the kingdom or not.¡±


    "The isted environment created a stagnant people. The stagnant people gave birth to an ipetent king. What a kingdom... It¡¯spletely mixed up.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Euphemina made a strange expression at Lauel¡¯s ¡®mixed up.¡¯ It was because the word wasn¡¯t tranted into Satisfy¡¯s officialnguage.


    Grid was confused, ¡°Lauel, when did you learn that saying?¡±


    ¡°I have been studying Korean in order to get to know you properly. It¡¯s a very scientifguage and easy to understand. Combined with the brilliant knowledge that I inherited from my first life, I have mastered Korean in just four days.¡±


    ¡°So this saying is something you learned...?¡±


    "It¡¯s more efficient to convey the meaning by learning the words used in everyday life. I also know the word ¡®Eumgunjin.¡¯ That is my current condition right now. Strict, hardworking, sincere.¡± (Eumgunjin takes the first letters of the three words to make it an abbreviated form.)


    "...¡±


    Lauel wasn¡¯t a prospective Korean immigrant. At the time of the 1st National Competition, he wasn¡¯t a member of Overgeared and missed the opportunity to buynd near Grid¡¯s building. Nheless, he was the first to master Korean, making Grid feel surprised.


    Lauel asked the still puzzled Euphemina, "Maxong is mourning the dead princess, but I heard there are three other princes. What about them?¡±


    "2nd Prince Nuong is veryzy. He uses the minimum of energy to eat and sleep. On the other hand, 1st Prince Paong and 3rd Prince Gulong are diligent. Unlike themon water n people, they have radical ideas. But they still can¡¯t escape from the limits of being born in the water n. They want to block Siren from danger by isting it from humans again. They don¡¯t dream of reforming Siren.¡±


    "Well, they¡¯re at least better than their father. I understand their minds. From the position of the innocent water n, I also wouldn¡¯t want to interact with greedy humans.¡±


    Lauel nodded as they walked down the corridor. He was deep in thought. What else was he nning? Grid and Euphemina were filled with curiosity and were about to question him.


    "Let¡¯s change the king.¡±


    Lauel expressed an outrageous idea.


    ***


    Siren¡¯s 35th king, Maxong. He was a person who obtained the throne because he was the eldest son. As most kings, he didn¡¯t do much for the kingdom. He just looked after his own well-being using the authority of the king. His eyes were dead, like a rotten fish, without any motivation. He sat on the throne and greeted Grid¡¯s party.


    "If it wasn¡¯t for you... Right now, Siren would be destroyed? I will express my thanks on behalf of the people. Thepensation can be obtained if you go to see the prophet Miong.¡±


    His attitude towards the kingdom¡¯s hero was very weak. Grid was upset despite receiving a description of Maxong in advance. The moment that Lauel was about to advise the frowning Grid on how to act.


    "First of all, take your ass out of that pearl chair. Next, get up from your seat and walk in front of me.¡± Lauel closed his mouth. Grid red at Maxong with intimidating eyes. ¡°Then bow your head. Say thank you for saying your people and the royal family.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Maxong doubted his ears. He was a prince since he was born and then a king. Nobody had ever spoken to him this way. The soldiers lined up on his left and right made dumbfounded expressions. They couldn¡¯t cope immediately because there were no sense of realism. There was an awkward silence and Grid spoke again, ¡°Come down.¡±


    Grid originally hoped for an alliance with Siren. The military andmercial sectors would develop in a positive direction under the mutual exchange. But now that idea had changed. He judged that there was no value in establishing an alliance with the current Siren. If that was the case...


    ¡°I will put Siren under my feet.¡±


    If he became a king, he would be able to earn more than mid-sizedpanies. Grid heard this and dreamt of bing king. That¡¯s right. At first, he just wanted to be rich. But now it was different.


    The best. As the head of Overgeared, which gathered the strongest people in each field, he wanted to be a person without any shortages. This was a natural desire. In particr, more yers dreamt of being the top in games where PvP was highlighted. Grid was qualified to have such dreams.


    ¡°The king of Siren will serve me from now on. If you don¡¯t respond, I will oppress you with force.¡±


    Grid once again drove a wedge into the disbelieving Maxong.


    Lauel smiled.


    ¡®Now he¡¯s good at taking care of himself.¡¯


    In terms of the people and the geographical characteristics, Siren was an easy country to manage. It was better to obtain it, even if some bleeding was required. Lauel felt that Grid was developing every day.

 Chapter 477

    "I am the king of Siren. I am the sea. I embrace and swallow everything just by existing. Something like this... It doesn¡¯t make sense to serve a human.¡±


    Someone with a height of over 2 meters. Maxong, the impressive looking water n king with aquamarine scales embedded on his body, finally responded. It was the first time his expression changed since losing his daughter. The emotion that could be seen from his changed expression was anger.


    ¡°You dare... Daring to spit at the king... Haven¡¯t you experienced the fear of the sea?¡±


    Kwaang!


    How big was the pearl? Maxong rose from the throne of white jade that was impossible to see in the mortal world.


    ¡°I won¡¯t serve anyone! I am the only existence to be honored!"


    Maxong¡¯s voice contained a fearsome power. The soldiers who heard it grabbed their bleeding ears, and Euphemina and Lauel also stumbled.


    [Maxong has cast ¡®Wrath of the Water n¡¯s King.¡¯]


    [In the voice of the chosen king, there is a dignity of the sea that the perpetrator can¡¯t withstand!]


    [Resistance to the water attribute has dropped by 50%!]


    [You are injured! Health will consistently be consumed.]


    [Your sense of bnce is off and all speeds will drop by 20%.]


    [Skill and magic cooldown time will be increased by 20%.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®fear¡¯ state!]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®confused¡¯ state!]


    [You have resisted.]


    [A tsunami ising!]


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Mana started to stir at Maxong¡¯s roar, turning into a tsunami that hit Grid. Grid was nervous because it clearly contained great power.


    ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such strong water attribute magic...!¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be avoided. It felt like he was going to be devoured. It was dangerous to Euphemina and Lauel.


    ¡®I will protect them!¡¯


    Grid swapped to the Holy Light set and summoned the God Hands. He took out the Divine Shield after a long time and ced himself in front of Euphemina and Lauel.


    ¡°Root Curtain!¡±


    Euphemina used a S-grade defense spell. Vines shot up from the ground and formed a barrier in an instant, absorbing the tsunami that hit it and expanding further from the nourishment. It was the moment when the king¡¯s chambers filled with luxurious decorations was transformed into a forest in an instant.


    ¡°Wow... You resisted it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always ready. I can always prevent the worst from happening.¡±


    The vines absorbed the tsunami and became huge. Euphemina responded to Grid¡¯s admiring words by sharing the quest.


    [The hidden quest ¡®Water n King¡¯s Fury¡¯ has been created!]


    [Water n King¡¯s Fury]


    ¡ï A hidden linked quest with the Hidden Quest ¡®Uing Destruction¡¯ ¡ï (A maximum of 5 people can participate)


    Five years ago, Maxong lost his beloved daughter Ohong. His ears, eyes, and mind are closed, as he misses Princess Ohong. Now his closed mind is released because of extreme anger.


    Suppress Maxong, the powerful water n king! If you defeat him, who has never lost since he was born, he will be shocked and awaken. His eyes will be drawn back to reality and he might be a wise king.


    Quest Clear Condition: Reduces Maxong¡¯s maximum health by 90%.


    Quest Failure Condition: Maxong¡¯s death, or the destruction of the quest facilitator.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Maxong¡¯s awakening. Be Maxong¡¯s benefactor. Speed up the development of Siren.


    ¡®A hidden quest...!¡¯


    Satisfy had a high degree of freedom and there were countless quests. After clearing a specific quest, there were often cases where a linked quest could be obtained if a subsequent action was done. Most linked quests guaranteed high rewards. Since this was a linked quest for a hidden quest, the value would be indisputably high.


    "Then the reward is Maxong¡¯s awakening... Why is it just this?¡±


    ¡°This is evidence that Maxong is a huge part of Satisfy. Maybe this is a golden opportunity to obtain a named NPC as great as Piaro.¡±


    Unlike Euphemina, Lauel recovered from the status conditions a little bitte and opened his mouth.


    ¡°A rare hidden quest. We must seed.¡±


    But it would be difficult. It was estimated that the clearance difficulty of this hidden linked quest that was unintentionally generated would be more difficult than any quest Lauel had experienced so far.


    ¡®A quest that urs when the person who clears ¡®Uing Destruction¡¯ has to anger Maxong...¡¯


    It was a quest with a difficult starting condition. The quest was discovered because Grid ignited the NPC¡¯s pure emotions.


    ¡®The difficulty is the worst... It doesn¡¯t make sense to fight the king of a nation while the destruction is proceeding.¡¯


    In reality, a king didn¡¯t mean a strong man. But in Satisfy, a king was a named NPC and most named NPCs were strong by default. There were exceptions, but it was right to exclude Maxong from those exceptions As a representative of a species, there was a high possibility that he would exert power beyondmon sense. Wasn¡¯t the attack he just sent very threatening?


    "It would be nice if Faker was in here instead of me... I¡¯m sorry for our colleagues outside, but you should call Piaro and Asmopehl.¡±


    Lauel urged Grid to sacrifice his colleagues for the best results. It was a reminder of his own ipetence that he had to make such a choice. Grid refused, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to feel the helplessness and guilt he experienced at the time of the Elfin Stone raid. That¡¯s why he had been working harder.


    ¡°I have be stronger.¡± It was time to show the fruits of his hard work. "I will catch Maxong without the help of Piaro and Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face paled. He thought it was impossible. At that moment.


    Teong!


    Maxong pushed off from the ground. It was a fast pace unbelievable for a mass of muscles. Euphemina and Lauel couldn¡¯t respond. Only Grid managed to capture the movements.


    Jeeeong!


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    Iyarugt collided with Maxong¡¯s right elbow and Grid was pushed back a step. It was clear evidence that Maxong¡¯s physical power surpassed Chris.¡¯ Was that all?


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    A water column was ejected from Maxong¡¯s hands, hitting Grid¡¯s chest and causing him 7,800 damage. This was while he was wearing the Holy Light set. Maxong¡¯s magic power was double that of the drake. But Grid was also tough. He blocked Maxong¡¯s attack, allowing the God Hands to counterattack.


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    It was the +9 Failure that boasted an overwhelming attack, the +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword with excellent bnce, the +8 Doppelganger¡¯s Greatsword that ignored a certain amount of the enemy¡¯s defense and the +7 Ideal Long Sword, which was based on the Ideal Dagger. All the weapons pierced Maxong¡¯s chest and waist.


    Flinch.


    Maxong gritted his teeth. He was pain from the wounded areas. However, he didn¡¯t hesitate one bit.


    Kwarurung!


    There was a thunderous sound in Grid¡¯s ears. Before he realized it, Maxong was already in front of him.


    Peeok!


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    Grid was struck by the scaly feet and was blown thrown the vines.


    "How dare you!¡±


    The angry Lauel used Dragon¡¯s ws, causing a sharp stone pir to rise up where Maxong was standing. But it didn¡¯t hurt Maxong. Maxong immediately summoned blue water to mitigate the damage of the stone pir. Lauel didn¡¯t panic. From the beginning, his role was to attract attention!


    "Tree Giant¡¯s Hug!¡±


    Grid and Lauel pulled Maxong¡¯s aggro. Meanwhile, Euphemina once again used a S-grade spell. It was also a spell highly resistant to the water attribute. Before visiting the sea kingdom that was strong in water magic, she obtained many wood attribute spells in case it was needed.


    Kudududuk!


    "Huup!¡±


    The vine forest from before quickly took the shape of a giant and wrapped around Maxong¡¯s body. It tightened and twisted, trying topletely tear the body apart. Grid rushed towards the groaning Maxong. There was arge killing intent around Iyarugt.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puoook!


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    Iyarugt was much more effective than before after reaching the legendary rating, and its attack speed was also faster. Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and maximized the damage by hitting the weak spot. Iyarugt struck exactly at Maxong¡¯s vicle, a weak point. As Maxong screamed with pain, Grid rotated while retrieving the sword and fired off a series of Magic Missiles. At the same time, he developed a footwork and linked up Pinnacle Kill.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 455,000 damage to the target.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid consumed health in exchange for using Pinnacle Kill. As he unfolded Link, he hurriedly took a defensive posture and tried to generatebos with Iyarugt. It was to prevent Maxong¡¯s counterattack, who had broken free from the Tree Giant¡¯s Hug.


    Jjejejeok!


    He blocked the fists and kick that simultaneously struck at the top and bottom with Iyarugt and the God Hands.


    Pepepeng!


    He allowed a water bomb attack. Grid coughed up arge amount of blood and grumbled.


    ¡¯Shit... Why isn¡¯t 5 Joint Attacks activating these days?¡¯


    It was the ultimate option attached to the Holy Light Gloves. In the past, it had burst out and helped him. Nowadays, it didn¡¯t appear at all. It was the same during the National Competition. Grid was uneasy.


    ¡®I have been earning money these days, so this is the bad luck I get in return...?¡¯


    Damn Lady Luck! Grid grumbled at the gods while continuing to fight Maxong.


    Pepeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Maxong attacked Grid as much as possible, while avoiding Lauel and Euphemina¡¯s magic attacks. Grid realized something as he stared at the blue eyes filled with anger andughed. It was augh of absurdity.


    ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯


    The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. Rewarding the heroes who defended Siren? In the first ce, Maxong wasn¡¯t even interested in Siren!


    "Shit! You unscrupulous old man! You don¡¯t deserve to be a king!¡±


    Uncontroble anger bubbled up inside Grid. He wanted to show Maxong. But Maxong¡¯s strength wasparable to vampire earl Elfin Stone. No, maybe more than that. He wasn¡¯t someone that three people could raid. Thus, Grid pulled out all the cards he could afford. First, he summoned Noe and Randy.


    ¡°Summon Knight! Jude!¡±


    The first knight in charge of Winston¡¯s defense.


    ¡°Summon Demon, Iyarugt.¡±


    Finally, he summoned someone who shouldn¡¯t exist.


    Now Grid demonstrated his quantity.

 Chapter 478

    [Summoning Sword Demon Iyarugt!]


    Kurururung!


    The moment that Grid used the skill, Iyarugt let out a roar that was like thunder. A bloody light was emitted in all directions, barely missing Grid. It was a horrific force. Grid was unable to hold on to the sword!


    ¡°Ugh...! You disgraceful bastard!¡±


    It tried to hit its master. Grid felt the need to educate the sword properly. However, it didn¡¯t stop. Iyarugt broke away from Grid and rose into the sky. The translucent red color of the smelted bloodstone started to darken. It was a darkness darker than night.


    "Beautiful...¡±


    Euphemina couldn¡¯t help eximing. The ancient golden characters carved on the ck Iyarugt were mysterious and beautiful. Grid, Lauel, and even Maxong were gripped by the sight.


    Kuoooooh-


    Iyarugt didn¡¯t move anymore. The light being emitted also calmed down and everything became silent.


    "...¡±


    It was static, like time had stopped. It felt like a moment or eternity.


    Paaaat!


    The silence was broken. A red bead popped out from Iyarugt. Hell¡¯s best swordsman, a Sword Demon, Great Demon Zepar¡¯s only rival, etc. It was the moment when the soul of Iyarugt, who had all types of titles attached to him, appeared in the world.


    ¡®Hoh... This is great.¡¯


    Braham woke up inside Grid¡¯s body and felt amazement. It was admiration, not just interest. How great was this presence that even Braham felt admiration? Grid felt expectant and was also nervous. Iyarugt¡¯s soul, which emitted a light that was like the stars in the universe, started to gradually change. It took the shape of a person.


    An old man bent over.


    Grrr...


    The old man had mes that burned like blood around his body. The white-haired old man with horns rising sharply from his forehead, bulging muscles and sharp eyes was Hell¡¯s best swordsman, Iyarugt. He had the magic power of a lower demon. He only trained in the sword to be able topete with a great demon. Marbas, one of the major powers in hell evaluated Iyarugt as ¡®one who can change the order of the great demons.¡¯


    ¡°...Sweet.¡±


    He took a breath after 300 years. The sweet air of Siren entered his lungs and awakened every cell.


    ***


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this unbelievable?¡±


    King Maxiong of the water n was surprised. It was because the energy of the demon summoned by the cheeky human was unusual. It was enough to give him a hazy feeling of crisis.


    ¡®This is the power of a great demon?¡¯


    Siren was an isted kingdom, but the knowledge of hell and great demons had spread to some extent. In particr, Maxong was a king with extensive knowledge, so he knew some things about great demons. Iyarugt seemed like one of the 33 great demons that he¡¯d only heard about.


    ¡®How can a human summon a great demon? Isn¡¯t there a hostile rtionship between humans and great demons?¡¯


    His knowledge was too light. Maxong didn¡¯t know the true power of a great demon, nor did he know that humans and demonkin often formed a contract.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Maxong misunderstood Iyarugt as a great demon andughed. He looked between the ck cat sitting on Grid¡¯s shoulder and the small human girl holding onto Grid¡¯s wrist.


    ¡®They are also creatures...¡¯


    The creatures had considerable strength. Possessing beings that should be in hell, Grid didn¡¯t seem like a normal human. However, Maxong was more concerned with a different human male.


    ¡®What is that human?¡¯


    A human with confidence equivalent to him. Out of the four beings that Grid summoned, Maxong was most off-bnce by the human male. It was even more than the great demon. The reason was simple.


    ¡°Why is he naked?¡±


    "...¡±


    That¡¯s right. The human man that Grid summoned, the knight Jude, was naked. His nakedness revealed his perfect muscles.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Euphemina btedly saw Jude¡¯s goods and turned her head with a blush. However, her huge eyes continued to watch appreciatively.


    ¡°Keo...?¡±


    Grid and Lauel were speechless at Jude¡¯s unusually huge size. There was an awkward silence for a moment.


    "Why are you naked?" Grid regained his spirit and cried out indignantly.


    Jude stood there unabashedly and replied simply, ¡°Jude. After training. Bath.¡±


    It meant that he responded to the summons in the bath.


    "This is absurd."


    The problem was that the game was too much like reality. All NPCs had human emotions and their life patterns were simr. They bathed daily. Thus, this misfortune urred.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you grab your weapons and armor before answering the summons?¡±


    ¡°My Lord. Called. Ie.¡±


    "It¡¯s inspiring loyalty.¡±


    One of the biggest differences between a yer and NPC was the presence or absence of an inventory. The NPCs had no inventory. In other words, the currently naked Jude was in a ¡®no items¡¯ state. Jude might be over level 300, but what strength could he exert using a body with no items?


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Jude wouldn¡¯t be any help and was also at a risk of dying. The moment that Grid was worried about Jude.


    ¡°Demon. Kill.¡±


    Peeok!


    Jude swung his fist. The target wasn¡¯t Maxong of the water n. It was towards the elderly man burning with demon energy, Sword Demon Iyarugt. Iyarugt shook when he was punched in the face by a human who he thought was an ally. The demon who had the high reputation of the best swordsman of hell until he was defeated in a battle against the great demon Zepar and died, he was hit by a human?


    ¡°You are fearless."


    He took a deep breath. It had been 300 years. He wanted to savor the sweet air. But that excitement was broken. Iyarugt became deeply angry and recognized Jude as an enemy.


    Kuoooooh-


    The demonic sword Iyarugt started to respond to Sword Demon Iyarugt. It ignored its owner Grid and flew into Iyarugt¡¯s hands. Grid hurriedly called out as the sword headed towards Jude.


    "Stop!"


    It was useless. After growing to the legendary rating, Iyarugt regained some of the strength of the past and its self-esteem soared into the sky. It didn¡¯t follow Grid¡¯smand.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    The blood red sword cut at Jude¡¯s bare chest. At the same time, Jude¡¯s health gauge was reduced by 40%. Grid was startled.


    ¡®What is this damage...?¡¯


    Jude¡¯s body was bare but his basic strength and stamina was very high. His natural defenses couldn¡¯t be ignored. But Iyarugt dealt serious damage with just one blow. It was also the basic damage. This was equivalent to Grid using the +9 Failure.


    ¡°Jude. It hurts. Endure. Kill. Demon.¡±


    Stagger.


    Jude wasn¡¯t frightened by the serious injury. He moved with his wounded body towards Iyarugt. Iyarugt thought it was ridiculous. He had lived 500 years and had been a soul for 300 years, but he had never seen anyone as ignorant as Jude. No, it was the first time he saw a life like this.


    ¡°Fearless person...! Do you have 10 lives? Even a hydra failed tond an attack on me!¡±


    Iyarugt wielded his sword again. But Grid was too fast.


    ¡°Jude!¡±


    Jude¡¯s life was in danger. His first knight. He was special because Grid had selected him and trained him directly from among the soldiers. Grid couldn¡¯t just watch as he lost Jude. It was also to an ally! Jude heard Grid¡¯s shouted and stopped with a flinch. Then without thinking, he somehow caught the sword with his bare hands and took it away. It was the ideal linkage of the I have no Idea passive skill and Weapon Capture skill.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Iyarugt didn¡¯t like it. His attacks had been avoided a few times, but it was the first time someone took away his sword with bare hands. A sword demon having his sword stolen, it was a reality that was hard to believe.


    ¡®This guy is actually really big!¡¯


    Iyarugt thought Jude was a fool because he wandered around naked. Grid approached Iyarugt and Jude.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t enemies. From now on, I will give a severe punishment to those who attack their allies.¡±


    ¡°Daring tomand me...¡± Iyarugt expressed his resistance.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jude nodded without thinking.


    Why was he fighting this evil old man in front of him? Jude had already forgotten. His maximum intelligence was 20. Maxong had been watching the situation dumbly. He couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and shouted. "What are you doing?"


    The enemies were ying around in front of him? It was reprehensible. He had wanted to punish them while they were attacking each other, but he couldn¡¯t use such a contemptible method as a king.


    "Daring to ignore this king! Receive a fair punishment!¡±


    Maxong used Water n King¡¯s Fury and the tsunami rushed again. At the same time. Iyarugt was staring angrily at Jude, Jude was doing nothing, Euphemina had lost her spirit because of Jude¡¯s goods, and Lauel watched the absurd scene with a dazed expression.


    ¡°First of all, make the loud one fall silent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    They turned to Maxong at once and used their ultimate moves.


    Kwarurung!


    Lauel¡¯s thunderbolt struck Maxon, dying him. Then Euphemina¡¯s spell dealt serious damage to Maxong. Lauel was the best of the 10 Rookies and Euphemina was the first one to obtain an epic hidden ss. Now they were overgeared and had enough power to threaten Maxong.


    But Maxong was tough and good at fighting. He protected his vital points with hard scales and unleashed an attack. The first target was naturally the naked human. Maxong had experienced many battles. It was right to aim for the easiest enemy to get rid of.


    It was the wrong judgment. The opponent wasn¡¯t easy. Jude held the unique skill ¡®I have no idea¡¯ that was SS-grade. Why did the skill have such a high rating? Even Grid didn¡¯t know why, but the high rating meant it had a definite effect. Jude didn¡¯t hesitate to attack Maxong because he had no thoughts, and it was a judgment that broke Maxong¡¯s expectations.


    Instead of avoiding the flying water column, Jude broke through the front and grabbed Maxong¡¯s face. Jude had 2,000 strength, far exceeding themon sense of a soldier. However, it wasn¡¯t a threat to Maxong. Maxong wasn¡¯t hurt when his face was caught by Jude¡¯s hands. It felt like a fly. The problem was that his vision was obstructed.


    ¡°Sublime Sword.¡±


    Puoook!


    Iyarugt aimed for this gap and pierced Maxong¡¯s heart. Maxong flinched as he suffered massive damage.


    ¡°It smells good! Nyang!¡±


    Noe became happy at the fishy smell of the water n and swallowed Maxong. At the same time, Grid had his strength greatly enhanced thanks to Soul Ingestion and used Linked Kill at the same time as Randy.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Maxong screamed.

 Chapter 479

    Noe used Soul Ingestion and the following notification windows emerged.


    [The memphis Noe has taken away half of Maxong¡¯s strength.]


    [Your strength will increase by 2,511 for 3 seconds!]


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Grid found out that Maxong¡¯s strength was over 5,000 and was astonished.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just his strength.¡¯


    Maxong had physical attacks and magic attacks. It meant his intelligence was close to 5,000. Simply looking at his total stats, he was really strong. It was almost frightening. But at this moment, the situation was reversed. It was Maxong¡¯s turn to feel fear.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage. ckening.¡±


    Grid used buff skills in order to maximize the effect of his greatly increased strength. He immediately used the overwhelming strength of Linked Kill.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [You have dealt 4,230,400 damage to the target.]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [You have dealt 3,500,100 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1,691,600 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1,590,400 damage to the target.]


    There were a total of four blows. Two of them were critical hits. Thanks to this, Maxong received over 10 million damage, despite having more defense than Elfin Stone.


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    There was also the addition of Randy¡¯s Linked Kill, causing Maxong to scream. Was he dying? Euphemina and Lauel were worried, but Grid didn¡¯t care.


    ¡®It should be fine.¡¯


    The pet status window showed that Iyarugt¡¯s stats were significantly higher than Grid¡¯s. In particr, the Sublime Sword that he used dealt more damage than Pinnacle Kill. However, Maxong only lost 20% of his health after being hit by Sublime Sword. Now he was hit by Grid and Randy¡¯s Linked Kill, receiving over 10 million damage, but only 10% of his health was lost.


    It meant that Maxong¡¯s maximum health was close to 100 million. He had enormous health as the representative of a species. It was a testament to the gap that existed between named NPCs. Maxong was still tough.


    Kwajak!


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    Maxong counterattacked and Randy was hit by one of the water pirs. At the same time, he fell into a stunned state and allowed another water pir to be fired.


    [¡®Doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest¡¯ Randy has been fatally wounded!]


    [Randy¡¯s transformation has been lifted.]


    ¡°Randy!¡±


    Grid had no time to worry as Randy returned to the guise of a little girl. He was faced with Maxong¡¯s spray of water and a kick to the face. Avoid it? It was nonsense. Right now, Grid¡¯s strength overpowered Maxong. He attacked in return.


    Chaaeng!


    "Ugh!"


    Maxong¡¯s face distorted as the jade scales of his shins collided with Grid¡¯s Greatsword. He felt a terrible pain.


    ¡®My strength suddenly weakened. Is it because this cheeky human stole it?¡¯


    The problem was that he was swallowed by that ck creature for a moment. Maxong started analyzing it. Grid used Linked Kill Wave. He aimed to reduce Maxong¡¯s health as much as possible before his strength returned to normal levels. This was Grid¡¯s top priority.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Disgraceful person!¡±


    The moment he saw the storm of energy des, he summoned dozens of water drops at the same time. The size of each water droplet was slightlyrger than a watermelon. Grid experienced something terrible as a result of the collision of Linked Wave Kill with the water droplets.


    [You have suffered 920,330 reflective damage!]


    [You have suffered 899,100 reflective damage!]


    [You have suffered 918,555 reflective damage!]


    [You have suffered 905,700 reflective dam...]


    ...


    ...


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    The water droplets summoned by Maxong had the ability to reflect damage to the attacker. It was a strong wide area magic like Elfin Stone¡¯s Blood Field.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    Euphemina and Lauel realized the danger of the water droplets thanks to Grid¡¯s unintended sacrifice. They wanted to go and help Grid, but there were too many water droplets. They were unable to use magic and werepletely blocked from reaching Grid and Maxong. They would suffer from the reflective damage and die.


    ¡®Inducement magic...!¡¯


    Euphemina examined her skills to see if there was one that would ovee the current crisis.


    ¡°Jude. Seek. My Lord.¡±


    Jude ran with his naked body. He had no fear. He just took action.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The dozens of water droplets blocking the way? He just broke through with his bare body. The only thought running through Jude¡¯s head was his lord¡¯s safety. He didn¡¯t care about his own well-being. Thanks to Jude¡¯s actions, Grid¡¯spanions were able to figure out the weakness of the water droplets.


    ¡®They will explode and disappear from even a small impact!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The water droplets summoned by Maxong had a weak durability and popped when hit by a fist. Instead of using the fraudulent ability to reflect damage, it was a blind spot.


    Pepepepeong!


    Lauel and Euphemina quickly destroyed the water droplets in their path. An attack with minimal damage meant minimal reflection. As soon as they secured a path, they immediately cast their strongest skills. Meanwhile, Jude was struggling to reach the fighting Grid and Maxong.


    ¡°Jude. Help.¡±


    ¡°This idiot!¡±


    Grid¡¯s immortal state was harsh. Maxong¡¯s strength had recovered to normal levels, but Grid fought fiercely. He didn¡¯t have to worry about dying, so he didn¡¯t care about suffering damage. Grid¡¯s n was to attack as much as possible until the immortal passive ended, then he would wear the Holy Light Armor and Doran¡¯s Ring just as the immortal passive ended.


    But Jude interfered with his n. Jude wasn¡¯t wearing any items, so his health and defense were the worst. Grid flew forward, afraid that Jude would die because of Maxong. He had to protect Jude.


    "This person seems to be precious to you!¡±


    Maxong felt a sense of crisis about Grid who wouldn¡¯t die, but that ended right now. He smiled with satisfaction and stretched out a hand towards Grid, who had exposed a gap to help Jude. The moment that the water pir was about to hit Grid.


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    Was he going to die? Euphemina and Lauel¡¯s magic casting still wasn¡¯t over. The timing was too short to use Assimtion. The God Hands were too far away.


    ¡°You must live!¡±


    Peeok!


    In the end, Grid was prepared for death and pushed Jude down. He didn¡¯t want Jude to be swept up in the explosion range of the water pir and die. At that moment.


    "Bah, I hate humans, but I like you as much as possible.¡±


    The old man who had been watching the situation for a while, Iyarugt. Grid was mistaken when he thought Iyarugt had betrayed him. The reason Iyarugt withdrew from battle was to observe Maxong and identify any weaknesses. In the first ce, losing his master wasn¡¯t good for Iyarugt. Iyarugt¡¯s aim was to get revenge on Zepar and this wasn¡¯t something he could do on his own.


    Pepeng!


    Iyarugt moved his sword and protected Grid. The water pir that originally intended to cover Grid was destroyed.


    ¡°Demon!¡±


    Maxong was furious at losing his chance to kill the human due to Iyarugt. He angrily aimed a fist at Iyarugt. However, it was a movement that Iyarugt predicted. Iyarugt avoided the fist by bending his back, took a step forward and wielded his sword in a half moon. It was one of the five unique skills that Sword Demon Iyarugt possessed, Hell Moon Cut.


    ¡°Keeoook!¡±


    Maxong knelt down as blood spurted from his chest. At the same time, Euphemina and Lauel finished casting their spells and simultaneously aimed it at Maxong. The finishing blow naturally came from Grid. What were the God Hands doing all this time? They were hammering in front of a portable furnace. It was for the sake of Item Combination.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Kakiing.


    Thebination of the +9 Failure and +8 Ideal Longsword moved in his hand.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Puoook!


    It was an unbelievable blow. Maxong¡¯s eyes widened as his wounded chest was hit again.


    [You have won the fight against the king of the water n, Maxong!]


    [Maxong has received a great mental shock after being defeated. This is the momentum needed to awaken Maxong¡¯s spirit and mind. He will take a step back and look at himself.]


    [The hidden linked quest ¡®Water n King¡¯s Fury¡¯ has been cleared!]


    [The information about Sword Demon Iyarugt has been updated.]


    [The information about Jude has been updated.]


    Name: Iyarugt


    Age: ?? Gender: Male


    Species: Horned Demon


    Title: Best Swordsman of Hell


    * When sword type weapons are used, the attack power is doubled. There is a 100% chance of a critical strike when hitting a weak point. Evasion rate will increase by 50%.


    Strength: 3,503 (¨‹) Stamina: 1,090 (¨‹)


    Agility: 3,201 (¨‹) Intelligence: 330 (¨‹)


    Skills: Swordsman¡¯s Eyes (S), One Way of Life (SS-), Sword Dance Explosion (SS), Volcanic Cirction (SS), Hell Moon Cut (SS), Sublime Sword (SS+).


    A horned demon ssified as a lower demon.


    As a result of training in swordsmanship without giving up, he became the strongest swordsman of hell. But he failed to ovee the limit of his birth and was defeated in a battle with the great demon Zepar and died.


    After that, his soul was cursed and attached to a sword.


    * By winning in a battle against the strong, he can regain a feeling of life. Repeating this a few more times can recover all of his skills (1/10)


    * Must win against an opponent who is recognized as an ¡®enemy.¡¯


    * Iyarugt has a strong camaraderie that will develop into liking towards you.


    Name: Jude


    Age: 30 Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Title: Grid¡¯s Knight


    * If he is with Grid, he will only look at Grid.


    Level: 303


    Strength: 2,080/2,380 Stamina: 908/1,108


    Agility: 330/430 Intelligence: 20/20


    Skills: Advanced Sword Mastery (A), Snatch the Enemy¡¯s Weapon and Use it as a Weapon (S), Silence (A), I have no Idea (SS-).


    A rare fool born in Winston. When ites to strength, he doesn¡¯t fall behind anyone. He is a natural warrior who doesn¡¯t know fear.


    His brain is less evolved, but since bing Grid¡¯s knight, he had steadily grown to be the best warrior.


    * His body has exceeded the limit by experiencing a battle with the strong. Maximum strength, stamina and agility has increased (1/20)


    * Must win against an opponent who is recognized as an ¡®enemy.¡¯


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Maybe Jude could be reborn as a named NPC? If he joined in all the raids, a rapid growth would be possible. But.


    ¡®I¡¯m afraid he will die before bing named.¡¯


    How should Grid raise Jude? Grid remembered and threw clothes towards Jude. They were clothes for cksmiths.


    "Thank you."


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Euphemina felt regret. Then she became shocked at herself and shook her head.

 Chapter 480

    During the unexpected battle between Grid¡¯s party and Maxong. Outside of the pce, the Blood Carnival members had beenpletely swept up. It was the result of the cooperation between the Overgeared members and the water n.


    "Aren¡¯t there many expensive items? In particr, the items with additional PvP damage and defense. They aren¡¯t easily found.¡±


    "It¡¯s because they¡¯re enthusiastic about the PvP content. But generally, the level limit is too low for most of us to use.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t most of the Silver Knights members still in the 200s? Give it to them for a cheap price.¡±


    "Show it to Grid before that. Maybe it will help him learn new production methods.¡±


    "Yes, of course.¡±


    Most of the Blood Carnival members had very high infamy, meaning there was a lot of dropped items. Some things were worthless, but there were a surprising few with high value. 1st Prince Paong and 3rd Prince Gulong came to the Overgeared members who were checking the loot.


    ¡°Thank you. Really, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, our kingdom...! The people were saved! Children, parents, lovers, and the elderly! They are saved thanks to you! Really...! Thank you very much!¡±


    The princes kept nodding their heads. Their heads even touched the ground. They sincerely appreciated the members of Overgeared who saved the lives of their precious people. Tears even fell.


    "Our water n will surely pay you back.¡±


    "That¡¯s right! We will surely help you someday!¡±


    Grace would be repaid with grace. They swore with their honor as princes.


    The surviving soldiers and people were reuniting with their loved ones. Children cried as they found their parents. Parents found children they thought were lost and rushed over to hug them. The elderly were sad that they didn¡¯t die instead of their children. Lovers embraced each other. Those who found themselves alone were dismayed.


    The Overgeared members looked at those who survived the Blood Carnival¡¯s cruel ughter withplicated expressions. They felt proud, but sad that they couldn¡¯t protect the already dead people. In this solemn atmosphere, Katz clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Only dead NPCs...¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t being exceptionally callous. Katz¡¯s response wasmon. NPCs were just graphics and artificial intelligence. They had emotions and shed blood like humans, but they only existed in virtual reality. It was rare for someone to feel empathy for NPCs.


    The Overgeared members were a unique case. Of course, it was due to Grid¡¯s influence. It could be called a good point or bad point... It was a value that couldn¡¯t be assessed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see Your Majesty! A great banquet will be prepared for you!¡±


    "By now, your lord will be talking to our king. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The Overgeared members received the guidance of the princes and went to the pce. Jishuka took the lead, while Piaro and Asmophel followed her.


    After a while.


    The party were surprised when they arrived at the pce. It was destroyed by a battle. At the center of the fierce battle, the water n King Maxong was copsed. It was a bloody sight. The obvious cause was Grid¡¯s party.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    1st Prince Paong and 3rd Prince Gulong ran forward. Anger and betrayal red in their eyes as they supported Maxong.


    "You guys...! Wicked humans! They pretended to help us while actually aiming for His Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Shit...! I trusted you! I sincerely thanked you!¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t respond. In fact, they couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    "What happened?¡±Jishuka asked for rification.


    Grid was trying to exin to her when he stopped. It was because someone unexpectedly opened their mouths first. It was Maxong.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Flop!


    Maxong was helped by his sons and knelt down in front of Grid. The king of the water n was kneeling to one human. It was also in front of everyone watching. The stir was huge. The princes and soldiers couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. The Overgeared members were also confused. The turmoil grew louder.


    Except for one person. Grid didn¡¯t act foolishly. He gazed at Maxong silently and waited for Maxong¡¯s words. Then Maxong bowed deeply. ¡°Human. I realized why you were angry with me during our fight. You sacrificed yourself for the sake of one man. Thus, you can¡¯t recognize the king who is arrogant and neglects his people.¡±


    "...¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not qualified to be a king. A king should take care of his people like they are his children, but I failed.¡±


    He used the grief over his daughter¡¯s death as an excuse and turned away from the people he should¡¯ve protected. Now that he looked back, he was certainly the worst king. He felt sorry to the people and ashamed that he didn¡¯t set an example for the princes.


    "First of all, my daughter who left for the deep abyss of the sea would be sad to see such a pathetic father.¡± Maxong looked at Grid with respect. ¡°Despite being a human, you¡¯re someone who controls creatures and demons. You care more about one person¡¯s life than your own, making you qualified to be a king."


    The power of the sea was reflected in the king¡¯s voice. Every time Maxong spoke, the mana around him turned into blue waves.


    Sururuk.


    The waves gently wrapped around Grid¡¯s body. Grid felt his mind and body bing stable.


    ¡°I feel a deep respect towards you. I hope my sons will see and learn from you, bing good kings, unlike their foolish father. I hope that Siren, which has been stagnant for a long time and was helpless in this invasion, will develop and be stronger.¡±


    It was his desire.


    "Siren. Teach and guide the royal family of Siren. We will truly follow you.¡±


    Bururu.


    The Overgeared members, Piaro, and Asmophel simultaneously shivered. The king of another species was pledging allegiance to their lord. What an honor! Like his colleagues, Grid tried to calm down his heart. He took several deep breaths before taking action. First of all, he raised Maxong who was kneeling before him. Then he held out a hand to shake.


    ¡°A king shouldn¡¯t feel ashamed.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Maxong. The Overgeared members gathered here, Piaro, Asmophel, Jude, Noe, and Randy. They all believed in him and swore to follow him.


    ¡®I won¡¯t disappoint those who acknowledge me. I will be careful not to waste their efforts.¡¯


    The base had been formed on a desire for fame and not shame. The selfish but honest ¡®hard working¡¯ Grid¡¯s royal road began.


    ***


    [The Overgeared Guild has concluded an alliance treaty with Siren of the Water n Kingdom.]


    [The Overgeared Guild and Siren will interact in all areas including military, literature, magic,merce, and religion.]


    [Over the next two years, the Overgeared Guild will support Siren by giving 100,000 gold per month for its development. However, after two years, the Overgeared Guild will take 20% of the proceeds from Siren every month.]


    [For the defense of Siren, the Overgeared Guild has the right to assemble soldiers in Siren at any time. However, if Siren wants to move their army, they have to get the permission of Master Grid of Overgeared.]


    [If Grid acquires the status of a king, Siren will be incorporated into Grid¡¯s territory. Until then, Siren won¡¯t betray Grid.]


    Under Lauel¡¯s leadership, a new treaty was signed. It was delivered to all members of Overgeared scattered throughout the continent, including Reidan, Winston, Bairon, and Cork Ind. Now the morale of the almost 300 members of Overgeared soared into the sky.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an alliance treaty. Doesn¡¯t it make more sense to say that Grid haspletely be the owner of Siren?¡±


    "Kuoh... Our forces will expand by leaps and bounds. God Grid is amazing.¡±


    "It¡¯s good that we joined Overgeared!"


    The so-called Seven Guilds only had one territory. There were thousands of guilds in existence, most of which had no territory. Then what about Overgeared? It already had three territories and Winston belonged to Irene. Now it swallowed up a whole kingdom of a different species.


    Was that all? They had a full alliance with Earl Steim, one of the greatest nobles in the Eternal Kingdom. Two years after its creation, based on real time, it showed an unbelievable growth rate that made it qualified to be the best guild. The Overgeared members, especially those from the Silver Knights Guild, admired and praised Grid¡¯s political power.


    ¡°He married Irene and became the son-inw of the best family.¡±


    "He acquired the Tzedakah Guild.¡±


    ¡°He developed his estate while epting individuals from minorities.¡±


    "Now the Water n Kingdom...¡±


    Truly God Grid. The pride of South Korea. The Silver Knights members analyzed and praised Grid in their own way. All over the continent, the Overgeared members danced andughed. The yers who witnessed their behavior spread the rumor that ¡®there are more and more crazy people in Overgeared.¡¯


    The Blood Carnival members became afraid when they heard the rumor.


    "More crazy people?¡±


    "There are already a lot of crazy...¡±


    "Cough, it is better not to be involved with Overgeared.¡±


    Blood Warrior Katz, Beast Man Toon, Bald Vantner, Cursing Huroi, etc. The Blood Carnival members shook in horror when they were reminded of the Overgeared members with screws missing. The individual natures of the Overgeared members scared even viins.


    Of course, not all Blood Carnival members shrank back. In particr, the White and ck sisters were motivated.


    "The result would be different if we had fought together!¡±


    "That¡¯s right! Give us a chance to get revenge! Lend us some strength.¡±


    They asked the master of Blood Carnival. But the master rejected their words.


    "We were merely a partnership to gain benefits. The act of helping isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Shit! We¡¯ll pay you money! It doesn¡¯t matter how much we pay, so please ask for volunteers to knock down Reidan!¡±


    "Have you forgotten the absolute rule not to ept something that doesn¡¯t have a high chance of sess?¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    This was the judgment of the Blood Carnival master.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t time yet.¡¯


    Yes, not yet. Growth wasn¡¯t infinite. There were limitations to it. The Overgeared Guild was experiencing a great surge right now, but stagnation would soon arrive. For example, the ¡®legendary farmer¡¯ that boasted a unique strength right now would no longer be special.


    ¡®Piaro... Right now, I have to find and recruit named NPCsparable to him.¡¯


    It was for his own sake.


    ***


    "I would like to farm here.¡± Piaro dered in Siren.


    Lauel was perplexed. "What crop can grow in a ce where the ground is made of sand instead of earth? It¡¯s impossible to farm here.¡±


    ¡°No. Farming is the source of everything. There is no limit to farming. I will surely prove it. I will raise crops that can only be grown in Siren and will help the lord. Please give me permission.¡±


    Grid knew better than anyone how stubborn Piaro was. Grid had absolute trust in Piaro. Piaro was a legend. He was closer to being a perfect legend than Grid. In his own field, nothing was impossible for Piaro.


    "Yes, I will be looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°My Lord! If Piaro isn¡¯t present, who will be Reidan¡¯s guardian?¡±


    Piaro¡¯s power couldn¡¯t be reced. If he was to leave Reidan, Lauel would have to be careful about Reidan¡¯s defense and the number of jobs would increase. Grid heard Lauel¡¯s opposition and gazed at Asmopehl.


    "The empty seat of Piaro will be filled by our soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Asmophel had an intense personality. He didn¡¯t take jokes as jokes. He didn¡¯t know that Grid was praising him as a substitute for Piaro and was only obsessed with ¡®soldier.¡¯


    ¡®My Lord only trusts me at the level of a soldier...!¡¯ If that was the case... ¡®I will start again from the beginning!¡¯


    He really was going to be a soldier.


    ¡®I will build up my skills!¡¯


    Asmophel¡¯s Determination of the Number Two skill was sessfully activated. It was a moment that wouldter shock the world, the birth of the ¡®legend of a soldier.¡¯

 Chapter 481

    "May the sea god protect you.¡±


    Maxong sent off Grid and the Overgeared members as they left the pce. The princes and hundreds of soldiers followed him. Their king had been in danger, and they felt amitment to protect the king. Grid was dumbfounded. Who was Maxong? A person who turned away as the kingdom was invaded and the people died. He didn¡¯t have any qualifications to be king. He deserved me. Yet the princes and soldiers were loyal to him until the end.


    ¡®He might¡¯ve turned a blind eye to the people, but he is king. They¡¯re showing absolute loyalty to Maxong just because he is king?¡¯


    Grid felt it was pitiful. The water n were passive and foolish. He realized the reason why Siren didn¡¯t develop.


    ¡°But it¡¯s good from the position of a ruler.¡± Lauel whispered to him. It was like the voice of the devil. "The more loyal and stupid the people are, the more beneficial it is to the king. It¡¯s really lucky that we obtained Siren.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was too calcting. Some people might me Lauel. But not Grid. Grid wasn¡¯t a saint, he was an ordinary person. Like most people, he was greedy. However, there was a small glimpse of cleverness in him.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it true that the smarter the people are, the stronger the kingdom bes? Looking at it in the long run, a wealthy kingdom will fill up the king¡¯s stomach more.¡±


    Of course, it would be very difficult and tiring to rule over smart people. However, it was natural. In the first ce, was politics so easy?


    ¡°Haha!¡± Lauel startedughing. It wasn¡¯t a ridiculingugh. ¡°That¡¯s correct. In fact, I think the same as you.¡±


    Lauel liked Grid more and more. Grid wasn¡¯t a fool who would be blinded by the greed in front of him, and there were endless depths to him that hadn¡¯t been revealed.


    ¡®It seems like just a few days ago when his head was the same as his back...¡¯


    Grid seemed to have evolved into an adult one morning. Grid¡¯s growth was fast and dazzling.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯spletely forget about Kraugel.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild could be the best even without Kraugel. Lauel was busy looking at Grid with joyful emotions.


    ¡°My Lord.¡± Piaro approached and bowed to Grid. ¡°My body might be far away from My Lord, but don¡¯t forget that my heart is always with you. Please call me whenever you need me. I will run over right away, no matter when or where I am.¡±


    "Understood. Please look after Siren.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and this...¡±


    Piaro pulled something out and handed it to Grid. It was ck tights. Stocking-like pants that stretched from the waist to the ankle. In Satisfy, they were usually equipment worn by assassins, martial artists, and archers.


    ¡°This?¡±


    "It¡¯s loot that I picked up after killing White.¡±


    ¡°White...!¡±


    To borrow a phrase from Lauel, she was a sun-grade person. He heard she was equivalent to Kraugel, and she really was very strong. If Piaro hadn¡¯t quickly used a skill to kill her, long-term damage would¡¯ve been caused. How special was the item that she dropped?


    Dugun dugun!


    Grid was expectant as he confirmed the item¡¯s information.


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    Ttiring~


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [You cannot fully understand the features.]


    [Kruger¡¯s Pants]


    Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: Infinite Defense: 430


    * Reduces damage received by 40%.


    * Agility will increase by 10%.


    * Jumping ability will increase by 40%.


    * All lower body skills will increase by 20%.


    * Set Effect:???


    A masterpiece made by the legendary tailor Kruger. It boasts an infinite stretch and will never tear.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 350


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The options were crazy. Grid sucked in a breath as he felt amazed.


    ¡®40% reduction in damage and 10% increase in agility?¡¯


    Generally, damage reduction options were divided into ¡®cut,¡¯ ¡®piercing,¡¯ ¡®magic attacks,¡¯ ¡®physical damage,¡¯ etc. But the tights simple had the option of reducing ¡®damage¡¯ by 40%. This meant that regardless of the type of attack, all damage would be reduced. It was the best item, since the options increased by a percentage, rather than by a fixed number of stats.


    ¡®It even has infinite durability...¡¯


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal couldn¡¯t grasp the material. Based on this and the fact that the name of the item maker was Kruger...


    ¡®It is highly likely to be a fabric created by the legendary tailor Kruger.¡¯


    It must be simr to pavranium.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    However, it wasn¡¯t good for Grid to use. The defense was very lowpared to heavy armor. Grid had a battle style that emphasized his ability as a tanker, so defense was important.


    ¡®This way, the limits are revealed.¡¯


    He would¡¯ve worn these tights if he had Kraugel¡¯s control abilities. Grid made a bittersweet smile as he thought about Jishuka, Faker, and Regas.


    ¡®Which of the three should I sell it to?¡¯


    Grid could put it up for auction, but he abandoned this idea. It was clear that all three people would desire Kruger¡¯s pants. Competing over the price might upset them.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want cracks in their rtionship to form.¡¯


    It was unlikely considering the friendship between the three people, but Grid had to keep in mind the worst situation.


    ¡®Then I have to choose one of the three people and sell it to them personally...¡¯


    Should he decide by order of preference? Maybe she liked him. The world¡¯s best beauty who could make him think that, Jishuka. The silent, but always protecting hispanions, Faker. The good-hearted friend who gave Grid unlimited confidence from the first day they met, Regas.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    All three of them were good. It was impossible to decide based on the order of preference.


    ¡®...In the first ce, this isn¡¯t the right attitude for a leader.¡¯


    It was right to prioritize efficiency rather than personal feelings. He thought again.


    ¡®First, pass on Jishuka.¡¯


    Was it because she would no longer be exposed? Of course, that was one reason. However, it was more because Jishuka couldn¡¯t enjoy one of the options of the tights. All lower body skills would increase by 20%. Jishuka was an archer and she only had one lower body skill, a kick that had a dashing function. On the other hand, Regas and Faker had numerous skills involving the legs.


    ¡®Then out of the two of them...¡¯


    Grid pondered about it before deciding.


    ¡®Faker is good.¡¯


    Asura Regas had a special gauge called Fighting Spirit. It was a necessary resource that rose in proportion to the amount of damage received from the enemy.


    ¡®If his defense is too high, the umtion of the gauge will be slow.¡¯


    On the other hand, the assassin Faker had many lower body skills and no special gauge. He fought on the assumption to not be hit. Giving him tights with a high defense would be a great help.


    ¡¯In particr, the attack power of an assassin is affected by agility.¡¯


    The jump enhancement option would also maximize Faker¡¯s speed. As Grid was deciding, Euphemina finished casting Mass Teleport.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Grid and all the Overgeared members were simultaneously moved to Reidan. Euphemina was with them. The contract included Maxong¡¯s tears, meaning she didn¡¯t have to stay in Siren any longer.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Piaro was suddenly embarrassed as he was left alone. He bted recalled Aura Master Hurent, who was left in Reidan.


    ¡°Well... He isn¡¯t a kid, so he will behave well.¡±


    ***


    "Dear husband!¡±


    In fact, Grid was very busy. First, he had to appraise all the items that the Overgeared members acquired in Siren to see if there were any hidden features and to learn their production methods. Secondly, he had to design a new item using the adamantium that he obtained by winning four gold medals in the National Competition. Thirdly, he couldn¡¯t forget to establish the hierarchy of his rtionship with Iyarugt. Fourth, there was a need to concentrate on hunting before the experience buff that South Korea yers received ended. And so on.


    Grid had many things to do. He didn¡¯t have time to spare. But in the midst of this, Grid didn¡¯t forget his family. He first went to Irene.


    "I¡¯m d that you weren¡¯t very lonely during my absence thanks to Lord.¡±


    Irene looked sulky within Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Lord is Lord, you are you. Both of you are equally important. I¡¯m happy just seeing Lord, while dear husband...¡±


    What was she thinking? Irene¡¯s white cheeks suddenly turned red.


    ¡°That... That...¡±


    She was probably having very shameful thoughts. The blue eyes looking up at Grid were moving back and forth.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    She had be more cute and lovable in the time he hadn¡¯t seen her. Grid sensed it. Now was the time to unleash the true power of the diamond ss capsule!


    "It would be nice to have a second child.¡± Grid said with a confident expression and carried Irene to the bedroom.


    "Kyaaak~¡±


    Irene buried her face in Grid¡¯s chest and beamed. She seemed like an innocent girl. But after a while. In the bedroom, she becamepletely different. There was no innocent girl.


    Omitted.


    ***


    Duplicator was a ss with clear limits. She couldn¡¯t always copy the skills she needed, and even with the copied skills, they would disappear after using them once, thus the battle duration dropped significantly. Euphemina wondered how good it would be if she at least had a fewbat skills. She felt resentment towards the inherent limitation of the Duplicator that couldn¡¯t ¡®learn¡¯ magic or skills.


    But that was only until yesterday. She broke through her limits with Mumud¡¯s Spellbook, the item she acquired from clearing the hidden quest in Siren.

 Chapter 482

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    Faker confirmed the information of Kruger¡¯s Pants that Grid handed him and refused. Grid was baffled because he¡¯d been expecting an entirely different reaction.


    ¡°Why? Why don¡¯t you want this? I thought you would be jumping with joy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too good.¡±


    Kruger¡¯s Pants could be regarded as one level higher than Grid¡¯s current items. It had golden options and high defense, making it too good. Thus, it was a burden.


    "Grid, you tend to give too much to us.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Since when? Faker calmly exined to Grid, who wanted to refute it.


    ¡°How many of the two billion users can wear items made by a legendary cksmith? It¡¯s only the Overgeared Guild. We¡¯re always thankful to you and that¡¯s why I want to return the favor. I can¡¯t keep demanding things from you.¡±


    Grid was dumbfounded. ¡°What are you saying? When have I ever made free items for you? You¡¯re a customer who buys items from me for a reasonable price. I¡¯m not doing you favors.¡±


    The Overgeared members provided the necessary materials and methods for Grid to make the items. Grid learned how to make items for free and was also able to earn money by selling the items to his colleagues. Anyone could see that Grid benefited. That¡¯s why Grid always felt appreciative.


    "Thanks to your steadymissions, I was able to produce more items and build up my skills. I even make money while doing it. This time as well. I¡¯m selling this to you, not giving it for free. Isn¡¯t it a reasonable price?¡±


    ¡°...You don¡¯t know your own value.¡±


    There were many rich people in the world. The items made by Grid were more expensive than the Overgeared members could afford, but the wealthy would be willing to buy them. Yet they never got a chance. Grid was so busy that he barely had enough time to produce items for the Overgeared members. In other words, Grid was pouring all the opportunity costs into the Overgeared members.


    Faker and his colleagues always felt sorry.


    "In fact, you can earn a muchrger amount of money. But you¡¯re tied to the guild...¡±


    "Bullshit.¡± Grid frowned and interrupted. "Tied to the guild? It¡¯s nonsense. I¡¯m the one who made Overgeared. I¡¯m thankful that you epted my invitation.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we seeing greater benefits as a result? So I won¡¯t buy the pants. You should use it.¡±


    At the very least, don¡¯t concede such a good item.


    Grid shrugged. "I know what you mean, but the options of the tights will have no effect on me.¡±


    Rise in agility, rise in jumping ability, and increase the power of lower body skills. They were options that urred theoretically because the tights were light andfortable. Ovepping it with heavy armor would cause the effects to disappear. It was a phenomenon that urred because Satisfy pursued realism. It was one of the important systems that increased immersion, but was tiring in many ways.


    ¡°However, isn¡¯t the defense applied?¡±


    "No, dammit. It¡¯s too tight. Cutting my blood off just for a bit more defense? In the first ce, I can simply make somethingyered that only increases defense.¡±


    In fact, theyered defense effect used in Triple Layers was just as good.


    "...¡±


    "Don¡¯t be stubborn. And don¡¯t forget. The favors I¡¯m doing all of you are because of Overgeared. The thing you can do for me is be stronger. Don¡¯t give me something useless.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Faker gave a rare smile. There seemed to be a halo around his face, showing the best merits of a mixed Eastern and Western person.


    ¡®Really handsome.¡¯


    Why were all the Overgeared members so handsome? Honestly, Grid was too shabbypared to them. What if they immigrated to South Korea and went out every day? He was d to have them as friends. But he could also feel depressed.


    ¡®I should recruit new guild members that are uglier than me... Yes, they should be like Uncle Vantner?¡¯


    Grid still had no idea how attractive his masculine looks were. He was feeling seriously distressed when Faker spoke hesitantly.


    ¡°That... Can I pay by installments?¡±


    "...¡±


    The value of Kruger¡¯s Pants were around 6 billion gold, which was burdensome to pay all at once. Grid eventually nodded. "I understand. But just so you know, I¡¯m not selling it at an expensive price. There are no conditions of use, so I can sell it to much wealthier people.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m well aware.¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t cheap. Faker once again felt thankful that Grid didn¡¯t require interest on the installment payments.


    ¡®I will be stronger in order to repay the favor.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter who the opponent was. Yes, he wouldn¡¯t allow even Kraugel to threaten Grid and the Overgeared Guild. Daring to go against Kraugel? Somebody mightugh and see Faker¡¯s attitude as arrogance. But Grid and the Overgeared members knew Faker¡¯s true value.


    In the darkness, his power was equal to or greater than Grid. If Euphemina was the hidden gem of Overgeared, Faker was the invisible pir supporting Overgeared. In order to be faithful to his role, Faker was obliged to be stronger than anyone else.


    ***


    [Mumud¡¯s Spellbook]


    Rating: ??


    The old spellbook containing the magic of the genius magician Mumud.


    Usage Effects: ??


    Conditions of Use: ??


    Weight: 10


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s room that faced Grid¡¯s bedroom. After returning from unburdening her heart with her colleagues, Euphemina¡¯s expression was very serious. She couldn¡¯t guess the value of Mumud¡¯s Spellbook that she received as a quest reward.


    ¡®The rating is unknown.¡¯


    Typically, the rating of a spellbook followed that of magic. For example, a spellbook that contained the A-grade magic Fire Storm was rated A. In other words, spellbooks were divided from D~S ranks. Then what about an unknown rating?


    ¡®Is it not acquiring a single magic?¡¯


    For example, there were multiple spells with different ratings, making the rating of the spellbook unknown?


    ¡®In any case, this is a spellbook that teaches magic.¡¯


    Then there was a problem. Euphemina wasn¡¯t a magician. She could copy magic, but she had no talent to learn it.


    ¡®The spellbook might explode...¡¯


    In fact, Euphemina wanted to sell this to Zednos or Lae. She judged that it was more stable in many ways. But Grid stopped that idea. A spellbook that couldn¡¯t be judged using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal. Grid guessed that the spellbook had more value than a legendary ss change book.


    "Braham said this. Mumud was even more of a genius than him, making Braham feel afraid and wary. In other words, he had talent beyond a legendary magician. What if you sell the spellbook and then find out its real value afterwards? You might regret it too much. Don¡¯t y the game cautiously and just try it out. You might be worried that the spellbook will disappear without an effect, but you will regret it less than giving it to others.¡±


    ¡®Grid is right.¡¯


    In fact, Euphemina was one of the few people in Overgeared who didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s nature. She misunderstood Grid as a great figure even when he was a dunce. For Euphemina, Grid was a target of envy, especially the current Grid. This was why she engraved his advice in her.


    "Yes, I must learn it.¡±


    She didn¡¯t dy once she made a decision. Euphemina immediately opened Mumud¡¯s Spellbook.


    [Mumud¡¯s Spellbook has been read.]


    [Mumud¡¯s magical knowledge is flowing into your brain.]


    [Your intelligence stat is less than 5,000. You are unable to ept the new knowledge. Failed to acquire the knowledge...]


    The notification windows that gave her despair popped up. Euphemina became anxious.


    [You are under the title effect of ¡®Defender of Siren.¡¯ Mumud¡¯s knowledge favors you. The knowledge is reorganized to make it easier to understand.]


    [You havepleted the acquisition of new knowledge.]


    [Mumud¡¯s Magic Tree has opened.]


    [Your constitution isn¡¯t suitable to acquire Mumud¡¯s fire attribute magic.]


    [Your constitution isn¡¯t suitable to acquire Mumud¡¯s wood attribute magic.]


    [Your constitution isn¡¯t suitable to acquire Mumud¡¯s earth attribute magic.]


    [You have learned Mumud¡¯s water attribute magic.]


    [You have learned Mumud¡¯s no attribute magic.]


    [Mumud¡¯s Water Attribute Magic]


    Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    Stage 1: You can turn magic power into water and ice, which you can use for your own purposes. Casting time and cooldown time will differ depending on the form of magic. Research will be needed in order for it to be used more efficiently.


    [Mumud¡¯s No Attribute Magic]


    Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    Stage 1: The ¡®Ignore 30% of magic defense¡¯ effect will be applied to your magic power.


    [The hidden quest ¡®Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation¡¯ has been created.]


    [Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    During his life.


    As a disciple of the legendary great magician Braham, Mumud excelled as a genius. But genius is short-lived. His heart had been weak since he was born and he would die before he turned 30. He didn¡¯t reveal his illness to anyone and devoted himself to researching and creating a magic system that anyone could easily use. It was his achievement as a magician. This allowed Mumud to feel satisfied with his life.


    It might be a short life, but he was happy and felt fulfilled at contributing to the development of the world. He could humbly ept death. But it was only for a moment. His achievement was taken away by his master Braham, causing him great shock. Mumud burned with anger and vowed to get revenge on Braham. He would create a new magic form that transcended Braham, leading him to Siren to obtain a powerful orb.


    However, he didn¡¯t carry out his revenge. His life was too short. He would rather spend it on happiness instead of revenge. He fell in love with a water n woman he met in Siren and happily closed his eyes.


    But he is suffering even after death. His body was taken away by Baal¡¯s Contractor and used tomit acts of ughter that goes against his soul¡¯s will.


    You have saved the Siren that Mumud loved and know Mumud¡¯s story. Use this newly obtained strength to release Mumud¡¯s crying soul.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Destroy Mumud¡¯s lich that is in the hands of Baal¡¯s Contractor ¡®????¡¯ and liberate the soul.


    Quest Sess Reward: The growth type legendary ss ¡®Mumud¡¯s Descendant¡¯ will be acquired. All of Mumud¡¯s magic will be opened.


    Quest Failure Condition: None.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Euphemina was shocked. She was stunned because the value of Mumud¡¯s Spellbook far exceeded her imagination. She had suffered for a long time in Siren for Grid and Overgeared. Now she was rewarded with new wings. She obtained an opportunity to be extraordinary.


    It was the moment when the power of Overgeared greatly increased.

 Chapter 483

    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shortly after making love to Irene and talking with Faker. Grid was in Khan¡¯s smithy when someone called out to him. It was Euphemina.


    "What¡¯s so important that you¡¯re making a fuss?¡±


    He faintly noticed.


    ¡®Was there a positive result from Mumud¡¯s Spellbook?¡¯


    But Grid wasn¡¯t that expectant. He would just feel disappointed if the effect of Mumud¡¯s Spellbook was less than expected. Grid was trying not to count the chickens before they hatched when Euphemina grabbed him. The small girl reminiscent of a squirrel fitfortably against Grid¡¯s wide chest.


    Grid panicked at the abrupt embrace.


    ¡°H-Hey, what¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡±


    He might be a married man, but Grid was ignorant when it came to rtionships. With the exception of Irene, he still wasn¡¯t used to touching women¡¯s skin. He hurriedly pulled Euphemina away, only for her to hug him again.


    ¡°Thank you...! Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± She was happy enough to cry. It made him feel d. "There¡¯s no need to thank me. Congrattions.¡±


    Grid smiled and stroked Euphemina¡¯s blonde hair. Euphemina thought his big and solid hand felt good. Caring yet dependable. If she had a brother, it would¡¯ve felt like this.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    Grid was shocked as he held Euphemina in his arms and stroked her head. It was because he met the eyes of Lord, his son who was looking at him.


    ¡°S-Since when have you been watching?¡±


    This was a scene that could be misunderstood! Lord replied innocently to Grid, who was feeling fear and guilt. "I saw it when Father hugged the pretty sister.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t hug her!¡± Grid was agitated and unknowingly raised his voice. Then he pulled Euphemina away, approached Lord and whispered, "D-Don¡¯t tell your mother about this.¡±


    Grid asked this for the sake of peace at home. Lord justughed brightly.


    "The beautiful sister is Father¡¯s lover!¡±


    ¡°W-What...¡±


    A married man having a separate lover? As expected, Lord was the Casanova who already had 200 lovers.


    ¡°This is a big deal! Lord, this sister isn¡¯t your father¡¯s lover but my...¡±


    ¡°Your first lover? Second lover? Father is cool!¡±


    ¡°...Cool?¡±


    A married man. Lord misunderstood that his father was cheating and even said it was cool! Lord¡¯s ideas about the opposite sex were so different that Grid already started to worry about his future daughter-inw.


    "I don¡¯t know who will marry you...¡±


    Yes, Lord¡¯s future wife was pitiful. Grid had serious thoughts about his son.


    ***


    "Wow, it¡¯s beyond imagination.¡±


    Khan¡¯s smithy.


    Grid was surprised when Euphemina shared the quest information she received. A growth ss starting at the legendary rating? Combining Pagma¡¯s cksmithing techniques and Braham¡¯s magic only gave Grid a glimpse of the myth rating. Meanwhile, Mumud¡¯s Sessor alone could reach the myth rating.


    In other words.


    ¡¯Mumud was a genius at the level of Lord?¡¯


    He was amazing enough that Braham felt afraid and vignt. Braham¡¯s soul spoke while Grid was feeling admiration.


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing to be surprised about. If Mumud had lived a little longer, he would¡¯ve transcended Muller.¡¯


    "...¡±


    Sword Saint Muller who sealed the great demons. Mumud was someone who could reach that level.


    ¡®Truly great.¡¯


    His colleague would be able to obtain the best ss. Grid was pleased rather than jealous. Braham scoffed.


    ¡®You have no guts.¡¯


    ¡®It is better than being narrow-minded enough to feel jealous of a colleague.¡¯


    In the first ce, having stronger colleagues would unconditionally benefit Grid.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it good if I have strong people to count on?¡¯


    ¡®Nonsense.¡¯


    Even if the woman here became Mumud¡¯s sessor, would she be stronger than Grid? Braham swallowed down these words. He was too narrow-minded to admit Grid¡¯s infinite potential.


    ¡°Congrattions, Euphemina.¡±


    Euphemina showed a shy smile at Grid¡¯s sincere words.


    "I want to be more helpful to you in the future.¡±


    ¡®Che, ying around.¡¯


    Braham was annoyed and started taunting Grid.


    ¡®There¡¯s one think you are overlooking. How strong is Baal¡¯s Contractor? Even Sword Saint Muller wasn¡¯t able to match Pagma when he obtained Baal¡¯s powers. You should know. It is close to impossible to fight Baal¡¯s Contractor and free Mumud¡¯s soul.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re speaking too much.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s Contractor. A person who formed a contract with the 1st great demon, Baal. ording to what he learned in the Behen Archipgo, Baal¡¯s former contractor was Pagma.


    ¡®Pagma is dead... Then who is Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡¯


    Braham kindly answered Grid¡¯s question.


    ¡®Your subordinates know him.¡¯


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid was deep in thought when he suddenly let out a bewildered sound.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" The puzzled Euphemina asked Grid.


    "Do you know who Baal¡¯s Contractor is?¡±


    "No, I don¡¯t know. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of Baal¡¯s Contractor.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Information about hell and great demons was an unfamiliar area for most yers. Euphemina didn¡¯t know. In the end, Grid asked in the guild chat window.


    {Do you know who Baal¡¯s Contractor is?}


    {I don¡¯t know.}


    {What is that?}


    Nobody knew. Grid frowned andined to Braham.


    ¡®The kids don¡¯t know. You kindly provided an answer, but it was just a lie?¡¯


    ¡®Change the question. Ask them about the necromancer they met in the vampire city.¡¯


    ¡®Vampire city?¡¯


    Lauel, Jishuka, Pon, Regas, Vantner, etc. Grid was unaware that a few people met Agnus by chance in the vampire city. He dubiously asked again.


    {Is there anybody who saw a necromancer in the vampire cities?}


    {...}


    Lauel and Jishuka panicked after realizing that the person Grid was looking for was Agnus. They were all hoping that Grid would never encounter Agnus. Grid watched the quiet chat window and asked again.


    {Did no one see a necromancer?}


    {Master, where are you?}


    Then Lauel came forward. He obtained Grid¡¯s location and ran to the smithy.


    ¡°Why are you asking about Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡±


    Grid looked at her and Euphemina shared the quest information with Lauel. Lauel read the contents and felt admiration.


    ¡°Unbelievable...! A growth ss starting at the legendary rating...!¡±


    But.


    ¡®In order to clear this quest, she must be hostile to Agnus... Is this fate¡¯s joke? My bad karma in a previous life is affecting Grid and my colleagues... Everything was so good...¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s face became shadowed.


    Grid asked again, "Why are you worried rather than pleased? Who is Baal¡¯s Contractor that you¡¯re so afraid?¡±


    Sigh.


    Lauel took a deep breath and spoke the name that he never wanted to mention.


    ¡°It¡¯s...Agnus.¡±


    ¡°Agnus?¡±


    Grid was familiar with the name. A high ranker in the 5th position after Kraugel and Yura vacated their spots. A person who obtained an epic ss early on along with Katz and Euphemina. Yura had said this during her ck magician days. He was much stronger than her.


    "It¡¯s definitely big.¡±


    Grid could easily guess that Agnus was strong. He was one of the ¡®three epic sses¡¯ along with Euphemina and Katz, and Braham had just called his ss the ¡®strongest.¡¯ Yes, Agnus would certainly be strong. Maybe he was in the same ss as Kraugel.


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t enough to cause fear. The strength of Overgeared isn¡¯t at a level that individual yers could go against. Find him and sweep him away.¡±


    Attacking an innocent yer for a quest? It was a morally wrong idea. Grid knew that. But Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. He couldn¡¯t always be just when building up his strength to be a king. He would make countless new enemies. He already anticipated this and was prepared.


    Lauel was thrilled by Grid¡¯s determination, but tried to calm him down.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to be hostile with Agnus. First of all, Agnus isn¡¯t an individual. Numerous yers are fascinated by his insanity. In fact, there are rumors that several small and medium sized guilds have pledged allegiance to him. We need to be ready for war if we have a conflict with him, but we can¡¯t afford that.¡±


    An of the Eternal Kingdom had the Saharan Empire behind him. An had med Grid for Prince Ren¡¯s death and then kept Overgeared in check.


    "We will be the target of the Eternal Kingdom if we go to war.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Aren¡¯t you too passive? First of all, our power will increase dramatically if Euphemina bes Mumud¡¯s Descendant. If we raise Euphemina quickly, we can destroy Eternal¡¯s forces and Agnus at the same time.¡±


    "Your basic premise is wrong from the beginning. Agnus is strong. Victory isn¡¯t guaranteed. What if a hostile rtionship is formed, only for Euphemina¡¯s ss change to fail? Our territories will be a sea of fire.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t ept it.


    "What are you saying? Can¡¯t we easily kill one yer if the elites of Overgeared act together?¡±


    ¡°Agnus has already transcended the category of a yer.¡±


    When they encountered him in the vampire city, Agnus was apanied by a powerful lich and death knight. He didn¡¯t participate in any external activities like the National Competition and only focused on growing, making him much stronger than before.


    ¡°Please excuse me, but just looking at purebat capabilities, he is several times higher than Master. And we can¡¯t afford to send all the main forces of Overgeared. The domestic affairs of our territories became worse when we went to Siren, so everyone is doing their duties. Above all, you have to level up if you don¡¯t want to be left behind.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid frowned. He trusted Lauel¡¯s advice more than anyone, but...


    ¡®He is that much stronger than me?¡¯


    Braham also said it was impossible to fight Baal¡¯s Contractor to liberate Mumud¡¯s soul, but Braham was Braham and Lauel was Lauel. Lauel didn¡¯t know all the facts. It was shocking. His ego was bruised. Lauel didn¡¯t mind Grid¡¯s shaking.


    ¡°Agnus is a psycho. Literally. It isn¡¯t good to go against him. We will suffer for the rest of our lives. To be honest, I was hoping that the Overgeared Guild would never be mixed up with him...¡± But it couldn¡¯t be helped now that Euphemina had received such a great quest. Agnus was an enemy that needed to be taken down. "First of all, let¡¯s clean up our affairs in the Eternal Kingdom and refine our power. Then I will make a detailed n.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid trusted Lauel. That¡¯s why he made Lauel the lord¡¯s proxy. He didn¡¯t refuse Lauel¡¯s decisions or advice unless it was a special case.


    "I will get used to the new magic and strengthen myself. In the end, it¡¯s my quest. I will be strong enough to solve the problem.¡±


    Once the conversation was over, Euphemina rose from her spot. She expressed her will not to be indebted to her colleagues, bowed in farewell, and headed to the magic tower. It was to systematically learn and understand the magic knowledge she was given. Lauel also left in order to do his work.


    Grid was left alone in front of a furnace. For him, who had been only aiming at Kraugel, Agnus¡¯ emergence was a positive thing.


    "Several times stronger than me...? Someone who has transcended the category of a yer?¡±


    He would deny it. Grid pulled out the god mineral adamantium. He obtained it as reward for the gold medals he won in the National Competition. What could he create to be stronger? He¡¯d already been thinking about it, but his concentration at this moment was the best. He was confident that he could create greater items.

 Chapter 484

    [Adamantium]


    A mineral that could only be collected in the world of the gods, Asgard.


    It has the strength, hardness, and brittleness desired by manufacturers. However, there is a limit.


    It¡¯s correct to say that it is a mineral close to perfection, but it can be tricky because of the strong divine power.


    Smelting Conditions: Advanced cksmithing Level 7.


    Weight: 30


    ¡®Hoh, this is adamantium. Apart from pavranium, it could be called the best mineral along with bloodstones.¡¯ Braham showed interest. ¡¯What are you nning to make with this?¡¯


    ¡°A weapon.¡±


    In fact, he originally nned to strengthen his defense. He was able to cover hiscking physical defense without sacrificing the inherent performance if he sacrificed the adamantium to the Holy Light Set, which was ssified as a light armor due to itscking weight. Then the need to swap to Triple Layers would disappear and he could demonstrate the ideal tanking ability even if he fought against opponents with both physical and magic attacks.


    But Grid changed his mind along the way. Looking back, there was no need to obsess over defense.


    ¡¯For now, it¡¯s enough to have Triple Layers and the Holy Light set.¡¯


    In the first ce, Triple Layers, the Largest Gloves, the Horned Helmet, and Lantier¡¯s Cloak were designed to withstand Lantier¡¯s attack power. The legendary assassin Lantier. Was there any enemy likely to have a stronger attack power at the moment?


    He realized it again. There was one area where Grid¡¯s defense wascking, but it wasn¡¯t a big thing.


    ¡®It is the armor swap. However, strong opponents with both physical and magic attacks are rare.¡¯


    In the first ce, Grid had the immortal passive. He could hold on. It was more urgent to have a powerful attack that could knock down enemies.


    ¡®Iyarugt¡¯s attack power increased at the legendary rating, but there¡¯s a gap.¡¯


    Grid lost ownership of Iyarugt when Sword Demon Iyarugt was summoned. Iyarugt was actually more efficient as a summoning tool than a weapon now. Grid needed a weapon to rece Iyarugt. However, this caused another problem. It was ckening. If he made a weapon using adamantium that contained strong divine power, would he be able to use ckening? He had already experienced it with Lifael¡¯s Spear. There was a big penalty when divine power and demonic power shed. It wasn¡¯t stable.


    ¡®What will you do?¡¯


    Braham glimpsed Grid¡¯s troubles. How would Grid ovee the reaction between ckening and divine power? It was fun to watch.


    ¡®At best, there might be a chance if it¡¯s fused with bloodstone.¡¯


    The bloodstone¡¯s demonic energy would suppress adamantium¡¯s divine power. Grid had also thought about this. But he couldn¡¯t give up on divine power. Why? Divine power dealt catastrophic power to demonkin and the undead.


    ¡®There are the death knights in Behen Archipgo and Agnus also has a lich and death knight.¡¯


    It was stupid to abandon adamantium¡¯s divine power in this situation. Grid had to think. There had to be a way for ckening and adamantium to coexist. Thus, he knocked over his ideas.


    ¡°The weapon, is there any need for me to use it directly?¡±


    ¡®...?¡¯


    Not using the weapon himself? An average person wouldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s words. But Braham noticed it right away.


    ¡¯You will make a weapon for the God Hands?¡¯


    "Bingo." Grid nned to actively take advantage of the God Hands. "A weapon made from adamantium. It won¡¯t be affected by ckening if the God Hands are using it.¡±


    ¡®Certainly... It¡¯s an interesting idea.¡¯


    But.


    ¡®Pavranium is incredible. However, it has its limits. The God Hands have weaker swordsmanship. What if they can¡¯t threaten the enemy even if you give them a good weapon?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The God Hands were just a surplus power. They didn¡¯t pose a major threat to Kraugel in the National Competition. It wasn¡¯t just Kraugel. They were blocked once the opponent reached a certain level.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I n to make weapons for my God Hands.¡±


    Grid thought about it during the fight with Kraugel. What if he made a powerful weapon that would ¡®hit¡¯ the enemy and gave it to his God Hands? The God Hands would no longer by a surplus power. The effectiveness of the God Hands in battle would be absolute.


    ¡°The enemy will have to be on guard against both me and the God Hands. They will quickly consume their mental focus and stamina.¡±


    ¡®I understand your intentions. But is there a weapon that will definitely hit the enemy?¡¯


    Swords, bows, guns. No matter how high the hit rate, an absolute uracy wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Non-targeted attacks could somehow be avoided.


    ¡®In other words, it needs a targeted attack that can¡¯t be avoided.¡¯


    Ssik.


    Grid smiled meaningfully and asked Braham.


    "Braham, isn¡¯t it possible with your abilities?¡± Magic Detection (Enhanced) showed the location of the enemy. "What if you transform that spell into a passive form? Then what if I attach it to the weapon?"


    The target moving fast enough to not be followed by the eyes or dazzling movements that mislead a person would be made obsolete. Magic Detection (Enhanced) had the property of tracking the mana of the captured target to the end.


    ¡®The weapon will move in the direction of Magic Detection.¡¯


    It was clear that the system would guarantee a high uracy. There were obvious drawbacks. Magic Detection only found and tracked mana, so the ¡®judgment¡¯ ability was zero and danger couldn¡¯t be detected. If people used the weapon to move in the direction that Magic Detection indicated, they could experience a major crisis. They could be subjected to a bombardment. But it was a different story with the God Hands. The God Hands had infinite durability and any damage they suffered wasn¡¯t transferred to Grid.


    "How about it? Isn¡¯t this okay? It¡¯s only possible if you cooperate with me.¡±


    ¡®You...¡¯


    Braham only wanted to look at what type of weapon would be produced, but he needed to act? Braham had a high liking for Grid, but he wasn¡¯t tolerant enough to ept Grid¡¯s unconditional demands. He felt displeased at the idea of being used and was about to refuse.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t. It isn¡¯t easy to transform magic.¡±


    Grid provoked him.


    ¡¯Who can¡¯t do it? It¡¯s an easy task for me!¡¯


    Braham¡¯s strong pride meant he easily fell for the provocation. It was about personality, not being stupid.


    ¡¯Whoops!¡¯


    Grid asked the embarrassed Braham.


    ¡°I need your great power. Please lend it to me.¡±


    ¡®Why should I...?¡¯


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking forward to it? How powerful will the weapon made bybining the power of the legendary great magician and the legendary cksmith be? Everyone in the world would be amazed.¡±


    ¡®...Cough.¡¯


    He was expectant. Working with Grid seemed to be fun.


    ¡®I can produce a lot more than I¡¯m expecting, like the pavranium, and it will give me a lot to research.¡¯


    He recalled the time he made the pavranium with Pagma. His emotions becameplicated. Braham was afraid that this moment with Grid might be fun, but he would someday be abandoned again.


    ¡®Hah.¡¯ Braham had no words, so he could onlyugh. ¡®I... The great magician Braham is afraid of being abandoned.¡¯


    It seemed that he¡¯d liked Grid for quite a while. In addition, the pain he suffered when he was betrayed by Grid was too great.


    ¡®...More than anything, I am weak.¡¯


    His soul had existed for too long without flesh. His heart was weak because there was no center. Maybe he was too old.


    ¡®Why should I bother with a new life?¡¯


    The times were changing rapidly. A new generation was spreading their wings. There woulde a point where the legends of the past became obsolete. Once Braham resurrected, it would be difficult to enjoy the glory of the past again. It was highly likely he would just suffer disgrace.


    ¡®Even if that doesn¡¯t happen, I will be threatened by Marie Rose and the great demons. Now is the time to let go.¡¯


    Braham was struggling not to reveal his weak mind. He thought that Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to hear his inner voice. However, he had been with Grid for too long. Despite Braham¡¯s efforts, Grid read his heart. Then he said, "Why are you going to leave? You can¡¯t leave until you teach me magic.¡±


    ¡®...Indeed.¡¯


    Braham realized it. Grid was different from Pagma. Pagma obtained strong power for his sense of duty. He always strived for the ¡®peace of the world,¡¯ giving him a relentless aspect. It was easy for him to throw away a small tie. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s vessel was small. Justice? He gave it up and only worked for himself and the people around him. That¡¯s why Braham realized.


    ¡®This person won¡¯t betray me.¡¯


    He was happy. Braham talked in a cold voice to hide his heart.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible for you to learn all my magic before you die. If you really want to learn magic, you can never betray me. Understood?¡¯


    Gridughed at Braham¡¯s words and shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I guess so.¡±


    Grid built a friendship with a strange person. On the other hand, there was a person watching Grid from a corner of the smithy. It was Khan.


    Tears could be seen in his eyes.


    ¡°Now he is talking to himself... His illness has worsened.¡±


    Khan misunderstood. This was why it was important to control your image.


    ***


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill.¡±


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation Skill]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 11/24.]


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    The moment Grid used the skill.


    Ttiring!


    There was a loud sound effect and the notification window appeared.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    He¡¯d already thought about it. Grid answered quickly, ¡°Hammer. I will make a hammer.¡±

 Chapter 485

    <strong>TL NOTE: </strong>I¡¯m going to put this at the top of the chapter because apparently people don¡¯t read notes at the bottom. <strong>PEOPLE, READ THE TRANSLATOR¡¯S THOUGHTS AT THE BOTTOM!!! </strong>I know that most of the time the information is the same, but I do provide important information down there, especially if I miss more than two days in a row. You know, maybe if you read the thoughts at the bottom then I wouldn¡¯t have toe back from a busy and tiring Easter, filled with four days of constant church (urgh), to be used of not giving people a heads up, when I clearly did.


    Speaking of which, I never promised a set schedule of 3 chapters a day except Sunday. I only promised 20 chapters a week and I have mostly always kept that promise. I like posting regrly because it is better for both me and my patrons to get their money¡¯s worth. However, that is sometimes impossible now with my current schedule. I work in a hospital, which means I can work anywhere between 8~12 hours a day. After a long 12 hour shift, I am not going to have the energy to post chapters or even put a note saying I¡¯m not posting chapters. That is why I will only give a warning if I know I¡¯m gonna miss more than one day. One day= No note.


    In any case, I won¡¯t be able to post all the chapters owed for this week today. Expect extra chapters next week.


    ¡®Hammer?¡¯


    The main weapon that Grid focused on was a sword. Braham had expected Grid to create a sword. But a hammer? Grid exined to the confused Braham, "First of all, blunt weapons have a high uracy.¡±


    A blunt weapon could strike the enemy in every manner. There was no need to try to attack with one side like a sword or spear. In other words, it was very easy to use and the system guaranteed a high uracy.


    ¡®Certainly, it fits your purpose of making a weapon with high uracy. But aren¡¯t there obvious limitations to weapons that are easy to use?¡¯


    A blunt weapon was subject to thew of inertia because its center of gravity was to one side. It was to maximize the power, but the opportunities rarely came. In the course of attacking, evading, and counterattacking, weapons with weight focused on one side often acted as a poison. It was especially bad if the enemy was more skilled in fighting.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult to find an opportunity to use the weight and can also lead to a loss in the center of gravity. Basically, it means the bnce is a mess. Think about the reason why most people use a sword as a weapon. The sword is perfect in all aspects of offense and defense...¡¯


    "Hey, don¡¯t you know a lot about weapons for a magician?¡±


    He was like someone who collected all knowledge.


    "That¡¯s right. A blunt weapon has many disadvantages. Compared tomonly used weapons like swords and spears, the bnce is bad, and above all, the attack power is weak.¡±


    Most people thought that a blunt weapon was stronger than a sword. Systematically, the maximum attack power was much higher than a sword¡¯s. But that was the maximum attack power. In other words, it was a story for when the weight was used well.


    A blunt weapon had the advantage of being able to hit the enemy on all sides, but it couldn¡¯t ¡®stab¡¯ or ¡®cut.¡¯ Of course, it would be a different story if a de was attached. However, that would weaken the unique advantage of a blunt weapon. It meant it was difficult to deal a fatal blow to enemies with high defense. The probability of applying the minimum attack power rather than the maximum attack power was overwhelmingly high.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget. I¡¯m a legendary cksmith, and the God Hands are artifacts made by literally modelling my hands.¡±


    For a cksmith, hammers were the best tool.


    "I can see the pros and cons of a hammer, and it¡¯s the ideal weapon for the God Hands."


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t want to use it directly. In terms of bnce, it was true that a sword was much better. In particr, when fighting someone of an equal ability, the use of a blunt weapon would likely fail. But wasn¡¯t Grid nning to make a God Hands only weapon? The God Hands had infinite durability. They didn¡¯t need to fear the enemy¡¯s counterattack. They could ignore whatever the enemy was doing and just hit.


    ¡°Also.¡±


    He wanted to improve the efficiency of the Item Combination skill, which was difficult to use in actualbat. That¡¯s right. Grid wanted to create a hammer that not only boasted a high uracy rate, but also a hammer that shortened the time of Item Combination.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Braham no longer gave an opinion. There was no room for disagreement. Grid became certain and turned his attention to the notification window.


    [You have decided to create a hammer. What materials would you like to use?]


    "Adamantium, drake¡¯s fangs, Water n King¡¯s Tears, and ogre tendons.¡±


    [Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Please design the item.]


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of Grid. This was already his 14th item creation. Grid skillfully drew the blueprint using his experience and high dexterity stat. He didn¡¯t do it too fast. He was slow and careful.


    ¡®The handle is made from drake¡¯s fangs.¡¯


    The role of the handle was important. It was a way to get the best performance from a tool. In particr, a hammer was a tool used for hitting hard objects. Every time the target was hit, a repulsive force was generated and the user became tired.


    However, the disadvantages could be eliminated if the handle was made from the fang of a hard and resilient drake. The repulsive force would be absorbed by the handle. The drake¡¯s fang wasmonly used as a material for spears. It was bound to be robust, since it was so hard to obtain.


    ¡°Not toorge.¡±


    It needed to be the right size for the God Hands to swing. Grid set the handle to the fairly short length of 15cm.


    "Heavy is good.¡±


    Increasing the weight would naturally increase the power. There was the disadvantage of increasing the strength requirement, but it didn¡¯t affect Grid and the God Hands, who could use ¡®all items.¡¯ In the end, Grid set the size as 15cm in length and 30cm in width. The handle was short, while the metal tes seemed extremelyrge andcking in efficiency. However, since the size was so big, it was unlikely that it would miss when hitting the enemy. This was what Grid intended.


    ¡®I need to add some utility.¡¯


    At the bottom of the handle, there would be a red cord made of ogre¡¯s tendon. The user¡¯s finger could be ced there to throw the hammer. Depending on the situation, it could be thrown like a meteor.


    ¡®In order to shorten the itembination process, I will add an option to increase refining speed... I can increase the thermal conductivity.¡¯


    How long passed? It became dark outside the window as he focused on drawing. Grid originally was nocturnal when ying games. He found that night increased his concentration. Grid¡¯s hand movements became more delicate and the quality of the drawing became higher.


    Two hourster. Grid was pleased with the final design and pressed the confirmation button.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    Grid didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°I have decided.¡±


    Busy. Grid nned to create two items today. One was a hammer for the God Hands and the other was a ¡®sword¡¯ for him to use. If he used the materials obtained from the drake raid, he was confident about making a good swordparable to Iyarugt.


    [The blueprint has beenpleted.]


    [One skill count has been consumed.]


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    Fanciful descriptions weren¡¯t good. The actual description must urately portray the functions of the item while enhancing the quality.


    Grid started to carefully exin.


    ¡°The main material that makes up the metal tes is the god mineral adamantium. Apart from pavranium, it can destroy any other material once struck a lot. Compared to the size of the tes, the handle is rtively short, requiring less force when swinging. It also has a higher hit rate. Structurally, it is easy to use with one hand and it speeds up the refining of items. In addition, the Tears of the Water n King mean a new spell can be attached."


    [Analyzing.]


    Chiing.


    The design that Grid drew was erased by itself and another image appeared. The skillpensation effect.


    [The blueprint has beenpleted.]


    ¡®Okay!¡¯


    Grid verified the perfectlypleted design and was delighted. A hammer that could be wielded with one hand. The gold, shiny, thick, and sharp metal tes that formed the head gave off a foreboding feeling. It looked like it could shatter an ogre¡¯s skull in one blow. In addition, the ck handle with the red cord was full of elegance.


    Braham saw the name ¡®Grid¡¯ written on the bottom of the golden hammer and felt rare admiration.


    ¡®Great...¡¯ The mix of gold and ck always looked good. It was luxurious and full of dignity. The colors matched Braham¡¯s taste. ¡®The harmony of the appearance and colors gives off a considerable amount of awe. It is enough to give the enemy a sense of fear. Now it just needs a name.¡¯


    ¡°The name...¡±


    The notification window asked him to set the name. Grid pondered for a moment and made a decision.


    ¡°Adamantium Hammer?¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    Braham finally got a sense of Grid¡¯s poor naming ability. He didn¡¯t want this amazing looking golden hammer to have such a cheap name.


    ¡®The perfection of a work isn¡¯t just determined by its power and appearance. The name should be ssy.¡¯


    ¡°Then Adamantium Hammer.¡±


    Grid liked it because it felt good. He meant it.


    Sigh.


    There was no answer. Braham had just given up when Lauel suddenly appeared and hurriedly suggested.


    ¡°How about Mjolnir?¡±


    "Myol, what?¡±


    "It is a hammer used by Thor. It¡¯s consistent with the hammer you created in many ways. It has a rtively short handle and can be thrown.¡±


    It didn¡¯t have the ability toe back when thrown, but Grid¡¯s hammer wasparable to Mjolnir when it came to ¡®smashing¡¯ and ¡®destroying.¡¯


    ¡°Oh...¡± It was great. Grid liked the name Mjolnir. Then. ¡°Why are you here? How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Lauel made an awkward expression. "All of a sudden, Khan came running to me and said you seemed crazy... He was worried about your state and asked me to look at you. Then I arrived here and watched your process of creating an item.¡±


    "Eh? I seemed crazy?¡±


    What was this? Grid turned his gaze towards Khan. Khan¡¯s eyes were red and swollen, as if he had been crying. His red eyes met Grid¡¯s gaze and he shouted, "I was watching and you kept talking to yourself! Wouldn¡¯t you be worried if I was talking to someone in a ce where I was alone? I thought you had gone crazy!! I was really worried!¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid vowed to use caution when he talked to Braham again. At that moment.


    [Please decide the name of the item you have created.]


    The system demanded again. It was heartless to rush a person like this. Grid clicked his tongue and replied.


    ¡°Mjolnir.¡±


    [Have you decided on Mjolnir?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [An item called ¡®Mjolnir¡¯ already exists. A separate model name will be attached to distinguish between them.]


    [The item creation has beenpleted.]


    [Mjolnir - Human World Version]


    Rating: Unique ~ Legendary (Growth)


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 610/610


    Attack Power: 660~1,090


    * uracy +20%.


    * eleration will rise when it is thrown.


    * Every time the target is hit, there¡¯s a high probability of causing a 0.1 second of stiffness.


    * The durability of any objects hit will fall (except your own items).


    * 1,990 fixed damage will be dealt to demonkin and the undead.


    * There is a chance to induce the ¡®fear¡¯ state in those who recognize it as an enemy.


    * The workmanship speed of cksmith rted skills will slightly increase.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: 689/689


    Attack Power: 790~1,400


    * uracy +35%.


    * eleration will rise when it¡¯s thrown.


    * Every time the target is hit, it will cause a 0.1 second of stiffness state.


    * The durability of any objects hit will fall.


    * 2,400 fixed damage will be dealt to demonkin and the undead.


    * There is a high chance to induce the ¡®fear¡¯ state in those who recognize it as an enemy.


    * The workmanship speed of cksmith rted skills will rapidly increase.


    A tool that the legendary cksmith Grid made from the god mineral adamantium. It is an all-purpose hammer that can exert absolute power when ites to destruction and creation. The huge metal tes give off a considerable amount of foreboding. It can easily hit the target and cause fear.


    It is a weapon that can bepared to the divine weapon Mjolnir depending on the growth.


    * Magic Currently Attached to It: None


    User Restriction: Level 350 or higher. 3,000 or more strength. More than 3,500 dexterity.


    Weight: 4,900


    ¡°...Amazing.¡±


    It was perfect. More than he expected. It could possibly grow to the myth rating, making it the ultimate weapon. He couldn¡¯t help noticing the dexterity attached to the conditions of use. It was a result caused by optimizing the design for Grid and the God Hand¡¯s use.


    ¡®It¡¯s still okay.¡¯


    It was originally a weapon made to climb to the highest position. He had no intention of selling or sharing it with others.


    "How about it? Is it well made?¡±


    Lauel asked as he noticed the satisfaction on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®It¡¯s more bnced than Failure?¡¯


    Lauel was full of anticipation. Grid shared the information with him.


    ¡°Heok...¡±


    A masterpiece created by the legendary cksmith with the god mineral. Lauel was speechless as he saw that the performance of the item far exceeded his expectations. Grid dered to the astonished Lauel, ¡°Agnus? How long can he be stronger than me?"


    The more items Grid created, the stronger he became.


    ¡°I am the strongest.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t feel any doubts about Grid¡¯s assertion. He just felt infinite trust. On the other hand, Braham wasparing Grid to Pagma.


    ¡®Creating the best battle gear...¡¯ A legendary cksmith indeed had infinite potential. ¡®If my magic power is added, there will be no limit to his growth.¡¯


    Braham thought about it. Pagma easily betrayed and killed him just because he was a vampire. Ironically, in the end, Pagma had to make a deal with a great demon for the peace of the world.


    ¡®Pagma, I will help Grid. Grid will be reborn as someone stronger than you, who contracted with Baal. Watch from hell and feel regret.You shouldn¡¯t have betrayed me and chosen Baal.¡¯

 Chapter 486

    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid¡¯s production of Mjolnirsted 10 days and nights. It was his desire to create a perfect work. Braham was amazed.


    ¡®This guy¡¯s concentration...¡¯


    It was truly beyond imagination. It was more than when Pagma made the pavranium. It felt like he was looking at Mumud researching magic.


    ¡®...A genius of effort.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s overall talent wascking whenpared to Mumud and Pagma. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t someone who could be ced on the same level as such geniuses. But his effort and will to pursue the best wasn¡¯tcking. Braham saw this very positively.


    ¡®There is no talent as important as effort. Well, if he had extra talent than he could grow a lot faster than he is now.¡¯


    It was really great when seeing it, but also very poor. Braham tsked and felt sorry.


    ¡°Shit... This time is also a failure.¡±


    Grid threw the unique rated Mjolnir back into the furnace. He was exploiting the fact that adamantium and the drake¡¯s fangs had a very high durability. He would repeatedly destroy and remake it until Mjolnir was finished with a legendary rating.


    ¡¯Hah, this guy really... He¡¯s starting that hard work again from the beginning?¡¯


    Braham didn¡¯t know how many times it had been already. Maybe Grid would repeat this for the next few months. Braham realized that Grid¡¯s determination was at a fearsome level.


    ***


    "Grid is still at the smithy?¡±


    Grid had been stuck in the smithy for a fortnight.


    "He should be devoting himself to hunting while the experience buff is still present. Why is he making items now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He isn¡¯tcking weapons. He¡¯s wasting the experience buff.¡±


    Some of the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t understand it. But Jishuka, Lauel, Regas, Pon, Ibellin, etc. Those who were ssified as geniuses understood Grid¡¯s feelings.


    "He has to solve the problem first.¡±


    "Rationally, Grid knows that this is wrong.¡±


    ¡°But he would rather ce satisfaction before efficiency.¡±


    "It¡¯s so his motivation can burn until the end. Yes.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was true that the difference between a genius and a fool was one sheet of paper.


    ***


    The abyss.


    Iyarugt¡¯s soul was displeased. He recovered his power to a certain extent. However, Grid didn¡¯t summon him, making him feel frustrated.


    ¡®I will fix his head the next time we meet.¡¯


    The demonkin were those who followed the principle of the ¡®survival of the fittest.¡¯ Among the demonkin, there were those born innately strong. From Iyarugt¡¯s point of view, it didn¡¯t make sense to serve Grid, who was weaker than him.


    ¡¯Yes, I have to make our rtionship clear. After showing him the difference in power between us, I will make him my servant.¡¯


    He would make Grid find him prey and regain the powers of the past. Then!


    ¡®I will defeat Zepar!¡¯


    The 29th great demon, Zepar. Iyarugt couldn¡¯t forgive the demon who dismissed the swordsmanship he spent his whole life developing. His soul was sealed by Zepar¡¯s cowardly move and his grudge that he nursed over thest 300 years pierced the sky.


    Grrr...


    Iyarugt¡¯s soul expressed his killing intent. He was spending time in this deep darkness when a familiar voice was heard.


    ¡°Come, Iyarugt.¡±


    It was Grid. Iyarugt didn¡¯t know how long it had been since hest saw Grid.


    ¡®Finally...!¡¯


    sh!


    The darkness of the abyss that Iyarugt was floating in was split in half. Iyarugt moved towards the light.


    ¡°...Sweet.¡±


    The air flowing into his lungs tasted so good. Grid didn¡¯t let him enjoy this feeling of liberation.


    "Why do you say the same thing every time you appear? Isn¡¯t this concept too boring?¡±


    The grey haired Iyarugt grabbed the blood red sword and scoffed.


    "Funny guy. A weak person like you is looking at me without any fear.¡±


    Now, shall he fix this habit? The determined Iyarugt aimed his sword at Grid.


    ¡°Kneel down. That is the difference between you and me.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was a trend that appeared in manhwa decades ago. Grid replied bluntly, ¡°You are corny.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s your answer!¡±


    Iyarugt let out a thunderous shout. Then he aimed his demonic sword at Grid¡¯s thigh. Grid stopped his attack and swung his sword in the same direction. It was a ck longsword never seen before. It looked like a newly made weapon, but Iyarugt didn¡¯t care. Grid¡¯s skills were so far below him that changing weapons wouldn¡¯t matter.


    ¡®I can easily take care of you!¡¯


    Pahat!


    Iyarugt twisted his wrist slightly. Then the bloody sword flying towards Grid¡¯s thigh changed orbits and headed towards Grid¡¯s jaw. It was like a snake striking. No one could respond. Iyarugt was confident that his attack would hit and smiled.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s new ck sword. All of a sudden, it split into two and one of them blocked Iyarugt¡¯s irregr attack. The other one cut Iyarugt¡¯s thigh.


    ¡°Separating swords...! This shallow guy! Kuock!¡±


    Iyarugt¡¯s demonic sword hit Grid¡¯s sword. He used the strongest sword technique, Sublime Sword. But before it could be activated.


    Pepepepeng!


    Four God Hands flew from all directions, swinging hammers. The immense golden hammer burst through the air, causing Iyarugt to flinch. He hurriedly hit one of them while hastily defending against another sh. The red eyes that saw the best sword path...


    ¡®Can I stop all of them?¡¯ He defended against the golden hammers that were flying from all directions. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense that there¡¯s no way to avoid them!¡¯


    Iyarugt used footwork and tried to shake off the God Hands. But it was pointless no matter what he did.


    Peok!


    Peok peok peok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The golden hammers boasted overwhelming weight. The divine power hit Iyarugt in the back of the head, causing him to lose his spirit for a moment. He stumbled and Grid¡¯s ck sword pierced his heart. Grid whispered to him, "Shall we try again tomorrow?¡±


    ***


    ¡®Heok! W-What?¡¯


    It was difficult to grasp the situation.


    Once he recovered his mind, he was in the abyss again.


    ¡®Why...?¡¯


    The hammers that couldn¡¯t be avoided?


    What the hell was that hammer¡¯s identity?


    Iyarugt¡¯s soul was in chaos.


    ***


    ¡®Wonderful. The weapon exerts more power than expected.¡¯


    An old demon called Iyarugt. He was a ghost like Braham. His body and momentum were mere illusions and the magicing from him was weak and unimpressive. It was like a candle on the verge of being snuffed out. But what was this? Iyarugt was strong.


    Despite being a ghost, he demonstrated abilities simr to a true blood baron. During the fight against Maxong of the water n, he had been surprised to see Iyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship. He even assumed that Iyarugt wasn¡¯t as strong as a great demon.


    But right now.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Iyarugt lost to Grid. It was in an instant. It was thanks to Mjolnir. Iyarugt couldn¡¯t escape from Mjolnir¡¯s attack and died. It was evidence that Mjolnir¡¯s uracy and attack power was deadly. Iyarugt returned to the sword. Grid smiled broadly and said to the admiring Braham.


    ¡°This is all thanks to you.¡±


    Braham had sessfully made a variant of Magic Detection (Enhanced). The detection range was narrowed to less than 1 meter, but the pursuit ability was strengthened and it was converted to a passive that was safely attached to Mjolnir. Thanks to this, Mjolnir¡¯s uracy rose by 50% and the legendary rated Mjolnir had the additional uracy rate of 85%. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it the best weapon.


    ¡°However, the power isn¡¯t so great. As expected, the maximum damage not being unleashed is the problem.¡±


    Unfortunately, the inherent limitations of a blunt weapon couldn¡¯t be ovee. So what if maximum attack power was high? Due to the nature of the blunt weapon, there was a much higher chance of the minimum damage being disyed.


    ¡®Yes? But Iyarugt couldn¡¯t easily ignore it.¡¯


    "It isn¡¯t because of Mjolnir¡¯s attack power, but Iyarugt¡¯s weak body.¡±


    Iyarugt¡¯s body was made of his soul and magic power. Sword Demon Iyarugt had a desperate weakness. He could only be summoned once every 24 hours and it was only for 10 minutes. His maximum health was 10,000 and his defense was even less.


    It was a level where he would disappear from three or four of Grid¡¯s blows. However, Grid highly appreciated Iyarugt. He would be useful in hunting, raids, and PvP. Iyarugt¡¯s overwhelming attack power was sufficient to ovee his weak tanking ability. He also had sophisticated swordsmanship that didn¡¯t allow the enemy to strike.


    ¡®It is a perfect backwardspatibility with Kraugel.¡¯


    Of course, that was just an evaluation for this moment in time. Once Iyarugt regained some of his past power, he might surpass Kraugel. For Grid, Iyarugt was the strongest swordsman who had to be tamed.


    ¡°Well, I can easily overpower Iyurugt thanks to Mjolnir. But this guy also yed a big role.¡±


    It was evident that Mjolnir¡¯s high uracy was a perfect counter to Iyarugt. However, there was the ck sword that created a gap in Iyarugt before Mjolnir was used. Grid looked at the longsword in his hand. From the handle to the edge of the de, it was all ck. It was to the extent that it was impossible to distinguish between the handle and the de. At first nce, it was like a sword made of coal. But this was a perfect sword.


    [Sword Ghost]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 1,109/1,110 Attack Power: 1,836


    * Can be separated into small andrge pieces.


    * When separated, the small piece will have 930 attack power and therge piece will have 1,480 attack power.


    * For every attack that hits the same target, 10% attack power will umte (up to 100%).


    * The skill ¡®Strike¡¯ is generated.


    A sword made by the legendary cksmith Grid. It is designed to only exert a strong attack power.


    The materials are the drake¡¯s fangs, ws, bones, and scales.


    The ck sword is apressed drake.


    There are two knobs, one in the middle of the de and one in the bottom, made of drake fangs. Turning the knob in the middle will separate the pieces. In addition, you can deal serious damage to the enemy¡¯s mind if you hit the enemy with these knobs.


    Since the surface is entirely ck and the circumference of the de and the knob is the same, it isn¡¯t easy to distinguish the knob with the naked eye.


    User Restriction: Level 360 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery level 7. More than 2,500 strength. More than 3,000 dexterity.


    Weight: 4,390


    Iyarugt was the Sword Demon, so Grid gave this ck sword the name Sword Ghost to counterattack it. It was made using all drake materials, which boasted a better performance than any other mineral in the human world. He even used the scales that were originally intended for armor.


    The result was amazing. It was a one-handed sword, but it had a higher durability and attack power than Mjolnir. It was a real master weapon.


    ¡°Thanks to its separation ability, I could pierce through Iyarugt¡¯s loopholes and create a gap. Mjolnir became more effective thanks to this.¡±


    Grid was inspired by Kraugel in the National Competition and produced separating long swords. After 29 days of making items, he made a breakthrough.


    ¡°Then the thing I have to do now...¡±


    Grid headed towards the auction house to look for enhancement stones.

 Chapter 487

    Grid purchased enhancement stones at the auction house and returned to Khan¡¯s smithy. Braham saw him pull out the enhancement stones and asked, ¡®This time it¡¯s enhancement?¡¯


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a natural process.¡±


    The higher the enhancement value, the higher the item¡¯s basic stats and options. The concept of enhancement was required. The problem was that the odds were so low.


    ¡®Indeed, enhancing a weapon will be easy for you. Pagma was the master of enhancement and you have inherited his skills.¡¯


    "...¡±


    Grid jumped. For him, enhancing weapons was never easy. The passive skill ¡®Increases the probability of item enhancement¡¯ was applied, but there was no doubt that Grid had no luck.


    "Braham, you have a funny way of looking at the world. How can something be easy in this dirty world? In particr, enhancement isn¡¯t a process that can seed with effort, only good luck... Sigh, I only have a few enhancement stones in the first ce.¡±


    The price of the enhancement stones had started to skyrocket half a year ago and was currently at 250 gold for one. When converted to Korean money, it would be around 300,000 won. The blessed enhancement stones were 10 times more expensive. Grid had earned close to 20 billion won in revenue from the National Competition, but it was still a lot of pressure to freely use the enhancement stones.


    ¡°The gamepany is crazy...¡±


    Enhancement stones were originally expensive. Since the early days of the server, they had been traded at 100 gold per stone. At the time, the yer¡¯s resistance wasn¡¯t a joke. The yers with no money urged the S.A. Group to increase the probability of enhancement stones dropping, otherwise they would never be able to use the enhancement system.


    But the S.A. Group was immovable. They didn¡¯t modify the probability of dropping enhancement stones and the result was the current situation. As the number of high level yers increased, the demand for enhancement stones increased. However, the supply remained unchanged.


    ¡®Most high level yers invest a lot of money into the game.¡¯


    It was a world where a person could earn money by sitting at home and ying games. In particr, high level yers earned tens~hundreds of millions of won per month even if they only live broadcasted on the Inte. It was thanks to the viewers who sent them moon balloons (donations) in order to cheer them on or to feel envious about a level they couldn¡¯t reach. Thanks to this, the high level yers were very passionate about the game. They worked hard to gain more viewers and invested a lot of money into the game.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of people like them that the price of the enhancement stones is like this... Shit, it is really too much. Ordinary yers like me are bending our backs because of you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s fundamental problem was ignoring and ming others. This time, he swallowed his tears as he purchased 50 enhancement stones and 10 blessed enhancement stones. Then he prayed.


    ¡®My goal is to have Sword Ghost and the four Mjolnirs to reach at least +8.¡¯


    There was an almost 100% sess rate up to +5. But from +6 onwards, the probability of enhancement failure was very high and if it failed, the enhancement value would fall. In particr, when using a general enhancement stones, failing an enhancement could lead it to fall by three or more values. That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t easy to see +7 or higher items. People with money used blessed weapon enhancement stones to reduce the failure penalty as much as possible, but an average person couldn¡¯t.


    [Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones]


    A magic stone used to enhance weapons.


    The sessful enhancement of a weapon will increase the enhancement value by +1~+3.


    The failed enhancement of a weapon will decrease the enhancement value by -1.


    Weight: 20


    ¡°Sigh... Okay."


    He had prepared enough materials. Now it was time to test his luck. Really. Effort wasn¡¯t necessary for the enhancement system. He only prayed for good luck.


    "Reach +8 at once.¡± After enhancing Sword Ghost and the four Mjolnirs to +5, he nned to used the blessed enhancement stones to make them reach +8 at once. ¡°I will begin!¡±


    Grid was motivated and started to enhance the five weapons. Fortunately, he reached +5 for each weapon without failing and looked at the options.


    ¡®The options values have stayed the same.¡¯


    Some items had option values that increased at +1, while others would only increase after +7. Most of the higher rated items had a fixed numerical value for their options. The basic stats only increased until at least +8, where some option values might increase.


    ¡°It is for the bnce, bnce, bnce.¡±


    Grid grumbled before desperately using a blessed enhancement stone.


    ¡°Please... Please!¡±


    Enhance it by +3 at once! Grid prayed to all the gods in the world as he applied the blessed weapon enhancement stone to Sword Ghost first.


    [You have used the blessed weapon enhancement stone on the +5 Sword Ghost.]


    Ttiring!


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +1.]


    [The +6 Sword Ghost has beenpleted.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What was this?


    ¡°Is this a lie?¡±


    To be honest, Grid was nning to use the weapon only if it reached +7. But +6? The blessed enhancement stone that cost roughly 3 million won only did a +1 enhancement? Did this make sense?


    ¡°It¡¯s really too much... This is the same as using regr enhancement stones.¡±


    Grid started shaking. He was very upset. He never imagined that he would face such an unlucky situation from the beginning.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid sat down and stared at the wall. He was stunned at the 3 million won that flew away. Then Braham provoked him.


    ¡¯Are you going to give up just because you failed in the weapon enhancement once? Pathetic. How could you get enhanced battle gear with such weak mentality?¡¯


    ¡°...Yes, you are right. I can¡¯t give up! I still have 9 blessed enhancement stones remaining!¡±


    Grid was stimted by Braham and rose from his spot. Then he immediately used one of the blessed enhancement stones on the +5 Mjolnir.


    Ttiring!


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +1.]


    ¡°This is really XXX.¡±


    In the end, Grid started cursing. It was the moment when his dirty personality that had been sealed for a while was revealed.


    ¡°Does this make sense? Eh? You damn [email protected]#!! %## game makers! Oh!¡±


    What did yers want when ying the game? They hoped for a legitimate system where they would be rewarded for trying hard. But the damn gamepany introduced a system of probability, frustrating the users who relied on effort.


    ¡®If you obtain a lot of enhancement stones and keep challenging, you can reach the +10 enhancement~¡¯


    He seemed to hear Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s voice in the distance.


    ¡°Damn luck X system...!¡±


    He had failed in two consecutive tries. It was obvious that Grid would be angry after losing 6 million won in cash in the blink of an eye. Anyone would¡¯ve been furious. It was enough to make him tearful. However, Braham was a NPC and 100% couldn¡¯t understand Grid.


    ¡®You still have a lot of enhancement stones remaining. Why are you so agitated about just two failures?¡¯


    ¡°...You are right. Yes, it¡¯s only two times.


    He still had 8 blessed enhancement stones remaining. Grid took deep breaths and barely calmed down. Then he used the third blessed enhancement stone on the Mjolnir.


    Ttiring!


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +1.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Three +1 enhancements in a row?


    Flop!


    Grid was shocked by the unbelievable result and sat down. He stared into the air again for a while. Braham told him, ¡®Aren¡¯t you dreaming high? The process of reaching the top is much harder than enhancement. You will experience numerous ordeals. Do you think you can achieve this dream if you give in to frustration?¡¯


    "That¡¯s right... Braham is right...¡± In order to be the best, he must have the best mentality. He couldn¡¯t be shaken so easily. ¡°I¡¯m okay...! I¡¯m okay!¡±


    Grid shouted like it was a spell and once again used the blessed enhancement stone. The result was okay this time.


    [You have used the blessed weapon enhancement stone on the +5 Mjolnir (3).]


    Ttiring!


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +2.]


    [The +7 Mjolnir (3) has beenpleted.]


    ¡°Good...!¡±


    He was ovee it. He was prepared to use all 10 blessed enhancement stones.


    ¡°I am rich!¡±


    He would ovee his dirty luck with money! If necessary, he would continue to buy enhancement stones and enhance the items! Grid shouted while feeling angry at thepany who created this mess. He used thest five enhancement stones.


    ¡®It was +1 and +2, now it will be +3!¡¯


    He was hoping to see the ideal result.


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +1.]


    ¡°Kuaaah!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. A strong mentality?


    ¡°Bullshit! Give it to me!¡±


    Grid waspletely hysterical! He had sessive +6 Sword Ghost and three +6 Mjolnirs. Continuously without stopping! The result was amazing!


    [You have failed to enhance the +6 Sword Ghost. The enhancement level has fallen by 1 to the +5 Sword Ghost.]


    [You have failed to enhance the +6 Mjolnir (1). The enhancement level has fallen by 1 to the +5 Mjolnir (1).]


    [You have failed to enhance the +6 Mjolnir (2). The enhancement level has fallen by 1 to the +5 Mjolnir (2).]


    [You have failed to enhance the +6 Mjolnir (4). The enhancement level has fallen by 1 to the +5 Mjolnir (4).]


    ¡°Hah! Hahahahat! Yes! Let¡¯s see who will win!¡±


    Now he didn¡¯t swear. Only dumbfoundedughter emerged.


    ¡°Kuahahaha!"


    Grid startedughing like crazy as he used the blessed enhancement stone on the +7 Mjolnir (3). He knew with his head that he shouldn¡¯t do this, but his hand couldn¡¯t stop. He wanted to somehow make up for the loss. This was why gambling was so scary. Lottery games and other gambling content made normal people go crazy. It wasn¡¯t a system that the bad luck Grid could use.


    [You have used the blessed weapon enhancement stone on the +7 Mjolnir (3).]


    Ttiring!


    [You have seeded in enhancing it by +3.]


    [The +10 Mjolnir (3) has beenpleted.]


    [Congrattions! You are the first yer to gain the ultimate weapon!!]


    [The title ¡®Umonly Lucky Person¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [The special stat ¡®good luck¡¯ is opened!]


    "...???"


    It was a result he never expected. Grid¡¯s body stiffened like a stone statue.


    ¡°This... Is it a dream?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t even pinch his cheek because he was afraid it would break the dream. Braham apuded his achievement.


    ¡®You achieved the ultimate enhancement. You are truly Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t a dream.

 Chapter 488

    "Wow, +10...¡±


    It was enhancing the item to the maximum. Grid never included it in his goal. He didn¡¯t dare to. It wasn¡¯t realistic to dream about a +10 weapon that even the wealthy heirs in the world didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°How can I get +10...?¡±


    ording to the statistics of a rich person who said he used billions of won just purchasing enhancement stones, if a person was lucky enough to get to +7, the probability of a +1 reinforcement was 0.01% while the probability of a -1 failure was 99.9%.


    Adding more than +2 was impossible, no matter how much money was poured it. Of course, the +8 and +9 items had a lower sess rate and higher failure rate. Thus, even the wealthy people tended to abandon strengthening items above +7. They aimed for enhancing +6 items with the blessed enhancement stones in the hope of making a +9 item. Some tried more than a thousand times and only seeded once.


    It was Grid, not one of the wealthy heirs, who got a +10 enhanced weapon. He realized that the passive skill of Pagma¡¯s Descendent, ¡®increase the probability of item enhancement¡¯ was very helpful.


    ¡°Indeed... I have an almost 100% sess rate up to +5.¡±


    Apart from Grid, most people found it easy to enhance to +5. The enhancement sess rate was very high up to +6. But there was also a probability of failure and some people tasted that frustration. Yet Grid didn¡¯t. He almost always seeded up to +5. He grumbled every day, but he had actually been enjoying the passive effect of increased item enhancement probability.


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±


    Grid suddenly grabbed his chest.


    Thump thump thump thump.


    The moment that he realized this was reality, not a dream, his heart started pounded at a tremendous speed. His whole body started sweating and he was breathing roughly. Was it joy at being the first yer to get a +10 enhanced weapon? He couldn¡¯t even feel it. His head was so nk that he couldn¡¯t feel excited at all.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Braham watched silently. The ultimate enhancement. In fact, Pagma had aplished this a few times. Braham wanted to give Grid a chance to enjoy it, no matter how he felt about the current Grid. Then after a while.


    ¡°Hah... Hah...¡± Grid regained his stability and breathed in deeply. His eyes were shining. ¡°I did it! I did it!!¡±


    Grid jumped forward. He was happy at fighting against the evil bad luck that gued him all his life. Of course, it was likely that this good luck would be returned to him as bigger misforter on.


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    He would just ovee it again. Grid made a fist and confirmed the information of the +10 Mjolnir.


    [Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir - Human World Version]


    Durability: 689/689


    Attack Power: 1,333~2,363


    * uracy +50%.


    * eleration will rise when it¡¯s thrown.


    * Every time the target is hit, it will cause a 0.3 second of stiffness state.


    * The durability of any objects hit will fall (except your own items).


    * 3,800 fixed damage will be dealt to demonkin and the undead.


    * There is a high chance to induce the ¡®fear¡¯ state in those who recognize it as an enemy.


    * The workmanship speed of cksmith rted skills will rapidly increase.


    * Magic Detection (Enhanced) has been attached to it. The bonus of addition uracy was increased to 50%.


    Enhancement was difficult. There was a overwhelming high probability of failure and losing millions of won. It was a tremendous burden for ordinary people. But there was a reason people clung to it. The ability to raise the stats with the enhancement level was great. Every time an item was enhanced, the item¡¯s stats increased by 5~7%.


    ¡°Really crazy...¡±


    The attack power and options increase were enormous. The minimum damage was a huge 1,333. It was more powerful than most legendary weapons. Of course, this was a story whenpared to +6 weapons.


    ¡°Anyway, I have ovee the limitations of a blunt weapon.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if only the minimum attack power appeared. It could inflict massive damage on the enemy. The only major drawback of Mjolnir was ovee by the high enhancement value.


    ¡®It¡¯s worth it.¡¯


    He had stayed in the smithy for 29 days to make all four Mjolnirs have a legendary rating. It was so painful that he wanted to give up many times. But he did it in the end. After repeated production, destruction, production and destruction, all four hammers werepleted with a legendary rating. In the process, one of the drake¡¯s fangs was destroyed and the durability of the remaining adamantium reached its limit.


    Now he seeded in enhancing one to +10. He was happy. Really happy.


    ¡®I have to y harder in the future.¡¯


    Grid burned with motivation as a notification window appeared in front of him.


    [The cooldown of the skill ¡®Summon Sword Demon Iyarugt¡¯ has returned.]


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    It was a good opportunity to test the weapon. Grid grinned wickedly and headed for the training ground.


    ***


    The abyss.


    Iyarugt¡¯s soul was indignant.


    ¡®How can the best swordsman of hell be beaten by a human...?¡¯


    It was impossible. He med it on his sealed strength. He wanted to quickly regain his strength. But before that, his idea of taming Grid was still intact. He would be able to speed up the resurrection time if he could use Grid. However.


    ¡®He¡¯s trying to tame me.¡¯


    Yesterday, there were no enemies around when Iyarugt was summoned. It meant Grid summoned him for a one-on-one match.


    ¡®Disgraceful person.¡¯


    It was a chance to tame Iyragut so Grid attacked with the weapons he prepared in advance?


    ¡®You were nning on fighting me from the beginning...!¡¯


    Damn bastard! This weak person! Once Iyarugt found his original strength, bring it on.


    Grrrrr!


    Iyarugt¡¯s anger rose. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. It was too humiliating to fall for the trap of a human.


    ¡®It won¡¯t happen again.¡¯


    Iyarugt would be prepared when he was summoned again.


    ¡®I will win if I¡¯m alert.¡¯


    Iyarugt suddenly changed his mind.


    ¡®No, maybe it could be dangerous.¡¯


    There were four golden hammers.


    ¡®The divine power is too risky.¡¯


    They were surprisingly powerful weapons. If the weapons were a bit stronger, they could threaten the great demons.


    ¡®Right now, I can¡¯t endure the power of those weapons.¡¯


    He had to fight and win in order to tame Grid. He was a demon who followed the will of strength.


    ¡®In order to win against him, I need to neutralize the hammers...¡¯


    The problem was that the hammers were hard to avoid. The four golden hands seemed to be swinging randomly, but there was no way to avoid them. Was there any way to prevent Grid from using the hammer? Iyarugt thought of a good idea.


    ¡®It will hurt my pride, however...¡¯


    Bending his head and then striking when Grid was unprepared was the most appropriate method.


    ¡®Okay. Today I will get revenge for yesterday and then tame Grid every time I¡¯m summoned. Kukukuk!¡¯


    The moment Iyarugt was feeling excited alone.


    Pahat!


    Light appeared in the darkness. It was the summoning.


    ¡®Okay, here goes!¡¯


    Iyarugt¡¯s soul moved to the light. He borrowed the sword to form a physical body.


    "Sweet."


    Iyarugt recited a fixed phrase. Then he bowed to Grid who was staring at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yesterday. I was impolite for randomly starting a fight.¡±


    It was an apology from the best swordsman of hell. Iyarugt was sure that his apology would be epted.


    ¡®Now he will ept my apology and ask for a handshake.¡¯


    Grid wouldn¡¯t be impolite.


    ¡®After pretending to shake hands, I will kick and then...¡¯


    It was perfect. He would seed in his revenge.


    ¡°Kukuk... Heok?¡±


    Iyarugt wasughing wickedly when he became surprised. It was because four God Hands appeared behind Grid. The God Hands were holding the golden hammers from yesterday. Grid spoke to the irritated Iyarugt with an emotionless face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your attitude when apologizing.¡±


    Iyarugt cried out angrily, ¡°What...? Then should I have knelt down before you? I am hell¡¯s best swordsman! You¡¯re just a human!¡±


    "I¡¯m not just a human. I¡¯m your master.¡±


    At the same time, Grid finished speaking.


    Pepepepeng!


    The God Hands rushed towards Iyarugt. They swung the hammer crazily through the air.


    ¡°Eek! It¡¯s futile!¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Iyarugt grinded his teeth together as his anger soared through the roof. The golden hammers were swinging ignorantly. It was difficult to find a way to escape them, so he acted defensively. However.


    Kaaang!


    ¡°Eek?¡±


    Iyarugt eximed as he blocked one Mjolnir with his sword. It was because the strengthing from Mjolnir was so powerful that he couldn¡¯t endure it.


    ¡®W-What? Why is the weapon more powerful than yesterday?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The Mjolnir that Iyarugt defended against was the +10 one. The result was terrible.


    [The demonic sword Iyarugt couldn¡¯t withstand the powerful shock and durability has dropped by 80.


    [The impact from the hammer isrge. You will be rigid for 0.3 seconds!]


    [The impact from the hammer isrge. You will be rigid for 0.1 seconds!]


    [You will be rigid for 0.1 sec...]


    The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir boasted a 100% uracy and anyone struck by it would be rigid for 0.3 seconds. There was 0.1 seconds of stiffness when hit by the other Mjolnirs. Yes, infinite stiffness was possible if the Mjolnirs hit the target in turn. Iyarugt died more quickly than he did yesterday.


    ¡°K... Kuoock... This... Why...¡±


    Yesterday, there was an excuse of being caught off guard by the separating swords, but not today. He waspletely defeated to a terrible degree. It was also against weapons!


    ¡°I... Iyarugt only fought against weapons...!¡±


    Iyarugt couldn¡¯t help his resentment. Grid watched his soul start to be consumed by fire and opened his mouth.


    ¡°I won. You can¡¯t even win against my weapons, how can you win against me?¡±


    "Don¡¯t be stupid...! Only your weapons are strong, not you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am the one who made the weapons. Thus, I am strong.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Iyarugt was silent. Grid¡¯s words were difficult to understand, but he couldn¡¯t refute them. Grid smiled at him. It was the smile of aplete winner. It was full of rxation.


    ¡°I will see you again tomorrow. I hope that tomorrow your killing intent can reach me."


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Iyarugtpletely lost his form and returned to the demon sword. Grid felt a joy that other people couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡®This is really amazing.¡¯


    Beating the enemy without having to lift a finger. Grid wanted to enjoy this power and turned his gaze to the vampire cities.


    "I should set a new record while the experience buff is still present.¡±


    He was told that the seven people elite party of Overgeared had shortened the time it took to clear a vampire city to 5 hours. What if he broke the record alone? It was possible. It was the moment when the myth of Grid¡¯s levelling was about to break the world.

 Chapter 489

    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters were located in Seoul.


    The operations team monitoring Grid cheered in unison.


    ¡°Whoa! Grid finally did it!¡±


    "Yes, all the Mjolnir are legendary rated!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a human victory!¡±


    For 10 days in real time, the S.A. Group had been concentrating on one thing. It was the process of Grid¡¯s item production. Grid created the golden hammer Mjolnir using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill. It was a hot topic because he spent 29 days of game time focusing on making legendary rated Mjolnirs.


    "Hey, I never thought he would aplish it.¡±


    "The power of obsession. He destroyed an item he took an average of 22 hours to make and repeatedly made it again. I could never do what Grid did.¡±


    ¡°Right. It isn¡¯t just hammering for 22 hours. You have to work with extreme concentration. Is it easy to repeat this dozens of times?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great. I would¡¯ve given up after the third or fourth time. Think about it. What if after making an item all day, it isn¡¯t legendary rated? The frustration would be huge and crush my mentality. But Grid managed it.¡±


    "Hrmm... What is the special event that Pagma¡¯s Descendant will experience when they make the 15th legendary item?¡±


    The 10th legendary item removed the item penalties. It was obvious that even greater benefits would be received at the 15th legendary item. But they didn¡¯t know what it was.


    ¡°Only Grid and the 1st Development Team knows.¡±


    The team leader of the 1st Development Team was Lim Cheolho. It was a team that developed the pivotal settings and stories of Satisfy. Therefore, all the legendary sses except for the growth type were produced by this team.


    ¡°Kung... I would ask them but they won¡¯t reveal anything. Shit, I¡¯m really curious. Can we only continue to monitor him?¡±


    On the other hand, Grid in the game was beating Iyarugt. The operating team admired the power of Mjolnir¡¯s high uracy, only to click their tongues.


    "Grid is going to suffer again.¡±


    Grid was buying arge amount of enhancement stones from the auction house. The operating team shook their heads when they saw his finger tremble every time he pressed the BUY button.


    ¡®This time, Grid will explode.¡¯


    It was natural. Grid had no luck. As usual, he would continue to fail and it would reach the point where the S.A. Group talked about raising the probability. Team Leader Yoon Nahee shrugged, ¡°Hey, we don¡¯t know yet. Grid made more than 20 billion won in the National Competition. Would he curse like his old self after a few enhancement failures?¡±


    After a while.


    ¡°...Still the same.¡±


    "...¡±


    In the video, Grid was half crazy. His anger soared into the sky due to the consecutive enhancement failures. Curses started to fall from his mouth.


    ¡°How pitiful...¡±


    The operating team used to enjoy Grid¡¯s luck in the past, but not now. Now Grid was the pride of South Korea. It was the honest opinion of the operating team who hoped for Grid to keep raising South Korea¡¯s stature in the National Competitions. In their minds, they wanted to help Grid directly.


    However, the S.A. Group weren¡¯t allowed to intervene in the game in principle. It was impossible systematically as well. Not even Chairman Lim Cheolho could do it. All control was ced in the hands of the supeputer Morpheus in case of unintentional maniption.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    "Ah, it¡¯s aplete failure.¡±


    The operating team members were saddened. The +6 items failed in session and now Grid was trying to enhance the +7 Mjolnir. There was a 99.9% of failure when enhancing a +7 weapon. The team members expected that Grid¡¯s Mjolnir would drop to +6. But what was the truth?


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    The operating team members were stunned. Inside the game, Grid was cheering. At this moment. The monitors of the operating team as well as the development teams started shing red. It was the signal that a big issue had urred in the game.


    [The ultimate enhancement item has appeared in the game. The ultimate enhancement item has appeared in the game. The yer who seeded in the ultimate enhancement is ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    ***


    There were a total of 15 vampire cities. But the Overgeared members only seeded in clearing seven. There was a possibility that the strongest vampire called Marie Rose would appear in cities 1~8. However, the situation had changed. It was because with Braham¡¯s help, Grid could figure out the exact location of Marie Rose.


    "She¡¯s in the 2nd city?¡±


    ¡®Yes, there¡¯s no possibility of her appearing in another city.¡¯


    ¡°Okay. Then I will start from the 8th city in an orderly manner.¡±


    South Korea was ranked second overall in the National Competition and their yers received a 27% experience buff for a fortnight. The whole nation benefited from Grid¡¯s actions. But Grid had gone to Siren and was then focused on making items. He didn¡¯t see any benefits from the buff. He hadn¡¯t be able to hunt once and now there were only two days remaining for the buff. He thought it was a waste.


    ¡°Well, I would¡¯ve chosen this result.¡±


    Grid had made four legendary rated Mjolnirs, and one of them was the ultimate enhanced weapon. He felt positive. There were no regrets about his choice. It was natural since the results were good. Grid crossed the desert and reached the entrance of the 7th city. Then he checked the rankings window.


    After the National Competition, the rankings had gone through a big upheaval.


    1st. Chris.


    2nd. Mando.


    3rd. Red


    4th. Agnus.


    5th. Fang.


    ¡¯Who are Red and Fang?¡¯


    Zibal had recently disappeared from the rankings. It was estimated that he had acquired a hidden ss. The 1st ranked Kraugel and 2nd ranked Zibal had disappeared. Chris naturally took the first ce, Mando (the previous 4th) was in second ce and Agnus in fourth ce.


    Grid didn¡¯t know who Red and Fang were.


    ¡®Unofficial rankers?¡¯


    There were many unofficial rankings high enough to threaten the existing rankings. Grid was one of them. No, he wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡®Right now, my level isn¡¯t even in the top 60.¡¯


    While he stayed in the smithy, the rankers were enjoying the experience buffs of their country and raised their level. The gap had widened considerably. Yet Grid judged that there was no problem. No, he saw this as a good situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to show off.¡±


    It was natural to aim for the number one spot. In addition, Grid wanted to show his process to the whole world.


    ¡°Ranking registration.¡±


    [Disabling the informal ranking will reveal your level to all yers. Is it okay?]


    "Of course it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Grid checked the +7 Sword Ghost, the three +7 Mjolnirs and the +10 Mjolnir before entering the 7th city.


    ***


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Grid! Grid registered in the rankings!¡±


    Grid turning off his unofficial ranking became a hot topic in the world. The international media and yers started to show a high interest in Grid.


    ¡°Why would he register in the rankings?¡±


    "He wants to brag about the level he reached from the buff.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t his level surprisingly low? It¡¯s only 306.¡±


    "Only 76th rank... I guess his levelling ability is bad.¡±


    Gaming skills naturally included the levelling ability. People couldn¡¯t deny Grid¡¯s strength, but his overall rating lowered due to his level. In particr, theizens who were envious of those better than them started to pay attention to Grid.


    -If I was Grid, I would be the 1st ranked yer by now. ??


    -He¡¯s weak in games? ? Only relying on items.


    -No, is that right?How can a person who can¡¯t y the game get five medals in the National Competition?


    -Then why is Grid¡¯s level so low?


    -I guess he was too busy to hunt.


    -Bullshit. The most basic content of a game is hunting, but he can hunt because he is too busy. ??? Grid just can¡¯t y games.


    Didn¡¯t Grid foresee this situation? Why did he bother registering on the rankings now when he would be targeted?


    ¡°Why is Grid doing this? Did he eat something bad?¡±


    Lauelughed at Vantner¡¯s words.


    "He¡¯s trying to make an impact.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Vantner could imagine that Grid, who was only level 306, was aiming for the top of the rankings. 99.9% of the world couldn¡¯t imagine it. But those who knew Grid¡¯s capabilities and potential realized Grid¡¯s intent. One of them was Kraugel.


    ¡°This is a problem.¡±


    After his mother¡¯s health improved, Kraugel was once again able to enjoy the game with a pure heart. Heughed as he tried to regain the throne of the first ranked user. Well, it seemed like it was going to be difficult to regain the throne. Then he received a whisper from Hao.


    -Kraugel, are you still in Paonel Swamp?Do you want potions?


    After the National Competition. Kraugel unintentionally formed a force. Hao, Alexander, and numerous high rankers followed him. No, it happened because Kraugel¡¯s personality changed. The old Kraugel would¡¯ve stopped people from approaching him, but he couldn¡¯t do that anymore. It was due to Grid¡¯s influence. Kraugel watched Grid ying and enjoying the game with his colleagues and gradually changed his thinking.


    ¡°What? This weak expression? Isn¡¯t it out of ce?¡±


    It happened when Kraugel smiled pleasantly and was about to reply to Hao¡¯s whisper. A man with a haircut simr to a soldier appeared before Kraugel.


    "You haven¡¯t reached level 120 yet? This is a good opportunity. I will kill you often in the future.¡±


    ¡°Luck...!¡±


    Kraugel was upset. He never imagined that he would encounter one of the war god¡¯s soldiers in this low level hunting ground.


    "Haha, the sky Kraugel can make this expression?¡±


    Luckughed like it was funny and moved.


    Peeok!


    It was in an instant. Luck¡¯s fist struck Kraugel¡¯s face. Nine-tenths of Kraugel¡¯s health gauge disappeared in one blow.

 Chapter 490

    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You have be ¡®stunned¡¯.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Kraugel lost nine-tenths of his health in one blow. He endured the pain and hastily jumped back. Luck didn¡¯t bother going after him. He was confident that he could kill Kraugel at any time.


    "Level reset and stun resistance... Did you obtain a legendary ss? In particr, it¡¯s likely to be the first tier Sword Saint. Oh my, I need to tell Brother Ares to grow to the legendary rating quickly.¡±


    The top yers performed more quests than regr yers and their information gathering was excellent. In particr, the Ares Guild¡¯s main activity was invading and conquering cities, giving them many opportunities to gain old literature.


    They had already identified many features of a legendary ss.


    "Well, it was somewhat expected. Still, it¡¯s shocking that the immortal passive wasn¡¯t activated. Did you collect around 20 titles?¡±


    Even if Kraugel had titles that enhanced his health and defense, Luck was level 335. Kraugel was only just past level 100, so it was surprising that Luck couldn¡¯t kill him in one blow. Kraugel regained his expressionless face and opened his mouth.


    "I¡¯m not weak enough to fall because of a swordsman¡¯s punch. You have to pull out a sword to knock me down.¡±


    "Hahat, now you feel like Kraugel. That¡¯s right. Kraugel is prideful. It¡¯s because of this that people call you the sky above the sky. Do you know why I came?¡±


    ¡°It is funny to ask me that after attacking randomly. Don¡¯t you want my head?¡±


    "Yes, I am going to take your head. No just this time, but hundreds of times.¡±


    "...¡±


    Kraugel was constantly looking around while talking to Luck. He was looking for an exit.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way other than to use that rock.¡¯


    Kraugel noticed a rock rising in the middle of the swamp. He would make use of the White Light Steps that he learned again after bing a Sword Saint and leap for that rock. Movement speed fell by 90% in the swamp, so he judged that he could escape if he made it into the swamp.


    The problem was that the rock was 11 meters away. It was a distance he could reach with two consecutive White Light Steps, but the current Kraugel had low mana because of his level. It wasn¡¯t enough to use White Light Steps two times in a row.


    ¡®I need to take a mana potion the moment I use the first White Light Steps.¡¯


    The act of taking a potion out of the inventory while unleashing his footwork in the air. It wasn¡¯t easy. Among the top 10 yers, only four of them could pull it off. However, Kraugel had to perform this sequence of actions within 0.7 seconds. In order to reach the rock without falling into the swamp, it was necessary to link the second White Light Steps within 0.7 seconds of the first.


    "I¡¯m sorry. This is cowardly. Trying to keep you in check when you¡¯re weakened. It¡¯s truly shameful.¡±


    "...¡±


    "But you must understand my side. I can¡¯t just sit back and watch you be a threat to Ares. Three months. Endure it for three months. I will kill you for only three months.¡±


    It meant Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt for at least three months. This wasn¡¯t unusual behavior. There was an organization that focused on brutally harassing and crushing yers. In the past, there were many attempts on Kraugel. The best guilds hadn¡¯t known Kraugel¡¯s true strength at the time and tried to kill him to keep him in check.


    But at that time, Kraugel was stronger than anyone else. He destroyed all enemies and reigned at the top. However, things were different now. Now Kraugel was weak. Over time, he would be several times stronger than he was in the past. But right now, he was only level 109. Compared to the Grid of the past who took a year to reach level 89, Kraugel¡¯s level up speed was unmatched as he reached level 109 in a fortnight.


    ¡°What? There isn¡¯t any shaking at all? Haven¡¯t you thought about begging?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s face consistently remained emotionless, making it no fun for Luck. Then Kraugel asked him, "Are there any tigers who would shake because a dog is barking?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Luck¡¯s expressions twisted.


    Pahat!


    Kraugel immediately took action. He used White Light Steps, kicked off from the ground and moved at an angle that allowed him to enter sunlight. At the same time, Stealth was used. It was only for one second, but the effect was enough. Luck panicked as he lost Kraugel. Kraugel pulled out a mana potion and immediately used White Light Steps after drinking it.


    Swaeeeeek!


    Kraugel quickly crossed the swamp. He was about to step on the rock that was his destination when he heard Luck¡¯s voice in his ears.


    ¡°Oh my, amazing. I should¡¯ve expected this much.¡±


    Luck pulled out his sword and wielded it. A red aura stretched out in a straight line. The target was naturally Kraugel.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The swamp where the aura passed was shaking. If the depth was a little deeper, arge wave was likely to happen.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Kraugel leaned back in order to avoid it. The aura passed by the tip of his nose and copsed a tree on one side. Kraugel became dismayed. It was because the rock was caught in the storm of the aura and shattered.


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    Luckughed.


    He hoped that Kraugel would fall into the swamp. However, Kraugel easily broke his expectations. The level and stats were inferior to before, but Kraugel was Kraugel. He used his godly control to step on the fragments of the rock and quickly left the swamp.


    ¡°What?¡± Luck was astonished. He never imagined that Kraugel would move on the rocks flying through the air.


    Kraugel secured a safe distance from the swamp and dered to Luck, "Once I recover my strength, I will surely repay today¡¯s debt.¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Luck fired his aura again. But this was Kraugel. He used his Super Sensitivity passive and his innate abilities to avoid the aura and leave his position.


    "Damn! Where can I learn how to do that?¡±


    Luck had missed his target. The scream thatmented at his own stupidity echoed through the serene swamp.


    ***


    ¡®It was too dangerous.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯splexion was dark as he left the swamp and checked his status window. His stamina was on the verge of depletion. This was the sorrows of a low level.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    Kraugel was worried about Luck and decided to log out. The sky above the sky. The person praised as the sky above the sky was running away. Some people might be shocked about this. However, Kraugel didn¡¯t care. Unlike what people thought, he wasn¡¯t invincible.


    He had experienced defeat and running away numerous times. Of course, it was mainly from NPCs and monsters. He only had one experience of being defeated by a yer.


    ***


    ¡°Mother? You woke up early.¡± Kraugel panicked as he left his capsule and found his mother cooking in the kitchen. ¡°Leave this to the housekeeper. Why are you...?¡±


    His mother smiled at the worried Kraugel. It was a kind smile that warmed up the heart.


    ¡°I want to cook the son I love breakfast.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Thank you, thank you again. He felt thankful to his mother who fought against the illness. In addition, there was Grid and the Overgeared members who prayed for his mother¡¯s recovery. Kraugel was suddenly reminded of Grid.


    ¡®If Ares¡¯ forces continues expanding this way, it will be seen in one year.¡¯


    Kraugel was well aware that Overgeared was the strongest guild. But the Ares Guild was an army. They were more systematic and had powerful soldiers. Ares¡¯ wide area buff passive, originally used on the battlefield, was a fraudulent power that tilted the bnce. In addition, many of Ares¡¯ subordinates like Luck and Scott had threatened him in the past.


    ¡¯Luck is a level below Scott, but...¡¯


    He was believed to have the passive skill ¡®Unconditional Counterattack.¡¯ An absolute passive skill that couldn¡¯t be evaded, there was a 100% chance of a counterattack every time Luck was hit. He was likely to serve as a perfect counter to the Overgeared members, who had strong attack power.


    ¡¯In the end, I must grow quickly.¡¯


    Kraugel was sorry towards Grid, but he had no intention of joining Overgeared. But wasn¡¯t there a way for him to help without joining the guild? Of course there was. Kraugel set up a n to help Grid, and one of them was containing Ares¡¯ forces. Kraugel vowed that Ares¡¯ ¡®Plundering¡¯ skill would never include Grid and Overgeared as its targets.


    ¡®Before that, my position is a problem.¡¯


    His mother passed a bowl to the sighing Kraugel. Kraugel took a sip of the bubbling stew.


    ¡®Mother¡¯s taste... It¡¯s still the same.¡¯


    Kraugel blinked and gazed at his mother.


    ¡°Mother... You should leave the meals to the housekeeper.¡±


    "...¡±


    His mother had no talent in cooking.


    ***


    Luck barely escaped the swamp. He judged that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t have made it far with low agility and stamina, so he started to search the area. But Kraugel¡¯s trail was gone. Kraugel disappearedpletely without leaving any footprints behind.


    ¡°It seems like he logged out, but I can¡¯t figure out the location. Erasing all traces, isn¡¯t this at the level of an assassin?¡±


    No, there was nothing impossible for Kraugel. He was too universal.


    ¡®Nevertheless, Kraugel is dangerous. We can¡¯t leave him alone. But it will be hard to keep him in check with me alone... Damn, I need more people.¡¯


    Why did Luck cling to Kraugel? It was because he had a bad experience. In the past, Ares and his troops invaded a small town, only for Kraugel to receive a ¡®Protect¡¯ quest there. Kraugel grabbed their ankles and Luck realized it. A person with a strong power could be a danger at any time, simply by existing.


    Thus, Luck wanted to stop Kraugel from restoring his power. At least, he wanted to slow Kraugel down. It was all for the sake of the construction of the Ares Empire.


    ***


    Japan.


    Damian became an international star after the National Competition and was being interviewed. Normally he refused all interviews, so why did he specifically agree today? It was because the contents of the interview involved Grid.


    "Why do you think Grid registered in the rankings now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s proof. Grid is going to prove that his levelling speed is faster than others and show his greatness.¡±


    "Does it make sense to say that Grid¡¯s levelling speed is fast?¡±


    At the 2nd National Competition. ording to the report of an ¡®anonymous Korean yer¡¯ who partied with Grid in the siege, Grid was level 306 at that time.


    "It has been 16 days since the National Competition and Grid¡¯s level is the same. Doesn¡¯t this prove that his levelling speed is bad?¡±


    South Korea was ranked second in the National Competition and received a huge 27% experience buff. In addition, many ideal hunting grounds for level 300 yers had recently been released on arge scale. In this situation, Grid couldn¡¯t gain one level in the 45 days of gaming time. Anyone could see that his levelling abilities were terrible. It was normal to gain at least three levels in the past 16 days.


    Damian asked the reporter, ¡°Isn¡¯t Grid¡¯s currently level 307?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Wasn¡¯t it 306 this morning? "Ah, he must¡¯ve umted a lot of experience before registering in the rankings. It exins why his level went up in just half a day.¡±


    Damian hummed as the reported interpreted it arbitrarily.


    "You want to deny Grid¡¯s greatness, but I will tell you one truth.¡±


    ¡°Truth?¡±


    ¡°The 1st ce in the rankings will be upied by Grid.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    That evening. Damian¡¯s interview was released and Japan¡¯s websites heated up. Damian was used of being a Grid otaku who didn¡¯t know the world.

 Chapter 491

    ¡°Understood? First, Number 1 must unconditionally attack. You must attack the enemy and give them 0.3 seconds of stiffness. Certain victory! Do you understand?¡±


    Grid numbered every God Hand. It was to make them easier to distinguish and for a clearer and fastermand system. The God Hand with the +10 Mjolnir was number 1. A.k.a. the ¡®Captain¡¯ waved its finger. It was a gesture that it understood Grid¡¯s exnation. The problem was that it was the middle finger. Grid felt bad. However, he didn¡¯t bother pointing it out because he knew the God Hands had no malice.


    ¡°Number 2, 3, and 4, you will hit the target after number 1 in turn and just keep hitting it. Infinite stiffness! Okay? This is the default battle style when fighting a strong enemy.¡±


    The God Hands with the +7 Mjolnirs were 2, 3, and 4. The so-called ¡®soldiers¡¯ responded with a finger. It was also the middle finger. The God hands repeatedly bending and opening their middle fingers eventually caused Grid to be angry.


    ¡°If it¡¯s like this...¡±


    Grid decided that the God Hands needed better education. He also set a ¡®use only for this enemy¡¯ rule. It was an education that taught the God Hands to use a finger to taunt the enemies. It was a glimpse into Grid¡¯s dirty personality.


    The silently watching Braham asked, ¡®Why did youe to upy the 7th city? The 9th and 8th cities haven¡¯t been cleared yet.¡¯


    "Don¡¯t you know that the 9th city is a three story castle? Tiramet was the 1st floor boss there. There will clearly be more true blood vampires on the 2nd and 3rd floors, meaning it isn¡¯t early to clear alone. I¡¯m nning to challenge it with my colleagues at ater date.¡±


    ¡®The 9th city was once a fortress, so it has more troops than other cities. They are trivial, but... Then the 8th city?¡¯


    "I will start here and then go to the 8th city. In the first ce, is there a need to clear it in order?¡±


    Grid chose the 7th city for a simple reason. He was expecting a lot from lucky number 7.


    ¡°I feel like I can find a jackpot here.¡±


    He had a good feeling. Grid believed in his own intuition. Why?


    ¡¯I am the lucky person who obtained a +10 enhanced weapon!¡¯


    Right now, Grid believed he was the symbol of good luck rather than bad luck. He burned with enthusiasm as he entered the city. It was dark and silent.


    Kuoooooh!!


    There were a total of 13rge buildings where only the sound of birds crying could be heard. Looking at the scale, each building seemed to house at least 500 sleeping vampires. Grid once again confirmed his status window.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 307


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    Title: ...


    ...


    ...


    Strength: 2,880 (+160)


    Stamina: 1,356 (+230)


    Agility: 2,286 (+130)


    Intelligence: 1,227 (+340)


    Dexterity: 3,008 (+680)


    Persistence: 1,182 (+130)


    Composure: 768 (+130)


    Indomitable: 1,023 (+240)


    Dignity: 1,676 (+130)


    Insight: 1,516 (+130)


    Courage: 712 (+130)


    Demonic Power: 850


    Good Luck: 1


    Stat Points: 10


    ¡°Huhuhut!¡±


    Thanks to Sword Ghost and the four Mjolnirs all having legendary ratings, his stats had increased by 50 each. The btedly opened good luck stat didn¡¯t see the benefits, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡®Where is it?¡¯


    He wanted tough every time he saw the good luck stat.


    [Good Luck]


    The likelihood of lucky phenomenon will increase.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.


    The lucky phenomenon mentioned here probably meant the probability of positive effects urring, such as critical hit urrence, chance to avoid attacks, probability to obtain good items, and probability to enhance an item. Grid felt like he had the whole world.


    ¡®I will be the master of battle, luck, and enhancement in the future!¡¯


    Grid believed this with just 1 point in the good luck stat. He was feeling thrilled when Braham asked him a question.


    ¡®Why don¡¯t you raise your intelligence?¡¯


    The remaining stat points were irritating him.


    "Hrmm..."


    Grid was still troubled by it. First of all, should he adjust his strength and agility ratio to 1:1 to be a more powerful swordsman? Or he should invest the points into intelligence to learn new magic from Braham?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it naturally to raise intelligence? It¡¯s right to learn my great magic first.¡¯ Braham said after reading Grid¡¯s troubles.


    Grid would¡¯ve normally ignored it, but this time was different.


    ¡®Certainly...¡¯


    Since obtaining the four Mjolnirs, Grid could theoretically cause ¡®infinite stiffness.¡¯ The need to be obsessed with high level swordsmanship was gone. He could be more powerful by learning magic and improving his utility.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    Stats distribution couldn¡¯t be reversed. In the first ce, Braham¡¯s magic was uncertain. His intelligence needed to be at a minimum of 2,000 to learn basic magic. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to raise it that much.


    "Intelligence or agility... I will think about which one to raise some more.¡±


    Should he be a cksmith swordsman or a magic swordsman cksmith? The one that was the better choice, he would worry about it after umting morebat experience.


    The determined Grid entered the nearest building. Blue moonlight shone down through the cracked ceiling in the building. There were hundreds of coffins irregrly ced. Of course, vampires were asleep in the coffins. Hunting would be easier if the vampires could be woken up one by one, but that was impossible. The vampires in the coffin woke up the moment they heard amotion. n addition, Grid had no intention of such a leisurely hunt. Hunting quickly was the best shortcut for a huge leap in level!


    "Okay, shall we begin?"


    Grid breathed in deeply and signalled to the God Hands.


    ¡®Start!¡¯


    Braham was looking forward to it. How overwhelming would Grid be when ughtering the vampires with the enhanced weapons! In this solemn atmosphere, Grid started taking action.


    "Item!"


    ¡®...?¡¯


    ¡°Combi!"


    ¡®...??¡¯


    ¡°Nation!¡±


    ¡®...???¡¯


    Ttang!


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡®...¡¯


    Grid suddenly squatted in front of the vampire coffins. It was absurd enough to pour cold water on the serious atmosphere as Grid pulled out the portable furnace and hammered with the God Hands. No, it was beyond absurd. Sitting down alone in the middle of enemy territory?


    ¡®This person really isn¡¯t sane...¡¯


    It was a moment of misunderstanding because Braham didn¡¯t know about Item Combination yet. The +9 Failure which had been the best weapon just three days ago and the +7 Sword Ghost were reborn at Grid¡¯s fingertips. It was a blue-ck de that resembled a shark. It wasn¡¯t cool, but the power was fearsome.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Suuuk.


    Under the moonlight. Grid moved in an impressive manner and performed an advanced sword dance. His eyes that shone in the darkness were sharp and unshaken.


    ¡°Linked Wave Kill.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The blue and ck energies tangled together. At the same time, a strong explosion shook the earth as energy waves moved in all directions and covered the vampires sleeping in the coffins.


    [A junior vampire was destroyed.]


    [A junior vampire was destroyed.]


    [4,931,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [4,915,500 experience has been acquired.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [7,054,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [6,998,000 experience has been acquired.]


    The vampires enjoying their sleep inside the coffins were killed. Dozens of vampires screamed without knowing why. Linked Kill Wave only unleashed a total of 8 Kills, but Grid used the explosion to cause massive ssh damage. Grid was filled with joy as he confirmed the quickly filling experience gauge.


    ¡°Good! It¡¯s the start of my giant level up!¡±


    ¡®...Fairly good.¡¯


    Braham felt admiration. For vampires, the coffin wasn¡¯t just a bedroom, but a protective tool as well. To ensure their safety while sleeping, the coffins had high durability and gave the vampires high defense. Yet the presence of the coffin was moot to Grid as he killed the sleeping vampires. Braham realized that thebination of weapons and Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was more powerful than he thought.


    On the other hand.


    ¡°How dare a human do this?¡±


    "Our kinsmen!!"


    "Rotten bastard! Attacking sleeping vampires!¡±


    The vampires woke up at the noise and were outraged when they saw the situation. Sharp fangs flooded towards Grid. The true blood vampire was at the forefront. He was a noble. The baron grade true blood vampire, Kri. His overall stats were weak, but he had a huge 5,000 agility.


    ¡°Insignificant human! I will kill you when you¡¯re unaware!¡±


    Peeng!


    Kri used a vampire¡¯s unique blood magic to increase his speed. He was fast enough that Grid couldn¡¯t follow him with the eyes. He approached Grid instantly and wielded his nails that were sharper than a knife. At that moment. The God Hand holding the +10 Mjolnir swung at him.


    ¡°Bah! Slow!¡±


    Kri tilted his head slightly to the side. From his point of view, he was avoiding the attack of the slow God Hand. However, it was different from what he intended. The Magic Detection (Enhanced) attached to the Mjolnir pursued him stubbornly.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Keok?¡±


    Just before his nails pierced Grid¡¯s heart. Kri coughed up blood and paused. Therge golden hammer had urately hit his back.


    ¡®W-What is this?¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he avoid it?


    ¡®Why couldn¡¯t I avoid such a slow attack?¡¯


    Kri was feeling confused when the rest of the God Hands holding the +7 Mjolnirs hit him in session.


    Peok!Peok!Peok!Peok!Peok!


    ¡°Ugh! Eek! Keok! Eek! Ugh!¡±


    [The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has hit the target. The target will be rigid for 0.3 seconds. The target is a demonkin. Further damage is applied.]


    [The +7 Mjolnir has hit the target. The target will be rigid for 0.1 seconds. The target is a demonkin. Further damage is applied.]


    [The +7 Mjolnir has hit the target. The target will be rigid for 0.1 seconds. The target is a demonkin. Further damage is applied.]


    [The target will be rigid for 0.1 sec...]


    [The target will be rigid for 0.3 sec...]


    It was perfect. Infinite stiffness! Grid aimed at Kri, who was bleeding from being continuously hit.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kri had been turning his head to the left and right while being beaten by the hammers. He was hit by a powerful stab that prated the heart and couldn¡¯t even scream as he died. The cumtive damage from Mjolnir was too great.


    [The Vampire Baron Kri has been destroyed.]


    [180,909,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Vampire¡¯s Pajamas has been acquired!]


    ¡¯Pajamas?¡¯


    It was a doubtful item. However, he had no time to confirm the information of the acquired item. Once the true blood vampire died, the angry vampires went on the offensive. Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, to hit all the vampires around him and buy time. The God Hands approached the vampires in this gap.


    "Kek!"


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    The vampires became rigid whenever they were struck by a golden hammer full of divine power. The stiffness had the effect of cancelling offensive motions and skill casting. Therefore, under the protection of the Mjolnirs, Grid had an absolute area of protection around him. The absolute domain where no counterattacks were possible. It was truly great efficiency. The God Hands consumed no resources. There was no skill cooldown time.


    The current Grid. He was unbeatable in closebat. He was able to ughter all vampires in the 7th city at a rapid pace. It was an ignorant and cruel way of killing with the hammers.


    ***


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The South Korean media and Intemunities around the world fell into chaos. Grid was level 307st night and now he was level 309.

 Chapter 492

    It was exactly 23 hours. Grid had gained two levels.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    ¡°This is nonsense!¡±


    The world was overturned. The Satisfy experts, journalists, and people all over the world noticed itte. No one could understand Grid¡¯s levelling speed. It was natural. How much time did it take level 300 yers to gain one level? The average was 10 days. It was also thanks to the newly discovered hunting grounds. Before that, it took 20 days to gain one level. Of course, this was on a real time basis. This was on the premise that they maintained their hunting time while sleeping.


    However, Grid gained two levels in one day. It was a speed that couldn¡¯t be epted. It brokemon sense.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, even considering the experience buff.¡±


    ¡°But Grid is very big. He¡¯s in a position to use various special items. Who knows? He might be sweeping through the monsters because he made items that greatly increased the speed of hunting.¡±


    "No, that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    The experts calcted it. How could a level 307 user raise two levels in 23 hours? He needed to ughter monsters that gave at least ¡®3 million experience¡¯ at a rate of 1 per minute.


    China¡¯s hunting expert, Panda Dagger, held a press conference.


    "For a level 307~308 user, they must hunt level 320 monsters to gain 3 million experience from each one. Look at the table I prepared. It has the average health and defense figures of the level 320 monsters revealed to date. As you can see, they have a lot of health and high defense. There¡¯s no need to talk about theirbat strength.¡±


    Hunting these monsters in one minute?


    "It isn¡¯t possible even for Grid. He might be able to hunt one or two instantly with the ultimate weapon, but he can¡¯t keep killing one every minute.¡±


    Even if it was possible, Satisfy had the concept of stamina. Once stamina was depleted, a user couldn¡¯t lift their fingers. Rankers with high stamina and a fast stamina recovery rate still had to take breaks every four hours when hunting. But Grid didn¡¯t seem to take a break. This was assuming that he killed level 320 monsters.


    But what was the truth? Grid also had to rest while hunting. He couldn¡¯t avoid the pressure of consumed stamina. The reason he could maintain such a fast levelling speed...


    [A junior vampire was destroyed.]


    [4,951,000 experience has been acquired.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [7,254,300 experience has been acquired.]


    [A senior vampire was destroyed.]


    [11,000,050 experience has been acquired.]


    [The True Blood vampire Pok has been destroyed!]


    [59,970,111 experience has been acquired.]


    In the 7th city, the average level of the vampires was 300~360. Vampires were ssified as a top species, so they gave much more experience than monsters of the same level. Among them, the true blood vampires were special. The quasi-boss monsters were generally perceived as difficult to solo raid and gave several times more experience.


    This meant that Grid was hunting monsters much stronger than the experts were analyzing. It was also on a per minute basis. Sometimes it was in seconds!


    ¡°Nyahahat! Take this super ultra punch from the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!¡±


    Dok.


    Noe¡¯s paws hit a vampire¡¯s forehead. It was a light punch. He called it the super ultra punch. But after a moment.


    ¡°Kyaaack~¡±


    The vampire rolled over and screamed. It was because Noe¡¯s ws suddenly swiped his face.


    ¡®Memphis... The great demon¡¯s pet is evil.¡¯


    Braham tsked. The memphis dered it was a ¡®punch¡¯ to try the opponent.


    ¡®Cute... Truly adorable. Now I know why the great demons value a memphis so much.¡¯


    He would like to raise one of his own. The moment Braham thought this.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Puok!


    Randy, who copied Grid¡¯s appearance, and Grid used the same skill.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The vampires witnessed their kin dying and rushed over. However, they couldn¡¯t easily approach due to the God Hands¡¯ hammers.


    ¡°What is this...!?¡±


    Unavoidable hammers! Once hit by one, they were hurt and then hit again. The golden hammers filled with divine power were threatening.


    ¡°The kids are too far away. I understand why hunting high intelligence monsters is avoided.¡±


    Grid wanted to increase his hunting speed. But the vampires shrank back from the Mjolnirs and didn¡¯t approach quickly. They used the pirs, stairs, ceilings, etc inside the building as defenses. Grid decided it would take too long chasing them to defeat.


    ¡°Assimtion.¡±


    Magic power gathered. Grid¡¯s wide shoulders and thick forearms started to gradually change. His jawline became tapered and his ck hair was as white as snow.


    [Your ss is now Great Magician.]


    [The list of avable skills has changed.]


    [You have lost control of your body for 3 minutes.]


    ¡°Fakes with no real value.¡±


    Only the nine vampires directly born from Shizo Beriache deserved to call themselves vampires.


    Ssik!


    The white-haired Gridughed and stretched out a hand towards the ceiling. He fired the master level Magic Missile (Enhanced).


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    "Kyaak!"


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    The vampires hanging like bats on the ceiling couldn¡¯t avoid the bombardment of white magic power and fell to the ground. In the midst of the rain of blood and debris, the white-haired Grid shone with a red light. His merciless eyes caused all the vampires in the hall to be frozen.


    "Great blood...!¡±


    ¡°T-The smell of nobility!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a human? The vampires were confused.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The white-haired Grid wore Mcus¡¯ Cloak, the Holy Light Crown, and the ck Quartz Earrings that increased intelligence by 15%. Intelligence went over 2,000 and the master level Fireball (Enhanced) was fired in all directions. The magical bombardment borrowed the power of the Ring of Absurdity, which reduced all resource consumption by half, in order to disy an overwhelming bombardment.


    Kurururung!


    ¡°Aaaaack!¡±


    The vampires screamed echoed through the burning building. It was the moment that the 7th vampire city was turned upside down.


    ¡°What?¡±


    "The enemy is invading!!"


    The 13 buildings scattered throughout the city. Once themotion was heard, all the vampires woke up and poured out of the buildings. There were thousands of them. Grid barely secured his safety in the midst of the ruined building and his eyes widened.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Thousands of vampires covered the city! The duration of Assimtion ended as Grid was thinking.


    ¡°What is this...? This is crazy! Why don¡¯t you act moderately!?¡± He wanted to speed up his hunting, but not to this extent. "Why did you destroy the building?¡±


    Grid shouted towards Braham, who carefully asked, ¡®Are you unable to deal with it?¡¯


    Grid replied immediately.


    ¡°Of course! Damn!¡±


    Dealing with thousands of vampires at once? This was Grid, not Kraugel. No, even Kraugel couldn¡¯t deal with this situation alone.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    ¡°Aish! Let¡¯s move to a narrow ce!¡±


    Grid used the ¡®absolute protection¡¯ made by the God Hands and quickly ran away.


    ¡°Kahahahat!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun to watch the little bug running away!¡±


    The vampires were excited about seeing prey after a long time and chased him. Their sharp nails and fangs aimed for Grid.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°What...!¡±


    The hands of a legendary cksmith. The God Hands skillfully swung the hammers and blocked most of the vampires¡¯ attacks. But the problem was magic. Mjolnir couldn¡¯t block magic.


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Magic poured from the vampires chasing Grid.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Grid was wearing the Holy Light set, but it was virtually impossible to be safe after being hit with hundreds of spells. In the first ce, vampires were strong. If Grid was a normal level 300 ranker, it would be impossible for him to deal with more than five at a time. Thousands of them chased him, making the crisis tremendous. His health started going down quickly.


    ¡®Shit...! I nned to save this for the city¡¯s boss!¡¯


    It was unavoidable due to Braham¡¯s trolling. Grid decided there was only one way to break through this crisis and used the new skill he acquired in return for making the 15th legendary item.


    ¡°Item Transformation!¡±


    [Item Transformation]


    A skill that can be triggered if the legendary mineral ¡®pavranium¡¯ is possessed.


    It transforms the pavranium into the shape and performance of a specific item.


    * It can only transform into items you have learned how to make.


    * The duration of the transformation is 3 minutes. After the transformation is released, the pavranium will return to its original form.


    Skill Mana Cost: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.


    [What item do you want to turn the pavranium into?]


    Before he could answer, Grid coughed up blood as he was hit by a magic spell andmanded all the God Hands.


    ¡°Throw your Mjolnirs!¡±


    Hwiririk!


    At the same time. The God Hands ced their fingers in the red cord attached to the bottom of the handles and threw them in unison. Then...


    Peok!


    Pepepepeok!


    The ¡®increased eleration when throwing¡¯ option made the Mjolnirs more powerful as they flew through the vampires. Multiple grey-colored pirs show up among the vampires and Grid¡¯s experience gauge rose noticeably. ¡®It would be great if it did wide area divine damage... Ah, isn¡¯t Mjolnir a weapon of the God of Thunder?¡¯ If he added the lightning attribute with the ure stone, he would be able to apply lightning damage with wide area damage.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be really invincible if I add electric shock to the rigid state?¡¯


    Grid thought about it while giving an answer for what he wanted the hands to turn into.


    ¡°Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡±


    It was a fake, but it was still based on the divine artifact of Reba, the goddess of light. The pavranium material meant it even moved on its own.


    "Go!"


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The four God Hands turned into holy spears that pierced the vampire¡¯s formation. At the same time, notification windows announcing the death of the vampires were updated in Grid¡¯s vision.


    ***


    "So what are you trying to im?¡±


    "Do you have doubts about Grid¡¯s abnormal levelling speed?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe Grid to be a bugged yer like the Inte rumors?¡±


    The press conference held by Panda Dagger. The atmosphere grew heated as the reporter¡¯s questions started pouring in. Panda Dagger smiled with satisfaction as he got numerous people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°There is no bug in Satisfy, which is managed by the supeputer Morpheus. Even if there was a bug, is Grid stupid enough to reveal it? I want to talk about the existence of the Reputation Store.¡±


    ¡°Reputation Store...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A fantasy store that only the top yers on the continent can use! It¡¯s obvious that Grid bought experience buff potions from there! He¡¯s able to level up at this speed by ovepping the experience potions with the experience buff of the National Competition!¡±


    It was a reasonable guess.


    "But in order to obtain an experience buff potion, he must make use of the shop¡¯s drawing items system. It¡¯s very difficult to obtain an experience buff potion because the probability is low. It¡¯s impossible for Grid to obtain a lot of experience potions, even if he invested all his reputation.¡±


    In other words.


    ¡°The myth of Grid¡¯s levelling is now over. The moment the experience potions run out, he will be like any normal ranker... No, his level up speed will be much slower.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    The analysis of an expert was different. Panda¡¯s reasoning seemed correct and the reporters started to write it down. The stimting headline ¡®Grid¡¯s levelling myth is just a dream of one night¡¯ started to spread on the Inte sites of each country.

 Chapter 493

    ¡°Ah, this is the case.¡±


    The secret of Grid¡¯s leveling up speed was the ¡®experience buff potion¡¯ obtained from the Reputation Store. The moment that all the potions were consumed, Grid¡¯s levelling speed would return to normal. In addition, it was estimated to be very soon. The chance of obtaining an experience buff potion from the so-called ¡®drawing game¡¯ was less than 1%, making it hard to secure inrge quantities. The number of experience buff potions that Grid had was very limited.


    People who read these articles felt refreshed. The question of Grid¡¯s nonsensical levelling speed was solved. After feeling relieved, they felt deceived.


    -It¡¯s really nice that it isn¡¯t a bug.The game is truly without bugs.And God Grid is a bit ahead.


    -What ahead~ He is just relying on potions in the end~


    -ss, items, and now potions -_-;; He really only depends on systems.


    -Based on the content of the article, Grid¡¯s levelling speed is very low without the experience buff potions.


    -He was level 306 during the National Competition and it was the same a fortnightter.


    -Without the potions, Grid¡¯s ranking would be lower.


    -Grid is relying on potions and taking positions away from the poor rankers.


    -Right now it might be unfair, but don¡¯t the rankers also have ess to the Reputation Store?They can also rise if they obtain experience buff potions like Grid.


    -Grid will be pushed out of the top 100 rankings ???


    -Grid might not even be in the top one billion. ?? He has an inferiorityplex when looking at people better than him.His standard is really low.


    -In the first ce, why is Grid obsessed with the rankings?Didn¡¯t he almost beat Kraugel?


    -No.I would be obsessed with the rankings if I was Grid.No matter how strong you are, what does it matter if you aren¡¯t ranked?


    -Rather than such a simple reason, I think there is significance to being 1st ranked.After fighting so well in the National Competition, he eventually lost to Kraugel.I think he wants to win in the rankings.


    -He is human garbage ?? Trying to take the crown when Kraugel is absent.


    -I just got goosebumps.Right now, most of the people ming Grid or talking sarcastically are Koreans.


    -It seems that the country has forgotten that they got the experience buff thanks to Grid being active in the National Competition.Koreans are truly...


    -Kek?Who knows if Grid fought for South Korea?Grid was purely trying to get rewards and the experience buff. ??


    -Look at you.Really disgusting.


    -Don¡¯t misunderstand.It isn¡¯t all Koreans saying this, just a small number of Koreanizens.What country doesn¡¯t have jerks?


    The Satisfymunities were talking about Grid. There was someone who looked at the Inte and became angry. Was it the Grid worshipping Damian? No. Recently, Damian was very busy with events rted to the Reba Church. He had no time to check the Inte. Then was it the Grid worshipping Lauel? No. Lauel was too busy with Siren-rted tasks and didn¡¯t care about the Inte.


    Then who was furious? It was Sehee. Grid¡¯s little sister.


    ¡°Unscrupulous people...¡±


    Sehee was well aware of the habits ofizens who humiliated and mocked people. But she couldn¡¯t ept it since this was her brother. He was the one who raised South Korea¡¯s honor, but their attitude changed as soon as the National Competition was over? Sehee hated and resented theizens who always treated people rudely.


    "Of course, I know only some people are like that.¡±


    However, it was still enough to hurt the person involved. In fact, right now her brother was...


    "Why do I like pork more than beef?¡±


    Grid had finallye out of the capsule after hunting all day. Sehee was worried as she watched him put sizzling pork into his mouth without stopping.


    ¡®How much stress is he under to binge eat like this?¡¯


    Her brother looked like a toad as his cheeks bulged from all the food. In the end, Sehee decided.


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    "Yum yum. Huh?¡±


    ¡°I will help you.¡±


    ¡°Gulp. What?¡±


    "Oppa¡¯s hunting.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sehee had her CSATs right in front of her. (University exams)


    She should be studying. Why did she suddenly want to help him with his hunting? Unlike Sehee¡¯s worries, Grid was confused because he didn¡¯t know the Inte situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to study?¡±


    "I¡¯m smart. I can get into any university I want without studying any more.¡±


    She said this, but Grid was well aware. He knew how hard Sehee had been studying her whole life. The origins of this confidence wasn¡¯t overconfidence in her brain, but pride in her efforts. He didn¡¯t want that effort toe to nothing.


    ¡°Cut it out. Don¡¯t interfere in my critical period when I¡¯m raising my level.¡±


    "...¡±


    Sehee¡¯s heart warmed. He was someone who was more angry and irritable than anyone she knew. The current mature appearance of her brother who wanted to solve everything alone was wonderful and also sad. If he had a girlfriend to rely on...


    ¡®What a pity...¡¯


    For the sake of her brother who didn¡¯t have a girlfriend despite his power and status, she would work hard. Sehee became determined.


    ¡°No. For me, family is more important than university.¡±


    During the time when her brother was unemployed, she put entering a good university as a top priority because she had to take care of her brother. But not anymore. She didn¡¯t have to be her brother¡¯s nest. Now her brother was the nest and she had an obligation to protect the nest until she was independent.


    ¡°I will show you the power of a Saintess.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± What was this? "Gulp."


    Grid couldn¡¯t help swallowing his saliva as he saw the motivation burning in Sehee¡¯s eyes.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s n to attack the 7th city was virtually a failure. He beat the city boss, but it took 6 hours more than he nned. Thanks to that, his levelling speed was much slower than expected. Of course, Braham was to me.


    "If you hadn¡¯t destroyed the building...¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    Braham would¡¯veughed or be angry at Grid if the situation was normal. He wasn¡¯t bold enough after knowing what Grid had gone through while fleeing from thousands of vampires. No, he was brazen enough to do that, but not to Grid. He actually liked Grid.


    ¡°Sigh, truly a troll.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it Braham¡¯s fault that he was defeated by Kraugel in the National Competition? The fact that Kraugel could treat his mother¡¯s illness was good, but Grid couldn¡¯t deny that it was Braham¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Troll. Troll. Troll.¡±


    Braham questioned Grid.


    ¡®Troll? Why am I a troll?¡¯


    Braham didn¡¯t know the meaning of Inte trolling. Gridughed as he recalled the troll monsters.


    ¡°You are slow. You fool.¡±


    ¡®Do it moderately!¡¯


    In the end, Braham could no longer tolerate it. If he had a body, he would¡¯ve angrily pulled Grid¡¯s hair. As the two people were arguing, they arrived at the entrance of the 8th city. There were people who weed them. Saintess Sehee (Ruby) and Saintess¡¯ Knight Yerim (Sexy Schoolgirl).


    ¡°Youngwoo oppa!¡±


    This was a high school student? Yerim, who had a more enchanting atmosphere about her, came running towards Grid.


    ¡°Ummm...¡±


    Grid used to see Yerim as just a ¡®kid,¡¯ but that now changed. He could feel that Yerim was a woman. The cause was the size. The detailed description will be omitted. While Grid was feeling shocked, Braham flinched when he observed Sehee and Yerim.


    ¡¯What? What is this divine power of these girls?¡¯


    ¡®Be careful how you speak. One of them is my little sister.¡¯


    ¡¯...What are these women? They aren¡¯t Reba¡¯s Daughters, so why do they have such strong divine power? Furthermore, the shape of this divine power...¡¯


    Grid replied to the nervous Braham.


    ¡¯They are a Saintess and a Saintess¡¯ Knight.¡¯


    ¡®Saintess!¡¯


    Braham was beyond shocked. It was an unexpected reaction for Grid.


    ¡®What is it? Is being a Saintess that surprising?¡¯


    ¡®Saintess...!¡¯


    The moment Braham wanted to exin. Sehee barely removed Yerim clinging to Grid and urged them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes.¡±


    Grid, Sehee and Yerim formed a party immediately before entering the 8th city. Grid was surprised when he saw their levels in the party information window.


    ¡°Level 180? Why is it so high? Don¡¯t you only y on the weekends?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it easy to raise your level? Of course, it would be difficult to raise it to Oppa¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    In the past, Grid only reached level 80 in a year despite spending most of his time ying the game. Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl didn¡¯t know the game and didn¡¯t spend a lot of time ying, so their levelling speed gave him a huge shock. Yerim linked her arm with his.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! You have to get on the bus!¡±


    Bus. In online games, it meant high level yers helping low level yers raised their level. It felt like the situation was reversed, but Grid thought it was an appropriate term. When Grid, Sehee, and Yerim were in a party, Grid would monopolize most of the experience from the monsters. It was due to the difference in levels.


    Of course, Sehee and Yerim also knew this. They purely joined this party to help Grid.


    ***


    People learned the secret to Grid¡¯s levelling speed thanks to Panda Dagger¡¯s analysis. Grid¡¯s levelling speed would drop little by little. It was a result of roughly calcting Grid¡¯s reputation and how many experience buff potions he would¡¯ve obtained.


    "Grid was gaining two levels per day until yesterday.¡±


    "Starting today, it might be hard to gain one level.¡±


    ¡°Soon his ranking will fall.¡±


    Everyone was sure of it. However, the result was different from what they expected.


    [(Breaking News) Grid gained three levels today!]


    "...??"


    Panda Dagger¡¯s reputation as the best hunting expert fell to the floor. No, it crashed into the underworld. usations from all over the world poured towards him and even the Chinese called him an embarrassment. The experts in other fields saw it and clicked their tongues.


    "Yes, you¡¯re analyzing Grid.¡±


    They had learned from experience not to applymon sense to Grid.


    ***


    "Bah, you were negative towards Grid, and in the end, suffered like this.¡±


    There was one person who was interested in this matter from the beginning and kept watch. Heughed at Panda Dagger. That person was punching bag... No, it was the former 2nd ranked Zibal. He was a true hunting expert, unlike the theory-poor Panda Dagger, and epted Grid¡¯s hunting speed.


    ¡®However, it¡¯s on the premise that two high level priests are hired.¡¯


    Was it that easy to hire a senior priest from the Reba Church? Enormous achievements and money were required to have the qualifications to hire one. Not even Zibal had achieved it.


    ¡®But it¡¯s possible for Grid.¡¯


    Zibal envied Grid. But he wasn¡¯t jealous and focused on his own path. He was confident after gaining a new power. He wouldn¡¯t worry. He was looking towards the distant future.

 Chapter 494

    [You have entered the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (8).]


    [The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]


    [You can¡¯t escape the dungeon until you have died or kill the dungeon boss.]


    "Hehe, this is the instant dungeon that I¡¯ve only heard about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apletely separate space that isn¡¯t tied to another? I¡¯m d there will be no other people around.¡±


    "There are no men to feel inspired by... Mmmm~ Well, it¡¯s nice that I won¡¯t be disturbed on my date with Youngwoo oppa!¡±


    It was Sehee and Yerim¡¯s first time in an instant dungeon. Grid became nervous at their excitement.


    ¡°You reached level 180 without entering an instant dungeon? Have you done a proper raid?¡±


    "Our gamey time was too short. We had to avoid content that required investing a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d the first experience is with Oppa. Another first time with Oppa...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will teach you how to drink next year.¡±


    "Ah~ That isn¡¯t the first time I am talking about.¡±


    "Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°Oof! Oof oof!!¡±


    Yerim stomped her feet and waved her arms after Sehee blocked her mouth. Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing as he watched them.


    ¡®It is nice to see they are getting along. I hope they keep this innocence.¡¯


    ¡®Idiot.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Insulting him all of a sudden? Grid became angry at Braham¡¯s words.


    ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t it very dark?¡±


    Sehee barely calmed Yerim down and opened her mouth. The city didn¡¯t receive any light, not allowing her to see inside it. In this state, it was likely they would be defenseless against attacks from monsters. Sehee wanted to use light magic until she heard Grid¡¯s words.


    "Over time, you will gradually adapt to the darkness. It¡¯s easy to be the target of monsters if we turn on the light. It is better to go slowly.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim admired the advice that was based on Grid¡¯s experience. They believed that Grid¡¯s was the world¡¯s best yer, making his words usible.


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim¡¯s eyes shone likenterns as they gazed at him. It was a lot of pressure for Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ Making a mistake in front of his sister... ¡¯I have to maintain my pride as the older brother. Braham, please support me well. Understood?¡¯


    ¡®...¡¯


    Braham replied with silence to Grid¡¯s request. He had been less talkative since entering the city. It was as if he was hiding his existence.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t want to scold you. Why are you acting like this?¡¯


    Braham was surprised to learn that Sehee was a Saintess. Did he have bad memories to do with a Saintess?


    ¡®Indeed, in the first ce, the name of a Saintess is fatal for demonkin.¡¯


    Grid thought about it as he moved forward. The monsters that appeared before they arrived at the city were the vampires¡¯ familiars. In an ordinary situation, he would move forward without hesitation. However, he was now together with Sehee and Yerim. In order to keep them out of danger, Grid moved as carefully as possible, slowing down his speed.


    "...¡±


    The silence continued. Grid carefully lead the way while Sehee and Yerim silently followed him. The atmosphere naturally became heavy and tense. Sehee and Yerim realized it again as they saw the serious Grid.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. The monsters here are at least level 300.¡¯


    ¡¯We might be holding Oppa back rather than helping him. We have to be careful not to be a burden.¡¯


    They controlled their excited minds. Sehee and Yerim were clever girls, so they avoided doing anything that would be a nuisance to Grid. They responded to Grid¡¯s cautious attitude.


    "...¡±


    How much time passed? As their eyes became ustomed to the darkness, the structure of the city started toe into view.


    Kyaooooh!


    The big-teeth wolves sensed the approach of humans and waited for Grid¡¯s group to arrive. The timing was perfect and Sehee and Yerim were caught byplete surprise. Even some level 300 rankers would panic!


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Sehee hurriedly raised the +7 Wooden Staff. It was to protect her body from the wolves¡¯ ws. Saintess¡¯ Knight Yerim immediately used the skill ¡®Sacrifice for Saintess¡¯ in order to receive the damage instead of Sehee. But their actions were meaningless. Grid¡¯s actions were much faster than theirs.


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    Peok!


    Kyaooooh!


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 3. When deactivated, it increased Grid¡¯s attack power by 32%, the chance of a critical attack by 22% and the damage of a critical attack by 15%. When activated, it allowed him to use active skills such as Kill, Link, and Transcend.


    In other words, Grid¡¯s swordsmanship was extremely powerful even with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship deactivated. It was a disaster for the targets he judged were so weak that he didn¡¯t need to use active skills. The wolf about to attack Sehee were struck by Grid¡¯s sword and its health fell sharply. The wolves started to run away.


    Grid didn¡¯t miss any experience. He had the God Hands chase them and finish them off.


    Bam bam bam!


    The golden hammers smashed at the wolves¡¯ head like a garlic mill. The sight was cruel and overwhelming. Sehee and Yerim felt admiration.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    "A strong monster was defeated easily! So cool!¡±


    Grid shrugged it off. "They¡¯re pretty weak. They¡¯re the familiars of the weakest vampires living in the city.¡±


    The real fight was after entering the city.


    "I will protect you. Don¡¯t fall too far behind, stick together, and follow me.¡±


    "...¡±


    Sehee and Yerim¡¯s expressions stiffened at the same time. They realized that they were already a burden to Grid. It was uneptable. They came here to help him, not interfere!


    "No, Oppa just needs to look in front.¡±


    "We will take care of ourselves. Oppa just needs to hunt.¡±


    They weren¡¯t weak people who couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Sehee had the passive skill Upright Heart that blocked the ess of the demonkin and undead. In addition, Saintess¡¯ Knight Yerim had strong attacks that would hold off the enemies as much as possible. At the very least, they could protect themselves.


    In the first ce.


    "The vampires won¡¯t be able to pay attention to us. Holy Weapon. Holy Impact. Holy Armor. Holy Explosion.¡±


    [Divine damage has been added to party leader ¡®Grid. This willst for 5 minutes.]


    [Divine ssh damage is applied every time party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ attacks. This willst for 3 minutes.]


    [Additional defense against evil will be added to party leader ¡®Grid.¡¯ This willst for 5 minutes.]


    [There will be an explosion of divine fire every time party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ attacks.] This willst for 2 minutes.]


    ¡¯Ssh damage? Explode?¡¯


    It was different in many ways from Huroi¡¯s buffs. The effect?


    ¡®Well... I can¡¯t expect much.¡¯


    Sehee was only level 180. She was an excellent healer due to the percentage heal, but as a buffer? He didn¡¯t have any great expectations. In fact, the additional bonus damage shown in the status window was only 500. It meant he could do a fixed 500 damage to the undead and demonkin whenever he attacked. The effect of cumtive damage was undeniable, but it didn¡¯t have a dramatic effect. It was honestly patheticpared to the 3,800 divine damage of the +10 Mjolnir.


    But he wasn¡¯t disappointed. He was just grateful that his sister was thinking of him and working hard.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m starting.¡±


    Grid entered the city. He stood in front of a building that was like a cathedral. There were around 400 coffins in the building. It was fewer than the buildings in the 7th city, which had at least 500 coffins.


    ¡®This is better.¡¯


    Too many vampires meant it was difficult to protect his sister.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid acted without hesitation. In order to reduce as much vampires as possible while they were sleeping, he used Linked Kill Wave.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The vampires sleeping in the coffins received a storm of damage. Many vampires died and the others that woke up flew at Grid. Grid brandished his sword as usual at the vampires. Then he was shocked.


    [You have dealt 6,730 damage to a junior vampire.]


    [The effect of Holy Impact deals an addition 500 damage to all ¡®evil¡¯ targets within 5 meters of the target hit.]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Originally, ssh damage had a narrow range. It was natural. A convenient wide area damage that could attack multiple enemies without a single loss of damage? It was aplete scam. The bnce would copse. Sehee¡¯s Holy Impact was one that could copse the bnce. Currently, she only added 500 holy damage. But what if she raised the skill level and did damage in the thousands?


    Imagine it...


    ¡®Dealing wide area damage with every hit? It¡¯s crazy. Really crazy.¡¯


    A vampire approached while Grid was in shock and scratched him.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 3,300 damage.]


    [The target that attacked is evil. Holy Explosion will return half of the damage received.]


    Peeng!


    "Kyaak!"


    The vampire who attacked Grid suffered from a sudden explosion of light. On the other hand, Grid was fine.


    [Saintess Ruby has restored your health.]


    ¡®This is a scam.¡¯


    It was looking at it objectively, not because she was his sister. At this moment, Grid realized that he was mistaken when he thought he fully understood the value of Saintess Sehee. Yes, he was mistaken.


    [Saintess Ruby has used Holy Weapon and Holy Impact on the God Hand (1).]


    [The God Hand (1) has attacked a junior vampire.]


    [The effect of the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has dealt 3,800 divine damage to the target.]


    [The effect of Holy Weapon has dealt 500 divine damage to the target.]


    [The effect of Holy Impact deals an addition 3,800 + 500 damage to all ¡®evil¡¯ targets within 5 meters of the target hit.]


    ¡°...Hup!¡±


    The result of adding the power of a Saintess to the God Hands was amazing. The effect was remarkable enough to break themon sense of mon sense destroyer¡¯ Grid. Grid was so surprised that he huped.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Once Holy Weapon and Holy Impact was granted to the God Hands, they ran wild and started ying the vampires. It was the moment when Grid¡¯s hunting speed became at least six times faster.

 Chapter 495

    ¡°Wow... There is unconditional wide area divine damage.¡±


    Holy Weapon added 500 divine damage to every strike he made. The effect of Holy Impact was overwhelming. Dealing 100% of the divine damage to all evil targets in a 5 meter radius. This result transcendedmon sense. Every time Mjolnir smashed a vampire, four to nine vampires around it suffered from divine damage at the same time. It meant he had the power to harm not one enemy in one blow, but multiple enemies.


    However, it was a strength with many preconditions, such as the target needing to be evil and to possess divine power. It was truly perfect if these preconditions could be established. Currently, Grid established all the preconditions.


    The vampire city and Mjolnir. Everything was perfect.


    "Kyaak!"


    "Kuaaaak!"


    Kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    A white light exploded whenever Mjolnir was swung. The pained screams of the vampires echoed through the building. The vampires were confused.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ess!¡±


    There were only three invaders and 400 vampires. If they could cover the invaders, they could get rid of them in an instant. However, it wasn¡¯t possible to hit the invaders all at once. Whenever one vampire was beaten, many of their peers fell bleeding at the same time. It was hard because their formation continued to copse. The true blood vampire ¡®Tigol¡¯ watched the situation from the back and paid attention to Sehee.


    ¡®That human is the problem. Well, I can easily solve it.¡¯


    If it was difficult to approach, shoot with magic. The simple solution was to use a spell.


    Pachichik!


    A sphere of blood was summoned and shot towards Sehee.


    Peeng!


    It was at a tremendous speed. There was a bang from behind enemy lines and then the blood sphere appeared in front of Sehee. Sehee was upset but not afraid. She believed in her friend Yerim!


    "Yap!"


    Yerim had been standing guard next to Sehee. She threw herself in front of Sehee. The blood sphere hit a brilliant silver shield. It was the shield that Grid produced in the past. It was an improved version of the Divine Shield and boasted high magical resistance. But the level of the true blood vampires in the 8th city was 350...


    Yerim was only level 180 and couldn¡¯t fully absorb the attack.


    [The attack has exceeded the damage absorption ability of the Small Divine Shield!]


    [Only 5,800 damage has been absorbed!]


    [The durability of the Little Divine Shield has dropped to 190!]


    [Lofty Will has been activated. You have avoided death.]


    [You have suffered 13,050 damage.]


    [You have received a lot of damage with one blow and have fallen into the ¡®stunned¡¯ state.]


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    A high level hunting ground was too hard. Yerim had less than one-tenth of her health left and was frustrated and worried about Sehee. Youngwoo was currently surrounded by hundreds of vampires. He couldn¡¯t afford to help.


    ¡®I... I must...¡¯


    "Ignorant human girl! Receive my magic!¡±


    The vampire Tigol was furious at the failed assassination attempt. This time, she created two blood spheres and fired them at Sehee again.


    ¡®No...!¡¯


    A Saintess wasn¡¯t invincible. She was strongest in buffs and heals, but her defense was weak. It was the Saintess¡¯ Knight that covered this deficit. However, Yerim was stunned and couldn¡¯t fulfill her role. Sehee had buffed Grid and the God Hands and was in a state where her mana was temporarily depleted. It was difficult to use Discipline, which restored the status conditions of party members and Hope, which restored the health of the target. Both Yerim and Sehee were in a crisis, indicating that theirbat experience was stillcking.


    ¡°Why did you use so much mana? You should always leave some behind to handle emergencies.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim closed their eyes tightly when they saw the flying blood spheres. Then Grid¡¯s voice was heard in their ears.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Sehee and Yerim opened their eyes at once.


    Pepepepeng!


    They saw Grid being hit by the blood spheres in order to defend them.


    ¡°No!¡±


    In the end, Grid suffered. They didn¡¯t like this situation. The women felt guilt and helplessness as Grid was hit by a powerful explosion and shed blood. Then Grid¡¯srge hands stroked their small and soft heads.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This much isn¡¯t anything to be afraid of."


    Grid was wearing the Holy Light set that minimized magic damage. Despite being hit by two blood spheres from the true blood vampire Tigol, he only lost 15,000 health. Grid took a potion to restore his health and precisely aimed his sword at Tigol floating on the ceiling. Then he used Transcended Link.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    10 ck energy swords that dealt 150% of Grid¡¯s attack power went flying.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Tigol was sweating nervously, but she didn¡¯t lose her smile. She might not be a direct descendant, but she had the blood of a noble lineage. She believed that she couldn¡¯t be defeated by humans. She summoned a shield of blood and confronted Transcended Link head on.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The collision shook the building. Noe and Randy, who had been blocking the advance of the vampires while Grid was absent, as well as the vampires all stumbled. Indeed, it was a huge shock. However, Tigol was safe. She had fully defended against Grid¡¯s Transcended Link!


    ¡®The degree of difficulty is higher than the 7th city?¡¯


    Grid was startled. He hadn¡¯t expected a true blood vampire topete with his fusion skill. But he wasn¡¯t nervous. Grid found it interesting.


    ¡®Will she give more experience?¡¯


    Tigol became furious at Grid¡¯s smile.


    ¡°Human! Know your position!¡±


    This time, Tigol produced three blood spheres. However, she failed tounch the spheres as they exploded.


    An old man bent over. It was the aftermath of Iyarugt appearing and cutting at Tigol.


    ¡°Kuock! N-No...?¡±


    Reaching here without her knowing? Tigol looked at Iyarugt with a distorted expression. But Iyarugt didn¡¯t even look at her. To Iyarugt, Tigol was at the level of stepping on weeds.


    ¡°Damn bastard. Summoning me just to kill these things.¡±


    Grid ignored the grumbling Iyarugt and gavemands to Noe, Randy, and the God Hands.


    "Stay here and kill the remnants with Iyarugt.¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Noe and Randy agreed and Grid left the building with Sehee and Yerim. They headed to the next building. His experience constantly rose every time Noe, Randy, and Iyarugt killed the vampires.


    ***


    ¡°W-What is going on?¡±


    The experience buff for the Korean yers ended yesterday. But Grid¡¯s levelling myth didn¡¯t end. His levelling speed was even faster, despite the experience buff disappearing. Level 314. Before they knew it, Grid was at the entrance of the top 40 rankings, causing the world to feel astonishment and doubt.


    Where was Grid hunting, with whom, and how was he hunting that such speed was possible? There were people who wanted answers to these questions.


    ***


    "This is Grid¡¯s building.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it cost 10 billion won?¡±


    ¡°Having a building like this at a young age. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    "I feel respect rather than envy. This is a product of Grid¡¯s efforts. I should¡¯ve worked harder in my youth.¡±


    The outskirts of Seoul. A ck luxury sedan stopped in front of a seven-story building that looked modern and contemporary. There was nothing special in terms of structure, but the blue exterior was quite sophisticated and neat.


    "Hrmm."


    People got down from the car and looked at the building. They were Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo from OGC Station.


    ¡°Are you certain Grid is inside?¡±


    "Yes, it is certain. ording to the testimony of the tenants, he hasn¡¯t gone out in recent days.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... He¡¯s too busy raising his level. Okay, let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo entered the building. They wanted to board the elevator to go to the penthouse where Grid resided, but it was impossible.


    ¡°What? The buttons end at the 5th floor? What about the 6th floor?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the owner has a separate elevator.¡±


    Grid was a celebrity. It was normal to have a minimum of privacy.


    ¡°Kung... We should¡¯ve gone to the guardhouse.¡±


    ¡°It would be much more difficult to speak to Grid if we have to go through the guardhouse. We tried calling for three days, but there was no answer.¡±


    "Ah... Yes, let¡¯s use the stairs on the 5th floor.¡±


    The two men decided to press the button for the 5th floor. After a moment, the elevator stopped at the 5th floor.


    Dding~


    ¡°...Um?¡±


    The 5th floor had ck marble floor and walls. The high ceiling with chandeliers was a splendid sight. It was like the entrance of a luxurious hotel.


    "It¡¯s quite well built...¡±


    "It seems like solid contractors built this.¡±


    "By the way, where are the stairs to the 6th floor?¡±


    Exit signs couldn¡¯t be seen in the hall. There were only six doors that were presumed to be for officetels.


    "Isn¡¯t this a vition of the building codes?¡±


    The moment that Director Lee Gookrae spoke. A door opened in the innermost part of the hallway and a grey-haired foreign person appeared. His body hadrge muscles and he looked like a mixed martial arts fighter. He was like a leopard. The impression was fierce and dirty.


    ¡°Who are you? Why was there no contact from the guardhouse?¡±


    He chewed gum while asking the question. He looked somewhat familiar? PD Park Jongsoo recognized him first.


    ¡°Toon!¡±


    ¡°Toon? Ah! The Beast Master of Overgeared!¡±


    In reality, he had been part of the Italian mafia. Why was he here?


    "What do you want?¡±


    Toon nced at them sharply.


    "Gulp."


    Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo gulped at the same time. They were overwhelmed by the look in Toon¡¯s eyes. Their knees weakened.


    Shake.


    Director Lee Gookrae took out a business card with trembling hands and introduced himself.


    "I am a director of OGC Station, Lee Gookrae. We came to meet Shin Youngwoo to discuss broadcast rted matters. Can we meet Shin Youngwoo?¡±


    Director Lee Gookrae vaguely became aware of something. Toon was actually in charge of protecting Grid. He rented out the entire 5th floor to stay near Grid.


    ¡¯This seems much safer...¡¯


    The security was on a different scale. Toon paused for a moment before opening one of the six doors in the hallway. Then he unlocked another door that appeared. Now the emergency staircase leading upstairs could be seen.


    ¡°Go up. Bunny Bunny is already there."


    ¡°Bunny Bunny!¡±


    The world¡¯s leading BJ, which had more influence than a decent TV station, hade to South Korea?


    ¡®He got to meet Grid?¡¯


    The yer might be stolen. Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo hastily ran up the stairs.

 Chapter 496

    "It isn¡¯t the 6th floor.¡±


    The 6th floor was the residence of Grid¡¯s family. This was what Grid had said in a magazine interview. He lived independently in the penthouse.


    "Yes, I¡¯m aware of that. I have paid attention to Grid¡¯s interviews. Since I¡¯m also a Grid fan...¡±


    "Haha, right now, most people are his fans.¡±


    Thus, they needed to get Grid. Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo passed the 6th floor and headed straight to the 7th. The 7th floor was a rooftop. It was a rooftop with awn. There was a small pond with carp, a table made of high quality wood and impressive flowers swaying in the breeze. This garden scenery calmed the minds of anyone who saw it. It was beautiful.


    At the end of the garden, there was a small house with an outer wall made of ss. This was Grid¡¯s rumored penthouse.


    ¡°Wow... This is killing me.¡±


    ¡°I would like to live in a ce like this someday. I think it will be possible in my next life.¡±


    The expertsmentated that Grid was an emerging ¡®chaebol.¡¯ (TL: Arge family-owned business conglomerate.)


    Indeed, such a great person would live in a special ce like this. Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo couldn¡¯t close their mouths. They were looking around the rooftop when they heard a woman¡¯s voice.


    "Wee."


    ¡°Y-You?¡±


    Her ebony hair, snow-white skin, and mysterious atmosphere enhanced her beauty. Her big eyes were as deep as ake. The person who came out to meet Lee Gookrae and Park Jongsoo was none other than Yura. The most beautiful woman in the world. She finished off the intelligent yet sexy look with a white shirt and ck skirt. She was so beautiful that they felt their minds go nk. The rooftop garden was nothing in front of her.


    Lee Gookrae and Park Jongsoo were baffled by Yura¡¯s beauty, but Lee Gookrae recovered first. This was the power of a married man with a loving wife.


    ¡°Why is Yura here?¡±


    In the past, Yura had visited OGC Station in rtion to Grid¡¯s broadcast. She had raised Grid¡¯s price, so Lee Gookrae couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous. He gulped as Yura smiled at him.


    "Is it strange that I¡¯m here? Can¡¯t you vaguely guess the rtionship between Youngwoo and I?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    They were lovers!


    ¡®I¡¯m envious...¡¯


    Grid had wealth, fame, and a beauty. The director might be a married man, but he couldn¡¯t help envying Grid¡¯s life. PD Park Jongsoo was a solo and his jealousy soared into the sky.


    ¡®In my next life, I must be born as Grid.¡¯


    As the two men were confused by the misunderstanding, Yura sighed quietly. She thought it would be nice if Youngwoo was her lover as they thought.


    ¡®In reality, I¡¯m just his property manager...¡¯


    Yura shook her head and turned away from reality. She smiled again and led Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo to the table on one side of the garden.


    Tak.Tak.


    The sound of the small spinning wheel ced in the pond next to the table was heard.


    "Do you want to broadcast Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s hunting process?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    There was no need for long words. Lee Gookrae promptly responded to Yura¡¯s question. In response to this, Yura immediately presented the conditions.


    "The amount you have to pay is 20 billion won. In addition, you can¡¯t monopolize the broadcasting rights. You will have to share it with Bunny Bunny, who runs a private station.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Park Jongsoo was upset. They had to pay 20 billion won just for footage of hunting? It wasn¡¯t even an exclusive! This was aplete mockery of the industry.


    ¡®Of course we will refuse.¡¯


    PD Park Jongsoo was disappointed.


    ¡°...I understand. I will write up the contract right away.¡±


    But Lee Gookrae showed an unexpected response.


    "D-Director?¡±


    Was he senile? PD Park Jongsoon somehow swallowed down his words as Lee Gookrae sighed.


    "There is no discount.¡±


    In fact, OGC Station had prepared a nk check in exchange for Grid¡¯s ¡®exclusive¡¯ hunting broadcast rights. They judged that it was worth it. If they could exclusively disclose the secret behind Grid¡¯s levelling that the world was curious about, they could raise the awareness of OGC while also earning an astronomical amount of advertising revenue.


    Honestly, 20 billion was a small amount. This was even considering the fact that they had to share the broadcast rights with Bunny Bunny. But there was one thing he wanted to emphasize.


    ¡°We paid 5 billion wonst year for the broadcast of Youngwoo fighting the Red Knight in the Vatican. What did Yura say at that time? You will give OGC ample rewards. Didn¡¯t you say that you and Youngwoo-ssi would actively appear on OGC? Then what about after that? You refused several love calls from OGC. It¡¯s very sad."


    The thing that Lee Gookrae wanted to say was very simple.


    "I hope we can further develop our rtionship with this deal. From now on, please respond to OGC¡¯s love call.¡±


    Yura¡¯s answer was simple. "If you create a program worth appearing in, I will review it positively at any time.¡±


    Worth appearing in! It meant she had no intention of appearing in a trivial program.


    ¡®The programs that we devised are insignificant...!¡¯


    OGC was called the best gaming broadcasting station in the world, so this stimted Director Lee Gookrae and PD Park Jongsoo.


    ¡°Okay... I will surely make a valuable program. A wonderful program that you will emerge in!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    It was a yearter the legendary programs that would be popr in South Korea and worldwide were produced.


    ***


    "Is it really like this? You¡¯re able to send away a person who flew from the United States so easily? Huh?¡±


    The world¡¯s top gaming BJ, Bunny Bunny. He wanted to obtain Grid¡¯s broadcasting rights,ing to a faraway foreignnd to sign the contract he wanted. It was a contract to cover and broadcast Grid¡¯s hunting process. Of course he was happy. On the other hand, he was also agitated. Grid never left the capsule!


    ¡°Really too much! Not showing your face to someone who came all this way!¡±


    Yura responded to his agitation.


    ¡°Do you think you can think like a ranker? They are people who y the game while reducing meal time and sleeping time. I can¡¯t interrupt Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s time, even if the president of the United Stateses.¡±


    In fact, Yura¡¯s situation was no better than Bunny Bunny¡¯s. She was generously donating her time to help him, but Grid didn¡¯t even have time to drink a cup of tea with her.


    ¡®It makes me sad when I think about it.¡¯


    Had she ever been treated so poorly in her life? Now her pride was stimted.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Bunny Bunny was surprised when he saw Yura¡¯s sudden sulky expression.


    "It¡¯s amazing that you can make an expression like this.¡±


    "I am amazed myself.¡±


    Her feelings for Grid were unfamiliar. It was fun andplicated. Yura¡¯s smile was more beautiful than ever as she thought this.


    ***


    Overgeared Two. The name of the secondary Overgeared Guild. It was clearly a sloppy name. Many peopleughed and made fun of it. However, the members who belonged to Overgeared Two had no major dissatisfaction with their name. Originally, it was supposed to be called ¡®Overgeared Workforce.¡¯


    "The average level of Overgeared Two, which wasunched after merging with the Silver Knights Guild, has finally exceeded 200.¡±


    Most of the production sses belonged to Overgeared Two. The levelling speed couldn¡¯t help being dyed. It was very encouraging that the average level now exceeded 200. It proved that the party hunting of the Overgeared Guild was more active than expected. In addition, the Overgeared Guild could produce a wide variety of items in the future.


    Lauel nned to amplify the guild¡¯s morale with a magnificent celebration.


    ¡°How will we celebrate?¡±


    "A simple way to celebrate the collective effort is to fight and win. Let¡¯s fight. We will win and share the joy of victory.¡±


    It was a guild that started with a small number of elite members. It took a considerable amount of time to settle the guild and it looked like a social group on the surface. However, this was just a big misunderstanding. Originally, it was a group intended to take advantage of Grid as a king, gain power, and gain benefits.


    War was natural.


    "Grid is currently stuck in the vampire cities. Is it the right time for a war? What crazy words are you saying?¡±


    "Now is the perfect time for a war.¡±


    Currently, the world was concentrated on Grid. It was a perfect time to move the troops. Lauel unfolded a map of the Eternal Kingdom and pointed to one ce. Patrian. A fortified city situated on the border of the north and west of the Eternal Kingdom.


    "Everybody knows that it has been difficult to make contact with the north after An took the throne.¡±


    An¡¯s containment against Grid wasn¡¯t tant and proceeded slowly. On the surface, he acted like he wanted to maintain a good rtionship with Grid. But this was just a two-sided strategy. Every time An sent gifts to Reidan, the taxes in the north rose slightly. Every time An sent a letter to Grid, the roads connecting the north and west were closed one by one. It wasn¡¯t easy to raise a fuss because the reason was always usible.


    Lauel could no longer stand it.


    "It¡¯s very likely that our territory in the north, Bairan, will be isted. From then on, King An will reveal his true colors.¡±


    Before that, they had to capture Patrian to connect the north and the west.


    "Will it be as easy as it sounds? When we invade Patrian, King An will send troops to Bairan. Then won¡¯t wepletely lose the north and be isted in the west?¡±


    "Hah, foolish Vantner.¡±


    Lauel patted Vantner¡¯s bald head. Then he exined, "Have you forgotten that the ruler of the north is Grid¡¯s father? Marquis Steim will keep King An in check. The ones we should be cautious about are other yers, not King An.¡±


    Once the Overgeared members invaded Patrian, the yers would receive a quest to defend Patrian. From this point on, the Overgeared Guild would be categorized as a hostile force to the Eternal Kingdom. Then all the yers belonging to the Eternal Kingdom would receive a quest against the Overgeared members.


    "The key is to slow down the timing of the quest. In that sense, the best time to invade is when the yers are focused on Grid.¡±


    They would align the time of the invasion for when Grid¡¯s hunt would be broadcasted. The audience rating of the broadcast was likely to be equivalent to that of the National Competition. There were countless people who wanted to solve the question behind Grid¡¯s levelling speed. It was obvious that the number of people connected to Satisfy would be reduced as soon as Grid¡¯s hunting broadcast started.


    ¡°Our march will be rtively secret and we can take control of the empty Patrian in an instant. Do you understand now, ignorant Vantner? Kukukuk!¡±


    Lauel covered half his face with his hand and was ying out the chuuni role alone. Thanks to this, he could be faithfully immersed in his role.

 Chapter 497

    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [A senior vampire was destroyed.]


    [A senior vampire was destroyed...]


    [The title ¡®Vampire ughter King¡¯ has been obtained!]


    [1,000 fixed damage will be dealt every time you attack a vampire!]


    ¡°Wow... Heok! Wah! Woohoo!¡±


    Grid let out different cries of excitement. The strength of the God Hands, the items, and the Saintessbined together was constantly surprising him.


    Step.


    Every time Grid moved.


    Peeeeok!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The God Hands that were granted Holy Weapon and Holy Impact struck four vampires with the Mjolnirs, causing dozens of vampires to be simultaneously damaged. Simply put, Grid only had to lightly move for dozens of vampires to copse.


    ¡®Crazy! This is really crazy! A scam!¡¯


    It was so easy to hunt! The excited Grid suddenly became uneasy.


    ¡¯...Will I get my ount suspended?¡¯


    It was the crime of making an illegal macro called the God Hands...


    ¡°Hah, I am a man.¡±


    The God Hands were so outstanding that he felt guilty. Items that could wear all items, move by themselves, and kill monsters. They didn¡¯t even have the concept of stamina. He wondered if there were any better items in the world!


    ¡°How did Oppa think about creating such items? Completely amazing! So cool!¡± Yerim cheered.


    Grid didn¡¯t have to lift a finger as Noe, Randy, and the God Hands ughtered the vampires. It was simr to an absolute yer portrayed in movies. Watching him was really exciting. On the other hand, Sehee¡¯s appreciation was different.


    ¡°It feels more like a Chinese workshop that I saw in the news...¡±


    Chinese workshop! It was a ce where Chinese people gathered inrge numbers for infinite hunting. Their goal was to hunt quickly with pets and dispose of the the items gathered for money.


    "...Well, I should take a break.¡±


    Grid ignored Sehee¡¯s words and sat down. It was to restore his fallen stamina. Noe, Randy, and the God Hands continued to hunt while he was taking a break.


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [Experience has been acquired.]


    [An intermediate vampire was destroyed.]


    [Experience has been acquir...]


    Grid was filled with joy as he watched his experience keep rising during his break.


    "It feels like I¡¯ve achieved a dream from a long time ago...¡±


    ¡°What dream was it?¡±


    Sehee replied instead of Grid to Yerim¡¯s question.


    "President of vice.¡±


    He kept making money while pushing his employees to work, then he spent that money freely. Grid had dreamt of being such a person.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed when thinking about it now...¡± Grid scratched his cheeks. "Of course, my dream is different from then.¡±


    As his life became richer, his mindset expanded, and his perception changed little by little. He didn¡¯t want to exploit the weak now. Sometimes, he felt like wanting to help. Recently, he even gave 3,300 won to a sponsorship program at Uni X.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if I will go to Heaven after death.¡¯


    He really was a good person. Then Sehee asked him.


    ¡°Is thest boss in that building?¡±


    There were only seven buildings in the 8th city. The number of vampires sleeping in each building was small, making it much smaller than the other cities. However, the total amount of experience was simr. This meant that the average level of the vampires was higher than the other cities and Grid was only to conjecture that the 8th city¡¯s boss was a high noble.


    "That¡¯s right. Now only the boss is left.¡± Grid confirmed that his stamina was recovered and stood up. Then he said to Sehee and Yerim. "From here on, I will go alone.¡±


    If the city¡¯s boss was a baron~viscount level, he would be able to raid it one-on-one. He was now strong. But he wasn¡¯t certain about earls or higher. In particr, it was dangerous if a direct descendant showed up. Sehee and Yerim couldn¡¯t die. Sehee and Yerim expressed doubts about Grid going to the battlefield alone.


    "Won¡¯t we die anyway if Oppa fails the raid?¡±


    "This is a dungeon that we can only escape if the boss dies or we do. In order to increase our chances of escape, isn¡¯t it better to fight with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    It made sense. In the end, Grid opened the door of thest building with Sehee and Yerim. Randy, Noe and the God Hands returned to his side after clearing the vampire remnants.


    ¡®I will seed in the raid.¡¯


    He was stronger than ever. He was confident about facing Kraugel during his prime. The moment Grid was burning with confidence.


    [The owner of the 8th city, Vampire Viscount Latina has appeared.]


    At the end of the red-carpeted hallway. A dark haired woman was sitting on a throne. She was an obvious beauty, but her ice-cold skin and blue lips gave off a bizarre feeling.


    "Oh my, there are humans? Prey has arrived after a long time.¡±


    Latina smiled as her red eyes shone. She waved her hand once.


    Kuduk!


    Kudududuk!


    The ground split apart and zombies appeared.


    ck!ck ck!


    The joints of the skeletons made bizarre sounds as they approached. The zombies staggered and stared with hollow eyes. There seemed to be 1,000 of them.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    A vampire that was a necromancer? Braham warned as Grid shrank back from the zombies¡¯ sickening smell.


    ¡®Latina is one of the nine direct children born from my mother.¡¯


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was the worst. The moment Grid¡¯s heart sank.


    [The vampire viscount Latina has released a sweet magic power.]


    [You have be confused.]


    [Your spirit can¡¯t endure it. Mana regeneration rate will decrease by 80% and magic resistance by 50%. There is a chance that skills was fail to activate.]


    [Your arms and legs don¡¯t have any strength.]


    [Attack power will decrease by 50% and all speeds will decrease by 30%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡¯The kids...!¡¯


    Grid hurriedly looked back. He was worried about Sehee and Yerim. How confusing and scary would it be for the kids to see the creepy skeletons and zombies? Grid was concerned, but Sehee and Yerim were fine. No, they were excited.


    "They are undead.¡±


    ¡°The skeletons are cute.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    They didn¡¯t shrink back, despite seeing the 1,000 skeletons and zombies? In addition, the pressure didn¡¯t have an effect on them? The moment that both Grid and Latina were feeling confused.


    ¡°Light of Repentance.¡±


    Swaaaah!


    Sehee gathered her hands together and prayed. Light poured from her and cleansed the whole area. The skeletons and zombies were surrounded by a warm light and fell to their knees, shedding a few tears before turning to ash.


    [You have killed a monster by yourself.]


    [The level difference with your party members is ignored and you will receive 100% of the experience.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    The undead were at least level 250. She made 1,000 undead fall to their knees and destroyed some of them? Grid was overwhelmed by Sehee¡¯s unreasonable strength. Yerim was also tough. She ced divine buffs on her body and smashed the undead affected by Sehee.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid was at a loss for words and Braham¡¯s trembling voice was heard in his ears.


    ¡®The Saintess can even destroy the souls of the great demons. Trivial undead can¡¯t raise their heads in front of her.¡¯


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    There was something that Braham, Iyarugt, and the great demon Hell Gao had inmon. It was the fact that even when they died and lost their bodies, the soul didn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡®Is the soul of the demonkin immortal?¡¯


    Only the Saintess could destroy the soul. Grid was thrilled as he realized that Sehee¡¯s value was much higher than expected.


    ¡®Latina is pitiful.¡¯


    Braham felt sorry for his sister.


    ***


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Latina was one of the nine children directly born from Shizo Beriache. She had a lowly title because she avoided the annoying responsibilities. Her power was absolute. In particr, she was the only one of her brethren who could rule over the dead, which resembled the power of first great demon Baal. Thus she was very proud of herself. Until Marie Rose appeared, she believed that she could reign over all the vampires.


    The great Latina was now embarrassed by humans. Humans. They were a species that was the vampire¡¯s prey.


    ¡®Originally, they should¡¯ve copsed at the sight of me...¡¯


    One male and two females. They weren¡¯t ordinary. Rather than kneeling before her great magic power, they stood upright and even made the dead kneel. It was a situation she couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡®No, I heard there are some strong people among the humans.¡¯


    Hundreds of years ago, there were some scandalous people praised as legends. She never saw them directly, but perhaps these humans were in the same ss.


    ¡®What rubbish.¡¯


    Ssik!


    Latina grinned wickedly and shouted to the dead.


    "Get up and fight!¡±


    Kikik!Kik!


    Kuwaaah!


    The skeletons and zombies on their knees slowly started to raise themselves. Latina increased the amount of magic power to the undead, causing the low level power of the Saintess to not work anymore.


    ¡°Hohoho! This is it!¡± Latina used the momentum and shouted, "Kill them all!"


    Creak.Kik!


    Kuwaaah!


    The skeletons and zombies headed for Grid.


    ¡°As expected, we¡¯re still not helpful. Oppa, have strength. Holy Weapon. Holy Impact.¡±


    Shaaaaaah-


    The God Hands floating next to Grid were covered with a white light.


    Peok!


    Peok peok peok!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The buffed God Hands started beating the undead with Mjolnir. Latina opened her mouth as she saw the bone fragments and rotten flesh scattered all over the ce.


    ¡°Why is it so easy?¡±


    It didn¡¯t make any sense. Latina suddenly noticed the human male. He seemed to be the ones controlling the floating golden hands.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying, but I have to go out directly.¡¯


    Latina decided and flew towards Grid. Her body turned to smoke and she approached Grid without a sound, stabbing her sharp nails towards Grid. But Grid¡¯s Sword Ghost was faster than her nails.


    ¡°The bait was taken.¡±


    Gridughed at the amazed and puzzled Latina. As his hair turned white, he ced his hand on the defenseless Latina¡¯s face and shot a Fireball.

 Chapter 498

    [You have dealt 205,000 damage to the target.]


    [20,500 fire damage will be dealt per second for 13 seconds.]


    [The magic has been fired at close range. The explosion effect of Fireball is maximized.]


    [You have dealt 410,000 damage to the target.]


    [The blow has caused bleeding rge) in the target¡¯s affected area.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    [The target has been affected by the ¡®confused¡¯ state.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid dealt a counterattack to Latina. The mental shock she suffered wasrger than the physical.


    ¡®What? This guy with weak magic power...!?¡¯


    The direct descendants of Beriache inherently had high magic power. Among them, Latina¡¯s magic power was exceptional. The humans ssified as great magicians were just small fry in front of her. Then how did this human hit her with magic. There was no chance. It was impossible.


    Yet Grid did it. He was someone with only 2,000 intelligence! Did Grid have something special? No, it was because Braham¡¯s pure magic was so powerful. The magic wasn¡¯t called ¡®enhanced¡¯ for nothing. The white-haired Grid. In other words, Braham, trembled.


    "My magic does such terrible damage... This is the limit of a stupid body.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Latina¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. The human in front of her. His atmosphere hadpletely changed from a moment ago.


    ¡®This tone...¡¯


    The arrogant expression and eyes. Even the impression of the magic power gave her the creeps. Above all, the dark red eyes.


    ¡°No way. You are?¡±


    Latina hurriedly withdrew as she spected. The white-haired Grid smiled at her.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    There were originally 10 direct descendants, rather than nine. But the vampires didn¡¯t mention the 10th. Braham Eshwald. They didn¡¯t want to think about that lunatic who was exiled.


    ¡°You... What are you doing here?¡±


    Braham called the n a zy and useless race¡¯ and wanted to destroy them. There were countless n members who died because of him, including Elfin Stone¡¯s fiance. Latina loathed Braham. She also feared him. Braham looked at her shrieking self andughed.


    "Can¡¯t you see this face? Right now, I am borrowing it. This face isn¡¯t mine. Otherwise, how could you forget your brother¡¯s face?¡±


    "Shut up! Don¡¯t joke around with that filthy mouth!"


    The more frightened a beast, the more they barked. Latina showed her survival instinct and summoned new undead. They were on a different dimension from the previously summoned skeletons and zombies. More than 200 Skeleton warriors, skeleton mages, and ghouls simultaneously rose from the ground.


    The surprising thing was that a death knight was leading the undead. It was a impressive skeleton in ck armor and holding a burning sword.


    ¡®This looks serious... Isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡¯


    Grid was concerned, while Sehee and Yerim shrank back.


    -Oppa, I can¡¯t do anything to the senior undead because my level is low.I will support you with buffs and heals as much as possible.


    Sehee sent a message in the party chat to the white-haired Grid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need help.¡±


    "...¡±


    Was this her brother? His tone waspletely different from usual. His appearance had also changed. His manly look had be a pretty face that could only be seen in manhwa. The rumor was that the white-haired Grid was apletely different entity from the original Grid. The white-haired Grid looked at the confused Sehee.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t feel it yet. She is still beginning.¡¯


    At times like this, he thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to show it in advance. Saintess, a unique being who could destroy him. If he didn¡¯t want to sufferter, it was better to appeal to her now. Braham decided and spoke to Grid.


    ¡¯Manipte the God Hands. Move ording to my intentions.¡¯


    Braham was requesting cooperation? It must be because the opponent was a direct descendant. Grid felt tense and replied.


    ¡®Believe in me.¡¯


    "...¡±


    Could Braham trust him? He didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t believe in Grid. At the same time.


    ¡°Advance to the beat!¡±


    Kurung!Kung.Kurururung.


    Latina¡¯s magic power started to roar loudly. It was refined like a melody and became music.


    [The stats of Latina¡¯s summoned undead has risen. The movement speed will greatly increase.]


    [The stats of all living creatures will fall.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Kihihit!¡±


    The strengthened undead started to advance. The undead overcame one of their biggest weaknesses, the slow movement speed, and quickly surrounded Grid¡¯s party.


    "...¡±


    The white-haired Grid didn¡¯t look back at Sehee and Yerim. t wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care. He knew that he had an obligation to look after them. Nevertheless, the reason he didn¡¯t look back was because his goal was to win before they were in danger. The white-haired Grid pointed to the death knight at the forefront.


    ¡°Hit it at once!¡±


    ¡®Understood!¡¯


    Grid responded to Brahan¡¯s request and ordered Noe and Randy. Noe, Randy, and the God Hands assaulted the single death knight. The result was terrible.


    [Your pet ¡®Noe¡¯ has attacked Death Knight Buratan.]


    [Scratch has dealt 8,300 damage to the target.]


    [Your pet ¡®Randy¡¯ has attacked Death Knight Buratan.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill has dealt 36,000 damage to the target.]


    [God Hand (1) has attacked Death Knight Buratan.]


    [You have dealt 2,500 damage to the target.]


    [The effect of the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has dealt 3,800 divine damage to the target.]


    [The effect of Holy Weapon has dealt 500 divine damage to the target.]


    [The effect of Holy Impact deals an addition 3,800 + 500 damage to all ¡®evil¡¯ targets within 5 meters of the target hit.]


    [The God Hand (2)...]


    [The God Hand (3)...]


    [The God Hand (4)...]


    [The effect of Holy Impact deals an addition 2,700 + 500 damage to all ¡®evil¡¯ targets within 5 meters of the target hit.


    [Your pets ¡®Noe¡¯ and ¡®Randy¡¯ have been affected by Holy Impact and suffered 13,900 damage.]


    ¡°Nyang! It hurts!¡±


    ¡°H-Hurts...¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    Noe and Randy were creatures. They were ssified as evil creatures and were hurt by the divine power. Grid overlooked the fact that they were close to the God Hands and were hit by the ssh damage. Grid felt guilty as he saw Noe and Randy struggling with the pain.


    "Is stupidity a difficult disease to fix?¡±


    The white-haired Grid scoffed and used magic. He concentrated the explosion at the area affected by sessive Holy Impacts. In other words, Grid precisely aimed the magic at Death Knight Buratan. It wasn¡¯t any special magic. The magic that Braham could use with Grid¡¯s current magic power was limited.


    This time it was once again Fireball (Enhanced). However, the power of this Fireball was different from the previous one. The explosion effect was attached to Braham¡¯s enhanced Fireball.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The explosion effect of Fireball was maximized, generated a huge shock at the point of impact. The undead¡¯s movement speed was greatly reduced and Latina was also shaken. In a short period of time, Braham calcted the way that her upper body would lean and fired Magic Missile (Enhanced) with no time difference.


    Continue, continue, continue. He fired until his mana waspletely depleted!


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    ¡°Ugh! Kiyaaaaaak!¡±


    The scary thing about Braham¡¯s basic spells, the mastered versions, was that there was no casting time. Latina¡¯s shield was quickly consumed and her health decreased. Braham criticized her.


    "This is the end of yourziness.¡± Azy person didn¡¯t develop, would be left behind and eventually be prey. "This way will just lead to the decline of our n.¡±


    If they were going to be destroyed anyway...


    "Be my food.¡±


    [You have no mana.]


    [You have failed to activate Magic Missile (Enhanced).]


    This notification window popped up. Then Grid¡¯s hair and eyes turned ck as he reached Latina. The undead that should¡¯ve protected Latina? They were scattered across the floor due to thebined effect of Holy Impact and Fireball¡¯s explosion. The death knight and some sturdy undead were rushing over, but it was toote. Grid took a mana potion made by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility and performed a sword dance.


    ¡°Open Rune of Darkness. ckening. cksmith¡¯s Rage. Quick Movements. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°You! Brahammmm!¡±


    A ghost was bothering her! Tears poured down Latina¡¯s face as Holy Weapon, Holy Impact, and Pinnacle Kill hit her. At the same time, Latina counterattacked, piercing Grid¡¯s chest with her nails that were surrounded by blood magic.


    [You have suffered 133,300 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    [The target that attacked is evil. Holy Explosion will return half of the damage received.]


    Latina¡¯s counterattack. It was more deadly to her because she had been prepared to die in order to kill the enemy. But she was a direct descendant. She didn¡¯t die easily.


    ¡°Life Drain... Heok?¡±


    Latina attempted to reverse the battlefield by absorbing Grid¡¯s health, only to be shocked.


    ¡®This guy doesn¡¯t have any health?¡¯


    How was he still moving?


    ¡°You! Are you a zombie?¡±


    "Linked Kill Wave, Linked Kill, Transcended Link, Kill, Link, Pinnacle, Wave and Transcend.¡±


    Grid attacked during his 5 seconds immortal state. He disregarded whatever Latina did and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship continuously. The storm of brilliant skills effects wrapped around Grid and Latina, forcing Sehee and Yerim to stare at the battle that was on a different dimension. Then after a while, their vision was dominated by multiple notification windows.


    [Owner of the 8th city, Vampire Viscount Latina is forced to sleep after exhausting all her powers.]


    [The level of party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has risen!]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired Latina¡¯s Ne.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Direct Vampire¡¯s Pajamas.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 3 blessed weapon enhancement stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 5 blessed armor enhancement stones.]


    Up to this point, it was the information windows that Sehee and Yerim saw. The followed notification windows were only for Grid.


    [Latina¡¯s strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness.]


    [You have sealed three of Shizo Beriache¡¯s direct line. The title ¡®Qualification of a Blood King¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Qualification of a Blood King]


    It is the qualification to be the king of all the direct descendants.


    You will give a sense of pressure to ordinary vampires. The abilities of general vampires fighting against you will decrease by 10%.


    You will give a sense of hostility to true blood vampires. The abilities of all true blood vampires fighting against you will increase by 10%.


    Direct vampires will be interested in you. The chances of meeting a direct descendant will increase. Gaining favorability with direct descendants will be rtively easy.


    "...??"


    Qualification of a Blood King. The name was cool but the effect was uncertain. Grid grumbled and asked Braham.


    ¡®Is this good or bad?¡¯


    ¡¯It¡¯s naturally bad. Why do you want to be friendly with such trash? I am the only worthy vampire friend.¡¯


    ¡®...??¡¯


    Why was he so sensitive? Grid couldn¡¯t understand the sulking Braham.

 Chapter 499

    Grid ignored the uncooperative Braham and thought about it,ing to his own conclusion.


    "I think it¡¯s good.¡±


    The probability of true blood vampires emerging was very low. 1~2 true blood vampires would appear for every 200~300 vampires. In other words, most of Grid¡¯s experience came from hunting normal vampires.


    ¡®A 10% drop in an ordinary vampire¡¯s stats will result in faster hunting and levelling up.¡¯


    Thus, the Qualification of a Blood King title was good. Of course, the 10% increase in the stats of a true blood vampire was a big burden. Strong enemies were going to be stronger.


    ¡®Right now, I have Mjolnir and my sister with me.¡¯


    He was close to unbeatable in the vampire cities. He didn¡¯t need to worry about the increase in power for the true blood vampires.


    ¡®The story will change if I meet a true blood vampire above an earl.¡¯


    However, it was extremely rare that simple true blood vampires, who weren¡¯t direct descendants, would gain such a high title. Grid shook off his anxiety and confirmed the information of the newly updated Rune of Darkness.


    [Rune of Darkness]


    Bound Item.


    It is permanently preserved in your inventory. Trading, dropping, or destroying it is impossible.


    -Usage Effect: Demonic power state will rise in exchange for its use.


    * Normal attacks and skill attacks will deal an addition 20% dark damage.


    Unique Lasting Effect: When dealing with named demonkin and demons, you can absorb unique attributes.


    * Tiramet¡¯s Power: If your health drops below 10%, health will be restored to 30% in an instant. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    * Latina¡¯s Power: The ¡®Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡¯ skill is generated.


    ¡°What?¡± Grid frowned. "What is with the questionable skill name?¡±


    Looking at the name, it had the smell of a B-grade skill.


    "No. The skill that I obtained can¡¯t be B-grade.¡±


    It was the skill obtained by defeating a direct descendant. It would certainly be a noble ability. Grid suppressed his doubts and increased his anticipation as he confirmed the details of the skill.


    [Can you Be the King of the Dead?]


    You can summon to ¡®Growth-type Skeletons¡¯ that will gain five stat points every time the level is raised.


    The skeletons will start off at level 1.


    The skeletons¡¯ basic stats are 3 strength, 3 stamina, 3 agility and 1 intelligence.


    Skill Mana Cost: 3,000


    Skills Duration: Until the summoning is release or the skeletons are destroyed.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡±


    A skill to summon level 1 skeletons? There wasn¡¯t even a skill level. It was just this feature.


    "Complete garbage. The mana consumed is also ridiculous.¡±


    Generally, the stats of a pet were affected by the summoning skill and the summoner¡¯s stats. Let¡¯s look at a necromancer who summoned skeletons for example. The necromancer¡¯s basic skills included ¡®Summon Skeleton¡¯ and ¡®Skeleton Enhancement,¡¯ and their unique stat was ¡®Domination.¡¯ The higher the level of the skills and this stat, the stronger the skeletons that the necromancer summoned. It meant that necromancers didn¡¯t need to raise skeletons directly from level 1.


    However, this damn Can you Be the King of the Dead? skill forced him to raise the skeletons directly.


    ¡°There was a garbage skill like this?¡±


    The name indicated that the skeletons could grow. They were likely to develop into very high level skeletons. But they were still skeletons. Slow, dull, and weak. In addition, they only gained 5 stat points per level. The default stats were also trash!


    ¡°Sigh... I would like to have the skill to summon a death knight.¡±


    Why should he suffer in order to raise the skeletons? Furthermore, if he wanted to raise the skeletons, he needed to move to a novice training ground, which was a waste of time.


    "I¡¯m going to abandon this skill."


    Grid used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill on another item.


    Ttiring~


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [Latina¡¯s Ne]


    Rating: Epic (Growth)


    * Intelligence +300


    The favorite ne of Latina, one of Beriache¡¯s direct line.


    It has the effect of raising the stats of undead pets by 20%.


    * If this ne grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Viscount Latina.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher.


    Weight: 10


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this a ne for necromancers?


    ¡°Why are there only useless items?¡±


    Grid knew that he could get tens of billions of won if he ced this on the auction site. However, he couldn¡¯t sell this item. In particr, what if itnded in the hands of Agnus? It would be the worst. There was no need to invite danger.


    ¡®I should use it myself instead of selling it.¡¯


    The performance of the ne itself was quite decent. It increased intelligence by 300.


    ¡®The amount of mana to use Braham¡¯s magic will increase. It will be useful in many ways.¡¯


    It was only an epic rating. The ne was likely to give +1,000 intelligence once it reached the legendary rating.


    ¡®Yes... I will use it. I can also strengthen the skeletons.¡¯


    He felt like he was branching out more and more, but why turn a blind eye to a means to get stronger? Grid decided to test out the Can you Be the King of the Dead? skill. It was to urately grasp the state of the skeletons.


    ¡°Summon Skeletons!¡±


    [The Ring of Absurdity has reduced resource consumption by 50%. 1,500 mana has been consumed.]


    ck!


    ck ck ck ck!


    The moment the summoning skill was used. Two skeletons emerged from beside Grid, shaking from side to side. Their bones hit each other and the sound steadily became louder, causing Grid to be irritated.


    "You¡¯re noisy.¡±


    The skeletons were truly sloppy. It started from their appearance. The color was yellowish and their skulls were partly cracked. It was likely that the bones didn¡¯t have any strength.


    "You should drink a lot of milk... Tsk tsk.¡±


    ck ck!ck!


    Their owner spoke harsh words from the first meeting, but the skeletons raised their jaws as if they liked whatever Grid said.


    ¡®Ah, the skeletons have no intelligence.¡¯


    Undead monsters had no feelings and thoughts. They needed to be at least a death knight or lich for cognition to ur.


    "You won¡¯t be able to understand my words for the rest of your lives...¡±


    Grid checked their status window.


    [Skeleton (1)]


    Lv. 1


    Health: 45/45 Mana: 3


    Strength: 3


    Stamina: 3


    Agility: 3


    Intelligence: 1


    Items Worn: None


    Skills Possessed: None


    "Wow, this is like daylight robbery.¡±


    The skeletons summoned by a typical necromancer had old longswords by default. Grid¡¯s skeletons werepletely bare.


    "I have to give you weapons as well?¡±


    No, wait?


    ¡¯What if I make items that are suitable for them to wear?¡¯


    Perhaps the overgeared skeletons would be born?


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Maybe they would be quite useful.


    ¡®If I add the effect of Latina¡¯s Ne...¡¯


    Skeleton generals or death knights might be a dream, but he could likely raise them to be skeleton warriors. Grid had this thought and looked at the skeletons affectionately.


    ¡°You will be Overgeared Skeleton One. You will be Overgeared Skeleton Two.¡±


    ck ck!


    ck!


    The skeletons nodded.


    ¡®Are they happy about the good name?¡¯


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t possible. The skulls had no emotions or thoughts.


    ¡°Oppa?¡±


    Sehee and Yerim approached Grid, who was looking at the skeletons. They gave Grid the blessed enhancement stones and showed interest in the skeletons.


    ¡°They¡¯re your skeletons?¡±


    "The skeletons are cute! Don¡¯t the eye sockets look like half-moons? Is this called ring eyes? Lovely~¡±


    ¡°This is a dirty impression, not nice... Eh? What happened?¡±


    Grid was shocked when he saw Sehee¡¯s staff. The Wooden Staff that he put a lot of effort into enhancing to +9 had lost its light.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a light?¡±


    A +9 enhanced weapon scattered beautiful white light. Sehee¡¯s staff had no light around it. It was like it wasn¡¯t enhanced.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Sehee gave the worst news to Grid.


    ¡°I failed in the enhancement.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Two weeks ago, it fell to +7. Then I tried the blessed enhancement stone that Oppa gave me before and it fell to +6. Isn¡¯t enhancement really hard?¡±


    "...¡±


    ***


    Grid¡¯s group left the 8th city and took a moment¡¯s rest in the desert. It was to decide the next schedule. Grid wanted to go straight to the 6th city, but...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep now since I have school tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already 2 a.m. Ohh, I have to sleep at 10 p.m. in order for my breasts to grow...¡±


    ¡°Go. And thank you for today.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    "...¡±


    The girls logged out, leaving Grid alone. It felt strange as the bustling atmosphere immediately quieted down.


    "It¡¯s because the cute kids have left.¡±


    Should he sleep early today? Grid¡¯s expression became sneaky as he thought about thest item Latina dropped.


    [Direct Vampire¡¯s Pajamas]


    Rating: Legendary


    A short, white nightgown.


    The skin will shine through when wearing it. Be careful when wearing it.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 30


    ¡°Huhuhut.¡±


    The Direct Vampire¡¯s Pajamas. There was no way of knowing its performance. But one thing was for sure, the design of Latina¡¯s pajamas was very sexy.


    ¡®It will suit Irene!¡¯


    The underwear... It seemed he would be able to give her 10 more babies.


    Then a whisper flew to the chuckling Grid. It was from Lauel.


    -Grid, I have finished the arrangements with the broadcasting station and decided the schedule.


    -OGC and Bunny Bunny?Did they approach first as you expected?


    -Huhut, indeed.Well, there¡¯s no need to admire my brilliance.It wasn¡¯t much for a day or two of work.


    -Uh...Yes, how is the contract information?


    -Yura did her job very well.Check itter.


    -I understand.Brief me about tomorrow¡¯s shooting schedule and future ns.


    -The n hasn¡¯t changed.Your hunt will be broadcast live all over the world. While people¡¯s attention is focused on you, the Overgeared Guild will go to Patrian.


    -Is it really okay?Patrian has Great Magician Ashur.


    Satisfy raised the level of NPCs in ordance to the average level of the users. It was highly likely that Earl Ashur now had his fourth advancement. He would be iparably stronger, making Grid worried about whether the Overgeared members could handle him.


    Lauel calmed him down.


    -I have a way.Don¡¯t worry about it and enjoy your ying.

 Chapter 500

    1 year and 3 months in real time was 3 years and 9 months in game time. This was the period that Lauel had served Grid. From the first moment he realized Grid¡¯s potential until now. For a long time, Lauel had worked harder for Overgeared than anyone else.


    As any Satisfy yer, he once dreamt of great achievements. It was to be the protagonist behind a kingdom construction.


    ¡®Long...¡¯


    It was difficult and painful. But that made him enjoy it even more. Grid and the Overgeared members. He had gone through many incidents and sufferings with his fellow colleagues. There were many crises, such as Grid naming the guild Overgeared, Grid naming the guild Overgeared, and Grid naming the guild Overgeared, but it was rewarding.


    "...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s office. Lauel was filled with joyful emotions after his whispers to Grid and opened his eyes. Faker stood in front of him. As usual, he appeared without a sound. Lauel had adapted, so he asked without any surprise. ¡°Have the results from the scouts arrived?¡±


    The soldiers of Reidan had been trained by Piaro and Asmophel. The soldiers trained by the former pirs of the Saharan Empire were exceptional. The soldiers of Reidan had high levels and their skills and stats were much better than soldiers of the same level. There was also Grid¡¯s items. In short, they were elites. Elite soldiers.


    Among them were scouts who were trained by Faker. They learned how to move covertly and quickly. Thus, Lauel believed in the skills of the scouts. Of course, Faker gave him a wonderful answer.


    ¡°I have obtained theyout of Patrian.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face turned rosy. He was pleased and requested the report. However, Faker asked him with a serious expression.


    "Can we expose Grid¡¯s power like this?¡±


    It might allow them to easily win the battle, but Faker questioned if they should reveal Grid¡¯s hunting scene. If Grid¡¯s current power was revealed, it was no different than giving hostile forces a strategy against him.


    ¡®This is true.¡¯


    Faker was quiet and didn¡¯t often express his thoughts. However, he was also a member of Overgeared. He was always worried about Grid. It wasn¡¯t enough to call it loyalty or justice. It was friendship and affection.


    ¡®Hasn¡¯t he been watching Grid much longer than me...?¡¯


    Lauel smiled. He stared confidently at Faker.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the world knowing about Grid¡¯s full power.¡±


    Grid¡¯s greatest strength was the flexibility of his items. He was a person who could exert apletely new power by making and wearing items to suit the time and ce.


    ¡°The him today is not the same as the him tomorrow. The world will never be able to measure him.¡±


    If a force analyzed Grid¡¯s weaknesses based on his power today, they would never be able to threaten him. In the meantime, Grid would produce new items and have different abilities than before.


    ***


    nd.


    The only son of Earl Ashur, one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. He had been taken hostage by Grid for three years already. He learned a lot from Piaro over the years. He now knew how to use all the farming equipment and how to utilize his mana for farming.


    He had excellent talent in magic like his father, and was also skilled with the sword. Now that he learned Piaro¡¯s farming methods, he reached a new field and people called him the ¡®Magic Swordsman of the Field.¡¯ In the fields... He was really strong.


    ¡°Have you looked back on your life in Reidan?¡±


    It was the farmers¡¯ snack time. Despite the bloodline of a noble of the Eternal Kingdom, nd was covered in dirt and eating a potato. Lauel came to him and asked.


    nd put the potato in his mouth and replied cynically. "You want me to look back on my life as a hostage?¡±


    ¡°No. That isn¡¯t the case. We have never treated you as a hostage.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°You have always been respected and allowed freedom. I¡¯ll ask you again. How was your life in Reidan?¡±


    "...¡±


    There was nothing wrong with Lauel¡¯s statement. After being brought to Reidan, nd had never been forced to do anything except for farming on the first day. He wasn¡¯t monitored and didn¡¯t suffer any restrictions or discrimination. In fact, nd could¡¯ve escaped at any time. But nd didn¡¯t run away.


    He kept living in Reidan. It wasfortable. As a prestigious heir in the kingdom and the son of a great magician, he grew up with the prejudices and anticipation of the people. His life as an ordinary farmer was delightful. It was thanks to the Overgeared members and Reidan people who didn¡¯t discriminate against him.


    ¡°Well... It isn¡¯t that bad." nd avoided his gaze and answered.


    Lauel asked again as nd¡¯s cheeks bulged from the potato.


    ¡°What would you do if you lived here with Earl Ashur?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    nd was shocked. His eyes opened angrily and he cried out.


    ¡°Earl Lauel! What are you saying? Don¡¯t tell me you...!¡±


    Prince Ren waged war against Duke Grid and was killed by Prince An, who rose to the throne. nd knew the truth that the world didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t help it, being in Reidan. He had been expecting it. King An regarded Reidan, which knew the truth, as an eyesore. Someday, Reidan would be independent from the Eternal Kingdom. His father would be swept up in it. But nd didn¡¯t know it would be this fast.


    ¡°You intend to rebel against the royal family and threaten Patrian...!¡±


    nd shouted, filled with anxiety about his father. Lauel raised two fingers.


    "There are two things wrong with your words. It¡¯s true that we are hostile to the Eternal Kingdom, but we aren¡¯t rebels. Duke Grid only pledged allegiance to King Wiesbaden. From the time of the king¡¯s death, we no longer belonged to the Eternal Kingdom. In other words, it isn¡¯t a rebellion if we are hostile towards the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was sophistry. But originally it was called politics. It was easy to use a justification like this when there was the smallest gap. nd didn¡¯t deny it and Lauel continued.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t intend to threaten Patrian. How can we threaten one of the best fortified cities in Eternal, ruled by Earl Ashur, one of the 10 great magicians on the continent? We just want to embrace it. I need your strength in order to do that.¡±


    "Do you want me to persuade my father? He won¡¯t abandon the Eternal Kingdom to serve Duke Grid!¡±


    The family of Earl Ashur had served Eternal¡¯s royal family for generations. It was impossible to betray Eternal. Earl Ashur would never betray the royal family. nd was certain of it. However, Lauel¡¯s thoughts were quite different.


    "The person who should¡¯ve been on the throne is Prince Ren, not Prince An. However, Prince An borrowed power from a foreign nation and stole Prince Ren¡¯s throne. This is an unforgivable sin and the current Eternal royal family isn¡¯t authentic. There¡¯s no reason why Earl Ashur should be loyal to the current royal family.¡±


    "...¡±


    nd¡¯s eyes started to tremble. Lauel whispered to the confused nd.


    ¡°The pure and honest nd who likes potatoes... If you don¡¯t want your father to be a puppet duped by a false king, you should apany me to tell him the truth. I will protect you, even if there is some danger in the process.¡±


    nd¡¯s hands and feet curled up. At the same time, the muscles of his body contracted and sweat dripped down his back. nd was embarrassed by this sensation that he felt for the first time and nodded, trying to regain his calmness. Then he carefully opened his mouth.


    "I understand... I also want to give my father a taste of the rainbow potato.¡±


    His father dedicated his life to the country simply because their family served the royal family for generations. nd wanted to show his father new pleasures in life. Lauel looked at him in a pleased manner before turning his attention to the sky. It was the direction of Gauss.


    ¡®I¡¯ve prepared the fishing rod. Now I need the bait.¡¯


    ***


    "By the order of Earl Lauel!¡±


    "We will leave in four hours!¡±


    There were a total of nine knights in Reidan. One of them was Jude, who had served Grid for a long time, while the other eight were young talents raised by Piaro and Asmophel. The swordsmanship, agricultural, and tactical abilities of these young knights were very good. It wasn¡¯t a match for the Red Knights yet, but they were far superior to the ck Knights. If Piaro and Asmophel kept training them, it was highly likely they would develop into Red Knights. They were confused as they ran around and checked the soldiers.


    ¡°Themander?¡±


    "No way, he didn¡¯t appear again today?¡±


    It happened since going to the ce called Siren. Commander Asmophel was strange for several days and suddenly disappeared. In the past month, he hadn¡¯t been seen anywhere in Reidan. The anxious knights asked the Overgeared nobles, including Lauel, about Asmophel¡¯s whereabouts, but the only reply was that they shouldn¡¯t worry.


    No one knew where Asmophel was. However, he was strong and clever. There was no need to worry about him... Yet he didn¡¯t appear even before a campaign! Commander Piaro was in Siren, so who wouldmand the army if Asmophel wasn¡¯t here? The eight confused knights turned to attention to Jude, who was standing quietly on one side.


    "Will he lead the army on behalf of Asmopehl?¡±


    "Rumor has it that he has served Duke Grid for a long time. There should be numerous achievements...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s capable enough to rece Asmophel."


    "He¡¯s someone that Duke Grid chose. Of course he will be amazing. He has acted as protector of Winston for a long time.¡±


    The young knights talked among themselves and soon approached Jude.


    "Sir Jude, the soldiers are ready. We can leave at any time.¡±


    "What should we do now?"


    "...¡±


    Jude was silent. He looked silently at the soldiers. His eyes were so solemn that the young knights couldn¡¯t help gulping.


    ¡®Did we make a mistake?¡¯


    ¡¯Did we mislead the soldiers?¡¯


    The young knights were nervous. Jude stayed silent for a while before finally opening his mouth.


    ¡°We. Go. Where?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡®Is this a joke?¡¯


    The young knights didn¡¯t yet know the reality of their senior knight. On the other hand, among the 3,000 soldiers of Reidan who were standing in front of Jude and the eight knights. One soldier had sharp eyes.


    ¡®I am still not from enough. Unless I start again from a soldier and build up achievements and experience, I won¡¯t be recognized by Duke Grid. I won¡¯t be able to reach a higher ground. I will do my best as a soldier.¡¯


    The identity of this soldier was surprisingly Commander Asmophel.

 Chapter 501

    "Let¡¯s go! Overgeared Skeletons!¡±


    ck!ck ck ck!


    Reidan¡¯s desert. A ck-haired man was crossing the desert with two skeletons.


    Hwiiiing~~~~~~~


    "Ah!¡± Spit!Spit spit!


    A young man felt pained as the wind blew sand into his eyes and mouth. Two skeletons followed obliviously behind him.


    ck!


    ck ck!ck!


    The skeletons couldn¡¯t withstand the pressure of the wind and their joints twisted in different directions. They were like gentle dancers as their limbs broke down.


    [The Overgeared Skeletons have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Overgeared Skeleton (1) has returned to the soil.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton (2) has returned to the soil.]


    [The Overgeared Skeletons won¡¯t lose experience.]


    "...¡±


    After capturing the 8th city. Grid wanted to try hunting young scorpions in the desert with the skeletons. The level of the young scorpions was only 20~30. Rather than being ssified as monsters, it was ssified as a monster¡¯s prey. If Grid supported them well, the Overgeared Skeletons could hunt them and raise their levels.


    But what was this? The Overgeared Skeletons were destroyed by the wind before they could even meet the scorpions! Grid was stunned.


    ¡°Wow... Seriously trash.¡±


    Undead monsters were known for their weak durability. Their bodies were easily broken and this was directly rted to a decline in fighting ability. But the Overgeared Skeletons were different. Since their basic stats were garbage, their bodies were broken and they were killed. These skeletons were pathetic and were among the weakest undead Grid had ever encountered.


    ¡°The power obtained from defeating a direct descendant...¡±


    He knew that the Overgeared Skeletons were highly likely to have great growth potential. But no matter how well they were raised, it was evident they would neverpare to a death knight. Was it worth the trouble to raise these guys? Grid couldn¡¯t help questioning.


    ¡®But if there¡¯s one good point...¡¯


    The Overgeared Skeletons didn¡¯t lose experience if they died. They just died. If he repeatedly summoned them to hunt, he might be able to raise their levels.


    "I should hunt rabbits when I return to Reidan.¡±


    Grid lost motivation and logged out. It was time to sleep. He hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well for two days, so his head and body were very tired.


    ***


    While Grid was sleeping. As always, Lauel was working on behalf of Grid. The appearance of the hard working staff member became an inspiration for the Overgeared members, while inspiringpassion at the same time.


    The Gauss Kingdom. A kingdom located on the northernmost point of the continent, bordered by the Eternal Kingdom. The east and west areas of the two kingdoms were close to each other and had a bad rtionship. The Eternal Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom didn¡¯t have a good rtionship.


    In order to advance into the central part of the continent, Gauss must pass through Eternal. In order to advance to the sea, Eternal must pass through Gauss. A separate tariff had to be paid in order for them to trade with each other. The Gauss Kingdom was in a worse position than the Eternal Kingdom, which could easily enter the center of the continent.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Earl Ashur...!¡±


    Marquis Valtin. He had been serving the Gauss Kingdom for generations and was responsible for the defense of the fortified city Borneo. Borneo was a very important base for defending the border of the Gauss Kingdom. It faced the fortified city of Patrian in the Eternal Kingdom and frequently shed with Patrian.


    Historically, the number of battles between Borneo and Patrian had reached the hundreds. But war didn¡¯t ur in the present day. It was due to one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. Earl Ashur. Since he became lord of Patrian, Marquis Valtin didn¡¯t dare go against Patrian. What did it matter how well trained his army was? They would be burned to ashes by the magic!


    "I should¡¯ve learned magic when I was young...¡±


    Instead, he learned swordsmanship. Marquis Valtin was staring out the window when the voice of a deputy entered his ears.


    "A guest from the Eternal Kingdom hase to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The Gauss Kingdom might be at odds with the Eternal Kingdom, but that didn¡¯t mean there were no interactions. As a neighbouring kingdom, there were many superficial policies implemented. In order to enter the Gauss Kingdom from the Eternal Kingdom, everyone had to go through Borneo. Therefore, Borneo was often visited by the king or nobles of Eternal.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Marquis Valtin politely weed the guest. No matter what he thought, he was a professional politician. He couldn¡¯t be rude to guests visiting from Eternal. After a moment. A man entered Marquis Valtin¡¯s office. He was a young man with silver hair.


    ¡®No, isn¡¯t he a boy?¡¯


    The guest was very young. The inwardly confused Marquis Valtin smiled and spoke, "Wee to Borneo. But what should I call you?¡±


    The silver-haired boy bowed and introduced himself politely.


    "I am Earl Lauel of Eternal. Ie on behalf of Duke Grid of Reidan.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Marquis Valtin¡¯s eyes sharpened. The names Lauel and Grid. Marquis Valtin were familiar with them. There was no way he couldn¡¯t know their names. A few years ago, they were the ones who rescued Reinhardt from the golem invasion. Marquis Valtin was interested in those who were praised as the ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Heroes.¡¯ Thus, he was familiar with thetest situation.


    ¡®Grid killed Prince Ren, who was first in line for the throne.¡¯


    Due to that, the rtionship between the Eternal royal family and Reidan was very bad. Perhaps Reidan was already isted within Eternal. The fact that people were sent here...


    ¡®If it¡¯s true, this situation will be fun.¡¯


    Marquis Valtin was filled with anticipation. He didn¡¯t show it as he asked calmly, "You¡¯re the famous Earl Lauel? Huhu, we have heard of you even in the Gauss Kingdom. It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    Lauel shook the thick hands of Marquis Valtin as politely as possible. Then he replied, ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet Marquis Valtin, the lion of Gauss. Isn¡¯t even Earl Ashur, one of the great great magicians on the continent, afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°Hahahat! I guess so!¡±


    Marquis Valtin had an inferiorityplex towards Earl Ashur. Lauel¡¯s ttery was sufficient. In addition, Lauel wasn¡¯t telling a lie. Marquis Valtin had mastered a specializedbat style. The ruler of Borneo. There was no person more suitable for the role of defending the Gauss Kingdom. In fact, the reason Earl Ashur didn¡¯t invade Borneo was due to Marquis Valtin.


    Marquis Valtinughed pleasantly and naturally asked, ¡°Why did youe here?¡±


    Lauel exined bluntly. "Eternal¡¯s royal family is making Reidan impoverished. Duke Grid can no longer endure it and has decided to be independent from Eternal.¡±


    It was a well-known story that Grid only pledged allegiance to King Wiesbaden when he became a duke. In addition, he was currently framed for Prince Ren¡¯s death. On the surface, there was a bad rtionship between Grid and the Eternal Kingdom. That¡¯s why Lauel was certain. Marquis Valtin wouldn¡¯t doubt his words.


    ¡°Duke Grid needs Marquis Steim¡¯s help to bepletely independent. In order to connect the north and west, Duke Grid made a n to invade and upy Patrian.¡±


    "...¡±


    Marquis Valtin waited patiently. He tried to suppress the smile that wanted to leak out. He was inwardly filled with joy as Lauel asked him.


    "As you know, Reidan is a destend. The poption is less than 20,000 and the troops are few. It¡¯s natural for the quality of the soldiers to be low. We can¡¯t upy Patrian with just our strength. So Marquis Valtin, please help us. Send the powerful soldiers of Borneo as reinforcements and help us upy Patrian.¡±


    Lauel bowed his head and begged as much as possible. He was showing his desperation. Marquis Valtin didn¡¯t doubt the current situation and nodded.


    "What will the Gauss Kingdom get in return for helping Duke Grid?¡±


    "If the upation of Patrian seeds, the north and west of Eternal will be connected and ruled by Duke Grid.¡± Lauel passed the papers he prepared in advance to Marquis Valtin. ¡°Duke Grid has promised to remove all tariffs, as well as give a monthly tribute to the Gauss Kingdom. The details are contained in this agreement."


    ¡°Hrmm...?¡±


    Marquis Valtin¡¯s smile became progressivelyrger as he read the contents of the agreement. The conditions were so great that it was difficult to control his facial expression any longer. He finally made a suspicious expression.


    "I know that Duke Grid is Marquis Steim¡¯s son-inw. Marquis Steim is ruler of the north. Why don¡¯t you borrow his power to upy Patrian instead ofing to me?¡±


    "King An is blocking allmunications with the north and there¡¯s no way to contact Marquis Steim. Due to that, Duke Grid has be more obsessed with Patrian.¡±


    It was an answer that was easy to guess. Marquis Valtin nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand. However, Duke Grid needs to handle Earl Ashur. We want to avoid losing as many troops as possible.¡±


    "Of course. Believe in us. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware of our skills.¡±


    ¡°Kingdom¡¯s Hero... It should be enough to keep Earl Ashur in check. Okay, I will send the army.¡±


    The soldiers of Borneo were the elite. They were trained to participate in war at any time, making them thirsty for it.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s the same for me!¡¯


    The first thing the excited Marquis Valtin did was to send a letter to the Gauss royal family. After delivering the story about the war to the royal family, the army was reorganized and headed to Patrian with Lauel. The final number was 10,000 troops.


    ***


    Reidan had a total of 4,000 troops. 3,000 of them were involved in this expedition. If this expedition failed, the base of Reidan would be shaken. But the Overgeared members weren¡¯t nervous. It was difficult for them to think they would be defeated in a war where all the Overgeared members except for Grid were participating. In particr, the presence of Blood Warrior Katz gave a strong belief to everyone. It was difficult to find a stronger presence on the battlefield.


    ¡°But why is the marching speed so fast?¡±


    The Overgeared members wondered as the 3,000 soldiers crossed the desert. The marching speed of the army was much faster than expected. Reidan¡¯s soldiers might be ustomed to the desert, but wouldn¡¯t this fast marching speed make them tired more easily?


    Toban soothed his worried colleagues. ¡°Commander Asmophel must have a reason. His strategies are above ours. We just have to believe in him.¡±


    "Hmm, indeed.¡±


    The Overgeared members were in the rear to protect the supply wagons from being attacked by giant worms. They thought that the man at the forefront of the army was Asmophel. They never dreamt that Asmophel would be missing in such an important moment.


    ¡°Go. Destination. Patrian.¡±


    His maximum intelligence was 20. Themander who didn¡¯t know anything, Jude, started the rapid advance.

 Chapter 502

    ¡º The first legendary ss! The first person to be a duke! The holder with the most medals in the National Competition! The master of the Overgeared Guild! The name of this brilliant person is Grid!! What¡¯s the secret behind his level up that shot up forward 33 positions in the rankings? Are you curious? Do you want to know? Yes! I¡¯ll tell you everything! In a while, Grid¡¯s hunting video will be revealed on OGC Station! A live broadcast! You can watch it on TV, the Inte, or on the radio! Please use the OGC channel!! ¡»


    OGC put a lot into this broadcast. They invested all their capital into advertising because they were certain it would be an unconditional sess. As a result, OGC¡¯s ads were repeatedly yed in dozens of countries on the Inte, TV, newspapers, and magazines.


    It was an excellent choice. The spread of the advertisements to the whole world was enormous. OGC¡¯s Inte channel became congested with users and OGC quickly secured more advertising funds than they invested. OGC had a festive atmosphere.


    "This ispletely the best...! It¡¯s way more than we expected!¡±


    ¡°It has no choice but to seed. We have secured a number of viewers that isparable to the National Competition.¡±


    "One billion views will look funny in a few days.¡±


    "Bunny Bunny¡¯s private station has also gathered millions of people.¡±


    ¡°This is Grid¡¯s influence! He really is God Grid!¡±


    ¡°Everyone is wondering where Grid is hunting and how he¡¯s raising his level so quickly.¡±


    ¡°They dream of bing a ranker by obtaining the secrets to levelling.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s do our best for a perfect broadcast! This is an opportunity for OGC to secure the world!¡±


    After a while. The live broadcast of Grid¡¯s hunting began. The number of viewers continued to rise, while the number of users logged into Satisfy decreased. It was almost simr to the time of the National Competition.


    This was Lauel¡¯s intention.


    ***


    ¡°Move forward. Move forward. Move forward.¡±


    Reidan¡¯s army had Jude at its head. Their marching speed was very fast. They crossed the hot desert as if they were running. The soldiers felt like they were going to die. The hot sun shone down on them and the desert was sizzling. Armed with heavy armor and weapons, they didn¡¯t rest and marched as if they were running.


    It was hell. They couldn¡¯t deal with the hardships. The field work under Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s mental education wasn¡¯t as hard as this.


    ¡°Pant... Pant! Th... Thirsty! Give me a break to drink water, please."


    ¡°Pant pant! Aren¡¯t we going to die?¡±


    ¡°Hah... I see my dog that diedst year in that haze over there... She¡¯s calling me over...¡±


    "Seeing an illusion of a dog, not a woman... This guy has never experienced love...¡±


    The limit. The soldiers were covered in sweat and on the verge of copsing. There were some who wanted to kill somebody, some who wanted to go home, and most of them had tears in their eyes.


    ¡®An army that can¡¯t maintain its rank has lost its role as an army.¡¯


    ¡®They still have stamina but morale has dropped to the worst.¡¯


    ¡®Unbelievable... In this state, there will be those who run away. The army will copse before they even fight.¡¯


    ¡¯They¡¯re also the elites of Reidan...!¡¯


    The eight young knights selected and trained by Piaro and Asmophel. They tried not to express it, but they were also tired. They followed Jude while looking at the soldiers and finally couldn¡¯t bear it.


    "Commander Jude, can I ask for the reason behind such a fast marching speed?¡±


    ¡°There is plenty of time before the arrival time that Earl Lauel specified. I don¡¯t think we need to hurry. The soldiers¡¯ morale has lowered and their stamina...¡±


    Jude had been Grid¡¯s knight for five years. It was rumored that Grid even specifically picked him. The ravaged Reidan that had turned into a desert. Grid was the great hero who saved their home, which had been abandoned. The young knights naturally envied Jude, who had been recognized by Grid for five years. They didn¡¯t dare doubt Jude¡¯s abilities. They believed in him and followed him.


    But now they felt doubts. Jude¡¯s way ofmanding the army was too ignorant. It was illogical and inefficient. Maybe Jude was weak when it came to strategy?


    Jude replied to the shaken young knights. He did it while moving forward.


    "The meeting point. Quickly. Quickly. My Lord. He said it. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    The battlefield where they would risk their lives was called a meeting ce? The young knights were thrilled.


    ¡¯For him, the battlefield is...¡¯


    ¡¯A ce where he meets friends?¡¯


    ¡®Truly great...! This is the dignity of a veteran who has stood right beside the great hero...!¡¯


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The young knights were suddenly astonished. For some reason, they thought the desert heated up even more and a sea of fire appeared in front of them.


    ¡°T-The desert is burning?¡±


    "Heok! Stop! Stop!"


    They didn¡¯t know what was happening. The desert was burning and blocking the path to Patrian. It was impossible to jump into the fire with the precious soldiers. The young knights urgently ordered the soldiers to stop marching at once. But Jude continued to run. He didn¡¯t shrink back from the raging fire and just advanced.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Please stop!¡±


    The young knights tried to stop Jude. But it was toote. While they were taking care of the soldiers, Jude was already running into the mes.


    ¡°This is crazy...!¡±


    Was he crazy? The moment that the young knights paled.


    Swaaaah!


    The mes swallowed up Jude faded away. A splendid oasis was present where the mes had been. It was clear blue water. The 3,000 soldiers of Reidan couldn¡¯t close their mouths.


    "The fire was an illusion...! Earl Ashur created a trap!¡±


    "Commander Jude noticed it!¡±


    ¡°Amazing! Really amazing!¡±


    Jude was soaking himself in the oasis. He plunged into the sea of fire only for it to be cool, making him smile.


    ¡°Water. Good. Clear. Jude. Thirsty. Drink.¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The morale of Reidan¡¯s troops pierced through the sky. Their weariness disappeared. The young knights were shocked by Jude.


    ¡®He knew the resting point in advance? He¡¯s thorough.¡¯


    ¡¯Earl Ashur was aware of Reidan¡¯s rebellion and designed something to keep us in check.¡¯


    ¡®Commander Jude is in a different dimension from us. He truly is Duke Grid¡¯s knight.¡¯


    At that moment, the young knights and 3,000 troops hadplete trust in Jude. Jude obtained a new title.


    [Trusted Commander]


    The physical strength and defense of the troops hemanded would slightly increase, while the stamina consumption rate would decrease.


    ***


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this amazing?¡±


    "It truly is Sir Asmophel.¡±


    "No wonder why he was called one of the pirs of the empire.¡±


    At the rear of the 3,000 troops. The Overgeared members were escorting the supplies convoy and their speed was naturally slow. They were moving wagons and couldn¡¯t keep up with the marching rate of the main army. The Overgeared members felt disbelief.


    Asmophel waspletely neglecting food transportation, one of the most important aspects. They suspected him of being an ipetentmander. However, these doubts disappeared after a while. The vibration and dust that urred because of the 3,000 troops was huge. This disturbance was transmitted underground and suppressed the appearance of the giant worms.


    ¡®He stopped the giant worms from showing up? It¡¯s a strategy that fully understands and exploits the characteristics of the giant worms.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks to this, the rear of the army and the food supplies are perfectly safe.¡¯


    ¡®He lead the weary soldiers to an oasis and immediately gave them a break.¡¯


    ¡®He figured out the location of the oasis?¡¯


    Indeed, Lauel was great. He urately identified Asmophel¡¯s talents and boldly delegated 3,000 soldiers to him. The Overgeared members believed that the future was bright.


    ***


    The fortified city, Patrian.


    Earl Ashur perceived a mysterious atmosphere. Adventurers started to disappear from the streets and an unpleasant silence dominated the city. In addition, one of the traps he set up on the road between Reidan and Patrian had been destroyed.


    ¡°...Is Grid finally moving?¡±


    It was natural for Grid to invade Patrian. Grid had killed Prince Ren who swung a de at him. It was no different from announcing his hostility to the Eternal Kingdom. That¡¯s why Earl Ashur was well prepared. He thoroughly defended Patrian, the only route that Grid could use to advance to the north. The sea of fire was one of the defenses.


    ¡®It was broken so easily... I can still stop him.¡¯


    Earl Ashur understood Grid¡¯s strength very well. He had seen it for himself. But now the situation had changed. At that time, he had been careless when facing Grid. In addition, he was confused because of the swordsman who looked like a beggar. Now he had grasped Grid¡¯s power. He was confident that he could beat Grid because he was fully prepared.


    In the first ce, a magician showed their overwhelming firepower in a war. In particr, the terrain was on their side. There was no chance that Patrian would be upied.


    ¡®There is one variable.¡¯


    The presence of his son nd, who was taken as a hostage. The only remaining flesh of his wife.


    ¡®Can I turn away from him?¡¯


    His family had served Eternal¡¯s royal family for generations. From a cold point of view, it was right to chose the kingdom over family.


    ¡¯My father, grandfather, and great grandfather would¡¯ve all chosen the kingdom.¡¯


    Yes, he knew. It was possible to give birth to more children, but there was only one kingdom.


    ¡®I know...¡¯


    His heart ached like it was torn. He hated his fate as a guardian that had been given to him since he was born. There was nothing more sad than having to turn away from the person he loved most in this world.


    ¡®nd... If this stupid father drives you to death, I will also die. Only after I smash Reidan!¡¯


    Earl Ashur stared out the window with hollow eyes. Then someone came up to him.


    "I understand your sad heart.¡±


    The man was covered by a robe. He was someone who had been staying in Patrian for a few months already. His identity? Earl Ashur didn¡¯t know. The person was sent by King An. Earl Ashur wasn¡¯t feeling good and frowned at the robed man.


    ¡°Are you finally going to show off your skills?¡±


    King An said that this robed man was the ¡®force¡¯ that would defend Patrian against Duke Grid¡¯s attack. In fact, Earl Ashur was aware that the robed man was someone great. But he wasn¡¯t happy. He didn¡¯t want a person with an unknown identity near him. The robed man faced Earl Ashur¡¯s hostility and bowed respectfully.


    ¡°I will definitely rescue your son. Believe in me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The robed man who made the ridiculous deration. As he bent forward, his robe moved to reveal a de that was strangely split into a Y character. It was the sword that had killed Prince Ren on a cold desert nightst year. It was the emergence of the Solo Number Knight who defeated the Great Swordsman Chucksley.

 Chapter 503

    [You have entered the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (8).]


    [The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]


    [You can¡¯t escape the dungeon until you have died or kill the dungeon boss.]


    ¡®Right here...¡¯


    ¡®Grid was able to raise his level so quickly in this ce.¡¯


    ¡®8th city, does this mean that Reidan has seven more cities like this?¡¯


    ¡®A territory with eight instant dungeons, the value is astronomical. This is why the Overgeared members can dominate the rankings.¡¯


    The world¡¯s best gaming BJ Bunny Bunny and the shooting staff of OGC Station. They entered the dungeon to shoot Grid¡¯s hunting broadcast and were immediately perplexed.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it too dark?¡±


    ¡°Nothing can be seen.¡±


    "Turn on the lights!"


    A darkness that didn¡¯t allow anything to be seen! The OGC staff and Bunny Bunny decided this couldn¡¯t continue and turned on their lights. Was it a view of the city that appeared as soon as the lights were turned on? No. It was the sight of at least 50 bats and wolves.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    "L-Large-toothed wolves and red-eyed bats!¡±


    They were powerful monsters that were at least level 270. Dozens of these monsters showed up? The shooting staff shrank back while Bunny Bunny showed his professionalism.


    ¡°Viewers, look at this! A huge number of high level creatures areing! Ahh! We will be wiped out! Will we die before we can pass on Grid¡¯s levelling secrets?¡±


    The moment that the viewers gulped and felt great tension because of Bunny Bunny¡¯s words.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid¡¯s dancing had be much more natural after getting the diamond capsule. His cloak pped as he moved quickly and generated a strong energy.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    Kwaaaaang!


    At the same time, there was a st of energy! The stones around Grid floated in the air. Grid¡¯s eyes became sharper under his ck hair as he swiftly swung his sword.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Every time he swung the sword, energy des shot out and killed the bats and wolves.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Wah... So strong.¡±


    The shooting staff let out sounds of admiration. They knew that Grid was one of the best in Satisfy, but this was the first time they saw him hunting! They didn¡¯t think he would y 50 monsters with levels in thete 200¡¯s in a sh. Grid scolded those whose mouths were open with shock.


    ¡°Next time, if you act selfishly and risk yourselves, then I won¡¯t save you again.¡±


    ¡°Ah...! Ah, yes! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Unlike the hurriedly apologetic staff, Bunny Bunny asked unabashedly, ¡°The monsters that just appeared are the vampires¡¯ familiars. Do you raise your level while hunting the familiars until you meet the boss?¡±


    Grid asked like he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°The vampires¡¯ familiars?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes. Indeed.¡±


    ¡°I should hunt vampires.¡±


    "...???"


    Vampires were a senior species. They were overwhelming stronger than monsters of the same level and was a monster with the trinity of physical power, magic power, and intelligence. Common yers avoided hunting vampires because they were very demanding to handle. Yet Grid said he was going to hunt vampires.


    Bunny Bunny doubted his ears and turned his gaze towards his camera.


    ¡°Did you hear that? Grid says that he will hunt vampires! Maybe today we can witness the huge scene where a yer hunts three or four vampires at the same time...! Heok!¡±


    Bunny Bunny¡¯s face turned white. The buildings in the city. Grid was standing in front of hundreds of coffins, not dozens? It was the first time Bunny Bunny realized that there were so many vampires in the world.


    OGC¡¯s announcer, Park Shinye carefully spected. ¡°Perhaps... Grid will raise his level by quietly breaking each coffin one by one... Kyaack!¡±


    Announcer Park Shinye shrieked. The reason why she was surprised...


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Crazy Grid. He used a wide area skill to wake up hundreds of vampires simultaneously.


    -Wow, boss ss ??


    -The shooting team is wiped out!


    -Sweet ?????


    The viewers forgot to eat their chicken. Every action that Grid showed after entering the vampire city was amazing and interesting. The immersion wasn¡¯t a joke. However, they felt desperate. Grid¡¯s levelling secret. It was impossible to follow him, even if they learned the secret.


    ***


    Near Patrian.


    ¡®They are rabble.¡¯


    This was Marquis Valtin¡¯s impression after he joined Reidan¡¯s army. Reidan¡¯s soldiers were unimpressive. They were covered with sweat and panting like a tired dog on a summer¡¯s day.


    ¡®They weren¡¯t trained in the usual manner.¡¯


    Bing this tired just from crossing the desert? Their stamina was low. It was truly pathetic.


    ¡®Indeed... They won¡¯t have the stamina to train normally.¡¯


    The circumstances behind Reidan¡¯s desertification and impoverishment were well known. It was difficult to even obtain food to eat. How could they afford to train the army in the harsh manner? It was natural for Reidan¡¯s soldiers to be weak.


    ¡®Just gathering 3,000 troops is great.¡¯


    There were 20,000 residents and 3,000 soldiers. It seemed like all the young men hade out.


    ¡®It will be the end of Reidan if we lose today.¡¯


    Pisik.


    Marquis Valtin made a scoffing sound. Meanwhile, Lauel was talking in the guild chat with the Overgeared members.


    &Jishuka: We arrived half a day ahead of schedule, but we joined just in time?


    &Toban: How did you know to align the time?


    &Lauel: Jude would overuse the soldiers, so I took that into ount. After thinking about it, I hastened the meeting with Marquis Valtin. Well, it¡¯s good that this is happening so quickly.


    &Pon: ...Jude? Why Jude?


    &Lauel: What¡¯s with this reaction? Surely you still don¡¯t know? Jude is Reidan¡¯smander. Asmophel received my permission to act freely.


    &Vantner: Wow. Nonsense. The greatmander was Jude?


    &Ibellin: Lauel. Are you crazy? What fool would entrust Jude with an army? You should¡¯ve left it to Jishuka or Peak Sword.


    &Lauel: Does themander have a role other than directing the march? It¡¯s a task that can easily be carried out by Jude.In the first ce, I don¡¯t want to ce the Overgeared members at the front where Marquis Valtin can see. He might be wary if he sees such outstanding people.


    The convoy escort was also the most important part of the march.


    On the other hand, Marquis Valtin¡¯s gaze was fixed on Jude.


    ¡®Amazing. He¡¯s like an ogre.¡¯


    Large muscles harder than stones could be seen. Indeed, a person praised as the hero of Eternal would have such a great physique.


    That¡¯s right. Marquis Valtin thought that Jude was Grid.


    ¡®He is only staring at the front?¡¯


    Grid (Jude) was just looking at the front, not even bothering to thank Marquis Valtin who brought arge army of 10,000 troops. His eyes were hollow and Marquis Valtin didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. It was the point where Grid wouldn¡¯t hear anything. This wasn¡¯t a normal appearance. It was remarkable.


    Marquis Valtin felt admiration.


    ¡°The small fries are here.¡±


    The height of 20 meters. The man who appeared on Patrian¡¯s high walls gave both Reidan and Borneo soldiers a sense of oppression and despair.


    Kurururung!


    There was a thunderstorm above them and rain poured down. The man¡¯s ghost-like pale face was revealed under the shing sky. It was Earl Ashur. The man who was still beautiful at 50 years old opened his mouth.


    ¡°I expected Reidan¡¯s revolt, but I never imagined it would coincide with Marquis Valtin¡¯s march. You are fools who don¡¯t know honor.¡±


    Marquis Valtinughed.


    "Your tough talk is still the same, Ashur! But I won¡¯t fall for your provocations today!¡±


    He was confident. Originally, he would be scared of Earl Ashur. However, Grid was by his side.


    ¡®Grid and Reidan¡¯s army will keep him in check, while my troops can easily enter Patrian and upy it.¡¯


    He was the reinforcements, so he wasn¡¯t in the position where he had to sacrifice his troops.


    Ssik!


    Lauel took a step forward as Marquis Valtin smiled. Then he politely spoke to Earl Ashur. ¡°I am Lauel and I serve Duke Grid. It is an honor to meet one of the 10 great magicians on the continent.¡±


    The fishing rod and bait that Lauel prepared. He threw the fishing rod first.


    "As you know, Sir nd is currently secured by us.¡±


    Lauel nced over at the eight young knights and nd stepped forward from beside them.


    ¡°Father...¡±


    ¡°nd!¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes trembled. Lauel didn¡¯t miss his agitation and immediately tried to negotiate.


    ¡°The one who killed 1st Prince Ren wasn¡¯t Duke Grid, but King An. He killed his older brother and ced all his sins on Duke Grid. The truth will be proven by nd.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s face filled with confusion as Lauel continued.


    "Earl Ashur has no obligation to be loyal to the royal family that has lost its legitimacy. Come join Duke Grid. Duke Grid will dispose of the false royal family that deceived you and will give you greater honor and power than before... Urgh.¡±


    Lauel let out a groan of pain and stumbled. It was because a dagger had flown without a sound and pierced his chest.


    ¡°What?¡±


    "Protect Earl Lauel!¡±


    The eight knights hurriedly ran to where Lauel and nd were standing. Then something dropped from the high walls. It was a robed man. The 9th knight of the Saharan Empire¡¯s Red Knights. A solo number knight who could destroy a city by himself. He pulled out a strange Y-shaped de and made it at lightning fast speed.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Keok.¡±


    The eight young knights selected and trained by Piaro and Asmophel were defeated in an instant. They couldn¡¯t even follow the robed man¡¯s sword. A serious injury was dealt and they barely survived.


    ¡°E-Earl Lauel...!¡±


    The eight knights screamed. Lauel was paralyzed by the poisoned dagger. In no time, the robed man reached him and swung his sword.


    ¡°Fast!¡±


    All the Overgeared members running from the rear of the army were shocked. The swordsmanship was so amazing that Faker, Pon, and Regas became nervous. What about Lauel, who was the target?


    ¡®I¡¯m dead!¡¯


    This was bad. He never thought that such a monster would be hiding in Patrian.


    ¡®Why am I always weak when ites to variables?¡¯


    Lauel scolded hiscking qualities and closed his eyes.


    Chaaeng!


    A pebble came flying from Reidan¡¯s troops and stopped the sword of the solo number knight.


    ¡°?!¡±


    A man hiding among the soldiers! A chill went down the spine of the solo number knight.

 Chapter 504

    Only 19 seconds. That was the time it took for the solo number knight to jump from the wall, get through the eight young knights, and reach Lauel.


    Syuk!


    The Y-shaped sword shed towards Lauel¡¯s neck. Fast. Lauel¡¯s death seemed inevitable. But Lauel lived. A pebble came flying from Reidan¡¯s troops and stopped the sword of the solo number knight.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    A solo number knight. They referred to the top nine of the Red Knights, the strongest people on the continent. It was evaluated that their strength was higher than Piaro, the former leader of the Red Knights. It was because all the Red Knights of the present day had aplished the status of great swordsman.


    The 9th knight, Nautilus, couldn¡¯t believe it after his sword was blocked by a stone.


    ¡®A person who can throw a stone that can block my sword exists?¡¯


    It was also in a small kingdom?


    ¡®Duke Grid?¡¯


    No, Nautilus had already prated through Grid¡¯s skills and talent. He had watched from afar during the war with Prince Ren and fully understood Grid¡¯s fighting skills. He was strong, but a few levels below Nautilus. Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to reach this level even if he trained all his life. If that was the case?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... Piaro?¡¯


    There was information that thest ce the traitor hid was the Eternal Kingdom. It was possible that this was Piaro.


    ¡®No, no. It isn¡¯t Piaro.¡¯


    Piaro hadn¡¯t been capable of this in his prime. He couldn¡¯t stop Nautilus¡¯ sword with a stone when his skills had fallen far below what it was in the past.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    1 second. Nautilus was feeling confused.


    ¡°Lauel. Protect.¡±


    Jude arrived and swung the +8 Dainsleif (Reproduction). The ck sword fell towards Nautilus¡¯ head like a lightning bolt.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Nautilus¡¯ arms and legs shook when he collided with Jude¡¯s sword.


    ¡®What is this strength?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t simply high muscr strength. The person in front of him seemed to have learned how to exert double or triple his actual strength.


    Kwang!


    Kwa kwang!


    Nautilus realized as he defended against two more strikes from Jude.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t afraid of death.¡¯


    He seemed to have 10 lives. This person didn¡¯t care about being hit by a counterattack or his own well-being. He just wielded the sword in order to destroy the enemy. It was more intense and threatening because the opponent was an animal that acted through instincts.


    ¡®Is he from Durima?¡¯


    They were a crazy n that raised puppets who only knew how to kill with weapons.


    ¡®Anyway, he¡¯s weak.¡¯


    Nautilus regained his coolness, avoided Jude¡¯s diagonal sh by bending his knees, then he stabbed his sword upwards.


    Seokeok!


    A white aura sprang out and caused a deep wound on Jude¡¯s thick chest. Nautilus jumped into the air and stabbed his sword in Jude¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ouch. It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Jude!¡±


    The Overgeared members running from the rear were worried. They was concerned about Jude dying, but it wasn¡¯t easy to move through the gaps between 3,000 soldiers. Faker stepped lightly on the soldiers¡¯ head and was the fastest. However, he was still far away.


    ¡°This is the end.¡±


    The moment that Nautilus¡¯ sword aimed at Jude¡¯s head.


    Chaaeng!


    Once again, a stone blocked Nautilus¡¯ sword.


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    It was like a ghost. Nautilus paled and hurriedly shouted to Earl Ashur on the wall.


    ¡°Command the army to attack! I will rescue nd in that gap!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t listen to Lauel¡¯s words and end the war as quickly as possible.¡¯


    Nautilus felt desperate because he feared the unidentified enemy, but Earl Ashur was a clever man. He thought first instead of acting rashly.


    ¡¯Does Grid get any benefits from killing Prince Ren?¡¯


    No. On the other hand, King An obtained the kingdom with Prince Ren¡¯s death. It was too early to dismiss Lauel¡¯s im that An was behind Prince Ren¡¯s death as a false one.


    ¡®Besides, he said that nd would testify...¡¯


    Was Grid really framed? Earl Ashur was taken aback by the thought.


    ¡®nd is a hostage.¡¯


    He would¡¯ve suffered terrible pain and humiliation while being held in Reidan. Earl Ashur couldn¡¯t believe nd¡¯s words, as his body and soul might¡¯ve been torn down. He might¡¯ve been threatened in order to lie.


    ¡®My first priority is to rescue nd. I will secure his safety and then discover the truth.¡¯


    Earl Ashur decided and finally issued amand.


    "Shoot!"


    Papat!


    Pa pa pa pa pat!


    The 2,000 archers on the walls fired simultaneously. Indeed, the archery abilities of the Patrian soldiers called the ¡®Heart of Eternal¡¯ were excellent. Thousands of arrows flew in a curve. However, Earl Ashur¡¯s magic was more surprising than the skill of the soldiers. All the arrows shot by the soldiers simultaneously gained the fire attribute and elerated.


    The Reidan soldiers panicked as the arrows poured down like meteors.


    ¡°Hiik...! B-Block!¡±


    "Raise your shields!¡±


    ¡°If you want to live, hurry! We have to reunite with our families in Reidan!¡±


    The idea of surviving raised the concentration of the soldiers. Thanks to the harsh training, Reidan¡¯s soldiers moved into rows and seeded in blocking most of the arrows with their shields. However, there were some people who were unlucky.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    "Ugh!"


    The arrows prated through the gaps in the shields and struck the soldiers. Some died instantly, while others would be crippled for life.


    ¡°Leo! Franc!¡±


    The soldiers cried out at the sight of their bleedingrades. Desire to live once again filled their faces as they used the shields to block the enemy¡¯s arrows.


    Chaaeng!


    Puk!


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    The battlefield filled with sharp screams and the sound of metal shing was fierce and terrible. It was a pit of grief and anger. Asmophel held a shield and moved among the soldiers.


    ¡®This is what soldiers on the battlefield sees...¡¯


    Asmophel was born a noble. He received amand role as soon as he entered the military. He always treated his soldiers with great care, despite the desire to win. However, this was the first time he had been in the position of a soldier. Did he enjoy it? It was awful. He didn¡¯t know that war was so horrendous in the days when he was themander who held tens of thousands of lives in his hand.


    ¡®The important thing for soldiers isn¡¯t the war or thepensation.¡¯


    It was only survival. They were the weak who were afraid of even one arrow. Asmophel was avoiding the flying arrows when he was hit by a shield that a soldier was setting up. His eyes widened as his nose became bloody. Beyond the shields, arge rock fired from the enemy¡¯s catapult was falling.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    ¡°R-Run away!¡±


    The screams of the soldiers echoed as they tried to escape from the rock. They pushed other people away as they started to run, including Asmophel.


    ¡®So far, I have only experienced a fraction of war.¡¯


    Now he knew.


    ¡®Duke Grid called me a soldier so that I could experience the life of one.¡¯


    In fact, Grid never invited Asmophel to experience being a soldier. But whatever the case, Asmophel epted it and a positive change urred.


    ¡®I will be amander who knows the heart of the soldiers. I won¡¯t forcibly sacrifice the soldiers. I wille up with a strategy to win the war with a minimum of sacrifices.¡¯


    But before that.


    ¡¯I have to perfectly perform the role of a soldier!¡¯


    Asmophel picked up a spear and threw it. It was towards the rock falling on his allies.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The spear shattered the rock in the air.


    [Asmophel has acquired a new skill.]


    [Asmophel has acquired a new skill.]


    [Asmophel has acquired a new title.]


    ***


    ¡°Why is it so hard?¡±


    ¡°No matter how I shoot the arrows, they don¡¯t die...¡±


    On the walls, the Patrian soldiers gradually lost morale. It was because the equipment of Reidan¡¯s soldiers were so hard that no matter how many arrows they fired, only a few casualties appeared.


    ¡°Soldiers are wearing armor that is normally for high ranking knights... Is Reidan that rich?"


    ¡°A desert city is rich? It¡¯s proof that Reidan¡¯s lord is taking care of the soldiers. Duke Grid cherishes the soldiers and gives them good armor.¡±


    "Such a great master... I envy Reidan¡¯s soldiers...¡±


    Earl Ashur panicked as soon as morale started to rapidly deteriorate.


    ¡®I must reverse the atmosphere.¡¯


    Borneo¡¯s army was advancing towards the gate while Reidan¡¯s soldiers performed the role of blocking the arrows.


    Kung!


    Kung!


    The walls shook and the soldiers trembled in fear every time Borneo¡¯s siege weapons mmed against the gate. In the end, Earl Ashur could no longer stand still. He would show them the value of a magician in a war!


    ¡°I will show the majesty of the 10 great magicians on the continent!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Earl Ashur¡¯s voice spread through the battlefield as he started to chant a spell, causing the atmosphere to heat up quickly. It was the precursor to the mass destruction magic, Fire Storm. Lauel recovered from his paralysis and hurriedly shouted to nd.


    ¡°What are you doing right now? Go and stop your father!¡±


    "...I can freely take action?¡±


    nd was baffled by Lauel¡¯s words.


    ¡°Have I ever blocked your freedom?¡±


    "...¡±


    No more words were necessary. nd used magic to fly through the sky. He cried out as he approached his father.


    ¡°Father! Listen to Earl Lauel!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes trembled. How could his son, a hostage, move freely on the battlefield?


    ¡®Perhaps...! Maybe!¡¯


    Earl Ashur stopped the magic spell and Lauel asked from the ground.


    ¡°King An killed Prince Ren and framed Duke Grid. If this is the truth, will you abandon Eternal¡¯s royal family and serve Duke Grid?¡±


    "I can feel betrayed by the Eternal Kingdom, but I don¡¯t intend to serve Duke Grid. I don¡¯t want to serve someone ipetent.¡±


    Ssik!


    Lauel smiled evilly and threw the bait. ¡°So you will serve Grid if he is capable? Okay. I will immediately prove Grid¡¯s capabilities.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was like Lauel predicted his answer. He dered to the puzzled Earl Ashur.


    "The fortified city Borneo of Gauss, which hasn¡¯t been upied for hundreds of years by Eternal, will now fall.¡±


    The moment he finished speaking. The Overgeared members that Lauel ced in the rear started to target the 10,000 Borneo soldiers attacking the gate.


    Pepepepeong!


    The Borneo soldiers became panicked at the bombardment of magic and skills that dealt catastrophic damage.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Marquis Valtin was in turmoil while Earl Ashur felt astonished. Lauel properly exined the situation to them.


    "The Eternal Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom will all fall into Duke Grid¡¯s grasp.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The moment that Earl Ashur was shivering.


    ¡°Earl Ashur! Don¡¯t be deceived! He¡¯s telling lies!¡±


    Nautilus btedly cried out from where he was surrounded by Regas, Pon, and Faker. He painfully shook off the three men and threw himself at Lauel. He hoped to kill Lauel and somehow straighten out the confusion.


    "Get lost!¡±


    The enemy troops blocking the path were nothing. Dozens of soldiers were instantly in as he reached Lauel and struck.


    Chaaeng!


    Suddenly, one of the soldiers guarding Lauel blocked Nautilus¡¯ attack.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The soldier pointed a spear at Nautilus and stated.


    ¡°Private Ars.¡±

 Chapter 505

    ¡°Private?¡±


    Nautilus was stunned and asked again.


    ¡°You¡¯re a soldier in the army?¡±


    A soldier who called himself Ars. His eyes were the only thing that could be seen through the deep helmet and he shook his head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right. I heard wrong...¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m a private, not a soldier.¡± (TL: Unsure of this. It seems to be some type of word game in Korean)


    ¡°You crazy guy! Making puns!¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter what he called himself. The fact that he said he was a soldier was the problem. A soldier was strong enough to block the sword of the 9th ranked Red Knight? It was something that had never happened in the 41 years he lived.


    ¡°You¡¯re deceiving me! I know that you are the one who stopped my sword twice before! Reveal your true identity! That is only polite!¡±


    Nautilus threw a dagger as he shouted. It was the poisoned dagger that made Lauel paralyzed for a while. Private Ars drew a circle with his spear and blocked it. No, Asmophel clicked his tongue.


    "You¡¯re talking about politeness? How shameless.¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s discerning eyes could tell that this robed man was a knight. He was a knight that learned the swordsmanship of the Saharan Empire. In the old days, it was inconceivable that a Red Knight would use hidden throwing weapons. This was inconsistent with an honorable act.


    ¡®The Red Knights have be corrupt.¡¯


    Asmophel smiled bitterly and mourned.


    ¡®Indeed, the Red Knights are different than before.¡¯


    All the chivalrous knights had been framed by Empress Marie and were dead or scattered. The Red Knights of the present day only had the same name. Otherwise, it was apletely new organization with different tendencies.


    ¡®Marie...¡¯


    The damn woman who killed all their families and friends!


    ¡®On the day that Grid devours the Saharan Empire, I will surely take everything back... Heok.¡¯


    Asmophel shook his head as he fell into his thoughts.


    ¡®Right now, I¡¯m Private Ars.¡¯


    A private didn¡¯t need to think about the empire¡¯s empress. Most ordinary soldiers in the world didn¡¯t even know the face or name of the empress! Asmophel took a deep breath and stuck to his current role as Nautilus flew towards him.


    "Daring to think in front of me!¡±


    Syuok!


    Syuok!


    Nautilus¡¯ sword aimed for two points. The ends of the Y de were only aimed for weak spots like the heart, throat, and eyes. The grains of sand that rose up were split in half every time.


    ¡®Great skills.¡¯


    Regas, Pon, and Faker felt admiration. The level of the robed NPC was estimated to be at least 400. The strength of a fourth advancement ss was overwhelming for the Overgeared members, who were still only in the third advancement. But the Overgeared members were shocked by the soldier, not the robed man.


    ¡®Why is a soldier so strong?¡¯


    Why did the soldier seem better than the robed man? Regas, Pon, and Faker were speechless when they heard Lauel¡¯s call.


    "How long are you going to stand there nkly? Go help the guild members destroy the Borneo army!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    The most threatening presence on the battlefield, the robed man, was being kept in check by a soldier. Thus, they could feel assured and do their roles well.


    "Then who is that private?¡±


    ¡°Ars.¡±


    "So who is Ars?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    "Where did Grid pick up another named NPC?¡±


    "In any case, Grid is great.¡±


    The three men who misunderstood separated. On the other hand, the battle between Nautilus and Asmophel was bing more intense.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Nautilus¡¯ sword moved at a fast pace while Asmophel focused on defending with his spear that had a wide range. The two people looked even. This was why Nautilus felt indignant.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s your identity? How is someone like you hiding in a small kingdom?¡±


    "Private Ars of Reidan.¡±


    "Stop repeating the same bullshit! You¡¯re too strong to be a soldier! Reveal your true identity!!¡±


    "No, any soldier can be as strong as me if they learn Reidan¡¯s spearsmanship.¡±


    Reidan¡¯s spearsmanship. It was something Asmophel had made after brainstorming with Piaro. All the soldiers of Reidan learned these techniques, which collected the merits of the ¡®Imperial Spearsmanship Style¡¯ that was passed down to only a handful of knights recognized by the Saharan Empire¡¯s court.


    However, the difficulty level was high and not one soldier had learned it to a good level yet. Of course, Asmophel had aplete understanding of it.


    "Reidan¡¯s Spearsmanship 2nd style. Dragon¡¯s Tail.¡±


    Peeng!


    Asmophel swung the spear and a wave of energy shook Nautilus¡¯ cochlea.


    ¡°What?


    Nautilus lost his bnce and barely defended against Asmophel¡¯s attack. Then his eyes widened. It was because Asmophels¡¯s spear, which was in contact with his sword, curved and stabbed at his neck.


    ¡®This is bad...!¡¯


    Puok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Blood emerged as Nautilus was stabbed lightly. In the meantime, he predicted Asmophel¡¯s movements and counterattacked. However, Asmophel was able to avoid him.


    ¡°You are forever dancing in the palm of my hand.¡±


    "Ugh."


    If a passersby was grabbed and asked about the strongest knights on the continent, they would all say the Red Knights. And among the Red Knights, Nautilus was the 9th strongest. Nautilus was confident that there were only around 30 people stronger than him on the continent. Yet he was being overpowered by a soldier of Reidan. It was also a private!


    ¡°How? Why is someone like you...?¡±


    It was serious. He couldn¡¯t have the stigma of a ¡®solo number knight defeated by a soldier.¡¯ It was absurd. Nautilus decided to flee and used Aura Rage, threatening Asmophel by erupting aura everywhere, creating a sand storm.


    ¡®Use this gap to escape... Heok!¡¯


    Nautilus believed that he¡¯d disturbed Asmophel¡¯s view and ran away.


    "It¡¯s strange for a Red Knight to show his back. Originally, a Red Knight should have the instinct to ignore the limit and exceed it if they meet a stronger opponent. You¡¯re actually like this?¡±


    That damn voice was heard right above his head?


    ¡®How did he escape from the bombardment of Aura Rage?¡¯


    A chill went down Nautilus¡¯ spine as Asmophel stabbed his spear several times.


    Papang!


    Papapapang!


    One, twice, three times, four times, ten times! Continue, continue, continue! Continue!


    Puuoooook!


    "Kuoooak!" Shit! Shitt!¡±


    Nautilus tried to cope with the ruthless bombardment that was pouring down on him, but Asmosphel was too fast. Nautilus was constantly battered despite his resistance.


    "Reidan¡¯s Spearsmanship 3rd style.¡±


    Kurururu!


    The spear stabbing and piercing Nautilus¡¯ body became surrounded by a golden light. It was the precursor to the peak technique of Reidan¡¯s spearsmanship, Splitting the Seven Seas.


    ¡°Golden aura...? This is ridiculoussss!¡±


    Nautilus whitened as the spear led to a storm of golden aura. He was afraid that his identity would be exposed and didn¡¯t wear the Red Armor, the symbol of the Red Knights. Now he felt disappointed and helpless by this fact.


    Puoook!


    The golden-colored spear split Nautilus¡¯ chest in half.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Nautilus suffered catastrophic damage and copsed. He btedly thought. ¡¯Yes, this is the best spearman on the continent...¡¯


    Kirinus! That monster was hiding among Reidan¡¯s soldiers!


    ¡®I would¡¯ve had a chance if I wore the Red Armor... Too bad...¡¯


    Nautilus turned to grey. He never knew. Asmophel wasn¡¯t Kirinus, and his swordsmanship was much better than his spear techniques.


    ***


    ¡°Whoa...¡±


    "A-Amazing.¡±


    The Reidan soldiers witnessed how an ordinary private (?) defeated the enemy. They obtained new hopes and dreams. If they kept working hard on Reidan¡¯s spearsmanship, they could one day be strong like Private Ars? The morale of the Reidan soldiers rose and Lauel issued a timely order.


    "Full force! Rush and hit Borneo! And I will promote Private Ars to a Private First ss right now!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The prize might seem a bit low since Ars defeated an enemy that no one else could stop, but this was the unfortunate treatment ofmoner soldiers. Since there was a private first ss who could perform the role of 50 people, it was rtively easy to advance.


    ¡®Let¡¯s earn achievements like Ars!¡¯


    The soldiers of Reidan burned with desire and attacked Borneo. After a while. Lauel whispered to Ars as they were left in the rear.


    "I didn¡¯t even dream that you would be Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Private Ars.¡±


    Asmophel tried to conceal his identity, but he couldn¡¯t deceive Lauel¡¯s eyes.


    "Huhut, you don¡¯t need to hide your identity from me. I can guess your reason behind bing a soldier. Is it to give encouragement to the soldiers so that they can train better? Always thinking about developing the army... Truly a greatmander. You¡¯re someone who is hard to fully grasp, like Grid and Piaro. Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s interpretation made Asmophel embarrassed. He tried to deny it by repeating the same words.


    ¡°I¡¯m Private Ars.¡±


    "Haha! Understood. Please continue to act as a soldier in the future. Private First ss Ars.¡±


    Asmophel said again to the smiling Lauel. ¡°I¡¯m Private Ars.¡±


    "...Do you have a fetish with being a private?¡±


    "I should start from the beginning instead of getting the role of a private first ss.¡±


    He wanted to experience everything about being a soldier. Therefore, he refused. Lauel was delighted by Asmophel¡¯s strong will.


    ¡®I can reduce our financial expenditure.¡¯


    There was a big difference between a private and a private first ss. Since Asmophel received a sry as the captain of the Overgeared Magic Knights division, it was a waste to pay him the sry of a private first ss as well.


    "It¡¯s good that Ars has this private disease.¡±


    The Saharan Empire¡¯s solo number knight. He was killed by a soldier of Reidan. Unfortunately, this news was quietly buried. No one except for King An and Asmophel knew that Nautilus was a solo number knight.


    The next day at dawn. The long and intense battle ended. Borneo¡¯s 10,000 troops were defeated by Reidan¡¯s 3,000 troops. The members of Overgeared were active, but the crucial difference between the Borneo and Reidan soldiers were their items. The Borneo soldiers couldn¡¯t go against the mass production Grid set that the legendary cksmith Grid that every 1 in 10 soldiers had. There was also the activities of Private Ars.


    At the same time, the vampire city.


    "The vampires are simple to handle using this method. Just have the God Hands hit them with Mjolnir. How is it? Simple right? The viewers can try it as well.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was fooling viewers around the world. It wasn¡¯t intentional, but it was unavoidable. The viewers became confused by Grid¡¯s exnation.

 Chapter 506

    Using the God Hands wielding Mjolnir to hunt the vampires and gain experience! The viewers showed a variety of responses after learning Grid¡¯s secret.


    -What should I do if I don¡¯t have the God Hands and Mjolnir?


    -Buy a hammer with divine power.


    -Even if you hit them with a hammer with divine power, will the vampires really die so easily?


    -It¡¯s only possible with the God Hands.


    Some people took Grid¡¯s levelling secret seriously while others just enjoyed it.


    -Ah, what is this?I watched the broadcast to learn how to raise my level quickly like Grid, only to get nothing.


    -Tsk~ I could¡¯ve been ying the game during this broadcast time.


    Some people grumbled. But few people directly criticized Grid. In the first ce, Grid wasn¡¯t obliged to reveal the secret behind his levelling. It was a position where people couldn¡¯tin, even if they couldn¡¯t get any help from Grid¡¯s broadcast. Most people were happy and thankful that Grid appeared on air to resolve their questions. Grid might be ridiculed, but his poprity was real.


    However, OGC Announcer Park Shinye felt somewhat uneasy.


    How to hunt like Grid. She was worried that the ordinary yers couldn¡¯t follow Grid¡¯s actions and the audience ratings would fall. In the end, she used the interim advertising time to speak to Grid.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, can¡¯t your attitude be more serious? Shouldn¡¯t you do your best to satisfy the viewers of the broadcast?¡±


    "Serious attitude?"


    Grid became confused where he was sitting and resting.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I being serious?¡±


    His role was to show the viewers how he hunted and he stuck to this role. What was the problem? Park Shinye exined to the puzzled Grid. ¡°You need to make the viewers feel that it is worthwhile watching this. For example, when catching a vampire, exin the weakness of the vampire in detail...¡±


    Grid frowned.


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Did he need to be that kind? If OGC had asked him for such a role from the beginning, he would¡¯ve declined to appear. Grid disliked the fact that Park Shinye was making demands for things that weren¡¯t in the contract. His negative reaction stimted Park Shinye.


    "Youngwoo-ssi, you don¡¯t have the attitude of a professional. I heard that you received 20 billion won in exchange for appearing on this broadcast. Shouldn¡¯t you at least be aware of the value of that money?¡±


    ¡°The value of the money? I think this is enough.¡±


    Grid was well aware that broadcasting stations weren¡¯t charities. He could easily guess that OGC had already earned over 20 billion won revenue from this broadcast.


    ¡°Hey Shinye, what are you doing all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t make a fuss.¡±


    The moment that the OGC staff were trying to stop Park Shinye.


    ¡°The smell of humans!¡±


    ¡°Delicious. Prey has arrived after a long time.¡±


    The vampires sensed it as Grid¡¯s party became lively and flocked.


    "They showed up again.¡±


    "Withdraw to the rear.¡±


    The broadcasting staff who were initially afraid of the vampires were now calm. They weren¡¯t nervous because they knew that Grid could easily handle the vampires. However.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t get up, despite the vampires approaching. He just sat and waited. The broadcasting staff bted noticed this strangeness and became anxious. In particr, Park Shinye urged Grid.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi! Get rid of the vampires! Everybody will die like this!¡±


    Her shouts were useless. Grid stayed still until the end and the staff were eventually attacked.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Park Shinye was dressed conspicuously and became the first target. She was pierced by the vampire¡¯s nails and bitten on the neck, dying instantly. Then Grid rose.


    "Phew, good riddance.¡±


    There was a refreshed smile on Grid¡¯s face! Bunny Bunny gulped as he watched Gridmand the God Hands and start hitting the vampires.


    ¡®I should be careful.¡¯


    He had noticed it a long time ago, but Grid didn¡¯t have a nice personality. He knew how to treat the people around him well and wasn¡¯t rude, but he was never nice or innocent. It was important not to forget this.


    ***


    The fortified city, Patrian.


    "You lowly and wicked man! Stabbing your allies in the back! You have no honor or goodness! If today¡¯s incident is known to the world, Duke Grid¡¯s reputation will fall to the bottom!¡±


    Marquis Valtin shouted at Lauel while being tied up. It was againstmon sense to betray and attack allies during a war. There were few such incidents in the whole continent. Marquis Valtin thought Lauel was the worst person.


    Lauel acknowledged this fact. "Indeed. If this is known to the world, I will be stigmatized as the worst trash and Grid¡¯s credibility will also fall. No one will trust Reidan again, and we will be isted both economically and with the military.¡±


    ¡°Then you understand! The only thing waiting for you is ruin! You were blinded by the immediate benefits and have made an irreversible mistake! There¡¯s no future for you!¡±


    "...¡±


    Lauel fell silent. He couldn¡¯t refute Marquis Valtin¡¯s words. The Overgeared members were agitated.


    "Isn¡¯t this situation serious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s serious. The other forces won¡¯t sit idly by after this incident. The concept of an alliance is to be trustworthy, so the wave caused by this will be big.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°As Marquis Valtin says, the future won¡¯t be smooth.¡±


    ¡°Wow... Then we should cover it up as much as possible to prevent the world knowing that we stabbed Borneo in the back.¡±


    ¡°How can we conceal an incident where tens of thousands of people were present?¡±


    "Eh... Then are we ruined?¡±


    Ssik.


    Marquis Valtin smiled with satisfaction when he saw the agitated Overgeared members.


    "Free me and my army right away. This is an opportunity to make up for your mistake!¡±


    ording to themonw, killing enemy nobles captured during a war was prohibited. It was resolved after receiving money. The liberation period was normally dyed as much as possible, but Marquis Valtin was convinced.


    ¡®They have to release me now.¡¯


    They would want to escape from the worst situation. However, it was already toote. ¡®You will never be forgiven!¡¯ Once he returned to Gauss, he would immediately find the king and urge for an alliance with Eternal.


    ¡®I will make an alliance with Eternal and punish all of you!¡¯


    Lauel smiled awkwardly at Marquis Valtin. "I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t release you. Now that I have done this, I won¡¯t be able to regain the trust that has been lost. I can¡¯t risk freeing you when you will be a greater enemy in the future.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Don¡¯t you know that themonw is not to kill captive nobles?¡±


    "I¡¯m aware of that. So I have to manipte the truth. Uhh, well. Marquis Valtin was hit by an arrow on the battlefield and died.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! The 3,000 Borneo soldiers who survived are my witnesses! My soldiers will attest that you executed me!¡±


    Borneo was forced to surrender in thete afternoon, resulting in 3,000 troops still surviving. Behind the tied up Marquis Valtin were 3,000 soldiers kneeling down, their weapons thrown away. Lauel acted like he didn¡¯t understand Marquis Valtin¡¯s confident words.


    ¡°Where are the 3,000 soldiers? All 10,000 Borneo troops were wiped out in the war.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Marquis Valtin¡¯s heart sank. The Overgeared members were also shocked.


    ¡°L-Lauel, do you mean to kill all of them?¡±


    Lauel nodded easily at the whisper of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Even if they were NPCs, they were still alive. It was also 3,000 lives! It was terrible to kill 3,000 soldiers who had already dered surrender. Lauel looked indifferently at the rejection from some of the Overgeared members.


    "It¡¯s difficult to gain power if you aren¡¯t evil. Those who behave justly are always bound to receive damage.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Execute all 3,153 Borneo soldiers, including Marquis Valtin. The execution will be carried out be Reidan¡¯s soldiers. Raise the level of the soldiers.¡±


    Some people would use him of being a demon and some wouldn¡¯t want to look at him. But Lauel didn¡¯t care. He wasn¡¯t part of the Overgeared Guild to y around. Marquis Valtin shook at his emotionless face and shouted, "I wonder if you can cover the sky! The evil youmitted today will eventually be revealed and will lead to Duke Grid¡¯s destruction!¡±


    Lauelughed as he imagined it.


    "No, Duke Grid will be extraordinary. I will block and ovee everything that gets in his way, no matter the trials.¡±


    Lauel foresaw this from the time he nned to take over Borneo to acquire Earl Ashur. The fate of Overgeared was to be isted. Nevertheless, it was inevitable for his n. What if they didn¡¯t ally with Borneo and upied Patrian with their own power? They would still be stigmatized as ¡®those who betrayed the kingdom.¡¯


    ¡®Since we are going to be isted no matter what, it¡¯s better to get as many benefits as possible.¡¯


    Independence. The power of Overgeared, his brains and the forces of Marquis Steim and Earl Ashur would be their foothold!


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if other kingdoms don¡¯t acknowledge us to the end and are hostile.¡¯


    Break through this with force. Lauel pledged as Marquis Valtin and 3,153 Borneo troops were executed. Then he received a new title.


    [You have caused a massacre using the pretext of war. You have be an object of hatred to an unspecified number of people. On the other hand, you will also have enthusiastic followers.]


    [The title ¡®Wise Viin¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [The stat ¡®political power¡¯ will be opened due to the title effect.]


    [Political power has increased by 500.]


    [Attack power and magic power will slightly increase due to the title effect.]


    [You have gained the skill ¡®Madness¡¯ as a result of the title effect.]


    [You have gained the skill ¡®Harsh Tax Levy¡¯ as a result of the title effect.]


    [You have gained the skill ¡®Merciless Commands¡¯ as a result of the title effect.]


    ¡°This, this... I received great strength at the cost of sad ughter. Look forward to the future of the dark shadow Lauel, who will be responsible for the darkness of Overgeared...¡±


    "...¡±


    The Overgeared members were worried about Lauel¡¯s increasingly serious illness.

 Chapter 507

    ¡°...Now I see.¡±


    Earl Ashur realized as he watched Lauel execute all the prisoners of the Borneo army.


    "The reason why the greedy and stupid Grid is able to solidify his position is due to this person.¡±


    Lauel used the alliance with the Borneo army to not just upy Patrian. He deserved to be used, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that he was excellent. Choosing the cruel means in order to achieve better results was especially great. Could Gride up to his current position if it wasn¡¯t for this person?


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t have been possible.¡¯


    Earl Ashur denied it with certainty, making nd speak.


    "Father, with all due respect, Duke Grid isn¡¯t ipetent. It¡¯s true that Earl Lauel¡¯s achievements are big, but his actions would be limited if Duke Grid was ipetent.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Earl Ashur felt that his son was strange after reuniting after two years. nd had a bad rtionship with Grid and was also held hostage by Grid, yet he acknowledged Grid?


    ¡®Grid even took Irene from him. Now there are no grudges in his eyes...?¡¯


    nd seemed to be brainwashed. How was he tortured? It was truly horrible. Earl Ashur made a heartbroken expression while nd smiled brightly.


    "Father, it¡¯s nothing like you are imagining. I have been enjoying life in Reidan.¡±


    ¡°nd?¡±


    Earl Ashur was surprised. His son nd could smile so brightly again after losing his mother and brother? After Irene married Grid, this kid definitely should be darker and more pained!


    "What is life like in Reidan that you can make such a bright face?¡±


    nd told the truth to the confused Earl Ashur.


    ¡°Field work.¡±


    "W-What?¡±


    "I eat potatoes every day.¡±


    ¡°What?!!!¡±


    Earl Ashur was furious. His precious son, a noble of Eternal, had to work in the fields like a serf? He was even eating potatoes like a pig! He had been living this hellish life!


    ¡°Ahh! nd! You¡¯ve gone mad at the end of your life!¡± Earl Ashurmented and hugged nd. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Your life was ruined due to this foolish father!¡± Sob sob.


    nd handed a boiled potato to Earl Ashur who was weeping. A rainbow colored potato.


    "I¡¯m not going to speak any longer. Eat this potato. Your misunderstanding will be wiped out the moment you taste this.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    His son was crazy. What son would invite his father to eat the same pig food? Earl Ashurmented. nd determined there would be no progress in this conversation and acted. He shoved the rainbow potato into his father¡¯s mouth.


    "Heok!"


    Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes shone as the pig food entered his mouth.


    ¡®W-What is this?¡¯


    It was a new world. The shock and pleasure that wasparable to opening a new mana circle caused him to be stunned. As soon as it was inserted in his mouth, it melted and the taste was sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and refreshing. It was as if all the delicacies in the world were concentrated in one potato.


    nd spoke excitedly to the shocked Earl Ashur. ¡°Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡±


    "Delicious! What?¡± Earl Ashur was agitated. ¡°How can you express this precious delicacy with just delicious!? Yes! A heavenly vor! The food of the gods!!¡±


    "...¡±


    Blood was truly thick. nd and Earl Ashur even had the same taste buds. Either way, it was the birth of a new potato maniac.


    ***


    ¡°Will you serve Duke Grid?¡± Lauel arranged the situation and talked to Earl Ashur.


    Earl Ashur spoke in a blunt manner with a potato in his mouth. "What are you nning to do in the future? Duke Grid will be hostile to both Eternal and Gauss. It is doubtful that Duke Grid can withstand the pincer attacks of two kingdoms, even with the protection of Marquis Steim.¡±


    Lauel raised three fingers. ¡°There is a part you are overlooking. The countries we will be hostile to in this war aren¡¯t just Eternal and Gauss, but the Saharan Empire as well.¡±


    ¡°The empire?¡¯


    The power of the Saharan Empire, the real rulers of the continent, was overwhelming. They had over one million soldiers and the number of knights was close to 3,000. There were several great magicians as outstanding as Earl Ashur. In other words, it was an absolute powerhouse. Bing hostile to the empire would lead to ruin.


    "Why would you be hostile to the empire?¡±


    Lauel exined to Earl Ashur with a firm expression.


    "The Saharan Empire is behind King An.¡±


    Many circumstantial things prove the cooperation between King An and the Saharan Empire. Lauel was convinced there was a rtionship with the empire not long after An was crowned.


    Earl Ashur thought silently and nodded. ¡°That reminds me... Recently, the rtionship with the empire is changing little by little. The policies have started to be favorable towards the empire? They seemed so trivial that I and the others were negligent.¡±


    It was murky.


    "Will there be a future for Duke Grid after bing hostile to the empire? Won¡¯t I just die a dog death if I serve him?¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to worry. The empire currently has their army scattered due to insurgents in the south. It¡¯s hard to get involved in matters of the north. I¡¯m certain that there will be no direct conflict with the empire for the next two years. In the first ce, King An won¡¯t send a request for support to the empire.¡±


    Eternal had a very strong pride as a neutral kingdom. They might have to give a tribute to the empire, but there were few kingdoms with full autonomy like Eternal. What if it was known that King An borrowed the power of the empire in order to be crowned, and in return, implemented policies favorable to the empire? King An¡¯s position would be weakened and it might be the moment when the power of Prince Ren¡¯s faction would be revealed.


    Lauel came to the conclusion that King An couldn¡¯t announce his rtionship with the empire.


    "...You¡¯re a person who can read the situation of the whole continent and use it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the basics?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t something that anyone can afford.¡±


    Earl Ashur thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t return to Eternal already. My base is too weak to build an independent force. I will serve Duke Grid. However, I expect high treatment.¡±


    ¡°They are fair words. You¡¯re one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. Just...¡± Lauel gave a friendly smile. Then he spoke to Earl Ashur with a gentle expression. "Always remember that your only mission is to serve Duke Grid. It¡¯s uneptable if you hold a sword to his neck.¡±


    "I know."


    Earl Ashur was curious. How much had Grid grown to be able to make talented people like this serve him?


    ¡®I want to see it.¡¯


    His grudge against Grid disappeared the moment he learned that nd had been living a healthy and happy life. Earl Ashur was full of expectations when he suddenly had a question.


    ¡°Where is Duke Grid now?¡±


    The war against Patrian was an important event that would determine Reidan¡¯s future destiny. Yet Grid hadn¡¯t been seen at all during the war. How could he be away during such an important moment?


    Lauel replied. "Duke Grid is currently hunting.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Earl Ashur doubted his ears for a moment before bing convinced.


    "Ah, that¡¯s right. He is struggling alone to defend his territory against those who threaten it?"


    ¡°Well... Something simr."


    Grid¡¯s growth was the absolute weapon. The stronger Grid became, the stronger Overgeared was. But Lauel allowed Earl Ashur to interpret it as he wished. Lauel made a warm expression and sent a whisper to Faker.


    -The road to the north is finally opened.As scheduled, go to Marquis Steim and tell him about Grid¡¯s independence.


    The moment that Marquis Steim promised to serve Grid.


    -We will make Grid a king.


    Right now, no big changes could be made if Grid became king. Grid¡¯s kingdom would suffer, surrounded on three sides by the Eternal Kingdom, the Gauss Kingdom and the Saharan Empire. In the worst case, it could quickly fall. But Lauel didn¡¯t care. There was only one reason. He wanted to give Grid the title of ¡®First King.¡¯


    ¡®I can¡¯t give it to Ares.¡¯


    He bet it was a legendary rated title. Lauel spected that the effect would be much better than Kingdom¡¯s Hero.


    ***


    "Patrian has been taken?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that. Earl Ashur hasmitted betrayal and joined Duke Grid.¡±


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    The capital of the Eternal Kingdom, Reinhardt. King An never dreamt that Patrian would copse, and he sat down without any strength. He stared into the air for a moment before asking.


    "W-Where is the knight I sent to Earl Ashur?¡±


    ¡°He was killed during the war. He was also defeated by a soldier of Reidan.¡±


    Why did he send a knight that was weaker than a soldier as reinforcement? The questioning eyes of the people present stabbed at King An.


    An was confused. ¡®A soldier defeated a solo number knight?¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be. The news must be distorted. An was sure of it.


    ¡®Duke Grid learned that Nautilus was a Red Knight and took care of it.¡¯


    He pretended to be as soldier in order to kill the Red Knight.


    ¡®The empire can¡¯t reveal that Nautilus is a solo number knight. They can¡¯t make a big issue against Grid.¡¯


    From the empire¡¯s perspective, how could they announce that one of the solo number knights they were so proud of was killed by a soldier? No. In order to avoid embarrassment, Nautilus couldn¡¯t be revealed.


    ¡®Duke Grid...¡¯


    He was scarier and more clever than imagined. That¡¯s right. King An could never imagine. Grid wasn¡¯t involved in this incident at all. Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Grid to not participate in future wars. Lauel was hoping for Grid¡¯s infinite growth. Whether the Overgeared members went to war or a kingdom was established. Lauel desired for Grid to focus on solo y.


    ¡®Like Agnus.¡¯


    Agnus had a guild of necromancer rankers under him. He yed solo while his forces gained honor and glory for him. Why couldn¡¯t others do the same thing? Lauel had a rivalry with Veradin, Agnus¡¯ chief of staff. He aimed to give Grid morefort and glory than Agnus.


    It was the beginning of the ¡®Grid: Emperor of the World¡¯ project.

 Chapter 508

    After annihting Borneo¡¯s army and absorbing Patrian. Lauel took control of Borneo and looked at a map of Eternal.


    ¡°By conquering Patrian, we have seeded inpletely connecting the north and the west. From now on, we¡¯ll use the resources produced in the north to defend against the empire¡¯s invasion based on Reidan, the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s invasion based on Patrian, and the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s invasion based on Borneo.¡±


    Reidan, Patrian, and Borneo were able to form a triangr defense zone. The disadvantage of having to disperse their troops was created, but there was the tremendous advantage of not having to worry about their rear.


    ¡®Looking at the current situation, we¡¯ll be able to hold on for the next two years. If we hold on, there¡¯s a chance to counterattack.¡¯


    The problem was Cork Ind, separated from the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom by the sea. It was impossible to protect it. Lauel made a painful decision.


    "...Give up Cork Ind. Please have all the members residing there return to Reidan.¡±


    Peak Sword fiercely argued against it. "Cork Ind is the territory that the Silver Knights Guild won after a fierce battle! We can¡¯t give it up so easily!¡±


    Toban spoke carefully. ¡°Cork Ind has a high profit as a tourist destination and has 23 mines. It¡¯s the territory with the highest value, so it¡¯s hard to obediently give it up.¡±


    Lauel replied coolly. ¡°But what can we do? It¡¯s impossible to spare resources and forces for Cork Ind.¡±


    Lauel also felt regret that they had to give it up. It would be a lingering regret. But he needed to make a realistic decision. He couldn¡¯t be emotional like Peak Sword or express an opinion without a solution like Toban. Lauel had the responsibility of being Grid¡¯s representative.


    "Cork Ind won¡¯t be able tost long against an offensive from Eternal. It¡¯s better to not be obsessed with it and give it up instead of receiving huge damages.¡±


    Lauel showed an objective judgment, but Peak Sword dered.


    ¡°I will go to Cork Ind. I¡¯ll protect it for as long as I can. Just give me permission to take 10 guild members from the Silver Knights. I¡¯m well aware of thecking manpower, but please do me this favor. I will make sure that you benefit from this.¡±


    "...¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s skills were among the top in Overgeared. He didn¡¯t perform well in the National Competition. However, it was inevitable due to the nature of his ss. Looking at simplebat ability, he was just below Regas and Pon, and his leadership was better than theirs.


    "...If you have the Silver Knights members, you will be able to extend the time it takes for Cork Ind to be upied.¡±


    The limit was probably one or two months. The resources and taxes from those two months would certainly be a great help to Overgeared. But Lauel thought the damage wasrger than the benefits.


    "Peak Sword, Cork Ind doesn¡¯t have any monsters suitable for third advancement sses to hunt. Your growth during your stay there will be stagnant. In the long run, this will be a huge loss of power for Overgeared. Thus, I can¡¯t send you...¡±


    "No, I can grow without hunting.¡± Peak Sword interrupted Lauel¡¯s words with a hoe. No, it was a pickaxe. "I will stay in the mines when I¡¯m not defending the ind.¡±


    Steadybor would raise his mining skill as well as his stats. He would be stronger little by little. They could also obtain ores there.


    ¡°Cork Ind is a special territory for me. It resembles Dokdo. So Lauel, please sent me to Cork Ind. I will protect it as long as possible.¡±


    He was prepared to die many times. One month, two months. No, he would secure funds for Overgeared by defending Cork Ind for three or four months. Lauel finally gave up when he saw the mes burning in Peak Sword¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I understand. Your stubbornness isparable to Grid¡¯s and I can¡¯t break it.¡±


    Were all Korean people like this? Lauelughed at the thought. A gentle smile that couldn¡¯t be seen when confronting the enemy spread across his face.


    ¡°Peak Sword, I will believe in you.¡±


    Lauel personally liked Peak Sword. A person with persistence and a noble mind, he closely resembled Grid.


    "Stay as long as possible on Cork Ind.¡±


    Peak Sword respectfully rose from his seat and said to Lauel.


    "I will hold it and collect resources for the guild warehouse.¡±


    Peak Sword moved quickly. He left Borneo for Cork Ind on that day. He had 10 elite members of the Silver Knights with him. There was a pickaxe in the corner of their inventories.


    After that. Lauel dispersed the Overgeared members between Reidan, Patrian, and Borneo, telling them their top priorities.


    "Always be prepared for war and concentrate on levelling up. Spend all the assets you¡¯ve collected on potions and just keep hunting."


    Lauel would stay in Reidan. He ced the safety of Duchess Irene and Lord as his top priority.


    ***


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s starting.¡±


    King of Shadows, Kasim. Immediately after Lord was born, Kasim stayed by his side and taught him Lantier¡¯s techniques. Therefore, he heard when Reidan became hostile to the Saharan Empire. He looked at the residents and soldiers of Reidan who were preparing for war.


    "Don¡¯t be afraid. My shadows will embrace you.¡±


    The Nero who had been destroyed by the empire. As thest survivor of the Nero, Kasim¡¯s hatred for the empire was great. Lord spoke to the man who was burning with the desire for vengeance.


    "Teacher, control your breathing. Assassins must manage their emotions.¡±


    ¡°Hah... Haha, yes. I made a big mistake because I¡¯m stillcking.¡±


    Kasim controlled his heart and was thrilled to see how Lord was growing.


    Sururuk.


    Kasim disappeared into the darkness.


    "Young Nobleman Lord, it¡¯s time to study.¡±


    Sticks visited Lord. Lord¡¯s response wasn¡¯t good.


    "Are we studying great demons today?¡±


    "Yes, the great demons are the enemies of all species on this earth. It¡¯s natural for you to acquire information about the great demons in advance, since you will be ruling over many humans in the future.¡±


    "I don¡¯t like great demons.¡±


    Lord, who had advised Kasim just a while ago to manage his emotions, wasn¡¯t controlling his emotions at all. He pouted and startedining. Even a continent-level genius couldn¡¯t control his emotions when he was still under four years old.


    "I hate talking about great demons. It¡¯s scary. Let¡¯s study something else. Yes~? Teacher?¡±


    Lord¡¯s innocent facial features werebined with his begging eyes. The child had a lovely appearance thatbined the merits of his mother and father, causing Sticks to feel a strong pain in his heart.


    ¡®Ugh... So cute.¡¯


    Maybe it was because he almost died from a heart attack previously. Sticks breathed roughly to ease the pain of his heart and stroked Lord¡¯s head.


    "Young Nobleman Lord, you have to learn it because you hate it.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was somewhat philosophical. Grid wouldn¡¯t have understood what it meant, but his young son did. He focused his mind on Sticks¡¯ lecture.


    [You have gained new knowledge. You have acquired the ability to detect weaknesses in some low-grade demonkin.]


    [You have gained new knowledge. Dark magic evasion and defense has increased.]


    Sticks¡¯ vast knowledge was gradually passed down to Lord. Thebination of a genius student and a mentor with close to infinite knowledge was producing great results.


    ***


    ¡°Why is Bunny Bunny broadcasting with OGC? Where did Park Shinye go?¡±


    After the end of the advertising break. The broadcast of Grid¡¯s hunt resumed and the viewers were confused. It was because OGC¡¯s announcer, Park Shinye disappeared without a trace. What happened during the 10 minutes when ads were ying? The viewers questioned it and Park Shinye felt confident.


    ¡®Grid, don¡¯t you know how popr I am?¡¯


    As an announcer representing OGC, she had countless fans. After the truth was revealed, her fans would use Grid. She was confident that Grid would lose some poprity. Unfortunately, people¡¯s concerns about her didn¡¯tst long. Finally, the final boss of the vampire city appeared. Everyone¡¯s attention focused on Grid and the boss. From the beginning, Park Shinye¡¯s existence was infinitely weak in front of Grid.


    ¡º Kukukuk! I am a true blood kindred! Vampire Viscount Steg! ¡»


    The vampire descended with a bloody energy around him. His force wasn¡¯t a joke. An overwhelming feeling was being emitted by his shining eyes and dark trident. This was like the dignity of a king. He seemed much stronger than the drake that appeared in the National Competition. It seemed impossible for Grid to raid him alone. But Grid was stronger than he was during the National Competition and he had something that made the vampires much weaker than drakes.


    Peok!Peok peok peok!


    "Heeeeeok!¡±


    The God Hands wielded Mjolnir and caused infinite stiffness! Steg wasn¡¯t able to resist and died, while Grid gave advice to the viewers.


    ¡º A sub-boss can¡¯t resist CC with a short duration like stiffness. It¡¯s simple to raid them after causing infinite stiffness. ¡»


    "...¡±


    No, what did he mean by infinite stiffness? The viewers started to be heated. Grid, Bunny Bunny, and the OGC staff seeded in leaving the vampire city. At this moment, Grid¡¯s hunting broadcast stopped. Grid reached level 317 and turned to a new hunting ground.


    ¡®The East Continent.¡¯


    He was nning to follow the footsteps of Kraugel, who had held the number one ranking with his overwhelming levelling speed. His ultimate goal was to get ahead.


    ¡®I will make you go after me.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s motivation shot up. He always set a new goal so that he wouldn¡¯t be stagnant.

 Chapter 509

    Snore.Snore...


    Lord practiced his assassin skills every morning and every night. But nobody knew this fact. Kasim¡¯s presence itself was a secret.


    "Uhuh! Young Nobleman Lord, are you sleeping in ss?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know that Lord had been training all ofst night and this morning. Sticks smiled bitterly as Lord started dozing off during the second half of the lecture.


    ¡®He might be a genius that represents the continent, but he¡¯s still a child... He¡¯scking concentration and stamina.¡¯


    Sticks didn¡¯t intent to reduce the lecture time, despite knowing this. Sticks wanted to teach Lord more and more.


    "Young Nobleman, if you feel tired then let¡¯s take a break for an hour before continuing the lessons. Rest your eyes for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh... Yes.¡±


    Lord answered sleepily. He headed out into the beautiful garden where petals were swaying in the breeze. It was a garden that existed due to the past activities of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Oh my? Lord, did today¡¯s ss end early?¡±


    ¡°Kyaaah! I¡¯m happy! We can y a lot today!¡±


    There were dozens of girls waiting for Lord in the garden. They were girls more beautiful than the flowers, each with a different personality.


    ¡°Ohh... It isn¡¯t over. A quick break. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    Lord yawned, headed into a girl¡¯s arms, and fell asleep straight away. The girls loved this cute and loveable Lord. ¡°Kukuk, so cute.¡±


    "Sleep well and grow up quickly, our Lord.¡±


    Some girls poked Lord¡¯s cheeks, others kissed him, and some hugged him. There were also girls who stroked his head. They were the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates.They were Lord¡¯s girlfriends.


    "Hah.¡±


    Vantner found Lord sleeping in the girls¡¯ arms and blinked.


    ¡®...I¡¯m envious!¡¯


    He never thought that a child of Grid would be so beautiful and have so many pretty girls. Vantner angrily poked Lord in the side with a branch and ran away. After a while, he was caught by the girls chasing after him and beaten up.


    "Any actions that threaten Lord are unforgivable, even if you¡¯re a member of Overgeared.¡±


    "Duke Grid himself asked this of us! We will take good care of Lord!"


    "...¡±


    Vantner, who failed in his 103rd blind date a few days ago, was miserable in both mind and body. He was frustrated for a while and btedly realized something.


    ¡¯Why are these kids so scary?¡¯


    Vantner had overlooked it, but the girls were strong. In the first ce, they were taken to be Reba¡¯s Daughters because they were talented. Then aftering to Reidan, they received Piaro¡¯s training. The power of Reidan was much stronger than that of Overgeared.


    One of the people who contributed to this rising power was Aura Master Hurent.


    ¡®By the way, Piaro didn¡¯te again today?¡¯


    One day, Piaro had suddenly disappeared. Hurent had been disguised as an unnamed serf and trained by Piaro for several months already. He was in a bad mood after Piaro disappeared.


    ¡®Where did that guy suddenly disappear to?¡¯


    He wanted to ask people, but felt reluctant. He was worried that he would be thrown out by the Overgeared members if he was discovered. Hurent covered his face even more with the straw hat he received from Piaro and eventually started his field work again.


    ¡®Come back soon. Until then, the fields that you cherish... No, I will defend these training grounds.¡¯


    Hurent followed the field work techniques that Piaro taught him in order to be stronger. At first, he thought of Piaro as an enemy. After the great teachings, he truly considered Piaro as a true benefactor and teacher. His desire for vengeance against Grid had disappeared a long time ago.


    In the first ce,it wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s fault that he was disgraced after being defeated by Grid in five seconds. The result urred because he was weak. He should focus on himself rather than feeling resentment towards Grid. However, if the opportunity came, he wanted to fight against Grid again. He would prove his strength.


    It was a pure desire, different from his previous grudges.


    ***


    [(Breaking News) Overgeared Guild captured Patrian and Borneo!]


    The world was overturned. Patrian and Borneo. Few yers knew the names of the territories in small kingdoms. But they were clearly strategically important points when looking at a map. The Overgeared Guild swallowed these territories in two days. The amazing fact was that it urred when Grid was on air.


    ¡º I didn¡¯t know the power of Overgeared was this much. Taking two new territories without Grid... It was only one a few days ago. Isn¡¯t the master of Patrian one of the 10 great magicians, Earl Ashur? ¡»


    ¡º It was possible because there was no Grid. There was a small number of yers inside Patrian and Borneo because everyone was busy watching Grid. This meant Overgeared had rtively easy ess to the two territories. In other words, it was an important empty fort. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a strategy that Lauel devised. He truly is a genius... It clearly shows the role of Overgeared¡¯s brain. ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t just Lauel. There are many famous people in Overgeared. I appreciate Grid¡¯s ability to gather so many individuals that are hard to control and managing them. ¡»


    ¡º I don¡¯t think Grid iscking anything. He has high levelbat ability, unique cksmith skills, raid and hunting ability, the charm to attract talent, and the wisdom to use that talent in the right ces. As for the leadership that raised the guild to be the best... Isn¡¯t this a perfect human being? ¡»


    ¡º Having a charm that attracts people means his personality is also good... Actually, he¡¯s probably a very kind person. There¡¯s a reason why Grid is loved by the world¡¯s top beauties like Yura and Jishuka. ¡»


    People¡¯s misunderstandings deepened every day. They talked about a perfect person called Grid. And the experts started debating.


    ¡º Grid will probably be the first king. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s likely. It is unclear how many territories are owned by third parties, but Overgeared has Reidan, Bairan, Cork, Patrian, and Borneo. Thebined size is enormous. Maybe Grid will soon be eligible to be king. ¡»


    Satisfy¡¯s opening phase. yers, like NPCs, could be nobles and even royalty. In order to build up wealth, power, honor, and to reach a high status, the yers worked tirelessly. As a result, many rankers had seeded in bing nobles. However, no one had yet be qualified to be a king. This was the first time that the media used ¡®First King¡¯ for a particr yer.


    Of course, the shockwave wasrge. Many refuted it.


    ¡º Do you think a kingdom can be built just based on territory? The most important thing is the workforce, the workforce. ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared members are only in the hundreds. They¡¯recking the talent to build and manage a country. ¡»


    ¡º No. Personnel can be filled up with NPCs. ¡»


    ¡º Arepetent NPCs thatmon? I assure you, the construction of a country for a yer is only possible after at least three years. In addition, the yer is likely to be someone other than Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Who is that? ¡»


    ¡º God of War Ares. He¡¯s an unofficial ranker and his activities are limited to wars, so few people know about him... His ability in war and politics will surely overwhelm Grid¡¯s. ¡»


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown since Ist saw you.¡±


    Originally, Grid always looked for Irene first when he returned to Reidan. But right now, Lord was a priority. His love for Irene strengthened his love for Lord.


    "The more I look, the prettier he is.¡±


    All parents said their children were cute, but Lord was really beautiful. He had Irene¡¯s white skin, oval-shaped face, and big blue eyes. He resembled Grid in his high nose and sharp eyes.


    These features harmoniously intertwined to create a perfect young man.


    ¡°Huhuhut... It¡¯s like my childhood...¡± Grid looked at the past and stroked the hair of the sleeping Lord. "Please always continue to grow up healthy.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t taste misfortune and always be happy.Don¡¯t get upset when meeting someone strong. Be the pride of my love, Irene.¡¯


    Grid made a gentle expression and confirmed Lord¡¯s status window out of habit.


    Name: Lord Steim


    Age: 3 years old Gender: Male


    upation: Young Nobleman


    Title: Grid¡¯s Son


    * The son of a legendary cksmith. He has inherited most of his father¡¯s abilities.


    Title: Genius of the West Continent


    * A genius that represents one continent. He overwhelms national geniuses, and his level and abilities will rise 60% faster than normal. In addition, he can acquire skills in a wide range of fields.


    However, there is a limit to the level and abilities that can be raised until he is 15 years old.


    Title: One who Will Be a Legend


    A person who will leave his name in history. There is an 80% chance of being immune to all status effects and illnesses. When attacked, if his health falls to 1 point, he will enter the immortal state for 2.5 seconds.


    Level: 15


    Strength: 87 Stamina: 70


    Agility: 109 Intelligence: 87


    Dexterity: 150 Charm: 100


    Dignity: 17 Insight: 80


    Skills: Beginner Bow Mastery (F), Beginner cksmith Skill (F), Beginner Weapons Mastery (C), Daluka¡¯s Methods (A+) Discerning Eyes (S), Overwhelming Charm (S), Lantier¡¯s Methods (SS), Famous and Legendary Pedigree (SS).


    His mother is the sessor of a noble family in the Eternal Kingdom and his father is a legend.


    He has inherited all of his parent¡¯s strengths, so his potential is outstanding. Teaching him will be inspiring.


    Recently, the discipline has been effective and he has learned humility. His heart is being tempered by the love from females.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Lantier¡¯s Methods. Previously, Grid hadn¡¯t know what it was when he discovered it, but now he knew. Lantier. The name of the legendary assassin Grid met in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®How does Lord have Lantier¡¯s power...?¡¯


    No matter how much of a genius Lord was, there was no way he could learn the power of a legend on his own. Someone had to intervene with Lord¡¯s teachings. The problem was that person¡¯s identity. Who would give Lord such strength, and what were their intentions?


    Grid lost his smile as his eyes shone fiercely. He maximized his senses and caught something.

 Chapter 510

    The current Grid was different from the Grid when Lord was born. He honed his control skills in the Behen Archipgo, gainedbat experience from the National Competition, strengthened himself through items and raids, and raised his level in the vampire city.


    Grid¡¯s steady progress maximized the power of his stats, titles, and items, increasing the effectiveness of his five senses. It was enough to feel the presence of the king of shadows, Kasim, on the ceiling!


    ¡°Magic Detection!¡±


    Paaaat!


    It was so weak that Grid couldn¡¯t be certain, making him use magic. The magic was deployed throughout all of Lord¡¯s bedroom. He clearly caught Kasim¡¯s presence on the ceiling.


    ¡°How dare you!?¡±


    Hiding in his son¡¯s bedroom! The furious Grid pulled out Iyarugt and Sword Ghost, aiming them at the ceiling. However, he couldn¡¯t hit the target.


    ¡®Fled?¡¯


    Grid was startled. The reaction speed of the person on the ceiling was so fast that he got the creeps.


    ¡®Dangerous!¡¯


    His sense of alertness deepened. In the first ce, the person had been hiding in Lord¡¯s room without being noticed by the Overgeared members. It was obvious that the person wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    "Shit!"


    Lord¡¯s safety was the number one priority! Grid hurriedly grabbed the sleeping Lord and aimed Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, towards the person on the ceiling. Kasim on the ceiling was embarrassed.


    ¡®Attacking without asking any questions!¡¯


    At the very least, he might have a chance to introduce himself if Grid had asked who he was. But Grid just struck. He was confident Kasim was an enemy. Kasim was forced to resist in order to avoid death.


    ¡®Shadow Move!¡¯


    Supak!


    Kasim hid himself in the shadows to hide from the wave of energy hitting the whole ceiling. Then a ck sword appeared in front of his eyes as he moved to a new shadow created by the copsed ceiling debris. Grid used the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch to chase after Kasim and fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill.


    Kasim was astonished.


    ¡®He has grown in the few months I haven¡¯t seen him!¡¯


    The stab filled with killing intent that headed towards him! Kasim was about to flee when he was caught by the God Hands.


    ¡®He blocked all the ways to escape?¡¯


    It was a skill that umted from countless fighting experiences. It was a level that was hard to deal with. Kasim determined that he might die and used his strength.


    ¡°Shadow Soldiers!¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    All the shadows that existed in the bedroom responded to Kasim¡¯s call. The shadows formedrge and small bodies and created a barrier around Kasim. Kasim managed to defend against Grid¡¯s Kill and the God Hand¡¯s attacks and then moved. He aimed for the God Hands, not Grid.


    The shadow soldiers all threw shadow spears simultaneously. There were exactly 67.


    Teteteteng!


    [God Hand (1) has stiffened.]


    [God Hand (2) has stiffened.]


    [God Hand (3) has stiffened.]


    [God Hand (4) has stiffened.]


    [God Hand (1) has stiffened.]


    [God Hand (2) has stiffened.]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Grid was astonished. The unidentified intruder had a turban wrapped around his whole face and demonstrated an incredible ability to use shadows. All the shadows that existed around him were used for movements, defense and attack, while the defense and attack power were the best. The ability was unmatchedpared to Tarma who he met in the National Competition.


    Where had this monster suddenly appeared from? A name suddenly popped into Grid¡¯s questioning brain.


    ¡®King of Shadows!¡¯


    Kasim!


    ¡®That damn bastard is aiming for me again!¡¯


    During the days when Grid was still active in Winston. The assassin called Shay had hired Kasim to kill Grid. He was blocked by Huroi and Euphemina and eventually withdrew.


    ¡°Noe! Randy!¡±


    Grid was certain that the opponent was Kasim and used all his power. Kasim was a named NPC. He had a third advancement when Grid met him a long time ago, so it was highly likely he was at the fourth advancement now. Grid judged it would be difficult to handle Kasim by himself and summoned his pets before using Linked Kill Wave.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The walls of Lord¡¯s room were smashed and all of Reidan Castle shook. It was the overwhelming strength of Linked Kill Wave, which could be called Grid¡¯s ultimate attack. However, it was unreasonable to hit Kasim with a non-targeted skill. Kasim avoided the eight strikes of Linked Kill Wave by moving through the shadows and ended up behind Grid.


    "Duke Grid, please calm down first and let me spea...¡±


    Kasim attempted a conversation.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    Randy copied Grid and threatened Kasim with Link.


    "Kyong!¡±


    Noe¡¯s mouth opened to swallow Kasim. This was followed by the God Hands wielded Mjolnir. Kasim eventually had to use a hidden technique. It was the manifestation of ¡®Greed,¡¯ a technique that drew all the shadows to one point and swallowed everything around it. It was Kasim¡¯s unique skill that he created bybining Daluka¡¯s Methods and Lantier¡¯s Methods.


    Kuoooooh!


    "Kyaaack!¡±


    ¡°Nyang! Scary!¡±


    Randy, Noe, the God Hands and the furniture in the room. Everything except for Grid was swallowed by the shadow. It was like a ck hole, although it naturally wasn¡¯tparable to the power of the universe. Kasim¡¯s Greed could only swallow the target for 3 seconds before spitting it out. Of course, these 3 seconds exerted absolute force during a battle.


    ¡°Duke Grid! I¡¯m not an enemy!¡±


    "Not an enemy?¡±


    Kasim finally got a chance to speak to Grid. Kasim hurriedly shouted, ¡°I want to be your ally!¡±


    "Ally? You?¡±


    Grid asked like he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±


    Lord who had fallen into a deep sleep after working too hard the past few days. Despite the turmoil of the battle, the child only woke up now. Then heughed when he saw that Kasim was in front of him.


    ¡°Teacher!¡±


    ¡°Teacher?¡±


    Grid was stunned.


    ¡°Ah! Father!¡±


    Lord btedly realized that he was in Grid¡¯s arms and hugged him tightly. Finally, Greed spat out Noe, who shook his tail nervously.


    "I suffered needlessly. If only you talked and resolved it from the beginning, nyang...¡±


    It was because he was born in the human world. Noe was gradually losing the instincts of a memphis, the best demonic best of hell that enjoyedbat and ughter. A pacifist demonic beast.


    ***


    ¡°There was a story like this.¡±


    For a long time, Grid heard a lot of stories from Kasim. Kasim¡¯s past. The fall of the Nero. Being wanted by the empire. His rtionship with Doran. His observation of Grid. The thoughts he had during the observation period. Protecting Irene and Lord and ultimately bing Lord¡¯s teacher, etc. Kasim told Grid all of it.


    What was Grid¡¯s response?


    "Thank you."


    Their first meeting was the worst, but that was the past. It was a fact that Kasim protected Irene and Lord, with Lord even testifying directly. Grid wasn¡¯t unscrupulous enough not to feel gratitude. He bowed his head deeply and thanked Kasim. Grid was also greedy. Kasim was the most powerful assassin in existence and the only person who knew Lantier¡¯s techniques. Grid coveted him. He wanted to make Kasim his own person. He also knew he could have Kasim.


    Grid¡¯s raised his head and stared straight into Kasim¡¯s eyes.


    "Kasim, I will fulfill your desire. Starting today, formally serve me.¡±


    He was in a position where he needed to be hostile to the Saharan Empire. One of Grid¡¯s ultimate goals was to win greater honor and riches, and to destroy the empire for Piaro and Asmophel. However, he knew that it was hard. Maybe it was impossible. But he would challenge it.


    "Didn¡¯t you see the possibility when you looked at me? So believe in me and serve me.¡±


    Kasim had no reason to refuse. In the first ce, it was also what he wanted.


    ¡°I am grateful.¡± Kasim immediately kneeled and pledged. "I will be your shadow.¡±


    [King of Shadows Kasim has be your knight!]


    [Kasim has be a member of Reidan!]


    [Your charm has increased by 100!]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    This was what he wanted. The thrilled Grid immediately gave Kasim a role.


    "I want you to protect my family like you are doing now. In addition, I¡¯d like you to work hard on raising an assassin group. Is it possible?¡±


    "As I said before, there are a number of assassins from the Silver Dragons. They are acquiring Daluka¡¯s Methods, so I think it should be sufficient to make an assassins group out of them.¡±


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°Okay. From now on, your position is leader of the Overgeared Shadows.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what Overgeared meant, but it didn¡¯t sound that great. Kasim was troubled, but couldn¡¯t go against his lord. He nodded without saying anything. Grid observed him with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    Name: Kasim


    Age: 36 years old. Gender: Male


    upation: Leader of Overgeared Shadows.


    Title: Last of the Nero n.


    * The Nero have dark skin, making it easier to assimte into the darkness. As the only survivor of the Nero, Kasim gains arge bonus effect when using Stealth. However, some of the power of throwing weapons is reduced due to his too long arms.


    Title: King of Shadows


    * Maximizes the effects and power of shadow techniques.


    Title: Disciple of Lantier


    * Knows the theories of Lantier¡¯s techniques. However, he doesn¡¯t have the talent to learn it himself.


    Level: 401


    Strength: 2,107 Stamina: 1,158


    Agility: 4,409 Intelligence: 933


    Persistence: 3,550


    Skills: Trap Instation (A), Daluka¡¯s Methods (A+), Evolved Body Techniques (A), Evolving Techniques (A), Evolved Sword Techniques (A), Evolved Throwing Technique (S), Evolved Assassination (S), Nero¡¯s Stealth Techniques (S), Ultimate Shadow Technique (S+), Lantier¡¯s Methods Knowledge (SS).


    It was unfortunate that only one special stat, Persistence, was opened. However, the numerical value of Persistence was unreasonably high. It was much higher than Grid¡¯s persistence. Kasim would never give up. In addition, his high strength and agility demonstrated that hisbat ability was equivalent to Asmophel.


    ¡®He is equivalent to Piaro in ces with a lot of shadows.¡¯


    Grid felt like he had won thousands of troops.

 Chapter 511

    The fuss ended.


    Grid watched the restoration work of Lord¡¯s bedroom and asked Kasim for something. It was an extremely personal favor. Kasim hesitated before nodding.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    "Thank you for agreeing.¡±


    Grid was satisfied with the answer and summoned Lauel. It was to an office Grid hadn¡¯t used for a long time. No, it was an office that he almost never stepped foot in.


    "Why don¡¯t you take over this room? It¡¯s several timesrger than your office.¡±


    Lauel handled all tasks rted to the guild and territory management. Grid suggested it because he wanted to create a better work environment for Lauel.


    "I have been given a lot of power as your proxy, but in the end, I am not you. I don¡¯t dare sit forever in a ce where you will have to sit.¡±


    ¡¯It¡¯s serious.¡¯


    Lauel seemed to have be affected by historical dramas. Grid smiled at Lauel, who was immersed in the role of a loyalist. Then he was informed by Lauel about the current situation of Overgeared. Grid¡¯s expression distorted.


    "I can¡¯t understand what Peak Sword is thinking.¡±


    As a result of this war, losing Cork Ind was inevitable. It was too far away, and both Lauel and Grid were aware that they couldn¡¯t defend it. Nevertheless, they pressed on with the war because the benefits were bigger. In fact, Overgeared¡¯s growth had increased by lengths and bounds due to absorbing two territories, Earl Ashur, and the 7,000 Patrian soldiers.


    But for Peak Sword, Cork Ind was a special territory. He absolutely didn¡¯t want to lose it. Grid btedly understood his heart.


    ¡°I will go to Cork Ind.¡±


    He was already familiar with defending territories as a former soldier of the Korean army. Grid was confident that he could defend Cork Ind for months or years.


    ¡°It¡¯s mynd. I must keep it.¡±


    Grid felt emotional about leaving the responsibility to just Peak Sword. Lauel couldn¡¯t ept it. "It isn¡¯t possible. If your growth stagnates, the Overgeared Guild will suffer a huge loss.¡±


    "But I can¡¯t let Peak Sword do it alone.¡±


    Among his valued colleagues, Peak Sword was special. A fair person who shouted ¡®Do you know God Grid?¡¯ anywhere and to anyone. He also cheered, trusted, and supported Grid, handing over his guild and territory to Grid. Grid couldn¡¯t repay his true heart, but he couldn¡¯t ignore Peak Sword when he was in trouble.


    ¡°I will go and help Peak Sword. Don¡¯t worry about my growth. If I stay on Cork Ind and make items for the soldiers, my stats and skill levels will continue to rise. I can be strong no matter where I am.¡±


    Of course, the rate of growth was much slower than hunting and raising his level. The moment that Grid was being stubborn.


    -God Grid, don¡¯te.It¡¯s funny that I am saying this, but Cork Ind is just the tip of Overgeared. It¡¯s impossible to keep it forever.It¡¯s just a waste of time for you toe here.


    A whisper came from Peak Sword. It was Lauel¡¯s doing. Grid continued to insist on going, so Lauel sent a whisper to Peak Sword.


    -God Grid is the master.I¡¯m just a guild member and the responsibilities I bear can¡¯t bepared to yours.Don¡¯t lose focus by caring about one guild member. Give priority to what you need to do.Be strong enough to take back Cork Ind again at any time.


    "...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t insist any longer. He decided to ept Peak Sword¡¯s heart because he knew his priorities.


    ¡°Then I will go to the East Continent.¡±


    Grid was currently level 317. The vampire cities were no longer giving him a lot of experience. The vampire cities not conquered yet were under a direct descendant. Since the direct descendants were at least an earl, the danger was ridiculously high. But he didn¡¯t yet have the ability to clear the Behen Archipgo. Grid wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat the legends that had been turned into death knights by Pagma.


    It was a stagnant situation. Grid judged it was the proper time to go to the East Continent.


    ¡°Take care.¡±


    Grid asked the smiling Lauel one more time.


    ¡°It is really okay without me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Originally, it was a little dangerous. But things have changed after you brought in Kasim.¡±


    In fact, he couldn¡¯t assert that it waspletely safe. But Lauel didn¡¯t want to hold on to Grid¡¯s ankles. He exaggerated somewhat to make Grid¡¯s footsteps lighter.


    "Then I¡¯m d. Okay, I have to say goodbye to Irene and...¡±


    Grid was relieved by the answer and left Lauel behind in the office. Grid ran straight to Irene¡¯s bedroom. It was thest time he would share love with his wife before he left. Lauel looked at his back and became very excited.


    ¡¯My Lord, I will give you a surprise soon.¡¯


    If Marquis Steim agreed to support Grid, the Overgeared members would be able to expand the scale of their forces at once and Grid would be qualified to be a king. Grid would have the incredible experience of being a king when hunting on the East Continent. Lauel wanted to see Grid¡¯s shock and delight as soon as possible.


    ***


    Before going to see Sticks and heading to the East Continent.


    ¡°Irene, this is a gift.¡±


    ¡°Oh my... Dear husband, it¡¯s refreshing.¡±


    After meeting with Irene, they entered the bedroom and Grid gave her pajamas. It was a white one-piece pajama. A legendary rated item.


    [Direct Vampire¡¯s Pajamas]


    It had the effect of revealing the skin when a person wore it. At first, he thought it was a useless effect.


    ¡®There¡¯s a reason why it¡¯s legendary rated!¡¯


    Irene looked more alluring than ever when she wore it. The Direct Vampire¡¯s Pajamas was a stunning item worthy of the legendary rating.


    "Irene!¡±


    ¡°Dear husband.¡±


    Grid enjoyed Irene¡¯s body, which had be more mature since Lord¡¯s birth, and he used his legendary hand techniques. Irene¡¯s moans that urred every time Grid¡¯srge and thick fingers moved over her skin became a thrilling melody.


    ***


    "It¡¯s still dangerous.¡±


    Grid got minerals from the guild warehouse and went to visit Sticks. He heard a negative opinion from Sticks.


    "It is estimated that most of the top skills currently on the West Continent came from the East Continent. Looking at this, it is obvious that the overall level of the East Continent is above the West Continent."


    Grid knew. In fact, Sticks exined that the Supreme Swordsmanship that Piaro used during his period as a great swordsman originated from the East Continent.


    "The reason why the people of the East Continent created stronger skills is due to the harsh environment.¡±


    It was Sticks¡¯ reasoning that the monsters inhabiting the East Continent were much stronger than those on the West Continent. Grid wasn¡¯t nervous about this. Rather, he was quite excited.


    "I will be stronger quicker if I fight the strong. Sticks, I want to quickly be stronger. So send me to the East Continent.¡±


    The biggest reason he wanted to be stronger was because his valued family, friends, and colleagues were depending on him. The second reason was he wanted to surpass Kraugel. It was Grid¡¯s dream to break all the records set by Kraugel and to rise to the top. It was a natural desire to have as a game yer.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s wiser to go after you have grown more from the vampire cities. Aren¡¯t the vampire cities good hunting grounds?"


    One of the few candidates who could cleanse and repair the Contaminated Behen Archipgo. It was Grid. Grid also saved his life and was the father of Lord, his precious disciple. Sticks wanted Grid to behave more reliably. He hoped that Grid wouldn¡¯t take uneptable risks.


    ¡°Those blessed or cursed by the gods... Grid, I know that you have more than one life. But that doesn¡¯t mean you can ovee deathpletely.¡±


    That¡¯s right. It couldn¡¯t bepared to NPCs who only had one life, but yers suffered an enormous loss from death. Their experience dropped, there was a chance of losing items, and the potential to fail certain quests. But how could a user y the game if they were afraid of this?


    ¡®I would y CD games if I was afraid of failure. There are many save points.¡¯


    Grid asked Sticks.


    "Sticks, will you only use addition if it¡¯s hard to learn multiplication?¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°No? It¡¯s time for me to challenge new times.¡±


    "...I am convinced.¡±


    It was a low-level example, but he could see Grid¡¯s nature from this remark. Maybe Sticks¡¯ egotism had grown as he became older. He realized that his thinking was too narrow and handed a piece of paper to Grid. It was originally an item that Grid had to purchase directly using points earned in the Behen Archipgo.


    [East Continent Movement Portal Scroll]


    You can go to the starting vige of ¡®Pangea¡¯ on the East Continent.


    Weight: 0.1


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was always good to get a freebie! Grid smiled widely as he said goodbye.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    sh!


    Grid used the scroll immediately and was engulfed in light. Sticks was startled by the sight and muttered.


    ¡°No... You should also take the return scroll for the West Continent...¡±


    ***


    [You have crossed the Dead Sea and arrived on the East Continent.]


    [You are the 31st yer.]


    [The distance from the West Continent is too far. All forms of contact with yers from the West Continent will be blocked.]


    [The energy flowing is very dark. Mana regeneration rate will increase by 10%.]


    [The gravity here is too strong. Strength and agility will decrease by 10%. Health regeneration will slow down.]


    [This is forced due to natural influences. It can¡¯t be resisted.]


    "Isn¡¯t this too beneficial for magician type sses?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have anyrgeints since he had many high mana consumption skills.


    ¡°Rather, the 31st yer...¡±


    Some new people must¡¯ve stepped on the East Continent.


    "Eh?¡±


    The East Continent¡¯s starter vige, Pangea. Grid looked around and was startled.

 Chapter 512

    ¡®Why is it so big?¡¯


    Grid was surprised due to Pangea¡¯s scale.


    ¡®I thought it would be a small vige because it¡¯s a starter vige.¡¯


    It was the reverse. Pangea wasrge enough to be called a city. He couldn¡¯t see an end to the wall, no matter how he turned his gaze. It seemed much bigger than Reidan, the secondrgest city in Eternal, with the poption even being higher. Reidan wascking in people, while everywhere in Pangea was crowded with people.


    ¡®The lord here must have it good...¡¯


    He would be earning a lot from all the taxes the citizens were paying. Desert cities, fortified cities, etc. Grid only owned cities that didn¡¯t possess a lot of money, making him feel envious.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Grid was constantly observing the area when he noticed something.


    ¡¯There¡¯s a lot of ethnic variety?¡¯


    Grid thought of the East Continent as Oriental. He imagined an Oriental style of living where the people had ck hair and ck eyes. However, while there were many inhabitants of Pangea who seemed Oriental, others were reminiscent of Westerners and Middle Easterners. The same was true for the architecture lining the streets. Some buildings looked like they came from the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, others looked like cathedrals from Medieval Europe, while mansions in the Middle East were also present.


    ¡°Wow. This is very...¡±


    He thought he should eat jjamppong for lunch today. He was somewhat disappointed since he was hoping for the mysterious old Oriental mood.


    ¡®But this might be an advantage. If a yer of another nationalityes, they won¡¯t stand out.¡¯


    Pangea was just the starter vige. This must be an arrangement for yers visiting from the West Continent for the first time.


    ¡®A city or kingdom with the Oriental atmosphere I imagined probably exists somewhere.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s reasoning was appropriate. The East Continent was known to be farrger than the West Continent. Grid lingered for a few hours in Pangea. He observed the shops and streets full of people in order to understand their rules, sentiments, and culture. It was an effort to adapt.


    He didn¡¯t move without thinking like the old days. It wasn¡¯t irritating if he thought about it as meaningful behavior.


    ¡®There isn¡¯t anything special. It¡¯s the same for the people. I should head to a smithy now.¡¯


    Grid determined that he had looked at Pangea enough and was filled with a new curiosity. He was curious as to how the cksmiths of the continent worked and what type of battle gear they produced. He wanted to study it. Grid didn¡¯t forget his duty as a legendary cksmith.


    "Esteemed elder, excuse me. Can I ask a question?¡±


    Grid called out to a fat old man passing by.


    ¡°Where is the smithy?¡±


    The elder NPC called Pao Woo looked over at Grid and asked.


    ¡°Is this your first time in Pangea?¡±


    "Yes, I came from far away.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say he was from the West Continent. Their perception towards the West Continent was still unknown, so he had to be as careful as possible. It was very smart of Grid.


    "Ahh, I see. There should be one or two smithies over there...¡±


    Pao Woo exined it based on the central square.


    ¡°There is the White Hammer smithy on the east road, the ck Anvil smithy on the west road, the Red Tongs smithy on the south road, and the Blue mes smithy on the north road. They are the most famous smithies in Pangea. If you visit one of them, you will surely be able to buy something that suits you.¡±


    ¡°Are there many cksmiths working there?¡±


    "A moderate amount. At least 100.¡±


    The goods produced in a smithy weren¡¯t just battle gear. There were also a variety of items needed for everyday life, such as kitchen knives, hammers, farming equipment, etc. Therefore, the production demands for cksmiths in cities with arge poption were much higher. The West Continent set a limit on the number of smithies in each territory in order to keep the local lord in check.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He politely said goodbye to the kind old man and moved to the White Hammer smithy. He chose it because it was the closest one, a mere five minutes away.


    ***


    [You have entered the White Hammer smithy.]


    [The cksmiths of the East Continent have a different viewpoint from those of the West Continent. The effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant won¡¯t work.]


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Originally, Grid was favored by intermediate level cksmiths and worshipped by advanced level cksmiths whenever he visited a smithy. Excellent cksmiths knew that Grid was a better cksmith than them just by looking at his body and hands. But not the cksmiths of the East Continent.


    Grid was disappointed. Was it because he wouldn¡¯t be treated well? No, it wasn¡¯t because of such petty reasons. It was because he thought the skills of the East Continent cksmiths wouldn¡¯t meet his expectations.


    ¡®Theirck of a discerning eye means theyck ability.¡¯


    He might not be able to learn any cksmithing from the East Continent.


    ¡®I should focus on levelling up and new titles acquisition as nned.¡¯


    Flinch.


    Grid was about to leave the smithy when he suddenly stopped.


    Ttaaang!


    The sound of the hammer striking iron was so clear? Grid doubted his ears and changed the direction of his footsteps. Then he stared inside the smithy with a spellbound look. There...


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Hwaruruk!


    Puok.Puok.


    Chiiiik!


    10 cksmiths were working around arge furnace in the center. Someone was sitting in front of the anvil hammering, another person was cooling hot iron, while someone else was constantly working the bellows. Grid was impressed as he instantly grasped their skills.


    ¡®They are cksmiths who have reached the advanced level of the cksmithing skill.¡¯


    The reason why the cksmiths of the East Continent didn¡¯t recognize Grid¡¯s greatness. It wasn¡¯t because they were ¡®ipetent,¡¯ but because they were different. The techniques of the Eastern cksmiths were different than those of the cksmiths on the West Continent.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s ahead.¡¯


    In particr, the forging techniques were excellent. They stackedyers of metal together and repeated the process. It was a method that required tremendous physical strength, patience, and delicacy. But themon cksmiths of the West Continent avoided this task. They chose the easy method most of the time.


    ¡®This is clearly a superior professional mindset. Is it a phenomenon caused by the highpetition rate of having so many cksmiths?¡¯


    Grid felt a strong sense of curiosity as he looked at their equipment.


    ¡®When forging iron, they use an iron hammer. When forging mithril, they use a mithril hammer...¡¯


    It was to increase the efficiency of forging while paying attention not to conflict with the nature of the metal. It was an idea that Legendary cksmith Grid had never thought of.


    ¡®What is that liquid that¡¯s released into the water used for quenching?¡¯


    There was quite a lot he could learn from here. It happened when Grid was closely observing the work of the cksmiths.


    "Do you want to learn cksmithing from us?¡±


    Someone came up to Grid. He had dark skin and thick lips like someone from Africa. The muscles around his neck were so developed that they were as thick as Grid¡¯s thigh muscles. His name was White. (TL: The spelling of this is more romanized to sound like white in English. Meanwhile, the name of the White sister is the actual Korean for White, which is spoken in a different way.)


    He misunderstood Grid as trying to be a cksmith and said with a gentle expression.


    "Well, it¡¯s wonderful that you want to learn, as long as you are prepared to work. But I have many people like youe here every day. I can¡¯t ept just anyone. If you want to learn our techniques, you must first prove that you are qualified.¡±


    "No, I just want to briefly tour...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t finish his words. White randomly handed him an axe and a notification window popped up.


    Ttiring~


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Chop Firewood!]


    Difficulty: ???


    White, the owner of the White Hammer smithy wants to test you.


    Bring back two 100 year old White Trees at the forest in the north of Pangea.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Cut down two 100 year old White Trees.


    Quest Clear Rewards: 12% experience. Get a job as an apprentice at the White Hammer smithy.


    Quest Failure Condition: None.


    ¡®No, is this a joke? It¡¯s outrageous.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed. A level 317 user was expected to chop firewood? The reward was also to get a job as an apprentice cksmith. He never imagined that in this world, there would be someone crazy enough to try and make a legendary cksmith as an apprentice.


    ¡®Certainly, there are things I can learn. But it isn¡¯t big enough to spend a lot of time here.¡¯


    The level of his techniques were far ahead of them. He could learn a variety of ideas here, not technical matters. It wasn¡¯t worth investing time in this quest.


    ¡®In the first ce, isn¡¯t this a quest for beginners on the East Continent?¡¯


    Grid was about to refuse when he was surprised by something. When he cleared the quest, he would get 12% of his experience?


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    Based on a level 317 users, it was a amount that he would acquire from defeating 500 lower vampires. He could get a huge amount of experience just for cutting down two trees. He honestly couldn¡¯t believe it, but the system didn¡¯t lie! Grid¡¯s eyes shone likenterns as he confirmed again.


    "Really? I just need to cut down two trees?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± White nodded.


    Grid smiled widely.


    ¡°Then I will go!¡±


    This was paradise!


    ¡®The East Continent is the best!¡¯


    Grid recalled his beginner days as he ran towards the forest carrying the axe. He faded into the distance as he looked at the quest information on the map. White looked after him before someone asked him.


    "Do you really think he can cut down a 100 year old White Tree?¡±


    A 100 year old White Tree was as hard as iron and as fierce as an active volcano. A famous woodcutter couldn¡¯t even cause a nick in it and a mighty shaman couldn¡¯t suppress the fire. It wasn¡¯t called the Daoism Tree for nothing. A perfect me could be produced if it was used as firewood, but that was impossible. It wasmon sense for anyone who dreamt of bing a cksmith. But the ck-eyed young man didn¡¯t have thatmon sense. It was certain that he didn¡¯t study anything about cksmithing.


    ¡°There are a lot of rabbleing in recent years.¡± White shook his head and returned to his spot. He shouted at his men. ¡°Hey you! Focus more! We have to win this year¡¯spetition!¡±

 Chapter 513

    ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡±


    The gravity of the East Continent was much stronger than the West Continent. As a result, Grid¡¯s stamina, strength, and agility received a penalty. The aftermath of this was quiterge. From the center of Pangea to the White Tree Forest. He was already exhausted after only one hour of running. He would¡¯ve been fine for another 20 minutes on the West Continent.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been rtivelyfortable if I flew.¡¯


    But he didn¡¯t use that method. Something annoying might notice him if he flew.


    ¡®Huhuhut! Now I have be pretty smart!¡¯


    Grid was pleased with his development and caught sight of the white forest below the hill. A white forest that existed in the city. The scale wasn¡¯t huge. There were roughly 1,000 trees densely packed together. It was beautiful. Like snow had fallen, the leaves were white and the forest looked like giant cotton from the distance.


    ¡®It goes well with the old Korean-style houses outside the forest.¡¯


    It reminded him of a snowy winterndscape seen in historical dramas. At least this ce gave him the Oriental feeling he was hoping for.


    ¡®If I sit here eating kimchi...¡¯


    It was best with soju. He wanted to take a break to log out and have some kimchi with soju. But ying Satisfy after drinking was a shortcut to defeat. It wasn¡¯t umon for people to try enhancing their equipment under the influence of alcohol. Grid had to refrain from drinking if he was aiming for the top.


    "I need to use the break time to eat and exercise, raising my physical strength to y the game...¡±


    Grid controlled his heart and descended the hill into the forest.


    ¡®I have to cut down a 100 year old tree?¡¯


    In today¡¯s society, there were many ways to measure the age of a tree. They could know the age of the tree without having to cut it down and check the growth rings. It was the same with Satisfy. It was simple using the appraisal system. In particr, Grid had the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill.


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill was unrivalled among the various types of appraisal items and skills in Satisfy. While top rated appraisal items revealed around 6~10 pieces of information, the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill revealed 10~12.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    It was the nearest tree. Gridid a hand on the tree that was around 5m high and used the skill.


    Ttiring~


    [White Phosphorus Tree]


    Status: Very healthy


    Age: 607 years


    It is assumed that the origin of this tree is Shangri-La.


    It is often called the Daoism Tree and is the national wood of Hwan Kingdom.


    The trunk and branches extend straight towards the sky.


    The hardness of this tree, which symbolizes high dignity and elegance, isparable to dragon iron.


    "There¡¯s a ce on the East Continent called the Hwan Kingdom... What¡¯s dragon iron?¡±


    The existence of Shangri-La and daoism weren¡¯t surprising. In the past, Grid became aware there was a ss called daoist. But he never heard of dragon iron.


    ¡°It seems like the name of a mineral.¡±


    It was a name that he never heard of on the West Continent. Grid found it interesting.


    ¡®Indeed, there are separate materials that only exist on the East Continent.¡¯


    The natural environments of the East Continent and West Continent were different. It was expected that there would be things on the East Continent that weren¡¯t present on the West Continent, and vice versa.


    ¡®It¡¯s possible to produce different items.¡¯


    Grid was full of expectations as he imagined that his base as a cksmith would expand in the future.


    Lulla~


    He started humming as he appraised the other white phosphorous trees around him. Then he learned a surprising fact.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the trees a lot older?¡±


    100 years old? How funny. Most of the white phosphorous trees were older than 500 years. There were some that were over 1,000 years old.


    ¡¯Cutting down trees that are hundreds of years old...¡¯


    It was quite troubling about the trees, but that was all. It was a very easy quest. Then he could gain 12% experience.


    ¡°I have decided on these ones.¡±


    Grid picked a 103 year old and 106 year old white phosphorous tree. He pulled out the axe he received for the quest.


    [White¡¯s Axe]


    Rating: Normal


    Durability: 150/150 Attack Power: 53


    An axe made by the owner of the White Hammer smithy, White. It boasts great durability, allowing more trees to be cut down.


    It is highly popr among the nearby woodcutters.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 109


    There were no options, but the durability was eptable for an axe. The attack power was also considerable for something with no usage conditions. If White was active on the West Continent, his axe would be sold as a ¡®weapon¡¯ to novice yers.


    ¡°Simr to Khan...¡±


    White¡¯s age seemed to be in the mid-30s. The fact that he was alreadyparable to Khan was great, considering he was a NPC.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t even a named NPC.¡¯


    It was obvious that the cksmiths of the East Continent were ahead of those in the West Continent. They seemed to have a lot of special know-how.


    ¡®The difference is due to the environment.¡¯


    While the West Continent limited the number of cksmiths in each territory, there was no such restriction on the East Continent. The number of cksmiths on the East Continent was far greater than the West Continent. Thisrge number meant a biggerpetition. The cksmiths of the East Continent developed steadily whilepeting with each other. It was understandable that they would be more skilled than the cksmiths of the West Continent.


    "As a result, the soldiers of the East Continent are stronger than the West Continent.¡±


    The East Continent soldiers would have better equipment than the Western soldiers, which would lead to a difference in attack power.


    "Well, I guess it won¡¯t be better than my soldiers.¡±


    The Reidan soldiers under the aegis of the legendary cksmith were the real overgeared soldiers! Grid was filled with pride as he opened Latina¡¯s Power, which was attached to the Rune of Darkness.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    ...He called out the skill name in question. Two skeletons popped up to Grid¡¯s left and right. They were skeletons holding half moon axes. Overgeared Skeletons One and Two. Grid handed White¡¯s Axe to Overgeared Skeleton One. Then he sat down to one side.


    ¡°I will recover my stamina while you cut down the tree. You should be able to do this much, no matter how stupid you are.¡±


    ck ck!ck!


    In response, Overgeared Skeleton One struck the white phosphorous tree in front of him as hard as possible with the axe.


    Peok!


    The moment that Overgeared Skeleton One struck the white phosphorus tree with the axe!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eye sockets of the Overgeared Skeleton One becamerger. The bones of the skeleton started to twist.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid blinked at the behavior.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has returned to the soil.]


    Overgeared Skeleton One crumbled. The white phosphorus tree was fine, without a single scratch. Grid frowned.


    ¡°These guys are really...¡±


    They were too useless. It was a skeleton that couldn¡¯t even cope with the impact of hitting the tree. He didn¡¯t know why. Grid clicked his tongue and spoke to Overgeared Skeleton Two.


    ¡°Skeleton Two, I hope you are different from Skeleton One.¡±


    It was at this moment that he decided. He would only invest points in intelligence for the fragile Overgeared Skeleton One, raising it as a skeleton mage. Meanwhile, he would raise Overgeared Skeleton Two as a skeleton warrior. But what was the reality?


    Overgeared Skeleton Two was the same as One. Their level and stats were the same.


    Kaaang!


    ck!ack!ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton Two struck the white phosphorus tree and was damaged like Overgeared Skeleton One. It soon crumbled.


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    Grid was stunned when he saw Overgeared Skeleton Two return to the soil. He cursed as he picked up White¡¯s Axe left on the ground.


    ¡°You useless little bastards!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t even cut down a tree! Grid controlled his heart and struck the white phosphorus tree with an axe. Then he had a shocking experience.


    Chaaeng!


    [The durability of White¡¯s Axe has decreased by 37.]


    [There is a strong pain from your wrist. You are temporarily paralyzed.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Health has decreased by 1,700.]


    [You were unable to damage the white phosphorus tree.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was hard. It was at least the steel grade. Grid was shocked and took one step back.


    ¡®I expected it to be hard since it waspared to dragon iron, but it¡¯s this hard?¡¯


    Now he understood. This was why a woodcutting quest gave 12% experience.


    ¡®This quest isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    Grid guessed that the odds of a typical cksmith not clearing this was 100%. But Grid was a legendary cksmith. He put away White¡¯s Axe and armed himself with the +9 Failure.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would need to cut a tree with a sword.¡±


    Kkuok.


    Grid grasped Failure with both hands.


    Step.


    Among the pure white leaves falling like snowkes from the white tree, he started a dazzling sword dance. It was Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link. The legendary rated skill was aimed at the white phosphorus door in front of Grid.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Dozens of energy des struck the white phosphorus tree.


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 4.]


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 5.]


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased....]


    [There is a strong pain from your wrist. You are temporarily paralyzed.]


    [There is a strong pain from your neck...]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Resisted...]


    [Health has decreased by 1,801.]


    [Health has decreased by 1,730...]


    [You were unable to damage the white phosphorus tree.]


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The +9 Failure also didn¡¯t do any damage?


    ¡®Shit, how hard is this?¡¯


    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s see who will win!¡±


    He felt sorry for calling the skeletons ipetent. In the beginning, the tree wasn¡¯t an opponent they could go against. Grid apologized to the skeletons and unfolded a new sword dance. He used Pinnacle Kill, which was regarded as one of the strongest skills existing right now.


    Seokeok!


    The white phosphorus tree was damaged.


    ¡°...What?!¡±


    Grid was astonished.


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    An explosion of light from the cracked white phosphorus tree hit Grid.


    [You have done great damage to the white phosphorus tree!]


    [The white phosphorus tree has exploded from the shock!]


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Kurururung...


    The white forest revolted. The ragged Grid was filled with confusion.


    ¡°...Oh my god.¡±


    HIs immortality passive was activated while cutting down a tree? He never imagined it. It was a different experience. Grid was at a loss for words for a moment before bursting intoughter. It was augh of disbelief. At his feet, there were the fragments of the white phosphorus tree. They were the fragments that fell off from Pinnacle Kill just before the explosion.

 Chapter 514

    ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to lose your mind.¡¯ Then Braham¡¯s voice entered Grid¡¯s ears. ¡®Isn¡¯t the duration of the immortal passive only 5 seconds?¡¯


    Gold? No, this time was more valuable than a diamond. Grid needed to actively utilize this limited time.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid recovered thanks to Braham and immediately took action. He needed to confirm it.


    ¡®First of all.¡¯


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    The first thing Grid did was to stab and sh at the damaged white phosphorus tree. It was to check if this damn tree was still hard or would explode after the fragment fell off. It was still hard and there was no explosion.


    ¡®Is it correct to say it¡¯s dead? It won¡¯t explode if I throw them in the fire.¡¯


    The white phosphorus tree was just hard. If he assumed that it would burn, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem if it was used as firewood.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand the reasoning behind using this tree as firewood.¡¯


    Was there a special effect?


    ¡®Of course there will be.¡¯


    What were the effects?


    ¡®Sooner orter, I will find out. I will experiment.¡¯


    Step.


    Grid kept constantly moving. He fired Kill at the white phosphorus tree.


    Chaaeng!


    [The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 6.]


    [There is a strong pain from your wrist. You are temporarily paralyzed.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The immortal state is activated. Health isn¡¯t lost.]


    [You were unable to damage the white phosphorus tree.]


    "Che, Kill doesn¡¯t have an effect.¡±


    The defensive power of the white phosphorus tree was extraordinary. The fact that he couldn¡¯t inflict damage it with Kill meant it was impossible without a skill that ignored defense.


    ¡°Then what about this?


    Seokeok!


    Grid used Pinnacle this time. Failure moved across the trunk of the white phosphorus tree.


    [You have damaged the white phosphorus tree.]


    [The bark of the white phosphorus tree has spat out mes!]


    Compared to Pinnacle Kill, the attack power of Pinnacle was weak. It didn¡¯t 100% ignore defense. Pinnacle didn¡¯t cause damage to the white phosphorus tree and it didn¡¯t explode after being hit by Pinnacle. Only one fragment dropped.


    ¡®This is better...¡¯


    Kurururu!


    mes shot towards Grid from the white phosphorus tree. The heat of the mes distorted the area. The mes that hit Grid were sharp and fierce, like fangs. But Grid was invincible in the immortal state. He didn¡¯t receive any damage from the mes. Amidst the glowing mes, he spoke in a somewhat calm tone.


    "I can only use Pinnacle.¡±


    Pinnacle Kill was too powerful. The explosion of the white phosphorus tree dealt damage in a 4m radius. Even Grid found it difficult to cope. On the other hand, the range of the mes that emerged after Pinnacle was limited. He would be able to avoid it using the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and Quick Movements.


    Braham asked, ¡®Why don¡¯t you give Magic Missile a try?¡¯


    The duration of the immortality ended. After the mes died, Grid retreated from the white phosphorus tree that fell quiet again.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Magic Missile just prate through? Isn¡¯t is inappropriate for logging?¡±


    ¡®Aim at the branches. Pinnacle can only cut off one branch at a time, so isn¡¯t it faster to use Magic Missile?¡¯


    "But the Magic Missile that I shoot is weak.¡±


    It was doubtful if Magic Missile could scratch the white phosphorus tree, no matter the ignore defense effect attached to it.


    ¡®Why don¡¯t you try it instead of whining?¡¯


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid received Braham¡¯s opinion and fired Magic Missile at the thinnest branch on the white phosphorus tree.


    Peng!


    "...¡±


    Indeed. Grid¡¯s Magic Missile didn¡¯t even scratch the white phosphorus tree. Grid smacked his lips.


    ¡°There really is only Pinnacle.¡±


    The cooldown time of Pinnacle was 2 minutes. It meant he could cut off one branch every 2 minutes.


    ¡®It will take all day to gather enough firewood.¡¯


    It was too much time to waste just to obtain 12% experience. It wasn¡¯t as efficient as hunting in the vampire cities. Grid frowned and was troubled for a moment.


    ¡®Should I use Assimtion?¡¯


    Braham¡¯s master level Magic Missile could collect the firewood rtively quickly.


    ¡®...But.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to. It was too much to borrow the strength of a legendary great magician for logging.


    ¡®Borrowing your strength just for this...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t want to use Assimtion for a reason. He didn¡¯t know what dangers existed in the East Continent, making it too risky to act without his strongest card on hand.


    ¡¯Grid, can¡¯t I help you? It has been a long time since I got some outside air...¡¯


    Braham started to say something but Grid didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Grid confirmed that the cooldown time of Pinnacle had returned and used it again.


    Seokeok!


    Hwaruruk!


    mes were fired the moment a branch was cut off. Grid borrowed the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and read the path. The problem was that the speed of the mes was too fast.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid knew that he couldn¡¯tpletely avoid it and escaped using Quick Movements.


    ¡°Phew...¡±


    Grid picked up the branch of the white phosphorus tree. He gritted his teeth. A legendary cksmith and duke of a kingdom was struggling to cut firewood. It was enough to make his tears flow down.


    ¡°Damn, this quest ispletely twisted. That damn White person... Eh? Wait.¡±


    Grid suddenly had an idea.


    ¡°The White Hammer smithies used an iron hammer for iron and a mithril hammer for mithril?"


    Something came to mind.


    ¡®Diamond.¡¯


    A diamond was needed to process a diamond. There were many things in the world that could destroy a diamond, but only a diamond could cut another diamond.


    ¡®Maybe the white phosphorus tree...¡¯


    It had a property that made it hard to destroy. What if the white phosphorus tree was simr to a diamond? Grid reached this idea and didn¡¯t hesitate. He gathered the scattered pieces of the white phosphorus tree and started to observe them with the perspective of a cksmith.


    ¡®Forging and tempering them is possible. But refining? Isn¡¯t a process necessary?¡¯


    Grid thought about it. He dreamed of a bigger growth and focused without bing nervous. Then after a while.


    ¡°...Okay, I will try it once.¡±


    Grid smiled and entered the ¡®axe¡¯ category of his list of production methods. The pattern he pulled out was the Woodcutting Axe.


    [Woodcutting Axe]


    Rating: Normal ~ Legendary


    An axe optimized for cutting trees.


    It is an axe that any woodcutter dreams of having.


    Conditions of Use: Woodcutter Level 100 or more. Beginner Woodcutting Technique level 7.


    It was a matter of pride now. As a legendary cksmith, he couldn¡¯t be beaten by firewood. Grid burned with motivation as he took out a portable furnace. Then Braham advised,


    ¡®No matter what you do, try summoning the Overgeared Skeletons as often as you can.¡¯


    ¡°Why those guys?¡±


    ¡®By observing you, they may learn new skills or magic.¡¯


    Grid was startled.


    "Eh? The skeletons have learning abilities?¡±


    Then wasn¡¯t a necromancer a true scam? Braham exined to Grid.


    ¡®No,mon skeletons aren¡¯t capable of learning. But the Overgeared Skeletons have intelligence. They are recognized as a unique entity and can be summoned again after being destroyed. They are like death knights and lich.¡¯


    "Their intelligence is in the single digits...¡±


    ¡¯Well, you should try it. Maybe they can learn low level magic or skills.¡¯


    "Hrmm... Yes, it isn¡¯t very difficult to follow your words. The Overgeared Skeletons might be trash, but I can use them depending on the situation if they acquire skills.¡±


    Grid had overlooked one thing. Braham considered most of the abilities in the world as inferior.


    ***


    "Shit! This won¡¯t work! I need a stronger fire!¡±


    The White Hammer Smithy. White and his nine cksmiths were irritated. Pangea¡¯s lord held a cksmithingpetition every year. It was the goal of the White Hammer Smithy to win thepetition and supply the battle gear of the army for one year, but reality wasn¡¯t so kind. The battle gear created by the White Hammer Smithy was somewhatckingpared to the level of the otherrge smithies.


    "Looking at the status of the final product, the championship has disappeared this year...¡±


    "We haven¡¯t won thepetition for five years since Master died...¡±


    The mentor of the White Hammer cksmiths was White¡¯s father, Dawhite. The White Hammer smithy had gone downhill since he died five years ago. There were people who said that the White Hammer smithy had lost their qualifications to be one of the four great smithies.


    This was despite White¡¯s efforts.


    White trembled.


    ¡®It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t listen to Father¡¯s words and neglected the bellows.¡¯


    White believed that forging was what created the quality. As the sessor of the White Hammer smithy, he focused on the hammer and tended to neglect the bellows. In his youth, he didn¡¯t realize that the difference of only 1 degree in the temperature of the me could create a significant difference with the performance of the item.


    "The mes... If I can make them hotter...¡±


    White and the cksmiths bowed their heads. Then an unfamiliar voice was heard.


    ¡°I havee to deliver firewood.¡±


    "Firewood?"


    All the cksmiths apart from White felt confused.


    "Didn¡¯t we already acquire the firewood at dawn today? Then what is this delivery?¡±


    In the first ce, the ck-haired young man who said he came to delivery firewood was unfamiliar. He wasn¡¯t one of the usual woodcutters they traded with. As the cksmiths were looking at the young man...


    ¡°Firewood... You brought it?¡±


    White was more flustered than when his wife was having an affair.

 Chapter 515

    [Daoist Woodcutting Axe]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 1,000/1,000 Attack Power: 310


    * Emits strong mes every time durability is lost.


    * Easily cuts the white phosphorus tree.


    * Influences the mes of the white phosphorus tree.


    An axe resembling those used by the daoists in Shangri-La.


    It originally is something that can¡¯t exist in the human world, but Legendary cksmith Grid broke the rules by producing it. There was no malice, nor was it a fluke. This is the result of Grid devising the ideal form and is purely from his abilities.


    The Daoist Axe produced by Grid has a much better effect than usual daoist axes.


    Conditions of Use: Daoist


    Weight: 410


    [An legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    [There is a beneficial effect from producing the highest quality. The good luck stat has increased by 5.]


    It must be a special legendary item that he made for the system to attach a ¡®beneficial effect¡¯ to it. Grid feltcking in his intelligence and good luck stat, so this made him happy enough to fly. He felt like rain hade after a drought.


    ¡°16 good luck! Nice!"


    Good luck was more difficult to raise than any other special stat. It was impossible to distribute stat points to it, and the act of bringing out a ¡®beneficial effect¡¯ was unconditionally random, so training it was difficult and even the title effects weren¡¯t applied to it. Now his good luck stat increased by 15 points at once, making it 16.


    ¡°Amazing... This is really amazing.¡±


    What if his good luck stat kept rising like this?


    ¡®There will be a day when there is a 100% chance of making a legendary item!¡¯


    It was like saying he would always win the first prize when purchasing a lotto ticket. Grid was counting the chickens before they hatched. He was in a good mood and put on his best smile as he touched the axe.


    ¡°This is really, very well made.¡±


    An axe made of white wood from the handle to the end of the de. He had hesitated for a moment about making the handle with the white phosphorus wood, but it was a good choice.


    ¡®I learned a lot as soon as I came to the East Continent.¡¯


    He learned how to make use of the properties of minerals from the White Hammer smithy and was able to grasp the existence and characteristics of the white phosphorus tree through the quest given by White. In retrospect, White was a good person, not a bad one.


    ¡®He was giving me a trial. Perhaps he instinctively knew my skills from the beginning.¡¯


    He was ashamed of himself for ming White the whole day.


    ¡®Indeed, there are no cksmiths who are bad people. Isn¡¯t he as nice as Khan?¡¯


    Whatever happened, the result was good. During this process, Grid¡¯s dislike for White had turned into liking. It was the aftermath of obtaining a good result.


    Lulla~


    Grid hummed happily as he finished chopping the firewood and returned to the White Hammer smithy. Then he shouted to White and the other cksmtihs.


    ¡°I havee to deliver firewood.¡±


    Why was Grid so excited?


    [A special thing has happened after making the 20th legendary item!]


    This short phrase hade to mind the moment he produced the white phosphorus axe. It was the biggest factor behind Grid¡¯s good mood.


    ***


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    The ck-haired man who delivered firewood. White also initially failed to recognize who he was. He was the owner of one of the four great smithies in Pangea and couldn¡¯t remember all the rabble.


    ¡®When did I see him?¡¯


    The wild eyes that were intense like a hawk. White remembered seeing them somewhere before.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    White gazed at the ck-haired Grid silently before bing surprised. Early this morning. Someone who dreamt about bing a cksmith but didn¡¯t have any knowledge, he had left to cut down the white phosphorus tree. This young man was that very person.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Surely he didn¡¯t really cut the white phosphorus tree? The confused White burst outughing.


    ¡®That is impossible.¡¯


    The white phosphorus tree was as hard as dragon iron. Cutting it? It was impossible unless the best people in the Hwan Kingdom came. There weren¡¯t one thousand year old white phosphorus trees for nothing.


    "You are the friend from this morning. You¡¯re aware that I don¡¯t want ordinary firewood, right?¡±


    "Of course. I am well aware. This is very remarkable firewood.¡±


    Grid was beaming. White thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t a firewood that anyone can obtain.¡±


    Saying that he came to deliver firewood?


    ¡®Did this person paint oak wood white?¡¯


    White wouldn¡¯t be deceived by such a cheap trick. Grid grinned at White and raised a thumb.


    ¡°Amazing. Did you see my skills with one nce and gave me a hard task? You knew it from the beginning. I¡¯m able to chop down the white phosphorus tree.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    White couldn¡¯t understand this nonsense. They were talking face-to-face, but a conversation couldn¡¯t be established. White was in the shade so only his dark skin was visible. Grid pulled out the white phosphorus wood.


    "I studied many things thanks to you. Here. It¡¯s what you requested.¡±


    ¡®This isn¡¯t an ordinary trickster.¡¯


    This was one of the typical characteristics of a scammer. It was to use ambiguous or distracting words to make a person less vignt.


    ¡¯Hrmm, it won¡¯t work on me.¡¯


    White never trusted anyone since being betrayed by his wife. He was convinced that Grid was a scammer and started to look at the firewood with distrustful eyes.


    ¡®Trying to trick me by painting oak wood white... Heok? Heooook!!¡±


    White¡¯s face became darker. He looked at the firewood with a disbelieving expression and started looking through them. Then he became more and more shocked.


    ¡®T-This is really white phosphorus wood?¡¯


    He was certain. There was no doubt. Thus, White was confused.


    ¡®H-He really cut down the white phosphorus tree?¡¯


    The white phosphorus tree wasn¡¯t hard to cut down just because of its hardness. It was the nature of the white phosphorus tree to emit mes as soon as it was hurt. Even if a person managed to cut down the white phosphorus tree, death was waiting for them.


    It was impossible to obtain firewood from a living white phosphorus tree. But this ck-haired youth in front of White. To be honest, White didn¡¯t catch his name, yet this unknown young man had cut down the white phosphorus tree.


    ¡®...It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    The astonished White came to a conclusion. Maybe this man in front of him...


    ¡®A legendary woodcutter!¡¯


    Handling gold and silver axes!


    ¡®Once a person reaches the peak in one field, they will be a daoist! Is this a daoist who is about to leave for Shangri-La?¡¯


    Yes, it was White¡¯s own mistake when he thought this young man was interested in bing an apprentice cksmith. In fact, he wasn¡¯t a cksmith, but a great woodcutter.


    ¡®Ahh...! Who knew that my smithy would have such a person helping them?¡¯


    Perhaps his father had made a deal with this person to help the White Hammer smithy. He must¡¯ve thought about the old ties with the White Hammer smithy and ran over.


    ¡°Thank you! I really appreciate it!¡±


    White was caught in a big misunderstanding and bowed to Grid. Bowing all of a sudden? Grid¡¯s expression stiffened.


    "...Thanking me like this, does that mean you didn¡¯t expect it? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re trying to decrease the value?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes changed the moment he spoke these words. He also lowered his voice. It was to express a threat about what would happen if White took away some rewards.


    ¡®Ohh! This pressure!¡¯ White felt a big thrill as he looked at Grid. ¡®This is really a daoist. In fact, he doesn¡¯t need a reward. But I will feel burdened if he helps me without receiving anything in return.¡¯


    The heart was like a sea. White felt really thrilled.


    ¡°No way. Of course I will give the appropriate rewards.¡±


    Ttiring~


    Then a notification window shed in front of Grid.


    [The quest difficulty of ¡®Chop Firewood!¡¯ has been revealed.]


    [The quest difficulty of ¡®Chop Firewood!¡¯ is SS+.]


    [The clearancepensation for Chop Firewood! has changed.]


    [The character experience and experience of all skills will increase by 40%.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath is now Lv. 7.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage is now Lv. 7.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, is now Lv. 8.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill, is now Lv. 7.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, is now Lv. 6.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle, is now Lv. 6.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint, is now Lv. 4.]


    [The level of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend, is now Lv. 4.]


    [The affinity with White, the master of the White Hammer smithy, has reached the peak!]


    [In the future, you can buy all items in the White Hammer smithy at a 20% cheaper price. The goods you sell will be bought for a 20% higher price.]


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    The quest was really difficult. He was convinced when he saw it was an SS+ quest.


    ¡®No, what constitutes an SSS quest?¡¯


    Grid thought he was probably the only yer able to clear the white phosphorus tree logging quest. It was a quest that only one out of two billion users could clear. Considering the difficulty, he felt like 40% character experience and skills experience was actually less than he deserved. At the very least, he should¡¯ve gained one level for each. Grid felt regret.


    Then White looked at him and asked carefully.


    ¡°Perhaps... What is your name?¡±


    "...¡± This man didn¡¯t even know his name? ¡°Grid.¡±


    Grid replied with an absurd expression and White grabbed both his hands.


    ¡°Do you know the famous battlegear productionpetition of Pangea?


    ¡®Battlegear productionpetition?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t answer as White shouted towards him.


    ¡°Grid! Pleasee to watch thepetition! In order to repay your hard work, the White Hammer smithy will definitely win this year!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Grid¡¯s mouth curved upwards. He couldn¡¯t resist an opportunity to see the skills of the cksmiths of the East Continent.


    ¡°When is thepetition?¡±


    "In three days."


    ¡®Okay¡¯


    He could spend three days adjusting to the hunting grounds near Pangea and return with loot to sell. Grid made a decision and nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I will expect to see something good in three days.¡±

 Chapter 516

    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    The first thing Grid did after leaving the smithy was to set an rm. It was an rm so that he would return in time for the battlegear productionpetition held in three days.


    ¡°I¡¯m anticipating it...¡±


    Grid definitely had to watch thepetition.


    White said that the skills of the cksmiths participation in thepetition were great.


    ¡®The ck Anvil smithy specializes in tanning, the Red Tongs smithy in quenching, and the Blue mes smithy in the furnace processes?¡¯


    It was just like the cksmiths of the White Hammer smithy being exceptional in forging.


    ¡®This will be a good study.¡¯


    Grid had inherited Pagma¡¯s techniques, but his overall experience and knowledge tended to becking. The cksmiths of the East Continent had built up their know-how for many years. Just like with the White Hammer smithy, Grid was expected to be able to learn new things from thepetition.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be conceited despite being a legendary cksmith!¡¯


    The proud Grid wanted to learn from less talented cksmiths in order to reach a higher ground. He puffed up his chest and walked in a dignified manner through the streets.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Grid received information that a monstermunity existed to the north of Pangea and headed to the north gate. He suddenly stopped walking. It was because he heard a familiar name in his ears.


    ¡°Try it once! Just one bite of our orc cream pie will have your juices flowing! Thebination of the fragrant orc fat and the refreshing cream is perfect! It¡¯s a dish that Pangea¡¯s little hero, Kraugel, admired for being delicious!¡±


    ¡®Kraugel? Pangea¡¯s little hero?¡¯


    The chef was talking about the same Kraugel that Grid knew?


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    Kraugel was the 1st ranked user and created a sensation wherever he went. Not only was he strong and fast at levelling up, he was also famous for his understanding of the quests.


    "Kraugel¡¯s name resonates through all the viges and cities that he visits...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something just spoken between yers. Grid smiled bitterly and approached the middle-aged chef.


    ¡°One orc cream pie please.¡±


    He was curious to taste the dish that Kraugel praised. In addition, he wanted to know what types of activities Kraugel did here.


    ¡®Why is he called the little hero?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t suspicious because he didn¡¯t believe that the word ¡®orc¡¯ in front of the name meant the monster orc. He paid 1 silver to pay for drinks service and looked at the pie with anticipation. At first nce, the pie was an orange cream pie. The outside pastry looked crisp and the inside looked moist.


    ¡°Ohu.¡±


    Grid thought that 1 silver wasn¡¯t a high price as he took a bite of the pie. His face distorted.


    ¡®Not even a dog would eat this.¡¯


    It was cream without the freshness of fruit and was sour like vinegar. It wasn¡¯t smooth and stuck to the tongue. The mean inside was too tough and chewy. The pie looked crisp on the outside and moist on the inside? More like it was burnt on the outside and poison on the inside.


    ¡®How can this be called food?¡¯


    Rather than the ingredients used for this dish, the oxygen consumed by the chef was a waste. The chef approached the angry Grid and asked.


    ¡°How is it? Delicious?¡±


    "...¡±


    He was asking sincerely? Grid closed his mouth and the chef, Idan, spoke unabashedly. "Did you know that Kraugel ate four of these pies? They are really delicious!¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡±


    "Yes, hundreds of people saw it.¡±


    ¡°Crazy...¡±


    Grid felt sympathy towards Kraugel. What type of tasteless food did he grow up with that he would praise this garbage pie? Grid hurriedly asked Idan a question. He had lost 1 silver, so he intended to get as much as possible from stepping foot in this restaurant.


    ¡°Who is Kraugel? What did he do that made him be called a little hero?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are an outsider. I noticed that you didn¡¯t know the taste of my pie.¡±


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    Grid barely suppressed the words that tried toe out.


    "Pangea was originally a rich and peaceful city for hundreds of years. But two years ago, that peace suddenly ended. Our great lord suffered an illness and his aide, Arube, was appointed as temporary lord.¡±


    ¡°Then Arube was a bad person and Kraugel defeated him?¡±


    ¡°Hat... Hum hum, it¡¯s simr but different. Excuse me, this person. Please listen to everything I have to say first. I want to talk.¡±


    It felt like Idan had a lot of say.


    "Anyway, the story is as you predicted until the middle. Arube, who was famous for his good behavior, became a tyrant after being appointed as the lord. He came out from time to time to harass women, took awaynd from farmers using all types of excuses, and raised the taxes.¡±


    It was too obvious. Grid¡¯s ears pricked with interest as Idan¡¯s story entered a new phase.


    ¡°One day, monsters started to infest the areas near Pangea. Pangea, where monsters have never showed up for hundreds of years!¡±


    ¡°Is it the monster habitat in the north?¡±


    ¡°Right, right. They were really frightening. The monsters moved systematically like an army and dealt tremendous damage to Pangea. People grumbled and hated the monsters that seemed to fall from the sky. We couldn¡¯t resist them and were trampled on helplessly.¡±


    ¡°Then Kraugel appeared?¡±


    "Yes! Our little hero appeared! As if he fell from the sky, he appeared and took down one or two monsters.¡±


    ¡¯One or two? The sky above the sky?¡¯


    Grid thought that it would be something amazing, but it was surprisingly simple.


    ¡®Usually stories are exaggerated when talking about heroism... Ah.¡¯


    Grid realized.


    ¡®The monsters on the East Continent are extremely strong.¡¯


    The monsters that invaded Pangea. Even Kraugel could barely deal with one or two. That¡¯s what the chef said.


    ¡°Despite Kraugel¡¯s presence, Pangea couldn¡¯t escape from the crisis. The monsters were too strong. The cavalry and strategies that Pangea are proud of didn¡¯t work... Yes, it was like someone was directing them to attack Pangea.¡±


    "Was that person Arube?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Idan couldn¡¯t help feeling admiration. "How are you able to infer the story so easily and urately? Are you perhaps a detective? Can you find the puppy that disappeared from my house?¡±


    "...¡±


    It was a tiring style. Grid remained silent and Idan went back to the main point.


    "Yes, the monsters were controlled by Arube. More than 2,000 monsters were controlled by one person. Isn¡¯t it truly amazing? Arube was just an ordinary civilian before this!¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing.¡±


    The story was so obvious that it wasn¡¯t anything special. Grid felt irritated because he had to eat unpleasant food and thought this was a waste of time.


    "In fact, there was a reversal here. Arube wasn¡¯t Arube. It was a wicked demon who killed Arube, disguised himself, and then tried to destroy Pangea.¡±


    ¡®This is the true story.¡¯


    Anyway, things had be clear. The daoist priests of the East Continent werepletely different from the magicians of the West Continent.


    ¡®A legendary great magician wouldn¡¯t be able to control 2,000 monsters like limbs, right?¡¯


    ¡®Right. It is impossible even for a taming master. Not all of them are strong, but it¡¯s better to be on the lookout.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s go.¡¯


    Grid rose from his seat after Braham¡¯s answer when Idan blocked him.


    ¡°That¡¯s why. Find traces of the great hero who helped kill the evil daoist priest that the little hero Kraugel couldn¡¯t defeat alone.¡±


    Was this a quest? Why else would it go back to the true story? Grid had juste to a conclusion when a quest window appeared in front of him.


    [Find the Traces of the Great Hero!]


    Difficulty: A


    The evil daoist priest revealed his identity. The small hero Kraugel fought with him and tasted despair. Pangea seemed to be on the verge of destruction.


    But then a mysterious hero appeared. Later, the people of Pangea praised him as the great hero. The hero instantly defeated the evil daoist priest and saved Pangea from the crisis, but he didn¡¯t disclose his identity and left. This made the residents of Pangea feel sorry. They have a strong desire to find the great hero and give thanks.


    In particr, chef Idan has a duty to find the great hero. It is to regain the frying pan that was passed down through the family¡¯s chefs for generations.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Find the frying pan somewhere in the monstermunity.


    Quest Clear Reward: Free lifetime use of Idan¡¯s restaurant. 30% character experience.


    Quest Failure: Idan, who is famous for his mouth, will talk about your faults all over Pangea.


    ¡°The ce where the great hero wasst seen was the north! But it has long been famous for the wild beasts and since the monsters arrived, it¡¯s hard for me to head there directly. Please find the great hero¡¯s trail and get my frying pan back!¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    It certainly wasn¡¯t a bad quest. Grid nned to hunt in the north anyway, so he was in a position to look for the frying pan. If he could find the frying pan, he would receive 30% experience for free. The only disagreeable thing was the free lifetime pass to Idan¡¯s restaurant.


    ¡¯...Well, I don¡¯t have to eat there, so there¡¯s no reason to refuse.¡¯


    Grid made a decision and nodded.


    ¡°I understand. It¡¯s very hard, dangerous, and troublesome, but I will do my best. But I have one question. What is the corrtion between the great hero and the frying pan?¡±


    Idan gritted his teeth.


    "When he appeared, the evil daoist priest... I was cooking in the kitchen and ran out onto the street with my frying pan. Then I bumped into the damn hero. He took my frying pan and beat the evil daoist priest with it?¡±


    ¡°...He beat the daoist priest with a frying pan?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It was great when the hero hit him with my frying pan! Wonderful and invigorating! But what? He left without returning the item he borrowed! He left with my frying pan!¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°For a chef, a frying pan is like the soul! It¡¯s like that hero stole my soul! Then he threw it away somewhere without a thought!¡±


    There were really too many words. Just listening to the high voice was tiring. Grid quickly left the restaurant. Then he immediately left by the north gate.

 Chapter 517

    ¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 2 had a casting time of 5 seconds and a cooldown time of 8 minutes. It was significantly shortenedpared to the Lv. 1 Magic Detection.


    ¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    After leaving the north gate.


    Grid used Magic Detection every time the cooldown was over on the way to the monstermunity. Thanks to the reduced skill cooldown time option attached to Braham¡¯s Boots, Grid was able to use Magic Detection every 5 minutes and 30 seconds.


    Why did he keep using Magic Detection? It was to increase the level of Magic Detection while preparing for any unknown danger.


    ¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    The East Continent was a suitable environment for raising the level of Magic Detection. Originally, Magic Detection consumed 2,000 mana with every use, making it difficult to use often. However, the environment of the East Continent increased mana regeneration. The Ring of Absurdity reduced the mana consumption by half, and then the East Continent increased the amount of mana regeneration. He predicted that it would be possible to use Magic Detection repeatedly during hunting.


    "This ring is really too good."


    The Ring of Absurdity obtained from ck. It was much more valuable than a bunch of equipment item. By default, an essory with a special option attached had low basic abilities. The Ring of Absurdity was an essory at the peak of all essories.


    ¡®It would be nice if I could also make essories...¡¯


    Of course, Grid could create simple ¡®wearable¡¯ essories. But what was the reason for the existence of essories? It was to satisfy the sense of aesthetics and to give special options that couldn¡¯t be implemented on equipment items. The essories that Grid made weren¡¯t worthy because theirpleteness was poor, they had no options, and they weren¡¯t pretty. It was a waste of time, materials, and manpower to make them. Just like Idan¡¯s cooking.


    ¡°Ugh... I still feel sick. It¡¯s amazing that the poor chef¡¯s restaurant is still surviving.¡±


    He was sincerely curious about why it wasn¡¯t ruined.


    ¡¯It must not be bankrupt for a reason. Is there a special secret apart from the taste of the dishes?¡¯


    The road in the north hadn¡¯t been maintained, since it was upied with monsters. Grid¡¯s expression was serious as he moved along the dangerous road filled with weeds and cracks. It was an unknownnd where he didn¡¯t have the basic information. Grid realized once again that it was an area where he wouldn¡¯t receive any help.


    ¡®I am ahead of them.¡¯


    Grid always felt like he wasgging behind because hepared himself to Kraugel. It felt like he was following the path that Kraugel pioneered. But looking at it objectively, Grid was a leaderparable to Kraugel.


    ¡®Soon, I will be able to go ahead of Kraugel.¡¯


    The present Grid was much stronger and more versatile than the Kraugel who visited the East Continent. Grid was confident that he could get ahead of Kraugel, giving him a high pride.


    ¡®The rankers that I spend a year looking at from a distance...¡¯


    Now he was heading for the top. Those who he felt envy and longing towards were now mostly under him.


    ¡®This game is truly rewarding!¡¯


    Every human had the natural desire to aplish something, and the culture that now dominated the world was Satisfy. Being the best here meant being the best in the world. Grid trembled with excitement. Come on! Grid felt like shouting in a loud voice.


    The East Continent. Grid felt a sense of liberation as he saw the ce where there were only NPCs and no yers. It felt like falling onto a rich desert ind! The game was much more enjoyable when Grid didn¡¯t have to worry about his dignity as leader of Overgeared. He ran towards the pine forest in the distance with a loudugh. Hahaha! Hisugh was like the crazy person who was present in every city.


    ¡®But it¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    Grid was abruptly running around like a dog in heat. Braham was amazed as he watched the pathetic Grid. Despite Grid acting like a fool, he still maintained the appropriate tension.


    ¡®Being cautious even when his heart is excited?¡¯


    In other words, there was no gap.


    ¡®There are many things that arecking because he is still growing, but he already has the minimum requirements to be a legend.¡¯


    Looking at the current Grid, someone might see a gap and try an attack.


    ¡®They would die.¡¯


    The moment Braham thought this.


    Step.


    The moment Grid entered the pine forest full of pine needles.


    Kyaooooh!


    A giant beast appeared and roared at Grid. Yes, it was a beast. Not a monster. It was a tiger that ran away from the monstermunity and hid in the forest.


    "Die tiger, and leave behind your skin!¡±


    Grid had picked up the tiger¡¯s presence with Magic Detection (Enhanced) and had been waiting for it. He cut down the tiger without any hesitation and obtained its leather.


    ¡°It¡¯s very quiet. Why isn¡¯t there a single monster despite the monstermunity being beyond this forest?¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t essible. Don¡¯t use your demonic power here.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, is it because of this?¡±


    Grid looked at the notification window that popped up the moment he entered the forest.


    [This is a forest filled with a refreshing energy. Health and mana regeneration rate will increase by 20%.]


    "If I ever experience a dangerous situation when hunting in the monstermunity, I can escape here.¡±


    ¡¯It is a big step that you are capable of thinking simr to dogs or cats. It will be fine if you continue to develop steadily in the future.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t offended by the rough words that Braham spoke. He could feel the emotions from Braham¡¯s soul and they weren¡¯t negative emotions. Rather, they were full of liking. But Grid also had a nasty personality. He didn¡¯t let it pass nicely.


    "Tsk tsk, look at the way you are speaking. There¡¯s a reason you were betrayed by your only friend.¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    Braham was shocked. He was betrayed and killed by his only friend, and now his current friend was teasing him, it was really very sad. However, the legendary great magician wasn¡¯t easily shaken by words. He tried to remain calm.


    ¡®H-He, friend... He...wasn¡¯t.¡¯


    "...¡±


    Grid heard the quivering in Braham¡¯s voice and btedly felt sorry. He coughed with shame and quickly left the forest. The pine forest was small so he could escape quickly. Beyond the forest, thergemunity of monsters entered his eyes. There were arched tents installed everywhere in themunity. There was approximately 500 of them. Assuming that there were two monsters per tent, that was at least 1,000 monsters.


    "There are tents and living tools. Doesn¡¯t it seem like the monsters living in this habitat are quite intelligent? Are they lizardmen type monsters?¡±


    Grid consulted Braham¡¯s opinion, but Braham was silent. He was still in a numb, shocked state. As a legendary great magician, he was originally very strong in spirit and his basic tendencies were cruel. But ironically, he was weak towards those he liked.


    Grid clicked his tongue at Braham. "How long will you stay like this? You¡¯re not a kid. Aren¡¯t you hundreds of years old?¡±


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t have any friends except the Overgeared members. His personality wasn¡¯t good enough to make friends and he didn¡¯t notice. In other words, Grid and Braham were in a simr category. He stopped trying to make fun of Braham and quickly understood the characteristics of the monstermunity.


    ¡®Is it a monster housingplex?¡¯


    The 500 tents in themunity were separated by 50 meters each and each area was separated by each other by a low fence. Personal space seemed to be important to these monsters.


    ¡®Looking at the tools, they are humanoid monsters, not lizardmen. They like living together.¡¯


    A humanoid monster with high standards of living and strong independence. What was it? Grid remained confused no matter how much he thought about it, and then he realized.


    ¡®Yes, this is the East Continent.¡¯


    It was futile to analyze this based onmon sense and information from the West Continent.


    ¡®I have to directly see and experience it myself.¡¯


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s figure disappeared. It was due to the Hooded Zip Up. He secretly moved towards the monstermunity and approached the nearest tent.


    ¡®There are no signs?¡¯


    Was this really a monstermunity? Did hee to the wrong ce? Themunity was too quiet. Every tent showed no signs of life.


    ¡®Did they all leave?¡¯


    However, there would be traces if 1,000 monsters moved somewhere.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Was it nap time? It was nonsense that 1,000 monsters would be napping at the same time. Grid suppressed this ridiculous thought and looked inside the tent. Then he was startled. A rat. No, it was simr to a hamster. A big hamster couple was sleeping inside the tent.


    ¡®The monster is cute?¡¯


    No, the cuteness was secondary. It seemed like a monster with the basic ¡®hide¡¯ passive. It was difficult to read the information even when looking at it.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡¯


    The moment Grid was confused.


    ¡°Muong?¡±


    Kung kung. The hamster couple¡¯s noses twitched and they got up. Then they looked around and pinpointed Grid¡¯s exact location.


    "Kyaak!"


    The hamsters opened their mouths widely! The cute couple transformed into monsters in an instant.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid was stunned as he saw the hundreds of sharp teeth in the hamsters¡¯rge mouths. Hundreds of sawtooth-like teeth were deeply embedded in their mouths. It was so gruesome and unhygienic that it was creepy.


    ¡°Wow! Braham, do you see this? There is rotten food sandwiched between the teeth... Ugh!¡±


    Grid frowned and blocked his nose.


    Hamster. To be precise, the monster called the ¡®big poisonous rat¡¯ gave off a horrible stench when it opened its mouth. The stench was terrible enough to cause confusion and poisoning. He resisted thanks to the legendary status resistance passive, but the difort was significant.


    ¡°Human! Muong! Kill! Muong!¡±


    The big poisonous rats became agitated by the intruder and started to wield their tridents. Their cute appearance was nowhere to be seen. The ck eyes had turned red and the front protruding teeth dripped ck poisonous liquid that threatened Grid.


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    The attack speed of the big poisonous rats was equivalent to the true blood vampires. Sometimes their tails would urately strike at Grid¡¯s weak points.


    Peeng!


    The moment he was caught by the hamsters, Grid had switched from the Hooded Zip Up to Lantier¡¯s Cloak. The ground where he had just been standing was hit by the big poisonous rat¡¯s trident and exploded. The big poisonous rats caused yers to be confused and poisoned just by opening their mouths, then used their quick and strong attacks to kill the yer. They were simr to the ¡®senior monsters¡¯ on the West Continent.


    Then Grid? He felt excited instead of panicked. He already expected the monsters of the East Continent to be strong. The stronger they were, the more experience they would give.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    This was a somewhatrge tent for a human. Grid used the footwork of his sword dance to evade and then linked the attack.


    Chaaeng!


    Kill urately struck the hamster couple at the same time. A stunning notification window popped up in front of Grid as he killed them instantly.


    [You have defeated a big poisonous rat.]


    [35,970,411 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡°Kek.¡±


    It was huge. It was far beyond his expectations.

 Chapter 518

    [You have defeated a big poisonous rat.]


    [35,970,411 experience has been acquired.]


    [A big poisonous rat¡¯s galldder has been acquired.]


    [The big poisonous rat¡¯s leather has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated a male big poisonous rat.]


    [21,899,050 experience has been acquired.]


    The hamsters were monsters present near the ¡®starter¡¯ vige. They were likely to be located on the lowest level of the East Continent food chain. Nevertheless, they gave excellent experience. The female hamster gave seven times more experience than junior vampires, five times more experience than intermediate vampires and three times more experience than the senior vampires.


    ¡¯Only the males clearly have a genderbel and give less experience. Does this meant it is a matriarchal monstermunity?¡¯


    In fact, it was funny to say that the males gave less experience. The males alone gave two times more experience than the senior vampires.


    ¡®By the way, it¡¯s really great..¡¯.


    Grid roughly guessed that Kraugel came to the East Continent before his third advancement. He could hunt monsters like this, even if it was slowly? If the hamster didn¡¯t have the poisoning and confusion ability, Grid would simply admire it as being Kraugel. No matter how strong the hamsters, Kraugel would be able to ovee their physical abilities.


    ¡®But how did he cope with the abnormal states?¡¯


    The cooldown time of the detoxification potion was 10 seconds and there were no potions to recover from confusion. On the other hand, the hamsters constantly caused poisoning and confusion by opening their mouths throughout the battle.


    ¡®It would be possible if Kraugel had essories to resist poison and confusion...¡¯


    However, it was questionable if he would have status resistance essories at the time.


    ¡®No way, did he just block his nose?¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s system considered realism, so Grid directly blocked his nose. But it was impossible to block out the stench.


    ¡°Oof.¡±


    Grid felt nauseous and left the tent. Braham watched the pathetic Grid and finally opened his mouth.


    ¡®Did you forget what the chef of Pangea said? The monstermunity formed here after Pangea was invaded.¡¯


    The hamsters were likely to be one of the monsters defeated in the Pangea invasion and settled here afterwards.


    ¡®They weren¡¯t born near the vige, so they might be a powerful monster species. Don¡¯t assume that the big poisonous rats are the weakest monster on the East Continent.¡¯


    ¡°Well... Indeed.¡±


    The East Continent was very difficult. Since Satisfy¡¯s opening, 31 people had visited the East Continent in three years. The East Continent was sure to have overwhelmingly higher content than the West Continent. But Satisfy was a game that considered bnce. Since there was the possibility of exchanges between the two continents in the future, the gap between the continents couldn¡¯t be toorge.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. No matter how difficult the content of the East Continent, the hamsters can¡¯t be the weakest monster here.¡¯


    Assuming that the hamsters were the weakest monsters, it meant that the soldiers of the East Continent had at least the strength of a hamster, which didn¡¯t make sense.


    "Well, whatever. I just have to beat them. That¡¯s why I came here.¡±


    There was no need toplicate it unnecessarily. Grid checked the information of the loot he picked up.


    [Big Poisonous Rat¡¯s Galldder]


    A galldder filled with poison.


    Upon taking it, you will be poisoned for 10 minutes and receive all types of conditions.


    However, poisoning and confusion tolerance will permanently increase by 0.03% afterwards.


    Weight: 1


    [Big Poisonous Rat¡¯s Leather]


    Smelly and tough leather.


    It is difficult to use in real life because the odor doesn¡¯t disappear.


    Weight: 30


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. This was the first time he saw an item that increased the resistance to an abnormal state.


    ¡®A lot of rich people will invest money to buy things like this galldder.¡¯


    Grid had the status conditions resistance passive, so items that increased resistance to abnormal statuses were useless to him. But there were those who weren¡¯t legends. For two billion users, status conditions were a challenge that must always be ovee. Everyone thought it was important to increase their resistance.


    ¡®This would be pretty expensive!¡¯


    The value would be at least one million won. But Grid didn¡¯t have any thoughts about registering the galldder in the auction house. It was because it would hurt him if others increased their resistance to status conditions.


    ¡®Don¡¯t put it on the auction house. Gather more and sell them to the guild members.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t intend to give it for free. He closed his inventory and approached another tent. He looked inside and saw a pair of sleeping hamsters.


    ¡°Another couple?¡±


    Grid feltplex and subtle emotions.


    ¡®Do I have to hunt a couple every time?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he destroying a family? Grid hesitated before shaking his head. Setting aside NPCs, there would be no limit if he started feeling empathy for monsters. Grid controlled his mind and separated the +7 Sword Ghost into the long sword and short sword form. He used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend, and swung his weapons continuously.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    The energy des fired from the long sword were powerful and destructive, while the short sword was small and rtively stealthy. Grid bombarded the hamsters in the tent without causing much disturbance, and the sleeping hamsters in the surrounding tents didn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Muoong! It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Human! Kill! Muong!¡±


    The hamsters were furious about being beaten in the middle of their sweet nap. It worsened as they watched their nest being torn apart. They grabbed their tridents and rushed towards Grid. But they couldn¡¯t reach him. The God Hands wielded Mjolnir and defended Grid.


    Peok!


    Peok peok peok!


    ¡°Muong! Muong! Muong!¡±


    There was nothing strange with the Mjolnirs. The hamster couple fell into an infinite stiffness. As the golden hammers moved from left to right and alternated attacks, the hamsters lost a lot of health. Grid finished them off, receiving a lot of experience and another galldder.


    "Isn¡¯t the drop rate surprisingly high?¡±


    No, it was nonsense that an item that permanently increased resistance to abnormal statues would have a high drop rate. Grid interpreted it differently.


    "That¡¯s right, the drop rate isn¡¯t high. It is purely because of my good luck stat!¡±


    He had 16 points in his good luck stat! Grid put a big significance on it. However, 16 points in a stat actually had no meaning. Looking at it, didn¡¯t Jude have 20 intelligence? It was just 16 points in good luck. But Grid felt infinitely positive. It was the good luck stat that he got after living unhappily most of his life.


    "Hunting is rtively easy. Hit them with the God Hands while they¡¯re sleeping and then finish them off. Simple.¡±


    Therge distance between the tents was helping Grid. It didn¡¯t seem dangerous unless he made a lot of noise. Grid smiled with satisfaction as he moved next door to ughter the couple. The couple in the next tent and the couple in the tent after that...


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Grid shook as he watched the dying hamsters hold each other. This hunting was too terrible. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he obtained the title ¡®Couple ughterer.¡¯ Braham scoffed. ¡®Are you feelingpassion for creatures? That is a severe weakness.¡¯


    ¡°No, doesn¡¯t it look cute? Loving each other like that. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re monsters.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why he had to hunt couples. Making a yer ughter couples in Satisfy, there was probably a psychopath on the development team.


    ¡°Okay. I have cleaned up the outskirts.¡±


    There were 500 tents filled with hamsters. He took care of the tents on the outskirts in order, then headed a little deeper. Due to the nature of the circr formation, the closer he got to the center, the narrower the distance between tents became. If he made a mistake then he would have to fight at least four hamsters.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    The experience of the hamsters was simr to the true blood vampires. But their overall strength was less than the true blood vampires. Of course, the true blood vampires were also different in level. Grid was looking at the average ones. The true blood vampires weren¡¯t a problem for Grid, so hunting several vampires at once wasn¡¯t an issue.


    ¡°I should reduce their numbers as much as possible before nap time ends. Now I will begin in earnest.¡±


    Suuuk.


    Four golden hands rose behind Grid. Grid grasped that the mana regeneration rate was 1.5 times faster than normal andmanded the God Hands.


    "Shoot!"


    Pepepepeok!


    The Magic Missile bombardment fell on the hamsters.


    Taack!


    Grid rushed with the God Hands and raided the hamsters. The hamsters tried to defend or counterattack, but thebination of the God Hands and Mjolnirs was perfect.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    While fighting in the vampire cities, Grid had be more efficient in using the God Hands inbat. Rather than defending against the enemy¡¯s attacks with the God Hands, Grid handled them directly while the God Hands swung Mjolnir during that time. Once the target was stiffened?


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Puok!Puk!Puk puk!


    He would finish them off.


    "Good.¡±


    Two pairs of couples... No, four hamsters died and Grid leisurely picked up the items they dropped.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    On one side of the tent. He was something that was very familiar to modern people. It was a frying pan. Grid was surprised and checked its information.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±

 Chapter 519

    [Big Poisonous Rat¡¯s Frying Pan]


    Durability: 5/9 Attack Power: 2


    * When equipped, Beginner Cooking skill Lv.1 will be generated.


    A favorite cooking tool for the big poisonous rats.


    The big poisonous rats cook all types of food in this frying pan and use it as tableware at the same time.


    It is a frying pan made with coarse technology, but it¡¯s better than nothing.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 70


    ¡°...How did this happen?¡±


    He thought it was Idan¡¯s frying pan. But it turned out to be the hamster¡¯s frying pan. Grid was baffled.


    "No, this is ridiculous. Where in the world is there a hamster that cooks with a frying pan?"


    Of course, he knew that the intelligence of the big poisonous rats was very high because he experienced it himself. Looking at thenguage skills and living standards, they seemed much better than orcs or goblins. But in order to create tools, the concept itself was actually needed.


    In the end, the big poisonous rats were monsters. They were bound to be faithful to their survival instincts. This meant they understood that tools were needed to catch prey, producing weapons. But frankly, it was amazing that they even thought about cooking.


    ¡°They normally eat raw meat. It¡¯s funny that monsters have a desire for gourmet food.¡±


    Would they also be interested in cleanliness? However, they had bad breath. They should¡¯ve made a toothbrush as well as a frying pan. Grid threw the frying pan to one side and left the tent.


    ¡®The hamsters came up with the idea of making a frying pan from somewhere.¡¯


    Maybe it was because Idan¡¯s frying pan was abandoned here?


    ¡®To rify. They would¡¯ve been influenced after finding Idan¡¯s frying pan. Then things will fall into ce.¡¯


    Tak.


    The tent was in tatters from the aftermath of the battle. Grid lightly moved to the center of the big poisonous rats¡¯munity. An exceptionallyrge tent appeared. It was 10 times bigger than a typical tent.


    ¡®Over here.¡¯


    It was the location of the boss of the big poisonous rats.


    ¡®There¡¯s a high possibility that Idan¡¯s frying pan is inside there.¡¯


    The problem was reaching there. Should he break through one point, or keep methodically getting rid of the tents on the edges?


    ¡®It would be nice if I could go straight.¡¯


    The gap between tents was reallyrge. He would need to smash the tents in front of it, but that wasn¡¯t a problem. Just.


    ¡®If I reach the boss with most of the tents untouched...¡¯


    The risk was too big. It would be annoying if the boss had a skill to call its surrounding allies. He might be swarmed by tens or hundreds in an instant, leading to death.


    ¡®I will move forward from the outskirts. That will be easiest.¡¯


    In any case, there were no yers on the East Continent. He didn¡¯t need to worry about anyone stealing his prey.


    ¡°Right. There¡¯s no need to fret.¡±


    It felt like having a whole server to himself! Grid decided to eatfortably and moved with slow but sure steps. He moved steadily from the outer tents towards the center of themunity, killing the hamsters. The result.


    [You have defeated a big poisonous rat.]


    [36,445,900 experience has been acquired.]


    [A big poisonous rat¡¯s galldder has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated a male big poi...]


    [Your level has risen!]


    [As someone with a second ss, you will receive a level up bonus. 12 stat points have been acquired.]


    [Six points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    [Your intelligence is over 1,300.]


    [A new magic spell can now be learned!]


    It was already his second level up since arriving at the monstermunity. By destroying hundreds of peaceful homes, Grid reached level 319 and surpassed 1,300 intelligence. But Grid felt ashamed rather than happy.


    ¡°I... I am a homewrecker.¡±


    The big poisonous rats were very loving. The couples were sleeping in the beds and before their death, they gazed at each other gently.


    ¡¯Is this a new form of torture?¡¯


    A hunting system that made yers feel guilty. It left a bad taste. Grid felt increasingly sure there was a psychopath in the Satisfy development team. Braham prompted the agonized Grid.


    ¡®Rejoice! You get to experience my strength which is different from the inferior people in the world!¡¯


    The greatest power in the world? It was his magic. Braham was confident about it. He wanted to remind Grid of his greatness. On the other hand, Grid became excited.


    ¡®New magic!¡¯


    It was the second time since he got this second ss. Apart from Magic Missile that he acquired by default, he had only learned Magic Detection. The reason was his low intelligence. Despite having the ss ¡®legendary great magician,¡¯ it was very sad because he could only use Magic Missile and Magic Detection.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to be sad. The opportunity to acquire legendary magic woulde as he increased his intelligence! Grid was filled with tremendous excitement and anticipation.


    "Now I can use Fireball!¡±


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    Ttiring~


    [A new magic spell can now be learned.]


    [rm (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    A spell developed by the legendary great magician who haspletely overturned the activation form.


    You can set all types of rm sounds at the desired timing and location.


    As the level rises, the diversity of the sounds and the range will increase.


    Resource Consumption: 500 Mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute.


    -If you use this spell three times in Great Magician mode, you will learn it.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was stunned after verifying the notification window. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation properly as Braham¡¯sughter rang in his ears.


    ¡®Huhuhut. This rm...¡¯


    "Noisy... No, be quiet.¡±


    ¡®...?¡¯


    ¡°Please be quiet.¡±


    Grid wanted to be alone. It wasmon knowledge that the lowest level magic included rm, but he never dreamt that rm would be acquired after Magic Missile and Magic Detection.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it a spell that should be learned by default like Magic Missile?¡¯


    What garbage spell needed 1,300 intelligence to learn? Grid was stunned as his expectations were shattered. He was so frustrated that killing intent slowly filled his eyes. The anger boiling in his heart needed an outlet.


    ¡°Kill...¡±


    Kkuok.


    He tightly gripped the Sword Ghost. Grid gritted his teeth and walked into the nearest tent. It was the beginning of the fierce but stealthy ughter. Grid didn¡¯t have any hesitation about killing the loving hamster couple. He couldn¡¯t afford to care about other people¡¯s circumstances right now.


    ***


    ¡°Hah... Hah... I can now live a little.¡±


    Thergemunity of tents filled with big poisonous mice. All of their tents were burned, torn, or copsed. It was the result of Grid¡¯s massacre that took half a day. There was only one thing still intact in front of him. Therge tent in the center of themunity. It was the ce with the hamster boss and where Idan¡¯s frying pan should be located.


    The level 320 Grid used Magic Detection. It was to gauge the existence of the boss and to roughly guess the level.


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) has been used.]


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) has risen from Lv.2 to Lv.3!]


    [The power of Magic Detection (Enhanced) has increased! Magic Detection can now identify the target¡¯s stats!]


    Name: Strong Male Rat


    Level: ???


    ss: ???


    Stats: ???


    Species: Big Poisonous Rat


    Status: Monster


    Name: Queen Rat


    Level: ???


    ss: ???


    Stats: ???


    Species: Big Poisonous Rat


    Status: Monster


    "Two here as well...¡±


    The boss didn¡¯t even enjoy a harem and was a single-minded couple!


    "Truly principled rats!¡±


    Grid had felt expectant when the level of Magic Detection rose. Now he was once again angry. It was because the status windows showed question marks, making him feel betrayed by Magic Detection.


    ¡¯My Magic Detection is a great magic. The only thingcking is your intelligence.¡¯


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s right! me me! It¡¯s my fault that rm magic was created! Shit!¡±


    Why would a legendary magician use rm? The moment he became upset at Braham. Grid unwittingly raised his voice and it was transmitted to the hamsters inside the tent.


    ¡°Muong? Why is a human here?¡±


    "You will pay the price for impeding our happy nap time. Muong.¡±


    The queen hamster wearing a crude crown and cloak was huge. She was twice as big as Grid. The hamster queen showed off her white chest fur proudly and pulled out a paw from her red cloak. She pointed the paw at Grid.


    ¡°Muong. Humans are nasty because they have no fur. So disgusting. Muong, I¡¯ll kill you right away.¡±


    The queen hamster also used a trident as a weapon.


    Swaeek!


    The queen¡¯s trident was fast and seemed like it would skewer Grid. Grid hurriedly avoided it while Braham spoke.


    ¡®Leave it to me. I will show you how to use rm.¡¯


    "...¡±


    How to use rm? Grid didn¡¯t expect much. But he couldn¡¯t ignore Braham¡¯s words.


    ¡®The rm spell can be used during a battle?¡¯


    Magic used by a legendary great magician. It wasn¡¯t trivial if he thought about it calmly.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s hair turned white.

 Chapter 520

    [Assimtion has been used.]


    [You have be one with Braham¡¯s soul. Control of your body has been given to Braham.]


    [Your ss will be changed from Pagma¡¯s Descendant to Legendary Great Magician.]


    [Braham is searching for intelligence rted items.]


    [Mcus¡¯ Cloak has been equipped.]


    [The Holy Light Crown has been equipped.]


    [There are no wearable items.]


    Sururuk.


    The moment that Grid used Assimtion. The angr jaw full of muscr beauty became thinner and the muscled shoulders and forearms changed.


    ¡°Kukukuk!¡±


    White hair flowed down underneath the crown. The white skin contrasted with the ruby eyes, creating a mysterious atmosphere. It was the emergence of the legendary great magician Braham, who was once a vampire.


    ¡°I never thought this body would be used to get rid of rats. It¡¯s refreshing.¡±


    Brahamughed with an arrogant attitude. Grid prompted him three seconds after Assimtion started.


    ¡®Come on, use magic! Don¡¯t waste Assimtion again and be vignt!¡¯


    "You¡¯re a legend. Don¡¯t feel worried like the other lowly people.¡±


    Braham clicked his tongue and waved his hand. Then a master level Magic Missile (Enhanced) was created and circled around him. Grid was startled.


    ¡®How are you doing that?¡¯


    Magic Missile was the type of magic thatunched after specifying the target. It immediately flew to the target as soon as it was used. There was no way to stop it in ce. That wasmon sense.


    Pajik!


    Pachichik!


    A ball of mana, which contained explosion power, was thrown up beside Braham. Braham gave an amazing answer to Grid.


    "It¡¯s rm.¡±


    ¡®What? rm?¡¯


    ¡°rm is something that rings with no limit and isn¡¯t simply noise.¡±


    ¡®...?¡¯


    "The rm spell is meant to ring in specified situations and times. Therefore, rm is inherently a timer magic. Then I strengthened that timer magic.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. What does that have to do with stopping Magic Missile?¡¯


    ¡°Before using the magic, I entered themand ¡®act when the rm rings.¡¯ It is like the ticking time bomb that dwarves make."


    ¡®Ticking time bomb?¡¯


    Braham¡¯s clear example helped Grid understand. At that moment.


    ¡°Muong! Human! You dare invade the queen¡¯s castle! Myong!¡±


    The intermediate boss of the monstermunity, the Strong Male Rat, shouted. He only targeted the white-haired Grid, Braham. Braham revolved mana around him and didn¡¯t care. It was either bravery or ignorance. The big poisonous rats were a clever species, but they were a physical species and couldn¡¯t use magic. The proof was that there were no magicians or shamans in the ratmunity.


    ¡°Muong!¡±


    The wild-eyed Strong Male Rat reached Braham and stabbed with his trident. Braham precisely matched the timing.


    Didididi!


    There was a beeping sound from the Magic Missile hanging around Braham.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The male rat was hit by the Magic Missile and fell back without even screaming.


    ¡°Watch.¡±


    A few steps away from the male rat, Braham cast a total of six Magic Missiles simultaneously. It was the multi-spellcasting that could be achieved as a result ofbining the master level Magic Missile and the legendary great magician passive.


    Pa-ang!


    Paang!Pang!Papapapang!


    ¡®Wow...¡¯


    Grid admired it. The white mana balls looked like moonlight around Braham. They were like illusions, but also beautiful. Grid had no artistic sense and even he could tell. He switched to the observer¡¯s viewpoint and captured the current scene with a screenshot.


    ¡®I should set it as my phone wallpaper.¡¯


    He was the only one who had even seen the wallpaper for his phone.


    ¡°M-Muong...! Cowardly human!¡±


    How could the Strong Male Hamster be humiliated by a human with the Queen Rat watching? The male rat was ashamed and angry, and once again rushed towards Braham. His speed wasn¡¯tckingpared to Grid and the trident overwhelmed Grid¡¯s strength.


    ¡®At least level 400?¡¯


    The intermediate boss was incredibly strong. It was unknown how strong the Queen Rat would be. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    Didididi!


    Didididididi!


    The six Magic Missiles around Braham all sounded an rm. And.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    One pierced the male rat¡¯s chest, two in the side, on in the elbow of both hands, and thest one in a vital spot. The Magic Missile urately pierced between his eyes. The male rat once again couldn¡¯t scream as he shed blood, while Braham made a ridiculing sound.


    ¡°This is one of the ways to use the rm spell. Predict when and how the enemy will move, set the time, and assign it to an attack spell. Then your attack spell will smash the enemy at the correct timing. With a minimum of magic, you can exert the same power as the God Hands.¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    Grid understood what Braham was saying. But anticipating the opponent¡¯s action in real time during a battle, setting the time for the rm spell, as well as the attack magic trajectory? Wasn¡¯t it impossible unless it was Braham? Braham assured the embarrassed Grid.


    "There is an easier way of using it.¡±


    Tak!


    Braham kicked the male rat that was trying to rise and withdrew back. Then he summoned another six Magic Missiles. Four Magic Missiles flew simultaneously towards the charging male rat.


    "I won¡¯t take it anymore! Myong!¡±


    The male rat swung its trident in a line.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The powerful force struck the four Magic Missiles and destroyed them.


    Ssik!


    The male rat smiled with satisfaction. As soon as he swung the trident at the four Magic Missiles, the other two Magic Missiles and another six summoned by Braham had already hit him.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Muoong!


    The male rat flew after he was beaten by eight Magic Missiles. Braham shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s much easier to take advantage of attacks like this and the effect isn¡¯t bad. rm magic will be a big help.¡±


    The level of Grid¡¯s Magic Missile was still low. The cooldown was slower than the master level Magic Missile, so it was impossible to use two or more at the same time. But what if he used the rm spell? Grid could summon multiple Magic Missiles in sequence.


    ¡®Keep in mind that rm can only be attached to magic itself. The distance is also limited. In particr, the Lv.1 rm is much more restricted. Well, you will soon know if you use it.¡±


    ¡¯Doesn¡¯t the description say I can use it anywhere?¡¯


    ¡°That is a description of the magic itself. Once learned, the level specific exnations will be more detailed.¡±


    ¡®Um...¡¯


    Could he really use it? Braham gave encouragement to Grid who wasn¡¯t confident.


    "In fact, it¡¯s easy to take advantage of rm.¡±


    ¡°Myooooong!¡±


    The ragged male rat jumped up. Braham looked at the beaten up rat and raised a finger. Then he snapped it. And...


    Wiiiiiiing!


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    There was an annoying ringing sound from right next to the male rat¡¯s ear. At that moment, the male rat¡¯s eardrum burst and he sank down, his nose bleeding. It was the ¡®forced bnce loss¡¯ state that couldn¡¯t be resisted.


    ¡®Making the rm ring from his body...?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this aplete scam? It was a perfect disruption. Even a legendary¡¯s passive resistance couldn¡¯t resist it. Braham spoke with consternation as Grid felt admiration.


    "Well, to be honest, this can only be done at the master level for rm. Lv.1 rm should be like this.¡±


    ck!


    Braham snapped his finger again.


    Pipipipipi!


    The rm started to ring loudly beside the male rat¡¯s ¡®ear.¡¯ Braham fired Magic Missile at thepletely wide-open male rat and grinned, revealing his white teeth.


    ¡°Does this look good enough for you?¡±


    Braham was filled with pride about the enhanced magic he created. Grid didn¡¯t deny him.


    ¡®Amazing... The best.¡¯


    It was huge. A legendary rated magic. A notification window popped up in front of the shaking Grid.


    [You have destroyed the Strong Male Rat!]


    [205,700,890 experience has been acquired.]


    [The Strong Male Rat¡¯s Galldder has been acquired.]


    [The Strong Male Rat¡¯s Heart has been acquired.]


    [5 blessed weapon enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [4 blessed armor enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [Congrattions! You have learned rm (Enhanced)!]


    [The duration of Assimtion is over.]


    [You have regained control of your flesh.]


    [Braham¡¯s soul has temporarily dimmed.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    It was already three minutes? When he was in school, he used to fall asleep in less than a minute and only focused on ss for three minutes. Grid was very upset as his ck hair returned. But it was only for a moment. He suddenly realized reality and was overwhelmed with despair.


    The Queen Rat. The real boss of the big poisonous ratmunity didn¡¯t have a single scratch on her.


    ¡°Human. You killed my husband. Myang.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Damn Braham. Couldn¡¯t he have killed the queen rat first? Grid confirmed that his mana was depleted and summoned the God Hands to keep the queen rat in check. Then he ran away. First of all, he needed to buy enough time to take two mana potions.

 Chapter 521

    [You have taken a high grade mana potion.]


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    The alchemy facility in Reidan produced the superior mana potion. If he could take it, Grid would¡¯ve filled up all his mana with only one potion. But the high grade potion only filled half his mana.


    ¡®That Rabbit...¡¯


    Before going to the East Continent. When Grid had requested the potion, Rabbit couldn¡¯t raise his head.


    ¡®The potions we have built up over thest few months has been depleted because they were supplied to the Overgeared members who participated in the war. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Damn alchemy! He had questioned the value of the facility ever since the ¡®coolness¡¯ option was attached to Iyarugt. Reidan¡¯s economy had recovered and was growing, but Rabbit still had an obsession with alchemy.


    ¡®There is little effectiveness and it¡¯s just wasting money.¡¯


    However, the higher the level of alchemy, the more types of options that could be attached to the item. It was also possible to produce enhancement stones themselves in the future. Grid had poured a huge amount of gold into the alchemy facility. He couldn¡¯t stop supporting alchemy now. Therefore, he could only hope that it would be useful in the future.


    ¡°Myaang! My husband¡¯s enemy isughing!¡±


    The outraged Queen Rat kept chasing him. Grid ran with all his strength, but the Queen Rat gradually narrowed the distance. Grid stopped thinking and summoned the God Hands.


    ¡°Buy me some time.¡±


    The level difference between the hamster couples was generally around 20 levels. The female rats were always at least 20 levels higher than the male rats. Based on the assumption that the Queen Rat was at least level 420, Grid didn¡¯t dare face the Queen Rat head on. He nned to use the newly acquired rm spell to create a favorable situation for himself.


    Kung!


    Kung kung!


    The ground shook every time the Queen Rat took a step. He didn¡¯t know how she carried her weight despite her wrists and ankles being thinner than Grid¡¯s.


    ¡®This monster!¡¯


    There was the possibility that Grid could be overwhelmed andmanded the God Hands to attack. First of all, he had the God Hand swing the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir at the Queen Rat. It was the precursor of infinite stiffness. The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir boasted a 100% uracy rate and struck the Queen Rat¡¯s head hard.


    Peeok!


    [The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has caused the target to stiffen for 0.15 seconds.]


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    Originally, the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir caused 0.3 seconds of stiffness. Then what was this 0.15 seconds?


    ¡®Is it a 50% resistance to status conditions? Or is it due to the level difference?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. The Queen Rat quickly recovered from the stiff and blocked the strikes of the other God Hands with her trident. Then her red eyes glowed as she hit the God Hands.


    [God Hand (1) has received a strong shock and has be stiff.]


    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    0.15 seconds was too short. It seemed impossible to cause infinite stiffness to the Queen Rat because she could recover before the other God Hands would link their attacks.


    ¡°Myaang!¡±


    The Queen Rat caused all the God Hands to stiffen and threw her trident at Grid.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It was like a fighter jet was flying. The trident rushed through the atmosphere like a missile. Grid responded instantly.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    He had to run while waiting for the cooldown time of the potion to be over. How could he take advantage of rm to knock down that monster? He actively used his brain and coped with the thrown trident by using Revolve.


    Peeeeeong!


    The rotated light and trident hit each other.


    Puoook!


    [You have dealt 190,300 damage to the target.]


    The trident was turned around by Revolve and stabbed at the chest of the Queen Rat. The Queen Rat suffered 200,000 damage in one blow, but didn¡¯t slow down at all.


    ¡°Muong!¡±


    She pulled the trident out and chased after Grid again with the trident. Grid was able to figure out one feature of the Queen Rat.


    ¡®She will unconditionally use a throwing attack once we¡¯re a certain distance apart?¡¯


    If he knew it in advance, it wasn¡¯t difficult to cope with.


    Kuwooooh!


    The trident made a loud sound like an animal¡¯s roar. Grid confirmed that the cooldown time of the mana potion returned, drank it, and used ckening and Quick Movements.


    Peeng!


    Grid disappeared just before the trident reached him. The only thing left in his ce were the remains of demonic power.


    ¡°Muong?¡±


    The Queen Rat started to explore the area to find Grid. But he wasn¡¯t easy to find. It was because Grid wore the Hooded Zip Up the moment he had escaped. It was only a matter of seconds before the Queen Rat could find Grid, so Grid needed to catch her during this time.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid appeared in the space where there was nothing. His position was above the Queen Rat¡¯s head.


    ¡°Muoong!


    The Queen Rat grasped Grid¡¯s position immediately using her excellent sense of hearing. She showed a ridiculous reaction rate. She avoided Grid¡¯s Pinnacle and prepared to counterattack. However, the Queen Rat hesitated before attacking. It was due to the God Hands. The God Hands had recovered from the stiffness and aimed at the Queen Rat with Mjolnir.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the end if I kill that human! Myong!¡¯


    Then Queen Rat made a decision quickly. She hesitated for only a moment. She ignored the attacks of the God Hands and waved her tail at the enemy human who killed her husband.


    Peeok!


    Like a bee¡¯s stinger, the sharp tail hit Grid¡¯s face. In return, the Queen Rat allowed a hit from the Mjolnirs and became stiff for a total of 0.3 seconds. At this time.


    Sururuk.


    Grid flew back after being hit by the tail and changed into Randy.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    The voice of the ¡®real¡¯ Grid was heard behind the stiffened Queen Rat.


    ¡°...Myong!¡±


    It was a fake? The Queen Rat¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. She looked just like a hamster! Honestly, the expression was cute. But Grid wasn¡¯t deceived by the outward appearance and connected the skill to the end.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    ¡°Myaang!¡±


    It was toote. 0.3 seconds of stiffness was too short. The Queen Rat was released from the stiffness and avoided the God Hands¡¯ next attacks. She intended to counter the human¡¯s attack. However...


    ¡°Muong?¡±


    The Queen Rat was stunned. Didn¡¯t she clearly hear the voice of the human using a skill behind her? Why was there nothing when she turned back? The moment that the Queen Rat was feeling confused.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice was heard from the sky. That¡¯s right. The real Grid was in the sky. Grid¡¯s voice that the Queen Rat heard behind her was merely a fake recorded with the rm spell. As soon as he learned new magic, Grid applied it properly in practice.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The bombardment of ck energy des!


    "Kyaaaaang!¡±


    The Queen Rat screamed from the pain. In the interim, the God Hands continued to attack the Queen Rat and Grid took another mana potion. He umted Magic Missiles.


    ¡®Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile.¡¯


    Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 3 could be used once per second. He summoned it every time the cooldown returned and attached the rm spell to it. The result.


    Kuoooooh.


    Right now, Grid was as splendid as the sun as he floated in the sky. There were lumps of white mana around him.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Uhh!¡±


    By now, the Queen Rat had learned the name of Grid¡¯s skills. In the midst of the bombardment of energy des and Mjolnir, she caught Grid speaking the name of a skill. She used the ¡®Maintain Dignity¡¯ skill that was the privilege of the queen who led the big poisonous rats.


    Paaaang!


    Maintain Dignity was a one-time override threat skill that a few leaders of a species had. The effect was absolute. The energy pouring from the Queen Rat caused the God Hands to stiffen and the Queen Rat rushed forward.


    ¡°Myaang!¡±


    The angry Queen Rat¡¯s voice was heard to Grid¡¯s right. This time, it was an attack where she intended to kill her husband¡¯s enemy. But once again, the Queen Rat went hungry. The real Grid was in the sky while Grid¡¯s voice that she heard was a fake caused by the rm spell.


    "This magic is a scam. Right?¡±


    Ssik!


    The Grid in the skyughed and ridiculed the Queen Rat. The moment that the Queen Rat¡¯s anger soared into the sky.


    "Where are you looking, nyang?¡±


    Noe suddenly appeared behind the Queen Rat and swallowed her. It was the activation of Soul Ingestion. The Queen Rat¡¯s highest stat was weakened. The crisis of the Queen Rat started from here.


    ¡°Sublime Sword.¡±


    The Queen Rat appeared again with fur wet with saliva. A demon stood in front of her confused self. It was a white-haired old demon.


    Sakak-!


    ¡°Myaang!¡±


    A swordsman who had even threatened a great demon. The Sublime Sword struck the Queen Rat¡¯s chest. The Queen Rat screamed as she suffered a great deal of damage and Grid in the sky pounced. He fired 50 Magic Missiles as well as Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill. Then...


    Kuwaaaaaaang!


    The past 2 years. The center of the monstermunity that made the people of Pangea tremble was ruined. It was an extraordinary aplishment created by a single man passing by the East Continent.

 Chapter 522

    [The +8 Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated!]


    [The +9 Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated!]


    [The +9 Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ to be used!]


    [Pinnacle Kill haspletely ignored the target¡¯s attack!]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [Magic Missile has pierced the target.]


    [Magic Missile has pierced the target.]


    [Magic Missile...]


    ...


    ...


    [You have dealt 23,230,470 damage to the target.]


    [You have renewed the highest damage record!]


    [The effectiveness of the title: ¡®Death in One Shot¡¯ has increased. Critical damage will increase by 10%!]


    [You are establishing unparalleled damage achievements. The protection of War God Zeratul has slightly increased attack power, defense, and pration power.]


    [The blessings of God Dominion and War God Zeratul havebined to give the hidden passive skill ¡®God¡¯s Command.¡¯]


    [God¡¯s Command]


    Rating: SSS


    The strongest passive attack power skill rted to domain and ruling ability.


    When using an attack skill, there is a 50% chance to reset the cooldown. Reuse of a reset skill within 3 seconds won¡¯t consume resources.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The mass of notification windows was confusing. Grid dimly grasped that the notification windows contained positive contents. But he didn¡¯t have time to verify the details. The situation was desperate.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    40 minutes. He had been moving through themunity for a long time. Then he consumed his stamina avoiding the Queen Rat¡¯s attacks while tying rm to Magic Missile. He freely took advantage of rm magic. But the result was the worst.


    ¡®What is this crazy health?¡¯


    He had been uneasy since he saw that the stat Noe took from the Queen Rat was stamina. The Queen Rat was a perfect tank-type boss monster and didn¡¯t die even after suffering heavy damage from Grid. She still had two-thirds of her health left. She was a monster with ridiculously high health.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... What the hell should I do against this rat?¡±


    His stamina gauge was shing. It was a warning that if he didn¡¯t take a break right now, he would fall into a state of incapacity. But the monster. How could he rest when a boss monster was right in front of him?


    "Noe, can you carry me and bring me away?¡±


    ¡°Nyahahat! I am the best demonic beast of hell! But I am too small to carry Master... Nyang.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    The best demonic beast of hell, a memphis. Grid had never once felt envious of other yers since acquiring him. But at this moment, he felt envious.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been able to run away if I had a wyvern.¡¯


    The Queen Rat couldn¡¯t fly. If he had a bit more stamina remaining, Grid would be able to get away with Fly.


    ¡®Mana isn¡¯t a problem.¡¯


    His mana could be replenished by taking potions, but stamina could only recover naturally.


    ¡®I stillck the ability to manage my stamina.¡¯


    There was never an end to learning. While Grid was thinking about his own shorings.


    ¡°Muoong... Hu...man... The enemy of my n...¡±


    The Queen Rat on the ground twitched and started to get up. The smooth and beautiful fur was now dirty with sweat, blood, and dust. However, her momentum was stronger than before. Her eyes were filled with the desire to tear Grid apart.


    ¡°Human...! You are weakened! Myaang!¡±


    Thump thump thump thump.


    Grid¡¯s face became darker as the Queen Rat charged.


    ¡¯It¡¯s difficult to avoid. I have no choice but to fight in the immortal state.¡¯


    But this wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be beaten in 5 seconds. He couldn¡¯t see any chance of victory. However.


    Kkuok!


    Grid tightened his grip on Failure. In addition, he summoned Magic Missile and rm. The raid might fail, but he was determined to fight his best to thest minute. Who cared if he failed? He just wanted to be stronger. Grid nned to gather as much information about the Queen Rat as possible and use it as a springboard for the future.


    ¡®If today¡¯s raid fails, it will be different next time!¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s uniquemitment appeared.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Concentration, stamina, and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    A skill with terrible activation conditions. Since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he¡¯d experienced the effect less than 10 times. There was a low probability of it activating when he was focused on making items, and then all his fatigue would disappear. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience filled up Grid¡¯s shing stamina gauge.


    ¡°Ah, really...¡±


    A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he felt the lightening of his body.


    ¡°This feels like fate. Go, God Hands.¡±


    It felt like he was born with the mission to destroy the big poisonous rats. It felt like he became the protagonist of the world at this moment. Grid aimed precisely at a gap in the Queen Rat, who lost her momentum because she was beaten by Mjolnir. He moved in the steps of a sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°Myaang!¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The Queen Rat had nned to crush Grid. The moment she was about to strike Grid¡¯s head, Grid responded with a series of intense attacks.


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Linked Kill.]


    ¡°...Eh? Hidden passive?¡±


    Grid realized that it was a skill he acquired a while ago that he hadn¡¯t been able to look at! He was confused by it, but didn¡¯t waste any time. He once again used Linked Kill on the Queen Rat who was floundering from the pain.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Muaaaaang!¡±


    Linked Kill didn¡¯t have the effect of ignoring defense, but it boasted explosive damage. Unless the target had extremely high defense, it was expected that the damage of Linked Kill would be higher than Pinnacle Kill. This strong attack struck twice in a row. The Queen Rat¡¯s momentum was broken.


    ¡°This male is so strong!¡±


    The Queen Rat was dismayed to realized that Grid had hidden his power. The God Hands were constantly acting. They repeatedly caused stiffness in order to prevent any damage to Grid.


    ¡°Myaaaaaang!¡±


    Peeng!


    The Queen Rat broke through the sword and hammer bombardment. A powerful shock wave scattered Grid and the God Hands all over the ce.


    ¡°Shit...! Don¡¯t be fooled by the cute little monster!¡±


    The God Hands and Grid were separated. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that his defense had weakened by at least two times without the protection of the God Hands. The Queen Rat narrowed the distance and brandished the trident at Grid.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Grid swapped to Sword Ghost and desperately defended against the onught. However, the basic difference in levels made it impossible for him to defend against properly.


    Puok!


    He could no longer endure the force and was stabbed in the side.


    Pepeok!


    He missed the unusual trajectory of the tail and was hit in the cheek. There was a shy kick that hit him on the chin, forcing his head back.


    "Ku...ack!¡±


    In the end, Grid allowed sessive attacks and his health was exhausted, making him fall into the immortal state. Grid had only 5 seconds left. The worst result would happen if he couldn¡¯t get rid of the Queen Rat in that time. Grid didn¡¯t assume that the worst oue would happen. It was the reason why he didn¡¯t recall the God Hands in the distance.


    [You have seeded inbining the +9 Failure and the +9 Iyarugt!]


    Mjolnir was a hammer and the God Hands were cksmith¡¯s hands. The cksmith¡¯s hands held the hammer andpleted Item Combination in front of the portable furnace and anvil.


    Peeok!


    Pakak!


    In the immortal state, Grid ignored the Queen Rat¡¯s attacks and looked at the finished product on the anvil. He avoided the trident of the Queen Rat andmanded the God Hands.


    "Throw Mjolnir! Item Transformation! Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    There was the additional eleration effect of throwing Mjolnir, damaging the Queen Rat. Grid used this time to run to the portable furnace and grab thebined weapon.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid used cksmith¡¯s Rage and started a sword dance. Beside him, 20 Magic Missiles and the four God Hands that transformed into Lifael¡¯s Spear (Reproduction) aimed at the Queen Rat.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The blue and red energy des, the 20 white shes, and four golden spears shot at the Queen Rat. It wasn¡¯t over.


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Linked Kill Wave.]


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    A new rain of energy des was unleashed.


    "Muaaaaang!¡±


    The Queen Rat tried to resist, but was toote. The 0.3 seconds of stiffness caused by the thrown Mjolnir earlier was fatal.


    Kuwaaaaang!


    The central part of the monstermunity was caught up in an explosion.


    [The ruler of the big poisonous ratmunity, the Queen Rat, has been defeated!]


    [The first gateway in the north of Pangea has been dealt with!]


    [The title ¡®Pangea¡¯s New Star¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [The Queen Rat¡¯s Walnut has been acquired.]


    [The Queen Rat¡¯s Fur has been acquired.]


    [5 blessed weapon enhancement orders have been acquired.]


    [4 blessed armor enhancement orders have been acquired.]


    [Idan¡¯s Frying Pan has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen!]


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    He improved in the second half of the raid and was able to seed. All his stamina was consumed in an instant and he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, flopping down on the ground. The struggle was over, so he checked the titles and rewards that he had acquired. Joy appeared on his face.

 Chapter 523

    ¡°Huh??¡±


    Grid had question marks as he checked the information of the hidden passive skill God¡¯s Command. A bell rang. It was truly shocking.


    ¡°I-It is good but...¡±


    This was why the cooldown of Linked Kill and Linked Kill Wave was reset.


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    It truly had the best value. It wasparable to the time when he obtained Pagma¡¯s Descendant and the Legendary Great Magician sses.


    ¡®I never thought Dominion¡¯s blessing would be such a big help.¡¯


    During the Pope Drevigo episode, he obtained blessings from Reba, Judar, and Dominion. All three blessings were on the pavranium and buffed Grid. Reba¡¯s Blessing increased the speed of health recovery by 300%, Dominion¡¯s Blessing increased attack power by 15%, and Judar¡¯s Blessing increased defense by 15%. At this point, Grid could make one guess.


    ¡®Dominion¡¯s Blessing is one of the three major passive attack power buffs...¡¯


    Judar¡¯s Blessing was one of the three major passive defense buff and Reba¡¯s Blessing was one of the three major recovery buffs?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t there little odds of getting all of them?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the acquisition requirements for God¡¯s Command were ridiculous. With God Dominion¡¯s blessing, he could gain unique damage achievements and receive Zeratul¡¯s favor? How many of the two billion users would meet these requirements? It was difficult to imagine the other passive skills that could be acquired from Judar and Reba¡¯s blessings.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the same with domain and ruling ability.¡¯


    Grid had many unlucky experiences, so the effect of domain and ruling ability was far more fraudulent than God¡¯s Command.


    ¡®In the future, my enemies will acquire the domain and ruling ability. No, maybe they have already learned it.¡¯


    It was an obvious part of someone¡¯s repertoire. This damn world wouldn¡¯t let him off so easily.


    ¡®Will Iter die from the domain and ruling ability?¡¯


    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to let it happen so easily.


    ¡®From now on, I am invincible.¡¯


    Why? He had the good luck stat!


    ¡°Kuhuhuhut! I will show you thebination of God¡¯s Command and good luck!¡±


    God¡¯s Command had a 50% chance of resetting the cooldown. What if the good luck stat affected it?


    ¡®There will be a higher than 50% chance of resetting the cooldown!¡±


    Yes, just like a little while ago. There was a low probability of the skill cooldown being reset continuously. Grid believed in the good luck stat and aimed at the wrecked tent in front of him. He took a deep breath and fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave. It was to confirm the effect of God¡¯s Command. But the effect that he expected didn¡¯t activate.


    Grid was very confused, but reacted calmly.


    ¡°Hu... Hut! Well, it isn¡¯t a 100% chance. It can fail once in a while.¡±


    The good luck stat might be in bad condition. Grid controlled his heart. Then he fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link. The result? The effect of God¡¯s Command wasn¡¯t activated and the cooldown wasn¡¯t reset. It was the same when he used Kill and Pinnacle.


    ¡°Pant pant. This is really rotten.¡±


    There was a sense of instability. In retrospect, the 5 Joint Attacks skill attached to the Holy Light Gloves and Failure had also barely been seen in thest few months. Unfortunately, Grid¡¯s bad luck was so high that it exceeded his low good luck stat.


    ¡°No... Why? Why do I keep getting skills like this?¡±


    A less fraudulent skill. He wanted to get a definite skill that didn¡¯t rely on luck.


    Flop!


    Grid¡¯s happiness turned to frustration. No matter how much he thought about it, he had trouble believing in God¡¯s Command. Grid came to a conclusion.


    "I don¡¯t need to be aware of this skill.¡±


    He would just receive setbacks if he fought with the assumption that God¡¯s Command would activate. He would rather fight as usual and thank the gods if God¡¯s Command activated.


    ¡°Yes... God¡¯s Command isn¡¯t the only thing I got. I don¡¯t need to be obsessed with it.¡±


    There was the title of Pangea¡¯s New Star.


    ¡®I hope it¡¯s a title that increases my good luck.¡¯


    It was unfortunate because he felt like his luck would be bad forever. He desperately needed the good luck stat. Grid confirmed the information of the title.


    [Pangea¡¯s New Star 1st Stage]


    Stage 1: It is rtively easy to obtain information from the residents of Pangea.


    * Every time you destroy a monstermunity formed in the north, the level and effectiveness of the title will increase.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was really less than expected. Maybe he felt more disappointed after seeing the hidden passive God¡¯s Command.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid sighed deeply and checked the items he received in turn.


    [Blessed Weapon Enhancement Scroll]


    A scroll used to enhance weapons.


    The sessful enhancement of a weapon will increase the enhancement value by +1.


    If the enhancement fails, the strength of the weapon won¡¯t fall.


    [Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll]


    A scroll used to enhance armor.


    The sessful enhancement of an armor will increase the enhancement value by +1.


    If the enhancement fails, the strength of the armor won¡¯t fall.


    ¡°...?¡±


    So far, Grid had thought of blessed enhanced scrolls as enhancement stones. Unlike the West Continent, the East Continent didn¡¯t use an ore for enhancement. It was an item with the same effect, but had a different name and appearance. But that wasn¡¯t it at all. The blessed enhancement scrolls weren¡¯t as strong in enhancement. However, they had tremendous stability.


    ¡¯Wow, wouldn¡¯t conglomerates buy this for a huge price?¡¯


    The sess rate of enhancing items was in the decimals. A person could try 100 times and fail 100 times. But the burden on yers when enhancement failed wasn¡¯t just a loss in money. The enhancement value of the item would drop every time it failed. That was the biggest problem. But this scroll had the effect of protecting the enhancement value. Wouldn¡¯t the chaebols be willing to spend billions on the blessed enhancement scroll to reach +10?


    ¡®They can¡¯t afford to miss this.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it sell for at least 10 million won per scroll?


    ¡®What 10 million? I might sell in the billions.¡¯


    The scroll was like a talisman. Anguage simr to Chinese characters was written on the centre and it could only be obtained on the East Continent.


    ¡®An item that hasn¡¯t been released on the market yet. Its value will be absurd.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t necessary to dispose of the item right away, since Grid gained stability after bing andlord. He could watch the trends of the auction house and sell it at the price he wanted, or he could use it himself. Grid checked the next item. It was an item dropped by the Strong Male Rat.


    [Strong Male Rat¡¯s Galldder]


    A very big and bitter galldder.


    You can fall into shock if you take too much.


    However, if it is endured, resistance to poisoning and confusion will permanently increase by 0.5%.


    Weight: 4


    [Strong Male Rat¡¯s Heart]


    A heart filled with the natural strength of the Strong Male Rat.


    It is why the Strong Male Rat is so strong.


    Once consumed, strength will permanently increase by 5.


    Weight: 2


    "Mini elixir!¡±


    He hadn¡¯t obtained any elixirs despite killing so many vampires. The effect was halvedpared to normal elixirs, but he would dly eat it to permanently increase his strength stat. Grid took the heart without hesitation and packed the galldder into the inventory. The phrase ¡®the possibility of shock¡¯ was annoying, but he was nning to sell it to the Overgeared members.


    ¡®The items dropped by the intermediate boss are great. It should be the same with the Queen Rat¡¯s items.¡¯


    Lulla~


    Grid hummed in anticipation. He checked the items dropped by the Queen Rat without hesitation.


    [The Queen Rat¡¯s Walnut]


    A walnut that the Queen Rat stored for a quick meal.


    Weight: 1


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was very embarrassing. Grid was stunned for a moment before using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill.


    Ttiring~


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    A walnut soaked in saliva. It stunk like the hamsters¡¯ saliva, so Grid threw it away. It was absurd that a boss dropped a junk item. The angry Grid appraised the next item.


    [Queen Rat¡¯s Fur]


    The Queen Rat¡¯s fur is called the best fur and has a very high value.


    But the Queen Rat is a fierce and powerful monster.


    Obtaining the fur of the Queen Rat is like picking a star from the sky.


    Weight: 120


    [This item has a hidden function.]


    [It is rumored that the lord is looking for the fur of the Queen Rat!]


    ¡°...This is better.¡±


    It was obvious that it could be sold for an expensive price because it was one of the finest leather materials. But Grid wanted to use it himself rather than sell it.


    ¡®Let¡¯s make a legendary leather armor.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have much interest in the quest. It was too much to waste this precious material on a quest.


    ¡®Obviously, it is a quest that requires a rare item, so the rewards are likely to be enormous.¡¯


    But there was a chance that the rewards wouldn¡¯t benefit him, so it was better for him to use it directly. Grid already feel deeply betrayed by the odds of God¡¯s Command activating and the walnut. Finally, he was amazed by Idan¡¯s Frying Pan.


    ¡°This is real?¡±


    The chef who couldn¡¯t cook, Idan. To be honest, Grid didn¡¯t recognize this quest as important. He coveted the 30% experience, but it was faster to hunt monsters to level up than to waste time searching for the frying pan. The experience given by the monsters of the East Continent was enormous.


    But now that idea had changed. Grid ced tremendous significance on Idan¡¯s quest.


    ¡®The experience is just a side benefit.¡¯


    He had to increase his affinity with Idan. The enlightened Grid rushed back to Pangea.

 Chapter 524

    yers no longer discussed the Seven Guilds.


    One force was stronger than the Seven Guildsbined. From that time on, the Seven Guilds lost their majesty. Far from getting the title of the strongest, the Seven Guilds gradually declined. They were more inundated with requests to leave than to join.


    ¡°We will remove ourselves from the alliance.¡±


    The French representative, Bondre.


    Until he met Grid in the National Competition, he was the 1st ranked ice mystic with the nickname of ¡®undefeated.¡¯ He was also the master of the strongest magician group, Ice Flower. Now he expressed his intention to withdraw from the alliance.


    The leaders of the guilds in the Seven Guilds didn¡¯t stop him. However, Bondre¡¯s deration of withdrawal became an ignition point. The other guild masters also dered their intentions to leave the alliance. It wasn¡¯t necessary to obsess over the alliance that had be obsolete.


    Zibal, the leader of the alliance, was the same.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop them.¡±


    Zibal had changed since the 2nd National Competition. In raids and hunting, he didn¡¯t doubt that he was the best. However, he changed his perception after being beaten by Grid. He wasn¡¯t the best. He wasn¡¯t qualified to be self-confident and to force others.


    Zibal was no longer obsessed with the Seven Guilds. He chose to grow in order to regain his past glory. Now he was about to step foot in the Behen Archipgo. After confirming that the guilds had withdrawn from the alliance, heughed and entered the Behen Archipgo.


    ***


    ¡°What will happen to us now?¡±


    The Ice Flower Guild was somewhat uneasy. Ice Flower. They were an elite group of magicians and there were only 30 of them. It was obvious that many ufortable things would happen if they left the alliance. They hadplicated rtionships with some people due to disputes, and the guild had no production yers, so item trading was disadvantageous for them.


    Bondre reassured the worried guild members.


    "We will go to the god of war. This will make our lives much better than before and we will be guaranteed a brilliant future.¡±


    ¡°God of war?¡±


    "Who is it?¡±


    Bondre exined to the bewildered guild members. "Ares. An unofficial ranker with a unique ability. He¡¯s equivalent to Grid.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    How strong was he that their master Bondre wouldpare him to Grid? The Ice Flower Guild members were incredulous.


    ¡°Then why is he unknown?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of him.¡±


    ¡°Satisfy is wide. Do you know all the people in every field in the world in reality? It¡¯s unknown how many of them there actually are. In that sense, Satisfy is like reality.¡±


    In fact, Bondre also had no idea who Ares was not long ago. However, Scott contacted him three days ago and told him about Ares. Bondre had been shocked the moment he saw the information.


    "The world is wide and there¡¯s a lot of chaos.¡±


    Bondre heard a strange voice as he thought about joining Ares¡¯ guild.


    "Yes, the world is wide. But you¡¯re all under my feet.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    The Ice Flower Guild instantly became alert. They were embarrassed by the dozens of skeletons blocking the way back to their territory. The voice of the unfamiliar man was heard again as they perceived the danger and started to cast spells.


    "Bondre, be a sacrifice of the king.¡±


    Chill.


    Bondre and the Ice Flower Guild members got chills at the same time. The madness in the voice of the unidentified man made them feel an instinctive fear.


    ¡®Entering a fear state just from speaking?¡¯


    Boss monster?


    ¡®A boss appeared on the road where thousands of people travelled every day?


    It was ridiculous.


    ¡°Reveal yourself!¡±


    Bondre finished casting the level 8 Ice Cutter and fired the magic. It was a strike aimed directly at the location of the voice.


    Jeeeong!


    The sharp ice de flying through the air stopped. Then it shattered. It was due to the curtain of darkness that was instantly created.


    ¡®My magic was so easily blocked?¡¯


    Swaaah.


    In the wreckage of the sparkling ice crystals.


    ¡°Agnus?¡±


    Chwaaaak!


    Bondre was shocked as he saw the man who appeared from the dark curtain.


    Agnus. After the top ranked yers like Kraugel, Zibal, and Yura disappeared from the rankings, he had risen to 3rd ce. In addition, he was the rumored psychopath that even Kraugel avoided.


    ¡°Kikikik!¡±


    His eyes shone gold as he looked at Bondre like a frightened rat.


    ***


    "The hunting grounds are far from the city. I should prepare a return scroll next time I go.¡±


    Originally, Grid nned to return to Pangea when it was time for the smithypetition. But his ns changed the moment he found Idan¡¯s Frying Pan and he returned to Pangea. It was imperative to raise affinity with Idan. The reason was the information of the frying pan.


    [Idan¡¯s Frying Pan]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 35/260 Attack Power: 89


    * When used, Intermediate Cooking Lv. 2 will be created.


    The moment it is used, the person will be a seasoned chef!


    It is the frying pan that has been used for centuries by the Idan family, who has a philosophy of cooking.


    It is optimized to draw out a unique taste from the ingredients.


    In addition, special events sometimes ur because the frying pan contains the desires of the elders of cooking.


    When an Idan family member cooks with this frying pan, there is a high probably that food with a buffing ability will be created and a low probability that food that increases stats will be created.


    However, the premise is that you eat all the food without leaving anything behind.


    Conditions of use: Beginner cooking master. A special effect will ur only when an Idan family member uses it.


    Weight: 40


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know about the taste, but this is why Kraugel ate it four times.¡¯


    Idan. He was a golden goose who would give birth to elixirs. The chef might make bad food, but his value was astronomical. A one in a million talented person.


    Grid decided. He would leave here with Idan as his personal chef!


    ¡°Idan!¡±


    Pangea¡¯s North Street. Grid ran to Idan¡¯s restaurant and immediately asked the waitress working there.


    ¡°Where is Idan?¡±


    ¡°The boss went out to obtain ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t he get the ingredients delivered?¡±


    "Yes, there¡¯s no contractor who will deliver a rotten liver from a jiangshi.¡±


    ¡°Jiangshi rotten liver?¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. Idan¡¯s Frying Pan was optimized to draw out the taste of ingredients. What if he cooked a jiangshi rotten liver?


    ¡®...Really a mess.¡¯


    It was crazy. His eyes darkened.


    ¡®This is crazy... Why is he cooking rotten liver?¡¯


    Even...


    ¡®It¡¯s the body of a jiangshi?¡¯


    If he took Idan as a full time chef, would he have to eat such ridiculous dishes every time?


    ¡®...No, that¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Idan couldn¡¯t make strange dishes every time. He had to make some ordinary dishes.


    ¡®I have to eat. If not, I¡¯ll ask him to make it for me.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t believe it and asked the employee again.


    ¡°Where is the jiangshi?¡±


    ¡°If you go out the south gate and head north, a cemetery will appear. There¡¯s an infestation there.¡±


    "Okay, Idan is there?¡±


    The moment Gird verified the information and was about to leave the restaurant.


    ¡°Umm? You are?"


    Idan returned to the restaurant. There was a basket filled with something ck in his hands. Grid ignored the rotten smell and handed the frying pan to Idan.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what I promised you.¡±


    "Hrmm."


    It was the hard to regain family heirloom. Did he not expect it to be found in just two days? Idan looked at the frying pan with a questionable expression before cheering.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohh! Ohhhh! Unbelievable! You found my family¡¯s heirloom so quickly!¡±


    Idan was genuinely pleased. The moment he held the frying pan, a notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [The quest Find the Traces of the Great Hero! has beenpleted.]


    [30% character experience has been paid aspensation.]


    [Affinity with Idan has increased by 10.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Affinity +10? Affinity only increased by 10 despite returning a family heirloom? Grid thought it was unexpected.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t it increase by at least 50?¡¯


    Idan guided the confused Grid to a table.


    "Have you not eaten yet? Now, sit down. I will treat the person who brought back my family¡¯s heirloom to a wonderful dinner.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Hopefully, this was a chance to eat food that increased his stats. Grid hesitantly sat down and btedly said something.


    "Please note that I have a liver allergy.¡±


    In other words, don¡®t bring out a dish made with jiangshi liver! Idan¡¯s expression became as cold as ice.


    ¡°Y...es? Is that so?¡±


    Idan clicked his tongue and headed to the kitchen. His unfriendly demeanor made Grid think the worst.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me that my affinity just fell?¡¯


    It was likely that Idan was a NPC who only liked people who ate his dishes.


    ¡®It is almost certain.¡¯


    It was the reason why returning Idan¡¯s Frying Pan only raised affinity by 10. On the first day they met, Grid left behind a lot of the orc cream pie and his affinity must¡¯ve fallen.


    ¡®This truly sucks.¡¯


    In order to recruit Idan as a full time chef, a high affinity was required. How could he increase his affinity without having to eat the food that Idan made? The moment Grid was feeling frustrated.


    ¡°This is my signature dish that I cooked just for you, japchae.¡±


    "...¡±


    Idan handed a dish of japchae to Grid. Japchae. It was a favorite dish for South Koreans, and clearly Grid as well.


    ¡®Phew, thank goodness. It isn¡¯t hard to make japchae delicious.¡¯


    Vegetables, meat, and japchae noodles. Grid grasped a fair amount with his chopsticks and shoved it into his mouth without hesitation. Then he spat it out as soon as he ate it. The vegetables tasted of soil and were really crunchy. The slightly cooked pork was cold and hard. The noodles were chewy. There wasn¡¯t even any strange ingredients in it. The original tastes of the ingredients were very strong and didn¡¯t mix together.


    "No, this...¡±


    He was supposed to eat this? Grid was about to curse reflexively when he stopped. It was because Idan¡¯s eyes were ring at the japchae that he had spat out.


    "Did you spit it out because it didn¡¯t fit your tastes?¡±


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s delicious. I was so surprised by the delicious taste that I spat it out a little bit.¡±


    Endure. Grid blocked his nose. Then he shoved all of the japchae in his mouth at once.


    Chew chew.


    Grid chewed the japchae with a pale face while Idan asked.


    "Why are you blocking your nose while eating?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my eating habit.¡±


    "Huh, really? What an unusual eating habit.¡±


    ¡®Your dishes are more unusual...¡¯


    Grid sweated as he barely endured it.


    [The effect of eating Idan¡¯s dish has permanently increased intelligence by 1.]


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s sorrow wasrger than his joy.

 Chapter 525

    ¡®I was wondering why there wasn¡¯t a function to turn off taste every time I drank a bitter potion...¡¯


    The bitter taste of potions was one of the barriers of entry in Satisfy. In particr, a few people tried to turn off their taste function because they disliked the bitter taste. But the S.A. Group didn¡¯t ept their request. The sense of taste was one of Satisfy¡¯s best features that created a sense of reality. They didn¡¯t want to give the yers the authority to lower their immersion. But at this moment, Grid interpreted it differently.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t turn off the taste function and have to suffer from eating the food that Idan made... In other words, it sucks.¡¯


    There was a pervert among the Satisfy crew. Grid was sure of it and asked the employee for a cup of tea. He needed something to get rid of the subtle sensation of dirt on his tongue.


    ¡°Water... No, I don¡¯t think that will work. Give me the cheapest herbal tea.¡±


    "The cheapest herbal tea?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about the smell or the taste? If you want to order tea based on the price, I rmend our citron tea. That¡¯s the cheapest. It¡¯s also delicious.¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Grid btedly noticed the employee that he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to. The girl was a considerable beauty whose emotions were hard to read, but she was only an A cup. It meant that Grid didn¡¯t recognize her as a woman. But Grid had a great sense of liking towards her.


    ¡®She¡¯s an NPC with considerable intelligence.¡¯


    It was umon for NPCs in hospitality to know exactly what the customer wanted. Satisfy¡¯s artificial intelligence was perfect, but there was a big difference between NPCs. Store employee NPCs usually had slightly better intelligence than Jude. Given these points, the female waitress working in Idan¡¯s restaurant was a very interesting NPC.


    ¡®Could she be a pearl in the mud?¡¯


    If Grid was a regr yer, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed Yang Fei¡¯s unusual point. But unlike usual yers, Grid concentrated heavily on NPCs. That¡¯s why he knew.


    "Yes, a cup of citron tea please.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yang Fei and Idan¡¯s attention dispersed after Grid ordered the tea.


    Clink.


    Grid took out the Great Lord¡¯s Sword from the inventory and used Character Observation.


    Ttiring~


    Name: Yang Fei


    Age: 17 Gender: Female


    upation: Restaurant Employee


    Title: Quick-witted Person


    Amoner born in an ordinary household with 1 son and 14 daughters.


    As the 7th daughter among 14, Yang Fei had to take care of her sisters.


    Since she was born and raised in a home where there was a struggle over just one bean, her survival skills are remarkable.


    Level: 53


    Strength: 22/99 Stamina: 92/510


    Agility: 65/250 Intelligence: 204/1,090


    Dexterity: 139/650 Charm: 53/150


    Skills: Hospitality (A), Housework (A), Adaptability (S), Pushover Detection (SS)


    "...¡±


    Even talented knights rarely had S-grade skills. It was like a bean growing in the middle of a drought. However, Yang Fei had an S-grade and SS-grade skill. She was a mere employee. Were all the NPCs on the East Continent like this? Don¡¯t speak nonsense. Yang Fei was just special.


    ¡®I have to bring her with me when I return to the West Continent.¡¯


    It would be best to leave her as a maid for Irene and Lord, but it was a waste because her intelligence was very high for a mere maid.


    ¡®In particr, there is the Pushover Detection skill.¡¯


    Grid decided.


    ¡¯Yes, I will make her Rabbit¡¯s deputy.¡¯


    Changing sand to a special remedy and selling it, or only paying Piaro 73 silver. For Rabbit, who was eagerly searching for ways to make a living, Yang Fei¡¯s Pushover Detection skill was a great talent.


    ¡®It¡¯s like giving him wings!¡¯


    A huge smile. Grid was happy about finding new talents. He washed away the memory of eating poisonous food andughed widely. Idan saw it and misunderstood.


    ¡®This friend...¡¯


    Had there ever been anyone whoughed while eating his food? This was the first time since the little hero Kraugel.


    ¡®I had a good feeling since the first time we met.¡¯


    Grid had no status in the East Continent. He was just a traveller. However, Gird had a high dignity and charm stat. It was easy to gain affinity with NPCs, even if he acted tactless. This was the reason why the famous Idan was talkative since he first met Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Originally, it wasn¡¯t easy to receive quests from Idan. But Grid wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. Only 31 yers had gone to the East Continent. There was no information avable about it.


    ¡°Hrmm... You.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid jumped with surprise as Yang Fei put the tea in front of him. He was worried about Idan misunderstanding again.


    ¡®Will he wonder why I am rinsing my mouth after eating?¡¯


    There was no mistake. The affinity dropped again.


    ¡®Shit, I¡¯mcking subtlety.¡¯


    Surprising, Grid realized that it was one of his problems. He smiled nervously as Idan spoke.


    ¡°Smiling so happily after eating the meal I made. You are a true gourmet and you are polite to the chef.¡±


    ¡®What is this nonsense?¡¯


    The chef should be polite to their customers.


    ¡®You can¡¯t make food at all.¡¯


    Grid wanted to say, but he maintained his smile. It was in an effort to get Idan¡¯s liking. His effort seeded.


    ¡°You are a foreigner... Do you n to stay in Pangea for a few days? If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to provide you with three meals a day. It¡¯s in return for recovering my frying pan.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    This was what he really wanted. Grid¡¯s goal was to umte asting rtionship with Idan and consume his food. At this moment, Idan was making a promise to cook for Grid. The situation was better than he expected. But Grid...


    ¡¯...Why aren¡¯t I happy?¡¯


    Grid got goosebumps at having to eat Idan¡¯s food three times a day. He stared into the air for a moment. Then he spoke with a grin.


    "Yes, I will be honored.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Indeed! I knew you would appreciate it!¡±


    "...Ah, for reference, I like chicken, beef, and eggs.¡±


    They were ingredients that couldn¡¯t be tasteless no matter how bad the chef. Idan readily agreed to Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡°Um, okay. I will prepare your three meals a day using these ingredients.¡±


    "It¡¯s appreciated!¡±


    Grid was finally able to trulyugh.


    ***


    During this time with Idan, Grid paid attention to his rtionship with Yang Fei. He tried to build up affinity with her using nces and words.


    The result.


    "Goodbye.¡±


    Yang Fei said goodbye to Grid at the entrance of the restaurant. Grid smiled as nicely as possible.


    ¡°Yes, thank you. I¡¯lle again in the evening."


    The first friend in Grid¡¯s life was an NPC. Even his wife and friends were NPCs. It meant he was an expert when dealing with NPCs. He was confident that he could quickly raise his affinity with Yang Fei. But in reality, it was only half right. It was true that Yang Fei was started to like Grid better, but it wasn¡¯t for the reason he thought.


    She had the Pushover Detection skill. She was aware of Grid¡¯s nature.


    ¡®A customer who orders without looking at the menu.¡¯


    Grid had ordered the cheapest tea. He never asked for the menu. Yang Fei had a chance to deceive him. In fact, it wasn¡¯t the cheapest tea, but the second cheapest.


    ¡®Selling citron tea every time hees in...¡¯


    It seemed she would barely be able to receive this month¡¯s sry. She didn¡¯t have to let her thoughtless sisters and brother starve.


    ¡®Sigh.¡¯ Grid sighed as he watched Yang Fei. ¡®I amcking impact. It¡¯s time to deepen this rtionship.¡¯


    Grid released the power of his hands.


    "Yang Fei, I think that your shoulders are too tense. Come here.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    All of a sudden, touching her shoulders? Yang Fei tilted her head with confusion. Grid exerted his legendary hand techniques. He approached Yang Fei in an instant, aiming precisely at her shoulders and pressing firmly. Yang Fei¡¯s expressionless face changed for the first time.


    ¡°Ahak!¡±


    Grid saw Yang Fei as a young girl, but based on Satisfy, she was at an age to marry. However, Yang Fei wasn¡¯t in a position to dream about marriage. Her sisters had to marry and leave the house first. In this case, it was likely that she would miss her prime age to marry. Yang Fei thought she would never feel the happiness of a woman for her whole life. But right now...


    ¡®Ahh, this feeling must be...!¡¯


    She had to feed her family, not think about romance. She only knew theories about rtionships with men. Now, she finally experienced it in reality. Every time Grid¡¯s fingertips touched her skin, she could feel the same sensation she got when reading books. Yes, this feeling...


    Omitted.


    ¡°Hah... Hah...¡±


    The expressionless face was gone. Only joy filled Yang Fei¡¯s face as she flushed and gasped for breath. Her most and trembling eyes stared at Grid.


    ¡°How is it? Did your fatigue go away?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    "I¡¯m d. I¡¯ll do it whenever we meet.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a massage for Grid, but Yang Fei thought differently.


    ¡®Doing this naughty act every time we meet...?¡¯


    It was embarrassing. But she couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡¯Ah, I have be corrupt.¡¯


    Yang Fei was feeling confused.


    On the other hand, Grid headed for the White Hammer smithy. He didn¡¯t ask for any amodations. For him, the smithy was the best ce to stay and work.


    ¡®There are 15 hours left until the cksmithpetition. I will trim the Queen Rat¡¯s Fur and eat Idan¡¯s dishes.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Did you see the system message from two days ago?¡±


    "Of course. Wasn¡¯t there the message about the 31st visitor?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He¡¯s alone.¡±


    "He must have little information about the East Continent, which is why he darede alone.¡±


    ¡°How foolish. Kukuk, I don¡¯t know who he is, but it¡¯s good. We can eat properly."


    A pub in Pangea. yers were sitting in a corner andughing wickedly.

 Chapter 526

    The means of moving from the West Continent to the East Continent was estimated to be very diverse. But to date, the only clear method was to use the Behen Archipgo.


    This was a difficult task.


    How many people had used the Behen Archipgo to cross over to the East Continent? Over the past three years, there had been only 30. This was 30 out of two billion users. Behen Archipgo was a one yer instant dungeon. It was an area difficult to break through, making a person feel pride just from reaching the 10th ind.


    In other words, the yers who made it to the East Continent were great. Of course, there were some exceptions. There were a few ¡®lucky¡¯ enough to meet Fog Ind early on and managed to cross over to the East Continent.


    ***


    ¡®I was the strongest on the West Continent.¡¯


    ¡®Who would¡¯ve imagined that I couldn¡¯t even leave the starter vige?¡¯


    ¡®Shit, my bad luck. If I knew the East Continent was this type of ce, I would¡¯ve nevere.¡¯


    ¡®I thought I was lucky to meet Fog Ind earlier than others...¡¯


    A shabby tavern on Pangea¡¯s North Street. There were some men who werementing. The four people sitting down at a table and drinking were all yers. They were level 310 ¡®beginners¡¯ who arrived on the East Continent a month ago, but hadn¡¯t yet escaped Pangea.


    ¡°That damn Kraugel.¡±


    The ultimate goal they had when they quickly crossed to the East Continent. It wasn¡¯t just levelling. By clearing new content first, they would monopolize all types of titles, skills, and hidden items. This was the goal they pursued on the East Continent. But it was toote by the time they arrived on the East Continent.


    Pangea, the starter vige in the East Continent, had already been swept away by Kraugel. Pangea entered a new episode in the aftermath and the difficulty rose exponentially.


    ¡°The moment that a yeres from the West Continent, Pangea will experience a crisis. That yer will be a hero by repelling the monsters that invaded Pangea...¡±


    Once again, the first person had the advantage. It was clear that as the first visitor to Pangea, Kraugel received a huge benefit. Due to that, they became the dogs chasing after the chicken.


    ¡®How rotten... I¡¯ve been in Pangea for a month and never once received a special quest. Kraugel alone obtained all the crucial quests.¡¯


    ¡®It would be best to leave Pangea and advance into a new territory, but...¡¯


    The monsters in the north had been growing steadily since being defeated by Kraugel. Now they were too strong.


    ¡®With our skills, it will be hard to move north...¡¯


    ¡®Ah, that asshole Kraugel.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t achieve their original purpose in the present Pangea. Kraugel had cleared most of the hidden quests and the environment became too difficult. Anyway, moving to a new area was the best way. The problem was that it was impossible to move outside Pangea. They had to move north, but it wasn¡¯t possible because the big and powerful hamsters were spread out in the north.


    ¡°There are quests to run errands in the neighborhood and also to catch monsters near here, so the levelling up is quite good.¡±


    "Yes, we¡¯re definitely growing. We¡¯re much better than when we first came here. The renowned Seven Guilds and rankers of Overgeared are probably weaker than us.¡±


    ¡°The East Continent is great. But we¡¯ll just die in front of the Queen Rat. We can¡¯t catch the Queen Rat.¡±


    But.


    ¡°If we take advantage of the new arrival on the East Continent, we¡¯ll be able to break through the monstermunity while the Queen Rat is distracted.¡±


    They hadn¡¯t just been ying around during the past month. Theypleted all types of misceneous quests in order to discover the weakness of the Queen Rat. Then they achieved results. The Queen Rat was partial to the ¡®golden walnut.¡¯


    ¡°Did you obtained the promised number of golden walnuts?¡±


    "Yes, I have 10.¡±


    "It adds up to 40... This should be sufficient.¡±


    "Damn, what type of walnut is so expensive? I went broke from buying this.¡±


    "I also spent all my money ying this game.¡±


    As the name suggested, the golden walnut shone gold. The taste and nutritional value wasparable to ordinary walnuts, but the effect was enormous. When it was eaten, it increased all stats by 10% for an hour and had an average chance of permanently increasing a stat by 5 points. It was the strongest buff potion, while also demonstrating half the efficiency of an elixir. It was a fantastic thing that any yer would want to have.


    But the price was ridiculously expensive. The quantity was too limited because it was difficult to obtain. It was also a snack enjoyed by the nobles and royalty of all kingdoms on the East Continent. The price? A huge 160,000 gold. It was 160,000 gold for one! When converted to won, this small walnut cost at least 2 million won for one.


    No matter how great, the ¡®elixir¡¯ effect wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Unless a person was rich or a gambling addiction, they would never buy the golden walnut.


    ¡°Hah... We have to give such an expensive item to a monster.¡±


    "Stop it. We have to consider it a worthy investment.¡±


    "Those who left Pangea clearly used this walnut.¡±


    We will be able to achieve our desired goal if we can get beyond Pangea, obtaining and of gold. It was worth investing the money if they could obtain one good item, title, or skill. If they got stronger and returned to the West Continent, they would soon be rich. The yers were filled with anticipation.


    Then someone came up to them.


    "Eh? Are you users?¡±


    It was a ck-haired man with a sturdy body. He was around 181cm tall. The wide shoulders, t chest, and muscles made it an ideal body. Of course, this man was also a yer. However, his ID was covered. It was because the man had covered up more than half his face with a ck mask.


    ¡®This guy is the newbie who just came to the East Continent.¡¯


    ¡¯Our target came to find us, isn¡¯t this big?¡¯


    The yers were excited, but tried not to show it. They greeted the man with a polite attitude.


    "I¡¯m surprised. I didn¡¯t expect to meet another yer like us on the East Continent.¡±


    "You came all the way to the East Continent, so you must have a considerably high level? It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    "But what is with that mask?¡±


    ¡°Is it an item for decoration? It¡¯s nice that it looks somewhat threatening. But isn¡¯t it ufortable to cover your vision...?¡±


    There were greetings and questions. The man scratched his head in an awkward manner.


    ¡°I was called a sexual molester by the guards and chased, so I have to wear the mask for a while. I¡¯m sorry, but please pretend to be mypanions for a while.¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    Introducing himself as a molester at the beginning of the conversation? It wasn¡¯t exactly sexual harassment but a ¡®molester.¡¯ Was there any thief who would admit that he was a thief? No. The fact that he wore the mask and was being chased by guards meant he really was a molester.


    The yers were embarrassed.


    ¡®I¡¯ve heard rumors that there are yers who molest NPCs in the game, but I never expected to meet such a trash person.¡¯


    The man who was a trash molester wore a bizarreughing mask that covered half his face. That man was currently very upset. It happened after he gave Yang Fei a massage at the entrance of Idan¡¯s restaurant. He was chased by guards while heading to the smithy? He was framed as a molester who harassed women in public.


    ¡®Shit... What is this?¡¯


    His legendary dexterity. It was incredibly useful depending on the use, but the risk was also great. Grid realized that he should seal the use of his hands in public. He avoided the guards by entering the tavern and came across four yers.


    ¡¯Lane, Mook, Evan, and Oshihoz.¡¯


    The four yers were strange. Since they crossed to the East Continent, they must at least have their third advancement. But their IDs and faces were unfamiliar, so they must be unofficial rankers.


    ¡®I met them by chance, but I should obtain some information from them.¡¯


    The Grid of the past would¡¯ve tried to take advantage of them. But now Grid could have moderately good human rtions like an ordinary person.


    "Do you know any good hunting grounds? Sit at the bar and unburden your hearts."


    ¡®Oh.¡¯


    The eyes of the four yers sparkled. It was a very nice situation because the prey approached by himself.


    ¡®It¡¯s tough since we don¡¯t know his identity.¡¯


    Maybe he was on guard and concealed his identity from the beginning. The yers suppressed their curiosity in order to trap the man in the mask.


    "Yes, we got a huge jackpot today.¡±


    "Ever sinceing to the East Continent, it feels like being in heaven every day. We made a huge amount of money and experience.¡±


    "We know a lot of good hunting grounds. Well, since you¡¯re a skilled yer who made it to the East Continent, your ability to find hunting grounds should be excellent.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone from behind the mast.


    ¡®Incredibly good hunting ground!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s ultimate goal behinding to the East Continent was to level up. Grid had no choice but to be interested in these words.


    ¡®In fact, I have been on the East Continent for less than three days and don¡¯t know that much...¡¯


    If the yers knew this truth, they might not let him in. Grid made a bluff. He couldn¡¯t expose his current situation. He needed to act with the dignity of the leader of Overgeared.


    "Of course I know a few good hunting grounds. Do you want to share information with each other?¡±


    ¡®What would he know?¡¯


    The yers knew when the masked man arrived on the East Continent. This newbie was trying to trick them without knowing he was the one being deceived.


    ¡°Ah, should we? It would be good for both of us. Okay. yers in a strangend should help each other out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. The hunting grounds are veryrge and there won¡¯t be any damage from adding one more person.¡±


    The yers smiled widely and spoke to Grid.


    ¡°We happened to finish our food and drinks while talking. We¡¯ll be happy to lead you to a hunting ground."


    Grid readily epted. ¡°That sounds good. Later, I will share information about hunting grounds with you.¡±


    The yers grinned wickedly at Grid. They left the tavern and headed northwards towards themunity of big poisonous rats.


    Grid was astonished.


    ¡®Ah, what? This is the good hunting ground?¡¯


    Certainly, themunity of big poisonous rats was ¡®good.¡¯ But not after the Queen Rat was killed. After the Queen Rat died, the respawned big poisonous rats were much weaker. Their average level fell by 30 and they didn¡¯t give as much experience.


    ¡®I wanted a ce other than here.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Heok? What the?¡¯


    ¡®Why are the hamsters so weak?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s so exhrating. I don¡¯t know what changed with the hamsters, but it is likely that the Queen Rat is still strong. Has the illusion magic been used on the walnut?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes, there is no way for that guy to tell that this is a golden walnut. Even a top rated appraisal item will only disy it as a simple walnut.¡¯


    It was good that a newbie who could be bait had appeared in front of them. The yers believed their n would be sessful. Of course, it was a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that was likely to be good for Grid.

 Chapter 527

    Mook had considered himself a lucky person. He had felt confident about this since encountering Fog Ind on the 7th ind of the Behen Archipgo. However, that idea had changed sinceing to the East Continent. It was a environment different from what he expected. The difficulty was beyond imagination. Due to this, Mook was isted in Pangea for a month.


    ¡®Ah, I really have no luck.¡¯


    He crossed over to the East Continent just to run errands for the NPCs and take care of easy mobs? The situation was different from what he imagined. It would have been better if he hadn¡¯te here. The days when he was a high ranking yer on the West Continent were much more interesting.


    It was bad luck, not good luck, that he encountered Fog Ind. This damn East Continent, he wanted to get away from it. But it wasn¡¯t a decision that could be easily made. Mook only had two East Continent Portal Scrolls. It was a phenomenon caused bycking points because he encountered Fog Ind too soon.


    Mook spent his days in Pangea feeling frustration. Then that thought once again changed today.


    ¡®I am really lucky!¡¯


    Why had the hamsters weakened overnight?


    ¡¯Heaven is helping me!¡¯


    The hamster hunt was very easy. Before, there were dangerous moments because he had to fight two every time. Then he would have to rest for a few minutes after hunting four or five. Even if he didn¡¯t manage his stamina or mana, the hamsters were so weak that he could hunt for 30 minutes without stopping.


    Of course, the amount of experience that they gave was lower. However, the number of hamsters that could be hunted at the same time was greatly increased. In the process of advancing to the center of the monstermunity, they steadily gained experience. The galldders also dropped constantly, so he could probably achieve a 30% poison and confusion resistance.


    ¡®Should I just stay here and hunt? If I could increase my poison resistance to 30%, I will be able to catch the poisonous trolls on the West Continent that I couldn¡¯t before.¡¯


    Honestly, the golden walnuts were too valuable to be wasted like this.


    ¡®It¡¯s better to save the golden walnuts... Isn¡¯t this better?¡¯


    Even spoke as Mook started to feel conflicted. "We can raise our level on the West Continent. And the galldder of the big poisonous rats can be collectedter. Don¡¯t forget our purpose. Our real purpose is to gain titles, skills, and items first.¡±


    Lane agreed. ¡°Evan is correct. Mook, don¡¯t get bogged down by the immediate benefits. We have an obligation to escape from Pangea.¡±


    "It¡¯s important to act quickly to monopolize various benefits first. The gap with the front runners can¡¯t be bigger. We might be chasing after them forever.¡±


    Oshihoz¡¯ words broke Mook¡¯s conflicted thoughts.


    "That¡¯s right. Your words are correct.¡±


    The newbie who came to the East Continent with good timing a.k.a. the masked man. It was time to use him to leave Pangea. Mook controlled his mind again and checked the party window.


    Lane - Level 311


    ss: ???


    Mook - Level 310


    ss: ???


    Evan- Level 312


    ss: ???


    Oshihoz - Level 310


    ss: ???


    ?? - Level 320


    ss: ???


    Lane, Mook, Evan and Oshihoz got to know each other on the East Continent. They might be in the same position, but the time to get to know and trust each other was too short. They only asionally established a party in order to challenge the big poisonous ratmunity. But even if they were in a party, they set their ss to private like now. That¡¯s why the sses were just question marks.


    However, Mook judged there was no need to be so vignt.


    ¡®The PvP gap isn¡¯t that big betweenbat sses. The bnce is right.¡¯


    It was disconcerting that the masked man was level 320. The skills that could be learned at level 320 were famous for being powerful. But there were four of them and he was alone. Even if the n failed and their intentions were revealed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face them...


    ¡®There is nothing dangerous!¡¯


    Mook concealed a wicked smile with his hand.


    "Everybody, please wait.¡±


    They were close to the center of themunity. It was night and the moon wasn¡¯t out. In the distance, therge tent of the Queen Rat could be seen.


    "Half-face.¡±


    ¡®Me?¡¯


    Was he called Half-face because of the half mask?


    ¡®This naming sense...¡¯


    If he was going to have a nickname based on the mask, he would prefer something like Mask Man. Grid felt regret as he replied.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Do you see that big tent over there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "The leader of themunity lives there.¡±


    ¡®I killed her.¡¯


    The respawn time for a field boss was approximately three days. In particr, the Queen Rat that Grid killed earlier was likely a named boss. As soon as the Queen Rat died, the big poisonous rats were weakened overall. It was likely that the future Queen Rat would be very weak.


    It was unfortunate. Mook wasn¡¯t aware that the Queen Rat had already been hunted. He¡¯d never dreamt of it.


    "It¡¯s impossible to catch the leader with the number of people we have in our party. In particr, the Queen Rat is strong. How strong... Um, yes. Do you know the big name yers like Kraugel, Zibal, and Grid? They wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt it even if they formed a party.¡±


    ¡®Why is my name at the end?¡¯


    His ego was pricked by his name being after Kraugel¡¯s. Grid snapped out, "So?"


    ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s our duty to defeat the leader. Why? It¡¯s necessary to enter the fantasy hunting grounds much better than this.¡±


    ¡¯If that fantasy hunting ground is the next monstermunity... I can just go since the queen is already dead.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t bother speaking his thoughts. It would be annoying if he had to exin how he killed the Queen Rat.


    ¡®In the first ce, I wonder how they were nning to defeat the Queen Rat.¡¯


    Grid was feeling interested when Mook handed him a small pouch.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Mook let out augh at the question.


    ¡°Open it. It¡¯s just walnuts.¡±


    ¡°Walnuts?¡±


    ¡°All of the big poisonous rats, including the Queen Rat, are partial to walnuts. It will lure them.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid opened the bag and saw that it really contained walnuts. They were walnuts in a perfect condition before being peeled. They were big with an extraordinarily smooth surface.


    ¡°Starting from now, set the walnuts at 2 meter intervals leading up to the entrance of the Queen Rat¡¯s tent. The Queen Rat will be attracted by the smell of the walnut and will be led away.¡±


    "You will leave themunity during this gap?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shed behind the mask.


    ¡®What? At this moment, he seems like an entirely different person...¡¯


    His eyes were fierce. It was like he was looking down at them with arrogance. To exaggerate it a little bit, he was like a king of heaven. The eyes behind the mask were simr to a raptor contemting its prey. It was a force that felt difficult to resist. It happened because Grid was born with naturally sharp eyes and a high dignity stat.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Mook forgot to breathe in front of those eyes. Then he responded calmly without losing his smile. ¡°What are you saying? No. We naturally won¡¯t leave without you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes returned to normal.


    ¡°Oh, what is this? Won¡¯t I be the target of the Queen Rat if I ce the walnut at the entrance to the tent? Are you going to run away while I¡¯m attacked?¡±


    ¡°No. The Queen Rat is only attracted to walnuts and won¡¯t notice you.¡±


    ¡°How can I believe that? Why won¡¯t you y this role?¡±


    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t I tell you? We know a lot of good hunting grounds. We always use this method to move to another fantasy hunting ground. Putting walnuts at the entrance to the Queen Rat¡¯s tent is something we do all the time. We want to give you this role so that you can experience what it is like to move to another hunting ground.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this strange?¡¯


    It was impossible for it to be the truth. But Grid was filled with kindness. In the first ce, the Queen Rat wasn¡¯t present. There was no danger and no reason to refuse, so Grid nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I will trust you and do my part.¡±


    "Good choice."


    Mook looked at Grid with relief, while also having a nasty grin on his face.


    ¡®The Queen Rat does like walnuts. But she likes the flesh of humans more. She will try to taste you before the walnuts.¡¯


    Be the scapegoat as nned. In that gap, they would leave this ce and say goodbye to Pangea! The blissful Mook¡¯s party left Grid behind. Grid looked at them in the distance and pulled out a walnut from the pouch.


    "There¡¯s no need to scatter this on the ground for the Queen Rat.¡±


    It was better to eat the walnuts while moving to the next hunting ground. He had close to 3,000 strength. The hard walnut shell was useless in front of Grid¡¯s strong fingers. He easily exposed the insides. It was amazing that the husk waspletely powdered while the insides were fine. This was the result of Grid¡¯s legendary dexterity.


    "Yum."


    Grid ced the walnut in his mouth. At that moment.


    ¡®Delicious!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. As soon as the walnut was ced in his mouth, a unique nutty vor exploded? Then sweetness spread as he chewed. It was so much better than Idan¡¯s food that Grid was in tears.


    "I have to eat more... Eh?¡±


    Grid swallowed one walnut and was cing his hand in the pouch when he stopped. He waspletely stiff, like a stone statue. He was amazed at the incredible effects.


    [You have eaten a golden walnut.]


    [All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.]


    [The kernel of the golden walnut is perfect without any damage. It provides aplete supply of nutrients.]


    [Intelligence has risen permanently by 5.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid was filled with emotions. It was better than joy.


    ¡°Those people... They are big pushovers.¡±


    They mistook this amazing walnut formon walnuts and tried to feed them to monsters? How pathetic. They couldn¡¯t even take care of their own rice bowls.


    "Aigoo, tsk tsk. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re scammers.¡±


    Grid clicked his tongue and ced the walnut pouch to one side of the inventory. Of course, there was no way he would return the walnuts to Mook.

 Chapter 528

    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    The walnut pouch in the corner of his inventory. Grid pulled out a single walnut from it and used his appraisal skill to determine the true identity.


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [6th grade illusion magic has been detected.]


    [The illusion is useless in front of your eyes and scattered like a mirage.]


    [The information about the walnut has been updated!]


    [Golden Walnut]


    Also called the blessing of nature.


    It is a snack and remedy enjoyed by all nobles and royalty on the East Continent.


    All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.


    In addition, there is a very low probability of permanently increasing one stat by 5 points.


    Weight: 0.1


    [You have discovered a hidden feature!]


    [Golden Walnut]


    Also called the blessing of nature.


    It is a snack and remedy enjoyed by all nobles and royalty on the East Continent.


    Somewhere on the East Continent, there are creatures whose main food is this walnut.


    All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.


    In addition, there is a very low probability of permanently increasing one stat by 5 points. The better you shell the walnut, the more likely it is that your stats will permanently increase.


    Weight: 0.1


    This was huge. Grid¡¯s mouth widened. He shook with joy at the huge value of this walnut. Grid smiled and shook his head.


    "The more I think about it, the poorer they are.¡±


    The golden walnuts were covered by illusion magic. They probably never knew. If they knew, they wouldn¡¯t have considered feeding it to a monster.


    Grid pledged. ¡¯They are pitiful pushovers. I should be nice to them.¡¯


    Grid was projecting his past self onto Mook¡¯s party. He felt a great sense of sympathy when he thought about what they suffered on the East Continent. Then he thought about himself.


    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought I would be so nice to people I met for the first time today? I am really too nice.¡¯


    Well, if he wasn¡¯t nice then he wouldn¡¯t sponsor X University 3,300 won a month. Grid truly believed he was nice.


    ¡®I¡¯m not good enough to return the walnuts, but I¡¯m still an angel.¡¯


    Grid was proud in his heart. He refrained from eating another golden walnut.


    ¡¯Eat it sparingly. Before it¡¯s an elixir, it is the strongest buff potion.¡¯


    Buffs that raised stats usually had a duration of 1~10 minutes. On the other hand, the golden walnut had a buff duration of one hour. In addition, Grid knew of only one other buff potion that raised ¡®all stats¡¯ apart from the golden walnut. That¡¯s right, the Sweet Candy. A buff potion that could only be purchased five times per ount from the Reputation Store, it was a fraudulent item that raised all stats by 30%.


    ¡®It¡¯s too precious to eat, unless I encounter a dragon. This walnut is the best buff potion. Therefore, eat it sparingly.¡¯


    Dragon! The strongest creature created by the S.A. Group that yers couldn¡¯t hunt yet. Grid didn¡¯t want to encounter a dragon til his dying day. He nned to avoid it at all costs. But the world was still unknown. In particr, Grid had no luck. One day, Minerals Detector Minor might suddenly dere as he was searching around Reidan.


    "I have found the best minerals in a dragonir!¡±


    "Then I can¡¯t go to that ce...¡±


    Please don¡¯t let that happen.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Grid was praying when he thought of something. Was there a way to secure arge amount of golden walnuts? His face suddenly darkened as he was thinking of a new n. Before he knew it, the time for breakfast was approaching.


    ¡®Ah, XX.¡¯


    Grid had improved greatly since he started exercising. In Satisfy, the maximum stamina would be temporarily lowered if a yer didn¡¯t eat three meals a day. They shouldn¡¯t skip meals. But Grid wanted to skip today¡¯s meals. His eyes were dark at the thought of eating Idan¡¯s dishes.


    ¡®No... Today will be different.¡¯


    He made it clear yesterday. He liked beef, chicken, and eggs. They would food ingredients that were delicious even when not cooked well. Grid nned to use these ingredients so that Idan could make a dish that was better than dog food.


    ¡®Hurry. I will eat and then go watch thepetition.¡¯


    Still, he was slightly concerned about Mook¡¯s party.


    ¡®Well, there¡¯s no Queen Rat left in themunity.¡¯


    Step.


    Grid turned and left for Pangea.


    ***


    Darkness encroached on the big poisonous ratmunity. Dawn started to reveal its grand scale. Mook¡¯s group felt disturbed from where they were hiding like dead mice.


    "This is the time that the hamsters will wake up.¡±


    "What should we do? We¡¯ll be isted.¡±


    "What else? We can¡¯t run away anymore, so we can only wait.¡±


    It had been 15 minutes since the masked man left. Soon, it would be time for the man to ce thest walnut in front of the Queen Rat¡¯s tent.


    ¡°One minute. Wait one more minute.¡±


    "The moment that the masked man ces thest golden walnut in front of the tent, the Queen Rat will wake up.¡±


    "All the big poisonous rats will chase after him.¡±


    The big poisonous rats had a funny habit. They had the ability to detect when the Queen Rat was in danger, even if they were far from her tent, and would chase after the intruder. That¡¯s right. Mook¡¯s group nned to escape while the Queen Rat and all the big poisonous rats were chasing Grid. Grid was the sacrificialmb. However...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange?¡±


    ¡°Why is it so quiet?¡±


    The expected time had passed and the big poisonous rats were still quiet. The health gauge of the masked man in the party window was still full. It meant the Queen Rat hadn¡¯t appeared and the masked man didn¡¯t fulfill his role properly.


    "No, is he stupid enough to not ce the walnuts properly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... He figured out the value of the golden walnuts and ran away?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. My illusion magic mightst for only an hour, but it can block the best appraisal skills. It boasts a tremendous sophistication.¡±


    ¡°Then what is this situation? Why are the big poisonous rats so quiet?¡±


    If the masked man seeded in attracting the Queen Rat as scheduled, all the big poisonous rats should¡¯ve popped out by now. But the rats were dead silent. Surely the masked man hadn¡¯t noticed their trap and ran away? Mook¡¯s group came up with the worst situation and became nervous. They started to talk in the party chat.


    -Excuse me...Half-face?


    -Where are you?


    -What happened to the walnuts?


    -Don¡¯t you need to lure the Queen Rat?


    The person called Half-face! Grid btedly replied to them.


    -There is no Queen Rat, so you can move freely.I¡¯m going to get some breakfast.Then I¡¯m going.


    [??? has left the party.]


    "...??"


    Mook¡¯s party was stunned. They couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡®There is no Queen Rat?¡¯


    ¡®He withdrew from the party to eat breakfast?¡¯


    First of all, it didn¡¯t make sense that there was no Queen Rat. It was only possible if she had been raided in the past three days. The Queen Rat was raided? It was impossible. None of the yers currently remaining in Pangea had the ability to catch the Queen Rat. There were four yers still stuck in Pangea, which was Mook¡¯s group.


    Oh, there was the masked man who joined a while ago. However, it was impossible for him to raid the Queen Rat alone.


    ¡®Dammit... What happened to the walnuts?¡¯


    It was extremely rare for a yer to leave the party to eat food. Most of them cooked food and ate at the hunting ground. But this person withdrew from the party to eat breakfast. The situation was clear.


    ¡®We¡¯ve been tricked!¡¯


    They were ruined. The masked man deceived them. They tried to strike him in the back of the head, only to be struck themselves.


    ¡°That guy... He knew our ulterior motives from the beginning!¡±


    He pretended to be deceived and acted at the crucial timing to hit them in the back of the head. Evil and smart.


    ¡°Shit...! Shit!¡±


    They werepletely abandoned. The golden walnuts they spend all their money buying had disappeared. In a nutshell, they were ruined. Everyone was feeling frustrated when Mook gave them hope.


    "Hey, wake up. No matter how clever he is, it¡¯s impossible for him to figure out the identity of the walnuts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He might think that the golden walnuts are ordinary walnuts and abandon them on the side of the road!¡±


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll search for the golden walnuts from now on! We will get revenge after getting back the walnuts!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    They regained their hope and morale, but it was only for a moment.


    "...By the way, how many walnuts are there in thisrgemunity?¡±


    "This is the time when the big poisonous rats are the most active... How can we deal with them if they leave the tent in a group? They might be weakened, but it will be hard to deal with arge number of them.¡±


    "Above all, the biggest problem is the Queen Rat. She often wanders around the tents in the morning. We will die if we meet her.¡±


    "...¡±


    It was a continuous cycle of frustration. What should they do? Mook thought about it and found an answer.


    ¡°We... We¡¯ll hide and wait until it is their nap time.¡±


    They had to hide for 10 hours until it was time for the rats to nap. They couldn¡¯t move a single finger.


    "Once they go to sleep, we¡¯ll start the walnut search operation.¡±


    They could find the golden walnuts if they repeated this for around four days. Mook¡¯s group breathed slowly as the hamsters left the tents one by one. There were tears in their eyes. It was the day they remembered that people shouldn¡¯t do bad things.


    ***


    "Right now, they should¡¯ve passed on safely to the next hunting ground?¡±


    Who would¡¯ve known his raid of the Queen Rat would be a big help to Mook¡¯s group? It was something he had never thought about.


    "This connection is strange... Huhut.¡±


    Grid was d to help the poor people. He arrived at Pangea that was bustling for the festival and took off his mask. Then he was startled.

 Chapter 529

    "...¡±


    Grid was surprised because the bustling crowd on the street all sat down. Tens of thousands of people. The festive atmosphere became as silent as a dead mouse. It was an unbelievable and unrealistic thing to experience.


    ¡®Pagma?¡¯


    The cause of the sudden silence! Grid got goosebumps as he watched the group of people that appeared in the center of the street. The group walked past the bowing crowd. They wore blue daoist robes and had long ck hair tied up. It was exactly the same appearance as the Pagma that Randy copied in the Mysterious Forest.


    ¡®These people are?¡¯


    The men in robes boasted a beautiful appearance. Why did they look so much like Pagma, and why did people bow before them? Someone poked Grid¡¯s side. It was a regr NPC. His head was bowed and he was shaking. It seemed like he was afraid to be noticed by the robed men.


    "Not bowing before the yangban, are you crazy? Do you have 10 lives?¡± (Wiki Link)


    "Yangban?¡±


    "The residents of the Hwan Kingdom!¡±


    ¡®The Hwan Kingdom...¡¯


    The kingdom that used the white phosphorous tree as their national tree. Grid bowed his head and asked the NPC.


    "Is Pangea part of the Hwan Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk. I should¡¯ve known you were stupid the moment you didn¡¯t bow in front of the yangban.¡±


    "...¡±


    ¡°Pangea is part of the Cho Kingdom.


    "Then why are you bowing to the yangban of the Hwan Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Isn¡¯t it natural to bow to people who serve their kingdom? Do you not know this because you¡¯re stupid?


    ¡°...?¡±


    Did the Hwan Kingdom have the concept of amon kingdom?


    ¡¯It seems like Pagma was born in the Hwan Kingdom...¡¯


    He was gradually finding out information. Grid decided not to fret about it.


    "Hrmm."


    At this moment, a yangban in blue robes passed by Grid and gave him a meaningful smile. Grid felt awe the moment he looked into the yangban¡¯s eyes. There was an unknown aura and overwhelming majesty that made his heart race.


    [You have an urge to bow.]


    [You have resisted.]


    This was just because Grid met his eyes?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Grid gulped.


    ¡®The power of a legend?¡¯


    Grid was confused.


    "Huhut.¡±


    There was coyughter as the yangban left Grid¡¯s field of view.


    ***


    Idan¡¯s restaurant.


    "Would you like me to prepare the citron tea in advance?¡±


    A beautiful girl reminiscent of a cat. The employee Yang Fei asked the question with an impassive expression. But Grid didn¡¯t answer. He was still thinking about the yangban that he encountered on the street.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. That¡¯s a legend-grade presence.¡¯


    When Grid first lent his body to Braham. Grid had been shocked and thrilled when seeing Braham gather all the mana. The yangban¡¯s presence matched Braham of that time.


    ¡®But... None of the legends were described as originating from the East Continent? It¡¯s just my guess that Pagma came from the East Continent.¡¯


    In the first ce, there were nine legends. But the number of yangbans he saw today was over 10.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that separate legends exist for the East Continent?¡¯


    Separate from the nine legends of the West Continent.


    ¡¯...Ah, it¡¯s natural.¡¯


    The West and East Continents were isted from each other. It stood to reason that they wouldn¡¯t share legends. It was right for them to be separate.


    ¡®Look at Lord.¡¯


    He was called a genius that represented the West Continent.


    ¡®Hey... This is really...¡¯


    The world became bigger. The powerhouses that couldn¡¯t be seen on the West Continent and in Hell overflowed in the East Continent. But Grid didn¡¯t feel frustrated. Rather, he found it interesting.


    ¡®In the future, I will be stronger.¡¯


    Even if he became stronger than he was now, he wouldn¡¯t be criticized for destroying the bnce. In other words, it meant Grid had the confidence to be strong.


    ¡®I am a legend.¡¯


    He was always trying hard. Yes, like right now!


    ¡°Now! Sorry to keep you waiting!¡±


    "...¡±


    Idan cooked eggs for Grid¡¯s breakfast. The yolk was cooked to the point of being burnt, while the whites were raw.


    ¡°Crazy. It¡¯s hard to deliberately make this.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help spitting out. Fortunately, Idan took it as apliment.


    ¡°It took a lot more work than normal egg rolls. After separating the yolk and egg whites, I cooked only the yolk and poured the whites, using the concept of them as a sauce.¡±


    "...Don¡¯t you think you should cook them normally?¡±


    ¡°Aish, this person. How can you eat ordinary egg yolk and egg whites?¡±


    "You can cook moderately...¡±


    "I made this dish with a chef¡¯s heart of wanting to feed my guest the best egg. Using the soft egg whites to cover the hard yolk, isn¡¯t this new and ingenious?¡±


    ¡¯You could start off with soft-boiled.¡±


    It was surprisingly a dish not made out of malice. Grid really didn¡¯t want to eat it, but he closed his eyes and poured the eggs into his mouth. The feeling of the egg whites wrapping around his teeth every time he chews made him feel bad. The smell of the egg spreading in his mouth made it hard to breathe and the unique vour of the yolk disappeared after it was cooked too much, giving a feeling of chewing dry stone.


    Gulp!


    Grid wanted to spit it out but barely managed to swallow it, tasting sweet fruit at the end.


    [You have received food poisoning from eating uncooked food.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Stamina has risen permanently by 1.]


    ¡®The food wasn¡¯t cooked properly...¡¯


    But Idan was the serious problem. It was clear that Idan didn¡¯t have a talent for cooking.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Then Grid asked him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use salt?¡±


    It would¡¯ve been a bit easier to eat. Idan felt and replied to Grid.


    "Salt is bad for your health!"


    ¡®You will die if you eat ramyun.¡¯


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Yang Fei served the citron tea to the grumbling Grid. She prepared it beforehand. Grid lit up at the thought of rinsing his mouth with the tea. Grid looked at Yang Fei like she was an angel.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Gulp gulp.


    Grid tried to get rid of the egg taste with the fragrant tea. Yang Fei spoke meaningfully as Grid¡¯s face recovered its color.


    "That... My legs are sore today.¡±


    Yang Fei lifted her skirt slightly and exposed her white calves. It was a stimting sight. But Grid wasn¡¯t stimted. For any woman under the age of 20. Grid didn¡¯t recognize them as a woman unless they had a D cup.


    "Yes, I will massage it with sincerity today.¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid spoke carelessly while Yang Fei¡¯s face became like a carrot. She already had a body that couldn¡¯t live without Grid¡¯s hands.


    ***


    ¡°You came!¡±


    Arge stadium to the north of Pangea¡¯s Castle. Grid visited the waiting room of the stadium that reminded him of the Coliseum and White of the White Hammer smithy weed him. White grabbed Grid¡¯s hands tightly.


    "Mr. Woodcutter, thanks to you, we can now create mes of the desired temperature with the white phosphorus wood. It will be your achievement if the White Hammer smithy wins thepetition this year.¡±


    ¡®Woodcutter?¡¯


    Grid thought it was strange but didn¡¯t question it.


    ¡°What is the theme of thepetition?¡±


    Grid was interested from the perspective of a cksmith and White replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same asst year. It is to reproduce Pangea¡¯s treasure that was lost in the war two years ago.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the treasure?¡±


    "Red Phoenix Bow. It¡¯s a bow.¡±


    "Red Phoenix...Bow!¡±


    Grid felt a strong interest. Red Phoenix Bow. Based on the name, a red phoenix... Then the bow would have powerful fire properties. It was highly likely that Jishuka would have a highpatibility with it.


    ¡®This is a treasure of the East Continent, so the base attack power won¡¯t be a joke. It would be nice to obtain the production design.¡¯


    It was virtually impossible to get a production design just by seeing the item being made. One in 10,000 cksmiths couldn¡¯t do it. But Grid was a legendary cksmith, not an ordinary one. He could try it.


    ¡®Of course, the probability of sess is low.¡¯


    He would do his best as always. The excited Grid suddenly felt doubts.


    "Why is the theme of thepetition the same asst year?¡±


    "Last year, the cksmiths failed to reproduce the Red Phoenix Bow. The lord probably intends to keep the same theme until a perfect masterpiece is reproduced.¡±


    ¡°What type of bow is the original Red Phoenix Bow? Do you have the design of the Red Phoenix Bow?¡±


    ¡°It is a bow based on one of the four patrons, the blue dragon, the white tiger, the ck tortoise, and the red phoenix. It¡¯s a bow that shows the amazing destructive power of fire. Of course, there¡¯s no design. It has been lost since ancient times. We can only use our imagination to create it.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    If it was a bow with the fire attribute, was a fire stone used as material?


    ¡¯Melting down the fire stone and using it with iron... The iron bow originally boasts great destructive power... No, wait.¡¯


    This was the East Continent. He couldn¡¯t think about it with the perspective of a West Continent cksmith.


    ¡®There might be another specialized material on the East Continent with the fire attribute... Ah!¡¯


    A sudden thought passed through Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®The white phosphorus wood!¡¯


    Grid was convinced.


    ¡®I am the only one who can make the Red Phoenix Bow.¡¯


    Why? He was the only cksmith in the world who could cut down the white phosphorus tree! Grid¡¯s eyes shed.


    ¡°What benefits will be received from winning thepetition?¡±


    Greed was within Grid¡¯s shining eyes. A powerful greed that wanted to devour everything in the world! But White was blinded to Grid¡¯s nature.


    ¡®Oh, look at those passionate eyes!¡¯


    White misunderstood and exined the situation.

 Chapter 530

    ¡°What benefits will be received from winning thepetition?¡±


    ¡°We will be able to exclusively deliver battle gear to the lord for a year. We will also be featured in the rmendation to tourists and will earn a huge amount of revenue as a result.¡±


    Pangea was twice as big as Reidan, the secondrgest city in the Eternal Kingdom. Unlike Reidan, it was constantly full and had a high floating poption. The smithy that won thispetition could indeed amass arge amount of wealth. They would be honored as the best cksmiths of Pangea, so winning the cksmithpetition was the dream of all cksmiths in Pangea. But that wasn¡¯t White¡¯s only purpose.


    ¡°And... We be qualified to enter the dungeon of the lord¡¯s castle.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon of the lord¡¯s castle?¡±


    In fact, there were castles that contained dungeons. Chris¡¯ territory was an example. Chris was famous for having a vampire boss that appeared in his castle¡¯s underground dungeon and umting elixirs. As it happened, Grid¡¯s territories didn¡¯t have a private dungeon.


    ¡®I heard that a castle¡¯s dungeon is also a good ce to collect rare items...¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s strengthening Overgeared n included the upation of all such castles on the West Continent and monopolizing the dungeons.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t feasible.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes recovered from their greed. At the same time, they sharpened.


    "What¡¯s in Pangea¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Armored needle...¡±


    ¡°Armored needle?¡±


    ¡°The enemy who murdered my father, the monster that produces the ¡®Silver Thread¡¯ that all cksmiths dream about.¡±


    ¡¯Thread made of silver?¡¯


    The silver thread sounded ordinary. But if it was simple silver thread, the cksmiths of Pangea wouldn¡¯t dream about obtaining it.


    "It isn¡¯t like normal silver thread?¡±


    "It is silver thread obtained by the silver armor worn by the armored needles melting from their rotten blood. This silver thread is hardened by this process, repeating for many years. It¡¯s said to never break and exerts mysterious effects.¡±


    ¡°Your father being killed by the armored needles...¡±


    "It¡¯s as you expect. My father won thepetition several years ago, entered the dungeon to obtain the silver thread, and was killed by an armored needle.¡±


    White¡¯s father got into trouble when he entered the dungeon with the lord¡¯s troops who regrly entered the dungeon. White was afraid that he would step on the same path as his father, but he was angrier and greedier than he was fearful.


    ¡°I will surely recreate the Red Phoenix Bow, win thepetition, gain ess to the dungeon, and gain resources from the lord. I will sweep away the armored needles and use the silver thread to make the White Hammer Smithy the best smithy. That was my father¡¯s dream.¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes changed once again as he looked at White. There was warmth in his eyes. Based on the humanitarian ideology of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, cksmith¡¯s Affection was expressed.


    ¡®A cksmith with dreams looks good.¡¯


    It was at that moment.


    Ttiring~


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Win the Smithy Competition!]


    Difficulty: SSS


    You are the sessor of Pagma¡¯s techniques and will! You have Pagma¡¯s humanitarian ideology of using ¡®cksmithing to benefit other people.¡¯


    You are impressed with White, who is trying to make the White Hammer smithy the best smithy in Pangea for his father. Help White win the smithypetition!


    The moment that the White Hammer smithy is crowned the best smithy in Pangea, you will have an absolute ally in Pangea.


    Quest Clear Conditions: A unique or higher rated Restored Red Phoenix Bow.


    Quest Reward: White¡¯s affinity will be MAX. The lord¡¯s affinity will rise by 30~80 points. Differentpensation will be obtained depending on your affinity with the lord. The right to enter the dungeon of Pangea¡¯s castle. Your level will rise by one.


    Quest Failure: Affinity with White will decline. Your reputation in Pangea will drop.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s desire to participate in thepetition grew. He had a reason and would even receivepensation, so there was no reason for Grid to refuse.


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    There were only two options in the notification window. YES or NO. Grid chose YES without hesitation.


    ¡°Now, Grid.¡±


    White responded after the quest was epted.


    "In fact, I¡¯m not confident about handling the white phosphorus wood properly. I am able to get better firepower than before thanks to it, but I can¡¯tpletely control it. But as a legendary woodcutter, don¡¯t you also specialize in firewood? That... I¡¯m asking despite the shame. Will you participate in thispetition as a member of my smithy?¡±


    "...¡±


    A legendary cksmith was mistaken for a woodcutter? Grid was embarrassed because the development was different than what he expected, but he nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I will help you.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohh! Thank you! I really appreciate it!¡±


    Of course, the legendary cksmith was also good with the bellows. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Grid to handle fire.


    ¡®I just need to participate in thepetition, no matter the manner.¡¯


    Once thepetition began.


    ¡®I will take the lead.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    Han Seokbong. He was the descendant of a fallen noble family and had a poor childhood. But thanks to his wise mother, he was able to be a civil servant and rise in the ranks. Han Seokbong was appointed to help the king of the Cho Kingdom. It was said that the policies developed by Han Seokbong made the Cho Kingdom strong.


    He was the genius who was appointed as lord of Pangea at the age of 50. The hero who raised his family name, a role model to themon people, and a national treasure, he had been troubled in recent years. It was because of the loss of Pangea¡¯s treasure, the Red Phoenix Bow.


    "In the end, the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom moved!¡±


    The four treasures that contained the power of a god.


    The Blue Dragon Dao in the eastern Kaya Kingdom. The White Tiger Spear in the western Pa Kingdom. The Red Phoenix Bow in the southern Cho Kingdom. The ck Tortoise Jewel in the northern Xing Kingdom.


    The Hwan Kingdom gave these four treasures to each kingdom and ordered them to protect them well. Now the Cho Kingdom had lost the Red Phoenix Bow. It was when Han Seokbong was the lord of Pangea.


    ¡¯The yangban said they would give me half a year...¡¯


    If he couldn¡¯t regain the Red Phoenix Bow in half a year, Han Seokbong¡¯s safety wasn¡¯t the only problem. The Cho Kingdom had a lot of exchanges with the Hwan Kingdom, so it was likely the Hwan Kingdom would ce severe restrictions for a few years. It was a situation where the status of the kingdom would plummet and be paralyzed.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Han Seokbong felt resentment. Three years ago, an unidentified evil daoist priest invaded Pangea and stole the Red Phoenix Bow. Why did the Cho Kingdom have to be driven to a corner? ¡®If the Cho Kingdom is weakened, the northern Xing will obtain the greatest profit... However, it was unlikely that Xing would¡¯ve caused this incident since they knew the importance of the four divine treasures.¡¯


    Maybe the enemy was within. There were only a few candidates who would benefit if the power of the Cho King weakened.


    ¡¯Seok Hyungong.¡¯


    The king¡¯s younger brother.


    ¡¯But he isn¡¯t bold and his support base is weak.¡¯


    In the worst case...


    ¡®Maybe someone knew the meaning of the Red Phoenix Bow and desired it...¡¯


    In this case, they might also go after the Blue Dragon Dao, the White Tiger Spear, and the ck Tortoise Jewel. It was dangerous. The entire continent might fall into chaos.


    ¡®No, this isn¡¯t an issue I should worry about now.¡¯


    If the situation became serious, then the people of the Hwan Kingdom woulde to solve it. Perhaps.


    ¡®I just need to concentrate on regaining the Red Phoenix Bow.¡¯


    But he didn¡¯t know where the Red Phoenix Bow was. Due to the monstermunity in the north,munication with the outside was limited. It was more realistic to create a new treasure that would rece the Red Phoenix Bow, so Han Seokbong ced hope in the cksmiths of Pangea.


    ¡°Please... I hope you will recreate the Red Phoenix Bow this year.¡±


    A tombstone made of white jade. The voice of an old woman entered his ears as he looked at the ce where the Red Phoenix Bow would¡¯ve been.


    ¡°Your face is bing more anxious the more days that pass. Won¡¯t it be more toxic if you feel meaningless anxiety?¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Han Seokbong grasped the owner of the voice and rose from his seat. He was worried for his mother, who was 80 years old. She shouldn¡¯t being all the way down here.


    "Your knees will be sore if you keep going up and down the stairs.¡±


    Han Seokbong ran to his mother, helping her up as she handed him a writing brush.


    ¡°Your mother is still fine, so don¡¯t be worried. Don¡¯t forget that you must always be calm. Train your mind and body. Sigh.¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s mother blew out the candles ced around the white jade tombstone. Then she sat down in the darkened room.


    "From now on, I will slice some rice cakes, so calm yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes...! I understand, Mother!¡±


    His mother had always been by his side since childhood. She appeared whenever he was feeling confused and anxious.


    ¡®Once I start writing things down, my head always clears and my mind calms down.¡¯


    Han Seokbong smiled cheerfully and started doing calligraphy. Writing in darkness was a new development. It was natural for the handwriting to be poor.


    ¡°Ahat!¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s mother cut her finger while slicing the rice cake. It was something that frequently happened and it was just a small cut.


    ***


    "Hey! Who is this? Isn¡¯t it the dark White from the White Hammer smithy?¡±


    An hour before thepetition. A guest came to the White Hammer cksmiths who were gathering the materials to be used in thispetition. It was the owner of the Blue mes smithy, Enoch.


    ¡°The White Hammer smithy has been disgraced for thest three years and it won¡¯t be able to win again this year. Are you enjoying yourst bit of fun?¡±


    Enoch was someone with a kind andforting appearance. But his tone and words were nasty.


    "Your father would be sad. The White Hammer smithy will soon be destroyed because a cksmith who can¡¯t handle fire was made the sessor."


    "...¡±


    Enoch talked about White¡¯s dead father. White was furious. But he tried to be patient and not show his anger. In the end, Enoch¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. If he became angry now, wouldn¡¯t that make Enochugh even more?


    ¡®I feel sorry for my father.¡¯


    White was guilty of being a bad son.


    Kkuok!


    Blood flowed as White formed a tight fist.


    ¡°A cksmith should cherish his hands.¡±


    Grid stepped forward from where he had been watching the situation. He took out a bandage he used when he was a beginning and handed it to White, before speaking to Enoch.


    "Are you good at handling fire?¡±


    Enoch thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? I¡¯ve never seen you before? A newbie like you dares to interrupt a conversation between adults? Is this your concept?¡±


    ¡°What adult? There¡¯s only a 10 year difference between us.¡±


    ¡°Hah, the level of the White Hammer smithy is really low. I don¡¯t like this type of rudeness. Tsk tsk, really. All the talented people are gathering in my smithy. Well, this year¡¯s winner is obvious. Let¡¯s celebrate in advance. Puhahat.¡±


    ¡®What a funny guy.¡¯


    Going to another waiting room just to argue? Aplete gangster. Grid disliked this type of person.


    "I¡¯ll have to beat you first.¡±


    A woodcutter made an absurd remark about beating the master of the Blue mes smithy. White didn¡¯t hear it. He was trying to swallow his anger.

 Chapter 531

    ¡°Leader...¡±


    The White Hammer cksmiths called out, but White didn¡¯t respond. He sat to one side with his head bowed. He was trembling with shame after Enochughed at him. The White Hammer cksmiths were worried. The ashamed White turned away from them. Grid approached White with a frown.


    ¡°Is there time to be doing this?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "If you¡¯re upset, pay it back. There¡¯s no time to be absentminded. Do your best with your skills.¡±


    Grid had contempt for bullies. It was because he had once been ignored and despised by people. That¡¯s how he could sympathize with White¡¯s heart. cksmith¡¯s Affection also added to the feeling of wanting to help White.


    "If you don¡¯t like that feeling in your chest, blow it away. Then I¡¯ll get right to the point. Pull it out. The design of the Red Phoenix that you envisioned.¡±


    ¡°Huh? U-Understood.¡±


    White wanted Grid¡¯s help with the bellows. It was his only task. There was no need for him to see the design. In addition, this design was made by the White Hammer cksmiths and it was something that shouldn¡¯t be shown to just anyone. But White was in a daze and easily handed over the design to Grid.


    [The Red Phoenix Bow (Reproduction: White Hammer Version) design has been acquired.]


    [Red Phoenix Bow (Reproduction: White Hammer Version)]


    Rating: Normal ~ Epic


    Normal Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Rare Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Epic Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    It was 1m 20cm in size. It is slightlyrger than a short bow and much smaller than a longbow. The bow was divided into three big pieces. In the center, Hwangpyeong Mountain bamboo was used as a material, while both sides had mulberry wood. Grid checked the design and apanying exnatory text before asking White.


    "What are the characteristics of the Hwangpyeong Mountain bamboo and mulberry wood?¡±


    "Hwangpyeong Mountain bamboo is specially selected because it contains a lot of fiber, while the mulberry wood is both soft and strong.¡±


    "In other words, the bow is made from materials that maximize sticity?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, that¡¯s right. It doesn¡¯t break easily and can fire the arrows.¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t a woodcutter know all this? As White was feeling confused, Grid started to scan the materials.


    ¡®Certainly, both the bamboo and mulberry wood are of the best quality.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tparable to the bamboo and mulberry on the West Continent. The trees on the East Continent was much better in quality.


    ¡®Is it because they grow in an environment filled with mana?¡¯


    Good. Obviously good.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    Based on the name, the Red Phoenix Bow had the fire attribute. No matter how outstanding the performance, it was questionable if the bamboo and mulberry wood could sustain the heat of the mes. Grid identified the next dubious part of the design.


    ...


    The exterior of the bow was wrapped with a fireproof leather.


    ¡°What is that red leather?¡±


    "It doesn¡¯t burn even when covered in mes. It¡¯s Rascal Leather. It¡¯s very solid and durable against fire.¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Now he understood. But the most important thing was the creation of mes. What did the White Hammer smithy think about to summon fire? Grid was filled with anticipation as he confirmed the final part of the drawing, only to dete. He discovered that they used a fire stone.


    "What are you doing?¡±


    Why was the design that White made with all his heart being crumpled? White looked at Grid with a disbelieving expression. Grid realized his mistake and muttered as he unfolded the pattern again.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±


    Fire stone? It might be a rare ore, but it could be found on the West Continent. Grid was convinced since it was a production material he used quite often.


    ¡®It might be possible with an iron bow or aposite bow, but a simple wood bow won¡¯t be able to bear the weight of the fire stone. The bnce would be off. If the weight of the fire stone is lowered, the firepower will weaken.¡¯


    If a bow was made in ordance with this design, it wouldn¡¯t be qualified to be called the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®Indeed, the answer is to use the white phosphorus wood. It¡¯s certain.¡¯


    The problem was that he didn¡¯t know the shape and characteristics of the Red Phoenix Bow, but White could help with that.


    "White, you¡¯ve seen the Red Phoenix Bow, right?¡±


    "Of course. It¡¯s the treasure of my hometown, so I have seen it many times from a distance. The lord holds the Red Phoenix Bow for big events.¡±


    Liking faded from White¡¯s eyes when looking at Grid. He didn¡¯t appreciate his design being crumpled and his affinity fell. But Grid didn¡¯t care. There were plenty of chances to make up for his mistake!


    "Is this design based on the Red Phoenix Bow that you saw?¡±


    ¡°Yes... However, the Red Phoenix Bow wasn¡¯t covered with leather. It was made entirely of wood... This is the result of trying to copy the form as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Was the color of the Red Phoenix Bow white?¡±


    "Huh, how did you know...? That¡¯s right. The Red Phoenix Bow was white...¡±


    It was up to here. Grid no longer hesitated and immediately took action.


    "Item Creation.¡±


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡°A bow.¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    ¡°White pho.... No, wait.¡±


    The white phosphorus wood wasparable to dragon iron. It was harder than steel and had weak sticity. Thus, Grid was somewhat hesitant. White¡¯s design was based on the Red Phoenix Bow that he saw and it had the shape of a bow that emphasized resilience. If the Red Phoenix Bow emphasized resilience like White interpreted, then white phosphorus wood shouldn¡¯t be the main material used.


    ¡¯But what if White misinterpreted?¡¯


    Then the story was different. Grid believed in his own intuition. It wasn¡¯t arrogance. It was the pride he had as a legendary cksmith.


    "I will use the white phosphorus wood as a material.¡±


    Grid made his decision.


    ***


    "What is he doing?"


    "Let¡¯s see?¡±


    The White Hammer cksmiths were confused. The woodcutter Grid was suddenly asking about the Red Phoenix Bow. After a while, he squatted in the corner and started drawing something. One cksmith cried out with surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me! He¡¯s copying the design of the Red Phoenix Bow that we spend three years and countless trials and errorspleting?¡±


    "Haha, how silly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t be a design thief. Surely a thief wouldn¡¯t tantly copy in front of the parties involved?


    "He would deliberately go to a ce that is dark... Heok?¡±


    Was he really a thief trying to steal it? The cksmiths became alert. White restrained those who were feeling hostile towards Grid.


    "You shouldn¡¯t judge a person so casually.¡±


    Yes, just like White a few days ago. Didn¡¯t he see only a few pieces of Grid and judged from that? White thought Grid was an unscrupulous person dreaming about bing a cksmith without even knowing the job.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know he was such a distinguished person. Hrmm...¡¯


    But now he was different. What was Grid doing while squatting down? Maybe Grid was actually taking part of their design as his fellow cksmiths said?


    ¡®No, he wouldn¡¯t steal so openly... Hrmm.¡¯


    White was worried. White was reminded of the darkness that lived in people and approached Grid. He looked at what Grid was drawing in the air and became shocked. He was amazed enough to jump like a rabbit. The picture Grid was drawing. It was the Red Phoenix Bow. It was a much moreplete design than the Red Phoenix Bow that White had envisioned for thest three years.


    ¡°N-No, how can this be...? How can a woodcutter do such a thing?¡±


    White still misunderstood Grid as a woodcutter. Gridughed as he confirmed the information of thepleted design.


    [Red Phoenix (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Epic ~ Legendary


    Epic Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Unique Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    Legendary Rating Information:


    ...


    ...


    The treasure of Pangea that was reproduced by a legendary cksmith. Its value canpete with the original.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    Now the key depending on the rating of the Red Phoenix Bow produced during thepetition. Grid asked the baffled White a question.


    "Did you say thepetition time was eight hours?¡±


    White replied with a dazed expression.


    ¡°Ah... Yes, that¡¯s correct. It¡¯s too long to make a bow, but this is thepetition to reproduce Pangea¡¯s treasure...¡±


    ¡®This is rotten.¡¯


    The time was too short. For Grid who spent a day or two making a bow, eight hours was nothing.


    ¡®I have to use it wisely.¡¯


    There was also the new power he obtained from making the 20th legendary item.


    ¡®Item Upgrade!¡¯


    Grid was convinced that he could easily clear the quest with this power, even if he couldn¡¯t perfectly reproduce the Red Phoenix Bow. He checked the time and rose.


    "Then let¡¯s depart.¡±


    ***


    ¡°The White Hammer cksmiths are entering!¡±


    ¡°Boo! Boooooo!¡±


    The White Hammer cksmiths entered the stadium with Grid in the front, not White. The spectators booed loudly since they lost thest threepetitions. White and the cksmiths shrank back, while Grid enjoyed it.


    ¡®More.¡¯


    Ignore him more.


    ¡®The more you ignore us, the more dramatic the result will be.¡¯


    Grid grinned widely, revealing his teeth. The cksmiths of the other smithies on the stage ridiculed him.


    ¡°Who is that person?¡±


    ¡°It is the first time I¡¯ve seen him... Isn¡¯t he new?¡±


    "Why is a new person leading instead of White?¡±


    "White might be embarrassed and is using the new person as a shield.¡±


    "He¡¯s pathetic to the end.¡±


    The tens of thousands of spectators and the hundreds of cksmiths. They had no idea that this newbie would cause a hugemotion. It was the first step of Grid¡¯s legend on the East Continent.

 Chapter 532

    ¡°U-Um...¡±


    White and the White Hammer cksmiths found it hard to understand the current situation. Why was a woodcutter asked to control the mes in front of all of them?


    ¡®I want to tell him to stand back, but...¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s the great person who designed the Red Phoenix Bow!¡¯


    ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯


    ¡¯Maybe it¡¯s as Leader White said...¡¯


    ¡¯He might be a distinguished person...¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s someone who cut down the white phosphorus tree.¡¯


    The White Hammer cksmiths murmured among themselves while climbing onto the stage.


    "Bhhhhh-! Boooooo!¡±


    "White is a coward! All the other cksmiths are standing at the forefront. Why do you have a neer in front of you?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it shameful to hide behind another person?¡±


    The crowd¡¯s booing became stronger. The leader of the Blue mes smithy, Enoch, walked over to White.


    ¡°You dare to participate in thepetition again? In any case, the result will be the same as thest three years. Isn¡¯t that right? For. Ever. Lo. Ser. Friend.


    "...¡±


    White didn¡¯t respond to Enoch. Enoch was someone who liked ridiculing others and seeing their reactions. He would go away if White ignored him. But Enoch was persistent.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t understand you. Daring to risk the White Hammer smithy¡¯s reputation by confronting me when you don¡¯t have the talent. Ah, no. Didn¡¯t the reputation of the White Hammer smithy already fall to the bottom after your father died? It was the day he foolishly died to the armored needle.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    "Kukuk! It turns out to be like father, like son!¡±


    Enoch was crossing the line. White could no longer tolerate it. The moment he became angry enough to punch Enoch in the face, something interrupted him.


    ¡°Bark bark. Bark. It¡¯s the sound of a dog barking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Enoch was watching White with pleasure, when he became shocked. The two people simultaneously turned their gazes in the direction of the barking. They discovered a ck-haired man with sharp eyes. It was the unidentified neer of the White Hammer smithy.


    Grid scoffed and said to Enoch. "You¡¯re a crazy dog. Just wait a minute. There¡¯s no need to bother Teacher White. I will smash you myself.¡±


    ¡°Teacher White?¡±


    White and Enoch were both surprised. White was stunned while Enochughed loudly. This was a jackpot.


    ¡°You¡¯re really crazy! White! You don¡¯t know the topic and actually dare to be a teacher? A person with poor talent teaching someone else? Puhat! Puhahat! Oh, my stomach! If the other cksmiths hear this, they would beughing!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    White¡¯s face turned red. His skin was dark, making it hard to see, but he didn¡¯t look good. White was really embarrassed. It was because there was nothing wrong with Enoch¡¯s words.


    "...¡±


    He had spent the past three years as a loser. White lost his self-esteem and couldn¡¯t help bowing his head.


    ¡°Raise your head. Don¡¯t get used to seeing the ground.¡± Grid stared at White and was reminded of his past self. "Today, the White Hammer smithy that you and your father love will win thepetition.¡±


    Suuk.


    Grid¡¯s finger pointed at White¡¯s heart. White saw the hard calluses on the thick fingers.


    ¡®cksmith hands?¡¯


    White btedly realized Grid¡¯s real identity. He felt astonished as Grid confirmed it.


    ¡°You will be the best smithy in Pangea.¡±


    Today¡¯s victory would be achieved be relying on Grid, but not in the future. White was a person he used cksmith¡¯s Affection on. His cksmith skill level was destined to rise the moment that his affinity reached the maximum.


    ***


    "Enoch is bing more and more distorted.¡±


    "It was because he respected Dawhite more than anyone else. He was disappointed when Dawhite chose White as a sessor, despite not being able to support the smithy.¡±


    ¡°Looking at it, the poor person isn¡¯t White, but Enoch. Well, that doesn¡¯t excuse his twisted personality.¡±


    "Ignore him. Enoch and White aren¡¯t people we have to worry about.¡±


    Enoch had excellent skills and a twisted personality, while White was born with a unique talent, but waszy in his youth. From the perspective of the skilled and older leaders of the ck Anvil and Red Tongs smithies, they were both inexperienced.


    ¡°Hrmm, yes. We have to focus on thepetition.¡±


    ¡°Last year, I was careless and lost the title to Enoch.¡±


    "This year will be our second victory.¡±


    The ck Anvil and Red Tongs leaders acknowledged each other as opponents. The appearance of the best cksmiths in Pangea excited the audience.


    "Beoksan! La Hochul! Have a great match this year!¡±


    ¡°Make the national treasure! Fighting!¡±


    "The firepower ofst year¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow was too weak! This year, make it heat of the fire properly!¡±


    Waaahhhhhhhh!


    It was a really different atmosphere. The White Hammer smithy was booed and received criticisms, while the ck Anvil and Red Tongs smithies received cheers. White was used to it, but he still felt sick. White bowed to Grid.


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m ashamed and sorry for being unable to recognize you as a cksmith. And thank you very much. You helped stop me from doing something I would regret.¡±


    "There¡¯s no need to thank me...¡±


    Grid attempted to demonstrate humility, only to suddenly stop. This was the East Continent, not the West Continent. In this ce, he was an ordinary person, not a noble or the leader of Overgeared. There was no need to consider his social status. He could act ording to his personality. Grid changed what he was going to say.


    "Yes, you should feel deep appreciation.¡±


    <i>Huhuhut! </i>


    White couldn¡¯t help questioning Grid, ¡°Why? Why are you helping me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s answer was simple.


    "Of course, it¡¯s for me. I have to stay here in Pangea for the moment. It will be helpful if I can obtain someone¡¯s grace.¡±


    "...Why did you choose me?¡±


    "...¡±


    Grid was embarrassed. Why did Gride to the White Hammer smithy and help White? There was no reason. He ran into White because the White Hammer smithy was the closest. Then he received the quest and the situation became like this. But White was full of expectations. He was criticized after losing his father, only for Grid to suddenly appear. He wanted to be special for Grid. Until now, he had lived a poor life. But was he actually qualified to be the protagonist of his life? Didn¡¯t the sky drop Grid in front of him?


    Grid looked at White¡¯s eyes that were shining likenterns and smiled. It was a smile filled with genuine affection, not falsehood.


    ¡°You are special.¡±


    What if someone like the current Grid had appeared before his past self? That¡¯s right. Grid projected his past self onto White.


    "Only you are entitled to receive help from me. So I looked for you.¡±


    "Only... Me...¡±


    White¡¯s heart started to beat faster. This was an unidentified cksmith whopleted the design of the Red Phoenix Bow in a short amount of time. A special existence that couldn¡¯t be measured. Thus, his self-esteem started to rise again. But there was one part that weighed on his mind.


    Even if the White Hammer smithy won thispetition, it wouldn¡¯t be through their skills. White was grateful for the help, but it was meaningless to win through the hands of another person.


    ¡®What if I¡¯m not qualified after winning thepetition?¡¯


    He would lose even the glory of the past that he wasn¡¯t qualified for.


    ¡°Thank you... I really appreciate it. But... I think it would be better not to receive your help in thispetition.¡±


    Grid grinned at the struggling White and shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think aboutplicated things and just ept. Didn¡¯t I say it? You are special. After thepetition, you will be qualified to be the winner.¡±


    ***


    The amount of times it was possible to use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation increased by three every time the skill level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill increased. Most skills were mastered at level 10. Therefore, it meant the total number of times Grid could create an item was 30 in total.


    Grid needed to use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill cautiously. It was clear that if Grid used it carelessly even once, he would regret it for the rest of his life. In other words, Grid used the creation skill on the Red Phoenix Bow after careful consideration.


    ¡®I definitely think it¡¯s worth it.¡¯


    Grid lined up with the White Hammer blcaksmiths and listened to the host announce the start of thepetition. It was the ultimate joy to see apleted Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®This is a bow for Jishuka.¡¯


    If he could arm thousands of soldiers with it in the future...


    ¡®I will be invincible.¡¯


    Grid looked at thepleted Red Phoenix Bow design and pulled out something from his inventory. White wood. The white phosphorus wood.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The tens of thousands of spectators and hundreds of cksmiths all felt doubt.


    ¡°G-Grid.¡±


    Grid quickly attracted the attention of many people. White couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous. However, Grid attracted the attention of countless people since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant and was used to it. He didn¡¯t feel nervous at all.


    ¡°Now, I shall begin.¡±

 Chapter 533

    There was a clear simrity between the Red Phoenix Bow that Grid imagined and the one that the White Hammer cksmiths designed. The bow was white and created powerful mes. It was the decisive moment when Grid was convinced that the main material of the Red Phoenix Bow was the white phosphorus wood.


    The white phosphorus wood was hard andparable to dragon iron. However, it was also lightweight and generated its own powerful mes. It was suitable to use as a material for the Red Phoenix Bow. However, the other cksmiths of Pangea never thought about using the white phosphorus wood. Very few people expected the material of the Red Phoenix Bow to be white phosphorus wood.


    Were they stupid? No. It was justmon sense. The white phosphorus tree was something that could never be cut down by a cksmith. No, it wasmon sense everywhere in the world. No one would think of making something with the white phosphorus wood.


    But Grid did it. He was the only person in the world who could cut down the white phosphorus tree!


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that white phosphorus wood?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible...¡±


    The tens of thousands of spectators watching the stage. All eyes were on the ce that was surrounded by pine trees. It was due to the white wood that the new cksmith from the White Hammer smithy took out. Straight white wood. It looked exactly like the white phosphorus wood. However, people judged that it couldn¡¯t be the white phosphorus wood.


    "The white phosphorus tree can¡¯t be cut down, right?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I heard that it will explode if cut.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for it to be the white phosphorus wood. It just looks like white phosphorus wood.¡±


    But was there a tree that resembled the white phosphorus tree in this world? There might be a lot of white trees, but the white phosphorus wood was unique. The white phosphorus wood had no twisted parts at all. As people were feeling confused, someone shouted a negative opinion.


    "Those damn White Hammer guys! They can¡¯t get people¡¯s attention with their skills, so they prepared a useless performance!¡±


    On one side of the stage. It was a cry from the Blue mes section facing the White Hammer section. It was Enoch¡¯s voice. He was sincerely angry. He didn¡¯t like that people were paying attention to the White Hammer smithy instead of the winner ofst year¡¯spetition.


    The White Hammer smithy was grabbing people¡¯s attention with a performance, not skill. Pulling out fake white phosphorus wood? It was nothing more than an irritating and meaningless act. It was just embarrassing.


    Dawhite. The person he once respected most in the world. Enoch hadplicated emotions because the White Hammer smithy that Dawhite built hadpletely lost its honor and was about to fall.


    ¡®Dawhite!¡¯


    Why did he pick White as his sessor, destroying the White Hammer smithy? All of Dawhite¡¯s achievements were now worthless.


    ¡®It is sad that even the greatest human is obsessed with bloodlines!¡¯


    Kwack!


    Enoch ced the finest firewood that he had prepared into the furnace. He used a secret technique to cause blue mes to burn in the furnace.


    "I¡¯ll show you the most ideal mes in the world!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Enoch pressed on the bellows and the blue mes red up. The hot heat made the stage boil and stimted the crowd.


    ¡°Ohh! Huge mes!¡±


    "Indeed, the glow of the blue mes is brilliant!¡±


    The quality of the blue mes was the best in the Cho Kingdom. Even Dawhite acknowledged the blue mes when he was alive. The lowest grade iron ore could be refined like the finest grade iron ore. That¡¯s why these blue mes had the highest rating!


    The zing mes caught the attention of the crowd. The crowd turned away from the White Hammer smithy and the white phosphorus wood. Meanwhile, Grid was also admiring Enoch¡¯s mes.


    ¡®He¡¯s a cksmith who is good at the bellows.¡¯


    It seemed like Enoch had the skills of a craftsman when it came to mes. That¡¯s right. It was just a craftsman. It was far less than a legendary cksmith. Grid was surprised and disappointed.


    ¡®I thought I would learn something from observing the Blue mes smithy, just like I did from the White Hammer smithy."


    It wasn¡¯t that much.


    ¡®The technique of the White Hammer smithy is special.¡¯


    It seemed like the Dawhite who kept being mentioned was an excellent cksmith. Grid thought this and threw the white phosphorus wood in the furnace.


    At that moment.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    There was a loud explosion from the White Hammer smithy¡¯s furnace. The surprised crowd and cksmiths turned their attention to the White Hammer area again. Then they were shocked.


    "W-What? Those mes?¡±


    "It¡¯s swallowing up the furnace?¡±


    mes of immense size. The mes rose from the st furnace and leapt outside, covering the entire st furnace. Red mes burst into the air, like the surface of the sun. Unlike the people who were astonished, Enoch burst outughing.


    ¡°Puhahaha! A person who doesn¡¯t know how to handle the bellows! The materials can¡¯t be properly refined from such a strong fire! It will just burn everything up... Hak!¡±


    Enoch fell silent for the first time.


    Puok.Puok.Puok.


    Grid.


    The new White Hammer cksmith was pumping on the handle of the bellows and repeated this movement.


    Hwaruruk!Hwaruk!


    Therge mes in the furnace suddenly died down? Enoch and the chiefs of the ck Anvil and Red Tongs smithy all stared with wide eyes.


    ¡®The mes that I thought were impossible to control was calmed in an instant?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous the way he is handling the bellows. That young man¡¯s hands... Yes, it¡¯s like he has spent his whole life doing this.¡¯


    ¡®Who is that person? Standing in front of the heat that could melt the skin, he doesn¡¯t shrink back and calmly handled the bellows? His skin didn¡¯t even turn red?¡¯


    Kurururung!


    A loud sound was heard from the White Hammer smithy. It was the sound generated by the rise in temperature of the mes in the furnace.


    ¡°G-Great. But isn¡¯t the temperature too high? Won¡¯t you be turned into ashes before he can put the iron in?¡±


    Grid exined to the cautious White.


    ¡°It might be dangerous, but this is a necessary process. The white phosphorus wood that is cut is merely hard. It doesn¡¯t produce mes.¡±


    However, the fire attribute in it was still alive. The white phosphorus wood was material that was activated when stimted by high temperatures. This was the knowledge of a legendary cksmith that Grid obtained from the system correct effect.


    Hwaruruk!


    The mes in the furnace emitted a high temperature that made it impossible to stay close to. White and the other White Hammer cksmiths took one or two steps back, while Grid stepped forward. Then he put the prepared white phosphorus wood into the furnace and elerated his usage of the bellows.


    Puok!Puok!Puok!


    The unstoppable air steadily raised the temperature of the st furnace.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible!¡¯


    The cksmiths of the Blue mes smithy started to deny reality. From their point of view, Grid wasn¡¯t a human. He seemed like a great demon surrounded by the mes of hell. In particr, Enoch started to fear Grid.


    ¡°Sess.¡±


    Grid stopped the bellows and pulled the white phosphorus wood out of the furnace. The white phosphorus wood was much whiter than before. It showed off a beautiful white light. Grid grabbed it with the tongs and ced it on the anvil. Then he pulled out a hammer that only Pagma¡¯s Descendant could use.


    Peeeeeong!


    The moment that Grid¡¯s hammer struck.


    ¡°Hat!¡±


    The chiefs of the ck Anvil and Red Tongs smithy took a breath. Grid¡¯s forging quality. It was better than his handling of the bellows that they saw a while ago!


    ¡¯That young man...!¡¯


    ¡®Perfect!¡¯


    He was far better than Dawhite in his prime. It was enough to make them think about the legendary cksmith that they¡¯d only heard about.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid continued the forging. He hammered at the white phosphorus wood that was as hard as dragon iron and gradually changed its shape. A notification window popped up in front of the sweating Grid.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]


    Usually, the effect would be very wee. But now Grid was entering a stage where nothing mattered. He was only dedicated to making the Red Phoenix Bow. He added the minotaur horn that he used all the time when making bows for Jishuka. This added sticity and helped bend the wood into the shape of the bow. It looked exactly like the Red Phoenix Bow design that White saw.


    ¡®In the first ce, this is the most developed form of the bow.¡¯


    The bow took shape under Grid¡¯s busy fingertips.


    ¡®Okay. This is really good.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s satisfaction and confidence rose.


    ¡®In the worst case situation.¡¯


    It was no problem if the Red Phoenix Bow waspleted with an epic rating. He could use Item Upgrade to make it the unique rating and safely clear the quest. There was a limited number of times he could use Item Upgrade, just like the creation skill, but Grid judged that this quest was worth the investment.


    ¡®I have to raise my affinity with White and Han Seokbong.¡¯


    The reason was simple. Han Seokbong would be aware of the information of the other four guardians battle gear, which was in the same category as the Red Phoenix Bow. That¡¯s right. Grid nned to acquire the method to make all of them while he was on the East Continent. Grid judged that the value of the four guardians items would beparable to divine items. If he could mass produce them, Grid¡¯s army would be invincible.


    Meanwhile, Enoch¡¯s body was shaking in the distance.


    ¡°How? How does that neer have these skills?¡±


    The ck-haired man in front of him was better than Dawhite. Enoch didn¡¯t want to acknowledge Grid¡¯s skills, but it was impossible. As a cksmith, he felt infinite respect for Grid¡¯s skills. It was an instinct that couldn¡¯t be resisted. Then...


    [The Red Phoenix Bow has beenpleted!]


    7 hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds since the start of thepetition. Grid finally stopped! The pure white bow with a fluid curve was beautiful enough to capture the attention of everyone present.


    ¡°Red Phoenix...Bow!¡±


    The lord. The lord who had been keeping an eye on Grid throughout thepetition rose to his feet. He felt the energy of the Red Phoenix from the bow made by Grid.

 Chapter 534

    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid cheered the moment that the Red Phoenix Bow waspleted. He didn¡¯t care about his dignity and honestly expressed his joy.


    ¡°Asa! Yes! A jackpot!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    He was as happy as a mating dog? White was confused. Grid had a dignified atmosphere when he was carefully making the item for eight hours. White couldn¡¯t believe the man had transformed like this.


    ¡®Can a person change 180 degrees? Did he identally hurt his head while hammering?¡¯


    It was a silly question. The Grid who tried his best and the honestly happy Grid were all the true Grid. Grid was happy because the result was good. The result of making the item!


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +10 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +500.]


    [There is a beneficial effect from producing the highest quality. The good luck stat has increased by 5.]


    It was the moment when another legendary item was made, following the white phosphorus axe. Grid had never experienced such good luck. He looked at the 31 points in the good luck stat and his eyes reddened.


    ¡®I once again overcame my bad luck!¡¯


    To be honest, the process of eating Idan¡¯s food was very rough and the God¡¯s Command passive didn¡¯t work well, so Grid had been having a hard time. But then he obtained the golden walnuts for free and made legendary items, bncing out the bad luck with good luck. It felt like the work he was doing was getting better and better.


    ¡®Is it thanks to the good luck stat?¡¯


    There was no other exnation. Grid was thrilled by his good luck when the notification window updated.


    [Thepleted item¡¯s rating is too high. Item Upgrade isn¡¯t applicable.]


    Item Upgrade. It was the new skill Grid got from making the 20th legendary item. There were many constraints, but it was a powerful insurance for Grid.


    [Item Upgrade]


    * Your can increase the rating of your own item by one step.


    * Can¡¯t be used for items that are older than 5 minutes.


    * An item can only be upgraded once.


    * The amount of times it was possible to use Item Upgrade increases by three every time the skill level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill increases.


    Number of avable uses: 24/24


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    In any case, it was very regrettable that this skill could only be used on items less than 5 minutes old.


    ¡®It would be a huge bonus if I could use it on an existing item.¡¯


    What if he could use it to raise the level of the God Hands? As soon as the rating of the God Hands changed to a legendary rating, Grid¡¯s attack power would skyrocket.


    ¡®Should I melt them and recreate them?¡¯


    He could melt the God Hands to extract the ingredients and recreate it. The God Hands had a chance to be made into a legendary rating. Even if it was finished with a unique rating, he could use Item Upgrade to get a legendary rating. But it wasn¡¯t easy to try again.


    ¡®In any case, the God Hands are a growth-type item.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t be too nervous. It was much more prudent to raise them like he was currently doing. There was a limit to the number of times Item Upgrade could be used, so he might regret it in the future.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    Grid was filled with disappointment at something else.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to upgrade a legendary item to a higher rating.¡¯


    The Red Phoenix Bow was finished with a legendary rating. Grid had hoped he could upgrade the Red Phoenix Bow to a myth rating. However, Item Upgrade was limited to a legendary rating.


    ¡®No, maybe it isn¡¯t the skill, but a limit of the Red Phoenix Bow.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the Red Phoenix Bow itself wasn¡¯t qualified to be upgraded to a myth rating.


    ¡®I thought the four guardians battle gear would be on the same level as the Reba Church¡¯s divine artifacts, but it might be lower.¡¯


    Grid was locked in his thoughts.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±


    Then the crowd cheered as the host announced the end of thepetition. Finally, the details of the Red Phoenix Bow was confirmed.


    [Red Phoenix Bow (Reproduction)]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 901/901 Attack Power: 2,360


    * 60% increase in firing speed.


    * uracy will increase by 20%.


    * Contains prative damage that ignores the defense of the target¡¯s armor.


    * Every time an arrow is shot or every time the bow is raised, mes will be generated. The mes will deal a fixed 4,000 damage to the enemy and cause a ¡®burned¡¯ state.


    * The skill ¡®Fly Up!¡¯ will be generated.


    The Red Phoenix Bow interpreted by the legendary cksmith Grid, whose techniques are blossoming.


    It is made of the sturdy white phosphorus tree, but the addition of the minotaur horn and tendons has added sticity. It can shoot further, stronger, and faster, and also has a strong fire power. It has the ideal shape of a bow, so the performance is far superior to the original Red Phoenix Bow.


    However, the disadvantage is that it is very difficult to use. In addition, because the power of the Red Phoenix guardian is excluded, the overall ability is lower than the original Red Phoenix Bow.


    * This is a bow worthy of the power of the Red Phoenix guardian.


    Conditions of Use: Master level Advanced Bow Mastery


    Weight: 1,200


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Typical ranged weapons andrge weapons tended to rely on random damage. Unlike a one-handed sword with excellent stability, the attack power was applied as ???~???. The maximum attack power was high while the minimum attack power was low. It was possible to deal a huge amount of damage to the enemy if they were lucky. However, if they were unlucky, then less damage would be dealt.


    This wasn¡¯t a good system for someone with bad luck like Grid. Ordinary people tended to recognize the concept of random damage as drawing out the potential of ranged andrge weapons, but Grid was afraid of it. Even so, he kept the greatsword as his main weapon.


    But the damage of the Red Phoenix Bow was fixed like a one-handed sword. It was even higher! This bow was rare.


    ¡®In addition to that, there¡¯spensation for highs speed and high uracy rate.¡¯


    The arrows shot also had a powerful fire damage. The Red Phoenix Bow contained all the things that Grid thought was ideal for a perfect weapon.


    ¡®More than anything else.¡¯


    It was much better than the original Red Phoenix Bow. It was a bow that desired the power of the Red Phoenix guardian. If Grid¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow was given the power of the Red Phoenix, it would boast a power that far transcended the original.


    ¡®This means the original four guardians battle gear is equivalent to the Reba Church¡¯s divine artifacts.¡¯


    The Red Phoenix Bow was a legendary rating even before the power of the Red Phoenix. The Red Phoenix Bow might grow to the myth rating if it received the energy of the Red Phoenix.


    ¡®But how do I get the energy of the Red Phoenix?¡¯


    Grid tilted his head to one side and grinned. He realized there was no need to worry about it.


    ¡°Red Phoenix...! Red Phoenix...Bow!¡±


    A man jumped onto the stage. The lord of Pangea, Han Seokbong. He ignored all the bows made by the cksmiths of the Blue mes, ck Anvil, and Red Tongs smithy. He headed straight towards Grid.


    "You are... No, who are you?¡±


    There was a strong liking in Han Seokbong¡¯s eyes as he looked at Grid. The quest was cleared. In order words, Grid was convinced he won thepetition and answered politely.


    ¡°A cksmith passing by. I stopped by here in Pangea and was impressed by White. I decided to help him for a moment.¡±


    Grid thought carefully about how to answer to increase affinity with both Han Seokbong and White. The effect was big.


    ¡°Ohh...! White¡¯s skills brought such a distinguished person to Pangea!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The moment that Han Seokbong and White were feeling overjoyed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t admit it!¡± Enoch, who was proud after building up a big friendship with Han Seokbong after winningst year¡¯spetition, refused it. "Strictly speaking, this person isn¡¯t a cksmith of the White Hammer smithy! Therefore, thispetition should be void!¡±


    Enoch protested to the end. Grid and White bristled but there was no need to worry.


    "My only desire was the restoration of the Red Phoenix Bow, and he has achieved it! In addition, this result was possible due to White¡¯s skills and virtue. There¡¯s no denying that the White Hammer smithy won!¡±


    Lord Han Seokbong directly defended the White Hammer smithy. Enoch was forced to close his mouth while Grid and White sighed with relief. At the same time.


    [The quest ¡®Win the Smithy Competition!¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [The affinity with White, the master of the White Hammer smithy, has reached the maximum! White will never cause you any trouble!]


    [In the future, all items at the White Hammer smithy are avable for purchase at cost price!]


    [If you sell items at the White Hammer smithy, you can sell them at 20% higher than the market price!]


    [All facilities in the White Hammer smithy will be freely avable!]


    [Due to the effect of the cksmith¡¯s Affection skill, White¡¯s cksmithing skill level has risen by 3!]


    [White¡¯s cksmithing skill has reached advanced level 8.]


    [The affinity with Pangea¡¯s lord, Han Seokbong, has increased by 80! Unless you make a big mistake, Han Seokbong will infinitely favor you!]


    [You have gained ess to Pangea Castle¡¯s dungeon!]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Follow Han Seokbong. You can get a reward.]


    "Can I ask for the name of this distinguished person?¡±


    If Han Seokbong couldn¡¯t restore the lost Red Phoenix Bow, both him and the Cho Kingdom would¡¯ve been in danger. Han Seokbong recognized Grid as the benefactor of the kingdom and Grid needed to maintain a good rtionship with him, so Grid answered politely.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    At this moment. A great name spread throughout the Cho Kingdom. Han Seokbong repeated Grid¡¯s name several times before saying,


    "Well, let¡¯s go to my castle first. Ah, please hand over the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    "?????"


    Curses almost emerged from his mouth. Grid felt like he had been hit in the back of his head.

 Chapter 535

    ¡®This is... Isn¡¯t it outrageous?¡¯


    This was the Red Phoenix Bow that he made using his best effort. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill was used, and it contained the essence of Grid¡¯s effort and skill...


    ¡®I have to give it away?¡¯


    Grid doubted his ears and Han Seokbong demanded again.


    ¡°The restored Red Phoenix Bow will allow me to manage Pangea for the rest of my life. Now, please.¡±


    "No, this is... Ah!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face turned red as he suddenly realized. Restoration! The word meant to recover something. The Red Phoenix Bow was the national treasure and Pangea wanted to restore it because it was lost.


    ¡®Han Seokbong wants the restored Red Phoenix Bow...¡¯


    It was natural. He wanted the Red Phoenix Bow returned to its original ce! Oh, why didn¡¯t Grid think about this earlier?


    ¡®How rotten...¡¯


    Flop!


    Grid grumbled and pulled his hair. He felt wronged. Was it the quest itself? No, he had no suchints about the quest. This was a quest to be friendly with the lord and acquire ess to the castle¡¯s dungeon. It was a quest he would¡¯ve epted, even if he knew that he had to give up on the Red Phoenix Bow.


    In the first ce, the white phosphorus bow that was used for the Red Phoenix Bow was readily avable. It wasn¡¯t too much if he gave the Red Phoenix Bow to another.


    ¡®At least, if it was the epic or unique rating!¡¯


    Then why?


    ¡®Why did a legendary rating appear in this type of quest?¡¯


    In retrospect, this was also the case with the National Competition. He created a growth type item and it was taken away. Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling like it was unfair.


    ¡®Creating a good item, just to hand it to someone else...¡¯


    He had been proud like an idiot the moment that the legendary item was created.


    "My damn luck...¡±


    He was too unlucky. It was undeniable bad luck!


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go."


    Grid was sighing by himself. Han Seokbong personally raised him up. He brought White and Grid and headed to the lord¡¯s castle.


    Waaahhhhhhhh!


    Their great lord was holding the hand of a cksmith? The excited crowd cheered excitedly at the unusual sight.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t even treat me,st year¡¯s winner, like this...¡±


    Blue me¡¯s leader, Enoch, was frustrated. White, who he had ignored so much, had transcended himself in one morning.


    ***


    Pangea Castle.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    On the way to the castle. Grid inwardlyined for an hour and finally shut his mouth. He was captivated by the beauty of Pangea Castle. Pangea Castle reminded him of the castle from the Goryeo period that he saw in the historical dramas.


    ¡®However, it¡¯s much bigger and more colorful.¡¯


    He walked along the marble floor and crossed seven doors. Finally, he arrived at the innermost part of the castle. It was the most secret and important part of the castle where the lord and his family lived. White gulped. He clearly felt nervous. He was different from Grid. As an ordinary cksmith, White never expected to be invited to the innermost pce.


    "That... Lord. I don¡¯t think this is a ce for a lowly cksmith like me to step into.¡±


    It was Grid, not Han Seokbong, who responded to White.


    "Why are you a lowly cksmith?¡±


    ¡°Haha! He¡¯s right! cksmiths are the base of national power! Furthermore, White is the best cksmith in Pangea! It¡¯s only when you treat yourself like dirt that the kingdom will be shaken!¡±


    "...¡±


    White felt like it was a dream. The person who had been ignored and despised by people just this morning was now recognized by the esteemed lord of this kingdom. The cheers of the people at the venue were still roaring in his ears.


    ¡¯My life changed in a moment...¡¯


    All of this.


    ¡®It¡¯s thanks to Grid!¡¯


    White¡¯s eyes shone as he gazed at Grid. It resembled Noe¡¯s eyes when he was hungry. Grid felt burdened.


    ¡®The love of all these uncles...¡¯


    It had been like this since the past. Grid was only loved by uncle or grandfather type NPCs. A prime example was Khan. Grid was a young man in his prime. He wanted to be loved by women more than men.


    ¡®I heard there are a lot of female NPC cksmiths.¡¯


    Why did he only have cksmiths that were old men around him? Even the only elf he met was a male.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡±


    Was this the aftermath of his bad luck? It gave him goosebumps. Grid¡¯s shoulders sank as he felt depressed.


    Han Seokbong led him to one side of the innermost pce. It was a small room with calligraphy written on the wall.


    "Wow, there are others in the world who can write as well as me.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help admiring it. Han Seokbong coughed and removed the ¡®rules¡¯ stuck on the wall with a blush. No, it wasn¡¯t ¡®rules¡¯ but the character for ¡®fire.¡¯ There was a small button hidden in the spot covered by it and once Han Seokbong pressed it, the t wall split to the left and right. Then a stairway leading to the basement was revealed.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go."


    Grid and the frightened White gazed at the dismal looking entrance. Han Seokbong smile benevolently and led them down the stairs.


    After a while.


    ¡°A ce like this is in the basement of the castle...¡±


    It was an underground space illuminated by brilliant jade monuments. It was a small space that gave a warm feeling. The blue moss on the wall shone brilliantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s too small to be a dungeon... What is this ce?¡±


    Han Seokbong answered Grid¡¯s question as he pulled out the Red Phoenix Bow. He stared to exin as he ced the Red Phoenix Bow on the altar present.


    ¡°This ce has good feng shui...¡±


    Omitted.


    ¡¯Waterway? What five elements? What is he saying?¡¯


    It was a long description that Grid couldn¡¯t understand. Grid was feeling confused and all of Han Seokbong¡¯s words entered one ear and out the other.


    "In other words, this is the space where Grid¡¯s great work will stay forever.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yes."


    One thing was clear. HIs legendary Red Phoenix Bow. He would never be able to get it back in his lifetime.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t hard to create a new Red Phoenix Bow because of all the white phosphorus trees on the East Continent, but...¡¯


    Could he create a legendary rated Red Phoenix Bow again? He had no confidence.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Grid trembled and suddenly doubted something. "But Seokbong ... No, Lord Seokbong. You must know that I have only restored the active function of the Red Phoenix Bow, not the aura of the Red Phoenix. Is this really the Red Phoenix Bow? Isn¡¯t it useless?¡±


    Grid was unable to let go of the Red Phoenix Bow. He wanted it back. But Han Seokbong misunderstood.


    "Distinguished person... You are truly a brilliant person.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "I am truly grateful that you restored the Red Phoenix Bow, but you are concerned that you didn¡¯t help me enough?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was embarrassed by Han Seokbong¡¯s interpretation.


    "You are virtuous enough to bepared to the most respectable king of the Cho Kingdom. I feel admiration just looking at you. If it isn¡¯t impolite, I would like to present a title to you.¡±


    ¡®A title!¡¯


    Titles in Satisfy had a mysterious power. They raised certain stats, gave new skills, or new power. The more titles a person had, the better. There was no reason for Grid to refuse.


    ¡°Give it to me! A title!¡±


    Han Seokbong nodded at Grid¡¯s joyful shout. "You are a gentleman of virtue. Inmemoration of Pangea, I will call you Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.¡±


    "Pangea¡¯s Duke...of Virtue.¡±


    He had a very bad feeling. Braham¡¯s voice rang in the mind of the disappointed Grid.


    ¡¯Just as some of the direct vampires have the title of the wise duke, human beings also have the title of ¡®duke.¡¯ Sword Saint Muller had the title of ¡®Duke of Pressure¡¯ and cksmith Pagma had the title of ¡®Duke of Fire.¡¯ The title of a duke is a symbol of legends and gives great power to legends. In fact, after getting the title of Duke of Fire, Pagma was able to bring out mes with his hammering and swordsmanship.¡¯


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Grid¡¯s disappointment disappeared. He was filled with new anticipation as he asked Braham.


    ¡¯Then what ability will I get as a virtuous person?¡¯


    At the same time.


    [The title Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue has been acquired!]


    [The passive skill ¡®Iplete Virtue of Mercy¡¯ has been created!]


    [Iplete Virtue of Mercy]


    Category: Passive


    When hunting monsters, there is a chance that you will show mercy and not take their lives.


    ¡°Ah, XX.¡±


    In the end. Grid couldn¡¯t resist inwardly cursing. Braham consoled him.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be an idiot. A duke title wouldn¡¯t be terrible. Don¡¯t be too concerned. The original duke titles aren¡¯t for a single person, but lots of people. You might get new titlester. Well, even if you have a lousy title for the rest of your life, it won¡¯t be a big problem if I take care of you.¡¯


    "Ah, I don¡¯t know. If this keeps happening I might fold the game.¡±


    At this time, Grid couldn¡¯t imagine. The power of the virtuous title!


    ***


    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters. Lim Cheolho was doing his work when he heard a report from the supeputer Morpheus.


    [A duke title was acquired.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lim Cheolho was startled. A duke title was a symbolic power that could only be given to yers who seeded a legend or would grow to be a legend. It was very difficult to get because it was very powerful. The person had to build up myriad achievements and gain full recognition from the residents of Satisfy.


    "Morpheus? Didn¡¯t you say that these titles would only emerge in 1 year and 8 months?¡±


    [It is one of the 5 miracle yers. Grid once again broke my predictions.]


    ¡°Grid...! Haha! This time as well?¡±


    Lim Cheolho had a great liking for Grid. A poor person grew steadily in the game that he made, so he felt happy watching Grid. Lim Cheolho asked with expectations.


    ¡°What new idea did he have to break your prediction this time?¡±


    [It wasn¡¯t a new idea. As always, he gave off a great impression by respecting and saving NPCs. Once this repetitive action reached the 79th time, the title was opened.]


    ¡°Um... That¡¯s Grid¡¯s specialty.¡±


    Grid was an expert at gaining the favor of NPCs. It wasn¡¯t always intended and sometimes it was caused by a misunderstanding. Lim Cheolho and Morpheus obviously didn¡¯t know that.


    "Then what title did he obtain?¡±


    [Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.]


    "Pangea¡¯s...Duke of Virtue?¡±


    The distinguishing word (Pangea) in front of it meant that Grid hadn¡¯t yet be purely virtuous. Well, it was no wonder. It was too early for a perfect title to emerge. Lim Cheolho was embarrassed that the title Grid obtained was Duke of Virtue.


    ¡°Virtue... It doesn¡¯t really fit with a cksmith?¡±


    It was a title designed to match the legends of other fields.


    "No, why didn¡¯t he get the Duke of Fire... Oh my, this is going to cause another uproar.¡±


    He could see that Grid was going insane. Lim Cheolho clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Why did you have to treat NPCs so well every time...?¡±


    This was the result of Grid¡¯s good heart. Lim Cheolho felt both sorry and delighted for Grid.

 Chapter 536

    Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.


    ¡®If someone doesn¡¯t know about the title, they would think that¡¯s Pan Deokin!¡¯ (In Korean: it is three characters, like a Korean name.)


    It wasn¡¯t a problem to be misunderstood. The name Pan Deokin fit Grid¡¯s taste. It wasn¡¯t bad or good. The problem was the effect of the title.


    ¡®There is a chance to spare monsters when hunting?¡¯


    Then what about the experience? The money? The items!


    ¡®In particr, what if I¡¯m hunting a boss?¡¯


    What if he poured dozens of minutes or a few hours into the raid and the moment he was about to seed...


    [The effect of the title Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue has been activated!]


    What if that notification window appeared?


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    He felt horrible just imagining it. His stomach was cramping. That¡¯s right. Grid epted the effect of the Pangea¡¯s Person of Virtue title at face value. He didn¡¯t guess things like saving a monster would build up a favorable rtionship with it or perhaps give him a tamer ss skill. It was natural from Grid¡¯s position.


    Why? Grid was already an all-rounder. He was a cksmith, swordsman, magician, and skeleton summoner. It was hard to imagine that he would get a new ss from this. He didn¡¯t want it in the first ce.


    ¡°Ah, shi...¡±


    He handed over the Red Phoenix Bow and got an affinity score of 80. He was expecting a reward other than this garbage! Grid was feeling frustration from the title when Han Seokbong handed him a bead. It was a red bead. Yes, it was a beautiful red bead like Braham¡¯s eyes. At first, Grid thought it was a round ruby, but then he made a sound of surprise.


    "mes?¡±


    The translucent red bead. A small me was burning inside it. It was a small size, like the mes of a match, but the momentum from it seemed great. It was as if life was burning inside it. Grid examined it and asked, ¡°A torch?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A yer in this ce would appreciate Grid¡¯s impression. But NPCs didn¡¯t know what a torch was.


    ¡°What is a torch?¡±


    White and Han Seokbong cocked their heads. Grid ignored the question.


    ¡°Then this torch... No, what is this bead?¡±


    "The fire in the bead...¡±


    White thought of a name when he saw that beautiful bead.


    ¡®It¡¯s like the picture...¡¯


    Then Han Seokbong exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath.¡±


    ¡°Breath?¡±


    "Yes, it is the breath that drops when the four divine guardians pass by to bless those who ascend to be a daoist immortal.¡±


    ¡¯Divine guardians... Daoist immortal.¡¯


    It was a key setting for the East Continent. The Hwan Kingdom, national treasures, yangban, divine guardians. It was clearly greatly influenced by Korean and Chinese culture.


    ¡®Then there will definitely be areas influenced by Japanese culture.¡¯


    Peak Sword would surely be angry if he was there. He would probably question while the Korean S.A. Group was spreading other cultures around the world.


    Grid smiled as he thought about the friend he hadn¡¯t seen for a while. A notification window appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [You have obtained the ¡®Red Phoenix Breath¡¯ as a reward for the quest ¡®Win the Smithy Competition!¡¯]


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    Ttiring~


    [Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath]


    A blessing of the Red Phoenix.


    It will increase fire resistance by 30%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the Red Phoenix.


    However, it can also be attached to items with a strong fire attribute.


    Weight: 2


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    It turned out that the title of Pangea¡¯s Person of Virtue wasn¡¯t the only reward. This was the truepensation for the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡°If you use this, it will be the real Red Phoenix Bow?¡±


    Han Seokbong nodded at Grid¡¯s question.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s the energy of fire that won¡¯t die forever. There is no stronger fire energy.¡±


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    It was truly amazing. He couldn¡¯t imagine how powerful it would be when harmonized with the white phosphorus tree.


    ¡®This is a reward worthy of making a legendary rated item!¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it possible to upgrade the Red Phoenix Bow to a myth rating if hebined with with the Red Phoenix Breath? Grid was delighted and a smile appeared on Han Seokbong¡¯s face. Pangea had a total of three Red Phoenix Breaths. One of them belonged to the original Red Phoenix Bow that was stolen, so there were only two left. It wasn¡¯t something that should be given to Grid. If the Red Phoenix Bow was ever lost again, it might not be able to be restored.


    However, Han Seokbong was a man who knew how to repay favors. The Red Phoenix Bow that Grid made was more valuable than the original, so it was right to reward him with the most precious thing.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to repeat the same mistakes.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t allow the Red Phoenix Bow to be lost again.


    Grid asked Han Seokbong, ¡°By the way, where is the castle¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Han Seokbongughed at the question.


    "You can enter it through a well in the west of the castle.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Armored needles! Silver thread! A new hunting ground. Grid¡¯s fantasy about the dungeon that only a specific number of people could enter was too big. He was so excited that he wanted to jump forward, but Han Seokbong stopped him.


    "It¡¯s true that you have the right to enter the castle¡¯s dungeon. However, you can¡¯t arbitrarily ess the dungeon as before.¡±


    "Eh? I have ess rights, but I can¡¯t freely ess it?¡±


    ¡°This is for your safety. You can enter if you have aplete guard escort.¡±


    "Guards?¡±


    Han Seokbong looked at White with a bitter expression.


    ¡°Years ago, our Pangea suffered a terrible incident and lost a great cksmith. Dawhite... He was Boss White¡¯s father.¡±


    Dawhite won the championship and gained entrance to the castle¡¯s dungeon. He was murdered by an armored needle. Then the lord realized. The lord couldn¡¯tpletely protect the weak.


    ¡°Anyone who enters the castle¡¯s dungeon must be fully equipped to protect themselves. You can only enter the dungeon if you have a minimum of six silver or gold ss mercenaries to escort you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercenaries meant those who moved only for money. But Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, not an ordinary cksmith. Since he was powerful, he didn¡¯t want to spend money on hiring mercenaries. There was no reason to do so.


    "I have enough strength to protect my body.¡±


    "Everyone says that.¡±


    "No, I¡¯m serious.¡±


    "Hrmm..."


    Han Seokbong looked Grid up and down. Grid was wearing worn-out clothing. He might give off an unknown dignity, but he seemed vulnerable when it came to defense.


    "In your current state, you will die if you are just scratched by the armored needle or silver thread.¡±


    ¡°Then what about this?¡±


    Clink!


    Clink clink!


    As always, Grid was dressed in beginners¡¯ clothing. Now he pulled out the Triple Layers from his inventory. His body was armed in an instant and Han Seokbong and White¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®A cksmith can wear such heavy armor?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, a person of distinction... He has the strength and stamina of the greatest cksmith.¡¯


    Due to the nature of the job, strength and stamina were important for cksmithing. A top cksmith might have as much strength and stamina as a knight. It wasn¡¯t unrealistic for Grid to wear such heavy armor. Yes, he was convinced at this point. But it was still dangerous for Grid.


    ¡°Just because you can wear armor with your high strength and stamina, you don¡¯t have the skills to deal with it. You can¡¯t bring out the ability of the armor even if you¡¯re wearing it.¡±


    The absence of heavy armor mastery. In other words, the penalty was being pointed out. Those who wore heavy armor without a mastery couldn¡¯t even apply half the power of the armor. Grid spoke to the concerned Han Seokbong with a confident expression.


    ¡°I will be fine.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was technically ssified as a nonbat profession. The passive effect of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was simr to that of Sword Mastery, but he didn¡¯t have any armor mastery skills. It was a fatal drawback. However, he didn¡¯t get penalized when wearing items. In other words, Grid couldn¡¯t bring out 101% of the armour effect, but he could bring out 100%.


    ¡®Most of the other people were too confident and took risks. That is the nature of distinguished people.¡¯


    Han Seokbong bitterly thought that Grid and Dawhite before he died were simr. He pulled out a trump card.


    ¡°Then prove it.¡±


    "Prove?¡±


    "Yes, there¡¯s a gatekeeper to the entrance of the dungeon. He has an attack power simr to the armored needle. Try to endure one of his blows.¡±


    Of course, he would instruct the gatekeeper to adjust his power. If the gatekeeper used his real force, then Grid would die.


    ¡®I willmand him to use 30% of his power... That¡¯s enough to not kill him.¡¯


    Grid would just faint for a few days. Han Seokbong had this thought and guided Grid and White to the entrance of the castle¡¯s dungeon.


    White¡¯splexion was dark as he followed. Like Grid, White was in a position to ess the dungeon.


    ¡®I want to get revenge on my father and earn some silver thread...¡¯


    But it was impossible for him to even enter! He felt ashamed.


    Grid ced a hand on White¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The mass production Grid set... It¡¯s a good armor that you can wear with your level and strength. How about it? Do you want to borrow it?¡±


    ¡°Hah. C-Can I really?¡±


    White trusted Gridpletely. Grid smiled without any doubts.


    ¡°The hourly rental fee is 500 gold. Call?¡±


    In fact, Grid wanted to charge a separate price. However, it was hard to behave so cruelly to White.


    ¡°I will offer up everything I own if I can get past the gatekeeper¡¯s trial.¡±


    The deal was established. The satisfied Grid opened his inventory. Then he pulled out a mass production Grid set ced in a corner of the inventory. It was a Grid set with a unique rating that had been enhanced to +7. It was the one worn by Reidan¡¯s young knight, Royman.


    ¡®That woman... Is she growing well?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t talking about her breasts. He was referring to her skills as a knight. Royman was a talent picked and trained by Piaro. Grid¡¯s expectations for her were high.


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived."


    A few minutes after Grid and White concluded the deal. The party finally reached the well in the west of the castle. It was the entrance to the dungeon. A two meter tall man stood beside it as a guard.


    ¡°The experience of being hit by this man who can crush rocks into powder. Do you have to go through it?¡±


    Han Seokbong asked Grid onest time.


    ¡°Hit me. I will be okay.¡±


    Ah, by the way.


    "White, you might get hurt. This gatekeeper isn¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    White was pale, but believed in the armor that Grid lent him. On the other hand, a person was watching them with an unpleasant face. It was the daughter of Han Seokbong, a knight belonging to the castle dungeon exploration team.

 Chapter 537

    Rare treasures, herbs, and various battle gear could be obtained from the dungeon underneath Pangea¡¯s castle. In particr, people coveted the silver thread produced by the armored needles and called Pangea¡¯s dungeon a treasure house. It was and of opportunity that everyone wanted ess to.


    Pangea¡¯s knights and soldiers were exasperated by this. The castle¡¯s dungeon was a treasure house? And of opportunity? It was all crazy talk. The castle¡¯s dungeon was hell. It was the worst ce on this earth that was filled with powerful and atrocious monsters.


    Today, and tomorrow as well. The knights and soldiers had to go on expeditions to stop the monsters in the dungeon from looking for trouble in Pangea. They risked their lives, and now those seeking riches demanded entrance to the dungeon. A volunteer with nobat skills was just a burden on them. For example, these cksmiths.


    ¡®These cksmiths have no shame.¡¯


    Grid and White arrived with Han Seokbong. The cksmiths who won this year¡¯spetition were enemies in the eyes of the knights. They hated the cksmiths foring with such a light heart, while they shed blood in the dungeon. In this cold atmosphere, Han Seokbong¡¯s daughter Sua came forward.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    "Oh, Sua.¡±


    Sua was a beautiful woman who could be called the first beauty of the kingdom. Moreover, she was gentle, intelligent, and excellent at martial arts. Han Seokbong always boasted about her achievements. She was the captain of the dungeon exploration team, the Red Phoenix Group.


    She looked like an actress in a historical drama with her ck hair tied up with a hairpin and her luxurious clothing.


    ¡®Pretty.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t help admiring Sua. It was very rare.


    Who was Grid? He was the husband of Irene and surrounded by the most beautiful women in the world, Jishuka and Yua. He even had a pretty little sister. In other words, Grid was very familiar with beauty. He was a man who didn¡¯t feel inspired when seeing beauty.


    But he was overwhelmed the moment he saw Sua. The thick lips and ring eyes captivated Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡®There is something mysterious...¡¯


    Was it because they were both Asians? Gridpared Sua to Yura, not Jishuka and Irene. Due to her overwhelming beauty, Yura made the surrounding scenery ck and white. If she was a blooming flower, Sua was the moonlight. She gave off a cool feeling that made him feel a strange lust. Was it the curves of her white neck?


    He couldn¡¯t deny it, but there was something irritating him. There was a sense of disturbance despite her elegance.


    ¡®Maybe...¡¯


    Grid realized something. Sua was a simr age to Grid. She was more mature than Yura, who was a few years younger.


    ¡®Won¡¯t Yura change once she matures over the next few years?¡¯


    Although her chest was unknown.


    ¡®It will be sad if she gets medical help.¡¯


    Grid was interrupted while thinking useless thoughts.


    ¡°Is the expedition prepared?¡±


    "Yes, we do this every day.¡±


    "I was told by Captain Horang that the speed that the monsters are expanding their area is bing faster... I am very worried about how long the Red Phoenix Group can endure.¡±


    ¡°We all know that it¡¯s over for Pangea if we fall. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re managing the schedule and taking care of our physical state.¡±


    Han Seokbong and Sua were talking about a heavy matter. Based on the contents of the conversation, the monsters in the dungeon were constantly expanding their area and bing a threat to Pangea.


    ¡®They can¡¯t ask for help because of the monstermunity in the north.¡¯


    Then he had a question.


    ¡®What are the yangbans doing?¡¯


    They were people were powers that he estimated to be equivalent to legends. In addition, the Hwan Kingdom they belonged to were affiliated with the Cho Kingdom. It was said that Pangea¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow was given to them by the Hwan Kingdom. Based on this, it was interpreted that the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom would help out Pangea.


    ¡®It would be easy for the yangbans to solve the monstermunity in the north or the problem of the castle¡¯s dungeon.¡¯


    Then why did the yangbans leave Pangea alone?


    ¡¯Well, it¡¯s good for me.¡¯


    He could obtain this excellent hunting ground. A huge grin emerged on Grid¡¯s face. He avoided Sua¡¯s eyes. It was because his face would redden whenever he met her eyes. After the disappointment of his first love, Grid became very conscious of the opposite sex.


    "Hmm hmm, I want to enter the castle¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Rather than Han Seokbong, Sua was the one who responded to Grid¡¯s words.


    "Can I ask why you would like to enter the castle¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Sua gave an oddly bewitching smile. Grid blushed the moment he met her eyes and tried to calmly reply.


    ¡°I want to get the silver thread.¡±


    "Do you know how to obtain the silver thread? Oh, I was impolite. I¡¯m Han Sua, and I¡¯m the captain of the Red Phoenix Group that is in charge of the dungeon exploration. Please forgive me for thete introduction.¡±


    Sua bowed slightly and reached out to shake Grid¡¯s hand. But Grid couldn¡¯t hold her hand. His ears were red and he avoided looking at her. At this moment, Sua¡¯s ck eyes shone strangely.


    ¡®This man...¡¯


    It was obvious that he was someone who didn¡¯t have experience with women. Sua thought he was funny. But that was it. She had no private interest.


    "I¡¯ve already heard that you have seeded in restoring the Red Phoenix Bow. Congrattions. I represent the people of Pangea and will pay back this grace. For example, giving you the silver thread as a gift.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he heard he would be given the silver thread as a gift. It was a gift with tremendous value. But the two men had made up their minds.


    "No, I will get the silver thread directly.¡±


    Grid wanted to experience a new dungeon that would give him experience and raise his level. In addition, he wanted to help White get revenge for his father¡¯s death by killing the armored needles. The two men were burning with fighting spirit.


    ¡°The only way to get the silver thread is to hunt down the armored needles. But the armored needles are very strong. There are countless people who have lost their lives to this monster. One of them was Dawhite.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "It is impossible for you to hunt an armored needle when you aren¡¯t a warrior. It¡¯s dangerous even if you go with our expedition. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t allow you ess to the dungeon.¡±


    "Didn¡¯t the lord say I can enter if I resist one attack from the gatekeeper?¡±


    Sua¡¯s expression changed at Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡°The gatekeeper isn¡¯t an ordinary person, but a member of the Ung n. He hasn¡¯t learned martial arts, but his natural abilities surpass the imagination. Do you think you can endure the attack of the gatekeeper that is as powerful as the armored needle? Don¡¯t hurt yourself and give up.¡±


    ¡®Ung n?¡¯


    The gatekeeper standing by the well. He was over 2 meters tall and had arge belly. However, he wasn¡¯t obese. It was just that his species wasrger than others.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯


    Grid shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can withstand it.¡±


    Grid tried to be as calm as possible. However, he was still ufortable and couldn¡¯t meet Sua¡¯s eyes. He was extremely conscious of Sua.


    Sua scoffed at Grid. ¡®The pride of an immature man is useless.¡¯


    This futile pride could drive a person to their limits.


    ¡®He can¡¯t imagine it.¡¯


    Han Seokbong sighed and whispered to Sua.


    ¡°This is Pangea¡¯s savior. Can¡¯t you do it this once since your father is asking?¡±


    "I am refusing because he¡¯s our savior. What if his body gets hurt?¡±


    "But look at the armor that he¡¯s wearing. Doesn¡¯t it seem durable? He might not be able to use the armor properly, but at least survival is guaranteed. In addition, tell Ung to use only 30% of his power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Certainly, the armor looked really durable. It was armor made by stacking many iron tes sculpted to look like dragon scales. It was a beautiful masterpiece.


    "10% is enough. Otherwise he might be unconscious for a few days.¡±


    "Yes, you thought well. We will let him know not to be too greedy.¡±


    Nod.


    Sua led Grid and White towards the gatekeeper. Gatekeeper Ung. He didn¡¯t care about the lording with precious guests. He was yawning while looking at the distant mountain.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sua whispered to Ung, who was scratching his head and looking confused.


    ¡°Hit one of them. Use 10% of your strength.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Ung snorted like a bull and moved his huge arms. At that moment.


    "Prepare to move them to the infirmary.¡±


    Suamanded the members of the Red Phoenix Group.


    Peeeeeong!


    Ung¡¯s fist mmed into Grid¡¯s belly. There was a sound wave as the sound of something hitting metal was heard.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Sua was stunned. Ung seemed to have used at least 50% of his strength.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Han Seokbong paled. The person who restored the Red Phoenix Bow was going to be killed in front of him because he made a mistake.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss?¡±


    It happened when the Red Phoenix members were making troubled expressions.


    Shake shake.


    The fist stuck in Grid¡¯s belly started shaking.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Han Seokbong, Sua, and the Red Phoenix members were shocked.


    ¡®Why...¡¯


    ¡¯Ung is making a pained expression?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The big face of Ung was distorting. It turned red and sweat dripped down. On the other hand, Grid was fine. His expression was calm.


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    ¡®This can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Han Seokbong and Sua were amazed. They were expecting his intestines to be ruptured and his bones smashed, but Grid was fine? How solid was his armor? Someone muttered while Han Seokbong and Sua were speechless.


    ¡°If he has this much defense, he will be able to save his life when attacked by an armored needle.¡±


    Grid was permitted ess to the castle¡¯s dungeon. But Grid looked troubled. Why?


    [You have suffered severe damage.]


    [Triple Layers has reduced the physical damage by 30%.]


    [You have suffered 2,303 damage.]


    Ung¡¯s swinging fist was judged not to be a cut or a stab. It was considerable damage when taking into ount that Triple Layers¡¯ 50% damage reduction wasn¡¯t activated. But this was only 10% of Ung¡¯s power. The attack of the armored needle would be several times more painful.


    ¡®Armored needle... They are much stronger than I expected.¡¯


    They seemed more like boss monsters than ordinary monsters. If they appeared inrge quantities, he would have to stop their attacks as much as possible.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to operate the God Hands in the narrow dungeon.¡¯


    This was a battlefield where extreme control was needed. Grid became tense. But White was even more nervous. He was extremely shocked when he saw the wound on the man¡¯s hand that struck Grid.


    "That... I¡¯ll give up today.¡±


    White thought that he could pay back his father¡¯s enemies in another way. He was a wise man.

 Chapter 538

    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Based on Ung¡¯s fist, the monsters were a lot more powerful than Grid expected. He had no confidence that White could survive. White¡¯s deration that he would step down was very much in line with Grid¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡®At least he isn¡¯t a disruptive character.¡¯


    White was a middle-aged ck man. Grid seriously liked him. He was looking at White with satisfaction when Sua approached.


    "It¡¯s great that you are fine after being hit by Ung. Did you make this armor yourself?¡±


    Grid was able to withstand the attack for a reason. It was thanks to his stamina stat, not just Triple Layers. Grid had a huge 1,500 points in stamina. Grid¡¯s minimum defense was equivalent to tankers in the mid-200s. But Sua wasn¡¯t aware of this fact.


    From amon sense perspective, it was impossible for Grid to have high stamina when he was a cksmith. Sua thought that Grid¡¯s high defense was only due to his armor.


    "I made the armor."


    Chwaruruk!


    Grid puffed up his chest, highlighting the beautiful appearance of Triple Layers even further. The hundreds of ck scales shone as they moved with Grid¡¯s body, showing a superb art form created by a craftsman.


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t stop you any longer. You¡¯re someone who can ess the dungeon. However, if you want to preserve your body, be prepared to act ording to our instructions.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t pay much attention to the instructions. Sua had been consistently polite from the beginning and her intentions were purely for Grid¡¯s sake. There was no reason for Grid to think badly of Sua.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll end up doing what I want anyway.¡¯


    Sua and the Red Phoenix members might be the elite troops, but they would have to concentrate on the armored needles instead of Grid after entering the dungeon. They wouldn¡¯t have the capacity to control Grid.


    ¡®Still, I won¡¯t cross the line.¡¯


    Considering the background of the East Continent and the strength of the armored needles, the skills of the Red Phoenix Group were probably above the Red Knights that he had met. It wasn¡¯t unusual for them to be fourth advancement sses and to be stronger than Grid. They weren¡¯t good people to be enemies with.


    ¡®It would be fun to observe them one by one with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. I will take any talented people to Reidan.¡¯


    As Grid was feeling greedy, the Red Phoenix team finished their preparations and started to enter the well one by one. They fell down the deep well without any hesitation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sua and Grid were left at the end.


    "Please be careful.¡±


    Sua was worried about Grid getting hurt. Her actions of trying to protect Grid made him smile.


    ¡®Her sense of responsibility is unbelievably strong.¡¯


    He had a good feeling. It wasn¡¯t just because her touch on his arm was tender.


    ***


    [You have entered the dungeon of Pangea¡¯s castle.]


    [The inner wall of the dungeon sucks out light. Using light tools or magic is meaningless.]


    [Your field of view has narrowed.]


    [This is a physical phenomenon. It can¡¯t be resisted.]


    [You can only see within 5 meters of you.]


    ¡¯It¡¯s worse than the vampire¡¯s dungeon.¡¯


    A darkness without any light. It was a darkness that seemed hard to adapt to, no matter how much time passed. Grid felt the need to estimate the size and shape of the dungeon. His fingers reached out to touch the wall and ended up stroking someone¡¯s skin.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Haaack!¡±


    A Red Phoenix member groaned as he was touched by Grid. The bearded man in his 40¡¯s flushed and made a strange sound. It wasn¡¯t good to see. His legs trembled and weakened.


    ¡°Hey Ryu! I know that you have a lot of energy, but there is a time and a ce!¡±


    "Doing something so wretched on the battlefield...¡±


    "At a time like this, when we¡¯re with Captain Sua...¡±


    The Red Phoenix members seriously misunderstood.


    Stagger.


    Ryu felt chagrin as his body barely recovered.


    ¡°I was just walking along! I didn¡¯t do what you imagined!¡±


    ¡°Making that sound just by walking?¡±


    "No, something suddenly caressed my wrist!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Feeling like that just from his wrist being touched? Sua smiled at Ryu¡¯s absurd plea.


    ¡°Your body is very sensitive.¡±


    Ryu was ashamed and couldn¡¯t raise his head, while Sua looked at him with interest. Grid thought it was like a cat with fish ced in front of it.


    ¡®That pervert.¡¯


    Sua probably wasn¡¯t to his taste after all.


    ¡®The mild Irene turns into a beast in the...¡¯


    How much wilder would it be with Sua?


    ¡®I should watch my hands.¡¯


    Since he could only do it once a month, Grid hid his hands behind his back and gulped.


    sh!


    Grid¡¯s higher insight caught something shining in the darkness before anyone else.


    ¡®Thread?¡¯


    The dungeon passage allowed five heavily armed soldiers to walk side by side. The thread spread out like spiderwebs on one of the paths suddenly shone.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... Is that silver thread?¡¯


    The moment Grid felt astonished.


    ¡°An armored needle!¡±


    The Red Phoenix Group discovered it one stepter than Grid and prepared for battle. They pulled the bow and aimed at all the other passages apart from the one blocked by the silver thread.


    Step, step.


    The bows aimed at the passage that footsteps wereing from.


    "It¡¯sing!"


    Pik!


    Pipipipipit!


    The Red Phoenix members attacked in unison. It was quick and urate archery.


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    ¡°Kuwaaaah!¡±


    A scream rang out from the dark passage. It was proof that the arrows of the Red Phoenix members had hit their target.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    Measuring the position of an invisible target using sound and shooting the arrow urately.


    ¡®What is their Bow Mastery level?¡¯


    Grid admired it while Sua handed him a yellow talisman.


    ¡°During the battle, I can¡¯t pay attention to your safety. Please have this talisman.¡±


    [The Protection Talisman has been acquired.]


    [It can invalidate an enemy attack when carried. This effect can only be used once.]


    [After defeating an enemy¡¯s attack, your defense will increase by 20% for two minutes.]


    [The item will disappear after the effect ends.]


    ¡®A one time invincible buff item?¡¯


    It was unfortunate that it would be destroyed, but it had a great effect. In particr, it would be godly in PvP or raids. It would sell for a huge price if it could be traded between yers.


    ¡®The Red Phoenix Group is giving me such a valuable item...¡¯


    Grid felt a great appreciation towards Sua. But he was soon disappointed.


    ¡®It¡¯s an untradable item?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t even move it to his pet inventory. His n to keep it and sell itter was useless.


    ¡®Maybe it will be consumed in this dungeon.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue with regret.


    ¡°Kuwaaah!¡±


    Four armored needles with arrows piercing their bodies finally showed up. They were zombies wearing bamboo hats. Their silver armor was melting down, embedding in the rotten blood vessels of the zombies. Based on this, Grid deduced one fact.


    ¡®The blood of the armored needles are hot enough to melt silver.¡¯


    It was a good idea to avoid their blood when attacking the armored needles.


    ¡®I have to rely on the God Hands for this part.¡¯


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    The Red Phoenix members started to deal with the five armored needles. They actively used swordsmanship, which was even better than the archery skills they showed before. But the armored needles were undead monsters. They couldn¡¯t feel pain and weren¡¯t afraid of wounds. They fought fiercely despite being stabbed by the Red Phoenix members¡¯ swords.


    Peeeeeong!


    The swordsmanship of the armored needlesbined power and speed. They were so fast and powerful that the Red Phoenix members couldn¡¯t avoid the blows. They had to defend, forcing them to take a few steps back every time. Some of them fell down.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    In Grid¡¯s eyes, the armored needles weren¡¯t a match for the Red Phoenix members.


    The Red Phoenix members were really proficient in battle and had high stats. There was surprisingly no fourth advancement ss, but the armored needles were thoroughly marked due to the number superiority. It seemed impossible for the armored needles to hurt the group.


    However, this was a rash judgment. The armored needles started showing their true skills.


    Chwarururuk!


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    The armored needles realized that swordsmanship alone wasn¡¯t enough to overpower the enemies and simultaneously changed battle modes. After inting the muscles of their body, they extracted the silver thread embedded in their rotten blood vessels. Then they used the thread to threaten the Red Phoenix members.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The Red Phoenix members became busy. The silver thread was like a living serpent that stretched out in all directions. Sweat flowed down as they focused on protecting their bodies.


    ¡®How hard is it?¡¯


    The silver pieces melted into the blood vessels and the armored needles used them as weapons. The situation changed rapidly the moment the silver thread was used as a weapon. The Red Phoenix couldn¡¯t find a way to counterattack and also had to protect their bodies.


    ¡®Certainly... It is very tricky.¡¯


    One armored needle took out around 8~15 strands of silver thread that were 10 meters long. The armored needles used great skill to wield all the strands freely at the enemies.


    ¡®That can¡¯t be avoided. I have to definitely fight with the God Hands.¡¯


    It might be different if someone like Regas or Faker were here, but no one present could act freely in front of the silver thread.


    Jjejejeok!


    Pepepepeong!


    The silver thread was very strong. When it encountered the sword of a Red Phoenix member, the member was thrown into the air and pierced the ground or wall like a bullet.


    ¡®Sometimes it¡¯s like a de, and sometimes a whip...¡¯


    The durability was also considerable, seeing that the thread didn¡¯t get damaged by the swords and armor of the Red Phoenix members. There was a reason why the cksmiths of the East Continent considered the silver thread to be the best material.


    ¡®It looks like a version of pavranium that is as thin as a thread. What is possible?¡¯


    What items could be made with the silver thread? As Grid¡¯s infinite imagination as a cksmith ran wild, the Red Phoenix group was facing a great crisis.


    ¡°They have appeared!¡±


    There were two main reasons for blocking the passage with the silver thread. The first was to block the intruders from escaping. The second was to buy time for the armored needles to fuse together. The fusion of the armored needles was terrible.


    At least two armored needles were connected together with silver thread and became one. Of course, there was no inconvenience with their movements due to the seamless connection. Therefore, it could be described as a monster optimized for war, with at least two extra limbs.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaah!¡±


    The sound of the monster¡¯s roar exploded from the pathway blocked by the silver thread.


    ¡°Everyone retreat!¡±


    Sua had never experienced facing four armored needles at the same time and instructed the Red Phoenix members to retreat. But the armored needles didn¡¯t allow them to leave. The silver thread shot out like spiderwebs to block the retreat. The Red Phoenix members¡¯ attempt to get to the passage behind Grid was blocked off.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The Red Phoenix fell into confusion. A fused armored needle with four limbs and five ordinary ones ran at them! Danger was approaching. Sua felt a strong sense of responsibility. She was the captain of the Red Phoenix group and sessor of Han Seokbong. She couldn¡¯t let the Red Phoenix members and the saviour of Pangea, Grid, die in this ce. She flew forward without hesitation and faced the armoured needles alone.


    ¡°I will buy time while you run away!¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Young Lady!¡±


    The Red Phoenix members couldn¡¯t stop her. Sua was the fastest among them and had already fallen into the middle of the enemies. However, Grid was beside her.


    ¡°You!?¡±


    No, what was with this cksmith? Why did hee to die when she sacrificed herself to let him run away? Sua thought it was absurd when an unexpected development urred.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Intense energy moved around Grid as hepleted the sword dance and wielded the +9 Failure.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    A powerful light was shot from Failure and moved through the darkness.

 Chapter 539

    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, had the lowest attack power among all the techniques. The level 6 Wave only dealt 230% of his attack power. It was a little over double his t damage. It was incredibly low for a legendary rated skill. It was asionally a powerful skill considering it was a ¡®wide area¡¯ attack. However, this lost its utility after the skills of the third advancement sses were released.


    But it still had unique strengths. All targets hit by it would be affected by a slowing effect. In other words, it was a wide area CC skill, and it was natural for the attack power to be low. This was if the user was an ordinary yer.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The white light that was emitted only by a +9 enhanced weapon. A powerful light wave of energy was shot from Failure. The bodies of the armored needles chasing after the Red Phoenix members were damaged.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The explosion shook the dungeon. Blood spurted from the armored needles while parts of the dungeon failed to survive the aftermath of the shock.


    [You have dealt 15,310 damage to the target. The target¡¯s speed will decrease by 63%.]


    [You have dealt 16,004 damage to the target. The target¡¯s...]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Y-You...?¡±


    Sua stared at Grid with a stunned expression. A cksmith using swordsmanship? It was also extremely strong swordsmanship!


    ¡°What is your identity?¡±


    Sua was confused. Grid ced extra strength in the arm wrapped around her waist. It was to protect her from the blood that was likeva that came from the armored needles. But it wasn¡¯t easy. It was impossible to avoid all the blood with Grid¡¯s control abilities.


    ¡¯The blood dissolves anything it touches.¡¯


    It was impossible for a person to be safe. In the end, Grid called for the best assistance.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Four golden hands appeared immediately in response to Grid¡¯s call and moved quickly. They protected Sua and Grid as much as possible from the blood.


    Chiiiik!


    The God Hands burned fiercely when touched by the armored needles¡¯ blood. Sua¡¯s surprise becamerger.


    ¡®They are fine despite being hit by the armored needles¡¯ blood and can move by themselves?¡¯


    The East Continent people had wide imaginations. In the treasure houses of the various kingdoms, there were many things outsidemon sense. Yes, like the golden hands currently summoned by Grid. That¡¯s right. In Sua¡¯s eyes, the God Hands looked like divine beings and Grid was a daoist, which was how he could use swordsmanship despite being a cksmith. He was mysterious and overwhelming.


    On the other hand, Grid was relieved.


    ¡®Thank god she is wearing armor.¡¯


    Grid had hesitated when he was about to put an arm around Sua to protect her. He was worried about what would happen if she experienced his hands. Fortunately, Sua was wearing excellent armor. No matter how dexterous Grid¡¯s fingers, it was impossible to cause someone to feel pleasure by touching armor. Sua luckily didn¡¯t feel Grid¡¯s touch.


    "Step back.¡±


    The armored needles were currently slowed. Grid handed Sua to the Red Phoenix members and urged them to move away.


    ¡°What is his real identity?¡±


    ¡°A cksmith using swordsmanship...¡±


    "I heard he used the white phosphorus wood to restore the Red Phoenix Bow. Is he really a daoist?¡±


    ¡®They don¡¯t know Pagma¡¯s name?¡¯


    White once mentioned a legendary cksmith. In addition, Pagma was a person presumed to be born on the East Continent. Grid thought that people on the East Continent would know Pagma. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡®Well, not everyone will know a legendary cksmith.¡¯


    It was likely that Pagma didn¡¯t have as much reputation on the East Continent because he was more active on the West Continent.


    ¡®My reputation here might transcend Pagma¡¯s reputation.¡¯


    His heart jumped at this thought. An area that couldn¡¯t be reached by others. Grid felt joy at the opportunity to gain new achievements. Grid¡¯s smile was distorted with greed as he questioned Sua and the Red Phoenix members.


    "All of you are careless for a group who has been steadily exploring the dungeon. Are you originally like this? Or are you in bad shape today?¡±


    Grid felt great disappointment in the Red Phoenix members. Experiencing a crisis in their first engagement after entering the dungeon, it was absurd and pathetic. The armored needles were strong, but the skills of the Red Phoenix group wasn¡¯t as much as he expected.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid¡¯s sarcastic tone. It was enough to undermine their pride as those who dedicated their lives to defending Pangea. But the Red Phoenix didn¡¯t get offended. No, they couldn¡¯t feel offended. They weren¡¯t qualified. They understood Grid¡¯s tone.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sua exined instead of the silent Red Phoenix members.


    ¡°Originally, the armored needles rarely travel together. We have beening here for several years and this is the first time we¡¯ve been attacked by five.¡±


    The basic tactic of the Red Phoenix group was to form a team of eight people. Eight people were needed to hunt one armored needle, and the highest number that had appeared at one time was three. It was unusual for five of the armored needles to appear at the same time. The Red Phoenix members deserved praise for not instantly falling into confusion.


    But the result? It was the worst. They would¡¯ve surely been wiped out if it wasn¡¯t for Grid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to imply that we are unlucky today. I am deeply embarrassed by our inability to thoroughly prepare for today¡¯s situation. And... Thank you.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond to the bowing Sua. It was because of the conflict between the armored needles and the God Hands!


    ¡®Already?¡¯


    Grid was confused. Including the fused undead, there were a total of six armored needles. But still, what were the God Hands? He thought he could take advantage of the infinite stiffness and bind their feet for at least 20 seconds. But it failed tost even half of 20 seconds.


    ¡®They can break Mjolnir¡¯s offensive with their slow attacks?¡¯


    Grid realized when it he faced the fist of the gatekeeper, but the armored needles were strong. The evidence was that they overpowered the God Hands. The lead God Hand. It held the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir and was the one with maximum power. It had fought for ages, but was now bound by the silver thread. The remaining three God Hands were hurriedly avoiding the silver thread.


    ¡®I have to go hard.¡¯


    Grid categorized them as boss monsters and summoned Noe and Randy.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    There was a funny sound effect as Noe appeared and cried out.


    ¡°The best demonic beast of hell has emerged! Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Randy!¡±


    ¡°I will help.¡±


    Then Randy appeared and copied Grid¡¯s appearance.


    A talking cat. Two Grids.


    The Red Phoenix members were astonished as they watched Grid.


    ¡®Sacred creature!¡¯


    ¡®A clone!¡¯


    ¡¯Daoist! He is definitely a daoist!¡¯


    It was natural for the Red Phoenix members to think so. Grid was too special. Grid didn¡¯t care about what they were thinking and ordered Noe and Randy.


    "Noe, take the stats of the fused armoured needle. Randy will use ranged skills to help me. Make a gap so that the God Hands can strike the armored needles.¡±


    "I understand! Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid was convinced when he saw the armored needles break the God Hands¡¯ infinite stiffness. The Red Phoenix members weren¡¯t weak. They were the elites of the elites. It was just that the armored needles were too strong. Thus, it would be a challenge of strength. There was no room to hold back his strength.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    The armored needles were undead monsters. Their intelligence was significantly low. They moved without thinking and conflicted with each other when moving along the rtively narrow passage. It was impossible for them to avoid Grid¡¯s Linked Kill Wave in this passage.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Linked Kill Wave boasted damage that was several times higher than Wave. It shot out eight energy des that contained 1,500% of his attack power. The armored needles hit by them were instantly turned to rags and their health gauge fell by more than half.


    Grid¡¯s momentum increased. He calmly decided to finish them off as they rushed over.


    ¡®If possible, let¡¯s try not to consume the talisman in this fight.¡¯


    It meant that he couldn¡¯t be hit! It was ridiculous to deal with six boss monsters without being hit. However, Grid was serious.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    The scene of transcendence waspleted in an instant as Grid¡¯s hair was swept upwards. Grid¡¯s ears and sharp eyes were exposed as he stepped back from the armored needles and wielded his sword twice.


    Then two energy des shot out.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepeng!


    "Kyaak!"


    The fraudulent ability of Transcend had been proven many times. It reced Grid¡¯s default attack with ranged attacks that had double his attack power. What if a buff skill was used in this state? It was a bombardment that no one could endure.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been used. Attack power will increase by 25% and attack speed will increase by 40% for 35 seconds.]


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    The armored needles were angry. They were angry at being hit by their prey. They started moving quicker towards Grid.


    Pepepepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    After using cksmith¡¯s Rage, Grid wielded the sword three or four times while stepping back. The momentum of the armored needles decreased. In particr, the one at the forefront was on the verge of having its health extinguished. Grid was excited.


    ¡°Hahat! Kuhahahahat! You are too slow!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sua and the Red Phoenix members were just watching the battle. The evil that had taken so many lives. The ghastly armored needles were just scarecrows in front of Grid.


    "How can he be so stro... Ah!¡±


    The Red Phoenix members flinched in unison.


    Puoook!


    It was because a few strands of silver thread appeared behind Grid. An armored needle secretly shot it through the ground in order to attack Grid.


    "Danger!"


    Sua hurriedly shouted but it was toote. Grid was busy with the armored needles in front of him and not paying attention to the rear.


    "Ah...!"


    The moment that Sua and the Red Phoenix members felt desperate.


    ¡°Come out! Overgeared Skeletons!¡±


    Pahat!


    A little ahead of where the silver thread emerged. Two skeletons popped up behind Grid. Then they were hit by the silver thread instead of Grid.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    There were arge number of people on the East Continent who could summon skeletons. But it was umon for people to use them as shields. Grid summoned the skeletons again.


    ¡®It is good that the East Continent has a high mana regeneration rate.¡¯


    It was the environment that best harmonized with the Ring of Absurdity.


    ck!ck ck ck ck!


    Peok!Pasak!


    Noe, Randy and the God Hands were used for attack purposes, while the strands of silver thread were blocked by the Overgeared Skeletons. Then a notification window popped up in front of him.


    [Overgeared Skeleton (1) and Overgeared Skeleton (2) are gradually growing ustomed to the silver thread.]

 Chapter 540

    [Overgeared Skeleton (1) and Overgeared Skeleton (2) are gradually growing ustomed to the silver thread.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The Overgeared Skeletons had a concept of growing skeletons. The Overgeared Skeletons were so special that even Braham, who had the ¡®most of the world is trivial¡¯ mentality, advised that it would be better to give the Overgeared Skeletons an opportunity to learn.


    However, the Overgeared Skeletons started at level 1 and their basic stats and growth rate were low. Grid didn¡¯t have much expectation for the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡¯I thought they would be useless for a few more months.¡¯


    This was a mistake. The Overgeared Skeletons could be summoned freely within one meter of Grid. The Overgeared Skeletons were able to faithfully fulfill their role as a shield, even at level 1. Their potential was also exploding thanks to their unique learning abilities. It was amazing that they became ustomed to the silver thread after dying nine times.


    ¡®The fact that they are ustomed to it means they¡¯ve grasped the characteristics of the silver thread?¡¯


    The Overgeared Skeletons were able to analyze the elements of the silver thread and the attack patterns while dying nine times. Then they could construct a body that more effectively resisted the attacks of the silver thread.


    ¡®I would say that they are a two time shield, not a one time shield... No, that¡¯s too much.¡¯


    Once again, the Overgeared Skeletons were only level 1. At level 1, they had 3 strength, 3 stamina, 3 agility and 1 intelligence. Their total health was 45 points. The Overgeared Skeletons would still die even if they analyzed the silver thread and strengthened their bodies.


    ¡®Hrmm... Once I return to the vige, I should catch chickens and raise their level.¡¯


    It was great to see the Overgeared Skeletons grow.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid kept the armored needles in front of him in check.


    Chwarururuk!


    The silver thread in the rear once again threatened Grid. Grid scoffed. He drank a mana potion and once again summoned the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡°Come out!¡±


    ck! ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons made a distinctive sound as they emerged from the ground. Grid previously hated this noise, but now it sounded good.


    ¡®These pretty guys. Now, be a shield with that hardened body... Eh?¡¯


    Grid doubted his eyes. The Overgeared Skeletons summoned at the ce where the silver thread was heading. The skeletons summoned to be a shield for their master were avoiding the silver thread instead?


    "Eh?¡±


    What were they doing? Of course, Grid standing behind the Overgeared Skeletons was hit by the silver thread instead.


    Jjejejeok!


    [You have been attacked!]


    [The Protection Talisman has been activated!]


    [A shield to block the damage has been created!]


    [Your defense will increase by 20% for 2 minutes.]


    ¡°...¡±


    He lost his talisman that he wanted to save for bosses? It was also because of his pet! Grid thought it was absurd and closed his eyes for a moment, before exploding in anger.


    ¡°You stupid things!¡±


    He summoned them to act as shields, only for them to avoid the damage? The Overgeared Skeletons stared back at Grid. There wasn¡¯t a single bit of guilt in their expressions. It was natural. A pet was obligated to be helpful to their master if summoned.


    However, the Overgeared Skeletons had already been killed nine times by the silver thread. It meant the Overgeared Skeletons weren¡¯t faithful to their roles after growing. The sparkling thread killed them every time they were summoned. Their first priority was to survive and seed.


    [The Overgeared Skeletons (1) and Overgeared Skeletons (2) have acquired the skill ¡®Avoid the Silver Thread.¡¯]


    [Avoid the Silver Thread]


    Category: Passive


    There is a low chance of avoiding the silver thread wielded by the armored needles.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a rise in strength, but evasion.¡¯


    It was very rare for a pet to acquire the proper skill under their own judgment. The potential of the Overgeared Skeletons was very high.


    ¡®Can the skeleton warriors grow into death knights?¡¯


    ck! ck ck!


    Their ribs expanded as if they were talking to Grid. It was like they were waiting forpliments.


    ¡°Sigh... Yes, well done. Good job.¡±


    Grid lost a huge item, but he was d to see the potential of the Overgeared Skeletons. Gridughed and gave an order to the Overgeared Skeletons.


    "Stand still and watch how I fight. It can be studied.¡±


    Pepeng!Pepepepeng!


    The duration of Transcend was over. Grid quickened the speed at which he swung the +9 Failure. He ignored controlling his stamina and did his best. But it wasn¡¯t a good situation. Why? The armored needles learned how to respond to Grid¡¯s ranged attacks.


    Chwarururuk!


    The armored needles crossed their silver thread with each other, entangling the silver thread like a spiderweb.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Transcend was blocked by the spiderweb shield.


    ¡®This is great.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t panic, and instead felt admiration. He knew from the beginning that one strand of silver thread had strength higher than steel. It was rare for the dozens of silver threadyered together to not be able to block any physical force. Yes, it was rare.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Taack!


    The moment Transcend ended. Grid changed hisbat style from intercepting from a distance. He rushed at the armored needles.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sua and the Red Phoenix members were startled. They were confused that the calm Grid would suddenly jump into the enemy.


    ¡°Plunging into the range of the silver thread...! It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    A member of the Red Phoenix group screamed out urgently. The armored needles were strongest when it came to melee ability. It was reckless for Grid to face six armored needles in closebat alone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cover him.¡±


    Sua had the same thought. She decided that she needed to help Grid with the other Red Phoenix members. But after a moment.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Sua and the Red Phoenix members stiffened.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    The web of silver thread protecting the armored needles. There was a white sh as soon as it reached Grid.


    Sakak-!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The web of silver thread split to the left and right, scattering. Then the armored needle in the front was split apart. It was the moment when the ¡®Bisect¡¯ effect of Failure and the ignore 100% defense of Pinnacle Kill wasbined.


    [Critical!]


    [You have defeated an armored needle.]


    [123,509,000 experience has been acquired.]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    Once again, the experience lived up to the strength. Grid was delighted at gaining so much experience after defeating one armored needle. At the same time, he broke through the gap and fired Linked Kill.


    Puk!


    One hit.


    Puk puk!


    Two hits, three hits!


    Puk puk puk!


    Four hits, five hits, six hits!!


    It was difficult for the armored needles to endure after being subjected to the bombardment of Linked Kill Wave and Linked Kill. They turned to grey as soon as their health was exhausted. But Grid couldn¡¯t let go of his tension. Thergest fused armored needle remained.


    ¡°Nyang! It hurts!¡±


    Noe screamed from where he was struggling to tie up the fused armored needle alone. Grid hastily shifted his gaze and saw that Noe¡¯s plump body was full of wounds. His fur was covered in dirt and blood. His tail was hanging down and his eyes were moist.


    Grid used Restraint to save Noe that was tied up by the silver thread. The fused armored needle stepped back from Grid and the silver thread around Noe was loosened.


    "Miong.¡±


    Noe pped his wings tirelessly. He rushed towards Grid, who rubbed Noe¡¯s head.


    ¡°You suffered. Go and rest.¡±


    ¡°Nyang... I will be looking forward to a delicious meal.¡±


    Noe immediately returned to the pet inventory. Now the fused armored needle recognized Grid as an enemy.


    ¡°Kyaooooh!¡±


    Teteteteng!


    Dozens of silver threads shot towards Grid like a bullet.


    Gulp!


    Grid swallowed his saliva. The gatekeeper had the same strength as the armored needle. Grid lost 2,303 health when hit by a fist. If he was attacked by the fused armored needle, it meant that a minimum of 23,000 health would be lost. Of course, it was likely that the damage would be much higher. Even Grid would shrink back, despite his high health.


    ¡°Quick Movements!¡±


    The silver thread aimed at their target. Grid used a buff to increase his agility and then used Randy and the God Hands to defend. However, the God Hands and Randy could only defend from two or three silver strands each. The rest of the silver thread had to be blocked with Grid¡¯s own power.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    It had been a few minutes since they started fighting. Grid was rtively familiar with the pattern of the silver thread and knew that it was difficult to avoid. But the number of silver threads controlled by the fused armored needle was nearly three times higher than the ordinary armored needles. It meant there were still hidden silver threads!


    Chwarururuk!


    As Grid struck the silver thread, the fused armored needle fired several more.


    ¡®This is bad!¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be avoided. The moment that Grid thought so, several silver thread pierced his chest. Sua and the Red Phoenix members paled.


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Grid was dead. Everybody thought so. However...


    [Lantier¡¯s Cloak has reduced the damage of all stabbing and cutting attacks by 20%.]


    [Triple Layers has reduced physical damage by 30%.]


    [Triple Layers has reduced the damage of stabbing attacks by 50%.]


    [You have suffered 2,195 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,308 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,240....]


    [You have suffer...]


    ...


    ...


    [The enemy¡¯s weapon has been caught by the niches in Triple Layers and Sword Break is used.]


    [The target¡¯s weapon durability has dropped.]


    ¡°...¡±


    What? The attack was more itchy than painful! Grid was surprised by the unexpected result, while Sua and the Red Phoenix members were more stunned. It was natural.


    Jjejejejeok!


    The silver thread was caught in the gaps in Triple Layers and cracked!


    ¡°T-This is impossible...¡±


    The silver thread that had killed so many people was damaged by armor. But Grid was fine and managed to neutralize the silver thread.


    ¡°How? How are you so strong?¡±


    Sua asked in a trembling voice and Grid replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s being overgeared.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The head of the fused armored needle was blown away.

 Chapter 541

    ¡°Overgeared...?¡±


    It was an unfamiliar word to Sua and the Red Phoenix members. As they were feeling puzzled, the fused armored needle howled.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah~!¡±


    The fused armored needle had taken many lives with overwhelming strength. Today its position was the opposite. Grid was the hunter. For him who was aiming to be at the top of two billion users, the fused armored needle was nothing more than a mass of experience.


    "You¡¯re weak.¡±


    Gridughed at the fused armored needle. The fact that he had been hit by the silver thread had long since disappeared from his memories.


    Puk!Seokeok!Puk.


    Grid¡¯s Failure cut and stabbed at the armored needle. The increased 20% attack damage in the darkness caused the +9 Failure to be overwhelming.


    Puhahahak!


    The blood of the fused armored needle rose like a fountain. Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate being hit by that much blood. He tried to avoid as much blood as possible while blocking the rest with the God Hands.


    Chiiiik!


    The blood that came into contact with the God Hands evaporated and disappeared.


    ¡°Kukukuk!¡±


    The smile didn¡¯t leave Grid¡¯s face as he looked at the fused armored needle through the gap in the golden fingers.


    ¡®This game is truly about items.¡¯


    The armored needle and silver thread. It was weaker than expected, but think about it. What if Grid didn¡¯t have Lantier¡¯s Cloak? Grid would¡¯ve suffered several times the damage and he would be in a great crisis. The armored needle was very strong when handling dozens of silver threads. It was only helpless in front of Grid.


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    The two armored needles connected by the silver thread roared and inted its muscles. Then the silver threads shot at Grid again. Exactly 27 threads tangled towards as one, turning into a drill that aimed at Grid¡¯s heart.


    ¡¯It¡¯s a really flexible weapon.¡¯


    It could be used as a spider web to defend or a drill to attack. The more he looked, the crazier it was. Grid was filled with greed and counterattacked just before the silver thread pierced him.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The timing of using the counterattack was inevitable because Grid¡¯s control abilities improved greatly after going against the top rankers in the National Competition.


    Peeok!


    The orbit of the silver thread was reversed by Failure and prated the head of the fused armored needle.


    [The double fused armored needle has been defeated.]


    [259,504,141 experience has been acquired.]


    [A silver thread has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [As someone with a second ss, you will receive a level up bonus. 12 stat points have been acquired.]


    [Six points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Grid checked his health status. During the battle, it was inevitable that he would allow some strikes from the silver thread. But this wasrgely neutralized by the increased defense and resistance of his items. But it still wasn¡¯t an easy battle. In order to defeat six armored needles, Grid summoned Randy, Noe, and the God Hands, and used almost all of his skills. It was a matter of using all his effort.


    Thanks to his level up, Grid¡¯s stamina was fully recovered. However, his mental state was quite tired. He hoped he could rx while his skill cooldown times came back. He sat down and opened his inventory. It was to check the loot he acquired. There were rotten leather, rotten bones, etc. Nothing was of value except for two silver threads.


    [Silver Thread]


    Attack Power: 100~????


    Durability: 1,000/1,000


    Fragments of silver armor that have been shaped in the blood vessels of the armored needles for many years.


    Unlike ordinary silver thread that only has a thin coating of silver, this is made of pure silver. It also contains the powerful magic power of the armored needle.


    Depending on the skill level of the user, it can be used in various ways due to its different forms.


    * It is ssified as a secondary weapon.


    Conditions of Use: Secondary Weapons Mastery Advanced Level 5. More than 2,000 dexterity.


    * The silver thread can be shot quickly if you have more than 2,000 dexterity.


    * If you have more than 2,500 dexterity, you can twist 5 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.


    * If you have more than 3,000 dexterity, you can twist 10 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.


    * If you have more than 4,000 dexterity, the speed at which you can control the silver thread is doubled.


    * If you have more than 4,000 dexterity, you can twist 20 or less...


    ...


    ...


    * The silver thread can be used as a material for making items. However, a craftsman level cksmithing skill is required.


    Weight: 5


    The minimum damage was very low while the maximum damage seemed to have no limit. A little while ago, he saw the attack of the fused armored needle that twisted together 27 strands of silver thread.


    ¡®Amazing... However, it¡¯s rare for people to learn Secondary Weapons Mastery and the advanced level probably hasn¡¯t appeared yet.¡¯


    It was 10 meters long. At this point, it was a secondary weapon that probably only Grid could use.


    ¡¯I need to raise my dexterity...¡¯


    Grid grasped the two strands of silver thread with his fingers. Irene would be delighted if he gained more dexterity... Sua approached him as he was seriously thinking.


    "Are your wounds okay?¡±


    Gridughed at her worry.


    "As you can see, I¡¯m strong.¡±


    The wounds caused by the silver thread were already healing. It was a tremendous recovery speed. Was it due to his high stamina stat? That was just the basics. The reason for Grid¡¯s fast recovery speed was the God Hands. To be precise, it was the effect of Goddess Reba¡¯s Blessing attached to the pavranium. The blessing of Goddess Reba increased Grid¡¯s health recovery rate by 300%. This was a basic element that made up Grid¡¯s strength.


    ¡®This man...¡¯


    Sua¡¯s gaze towards Grid became more favorable. He didn¡¯t loseposure despite facing six armored needles and there was also his strong body. He was the cksmith capable of restoring the Red Phoenix Bow and was virtuous enough to get the title of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.


    She couldn¡¯t help feeling favorable towards him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a crush, but pure respect. Sua had a type of rational personality.


    ¡®Indeed, he¡¯s a daoist?¡¯


    Daoist. It was a state of a half-god that only those who cultivated daoism could reach. They were known to enjoy eternal life in Shangri-La and had mysterious powers. It was likely that Grid was a daoist.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid suddenly coughed. His face was red due to the beautiful Sua gazing at him. He looked around the area in a desire to hide it. Sua was convinced when she saw it.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a daoist.¡¯


    A daoist wouldn¡¯t be like this. If Grid was a daoist, then he wouldn¡¯t feel embarrassed about the opposite sex. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s force was overwhelming and beyond mysterious. It was a different existence from a daoist.


    ¡®It¡¯s different from the yangbans...¡¯


    Of course, Grid wasn¡¯t a yangban. It was unimaginable to most people, but the yangbans were trash who treated ordinary humans as insignificant beings. If Grid was a yangban, he would¡¯ve watched as Sua and the Red Phoenix members died.


    ¡®In the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t have wanted the silver thread if he was a yangban.¡¯


    This meant that Grid was an ordinary person.


    ¡¯A regr person... Ah.¡¯


    Sua was deep in thought and btedly realized something. Grid was burdened by her gaze.


    ¡°I was rude. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid waved his hand at the bowing Sua.


    "There¡¯s no need to be sorry. Was the silver thread originally this hard to obtain?¡±


    He killed six armored needles and only got two strands of silver thread. In order to use it directly as a weapon or as a material for items, Grid wanted to secure arge quantity. Sua btedly noticed the silver thread in Grid¡¯s hands and was shocked.


    "You got silver thread...!?¡±


    Originally, it was very hard to obtain the silver thread. It was because the moment the armored needles died, the silver thread in their blood vessels would disappear in an instant due to corrosion. In the four years since Han Seokbong organized the dungeon expedition team, only seven silver threads had been obtained.


    "You must be really lucky to obtain two silver threads.¡±


    Sua was delighted. Grid realized that the drop rate for the silver thread was the worst based on her reaction and stood up.


    "What¡¯s the size of this dungeon?¡±


    "We haven¡¯t been able to measure it. The Red Phoenix group hasn¡¯t gone into the depths before.¡±


    The Red Phoenix group wasn¡¯t as strong as Grid. They went into the dungeon every day, but could only kill two or three armored needles at best.


    "Our goal is to go to the end of the dungeon to investigate the cause behind the armored needles and destroy them. But unlike our hearts, we¡¯re at a standstill every day."


    ¡°...¡±


    "We still have pride. The residents of Pangea can enjoy a happy life because we¡¯re able to stop the advance of the armored needles."


    Beautiful. Sua was pretty inside and out.


    ¡®Although she¡¯s a bit of a pervert...¡¯


    At that moment.


    [A quest has been created.]


    [Subjugate the Armored Needles (1)]


    Difficulty: S


    There are arge number of armored needles in the dungeon beneath Pangea Castle.


    Bring peace to Pangea by repelling those who can threaten Pangea at any time.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 10 armored needles.


    Quest Reward: Affinity with the Red Phoenix group will rise. Five silver thread.


    ¡®The armored needles are strong.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t known that a monster hunting quest could be ssified with a S-grade difficulty. The armored needles were truly strong. They had over 6 million health and their defense was twice as high as ordinary monsters. In addition, their swordsmanship was excellent, they had the irregrity of the silver thread and also their hot blood as a weapon.


    Grid expected that an ordinary level 300 yer wouldn¡¯t be able to go one on one with the armored needle. However, Grid was much stronger than the armored needles.


    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll clear away as many armored needles as possible.¡±


    He had to gain thepensation of five silver threads. Grid¡¯s motivation was burning as he started to move inside the cave. Then Sua cried out,


    "Why are you putting yourself in danger by running forward? Why are you struggling for other people?¡±


    Grid shrugged at her sincere worry.


    "I just want the silver thread. And I like you because you¡¯re pretty.¡±


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    Grid spoke bluntly but the result was huge. Sua¡¯s face turned red. She was called the flower of Pangea. A person who wasn¡¯t affected when handsome men whispered sweet words to her was blushing? Grid didn¡¯t know what a big deal it was. Grid was focused on the footsteps of the armored needles that he heard.


    ¡®I¡¯m starting.¡¯


    Pahat!


    Grid threw the silver thread in the direction that the armored needle was approaching. It was very difficult to shoot the silver thread quickly. However, it was a simple thing for Grid who had over 3,000 dexterity.


    Pepeok!


    "Kyaaaak!"


    The armored needle screamed as it was pierced by the silver thread that Grid threw and sped up its approach. Grid recovered the silver thread and shot it again.


    [You have dealt 930 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 370 damage to the target.]


    The damage was terrible. The damage was minimal and in the hundreds, so the armored needle received little damage. But Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. Throwing the silver thread didn¡¯t consume resources, meaning it wasn¡¯t a burden.


    ¡®What if I twist them together?¡¯


    Sururuk.


    Grid moved his hands at a tremendous speed. The two strands of silver thread were joined together, bing thicker with one pointed end.


    ¡¯...Isn¡¯t he good at this?¡¯


    That man, was there anything he couldn¡¯t do?


    ¡¯...Oh, he¡¯s good at everything?¡¯


    Anything here was omitted.


    Peeok!


    As Sua¡¯s imagination headed in a strange direction, the arrow shaped silver thread shot by Grid dealt over 2,000 damage to the armored needle.


    ¡®Now I know.¡¯


    Grid waspletely satisfied. He became more and more desperate to secure arge amount of silver thread and swung Failure at the armored needles.

 Chapter 542

    [You have defeated an armored needle.]


    [121,599,800 experience has been acquired.]


    [Number of armored needles killed: 2/10]


    ¡®This is delicious hunting.¡¯


    The experience given by the armored needle was more than two times higher than that of the true blood vampires. Compared to the junior vampires in the cities, they gave 30 times more experience. Thanks to that, Grid reached level 322 and was rapidly gaining experience.


    But it was difficult to recognize Pangea Castle¡¯s dungeon as an ideal hunting ground. It was because the armored needles didn¡¯t often appear.


    ¡°It¡¯s like Sua said.¡¯


    Armored needles were monsters who acted on their own. The first encounter with six of them was a special case. The Red Phoenix group were filled with a sense of security at infrequently encountering one armored needle, while Grid feltrge regret.


    ¡®It would be good if they constantly respawned two at a time.¡¯


    He wanted to acquire a lot of silver thread. Grid felt impatient and anxious. If hebined all his titles, Grid¡¯s dexterity was exactly 3,723. He could control a maximum of 10 silver threads, meaning he wasn¡¯t satisfied with just two. He wanted to maximize his abilities by securing eight more silver threads quickly.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    They walked around for 10 minutes and only encountered two armored needles. From the other side of the passage, the sound of slow footsteps was heard again. Grid tried something new against it. Just as the armored needles restrained Noe and the God Hands, he tied up with armored needles using the two silver threads. The name...


    "Needle Binding!¡±


    It was a somewhat familiar name. But this wasn¡¯t a yful name. It was a name that Grid came up with after serious thinking.


    Hwiririk!


    The silver thread rotated and tightly tied up the body of the armored needle. The waist and both arms were firmly tied up. It was a scene that showed how great Grid¡¯s dexterity was.


    ¡®Okay! I did it properly!¡¯


    A smile of satisfaction appeared on Grid¡¯s face. But his smile didn¡¯tst long.


    "Eh?¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡±


    The armored needle exerted its strength and the silver thread was released?


    ¡®The binding is too weak.¡¯


    Two silver threads didn¡¯t have enough strength. It wasn¡¯t just the armored needles. Most monsters above level 200 would shake off the binding of two silver threads.


    ¡®There must be at least 10 strands for binding.¡¯


    Grid recalled the silver threads while thinking this and twisted the two strands into one. Then he shot it like an arrow. It took two seconds to control the two strands of silver thread. It meant it would take around 10 seconds to control 10 strands of silver thread. Grid felt the need to raise his dexterity to 4,000 points. If his dexterity reached 4,000, the control rate of the silver threads would double.


    What if he could control 10 silver threads in 5 seconds? The strongest system next to the pavranium would be born.


    ¡®The only thingcking is the throwing speed of the silver threads.¡¯


    In the end, the silver thread was still just thread. It was very light. There was a clear limit to the speed at which Grid could throw it. It would be less effective against agile opponents.


    ¡®In order to take advantage of the silver thread as a weapon, it would be better to put a de at the end. Or I can set up a trap on the battlefield to take advantage of it.¡¯


    Dugun dugun!


    Grid grew considerably in the process of devising how to use the silver thread. He suddenly realized it. His development potential had grown exponentially since earning the silver thread.


    ¡®If my current self fought against Kraugel at the National Competition, I would¡¯ve 100% won.¡¯


    He was sure of it. The problem was that Kraugel was also getting stronger. Kraugel obtained the Sword Saint ss that was described as the strongestbat ss. Grid wasn¡¯t sure how powerful Kraugel was now after dominating with a normal ss.


    ¡®...Ah, I think my pride is hurt.¡¯


    He wasgging behind a normal ss, despite having a legendary ss? At the time, he thought it was natural due to hisck of talent. But now it was very shameful.


    ¡®I need to wash away my mistakes.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s motivation shot up. His passion for forging ahead of Kraugel filled his heart.


    ***


    ¡°Light?¡±


    Grid, Sua, and the Red Phoenix members finally recovered their normal vision when they reached deep inside the dungeon. The walls of the dungeon had the characteristics of sucking in light. Now jade covered the wall, letting out a soft light that illuminated the interior.


    ¡°There was a ce like this in the dungeon?¡±


    It had already been four years since the Red Phoenix group started the dungeon expedition. But in the meantime, they had never entered so deeply into the dungeon. They always returned after fighting a few armored needles at the entrance. But today was different.


    Grid took the lead and killed any armored needles that appeared, allowing those who followed him to enter deeply into the castle¡¯s dungeon. Thanks to him, they were able to find themselves in a beautiful space surrounded by jade. They quickly started searching inside. There was a clearke and precious herbs were naturally growing.


    ¡°The temperature is just right. It¡¯s a ce where people can live if they have food.¡±


    "But what about these four passages? Won¡¯t we bepletely isted if the armored needles attack us from all four passages?¡±


    ¡°Um... That¡¯s right.¡±


    What was this ce? Some of the members who were searching found something immersed in the clearke.


    "What is this? Heok! This!¡±


    ¡°Treasure chest! Treasure chest!¡±


    As with any dungeon, treasure chests often appeared in Pangea Castle¡¯s dungeon. But the probability was extremely low. In thest four years, the Red Phoenix group found no more than 10 treasure chests. Now a treasure chest was situated deep in a clearke, like it didn¡¯t want to be found. Grid showed great interest in it.


    "Will it contain gold?¡±


    It was three hours after entering the castle¡¯s dungeon. Gridughed brightly at the treasure box despite not being able to hunt a few prey. The Red Phoenix members stopped him as he reached out for the treasure chest.


    "It can be dangerous.¡±


    "Last year, a colleague opened a treasure chest found in this dungeon and was poisoned.¡±


    Their words were the truth. There was a 50% chance that a treasure chest in the dungeon would be a trap.


    ¡°Then are you just going to leave it without opening it?¡±


    The Red Phoenix members shook their heads at Grid¡¯s words.


    "That isn¡¯t it. I¡¯m just afraid that your life will be in danger.¡±


    "Leave it to us. Grid can¡¯t be hurt.¡±


    Grid was clearing the armored needles on behalf of the Red Phoenix members. It was for his own reasons. But as a result, he was a great help to the Red Phoenix members and Pangea. The Red Phoenix wanted to repay the favor to Grid.


    Gulp.


    The Red Phoenix members pulled out the treasure chest from theke and gulped. They were concerned about being poisoned or seriously injured when opening the treasure chest. They didn¡¯t want to risk Grid getting hurt.


    Clink!


    The member¡¯s hands shook and he grimaced. The Red Phoenix member eventually overcame his fear and opened the lid of the treasure chest. No, he tried to open it.


    ¡°Huh? It didn¡¯t open?¡±


    "Is this locked?¡±


    The tension of the Red Phoenix group was released for a moment. The solemn atmosphere somewhat brightened.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it rare for locked treasure chests to contain traps?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s usually filled with treasures.¡±


    ¡°Ah...! Let¡¯s give this to Grid!¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t have made it here without Grid. The ownership of the treasure chest naturally belonged to Grid. The Red Phoenix group politely handed the treasure box to Grid.


    ¡°There is a locksmith in Pangea. He can probably unlock this box within a week.¡±


    "It will cost quite a bit of money, since certain skills are required.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid received the chest and frowned.


    [This chest contains special magic. The weight is incredible.]


    [Your weight gauge has been exceeded. Movement speed will decrease by 80%.]


    ¡°...¡±


    His stamina being reduced to this level meant it was impossible to continue the armored needle quest. Grid still had to hunt three more armored needles, so this treasure chest would just be a burden. But Grid didn¡¯t care. He had a universal key!


    Clink!


    Grid took out a ck key and unlocked it at once. It was extremely easy. He just put the key in the lock, twisted it, and it was unlocked. Sua and the Red Phoenix members were shocked at the absurd sight.


    ¡¯Unlocking a dungeon treasure chest at once?¡¯


    ¡®What is this situation?¡¯


    ¡¯Grid is really proficient... Was he born under a lucky star?¡¯


    Sua didn¡¯t know why her face was red. It was at that moment.


    [The trap box has been opened!]


    [Poisonous smoke has covered you!]


    [You have suffered 4,883 damage.]


    [You have been poisoned!]


    [Your head is spinning around!]


    [You can¡¯t move your lower body!]


    [You will lose 4,500 health per second!]


    [You have resisted.]


    [A mysterious figure appears!]


    [A quest has been created...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    Sua and the Red Phoenix members were startled. It was because the poison emitted from the box was simr to the one that affected their colleaguest year. Grid inhaled a lot of it and definitely wouldn¡¯t be safe. The Red Phoenix members were surprised by the sudden situation, but Sua responded calmly and promptly.


    ¡°Go to Grid and give him an antidote. Then escape from this ce with Grid!¡±


    At that moment.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Someone¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡°Kyaooooh!¡±


    Armored needles poured in from the four passages. There were eight of them. A middle aged man appeared behind Grid while the group was surrounded. Sua and the Red Phoenix members recognized him instantly. It was impossible not to recognize him.


    ¡°Arube!¡±


    In the past, he was the closest aide for Han Seokbong. He was supposedly murdered by the evil daoist priest who attacked Pangea two years ago, only to be hiding deep in the dungeon. He was the master of the armored needles!


    ¡°You... You betrayed father.¡±


    Sua was a smart girl. As a matter of fact, she sensed that Arube was behind the invasion two years ago.


    Arube smiled slyly. ¡°Indeed, the anger of Pangea¡¯s flower is beautiful. Okay, I will make you into a jiangshi. After death, you will serve me forever.¡±


    ¡°You! How dare you insult the youngdy!¡±


    The enraged Red Phoenix members pulled out their weapons and Arube smiled.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°It has been seven years since I found the armored needles sleeping here. It was three years faster than Lord Han Seokbong. In the meantime, I have steadily tamed the armored needles, and they are now my faithful servants. You can¡¯ty one finger on my body. Before you reach me, you will be turned into minced meat by the silver threads.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The Red Phoenix members flinched. They had forgotten about it due to their anger at Arube¡¯s sudden appearance, but Arube had summoned eight armored needles. It was the worst situation.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Arube was filled with joy as he watched the frightened Red Phoenix members. He wrapped his arms around his chest as his face flushed.


    "Kukuk...! This is so exciting. Now you will know. I have dreamed of this moment since I happened to discover the armored needles seven years ago. The day that I can have Pangea and Sua in my hands!¡±


    ¡°Crazy... Crazy traitor!¡±


    The Red Phoenix members realized that Aruba wasn¡¯t sane. They became desperate. They didn¡¯t know if Grid dying behind them was okay. They would die here today.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...¡±


    By the way, what was that sound? Why did they keep hearing the sound of hammering? Arube btedly became aware of it, while Sua and the Red Phoenix members looked behind them. Then they became surprised.


    ¡°G-Grid?¡±


    Grid was poisoned when opening the box. The person who was dying was currently squatting in front of an anvil.


    "?????"


    Question marks appeared over the heads of Sua and the Red Phoenix members.


    "Is he crazy?¡±


    Arube discovered Grid and frowned. He was very unhappy about a cksmith ruining the historic moment.


    ¡°Not knowing the current situation and hammering... Are you crazy?¡±


    Grid responded after Arube asked again.


    "Yes, I¡¯m not normal.¡±


    Ttaang~!


    Item Combination.


    It had the disadvantage of being hard to use during battle due to the long usage time, but it produced overwhelming results once sessful. Grid sessfullybined the +9 Failure and +8 Grid¡¯s Greatsword beforemanding the God Hands.


    ¡°Item Transformation. Failure.¡±


    Kiiiing.


    The four golden hands turned into golden shark-like greatswords. Soon after.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Since it was reproduced by pavranium, the four golden Failures exceeded the power of the original and pierced the bodies of the armored needles. The blood of the armored needles scattered in all directions, threatening Sua and the Red Phoenix members.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    There was a storm of energy that overtook Arube.


    ¡°Uh... Huh?¡±


    Arube couldn¡¯t recognize the situation properly and reflexively shrunk back. Grid faced him and expressed thanks.


    ¡°Thanks for the new quest.¡±


    Grid felt confident as soon as he learned about the contents of the SS grade quest.

 Chapter 543

    [Location of the Red Phoenix Bow]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Arube, known to be murdered by the evil daoist priest, was actually alive.


    Arube is part of the group of a master daoist priests.


    The monsters were invited by the master priest, and now Pangea is isted.


    Arube is now nning to upy Pangea with his fully controlled army of armored needles.


    Find the whereabouts of the Red Phoenix Bow that was stolen by Arube and the evil daoist priest!


    Arube has a strong desire to survive and will give you a lot of information!


    Quest Clear Conditions: The capture or death of Arube.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Seed in capturing Arube - Your character experience will increase by 30% and the quest ¡®Location of the Red Phoenix Bow¡¯ will link to the next part.


    2. Arube¡¯s death - Your character will gain two levels and the quest ¡®Location of the Red Phoenix Bow¡¯ will disappear.


    ¡®Amazing...¡¯


    Shortly after being poisoned. Grid was thrilled when he checked the new quest. The story of Arube and the daoist priest was found because he met Idan andpleted the ¡®Find the Traces of the Great Hero!¡¯ quest. He was able to enter the dungeon because he had a rtionship with White and won the cksmithingpetition. Then there was a trap box unexpectedly found in the dungeon.


    The ¡®Location of the Red Phoenix Bow¡¯ quest was created the moment Grid¡¯s actions came to a conclusion. It was presumed that if hepleted the linked quest, he could acquire the original Red Phoenix Bow. The original Red Phoenix Bow? ¡®Of course¡¯ it was the strongest bow at present.


    It was said that Grid¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow (Reproduction) was beyond the original, but the work had inherent limitations. The limits of a reproduction? The maximum rating was legendary. On the other hand, the original Red Phoenix Bow had at least a minimum rating of legendary and it could presumably go beyond that. It was inevitable that the reproduction of the Red Phoenix Bow was weaker than the original. This was the absolute system of the game.


    What if unlike Grid¡¯s expectations, the original was weaker than the reproduction? It didn¡¯t undermine the value of the original. It was because the original had the Red Phoenix Breath.


    [Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath]


    A blessing of the Red Phoenix.


    It will increase fire resistance by 30%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the Red Phoenix.


    However, it can be attached to items with a strong fire attribute.


    Weight: 2


    It was the reward Grid earned in exchange for restoring the Red Phoenix Bow. If he obtained this one, he would have two. Grid¡¯s fire resistance would be 60% just having it and if he used it as an item making material, he could double the power of the Red Phoenix Bow. He knew how strong the Red Phoenix Bow was. It wasn¡¯t easy to judge unless someone experienced it themselves.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukuk!¡±


    The pleased Grid was quick to act. Arube appeared with the armored needles and made fun of Sua and the Red Phoenix members.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid took out the portable furnace and started work with the God Hands. Fire was instantly produced using the white phosphorus wood. Then heid Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword side by side on the anvil, hitting them with a hammer. The four Mjolnirs increased the speed of cksmithing skills, boosting the speed of Item Combination. At the end of this work.


    ¡°Is he crazy? Not knowing the current situation and hammering... Are you crazy?¡±


    Arube btedly noticed Grid and cursed.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid swung Failure + Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    A named NPC was strong. In particr, Arube was able to control the armored needles. Grid judged that he would be stronger than the armored needles. Grid carefully calcted as the storm of energy covered Arube.


    ¡®Controlling the undead means he must have a necromancer type ss. Even if he¡¯s a named NPC, he can¡¯t help having low defense and health. Considering the possibility of 3 Joint Attacks activating or a critical attack, I will take control of the match by using Transcended Link after Linked Kill Wave.¡¯


    If he linked it with Pinnacle Kill then there was a chance that Arube could die. Failure boasted the strongest attack power. Grid¡¯s Greatsword added 20% more skill damage, despite its attack power being less than Failure. The power demonstrated when these two greatswordsbined together was terrible.


    Grid needed to control himself.


    ¡°Uh... Uwaaaack!¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    Grid smiled as Arube screamed after being hit by Linked Kill Wave.


    ¡®I will soon clear the SS grade quest.¡¯


    It was really good! Grid used Transcended Link and immediately attacked Arube again. Suddenly, he stiffened like a stone statue.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Arube¡¯s health gauge...


    ¡°It¡¯s gone?¡±


    Yes, gone.


    During his freshman days in university. His boiler was turned off because Grid used his living expenses on the gaming fee.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    He might be a necromancer, but how could he have such low defense and health? Grid was confused.


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±


    [Arube has died.]


    Arube¡¯s health was depleted by Linked Kill Wave and turned to grey. Then notification windows appeared in front of Grid.


    [Necromancer Arube has been defeated.]


    [89,005,310 experience has been acquired.]


    [You have obtained an unknown mark.]


    [Arube¡¯s Ring has been acquired.]


    [The question ¡®Location of the Red Phoenix Bow¡¯ has been terminated. The linked quests will be destroyed.]


    [Your have gained two levels from the quest reward.]


    [As someone with a second ss, you will receive a level up bonus. 24 stat points have been acquired.]


    [12 points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Flop!


    Grid sighed and sat down. The Red Phoenix Breath that dwelled in the original Red Phoenix Bow. He lost the only clue to tell him the whereabouts of the precious treasure, causing his mental state to be bruised. The Red Phoenix members approached the grumbling Grid.


    ¡°You punished the viin that threatened the youngdy and Pangea! You are the hero and savior of Pangea!¡±


    ¡°Grid! Please tell us if you experience any trouble in the future! I will be willing to experience any inconvenience if it¡¯s for you!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The affinity with the Red Phoenix members had risen a lot. But Grid wasn¡¯t pleased at all. He nkly questioned Sua.


    ¡°Necromancer? Do they have inherently weak bodies and stamina?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. They¡¯re as weak as a child. But they usually don¡¯t allow hits, because they can summon things several times stronger than them.¡±


    "...I see.¡±


    "Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue precisely dug at Arube¡¯s gaps. Arube didn¡¯t think a cksmith would attack and couldn¡¯t cope with it.¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    Grid shook off his gloomy mood. He didn¡¯t get the best result for the unexpected quest, but he couldn¡¯t be frustrated forever.


    ¡®Think positively.¡¯


    He gained two levels in exchange for defeating Arube. In addition, he obtained the Unknown Mark and Arube¡¯s Ring. These were rewards he wouldn¡¯t have obtained if he captured Arube.


    ¡®Anyway, this is the reward for an SS grade quest. It¡¯s possible that these have great value.¡¯


    Maybe their value was better than the original Red Phoenix Bow. Of course, this was just a maybe. Grid was filled with hope and was about to use the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill to confirm the information of the Unknown Mark and Arube¡¯s Ring.


    Pepepepeng!


    However, the battle between the God Hands transformed into Failure and armored needle was deepening. In the beginning, the God Hands overwhelmed the armored needles with their power. But they started to be suppressed one by one with the silver thread. Now the armored needles were aiming for Grid and the Red Phoenix members.


    "First, I need to take care of these guys.¡±


    Grid stopped the appraisal and stared at the armored needles with a fearsome expression. He had targets to vent his anger on.


    ¡®I will wipe these guys out before leaving the dungeon.¡¯


    It was also time to go eat at Idan¡¯s restaurant. Grid wanted to be strong, but his spirit was very pained from eating Idan¡¯s food. It was painful and hard. Grid was burning with motivation for various reasons. Sua¡¯s white face flushed as she gazed at him.


    "Wow... You never get tired.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why was Sua¡¯s face suddenly red? Grid didn¡¯t want to know. No, he was afraid to know. It was because he sensed he would be corrupted as soon as he understood her mind.


    ***


    Immediately after taking over the fortified city of Patrian and obtaining Earl Ashur. The Eternal Kingdom named Grid a traitor. Grid was stripped of all authority and status in the kingdom and his territories would be reimed.


    The first target was naturally Cork Ind. It was the judgment of the Eternal Kingdom that Cork wouldn¡¯t be as hard to reim since it was separate from Reidan, Patrian, and Borneo. But what was this? Two naval divisions had already failed to upy Cork Ind.


    Admiral Lebuck was going crazy after receiving the report.


    "The distance between Reidan and Cork Ind is at least 15 days apart and there are fortresses from our kingdom all along the road. It¡¯s impossible for the rebels to support Cork Ind. Then how is Cork Ind protecting itself from our offensive?¡±


    "There is a lot of food due to the abundantnd, and the rebels have arranged elite troops. It¡¯s an ind, so they know that we¡¯ll move the navy.¡±


    It was usible. Lebuck made a decision.


    "We need to change the manner of attack.¡±


    Tak.


    Lebuck pointed to the north of Cork Ind on the map. Cork Ind was originally a territory of the Eternal Kingdom. Lebuck waspletely aware of the geography of the ind.


    "Once the sun goes down, send the diving rats to this ce.¡±


    Diving rats. The official unit name was R77. They were the special unit of the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s navy. Tonight, they would dive into the sea, enter the outskirts of Cork Ind, move through the secret tunnels in the mines, and infiltrate Cork Castle.


    ¡°Then cut off the head of the rebel leader. At that time, our fleet will strike at the ind.¡±


    It had been a few years since the rebels ruled Cork Ind. It was unlikely that the rebels would know about the secret tunnels that existed in the Cork Ind mines.


    "Tomorrow, Cork Ind will return to the Eternal KIngdom.¡±


    It was a winning strategy that could be developed due to knowing the geography of Cork Ind. Lebuck was overflowing with confidence.

 Chapter 544

    There were surprisingly many yers who chose the soldier ss. They could receive a stable ie and quests from the military, as well as learn new skills ording to their rank. Few sses could learn as many skills as soldiers. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean it was the best. There were a lot more disadvantages.


    An example was that they had limited freedom. They needed to enter the game at certain times to attend military training. Quests given from superiors had to be unconditionally performed. They had to follow the principles ofmand and free travel was also impossible.


    Therefore, there was a question. Why choose a soldier when ying the game? Was it fun to live a controlled life? How could it be fun? The majority of people saw the soldier ss negatively. But some people had different thoughts. There were some people who appreciated the merits of the soldier ss.


    Most of them were ambitious. It was possible for a soldier to be promoted ording to their ability, and they were a ss with the possibility to gain a lot of power. The yers who chose the soldier ss would y a controlled game, but they were patient enough to develop.


    In this ce.


    There was a yer in the R77 unit of the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s navy. His ID was Soldier. It was a name that spoke of his desire to be a soldier. In reality, he was a soldier of the US army and enjoyed it. He liked the strict rules and control, a type of person who took pleasure from legal killings.


    ¡®Grid... Is there any figure more suitable for my promotion?¡¯


    Grid became a hero through the golem invasion of Reinhardt. A wonderful politician who revived the deserted ghost town of Reidan. A resourceful person who swallowed up the Tzedakah Guild and Silver Knights Guild. A gifted man who used the media to disturb people around the world and seize Patrian. The only legendary item maker.


    Looking at Grid¡¯s history, including the National Competition, Soldier couldn¡¯t help admiring him. A perfect person. He wasn¡¯t a legend for nothing.


    Soldier was excited. His achievements would be more noticeable if he defeated a perfect being.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s rebellion is a great chance for me. I could be promoted a few times in this war.¡¯


    He could be promoted tomander in one step.


    ¡®First, take care of today. I must contribute to the upation of Cork Ind.¡¯


    Ssh!


    Ssh ssh!


    Deep in the night. The 30 members of R77 jumped from the ship. They dived deep into the sea and avoided the enemy¡¯s surveincework. They were armed with the third-generation magic wetsuits developed by the navy magicians and were getting enough oxygen through that.


    Soldier used the Advanced Swimming Mastery Lv. 2 that he thoroughly trained in after being in the navy. His eyes were determined as he dreamt about bing a war hero.


    ***


    Cork Ind was a ce that contained the memories of the Silver Knight Guild. Its actual economic value was the highest among the territories possessed by Overgeared. There were dozens of mines and it was famous as a sightseeing ce. As the former master of the Silver Knights Guild, Peak Sword wanted to protect Cork Ind. He didn¡¯t want to hand it over to the enemy.


    Of course, in reality, it was impossible to stand up to the aggression of the Eternal Kingdom. Cork Ind was isted. He couldn¡¯t expect to keep it. The number of soldiers was limited to 1,000 and the average level was 150. There were no named knights. It was a territory that couldn¡¯t be kept even if Grid was present.


    Lauel said it was wiser to give up Cork Ind. However, the will of Peak Sword wasn¡¯t broken.


    "I¡¯m a Korean who inherited the spirit of General Yi Soonshin. I will never give up.¡±


    One month. He needed to keep it for just one month. He would tie up the enemy troops as long as possible and collect more taxes from Cork Ind for Overgeared. Peak Sword fought with all his might for the past five days. He actively utilized the coastal fortifications that Cork Ind¡¯s lord had built and sank several ships of the Eternal Navy.


    It was thanks to the efforts of the 10 elites from the Silver Knights guild and the soldiers of Cork Ind, but Peak Sword¡¯s maritime capabilities were also spectacr. In the past, he had a long battle with the Sakura Guild over Cork Ind and grew into an excellent navalmander.


    "Brother, aren¡¯t you overdoing it?¡±


    An Changsal, the second inmand of the Silver Knights Guild, was worried about Peak Sword. He was worried since Peak Sword kept fighting while using buff potions.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really hard to earn money? You don¡¯t be able to get married if you had no money. What¡¯s the point of drinking potions if you¡¯re a bachelor for the rest of your life?¡±


    The smart Lauel had warned Peak Sword. It would be difficult to keep Cork Ind for more than a week. He refused to believe it at first. However, after experiencing the war directly, Lauel was right. It was impossible to withstand the navy¡¯s offensive for more than a week with just An Changsal and the elites of the Silver Knights Guild. The difference in power was too great and there was a limit to their stamina.


    "There¡¯s also a minimum of breaks and the soldiers are already exhausted. It isn¡¯t a bad idea to keep the ind, but there¡¯s no point if the damage is too big...¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t useless damage.¡±


    Peak Sword cut off An Changsal¡¯s words.


    "This is for Overgeared.¡±


    Peak Sword thought it was worth it if he could reduce the burden on Overgeared by sacrificing himself. He had a duty to do his best in order to repay Grid and Lauel. That¡¯s why he would bring out his pickaxe today.


    Deep in the night. Peak Sword judged it was impossible for the enemy¡¯s fleet to attack in the darkness and rose from his spot.


    ¡°I will go to the mines.¡±


    ¡°Oh my...¡± An Changsal clicked his tongue. "Why do you swing the pickaxe every night? You should take a rest when possible.¡±


    "There are no good hunting grounds. Rather than raising my level, I need to raise my stamina and persistence. God Grid would¡¯ve done it. Do you know God Grid?¡±


    Repetitivebor led to a small but steady increase in stats. In particr, Peak Sword liked the feeling of mining. It was pleasurable when minerals emerged when he hit the wall with a pickaxe.


    "Everyone else should rest. I¡¯m going.¡±


    Peak Sword left his colleagues alone and headed for the mine. It was the mine closest to the coast. The mining rate was lowpared to other mines on Cork Ind. However, Peak Sword had no choice but to use it. The other mines were too far away from the fortress.


    ¡®It¡¯sforting that there¡¯s a mine in a position where I can respond immediately to the enemy¡¯s invasion.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The dark mine. Peak Sword lit a few torches and started swinging his pickaxe. He hit the solid wall and collected minerals. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry. In the first ce, the minerals weren¡¯t the goal. He needed to raise his stamina. Labor was the only way to increase his stats.


    [Your persistence has increased by 1.]


    [Your stamina has increased by 1.]


    [The Intermediate Mining skill has increased to Lv. 3.]


    ¡°Kuk...! Good!¡±


    How fun was this?


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    A smile appeared on Peak Sword¡¯s face as he kept mining.


    Teong!


    Teeeeeong!


    ¡°...?¡±


    The deepest part of the mine. A faint noise was heard from the end of a tunnel. Peak Sword tilted his head to one side.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was fundamentally different from the sound of wind. There was a sense of weight to it and above all, the sound came from behind the wall.


    ¡°...Perhaps?¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s eyes shone brightly.


    ¡°Is there a secret dungeon?¡±


    If so, this was a big jackpot. He would receive a great reward in return for finding a new dungeon. He could also use the monsters to deal a big blow to the enemy.


    ¡®This is a dungeon located near the battlefield. If I act properly, the mobs can be used against the enemy.¡¯


    It was presumed that they wouldn¡¯t do that much, but it was enough to have expectations.


    Gulp!


    Peak Sword was filled with anticipation and tension. He gripped the pickaxe and pointed it at thepletely blocked wall.


    ¡®A hidden ce would have great value.¡¯


    Peak Sword eagerly wanted to see it! He tightened his grip on the pickaxe. Then he took the familiar stance of drawing a sword. It was to enjoy the ss bonus effect when using a weapon or tool from the drawing attention. In addition, it was to imitate Piaro, whobined farming and swordsmanship.


    ¡°Draw Sword.¡±


    Surung!


    The pickaxe that Grid made. It had a different durability and attack power from normal pickaxes and could be used as a weapon.


    "Fang.¡±


    Paaaat!


    It was like a ray of light was shot from Peak Sword¡¯s fingertips.


    Kurururung!


    The wall that was Peak Sword¡¯s target suddenly fell down by itself? And...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    From behind the copsed wall, a strange man appeared. The ID was Soldier. It was a yer like Peak Sword.


    "?????"


    "?????"


    A moment of time. Peak Sword and Soldier¡¯s eyes met and the same question appeared in their minds.


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    It was only a short amount of time. Peak Sword and Soldier understood the current situation but Peak Sword¡¯s pickaxe hit Soldier first.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuk... Keeoook!¡±


    What the hell was this? A miner with coal covered his face. Why was a person mining in this critical wartime situation and why was he mining in front of the secret tunnel?


    ¡°D...Dammit.¡±


    A person who was going to be a powerful figure in the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s army was going to die here?


    Stagger.


    Soldier¡¯s confusion was maximized as he stumbled. Blood flowed from his forehead where the pickaxe hit and he slowly turned to grey. Drawing the sword. It took a long time to activate and recover, but the attack power alone was worthy of being among the top.


    This wasn¡¯t an ordinary pickaxe, and the power of the skill cast through Grid¡¯s pickaxe was incredibly strong. It was enough to knock out the level 250 Soldier, who was within the top 10,000 rankings. Peak Sword¡¯s overwhelming presence gave the opponent a sense of resistance.


    ¡°You... What are you?¡±


    The R77 squad members were confused when their colleague was murdered in front of their eyes. Peak Sword grasped the situationte and replied.


    ¡°Swo... No, a miner. An ordinary miner of Cork Ind.¡±


    "What?¡±


    Coincidences might¡¯ve ovepped, but their ace soldier had died in a single blow. The R77 members knew that the miner in front of them was less likely to be an ordinary miner. However, it was hard to deny that he was a miner.


    Clink!


    On the other hand, Peak Sword recovered the bloody pickaxe and took an attack posture again. Of course, this time he used a sword instead of a pickaxe. The R77 members shouted when they saw him ce a hand on the sheath.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke!¡±


    It was already toote. The R77 troop members. They gave time to Peak Sword.


    ¡°Annihte.¡±


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The R77 unit under themand of the Navy. The greatest elite troops who built up a lot of fighting abilities in all types of wars were now wiped out. It was a rare event that would make the navy rush around frantically.

 Chapter 545

    [Grid¡¯s Pickaxe]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 117/180 Attack Power: 233


    * 20% increase in mining speed.


    * 10% increase in attack power.


    * Shape conversion is possible.


    A tool with long des extending on both sides.


    A pickaxe made by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    At first nce, it is no different from a normal pickaxe. But there are obvious differences.


    The des on both sides can be folded as needed and half the hilt is made of a de.


    It can be used as a sword.


    However, since it is far from the ideal sword form, it isn¡¯t rmended to be used with bad skills.


    Conditions of Use: Mining or Farming skill. Advanced Mastery Level 1. 1,200 strength.


    Weight: 880


    In fact, Peak Sword hadn¡¯t understood it when he received this pickaxe. Shouldn¡¯t a tool be faithful to its original role? Why did Grid make the pickaxe a weapon? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to have a separate de instead of a pickaxe? Peak Sword wondered what this was about. It was still an unknown world.


    Due to the peculiar form of the pickaxe, Peak Sword was able to use his style of swordsmanship and eventually destroyed the forces who secretly infiltrated Cork Ind. He took the momentum and destroyed the R77 troops.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [You have neutralized the Eternal Navy¡¯s covert operation.]


    [A signal re has been found on the dead enemy¡¯s body. It can be used to disturb the enemy.]


    ¡°God Grid... You¡¯re the best.¡±


    Grid made the pickaxe a weapon because he foresaw what would happen today. Peak Sword was thrilled by Grid¡¯s foresight and respected him even more. The real reason why Grid made the pickaxe a weapon? It was purely for Piaro, but Peak Sword interpreted it this way.


    ***


    Skin that was golden from the sunlight. Red hair that was intense as zing mes and lustrous lips. She was the best beauty of South America, Jishuka. She stood on the high walls of Patrian and looked down at the battlefield.


    "The yers¡¯ participation rate is increasing every day.¡±


    The Eternal Kingdom had named Grid and the Overgeared members as traitors. The yers in the Eternal Kingdom received a tsunami of quests.


    Defeat Grid. Defeat Overgeared. upy Bairan. upy Reidan. upy Patrian. Capture Grid¡¯s family, etc.


    The quests that threatened Grid and the Overgeared members promised huge rewards for the yers. The yers naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse the quest. They coveted their rewards, and it was their natural obligation as people of the Eternal Kingdom to suppress the rebellion.


    That¡¯s right. The yers were immersed. Life as a citizen of Eternal. They weren¡¯t just ying games, they existed as heroes of ¡®another world.¡¯ An overwhelming sense of immersion. This was the true attraction of a virtual reality game.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Jishuka swallowed her saliva. There were too many enemies. In fact, the 10,000 soldiers of the Eternal Kingdom wasn¡¯t a big problem. Their average level was 160. They couldn¡¯t be a threat to the elites of the Overgeared members. But the yers were a problem. There were thousands of yers, including high level rankers. Therge variety of sses was diverse and the risk factors were huge.


    Jishukaughed at the nervous Toban.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Kkirik!


    Jishuka drew her bow and aimed at the army.


    Hwaruruk!


    mes sparked at the end of the arrow.


    ¡°Sweep them all away. Should we show any mercy to dogs who dare to bare their teeth at us?¡±


    ¡°...No, what?¡±


    In this situation, why wasn¡¯t this woman scared? Toban was surprised when he saw that Jishuka didn¡¯t shrink back.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The fire arrows crossed the battlefield and struck the middle of the enemies, causing a powerful explosion. Dozens of people died in an instant. The yers of the Eternal Kingdom turned white.


    "Red mes archer... It¡¯s true that they¡¯re fraudulent when ites to sieges.¡±


    "How can we break that arrow bombardment?¡±


    In just a few seconds. The fire arrows shot by Jishuka consecutively flew through the sky. The battlefield became a sea of fire. It was truly huge firepower. It was a power optimized for mass destruction. Both the Eternal Kingdom and Overgeared members were amazed by Jishuka¡¯s power, but Jishuka herself felt regretful.


    ¡®I can¡¯t disy my power with this bow.¡¯


    It was a bow shemissioned from Grid. She hadn¡¯t been able to rece it, despite being 22 levels beyond it. It was because there was no good alternative. From the standpoint of Jishuka, this bow had a lower limit than her level and wasn¡¯t satisfactory.


    ***


    ¡®Marquis Steim is more cautious than necessary.¡¯


    Reidan.


    Lauel had a headache. What was the biggest reason for upying Patrian? It was to connect Reidan to the north and gain Marquis Steim¡¯s support. But unexpectedly, Marquis Steim was just watching the situation. He wouldn¡¯t side with Grid if it was unlikely Grid would be the king.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t nervous, despite Irene being in Reidan.¡¯


    Marquis Steim loved his daughter. In addition, Irene was Marquis Steim¡¯s only heir and Grid was Irene¡¯s husband. Lauel expected that Marquis Steim would naturally take Grid¡¯s side in this war. Grid bing king would make his daughter a queen and his grandchild a prince.


    But Marquis Steim was a more cautious person than Lauel expected. He knew how to distinguish between business and personal matters and didn¡¯t cling to his bloodline. If he made the wrong choice, the millions of people in the north would be affected. It was obvious that Marquis Steim was worried about their safety and aiming for a more certain choice.


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t me him.¡±


    Lauel understood and respected Marquis Steim¡¯s choice. It was good to see a noble that cared for the people. Still, he couldn¡¯t help feeling frustrated.


    ¡®I appreciate the fact that your political aplishments that have revived the north. But your ankle is caught by the people and you can¡¯t be used as a tool.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t a person who could be assigned to a key position when the kingdom was foundedter. Lauel decided and opened the list of rankers. It was a habit. In his view, it should be the default to monitor the level of the high rankers.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Lauel was looking at the list of rankings to determine the level of the forces that could potentially be hostile to Grid. He doubted his eyes. Grid had been level 322 just three hours ago and he was now 324.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s level had been rising rapidly in the East Continent. He was about to enter 15th ce on the unified rankings. But no matter how fast he was, gaining two levels in just three hours?


    ¡°9th rank on the list? Grid, what the hell are you doing?¡±


    He wondered if Grid was bugged. Lauelughed as he anticipated the reaction of the media, only to suddenly feel anxious.


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯lle back to the West Continent much sooner than expected?¡¯


    Would Grid return before the project to make Grid a king beplete?


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    In the darkness. Faker breathed as he watched Irene and Lord. He focused on protecting them from any threats. But Faker soon came to realize something. There was no need for his protection.


    ¡®Potato?¡¯


    Irene was reading a book with Lord in her arms. On the wall above where she was sitting, a worker bringing potatoes to the soldiers identally dropped one potato. It was the famous rainbow potato. The potato fell quickly towards Irene¡¯s head and Faker prepared to move.


    "Ahat.¡±


    Lord,ughing in Irene¡¯s arms, suddenly pulled out a dagger and threw it towards the sky. It was so fast and stealthy that Irene didn¡¯t even realize Lord had thrown it.


    Peeok!


    Faker made a bemused expression as the potato hit by Lord¡¯s dagger split in half.


    ¡®My protection... It isn¡¯t necessary.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just due to Lord¡¯s excellent abilities. There were 200 girls in the vicinity of Irene and Lord. Faker realized that they had also taken out their weapons to protect Irene from the potato. There was also Kasim, king of shadows, hidden in Lord¡¯s shadow.


    "...Both of them will be safe in Reidan.¡±


    Faker had nothing to do. He wondered if there was anything more pointless than protecting the safest people in the world.


    ***


    [You have seeded in killing 10 armored needles.]


    [The quest ¡®Subjugate the Armored Needles (1)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Affinity with the Red Phoenix group has risen and 5 silver threads have been acquired.]


    [Affinity with the Red Phoenix has risen to the peak.]


    [The quest ¡®Subjugate the Armored Needles (2) has been created.]


    [Subjugate the Armored Needles (2)]


    Difficulty: S


    There are arge number of armored needles in the dungeon beneath Pangea Castle.


    Bring peace to Pangea by repelling those who can threaten Pangea at any time.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 20 armored needles.


    Quest Clear Reward: 5 silver thread.


    He had only obtained two silver threads from defeating 10 armored needles. The drop rate for the silver thread was the worst. Grid judged that the most realistic way to acquire the silver thread was toplete the quests.


    ¡¯But giving out five threads for killing 20...¡¯


    The appearance rate of the armored needles was too low. It would take a long time if he wanted to hunt 20.


    ¡®It might take two days if I¡¯m unlucky.¡¯


    Grid sighed and left the dungeon with the Red Phoenix group.


    ¡°Ohh! Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue! You¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    In front of the well. Half a day had passed since Grid entered the dungeon but White and Han Seokbong were still waiting. They were quite worried about Grid. Sua exined the whole story. She spoke about how Grid defeated the armored needles with overwhelming strength and condemned Arube.


    The liking in Han Seokbong¡¯s gaze towards Grid increased.


    "You really went through a lot of trouble, Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue. You were a big help. Now, you must be exhausted and hungry. I have prepared delicacies that can only be enjoyed in Pangea for Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue."


    [Lord Han Seokbong is feeling more favorable towards you.]


    [There is a ce for you to stay in Pangea Castle. It is a ce with hot springs for stamina recovery.]


    [All facilities of Pangea Castle are avable free of charge and you will be served a meal whenever you want.]


    "Delicacies...¡±


    Grid gulped because he was starved. The thought of delicious food stimted his appetite. But Grid was always rewarded for his effort and patience. He barely suppressed his appetite.


    ¡°The meal... I will eat outside.¡±


    He had to go to Idan¡¯s restaurant. It was important to secure stats, even if he experienced food poisoning. Grid swallowed his tears and left the castle. He walked with unmotivated footsteps and pulled out the Unknown Mark and Arube¡¯s Ring.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t expect much... Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    It was time to acknowledge that most of Grid¡¯s predictions always went the opposite way.

 Chapter 546

    Capture or kill Arube?


    If 100 yers were given the ¡®Location of the Red Phoenix Bow¡¯ quest, 100 out of 100 would¡¯ve chosen to capture Arube. It was natural. Capturing Arube would allow them to win the Red Phoenix Bow. Wasn¡¯t it strongest battle gear? People wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to kill Arube just for a rise in level.


    ¡¯...I¡¯m a stupid jerk.¡¯


    How many of the two billion users would think that being too strong could be a sin? Grid identally killed Arube. He got two levels and Arube¡¯s items in exchange, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling depressed.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Grid¡¯s shoulders were slumped as he used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal on the Unknown Mark and Arube¡¯s Ring. Grid didn¡¯t have high expectations. These were items that wouldn¡¯t have been revealed to the world unless Arube was killed. In other words, it was unlikely that the items would be too good.


    "Still, he was a named NPC so it wouldn¡¯t be garbage... Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s footsteps stopped as he checked the item details. He was so surprised by the oue that his body stiffened like a stone statue.


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Unknown Mark]


    A ck sun mark.


    The usage is unknown.


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [Mark of Evolution]


    Rating: Unique


    A functional marker developed by the alchemy facility.


    If this mark is attached to your body, one of your strength, agility, stamina, or intelligence stats will increase by 200.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 0


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Grid¡¯s mouth dropped open at the unexpected situation. An item that raised his stats when stuck to his body? It was also by 200 points!


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    The item wasn¡¯t trash. It actually had tremendous value. Grid was thrilled. But the biggest reason for Grid¡¯s pleasure wasn¡¯t the value of the mark. It was the glimpse of the possibilities of alchemy. Grid was truly excited by this point.


    ¡®Is it possible to someday produce these marks at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility?Rabbit, please prove that your choice isn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    Grid prayed earnestly for Rabbit and examined Arube¡¯s Ring. Then he sighed.


    [Arube¡¯s Ring]


    Rating: Unique


    A ringpleted after many experiments by Arube, who wanted to use the abilities of the armored needles.


    When worn, five or less strands of silver thread can be twisted together to the desired shape.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 4


    ¡°...¡±


    ording to the item description of the silver thread, at least 2,500 dexterity was needed to handle five or less silver threads. That¡¯s right. In other words, Arube¡¯s Ring was an item that increased the wearer¡¯s dexterity to 2,500. It was useless for Grid, whose dexterity had already reached 3,700.


    "Sigh, giving me this...¡±


    Grid was grumbling while thinking about it. What if an ordinary yer got Arube¡¯s Ring? By now, they would be jumping with joy. In the first ce, Grid was the only one qualified to handle the silver thread freely. From a general point of view, the two items obtained from killing Arube didn¡¯t fall significantlypared to the Red Phoenix Bow. It was just Grid who didn¡¯t feel all the benefits.


    ¡°...No, wait. I think I can use it.¡±


    Grid suddenly thought of the Overgeared Skeletons. Skeletons that could wear equipment items, unlike normal skeletons. What would happen if they wore Arube¡¯s Ring.


    ¡®Won¡¯t they support me properly in battle?¡¯


    The use of the silver thread was endless. It would be a great help for Grid if the Overgeared Skeletons could use the silver thread to tie up the feet of the enemy for a while. There was no definite limit on the random damage of the silver thread. The level 1 Overgeared Skeletons wielding the silver thread might deal a blow to level 100 monsters.


    The minimum damage was only 100 and this could appear 999 out of 1,000 times. In any case, his expectations for the Overgeared Skeletons rose significantly.


    ¡°Kukuk...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t control theugh that emerged. He felt so happy that he could fly away. He took advantage of the momentum and took out the Mark of Evolution. It was to increase his stats. He wanted either the intelligence or agility stat. Agility needed to be increased to match the ratio of strength and intelligence allowed Grid to learn more magic from Braham.


    ¡®Stamina also isn¡¯t bad. An increase in health and defense means my survival ability will increase greatly. The usage of ckening will also increase.¡¯


    It just couldn¡¯t be strength. His strength was already overflowing.


    ¡¯The probability of gaining the desired stat is 75%.¡¯


    There was only a 25% chance of being unlucky. Grid believed in the concept of probability as he ced the back sun mark on the back of his hand.


    Chiiiik!


    ¡°Um.¡±


    There was a stinging feeling. Grid frowned, but didn¡¯t lose his smile. Agility, stamina, and intelligence.


    ¡®Which of the three stats will go up?¡¯


    [The Mark of Evolution has been ced.]


    [Strength has risen by 200.]


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    The smilepletely disappeared from the face of the frustrated Grid. No, dammit. There was a 75% chance of getting his desired stats and a 25% chance of getting unwanted stats, then what was this?


    "Why is it the 25%?¡±


    Grid was certain that the devil had made the idea of probability.


    ¡°Ah... Is this irreversible?¡±


    Strength was the best stat for physical damage dealers. Not only did it increase physical attack power, it also gave a small amount of health. But Grid knew that he would be stronger if he adjusted his strength and agility to a ratio of 1:1. He didn¡¯t want to widen the gap between strength and agility.


    ¡°Ugh... It would be much better if intelligence rose.¡±


    Was there any cksmith in the world who wanted to raise intelligence? It was sad. Grid became restless and closed his eyes. Then he looked at the information of the mark on the back of his hand. It was to check if he could reapply it.


    [Mark of Evolution]


    Status: Strength.


    200 strength is added.


    You can try changing the stat.


    However, changing the stats will cause one of your stats to permanently drop by 5.


    ¡°...¡±


    One of his stats would drop by 5 points. It was a truly fearsome penalty. This was half the value of an elixir, a number that could be gained by eating at least five of Idan¡¯s dishes. Eating Idan¡¯s food didn¡¯t always raise his stats.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid grimaced while sweat flowed down his back. Should he be satisfied with the increase in attack strength, despite the inefficiency? Or should he lost five stat points for a more dramatic increase in attack power? His worries didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡®Anything would be good apart from strength. It¡¯s worth it.¡¯


    The odds were 75%. Furthermore, Grid had a lot of different types of stats. There was strength, stamina, intelligence, agility, persistence,posure, indomitable, dignity, insight, courage, charm demonic power, good luck, etc. It was a variety of stats that other people couldn¡¯t dream of. It would be profitable if he could get 200 stats he wanted in exchange for losing 5 stats.


    ¡®In particr, it will be a great hit if I lose the points fromposure or demonic power.¡¯


    Composure reduced the probability of entering an abnormal state and the recovery speed from it. Basically, it wasn¡¯t a very useful stat for Grid, who was immune to status conditions. In addition, Grid was frightened about what would happen when demonic power became too high.


    Grid prayed earnestly. He hoped to gain agility or intelligence in exchange for sacrificing one of these two stats!


    ¡°Change mark.¡±


    [The location of the mark can be reset.]


    Pahat!


    The mark of the ck sun on Grid¡¯s hand rose into the air again. Perhaps if Grid was a person who cared about appearance, he would¡¯ve attached it to his chest or neck. But Grid wasn¡¯t interested in appearance.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t there a higher chance of increasing intelligence if I stick it to my head?¡¯


    Grid thought up this logic and ced the mark in the center of his forehead. At the same time.


    [The Mark of Evolution is being reconfigured.]


    [5 good luck stats have disappeared.]


    [Strength has risen by 200.]


    ¡°XX.¡±


    He lost his good luck stats that he cherished the most and his strength stat rose again? Grid lost his reason and immediately rearranged the mark again. He pulled the mark off his forehead and pped it onto his chest. It was just below the corbone. The dark sun mark seen through the wide cor looked nice.


    [The Mark of Evolution is being reconfigured.]


    [5 good luck stats have disappeared.]


    [Stamina has risen by 200.]


    ¡°...¡±


    At level 300, every point in stamina increased health by 25 and defense by 0.9. The 200 rise in stamina gave Grid an extra 5,000 health and good defense, so it certainly wasn¡¯t bad. Still, it was less dramatic than the agility stat that increased hisbat ability, or the intelligence stat that helped him learn new magic.


    Grid was a little sad, but what could he do?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just be satisfied with this...¡±


    He was too afraid to do it anymore. Grid moved like a beaten man after he lost 10 points in good luck. He arrived in front of Idan¡¯s restaurant.


    ***


    "You came!¡±


    As usual, the restaurant was empty.


    Idan weed Grid from where he was sitting. The reaction was a lot different from thest time they met.


    "You were a cksmith? You don¡¯t know how happy I was when I heard that you won the championship!¡±


    ¡°Idan...¡±


    He was happy that Grid won? Grid, whose heart had be as deste as the dry desert, felt touched. Despite being a mad chef, Grid was d to see Idan. Thissted for one second.


    ¡°Hahahat! Won¡¯t guestse like a tide if I announce that the winner of the smithypetition likesing to my restaurant?¡±


    "...Give me something to eat.¡±


    Grid sat down at a table. Yang Fei approached him with her expressionless face and handed him the citron tea.


    "Today¡¯s tea is a service. I¡¯m just a poor girl, but I want to congratte you on your victory. But I will have to starve this evening.¡±


    Her expression didn¡¯t change despite her words. Grid knew that Yang Fei was responsible for her siblings and felt burdened. But he didn¡¯t refuse the free service.


    ¡®In any case, I will give her a sry when I bring her with me to the West Continent.¡¯


    Grid rationalized it and enjoyed the taste of the free tea. Yang Fei gazed at him and carefully lifted her skirt.


    ¡°That... Today my thighs are stiff.¡±


    Her pale face became extremely red. Yang Fei was very ashamed. She already knew. Grid¡¯s massage wasn¡¯t a simple massage.


    ¡®This child...¡¯


    It was strange how she was actively pursuing this. Maybe Sua would be the same.


    ¡®Are the women of the East Continent like this?¡¯


    Grid kneaded Yang Fei¡¯s white thighs with his fingers. A soft feeling was felt from his fingertips.


    ¡°Urgh.¡±


    Yang Fei lost strength in her legs and sat down. Grid thought her red ears were cute and started to actively move his hand.


    [Affinity with Yang Fei has risen.]


    [Affinity with Yang Fei...]


    [Dexterity has increased by 1.]


    Grid seriously thought that he would never starve to death as long as he had his fingers.

 Chapter 547

    "Weeeeeek!"


    Food and shelter. They were the basic elements of human life and a source of human pleasure. It was hard for humans to live when theycked food and shelter. They were beings that desired a bigger and nicer house, more expensive clothes, and more delicious food.


    However, Grid boldly gave up on this. His desire to be stronger wasrger than his desire to eat good food. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy.


    ¡°Cough cough! Damn Idan! How can the beef sirloin he cooks taste like shit?¡±


    The bathroom in Idan¡¯s restaurant. Grid was tearful and had a runny nose. It was the aftermath of vomiting up the garbage food. The terrible thing was that his stats didn¡¯t go up despite eating such trash. Grid felt resentful of this world that was filled with the concept of probability. It was enough to make him tremble.


    ¡°But in the end, I¡¯m the one who chose to eat Idan¡¯s food... The result might be bad, but I feel no regret about my choice.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t look serious talking while he was still vomiting. However, Grid had pride in himself. He maintained his patience and perseverance until he got the results he wanted. He was now aware that this wasn¡¯t something everyone could do.


    ¡°Well... The good news is that my empty stomach is resolved.¡±


    His stamina had been restored to normal.


    Spit spit. Grid left and headed straight to Pangea Castle. Hey down on the bed in the room assigned to him and logged straight out.


    ***


    "Ugh... I still feel sick.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯splexion was pale as he left the capsule. The taste of Idan¡¯s food was still lingering in his mouth.


    ¡°It should be okay if I eat something sweet.¡±


    He only gave up on good food in Satisfy. Now he was craving a sweet potatotte. It was warm, soft, and sweet. If he bought one on the way home after a morning jog, all his fatigue would melt away. It was a luxury that he wouldn¡¯t have even thought of when he was poor. Now it was nothing for Shin Youngwoo to spend 6,000 won on himself. He donated 3,300 won to Uni X, so how could he hesitate to buy a 6,000 won beverage?


    Compare it. Originally, Youngwoo was only stingy with others. He wouldn¡¯t have bought a 800 million won car if he was stingy with himself.


    ¡°I will go eat.¡±


    Youngwoo stretched for a long time in the garden and entered the elevator. Then he headed to the famous cafe chain store on the first floor of the building.


    "Wee."


    A panoramic cafe. It was a cozy spaceparable to a cafe in the city center. A cafe employee greeted him with a bright smile and Youngwoo ordered a sweet potatotte. He sat at the sunny window seat and made a gentle expression.


    ¡®The buildings of the guild members will soon bepleted.¡¯


    Six high-rise buildings were currently under construction next to Youngwoo¡¯s building. They were buildings owned by Yura, Jishuka, Pon, Huroi, and Vantner. Youngwoo felt like a new person. He felt happy that his former debt-ridden self was now andlord and that his colleagues were doing well. His heart was happy enough to fill the world.


    The employee handed him his drink with a soft smile, before asking with an anxious expression. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news. The Overgeared Guild is having a hard time these days. Is it okay?¡±


    "?"


    The Overgeared Guild was having a hard time?


    ¡®Aren¡¯t we doing well?¡¯


    Youngwoo was speechless and the employee exined to him.


    ¡°I heard from the yers that belong to the Eternal Kingdom. I heard that Bairan and Patrian arepletely isted by the enemy. It¡¯s so sad. I would¡¯ve fought for Overgeared if my level was a little higher."


    ¡°...The yers?¡±


    Youngwoo realized his mistake.


    ¡®That bastard An gave quests to kill Overgeared!¡¯


    Lauel had said that Overgeared could block any enemy attacks even if Grid wasn¡¯t there. Be strong in the East Continent and return. At the time, Grid had obediently nodded.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect the yers to intervene.¡¯


    He was still stupid.


    Kkuok!


    He jumped out of his seat. He was running to the elevator when he stopped in ce. It was because the cafe owner had just brought out a cake that looked good.


    ¡°I will eat well.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t resist a free meal! Youngwoo collected the cake and boarded the elevator. He pressed the button for the penthouse and pulled out his phone.


    "...No. He¡¯ll just tell me not to worry.¡±


    Youngwoo had thought about contacting Lauel. He changed his mind and pulled out a business card from his wallet, calling that number. The call was set at the cost of the receiver. The reason?


    ¡°Bunny Bunny? Uh, um... What is turn on the trantor in English?¡±


    It was an international call!


    ***


    Bairan.


    The small city adjacent to Winston was originally under the jurisdiction of Marquis Steim. After gaining big achievements in the north, it was given to Jishuka and then Grid. Yura wanted to protect it. Bairan was a territory that Jishuka, a founding member of Overgeared, brought as a gift.


    Yura only brought herself to Overgeared. In addition, she wasn¡¯t able to do much after that. She just helped in the Tiramet raid. From the standpoint of Overgeared, wasn¡¯t she worthless?


    ¡®I need to prove my worth.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just a one-dimensional desire to look good for Grid. It was natural to contribute to the organization that she belonged to.


    Step.


    Yura stepped onto the wall of the small fortress. She pulled out a yellow hair band and tied up her long ck hair. The souls of thousands of enemy yers watching her flew away for a while. Slim limbs and a perfect face. The proportions of Yura¡¯s body were so unrealistic that they wondered if she was made by God.


    ¡°Wow... Her face became smaller after her hair was tied up.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s better than NPCs. That¡¯s a real person?¡±


    "So pretty..."


    People from various races eximed. Skin that was whiter than snowkes. The gleaming lips and eyes that charmed anyone who saw them. It was natural for people present to be attracted to her. Pon saw the reactions of the enemies andughed.


    ¡®They¡¯ve lost their minds. I admire her beauty every time I see her.¡¯


    Pon only cared about bing strong in the game. But in reality, he was a man who couldn¡¯t live without women. For him, Yura was a really desirable woman. But he had already given up on Yura. He had no intentions of bing rivals with Grid.


    "ording to the report, there are 10,000 enemies. Half of them are yers.¡±


    On one hand, it was encouraging that the yers were incorporated into the army. It was because the kingdom¡¯s army system made it easy to send in spies. Of course, it wasn¡¯t weak enough to sneak in the Overgeared members. But Pon¡¯s personality was moderate and he had a variety of contacts.


    "This is interesting. The average level of the kingdom¡¯s soldiers is 180, and the yers are 140.


    "Considering that most of the nearby hunting grounds are low to medium level, it¡¯s natural that the yers¡¯ levels are low. But I didn¡¯t expect the level of the kingdom¡¯s soldiers to be so high.¡±


    "I agree. The average level of the soldiers that are attacking Patrian is only 160. Why did they send this army here instead of Patrian?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Bairan is closer to the capital than Patrian. From the kingdom¡¯s point of view, it¡¯s more convenient to have a base in Bairan.¡±


    ¡°I see. Tsk, they wouldn¡¯t have dared attack Bairan if Marquis Steim had taken our side. Doesn¡¯t he know that he became a marquis thanks to Grid?¡±


    ¡°You have to understand the position of Marquis Steim. His essence is a loyal subject of Eternal. Even if the king killed his brother, it isn¡¯t easy to betray him. More than anything else, war is scary. He¡¯s afraid his precious people will be swept away by it. I respect his heart.¡±


    Yura was a former member of the Yatan Church and familiar with ughter. She was always covered in the blood of the enemy and got the nickname of Blood Witch. But at that time, she was just acting faithful to her role. Unlike Lauel, she didn¡¯t regard people as tools and appreciated Marquis Steim¡¯s heart. She knew that a man who cherished his people had value.


    ¡¯A talented person who is essential for Youngwoo¡¯s kingdom.¡¯


    They would win the war without putting pressure on Marquis Steim. Yura pledged and pulled out a sword. Yes, it was a sword instead of a gun. It wasn¡¯t a bay with a de at the end, but a pure sword that was 1 meter in length. Pon tilted his head to one side.


    "A sword? Isn¡¯t a Demon yer¡¯s main weapon a magic engineering gun?¡±


    "The sword can also be used as a primary weapon. A Demon yer has the same level of Gun Mastery and Sword Mastery.¡±


    The reason she chose a gun was because the former Demon yer did so. She thought that a gun was a better weapon than a sword for a Demon yer. But she changed her thoughts since the National Competition. She had suffered in closebat since her days as a ck magician. She didn¡¯t want to be afraid of enemies approaching anymore.


    In addition, a crucial reason for her selection of the sword was Grid. Grid couldn¡¯t make a gun alone. He needed the help of magic and alchemy. On the other hand, Grid could make a sword alone. Using a sword meant it was easier to receive a weapon from Grid.


    Thus, Yura chose the sword. This was a great choice.


    ck magician. She formted and arranged magic with quick responses that were beyondmon sense and disyed strongbat capabilities. Her ability to calcte in real timebined with swordsmanship made her as deadly as the thorns on roses.


    "Whenever the cooldown time of my basic skills return, I will open the gate and act.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    "The enemies are level 200. If I go out and kill 100 people, we will be able to win the win if this keeps repeating.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her brain resembled Lauel, while her personality was like Grid. Pon was confused by this crazy tactic and tried to stop her.


    "No, this won¡¯t work no matter how strong you are. Your stamina is a problem, and the fortress...¡±


    He was toote. Yura had already jumped down the wall and ordered the soldiers to open the gate.


    Kiiiiik!


    ¡°What?¡±


    "Opening the gate themselves?¡±


    ¡°Are they crazy?¡±


    The kingdom¡¯s soldiers and yersughed as they watched Bairan¡¯s gate opening. They had 10,000 people, while the other side had 2,000. Bairan should be closing themselves up like a turtle, not opening the gate.


    ¡°Hahaha! Bairan? You can¡¯t fight and now you want to surrender? Keeok!¡±


    They expected to enter with no blood shed. Then the bodies of the excited yers started to turn grey one by one.


    Peeng!


    Peng!Pepepeng!


    It was a grey feast of grey-colored pirs rising to the sky. Yura was at the center. Her expression was unchanged while the sword supposed to be for destroying demons was now taking human life. She was a grim reaper that was as beautiful as a goddess.


    ¡°The female version of Kraugel?¡±


    Yura used Image Sublimation in the midst of the bombardment of arrow and magic. Pon couldn¡¯t help having this thought as he watched Yura moving through the enemies like lightning. She was the former 5th ranked user. She was also a genius, and now she was a legend.


    ***


    ¡°Crazy... What are these people?¡±


    The fortified city of Patrian.


    The yers of the Eternal Kingdom turned white. Every time Jishuka fired an arrow, dozens of allies died. Hundreds of soldiers were stopped by Vantner and Toban¡¯s shields. Every time the Overgeared members entered the battlefield with Regas in front, the army was ravaged. For the ordinary and low level users who couldn¡¯t deal with more one or two soldiers, the Overgeared members were transcendent.


    The second day of the war. The high rankers quietly watching the Eternal soldiers and ordinary yers shrink back stood at the crossroad of choice. Should they give their strength to the Eternal Kingdom and strike Overgeared as nned, or stand back?


    ¡¯I would¡¯ve added my strength if the Eternal Kingdom was a bit stronger.¡¯


    ¡®The number of troops isn¡¯t high, so I¡¯m reluctant to help out.¡¯


    At the start of the game. Most yers chose the Saharan Empire as their starting point. The empire had a wide range of infrastructure that made it easier to enjoy the game. The Eternal Kingdompared to the empire? It was a vige located in the north of the continent.


    The awareness level was third-rate. As a matter of fact, the number of yers belonging to the Eternal Kingdom was small and the quality was low. It happened when the high rankers decided to leave the battlefield.


    "Reinforcements have arrived!¡±


    A voice roared out on the battlefield. Everyone¡¯s attention naturally turned that way. Then the yers of the Eternal Kingdom regained their color.


    Jeff, Ralph, and Bubat. The masters of the former Seven Guilds led their guilds to intervene in the war. Bubat, who had the strongest CC and a reputation for being unrivalled on the battlefield, smiled with satisfaction.


    "I can¡¯t miss an opportunity to mess with Grid.¡±


    Bubet wasn¡¯t a member of Eternal and hadn¡¯t been given the quests to kill Overgeared. But that didn¡¯t matter to him. Grid had frustrated him several times in the National Competition and the Reidan invasion, so he only dreamt of revenge.


    "Let¡¯s go! Wipe out Overgeared!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The appearance of the powerful army enhanced morale. The high rankers noticed this and also joined the offensive. Jishuka¡¯s beautiful face wrinkled.


    "The puppies have be dogs.¡±


    It was a bit dangerous.

 Chapter 548

    [Reim Borneo]


    Level of Difficulty: Varies depending on thepetency.


    Borneo has been captured by the Overgeared Guild.


    Borneo is a fortified city on the border of the Eternal Kingdom and is a vital base for the defense of the Gauss Kingdom.


    King Cactus hasmanded you.


    Recapture Borneo and wipeout the malicious group Overgeared that dared to invade the territory of the Gauss Kingdom. Those who are loyal to the kingdom will gain reasonable rewards!


    User Restriction: Level 130 or higher.


    Quest Victory Conditions: Recapture Borneo in three days before the food supply runs out.


    Quest Victory Reward: 1 level. A 10% increase in experience for all skills. One unique rated weapon and one epic rated armor.


    * Additionalpensation will be received if you defeat NPCs or yers belonging to Overgeared.


    ¡°This is great. It¡¯sparable to the rewards for the SS grade quest that I saw on the air.¡±


    "This is a war. I covet the rewards, but it isn¡¯t possible with the Overgeared members running around.¡±


    "In the first ce, there aren¡¯t any quests with a 100% chance of sess.¡±


    It was difficult for the Gauss Kingdom to advance into the central part of the continent due to the Eternal Kingdom. This ce was more of a frontier than the Eternal Kingdom. There was no reason for yers to choose this as their kingdom, so the number of yers was very small. It was a kingdom for users who yed lightly.


    But weren¡¯t there less than 400 Overgeared members? Once all the troops werebined, the total number was only 6,000. On the other hand, there were 210,000 Gauss yers who exceeded level 130. Even if only 1/10th of them participated in the quest, it was still more than double the Overgeared Guild. There was even information that the Overgeared Guild arranged less than 1,000 troops at Borneo. The restriction that there was only three days worth of food wasn¡¯t a hindrance.


    ¡®There are a lot of light users, so the participation rate of the quest is likely to fall.¡¯


    ¡®But the fact that we have overwhelming numbers doesn¡¯t change.¡¯


    The Gauss yers believed it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to recapture Borneo. They thought it would be resolved by pushing forward like a bulldozer. However, reality wasn¡¯t that easy.


    Puk!Puuoooook!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    A fortified city was called that for a reason. In particr, Borneo was a fortress designed with Great Magician Ashur as the enemy. It boasted solid walls that neutralized the magic bombardment of the Gauss soldiers. In addition, there were the archers of Overgeared ced on the wall.


    The NPC archers were level 180.


    It was a glimpse of how hard Overgeared had worked to raise their soldiers. In fact, the level of the soldiers wasn¡¯t the important issue. There was another fundamental problem and the Gauss yers realized it. Why the Overgeared Guild was called overgeared!


    ¡°Crazy...! The soldiers¡¯ attack power is ridiculously high! Kuaaaak!"


    The arrows of the Gauss yers and soldiers couldn¡¯t prate the armor of the Overgeared troops, while the Overgeared arrows easily prated their armor. The power of the overgeared soldiers was preposterous. As a general rule, these weren¡¯t items that would normally be supplied to soldiers.


    It was impossible even for the Saharan Empire. Not only did they need the money to mass produce the items and supply it to the soldiers, they needed a cksmith with the skills to do so.


    ¡°This is Grid¡¯s power...!¡±


    The Gauss yers felt like they were possessed by a ghost. Grid didn¡¯t appear on the battlefield, but his presence was huge.


    "Shoot! Continue shooting!¡±


    The soldiers of Overgeared fired the arrows without rest. Under Piaro and Asmophel, they tirelessly built up their skills and stamina as elite soldiers. There was the bravery they learned from Jude and the archery from Jishuka. They didn¡¯t shrink back as they aimed the jaffa arrows at the enemy, andbined with Grid¡¯s Bow, they showed overwhelming attack power. The arrows pierced the enemy¡¯s shields, helmets, and armor without interruption.


    The Gauss soldiers couldn¡¯t approach Borneo¡¯s walls. The river of blood created seized the ankles of the Gauss soldiers like a deep swamp. It was a disaster and they started to lose their numerical superiority.


    ¡°Kukukuk! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Augh rang out on the battlefield. The river on the ground wriggled in response. It was the advent of Blood Warrior Katz. A ss that demonstrated the strength of a legend on a stage with arge amount of blood.


    ¡°Be d to know that the blood of worms like you is helping me. Blood Lane.¡±


    Kuooooooh!


    The blood on the battlefield started to gradually rise into the sky. It was like a reverse rain. The red ¡®rain¡¯ rose into the air, causing the Gauss soldiers to stiffen with fright.


    ¡°Kukukuk! You will all die here today.¡±


    Swaaaaaah!


    At the same time as Katz¡¯ deration. The red blood in the air poured down on the Gauss soldiers. The battlefield became chaotic. The screams of the soldiers echoed infinitely and the blood they shed became Katz¡¯ limbs, causing more casualties. The worst situation was infinitely repeated.


    "Kukuk! Kuhahahahahat!¡±


    Unlike the Eternal Kingdom that had to disperse troops to Bairan and Patrian, the Gauss Kingdom was able to concentrate on Borneo. Unfortunately, they met the demon king of blood and their first advance failed. But they were just the vanguard. The second reconnaissance army would arrive in two days, and it had more numbers and quality than the first army. The scary thing was that the second army included Soul Predator Seuron.


    Like Katz, he was an existence that showed absolute power in the battlefield.


    ¡°I have to pay back Grid.¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Seuron made dozens of soul spears by capturing the souls of the dead on the battlefield and massacred the Overgeared soldiers on the wall.


    ¡°That Lauel... He told me tost at least four days?¡±


    The smile had disappeared from Katz¡¯ face.


    ***


    ¡°Do you see? This is the biggest war since Satisfy opened!¡±


    A battlefield where thousands of soldiers and NPCs were dying and killing each other. The scene of the carnage taken from the sky was more fierce and exciting than any raid image. The viewers¡¯ blood was boiling with excitement, rather than shrinking back at the horrors of war.


    Think about it! What other game in the world could recreate such a war? Before Satisfy opened, the mmorpg L.T.S. had only 2,000 participants in a war.


    -Patrian Fortress is amazing...There are 15,000 people fighting;;


    -Borneo has 20,000 people ??


    -Lim Cheolho had repeatedly said this.


    -Satisfy isn¡¯t a game, but another world.Therefore, there are no limitations.


    -The implementation of virtual reality didn¡¯t make sense in the first ce.Lim Cheolho seems to be an alien.


    The viewers were boiling with excitement. They were grateful to be born in an age where they could y Satisfy. They were envious of the Overgeared members who led thousands of soldiers and struggled for supremacy. They wanted to stand with the Overgeared members. Then...


    -Why isn¡¯t Grid visible?


    -I saw that a few days ago, he gained two levels in a few hours.It¡¯s either a bug or he¡¯s performing a great quest.


    -Wow...Leaving the guild members alone on the battlefield while raising his level ? ?;;


    -Or was there a mishap?


    Public opinion was running wild.


    As the Overgeared Guild gradually weakened on the third day of the war, there were various spections about why Grid didn¡¯t show up. Grid was garbage, Grid quit Satisfy, Grid had been kicked out of Overgeared, there was a traffic ident, etc.


    Most of them leapt to conclusions. It was the same for the media. The second and third tier media outlets were more interested in getting attention than reporting facts. They wrote spective articles without knowing the facts.


    ¡º I suspect that Grid is trapped somewhere. ¡»


    ¡º A few days ago, wasn¡¯t there an ident in Gangnam XXX where a supercar hit a pole? There are rumors that Grid is the owner of that supercar...¡»


    ¡º Grid probably ran away. The Overgeared Guild is currently blocking the enemy by emphasizing the strength of an individual, but how long can thisst? The Overgeared Guild will fall in a day or two. They will lose all their troops and territories, bing broke. Grid probably knows there¡¯s no hope and ran away alone... ¡»


    The media were originally masters of aggravation. They poked at all sorts of things, creating a big issue and spreading it to the world. The defense of the three Overgeared territories was of great interest to the world and the rted broadcasts secured high ratings.


    And at that time.


    ¡º Everyone, can you hear me? ¡»


    The fortified city of Patrian. The world¡¯s best gaming BJ, Bunny Bunny appeared on a wyvern.


    Llla~


    It was the most powerful and brilliant fire wyvern. As he shouted loudly and the wyvern shot out a breath, the people struggling on the battlefield and the broadcasting cameras naturally paid attention to him. The satisfied Bunny Bunny opened his mouth. His cry was amplified throughout the battlefield.


    ¡º This is a message from Grid! I will kill anyone who hasn¡¯t retreated when I arrive in one minute! ¡»


    ¡°...¡±


    Was there anyone who wasn¡¯t ready to die in a war? It wasn¡¯t normal to retreat just because of a threat.


    "Hah, it¡¯s so funny.¡±


    "An arrogant bastard! If he can kill us,e and kill!¡±


    "Kill me! Then I will resurrect ande back!¡±


    The yers of the Eternal Kingdom didn¡¯t shrink back. It was already known that even a strong person couldn¡¯t overturn a war with the power of an individual. Just look at Jishuka. She massacred thousands of soldiers since the war started and was now losing momentum. Her stamina was exhausted and the number of arrows she shot was significantly decreased.


    Grid would be the same. Everyone thought this, while Bunny Bunnyughed happily on the wyvern.


    ¡®Good, good. This wouldn¡¯t be a broadcast if you retreat so easily.¡¯


    Endure and endure. Then they would be ughtered by Grid, increasing the number of viewers. Bunny Bunny started counting down.


    ¡º You have 30 seconds. ¡»


    ¡°Bah! Let hime!¡±


    ¡º 20 seconds. ¡»


    ¡°How can Grid handle all of us alone?¡±


    ¡º 10 seconds. ¡»


    9 seconds, 8 seconds, 7 seconds, 6 seconds...


    The battlefield became silent as it reached 5 seconds. The Eternal yers who were talking a while ago gulped hard. They had no doubt that they could handle Grid, but there would be huge sacrifices. And finally.


    ¡º 0 seconds! Now God Grid will emerge! ¡»


    The moment Bunny Bunny mentioned Grid¡¯s appearance. The ratings of Bunny Bunny¡¯s broadcast and all broadcasts reached the peak. People had high expectations. Grid would descend like a storm and wipe out his enemies! However...


    ¡°...Noting?¡±


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Grid didn¡¯t appear and Bunny Bunny turned into a shepherd boy. At the same time, in Pangea on the East Continent.


    "How do I go back?¡±


    Grid became frustrated because he didn¡¯t know how to return to the West Continent.

 Chapter 549

    A return scroll.


    It was an everyday supply for anyone who yed Satisfy. If certain conditions were met, the yer would move to the return point that they set. This was also the resurrection point. Grid also had return scrolls, since it was a routine consumable that everyone would use.


    Grid¡¯s resurrection point was Reidan. Not long ago, he tried to change the point to Pangea. However, he stopped, since he realized his path to return to Reidan would disappear. That¡¯s right. In other words, Grid had the idea that he could return to Reidan (West Continent) whenever he used the return scroll.


    This was natural from Grid¡¯s point of view. But that conviction caused him grief.


    [The Return Scroll doesn¡¯t work. Intercontinental movement isn¡¯t possible with the form in this scroll.]


    ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡±


    Intercontinental movement was impossible! It was enough to cause Grid confusion.


    ¡°Eh... Um.¡±


    Grid made a nk expression. There was only one recurring phrase in his head.


    XX!


    One day ago in reality. Therefore, three days ago in game time, Grid called Bunny Bunny and spoke to him. Grid would return to the West Continent as soon as he cleared a quest, so announce his appearance to the world at the time he set. He wanted everyone¡¯s attention to be concentrate on him. As always, Grid would impress the world by appearing in a dramatic moment.


    Finally, the promised time arrived. Grid finished the Subjugate the Armored Needles (2) quest and acquired five more silver thread. He waspletely ready to act in the world. He would condemn the enemies who dared to invade his territory and attack his precious colleagues.


    But what was this?


    "The return scroll doesn¡¯t work!¡±


    Grid started sweating while Braham became angry at him.


    ¡®How did youe to the East Continent? Wasn¡¯t it because of an intercontinental movement scroll? It is natural that an intercontinental movement scroll would be needed to return.¡¯


    ¡°...Intercontinental movement scroll? Where do I get that?¡±


    ¡®The sage who handed you the scroll to the East Continent.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid thought back. It was the time when he received the East Continent Movement Scroll from Sticks. Sticks had looked shocked when Grid used the scroll as soon as he received it. Now he knew why.


    ¡®He was embarrassed when I left without a scroll to return to the West Continent...¡¯


    ¡®...¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a situation where they had nothing to say. Grid sighed. He resented his own impatience.


    ¡®I should always be calm and cautious instead of making constant mistakes...!¡¯


    He was a pathetic person! Grid was pulling at his hair when Braham spoke.


    ¡®It¡¯s true that you are pathetic, but should you me yourself? Anyone can make a mistake unless they are a dragon or a god. It¡¯s the same for the great demons or geniuses.¡¯


    "...Are youforting me right now?¡±


    Braham, whose ego was as high as the sky, wasforting others? Grid doubted his ears and Braham raised his voice.


    ¡®W-What! That¡¯s not it! Find a way to get out of this current situation instead of being self-defeating! It¡¯s frustrating to watch!¡¯


    ¡°Ah, yes... I don¡¯t have time to do this.¡±


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to lose his soul. Overgeared was limited in numbers while the enemies were infinite. The Overgeared members would reach their limit and have all their territory taken. Grid had to find a way to return to the West Continent quickly. He soon figured out how. In fact, it wasn¡¯t difficult.


    "Isn¡¯t it just a simple phone call?¡±


    Communication between the East Continent and West Continent was impossible. Grid was unable to send whispers to yers on the West Continent and the summoning knights skill was also blocked. Grid logged out. Then he made an international call to Lauel.


    -Master, I¡¯m honored that you have contacted me. But I¡¯m still in the game and am quite busy.I really don¡¯t have time.


    ¡°...¡±


    -I won¡¯t forget my sin today until my life ends and my bones decay.I will be punished for the rest of my life.


    Lauel tried his best to learn Korean but was speaking nonsense. Grid frowned at the words.


    ¡°If you¡¯re busy, then I¡¯ll speak quickly. I want you to take a West Continent Movement Scroll from Sticks ande to pick me up.¡±


    -Huh?Surely you didn¡¯t leave without a scroll to return to the West Continent?


    "I did.¡±


    -Kukuk!Oh dear, oh dear.Lord is truly great.It¡¯s unusual for someone to escape from the worthless prison calledmon sense.


    "...Just hang up quickly, connect to the game ande to pick me up.¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s impossible.


    ¡°What? Ah, it makes sense since you¡¯re in the middle of a war. If you¡¯re busy, then send someone else on your behalf.¡±


    -No.I¡¯m your servant.I won¡¯t break your orders in any situation.It¡¯s just impossible to go to the East Continent because Sticks isn¡¯t present.


    What was he saying?


    "What do you mean? Where is Sticks?¡±


    -Sticks not only has a vast knowledge, he has excellent magic abilities.So I asked him for a few favors.


    ¡°What favor?¡±


    -I asked him to takemand of the Ul n, including Princess Hwarin, to attack the rear of the Eternal army and then go to Siren.


    The Ul n. A minority that Grid had rescued from the empire in the past. They had excellent magical talent, especially the royal family. If Sticks led them then their talents would sublimate to another level. Grid was able to guess half of Lauel¡¯s intention. But he couldn¡¯t understand the other half.


    "Why do you want them to go to Siren afterwards?¡±


    -It¡¯s to call someone who is farming in the sea.


    There was only one person Grid knew who was farming in the sea.


    ¡°Piaro?¡±


    -Yes.


    One of the biggest differences between a yer and NPC was the ability to whisper. NPCs weren¡¯t able to whisper. In order tomunicate with them, they had to use old-fashioned means such as letters or magicmunication devices. Siren wasn¡¯t a developed city. Grid was convinced about the reason why Lauel asked Sticks to call Piaro.


    "The most efficient method is to have Sticks use teleportation to bring Piaro as soon as possible... But won¡¯t Siren be in danger if Piaro leaves?¡±


    In the first ce, the reason why he left Piaro in Siren wasn¡¯t simply due to farming. It was to protect Siren from Blood Carnival. Lauel¡¯s peculiarugh was heard by the concerned Grid.


    -Kuk...!Kukuk!Aren¡¯t you bing gentler?Lord, let me remind you of why we have to protect Siren.


    ¡°It¡¯s to safeguard the treaty...¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you, but why did we ally with Siren in the first ce?


    "It¡¯s for the sake of our development.¡±


    -That¡¯s right.How can we care about Siren when we are on the verge of destruction?


    ¡°...¡±


    -We can¡¯t worry about Siren¡¯s well-being right now.The water n of Siren will join us in this war to help.Just as we have an obligation to protect their territory, they have an obligation to defend our territory.


    That¡¯s right. But wasn¡¯t it very hard to mobilize the water n that still hadn¡¯t recovered from the war? The more worrisome part...


    "Lauel, haven¡¯t you been nning to be hostile to Eternal long before the alliance with Siren? Then Siren was a victim from the beginning?¡±


    -I can¡¯t say that they will be a victim.I¡¯m not nning to use them as simple arrows, but an army.The number of human casualties will be higher.In addition, there¡¯s no guarantee that Blood Carnival will invade Siren again.


    ¡°Hrmm... Yes.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t denounce or deny Lauel¡¯s words. In the first ce, he gave Lauel all authority because he trusted Lauel. Based on the need to protect Overgeared, Lauel¡¯s ns and ideas were justified. Lauel said goodbye.


    -I have been gone for four minutes.This will lead to a confusion in themand system.I have to return to the game.


    "Yes, you worked hard. Please send Sticks to me as soon as possible. Tell him toe to the White Hammer smithy in Pangea.¡±


    -Yes, he will probably arrive in 5 days.


    The call ended. The conclusion?


    ¡°Bunny Bunny... I¡¯m sorry for making you a liar...¡±


    Grid¡¯s return to the West Continent was a failure. The current Grid didn¡¯t have the means to help his colleagues who were undergoing the greatest crisis since Overgeared were formed. He couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous.


    "Always be calm and careful.¡±


    Grid calmed his mind as much as possible.


    First of all, he connected to the Inte and watched the war videos in order to grasp the power of his teammates from the point of view of a cksmith.


    ¡®Yura changed her main weapon. It¡¯s a good thing. I can finally make her a weapon. Pon is still using the armor I made five months ago? He isn¡¯t as lucky as me. Regas will soon reach the limit of the gauntlets¡¯ durability because he blocks the items with his hand...¡¯


    Overall, the equipment status of the Overgeared members was poor. It was the result of Grid concentrating on personal growth for a while.


    ¡°Among them, the one in the most urgent need of a new item is...¡±


    Grid watched the video of Patrian. In the video, the beautiful woman with golden skin was struggling. Grid closely observed the bow she was using.


    ¡°Jishuka, I will start with you.¡±


    Tak tak.


    Grid stood up. He entered the capsule and headed to the White Hammer smithy as soon as he connected to Satisfy. The cksmiths of the White Hammer smithy actively weed the hero who helped them win thepetition. They had all the requirements needed to help Grid produce an item.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The furnace swallowed up the white phosphorus wood. Grid squatted in front of the heat, hammering at the anvil without stopping. It was the Red Phoenix Breath, which looked like a ruby.


    ¡¯This can be attached to an item...¡¯


    Grid thought that it seemed possible to refine the ruby so that it burned more strongly. He thought that the stronger the breath was, the stronger the Red Phoenix Bow would be. Therefore, Grid challenged smelting the Red Phoenix Breath. But the breath was the essence of the Red Phoenix. It was difficult to handle itpletely with the techniques of a legend. This smelting operation was the hardest thing Grid had done since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. He spent at least four days hammering at the anvil.


    Any normal person would reach the end of their patience. But Grid was filled with strong ambition.


    ¡®It¡¯s an honor to work with the finest materials.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The sound of Grid¡¯s hammering return the atmosphere of the White Hammer smithy to its peak.

 Chapter 550

    "This is embarrassing.¡±


    In the spacious fields of Reidan, farmer and Aura Master Hurent was impatiently waiting for Piaro to return. He grew nervous during trainingbecause he received the news that Overgeared was in the midst of a massive war. From his point of view, the news was like a lightning bolt out of the blue. He was worried that his valuable training ground would be ruined in the midst of the messy war.


    "It has been busy in thest few weeks... They were preparing for war.¡±


    Piaro taught Hurent to understand himself (?) and forgive (?) after he tried to invade Reidan. The training course he made ording to Piaro¡¯s suggested method was valuable. He was proud every time he saw grains and vegetables sprout in thend that he cleared, and his heart pounded when he saw people happily eating them...


    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Why was he thinking about this? Hurent shook his head and denied his heart. But the fields were his training grounds and he wanted to keep them. He believed that showing the intact fields to Piaro would be a way to repay the favor. But how? The method was obvious.


    ¡°I have no choice but to fight.¡±


    Hurent opened a map of the Eternal Kingdom. He looked at Reinhardt in the east, Bairan in the north, Patrian in the south, and Reidan in the west.


    ¡®They have to pass through Patrian in order to advance from Reinhardt to Reidan.¡¯


    Reidan and Reinhardt weren¡¯t able to get to each other apart from through Reidan. The areas around Patrian were blocked by mountains or hills.


    ¡¯This is deliberately designed terrain.¡¯


    It was easy to deduce. To the west of Reidan and the south of Patrian was the Saharan Empire and Gauss Kingdom respectively. In other words, Patrian was a fortress designed to defend the kingdom from foreign powers. Eternal chose Patrian¡¯s position in order to intercept the Saharan Empire or Gauss Kingdom if they ever invaded.


    ¡®Patrian is a natural fortress. But now it¡¯s been taken by Grid?¡¯


    It would be painful for Eternal. In order to get rid of the rebel Grid, they needed to reim Patrian. But it wasn¡¯t an easy fortress to capture.


    ¡®It will be difficult to attack a fortress that is built as a means to stop the invasion of two nations. Eternal will concentrate on Bairan.¡¯


    It was best to attack Patrian from the north and the east simultaneously. They needed to upy Bairan in order to do this. Hurent was convinced that Eternal¡¯s top priority would be the upation of Bairan.


    ¡°Then I will protect Bairan.¡±


    Hurent decided to defend the fields of Reidan and immediately left Reidan. He once dreamt of bing a sword saint. However, after realizing the value of aura, he pursued the ultimate path of an Aura Master. He was iparably stronger than he was during the 1st National Competition and now he was moving for Overgeared.


    This was a variable that even the genius Lauel couldn¡¯t think of.


    ***


    Eternal¡¯s navy sent the R77 unit to infiltrate Cork Ind through a secret tunnel. They believed that the elite forces of R77 would do a great job. After assassinating the enemymander and paralyzing themand system, the navy would gain a foothold for victory.


    But the atmosphere was terrible. Originally, the res should¡¯ve appeared four hours ago. However, the set time had passed and there was no news. Cork Ind in front of them was ufortably quiet.


    "Did they fail the mission?¡±


    Someone couldn¡¯t help asking. It was Navy Admiral Lebuck. The staff members flinched and started to give their opinion.


    "Until four days ago, only the king knew that there was a secret tunnel on Cork Ind. It is absolutely impossible for the rebels to deal with the infiltration of the R77 unit.¡±


    "It is a fact that R77nded safely on Cork Ind. They will be performing their mission as scheduled. But there are always variable that will dy the time.¡±


    Lebuck frowned.


    "Isn¡¯t there a possibility for R77 to be caught after theynded on the ind?¡±


    "Admiral, R77¡¯s covert nature is the best in the navy. It is unlikely that they would be discovered.¡±


    "Wait a little longer. Good news will surelye.¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Lebuck decided not to fret any longer. Combining all the factors, including the abilities of R77 and the use of the secret tunnels, the probability of the R77 unit failing was almost zero. Then he was rewarded for his faith.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    The promised signal appeared from Cork Ind. The color of the signal re was blue. It was the signal that indicated the leader of the enemy was destroyed and they should go.


    Lebuck ordered the entire fleet. "Don¡¯t damage the ind, since it will soon be our property again! Stop ranged bombardment and move forward! Land and show the enemies the full force of our strength!¡±


    The resistance of the enemy would be low after losing theirmander. The artillery and magic shot from the coastal fortifications weren¡¯t threatening at all. It would be a vain resistance!


    "Fullnding!¡±


    ¡°Assault! Assault!!¡±


    The navy ships arrived on the coast and the soldiers poured out at once. The soldiers¡¯ morale was sky high from the assuredness of their victory. Peak Swordughed from the fortress as he confirmed their appearance.


    "The blue signal that you told me was correct. I was a little suspicious.¡±


    "I have alreadymitted myself to Overgeared. I have no desire to lie.¡±


    ¡°That is a very good attitude. Keep this attitude for the rest of your life and learn from God Grid.¡±


    "Thank you for giving me a chance.¡±


    Soldier who was killed by Peak Sword. As soon as he resurrected, he came to Cork Ind and expressed his intention to surrender. Why did he risk his career in the navy? It was because he realized there was no future in the Eternal Kingdom.


    Two nights before. Soldier was thrilled after infiltrating through the secret tunnel. Once he saw Peak Sword waiting in front of the secret tunnel, he realized that the intelligencework of Overgeared was above the Eternal Kingdom. Soldier was convinced. The winner of this war would be Overgeared, not Eternal. Immediately after the war ended, Overgeared would develop into a national unit.


    He made a decision. He would serve Grid and Overgeared, bing a great sess in that kingdom.


    ¡®A perfect opportunity to be a founding contributor. The chance fell down from the sky.¡¯


    Soldier would seed in the new country.


    On the other hand, Peak Sword was also excited.


    ¡®I waited for my stamina to fully recover beforeunching the signal and seeded in making the weak navynd at my feet. Maybe...¡¯


    Was he going to break everyone¡¯s expectations and seed in defending Cork Ind? It was a big jackpot.


    ***


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    The second army that appeared to reim Borneo contained Seuron. He was amazed after attacking the Overgeared troops on the wall with his soul spears. The archers he thought were going to die were still alive?


    ¡®They have 20% of their health left?¡¯


    Like any other game, Satisfy showed a disparity in strength depending on the level difference. It was virtually impossible for a level 100~200 user to survive the skill attack of a level 300 user. Katz was able to massacre the Borneo army using this fact.


    Objectively, Seuron¡¯s attack was superior to Katz, but the Overgeared members didn¡¯t die. Who was Seuron? A unique ss specialized inbat. His skill damage coefficient was so high that it couldn¡¯t bepared with normal skills. But the lowly soldiers survived his skill?


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    "If the soldiers¡¯ bodies are this durable, how strong are the knights?¡±


    The Gauss yers were buzzing. Their fear of the Overgeared troops started to grow out of control. However, Seuron was delighted.


    ¡¯Truly the Overgeared Guild... Even the soldiers are overgeared.¡¯


    Seuron wasn¡¯t part of Gauss. He didn¡¯t have any obligations to enter the war and wouldn¡¯t even get rewards. It was because he wanted to pay Grid back for his frustration during the Reidan invasion and National Competition. He fought in this war in the hopes of damaging Grid.


    ¡¯Grid, I wonder how you raised the soldiers so well.¡¯


    He became more motivated. What if he ughtered Grid¡¯s soldiers and took away all their items?


    "That Grid would be quite angry, right? Kulkul let¡¯s y once.¡±


    Seokeok!


    Seuron wielded his sword. The +9 Wisdom Sword. A one-handed sword that increased the wearer¡¯s strength and intelligence simultaneously. It hadpatibility with the Brutal Heavy Sword and he used it during the 2nd National Competition. It wasn¡¯tckingpared to Grid¡¯s production items and it was in the same ss as Kraugel¡¯s True White Fang.


    Furthermore, Seuron had a passive skill where ¡®if he attacked a person or monster with his weapon, he would absorb some of the soul of the target and increase his weapon¡¯s power.¡¯


    "Kuaaaaak!"


    ¡°W-What is this? Keeok!¡±


    The Gauss yers and soldiers were killed. They were confused because Seuron, who they thought was a friend, started attacking them.


    Seokeok!


    Puk puk!Puok!


    All of a sudden, Seuron swung his sword and then the Gauss soldiers and yers turned to grey. The unexpected sight made the world shocked.


    -What is with Seuron?


    -Why is he killing his allies when he is fighting to defeat the Overgeared members?


    The expression ¡®ally¡¯ wasn¡¯t correct. Seuron wasn¡¯t part of the Gauss Kingdom. Strictly speaking, he was a third party unrted to the war. Seuron only entered the war in the first ce because of an individual grudge, not in order to help Gauss.


    ¡°S-Seuron, you! Kuaack!¡±


    7th on the unified rankings. A unique ss specialized inbat. In addition, Seuron had powerful items. His sudden surprise attack wasn¡¯t something that the Gauss army could respond to. The soldiers and yers were all helpless. Seuronughed at the Gauss yers who were staring at him with angry and confused eyes.


    "The weak people like you should be honored to have a chance to help me.¡±


    Paang!


    Papapapang!


    The Wisdom Sword started to resonate. Seuron exploited the souls from the many dead bodies on the battlefield and formed soul spears. It was the soul spears he had used before. But this time it was a little different and had significantly high magic damage.


    Pepepepeok!


    The soul spears once again hit the Overgeared archers on the walls. The momentum was much better than before. The vast majority of viewers watching the war were expecting the copse of the archers. But Katz overturned their prediction.


    "Blood Shield."


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Just as Seuron seized the soul from corpses, Katz grabbed their blood to form a red shield and defend against the soul bombardment. It was the moment with those who exerted the greatest power on the battlefield, the Soul Predator and Blood Warrior, shed.


    Who would win? Everyone in the world showed great interest and expected a wonderful battle. But Seuron dismissed Katz.


    ¡°An epic ss can¡¯t bepared to mine. You are several levels below me. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°...What?¡±


    In fact, Katz had been nervous since Seuron appeared. He was exhausted from obstructing the advance of tens of thousands of soldiers for the past three days. At this time, he encountered a strong man he couldn¡¯tpete with. Yes, Katz recognized Seuron as an opponent. However, Seuron dismissed him and this hurt Katz¡¯ pride that he was famous for.


    He gritted his teeth and showed his temper. ¡°You beggar.¡±


    ¡°What? Beggar?¡±


    A high ranker was called a beggar? Seuronughed as he doubted his ears.


    ¡°Calling me a beggar. It isn¡¯t realistic... You are at the level of a kindergarten student.¡±


    Seuron snorted. Katz looked down at him from the wall and opened his mouth. He shouted in a voice that was loud enough for everyone on the battlefield to hear.


    "I will give one billion yen to everyone who injures that beggar¡¯s body. It will be 100 billion yen for anyone who kills him.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    1 billion yen? 100 billion yen? If it wasn¡¯t Katz saying this, everyone listening would¡¯veughed. But who was Katz? He was the son of a top conglomerate in Japan. His family¡¯s collection of assets ranked as one of the top 10 in the world. Even oil-rich Middle Easterns would envy him. The weight of the 1 billion and 100 billion yen that emerged from his mouth wasn¡¯t light.


    -I am connecting to the game now.


    -Forming a party to go and attack Seuron.


    The ratings for the war broadcasts started to fall sharply. Most viewers stopped watching and started to ess the game. The situation on the battlefield wasn¡¯t too different. The Gauss yers, who were already hostile to Seuron, started pointing their swords at him. Seuron was forced to tense against such a huge number.


    ¡°This crazy guy...!¡±


    Seuron gulped while Katzughed at the sight from the war.


    "You should know that you are X in front of money.¡±


    A problem that couldn¡¯t be solved by just being overgeared was solved with money.

 Chapter 551

    Borneo.


    The Gauss yers started to feel excited.


    ¡®What? 9 million dors just for inflicting an injury?¡¯


    ¡®900 million for killing...!¡¯


    How many chances like this would appear before ordinary people? It was low enough that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they never experienced it. Katz¡¯s proposal was enough to capture the Gauss yers.


    ¡®Money!¡¯


    ¡¯I will be rich!¡¯


    Money! Money! Money! This was a capitalist society that produced new monsters, a very desirable phenomenon for Katz.


    "Seuron, give me one blow please.¡±


    "No, please just die. Yes? Please.¡±


    The eyes of the Gauss yers changed. They revealed their intent to kill a high ranker that they normally wouldn¡¯t go against. Seuron was recognized as prey, like a chicken trapped in a poultry farm. Seuron gulped as he was surrounded by the Gauss yers.


    ¡°Do you really believe his words? Aren¡¯t you just fools?¡±


    The average level of the Gauss yers was 100, with no rankers among them. If Seuron were behind some fortifications like Katz, he wouldn¡¯t care how many opponents there were. But unlike Katz, however, Seuron was alone in the middle of enemy territory. He was isted among thousands of enemies. Even the ¡®Soul Predator¡¯ Seuron had to feel tense.


    Seuron determined that he had to be careful and tried to speak with a calm expression, "This isn¡¯t $90,000 or $900,000. It is 9 million dors and 900 million. Does it make sense that he will keep this promise?¡±


    In other words, it was worth billions of won. No matter how wealthy a person was, spending that much money just to hunt one person in a game? It was a bluff. Seuron was sure of it and people started to be dubious.


    "It is a lot of money. No matter how rich Katz is, can he really spend this much?¡±


    ¡°That... I would¡¯ve believed it if it was a more realistic amount.¡±


    They could gain enough money to reverse their life if they dealt one injury to Seuron! This extraordinary condition ended up grabbing Katz¡¯ ankle. The Gauss yers started to doubt Katz words and Seuron felt relief.


    "Kukuk! Kuahahahat!¡± Katz¡¯ shoulders shook as heughed from the wall. "People are fun. It is beyond your imagination so you deny it? Look, your imagination is too weak.¡±


    That was the only problem they had? Then he would adjust the level.


    "I will correct the amount. I will give 100 million yen to people who injure Seuron and 10 billion yen for the person who kills him. I promise in the name of the JIN Group. How about it? Are you going to believe it?¡±


    People didn¡¯t know how scary a madman with a lot of money was. Why? It was rare to see a madman with a lot of money!


    ¡°What are you doing? If you want to make money then you have to kill that beggar.¡± Katz prompted with cold eyes.


    It was the spark.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    The yers in the Gauss army no longer hesitated. Katz offered much better incentives than the quest rewards, making them all rush towards Seuron. Seuron shrank back from surprise and roared.


    ¡°Shit...! Shit!! Overgeareddddd!¡±


    The Overgeared Guild was a nightmare for Seuron. He was killed by a farmer in the invasion of Reidan and was unable to do anything big in the National Competition due to the Overgeared members wearing the items that Grid made. Seuron hated the Overgeared Guild, who left a stain on his life. He wanted to trample on them and get rid of the shameful past.


    Yet now he was being trampled on with the power of money? Why did he get stuck in a situation where he was tied up with the Overgeared members? It was enough to drive Seuron crazy.


    "Do you think you can leave a scratch on me?¡±


    ¡°Kill! Kill Seuron!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anyone strong. Hit him at the same time! One hit means a lot of money!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine!!¡±


    A sh between the angry Seuron and the money-blinded Gauss yers! Katz enjoyed the fierce sight from the walls. The power of money that made enemies into allies caused the whole world to shake.


    ***


    Bairan¡¯s siege had a special pattern. It was the first ever siege where the role of the one being sieged and the one attackingpletely reversed.


    Kiiiiik!


    The firmly closed gate of Bairan once again opened.


    ¡°Hiik! Again!¡±


    ¡°D-Damage once again! Use the soldiers as a shield!¡±


    The yers belonging to Eternal started to retreat. The formations copsed in an instant. The formations were a mess due to the yers and themand system was temporarily paralyzed. The battlefield instantly became a mess.


    At this time.


    ¡°I will show you my spirit today.¡±


    Pon rose a white horse through the open gate and threw his spear. Rail Spear.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The lightning spear blew through the Eternal army like a lightning storm. Hundreds of soldiers and yers turned to grey.


    ¡°Hiyah!"


    Pon pulled out a new spear and ran out. He broke into the copsed Eternal formation and wielded his spear. The soldiers were ughtered. It was the scene of a one-sided massacre due to the overwhelming power difference. But the massacre didn¡¯tst long.


    Just 100 people. Pon defeated 100 people before recovering his spear and returning.


    ¡°Foolish guys! I told you not to let the ranks break!¡±


    "Reform the ranks! The enemy¡¯s next attack ising!"


    Themanders verified that Pon was gone and gave orders to the soldiers. They wanted the siege weapons that arrivedte to be escorted. But time was too tight. In addition, the yers were a problem. The average level of the yers at Bairan was 140. Apart from a few people, the majority were low-level users who hadn¡¯t received military training. Themanders did their best but the speed of the formations was too slow.


    In the meantime, Yura emerged from the gate.


    "I can¡¯t let you use the siege weapons.¡±


    Peeng!


    A Demon yer acquired ck magic power each time they slew demonkin. She could use this ck magic as a resource to activate special skills. One of them was ck magic. This was a specialty of Yura who used to be first in the ck magic rankings. She summoned ck spheres and bombarded the enemy soldiers escorting the siege weapons. Her aim was the siege weapon and no one could stop her.


    The elite Eternal soldiers were still only level 180. Their abilities were useless in front of Yura¡¯s agility and aggressiveness, making them fall into helplessness.


    Kurururung!


    ¡°Shit! How long will we let her run wild?¡±


    The Eternal yers realized the seriousness of the situation when they saw the copsing siege weapons and firmed up their hearts. They started to concentrate on attacking Yura. They were eager to clear the quest as they fired arrows and magic. Their average level was lower than the soldiers but Yura was tired from the war thatsted five days.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Yura started to allow attacks. She came out of the castle to fight, so she was physically and mentally at her limits. The good news was that Eternal¡¯s yers were weak. The difference in level and items was so severe that Yura wasn¡¯t seriously injured. After barely enduring the attacks of the enemies and defeating the quota of 100 people, she returned to the castle.


    Kuuong!


    She flopped down as soon as the gate closed. Yura sat down. She gasped for breath as she sweated, while Pon spoke to her.


    "The supplies are running out. The archers on the wall don¡¯t have as many arrows and are running out of potions. We might only be able tost two more days.¡±


    Yura, Toon, and other skills members of Overgeared were concentrated in Bairan. They alternated going out of the castle and attacking the enemies in order to protect the castle without a loss of troops. But this wasn¡¯t possible forever. They couldn¡¯t get enough rest so their stamina recovery speed was slow and the durability of their items was at the bottom. Their potions were also running out.


    It was a desperate situation for Bairan. But Yura didn¡¯t want to give up Bairan.


    ¡°Definitely... I will definitely keep it. It will be dangerous for Patrian if Bairan copses.¡±


    How much longer could they hold? Yura, Pon, Toon, and the Overgeared members. They risked their lives but wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for more than two days. Bairan would be finished if there were no reinforcements.


    ***


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°Kikik! Kikikikik!¡±


    Puk.


    ¡°Kiiiiik!¡±


    Red Sun Forest. For Korean yers, it was known as the ¡®Hypnotic Forest,¡¯ where strange sights could be seen. The dubrick racer, or the nimble creatures that were deemed ¡®unhuntable¡¯ due to their species characteristics were being ughtered by a single swordsman.


    Seokeok!


    Puhahahak!


    A speed that couldn¡¯t be avoided. The white sword belonging to Kraugel blocked the dubrick racers that were three times faster than humans. The monsters that were 60 levels higher than him died. He wiped the sweat off his skin that was as beautiful as a woman¡¯s and tucked his hair behind his ears. His high nose and deep eyes were revealed. The man was handsome enough to capture the hearts of men and women.


    ¡°Kraugel.¡±


    Hao arrived at Kraugel¡¯s side. After discovering that Ares¡¯ men were aiming for Kraugel, he stayed by Kraugel¡¯s side for protection. Now he asked with an anxious expression.


    ¡°Is it really okay if you don¡¯t go and help Overgeared?¡±


    Kraugel had a great liking for Overgeared, and couldn¡¯t hide his impatience while he grasped the war situation of Overgeared in real time. It seemed like he wanted to go and help Overgeared. But Kraugel continued hunting without heading to the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡°Please let me know if there is anything stopping you from helping. I will assist you.¡±


    Kraugel could tell what Hao thought in his heart, since he was now quite familiar with Hao. Kraugel made a bitter smile and said, "Grid will want to avoid getting help from me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    "We are rivals before we are friends.¡±


    ***


    Pangea, the East Continent.


    "Today is the third day...¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The White Hammer cksmiths were uneasy. Grid had been constantly hammering for thest three days. Could a person be okay after working three days without any rest? In particr, forging was something that required a tremendous amount of stamina. They were concerned about Grid¡¯s health.


    "Captain White, what do we do if Grid falls down? Shouldn¡¯t he rest for a while?¡±


    White shook his head at the concerned question. White was also showing signs of weariness. It was the aftermath of watching Grid work without sleeping for the past three days.


    "Don¡¯t disturb the concentration of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.¡±


    Grid was a craftsman. Once he put his soul into making an item, he wouldn¡¯t stop for food and rest. The work was the most important thing to them. White knew this because he grew up watching his father. He never intended to disturb Grid. This was a great choice.


    Grid was able to focus with White¡¯s support and seeded in smelting the Red Phoenix Breath one day earlier than expected.


    ¡°Now... Now it is the real work.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Grid increased the temperature of the furnace. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience was activated for the fourth time and reduced his fatigue.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid started the making of the Red Phoenix Bow. He had a vague inkling.


    ¡®The best masterpiece will be born.¡¯


    It was a well-founded confidence.

 Chapter 552

    ¡¯The Red Phoenix Bow is the strongest weapon.¡¯


    Grid thought this. Was it because he always did his best and wanted to be rewarded for his efforts? No, his faith didn¡¯te from such a vague thing. It was an absolute conviction because of several reasons.


    ¡®The first evidence.¡¯


    The quality of the design was the best ever. The original version of the Red Phoenix Bow was likely to be myth rated.


    ¡®The second evidence.¡¯


    The quality of the materials used in the production was the best ever. The white phosphorus wood and Red Phoenix Breath. In particr, the material called the Red Phoenix Breath was likely to be equivalent to adamantium. Adamantium was a mineral that was collected from the world of the gods. In other words, the Red Phoenix Breath was a by-product of a god. It was a ¡®part of a god.¡¯


    ¡®The third evidence.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s concentration was at its highest level. The effect of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience had activated four times over thest three days. It was the first time since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®Thanks to the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience, I¡¯m not tired at all and can devote myself to working without a break.¡¯


    It was a feast of the best conditions! They ovepped and would obtain the best results.


    Ttiring~


    [You can no longer smelt the Red Phoenix Breath. It is already in the best form.]


    [Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath]


    The aura of the Red Phoenix enhanced by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    Increases fire resistance by 40% even when carrying it in the inventory.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the Red Phoenix.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong fire attribute.


    Weight: 2


    The strengthened Red Phoenix Breath contained a stronger me than before. The mes in the ruby rose like they wanted to run wild.


    ¡®Now I can make the bow.¡¯


    Grid made good use of the extra time to heat up the furnace. He used all his knowledge to handle the white phosphorus wood. Now it was only necessary to add the additional materials such as the minotaur horns.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. The kids will be able to hold on well even without me. I don¡¯t have to worry and just focus on doing my best.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t aware of it, but he was able to exert a higher concentration than usual in the production of this item because of his different mindset. His colleagues were in a crisis and he couldn¡¯t help. Grid had to suppress his anxiety and nerves from imagining the worst situation and his concentration naturally rose during this process. He used a variety of tools during the production.


    Chiiiik!


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid stared at the water vapor that was generated by cooling the heated white phosphorus wood in the water. It shone firmly without yielding. It looked like the starlight in the night sky.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    ¡°...Good.¡±


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill once again activated! Grid smiled as sharp as a knife as his fatigue disappeared and his concentration stayed at the peak. The cksmiths of the White Hammer smithy felt infinite awe as they watched Grid tirelessly work on the item for the fourth day in a row.


    The next evening.


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has been activated.]


    Grid received a wee notification window as he entered the final stages of the production. He attached the Red Phoenix Breath to the finished bow. Then a red aura appeared around the white bow. Grid prayed for the message ¡®a legendary item has beenpleted.¡¯


    ¡®Please!¡¯


    Give him a legendary rating!


    ...It might be too greedy. Maybe he should pray for a unique rating.


    ¡®Then I can use Item Upgrade to make it a legendary rating.¡¯


    The moment that Grid¡¯s mind weakened.


    Paaaat!


    There was a gorgeous sight as the Red Phoenix Bowpletely epted the essence of the Red Phoenix, the white bow turning an orange-red color. It was an intense color like zing fire. Then...


    [An unexpected situation has urred!]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Unexpected situation? A chill went down the spine of the expectant Grid.


    ¡¯What the hell is this situation?¡¯


    Grid had been hit in the back of the head while ying the game more than once or twice. Grid¡¯s expectations were always betrayed. Thus, he assumed the worst. However, it was the opposite.


    [The rating of the item you produced is higher than legendary.]


    [It is the result of breaking the limits due to the production method, the materials, and the maker¡¯smitment.]


    ¡°...Ah!!¡±


    Grid was reminded of something. It was during the pope election episode. During the process of understanding and recreating the myth rated item Lifael¡¯s Spear, Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique was upgraded from ¡®Witness of God¡¯s Weapon¡¯ to ¡®Understanding of God¡¯s Weapon.¡¯ Thanks to that, Grid had a very low probability of producing a myth rated (reproduction) item. But the odds were very low and had never happened before.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t expecting this!¡¯


    At this moment, a myth reproduction was born. Grid was filled with a thrill that was beyond joy. The result far exceeded his expectations, causing excitement to flow like a tidal wave. But the result was different. The item made by Grid wasn¡¯t a myth reproduction.


    [Congrattions!]


    [You are the first yer to produce a myth rated item!]


    [The title, ¡®Watched by the Gods¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [(Understanding of Gods¡¯ Weapons) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has evolved into (Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t a reproduction, but a pure myth rating. Grid was so surprised that his heart stopped. His head was refreshed. Grid looked at the updated skill information.


    [(Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 8]


    There is a high probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a certain probability of creating unique rated items.


    There is a rare probability of creating legendary rated items.


    If certain conditions are met, there is a very rare probability of making a myth reproduction or myth rated item.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 21%.


    * When myth rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +10 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every three myth rated items created. (Currently 1/3)


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was happy, but frowned after a moment. The updated skill gave Grid a new penalty!


    ¡°No, dammit... Legendary items don¡¯t give me any stats now?¡±


    No, wasn¡¯t this too severe? It didn¡¯t make sense that he would be treated like this when making legendary items. The price for making a myth rated item was too high. Grid¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡¯The future is uneasy...¡¯


    Something special would happen every time he made three myth grade items. Why did he feel like this might be a huge penalty?


    "This damn Korean game.¡±


    It was too stingy to yers. They didn¡¯t treat yers well who paid a full fee every month. It was the typical attitude of a Korean gamepany. Grid couldn¡¯t confirm the details of thepleted Red Phoenix Bow when he heard a disturbance.


    ¡°D-Demon...!¡±


    "Pointy-eared demon!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was an uproar from the entrance to the smithy. The White Hammer cksmiths cried out fearfully.


    ¡®Pointy-eared demon?¡¯


    What type of monsters would scare the cksmiths? Grid armed himself with the Sword Ghost and exited the smithy. Then he was shocked.


    ¡°Sticks!¡±


    The pointy-eared demon that the cksmiths were scared of. It was Sage Sticks. The person Grid had been waiting for! By the way...


    "Why are you being treated as a demon?¡±


    An elf. He was a noble existence. Elves were those who loved nature and peace, and were hostile to demonkin. They were historically honored and loved by people. It was strange that the cksmiths of the White Hammer smithy would call him a demon.


    Sticks reached out to Grid.


    "I can¡¯t specte, but the East Continent might have a difficult situation that is hard to untangle. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about the East Continent. His colleagues were the top priority. Grid nodded and grabbed Sticks¡¯ hand. Then the two people disappeared with a sh of light.


    ***


    "A stronghold of a small kingdom is at this level...?¡±


    The Yak Guild that was one of the Seven Guilds. Bubat was the master of a small territory. Therefore, he was able to see how magnificent the high walls of Patrian were.


    ¡®The walls should be at least level 8.¡¯


    The durability was at least one million. It was natural that it would be difficult to scratch the walls with a level 100 or level 200 magic or skill bombardment. In order to break down the walls, at least a third advancement magician or high level siege weapon was needed.


    ¡®If only I could have one of these fortresses.¡¯


    The Yak Guild had considerable manpower and capital, and they¡¯d spent five months raising the wall by one level. Of course, every time the level of the wall increased, the amount of capital and experience required for the next level up would increase. In other words, a yer couldn¡¯t build level 8 walls.


    ¡®Grid got it for free... Tsk.¡¯


    He noticed that Earl Ashur was on Grid¡¯s side since the Reidan invasion. Grid had been raising Earl Ashur since the earliest days and consequently obtained this great fortress.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to admit it...¡¯


    Grid was a very wide character. He wasn¡¯t the same as other high rankers who relied on force or skills.


    ¡®Being able to capture the hearts of NPCs. This is Grid¡¯s greatest strength!¡¯


    If Grid was left alone, he would proceed forward without limits. Putting personal grudges aside, Bubat had an obligation to keep in check any high rankingpetitors. But this wasn¡¯t an easy task. It was because there were too few third advancement sses in the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡®We have to use the siege weapons well.¡¯


    Eternal¡¯s army had 12 catapults. But they weren¡¯t effective. Patrian had prominent magicians such as Zednos, Lae, and Euphemina. Their magic easily neutralized the catapults¡¯ attacks. In particr, the girl called Euphemina was a problem.


    She used the best defense spell with the right attributes.


    ¡®This monster... Did she obtain a legendary great magician ss?¡¯


    Bubat clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to the leader of the Eternal army. Thousands of infantry tried to climb the walls of Patrian, but they couldn¡¯t deal with the pouring magic, arrows, and stones. In particr, the Overgeared unit led by Regas. They ran out of the castle for a while and when they did, Eternal¡¯s vanguard was severely damaged.


    ¡®Fortunately, Jishuka is tired. Now that she¡¯s on a break, it¡¯s time to get rid of Regas.¡¯


    If they defeated Regas¡¯ group, it would be very easy to climb Patrian¡¯s walls. Bubat believed this and looked at Jeff and Ralph.


    "We¡¯re finally going to act?¡±


    "My body was bing stiff.¡±


    "We can¡¯t just watch.¡±


    The damage dealers of Overgeared were busy destroying or keeping in check the siege weapons. It was a safe environment where Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph could finally show their true colors.


    ¡°The target is Regas!¡±


    "Kill all those who interfere!¡±


    Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph guided their guilds forward. They killed any Eternal soldiers who blocked the road without hesitation and reached Regas. Regas screamed while fighting with Eternal¡¯s soldiers.


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    The Overgeared members who were part of the Silver Knights Guild. It was the moment when the 30 of them heard Regas¡¯ call and tried to respond.


    Kurururung!


    There was the sound of thunder and the ground erupted. It was an earthquake caused by Bubat who was considered the best initiator.


    ¡°Aaaack!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    The average level of the Overgeared members in Regas¡¯ unit was 230. They couldn¡¯t resist the wide area CC used by Bubat and floated in the air. Regas barely escaped the CC and felt strained. Bubat grabbed the faces of two of the Overgeared members floating in the air.


    Bubat smiled widely.


    Kwajajak!


    Bubat grabbed the faces of two Overgeared members and mmed them into the ground. It was the signal for the reversal.

 Chapter 553

    "Ugh!"


    ¡°Keuok...¡±


    The Overgeared members had their faces pushed deeply into the ground. Following the air damage, they fell into a stunned state. Of course, the crisis didn¡¯t end there. Bubat nned topletely destroy them.


    Peok!


    Peeeeok!


    Bubat¡¯s one-handed hammer struck the back of the Overgeared members without hesitation. It was a cruel attack without any mercy.


    "Gorose! Han Woochan!¡±


    Regas¡¯ eyes shook wildly as his colleagues died. They were colleagues he¡¯d fought with for the past week! It was also by Bubat, a third party not involved in this war!


    ¡°Wicked person! I will never forgive you!¡±


    Pachichik!


    Regas kicked off from the ground. Among the third advancement sses, his Asura had one of the highest difficulties. The intense power of lightning wrapped around him.


    ¡°Uhh!¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s no ess!¡¯


    The Eternal soldiers were swept up in the rush and felt pain as their skin was torn and burnt. They tried to widen their distance from Regas. He used the precursor for the Asura¡¯s ultimate skill, ¡®Send to Hell.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Regas was in a cold rage. Regas decided that the biggest risk Bubat had to be taken care of first, and he needed to prevent the enemy forces from reaching him. So he chose to use Send to Hell for his first strike.


    ¡°Haaaah!!


    Peeeeeong!


    The moment Regas kicked Bubat like a lightning bolt.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Regas was somewhat surprised. All the enemies he met so far always tried to avoid his ultimate move? On the other hand, Bubat excluded any evasion actions altogether. He crossed his arms and defended against Regas¡¯ kick from the front. The cost was great.


    Kudududuk!


    Kuooooong.


    Bubat¡¯s arms twisted in a strange direction after receiving Regas¡¯ kick and the ground he was standing on was dented like an excavator had swept through the spot. It was a scene where the terrible attack power of Send to Hell could be seen. Thus, it was amazing. Bubat was still standing!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Regas was shaken.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Bubat clenched his teeth and endured the pain. He ignored the warning windows that spoke about the damage and bone fractures as heughed.


    "Have you forgotten? It¡¯s impossible for even Grid to kill me with one blow.¡±


    Bubat¡¯s hidden ss ¡®Crusher¡¯ had a passive skill that ¡®ignored damage after a certain level.¡¯ Bubat was convinced that even a dragon¡¯s breath couldn¡¯t kill him with one blow. In addition, a Crusher specialized in close proximity CC, charging, and terrain destruction. It was the reason why Bubat didn¡¯t flee from Regas. Rather than his broken arms, Bubat wrapped both legs around Regas¡¯ neck.


    "I¡¯ll send it to you!¡±


    Kwajajajak!


    Regas¡¯s body rotated 180 degrees and his head mmed into the ground.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Dirt and stones were pushed into his eyes, nose, and mouth. At the same time, Regas experienced a strong pain that caused him to see stars. He was in a stunned state. Bubat wrapped his broken arms around Regas¡¯ back and kept smashing him into the ground.


    "Kukuk! Puhahat! Your brain must be tired from fighting for thest few days!¡±


    In the first ce, a Crusher was the perfect counter to a martial artist. Furthermore, many of Regas¡¯ skills were on cooldown from when he was wiping out Eternal¡¯s army. Bubat knew this and aimed for this timing.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Bubat kept mming Regas¡¯ head into the ground.


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,030 damage.]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    [Your body is in a restrained position. It is difficult to move.]


    [You have suffered 3,980 damage...]


    ...


    ...


    The warning windows continuously rose in his field of view. Regas was aware of the serious crisis he was facing.


    ¡®I will die.¡¯


    The martial artist ss was more about attacking than defense. Victory was settled the moment he was caught by Bubat and made helpless.


    ¡°Regas! Endure it a bit more! We¡¯reing!¡±


    The Overgeared members tried their best to rescue Regas, but the Yak Guild appeared in the gap caused by Bubat¡¯s air CC. The Overgeared members were surrounded by the Yak members and couldn¡¯t rescue Regas. It was difficult enough to protect their own lives. Bubat was delighted when he confirmed that Regas¡¯ health had fallen to one third.


    ¡®I can finally get revenge on Overgeared!¡¯


    Originally, Bubat had a good reputation for being undefeated inbat. But he was defeated by Grid every time in the National Competition and his reputation plummeted. He wanted to show a great appearance in this war that was being broadcasted across the world. After overwhelmingly defeating Regas, he would break down the walls with the army and take the heads of Jishuka and Euphemina.


    ¡¯Then I will intercept Grid who will eventually appear and kill him!¡¯


    He would reim the glory of the past! Bubat was having fun as he imagined it.


    Syuk!


    Then an arrow flew and pierced him. To be exact, it stopped just before it pierced him. Bubat was protected by Jeff and Ralph. Jeff blocked Jishuka¡¯s arrow with a water droplet.


    "Don¡¯t you know that projectiles have no power in front of me?¡±


    Like Lauel, Jeff was a qigong master. But hisbat ability was much higher than Lauel. Lauel specialized in climate and terrain changes as a flow master. Meanwhile, Jeff¡¯s third advancement ss was ¡®Defying the Natural Order.¡¯ He possessed many skills that were excellent inbat. For example, he could neutralize projectiles like arrows.


    "I will give it back.¡±


    Paang!


    The water droplets. To be exact, Jishuka¡¯s arrow trapped in the water droplet shot in another direction. It was naturally towards Jishuka on the walls. It also had the same flying speed and attack power.


    "That bastard.¡±


    Daring to return her own arrow? Jishuka¡¯s pride as the best archer was pricked and she frowned.


    Papang!


    She shot down the arrow with another arrow and turned her gaze to Regas, who was still caught by Bubat.


    ¡¯I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help you.¡¯


    The magicians were desperately blocking the attacks from the catapults while the soldiers were stopping those climbing up the walls. Jishuka was currently the only one who could help Regas. However, her stamina was at its limits. It was impossible for her to use a skill. It would also be hard to rescue Regas from Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph with simple archery. They were some of the strongest rankers. There were few people who could easily neutralize them.


    ¡®One of those people is Grid...¡¯


    Grid naturally entered her mind. It was strange when she thought back to when she first met Grid. Jishuka never imagined when she first met Grid that she would rely on him so much. In the beginning, she just thought he was an idiot. But since then, he¡¯d left a clear mark on Jishuka.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. When she realized that he was Pagma¡¯s Descendant that she was looking for, when he first made an item, when he appeared in a crisis and saved her, etc. Grid was always special and intense. Almost like a drug...


    ¡°...Oh my, what am I doing now?¡±


    This was a war. The screams of her colleagues and the soldiers never ceased, and the number of enemies crossing the wall didn¡¯t show signs of diminishing. It was absurd that she was thinking about Grid in the middle of this situation.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    She realized it. There was no hope in this war. The enemies were stronger than Lauel anticipated. Overgeared¡¯s strength was too weak.


    "Well, we can start from scratch if we lose everything.¡±


    Bing frustrated and giving up didn¡¯t fit her nature. Jishuka firmed up her heart and took out a new arrow from the inventory.


    "I don¡¯t think we will lose everything?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The battlefield filled with the sound of magic and weapons. It was so noisy that it was impossible to talk to the person next to her. Then why did she hear a clear voice?


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Jishuka turned her gaze in the direction of the voice. She smiled like the sun. Radiant, warm, and beautiful.


    Above her head. Grid floated in the sky and smiled evilly, making him look like a goblin.


    ¡°Everyone has suffered.¡±


    Kiiiiiiing!


    Dozens of round white lights rotated around Grid as he observed the battlefield. Each sphere contained a strong aura.


    "What is that?¡±


    The battlefield. The soldiers started murmuring as they discovered the white spheres in the sky. There were multiple small moons?


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The Eternal soldiers were unfamiliar with this phenomenon and started specting. A ck-haired man floating among spheres of white light. He was only the hero of Eternal and was now a rebel, Duke Grid.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    Grid wouldn¡¯t produce a special scene without any meaning. The Eternalmanders hurriedly shouted but it was toote. The white spheres around Grid started to shoot all over the battlefield. They poured down on the battlefield like rain.


    A reversal in the war?


    "Kill everything.¡±


    This was what it meant.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Hundreds of grey pirs rose simultaneously. Then Gridnded beside Jishuka and handed her a bow.


    "Congrattions on truly bing overgeared, Jishuka.¡±

 Chapter 554

    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Dozens of white spheres hovered around Grid in the sky. The lights suddenly spread out and covered the battlefield.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    It was a wide range magic that had never been seen before. As the Eternal yers were feeling confused, someone shouted.


    ¡°Magic Missile! It¡¯s Magic Missile!¡±


    Magic Missile was the lowest level magic. It had the advantages of a short cooldown time and activation time. In addition, the mana consumption was very small. This meant there was an obvious limit to its power. But Grid had clearly proven in the National Competition that his Magic Missile was different. Grid¡¯s Magic Missile even hurt high rankers.


    "They will aim for us!¡±


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    The Eternal yers started to run with all their might in order to avoid the bombardment. But there was no freedom on a battlefield filled with tens of thousands of people. In the confusion caused by the rush to get away, some people fell over and were turned to grey. They were yers who died under the feet of their allies.


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Hundreds of Eternal yers died.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Grid¡¯s Magic Missile bombardment hit the ground. Did the fierce white sh pierce the hearts of the soldiers? No. That wasn¡¯t their aim.


    They hit the ground where thick shields were ced. The ces where the siege weapons were. A hill filled with archers. The magic corps meant for increasing the speed of mana regeneration.


    The ces struck by Grid¡¯s Magic Missiles couldn¡¯t endure it and copsed. Bubat watched the scene of the yers and soldiers being devastated and felt rmed.


    ¡°What is this bastard?¡±


    Stopping Magic Missiles before they wereunched and releasing them all at once?


    ¡°This is ridiculously overgeared!¡±


    That¡¯s right. Bubat thought the reason why cksmith Grid could use magic was due to artifacts. This was the mostmon sense interpretation. The voices of the Yak Guild members were heard in his ears.


    ¡°He intentionally caused an explosion by targeting the magic wards?¡±


    ¡°He also broke the siege weapons and killed the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°That Grid, since when did he fight so cleverly?¡±


    Originally, Magic Missile was a spell that dealt damage to a single target. Ssh damage couldn¡¯t be expected because it was a pration type of magic. But that story changed when it hit facilities or explosives. Jeff was angry at the Yak Guild members who felt admiration


    ¡°What¡¯s smart about that? It¡¯s a basic arrangement that junior high school students could do.¡±


    They knew that Grid was strong. But they shouldn¡¯t forget that the foundation of his strength was items.


    "Don¡¯t shrink back just because you¡¯re overestimating them.¡±


    Jeff nced at Bubat.


    ¡°What? Come and finish him off."


    He was talking about Regas stuck in the ground. They couldn¡¯t give him a chance to recover. It happened when Bubat nodded and was about to hit Regas with a hammer.


    Kiiiiiiing!


    There was an unknown sound and a heat filled the area.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph started sweating and they paled. A giant firebird appeared in front of their shaking eyes.


    ***


    "Congrattions on truly bing overgeared, Jishuka.¡±


    [Ownership of the Red Phoenix Bow has been transferred.]


    ¡°Truly overgeared?¡±


    Overgeared was overgeared, what did he mean by truly overgeared? Jishuka was puzzled when she suddenly got goosebumps.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    Did it mean an item she had been longing for since joining Overgeared? The bow had an intense color like mes were imprinted on it. Jishuka carefully guessed the identity of the bow that Grid passed her.


    ¡°Is this a legendary bow?¡±


    Grid¡¯s odds of creating a legendary item were very slim. It was the same probability of a named boss dropping a legendary item. Therefore, it was rare for people to have legendary items in Overgeared. It was the same for Jishuka. Gridughed at Jishuka¡¯s shining eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see?¡±


    A meaningful answer!


    Dugun dugun!


    After Grid¡¯s dramatic appearance, Jishuka¡¯s wildly beating heart became faster. She was filled with anticipation as she confirmed the details of the Red Phoenix Bow. Then she became like a stone statue.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What was with the rating of this bow?


    ¡°Legendary... No?¡±


    [Red Phoenix Bow]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,203/1,203 Attack Power: 3,190


    * uracy will increase by 60%.


    * 80% increase in firing speed.


    * Fire resistance will increase by 50%.


    * Fire attribute skill damage will increase by 30%.


    * 20% reduction in cooldown time of fire attribute skills.


    * Causes ssh damage equal to 12% of your total attack power to all targets in a one meter radius. A yer in the same guild in the range of the ssh damage will be healed.


    * The arrows contain mes. It will added 4,000 fixed fire damage to your normal attack power and will cause burns. The ssh damage doesn¡¯t apply to you. Once a critical strike is activated, the fixed damage will double.


    * If the bowstring is pulled for more than three seconds, a protective shield is created to resist at least one status condition. There is a 2 minute cooldown. There is a very low probability that this shield is applied to party members.


    * Every time you shoot an arrow, there is a chance to regain 1,000 health.


    * The skill ¡®Fly Up!¡¯ will be generated.


    * Passive skill ¡®Incarnation of Fire¡¯ will be generated.


    A bow that is a myth beyond a legend.


    The owner of this bow will leave countless achievements and will be the protagonists of hymns that future generations will sing.


    It is made by cksmith Grid who has gone beyond his limits.


    It is structurally perfect because it has the ideal shape of a bow. You can shoot faster, further, and stronger.


    The breath of the Red Phoenix gives the wearer a mythical blessing.


    Conditions of Use: Top three in the archer unified rankings.


    Weight: 930


    [Fly Up! Lv. 1]


    Summons a copy of the Red Phoenix.


    The clone of the Red Phoenix will deal fire damage equal to 800% of the total attack power to all enemies visible in the summoner¡¯s field of view.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    [Incarnation of Fire Lv. 1]


    A persistent passive.


    You have a body that is close to immortal due to the favor of the Red Phoenix.


    Health recovery and stamina recovery will increase by 90%, and your stamina won¡¯t drop below 5.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    "U-Uh?¡±


    Not surprisingly, Jishuka was an educated woman. One of her hobbies was reading. Therefore, her ability to read and understand sentences was excellent. In a short time. She confirmed the details of the Red Phoenix Bow several times.


    ¡°Is this a dream?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a puzzling reaction. But she didn¡¯t understand. Grid had created several weapons that were the strongest in existence, but this was the ultimate bow. Few people could readily convince themselves of this overwhelming performance.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dream.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t...a dream?¡±


    Jishuka heard Grid¡¯s answer and recognized reality. She nkly took a few steps closer to Grid. Then she leaned her forehead against Grid¡¯s chest.


    "Thank you for your efforts, Grid.¡± Jishuka had been watching Grid for a few years. She knew how hard Grid worked whenever making one item. ¡°You fought and studied hard on the East Continent.¡±


    Duguen.Duguen.Duguen.


    Jishuka smiled warmly as she listened to Grid¡¯s heartbeat.


    Gulp.


    Grid¡¯s face turned red as he swallowed his saliva. The world¡¯s greatest beauty. A beautypletely to his taste had her face buried in his chest. Grid wanted to enjoy this time, but it was too unreasonable.


    ¡°Save Regas first.¡±


    Kkirik!


    Jishuka suddenly pulled away from Grid and pulled back her bowstring.


    Hwaruruk!


    The jaffa arrow started burning. The entire battlefield filled Jishuka¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The moment Jishuka¡¯s shout was heard from the walls...


    Kiiiiiiing!


    The cry of the Red Phoenix rang out on the battlefield.


    Kurururururuk!


    Hundreds of thousands of fireballs fell from the ground, emitting ck smoke. It was a disaster itself. It was an overwhelming force that made even Grid, the maker of the Red Phoenix Bow, feel frightened.


    ***


    Kurururung!


    ¡°Pant...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Bubart, Jeff, Ralph and the hundreds of guild members led by them looked like they were possessed by ghosts. A firebird appeared in the sky and and generated thousands of fireballs with a p of its wings. It wasn¡¯t clear if this was a dream or reality.


    It was an unreal sight. This was reality.


    Thousands of fireballs poured out from the firebird and destroyed the battlefield in real time.


    ¡°What is this magic?¡±


    The confusion of Bubat¡¯s party reached its peak. But they weren¡¯t rabble. They moved smartly in the midst of the confusion. They used defensive skills and evasion abilities to block the fireballs.


    "These fireballs only aim once at one target! We just need to block it once!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Pepeng!


    Kurururung!


    All types of magic and skills were used, making the viewers happy. Bubat¡¯s group barely managed to ovee the crisis.


    ¡°Heok, heok... Heok?¡±


    They barely blocked the fireball bombardment. The faces of Bubat¡¯s party turned white as they looked around again. Eternal¡¯s yers and soldiers. Close to 20,000 were burned and died at once. For those whose level was in the mid-100s, the fireball bombardment was a catastrophic disaster.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s using such an ignorant magic... Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    They might be low level yers and soldiers, but there wasn¡¯t a ss that could ¡®sweep up¡¯ thousands of people at once. The monsters such as Kraugel, Agnus, and Grid couldn¡¯t do it. Therefore, Bubat was confident. It must by Earl Ashur. The great magician on Grid¡¯s side finally showed up on the battlefield!


    ¡°Shit! Retreat! Increase all magic resistance!¡±


    The Yak Guild members started swapping their armor and essories and the Jeff and Ralph guild members followed them. This was an obvious mistake.


    Piing.


    A fire arrow was shot from the top of Patrian¡¯s wall.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    Bubat btedly noticed the flying arrow. This dumb woman was as persistent as a cockroach. He couldn¡¯t understand what a single arrow like this could do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly and stay down!¡±


    Bubat was frustrated because of Grid and Earl Ashur. He was angry because he missed the chance to kill Regas. At this time, Jishuka¡¯s arrow was very irritating.


    Peeng!


    "You can¡¯t tie up my feet for long!¡±


    Bubat used the small shield hanging at his wrist to block the arrow. He didn¡¯t bother using any skills to improve his defense. A Crusher was basically a tanker. He had high health, defense, and resistance. Bubat was even armed with the Undefeated King¡¯s equipment. He had no doubt that one arrow couldn¡¯t damage him. He intended to shake off Jishuka¡¯s arrow andugh. But it was impossible tough.


    [You have suffered 7,390 damage.]


    [The area hit by the arrow has started to burn! You will lose 2,500 health per second for 12 seconds.]


    "Kuaaaaack!¡±


    Bubat screamed from the unexpected pain. There was an explosion and fire burned his body the moment the arrow collided with the shield.


    ¡®This damn girl! She recovered enough stamina to use her skills!¡¯


    Jishuka smiled brightly at Bubat, who hurriedly took out medicine for burns.


    "That was a normal attack.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 555

    "That was a normal attack.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A normal attack? Bubat had pride as a tanker. If there was a defense power rankings, he was sure that he would be in the top 50. Yet a normal attack dealt nearly 10,000 damage?


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s arrow was apanied by a great deal of fire damage and ssh damage. There was a normal attack with such powerful features in the world? It wasn¡¯t possible even for Kraugel, who had the strongest legendary ss Sword Saint. Of course this was a skill attack. It couldn¡¯t be a normal attack.


    "Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡±


    Bubat¡¯s face turned red when distorted by pain. He was infuriated that Jishuka was making fun of him. The Yak members immediately stopped him from running towards the walls.


    ¡°We have to run away!¡±


    "Don¡¯t fall for that lowly provocation!¡±


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Bubat barely suppressed his anger. He remembered that he would die if he dyed the time.


    ¡°Jishuka! I¡¯m not avoiding you because I¡¯m afraid! You know! In a one-on-one fight, you would be stuck in the ground next to Regas!¡±


    Bubat participated in the war because he knew that the Overgeared Guild would be in a tough situation due to the numbers difference. The reason he could easily defeat Regas was by putting pressure on him using the numerical advantage. Now that the disadvantageous position was tilting, he nned to retreat.


    There was a reason he couldn¡¯t help overreacting to Jishuka in the world. It was due to a past event.


    In the past, it had been four months since Satisfy opened. Grid was still level 40, and Bubat was level 100 and performing his ss quest. The contents of the quest was to hunt 100 twin trolls alone within a week. It was before he was a Crusher, when he was still an ordinary tanker. Bubat sought out the twin trolls.


    But he couldn¡¯t see any twin trolls in the hunting grounds. It was because Jishuka had run rampant and defeated the twin trolls. Thus, Bubat was irritated. The 300 twin trolls took one week to respawn and the probability of sess was low due to his weak attack power. He was furious at Jishuka.


    Therefore, he was determined. He would kill Jishuka and secure the hunting ground! Why didn¡¯t he exin the situation and ask her to concede the hunting ground? It was because Bubat¡¯s pride as a ranker didn¡¯t tolerate it. In the first ce, Bubat thought that the PK system of Satisfy was the best.


    The result? He fought her and died. Bubat wasn¡¯t able to get his ss advancement yet and wasn¡¯t the opponent of Jishuka, who¡¯d alreadypleted her ss advancement. He suffered from her arrows and died. One blow? No, it was nine blows.


    Jishuka didn¡¯t easily forgive Bubat who tried to stab her in the back. She didn¡¯t leave the twin trolls hunting ground, continuing to shoot at Bubat. Bubat received two death penalties in four days and lost ess to the game. He naturally failed the ss quest. If he failed, it would take another 10 days before he could do the ss quest again.


    ¡®That damn girl!¡¯


    Bubat lost a fortnight because of Jishuka. In the early days of Satisfy, losing a fortnight was deadly, and his ID disappeared from the rankings for a while. Bubat still shook when he thought about that time. His chest throbbed from where Jishuka¡¯s arrow had hit him nine times.


    ¡®Wait and see.¡¯


    Kwaduduk! Bubat turned his back to Patrian¡¯s walls. Despite the ghosts of the past and the pride he couldn¡¯t get rid of, his top priority was to run away. Jishuka¡¯s voice entered his ears as he was running away.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    Paang!


    Jishuka once again fired an arrow. It was another fire arrow. Jishuka imed it was a normal attack.


    "This is the second shot!¡±


    Bubat used an iron wall skill this time. It was the ultimate defense skill that reduced the amount of damage done by half. However...


    Peeeeeong!


    Bubat¡¯s face became dismayed as he blocked the arrow with a small shield on his wrist.


    [You have suffered 5,695 damage.]


    [The area hit by the arrow has started to burn! You will lose 2,500 health per second for 12 seconds.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    No, why was the damage reduction so small?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s fixed damage?¡¯


    Furthermore, why was there a huge burn every time he got hit?


    ¡®How high is the probability of fire damage?¡¯


    There was also the ssh damage...


    It was a really good attack skill. Of course, the cooldown time would be long. No, in the first ce, Jishuka¡¯s stamina was at the limit. She might¡¯ve recovered a little, but it would be depleted again after shooting a skill twice in a row. Bubat hurriedly pulled out burn medicine and screamed at the guild members.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ck off and retreat! There was no reason to dy any longer!¡±


    They were already exhausted by the time Earl Ashur and Grid appeared. They had to flee before they became targets. Bubat ignored Jishuka and hastened his retreat with his guild members.


    Paang!


    Papapapang!


    Continuous sounds were heard from the walls of Patrian and Bubat felt puzzled.


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    It was the sound of flying arrows. It wasn¡¯t just one or two, but at least ten. What other archer could fire arrows from the walls that were 400 meters away? As far as he knew, there was only Jishuka.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    Bubat turned his head back and his heart sank. It was because 10 arrows that looked the same as those that dealt great damage to him were flying.


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    Continuously using skills? Wasn¡¯t her stamina depleted?


    ¡®No, why is the cooldown of such a powerful skill so short?¡¯


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t an ordinary skill.


    ¡®Is it the ultimate skill of an archer?¡¯


    This ultimate skill was too dirty. Bubat cried out urgently, "Scatter!¡±


    If they were gathered together, they would suffer great damage from the ssh damage. As Bubat felt anxious and used a defense skill, Jeffughed.


    ¡°Have you forgotten?¡±


    The third advancement ss of the qigong master. He could restrain flying projectiles and return it to the opponent. He had a perfect counter to an archer¡¯s skills. It was the Qi Barrier that made an enemy¡¯s ranged skill ineffective. It was one of the ultimate skills of Defying the Natural Order.


    "Don¡¯t worry about your back and just retreat.¡±


    Jeffughed in a rxed manner and consumed arge amount of mana to open the barrier. He didn¡¯t doubt it. The barrier would destroy Jishuka¡¯s attack and give her a sense of despair. But reality was the exact opposite. It wasn¡¯t Jishuka who felt despair, but Jeff.


    ¡°Heok?¡±


    The fire arrows hit the barrier. Rather than being extinguished, it passed through the barrier without any resistance. In other words...


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a skill!¡±


    Jeff made a disbelieving expression. In addition, Bubat and the guild members believed in Jeff.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The fire arrows hit them and they were swept away by an explosion.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    This was after the bombardment of thousands of fireballs. Arge number of casualties urred and screams echoed on the now rtively quiet battlefield.


    ¡°This bastard! Why didn¡¯t you block it?¡±


    Bubat grabbed Jeff¡¯s cor after confirming that some of the guild members had been injured. Bubat knew Jeff¡¯s abilities. He thought Jeff would easily block Jishuka¡¯s skill. Yet the attack passed through? It was enough to make him suspect if Jeff was an Overgeared spy.


    Jeff exined to the angry Bubat. ¡°This isn¡¯t a skill... It can¡¯t be blocked by the barrier.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a skill? Then what is it?¡±


    "A normal attack.¡±


    ¡°Eek! What nonsense are you spouting! Huh? Heok?"


    Bubat¡¯s eyes widened as he inserted more strength into Jeff¡¯s hands. It was because he saw more fire arrows pouring from Patrian¡¯s wall. This time, there were more than 10.


    "No, what the hell is this skill?¡±


    Why did such a strong skill have a short cooldown? The fire arrows reached Bubat.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    A powerful explosion rocked the battlefield again. The area where Bubat had been standing became a sea of fire.


    ***


    Jishuka had perfectpatibility with the Red Phoenix Bow and became iparably stronger than before. Sheughed as she fired the bow and Grid looked at her warmly. The sharp and threatening eyes seemed endlessly gentle today.


    ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such delight.¡¯


    In fact, Grid always kept Jishuka in mind. It had been ever since Jishuka listened to him and handed the Tzedakah Guild over. Grid felt a desperate desire to repay her. However, he didn¡¯t have a lot of chances to repay her. The rating was often low whenever he made her an item.


    ¡®I never made a legendary rated bow.¡¯


    But this time, he gifted her a myth rated bow. Grid was proud that he repaid the favor and sacrifices she had given him.


    ¡®In fact, I wanted to use it.¡¯


    There were limits to Grid¡¯s archery. It was especially fatal that the range of arrows was limited. On the other hand, Jishuka had a lot of exclusive skills to enhance the power of archery. Therefore, she could use the power of the Red Phoenix Bow properly. It was better to hand it over to Jishuka. The stronger she was, the stronger Overgeared would be and the more Grid would get in return.


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Jishuka devastated the battlefield with this bow. Grid felt reassured that she would y an active role in countless wars in the future. It was worth making a myth rated item.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Jishuka btedly realized that Grid was looking at her and blushed. She was fascinated by the power of the Red Phoenix Bow and forgot that Grid was by her side.


    ¡¯...Would he like a woman who smiles when killing people?¡¯


    This was after Bubat¡¯s party died. Jishuka bowed her head in a sad manner and Grid stroked her hair.


    ¡°You are great. You are literally a weapon of mass destruction."


    ¡°Weapon of mass destruction...¡±


    She heard that she was a weapon of mass destruction from her favorite man! Jishuka¡¯s mindset became moreplicated. Grid reached out to her.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this? Jishuka looked at Grid¡¯s big and thick hands and was filled with anticipation.


    ¡®Asking me to hold his hand, does Grid like me?¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s imagination unfolded and she tried to ce her hand in Grid¡¯s. Grid pulled back his hand in a startled manner and said.


    "No, I¡¯m asking for money. The value of the bow.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    That¡¯s right, it needed to be calcted. Jishuka¡¯s eyes darkened. It wasn¡¯t possible to determine the value of the Red Phoenix Bow. Everything seemed insufficient. In the end, she spoke after worrying about it.


    "Shall we...get married? You will get all of my assets if we get married.¡±


    "...That¡¯s a funny joke.¡± Grid shook his head and signalled to Sticks. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Bairan first.¡±

 Chapter 556

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Bairan first.¡±


    "Is Jishukaing with us?¡±


    Mass Teleport was a veryplicated spell. A magic circle needed to be drawn every time. Depending on the number of users and coordinates, the form of the magic circle was different every time. That¡¯s why Sticks asked the question before drawing the magic circle. Grid replied, "No, it will just be the two of us.¡±


    The reason why they needed to defend Bairan was to defend Patrian. Patrian was the most important. Jishuka couldn¡¯t be allowed to leave if the enemy¡¯s offensive was going to continue. Jishuka knew this better than anyone.


    ¡¯It¡¯s unfortunate that I can¡¯t move with Grid...¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t not use the power that Grid gave her. Jishuka wanted to be a useful person for Grid. She waved to Grid.


    "Leave it to me. I will take care of Patrian. Let¡¯s settle the ounts next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid replied with a smile. He was sincerely relieved.


    ¡¯I almost drank kimchi soup again.¡¯


    In the past, Grid was the master of drinking kimchi soup. Every time a woman looked at him or tried to talk to him, he mistakenly thought she liked him. He cared too much about the opposite sex and interpreted it the wrong way if the other person showed even a little interest in him.


    But Grid realized it after the incident with Ahyoung. Reasonable grounds were needed in order to love someone. From this point of view, Grid thought that the best beauty Jishuka couldn¡¯t be sincere about her offer. It was natural. Jishuka would be courted by all type ofpetent, handsome, and personable men. Jishuka couldn¡¯t like him.


    ¡®In the first ce, why would a woman like Jishuka propose to a man first?¡¯


    He almost took the joke seriously, but got goosebumps when he thought about Ahyoung.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t tell it was a joke and almost misunderstood.¡¯


    He finally grew into a man who could read the mood! Grid felt his growth as he disappeared with a sh of light. Once Jishuka was alone, she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and blushed.


    "I was rejected...¡±


    How many women in the world experienced being rejected after proposing to a man? Jishuka¡¯s chest hurt and she was also ashamed. She liked a man for the first time in her life and was rejected!


    "You fool.¡±


    The big problem was that she proposed before they were even dating. It was likely that Grid thought she was a strange woman. She blushed with mortification.


    ¡°Hing.¡±


    Jishuka wiped her tears and sniffed, unlike her usual self. She was a solo person who became smaller in front of the opposite sex. On the other hand, on the battlefield below the walls...


    ¡°Everybody forgot about me?¡±


    Regas barely recovered from where he was lodged in the ground. He was very sad.


    ***


    Gangnam, Seoul.


    The finest luxury mansion that surpassed 50 billion won in value a year ago. Yura was sitting in the huge garden overlooking the Han River. Her dazzling white skin shone under the sun.


    ¡®My body is heavy.¡¯


    Over the past few days, Yura had connected to the game until the daily ess limit was reached. It was in order to defend Bairan from the enemy¡¯s offensive. She needed to minimize the amount of time she left. As a result, fatigue pushed against her like the tide.


    Her life patterns copsed and the amount of food and exercise was insufficient. The biggest problem was that she couldn¡¯t imagine when the enemy¡¯s offensive would end. It was estimated that the Eternal Kingdom could mobilize approximately 500,000 soldiers. As long as Eternal had aplete food distribution route, it was possible that Bairan could deal with 100,000 enemies at once.


    Could she hold on? Yura shook her head.


    ¡®I have to hold on.¡¯


    She was working hard for Grid. They couldn¡¯t lose in vain. Yura calmed her heart and confirmed the time. She could ess the game in 30 minutes. She entered the living room and turned on the TV before taking off her clothes. It was for a shower. Her white skin was truly... Omitted.


    ¡º Breaking news. I just received news that the Eternal army invading Patrian have been driven away. ¡»


    Yura was heading to the bathroom and stopped when she heard noise from the TV. Patrian had excellent defensive featurespared to Bairan. In addition, the average level of the soldiers that invaded Patrian was lower than those invading Bairan.


    But it still wasn¡¯t easy. There were at least 20,000 Eternal soldiers attacking Patrian, with the guilds led by Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph among them. Yet Patrian drove Eternal to the brink of copse?


    ¡®How is it possible?¡¯


    The TV started showing the Patrian war video, answering the question of Yura and the viewers.


    ¡º As you can see, the primary strike from Reidan¡¯s mage unit dealt a primary blow to Eternal¡¯s siege weapons. Since then, the offensive of the army weakened. ¡»


    ¡º The members of the magic unit are made of a species that is hard to see on the West Continent. Their skin color and tattoos are unique. ¡»


    ¡º ording to the information provided by Satisfy researchers, they¡¯re an ethnic minority called the Ul n. They are said to have natural talent in magic. ¡»


    ¡º Why are the Ul n in Overgeared? ¡»


    ¡º The Ul n suffered destruction due to the Saharan Empire. They lost their home and Grid seemed to have obtained them in a timely manner. ¡»


    ¡º Hah... Grid¡¯s ability to attract and manage NPCs is truly exceptional. ¡»


    ¡º It seems he can raise the affinity of NPCs very easily. At this point, it might be fair to argue that the ability to be easily acknowledged by NPCs might be the effect of his ss or titles. ¡»


    In the video, the Ul n suddenly appeared due to Mass Teleport. They bombarded the siege weapons deployed at the rear of the Eternal army and disappeared with Mass Teleport.


    ¡º Even if it¡¯s a species specializing in magic, it¡¯s amazing that they can use Mass Teleport. I heard that only a few yers and the great magicians can use it freely at this time. ¡»


    ¡º No. If you look at the video closely, it isn¡¯t the Ul n who are using Mass Teleport. Look at the person starting the Mass Teleport spell while the Ul n are attacking the siege weapons. ¡»


    The video zoomed in and showed Sage Sticks. The experts were surprised when they saw him.


    ¡º An elf...! Grid is also friends with an elf! ¡»


    Satisfy¡¯s episodes were still in the early stages. The existence of other species were very rare and it was rare for the two billion users to actually encounter other species. Yet Grid already made friends with an elf!


    ¡º Grid¡¯s affinity seems to be applied even to other species. Really amazing. ¡»


    ¡º Truly God Grid... ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s the first time an elf has appeared. But why a male instead of female? It¡¯s disappointing. ¡»


    Some of the experts feeling admiration talked nonsense, but there wasn¡¯t a problem. The nonsense represented the hearts of most male viewers!


    ¡º Hum hum, in any case, Patrian¡¯s Overgeared members are able to breathe for a while due to the mage unit. However, a crisis will soone. Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph were just watching the war and made their move. ¡»


    This time, the video showed Bubat¡¯s group. Regas was quite exhausted but the power of Bubat¡¯s group was overwhelming as they easily suppressed him. Jeff and Ralph was also sessful as they ughtered the Overgeared members. They showed the dignity of the high rankers. But it was only for a moment.


    ¡º At this point, most viewers probably expect Patrian to be upied soon. The Overgeared members are in a desperate situation. But then Grid appeared. ¡»


    The dignity that Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph showed? They fell into disarray the moment Grid emerged. Grid showed his majesty to the world as he fired dozens of Magic Missiles at the same time, devastating the army.


    ¡°Cool...¡±


    Yura¡¯s jewel-like eyes shone as she saw Grid¡¯s appearance on the screen.


    ¡º Now he¡¯s handing over a bow. ¡»


    Yura and the viewers witnessed the incredible sight of Grid giving Jishuka a bow. Then a firebird rose in the sky. The battlefield instantly turned into a sea of mes. Bubat, Jeff, and Ralph were helpless before Jishuka¡¯s arrows.


    ¡°The bow... What¡¯s the rating?¡±


    An unidentified bow that raised the user to a legendary level. It was an unusual performancepared to conventional legendary weapons. The experts guessed carefully.


    ¡º It¡¯s an extraordinary power, even considering the fact that the bow has goodpatibility with Jishuka. In particr, the wide effect effects are overwhelming in a war. My guess is that it¡¯s a quest only item. ¡»


    A quest only item. It was an item indispensable for clearing a specific quests. There were causes where the item had transcendent function in order toplete the quest.


    ¡º In other words, the Overgeared Guild has a quest to defend against Eternal¡¯s offensive. In the course of the quest, Grid gained a powerful bow to prevent the enemy¡¯s offensive and Jishuka became the incarnation of a fire god. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. The reason why Grid didn¡¯t show up during the war is now being exined. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it great? Then the Overgeared Guild can prevent the Eternal invasion? ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s difficult. How can they win a war just because of one item? Once Eternal secures a steady food supply and starts the artillery bombardment, all of Overgeared¡¯s territories will be upied in an instant. ¡»


    ¡º But the Overgeared Guild will gain a reputation in exchange for losing their territories. The prestige of a single guild that fought fiercely against a kingdom. They will be legends in Satisfy, and that should be good enough. ¡»


    The experts were always making guesses. They were guesses based on spection and were rational. The problem was that Grid¡¯s abilities were unreasonable. The spection of the experts were unfortunately wrong.


    ***


    "Baron Duka and Earl Carrion have joined!¡±


    "Marquis B and Earl Red have joined!¡±


    As many as 100,000 people were gathered near Bairan. It was thanks to the leadership of the nobles under themand of the king. Chief Commander Duke Lucilliv smiled with satisfaction.


    "Thanks to the advance forces, the rebels are already tired. Today we will upy Bairan, putting Patrian into our hands!¡±


    "For Eternal!¡±


    "For King An!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The morale of the 100,000 soldiers increased. The sight of the endless procession was spectacr. The beasts and monsters were surprised by the powerful march and ran away.


    ¡°Now the war will end and the people will be at peace.¡±


    The soldiers who joined from various ces were making bright expressions. Grid, the one-time hero of the kingdom, who was now a rebel not loyal to the royal family. The soldiers were pleased that the man who caused turmoil in the kingdom was finally going to be punished and peace would return. It was like they were going to a pic instead of a battlefield.


    Only one soldier had a dark expression. A new recruit from Partu.


    ¡°Hey Ars. Are you tense?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Haha, it¡¯s natural to be nervous. This is the first time you¡¯re in a war. But don¡¯t worry too much. There are 100,000 of us. The rebels will be destroyed and the war will be over.¡±


    In fact, the senior soldiers of Partu were somewhat uneasy. All the young people in thend prior to the war and even beggars whose identities couldn¡¯t be proven were conscripted into the army, turning military discipline into a mess. It wasn¡¯t just from Partu¡¯s territory, but other territories.


    The size of the army wasn¡¯t always advantageous. But what would happen? They could overwhelm the rebels with numbers.


    ¡°The rebels will never be able to endure the endlessly pushing army.¡±


    Ars quietly listened to the words of the senior soldiers and muttered.


    "Until themand system is lost.¡±


    Ars¡¯ gaze was fixed to Duke Lucilliv¡¯s back. The leader of the 100,000 troops, Duke Lucilliv, was unaware of the gaze.


    At the same time, in Bairan.


    ¡°100,000 troops are advancing from the direction of Partu.¡±


    ¡°What? 100,000?¡±


    It was crazy. The sweaty and bloody faces of Pon and the Overgeared members were filled with frustration and despair.


    "They have already moved such arge army? Lauel¡¯s estimate was wrong?¡±


    Lauel said that Eternal¡¯s army and transportation system had a blind spot. He predicted that Eternal wouldn¡¯t be able to operate an army of 100,000 for at least two weeks. But that was wrong. Eternal¡¯s army system was better organized than Lauel¡¯s analysis.


    "Recently, Lauel has been making too many mistakes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s managing the guild and the territories alone. He¡¯s too busy to be perfect.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, even with geniuses. In any case, we can¡¯t hold on any longer. We need to retreat. Let¡¯s join Patrian.¡±


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t help thinking. How much better would it be if Asmophel was here? If the master of strategy led the army.


    ¡¯...Sigh, there¡¯s hope even when he¡¯s ying as a soldier.¡¯


    Somewhere in the Overgeared territories, Private Ars was ying an active role. That¡¯s how Overgeared could withstand the enemy¡¯s offensive until now. Pon believed this.


    ***


    -It¡¯s finally done.The members can¡¯t hold on any longer.I will join the war.


    Reidan.


    Lauel heard a whisper and rose from the seat.


    ¡¯Piaro and the water n have arrived.¡¯


    Over the past week.


    Lauel had scattered personnel throughout Eternal. It was in order to fully understand the military trends of the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡®I think I¡¯m getting hair loss.¡¯


    It was so hard and stressful that he lost hair in reality. A handful would fall out every time he ran a hand through his hair. But now wasn¡¯t the time to be afraid of bing bald. It was time for him to move. He needed to put an end to the making Grid a king project.


    "Before I leave, I would like to ask this of you, Kasim. Please do this in preparation for the empire¡¯s raid.¡±


    Prior to directly leading the army, Lauel summoned Kasim and gave him an order.


    Kasim felt admiration as he heard it. "This is a remarkable n. I understand.¡±

 Chapter 557

    ¡®Was he called Duke Lucilliv? Themander of this army is pretentious.¡¯


    The procession of 100,000 Eternal soldiers. The golden armor of the soldiers in the lead shed in the sun. Tung! The relentless sound of drums shook the sky. This was the momentum of a great army. Anyone would be overwhelmed by the greatness. But it was just their appearance.


    Most of the soldiers, apart from the ones in the lead, were wearing old leather armor, and their uneven marching was masked by the sound of the drums. The reason was simple. Half of the 100,000 soldiers weren¡¯t professionals. More than half of them were rabble who hadn¡¯t evenpleted basic training.


    ¡°How rotten... Why are we supposed to be involved in a battle between nobles?¡±


    ¡°What type of noble would attack the king? Shouldn¡¯t the people unconditionally listen to the king?¡±


    "What does it matter if the king is betrayed if we starve to death?¡±


    The lowest ss. They were always poor and hungry. They weren¡¯t educated and didn¡¯t have a lot of patriotism. Their purpose in life was just surviving.


    ¡°Hah... Who will take care of my family without me? My pregnant wife is caring for our kids alone...¡±


    "Geez, wearing armor and carrying a spear is really difficult at this age...¡±


    The ordinary people. Theybored all their lives for their family.


    ¡°Sob sob... I want to see my mum. I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°My legs hurt too much... I can¡¯t endure it anymore.¡±


    Young boys who hadn¡¯t reached adulthood yet made up more than half of the 100,000 troops. The role of all these tired and struggling people was to die.The vanguard. Once they arrived in Bairan two dayster, they were destined to swap ces with the golden armored soldiers and stand at the forefront.


    ¡®But at this rate, they can¡¯t be used.¡¯


    Ars was in the same ranks as the vanguard. He had unusually bright blond hair and was cynical.


    ¡¯The golden armor shing in the sun was a burden on the eyes and the drumming sound was just a noise that increased fear. Their mental state will reach the limit before they arrive in Bairan.¡¯


    But Duke Lucilliv didn¡¯t know this.


    The position of soldiers wasn¡¯t something that could be understood by nobles. A noble wouldn¡¯t think that such a marvelous march could put pressure on the soldiers. In the first ce, they believed that people would give thanks just by receiving food.


    It was hard to call them ipetent. It was a very aristocratic way of thinking.


    ¡¯Was I the same in the past?¡¯


    Ars thought as he barely managed to chew the hard barley bread.


    ¡®Well, there will be a massive desertion at the next campsite.¡¯


    Then the first chance woulde.


    ***


    The giants of the Eternal Kingdom referred to Marquis Steim and Duke Lucilliv.


    Marquis Steim was a pioneer who revived the barren north, while Duke Lucilliv knew how to use his natural lineage. It was due to the power of Duke Lucilliv that he managed to gather the powerful armies of Baron Duka, Earl Red, Earl Carrion, and Marquis Bera in one ce.


    Who were they? As the masters of great territories in Eternal, they were great swordsmen and ledrge armies. Prince An, who was on the throne in ce of the dead Prince Ren, couldn¡¯t move them.


    ¡°Indeed, the duke himself ismanding the army.¡±


    Duke Lucilliv¡¯s barrack. Earl Red admired the 2,000 golden armored soldiers and 5,000 cavalry that were brought. It was admiration, not ttery. He thought the procession of troops following the golden soldiers was wonderful. On the other hand, Marquis Bera showed a little concern.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve spent a considerable amount of money ting the soldiers¡¯ armor... And isn¡¯t it a waste? We can easily take Bairan and Patrian even if we advance normally.¡±


    Duke Lucilliv sipped his wine and his shoulders shook as he shrugged.


    ¡°Marquis Bera, your way of thinking is too small. ting? My soldiers are wearing pure gold armor. The army led by Duke Lucilliv can¡¯t be ordinary. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    All the nobles in this ce, including Marquis Bera, were amazed. The golden soldiers at the head of the procession. In other words, Duke Lucilliv had at least 10,000 soldiers. They were all wearing pure gold armor? How much money was spent? Lucilliv shrugged at all the eyes on him.


    "Well, the armor is just decoration and their defense is lousy. The armor is thin because Ick gold.¡±


    "...Duke, will your soldiers be safe from enemy attacks?¡±


    Lucilliv lectured the careful Marquis Bera. ¡°Why would my soldiers be in danger? Isn¡¯t it possible for the thousands of other soldiers to finish the war in an instant? Will my soldiers even need to go out?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The other nobles nodded at Duke Lucilliv¡¯s call. Their goal was to establish great merits in this war. It was shameful if they didn¡¯t participate in the war. They nned to upy the rebel bases in an instant by directing the troops.


    "Right, right. We can trample on and ughter the rebels with our troops. The soldiers of Duke Lucilliv will increase the morale of our soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Haha! That is my exact intention! I¡¯m trying to make the war more advantageous by raising the morale of our allies! Right?¡±


    "Indeed, the duke is great.¡±


    From their point of view, Duke Lucilliv¡¯s intentions were very good. More than half of the 100,000 soldiers were rabble, but that didn¡¯t decrease their value. They could be used as sacrifices in the vanguard. It would be enough to exhaust Earl Ashur¡¯s magic, which was considered the biggest problem. It was important to raise the morale of the soldiers who would be attacked by arge number of arrows.


    But they overlooked one thing. Duke Lucilliv was able to pay for the gold armor of 10,000 soldiers because he took the money from the supplies area. That¡¯s why the 100,000 soldiers only had enough food for 14 days. Most of it was three month old food sold by Duke Lucilliv.


    This was crucial to inducing a state of insecurity. The soldiers who had a tough march all day. Their physical strength was exhausted beyond the limit and theirints soared to the sky after receiving their ridiculous meals. They were forcibly conscripted and couldn¡¯t even eat proper meals?


    ¡°Duke! Troops have deserted!¡±


    A knight shouted after entering the barrack and Duke Lucilliv couldn¡¯t understand.


    "No, why?"


    This was a glorious chance for them to fight for their kingdom. Why would they desert? Marquis Bera ordered the knight on behalf of Duke Lucilliv.


    ¡°Catch and execute all of them! Show the soldiers how terrible it is to desert!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The knights received the order and immediately left. A total of 1,831 soldiers were captured while trying to escape and then executed. They were lower ss citizens forcibly conscripted. They tried to beg for help, but ended up dying. The senior soldiers of Partu approached one soldier who was watching quietly.


    "Don¡¯t think about trying to escape. At least our Partu is treating the soldiers reasonably. You must always be grateful."


    "I¡¯m afraid that if you run away, you¡¯ll end up dying like that. If you want to live, stay until the end.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t you much happier now that you can chew on dry bread rather than living on the cold streets?¡±


    ¡°Private Ars. I understand."


    Ars¡¯ gaze was fixed on Duke Lucilliv¡¯s barrack.


    ¡®The duke didn¡¯t move, so there¡¯s no gap in his guards.¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv¡¯s guards were a few levels below the empire¡¯s ck Knights, but there were too many of them. Above all, the biggest problem was the other nobles around the duke. They could exercise considerable power and Ars couldn¡¯t jump in blindly.


    ¡®I will wait for the next time.¡¯


    The incident that urred today was enough to firmly nt fear and insecurity in the hearts of the soldiers. The morale of the soldiers was greatly diminished. Ars expected there would be more people trying to desert tomorrow.


    ***


    Bairan was in a great crisis.


    The advance of the enemy forces could be seen from all the gates. The arrows fired by the Overgeared members were no longer as quick and strong as they were in the beginning.


    "Your parents are suffering from poor cirction! Go home and blow on your parent¡¯s hands and feet!¡±


    Huroi¡¯s cries were no longer effective in disturbing the enemy. As the number of enemies decreased to 10,000, Eternal no longer had any ce to retreat and managed to damage the gates and walls of Bairan.


    ¡°This is serious.¡±


    Kuuong!Kung!


    As the enemy¡¯s siege weapons kept striking the gate, the durability was rapidly falling. Yura became anxious as soon as the connection time limit was over and she entered the game.


    "It¡¯s the end the moment that we allow the enemy to enter.¡±


    Yura and the Overgeared members had to deal with thousands of enemies at once? They would ughter the Overgeared soldiers and trample everything in Bairan.


    ¡°Shit... I want to go outside and kill the enemy¡¯s momentum. However, the enemies will just enter if I open the gates now.¡±


    Pon gritted his teeth. His stamina was already on the verge of being depleted. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use any skills if he left the castle. In this desperate situation, Yura and Pon received Lauel¡¯s whisper.


    -Lead the remaining troops and retreat to Patrian.


    It caused a bacsh with Pon.


    -What about the people?


    -In the end, Bairan¡¯s people are still Eternal¡¯s people.Why would the army bother killing people who didn¡¯t cause any destruction?Retreat with confidence.


    -They¡¯re people who serve the rebel Grid.Are you sure they really won¡¯t be killed?


    -They will be busy with looting and assaults due to the excitement of victory. But what can we do?We can¡¯t lose the soldiers that we worked so hard to nurture.


    -You...!Can you so easily abandon the people who believed in and served Grid?


    Bairan was originally the territory of the Tzedakah Guild. Pon and the Tzedakah Guild had been with the people of Bairan for a long time. It wasn¡¯t easy to throw them away. Lauel recognized this but they were currently at war. It wasn¡¯t possible for him to look at it with an individual¡¯s position.


    -Is it possible to lost the tens of thousands of people in Reidan just because you want to protect thousands of people?Shouldn¡¯t you be calmer?


    -Kuack!


    Pon gritted his teeth. He understood Lauel¡¯s words with his mind but it was still unpleasant. In the end, he spat out words that he shouldn¡¯t have said.


    -In the first ce, it¡¯s because you are ipetent!What?We¡¯ll be able to endure the enemy¡¯s offensive to the end?They won¡¯t be able to organize an army of 100,000 for a long time?Stop talking nonsense!Everything you said was wrong!You ipetent...!


    Pon¡¯s agitated voice became smaller. He btedly realized his mistake. Who was Lauel?


    He was someone who worked harder than anyone else for Overgeared. He took on the heavy responsibility alone. This was the burden they ced on him. They didn¡¯t help him enough. Now Pon was trying to put the responsibility on Lauel when the situation wasn¡¯t good?


    -...I¡¯m sorry.


    Pon sincerely apologized to Lauel. He felt really sorry because it was Lauel.


    -No, I¡¯m the one who should be sorry.In fact, I¡¯ve deceived you.


    -...?


    -I have to fool my allies to fool my enemies.I secretly kept a n from you in the hope that you would fight fiercely.


    What was Lauel saying? Pon didn¡¯t understand the words and Lauel exined.


    -Right now, I¡¯m heading to Reinhardt.


    -What...!


    The capital of the Eternal Kingdom, Reinhardt. Now that most of the troops were gone, Lauel was leading his army there.


    -The war will end soon.


    At the same time, in a mysterious ce. Sticks was coughing up blood with a pale expression while Grid looked at him with concern.


    ¡®He just had to have a heart attack at this timing.¡¯


    Dozens of minutes ago. Mass Teleport was activated at Patrian. The curse of the gourmet dragon Raiders engulfed Sticks and he failed to manage his mana. Thanks to this, Mass Teleport was affected and Grid and Sticksnded in an unknown ce.


    ¡®It¡¯s a ce where whispers are impossible.¡¯


    They fell into a strange ce. It was an instant dungeon where nothing was visible. What was happening at Bairan? To Yura and his colleagues? Grid was nervous and uneasy, but couldn¡¯t express his displeasure to Sticks. Grid waited quietly while Sticks took his medicine and recovered.


    ¡¯Is this the bad luck that came from making a myth rated bow?¡¯


    The gourmet dragon, Grid wanted to strike it hard in the stomach.

 Chapter 558

    ¡°Cough cough! I-I¡¯m really sorry. In this situation... I don¡¯t want to hold your ankles.¡±


    Sticks coughed while looking like someone who was about to die. However, he apologized because he was more worried about Overgeared than himself. It was a good attitude that Grid liked.


    ¡¯It¡¯s because I made him use Mass Teleport several times...¡¯


    It was meaningless to be irritated. He wasn¡¯t in a position to worry about Sticks¡¯ sickness, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry and worried. Grid controlled his mind and smiled benevolently.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry and just focus on recovery. You have to live a long and healthy life in order to pass on all your knowledge to my son.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    Sticks¡¯ voice trembled. The pointed ears that symbolized a high elf shook! The beautiful face turned red. He was moved by the words ¡®long and healthy.¡¯ Grid interpreted it this way but the reason for Sticks¡¯ response was different from what he expected.


    ¡°Only wanting me to give knowledge to young Lord... Does that mean you want me to live a short life? Huh? Do you want me to die early? I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As a high elf, Sticks had a strongmitment to life. He was 983 years old. There was a moment of awkward silence before Sticks suddenly felt afraid.


    ¡¯This strong magic power! Don¡¯t tell me!¡¯


    He needed to recover and escape. Sticks hurried to recover. On the other hand, Braham¡¯s soul was also fluctuating uneasily.


    ¡®If this pathetic elf doesn¡¯t recover, Grid will die.¡¯


    In the first ce, Grid shouldn¡¯t have been in this ce. Braham whispered to Grid.


    ¡¯That elf will recover quickly. Don¡¯t waste time and gather Magic Missiles with the rm magic.¡¯


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°I will do so.¡±


    Grid was also disturbed by this ce. His high insight warned him about something in the depths of the darkness.


    ¡®My pride is hurt.¡¯


    He tried so hard, but he was still very weak. Grid realized this and used Magic Missile and rm repeatedly. The loss of mana potions was very painful, but right now wasn¡¯t the time to save money. Then they left for Bairan after an hour.


    ***


    Kuuong!Kuuong!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    Bairan¡¯s southern gate failed to survive the ongoing attack of the siege weapons and copsed. The soldiers were excited. In particr, the yers shouted with joy. Over the past week. Most of the yers had died many times in battle and received severe damage. Not only did they lose a lot of experience, some of them also dropped expensive items.


    The strong counterattack of the Overgeared members caused them countless pain and frustration. But that frustration would end today. From now on, it was time to receive their rewards for the sacrifices they made throughout the war!


    ¡°Forward! Shoot!¡±


    ¡°Enter Bairan! First smash all of the Overgeared members!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The purpose of the yers¡¯ quest was to upy Bairan! If they upied Bairan, the rewards would beparable to SS grade quests. An ordinary yer¡¯s life could be changed with these huge rewards. The surging momentum seemed to pierce the sky. In particr, additional rewards could be obtained if they defeated the Overgeared members or soldiers. As they entered Bairan, they climbed onto the walls and started attacking the Overgeared archers.


    "These damn scum! I suffered so much that I lost levels! Get lost!¡±


    ¡°Revenge!¡±


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    The Overgeared soldiers wearing Grid¡¯s set were very strong. The same level yers couldn¡¯t beat them in a one-on-one fight. Even at the same level, the Overgeared soldiers were stronger than the Eternal yers. However, the Overgeared soldiers were very tired and inadequate in numbers.


    The Overgeared soldiers were unable to cope with the yers constantly rushing in. They used Grid¡¯s Dagger (Entry Level) to try and protect their bodies, but it was hard tost long. As a result, the soldiers turned to grey one by one. This made the Overgeared members angry. How much time and money did they invest into the soldiers?


    "You didn¡¯t even go to your mother¡¯s funeral!¡±


    Huroi cried out and pulled out a long sword. It was Grid¡¯s Longsword that had been constantly improved since the days when the guild stayed in Winston. The yers thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡°An orator is holding a sword?¡±


    "There¡¯s no way you can wield it!¡±


    An orator was considered one of the weakest sses in closebat. It wasn¡¯t possible for the yers to shrink back from Huroi. They regarded the sword that Huroi was holding as a decoration. However, Huroi had a second ss. As the Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner, he could use a sword.


    Chaeng!


    Seokeok!


    Chaaeng!


    Puuok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    "Heeok!"


    Every time Huroi wielded his sword, one of the yers died. The yers were astonished.


    "How can an orator use a sword?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a second ss!¡±


    They btedly noticed, but it was already toote.


    ¡°Bah! Descend! Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds!¡±


    The excited Huroi shouted.


    <i>Kiyaaaaaah!</i>


    ¡°...!¡±


    A dazzling explosion filled the sky. It was the advent of a huge wyvern. It was also a red wyvern! A wyvern that boasted the strongest fire attribute!


    Kurururu!


    The red wyvern in the sky poured out a breath and 50 Eternal yers caught on fire.


    "Aaaagh!"


    "H-Hik!"


    The yers felt fear as mes burned their bodies. The lower level yers were unable to deal with the damage and died.


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    How was he so strong?


    ¡°I thought he was all talk!¡±


    At the south wall.


    Huroi was the only Overgeared member protecting this ce. The yers assumed that they could easily upy it, but reality was terrible. In fact, Huroi wasn¡¯t on the front lines like Yura and Pon, and he also had the highest stamina. In particr, he was one of 100 people who owned a wyvern.


    Strong. The south wall that Huroi defended became a hell for Eternal.


    ¡°I am the descendant of the great blue wolf!¡±


    Seokeok!Puk.


    Kwarururung!


    Huroi flew on the wyvern and burned the Eternal yers. Dozens of cameras watched as he proimed to the whole world.


    "I am Grid¡¯s first servant!¡±


    "Ser...!¡±


    ¡°Vant!¡±


    A top ranker was just Grid¡¯s servant! The astonished Eternal soldiers were swept away by mes.


    ***


    The east wall.


    ¡°He¡¯s fighting really well.¡±


    Pon watched Huroi at the south wall with admiration. The reason why he ced the smallest unit on the south wall was because he believed in Huroi¡¯s strength. Now he felt rewarded for his faith.


    "Huroi is also top ss.¡±


    The people who had been with Grid from the beginning. Euphemina and Huroi. Unlike the other Overgeared members, they rarely revealed themselves in public. However, they had the highest level ofbat power and versatility. They were with Grid from the beginning for a reason.


    ¡®Grid has a talent for choosing people.¡¯


    The Overgeared members urged Pon while he was thinking.


    ¡°The gates are beginning to copse. We¡¯ll soon be pushed by the enemies.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away while Huroi buys time.¡±


    It was time to flee through the north gate that Yura had opened. Huroi was able to get away at any time on the wyvern.


    "Yes, let¡¯s go. Order a full retreat.¡±


    Pon was concerned about the residents of Bairan, but he had to trust Lauel. The residents of Bairan were fundamentally people of Eternal. The Eternal army wouldn¡¯t ughter them.


    ¡°Full retreat!¡±


    ¡°Move through the north gate!¡±


    The Overgeared members moved in an orderly fashion. They quicklymanded the soldier and archers on the walls and moved them to the north gate. The northern wall already contained the elites of Overgeared, including Yura, who opened the path.


    However, Eternal didn¡¯t watch in silence. The Eternal knights moved to the north and blocked the path of the Overgeared members. Magic and arrows poured from all sides to tie up the feet of Overgeared and the knights attacked, causing great damage.


    "Shit!"


    It wasn¡¯t easy to take care of knights unless they were Grid. The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t use skills due to their low stamina and were caught by the enemy¡¯s offensive.


    ¡°(#%$/@!P$#~*$!%##((:*!!!!¡±


    The wyvern flew high in the sky and Huroi shouted in a loud voice. His curses spread through the battlefield. It was the moment when the skills of an orator were activated.


    "That... Wicked person!¡±


    ¡°How can you insult my dead ancestors!¡±


    ¡°Do you have no parents?¡±


    As the Eternal army converged on Huroi, the broadcasters around the world were busy trying to censor Huroi.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t miss their chance to press ahead. They seeded in securing their retreat and moved away from Bairan.


    ***


    ¡º The Overgeared Guild has abandoned Bairan. ¡»


    ¡º There were limits from the beginning. They probably would¡¯ve been wiped out if they persisted longer. ¡»


    ¡º Bairan is just the beginning. Eternal has secured the route to attack Patrian by upying Bairan. Now they canunch a full offensive against Patrian and the Overgeared Guild won¡¯t be able to withstand it. They will lose Patrian and Reidan sequentially. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s only a matter of time until all the territories of Overgeared Guild fall. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s the aftermath of expanding their forces too hastily. They couldn¡¯t avoid an economic and diplomatic catastrophe. The Overgeared Guild will have to live quietly like dead rats for at least one year in the future. ¡»


    Bairan had been the stage of an intense war for the past week. Eternal¡¯s gs were stuck all over the ruined walls. Now that Bairan was once again the territory of the Eternal Kingdom, the thousands of yers who participated in the Bairan upation were surrounded with golden pirs symbolizing a level up. The amount of experience was enough to raise their level and skills, and they were also pleased with the epic and unique rated items they received.


    Thementators rying the war predicted the future situations.


    ¡º The yers of Eternal have be stronger in an instant. They¡¯re growing as a result of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s rebellion. ¡»


    ¡º The king of Eternal is still young. Opportunities are overflowing. Based on their growing military power, they will soon invade the Gauss Kingdom and expand. ¡»


    ¡º The future of the West Continent might... Eh? What¡¯s this? ¡»


    Thementators suddenly became confused.


    Duong!Duong!


    Kung!Kung!Kung!


    The sound of 100,000 soldiers marching and their drums! The procession of a golden army came to Bairan. Thementators had covered many events in Satisfy, but this was the first time they were overwhelmed.


    ¡º Eternal¡¯s army...! ¡»


    ¡º This is too huge! Thisrge army will soon be advancing to Patrian! ¡»


    Thementators were filled with excitement. They couldn¡¯t help feeling excited since it was the first time they witnessed a 100,000rge army. It was the same with the viewers. They realized that this was a war and how strong one country could be.


    Thanks to this, viewership of Bairan¡¯s battle started to rise steeply. However, the broadcasting stations soon reached a point where they stopped with tears in their eyes.


    Why? It was because Duke Lucilliv,mander in chief of the 100,000 strong army, was trying to do something ridiculous. After gathering the thousands of Bairan residents into the center of the city, he had them stand in a line with bows aimed at them?


    ¡ºS-Surely he isn¡¯t going to execute so many people? ¡»


    ¡º They¡¯re just ordinary people. It¡¯s their lord who rebelled. Why should they be held responsible and put to death? ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s really terrible. ¡»


    Thementators and viewers felt ufortable. The Bairan residents were going to be executed just because they were Grid¡¯s people. No one could watch as the people, young and old, cried out in fear after bing targets of the bows. The broadcasters realized it was a scene that young viewers couldn¡¯t watch and tried to stop it.


    Pahat.


    A light shed in the sky and a man appeared. He had hundreds of white spheres around him. The breeze blew through ck hair, revealing sharp eyes.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Yes, it was the emergence of Grid. The master of this rebellion had shown up in front of 100,000 soldiers! Duke Lucilliv was stunned for a moment before shouting.


    ¡°Catch him!"


    [The ¡®Fight the Rebel Leader¡¯ has been created!]


    The Eternal yers received a new quest.


    "Eh? Why isn¡¯t anyone here...?¡±


    Grid started sweating. The timing of his appearance was too unfortunate.

 Chapter 559

    At the center of Bairan.


    More than 9,000 people were tied up in a row. It was due to Duke Lucilliv¡¯s words.


    "You didn¡¯t leave here, despite Bairan bing a den of rebels. It¡¯s clearly a crime. Your taxes andbor have filled the rebels¡¯ stomachs. As a result, you¡¯re also against the royal family.¡±


    The Bairan residents were no longer people of Eternal.


    Duke Lucilliv judged. ¡°They are not qualified to live on Eternal¡¯snds. Kill them. All generations will be destroyed and the graves of their ancestors torn down.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The residents of Bairan thought it was unfair. Someone with courage tried to plea for mercy, but they weren¡¯t allowed to open their mouths. The senior magicians used silence magic to forcibly shut the vigers¡¯ mouths.


    ¡°Hup...! Oof!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t talk? Desperation filled the eyes of the residents. At the very least, they wanted Duke Lucilliv to spare their children or parents. But Duke Lucilliv gave themand without caring.


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    ¡°Oof! Oof!¡±


    The residents tried to resist. They couldn¡¯t move because they were bound tightly by rope. The soldiers overpowered them and they became the target of the bows.


    ¡°This is impossible...¡±


    More than half the 100,000 troops were conscripted soldiers. They trembled with fear as they watched the unbelievable sight in front of them.


    ¡°Are they really going to kill all these people?¡±


    ¡°This is nonsense... Why are they guilty? Wasn¡¯t it the country¡¯s ipetence that thend was taken away by rebels in the first ce, rather than the people¡¯s fault? Why are they cing the sin on the people?¡±


    "They¡¯re facing death for just being in the presence of rebels! Even the young children who don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    Theirmander was someone who didn¡¯t care about the lives of the people. As soon as they realized this fact, the morale of themon soldiers was sharply reduced. They lost confidence in theirmander. It was the moment when their mental state was broken down after their physical strength was pushed to the limits from the hard march.


    ¡®From now on, only fear can be used to control them.¡¯


    Ars made an unpleasant expression.


    ¡®I guess there will be more deserters tonight.¡¯


    The number of people who deserted on the way from Partu to Bairan came close to 6,000. It would soon go over 10,000. Ars stared at Duke Lucilliv¡¯s back.


    ¡®There will be a chance very soon.¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv had a small crack that he wasn¡¯t aware of. Themand system of the army would eventually break down and cause confusion. Wouldn¡¯t it be ideal if Duke Lucilliv revealed a gap at that time? Based on the result of his observations, Duke Lucilliv ced his own safety as the top priority. He was always protected by 300 guards and 10 senior magicians, so Ars found it hard to find a chance to assassinate him.


    ¡®If not, I need to rush to the front.¡¯


    If the situation reached that point, he didn¡¯t mind sacrificing his life for his master. In the first ce, his life was saved by Grid. Therefore, he could offer his life for his lord.


    ¡®I will entrust my revenge on the emperor to Piaro.¡¯


    The moment a bittersweet smile appeared on Ars¡¯ face.


    Paaaat!


    A light shed in the sky and Grid appeared.


    ¡°M-My Lord...?¡±


    Private Ars from Partu. His actual identity was Asmophel of Overgeared and now he felt shocked.


    ¡®Why is My Lord here?¡¯


    It was a situation where the troops protecting Bairan had already retreated! Then why did his master run to this ce alone?


    ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    His lord came to save the people left here?


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    A lord who faced 100,000 troops alone in order to defend his people. Asmophel¡¯s chest was hot as he looked up at the sky.


    ¡°I would like to see the kingdom that My Lord will establish.¡±


    A king who thought about the people, rather than his own life. It was certainly stupid. The king was an irreceable entity, yet he was risking his life to protect the people? In the days when Asmophel was a noble, he would¡¯veughed at the thought of such a king.


    But now Asmophel was looking at the world from the viewpoint of a soldier and his heart was different. He thought Grid looked nice. He wondered how Grid¡¯s kingdom would look. Therefore, he would protect his lord.


    ¡®I will protect you. I will be the force that carries out My Lord¡¯s faith and will.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Asmophel¡¯s hands shook as he held a spear. He started to move among the 100,000 troops as a bombardment wasunched at Grid.


    ***


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid doubted his eyes when he arrived in Bairan with Sticks. The familiar faces weren¡¯t there anymore and an army filled the city.


    ¡°Why is no one...?¡±


    Grid discovered the g of Eternal nted on the walls and the soldiers wearing golden armor.


    ¡°...You? Shit.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face darkened as he panicked for a moment.


    ¡°Are they dead?¡±


    These bastards who took hisnd! His dead colleagues and soldiers! Grid couldn¡¯t suppress his rage while Sticks, who was tired from continuously using Mass Teleport, hastily tried to calm him.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Grid, calm down. Do you think your soldiers and knights will be so easily beaten?¡±


    Right now, they were in the middle of enemy territory while the number of soldiers were like grains of sand in a desert. If Grid lost his temper and acted emotionally, it was inevitable that he would die. Grid barely regained his coolness at Sticks reminder and asked in the guild chat.


    @Grid: What happened to the members protecting Bairan?


    @Pon: It wasn¡¯t possible to protect it, so we retreated. Sorry we couldn¡¯t keep it Grid. We¡¯ll be sure to get it back.


    @Ibellin: Brother Grid! Why did youe back so soon? Weren¡¯t you nning to stay on the East Continent for a long time?


    @Vatnenr: The bow you gave Jishuka is amazing! It is really great!


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Grid was relieved when he saw Pon¡¯s answer. He thought it was the worst situation where all the power in Bairan was exterminated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It was a strategic retreat.¡±


    The number of enemies was really countless. Grid hadn¡¯t seen such arge number even on TV. It was hard to imagine fighting them alone.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was feeling overwhelmed when he noticed the Bairan people. They were all sentenced to death, regardless of gender or sex. He gazed at the targets that the bows were aiming at.


    Flinch.


    Grid stopped in ce.


    Smith, who taught him how to make the jaffa arrows. The young people he repaired the walls with after stopping the invasion of the Yatan Church. The girl who gave him fruits and the elderly people who told him stories. Grid saw the people he had built ties with in his beginner days.


    ¡®They¡¯re going to be hurt?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s anger skyrocketed. He was someone who valued his bonds. In other words, it was uneptable that Eternal tried to ¡®steal¡¯ what was his.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    The enemy archers and magicians were already starting the attack. Sticks cast a shield spell and made an uneasy expression as he saw the attacks filling the sky. Grid looked very serious.


    "Sticks, go to Patrian first.¡±


    Indeed.


    ¡°Is it necessary to stand up against such arge army alone? It¡¯s out of the question with how many there are. There were 100,000 enemies. I know your strength, but it¡¯s suicide to deal with 100,000 alone...¡±


    "But isn¡¯t it shameful to step back like this? I, the leader of Overgeared, retreated when meeting the enemies? It would shame the honor of my colleagues who fought for me.¡±


    Grid was conscious of the cameras from the broadcasting stations all over the world.


    ¡®Watch.¡¯


    His power had grown steadily since the 2nd National Competition. Was he closer to the position of the best now? It was a good opportunity to let the people assess him. In addition, he was curious himself. He wondered if he could y an active role when it was a battle of 1 VS 100,000.


    ¡®There¡¯s 20 minutes until the rm of Magic Missiles go off.¡¯


    He would fight with all his strength until then.


    ¡®My top priority is to secure the escape of the people.¡¯


    Braham whispered to Grid.


    ¡®Do you understand? For a legend, the concept of numbers is meaningless. A legend isn¡¯t afraid to move against one million people, let alone 100,000. In other words, if you and I are together, the 100,000 soldiers... Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be together.¡¯


    The only thing that could ovee a transcendent existence was someone with simr strength. There were only a handful capable of that. Grid nodded andughed.


    ¡®I will look at the situation and call you if needed.¡¯


    ¡®Bah. I¡¯ll do it if you insist.¡¯


    Grid confirmed Braham¡¯s answer and his eyes became serious again.


    ¡®This is an opportunity to gauge the gap between me and the previous legends.¡¯


    The first one who came to mind was Lantier on the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°I will check it and then challenge him again!¡±


    Chiiiiing!


    Grid had hundreds of white spheres around his body. The first thing he needed to do was deal with the archers aiming their bows at the people of Bairan.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.¡±


    [Attack power is doubled. Your basic attacks will be converted to ranged attacks. This effect willst for 30 seconds.]


    "Normal attacks will suffice.¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Grid separated Sword Ghost into two pieces and swung his arms without stopping. 7~8 energy des per second poured down from the sky towards the Eternal archers.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    It became pandemonium in an instant. Hundreds of soldiers instantly died. It was insane firepower!


    ¡°Eek! First turn off the flying magic!¡±


    Marquis Bera hurriedly shouted. A magician from his territory immediately cast a spell. It affected the mana circuit of all magicians within range, making it impossible to use Fly. Yet the magic didn¡¯t work on Grid. Grid used Fly through Braham¡¯s Boots rather than his own magic.


    ¡°No! The magic didn¡¯t work?¡±


    "It¡¯s due to a magic artifact!¡±


    The magicians panicked at wasting a difficult spell in vain. But there were 100,000 soldiers. Other people were attacking while the magicians struggled in vain.


    "Shoot! Continue shooting!¡±


    The elite soldiers gathered from various ces. They seeded in breaking down Sticks¡¯ shield with arrows and magic before focusing their attacks on Grid. Grid was an easy target once fully exposed.


    ¡®It¡¯s deadly to be in the sky when hit.¡¯


    After allowing a few magic bombardments, Grid swapped boots andnded on the ground. Then he was surprised. He deliberatelynded in a narrow space between buildings. However, all four sides were already full of enemies.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The Eternal soldiers pushed at Grid. Due to theirrge numbers, they forgot about Grid¡¯s strength and were courageous.


    "Hiyaaaah!¡±


    Right in front.


    Ten soldiers stabbed with their spears at the same time. The viewers around the world wondered how Grid would respond.


    -It¡¯s impossible to counterattack against all 10 people.


    -I think he¡¯ll wipe them all out with an attack skill.But using a skill consumes a lot of stamina.


    -By the way, how many people will Grid kill?


    -The Eternal soldiers have an average level of 160...I think Grid will kill at least 5,000.


    It was a really short amount of time. The amount of time it took the viewers to write a sentence.


    "Get lost."


    Grid pulled out Failure and swung it. Yes, he just swung it. It was a normal attack.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Kuaaaak!"


    The 10 Eternal spearmen were struck by it and died.


    -...


    -...


    The chat windows of the Inte broadcasting sites stopped like there was ag.


    "This is funny."


    As the world fell silent, Gridughed. He was excited when he recalled that the world was paying attention to him. However, he wasn¡¯t careless. There were a number of elite knights and magicians in the 100,000 troops, so he was always on guard.


    However, a group of third advancement troops were under attack by a private.

 Chapter 560

    Blood flowed under the zing sun and screams echoed.


    Grid wore a bizarre half mask that made it unknown if he wasughing or crying. Every time his sword swung in a half circle, 10 soldiers died. Sometimes it was 20 soldiers when he drew a full moon. The shark-shaped blue greatsword tore the soldiers¡¯ armor apart.


    "There were rumors that his swordsmanship is strong.¡±


    Well, he already had a reputation for having great swordsmanship. But there was one thing that was hard to identify.


    ¡°What are the white spheres circling around him?¡±


    Baron Duka. He was one of Eternal¡¯s great swordsman that emerged after Chucksley. He earned Duke Lucilliv¡¯s favor thanks to his strength and was promised the title of an earl after this war. Of course, this was on the premise that his performance was sufficient. If he could directly cut off Grid¡¯s head, he would be a marquis instead of an earl.


    Baron Duka watched Grid with interest while his deputy spoke up.


    "ording to the analysis of the magicians, it¡¯s estimated to be Magic Missile. It¡¯s probably through an artifact like Fly magic.¡±


    ¡°Hoh... Magic Missile that isn¡¯t immediatelyunched.¡±


    There were exactly 113 white spheres around Grid. The reason was clear. It was to help inbat. Grid intended to protect his own body and release a Magic Missile when he was in a crisis.


    ¡®There are also the four golden hands called the God Hands.¡¯


    Every hand guarded Grid¡¯s rear while holding hammers. The amazing thing was that the hammers swung by the God Hands killed the soldiers.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    It was a perfect harmony between strong swordsmanship and overwhelming artifacts. Grid had great power as a legend.


    ¡¯It might be different if he was armed with ordinary weapons. Still, I wouldn¡¯t dare fight him alone.¡¯


    But Baron Duka wasn¡¯t afraid of Grid. There were 100,000 troops here. Grid would kill the soldiers surging like a tsunami and be exhausted. It was impossible for Grid to block all the attacks. Right now, he was umting wounds by allowing the attacks from magicians and archers.


    ¡®In the next few hours, he will be exhausted.¡¯


    Then he would bring the knights and easily overpower Grid.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Baron Duka smiled wickedly at the thought.


    Step step.


    He heard someoneing up the stairs. The clock tower in the central square. Baron Duka came him in order to see the battlefield at a nce and ordered his troops not to let anyone up. Then who wasing up?


    ¡®Marquis Bera?¡¯


    There was no one else who would be authorized. Baron Duka naturally thought that the owner of the footsteps was a noble like himself. However, that wasn¡¯t it. The clock tower had six floors. A soldier came to the spot where Baron Duka and his deputy were standing.


    It was a soldier wearing leather armor. A private with a low status who was conscripted.


    ¡®How did a soldiere here?¡¯


    The deputy went forward to question the soldier on Baron Duka¡¯s behalf.


    "It¡¯s scandalous to leave your position during a war. What unit do you belong to? No, why did youe here in the first ce?¡±


    A non-regr soldier, Ars. He answered while pointing his spear.


    "I am a soldier serving under Grid. The reason I came here today is to take Baron Duka¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Bark bark.


    Why did he hear the sound of a dog barking? The absurd introduction of the soldier made Baron Duka and his deputy go nk.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Baron Duka regained himself andughed. Of course, it wasn¡¯t augh of enjoyment. His real feelings were expressed by his deputy.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    The deputy made an angry expression and pulled out his sword without hesitation.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s spy! I will have your head!¡±


    Baron Duka¡¯s deputy was also a master with the sword. He could easily kill one soldier.


    Seokeok!


    The sharp de extended towards Ars¡¯ neck. The sharp sword reached Ars¡¯ neck in an instant. The deputy didn¡¯t think much of it. The soldier in front of him would die without even realizing his head was separated from his body. But it was strange.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Where was the soldier whose head should¡¯ve been cut off? And why was his gaze falling towards the ground?


    Duk.


    The head of the deputy fell to the ground. That¡¯s right. The deputy hadn¡¯t realized his head was cut off when he died.


    ¡°...What¡¯s your identity?¡±


    Grid¡¯s subordinate had swiftly used the spear to cut off the deputy¡¯s head. Baron Duka stared at the scattered ashes of his deputy and then the bloody spear. Ars picked up the sword and replied, ¡°I am Grid¡¯s soldier.¡±


    "Nonsense!¡±


    A person who could make a great swordsman nervous couldn¡¯t be a lowly soldier! Killing intent filled Baron Duka¡¯s eyes. His sword headed towards Ars. It was an incredible swordsmanship that cut from the left and right without a time difference.


    Chaaeng!


    However, Ars angled the spear to block the two swords at once andughed at Baron Duka.


    ¡°Your swordsmanship is poorpared to other great swordsmen.¡±


    Baron Duka had just recently be a great swordsman. It wasckingpared to when Piaro was a great swordsman of the empire. Ars had been growing steadily while serving under Grid and Baron Duka wasn¡¯t a match for him. Baron Duka got chills as he realized the difference between their skills.


    ¡°You are...! Kirinus!¡±


    The best spearman on the continent was serving Grid?


    "Reidan¡¯s Spearsmanship 3rd style, Splitting the Seven Seas.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Baron Duka¡¯s sword was deflected and the golden spear moved in a straight line. This was the technique that Nautilus of the Red Knights couldn¡¯t withstand, so Baron Duka was devastated.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    Baron Duka was swept up by the golden sh and disappeared. Ars finished his mission and descended the clock tower. His next target was Earl Carrion. The earl had be a great swordsman one step ahead of Baron Duka. Ars would wipe out anyone who could threaten Grid.


    ***


    ¡®This is easier than I thought. Is it still early?¡¯


    Death in the game wasn¡¯tparable to death in reality. It didn¡¯t mean aplete ending. But users who yed the game were more afraid of death than anything else. They were frightened of losing their level and hard-earned items.


    Yes, Grid was amazing. He thought he was crazy when he plunged into 100,000 troops alone. But his fear disappeared as he fought. He disyed his overwhelming power and felt pleasure rather than fear.


    [Critical!]


    [The +9 Failure¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated!]


    [You have dealt 155,900 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 149,540 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt...]


    The level, stats, and items of the general soldiers were poorpared to Grid. Grid¡¯s basic damage was like skill damage and all the soldiers within range of the attack were killed in one blow.


    "Magic Missile."


    Grid refrained from using skills in order to preserve his stamina. He used Magic Missile which didn¡¯t consume any stamina because it was the lowest level magic. His maximum mana increased and it wasn¡¯t difficult to use. He also wanted to raise the level of Magic Mastery that he learned from the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°You monster!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Puk!Puuok!


    Grid wasn¡¯t Kraugel. He had ranker level control, but that didn¡¯t mean he was a god. He couldn¡¯tpletely block the attacks of all the soldiers. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    [You have suffered 230 damage.]


    [You have suffered 155 damage.]


    ¡°Good, good. You¡¯re doing very well. Hit me more.¡±


    The benefits to Grid were significant after receiving damage from many people at once.


    [Weapons Mastery has risen to Lv. 5.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt (Unique) has increased by 0.01%!]


    His skill experience and item¡¯s experience rose at a tremendous pace. Grid was bing stronger in real time.


    ¡®If this continues, Weapons Mastery will hopefully gain one more level today and Tiramet¡¯s Belt might umte 30% experience.¡¯


    Weapons Mastery was a passive skill that raised his attack power and speed no matter what weapon was worn. Magic Mastery was a passive skill that raised the power of magic. Tiramet¡¯s Belt reduced damage and allowed him to summon the vampire Tiramet if it reached the legendary rating.


    Grid was pleased with this growth. He was able to reduce the stress of having demonic power rise every time he killed a person. At this moment, Grid perceived the battlefield as a workce. There was no tension. Why?


    ¡®None of them are a match for me.¡¯


    The 100,000 troops. It was literally just numbers. There were no enemies who could threaten Grid.


    ¡®Are there no knights?¡¯


    Braham spoke to the curious Grid. ¡®The enemies are waiting for you to be tired. Then they willmit their true power.¡¯


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    He needed to be vignt. Grid controlled his mind and saw the soldiers rushing at him with shields.


    ¡®Now they are using tactics?¡¯


    Use the shields in the lead to block Grid while attacking Grid from the rear with spears. Duke Lucilliv used basic, but efficient, tactics to press at Grid. It was a means to reduce losing troops and elerate Grid¡¯s stamina consumption. But what if he pierced through?


    ¡°Do you want to stop my sword with these cheap shields?¡±


    Seokeok!


    Grid wasn¡¯t burdened by the shields. From the public¡¯s point of view, the soldiers withrge shields seemed very strong. But Grid shed at them without hesitation. Then.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    The sword pierced through their shields and armor, killing the soldiers.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    The spearmen who believed in the shields panicked. Their upper bodies were exposed and Grid rotated, cutting at them.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    An overwhelming attack that made thebination of shields and spears useless! The morale of the Eternal army fell rapidly after they witnessed this.


    [The morale of the soldiers is at the bottom. The soldiers¡¯ attack and defense will drop by 20% and their recovery speed is reduced.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The Eternal yers were shocked by the warning windows that appeared before them. They couldn¡¯t catch the timing to attack Grid. They coveted the rewards for the ¡®Fight the Rebel Leader¡¯ quest, but could they really obtain it? It was more likely that they would be killed by Grid.


    Grid¡¯s momentum shot to the top.


    Pepepepeok!


    Then the magic bombardment from the rooftops of the two-story houses surrounding the central square began. Duke Lucilliv grabbed Grid¡¯s eyes with the shield infantry and used the magicians in this gap.


    [You have suffered 2,200 damage.]


    [You have suffered 930 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,660 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,490...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face became tense for the first time. The magic damage was quite burdensome because he was wearing Triple Layers, not the Holy Light set. The bombardment poured at him from all directions. It was difficult to avoid or stop. However, did he rece his battle gear with the Holy Light set? No, it was meaningless. The damage from the pouring arrows would just increase instead.


    The reaction of the viewers was updated in real time.


    -Crazy;; Hundreds of magic spells are pouring down. It¡¯s a big hit.


    -The Overgeared members wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand that. ??; It seems really dangerous.


    -A reversal...It¡¯s the end for Grid.


    -5,000 people is nonsense. ?? He couldn¡¯t even kill 2,000 people. ?? Kraugel would¡¯ve killed way more. ??


    Pepepepeok!


    In the midst of the magic bombardment.


    ¡°Item Transformation.¡±


    Grid transformed two of the God Hands protecting him. They changed to a bow. The Red Phoenix Bow. One Red Phoenix Bow was held by two God Hands while the other was held by Grid.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Kiiiiiiing!


    Bairan Castle. Two red phoenixes appeared in the sky above it.

 Chapter 561

    [Item Transformation]


    A skill that can be triggered if the legendary mineral ¡®pavranium¡¯ is possessed.


    It transforms the pavranium into the shape and performance of a specific item.


    * It can only transform into items you have learned how to make.


    * The duration of the transformation is 3 minutes. After the transformation is released, the pavranium will return to its original form.


    Skill Mana Cost: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.


    It was the power that Grid obtained in return for making the 15th legendary item. It was a skill that maximized the value of pavranium. So far, the skill had been used to reproduce the myth rated Lifael¡¯s Spear. Now he used it to reproduce the Red Phoenix Bow.


    Pagma¡¯s Descendantcked wide area skillspared to otherbat sses. The Red Phoenix Bow was a good item to ovee this shoring. Of course, it was impossible topletely reproduce the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow. The prerequisite for the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow was the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. As the essence of a god, it couldn¡¯t be reproduced by pavranium.


    The Red Phoenix Bow that Grid reproduced was the legendary rated one that he gave to Han Seokbong.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    [Fly Up!]


    Summons a copy of the Red Phoenix.


    The Red Phoenix¡¯s clone will deal fire attribute damage to all targets within 300 meters of the summoned spot. The damage is 600% of the summoner¡¯s total attack power.


    Mana Consumption: 3,000


    Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    It was a terribly weak effectpared to the Fly Up! attached to the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow. The attack range was too bad. The myth rated Red Phoenix Bow attacked all enemies within the yer¡¯s field of view, while the legendary rated bow had an attack range of 300 meters.


    But 300 meters wasn¡¯t a small range. Wide area skills with such arge range were actually very rare. It didn¡¯t matter if this wasn¡¯t the Fly Up! of the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow. The legendary rated Fly Up! would be used! It was a superb wide area skill.


    In addition, the myth rated Fly Up! also had limitations. It was difficult to exert the full effect when the user¡¯s view was restricted. In terms of stability, the legendary rated Fly Up! was better. It was more efficient. However, the disadvantage was that it attacked all targets within range. In other words, it didn¡¯t differentiate between friends of foe. But right now, there was only enemies here. All of them were enemies except for the inhabitants of Bairan.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Kiiiiiiii-!


    The white phosphorus arrow was fired at the same time by Grid and the God Hands, leaving the Red Phoenix Bow and soaring into the sky. At the same time, the cries of birds rang throughout Bairan and two red phoenixes appeared. Birds surrounded by mes. The size was as big as a house. The Eternal soldiers fell into a panic as they saw the giant birds blocking the sun.


    ¡°Phoenix!¡±


    ¡°Grid summoned them!¡±


    There was no limit to Grid¡¯s power!


    p.


    The birds in the sky pped their wings and mes fell to the ground. Duke Lucilliv sensed the danger and screamed at the soldiers.


    "Spread out!"


    It was in order to minimize the loss of troops. But therge number of troops was a disadvantage. Bairan was full of Eternal soldiers. The ce was too narrow to allow escape. Before they could move a few steps, their bodies collided, their feet became tangled up and they copsed. The fireballs bombardmentmenced above their heads while they were trapped in the streets and defenseless.


    Pepepepeok!


    "Aaaaack!"


    These were the screams of the survivors. The soldiers burnt by the mes couldn¡¯t even scream as they turned to ash. A scene where thousands of soldiers were targets of the falling fireballs... People started sweating at the overwhelming sight.


    "The magicians as well...!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv felt anxious from his position on the walls. In front of Grid, the number of troops was meaningless. The battlefield was devastated. The bulk of the soldiers were lost. In particr, the loss of the magicians forced him to make a decision.


    "Send out the knights! We¡¯ll only receive more losses if this continues!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Finally, the real battle started. Around 5,000 knights in the mid-200s assaulted Grid.


    Duke Lucillivughed. "They¡¯re different from the soldiers!¡±


    It was painful to lose knights. However, the ultimate goal of this war was Grid¡¯s death. They needed to devote resources to take care of Grid.


    ¡®The curse doesn¡¯t care if he is a creature of the gods.¡¯


    He had prepared a curse. A curse that only worked on immortal beings. It was an atrocious curse that increased the yer¡¯s death penalty by up to three times. It could cause fatal damage!


    Grid looked at the confidence Duke Lucilliv and released the transformation of the Red Phoenix Bow. Then he transformed the other two God Hands into Red Phoenix Bows.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know I have two more left? Fly Up!¡±


    Kiiiiiiii-!


    Grid fired the bow and two more firebirds appeared in the sky.


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±


    The 5,000 knights approaching Grid hastily stopped in ce. It felt like a dream that such a powerful skill was used twice in a row.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    The knights started to flee between the soldiers. They used the soldiers as shields to protect their lives. But Fly Up! It attacked all targets within a certain range. Using people as shields were meaningless.


    Kurururung!


    Fireballs that poured like rain!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    The knights were struck by burning fireballs and screamed in horror. But knights were knights for a reason. Most of them didn¡¯t die from the blow. The vast majority of them barely lived. But.


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Fly Up! If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    "There is still one remaining.¡±


    Kiiiiiiii-!


    The red phoenix appeared once again. The knights couldn¡¯t understand and shouted.


    ¡°This is impossible!¡±


    It was a cry that was full of misery and wishful thinking. They turned to ashes from the fireballs. It was the moment when the proud knights of the Eternal Kingdom were destroyed. Duke Lucilliv was stunned as he lost his main forces in vain.


    ¡°T-This doesn¡¯t make sense...!¡±


    There was no way for even a great magician to userge magic spells consecutively. Grid¡¯s power was infinite. Duke Lucilliv was filled with doubt and fear. He was afraid that he really might lose 100,000 troops to Grid.


    ¡¯No! Absolutely not!¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv and his 100,000 troops couldn¡¯t be destroyed by only one enemy. He would bebelled as the most ipetent person in the history of the West Continent. Duke Lucilliv needed to avoid this situation and decided to convene the elite group.


    ¡°Baron Duka! Earl Carrion! Earl Red! Marquis Bera? It¡¯s your turn!¡±


    They were the great swordsman and magicians who boasted the strongest power. The knights and soldiers they fostered were excellentpared to the Eternal Kingdom. Duke Lucilliv believed they would be able to kill Grid, even if they received damage.


    However...


    "Where is everybody?¡±


    They couldn¡¯t be seen at all? Confusion filled Duke Lucilliv¡¯s eyes. It was enough to drive him crazy.


    ***


    ¡º What are we seeing right now? ¡»


    Jishuka summoned a red phoenix above Patrian. Experts from all the the world evaluated as a quest item. The power from a yer was so strong that it must be a force that could only be used during the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s war quests. But now they realized that might not be the case.


    The bow that summoned a red phoenix. Grid had several of them.


    -Grid can summon the red phoenix five times in a row, although it¡¯s weaker than the phoenix summoned by Jishuka.No matter how weak the red phoenixes summoned, doesn¡¯t Grid¡¯s summoning ability seem much stronger than Jishuka?


    -I agree.It seemsparable to Meteor, which is a rumored high grade spell.


    -What was Grid doing after the National Competition?How did he be so strong in such a short period of time?


    -Don¡¯t try to understand him.Did you see how easily he beat the vampires?He is a king/god gamer.


    -Right now, I think that the candidates to win the 3rd National Competition are South Korea and Brazil.Summoning a phoenix alone would end the war.


    -Now people are shutting up.Those cursing Grid are silent.


    The viewers around the world admired the sight. Grid summoned five red phoenixes in a row and destroyed more than 10,000 troops. Was there a yer capable of destroying 10,000 troops in the blink of an eye? People started specting. It was only Grid capable of doing this, not Kraugel.


    The basis for it was as followed:


    ¡º We shouldn¡¯t overlook one thing. Grid hasn¡¯t shown most of the skills he used during the National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º Grid still hasn¡¯t fully revealed his abilities. ¡»


    ***


    Akaru Fortress.


    It was located on the edge of the Saharan Empire. Geographically, it was facing Reidan¡¯s direction and the reason for the fortress¡¯ presence was to watch and keep in check the Saharan Empire. It was a neutral state but it wasn¡¯t necessary to keep it in check. Like other kingdoms, the Eternal Kingdom also offered a tribute to the empire. As a result, there were few troops deployed to Akaru Fortress.


    But the atmosphere had changed in recent years. The noble called Grid revolted in the Eternal Kingdom, causing the Eternal Kingdom to be in turmoil. The Saharan Empire didn¡¯t intend to miss this gap. In particr, the Saharan Empire had long since coveted Reidan. Now that the Eternal Kingdom was in turmoil, they nned to invade Reidan and take control.


    Now 20,000 elite troops were deployed to Akaru Fortress and this was a golden opportunity.


    "The Eternal Kingdom has moved 100,000 troops.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a group deployed from Reidan in response.¡±


    ¡°Now Reidan is empty.¡±


    This was the time. The time hade to enter Reidan with no bloodshed and nt the g of the empire. What about the Eternal Kingdom? The empire was just giving strength to the kingdom suffering due to the rebels. They were just protecting Reidan while the kingdom was recovering. After this, they could casually upy it.


    The takeover of a territory by a powerful nation! Earl Turich,mander of Akaru Fortress, didn¡¯t even think about it. He moved without any hesitation towards the empty Reidan. But he was forced to stop the march of the army.


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    The mountain range that was between Reidan and Akaru Fortress. As they crossed the mountain range, they saw tens of thousands of Reidan soldiers in the vast desert. Therge army was united and training in the same movements. The imperial soldiers got goosebumps.


    ¡°How can tens of thousands of soldiers move the same?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a hair out of ce. The tens of thousands of troops were doing the exact same movement with the spear. It was obvious with a nce that they were the elites.


    "...We have to step back.¡±


    Earl Turich judged and gave an order to his army. He never imagined it. There were actually only 1,000 soldiers training in the desert heat. The reason there seemed to be tens of thousands? It was due to the shadows that the 1,000 soldiers made under the sun.


    ¡°Using my shadow soldiers strategically... Earl Lauel is really a great person.¡±


    Kasim¡¯s heart thumped as he saw the imperial army retreat beyond the mountains. He be even more convinced that Grid, apanied by powerful forces and talent, would surely destroy the empire.

 Chapter 562

    The fortified city of Patrian.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The night passed. Fire arrows relentlessly poured all over the ce, lighting up the darkness.


    ¡°Shit...! This is nonsense!¡±


    The yers belonging to the 4th Patrian Remation Army. They believed that the 1st to 3rd armies would¡¯ve been able to limit the power of Overgeared and that the war would end the moment they arrived. Instead, they became desperate in just half a day.


    The woman called Jishuka. She held the Red Phoenix Bow and became a true godly archer. She transcended the strength of a yer. An infinitely strong firepower that could be used from a distance! She was the worst weapon of mass destruction and the Eternal army turned to ashes in front of her.


    ¡°How do we defeat that?¡±


    The Eternal army fell into a panic. It was hard to think about breaking through the fire arrows that killed hundreds of them with multiple shots.


    ¡°What are the archers and magicians on our side doing? Turn Jishuka into a corpse! Don¡¯t give her a chance to attack!¡±


    Someone shouted with frustration in the frozen atmosphere. There was a cynical response in return.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Jishuka is a godly archer?¡±


    "Her archery skill level is unrivalled. Her range and uracy are on a different dimension from us.¡±


    ¡°We have to get within 200 meters to attack Jishuka. But Jishuka won¡¯t allow us to get there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Patrian was thergest fortress in the Eternal Kingdom. The wall that Jishuka was on wasn¡¯t just strong, but high as well. Jishuka¡¯s power was maximized. Her Hawk Eyes allowed her to see the entire battlefield and kill the dangerous elements first. Eternal¡¯s odds of victory became smaller.


    [The morale of the soldiers has decreased!]


    [The stats of all soldiers will drastically fall!]


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    The yers saw consecutive notification windows talking about the weakening of the the soldiers. They realized they would have to abandon recapturing Patrian. They couldn¡¯t ept it. What was this absurd bnce where one yer blocked tens of thousands of people?


    "It doesn¡¯t make sense that an existence that makes the existence of the army pointless actually exists.¡±


    "Jishuka needs to be nerfed. She is OP enough to block 20,000 troops alone.¡±


    The yers grumbled.


    Some yers refuted it.


    ¡°That is nonsense. Jishuka put a lot of effort into bing strong. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to do your best instead of not working as hard as her?¡±


    This was a fact that yers couldn¡¯t overlook.


    "We are yers like her. One day we can be as strong as her. We shouldn¡¯t be feeling jealousy right now. We should be admiring her.¡±


    Unlike NPCs, a yer¡¯s potential was infinite. The Eternal yers were reminded of this by Jishuka and dreamt of one day bing rankers.


    ***


    "Why did he ask this?¡±


    15 minutes ago. Grid had asked questions in the guild chat window. The question was about where all the people protecting Bairan were. After that, there was nothing. The Overgeared members including Pon and Yura were worried about Grid.


    "Judging by the tone, he¡¯s in Bairan...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that he is isted among 100,000 troops?¡±


    ¡°...It seems so.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The reason why Grid didn¡¯t say anything in the guild chat window was because he had no time to talk while being attacked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go there.¡±


    The Overgeared members worried about the worst situation. One of them was Yura. But she stopped the Overgeared members who wanted to go to Bairan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. It isn¡¯t clear yet.¡±


    What if Grid wasn¡¯t there when they returned to Bairan? They would just suffer a meaningless death from the 100,000 troops. It was correct to wait for Grid to talk again.


    ¡°In the first ce, Grid would¡¯ve summoned his knights if he was really in danger.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were convinced after hearing about the knights summoning.


    ¡®Youngwoo-ssi, I believe in you.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s beautiful face was filled with a strong trust.


    ***


    [Your demonic power has reached 10,000!]


    [Your coordination with dark magic power has increased!]


    [Resistance to dark magic will increase by 10%!]


    [Resistance to divine magic will fall by 10%!]


    [The functions of the ckening skill has been upgraded!]


    [One of the conditions for the memphis¡¯ evolution is satisfied!]


    His demonic power naturally rose due to the mass killing. Grid was relieved when he saw the notification windows.


    ¡¯So far, it¡¯s positive.¡¯


    Demonic power was a stat that had opened since the best demonic beast of hell, Noe became his pet. Grid always felt anxious about going to hell if it rose to a high value. He thought he might change into a demon if his demonic power increased. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to be a species change just yet.


    ¡¯In the first ce, it isn¡¯t that easy to change species.¡¯


    In addition, it said that he could ¡®freely¡¯ ess hell if his demonic power increased. This didn¡¯t mean he would be forced there. Looking back, he wondered if his fear of demonic power had no basis.


    ¡®I have ckening and Noe, so it might be better for my demonic power to rise...¡¯


    As Noe and ckening became stronger, his force would increase by one step. The penalty of divine power resistance falling? It was worth it. Grid had a high rapport with most religions, including the Reba Church. On the other hand, he was aplete enemy of the Yatan Church.


    It meant Grid was more likely to be attacked by dark magic than divine magic. The effects of the increase in demonic power were appropriate for the current Grid.


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    Hundreds of arrows fell towards Grid as he thought this. The magicians were destroyed by the five consecutive red phoenix summoning so the archers tried to slow down Grid. Grid instinctively avoided them and checked his health gauge.


    [You have suffered 250 damage.]


    [You have suffered 190...]


    ...


    ...


    The arrows fell on Grid who was wearing Triple Layers. He ignored the arrows as he took a potion, rotated his body like a windmill and swept his greatsword through the hundreds of soldiers.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Duke Lucilliv expressed his admiration. Grid swept through the formation in an instant. The biggest problem was Grid¡¯s stamina. The duke thought Grid would be tired after some time, but he was still fine.


    ¡®There¡¯s no end to this damage. I have no choice but to send them in.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Duke Lucilliv made a decision.


    "My brave soldiers! Cut off the head of the rebel!¡±


    At the same time.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    The soldiers of Duke Lucilliv that were on the walls. The soldiers in golden armor jumped down from the walls. They rushed wildly towards Grid. The moonlight shining on their golden armor was spectacr.


    -Finally, the elite troops!


    -It¡¯s the real battle from now on.


    The soldiers in the golden armor were different. Their strength seemed different from ordinary soldiers and the actual movements wasn¡¯t ordinary. They moved through the allied soldiers and quickly reached Grid.


    ¡°For the glory of Duke Lucilliv!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The golden soldiers aimed their weapons at Grid. The yers belonging to Eternal didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    ¡°Now is the perfect time!¡±


    ¡°We will go!¡±


    These yers were highly trusted by Duke Lucilliv. They believed that Grid would show weaknesses during the process of fighting the golden soldiers. The moment that the golden soldiers were about to hit Grid.


    ¡°The timing is great.¡±


    Kakiing.


    There were 113 white spheres hovering around Grid. They became rays that shot in every direction. This was the effect of rm.


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The golden soldiers in the lead screamed.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    Kurururung!


    A blue wave of energy swallowed the area around Grid. Grid¡¯s eyes widened as the golden soldiers died.


    [You have defeated an elite soldier of Duke Lucilliv.]


    [A Sharp Longsword has been acquired.]


    [A gold nugget has been acquired.]


    [A gold nugget has been acquired.]


    [A gold nugget...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    The soldiers Grid killed so far only gave old weapons or leather. However, Duke Lucilliv¡¯s golden soldiers gave him gold. Soldiers giving him gold? Grid¡¯s eyes becamerger.


    [Gold Nugget]


    It is worth 50 gold.


    Weight: 5


    A gold nugget worth 60,000 won was in his inventory! Grid became too excited and revealed a gap. The yers mixed in among the golden soldiers and rushed towards Grid. The third advancement yers seeded in approaching Grid.


    ¡°Grid, I have no hard feelings towards you!¡±


    "Please understand that it is because of the quest rewards!¡±


    The rankers made excuses as they used skills.


    Kwarururung!


    The intense skills of the third advancement users would kill Grid.


    "I don¡¯t have hard feelings towards you either. But please leave your items behind.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Did he really rx and allowed a surprise attack? Question marks appeared over the heads of the high rankers.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid¡¯s health fell by one-third after being hit by the skills of the high rankers. Yes, one-third. Grid¡¯s defense and health was ridiculously high, making it rare for him to lose a lot of health in one go. But the high rankers had thought differently. They had been determined to put Grid in at least a critical condition with those attacks. But Grid only lost one-third of his health?


    ¡®What is this defense?¡¯


    ¡®Crazy overgeared!¡¯


    The high rankers turned pale. Something glittered when they were trying to link up with the following skills. It was a very thin thread. It shone in the moonlight.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    The moment they had that question.


    ¡°You will be my shield.¡¯


    Kwack!


    Grid¡¯s grim voice was heard in their ears as a silver thread wrapped around them and restrained them.


    [Your body is bound by something unknown!]


    [It is a powerful binding! It isn¡¯t easy to escape! This willst for 5 seconds.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Five seconds of captivity? The bodies of the high rankers floated in the air. They were tied up like a spider web and were beaten by the golden soldiers.


    -Wow...


    -Look at Grid¡¯s smile.


    Grid used the silver thread with dazzling hand techniques and five high rankers hung behind him as a barrier. It was in stark contrast to his expression. Grid was smiling while the high rankers were crying. This sight could only be seen as disturbing.


    One of the rankers who was bloody from the golden soldiers¡¯ attacks couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°Overg... is it possible to join Overgeared?¡±

 Chapter 563

    The silver thread unfolded like a spider web and refracted beautifully in the moonlight. The shing silver was reminiscent of a chandelier and Grid in the center was like an arrogant king. He looked around with cold eyes. He was so tranquil that it was hard to believe he was isted among tens of thousands of enemy soldiers. He caused the audience and give high rankers captured by him to feel thrilled.


    ¡°Overg...is it possible to join Overgeared?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because their life was at risk. The high rankers felt a real dignity from Grid. They had a desire to follow him from the bottom of their hearts. They couldn¡¯t help falling for Grid¡¯s absolute power and dignity. However, Grid misunderstood. They had just tried to kill him before asking to join the guild, so how could they be sincere?


    ¡¯These guys are speakingme things because they don¡¯t want to die.¡¯


    Even stupid people wouldn¡¯t fall for it!


    ¡¯I am different. Hut!¡¯


    Grid gained a lot of insight from his umted experience. Setting aside his insight stat, Grid¡¯s mind managed to puzzle out the intentions of the five high rankers.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t ept you.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The rankers were very embarrassed. Who were they? Rankers who achieved their third advancement. They were in the top 10 of the rankings for their ss. The Seven Guilds also wanted to recruit them. Yet Grid refused to let them join the guild after they applied for membership? They could only think of one reason.


    ¡®Is it because we tried to kill him?¡¯


    They could understand Grid¡¯s feelings. How could Grid trust those who tried to kill him and the guild members? The high rankers wouldn¡¯t ept it, let alone Grid.


    ¡®Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    ¡®I will humbly ept my death today and pledge to him next time.¡¯


    The high rankers hanging from the silver thread closed their eyes. They expected Grid to kill them. However, it wasn¡¯t Grid who attacked them. It was Duke Lucilliv¡¯s golden soldiers.


    Puuok!


    Puuoook!


    The des that aimed for Grid ended up hitting the high rankers that were used as shields.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The golden soldiers were second advancement soldiers. The soldiers of Duke Lucilliv exerted strength different to the Eternal soldiers.


    Flinch.


    Grid hesitated as he was about to deal the final blow to the high rankers who groaned with pain. Far away, in the central square of the city. It was because he saw soldiers of Eternal aiming their bows at the people of Bairan.


    ¡®Those bastards!¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t overpower him, so they wanted to use hostages!


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Why was it always the weak who needed to make one-sided sacrifices? The unhappy memories of his school days made him feel more unpleasant. Grid grimaced and his face distorted like a demon. He was above to move there when he stopped.


    ¡®Stay calm.¡¯


    The old Grid would¡¯ve run over right away to rescue the hostages. But in the process of making the Red Phoenix Bow, he realized how important it was to be calm. He tried to remain calm as he thought about what his best choice would be. First, he killed the enemies attacking the high rankers before bringing the rankers in front of him.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The high rankers were confused when they were freed from the silver thread. They expected to die. It was five seconds of captivity. It was possible to shorten the time depending on the individual¡¯s ability. However, it would still allow Grid to strike them once.


    Being hit by Grid made it highly likely they would die instantly. In other words, Grid could kill them at any time. Yet he was sparing them?


    The rankers were puzzled as Grid continued to beat the enemies.


    "As I said earlier, I have no intention of epting your application to join the guild. I can¡¯t trust people who tried to kill me just a moment ago. Isn¡¯t that right? But I will give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "From now on, you will fight for me. Cut down any enemies blocking my way.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a test to see if they deserved to be members of Overgeared. It was good that Grid was testing them. It was a golden opportunity and an inspiring event for the high rankers.


    ¡®Giving us a chance before punishing us for trying to kill him? Grid has great personal skills!¡¯


    ¡®I now understand why other bigwigs are following him.¡¯


    Grid had excellent insight that could look into a person¡¯s heart. The high rankers replied to Grid at once.


    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±


    Pahat!


    The high rankers shouted and surrounded Grid at once. They started to ughter the golden soldiers targeting Grid. They were indeed high rankers in each ss. Duke Lucilliv¡¯s soldiers couldn¡¯t interrupt them. Grid felt relief when he saw it.


    ¡¯I thought they were going to hit me in the back of the head. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t.¡¯


    Indeed, it was important to maintain hisposure. It was possible for the high rankers to deal with arge number of soldiers while he rescued the hostages. Grid equipped the Ideal Dagger and used Quick Movements to run towards Bairan¡¯s residents.


    ***


    ¡¯The golden soldiers are just bait!¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv knew how endless human greed was. Despite being second in the kingdom and having tremendous wealth, he still wanted more wealth. He was confident that Grid was the same as him. Grid would briefly lose his mind when the golden soldiers dropped gold lumps every time they died. In this gap, Duke Lucilliv would act.


    The central square. After making it seem like the residents of Bairan were going to be killed, he ced magic traps, guards and elite knights in the streets that Grid would have to go through.


    ¡®He will definitely want to protect the people.¡¯


    Grid was bound to fall into this perfect trap!


    "Kukuk!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv smiled wickedly. The Bairan residents under the silence magic inwardly screamed.


    ¡¯Duke Grid, you absolutely can¡¯te here.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t fall into the trap of that evil person because of us!¡¯


    Tremble tremble.


    Despite death being around the corner, they were worried about Grid. It was natural. Grid confronted the 100,000 troops to save them. The people had no choice but to care about Grid who tried to save them. Duke Lucilliv felt excited while the vigers¡¯ fear created a heavy atmosphere. On the other hand, the soldiers felt strong doubts.


    ¡¯Why are we serving the Eternal Kingdom?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s true that we were born and raised in the Eternal Kingdom. Therefore, we love the kingdom and paid the taxes. But the kingdom treats us like cattle.¡¯


    ¡®Being forced to sacrifice ourselves because of a war...¡¯


    ¡®Taking the lives of innocent people...¡¯


    The behavior shown by the kingdom they served wasn¡¯t good. The 60,000 non-regr soldiers were disappointed in the kingdom. They started to doubt the reasons for their loyalty. This was the result of Duke Lucilliv¡¯s behavior.


    Duke Lucilliv had royal blood flowing in him. As a great noble of the Eternal Kingdom, his duty should be to save the people. Yet he didn¡¯t act like this at all and it made the non-regr soldiers think that all nobles were like Duke Lucilliv. Most of the non-regr soldiers conscripted from their respective territories saw the actions of Duke Lucilliv.


    Then what about Grid? He was different.


    In the distance.


    Kuwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid ran through the enemy in order to save his people. Despite his body bing bloody, he only looked at the people and not himself. The non-regr soldiers started thinking. This was a person they wanted to serve.


    On the other hand, Duke Lucilliv thought that Grid looked stupid.


    "Putting yourself in danger to save these people, I can¡¯t understand it at all. Well, I¡¯m able to gainrger achievements thanks to you.¡±


    Duke Lucilliv didn¡¯t read that the atmosphere of the soldiers was changing. For him, themon people were just pigs without any brains. He couldn¡¯t even think that they would dare to oppose him. As Grid¡¯s momentum rose, the duke proudly grasped his bow. Then he aimed it at one of the beautiful residents of Bairan.


    "If you can¡¯t protect what you want to protect... Will your heart hurt?¡±


    Kkirik!


    He wanted to see Grid scream. The moment that Duke Lucilliv smiled wickedly and was about to pull back the bowstring.


    Peeeeeong!


    There was a loud sound in Duke Lucilliv¡¯s ears.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Duke Lucilliv perceived danger and instinctively paled.


    Next.


    Teong!


    One of the senior magicians guarding Duke Lucilliv was stabbed by a spear that pierced through the shield magic. The magician¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®Breaking the shield with an ordinary spear?¡¯


    How great was the person who threw this spear?


    The other magicians and Duke Lucilliv all turned their eyes in the direction the spear came from. A soldier stood there. He was wearing leather armor that was covered with dirt and blood. He was a very handsome man with noble blond hair that didn¡¯t match the rest of him.


    Private Ars. His face was delighted as he gazed at Duke Lucilliv.


    ¡®I finally reached here.¡¯


    It was a really long time. Ars had been sleep deprived for several days as he kept staring at Duke Lucilliv in order to find a gap. It wasn¡¯t easy when Duke Lucilliv always had guards by his side. Now it happened thanks to Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish it quickly for My Lord.¡±


    Now that the loyalty of the non-regr soldiers was copsing, the effect would be magnified if he defeated Duke Lucilliv, the one oppressing them. Most non-regr soldiers would put down their weapons and this war would end. Ars rushed towards Duke Lucilliv.


    ¡°Stop him!"


    The magicians beside Duke Lucilliv tried to cast spells but it was toote. Ars narrowed the distance to Duke Lucilliv in an instant.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The moment Duke Lucilliv felt his life being threatened!


    Pahat!


    The spear about to pierce Duke Lucilliv¡¯s body disappeared in a sh of light, along with Ars.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Duke Lucilliv and the senior magicians were stunned.


    At the same time.


    "M-My Lord?¡±


    Bairan City.


    Asmophel looked at Grid with a very perplexed expression after Knights Summoning was used. Grid killed two of Duke Lucilliv¡¯s guards and shouted.


    ¡°Asmophel! Stop looking nk and do your job! The kids told me that they didn¡¯t know where you were!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Do his job? Asmophel felt wronged. But now there was no time to exin. Asmophel nodded and blocked Duke Lucilliv¡¯s guards.


    Grid summoned Noe, Randy, and Iyarugt.


    ¡®More!¡¯


    More! More! More! The group of high rankers, Asmophel and the pets quickly broke through the enemies. The distance with the central square narrowed to a certain number. Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and immediately used ckening. Demonic power had reached 10,000 points and ckening was further strengthened.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    Grid avoided all the guards, knights, and magical traps at once. This was the strength of the Secret Hero title.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv and the Eternal troops stared like they had seen a ghost. There was an awkward silence before Grid came face to face with Duke Lucilliv.


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s right. A trash that makes me tired.¡±


    The sun rose behind Grid¡¯s back, shining on his ck hair. After a terrible and fearful night for the Bairan people, a brilliant morning arrived.


    "The position of the weak who can¡¯t resist, I will let you experience it for the first time today.¡±


    The sun of Reidan illuminated all of Eternal.

 Chapter 564

    Impertinent. Scandalous. Unpleasant. Shocking.


    ¡®I want to tear him apart!¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv was furious as he faced Grid. Who was he? He was the younger brother of thete King Wiesbaden and the uncle of the present King An. He had the most noble lineage in the Eternal Kingdom. No, even if his lineage wasn¡¯t mentioned, he was still the most powerful man in the kingdom. He was even treated well by the prestigious nobles of the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®A guy without any lineage dares to insult me?¡¯


    It was an attitude that couldn¡¯t be epted.


    ¡°Grid...! This behavior is too vulgar! You don¡¯t even know filial piety and basic etiquette!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv shouted with a red face and Grid shook.


    "Even if I have manners, why should I be polite to trash? And what is filial piety? Don¡¯t use words that are so difficult.¡±


    ¡°T-This...!


    Again! Again! Again!!


    Using the word trash for a noble like him? He couldn¡¯t help doubting Grid¡¯s brain.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you understand how noble the royal lineage is?¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv forgot the seriousness of the situation and became concerned. Grid pointed a dark blue sword at him. No, it was like a wooden sword rather than a longsword because there was no distinction between the handle and the de. Duke Lucilliv¡¯s tension was released.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. He won¡¯t dare hurt me. If he doesn¡¯t submit to me, the hostages will eventually die.¡¯


    ¡°Duke Lucilliv!¡±


    "Protect the duke!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The moment that Duke Lucilliv and Grid face each other. The Eternal troops deployed all over Bairan flocked to Grid, surrounding him by over 90,000 troops. It was an obvious crisis for Grid. Duke Lucilliv saw Grid as a beast trapped behind barbed wire.


    ¡°Experience the position of the weak who can¡¯t resist? You are the one who will experience it.¡±


    Duke Lucilliv pulled out a handkerchief to shield his mouth and nose from the dust caused by the movements of the soldiers. He truly acted like a noble. On the other hand, dust was nothing for Grid who always lived a fierce life. He was willing to eat all of it.


    "You¡¯ll see soon."


    Kwajijijik!


    Duke Lucilliv misunderstood that this was a wooden sword. Grid moved with the +7 Sword Ghost. The Eternal soldiers, including Duke Lucilliv, doubted their eyes.


    ¡°D-Demon...?¡±


    A little while ago, the sun was rising when Grid reached here. It wasn¡¯t possible to grasp Grid¡¯s appearance because of the shade. But now. As the sun rose in the sky and the shade covering Grid disappeared, Grid¡¯s appearance became clear.


    Darkness swelled. His white skin contrasted with that. White skin and red eyes. He was simr to the demons described in books. It was difficult to see him as an ordinary human.


    ¡°D-Duke Grid is a demon, not a human?¡±


    ¡°His strength makes sense now..."


    The soldiers muttered. Asmophel¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good as he btedly arrived at Grid¡¯s side.


    ¡®The hearts of the soldiers who feel envious towards Grid are starting to shake!¡¯


    Grid had to remove the misunderstanding that he was a demon. But how? The moment Asmophel thought this. Grid judged that the soldiers had misunderstood and put on the Holy Light Crown. The crown used by Pope Franz who sealed Marie Rose, the strongest vampire. There was no need to talk about the divinitying from it. The demonic energy Grid was giving off paled next to it.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    The eyes of the soldiers towards Grid changed once more. After envy and fear, there was now awe. Grid started a spectacr sword dance.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ck energy des flew like a gale towards Duke Lucilliv. It was also twice in a row!


    "There is one more Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    -?


    Was this a video rey? The viewers fell into confusion.


    ***


    Was there a need to have arge piece ofnd on the West Continent? There was a total of 17 kingdoms and a wide variety of ethnic groups on the continent. But in the end, the influence of the Saharan Empire couldn¡¯t overtake it. It was right to call the West Continent itself the Saharan Empire. Some schrs had pessimistic interpretations.


    The power of the Saharan Empire was overwhelming. All kingdoms on the continent gave tribute to the empire, learned the culture of the empire, and some small nations even followed the empire¡¯s orders.


    "...But I will change thendscape of the continent. The Eternal Kingdom will be the focal point of all nations in the shadow of the empire.¡±


    Eternal¡¯s 14th king, King An.


    He was a prince who had studied in the empire. Of course, it wasn¡¯t from his desire, but because it waspulsory. Throughout the time of his studying, he experienced great contempt from the nobles and royalty of the empire. He didn¡¯t want his descendants to experience such humiliation. He decided to change the world.


    He had grand aspirations. He had no intention of making the sacrifice of his brother Ren in vain. After killing his brother and bing king, he was determined to leave behind great achievements. An was confident at first. He was sure that he was better than his brother after winning the throne.


    ¡®My first goal is to build Eternal into a fully neutral nation.¡¯


    It was a challenge to be self-sufficient enough to stand up to the empire, who were able to exert pressure in the fields of economy, military, and science. This was why King An was obsessed with Grid. He tried to keep their rtionship as good as possible, despite the fact that Grid was a dangerous person who dered he wouldn¡¯t be loyal to the royal family.


    But eventually it failed. Grid caused a rebellion. The worst thing was that the most reliable person in Eternal, Earl Ashur, was acquired by Grid. King An became desperate. He lost strength before he could build up his strength and he saw that Eternal was walking down the path of defeat.


    ¡®I hate the circumstances where I had to pin my brother¡¯s death on Grid.¡¯


    Over the past few months, Eternal had been declining. In order to recapture the territories taken by Grid, most of the kingdom¡¯s funds were used for war supplies and developing the soldiers. In addition, the young people who were the future of the kingdom were conscripted into the war. What meaning was there in condemning Grid and sessfully reiming the territory? In the end, the kingdom would be ruined!


    ¡°Kukuk... I¡¯m also ipetent.¡±


    King An¡¯s heart became sick.


    The reason he¡¯d killed his brother was because he had a big dream in mind. Now that this happened, the justification for losing his brother disappeared and King An¡¯s heart became sick. He was drinking another cup of wine when somebody knocked on his door.


    There weren¡¯t many people allowed to knock on the door of the king¡¯s bedroom.


    "Come in."


    King An spoke in a hoarse voice. The man who entered his room after receiving permission was Chucksley. He was the best swordsman in Eternal and was loyal to the royal family. In addition, he was one of the few people who knew that King An was Prince Ren¡¯s killer.


    "A guest from the empire hase.¡±


    Chucksley spoke gently, while An replied cynically.


    "Is the payment for making me king stillcking? Ah~ that¡¯s right. Are they here to getpensation for the solo number knight who died from a soldier?¡±


    An had borrowed the empire¡¯s power to be king. He wasn¡¯t being used by the empire, he was using them. But now the situation was reversed. He couldn¡¯t escape his destiny of being the empire¡¯s puppet.


    ¡°Kukuk... Thete king must feel sorry. How terrible is it to see his son kill his own brother and hurt his kingdom.¡±


    "Your Majesty, please pay attention to your behavior.¡±


    Chucksley resented An for killing Prince Ren. However, he had to serve An. After all, An became king and Chucksley had to give his loyalty to the royal family. Chucksley was concerned when he heard An¡¯s words. King An¡¯s chest hurt looking at him.


    ¡®I¡¯m saddened that he has met an ipetent master and lost his talent.¡¯


    Chucksley had be a great swordsman with his own abilities. This wasn¡¯tmon even in the empire. It was said that there was no one better than Chucksley except for Piaro, Asmophel, and the top three solo number knights of the present Red Knights.


    If King An had created a good environment for Chucksley, he would¡¯ve be one of the best talents of the West Continent.


    ***


    ¡°It has been a long time. This iste, but congrattions on bing king.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    King An was very surprised when he entered the reception hall. Was it because the guest from the empire just nodded instead of kneeling before the king? No, that wasn¡¯t it. The guest who came from the empire wasn¡¯t someone who needed to be polite to the king of Eternal!


    "Prince Benoit...?¡±


    The empire¡¯s 3rd prince! Unlike the other members of the royal family, he had a weak presence in the empire. He rarely showed up for official appearances and he wasn¡¯t someone with a loud nature. In any case, he was still a prince of the empire. It was tremendous, since he was 3rd in line to the throne. Why did hee to this small kingdom directly?


    King An was surprised by the unexpected visitor and asked. ¡°Yes. I haven¡¯t seen you since I studied in the empire. Prince Benoit, why did youe to this ce?¡±


    He spoke in a polite tone. Prince Benoit smiled at King An¡¯s caution. It was a warm smile like sunshine.


    "Are we fellow alumni since we studied in the same ce? I heard you were in a crisis and came to help.¡±


    ¡°Cri-sis?¡±


    Yes, he was in a crisis. But a crisis that made the prince of the empiree running over...


    King An was able to question it when Chucksley came in an shouted.


    ¡°Your Majesty! It¡¯s an emergency! I received intelligence that the rebel army is marching here!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    King An stiffened like a stone statue. Grid still had an army to fight back? Even if the size of the army was small, there were few troops stationed here. Most of the troops weremitted to the war. King An turned his gaze to Prince Benoit who was still smiling brilliantly.


    ¡°Is this the crisis you were talking about?¡±


    Benoit didn¡¯t deny it. He nodded and handed King An ab. Yes, ab. It was a tool forbing hair.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Prince Benoit whispered to the confused King An.


    ¡°It is a tool to summon a great demon. You should try it.¡±


    In that gap, Benoit would find Piaro and the Amethyst Shield.

 Chapter 565

    King An¡¯s monologue and Benoit¡¯s appearance! This secret episode was watched in real time by the ck magician yer Rose. She had the authority of a quest performer.


    [Prince Benoit has seeded in delivering the summoning tool!]


    [Your have gained one level from the quest reward.]


    [You have acquired 10 stat points from the quest clear reward.]


    [Gulbas¡¯ Staff has been acquired from the quest clear reward.]


    [The ¡®Summoning of a Great Demon (4) quest has linked to the Summoning of a Great Demon (Final Part) quest.]


    [Summoning of a Great Demon (Final Part)]


    Difficulty Level: SS


    Faithful servant of Yatan, thanks to your hard work, a great demon will soon descend to this earth.


    The only thing left is to wait...


    Quest Clear Condition: King An summoning a great demon.


    Quest Reward: Varies depending on the great demon summoned.


    Rose¡¯s face brightened as she saw that the quest was renewed.


    ¡®The story ended up this way. It became faster due to the war caused by Overgeared. Thank you, Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Rose rose to 1st in the ck magician rankings after Yura changed to a hidden ss. Following Yura, Rose became Yatan¡¯s Servant and engaged in all types of activities. She spread fear and confusion throughout the world and in the process, she obtained a SS difficulty linked quest. It had been three months since she met Prince Benoit, whose interests matched hers.


    ¡°Are the offerings good enough?¡±


    Prince Benoit asked her.


    Rose nodded. "Yes, Reinhard is a rich and peaceful city. There are many good quality virgins.¡±


    "That¡¯s good.¡±


    Prince Benoit made a happy expression while Rose expressed concern.


    "What if King An doesn¡¯t summon a great demon?¡±


    In order to summon a great demon, sacrificing arge number of virgins was needed. Would the king of a nation hostile to the Yatan Church actually sacrifice his people to summon a great demon?


    Prince Benoit replied in a certain manner.


    ¡°King An is brimming with ambition. He wants to avoid a deadly end and won¡¯t be able to escape from the temptations of the great demon.¡±


    "Then I¡¯m d.¡±


    Now they just had to wait. Rose asked a question that she had been wondering since she met Prince Benoit.


    ¡°I always wondered. What¡¯s your reason for summoning a great demon?¡±


    Prince Benoit wasn¡¯t a believer of Yatan. Rose observed him and knew that he wasn¡¯t a evil human who wanted to destroy the world. She had no idea why he was obsessed with summoning a great demon. Benoit stared at her curious eyes before looking out the window. His eyes were lonely as he gazed at the sky.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I want to meet.¡±


    "Who is it? What type of person are they that you need a great demon to meet them?¡±


    Rose clearly differentiated between NPCs and humans. NPCs were simple superior artificial intelligences. She didn¡¯t look at the circumstances of feelings of NPCs. She was like ordinary yers. This was a mistake. She was unable to grasp the mood and missed the opportunity to raise her affinity with Prince Benoit. She didn¡¯t realize this herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush just because you are curious. I might have to summon a few more great demons, making you my greatest helper. I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡±


    [Prince Benoit is emitting a killing intent.]


    [The bloodline of the Saharan Empire that has ruled the West Continent for many years is beyond superior. You are feeling an ¡®irresistible¡¯ fear. Your actions will be restricted for five seconds. Defense and magic resistance has decreased by 23%. Some skills and spells can¡¯t be used.]


    "I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The 1st ranked ck magician within the top 50 of the unified rankings was neutralized so easily?


    ¡®What is this power? This is the royal family of the Saharan Empire?¡¯


    Rose got goosebumps. Her ambition to make the Yatan Church the most dominant power on the West Continent blurred in front of the empire.


    ***


    The result of the two consecutive Linked Kill Waves fired with the influence of ckening. It could only be expressed in one way.


    -Crazy.


    It was insane firepower! The knights protecting Duke Lucilliv who were targeted by Grid? Their expensive heavy armor andrge shields were useless as they turned to grey. The defense magic from senior magicians? It couldn¡¯t even be used.


    "Kuaaaaack!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv let out a terrible scream as he allowed some of the bombardment from Linked Kill Wave. Grid approached as he was struggling with pain. It was at a speed that the cameras found difficult to capture.


    -Wow...Isn¡¯t Grid faster than before?


    -It seems like the agility of a third advancement assassin.


    -What is that agility?I wonder if he¡¯s wearing items that increase his speed.


    ckening¡¯s strength had been increased after his demonic power exceeded 10,000 and now it increased attack power, magic power, and agility by 30%. This 10% increase yed arge role for Grid who had high stats. His movement speed was significantly different from before.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv was furious. His anger wasn¡¯t solely focused on Grid. His anger headed towards the helpless knights, magicians, and soldiers who couldn¡¯t stop Grid. He only had ipetent subordinates! Duke Lucillivmented and eventually pulled out his sword directly.


    It was his final means of protecting himself after the formation failed to stop Grid. But he was just a high ranking noble. Did pulling out his sword have any meaning? The viewers thought that Duke Lucilliv would die from Grid¡¯s sword. However, Grid was alert.


    ¡¯He survived a hit from Linked Kill Wave.¡¯


    The duke of a kingdom. He was a named NPC. He had high defense and stamina as the default and could have unexpectedbat abilities.


    ¡®I will test him.¡¯


    Grid judged that if he used a big technique, the duke would be angry. He broke through the soldiers¡¯ defenses and finally approached Duke Lucilliv.


    Swaeek!


    The Sword Ghost that had a much faster attack speed than Failure! It moved in a straight line towards Duke Lucilliv.


    "A lowly person like you won¡¯t be able to kill me!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv shouted and blocked Sword Ghost with his sword.


    Teong!


    At the same time, there was a heavy air flow.


    Kiririk!


    Duke Lucilliv rotated his sword and made Sword Ghost point towards the ground. His sword then aimed at Grid¡¯s exposed chest.


    "Preach the greatness of Eternal¡¯s royalty in hell!¡±


    At this moment. Duke Lucilliv was delighted. He believed that he could take Grid¡¯s life with his own hands. But it was impossible. It was true that Duke Lucilliv¡¯s swordsmanship was excellent.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 2,500 damage.]


    Duke Lucilliv¡¯s stats were rtively normal. The damage failed to prate Grid¡¯s Triple Layers.


    "If I was going to be beaten by you, then I wouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce.¡±


    Grid whispered in Duke Lucilliv¡¯s ears and wielded Sword Ghost.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Duke Lucilliv paled and stepped backwards.


    "We will protect the duke!¡±


    A group of 10 senior magicians acted simultaneously to protect Duke Lucilliv.


    Chaaeng!


    The magic shields ovepped. Their defense transcendedmon sense and Sword Ghost couldn¡¯t pierce through.


    ¡°Now! Hit him!¡±


    The knight and soldiers rushed towards Grid who was blocked.


    -It looks like this is the end.


    -Grid fought well.


    -It¡¯s amazing that he managed to kill so many of the 100,000 troops in the first ce.


    There was no more hope. The viewers predicted Grid¡¯s defeat. But the result was the exact opposite.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    It was the strongest single attack skill that ignored 100% of the target¡¯s defense. It got through the defense of the shield and struck Duke Lucilliv.


    ¡°Ku... Kuaaaaaaaack!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    This couldn¡¯t be. The senior magicians were at a loss for words as Duke Lucilliv started turning grey. But the knights and soldiers already reached Grid. Swords, arrows, and spears all aimed for Grid.


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid allowed arge number of attacks and started coughing up blood. The dying Duke Lucilliv smiled as he was covered with Grid¡¯s red blood.


    ¡°Kukukuk! The perfectpanion to hell...!¡±


    Of course, he was aware of the fact that Grid could resurrect. However, there was a curse that would affect the resurrection. Grid¡¯s death penalty would be huge. Duke Lucilliv wanted Grid to feel despair. But the result?


    ¡°I...I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t die. He smiled wickedly and cut off Duke Lucilliv¡¯s head. Then he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave, on the knights and soldiers around him and shouted.


    "The duke, I have killed him!¡±


    [The enemies have confirmed the death of Duke Lucilliv!]


    [You have seeded in reiming Bairan!]


    [The title skill ¡®Confront 100,000 Enemies¡¯ has been acquired!]


    Confront 100,000 Enemies


    Type: Passive


    The more enemies you have around you, the higher your defense.


    There is a limit to the increase.


    ¡°T-This is impossible...¡±


    Grid swept through the enemies by himself and eventually cut off Duke Lucilliv¡¯s head. He stood in a devastated area and the 60,000 non-regr soldiers looked up at him. An absolute monarch who had the power to defend the people and would sacrifice his lives to protect the people. The cries of the Bairan residents entered the ears of the non-regr soldiers who wanted to serve him.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive thanks to Grid!¡±


    "Thank you. I love and respect you!¡±


    ¡°Grid is our evesting idol forever!¡±


    "My grandchildren will praise you!¡±


    "Waaaaahhhhh! Hooray Grid!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Reidan¡¯s sun!¡±


    The shouts praised Grid. This was the spark. The fascinated soldiers saw the happy and ecstatic residents and revealed their intentions to Grid.


    ¡°W-We would like to be your people.¡±


    "Please ept us!¡±


    They didn¡¯t want to live in a kingdom that treated people as livestock. The non-regr soldiers eagerly begged him. In fact, they doubted if Grid would ept them. From Grid¡¯s perspective, they were enemies. They didn¡¯t want to die so they asked humbly.


    But Grid¡¯s choice was different. Asmophel whispered the story to him and Grid turned off ckening and straightened the Holy Light Crown. Then he reached out to the soldiers.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s smile was bright and warm like the sun. A noble was smiling kindly towards themon people? The non-regr soldiers vowed to follow Grid for life.


    [You have obtained 63,387 people.]


    [Congrattions! The number of people serving you as exceeded 100,000!]


    [You have achieved the minimum qualifications to establish a kingdom!]

 Chapter 566

    It took effort to make a beautiful smile. One famous actor said, ¡®It¡¯s necessary to practice to make a smile that appeals to everyone.¡¯


    It made a lot of sense. Did everyone look pretty when smiling? Wrong. Unfortunately, some people couldn¡¯t make pretty smiles, and Grid was one of them. In the past, people felt ufortable whenever heughed. Was it simply because he was ugly?


    No. Smiling was a strange concept for Grid, who had no reason tough. When he smiled, his expression became awkward. This was a crucial factor. But now it was different. Grid gradually became used to smiling in the process of increasing his valuable bonds. Now he could deliver a smile that gave a good impression to everyone. His life had changed. This was one of the gifts that Grid acquired.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    Grid made a warm smile and dered. The hearts of the Eternal non-regr soldiers thumped. Their eyes became red and their blood boiled. The lowly people andmoners of the Eternal Kingdom. They had always been disappointed by their monarchs. No, they didn¡¯t have any expectations in the first ce. For them, a monarch was nothing but a person who abused and exploited the people. Of course, not all rulers were like that. But the rulers that they¡¯d experienced were the worst.


    However, Grid seemed to be different. They felt a strong sense of trust from his behavior, words, and expressions.


    ¡°Theter generations of my family will follow you!¡±


    "I will go home and bring my family!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Grid! Hooray Grid!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid felt a strong sense of empathy and responsibility from the cheers. He recalled the first time he encountered the people of Reidan. The residents had felt despair because they couldn¡¯t rely on anyone. It was like he was looking at the past.


    ¡®I will let them know what happiness is.¡¯


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t volunteer work. He wouldn¡¯t do anything without gaining benefits. Grid would y a reasonable role with them and take advantage of them.


    ¡®60,000 people...!¡¯


    He secured abor force and a source of taxes!


    ¡°Okay. Asmophel, dispose of the remnants of the enemies and repair Bairan. The five people here will help you.¡±


    Asmophel couldn¡¯t hide his joy as he bowed deeply to Grid.


    "As you wish.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t aware of it, but entrusting Asmophel with the Bairan repair operations was the best choice. Asmophel now had experience as a soldier and had a better understanding of the lowest ss people than anyone else. He knew how to effectively lead them.


    ¡°Log out.¡±


    Grid took a break and left the game.


    ***


    ¡®It was surprisingly easy.¡¯


    Grid felt giddy at the end of the battle. Duke Lucilliv showed an unexpected ability and Grid¡¯s movements were stopped. He allowed the enemies¡¯ attacks and the immortal passive was activated. If Duke Lucilliv had struggled a bit longer, Grid was the one who would¡¯ve died, rather than Duke Lucilliv. The 50% drop in health due to ckening was truly deadly.


    However, if Grid used all his power, then the war would¡¯ve ended more easily. The battle of 1 vs 100,000 was much easier than expected. Of course, Youngwoo also knew that he didn¡¯t do it alone.


    ¡¯Asmophel¡¯s help was great.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo dissolved cocoa powder in warm milk and leaned against the window. He didn¡¯t be aware of it untilter. Asmophel had been dressed as an Eternal soldier. Nobody strong in the Eternal army threatened him. This was due to Asmophel¡¯s actions.


    ¡®60,000 people pledged allegiance to me today.¡¯


    The TV was rying battlefield videos of Patrian, Cork Ind, and Borneo. Youngwoo watched his colleagues and subordinates fighting for their lives in various ces.


    ¡¯Everyone is doing their best.¡¯


    The time wille soon.


    ¡®I will rise to the throne after this war is over.¡¯


    Yes, it was time to be king. It was a timely fashion. He had a big desire to make it worthwhile for everyone who followed him, not just to fulfill his self-desire. The kingdom name that he had been thinking about for a long time.


    ¡®Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild built the kingdom, so the name should definitely be Overgeared. Then what would be the symbol of the king?


    ¡®...Overgeared King!¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Youngwoo gripped his cup of cocoa tightly. He was thrilled as he thought about himself being king.


    ***


    ¡º I heard there are many people who criticized and mocked Grid for fighting 100,000 troops alone. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Grid was so overconfident in his own strength that most people foresaw Grid¡¯s imminent death. ¡»


    ¡º But didn¡¯t Grid retake Bairan? ¡»


    ¡º He didn¡¯t simply recapture it. He absorbed at least 60,000 of the 100,000 troops. Immediately after Grid killed Duke Lucilliv, 60,000 soldiers knelt in front of Grid and swore allegiance to him. ¡»


    ¡º I watched the video. It was a scene that caused goosebumps. The number of views exceeded 200 million in half a day... ¡»


    ¡º What made the remnants of Eternal¡¯s army obey Grid? ¡»


    ¡º I think they were impressed to see Grid take on 100,000 troops to save the people of Bairan. It¡¯s also likely that Grid advanced knowing this. ¡»


    ¡º Do you mean that Grid hit 100,000 troops with the intention of absorbing Eternal¡¯s soldiers? ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t that right? It¡¯s scary to see Grid¡¯s brilliance... ¡»


    ¡º I have a question. Would Kraugel be able to break through 100,000 troops and cut off the head of the leader? ¡»


    Everyone knew that Kraugel was stronger than Grid. It had been formally proven at the National Competition. It was a hot topic. If Grid could do it, then Kraugel probably could as well.


    ¡º It isn¡¯t impossible when considering Kraugel. He has more abilities than Grid. However, I don¡¯t think he has the defense and stamina to withstand a lot of attacks. ¡»


    ¡º In addition, looking at simple damage and breakthroughs, Grid is definitely better than Kraugel. In a war against arge number of people, Grid is probably superior to Kraugel. ¡»


    The international media from each kingdom praised Grid. Grid¡¯s performance in the war was undoubtedly perfect and great. God of War Ares also acknowledged it.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡±


    A middle-aged man ced crisp and salty potato chips in his mouth and drank coke. He wiped the potato chips powder off his hands and spoke to one of his closest aides, Scott.


    "Bring me another coke from the fridge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re truly carefree. Is this the time to be drinking coke?¡±


    Scott couldn¡¯t resist raising his voice.


    "Don¡¯t you realize the seriousness of the current situation? The title of the first king will be taken away by Grid! Our Ares army must support Eternal right now! We have to trample on the Overgeared Guild!¡±


    The activities of the Overgeared Guild was enough to frustrate Scott and the other Ares troops. From Satisfy to the present, they had been moving without hesitation to build the Ares Empire. While the other rankers announced their names to the world and enjoyed wealth and honor, they wandered around unknown, repeatedly fighting in wars.


    The first yer to build a kingdom would naturally be Ares. They would be rewarded for their efforts. The Ares army thought this. Ares shrugged at Scott as he watched the members of Overgeared on the TV.


    "The empire is between us and Eternal, and we¡¯re at war with the empire. What path can we use to move the army to Eternal?¡±


    "Is there a need to move the army? Just send a few small elites like me and Luck. Then we can interfere with those guys!¡±


    "Ah.¡± Ares scratched his groin before patting Scott¡¯s shoulder. "Being ambitious is good, but don¡¯t forget our goal is the Saharan Empire. Don¡¯t be so obsessed with the immediate loss.¡±


    Ares pulled a coke out of the fridge, drank it, andy down in the capsule.


    "Didn¡¯t you see the war video? Themander, Duke Lucilliv, was ipetent. He didn¡¯t have the leadership ability to manage 100,000 troops in a narrow city area. In front, Grid wasn¡¯t fighting 100,000 against 1. It was a battle against thousands. The world doesn¡¯t know this and they are praising Grid for going against 100,000 people.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Saharan Empire will be deceived by that reputation. They will start watching Grid. We have to look for that gap.¡±


    First king? He didn¡¯t want to miss that title, but he wouldn¡¯t cling to it. He would devour the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®Grid, please make more of an effort.¡¯


    It would be good if Grid attracted the attention of Agnus. Aresughed as he connected to Satisfy. Among his numerous titles, he had ¡®First to ughter 10,000 People¡¯ and ¡®First to ughter 20,000 People.¡¯ It was the reason why Grid and Jishuka didn¡¯t get the titles, despite ughtering masses of people.


    ***


    There was a fatal weakness in the Overgeared Guild. It wasn¡¯t possible to produce siege weapons due to ack of technology and resources. In order to produce siege weapons, a wide range of materials and technologies were needed as well as a cksmith.


    Lauel was worried about this until he found something in the fields. A unique ss who used various animals to improve their livestock farming efficiency. Lauel asked the pet master. Could the superrge monsters be trained and used as a siege weapon? Originally, superrge monsters weren¡¯t easily tamed, but he had a ray of hope because of the unique ss Pet Master.


    Nyangmong was naive. He replied that it was possible. A Pet Master couldpletely tame and educate superrge monsters that were twice as big as wyverns. The price was great. He had to release the precious cat type and puppy type monsters that he¡¯d trained in the past into the wild. It was to train the superrge monsters that upied three pet inventory spaces.


    ¡®My cute babies... Are they starving because they can¡¯t adapt to the wild?¡¯


    In particr, he was worried about the short-tailed cat. He was a rough and arrogant cat who wouldn¡¯t find a mate and would die alone of old age.


    ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t cry because he misses his job... Cough!¡¯


    The march to Reinhardt. The Overgeared members encouraged Nyangmong, who had fallen into a serious depression.


    "I¡¯m sure your kids are doing well. They¡¯re monsters, so living in the wild is probably much more enjoyable for them.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Monsters should live in the wild. They¡¯re probably ying around and enjoying life right now.¡±


    Nyangmong¡¯s expression became darker.


    ¡°...It makes sense. It¡¯s more fun for them to y with their friends. That¡¯s right. Those children have found happiness after leaving me. I have been taking away the children¡¯s happiness in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Overgeared members stiffened. The Korean actor Kim Doohyun who was famous in Hollywood. They thought he was a normal person, but he wasn¡¯t. He had a strange personality like other members of Overgeared. Grid, Lauel, Huroi, Regas, Peak Sword, Vantner, Toon, Katz, etc. Why were all the top yers of their guild so strange?


    ¡®Is it a curse or something?¡¯


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t go to South Korea...¡¯


    As the Overgeared members were feeling seriously concerned, the army got closer to Reinhardt.


    Chief Commander Lauel shouted, "Subordinates of the great war god Grid, it¡¯s the eve of war and I know that the blood in your veins is boiling. But rest is the most important thing. Visualize the Frost Queen¡¯s Breath and cool your blood. We will stop here.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    No, why couldn¡¯t he just give a simplemand to stop? Was it necessary to add the nonsense? Lauel might be an ineffective person asmander of the front lines. He was the type ofmander who reduced the morale of the soldiers. Lauel let out a strange kukukukugh. Half of his face was covered with one hand as heughed.


    ¡®Reinhardt...¡¯


    He would conquer it in two days and give it to Grid. He didn¡¯t doubt that the timing of his Reinhardt invasion was perfect. But there was a variable. It was caused by Prince Benoit.


    "Bring the virgins!¡±


    On Reinhardt¡¯s walls. King An confirmed Overgeared¡¯s army in the distance and made a decision.


    ¡®I will summon the great demon!¡¯

 Chapter 567

    The 33 great demons who ruled hell. There were countless books and documents on their mighty power. It was said that every time a great demon appeared on the earth, several kingdoms were destroyed and humanity experienced arge crisis.


    King An was well aware of how dangerous great demons were. But he didn¡¯t have any other choice. He wanted the throne to revive the kingdom, but he would end up destroying it. It couldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®I will be too ashamed to face my brother in the underworld.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t let the kingdom be taken away. He would rather rely on a great demon. King An was leaning towards this idea when he heard a bizarre voice in his ears.


    "Your selfishness, anxiety, regret, despair, fear, and anger. I like all these feelings. Give me pure blood. Invite me to the earth. In return, I will listen to one wish.¡±


    ¡®Great demon...!¡¯


    An oldb that could often be seen. The voice wasing from the great demon summoning tool that Prince Benoit gave him. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was male or female, young or old. Just listening to it caused his legs to shake and dizziness to ur.


    King An was afraid. When he felt the great demon whispering in his ears, his human life felt like a rotten rope. It could be broken at any time. However, a great temptation that was proportional to the intense fear dominated King An¡¯s mind.


    In return, the great demon would listen to one wish.


    ¡®My wish will be fulfilled?¡¯


    Thest words of the great demon constantly hovered in his ears. King An gulped and asked for confirmation.


    "Definitely... You will definitely fulfill my wish?¡±


    "I¡¯m one of the 33 supreme rulers of hell. I have my honor as a supreme ruler. My promises will be absolutely realized in the future. Now, tell me. What do you want? Eternal youth? Infinite riches? Great beauties?¡±


    Everything was wrong. King An didn¡¯t want youth, riches, or beauties. He had only one wish.


    "Make my kingdom the ruler of the continent! I don¡¯t want my descendants to feel the same disgrace that I did! I want my bloodline to be praised as the greatest on the continent!¡±


    "...Deep inferiority always produces sweet results. Kukuk, good. I ept your wish.¡±


    Now he had to pay the price. The sacrifice of 9,999 virgins to bring the great demon to the earth! King An made a firm decision.


    "Bring the virgins!¡±


    [The Summoning the Great Demon (Final Part) quest will soon bepleted.]


    ¡°Heheh.¡±


    ck Magician Rose was watching the quest in real time and became very excited.


    ***


    "It wasn¡¯t a short amount of time. In terms of reincarnation, it¡¯s an eternity.¡±


    Lauel had followed Grid for two years. In Satisfy time, it was a long six years. In the meantime, Lauel had done many things. He led Grid to absorb the Tzedakah Guild and built a strong foundation for the Overgeared Guild. Then he took on the overall operation of the Overgeared Guild to expand their forces to the current state.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Lauel, the current Grid and Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t exist. Lauel was deeply moved.


    ¡¯I¡¯m fortunate to be able to serve the lord of my destiny.¡¯


    Lauel decided to serve Grid because of his cksmithing abilities. Grid would be able to gain many talents, build a huge guild, and earn a lot of profit from his cksmithing abilities. But Grid went beyond Lauel¡¯s expectations. Grid¡¯s talent was unique. He not only improved in cksmithing, but showed excellent growth in all aspects.


    Thanks to that, the Overgeared Guild became stronger more quickly than Lauel expected. It was enough to set a goal to build a kingdom!


    ¡®Now there¡¯s only one step left.¡¯


    Conquer Reinhardt in front of him. The scale was 1.5 times bigger than Reidan and the poption was 800,000! It was surrounded by endless walls and moats. The quality of the territory was different. The structure was enough to block even one million troops. But Lauel didn¡¯t shrink back. He knew that the interior of Reinhardt was empty. Most of Reinhardt¡¯s troops had been sent to invade the Overgeared territories.


    ¡®There are less than 10,000 troops stationed in Reinhardt right now.¡¯


    He estimated that there was likely to be 8,000 troops if he added the security guards and royal knights. On the other hand, he was only leading 3,000 elite troops wearing Grid¡¯s mass production set. There was Lauel, Faker, Ibellin, other top talents of Overgeared, and Jude armed with Dainsleif. In addition, there was the ¡®greatest power in a war,¡¯ Great Magician Ashur and his son nd.


    Was that all?


    "The reinforcements from Siren have arrived!¡±


    "W-Water n King Maxong hase in person!¡±


    "I havee to repay your grace.¡±


    Maxong was extremely strong when fighting Grid, despite not being in a perfect state. Now he fully recovered mentally and directly led 500 warriors to join Lauel¡¯s army.


    "Piaro has returned!¡±


    "I developed a bean that grows in the sea, but there¡¯s no taste... The water n doesn¡¯t eat it.¡±


    A legendary farmer. The ultimate person beyond Grid had also returned. It wasn¡¯t over.


    "Reinforcements from the Reba Church have arrived!¡±


    "R-Reinforcements!¡±


    "His Holiness himself!!"


    "Hi everyone.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Grid?¡±


    Damian, who joined the ranks of the best yers. He had a number of useful wide area buffs and joined with Isabel, one of Reba¡¯s Daughters. They would give wings to the elite troops of Overgeared.


    "An army has arrived from Pedro!¡±


    "It¡¯s Earl Chris and his subordinates!¡±


    "If we help build Grid¡¯s kingdom, we can request itemmissions? Then there¡¯s no reason not to help.¡±


    There was Damian and Chris, the leader of one of the Seven Guilds. The top yers had joined. Lauel looked at them and was convinced.


    "Now I can easily conquer Reinhardt, even if I don¡¯t release my sealed power.¡±


    It was because the members of Overgeared each yed an active role in different areas. Peak Sword on Cork Ind, Yura and Pon in Bairan, Katz in Borneo, and Jishuka in Patrian. Each one of them yed a much bigger role than Lauel expected. Thanks to this, Eternal lost troops and Reinhardt was empty.


    ¡¯Everybody is great.¡¯


    Lauel felt proud and thankful. There was only one regrettable thing. It was that Grid¡¯s return to the West Continent was elerated. He wanted to show that he could do this without Grid, but he ended up relying on Grid in the end.


    ¡®Grid seems to be in a dangerous situation right now.¡¯


    Grid had asked about the situation in Bairan. A day had passed since then with no news. It was likely that he felt a sense of responsibility and invaded Bairan alone.


    ¡®There¡¯s a high possibility that he¡¯s surrounded by 100,000 troops right now.¡¯


    There were too many enemies, even if it was Grid. It was dangerous. He needed to hurry. He had to conquer Reinhardt and then head to Bairan. Lauel felt a strong sense of responsibility and shouted, ¡°Full assault!¡±


    ¡°Jude. Go. City wall. Crush.¡±


    "This is a goodnd for farming.¡±


    "Let¡¯s eat this hot potato before it bes cold.¡±


    "Why don¡¯t I see Grid?¡±


    "Isabel-chan is beautiful, even when she can¡¯t forget her first love.¡±


    "...How are all these people gathered?¡±


    Chris thought there weren¡¯t many normal people. But they were some of the strongest people on the continent. Their momentum pierced the sky.


    Kung!Kung!Kung!


    The overwhelming strength of Nyangmong¡¯s superrge pets struck Reinhardt¡¯s gates.


    "We have to kill those who resist.¡±


    Earl Ashur used a wide area magic that made the archers unable to shoot their arrows.


    "Free Farming 2nd Style, Rapid Growth.¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Piaro cleansed the fields and nted seeds. Arge number of vines grew and shot up the walls.


    Sususuk.


    As the vines rose, Ibellin and the Overgeared soldiers swiftly climbed them and overpowered the enemies on the walls.


    ¡°Jude. Kill. A lot.¡±


    "Take this greatsword!¡±


    Jude and Chris rotated their big greatswords like windmills. Pope Damian strengthened everyone with his buffs. King Maxong and his warriors infiltrated the city by diving into the moats and assassinated the enemy leaders.


    -What am I seeing right now?The Overgeared Guild is a yers guild, right?What¡¯s this?


    -Even the soldiers ??;;


    -I¡¯m sorry to break the admiring atmosphere, but what is that NPC doing? ??? Why is he farming on a battlefield? ???


    -The king of the water n is crazy.No spilling a single drop of blood, no matter how many soldiers he faces...


    -The rumor that Overgeared Guild acquired Siren is true...


    -Earl Ashur is too much.One hand gesture will cause death.


    -He isn¡¯t one of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians for nothing.But how did Grid acquire so many NPCs?


    -Forget about the NPCs. Chris is helping Overgeared for some reason.


    -Doesn¡¯t Chris have the same weapon as Grid?I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some type of deal between them.


    -Damian is shouting God Grid today.


    -The pope is a bit...


    -Reba¡¯s Daughter is so pretty.She¡¯s prettier than everyone apart from Yura and Jishuka.


    -Isabel-chan ???


    ¡°Perfect! It¡¯s perfect!¡±


    Lauel climbed onto the upied walls and contemted the battlefield. He was excited as he watched the strong Overgeared Guild. However, he soon noticed something sinister.


    ¡°This?¡±


    10,000 young women were lined up in front of the pce. The Overgeared members, who were trying to get into the pce to kill King An, stopped in their ce. The 10,000 women were weeping and their bodies shook from anxiety and fear.


    Everyone except for Jude.


    ¡°Jude. King. Catch.¡±


    Step.


    Jude held his blood-soaked greatsword and took one step closer to the pce. King An, who had been sweating and hesitating, eventually closed his eyes tightly and cried out.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    At the same time. The knights, loyal to the king under any circumstances, threw torches at the 10,000 terrified women.


    Hwaruruk!


    mes rose instantly. The 10,000 women covered in oil started to burn. Terrible screams filled Reinhardt.


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯tprehend the cruel sight. Their faces turned white.


    [The 32nd great demon Belial has appeared.]


    [You are deceived by Belial¡¯s beautiful appearance.


    [Resistance to status conditions has dropped by 50%!]


    [Skill and magic casting time have doubled and attack speed is reduced by 20%.]


    [Belial is the queen of fire. The mes surrounding her are very hot. You will receive 2,000 burn damage per second once you get close to her.]


    [Resistance to fire is 0%.]


    [The intense heat will cause 500 burn damage per second. It can¡¯t be resisted.]


    [Belial is the queen of darkness. The demonic energy she emits seduces your mind and stimtes your desire for murder. When attacking Belial, there is a high chance of falling into a confused state and attacking your allies.]


    [Resistance to dark magic is 0%.]


    [Use of ck magic is blocked.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The advent of an incredible existence! The Overgeared Guild and the entire world were astonished.


    ***


    An old watchtower on the outskirts of Reinhardt.


    Prince Benoit was standing in a spot that nobody noticed. He checked the appearance of the great demon and frowned.


    ¡®It¡¯s a failure.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the great demon he wanted. He didn¡¯t expect the great demon that he wanted out of 33 great demons to show up the first time. However, he still couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. He shook off this lingering feeling and left Reinhardt.


    His destination was Kesan Canyon. It was the assumed hiding ce of the former Red Knights captain, Piaro.


    ¡¯I need the Amethyst Shield.¡¯


    At the same time, in Seoul, South Korea.


    ¡°Kan jajang...so much...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo enjoyed a delicious taste after a long time. His fatigue waspletely washed away.


    There were two hours left before his Satisfy ess restriction was lifted.

 Chapter 568

    A group of yers causing a nation to fall into a crisis? The Overgeared Guild¡¯s invasion of Reinhardt was very exciting. It was like they were the protagonists of Satisfy. The viewers wondered if they could be like Overgeared one day, and smiled as they used their imaginations.


    The Overgeared members¡¯ move made theirpetitors nervous while offering great hope and surprise to the public.


    ¡º The conditions to establish a kingdom are shown below. It¡¯s one of the pieces of content about Satisfy that the S.A. Group released. ¡»


    First, have at least three major cities. Second, have at least 100,000 people. Third, 60 million gold was needed for the founding.


    ¡º The Overgeared Guild have two major cities. Reidan and Winston. If the Overgeared Guild seeds in conquering Reinhardt today, they will meet most of the qualifications to establish a kingdom. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t Winston the territory of Marquis Steim? ¡»


    ¡º Strictly speaking, it is the territory of Irene, Marquis Steim¡¯s daughter. Irene is Grid¡¯s wife. If Grid can raise his affinity with Irene to the maximum, then Winston can easily be transferred. ¡»


    ¡º Finally, a kingdom will be established by a yer! ¡»


    ¡º Haha... It isn¡¯t as easy as it says. Is it that easy to maximum the affinity of a NPC? It¡¯s umon for yers to raise the affinity with a certain NPC to 90 or more. In particr, the rtionship between Grid and Irene is a couple. Once a couple lives together, they will find faults with each other and minor things will pile up. This will cause affinity to lower. In particr, they are married, not just a couple. ¡»


    ¡º Well, it isn¡¯t a problem even if Grid fails to build a good rtionship with Irene. The Eternal Kingdom will be filled with chaos the moment Reinhardt is upied. Once the kingdom is split up into dozens of parts and filled with confusion, isn¡¯t it easy for Overgeared to upy one more major city? ¡»


    A kingdom built by a yer? The world evaluated that it would be better than the existing kingdoms. A yer had modern and progressive ideas, unlike the royalty and nobles on the continent, who had feudal ideologies! A kingdom set up by a yer was highly likely to develop in the direction that the other yers agreed with.


    ¡ºThe founding of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s kingdom is just the beginning. NPC forces currently dominating the continent will gradually lose their ce to yer forces. Someday, the continent will entirely belong to yers. ¡»


    ¡º I can already imagine the yers dominating the continent. There will be many incidents and countless heroes will emerge. ¡»


    ¡º A new hero might emerge from all the people watching the broadcast right now. ¡»


    Thementators of each country were almost certain of Overgeared¡¯s victory. The power of Overgeared contained a great magician and the pope. They would upy the empty Reinhardt and set up a kingdom. But there was an unexpected development.


    King An sacrificed 9,999 virgins to summon a great demon. The great demon was a goddess on a chariot pulled by six cerberus. From head to toe, Belial was covered in mes. The 32nd great demon. She looked at them with bewitching eyes and smiled.


    ¡°Seeing all these humans... It¡¯s really exciting.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Those who met Belial¡¯s eyes shrank back and thementators were astonished.


    ¡º G...Great demon! ¡»


    ¡º How can such a big chapter unfold? The founding of Overgeared¡¯s kingdom is over! ¡»


    Satisfy¡¯s bosses were ssified into three major categories. Field boss, dungeon boss, and named boss. A named boss was by far the strongest. The peak of the named bosses were the great demons. Satisfy set up great demons as a source of evil, and yers needed to repel them.


    -I thought that the great demons raid content would be opened in a few years...


    -Why did a great demon appear now?Who can raid a great demon?


    -The difficulty of fighting a great demon is too high;;


    -XX. Are you kidding me?I left my character in Reinhardt, but I can¡¯t log on.


    -You will die as soon as you log in. ???


    The flow of Satisfy was made by yers. The actions of billions of yers crossed each other, creating many new stories. The same was true for the emergence of a great demon. The actions and choices of the yers umted, resulting in the moment when Belial was summoned.


    Who yed such a crucial role? The moment that the world was wondering this.


    ¡°I am honored to see the great ruler of hell.¡±


    It was Rose, who had risen to 1st on the ck magician rankings. As the members of Overgeared stood like stone statues in front of Belial, Rose fell to her knees and greeted the great demon.


    "I am Rose, a servant of Yatan. I would like to add my feeble strength so that your life on this earth will be more enriched. Please give me permission.¡±


    -That woman is the culprit.


    -Damn Yatan Church.


    -Anyway, kill all the Yatan bastards.I was kidnapped in the fields and offered as a sacrifice for ck magic;;


    -Hah...It¡¯s terrible to think of the great demon and Yatan Church spreading all over the ce.We won¡¯t be able to move around hunting grounds.


    -Why so negative?Isn¡¯t this situation interesting?The game is more fun with steady stimtion.


    -I also enjoy it. There will be a lot of profits from quests to fight against the great demons.


    -What¡¯s the meaning of a quest when it¡¯s impossible?


    As the viewers were joking around, Belial looked at Rose with pleased eyes.


    "You¡¯re a bold kid. I like it. I will spare you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    Rose¡¯s face flushed as she confirmed the positive answer. She made a rapt expression and Ibellin shouted.


    ¡°Can you please exin the situation right now?¡±


    Ibelin was very annoyed. The opportunity made by scattering the Overgeared members all over the ce was ruined because of the appearance of a great demon. There was no way he could be calm.


    Rose scoffed at his anger.


    "I was just faithful to my role. I¡¯m sorry that I damaged the Overgeared Guild in the process, but I had no choice? Someone else has to suffer in order for a person to gain benefits. In the beginning, not everyone can be the same. Kukuk, isn¡¯t this what the world is like?¡±


    Her facial expression and words werepletely hateful.


    "The conclusion is that you will be hostile to our Overgeared Guild?¡±


    It happened when Ibellin frowned and expressed killing intent towards Rose.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style, Pounding Mortar.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Rose doubted her ears. A battlefield where blood and screams were always present. A lunatic was talking about farming in a ce where the great demon of fear emerged?


    ¡®It¡¯s Pounding Mortar?¡¯


    Pounding Mortar. It meant to put grains in a mortar and grind them. Rose couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡®What¡¯s a crazy farmer doing in the middle of the battlefield? Heok?¡¯


    Rose¡¯s face suddenly turned white. She instinctively looked up at the sky because the ground and surroundings darkened. Then she saw something immense filling the sky. That¡¯s right. An extremely huge mortar!


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    The mortar was used to grind grains. Common sense meant it should be a size that people could hold. The mortar that appeared in the sky was too big. It seemed to be well over 100 meters in diameter.


    Kuwaaaaaaaaaang!


    There was a sound that tore at their ears. It was like the sound of dozens of fighter nes. The huge sound rang out through Reinhardt.


    "H-Hik...!"


    Rose felt danger. The super-sized mortar in the sky fell towards the ground!


    ¡°D-Diamond Shield!¡±


    She could grasp the situationter. For the moment, she had to live. Rose moved with that thought. She tried to defend herself by deploying the highest defense magic that overcame the fatal weakness of a ck magician. The staff she received in exchange for summoning Belial gave her greater strength. But.


    Kuuuuuuong!


    The mortar was too big and heavy. It wasn¡¯t at a level that she could deal with.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Rose couldn¡¯t even scream. The huge mortar crushed her mind and body as she felt great fear and pain. It was the worst death. A terrible scene of a yer being crushed to death.


    [Defense is meaningless.]


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [The durability of Guruk¡¯s Magic Robe (Legendary) has decreased by 230. There is a risk of breakage. The maximum durability of the item has dropped.]


    [The durability of Dolphina¡¯s Magic Shoes (Unique) have decreased by 188. There is a risk of breakage. The maximum durability of the item has dropped.]


    [The durability of the Harmony Gloves (Unique) have decreased by 193. There is a risk of breakage. The maximum durability of the item has dropped.]


    [The durability of Belial¡¯s Staff (Myth Reproduction) has decreased by 91. This item can¡¯t be repaired. Please be careful when using it.]


    [You have died.]


    [32.8% experience has been lost.]


    [Superior Mana Potion (1,000 Pack) has dropped.]


    ¡®XX...! XX!! XXX!!!¡¯


    She wanted to curse angrily at the notification windows, but the dead were silent. Rose couldn¡¯t say anything, as she had to observe the ck and white world from the view of an observer.


    [You have rejected the resurrection.]


    [20 seconds left until auto resurrection is activated.]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    What the hell was that Pounding Mortar? The angry Rose looked around and became astonished. The Overgeared members and soldiers were safe from the mortar? Was that all? The great demon Belial. The being who had the power to destroy humanity was coughing up blood!


    ¡°A-A human hurt me?¡±


    Belial was confused. One arm waspletely lost because of the mortar. If she hadn¡¯t tried to avoid it, she would¡¯ve suffered terrible damage. She was blindsided by human techniques! The chariot she was riding on was smashed to pieces.


    Yiiip...Yip!


    The six cerberus pulling the chariot were all dying.


    ¡°You dare...! You dare!?¡±


    Belial¡¯s furious gaze fixed on a middle-aged man standing between the Overgeared members. The man was holding a hand plow in one hand and a sickle on the other hand. He smiled and spoke to the other Overgeared members, including Lauel.


    "I will buy time while you all retreat.¡±


    They all realized. Piaro, he was ready to die.

 Chapter 569

    The fortified city of Patrian.


    "The enemy isn¡¯t invading anymore?¡±


    Yura and Pon, who retreated from Bairan, worked with Jishuka to defeat the Eternal army. They could finally take a breath. The invasion of the enemy stopped almost 10 days after the war began.


    "My whole body is aching.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s stamina was close to infinite when she held the Red Phoenix Bow. But the mental fatigue of humans couldn¡¯t be ignored. She leaned against the wall and longed for a break when an uproar urred in the guild chat window.


    ¡°Reinhardt...¡±


    ¡°A great demon has appeared?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes became bigger and she jumped up. The Overgeared members, including Yura, were already prepared to head to Reinhardt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    "I will buy time while you all retreat.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Absolute supremacy. A powerhouse on the level of a ¡®sun.¡¯ It was Piaro. It wasn¡¯t necessary to add a lot of modifiers to express his strength. He was unbeatable. Everyone was equal in front of Piaro¡¯s hand plow. Those hit by Piaro¡¯s hand plow would die.


    Now this unbeatable man said that he would ¡®buy time.¡¯


    Before big fights against strong people:


    Work in the fields with him.


    He would take care of it, etc.


    These were the words he normally said.


    The Overgeared Guild became shocked.


    ¡¯Piaro, who normally wishes for a struggle with the strong...¡¯


    ¡¯He isn¡¯t enjoying this?¡¯


    ¡¯T-Then Piaro isn¡¯t a match for the great demon?¡¯


    ¡®How strong is a great demon?¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s setting meant that great demons were naturally strong. They were the biggest enemy that threatened the survival of humanity. In fact, they could see Belial¡¯s force. The mes and demonic power around her were very threatening. Their hearts sank just looking at her.


    But Piaro was a legend. He was a named NPC who pioneered a new legend with his own power. The previous legends opposed great demons, so why couldn¡¯t Piaro?


    As everyone questioned this, Ibellinughed. ¡°Ah, Master. We should we retreat? Isn¡¯t it too much? Do you intend to solo a great demon alone?¡±


    Almost all the senior members of Overgeared studied with Piaro. They sparred with Piaro and maximized their control abilities. In particr, the swordsmen listened to Piaro¡¯s advice and their skill level rose. One of them was Ibellin. To Ibellin, Piaro was his eternal idol and teacher. He admired and loved Piaro. Ibellin didn¡¯t want to acknowledge Piaro¡¯s weak heart.


    ¡®A great demon isn¡¯t a big deal for Master! I¡¯ll bet on it!¡¯


    He thoroughly denied reality. Despite Piaro smashing one arm, Belial¡¯s heath gauge remained the same. Ibellin stared at her and moved.


    Pahat!


    He was also strong. He would use his strength to fight the great demon and nt courage in Piaro. But reality was cruel. Ibellin narrowed the distance to Belial and wielded his sword.


    [Belial¡¯s mes are too hot. You will receive 2,500 burn damage per second.]


    [Belial¡¯s darkness has invaded your heart.]


    [It has caused a delirium. You can¡¯t attack Belial.]


    [The desire for murder is triggered. Find the nearest human and attack.]


    These notification windows popped up.


    Duguen!


    Ibellin¡¯s vision shed red. His spirit was stunned as he took back the sword attacking Belial and turned to strike at his closest ally. The person was Faker.


    Chengkang!


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t even attack? Ibellin¡¯s face distorted. Faker had blocked his attack with a dagger and muttered.


    ¡°The confusion is only applied for one blow.¡±


    It was fortunate. It would¡¯ve been more desperate if Belial¡¯s confusion caused them to attack their allies for a ¡®certain period of time.¡¯ Faker nced towards Lauel in the rear. It was a gesture that asked what they should do. The silent Lauel finally opened his mouth.


    "Piaro, lead the soldiers along with Maxong and retreat.¡±


    What was Lauel doing when the great demon appeared? He didn¡¯t question it. The situation was too urgent to think about why a great demon had appeared. Laeul only thought about how to break through the worst development. Then he was convinced after the great demon managed to cope with Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar.


    It was impossible to kill the great demon. Reinhardt¡¯s upation had failed.


    ¡®Piaro is still growing.¡¯


    In other words, his level was low. Piaro had only been a legend for 4~5 years. Lauel thought that Piaro needed more time to be able to deal with a great demon like the former legends.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose Piaro and the soldiers.¡¯


    He had to think about the future. He didn¡¯t need to be obsessed with the upation of Reinhardt when it was impossible. It was imperative to retreat while minimizing the damage. Piaro, Maxong, and the soldiers who they raised with difficulty needed to return unharmed.


    Of course, it was up to the yers to buy time!


    ¡°Earl Lauel! I will buy time!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Piaro couldn¡¯t ept the order to retreat, but Lauel ignored him. He spoke to Damian.


    "Damian, can I ask you to buff all the Overgeared members?¡±


    Confirmation was necessary before entering the battle. Could Pope Damian¡¯s holy buff threaten the great demon? In addition, what were the odds of resisting Belial¡¯s delirium when attacking her?


    "All members of Overgeared except for Piaro attack Belial.¡±


    The order was immediately executed. The 200 members of Overgeared, including Faker and Ibellin, attacked Belial. The former Silver Knights members were included. Most of the mid-200s users were forced to attack their allies instead of Belial. It was the same for Faker and Ibellin. They were affected by Belial¡¯s confusion and attacked each other.


    Lauel frowned at the sight.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be resisted?¡¯


    Belial didn¡¯t allow any melee attacks. Everyone became ¡®confused¡¯ and attacked their allies.


    ¡®Then what about ranged magic or attacks?¡¯


    Lauelpleted the spellte due to the penalty of a 20% decrease in casting speed and bombarded Belial with the other magicians. Of course, there was also great magician, Earl Ashur. However...


    [Belial has used Mirror Shield.]


    [Only 30% of your magic damage is applied.]


    [The remaining 70% will be returned as damage to you!]


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    It was the worst. There was no hope. The melee attacks caused confusion while magic attacks were neutralized and reflected. That was Belial. She seemed vulnerable to ranged physical attacks such as arrows, but she didn¡¯t get hurt because of her high defense.


    Lauel and the Overgeared members realized what the ¡®minimum conditions¡¯ were for raiding Belial.


    It was a legend. Only people who could resist abnormal statuses could try and raid Belial. There was only one decision Lauel could make here.


    "We will be a human barrier until Piaro and the soldiers retreat. Don¡¯t attack Belial first. Just defend. Damian and Chris. It would be appreciated if you could help Piaro and the soldiers retreat.¡±


    Damian and Chris weren¡¯t members of Overgeared. He had no intention of forcing them to sacrifice themselves.


    Chris nodded.


    ¡°Believe in me. I will thoroughly protect the soldiers of Overgeared as long as I canmission an item.¡±


    Damian shook his head.


    ¡°I will stay and fight. Isabel will be sufficient to escort Piaro.¡±


    However, an unexpected development urred.


    ¡°I will also stay and fight.¡±


    Isabel, Reba¡¯s Daughter. She pulled out Lifael¡¯s Spear, one of the Reba Church¡¯s three divine artifacts, and approached Belial.


    ¡°I-Isabel-chan! Stop!"


    Damien shouted with a pale face. He was afraid that Isabel might get hurt. But Isabel didn¡¯t stop moving. In the first ce, the reason for the existence of the Reba Church was to destroy the Yatan Church and the demonkin. Among them, Reba¡¯s Daughters were at the forefront of those who fought the demonkin.


    Isabel couldn¡¯t overlook the emergence of a great demon.


    ¡°White Transformation.¡±


    Kuhwaaaaaaang!


    Isabel¡¯s brilliant hair and eyes turned white as she opened up her sealed power. She smiled at the sad Damian while surrounded by a golden aura.


    "I will repay the favor to Grid. Your Holiness, leave this ce to me and go with the Overgeared members.


    ¡°I-Isabel-chan! No! No!¡±


    There was no time to stop her. Isabel gained a transcendent ability from White Transformation in exchange for her lifespan. Time had passed since the Drevigo and Pascal episodes. The current Isabel was much more powerful than she was in the past, and could easily overpower even Pope Damian. She broke free from Damian¡¯s hand and threw herself at Belial.


    "How ludicrous!¡±


    Belial had been angry since she was wounded and now her gaze focused on Isabel.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Belial¡¯s strong mes collided with the golden aura around Isabel¡¯s body and caused a shockwave to shoot through the whole area. The ground shook and parts of the pce came tumbling down. Several Overgeared members and soldiers died.


    ¡°Isabel-chaaaaaan!¡±


    Damian only became a pope to save Isabel. Now he had to sacrifice Isabel? Damian¡¯s sad scream rang out while sadness filled the hearts of Lauel and the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Piaro was furious. Lauel was Grid¡¯s representative. Piaro didn¡¯t dare disobey hismand, but he couldn¡¯t stay still against Belial. He had to do something for the many young women who were sacrificed. He stopped as he was about to run out and help Isabel.


    It was because he heard Lauel¡¯s voice. "Stop. If you take one more step, you are no longer Grid¡¯s subordinate. Have you forgotten about everything he has done for you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will say it again. Retreat with the Overgeared soldiers.¡±


    Lauel felt sorry, but he couldn¡¯t help Damian. In the end, Isabel¡¯s power as Reba¡¯s Daughter was precious.


    ¡¯I will pay off this debt someday, Damian.¡¯


    Lauel gave orders with a dark atmosphere. He was turning a blind eye to Damian when he received a whisper.


    -I¡¯m going now.Hold on a little longer.


    -Y-You!


    Lauel¡¯s body stiffened like a stone statue. The person who sent him the whisper?


    -If my power isbined with Piaro and Damian, we might be able to seal the great demon.


    -Kraugel!


    The sky above the sky. The strongest yer who showed his abilities that were beyond Grid before obtaining a hidden ss. He acquired the strongest legendary ss, Sword Saint, and was now running towards Reinhardt. Lauel¡¯s brain moved quickly.


    At the same time, in Seoul, South Korea.


    ¡°...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo woke up from sleep and stared at the TV with an ugly expression. He barely shook off his irritation as he thoroughly observed the great demon Belial. Sehee ran in at that moment.


    "Oppa! Right now...!¡±


    "Just rx and sit down. You¡¯ll go with me.¡±


    Sehee¡¯s shaking hand was caught by his as she was pulled to the seat.

 Chapter 570

    Shin Youngwoo was thinking fiercely.


    ¡®Will Belial have a weakness, just like Hell Gao and the fire stones?¡¯


    A great demon¡¯s home was hell. It was unreasonable for them to exert their full strength in the human world. There was a precedent with Hell Gao, so Belial was likely to also have a penalty.


    ¡®I need to find her weakness.¡¯


    He could only watch as the Overgeared members death with Belial.


    Youngwoo believed that this was his current role, rather than fretting about not being able to run to the battlefield right away. He kept calm and cool and thoroughly observed Belial. He watched her skills, her voice, her actions, and even her expressions and eyes.


    It was a good decision. All of Grid¡¯s growth became the nourishment for Shin Youngwoo.


    Meanwhile, Sehee was blushing as she sat next to her brother. How long had it been since she sat side by side with her brother...? She recalled a childhood memory. But the pleasure onlysted for a short moment. Sehee¡¯s eyes shook while she was recalling old memories. Her lips pouted.


    It was because the great demon on the TV was almost naked. She was basically naked except for the important parts that were covered with mes! People needed to be at least 17+ in order to see it!


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Youngwoo was bewildered by the res his sister kept sending him. It really was difficult to be an older brother.


    ***


    A king¡¯s first duty was to protect his people. This was the basic principle that established the rtionship between the king and the people. But King An broke that principle. He sacrificed his people to summon a great demon. He abandoned the king¡¯s authority on his own. It was an unfathomable event that would go down in the history of the West Continent.


    ¡°The king killed my daughter!¡±


    ¡°The king killed my sister!¡±


    ¡°The king killed my friend!¡±


    ¡°The king killed them!¡±


    ¡°An isn¡¯t a king!¡±


    Outside the walls of the pce. The people felt hatred as they cursed and med An. Smoke filled the skies of Reinhardt. It was the remnants of the 9,999 innocent virgins burned at the stake.


    King An didn¡¯t care about the people who were angry, sad, or crying. The curses and usations poured in one ear and went out the other. He thought it was better to endure the people¡¯sints than to ruin the kingdom.


    ¡®The people of a small kingdom are different from the people of the best kingdom on the continent. My determination today will lead to future splendor for all of you... You will know someday.¡¯


    King An rationalized his misguided behavior for summoning a great demon. He witnessed the sight of the huge mortar falling from the sky.


    Kukukukukung!


    "Heok...!¡±


    Was this a punishment from the gods? The guilty conscious buried deep in his heart rose and King An fainted.


    ¡°...Ha!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A familiar voice was heard. King An opened zed eyes and looked relieved. He didn¡¯t seem to be in hell if he was seeing Chucksley.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive... What is that mortar that fell from the sky?¡±


    Chucksley exined to the confused King An.


    ¡°It was a technique used by an Overgeared member. One of the great demon¡¯s arms was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A fatal wound was dealt to the strongest monarch of hell. No, Belial wasn¡¯t the strongest. She was the 32nd great demon. The anxious King An hastily looked out the window. He was worried that Belial would¡¯ve died before King An¡¯s wish was granted.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Kurururung!


    The view outside the pce was pandemonium. It was in ruins. The Overgeared members were on fire from Belial¡¯s mes. No, it looked like a one-sided battle. Belial was ughtering the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Ha! Hahaha! That¡¯s right! A great demon wouldn¡¯t be beaten so easily!¡±


    ¡®Yes, Belial. Don¡¯t forget the reason for your summoning. Defend the kingdom and defeat the outsiders! Make Eternal the most powerful kingdom on the continent!¡¯


    Madness filled King An¡¯s eyes as he cheered on the great demon. Chucksley was surprised by the sight.


    ¡®The king has changed.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t the right person to be king from the beginning. There had been some cause at the start. King An¡¯s sin couldn¡¯t be forgiven, but at least he was qualified to be a king. But not anymore. King An was going crazy.


    ¡®...The end.¡¯


    Chucksley realized that the kingdom his ancestors spilled blood and sweat for was facing its end.


    ***


    ¡°Sky Dragon¡¯s Tears!¡±


    Kururung!


    They had to hold on until Kraugel arrived. Lauel withdrew the order to retreat and struggled along with Piaro, Isabel, Maxong, and the other Overgeared members. Only the soldiers were left behind. The ultimate weather change of a Flow Master. Thunder and rain filled the sky and dampened a bit of the mes emitted by Belial.


    "Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡±


    Kurururung!


    Piaro¡¯s pitchfork moved through the damn ground. It was amazing. He looked like the god of agriculture. Thend that Belial was trampled on was cleared for farming in an instant.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Clearing fields during a battle? Even Belial couldn¡¯t be calm, despite being one of the 33 great demons of hell. She ridiculed Piaro as her mes exploded around her. Isabel intercepted her attack in order to allow Piaro to act.


    "Reba¡¯s servant! You¡¯re ridiculous!¡±


    Belial hated Reba, the goddess of light, due to their opposite temperaments. Her mes shed with Lifael¡¯s Spear as she reached out and grabbed Isabel¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Isabel was exhausted afterpeting with Belial for a while. She was grabbed by Belial and her face smashed into the ground. Fortunately, thend cleared by Piaro wasn¡¯t firm, but soft. Her pretty face was covered with dirt, but there wasn¡¯t any significant damage.


    ¡°Isabel!¡±


    Damian hurriedly healed Isabel. Isabel soon got up, but Belial didn¡¯t care about her anymore. She crossed thend that had be a rice field and reached Piaro.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s face hardened as he sowed the seeds. She was 100 meters away while he was still sowing. Belial¡¯s movement speed was ridiculously fast. Piaro was feeling panicked when a ck shadow moved. The person was Faker.


    Chaaeng!


    He couldn¡¯t attack Belial, but he couldn¡¯t defend against her attack. He crossed his daggers and prevented Belial¡¯s stab. It was the moment when the dagger for murder turned into a dagger for protection.


    [Your perfect defense has failed.]


    [You have suffered 9,830 damage.]


    [The distance with Belial is too close! You will receive 500 heat damage and 2,500 burn damage!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Faker shook. There was a monster like this in the world? His eyes shook as he red at Belial.


    ¡®An ordinary human could respond to my attack?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Faker¡¯s swiftness and control was admired by even a great demon. However, it didn¡¯t have much significance right now. In the future, Faker could threaten a great demon if he reached the fourth advancement or fifth advancement. However, he only had his third ss advancement currently.


    Hwaruruk!


    mes exploded from Belial¡¯s hands and prated Faker¡¯s chest, turning him to grey.


    ¡°Faker!¡±


    The person who wiped out the Ice Flower Guild was killed in an instant? Lauel, the Overgeared members, and the viewers were in shock.


    "Free Farming 1st Style, Sowing.¡±


    Papat!Pa pa pa pat!


    Thanks to Faker¡¯s sacrifice, Piaro was able to nt arge number of seeds.


    "This is the end...!¡±


    This person kept doing something in the fields. Was he mocking a great demon? Belial was annoyed at the person who took one of her arms and didn¡¯t focus. She passed through the dying Faker and attacked Piaro. She wielded her ming hands and feet like lightning bolts.


    But the Overgeared members weren¡¯t doing nothing after Faker¡¯s sacrifice. Several Overgeared members already stood in front of Belial. It was a human barrier to protect Piaro. This was the role of the Overgeared members in battle.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    10 Overgeared members died from Belial¡¯s attack.


    "Free Farming 2nd Style, Rapid Growth.¡±


    The angry Piaro blessed the seeds nted in the ground. Then!


    Kwadududuk!


    Hundreds of seeds instantly sprouted and grew into trees. They weren¡¯t ordinary trees but beautiful trees that seemed to live for hundreds of years. They became natural prisons and locked Belial in.


    ¡®Instantly raising trees?¡¯


    Even the elves couldn¡¯t do this. She honestly admired it, but the result was useless. Belial was the queen of fire! She thought Piaro was foolish for locking her into wood.


    "It¡¯s enough if I burn it!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Belial exploded her mes around her in order to turn the trees to ashes. However, Maxong was one step faster.


    ¡°It is up to here!¡±


    As the water n king, Maxong was an expert with water and cast a spell.


    Kurururu!


    It was like a blue dragon ascended. Blue water rose from the ground where Belial stood, trapping her inside.


    [The mes surrounded the 32nd Great Demon Belial have temporarily disappeared!]


    [You are free from the terrible heat!]


    Maxong. He was the king of a species. Now that he overcame the sadness of losing his daughter, he was a powerhouse equivalent to Piaro. Of course, that was only if he was fighting in the sea. Still, he now disyed his strength.


    ¡°Now Piaro!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Belial was engulfed in the pir of water.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Piaro took advantage of the gap and used the most powerful single target skill. His hand plow pierced Belial¡¯s forehead.


    Puk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Fated to Perish was an absolutely invincible skill that had a 100% chance of instantly killing the target. Of course, targets ssified as bosses couldn¡¯t be instantly killed. However, critical damage could be dealt.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaaaaack!¡±


    Belial couldn¡¯t bear the pain and let out a terrible scream. It was a different reaction from when she lost her arm.


    ¡º ... ¡»


    -...


    Thementators and viewers around the world were silent.


    Great demon. The process of raiding the worst and strongest boss...


    -This is an agricultural promotional video.


    -Farming is really great.


    -Let¡¯s all take up a hand plow.


    Piaro seemed to be saying that. Many people watching the raid video started to be interested in the farmer ss. This was the strength of a legend. This was Piaro, who pioneered the path of a new legend with his power alone. Piaro was special.


    The chairman of the S.A. Group, Lim Cheolho, paid direct attention to him.


    ¡°To me...! Wounding me two times!¡±


    Belial grabbed her forehead that was hit by Piaro¡¯s hand plow and fired demonic energy in all directions. She broke through the water pir and trees restraining her and escaped. She finally noticed the reality of Piaro.


    ¡°Now I understand. You¡¯re a legend?¡±


    Sword Saint Muller. A transcendent existence who humiliated several great demons hundreds of years ago.


    ¡°You¡¯re the reincarnation of Muller!¡±


    "No, I¡¯m a farmer, not Muller.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She knew there were many legends in the human world, but she¡¯d never heard of a farmer among them. He couldn¡¯t be a farmer. "Stop mocking me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now there would be no carelessness. She would use all her power! Belial became serious and revealed her true power.


    ¡°Summoning the 32nd Hell!¡±


    Jjejeok!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Thendscape behind Belial split apart. Endless darkness emerged from the dividedndscape.


    "I will tear you to shreds!¡±


    Belial smiled with satisfaction.


    sh!


    The darkness swallowed up the world.


    [The 32nd Hell has been summoned!]


    [Skill and magic power is reduced by 20% and casting speed is reduced by 50%.]


    [Health and mana won¡¯t recover.]


    [Stamina will fall faster.]


    [Potions can¡¯t be used.]


    [Creatures of the 32nd Hell will emerge!]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The Overgeared members lost hope. Piaro¡¯s expression stiffened. Hundreds of beautiful subuses with purple skin flew through the air.


    ¡º Ah, this is impossible. .¡»


    ¡º The great demon that makes even the Overgeared Guild useless... How can anyone kill it? Now the continent will be in turmoil and there will be limitations on game y. ¡»


    ¡º There¡¯s no hope unless the Saharan Empirees out at arge scale. ¡»


    The atmosphere of the world sank. It wasn¡¯t just one or two people who were afraid of the future that the great demon would bring. Then a sword fell from the sky. The bodies of the subuses attacking the Overgeared members were wounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the dy.¡±


    The sky above the sky. It was the emergence of Sword Saint Kraugel.

 Chapter 571

    ck ck, ck ck.


    It was in an instant. Bairan, which had been ruined by the aftermath of the war, was rapidly recovering. The wreckage of copsed houses were removed in the blink of an eye and new buildings were built again in its ce. It was possible due to therge number of manpower.


    A total of 70,000 people were working faithfully under the leadership of Asmophel and the five high rankers. Their physical force, tempered by the long march, was truly wonderful. Heavy loads were easily transported and they could make mountains in a few hours. They also had plenty of gold due to therge amount of golden armor that Duke Lucilliv¡¯s soldiers were armed with.


    In the future, Bairan would be iparably bigger and more abundant. However, there was one crucial problem.


    ¡®There isn¡¯t enough food.¡¯


    Duke Lucilliv didn¡¯t have enough food for 100,000 troops. It was his arrogance that thought he could end the war quickly. The food kept in Bairan was also low. They would run out of food in the next fortnight. Asmophel¡¯s eyes were bitter as he looked at the fields that were deserted due to the war.


    ¡®It would be nice if there was one farmer directly taught by Piaro.¡¯


    He could¡¯ve trained farmers in Bairan and grew rainbow potatoes to solve the food shortage. The rainbow potato was a specialty of Reidan. It grew very fast, tasted good, and had high nutritional value. But there were no Reidan farmers present in Bairan. It was regrettable.


    ¡®We¡¯re in a war and Reidan can¡¯t afford the food but... We will need to import food.¡¯


    His greedy lord would be sad, but they had to sell the gold.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Asmophel was looking at the fields when he saw someoneing from far away. The person gradually got closer. He was wearing dirty clothes and a straw hat. He was carrying various types of farming equipment at his waist. This was a farmer.


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    The direction that the farmer came from had a forest where various monsters popped up. A farmer broke through that forest alone and reached this ce? Asmophel saw that the approaching farmer was an unusual person.


    ¡°Eh? Are you Asmophel, Piaro¡¯s friend?¡±


    "You...!¡±


    Color returned to Asmophel¡¯s face as he confirmed the identity of the approaching farmer. It was the farmer taught by Piaro before Piaro left for Siren, Hurent. He came to Bairan!


    "Indeed, you are a person Piaro cared for. It was a great choice to train you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "You predicted that Bairan needed you and ran over? Really great. Long words aren¡¯t necessary. Please help clear the fields."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Teach the farmers in Bairan and grow the rainbow potatoes.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Then we will have enough food to feed 70,000 people!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°Then I am asking you.¡±


    [The hidden quest ¡®Solve Bairan¡¯s Food Crisis¡¯ has been created.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Aura Master Hurent. He came a long way with the belief that he was protecting Reidan¡¯s fields, only to be a farmer in Bairan. The Overgeared members were unaware of this.


    ***


    "There¡¯s no answer.¡±


    "These status conditions arepletely...¡±


    The Overgeared members grumbled. The great demon Belial summoned the 32nd Hell and subuses emerged. Debuffs were stacked on debuffs. Due to these status conditions, the Overgeared members were extremely weakened, as if they were naked. Even Maxong was upset, while one of Overgeared¡¯s best members, Faker had already died. It was also Belial¡¯s second stage.


    ¡°This monster...¡±


    Raiding a great demon? At this point, it waspletely impossible. It would be a few years before they could challenge it. As a simple example, the level 452 was forced on the defensive against Belial.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Belial used the fires of hell to create stronger mes that burned around Piaro¡¯s body. Piaro defended quickly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hope.¡±


    Yes, the situation was so desperate there was no hope that the Belial raid would seed. Now only despair was left.


    "Of course, I won¡¯t give up so easily.¡±


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t intend to give up. Their guild master Grid never gave up, so how could the people gathered under him give up?


    ¡°Wear some clothes and go home!¡¯


    "Sadistic things!"


    The subuses had sensual bodies. The Overgeared members started aiming their weapons at the various beautiful women who werecking clothing. However, none of them could do anything big except for Ibellin. The level of the 32 Hell subuses were level 320, while the average level of the Overgeared members was in the mid 200s.


    "Huhuhut, you look sexy when angry. Now rx. I¡¯ll make you feel good.¡±


    "I want to lick your skin.¡±


    The subuses started to bewitch the Overgeared members. There were at least 50 subuses and it was difficult to reject the charms of beautiful women. They became more desperate at the sight of hundreds of subuses flying in the distance.


    [You have been caught by the subus¡¯ bewitchment!]


    [It¡¯s hard to control your body.]


    [Magic resistance is reduced by 40%!]


    ¡°You will be delicious to eat.¡±


    The subuses¡¯ faces were red with ecstasy as they revealed their true nature. They started to absorb the stamina of the bewitched members.


    ¡°Ugh....¡±


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    The Overgeared members were caught by pain or pleasure and quickly became helpless. Then solid lines that resembled spiderwebs shed across the field of view of the confused Overgeared members. They couldn¡¯t hear anything. There were just shes. But the result was amazing.


    [The subus who has bewitched you has died.]


    [You are free from the bewitchment.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Overgeared members were astonished. The subuses that threatened them were turning to grey?


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    Who could kill dozens of level 320 monsters instantly? How many people in the world could use a wide area skill with such power? The Overgeared members were feeling stunned when a familiar voice was heard.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the dy.¡±


    The sky above the sky. It was the emergence of Sword Saint Kraugel. The darkness of hell was split in half as he leapt lightly over the hellfire river. He approached Belial, who was driving Piaro on the defensive, and aimed his sword at her weak spot.


    [The distance with Belial is too close! You will receive 500 heat damage and 2,500 burn damage! You have resisted.]


    [Belial¡¯s darkness has invaded your heart. You have resisted.]


    [Your mental... You have resisted.]


    [Super Sensitivity has scanned the subject¡¯s body.]


    [It¡¯s hard to expect a big effect from shing attacks. A stabbing attack is rmended.]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 9,530 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Ack?!¡±


    Belial¡¯s eyes widened. A new human appeared, jumped towards her stomach, and stabbed her? The stinging pain made Belial feel ufortable.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The great demon asked about a yer. But Kraugel didn¡¯t care. To Kraugel, a great demon was just a monster that gave better items. He ignored Belial¡¯s question and supported Piaro.


    ¡°Brother, you have suffered.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Piaro¡¯s eyes shook. Kraugel was clearly different from before. It was amazingpared to when Piaro was a great swordsman.


    "You have finally be a Sword Saint!¡±


    Piaro had appreciated Kraugel from the start. He could see that Kraugel was a person with more talent than himself. He believed that Kraugel could achieve the status of Sword Saint. It was faster than expected. Kraugel¡¯s talent was much better than Piaro expected. It was Grid-like talent.


    "I was able to achieve it due to Brother¡¯s teachings. In addition, Grid... Brother¡¯s lord also helped.¡±


    ¡°Hah... Haha.¡±


    His own hard work and talent was attributed to others? Piaro really couldn¡¯t hate a person like that. Piaro couldn¡¯t help congratting him, rather than feeling envious.


    "Congrattions. We should spar at ater date.¡±


    "Shouldn¡¯t we spar after defeating the great demon first? I¡¯m not Brother¡¯s opponent yet.¡±


    At this moment, Kraugel wasn¡¯t better than Piaro. Lauel also knew this. Kraugel had be a Sword Saint in the National Competition¡¯s PvP finals. He was only level 160. This was the conclusion Lauel came to based on Kraugel¡¯s understanding, intelligence, hunting ability, title effects, and Yura¡¯s level up speed after she became a Demon yer. It was possible to reach level 160 in such a short amount of time because he was Kraugel. Lauel rated him extremely high.


    ¡®But now I see...¡¯


    Just like Grid, Kraugel was another person that Lauel couldn¡¯t analyze. Kraugel killed 50 subuses that were level 320. He might have passed level 200 instead of being level 160.


    ¡®Is there hope?¡¯


    Belial was a monster that even Piaro couldn¡¯t cope with. Kraugel¡¯s level was much higher than expected, but it was doubtful that he could threaten Belial when Piaro couldn¡¯t. However, Lauel already decided to believe in him. Kraugel wasn¡¯t the type of person to spit out frivolous words. It was obvious he had some method.


    The moment that Lauel felt faith.


    ¡°This human dares ignore me.¡±


    Kraugel was attacked by Belial. She attacked Kraugel with fists and feet covered with mes. Kraugel avoided it with Super Sensitivity and his innate insights. Then he made a party with Piaro and Damian. The party system was one of the few systems that NPCs and yers shared. Piaro epted the party invitation without hesitation and was surprised.


    [You are in the field of party leader Kraugel]


    [Sword Saint¡¯s Aura is perfectly applied. The damage done to enemies will increase by 30%. The damage of sword rted skills will double. This willst for the duration of the party.]


    It was the same with Damian.


    [You can vaguely feel the party leader Kraugel¡¯s field.


    [Sword Saint¡¯s Aura is slightly applied. The damage done to enemies will increase by 10%. This willst for the duration of the party.]


    ¡®A party buff?¡¯


    Was this the dignity of a legendarybat ss? Kraugel shouted to the amazed Damian. It was surprising that he could talk in the middle of avoiding Belial¡¯s continuous attacks.


    "Give Brother the buff!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Light¡¯s Blessing!¡±


    [Attack power, defense, and uracy has increased by 80%.]


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Strength flooded into Piaro. It felt like he became another person.


    Chaaeng!


    Kraugel could no longer escape from Belial¡¯s attack and started bleeding. He stepped back while defending and handed White Fang to Piaro. Piaro became confused as he received the sword. Why was a swordsman handing Piaro his sword? The question was quickly resolved.


    "Can you show me your peak technique during your time as a great swordsman? Please enlighten my ignorant self.¡±


    "My peak swordsmanship...!¡±


    Supreme Swordsmanship. The most powerful swordsmanship born on the East Continent that was proud of its power. His Free Farming style was based on the Supreme Swordsmanship, but it was inevitable that the power was inferiorpared to the killing swordsmanship. Piaro grasped Kraugel¡¯s intentions and didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°Running away!¡±


    As Belial chased after the retreating Kraugel, Piaro wielded the sword.


    ¡°Supreme Swordsmanship 4th Style.¡±


    It felt like the flow of time stopped for Piaro. He stood alone with the sword. He didn¡¯t shake as he faced Belial who was approaching here.


    "You¡¯re so overwhelmed that you have be a stone statue!¡±


    Belial shouted as her momentum increased.


    "Splitting the Sky.¡±


    The sky fell.


    Kurururung!


    Piaro timed it precisely for the moment when Belial narrowed the distance.


    Kwajak!


    Kwajajajajak!


    Hundreds of energy des poured from the fallen sky. It turned thendscape of hell and Belial into rags.


    ¡°K...Kuooooock!¡±


    The third scream. Following Pounding Mortar and Fated to Perish, Belial¡¯s health gauge once again decreased. It was a weak level, but there was new hope.


    Kkuok.


    Kraugel received White Fang back from Piaro and moved. He took the same stance as Piaro.


    ¡°Swordsmanship Creation.¡±


    The strongest swordsman.


    "Splitting the Sky.¡±


    He inherited the power of the strongest swordsman.


    Kurururung!


    Once again, the sky copsed and Belial couldn¡¯t even scream.

 Chapter 572

    [Swordsmanship Creation]


    You can create new sword techniques.


    The number of times it can be created will increase every time the level of ¡®Complete Sword Mastery¡¯ increases.


    * The term sword techniques refers to skills that can be used when wearing sword type weapons.


    * There are six factors that determine the power of the created sword technique.


    * Passive skills can¡¯t be created.


    Number of sword techniques that can be created: 3/4


    Swordsmanship Creation was literally creation. It waspletely different from copying and had the same concept as ¡®Item Creation¡¯ possessed by Grid. In other words, Kraugel¡¯s Splitting the Sky wasn¡¯t a copy of Piaro¡¯s. It was redesigned and created to be more powerful. This was intended from the beginning.


    The reason Kraugel asked Piaro to use his peak swordsmanship technique was for this skill. Was it because he wanted to obtain a great sword technique for free? No, it wasn¡¯t such lowly greed. This was pure respect.


    Kraugel desired to leave a trace of Piaro on the path of the Sword Saint that he would develop in the future. In order to prevent the blood and sweat that Piaro umted as a great swordsman, Kraugel sacrificed his precious Swordsmanship Creation. In fact, the redesigned Splitting the Sky didn¡¯tpare very well with the skills of a Sword Saint.


    "Splitting the Sky.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s lofty will was conveyed to Piaro. Piaro didn¡¯t doubt Kraugel. He was also a swordsman. He grasped Kraugel¡¯s intentions and felt gratitude.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Belial couldn¡¯t even scream. Kraugel didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    They were persistent. Kraugel continued to stab White Fang at Belial. This was the stab that he practiced infinitely in the game as he attempted to be a Sword Saint. It was in and basic, but the t damage was powerful because it hit a weak spot.


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    [Critical!]


    Complete Sword Mastery enhanced attack power, attack speed, critical damage chance, and critical damage when using sword type weapons. Now it exerted its power. The Overgeared members saw Belial shaking in pain and felt hope towards the great demon raid.


    ¡®Overwhelming a great demon...!¡¯


    ¡®This is the sky above the sky! Maybe we can seed in this raid!¡¯


    The Overgeared members¡¯ courage started boiling at the thought of such a great figure helping them. They threw away their weak hearts and fought their best against the remaining subuses. On the other hand, Kraugel was feeling doubts.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t she avoid it?


    Belial¡¯s physical abilities were transcendent. As a great demon, she was one of the top 100 named bosses in Satisfy. The yers¡¯ stats couldn¡¯t bepared to hers. But it was strange. She allowed the attacks of a level 214 yer?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... Is it that she can¡¯t avoid it, rather than she won¡¯t?


    The title effects, hidden quest rewards, and elixirs meant Kraugel¡¯s agility was higher than some level 300 yers. Kraugel¡¯s movements were fast and above all, they were irregr due to Super Sensitivity. But the great demon should be able to respond. Kraugel was feeling puzzled when he thought about something.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    He thought about the way that Belial fought. The kicks and punches were fast and powerful, but were they threatening? No. Belial solely relied on her physical abilities while her techniques werecking. Her attacks were threatening because of the mes.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t a martial artist?¡¯


    The moment that Kraugel noticed this.


    "I won¡¯t take it anymore.¡±


    A cold smile appeared on the face of Belial who had been stabbed several times. At the same time, it happened.


    Kuaaaaaaang!


    ck magic exploded around Belial. The dark magic power extended all over the ce and dried up the nearby subuses, making them look like mummies. However, the target Kraugel was safe. The moment that Belial had exploded the dark magic, he predicted the range of the explosion and retreated outside it. It was an evasion that utilized the legendary footwork only avable for a Sword Saint, Flow.


    ¡°The more I look, the more amazing it is. Your physical abilities are much more efficient than any other I have seen.¡±


    Belial frankly admired it. She could afford to feel this way. Kraugel sweated as he confirmed that all the subuses within range of the magic explosion were dead.


    ¡®Magician...!¡¯


    Yes, Belial¡¯s specialty was magic, not physical fighting. Belial¡¯s real power was that she could use magic in an instant. This meant she had overpowered Piaro and Overgeared without using any of her skills. Kraugel¡¯s posture became tense. It was the special defense stance of a Sword Saint that raised defense, blocking probability, and evasion rate.


    ¡®Buy a bit more time.¡¯


    The great demon had a penalty in exchange for being summoned. He had Hao, who came with him to Reinhardt, observe from the outskirts of the hell. Kraugel¡¯s goal was to hold on as long as possible until the whisper arrived.


    Belial waved her hand.


    ¡°I will inscribe my mes in your bones.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    The mes around Belial¡¯s body started to gather at once point. At the same time, her exposed skin was covered with dark energy, spreading like it was a dress. The directors of the broadcastingpanies in each country were relieved. They almost had a heart attack when the broadcast changed to 19+.


    ¡°Taste my mes!¡±


    The mes gathered at Belial¡¯s fingertips and took the shape of a staff. At first nce, the staff was filled with enormous magic power. It clearly emphasized the firepower of the queen of fire.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°...!¡±


    A storm of mes! Belial wielded her staff and a storm of mes aimed at Kraugel. Unlike typical spells, this one required no preparatory action and caught Kraugel, who was leaving his position with Flow. The moment Kraugel evaded the first spell, Belial immediately used a second spell.


    However, the form of the second spell was very different. The first spell shot out in a straight line, while the second spell was 13 firestorms emerging from the ground. Of course, this irregrity couldn¡¯t threaten Kraugel. Kraugel had godly control. It was evaluated that his control ability had reached the domain of a god. He twisted his body in evasive maneuvers and escaped from the magic.


    The real problem was the third magic bombardment.


    Kurururung!


    Wide area magic fell from the sky. It was a meteor bombardment that had never been seen after Satisfy opened.


    ¡°Meteor!¡±


    Supreme magic used by Belial!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The range of the meteors was too wide and the speed of the fall was tremendous. They couldn¡¯t be avoided, even at Kraugel¡¯s level.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Resisted the burn damage.]


    [Your right arm has been fractured by a meteorite. This is an unstoppable physical force.]


    [You have suffered 23,900 damage.]


    [The confusion has been resisted.]


    ¡°Ku....ock!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Kraugel groaned as he was hit by the meteor bombardment. Piaro and Damian also got hit and coughed up blood. Isabel and the Overgeared members were no exception. In particr, almost all the Overgeared members below level 300 died. The viewers were shocked. The power of the rumored Meteor was stronger than the red phoenix that Grid and Jishuka summoned!


    Kurururu!


    The 32nd Hell was ruined by the meteor bombing. Clouds of ash spread through the hell and the waters of hellfire boiled over everywhere. It was truly frightening. Belial¡¯s eyes were cold as she looked over the groaning Overgeared members.


    "That brat?¡±


    The human called Kraugel. She wanted to kill him for inflicting terrible pain on her. But he couldn¡¯t be seen at all?


    "Hiding like a rat.¡±


    He must¡¯ve used this opportunity to run away. Belial scoffed and used a spell again.


    "Can you survive this time?¡±


    Kurururung!


    Dark fireballs appeared in the sky above the hell. It was a precursor of a second Meteor. Belial had infinite magic power and could use supreme magic twice in a row.


    ¡°Cough! Cough cough! Piaro...?¡±


    They would be wiped out. Piaro couldn¡¯t resurrect. Lauel evaluated the situation and barely found Piaro. Due to his proximity to Belial, Piaro was seriously wounded by Meteor. He had fallen and couldn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°P-Piaro!¡±


    New meteorites were about to fall from the sky. Lauel was desperate. Piaro was the teacher for Grid and the Overgeared members. He was one of the strongest in Overgeared. What would happen if they lost him? If so, the Overgeared Guild would decline. Piaro¡¯s presence was that great.


    ¡°I...! I will die 100 times if it means you...!¡±


    Stagger.


    Lauel took weak steps forward. Despite the fact that he could be killed by Belial at any time, he kept moving without any fear. He was only thinking about protecting Piaro. Belial confirmed that Lauel¡¯s gaze was fixed on Piaro and found it amusing.


    "Yes, you want to save Muller¡¯s descendant?¡±


    Belial¡¯s misunderstanding of Piaro was still intact. Under the meteors in the sky, she aimed at Piaro with her staff, creating a fire spear.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Muller¡¯s descendant is right here.¡±


    Kraugel suddenly appeared behind Belial and stabbed her. It was a stab filled with tremendous energy.


    "My name will surpass Muller!¡±


    Kuoooooh!


    Kraugel roared like a dragon as he stabbed Belial¡¯s neck.


    ¡°What nonsense.¡±


    The moment that Belial moved the fire spear from Piaro to Kraugel.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡±


    [The Demon yer has exerted influence on the 32nd Hell.]


    [The debuffs of the 32nd Hell are temporarily turned off!]


    [The power of the 32nd Great Demon Belial has sharply fallen!]


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Belial was shocked. Her eyes bulged as a fire arrow flew towards her eyes.

 Chapter 573

    Belial was overflowing with confidence.


    Kraugel¡¯s sword that was about to pierce her neck? It had a sharp orbit, but was too slow. Kraugel had excellent technical abilities, but low physical abilities. She was confident that the fire spear could destroy him before the sword hit her neck.


    The farmer who was supposed to be Sword Saint Muller¡¯s sessor? He was in a critical state after being struck by several meteorites. Both legs were broken and he couldn¡¯t move properly. She could kill him at any time. The others? She could burn all of them to death.


    Thus, Belial was certain of her victory in battle. But life was always unpredictable. This providence wasn¡¯t applied only to humans, but great demons as well.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Belial¡¯s calm expression suddenly stiffened. Half of the almost infinite magic power in her body was lost, while the magic of the 32nd Hell faded. It also triggered the stop of Meteor.


    ¡°T-This power...!¡±


    Belial could feel it instinctively. It was the emergence of a being who was the ¡®nemesis¡¯ of the great demons. The name...


    Demon yer. An existence that could destroy hells. Unlike Muller, who defeated the great demons who descended to the earth, the Demon yer of the past came to hell and ¡®hunted¡¯ the great demons. The Demon yer had devastated five hells.


    A chill went down Belial¡¯s spine.


    ¡®Muller¡¯s descendant and a Demon yer are present at the same time?¡¯


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Belial was weakened and confused when a fire arrow shot at her. Shooting a fire arrow at the queen of mes? Belialughed as she absorbed the mes, since this would be food for her recovery.


    ¡°Ack?!¡±


    Belial felt a stinging pain. Surprisingly, the mes around the arrow were the antithesis of Belial¡¯s mes.


    ¡®Divine fire of a red phoenix?¡¯


    How did a person on the West Continent get ess to a red phoenix¡¯s fire? Belial tried to remain calm despite the constant chaos. She turned her gaze in the direction that the red phoenix fire came from. She saw two beautiful human women. There was a woman with beautiful white skin and impressive ebony hair. The other woman had tanned skin that was full of sticity. They were aiming at Belial with a gun and bow.


    ¡®Alex¡¯s gun!¡¯


    It was dangerous. Evil creatures that were hit by a Demon yer¡¯s cleansing shot would gradually weaken. Belial tried to avoid it but Kraugel¡¯s sword was already prating her neck.


    ¡°K...Kuaaaack!"


    Belial¡¯s confusion deepened. From her point of view, Kraugel¡¯s stats were lower. Yet why did she get hurt every time?


    Puok!


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    Puuok!


    Kraugel¡¯s sword pierced her, Yura¡¯s bullets hit her chest and Jishuka¡¯s arrows hit her, causing Belial to cough up blood. Her gaze headed towards Kraugel, who was grabbing her ankle.


    ¡°I see...! Muller¡¯s sessor is you, not that farmer!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t inherit Muller¡¯s skills. I am the new Sword Saint that will surpass him.¡±


    ¡°That is nonsense...!¡±


    There was a Sword Saint, Demon yer, and a farmer with potential equal to them. From the viewpoint of a great demon:


    ¡®This is the worst scenario!¡¯


    The legends that could threaten the great demons. The frequency of humans who reached this high level was historically very low. It was normally one person per era. Yet on this day, four people with that strength emerged. Belial thought it was unfair.


    ¡®Why is it when I appeared?¡¯


    Did that damn Reba curse her?


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Belial bit her lips as she received a steady stream of bullets and fire arrows. She could destroy the magic and arrows if she could exert her full ability, but Belial was currently in a greatly weakened state. Her pride was damaged. The problem was that all her paths to avoid the attacks were read by Kraugel and blocked. If she tried to move to the left, he would appear and stab his sword. If she tried to dodge to the right, he was already standing there and blocking her.


    It felt like she was moving in the palm of his hand. It was unpleasant.


    Puoook!


    ¡°...!¡±


    A spear prated Belial¡¯s heart as she shook. It was Rail Spear thrown by Pon. In addition to Pon, the Overgeared members who came from Patrian bombarded Belial with their ultimate attacks. The subuses were weakened due to the effect of Hell Regtion and couldn¡¯t threaten the Overgeared members.


    This was also thanks to the great magician, Earl Ashur. A great demon was an opponent that his magic didn¡¯t work on. Earl Ashur concentrated his magic on fighting the subuses, not Belial. The Overgeared members were safe from subuses thanks to Earl Ashur and nd.


    ¡°Ugh! These little things!¡±


    Belial¡¯s anger soared into the sky as her health went down to two-thirds.


    "I would rather show this form than suffer this humiliation!¡±


    Belial was the queen of fire and darkness, but before that, she was the queen of lies. She used a beautiful false appearance in order to deceive humans. Now her real appearance was revealed.


    Jjejeok!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Belial¡¯s skin started to crack. The appearance of boilingva and demonic energy from the cracks was awful.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    Belial broke away from her human form. Her body was made ofva and her four legs touched the ground. Her bloody eyes looked in every direction.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik! Once you see this form, you can never survive!¡±


    She was certain that the legends of this time still hadn¡¯t achieved full growth. There might be a lot of them, but they were still young buds. She could step on them without any fear.


    Kurururung!


    The storm of mes filled with demonic energy covered the whole area. Kraugel, Piaro, Damian, and Isabel who were rtively close to Belial were severely wounded.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    It was serious. The damage umted and they couldn¡¯t take any potions. They waited for death.


    ¡®I can¡¯t use Heal on its own!¡±


    Damian felt an awful sense of helplessness. As the Goddess¡¯ Agent and Reba Church¡¯s Pope, why couldn¡¯t he y a big role against a great demon? Damian was in shock.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been a bigger help if I was a priest.¡¯


    Yes, heals would¡¯ve been able to increase the fighting strength of his colleagues. But he specialized in buffs. The problem was that the buff durations didn¡¯tst long. Damian made a dark expression and was calling himself a useless human being when he heard Piaro¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You did your best. Without you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight this far.¡±


    ¡°P-Piaro!¡±


    Damian was upset. Piaro used a hoe as a cane and approached Belial.


    ¡°I will buy time. Both of you retreat.¡±


    Piaro thought about it. Kraugel, Damian, Yura, Jishuka and the other Overgeared members. They were all young. A beautiful future was guaranteed for them. If they grew and developed their talents, they would be able to defeat great demons more powerful than Belial.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±


    Kraugel and Damian had no desire to escape while Piaro soon approached Belial. Belial thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even stand properly.¡±


    Yes, if he wished.


    ¡°I will kill you first!¡±


    In the first ce, Piaro was the strongest and most threatening. It was safe to get rid of him first. Belial changed her target to Piaro.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Jishuka was crazy. The arrows no longer aimed at Belial as they flew randomly. The fire arrows exploded on the ground and attacked her allies.


    ¡°Hah! Hahahahahat!¡±


    Belial¡¯s eyes widened because she couldn¡¯t understand and she burst outughing.


    ¡°Attacking your teammates? You must¡¯ve gone crazy because you can¡¯t beat me!¡±


    Humans were too weak and inferior. It was interesting to watch them in many ways. Huroi rode a wyvern and shouted at the delighted Belial.


    ¡°You evil creature! Your parents are angels! You fell from heaven!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Insulting this great body? Saying that the parents of a great demon were angels? using a great demon of falling from heaven!


    ¡°H-How dare you?¡±


    It was the first time she heard such insults in her thousands of years of living. She was several times angrier than when her power was sealed by Yura or when her movements were sealed by Kraugel. The moment that Belial¡¯s eyes became incensed.


    ¡°My body is light.¡±


    ¡°This is amazing.¡±


    Piaro, Kraugel, Isabel, and Damian emerged from Jishuka¡¯s mes. Belial was surprised when she saw their status.


    ¡°Recovery?¡±


    That¡¯s right. The humans who she thought would be burned by the mes had actually been healed. In particr, Piaro¡¯s broken legs had returned to normal.


    ¡°How is it? I¡¯m the main healer of Overgeared.¡±


    Jishuka puffed up her chest proudly and bragged. The male viewers around the world watched her with hearts in their eyes.


    -She¡¯s sexy and cute.


    -I want to be hit by Jishuka¡¯s arrows.


    -The previous person is right.


    -Ah...I want to join Overgeared.


    -If I be stronger like Kraugel, I can join Overgeared.


    -Do you think you can be like Kraugel or Overgeared?


    -I want to fight.


    The ratings of the Belial raid peaked. It was slightly lower than the highest ratings established by Grid in the National Competition. Was it possible for Overgeared to defeat the great demon? The whole world was paying attention.


    ¡°Light of Destruction.¡±


    Demon yer Yura used her ultimate skill. A pir of light covered Belial.


    At the same time, Seoul, South Korea.


    "My share...?¡±


    Youngwoo, who had been nervous for his colleagues, now felt irritated.

 Chapter 574

    [Light of Destruction Lv. 1]


    Can only be used against demonkin.


    Attacks the target with 2,070% of your physical attack power and 3,430% of your magic attack power. In addition, there will be ovepping pration damage ording to the number of demonic essences consumed. Prates a maximum of five demonkin in a straight line. The damage will be applied equally to all.


    A target hit by the Light of Destruction will temporarily lose their magic.


    Demonic power is the origin of demonkin.


    Once a demonkin loses their unique power, all their stats are reduced by 50% for three minutes and it is impossible to recover health.


    Cooldown: 4 hours (half when used in a hell)


    Mana Consumption: 1,799


    Demonic Essence Consumption: From 5 to 500.


    A Demon yer used magic bullets and swordsmanship as their main forms of attack. This meant they had to distribute stat points equally to strength and intelligence. She couldn¡¯t afford to allocate stat points to agility and stamina, so her attack speed, defense, and evasion rate were low. But her skill damage was great.


    If Yura had possessed more than 100 demonic essence, she would¡¯ve dealt a fatal blow to Belial.


    Peeeeeong!


    Arge hole was formed in Belial¡¯s body after she was pierced by the jade pir of light. As one of the ultimate skills of a Demon yer, it really was a threat to a great demon.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaack!¡±


    The demonic energy raging around Belial¡¯s body disappeared like it was a mirage. Belial screamed loudly. The physical pain was great, but the mental suffering associated with losing her demonic energy was greater. Piaro and Isabel rushed towards her. The most powerful buffs of a Goddess¡¯ Agent and Pope were amplifying their strength.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Lifael¡¯s Spear struck seven times per second. Isabel¡¯s stabbing attacks annoyed Belial.


    "Damn Reba¡¯s servant!¡±


    The wounds caused by Reba¡¯s divine artifact caused pain even when defending. It was meaningless if she avoided it. However, Isabel received a buff in her White Transformation state, while Belial¡¯s stats fell by 50%. It was difficult to avoid.


    Puk!


    Puooooock!


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow stabbed Belial. This was real pain.


    ¡°Uhh!¡±


    In the midst of this terrible pain,


    ¡°Kieeeeeeek!¡±


    Belial lost her temper and started to counterattack.


    Dududududung!


    Hellfire! Hundreds of mes stretched out like fists towards Piaro and Isabel¡¯s body.


    ¡°Kuoong!¡±


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Piaro and Isabel tried to defend as much as possible.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    The powerful blow from Sword Saint Kraugel cut through all the space of heaven and earth, and struck Belial¡¯s body. This was one of the reasons why Kraugel told Lauel that they could seal Belial. This was a powerful blow. Originally, Kraugel would¡¯ve used this skill after Hao found Belial¡¯s weakness from outside the hell. But Yura¡¯s Light of Destruction had weakened Belial.


    Kraugel used Space Sword earlier than nned and dealt catastrophic damage to Belial. The presence of a Sword Saint was revealed at this time.


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 11,300,599 damage to the target.]


    [The target has suffered irreparable damage! All attributes are reduced by 20% and all speeds are reduced by 50%!]


    [The target tried to resist. Only half the debuffs are applied.]


    [The target has exposed their weakness! For 30 seconds, any attacks to the target will unconditionally be a critical hit! Critical damage will be 1.5 times higher!]


    [The target¡¯s resistance has failed.]


    [...!]


    [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]


    [Your powerful sword has cut the world!]


    Paaaat!


    At that moment. The strike prated Belial and headed outside the 32nd Hell they were trapped in. The earth, mountain, sea, and sky. All things that existed in the path of the sword energy were split in half.


    [The power of a Sword Saint has been revealed.]


    [The peak swordsmanship is fighting against the world.]


    [The earth¡¯s gods have used their power. Everything split in half is restored.]


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    ¡º ...!!! ¡»


    This phrase appeared in front of all yers connected to Satisfy.


    Kurururu!


    The group shook for a while and all yers on the continent doubted the reality.


    ¡°The world...¡±


    ¡°It split apart?¡±


    ¡°Sword Saint!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    The person who had been in the top rankings since Satisfy opened. At this moment, the world knew what hidden ss he chose that made him step down from the throne. Youngwoo¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the TV.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the time to be happy about the growth of his allies like Piaro and Yura. Hispetitor had split the world with a sword while he was sitting in front of the TV? He didn¡¯t like this situation.


    Puoook!


    "Oppa...¡±


    Sehee saw her brother¡¯s clenched fists and looked worried. But she was soon relieved. It was because she saw the smile spreading on Youngwoo¡¯s face.


    ¡®You¡¯re a goodpetitor.¡¯


    Sehee thought. The stronger Kraugel was, the stronger and more enlightened her brother would be. Somehow, she felt that way.


    ***


    ¡°...Ha?¡±


    Behen Archipgo, the 61st ind.


    A man fought Lantier, the undead left behind by Pagma, who was Baal¡¯s Contractor. Itsted day and night and he barely knocked Lantier down. It was Agnus, Baal¡¯s Contractor. He swept back the pale green hair that was wet with sweat. Golden eyes shed as notification windows appeared before him.


    [The power of a Sword Saint has been revealed.]


    [The peak swordsmanship is fighting against the world.]


    ¡°Kik... Kikik, the earthquake just now was caused by him?¡±


    The strongest legendary ss, Sword Saint. Who could it be? It was a no-brainer.


    ¡°Kraugel.¡±


    The rat had disappeared and now appeared more brilliantly than ever. They would meet again soon. It was fun just thinking about it. It was thrilling.


    ¡°Kik... Kilkik! Kuahahahat!¡±


    Insaneughter echoed in the Behen Archipgo.


    The face of Bini the fairy was pale. ¡®Sticks, I¡¯m scared. This guy is too dangerous.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Belial was weakened by the Light of Destruction and Space Sword in session. The Overgeared members started their full offensive. Vantner and Toban marked the subuses with Earl Ashur. Regas opened the power of an Asura while all the damage dealers attacked Belial, including Pon on a white horse.


    Ibellin was the one who yed the most remarkable role. He used the Thorn of Deep Grievance that Grid made during the Tzedakah Guild days. He often used the skill attached to it, Laceration, when raiding boss monsters and seeded in dealing 60% fixed damage to Belial¡¯s heath!


    [The 32nd Great Demon Belial has suffered a fatal injury!]


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    "Ibellin is amazing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better than the Sword Saint!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was a real overgeared person. Ibellin could deal big damage beyond Kraugel! Kraugel was shocked in many ways when he heard Jishuka¡¯s voice.


    "You should join Overgeared as well.¡±


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    From the time of her appearance to now, Jishuka had been firing arrows without stopping. Kraugel also admired her.


    ¡®How does she keep shooting her bow without a break? Is her stamina so high that she doesn¡¯t need to control it?¡¯


    The godly archer? Jishuka answered in a manner designed to lure Kraugel.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my item.¡±


    Jishuka winked as she exined with a cheerful expression.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was truly items. Kraugel realized that this was the true power of items.


    ¡®If I joined Overgeared...¡¯


    He would be much stronger than now, and he could be free of Ares¡¯ suppression or the madman Agnus.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t be too greedy.¡¯


    There was something called a natural destiny. Grid was a good rival before they were friends. They could depend on each other, but the basicpetitivendscape needed to be maintained. In order to reach the ¡®perfect peak,¡¯ Kraugel intended topete with Grid and use him as nutrients to grow. He didn¡¯t want to join Overgeared and Grid didn¡¯t want him either.


    ¡®In any case, Overgeared will get Agnus¡¯ aggro if I join.¡¯


    Puuok!


    Puuoooook!


    Kraugel attacked Belial without stopping while he was thinking. Under the onught of Kraugel, Piaro, Isabel, and the Overgeared members, Belial¡¯s health fell to 10%. Ibellin¡¯s deadly blow was very huge.


    ¡®It will end soon!¡¯


    ¡¯We¡¯re going to be the first yers to seed in a great demon raid!¡¯


    What was the most exhrating moment in Satisfy? It was when Grid made them new items or when they worked together to seed in boss raids. The Overgeared members were already looking forward to the titles and items that Belial would drop.


    But a great demon wasn¡¯t easy. Belial might be the 32nd great demon but the current yers weren¡¯t at Belial¡¯s level. In the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to drive Belial to this point without Piaro and Isabel.


    [The effect of the Light of Destruction has disappeared.]


    [The 32nd Great Demon Belial¡¯s unique attributes and abilities have been restored.]


    [You are scared by the terrible sight of Belial.]


    [Resistance to status conditions has dropped by 70%!]


    [Skill and magic casting time has doubled and attack speed is reduced by 20%...]


    [Belial is the queen of fire. The mes surrounding her are very hot...]


    [Resistance to fire is 0%.]


    [Due to the heat...]


    [Belial is the queen of darkness. The demonic energy...]


    [Resistance to dark magic is 0%.]


    [Use of ck magic is blocked.]


    It was okay up to here. Belial just returned to her original state. Now Belial only had 10% health left, and Kraugel and Yura judged that they could finish her off. It was an arrogant judgment.


    [The effect of Hell Regtion is over.]


    [The environment of the 32nd Hell is restored.]


    [The 32nd Great Demon Belial has absorbed the magic of hell and revealed the hell monarch¡¯s status.]


    Kurururung!


    Belial¡¯s shape was in the form of ava lump and her demonic energy started wriggling. Thunder struck after her and after a while, Belial¡¯s new appearance was revealed.


    ¡°...¡±


    The final form of Belial was the image of a devil often seen in books. She had tworge horns on her forehead while her humanoid shape emitted a hot breath.


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°Is it her real appearance?¡±


    She didn¡¯t give off any big pressure. A female demon who was only 160cm in height. She wasn¡¯t a threat when just looking at her appearance. But the Overgeared members became unusually desperate.


    ¡°W-What? Her health is full?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Belial¡¯s health, which had dropped to 10%, recovered to 100% during the transformation process. They fought for several hours with all their might, only to have to start again? The Overgeared members felt like copsing.


    Belial made a wide smile and waved her hands.


    Peeeong!


    Her demonic energy was shot out and struck Jishuka¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    The moment everyone was feeling confused.


    ¡®I¡¯ve finally found it!¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s extraordinary brain was activated.

 Chapter 575

    Pounding Mortar of Free Farming and the ultimate technique of Piaro, Fated to Perish.


    Belial¡¯s health gauge was fine despite these powerful skills being used. After that, she lost some health when hit with two Splitting the Sky. What was the reason? Lauel had pondered on it throughout the raid.


    ¡¯Is she a type of boss who only loses health after a certain amount of damage is received?¡¯


    No, the probability was extremely low.


    Pounding Mortar might not go over the damage limit, but Fated to Perish was the best single attack skill in Satisfy. It was hard to see the damage of Fated to Perish as lower than Splitting the Sky. In particr, Kraugel was low-level and it was highly likely that the damage of Splitting the Sky was lower than Fated to Perish.


    ¡®At the time of Pounding Mortar and Fated to Perish, she might¡¯ve consumed other resources instead of health...¡¯


    For example, a mana shield.


    ¡®But I didn¡¯t see the specific effect?¡¯


    What was the cause? Lauel¡¯s thoughts deepened in the midst of the intense battle. In order to proceed with the raid, it was important to understand the characteristics of the boss. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t understand the form behind Belial¡¯s health. Now he didn¡¯t need to understand it.


    It was thanks to Yura¡¯s unique abilities. This was a situation where Belial¡¯s health fell to 10%. It was no longer necessary to know why Belial didn¡¯t lost his health at the beginning of the battle. This terrible raid would end soon.


    The moment that Lauel was feeling relieved.


    Kuuong!


    There was an explosion of thunder and demonic energy, then Belial¡¯s appearance changed. It wasn¡¯t a beautiful or a terrible appearance. She became a cold and emotionless female demon, like a doll. Wings emerged from the skin that looked like an insect¡¯s. She was ck from head to toe except for her red eyes.


    ¡°The health...¡±


    ¡°It recovered?¡±


    The Overgeared members, including Lauel, doubted their eyes. After Belial¡¯s transformation, her 10% health gauge was fully recovered to 100%.


    ¡®Recovering from the transformation?¡¯


    The majority of the Overgeared members thought this, but Lauel was different.


    ¡®Her health wasn¡¯t restored during her previous transformation process.¡¯


    It was unreasonable to think that her health had only recovered in this transformation. The morale of the Overgeared members fell, while Lauel realized Belial¡¯s true self.


    ¡®The queen of lies...!¡¯


    Let¡¯s look back. Belial. She screamed, groaned, and frowned every time she was attacked. She behaved as if she was in pain despite her health gauge being fine.


    ¡®Would she act like she felt pain if she didn¡¯t?¡¯


    It was hard to interpret it as that. There was no reason for Belial to do such a meaningless performance.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    Let¡¯s change the point of view.


    ¡®What if the actor isn¡¯t Belial, but her health gauge?¡¯


    Yes, Belial was the queen of lies. She used all types of funny gimmicks. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that she was using her health gauge as a tool of deception.


    ¡®In retrospect, Belial was rtively calm when hit by Fated to Perish and Pounding Mortar.¡¯


    But after that, she acted confused. It was due to the appearance of Piaro, Sword Saint Muller, and Demon yer Yura. Belial faced unexpected situations in session, lost her cool, and her health gauge started decreasing from that time.


    ¡®She must¡¯ve forgotten about the trick with her health gauge.¡¯


    Now he understood why her body was covered with dark insect skin.


    ¡®It was to hide her wounds.¡¯


    Lauelughed while covering half his face with his hand.


    ¡°The embodiment of Overgeared, don¡¯t be agitated by the veiled appearance of the evil demon Belial. Her ck skin is the epidermis to cover her wounded body and the emotionless expression was nothing more than a mask to hide her face of pain. Now Belial is just a weak beast wounded to the soul.¡±


    Lauel needed to increase the morale of the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members looked at Lauel with absurd expressions.


    "Acting like a chuuni in this serious situation...¡±


    "What is he saying alone?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Heh, ordinary humans couldn¡¯t understand him. Lauel smiled bitterly before exining simply. "Belial¡¯s health gauge is an illusion. As you saw earlier, her current health is only 10%. Don¡¯t worry. Unleash a full offensive and finish the raid.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lauel was saying this. The Overgeared memberspletely trusted Lauel, despite his chuuni ways.


    ¡°We will finish this infernal fighting!¡±


    "It¡¯s pointless to attack her directly! Beware of the confusion and assist Piaro, Yura, and Kraugel."


    Everyone except for Jishuka, who was severely wounded, rushed towards Belial. They were no longer fooled by the fake health gauge and burned with a desire to seed the raid. But reality was cruel. Belial¡¯s final form. Was she severely injured as Lauel interpreted? Now herbat power had risen dramatically and Kraugel and the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t go against her when they were so tired.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Hundreds of meteorites surrounded by mes fell from the sky. It was a magic phenomenon that was hard to see. It was a catastrophe itself.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    "I heard frustration raises a human!¡±


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pat!


    The Overgeared members were hit by the meteorites and turned to grey. The top powers of Kraugel, Yura, Jishuka, Damian, Pon, and Regas were severely injured.


    ¡°S-Shit...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hope...¡±


    The members of Overgeared felt desperate as they saw their dying colleagues. Then they noticed Piaro.


    "Master...!¡±


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    He repeatedly repelled the falling meteors with a sickle and hand plow. In return, his body had be bloody. His left wrist was broken and Belial was slowly approaching him.


    ¡°N-No...¡±


    The Overgeared members wanted to save Piaro. They wanted to run over and grab him. But they couldn¡¯t get up. The Overgeared members had broken arms or legs from the meteorites.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Jishuka tried shooting an arrow. The target was Piaro¡¯s feet. She intended to use the ssh healing effect of the Red Phoenix Bow. But she failed. Her fallen posture and broken fingers made it impossible to fire the arrow in the direction she wanted.


    ¡°Great Demon! I am my lord¡¯s subordinate! Don¡¯t touch the ones who will be my lord¡¯s future power!¡±


    Kuwooooh!


    As Belial reached him, Piaro raised his remaining mana as if he was burning his life force.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    He spat out blood and wielded his precious hand plow. He was aiming for Belial. But Piaro was already seriously injured.


    ¡°...¡±


    Belial avoided Piaro¡¯s attack, sted the hand plow with mes and grabbed Piaro¡¯s head.


    "I¡¯m curious about the lord you are talking about. A human monarch is weak. It¡¯s funny that you¡¯re thinking about him when on the verge of death. Now... You will all die. It¡¯s refreshing to see the human head explode like a volcanic eruption.¡±


    Kkuok!


    It was the moment when Belial was about to insert demonic power into the hand holding Piaro¡¯s head.


    ¡°Jude. Kill.¡±


    Jude had no thoughts, but the pure youth started to gain a little interest in sex. He couldn¡¯t stand seeing the exposed Belial and the subuses and was stuck in a corner during the battle. But Belial was now covered in a dark skin and the subuses were destroyed by the meteors, restoring his freedom. He finally took part in the battle.


    Puok!


    Dainsleif (Reproduction) struck Belial¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Belial was startled. A human suddenly attacked her? Why wasn¡¯t he affected by her demonic energy and attacking his friends? ¡¯In the first ce, how was he safe from the meteor bombardment?¡¯


    Kwack!


    Belial grabbed the de of Dainsleif that couldn¡¯t prate her skin.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a legend?¡±


    Grip.


    In order to not lose Dainsleif to Belial, Jude held onto the sword with bloody arms and replied.


    ¡°I. Jude.¡±


    ¡°Jude? Then you are also a legend?¡±


    ¡°I. Jude.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this state somewhat strange? Belial deemed Jude worthless and exploded Dainsleif with demonic energy.


    Peeeeeong!


    [Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been broken by the power of the great demon!]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Breaking the sword that Lord Grid gave him? Jude was furious. But his anger was futile. Piaro was held in Belial¡¯s hands and Jude was destined to die soon as well. The power of Belial was absolute.


    ¡°Jude!¡±


    The two giants that supported Overgeared were going to disappear in front of their eyes. It was a hard reality for Overgeared to ept. Everyone hoped for the survival of the two people, but Belial didn¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Peeng!


    Belial dered and fired magic at Piaro and Jude¡¯s head.


    Pahat!


    Piaro and Jude, who were held captive by Belial, disappeared from her grasp.


    ¡°What?¡±


    They disappeared without any signs of Teleport? The confused Belial looked around and suddenly turned her gaze towards the sky. The wounded Piaro and Jude were held by a strange man. The man had ck hair and sharp eyes that were reminiscent of a bird of prey.


    "A human is looking down on me?¡±


    It was ridiculous.


    ¡°Who is it now?¡±


    The ck-haired man, Grid replied to Belial.


    ¡°The lord of these people.¡±


    Kuooooooooh!


    Grid triggered ckening. Belial was disgusted when she saw his change.


    ¡°The man without a soul? H-How are you here?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Saying he didn¡¯t have a soul the first time they met?


    "I¡¯ve heard many harsh words in my life, but this is a different type of attack.¡±


    Grid handed Piaro and Jude to Saintess Ruby. He descended to the ground with a sword dance.

 Chapter 576

    ¡º Kraugel, Damian, and Overgeared... The strongest raid party, which might never happen again, is facing its biggest challenge. ¡»


    ¡º I can¡¯t see anymore hope. The opponent was too strong. It¡¯s time to get our minds together. ¡»


    The Great Demon Belial raid was a failure. There was no one who could stop her. In the future, Belial would go crazy and the continent would be filled with fear and confusion.


    ¡º After the Overgeared Guild is defeated, Belial will be based in the Eternal Kingdom and it will gradually turn into a hell. ¡»


    The yers were destined to engage in fierce fighting with the creatures raised by Belial. The difficulty of the game would rise exponentially. Everyone was feeling regret over the failure of Overgeared¡¯s raid.


    Supak!


    A blue-white light broke the darkness of hell. The remnants of sunlight poured into the cracks to reveal the ck and red 32nd Hell. One man showed up. The person who descended from light, it was the advent of Grid. He appeared with his sister Ruby and used Summon Knights to save Piaro and Jude from the crisis. He descended to the ground with a sword dance.


    ¡º G-Grid! ¡»


    ¡º Ahh! Just before the Overgeared Guild copsed, a true hero finally appeared! ¡»


    ¡º He appears with dramatic timing as usual! It¡¯s amazing! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s almost deliberate. ¡»


    ¡º Purposely sacrificing his colleagues to make a nice appearance... Haha, isn¡¯t that too big of an assumption? ¡»


    -Kuk, it is God Grid.


    -He¡¯s so cool when he uses ckening.


    -Doesn¡¯t the decadent feeling fit well with Grid?


    -By the way, how long was he fighting the 100,000 troops in Bairan? He already recovered and came to support Reinhardt?Really great stamina.


    -He must have an item that allows him to recover quickly.


    -Overgeared ??? It¡¯s truly Overgeared.


    -Grid is an overall overgeared person.


    The first legendary ss. The holder of the most medals in the National Competition. The person with the shortestbat record. The leader of Overgeared.


    The appearance of Grid, who wasparable to the sky above the sky, stirred up the whole world. The viewers all over the world felt empathy for the Overgeared members in a crisis. Now they were jubntly cheering. A great demon that was the enemy of all yers! Many people prayed that Grid would defeat Belial and bring peace to the world.


    But was it that easy?


    ¡º Isn¡¯t Gridcking in abilitypared to the more powerful Kraugel? ¡»


    ¡º Indeed... Even Kraugel¡¯s attack that split apart the world couldn¡¯t kill Belial. ¡»


    ¡º Now that all the Overgeared members are out ofbat, I wonder if Grid will be able to defeat Belial by himself...? ¡»


    ¡º He appeared toote. It would¡¯ve been nice if they fought together from the beginning... ¡»


    Were the viewers listening to thementators of the broadcastingpanies? As they denied their worries, Grid descended to the ground with terrifying momentum and showed the ultimate shing attack. It was Pinnacle Kill. Thebination of Failure and Grid¡¯s Greatsword made with Item Combination struck Belial¡¯s thick skin.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    It sounded like bells rang throughout the 32nd Hell, followed by Belial¡¯s groan. Belial stumbled and looked like she couldn¡¯t believe it. The soulless person in front of her, why did hee at this time to disturb her? Belial¡¯s confusion was revealed on the surface.


    Her 100% health gauge once again fell to 10%. The world was shocked.


    -????????????????????


    -Belial¡¯s health...?How did she lose so much health with one blow?


    -Belial¡¯s final evolution, doesn¡¯t it have low defense and high attack?


    -No matter how low the defense, this is still a great demon;;; Losing 9/10 of her blood in one blow...


    -Originally, Grid¡¯s attack power was at the level of a bug. Imagine if Grid had Kraugel¡¯s splitting the sky skill ???


    Grid¡¯s status increased due to the misunderstanding. This wasn¡¯t something that Grid intended.


    ¡°You... Showing up so suddenly and then attacking! You¡¯re still as shameless as ever! The great monarch of the 32nd Hell is talking. Listen to me!"


    Grid asked like he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°What is this nonsense? Who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense? Stop talking nonsense!¡±


    Making fun of a ruler of hell? The Great Demon Belial wasn¡¯t used to it. She was upset.


    "I will show you a bitter taste! Yes, good! Let¡¯s see how you end up today!¡±


    The soulless man suddenly appeared in hell and had an incredibly fast growth rate. He was so dangerous that he reminded her of the low-grade demonkin Iyarugt, who destroyed the ecosystem of hell in the past. Any great demons outside the 30th ce were terrified, making it necessary to get rid of him.


    But the soulless man was the master of hit-and-run, so it wasn¡¯t easy to catch him. Now there was an unexpected chance to hunt him.


    ¡°Your demonic power is just half-pure, while mine is pure power! I am the queen of darkness! I will definitely imprint it on your empty heart!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Belial exploded her demonic power. As the gravitational force spread around Grid and pulled him forward, a storm of dark lightning swallowed Grid.


    Kwajajajajak!


    There was a terrible sound, like meat and bones being crushed. The viewers and Overgeared members were terrified.


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Belial used new magic again? The moment that all the Overgeared members were surprised by the power of the great demon, Grid was swapping his items within the gravitational field.


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings have been released. ckening if forcibly cancelled.]


    [Triple Layers has been released and the Holy Light Armor has been equipped.]


    Gridpletely prated the structure of his items. Therefore, his speed at releasing items and wearing new items was really fast!


    [The effect of the Holy Light Armor has been activated, resisting the dark magic.]


    The Holy Light Armor had a low probability ofpletely resisting dark magic, making Grid safe.


    Kwarururung!


    Once the dark storm ended...


    [yer Kraugel has asked you to join the party. Would you like to ept?]


    [You have epted. You have joined the Belial Raid party.]


    [You are in the field of party leader Kraugel]


    [Sword Saint¡¯s Aura is perfectly applied. The damage done to enemies will increase by 30%. The damage of sword rted skills will double.]


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    A custom buff that existed just for Kraugel? Grid felt awe and delight while envying Kraugel¡¯s abilities. Next.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage. Linked Kill!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Puk!


    A huge greatsword appeared and dispersed the remnants of the dark storm.


    Puok!


    The second blow.


    Puuok!


    The third, fourth, and fifth blows. The final sixth attack didn¡¯t hit because it was evaded by Belial, but she had already suffered terrible damage. A total of 22 million health was lost and the health gauge dropped to 9%. Grid¡¯s Linked Kill was overwhelmingpared to the Space Sword of the still low level Kraugel. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡¯If I was Kraugel, the 6th attack would¡¯ve hit.¡¯


    It was likely that the sixth attack would even be a critical. Kraugel¡¯s ability to grasp weaknesses was based on Super Sensitivity, and it was above the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to obtain an item better than the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.¡¯


    Once again, he saw the gap between the purely power Sword Saint and Pagma¡¯s Descendant, which ultimately depended on items. But Grid didn¡¯t feel any sense of deprivation. His abilities weren¡¯t too far away and he could make an army of ¡®overgeared¡¯ people. He was fully aware of his potential for development.


    ¡°Armor with Reba¡¯s blessing? How can a demonic person wear something like that?¡±


    It was confusing when thinking about the soulless man. Belial started to focus on the battle.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    A storm of mes! Dark magic attacks weren¡¯t effective, so Belial fired all types of fire spells. The magical bombardment poured from every direction and struck Grid.


    [You have suffered 3,800 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,190 damage.]


    [You have suffered 6,930 damage.]


    [You have suffered 12,083 damage.]


    ¡®How rotten.¡¯


    It was difficult to cope with the different types of magic rushing at once. It wasn¡¯t at a fatal level due to the God Hands. Belial headed towards Grid, who was enduring the pain. Grid was wounded, so she wanted to catch him and kill him. This was a mistake. Grid smiled grimly as he faced Belial.


    "Do you know what your weakness is?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You are weak.¡±


    He realized it in the process of observing Belial through the TV. Belial was a few levels below Hell Gao. What if Hell Gao didn¡¯t have his body destroyed by Muller? Unlike Belial, Hell Gao showed strength in closebat and magic. In the first ce, Hell Gao was the master of hellfire and used hellfire directly to attack. Belial had a weaker firepower.


    "There¡¯s no problem if I directly hit you!¡±


    Grid was confident. If he had been part of the Belial raid from the beginning, they could¡¯ve seeded in raiding Belial fairly quickly!


    Chwaruruk!


    Grid smiled with satisfaction as a silver thread caught Belial¡¯s body.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Tak.


    Tak tak tak!


    Grid shouted with a red face and the Overgeared Skeletons responded. One of them wore Arube¡¯s Ring and wrapped the silver thread around Belial¡¯s body. The level 1 skeletons grabbed a great demon¡¯s ankle!


    "Iyarugt.¡±


    Kuooooh!


    Belial was temporarily restrained. An old man holding a red sword appeared.


    ¡°I-Iyarugt?¡±


    The one who the 13th monarch, Zepar, avoided...


    ¡°Sublime Sword.¡±


    Thousands of bloody thorns grew from Belial¡¯s thick skin. She was frightened and reflexively took a defensive posture. At this time, a cute cat with small horns and wings appeared in front of her eyes. Noe.


    ¡®M-Memphis?¡¯


    An endangered species and the best demonic beast of hell, a memphis! The soulless man obtained the best demonic beast that only the rulers above the 20th rank could tame?


    "W-Who are you?"


    Above Belial¡¯s head.


    Peeeeeong!


    There was a blue sh from the sky. It was Saintess Ruby¡¯s Sacrifice, which could revive someone in exchange for consuming her health and mana. The dead were revived while evil was destroyed.


    ¡°K...Kuaaaack!"


    Belial experienced the same pain as the Demon yer¡¯s attacks. The bigger problem caused her to feel fear.


    ¡®My soul..! My soul is burning!¡¯


    It was possible for great demons to reincarnate for eternity. Their bodies might be destroyed, but their souls could start a new life. This was Yatan¡¯s blessing. A great demon¡¯s power was absolute. At this moment, her soul was being threatened. An incredible strength! It was the first time Belial felt fear!


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid took advantage of this golden opportunity. Gridpleted Linked Kill Wave. After using Linked Kill Wave, Grid tried to link it with the movements of Pinnacle and Kill, only for a notification window to rise up.


    [The effect of the title ¡®Watched by the Gods¡¯ has been activated.]


    [Reba, the goddess of light who you did a favor for in the past, has given you a blessing.]


    ¡®Man who doesn¡¯t know how to give up, condemn the great demon who is threatening the world.¡¯


    [A powerful force has united Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle.]


    [The new fusion skill Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle has been learnt!]


    [The reward is toorge! There is opposition from the other gods! The title of Watched by the Gods is permanently sealed!]


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    Failure + Grid¡¯s Greatsword stabbed Belial¡¯s body in a row. This was the essence of Linked Kill.


    Kwarururung!


    Then a wave surged around the greatsword, rising up Belial¡¯s body.


    Kurururung!


    The ascended wave fell and shed Belial¡¯s body due to Pinnacle.


    [Critical!]


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    [Critical!]


    [The power of the 32nd Great Demon Belial has sharply fallen!]

 Chapter 577

    Reinhardt Pce¡¯s garden.


    There was a ck sphere present. It was an ominous sphere that emitted demonic energy. Looking at it gave the illusion that the body and soul was being sucked in. The identity of this ominous sphere? It was the 32nd Hell that Belial summoned. From the outside, it looked like it could only fit three people. However, there was another universe contained in it.


    "Hrmm..."


    Hao searched outside the sphere for Belial¡¯s weakness, only to suddenly turn his eyes towards the inner pce.


    ¡®Could it be rted to the summoner?


    King An sacrificed 9,999 virgins to summon a great demon. If he met the king, he might be able to get a glimpse of the great demon¡¯s weakness.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯


    It had been four hours since Kraugel entered the 32nd Hell. Hao was on edge because he hadn¡¯t done anything to help so far. He hastened his pace as he thought about helping Kraugel with the great demon. At that moment.


    Jjejeok!


    Jjejejejeok!


    Cracks appeared in the ck sphere.


    Kurururung!


    There was an explosion from within the ck sphere. Followed by...


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The ck sphere shattered.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...!¡±


    The sky above the sky. He had seeded in the great demon raid! Hao¡¯s heart beat faster as he was filled with joy.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pat!


    Hundreds of people started to pour out of the shattered sphere. Sword Saint Kraugel and the Overgeared members. All of them were seriously injured and bloody.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    Hao was startled. Kraugel was severely injured. He looked like he did after fighting Grid in the National Competition. It was too different from the look of a winner.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Hao was in a hurry. He ran to Kraugel and gave him various potions, only to suddenly get goosebumps. Hao moved his gaze away from Kraugel and witnessed it. The copsed remnants of the 32nd Hell. The giant demon was kneeling down in pain while Grid looked down at her.


    Hao doubted his eyes. He got chills at the sight of Grid looking down at the absolute monarch of hell.


    ¡®That¡¯s Grid...¡¯


    Hao thought. What if he had known Grid first instead of Kraugel?


    ¡®I would¡¯ve admired him.¡¯


    Of course, Kraugel was the best for the present Hao.


    ***


    [Watched by the Gods]


    The Red Phoenix Bow you produced is outstanding enough to bepared to the battle gear of the god realm.


    The gods see you as a legend who will go beyond history and eventually be a myth.


    This was the description of the title ¡®Watched by the Gods¡¯ that Grid obtained in exchange for the Red Phoenix Bow. No special features were mentioned. Grid was naturally very disappointed. He was the first yer to produce a myth rated item, but what was this title? The gods were just watching him?


    Grid was taken aback and thought it was absurd. The Satisfy team didn¡¯t consider the possibility of a yer making a myth rated item and made a bad title. But at this moment, Grid realized how great it was to have the attention of the gods.


    [The new fusion skill Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle has been learned!]


    [Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle]


    Four types of sword techniques are connected.


    1,500% of your attack power will be dealt to the target due to Linked Kill.


    If the target is hit at least four times, the damage of Linked Kill will increased by 200% and Wave will be summoned.


    Wave will affect any enemy within a range of 5 meters. It will deal 500% of your attack power and all targets hit will have all speeds decreased by 30%. In addition, there will be definite damage from the Pinnacle that follows.


    Pinnacle ignores 80% of the target¡¯s defense and deals 1,800% of your attack power as physical damage.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, Wave, and Pinnacle.


    Skill Mana Consumption: Half of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 hours.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The new ultimate technique! The power of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, born because of Goddess Reba, was above and beyond the power of Linked Kill Wave. It required fourbos for the full effect to be activated, but Linked Kill would be useless if the enemy could avoid it that many times.


    ¡®Get it right!¡¯


    Grid trusted his control. He was proud of his growth after fighting countless strong people.


    Puk.


    Puuok!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [You have dealt 25,008,519 damage to the target.]


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The weakness has been...]


    [You have dealt 2,691,399 damage to the target.]


    ¡°K...Kieeeeeek!¡±


    He was affected by Sword Saint Aura which doubled the power of his sword skills. Now he used Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. It transcended the power of two consecutive Linked Kills. Belial couldn¡¯t help screaming despite Grid¡¯s attack power being reduced because of Belial¡¯s high level. It was as painful as Piaro¡¯s Fated to Perish.


    Grid confirmed that Belial¡¯s health gauge had fallen below 4% and was excited.


    ¡®This is a scam!¡¯


    Belial had a high defense and level, so Grid¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t applied properly. Nevertheless, he inflicted more than 25 million damage. The Sword Saint Aura was great, but at this level, he could easily kill the drake that he encountered in the National Competition.


    Grid was trembling with joy when Belial wildly struck at him. This was a great demon¡¯s tenacity. It was a situation where her soul was burning. She was furious as she stood on the threshold of true death. She was determined to kill all the enemies in front of her, even if she had to die.


    ¡°Damn human!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Belial¡¯s hand stretched out towards Grid. The mes rotated like a drill. It seemed sharp enough to prate a dragon¡¯s heart and contained a powerful explosive force.


    ¡®Fast and dirty...!¡¯


    Belial¡¯s physical abilities overwhelmed even Piaro. Her technique wascking, but her speed was formidable. It wasn¡¯t a level that Grid could keep up with. Even the God Hands couldn¡¯t keep up with this speed. It was the moment when Grid faced Belial¡¯s attack and his life was threatened.


    ¡°Nayooong!¡±


    Noe, who had been acting passively after being summoned, swung his ws at Belial. For thousands of years, a memphis had been a pet of the great demons. The desire to obey the great demons that was imprinted in Noe¡¯s genes was very strong, but Noe overcame his instincts. He wanted to protect Grid who had been together with him from the moment of his birth!


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Noe passed by the God Hands and moved in front of Grid with his eleration ability. Belial¡¯s magic pierced him.


    ¡°This memphis...!¡±


    What was this? Belial was confused as she faced Noe¡¯s X-shaped eyes and red tongue sticking out. She was outraged at missing the golden opportunity to kill Grid. In fact, the great demon¡¯s distorted face was enough to put fear into the viewers.


    But the world wasn¡¯t panicked at the sight of Belial. In the first ce, it was natural to sacrifice pets if necessary. The scary thing was Grid¡¯s expression.


    -That person...?


    Grid¡¯s eyes were wild with rage and his killing intent reminded viewers of his past.


    The Cruel Butcher.


    Psychopath.


    Crazy, etc.


    There was a madness in Grid that the general public couldn¡¯t bear.


    ¡°XXXX my cute Noe...!¡±


    Originally, Grid often sacrificed his pets. Pets were like yers and resurrected no matter how many times they were killed. However, it was something that should be done with Randy and Noe¡¯s agreement. He didn¡¯t want his precious pets to be killed by the enemy when he didn¡¯t n it.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    Kwajak!


    Kwajajajak!


    Thebination of Failure + Grid¡¯s Greatsword, which had less than 20 seconds left, stretched out towards Belial. The God Hands holding Mjolnir also responded to Grid and aimed at Belial. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to hit Belial. It was impossible to pierce through Belial¡¯s defense of severalyers of fire shields and demonic energy.


    The great demon was greatly weakened from the destruction of the 32nd Hell. Still, there was an overwhelming level difference and she gradually gained the edge on Grid.


    ¡°Human! This is the difference between us! Legend? It¡¯s ridiculous! No matter how hard a human tries, you can¡¯t escape your natural limits!¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Belial stomped on the ground and mes rose and struck Grid.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid tried to defend from the unexpected magic that rose from the ground but it was already toote. The mes hit Grid¡¯s face.


    Kwa kwang!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    Yura and Jishuka turned white. It was because Grid¡¯s health gauge sharply decreased from this one blow. He would fall into the immortal state if he allowed one or two more blows.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    Belial used this momentum to aim at Grid. However, she couldn¡¯t reach Grid.


    Chaaeng!


    It was because Iyarugt¡¯s sword blocked Belial¡¯s way.


    "How long will you ignore me?¡±


    Belial scoffed at Iyarugt.


    "Your current strength is so low that you¡¯re a bug who doesn¡¯t interest me.¡±


    Belial had shrunk back when Iyarugt first appeared, but the current Iyarugt was greatly weakened. There was no reason to be afraid of him.


    ¡°This guy!¡±


    This great demon would¡¯ve never dared ignore him in the old days! Iyarugt attacked Belial. He used all his stamina and strength. But it was useless.


    Jjejeong!


    Belial easily blew away Iyarugt and aimed at Grid.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Belial yelled with an evil smile. Sheughed as she saw the mes heading towards Grid¡¯s chest.


    "Behind you.¡±


    At the same time.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Puuuok!


    The hand plow fell from the sky and struck Belial¡¯s head. It was Piaro¡¯s resurgence. After the 32nd Hell was destroyed, Ruby and Damian were able to take mana potions and concentrated their heals on Piaro.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Belial received a strong shock from the hand plow and shifted her gaze. Her blurred vision saw the massive mortar falling from the sky. It was a disaster that even a great demon couldn¡¯t avert.


    Kuwaaaaaaaang!


    [The raid of the 32nd Great Demon Belial has seeded!]


    [The soul of the 32nd Great Demon Belial has been destroyed and won¡¯t be able to reincarnate!]


    [The position of 32nd monarch has temporarily be vacant.]


    [All yers who participated in the Belial raid will receive the title ¡®Savior of the World.¡¯]


    [All yers who participated in the Belial raid will receive differentpensation based on their performance!]


    [Piaro has obtained the raid¡¯s 1st prize.]


    [Yura has obtained the raid¡¯s 2nd prize.]


    [Kraugel has obtained the raid¡¯s 3rd prize.]


    [Ibellin has obtained the raid¡¯s 4th prize.]


    [Grid has obtained the raid¡¯s 5th prize.]


    [Isabel has obtained the raid¡¯s 6th prize.]


    [Damian has obtained the raid¡¯s 7th prize.]


    [Jishuka has obtained the raid¡¯s 8th prize.]


    [¡ï Saintess Ruby has obtained extraordinary rewards in exchange for annihting the soul of the great demon!¡ï]


    [Other personnel will be given equalpensation.]


    ¡°Wow, amazing.¡±


    The Grid siblings participated in the raid at the end and still took the 5th prize and a special prize? The Overgeared members were astonished. They once again realized how great Grid was. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡¯5th ce... Well, it isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Thepensation he didn¡¯t receive was in the hands of his colleagues. There was no reason to be sorry. Piaro approached as Grid was thinking. He held Belial¡¯s staff, horns, bones, and mysterious jewels in his arms as he bowed to Grid.


    "I will give the loot I got from exterminating the great demon to my lord.¡±


    A well-trained NPC worthy of envy! He smiled at Grid and Piaro¡¯s appearance on that day changed the world¡¯s perception of NPCs.

 Chapter 578

    (Breaking News) Great Demon Belial has been destroyed!


    (Breaking News) The Overgeared Guild has seeded in the great demon raid! Their power will shoot up!


    (Breaking News) Kraugel¡¯s hidden ss has been identified. It¡¯s the Sword Saint!


    (Column) In the future, theposition of forces should be centered around Overgeared.


    (Column) Is the Reba Church aplete ally of Overgeared? What¡¯s the position of the Saharan Empire?


    (Column) Let¡¯s analyze the potential of Kraugel based on the previous Sword Saint.


    (Column) The 32nd Great Demon Belial.


    (Column) Look at Piaro and Isabel. We need to invest more interest in NPCs.


    ¡°The top rankers are different from us.¡±


    "I agree. Who would¡¯ve guessed that they would¡¯ve seeded in a great demon raid?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to the great actions of the NPCs called Piaro and Isabel.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a rare that they seeded, because they had the agility to match Belial and enough tanking ability.¡±


    "In particr, Piaro...¡±


    ¡°What about Kraugel¡¯s godly control?¡±


    ¡°Kraugel is truly worthy of his fame. Every time Piaro and Iaabel were in a crisis, he pulled back Belial¡¯s aggro.¡±


    ¡°Kraugel¡¯s movements were amazing. There¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s a Sword Saint.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He really is appropriate to be called the best. I wouldn¡¯t have been convinced if any other ranker had be a Sword Saint, but it¡¯s appropriate for Kraugel.¡±


    "But didn¡¯t Lim Cheolho directly state that a Sword Saint is the strongestbat legendary ss? Grid looks much stronger than him.¡±


    "Grid is a scam in all aspects. The potential of Pagma¡¯s Descendant as a legendary item maker seems to be the best.¡±


    "There¡¯s a rumor that your level is reset when you be a legend... Perhaps Kraugel¡¯s level is still low?¡±


    "A level reset is absurd bullshit. Think about it. It might be a legendary ss, but who would y the game if their level is reset?¡±


    "Indeed, it would be a ridiculous penalty for top rankers.¡±


    "By the way, how did Grid acquire the strongest farmer?¡±


    "That loyalty is amazing. Didn¡¯t he give all the raid rewards to Grid?¡±


    "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a NPC hand over an item to a yer without it being a quest reward.¡±


    ¡°Kuk... I¡¯m envious of Grid. What must he feel when he sees the strongest NPC being loyal to him?¡±


    "Starting today, I¡¯m going to be friendly to NPCs. Who knows? Perhaps one of them will be my Piaro.¡±


    "I¡¯m more curious about something else. What is the reward for those who seeded in the raid? A great demon must drop great titles and items.¡±


    The world was shaking. The influence of the great demon raid was beyond the National Competition. How much stronger would Overgeared, Kraugel, and Damian be after killing Belial and acquiring the loot? How would hell react to the destruction of a great demon? What should they do to get NPCs like Piaro and Isabel?


    As people all over the world were full of questions, the location of the Belial raid had a festive atmosphere.


    ***


    [Savior of the World]


    A hero who saved humanity from Great Demon Belial.


    The continent¡¯s minstrels will sing your saga.


    * All stats +200.


    * If you listen to your epic song sung by a minstrel, you will receive a buff thatsts for three hours.


    "Hyah!¡±


    "Kya! She¡¯s dead!¡±


    10 stat points were given for every level. It meant that a yer with 10 types of stats would have to gain 200 levels in order to raise all 10 stats by 200 points. The value of the Savior of the World title was truly astronomical. The Overgeared members who participated in the Belial raid had an average of eight stats. They all achieved exponential growth.


    ¡®The rise of Overgeared is beyond imagination.¡¯


    There was a smile on Kraugel¡¯s face as he looked at the jubnt Overgeared members. Kraugel recognized the Overgeared members as his peers. The Overgeared members were Grid¡¯s colleagues. Kraugel was pleased that they became stronger. Gridughed as he saw the smile on Kraugel¡¯s face. Grid was pleased because Kraugel was pleased. He wanted to congratte Kraugel on his growth.


    ¡°Congrattions Kraugel. You¡¯ll be stronger in the future.¡±


    "I also congratte you. Maybe the biggest beneficiaries are both of us.¡±


    Currently, Kraugel had 15 types of stats. It was a tie with the number of stats that Grid possessed. The increase in battle potential of the two men wasn¡¯tparable with the others, since 15 stats gained 200 points at once. Grid was satisfied.


    "Do you know? In fact, I also have the title of Kingdom¡¯s Hero. It¡¯s a title that increases all my stats by 120. I get 320 points to all my stats thanks to my titles.¡±


    Kraugel snorted.


    ¡°I also have a lot of titles that raise all my stats. It¡¯s a state where all my stats are increased by 350 just from my titles. Thus, I won.¡±


    "I-I have more titles that raise my strength or intelligence separately, so I think it¡¯s simr.¡±


    "I also have a lot like that.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid felt a sense of defeat. He had been proceeding with quests and raids, but still fell behind with titles?


    Kraugel shrugged at the frustrated Grid. "I know you¡¯re frustrated but... It¡¯s honestly unexpected that there isn¡¯t a big difference between us, since I have been dominating the content since Satisfy opened.¡±


    "...Don¡¯t botherforting me.¡±


    Grid grumbled, but he inwardly thought different. His heart was warm. In retrospect, he wasn¡¯t a match for Kraugel until after he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Before he knew it, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Kraugel.


    ¡¯The presence in the sky that I couldn¡¯t see is now my friend...¡¯


    People had a natural destiny, and the past Grid didn¡¯t doubt this. An earthworm on the ground could never fly. But what was the reality? Destiny could be pioneered. Grid worked hard and overcame the natural limitations of an earthworm. He wanted to say this to everyone.


    ¡®Try it.¡¯


    Light could be won with effort. A person currently unhappy might be smiling in the future.


    ***


    [Belial¡¯s ck Jewel (C)]


    A beautiful jewel that can be processed into a material for essories. Noblemen will buy this giant great demon gem at a very high price.


    When making essories, there is a low of chance of acquiring an option that increases intelligence or shadow resistance.


    Weight: 2


    [Belial¡¯s Red Jewel (C)]


    ...


    ...


    When making essories, there is a low of chance of acquiring an option that increases intelligence or increased me resistance.


    Weight: 2


    [Belial¡¯s Hard Skin]


    It can be used to make weapons or armor.


    When making weapons, there is a medium chance of acquiring an option that increases intelligence, damage, or attack speed.


    When making armor, there is a medium chance of acquiring an option that increases magic resistance or movement speed.


    These were the rewards obtained by everyone who participated in the Belial raid. There were five C-grade jewels and ten hard skins. Would these ten skins alone be enough to make an item? Grid answered the questions of the Overgeared members.


    "I can produce one armor or one weapon. Look at the equipment you¡¯recking and give me a production request.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    "Thank you Grid!¡±


    The faces of the Overgeared members shone brightly. They were d that the legendary cksmith was their master. They immediately asked Grid.


    "What rewards did you get?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also curious about the 1st prize that Piaro handed to you.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Grid confirmed the loot. The 5th rank rewards weren¡¯t much different from thepensation received by other Overgeared members. There were five Belial B-grade ck and red gems, and ten more scales.


    ¡®A B-grade jewel seems enormous.¡¯


    However, it was small in front of the first rank prize. Grid¡¯s chest jumped as he confirmed the loot given to him by Piaro.


    [Belial¡¯s ck Jewel (S)]


    A beautiful jewel that can be processed into a material for essories. The value of this gem that can never be obtained is at the level of buying a city.


    When making essories, you can acquire options that increases intelligence or shadow resistance. In addition, there is a possibility that a passive skill will be attached depending on the skills of the essory maker.


    However, it will be difficult to find someone who can handle this jewel, like picking a star from the sky.


    [Belial¡¯s Red Jewel (S)]


    ...


    ...


    When making essories, there is a chance of acquiring items that increases intelligence or increased me resistance. In addition, there is a possibility that a passive skill will be attached depending on the skills of the essory maker.


    However, it will be difficult to find someone who can handle this jewel, like picking a star from the sky.


    [Belial¡¯s Horn]


    A weapon material that contains Belial¡¯s magic power.


    Various options are added when making weapons.


    However, finding a cksmith who can handle this horn is as difficult as picking a star from the sky.


    [Belial¡¯s Staff]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 509/703 Magic Attack Power: 2,640


    * Intelligence will rise by 30%.


    * Magic casting speed will increase by 30%.


    * You can cast three types of magic at the same time. However, proficiency is required.


    * When fire magic and dark magic are cast simultaneously, both spells will have their power increased by 200%.


    * Every time a spell is cast, a shield that absorbs 5,000 damage is automatically created. Targets that strike the shield are subjected to fear and slowed stats.


    * Magic critical chance is increased by 20%.


    * Magic critical damage is increased by 150%.


    * The passive skill ¡®Belial¡¯s Power¡¯ is generated.


    A staff used by the 32nd Great Demon Belial.


    A staff that contains the blessing of God Yatan, it¡¯s difficult for ordinary humans to bear its power.


    Conditions of Use: First ranked ck magician. Or a great magician.


    Weight: 530


    [Belial¡¯s Power]


    Type: Passive


    200% increase in mana regeneration.


    In hell, all magic cooldown times are reduced by 30%.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was at a loss for words. He never imagined that a myth rated weapon would drop. Braham whispered to the thrilled Grid.


    ¡®This is mine.¡¯


    It was a voice that contained the intention to not let anyone else have the staff, unlike the Red Phoenix Bow. Grid understood it.


    ¡°Hrmm... Yes.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t something that should be transferred to someone else. This was different from the Red Phoenix Bow. Grid was able to acquire new legendary spells every time his intelligence increased.


    ¡®A 30% increase in intelligence... Okay, I will be a legendary magician.¡¯


    The legendary cksmith renewed hismitment to be a legendary magician...


    Anyone else would think it was absurd, but Grid had Braham¡¯s soul. It was feasible. Grid clenched his fists when he suddenly discovered Piaro¡¯s broken farming equipment.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s a good idea to use Belials¡¯ Horn for Piaro.¡¯


    The best farming equipment for the strongest human... It¡¯s natural to make a weapon for him. It would be worth it. Piaro¡¯s strength would benefit Overgeared. This was proven in the Belial raid.


    ¡°The most urgent thing is to recruit an essory maker.¡±


    He needed a skilled artisan to work with Belial¡¯s jewels. Grid shook his head as Jishuka examined the B-grade jewels.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s something more urgent right now.¡±


    The reason.


    "To build a country."


    Talents would naturally assemble together. Grid¡¯s eyes turned towards the pce¡¯s entrance. King An appeared.

 Chapter 579

    ¡°...!¡±


    King An doubted his eyes as he ran out of the pce. Great Demon Belial was really destroyed. The strongest monarch of hell, who had the power to destroy humanity, was beaten by a few hundred humans? King An made an incredulous expression and soon found Grid. His eyes were filled with anger, resentment, and madness.


    ¡°The power of a legend that can even destroy great demons...! Why you? Why did you use this power as a tool of rebellion?¡±


    King An wanted to make his kingdom stronger. He didn¡¯t know why he had to be disturbed by this pure and upright cause.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know! I always wanted a friendship with you! I really did my best to treat you well! Then why? Why did you ignore me to the end!¡±


    He was serious. King An needed Grid¡¯s power and did his best to make peace with Grid. But in the end, he was ignored.


    "Why weren¡¯t you loyal to your kingdom!?¡±


    Anined to Grid.


    Grid gazed at him silently before slowly opening his mouth. ¡°You... How was that the case?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    "No, did you think it would be fine by using me to cover up the fact that you killed Prince Ren? Think about it from my perspective. How ridiculous is it? I received all the gifts you gave me, but I never felt grateful.¡±


    ¡°That... It couldn¡¯t be helped from my position.¡±


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re a dog who killed your older brother because you wanted to be king, and then framed me for it. You¡¯re just trash. Now you¡¯re acting as the ultimate victim.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    It was true to a certain degree. The king of a nation who was no better than a dog was just rubbish. Grid¡¯s words were too much. King An couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. His lingering grudges towards Grid disappeared. Grid had nailed a wedge into the feelings already inside him.


    "Everything is gone. You and I weren¡¯t destined to get on the same boat in the first ce.¡±


    The reason Grid made Overgeared? There was only one reason. It was to build up enormous resources. His infinite greed couldn¡¯t bear the small kingdom of Eternal.


    ¡°If there wasn¡¯t the incident with you and Prince Ren, you would¡¯ve been kneeling before me already.¡±


    It had been decided from the beginning that he would swallow up Eternal. It was right after the Reinhardt golem invasion, where he refused to pledge allegiance to the royal family.


    Suuk.


    Grid¡¯s sword pointed at An. There was no hesitation in his action.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this now.¡±


    The moment that Grid finished speaking.


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    All members of Overgeared simultaneously pointed their weapon. They were movements without any error. All of them were aiming for King An and there was silence for a moment. Sounds were heard from beyond the pce walls. It was the wails of the people.


    ¡°Revive my daughter!¡±


    ¡°Revive my sister!¡±


    ¡°Kill the king!¡±


    ¡°An isn¡¯t king!¡±


    The family and friends of the virgins sacrificed for the summoning of the great demon. The people of Reinhardt had been condemning and cursing An for half a day. Their sorrow and anger couldn¡¯t be reduced. Their innocent women were burned to death. They became the victim of a sin that couldn¡¯t be understood.


    Reinhardt¡¯s people were convinced. An wasn¡¯t qualified to be king. They cried out in order for the world to know the truth.


    "Kill the king of Eternal!¡±


    The people had turned away from An. Grid carried out their will.


    ¡°An, I am not like you.¡±


    If his greed was first, his kindness towards the weak was second.


    Step.


    Grid took one step closer to An. Chucksley blocked his way. The sword of Eternal. Grid smiled bitterly at him, who defended An without hesitation.


    "An is the criminal who killed the legitimate sessor to the throne, Prince Ren. He also sacrificed thousands of innocent people to summon a great demon. Is there a reason to protect him?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason. This is my destiny.¡±


    From the moment of his birth until now. Chucksley only lived for protecting Eternal¡¯s royal family. He was raised this way. He couldn¡¯t think of any other way.


    ¡¯Even if it¡¯s the wrong king...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t turn away.


    Kkuok.


    Chucksley¡¯s expression was gripped his sword. But his eyes were sad. He med the fate that he couldn¡¯t rebel against. Grid¡¯s greed boiled as he looked at Chucksley.


    ¡®I want him.¡¯


    A named NPC who was absolutely loyal to his owner. Eternal¡¯s first great swordsman. Grid recognized the value of Chucksley. Grid knew that Chucksley was someone he wanted, just like Piaro, Asmophel, Sticks, and Rabbit.


    Therefore.


    ¡°I will deal with you myself. I¡¯ll change your fate.¡±


    Chwarururuk!


    Rather than the Holy Light Armor, Grid¡¯s body was covered with Triple Layers.


    Next.


    Teong!


    Grid ordered the Overgeared members to wait and shot forward. Chucksley shouted as he watched Grid, ¡°This time will be different!¡±


    The growth rate of named NPCs was slightly above the growth rate of yers. Chucksley was several times stronger than he was when Prince Ren invaded Eternal and he blocked Grid¡¯s attack.


    Jjejejeok!


    He endured the overwhelming attack power of the +9 Failure without much difficulty. His sword cut down Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Ruby was shocked when she saw Grid bleeding. She wanted to use Heal, but Piaro stopped her.


    "This is my lord¡¯s battle.¡±


    In order to embrace the dragon, one had to be the sky.


    "Humans can¡¯t help the sky. Just watch him.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ruby couldn¡¯t understand what Piaro meant. But Ruby was quick to notice. She controlled her heart as she watched Grid¡¯s health quickly go down. Piaro watched her as if she was worthy.


    ***


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Thanks to Triple Layers, Grid considerably neutralized the attack power of Chucksley. He used the movement of his sword to get further away from Chucksley and unleashed a storm of swords.


    Chucksley responded.


    ¡°Sword of Incision!¡±


    Chuckely¡¯s origin was as a knight. The characteristic of his swordsmanship was excellent defense.


    Paaaat!


    Chucksley moved his sword around him, creating severalyers of aura that defended against the bombardment.


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t panic, despite his attack being neutralized. Rather, he enjoyed it.


    ¡¯I desire him even more!¡¯


    Chwaruruk!


    As Chucksley defended against Linked Kill Wave, silver threads flew from Grid¡¯s fingertips as he started a new sword dance. Dozens of strands of silver thread stretched out. Like the Milky Way pouring from the night sky, the beautiful silver thread wrapped around Chucksley¡¯s body. No, they tried to wrap around him.


    ¡®Gone?¡¯


    It happened before the silver thread reached Chucksley.


    Pahat!


    Chucksley moved and appeared behind Grid. He moved as swiftly as an assassin despite being a swordsman in heavy armor. Piaro admired it.


    ¡¯A moving mountain.¡¯


    A true rare breed. Unlike others, Chucksley was fast and hard. It was because he trained to run to the king¡¯s side at any time.


    Jeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid was struck from behind by Chucksley¡¯s shield and his sword dance was cancelled. This was the limitation of his sword dances. The advantage was that the footwork required could be used to avoid attacks. However, it was difficult to see the advantage in swordsmanship that required a certain amount of footwork. If Grid could use swordsmanship without needing to take steps then he wouldn¡¯t have revealed such a gap.


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was a powerful skill, but it also showed the inherent limitations of a nonbat ss. However, Grid had already ovee this limit.


    Chaaeng!


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    Grid used a series of quickly movements to move from side to side, avoiding Chucksley¡¯s shield and giving him a chance to swap weapons. It was a staff instead of a sword. Belial¡¯s Staff.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Magic Missile could be used once per second and prated Chucksley quicker than ever. The strength was superior to the past. Thanks to the title of Savior of the World, the 200 extra points in intelligence increased his magic power and Belial¡¯s Staff also raised the power.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Despite his chest being pierced, Chucksley raised his shield instead of copsing.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The Magic Missile bombardment continued. Earl Ashur¡¯s eyes were wide as he watched.


    ¡®I would believe he¡¯s a magician instead of a cksmith.¡¯


    Magic Missile alone was enough to reverse the momentum.


    ¡°Ugh...! King¡¯s Shield!¡±


    The continuous magic damaged Chucksley, who quickly used a defense skill. Then the light of defense stopped Grid¡¯s Magic Missile bombardment. Grid swapped from the staff to Sword Ghost.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    A gap was revealed during the item swap. Chucksley quickly tried to strike during this time. But the counterattack didn¡¯t seed. Grid didn¡¯t allow it.


    "Behind you.¡±


    Grid spoke a meaningful statement towards Chucksley.


    Pepepepeok!


    The white spheres behind Chucksley¡¯s back were released, prated Chucksley¡¯s body. It was Magic Missile that contained rm magic. Chucksley had no idea that Magic Missiles were waiting for him and couldn¡¯t react.


    Swaeeeeek!


    Chucksley staggered to one side and Sword Ghost pursued him.


    "Huup!¡±


    Chucksley tried to defend with his shield. The movement was iplete, putting great strain on his knees and waist. But wasn¡¯t it better than allowing an attack? Chucksley focusing on blocking Grid¡¯s strike.


    Supak!


    The Sword Ghost aiming at Chucksley split into two, making two orbits.


    Chaeng!


    One Sword Ghost moved along the original orbit and mmed against the shield.


    Seokeok!


    The other Sword Ghost hit Chucksley¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    The match was decided. Chucksley still had half his health left while Grid only had 1/3rd, but Chucksley could tell.


    ¡®This is an opponent I can¡¯t win against...¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t using the golden hands. He just overwhelmed Chucksley with pure skill. Chucksley couldn¡¯t deny hisplete defeat.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    He still had amitment to protect King An. This was his absolute destiny. In an unsafe posture, Chucksley tried to use his ultimate technique. It was aiming at Grid. At that moment.


    Kurururung!


    The golden hands knocked down a wall around the pce. At this moment, Chucksley saw the crying people enter.


    Grid asserted. ¡°The king is respected because he protects the people. Chucksley, why should you protect a king who doesn¡¯t care about the people?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    His destiny was lost. Chucksley looked at the crying people and understood. What reason did he have to protect the king? The sword was heavy. He let go of the sword. Chucksley fell to his knees and bowed his head.


    Grid confirmed this and gave an order to the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Capture An. From this time on, I will upy the throne of Eternal.¡±


    ¡º ...!!! ¡»


    A new hot topic not long after the Belial raid! The mediapanies around the world were busy. Grid¡¯s attitude that tantly aimed at the throne was breaking news. In this heated atmosphere, Grid dered.


    ¡°I will build a new nation with my people as well as the wounded Reinhardt.¡±


    The first yer to be a king! The hearts of the Overgeared members ran wild and the attention of the world concentrated on Grid. In the midst of this anticipation and anxiety, Grid spoke the name he had thought hard about.


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom!¡± I am Overgeared¡¯s king, Grid!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡º ... ¡»


    -Is this true?


    A new legend had begun.

 Chapter 580

    Overgeared.


    It was abination of the English word ¡®item¡¯ and ¡®system.¡¯ (TL: In Korean) It was a ng term that appeared in the early 21st century in South Korea. It was a term used to express users who depended on the ability of the item, rather than their skills, and was generally used for mockery.


    But now? Being overgeared was also recognized as a skill. People¡¯s perception of it changed in Satisfy as a result of Grid. Now there was no one who made fun of overgeared people.


    ¡º Overgeared Kingdom! It¡¯s a very cool name! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s especially good that the meaning is clear. It is good since it symbolizes Grid and the Overgeared members. ¡»


    ¡º The name gives off a robust feel. All the people and soldiers of Overgeared will be armed with great items. ¡»


    ¡º Huhu, a kingdom where all the people and soldiers are armed with great items... The strongest kingdom has appeared in Satisfy. ¡»


    ¡º The neighborhood kids y around by pretending to summon a red phoenix... ¡»


    ¡º ...I think I should move to the Overgeared Kingdom. ¡»


    These were the reactions of the foreignmentators. From their point of view, overgeared was a foreign word and didn¡¯t look very strange to them. On the other hand, the Koreanmentators and viewers were baffled.


    ¡º No, the name of the kingdom is Overgeared...? ¡»


    ¡º I can appreciate that it has a clear meaning, but I don¡¯t like it that much. ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    -What¡¯s the Overgeared Kingdom? Is this real?


    -The name is delicious.I want to eat rice because of it.


    -Isn¡¯t it fitting?Iughed when I first heard it. Now it isn¡¯t so strange and rolls of my tongue.


    -Even overgeared king sounds cool ????


    -Right. ??? Overgeared King Grid really fits. ???


    -The reactions of the internationalmunity are explosive.I think the name Overgeared Kingdom is very strong.


    -It¡¯s strong because Grides to mind whenever I hear the name ¡®overgeared.¡¯


    -But why is Lauel acting like that?


    -The lord he serves has be king.


    -Kuk...Thrills of excitement. How wonderful.


    -A beautiful picture of a lord and a loyalist.It gives off the feeling of a historical drama.


    The Korean viewers talking about the name ¡®Overgeared¡¯ started to pay attention to Lauel.


    On the screen, Lauel was shedding tears. Was it tears of excitement as the viewers thought? That wasn¡¯t the case.


    ***


    ¡°Overgeared Kingdom? Did you say overgeared just now?¡±


    After hearing Grid¡¯s deration, Lauel received a great shock.


    Grid nodded at the doubting Lauel.


    "Yes, it¡¯s a name I have painstakingly built. Isn¡¯t it cool?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel had been anxious since Grid named the Overgeared Guild. He was worried that Grid would name the kingdom Overgeared when it was set up. His worries became a reality.


    ¡°How is it cool? No, Overgeared Kingdom! No way! It stinks!¡±


    Lauel raised his voice and Grid responded like he didn¡¯t understand.


    "Why isn¡¯t Overgeared cool?¡±


    Grid once had the worst life and could stand upright due to items. Thanks to items, he became stronger, built up his self-esteem, and strengthened his finances.


    ¡°My life can be defined by being overgeared. We were able to meet because of items. Isn¡¯t it wonderful? Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Suuk.


    Grid looked at the other members for their opinions. Then the Overgeared members started to agree one by one.


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural for the kingdom that the Overgeared Guild established be called Overgeared?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of a name other than Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A feast of unexpected responses! Was this a dream or reality? Lauel was confused, but he quickly calmed down.


    ¡®Overgeared... Well, it¡¯s special.¡¯


    Grid was right. For the Overgeared Guild, the meaning of overgeared was significant. Everyone trusted each other, cheered each other on, grew while being rivals, and now they had set up a kingdom. It began with items and ended with items.


    ¡®Overgeared Guild, Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    And then Overgeared Empire. Looking back, it wasn¡¯t so bad. Overgeared Kingdom. It sounded okay. Lauel turned pale as he had this thought.


    ¡®...Unbelievable. Is my naming sense starting to be like Grid¡¯s?¡¯


    The name ¡®Darkness of Infinite Destiny Kingdom¡¯ that he had been thinking about for a few months became the crude Overgeared Kingdom?


    ¡®It¡¯s the worst.¡¯


    He was influenced by Grid¡¯s naming sense while serving him. It felt like he lost his dignity as a human.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Lauel was disappointed that he couldn¡¯t deny the coolness of the Overgeared Kingdom. He knelt down and started shedding tears. He felt sad and ashamed. However, Grid misunderstood.


    ¡®This guy... He¡¯s so excited that he¡¯s crying. Well, the joy he¡¯s feeling right now will transcend my joy.¡¯


    Lauel was the one who helped Grid set up this kingdom. Lauel did all this for Grid. If Grid hadn¡¯t met Lauel, he would¡¯ve never dreamt about building a kingdom. He would¡¯ve just remained a strong user. Lauel was a special person to Grid.


    ¡°This is our kingdom. Together, let¡¯s lead it well forever.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Together, forever. Grid¡¯s words awakened Lauel¡¯s heart and soul. Lauel was reminded of his deep loyalty and got up. Then he swore emotionally.


    ¡°My soul and heart will be yours until the day that this body is crushed. And it will be repeated in the next life and the one after that!¡±


    ¡°Eh? U-Uh, yes.¡±


    Grid sometimes was at a loss when he talked to Lauel. He got goosebumps as Piaro approached.


    "I brought An.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Grid and Lauel¡¯s eyes moved to one side in unison. King An stared at Grid from where he was tied up. There was madness and resentment in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a rabid dog.¡±


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [King An has sacrificed innumerable people for his personal ambition.]


    [An has been morally corrupted. He hasmitted a sin that is unforgivable. In addition, An is hostile to you. You have seeded in defeating An. You have the right to punish An.]


    [An has lost the ¡®Absolute Protection¡¯ passive applied to NPC kings.]


    [Would you like to punish An? Please be cautious. An is king of the kingdom and a high punishment is likely to cause opposition.]


    [Please note! If you dethrone or execute An, the Eternal Kingdom will disappear. The Eternal Kingdom will be disbanded and this will have a profound influence on the continent. You will have a destiny that might be hard to handle.]


    All types of warnings appeared in front of Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t hesitate at all. He would punish and destroy Eternal. This had been determined from the moment he started the war. He couldn¡¯t be afraid now that the storm was over. There was only one ending.


    ¡°Hand An over to the people.¡±


    The people experienced sorrow, anger, and despair due to An. Grid meant to give An to those who were still crying so they could kill An. An cried out.


    ¡°You..! The Saharan Empire is behind me! You will never be safe if you hurt me!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The soldiers belonging to Overgeared flinched. They were frightened at the thought of being hostile to the Saharan Empire. However, the members of Overgeared, including Grid, didn¡¯t raise a single eyebrow. Grid approached King An and smiled.


    "I don¡¯t know what you have noticed, but I will eventually swallow the Saharan Empire. It¡¯s natural to be hostile to them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Swallowing the strongest nation that dominated the continent? Some people would think it was absurd nonsense. But King An couldn¡¯tugh. The madness in his eyes were erased for a moment.


    "...I should¡¯ve been this dignified.¡±


    An borrowed Saharan¡¯s power, despite his desire to beat them, and even waved Saharan¡¯s power at thest minute. He med his stupid self and closed his eyes with regret. He decided to humble ept it, even if his body was torn apart by the people and his soul fell to hell.


    ¡®Father, Brother. I am sorry.¡¯


    On this day, An, thest king of Eternal died.


    [You have seeded in upying Reinhardt!]


    [356,931 people in Reinhardt have decided to serve you!]


    [An has died!]


    [The Eternal Kingdom has lost its anchor and has scattered!]


    [The surviving nobles of the Eternal Kingdom hate you!]


    Grid¡¯s name was clearly stamped on the continent¡¯s history.


    ***


    ¡°...My son-inw was right.¡±


    Marquis Steim. Grid¡¯s father-inw and lord of the north, he watched the war between Overgeared and King An from beginning to end. He nted eyes and ears on every battlefield and observed. It was in order to know the truth. Did King An really kill Prince Ren?


    He wondered if his son-inw had lied. He had a duty to confirm it as a loyal subject of Eternal and Irene¡¯s father. Now he confirmed that his son-inw was right. King An really did kill Prince Ren. An unqualified person was on the throne.


    ¡°...¡±


    Marquis Steim¡¯s heart wasplicated. He was d that his son-inw hadn¡¯t lied, but he felt sad about the things uncovered. Well, this type of sentiment had no meaning at all. He only had to make a decision. The Eternal KIngdom was scattered.


    Should he help Grid who would be threatened from various ces?


    He wasn¡¯t anxious. His choice was obvious.


    "I will give the north to my son-inw.¡±


    He was protecting his son-inw with the force that he and his ancestors had built up, then set up Grid as king. Marquis Steim summoned Knight Laden without hesitation in order to prepare his tribute.


    ***


    ¡°What? 60 million gold?¡±


    The minimum conditions for establishing a kingdom was to have three cities, 100,000 people, and 60 million gold. 60 million gold. It was a huge sum of money equivalent to 72 billion won. It was an amount that he couldn¡¯t afford, even if Grid had started bing one of the rich people of South Korea.


    ¡°This is crazy... Isn¡¯t this robbing me?¡±


    The damn S.A. Group! He was furious about the developers who didn¡¯t care about economic principles and were forcing their users to spend gold.


    Toban spoke to the furious Grid. ¡°It isn¡¯t a burdensome amount. If the guild membersbine their assets, then it¡¯s easy to raise 60 million gold...¡±


    The top rankers of Satisfy were able to amass a huge amount of money, especially the Overgeared members who were in the top rankings. As Toban said, it was possible for them to provide enough money to fund the kingdom. But Lauel refused.


    "Grid, I rmended that you provide the funding alone.


    ¡°...You want me to raise 60 million gold alone?¡±


    Grid was shocked by the unexpected words. Spending 72 billion won by himself? Grid didn¡¯t have such arge sum of money, despite umting considerable assets through the National Competition, various broadcasts and advertisements.


    "Hey, where will I gain such a huge amount of money? I¡¯m not asking you to provide all of it, but isn¡¯t a little bit fine? Eh? Just give me a little bit. Then I will pay it back with interest every time I receive the taxes.


    "I am urging you to provide the funding alone, so that this situation doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "You will have all shares of the kingdom alone.¡±


    This was for the sake of Grid¡¯s interests. It was for the future of Overgeared.

 Chapter 581

    Gobble up all the stakes of a kingdom alone? Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡°What? Are you asking me to be a dictator? What right do I have when everyone has suffered so much?¡±


    Grid¡¯s reaction made Lauel smile.


    ¡°Dictator... It would be nice if you could be a dictator and rule the kingdom well. For example, the Saharan Empire. This is a different world from reality. Due to the nature of these times, there wouldn¡¯t be opposition if you were a dictator.


    "...Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I can rule a country well.¡±


    Grid knew his abilities. He didn¡¯t have any political power. He was convinced that the country would soon perish if he ruled it ording to his rule. This meant his 72 billion won would disappear. It was horrible just imagining it.


    Lauelughed at the frowning Grid. ¡°I¡¯m not urging you to be a dictator. You should give your subordinates the proper authority. But I want you to be the firm center that can¡¯t be disced.¡±


    If arge number of guild members shared the stakes in the kingdom, Grid¡¯s influence would be smaller. Lauel wanted to prevent the worst from happening.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a saying in South Korea that too many cooks will spoil the broth?¡± I don¡¯t want such a thing to happen.¡±


    "Arge number of cooks will spoil the broth...¡±


    There was such a saying in his country? Grid admired the American Lauel and nodded.


    ¡°I see. I understand.¡±


    Yes, it really made sense. He was convinced that it would be ideal to provide the funding for the kingdom alone. But there was one problem.


    "How can I raise 60 million gold?¡±


    Grid¡¯s current assets exceeded 20 billion won. It was a level that could provide for him for the rest of his life, but it wasckingpared to the 72 billion won he needed. Lauel shrugged at the troubled Grid.


    ¡°Think about it yourself. It isn¡¯t that hard."


    Lauel highly valued Grid. He didn¡¯t doubt that Grid was the most valuable person in the world. But Grid didn¡¯t realize this himself. It was a hundred times better than those who didn¡¯t fear the world, but it was questionable if Grid could express his big vessel.


    Lauel wanted Grid to value himself more. Grid looked at the silent Lauel and had a thought.


    "Should I get a sponsor?¡± What if he got arge investment from a real-worldpany active in Satisfy? "I can ask them for an investment in return for cing advertisement signs on every main street in the cities. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Well... That¡¯s themon way.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t bad. It was clear that the world would be paying a lot of attention to the first country set up by a yer. In particr, there were many yers and a high floating poption would ur. From the viewpoint of thepanies, they wouldn¡¯t lose money investing in the kingdom. But it wasn¡¯t the answer that Lauel wanted.


    Grid saw Lauel¡¯s bad expression and asked. ¡°Is there a better way?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lauel grinned at Grid¡¯s confused expression. The wicked smile was simr to Grid¡¯s. His resemnce to Grid kept increasing. ¡°Labor.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Dobor. Stay in the smithy and constantly make items. Then you will be able to raise funds much sooner than anticipated.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you set the customer base as mainly the Overgeared members, you can make a big contribution to the power of your allies and increase your skill level and stats.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, dammit. He thought he finally overcame poverty and became rich. Now he had to dobor again? Grid¡¯s expression distorted, but Lauel didn¡¯t shrink back at all.


    "You shouldn¡¯t lose your beginnings. Dobor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ***


    ¡°Labor... I have to dobor...¡±


    He was on the verge of bing a king, yet he had to do hardbor again? It was ufortable. Of course, Grid knew it. His root was a cksmith. It was right to do the work of a cksmith. But he couldn¡¯t imagine how long he would have to work to earn at least 50 billion won.


    ¡®It¡¯s easy for Lauel to say.¡¯


    It took Grid two years to build his current assets. He earned some money by selling items, but most of it was revenue from broadcasts. How many years would it take to earn 50 billion won from just making items?


    "Do you have a moment?¡±


    The bustling Reinhardt. As the Overgeared members and soldiers helped the people, a man came over to the frustrated Grid. Sword Saint Kraugel.


    Grid smiled when he saw Kraugel. "I¡¯m sorry that I thanked you sote. You saved my colleagues... In particr, Piaro was in great danger. Thank you for helping with the raid.¡±


    Kraugel shook his head. "No, if I hadn¡¯te in the first ce, then the Overgeared members could¡¯ve retreated safely. They missed the opportunity to retreat while waiting for me and were in danger because of it. I¡¯m the one who is sorry.¡±


    "...It¡¯s unusual.¡±


    Kraugel was always the best. He was called the sky above the sky and was an absolute person revered around the world. But he wasn¡¯t arrogant. He was always respectful to Grid.


    ¡¯Someday, I want to be like you.¡¯


    Kraugel didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s mind.


    He asked Grid. "I was convinced when I saw you use the same skill twice in a row against Belial. Did you gain God¡¯s Command?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was startled. In addition to domain and ruling power, it was ssified as one of the three major offensive passives. Kraugel knew the existence of Grid¡¯s skill beforehand?


    ¡°How do you know about God¡¯s Command?¡±


    "I have also progressed in the 7 malignant episodes. I have gained knowledge about the three offensive passives, the three defensive passives, and the corrupt passive.¡±


    "Eh? 7 malignant episodes? What is that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes cramped. He was speechless for a moment before asking.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you obtained God¡¯s Command without going through the seven malignant episodes?¡±


    "So? What is the 7 malignant episodes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel thought it was absurd. Grid had obtained God¡¯s Command as a result of coincidences and unpredictable events ovepping.


    ¡¯...It¡¯s said that a hero is created by the times, not by themselves.¡¯


    It would be correct to say that this era chose Grid as a hero. This truly was his rival.


    Kraugel felt admiration and trepidation. He barely managed to control his expression as he briefly exined.


    ¡°The 7 malignant episodes is an old story about seven wicked people chosen by the gods who became corrupted. As you progress through the episodes, you will gain clues about the strongest passive skills that those seven people possessed. I haven¡¯t gotten the skill I was aiming for because it¡¯s too tricky... I¡¯m certain that Agnus and Ares have acquired the skill they desired by now.¡±


    ¡°Agnus... Ares...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes sharpened. He heard how great Agnus and Ares were every time someone spoke about them.


    "Everyone appreciates Agnus and Ares. Are they strong enough to make you conscious of them?¡±


    Kraugel was Grid¡¯s only rival. Grid unconsciously thought this, so he couldn¡¯t help having a strange rivalry with Agnus and Ares. Kraugel didn¡¯t know his mind and nodded.


    "I think their potential won¡¯t be suppressed by you. I would advise you not to associate with them if you have any choice.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Was Kraugel worried Grid would be beaten by them? Kraugel exined to the frustrated Grid.


    "Agnus ispletely warped. If he learns more about you, he¡¯s likely to be highly obsessed with you.¡±


    Agnus was an unhappy person. Like Grid, he lived the worst life before encountering Satisfy. Grid overcame his adverse fate by pioneering a positive direction in life. On the other hand, Agnus was still obsessed with the past and exploited his power.


    "You can see him as an evil spirit. He will never understand you. He will thoroughly deny you, who walks apletely different path.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "On the other hand, Ares is a person with no shadow. He is a sun like you are now. Due to this, he¡¯s strong. He has drawn many strong people to his side. If you be hostile to him...¡±


    Kraugel was convinced that even the Overgeared Guild would find it difficult. But he didn¡¯t speak these thoughts. He thought it would pierce Grid¡¯s pride.


    ¡°...Well, this is just my advice. The choice is yours.¡±


    He had wasted too much time. It was time to eat with his mother.


    Grid stopped Kruagel who was trying to leave. He stared at Kraugel with eyes as deep as ake and asked.


    ¡°I will ask bluntly. Are Agnus and Ares stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡±


    "This means that in the end, you will be the best again?¡±


    "...I will make that happen.¡±


    "Then I understand. Kraugel, I will only look at you. Agnus? Ares? Nonsense. I don¡¯t care about them. So put aside your worries. If you have a hard time, then you can contact your older brother at any time.¡±


    ¡°Older brother?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy. I¡¯m two years older than you.¡±


    Kraugel responded before leaving.


    Like the wind, Kraugel left without any fuss. Like the sea, Grid stayed in ce.


    Both of them cheered each other on in their hearts. Later on, he would be the best.


    ***


    Jishuka, the impressive beauty with provocative eyes. She was convinced by Lauel¡¯s n to make Grid pay the 60 million gold alone.


    "It¡¯s a good idea. There might be a seed of discord someday if you share the stakes with the guild members.


    The problem was that Grid didn¡¯t have 60 million gold. However, this was easily solved by Jishuka.


    "Isn¡¯t it sufficient if I pay 60 million gold for the Red Phoenix Bow? Right?¡±


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    Lauel hadn¡¯t confirmed the details of the Red Phoenix Bow yet. What item would have its value set at 60 million gold?


    Jishukaughed at the suffering Lauel.

 Chapter 582

    "No, what item is worth 60 million gold? Isn¡¯t the pricing too high?¡±


    It was unrealistic that the Red Phoenix Bow would be worth 60 million gold, even if it was a first-rate legendary item. It was a matter ofmon sense. Think about it. A kingdom could be built with 60 million gold. The fact that an item was 60 million gold meant the value was equivalent to a country. Wasn¡¯t this a huge exaggeration?


    ¡®The items made by Grid are great, but it¡¯s hard topare them to the value of a country. They are moreparable to cities.¡¯


    Yes, Lauel also praised Grid. He saw the value of Grid¡¯s items and thought the best ones were equivalent to a city. It was believed that people who were covered with Grid¡¯s items could disy a value on a national level. However, Lauel couldn¡¯t recognize that a single item as being worth a kingdom.


    "Jishuka, I know you want to pay more than necessary to help Grid, but...¡±


    Lauel had been away from Jishuka in the war. He couldn¡¯t obtain all the information in real time and didn¡¯t know the true details of the Red Phoenix Bow.


    "Don¡¯t exaggerate, no matter how much you like Grid.¡±


    ¡°See it for yourself.¡±


    Jishuka shared the information of the Red Phoenix Bow with Lauel, who never imagined that it would be a myth rated item. At the same time, Lauel closed his mouth.


    "...????"


    Lauel¡¯s eyes started to roll around. He looked like an unnatural doll as he confirmed the information of the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡°...Heok.¡±


    Lauel only had question marks and he suddenly took a breath. He lost his soul thanks to the unrealistic stats of the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and Jishuka asked him.


    ¡°How is it? Isn¡¯t 60 million gold good?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Lauel regained his spirit. "If you buy such a monstrous item for only 60 million gold, you have no conscience!¡±


    It was a huge transformation. Jishukaughed at Lauel, who called her a thief, and shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t intend to be a thief. 60 million gold is just a down payment. The rest will be paid off for the rest of my life.¡±


    Jishuka. A high ranker popr throughout the world for her beauty, charisma, and excellent gaming skills. One of the wealthiest young people in South America, she fell into a debt in front of Grid. This was the power of items.


    Lauel¡¯s body trembled.


    "The true value of Grid...¡±


    The uniqueness of his ss couldn¡¯t be fully measured, even with Lauel¡¯s infinite insight. Lauel couldn¡¯t even count how many times he had been surprised now. Lauel was touched to tears. He watched the sunset and uttered improvised words.


    "Ahh, Grid is a descended god and I¡¯m a feeble angel in front of him...¡±


    Lauel startedughing. The Overgeared members around him watched him.


    ¡°Did he lose his mind after the kingdom is set up?¡±


    "I guess so.¡±


    "He will wield the most power after the king, right? Is it okay for him to be so crazy?¡±


    ¡°It will work out somehow. He has done well so far. Is there any reason for us to worry now?¡±


    "Stop talking and go stop Nyangmong.¡±


    The wild cats and dogs started gathering in the central square of Reinhardt due to the whistle Nyangmong was blowing. People were scared, so they had to stop him.


    In addition, there was other work.


    "On the way, can you tell Jude to get dressed? I heard aint about his nakedness from the walls repair site.¡±


    "There areints that Vantner is threatening to make anyone who doesn¡¯t surrender bald. Shouldn¡¯t we stop him first?¡±


    ¡°Eh, what? We¡¯re so busy. Where did Regas disappear to?¡±


    ¡°He has applied for a duel with Piaro.¡±


    ¡°What? In this situation? Why did you just watch when you could stop it?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Okay, okay.¡±


    "It¡¯s sensitive.¡±


    ¡®There is no one normal except for me,¡¯ every member of Overgeared thought.


    ***


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s not lose sight of my foundations.¡±


    Grid looked at the back of the distant Kraugel.


    ¡®I am still weak.¡¯


    He had been too excited after the Belial raid. He had rxed like he was already the strongest. But what was the reality? Belial was the 32nd demon. It meant there were 31 monsters stronger than her. Not only that. There was vampire duke Marie Rose and enemies all over the continent. Grid didn¡¯t have just one or two mountains to cross.


    In this situation, he forgot his duty as a cksmith? Crazy. Grid had to bear it in mind at all times. The fact that he was a cksmith. He would work in the smithy, raise his stats, make good items, and be overgeared. There was always something to do.


    ¡®Labor isn¡¯t something to be avoided. It¡¯s my foundation.¡¯


    This wouldn¡¯t change even if he became a king.


    So.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start production.¡±


    Grid suppressed the excitement from winning the war and seeding in the great demon raid. Was he moving towards a gorgeous and ornate pce? No, it was a smithy.


    ¡¯As Lauel said, let¡¯s stay in the smithy for a while. My role hasn¡¯t changed, even if I be a king.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart burned with motivation! A man and a woman approached him as he was pulling out a hammer for production.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    It was Pope Damian of the Reba Church.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    The beauty with tinum hair was a Reba¡¯s Daughter, Isabel. Grid was full of gratitude for them who ran to help Overgeared.


    ¡°It has been a while. I¡¯m d...¡±


    Grid smiled brightly before his face distorted. Isabel¡¯s paleplexion was the cause.


    ¡®The impact of White Transformation...¡¯


    Isabel. A woman who was raised in the church with a weapon. Grid felt saddened when he saw her take up Lifael¡¯s Spear in order to protect the world. Unlike other people, she couldn¡¯t enjoy her youth. She struggled while exhausting her vitality.


    "Looking around Reinhardt, there¡¯s only one Reba Temple. It¡¯s big enough and the location is good. Out of personal greed, I want to build two more temples here. The more temples there are, the more priests and pdins that can be ced here. How about it? Will you allow me?


    Damian watched Grid and made a suggestion.


    Grid couldn¡¯t refuse.


    "I¡¯m very thankful. But is it okay? No matter how big Reinhardt is, I don¡¯t think the Vatican will allow three temples in one city. Strictly speaking, isn¡¯t it a waste of personnel from the Reba Church¡¯s position?¡±


    ¡°Huhut, there is no need to worry. Due to seeding in the great demon raid, my position in the church has be solid. The Vatican also has a good impression of Grid and Overgeared for raiding the great demon. There won¡¯t be a big bacsh if I increase the number of temples in Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happy news.¡±


    As healers in Satisfy, the value of Reba¡¯s priests were tremendous. It was an extraordinary privilege to be able to raise priests simultaneously at three temples. Grid imagined it. A healing vending machine... No, a healers division of Overgeared!


    ¡®It is wise.¡¯


    If the vampire city expedition team consisted of Overgeared members + healers, they would be an immortal corps.


    ¡®I have to make the soldiers¡¯ armor as strong as possible!¡¯


    Grid asked Damian. "The Reba Church will pay for the construction of the temples right?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Damian was very embarrassed. He didn¡¯t expect to be asked this question!


    ¡°The kings or lords across the continent want to have a Reba temple. Not only do they provide the cost of building the temple themselves, they even send a gift of gratitude to the church.¡±


    In other words, the Reba Church¡¯s response wouldn¡¯t be god if Grid asked them to take on the cost of building the temple. Grid was asking them to take on the cost of building three temples in one city? It was likely to cause a bacsh among the senior priests. But there was nothing wrong with Grid¡¯s logic.


    "Doesn¡¯t the Reba Church own the temples built in the city? I am providing thend for the temple for free. Isn¡¯t it right that the Vatican pays for the construction cost?¡±


    "...I will try to push it.¡±


    His position raised by the Belial raid might fall down again. Damian was mourning while Grid started to closely observe Isabel. Isabel¡¯s white face gradually heated up.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡±


    It was shortly after White Transformation was used. Isabel knew that she currently looked unhealthy. Therefore, Grid¡¯s gaze was burdensome.


    Grid gazed at her steadily and grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Isabel¡¯s eyes widened and she shook like a rabbit. An unknown pleasure spread throughout her body as Grid suggested.


    "Can you leave Lifael¡¯s Spear to me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s cksmithing ability had greatly improved while making the myth rated item. In addition, Grid had a perfect understanding of Lifael¡¯s Spear. At the time of the pope election episode in the past, he raised his understanding of Lifael¡¯s Spear to 100%.


    "Let me look at Lifael¡¯s Spear. I will make it powerful without putting a burden on the user.¡±


    Grid was confident. Now that he made a myth rated item and upgraded his cksmithing skill, Grid was convinced that he could reconstruct Lifael¡¯s Spear morepletely.


    ¡°I hope that you and Damian will no longer suffer.¡±


    They were already special friends. He wanted to help those who already helped him a few times. He wanted them to be happy together for a long time. Grid conveyed his heart to Damian and Isabel. Isabel was thankful to Grid, while the sensitive Damian was already crying.


    ¡°Grid-sama!!¡±


    ***


    ¡°What would you like to do?¡±


    The Overgeared members and soldiers running around Reinhardt. They were full of energy as they tried to restore the damage caused by the war. Just watching it would make a person feel good. Chris watched the scene quietly and spoke to his Seven Captains.


    "What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Tell me honestly.¡±


    Once Chris asked again, the oldest of the Seven Captains, Zirkan, came forward. He was Chris¡¯ swordsmanship teacher and was once first ranked on the swordsman ranking, despite being nearly 70 years old. He had strong loyalty to Chris and was the person Chris most trusted in the Giant Guild.


    "Let¡¯s enter Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I believe that you would know it best. Grid has done great things and it¡¯s better to join him thanpete with him. If you¡¯re with him, I believe you can aplish a breakthrough.¡±


    Chris didn¡¯t deny it.


    "His vessel isrge enough to hold my vessel.¡±


    Chris decided to forsake the noble title of Eternal, which was now meaningless. The moment King An died, his guild window showed a hidden quest called ¡®Anti-Grid Nobles Alliance.¡¯


    "We will go hunting.¡±


    Chris pledged to give Grid the heads of the Eternal nobles as a gift to join Overgeared.

 Chapter 583

    Grid was able to build up knowledge with his experience of making the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow. In order to make myth rated items, special materials containing a god¡¯s power were required. For example, the Red Phoenix Breath.


    ¡¯Lifael¡¯s Spear will contain a material associated with Goddess Reba.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t seen it in the past, but he believed he could now that his cksmithing ability rose sharply.


    ¡®Once I figure out and understand the material of Lifael¡¯s Spear, I will be able to remodel it.¡¯


    The confident Grid started to disassemble Lifael¡¯s Spear. He removed the decorative fleece hanging from the front part of the spear, then separated all the parts of the spears in order. It was quick and delicate without damaging any of the connecting parts.


    The cksmiths of Reinhardt were impressed by the sight.


    ¡®It¡¯s like a hand touching the skin of a woman. Extraordinarily delicate.¡¯


    ¡®But it¡¯s quick with no mistakes.¡¯


    ¡®Truly Pagma¡¯s Descendent... It isn¡¯t an exaggeration that he¡¯s one of the best cksmiths in existence.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t think any dwarf cksmiths are a match for him unless they are a dwarf lord.¡¯


    The cksmiths watching Grid were fascinated. As their new king who was the supreme authority in this field, they had high expectations. The new kingdom would surely be a world of cksmiths. The cksmiths were delighted as they imagined it.


    ¡®Maybe I will have an opportunity to learn from him directly?¡¯


    ¡®Will he hold a cksmithingpetition?¡¯


    ¡®Reinhardt will be the shrine of cksmiths.¡¯


    The cksmith¡¯s expectations were heightened as the atmosphere of the smithy increased. But Grid wasn¡¯t affected. He continued his work without losing focus, as if he was in a world alone.


    Damian and Isabel watched him silently. The divine artifact of the Reba Church. Grid broke it down into several pieces and even melted it in the fire, but they weren¡¯t nervous at all. It was because they believed in Grid. Unfortunately, their belief wasn¡¯t paid back as Grid¡¯s expression gradually changed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    He hadpletely disassembled Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid was troubled as he looked at the materials he melted without any loss. He couldn¡¯t find the aura of Goddess Reba from any of the materials.


    ¡®It¡¯s the same as what I saw before. The spear is made of pure adamantium. It¡¯s the same for the secondary part of the spear.¡¯


    Did the goddess¡¯ blessing dwell in the adamantium itself? He used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal on every part of the spear and then the adamantium itself but...


    ¡®It¡¯s just in adamantium.¡¯


    The goddess¡¯ blessing didn¡¯t dwell anywhere in Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡¯What on earth is going on? Can there be a myth rated weapon that doesn¡¯t use any divine material?¡¯


    Grid was confused. As he was feeling puzzled, he suddenly thought of a hypothesis.


    ¡®This... Is it a weapon made by a god?¡¯


    This could be the reason why Lifael¡¯s Spear was a myth-rated weapon, despite not using the materials of a god. Was it because a god made the weapon?


    ¡®If a cksmith god exists, wouldn¡¯t they make a myth rated weapon?¡¯


    It was the worst. If this hypothesis was true, Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to reconstruct Lifael¡¯s Spear. It was virtually impossible to reconstruct a myth rated weapon with pure ability if he couldn¡¯t rely on the materials. Just like how he couldn¡¯t created a myth rated Red Phoenix Bow without the Red Phoenix Breath.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Was it impossible to give Isabel freedom? He wanted to deny it.


    Grid asked Damian and Isabel, ¡°Do you know who made this spear?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    "Do you know anything about the birth of the spear?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There was a legend that a long time ago, the first pope was given the divine artifacts by Goddess Reba.¡±


    "Goddess Reba directly...¡±


    Legends weren¡¯t always fanciful. Maybe it was the true history.


    It was just like the legends of Pagma and Braham.


    ¡®The weapon that Goddess Reba handed down directly. This means it was born in the divine realm... It also means that a god probably created it.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the ¡®aura¡¯ of a god but the ¡®technology¡¯ of a god. It wasn¡¯t something that he could remodel.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid bowed. He felt guilty for raising Isabel and Damian¡¯s hopes. He was angry at his own ipetence. He could still push ahead with the reconstruction. But it was dangerous. He could destroy the functionality of Lifael¡¯s Spear. In the end, Grid chose to give up. Lifael¡¯s Spear was disassembled. He first restored the appearance of the spearpletely before attaching the decorative fleece hanging near the front part of the spear.


    It was a fluffy white bundle that reminded him of a dandelion flower.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Grid stopped as he was hanging it onto the spear. Then he realized he overlooked one fact.


    ¡¯...Is this fluffy thing part of the spear?¡¯


    The white fluff had been present since the first time he saw Lifael¡¯s Spear. So far, he treated it as a simple ornament that Isabel hung on it...


    ¡®That isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    Would Isabel hang a personal ornament on the divine artifact that Goddess Reba gave her? The chances were very slim now that he thought about it. For Isabel, Goddess Reba was a noble and sacred being. She wouldn¡¯t do something like that. She wouldn¡¯t dirty the divine artifact that she had been given.


    "Isabel, you didn¡¯t hang up this fluffy ornament right? Was it originally on the spear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    He determined the right answer. Gridughed as the darkness on his face blew away. Then he used a skill.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    The target was the fluff.


    Ttiring~


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [Fluffy Bundle]


    An ornament hanging on Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    A pretty white fluff.


    Weight: 0


    [!!!!!!!!!]


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [The information about the target item has been updated.]


    [Goddess¡¯ Fluffy Hair]


    Fine hair belonging to Reba, goddess of light.


    It has long fallen away from the goddess, but still contains a strong divine power.


    It destroys evil and humans can¡¯t bear this divine power.


    Depending on the use, it might be a drug or a poison.


    Weight: 0


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    This cotton-like bundle was the goddess¡¯ hair?


    ¡®Now it looks like fur.¡¯


    He took a closer look at the thin bundle of hair. Every strand was thin and transparent. Goddess Reba¡¯s appearance popped into Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡®She is a great beauty when looking at the statues and portraits... It¡¯s true that beauties have soft and downy hair.¡¯


    In any case, it wasn¡¯t important.


    Grid finished thinking and said to Damian and Isabel.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    A terrible spear that required the user¡¯s vitality to use. Grid was determined to change this spear into an item worthy of the goddess of light. In order to do that, he needed someone¡¯s help. It was Saintess Ruby.


    -Sehee, what are you doing?


    -I¡¯mforting the families of those sacrificed to summon the great demon.


    A Saintess had an obligation to do good deed every day. If she didn¡¯t do this, she would be deprived of her qualifications as a Saintess. Sehee was always volunteering inside the game.


    -I will share my location so pleasee and help me.I need your strength.


    Ruby acquired a special reward for destroying the great demon¡¯s soul in the raid. Grid had very big hopes for her.


    ***


    "This is Reidan.¡±


    ¡°Agricultural has developed to this unbelievable extent in a desert city? Everywhere is green.¡±


    "Bah, it¡¯s thanks to that crazy farmer.¡±


    Blood Carnival. Known as the worst PK group, they had a grudge against Grid and Overgeared. In particr, the White and ck sisters had a great hatred for Grid. Not only did the invasion of Siren fail because of Grid, ck even lost the best essory, the Ring of Absurdity, thanks to him.


    They were looking for a chance to get revenge on Grid and watched the war between Overgeared and the Eternal Kingdom. They gathered all their intelligence and realized that Reidan was almostpletely empty of Overgeared members.


    Reidan. It was the home of Overgeared, and Grid¡¯s wife Irene was believed to be staying here. White, who was on the same grade as Grid and Kraugel, smiled.


    ¡°I will take away everything Grid has.¡±


    Unlike her sister White, who was a brilliant beauty, the skinny and gloomy ck nodded.


    "Yes, we will make him feel a much bigger pain than what we felt.¡±


    The intelligencework of the Blood Carnival was the best. Due to their nature, quick information gathering was essential. Blood Carnival had a lot of forces that they traded information with every day. Thanks to that, ck and White were currently aware of Reidan¡¯s strength.


    ¡®The top powers of Overgeared, including the mad farmer, are scattered all over the battlefields.¡¯


    ¡®Reidan only has 1,000 soldiers around level 100 guarding it.¡¯


    There was no existence that could stop the two of them. The White and ck sisters had faith in their skills. They wouldn¡¯t have been so humiliated by Grid and the Overgeared members during the Siren invasion if they had been together.


    ¡°Grid...! I will make you shed blood and tears!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The desert shook as ck and White started to run. Reidan, or to be precise, Irene, would soon face a crisis.

 Chapter 584

    ¡°What? The king has been killed?¡±


    [King An¡¯s death has be known and the navy is in turmoil!]


    [The power of Eternal¡¯s navy has gone down. Skills and spells are no longer avable.]


    [Eternal¡¯s navy has retreated!]


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Cork Ind. Peak Sword struggled against the navy with the help of Soldier, who he met during his mining activities. They had been in a big crisis after half the ind was taken by the navy, so Peak Sword sighed with relief.


    ¡°Lauel... God Grid. You did it.¡±


    The ending of the war was much faster than nned. Thanks to that, they could keep Cork Ind. Against what everyone thought, they protected Cork Ind with their Korean hands.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°We did it! We did it!!¡±


    The Silver Knights and the soldiers of Cork Ind shed tears of joy. Their bodies and minds were exhausted from the war thatsted several days, but they enjoyed the pleasure of this moment. Peak Sword praised them.


    "Everyone has suffered. You all fought well like God Grid.¡±


    It was time to go back to Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to God Grid. We will bless our master who will soone to the throne.¡±


    Grid would once again improve the reputation of South Korea. As the president of the Korean Patriotic Society, Peak Sword was more proud than anyone else.


    ¡¯I¡¯m happy to be able to serve God Grid.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Peak Sword¡¯s face. It was aforting smile that made the person who saw it feel warm. Unfortunately, the smile didn¡¯tst long. A shadow suddenly appeared behind Peak Sword. The ID above the shadow that emerged from the ground was Tarma.


    An assassin of the dark gamers group, Blood Carnival! He whispered in a voice filled with spite after being horribly humiliated by Grid in the National Competition and the Siren invasion.


    ¡°The world has many giants. Do you think that Satisfy is a world just for Overgeared?¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Peak Sword turned his head while cing a hand on his sheath.


    Puok!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Tarma¡¯s yellow dagger stabbed Peak Sword¡¯s heart.


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    Tarma was strong. Grid acknowledged his skills despite easily winning over him. It would be dangerous if Tarma could hunt in an environment where he could attempt an assassination. It was virtually impossible for Peak Sword to defend against the surprise attack after suffering from the war. In particr, Peak Sword revealed arge gap while enjoying the victory.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Puok!Puk.Puk puk!


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [You have died.]


    [33.1% experience has been lost.]


    [Your level has dropped.]


    [10 of your most recently invested points will be lost.]


    [The item Peak Sword¡¯s Sheath has dropped.]


    The yellow dagger continuously pierced Peak Sword who turned to grey. It urred in an instant.


    ¡°Peak Sword!¡±


    The members of Overgeared btedly became aware of the situation and fell into chaos. A smile appeared on Tarma¡¯s face.


    ¡°Devastate Cork Ind. Trample on everything and remove all traces of Overgeared!¡±


    He would deny everything they had built! The moment that Tarma shouted loudly.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    The assassins, who had infiltrated the ind while Overgeared were concentrating on the war against the navy, started to run to the city in the middle of the ind. The Overgeared tried to stop them, but Tarma couldn¡¯t be stopped by them. The Silver Knights members of Overgeared didn¡¯t yet have the skills to deal with high rankers and werepletely fooled by Tarma.


    ¡°Overgeared! I will gue you for the rest of my life!¡±


    There were at least two billion users in Satisfy. The intertwining interest and rampant causes didn¡¯t make it easy. There was always something to lose. This logic pressed on Grid and Overgeared.


    ***


    ¡°Kuk! Kukukuk! Kuhahahahahat!¡±


    The fortified city of Borneo.


    Katz burst outughing on the walls. The Gauss users lost sight of their goal due to being blinded by money. They felt joyous every time Seuron screamed.


    "...Really amazing.¡±


    Yes, it was great to watch the power of money. It would never betray him. It always brought him new fun. This was the world.


    ¡°Money is the best.¡±


    Only a rich person could say such words! The Gauss troops under the wall made demands.


    ¡°Seuron is dead!¡±


    "Now give us the promised reward!¡±


    "I hit Seuron 10 times!¡±


    ¡°I put a hole in Seuron!¡±


    Money! Money! Money!


    The users on the ground reached out to Katz. They were worried Katz would forget his words and wanted the reward quickly. Katz looked warmly at those who became puppets before money.


    ¡°Okay. I will give you the reward I promised.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    He would keep his honor as the son of Japan¡¯s greatest conglomerate. The Gauss yers¡¯ eyes shone in anticipation of the promised reward. Katz gave them an email address.


    ¡°This is my secretary¡¯s email address. Send the video of your attack on Seuron and your ount number. The promised amount will arrive immediately after it is confirmed.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The hundreds and thousands of Gauss users froze in an instant. They were confused when Katz asked for the video. Katz gave them a baffled look.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this reaction? Is there anything wrong with my demands?¡±


    No, nothing was wrong. Katz had an obligation to clearly know who had hit Seuron and how many times they did it. A recorded video was definite proof. He had an obligation to check their videos to give them the promised reward. Most of the Gauss yers had overlooked this.


    Someone shouted loudly.


    ¡°There¡¯s a limit to the capsule memory! Anyone who would record a video of the battlefield is crazy!¡±


    "That¡¯s right! How can we record a video on a battlefield where thousands of people are struggling and all types of skill effects are overflowing? The video will be too big to be stored in the capsule!¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    Katz frowned.


    "What¡¯s your point? Do you want me to individually check and remember each person who hit Seuron and how many times they did it?"


    ¡°T-That...!¡±


    The Gauss users realized it simultaneously. It was impossible for them to receivepensation from the beginning.


    ¡°T...This wicked Japanese person!¡±


    ¡°Dammit! It would¡¯ve turned out this way from the beginning!¡±


    "You just used us!¡±


    The Gauss users showed their hatred in unison. The Overgeared soldiers gulped as there were signs the war would start again. But Katz didn¡¯t shrink back. He just made a surprised expression.


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand why you are ming me. If you used the diamond capsule of the Comet Group in the first ce, then you wouldn¡¯t becking video recording capacity.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t record a video because you used a cheap capsule. Then isn¡¯t it your fault that you can¡¯t submit the evidence for the reward? Why me others, when you should bementing your owncking power?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s right. Katz had no intention of deceiving the Gauss users. He nned to give them the promised rewards. His pride was so high that he could pay this much money to ordinary people. Katz just didn¡¯t understand the position of ordinary people.


    ¡°No matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t understand. Why aren¡¯t you using a diamond capsule? Didn¡¯t Grid advertise it in the National Competition? It¡¯s better to use this capsule.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How could amoner use a capsule that was worth 1.32 million won?


    ¡°Damn rich people...¡±


    ¡°A bad person.¡±


    The Gauss users no longer had the heart to argue with Katz. Themander of the Gauss army cried out.


    ¡°Retreat! Full retreat!¡±


    The news of King An¡¯s death was transmitted to the Gauss Kingdom. Since Reinhardt was upied, it was unknown when Overgeared would send reinforcements here. Thus, the Gauss army was forced to retreat. Katz shrugged as he watched the Gauss army retreating.


    ¡°Anyway, the mission isplete.¡±


    Borneo. It was protected with only 2,000 troops. This was a result that Lauel didn¡¯t expect due to the power of money.


    Money was the best. Katz once again realized it. Therefore, he thought that Grid¡¯s items that couldn¡¯t be bought with money were greater.


    ***


    The spacious fields of Reidan.


    Today, the farmers were working. The farmers maintained the attitude taught by Piaro and kept farming. Their origin varied. There were the people from Reidan, the minority that Piaro brought from the Altes Mountains (in fact, they were Prince Ren¡¯s people), and the yers who visited Reidan and were caught by Piaro. Unlike ordinary farmers, they had tempered bodies and unusual eyes.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?"


    The farmers wielding their farming equipment concentrated their attention on one spot simultaneously. Beyond this green orchard, a sandstorm was approaching from the desert. An artificial sand storm. It was like hundreds of horses were moving. The eyes of the farmers changed sharply.


    "Be alert.¡±


    Most of them were soldiers who had been on a battlefield. They had to keep their fields and cities. The farmers raised their alertness at the approach of unidentified people, while the sandstorm came closer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe a city is in the middle of the desert.¡±


    "How can there be such vast fields?¡±


    The sandstorm wasn¡¯t caused by hundreds of horses. Surprisingly, they were two women. There was a white-haired woman with a sensual body and a ck-haired woman with a dismal atmosphere.


    The ck and White sisters.


    The farmers holding farming equipment were looking at them but they didn¡¯t care. They didn¡¯t pay any attention at all. They just thought of the farmers as ordinary vigers. They would¡¯ve been wary if the crazy farmer who appeared in Siren was in Reidan, but they received information that the crazy farmer was in Reinhardt. The ck and White sisters were overflowing with confidence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    White ignored the farmers and walked ahead, followed by ck.


    Step, step.


    The two women walked across the fields. They carefully observed the walls of Reidan.


    ¡®There are only a few guards.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s deadly quiet.¡¯


    This was really amazing timing for a surprise attack. The base of Overgeared was empty. They wouldpletely devastate the work of Overgeared and get rid of Grid¡¯s precious wife. White and ck established the perfect revenge n.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hesitation.


    ck and White were moving with a smile when they stopped. Then they looked around with sharp eyes. They sensed a strange atmosphere.


    Suuk.


    Sususuk.


    The farmers scattered throughout the fields. Every farmer holding a dirt covered farming tool in their hands was approaching quietly but quickly. As the distance got closer, they took of their clothes, revealing armor or robes. They put away their farming equipment and armed themselves with spears or des.


    White and ck shook.


    ¡°A trap...!¡±


    Their surprise attack was predicted and nned for? Grid¡¯s foresight was mysterious!


    ¡°This isn¡¯t normal...!¡±


    White acknowledged Grid while taking a battle posture.


    At the same time, in Reidan.


    "Young lord, it is time to visit the field.¡±


    They were the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates. In addition to their natural talent, the 200 young girls became elites through training.


    "Ohh.¡±


    Lord¡¯s cheeks swelled up like a balloon.


    It was fun to y assassins from Kasim, interesting to recreate the sword techniques learned from Uncle Kraugel, fun to train the divine power awakened thanks to Damian, and it was interesting to study with Sticks. However, he had no interest in field work.


    Whenever he farmed in the postures taught by Piaro, the muscles of his body were sore.


    ¡°I want to go to the smithy.¡±


    Most of his study topics were fun, but the best thing was to raise his proficiency in cksmithing. Indeed, Lord was Grid¡¯s son. He had an aptitude with cksmithing. Lord grumbled but the girls were determined.


    "No. There¡¯s a fixed time for all your study topics.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. There will be a much bigger effect if you study ording to the timetable that Sticks set.¡±


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Lord¡¯s cheeks became more puffed up. He looked sulky. Whenever this happened, he would be hugged or given a knee as a pillow. Lord looked so cute that the girls wanted to hold Lord in their arms.


    "Stop grumbling.¡± A voice was heard from the darkness. "You will soon be a prince. From now on, you have to maintain your dignity. Go to the rice fields.¡±


    It was Kasim, king of shadows. In the end.


    "Waaaaaaah~~!¡±


    Lord screamed as he was caught by the girls and carried to the fields. A young child who was having a hard day with his early education. Before he knew it, the four year old who was the best genius of the West Continent was going to be revealed.


    It was the precursor of a new historical wave.

 Chapter 585

    ¡®Grid...!¡¯


    Their attack was anticipated ahead of time and a trap wasid? It was even in the rice fields!


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    Unless it was a particr season, the fields wouldn¡¯t be a target. The crops that hadn¡¯t grown significantly made the fieldspletely open, meaning it was hard toy a trap or ambush. Therefore, the sisters were caught off guard. They never expected there would be a trap on the fields.


    ¡®Soldiers and guild members are disguised as farmers!¡¯


    It was surprising that soldiers were disguised as farmers and waiting for them. They sacrificed their time to carry out the orders of Grid. They had to stay in the fields without doing any work. It showed Overgeared¡¯s loyalty to Grid.


    ¡®He did it properly.¡¯


    White was convinced. Grid was an absolute ruler and genius before he was a cksmith, overgeared person, or high ranker. It was dubious but now she was certain. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that Blood Carnival collided with Overgeared in Siren!


    ¡®Since then, we have been dancing on Grid¡¯s hand!¡¯


    It was clear from the beginning that Grid had been plotting against Blood Carnival and then made ns to keep Blood Carnival in check. Indeed, an amazing man.


    Males. A simple-minded existence that only cared about appearance. The day hade when she would acknowledge such a disgusting presence? Her pride was bruised as she looked at her little sister ck.


    "Don¡¯t shrink back. No one is a match for us. We will shatter Reidan as nned.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bluff. White¡¯s confidence was still perfect. She had never been defeated in battle when she joined forces with her sister, ck.


    ¡°Yes, Sister. Let¡¯s fight.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t be hit by Grid again. They were still furious at the Ring of Absurdity being taken away. ck¡¯s grudge against Grid was unbearablyrge.


    ¡®Grid, I will take all your precious things.¡¯


    ck swallowed down the poison in his heart. The ability of a Illusionist had the ability to turn illusions into reality.


    Susuk.


    Sususuk.


    The fields where the farmers of Reidan were working...


    Hwaruruk!


    It changed into a sea of fire. The illusion building ability of an Illusionist, which many people assumed with a legendary ss, was no different from reality.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The farmers suffered burn damage from the fire that suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Ugh! W-What is this?¡±


    The fields that gave peace and a feeling of rest to them was covered with mes? The angry farmers became confused and in the midst of their struggle, ck created a clone of herself. She made a beauty with a sensual body and brought it into reality. Then she equipped the clone with magic items and hid in the rear. It was the emergence of a fire magician that specialized in mass destruction.


    ¡°Fire Spear!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The strength of a user that even Euphemina found difficult to handle swept away the farmers of Reidan. The number of spells used was very lowpared to when she had the Ring of Absurdity, but the opponents were too weak for her to feel any regret.


    The storm of mes turned dozens of farmers into ashes.


    ¡°As expected from my sister!¡±


    White smiled widely as she saw ck¡¯s activities. The fat she burned while running to Reidan was slowly recovering. White chewed on arge piece of meat to speed up her fat recovery and became fat again. Then she swung her fists at the farmers.


    Kwaaaang!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    The farmers White thought of as Overgeared members were actually users. In other words, the users caught by Piaro and acted as farmers were in great shock. The users were powerful enough to break through the desert and reach Reidan. They were at least level 200. But they were like specks of dust in front of the unidentified women.


    ¡®What are their identities?¡¯


    ¡®How strong are they?¡¯


    A shield blocked White¡¯s fist and the holder was thrown back 80 meters. White leapt towards the tanker whose shield was distorted. She used her bloated belly to attack.


    Peeeeeong!


    "Hup...!"


    The farmer crushed by White¡¯s belly rolled around and was swallowed up by mes. Silence fell as the user turned to grey. The ck and White sisters. The absolute strength of the unofficial rankers overwhelmed Reidan¡¯s farmers and filled them with despair.


    ¡°Shit... Why do we have to suffer like this?¡±


    The users started toment. They didn¡¯t have a rtionship with Overgeared, so why should they sacrifice themselves to protect Reidan? They grumbled about the situation. They were reprimanded by other users.


    "Don¡¯t forget everything you have received from Piaro¡¯s hidden quests. You should at least reciprocate.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t your pride hurt when you see the fields being ruined?¡±


    "Think of the Reidan residents who bring us snacks every day. We can¡¯t let those monsters kill them.¡±


    ¡°...Indeed.¡±


    The grumbling users felt a sense of solidarity. Who were they? People caught by a mad farmer and forced to be serfs? That was just the outer appearance. They were reborn as farmers. The farming they learned from Piaro wasn¡¯t ordinary farming. Their physical abilities and skills with their weapons had greatly increased. Now was the time to prove their power.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight together!¡±


    "Think about Piaro¡¯s teachings! Remember the action when wielding the hand plow!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°...!¡±


    White¡¯s eyes becamerger. She was confused that the moral of the enemies didn¡¯t decrease at all.


    ¡®Ridiculous people!¡¯


    Their courage was doubled, instead of feeling despair and frustration?


    Kwaduduk!


    ¡°This is funny!¡±


    White would rather die than be ignored. In particr, she couldn¡¯t tolerate men making fun of her. White was filled with anger and burned the fat she umted.


    Chiik.


    Chiiiik!


    A haze of heat rose from White¡¯s body and White became thinner and more beautiful. At the same time.


    Peeng!


    White¡¯s fist contained the burned fat as energy and attacked the farmers. It was a fist that was several times smaller than before, but the power and speed were much higher.


    Kwajajajak!


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    The farmers fell one by one as White swung her fist. It was a sharp and destructive blow that pierced their armor. The yers stiffened at White¡¯s true skills and White made a satisfied expression.


    "Yes, my strength deserves reverence. It isn¡¯t something for you to make fun of.¡±


    She might¡¯ve been defeated by the farmer called Piaro but she was the strongest user. Kraugel? How funny. Her skills were several times higher. Basically, women were better than men! Then the voice of a child entered White¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Who is that sister?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A childlike voice was heard in the middle of a fight? White was confused and turned her eyes in the direction of the voice. Then she couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    ¡®Cute!¡¯


    ¡®Too cute!¡¯


    There was a young boy with ck hair, deep blue eyes, and white skin. The boy approaching the fields was very cute despite being male. His cheeks were soft and his eyes shone like jewels.


    ¡°What? Why is a kid in a ce like this?¡±


    White and ck had been neglected and discriminated against by men because of their appearance and body. They hated men very much, but they couldn¡¯t hate a child. They were afraid of the child being hurt and stopped attacking the farmer.


    ¡°Young Nobleman Lord~~~¡±


    "Why are you running away alone?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There were 200 beautiful girls. They rushed to the young child named Lord and clung to him like they were his lovers. The faces of White and ck distorted in a frightening manner.


    ¡°A person this young is already flirting!¡±


    "A man shouldn¡¯t do this! All men are wolves! Wolves!¡±


    They didn¡¯t want to see it. They could see what type of man he would be once he grew older. But so what? It was worrisome to hurt a child, even if he was a NPC...


    ¡®Eh?¡±


    ¡¯Wait?¡¯


    White and ck shivered before they btedly realized something. The title attached to Lord.


    ¡®Young nobleman?¡¯


    That boy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... Are you Grid¡¯s child?"


    Satisfy was a virtual reality game where marriage and childbirth between a yer and user was possible. Lord nodded at the question, showing a ridiculous thinking ability.


    "Yes, the most wonderful Duke Grid is my father.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    White and ck were filled with joy. They were happy about finding Grid¡¯s hidden treasure.


    ¡®Kill him!¡¯


    ¡®I like this! I will make tears fall from Grid¡¯s eyes!¡¯


    ck and White looked at each other and smiled.


    "So I will punish these sisters.¡±


    Lord had a cold expression that didn¡¯t fit his age and pulled something out. It was a dagger. It was as sharp as a real knife. It wasn¡¯t something that should be held by a child.


    ¡®Why is a child carrying such a scary thing?¡¯


    White and ck¡¯s question was soon resolved.


    "Why do you want to hurt my father¡¯s people? You have done something bad and need to be punished.¡±


    Papat!


    At that moment. Lord¡¯s daggers were thrown at the ankles of White and ck. It was the manifestation of Lantier¡¯s Methods that Lord had learned. Lord was only level 40 due to the age level limit. However, the power of a legendary skill couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    ck and White saw the power of the dagger and hurriedly moved. No, they tried to move. Suddenly, shadows rose from the ground like living creatures and grabbed their ankles. It was the shadow method passed directly from Kasim, king of shadows.


    ¡°This monster!¡±


    White and ck no longer saw Lord as a cute little boy. He was a monster in the shape of a child.


    Pahat!


    They barely managed to shake off the shadow and was about tounch a counterattack when a light shed. It was Holy Light. A divine magic spell that only applied to evil beings. It didn¡¯t do any damage to White and ck, but that wasn¡¯t Lord¡¯s intention. It temporarily obstructed their vision.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Due to the intense light, White and ck reflexively closed their eyes while Lord rushed towards them. It was the secret technique that Kraugel used during his time as a white swordsman.


    ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of the farmers watching the battle, as well as ck and White, twitched.

 Chapter 586

    ¡®What in the world is that kid?¡¯


    Lord was a child around five years old. However, hisnguage skills were better than his age, so he must be a pretty smart kid. Yes, this was the first impression. The reality? He was a monster who couldn¡¯t just be called smart. He was a threat pretending to be a kid, who knew shadow skills, divine magic, and swordsmanship. In addition, this wasn¡¯t the usual swordsmanship. The spectacr skill effect showed that it was at least a unique rated swordsmanship.


    ¡®This monster...!¡¯


    Toddle.


    Dadadadada!


    Lord narrowed the distance by moving his short legs. A storm of energy emerged from his de and aimed at White and ck. It felt as though they were looking at Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship. White judged that it was difficult to avoid itpletely and made a different choice. Magicians had low health and low defense, so they used shields. On the other hand, White increased her defense and attacked.


    ¡¯How strong can a little kid be?¡¯


    In the first ce, Lord¡¯s weapon was just a little baby sword. White judged that the attack would be weak, despite the splendid skill effects. She believed she would overwhelm him in a face-to-face confrontation. But the result...


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    [The sharp Storm Sword has decreased your defense!]


    [The level of the target who attacked you is unreasonably low. Most of the damage has been neutralized.]


    [You have suffered 2,880 damage.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    White could change her stats based on her amount of body fat. Her basic defense was very high. As a top ranker, she had a variety of titles and even a unique rune. She had a great deal of pride in her ranking ability. However, she lost close to 3,000 health when hit by the sword of a five year old boy.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a big blow for White to lose 3,000 health when her total health exceeded 60,000. But when looking at the notification window, the difference between Lord and White was at least 200 levels. Taking into ount the level difference, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the boy only dealt damage in the hundreds.


    White was able to deduce an amazing fact.


    ¡®This monster kid, isn¡¯t the level of his skills and the stats ridiculously highpared to his level?¡¯


    There was something even more shocking.


    ¡®He even avoided my attack?¡¯


    At this moment, White doubted her eyes. Lord attacked without any dy while using excellent footwork. It resembled White Light Steps. This was the footwork that represented Kraugel in his White Swordsman days. White¡¯s fist had only hit the air.


    ¡°Kid! What¡¯s your identity!?¡±


    The kid¡¯s iron sword looked trivial. But the sword was clearly powerful. Grid must¡¯ve made it. Yes, the kid called Lord was overgeared. She was convinced up to here. But how could he used shadow techniques that only a master of shadows could acquire, and what was with the divine magic? And what about the swordsmanship and footwork that showed traces of Kraugel?


    ¡°How can he use such a splendid technique when he doesn¡¯t even have his first ss yet?¡±


    The silent ck shouted angrily. An assumption crossed her mind.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this kid a secret weapon that Grid is intentionally raising?¡¯


    She received information that Damian and Kraugel were at the scene of the great demon raid. Based on this fact, Damian and Kraugel were obviously good friends of Grid. Did the three of them cooperate to raise a human weapon?


    ¡®The unlimited potential of named NPCs... It¡¯s theoretically possible to learn the best skills quickly if they¡¯re trained from when they are a baby.¡¯


    The most powerful human weapon would be created!


    ¡®Grid, you fearsome bastard!¡¯


    This was a game, but he was cruel for raising his own flesh and blood as a weapon. He might not shed even a drop of blood. Indeed,pared to women who had beautiful material instincts, the existence of a male was nothing but a piece of garbage.


    ¡°Yes... You¡¯re a truly miserable child. You have a trash parent and were raised as a weapon before you could even grow up.¡±


    White showedpassion towards Lord. It was unfamiliar to Lord, who had always been raised with envious or pretty eyes. Lord made a confused sound.


    "Trash?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The little boy who didn¡¯t even understand that word. It was true that Grid and Kraugel were great for raising such a skilled child, but it was also disgusting. White hated Grid and Kraugel as she aimed her fist at Lord.


    ¡°You¡¯re destined to live an unhappy life. I¡¯d rather kill you.¡±


    Kuduk!


    Kudududuk!


    A thick vein of blood started to swell on White¡¯s fist. The muscles of her thin arms started growing. She turned fat into muscles.


    ¡°Peerless Mountain Seizing Strength!¡±


    Peeng!


    A power that could seize mountains and cover the world. White opened her real power.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Peerless Mountain Seizing Strength was amazing, as White¡¯s stats increased and she would deal additional damage with every punch. ck scattered the mes she created with her illusions and divided the fields in two.


    Kurururung!


    "Oh."


    Lord fell backwards at the wave of energy. His stamina and mana were at their limits due to the skills he previously used. Lord¡¯s resources were depleted because he hadn¡¯t yet fully grown.


    "From here on, we will be your opponent!¡±


    ¡°Lord should rest!¡±


    The 200 girls watching the struggle between Lord and White finally moved. They equipped swords, spears, or shields to protect Lord. White thought it was ridiculous.


    "It is a group of kids?¡±


    They would fall in one blow! White was confident.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join forces!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Kaaang!


    Hadn¡¯t they been training every day? The 200 girls skillfully blocked White¡¯s attack. 50 girls armed with shields blocked White¡¯s punch and her movements, while those armed with swords and spears attacked White.


    ¡®My punch was blocked?¡¯


    How could girls in their teens be so organized? White was confused. But she couldn¡¯t help feeling calmpared to when she was facing the five year old child. White didn¡¯t show any gaps as she moved quickly to avoid the attacks and counterattacked.


    Kwajak!


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates. After hard training at the Reba Church¡¯s secret temple, they were educated by Piaro and became very strong. They demonstrated a high growth rate as semi-named NPCs and already exceeded the average level of 200.


    But White was one of the best yers. The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates weren¡¯t her match yet. This was despite the numerical advantage.


    ¡°Sisters...!¡±


    Lord cried out when he saw them fall down bleeding. He learned from his mother that he should cherish women. He learned from his father to protect all those precious to him.


    "Don¡¯t harass my sisters!¡±


    Lord shouted as he barely managed to get up. The boy had the desire to kill for the first time in his life.


    At that moment.


    "An assassin showing killing intent. Didn¡¯t I repeatedly tell you that you should keep yourposure in a desperate situation?¡±


    A loud voice was heard from Lord¡¯s shadow. It was Kasim¡¯s voice.


    "Master!¡±


    Lord, who had been trying to attack White, regained hisposure in a sh. He shut his mouth and endured as Kasim asked him.


    "What choice should you make now that you¡¯re about to lose your precious ones?¡±


    Lord answered without hesitation. "I should ask for Master¡¯s help!¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Stupid stubbornness wasn¡¯t needed. This choice was reasonable. In particr, Lord was in a position of power. The power he could wield wasn¡¯t just an individual¡¯s power.


    Kasim was satisfied with the answer. Sharp eyes could be seen under ck robes.


    ***


    ¡°Kyaaack!¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The girls couldn¡¯t withstand White¡¯s attacks and fell, only to be hit by ck¡¯s magic bombardment. White nned to instantly neutralize the girls. She would use arge-scale killing technique that required consuming a certain amount of visceral fat.


    "I can¡¯t keep you alive to help Grid¡¯s future.¡±


    White smiled as she leapt high in the sky and inted her fat. She was already familiar with ughtering. She nned to smash all the girls in the range of her fist. But her n couldn¡¯t be realized.


    ¡°What?¡±


    White paled as she fell towards the ground with a bloated belly. Hundreds of ck darts were created from shadows all over the ground and rushed towards her?


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    It couldn¡¯t bepared to the shadows used by Lord. The confused White hurriedly returned her belly to its original state and avoided the darts. It was impossible to avoid all the darts due to the sheer number, but she was rtively safe due to the shield magic used by ck.


    ¡°What bastard...?¡±


    ck urgently shouted towards White, who was searching the ground to find the caster of the shadow technique.


    ¡°Sister! Above you!¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    White heard ck¡¯s cry and raised her head. The shadow darts that were avoided. They changed to the form of a spear in the air and then fell again.


    ¡®This is nonsense!¡¯


    It was already amazing to create hundreds of shadow darts at one time, and now the shape was changed? The attack trajectory was even reset.


    ¡®This is impossible!¡¯


    The utilization of these shadows was different from what White knew. It was almost at the level of a scam.


    ¡®Is it a bugged user?¡¯


    The confused White hurriedly dropped to the ground and tried to shield her body using the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates. But it was wishful thinking. The shadow spear was like a guided missile. They repeatedly moved around the bodies and aimed at White.


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    A counter had to be found quickly. ck reconstructed her clone in order to save White from the shadow spears. Due to the battle, the shattered fields were turned into aplete ins area, making it impossible for the shadow user to hide. Then White and ck saw the appearance of an unknown man. It was a tall man in deep robes.


    ¡°You!¡±


    White and ck didn¡¯t hesitate after finding the target. They ignored the bombardment of shadow spears and attacked the robed man. But their attacks didn¡¯t hurt the man. It was because the summoned shadow soldierspletely protected the man.


    ¡°How dirty...!¡±


    The shadow control ability was fast and perfect. It was strange. White knew only one person in the world who could handle shadows like this.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    White suddenly stiffened like a stone statue. It was because of the robed man¡¯s identity.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    An assassin that could control all shadows in the world. Due to this great power, he earned the nickname of ¡®king.¡¯ Immediately after that.


    ¡°King of Shadows!¡±


    "Kasim!!"


    Why? Why was the famous King of Shadows in Reidan? The confused White¡¯s eyes were shaking like crazy.


    Suuk.


    Then Kasim appeared behind ck. He used the shadows to cross the distance in a sh.


    Puok!


    Kasim¡¯s de stabbed ck¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ck made a pained expression as blood and tears poured down, but White didn¡¯t shake at all. It was because ck¡¯s true body had already infiltrated Reidan safely.

 Chapter 587

    Swaaaaah.


    Kasim and White¡¯s eyes met as ck turned to grey. It was difficult for White to understand.


    King of Shadows, Kasim. Why did the continent¡¯s strongest assassin serve Grid? She felt at a loss.


    ¡®Does he have any weaknesses?¡¯


    White was curious, but had no chance to resolve the question. It was because Kasim flew towards her.


    Kakakang!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    It was like she was surrounded by hundreds of enemies. Kasim¡¯s ability to use the shadows that existed everywhere was a scam.


    ¡°...!¡±


    White blocked the shadow knife that flew at her and then her eyes widened. Kasim moved through the shadows behind her and stabbed his knife.


    ¡®Too much!¡¯


    Chaaeng!


    At the same time, White swung her fist as hard as possible at the knife. It was an exciting counterattack that failed to reach Kasim. Kasim once again moved through the shadows to avoid the attack. However, White didn¡¯t feel regret. It was sufficient that she managed to open up the distance. White gained a little bit of safety and chewed on a piece of meat. It was in order to umte fat.


    ¡®What is with Reidan?¡¯


    There were still monsters, despite the main force of Overgeared being away. The power of Overgeared might be more than she imagined.


    ¡®Che, I need to hold Kasim¡¯s feet until ck seeds in assassinating Irene.¡¯


    Could she hold on? He was a named NPC who created a lot of stories throughout the continent. White¡¯s attitude was very careful as she calcted the odds of victory.


    ¡®I was level 230 when rumors of the shadow assassin started spreading.¡¯


    It meant Kasim had his third advancement ss when she was still at her second advancement. White was currently level 370. Considering the experienced required to level up and the growth rate of named NPCs, Kasim¡¯s level was likely to be in the mid-400s. It was fortunate that the level difference wasn¡¯t over 100.


    ¡®A level difference of 60 or so can be ovee by the titles and rune effect. It would be a different story if Kasim achieved his fourth advancement ss, but it¡¯s hard to say if he has.¡¯


    The obvious problem was Kasim¡¯s shadows. A shadow assassin had a great deal of defense and utility, unlike a normal assassin. They didn¡¯t have any obvious weaknesses. White was merely a martial artist and had a lot of difficulty dealing with Kasim. But there was one hopeful fact.


    ¡®A shadow assassin has weak attack power.¡¯


    A normal assassin had a high attack power and a weak body, while a shadow assassin was very stable, but had a low attack power. ck was easily killed by Kasim because of her ss characteristics and her clone was a magician.


    ¡®It¡¯s possible to hold on until ck assassinates Irene.¡¯


    White thought of this and reduced her muscle mass while increasing her fat. It was to raise her defense in exchange for lowering her attack power and agility.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    White didn¡¯t copse despite the constant onught from Kasim. She gritted her teeth and persisted. Kasim confirmed that the shadow dagger didn¡¯t kill White and clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Too weak. The attack power is halved.¡¯


    There was no panacea in the world. White didn¡¯t know it, but Kasim had a weakness. His skills consumed too much mana. In other words, Kasim wasn¡¯t weak just when it came to attack power. He was also weak inbat duration. It wasn¡¯t good to have a long fight with White.


    But Kasim didn¡¯t rush. No, to be precise, he couldn¡¯t be in a hurry. It was because he detected the muscles hidden deep in White¡¯s flesh.


    ¡®A strong woman. She will attack the moment I show a moment of weakness.¡¯


    He needed to be careful. In the first ce, there was no need to be hasty. This was his lord¡¯s territory. Everyone was an ally except for White in front of him. Kasim controlled his heart and arranged his mana. Then he started to slowly pressure White. He couldn¡¯t know that White was happy with his choice.


    ¡®Kasim, it¡¯s easier to buy time because of your wariness.¡¯


    White barely refrained fromughing. She had no doubt that good news would arrive from ck and the ideal results would be obtained.


    On the other hand, Lord was watching Kasim¡¯s movements. He wanted to learn from his master¡¯s fighting and be stronger. Why? He realized he needed strength to defend his precious people. Lord¡¯s eyes shone likenterns as he watched Kasim fight. The profile of the young child was watched by the farmers of Reidan.


    ¡®This is Grid¡¯s son...¡¯


    ¡¯Is this a super grade NPC? Isn¡¯t he enormously gifted?¡¯


    ¡®Right... If he¡¯s already a monster, I can¡¯t imagine how great he will be afterwards.¡¯


    ¡¯...Should we stick with him?¡¯


    ¡®Eh? There are too many talents in Overgeared and we won¡¯t stand up.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s not join Overgeared. We should just serve Lord. Look at the future. If we serve Lord, who will be a big characterter on, won¡¯t we be famous as well?¡¯


    ¡¯Oh, that¡¯s a good idea?¡¯


    The supreme continental talent that captivated even a user¡¯s mind. They would be Lord¡¯s support in the future. They would emerge in the world and build up an independent power. It was the birth of the special Overgeared unit.


    ***


    [The summoned illusion has been damaged and has vanished.]


    [20% experience has been lost.]


    "Che.¡±


    The performance of the Illusionist that made illusions real was so great it could be called OP. Of course, there were also penalties. A small amount of experience was consumed every time an illusion was made and arge amount of experience was lost when it was destroyed by the enemy. In addition, the ability of the Illusionist fell significantly. It was a ss with an obvious limit to levelling.


    ¡®I can¡¯t dream about reaching level 400.¡¯


    ck checked her experience gauge that had fallen sharply. She had currently seeded in entering Reidan. Most of the troops were deployed elsewhere, leaving Reidan empty and with poor security. It was very difficult for the guards to find ck, who had an illusion around her.


    ¡®Where is Irene¡¯s bedroom?¡¯


    ck was frustrated as she moved through the castle as secretly as possible. She was worried about how long her sister White couldst against the monster called Kasim.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    ck was trying to find Irene quickly when her face turned red. It was because she found a silver-haired woman in the garden of the outdoor terrace.


    ¡°...Really pretty.¡±


    The silver-haired woman was so beautiful that ck was shocked. The woman didn¡¯t raise her head from the beautiful garden full of flowers. Her name was Irene. She was the innocent beauty who was the first love of many yers until she became Grid¡¯s wife.


    ¡®What a bright smile.¡¯


    A beautiful woman like her would have a different life from ck. She was always loved and enjoyed happiness.


    ¡®There are no shadows in her heart.¡¯


    Swaaah.


    Wind blew through ck¡¯s hair as she stood on the terrace and looked down at Irene. ck¡¯s thin face filled with hatred.


    ¡®Does it make sense that a NPC will be happier than me?¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    ck had been abandoned at an orphanage with her sister White. She had never been loved by anyone from the moment she was born. She had been the subject of mockery and pity. Thus, she hated Irene. She couldn¡¯t ept such a radiant existence. She felt a sense of deprivation when she saw those who were full of happiness. She wanted to take away the happiness they felt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    Kill. Kill. Kill. ck¡¯s eyes were filled with madness as she looked at Irene. Sheughed like a madman as she imagined herself with shiny silver hair. It was the precursor to Illusion Manifestation.


    At that moment.


    "Don¡¯t infect her with your misery.¡±


    ck heard the voice of a stranger. It was a male voice. It was filled with a chill that seemed to prate into her bones.


    ¡°W-Who?¡±


    ck was surprised and turned to look at the dark corridor.


    Step.Step.


    Footsteps came closer from the direction the voice was heard. After a moment. ck confirmed the identity of the man who appeared from the darkness.


    ¡°F-Faker? You should be in Reinhardt!¡±


    The evaluation for Faker was very high. Despite being a normal ss user, he had a clear reputation. Of course, the White and ck sisters also appreciated Faker. His control skills and ability to perfectly utilize his ss characteristics were reminiscent of Kraugel.


    Strictly speaking, it was an inferior version of Kraugel. If Kraugel¡¯s stats were evaluated as S grade, Faker¡¯s stats were A+. Faker was well aware of this difference. He was a top ranker, but he wasn¡¯t one of the best rankers. He believed it was a problem of talent that couldn¡¯t be ovee with effort.


    But Faker now abandoned that belief. He realized it during the Belial raid. If he didn¡¯t have a bigger greed, he would keep being a non-existent person.


    ¡°ck. A sun grade yer.¡±


    The same grade as Grid and Kraugel. Fighting spirit filled Faker¡¯s eyes as he gazed at ck.


    ¡°I will break my limits by beating you.¡±


    He would climb up the cliff and eventually crush the sky beside him. He had to take a leaf from Grid¡¯s book. He couldn¡¯t give up. Thus, he dered.


    ¡°I will also reach for the sky.¡±


    Chwaruruk!


    Faker¡¯s robe moved, attracting ck¡¯s attention for a moment. Faker didn¡¯t miss this opening. He immediately threw a dagger while narrowing the distance with ck.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡®Fast!¡¯


    ck hurriedly summoned a warrior-type clone and gulped as she blocked Faker¡¯s attack. Unlike the famous high rankers, Faker had a normal ss, but his attack was surprisingly powerful.


    ¡®This is nonsense! What¡¯s with these stats?¡¯


    Faker had a lot of time while protecting his colleagues backs at the hunting ground. He did his best in his position. Standing in the shadows, he swung his sword a few thousand times in order to make sure this time wasn¡¯t in vain.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Silver light shone in the darkness as ck¡¯s clone went on the defensive.


    Rebirth. A legend about a normal ss was being written.

 Chapter 588

    ¡®Just like a flying squirrel!¡¯


    An assassin¡¯s counter ss was a defensive warrior. It was a bnced warrior who could tie up the assassin¡¯s fast feet with a determined charge, reduce the assassin¡¯s strength with a high defense, and tear the assassin¡¯s weak body with appropriate attack power.


    ck was convinced. Her warrior clone would be able to easily overpower Faker. However, reality wasn¡¯t that easy. Faker¡¯s impressive movements took full advantage of his ss characteristics and control skills. It was too hard to hit him.


    Wuuong.


    Wuuong!


    The sword wielded by ck¡¯s clone only swiped through empty air.


    Peeng!


    The warrior¡¯s dash that immediately narrowed the distance to the target and suppressed them was also useless. Faker was able to see the timing and point of arrival of the dark by looking at the warrior¡¯s preparatory movements before he used it. The warrior couldn¡¯t catch Faker because it was avoided beforehand.


    ¡®Another Kraugel?¡¯


    It was reminiscent to the movements of Kraugel, who wasn¡¯t overpowered despite fighting one versus two against ck and her sister. ck made a decision.


    ¡®First of all, the location is the problem.¡¯


    Reidan Castle¡¯s 3rd floor hallway. The dark and narrow space was like a prison for a warrior. The sword couldn¡¯t be wielded properly, halving the power and speed. The uracy rate also dropped, as she failed to keep track of the assassin¡¯s fast movements in the darkness. It was due to the narrowness of the ce that Faker could read the orbit of the charge.


    On the other hand, Faker was like a fish who met water. He kicked off the walls and ceiling of the hallway, maximizing his speed and doubling the dazzling nature of his movements. He dominated this space. It was virtually impossible for the warrior¡¯s dull attacks to hit him.


    ¡¯This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    ck made a decision and ran towards the terrace. While her clone tied up Faker¡¯s feet, she nned to run to the garden to capture Irene and neutralize Faker. She overlooked one thing. This ce was the middle of enemy territory.


    "You can¡¯t go to mydy¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Death to all invaders.¡±


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    ¡°What?¡±


    ck was standing on the terrace railings, only to be surprised and lost her bnce. She fell off the railing. 13 assassins suddenly popped out around her. They were assassins wearing robes with a silver dragon embroidered on them. There was a separate Overgeared assassins group? There was no information about it.


    ck gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Who are all of you?¡±


    What was the most stupid thing in the world? It was asking assassins questions. Assassins were secretive and reticent. Never try to talk with an assassin. But the assassins with the silver dragon embroidered robes were far from reticent.


    ¡°If you¡¯re curious about our identity, we will introduce ourselves.¡±


    "We are the Silver Dragon assassins, raised by Prince Ren to help him seed the throne. The Daluka¡¯s Methods that we learnt were incredibly strong. We are the best assassins of Eternal.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the end. Recently, we became even stronger. Since serving Duke Grid, we have been trained directly by Kasim, king of shadows.¡±


    "Now we are-¡±


    "The overwhelming Silver Dragons-¡±


    "The Overgeared Shadows group.¡±


    "We are loyalists who will devote ten of our lives to Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Who was this exnation for? It was as if characters who appeared after a long time were appealing themselves to the readers.


    Syuok!


    Syu syu syu syu syuk!


    The swords of the Silver Dragons flocked towards ck who was making an absurd expression. Indeed, they were terrible assassins. Their weapons moved quickly towards her weak points.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Although her level was much lower than White, ck was still level 330. But it wasn¡¯t easy to endure the attacks from the Overgeared Shadows, whose levels were in the mid-200s. It was the fatal weakness of an Illusionist.


    ¡®Cooperative attacks are too demanding.¡¯


    After being attacked sessively by the Overgeared Shadows, ck suffered damage that couldn¡¯t be ignored and made a choice. She made another illusion in exchange for a loss of experience.


    Sururuk.


    Dark smoke spread out from ck and it soon became a human form. It was ck¡¯s new clone. This time, it was a pdin. It had excellent tanking, healing, and buffing ability.


    ¡°Hee~ Brothers, will you have fun with me?¡±


    It was a beautiful and cheerful clone, unlike the real ck. She smiled as she equipped a square shield and one-handed sword.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Overgeared Shadows were baffled at the new ck. The weight of the shield carried by ck¡¯s new clone was hard to bear with their daggers. Then stumbled and ck pushed them towards the corridor. Then the pdin used support magic on the warrior dealing with Faker.


    "Round Heal."


    Swaaaaah!


    A round green circle was created on the ground underneath the warrior who had been ravaged by Faker¡¯s knife. It was Round Heal which restored the health of the target standing in the specified ce.


    ¡°Eh..!¡±


    The warm healing light wrapped around the warrior clone, whose face became rosy. It happened at the same time.


    Puoook!


    A silver taichi pierced the heart of the clone. It was a scene simr to the fangs of a beast biting its prey¡¯s neck. The strength was amazing.


    [The summoned illusion has been damaged and has vanished.]


    [20% experience has been lost.]


    [Your level has dropped.]


    [10 of your most recently invested points will be lost.]


    "What?¡±


    The first clone died while she was dealing with the assassins here?


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    How could Faker¡¯s attacks be so overwhelming, when he had a normal ss? ck couldn¡¯tprehend Faker¡¯s power, which was twice as strong as she estimated. She thought he must¡¯ve used a petty trick.


    Step.


    Faker entered the range of Round Heal with a calm expression, recovered his health, and replied.


    ¡°The power of items.¡±


    Was there a need for a long description? One of the means Faker chose to ovee the limitations of a normal ss was items, which was natural as a member of Overgeared. Faker had always made best use of the items avable from Grid. In particr, he became several times stronger since obtaining Kruger¡¯s Pants.


    He might not be an opponent for Belial, but that wasn¡¯t because Faker was ipetent. There was an insurmountable level difference and Faker was also too busy protecting his colleagues that he failed to demonstrate his skills. Then what about now? Faker was able to freely jump higher than ck.


    Pahat!


    It was the increased agility and jumping ability attached to Kruger¡¯s Pants. The items made by former legends and current legends helped Faker¡¯s stats. Faker moved quickly using his agility and jumping abilities and was above ck¡¯s head in an instant.


    ck felt her own death.


    ***


    [Your party member ck has died.]


    "W-What?¡±


    White doubted the notification window that appeared in front of her. Reidan was currently empty of Overgeared members. Who in Reidan could hurt ck?


    ¡°How? What is this?¡±


    Everything went wrong the moment they stepped in the fields. The process and results were different from what she expected. This was the curse of the fields. White was reminded of the crazy farmer who killed her in Siren. Her forehead seemed to throb and she grabbed it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back like this.¡±


    Grid and Overgeared had a debt that must be paid back. She couldn¡¯t go back empty-handed after going all the way to Reidan and the sacrifice of her sister ck.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    White looked at Lord in the distance. Grid¡¯s son was Overgeared¡¯s secret weapon. What if she killed the child raised by Grid and Kraugel? This would be true revenge.


    ¡°Kik! Kilkik! Hahahahahat!¡±


    Her guilt was stimted because she sacrificed her sister ck, who always suffered from severe stress due to difficult levelling. Sheughed like she was insane and her body shook. She quickly burned her fat to turn it into muscles and approached Lord. She shot off using the instantaneous increase in eleration.


    ¡°Young Nobleman Lord!¡±


    ¡°Avoid it!¡±


    The 200 beautiful girls hurriedly rushed to protect Lord. However, White¡¯s speed was at the maximum due to reducing her body fat as much as possible. She approached Lord much faster than the girls and smiled at him.


    ¡°me your father if you want. You¡¯re going to die due to him!¡±


    White stared at Lord with killing intent. Her killing intent was too harsh for a child. Amon child Lord¡¯s age would¡¯ve cried or fainted. But Lord was going to be a legend. He wasn¡¯t easily affected by abnormal states. Tears filled Lord¡¯s eyes but he endured it as he stared straight at White.


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t me Father! My father is the best person in the world!¡±


    How many times had his father been with Lord since he was born? It was small enough that Lord could count it. Yes, sometimes he felt lonely and sad. He wanted to be with his father like other children. He wanted to follow his father around and learn many things like the gardener¡¯s son. Lord wondered how good it would be if his father was always with him.


    But he never expressed his lonely heart to his father. Why? He knew that his father was always away for his family and people. Lord didn¡¯t want to burden his father. His father was great. The mother who cared for him was great, and the father who suffered alone outside the family was also great.


    Despite Lord¡¯s father not being present to protect him right now, Lord didn¡¯t me him. He loved and respected his father forever.


    "T-This little kid!¡±


    Where did the faith in his eyese from? It was strange. White felt an unpleasant feeling and punched out. It was a fist that had the power to break Lord¡¯s head with a single blow. But she couldn¡¯t hurt Lord.


    "Greed.¡±


    White thought that Kasim couldn¡¯t hurt her, but this was a big mistake. Kasim could kill White whenever he wanted.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°H-Heok!¡±


    It was the manifestation of ¡®Greed,¡¯ a technique that drew all the shadows to one point and swallowed everything around it. It was Kasim¡¯s unique skill that he created bybining Daluka¡¯s Methods and Lantier¡¯s Methods.


    After a moment.


    ng.


    All that remained in the ce where White had been standing was a sparkling ne.

 Chapter 589

    ¡®She¡¯s much stronger than I expected.¡¯


    The moment White was killed. Kasim gasped for breath. He was frightened because White had shown a persistent vitality, even when restrained by Greed. Kasim was worried. As Grid grew, his enemies also grew. Kasim was worried that Grid would someday suffer greatly.


    ¡®I¡¯m particrly worried about the solo number knights.¡¯


    The Red Knights of the Saharan Empire were by far the strongest armed forces on the continent. In particr, the solo number knights were evaluated as having the power to shatter a castle in one night. But their evaluation was wrong. Before meeting Grid, Kasim had spied on the empire in order to get revenge and discovered the truth.


    Solo number knights. In particr, the power of the 1~7th knights were strong enough to overthrow a kingdom. In the first ce, they were people chosen as substitutes for Piaro. Their natural talents and training environment were different from ordinary knights. They could be regarded as Piaro ss.


    Even Kasim, the king of shadows, was a weak presence in front of them.


    ¡®The empire is an insurmountable mountain.¡¯


    Grid needed to grow faster and stronger. Kasim believed it. Grid would someday surpass the mountain that was the empire. No, he wouldpletely destroy it. This wasn¡¯t a vague belief, but a conviction based on Grid¡¯s potential. Until that day, Kasim¡¯s role was to protect everything belonging to Grid. It was to help Grid grow infort.


    ¡®In order to do that, I need to be stronger.¡¯


    The difficulty was really high, but it seemed time to challenge the fourth advancement ss that he¡¯d been putting off.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?"


    While Kasim was locked in thought. Lord was looking at the ne White dropped with interest.


    Kasimughed and exined, "Loot will asionally drop after defeating enemies or monsters. It¡¯spensation for the winner.¡±


    ¡°Heh...¡±


    Lord¡¯s eyes lit up. Kasim willingly handed the ne that White dropped to Lord.


    ¡°This artifact reduces the rate of skill deployment. It¡¯s a rare treasure that would be seen as precious in the empire. Please keep it carefully and use it for your convenience.¡±


    Lord refused.


    ¡°N-No! Master is the one who fought those bad sisters! Not Lord, but Master!¡±


    "You aren¡¯t acting as a cute kid.¡± Kasim felt both admiration and regret that Lord was growing up much faster than his peers. ¡°Please receive this. It¡¯s a reward since you always study so hard.¡±


    "Uh! I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    This child was so pure. Kasim felt guilty when he saw Lord¡¯s happy tears.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to give him more gifts so he can get used to it.¡¯


    In retrospect, Lord never even received a birthday cake. It was inevitable since Grid was always absent. How big was his father¡¯s vacancy? Kasim pledged to be a teacher that would fill this vacancy and smiled.


    ¡°I will give Father this ne. I hope this ne will always protect my father.¡±


    ¡°You...you are very special.¡±


    If the Nero n hadn¡¯t been destroyed by the empire... Would he had lived a normal life and be a father of someone like Lord?


    ¡®Now that I think about it...¡¯


    There was too much blood on his hands. He dealt despair to countless people and didn¡¯t deserve to dream of happiness. Kasim bowed his head with a dark expression. Lord grabbed his rough hand and ced it on his cheek.


    ¡°Warm.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ***


    [Saintess Ruby has obtained extraordinary rewards in exchange for annihting the soul of the great demon!]


    [The Saintess ss has grown to the unique rating. All skill levels will increase by two. Two new skills will be acquired when you reach level 300.]


    [The Saintess¡¯ private weapon, the Wooden Staff, has grown to the unique rating. The enhancement value is reset.]


    [The title ¡®Denial¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Denial]


    Your divine power isn¡¯t obtained from believing in the gods. It is a unique power that is built up because of the people¡¯s worship.


    In this world created by the gods, only you can deny god.


    * When fighting creatures made by gods (great demons, divine creatures, demigods, etc), all your stats will rise and your skill power will rise. You can give them eternal rest.


    * Your heals won¡¯t ovep with the heals of priests of other religions. When targeting the same person with a heal, only your heal is applied.


    This was the content of the special reward obtained after the sess of Saintess Ruby in the great demon raid. It was very encouraging that her ss rating grew, but there was some ambiguity about the title effect. Ruby had a low understanding of the game and asked her brother Grid about it.


    ¡°This title is a good thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Umm... Increasing a Saintess¡¯ stats and their rare offensive skills... But it¡¯s better than nothing. The rise in healing ability will increase the survival rate of raids.¡±


    Grid felt it wascking for a special reward obtained by destroying a great demon. In particr, the penalty was bad. Ruby¡¯s heals would no longer ovep with the heals of other priests. It was unfortunate, since Overgeared¡¯s future ns involved arge-scale Reba Church presence.


    ¡¯I need to abandon my n to make Sehee head of the healer group.¡¯


    This was just a few hours ago. Grid couldn¡¯t see the true value of the ¡®Denial¡¯ title. However, his thoughts changed after he came up with a n to reconstruct Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®Can I use Sehee¡¯s power to suppress the divine power of Goddess Reba?¡¯


    The problem was that Goddess Reba¡¯s power was too strong. It was enough to eat at the user¡¯s health. If the strong divine power could be denied by Sehee, the power of White Transformation would be halved and it would protect the user.


    ¡®I will try it.¡¯


    The determined Grid immediately invited Sehee.


    ***


    ¡°A sess!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    It was as Grid expected.


    Once Sehee purified the goddess¡¯ hair, the powerful divine power was greatly weakened.


    [Goddess¡¯ Fluffy Hair]


    Fine hair belonging to Reba, goddess of light.


    It contains a divine power that can¡¯t be tolerated by humans, but the power has been halved by the Saintess.


    Weight: 0


    ¡®As the divine power is weakened, the strength of Lifael¡¯s Spear will also weaken.¡¯


    This was a problem Grid needed to ovee with techniques.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid took a deep breath and focused his spirit. He thought of all the items he had produced since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®The skills and experience that I¡¯ve umted isn¡¯t light. Now I¡¯m able to transform Lifael¡¯s Spear into a more powerful and ideal form.¡¯


    sh!


    Grid raised his concentration like a sharp knife. He was confident that he could pull this off and had a desire to help Isabel. He pulled out the white phosphorus wood. He finally started the full-scale production. Isabel¡¯s heart pounded as she watched him.


    ¡®He¡¯s especially cool and manly when standing in front of a furnace.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    Isabel was looking at Grid like she was a shy woman. Damian¡¯s expression darkened as he saw it. Isabel¡¯s sweet heart, which couldn¡¯t forget her first love, was both lovely and bitter. When would she look at him?


    ¡®Maybe that day will nevere...¡¯


    He resigned himself to it. Damian smiled bitterly and dropped his head, only to be surprised. It was because Isabel suddenly grabbed his hand.


    ¡°I-Isabel-chan..?¡±


    The trembling and warm Isabel¡¯s hands made Damian¡¯s heart beat faster. Isabel blushed and spoke to the dumbfounded Damian.


    ¡°If... If Grid manages to free me from White Transformation.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "At that time, I want to ept Your Holiness¡¯ heart.¡±


    ¡°Isabel...chan...¡±


    In fact, Isabel had thought of Damian as a man with no care or consideration. He didn¡¯t care about the other person¡¯s position and kept expressing himself recklessly. This was an old story. Isabel came to know that despite Damian easily expressing his affection, the weight of his affection wasn¡¯t light.


    She watched what Damian did for her and how straight and confident he was when thinking of her. Isabel developed a great liking for Damian in the process of this realization. It was a love that went beyond her longing for Grid. The feeling she had for Damian was real love.


    Nevertheless, she turned away from Damian¡¯s heart. Why? It was due to White Transformation. The health that was consumed by Lifael¡¯s Spear was always holding her back. She thought she would soon be dead and couldn¡¯t ept Damian¡¯s heart.


    But now.


    ¡°Okay, should I begin?¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    There was a person sweating for her. Grid. He was someone who saved her many times from the moment they first met. If it was him, could he save her again this time?


    Kkuok.


    Isabel tightened her grip on Damian¡¯s hand. It was filled with a desire to not miss this opportunity.


    ¡®Please... Please help me.¡¯


    She also wanted to feel happiness like an ordinary person. Isabel¡¯s ardent prayer reached Grid.


    [Reba¡¯s Daughter Isabel is deifying you. Her faith in you is even more powerful and desperate than her faith in Goddess Reba. This isn¡¯t a distorted faith. It is a natural phenomenon that Goddess Reba can understand. You have avoided Goddess Reba¡¯s wrath.]


    [If you have experience in making myth rated items, you deserve to be deified.]


    [The title Glimpsed the Myths has been updated.]


    [Glimpsed the Myths]


    The minimum qualification to raise your ss rating to ¡®Myth.¡¯


    [The special stat ¡®Deity¡¯ is opened!]


    [Deity]


    A holy dignity that can¡¯t be tolerated.


    Every time this stat gains 10 points, you can gain a new power. The power acquired will depend on your personality.


    ¡°...¡±


    What was this? Grid was confused and stopped hammering. Then he saw Isabel and made a warm smile. Isabel and Damian¡¯s heads were leaning against each other as they held hands tightly, looking like natural and sweet old lovers.


    ¡®Damian¡¯s efforts have gained fruit.¡¯


    Grid knew how much Damian loved Isabel. In addition, Grid had married Irene and had a child. He was different from those who evaluated friendship or love between NPCs and users as a mere outlet. He really supported Damian and Isabel¡¯s love.


    ¡®If you give birth to a daughterter, send her to my Lord.¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s roots. The roots of the bonds created by Grid were spreading widely. Chairman Lim Cheolho said, ¡®I hope Satisfy will develop into another world rather than a simple game.¡¯


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®For Isabel¡¯s Sake¡¯ has been acquired.]

 Chapter 590

    [For Isabel¡¯s Sake]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Isabel¡¯s mission to defend the Reba Church at the expense of her own life is harsh.


    It is a fate that can¡¯t be denied by the will and power of a human. Even Pope Damian can¡¯t save her.


    But you are different.


    Perfectly reconstruct Lifael¡¯s Spear and prove it.


    Your cksmithing ability is a mighty force that can destroy fate.


    Reveal the absolute techniques that can¡¯t be tolerated and be qualified to be a myth beyond a legend.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Weaken the divine power of Lifael¡¯s Spear and ensure Isabel¡¯s safety. However, Lifael¡¯s Spear must be stronger than the existing spear.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Deity stat +1.


    ¡®I need to build up my deity stat in the long run.¡¯


    Hidden quests were absolutely correct. They gave rewards that weren¡¯t possible with normal quests. The reward of the hidden quest was a point in the deity stat. This meant that the deity stat couldn¡¯t be raised in an ordinary manner. It was like the good luck stat. The titles Kingdom¡¯s Hero and Savior of the World gave points to all stats, but they didn¡¯t have an effect on deity.


    ¡®It¡¯s natural.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t expecting much in the first ce. It was rather strange if it was easy to raise a stat that can obtain a special power every 10 points.


    ¡®Well, whatever.¡¯


    There was another headache. He needed to suppress the divine power of Lifael¡¯s Spear, but make the performance more powerful than before? It was a shameless quest. Think about it. The main reason for the power of Lifael¡¯s Spear was its mighty divine power. It was logically impossible to increase the spear¡¯s power while weakening the divine power.


    But.


    ¡®I have to do it.¡¯


    Grid grumbled as always, but he didn¡¯t think about giving up. There wasn¡¯t any limit on the quest duration and he wanted to acquire a point in the new stat. Above all, Grid wanted to give happiness to Isabel.


    ¡®This is for the future of both Damian and Isabel. Don¡¯t be in a rush. Do it slowly and carefully.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid stood in front of the furnace and thought intently. It seemed like a deeply sorrowful look. An artist who wasn¡¯t satisfied, the stubborn craftsman. The so-called years of experience.


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to just stand here.¡¯


    ¡®The atmosphere isn¡¯t a joke.¡¯


    ¡®I want to be like him someday.¡¯


    The cksmiths of Reinhardt envied Grid. It was natural for cksmiths to respect legendary cksmiths.


    "Hrmm."


    Grid kept thinking.


    ¡®It¡¯s tough to raise the performance of the spear itself. What if I change the structure of the spear to a shape that fits Isabel?¡¯


    It was likely that Lifael¡¯s Spear would be more powerful than before, as the options were dedicated to Isabel.


    ¡¯...No, this is one of the three major artifacts of a religion. I don¡¯t think it can be dedicated to just one person. Think about it.¡¯


    Grid first took a normal approach. After considering the basic methods of raising the spear¡¯s power, he nned to reconstruct the spear. But it wasn¡¯t easy. After restraining the power of the goddess, it was virtually impossible to make Lifael¡¯s Spear stronger with ordinary methods.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    The sun had gone down and the moon rose. Grid¡¯s eyes sharpened as he stared at the furnace.


    ¡®What about a change in the materials?¡¯


    Adamantium was one of the best minerals. This was why Grid perceived the materials of Lifael¡¯s Spear to be perfect. He wasn¡¯t willing to add another material to Lifael¡¯s Spear, which consisted only of adamantium. But looking back, didn¡¯t he had materials equal to adamantium?


    ¡¯Belial¡¯s bones and horns!¡¯


    Adamantium was a ¡®mineral¡¯ that naturally grew in the god realm. But it was like a lower-grade material whenpared to the body of a great demon. A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®If I make the spear with Belial¡¯s bones, the power will be maximized.¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t he think of such a simple idea? Braham poured cold water on the cheering Grid.


    ¡®Will you mix the bones of a filthy demon with Goddess Reba? Kuk kuk, it¡¯s fun, but won¡¯t it hurt the Reba Church?¡¯


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    It was uneptable to use the body parts of a depraved being for a divine weapon. Grid btedly realized and got a headache.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a simple matter.¡¯


    Braham gave advice to the disappointed Grid.


    ¡¯Why don¡¯t you try magic?¡¯


    ¡®...?¡¯


    ¡®Attach magic to Lifael¡¯s Spear. If your goal is to increase the power of the spear, wouldn¡¯t it be simple and effective to use magic?¡¯


    Indeed, it was a simple answer. But it wasn¡¯t feasible.


    ¡°How can I do that?¡±


    Three steps were required to create a magic item. First, it was to imprint the magic power recovery form so that the item could produce magic power on its own. Second, mark the item with a magic spell. Thirdly, insert the magic spell on the engraved mark.


    It seemed simple, but was a very difficult task. Even the so-called great magicians couldn¡¯t easy create magic items. It wasn¡¯t an area for Grid, who was a cksmith. Braham spoke proudly to Grid.


    ¡¯I will teach you how to make magic items.¡¯


    ¡°Ah!!¡±


    Grid was reminded of something. Who were the ones who created the strongest mineral pavranium? They were Braham and Pagma. The legendary great magician Braham was likely to know how to create magic battle gear. Grid¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°You will really teach me? I can create magic battle gear?¡±


    As long as Grid had the ability to make magic battle gear, the type of items he could make in the future would increase significantly. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the value was astronomical. Braham replied positively to Grid who had high expectations.


    ¡®The making of magic battle gear was something that Pagma could do. You can do it with your skills.¡¯


    ¡°R-Really? Then why didn¡¯t you tell me about it sooner?¡±


    ¡®You have the potential to produce magic weapons because you destroyed Great Demon Belial and your intelligence increased from the reward. Until then, you were so ignorant that there was no hope.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    He praised the Savior of the World title. At that moment, a notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [You can acquire ¡®Magic Battle Gear Production Method¡¯ by clearing the quest.]


    [A new quest has been created.]


    [Production Training]


    Difficulty: SSS


    The making of magic battle gear was originally just for magicians.


    But in the past, the legendary cksmith Pagma created his own unique method of making magic battle gear thanks to Braham¡¯s help.


    You can also learn from Braham how to make magic battle gear.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Achieve what Braham demands.


    Quest Clear Reward: Magic Battle Gear Production Method Lv. 1.


    ¡°Braham, you...¡±


    He did so much, only to be abandoned by Pagmater on. Grid feltpassion and then Braham spoke.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t betray me.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    The impact of being betrayed by a friend was very huge on Braham. If Grid was in Braham¡¯s position, he wouldn¡¯t trust a human again. Nevertheless, Braham showed a steady trust in Grid. What was the reason? Grid couldn¡¯t help asking.


    "Braham, why do you like me?¡±


    Braham shouted angrily. ¡®W-What!? W-Who likes you?¡¯


    Braham denied it, but he felt favorable towards Grid and was a lot of help. Why? It was because Grid¡¯s nature was different from Pagma. Unlike Pagma, who betrayed his friends for his cause, Grid was a person who cherished every friend. Braham had been expelled from the world of vampires and his personality gradually changed over hundreds of years. He also wanted to be important to someone.


    ¡®Che.¡¯


    Why was his heart weakening? It was from the time when Mumud was his disciple. Braham was jealous of Mumud¡¯s talents, intercepted his achievements, and made up his mind to erase Mumud from the world. However, Braham couldn¡¯t kill Mumud. Later, Mumud was busy trying to cure his illness.


    ¡®...¡¯


    Mumud. The innocent smile of a man who was more lovable and naive than anyone else.


    Grid prompted Braham. "What are you doing? Quickly teach me the Magic Battle Gear Production Method."


    ¡®Right. Start with learning how to forge metal with Magic Missile.¡¯


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡®Do it 10,000 times. You need to hit the metal with Magic Missile that number of times.¡¯


    "?????"


    Couldn¡¯t it be a bit easier? Grid didn¡¯t understand why he had to suffer every time.


    ***


    Lauel faced himself in front of a full-length mirror.


    "Lauel, you know that you are perfect in every way.¡±


    His talent had already transcended the human realm and was enough to earn the jealousy of the gods. Ah, perhaps that was why?


    "...I¡¯m under a terrible curse.¡±


    It was a curse that his military talent was merely at this level.


    "Lauel, you are not qualified to lead the army.¡±


    Lauel had a strategy to quickly end the war by targeting Reinhardt¡¯s weakness. It was a great strategy to make sure all the members of his team did their best, but Lauel felt that he wascking.


    ¡®I can¡¯t cope with variables flexibly and can¡¯t handle a war that changes in real time. Someday, I will make a big mistake and cause the army to fall into a crisis.¡¯


    His role was the chief of staff, not a general. He needed a talented person who was cool and charismatic, while having excellent skills. Piaro and Asmophel? They werecking. They were able to win battles, but weren¡¯t wise enough to win a war.


    ¡¯Of course, it might be different if Asmophel grows further.¡¯


    Was there someone who could take over Asmophel¡¯s role until Asmophel¡¯s talent fully blossomed? Lauel¡¯s face was ugly as he thought for a long time.


    ¡°...N-No one?¡±


    Overgeared Guild. He couldn¡¯t deny that they had the best talents, but most of these talents were biased towards individual force. Lauel felt desperate.


    ¡°Kukuk... It can¡¯t be helped. I need to secure new talent from outside.¡±


    How? The method was obvious. Recently, the honor and authority of Overgeared was tremendous. At this moment, many people were working hard out of a desire to join Overgeared. Lauel nned to use this.


    "Toban, hold arge-scale tryout for Overgeared. Preach my will to the world right now. I will wait for those who will gain the honor of sharing my destiny.¡±


    ¡°Ah... In other words, advertise a job avability around the world?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There were no romantics in Overgeared. Lauel was depressed.

 Chapter 591

    On the outskirts of Innsbruck, Austria.


    If a person walked along the mountain path, they would see an old castle. It was a castle by a transparentke. It was beautiful enough to capture the gaze of passing birds. But why did it feel so dreary?


    Swaaah.


    The wind blew through the fields. There were no signs of life.


    ***


    A 100 pyeong room that didn¡¯t have any furniture or decorations. There was only one capsule ced in this room.


    ¡°Luna...¡±


    The man sleeping in the capsule seemed to be having a terrible nightmare. The dyed green hair was wet from tears, and the haggard face was distorted with pain and sorrow.


    ¡°Luna...!¡±


    The troubled man who repeatedly called out one name was none other than Agnus. He gave a loud scream and raised his body.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see his lover, no matter how hard he looked around the deste castle. The awful reality cooled Agnus¡¯ cold head and blood.


    ¡°Luna...¡±


    Agnus got up and moved to the window, his golden eyes staring at theke. Thendscape of the castle was reflected on theke. He always felt warm when he saw this scene with her, but now it was the opposite.


    "...Thendscape that you wanted to see every morning.¡±


    He had umted wealth. It was an immense wealth that allowed him to buy a whole castle. But he was alone. There was no one but him in this huge castle.


    Kkuok.


    Agnus barely suppressed his tears. His lover Luna had to face a terrible end because of his ipetence. Agnus wanted to kill himself every time he thought about the past. He resented that he couldn¡¯t turn back time.


    ¡°I... I want to meet you again.¡±


    Stagger.


    Agnus¡¯ powerless steps headed back to the capsule. Then he connected to another world, Satisfy. It was to achieve a desire that couldn¡¯t be fulfilled in reality.


    ***


    ¡°Shit! Dammit!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ck and White attacked Reidan but died, suffering enormous losses. They were filled with poison as they reunited at the resurrection point. White cursed while ck screamed inwardly. Their fury towards Overgeared pierced the sky.


    ¡®What type of person is Grid? How did he get so many excellent NPCs?¡¯


    ¡®Faker... A normal ss dares...¡¯


    White wanted to run back to Reidan right now. This time, she would achieve her desire. Unfortunately, the opponent was too strong. She couldn¡¯t dream of revenge. Did this make sense? They should feel fear when fighting Kraugel or Grid, not Grid¡¯s subordinates!


    A gentle voice entered the ears of the trembling sisters.


    ¡°It will be hard for you to confront Overgeared with your strength. It is safe to say that Overgeared¡¯s current power is a match for the Ares army.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Who was at the resurrection point? The sisters¡¯ eyes sharpened as they stared warily in the direction of the voice. Then they were surprised as they saw the owner of the voice. It was a white-haired young man beautiful enough to be a woman, Veradin.


    "Captain of the hyenas? Why are you here?¡±


    Hyena. It was a derogatory term for necromancers. A necromancer could manipte the corpses of others. They were called hyenas because they had a habit of looking for dead bodies on the battlefield. The reason why the sisters called Veradin the captain of the hyenas was simple.


    Veradin was the top ranked necromancer.


    ¡®The one who was called the best genius along with Lauel in the 10 Rookies.¡¯


    ¡®Unlike Lauel, he¡¯s been acting quietly. Why did he approach us?¡¯


    There must be a big picture. Veradin extended a hand to the sisters.


    ¡°If you want revenge on Overgeared, why don¡¯t you join us?¡±


    ¡°Hah...!¡±


    Whiteughed. It was ridiculous.


    ¡°Join the White Wolf Guild? You want us to join the guild led by someone weaker? Do you not understand your targets? In the first ce, how can you help us?¡±


    It was a violent reaction, but Veradin wasn¡¯t offended. The White Wolf was a guild in the top 200 of the guild rankings. However, Veradin acknowledge it wasn¡¯t enough to recruit such big people like the White and ck sisters.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m trying to recruit you into Immortal, not my guild.¡±


    ¡°Immortal?¡±


    It was a big name.


    "The organization of necromancers?¡±


    The sistersughed but then Veradin spoke amazing words.


    "Immortal is a secret organization that serves Agnus.¡±


    ¡°A-Agnus?¡±


    The weight of Agnus¡¯ name was enormous. Agnus, along with Kraugel and Ares, had a powerful force and a unique madness. Even the worst dark gamer group, Blood Carnival, avoided Agnus. None of them wanted to provoke Agnus and they were always wary of him.


    But so far, Agnus didn¡¯t have much influence on the power structure. It was because Agnus was always alone, just like Kraugel. Now Veradin imed otherwise. Agnus also had a force behind him.


    ¡°Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t it too dangerous to give power to that crazy guy?¡±


    "He smashes a city every time he¡¯s bored...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veradin felt bitter that even the sisters, who weren¡¯t ssified as normal, perceived Agnus as the biggest madman. Veradinughed and shook his head. ¡°Unlike what you think, Agnus has a surprisingly cool mind. He doesn¡¯t do mass murder unless his feelings are disturbed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In other words, he wouldmit mass murder if he was in a bad mood. Veradin once again made an offer.


    "Come to Immortal. If you¡¯re with Agnus, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of Overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It made a lot of sense. Agnus¡¯ presence was that big. In particr, there was Agnus¡¯ Death Knight Transformation. It might be temporary, but he could be the strongest undead knight that didn¡¯t have to fear death.


    ¡¯If we¡¯re with a person like that...¡¯


    ¡¯We will gain wings on our back.¡¯


    However, it was difficult to change forces so easily. They had to look at the conditions.


    ¡°What is Immortal¡¯s purpose?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to make Agnus the king of the living and the dead. The goal is to dominate the whole continent in the future by setting up a kingdom where undead and users coexist.¡±


    ¡°...Interesting. It would be incredibly strong if you can create an undead army at the level of a kingdom.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t there be annoying activities if we join? We¡¯re in Blood Carnival because we¡¯re guaranteed freedom.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you will also get freedom in Immortal. However, please be aware that Overgeared and the Ares army are our enemies. If there¡¯s an armed conflict with the two forces, you will have to fight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The conditions weren¡¯t bad for White and ck. Not only were they guaranteed freedom, they liked the fact that they were definitely opposed to Overgeared.


    ¡®I¡¯m wary about being hostile to Ares, but...¡¯


    ¡®Won¡¯t we be invincible if our strength isbined with Agnus¡¯ undead army?¡¯


    Their worries didn¡¯tst long. They felt reassured when thinking about Agnus.


    ¡°Okay. Then we will withdraw from Blood Carnival.¡±


    Veradin shook his head at the ck and White sisters.


    "No, on the surface, you should stay in Blood Carnival. Just like I am staying in White Wolf.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t announcing to the world that there is an organization called Immortal yet?¡±


    "Yes, more than anything else, I¡¯m curious. The master hidden behind Blood Carnival. What is his identity?¡±


    "Ha, we also want to know that.¡±


    The White and ck sisters scoffed, but didn¡¯t express anyints. They were also curious about the master¡¯s identity.


    ***


    The stronghold of Blood Carnival located deep inside the Dravian Mountains. One person spent most of his time in the previous nest of the light dragon Nevartan. Blood Carnival¡¯s master, a.k.a ¡®Dark.¡¯ Only the three founding members of Blood Carnival knew the identity of the hidden master.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying that the White and ck sisters are silent.¡¯


    The sisters had attacked Reidan and failed. Based on their original nature, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they rushed to him right now. The Blood Carnival members gathered for the benefits of the individuals, so it was impossible for him to send forces to help.


    However, they were silent and this didn¡¯t make him feel good. He thought about this and sent a whisper to Vi, one of the founding members of Blood Carnival.


    -Have you found any named NPCs on the level of Piaro?


    -I have roamed several kingdoms with the kids and haven¡¯t seen a talented NPC.It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve discovered that an independent NPC is so precious.


    -Everyone is greedy for talents.Hrmm...Maybe it is wiser to train one ourselves.


    -Train a named NPC?How?


    -Vi, have you seen the Bairan war video?One soldier was helping Grid covertly on the battlefield.Maybe Grid didn¡¯t look for named NPCs from the beginning. He might¡¯ve systematically trained an ordinary NPC and evolved them into a named NPC.


    -Is that possible?


    -We need to figure out if it¡¯s possible or not.If you see a roughly gifted NPC, secure them.We will ce them in the dungeon and raise their level.


    -U-Understood.


    Vi was dubious, but followed Dark¡¯smand. Her confidence in Dark was this deep. After passing on the order to Vi.


    "I should keep it faithful to the owner.¡±


    Dark made a pleased expression and moved to a secret passage hidden behind a curtain. He descended the stairs and saw aplex maze. The creator of this maze?


    ¡°Let¡¯s work hard today.¡±


    It was none other than Dark.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    A dungeon with a terrible difficulty was created by Dark¡¯s hand that was holding a pickaxe. It was the emergence of a new hidden ss, Dungeon Maker.


    This wouldter be a great gift for Grid and Overgeared...

 Chapter 592

    A Dungeon Maker could build dungeons underground, in caves, inside buildings, etc.


    The rating of the constructed dungeon varied ording to the location, design, and scale. The higher the rating of the dungeon, the greater the number of traps and monsters that could be ced. Therefore, the rank of the dungeon was a factor that directly contributed to the difficult.


    [The third section of the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon has beenpleted.]


    [The third section is structurally capable of cing 8 traps and 193 monsters. However, you can¡¯t ce flying-type monsters.]


    [This is a unique-rated dungeon. As a bonus, experience has increased by 10% and all stats have increased by 6.]


    [Every time someone destroys a trap or hunts a monster, you will share some of their experience. You can acquire a certain amount of gold and building materials every time someone acquires items. If a dungeon explorer dies during the dungeon, you will receive various special rewards.]


    The dungeon ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ built in the Dravian Mountains by Dark was his masterpiece. It was a structure that thoroughly blocked intruders to protect ¡®it,¡¯ which would someday be its master. Of course, dungeons built by Dark weren¡¯t always used for this purpose.


    Dungeons were a highly utilized space. Dark sometimes produced dungeons that trained his allies or were easy to attack for his own benefits. Often, he created special dungeons such as a ghost house and charged for admission, creating a tourist attraction.


    In any case, Dark didn¡¯t doubt that Beware Dogs would fully protect him as he intended. But there was still a long time left until it was finished. The production time and cost for the dungeon was too big. In particr, money. More money was needed.


    ¡®Should I raise themission cost for Blood Carnival?¡¯


    No, he couldn¡¯t be too greedy. Competitors in the same industry had been on the rise in recent years, so he had to be nervous.


    ¡®There are too many bad guys in the world.¡¯


    In the shadowy parts of the world, he could see all of them. There were those who harmed others casually, those who killed people for a reason, etc.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!


    Puok!Puk.


    Suksak.


    He repeatedly knocked down walls with a pickaxe, dug with a shovel, and built new walls with bricks. Dark was deeply involved in the creation of the dungeon when he felt skeptical.


    ¡®What is this feeling? I have a hidden ss, but have to do hardbor every day?¡¯


    He looked at the pickaxe and shovel he never touched in reality and was appalled.


    ¡°Sigh... Still, I¡¯m d because it¡¯s a ss that can earn me many rewards.¡±


    Dark sighed deeply. He was a lot like someone. That someone was naturally...


    ¡°Magic Missile! Magic Missile! Magic Missile! Magic... Oh! Hey, this #@!$%~!¡±


    Grid.


    Grid used Magic Missile for hours on the iron ore ced on the anvil. He already emptied a few mana potions in his mouth and asked Braham again for confirmation.


    ¡°Is this real? Can I really learn the Magic Battle Gear Production Method by repeating this?¡±


    Braham replied to the desperate looking Grid.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. After hitting the iron ore 10,000 times, you need to hit the jaffa ore 10,000 times and then orichalcum 10,000... If you continue this process, you will eventually strike adamantium and bloodstone 10,000 times and you will be qualified to learn the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.¡¯


    ¡°Eh...??¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just iron ore? Grid doubted his ears but didn¡¯t forget to use Magic Missile. Then a notification window appeared.


    [Your intelligence has increased by 1.]


    [Your magic uracy has increased by 0.01%.]


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    It was fortunate that his stats increased frombor. He was particrly pleased that his intelligence stat was increasing.


    ¡®...¡¯


    Grid had just been cursing and now he was as happy as a child. Braham thought it was absurd.


    ¡®There¡¯s such a simple person in this world?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t disparaging this simplicity. Braham thought that Grid¡¯s talent came from this simplicity.


    ¡®In particr, his simple personality ys a big part when he focuses on repetitive work.¡¯


    A huge smile. Grid was happy at the sight of his rising stats and Braham whispered to him.


    ¡®Please note that you can learn new magic if your intelligence increases a bit more.¡¯


    ¡°R-Really? Okay! Magic Missile! Magic Missile!¡±


    Teong!Teong!


    [Your intelligence has increased by 1.]


    [Your magic uracy has increased by 0.01%.]


    [Magic Mastery has increased by Lv. 5 to Lv. 6.]


    There waspensation. Labor was always right. It didn¡¯t matter if it was hard.


    ¡°Pant pant! Magic Missile! Pant pant! Magic Missile! Magic Missile!¡±


    Grid¡¯s satisfaction rose. His enthusiasm rose from the increasing stats and he continued to hit the iron ore with Magic Missile. At first, the iron ore was damaged or prated by Grid¡¯s Magic Missile, but now it was be firmer every time. It was the process of training his magic.


    ***


    Minor. He had been serving Grid since he was a 13 year old boy. Now the talent forcefully obtained by Grid in Bairan had turned 18 years old. What had he been doing for the past five years? He was exploring all over the continent for new and better quality minerals. It was very difficult. It had been difficult to find new minerals during his stay in Reidan.


    But the power of education was terrible! His qualities had blossomed due to Grid forcing him to study, and at this moment, he found new minerals. The Dravian Mountains. It was renowned for being the nest of Light Dragon Nevartan.


    ¡®This is really...!¡¯ I feel the aura of a new mineral!¡¯


    Now he had good news to tell Duke Grid.


    ¡®No, he isn¡¯t a duke, but a king.¡¯


    Minor originally disliked Grid. Minor¡¯s pride was high in the sky because he was such a unique genius and he thought it was shameful to serve only a duke. Minor thought that only the emperor of the Saharan Empire was qualified to be his master.


    But his thoughts had changed recently. Despite being amoner like Minor, Grid became a great nobleman and was even qualified to be the king of a nation. Minor¡¯s impression of Grid changed a lot.


    ¡®This is a person I can serve.¡¯


    Minor was determined to serve Grid in the future. He would perform faithfully under Grid and learn a lot.


    ¡®Huhuhu... Then one day I will be a noble and a king.¡¯


    From now on, his goal was to be the second Grid. Minor felt resolved and pulled a pickaxe out of his bag. He nned to maximize his achievements by taking the newly discovered mineral directly to Grid. Grid utilized Minor as a minerals detector, but he liked mining more.


    Minor, who was as greedy as Grid and as self-conscious as Lauel, started climbing the Dravian Mountains. He had developed great mobility skills and raised his strength, stamina, and persistence while exploring the continent for the past several years.


    ***


    ¡°Magic Missile! Magic Missile! Magic Missile!¡±


    The average time it took to use Magic Missile (Enhanced) Lv. 3 was 1.5 seconds. The cooldown time was less than one second, but this calction was when it was used repeatedly due to the very short activation time. It consumed 420 mana for one. Thanks to various titles and items, his total intelligence was over 1,900 and his mana was 12,000.


    Calcting it simply, Grid¡¯s mana was depleted when Magic Missile was used without rest for 40 seconds. There were limits, even if he took a mana potion. There was a waiting time for the potion reuse time. In other words, it was theoretically impossible for Grid tounch Magic Missile for dozens of minutes.


    Yet Grid had already used Magic Missile for over four hours. It was due to the Ring of Absurdity that reduced the consumption of resources by 50%.


    ¡®This game is truly about items.¡¯


    Grid realized the undeniable truth again and smiled with delight. The moment the 10,000th Magic Missile hit the iron ore.


    [You have learned the Iron Ore Magic Training method.]


    [In the future, you can train the iron ore with various attack spells. The power and skill of the magic you use will determine the speed of the iron ore training.]


    [The magically tempered minerals have a lower durability than traditionally handled minerals, but there is a possibility that special magic options will be attached. The types of options depends on the magic you use to temper it.]


    ¡°Oh...! Ohh!!¡±


    Grid¡¯s joy pierced the sky after repeating the same thing for 4 hours and 10 minutes. Braham urged Grid as he was checking the rewards.


    ¡¯Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep using Magic Missile? Next is the jaffa ore.¡¯


    Perhaps Braham wasn¡¯t aware of his own emotions. Braham¡¯s voice also sounded excited and Gridughed.


    ¡®I want to see the magic battle gear that you can create quickly.¡¯


    Iron ore, jaffa, mithril, orihalcum, ck iron ore, blue orichalcum, and finally adamantium and bloodstone. Grid had to strike at least 19 types of metals 10,000 times and it would take at least a week. Of course, this included the stamina recovery time and Satisfy connection time limit.


    The same process needed to be repeated for a week or more. It would be terrible and disgusting for another person. But it wasn¡¯t a big deal for Grid. Grid wasn¡¯t frustrated because it merely required patience, not talent. Not giving up was Grid¡¯s specialty.


    [The long term magic use has slowed magic recovery speed and the mana deployment speed.]


    [You are tired. Stamina is consumed more quickly. You have resisted.]


    ¡¯It might take 10 days instead of a week.¡¯


    The system started to interfere. But Grid¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He had perfectly adapted to this training.


    ¡®Isabel, wait a little longer. I will surely give you the best spear.¡¯


    There was no anxiety. Grid¡¯s expression was calm as he started striking the jaffa ore with Magic Missile. Only those waiting by the side were nervous.


    ¡®How long is he going to repeat the same thing?¡¯


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he bored? I¡¯m dying of boredom just watching...¡¯


    ¡¯Uhh, my body is tired standing next to him. I am sore.¡¯


    ¡®Please go and take a rest...¡¯


    Reinhardt¡¯s cksmiths started to be afraid of Grid¡¯s obsession. On the other hand, Damian and Isabel looked at Grid like he was a role model. They thought that Grid¡¯s spirit was umon in this world.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    Jeeeong!


    White shes urred in the smithy through the night. Lauel smiled at the sight from the distant walls.


    ¡°This light is the glorious future that will lead this kingdom. Hut...!¡±


    The cool wind blew in the pleasant night.

 Chapter 593

    While Grid was learning the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.


    The Overgeared members were scattered all over and performing their own duties. They encouraged and helped the people greatly damaged by the war and repaired Reinhardt, Patrian, and Bairan. The person who yed the biggest role in this process wasn¡¯t the high rankers like Jishuka, Yura, Regas, or Pon. It was surprisingly Grid¡¯s sister, Ruby.


    Ruby¡¯s overwhelming healing power and benevolent spirit helped to heal and encourage the wounded bodies and minds of the people and soldiers.


    ¡°Thank you! I really appreciate it! My friends and family are able to regain their health thanks to Saintess Ruby!¡±


    "I thought I would spend my whole life like this, but I¡¯m able to walk thanks to the Saintess. I will thank the Saintess for the rest of my life and live well.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Saintess Ruby is Grid¡¯s sister? How could there be two such wonderful siblings?¡±


    The people¡¯s love and respect for Ruby grew further. In ordance, Ruby¡¯s sphere of influence was naturally expanded. It was right below Grid¡¯s. Lauel thoroughly took advantage of this.


    "We will increase the speed of the recovery operation. Let the people and soldiers work more. If Ruby goes and preaches the necessity ofbor, the people will be willing to work harder.¡±


    "Aren¡¯t the people already working all the time except for when they¡¯re eating and sleeping? No way. They¡¯ll copse.¡±


    ¡°Ruby, can¡¯t you heal them if they fall?¡±


    Perfect infinite power! The value of the Saintess¡¯ wide-area healing ability was great. Lauel really liked Ruby, who created an environment where the people and soldiers could be overworked. Ruby didn¡¯t like Lauel¡¯s words.


    ¡°A bad person.¡±


    "You can condemn me, but I¡¯m proud of myself. My decision is solely for the growth of Grid and Overgeared. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    "Hmph, I have nothing to say to you.¡±


    Ruby turned around, going to the people and soldiers to ask them for more harshbor. Ruby was also a member of Overgeared and couldn¡¯t disobey Lauel¡¯s orders.


    "I¡¯ll take good care of you so that you don¡¯t get hurt."


    Ruby promised the people.


    A smile appeared on Lauel¡¯s face.


    ¡°Unlike Grid, she has a cute side...¡±


    Duguen!


    The feelings deeply sealed in his heart were moving.


    ¡®What? What is this hot me moving through my heart?¡¯


    Lauel didn¡¯t know, but it was love. Thete first love of the 22 year old Lauel began.


    ***


    ¡°What? Lauel ordered the troops to gather in Reidan?¡±


    "Yes, because it¡¯s at the border of the Saharan Empire and must be thoroughly defended.¡±


    "Why did he make such a decision? Shouldn¡¯t we be paying attention to the remnants of the Eternal Kingdom, not the Saharan Empire? From their perspective, they can¡¯t forgive us for killing the king and dividing the kingdom. What if they gather their troops and advance to Bairan or Reinhardt?¡±


    Toban questioned Lauel¡¯smand. He had served as chief of staff of the Tzedakah Guild. From his point of view, Lauel seemed to be making a big mistake.


    Euphemina and Vantner agreed.


    ¡°Yes. In the current situation, the remnants of Eternal wouldn¡¯t miss this gap.¡±


    ¡°Did Lauel make a mistake because he is tired?¡±


    The moment everyone was feeling distrustful of Lauel¡¯s judgment.


    ¡°Lauel hasn¡¯t overlooked the presence of Marquis Steim.¡±


    The silent Yura opened her mouth. Her peach lips captivated everyone¡¯s eyes.


    "After the death of King An, his evil deeds were revealed to the public and Marquis Steim has nothing to worry about anymore. He will unconditionally serve Youngwoo-ssi. But how can hee to Youngwoo-ssi with empty hands after he refused his support during the war?¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    "There¡¯s still Marquis Steim!¡±


    Vantner made a confused expression while Toban and Euphemina nodded immediately.


    "Sooner orter, Marquis Stein will arrive with a gift.¡±


    ¡°The gift is the remnants of those who are against Grid. Indeed, Lauel is incredible. He expected this and stationed the troops in Reidan.¡±


    "Yura is also amazing for discovering it. Won¡¯t Lauel have an easier time if Yura assists him?¡±


    ¡°No. Yura needs to level up. She¡¯s one of the strongest powers of our guild.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The strongest power. Was it really like that? Yura couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡®I¡¯m weak.¡¯


    The epic ss Euphemina, and Jishuka armed with the Red Phoenix Bow wereparable to the legendary rated Grid and Kraugel. She was weak, despite having a legendary ss.


    ¡®This is a problem. I need to devote myself to finding the hidden pieces as soon as possible.¡¯


    It was a matter of pride. Yura also dreamt about bing stronger than everyone else.


    ¡®My next destination is...¡¯


    Hell. The stage that maximized a Demon yer¡¯s abilities. Once the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom wasplete and the Overgeared Guild regained stability, she would rush to hell and concentrate on her growth. Yura was prepared.


    ***


    Three Reba Temples would be built in Reinhardt. The elders of the Reba Church epted Pope Damian¡¯smand. They would send full support to Grid and Overgeared, who destroyed the great demon Belial. The yers belonging to the Reba Church received a quest.


    [The ¡®Temple Construction¡¯ quest has been created.]


    [Temple Construction]


    Difficulty: A


    The Reba Church ns to build three temples in Reinhardt, the territory of the great hero Grid.


    Help the construction of the Reba Temples.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Work for at least four days at the construction site of the Reba Temples.


    Quest Reward: You have the right to be assigned to the newly built temple. Divine Power +20. Thepensation will differ ording to construction contribution.


    "How much manpower are theycking that they would make pdins and priests participate in the construction sites?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t itmon that the funds and manpower required for the construction of the temple be covered by the lord of the territory that the temple is built in?¡±


    ¡°Wow... Surely we aren¡¯t paying for the cost of the temples built in Reinhardt?¡±


    ¡°Pope Damian is abusing his authority. It¡¯s well known that he¡¯s a fan of Grid.¡±


    "I can¡¯t believe that the elders approved this.¡±


    The yers in the Reba Church didn¡¯t like the Temple Construction quest. They couldn¡¯t understand why they were supposed to participate in the construction of the temple and felt ufortable because they seemed to be used for Damian¡¯s private affairs. However, there were very few yers who refused the quest. A-grade quests weren¡¯t easy to get and the reward was quite good.


    ¡®It increases divine power by 20.¡¯


    ¡®Reinhardt is one of the few veryrge cities on the whole continent. If I can get there, I can make great profits by clearing numerous quests every day.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to miss the chance to build up a friendship with Overgeared.¡¯


    ¡®Follow the trend for the future.¡¯


    Talents started to gather in Reinhardt, which would be the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. This was the power of Overgeared.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The members of the Silver Knights, including Peak Sword, returned. They thought of themselves as sinners. It was because Cork Ind waspletely destroyed. The Cork Ind that flourished in the past couldn¡¯t exist again. Tears flowed down Peak Sword¡¯s face as he recalled the ruined Cork Ind.


    ¡°If we had handed it over to Eternal when you told me...¡±


    The ind wouldn¡¯t have been destroyed. It would¡¯ve been taken away, but they could¡¯ve used it in the future. They needlessly protected Cork Ind and brought about irreversible results. Lauelforted Peak Sword, who couldn¡¯t even lift his head.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s mine for not anticipating Blood Carnival¡¯s strike.¡±


    There was no way to predict it, but he didn¡¯t make excuses. Lauel never thought that Peak Sword wouldpletely protect Cork Ind from Eternal¡¯s navy. In the first ce, there was no reason for Blood Carnival to intervene. Unfortunately, Peak Sword was far more outstanding than expected and the result turned out like this.


    ¡®Now that Cork Ind is destroyed, the cost of restoring the destroyed facilities is too high. It¡¯s better to give up neatly.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t need to be so obsessed. Originally, Cork Ind was the major source of ie for Overgeared. But this would change in the future. The territories belonging to Eternal that would be upied by Overgeared were much more valuable than Cork Ind.


    Then Lauel received a new report.


    ¡°Katz has returned.¡±


    Blood Warrior Katz. His strength wasparable to Grid when he was on the battlefield. No, maybe it was higher than Grid. Lauel had big hopes for him. He hoped Borneo would be protected for 10 days. Lauel rushed over and greeted Katz.


    "You must have suffered a lot. We were able to protect our rear thanks to your actions.¡±


    It would be great if they could make Borneopletely theirs, but there were only 1,000 troops assigned to Katz. It was impossible topletely protect Borneo from the Gauss Kingdom which could move tens of thousands of troops. It was great work to keep it for just 10 days.


    Katz reported to Lauel. ¡°The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army has given up on upying Borneo and has retreated. I think it¡¯s better to send reinforcements to Borneo so that the Gauss Kingdom doesn¡¯t attempt it again.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army gave up on upying Borneo and retreated? The result was unbelievably shocking.


    "How did you keep Borneo?¡±


    Katz formed a circle with his fingers after hearing Lauel¡¯s question.


    ¡°Money.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, he should speak to Grid. Lauel wanted to give Katz and Peak Sword good weapons for all their hard work.


    ***


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Days passed. He kept using Magic Missile except for the time he spent sleeping.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid used Magic Missile on the metals without a break. The dark circles under his eyes were reminiscent of a dead man.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Isabel¡¯s beautiful face was filled with worry as she watched Grid in the smithy. She felt sorry that Grid was struggling for her. She wondered if she could really abuse Grid this much.


    ¡®Suffering because of me... No. I can¡¯t endure it anymore.¡¯


    Isabel stood up. She didn¡¯t care about her own matter anymore. She only hoped for Grid to be safe.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Isabel was about to tell Grid to stop. Then the adamantium was hit 10,000 times by Grid¡¯s Magic Missile and shone brilliantly, lighting up the entire smithy. Grid turned to the amazed Isabel and smiled brightly.


    ¡°Are you ready to enjoy your happiness?¡±

 Chapter 594

    It was hard. It was seriously hard.


    One week?


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    He spend over a fortnight striking 19 types of metals with Magic Missile. The penalty of using magic continuously was far worse than Grid expected.


    ¡¯Striking it?¡¯


    As soon as he opened his eyes, he connected to the game and repeated the same thing until he fell asleep. His mind was bound to weaken. Grid thought several times about giving up. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say he was going crazy at the thought of firing Magic Missile 190,000 times.


    ¡®How can a human do such a crazy thing?¡¯


    It was different from the days when he looked for the North End Cave and became Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Reaching the limits of his stamina and concentration wasn¡¯t enough to dampen Grid¡¯s will that was ignited by anger. Grid wanted to forget about that time even now. The idea that this repetitive action wasn¡¯t something a human should do weakened his heart.


    ¡®No... No. I can¡¯t give up now.¡¯


    He would waste the efforts of the past few days the moment he gave up. Grid¡¯s nature couldn¡¯t tolerate this loss. More than anything else.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t turn away from Isabel, who was making a pained face from guilt. He started this in the first ce because he wanted to make her happy.


    ¡®I won¡¯t give up!¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid once again started firing Magic Missile. 100 times, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 times a day...


    From that moment on, he couldn¡¯t count how many Magic Missiles he¡¯d shot. He couldn¡¯t afford to count.


    ¡°Grid! That¡¯s it! Stop now!¡±


    How many days had passed? The sight of Grid coughing up blood while shooting Magic Missile made Isabel be pale and confused. She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and shouted. She didn¡¯t want Grid to suffer any longer because of her. At that moment.


    Jeeeong!


    Grid fired Magic Missile with a trembling hand.


    [The quest has seeded!]


    [¡¯Magic Battle Gear Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    Notification windows popped up. It happened when the 190,000th Magic Missile struck adamantium.


    [Magic Battle Gear Production Method Lv. 1]


    Metal can be tempered with magic attacks. If you make an item with this metal, there is a certain chance of the item developing a magic option.


    * The rating of the metal enchanted with magic is subdivided from normal to legend. Depending on the rating, the magic options will be stronger and more varied.


    * Level 1 production. The magic that can be used to temper metal is limited to Magic Missile.


    * In order to raise the level of Magic Battle Gear Production Method, you must learn how to temper the metal with higher rated spells.


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡±


    The reward that came at the end of a huge amount of effort was always satisfying. A delighted smile appeared on Grid¡¯s haggard face.


    ¡°Isabel, are you ready to enjoy your happiness?¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    Isabel finally burst into tears. She was forced to sacrifice herself for Goddess Reba, who she loved and believed in the most. Now a savior had appeared. Grid¡¯s existence was bing more and more special to Isabel. Her gratitude, respect, and trust in Grid was much stronger and more absolute than her heart that served Reba.


    ¡¯Wait?¡¯


    Grid was proud when he saw the delighted Isabel, only to suddenly worry about his future.


    * In order to raise the level of Magic Battle Gear Production Method, you must learn how to temper the metal with higher rated spells.


    A phrase in the skill description made Grid uneasy.


    ¡®Hey Braham. Raising the level of the Magic Battle Gear Production Method... Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    ¡®Your guess is correct. Later, you will learn new magic and shoot it at all minerals 10,000 times.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    The reason Grid could fire Magic Missile 190,000 times despite grumbling about the difficulty was because the resources consumed by Magic Missile and the time needed to use it was small. It was impossible topare 190,000 Magic Missiles to 190,000 higher rated spells.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid sighed deeply like someone who had lost a country.


    ***


    Recently, Brazil¡¯s real estate market had been suffering.


    Jishuka. She umted a huge amount of wealth from Satisfy and had started to dispose of all thend and buildings she owned. It was a sudden sale. She hastily sold her properties at a cheaper price than the market value and converted it to cash.


    What was the emergency? People started specting.


    Jishuka had received information that the Brazilian real estate market was going to copse and disposed of her properties in advance.


    Jishuka was addicted to drugs and was disposing of her properties to pay for the drugs.


    Jishuka was preparing to move to South Korea to be with Grid. It was clear that her marriage to Grid was approaching.


    And so on.


    People¡¯s spections about Jishuka ran wild. Once it became an issue, various types of media outlets came forward. The Brazil media requested an interview from Jishuka. Jishuka gave an interview in exchange for money and greatly shocked the Brazilian people.


    "Recently, Jishuka¡¯s actions are making the Brazilian people uneasy. Can you exin the reason why you are disposing of your real estate so hurriedly?¡±


    "It¡¯s to pay for an item.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Item...? An item in Satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...?????¡±


    It was estimated that Jishuka¡¯s disposable real estate was worth almost 60 million dors. It was big enough to make apany with a lot of capital. She was going to use this huge capital to pay for an item? The reporters barely regained their spirits and asked Jishuka.


    ¡°Are you entrusting Grid to make you a set of items?¡±


    Yes, Grid was a legendary cksmith. The value of the items he made was high enough to be different from normal items. If Grid produced a ¡®set¡¯ that covered the whole body, this astronomical price made sense. Think about being covered from head to toe in legendary items. They would be able to quickly kill monsters and monopolize various contents.


    Jishuka shook her head at the reporters.


    ¡°It¡¯s the value of a bow.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s items were priced at a premium that they couldn¡¯t imagine. This article became a hot topic all over the world and the Inte was once again turned upside down.


    -Won¡¯t Grid be the world¡¯srgest conglomerate?


    -Grid is really...


    ***


    Yatan Church.


    The eternal enemy of the Reba Church. Their purpose was working to bring the great demons to this earth. This meant they had to defeat Reba¡¯s Daughters. The Reba Church was the strongest force and ced too many restrictions on the Yatan Church¡¯s activities. Thus, the Yatan Church was forced to pursue them.


    It was the reason why the quest ¡®Kill Reba¡¯s Daughters (SSS)¡¯ was always on the list of quests for yers belonging to the Yatan Church. But was it really that easy to kill a Reba¡¯s Daughter? They were too strong. As the incarnation of divine power, Reba¡¯s Daughters were deadly to ck knights and ck magicians. It was realistically impossible for the Yatan Church to kill these women.


    But at this moment, an opportunity came. Isabel, one of the most powerful Reba¡¯s Daughters of this time. The Yatan Church acquired information that she was weakened in the battle against the Great Demon Belial.


    "Great Monarch Belial sacrificed herself for this chance.¡±


    "The current Isabel is extremely weak. It¡¯s enough to send only the believers.¡±


    The Yatan temples hidden throughout the continent. They would be able to find Isabel quickly. The Yatan Servants sat around a table and smiled with satisfaction.


    ***


    The Yatan followers were divided into eight sses.


    The 8th grade believers were as weak as the soldiers of any kingdom, while the 1st grade believers had a mighty force. Although there were only 100 of them across the Yatan Church. Their battle ability alone wasparable to the Yatan Servants.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    "Immediately after the war, the defense is weak.¡±


    The 1st grade Yatan followers, Bon and Adus, seeded in infiltrating Reinhardt. It was just after the war and Reinhardt wasn¡¯t able to fully control ess of outsiders because the guard system wasn¡¯t fully in ce.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Isabel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. We must measure the divine power.¡±


    In the dark. Bon and Adus concealed themselves under the shaded walls and started to use dark magic. It was the precursor of Magic Detection that most senior magicians could use. Magic Detection used with ck magic power was particrly effective in detecting divine power. Bon and Adus were able to find Isabel without much difficulty.


    ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s weakened like the information said.¡±


    "I think it¡¯s possible even if we don¡¯t go out.¡±


    ¡°But this mission definitely needs to be resolved. Don¡¯t leave it to the lower rated guys. We¡¯ll go out directly.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    At present, Isabel¡¯s divine power was like a flickering candle. It meant her health was fading. They didn¡¯t need to watch out for White Transformation because she was so weak she would die immediately upon using White Transformation.


    Suuuk.


    Bon and Adus made confident expressions as they assimted into the darkness and disappeared from the spot. Their destination was a smithy to the north of Reinhardt.


    ¡°I see her.¡±


    Bon and Adus spied on the inside of the smithy. Despite the darkness, the light of the furnace showed a cksmith working and Isabel watching him.


    ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡±


    Reba¡¯s Daughter Isabel was sitting idly in the smithy, despite dying. Bon and Adus didn¡¯t understand the situation at all. But it was only for a moment. Their confused expressions changed to smiles.


    ¡°Maybe Lifael¡¯s Spear is broken?¡±


    "Reba¡¯s divine artifact is broken? Is Reba¡¯s divine power corrupted?¡±


    "Great Monarch Belial must¡¯ve dealt a big blow.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Now the situation was convincing. Isabel was wounded and couldn¡¯t return to the Vatican.


    "Lifael¡¯s Spear is so badly damaged that it needs to be urgently repaired.¡±


    "This is a really great opportunity.¡±


    Isabel was weakened and her divine weapon damaged. Dealing with her was as simple and easy as hitting a fly. Bon and Adus exchanged a look before moving.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    They shattered the wall of the smithy with ck magic.


    "Kuahahat! Reba¡¯s dog will be caught today!¡±


    They swung swords made of ck magic at Isabel. But their swords didn¡¯t reach Isabel.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    The cksmith hammering in front of the furnace. Yes, it was a cksmith. Bon and Adus hadn¡¯t paid attention to the person hammering at the golden spear. Then.


    Paijijik!


    Dozens of Magic Missiles were fired from the golden spear.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    Bon and Adus were confused by the bombardment of Magic Missiles. They were Magic Missiles with divine power that made the dark shield useless.

 Chapter 595

    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°W-What is this...!¡±


    A man whose face was covered in sweat and dust. The ck-haired man was a cksmith. There was no awkwardness to his movements as he hammered on the spear. He looked just like an ordinary cksmith. But how could he wield Reba¡¯s divine weapon and manifest magic from it?


    ¡®What in the world is this cksmith?¡¯


    ¡¯Surely a Reba pdin isn¡¯t disguised as a cksmith? He¡¯s been polishing his cksmith skills for years just for this day?¡¯


    Usingmon sense, it didn¡¯t make sense that the weakened Isabel didn¡¯t return to the Vatican. Was it possible for her to be left alone when she knew that the Yatan Church was after her?


    ¡®Wait. Does it make sense that a pdin is trained in cksmithing skills?¡¯


    ¡®No, have you forgotten how cunning the Reba bastards are? It¡¯s certainly possible! We¡¯ve fallen into the vicious trap that this angelic female has dug!¡¯


    ¡®T-That¡¯s right!¡¯


    Bon and Adus were indignant. They healed their wounded bodies with ck magic and stared at Isabel and the cksmith.


    "Yes, just like the Reba dogs. cing a trap to lure people here?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Isabel was confused by Bon and Adus¡¯ words, but Grid justughed. It was annoying to argue with them when they were the one making a surprise attack. Grid had experienced ridiculous things more than one or twice already.


    "Uh, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s a trap. So just die. Your deaths were determined the moment you fell into the trap.¡±


    Grid smiled widely. He was pleased to have an opponent to test the reconstructed Lifael¡¯s Spear on. His attitude was an eyesore to Bon and Adus.


    ¡®He¡¯sughing at some of the most talented people in the Yatan Church?¡¯


    There were less than 200 1st grade followers in all of the Yatan Church. It meant it was really hard to be qualified as a 1st grade follower. They werecking in the fields of theology, intelligence, politics, and military matters, but theirbat ability wasparable to the Yatan Servants. This was why Bon and Adus had great pride. They didn¡¯t think they would be pushed, despite fighting Isabel on a one-on-one basis!


    "The hyena might dig a trap, but it can¡¯t hunt a lion!¡±


    ¡°Do you think Isabel can stop us in her current state?¡±


    Peeng!


    Adus spoke confidently and his ck magic exploded. It was so powerful that a shockwave urred. The interior of the smithy shook like there was an earthquake. The mes in the furnace became bigger! The smithy became a sea of fire. Amongst the mes, Grid¡¯s smile widened.


    ¡¯Indeed, they¡¯re good opponents to test this on.¡¯


    Bon and Adus¡¯ names were written in gold. It meant they were named NPCs. They were strong. If Grid was a normal yer, he wouldn¡¯t dare be hostile to them. But who was Grid? Among the hidden sses, he showed off unique skills and was an outstanding figure. He had killed some Yatan Servants so the 1st grade followers weren¡¯t his opponent.


    ¡°I will start the test.¡±


    A myth rated spear that had been modified using the Magic Battle Gear Production Method. Grid held Lifael¡¯s Spear that was surrounded by a white light.


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 990/990


    Attack Power: 1,530~2,190


    * Divine Power +2,000


    * All stats +200.


    * 250% increase in health recovery.


    * Fixed damage of +5,000 on each attack.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill. Every time Light Wheel is activated, Magic Missile is shot. The number of Magic Missiles is determined ording to the usage range of Light Wheel. The damage of Magic Missile is fixed at 4,000 per hit and will increase by 50% if the target is evil. No mana will be consumed.


    * When defending or evading, there is a high probability that Shield of Light will activate. Magic Missile (Enhanced) is attached to the Shield of Light. Any target that pierces through the Shield of Light will be hit by Magic Missile. The damage of Magic Missile is fixed at 4,000 per hit and will increase by 50% if the target is evil. The uracy of the Magic Missile counterattack is 100% and does not consume mana.


    * When moving, there is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light of Guidance¡¯ skill.


    * It is possible to use the ¡®Weakened White Transformation.¡¯


    * Attack power +30% against those with ck magic power.


    It is one of the three divine artefacts of the Reba Church. It contains a strong divine power that humans can¡¯t bear. However, the cksmith Grid has suppressed the divine power.


    The power of technology has restrained the divine power. Lifael¡¯s Spear is tempered by legendary enhanced magic and is now more powerful than before.


    Conditions of Use: Reba¡¯s Daughter.


    Hwiririk!Cheok!


    Grid rotated Lifael¡¯s Spear and thrust it. In the past, he had tried to copy Pon¡¯s techniques. Now he acquired Weapons Mastery and his handling of the spear wasn¡¯t awkward at all.


    ¡®Strange?¡¯


    Bon and Adus hesitated as they were trying to kill Grid. They felt a sense of incongruity.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t Reba¡¯s Daughters the only ones who can handle Reba¡¯s three divine artifacts?¡¯


    This information wasn¡¯t certain. But when looking back at the history of the Reba Church, only Reba¡¯s Daughters had used the three divine weapons. But now this male cksmith. No, the pdin disguised as a cksmith, was using Lifael¡¯s Spear?


    Grid rushed over as they were standing there bewildered. The spear wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s main weapon and Bon and Adus were quite capable, so he didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    Bon and Adus scoffed as Grid narrowed the distance and swung the spear. They ridiculed Grid¡¯s movements, which was a sh instead of a thrust.


    ¡¯This slow attack can¡¯t touch us... Heok!¡¯


    The rxed Bon and Adus both turned pale at the same time. The golden orbit drawn by Lifael¡¯s Spear. Dozens of white shes appeared simultaneously?


    ¡®Another spell!¡¯


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    Magic Missile was the lowest grade magic spell, but dozens of them were used at once and in rapid session? In addition, the Magic Missiles used by this guy...


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°It hurts!¡±


    It was enhanced Magic Missile!


    ¡°Ugh... How can Dark Shield be prated with Magic Missile?¡±


    All things were born with a limit and magic was the same. Just like a pebble couldn¡¯t break a rock, the lowest grade Magic Missile shouldn¡¯t be able to prate Dark Shield, a superior defense spell.


    ¡®It¡¯s only possible if his magic power is tens or hundreds of times higher than ours...!¡¯


    Chill.


    Adus got goosebumps. Was this an elder priest of the Reba Church? The cksmith¡¯s simple force might be weaker than them, but he overwhelmed them in magic power.


    ¡®We were tricked!¡¯


    Swinging Lifael¡¯s Spear was just a gimmick. He was a priest, not a pdin. It was also a senior priest!


    ¡¯That¡¯s why his spearsmanship is lousy!¡¯


    The cksmith pulled their attention to the spear. It was just a means to attract their attention, while his real attack was the magic he used. Bon and Adus determined this as Grid swung the spear again.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be tricked anymore!¡¯


    Bon and Adus smiled. They ignored the spear Grid was wielding and attacked Grid. It was possibility because they were confident they wouldn¡¯t be hit by Grid¡¯s spear. But the result?


    Seokeok!


    Puok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    A single blow. Grid¡¯s spear severely tore their armor and their shoulders were severely pierced. It was a powerful destructive force that couldn¡¯t bepared with Magic Missile.


    "Y-You...!¡±


    Bon and Adus finally realized the seriousness of the situation. They finally guessed Grid¡¯s real identity.


    ¡°Tem...!¡±


    A secret weapon raised by the Reba Church.


    "...Temr!¡±


    There were only a few of them, but if they were left alone, they would beparable to Reba¡¯s Daughters. Grid shook his head at the astonished Bon and Adus.


    "I am overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid swung the spear again. He had been stubbornly shing so far, but this time it was a stab. It was a stab that maximized the attack distance of the spear. The speed and power of the attack was unmatched.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The targeted Adus hurriedly raised his sword. It was necessary to defend against the stab. But immediately before reaching Adus, Lifael¡¯s Spear curved and struck Adus¡¯ side instead. It was Light Wheel that had a high probability of activating.


    [Light Wheel]


    Stabbing, hacking, cutting, etc.


    Any type of attack will be linked to a circr attack. The target won¡¯t be able to escape this irregr attack.


    * The hit rate is 100%.


    * Contains the light attribute.


    Puok!


    "Kyaak!"


    Adus screamed as the orbit of the attack suddenly changed. Bon standing next to him also suffered terrible damage. As Grid attacked Adus, Magic Missile was emitted from the golden trail created and struck Bon.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Ugh...! Uhhh...¡±


    Duk.


    Dududuk.


    The mes in the smithy became bigger and bigger. Adus and Bon¡¯s groans mixed in with Isabel¡¯s admiring cry. Adus and Pon were named NPCs and quickly got up.


    "Overgeared!¡±


    Yes, they remembered. The Yatan Servants¡¯ ughterer. From Mcus, Neberius, Dark Bus, and the First Servant Tallos. It was the worst danger to the Yatan Church.


    ¡°Grid... You are Grid.¡±


    Bon and Adus knew that Reinhardt was Grid¡¯s territory after the war. But they couldn¡¯t imagine that the cksmith repairing one of the Reba Church¡¯s divine artifacts would be Grid. It was hard to imagine, since Grid had risen to a major rank and there was also the rumor that Grid used ckening. It was a vition ofmon sense that he could handle an artifact filled with Reba¡¯s divine power.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    cksmith and swordsman.


    Swordsman and magician.


    A person who handled divine magic and the power of demonkin.


    Bon and Adus were filled with confusion as Grid replied.


    ¡°Overgeared King.¡±


    The identity had already been established. It was thanks to the Overgeared Guild and it wasn¡¯t long before the Overgeared Kingdom would be established. In the future, Grid wanted the world to call him Overgeared King.


    ¡®What is overgeared?¡¯


    Adus and Bon were filled with strong doubts. The two men hadpletely recovered. Grid¡¯s performance test was enough. He handed Lifael¡¯s Spear back to Isabel.


    "You can use White Transformation freely. It can be used as long as you have enough mana.¡±


    The spear no longer consumed health. It was tamer than before. But it was still strong.


    "Have strength, Isabel."


    He wanted to rest. It might be a little dangerous for him to deal with Bon and Adus right now. The story would be simple if he used Belial¡¯s Strength attached to the Rune of Darkness. But Grid had no intention of using that extraordinary power when he was sleepy.


    Grid shook hands with Isabel and left the smithy, leaving Isabel to use the White Transformation of Lifael¡¯s Spear. Shepletely overcame the fear of death, making the power of the spear unfathomable.


    [The quest has seeded!]


    [You have gained 1 point in deity from the quest reward.]


    [Isabel deifies you even more. Isabel will even be hostile to Goddess Reba for you if it is required in the future.]


    [Isabel will give you the loot she has acquired from Bon and Adus.]

 Chapter 596

    Swaaah.


    It was important to do everything steadily. Shin Youngwoo originally had a bad physique, but he¡¯d been working out for thest few years, resulting in a solid muscr body. The cold watering from the shower that slipped over his smooth muscles was an attractive sight to look at. The changes in body and spirit were due to his efforts. This was one of the sources of Shin Youngwoo¡¯s confidence.


    ¡®The pros and cons of the Magic Battle Gear Production Method are clear.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo thought as he cooled his overhead head with cold water.


    ¡®Apart from hammering the metal, I have to train it with magic. It will take four times longer to handle and the durability of the metal is significantly reduced.¡¯


    Lifael¡¯s Spear. The original myth rated weapon had a durability of 1,500. But the durability dropped to 990 in the process of training it with Magic Missile. It had fallen by one-third.


    ¡®If I enhance a weapon with a low durability like a dagger, I might not be able to use it...¡¯


    Equipment items needed to be durable by default. The repeated use and repairs would inevitably drop the maximum durability. Therefore, people were reluctant to use items with low durability.


    ¡®If I¡¯m nning to make items just for selling, it would be wiser not to use the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.¡¯


    Of course, it was true that items made using the Magic Battle Gear Production Method were excellent. In fact, Lifael¡¯s Spear was much more beautiful than before. But that was possible because Lifael¡¯s Spear was a myth rated weapon.


    ¡®The higher the rating of the item, the greater the increase in options.¡¯


    Considering that the average rating of the items that Shin Youngwoo produced was usually epic, it wasn¡¯t worth investing so much time with the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.


    ¡®However, I will use the Magic Battle Gear Production Method on the items that the guild members will use as their main force.¡¯


    He could afford to spend valuable time on items for his colleagues. The disadvantage of the low durability was ovee by Shin Youngwoo¡¯s repair techniques. It was because the maximum durability didn¡¯t decrease when Shin Youngwoo repaired the item directly.


    ¡º The world¡¯s attention towards the first country built by a yer, Overgeared, is getting hotter day by day. It isn¡¯t just South Korea. Everyone around the world is focused on Overgeared¡¯s founding ceremony. There are many people who are wondering why Overgeared, who has already acquired the minimum qualifications to set up a kingdom, are dying the establishment of the kingdom. ¡»


    ¡º It must take a long time to prepare. It¡¯s an event that all countries and people all over the world are interested in. They want to create an unprecedented splendid and magnificent founding ceremony. ¡»


    ¡º The restoration of the pce ruined by Belial will take quite a while. ¡»


    As Shin Youngwoo was taking a shower, stories about Overgeared started to flow from the TV set on the bathroom wall. Shin Youngwoo witnessed the news and turned off the shower.


    ¡®Busy.¡¯


    As predicted by the news, Overgeared was nning a magnificent and brilliant founding ceremony. It was to announce the dignity of the best guild while the attention of the world was focused on them. It was too big for Lauel to handle alone. Every member of Overgeared yed a proper role, including Youngwoo. There was 14 days until the ceremony and Yougwoo needed to make items to reward the members.


    It was Lauel¡¯s n. Once the items made by the legendary cksmith were revealed at the scene of the foundation of the kingdom watched by billions of viewers, the wavelength caused would be truly enormous. Imagine it. New items would increase the Overgeared Guild by leaps and bounds. The viewers who saw this would feel envious and be filled with a burning desire to join Overgeared.


    ¡°Overgeared King... Kuoh.¡±


    It was a good name no matter how he thought about it. Shin Youngwoo admired his own naming sense as he left the bath and wrapped his wet hair with a towel.


    Diririri-


    The phone installed in the middle of the living room rang. It was Jishuka. Youngwoo was startled.


    ¡®She has gathered 60 million gold already?¡¯


    60 million gold was a huge amount of money. It couldn¡¯t be secured just by selling items in the game. She had to use money to buy gold from the trading sites and he couldn¡¯t imagine how big the transaction fees would be. Youngwoo opened his mouth as he kept in mind Jishuka¡¯s hard work.


    "Pick up.¡±


    At the same time.


    Yiing-


    The phone stopped ringing and a video appeared on his phone. He could see Jishuka with an endless blue sea behind her. As always, she was smiling brilliantly.


    ¡°Hi~! Grid...!¡±


    Jishuka tucked her hair being blown by the wind behind her ears, only to suddenly close her mouth and blush.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Youngwoo cocked his head, while Jishuka¡¯s face turned redder as her gaze focused on one part of his body.


    "Are you appealing to me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, he wasn¡¯t wearing clothes. Youngwoo btedly felt a sense of shame and rushed to his room to grab clothes. In the video, Jishuka couldn¡¯t help feeling embarrassed and delighted.


    "I think he¡¯s perfect for me.¡±


    ***


    The restored Reinhardt Pce.


    "Erase all traces of Eternal¡¯s royal family.¡±


    The Eternal Kingdom had a history of 400 years. Reinhardt Pce might¡¯ve been ruined in the aftermath of the Belial raid, but there were still traces of the Eternal dynasty remaining. It was from the small decorations to the architectural style. It was enough to bother Lauel.


    ¡°What? The historical value? There¡¯s no value to the history of the losers. Please remove all the statues of the Eternal kings and build a statue of Grid on the spot. Burn all the items engraved with the silver dragon emblem that symbolizes Eternal and imprint a hammer and anvil on the new items. All facilities designed for left-side traffic should be switched to right-side traffic, and...¡±


    Lauel directed the workmen. His hands were constantly on his head. The habit of worrying about his hair loss in reality had transferred to the game.


    Administrator Rabbit approached him and reported.


    ¡°All the royal families of the 15 kingdoms have rejected the invitation to the founding ceremony. It¡¯s an atmosphere where every kingdom on the continent aren¡¯t acknowledging us.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t panic.


    "As expected."


    Technically, Grid was a rebel who destroyed his kingdom. Recognizing Grid meant acknowledging rebels, so it wasn¡¯t possible for the royal families of other kingdoms to recognize the Overgeared Kingdom.


    "Diplomatic istion would be a major hindrance to national development. Is there a solution?¡±


    Lauel nodded at Rabbit¡¯s question.


    "It will be resolved with diplomatic quests.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Overgeared was a kingdom set up by yers. It was evident that it would evolve in the direction that yers agreed on, since most of the people of Overgeared weren¡¯t NPCs. Lauel¡¯s focus was on the growth of NPCs and other yers. In other words, quests.


    ¡¯If the yers of Overgeared go out to other kingdoms and repeatedly hunt and do quests, our culture and influence will naturally spread to other kingdoms. One day, the other kingdoms would have to acknowledge and ept Overgeared.¡¯


    It was a problem that would naturally resolve over time. There was just one point to pay attention to. It was the disruption of other forces such as the Saharan Empire, Ares, Agnus, and Blood Carnival. If the mighty forces sought to persecute the yers of Overgeared, most yers wouldn¡¯t join the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®We must have the power to prevent that from happening.¡¯


    They had to prove that they had the power. That¡¯s why he invited not only Kraugel, Damian, and Chris to the founding ceremony, but also the high rankers who were once hostile to them.


    ¡®I have to prove our influence.¡¯


    Please let the rankers who received the invitation attend the ceremony.


    Vantner approached the eagerly praying Lauel and whispered.


    "Grow head. Is the pronunciation unusual? It¡¯s a Korean hair loss drug. It works well.¡±


    ¡°Vantner, you...¡±


    He recognized Lauel¡¯s grievance at a nce and rmended hair loss medicine?


    Lauel pledged. He would never use the hair loss medicine rmended by Vantner, even if there was a knife at his neck. He didn¡¯t have any confidence in the hair loss medicine rmended by the bald Vantner.


    ***


    "Many followers have volunteered to attend the construction site of the Reinhardt temples.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reflection of their respect for Grid, who defeated the great demon Belial and brought peace to this world.¡±


    The Reba Church¡¯s Vatican.


    After the fall of Pope Drevigo and pop candidate Pascal. The high ranking priests sat in higher seats. Their gratitude and respect for Grid was sincere, making Damian feel good.


    Damian sensed the atmosphere and said, "I received an invitation letter from Grid asking me to attend the ceremony for the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom. I¡¯m going to attend. Do any of the elders want toe with me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It grew silent in an instant. The elders made fake smiles and shut their mouths.


    Damian realized his mistake.


    ¡®They respect Grid, but we can get the persecution of the empire if we support the Overgeared Kingdom... Well, it¡¯s a worry. I was too short-sighted.¡¯


    Maybe he would be pressured to not attend the founding ceremony? The moment that Damian was feeling concern.


    Kung!


    The 15 silent elders rushed to their feet. Then they looked at Damian with resentful eyes.


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    Damian hesitated as he was pushed by their momentum and then the elders cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s regretful! How can Your Holiness take the opportunity to bless the path of Grid alone?


    ¡°...?¡±


    "We will go with you! We will lead all the believers of the Vatican to go and bless Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    "Please take us too!¡±


    ¡°...Yes, yep.¡±


    Damian was surprised by the unexpectedly strong reaction and nodded.


    Isabel smiled from next to him. She was more beautiful than ever now that her health waspletely restored and the shadows of her mind were gone.


    ***


    "Kraugel, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Are you going?¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel. Hao and Alexander came to find Kraugel, who was clearing a dungeon with level 300 monsters alone. Would Kraugel, who was dreaming about reiming first ce, participate in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony? Alexander was convinced it wasn¡¯t possible. Kraugel¡¯s desire for strength was stronger than anybody else, and Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be happy about having his training disturbed.


    But Kraugel¡¯s answer was different from his prediction.


    ¡°It would be nice to attend. I can¡¯t let down a friend.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Unlike the disbelieving Alexander, Haoughed quietly.


    Then Kraugel suggested. "If you don¡¯t mind, how abouting with me?¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will alsoe.¡±


    ¡°...Understood. I will attend with the Russian rankers."

 Chapter 597

    Grid destroyed the Eternal Kingdom and seized this chance to build a new kingdom. Emperor Juander of the Saharan Empire had already seen reports of this, but didn¡¯t respond. It was an attitude of not being interested in such a trivial matter.


    Grid inherited the power of a legend and was steadily expanding his reputation throughout the continent. But so what? There were countless talents in the empire that wereparable or better than Grid. He didn¡¯t have time to care about a person who would soon self-destruct.


    ¡°That¡¯s what His Majesty said.¡±


    1st Prince Rnd smiled. 2nd Prince Dndal confirmed that his teacup was empty, signalled to the maid and asked.


    ¡°Brother, what do you think? Can we leave Grid unattended?¡±


    Rnd lifted the cup that the maid had replenished and nodded.


    "I also know that the force of a legend transcends the human category. But in the end, that¡¯s the power of an individual. He can¡¯t afford to go against Saharan, our great empire which dominates the continent.¡±


    ¡°There are many people in the empire that transcend the category of a human.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t all. In the first ce, Grid is a traitor. The royal families of other nations can¡¯t tolerate his existence, since he won the throne through resisting the royal family.¡±


    "Acknowledging Grid will have an adverse effect on the people. Other kingdoms will hope for Grid¡¯s destruction.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. They will constantly oppress him and keep him in check. Grid and the kingdom he builds will self-destruct.¡±


    1st Prince Rnd and 2nd Prince Dndal. They were the children of Empress Aria, who left the world six years ago. They were highly likely to be crowned as the heir due to their abilities and adaptability However, their positions had greatly reduced in recent years.


    It was because the emperor¡¯s favorite, Empress Marie, politically isted them. The trend in recent years was 4th Prince Edan. There was much talk that Empress Marie¡¯s son would be be the crown prince.


    ***


    After Eternal¡¯s royal family had been destroyed. Apart from the Saharan Empire, the royal families of the 15 nations gathered together. The ce of the meeting was in the Gauss Kingdom, located close to the Eternal Kingdom. The king of the Gauss Kingdom, Cactus, opened his mouth.


    "I¡¯m thankful that the princes of the prestigious nations are gathered here.¡±


    "It¡¯s an honour to meet King Cactus.¡±


    "My father asked me to apologize for not being able to attend personally.¡±


    The atmosphere of the meeting ce was cheerful because they were in ord. The reason for gathering was to discuss the Overgeared Kingdom which would soon be established.


    "There must not be peace for a kingdom that a rebel has established.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no glory for rebellion. We need to ensure that our people know this.¡±


    "The Overgeared Kingdom must be destroyed quickly.¡±


    "Thus, we should put pressure on it.¡±


    "Of course. We won¡¯t be establishing diplomacy with Overgeared.¡±


    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We have to iste the Overgeared Kingdom and make them self-destruct.¡±


    The princes of the kingdoms spoke. There was a smile on the face of King Cactus, who looked at them as if they were cute. It was a smile that fit well with the appearance of a toad.


    "It¡¯s essential to iste them. How about all 15 of us send a representative to Overgeared¡¯s founding ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The princes frowned at King Cactus¡¯ sudden proposal.


    ¡°Why do you want to send representatives to the founding ceremony of a kingdom that can¡¯t be epted?¡±


    "Do you want to celebrate?¡±


    There was a bacsh from the princes.


    King Cactus shook his head. "We will send a delegation that if he doesn¡¯t pay tribute to our 15 kingdoms, we will condemn him. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Hoh... That¡¯s a great idea.¡±


    "Making the Overgeared Kingdom send tribute to us...¡±


    ¡°It will elerate the destruction of the Overgeared Kingdom! Hahahahat!¡±


    Loudughter filled the meeting ce. It was 10 days before the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    Levanfield.


    It was a small town near Reinhardt. The peaceful vige surrounded by mountains on every side was as quiet as a dead rat. From the outskirts, it looked like a ghost town where no one lived.


    ¡°Hik... Hiik... S-Spare me Sir. Please...¡±


    Levanfield¡¯s food warehouses. More than 2,000 residents were sobbing in a corner.


    Earl Logan screamed at them. ¡°Shut up! The king has died and the kingdom is in turmoil, yet you¡¯re still obsessed with your little lives?¡±


    Earl Logan was really angry. The g hanging in the centre of Levanfield was a hammer and anvil, not a silver dragon.


    "Thesemoners...! This town is supporting the the rebels who have upied the kingdom! You guys are turncoats and need to die!¡±


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡±


    Earl Logan eventually pulled out a de. He nned to kill all the residents of Levanfield. Then Marquis Vedaman spoke up.


    "Are you going to make your de dull before tomorrow¡¯s holy war? Don¡¯t worry about the pigs who are too busy eating on their hands and knees when they¡¯re given bread.¡±


    ¡°Marquis Vedaman is right. The reason why we¡¯re here isn¡¯t to dispose of livestock, but to regain the kingdom from the traitor.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Earl Logan stopped his sword at the nobles¡¯ words. The residents of Levenfield sighed with relief. Marquis Vedaman asked them, ¡°The hammer and anvil is the symbol of the traitor Grid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s right! A few days ago, soldiers arrived from Reinhardt and changed the g!¡±


    At that moment.


    Seokeok!


    Earl Logan, who had wanted to pull back, brandished his sword as hard as he could. The head of the resident talking to Marquis Vedaman was cut off and rolled across the ground. Earl Logan gritted his teeth.


    ¡°g! Acknowledging the rebels¡¯ kingdom!!¡±


    "H-Hik...!"


    The faces of the Levanfield residents changed. The situation recently had been too confusing. The king, who had never done anything for them, died and the kingdom imposed hard taxes, depleting their food warehouses. Why should they be sad? Why should they hate the rebels? Was it their fault that the g was raised by the rebels? They were taught to always follow the royal family and nobles. They just did what they were taught.


    ¡°In the first ce...! It isn¡¯t our fault that the kingdom was lost! Weren¡¯t you the one who lost the country because of your own helplessness?¡±


    A young man screamed as he held his dead father that was murdered by Earl Logan.


    "First, this is our kingdom! Eternal is our kingdom and we are not livestock!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Earl Logan¡¯s eyes bugged out. His face distorted like a demon and he tried to swing his sword again.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    The tightly closed door of the food warehouse opened, revealing a middle-aged man. It was a man who looked like a bear. The moment he appeared, he radiated arge presence to the nobles and residents of Levenfield.


    ¡°Marquis Steim...!¡±


    He used his natural bravery and superb mercenaries to clear up the monsters in the north, bing its lord. The sudden appearance of one of the greatest powers in Eternal made the nobles, including Earl Logan, feel confused. Marquis Steim looked over the silent crowd and sighed.


    "Do you have to involve the people in politics? I¡¯m ashamed of my fellow Eternal nobles.¡±


    ¡°Ik...! Eek!¡±


    Earl Logan was silent for a moment before shouting in an enraged manner.


    ¡°Marquis Steim! Why did youe here?¡±


    The rebel Grid was Marquis Steim¡¯s son-inw. In addition, Marquis Steim had remained silent during the war. He just watched as the kingdom perished. Earl Logan was convinced that Marquis Steim was allied with Grid. The other nobles thought differently.


    ¡°Earl Logan! Politely greet Marquis Steim!¡±


    "Marquis Steim wouldn¡¯t betray this kingdom!¡±


    Marquis Steim had always been a loyal figure to the royal family of Eternal. The fact that he didn¡¯t act during the war didn¡¯t mean that he supported Grid. Marquis Vedaman felt confident. Marquis Steim would surely help with the Eternal nobles¡¯ independence movement. That¡¯s why he sent a letter telling Marquis Steim of this ce.


    "I have known for a long time that Marquis Steim isn¡¯t stuck on petty things like marriage rtions. I sincerely thank you for epting my invitation. Together, we will punish Grid and set up the Eternal Kingdom again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Marquis Vedaman held out a hand to shake. Marquis Steim stared at it and asked, ¡°Do you still not know the reason behind how An rose to the throne?¡±


    ¡°...Of course I know. King An killed Prince Ren. However, that¡¯s already in the past. There¡¯s no reason for us to fall apart because of King An. We must quickly wipe out the rebels and set up a proper king.¡±


    Marquis Steim shook his head.


    "No, there is no proper king. The moment Prince Ren and King An died, the direct line of Wiesbaden was erased from the world.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It might be minor, but there were many ces in the kingdom where the bloodline of the royal family still existed. This couldn¡¯t be denied. It proved that Marquis Steim had a dangerous mindset.


    ¡°Marquis Steim! In the end, you are siding with your son-inw?¡±


    Marquis Vedaman noticed it atst, causing the nobles, knights, and soldiers to pull out their weapons. The soldiers hiding outside the food warehouse gathered together, isting Marquis Steim and his men within thousands of people. But Marquis Steim didn¡¯t even blink.


    "My son-inw might not be the right king, but he¡¯s qualified enough to be a new king. Is there any person in the world more suited to be king than my son with his power, strategy, and resourcefulness? I am sure that even the emperor of the empire won¡¯t be better than my son.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    Earl Logan couldn¡¯t listen anymore. He was determined to cut off Marqui Steim¡¯s head with his sword. But he coughed up blood and died before he could move even a few steps. It was due to a sword that came flying from behind. It was a man who the nobles firmly believed belonged to the Nobles Against Grid Alliance. It was the sudden betrayal of Viscount Chris.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Chris ignored the screaming Marquis Vedaman and bowed his head to Marquis Steim, staring at him from afar.


    ¡°A friend of Grid.¡±


    Marquis Steimughed.


    ¡°A colleague of my son-inw is also my colleague. Laden, kill the enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Northern Nova, Laden. The young man, a genius who represented the kingdom, moved as soon as Marquis Steim gave the order. He was like a ck lightning bolt. Every time he moved, half a dozen enemy soldiers died. But the alliance also had talent. The good knights pressed Laden.


    Then Chris and the Giant Guild moved.


    Kwarururung!


    Grid¡¯s Greatsword. The sword roared like a beast as it swept through the allies.


    [The ¡®Against Grid Alliance¡¯ quest was abandoned. The quest rewards have been permanently destroyed.]


    The quest reward? How could they be more valuable than the future with Grid? Chris and the Giant Guild members couldn¡¯t guarantee it.


    ¡°Kill them all! Don¡¯t allow even one of them to reach Reinhardt!¡±


    ¡°Kuaack! Chrissss!¡±


    The remaining nobles of Eternal started dying. It was a week away from the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom.

 Chapter 598

    The Overgeared Guild won the battle against Belial andid the foundation to establish a kingdom. Every member of the guild was faithful to their role. It was thanks to them that Overgeared was able to establish a kingdom. Grid knew this, so he wanted to reward all the members of Overgeared with magic battle items.


    But it was impossible in terms of both time and capital. In particr, Lauel¡¯s objections were severe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the meaning of meritorious retainers? It¡¯s a word that refers to a subordinates who built up a lot of merits when establishing a country. Since we worked hard, we are all meritorious retainers? That¡¯s ridiculous. Unless you select and reward those who sacrificed more, you will lose the meaning of meritorious retainers.¡±


    "It¡¯s a shame.¡±


    But Lauel was right. Giving the same reward to both those who were active and who weren¡¯t active? The people who were more active might feel a sense of deprivation.


    ¡®Indeed, this isn¡¯t amunist country. What is equalpensation?¡¯


    As a simple example, people received different rewards in raids. Grid was convinced and broke down the contributions of the Overgeared members. He excluded personal friendship and thought objectively.


    ¡®The first person on the list of meritorious retainers is Katz.¡¯


    At first, Katz was a disagreeable guy. He was a typical right-wing Japanese who disparaged Koreans. It was difficult for Grid to ept him. But Katz withdrew all hisments in the past and sincerely apologized. Not only did he apologize, he abandoned all of the narrow perceptions he had about South Korea. He attempted to atone by creating new jobs for Koreans living in Japan. After joining Overgeared, his activities were dazzling. Take a look at this war. He defended Borneo with only 1,000 troops. Katz alone defeated the Gauss Kingdom.


    ¡®Thanks to him, we were able to fully concentrate on the war and raid.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been terrible if Borneo was taken back by the Gauss Kingdom. The Eternal Kingdom would¡¯ve worked with the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared would¡¯ve beenpletely isted and destroyed.


    ¡®Therefore, Katz must definitely be ced on the list of meritorious retainers.¡¯


    The second was Jishuka. She defended Patrian until Grid¡¯s arrival andpletely flew once she received the Red Phoenix Bow. Shepletely destroyed Eternal and yed a great role in reversing the situation by healing her dying allies in the Belial raid.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t forget about Piaro.¡¯


    Without Piaro, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to raid Belial.


    ¡®Asmophel¡¯s work was also great.¡¯


    Grid now knew for certain the role that Asmophel yed during the battle of 1 against 100,000. He watched the war videos ying on TV and confirmed Asmophel¡¯s actions.


    ¡®If Asmophel hadn¡¯t assassinated the enemy leaders, I might¡¯ve died during the battle.¡¯


    What if he had died?


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have arrived at the Belial raid on time. Eventually, Piaro and all of Overgeared would¡¯ve been destroyed.¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t all Asmophel did. During the war, he prated the enemy forces, secured all types of information, disturbed the enemy forces, etc. But.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s pretend not to know.¡¯


    Grid felt sorry for Asmophel, but Asmophel¡¯s passive skill called Determination of the Number Two exerted itself when he needed to prove himself.


    ¡¯As soon as I acknowledge Asmophel, Determination of the Number Two will weaken and his growth rate will slow down.¡¯


    This didn¡¯t meant that he would be excluded from the list of meritorious retainers. Asmophel was a pir supporting the kingdom and he needed to be ced in the appropriate position.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    He had to give a title, but Asmophel¡¯s value would decrease the moment he was given a title. What should he do? Grid worried about how to handle Asmophel for a long time.


    ¡®I should consult with Lauel.¡¯


    If he couldn¡¯t think about it alone, then he should discuss it with Lauel. As always.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    It had already be a habit to thank Lauel. Gridpleted the list of meritorious retainers and went to visit them one by one.


    "What item do you want to have?¡±


    Of course, every person needed different items. Some wanted a weapon that would maximize their ss characteristics, some wanted armor to boost their survivability, while others wanted farming equipment that would improve the efficiency of farming. There was one point they all had inmon.


    "If I can obtain Grid¡¯s magic items, I can grow faster than ever.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was a gratifying response. Grid was motivated to work. After securing the necessary materials to produce the items, he asked Sticks to move him to Reidan. Along with Khan and the Reidan cksmiths, he lit up all the Reidan furnaces. He generously used the white phosphorous wood as fuel.


    "The intermediate cksmiths should ensure the fires in the furnaces aren¡¯t turned off and the advanced cksmiths should refine iron ore. Khan will help me.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Do you have anything for the beginner cksmiths to do?


    "Tell them to focus on observing my techniques.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Reidan cksmiths fell into confusion. A beginner cksmith could do the work of one person in a smithy while an intermediate cksmith could work as a private cksmith. Furthermore, an advanced cksmith was talented enough to work at a pce. But the beginner cksmiths weren¡¯t given any jobs, while the intermediate cksmiths had to maintain the furnace and the advanced cksmiths needed to smelt iron ore?


    Even Khan, a craftsman grade cksmith skilled enough to work in the empire, was acting as an assistant? The cksmiths confident in their skills couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s role assignment. But none of them disobeyed Grid¡¯smand. They witnessed Grid¡¯s work after a long time and once again realized that even Khan wasn¡¯t a match.


    ¡®I will soon be an intermediate cksmith thanks to Grid¡¯s help.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s the best honor to do odd jobs for him.¡¯


    The Reidan cksmiths understood the topic and no longer questioned Grid¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Father, fighting!¡±


    Lord held Irene¡¯s hand and came to the smithy. He spoke the cheer he learned from Aunt Ruby and pulled out a small hammer. Then he watched his father¡¯s movements.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Tatang!Tang!


    The sight of the father and son next to each other was peaceful and joyful. There was a happy smile on Irene¡¯s beautiful face.


    ***


    ¡°I want to see Grid look bewildered and scared.¡±


    Baron Kons was excited as the carriage moved. He wondered how surprised and frustrated Grid would be when he heard that he had to offer a tribute to 15 kingdoms, including Gauss.


    "It isn¡¯t that simple to build up a kingdom.¡±


    If it was that easy to set up and maintain a kingdom, there would be hundreds of kingdoms on the continent by now. Baron Konsughed as he imagined the look on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived."


    Baron Kon¡¯s carriage stopped in front of Reinhardt Pce.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Baron Kons was surprised as he got out of the carriage. Unlike what he expected, there were no traces of war anywhere in Reinhardt.


    ¡®The damage from the war was repaired so soon? Did he work the people as ves?¡¯


    That bastard called Grid was stupid. It was only a matter of time before the people¡¯s hostility would grow and the Overgeared Kingdom would self-destruct much faster than expected.


    "Tsk tsk, abusing the people when you aren¡¯t fully established yet. As expected, not just anyone can be a king.¡±


    "Excuse me."


    A knight approached Baron Kons. The knights were wearing sturdy ck armor.


    "Are you Baron Kons of the Gauss Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was hard to imagine that these excellent knights had just gone through a war. Baron Kons gulped nervously while the knights scratched their heads.


    "You don¡¯t need to be polite to soldiers like us.¡±


    "Rx your manner of speaking.¡±


    "...???"


    Baron Kons was stunned. It was absurd that they were calling themselves soldiers when they were wearing such excellent armor.


    ¡®Who are they trying to fool?¡¯


    Why were these knights pretending to be soldiers and tricking him? Baron Kons soon became angry.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Overgeared is trying to tell me not to look down on then because their soldiers are as well trained as the knights.¡¯


    Yes, it was acting.


    ¡®Who would be deceived by this?¡¯


    Baron Kons shook his head as he was entering the pce garden.


    ¡®There will be no well-known person.¡¯


    Which famous person would attend the founding ceremony of a kingdom established by a traitor? Baron Kons predicted that it would be filled with random people or the event site would be empty. However...


    "Oh, Your Holiness. Look at that wonderful statue. Brother Grid¡¯s appearance is really reproduced well.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to put a statue of Goddess Reba next to it?¡±


    "Grid wouldn¡¯t want to pay for it.¡±


    "Huhu, Your Holiness is too much. Brother Grid has contributed so much to the Reba Church. How can he oppose the creation of a statue of Goddess Reba? A statue will be built at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Baron Kons became breathless as he walked through the garden. 15 middle-aged men dressed in the clothing of the elders of the Reba Church were calling a young man the ¡®pope?¡¯


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    The pope and elders of the Reba Church. They didn¡¯t evene when the emperor of the empire called, yet they were attending the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom? Baron Kons had to deny it.


    ¡®It¡¯s a scam. It can¡¯t be true! It¡¯s obvious that Grid dressed up his own men as the Reba Church¡¯s pope and elders!¡¯


    The pope was so dominant that no one dared judge him, but the Reba elders were famous for their heavy hips. In order to meet them, the great King Cactus himself had to visit the Vatican. Yet they were attending the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom?


    "Excuse me."


    A group brushed past Baron Kons as he was denying it.


    ¡¯Fishy smell?¡¯


    Baron Kon blocked his nose and frowned, then he looked at the group passing by. He recoiled like he had seen a ghost.


    ¡®T-The water n!¡¯


    Water n. A species that lived in Siren deep below the sea. They were famous for their excellent magic. Many kingdoms, including the Gauss Kingdom, wanted to ally with them. But they didn¡¯t like humans. Humans were turned away, even during their most difficult times. Yet they were attending the Overgeared¡¯s founding ceremony!


    ¡®No, this is impossible.¡¯


    The water n were here for the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony? He wasn¡¯t convinced. They must¡¯vee for other reasons.


    ¡®Maybe Grid needs to repay the water n somehow?¡¯


    Baron Kons constantly tried to deny reality, but it became hard to deny it anymore.


    "King Maxong of the water n is entering!¡±


    ¡°?!?!?!?!¡±


    The water n¡¯s king? Baron Kons¡¯ eyes widened as he turned towards the entrance of the garden. The existence who entered was muchrger than the water n people he saw earlier and give off a majestic and overwhelming presence.


    ¡®R-Really. It really is the king!¡¯


    While Baron Kons was feeling shocked, King Maxong approached the group pretending to be the Reba Church¡¯s pope and elders.


    ¡°Hello King Maxong.¡±


    "Oh, Your Holiness. It has been a while. Have you met Grid yet?¡±


    "I couldn¡¯t see him yet.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In this atmosphere, the pope and elders seemed to be the real deal. Baron Kons¡¯ eyes trembled.


    ¡®Is it true that a great demon descended to Reinhardt and that Grid and the pope united their strength to defeat it?¡¯


    Rumors had spread throughout the continent that Grid had destroyed a great demon. But hardly anyone believed this rumor. The great demons existed to annihte the human race. It didn¡¯t make sense, even if Grid was a legend. The people in the world thought Grid had spread false rumors to increase his reputation.


    Now Baron Kons thought the rumor might not be false after all.


    ¡®King Cactus... I... I can¡¯t...¡¯


    In an event where the greatest figures such as the pope and water n king were attending, he needed to demand that Grid give them a tribute? It was too much for Baron Kons to do such a crazy thing.

 Chapter 599

    "All 15 kingdoms except the empire dispatched an envoy?¡±


    They refused the founding ceremony invitation, but now they sent representatives? The members of Overgeared reacted strongly when they heard the news.


    ¡°Why are they acting as they please? Why are they acting like we are pushovers?¡±


    "It¡¯s obnoxious, but the situation isn¡¯t that bad. The fact that they sent representatives means they¡¯re willing to deal with us.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t that too unbelievable? Those bastards are epting Overgeared as a kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Why did they suddenly change their position?¡±


    ¡°Overgeared will be as big as the empire in the future and they are trying to suck up to us! Puhuhu!¡±


    ¡°Now they have realized the dignity of God Grid! Puhahahat!¡±


    The more the conversation progressed, the more excited the atmosphere became. The positive energy generated by Peak Sword and Vantner caused unfounded confidence.


    Lauel sighed and poured cold water on them. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. They will deny us until the end.¡±


    ¡°Eh? So why are they sending representatives?¡±


    ¡°Hut, isn¡¯t it obvious? My reincarnation has already detected 100% of their intentions. Well, there won¡¯t be too much trouble no matter how we act. Huhuhut, this is a very good opportunity.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel was very happy. He was like a snake looking at his prey: the representatives from 15 kingdoms.


    ***


    It was around an hour after the Gauss Kingdom representative arrived. The rest of the 14 representatives gathered in Reinhardt. Baron Cudan of the Murrary Kingdom was surprised.


    ¡°There are a lot more people than I thought?¡±


    Reinhardt Pce, where the founding ceremony would take ce, was really packed. No matter where he turned his gaze, he could only see people. Why was it so crowded, despite being a kingdom without a foundation? It waspletely unexpected. The representative of the Ultana Kingdom shrugged at the confused Baron Cudan.


    "Aren¡¯t they just pretending? Take a good look at their faces. There isn¡¯t a single celebrity.¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    There were no big people gathered at the venue. The majority of them were anchors and staff members of the broadcastingpanies. There were also users with low or medium reputation. In the eyes of the NPC nobles, they were only flies.


    ¡°Where is Baron Kons of the Gauss Kingdom who arrived earlier?¡±


    A knight dressed in ck armor approached the representatives and exined.


    "He suddenly moved to a restroom because he felt sick. Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Um...? No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The knight¡¯s equipment was unusual. The armor and weapons were all exceptional.


    "I thought they wouldn¡¯t have enough money because they need to invest in the founding ceremony...¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Kingdom... It surprisingly has significant capital.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? It¡¯s just bravado. The knights are only wearing good armor in front of the guests.¡±


    ¡°But there are too many knights wearing the same thing...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The gazes of the representatives shifted. The number of ck knights scattered throughout the venue seemed to be around 1,000. The representatives were stunned.


    ¡®What? Even the empire doesn¡¯t have such arge number of knights?¡¯


    There was a stir among the representatives. There was silence until Baron Briton of the Arc Kingdom trembled.


    ¡°Grid... He¡¯s a wicked man.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Think about it. How can a new nation have so many knights unless it¡®s exploiting the people? These 1,000 knights were raised by squeezing out the blood of the people. It proves that Grid treats people as less than cattle.¡±


    ¡°Hrmmm...¡±


    Treating the people as less than cattle? Some representatives didn¡¯t agree with each other. On the other hand, Baron Cudan was furious.


    ¡°What a demon!¡±


    A person who betrayed his kingdom and his king. A vicious demon. A kingdom ruled by such a person? It couldn¡¯t happen. Baron Cudan touched the sheath at his waist.


    ¡¯For the peace of the continent, isn¡¯t it better to kill him?¡¯


    Baron Cudan¡¯s momentum was fearsome as he thought about it. It was enough to make the people around him shrink back. The other representatives admired it.


    ¡®What a fearsome energy. Murray¡¯s Lion isn¡¯t an empty name.¡¯


    Baron Cudan was famous for fighting one against two with the empire¡¯s ck Knights. He was a very upright person which didn¡¯t allow him to gain a high position. But Baron Cudan¡¯s swordsmanship was well known throughout the continent. He wasn¡¯t called Murray¡¯s Lion for nothing. The moment everyone was feeling amazed by Baron Cudan.


    "Put away your sword energy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    One soldier approached Baron Cudan.


    ¡°Why are you emitting sword energy? If you¡¯re a representative, you should b e aware of the basic courtesies. Don¡¯t you know the basic courtesies?¡±


    The blond soldier took a step forward. He was wearing shabby armor. As he scratched it with his fingers, the old leather armor seemed to tear. Overgeared Kingdom. The soldiers were treated so insignificantlypared to the elite knights?


    ¡®It¡¯s the soldiers at the forefront of the battlefield, not the knights... Grid is just bluffing.¡¯


    The representativesughed at Grid. On the other hand, Baron Cudan was white.


    ¡¯What is this soldier?¡¯


    The blond soldier in shabby leather. The soldier looked just like a soldier. Compared to the ck armored knights he witnessed before, the soldier seemed like a trivial existence. However, it was difficult to gauge his status when actually facing him. The sword energy that Baron Cudan was proud of shrunk back in front of the soldier.


    ¡®Eh... How can a lowly soldier seem so profound?¡¯


    Goosebumps appeared on Baron Cudan¡¯s body. If one soldier was so strong, what about the 1,000 knights scattered around the venue?


    Gulp!


    Baron Cudan stood like a stone statue and gulped.


    "How dare you say such ridiculous things?¡±


    "We¡¯re soldiers of the great Murray Kingdom!¡±


    Baron Cudan¡¯s knights were angry and drew their swords. The moment they were about to strike at the blond soldier. Baron Cudan hastily stopped them.


    "S-Stop!¡±


    If they attacked in this ce, it would mean all their deaths. It was also from a soldier! Baron Cudan suddenly held his stomach and fell.


    ¡°U-Ugh? No? Why does my stomach suddenly hurt? Oh my? I¡¯m too sick too move?¡±


    ¡°M-My Lord?¡±


    Baron Cudan¡¯s knights were embarrassed. Baron Cudan¡¯s innate health was so great that they couldn¡¯t help feeling like this once Baron Cudanined of stomach pain. Baron Cudan urged them not to worry about the rude soldier anymore.


    ¡°We need to go back to the kingdom. Let¡¯s go back. Oh my, it burns. It must be the beef jerky I ate on the way here.¡±


    "B-But the king¡¯s request...¡±


    ¡°It burns! Go back!¡±


    ¡°Heok! Yes, yes!!¡±


    Baron Cudan¡¯s knights hastily took him away. The moment that the Murray Kingdom¡¯s delegation left Reinhardt.


    ¡°Look over here! Baron Cudan!¡±


    ¡°Hah... What is this...?¡±


    The representatives were stunned. Baron Cudan left before fulfilling his duties as a representative.


    ¡¯It¡¯s different from the usual discipline of the Murray Kingdom.¡¯


    The representatives thought it was ridiculous as they watched Baron Cudan leaving this ce. All of them didn¡¯t recognize the Murray Kingdom anymore.


    On the other hand, Baron Cudan made a resolute expression as he left Reinhardt.


    ¡®I must speak to the king about making peace with the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    How could the person called Grid be more vicious than the emperor of the empire? He might be a rebel, but his power seemed to transcend imagination. He was the trend.


    ***


    "What? The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s representative has also left?¡±


    Two of the 15 representatives were gone. The remaining 13 representatives thought it was ridiculous.


    "What representative would return beforepleting his mission?¡±


    "Baron Kons and Baron Cudan are both ipetent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s proof that their kings aren¡¯t dignified.¡±


    Baron Vedika was the representative of the Ultana Kingdom. His nickname was ¡®vampire baron¡¯ because he hunted the intermediate vampires that appeared in his territory and acquired the vampire rings as loot. He had a reputation for his great sustainability inbat, since he restored his health by taking his enemy¡¯s. It was rumored that he was almost immortal when he fought. He was a brave man and disappeared the runaway Baron Kons and Baron Cudan as cowards.


    ¡®They ran out of fear after seeing the 1,000 knights.¡¯


    They thought they would be struck by the knights the moment they demanded that Overgeared pay tribute to their kingdoms.


    ¡®Truly pathetic. Anyone who represents their kingdom should put their honor of the kingdom above their fear. Tsk tsk tsk...¡¯


    To be honest, Baron Vedika was also tense. He could gain honor as soon as he aplished the mission, but he could be executed by the 1,000 knights that surrounded them. However, he had the power to ovee this fear.


    ¡®I have the vampire ring.¡¯


    It was a ring obtained by hunting the intermediate vampires in his territory along with all his knights. Baron Vedika believed that with the vampire ring, he could survive in a 1 vs 1,000 fight.


    ¡°Huhuhut... Huh?¡±


    Baron Vedika was looking at the ring on his finger when he suddenly became aghast.


    "Will there be group activities after the founding ceremony? What is it?¡±


    ¡°A group will be organized to hunt in the vampire cities.¡±


    ¡°Ah, what? The vampires are too weak to be fun anymore, and they don¡¯t give much experience.¡±


    "But isn¡¯t it a good day today? We¡¯ll be able to raise the level of the guild members in the second group.¡±


    ¡°Well... Yes, if I have to go, then I should do my best.¡±


    "It would be fun to try a city we haven¡¯t cleared yet.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Organizing a group to hunt in the vampire cities? The vampires are too weak?


    ¡®What are they saying?¡¯


    Baron Vedikaughed as he heard the words of the group passing by. He believed they were just bluffing. Thissted until he spotted a ring on one of their fingers.


    ¡°Pant... Pant?"


    Baron Vedika doubted his eyes. The dozens of people, including a bald man, were wearing vampire rings on their fingers. The rings also contained better magic power than the ring that Baron Vedika wore. Baron Vedika made a disbelieving expression, before gathering his courage and approaching the bald man.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not being impolite... Can I ask what you¡¯re doing here?


    Gulp.


    Baron Vedika swallowed his saliva as he asked the question. Then the bald man replied.


    "We are King Grid¡¯s subordinates. Why are you asking?¡±


    "...U-Urgh? Why am I suddenly feeling anemic? Isn¡¯t it weird?¡±


    In the end. The representative of the Ultana Kingdom also ran away from Reinhardt.


    "...???"


    The remaining 12 representatives failed to recognize the situation and finally settled in to observe the founding ceremony.

 Chapter 600

    The world¡¯s attention towards the first country built by a yer, Overgeared, was very hot. Many broadcastingpanies around the world dispatched people to Reinhardt.


    "Move the positions of cameras 5 and 7! Be careful to film Grid from all angles!¡±


    "The Japanese people want to see Katz¡¯ face more than once. Arrange the camera so that Katz¡¯ face can be seen from time to time.¡±


    "There are many beautiful woman in Overgeared. Make the lights bright so that their beauty is stronger... Hey! Why are you filming Vantner? The ratings will fall!¡±


    Every broadcaster identified the trends of their viewers and designed their broadcasts ordingly. The female-oriented broadcasters with many female viewers focused on anyone handsome. The broadcasters who focused on urate informationmunicated the situation of Grid, Reinhardt, and the Overgeared Guild. Political and diplomatic experts sat on a panel to deeply evaluate the future of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    "Kuk, I am nervous.¡±


    There were cameras and lights everywhere they looked.


    Several Overgeared members were nervous at the thought of the whole world paying attention to them. Most of the members of Overgeared were from the Silver Knights Guild. Those who were high rankers were afraid of the camera because they weren¡¯t familiar with appearing on air.


    "Aren¡¯t you a citizen of South Korea and a member of the Overgeared Kingdom? Don¡¯t be nervous and straighten your shoulders.¡±


    "Yes!"


    Peak Sword¡¯s encouragement was effective. The Silver Knights members didn¡¯t shrink back anymore. They stood proudly as they appeared on the camera.


    ¡º I noticed it once again. There are a lot of Asians in Overgeared. .¡»


    ¡º Most of them are Koreans. It¡¯s the impact of absorbing the Silver Knights Guild. ¡»


    ¡º But I¡¯m surprised that they don¡¯t show the national color. Usually, wouldn¡¯t most guilds anchored to a country show bias towards them? ¡»


    ¡º This is a glimpse of Grid¡¯s true heights. Overgeared started as a multinational guild. If he focuses too much on a certain country, some members of Overgeared might feel alienated. Grid deliberately excluded the colors of his country because of this concern. ¡»


    ¡º I can see how well Grid is coordinating the guild members just by looking at Katz. Who would have expected Katz, a famous Japanese nationalist, to adapt so well to the Overgeared Guild? ¡»


    ¡º As expected from Grid... He¡¯s the person who built up awork of friends and NPCs. ¡»


    ¡º There¡¯s no way to exin how big his vessel is. Grid goes far beyond ordinary standards. Recently, some people in China are iming that Grid is the reincarnation of Liu Bei. ¡»


    ¡º Liu Bei? Liu Bei from China¡¯s Three Kingdoms era? Hah, truly. China still has a habit of iming any good thing as theirs. Why is the Korean Grid called the reincarnation of a Chinese person? ¡»


    ¡º Hum hum, please refrain from personalments during the broadcast. ¡»


    The people who ignored Grid andughed at him were now hard to find.


    He had proven his skills many times to people who didn¡¯t acknowledge him and built up such unparalleled achievements that he was no longer treated as a psychopath. But was it truly possible to fully grasp someone? The world still didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s true value.


    ¡®The reincarnation of Liu Bei? What nonsense!¡¯


    Grid trembled when he identally heard what some people were saying. Pangea¡¯s Lord of Virtue. It was a title that had a certain probability of sparing a monster when hunting. Grid felt very ufortable when he forcibly acquired this useless title due to a misunderstanding.


    "Ugh, this is sick. Why isn¡¯t there a feature to delete titles?¡±


    Grid was waiting for the coronation and founding ceremony. Lauel heard Grid¡¯s grumbling as he approached through the crowd.


    ¡°In general, titles are things you can get after making a direct connection to Satisfy¡¯s setting or stories. If there was a title removal function, Satisfy¡¯s setup and story would copse.¡±


    ¡°...What is that?¡±


    Grid freaked out when he saw Lauel. Lauel had a ck eye patch over his left eye and there was a ck mask over his mouth. Both were items with no function. They were a favorite among middle school students. Lauel saw Grid¡¯s confused face and raised two fingers.


    ¡°Kukukuk! Grid, this is a style I prepared to coordinate with you. It¡¯s a recreation of my days as a dragon knight. How about it? Isn¡¯t it cool?¡±


    ¡®What a waste of his face.¡¯


    Pure white skin and silver hair. Lauel was a young man who gave off a mysterious feeling. It felt like he came from a manhwa. He was a charmed existence. But he was a chuuni. He didn¡¯t care about love and only devoted himself to his previous life. Grid couldn¡¯t imagine how many women would be saddened by this.


    ¡°Tsk tsk...¡±


    He would never achieve love. Grid clicked his tongue and turned back to looking out the window.


    Suddenly, people started moving.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The atmosphere was incredible.


    ***


    ¡º Breaking news! Breaking news! ording to reports from yers, the remnants of the Eternal nobles are gathering near Reinhardt! ¡»


    ¡º The number of armed troops led by the nobles is as high as 100,000! On the other hand, there are no more than 5,000 troops in Reinhardt! ¡»


    ¡º Currently, most of the Overgeared forces are concentrated in Reidan. ¡»


    ¡º Reidan? No, why? cing troops elsewhere ahead of a big event... ¡»


    ¡º It must be due to the Saharan Empire. What if they ced the troops here in Reinhardt? Reidan would be empty and a good prey for the empire. ¡»


    ¡º Hah... In other words, they were alert to the empire and forgot about the Eternal nobles? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. This is clearly Overgeared¡¯s mistake for not looking beyond a few steps. Grid and Lauel have ovee previous crises with superb maneuvering and armed force, but it¡¯s very shallowpared to our experts. ¡»


    The founding ceremony that would be held in a few minutes was ruined in an instant. The anchors and panel members of the broadcasting stations, as well as the yers gathered at the scene, started to shake.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we run away? We¡¯ll be swept up in the war.¡±


    "I don¡¯t want to die just because I¡¯m watching an event. Hurry.¡±


    "Wait. What¡¯s the fuss? Grid has fought 100,000 people before. In addition, the high rankers of Overgeared are gathered here. The 100,000 enemies will be killed by Overgeared in an instant.¡±


    "Are you a fool? Don¡¯t you know that the level of monsters and NPCs in the new episodes are far ahead of the level of monsters and NPCs in previous episodes?¡±


    ¡°The enemy soldiers who might not be over level 200 during the war episode have probablypleted their second advancement in this episode. Do you think that even Grid can deal with 100,000 second advancement soldiers?¡±


    "Even though Grid and Overgeared wins the war, what about us? Will the enemies leave us alone?¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    The frightened yers started making a fuss. Some people were already running away from the pce. However, the soldiers of Overgeared blocked the entrance to the pce.


    "Get out of the way! I want to leave!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The yers shouted but the soldiers were unmoved. They stood there silently. The international broadcasters and experts figured out the situation.


    ¡º This...! I think I know why Grid blocked the entrance! ¡»


    ¡º What? ¡»


    ¡º Grid is trying to use the yers gathered here as sacrifices! ¡»


    ¡º Hah...!! ¡»


    The people currently gathered in the pce. From the enemy¡¯s point of view, they were all on the same side. Soon the enemies would attack everybody they saw, intent on killing Grid and the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Demon!¡±


    ¡°Grid is a demon!¡±


    Everyone remembered Grid¡¯s old nicknames. Psychopath, butcher. Grid was recently called a virtuous person, but what was his true nature?


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡±


    Kung!


    Kung kung kung kung!


    The ground shook. It felt like tens of thousands of troops were surrounding the pce. The yers became confused and frightened, while the broadcasters spoke in real time.


    -Wow, Overgeared...Are they going to sacrifice innocent people in order to live?


    -Really vicious.


    -It¡¯s better than being fooled by kindness.


    -Does this really deserve to be the first kingdom built by a yer?


    The people around the world had various reactions towards Overgeared. Some med Overgeared, some agreed with Overgeared¡¯s choice, and some insisted they should imitate Overgeared. The turmoil increased.


    Step.


    Grid appeared inside the pce for the first time. He walked towards the entrance of the pce as thousands of yers gazed at him with resentful eyes. Then...


    Kuuong!


    The marching sound of therge army beyond the walls stopped. It meant the 100,000 troops led by the Eternal nobles had reached the pce.


    ¡°D-Dammit!¡±


    ¡°Let me logout!¡±


    The faces of the yers became paler. On the other hand, Grid remained calm. He looked at the crowd with his uniquely sharp eyes.


    "Open the gate.¡±


    He ordered the soldiers sealing the entrance to the pce.


    ¡°...!!!!!¡±


    The yers and broadcasting station staff were scared. Opening the gate when the enemies were outside? Everyone thought Grid was crazy and started ming him. But Grid didn¡¯t withdraw the order and the soldiers opened the firmly closed gates.


    Kiiiiiiiik-!


    The gates slowly opened. Tens of thousands of troops came into view, with the city behind them. The yers were stunned. Grid wanted all of them to die. However.


    Cheok!


    The tens of thousands of people gathered beyond the gate. Rather than pushing inside the pce and starting the ughter, they took a military stance?


    ¡º W-What is this? ¡»


    The yers and staff of the broadcastingpanies were stunned.


    "We see King Grid!¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    The tens of thousands of troops saluted Grid, shouting and saluting him without any distractions. The leader of the army was Marquis Steim. It was truly spectacr. It wasn¡¯t just the yers gathered at the scene, but the millions of people watching in each country. They all got goosebumps.


    As the world was feeling shock and doubt, Grid dered to the saluting soldiers.


    ¡°In the name of the Overgeared King Grid, I will start the founding ceremony.¡±


    [A new kingdom has been born on the West Continent! The Overgeared Kingdom! The name of the king is Grid!]


    [The first yer to be a king has appeared! His great achievements will remain in Satisfy¡¯s history!]


    Snap! Snap snap!


    The lights that the broadcasters prepared focused on Grid. Thousands of cameras only captured Grid¡¯s appearance. As the military band started ying music, the ratings of the founding ceremony skyrocketed.


    It was the beginning of a new era.

 Chapter 601

    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Grid! Grid!! Grid!!¡±


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid!! God Grid!¡±


    The yers cheers rang through Reinhardt the moment that the announcement about the first yer king being born was made. The cheers stirred the earth. Tens of thousands of yers and hundreds of thousands of NPCs chanted Grid¡¯s name and praised him.


    ¡°Film it!¡±


    "Close in on the users and people! I want to see their faces filled with joy!¡±


    Who in the world could receive such enthusiastic cheers from so many people? It was as if the world¡¯s president had been born. The broadcasters were absorbed in the atmosphere of the scene. They had a desire to give the viewers a live view of the scene.


    ¡®All I can say is great.¡¯


    The cheers of the people reached the sky. The yers praised Grid, regardless of their nationality. The broadcasting staff ran around the streets. In the midst of this turmoil, Zirkan trembled. His gaze was focused on Lauel.


    ¡®Lauel, you¡¯re a monster.¡¯


    Who spread the rumor that the Eternal nobles had gathered and were advancing to Reinhardt? It was Lauel. It was designed to heighten the atmosphere of the scene and this dramatic directing waspleted the moment Marquis Steim and the Giant Guild arrived.


    The result? It was the current scene. The founding of the Overgeared Kingdom was a huge topic. People would be talking about this moment for the next few days. How many times would the word ¡®Overgeared Kingdom¡¯ emerge from people¡¯s mouths? It was immeasurable.


    ¡®If Chris had a talent like Lauel...¡¯


    Lauelughed while wearing his ck eyepatch. Zirkan gazed at him with greedy eyes.


    ¡®Chris would be a king by now.¡¯


    Zirkan. An old yer who was the first ranked swordsman until Ibellin came along. As Chris¡¯ long time friend and mentor, he was well aware of Chris¡¯ potential. The prideful young man had grown into someone envied by all, established the Giant Guild, and took first in the unified rankings.


    ¡®Chris is also qualified to be a king.¡¯


    The reason he couldn¡¯t be a king was due to hiscking subordinates. Zirkanmented his shorings. Then Chris ced his big hands on Zirkan¡¯s shoulders.


    "Zirkan, is my decision to follow Grid giving you a sense of loss?¡±


    They had been together for decades. Chris could read Zirkan¡¯s heart just by looking at his expression. Zirkan spoke with the heart of a sinner.


    "If this old man had even half of Lauel¡¯s strength, you wouldn¡¯t have to bow your head.¡±


    "That isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Chris smiled and shook his head.


    "I don¡¯t have the skills to attract people, the charm that would make people devote themselves to me, or the force to break the sky.¡±


    As he looked back on himself, he could clearly see the difference between himself and Grid. That¡¯s why he was able to decide. He would serve Grid.


    "Zirkan, keep this in mind. From now on, Grid is my standard."


    ¡°...Standard?¡±


    "Yes, his choice is my choice and his path is my path.¡±


    Chris realized that he couldn¡¯t afford to lead more than 500 guild members. The throne that was being first in the unified rankings? It was nothing more than a meal he obtained because Kraugel and Zibal pulled themselves out. He felt his limits thanks to Grid. Grid was a giant who could do things that Chris couldn¡¯t. Grid even loved his colleagues as his own, something Chris hadn¡¯t dared to do. Therefore, Grid was his standard.


    ¡°Chris.¡±


    Grid called out Chris¡¯ name from the stage. It was the first name spoked since the crown was ced on the head of the Overgeared King. It was to show honor towards the current 1st ranked user who led 500 guild members.


    ¡°I have a formal request. Be my colleague.¡±


    Grid reached out to him.


    [The Overgeared Kingdom is awarding you with the title of a duke. Do you ept?]


    A notification window appeared in front of Chris. It was a notification window asking ¡®are you prepared to devote everything you built since your first day in Satisfy to Grid?¡¯


    Chris didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    Step, step.


    Chris walked onto the stage with powerful steps. He knelt in front of Grid, sending the world into chaos.


    ¡°Chris and the 503 members of the Giant Guild will join the Overgeared Guild... No, we will be your servants and help protect the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    One of the Seven Guilds was absorbed by Grid! It was one of the most shocking news in Satisfy¡¯s history. Breaking news was reported all over the world and people¡¯s enthusiastic support poured out.


    ***


    -Wow, amazing.


    -The 1st ranked user and Giant Guild is absorbed all at once.


    -But isn¡¯t it strange?Why is Chris bing Grid¡¯s servant?


    Chris was able to take 1st in the rankings because Kraugel and Zibal disappeared from the rankings. But nobody dared use Chris of gaining that ranking for free. Chris was strong enough that no one questioned his position. That type of person went under Grid. Most of the people in the world found it hard to understand the situation. They didn¡¯t know why Chris made this choice.


    -Did Grid catch his weakness?


    -Was there intimidation from Overgeared?


    -How can one of the Seven Guilds be intimidated?


    -What are the Seven Guilds?The Overgeared Guild has the power of a kingdom.


    -Come to think of it...The Seven Guilds were nothing in front of Overgeared ;;


    -Wow...Then the Overgeared Guild will absorb other guilds and expand their power?


    -Later on, they will be bigger and bigger, owning Satisfy.


    In the midst of the viewers¡¯ assumptions, the experts from each country gave a sharp analysis.


    ¡º Chris¡¯ decision to join Overgeared is wise. The Giant Guild is too big and thend they possess isn¡¯t very good. Perhaps Chris won¡¯t be able to develop the Giant Guild any further. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. It¡¯s much more profitable to go under Grid and secure new territories. ¡»


    ¡º Then the rumors of Overgeared threatening Chris are wrong? ¡»


    ¡º Of course. The Overgeared Guild are proud of their power. However, there would be a big bacsh if they used such methods. Wouldn¡¯t an anti-Overgeared group form and threaten them? ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared Guild already have many forces against them. The risk of using force to increase their power is toorge. Chris and the Giant Guild willingly went under Overgeared. ¡»


    ¡º Hah... But it¡¯s hard to believe. Thergest guild led by the 1st ranked user was absorbed... ¡»


    ¡º This is a glimpse of Grid¡¯s true heights. Grid is a great person... ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    The international broadcasters and experts praised Grid. It was hard to believe they med Grid for being stupid until a short while ago. The anchors and viewers were absurd.


    ***


    "Did you say that the Overgeared Kingdom can only survive for the next few years?¡±


    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho watched the founding ceremony and asked the supeputer Morpheus.


    -Originally, the Overgeared Kingdom was likely to be destroyed after two years and three months.They would be gradually suppressed by the 15 kingdoms and eventually upied by the Saharan Empire.But now that has changed.The Giant Guild joining Overgeared has increased their power by leaps and bounds.


    ¡°Hah... Hahahat!


    Morpheus gave apletely different answer from earlier.


    Lim Cheolhoughed.


    Grid. How many times had he ruined the predictions of the world¡¯s top supeputer? He truly was one of the five miracle yers. It was really pleasing to see. Morpheus¡¯ report entered the excited Lim Cheolho¡¯s ears.


    -The new time period for Overgeared¡¯s destruction is 2 years and 8 months from now.


    ¡°...¡±


    -It will be the beginning of the light dragon Nevartan episode.


    "Hrmm, it¡¯s time for that species? But at that time, most of the kingdoms will be destroyed, not just Overgeared.¡±


    There were many new stories prepared. Who would be the one to earn wealth and honor in the uing trials? Lim Cheolho was very excited and looking forward to it.


    ***


    ¡°Grid! Grid!! Grid!!!¡±


    "They¡¯re too thoughtless.¡±


    "It¡¯s a world where the name of a traitor is being shouted. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    "It¡¯s a lowly and unpleasant ce.¡±


    The atmosphere of the founding ceremony had reached its peak. The representatives of the 12 kingdoms failed to hide their unpleasant feelings. All they could see was a group of crazy people chanting the name of the filthy Grid and Overgeared, who were like mes in front of the wind.


    "It¡¯s unexpected that the prestigious Marquis Steim would go under Grid.¡±


    "There¡¯s no future in the Overgeared Kingdom. There¡¯s no tomorrow for a kingdom that doesn¡¯t have the fundamentals of justice.¡±


    "But ordinary people wouldn¡¯t know this. It¡¯s a pity that they are so fascinated and excited by the splendor of the moment.¡±


    ¡°We must remind them of reality.¡±


    The self-styled Overgeared King Grid. On the stage, Grid called Chris and Steim in turn, making them dukes. The founding ceremony was in full swing. It wasn¡¯t the right timing for the representatives to step forward. But the representatives didn¡¯t feel the need to show courtesy to the Overgeared Kingdom. They stood up and climbed onto the stage without permission.


    ¡°Who are those people?¡±


    "Who? What¡¯s going on?"


    The broadcasting staff and yers concentrated on the founding ceremony were confused by the appearance of the uninvited guests. The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s knights became cautious. No, the soldiers misunderstood as knights pulled out their weapons.


    "You want to do violence right away? Indeed, their master is someone who steals the throne with violence. It¡¯s natural that his servants would also be barbarians.¡±


    The representatives scoffed as they were surrounded by soldiers. While the Overgeared members were feeling resentment, Grid didn¡¯t show any reaction.


    Lauel spoke instead. "Aren¡¯t you entering this event without permission? You don¡¯t even know basic manners. The level of the kings you serve is also obvious."


    Lauel smiled as he insulted their kings. The representatives were furious, but they tried to remain as calm as possible. They could afford to endure this since they would beughing at the end.


    ¡°We¡¯re too busy to wait for our turn toe.¡±


    "We¡¯re too noble to join this farce that is called the founding ceremony.¡±


    "These dog-like bastards!¡±


    Vantner¡¯s anger exploded at the representatives who were ruining the event. His face and bald head turned red as he tried to swing his axe, only to be stopped by Pon.


    "Wait. Maybe this situation is what Lauel wants. Wait until he gives amand.¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The representatives took out letters as the turmoil increased. The cameras of the broadcasters zoomed in on them. The representatives opened their mouths and spoke in a linked manner.


    "Grid, listen.¡±


    "Our 15 kingdoms can¡¯t acknowledge your presence when you took the throne by force.¡±


    "If you be king, it will go against providence and will be a stain that will remain on this continent¡¯s history.¡±


    ¡°Grid, listen to us.¡±


    "Our 15 kingdoms deny you and the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "But what sin did your peoplemit? We don¡¯t want to sow the ground with the blood of innocents.¡±


    ¡°We will give you one chance.¡±


    ¡°Grid, obey us.¡±


    "In the future, you will offer a monthly tribute to our 15 kingdoms.¡±


    "Throw away the desire to fill your own stomach.¡±


    "Starve, devote yourself, and reflect.¡±


    "Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom will be governed by our 15 kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The venue of the founding ceremony immediately became silent.

 Chapter 602

    The venue of the founding ceremony immediately became silent. People all over the world became aware of the seriousness of the situation. The 15 kingdoms demanded a tribute. What if Grid refused this demand? The 15 kingdoms would invade the Overgeared Kingdom and it would eventually fall into ruin.


    -Not epting the demands means...


    -If they give a tribute to 15 kingdoms, they will soon be impoverished and self-destruct.


    -What?Then no matter what they do, the Overgeared Kingdom is dead?


    -The Overgeared Kingdom died the moment the 15 kingdoms united.It seems that it¡¯s too early for a yer to set up a kingdom.


    -I never imagined NPCs would act this way.Was it designed by the system?


    -It seems so.The owner of a kingdom can amass astronomical wealth.Satisfy is famous for its high level of difficulty and won¡¯t give big advantages to a user.


    -The S.A. Group is really...Grid¡¯s 60 million gold will fly away.


    -It¡¯s pitiful, but it serves him right.Grid was doing so well that I was jealous? ?


    -There are many people like you in the world.


    People felt a variety of emotions at the first kingdom built by a yer being destroyed. Some people felt anger, some were sad, some were happy. All of them were paying attention to Grid right now. What type of reaction would Grid show?


    -First, he will give a positive reply to the representatives, send them away, and thene up with a solution.


    -With Grid¡¯s nature, won¡¯t he kill the representatives?Will Grid be crushed after absorbing the Giant Guild and Marquis Steim¡¯s forces?


    -I think that Grid will choose to fight.I would rather fight against the 15 kingdoms then offer them a tribute.


    -60 million gold is so big that people can¡¯t fathom it.60 million gold is approximately 65 million dors.65 million is enough to live in a super luxurious mansion for the rest of my left, as well as allow me to buy a few supercars.Will Grid and the Overgeared Guild want to lose such an astronomical sum of money?Absolutely not.Grid can¡¯t help butpromise.


    -Indeed...The money he has already invested is too big.


    People became certain that Grid couldn¡¯t hurt the representatives. It was the same with the media outlets of each kingdom. They analyzed that Grid wouldpromise with the representatives and prepared articles in advance that could be sent out at any time.


    "Hrmm."


    On top of a stage made of marble. Grid wore the Holy Light Crown on his head and finally reacted.


    Gulp!


    The tense Overgeared members gulped.


    ¡®Grid! Please endure it!¡¯


    ¡®The 60 million gold can¡¯t fly away!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The Overgeared members were different from others. They thought it was highly likely Grid would kill the representatives instantly. The Overgeared members knew Grid¡¯s nature. But Grid¡¯s reaction was different from what the Overgeared members expected. Rather than being angry at the representatives, he opened his mouth with a perfectly calm expression.


    ¡°Let me ask you one thing.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Why are there 12 of you, not 15, when you are representing the 15 kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°....!¡±


    The representatives were embarrassed. How could they say that the Gauss, Ultana, and Murray representatives returned to their kingdoms using ridiculous excuses? It was unclear if the will of these three kingdoms would be the same as when they came to this agreement.


    Grid scoffed at the representatives who couldn¡¯t reply.


    "12 representatives are acting arrogant and vulgar, trying to convey the will of 15 kingdoms. I can only see bluffers who are telling lies.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Their words lost weight. The representatives had no room to refute Grid¡¯s words.


    "Damn scum.¡± Grid muttered in a small voice before sitting down and leaning back on his big and gorgeous throne. It was like he was the emperor of an empire. Then he called out to Huroi standing below the stage. ¡°Huroi.¡±


    "Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    "From now on, repeat my words.¡±


    "As youmand!¡±


    The power of Huroi¡¯s words were great. He made the same words sound more logical and he couldmunicate his thoughts in a noisy ce. He was equipped with apulsion to make everyone listen. In addition, he could cover up Grid¡¯s rough words.


    ¡°Hey, you bastards.¡±


    "Listen up, foolish and false representatives.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t vite the bullshit moralws.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t vite the moralws. I¡¯m not a traitor. Rather, I fulfilled my vow of loyalty to King Wiesbaden. He was the only one worthy of being followed.¡±


    The first ranked orator, Huroi. Huroi¡¯s voice resounded through Reinhardt. The clear voice that somewhat conveyed Grid¡¯s will captured the ears and hearts of the people filled with anxiety.


    "The reason for taking the throne was to save the people suffering from the corrupt Eternal royal family. This is a noble cause that should remain in the continent¡¯s history. You can¡¯t distort the truth with false lies.¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Eternal¡¯s royal family.


    The people of Reinhardt had suffered due to the crimesmitted by King An. They perceived Grid as a savior and genuinely epted his speech. Their courage was regained after feeling afraid of the representatives words and they cheered Grid¡¯s name.


    Lauel watched the situation quietly with a warm expression.


    ¡¯He¡¯s coping very well.¡¯


    It could¡¯ve been a very serious situation if Gridmitted violence against the representatives. Not only would they bepletely hostile to the 15 kingdoms, it would also bring distrust and anxiety to the people. But Grid controlled his anger. He used Huroi¡¯s clever words to paint the representatives as corrupt people. Thanks to this, the representatives were in a more disadvantageous position.


    ¡®Damn, the atmosphere is strange.¡¯


    ¡®The n to create a frightful atmosphere and stir up the people has been broken.¡¯


    ¡®But the loyalty of the people towards Grid was actually increased. What is this? Isn¡¯t this giving the bowl of soup to him?¡¯


    ¡®This is all because of Kons and Cudan! This wouldn¡¯t have happened if those insane guys hadn¡¯t fled like they were possessed by ghosts!¡¯


    ¡®Everybody calm down. The n to incite the people has failed, but nothing has changed. In the end, he will have to give us tributes. Then he will pay for today¡¯s disrespect.¡¯


    ¡®Um...¡¯


    The representatives embarrassed by the unexpected atmosphere quickly regained their calm heads. This didn¡¯t change the fact that they were in an advantageous position. Baron Biz of the Violet Kingdom used this momentum and shouted.


    ¡°This Grid! No matter how you dress it up with rhetoric, your evil deeds can¡¯t be covered up! The king is the highest existence! No matter the reason, killing the king can¡¯t be forgiven... Heok?¡±


    Baron Biz suddenly stopped talking. It was because the dozens of people around Grid pulled out their weapons with menacing expressions. His legs trembled from the killing intent.


    ¡°D-Daring to threaten a representative...! All of you don¡¯t have the basicmon sense! Harming the representatives is no different from dering war on our kingdom!¡±


    "Shut up.¡± Pon pointed a spear at Baron Biz¡¯ neck. "Do you think you can live after talking to our king like that? You just said it yourself. The king is the highest existence. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°U-Ugh...¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to admit that Grid was a king, but Baron Biz¡¯ life depended on his next words. He was terrified and shut his mouth. He was btedly aware of his error.


    ¡®I was too excited!¡¯


    He was ovee by the momentum and talked too much. He couldn¡¯t ept Grid as a king, but that was just his position. It wasn¡¯t strange for Grid¡¯s subordinates to cut off his head. Indeed, the other representatives weren¡¯t trying to save him. Grid looked down at Baron Biz, who felt his death, and had a good idea.


    ¡°Hey, you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Baron Biz was surprised. He was someone with the death penalty in front of him. Now Grid was staring down at him with an ominous smile on his face.


    "I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡±


    "A-A chance...?¡±


    "Yes, you deserve to die, but I¡¯m a benevolent person.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was he trying to do? It was difficult to determine Grid¡¯s intentions. As thousands of eyes focused on him, Grid rose from his throne.


    "This is an opportunity for you to preserve your life and an opportunity for me to show off the power of the Overgeared Kingdom. Let¡¯s help each other out.¡±


    "W-What is this opportunity?¡±


    Baron Biz listened closely. He wanted to seize this chance. Then Grid spoke.


    "Looking at your body and the sheath at you waist, you have learned swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...right.¡±


    ¡°Okay. A person who is a warrior should be able to protect yourself. Now, pick.¡±


    "What do you mean... Choose?¡±


    ¡°An opponent to fight against. Pick somebody. I¡¯ll forgive your sin if your win the fight. However, if you die during the fight, it¡¯s your own fault. The Overgeared Kingdom holds no responsibility.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Baron Biz¡¯ heart thumped. It was natural since he got a chance to save his life. However, the other representatives were shaking.


    ¡®Grid is using his head!¡¯


    ¡®If Baron Biz dies like this, the Violet Kingdom can no longer hold Grid responsible!¡¯


    Baron Briton of the Arc Kingdom cried out.


    "It¡¯s too unfavorable to call this an opportunity! You intend to harm Baron Biz by putting him against a stronger opponent that he can¡¯t face!¡±


    ¡°What is this nonsense? Do you have a novel in your head?¡±


    Grid clocked his tongue and shrugged.


    "I told you. You can choose your own opponent to fight.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that true?¡±


    "Of course. I¡¯m not a liar like you guys.¡±


    ¡®I can live!¡¯


    Baron Biz was jubnt. He was stronger in swordsmanship than a knight. If he could pick the opponent to fight, he could win 100%. Baron Biz looked around and smiled darkly. He had determined his opponent. There was a blond soldier wearing old leather armor, unlike the 1,000 elite knights wearing ck armor.


    ¡¯Just look at this inconsequential soldier! My opponent is you!¡¯


    Baron Biz pointed to the blond soldier.


    ¡°I-I will fight with him!¡±


    People might call him cowardly for pointing towards a soldier, but his life was a thousand times more important than his pride. Baron Biz expected Grid to ridicule him for fighting against the soldiers, but Grid easily epted it.


    "You will fight the soldier. Okay.¡±


    Grid winked at the soldier. Then the soldier walked over to Baron Biz. Baron Biz looked much stronger. The baron was taller than the soldier and his equipment was better. No, in the first ce, how could a soldier be an opponent for a noble who had learnt swordsmanship?


    The viewers from all over the world were frustrated.


    -Sigh, what is Grid doing?Why is he giving that bastard a chance to save his life?


    -This isn¡¯t good.


    -That poor and innocent soldier...He made a mistake with his master and will be killed.


    Everyone in the world sympathized with the soldier. They thought he was being persecuted by an unreasonable boss. However, the soldier was happy. He faced Baron BIz and tied back his blond hair flowing under his helmet. The name of the soldier covered by a helmet was Asmophel.

 Chapter 603

    Grid¡¯s mouth twitched. He was trying not tough.


    ¡®Indeed, he picked Asmophel.¡¯


    There were currently only 1,000 Overgeared soldiers stationed in Reinhardt. But they were the elites whopleted their second ss advancement and wore the Grid mass production set. It was easy for them to be mistaken as knights just by their appearance.


    Then what about Asmophel? He was someone who looked exactly like a soldier. He was the weakest looking in Reinhardt. It was easy to predict that Baron Biz would pick out Asmophel.


    ¡®Is this Lauel¡¯s trick?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s tactic of causing a situation that wouldn¡¯t trouble him if the representative died was quite good. It was hard to believe it was a n built and executed by Grid alone, so the Overgeared members thought that Lauel was behind it. But what was the truth?


    Currently, the person dealing with the 12 representatives was Grid alone. Grid created this situation alone. The smile couldn¡¯t leave Lauel¡¯s face.


    ¡®Grid, your growth is once again burning up my heart. You have transcended the limits of your IQ. Huhuhut...¡¯


    Lauel was caught up in the feeling of excitement.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯ll spare me if I win the fight against this soldier?¡±


    Baron Biz asked Grid again.


    Grid nodded. ¡°I keep my promises. But don¡¯t forget that the Violet Kingdom can¡¯t hold us responsible if you die.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Baron Biz shouted vigorously to his men. "At this moment, I am not the representative of the Violet Kingdom. I am just Baron Biz! Even if I die, the Overgeared Kingdom didn¡¯t kill the representative of the Violet Kingdom! Do you understand?¡±


    The death penalty was imminent, but he had a chance to save his life. He couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Baron Biz was confident that he could win the battle.


    ¡®I will kill this soldier!¡¯


    Chwaruk!


    Baron Biz pulled out his sword. His level and armor were considerable.


    ¡º Baron Biz¡¯s level is at least 250. There is also the title ¡®Noble who learned Swordsmanship¡¯, meaning he is likely to have Advanced Sword Mastery... He will be stronger than any decent knight. ¡»


    ¡º Then how will the soldier fight Baron Biz? ¡»


    ¡º He¡¯s dead. The result is obvious. ¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Foolish Grid! He had a chance to incapacitate a representative. But he wasted it and sacrificed an innocent soldier! This time, no one supported Grid¡¯s choice. The media and viewers thought Grid made a serious mistake. That¡¯s right. The world was about to be overturned again. Grid was amon sense destroyer who always produced results that were different or exceeded expectations.


    ¡°I will bring the punishment of death to you who has despised and belittled my king.¡±


    The soldier sent out killing intent from his eyes deep in the helmet. Baron Biz confirmed the old spear that the soldier held andughed.


    "Kukuk, a simple soldier is spouting such ridiculous words.¡±


    Biz Baron was certain. If hebined the power of his swordsmanship with his equipment, he would be able to break the spear and armor in front of him. The difference between their items and skills were clear.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Baron Biz was fired up and rushed forward. It was high ranking footwork that narrowed the distance to the target in a short time. It had been passed down in Baron Biz¡¯ family for generations.


    -It¡¯s over.


    The viewers mourned the soldier. They were sure that the soldier would die without being able to take advantage of the spear¡¯s long reach. It was a meaningless prediction.


    Puok!


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    -Huh?


    Baron Biz narrowed the distance without any superfluous movements. It was like a lightning bolt, but the soldier was much faster. Before Baron Biz¡¯s sword struck the soldier¡¯s helmet, the soldier¡¯s spear pierced Baron Biz¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Baron Biz made a disbelieving expression. How could the soldiers¡¯ attack speed be faster than him, and how could the soldier tear through his armor with one blow?


    ¡°A scam...!¡±


    It was a scam! There was something wrong! It was certainly cheating! But Baron Biz wasn¡¯t able to speak these thoughts. It was because the soldier¡¯s spear pierced his chest in session.


    ¡°Cough! Ugh! Kuaaaaak!"


    He was busy screaming. It was a series of strikes that didn¡¯t allow Baron Biz to take any defensive actions.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    All the representatives present, the yers at the venue, and the viewers watching the broadcast were at a loss for words. The hosts of the broadcasting stations could barely speak because they had an obligation to ry the situation.


    ¡º The soldier haspletely overwhelmed a noble¡¯s swordsmanship! This is unexpected! ¡»


    ¡º The difference between items is made moot by skills! What on earth was this? The Overgeared Kingdom has strong soldiers! ¡»


    The world was turned upside down by the unexpected result. The person who was more shocked than anyone was naturally Baron Biz.


    ¡®W-Who is this person?¡¯


    He thought the opponent was a soldier. Then what was this? The proud knights of the Violet Kingdom wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with this soldier¡¯s spear.


    Puk!Puuok!


    "Hik! Hiik!!¡±


    Baron Biz had been polishing his swordsmanship for many years. He tried to resist the soldier¡¯s spear with his sword. But it was a worthless desperate attempt. If the soldier stabbed the spear 10 times, Baron Biz was struck 10 times. No matter how aggressively he resisted, he failed in his defense and evasion.


    ¡°You...! What the hell are you? You can¡¯t be a soldier! Why are you posing as a soldier?¡±


    Dark red blood emerged with every scream. The viewers who previously sympathized with the soldier now felt sorry for Baron Biz.


    -Baron Biz has fallen into a trap.It¡¯s impossible for a soldier to beat a noble.


    -That¡¯s right.He doesn¡¯t seem like a soldier.He might be a knight disguised as a soldier.


    -In fact, it doesn¡¯t make sense?Does this mean that Grid expected the situation toe to this point and disguised a knight as a soldier?


    -Uh...Come to think of it.


    The viewers were confused. A soldier was smashing Baron Biz. If this person wasn¡¯t a soldier, Grid was too great to anticipate this situation. If the person was a soldier, he had the strength of another kingdom¡¯s knight. No matter how they interpreted it, Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom were great.


    -So scary.


    -This is crazy.


    -Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom are magnificent...


    The evaluation of Grid rose exponentially from just one incident!


    ¡®Grid¡¯s honor will be restored and his reputation will be even higher.¡¯


    Asmophel felt the situation change and put an end to the one-sided fight. Baron Biz was beaten bloody and died.


    Puok!


    [Baron Biz who represents the Violet Kingdom has died.]


    [Due to the agreement made by Baron Biz, the Violet Kingdom can¡¯t transfer any responsibility to the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    The other representatives were terrified as they watched Baron Biz die. They couldn¡¯t understand the situation and fell into a trap.


    Baron Briton of the Arc Kingdom shouted. ¡°Grid...! How can you be such a viinous person? Disguising a knight as a soldier in order to trap Baron Biz!¡±


    ¡°You.¡± Grid pointed to Baron Briton this time. ¡°You pick.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "You should be held ountable for using and taunting a king in his own kingdom. Just like baron Biz.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t have said anything! Baron Briton fell into the same mess as Baron Biz. His face paled because he knew he had no way out. He tried to keep his mind as calm as possible as he looked around. He was looking for a weak opponent, just like Baron Biz had done before.


    Then he found one.


    ¡°I will fight with him!¡±


    This person looked the weakest. It was surprisingly close.


    An orator. It was the orator who spoke for Grid.


    ¡°Hoh... First it was a soldier and now an orator.¡±


    Grid made an interested look while the residents used Baron Briton.


    ¡°Lousy bastard! Pointing out an orator who never once held a de!¡±


    "Are all nobles of the Arc Kingdom like you?¡±


    "Trying to fight a person who uses their mouth!¡±


    Boo!


    Boooooo!


    The booing and criticism continued, but Baron Briton wasn¡¯t ashamed. What good was honor if he was dead?


    ¡®I can¡¯t die in this savage kingdom!¡¯


    It was his sublime belief. He couldn¡¯t die so easily. Baron Briton grabbed the mace hanging from his waist. Then Orator Huroi summoned his wyvern.


    ¡°....??¡±


    ¡°??????¡±


    Kurarararara!


    Baron Briton and the residents were stunned when the red wyvern appeared and fired mes. An orator summoned a wyvern? It was also the most powerful fire wyvern!


    ¡°W-Wait a minute... This is a scam!¡±


    "Your parents are a scam!¡±


    ¡°What? What nonsense is this? Kuaaaaah!¡±


    Mentioning his parents? It was also from a person who was scamming him? Baron Briton was angry and frustrated, but he was helpless. He was burned by the mes of Huroi¡¯s wyvern and died.

 Chapter 604

    ¡°...¡±


    The 10 remaining representatives were dumbfounded. They were shocked when they witnessed the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s strength.


    ¡®A soldier who is stronger than a knight...¡¯


    ¡®If this is the ability of a soldier, the talents of the 1,000 ck armored knights must be beyond imagination.¡¯


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe the orator has a wyvern.¡¯


    ¡®It is indeed a strong kingdom.¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldier and orator were amazing enough to destroy all concepts.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    The representatives were in deep distress. They wondered if they should really be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®It would be better to hold hands...¡¯


    Currently, the power structure of the continent wasposed of one empire and 15 kingdoms. The empire was naturally the Saharan Empire. If the Saharan Empire was a young and brave lion, the 15 kingdoms were bound rabbits. The 15 kingdoms didn¡¯t know when they would be swallowed up and paid tributes to the empire. But the amount of the tribute they paid was enormous. The 15 kingdoms had to pay tribute to the empire and their speed of development fell exponentially. At this time, the emergence of the Overgeared Kingdom was like a rosy cloud.


    ¡®If webined the small number of troops in the Overgeared Kingdom and the three million troops from the 15 kingdoms...¡¯


    ¡®We can be self-reliant and break away from the empire.¡¯


    ¡®The timing is good. Currently, it¡¯s difficult for the empire to turn their eyes to the outside world due to its policy of wiping out minor species.


    The gazes of the representatives changed as they looked at Grid. The contempt and hostility was reced by anticipation.


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    Someone shouted courageously. It was Baron Guy of the Fold Kingdom.


    "Please forgive my previous rudeness!¡±


    An amazing sight was produced. Baron Guy looked at Grid and tore up the royal letter in his hand. He tore apart the will of the king he served in front of everyone! It was a scene where Baron Guy was prepared to ruin his own life. Everyone watching was surprised, while Grid made an interested expression.


    ¡°Do you mean to withdraw the words you said before?¡±


    "Indeed! King Grid, I hope that the Overgeared Kingdom will be a permanentpanion of the Fold Kingdom! I will give my king 100 reasons why he should ally with the Overgeared Kingdom! Also! I am convinced that my king will understand my exnation and reconcile with the Overgeared Kingdom! Overgeared is a great kingdom!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was a person who demanded a tribute just previously, saying that he could ept Grid or the Overgeared Kingdom. His attitude had sure changed quickly. He even went against his king¡¯s will. Changing his position in the middle of the mission! This unprecedented event would spread the reputation of the Overgeared Kingdom throughout the continent.


    Grid was delighted.


    ¡®Very good. It¡¯s more than I expected.¡¯


    The growth base of the Overgeared Kingdom would be solid if he allied with a few of the 15 kingdoms. In the midst of umting power to defend the kingdom from the empire, the need to worry about the stupid ones would disappear. It was the moment when Grid visualized a brilliant future.


    -Please refrain from replying and give honors to your retainers first.


    Lauel sent him a whisper. He had been silently watching the situation and finally opened his mouth.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know his intentions, but...¡¯


    Lauel was the person that Grid trusted the most. He didn¡¯t question it and acted as Lauel said. He ignored Baron Guy who was waiting for a reaction.


    ¡°...Rude.¡±


    Baron Guy blushed with shame. He had torn up his letter in order to convey his sincerity, but he was ignored like a passing child rather than being impressed by Grid.


    Shake shake!


    The expressions of the representatives were disappointed as they looked between Baron Guy and Grid.


    ¡®Grid will never have a big vessel.¡¯


    ¡®Baron Guy acknowledged his mistake and offered a bright future, but Grid is still upset by our previous rudeness.¡¯


    ¡®How can he rule over a kingdom when he is so narrow-minded?¡¯


    ¡®It isn¡¯t right to establish diplomatic rtions with such a savage kingdom.¡¯


    Tsk tsk tsk.


    The representatives thought that Grid was pathetic.


    ¡°Duke Lauel,e forward.¡±


    Grid started to call out his meritorious retainers in turn. Lauel was the first to kneel before him. Grid handed him a pair of gauntlets. What type of materials were used for them? The gauntlets were mysterious and dark colored, with a zed ck surface. It was beautiful and elegant enough to capture anyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®But they¡¯re just gauntlets. The level of reward for the person who had the highest merit in establishing a kingdom...¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s evidence that the Overgeared Kingdom is a small group of elites, but is poor. The foundation will be stable by absorbing Marquis Steim¡¯s power but he needs our help.¡¯


    ¡®If the Overgeared Kingdom refuses to hold hands with us, only self-destruction is waiting for them.¡¯


    Gauntlets were items that protected the hands and forearms. He should give his meritorious retainers a sword that can cut the enemy or armor to defend against an enemy¡¯s attacks. Grid¡¯s reward was indeed trivial. The moment that the representatives thought so.


    "Kukuk...! Kukukuk! Belial¡¯s Gauntlets... This is something that transcends my expectations. The hot skin of Belial against my arms has seeded in sealing the aura of the dark dragon. Huhuhut!¡±


    Lauel.


    His reputation had spread to the 15 kingdoms. The duke of the Overgeared Kingdom covered half his face with his hand and chattered nonsense. The representatives couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about. It was natural that they didn¡¯t understand. The Overgeared members had been with Lauel for years and they still didn¡¯t understand him.


    Lauel turned his gaze towards the representatives. One eye was covered with a ck eyepatch, as if it was injured.


    "People from small and weak kingdoms, look at the great power that King Grid has entrusted to me.¡±


    Swipe.


    Yes, it was a swipe. Lauel swiped his hands just once. The wavelength was huge.


    Kakiing.


    The five fingertips of the gauntlets worn by Lauel created five white spheres. The spheres contained hot fire and cool demonic energy.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°...¡±


    The direction that Lauel waved his hand. The five spheres flew in the direction of the representatives and exploded. The representatives were shocked by the suddenly incident. They made stupid expressions like a carp. Lauel ridiculed those who couldn¡¯t understand the situation and moved his hand again. Once again, five white spheres were created and flew to the feet of the representatives, exploding. mes emerged from the explosion and the demonic energy polluted the atmosphere.


    The representatives were amazed and btedly realized.


    ¡°H-Heok!¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable! Creating such powerful magic with just a wave of the hand!¡±


    "D-Don¡¯t tell me the power of those gauntlets...?¡±


    An artifact? No, it is impossible. Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid. He might be a legendary cksmith, but he didn¡¯t have the capacity to produce artifacts. Artifact production was an area for a very small number of magicians.


    ¡°Marquis Piaro,e forward.¡±


    The representatives tried to deny the power of the gauntlets.


    Step, step.


    This time, a middle-aged man climbed onto the stage.


    "...??"


    The representatives doubted their eyes. It was because the person on the stage was a middle-aged peasant farmer. The farmer was wearing old clothes covered in dirt and had a variety of farming equipment hanging from his waist.


    ¡®Crazy?¡¯


    A marquis was a farmer? No, a farmer marquis? This was ridiculous. A disgraceful noble. It was terrible just imagining a noble doing field work.


    ¡¯No, leave it.¡¯


    This was currently the founding ceremony. It was essential to be formal. It was courtesy to dress appropriately for the founding ceremony, even if the middle-aged Piaro was a real farmer. What was with this dirty clothing?


    ¡®Not even knowing the basic manners...¡¯


    ¡®The king has no foundation and his subordinates are the same.¡¯


    Tsk tsk.


    The representatives once again clicked their tongues. Then Grid handed Piaro a sickle and hand plow.


    "In fact, I wanted to wear official clothing today.¡± Piaro whispered while receiving the farming equipment. He was looking around. Grid asked him to attend in his work clothes, but Piaro felt disgusting.


    Grid smiled and patted his shoulder. "Your official clothing is farming work clothes. From now on, you should also wear a straw hat.¡±


    Grid¡¯s liking towards Piaro was now infinite. He was an absolute power of the Overgeared Kingdom and gave all the loot he acquired from Belial to Grid without hesitation. Grid wanted to acknowledge Piaro and ept him as a farmer.


    Piaro was thrilled. ¡°Your servant Piaro! I will devote myself even more to the field! I will provide enough food so that our citizens will never starve!¡±


    ¡°...Farmer.¡±


    "A real farmer!¡±


    The dubious representatives became pale when they heard Piaro¡¯s cry. They were shocked to see that the marquis of a kingdom was a farmer. The representatives lost their minds once again. Then Piaro came down from the stage and approached them.


    Flinch.


    Piaro was the owner of muscles that seemed harder than rocks. As he stepped towards them with dirty clothes, the representatives were forced to shrink back.


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    The sickle and hand plow looked sharp in Piaro¡¯s hands, causing the representatives to gulp.


    "H-Hik...!"


    The moment Piaro reached them! He raised his sickle and hand plow. The representatives thought he was going to be killed. At the same time.


    Flop!


    Piaro suddenly squatted. He started digging at the ground ruined by Lauel¡¯s magic bombardment. Then something amazing happened. nts started growing from the burnt and contaminated ground.


    ¡°H-Heok?¡±


    Rice was grown in an instant? Was there a farmer like this?


    ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t make sense for a farmer. Is this the power of an artifact?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s clear that Grid¡¯s sickle and hand plow has the power to restore the earth!¡¯


    ¡®Grid! His cksmithing abilities are far beyond Pagma¡¯s!¡¯


    Admiration, amazement, admiration, amazement! Lauel confirmed the expressions on the faces of the representatives and whispered to Grid. Grid nodded before finally turning his attention to Baron Guy of the Fold Kingdom. Grid asked.


    ¡°You want to hold hands with the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes...! Yes! Indeed!¡±


    Baron Guy hurriedly nodded. Now he was thinking that if his kingdom didn¡¯t form an alliance with Overgeared, they would perish. There were many amazing people in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Grid shook his head.


    "I will ask you again. You want to hold hands with the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The reaction was worrisome. It was as if he wanted to reject the alliance.


    The confused Baron Guy hurriedly eximed.


    ¡°King Grid! Please forgive my rudeness and think calmly! Right now, the continent is dominated by the Saharan Empire! No matter how wonderful King Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom is, you can¡¯t deal with the empire alone! Ally with the Fold Kingdom for your future!¡±


    "I agree that it is better to be together. But I don¡¯t want an alliance.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    No alliance? Baron Guy looked confused as Grid opened his inventory. He pulled out all the magic battle gear he had created and handed them to the God Hands, Noe and Randy. It was to show off. Grid grinned and shouted at all the representatives, including Baron Guy.


    ¡°Serve the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    No, how many times would the world be surprised by the founding ceremony? Thanks to this, high ratings were guaranteed and the executives and employees of broadcastingpanies praised Grid.

 Chapter 605

    Reidorn.


    He was one of the solo number knights who were considered to have surpassed Piaro, the pir of the empire. He was the 6th knight. His power was different from the 8th and 9th knights. He was a catastrophic being who could destroy a nation.


    One of the greatest people was now at the scene of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s establishment.


    ¡®Grid... He might be more dangerous than expected.¡¯


    Reidorn¡¯s nature was quite cautious. During the time when the empire underestimated Grid and thought that the Overgeared Kingdom would be destroyed naturally, Reidorn was alert to Grid. There were many things to watch. He objectively evaluated Grid¡¯s actions. Grid caused many miracles as the descendant of a legend.


    ¡®There is also the rumor that his forces and the Reba Church sealed a great demon.¡¯


    Originally, he thought this rumor was a lie that Grid made up to justify taking the throne and to mislead the people. But that was before the founding ceremony started. Reidorn looked all over Reinhardt and was amazed by what he found. There were three Reba temples being built in Reinhardt.


    This meant that the Overgeared Kingdom had absolute favor with the Reba Church. There were few cities where three or more Reba temples were built outside of the capital of the empire. The Reba Church wouldn¡¯t give such a favor to a new kingdom unless a great demon was really sealed. It was highly likely that the rumors were true.


    ¡®The power of a great demon might be much weaker than we had anticipated. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can ignore Grid.¡¯


    Reidorn made a decision. Since he came here today, he must kill Grid and destroy the kingdom. He couldn¡¯t neglect any variables that could threaten the empire.


    ¡®I will start.¡¯


    He no longer hesitated. He didn¡¯t wear the red armor in order to conceal his identity, but he wasn¡¯t particrly afraid. Armor? He didn¡¯t need it. He was a talented person who could cut all enemies with his sword before they knew it.


    Step step.


    Reidorn slowly approached from where he was hiding in the crowd.


    ¡°Piaro,e forward.¡±


    ¡®Piaro!¡¯


    Reidorn stopped in ce when he heard Grid¡¯s voice call out the name of a meritorious retainer. The former chief of the Red Knights and the pir of the empire, Piaro. He had left after betraying the empire. Why was his name heard here?


    ¡®Traitor...! He was actively working in this area...!¡¯


    Gulp!


    The 1~7th knights were people selected and trained to be more talented than Piaro. Yes, Reidorn was superior to Piaro. But the Piaro of the past was great. Reidorn instinctively shrank back and couldn¡¯t move anymore. He was confident that he could destroy the Overgeared Guild, including Grid. However, he was like a stone statue in front of Piaro.


    ¡®No?¡¯


    Reidorn hid in the crowd again and his expression twisted as he saw the stage. The person called Piaro walked onto the stage. The great swordsman Piaro looked like a peasant farmer.


    ¡®A person with the same name?¡¯


    Dammit, he was scared for nothing. Reidorn sighed and started moving again. He ignored the farmer who was restoring the destroyednd with magic attached farming equipment and looked at Grid.


    ¡®I will destroy you and your kingdom today, for the good of the empire.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Reidorn calmed down his heart that was spooked after hearing ¡®Piaro¡¯ andid his hands on his sheath. It was the precursor to the Sun Cut technique that could split apart a castle. It was the strongest sword drawing technique on the West Continent that had been passed on for generations through the royal family of a small nation that the empire destroyed. Reidorn had acquired it after qualifying for the 6th knight.


    The moment that the de emerged from the sheath and the brilliant aura of the sun was going to explode.


    ¡°Serve the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid said something insane to the representatives. Reidorn was so confused that he stopped moving, while the representatives doubted their ears.


    "What is this ludicrous?¡±


    Overgeared Kingdom. A kingdom just made today was demanding that the 15 kingdoms, filled with hundreds of years of history and tradition, serve them? It sounded crazy to the millions of people watching, let along Reidorn and the representatives.


    The words were so ludicrous that the representatives couldn¡¯t be angry. Then Grid said with a sincere expression.


    "It would be better for you to serve me instead of the empire, who asks for extra tributes that hinder the growth of the kingdom. I¡¯m not as unscrupulous as the emperor.¡±


    The representatives could no longer tolerate it. Their faces turned red and their eyes were bloodshot. A kingdom without any roots. This was the king of a small country, where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the kingdom was ruined at any moment. But they didn¡¯t want speak carelessly and lose their life like the previous representatives.


    Baron Guy barely suppressed his anger and opened his mouth.


    "Our 15 kingdoms offer a tribute to the Saharan Empire because the empire has a mighty force. It¡¯s an overwhelming force that can destroy our 15 kingdoms at any time. On the other hand, what about the Overgeared Kingdom? I admit that you have great power. But can you alone overwhelm and make our 15 kingdoms submit?¡±


    Baron Guy didn¡¯t wait for Grid to reply. He would just consider Grid to be overconfident if the reply was a yes.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a man worth conversing with.¡¯


    It was the moment Baron Guy bowed his head with disappointment and was about to leave.


    "Of course not."


    ¡°...?¡±


    Baron Guy hesitated as Grid said something other than expected. Grid¡¯s expression was still confident.


    "The Overgeared Kingdom is still weak. It can¡¯t bepared to the empire, which can overwhelm your kingdom alone. But that¡¯s just a story for the moment. Watch.¡±


    Suuk.


    Grid nced at Noe.


    ¡°Nyang.¡±


    Was it because he wascking exercise recently or was it a natural change during the process of his growth? Noe was plumper, further doubling his cuteness. The chubby cheeks and wide mouth made someone want to pinch him.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid ignored Noe¡¯s cuteness in order to save face and received an item from Noe.


    [Belial¡¯s Sheath]


    Durability: 916/916 Attack Power: 350


    * 50% increase in sword drawing speed.


    * 60% increase in sword recovering speed.


    * 150% additional damage for sword drawing skills.


    * Magic Missile (Enhance) will deal 4,000 fixed damage when a sword is drawn.


    * Any target hit by Magic Missile (Enhanced) will be subjected to 1,500 fire damage per second for up to 20 seconds. The demonic energy also reduces attack and defense by 20%. However, if the target has the dark attribute, their attack and defense will be increased by 20%.


    A sheath made by enchanting the bones of the great demon Belial by cksmith Grid, who is entering a mythological level.


    Itbines the enhanced magic of Great Magician Braham with the fire and dark energy from the bones of Belial. This sheath can be used as a weapon because of its excellent durability and attack power.


    The structure is optimized for sword drawing techniques.


    Peak Sword led his 300 Silver Knights members to join Overgeared. He always struggled for Grid and Overgeared. In the battle for Cork Ind, he made great achievements, including bringing the Eternal navy to the brink of copse. He was included in the list of meritorious retainers and the sheath was made for him. It had a perfectpatibility with Peak Sword.


    Grid ced the +7 Sword Ghost in Belial¡¯s Sheath. Then he took the stance of drawing a sword. He didn¡¯t have any skills rted to drawing the sword, but he had excellent stats and items. Grid wanted to demonstrate to the representatives the power of his magic battle gear and gain their trust.


    ¡°If you serve the Overgeared Kingdom, I will give you items like this and you will have the power to fight against the empire. Transcend.¡±


    Kuoooh!


    The atmosphere shook. In order for Grid to show off the brilliance of the sheath, it was necessary to strengthen his base attack and convert it to ranged attacks.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage, ckening.¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    After using a buff, he wore Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings and activated the more powerful ckening. He also increased the power of his swordsmanship by forming a party with Kraugel. The moment he was about to break the sky with his sword drawing technique.


    ¡°You! You have already discovered my presence and now you¡¯re trying to provoke me?¡±


    ¡°??????¡±


    Someone unexpectedly sprang out of the crowd at Grid.


    "How dare you try to us a sword drawing technique before this Reidorn? Your arrogance will surely pierce the sky!¡±


    ¡°Reidorn?¡±


    ...Who?


    Grid and all the members of Overgeared were stunned. A crazy NPC suddenly popped out of the crowd. However, Baron Guy looked like he had seen a ghost.


    ¡®S-Solo number knight...! He isn¡¯t wearing the red armor, but I¡¯m sure he is a solo number knight!¡¯


    Reidorn. The Saharan Empire¡¯s strongest quick draw swordsman. Baron Guy was very familiar with him. Why? Around five years ago, Reidorn visited the Fold Kingdom which was trying to build up its military power to escape from the empire. Reidorn¡¯s demonstration at the time was fearsome. Baron Guy shook as he recalled that time.


    ¡®Dozens of knights and soldiers fall ever time he draws his sword...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The elite knights and soldiers that the Fold Kingdom were so proud of died without even knowing it. Reidorn¡¯s drawn sword was like a sh.


    ¡®The fact that he¡¯s here...¡¯


    It meant that the Overgeared Kingdom would be destroyed right now. Baron Guy was terrified.


    ¡®He saw me trying to ally with the Overgeared Kingdom!¡¯


    It was the end. The Fold Kingdom would be destroyed.


    ¡®This is the end!¡¯


    Tears flowed from Baron Guy¡¯s eyes as he shuddered with fear. He tore the king¡¯s letter for the sake of his kingdom, but now it was in danger of destruction. Therefore, guilt swept over him like a tsunami.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Grid made an unhappy expression and narrowed his eyes. There were no signs of nervousness. Reidorn leaned forward and took a sword drawing stance.


    ¡°Why are you pretending not to know who I am? Do you want to make me angrier? Bah! Foolish!¡±


    Supaak!


    The brilliance of the sun shone from Reidorn¡¯s waist. It was the usage of the strongest sword drawing technique, Sun Cut. It couldn¡¯t be avoided. The moment Grid tensed up, the God Hands, Randy, and Noe flew in front of him.


    "Kya!"


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Noe and Randy couldn¡¯t respond to the Sun Cut. The sh crossed their bodies before they could use any skill. The same was true for the God Hands. Despite being armed with a variety of magical weapons that were supposed to be given to the retainers, the sh passed them and reached Grid before they could use the skills attached to the weapons.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Sakak-!


    At the same time that blood spurted from Grid¡¯s chest...


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Gridpleted his sword drawing technique. The +7 Sword Ghost emerged from Belial¡¯s Sheath and roared fiercely.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Reidorn¡¯s eyes widened as there was a huge sh of white and a wave of fire and demonic energy. It was because the power seemed much stronger than the sun.


    ¡°This is nonsense...!¡±


    He hurriedly pulled out his red armor, but it was toote.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Reidorn was swept away by the st and coughed up blood as the Overgeared members ran to him.


    ¡°Ugh! Keok! Eek! Eek!¡±


    "Wow, he didn¡¯t die. This armor is durable, but filthy.¡±


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a simple named NPC... Put him in prison.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Solo number knights. The 6th knight was dominated in an instant?


    Flop!


    Baron Guy bowed towards Grid.


    "The Fold Kingdom will serve the Overgeared Kingdom! I will use my life and honor to convince the king!¡±


    ¡°Eh? R-Really?¡±


    Was it that great? Grid hadn¡¯t expected this to happen, making him scratch his head with a stunned expression. The other representatives thought that Baron Guy was senile. The founding ceremony ended after a series of disturbances and incidents.

 Chapter 606

    -I¡¯ve put Reidorn in jail.


    -Good work Faker.Make sure he¡¯s secure and see if he was sent by someone.Absolutely don¡¯t kill him.


    -I understand.


    Grid was very wary of Reidorn. It was inevitable, since he lost half his health from Reidorn¡¯s blow. This was despite the fact that Grid was wearing Triple Layers.


    ¡®Is there a proportional attack factor for my health or defense?¡¯


    The bnce was a problem since it was so focused on attack power. However, this was the first time that a NPC showed such overwhelming attack power since Piaro. At first, Grid thought the opponent was a simple crazy person, but he was actually a big named NPC.


    ¡®There are a few forces after me, so it¡¯s hard to tell who sent the assassin...¡¯


    The higher the position, the greater the danger. Frankly, it was scary. He didn¡¯t think there would be an assassination attempt at the founding ceremony where all the members of Overgeared were gathered.


    ¡®I have to increase the defenses around Irene and Lord.¡¯


    Grid was alert and turned towards Baron Guy. All the other representatives left, but Baron Guy remained in ce since he wanted to serve the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®Only one kingdom...¡¯


    He even talked about the future by showing off the power of the magic battle gear. Lauel sent a whisper to the disappointed Grid.


    -Isn¡¯t one kingdom good?Don¡¯t forget that the Overgeared Kingdom was only founded today.In fact, I thought all the representatives would refuse and leave.


    -...


    -In any case, the Fold Kingdom is poor because thend is deste and they can get few resources from the sea.However, they had 300,000 trained soldiers that constantly fight against monsters.If we supply food and battle gear, they will surely grow into a strong ally.


    -Thend is deste and resources are low?We can¡¯t supply food forever. Isn¡¯t it a kingdom with a dark future?Won¡¯t it be a waste if we invest a lot of time and money?


    -No.We can use them to disperse the eyes of the other 14 kingdoms. And don¡¯t we have Piaro?


    -Ah.


    Piaro was someone who could grew crops in the desert city of Reidan and the sea city of Siren. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to transform the Fold Kingdom¡¯s destend into fertile ground.


    ¡®Come to think of it.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled as he once again realized the astronomical value of Piaro. Then he suddenly recalled the golden walnuts and the white phosphorus wood. They were species from the East Continent. Couldn¡¯t a legendary farmer grow them on the West Continent?


    ¡®It will be amazing if even a small amount can be grown.¡¯


    The value of the golden walnut, an elixir, and the white phosphorus wood, the finest production material, was amazing. If they could be grown, the national power of Overgeared would be guaranteed to rise rapidly.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    The founding ceremony was disturbed by the sudden intrusion of an enemy. In order to not make the people feel anxious, Grid covered his wound with a cloak and concealed his act of taking a potion. He didn¡¯t know that these small actions impressed someone.


    "Baron Guy, go to your king and tell him this. The Overgeared Kingdom will give full support to the Fold Kingdom. Did you see the farmer before?¡±


    ¡°Pant... Are you saying you will help us with food as well as battle gear?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I will fertilize the poornd of the Fold Kingdom. Did you see the farmer before?¡±


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohhh! Thank you! I am so excited! I will go back to the king and tell him about King Grid and the farmer... No, I will tell my king about the marquis farmer!¡±


    "Yes, go ahead.¡±


    Baron Guy bowed and hurriedly left his spot. He had a smile on his face as he dreamt about being liberated from the empire. The viewers who watched the scene from beginning to end thought it was absurd.


    -Is this a true story?Gaining a vassal kingdom on the first day of the kingdom?


    -Will it be the Overgeared Empire? ;;


    -It¡¯s possible.


    -What empire?I belong to the Fold Kingdom and there¡¯s no answer.What is the point of serving a poor kingdom like Overgeared?


    -That¡¯s right.To be honest, the Overgeared Kingdom is too shaky.Just look at what happened.There were 1,000 knights, but they couldn¡¯t stop the assassin from attacking Grid.It seems that the Overgeared Kingdom isn¡¯t as good as it looks on the outside.


    -Hrmm...I want to try assassinating Grid once.I think my fame will rise.


    -Maybe Grid will be often assassinated because of today¡¯s incident.


    The viewers weren¡¯t aware of the true value of Reidorn, who appeared and was suppressed in an instant. The viewers started questioning the power of Overgeared.


    ¡°Pope Damian and the 15 elders of the Reba Church havee to celebrate the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    -...!!


    Some big people appeared at the founding ceremony, causing a stir with just their presence. It was a truly amazing sight. Everyone knew that Damian worshipped Grid, but weren¡¯t the 15 elders known for being strict? It was unthinkable that they would appeared at the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony.


    -It¡¯s said that the elders don¡¯t even go see the emperor of the Saharan Empire.


    -Right.Normally the kings must go directly to the Vatican in order to meet the elders.


    -Why did the elders appear at the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony...


    -It is also all 15 people...


    -Damian must¡¯ve ordered them to follow as the pope.


    -Ah, right.It¡¯s a possibility.


    -Damian is seriously too much ?? Using the authority of the pope for Grid.


    -It seems like he will soon be impeached.


    There was no problem with the viewers¡¯ words. It was a reasonable and urate judgment. But reasonable didn¡¯t apply to Grid.


    "It is an honor to meet you, Brother Grid.¡±


    "I have no doubt that Brother Grid, who always strives for peace in the world, will establish a kingdom based around peace.¡±


    "We, the 15 elders, want the friendship between the Reba Church and the Overgeared Kingdom tost forever.¡±


    -...


    ¡°Sword Saint Kraugel hase to celebrate the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions Grid. I believe you will umte countless glories in the future.¡±


    -Even Hao and Alexander...


    -I¡¯m sick of being surprised.


    Four years after Satisfy opened. The first kingdom created by a yer announced its birth to the world in a brilliant manner. The reputation of the Overgeared King Grid spread out.


    ***


    "Can I ask what will happen with the Overgeared kingdom in the future?¡±


    Bunny Bunny was once the world¡¯s best gaming BJ. Grid¡¯s unintentional lies led him to be a shepherd¡¯s boy and since then, his poprity had been on a decline. Now he got an exclusive interview with Overgeared King Grid! This was an opportunity for Grid to repay Bunny Bunny. Grid¡¯s conscience was pricked because he almost ruined a person¡¯s life.


    "The Overgeared Kingdom will develop based on a consensus among yers. We will quickly identity what yers want and focus our efforts to meet them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... A kingdom with a yer as a king will have advantages for yers.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I hope many yers will move to the Overgeared Kingdom. For immigrants, taxes will be 50% off in the first month...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Bunny Bunny thought it was an interview for him, but it ended up being publicity for the Overgeared Kingdom. Bunny Bunny wanted to curse, but he could see the number of viewers soaring.


    Grid started all types of promotions.


    "In addition, the Overgeared Kingdom is aiming to grow together with the yers and our military force. I will steadily give yers a chance to subjugate monsters with the Overgeared soldiers. In a month, I will be selecting members for the Overgeared Guild through a series of regr tests. Please contact Lauel...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Oh, Bunny Bunny, why don¡¯t you join our guild as well? Then you can deliver Overgeared¡¯s every move to the audience.¡±


    "...Can I register now?¡±


    ¡°Once the promot... No, once the interview ends.¡±


    "Yep, slowly promote your... No, please make an effort in the interview. Hehe.¡±


    ***


    [An intruder has appeared in the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dark was startled.


    The Dravian Mountains. The reason this ce became the base for Blood Carnival was because it used to be the nest of the light dragon Nevartan, meaning humans rarely came here. The remnants of the light dragon instilled fear in monsters and yers didn¡¯t visit here since there was no hunting.


    Yet there was an intruder? It was also the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon located deep in the home of Blood Carnival. It wasn¡¯t something that someone could find easily, even if they were looking.


    ¡¯A high ranking explorer?¡¯


    In the past, the 1st ranked explorer Skunk became famous by finding the location of the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple. But Dark had a question.


    ¡®Why did he bother finding this ce?¡¯


    Beware Dogs was a dungeon created by Dark to protect something specific. There was no big advantage for an explorer to find and attack this ce.


    ¡®Well, whatever.¡¯


    Beware Dogs was a unique rated dungeon. It was obvious that the intruder would fall into a trap or be killed by monsters.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t ce any monsters or traps in zone 1 in order to get rid any intruders¡¯ alertness, but zone 2 is a hell.¡¯


    Dark believed that the intruder would copse in zone 2. Dark smiled and became immersed in the dungeon production again. How much time passed?


    [Zone 1 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    [The intruder has fled!]


    "What?¡±


    The confused Dark stopped working and hurried to the zone. Then his mind became nk as he witnessed the whole area that was destroyed.


    ¡°This... What the hell is going on?¡±


    Zone 1 was just an empty space. There was absolutely nothing in zone 1 that the intruder would want. Then why was it destroyed? The floor, walls and ceiling were all destroyed! Dark couldn¡¯t grasp the intruder¡¯s intentions.


    ¡®Why is it destroyed?¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have been so angry if the intruder had a reason for destroying it. It was his responsibility for neglecting the defense.


    ¡°What can be obtained from here?¡±


    After the unidentified intruder left the Beward Dogs dungeon. A cry of anger echoed through the dark cave.


    ***


    ¡°A dog profit.¡±


    Minerals Detector Minor didn¡¯t know why the name of an animal was ced before the word ¡®profit. He used it because it was something Grid often said.


    "There are no monsters in a dungeon with minerals. It was too easy.¡±


    Lulla~


    Minor hummed cheerfully, as he was full of expectations. He was certain that he would be acknowledged and rewarded after bringing the new mineral back to Grid.


    ¡¯I will be a duke one day, and then a king.¡¯


    Minor was aiming to be the second Grid. He was unaware of it, but he admired Grid.

 Chapter 607

    All roles had responsibilities. There were no unimportant responsibilities. A king¡¯s responsibilities for controlling a country were rather serious.


    ¡°Oppa, are you okay?¡±


    Before logging into Satisfy. Sehee had breakfast with her family.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Youngwoo raised his head from where he had been eating eel for breakfast. Sehee looked at him anxiously.


    "I saw from the news that you¡¯re very busy as the king. You need to pay attention to areas such as politics, economics, diplomacy, education, arts, etc? The experts were worried that an average person¡¯s physical health...¡±


    Sehee ced a piece of eel on rice as she spoke. Their parents were worried.


    "Youngwoo, you shouldn¡¯t skip meals even if you¡¯re busy. Please sleep well and eat a lot of broli.¡±


    ¡°How can it not be tiring after taking responsibility for hundreds of thousands of lives? But don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re someone¡¯s precious family member and you should be careful about your health.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Youngwoo ate arge spoonful of rice, eel, and broli andughed. ¡°All the busy andplicated tasks are being done by Lauel. My parent¡¯s precious son isn¡¯t having a hard time. Hahahat.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If Lauel was living close by, they would give him medication... Youngwoo¡¯s parents felt gratitude towards Lauel, while Sehee was worried for a different reason.


    ¡®That cold-blooded person is abusing the people again?¡¯


    There was no doubt that Lauel was suffering on behalf of her brother and she didn¡¯t doubt his abilities. But Sehee thought there was a problem with Lauel¡¯s attitude towards the people.


    ¡®I will protect the people in the name of the Saintess!¡¯


    Of course, as long as she didn¡¯t hold back her brother.


    ***


    Reba Temple (1).


    The magnificent temple built right beside Reinhardt Pce gave a beautiful view when the morning sun came up. The stone statue of Goddess Reba in the center of the temple seemed to smile more intensely, as the marble on the ground became waves of silver.


    ¡°...Goddess Reba.¡±


    A young man bowed in front of the statue. Blue eyes could be seen through silver hair.


    "When I woke up, there were exactly 203 strands of hair on my pillow. It took me seven minutes to count. Is this really hair loss? It can¡¯t be restored with the power of the benevolent goddess... Will this woundst for eternity?¡±


    One month after the kingdom was established. The Overgeared Kingdom was developing without much difficulty. Using the existing forces of Overgeared and Duke Steim¡¯s troops, the Eternal territory was thoroughly defended and absorbed, epting the Eternal people in the process.


    In addition, the domestic affairs of Reinhardt and Reidan were steadily developing. Many facilities were built and as a result, yer immigrants started to emerge. The Siren Kingdom was politically incorporated into the Overgeared Kingdom and formed a rtionship with the Fold Kingdom.


    This was all Lauel¡¯s work. Having suffered a great deal of fatigue and mental suffering during this hard work, Lauel felt that his hair was thinner than before.


    "I wonder if I can appeal to Miss Ruby as I am now, an angel who lost his wings...¡±


    Lauel still had a lot of hair, but it was a problem. It seemed highly likely that he was actually losing hair.


    ¡°Ahh... Now my heart is like a stormy sea. I need a guiding light...¡±


    "What are you doing every morning?"


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Lauel stood up from where he was praying in front of the statue. He looked back and saw Grid. Grid wore his newly made crown and showed the elegance of a king.


    "You are here, my king.¡±


    "I told you not to talk like that when there are no NPCs around... What? You... Why are your eyes dead like that?¡±


    ¡°Should I tell you honestly?¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    "It is too hard these days.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    "Please help me."


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid was startled. He never imagined that Lauel would ask for his help.


    ¡®This person usually refuses any help...¡¯


    The burden on him must be too big right now. The sorry Gridid a hand on Lauel¡¯s shoulder.


    "Just say anything. I won¡¯t avoid my role.¡±


    "If so, make the quests...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Quest creation was a privilege of the nobles and king. The nobles and king could create quests as needed and announce them to the yers. The utilization was infinite. It could be used to meet the needs of the nobles and the king, such as Great Magician Ashur¡¯s quest for Pagma¡¯s Rare Book, or could be used purely for the growth of the yers and NPCs.


    Was it difficult? No, it was very simple. Thus, Grid was disappointed.


    "It is just this...¡±


    "Simplebor for the boss is the best.¡±


    ¡°...Understood. To be honest, it¡¯s too much for you to do this daily.¡±


    Lauel was a top ss worker. He wasn¡¯t suitable for simplebor. Grid epted willingly.


    "Okay, leave today¡¯s quest quota to me.¡±


    "You should consider the level of the yers and NPCs when creating quests. Our financial status as well. We are quite poor.¡±


    "Okay, okay. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t share the work with Jude! Then the kingdom will be ruined!¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡±


    Borrowing Jude¡¯s hand? Grid made an indignant sound. After giving his morning greetings to Queen Irene and Prince Lord, he headed straight to the office.


    ¡°Quest Creation.¡±


    [You can generate quests using the authority of the Overgeared King.]


    [The national rating of the kingdom is F. The total number of quests avable per day is 8,000. (3,940/8,000)]


    "It¡¯s morning yet nearly half of them have already been created.¡±


    It meant that the Overgeared members scattered all over were doing their best.


    "I should do my part.¡±


    Grid closely watched the system window.


    [A king is not dependent on the territory. You can announce quests throughout the kingdom.]


    [A king is not dependent on the financial status. You can create high level quests without restrictions. However, please be cautious of going into debt.]


    "Save money now...¡±


    It would be better to create F~E rank quests that consumed around 10~20 gold. Most of the yers in the Overgeared Kingdom were low level.


    "But this won¡¯t satisfy mid to high level yers, so I need to mix in an adequate amount of D-A grade quests.¡±


    10 gold was 12,000 won in cash. It meant it would cost two bowls of jajangmyeon to create the lowest level F grade quest. He needed 100 gold to generate C grade quests. However, the Overgeared Kingdom created 8,000 quests a day. Was this financially feasible?


    Of course it was possible. If a yer cleared a quest generated by a kingdom, the kingdom was also rewarded. There was a 50% refund on the gold spent on the quest creation and additional rewards were obtained ording to the quest rewards.


    In addition, the goods acquired by yers and NPCs as quest rewards would be returned as taxes. It was a good cycle. The quest NPCs would also have their levels increased from the quest being cleared.


    ¡°Create a D-grade quest.¡±


    [Please enter the details. The contents of the quest must be feasible.]


    It was natural that the contents of the quest should contribute to the development of the kingdom. Grid remembered the basics and thought about the thieves that appeared near Reinhardt recently.


    ¡°The remnants of the noble forces... Let¡¯s fight them.¡±


    [The specified targets are over level 200. ording to a report from a scout, they are made up of regr soldiers and knights. It can¡¯t be ssified as a D-grade quest.]


    ¡°R-Really? Then let¡¯s make it C-grade.¡±


    [The specified targets are over level 200. ording to a report from a scout, they are made up of regr soldiers and knights. They are too strong to be ssified as a C-grade quest. Do you still want to proceed?]


    "Phew, barely made it.¡±


    It was a relief that it could be ssified as a C-grade quest. It would¡¯ve been a loss since a B-grade quest consumed 300 gold to make.


    "It¡¯s good from the start. Huhuhut.¡±


    Grid smiled as he confirmed the quest creation.


    [¡¯Eliminate the Thieves Near Reinhardt¡¯ quest will be announced in the square.]


    [Eliminate the Thieves Near Reinhardt]


    Difficulty: C.


    Overgeared King Grid hasmanded the brave people of Overgeared to head to the foothills in the north and defeat the thieves. The security of Reinhardt is in your hands.


    Quest Clear Reward: 500 gold. 3 million experience. A Fallen Knight set item.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The rewards for a C-grade quest were too good? Grid was bewildered beforeughing.


    "Is it because the king made the quest?¡±


    This was the king¡¯s dignity!


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s do this! Quest Creation! Quest Creation! Quest Creation!¡±


    Grid continued making quests.


    On this day. Reinhardt fell into great confusion.


    ***


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Reinhardt¡¯s central square.


    The users trying to receive quests before going to the hunting grounds doubted their eyes. It was because the contents of the announced quests were unusual.


    ¡°Is this quest rating correct?¡±


    ¡°Is it a bug?¡±


    The difficulty of the quests announced was much higher than general quests. F~E grade quests were suitable for yers below level 50, D grade quests were for yers below level 100, C grade quests were for yers below level 150 and B grade quests were for yers below level 250.


    Of course, there were individual differences depending on the yer¡¯s ss and their items. However, the contents of the quests announced today were ludicrous. The D grade quests were almost the same as C grade quests, while the C grade quests were almost the same as B grade quests.


    "This is... A new method of torture?¡¯


    "Is he trying to raise us in a Spartan way?¡±


    "Look! I told you! There are only crazy people in the Overgeared Guild and we should be careful about moving to the Overgeared Kingdom! We shouldn¡¯t have been deceived by the tax benefits!¡±


    The yers trembled. They questioned the created quests and looked around.


    "It¡¯s okay if we perform a quest with a lower rating than usual.¡±


    ¡°But thepensation...¡±


    "The difficulty is almost B grade, but it is ssified as a C grade and the quest reward is the highest level of the C gradepensation.¡±


    "Oh, the Overgeared Kingdom sucks.¡±


    "No, calm down guys."


    Amidst the rush ofints and curses, one yer stepped forward. His ID was Coke. He was a big shot among the second generation rookies. Several years ago, he was honored with the experience of dying by bones thrown by Piaro in Patrian. Of course, only a small portion of this was known.


    "The Overgeared Kingdom wouldn¡¯t create these quests without thinking. We must grasp what God Grid is thinking.¡±


    "What God Grid nonsense... He¡¯s dirty.¡±


    "The rumor that Coke is a Grid fan is real.¡±


    The voices were small, as if they were whispering. None of the yers spoke loudly enough for Coke to hear. The average level of the yers who moved to the Overgeared Kingdom was in the mid-100s. Meanwhile, Coke was level 230. They couldn¡¯t randomly mess with him.


    Coke spoke his thoughts.


    "Quests from a kingdom have special features. We can receive support from the soldiers. Understand? God Grid set such a high level of difficulty because he wants us to cooperate with the soldiers to clear the quests.¡±


    "Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. We will grow further by challenging difficult quests. It will also raise the level of the soldiers and achieve a military growth. Think about it. This isn¡¯t a loss for us. We can get higher quest rewards than usual as well as an opportunity to build up favor with the soldiers.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t this interpretation too good? Isn¡¯t the number of soldiers that can be assigned per quest limited? For example, a C grade quest can only receive the assistance of two soldiers. You want to wipe out the remnants of the nobles with two soldiers? Does this make sense?¡¯


    "That¡¯s right. The E~D grade quests can only receive the support of one soldier. How can we wipe out 10 direwolves like that? Won¡¯t we just be dog food?¡±


    There was no way to refute the yers¡¯ints. Their viewpoint was cold and realistic. Coke was also sympathetic. But his pride was too strong to change his position after supporting Grid. This was the ego of a second generation rookie.


    ¡®Shit...¡¯


    In the end.


    "I believe in God Grid!¡±


    Coke closed his eyes tightly before epting the only B grade quest. The content of the ¡®One Horned Griffin¡¯ was to hunt five of them. It was impossible for the level 230 Coke to hunt one horned griffins which had a minimum level of 300. However...


    ¡°I believe in God Grid!¡±


    There was no turning back now. Coke felt half desperate as he turned towards the barracks. He selected five soldiers and left for the griffin nest. The yers watched him. They followed Coke tough at how the arrogant Coke would suffer alone.


    Coke would soon be in tears from the humiliation he would suffer.

 Chapter 608

    ¡¯Blond... Where is the blond soldier?¡¯


    Before heading to the griffin¡¯s nest. Coke visited the barracks to find the hermit soldier. Who was the hermit soldier? It was the soldier who escorted Grid during the 100,000 against 1 battle in Bairan and who overwhelmed the noble NPC during the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony.


    Most of the yers were aware that he was a great master disguised as an ordinary soldier. He had already appeared on broadcast several times. Of course, only a few members of Overgeared knew that his real identity was Asmophel.


    ¡®I need his help!¡¯


    Coke knew that most of the Overgeared soldiers were great talents. In particr, the Overgeared soldiers stationed at Reinhardt. Most of them hadpleted their second advancement and their equipment often made them mistaken as knights.


    However, Coke needed to face the one horned griffins. He wanted more help than ordinary soldiers. But Coke couldn¡¯t find the blond soldier in the barracks.


    ¡°What help do you need?¡±


    A middle-aged soldier approached Coke. The eyes seen through the ck helmet were gentle and friendly. He noticed that Coke was acting in the king¡¯s name (a quest made by Grid).


    ¡°Our soldiers will do whatever you need. We are willing to help.¡±


    ¡°That... Do you know where the blond soldier using a spear is?¡±


    ¡°A blond soldier using a spear?¡±


    The middle-aged soldier cocked his head. All soldiers of Overgeared used a spear fairly well. They all learned Reidan¡¯s Spearsmanship because they were trained by Piaro and Asmophel. Speaking of Reidan¡¯s Spearsmanship, it originated from the Saharan Empire... Omitted.


    ¡®Soldiers with golden hair aren¡¯tmon, but there are a few of them. Hrmm...¡¯


    The middle-aged soldier scanned the barracks and pointed to one soldier. It was a young soldier with blond hair.


    "Rio is good at the spear.¡±


    ¡°Rio...!¡±


    The name of the hermit soldier was Rio!


    Coke happily requested. ¡°I want to receive support from the soldiers, including Rio, to hunt the one horned griffins.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    [You have received the support of five people from Reinhardt. Some of the quest rewards will be shared with them.]


    [If a soldier dies during the quest, you must reimburse the kingdom for the cost of raising the soldiers and the value of the items the soldier was wearing.]


    ¡®Kuk...¡¯


    This was the problem. It was the reason why most yers didn¡¯t receive support from soldiers during the kingdom quests. The quest rewards should be distributed and thepensation system was very burdensome. But from a national viewpoint, thispensation system was reasonable.


    What if there was nopensation system? Some malicious yers couldmit bad acts, such as killing soldiers, in order to steal items from the soldiers.


    "But what is the one horned griffin? I know about griffins, but this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of a one horned griffin."


    Coke flinched as he was leaving the barracks with five soldiers. The one horned griffin. He didn¡¯t realize that the Reinhardt soldiers wouldn¡¯t know about the top-ranking species near Reinhardt.


    ¡¯Is this true...?¡¯


    There were various people in every organization. The Overgeared army might be excellent, but not all the soldiers in the army were good. If there was a distinguished person, there would also be people whogged behind.


    "...A one horned griffin is three times stronger than regr griffins. They are level 300 monsters.¡±


    Coke confirmed the details of the soldiers who became his party members.


    [Rio]


    Level: 205


    upation: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldier.


    [Gashu]


    Leve: 206


    upation: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldier.


    ...


    ...


    The five soldiers had levels in the early 200s. Even the hermit soldier Rio!


    ¡¯Why is it like this? D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Gulp.


    Before leaving the gates.


    Coke gulped and asked Rio.


    "Were you the one who fought the representative at the founding ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Coke didn¡¯t hesitate. He was about to give up the quest upon hearing Rio¡¯s answer.


    But.


    ¡®What? Why are there so many viewers?¡¯


    He btedly looked around Rio and couldn¡¯t give up the quest. Hundreds of yers were watching him. They were watching to see how Coke would praise Grid now.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Coke had admired Grid since the 1st National Competition. Just as Grid was called God, Coke¡¯s goal was to be called a god as well. In the past, Coke was a big fan of Grid and he still cherished the signature he received when he met Grid in Patrian.


    ¡®I can¡¯t disgrace God Grid.¡¯


    A fan had to protect his idol. Coke decided to go. He would push ahead with the quest!


    ¡®A total of five one horned griffins need to be defeated. If I use the soldiers to manage the aggro, I can kill one at a time.¡¯


    He was the peak of the second generation rookies. He had no doubts that he was as talented as Lauel, who was praised as the best heavenly yer.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t be scared of monsters!¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Coke¡¯s face filled with determination as he clenched his fists. On the other hand, the five soldiers following him were yawning. They visited the vampire cities as soon as the founding ceremony was over, then devoted themselves to security activities without any rest for the past month.


    The soldiers suffered many hardships because the Overgeared Kingdom stillcked manpower. Thanks to this, the soldiers acquired various skills and stats.


    ***


    The griffin¡¯s nest.


    It was a hunting ground located south of Reinhardt. Level 250 griffins inhabited this ce and asionally the field boss, the one horned griffin would appear. They were so strong that if the poption wasn¡¯t steadily reduced, they would invade other monster habitats and destroy the ecosystem.


    Was there a problem if monsters hunted monsters? Of course it was a problem. The value of territory in Satisfy was determined by the number of hunting grounds. In the case of Reinhardt, it was necessary to create an environment where users of various levels could enjoy hunting. One individual species shouldn¡¯t be left unattended.


    "Dear viewers, how are you? I am Bunny Bunny, in charge of ¡®Overgeared Kingdom Today.¡¯ Right now, I am at a griffin nest. Why do you think I am here?¡±


    -Don¡¯t ask.


    -Don¡¯t you know that the ratings of Overgeared Kingdom Today have fallen recently?The original intentions were lost.


    "Yes, it¡¯s to cover the quest of the peak second generation rookie, Coke!¡±


    -Wow, a big person has appeared.


    -Coke?Isn¡¯t he a corpse eater?


    -When he eats monster corpses, there¡¯s a rare chance to acquire a new skill or to raise a certain stat.


    -A scam...His skill level is different from others.


    -I heard he possesses a lot of skills, but the quality isn¡¯t good.


    -But he¡¯s called the strongest of the second generation rookies because he canbine them efficiently.


    ¡°Perhaps most viewers think that Coke can easily hunt the griffins. But it won¡¯t be so easy. Why? Coke isn¡¯t hunting the normal griffins, but the one horned griffins! He needs to hunt five of them!¡±


    -What is that?


    -An unusual species only living near Reinhardt.


    -They are hard like gargoyles, but can shoot a beam from their horn.


    -How scary.It is a medium level boss and can¡¯t be overwhelmed by level or items alone.


    -Who is Coke in a party with?


    -Five soldiers.


    -;;;;


    Hunting the one horned griffins with only five soldiers? Those who knew the strength of the one horned griffins thought Coke was crazy. The one horned griffins were really strong. In the meantime, the devout Coke entered the griffin¡¯s nest.


    ¡®I have to prove it. God Grid has a hidden meaning behind giving us such a difficult quest.¡¯


    Coke burned with motivation. On the other hand, the five soldiers acted freely.


    ¡°A one horned griffin means they can fly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    "Hunting them will be fun.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The soldiers¡¯ rxation stimted Coke¡¯s anxiety. They showed no signs of tension and didn¡¯t seem aware of the dangers of the one horned griffins. It was difficult for Coke to trust them.


    ¡®No... It¡¯s okay. I have to stay focused.¡¯


    Coke¡¯s reputation was high. It was likely that the soldiers would follow anymands he gave.


    ¡®I have experienced numerous raid parties. I will be able to lead them properly. I will be a god.¡¯


    Coke only acknowledged two people in the world. It was Grid and himself...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Coke shouted confidently and moved with the soldiers. The final destination was the one horned griffins. They were located deep in the griffin nest, so it was natural to be attacked by griffins on the way.


    Kieeeek!


    Griffins could fly, had sharp beaks, and strong hind legs like a bull. Coke didn¡¯t shrink back. He was able to hunt the griffins alone.


    "Grid¡¯s Sword Dance! Kill!¡±


    [Sharp Stab has been used.]


    [Critical!]


    "Grid¡¯s Sword Dance! Wave!¡±


    [Rotation Cut has been used.]


    "Grid¡¯s Sword Dance! Linked Kill!¡±


    [Continuous Stab has been used.]


    Cork kept moving forward as the griffins copsed. The viewers felt admiration while the soldiers cheered and pped.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Finally.¡±


    Coke and the soldiers arrived at the habitat of the one horned griffins. A one horned griffin was approximately 1.5 times smaller than a typical griffin. But the wings were bigger and every feather looked as sharp and hard as a de.


    Kyaaaak!


    p.


    The one horned griffin found the intruder and flew out. The blue energy was emitted from the horn on the forehead.


    Peeng!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    It was much faster than expected. Coke couldn¡¯t cope properly with the energy from the horn and it pierced his chest.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    [The passive skill ¡®100 Year Golem¡¯s Patience¡¯ has been activated and the duration of the stun is reduced by half.]


    ¡°S-Shit...¡±


    Two seconds. Coke couldn¡¯t lift a finger and fell into despair. It was because blue energy once again shone around the horn of the griffin in the sky.


    ¡®I will die from the next attack!¡¯


    Then the voice of a soldier was heard in Coke¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Take out the harpoons.¡±


    "Let¡¯s show the throwing skills that we have developed against the bats in the vampire cities.


    Kung!


    Kukung!


    The five soldiers took out arge stake and ced them in the ground.


    ¡°T-This is...!¡±


    Coke and the viewers were amazed when they saw the chain and harpoon attached to the end of the stake.


    [Dragon Harpoon]


    The item that Grid used during the drake raid in the 2nd National Competition made a surprise appearance.

 Chapter 609

    Puoook!


    Kieeek! Kiek!


    One of the soldiers threw the harpoon and it pierced the griffin. The Dragon Harpoon was deadly for flying type monsters andrge monsters. It was impossible for the one horned griffin to avoid all five Dragon Harpoons.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    The five soldiers pulled the chain attached to the harpoon embedded in the griffin.


    Then.


    Kuwuong!


    The one horned griffin crashed to the ground.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The one horned griffin was neutralized instantly?


    ¡®It¡¯s also by soldiers!¡¯


    Coke was frozen like a stone statue, despite already recovering from his stunned state. The soldiers urged him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    "Come on, collective beating!¡±


    ¡®Collective beating?¡¯


    The Overgeared soldiers were Grid¡¯s subordinates and spoke Korean ng. Coke grasped the meaning when he saw the situation and attacked the griffin¡¯s horn.


    Kik.Kieeek!


    The griffin tried to resist, but the soldiers were well trained. The soldiers kept pulling the chain to increase the binding time of the harpoon, while throwing new harpoons as well. Thanks to this, Coke could hunt the one horned griffin in a rtively straightforward manner. All types of mana and skills poured towards the one horned griffin.


    [Your level has risen!]


    [Your level has risen!]


    [The feather of an one horned griffin has been acquired.]


    [The beak of an one horned griffin has been acquired.]


    [The spellbook ¡®Wind Cutter¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Reinhardt Soldier Rio has levelled up.]


    [Reinhardt Soldier Gashu has levelled up.]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°A-Amazing...¡±


    He thought that he couldplete this quest if he acted well. But he didn¡¯t expect it to be so easy. At this moment, Coke was convinced.


    ¡°Everything is God Grid¡¯s arrangement!¡±


    The reason why Grid made such difficult quests was to use the soldiers to help them grow. Indeed, Grid was great. Then the soldiers approached the thrilled Coke and held out their hands.


    "Hand out the spoils.¡±


    "We fought together so the rewards should naturally be shared.¡±


    ¡°Yes...? No, I will share itter when I receive the quest reward...¡±


    ¡°Hey, this friend. The mission reward is the sry from the kingdom. The shares from hunting monsters is calcted separately.¡±


    ¡°King Grid always said this. Take care of your own rice bowl.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On this day. The Overgeared Kingdom became an issue on themunity sites of each country. It had been a long time since the founding ceremony.


    -It¡¯s easy to ride the soldiers¡¯ bus if you are a citizen of Overgeared.I want to move to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    -But the soldiers are expensive...


    -Still, the result is beneficial...


    -Isn¡¯t this a ne instead of a bus?


    Thanks to Coke¡¯s determination and the publicity effect of Overgeared Kingdom Today, the poption of yers in the Overgeared Kingdom started increasing rapidly. It was over 50,000.


    ***


    "There are only 1,000 soldiers stationed in Reinhardt. They alone can¡¯t support every yer¡¯s quest. Please, please adjust the difficulty of the quests from now on. Yes? Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum, the result is good. The yers surpass 50,000 and the number of people is close to 800,000.¡±


    "You should be more careful. Your position is very different from your old one. Don¡¯t forget that your actions will directly affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. Now that the poption has increased, won¡¯t the taxes also increase?¡±


    "There still isn¡¯t a profit. As you know, the cost of investment in developing a kingdom is veryrge. If it wasn¡¯t for the support of Duke Steim¡¯s funds, the kingdom would be in a deficit right now.¡±


    Currently, the Overgeared Kingdom had 16 territories belonging to it.


    Six of the northern territories were well ruled by Duke Steim, but the remaining ten territories ate up money like a hippopotamus. It was the result of erasing the remnants of the Eternal Kingdom and growing sectors such as domestic affairs, culture, and facilities from the ground up.


    "Aren¡¯t you too passionate about erasing the traces of Eternal? Due to this, the damage is too big.¡±


    "It¡¯s because it has an adverse effect on the thoughts of the people. What if the remnants of Eternal remain in our territory? There will be all types of problems if the people from Eternal are reminded of the Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    "The stakes are thin.¡±


    "If you¡¯re talking about the period where Japan upied South Korea... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. I didn¡¯t mean to speak ill of you. I believe and respect your choice. But I can¡¯t get over Reidan. Are you still investing arge amount of money into the alchemy facilities?¡±


    Lauel believed that alchemy¡¯s growth was directly linked to wealth, but Grid didn¡¯t agree. What? Alchemy could add options to items?


    ¡®Nonsense. They only give garbage options.¡¯


    Grid was angry as he recalled old memories, while Lauel grinned.


    "As I already mentioned, thebination of alchemy and cksmithing will one day produce the greatest synergy. Arge amount of funds have already been invested. It¡¯s too big to stop now.¡±


    "Well, if you say so... Okay, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so badly of it. Isn¡¯t the alchemy facility ying a very big role right now? The potions produced by the alchemy facility has dramatically increased the survival rate of our soldiers.¡±


    "...The value of the potions are also expensive.¡±


    "It¡¯s better than losing the soldiers.¡±


    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right."


    Grid knew that Lauel¡¯s words were 100% correct. Since various advanced medicines started being supplied to the Overgeared soldiers, their survival rate was close to 100%. Considering the time, effort, and money spent to nurture the soldiers, he shouldn¡¯t worry about the cost of the potions.


    ¡®I can¡¯t calm down when ites to alchemy. I have to be careful.¡¯


    Lauel asked Grid a question.


    "Are you not nning to attend the talent selectionpetition?¡±


    Arge-scale talent selectionpetition hosted by the Overgeared Kingdom and screened by the Overgeared members would be held in Reinhardt next week. The goal was to select individuals talented in specific fields such as the military, intelligence, production, and support.


    Grid replied without thinking.


    "Won¡¯t you be able to pick out talents well, even if I¡¯m not present? Your eyes are much better than mine. I don¡¯t see the point of wasting hours sitting there. It¡¯s better to use that time to make items.¡±


    "But isn¡¯t it good to enjoy the privileges of a king every now and then? Based on recent reports, you can afford to spare some time.¡±


    He did it properly. Most of the hard work was left to Lauel, but Grid didn¡¯t neglect his responsibilities. Recently, Grid had been training cksmiths inrge quantities, which was a very hard task. He observed the people daily with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword, screened those with talent for cksmithing, and trained them.


    "I can¡¯t afford to rx until there are at least 100 advanced cksmiths. The Overgeared Kingdom will be a kingdom of cksmiths.¡±


    Grid clung to advanced cksmiths for a reason. The advanced cksmiths were able do the work of a cksmith and help Grid when making items. The time it took Grid to produce items was greatly shortened when he received the assistance of an advanced cksmithpared to when he was working on items alone.


    "Well, it will be fine. I will trust you as always.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid and Lauel. There were no doubts when they looked at each other. The two of them trusted each other. It was a rtionship between king and subordinate, master and guild member, and fellow friends.


    ***


    "Hey, what is this? The power of the empire exceeds imagination.¡±


    Taturans ins. Arge scale war was taking ce here at the border of the Saharan Empire and the Belto Kingdom. God of War Ares directed the Belto Kingdom¡¯s troops, while 1st Knight Mercedes directed the imperial army. A bloody river was formed as the two sides exchanged blows. After three days and nights of war, the Ares army was on the defensive.


    ¡°Lim Cheolho, that bastard!¡±


    Ares, who was calm even when dealing with Kraugel, couldn¡¯t help making a twisted expression. The power of the empire exceeded his imagination. It felt like Lim Cheolho had embedded a nail called ¡®a yer can¡¯t ovee the empire¡¯ into him.


    "The 1st~3rd knights are on a different dimension. Kraugel and Grid... Even Agnus can¡¯t win against them.¡±


    Scott felt sick. The person who was highly evaluated by Kraugel was overwhelmed by the 3rd~10th knights. Despite Ares¡¯ passive that increased all stats by 10% and all skills by 20% when there were over 1,000 enemies, they didn¡¯t dare approach the 1st knight.


    ¡°A transcendent named NPC. Her level is too high.¡±


    For the first time in his life, Ares felt despair. Despite umting strength in the Belto Kingdom for the past three years, he was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t cross the borders of the empire.


    "The pirs favored by the emperor didn¡¯t evene out... Sheesh, everyone retreat. We¡¯ll stop the enemy¡¯s invasion at Grand Prix Fortress.¡±


    Ares lost a great deal of troops and chose to retreat. Mercedes sent him a telepathic message as his army started to move.


    -Don¡¯t forget that the only owner of this continent is the empire.


    ¡¯Shit, I thought they can¡¯t send whispers to yers. I have goosebumps.¡¯


    Winning the war against the empire meant bing the master of the continent. Therefore, Ares only aimed at the empire from the beginning. But on this day. He realized that his goal couldn¡¯t be met.


    ¡¯The war with the empire will be in the long term. It would be better topletely swallow up the Belto Kingdom and rise to the throne first.¡¯


    Ares judged and led his army in retreat. He sacrificed a unit to block the empire¡¯s pursuit. Looking at the distant Ares army, the empire became aware of the small kingdom they had been ignoring. It was the precursor to the massive ¡®West Continent Unification¡¯ episode in Satisfy.


    ***


    ¡°Reidorn?¡±


    "He didn¡¯t open his mouth today.¡±


    "Really stubborn. How could he endure the torture for over a month?¡±


    Reinhardt. Grid shook his head on his daily visit to the dungeon. The bloodied Reidorn bound with shackles smiled coldly at Grid.


    ¡°Only ruin is waiting for you.¡±


    "Shut up, you mannerless dog.¡±


    "Ggweg."


    Grid showed no mercy to his enemies! He stabbed Reidorn¡¯s thigh with a spear. But Grid didn¡¯t feel any excitement.


    ¡¯This strong determination to protect his secrets to his death... He¡¯s as stubborn as the Yatan Church.¡¯


    The calm before the storm made Grid ufortable. The number of storms that Grid squashed was countless.

 Chapter 610

    In Year 20XX, the number of yer ounts created in Satisfy was over two billion. It was a huge number that was almost one-fifth of the world¡¯s poption. There was a reason why the world¡¯s economy revolved around Satisfy.


    Of course, the vast majority of those two billion users were light users, and there were many dormant ounts. But even considering that, it was hard for people to understand why a mere 50,000 users migrated to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡º It¡¯s the first kingdom created by a yer and has triggered many hot topics. But why are there so few yers moving there? I think it should be normal for the poption to grow rapidly. ¡»


    ¡º There are two major reasons. First, immigration isn¡¯t easy. People are the driving force of a nation and the other kingdoms on the continent don¡¯t want their poption to shrink. A person who wants to migrate is required to pay arge amount of taxes orplete a specific quest. In particr, the kingdoms are more sensitive because it¡¯s the Overgeared Kingdom. There¡¯s only one kingdom among the 15 kingdoms that are favorable to Overgeared. ¡»


    ¡º The empire? Is the empire also preventing yers from moving to Overgeared? ¡»


    ¡º The empire doesn¡¯t have to do that. The empire is the best nation on the continent. Who could be willing to leave it for Overgeared? It¡¯s much better to be in the empire than the Overgeared Kingdom. ¡»


    ¡º There¡¯s a second reason for why the number of immigrants is small. The Overgeared Kingdom is new and hasn¡¯t been proven yet. It has shown tremendous resources, including the support of the Reba Church and the Siren Kingdom, but it¡¯s a small kingdom without any distinct advantages. There¡¯s no reason to move to the Overgeared Kingdom, even though the yers are suffering losses in their respective kingdoms. .¡»


    ***


    "It¡¯s slower than I thought.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face wasn¡¯t good as he looked at the current status of the poption. The flow of yers due to the quests had slowed. It was because the soldiers able to support a quest were limited and the difficulty of the quests returned to normal.


    "I need a way to make people relocate to Overgeared despite the immediate risks... What is it?¡±


    Grid thought about it alone. He didn¡¯t think there would be a point going to Lauel, who was already worrying over this problem.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s think of a method that only I cane up with.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s worriessted for several days. Grid sought ways to increase the number of people moving to the kingdom while doing his job, spending time with his family and even brushing Noe¡¯s fur.


    The result?


    ¡®What if I made items for quest rewards?¡¯


    Grid approached the problem from the perspective of a cksmith, not a legendary cksmith.


    ¡¯Of course, the items can¡¯t have too high a value. I also can¡¯t drop the rarity of my items. In addition, I need to prevent yers from leaving after getting the items... Should it be set items?¡¯


    For example, the mass production Grid set.


    ¡¯Whenever a yer clears two or three quests, they¡¯re rewarded with an item from the mass produced Grid set.¡¯


    The mass produced Grid set were divided into six parts: weapons, secondary weapons, armor, gauntlets, helmets, and boots. When two or more set items were worn, a set effect would be applied. If yers were given Grid¡¯s set as a reward, it was obvious that the yers¡¯ desire to collect would be stimted.


    ¡®yers won¡¯t be able to leave the Overgeared Kingdom until they have all six set items...¡¯


    From the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s point of view, the yers wouldplete all types of quests and develop the power of the kingdom in the process.


    ¡®By the time they collect all of the Grid set, the Overgeared Kingdom will be well developed.¡¯


    It was clear that the developed Overgeared Kingdom would appeal to the yers. There was no reason for yers to leave once they immigrated to Overgeared.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Grid had the idea and ran straight to Lauel. Grid was the king and Lauel the subordinate. Grid should summon Lauel to him, but he didn¡¯t want to interrupt Lauel when he was so busy.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea.¡±


    Generate linked quests with the mass produced Grid set as rewards, utilizing the yers¡¯ abilities to speed up the development of the kingdom. If a yer had a long-term goal, their passion and concentration would be great. The Overgeared Kingdom would be able to make rapid progress.


    "I think that the developed Overgeared Kingdom will bring in more and more people...¡±


    Lauel nodded after hearing Grid¡¯s n. But then he gave a bittersweet smile.


    "Do you have enough resources and manpower to produce thousands and tens of thousands of mass production Grid sets?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid noticed his mistake. It wasn¡¯t just technique, but resources and manpower needed to mass produce items.


    ¡°Uh... Ummm...¡±


    Grid was embarrassed because it hadn¡¯t urred to him before. It was impossible for him to producerge quantities of items quickly and he didn¡¯t have enough capital to consumerge quantities of ck iron, which was the main ingredient of the mass produced Grid set.


    ¡°Hah, I was too short-sighted.¡±


    Gridmented his ignorance and sighed, while Lauel smiled benignly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to me yourself. Don¡¯t be ashamed for working hard to try and develop the nation. Huhut.¡±


    "Thank you for the words. But it¡¯s no help.¡±


    "No, it has opened up some possibilities. If your n is realized, I am sure it will be a great help to the development of the Overgeared Kingdom. My role is to make your ne true.¡±


    "How?¡±


    "Is it possible to have the other cksmiths make the mass produced Grid set?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Why didn¡¯t he think of this? Until now, Grid had made Khan focus on nurturing cksmiths. Currently, the 1,000 cksmiths in Reidan were all passed onto Khan and Grid only asionally improved their skills. Grid hadn¡¯t thought about passing on specific production methods to the cksmiths. He hadn¡¯t felt the necessity.


    Grid thought for a moment before replying.


    "The advanced cksmiths can learn how to make the mass produced Grid set.¡±


    ¡°How many advanced cksmiths are there in Reidan?¡±


    "It was 10 people before the founding ceremony. Then there should be 15 around now?¡±


    Reidan¡¯s cksmiths were talented. It was because Grid had individually selected the talented people using the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. During the past few years, the cksmiths had trained under Khan and their growth rate was enormous. Lauel¡¯splexion brightened.


    "Let¡¯s shake the treasury. We will have the 13 advanced cksmiths present in Reinhardt as well as Khan and the advanced cksmiths of Reidan start production of the Grid set. Ah, of course.¡±


    There was a premise behind it.


    ¡°This is after we have enough capital to mass produce the set.¡±


    "How long will that take?¡±


    "It should be 3~4 years? If you instruct Marquis Peak Sword to hasten the development of the ck iron mine, that period might be shortened by half a year.¡±


    ¡°Four years...¡±


    Four years was enough time to go to the army twice. When would that daye? Lauelughed at the frustrated Grid.


    "Don¡¯t be nervous about the kingdom. We will slowly and steadily develop. Think positively. In four years, the number of advanced cksmiths will increase and production of the Grid set will be even easier.¡±


    ¡°Umm... Yes, it isn¡¯t as easy as giving rice to a dog. I shouldn¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    Grid was convinced when a soldier entered the office and reported.


    ¡°Minor has returned.¡±


    ¡°Minor?¡±


    Grid had forgotten about Minor since he had been gone for the past year.


    ¡°I thought he ran away again.¡±


    What had he been doing in the past year? Minor was an excellent miner, but he had a unique talent for discovering new minerals. Grid once had great expectations for him. Minor had the unprecedented position of ¡®minerals detector¡¯ and it was believed he would be a great help to Grid. But was it that easy to find a new mineral on this wide continent? Minor had never found one and Grid hadpletely forgotten about him.


    "That brat, surely he didn¡¯te holding a woman¡¯s hand?¡±


    Grid frowned while Lauel questioned.


    ¡°A woman?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the age to be interested in the opposite sex. Who knows how many women he was involved with instead of working during the past year?¡±


    ¡°Haha, no way.¡±


    Was there such a crazy NPC in the world? Lauel thought that Grid¡¯s worries had no basis. But what was this?


    "The genius born in the stream that is called Bairan. The genius Minor, who will be the second mythologicalmoner, has returned. Duke Grid... No, should I call you king now? Heh, are you d to see me after a long time?¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Minor was really holding a woman¡¯s hand. She was an impressive woman in shy attire and dark makeup. She was someone who could typically be seen in the back alley pubs.


    ¡°...Is this a joke? A young one is ying around.¡±


    Minor btedly realized the situation and hurried to exin to Grid.


    ¡°Ah, I just met this woman today when I arrived in Reinhardt and visited a pub. I wasn¡¯t ying with this woman for the past year.¡±


    The woman with thick makeup reached out to Grid.


    "This guy was a virgin. I came because he said the king would pay me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid handed money to the woman with trembling hands.


    "This is from Minor¡¯s sry.¡±


    At this time, rage was rising in Grid¡¯s head. He pledged to hit MInor. But all that rage disappeared.


    "Look at this. This genius has struggled for the past year and found a new mineral.¡±


    Minor took out a big sack and Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the contents.


    ¡°This...!!¡±


    It was a sack full of minerals! Grid¡¯s heart pounded as he saw the light that glittered like it was a bright chandelier.


    Duguen!


    Quickly.


    [Mineral Containing the Breath of a Light Dragon]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the light dragon Nevartan. It has a special nature due to being affected by Nevartan¡¯s breath for thousands and tens of thousands of years. It¡¯s correct to say that this is a crazy mineral.


    Weight: 5


    "A crazy mineral?¡±


    Grid was confused after checking the detailed information of the mineral. Minor exined with a repentant expression.


    ¡°This mineral, it multiplies.¡±

 Chapter 611

    TL: Changing light dragon to insane dragon from now on.


    ¡°What? A mineral that can multiply? What crazy words are you saying? Are you drunk?¡±


    A person who obviously deny it when hearing unrealistic words. Minor huffed after Grid treated him as a madman and pulled out the mineral from the sack.


    ¡°It really can multiply! There was clearly 20 pieces when I put the mineral in the bag. It is over a monthter and there are now 160 pieces! The mass has also increased by several times!¡±


    "...I don¡¯t think you would speak such a ridiculous lie.¡±


    Grid became serious. He realized there was no reason for Minor to make a false report.


    ¡®I don¡¯t smell any alcohol.¡¯


    Well, the method to determine if Minor was lying or telling the truth was simple.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [The information about the Mineral Containing the Breath of an Insane Dragon¡¯ has been updated!]


    [Insane Dragon Iron]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.


    It has been influenced by Nevartan¡¯s madness for countless years and gained the chaotic ability ¡®Proliferation.¡¯


    It doubles every 10 days.


    This absurd nature makes it very difficult to control. The hardness isparable to ck iron, but the smelting difficulty is several times higher.


    Weight: 5


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Grid was breathless as he confirmed the details of the mineral. He stared at it in an impressed manner.


    ¡¯A mineral that doubles?¡¯


    It meant that the mineral would increase infinitely if he just ced it in the warehouse! It was also a precious mineral on the level of ck iron!


    ¡°Lauel! Maybe it will be possible to mass produce the Grid set after a few months, not four years!¡±


    Lauel also showed a strong reaction after receiving the item information.


    ¡°Kukuk! Your good luck has shown at this exquisite moment. Don¡¯t you always get a jackpot at the crucial moment?¡±


    ¡°No, not necessarily...¡±


    There were many crucial moments when he was unlucky. Lauelughed, Grid reminisced on his bad luck while Minor shouted at Grid.


    "Both of you are fortunate. How is this good luck? It¡¯s all my merits!¡±


    ¡°Of course. How can we not know your merits? Your presence itself is our luck. You are the treasure of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Grid looked at Minor with deep affection.


    ¡®He is a useful person as expected. I look forward to him continuing to work with me.¡¯


    Exploring every corner of the continent and discovering all types of minerals,ter on he would keep finding new minerals. Grid eagerly grabbed Minor¡¯s two hands. Minor was excited as Grid showed a deep affection and confidence in himself.


    ¡¯Won¡¯t I at least be a marquis with this achievement?¡¯


    The achievement of discovering an infinitely proliferating mineral was unquestionable great. Minor believed it wasparable to the great achievements in other kingdoms. At this moment, Minor had given infinite wealth to the kingdom. He deserved praise for this merit.


    Grid delivered the reward to Minor who was anticipating it with sparkling eyes.


    "In the name of Overgeared King Grid, I will create a minerals detection department and you will be the general manager.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Now you are only 18 years old... You will be the boss of dozens of young men at a young age. Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±


    ¡°Happy... What happiness?¡±


    After getting a high position and entering the social circles, Minor was going to build up the foundation to bing a king by steadily establishing awork and making a faction. Minor felt resentment now that his n was interrupted.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to give me money, at least give me a barony! Minerals detection department? Are you crazy? Why should I lead this damn department? Do I have to continue looking for minerals for the rest of my life?¡±


    MInor knew his talents and merits. He wanted a reasonable treatment. Grid knew how Minor felt.


    ¡®If Minor had a bad heart and took these minerals, he could¡¯ve been rich. He would¡¯ve received a high title if he ran to the empire. But he didn¡¯t betray me. It¡¯s natural to give him a reasonable treatment.¡¯


    But reality was relentless.


    "Minor, I¡¯m really sorry but I don¡¯t have any spare titles right now.¡±


    The national rating of the kingdom was F. The kingdom¡¯s rating was based on the territories, the number of people, and the stability of the kingdom. A F rating was the lowest rating. The Overgeared Kingdom had vassal kingdoms, but the future was uncertain because the poption was small and the treasury was empty. It was forced to be evaluated at the F rating. Due to this, there were only three dukes, three marquis, six earls, and thirty barons. Grid had already handed out all these titles.


    "Make me a viscount!¡±


    The excited Minor moved closer. The moment that Lauel was about to speak up. Grid restrained Lauel and stroked Minor¡¯s head.


    "How can I let a precious child like you be just a viscount? Your work is sufficient to be appointed as an earl, let along a viscount. Can a person like you be satisfied with such a small title?¡±


    ¡°...Y-Your Majesty.¡±


    Minor was impressed. Grid hugged the young boy who was only 18 years old. He was wearing the Great Lord¡¯s Sword and Holy Light Crown which raised his dignity.


    "Minor, I have great expectations for you. Your talent is definitely much higher than you think. Your noble debut must be absolutely gorgeous. I hope you will built up a bigger merit by that day.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty!!¡±


    Minor was smart. This was why he recoiled against his innate limitations. He always med himself for being amoner and thought that this insignificant identity would hold onto him one day. But at this moment. Grid was holding onto a brilliant future for him. It was an assessment from the firstmoner to be a king.


    Minor realized he was acknowledged by Grid. He was greatly thrilled and his loyalty to Grid increased. This little incident taught Grid something new.


    [Minor has exceeded his limit.]


    [The information about Minor has been updated!]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Just like Jude and Iyarugt, who were aiming to be stronger, broke their limits by winning in a battle against the stronger, Minor wanted to be acknowledged and would surpass his limits whenever he achieved this. In other words.


    ¡®In order to break through the limits of a NPC, it is necessary to grasp the characteristics of the NPC and use it well.¡¯


    He was bing an expert in NPCs. In the future, Grid would be able to efficiently nurture more NPC talents. Minor¡¯s updated information appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    Name: Minor


    Age: 18 years old Gender: Male


    upation: Minerals Master


    Level: 235


    Strength: 355/450 Stamina: 408/608


    Agility: 200/200 Intelligence: 420/1,120


    Skill: Fantastic Pickaxe Technique (S) Minerals Master (S+) Talent will Reveal Itself (SS).


    A boy who has held a pickaxe since the age of five, under the influence of his father who was a miner.


    After serving Grid, he has put down the pickaxe and is engaged in minerals study and detection. However, he can still collect minerals better than miners who have been working for decades.


    * A great talent. If this talent blooms, he will be the representative of a country in this particr field.


    * He has broken his limits by establishing a worthy achievement and being recognized by those who he respects. The maximum value of stamina and intelligence have greatly increased. (1/20)


    * The limit will umte every time a condition is met.


    ¡®Amazing...¡¯


    There was an inevitable difference between named NPCs and semi-named NPCs. Named NPCs had infinite growth potential and overall stats, while semi-named NPCs were limited in growth and tended to lean towards one side in their stats. For example, Jude. He had highbat rted stats instead of intelligence...


    Minor was simr to Jude. The level of the skills he possessed were high and unique, but his overall stats were low. But at this moment, Minor proved that he could ovee his shorings by breaking through the limits. If a semi-named NPC grew steadily, they could beparable to a named NPC. Grid¡¯s liking for Minor was even higher. It wasn¡¯t just because of his growth.


    ¡¯He admires me?¡¯


    Minor¡¯s passive skill Talent will Reveal Itself was a double-edged sword. His talent was so visible that there were many outside temptations and a high likelihood of betrayal. Minor was someone who could betray Grid at any time. Grid always kept this in mind and didn¡¯t give a lot to Minor. He just thoroughly used Minor.


    ¡®But now he respects me? He won¡¯t betray me?¡¯


    Grid was amazed and happy. He was an object of respect for someone. Grid smiled happily.


    "Lauel, give Minor a sry in the future.¡±


    "Rabbit is in charge of the sry. He will handle it well.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    As a reference, Rabbit was the person who exploited Piaro for only 73 silver. It was thanks to Rabbit that the current Overgeared Kingdom could exist. Grid and Minor were oblivious to this while they were trusting each other.


    ***


    Grid left Lauel and Minor. He headed to the smithy with light footsteps after gaining the insane dragon iron.


    ¡®I need to experiment.¡¯


    Grid wanted to understand the concept of proliferation more precisely. The characteristic of the insane dragon iron was to double every 10 days. Did this apply even after being made into an item?


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid made the Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Greatsword with the insane dragon iron. He would check in 10 days if the greatsword actually multiplied. Then after a while. There was a big change in the greatsword that Grid made.


    [The Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Greatsword has changed. The volume and weight are doubled due to the effect of the insane dragon iron used as a material.]


    "...Oh, it¡¯s too bad.¡±


    Grid realized. This was the reason why the difficulty of the insane dragon iron was high.


    ¡®It multiplies when it exists as a whole mineral. After it¡¯s made into an item, the volume increases.¡¯


    In order to use the insane dragon iron as an item making material, it was necessary to properly control this characteristic. The mass produced Grid set would just be ruined like this. Who would use an item that had its volume and weight doubled every 10 days?


    Grid was determined to find a solution.


    The insane dragon iron. A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan. In other words, it meant there were various types of minerals in Nevartan¡¯s nest beside the insane dragon iron.


    ¡®It¡¯s possible that a mineral with the effect of suppressing the insane dragon iron exists.¡¯


    In the end.


    ¡¯I have to go to Nevartan¡¯s nest?¡¯


    Grid had felt anxious when raiding Hell Gao. Maybe. He thought there was a chance he would have to enter a dragon¡¯s nest to find a rare mineral.


    This anxiety became a reality. Why? It was more efficient for him to go directly to Nevartan¡¯s nest to study the characteristics of the minerals naturally urring there.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Grid let out a deep sigh and immediately called Minor. Grid asked in a blunt manner.


    "Is Nevartan present in his nest?¡±


    ¡°No. If Nevartan was present, I wouldn¡¯t have entered in the first ce. Do you think I¡¯m crazy?¡±


    ¡°That is great... Then what about other monsters?¡±


    ¡°There are none. It was an empty dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Ohu.¡±


    This was aplete jackpot.


    ¡¯I was scared for no reason.¡¯


    Grid smiled with satisfaction and rose from his seat. He prepared to leave for the first time since the founding ceremony.


    "Let¡¯s go, Minor.¡±


    "Yes, I¡¯ll prepare boxed lunches. Hehe, the king¡¯s boxed lunches will be full of delicacies right? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t have money, so I will pack jerky.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal to be king. Minor often thought this recently.

 Chapter 612

    The worst dark gamers group, Blood Carnival. They were those who did evil deeds for the sake of money. The number of people who perceived Blood Carnival as enemies were too numerous to count. Some people aimed to get revenge on Blood Carnival.


    But it was determined that the copse of Blood Carnival was an unrealistic goal. The power of Blood Carnival was uniquely powerful and it was impossible to find the base because they were a group wrapped in mysteries. But today.


    "This is the stronghold of Blood Carnival?¡±


    Thand¡¯s leading ranker, Tom Yum, arrived at the Dravian Mountains. After being assassinated by Blood Carnival, she rallied simr victims and found the home of Blood Carnival. This was the result of recruiting Skunk, the number one explorer, with a lot of money.


    "You can enter that cave.¡±


    Skunk showed the way in a friendly manner after collecting a lot of gold. Tom Yum reached the entrance of the huge cave and frowned.


    ¡°Based on the notification window, this is the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan?¡±


    The base was a dragonir? What was this? Skunk exined to Tom Yum, who had a distrustful expression.


    ¡°To be precise, this ce was Nevartan¡¯sir. Nevartan has been gone for hundreds of years. Only the remnants are left. It¡¯s a secret ce where even monsters don¡¯t approach. There¡¯s no better ce for Blood Carnival to establish their base.¡±


    "Hrmm, okay.¡±


    Tom Yum looked around and checked the list of party members. They were all those who suffered tremendous damage from Blood Carnival. The reason why they became targets of Blood Carnival was because they made a name for themselves in various fields. Most of the 300 people had great discretion and their average level was very high, in the mid-200s. There were also 19 high rankers. It was a power that wouldn¡¯t be crushed by Blood Carnival.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t necessary to discuss mercy with the foolish ones who only covet money.¡¯


    It was right to respond with an eye for an eye. Tom Yum led the party members.


    "Be ready for battle. As soon as we enter the enemy base, kill every enemy you see.¡±


    "Okay, let¡¯s show those Blood Carnival bastards.¡±


    "I will make sure to destroy that bastard who killed me.¡±


    The angry Anti-Blood Carnival allied members picked up their weapons. They entered the cave without any hindrances. However.


    ¡®There¡¯s no one?¡¯


    ¡®The information was leaked?¡¯


    ¡®Did Skunk trick us?¡¯


    The cave was empty. None of the abominable Blood Carnival members could be found.


    ¡°Everybody calm down.¡±


    Was it a trap? Tom Yum assumed the worst and calmed down the allied members.


    "Don¡¯t let down your guard and look for traces of the enemy.¡±


    She barely rallied these people. She didn¡¯t know when she could gather them again. Tom Yum was determined to achieve her goal today. She desperately looked for traces of Blood Carnival. The result?


    "I found the entrance to a dungeon!¡±


    There was a hidden dungeon entrance in the deepest part of the cave. The enthusiasm of the allied members rose again.


    ¡°Those Blood Carnival guys...! They must¡¯ve noticed our raid and hid here out of fear!¡±


    "Let¡¯s smash them!¡±


    "Ohhhh!¡±


    The allied members weren¡¯t afraid. There were 300 of them. They believed they could break through this dungeon, even if it was a trap from Blood Carnival. They were filled with confidence as they entered the dungeon. At the same time.


    [You have entered the Beware Dogs dungeon.]


    [The dungeon has detected invaders and triggered a massive trap!]


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    The dungeon had an odd name. As soon as intruders were detected, the area turned into a sea of fire and des. The dozens of allied members in the lead were seriously injured or died.


    ¡°Chrome Shield!¡±


    ¡°Giant¡¯s Shield!¡±


    ¡°Wind Curtain!¡±


    Many of the allied members already anticipated such a trap and were calm. They quickly used defensive skills to protect themselves and their teammates. But the problem wasn¡¯t the trap.


    Gruruk!


    Kyaooooh!


    Arge number of monsters emerged from inside the dungeon. The allied members were slow to react due to the trap and started to receive damage.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯


    Tom Yum was shocked as the battle continued. The monsters fought precisely in formations, like an army. It was as if someone was directing the monsters.


    ¡®Monster tamer...? Blood Carnival has a ranker level tamer?¡¯


    Indeed, this was a group of informal rankers. They were tough opponents. Tom Yun cut the monsters one by one.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    The allied members were impressed. The rankers used their power to break through the monsters in the dungeon. They struggled to the end.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    "Did we beat all of them?¡±


    The allied members seeded in destroying all traps and annihting the monsters. But they didn¡¯t release their tension. No, they became more nervous and alert to the surroundings. They were exhausted and thought Blood Carnival would emerge now. However, Blood Carnival didn¡¯t raid them while they were resting and taking potions.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    The allied members were surprised. They found a door in the corner of the dungeon.


    ¡°This dungeon, it¡¯s divided into several sections?¡±


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    The first section alone had a very high difficulty. The 300 members of the alliance were now 250. They couldn¡¯t imagine how high the difficulty of the next section would be. The allied members were scared and frustrated, while Tom Yum and the high rankers pped.


    "There¡¯s no need to worry. Starting from the next section, if we respond calmly from the beginning, we will be able to clear it more easily.¡±


    "There¡¯s a definite limit to the number of monsters that a monster tamer can have in the first ce. The number and quality of the monsters in the next section will be significantly lower.¡±


    "Beware of traps while preparing to fight the Blood Carnival members.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The courageous allied members moved to the next section. Waiting for them were more dangerous traps and arge number of monsters.


    Grrrrr!


    Kieeeeek!


    ¡°T-This is crazy!¡±


    The allied members paled. The number of monsters waiting in the second section was greater than the number of monsters in the first section. This wasn¡¯t the area of a monster tamer.


    ¡®Even dozens of monster tamers can¡¯t control such monsters.¡¯


    ¡®This is ridiculous... Can this perfectbination of monsters appear in nature?¡¯


    ¡®How high is the difficulty of this dungeon?¡¯


    ¡®Those cowardly Blood Carnival bastards, they¡¯re hiding in a terrible ce.¡¯


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The fighting started again. The stamina consumption of the allied members elerated as they fought against the advances of the monster army with various species and characteristics.


    ***


    [Be careful, Zone 3 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    [You have gained a lot of experience and loot as part of the intruder reparationpensation.]


    [The survivors have broken into Zone 4.]


    [The traps and monsters ced in Zone 4 have started acting.]


    "It has been a while, but they are struggling to their grave.¡±


    One month ago. Dark was rmed after an unidentified intruder entered his dungeon. Beware Dogs was his masterpiece, but he realized it couldn¡¯tpletely stop someone¡¯s invasion. Therefore, he modified the dungeon to have more thorough protection. He invested arge amount of money and time into it.


    The result was amazing. The effects of the monsters and trap in the Beware Dogs dungeon was more than imagined, driving the 300 high level invaders to the point of copse.


    "It¡¯s painful to have three areas destroyed. But I will smile because I will gain a much bigger profit from your loot after you die.¡±


    Dark was thrilled with his mighty power. The hidden ss Dungeon Maker. The utilization was very high and he could reign like a god in his own dungeon.


    ¡®Perhaps even a great demon won¡¯t be my opponent in here?¡¯


    Kraugel, Agnus, Grid and other sun grade yers? They were fools. Dark was confident that all intruders would be wiped out. Dark¡¯s smile widened as he saw the notification window that his level had risen.


    "When can I go collect the loot?¡±


    ***


    ¡°S-Shit...¡±


    Tom Yum barely escaped from the dungeon. Most of her equipment was damaged and she was wounded, as she sank to her knees. She was filled with frustration.


    ¡¯The alliance I painstakingly created was wiped out.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t even meet the Blood Carnival members that were her goal.


    ¡®Revenge... I have to give up.¡¯


    In the past few months, Tom Yum used all types of efforts to assemble the victims. But the result was too miserable. She didn¡¯t receive any rewards for her efforts. Tom Yum exhausted. She didn¡¯t want to face Blood Carnival anymore. She thought it would be wiser to give up and forget her grudge.


    ¡°Huk...¡±


    The moment that humans lost pride, they felt despair. Tom Yum bowed her head and shed tears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even see an ant, let alone a monster? What is this person?¡±


    "It looks like a lost woman crying. Just ignore her and enter the dungeon.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it normal to ask about her situation and help out?¡±


    "I hate ipetent people. I won¡¯t help the weak without a reason.¡±


    "You are disgusting.¡±


    "Then are you actually interested in that woman?¡±


    "Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Voices were heard from the entrance of the cave. Tom Yum stopped crying and checked their identities. She saw a man with ck hair and a young boy. Tom Yum¡¯s gaze was fixed on the man with ck hair.


    ¡°G-Grid...?¡±


    Why was a bigshot in a ce like this? Tom Yum stared curiously. She gripped her weapon while feeling cautious towards Grid.


    ¡®Why is he here? Does he have a rtionship with Blood Carnival?¡¯


    Based on Skunk¡¯s words, Blood Carnival¡¯s base was concealed in a secret andplex ce. It wasn¡¯t a location that people coulde across by chance. The fact that Grid appeared here wasn¡¯t a coincidence. Grid looked at Tom Yum with a suspicious and alert gaze and warned.


    ¡°I will say this once. Don¡¯t get caught up in this and leave.¡±


    All the minerals here were his! Grid omitted these words, causing Tom Yum to misunderstand.


    ¡®Does he already know how dangerous this ce is? And he is worried about me?¡¯


    This meant he wasn¡¯t with Blood Carnival. Maybe Grid..


    ¡®He is going to fight Blood Carnival!¡¯


    Blood Carnival hadmitted countless evils. The likelihood of Grid forming a grudge during the process was very high. Tom Yum cried out urgently as Grid headed to the entrance of the dungeon.


    ¡°D-Dangerous...! Going in there alone is like suicide!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid red at Tom Yum. At this moment, Tom Yum felt breathless. Thebination of Grid¡¯s high dignity and his harsh eyes gave her a sense of oppression.


    "(It¡¯s just a minerals cache) Why is it suicide? Are you making fun of me (or threatening me)?¡±


    It was a ce with precious minerals. Grid felt the duty to monopolize this ce for the development of the Overgeared Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t an individual¡¯s greed, but a king¡¯s noble duty. Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate this woman who was trying to interfere with his mining.


    Pahat.


    Grid and Minor ignored the threat and entered the dungeon together...


    ¡°A-Amazing...¡±


    Tom Yum admired Grid¡¯s bold attitude. A terrifying dungeon that could copse a party of 300 users with an average level of 200. Grid was a king and likely already received information that Blood Carnival was hiding in the dungeon. Nevertheless, he entered the dungeon with only one weak NPC.


    ¡®Does he think he can break through the dungeon and destroy Blood Carnival by himself?¡¯


    Indeed, Grid¡¯s bravery broke through the sky. But.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible for him to get through the dungeon alone. Even if he does break through, there are the ck and White sisters, as well as Blood Carnival¡¯s rankers...¡¯


    Grid would soon die. Unfortunately, this was the reality. Tom Yum had seen Blood Carnival¡¯s power directly and was worried that Grid was ignoring their strength.

 Chapter 613

    [You have entered the Beware Dogs dungeon.]


    "Eh? What¡¯s with the name of this mine?¡±


    Beware Dogs? It was writing he used to see on the house walls in his old neighborhood. This was truly Satisfy. A game made by Koreans. There was the feeling of South Korea from the name of the mine. Grid observed the inside of the mine and frowned.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    The mine was devastated. The ce was a mess, just like ruins after a war.


    ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯


    Minor exined to Grid, who was looking around the perimeter.


    "I smashed the wall here to gain the minerals. Some crazy bastard had bricks all over the walls and ceilings.¡±


    "It must be the insane dragon Nevartan. It was originally a mine, and he decorated it to make it his nest.¡±


    That¡¯s why this ce was called a dungeon instead of a mine. Grid lost his wariness and Minor pulled out a pickaxe.


    "In any case, it¡¯s difficult to mine here unless you¡¯re a genius. You have to dig up the bricks and then the minerals. Your Majesty, you must be prepared to sweat for a long time.¡±


    "You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Grid smiled and summoned Noe and Randy.


    ¡°Nyang! Master!"


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Noe and Randy were overjoyed at appearing after a long time. Theyughed and circled around Grid as soon as they were summoned. They looked like a family. A young girl, young dad, and pet cat.


    ¡°Your Majesty...?¡±


    What was the reason for summoning the pets before starting the mining? Minor couldn¡¯t understand it. Noe¡¯s ears pricked as he btedly discovered Minor.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this human, nyong? Is he a tribute to the best demonic beast of hell?¡±


    Noe licked his pink soles instead of waiting for an answer. There was no sense of pressure from the cuteness. A ck cat that shook his tail and had shining eyes. Minor couldn¡¯t help turning red at the sight.


    "Can I raise this child?¡±


    "No.¡±


    Grid firmly rejected it and pulled out two pickaxes, handing them to Noe and Randy.


    ¡°It has been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    Noe and Randy were bewildered as they received the pickaxes. Grid exined to those who couldn¡¯t grasp the situation.


    "Your task today is to gather all the minerals here.¡±


    "Kyang!"


    Noe threw the pickaxe on the ground as soon as he heard the exnation.


    ¡°This is ridiculous nyang! The best demonic beast of hell won¡¯t hold a pickaxe! Nyang! Fart nyong!¡±


    Noe had been bored and lonely since Grid became king. He¡¯d been looking forward to hunting humans or monsters again with Grid. And today. It had been a long time since he was summoned outside the pce. Yes, Noe was expecting a battle.


    Yet he was told to mine? A noble species that was precious to even the great demons who dominated hell had to hold a pickaxe? Noe was very upset. He wondered about why he should be humiliated like this when serving a human. Noe¡¯s nose moved from side to side.


    Unlike Noe who felt ufortable, Randy thought it was new and interesting.


    "How do I use the pickaxe? Grid, teach me.¡±


    ¡°Like this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Noe no longer felt angry. It was because the atmosphere between Grid and Randy was so full of harmony. Noe was worried that Grid would only look at Randy and was forced to pick up his pickaxe.


    "I will help, nyong...¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid stroked Noe¡¯s head and summoned the God Hands. Of course, the four God Hands were also armed with pickaxes. The confused Minor btedly noticed the situation.


    "Y-Your Majesty, are you crazy? Your pets and artifacts are going to mine?¡±


    The minerals that grew here were very rare. They were more precious than gold. Experts would have to avoid minor scratches when digging out each one. Good miners would find it hard so Grid seemed crazy trying to make his pets and artifacts mine the minerals.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking at mining too lightly?¡±


    Minor was the son of a miner and also dreamt of being a miner. No matter how great Grid was, mining wasn¡¯t easy. But he was only angry for a moment.


    Peok!Peok!Peeeeok!


    "...W-Wow.¡±


    Minor slowly let out an amazed sound. It was because the mining technique of the golden hands was excellent. It felt like the skills of a pro miner?


    "This is a mining only artifact...!¡±


    Minor had never seen Grid fight, so he misunderstood. The unique rated ¡®God Hand¡¯ received 30% of Grid¡¯s dexterity. At present, the dexterity of the God Hands was higher than intermediate cksmiths. Their mining technique was excellent. Noe and Randy?


    ¡°Kyahahat, how funny.¡±


    ¡°The best demonic beast of hell is holding a pickaxe nyang... It¡¯s a disgrace...¡±


    Noe and Randy also did well in mining.


    Noe knew thenguage from the moment he was born and his learning skills were outstanding. It was interesting to learn how to use the pickaxe. However, due to hisck of dexterity, he was somewhat clumsy and slow. But it was enough to collect the minerals, so Grid didn¡¯t feel bad.


    In addition, Randy used the duplication skill to turn into Grid, giving Randy 30% of Grid¡¯s ability. Due to his great dexterity, he quickly moved his hands and extracted the minerals.


    ¡®Mining pets!¡¯


    Minor was impressed by Grid¡¯s greatness. Grid was respectable enough to have unique artifacts and pets just for mining.


    ¡®Maybe he had a variety of artifacts and pets depending on the situation. Amoner king is truly great.¡¯


    Grid prompted the dismayed Minor.


    ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you working?¡±


    "Ah, ah! Yes!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Zone 1 of the Beware Dogs dungeon. The dungeon that Dark designed and constructed for several months started to be destroyed at an irrecoverable level. The pickaxes moved faster and faster as soon as Randy, Noe, and the God Hands adapted.


    ***


    "It¡¯s better than I thought. Okay, very good.¡±


    The Anti Blood Carnival alliance copsed and Dark got all the items he needed. He was d because he umted a lot of experience and goods due to the alliance. He also felt great pride. Was there anyone else who could kill a party of 300 high level users alone? He didn¡¯t have to move a single finger.


    ¡®If I acquire a second sster...¡¯


    The best. He would hold the title of the strongest that was only allowed for one.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Dark was excited when he imagined the future of being at the peak of two billion users. Then he paused.


    [An intruder has appeared in the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon.]


    ¡°Again?¡±


    There was a new intruder not long after the Anti Blood Carnival alliance?


    ¡®I can¡¯t cover up a ce that was already discovered.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think an enemy would invade immediately.


    ¡®There are many people looking for Blood Carnival and I will be tired all the time.¡¯


    It would be better to move Blood Carnival¡¯s base and hide the dungeon more thoroughly. Dark shook his head for a moment.


    ¡®What? Why is the intruder staying in Zone 1?¡¯


    The Anti Blood Carnival alliance had made their way through zones 1~3. The traps and monsters weren¡¯t present anymore, so the new intruder could advance to Zone 4 without any problems. Therefore, the intruder should¡¯ve reached Zone 4 by now. But the intruder was still in Zone 1.


    Dark was puzzled before ridiculing the prey.


    ¡¯Is he stopped in Zone 1 because of fear?¡¯


    It was an absurd coward. It was most likely a low level yer.


    ¡®He will die if he encounters the monsters in Zone 4.¡¯


    Dark started production on Zone 8 located at the end of the dungeon. Then after a while.


    [Zone 1 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    "What?¡±


    The reason why yers attacked dungeons was because they wanted certain rewards. By defeating the monsters in the dungeon, they could get levels and items, or challenge the boss monster at the end of the dungeon. It was sufficient to say that no one who entered the dungeon would destroy the dungeon itself.


    However, this intruder was breaking the dungeon. Yes, it was like a month ago...


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    A chill went down Dark¡¯s spine. He was convinced that the new intruder was the same person as the one who invaded a month ago.


    ¡°This son of a bitch!¡±


    He would confirm directly what type of crazy person they were! The moment Dark was about to move.


    [An intruder has appeared in Zone 2 of the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon.]


    [Zone 2 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    The destruction rate had elerated? If this continued, Zone 3 would be destroyed as well. If the dungeon waspletely destroyed, he would receive big damages, because he would have to start the construction again. The distressed Dark rushed to Zone 3.


    ***


    ¡°Is he dead...?¡±


    Grid had been in the dungeon for over an hour already. Since the alliance already cleared the first three zones, Grid would¡¯ve moved directly to Zone 4 after entering the dungeon. Then he would¡¯ve encountered the enemies in Zone 4. He would encounter the evil eyes, who exterminated the alliance.


    Just like vampires, they were one of the demonkin that existed to counter yers. In particr, they had the power of ¡®foresight.¡¯ The evil eyes could perfectly predict the yer¡¯s behavior. It was theoretically impossible for a yer to win a fight against them.


    ¡¯No, Grid will still be alive. He¡¯s someone who can win against the sky above the sky.¡¯


    Maybe he needed someone¡¯s help now. It was very desperate.


    ¡®I... I will help you.¡¯


    No more casualties should happen because of the wicked Blood Carnival members. Tom Yum firmly believed this and entered the dungeon. She was uneasy about the durability of her current items but she couldn¡¯t pretend to be unaware.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Tom Yum entered the dungeon and doubted her eyes. It was because the dungeonndscape waspletely different than before. The inner walls were all destroyed while the ground and ceiling were damaged.


    ¡®It is almost as if...¡¯


    It looked like an abandoned mine. What on earth happened here? Tom Yum was curious but couldn¡¯t afford to try and solve the question. Grid could be suffering at this moment. Tom Yum hastened her pace and quickly reached Zone 4. Then she saw it. The 20 evil eyes who overpowered the rankers of the alliance were stunned. Most importantly, even the seers of the species were bloody.


    ¡°Uh... How?¡±


    Grid defeated the powerful evil eyes by himself? Tom Yum doubted her eyes and turned towards Grid. He was standing on the body of an evil eye and held a pickaxe in one hand.


    "Why are these mobs running wild?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The evil eyes were considered mobs? Tom Yum was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 614

    ¡¯Dammit!¡¯


    A Dungeon Maker wasn¡¯t a tamer. He couldn¡¯t control monsters. Then how could a Dungeon Maker ce monsters in the dungeon? The first method was a contract.


    Dungeon Maker Dark didn¡¯t fulfill the monsters¡¯ demands. He hired them as guards of the dungeon. It was a framework for mutual cooperation. Of course, this was only allowed if the monster¡¯s intelligence reached a certain level. He couldn¡¯t form a contract with monsters of low intelligence.


    Dark had to block the enemy¡¯s intrusion by strategically cing monsters of various characteristics, so he found a solution. The monsters with low intelligence were faithful to their instincts. For example, if he wanted to ce a griffin in a specific area of the dungeon, he would obtain the griffin¡¯s favorite orc meat and ce it in the dungeon. The griffons who smelled the orc meat after being trapped in the dungeon would naturally turn into monsters belonging to the dungeon.


    Of course, there were fatal disadvantages for monsters deployed in this way. They were hostile to intruders and Dark. It was the reason why Dark was stuck at Zone 5 and couldn¡¯t move to Zone 3 yet. He had triggered ¡®Disy Mode¡¯ the moment an intruder urred.


    Once all the monsters in his dungeon woke up, there was a big restriction to Dark¡¯s movements. Moving secretly to avoid the monsters in each area inevitably slowed down his movements. As a result, Dark¡¯s worst fear ured.


    [Zone 3 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    The first three zones werepletely destroyed. It was a deadly wound. It would take at least a month for the dungeon to recover. He also needed huge funding.


    "D-Damn bastard...!¡±


    He was so angry that tears poured out. Dark¡¯s eyes were bloodshot.


    Shake shake!


    Dark shivered with fury as a new notification window appeared in front of him.


    [An intruder has appeared in Zone 4 of the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon.]


    At that moment.


    "...Kuk, taste hell.¡±


    Dark¡¯s anger was quickly relieved. Dark even smiled.


    "You were able to break through three zones without any obstacles, but you¡¯ll lose your senses in the next section. I don¡¯t know who the intruder is, but he will be trampled on by the evil eyes and regret his sins."


    The evil eyes. The inherent strength of the demonkin was unreasonable. The evil eyes were supreme predators born with absolute strength.


    ¡®There are dozens of types of evil eyes.¡¯


    It was impossible to fight against arge number of evil eyes because they showed different traits. Among them, those with the power to look into the future for a few seconds were the best. How could he ce such powerful evil eyes in the Beware Dogs dungeon?


    It was because Dark had unexpected good luck. Dark built the Beware Dogs dungeon to protect ¡®it,¡¯ which the evil eyes desired to hatch. Their goal was the same. Therefore, Dark and the evil eyes were the best partners to trust each other.


    ***


    ¡°This is amazing speed!¡±


    The God Hands and Randy¡¯s pickaxes moved quickly, maximizing their efficiency. Minor was surprised as Randy and the God Hands demolished the walls in an instant, extracting the minerals.


    "But it isn¡¯t as good as me. Huhut.¡±


    ¡®He isn¡¯t pretending. This guy, he¡¯s really great.¡¯


    Minor¡¯s speed was overwhelming enough that Grid could admit it. The four God Handsbined were slower than Minor. Minor¡¯s talent for mining was truly the best. Grid acknowledged it, but he still didn¡¯t intend to make Minor a miner.


    ¡®No matter how good, you¡¯re still a minerals detector.¡¯


    There were many excellent miners in the world, but only Minor could detect minerals. Minor was a unique minerals detector.


    ¡°Your Majesty, there¡¯s a door to the next section. Should we go?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Grid¡¯s goal was to collect all the minerals growing here. It was natural to go through all the areas.


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity that there was only the insane dragon iron in the first three sections. Well, there¡¯s no need to be nervous because there¡¯s nothing dangerous.¡¯


    The insane dragon Nevartan stayed here, so he knew it wasn¡¯t an ordinary mine. Grid entered Zone 4 without any major crisis awareness. Then he realized that this wasn¡¯t an ordinary mine.


    [You have entered Zone 4 of the Beware Dogs dungeon.]


    [The traps have been activated.]


    Kurururung!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The moment they stepped into Zone 4, Grid and Minor¡¯s eyes widened. A huge rock was rolling from the end of a straight, narrow passage.


    ¡®Can I avoid it?¡¯


    No. The passage was too narrow. The way they came was blocked.


    ¡°D-Death...¡±


    Minor muttered with despair. He closed his eyes tightly and grabbed his head. He imagined himself being crushed by that massive rock. Then Grid¡¯s voice was heard.


    "Open your eyes and raise your head. Show a confident charm."


    ¡°Your Majesty...?¡±


    Why was he so calm despite stepping into an unexpected trap and being on the verge of death? Minor reflexively looked up.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid pulled out a blue greatsword from beneath Lantier¡¯s Cloak and started a sword dance. Then he struck the sword against the huge rock.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Pant...¡±


    The power of weight was overwhelming. But Satisfy was a game. The rolling rock that weighed dozens of tons? It was just mere tofu in front of the legendary cksmith wielding a greatsword made of blue orichalcum.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty, jackpot!¡±


    The centre was pierced by Grid¡¯s sword and the rock split in two. Minor was hit by a piece of falling rock and bleeding, but he still raised a thumb. On the other hand, Grid waspletely covered with Lantier¡¯s Cloak and blocked the rock fragments.


    "When did you learn that word?¡±


    "Your Majesty often uses it...¡±


    Minor wanted to be like Grid. Due to this aspiration, Minor watched Grid and was influenced by the small habits. Gridughed at him.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a usual mine.¡¯


    Yes, he shouldn¡¯t forget that this was a dragonir. It wasn¡¯t strange that there were traps. Maybe strong monsters were sleeping at the end. Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. Rather, he enjoyed it.


    ¡®This is interesting.¡¯


    He could acquire minerals, level, and loot! Also.


    ¡®The reason there are traps is because they have something to protect.¡¯


    It was likely to be treasure. A treasure that a dragon prized! Grid hastened his pace. Numerous traps appeared along the way, but it was impossible to threaten him. Mere des and mes couldn¡¯t do any harm to Grid. On the other hand, Minor almost died many times, only to be helped by Noe and Randy. The potions from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility were also a big help.


    "This should be good.¡±


    After the narrow passage, Grid arrived at a big space and took out a pickaxe again. Zone 4 was several timesrger than the first three. Minor was overwhelmed by the size of theplexbyrinth, but Grid just recognized it as a bigger mine.


    Teong!Teong!


    Grid, Minor, the God Hands, Noe, and Randy started to break down the wall with their pickaxes.


    "It¡¯s an unpleasant noise.¡±


    A voice was heard from behind the party.


    ¡®A person?¡¯


    He expected a monster, but it was a person? Grid turned his head and was even more surprised.


    ¡°...Child?¡±


    Yes, the owner of the voice was a little boy. His round face was charming and hisrge eyes was strangely harmonious. The eyepatch over one eye was reminiscent of Lauel.


    "Why is a kid like you here? Ah.¡±


    Grid asked before realizing how foolish his question was. The name ¡®evil eye¡¯ in red was floating above the boy¡¯s head.


    ¡®Monsters.¡¯


    Humanoid monsters. There was a high probability that it was a high level monster. He shouldn¡¯t be fooled by the young and cute appearance. The nervous Grid hid Minor behind his back.


    ¡°Kukukuk... A mere human has invaded the territory of the evil eyes. Looking at the past and present, it¡¯s rare that such a crime like today would happen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The evil eye boy spoke a chunni phrase and lifted the eye patch. A blue iris with three ck pupils could be seen. The eye facing Grid looked mysterious rather than grotesque.


    ¡°I, an ordinary resident of the evil eye n,mand this uncivilized human. Look into my ¡®ice¡¯ and be bound for all eternity.¡±


    Jjejeok.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The ground where Grid was standing froze in an instant. The intense cold tried to freeze Grid¡¯s legs, waist and heart. But.


    [You have made eye contact with an evil eye.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®frozen¡¯ state!]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®First King¡¯ title, ¡®Great King¡¯s Majesty¡¯ is activated.]


    [You have counterattacked against the abnormal status.]


    Jjejeok!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°W-What...?¡± A mere human can threaten me...!¡±


    The evil eye boy paled. The freezing curse that he invoked came back to him, causing him to feel fear. As the boy¡¯s feet was frozen, Grid¡¯s pickaxe hit him in the forehead. Based on the name, the evil eye seemed like a magic mob so Grid was confident he could do damage with his pickaxe.


    That¡¯s right. Grid didn¡¯t want to waste mining time by switching between weapons.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    Grid started mining again after hitting the evil eye boy.


    ¡°...¡±


    Minor stared with a wide open mouth, like a carp. The evil eyes. ording to the rumors from when he travelled all over the continent, they were incredibly powerful demonkin. Usually a human couldn¡¯t resist when meeting an evil eye and would lose their lives.


    Yet Grid casually took care of such a powerful enemy with a pickaxe? He also started mining again straight away!


    ¡°Hrmm... It¡¯s a small fry mob, so it doesn¡¯t give items.¡±


    Grid muttered with disappointment and Minor shouted to him.


    ¡°The evil eyes aren¡¯t a small fry mob!¡±


    The evil eyes had a slim chance of dropping their skin when they died. Many people were greedy for this. However, the evil eyes were very powerful. Realistically, it was impossible to hunt the evil eyes. The evil eyes were huge. It happened before Minor could exin.


    "Hoh, this is astonishing. A mere human dares to kill an evil eye? A human has ovee their natural limitations?¡±


    "Huhuhut, humans have always produced heroes. It is a species that can¡¯t be denied. But in the end, you¡¯re trivial in front of our evil eyes.¡±


    New evil eyes appeared. There were three cute little boys with eyepatches. They were excited, rather than angry about their own kin being killed. They recognized Grid as prey and raised their eyepatches.


    "Ignite.¡±


    "Blindness."


    "Silence."


    [You have resisted.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®First King¡¯ title, ¡®Great King¡¯s Majesty¡¯ is activated.]


    [You have counterattacked against the abnormal status.]


    ¡°K-Kuack...? Is my body burning hot evidence that my heart is warm?¡±


    "All of a sudden, the world is dark. My brilliant presence has darkened everything except me.¡±


    ¡°Oof oof.¡±


    "Phew, really noisy.¡±


    Was this mob hunting or minerals gathering? Grid¡¯s pickaxe became busier and Minor stopped thinking.

 Chapter 615

    First King was a title that only one yer could acquire. It was the first yer to be a king. The uniqueness of the title could be understood by looking at the extraordinary acquisition conditions. It was a title give to only one out of two billion users.


    What about the performance? Numerous people guessed that it would be the best. Some people were more envious about the fact that Grid obtained this title than hisrge territory or hundreds of thousands of people. In reality?


    [First King]


    A great king who built the first nation of yers. A living history and myth.


    * A great king puts his safety first. If you lose 70% of your maximum health, a shield containing the health you lost within thest minute will be created. At this point, terrain adaptability will increase by 100% while movement speed and defense will increase by 10%.


    * A great king must be familiar with the crown. You can wear a helmet and crown together, receiving the stats of both items. The exposed image must either be a helmet or a crown.


    * A great king is diligent and bold. You can always keep your cool and status resistance will increase by 50%.


    -You will reflect the abnormal status effect when resisting it. However, you won¡¯t be able to trigger this reflection if the opponent has achieved a certain level of reputation, status, or level.


    * A great king is respected. Stats such as charm, dignity, and leadership will exert more influence on NPCs and monsters.


    * A great king ispetent. The skill level of all acquired skills will increase faster. Two points will also be added to your stat points acquired every time you level up.


    Amazing. The title had five effects and each of them boasted an overwhelming performance. The number of items that could be worn had increased, he had increased status resistance and reflection, and there was also the stats and skill level increase.


    Each one was a treasure-like effect. It was correct to say that the First King exerted a power beyond any titles. In particr, the additional stat points after levelling up and the abnormal status resistance were a scam. But human greed was endless.


    Grid was somewhat disappointed with the First King title. It increased status resistance by 50%. This option was useless for Grid. It would¡¯ve been a perfect title if it was something else beside the status resistance option. But would he have any conscience if he grumbled about this?


    Grid thought about it positively as possible. In particr, he liked the additional two stat points he got from levelling up. This additional two stat points made Grid¡¯s growth rate unrivalled.


    ¡®Obtaining 14 stat points every time I level up... Huhuhut.¡¯


    A yer gained 10 stat points with every level up. However, Grid had two more points from acquiring a dual ss, and now there were two more points from the First King title. He was a special existence. Grid felt like he was the protagonist of the world and his immersion in the game rose exponentially. This was directly rted to his increase in concentration.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid was delighted to experience the effect of the First King title on the evil eyes. The moment he devoted himself to mining again, new evil eye members appeared.


    "Hoh, it¡¯s quitemendable that a human can easily dismantle the evil eye n. Is it a miraculous bloom that appeared among the disappearing ephemera? Kukukuk, I can¡¯t help but pay respect to you for giving me a feeling of tension for the first time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This time, 16 evil eyes appeared. They reminded him of SD characters (super-deformed drawing style). As he looked at their big and sharp eyes, Grid¡¯s spirit was pained.


    ¡®It feels like there are 16 Lauels...¡¯


    His ears and mind were contaminated. Every time they spoke, he felt his hands and feet curling up. It was unpleasant, like he was caught in a status condition.


    "Randy, close their mouths.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to be disturbed while mining. There wasn¡¯t enough time to get minerals from every area of this huge dungeon. Grid didn¡¯t stop moving his pickaxe as Randy moved instead. Randy duplicated Sword Ghost.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Minor was shocked when Randy copied the same swordsmanship as Grid. Randy wasn¡¯t an ordinary doppelganger, given the fact that normal doppelgangers couldn¡¯t duplicate the skills of the copied target.


    ¡®What¡¯s with this doppelganger?¡¯


    Minor thought it was simply a mining pet, but it was actually a versatile pet. Minor wanted to have a doppelganger like Randy.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Supaak!


    The battle started. Randy approached the evil eyes and attacked them simultaneously. The evil eyes were focused on Grid and couldn¡¯t escape the surprise attack. The 30% of Grid¡¯s stats still dealt critical damage since the evil eyes had low defense and health. However, the evil eyes had the strength to ovee this.


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Um....¡±


    Crash!


    Yes, the evil eyes just looked at Randy. But the effect was amazing. Randy literally fell asleep in thebat state. Grid was startled.


    ¡®It overcame Randy¡¯s status resistance?¡¯


    Randy was a named boss and had high status resistance. Grid never remembered seeing Randy be affected by status conditions before. Randy was easily handled by the evil eyes. The evil eye¡¯s ability was an absolute force on most yers except those with a legendary ss.


    ¡®These eye monsters... They give out 5 million experience, which is a lot for small fry mobs.¡¯


    The junior vampires gave 5 million experience. It meant the evil eyes weren¡¯t level 300. This was why Grid was convinced they were small fry mobs.


    ¡®Level 200 monsters have such absolute status abilities.¡¯


    If a high level evil eye existed, wouldn¡¯t they be a fairly powerful boss? Only Grid would be a proper match for it.


    "Do you know why you have two eyes?¡±


    Grid was concerned about Randy and asked a question. The evil eyes looked at Grid again andughed.


    "That¡¯s a silly question.¡±


    "We can¡¯t deny having two eyes. It¡¯s just like having two moons in the sky.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Grid shook his head at their answer. The evil eyes cocked their heads. Unlike normal monsters, they responded to human conversations. This meant that the evil eyes were suitable to be tamed as ¡®pets.¡¯ Grid wasn¡¯t a tamer, so hismon sense didn¡¯t head in that direction.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The evil eyes reacted like they didn¡¯t understand. The moment they were absorbed in their conversation with Grid.


    ¡°It is okay to get rid of one.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    "I¡¯m going to destroy your eyes.¡±


    At the same time.


    Pa pa pa pat!


    The God Hands armed with Mjolnirs flew at the evil eyes.


    Peok!


    Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    The evil eyes paled. They couldn¡¯t resist the attacks of the golden hands. The golden hands were fast, powerful, and not affected by the evil eyes, because they had no eyes. The biggest problem was the human with ck hair. The human with ck hair wasn¡¯t cursed whenever he met the evil eyes¡¯ gazes. They ended up being cursed instead.


    ¡¯It¡¯s awkward to kill them.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t kill the frightened evil eyes. He was merciful after hitting them in the forehead several times with his pickaxe. They were monsters, but they talked and looked like people. They were no threat and didn¡¯t drop items, so he didn¡¯t feel the need to kill them.


    ¡°Human... Why don¡¯t you take our lives?¡±


    "Is the second ego sleeping in your heart whispering not to harm us?¡±


    "Were you an evil eye in your previous life?¡±


    The evil eyes still talked nonsense despite being copsed. But their killing intent decreased. The fighting spirit in their eyes disappeared as they looked at Grid. It was at that moment.


    ¡°Kukukuk... A human is running wild. But you are already dead the moment you made eye contact with me.¡±


    A new evil eye appeared. The ordinary evil eyes looked like 3D characters with childlike faces, while the new evil eye had a mustache on his face. He seemed a bit older.


    ¡°Foresight.¡±


    Pahat.


    The evil eye lifted his eye patch and observed Grid. At that moment.


    ¡®Foresight?¡¯


    The phrase ¡®resisted¡¯ didn¡¯t appear in Grid¡¯s point of view. It meant this evil eye didn¡¯t cause a status condition.


    ¡¯The boss?¡¯


    Grid was tense.


    ¡°...¡±


    The evil eye suddenly started sweating.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t it attacking? Grid was curious.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukuk, it can¡¯t be helped. If this is my destiny, I will ept it.¡±


    The evil eye mumbled beforeying down on the ground.


    ¡°Now, kill me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Committing suicide? A boss appeared at exquisite timing only to suddenly show his stomach?


    "What are you up to?¡±


    There was no room for cockiness. Grid didn¡¯t carelessly approach the evil eye lying on the ground. He was wary about a trap. It was natural to be vignt. A monster he never met told him to kill it.


    ¡®Is this a monster that explodes when it is killed?¡¯


    The evil eyeughed as Grid was having terrible thoughts.


    "My great foresight told me. In a few seconds, my forehead would be pierced by your pickaxe. Kukuk... If this is my destiny from heaven, I will humbly ept it.¡±


    ¡°...No, what odd monsters. In the first ce, why are they here?¡±


    The 17 evil eyesy like dead bodies. Grid was grumbling about how to deal with them when a woman¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡°Uh... How did you handle so many evil eyes by yourself?¡±


    It was Tom Yum. It was the Thai woman he met at the entrance. Grid scratched his head.


    ¡°It is a little vague to say I handled them. What about you? What are your intentions behind chasing me?¡±


    "I was worried...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Chasing after him because she was worried? It wasn¡¯t something that Grid could understand.


    "Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡±


    Grid wouldn¡¯t yield if she was aiming for the minerals. Grid looked at Tom Yum with sharp eyes. He showed obvious hostility. Tom Yum saw this and misunderstood.


    ¡®Is he worried that I will get mixed up in the fight with Blood Carnival?¡¯


    They only met for the first time today.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t seen a person with such a good heart in a long time. He¡¯s the leader of Overgeared for a reason.¡¯


    A big shot who made other high rankers submit to him.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be polite to refuse the goodwill he has shown me a few times.¡¯


    Tom Yum stepped backwards and bowed to Grid.


    "Next time I will greet you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    What was she saying? Tom Yum disappeared before Grid could ask any questions. She thought while heading back.


    ¡¯He isn¡¯t exhausted at all despite copsing the powerful evil eyes alone. I don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡¯


    Indeed, he was the person who broke the sky. Maybe Blood Carnival would copse today.

 Chapter 616

    "Why aren¡¯t you killing me? Are you trying to shame me with mercy? Kukukuk, I¡¯ll politely refuse. I am a noble who can see the passage of time. It¡¯s shameful to keep my life because of human sympathy. The blood in my body will flow from the humiliation.¡±


    ¡®What are these guys?¡¯


    The evil eyes whoy down hoping for death. Grid was embarrassed.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve just killed them from the beginning instead of sparing them uselessly.¡¯


    Indeed, doing things he didn¡¯t usually do was tiring.


    ¡®It is wrong to talk to them in the first ce.¡¯


    The tone of the evil eyes was so simr to Lauel that a sense of empathy was created and his hostility faded.


    ¡®Ah?¡¯


    A sudden thought passed through Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡¯These guys, won¡¯t they be good friends with Lauel?¡¯


    It was awkward to kill them now after already sparing them. Grid devised a method and spoke.


    "You guys, be my subordinates instead of giving up your lives.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    Servitude. Was it possible for non-NPC monsters? The usual Grid would have no expectations. But now Grid had the title of First King.


    * A great king is respected. Stats such as charm, dignity, and leadership will exert more influence on NPCs and monsters.


    ¡® Maybe it¡¯s possible.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this an opportunity to make the evil eyes his subordinates? There was nothing to lose. The evil eyes started to react to Grid, who was dubious but filled with expectations.


    "A mere human wants to take the noble evil eyes as subordinates? Kukuk, looking at our entire past, there is no human as absurd as you. Your concept is already beyond the category of a human. A concept that isn¡¯t tied tomon sense... That is what I hear.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s shocking. It is enough to shake our souls trapped in the prison that is our flesh.¡±


    The 17 evil eyes groaned and stood up. It seemed hard because their heads too were big.


    ¡®Their weight leans to one side. Their agility must be the worst.¡¯


    The evil eyes were a species with many disadvantages. But their power was absolute.


    ¡®It will be a big hit if I can make them my subordinates.¡¯


    Dugun dugun.


    His expectations were rising. The evil eyes barely stood up and approached Grid. Their eyes shone red in a brilliant manner.


    "Do you think we will serve a mere human? As I said before, it¡¯s a big shame. It¡¯s impossible... What?¡±


    The evil eyes were prepared to die when they became shocked. Their trembling eyes were looking behind Grid.


    "That cat...!¡±


    A cat was holding a pickaxe and breaking the wall with awkward gestures. The plump stomach was impressive, but the evil eyes looked like they had seen a ghost.


    ¡°Memphis!¡±


    A demonic beast with a noble lineage that only followed the great demons. Why was the best demonic beast of hell in this ce?


    ¡®In addition, why is it holding a pickaxe?¡¯


    It was a situation they couldn¡¯t understand. The bewildered evil eyes soon understood.


    ¡°Pant pant. Master, can I take a break? It¡¯s hard, nyong.¡±


    ¡°!!!!!¡±


    Unbelievable! The best demonic beast of hell, a memphis, served a human?


    "You still have stamina, so what¡¯s hard? Don¡¯t exaggerate and focus on your work.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t fun to use a pickaxe...¡±


    "Ifbor was fun, would it bebor?¡±


    ¡°Nyang...¡±


    Grid was stubborn. He walked over to Noe who was lying down, revealing his plump belly. Noe¡¯s two eyes were wide and he tried to look as pathetic as possible. He was asking for leniency. However, Grid wasn¡¯t moved and Noe was eventually forced to start mining again.


    The evil eyes were shocked as they watched this scene.


    Grid nodded in the awkward silence. "I understand. Then I will kill you as you wish.¡±


    Grid shook off his lingering attachment to the evil eyes. He grabbed the pickaxe in a fearsome manner.


    ¡°I will serve you.¡±


    "Me too.¡±


    ¡°It is the same with me.¡±


    The 17 evil eyes suddenly changed their attitudes.


    "Even though you¡¯re a human, the fact that you have made a memphis a mild cat is worth admiring.¡±


    "In fact, it¡¯s embarrassing to ignore you just because you¡¯re a human. You¡¯re the one who defeated all of us.¡±


    "But there¡¯s a condition before we serve you.¡±


    "Condition?"


    They were trying to add conditions on top of sparing their lives? Grid thought they were more confident than stupid. The evil eyes were a species worthy of respect.


    "What do you want?¡±


    "The desire of our evil eyes is the destruction of the great demons. We can¡¯t forgive the great demons who have driven the evil eyes out of hell.¡±


    "But in order to get revenge on the great demons, we need a powerful helper.¡±


    "And we have found that helper."


    "It is the child of the insane dragon Nevartan.¡±


    "He will have a big grudge against the great demons who made his father crazy.¡±


    "We want to secure the dragon egg that will soon hatch.¡±


    Grid listened in silence before asking with an awkward expression.


    "Is this a delusion?¡±


    Was it simr to Lauel saying that a ck dragon was sealed in his hand? The sudden story of the dragon was too unrealistic. The evil eyes shook their heads at Grid.


    "At the end of this dungeon is the insane dragon egg.¡±


    "If you help us secure the egg that¡¯s in the hands of a human, our evil eyes will share our fate with you forever.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it too early to get involved with dragons?


    "I¡¯m...¡±


    Grid imagined Reinhardt being destroyed by a dragon breath and was about to refuse the evil eyes¡¯ suggestion.


    [A hidden quest has been created.]


    [Insane Dragon Egg]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The evil eyes are demonkin who have been driven out of hell.


    The evil eyes are dreaming of working with the child of Nevartan to get revenge on the great demons.


    Secure the insane dragon egg guarded by the master of the dungeon and hand it over to the evil eyes.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Secure the insane dragon egg.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Acquire 17 evil eyes as subordinates. Affinity with the evil eyes will increase. Exchanges with the evil eyes are possible.


    Quest Failure: Level -3.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    It was a quest that would decrease his level by three if he failed?


    Grid shook.


    ¡®Why do I have to suffer when I¡¯m just digging minerals?¡¯


    He fought and defeated the evil eyes. After proposing that they be his subordinates, they epted because of the memphis. This hidden quest urred because of coincidences. The episode that might¡¯ve been hidden forever was revealed because of Grid.


    Grid would usually feel proud. He would be excited by the hidden quest rewards. However, Grid felt negative. Why? It was a quest rted to a dragon egg. Where were dragon eggs normally kept? Grid coveted the quest reward, but thought it was likely to fail the quest.


    ¡°Hah... Damn...$%@#!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid sighed and cursed. The evil eyes looked at Grid as the atmosphere became worse. It was because they felt killing intent from Grid.


    "I should¡¯ve just killed you.¡±


    Gulp.


    He said he would spare them and now he wanted to kill them? He also said it in front of them. The evil eyes thought that Grid was a very vicious and fickle person.


    "Indeed, the master of the best demonic beast of hell is evil.¡±


    "He¡¯s a demon, not a human.¡±


    "That is why our souls are attracted. Kukuk.¡±


    They were sweaty from fear, but their mouths were still active. The silent Grid pulled something out of his inventory. The 17 of them were handed pickaxes.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The evil eyes made stupid expressions as they were handed pickaxes. Then Grid spoke to them.


    "Isn¡¯t the dragon egg at the end of the dungeon? Don¡¯t forget to mine on the way."


    ¡°Kukuk...? You want us to mine? The great evil eyes don¡¯t do such trivial work...¡±


    "Be quiet if you don¡¯t want me to kill you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ***


    Dark confirmed that the intruder had entered Zone 4.


    ¡°Jokbal is the best for a midnight snack.¡± (braised pig¡¯s trotters)


    Dark logged in after eating a meal. He did this because he thought the intruder would be defeated by the evil eyes.


    ¡°That damn intruder. Once he¡¯s dead... Eh?¡±


    Dark¡¯s face suddenly stiffened. His spine became soaked with sweat. It was because the Beware Dogs dungeon was still in ¡®Disy Mode.¡¯


    ¡®What? The intruder is still alive?¡¯


    It meant that the intruder survived the 20 evil eyes present in Zone 4.


    ¡°The evil eyes were defeated?¡±


    No, that guess didn¡¯t fit. The evil eyes were the strongest monsters that could neutralize their opponent simply by looking at them. The evil eyes couldn¡¯t be defeated.


    ¡°Perhaps the first intruder was defeated and a new one appeared? Heok.¡±


    Dark¡¯s face became white as he read the dungeon¡¯s defense record. It was because there was no record of a new intruder. It meant that the intruder survived Zone 4.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Dark was confused because he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. It was a big mess that made his head spin around.


    "I-I need to grasp the situation.¡±


    Dark imagined the worst and hurriedly opened the status window of the dungeon.


    [Zone 7 of the Beware Dogs dungeon ispletely destroyed!]


    [An intruder has appeared in Zone 8 of the ¡®Beware Dogs¡¯ dungeon.]


    Terrible notification windows appeared in front of Dark.


    "This is the mind... No, it¡¯s the end of the dungeon?¡±


    A strange voice was heard.


    ¡°You... Who are you?¡±


    Dark trembled with anger. He turned towards the intruder¡¯s voice. Then he saw it.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    The first legendary ss and first king. The identity of the intruder was someone so big? Grid looked at the puzzled Dark with interest. It was natural to be interested after finding out that the master of this huge dungeon was a yer.


    ¡°You, what¡¯s your identity?¡±

 Chapter 617

    Blood Carnival¡¯s master.


    He always existed behind a curtain. He never showed himself on the surface and concealed his identity. That was Dark. The reason he hid his identity was simple. He didn¡¯t want people to know about his association with the evil organization, Blood Carnival. For Dark, who had great dreams of the future, Blood Carnival was merely a way for him to make money.


    ¡°You, what¡¯s your identity? You look really strange.¡±


    Dark wore a mask on a daily basis. It was so that he wouldn¡¯t be discovered in the course of his exchanges with Blood Carnival.


    ¡°Why are you so quiet? Are you mute?¡±


    Grid frowned. A mysterious yer whopletely hid his face and ID. Based on the contents of the quest, he was the master of this dungeon. How did he be the master of the dungeon? Was it possible for a yer to own a dungeon? There were many questions he wanted to resolve, but the other person remained quiet like he was mute.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Grid urged.


    Then Dark made a ridiculing sound.


    ¡°Your personality is just as dirty as I heard. How can you act like this when you¡¯re the viin who infiltrated another person¡¯s area and destroyed everything? If you have a bit of conscience, isn¡¯t it normal to feel sorry?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know. How could I imagine that this dungeon was someone¡¯s possession?¡±


    "Is it not a sin just because you don¡¯t know?¡±


    "No, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    As Dark said, Grid had a trash nature in the beginning. He was selfish and greedy. He didn¡¯t hesitate whenever there was an opportunity to get a profit. But now he was different. He didn¡¯t seek profit if it dealt great damage to innocent people. If Grid had met Dark before he received the ¡®Insane Dragon Egg¡¯ quest, he would¡¯ve felt sorry for Dark.


    ¡°But right now, I¡¯m performing a quest. Aren¡¯t quests the most important content in a game? I¡¯m sorry for you, but it can¡¯t be helped. Hand over the insane dragon egg.¡±


    Yes, it was a rationalization. Grid rationalized his own selfishness and greed in the name of a quest. In Dark¡¯s eyes, Grid was a terrible viin. But he didn¡¯t criticize Grid. He also used any means and methods to achieve his goal. This was the fate of those dreaming of being the best.


    ¡°You¡¯re after the insane dragon egg...¡±


    Dark shook his head. How much had he done to protect the dragon egg he identally discovered a year ago? Dark sought to be the only yer with a dragon as a pet. He made all types of unreasonable profits from Blood Carnival in order to create this dungeon. However, one day a person like Grid asked for Dark¡¯s egg. He couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°Disgraceful person.¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Dark emitted killing intent.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking me too lightly.¡±


    Dungeon Maker was a hidden growth type ss and it had reached a unique rating. He specialized in producing dungeons, but like Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he also hadbat ability. In particr, all his stats and skills were increased in the dungeons he created. His ss benefits were activated and he could show a more powerful ability.


    "Who cares if you broke the sky? I am the new sky!¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Dark shouted and the dungeon started to stir. Zone 8. All the walls and ground were a trap to protect the dragon egg. They activated and covered Grid.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was startled. The trap wasrger and more threatening than any trap he had experienced since he started ying Satisfy.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    As Grid shouted, the God Hands started blocking the arrows and spears. However, they were only four of them, no matter how quickly they moved. They couldn¡¯t block thousands of weapons.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Kurururung!


    Grid brought through the defense of the God Hands and swept away the flying weapons with a wide area skill. He allowed several attacks in the process, but didn¡¯t suffer a big blow thanks to Triple Layers and Lantier¡¯s Cloak. The problem was the traps installed on the ground. The ground split in half and boilingva tried to swallow Grid.


    Grid hastily swapped to Braham¡¯s Boots and flew up. This was a mistake.


    Kukukung!


    The ceiling fell down. It crushed Grid with an awful weight. Grid failed to prop it up with strength and used Freely Move to break through the traps and reach Dark.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    The moment that Grid thrust his sword forward.


    "Building Walls!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Dark took out a huge hammer and mmed it down on the ground. Then stones walls stronger than a magician¡¯s barrier sprang out, blocking Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡®Itpletely absorbed the damage of Kill used with the +9 Failure?¡¯


    The fragments of the wall scattered all over the ce. Grid ignored the sharp chunks of stone and attacked Dark again. Of course, Dark¡¯s resistance was tough. He used a shovel to pour cement and block Grid¡¯s Link.


    [You have be ¡®petrified.¡¯]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®First King¡¯ title, ¡®Great King¡¯s Majesty¡¯ is activated.]


    [Reflecting the status has failed.]


    ¡®You!¡¯


    Grid and Dark stared at each other as their alertness thickened. They acknowledged that their opponents were tough. Grid counterattacked Dark¡¯s shovel with Revolve and immediately used ckening. Dark¡¯s posture was copsed by the counterattack. He used Throwing Bricks to interfere with Grid¡¯s course. Grid missed the perfect attack timing and was convinced of Dark¡¯s identity.


    ¡®Based on his skills configuration andplete control of the traps...¡¯


    This guy, was he a dungeon maker? This yer had the ability to create a dungeon?


    ¡°It must be a hidden ss!¡±


    ¡°Now you understand! I will also be a legend!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid used cksmith¡¯s Rage and started the onught, but Dark expertly coped with it. He used the traps at exquisite timing to disturb the connection between Grid and the God Hands.


    ¡®Recreating the battle videos of Grid that I have seen so far, the biggest disadvantage is the short duration of his buffing skills.¡¯


    The highest priority was to endure until ckening ended. The counterattack was after that. Dark determined as he stared at Grid. He was certain that his strength and agility overwhelmed Grid¡¯s.


    ¡¯I have been making dungeons for over three years!¡¯


    He would use the stamina he had trained to withstand Grid¡¯s fierce attacks. Dark was sure he could hold on until Grid was exhausted. Yes, he waited for Grid to be exhausted. However...


    ¡®Pant pant, what the hell is this guy?¡¯


    15 minutes after the battle began. ckening was lifted, but Grid was still assaulting Dark. He continued without any signs of exhaustion. On the other hand, the confident Dark was breathing hard. Dark couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡®How can he have higher stamina than me, the king ofbor?¡¯


    He even received the dungeon buffs!


    ¡®This is items...!¡¯


    It was obvious that Grid was wearing an item that reduced stamina consumption. But what was reality? If Dark was the king ofbor, Grid was the god ofbor. He spent days manually making an item while others could press the production button and make it quickly. Looking at stats that developed based onbor, Grid was higher than Dark.


    ¡®He¡¯s finally worn out?¡¯


    Every time Grid tried to deal a fatal blow to Dark, he failed due to traps orbor skills. He was impressed with Dark¡¯s power and as he focused on the battle, he noticed Dark¡¯s subtle changes. The deployment of traps and skills slowed down.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    ck!


    ck ck!


    Dark recoiled in surprise while facing Grid and the God Hands. It was due to the skeletons that threw silver thread.


    ¡®A necromancer¡¯s strength?¡¯


    But they were just skeletons throwing threads. They weren¡¯t a significant threat. Dark ignored the skeletons and tried to defend against Grid¡¯s attack. This was a mistake.


    Chwaruruk!


    The silver thread sessfully bound Dark¡¯s body and Grid finallynded a blow.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Linked Kill sessively destroyed the walls built by Dark.


    Kurururung!


    During the course of Linked Kill, Dark lost his defenses and was exposed.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Dark screamed as he was swept up in energy des. They descended like lightning bolts in his field of view.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You won¡¯t die easily in your dungeon. You can resist all attacks for 2 seconds with a minimum of health. The dungeon escape skill ¡®Emergency Exit¡¯ is activated.]


    "Alive?¡±


    Dark didn¡¯t copse after facing his strongest skill? Grid looked at Dark with greed, while Dark¡¯s expression was awful.


    ¡°You! I will someday pay back this grudge!¡±


    Dark was turned to rags. The mask that covered his face was shattered. Then the ID he was hiding was revealed.


    [Eat Spicy Jokbal]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The fierce atmosphere died down and silence flowed. Dark made an awkward expression. No, Eat Spicy Jokbal used the Emergency Escape skill. There was a crack in thin air and a door was created.


    ¡°S-Son of a bitch! Wait until I get an ID change ticket!¡±


    Pahat!


    Eat Spicy Jokbal couldn¡¯t hide his embarrassment as he moved through the emergency door.


    ¡°...Korean?¡±


    Grid was attracted by Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s dungeon making ability andbat skills.


    ¡®I should search for Eat Spicy Jokbal in Bedter.¡¯


    If that was the name of a business, he might get a hint that would allow him to get in touch with Eat Spicy Jokbal. That¡¯s right. Grid wanted Eat Spicy Jokbal to join Overgeared. It was natural. The dungeon making ability of Spicy Jokbal in Bed in bed was unique and hisbat ability was superior to many people in Overgeared.


    ¡¯Then I can properlypensate him for the damage I did.¡¯


    It would be fair to judge the oue after gaining the insane dragon egg. Grid approached the cut rock in the center of the dungeon. There was arge oval egg that was much bigger than Grid.

 Chapter 618

    ¡°It¡¯sforting.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal sighed after escaping from the dungeon and checking his status window. Grid had killed the monsters in the dungeon and destroyed all the traps, so Eat Spicy Jokbal gained arge amount of experience.


    ¡®Thanks to this, I gained two levels. Above all, I¡¯m able to urately grasp the level of my armed forces.¡¯


    The opportunity topete with someone strong like Grid was worth a million dors. Eat Spicy Jokbal nned to use his struggle with Grid as a tform for growth. That¡¯s right. Eat Spicy Jokbal wasn¡¯t frustrated, despite losing the insane dragon egg that he¡¯d guarded for a year. His mental strength was too strong to copse after one failure.


    To borrow Peak Sword¡¯s phrasing, this was the will that Koreans showed when foreigners invaded. The strength of South Korea, which had been a powerhouse in e-sports for more than half a century, was bing more prominent in Satisfy.


    ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate that I have lost my dream of bing the first yer to own a dragon.¡¯


    In fact, it was unlikely that the dream woulde true in the first ce. Based on the conversation with the evil eyes, the possibility that a dragon would follow a human was almost zero.


    ¡®It¡¯s the same for Grid.¡¯


    Based on Satisfy¡¯s story and setting, it was likely the insane dragon egg was to keep hell in check. It wasn¡¯t something that could be handled by one yer. Eat Spicy Jokbal controlled his heart and sent a whisper to his old friends, the three founding members of Blood Carnival.


    -Grid has discovered us.


    -What?How did he know?


    -His intelligencework is far beyond our imagination.He knew I was the head of Blood Carnival and had information about the insane dragon egg.


    -What a monster...


    -He¡¯s the first king for a reason.We can¡¯t predict him.Let¡¯s not take bigger risks. We will disband Blood Carnival.We¡¯ll stay quiet for the moment.


    ***


    [Insane Dragon Egg]


    The oval egg lying on the altar was twice as big as Grid. It was a tremendous size, considering that Grid was a muscr man at 181cm tall.


    "If I make egg bimbimbap with this, I could feed a few hundred people... A dragon puppy is bigger than a person the moment it hatches?"


    "It¡¯s a hatchling, not a puppy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really?¡±


    Minor, who had been hiding during the battle, approached Grid. The evil eyes were with him. Why didn¡¯t the evil eyes join the battle between Grid and Eat Spicy Jokbal? It was due to the contractual rtionship. The demonkin couldn¡¯t harm a human they were in a contract with. There was a restriction due to faith, but the evil eyes had extraordinarily high faith among the demonkin. It was due to their own righteousness andpassion that they weren¡¯t hostile to Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    ¡°When is the egg scheduled to hatch?¡±


    Grid used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal, but couldn¡¯t confirm the details of the insane dragon egg. The evil eye with the ability of foresight replied to Grid¡¯s question.


    ¡°Once the two moons repeat in the darkness of the night sky nine times, and a poem is sung... I guess? Kukukuk.¡±


    "It¡¯s said that the two moons appear once every four months. Then it¡¯s in three years.¡±


    It was hard to understand. Grid seemed to know why the evil eyes were kicked out of hell. A notification window popped up as he sighed.


    [The quest has seeded!]


    [As a quest reward, the 17 evil eyes will be your subordinates.]


    [Affinity with the evil eyes has increased. Exchanges with the evil eyes are possible.]


    "You have secured the insane dragon egg. We will be your subordinates as promised. Kukuk, realize the honor.¡±


    "Give anymand. No matter what you expect, we will give you more than your expectations. Huhut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Their way of speaking was slightly rude, but they had a sense of loyalty. He didn¡¯t hate it because he thought of Lauel.


    "It¡¯s too much of a burden to manage you directly. You¡¯ll be under the direct control of Lauel. That guy should be able to utilize your abilities.¡±


    ¡°Lauel? Who is that?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t we say we would serve you? We have no intention of serving another human. No human deserves to be our master other than you.¡±


    "No, he¡¯s someone who will fit in your heart when you meet. Lauel is a friend from your past life.¡±


    "A friend from a past life? Hoh, they are good words.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do with the insane dragon egg?¡±


    Even if the insane dragon egg hatched, would it follow them? Grid didn¡¯t ask this type of question. Since he starting ying Satisfy, Grid¡¯s understanding of the game grew. Yes, Grid already understood based on the contents of the quest. The insane dragon¡¯s hatchling... No, it couldn¡¯t belong to Grid.


    ¡®In the first ce, it makes no sense for a dragon to be a yer¡¯s personal possession.¡¯


    The game would go bankrupt. It was at the level of a bug, not a problem of bnce. Grid was convinced and got rid of his lingering attachments. Then the evil eyes exined.


    "First, I will take it to our vige and they will protect it until it hatches.¡±


    "The dragon will grasp the truth of the world the moment it hatches. It will repay its father¡¯s enemies by working with the evil eyes.¡±


    "In a thousand years, the child of a dragon will be an adult and hell will be chaotic. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°A thousand years?¡±


    Crazy. It took 1,000 years for a dragon hatchling to grow into an adult?


    ¡®I will die of old age and the great demons will still be fine.¡¯


    The insane dragon egg wasn¡¯t an episode that had a direct influence on a yer.


    ¡®This is better. The yers won¡¯t be able to do anything if an episode on the scale of a dragon unfolds.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be fun. Grid decided to be satisfied with just getting the evil eyes.


    "Human,e to the evil eyes vige with us just once.¡±


    "Our king will give you a great reward.¡±


    ¡®A reward is something that a superior gives to his subordinates.¡¯


    Grid felt somewhat ufortable, but he nodded easily. A new species would assist the future of his kingdom. It was also necessary to exchange with a strong species.


    ¡®I have to be careful about my pride and attempt to make all of the evil eyes species an ally.¡¯


    Grid made a decision and nodded.


    "Okay, I will go to your vige.¡±


    But before that.


    "Start mining.¡±


    It was necessary to mine the walls of Zone 8. The evil eyes were exhausted by the time Grid left the Beware Dogs dungeon.


    ***


    "Noble with foresight, I have a question for you.¡±


    "Resident with zing eyes? Kukuk, good. Go ahead. I swear on the honor of a noble that I will answer your questions faithfully.¡±


    "We aremitted to serving the human called Grid and he deserves to be our master. But is it okay to guide him to our city? Isn¡¯t this an act of betrayal?¡±


    Around 1,000 evil eyes lived in the vige. The number was small, but they all possessed great power. In particr, the evil eyes¡¯ minister possessed something that causedpletely submission. If Grid was exposed to it, a terrible situation could ur.


    ¡°Grid will be a ve to the evil eyes forever. It means we will trap Grid. I don¡¯t think our high pride will allow this.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. Grid is a human who helped secure the insane dragon egg. Our minister is more prideful than us and can¡¯t afford to harm him.¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The destroyed Zone 8 of the Beware Dogs dungeon. The evil eyes learned the Mining skill and worried about Grid during the mining process. They were demonkin with incredible loyalty. Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to all the evil eyes. Just like humans had different personalities, the evil eyes were the same.


    The 17 evil eyes recognized the importance of their promise to Grid, but that didn¡¯t mean all the evil eyes in the vige would be the same. But Grid wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. He just looked forward to exchanging with a new species.


    Lulla~


    Grid hummed as minerals rted to the insane dragon piled up in his inventory.


    ***


    [Blood Carnival has been dissolved.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    There were countless wicked people in the world, and many who needed them. Thanks to that, Blood Carnival had grown rapidly over the past few years. Now there were close to 400 members belonging to Blood Carnival. A huge force was disbanded overnight. It was also without any notice to the members.


    ¡°That Dark bastard...¡±


    "I never saw his mug once, but I was with him for a long time. We worked together for a few years, but he dismissed the organization without saying anything.¡±


    "Well, who would speak to guys like us? But isn¡¯t it foolish and hasty to dismiss an organization that generates so much value in one night?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The members belonging to Blood Carnival were confused. No matter what they thought, it was unavoidable that Dark had disbanded Blood Carnival. The members wondered what the situation was. Then after a few days.


    "The Anti Blood Carnival alliance entered our home.¡±


    "There were 300 allied members and around 20 high rankers.¡±


    "Such an extraordinary thing happened when no one was at home?¡±


    ¡°Did Dark get killed alone and disband Blood Carnival because of that?¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s unbelievable, but the alliance was wiped out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Dark defeated 300 people alone? It was also an alliance containing 20 high rankers?


    ¡°How strong is Dark? It is more than the ck and White sisters?¡±


    "Every time I saw him, he was hiding behind the curtain. He was hiding this force?¡±


    ¡°Then what is this? Why did he disband Blood Carnival?¡±


    "Well...¡±


    Nope learned about the reason behind the Blood Carnival¡¯s disbandment with his excellent intelligence sources. A top ranking adventurer gulped and opened his mouth.


    "It¡¯s said that Grid appeared shortly after the alliance was destroyed by Dark.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°Grid!!¡±


    Goosebumps appeared on the skin of the Blood Carnival members.


    "Grid was behind the Anti Blood Carnival alliance?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. Grid took advantage of the power of the alliance to figure out the base of Blood Carnival and take care of Dark.¡±


    "Then he made a threat. If Blood Carnival isn¡¯t dismissed, he will trample it with the power of Overgeared.¡±


    "...Is this revenge for Cork Ind?¡±


    ¡°Fearsome guy...¡±


    "We touched the wrong person. We shouldn¡¯t have dealt with him in the first ce.¡±


    "T-Tarma, what should we do? Will Grid kill us?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Tarma and his cronies who invaded Cork Ind shook with fear. It was terrifying that Grid found the home of Blood Carnival and copsed it in a single day. Grid never dreamt that the mine he picked was the home of Blood Carnival. The problem was that no one knew this.


    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped... We¡¯ll have to hide for a few months if we don¡¯t want to be infinitely killed by the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t it be damaging if our actions are restricted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than being hunted by that demon-like bastard.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    From this day on, peace came to Satisfy for a while. The activities of a hero greatly reduced the activities of the dark gamers. It was a fact that the hero himself wasn¡¯t aware of.


    ¡°Why are my ears ticklish these days?¡±


    On the way to the evil eyes vige. Grid, the hero who disbanded Blood Carnival, didn¡¯t know why his ears were itchy.

 Chapter 619

    ¡°Ugh... The cure of boiling heat is a vital critique of my noble soul.¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk! Is this the fate of the great evil eyes? The whole world is watching us and we are tired in many ways."


    "It would be nice to sit under the cool shade and meet the blessing of the wind. Huhut.¡±


    In other words, they wanted a break. After spending four days with the evil eyes, Grid developed the ability to interpret their words in real time. It was possible due to his experience with Lauel for several years.


    "How many times do you want to rest? Endure it a bit more.¡±


    The evil eyes had really poor physical strength. The evil eyesined every 10km, so their movement speed significantly slowed.


    ¡¯How long will it take to arrive at the evil eyes vige?¡¯


    The vige was located in the underworld of the Gauss Kingdom. When the evil eyes showed him the vige¡¯s location, Grid was delighted since it was rtively close to the Overgeared Kingdom. But so what if it was close? The evil eyes couldn¡¯t take a few steps without panting, so it felt far away.


    ¡®I thought we would arrive in three days, but it has been four days and we aren¡¯t even halfway there...¡¯


    If he knew this, he would¡¯ve had Sticks apany them. Braham¡¯s soul whispered as Grid was feeling sorry about Mass Teleport.


    ¡®Don¡¯t fret and enjoy this moment. It¡¯s rare for humans to get the chance to interact with the evil eyes. It might be annoying now, but think positively.¡¯


    ¡°Do you know about the evil eyes?¡±


    ¡®Of course. Like our vampires, they¡¯re demonkin who were driven out of hell. Although the reason why they got kicked out of hell is a lot different from why the vampires were kicked out...¡¯


    Grid joked.


    "Did they get kicked out for their words?¡±


    ¡®Right. The great demons avoided the evil eyes every time they spoke and eventually chose to expel them from hell.¡¯


    ¡°R-Really...¡±


    Grid thought it was absurd as he learned about the story of the evil eyes¡¯ deportation. Brahamughed.


    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing. The evil eyes are very convenient and powerful. If the evil eyes hadn¡¯t been driven out of hell and still served the great demons, the power of the great demons would be much stronger than they are now.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s rare for Braham to give such praise.¡¯


    As Grid expected, the evil eyes were a great species. But they were just small fries for Grid.


    Mutter mutter.


    Grid conversed with Braham while the evil eyes took a break. The evil eyes observed him from under the shade of a tree andughed.


    "Indeed, Grid is an unusually amazing human. He has reached a level where he¡¯s conversing with his second ego. It¡¯s more wonderful than the ordinary evil eyes.¡±


    ¡°I can only feel admiration when I look at Grid. While many people are able to detect a second ego in their souls, it¡¯s rare for anyone tomunicate with it."


    ¡°...¡±


    These guys, they recognized him as their own? Grid was deeply ufortable, but he couldn¡¯t refute it. His conversation with Braham¡¯s soul was reminiscent of a sick patient.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid blushed with embarrassment. He didn¡¯t know it but his affinity with the evil eyes was rising at a tremendous pace. It was because Grid understood the chuuni nature of the evil eyes. It could be called Lauel and Braham¡¯s merit. On the other hand.


    ¡®I want to see my mother...¡¯


    Minor was struggling with pain. He couldn¡¯t help the curling of his hands and feet every time Grid and the evil eyes conversed. He was sweating and his head hurt. That¡¯s right. The evil eyes were deadly to ordinary people. They were demonkin for a reason.


    ***


    "How was I demoted to this frontier?¡±


    Amore.


    He was a yer from the Gauss Kingdom and his ss was a knight. He also belonged to a knights division. In short, he was a top-levelbat ss. In fact, he had killed 34 Overgeared soldiers during the battle of Borneo. His efforts to shoot the Overgeared soldiers on the wall of Borneo were significant.


    ¡®I¡¯m an ace, so why did the king send me to defend this vige?¡¯


    Amore sighed as he looked around the vige he was dispatched to. Rice fields were everywhere and there was the smell of cow dung in the air. Amore was proud of being the ace of the Gauss Kingdom and was disappointed with this mission. A man approached theining Amore.


    It was the NPC Weston, who had the title of ¡®Lepio¡¯s Lord.¡¯ The baron and lord of the vige weed Amore.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet Sir Amore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee... I am d to meet the prestigious Baron Weston.¡±


    The first virtue that a knight required was manners. Amore smiled brightly, rather thanining to Baron Weston. Baron Weston felt favorable towards him and immediately got to the point.


    ¡°The reason I requested the assistance of the royal family is due to the demonkin who have often been seen in the vige recently. Please defeat the demonkin.¡±


    ¡°Demonkin?¡±


    The demonkin were ssified as apletely different species from normal monsters. They were residents of hell. It wasn¡¯t good news that demonkin were seen in the human world.


    "Are they vampires?¡±


    Among the demonkin, it was rtively easy to see the vampires. Baron Weston shook his head at Amore.


    ¡°No. Unfamiliar demonkin have appeared recently. They¡¯re monsters with 3D body types.¡±


    "3D type monsters...¡±


    What kind of terrible species were they? He was horrified just imagining it. Amore frowned and asked a question.


    ¡°What damage did they do to the vige?¡±


    Theft, arson, kidnapping, murder...


    It wasn¡¯t strange for the demonkin tomit all types of evil. Amore was satisfied with the questpensation and nned to investigate the damages to the vige in order to gather clues. However.


    "They make people nervous by talking all types of nonsense.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was he saying? Amore didn¡¯t fully understand the lord¡¯s words and asked again.


    "The demonkin use magic to create a fearful atmosphere in the vige?¡±


    "No, it isn¡¯t magic. It¡¯s just nonsense. To be precise, it¡¯s a strange atmosphere, rather than a fearful atmosphere. After listening to the demonkin, the viges have their hands and feet shriveled up and can¡¯t do their daily tasks for a while.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this nonsense? Amore¡¯s confusion grew as he heard the lord¡¯s exnation.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get a grasp of these demonkin.¡¯


    Amore was irritated by being sent here and now he was confused by the quest story. However, the difficulty of the quest was S-grade and the reward was so good that Amore couldn¡¯t refuse. In the first ce, the king sent him here. Therefore, he didn¡¯t have veto rights.


    ¡°Hrmm... I have to defeat the demonkin?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. I will believe in Sir Amore.¡±


    Baron Weston returned to the castle while Amore visited the vige. It was necessary to grasp the characteristics of the vige and n the hunt for the demonkin around it.


    ¡®There are no real people.¡¯


    It was a really small vige. The inhabitants numbered only 1,000, and there were no yers. Amore was looking around the vige when he suddenly stopped as he spotted a group standing at the entrance of the vige not too far away.


    ¡®At this time?¡¯


    Half a day after separating from Baron Weston. Nighttime approached the vige and it was time for everyone to fall asleep. It was umon for 20 people to visit the vige at this time. Amore hid in an alley and felt breathless as he observed the visitors.


    ¡¯3D...!¡¯


    There were exactly 19 visitors, two of them human males. One of them was an NPC called Minor, while the other one hiding his face was either an NPC or a yer. In any case, they weren¡¯t important. The 17 monsters with them were the problem. They had 3D type bodies and big eyes. Their chubby and childlike faces were quite cute.


    ¡®These are the demonkin Baron Weston was talking about.¡¯


    They were cute, unlike the terrible image he imagined.


    ¡®Well, that isn¡¯t important.¡¯


    His mission was to defeat the demonkin. It was tremendous luck that a chance came just half a day after he epted the quest.


    ¡®There are also 17 of them. I can get a huge reward if I kill them all.¡¯


    This was a great opportunity. A chance to jump higher!


    Clink.


    Amore burned with motivation as he ced his hands on his sheath. He nned to strike after looking at the strengths of the demonkin. The demonkin looked weak at first nce, so at level 303, it seemed as if Amore could take care of 17 by himself.


    ¡®The two humans with them might be ves. If I destroy the demonkin and rescue them, I¡¯m likely to acquire more linked quests.¡¯


    That was the best situation. A smile appeared on Amore¡¯s face.


    "Huhuhut, the scenery of a tranquil vige in the moonlight lightens a traveler¡¯s exhausted mind. The feral instinct of my one eye, sealed in the darkness, is immersed in the scenery of this beautiful night.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Hoh? A thick fog stimtes the chill in my soul. This is a pretty good feeling. I¡¯m a monster that is ¡®impossible to measure¡¯ and ¡®unimaginable¡¯ tonight when my mind is clear and power boils up.¡±


    "???"


    ¡°Hut, shouldn¡¯t you be careful? There is a possibility that a cruel me rising from my eyes will block the ¡®sin¡¯ of your cold eye.¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    It was the first time he had ever experienced this. Amore¡¯s body twisted as soon as he heard the words of the 17 demonkin that entered the vige. In particr, the hands on his sheath were so shriveled up that he couldn¡¯t grip the de.


    ¡°Ugh... Is this the curse that Baron Weston mentioned?¡¯


    His hands and feet were shriveled? Amore was confused. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to rush at the 17 demonkin who seemed so easy to defeat a little while ago. It was obviously dangerous if he couldn¡¯t even resist their ravings.


    ¡®E-Earplugs.¡¯


    The day hade when he needed this junk item!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Amore, who was in a hurry, came to his senses. It was because the 17 demonkin and two humans moving to the center of the vige disappeared without a trace.


    "Indeed, they are demonkin...¡±


    They were ghosts. Scary. Amore seriously considered abandoning the quest.


    ***


    [You have entered the evil eyes vige!]


    [You are the first discoverer of the evil eyes vige.]


    [Over the next 10 days, the probability of finding hidden quests and the rewards from quests will increase.]


    ¡®Finally!¡¯


    Grid was excited when he entered the vige. He was delighted to have the privilege of finding a particr area for the first time. He was in a leading position, just like Kraugel. It was new.


    ¡®It¡¯s a really great vige.¡¯


    Grid smiled, not filled with nervousness at all, despite entering a vige filled with demonkin. His boldness caused Minor to feel amazed and envious. He was once again eager to be like Grid. Minor gritted his teeth and tried to calm down his trembling legs. Grid was proud of him.


    "This right here is the ce where our king dwells: the Dark me White Ice Castle. Huhut.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Was it because the evil eyes were small? Overall, the castle at the end of the charming city was very small, and was more like a mansion than a castle. The height of the gate was only 1 meter and 60 centimeters, so Grid had to bow his waist to enter. An evil eye minister was waiting for him.


    ¡°This is the human who helped you secure the light dragon egg? I heard he was pretty good for a human.¡±


    ¡°But I doubt if he¡¯s qualified to see our great king, who deals with dark mes and white ice and sees the truth of the world.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t enemies. The evil eyes king is an absolute presence that takes away the life and destiny of a man with just his eyes. An unqualified person who meets him will fall into the hell of eternity and eventually reach death. I have to test you. Submit.¡±


    [You have made eye contact with an evil eye.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®submissive¡¯ state.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®First King¡¯ title, ¡®Great King¡¯s Majesty¡¯ is activated.]


    [You have counterattacked against the abnormal status.]


    ¡°Kukuk! Great human, we wee your visit to our great king.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were ying well alone. Rather than cringing, Grid entered the great hall. It was the moment he came face to face with the evil eyes king, who Braham acknowledged.

 Chapter 620

    Based on lineage, acquired by force, appointed through the wishes of the people, etc. There were many reasons and methods of bing a king. But not just anyone could be a king. It was right to say that the king was a being from heaven.


    Satisfy¡¯s developer, Lim Cheolho, paid special attention to the existence of being king. The King An and Belial episode had a great influence on the game. King Maxong could produce artifacts and had powerful strength. All the Satisfy kings exerted a unique presence and this was designed by Lim Cheolho.


    Grid directly experienced this and he could infer it naturally.


    ¡®The king of the evil eyes must be special.¡¯


    After all, he was the king. He would be different from the other chuuni evil eyes.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid took a deep breath as he was guided by the minister. The evil eyes. A species that exerted absolute power to the majority of yers except for legendary sses. Their rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom depended on Grid. Grid was overwhelmed by the burden and couldn¡¯t help feeling tense. However, he had no intention of shrinking back.


    ¡®I need to develop a good rtionship with the evil eyes.¡¯


    Step.


    Grid controlled his mind as he neared the entrance of the great hall.


    ¡°A person who transcends human limitations. Overgeared King Grid, who makes our evil eyes submit, is entering.¡±


    The evil eyes minister informed the king of Grid¡¯s entry. They looked like Grid¡¯s servant.


    ¡°I heard we were able to secure the insane dragon egg thanks to you. I want to express my gratitude on behalf of all the evil eyes.¡±


    ¡®I like his nature.¡¯


    There was no candlelight. The King of the Evil Eyes was sitting on a throne in a dark ce. Grid confirmed his position and was grateful for the polite manners.


    ¡®He¡¯s grateful and courteous, not disregarding me because I¡¯m a human. Indeed, the king is different.¡¯


    The dignity in his voice clearly showed he was different from the general evil eyes. Grid didn¡¯t need to worry about him being a chuuni.


    "I am willing to hand over the insane dragon egg to the evil eyes. I don¡¯t want to miss a chance to exchange with the evil eyes. I want the evil eyes to be allies with the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Grid also responded with respect. He gave the King of the Evil Eyes as much courtesy as possible and honestly expressed his will. The King of the Evil Eyes responded in a somewhat surprised manner.


    ¡°Allies... Humans and demonkin? Is that possible?¡±


    "What does the species have to do with it? If we can help each other, isn¡¯t it better to rely on each other?¡±


    "It is a rational argument. But won¡¯t your people be different? Ordinary humans will be afraid of demonkin. Will they be willing to exchange with our demonkin?¡±


    "Rather than being frightened... Well, my people are already fully adapted to Lauel, so it should be fine.¡±


    "Oh? Lauel? I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°In any case, there¡¯s no need to worry about my people.¡±


    "Hrmm... You are determined. It¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Step.Step.


    The King of the Evil Eyes smiled and started down the stairs. He slowly approached Grid standing alone in the center of the great hall.


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    Grid confirmed the appearance in the darkness and was amazed.


    ¡®Both eyes are covered?¡¯


    In order to control their powerful eyes, all evil eyes wore something over one eye. Grid thought the king would be the same. However, the king that Grid saw was beyond imagination. A thick band was covering both of his eyes.


    ¡®How can he see in front of him? Perhaps... Mind¡¯s Eye?¡¯


    It was seeing things with the mind. Grid couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily gulp.


    ¡®Is he simr to the Vampire Duke Marie Rose in strength?¡¯


    After the death of the founder, Marie Rose was the reigning vampire. Grid had once met Marie Rose directly before, and she was overwhelming enough to crush the current Grid and Overgeared members into the dirt. Yes, the King of the Evil Eyes should be in the same ss as her.


    ¡®Is he taking the initiative to be my opponent?¡¯


    Grid tensed up after this thought ran across his mind.


    Duk.


    ¡°...?¡±


    One step, another step. The King of the Evil Eyes suddenly stumbled as he came close to Grid. Grid asked the king in an embarrassed manner,"What happened?"


    ¡°I can¡¯t see in front of me...¡±


    "???"


    Grid doubted his ears.


    "In front... You can¡¯t see?¡±


    Both cheeks flushing from embarrassment, the King of the Evil Eyes nodded at Grid¡¯s question.


    "As you can see, I have both eyes covered. It¡¯s normal to not be seen in front of me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why was he blindfolded when he couldn¡¯t see or walk properly?


    ¡¯Is he a pervert?¡¯


    The King of the Evil Eyes smiled bitterly like he read Grid¡¯s mind and exined the reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s ufortable. I¡¯m the owner of the legendary evil eyes, the owner of a cursed fate that is capable of destroying the world with my own two eyes... If I don¡¯t seal my eyes, then I will go down in history as a ughterer... This is the karma of my past life and the responsibility that I have to bear.¡±


    "...It¡¯s the same.¡±


    The king wasn¡¯t that different. An evil eye was an evil eye. Grid thought that the King of the Evil Eyes was a normal person, and thus felt a sense of betrayal. But he didn¡¯t show any signs of dislike, as he wanted to keep the evil eyes as a friend. Grid barely managed to control his limbs as he spoke to the demon king.


    "Oh, that¡¯s really bad. You were born too powerful and need to cover your eyes?¡±


    "Correct. It¡¯s a terrible curse. I can¡¯t even see the faces of my wife and child. My evil eye might lead them to destruction... Heh, you might not believe this, but I have never untied the band covering my eyes from the moment I was born until now.¡±


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    sh!


    Lightning struck Grid¡¯s mind as he was reminded of something while conversing with the King of the Evil Eyes. It was an idea that he could only think about because Grid was an NPC expert. Grid coughed to hide his grin and spoke,


    "That¡¯s too bad. Then does that mean you haven¡¯t ever seen anyone¡¯s face?¡±


    "Yes. I don¡¯t even know what my family and people look like. I feel like I¡¯m alone in this world; this awful loneliness is rotting my heart and soul.¡±


    At that moment, Grid¡¯s mouth curved upwards into a crafty smirk. However, he didn¡¯t dare smile at the King of the Evil Eyes. He waited before speaking as calmly as possible.


    "Why don¡¯t you be friends with me?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The king doubted his ears. A person that he had met for the first time today wanted to be his friend. What was even more absurd, though, was that this person was a human!


    ¡°Are you sympathizing with me?¡±


    "Oh, don¡¯t be offended. I just wanted to give you the pleasure of seeing a person and talking to them.¡±


    "The pleasure of seeing a person...? You! Have you been listening to my words? I¡¯m the owner of the legendary evil eyes! A cursed being who will annihte everything just by looking at it! I absolutely will never release this band!¡±


    "No, release it.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Was this person insane? It was too scandalous.


    ¡®Does he think I¡¯m bluffing?¡¯


    An evil eye was a demonkin. They didn¡¯t enjoy unnecessary ughter like ordinary demonkin, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t demonkin. In the end.


    "You dare to provoke me...! I am the king! Even if you¡¯re the benefactor who secured the insane dragon egg, I can¡¯t tolerate you ignoring me!¡±


    The King of the Evil Eyes untied the band around his eyes. The moment that his red left eye and white right eye were exposed.


    Kukukukukung!


    There was a turmoil in the great hall and countless notification windows appeared in front of Grid.


    [You have been captured in the sight of the cursed third evil eye!]


    [All of your actions are predicted!]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®burned by hellfire¡¯ state.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®hell freezing¡¯ state.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®absolute fear¡¯ state!]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Reflecting the status has failed.]


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    Kwang!Kwarururung!


    The King of the Evil Eyes exuded a splendid brilliance. All objects in his field of view were frozen, burned, and copsed helplessly. The huge hall was destroyed in an instant. However.


    ¡°...You¡¯re fine?¡±


    The devastated great hall. Grid stood in front of the king without being burned or frozen. He just stared at the King of the Evil Eyes with a calm expression. The king couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°A presence who isn¡¯t hurt by my third evil eye...?¡±


    Suddenly, an old story came to mind. It was a human who wasn¡¯t burned by Hell Gao¡¯s hellfire. Sword Saint Muller.


    ¡°Legend...¡±


    Bururu.


    The eyes that saw the world for the first time trembled. They slowed observed Grid.


    "My evil eyes... Do we look like you?¡±


    The king spoke in a deeply moved voice and Grid replied.


    "No, you look much nicer.¡±


    Words that didn¡¯t contain a single bit of truth! But Grid knew. These minor words could give someone great joy. Grid believed that his past self would¡¯ve gained courage if someone had spoken warm words to him.


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Grid¡¯s answer made the king¡¯s eyes wet. The tears disappeared and the king covered his eyes again. Then he reached out to Grid.


    "My evil eyes will be a strong ally of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "Thank you. You won¡¯t regret this choice.¡±


    [The Overgeared Kingdom and ¡®Evil Eyes¡¯ species have signed an alliance.]


    On this day. The powerful demonkin, still unknown to the yers, became allies of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom grew much stronger.

 Chapter 621

    The Overgeared Kingdom and the evil eyes would be mutually respectful and not hostile to each other. The Overgeared Kingdom and evil eyes would grow together through a mutual exchange. The Overgeared Kingdom would provide the evil eyes with a solid army and the evil eyes would add strength to the Overgeared Kingdom. The king of Overgeared and the king of the evil eyes should meet regrly to maintain a friendship.


    This was the alliance treaty that Grid concluded while staying in the evil eyes vige.


    ¡°I really enjoyed it.¡±


    Thest two days. The evil eyes king was able to converse looking at someone for the first time since he was born. It was a very ordinary experience for others, but it was a new and special experience for the evil eyes king. The king thought that Grid was special. He could avoid being blind as long as he was with Grid.


    Grid pitied him and promised.


    ¡°I will try to make artifacts that can suppress the power of the third eye. Don¡¯t you have to see your family¡¯s faces at least once before dying?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the words. But it will probably be tough.¡±


    The bigger the expectations, the bigger the disappointment. The evil eyes king didn¡¯t mind Grid¡¯s promise. He wasn¡¯t expecting it to happen. However, Grid was determined to fulfill the promise. Of course, it wasn¡¯t pure benevolence. During the conversation with the evil eyes king, Grid learned that the king had an ability to nt an evil eye in others. Grid¡¯s goal was to maximize his affinity with the evil eyes king and acquire an evil eye.


    ¡®By all means.¡¯


    He would make a result that both of them were satisfied with. Grid pledged and said farewell to the king.


    ¡°I will go back now. I will send the 50 protection cloaks every month as promised.¡±


    "I understand. Goodbye."


    The evil eyes were proud of their absolute strength. Their existence itself was a weapon. Battle gear wasn¡¯t necessary for them. But the evil eyes were chuuni. They wanted to have nice cloaks. Grid thought it would be better if the cloaks had defensive power. Grid was nning to make the Mass Produced Lantier¡¯s Cloak for them.


    ¡®The more battle gear I can mass produce, the better.¡¯


    Someday, the Overgeared soldiers and people would be armed with Grid¡¯s set and Lantier¡¯s Cloak. This would happen in the distant future and it wasn¡¯t a fanciful goal. It would actuallye true in a few years. Grid¡¯s inventory full of insane dragon iron would realize this astonishing reality.


    ***


    ¡°Did you hear the rumor?¡±


    "What are you talking about?¡±


    "It¡¯s said that the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s quest rewards are being actively reshaped.¡±


    ¡°The quests given by the kingdom are basically good right? I¡¯m already satisfied with the quests I am performing."


    "It¡¯s on a different dimension from regrpensation. The level 180 or high quests will give items Grid have produced as a reward.¡±


    ¡°What? Items that Grid has made?¡±


    "Yes, it¡¯s even a set item. You can get one item every time you clear three quests.¡±


    "Wow, you can get Grid¡¯s set items...?¡±


    The legendary cksmith, Grid. Most of the two billion users dreamt about using the items he made. But the supply was too small and Grid¡¯s items became rare items that couldn¡¯t be bought even with money. At this point, the rumor that Grid¡¯s items could be obtained from quest rewards started to spread.


    It was Lauel¡¯s n. Lauel invested money into hiring and utilizing people. He deliberately spread the news of the quest rewards reorganization across the continent. It was a public rtions campaign to lure yers. The effect was truly enormous.


    "Is there any reason to not go to the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    "Taxes will be cheaper when we move to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "I can¡¯t miss this chance to get Grid¡¯s set items.¡±


    yers from around the world made up their minds and started moving to the Overgeared Kingdom, even if it meant suffering damages. Every kingdom was in an emergency situation.


    "Loyalty to the kingdom is necessary! It¡¯s wrong to be allowed to move around freely!¡±


    "Emigration shouldn¡¯t be freely given! If you want to emigrate, you have to earn it and contribute to the kingdom!¡±


    The 15 kingdoms made a massive quest for yers who were looking to migrate. The quest had a level of difficulty that was impossible to clear unless they had a high level or excellent specs. There was a bacsh from the yers. Comints ran wild at variousmunity sites and the S.A. customer center.


    -Does it make sense for NPCs to vite the freedom of yers?


    -Isn¡¯t the advantage of Satisfy the high degree of freedom?yers aren¡¯t a puppet of NPCs.


    The yers wanted the S.A. Group to stop the NPCs¡¯ actions. But no actions were taken. The S.A. Group thought of Satisfy¡¯s NPCs as ¡®residents of another world¡¯ and respected them as humans. They didn¡¯t intervene at all. The S.A. Group only wished for Satisfy¡¯s evolution to flow naturally.


    While the majority of yers were angry at the S.A. Group, a small number of yers knew that the S.A. Group¡¯s operating policy was what made Satisfy fun. ¡¯The sense of immersion will decrease if the operators intervene every time something happens.¡¯


    The S.A. Group wanted yers to recognize Satisfy as more than just a game. In fact, some yers already saw Satisfy as another world, rather than as just a game. This recognition was purely due to the S.A. Group¡¯s operation policy. If the S.A. Group interfered in the flow of Satisfy, then the immersion of the users would fall sharply.


    In any case, the conclusion was that the yers realized that it was impossible to receive help from the S.A. Group. They had to invest an excessive amount of time and effort toplete the quest and move to the Overgeared Kingdom, or stay in their current kingdom. Not surprisingly, a lot of people chose to stay.


    So what if they coveted the Grid set? It was impossible for ordinary people to clear the immigration quest that took more than two weeks. Many yers were afraid of failing and turned away from the immigration quest.


    This had a positive effect on the Overgeared Kingdom. The yers performing the immigration quest were more enthusiastic and capable than most yers. That¡¯s right: the attitude of the 15 kingdoms had the effect of filtering out talent for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Most of the yers whopleted the quest and moved to the Overgeared Kingdom were above average, directly contributing to the rise in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s strength.


    ***


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    What happened in the days when he was away? Grid was impressed to see the number of people after he return to Reinhardt and he checked the kingdom¡¯s information. The number of yers was close to 100,000. It was a muchrger number than before.


    Lauel covered half his face with his hand andughed.


    ¡°This is a result of deliberately leaking out information that the quest rewards will be changed and using it as a means to promote the Overgeared Kingdom. Huhut, my genius and Your Majesty¡¯s great power hasbined to create the flow of this time... It is enough to thrill the world.¡± Kukukuk.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really great. You¡¯re indeed Lauel. You have suffered a lot.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lauel was surprised. Wasn¡¯t Grid normally baffled and embarrassed by Lauel¡¯s words? Then he would ask Lauel to refrain from talking like that. However, Grid was different after not seeing each other for a fortnight. He wasn¡¯t embarrassed or confused when hearing Lauel¡¯s words. He replied like it was no big deal. Lauel misunderstood.


    ¡¯His Majesty finally knows.¡¯


    He found out that Lauel¡¯s tone was actually cool?


    ¡°Huhuhut...¡±


    Lauel was d to be acknowledged. As Lauel smiled, unfamiliar people approached. They were people with 3D chibi type proportions. It was a cutebination of plump flesh and fierce eyes.


    ¡¯Are they the evil eyes?¡¯


    The 17 evil eyes greeted Lauel.


    ¡°Kukukuk... It¡¯s you. It really is you.¡±


    "The human who shared a previous life with us.¡±


    "You must¡¯ve had a lonely fate, reincarnating as a human alone. Is was really tough."


    ¡°But now you don¡¯t have to worry. Our great evil eyes will be yourpanions.¡±


    "Kukukuk, after repeating a few reincarnations, we are reunited... This is the attraction of our fate. It is truly great.¡±


    ¡°The stars in the night sky are shining brighter today. Shall we drink from the deepke to toast our reunion?¡±


    ¡°...Unbelievable.¡±


    Lauel was amazed by the words of the evil eyes andid a hand on his heart.


    Dugun dugun!


    His heartbeat was several times faster than usual.


    ¡¯My previous life was true.¡¯


    In fact, sometimes he was worried. He wondered if he was a crazy person caught in a delusion. But now it wasn¡¯t a delusion. These people proved his past life. Sometimes he was a hero, sometimes a god, sometimes a viin. All of his past lives were true.


    ¡°Fate...¡±


    "...Destiny.¡±


    There was strong trust and affection in the eyes of Lauel and the evil eyes as they looked at each other.


    ***


    ¡°Summon all cksmiths who have advanced techniques and above to Reinhardt.¡±


    The king¡¯s order was transmitted throughout the Overgeared Kingdom. The lords of various ces immediately searched for the cksmiths. As a result, there were eight more advanced cksmiths in addition to the twelve directly raised by Grid and Khan in Reidan.


    Grid was startled.


    ¡®Is it natural for there to be so many advanced cksmiths?¡¯


    Advanced cksmiths were the best talent that kingdoms wanted. Their techniques were excellent. The reason why arge number of advanced cksmiths could be raised in Reidan was purely due to Grid and Khan. It was extremely rare for advanced cksmiths to ur naturally.


    Apart from the empire, ordinary kingdoms normally had less than 10 advanced cksmiths. In addition, there were five more advanced cksmiths in Reinhardt. Adding in the 12 advanced cksmiths from Reidan, it was a total of 25.


    "Gulp."


    The cksmiths gathered in the pce and gulped as they looked up at Grid. Grid was their king and a legendary cksmith. Now they came face to face with someone they admired.


    ¡®Apart from the kids that Khan and I raised, there are 13 advanced cksmiths... Was the former Eternal Kingdom specialized in cksmithing?¡¯


    Grid questioned it. As he was feeling puzzled, a cksmith bowed to him. It was a young cksmith called Rector.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    "Your Majesty, if I can ask, do you remember a vige called Rolling?¡±


    "Rolling?"


    Grid had visited more than one or two viges. The name wouldn¡¯te to him unless it was a bit city or a vige where a particr incident happened. Rector exined to Grid.


    "It¡¯s a small vige near the Vatican.¡±


    "Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Now he remembered. A small mountain vige filled with Reba statues. This was the ce where he met the crook who he turned into a healing shuttle. It gave him the chance to meet Marie Rose.


    "I¡¯m a cksmith from Rolling. The reason I was able to be an advanced cksmith is thanks to Your Majesty.¡±


    "With my help?¡±


    "Yes, I was a lowly cksmith at the time operating the smithy after my father died. At that time, Your Majesty was an ordinary adventurer and you came to my smithy, giving me great teachings.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Since when?


    "I got great enlightenment thanks to Your Majesty. I faithfully practiced your teachings and was able to be an advanced cksmith. I always wanted to say thank you to Your Majesty and I am very pleased to have this opportunity. Thank you very much. Thanks to Your Majesty, I was able to be the cksmith that I am now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "The three people next to me are my students. They have all followed Grid¡¯s teachings and be advanced cksmiths."


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know what to say. He looked through his memories and recalled the little things he had forgotten.


    ¡®I stopped by Rolling¡¯s smithy to repair an item.¡¯


    He remembered that the owner was a lowly cksmith who couldn¡¯t recognize a legendary cksmith.


    ¡¯The person from that time became an advanced cksmith?¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom. He was the reason why there were so many advanced cksmiths in the Eternal Kingdom. A smile emerged on Grid¡¯s face.

 Chapter 622

    ¡®But it¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    Grid had selected and trained 100 cksmiths. ording to experience, advanced cksmiths weren¡¯t easily born, no matter how much effort Grid and Khan used. Yet Rector had developed using just a few words of advice (?) from Grid and made himself an advanced cksmith. This talent might exceeded the talents of the cksmiths Grid found in Reidan.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Rector had the talent to grow into a cksmith craftsman like Khan. In other words, he was a person in the rank of a genius? Grid was filled with anticipation and took out the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. It could only be upgraded to the King¡¯s Sword once he proceeded with the king¡¯s exclusive quest. He wanted to upgrade it as soon as possible, but he was too busy.


    ¡®Character Observation.¡¯


    Name: Rector


    Age: 28 Gender: Male


    upation: cksmith


    Level: 237


    Strength: 250/600 Stamina: 899/1,300


    Agility: 50/88 Intelligence: 420/420


    Skills: Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Lv. 2, Gain Abilities like a Sponge (S+), Tenacity that Never Gives Up (S+), Teaching by Rote (S+).


    A cksmith born in Rolling.


    He is good at learning, has a strongmitment, and fast growth. The ability to instill his studies into others is also excellent. However, all these talents are limited to cksmithing.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help eximing.


    ¡®I¡¯d like to dispatch him to Reidan.¡¯


    Did he have the talent of a cksmith craftsman? The evaluation wasn¡¯t certain yet, but Rector was already a treasure of the Overgeared Kingdom. If he gave the one hundred cksmiths he was raising in Reidan to Rector, he would be able to secure arge number of advanced cksmiths faster.


    ¡¯In addition, Rector became an advanced cksmith thanks to me.¡¯


    He would certainly feel a high affinity with Grid.


    ¡®I can trigger cksmith¡¯s Affection.¡¯


    [cksmith¡¯s Affection]


    If you have the maximum affinity with a NPC cksmith, you can raise their skill level by 1~5 levels.


    The cksmith who received your teachings will be loyal to you for life and will share with you every time they learn new item production methods.


    He had acquired the skill in the past when Bairan was attacked and he rescued Smith. This skill allowed Khan to be a cksmith craftsman and Smith to be an advanced cksmith.


    "Rector, do you like me?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Rector felt burdened. It was because King Grid was observing him closely with a greedy expression. Now he was being asked if he liked King Grid? His arrogant imagination bloomed.


    ¡¯I-Is he talking about homosexuality?¡¯


    Rector turned pale and a stir urred among the other cksmiths. It was at that moment.


    "I really like you!¡±


    An old cksmith suddenly stood up and shouted. It was Bairan¡¯s cksmith, Smith. He taught Grid how to make the jaffa arrows and became an advanced cksmith thanks to Grid.


    ¡®The gay old man.¡¯


    Why had the atmosphere be like this? The confused Grid realized it the moment he saw Smith. He almost got misunderstood as a gay person. Grid ignored Smith and rose from the throne. He approached the trembling Rector andid a hand on his head.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    Rector took a deep breath. He was worried that the sexual harassment had started. But the other cksmiths realized they had misunderstood. They couldn¡¯t see any lust from the appearance of Grid who put his hand on Rector¡¯s head. Rather, Grid had a holy appearance. As sunshine shone through the window, a legendary cksmith put his hand on the head of a cksmith. It was like a pope sprinkling holy water on his followers. From the standpoint of the cksmiths who instinctively admired the legendary cksmith, the present scene was divine.


    ¡°Rector.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Once the Holy Light Crown, Great Lord¡¯s Sword, and his high dignity stat wasbined, Grid released a force that overwhelmed the crowd. The cksmiths gulped as they sensed the atmosphere.


    "I will bestow affection on you.¡±


    Paaaat!


    A golden glow emerged from Grid¡¯srge hand that was ced on Rector¡¯s head. It was brighter and warmer than the sun.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    Rector shook as he was wrapped in light. He couldn¡¯t express it exactly, but he instinctively felt that he had received a great blessing. The same was true for those watching the scene. All the cksmiths trembled at the sight. It was the power of cksmith¡¯s Affection.


    The cksmiths gathered in this ce noticed that Grid had given Rector a great blessing. They were at a loss for words.


    [Due to the effect of the cksmith¡¯s Affection skill, Rector¡¯s cksmithing skill level has risen by 5!]


    Grid was filled with joy when he saw the notification window. It was the day when Grid was deified by the cksmiths.


    ¡®If you receive Grid¡¯s blessing, your cksmithing skills will greatly increase.¡¯


    This fact spread throughout the whole continent as well as the Overgeared Kingdom. All the cksmiths on the continent were more respectful towards Grid and dreamt of meeting him. Now when people thought of a legendary cksmith, it was more likely they would name Grid than Pagma.


    ***


    [Insane Dragon Iron]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.


    It has been influenced by Nevartan¡¯s madness for countless years and gained the chaotic ability ¡®Proliferation.¡¯


    It doubles every 10 days.


    This absurd nature makes it very difficult to control. The hardness isparable to ck iron, but the smelting difficulty is several times higher.


    Weight: 5


    [Insane Dragon Stone]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.


    It has been influenced by Nevartan¡¯s madness for countless years and gained the chaotic ability ¡®Suppression.¡¯


    The hardness is very low, but when mixed with other minerals, it has the function of eliminating the characteristic of those minerals.


    Weight: 1


    [Insane Dragon Bead]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.


    It has been influenced by Nevartan¡¯s madness for countless years and gained the chaotic ability ¡®Rampage.¡¯


    When mixed with other minerals, it multiplies the mineral¡¯s characteristic.


    If a human touches this mineral, they would lose their sense of reason and can¡¯t smelt it. Use with caution.


    Weight: 300


    There was a smithy dedicated to Grid inside Reinhardt Pce. It was natural that a smithy was built for Grid once he was a king. Grid brought the advanced cksmiths there and took out the three types of insane dragon materials. First, it was the insane dragon bead. It was a circr green mineral. The dense mineral was the size of a ser ball. However, the weight was considerable.


    "Khan, can you touch this mineral once?¡±


    It was a dangerous mineral that caused the ¡®rampage¡¯ stage. Grid didn¡¯t have any problems touching it because he was resistant, but there would be a big problem if the advanced cksmiths touched the insane dragon bead. However, Khan was a cksmith craftsman.


    Grid was full of expectations. He thought that a cksmith craftsman might be able to ovee the mineral¡¯s curse. The result...


    "Well, it is pretty heavy. It will take a considerable amount of time and skill if you want to smelt this.¡±


    As Grid expected, Khan wasn¡¯t cursed by the insane dragon bead. Grid smiled at the sight.


    ¡®It¡¯s reassuring.¡¯


    Khan was Grid¡¯s first friend. Grid always relied on him. Grid once again felt a great liking for Khan and exined to the cksmiths.


    "These three minerals were obtained from the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The cksmiths were agitated. Dragonir. It was natural to be surprised that the minerals were obtained from a dragonir. Grid ignored them and continued the exnation.


    "The insane dragon iron infinitely multiples. It¡¯s the same when it¡¯s a mineral or used as a material for a tool.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    The cksmiths were surprised. A mineral that multiplied infinitely? Then wasn¡¯t it a dream mineral?


    Grid grinned.


    "Let¡¯s just say it is my subordinate¡¯s great achievement. In any case, this proliferation isn¡¯t always an advantage. Tools made using the insane dragon iron can¡¯t be used because the weight keeps increasing. That¡¯s why this insane dragon stone is needed.¡±


    Grid¡¯s exnation continued. After describing the minerals in detail to the cksmiths at the site, he asked them to make the Grid set using these minerals in the future.


    "From today on, you will do special training until you can make the Grid set. It might take a few days or weeks.¡±


    "We will work hard to follow your instructions!¡±


    "There is no greater glory than being taught directly by Your Majesty! I will learn, even if it takes a few months or a few years!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    From this day onwards, the sound of hammering in Reinhardt¡¯s smithy didn¡¯t stop. The cksmiths gathered under Grid devoted themselves to learning without losing their enthusiasm until they mastered the Grid set. In the process, the cksmiths built up a great liking for Grid. The king himself gave them great instructions. It was natural to feel favorable towards him.


    A fortnightter.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Affection.¡±


    All 22 advanced cksmiths were blessed by Grid, except for Khan, Smith, and Rector, who had already received it. They grew significantly and mastered how to make the Grid set.


    "All of you will soon be the power of the Overgeared Kingdom. Don¡¯t forget this fact and do your best in your role."


    ¡°As youmand!¡±


    As a kingdom built by a cksmith, the cksmiths of the Overgeared Kingdom were bing the best on the West Continent. Grid and his cksmiths wouldn¡¯t stop until all the residents became overgeared.


    ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t be left behind in the process.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s survivability had increased exponentially after obtaining the First King title. Combined with the infinite stiffness of the God Hands and Mjolnir, Grid could function as a perfect tanker. His ability was a damage dealer was rtively weaker. Grid was determined to increase his damage.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have enough attack power unless God¡¯s Command gives me a good boost...¡¯


    It was tiring to rely on luck to activate God¡¯s Command.


    ¡¯I will create a weapon for myself.¡¯


    Grid decided and pulled out Belial¡¯s bones and leather. These were the only materials left after making items to give to his meritorious retainers.


    "This as well.¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the seven insane dragon beads he obtained from the nest.


    ¡®It multiples the unique characteristic of the mineral?¡¯


    Was if the demon energy in Belial¡¯s bones and leather became twice as strong?


    ¡°Kukukuk... The concept this time is a magic sword.¡±


    It would also be nice to make a new crown to fit the dark ambience of his new weapon. Now that Grid could wear both a crown and a helmet, the performance of the crown was also important.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show a stronger demon-like force than the great demons.¡¯


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help looking up to the Overgeared King.

 Chapter 623

    ¡¯Be cool.¡¯


    Overgeared King Grid was the leader of hundreds of thousands of people. Even a five year old boy recognized and relied on Grid. Grid had a duty to be dignified. It was so that some people wouldn¡¯t feel embarrassed, some people might respect him, and some people would feel fear. It was natural for a king to be dignified and appearance was one of the basic elements of dignity.


    ¡®The Overgeared Kingdom is still weak. There are many potential enemies.¡¯


    Grid decided it would be good to have an intimidating appearance. The reason he decided to make a sword wasn¡¯t because he caught Lauel and the evil eyes¡¯ chuuni illness, but a reasonable judgment. There was a problem. Grid¡¯s aesthetic sense was lower than average.


    ¡°Magic sword... A big gem reminiscent of a red eye will be in the middle of the handle, while the left and right sides of the handle are designed to look like bat wings. The crown will be pointed like lightning, looking threatening...¡¯


    Yes yes. Grid nodded happily while thinking about it. Khan closely observed the insane dragon iron and asked him.


    "In order to use the insane dragon iron properly, it¡¯s necessary to secure the same amount of insane dragon stone as insane dragon iron. However, doesn¡¯t the insane dragon iron infinitely proliferates while the insane dragon stone is finite?¡±


    "I already sent miners to the insane dragon nest. They will provide a steady supply of insane dragon stone. Rather, Khan, you should be morefortable with me in private.¡±


    "It¡¯s an honor just standing by your side. I respect Your Majesty so much that I can¡¯t be asfortable as before."


    "Why are you like this?¡±


    ¡°Going back to my point, I¡¯m guessing that the resources in the dragon nest won¡¯t be infinite. One day, the insane dragon stone will be depleted and you won¡¯t be able to utilize the insane dragon iron properly.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... I know that, but...¡±


    Grid had already experimented with the insane dragon stones.


    In order to suppress the growth of the insane dragon iron, it was necessary to mix it in a blend of 10 insane dragon iron and 5 insane dragon stone. The result of this experiment suggested that the quantity of the insane dragon iron will eventually outnumber the insane dragon stone.


    But what could he do? He couldn¡¯t make the insane dragon stone himself.


    ¡°Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped. Once the insane dragon stone runs out, I will throw away the insane dragon iron as a resource material.¡±


    "Hrmm... What if you make a hammer and anvil with the insane dragon stone?¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    ¡°What if you make tools with the suppression ability of the insane dragon stone and the proliferation ability of the insane dragon iron?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    yers who first started Satisfy didn¡¯t know anything. It was the NPCs who guided them. As the yers grew, the NPCs would grow and steadily teach them. Khan¡¯s advice deserved to be heard and Grid gained great enlightenment from this.


    ¡®Won¡¯t items made from the insane dragon iron or insane dragon stone retain their abilities?¡¯


    If he made a hammer and anvil out of these materials, it was possible that the insane dragon iron¡¯s proliferation ability would be nullified by the insane dragon stone¡¯s suppression ability. In other words, the insane dragon iron¡¯s infinite proliferation ability could be controlled.


    ¡°I will try it.¡±


    The insane dragon stone¡¯s hardness was low. In order to produce a hammer and anvil strong enough to temper the insane dragon iron, other minerals needed to be mixed in. Grid made a hammer and anvil by mixing ck iron with the insane dragon stone. The result?


    [You have seeded in making the item.]


    [ck Insane Dragon Hammer]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 410/410 Attack Power: 130


    A hammer made by the legendary cksmith Grid who is bing a myth.


    It is made of ck iron and is quite durable. More minerals can be tempered without much difficulty.


    However, this hammer also contains arge amount of insane dragon stone. It is possible to remove the characteristics of the mineral due to the ¡®Suppression¡¯ ability. Don¡¯t use this hammer for minerals with unique characteristics.


    Conditions of Use: Advanced cksmithing Level 1.


    Weight: 400


    [ck Insane Dragon Anvil]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 2,500/2,500


    An anvil made by the legendary cksmith Grid who is bing a myth.


    It is made of ck iron and is quite durable. It is durable enough to withstand strong and continuous friction.


    However, this anvil contains arge amount of insane dragon stone. It is possible to remove the characteristics of the mineral due to the ¡®Suppression¡¯ ability. Don¡¯t use this anvil for minerals with unique characteristics.


    Conditions of Use: Advanced cksmithing Level 1.


    Weight: 6,900


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    It was as Khan expected. The suppression ability was exerted even after it was made into a tool. Grid smiled with satisfaction as he tried to use the hammer and anvil on the insane dragon iron. Then he was disappointed.


    [The ck Insane Dragon Hammer and ck Insane Dragon Anvil have failed to suppress the ability of the insane dragon iron.]


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    It seemed that the suppression ability of the hammer and anvil was too weak to have an effect on the pure insane dragon iron.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    He was disappointed because he expected too much. Khan frowned and expressed his personal opinion.


    "How about making a hammer and anvil with abination of the insane dragon bead and insane dragon stone? I think the insane dragon bead¡¯s ability will amplify the suppression of the insane dragon stone. If the effect of the oppression bes stronger, it can sufficiently suppress the insane dragon iron¡¯s ability.¡±


    "...A genius?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t depend on Khan for nothing. As a cksmith craftsman, Khan was very talented and really helped Grid. Grid believed that Khan¡¯s hypothesis was reliable and invested one of the seven insane dragon beads to create a new hammer and anvil.


    [Insane Dragon Hammer]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 630/630 Attack Power: 290


    A hammer made by the legendary cksmith Grid who is bing a myth.


    It is made of a insane dragon bead and is quite durable. Any mineral can be tempered.


    However, this hammer also contains arge amount of insane dragon stone. The insane dragon stone¡¯s suppression ability is amplified by the insane dragon bead.


    Once this hammer is used to smelt minerals, the unique characteristics of the minerals are unconditionally deleted. Don¡¯t use this hammer for minerals with unique characteristics.


    Conditions of Use: Advanced cksmithing Level 3.


    Weight: 600


    [Insane Dragon Anvil]


    Rating: Unique


    Omitted.


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Khan¡¯s hypothesis was correct. The excited Grid tried the hammer and anvil on the insane dragon iron and the result was excellent. The insane dragon iron¡¯s proliferation ability waspletely suppressed. With this hammer and anvil, it would be possible to produce items for a long time with the insane dragon iron, which infinitely multiplied.


    ¡°Good! Amazing!¡±


    Grid jumped with joy. On the other hand, Khan¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good.


    "One insane dragon bead was used to make the hammer and anvil... In other words, only seven Insane Dragon Hammer and Anvil sets can be created.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, right. There are only seven insane dragon beads. No, it is more like six.¡±


    Grid was going to use one of the insane dragon beads as part of his magic sword.


    ¡¯Is it possible that the miners dispatched to the dragon nest can find more insane dragon beads?¡¯


    Anything would be fine! In any case, there was nothing that would be resolved quickly. Khanforted the frustrated Grid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it now. Our workforce is limited in the first ce.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Only 26 cksmiths, including Khan and Grid, could use the Insane Dragon Hammer and Anvil set. Putting aside Grid, who would be focusing on personal activities, and Rector, who would be sent to Reidan, only 24 would be using it. Even if he made more hammers and anvils, the work hours of the 24 people were limited.


    ¡°We will have the 24 people alternate using the six hammer and anvil sets to work around the clock.¡±


    ¡°Cough... Advanced cksmiths need to sleep at least four hours a day. If we work them more...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯ll leave this to you. Khan, please be careful of your health, as well as that person called Smith. Don¡¯t look into that widower¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now all the preparations are over. He secured arge number of insane dragon iron, which infinitely proliferated. There was also the hammer and anvil that could control the insane dragon iron¡¯s ability to proliferate, as well as the cksmiths who could make the Grid set. In the future, the Overgeared Kingdom would focus on the mass production of the Grid set, which was the kingdom¡¯s strongest weapon.


    -Lauel, the preparations are over.Now the quests can be linked.


    -Kukukuk...!It¡¯s finally time to unseal the quests?Kuock, what is this trembling?Is the ck dragon sealed in my body trying to run amok?


    -...


    At this time, Grid couldn¡¯t imagine. There was another use of the insane dragon iron. It was a very innovative use.


    ***


    [A kingdom quest ¡®For the Kingdom¡¯ has been created.]


    [For the Kingdom (1)]


    Kingdom Quest.


    Eliminate monsters or unauthorized organizations that threaten the security of the kingdom.


    Quest Clear Reward: Experience and gold.


    [For the Kingdom (2)]


    Kingdom Quest.


    Hunt monsters, dedicate a certain amount of resources orbor to the Overgeared Kingdom, or purchase more than a certain amount from the stores in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Quest Clear Reward: Experience and gold.


    [For the Kingdom (3)]


    Kingdom Quest.


    Listen to the people of Reinhardt and help them live a more affluent life.


    Quest Clear Reward: Mass production Grid weapon.


    [The ¡®For my Kingdom¡¯ quest consists of 21 stages in total. There is no time limit and you can give up along the way.]


    [Grid¡¯s mass production set items can be obtained from the quest rewards and those with a high ability can collect all the set items.]


    This was announced to all 100,000 yers in the Overgeared Kingdom. But the quest difficulty was quite high. The level of the monsters to be hunted or the amount paid to the kingdom was quite high, so a yer had to be at least level 180 to challenge it.


    It meant only 10,000 of the 100,000 yers could challenge it. Even the 1~3rd stage quests were difficult. It was hard to guess how hard theter quests would be. But there was no bacsh. This challenging quest gave a clear sense of purpose to the yers in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡¯I must be stronger so that I can challenge the quest!¡¯


    The Overgearead Kingdom started to be active. It was the power of items.


    ***


    (Column) Shin Youngwoo.


    Recently, the linked kingdom quest is a hot topic among users. The linked quest consists of 21 steps in total and grants a mass production Grid item every three quests.


    Grid set. The name seems somewhat cheap due to ¡®mass production¡¯ being attached to it, but no one disparages its value. When would an ordinary user get a chance to use items made by a legendary cksmith? I can imagine how many people reading this article will want to migrate to the Overgeared Kingdom with the aim of obtaining the Grid set. In addition, pay attention to the contents of the linked quest announced by the kingdom.


    The contents of the linked quests are currently open to the 8th stage and they are all directly rted to the development of the Overgeared Kingdom. I¡¯m confident that these quests will lead to the rapid development of the kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom will be rich. It will overwhelm the kingdoms where NPCs reign as king.


    Grid has created havoc with just the power of his items. Who would¡¯ve imagined that he would use the power of a cksmith in this way? At least, I didn¡¯t expect it. Those reading this article should be the same.


    Look back at the time when Grid first appeared in the world. You probablyughed at him and called him ¡®overgeared¡¯ in a derogatory manner. You didn¡¯t know the true power of items.


    Grid, Shin Youngwoo. An ordinary youth of South Korea. No, a young man below average is now the center of the world. And he can be your future.


    Do you y virtual reality games? Then immerse yourself. Enjoy it like crazy.


    You can be the second Shin Youngwoo, the second Grid.

 Chapter 624

    ¡¯It feels like finishing my first homework.¡¯


    Grid was proud after establishing the production system for the Grid set. What country could produce infinite items with unlimited resources? It was a feat that deserved praise for eternity. Of course, the production of the Grid set would be slow right now, but that story would change once more advanced cksmiths, Insane Dragon Hammers, and Anvils were acquired in the future. It was possible for their military power to grow faster than the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®...No, that isn¡¯t possible yet.¡¯


    The poption and resources of the West Continent were biased towards the empire. The empire was likely to have much better minerals than the insane dragon iron.


    ¡®They will have hundreds of advanced cksmiths too. Most of the ranking cksmith yers belong to the empire.¡¯


    There was no need for Grid to think about the empire¡¯s power when he was an ordinary yer. But now things had changed. The Saharan Empire was a potential enemy that could threaten the Overgeared Kingdom with just its existence. The king of the Overgeared Kingdom was obliged to keep an eye on the empire. The problem was that morale would be reduced when thinking about the empire.


    ¡®Well... Right now, the empire isn¡¯t interested in us. Let¡¯s not worry about unnecessary things right now.¡¯


    ording to rumors circting among the yers, the empire still perceived the Overgeared Kingdom as weak. This was even after hearing rumors that the Overgeared King Grid had overwhelmed the representatives of the 15 kingdoms and made one of them a vassal.


    ¡®Is it because there¡¯s no need to worry about a struggle between minnows?¡¯


    It was bad for his ego, but it was an opportunity. The Overgeared Kingdom would conserve its strength while the empire was ignoring it. The basic premise for building power was Grid¡¯s growth.


    ¡¯I should go hunting once I make Belial¡¯s magic sword.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s desire for strength was great. He was one of the best among yers, but he still had a weak foundation to be called the ¡®strongest.¡¯ There were monsters and NPCs more powerful than himself. It was natural to want greater strength.


    ¡¯The Red Knights of the empire seem amazing.¡¯


    In particr, the solo number knights. Based on the rumors, they could take Kraugel out with one finger.


    ¡®Won¡¯t I die in a blink of an eye?¡¯


    Tremble!


    The Grid shivering with fear never imagined it. The Reidorn confined in his dungeon was actually one of the famous solo number knights.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    What type of magic sword should he make? Grid was thinking about it when an elf came to visit him. It was Sticks, who had recently been made principle of the Overgeared Academy in Reinhardt. A sage. A wise man was ced as the head of a school? Wasn¡¯t this a serious waste of manpower? Sticks questioned it, but hadn¡¯t objected to Grid¡¯s appointment. Grid was his lifesaver and the key to releasing the curse on the Behen Archipgo. Sticks wanted to follow his will.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Grid asked after not seeing Sticks for a long time. He was apathetic, but it wasn¡¯t because he disliked Sticks. Sticks was an ideal elf beauty and it was burdensome to stand next to him.


    ¡®I feel like a squid.¡¯


    In any case, Sticks spoke without hiding his luminous beauty.


    ¡°Great Demon Belial was destroyed, and I noticed something while watching you afterwards. The items you¡¯re making are very limited.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid had a total of 2,080 production methods. Around 200 of them were methods he acquired by himself, while the remaining 1,880 production methods were all provided by the Overgeared members. In other words, it was very difficult for a yer to learn 2,000 production methods alone. Yet Sticks said that Grid wascking production methods.


    Grid also didn¡¯t deny it. Why?


    ¡®It¡¯s true that I¡¯m limited.¡¯


    So what if he had 2,000 production methods? More than half of them were weapons and armor. The different ¡®types¡¯ of production methods that Grid possessed were very limited. For example, there was no way to make cloth clothing. He couldn¡¯t make the robes that he needed inrge quantities after bing a king.


    ¡¯There¡¯s only one method to create a crown.¡¯


    The only way to know how to make the Holy Light Crown was to achieve a 100% understanding with it. Grid had earned the First King title and felt the necessity of a crown, but he didn¡¯t have the ability to produce a worthy crown. Of course, it was a different story if he used the creation skill. However, this had a limited number of uses.


    ¡¯The reason Sticks is talking about production methods...¡¯


    It looked like a quest!


    Duguen!


    A light of anticipation shone in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    "That¡¯s right. As you said, the items I can make are very limited. It still isn¡¯tparable to Pagma. Can you help me with this?¡±


    "I¡¯m called a sage because I have a vast amount of knowledge. There is now information thates to mind when thinking about the culture, history, and legends of the fallen Eternal Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Information...!¡±


    As expected, the sage didn¡¯t disappoint him. Grid was confident that the conversation with Sticks was a prelude to the quest. Indeed, a notification window popped up in front of him.


    [A new Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss quest has been created.]


    [Collection of New Production Methods (1)]


    ss Quest


    You are the sessor to Pagma¡¯s techniques, but not his true sessor. The techniques you have gained are learned from the book that Pagma left behind.


    You have the techniques to be a myth that goes beyond the legends, but you are stillcking in overall knowledge!


    In order to expand your foundation as a cksmith, you need to learn various types of production methods!


    Follow the clues of the Sage Sticks and gain new types of production methods.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +2. Underwear production method. A following linked quest.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohh!¡±


    It had been a while since he gained a new ss quest after acquiring Braham¡¯s soul!


    ¡°The reward is two levels and learning how to make underwear? Huh?¡±


    The delight in Grid¡¯s face disappeared like a lie. Then he shouted at the innocent Sticks.


    ¡°Underwear production method? Is this a joke?"


    "Humans are interesting creatures. You can change emotions so suddenly, unlike our elves who are always calm...¡±


    ¡°No, this is ridiculous! Why do I need to learn how to make underwear?¡±


    Of course, underwear was important. Some people avoided underwear for certain reasons, but most people wore underwear. The stability and cleanliness of underwear couldn¡¯t be ignored. But in Satisfy, the concept of underwear was slightly different from reality. It was merely a screen. It was a screen that kept yers from unnecessarily exposing important parts. The name of the underwear that Grid was wearing was simply ¡®Underwear.¡¯ It was the grey underwear given to all male yers in Satisfy and didn¡¯t have any function.


    ¡°Look!¡±


    The agitated Grid suddenly pulled down his pants. Then he pointed to his underwear that he had worn daily for nine Satisfy years.


    "Why should I make another?¡±


    cksmith. He was a legendary cksmith and he had to make underwear? He was so outraged that he was speechless. After knowing that his reward for the ss quest was the underwear production method, Grid¡¯s emotions went beyond disappointment into rage. Then Sticks spoke.


    ¡°Do you know that us elves also have upations like cksmiths and tailors?¡±


    "Of course, these upations are necessary for any species. That¡¯s how food and clothing is obtained.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The craftsmanship isn¡¯t better than humans or dwarves, but there are also cksmiths and tailors among the elves. And there was a famous underwear maker among the elven tailors. The underwear I am wearing now is made by the tailor. I have been wearing it for 613 years, and it¡¯s very functional. It¡¯s well ventted and always keeps me in good condition.¡±


    ¡°No, what nonsense...¡±


    There were too many parts to tackle. It started out with a quest for a cksmith to learn how to make underwear, only to suddenly talk about elven tailors? He was wearing the same underwear for 613 years?


    ¡¯How nasty.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t aware that him wearing the same underwear for nine years was also dirty. Sticks exined to him.


    "I want to tell you that underwear made with techniques have unusual functions. Grid, I think the underwear you make will boast excellent features.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Let¡¯s think about it. In Satisfy, underwear was a basic item that should be worn below primary items. What if it had specific options?


    ¡®A profit?¡¯


    It was much better to have some defense than no functions. He got the concept of secondary defense.


    "In addition, underwear is made of cloth. What does making underwear suggest? It means you can learn how to handle cloth. Grid, you still can¡¯t make cloth pieces, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah...! I see!¡±


    Let¡¯s look back to when he made the Hooded Zip Up and Lantier¡¯s Cloak. As a cksmith, Grid couldn¡¯t produce cloth items and eventually consumed his creation skill.


    ¡®But once I learn how to make cloth armor, I won¡¯t have to consume the creation skill when making cloak type items in the future!¡¯


    Grid got over his anger at the ss quest reward andughed again.


    ¡®I can also make underwear and give it as a private gift to Irene...¡¯


    Irene looked even more beautiful at night. This was great. Grid imagined Irene looking more seductive than she did in the vampire pajamas and then he was reminded of Yura and Jishuka.


    ¡®I always wondered about the exact sizes of those two...¡¯


    Could he use functional underwear as an excuse to get their sizes?


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    The smile couldn¡¯t leave Grid¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t a greedy smile, but a pure smile. Sticks was somewhat surprised.


    ¡®He can look this boyish?¡¯


    A human with a clean soul. Looking on his attitude towards his peers and people, Sticks could tell that Grid was an upright person. He was different from ordinary humans. Sticks felt more liking towards Grid and gave him detailed quest information.


    "Go north. It¡¯s the territory that Duke Steim rules. You will find clues about an underwear craftsman there.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will also get to see my father-inw.¡±


    Grid nodded and left straight away. He would dy making the magic sword. In the course ofpleting his ss quest, he would acquire new production methods and his knowledge about item production would be higher.


    ¡°Huhuhut!¡±


    With the functional underwear, he had an opportunity to increase his items and know the sizes of the world¡¯s greatest beauties! Grid was so excited that hisughter didn¡¯t cease. The passing yers were surprised.


    ¡°Heok. That¡¯s Grid, right?¡±


    ¡°No way... There¡¯s no way Grid would have his pants down on the road...¡±


    "...I didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    It was fortunate that yers not belonging to the Overgeared Guild weren¡¯t familiar with Grid. If the yers could see Grid now, it would spread all types of rumors on the Inte.

 Chapter 625

    TL: Changing Eat Jokbal in Bed to Eat Spicy Jokbal


    ¡°It¡¯s cold. This isn¡¯t a ce for decent people to live in.¡±


    ¡°This is the reason why Winston¡¯s NPCs told me to buy fur clothing.¡±


    "This is why the advice of NPCs should be listened to...¡±


    Frontier. It was the capital of Duke Steim¡¯s territory, located at the northernmost tip of the Overgeared Kingdom. Snowstorms raged all year round and first time visitors were frustrated by the cold. Some of the low level yers were freezing.


    "How could this cold ce grow to be the best city in the north?¡±


    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s difficult to grow crops in the cold and the scope of people¡¯s activities will be reduced.¡±


    In the days of the Eternal Kingdom, there had been arge number of monsters living in the northern part of the kingdom. But the intrepid Duke Steim fought the monsters and helped the north achieve a prosperous growth. How could it grow so much when farming was difficult because of the cold?


    It was due to therge number of monster habitats still left. The northern people hunted monsters, ate the monster¡¯s meat, exported the monster¡¯s essories, rode them, and umted wealth. The cold wasn¡¯t a problem either. The northern people were strong in the cold and there was a saying that the ¡®northern people don¡¯t know the cold.¡¯ Some people appreciated it because of their natural constitution, but the actual truth?


    "The northern people don¡¯t feel the cold thanks to this underwear. Don¡¯t you want to buy this underwear?¡±


    Tremble tremble.


    As soon as a shivering group of yers arrived at Frontier, NPCs rushed towards them. They were holding underwear in their hands. It was furry underwear.


    "The underwear made from a yeti¡¯s fur has the excellent effect of protecting your body from freezing and frostbite. This underwear is a must for the north. All the northern people are wearing this underwear.¡±


    ¡®There are so many underwear merchants?¡¯


    In every city, there were merchants who targeted tourists and travelers. But he had never seen a merchant trying to sell underwear to travelers.


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t buy such useless things.¡±


    How warm would it be to wear underwear? yers with prejudices against underwear didn¡¯t listen to the merchants. Some yers checked the details of the underwear, but they were just disappointed.


    [Northern Underwear]


    Underwear made with a thickyer of yeti leather.


    It has the effect of protecting the body from the freezing cold, but it is too thick to feelfortable.


    * Cold resistance +5%.


    * Agility -5%.


    All lower body skills will decrease by 10%.


    It was an item with too many penalties just for raising cold resistance by 5%.


    ¡®It¡¯s amazing that underwear has options.¡¯


    ¡®The 5% drop in agility is huge.¡¯


    ¡®There aren¡¯t many monsters in the area, but being a little cold is better than being weakened.¡¯


    A magician with low agility wouldn¡¯t care, but a 5% drop in agility was fatal to most sses. The disappointed yers refused the merchants and left.


    "Give me those underwear.¡±


    One man suddenly appeared and checked the details of the underwear the merchants were selling. It was a man who didn¡¯t feel the cold at all, as his body wasn¡¯t shaking, despite not wearing fur clothes. His face couldn¡¯t be confirmed because he was wearing a hat with a wide brim.


    "The options are all the same despite the underwear type. Isn¡¯t there any better underwear?¡±


    "There is better underwear, but it¡¯s only sold to nobles.¡±


    "Why?"


    The man who showed interest in the underwear was Grid. He hid his identity because he didn¡¯t want to attract attention from other yers.


    "There¡¯s only one tailor who can make better underwear in Frontier. The underwear he made was too expensive to sell to the general public due to ack of quantity.¡±


    ¡®The underwear maker is a tailor.¡¯


    Grid predicted that not just anyone could make underwear. If all tailors knew how to make underwear, it would bemercialized and the current yers would be wearing individualistic underwear.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because of the weather here that Frontier¡¯s tailors learned how to make underwear.¡¯


    The northern people had to find a way to withstand the cold. One of those methods would¡¯ve been the production of warm underwear.


    "The underwear craftsman... No, where can I meet the tailor?¡±


    "Nobody knows. He suddenly disappeared one day.¡±


    "The tailor disappeared? Why?¡±


    "Who knows? He vanished without a trace.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Indeed, this ss quest wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡®I need to gather clues.¡¯


    He needed to find out where the underwear craftsman had disappeared to and find him in order to learn how to make underwear. Grid burned with motivation and started to walk around Frontier. He asked the NPC residents about the underwear craftsman and eventually attracted people¡¯s attention.


    ***


    "Recently, there is a suspicious man inquiring about Sir Fatima.¡±


    Advanced tailor Fatima. Many nobles were confused when the treasure of Frontier disappeared. They were worried that they wouldn¡¯t be able to wear underwear made by Fatima again. Thus, the nobles searched for Fatima¡¯s whereabouts. But none of them could find Fatima.


    It was natural they couldn¡¯t find him. Fatima had been kidnapped and imprisoned by a noble of Frontier, Earl Bruno. Who could possibly imagine that Earl Bruno kidnapped Fatima?


    "Sir Fatima, aren¡¯t you happy that so many people are looking for you?¡±


    ¡°Why... Why are you doing this?"


    Underneath Earl Bruno¡¯s residence. The chained up Fatima was terrified. He was uneasy because he was abducted by a nobleman for an unknown reason. Earl Brunoughed as he sat in a chair, crossed his legs and cleaned his fingernails.


    "What do I want? Of course it¡¯s your underwear.¡±


    "H-Haven¡¯t I sold underwear to you many times?¡±


    "I want to know how to make the underwear. If you teach me how to make your luxury underwear, I promise to spare your life.¡±


    Earl Bruno was paying attention to the underwear business. Frontier¡¯s nobles and residents only perceived underwear as ¡®something to make the body warm.¡¯ However, Earl Bruno thought that the possibilities of underwear were endless. He thought that if he made various functional underwear and sold it to the royalty and nobles of each kingdom, he would be able to collect a lot of money.


    "Does Duke Steim know...?¡±


    Was Duke Steim behind Earl Bruno? Fatima thought the worst while Earl Bruno replied cynically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to share this good business information with a traitor.¡±


    "Traitor..?¡±


    Earl Bruno was Duke Steim¡¯s right arm man. The first thing Duke Steim did as soon as King Grid appointed him a duke was to make Bruno his earl. Duke Steimpletely trusted Earl Bruno. Yet Earl Bruno called Duke Steim a turncoat. Killing intent filled Earl Bruno¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he a traitor for giving up his loyalty to the royal family and helping his son-inw¡¯s rebellion?¡±


    Fatima¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°You are... Part of the Anti Grid Alliance?¡±


    Anti Grid Alliance. They consisted of the nobles of Eternal. They couldn¡¯t ept Grid as a king and wanted to bring him down from the throne. On the day of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony, it was known that the alliance was defeated by Duke Steim and Duke Chris. But some remnants still remained, and surprisingly, Earl Bruno was one of them.


    ¡°At present, more than 10% of the nobles of the Overgeared Kingdom belong to the Anti Grid Alliance. Of course, they are seemingly loyal to Grid, but it¡¯s just an act.¡±


    Earl Bruno needed a lot of money. The money would be used to hire soldiers and prepare weapons!


    "The Anti Grid alliance will first eliminate Duke Steim, swallow the north, and then confront Grid. But a lot of money is required to do that. Therefore, I need your underwear making method. Now, Sir Fatima. Aren¡¯t you also a person of Eternal? You should cooperate with us.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    The kingdom was stabilizing after the end of the war, and now he wanted to start another war? In the end, only the people would suffer. Boys would be forcibly conscripted into the war and many people would lose their lives and family. Fatima was furious.


    ¡°How funny. Earl Bruno, you¡¯re just masking your ambitions behind loyalty. You don¡¯t care about thefort of your people at all.¡±


    ¡°What would a mere tailor know?¡± Earl Bruno¡¯s face turned red and he started to wield his whip. "If you don¡¯t want to die, tell me how to make your underwear!¡±


    "Ugh!"


    Fatima was wounded and felt afraid. It was enough to make him shed tears. But he didn¡¯t give in. His pride as a tailor wasn¡¯t cheap. But how long could he endure? Earl Bruno¡¯s violence and intimidation continued over the next few days and Fatima¡¯s will gradually weakened.


    Earl Bruno was convinced.


    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to resist. No one in the world will save you. In the end, you will sumb to me.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Ugh!"


    Earl Bruno¡¯s whipping became more severe and Fatima¡¯s willpower was like a me in front of the wind.


    ***


    "He wasst sighted near Earl Bruno¡¯s mansion.¡±


    Thest four days. Grid walked through Frontier and gathered information from the residents. As a result, he learned that the underwear maker¡¯s name was Fatima and thest ce he was sighted.


    ¡°Earl Bruno... He¡¯s my father-inw¡¯s aide?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t spent a single penny while staying at Frontier. Every time he was hungry or tired, he went to Duke Steim¡¯s castle.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Highness.¡±


    There was no time to visit the castle today so lunch was prepared for him. In response to Grid¡¯s request, Duke Steim personally delivered the packed lunch and responded politely.


    "Earl Bruno is my most trusted person. He¡¯s old-fashioned, but has a strong sense of loyalty. Your Majesty, please enjoy the yeti dish. It¡¯s good for your energy.¡±


    "Well well, gulp. Hrmm, I should go visit Earl Bruno. Maybe he has seen Fatima.¡±


    "Have some tea. Your Highness, why are you looking for Fatima?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to learn how to make underwear.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Did he hear wrong? Duke Steim doubted his ears. Grid, who became the king of a nation, was trying to learn how to make underwear?


    ¡°N-No, Your Majesty. Why do you have to learn how to make underwear?¡±


    "...It¡¯s my job.¡±


    "...???"


    "In any case, I ate well, Father-inw.¡±


    Grid recovered his stamina to the maximum and gave the empty lunch box to Duke Steim. Then heughed and wore his hat again.


    ¡¯I¡¯m looking forward to meeting my father-inw¡¯s right arm man.¡¯

 Chapter 626

    XX city, XX district.


    It was originally a very quiet neighborhood located on the outskirts of Seoul. It was the level of a vige with simple facilities and farming fields. However, the atmosphere of the neighborhood changed drastically since Overgeared King Grid built the 10 billion won Youngwoo Building.


    If people went there, they could see Grid! People filled with anticipation started gathering in XX District and the people of XX District started trading with them. Seven months after the Youngwoo Building was constructed, XX District was able to grow into the busiest area in XX City.


    Some citizens felt so grateful they argued that the name of XX should be changed to the Youngwoo District.


    ***


    The Youngwoo Building had a low number of floors, but a luxurious appearance. Only expensive materials were used and a world famous architect designed the building. It cost 10 billion won for a reason.


    In front of Youngwoo¡¯s Building.


    ¡°This is Grid¡¯s building.¡±


    "I want to see Grid¡¯s roof penthouse.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look around. Do you intend to just go back aftering all the way here?¡±


    Chinese tourists were gathered. They were the main culprits who spat and left cigarette butts all over XX District. The merchants around the Youngwoo Building looked at them with uneasy eyes.


    "They want to go into Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s building...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Not all Chinese people are like this, but the majority of Chinese tourists are famous for not havingmon sense. They don¡¯t care about signposts forbidding entrance.¡±


    ¡°Maybe... They want to interfere with Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s game?¡±


    For the residents of XX District, Shin Youngwoo was their hero and benefactor. Thanks to Youngwoo, the localmercial district developed and they were able to umte wealth. Of course they loved him. The merchants wanted to help Youngwoo and approached the Chinese tourists.


    "Tourists, this building is mainly used as an officetel, except for the cafes and restaurants on the first floor.¡±


    "Tourists shouldn¡¯t be blocking the elevator entrance for the residents.¡±


    "What are these Koreans saying?¡±


    "We can¡¯t enter the building?¡±


    "What¡¯s with these guys?¡±


    The eyes of the Chinese tourists turned nasty. They stared angrily at the residents trying to protect Youngwoo¡¯s privacy.


    "What right do you have to interfere with us?¡±


    ¡°Koreans really don¡¯t understand! They¡¯re just small vige people!¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    The merchants shrank back as the atmosphere started to turn ugly. There were many Chinese tourists and the impression they gave off was terrible. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t good to get tangled up with people who had nomon sense. At that moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    A beautiful girl in a school uniform appeared. She had milky white skin, a small face, and slender limbs in the ratio of a model. Her identity was Youngwoo¡¯s younger sister, Sehee.


    "Ruby...!"


    ¡°Saintess Ruby!¡±


    "She¡¯s no different from her appearance in the game!¡±


    "It¡¯s the color of South Korea!¡±


    The Chinese tourists became excited. They rushed towards Sehee.


    ¡°Signature!¡±


    ¡°Can I have a photo?¡±


    "Shake hands...! No, let¡¯s hug!!¡±


    It wasplete chaos. Almost 50 Chinese tourists surrounded the small and fragile girl.


    ¡°S-Sehee...!¡±


    The merchants paled. They tried to protect the frightened Sehee, but they were pushed aside by the Chinese tourists.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The moment that Sehee screamed as she was forcibly embraced by a Chinese man.


    Kkiiik.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    There was arge luxury car that could be seen in movies. A limousine more than 10 meters long appeared beside the Chinese tourists. The Chinese tourists were surprised and focused on the limousine.


    "I¡¯m quickly bing mad.¡± (TL: This is Chinese written in Korean. I guessed the meaning based on googling, but might not bepletely urate.)


    A man emerged from the limousine and red at the Chinese tourists with cold eyes. It was fearsome killing intent. His sharp look seemed to piece the hearts of the Chinese tourists like a dagger.


    ¡°H-Hao...!¡±


    The Chinese tourists confirmed the identity of the man and were astonished. The miracle of the continent, Hao. Why was the best Chinese ranker in South Korea? The Chinese tourists wondered if this was a dream as Hao moved to protect Sehee.


    "Making a fuss when visiting a foreignnd... Don¡¯t you know that your unreasonable behavior affects all of us? Get out of here before I call the embassy to get rid of you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Hao was someone who couldn¡¯t be ignored in China. There was a rumor that even the president was Hao¡¯s fan. Hao¡¯s influence was enough to reach the embassy. The Chinese tourists started to run away. In addition, today¡¯s event would be published as an article in China. It imed that the Chinese should no longer disgrace their country when visiting other countries, which led to the disappearance of the noisy Chinese tourists in front of Youngwoo¡¯s building.


    ¡°Are you okay? Miss Ruby?¡±


    Hao asked in awkward Korean. Sehee nodded. Her big eyes made her look like a small and cute squirrel.


    ¡°Thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very fortunate.¡±


    Hao looked at Sehee with a gentle expression. He might¡¯ve met many beautiful women in China, but it was a rare experience to see a woman as beautiful as Sehee. It was inevitable that he would like her. Sehee thought he was gentle like her brother and feltfortable with him.


    ¡°By the way, why are you in South Korea?¡±


    "It¡¯s because I want to talk to Grid about Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°Kraugel...¡±


    The sky above the sky who her brother had a fierce struggle with twice. Sehee recalled his desperate desire to treat his mother¡¯s illness and flushed. Like most women, Sehee was instinctively attracted to a charming man like Kraugel.


    Hao asked,¡°Is Grid home right now?¡±


    "Yes. Did you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°Of course. But I arrived 1 hour and 15 minutes earlier than scheduled.¡±


    ¡°Oh my... Then you¡¯ll have to wait until the promised time. My older brother is living on a strict schedule. He won¡¯t log out of the game until the promised time, even if a knife is held to his neck. Well, there¡¯s a lot to do since he became a king.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    He visited on his own, but wasn¡¯t he still the best ranker of China? Seheeughed at the embarrassed Hao.


    "When the mayor visited, he had to wait for three hours.¡±


    "...Is the coffee at this cafe delicious?¡±


    "I¡¯m still a student and I don¡¯t drink coffee, so I don¡¯t know. But the sweet potatotte is delicious.¡±


    ¡°I see... I will wait while drinking the sweet potatotte.¡±


    Indeed, Grid was now one of the busiest people in the world. Hao understood and decided to sacrifice some of his precious time today.


    ***


    Earl Bruno¡¯s mansion. It was the secondrgest building in Frontier. Grid confirmed the size of the mansion and realized Earl Bruno¡¯s position in Frontier.


    ¡®My father-inw¡¯s right hand man lives in such a stately ce.¡¯


    Indeed, he was a great person, since he was favored by Duke Steim.


    Grid greatly anticipated his encounter with Earl Bruno, one of the nobles who supported the Overgeared Kingdom. Earl Bruno was in charge of Frontier¡¯s affairs and probably knew where Fatima were.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Guards stopped him as Grid approached the entrance of mansion. Unlike ordinary people, Grid wandered around without fur clothing, making him look odd.


    ¡®What? Doesn¡¯t he feel the cold?¡¯


    ¡¯It might be a humanoid monster.¡¯


    The guards were alert! Grid confirmed the state of the spears they were pointing and felt proud.


    ¡®The soldiers of the north are superior to soldiers of other kingdoms.¡¯


    There truly were many monster habitats in the area. It was clear that Duke Steim concentrated on training and arming his soldiers, making them a solid force of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t cold and his face was covered by a wide brimmed hat. Rather than being afraid of the guards, he watched them closely. Now he smiled in the darkness, causing the guards to feel fear.


    ¡®Whoops.¡¯


    Grid realized that the guards were terrified and took off his hat. His ck hair was revealed and shone in the moonlight.


    ¡°...King Grid?¡±


    The guards lost their souls. It was surprising and absurd that the king who was their master¡¯s target would appear here.


    "Open the gate.¡±


    ¡°Heok...! Y-Yes!¡±


    The king exercised unconditional influence in his own territory. Overgeared King Grid used his absolute power and the guards opened the gate to the mansion.


    ***


    The torture room underneath Earl Bruno¡¯s residence.


    "Ugh... S-Stop... Please stop...¡±


    Had it already been a few days? After a few days and nights of torture, Fatima¡¯s mental strength reached its limit. Fatima couldn¡¯t withstand the pain anymore. He wanted to put an end to this suffering. Earl Bruno smiled after recognizing that Fatima was waving the white g.


    ¡°Have you finally decided to hand over your underwear making method?¡±


    "I will hand it over. But...¡±


    "But what?"


    "Outstanding skills are required in order to make functional underwear. Not just anyone can acquire the production method.¡±


    ¡°There are good tailors all over the continent. Sir Fatima, don¡¯t think that you are special.¡±


    "Kuoh...¡±


    Fatima was Frontier¡¯s best tailor. He was proud, since he couldn¡¯t find a better tailor than himself in the Overgeared Kingdom. Fatima¡¯s pride as a tailor was enormous. Yet Earl Bruno damaged Fatima¡¯s pride. This was an incalcble wound that was iparable to the physical suffering felt when being whipped.


    "Hoh, what is with that rebellious look? You still haven¡¯t had enough?¡±


    Earl Bruno once again raised the whip.


    ¡°E-Earl Bruno!¡±


    At that time, the basement door opened without permission and the butler ran in. He looked like he had seen a ghost and Earl Bruno frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss? Don¡¯t tell me that Grid came to my house?¡±


    "T-That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Haha, what a funny joke.¡±


    ¡°R-Really! King Grid has arrived!¡±


    "What?¡±


    Earl Bruno got goosebumps.


    ¡¯Grid...! He acquired information that I¡¯m the head of the Anti Grid Alliance and came to take care of me!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s intelligencework was beyond imagination. No matter how Earl Bruno hated Grid, he had to acknowledge Grid.


    ¡®He¡¯s a king for a reason. A great figure that far exceeds my imagination.¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Earl Bruno didn¡¯t think his tail would be caught so quickly by Grid. He left the basement with a sour expression.


    "Gather the entire army. If I have to die, I will die with Grid.¡±


    On the other hand, Fatima was left alone and felt infinite affection and respect for Grid whom he had never met.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think the king woulde to rescue me... If I survive today, I will be loyal to him for the rest of my life.¡±

 Chapter 627

    ¡¯This is the king right now.¡¯


    Earl Bruno stopped as he entered the living room. The center of the living room. He stiffened as he found Grid leaning against the railings.


    ¡®Indeed, there¡¯s no sense of dignity.¡¯


    Eark Bruno¡¯s ideal king wasn¡¯t a capable person. It was a person who was always dignified, even if he was ipetent. He believed that was a true king.


    ¡®No matter how capable, how can I look up to a man who looks like a peasant?¡¯


    Earl Bruno was certain that themoner Grid would show his humble birth forever.


    ¡®A king should be born from a noble lineage...¡¯


    ¡°Are you Earl Bruno?¡±


    Grid¡¯s question interrupted Earl Bruno¡¯s thoughts. Grid kept leaning against the stairs and Earl Bruno¡¯s heart thumped.


    ¡®This look in his eyes...¡¯


    Did he send a fierce gaze because he guessed Earl Bruno was the head of the Anti Grid Alliance? Earl Bruno couldn¡¯t tell. Grid was a terrible human. A chill went down Earl Bruno¡¯s spine.


    ¡®The intelligence that allowed him to n to conquer the throne before the golem invasion of Reinhardt a few years ago, the power to stand alone against 100,000 troops, his public speaking ability, the boldness that doesn¡¯t shrink back in front of the 15 representatives...¡¯


    In fact, many nicknames weren¡¯t needed. A few words were sufficient to describe Grid. A hero who destroyed a great demon. Yes, Grid was far beyond the human category of a legend. Earl Bruno acknowledge Grid¡¯s capabilities. But as mentioned earlier, the virtue for a king that Earl Bruno valued was elegance, not power. It was because the king was a symbolic being. He needed to rule the kingdom and the people in it.


    ¡®Grid shouldn¡¯t be a king. His role should be a minister, not a king.¡¯


    As a noble, Earl Bruno would never be able to serve such a king! Bruno clenched his fists before speaking politely to Grid. Why was he polite? It was because he didn¡¯t want to drop his standards. He didn¡¯t have to behave like amoner and have his own dignity fall.


    "I¡¯m ashamed to receive Your Majesty in such a shabby mansion.¡±


    ¡°How is it shabby? This ce isparable to a pce.¡±


    ¡¯He¡¯sparing it to a pce...?¡¯


    Earl Bruno got goosebumps. Grid was smiling and talking. He was showing favorability on the surface, but sharp thorns was hidden underneath.


    ¡®...Amazing. Grid really does know everything. He already received information that my mansion holds thousands of troops. Hepared my residence to a pce because there¡¯s no situation where thousands of soldiers would be gathered in amon residence.¡¯


    Grid really did know that Earl Bruno was head of the Anti Grid Alliance.


    ¡®How did he find out my identity, when even Duke Steim didn¡¯t know despite me being beside him?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this intelligencework beyond the emperor of the empire? What should he do?


    ¡°Kukuk...¡±


    Laughter emerged. Earl Brunoughed and asked Grid.


    ¡°Can I ask how you knew?¡±


    It was a question that asked if his identity was noticed because he made a mistake. But Grid thought about it differently.


    ¡¯Indeed, Earl Bruno knows Fatima¡¯s actions. He wondered how I knew.¡¯


    Grid exined.


    "I received information that Fatima wasst witnessed near your mansion.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Earl Bruno¡¯s eyes widened. He was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡®He realized that I kidnapped Fatima in order to raise money for the rebellion and this one clue allowed him to know that I¡¯m the head of the alliance?¡¯


    Ah, Grid really was clever.


    ¡®You... If you were born into royalty, I would¡¯ve been an ardent follower who admires your actions.¡¯


    Regret swept over him like a tsunami. He couldn¡¯t get rid of his knowledge and hatred of Grid¡¯smon birth.


    ¡°...¡±


    Earl Bruno couldn¡¯t say anything and Grid asked.


    ¡°So where is Fatima?¡±


    Earl Bruno was once again surprised by the contents of the question.


    ¡®He¡¯s worried about Fatima...? A king is caring for one tailor? Kukuk, this is crazy. The more I know, the more of an ideal person he bes. Grid¡¯s people would surely be happy.¡¯


    Earl Bruno realized. The future of the Overgeared Kingdom led by Grid would be more unique and brilliant than Eternal. But it wasn¡¯t a happy future for the nobles of Eternal. Amoner king making a better kingdom than a traditional king. This overturned all of Earl Bruno¡¯s beliefs about the royal family. Earl Bruno gritted his teeth at the unclear future and replied.


    "Sir Fatima is underground.¡±


    ¡°Underground... Is there an underwear workshop there?¡±


    "Huhut, I will tell you exactly what I had nned.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid thought that he was interrupting Fatima, who wasmissioned by Earl Bruno to make underwear.


    ¡°But don¡¯t think it is too unfair. It won¡¯t take a long time. I will finish everything quickly.¡±


    Grid was a legendary cksmith. He believed that with his high dexterity state, he would quickly acquire the underwear production method no matter how difficult. Earl Bruno frowned.


    "You can finish it in an instant?¡±


    The 3,000 soldiers, 20 knights outside the mansion and himself, who fought for years by Duke Steim¡¯s side, were going to be killed in an instant by a single man?


    ¡®Your pride is bad. But you aren¡¯t arrogant.¡¯


    Grid had confronted 100,000 troops and destroyed a great demon. Earl Bruno and his soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him. It wasmon sense. But.


    ¡®There are always variables in battle.¡¯


    When the battle actually started, he might be able to kill Grid. That was life.


    Clink.


    Earl Bruno touched the sheath at his waist.


    Step.


    Grid came down the stairs. At this moment, the majesty that Grid emitted overwhelmed Earl Bruno. But Earl Bruno didn¡¯t give in.


    ¡°I have the blood of a noble family that has existed for hundreds of years. Only an authentic king can make me bow...!¡±


    Right as Earl Bruno was about to pull out his sword!


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. In order to quickly get Fatima¡¯s liking, I should raise my charm and dignity stat as high as possible.¡¯


    Grid suddenly had a thought and equipped himself with the Holy Light Crown and Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    "Heok!"


    Earl Bruno was shocked and his hand fell off his sword. Grid¡¯s dignity stat rapidly rose.


    ¡®W-What is this?¡¯


    Bruno was a special NPC. He was a noble NPC who only recognized a person as royalty when they had at least 2,000 points in the dignity stat. He hadn¡¯t been affected by Grid¡¯s high dignity stat. But now he became shocked once Grid¡¯s stat skyrocketed due to the Holy Light Crown and the Great Lord¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®A dignified king...! He wasn¡¯t born, but created...!¡¯


    Flop!


    Earl Bruno fell to his knees. He became nk because he recognized Grid¡¯s dignity. Earl Bruno could no longer deny Grid and lost his qualification to be head of the Anti Grid Alliance.


    "Dare... I don¡¯t dare defile Your Majesty¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid noticed one stepte that Earl Bruno drew his sword and fell to his knees.


    Then Earl Bruno spoke words that didn¡¯t make sense.


    "My knights and soldiers never once hated Your Majesty. Those who have to absolutely obey orders simply followed my irrationalmands. I know that it¡¯s shameless to beg you, but I believe you will show leniency. I will hand over a list of the Anti Grid Alliance members. Please spare my knights and soldiers. Take care of them.¡±


    "???"


    What nonsense was he suddenly talking? Question marks constantly appeared over Grid¡¯s head, but Earl Bruno felt relieved.


    ¡°Your silence is a tacit agreement. Your Majesty! May you live long!¡±


    "No, what do you keep...¡±


    Before Grid could ask the question...


    Puok!


    Earl Bruno stabbed himself in the heart. At the same time.


    [You have found and killed Earl Bruno, head of the Anti Grid Alliance!]


    [You have obtained a list of Anti Grid Alliance members.]


    [The Old-fashioned Noble¡¯s Ring has been acquired.]


    [The Old-fashioned Noble¡¯s Whip has been acquired.]


    [1,390 of 3,017 soldiers have decided to follow you after Earl Bruno¡¯s death.]


    [28 of 30 knights have decided to follow you after Earl Bruno¡¯s death. They truly admire your amazing work for defeated Earl Bruno without getting blood on your hands.]


    [Duke Steim hase running after hearing the news!]


    ¡°Your Majestyyyy!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "I¡¯m ashamed! I never imagined an enemy would be hiding among my subordinates! This is the result of my own vanity!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid felt intense fatigue. It was an iprehensible situation that his cognitive ability couldn¡¯t follow, causing him mental fatigue.


    ¡°First... First start with Fatima...¡±


    Grid thought about cooling his head while learning how to make underwear.


    ***


    ¡°What do you think about this?¡±


    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters. Grid just identally got a chance to suppress the Anti Grid Alliance. As Lim Cheolhoughed while monitoring Grid, Yoon Nahee interpreted it.


    "The variable is Grid raising his affinity with Sage Sticks to the maximum. Originally, if Grid visited Frontier after his cksmithing skill reached a certain level, he would¡¯ve ¡®identally¡¯ received the Fatima quest. Due to Sticks, it ovepped with the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding episode.¡±


    ¡°Right. If Grid hadn¡¯t been able to maximize his affinity with Sticks, he wouldn¡¯t have visited Frontier at this time. In addition, if Grid hadn¡¯t be king, the Anti Grid Alliance wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s a coincidence that the Fatima quest, the Anti Grid Alliance, and Earl Bruno all ovepped... It wouldn¡¯t have happened without one of Grid¡¯s actions.¡±


    "Then it isn¡¯t a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Thanks to the influence Grid built with Piaro, he became friends with Kraugel. He became friends with Kraugel and learned about the Behen Archipgo, where he met Sticks. It isn¡¯t a coincidence that all of Grid¡¯s actions are inevitably tied together.¡±


    The peak of causality. This was how Lim Cheolho defined Grid. It was natural that the supeputer Morpheus couldn¡¯t predict him.


    ¡®I want to keep a close eye on your progress.¡¯


    Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus. The three of them were exceptionally interesting among the five miracle yers. The monitors holding their appearance kept circting around Lim Cheolho. In particr, the supeputer Morpheus paid attention to Agnus.

 Chapter 628

    ¡°Your Majestyyy!! I never imagined that Your Majesty would save me personally! Someone who takes care of the wellbeing of every person. You are the epitome of a king!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    "This Fatima will pay back Your Majesty¡¯s grace from generation to generation! I would take off my underwear and walk the streets naked for you!¡±


    ¡°Ah... Um...¡±


    Grid scratched his cheeks with embarrassment when he met Fatima. It was purely a coincidence that Grid saved Fatima.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know that Fatima had been confined in the mansion by Earl Bruno.¡¯


    Earl Bruno. He hadn¡¯t expected Duke Steim¡¯s aide to be the head of the rebel group...


    Grid nced over at Duke Steim who was still bowing his head as a sinner. Grid sighed and encouraged him.


    "Father-inw, aren¡¯t you the one in the one in the most pain right now? I¡¯m fine. Please calm down and stabilize yournd.¡±


    ¡°...I understand. In the future, I will be more thorough so that this terrible situation doesn¡¯t ur again.¡±


    Duke Steim pledged and left with his soldiers. Earl Bruno was head of the Anti Grid Alliance and Grid came to Frontier and punished him. If such rumors spread, Frontier would be a crucible of chaos. Duke Steim had an obligation to restore the anxious public sentiment.


    ¡°Fatima.¡±


    "Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Fatima respectfully replied despite his wounded body. It was a sign that one-sided violence had been dealt by the strong against the weak.


    ¡®It¡¯s the same everywhere.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of the heavy past and pulled out a potion. He hesitated before handing it to Fatima.


    "This is precious medicine. Drink this first. Then I hope you will show me the method to making underwear.¡±


    "Y-Your Majesty is giving me a potion...!¡±


    In fact, Grid had given Fatima a cheap low-grade potion. It was for level 50 novice users or lower. But it was a precious potion to Fatima.


    "I-I will keep this as an heirloom!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Fatima shouted while hugging the potion. He didn¡¯t seem like he was going to drink the potion. Grid trembled.


    ¡®That bastard is trying to take my potion bottle...¡¯


    But what could he do? He moved immediately. Grid took out another potion with trembling hands and urged Fatima.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t qualify as a heirloom so drink it. Then let me know your underwear making method.¡±


    "Follow His Majesty¡¯s words!¡±


    "Tailor Fatima, what are you doing not following themand?¡±


    The knights were furious. The 28 knights left from Earl Bruno. They stared at Fatima, who didn¡¯t immediately follow Grid¡¯s orders. The scared Fatima hurriedly drank the potion. Grid looked at the knights with a warm smile.


    ¡®They are strong.¡¯


    He already looked at their strength using the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. The 28 knights, freed thanks to Earl Bruno, had reached level 250. The level of the skills they acquired were far behind the eight knights trained by Piaro and Asmophel.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a problem since those eight knights are exceptional.¡¯


    Grid nned to direct the eight knights to lead these 28 knights. It would be easier on Grid and Grid wanted the young talents to develop the capabilities of a leader. This was an investment for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    ¡®This is the tailor¡¯s workshop.¡¯


    Grid moved to Fatima¡¯s residence and looked around the studio with interest. The tailor¡¯s studio waspletely different from the smithy. It was calm, without the noisy sound of hammering, and there was no heat. The smell of leather, instead of iron, filled the air. It was a tranquil and rxing ce. The most important factor when working with cloth and leather was concentration.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯m notcking concentration.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for a smithy to be busy and chaotic. Working there required high concentration, so Grid would naturally have high concentration as a legendary cksmith. Who was Grid? Other people got a production button while he had to make every individual item by hand. Therefore, he was... A god. A god ofbor. His concentration wasn¡¯tckingpared to others.


    ¡®Now,e.¡¯


    Frontier¡¯s tailors learned how to make underwear due to environmental factors. The learning difficulty would be high. However, Grid had around 3,500 dexterity and infinite tenacity. No matter the difficulty of the underwear, it was likely he would master it quickly. Fatima was worried as he watched Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s clear that the king has a high pride as a legendary cksmith. He probably thinks of underwear making as easy.¡¯


    In reality, there were no techniques that was easy. Tailoring was as difficult as cksmithing and it wasn¡¯t a skill easily learned. Among them, the underwear making method required high dexterity and intermediate level tailoring skills.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want His Majesty to be disappointed if he can¡¯t learn how to make underwear.¡¯


    Fatima was pained at the thought of his king suffering a broken heart. Grid urged him while he was making a sad expression.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you teaching me your underwear making method?¡±


    "...Please prepare your heart.¡±


    Fatima could no longer dy it. He hoped that Grid wouldn¡¯t be frustrated as he handed over the underwear making method that he invented.


    [Fatima has handed over the Intermediate Underwear Production Method!]


    [Since you have made thousands of battle gear, the difficulty of the Intermediate Underwear Production Method isn¡¯t high. You have understood it easily.]


    [2,000 dexterity is required to acquire the Intermediate Underwear Production Method. Your current dexterity is 3,487.]


    [The Intermediate Underwear Production Method has been acquired.]


    [The Collection of New Production Methods (1) quest has beenpleted!]


    [Your have gained two levels from the quest reward.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®Legendary Great Magician¡¯ second ss and the ¡®First King¡¯ title, a total of 28 stat points are obtained!]


    [12 points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    [Collection of New Production Methods (1) will be linked to the Collection of New Production Methods (2) quest!]


    [Collection of New Production Methods (2)]


    ss Quest


    You finally learned how to create underwear. Then you realized that you need high tailoring skills to make underwear. You need to acquire tailoring skills in order to use the Underwear Production Method.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +2. The Tailoring skill will be acquired. A following linked quest.


    [You have fully understood the Intermediate Underwear Production Method and naturally acquired the Intermediate Tailoring Technique Lv. 8!]


    [The Collection of New Production Methods (2) quest has beenpleted!]


    [Your have gained two levels from the quest reward.]


    [Due to the effect of the ¡®Legendary Great Magician¡¯ second ss and the ¡®First King¡¯ title, a total of 28 stat points are obtained!]


    [12 points have been forcibly invested into intelligence due to the influence of the second ss, Legendary Great Magician.]


    [Collection of New Production Methods (2) will be linked to the Tailoring Technique Training quest!]


    [Tailoring Technique Training]


    ss Quest


    The possibilities for your development have be greater after learning the Tailoring Technique.


    If you get to the point where you canbine cksmithing and tailoring, your foundation as a cksmith will expand exponentially.


    But it is still difficult to utilize the tailoring technique.


    The gap between the intermediate tailoring skill and legendary cksmith skill is toorge.


    The intermediate tailoring technique is likely to degrade the quality of the legendary cksmith¡¯s work.


    Raise the level of your tailoring skill to the point where it can bebined with cksmithing.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Master the Advanced Tailoring Technique.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +6. The opening of craftsman level Tailoring Technique.


    ¡°Ah, XX.¡±


    He had identally subjugated the head of the rebels and easily obtained the underwear making method, only to automatically clear the next quest. This luck was too good.


    ¡®Does it make sense to ask a cksmith to master the tailoring skill? Are they crazy?¡¯


    How many cloth clothing would he have to produce to master the tailoring skill? It couldn¡¯t be measured. That¡¯s right. This ss quest was forcing Grid past the level ofbor. It was natural for Grid to curse.


    ¡®When will this ss quest end?¡¯


    ¡°%$(#!!¡±


    Grid spat out curses. Fatima looked like a carp beside him. The other tailors of Frontier couldn¡¯t learn how to make underwear no matter how hard they tried, yet the cksmith Grid did it in the blink of an eye.


    ¡®This is the skill of a true legend...! It¡¯s no different from a god!¡¯


    It was the moment another Grid believer was born.


    ***


    "Hao, I am so d to meet you.¡±


    "If you don¡¯t mind, can you give me a signature?¡±


    The Youngwoo Building 1F cafe. The lively cafe employees showed a passionate response to Hao. This was the position of a Satisfy high ranker. People with outstanding achievements in Satisfy were popr in reality, regardless of their personality. Even the bald Vantner was surrounded by fans when he went to the city center. Ah, in Vantner¡¯s case, the proportion of male fans was overwhelmingly high.


    ¡°I will order a sweet potatotte.¡±


    Hao didn¡¯t care about managing his image. He didn¡¯t give a business smile even when he met enthusiastic fans. He just acted ording to his personality and that coolness caused an increase in female fans. The employees were amazed when they received Hao¡¯s order in sloppy Korean.


    ¡°Oh my, how strange.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same drink that Grid orders every morning?¡±


    "Do the rankers like sweet potatottes?¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Hao¡¯s ears pricked up at the words. His pupils became bigger. He asked the employees.


    "Grid has a sweet potatotte every day?¡±


    "Yes, he likes it a lot. He drinks sweet potatottes on sunny days and cloudy days.¡±


    "I have never see Grid drink coffee. Does he dislike it?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he cute? Hehe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The employees forget their duties and started gossiping about Grid. Hao stared at them and opened his mouth.


    "Two sweet potatottes. No, I will order three.¡±


    Hao was a genius called a ¡®miracle¡¯ in China, which boasted the world¡¯srgest poption. It was enough to recognize himself as a person at the top of humanity. But that was just until he met Grid and Kraugel. Hao was firmly aware that he was below Grid and Kraugel and felt envious of them.


    He dreamt that he could grow to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kraugel and Grid. Thus, at this moment, he decided to drink sweet potatottes. He thought he could grow more if he followed Grid¡¯s food and drink preferences.


    ¡¯I will drink sweet potatotte every morning in the future. The key to Grid¡¯s focus in the game is the sweet potatotte.¡¯


    Hao was jubnt that he came to South Korea.

 Chapter 629

    (Grid has risen seven rankings in one day...!)


    (Grid¡¯s level stagnated after the kingdom¡¯s founding. Now it has risen by four levels in one night!)


    (Overgeared King Grid, it is estimated that he cleared a SSS difficulty quest.)


    (The SSS difficulty quest that ordinary yers will never experience... Did Grid only obtain four levels as a quest reward?)


    Grid once again caused a great stir. The world was flipped over by the four levels he gained from clearing sessive ss quests. But Grid himself wasn¡¯t pleased.


    ¡®I have to finish the quests toplete the ss and open up the true power.¡¯


    The problem was he couldn¡¯t see the end of the ss quests. Grid¡¯s ss quests were still in progress. In other words, mastering the advanced Tailoring Technique was just a process.


    ¡®It might take years to master the tailoring technique. Then when will my ss quest finish?¡¯


    Dammit! Why did a cksmith have to learn tailoring skills?


    ¡®Of course, I know that it¡¯s better to have a variety of skills in the long run.¡¯


    However, it had been several years since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The fact that he hadn¡¯tpleted the ss quests and opened the true power of the ss made Grid feel frustrated.


    ¡°Sigh, well... The tailoring skill will rise if I keep making underwear for the Overgeared members and soldiers.¡±


    It would be nice to maximize the concept of a kingdom ¡®armed with items.¡¯ Grid controlled his heart.


    ¡°You have worked hard, Oppa.¡±


    Grid logged out of Satisfy. Shin Youngwoo was met with his sister¡¯s face as soon as he raised his body from the Comet Group¡¯s diamond capsule. He returned from a busy day of working as the Overgeared King and received water from Sehee.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Indeed, his sister was the best. Grid was able to calm his tired heart with Sehee¡¯s pretty face and kind heart, making him smile.


    ¡°Gulp gulp. Puhwaaah!!¡±


    Youngwoo gulped down the water, only to spit it out of his nose and mouth. He thought it was bottled water, only for it to be carbonated water.


    ¡°Kek...! This isn¡¯t delicious!¡±


    Shin Youngwoo shed tears from the pain. Sehee looked at him with a grim expression.


    "Weren¡¯t you thinking about drinking soda anyway? Drink some carbonated water before you drink Coke, which is bad for you.¡±


    ¡°S-Shit...¡±


    Five year old children enjoyed carbonated water. Humanity had be ustomed to it. But Youngwoo was someone who aged backwards! He lived at his own pace, like he was an outsider. He still wasn¡¯t used to carbonated water.


    Grrrr! Sehee spoke to him as he ran to the bathroom and gargled water.


    "Hao is waiting for you on the first floor cafe.¡±


    "Yes, I think the appointment for when it would be an ess restriction. He told me there was something to discuss.¡±


    ¡°That... You don¡¯t have a great rtionship with Hao. Is it okay to meet him so easily in real life?¡±


    Sehee was worried about her weak brother meeting someone who might hurt him. However, Youngwoo was worried about Sehee.


    "Anyone looking at you will think you are my mother. Worrying about carbonated water, you¡¯repletely a mother.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, but men don¡¯t like nagging women. If you want to marry, stop worrying about me.¡±


    "A person who doesn¡¯t know love is saying this...¡±


    "I¡¯m married!"


    ¡°That¡¯s just a story in the game! You have never held hands with a woman in reality!¡±


    ¡°No! I held hands with Yura and Jishuka when drunk in the past! I am familiar with skinship!¡±


    "W-What? How unscrupulous!!¡±


    Youngwoo was seriously arguing with Sehee who was nine years younger than him. In the end, he was beaten up by Sehee.


    ***


    ¡°Ugh... What¡¯s with that girl¡¯s strength? I feel sorry for her future husband.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo entered his family¡¯s private elevator. Youngwoo headed to the first floor while tearfully touching his pained back. But he was also proud.


    "Indeed, it¡¯s better to be strong than weak. Sehee is different from me. Right? Isn¡¯t my sister really reassuring?"


    ¡°R-Really...¡±


    Beast man Toon. He used to be part of the Italian mafia and was a high ranker. He also lived in the Youngwoo Building and boarded the elevator alongside Youngwoo. It was for Youngwoo¡¯s protection. Toon was worried about him meeting someone casually, just like Sehee. Hao was famous for being a master of martial arts in reality, so Toon apanied Youngwoo just in case.


    ¡°How are things in Bairan?¡±


    Toon was in charge of the territory of Bairan. It was hard to meet in game, so Youngwoo was used to getting reports about the situation in reality.


    "After Smith went to Reinhardt, the tax revenue lowered slightly. But this is just a temporary phenomenon. Apart from that, there are no apparent problems. The damage from the war has already been restored. The inflow rate of users is high thanks to the Guardian of the Forest.¡±


    "What about the progress of the soldiers?¡±


    Among the soldiers deployed to Bairan, not one of them was from Reidan. Bairan¡¯s soldiers were conscripted and trained. It was because Bairan was a territory in a safe position from outside threats and it wasn¡¯t necessary to deploy elite troops there.


    ¡°The average level is over 100.¡±


    ¡°Already? Isn¡¯t it unbelievably fast?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to including Bairan in the Grid set quests. The users go to Bairan for the linked quest and perform the quest with the soldiers, making the level of the soldiers go up.¡±


    "Well, how many Grid set items have been given aspensation so far?¡±


    "There are 23 weapons and 5 gauntlets.¡±


    The Grid set could be obtained as a reward from the kingdom quests. The reward for stage three was a weapon and stage six was a gauntlet. In other words, only five people had reached the sixth stage of the kingdom quest.


    ¡°Really small. Is the difficulty level too high?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s appropriate. The Grid set shouldn¡¯t be obtained so easily. Rather, the users have be more enthusiastic to collect all of the Grid set. The linked kingdom quest created by you and Lauel is having a positive effect on both the users and the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The elevator arrived on the first floor. Before the door opened, Toon patted Youngwoo¡¯s shoulder.


    "You¡¯re doing better than everyone expected, so don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    "...Is it good for me to make underwear?¡±


    "...???"


    What nonsense was he suddenly saying? Toon didn¡¯t understand and entered the cafe with Youngwoo.


    ***


    ¡°Wow, what? Is this a sweet potatotte mania?¡±


    Youngwoo and Toon received the enthusiastic hospitality of the employees as they entered the cafe. Their eyes widened as they saw Hao sitting in a window seat. There were three sweet potatotte cups in front of Hao. The bottom of two cups was exposed.


    ¡°Are you a gourmet?¡±


    Having amon point was one of the factors involved in forming rtionships with people. Youngwoo, a sweet potato maniac, felt liking towards Hao. On the other hand, Hao was watching Youngwoo like he was a ghost.


    ¡®How can he drink this sweet drink every day?¡¯


    Hao came from Sichuan and liked spicy or sour foods. This sweet food was honestly unappealing. It was very painful to drink three sweet potatottes out of his desire to resemble Youngwoo. He once again vowed not to drink the sweet potatotte again. But this vow didn¡¯tst long.


    "Two sweet potatottes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Drinks were ced in front of Youngwoo and Toon. Hao¡¯s mind was shaken.


    ¡®Apart from Grid, Toon also drinks the sweet potatotte? It seems that the sweet potatotte is important. It¡¯s painful, but it can¡¯t be helped. I will drink sweet potatotte every morning in the future.¡¯


    Hao closed his eyes and picked up his remaining cup of sweet potatotte. His head was dizzy from an excessive consumption of sugar. However, he could endure this much pain if Youngwoo drank the sweet potatotte every day. Youngwoo handed his sweet potatotte to Hao.


    "Do you really like this? Have another. I can order one more.¡±


    "...No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Hao¡¯s face was pale. In order to facilitate a smooth conversation, he decided to wear a trantor instead of relying on his Korean speaking ability. Youngwoo and Toon were also wearing trantors. It was a diamond ss trantor produced by the Comet Group. It was received as a sponsorship item, but the performance was amazing.


    "First of all, wee to my house. It must be harding such a long way.¡± Youngwoo btedly spoke a polite greeting.


    "Thank you for letting me take some of your valuable time and allowing me to visit.¡±


    "Have you tried Korean food?¡±


    "Not yet."


    "Do you want to go to a Chinese restaurant eat jjampong? It is one of my favourite foods and is really good. (Jjampong= sweet and spicy soup. Along with jajangmyeong, it is a popr Korean dish developed from Chinese cuisine)


    ¡°...?¡±


    He asked if Hao had eaten Korean food and then wanted to go to a Chinese restaurant? Why did the conversation proceed this way? Hao started questioning the trantor. On the other hand, Toon spoke to Youngwoo.


    "Grid, the conversation is straying too much.¡±


    "Oh, excuse me. I was so hungry that I forgot myself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "So what is the purpose of your visit?¡±


    Hao realized that the trantor wasn¡¯t broken and exined his reason.


    "I want you to persuade Kraugel not to move to the United States.¡±


    ¡°...What? Kraugel is moving to the United States?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Youngwoo was startled by the words before replying like he understood.


    ¡°Indeed, it would be strange if he stayed in Russia, a vicious country that held his sick mother hostage. It is natural to immigrate.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t there a problem if he goes to the United States? If he has to move, isn¡¯t it better to move to South Korea or China?¡±


    Hao cried out but Youngwoo didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Grid blinked with confusion and Hao replied like it was natural.


    "Kraugel is a Korean person. Isn¡¯t it normal for him toe to an Asian country like Korea or China rather than the west?¡±


    "Let¡¯s see? I don¡¯t know. Does race y a role when deciding what country to move to? Isn¡¯t it right to find a ce where you can be happy?


    ¡°...¡±


    Hao was speechless. Grid¡¯s attitude waspletely different from what he imagined. Hao had a strong sense of nationalism and couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s reaction. Toon exined to him.


    "Grid isn¡¯t tied to the concept of a country.¡±


    He didn¡¯t think that ¡®South Korea is right¡¯ just because he was Korean. It was theplete opposite from Peak Sword. Of course, he loved South Korea. It was why he was willing to go to the army. However, he had no intention of forcing his patriotism on Kraugel.


    "Hao, this is a problem that Kraugel will take care. It is meaningless if we talk about it.¡±


    Hao stood up.


    ¡°Think about it! If Kraugel moves to the United States, the first ce in the National Competition will go to the United States!"


    The most influential country in the world. The United States had that title for hundreds of years. It was a big barrier to China, and Hao felt hostile to the United States from a patriotic point of view. Now the United States was trying to conquer Satisfy as well. Hao hated it.


    "Then is it okay for South Korea or China to dominate the first ce if Kraugeles here?¡¯


    "China is my homnd and South Korea is a country that I acknowledge... No, it¡¯s better than Kraugel being taken by the United States. I can¡¯t understand why Kraugel is trying to move to the United States...¡±


    Hao suddenly stopped talking. It was because he thought about Youngwoo¡¯s words about Kraugel finding a ce where he would be happy.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense for my personal selfishness to hinder Kraugel¡¯s happiness.¡¯


    Crooked patriotism was a poison. Hao calmed down and sat back in his chair.


    "I didn¡¯t have toe to South Korea at all.¡±


    Hao murmured with augh. Youngwoo sucked up the sweet potatotte with a straw and said casually.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m d that you came. It is more pleasant than I thought.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Then let¡¯s go to the Chinese restaurant.¡±


    "...No, why should Ie to South Korea and eat Chinese food? Originally I was nning to eat pork belly and kimchi stew.¡±


    "Can¡¯t you eat such famous foods in China? Let¡¯s go to a Chinese restaurant.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What type of person was this? Hao thought it was absurd. But he couldn¡¯t helpughing. On the other hand, Toon was sending a message to Peak Sword.


    -As everyone expects, Hao seems to like Grid.It¡¯s better to maintain a good rtionship with Hao.I want to eat pork belly and kimchi stew, so please treat me to dinner.


    The reply came quickly.


    -Do you know kimchi stew?

 Chapter 630

    ¡®It wasn¡¯t a joke?¡¯


    Hao sweated as he arrived in front of a Chinese restaurant with Youngwoo. There was a red signboard embossed with two golden dragons. This ce had a strong Chinese atmosphere and the word ¡®Yongsungkak¡¯ on it. Hao was dismayed.


    ¡®A Chinese person who came to South Korea is treated to Chinese food...?¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t know who Youngwoo was, Hao would¡¯ve evaluated him as insane. But who was Shin Youngwoo? Overgeared King Grid. The first among two billion users to be a king.


    ¡®He must have deep intentions for guiding me to this ce.¡¯


    Youngwoo handed the menu to Hao, who had misunderstood and interpreted the actions positively.


    "My rmended dishes is the stone bowl jjampong. Oh, jjampong are normally too hot for foreigners to eat? Then you can eat jajang.¡±


    Youngwoo normally got his delivered food from here. But the stone bowl was too hot and he was always sad because it couldn¡¯t be delivered. He was happy to be able to use Hao as an excuse to visit this restaurant and eat jjampong. That¡¯s right. The reason Youngwoo guided Hao to this Chinese restaurant was purely because of his taste buds. There weren¡¯t any deep intentions as Hao thought.


    "I was born in Sichuan. Jjampong is a seafood soup made with chili oil and red pepper powder. I like spicy food and can eat it.¡±


    People from Sichuan were proud of their ability to handle spicy food. They were prouder than Koreans. Youngwoo didn¡¯t worry about the spiciness anymore and ordered jjampong. Youngwoo licked his lips.


    "I will eat jjangmyeon.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Toon, you are eating jajang?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    In the end, they ordered two jjampong and one jajangmyeon. Here, sweet and sour pork was given by default. The sweet and sour pork came out first. Hao scoffed at the taste of the sweet and sour pork.


    ¡®As I thought, it is lousy fake goods. There is too much acidity in the sauce. The fried meat has no sense of chewiness and the texture is bad.¡¯


    Hao could confidently call himself a gourmet. He ate 50 types of dishes every week. The Korean sweet and sour pork was inadequate to satisfy his gourmet tastes.


    ¡°This is a service.¡±


    The employee brought a te of dumplings. However, Hao had already put down his chopsticks. He thought the dumplings would be terrible after eating the sweet and sour pork. He wanted to try the jjampong rmended by Youngwoo. Youngwoo didn¡¯t care about Hao. He was busy eating the sweet and sour pork.


    Toon focused on the dumplings. The moment that Toon took a bite of the fried dumplings.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Hao¡¯s sense of smell was stimted. The moment the dumplings were split apart, the pepper vour spread and aroused his appetite.


    ¡®Is it pretty good?¡¯


    Hao became interested in the dumplings again and raised his chopsticks. Then his eyes widened as he took a bite of the fried dumplings.


    ¡®It is just a bunch of vegetables and meat. Why is this dumpling so delicious? The strong pepper vor constantly stimtes my appetite. I can eat a few more of these dumplings.¡¯


    Hao started to quickly eat the dumplings. Hao ate two dumplings in the time it took Toon to eat one. Youngwoo watched with pitying eyes.


    ¡®Hao, he has bad taste... How tasteless is the food he normally eats if he likes these dumplings?¡¯


    Yongsungkak¡¯s dumplings, like most Chinese restaurants, used frozen dumplings as the base material. It was cheap instant food ordered from a factor that could be fried in oil. Hao ate it like it was delicious, making Youngwoo feel pity. After a while, the jjampong finally came out. The soup simmered in the stone bowl likeva.


    ¡°I will warn you beforehand that this is really spicy. It is much hotter than the Sichuan jjampong usually sold in Chinese restaurants.¡±


    By default, jjampong was hot. This was stone bowl jjampong. It was a dish with a remarkably spicy taste. Hao shrugged at Youngwoo¡¯s warning.


    "I am from Sichuan and I don¡¯t think that Korean food is spicy.¡±


    He would show the strong tongue and stomach of a Sichuan person! Hao burned with ambition and moved his chopsticks towards the jjampong. Then he picked up the noodles along with various seafood and vegetables. At the same time.


    ¡®Spicy!¡¯


    Hao¡¯s face turned red. Hao was unaware of it, but the powder contained inrge quantities in the jjampong was actually capsaicin, not red pepper powder. It was spicier and more stimting than the Sichuan pepper that the Sichuan people enjoyed. It was enough to burn his tongue.


    But Hao couldn¡¯t stop moving his chopsticks. Every time he ate the jjampong, the rich vor that exploded in his mouth led him to a new world.


    ¡®I can¡¯t stop eating.¡¯


    The taste of this jjampong was far from Chinese food. The different types of Chinese food that Hao ate didn¡¯t taste like this jjampong.


    ¡®To be exact, this is the Korean style. It¡¯s the same as the dumplings. The Korean style dishes are generally rich in vor. The chef¡¯s intuition isn¡¯t normal.¡¯


    It was impossible to produce such a rich vor with simple chicken broth and seafood. The Chinese chefs in Korean obviously had some secret to maximize the richness. Hao, who ate only high-end Chinese food, was addicted to the MSG of a Chinese restaurant in amon neighborhood in South Korea.


    ***


    Satisfy was another reality. The phrase ¡®Satisfy¡¯ expressed the S.A. Group¡¯s feeling of being the first to realize a perfect virtual reality. They didn¡¯t want Satisfy to stay in the small framework of the word ¡®game.¡¯ In fact, many people epted Satisfy as another reality.


    Agnus also thought like this. Agnus didn¡¯t distinguish between Satisfy and reality. No, he wanted to believe that Satisfy was reality.


    Satisfy¡¯s technology and Baal¡¯s Contractor ability would surely be able to reproduce her.


    ¡°Kik... Kikik, it is still too hard?¡±


    Behen Archipgo, the 62nd ind. There was a monster that transcended Lantier from the 61st ind. This gave Agnus a sense of despair. Despite using all the power he got from contracting with the 1st Great Demon Baal, he couldn¡¯t break through the 62nd ind.


    ck...ck ck.


    The Mumud lich looked up at the sky. His eye holes seemed to be longing for freedom. Agnus kicked the fallen Mumud lich by his feet and dered to the fairy Bini.


    ¡°Next time it will be different. I will surely conquer the Behen Archipgo to the end and seize the legacy left behind by Pagma.¡±


    ¡°H-Hik. U-Understood. So please spare me.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ golden eyes were only filled with rage.


    The frightened Bini thought he would be killed and begged. Agnusughed at the cowardly fairy and left the Behen Archipgo. He didn¡¯t think there would be anyone who could conquer the Behen Archipgo before him.


    ***


    [Underwear Production Method Lv. 1]


    You can make underwear of various cloth and leather materials.


    There is a certain probability of making rare rated underwear.


    There is a low probability of making rare rated underwear with options.


    * When rare rated underwear are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    [Intermediate Tailoring Technique Lv. 8]


    Equipment items can be made from various fabrics and leather materials.


    There is a rare probability of producing rare~ epic rated items.


    There is a very rare probability of creating unique rated items.


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    * When epic rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +80.


    * When unique rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +12 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +300.


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    It had been several years since he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Now that his cksmith skill had grown to a very high level, Grid received a big penalty. He couldn¡¯t enjoy the stat-synergy effect even if he made a high rated item. But tailoring was different. Grid¡¯s newly acquired tailoring skill was only intermediate level and there was no penalty. If he made a high rated item with the tailoring skill, he could enjoy the same stat-synergy effect.


    In addition...


    ¡°A production button!¡±


    A new feature was added to the interface. An underwear production button, cloth items production button, and leather items production button were created. The cooldown time of the production button was 120 minutes. In the future, Grid would be able to produce underwear, cloth, and leather items with a single click of the production button. It was once every two hours.


    "I can¡¯t believe this convenient feature...!¡±


    Of course, it didn¡¯t apply to cksmithing, but Grid was happy enough. He was thrilled to be able to raise the level of his underwear and tailoring skills much quicker and easier than expected.


    ¡°Wow, this is a jackpot no matter how I think about it. How can there be a production button?¡±


    Making an item with one click of a button? He never imagined such a convenient function.


    ¡®The S.A. Group wouldn¡¯t be so kind to users... Heok, don¡¯t tell me it was a bug?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know that this convenient feature was something that other production yers had enjoyed for thest three years. It was thankful that he didn¡¯t know how pitiable and poor he was.


    ***


    [Production of Cloth Armor has beenpleted.]


    [Production of Yeti¡¯s Underwear has beenpleted.]


    ¡°It¡¯s a normal rating.¡±


    On the way from Frontier to Reinhardt. Grid produced items by clicking the production button once every two hours. Unlike cksmithing where he had to go through the whole process by hand, the underwear making and tailoring was incredibly easy because items were created just by clicking a production button. The problem was that the rating was only normal.


    ¡®Damn... Satisfy can¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    It was unbelievable to produce high rated items once every two hours without any trouble. Grid came to the conclusion that this production system would never produce high rated items and was frustrated.


    ¡¯Indeed, will I have to progress my tailoring skill by hand...?¡¯


    The production button was useless and he would have to do it by hand. Grid reached Reinhardt in a bad mood only to receive the worst news from Lauel.


    ¡°An envoy from the Saharan Empire was sent.¡±


    ¡°What? The empire? They acted like they had no interest in us, so why did theye?¡±


    "I think it¡¯s to gain a tribute.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why do we have to give a tribute to the empire?¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom was just getting on track. It was only three months after the founding that the tax revenue wasn¡¯t a deficit anymore. They had to offer a tribute at this point? Wouldn¡¯t thispletely ruin them?


    "They are real bastards.¡±


    Grid cursed as he headed to the audience room. The one who waited for him was a beautiful woman. The name Mercedes was above her head. The name was in glittering gold.


    ¡®A named NPC?¡¯


    Was this some type of ostentatious disy? Mercedes briefly bowed to Grid, who was unable to hide his embarrassment.


    "I havee to the Overgeared King Grid to convey the will of the Great Emperor.¡±


    [Mercedes¡¯ deep eyes have looked at you.]


    [Some of your stats and skills are forcibly revealed to Mercedes.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [Mercedes¡¯ sharp sword energy threatens you. The strong pressure makes your mind and body shrink. All speeds are reduced by 30% and skill casting speed is reduced by 20%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Reflecting the status has failed.]


    One of the absolute existences scattered throughout this world finally showed up in front of Grid.

 Chapter 631

    ¡®What is this woman?¡¯


    An envoy had an obligation tomunicate the will of their country. This ability was very important, as they were in charge of bringing back results for the country. Yes, it was fully understandable that the envoy was a named NPC. It wasn¡¯t strange if there was a named-grade diplomatic specific NPC.


    ¡®The empire is famous for its abundant talent and named NPCs must bemon there.¡¯


    However, sword energy? Mercedes¡¯ passive skill that unleashed havoc was almost at the level of a top named ss. It was a skill that bypassed the absolute resistance of a legend. It wasn¡¯t possible for anyone apart from Sword Saint Kraugel.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if my memories are wrong. Kraugel was the only one to have the power that the system clearly described as ¡®sword energy.¡¯


    It was a power that amplified the strength of sword rted skills.


    ¡®Having the sword energy power, does this meant that Mercedes is a master of the swordparable to a Sword Saint?¡¯


    Was this person a bigshot? Grid¡¯s eyes became increasingly vignt as he looked at Mercedes. In the ensuing silence, Mercedes was the first to open her mouth.


    "You are moremendable than the rumors. The potential of a legend could be better than described in history.¡± Mercedes honestly admired the skills and stats of Grid that she saw. "Our empire has somewhat underestimated the power of legends other than the Sword Saint. That evaluation will change in the future.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid frowned. Mercedes¡¯ attitude towards him was like an adult towards a child. It felt like she was looking down on him.


    ¡®If she can be so casual after looking at my stats, does that mean this woman is stronger than me?¡¯


    In fact, it was easy to infer. A representative of the Saharan Empire that dominated the West Continent. It was obvious that her level would be overwhelmingly higher than named NPCs.


    "What status do you have in the empire?¡±


    Grid sat on the throne with a calm look and asked Mercedes bluntly.


    ¡°I belong to the Red Knights. The Great Emperor gave me the number ¡®1.¡¯ People call me the 1st knight.¡±


    "...What?¡±


    Grid was surprised. The identity of the envoy was the 1st knight of the strongest empire. It was natural to be surprised. It was much bigger than he expected.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this amazing? Why did His Majesty the Emperor dispatch a person like you to my fledgling kingdom?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t make any mistakes. He used the proper title for the emperor. If he made a mistake, the empire could destroy the Overgeared Kingdom at any time.


    ¡®It¡¯s only possible to be hostile to the Saharan Empire in the future.¡¯


    Grid smiled on the outside. He was doing his best to act as the king. He never forgot that he was carrying tens of thousands of people on his shoulders. Mercedesughed.


    ¡°His Majesty the Emperor sent me as the envoy because he respects King Grid. His Majesty the Emperor highly appreciates your ability to swallow up a kingdom with your own strength. He sent the representative of the Red Knights as an envoy.¡±


    ¡°Apliment...¡±


    "His Majesty the Emperor always said that a leader shouldn¡¯t be stingy with praise. He has a big heart like the sea.¡±


    ¡°I see. It is appreciated.¡±


    Grid¡¯s difort became greater as the conversation progressed. Grid judged that this conversation had no meaning and got straight to the point.


    "In the end, what does His Majesty the Emperor want from me?¡±


    At this moment, Mercedes¡¯ friendly smile froze on her face. The pure white skin and blue eyes gave Grid a cold feeling of pressure.


    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s discuss your sins.¡±


    "Sins?"


    "First, there is the sin of destroying the Eternal Kingdom, which offered tributes to the Saharan Empire and is its subject, without the empire¡¯s permission.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Second, there is the sin of building a kingdom without the permission of the empire, the master of the Western Continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Third, there is the sin of not making a servant¡¯s oath to His Majesty the Emperor after you became a king.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Fourth, there is the sin of taking the Fold Kingdom from the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes recited his sins in a cold voice. She thought that the Grid facing her would be angry. In fact, from the perspective of the empire, it wasn¡¯t wrong toy such charges on Grid. But Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied from his position. He ended up being a sinner waiting for punishment.


    Grid tried to keep calm and sent a whisper to Lauel.


    -The four sins being discussed.What should I do?


    -It¡¯s as expected.


    Lauel encouraged him. He had predicted this situation and prepared countermeasures.


    -From now on, recite my words carefully.


    Grid delivered Lauel¡¯s message to Mercedes.


    "I can¡¯t acknowledge the four sins because they all originate from misunderstandings or ignorance. For the first sin, it isn¡¯t right to say that the Eternal Kingdom was the empire¡¯s subject. The Eternal Kingdom offered a tribute to the empire just like any other kingdom, but the Eternal Kingdom was officially neutral. This has been acknowledged by the empire. The Eternal Kingdom offered a tribute to the great empire out of courtesy, not because it was the empire¡¯s subject.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Second, a bill doesn¡¯t exist on the continent that requires seeking the empire¡¯s permission to build a kingdom. If I was a smarter person, I would¡¯ve let the empire know. I am sad because my ignorance meant I couldn¡¯t think about seeking permission from the empire. This mistake stems from my ignorance. It isn¡¯t a deliberate sin. I am in deep reflection.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Third, the Overgeared Kingdom is new and in a chaotic state. How do I dare greet His Majesty the Emperor when the kingdom is still unstable? I thought it would be too arrogant. Thus, I have been putting off my visit to the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Fourth, making the Fold Kingdom a vassal of the Overgeared Kingdom was a defense mechanism to protect the safety of the kingdom. I had to show strength because all 15 kingdoms were going to prey on the Overgeared Kingdom. I inadvertently took the Fold Kingdom as a subject in the process. Naturally, the Fold Kingdom... I was going to return it to the empire.¡±


    Grid¡¯s body shook as he talked. He wasmenting his own disgrace. Mercedes listened quietly and rxed her hard expression.


    ¡°They are just excuses. Too scandalous. But it¡¯s okay. I know King Grid¡¯s intentions. Either way, isn¡¯t it true that the Overgeared Kingdom is loyal to the empire?¡±


    Flinch.


    Grid couldn¡¯t answer immediately. However, Lauel urged him to nod his head. His pride was already abandoned.


    ¡°...Right.¡±


    ¡°Good. You responded as His Majesty the Emperor expected. Okay, I will now convey the will of His Majesty the Emperor. Overgeared King Grid,e down from your throne, kneel, and listen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kneel? Grid doubted his ears as he stared at Mercedes.


    "It¡¯s an imperial order. It¡¯s natural to show courtesy. Do you dislike it?¡±


    ¡°...No, no.¡±


    This was a shameful situation. But his actions would control the fate of the Overgeared members and the people who believed in him. Above all, there was the billions of won he invested in making this kingdom. He didn¡¯t yet have the strength to confront the empire, so he couldn¡¯t lose everything due to his pride.


    ¡®Calm down. My actions aren¡¯t shameful.¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid rose from his throne. He moved in a regal gait and knelt down in front of Mercedes. Mercedes¡¯ beautiful eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡¯He doesn¡¯t feel humiliation?¡¯


    This Grid was a beast that was hard to tame. She had to be alert. The wary Mercedes pulled out a letter and read it.


    "I, Juander, master of the earth and sky, order it. I ept Grid¡¯s sins with a generous heart and acknowledge the status of the Overgeared King. I won¡¯t demand the return of the Fold Kingdom. Overgeared King Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom will be thrilled and give their loyalty and grace to the empire forever. The Overgeared Kingdom must pay 72% of the tax revenue every month to the empire. In addition, once Prince Lord is 12 years old, he should be sent to study in the empire.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There were still a few years left before Lord turned 12. The problem would be resolved if the Overgeared Kingdom was strengthened before that. The immediate problem was giving 72% of the tax revenue to the empire.


    "I know that the other kingdoms only give 36% of their tax revenue to the empire.¡±


    "It is the price for recognizing the Fold Kingdom as under the Overgeared Kingdom. You have to pay twice as much tribute as other kingdoms. You don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Mercedes made a taunting expression. Now that she actually saw Grid, she acknowledged Grid and was vignt, unlike the emperor. Thus, she decided to use her own judgment and hoped Grid would cause a disturbance. However, Lauel was behind Grid. Lauel¡¯s whispers continued to calm Grid. In addition, Grid¡¯s mental strength and patience was already not normal.


    "No, I will do as His Majesty the Emperormands. I will ept.¡±


    ¡°...You truly aren¡¯t ordinary. I understand. I will go back now.¡±


    Mercedes nodded slightly to Grid and left the audience room. Grid¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he was left alone.


    ¡°Be prepared. I will be the one to make you kneel the next time we meet.¡±


    Strength. More strength was needed.


    Grid opened his eyes and asked Lauel.


    ¡°How long can we afford to give the tribute that the empire demands?¡±


    ¡°Three months. After three months, the people and soldiers will be hungry and the Overgeared Kingdom will be in debt. In four months, it willpletely stop functioning as a kingdom and will perish.¡±


    ¡°How do we fix it?¡±


    "Piaro is currently in the Fold Kingdom and his progress with their agriculture is three times faster than expected. The number of yers in the National Development Quest (Grid¡¯s Set linked quest) will increased by more than five times in two months, while the taxes from the Fold Kingdom and Siren will double. Increase the production of limited-edition potions that can be produced at the alchemy facility by seven times and donate the sry of the Overgeared members to the kingdom. If this happens, we can hold on for nine months.¡±


    ¡°The fundamental solution?¡±


    "Of course, it¡¯s power. Be so strong that the empire doesn¡¯t dare threaten us.¡±


    Grid was reminded of Pangea.


    ¡°I will go back to the East Continent. I¡¯lle back with the friends I made there. And give this to Piaro.¡±


    ¡°A golden walnut?¡±


    "It is more precious than gold. I believe that as a legendary farmer, Piaro can grow it.¡±

 Chapter 632

    [Golden Walnut]


    Also called the blessing of nature.


    It is a snack and remedy enjoyed by all nobles and royalty on the East Continent.


    Somewhere on the East Continent, there are creatures whose main food is this walnut.


    All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.


    In addition, there is a very low probability of permanently increasing one stat by 5 points. The better you shell the walnut, the more likely it is that your stats will permanently increase.


    Weight: 0.1


    "The strongest buff potion and elixir in one...¡±


    Lauel was impressed as he confirmed the details of the golden walnut that he received from Grid. He was particrly surprised that the royalty and nobles of the East Continent enjoyed this walnut as a snack.


    ¡°The royalty and nobles on the East Continent basically have good stats by default. Especially if they have been eating these walnuts for years.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not. It¡¯s rare for people to be able to shell the walnut perfectly like me. Well, in any case, the level of the royalty and nobles on the East Continent are high. I hope that form will be applied to the Overgeared Guild, so tell Piaro to seed in growing the golden walnut.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Lauel answered with a gloomy expression. Grid knew why.


    ¡¯The probability of growing such a fraudulent item... It¡¯s close to zero.¡¯


    The S.A. Group was concerned about bnce and wouldn¡¯t allow the golden walnuts to be grown to easily.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Piaro was a legend and legends destroyedmon sense. Objectively, the S.A. Group was generous to legends.


    ¡®Piaro can create new growing skills, just as I create items and Kraugel creates sword techniques.¡¯


    It was a very positive interpretation. Grid smiled bitterly and patted Lauel¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I will get more golden walnuts when I go to the East Continent.¡±


    "...I will wait faithfully for you. Your Majesty also doesn¡¯t have to worry about the government. The new Lauel, my heart and soul has be stronger thanks to the encounter with my friends of the past and this will be the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s good fortune... Huh? Your Majesty? Where are you going?¡±


    Step, step.


    It was a situation where he faced the empire as a potential enemy. Grid¡¯s feet hurried. If he didn¡¯t ovee the trial of the empire, the Overgeared Kingdom would be ruined in four months. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose the billions of won he invested.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯


    While Lauel was talking, Grid headed to the Overgeared Academy to meet Sticks.


    Grid¡¯s pace was simr to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldiers, who were famous for their good physical fitness. It was the effect of his agility stat growing steadily in order to meet the 1:1 ratio with strength and breaking through 2,700 points. He needed around 500 agility left before it was a 1:1 ratio.


    ***


    The Overgeared Academy.


    It was aprehensive education school built in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. Anybody over the age of eight could be a student here, learning swordsmanship and magic. However, the size of the school was still limited. Therefore, the total number of students epted by the academy was only 3,000. More than half of them were taught directly by Sticks. It was a situation where everybody in all fields were overworked due to ack of talent. It was the same for Sticks.


    As a high elf and sage, Sticks was highly respected by all elves. Even the emperor of the Saharan Empire would wee him, Yet he was teachingmoners in a small kingdom? The entire continent would be in chaos if this fact was known. However, the people of Overgeared didn¡¯t know that Sticks was such a great figure. They just thought it was easier and faster to learn from him.


    "It¡¯s hard for people who constantly pursue change and elementals who desire the preservation of nature to get along. There is a very rare possibility that humans and elementals can contract with each other, a special asion that urs once in 100 years. Various conditions must be established...¡±


    ¡°Sticks!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A handful of talented and motivated students were selected to be educated separately. Sticks, who was teaching the basics of elementals, was surprised by Grid¡¯s suddenly appearance. There was an uproar.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    "Your Majesty, I love you!¡±


    The student¡¯s love for Grid was very deep, since he provided equal education opportunities without caring about status. In particr, the motivated students had a deeper love. The students who were more passionate about ss especially liked Grid.


    "I am Adon who took 1st ce in this test! I want to work under King Grid when I finish my education and graduate!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Shannon, who will be first in the next test. Please remember that I¡¯m doing my best to be a talented person for King Grid.¡±


    Their words were bragging and thankful. The students¡¯ shining eyes and eager words allowed Grid to erase his fear of the empire for a while.


    "I will be watching for that day.¡±


    Originally, Grid wanted to be king in order to gain more taxes from the people. He wanted to eat everything he wanted to eat and buy everything he wanted to buy. Of course, this dream was still the same. But there was a prerequisite for Grid to achieve this wish.


    It was for the people to be better off. The better off his people were, the more taxes they could afford to pay. That¡¯s right. Grid was greedy, but he was fundamentally different from the emperor. He had no intention of persecuting the poor. It was natural. Grid had been deprived for most of his life. He knew better than anyone the suffering of people in this position and couldn¡¯t behave like the emperor. Grid¡¯s selfishness wasn¡¯t in the shape of something that would be satisfied by innocents.


    ¡°I heard a envoy came from the empire... It must be something bad.¡±


    Sticks guessed after seeing how Grid ran to the academy. Grid told him.


    ¡°Send me to the East Continent. Oh, this time don¡¯t forget the scroll to return to the West Continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    His memory was distorted! Grid remembered that Sticks was the reason when he didn¡¯t have a return scroll to the West Continent. Sticks sighed before handing Grid an East Continent movement scroll and West Continent return scroll.


    ¡°There is something you should know.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Reinhardt doesn¡¯t have an environment where I can make scrolls. I need to go back to the Behen Archipgo in order to make scrolls and it takes 28 days to make a scroll.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What if Sticks was away for a month? The Overgeared Academy was currentlycking teachers so the education would be stopped. In other words.


    ¡¯I have to make the most of this one chance.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s original n for the East Continent was simple. Bring back Idan, whose food would give the Overgeared members a chance to raise their stats. He could also get elite troops and support from Han Seokbong. But it wouldn¡¯t be enough based on the current situation.


    ¡®The East Continent isn¡¯t a ce I can go anytime I want... This time, I need to make an army.¡¯


    ***


    [You have used the intercontinental movement scroll.]


    [You have arrived at Pangea, a starter vige on the East Continent.]


    Grid blinked as he arrived on the East Continent. He was amazed by the greatness of Sticks¡¯ scroll, only to realize that Pangea¡¯s atmosphere was different from before.


    ¡®Why are the expressions of the people so dark?¡¯


    In the past, Grid had made a huge difference in Pangea. Not only did he reproduce the Red Phoenix Bow, he also eradicated the armored needles. Pangea¡¯s peace was restored, so it should be more energetic than before. It was strange that all the people on the streets were sad, as if someone had died. The market was as quiet as a dead rat. The merchants and passersby were all looking at the ground.


    ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯


    Sua was the first thing toe to Grid¡¯s mind. She was the lord¡¯s daughter who received the respect and love of the people.


    ¡®Did something happen to her?¡¯


    Grid had a high liking for Sua, even if she was a pervert. She was beautiful enough to beparable to Irene? Of course, that yed a part. However, it wasn¡¯t everything. Sua was a great woman. Despite being the lord¡¯s daughter, she wasn¡¯t arrogant. She fought the armored needles for the stability and peace of the people.


    ¡¯...Although she¡¯s a pervert.¡¯


    Grid started moving in the direction of Pangea Castle. Then someone suddenly grabbed Grid¡¯s wrist. The slender hand belonged to Idan¡¯s restaurant employee, Yang Fei.


    ¡°Oh, it has been a while. Have you been well?¡±


    He waved to Yang Fei. Grid¡¯s wee made her usually expressionless face flush. But then she looked around and led Grid into an alleyway.


    Tak!


    Yang Fei ced a hand on the wall Grid was leaning against and approached. He was pushed against the wall by a girl who hadn¡¯t yet be an adult? Grid was embarrassed by the sudden situation and stuttered.


    "W-Why are you bringing me to such a bad ce? D-Don¡¯t tell me you...¡±


    Had she be a pervert?


    ¡®The East Continent women are really great.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he felt expectant. Then Yang Fei shouted.


    ¡°Why...? Why did youe back?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yang Fei¡¯s expression was serious. He couldn¡¯t believe that the always expressionless girl had be so restless and uneasy. She even shouted.


    Grid made a serious expression and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    At that moment.


    ¡°Sob...¡±


    Yang Fei¡¯s shoulders shook as she started crying. All the sadness and worries she had been enduring exploded once she saw Grid¡¯s trustworthy face.


    "Lord Han Seokbong and Lady Sua have been dragged to the capital...¡±


    ¡°The capital? The capital of the Cho Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Rumor has it that the king wanted to know Grid¡¯s whereabouts. Lord Han Seokbong refused to answer and was branded a sinner.¡±


    ¡°My whereabouts?¡±


    Grid noticed it straight away.


    ¡®He wanted to obtain the cksmith who created a Red Phoenix Bow better than the original.¡¯


    Why were the people in power always so selfish? Grid gritted his teeth.


    Yang Fei urged him.


    ¡°Run away. If you stay here, you will be caught by the king¡¯s soldiers.¡±


    In fact, Yang Fei had missed Grid more than anyone. She remembered his touch every night. But she didn¡¯t want to see Grid in danger. For someone who had only experienced feeling responsible for her family¡¯s livelihood from a young age, Grid was... He was her joy. She wanted him to be safe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be fine.¡±


    Grid felt Yang Fei¡¯s hand trembling and hugged her. It was to reassure her, but the excitement was too much for Yang Fei. Her face, neck, and ears were red as she blushed. On the other hand, Grid understood that this situation was a precursor to a quest.


    At the same time.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Rescue the Han Seokbong Father and Daughter¡¯ has been acquired.]


    A new episode was presented to Grid.

 Chapter 633

    [Rescue the Han Seokbong Father and Daughter]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Han Seokbong has always been loyal to the Cho Kingdom, only to be branded a traitor.


    It was because he refused to reveal your whereabouts to the king.


    Rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter who chose to be loyal to you rather than their country.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Meet the Cho King. Or rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter by force.


    ss Quest Clear Reward: Unknown.


    Quest Failure: Death of the Han Seokbong father and daughter.


    Hidden quest. As the name suggested, it was a hidden quest. It absolutely wasn¡¯t easy. In order to get a hidden quest, more diverse requirements needed to be met than general quests. He participated in the cksmithing contest based on his connection with White, seeded in making the Red Phoenix Bow, entered the castle¡¯s dungeon, killed Arube, and saved Pangea from a crisis, etc. Without Grid¡¯s choices and actions, the present hidden quest wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    ¡®The rewards for hidden quests are usually high.¡¯


    It was good to get a hidden quest. No, he should be running with joy. But Grid¡¯s heart was heavy. He felt guilty because Han Seokbong and Sua were in danger.


    ¡¯They will die if I can¡¯t save them.¡¯


    It was a quest with the life of others on the line. It ced additional heavy pressure on him.


    ¡¯In particr, the perverted Sua... Eh?¡¯


    Grid pondered for a moment before btedly realizing and blushing. He realized he was holding Yang Fei in his arms.


    ¡°G-Grid...


    Yang Fei was like a squirrel with her face buried in Grid¡¯s chest. Small, soft, and cute. Grid turned red and hurriedly pulled away from her.


    ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯


    Since when could he have such natural skin contact with women?


    ¡®A-Amazing...¡¯


    Did his hidden qualities as a Casanova suddenly bloom?


    ¡®If I maintain this momentum, I might escape being single in reality?¡¯


    Grid was filled with anticipation.


    ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about these things.¡¯


    It was urgent. Coincidentally, Grid didn¡¯t have a long time to stay on the East Continent.


    ¡®I need to rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter as soon as possible and make them my allies.¡¯


    Grid decided and headed to Idan¡¯s restaurant with Yang Fei.


    ***


    ¡°What? You want me to be your exclusive chef?¡±


    A restaurant that didn¡¯t have one guest, despite it being lunch time. Idan doubted his ears and questioned it. Grid disappeared and suddenly reappeared, asking Idan to be his own chef.


    "Hrmm... You are the person who find my frying pan and one of the few gourmets who enjoys my food. I feel a great affection for you. But I can¡¯t be your exclusive chef.¡±


    "Why?"


    "Why should I? I don¡¯t know your true identity. How can I be your personal chef when I don¡¯t even know what country you¡¯re from? What do you believe?¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you will be my personal chef if I identify myself?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t just that. I have my own pride and goal as a chef. The reason I run a restaurant is because I want to show my dishes to more people. I want to see hundreds and thousands of guests enjoying my dishes every day. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t cook for just one person.¡±


    ¡°Hundreds and thousands of guests a day when you only get two visitors? Even those two were travelers and asked for a refund...¡±


    Yang Fei refuted but Idan ignored her.


    "Hum hum, well, in any case. I can¡¯t be your chef.¡±


    The moment that Idan refused.


    ¡°I see. Then will you be a chef in my kingdom rather than my personal chef?¡±


    Grid¡¯s tone suddenly changed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A chef in a kingdom? It was also ¡®my kingdom¡¯?


    "What... Eh? Ehh?¡±


    Idan was confused only to be astonished. Yang Fei was also surprised. It was because Grid took out a silver crown.


    ¡°Y-You?¡±


    Grid¡¯s atmosphere changed. The look, tone and also atmosphere was alsopletely different. Idan and Yang Fei felt a sense of difort and hesitated. Grid truly faced the two people.


    ¡°I am a ruler on the West Continent, Overgeared King Grid. Idan, the best chef on the East Continent, I want you to feed my tens of thousands of soldiers. Will you agree to my wish?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Idan made his choice the moment Grid called him the best chef on the East Continent. Idan was so excited that he started to pack his things immediately. It was just some clothes and his frying pan.


    "Let¡¯s go to the West Continent!¡±


    Idan yelled as soon as he finished. Unlike Idan, who was excited about his cooking skill being acknowledged, Yang Fei was quiet. She was sad when she realized that the man in front of her was off-limits.


    ¡®He is in apletely different world.¡¯


    It was a person she couldn¡¯t be with from the beginning. Now they would part. Yang Fei dropped her head. It was an attempt to hold back her tears. At that moment.


    ¡°Raise your head.¡±


    Grid¡¯s big hand touched Yang Fei¡¯s small face. Yang Fei shook at the touch and was able to smile gently at Grid.


    ¡°I also want Yang Fei beside me. Don¡¯t you have a family to support? Will you also go to my kingdom if I provide for your family?¡±


    "H-Hik. I¡¯m d...¡±


    Idan was a chef whose food had a certain probability of giving stats. In addition, Yang Fei was excellent at working, taking responsibility and detecting people. Later, the Overgeared soldiers would experience food poisoning... No, poison master Idan would thoroughly fill the empty stomachs of the Overgeared soldiers... No, the mysterious master, ¡®Demon Maid Yang Fei¡¯ was born today.


    ***


    Yakumo¡¯s Labyrinth.


    The difficulty of this dungeon was the worst since it was impossible to enter in a party. The structure of thebyrinth and the boss¡¯ patterns changed every time someone entered. The sess rate of breaking through thisbyrinth was 11.6% for third advancement sses. It meant that nine out of 10 challengers failed.


    However.


    [You have seeding in breaking through Yakumo¡¯s Labyrinth!]


    [The time it took you to break through thebyrinth is 39 hours, 32 minutes and 27 seconds!]


    [The record has been updated! You have acquired Yakumo¡¯s Ring (6) as a reward!]


    "It isn¡¯t the fourth ring.¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel. He hadn¡¯t reached level 300, but he set a new record in Yakumo¡¯s Labyrinth. The surprising thing was that he already acquired Yakumo¡¯s fifth ring. Yakumo¡¯s Ring was given every time a new record was set. There were a total of eight different types and the options were different for each type.


    ¡®ording to the information, the option I need most is attached to the fourth ring. I have to challenge it again.¡¯


    ¡°Kraugel.¡±


    Someone called out to Kraugel as he was about to enter thebyrinth again. It was Hao. Kraugelughed.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but my mind is determined. No matter how you object, I will eventually move to the United States."


    The United States government presented a vision of his mother¡¯s health and happiness. It was different from other countries who simply discussed money and honor. This attitude caught Kraugel¡¯s heart.


    "I can¡¯t respond to your wish to move to South Korea or China.¡±


    Hao nodded at Kraugel¡¯s firm opinion. "I won¡¯t argue anymore. I will respect and cheer on your choice. I came to say this.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Kraugel knew Hao¡¯s nature. He didn¡¯t have a nature that was easy to bend. His attitude had shifted overnight?


    Hao exined to the puzzled Kraugel. "I went to South Korea to meet Grid.¡±


    "Grid?¡±


    "Yes, I wanted to ask him to stop you from moving to the United States. Then he refused. He said I shouldn¡¯t argue against a choice that will make you happy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Honestly, I couldn¡¯t understand. I was convinced that you would be happier moving to South Korea or China. Then Grid took me to a Chinese restaurant.¡±


    "...Chinese restaurant?¡±


    "Yes, isn¡¯t it funny? I was honestly displeased about eating Chinese food in South Korea. But I realized the moment I ate the dish called jjampong.¡± There was a warm smile on Hao¡¯s face as he remembered. "The charm of Chinese cuisine is reinterpreted in other countries... It¡¯s a wonderful thing.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "I thought. The dishes called jajangmyeon and jjampong are happy in South Korea. And...¡±


    "...??"


    "Yes, like food, people don¡¯t have to be tied to nationality. You should pursue happiness in a ce where you can be recognized and loved.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Kraugel, now I fully understand and respect your choice. It¡¯s thanks to Grid giving me great enlightenment with food.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Did Grid have such a deep meaning behind treating Hao to jjampong? Kraugel was familiar with Grid¡¯s nature and could onlyugh. No one knew. Grid was the decisive reason behind him not moving to South Korea.


    ¡®Grid, I¡¯m dreaming of the day when I canpete with you again.¡¯


    Until now, the total was 1 to 1. What about the third round?


    ***


    The Cho Kingdom¡¯s capital, Kars. The Lava Prison where sinners were confined was busy today. The guards was suffering due to a visit from the Cho King.


    "Why is His Majesty visiting this nasty prison?¡±


    "Well, it¡¯s because of the Han Seokbong father and daughter? Han Seokbong was famous for how he used to have the king¡¯s favor.¡±


    Hundreds of years ago, a volcano erupted and caused thisva prison. It was virtually impossible to clean this ce, since their bodies would melt if they made a mistake. However, the guards had to clean as much as possible because the king wasing. They did their best to sweep the floor with a broom, wipe the dried blood in the torture room and put up fans to try and alleviate the heat from theva.


    After a moment.


    "Presenting His Majesty!¡±


    A prison created from the result of a volcanic eruption. The cry of the king¡¯s entry echoed everywhere in the huge prison created by nature. The Cho King moved through the hot heat and approached Han Seokbong.


    "Seokbong, do you still have no intention of telling me Grid¡¯s whereabouts?¡¯


    ¡°You... I can¡¯t tell you... I don¡¯t know his whereabouts...¡±


    ¡°Choosing to deny to the end... It makes me sadder, Seokbong. There has always been a sense of loyalty between you and I. We were childhood friends before we were servant and king.¡±


    "It¡¯s not that. I really don¡¯t know his whereabouts...¡±


    "Yes, Seokbong. I understand your intentions. But I honestly think it¡¯s too much. I¡¯m looking for the cksmith purely for the Cho Kingdom¡¯s future. Yet you choose righteousness over your kingdom in crisis. Your noble heart is now cold.¡±


    ¡°No, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t know his whereabouts...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything else. I¡¯ll give up. I am well aware of your nature. Sigh... This is your charm, I suppose. Together, let¡¯s watch the destruction of the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡±


    It was enough to drive Han Seokbong crazy. At first, he didn¡¯t reveal Grid¡¯s whereabouts due to concerns about his safety. But now Han Seokbong knew why the king was looking for Grid. Han Seokbong wanted to tell his king where Grid was. But how could he answer when he didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s whereabouts? How could he tell what he didn¡¯t know?


    ¡®Is Heaven abandoning me as well as the Cho Kingdom? I want to cry.¡¯


    Han Seokbong shed tears as hemented.

 Chapter 634

    Users ate food in Satisfy to fill their satiety and recover. Food was an essential energy source.


    But the dishes made by Idan were often poisonous.


    [You have eaten bad food.]


    [You have received food poisoning.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [You have consumed something that shouldn¡¯t be eaten.]


    [You have been poison rge).]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How about it? Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡±


    The road to Kars, capital of the Cho Kingdom.


    Grid travelled with Idan and Yang Fei, suffering terrible pain every time he ate food. He was being tortured by a torture expert.


    ¡®I want you to make food that people can at least eat, even if it isn¡¯t delicious... Nine out of ten dishes are just food waste.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t possible to supply the current food made by Idan to the Overgeared members and soldiers. If all of them received food poisoning, it would be an unprecedented situation where the government was paralyzed.


    ¡®I have to constantly eat in order to improve Idan¡¯s cooking skills.¡¯


    Grid was determined to sacrifice himself.


    Throughout the journey, he had Idan constantly make him food. It wasn¡¯t something that could be done with ordinary mental power.


    Grid was cing himself in the abyss of hell for the sake of Overgeared.


    ¡°Grid, have some tea.¡±


    Grid wanted to vomit while suffering from food poisoning.


    Yang Fei made a sad expression and approached with tea.


    ¡°T-Thank you...¡±


    [You have drunk Berenas tea.]


    [Your mind and body have be calm. Health recovery rate has increased by 10% for 1 minute.]


    His rotten taste buds were healed thanks to Yang Fei.


    Intelligent and versatile, Yang Fei was also a tea master. The grass, flowers, leaves and twigs she gathered along the way were made into tea that showed amazing effects.


    "Where did you learn this technique?¡±


    "It is a skill I learnt from working in Idan¡¯s restaurant for several years. Sometimes the customers suffer from food poisoning and fall into a crisis...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was indeed an absurd answer.


    However, Grid was pleased that learn that Yang Fei was kind-hearted.


    ¡®She is good at spotting talent but this child also knows that people¡¯s lives are precious.¡¯


    But it was a misunderstanding.


    This impression didn¡¯tst long.


    "It was only a matter of time until a customer was killed by Idan. If the restaurant closes, won¡¯t I lose my job? There are many unpaid sries.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    The more he looked, the better Yang Fei¡¯spatibility with Rabbit seemed.


    ¡¯If I hand Yang Fei to Rabbit, she will support him properly and his work efficiency will increase.¡¯


    First and foremost, he couldn¡¯t give Yang Fei to Lord.


    ¡®That great guy will make any girl his lover, irrespective of appearance or age.¡¯


    Of course, the young Lord still didn¡¯t know about it. He thought lover was the same as friend. The problem was that women didn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡®The maidens dream about someday bing a prince... Wait?¡¯


    Grid suddenly imagined something when he thought about Lord.


    ¡®If the 12 year old Lord is taken to the empire as a hostage...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t all the women in the empire be his lover?


    ¡¯My Lord is wonderful!¡¯


    Hedgehogs also said that their young were beautiful.


    It was natural for Grid to praise Lord, who was the best genius of the continent.


    Grid¡¯s confidence in Lord was greater than a mountain.


    ¡®In the empire, there is a lot of room for Lord to y... No, Lord can¡¯t be taken hostage.¡¯


    ng.


    Grid caressed the ne he received from Lord.


    ¡®For Lord¡¯s sake, I need the power to resist the empire. i can¡¯t let Lord have any painful experiences.¡¯


    He could bear eating Idan¡¯s dishes if he thought of this.


    Grid braced himself as Idan cooked food using the meat of a newly hunted monster.


    ***


    "It isn¡¯t as easy as I thought.¡±


    Mute operated a small to medium-sized business with a monthly trading volume of nearly 10,000 gold.


    He was currently the third ranked merchant and pioneering the East Continent.


    He had a dream to explore the East Continent and increase his customers.


    However, the East Continent was too difficultpared to the West Continent. Trading with most NPCs wasn¡¯t easy, regardless of their status. In addition, the level of the monsters in the field was so high that it wasn¡¯t easy to navigate between towns and viges.


    ¡®The reputation I built on the West Continent isn¡¯t applied here so I feel like aplete rookie.¡¯


    If he increased his number of customers on the East Continent, he would gain many special products and be morepetitive.


    Once his trading volume and profits increased considerably, he would rise to the top of the merchant rankings.


    Muto dreamt of a brilliant future but he now became nervous. He didn¡¯t have any customers for 10 days already so his enthusiasm started to decline.


    ¡®If the people of the East Continent believe that I can move freely between the East and West Continents, I will be able to easily expand my business.¡¯


    The East Continent people didn¡¯t believe in intercontinental movement. It was believed that Muto was pulled to the east from the west due to an ident.


    "Ugh, how frustrating.¡±


    In the past, Muto was someone who mainly focused on exchanges Earl Butin of the Saharan Empire. Earl Butin¡¯s territory was considered a resort for nobles and Muto often sold valuables there.


    But one day, his rtionship with Earl Butin was ruined. It was when the sands of Reidan started to be sold as a longevity remedy.


    As the ridiculous form of ¡®Earl Butin=luxury longevity remedy¡¯ started to be established, the interest of the nobles in Muto¡¯s valuables decreased. After that, Muto became insignificant.


    Muto needed the East Continent to recover. If he didn¡¯t increase the ount here, he could no longer be able to cope with hispany¡¯s trading volume decreasing.


    ¡®Looking at the trends these days, I might end up falling to the 7th rank.¡¯


    If he lost his rank, he was likely to lose sponsors. His pride as a merchant was smashed.


    ¡®Once I arrive in Kars, I must see the Cho King. If I show the king the culture of the West Continent... Eh?¡¯


    Muto moved across the East Continent with the mercenaries he employed, only to stop in ce.


    A spectacr sight was unfolding in the mountain valley in the distance.


    "This is the secret technique that has been passed down in my family for generations! Filleting! My skills have been trained in order to prepare today¡¯s lunch!¡±


    "N-No, this isn¡¯t a carp but a mermaid...¡±


    "It is still half fish. What is wrong?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a rare sight.


    The level 300 mermaid monster in the valley trembled as a kitchen knife held by a middle-aged man neared them.


    The most impressive thing was the ck-haired man trying to hold the middle-aged man back from from the mermaid.


    ¡®Grid...?¡¯


    The first legendary ss and first king.


    The most famous man in the world who achieved countless feats.


    ¡®Why is he here?¡¯


    Was this a coincidence?


    A smile appeared on the face of the bewildered Muto.


    ¡®This might be a fated rtionship.¡¯


    In fact, Muto was a person who hated Grid.


    It was because Grid was the one who started to sell the remedy from Reidan.


    Strictly speaking, Muto¡¯s fall was due to Grid. It was natural to feel resentment.


    But at this moment, Muto¡¯s feelings for Grid were washed away.


    It was because he thought that he was bound to Grid by strings of fate.


    "I was going to rest in that valley but a guest has arrived there first.¡±


    "Do you mind?¡±


    A mercenary asked.


    Muto shook his head.


    ¡°All your heads will be cut off if you ask him to leave.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The mercenaries frowned.


    They were the strongest warriors of Zentu. Muto hired them because he acknowledged this fact.


    Yet that ck-haired man would kill all of them?


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    Zentu.


    It was a vige near the queen ratmunity that had been destroyed by someone a few months ago.


    In order to survive the rats, the inhabitants of Zentu endlessly trained and gained the title of warrior. They had great pride in their skills.


    "Shall we see if he is really stronger than us?¡±


    The mercenaries were unable to hide their ufortable feelings.


    "Oh, don¡¯t eat mermaids. It is like human flesh.¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    ¡°...?¡±


    An explosion took ce in the valley.


    It was a phenomenon that urred when the ck-haired man used swordsmanship and magic.


    ¡°T-This is impossible.¡±


    The mercenaries were at a loss for words.


    They could barely repel the mermaids of Jam Valley one-on-one. The mermaids were strong enough to bepared to the poisonous rats.


    But the ck-haired man took out dozens of mermaids in the blink of an eye. The dimension was different.


    "How about it? Isn¡¯t he on a different ss? I heard that the warriors of Zentu admire strong people. Isn¡¯t he strong?¡±


    "Gulp."


    The mercenaries didn¡¯t respond to Muto. They could only gulp. They got goosebumps.


    ¡®If we hade across him unaware...¡¯


    ¡®By now we would be like the mermaids.¡¯


    They got goosebumps just imagining it.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    All of the mercenaries shook their head.


    Suddenly, the ck-haired man took out a needle and thread and started sewing.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The mercenaries were surprised.


    Muto was more surprised than them.


    ¡®Sewing cloth? How can Grid, a cksmith, deal with cloth?¡¯


    He really wasn¡¯t just a celebrity.


    They kept meeting by chance and Grid was a constant source of interest.


    Muto was convinced.


    ¡®This is my chance.¡¯


    Today¡¯s idental encounter would be the opportunity of a lifetime.


    ¡°Okay... Let¡¯s go. First of all, let¡¯s greet him.¡±


    Muto took a deep breath to get rid of his tension and excitement before walking up to Grid with his mercenaries.


    He could smell food waste as he neared but he didn¡¯t care.

 Chapter 635

    "Yes, what was the reaction of the Overgeared King?¡±


    The Saharan Empire, the castle of Sword Duke Limit.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The four swords that Limit deployed in the air devastated the field. It was the swordsmanship that he trained. Limit was confident that his swordsmanship transcended great swordsman Piaro and even Sword Saint Muller. But due to ack of achievements, he couldn¡¯t im to be a legend or a sword saint. Mercedes kneeled in the rising dust and answered his question.


    ¡°He epted.¡±


    ¡°Hah... He bowed?¡± Limit shook his head with surprise. He gazed with hollow eyes at the kneeling Mercedes. "The rebel who faced a force of 100,000 troops alone epted the imperious demands of the empire without protesting? He didn¡¯t run wild?¡±


    "Yes, he followed it very quietly. On the surface.¡±


    ¡°Is it different?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Grid is like a beast who can¡¯t be tamed. He was kneeling, but couldn¡¯t hide his sharp eyes.¡±


    "Asmophel¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    ¡®Asmophel¡¯s Eyes¡¯ was widely used among the imperial knights. It meant the eyes were filled with enthusiasm for the future without being frustrated by the trials of the moment. It was the eyes of the eternal No. 2, Asmophel, when he looked at Piaro.


    ¡°Hrmm, that¡¯s good. Yes, that¡¯s the Overgeared King.¡±


    Limit was one of the six dukes of the Saharan Empire. From a general point of view, he was the most loyal person to the empire. He wasn¡¯t angry when he heard that Grid didn¡¯t truly yield? If someone witnessed this scene, they wouldn¡¯t understand it.


    But Mercedes was tranquil.


    The Red Knights were a group rebuilt by Empress Marie, not Emperor Juander. On the surface, they were knights under the direct control of the empire. However, reality was different. They were no different from the limbs of the empress. Limit, chief of the Red Knights, moved ording to the will of the empress.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning. Limit dedicated his loyalty to the emperor when he was first appointed as chief of the Red Knights. But the emperor betrayed him.


    The five pirs. Emperor Juander called them talents to support the empire and preferred them more than the Red Knights. The Red Knights were forced to feel deprived and this led to Limit turningpletely away from the emperor.


    "Mercedes, I want you to tell His Majesty the Emperor your thoughts about the Overgeared King. Try to convince the angry emperor to dispatch troops to the Overgeared Kingdom. In that gap, Empress Marie will have time to reorganize the political factions.¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    Mercedes responded politely and left. She struggled as she rode her white horse towards the imperial pce.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know what is best for the empire.¡¯


    Was it really right to deceive His Majesty the Emperor? The struggle between factions increased over who should be crown prince. Mercedes was worried that the empire would be torn apart. There was a person who was watching her closely.


    ¡®Ha, my goddess.¡¯


    It was Mercedes¡¯ retainer, Sky. An unofficial ranker, he had been acting in the empire ever since Satisfy opened. He joined the ck Knights and was recently admitted as a reserve in the Red Knights. His talent was enough to be a retainer of the 1st knight.


    ¡®I will stand by the goddess forever.¡¯


    A huge smile. Mercedes was a beautiful woman who made him smile just looking at her. Sky¡¯s love for her was very deep. It was equal to Damian¡¯s love for Isabel. However, it wasn¡¯t pure.


    ¡¯My goddess Mercedes, I will surely make you my ve.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Hello, Grid?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    This was the East continent. Since the entry rate of yers was still low, more than 99.9% of the poption were NPCs. Unlike the West Continent, people rarely recognized Grid. No, it didn¡¯t exist at all. Yet this person recognized him with one nce. Grid turned towards the man approaching and confirmed the name above his head.


    ¡®Muto.¡¯


    A yer.


    ¡®...He must be considerably skilled to be on the East Continent.¡¯


    Grid was alert. Muto came close without hesitation. It was even a nice expression! ¡®The expression is so good that it¡¯s ridiculous. Usually these are bad people.¡¯ It was a prejudice. But he was right to be wary. The world of Satisfy wasn¡¯t an easy ce where all strangers in unfamiliar areas were friendly. In particr, Grid was concerned about the eight people apanying Muto.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eyes]


    It was a skill that allowed him to peek at item information when observing it for more than three seconds. Based on this skill, the eight people with Muto were at least level 280.


    ¡®A person who has such tough subordinates won¡¯t be ordinary.¡¯


    Muto spoke as Grid became increasingly alert.


    "I don¡¯t have anybat power. I was able to cross to the East Continent purely due to my speaking ability. I¡¯m a merchant. I ran the Muto Company, which is named after me.¡±


    "A man with acumen.¡±


    Grid spoke without letting down his guard. Muto scratched his head.


    "Unlike Grid, I¡¯m not at the level to be on the unified rankings. But you¡¯ll be able to find me if you check the merchant rankings.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Grid immediately checked the rankings and was surprised. Muto was the third ranked merchant.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a bluff that he runs apany. Come to think about it, Lauel said repeatedly that the market must grow in order to boost the economy.¡¯


    Lauel spoke of the need to attract arge influx of merchants. However, it was difficult because most merchants were active in the empire. In particr, the Overgeared Kingdom had a clear limit on the poption. From a merchant¡¯s point of view, it was a kingdom with little value.


    ¡®For the sake of the kingdom, it¡¯s better to build a rtionship with a merchant.¡¯


    Grid controlled his expression. He didn¡¯tpletely get rid of his vignce and shook Muto¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! It¡¯s an honor to shake hands with the prestigious King Grid of the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    Indeed, he was a merchant. The cheerful Grid asked Muto a question.


    ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    "They¡¯re mercenaries I hired on the East Continent. As you know, the monsters here are really strong, so mercenaries from the West Continent are useless. I¡¯m currently moving to Kars. Is it the same for Grid?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. What are you going to Kars for?¡±


    "My goal is to meet the Cho King and make amercial exchange with him.¡±


    "Cho King...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became ufortable. Grid had to rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter, so the king might be an enemy. Muto read Grid¡¯s expression, roughly noticed the situation andughed.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a bad rtionship between you and the Cho King? It¡¯s surprising. I thought Grid was going to Kars to form a diplomatic rtionship with the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    "I would be d if I could, but the situation isn¡¯t simple.¡±


    Maybe he would need to harm the Cho King. Grid couldn¡¯t reveal his purpose when Muto still couldn¡¯t be trusted. Muto retreated. The conversation turned to Idan and Yang Fei.


    "Who are they? They¡¯re unusual colleagues.¡±


    Rather than strong warriors, he was crossing the East Continent with a middle-aged man and a young woman? It was only possible because it was Grid. Muto watched on with admiration as Grid exined.


    "They are my exclusive chef and tea master.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    How many yers in this world had a dedicated chef and tea master for adventures? A rich person would be able to hire a chef for gourmet meals. But Grid was the only one with a tea master.


    ¡®He¡¯s a king for a reason. The scale is different.¡¯


    It was a famous fact that the Overgeared Kingdom was poor. But just because the kingdom was poor didn¡¯t mean that Grid had to be poor. Grid was rumored to be quite wealthy and came up with the money to construct the kingdom himself.


    ¡¯I should get close to him.¡¯


    From a trader¡¯s point of view, there was nothing wrong with exchanges with the rich. Especially if the person was the king of a country! Muto looked at Grid with shining eyes.


    "Would you like a meal?¡±


    Chef Idan handed a te to Muto. It was a te of soup.


    ¡°Can I really ept?¡±


    "I have just finished preparing lunch. There¡¯s a lot remaining.¡±


    "I¡¯ll eat thankfully!"


    What person could resist a freebie? Muto was thrilled by Idan¡¯s favor and dly took the soup. At this moment, a sharp smell pierced his nose. But his stamina was low, so he put the soup to his mouth and swallowed it. Then he tasted hell.


    [You have consumed something that shouldn¡¯t be eaten.]


    [You have been poisoned rge).]


    [1,840 health is consumed per second and your skin has started to rot.]


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Muto felt danger to his life. He had to take the highest grade antidote in order to treat the poison. It was an expensive antidote to pay for a free meal.


    ¡°W-What is this...!¡±


    Was it an assassination attempt? Muto¡¯s eyes were alert as he looked at Grid, but it was only for a moment.


    "You have no idea about cooking. Spitting out the best dish I made, tsk tsk.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, Idan was such a character. Muto btedly realized and looked at Grid grimly.


    ¡®To hire a potential killer as a chef... It is obvious that Grid¡¯s pte isn¡¯t right.¡¯


    Grid lived his life without knowing the pleasure of great food. Yes, a poor man. Muto felt sympathetic towards Grid. Muto frowned and suggested.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can I apany you? Our purpose in meeting the Cho King is different, but the direction is the same. I think it would be good to bepanions. I will personally be happy if I can interact with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But a party won¡¯t be formed. I don¡¯t want to share experience.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    "However, if the items are shared by the party leader then I am willing to offer a party. Your escorts seem quite useful.¡±


    "...No, I will pass.¡±


    ¡°Will you refuse my favor?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Of course, I will distribute the items fairly.¡±


    "...I understand. The king of a kingdom wouldn¡¯t cheat a merchant...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two people moved together for five days before arriving in Kars. In the process, they talked a lot. Grid tried to make friends with a merchant ranker while Muto analyzed Grid¡¯s words and ideas in order to see his vision of the Overgeared Kingdom. The result?


    "Is it possible for you to ept the Muto Company in the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    The blessing rolled into Grid¡¯s hand. In addition, Grid got to know new facts thanks to Muto. First of all, it was possible to move between continents without using a scroll. Secondly, the economic power of the empire was great enough to far exceed his expectations. Third, an ordinary person without a passive conditional resistance would get resistance to poison if they constantly ate Idan¡¯s cuisine.


    It was a beneficialpanionship.

 Chapter 636

    TL: Changing Yang Fei¡¯s skill name from now on from ¡®Making a Living Detection¡¯ to ¡®Pushover Detection.¡¯


    "The officials are angry. I can¡¯t postpone your execution any longer.¡±


    The Lava Prison. The Cho King came back today and spoke with a somber face. Han Seokbong bowed his head.


    "I¡¯m a sinner deserving death. Brother, let your lingering attachment go and execute me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Cho King looked at Han Seokbong sadly. Who was Han Seokbong? He was the king¡¯s only friend since he was a prince. Han Seokbong loved and respected the Cho King beyond his status as a king.


    "I will say it again. The yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom want to know the whereabouts of the Red Pce Bow maker. If you don¡¯t give them the answer they want, this kingdom will be in great danger. You really... Do you really not know his whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    "It¡¯s really confusing...¡±


    The Cho King believed Han Seokbong. But the officials were the problem. They fiercely used Han Seokbong of being a traitor who abandoned his kingdom. They insisted on punishing Han Seokbong and relieving the yangbans¡¯ anger by executing him.


    ¡®There are many people who don¡¯t like Seokbong and they¡¯re taking advantage of this chance.¡¯


    Han Seokbong¡¯s fair nature created a sense of crisis for the corrupt nobles. They couldn¡¯t miss this golden opportunity to harm Han Seokbong. Due to this, the Cho King couldn¡¯t protect Han Seokbong.


    ¡°This might be presumptuous, but... Please protect my daughter¡¯s life.¡±


    "I know. I¡¯ll watch over Sua as much as possible.¡±


    She would be deprived of her status, but her life would be preserved. The Cho King said a sad goodbye to Han Seokbong.


    "I won¡¯t watch Brother¡¯s execution. I don¡¯t want to see your end with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Please live long and strengthen the nation.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Han Seokbong prayed for the kingdom¡¯s welfare despite it being his end. The Cho King couldn¡¯t speak anymore and hastily left the Lava Prison.


    ***


    "A tremendous city."


    The Cho Kingdom¡¯s capital, Kars. It had all types of cultures like Pangea. Western style houses coexisted with oriental houses, while the royal pce resembled a pce of the Si period.


    ¡®It looks muchrger than Reinhardt.¡¯


    There were only five kingdoms on the East Continent. It seemed that the size of each kingdom transcended the size of the Western kingdoms. Grid cut cloth with scissors and looked around.


    Muto spoke as Grid moved his hands without a break.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to explore the city before I see the king. I need to figure out the market situation of the Cho Kingdom and will be able to present a smarter deal to the king.¡±


    "Yes, work hard.¡±


    "What about Grid?¡±


    ¡°I need to find a person.¡±


    "Let me know their name and I will look for them.¡±


    "No, I already know where they are.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t nning to give him the quest details. Muto nodded and extended his hand.


    ¡°That... The loot we got from hunting monsters along the way...¡±


    It was a trip of five days. Grid and Muto hunted hundreds of monsters until they reached Kars. The amount of items they obtained was significant. However, the item distribution methods was that the party leader acquired it. Therefore, all the loot was in Grid¡¯s inventory.


    Grid gave Muto a fair split of the loot. It was a ratio of 8:2. Of course, Grid was the ¡®8.¡¯ But Muto wasn¡¯t upset at all. He actually thought it was too much.


    "Grid, didn¡¯t you take care of most of the monsters along the way? A 9:1 ratio seems sufficient.¡±


    "There were moments that would¡¯ve been dangerous if you and the Zentu warriors didn¡¯t help. It¡¯s fair to divide it like this.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Muto was able to realize how fair Grid was.


    ¡®There¡¯s a lot of talent gathered in the Overgeared Guild. I will never lose money with Grid.¡¯


    Later, he would go to the Overgeared Kingdom when he returned to the West Continent. Muto pledged himself to Grid and left. A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he watched Muto¡¯s back. He was able to smile because he had obtained Muto¡¯s confidence.


    ¡¯Isn¡¯t it good that give a bit more loot for a favorable impression?¡¯


    Grid grinned at his brilliance and turned his gaze to the square. It was because the atmosphere of the square, where thousands of people were gathered, was troubled.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid felt puzzled and approached the square.


    "The execution of Pangea¡¯s lord, Han Seokbong has been decided! He will be executed tomorrow!¡±


    "Isn¡¯t Han Seokbong a good noble with a high reputation? Why is he being executed?¡±


    "He made the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom angry.¡±


    ¡°Heok... The yangbans...¡±


    ¡°He deserves to die...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid became impatient after hearing that the person he wanted to save would be executed.


    ¡®Why is it so fast?¡¯


    In fact, Grid needed some time to n Han Seokbong¡¯s rescue.


    First, he had to identify the location and structure of the prison where Han Seokbong was trapped, then judge if he could be rescued or not. If it seemed possible to rescue him, Grid would act immediately. Otherwise, he would meet the Cho King.


    But now he had no choice.


    ¡®If the execution is already decided, it doesn¡¯t make sense to meet the Cho King. I have to rescue Han Seokbong right away.¡¯


    Grid started collecting information about Han Seokbong and Sua. In the information gathering, Yang Fei¡¯s Pushover Detection skill was very useful. She was able to gather the information that Grid desired very quickly.


    ¡°Tsk tsk... I shouldn¡¯t be a pushover.¡±


    Grid vowed to never be a pushover. In fact, he never imagined that Yang Fei once called him a pushover.


    ***


    The noble Sam Dasoo of the Cho Kingdom came to the second floor of the Lava Prison. It was to meet Sua, the daughter of Han Seokbong.


    ¡°W-What? My father¡¯s execution has been determined?¡±


    Sua was still shining like white jade despite being trapped in a dirty prison for a fortnight. The prison was dark and Sua was like the moon. The appeal that Sua emanated wasn¡¯t something that men could reject. Sam Dasoo gulped and nodded while examining Sua¡¯s body with sticky eyes.


    "Yes, it¡¯s tomorrow.¡±


    "T-That...!"


    Sua couldn¡¯t believe it. Her father was a person who worked hard for this kingdom for his whole life. However, he was facing the death penalty just because he angered the yangbans. She couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°Why is this happening? Aren¡¯t we the people of the Cho Kingdom and servants of the Cho King? Why are our lives in danger due to the yangbans¡¯ mood? Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still young and don¡¯t know reality. The Hwan Kingdom is the sky. They are a country that we all need to serve. Anyone who angers them needs to be punished.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I, Sam Dasoo, have asked to save your life. It¡¯s too harsh for your life to be stolen because of your father¡¯s mistake, although you will be deprived of your status as a noble."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about how to make a living. You will live forever by my side and receive my protection.¡±


    Sam Dasoo wasn¡¯t aware of how much lust was in his eyes when he looked at Sua. Sua stared at him. Her bewitching eyes were enough to make Sam Dasoo lose his soul.


    "I believe in Sam Dasoo.¡±


    "Ah? Ahh, yes, yes. Huhu, believe in me. Then it will work out.¡±


    ¡°Then I will believe you. Please let me meet my father. I want to say goodbye onest time.¡±


    "Ah? Ahh, yes... Hey, guard. Open the prison door right... N-No, no!¡±


    Sam Dasoo unknowingly nodded only to regain himself. Sua was a warrior before she was the best beauty. He didn¡¯t know what she would do if she left the prison. Once Sam Dasoo withdrew the order to the guard to take out the key, Sua snorted.


    "If only I had makeup on.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sam Dasoo doubted his ears. Sua, who had been staring at him with poisonous eyes, acted as a fragile girl again. It was a quick transition that seemed like a lie.


    "It¡¯s too sad that I can¡¯t see my father before he dies.¡±


    "D-Don¡¯t worry. Tomorrow, I will give you time to say goodbye to your father before I take him to his execution.¡±


    Sam Dasooughed awkwardly and hurriedly left. He had made a mistake by facing Sua without being able to ovee his boiling lust. Sua was left alone and bit her nails.


    ¡®What should I do?


    Father¡¯s execution had been announced. I can¡¯t allow it. The only way is to rescue my father before the execution time. But how?


    ¡°...I¡¯m helpless.¡±


    Tears flowed from Sua¡¯s eyes as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She couldn¡¯t act as a strong woman when alone.


    ***


    "The Cho King has reported. He¡¯s executing Han Seokbong, who denies knowing the maker of the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°Ha? Do they think our obsession will be put to rest with that?¡±


    ¡°Stupid. We don¡¯t care about his life.¡±


    A VIP room in the Cho King¡¯s Pce. There were young people dressed in silks more luxurious than the pce. The Hwan Kingdom¡¯s yangbans.


    "The maker of the Red Phoenix Bow was Pagma. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s been living since leaving the Hwan Kingdom, but we have to find him.¡±


    "If Han Seokbong doesn¡¯t give Pagma¡¯s whereabouts before dying... We¡¯ll have to move ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I want to meet Pagma. I miss his swordsmanship.¡±


    "You mean the sword dance that Hanul suppressed. It¡¯s so insignificant that it can¡¯t even be called swordsmanship. Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. This isn¡¯t the Hwan Kingdom. We have to keep the dignity of the yangbans in front of the residents.¡±

 Chapter 637

    Chapter 637


    ¡°It¡¯s unusual.¡±


    The Lava Prison wasn¡¯t built by human hands; the dormant volcano had instead been slightly modified into a natural prison. The ck and towering mountains gave Grid a feeling of overwhelming awe.


    "I¡¯m scared because the mountain is sharp and pointed.¡±


    "Based on theva flowing all around, it¡¯s a dormant volcano, right...? Will it suddenly explode?¡±


    Idan and Yang Fei hesitated,cking the courage to enter the Lava Prison. Of course, Grid had no intention of having them join him in the first ce.


    "It¡¯s enough to know where the Lava Prison is; both of you return to our amodations and wait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make delicious food.¡±


    "And I¡¯ll prepare a warm bath and tea. Pleasee back safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Grid remained alone and confirmed the time: there were less than two hours left until Han Seokbong¡¯s execution.


    ¡®The information-gathering took too long.¡¯


    He only managed it with Yang Fei¡¯s help. If it hadn¡¯t been for Yang Fei, Grid still wouldn¡¯t have known the whereabouts of Han Seokbong and his daughter.


    ¡®Then I would¡¯ve had to meet the Cho King... A bloody wind is blowing.¡¯


    The hidden quest that Grid was performing had two options: Either rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter from prison or meet the Cho King. Based onmon sense, it was likely that a fight would break out if he faced the Cho King, who had imprisoned and lined up both the father and daughter for execution. Grid was very reluctant for this to happen, as his ultimate goal in returning to the East Continent was to secure allies for his kingdom.


    ¡®I have to leave room for diplomatic rtions with the Cho Kingdom. I can¡¯t be hostile to the Cho King.¡¯


    He needed to rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter as discreetly as possible! Grid made his decision and equipped both the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and mask. The moment he entered the Lava Prison.


    [You are the first yer to find the Lava Prison dungeon!]


    [The amount of experience gained from Lava Prison will increase for the next week!]


    [When hunting boss monsters, the probability of gaining unique or higher rated items will increase significantly!]


    "Eh?¡±


    The Lava Prison was actually ssified as a dungeon?


    ¡®Did Ie to the wrong ce?¡¯


    Grid acted calmly despite his confusion. He looked at the structure of the prison in front of him and prepared for the unknown danger.


    Rattle.Rattle.


    He could hear the sound of chains on the floor. Grid looked around and was startled at the sight before him. The name ¡®Lava Prison Guard¡¯ was on top of the jiangshi. The jiangshi, with pale skin, dragged chains that bound both of its hands across the ground.


    ¡®The guards are monsters?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know why, but it was a good thing.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve felt guilty if I were hurting innocent soldiers, but there¡¯s no reason for mercy if I¡¯m facing monsters. Let¡¯s break through this quickly and find Han Seokbong and Sua.¡¯


    The determined Grid summoned four golden hands. God Hands. They are all armed with Mjolnir.


    ¡°Sweep through them.¡±


    The moment that Grid finished speaking.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The God Hands flew off and started beating the jiangshi with Mjolnir.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid flinched as he was about to take action. The jiangshi beaten by Mjolnir were ¡®immune¡¯ to the stiffness state? They didn¡¯t even receive physical damage. The jiangshi were monsters with both high resistance and defense.


    ¡®Is this why they are used to safeguard national facilities?¡¯


    Grid pulled out a blue greatsword that resembled a shark. A glittering glow filled the darkness that dominated the prison. It was the +9 Failure that became more powerful in darkness.


    ***


    The reason why the Lava Prison was notorious was the hot heat. An ordinary person couldn¡¯t stand the heat of the Lava Prison. A person would sweat even when sitting down, have symptoms of dehydration and even burn to death. Just being trapped in the Lava Prison was a terrible torture for prisoners.


    It was why the Lava Prison guards weren¡¯t soldiers, but monsters. It was virtually impossible formon soldiers to work in the Lava Prison. Therefore, the jiangshis created were deployed as prison guards.


    ¡°The time hase. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The sweating Han Seokbong painfully raised his body. He was able to not be dehydrated by drinking the water the Cho King provided him. However, he continued to sweat and his stamina consumption was too great.


    Stagger.


    Han Seokbong was about to copse and supported his body with the bars. A cold chill filled Han Seokbong the moment he touched the bar.


    ¡¯Blood jiangshi...¡¯


    Blood jiangshi were produced using the blood of a virgin mixed with strong poison. They were much physically stronger than ordinary jiangshi and also talked like people. Of course, their ego was only at the level of the person who made them.


    Trudge trudge.


    Han Seokbong moved with the help of the blood jiangshi. He couldn¡¯t remain calm in the face of his iing death. He was afraid. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the pain that he would suffer. He was worried about Sua being left alone.


    ¡®No, I don¡¯t need to worry. My daughter is strong. Even if she¡¯s left alone, she¡¯ll be able to live without losing courage. His Majesty also assured me that he would watch over her.¡¯


    It was a parent¡¯s duty to believe in their child. Han Seokbong started to control his heart. He humbly epted his uing death. In front of him, the nobleman Sam Dasoo appeared.


    "Isn¡¯t this funny?¡¯


    ¡°Sam Dasoo...¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s eyes became hard and furious. Sam Dasoo was a representative of the corrupt nobles and had always opposed Han Seokbong¡¯s integrity. Han Seokbong couldn¡¯t acknowledge Sam Dasoo as a noble.


    ¡°If I die, His Majesty will only have you... I am worried about the future of the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    Han Seokbong mourned while Sam Dasooughed.


    "It¡¯s worthless. Why is someone who will soon be dead worried about the future?¡±


    "...Did youe here to mock me?¡±


    "Kukukuk, how relieving. I¡¯m sorry but this ill-fated rtionship will end. Our rtionship might be ill-fated, but I will try to speak someforting words before you face your fate.¡±


    "I don¡¯t need anyforting from you.¡±


    "Just listen, as it is about your daughter Sua.¡±


    "...Don¡¯t say my daughter¡¯s name with your dirty mouth.¡±


    Han Seokbong released killing intent the moment Sua¡¯s name was heard. Sam Dasoo seemed to find this reaction funny as he let out a loudugh. Then he whispered in Han Seokbong¡¯s ears.


    "I will take good care of Sua for the rest of her life. I¡¯ll keep her beautiful until I get tired of her. So don¡¯t worry about your daughter and rx.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s eyes shook. The news that Sam Dasoo was aiming for Sua was like a bolt out of the blue. He tried to remain calm.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I begged His Majesty to protect Sua and he promised.¡±


    "Kukuk, what if she wants me?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    "I have ordered some Hwanryongcho to be mixed in with her breakfast this morning.¡±


    "H-Hwanryongcho?¡±


    Hwanryongcho was a drug that caused hallucinations. The biggest problem was that the person lost resistance to any suggestion.


    "Someone will pretend to be you and whisper to Sua. ¡®Believe in Sam Dasoo for the rest of your life. Sam Dasoo will protect you.¡¯ This is thest will and testament of her father. Kuk! Kukukuk!¡±


    ¡°You! Wicked person!!¡±


    Han Seokbong screamed. He hated this devil in front of him and cursed with all his heart. But it was useless. Han Seokbong would be executed shortly afterwards. He was bound by the blood jiangshi and couldn¡¯t do any harm to Sam Dasoo. Sam Dasoo justughed evilly at Han Seokbong.


    ***


    Lava Prison¡¯s second floor.


    ¡°Father...¡±


    Could it be due to the hot heat? Sua¡¯s mind had been feeling fuzzy since morning. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t help weing her father when she saw him. She couldn¡¯t tell whether the current situation was real or a dream. Han Seokbong touched her cheek. Sua felt that her father¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t as warm as usual. It was cold for some reason but it was a minor problem.


    "Do you have to leave?¡±


    Sua begged in a trembling voice. Han Seokbong made a request.


    "Sua, I am leaving first and Sam Dasoo will protect you in my stead. Always be thankful to him and serve him with all your heart and soul.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Yes, I understand."


    It was her father¡¯sst will. Sua nodded a few times. At that moment.


    "Since when is that monster your father?¡±


    It was an unforgettable voice. The deep voice dug into her ears. Sua knew the owner of this voice.


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    Was she still wandering in her dreams? Was this why she heard Grid¡¯s voice? Sua was confused. The face of Han Seokbong caressing her cheek changed into that of a devil.


    ¡°What bastard?¡±


    Han Seokbong shouted. His face started to melt like liquid in Sua¡¯s eyes. After a moment, he no longer looked like Han Seokbong. It was a man with a bizarre appearance that Sua saw for the first time.


    ¡°Who are you? Father? Where is my father?¡±


    As the medicinal effect of the Hwanryongcho fell, Sua¡¯s confusion was maximized. She felt a terrible headache. What was happening? The fear of being alone in the world. She was feeling fear in this dark prison when she heard-


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    It was Grid¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The man who tried to trick Sua screamed.


    Kurururung!


    The iron bars of the prison holding Sua were cut and destroyed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Big hands approached in the darkness. Sua knew these hands anywhere.


    ¡°Grid... Is it you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Grid grabbed Sua¡¯s hands and answered. He took off his bloody mask and smiled.


    "Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    It seemed difficult. He seemed to have trouble speaking. In the first ce, the blood used to wet the strange mask wasn¡¯t the ¡®enemy¡¯s blood¡¯ but the ¡®wearer¡¯s blood.¡¯ As it happened, Grid was already covered with wounds.

 Chapter 638

    ¡®The jiangshi are just too strong.¡¯


    The average level of the Lava Prison Guards was 360, 29 levels higher than Grid¡¯s current level. But level wasn¡¯t the problem, however, as both Grid¡¯s stats and items meant that he had already transcended the limits of his level. As he hunted and discovered more information about the blood jiangshi, he realized that apart from their physical strength and their high defense, the truly terrifying thing about them was their abnormal mental state. They showed no consciousness, felt no pain, and knew no fear.


    Kieeeeek!


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s maximum health had gone over 80,000 ever since he obtained the ¡®Savior of the World¡¯ title from the Belial raid. It even overwhelmed most tankers that had invested their stat points into stamina. But this great health gauge was currently in jeopardy as only 40% remained. This meant that the blood jiangshi were strong!


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°....!¡±


    Grid¡¯s +9 Failure, his trusted weapon that exerted greater power in the darkness, swung through the air at three blood jiangshis, only to be met with a kick. The sword slipped from Grid¡¯s hand¡ªwhile Grid had overwhelmingly high strength, he couldn¡¯t fight against three jiangshis alone.


    ¡®Che!¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue but didn¡¯t despair. While Satisfy implemented high realism and freedom, it was still just a game. A simple condition went into effect when a yer¡¯s hand dropped a weapon: they were unable to pick that weapon back up for 1~3 seconds.


    Kuwang!


    The three jiangshis didn¡¯t miss this fact and unleashed an onught towards Grid. They wielded the hands tied together by chains and swung them like a gori would. This was noughing matter, however, as it seemed like Grid would be torn to pieces.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Sua paled in fright. Grid had rescued her from prison, only to be isted amongst the guards. Sua felt a strong sense of guilt.


    ¡®I... Grid is risking his life trying to save me!¡¯


    What was this? Why did he have to sacrifice himself by running into this dangerous ce?


    Crunch.


    Sua wasn¡¯t a shameless person. She couldn¡¯t tolerate that Grid was in a crisis because of her.


    ¡®I will save you!¡¯


    Sua was a warrior before she was a woman. She couldn¡¯t overlook Grid¡¯s crisis and ignored her exhausted stamina. She clenched her teeth, forgetting her heavy legs and moved. But before she could reach the blood jiangshis, Grid freed himself from his predicament. Using the four God Hands to tie up one jiangshi, Grid summoned the two Overgeared Skeletons to bind the others with silver thread before returning to the fight with a longsword in hand.


    That¡¯s right. Grid swapped to a new weapon shortly after Failure fell from his hand. Grid¡¯s item swap speed utilizing the God Hands exceededmon sense. Grid wasn¡¯t able to apply the stiffness effect of Mjolnir on the jiangshis and had switched the God Hands¡¯ weapons to swords. Once he lost Failure, he immediately had a +7 Sword Ghost delivered to him. Its simple attack power was lower than the +9 Failure, but even that depended on the situation as it had the option of umting damage each time it attacked the same target.


    Was that all?


    Kkirik!


    The Sword Ghost, which had cut the jiangshi¡¯s chest, separated into two swords. The weapon separated? The blood jiangshi would be terrified if they had a strong consciousness. Yes, this anomaly was the greatest strength of the Sword Ghost. It was normally used as a longsword but it had a high utilization because it could be separated into a small sword and longsword.


    Chukakakakak!


    The separated Sword Ghosts cut the left and right wrists at the same time.


    [The +7 Sword Ghost has umted three attacks against the same target!]


    [The +7 Sword Ghost¡¯s attack power has increased by 20%!]


    The beast called Grid revealed his nature.


    Seokeok!


    Puok!Puuok!


    Grid never missed his prey. The Sword Ghost continued hitting its target. It was a wisebat method built on the basis of his variousbat experiences. The result?


    [The +7 Sword Ghost has umted 11 attacks against the same target!]


    [The +7 Sword Ghost¡¯s attack power has increased by 100%!]


    The potential of the Sword Ghost was lifted to the maximum. With double attack power, the Sword Ghost was stronger than Failure. Rotten blood started to seep from the steely skin of the jiangshi.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The ne received as a gift from his son Lord. Thanks to the Ne of Agility increasing skill deployment by 15%, Grid¡¯s deployment speed was much faster than before. It was the moment he overcame the inherent limits of the sword dance.


    -Kuaaaaah!


    Energy des shot like a missile and pierced the chest of the jiangshis. It eventually turned to grey.


    [The Lava Prison Guard has been defeated.]


    [185,001,400 points of experience have been acquired.]


    [63 gold coins have been acquired.]


    ¡®The experience given is amazing.¡¯


    Grid was the first to find the Lava Prison, which was ssified as a dungeon. As a benefit, the amount of experience gained for one week was greatly increased. The experience gained from one jiangshi was over 100 million.


    ¡®The disadvantage of hunting here is that the jiangshi don¡¯t drop any items. But it¡¯s not that big of a deal because they give one-third more experience than the armoured needles did.¡¯


    If he could increase the hunting speed, it would be the best hunting ground. Of course, this was limited to when the dungeon¡¯s first discoverer benefit was applied.


    ¡®If I rescue the Han Seokbong father and daughter and run away, I won¡¯t be able toe here again... I will waste the first discoverer benefits thatst a week.¡¯


    However, Grid didn¡¯t feel sorry. Satisfy had plenty of hunting grounds, and the lives of Han Seokbong and Sua, as well as the quest benefits were more important.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Rumble!


    Immediately afterwards, he struck the two other jiangshis tied up by the God Hands.


    [There are 15 minutes left until Han Seokbong¡¯s execution!]


    Grid was faced with a notification window that made him nervous.


    ¡°It is already time... I looked around the 1st and 2nd floors and couldn¡¯t find Han Seokbong. Do you know what floor he is imprisoned in?¡±


    "I¡¯m not sure, but the Lava Prison has four floors.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s go up to the 3rd and 4th floors.¡¯


    It was simple. Grid abandoned his nervousness and started to climb the spiral staircase. Sua¡¯s face was scrunched up in anxiety as she followed him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Sua wanted to save her father. No, it was Sua¡¯s wish that Grid would save her father. But wasn¡¯t it impossible? Grid was already quite tired from taking care of three blood jiangshis on the 2nd floor. His breathing was rough and his whole body was injured. The bizarre mask on his face was dyed red with blood. Sua was worried about how the current Grid would break through the blood jiangshis on both the 3rd and 4th floors.


    There wasn¡¯t much time left until her father¡¯s execution. Grid might be the most powerful man in Sua¡¯s heart, but the possibility of breaking through the jiangshis on the 3rd and 4th floors was very slim. Grid reached the 3rd floor ahead of her andughed as he said,


    "Believe in me. Item Transformation.¡±


    [Item Transformation]


    A skill that can be triggered if the legendary mineral ¡®pavranium¡¯ is possessed.


    It transforms the pavranium into the shape and performance of a specific item.


    * It can only transform into items you have learned how to make.


    * The duration of the transformation is 3 minutes. After the transformation is released, the pavranium will return to its original form.


    Skill Mana Cost: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.


    It was the special move of Pagma¡¯s Descendant that had a long cooldown. However, Grid had made four God Hands with arge number of pavranium. It was possible to change all the individual hands and each God Hand didn¡¯t share the cooldown time of Item Transformation.


    Pahat!


    One God Hand floated in front of Grid.


    ¡°Lifael¡¯s Spear.¡±


    It was the reinforced version of Lifael¡¯s Spear that Grid reconstructed for Isabel.


    Kuoooooh-


    The golden spear. It emitted a sharp atmosphere around it that didn¡¯t suit its beautiful appearance.


    ¡¯An artifact that can change its appearance...?¡¯


    Sua was amazed to see Grid¡¯s items. Grid gave her a reassuring smile and rushed towards four blood jiangshis, swinging the spear.


    [The Light Wheel skill has been used.]


    [Light Wheel has fired a massive number of Magic Missiles (Enhanced).]


    [Shield of Light has been used.]


    [Magic Missile (Enhanced) has been fired at the target who attacked the shield.]


    Kuwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°...¡±


    The overwhelmingbat power that created awe. The myth-rated weapon produced by the cksmith Grid reduced the powerful blood jiangshis to ashes. The blood jiangshis couldn¡¯t even so much as scream as they died.


    Kurururung!


    The prison couldn¡¯t withstand the firepower of Lifael¡¯s Spear and partly copsed. The ground broke and Grid embraced the waist of Sua who was falling.


    "Ah...! Hat!¡±


    Sua couldn¡¯t help groaning and hurriedly covered her mouth and fiercely blushed. It was an unexpected reaction. While Sua usually would¡¯ve thrown a joke towards Grid, she was different today as she blushed like a shy girl and avoided eye contact with her savior. Grid¡¯s heart dropped at her bashful appearance.


    ¡®Did she have such a cute face?¡¯


    So far, Grid had been able to maintain sage mode in front of Sua¡¯s beautiful face and body because her personality didn¡¯t suit Grid¡¯s taste. Sua was so perverted (?) that Grid, who was still rtively pure, couldn¡¯t handle it. But at this important moment, Grid was agitated.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid coughed while cing the still blushing Sua in a safe ce. The two people couldn¡¯t break the silence for a while. Suddenly, four blood jiangshis approached from the other side of the hall.


    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯


    Grid was determined to defeat the blood jiangshi before his weapon¡¯s transformation time ended, of which there was less than a left. He handed the +7 Ideal Dagger to Sua before rushing back to the blood jiangshi. Sua could use the Ideal Dagger because the usage conditions were low.


    ¡°Support me please.¡±


    ¡°Eh...? Yes! Yes! I understand!¡±


    Entrusting a weapon that was more precious than life to her?


    ¡®Does this mean he thinks of me as...?¡¯


    Yes, it might mean he thought of her as valuable... Sua was unsettled and barely managed to calm down her heart. Then she used the Wind st skill attached to the Ideal Dagger to assist Grid.


    ¡®Oh.¡¯


    Grid admired the timing and uracy of Sua¡¯s usage. It made Grid¡¯s fight much easier. Thebination of the best warrior of the Cho Kingdom and the Overgeared King Grid was fantastic. But time was heartless.


    [There are 5 minutes left until Han Seokbong¡¯s execution!]


    [There are 4 minutes left until Han Seokbong¡¯s execution!]


    Grid destroyed the blood jiangshis and explored the 3rd floor. However, he didn¡¯t find Han Seokbong.


    ¡®The 4th floor!¡¯


    It was the only floor left of the Lava Prison. Grid and Sua rushed to the 4th floor. Then he saw it.


    "S-Sua...? G-Grid...?¡±


    Han Seokbong was being dragged like he was a criminal.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    The excited Sua rushed forward without looking around.


    [The leader of the Lava Prison has emerged.]


    An overwhelming presence appeared.


    ¡®Damn. This won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    Grid sighed.

 Chapter 639

    ¡°Han Seok... What?¡±


    The guards dragging Han Seokbong stopped in ce when they saw Grid.


    Puhahahak!


    Then a boss monster emerged from the ground and blocked the way.


    [The leader of the Lava Prison has emerged.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was confused at the sight of the slim, pale jianghsi boss-figure. In Satisfy, the appearance of a boss was enough for the surroundings to erupt with powerful pressure. Even a low-level boss would induce a status abnormality when it appeared.


    However, the leader of the Lava Prison didn¡¯t cause any abnormal conditions. It wasn¡¯t like a normal monster, which made Grid feel uneasy. Grid felt an overwhelming presence from the boss.


    ¡®The fact that it doesn¡¯t cause any abnormal conditions means that...¡¯


    Didn¡¯t it suggest that the basic specs of the lead guard were excellent? Considering that the physical abilities of the previous jiangshi were outstanding, it was highly likely that the boss jiangshi was at the peak of its physical abilities.


    ¡®I have a headache.¡¯


    Ordinary guards didn¡¯t boast tremendous physical abilities. He had lost his sword when dealing with three jiangshis at the same time. If the ability of the boss jiangshi was three times that of the ordinary jiangshi, it would be difficult for Grid to deal with it. The battle would be difficult if he couldn¡¯t defend against an attack with his sword.


    ¡¯No, am I jumping too far ahead?¡¯


    Grid shook his head and smiled awkwardly. Then Sua¡¯s voice was heard.


    "B-ck-horse jiangshi...!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why was she so surprised by its form? Grid¡¯s anxiety grew as he watched the chief guard kick at Sua. This was no normal kick¡ªit was reminiscent of the 1st-ranked martial artist Regas. No, it was several times faster and sharper than Regas¡¯s kick.


    Kuwaaang!


    It was enough to cause goosebumps. Sua barely escaped from the lead jailer¡¯s kick using Quick Movements. It was a perfect use of the Ideal Dagger borrowed from Grid.


    ¡°This kick?¡±


    Grid was relieved to see that Sua was safe and felt doubts. The previous jiangshis had only swung their arms. They didn¡¯t use their legs to attack. Therefore, Grid had thought of the jiangshis as having a restriction in their lower body. But the boss that showed up broke that recognition.


    Sua exined to Grid.


    "There are five types of jiangshis.¡±


    First, the iron jiangshi. The mostmon type: they used powerful techniques based on their strong bodies, as if they were wearing armor. However, their movements were somewhat dull because they can¡¯t bend their knees.


    Second, the poison jiangshi. Their physical abilities were simr to the iron jiangshi, but the risk in facing them was much higher because they emitted poison from their wounds. Mass-killing was easy for them.


    Third, the blood jiangshi.


    Not made from the same materials as the steel and poison jiangshi, they have virgin¡¯s blood mixed in with all types of drugs, making them three times faster and stronger than the iron jiangshi. They have low intelligence and could executemands, unlike the other jiangshis.


    If a kingdom could produce arge number of blood jiangshis, it was expected that their army would be invincible. However, their movements were dull like the iron jiangshi.


    Next, there were the ck-horse jiangshi and the flying-horse jiangshi, both epassing apletely different realm of creation. The ck-horse jiangshi was evaluated as a ¡®superior¡¯ type. Its physical abilities were 10 times better than that of the blood jiangshi and there were no physical inconveniences. They could even use skills.


    The next type, the flying-horse jiangshi, was evaluated as a ¡®living superior¡¯ type made of rare elixirs and virgin blood. It was rumored that they were so strong that a single flying-horse jiangshi could even break down an army. However, their existence was almost like a rumor without any proof or confirmation.


    In other words.


    "The ck-horse jiangshi is the peak of the guards.¡±


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help eximing at Sua¡¯s exnation. A jiangshi with 10 times the physical strength of the blood jiangshi? He expected it to be difficult if it was three times stronger. But 10 times?


    ¡¯I don¡¯t have a chance with a frontal confrontation.¡¯


    ¡°Grid! Don¡¯t care about me and look after my daughter Sua! Run away!¡±


    Han Seokbong shouted from far away as he was dragged to the execution ce by the guards. Despite knowing how great Grid was, he knew that Grid couldn¡¯t deal with the ck-horse jiangshi. He gave up his lifepletely and only hoped for Sua and Grid to be safe.


    Sua looked resigned.


    "I will buy some time. Grid, run away during this gap.¡±


    A corpse itself. Sua stood in front of the ck-horse jiangshi and bit her lip.


    ¡®Father, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t save you with my strength. Don¡¯t be lonely because I will follow you soon.¡¯


    Yes, Sua was determined to die. She gave up on rescuing her father. Now that the ck-horse jiangshi had emerged, her only desire was that Grid would be safe. She felt an infinite gratitude that he came here to rescue her and her father.


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    Sua was determined not to let Gride to any harm. She returned the Ideal Dagger, her only weapon, to Grid. Then she faced the ck-horse jiangshi with her bare hands.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The ck-horse jiangshiughed at Sua like she was ridiculous. She wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid it with her ability. Buying time for Grid while he ran?


    ¡®No way!¡¯


    Grid hade to the East Continent to secure people. He wanted to make friends with the Han Seokbong father and daughter who had been abandoned by the Cho Kingdom no matter what.


    ¡®I will surely protect you and make Pangea a territory of Overgeared.¡¯


    Grid pledged as he summoned the God Hands without transforming it to Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®The transformed Lifael¡¯s Spear is very weakpared to the original¡¯s power.¡¯


    It was impossible to reproduce the goddess¡¯ fluffy hair which was the main material of Lifael¡¯s Spear. It was doubtful if the spear could deal a fatal wound to the ck-horse jiangshi. It would just be a waste of the Item Transformation skill.


    ¡®The God Hands just need to focus on defense in this battle!¡¯


    Pa pa pa pat!


    As soon as they received Grid¡¯s will, the God Hands flew to Sua to protect her. They were kicked by the ck-horse jiangshi instead of Sua.


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The greatest strength of the pavranium was its endless durability. They weren¡¯t destroyed despite being hit by the powerful attacks of the ck-horse jiangshi. However, the defense function couldn¡¯t be maintained for a long time because they stiffened for a few seconds every time they were attacked. But it was enough to buy some time.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    [The best demonic beast of hell has been summoned!]


    The reason why Grid didn¡¯t summon Noe despite the time attack quest was to save him for an emergency. If a stalemate urred like now, Grid needed Noe¡¯s strength and stamina to be full.


    ¡°Nyang! I¡¯ll eat well!¡±


    Noe appeared and opened his mouth wide in order to devour the ck-horse jiangshi in one bite. But the ck-horse jiangshi was very agile. It avoided Noe¡¯s mouth.


    "Eh?¡±


    ¡°Nyong?¡±


    Noe couldn¡¯t eat it? The confused Grid and Noe were stunned for a moment.


    Peeok!


    ¡°Kiyang!¡±


    Noe¡¯s eyes became two Xs as he was hit by the jiangshi. The tongue poked out as he copsed, making Noe look very pitiful.


    "S-Sacred creature...!¡±


    During the time of the armoured needles attack, Sua had mistaken Noe as a sacred creature. She was nervous after seeing Noe being countered so easily.


    ¡°Grid, please run away!¡±


    She saw the ck-horse jiangshi as a monster that even a sacred creature couldn¡¯t handle. Grid couldn¡¯t deal with this monster, no matter how strong he was. He had to run away and protect his own life. Sua longed for it but Grid didn¡¯t respond to her wish. He went forward and faced the guard.


    "Sua, you seem to be mistaken about something. I didn¡¯te here identally. I came here to save you and your father. I will protect you, even if I die.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Why did he have to sacrifice himself for them? In the first ce, Grid was the benefactor who did them a great favor. There was no justification for him to sacrifice so much for them.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    She was looking at Grid with shaking eyes when she suddenly eximed. She was amazed by the beauty of the new sword that Grid pulled out. Iyarugt. The ¡®Coolness¡¯ option made the translucent red sword look even more beautiful. A brilliant red glow started to shin in the dark dungeon.


    It was the precursor. The precursor to the arrival of the strongest swordsman in hell.


    ¡°Summon Iyarugt.¡±


    [Summoning Sword Demon Iyarugt!]


    Kurururung!


    The moment that Grid used the skill, Iyarugt let out a roar that was like thunder. A blood red light scattered all over the ce as the sword moved from Grid¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    A chill went down Sua¡¯s spine. Iyarugt¡¯s blood light energy. To be precise, the light emitted from Iyarugt¡¯s soul was enough to excite her soul. It was more beautiful than any gem in the world and stimted Sua¡¯s sense of beauty.


    Kuoooooh!


    ¡°...Sweet.¡±


    The raging soul gathered in one ce and took the shape of an old man. An old man bent over. The blood light shone around Iyarugt¡¯s body, like a zing fire. It was the magic power of the ¡®hell swordsman¡¯ whopeted with great demons despite being a low-grade demonkin.


    Paaaat!


    Iyarugt enjoyed the fresh air entering his lungs and wielded his sword. The ck-horse jiangshi couldn¡¯t escape the strike. Was Iyarugt¡¯s sword that fast? Not at all. The physical capabilities of the ck-horse jiangshi were excellent enough to overwhelm Iyarugt¡¯s physical capabilities.


    The reason why the ck-horse jiangshi couldn¡¯t avoid Iyarugt¡¯s sword was because the demon¡¯s swordsmanship level was just too high. It couldn¡¯t avoid the strike despite seeing it with its eyes.


    Chukakakakak!


    The bloody light constantly moved around the ck-horse jiangshi, buying time.


    ¡°Open Rune of Darkness.¡±


    Grid released the seal of power.


    ¡°Belial¡¯s Power.¡±


    The power of a great demon!


    ***


    "Just who is he?"


    Sam Dasoo left the prison while tying up the intruder¡¯s feet. He couldn¡¯t help feeling absurd and asked Han Seokbong again.


    "There is a fool who doesn¡¯t flee the moment he sees a ck-horse jiangshi. What is the identity of that freak?¡±


    Han Seokbong red at Sam Dasoo from where he was captured by the guards.


    "Watch your words. He isn¡¯t someone that a dirty person like you can talk about.¡±


    "Kukuk! You are angry that a person who will die soon is being humiliated. How funny.¡±


    The ck jiangshi was the weapon of the Cho Kingdom. There were only five ck-horse jiangshis in the whole Cho Kingdom. The unidentified intruder who appeared to save Han Seokbong? He would die before he could get to Han Seokbong.


    ¡®Sua who is with him will also die.¡¯


    It was regrettable. Sam Dasoo was worried about beingte and urged the guards to hurry. Han Seokbong was worried about Sua and Grid and kept looking back at the prison.


    At that moment.


    Kurururung!


    A thunderous sound was heard from the top of the Lava Prison.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sam Dasoo looked back at the prison with shock. It was because part of the Lava Prison was struck by a magic bombardment.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Was the intruder truly strong enough to break the prison while fighting the ck-horse jiangshi? Confused, Sam Dasoo gulped in nervousness.


    Duk!


    Something fell like a ball from the top of the prison. The head of the ck-horse jiangshi rolled to the feet of Sam Dasoo.


    "H-Hik...!"


    Sam Dasoo paled.

 Chapter 640

    The Rune of Darkness. It was an item obtained from the event story that urred just after Grid epted Braham¡¯s soul. It dropped from Tallos, agent of the First Servant Amoract.


    Tallos. He wasn¡¯t someone who could be made fun of. He was an agent of the great demon Amoract. He was a very strong, cruel, and well-rounded person that was chosen by a great demon. It was purely his achievement that the Yatan Church could be spread all over the West Continent.


    Even the current Grid would have no chance if he was hostile to Tallos. But Braham showed his true strength in the event story and Tallos became nothing more than a worm. Tallos was killed by a handful of Magic Missiles and Fireballs by Braham who had 15,580 intelligence.


    In any case, the conclusion was that the Rune of Darkness was an item that was difficult to obtain using normal paths. Who could obtain the Rune of Darkness that Tallos dropped? If Grid hadn¡¯t epted Braham¡¯s soul... Yes, if he hadn¡¯t obtained the second ss of Legendary Great Magician then he wouldn¡¯t know the existence of the rune.


    ¡®Among the two billion users, the number of users who have runes is very small. I am the only one with a rune right now in the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Grid guessed thatter on, the gap between yers would be determined by runes. The people who secured runes and umted more power in the runes would determine who would get ahead.


    ¡®Perhaps by now, Agnus might¡¯ve umted more power in his rune than me.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Agnus. It was likely that those Lauel ssified as being sun-grade would¡¯ve already secured runes. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of a rune better than the Rune of Darkness. But Grid was confident. Even if there were more rune owners than he expected, his rune was ahead of everyone else.


    Why?


    ¡¯I have already secured the strength of a great demon.¡¯


    [Rune of Darkness]


    Bound Item.


    Permanently preserved in your inventory. Trading, dropping, or destroying it is impossible.


    -Usage Effect: Demonic power state will rise in exchange for its use.


    * Normal attacks and skill attacks will deal an addition 20% dark damage.


    Unique Lasting Effect: When dealing with named demonkin and demons, you can absorb unique attributes.


    * Tiramet¡¯s Power: If your health drops below 10%, health will be restored to 30% in an instant. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    * Latina¡¯s Power: The ¡®Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡¯ skill is generated.


    ¡ïSpecial¡ï


    32nd Great Demon Belial¡¯s Power


    The queen of darkness who terrorizes the world.


    The queen of me burns the world.


    The queen of lies ruins the world.


    The ultimate strength that was shown even on the rune. The power of a hell monarch was expressed through Grid.


    "Open the Rune of Darkness, Belial¡¯s Power.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°?!¡±


    Noe, who was copsed after being hit by the ck-horse jiangshi. Iyarugt, who was tying up the feet of the ck-horse jiangshi. The ck-horse jiangshi who had adapted to Iyarugt and increased its evasion. Sua, who was watching the high-level battle between Iyarugt and the ck-horse jiangshi.


    All of them looked at Grid in unison. The magic emitted from Grid was absurdly powerful. Grid faced the ck-horse jiangshi and smiled grimly.


    Red, dark, and intense. He was surrounded by magic and looked like aet in the night sky.


    [The power of the Great Demon Belial sealed in the Rune of Darkness has been released!]


    [It is impossible for humans to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers.]


    [Your body feels a great burden. You have lost 35% of your maximum health.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®weak¡¯ state.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Your health has dropped below 10%. Tiramet¡¯s Power belonging to the Rune of Darkness if activated.]


    [30% of your health has been restored.]


    [You have lost more than 70% of your maximum health. The First King title effect is activated.]


    [A protective shield containing the health that was lost in thest minute has been created. As the shield continues, terrain adaptability will increase by 100% while movement speed and defense will increase by 10%.]


    [As a human, you can use only one of Belial¡¯s three powers: darkness, fire, or deception.]


    The power obtained from Belial¡¯s raid. Grid had already tested it a few times.


    If he chose the power of fire, he would activate the ¡®Fire Queen¡¯ passive skill. His stamina wouldn¡¯t decrease, his recovery speed would increase by 300% and his fire resistance would rise to 100%. If he received a fire attack inferior to hellfire, he might even regain health. In addition, he could use the ¡®Queen¡¯s mes of Hell¡¯ and ¡®mes of Hell Path.¡¯


    It featured highbat persistence and explosive attack power.


    If he chose the power of darkness, a passive skill would be activated that turned demonkin non-hostile. Mana regeneration rate would increase by 300% and resistance to dark magic by 100%. In addition, he could use the ¡®Queen¡¯s Provocation¡¯ and ¡®Path of Darkness.¡¯


    It made magic and skills easier to use, as well as giving debuff skills.


    Finally, when choosing the power of deception, only the Queen¡¯s Distortion was produced. But in order to utilize the distortion magic properly, it was required to have excellent power and control. It was difficult for Grid to actually use it.


    "In the first ce, it will be fatal for you.¡±


    Since entering the Lava Prison, Grid¡¯s health was maintained at 40%. Therefore, the First King title could be utilized at any time. The penalty of opening Belial¡¯s Power was canceled to some extent by Tiramet¡¯s Power. At the same time, the First King title effect was applied and a strong shield was obtained. In this state.


    Hwaruruk!


    He was surrounded by mes from head to toe. The red flickering covered Grid¡¯s eyebrows and hair.


    [You have selected the power of fire!]


    [The passive skill Fire Queen is applied for two minutes while Belial¡¯s Power is maintained. You can also use the Queen¡¯s mes of Hell and mes of Hell Path.]


    [Queen¡¯s mes of Hell]


    A wild magic that symbolizes the fire queen.


    The powerful mes will damage your target. The amount of damage is proportional to the user¡¯s powerful blow and the maximum health of the target.


    Skill Mana Consumption: 90% of your maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    [mes of Hell Path]


    An afterglow remains on the path that the queen of fire walks.


    During the duration of the skill, the mes on your body will cause ¡®burns.¡¯ When using physical attacks and skills, fire damage is added. Fire damage is proportional to your strength and intelligence.


    Resource Consumption: Lose 250 health and 60 mana per second while it is activated.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 seconds.


    The reason why Grid chose the power of fire was due to the nature of the ck-horse jiangshi. The ck-horse jiangshi was extremely resistant to physical attacks. It had been hit several times by Iyarugt but wasn¡¯t severely injured.


    ¡®Its physical resistance is high, but its magic resistance is weak!¡¯


    He would blow it away with powerful mes! Grid fired the Queen¡¯s mes of Hell at the ck-horse jiangshi.


    Kurururung!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Grid felt something leaving his body the moment the spell was activated. Once arge amount of mana was consumed at once, the phenomenon of ¡®mana rampage¡¯ was likely to happen. But Grid overcame this without much damage.


    [You have resisted.]


    This was due to the characteristic of Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It poured towards the ck-horse jiangshi like a waterfall. There was no scream because the ck-horse jiangshi didn¡¯t feel pain.


    Stagger.


    It was a critical wound no matter who saw it. As a boss monster, the ck-horse jiangshi boasted high stamina stat. The Queen¡¯s mes of Hell was deadly to its health.


    Kurururung!


    An explosion urred around the ck-horse jiangshi and the Laval Prison disappeared without a trace.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Once the ground of the prison copsed, Sua and Noe lost their foothold.


    ¡®The sacred creature¡¯s soles!¡¯


    Sua touched Noe¡¯s paws and forgot the horrible reality for a moment, as she was suddenly filled with happiness. Noe¡¯s soles felt great.


    Teook!


    Grid crossed the copsing prison ground and narrowed the distance to the ck-horse jiangshi. The +9 Failure in his hand was burning.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    The afterglow of the mes around Grid shone.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Failure prated the body of the ck-horse jiangshi several times.


    Puk!Puk puk!


    Puuok!


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The weak spot has been...]


    [Critical!]


    ...


    ...


    He opened cksmith¡¯s Rage and the Rune of Darkness in session, doubling the critical power that urred in session. The ck-horse jiangshi suffered a serious injury from the Queen¡¯s mes of Hell and now copsed under Grid¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    Grid needed to finish this before Belial¡¯s Power ended. He tried to end it by pouring out all of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship techniques, except for Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, which was on cooldown. However, the ck-horse jiangshi¡¯s resistance was very strong. The ck-horse jiangshi didn¡¯t know pain or fear and attacked Grid. Grid didn¡¯t defend and counterattacked instead. It was an act to shorten the time.


    The bizarre mask used by Grid, the ughterer¡¯s Mask, was wet with blood. The result?


    Seokeok!


    The ck-horse jiangshi lost its health at a quick rate and Failure¡¯s Bisect option was activated. The ck-horse jiangshi lost its head and fell from the broken prison ground. There was a loud roar.


    [The Chief Lava Prison Guard has been defeated.]


    [1,922,509,991 experience has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [¡¯Jiangshi Recipe¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [Jiangshi Recipe]


    A unique rated skill.


    An old booklet containing the recipe for a steel jiangshi.


    Conditions of Use: Daoist, necromancer.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    A method to make jiangshi! This was a real jackpot that transcended imagination. If he could fill up the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯scking military power with jiangshis...!


    ¡¯...Ah, I don¡¯t have any necromancer in the guild.¡¯


    Grid felt joy and sorrow at the same time. But there was no room for thinking. He couldn¡¯t dy because Han Seokbong¡¯s life was at risk.


    ¡°Fly.¡±


    As the duration of Belial¡¯s Power ended, he swapped to Braham¡¯s Boots and flew from the prison while holding onto Sua and Noe.


    Kurururung!


    Grid¡¯s party seeded in escaping thepletely copsed Lava Prison. Lava erupted from everywhere, but the bigger threat was the ash. The city of Kars in the Cho Kingdom became ash-colored.


    ¡°This crazy guy...! What is that crazy guy doing?¡±


    Sam Dasoo screamed and fled as the ck-horse jiangshi¡¯s head fell down. He tried to drag Han Seokbong¡¯s rope, but it was impossible, as the ck-haired man with a muscr body and wide shoulders blocked his way. The beauty Sua, covered in ash,id in his arms.


    "Father!"


    "Sua!¡±


    At the same time, Han Seokbong and Sua shared a reunion.


    ¡°Who the hell are you? You used some cowardly method to get rid of the ck-horse jiangshi!¡±


    "I am the king of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "?????"


    Sam Dasoo had the worst first encounter with Grid.


    At the same time, the VIP room of the pce.


    ¡°What is that sound?¡±


    The luxuriously dressed yangbans sensed the situation from where they had been resting in a carefree manner.

 Chapter 641

    "It¡¯sing from the direction of the Lava Prison.¡±


    The yangbans quickly grasped where the explosion took ce. Considering the distance between the royal pce and the Lava Prison here, the yangbans¡¯ hearing was beyond the category of a human.


    "I don¡¯t understand why an uproar is happening in the capital. Is there a war?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    The other kingdoms knew that the yangbans were currently staying in Kars. They wouldn¡¯t dare to cause a disturbance. Everybody knew that those who weren¡¯t polite to the yangbans would meet a terrible end.


    ¡°I heard that Han Seokbong is locked up in the Lava Prison. It¡¯s likely there¡¯s a group trying to rescue Han Seokbong and causing a disturbance."


    ¡°Hoh... They aren¡¯t afraid of us.¡±


    "They¡¯re afraid. But there are people willing to rescue Han Seokbong. The Han Seokbong father and daughter are nobles representing the Cho Kingdom and have many followers.¡±


    "Hrmm, I heard there was a ck horse jiangshi at the Lava Prison. Is there anyone in the Cho Kingdom who can face the ck horse jiangshi?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible for the Cho King¡¯s 10 Swords.¡±


    ¡°10 Swords? Isn¡¯t the Cho King the one who decided that Han Seokbong would be executed? Does it make sense that one of his confidants would try to rescue Han Seokbong? Ah, don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°It would fit. The Cho King is famous for his affection for Han Seokbong.¡±


    The reason why the Cho King announced that he would execute Han Seokbong was due to the yangbans. The Cho King actually wanted to save Han Seokbong. It wasn¡¯t strange that he would work to rescue Han Seokbong.


    "In the end, the Cho King is behind the group trying to rescue Han Seokbong? Kukuk... The Cho King dares to deceive the yangban?¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    One especially luxurious dressed man was excited. The name of the angry man was Garam. He was famous for his strong sense of consciousness. He wouldn¡¯t forgive anyone who damaged the name of the yangbans. All human life other than the yangbans were trivial.


    "I will make the Cho King shed tears of blood.¡±


    The two other men paid attention to Garam, who got up to walk out of the room.


    "I don¡¯t care what you do, but keep in mind that this isn¡¯t the Hwan Kingdom. We have to keep the dignity of the yangbans in front of the residents.¡±


    "I will take care of it."


    The upset Garam immediately headed to the great hall. But the Cho King wasn¡¯t present.


    "His Majesty has gone to the execution ground. As you know, it¡¯s Han Seokbong¡¯s execution...¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s the one pulling the strings of Han Seokbong¡¯s rescue, yet he¡¯s pretending not to know anything?¡¯


    A tricky bastard. Garam flew coldly and suddenly stopped in the air. His eyes, which boasted better vision than a hawk, focused on the Lava Prison.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it more exciting if the Han Seokbong rescue n fails? Kukukuk!¡±


    Pahat!


    Garam floated in the ashy sky. He moved his feet lightly and he disappeared without a trace.


    ***


    ¡°Overgeared...? Overgeared King?¡±


    He caught the ck horse jiangshi because he was the Overgeared King? Sam Dasoo couldn¡¯t understand it at all. He didn¡¯t know what overgeared was in the first ce. But he clearly understood the word ¡®king.¡¯ It was the same with Han Seokbong and Sua.


    ¡°King...? Grid is a king now?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid btedly realized at Han Seokbong¡¯s question. He realized he never told the Han Seokbong father and daughter of his true identity.


    ¡®I was paying attention to many things when I first came to the East Continent.¡¯


    But it was fine now. Grid trusted the Han Seokbong father and daughter. Weren¡¯t they worried about him even when their lives were at risk? They were righteous even to theirst moments.


    ¡®The nature revealed before death is clean.¡¯


    They werepletely different from him. Grid nodded with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m a king.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Han Seokbong and Sam Dasoo¡¯s faces were as hard as stone statues. There were only four people on the continent who could call themselves king. But Grid wasn¡¯t included in the four. In other words, Grid was a barbarian who didn¡¯t serve any kings.


    ¡°Oh my god...¡±


    His savior was a barbarian king? Han Seokbong turned pale. Sam Dasoo pointed at him and cried out, "Han Seokbong is dirty! Acting as if you have no shame on the surface! Yet you¡¯re friendly with a barbarian king! You will surely be damned!¡±


    ¡®Barbarian king?¡¯


    Grid was puzzled by Han Seokbong¡¯s reaction and Sam Dasoo¡¯s words.


    ¡°Barbarian king? Do the people of the East Continent call the West Continent barbarians?¡±


    ¡°?!!¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Han Seokbong, Sua and Sam Dasoo were shocked. They were surprised since Grid called himself a person from the West Continent.


    Sua looked at him and asked carefully, "Are you from the West Continent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid answered casually, causing Sam Dasoo tough. He cried out.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying to hide the fact that you are a barbarian! You have crossed the Red Sea? How can I believe that nonsense? Hup!¡±


    Sam Dasoo shouted angrily only to recoil and close his mouth. Grid looked at him like he was prey. He was a monster who killed a ck horse jiangshi. He had to think about what to do or his neck might be blown off.


    Han Seokbong was sincerely relieved.


    ¡°I see... You¡¯re a person from the West Continent.¡±


    The West and East Continents were isted from each other. It was due to the Red Sea between the two continents. But ording to the description in history, there were asions when people from the West Continent came to the East Continent. The people in distress were rescued from the Red Sea.


    "Grid was in distress...¡±


    Sua sent him apassionate look. Grid seemed like a lost and alone person.


    Grid smiled at her. ¡°Nope. I came here on my own initiative. I have a way to return to the West Continent.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Han Seokbong and Sam Dasoo were shocked. In the past hundreds and thousands of years, the two continents didn¡¯t have any exchanges. Yet Grid said it was possible for him to move between continents. This was a shocking statement thatpletely destroyedmon sense. Sam Dasoo thought negatively.


    ¡°This is ridiculous...! How is that possible?¡±


    If Grid¡¯s words were true, it was a serious problem. The two continents had existed without each other¡¯s intervention. If an exchange was possible, there might be some confusion!


    ¡®Heok!¡¯


    Sam Dasoo came to his senses. He realized that now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about this. He was supposed to drag Han Seokbong to the execution ground.


    ¡®But how?¡¯


    How could he defeat the monster who killed the ck horse jiangshi? The confused Sam Dasoo was restless and Grid felt doubts.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t the quest cleared?¡¯


    The hidden quest ¡®Rescue the Han Seokbong Father and Daughter¡¯ required him to rescue Han Seokbong and Sua. Now Grid had rescued the Han Seokbong father and daughter, but it wasn¡¯t cleared. It meant the quest wasn¡¯t finished.


    ¡®Ah... Do I have to take them out of Kars unharmed?¡¯


    Grid thought this and urged the Han Seokbong father and daughter.


    "Let¡¯s get out of here. It can be dangerous if we dy here.¡±


    Grid thought the Han Seokbong father and daughter would naturally follow him. But he was wrong. Han Seokbong refused Grid¡¯s hand.


    "I can¡¯t leave."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid was confused by the answer. Han Seokbong started to exin.


    "I¡¯m on death row because I disappointed the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. They wanted the whereabouts of the master craftsman, but I didn¡¯t know where you were and couldn¡¯t give the answer they wanted.¡±


    "The yangbans are looking for me? Why?¡±


    "They¡¯re interested because you made a Red Phoenix Bow that¡¯s better than the original. In fact, it isn¡¯t a bad thing. I hoped that Grid would use this chance to make friends with the yangbans. But now I changed my mind. Maybe the yangbans won¡¯t like that you came from the West Continent.¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Grid thought it was possible. For the yangbans who were the best power on the East Continent, they wouldn¡¯t like the emergence of Westerners who were more skilled than them. They would be worried that their position would weaken.


    ¡®My impression wasn¡¯t good when I saw them in Pangea.¡¯


    Grid was convinced and reached out to Han Seokbong.


    "So leave with me.¡±


    "I can¡¯t leave."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "If I flee with Grid... The yangbans will ask the Cho Kingdom to pay for my sin and I don¡¯t know what will happen to the Cho Kingdom. I will remain here and be executed as scheduled. I just want to ask you. Please take my daughter with you.¡±


    ¡°No, what...¡±


    The moment Grid was going to argue.


    -Run away.


    Braham¡¯s soul whispered after a long time. He spoke in the same indifferent manner as usual but there was impatience in his voice.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly telling me to run away?¡±


    -A guy you can¡¯t afford to go against ising.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    -Che, it¡¯s toote.Use Assimtion.


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    What was Braham saying all of a sudden? Grid couldn¡¯t grasp the situation and was toote. A strange voice entered his ears.


    ¡°Hrmm? You aren¡¯t one of the 10 Swords?¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    The voice was heard right above their heads. Grid raised his head and his eyes became bigger. There was a blue robe fluttering in the sky as the owner of the voice looked down at them. The clothing, appearance and atmosphere resembled Pagma.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The man that Grid saw in Pangea was floating in the sky. It was a yangban.


    ¡®Yangban...!¡¯


    What was this situation all of a sudden? Grid¡¯s eyes shook like an earthquake was happening.


    ¡°Hrmm, why do you look familiar?¡±


    The yangban Garam was also familiar with Grid.


    ¡°Ah, the guy I saw in Pangea. I can¡¯t help noticing the smell of that weakling from you.¡±


    The weakling that Garam was referring to...


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s smell. Kukuk, I see. It wasn¡¯t a mistake. It was you? You recreated the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    [You have an urge to bow.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Are you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±


    Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped.

 Chapter 642

    The Hwan Kingdom. It was a pir for the entire continent and a kingdom under the heavens. Since the day that a unique child was born in the ¡®small kingdom,¡¯ it had ruled over the continent. Why did the Hwan Kingdom reign? Was it right to divide humans between yangbans and the rest?


    A child questioned the things that everyone took for granted.


    ¡°That kid¡¯s name was Pagma. He was an idiot who believed that all humans are equally precious.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Garam looked very happy as he recalled the past. There was a smile on his face. The long half moon eyes were beautiful enough to evokeughter. But he was a man.


    ¡®Damn bastard!¡¯


    Grid felt hostile towards Garam¡¯s beauty. In the first ce, Garam didn¡¯t show any goodwill towards Grid. He was smiling, but his eyes that stared at Grid were different. It was like he was looking at a worm.


    "That fool Pagma¡¯s journey reached the peak when it came to useless non-fighting skills.¡±


    Since he appeared, Garam had been talking about Pagma like he was a trivial person. But Grid wasn¡¯t upset at all. Grid had never met Pagma, so he didn¡¯t care about Pagma being ignored and criticized. But something caught his attention.


    "Useless non-fighting skills... Are you talking about cksmithing?¡±


    Grid had no special feelings for the person called Pagma. However, he respected Pagma¡¯s techniques and was proud to have learned them. For Grid, the cksmithing job was the best blessing that changed his life. Yet Garam dismissed cksmithing. It was natural that Grid felt offended.


    Garam responded to Grid¡¯s re.


    ¡°It is. Are you ring at me?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I got excited for a moment...¡±


    Grid started brown-nosing straight away. It was because he knew instinctively. Garam was far stronger than himself. In particr, Grid wasn¡¯t in aplete state right now. Most of his buff skills, including Belial¡¯s Power, were on cooldown. It was too much to make Garam hostile.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not cringing because I¡¯m scared to die! It¡¯s just better to act as courteous as possible in order to get information about Pagma!¡¯


    -Who are you talking to?


    ¡®...Don¡¯t misunderstand that I¡¯m acting subservient.¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Grid made excuses to Braham. The words were like a sharp dagger in his heart. Grid was reminded of the past where he was unable to beat the strong. He felt disgust at himself.


    ¡®Idiot... I promised myself that I would always be confident in the future. This nature is really the worst. It¡¯is garbage.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s ridicule was heard.


    -It isn¡¯t shameful to be small in front of a strong person.Even a beast feels fear towards an opponent stronger than it. How can a human be better than a beast?You¡¯re not an idiot.


    ¡®...¡¯


    -Don¡¯t yield to the absurdity.If there¡¯s a person who insults you and demands something unreasonable just because they¡¯re strong, be ready to die instead of submitting.It isn¡¯t good to be so weak that you can even drop your pride.Well, I killed all those who were weak and tried to go against me.


    ¡®...¡¯


    Braham gave advice while showing his high self-esteem. Grid smiled and couldn¡¯t help feeling rxed. He was no longer ashamed about shrinking back in front of Garam. Garam continued to speak.


    ¡°But it was surprisingly not useless. Once Pagma learned more about cksmithing, the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom started to lead a more convenient life. Pagma¡¯s tools were much better in quality than any other tools produced.¡±


    Suuk.


    Garam put his hand into his clothing and pulled out a smoking pipe. It was a white smoking pipe. It had a refined and smooth appearance.


    "This pipe was made by Pagma out of white phosphorus wood. Kukuk, every time I smoke this pipe, I miss the Pagma who ran away. I recall the memories of tormenting him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The legendary cksmith made a smoking pipe?


    ¡®How strong are the yangbans that they could treat Pagma like this?¡¯


    Pagma was the strongest person who defeated a great demon after bing Baal¡¯s Contractor. Even considering the fact that great demons who descended to Earth couldn¡¯t use their full power, Pagma¡¯sbat power wasparable to otherbat legends. It felt strange that the man called Garam treated Pagma like this.


    ¡®Is this Pagma the same Pagma that I know?¡¯


    The moment Grid questioned this.


    ¡°Hoo.¡±


    Garam lit the smoking pipe. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, the smoke covering his face. It was an act thatpletely ignored Grid¡¯s personality.


    "Yes, Pagma was a really convenientborer. There are many yangbans who regretted that he fled from the kingdom. It¡¯s very good that the sessor to Pagma¡¯s techniques appeared.¡±


    Garam scanned Grid like he was a delicious fruit. He made a decision.


    "I will take you to the Hwan Kingdom. I don¡¯t think the clean air of the kingdom will decay because an ignorant person is living there. Kukuk.¡±


    ¡®This bastard.¡¯


    Grid reached the limits of his patience. Grid¡¯s cowardice disappeared into his own ¡®nature.¡¯ Being subservient wasn¡¯t part of Grid¡¯s nature.


    ¡®What did he decide?¡¯


    Fear disappeared from Grid¡¯s eyes as he looked at Garam. Both hands clenched with anger.


    "How dare you mock the world¡¯s best techniques? Do you think I will respond obediently, you XX? Do you think I will do nothing?¡±


    The moment Grid was about to yell this.


    -Calm down and talk to him more.


    Braham stopped Grid. Braham wanted to know more about Pagma.


    Pagma might¡¯ve harmed Braham, but he¡¯d been a friend at one time.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Grid understood Braham¡¯s mind. Once he thought about it calmly, he also wanted to know more about Pagma. The more he understood Pagma, the closer he who be to the ss quests and hidden pieces. Grid barely suppressed his agitation and asked Garam.


    "I¡¯m curious about why Pagma ran away from the Hwan Kingdom. What¡¯s hidden behind it? In addition, you look my age at most. How can you share the same timeline as the old and dead Pagma?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Garam who answered.


    "This insane guy... What right do you have to ask this question? This is a great yangban! They can even deflect the years!¡±


    Sam Dasoo. He hady t on the ground after Garam appeared and now he shouted while foaming at the mouth. It seemed he considered the yangbans a noble existence.


    ¡®They can deflect the years?¡¯


    Were they gods? Once Sam Dasoo¡¯s words were heard, Braham whispered to Grid.


    -It isn¡¯t possible.Pagma was as helpless as ordinary humans in front of time.


    ¡®Then this guy called Garam is a braggart?¡¯


    Questions were piling up. Grid was feeling confused when Pagma talked.


    "Why did Pagma run away? He became disillusioned with his owncking strength and couldn¡¯t stand the shame.¡±


    "Lacking...strength?¡±


    The legendary cksmith Pagma?


    "Yes, he was ashamed that he was so helpless. He failed to pass the yangban¡¯s chiyou test and ran away.¡±


    "Chiyou test?¡± (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiyou)


    "Let¡¯s just say it is a test showing your armed force.¡±


    "Armed force...¡±


    How difficult was the test that someone strong like Pagma failed? Garam spoke words that were hard for Grid to believe.


    "Well, Pagma was a famous weakling.¡±


    ¡°Weakling...?¡±


    "Yes, he¡¯s like that. His swordsmanship was just cheap tricks.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hrmm, I was thinking of old memories and dyed the time too much. Now, let¡¯s go to the Hwan Kingdom. I still have a lot to do. Ah, before that...¡±


    Garam¡¯s gaze moved to the Han Seokbong father and daughter. At this moment, Grid, Sam Dasoo and the Han Seokbong father and daughter felt their hearts freeze. It was because Garam¡¯s gaze was coldpared to when he looked at Grid. They could see that Garam had been friendly to Grid.


    "I should kill these people who dared to cheat the yangbans.¡±


    Suup.


    Garam took a deep breath. Then his mouth turned red.


    ¡®No!¡¯


    Grid knew the characteristics of the white phosphorus wood. This was the precursor to the white phosphorus wood exploding. Garam¡¯s mouth was going to explode? Common sense said that Garam would be hurt. But Garam was a yangban. Common sense didn¡¯t apply to yangbans.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Grid acted reflexively. It was to protect the Han Seokbong father and daughter. At the same time.


    Peeng!


    mes shot from Garam¡¯s mouth towards the Han Seokbong father and daughter.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Pepepepeng!


    Grid appeared in front of the Han Seokbong father and daughter and counterattacked.


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡±


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    Sam Dasoo and the Han Seokbong father and daughter turned white as they saw Garam engulfed in mes. A yangban was hurt? It was impossible.


    ¡°Use this gap to escape.¡±


    Grid reached out to the Han Seokbong father and daughter.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Garam whispered from amidst the mes. His low voice was shaking. It was filled with tremendous anger.


    "This ignorant person dares to swing a sword at me...? Do I look easy to you?¡±


    Pahat!


    Garam rushed to Grid. One hand held the tobo pipe while the other one was behind his back. Grid fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link at him. It was fired from the Sword Ghost. However.


    Hwiririk!


    Peok!


    Garam turned his body and avoided all of the Link energy des. Then he hit Grid¡¯s forehead.


    [You have suffered 9,350 damage.]


    ¡®Crazy?¡¯


    A basic hit did so much damage?


    Jiing.


    Grid trembled in pain as the smoking pipe turned red. Han Seokbong panicked and shouted.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    [You have suffered 25,310 damage.]


    [You have suffered serious damage on one eye. You have been blinded.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The explosion was so sudden that Grid couldn¡¯t scream. He frowned as one eye was covered in blood and he stumbled. Garam made a nasty expression.


    "The sword dance is too trivial.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Garam mocked Grid¡¯s ultimate force as insignificant. The furious Grid moved his sword again. Sword Ghost moved through the air as Grid narrowed the distance to Garam.


    "I can¡¯t stand it. Should I cut off your legs to get rid of your spirit?¡±


    Garam¡¯s memory of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was that it was trivial. He didn¡¯t feel threatened by Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and didn¡¯t feel the need to interfere with Grid¡¯s sword dance. This was a mistake.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...?!?!¡±


    It was a sword dance that far transcended Garam¡¯s memory of Pagma. Garam¡¯s eyes widened.

 Chapter 643

    The basic characteristic of a yangban was to have the intellect and power to ovee everyone in the world. The reason was because the yangbans had to reign as undeniable existences. But Pagma¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t impressive to the yangbans. The swordsmanship he created had too many blind spots.


    First, the actions were too big and obvious. He had to do a dance before wielding his sword. It might be gorgeous on the outside, but it was useless in practice. Of course, that was a story when the swordsmanship was just invented. Pagma experienced a lot of frustration, but didn¡¯t give up. He continued to supplement his swordsmanship and eventually reached the point where he could use the sword dance as a means of avoiding and defending himself.


    The disadvantages were turned into advantages. But that was the end. The talent of the yangbans were overwhelmingly higher than Pagma. The yangbans instantly recognized when Pagma linked his actions to avoid or defend and pierced the gap.


    Pagma couldn¡¯tplete his sword dance against the yangbans. It was meaningless even if he finished his sword dance safely. Pagma was more focused on cksmithing than swordsmanship and had lower physical abilities than the other yangbans. The yangbans didn¡¯t suffer much damage even if they were hit.


    There was a clear difference in skill. It was a difference that couldn¡¯t be narrowed. In the end, Pagma was the first yangban to fail the Chiyou test. Everyone ridiculed him.


    ¡®But only one person.¡¯


    One of the five seniors, Hanul, recognized Pagma¡¯s potential. If Pagma grew enough to connect several sword dances in one movement, he would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other yangbans.


    ¡®But Pagma never achieved it.¡¯


    The talented Pagma couldn¡¯t connect more than two sword dances properly and one day disappeared from the Hwan Kingdom. It was almost as if he med himself for hisck of talent and fled with shame. Yet at this moment...


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡¯Four linked sword dances?¡¯


    This ignorant person reached a higher level than Pagma.


    ¡®This ignorant person...! Disgraceful person!¡¯


    It was true that Garam ignored Pagma and disliked him, but Pagma was also a yangban. Garam couldn¡¯t ept that an ignorant person went beyond Pagma.


    Peeng!


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The vicious sword aimed in session at Garam¡¯s weak points. It was an attack that could be avoided with Garam¡¯s vision and agility. But Garam faced it head on without avoiding it. It was a matter of pride.


    "How dare you attack me?¡±


    A truly reprehensible person. This ignorant person that didn¡¯t have talent dared hurt him?


    ¡°One who is born with the quality to defy the natural order! I can¡¯t ept your presence!¡±


    Garam yelled furiously and swung his smoking pipe. He would neutralize Grid¡¯s attack. But.


    Kwajajak!


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s strength exceeded Garam¡¯s prediction. As soon as the white phosphorus pipe met Grid¡¯s sword, Garam¡¯s chest was pierced.


    Puok!


    Puk!Puk puk!


    A total of four stabs hurt Garam. But for the remaining three strikes, Garam gave up his pride and avoided them.


    ¡®He avoided it?¡¯


    Garam was able to avoid such aggressive attacks. It caused Grid to get goosebumps. However, Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. He maintained his concentration to the end in order toplete Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    [Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle]


    Four types of sword techniques are connected.


    1,500% of your attack power will be dealt to the target due to Linked Kill.


    If the target is hit at least four times, the damage of Linked Kill will increased by 200% and Wave will be summoned.


    Wave will affect any enemy within a range of 5 meters. It will deal 500% of your attack power and all targets hit will have all speeds decreased by 30%. In addition, there will be definite damage from the Pinnacle that follows.


    Pinnacle ignores 80% of the target¡¯s defense and deals 1,800% of your attack power as physical damage.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, Wave, and Pinnacle.


    Skill Mana Consumption: Half of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 hours.


    Kwarururung!


    Garam wasn¡¯t alert and allowed himself to be hit four times. The remnants of the energy des that hit Garam rose to the sky like a dragon ascending. It was the culmination of Wave that followed Linked Kill. Linked Kill was avoidable, but Garam couldn¡¯t avoid Wave. The wide area Wave was aimed at only one person, making it unavoidable.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Garam¡¯s face was distressed and filled with pain.


    ¡°Hey, the yangban...!¡±


    "Wounded...!¡±


    Sam Dasoo, Han Seokbong, and Sua paled. They never imagined that a yangban would be bleeding. They started to ept Grid as a special person.


    ¡®A king from the West Continent...!¡¯


    ¡¯Overgeared...King!¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expression stiffed as his strikes poured on Garam.


    [You have dealt 5,200 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 5,950 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    [Critical!]


    [The target has resisted the critical.]


    [Critical damage isn¡¯t applied.]


    [All speeds of the target are reduced.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    ¡®This monster!¡¯


    The power of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was enough for the gods to feel wary. The basic attack power of Wave was very weak, but the power of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle increased exponentially and caused at least 30,000 damage to Great Demon Belial.


    Yet Garam only received one sixth of the damage. The weapon that Grid used during the Belial raid was Failure + Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Meanwhile he was only using Sword Ghost now. However, Garam¡¯s physical resistance seemed to be higher than Belial¡¯s. He could even nullify criticals.


    ¡®Yangbans are legends...! They are legendary ss!!¡¯


    Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to win. But this didn¡¯t mean Grid¡¯s death was determined. Pinnacle was soon linked. It was the moment that Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡¯s real strength was exercised.


    Kurururung!


    A thunderous sound was heard in Garam¡¯s ears.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    Garam was rmed. He looked up at the sky and saw a huge energy de descending.


    ¡®I must stop it!¡¯


    Pinnacle was a sword dance that was certain to hit the target. Garam knew he couldn¡¯t escape and nned to crush it. He extracted what looked like a silver flexible sword. It was a very thin, highly stic sword that bent gently.


    Hwiririk!


    Garam swung the soft sword dozens of times and they all chased after Pinnacle. Garam thought he could defeat Grid¡¯s Pinnacle. But Satisfy¡¯s system applied equally to both yers and NPCs. Pinnacle would ¡®definitely hit¡¯ and Garam couldn¡¯t prevent it.


    Sakak-!


    Garam¡¯s clothes were torn. It was in vain.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Garam stumbled while coughing up blood.


    Chukakakakak!


    Blood gushed from Garam¡¯s smooth chest that was exposed through the torn clothing.


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    As soon as Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was over, Grid reached out to the Han Seokbong father and daughter. Grid¡¯s eyes were urgent.


    ¡°Use this gap to escape! If we miss this chance, both of you will die!¡±


    ¡°U-Um...¡±


    Han Seokbong hesitated. He was determined to sacrifice his life so that the Cho Kingdom wouldn¡¯t receive the yangbans¡¯ anger. But it was now useless. One of the yangbans was injured. Would his anger disappear just because Han Seokbong sacrificed his life? It meant nothing if he died.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty!¡¯


    In the end, Han Seokbong apologized to the Cho King and grabbed Grid¡¯s hand. It was the same with Sua. Sam Dasoo cried out with hatred at those escaping.


    ¡°You guys...! You have doomed the Cho Kingdom to hell!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Han Seokbong hated the corrupt noble Sam Dasoo who was slowly driving the kingdom to ruin. He denied everything. But at this moment, he couldn¡¯t deny it. It was evident that the Cho Kingdom would slip into a crisis. Han Seokbong closed his eyes and heard Grid¡¯s whisper.


    "Join forces with my kingdom. Let¡¯s gain strength and protect the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    "That... It¡¯s the only way to atone for my kingdom.¡±


    Han Seokbong grasped Grid¡¯s intentions and nodded. They started running. They had to get as far as possible while Garam couldn¡¯t move after suffering great damage. But Garam was a yangban. A transcendent yangban.


    ¡°You ignorant person...! You are really that fool Pagma¡¯s descendant! Youuuuu!¡±


    Garam might be a transcendent named NPC, but he was still a humanoid. Compared to Belial, Garam¡¯s health was very low. Grid¡¯s Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle caused him to lose one-seventh of his health. It was clear how powerful Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle when thinking about the fact that Garam¡¯s level overwhelmed Grid¡¯s.


    Peeng!


    Garam quickly narrowed the distance with Grid.


    Shunpo.


    It was the peak footwork that all yangbans learned.


    "I will cut your body into hundreds of pieces and feed them to the dogs!¡±


    Garam made a menacing deration and his sword aimed for Grid¡¯s back. He never imagined it. Grid could use such a powerful technique consecutively!


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    "W-What?¡±


    As Garam pursued him, Grid used Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle again. When he used Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, he was fortunate enough for God¡¯s Command to trigger.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Garam was hit by Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle without any preparation and screamed. Then Grid swapped to the Ideal Dagger in the gap, used Quick Movements and escaped with the Han Seokbong father and daughter.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sam Dasoo was left alone with Garam and trembled, not knowing where to look.

 Chapter 644

    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he chasing?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart had thumped the moment Garam was hit with the second Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Garam allowed only three hits from Linked Kill and avoided it from the fourth strike, so he wasn¡¯t affected by Wave and Pinnacle.


    ¡®His body was hit directly, but he avoided the following attacks...¡¯


    Truly a monster. He didn¡¯t seem made for a one on one fight. The wound wasn¡¯t fatal, so Grid expected Garam toe after him right away. He was prepared to pour all his power to stop Garam and buy time for Han Seokbong and Sua to escape. Yet Garam didn¡¯t chase him for some reason. He avoided the fourth to seventh blows and just sat down in a copsed position.


    ¡®Did the story system force him to stop chasing me?¡¯


    It was a reasonable hypothesis. The yangbans were too strong. The yers at this point in time wouldn¡¯t be able to face the yangbans.


    ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s good.¡¯


    They were able to escape unharmed. He couldn¡¯t miss this chance when Garam was still.


    ¡°Run quickly and don¡¯t look back!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    "Understood!"


    Grid and the Han Seokbong father and daughter sped up their escape speed.


    ***


    Duk.


    Duduk!


    Red blood soaked the soil. It was the blood of the yangbans that was more precious than rain during a drought.


    ¡°...¡±


    Garam copsed from Grid¡¯s unexpected blow. He remained calm for a moment and Sam Dasoo wondered what happened.


    ¡°Sir G-Garam...?¡±


    Sam Dasoo called out carefully to Garam. But there was no reaction from Garam. He just silently shed blood.


    ¡®Is the wound so bad that his body hasn¡¯t recovered?¡¯


    The yangbans?


    ¡®An ordinary human dealt a critical blow to a yangban... Overgeared King... Are all kings on the West Continent so strong?¡¯


    He was afraid of the people who woulde from the West Continent sooner orter. Sam Dasoo gulped and cautiously took a step. It was to support Garam. The moment he approached Garam...


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Garam¡¯s shoulder shook.


    "H-Hik!"


    Surely he wasn¡¯t mad at Sam Dasoo? The frightened Sam Dasoo closed his eyes.


    ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡±


    Garam burst outughing. The wound on his chest was already healed. The yangbans had the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath, giving them an abnormal recovery.


    "It was so outrageous that my head went nk? Kukuk, I missed the rodent.¡±


    Garam muttered while touching his torn clothing. He put the soft sword back in the sheath at his waist and neatened his clothing. The torn pieces of clothing started to gradually be restored. Garam¡¯s robe was made with the scales of a blue dragon and this was the restoration ability of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath.


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    After confirming that his clothing was clean, Garam turned his gaze to Sam Dasoo. His eyes were filled with killing intent. Sam Dasoo¡¯s heart fell and his pants became wet at the sight.


    "Stay silent about what you saw today.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Huh?¡±


    Garam¡¯s words were unexpected. To be honest, Sam Dasoo thought that Garam wouldmand all the troops in the Cho Kingdom to pursue Grid. But he was supposed to stay silent? Sam Dasoo was stunned while Garam clicked his tongue.


    "I was hurt by someone who wasn¡¯t a yangban. It¡¯s better to keep this a secret since it¡¯s too shameful for this to be known. Isn¡¯t this good for the Cho Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Hat...! Yes! That¡¯s right! I admire your deep thoughts!¡±


    The Cho Kingdom overcame its crisis thanks to Garam¡¯s pride! Sam Dasoo was thrilled and bowed in thanks. Garam¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®Che.¡¯


    In fact, Garam wanted to kill Sam Dasoo right now. His pride meant he didn¡¯t want anyone who saw his shameful appearance to stay alive. But if he killed Sam Dasoo, the other yangbans might suspect the situation. He judged that it was better to handle this as quietly as possible.


    ¡®I will beughed at if it¡¯s known that I was hit by Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    To be honest, the word ¡®hit¡¯ wasn¡¯t appropriate. Garam would¡¯ve easily won if he fought against Grid to the end. Garam hadn¡¯t even used any skills. No, Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to touch him if he opened one of the sacred creature¡¯s breaths. But Garam was careless and Grid escaped in this gap.


    ¡®I will kill him from the beginning the next time we meet.¡¯


    Garam¡¯s rage soared through the sky at the current situation. But it was strangely enjoyable. It felt like Grid revitalized his life that had felt boring after he passed the Chiyou test.


    ¡®It has been 300 years... Hrmm, I should start training again.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    The execution square of Kars. Originally, it was the ce where Han Seokbong¡¯s execution should be held. The execution time passed and Han Seokbong hadn¡¯t appeared. Then the yangban Garam showed up. Garam nodded at the Cho King¡¯s doubtful words.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I have let the Han Seokbong father and daughter go. I thought it was too harsh to execute them just because they don¡¯t know where the maker of the Red Phoenix Bow is.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...! Sir Garam is too kind!"


    "The yangbans deserve to be respected!¡±


    Han Seokbong was a noble who was loved and respected by the people of the Cho Kingdom. Many people were dissatisfied with Han Seokbong¡¯s execution. Once Garam said that he spared Han Seokbong, the people were d and revered him. The Cho King spoke to Garam on behalf of the people.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much! I will be loyal without forgetting the mercy you have shown!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Sir Garam!¡±


    "Hooray the Hwan Kingdom!¡±


    "Hooray then yangban!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    No one questioned it when their king bowed to the yangban. It was natural. Everyone was busy praising Garam and the Hwan Kingdom. Garam¡¯s expression was unaffected when he looked at them, unlike when he faced Grid. It was a face filled with no fun or interest.


    ¡°...Stupid fools.¡±


    Garam muttered as he left.


    ¡°Prepare a carriage! I¡¯m going to Pangea!¡±


    The Cho King gave amand as soon as Garam disappeared. He wanted to be reunited with his dearest friend as soon as possible. He wanted to apologize for not being able to help Han Seokbong when he was struggling and to congratte him for living.


    But the Cho King wasn¡¯t able to achieve this dream. The reunion between the Cho King and Han Seokbong was only possible in the distant future.


    ***


    ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no pursuit.¡±


    Sua had all types of training as Han Seokbong¡¯s heir. She was born talented, so despite having the body of a female, she became the best warrior of Pangea. She was also proficient in all fields of studies and calligraphy.


    Name: Han Sua.


    Age: 25 Gender: Female


    Level: 277


    Strength: 930 Stamina: 722


    Agility: 1,511 Intelligence: 885


    * Daughter of Pangea¡¯s lord.


    * There is a 10% increase in stats in Pangea.


    * Captain of the Red Phoenix Group.


    There is a 10% increase in the stats of the Red Phoenix members when under her leadership.


    * The strongest warrior in Pangea.


    There is an increased bonusbat skill proficiency.


    * The first beauty of the Cho Kingdom.


    There is a high probability of bewitching the enemy.


    The daughter of Han Seokbong. She has innate talent, beauty, and status, and has gained the respect of all residents in Pangea. Unlike her father, she is skilled in calligraphy like her grandfather. She looks perfect on the outside, but there¡¯s a desire that can¡¯t be controlled deep in her heart. If she can¡¯t meet a good match, she is likely to be corrupted.


    Skills: Drawing (A), Singing (A), Finding the Enemy (A), Intermediate Weapons Mastery (Lv. 9), Han Family¡¯s Swordsmanship (A), Fighting Spirit (S+), Calligraphy in the Dark (SS-), Peerless Beauty (SS), An Irresistible Desire (SS+).


    Grid observed Sua with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword. As Grid expected, Sua was a named NPC who boasted outstanding stats. But surprisingly, she didn¡¯t have manybat skills. This made Grid shake.


    ¡®The best warrior of Pangea only has grade A swordsmanship...¡¯


    Sua was talented. He didn¡¯t know how far she would be able to grow if she was taught by Sticks, Piaro, and Asmophel.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    There was an extremely worrisome part. An Irresistible Desire? If she couldn¡¯t meet a good match, she was likely to be corrupted?


    ¡®She truly is perverted...¡¯


    Sua might became a demon if she wasn¡¯t paired up with a man who could bear her desires.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break here?¡±


    The outskirts of Kars. Grid¡¯s group was still in the territory of the Cho King, despite running for half a day. In fact, there was no time to rest. But Sua¡¯s Finding the Enemy skill was excellent and she didn¡¯t see any pursuers. It seemed like they could take a break for a while.


    Han Seokbong was worn out. Now was the right timing to get a good rest. Grid thought the same as Sua.


    ¡°Then we will rest. I¡¯ll go bring myrades who are hiding in Kars.¡±


    Han Seokbong was startled.


    "You¡¯ll go back to Kars again? Haven¡¯t you been running for half a day without a break after fighting with Garam? You can still move?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little strong.¡±


    Grid was an all-rounder. Why could he perform the role of a tanker? It was possible because of his items as well as his high stamina stat. Grid¡¯s stamina was overwhelming. Sua looked at Grid with moist eyes.


    ¡°Strong...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was vaguely creepy. The confused Grid hurriedly stepped away the moment he met Sua¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±


    ¡°Take care... Hah...¡±


    Sua flushed at Grid¡¯s back that was quickly retreating. The reason for her red cheeks and sigh was omitted.

 Chapter 645

    Invisibility cloak. As the name suggested, it made the wearer invisible. It was made by the legendary tailor Kruger and it was said there were only five left in the present day. It was a very rare item, so no user saw it in person. For most people, an invisibility cloak was an item that existed in dreams.


    Yes, people could never imagine. Somebody had already produced an invisibility cloak.


    Dururuk!


    ¡°It isn¡¯t useful unless the hood is up.¡±


    The Hooded Zip Up made by Grid after consuming Item Creation had the basic effect of the invisibility cloak. It was a special item that made the wearer invisible and unable to be identified.


    ¡®Of course, the original invisibility cloak is likely to be much better.¡¯


    Grid assumed that the original invisibility cloak would erase every trace of the wearer. For those who were over a certain level, he couldn¡¯t be confident that the Hooded Zip Up would be usefulpared to the invisibility cloak. But it was enough.


    The significance of the invisibility cloak was to make things invisible. The Hooded Zip Up was useful enough for now. It allowed him to walk through Kars safely.


    ¡°H-Heok? G-Grid?¡±


    ¡°When did youe back?¡±


    At an inn located in the middle of nowhere. Once Grid came back, he found Yang Fei cleaning her bed and Idan studying cooking recipes. They were shocked because the window suddenly opened and Grid appeared. He came out of nowhere! It was like he was a ghost.


    ¡®A sudden appearance and disappearance like Hong Gildong...¡¯


    Was Grid the legendary Hong Gildong? Grid prompted the stunned Yang Fei and Idan.


    "Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Ah...? Yes!"


    Idan was confused, but Yang Fei was a quick-witted person. She had grown quickly at a young age due to supporting her parents and 15 siblings. Once she saw Grid¡¯s attitude, she realized that the situation was urgent and started to pack her things. The confused Idan moved slowly, but packed his frying pan once he saw the look Yang Fei sent him. Idan had been weak to Yang Fei from the days he operated the restaurant.


    Grid identified that the two peoplepleted their task and summoned Noe and the God Hands.


    "Did you have a good rest? Take them and follow me.¡±


    "I understand nyang!¡±


    Noe¡¯s ¡®?¡¯ shaped mouth bit Yang Fei¡¯s cor while the God Hands grabbed Idan. Then they jumped out the window behind Grid and flew into the sky.


    ¡°Hiik! W-What are these hands?¡±


    Idan felt fear at the sight in front of him. He was confused and frightened at being caught by the golden hands moving by themselves. He looked down at the ground, upon which were small dots, and almost fainted. On the other hand, Yang Fei¡¯s eyes were wide and shining likenterns.


    ¡®I¡¯m flying!¡¯


    Yang Fei watched the morning sun rising in the east. It seemed she would see many fun and interesting things in the future while serving Grid.


    [Affinity with Idan has decreased by 10.]


    [Affinity with Yang Fei has increased by 10. It is already at the maximum.]


    ***


    ¡°What¡¯s the atmosphere of Kars? Are we all wanted?¡±


    "Is the Cho King safe? Did the yangbans punish the Cho Kingdom?¡±


    Sua carefully asked Grid, who had brought Idan and Yang Fei. Grid shook his head.


    ¡°I flew in the sky, so I couldn¡¯t figure out the overall atmosphere of the capital.¡±


    "The sky...¡±


    "You flew?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this the domain of shamans? Grid was a swordsman, a cksmith who made the Red Phoenix Bow, and could even fly in the sky?


    ¡°What are you...?¡±


    A person who made them feel surprised and admiration many times. The more Han Seokbong knew about Grid, the more awe he felt.


    ¡®He is a really mysterious person.¡¯


    Numerous men had ogled Sua. But none of them could make Sua¡¯s heart race. Sua, who was born in that direction (?), could only live a quiet and modest life because she hadn¡¯t met a person who could ignite her desires. Now there was a man called Grid. Sua wanted to give her mind and body to Grid. The problem was that Grid avoided her.


    ¡°That...¡±


    After being carried away for a moment, Han Seokbong regained his spirit and spoke carefully.


    "What are we going to do next?¡±


    The influence of the yangbans was spread through the East Continent. There was no ce for Grid and hispanions to go after hurting Garam. They had seeded in escaping Kars, but the future was dark. Grid pulled out the scroll to the West Continent and showed it to Han Seokbong, who was frustrated by the reality.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you toe to my kingdom and build up our strength together?¡±


    ¡°That is...?¡±


    The scroll that Grid pulled out was seemingly ordinary paper. It was also very old paper. Unlike the confused Han Seokbong, Sua noticed immediately.


    "Is that talisman the way to go to the East Continent?¡±


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s a scroll that contains movement magic between continents.¡±


    ¡°All of us can move to the West Continent if we use it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    An ordinary scroll to the West Continent was for one person. However, the reason Grid returned to the East Continent was to regain troops. Sticks clearly wouldn¡¯t give him a scroll for a single person when he knew this. Sticks was a clever person and gave Grid a massive scroll that allowed him to move with several people.


    "Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    Grid said and was about to tear the scroll with both hands, only for Han Seokbong to stop him. Then he bowed his head and asked.


    "I know that this is presumptuous. But I can¡¯t leave my mother alone in Pangea. Before we leave, can I stop by Pangea and take my mother with us?¡±


    In fact, Han Seokbong knew that this was a shameless request. It was suicide to dy time in a situation where the yangbans were pursuing them. But he couldn¡¯t escape alone without his mother. If left alone, his mother would face the stigma of being a traitor and suffer terribly. Han Seokbong couldn¡¯t leave his mother.


    Grid¡¯s heart was heavy. Grid also had a mother.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid¡¯s nod that contained no hesitation was different from what Han Seokbong expected. Han Seokbong thought Grid would reject or hesitate for a long time.


    ¡°Grid, you really... You¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    He was a person with a vessel that was hard to gauge the size of. He wasn¡¯t just the king of a nation. Han Seokbong¡¯s respect for Grid rose. Grid smiled.


    "In fact, I was also thinking it would be better to stop by Pangea. I want to take the members of the Red Phoenix Group to my kingdom.¡±


    The Red Phoenix Group hadn¡¯t done a lot against the armored needles. But that didn¡¯t mean their skills could be ignored. They wereparable to the ck Knights of the Saharan Empire and their level would be ranked at the top of the West Continent.


    ¡®In particr, their stats will rise by 10% when Sua directs them. If I give the training of Sua and the Red Phoenix Group over to Asmophel, the Red Phoenix Group will be able to grow beyond imagination.¡¯


    Sua nodded.


    ¡°Certainly... I believe the Red Phoenix Group will follow us once they know the circumstances.¡±


    "Gulp."


    Sua¡¯s lips were fascinating. Grid gulped every time she opened her lips to talk. He wasn¡¯t even aware of it.


    "Hum hum, okay. Then let¡¯s go to Pangea.¡±


    Grid¡¯s party immediately moved to Pangea. However, their movement speed wasn¡¯t very fast. Idan and Yang Fei¡¯s physical strength were lowpared to the Han Seokbong father and daughter. They got tired along the way and the travelling speed of the party slowed down.


    But nobody med Idan and Yang Fei. Why were the Han Seokbong father and daughter loved and respected by the people? It was because they were very generous. Han Seokbong and Sua encouraged Idan and Yang Fei, allowing them to concentrate on the march.


    In the process, Idan and Yang Fei¡¯s stamina stat increased slightly. Grid smiled warmly as he looked at them. He thought it was really good that he came to the East Continent.


    ***


    "The execution date of Lord Han Seokbong was four days ago?¡±


    ¡°The great lord experienced something so terrible...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it...! This is a nightmare! Sob sob.¡±


    "...The lord must¡¯ve gone to a good ce.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sua? What happened to Lady Sua?¡±


    Pangea was one of thergest ces in the Cho Kingdom. It was a port city always full of vitality. But that was only until recently. One month ago, Lord Han Seokbong was taken to the capital. Since then, a dark cloud hung over Pangea. Once the news of Han Seokbong¡¯s execution was heard, the depressed atmosphere waspletely established. The people mourned Han Seokbong and felt resentful.


    ¡°However... What about Mother Park?¡±


    Mother Park was how the people called Han Seokbong¡¯s mother, Park Jurim. Mother! It was a title that showed how high the virtue of Han Seokbong¡¯s mother was.


    "The lord was executed and Mother Park won¡¯t be safe...¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable... My parents once used to serve Mother Park.¡±


    ¡°Mother Park tried hard for us when there was a famine after the evil daoist¡¯s invasion. If it wasn¡¯t for Mother Park, all of us would¡¯ve starved.¡±


    "We have to protect Mother Park! We should repay her grace!¡±


    ¡°Yes! We will defend Mother Park!¡±


    The hearts of the Pangea people united over Mother Park. They all went to the castle, insisting on protecting Mother Park.


    ¡°Mother Park! Avoid it!¡±


    "It isn¡¯t the time to be staying in the castle! The capital will send soldiers to capture Mother Park!¡±


    "We will raise our farming equipment so that Mother Park can run away! We¡¯ll shield you from the royal army!¡±


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    The outside of the castle was crowded with people. They held farming equipment while telling Mother Park to run away. Once she heard the noise, Park Jurim rushed outside.


    "You dare to rebel against the royal family!?¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The voice was so loud it was hard to believe Park Jurim was over 80 years old. Her yell echoed throughout the whole castle. The people were startled by the unexpected reaction and fell silent. Then Park Jurim¡¯s wrinkled face smiled sadly.


    "My son was a great noble, lord, and child. But in the end, he was executed as a sinner. Protecting the mother of a sinner? All of you will be sinners? My husband! My son! The people I cherish will be sinners against the royal family? It isn¡¯t right!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°M-Mother...¡±


    The hearts filled with rebellion against the royal family quickly calmed down. Mother Park should be the saddest and most fearful person in the world right now. Yet she was worrying about them instead. Conflicted emotions filled their hearts. They thought that they shouldn¡¯t do anything foolish for her sake.


    In the end.


    Flop!


    ¡°Sob...! Sob sob!¡±


    "Mother... Mother Park...!¡±


    The people dropped their farming equipment and sat on the ground. They pounded against the innocentnd andmented. Then someone said something they shouldn¡¯t have said.


    ¡°This is all due to that cksmith...! The cksmith who made the Red Phoenix Bow! He...! Lord Han Seokbong wouldn¡¯t have been executed if he hadn¡¯t made the Red Phoenix Bow!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In fact, everyone knew. Han Seokbong was dragged to the capital and executed because he didn¡¯t tell the yangbans where the maker of the Red Phoenix Bow was. However, the cksmith who made the Red Phoenix Bow shouldn¡¯t be med. If he hadn¡¯t restored the lost Red Phoenix Bow, the yangbans would¡¯ve been angry at all of Pangea. Pangea as a whole would¡¯ve been eliminated.


    "I know. All of us know.¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be med for restoring the Red Phoenix Bow... I know that we should be thankful!¡±


    But what could they do? The situation was so sad and desperate that it would seem unfair if they didn¡¯t grumble.


    Kwarururung!


    Did the tears of thousands of people move the heart of Heaven? A thunderstorm suddenly appeared in the clear sky.


    Swaaaaah.


    Rain poured down on the people and cooled their hearts. The ground and the subjects were wet. Park Jurim was worried when she saw the people became wet.


    "Geez, they will all get a cold.¡±


    She thought of the people like her children. It was a motto that had been passed down through the Han family for ages. It was natural that Park Jurim would worry about the people since she married into the Han family.


    "What are you doing? Send them all home!¡±


    Park Jurim shouted towards the Red Phoenix Group. It was at that moment. A familiar voice was heard from the tile roof of the pce.


    ¡°No. Leave them. Arge audience is better.¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    Park Yurim and the Red Phoenix members were shocked. Then their eyes widened. There was a ck-haired young man with sharp eyes and an unusual physique.


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    The maker of the Red Phoenix Bow!

 Chapter 646

    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    The person who restored the Red Phoenix Bow, killed Arube, and wiped out the armored needles. On the other hand, he was the one who drove Han Seokbong to death. The appearance of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue, Grid, confused everyone.


    ¡°W-Why are you here?¡±


    The whereabouts of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue were unknown to everyone. The reason for Han Seokbong¡¯s execution was because he didn¡¯t know where Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue was. Now he showed up in Pangea?


    Someone shouted courageously. ¡°Why...? Why did youe back? I would rather you not appear than show up at the end!¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t have left the Cho Kingdom. If he was going toe back anyway, it would¡¯ve been nice for him toe before Han Seokbong was executed.


    ¡°Why...? Why now?¡±


    The people knew rationally that Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue wasn¡¯t at fault and that they shouldn¡¯t me him. But there was a nasty feeling since he came back just after Han Seokbong¡¯s execution. The moment people booed and started to me Grid.


    "Everybody shut up!¡±


    cksmiths came forward. They were cksmiths from the ck Anvil Smithy, Red Tongs Smithy, the Blue mes Smithy, and naturally the White Hammer Smithy.


    "Why are you ming Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue?¡±


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue is willing to cooperate with the yangbans! He didn¡¯t know he was called, but he isn¡¯t afraid of the yangbans!¡±


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue is a human like us! Why are you only cing the me on Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue?¡±


    cksmith White, who oncecked confidence and was passive, started shouting in the loudest voice. It was the roar of a man who had changed thanks to Grid.


    ¡°...¡±


    White and the cksmiths¡¯ words were correct. The people scolded by them turned as quiet as a dead rat. They couldn¡¯tin at Grid anymore. The sense of reason started to rule over their emotions.


    "Hrmm."


    Standing on wet tiles, Grid looked like an elegant leopard lying in a tree as he looked at the ground. He looked at White and the cksmiths with pleasure.


    ¡®Putting aside White, I didn¡¯t expect the cksmiths of the other smithies to defend me. cksmiths have their own sense of pride. I have to take them with me.¡¯


    The level of the East Continent cksmiths were very high. In particr, the masters of the four smithies had the potential to reach the craftsman level. It would be much easier to produce the Grid set if he could take them to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Then the voice of Park Jurim entered Grid¡¯s ears.


    "You should leave. You will experience their pain and resentment if you stay here.¡±


    An elderly person in the castle. Grid heard she was 10 years older than Khan, but her waist was straight and her eyes sharp. Grid admired Park Jurim¡¯s healthy appearance and asked her.


    "Are you ming me too?¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡± Park Jurim immediately denied it, despite her son being executed. She lost her son, but was still capable of normal thinking. She had tremendous mental strength. "I¡¯m just grateful to you. It will continue in the future.¡±


    ¡°...Good.¡±


    Grid grasped Park Jurim¡¯s character and smiled widely. He was happy about being able to take many good people from the East Continent. The people who witnessed his smile recoiled.


    ¡®Smiling?¡¯


    ¡®What is so funny that he is smiling?¡¯


    Everyone was mourning, while Grid was smiling alone? The people couldn¡¯t understand Grid and became suspicious. The barely suppressed anger and resentment of the people started to spring up again. But it was only for a moment. It was soon suppressed.


    Ttaak!


    Grid snapped his fingers.


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    "Lord Han Seokbong?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sua?¡±


    Everyone doubted their eyes. It was because four golden hands appeared behind Grid holding Han Seokbong and Sua. The people who were dead showed up alive? What was going on? Grid shouted at everyone who was feeling confused. The heavy rain that buried the misery of the people couldn¡¯t stop Grid¡¯s voice. It was an additional quality of the high dignity stat. Everyone in this ce was gripped by Grid¡¯s voice.


    "I, Overgeared King Grid of the West Continent, will make a deration.¡±


    ¡®West Continent?¡¯


    ¡®Overgeared King?¡¯


    ¡®Grid?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s origin and identity. The people learned new facts about Grid and thought it was ridiculous.


    "I will kidnap Lord Han Seokbong and his family to my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    "Tell your king! The Cho Kingdom will forever regret losing such a loyal family to Overgeared King Grid!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The atmosphere subsided. Grid had a vicious expression on his face, but nobody believed his words. If Han Seokbong and his daughter were really ¡®kidnapped,¡¯ they wouldn¡¯t be acting so calm. In the first ce, Han Seokbong was on death row. But he was alive. The people weren¡¯t idiots and could guess what happened.


    Tears flowed down from the eyes of the people wet from rain. The reason why the Han Seokbong father and daughter were alive and why Grid had ¡®kidnapped¡¯ them. Everyone was aware of it.


    ¡®Grid rescued Lord Han Seokbong and Lady Sua.¡¯


    ¡¯He¡¯s taking away Lord Han Seokbong, who lost his ce.¡¯


    ¡®Saying that they were kidnapped...¡¯


    ¡®If Han Seokbong flees the country of his own will, the Cho Kingdom will recognize him as a real rebel. In order to prevent this, Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue needs to be the reason behind it.¡¯


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough that he saved Lord Han Seokbong¡¯s life, his honor was also protected... Is there anyone else in the world like this?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The people correctly grasped Grid¡¯s intentions. Grid was supposed to return to Pangea someday and devour the East Continent. The Han Seokbong family was necessary for this, so the people couldn¡¯t resent them. He thought about it during the few times travelling back to Pangea.


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    "Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving the youngdy!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Grid!¡±


    The hundreds of thousands of people cheered on Grid. It was just like the procession of yangbans. At that moment, notification windows popped up in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [The inhabitants of Pangea have started to deify you!]


    [As a special reward, your deity stat has increased by 1.]


    ¡°...¡±


    A dog profit! Grid barely suppressed the cry that wanted to emerge. It was to try and protect his dignity.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid coughed while Park Jurim moved to Han Seokbong¡¯s side. Then he took out the scroll to return to the West Continent.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s start the kidnapping. Gather all those who want to leave for my kingdom!¡±


    Grid winked at the Red Phoenix Group and the cksmiths. He hoped for as many Red Phoenix Group members and cksmiths to join as possible. However.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    "Eh?¡±


    ¡°Here! I want toe!¡±


    ¡°My family will follow you!¡±


    "Ehh?¡±


    "I will go to hell if I can serve Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue and Lord Han Seokbong!¡±


    ¡°Ehhhhh?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only the Red Phoenix members and cksmiths who gathered around Grid. Most of the hundreds of thousands of Pangea people cheering for Grid gathered together. Grid was no longer able to think.


    ¡°D-Dog profit...¡±


    ***


    The capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    ¡°Hurry! I¡¯m busy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rest! There¡¯s no time!¡±


    People were running around everywhere. Agriculture, industry, education, magic, the military, etc. All areas of Reinhardt were suffering from a shortage in manpower. No, it wasn¡¯t just Reinhardt. It was all the territories in the Overgeared Kingdom. If it wasn¡¯t for the funds and manpower supplied by Duke Steim, the Overgeared Kingdom would¡¯ve be paralyzed.


    ¡°People. More people are required.¡±


    The influx of yers was steadily increasing thanks to the linked quests that awarded the mass produced Grid set. Thanks to them, the market economy was revitalized. But what was this? They didn¡¯t have anything to sell!


    ¡®However, real estate transactions are brisk due to a surplus ofnd.¡¯


    More workers were needed in many areas. But it wasn¡¯t easy for NPCs to carry out the role of workers. Lauel once again thought that Grid was great. It was hard to obtain professional NPCs, yet Grid was able to gather a lot of named NPCs. Common sense said that it wasn¡¯t easy for yers to build up favor with NPCs and make them a yer¡¯s own person.


    ¡®In the first ce, there are only a few users with NPCs by their side.¡¯


    Lauel was the same. During the time when he was ying solo, Lauel only cared about his growth. He didn¡¯t consider his rtionship with NPCs at all. He only umted a moderate favorability with NPCs by raising his level, clearing quests, and enhancing items.


    ¡®Normally, I focused on exchanging with yers until I needed to talk to NPCs.¡¯


    Butmon sense always went away when it came to Grid. Lauel rose from his seat. It was time to visit the smithy.


    ¡®I need to give more strength to the cksmiths.¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom was a cksmith kingdom and was putting great effort in their cksmithing business. A lot of money was invested. The problem was that just like other areas, the smithies werecking manpower. They weren¡¯t able to meet the yers¡¯ demands.


    ¡®I have to tell Khan to reduce the rest time a bit more.¡¯


    They hadn¡¯t been able to resttely, and now it would be reduced again? Lauel knew there would be a bacsh from the cksmiths. But it couldn¡¯t be helped since they werecking people.


    ¡°Sigh. Huh?¡±


    Lauel left the castle with a deep sigh and stopped on the way. Suddenly, a huge pir of light appeared in the pce¡¯s garden.


    "U-Uh?¡±


    Lauel closed and opened his eyes several times. He also rubbed it. He pinched his cheeks. He couldn¡¯t tell if the sight that unfolded in front of him was a dream or not. Grid waved to Lauel who was making a stupid expression.


    ¡°You came.¡±


    ¡°Haha... Is this true?¡±


    Lauel realized it was reality andughed. Grid arrived in a pir of light. It was because the areas near him were filled with NPCs.


    ¡®Was Grid a trafficker in his past life?¡¯

 Chapter 647

    TL: Don¡¯t remember if I mentioned this earlier but I¡¯m changing Eating Jokbal in Bed to Eat Spicy Jokbal


    ¡°30,000... Exactly 30,000 people...¡±


    It was a premise that took a considerable amount of time, but a vige with only 1,000 NPCs would be a city if there was a steady inflow of yers. A minimum of 100,000 people was required to build a kingdom. However, Grid had gone to the East Continent and brought back 30,000 NPCs in 10 days.


    It was an enormous number that was unrealistic. Lauel couldn¡¯t help feeling shocked.


    ¡°Do you know? A typical yer has difficulty umting 100% affinity with one NPC.¡±


    Even if affinity with an NPC was maximized, there were few yers who could make NPCs follow them. They almost didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°But Your Majesty captivated the hearts of 30,000 people in less than 10 days?¡±


    Lauel knew that Grid had the title effect of being ¡®easily acknowledged¡¯ after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. However, the reason behind Grid quickly building up affinity with NPCs wasn¡¯t just due to the title effect. Grid¡¯s ability to charm NPCs was phenomenal. Lauel expressed his surprise and admiration and Grid told him the truth.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, there were 250,000 people from Pangea who wanted to follow me. All the inhabitants of Pangea wanted to be people of Overgeared. Unfortunate, the return scroll to the West Continent only allowed 30,000 people. So I only brought 30,000.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If the other person wasn¡¯t Grid, Lauel would¡¯ve been 100% convinced it was a lie. He would tell them not to exaggerate. But Lauel absolutely trusted Grid. He believed all of Grid¡¯s words.


    "...Indeed, a man with a sincere heart. Grid¡¯s charm is like a swamp. Nobody can deny it. Just like how I can¡¯t escape from Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...R-Really?¡±


    Grid got goosebumps and opened the quest window for his own sake. Grid had a special quest in his list.


    [King¡¯s Quest]


    It was arge-scale quest that was generated after Grid established the Overgeared Kingdom. It was a quest that existed only for yers who became king. It didn¡¯t exist for ordinary yers.


    ¡¯The cksmiths will be given to Khan, Han Seokbong to Lauel, and the Red Phoenix Group to Asmopehl.¡¯


    He had yet to figure out the talents of the remaining Pangea residents. Grid wanted to know their details before cing them in the right ce. However, it was ridiculous to look at all 30,000 residents with the Great Lord¡¯s Sword one by one. It couldn¡¯t be done in a day or two, and could take months.


    Thus, he opened up the list of King¡¯s Quests. It was toplete the quest that had been postponed. It was a quest to upgrade the Great Lord¡¯s Sword to the King¡¯s Sword.


    [The King¡¯s Role (1)]


    Level of Difficulty: Linked Quest


    The king is part of all the people.


    There is a duty to look after the people and ce them in the right ce.


    Experience the lives of the people and understand them more deeply.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Experience 100 sses.


    Quest Reward: Learn how to make the King¡¯s Sword. A following linked quest.


    [The King¡¯s Sword]


    Durability: 530/530 Attack Power: 320


    * Dignity +300


    * Insight +300


    * Leadership +300


    * The skill ¡®Wide Area Character Observation¡¯ is created.


    * Skill ¡®Talent Search¡¯ will be generated.


    A sword that could only be used by the ruler of a kingdom. You can observe the soldiers and residents more closely and efficientlymand them.


    Conditions of Use: A king.


    Weight: 490


    Wide Area Character Observation. It was clear that it had a different effect from the Great Lord¡¯s Sword that could only observe one person at a time.


    ¡®Searching for talent will be much easier if I can observe several people at once.¡¯


    In other words, Grid wanted the King¡¯s Sword. But look at the quest clear conditions! He had to experience at least 100 sses. The degree of difficulty of the quest was high enough to be absurd.


    ¡®I have been postponing it because it¡¯s annoying...¡¯


    Grid wanted to observe not just the 30,000 Pangea residents, but also the 800,000 people who made up the kingdom. Would there be a named NPC ssified as a genius among them?


    ¡®I can¡¯t be too greedy.¡¯


    Grid wanted a level of ordinary talent that could ¡®fit¡¯ in each field. If he could deploy the people efficiently, thebor shortage of the Overgeared Kingdom would be greatly resolved.


    ¡®I need to prepare my heart.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath and rose from his throne.


    "From now on, I will travel in disguise.¡±


    Hell had begun.


    50 days passed.


    Grid mixed in among the people and experienced two jobs every day. He served in a restaurant, cleaned a toilet, managed bedding, escorted someone as a guard, and performed secret missions for different guilds. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he experienced most jobs in Reinhardt. Grid didn¡¯t realize it, but it was possible purely because he was Grid.


    Think about it. How many yers could perform all the tasks? For example, a yer with a knight ss wouldn¡¯t be able to perform secret missions for the Assassin¡¯s Guild. They didn¡¯t have the ability for it. But Grid had high stats and was overgeared.


    It was easy to clear the secret mission of the Assassin¡¯s Guild using his high agility and the Hooded Zip Up. In the Magician¡¯s Guild mission, he used Magic Missile and Belial¡¯s Staff. He was also a big hit in the Tanker¡¯s Guild. The mission of ¡®tanking the enemy¡¯s attacks while escorting a peddler¡¯ was easily cleared. Grid had once tanked 100,000 enemies alone. Other ordinary tankers performing the quest said that ¡®a monster guard who surpasses Vantner has appeared.¡¯


    ¡°Is Grid a munchkin?¡±


    "Munchkin?" (TL: Generally used to describe yers who y games in an overlypetitive way. Rather than enjoy the game itself, they y the game for a certain goal, often at the expense of other people. In Korean novels, it means a fraudulently strong character who ignores the power bnce.)


    ¡°A type of character in fantasy novels.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Overgeared members wondered when they saw Grid¡¯s current situation. It was like Grid was ying apletely different game by himself. Grid had now be a fraudulent caricature. But Grid didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡®I¡¯m still rising.¡¯


    He was a legend who glimpsed the myths, but he wasn¡¯t really a legend. What did this mean? The possibility of a myth ss was opened up, but he was still ipetentpared to previous legends. He was iplete. He wasn¡¯t yet one or the other. This was how Grid assessed himself.


    ¡®A bit more. No, a lot more.¡¯


    He would try and do his best. Grow further. He would bepetent. Grid pledged while working in Reinhardt.


    There were all types of rumors flying in Reinhardt for the 50 days he concealed his identity.


    ¡°A genius magician has emerged in Reinhardt.¡±


    "A genius assassin has emerged in Reinhardt...¡±


    "A genius cleaner has emerged in Reinhardt...¡±


    "A genius masseur...¡±


    All the rumors were talking about Grid. Grid didn¡¯t know. The 50 days of rumors led to more yers entering the Overgeared Kingdom. In particr, many people wanted to meet the masseur. Some people spected that the person¡¯s skills were so excellent that the ¡®legendary masseur¡¯ ss had appeared.


    ***


    ¡°This is thest one.¡±


    While Grid was performing the 50 day quest. Peak Sword waspleting the mission that Grid gave him. The mission was in reality, not the game. It was to find the Dungeon Maker, Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was a very important mission.


    "I have been eating only spicy jokbal all month...¡±


    Peak Sword searched the Inte and found there were a total of 109 stores where spicy jokbal was avable. There was a fairlyrge jokbal chain. Would he find a clue to the ¡®Dungeon Maker¡¯ in one of the 109 stores? Peak Sword spent a fortnight visiting jokbal stores and eating spicy jokbal every day. His lips were sore and his heartburn was driving him crazy.


    "Wee."


    Haenam, South Jeo Province. In the southernmost part of South Korea, there was a spicy jokbal store. It was a great distance from Seoul. Peak Sword grumbled as he entered the store and skillfully ordered spicy jokbal.


    "One small spicy jokbal. Please add a bit of starch syrup to make it taste less sweet and stir fry it over a high heat.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the type of person who ate spicy jokbal once or twice. The owner of the spicy jokbal store in Haenam noticed that Peak Sword was a gourmet. Then he started to cook the spicy jokbal. After a moment.


    ¡°Please enjoy.¡±


    The owner himself brought out the spicy jokbal. He seemed very confident in the taste. Peak Sword faced him and dered.


    ¡°Dark.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Blood Carnival.¡±


    "...??"


    ¡°Insane dragon egg.¡±


    "...???"


    Peak Sword observed the owner of the restaurant carefully every time he spoke. The owner would be the Dungeon Maker if he showed any shaky signs at all. But the owner wasn¡¯t shaken. He returned to the kitchen like Peak Sword was strange. A chill went down Peak Sword¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Not here either?¡±


    He had visited 109 spicy jokbal stores all over the country and hadn¡¯t met the Dungeon Maker? In other words.


    ¡°The worst... Perhaps the Dungeon Maker that Grid spoke about isn¡¯t a person who runs a spicy jokbal store. He might just love spicy jokbal.¡±


    Then would he have to go around to all 109 stores and ask them for a list of regrs?


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡±


    Peak Sword ate all of the spicy jokbal and returned to his van. It was a luxury van with a Satisfy capsule installed. Peak Sword sat in the capsule and told his driver.


    "Wake me up when we get home.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Bururung.


    The van returned to Seoul. The owner of the spicy jokbal restaurant lit his cigarette and watched the van move away.


    ¡°Sigh... I moved to this faraway ce, yet a demon still came. Grid, you really aren¡¯t an ordinary person. You¡¯re cruel and tenacious.¡±


    It was fortunate that he looked different from his character in the game. The president of the spicy jokbal store was so relieved that he was sweating. He was panicked and seriously wondering if he should go abroad. At this moment, Peak Sword¡¯s van returned.


    ¡°Hey Boss.¡±


    Dururuk.


    Peak Sword opened the door of the van. He smiled at the owner of the spicy jokbal store, who was trying to maintain a calm expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Dungeon Maker, Eat Spicy Jokbal?¡±


    "What do you mean?"


    "Your restaurant doesn¡¯t have a TV. It¡¯s a characteristic of Satisfy yers to neglect the TV.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Boss, you don¡¯t watch TV and you don¡¯t even have a TV in your restaurant for customers. How about it? Isn¡¯t this reasoning worthy of the president of the Patriotic Association? I boast the excellent brain of someone who grew up eating soybean paste and kimchi.¡±


    "...Aren¡¯t there a few restaurants without a TV?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t sure at first. But you¡¯re wearing sunsses. Why would the owner of a spicy jokbal store wear sunsses? You wanted to hide. It¡¯s your face. Right?¡±


    ¡°...Amazing. You¡¯re worthy of being the president of the Patriotic Society.¡±


    p.


    The boss of the spicy jokbal store took off his apron. He couldn¡¯t avoid this situation and was ready to face it.


    ¡°Is it because Cork Ind was destroyed by Blood Carnival? Bring it on. I¡¯ll deal with you.¡±


    He had been ying games since before Satisfy was released. The boss of the Haenam spicy jokbal store had a career of at least 10 years. He raised his fist confidently while Peak Sword felt confused.


    "Does God Grid and the Overgeared Guild have such a narrow mindset? Don¡¯t make meugh. We just wanted to meet you."


    ¡°What? You have no hard feelings towards the head of Blood Carnival?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something to be proud of. A South Korean was the head of a powerful force. I feel pride as president of the Patriotic Association. I¡¯m a bit embarrassed that it¡¯s a vicious force.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. If you ever want to join the Overgeared Guild, feel free to contact me.¡±


    Peak Sword ced his business card in the store and left leisurely. He thought he was cool.

 Chapter 648

    Gridmunicated to the Overgeared Guild everything he had seen and experienced on the East Continent. It was sharing information for the development of his forces. The Overgeared members tried to find out new and informative facts based on the information that Grid received.


    The staff, led by Lauel, grasped the power structure, politics, ideology, culture, economy, armed forces etc. and developed them into knowledge. There was also Garam and the yangbans.


    ¡°Grid evaluated Garam as a legend. Grid experienced it directly, so we can¡¯t disagree. But I have to say this. Can Garam exercise a force as strong as a great demon?¡±


    "Of course. Grid said that Garam¡¯s attack and defense is far better than Belial. Instead, his health is lower than Belial. But in a one on one match, he will overwhelm Belial. At a minimum, he¡¯s equal to a great demon of a higher rank.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts are different. I think that under any circumstances, a great demon is superior to the yangbans. Remember the hell field that Belial summoned? We had Demon yer Yura who disabled the hell. But from a general point of view, a hell was literally summoned.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well. Belial was much stronger in the hell field. I think the yangbans will be the prey of the great demons, no matter how strong they are.¡±


    "In other words, the yangbans are more powerful than legendary yers, but rtively weaker than great demons?¡±


    "That also fits the bnce. Think about it. The yangbans are the inhabitants of the Hwan Kingdom. Won¡¯t the ecosystem be a mess if the yangbans are stronger than great demons?¡±


    ¡°Right. The yangbans would clear out hell.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Jishuka listened silently to the debate and turned her gaze to Han Seokbong.


    ¡°Han Seokbong, are you aware of the presence of great demons in the East Continent?


    "Of course. We also recognize the great demons as the greatest enemy of humanity.¡±


    "Then have the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom fought against the great demons?¡±


    ¡°No. They don¡¯t deal directly with them. The Hwan Kingdom sealed the entrance of hell by cing the Blue Dragon Dao in the eastern Kaya Kingdom, the White Tiger Spear in the western Pa Kingdom, the Red Phoenix Bow in the southern Cho Kingdom, and the ck Tortoise Jewel in the northern Xing Kingdom.


    "The sacred creature artifacts that Grid mentioned...¡±


    ¡°Look. Why did the Hwan Kingdom seal the entrance to hell? They don¡¯t have the power to repel the great demons. It doesn¡¯t make sense to specte that the yangbans are stronger than great demons.¡±


    The atmosphere was in full swing.


    "No, the Hwan Kingdom isn¡¯t doing this because it is powerless against the great demons. It¡¯s to preserve the value of the kingdom.¡±


    Lauel appeared in the meeting room.


    "Value?¡±


    It was a meaningful remark. Everyone listened to Lauel¡¯s words. It was the same for Han Seokbong. Lauel asked him.


    "Isn¡¯t there a myth on the East Continent that the ¡®enemy whoes down to the ground will be blocked by the Hwan Kingdom and peace will fill the world¡¯?¡±


    "Heok? How did you know that?¡±


    "Huhuhut, it¡¯s easy to guess.¡±


    Lauel heard that the Hwan Kingdom had reigned like a god since the beginning of the East Continent. In other words, the other kingdoms had been serving the Hwan Kingdom since the beginning of the East Continent¡¯s history. It was a phenomenon that was possible because the Hwan Kingdom yed a great role in the genesis of the East Continent. Lauel was convinced.


    ¡°It¡¯s likely that the Hwan Kingdom recognizes the great demon as a ¡®fearful being¡¯ because it highlights the need for them. The East Continent believes that the Hwan Kingdom is necessary for peace and will continue to worship them.¡±


    "Then the reason the Hwan Kingdom doesn¡¯t repel the great demons is to keep their rice bowl, not because they¡¯re weak?¡±


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s hard to imagine that they¡¯re weaker than the great demons when Grid likens them to a legend. In the first ce, it¡¯s too simple for the end content to be hell.¡±


    Repel the great demons and bring peace to the world? It wasn¡¯t desirable. Satisy¡¯s true history would begin the moment the great demons were punished. It would be a massive power struggle between yers. Lauel spected that new stories would constantly be generated and that the Hwan Kingdom would be a variable.


    ¡®The S.A. Group is nasty.¡¯


    Well, whatever.


    "It¡¯s good for us that the Hwan Kingdom isn¡¯t facing the great demons. The great demons are the prey of our Overgeared Kingdom. Kukukuk!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel had a habit of covering half his face with his hand when heughed. It was an effort to look as cool as possible. Han Seokbong couldn¡¯t understand this action at all.


    ¡°Why does that person cover his face every time heughs?¡±


    "...It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jishuka smiled awkwardly at Han Seokbong¡¯s question. After hearing her answer, Han Seokbong decided it was better not to ask anymore. Sticks entered the meeting room while Lauel wasughing. It was because Lauel called him. Lauel asked him a question.


    "The return scroll to the West Continent. Can it be made to amodate tens of thousands of people and bring back the people of Pangea?


    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s impossible. The big scroll I gave to Grid was made in the decades that I stayed in the Behen Archipgo.¡±


    "Decades... Will the production period be shortened if the number of people is lowered? In addition, it doesn¡¯t need to be across continents. Can¡¯t it be used as a strategic weapon on the West Continent?¡±


    "What you want is a Mass Teleport scroll. It takes at least 15 years to create a Mass Teleport scroll. This is on the premise that I¡¯m fullymitted to the task.¡±


    ¡°...Just quit.¡±


    There were many uses for Sage Sticks. It was too much for him to spend 15 years producing a Mass Teleport scroll.


    "Let¡¯s put aside our worries about the Hwan Kingdom and yangbans for the moment. After all, we¡¯re on the West Continent, not the East Continent. Our current enemy is the empire.¡±


    It had been two months since they started offering a tribute to the Saharan Empire. The financial blow meant the Overgeared Kingdom stopped investing in businesses for two months. The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s policy was to concentrate on agriculture so that the soldiers and people wouldn¡¯t starve.


    Jishuka carefully opened her mouth.


    "There¡¯s no future if this continues. Do we have no choice but to have an all-out war with the empire?¡±


    The kingdom would be ruined soon if this continued. Everyone thought it would be better to fight and die in a cool way, rather than quietly being destroyed like ves. Lauel agreed.


    "Of course. We have to fight. But we won¡¯t be shedding our blood.¡±


    Lauel smiled widely. It was a bad smile that the past Grid often showed. Of course, it was reassuring when on the same side. What ulterior motive did he have? The Overgeared members were full of expectations while Lauel uttered unexpected words.


    ¡°I will dispatch a few elite troops, including Grid, to the Ares Army.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ares?¡±


    God of War Ares. He was the strongest unofficial ranker. It was estimated that he was stronger than sun grade and had several strong subordinates. This was a story learned from Kraugel not long ago. Kraugel said that he fought one of Ares¡¯ subordinates when he was still 1st on the rankings.


    "Wait... Don¡¯t we need to keep the Ares Army in check? Why are we helping them?¡±


    ¡°You might that that the enemy of our enemy is our friend. But didn¡¯t the Ares Army lose to the empire two months ago and have many troops wiped out? Is it worth helping them?¡±


    "Most of his lost forces have already been restored. ording to the information given by Kraugel, one of Ares¡¯ best skills is Conscription.¡±


    "Conscription... Hmm, then what is our objective?¡±


    ¡°We will make Ares a king, form an alliance with him and work together to keep the empire in check. At present, Ares is staying in the Belto Kingdom, which is on the opposite side of the empire from the Overgeared Kingdom. We can press on the empire from both sides.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll distribute the attention of the empire?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. We¡¯ll restore our national affairs when the empire¡¯s surveince weakens.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. But what if we damage ourselves? Will we create another monster while trying to avoid a monster?¡±


    "What can we do when the monster in front of us is about to eat us? In the first ce, the Ares Army will naturally be a monster if left alone.¡±


    Of course, that would only happen after a while.


    ¡°Even if it will advance at that time, it¡¯s right to use it as a means to ovee our crisis. As long as the empire¡¯s power is maintained, we will have a solid ally. In addition.¡± Lauel¡¯s sly smile thickened. "It will be useful to gain information about the enemy in advance.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will remind the people who will be sent in advance. Don¡¯t expose any abilities that haven¡¯t already been seen in front of the Ares Army. Hide 30% of your power and spy on the Ares Army members. Ah, King Grid must hide 60% of his power.¡±


    Lauel believed that those sent to the Ares Army would gain more insights and grow further. There were many things to learn from the Ares Army.


    ¡°Believe in me. This operation will give us many gifts.¡±


    ***


    [Supreme Ruler]


    Rating: SSS


    The strongest force rted passive skill in addition to God¡¯s Command and Domain.


    Physical attack power is permanently increased by 20%, while all skills and magic are permanently increased by 10%.


    With a basic attack, there is a 30% chance to double the damage.


    Hunt one of the top 20 people in each upation. The acquisition condition of the strongest passive skill ¡®Supreme Ruler¡¯ meant it was almost impossible to acquire. Of course, it was easy for Agnus.


    ¡°I have eaten a lot after gaining the Rune of Death... It¡¯s useful in many ways.¡±


    Agnus confirmed the performance of Supreme Ruler with a pleased expression. A whisper came to him when he was trying to resist the Mumud lich¡¯s knife. It was a whisper from Veradin.


    -You have obtained Supreme Ruler just now?Congrattions.


    -Kikik, you are really like a ghost.


    Veradin. A genius who had beenpared to Lauel since the time of the 10 Rookies. Agnus was frankly surprised Veradin wanted to follow him. He didn¡¯t know that there was someone in this world who wanted to serve him with his personality.


    ¡®At first, I thought he a noob trying to eat my crumbs.¡¯


    Agnusughed as he recalled the past.


    -Yes, I finally got it.It took an awfully long time.You begged me several times not to hunt the Overgeared members, so I had to find other prey.


    -It¡¯s because the power of the Overgeared Kingdom is still unknown.


    -This parrot-like bastard always says the same thing.How long do I have to do this?Why do I have to avoid those people?


    -It¡¯s finished.


    -Kik?


    -Now is the time to announce your existence to the Overgeared Kingdom.Feel free to show off all your skills.All the shame you have endured is for today.


    -...Kikik, what are you up to this time?


    -I assure you, the Overgeared Kingdom will contact the Ares Army sooner orter.Both sides are being pushed to the edge of the cliff by the empire. They will ally because the empire is amon enemy.


    Veradin had been exposed to the Overgeared Guild through the media and predicted Lauel¡¯s behavior. Agnus knew Veradin¡¯s predictions were always a hit.


    -You will be on the side of the empire.It¡¯s a perfect chance to step on tough enemies at the same time.


    ¡°...Kil! Kikikik!¡±


    Agnus was smiling from ear to ear. His shoulders shook and he muttered.


    "It was fun ying with Kraugel...¡±


    He hoped that they would be interesting and make him forget his terrible life.


    Agnus¡¯ golden eyes shone strangely.


    Baal¡¯s Contractor. It was a conflict with a madman who would be against Grid forever.

 Chapter 649

    Yura couldn¡¯t forget the wonder that she felt the first time she met Grid. She had been 5th in the overall rankings. He was the man who stood up against the onught of one of the best among two billion users. His first impression was more intense than when she met Kraugel.


    ¡®At that moment, he was imprinted on me.¡¯


    Yura became conscious of Grid more than was necessary. Without knowing it, she followed Grid¡¯s steps with her eyes and ears. In the process, she felt a strange attraction to Grid. Unlike other men, Grid didn¡¯t look at her appearance or money. He saw the person called ¡®Yura.¡¯ The vor of the bulgogi that she ate at the restaurant he took her to still lingered in her mouth.


    ¡°Yura?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Yura was nning an expedition to hell in order to obtain the hidden pieces of a Demon yer. She made all her preparations and regained her spirit in front of the gate.


    Lauelughed. "You seem to be nervous about the long expedition in front of you. Don¡¯t worry. You will do well, as always.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know if I should leave when the kingdom is in a crisis.¡±


    In fact, Yura wanted to solve the dispute with the empire. She wanted to add her strength. But Lauel urged her to go to hell as soon as possible.


    ¡°Believe in us. We can get through the hardships. Of course, it doesn¡¯t meant we don¡¯t need your strength. I¡¯m confident that your value will be higher than Grid or Kraugel in the future. I won¡¯t hold your ankle in order for that day to arrive faster.¡±


    The items and titles dropped when Belial died were enormous. In particr, she dropped myth rated items. Lauel anticipated that all the great demons were likely to drop myth rated items. In other words, the power of the Overgeared Guild would rise exponentially every time a great demon was raided. In order to raid a great demon, Yura¡¯s power was absolutely necessary.


    ¡°The woman called Sua is as beautiful and wise as Irene. Youngwoo-ssi would like her.¡±


    Prior to entering the gate. Yura expressed the anxiety that she had been trying to bury. She didn¡¯t realize it, but it was jealousy. She was anxious and irritated that Grid would continue to have good rtionships with other women. She resented that Grid didn¡¯t pay any attention to her and found her unattractive.


    Lauel smiled at Yura.


    "You are more beautiful and wiser than both Irene and Sua. Don¡¯t watch them. They are only fleeting existences that can¡¯t be tied to the real Grid.¡±


    The real Grid. It meant Shin Youngwoo in reality. Yura¡¯s snow white cheeks became painted in pink.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be with Youngwoo-ssi...¡±


    No. So what if she liked Grid? Grid didn¡¯t have any interest in her. Yura looked down in shame while Lauel became sad.


    ¡¯Even a woman loved by all men isn¡¯t liked by the person she loves.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know it, but love was really heard. There were many solo people, including Peak Sword and Vantner. Last year, they spent Christmas alone and they would be spending the summer vacation alone this year. It was ironic that Yura, one of the world¡¯s best beauties, belonged to this category.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Yura took a deep breath and stepped into the gate to hell. Several months after the Belial raid. She had worked hard to be qualified to enter hell.


    Lauel sincerely cheered her on. "Come back after obtaining what you want.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Haha... You looked like a beginner, so I didn¡¯t think you would do such a great job. You aren¡¯t afraid of shovelling poop and you are too skilled, like you were born for it.¡±


    "I was born to be shovelling poop...? Ah really... You are too much.¡±


    "No, I¡¯m not exaggerating. My words are sincere.¡±


    "Haha, well, aren¡¯t we all subjects of King Grid? Of course I will bepetent.¡±


    ¡°Kelkel! There are good people under a great king! Right, right! Everyone in the Overgeared Kingdom is capable. Kelkelkelkel!¡±


    ¡°Hahahahat!¡±


    Reinhardt, the capital of the Eternal Kingdom, was reset after the Overgeared Kingdom was formed. This included the level of most facilities. As with any game, it was a natural penalty. That¡¯s why the sewage facilities of Reinhardt were only level 2. The job of cleaning up poop was widespread. This was one of Lauel¡¯s methods to create as many jobs as possible, but the ordinary people didn¡¯t know this.


    A young man was cheerfully gossiping with his fellow workers while shovelling poop. He was Grid. He had been experiencing the lives of the people for thest 50 days. He actively engaged in propaganda activities that were only possible after prating deeply into the lives of the people.


    [You havepleted 100 types of job experiences.]


    [Your understanding of the people has deepened.]


    [The King¡¯s Role (1) quest is linked to the King¡¯s Role (2) quest.]


    [Your level isn¡¯t high enough to perform the King¡¯s Role (2) quest yet. The King¡¯s Role (2) quest will open at level 350.]


    [The production method for the King¡¯s Sword as been obtained as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    [Production Method: The King¡¯s Sword]


    Rating: Unique


    You can learn how to make the King¡¯s Sword.


    Learning Condition: King Grid.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    Grid said goodbye to the workers he spend half a day with. He entered an alleyway and gritted his teeth.


    ¡®My guess was right.¡¯


    The condition for learning how to make the King¡¯s Sword... Grid¡¯s mood fell as he looked at it.


    ¡®I¡¯m the only one who can learn it.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t good. This suggested that the rewards for the King quests varied depending on the yer.


    ¡®I got the production method as a reward because my ss is ssified as a cksmith.


    The reward for the King¡¯s Role (1) for yers of other sses as likely to be a ¡®perfect King¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Grid thought it was unfair.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it a loss for me?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t use the sword except when carrying out his duties as a king. It was meaningless to make several of them. Grid acquired the production method as a cksmith, which meant he had to invest time and money into making it. He was hurting alone while other kings would get the sword when theypleted the quest.


    ¡®It feels like the damages will be greater as the King quest progresses.¡¯


    As an extreme example, suppose that Ares was on the throne. His ss was a general. The rewards he would gain from the King quests were likely to be associated with a growth in military power. Meanwhile, Grid was likely to receivepensation as a cksmith.


    ¡®It¡¯s too much damage for the King quests.¡¯


    Why was he was a cksmith? Grid mourned for a long time. He ced his forehead on the wall in frustration and heard some voices.


    "That man is shitting...¡±


    ¡°Oh my, his clothes are covered in poop. It must be annoying."


    ¡°Let us help you.¡±


    ¡°We will feed you a bowl of hot soup and take care of you at home.¡±


    The shaking Grid couldn¡¯t help smiling. The world in which he lived was cruel to the weak. It didn¡¯t matter if it was reality or the game. Most people ignored orughed when they saw someone below them. But the people of Overgeared didn¡¯t do this. Grid was currently wearing beginner¡¯s clothing that were covered in poop. However, they didn¡¯tugh and were worried about him.


    Grid felt pride rising in his chest.


    ¡®The Overgeared Kingdom is educating the people very well.¡¯


    Don¡¯t judge a person by their outward appearance. Help those having hard times. Don¡¯t ignore or feel contempt for the weak.


    Lauel and the Overgeared members preached this to the people out of consideration for Grid¡¯s past. The Overgeared members knew what type of life Grid had lived. They didn¡¯t want to make a second or third Grid in the Overgeared Kingdom and this increased the value of the kingdom.


    ¡®New users who start the game in the Overgeared Kingdom will be able to enjoy themselves without being humiliated or insulted.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations were right on target. In fact, new users tended to point to the Overgeared Kingdom as the best ce to start. It was because they were rarely subjected to personal insults when receiving quests in the Overgeared Kingdom, unlike the other kingdoms. The existing NPC kingdoms reflected real society so well that they were unfriendly to beginners, while the Overgeared Kingdom was a utopia for beginners.


    Of course, it was also true for those who were perfectly qualified. The people of the Overgeared Kingdom were much more considerate and kindpared to people of other nations. The people of the Overgeared Kingdom weren¡¯tzy.


    -Have you cleared the King¡¯s quest by now?


    Grid received a whisper as he wore a hood and returned to the pce. It was a whisper from Lauel. Grid clicked his tongue.


    -You¡¯re like a ghost.How did you know to send me a whisper at this time?


    -I have been with you for over two years in real time.I use my genius brain and capabilities from all my reincarnations to grasp the situation of Your Majesty by taking into ount your personality and power. Kuk!Kukuk!


    -...So what did you need?


    -I have organized the personnel to be sent to the Ares Army.Please review the list and tell me if there are any problems.


    -Who?


    -Your Majesty, Duke Jishuka, Earl Pon, Earl Regas, and Earl Euphemina.


    Only five people. Wasn¡¯t the number too small to support the forces who were trying to take over a kingdom? It wasn¡¯t strange to have this question from a normal point of view. But Grid was well aware of the abilities of the Overgeared members and thought differently.


    -Great.


    Jishuka was the owner of the Red Phoenix Bow. Herbat power in a war was far beyond Grid and Kraugel. It was the best among two billion users. The fighting point of Spear Knight Pon and Asura Regas was also obvious. In the days when Grid was the lord of Reidan, it was hard to predict a 100% chance of victory when he fought them. He was only 90% confident. Now they had grown and their capabilities were iparable to that time. They were called the double chariots of Overgeared.


    Finally, there was Euphemina. The qualifier to describe her was still the same. The conditional strongest. Her destructive power was unmatched when she copied a sufficient number of skills. In particr, she received the Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation quest and was seeking to be Mumud¡¯s Descendant. She was much more powerful than before now that she could use Mumud¡¯s water magic and non-attribute magic, and her potential was at the myth level.


    -It¡¯s reassuring if this much power is sent to the Ares Army.


    -Yes, even Ares will wee you will both arms wide open.Huhut...Oh, just.


    -Just?


    -There is little known about Euphemina. In fact, Euphemina didn¡¯t y arge role in the Eternal war and Belial raid.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. Since the warsted a long time, Euphemina constantly consumed skills and gradually weakened, lowering her impact.


    -Maybe the Ares Army won¡¯t treat her well.Euphemina might be offended and Your Majesty will have to soothe her.


    -Treat Euphemina as a girl.


    -Uh, yes.I will take care of her.


    Just like she was a little sister.


    Grid suddenly thought about Sehee.


    -What are Sexy Schoolgirl and Ruby doing these days?


    -They are still looking after the people.They are helping with quests, but also raising their level and gaining rewards.The two of them are growing steadily, so don¡¯t worry.

 Chapter 650

    Of course, the majority of unofficial rankers were anonymous. In the wide world of Satisfy, there were people who intentionally concealed their existences and weren¡¯t known to the public. Yes, Ares was no exception. He might be recognized by the Overgeared members, but he was unknown to ordinary yers.


    The Belto Kingdom. The size of the economy and the actualnd made it the smallest kingdom on the far east of the West Continent. There were no clear advantages to staying here, so the Ares Army¡¯s secrecy was guaranteed. However.


    "The Overgeared Kingdom has proposed an alliance. They will help us take control of the Belto Kingdom and strengthen our power against the empire.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Overgeared Guild was aware of their army? They even knew that Ares was aiming for the Belto Kingdom? The staff members called by Ares were surprised. But it only a portion of them. The majority of people were numb.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that the Overgeared Guild knows about us.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that there¡¯s a special rtionship between Grid and Kraugel. Kraugel leaked our information to the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ept the Overgeared Guild¡¯s alliance offer. They¡¯re using an excuse to stop us from hunting Kraugel.¡±


    "Does the Overgeared Guild even know that we are hunting Kraugel? Surely Kraugel wouldn¡¯t run to Grid for help? I can¡¯t imagine it.¡±


    "I have the same idea. The Overgeared Guild¡¯s alliance offer is irrelevant to Kraugel. The Overgeared Guild wants something else.¡±


    "We have to determine their real intention before deciding if we should ept the alliance offer or not. We should be in an advantageous position.¡±


    Ares stayed silent while his chief staff members talked. Making his subordinates feel free to express their opinions without worrying about their positions, this was the best way for making an ideal choice onprehensive issues. It was one of Ares¡¯ biggest strengths.


    "Do you know that the Red Knights returned to the empire after winning the war against the Belto Kingdom and stabilizing the rear?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Scott, one of Ares¡¯ closest aides, opened his mouth and the crowd fell silent. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on what Scott was saying.


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely that the empire¡¯s gaze is flowing back to the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom is under pressure from the empire. They offered us an alliance in order to save themselves.¡±


    ¡°Then the Overgeared Kingdom offered us an alliance because...¡±


    "Do they mean to help us cause a disturbance in the rear of the empire and grow during that gap?¡±


    "It¡¯s the most natural reason.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    The silent Ares finally nodded. It was a gesture that showed he agreed with Scott.


    "The Overgeared Guild proposed an alliance with the intention of ¡®helping¡¯ us, but it¡¯s actually the Overgeared Guild that needs help.¡±


    The Belto Kingdom was defeated in the war and had already dropped from the empire¡¯s interest. Ares wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He used his duke¡¯s position in the Belto Kingdom to steadily build up his forces. He would look for a chance to overthrow the royal family and seize the Belto Kingdom.


    ¡®Yes, I don¡¯t need the Overgeared Guild¡¯s help.¡¯


    Of course, it would be much faster to swallow up the Belto Kingdom if he had the Overgeared Guid¡¯s help. But Ares¡¯ ultimate targets included the Overgeared Guild. Helping the Overgeared Guild would just end up nurturing the enemy.


    ¡°I will reject the alliance offer.¡±


    The moment that Ares made this decision.


    ¡°Ares! Ares!¡±


    Ares¡¯ other closest aide, Luck, rushed into the meeting room. He said that the meeting was boring and went hunting. Now everyone was curious about why he was making a fuss.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    Scott asked instead of Ares.


    ¡°The royal army is advancing here!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ares was able to rise to the position of a duke in the Belto Kingdom because he showed great loyalty. On the surface, Ares was the loyalist person in the Belto Kingdom. It was natural for the king and royal family to trust Ares. So why was an army dispatched?


    What was this situation all of a sudden? There was an uproar in the meeting room due to the unexpected situation. In the midst of the chaos, Ares and Scott were gritting their teeth.


    ¡®It¡¯s clearly Lauel¡¯s ploy.¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom was created with Grid¡¯s power and Lauel¡¯s brains. Lauel¡¯s intelligence was acknowledged by the whole world, and it was the same with Ares and Scott.


    ¡°Ares, it¡¯s clear that Lauel drove a wedge between us and the royal family.¡±


    "I know. It¡¯s to force the alliance.¡±


    ¡°What? The current situation was induced by the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°Disgraceful! Never ept the alliance!¡±


    A chief staff member shouted in agitation after hearing the conversation between Ares and Scott. In particr, Luck¡¯s face was extremely red. He was the one whopeted with Kraugel. He persisted in hunting Kraugel after Kraugel¡¯s level was reset and now he felt furious at the Overgeared Guild.


    "After oveing this and taking control of the Belto Kingdom, shall we go straight to the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    Scott soothed the agitated Luck.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible. We can¡¯t beat the royal family with our current power.¡±


    The Belto Kingdom might be small, but the level of their army was enormous. It was all Ares¡¯ merits. In the meantime, the Ares Army had fostered a militia and systematic military organization in order to gain the trust of the Belto royal family. It was also a means of building up strength against the empire. Now the efforts of the past was a poison against them. They were furious but what could they do?


    ¡°ept the Overgeared Guild¡¯s proposal.¡±


    Scott started to persuade Ares.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to worry about the enemy in front of us rather than the enemy of the future?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course Ares knew this. But he was unwilling. His pride was hurt at moving in ordance with the intentions of others.


    ¡°You will someday pay back today¡¯s disgrace. The chance wille if you take control of the Belto Kingdom and find stability.¡±


    ¡°...It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Under Scott¡¯s continued persuasion, Ares finally made a decision. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t someone who would make a foolish decision due to his pride.


    ¡°I will ept the alliance offer.¡±


    ***


    The Belto Kingdom. The royal army that entered the Ares Duchy was divided into eight branches. The dust rising like a storm and the sharp screams from all directions caused Grid to frown in the sky.


    -Isn¡¯t there an answer yet?


    Grid observed the ground and sent an impatient whisper. It was regrettable watching the NPC residents die without being able to do anything. Lauel replied to Grid¡¯s whisper.


    -Ares will have no choice but to ept our offer.You don¡¯t have to worry.Sooner orter, an answer wille.


    -That¡¯s the problem.


    Lauel had designed the situation so that the royal army attacked the Ares Duchy. Ares was pushed to the brink and had to ept the alliance. Grid didn¡¯t like it.


    -Can we trust this type of alliance?


    -In the first ce, we can never be friends with Ares.Their ambition is far too big and can¡¯t coexist with us.Strictly speaking, this is a short-term business rtionship.There is no need to question its validity.


    -...Hmm.


    Nevertheless, the sight of innocent NPCs being ughtered was painful. The residents of the Ares Duchy were being ughtered by the royal army without understanding the situation. The Belto Kingdom had defined all the residents of the Ares Duchy as aplices of Ares.


    ¡®They can¡¯t neglect the potential risks.¡¯


    Every person had their own reasons. Grid was calming his mind when Lauel¡¯s whisper arrived.


    -Ares has epted the alliance.However, a condition is attached.They asked the Overgeared Guild to stop two out of the eight branches of the royal army.Stop their advance for three days until the main force that has been sent elsewhere for training arrives.


    -Isn¡¯t this the shit that we made?


    -They want to test the skills of our allies.


    -Didn¡¯t you tell me not to expose my skills?


    -Yes, it¡¯s dangerous to expose all your power to a potential enemy.Use only the skills that you showed during the Belial raid.


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    -Then I will handle two of the enemy branches.


    -...No, you just need to grab their ankles for three days...Your Majesty?Your Majesty??Sir?


    ***


    ¡°I was suspicious of Ares from the beginning.¡±


    Duke Vanish. He was originally the greatest power in the Belto Kingdom. But in the process of Ares emerging like aet and ascending to the position of duke, he lost a lot of power. The royal family, the officials, and the people. Everyone appreciated Duke Ares more than Duke Vanish. Duke Vanish could only watch as Duke Ares expanded his forces. Duke Vanish¡¯s sense of loss was veryrge. The power that he was able to enjoy due to his family being loyal to the Belto Kingdom for generations was lost to a stone who came rolling in one day.


    But it was virtually impossible for him to keep Ares in check. Ares was too capable. His military talent was so great that the Belto Kingdom¡¯s weak military power grew by leaps and bounds in just three years. If there wasn¡¯t the empire in the middle, the Belto Kingdom would be able to expand its power by targeting other kingdoms.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense that such a great person is loyal to a small kingdom like ours.¡¯


    Even the Saharan Empire would want such talent. Then why was Ares loyal to the Belto Kingdom? Duke Vanish felt great doubts. That¡¯s why he was d about the news that arrived a few days ago. Duke Ares¡¯ ultimate goal was the capture of the Belto Kingdom.


    There was credible evidence in the anonymous report. It was the military trend of the Ares Duchy. The army deployed by Duke Ares was able to advance to the capital at any time. In addition, they were practicing war strategies in a city that recreated the structure of the capital. It was a military exercise intended to take control of the capital.


    Duke Vanish reported this to the king, and the king, who was extremely furious due to his high trust in Duke Ares, ordered Duke Vanish to invade the Ares Duchy straight away. He even had the support of the royal army!


    ¡°Can he stop the 10,000 troops?¡±


    The strength of the royal family was different in dimension. They were active and grew in the war against the empire. On the other hand, Ares lost a considerable amount of troops in the war against the empire. Now he didn¡¯t have the power to confront the royal army.


    ¡°Kukuk... Kuhahaha! Smash them! Burn thend that Ares stepped on and destroy all the facilities that Ares touched! Remove the Ares Duchy from the map!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Duke Vanish was giddy with joy as the royal army advanced with no obstacles. The army divided into eight branches in order to burn all of the Ares Duchy. No one was able to stop it. No, he thought they couldn¡¯t be stopped.

 Chapter 651

    "There are 10,000 armored elite troops?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°This is bad.¡±


    Scott grabbed his forehead after receiving the scout¡¯s report.


    Armored elite troops. They were an elite army created by pouring Ares¡¯ ¡®Fostering Strong Soldiers¡¯ skill and the capital of the royal family. They trained from the beginning with the motto ¡®the Saharan Empire is the enemy¡¯ and their strength was real. They mastered various skills, including advanced riding skills that were difficulty to obtain. They actually had a great record in the war with the empire.


    ¡®The king must be very angry. I wasn¡¯t expecting him to dispatch such strong troops.¡¯


    He thought they would leave them in order to respond to any attack from the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®Indeed... They won¡¯t have to worry about an empire raid if they overpower us quickly.¡¯


    The number of troops currently in the Ares Army broke a yer¡¯smon sense. It was a huge 30,000. It was three timesrger than the armored elite troops. But that wasn¡¯tforting.


    ¡®The average of the newly recruited troops after the war with the empire is only 170. On the other hand, the average level of the armoured elite troops has risen to 290 since the war.¡¯


    The 30,000 soldiers would just be good prey for the armored elite troops.


    ¡®The soldiers are a poison rather than a help. The level of the armored elite troops will rise in real time during the war and will get out of control.¡¯


    Just like in the war against the empire.


    One of the resources that Ares gave to the armored elite troops was to recover all their resources during a level up. This would exert tremendous havoc in a war. They would be stronger when fighting battles. The modifier ¡®undead army¡¯ could be attached to them.


    ¡®It is better to confront the armored elite troops with a handful of elite soldiers. We will use gueri warfare.¡¯


    He was referring to the Ares Army.


    Ares Army. A guild with Ares as the master, there was a total of 200 members. Apart from 28 production sses, the remaining personnel all hadbat sses and their average level exceeded 300.


    ¡®On the other hand, the armored elite troops haven¡¯t reached their third advancement yet. If I add the 162 members of Overgeared, we should be able to tie their feet for a while.¡¯


    Four days. Four dayster, Ares¡¯ Fostering Strong Soldiers would be activated again. They would win if they could buy time until then. Scott was convinced and then he heard a new report.


    "The reinforcements from the Overgeared Guild have arrived. H-However.¡±


    ¡°However?¡±


    ¡°T-That... There are only five people.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Scott¡¯s face distorted like a demon.


    ¡°Those fools!¡±


    They arranged for this situation to happen in order to establish the alliance, only to not send enough power?


    ¡®It is a n to weaken our forces while building the alliance!¡¯


    Anger started to rise in Scott¡¯s heart. The Overgeared Guild. He never thought that a group iming to have the strongest yers in the world would be third-rate people like this.


    ¡®It¡¯s frustrating to know that the people we are allied with aren¡¯t trustworthy.¡¯


    Scott clicked his tongue and headed for the VIP room. He took a deep breath in front of the door and controlled his mind. It was an effort to suppress his anger.


    ¡®I can¡¯t leave any ws in Ares¡¯ honor.¡¯


    Ares asked him to treat the guests well. It didn¡¯t matter if they didn¡¯t respond equally. Scott barely suppressed his anger and knocked on the door of the VIP room. At that moment.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Scott doubted his ears as he heard a woman¡¯s voiceing from the VIP room. It was charming and attractive. It was the voice of the famous Jishuka.


    ¡®Godly archer...!¡¯


    The actions she showed during the Eternal War were overwhelming. She was unmatched inrge-scale battles. She was one of the few people Ares admired, as well as Grid and Kraugel.


    ¡®Even if there are only five people, the story is different if there is the expert archer.¡¯


    It was fortunate. The Overgeared Guild wasn¡¯tpletely third-rate. Scott opened the door to the VIP room.


    ¡°Wee...¡±


    The moment he was about to sincerely greet the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    He saw a man with shoulders broad enough to cover half the window. A ck-haired man with an impressive nose, sharp eyes and high forehead.


    ¡°Overgeared King...!¡±


    It was Grid. The person who broke the sky and eventually became the first yer to sit on the throne. He was part of the reinforcements that the Overgeared Guild sent.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    A legendary cksmith and king. Out of the two billion users, Grid should be the busiest person right now. He was a star in the sky, just like Ares. He wasn¡¯t someone who could be met easily. He came directly to the Ares Army who formed a temporary alliance out of necessity.


    It was something that couldn¡¯t be imagined. Gridughed at Scott, who was baffled before he met a big shot without any preparations.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you have epted the alliance. I want to give a small gift as a memento.


    ¡°A small... Gift?¡±


    Scott asked after hearing Grid¡¯s words. Grid asserted confidently.


    "I will deal with half of the enemies who invaded your territory within two days.¡±


    ¡°...Hat!¡±


    Scott unintentionallyughed. Grid was too naive.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t he understand the situation?¡¯


    The power of the Ares Army must by roughly known by the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®He saw that we couldn¡¯t prevent the advance of the royal army so shouldn¡¯t he be aware of the situation?¡¯


    Was the big shot Grid socking in wits?


    ¡®No, it¡¯s impossible. It must be a joke.


    Grid didn¡¯t really think he could deal with the army. Scott smiled as he was confident that he grasped the person called Grid.


    "It would be really dependable if you could halve the royal army in 30 hours. I really ¡®will believe in you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm, okay. You will do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Point out the unit that you want me to handle.¡±


    Currently, the royal army had split into eight and were advancing. Some of them were particrly difficult to deal with. Scott picked four units and pointed them out.


    "The 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th battalions of the armored elite troops are especially outstanding. Their average level is the same as the other battalions, but theirbat ability is outstanding. They don¡¯t just rely on brute force. Their tactics are very sharp.¡±


    Right now, the routes chosen by the four battalions were very tough. They were areas that would be heard for the Ares Army to reach. But Grid didn¡¯t seem to know the circumstances of the Ares Army.


    ¡°Okay. Let me handle it.¡±


    Grid nodded as he prepared to leave. The silently watching Jishuka, Pon, Regas, and Euphemina all rose from their seats after him.


    Scoot was once again surprised.


    ¡®Pon and Regas?¡¯


    He had been so overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s presence that he hadn¡¯t looked around. He only saw Pon and Regas now.


    ¡®The Overgeared King, the divine archer, the white horse prince, and the asura... If Yura and Katz were here, then it would be the Overgeared Guild¡¯s best power.¡¯


    Perhaps Grid¡¯s confidence in handling half of the royal army in two days wasn¡¯t baseless. Grid, Jishuka, Pon, and Regas all had experience withrge wars. In particr, Grid had confronted 100,000 enemies alone. From their viewpoint, 10,000 troops might seem ridiculous.


    ¡®They will soon realize their mistake.¡¯


    The armored elite troops weren¡¯t usual soldiers. Every one of them was as powerful as a ranker and their ability to move in an army was greater than the top rankers. The godly archer Jishuka who burned the whole battlefield by summoning a red phoenix? It couldn¡¯t be used against all the armored elite soldiers. Grid, Pon, and Regas weren¡¯t worthparing to Jishuka when it came torge-scale battles. They wouldn¡¯t be able to perform well and would sooner orter be pushed back.


    ¡®But that is enough.¡¯


    They only needed to buy time until Ares¡¯ Fostering Strong Soldiers skill was activated.


    ¡®Four dayster, we can defeat the armored elite troops and induce a ceasefire.¡¯


    While the Belto Kingdom was recovering from the damage, they wouldy the foundations for strengthening their army and upy the Belto Kingdom with Ares¡¯ power. Scott was convinced. His eyes shone with strong confidence as he dreamt of a radiant future.


    However, Grid misunderstood.


    ¡¯We seem to be reliable. The vision of Ares¡¯ number two is very high.¡¯


    Grid smiled with satisfaction.


    ***


    "Grid? Jishuka? Pon? Regas?¡±


    Luck¡¯s eyes gleamed as he checked the list of reinforcements from Overgeared.


    "The founding heroes of the Overgeared Guild? What a surprise?¡±


    The form of the alliance proposed by the Overgeared members was very unpleasant. It was because Luck felt they were puppets who were forced to ept the alliance due to the situation created by the Overgeared Guild. Luck thought that the alliance with Overgeared wouldn¡¯tst long. He wanted to ovee this crisis and destroy the alliance.


    However, the details of the members sent by the Overgeared Guild were too shy. He didn¡¯t like the way this alliance was proposed, but he felt proud that the Overgeared Guild was taking it seriously.


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t dare jeopardize this. They won¡¯t stab us in the back while the empire is still strong.¡±


    It was Scott¡¯s thoughts and Luck agreed.


    "It should be fine. The problem is that the empire will always be strong.¡±


    Luck clearly realized that the empire was on a another dimension after the war. The power of the contemporary Red Knights was much stronger than predicted and the 1st knight was overwhelming.


    ¡¯I can¡¯tpete from the 5th knight onwards.¡¯


    From the 4th knight, it was like meeting a wall. Then the third knight was on apletely different dimension. They could easily overpower Kraugel in his prime with only one hand.


    ¡°Anyway, the most curious thing is the ability of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s founding heroes.¡±


    How long could they hold out against the armored elite troops? Luck decided that it would be three days. Of course, this was just a story of one battalion.


    ¡®If they use guerri warfare well and drag out the time...¡¯


    Luck and Scott were looking forward to seeing it. Then the two of them saw the guild chat window.


    @ The third armored elite troops battalion...!!


    ¡°What?¡±


    It had been less than half a day since they received news that Grid arrived. Luck and Scott didn¡¯t understand and asked at the same time.


    @ Did Jishuka¡¯s red phoenix work on the armored elite troops?


    @ Did Grid summon two red phoenixes?


    No, it wasn¡¯t just that. It was highly likely that Grid, Jishuka, Pon, and Regas all poured out their ultimate skills.


    ¡®But even so...¡¯


    To defeat one battalion of armored elite troops in half a day... Scott and Luck couldn¡¯t understand it. Then a shocking answer arrived.


    @ No, Grid summoned four red phoenixes!


    @ Yes, four...


    @... Red phoenixes?

 Chapter 652

    "Four red phoenixes... The God¡¯s Command ability again?¡±


    The informationwork of the Ares Army was excellent. Unlike Grid, whocked information gathering capacity, Ares¡¯ information gathering power was at the level of the highest yers and the Ares Army knew about the ¡®7 malignant episodes.¡¯


    Three top-rated passive attack skills, three passive defense skills, and the corrupt passive could be acquired from the 7 malignant episodes. The Ares Army didn¡¯t know exactly how to acquire the seven skills, but they could infer how the skills worked. Due to this, they discovered that Grid had God¡¯s Command. It was because he used his ultimate skill two consecutive times during the Belial raid and summoned four red phoenixes during the war against Eternal.


    ¡®But isn¡¯t God¡¯s Command activated on a probability?¡¯


    Grid seemed to trigger God¡¯s Command too often. It was almost at the level of activating to his will.


    ¡®Is he wearing an item that increases his good luck stat?¡¯


    ¡®Or his natural luck is too good.¡¯


    Scott and Luck were questioning this when new reports came from the guild members monitoring Grid¡¯s battle.


    @ Grid summoned another two red phoenixes...! It¡¯s a total of six red phoenixes!


    ¡°?!?!¡±


    "Didn¡¯t he already use God¡¯s Command when he summoned four?¡±


    Scott and Luck reyed the video of the Eternal battle. It was in order to determine Grid¡¯sbat capabilities.


    ¡®Two of the four golden hands turned into two bows.¡¯


    ¡®One of them was used by Grid and the other was used by the remaining two golden hands.¡¯


    ¡®Wait...¡¯


    ¡¯...Is it possible to turn all four hands into bows?¡¯


    They thought about it.


    ¡°Crazy..!¡±


    Scott and Luck got goosebumps. In particr, Luck received a huge impact. Why? Luck had been evaluating Grid at a level simr to himself.


    ¡®But I was wrong.¡¯


    Grid was above him. Luck realized this and could onlyugh.


    ¡¯Kraugel, is this your rival?¡¯


    ***


    Bultail ins. It was a meadow with small rocks as obstacles. It was a space that could maximize the strength of the armored elite troops, who had the options of ¡®increase speed and agility on t ground¡¯ and ¡®additional attack power when charging 100 meters.¡¯ The armored elite troops were overflowing with confidence. They were confident that they could even win against the empire if it was on this vast ins.


    "During the march, no rebel will be able to block our way.¡±


    The leader of the armored elite troops 3rd Battalion, Pastano. Confidence filled the dark blue eyes that could be seen through matted hair. He believed that his 3rd Battalion would be the first to arrive at the castle of the rebel Duke Ares and that he would be awarded with the greatest achievement.


    ¡°Duke Ares... I once thought of him as a mentor, but not anymore.¡±


    He was certain that he had transcended Ares. But Ares was an object of admiration and Pastano never had a chance to challenge Ares, making him feel regret.


    ¡¯That changed a few days ago.¡¯


    Pastano was extremely delighted when he heard that Duke Ares was looking to overthrow the royal family. Pastano wanted to demonstrate his capabilities to the kingdom.


    ¡°Ares...! Be the cornerstone of my reputation!¡±


    Pastano shouted as loudly as possible as he charged towards where Ares was hiding. The speed of his horse was much faster than usual. He inserted a ghost into the horse, insuring it was never tired and was fearless.


    "Kuahahaha! Forward! Shoot!¡±


    Pastano led 2,500 armored elite troops across the ins. He imagined himself burning the capital of the Ares Duchy that he would arrive at in two days, only to frown.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    One person stood in the path of the advancing armored elite troops. No, it was unclear if it was a person. Pastano couldn¡¯t identify the target since he was too far away.


    ¡®Monster?¡¯


    No human would willingly stand in the path of an army consisting of thousands. Pastano decided that the being in the distance was a monster and cried out.


    "Step on it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Pastanomanded and the armoured elite troops replied. Their voices filled the sky as the strong legs of their horses stirred the earth.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Kiyaaaaaaack!


    The presence, who they thought was a monster, shouted and pulled a gleaming golden bow.


    "?"


    Why was he shouting alone? The armored elite troops flinched but didn¡¯t stop moving. However, they were forced to stop. It was because they witnessed a bird flying in the blue sky. A fiery bird. The legendary sacred creature, a red phoenix. The size was so big that it covered a portion of the sky.


    ¡°Heeok?¡±


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    The surprised Pastano and the armored elite troops reflexively slowed their pace, and this was a huge mistake.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The person shouted once again and pulled the bow.


    Kiyaaaaack!


    "What?¡±


    Another phoenix showed up in the sky.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    "S-Summoning a red phoenix!¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous...!¡±


    The armored elite troops were still human. They had to lose their cool when something didn¡¯t make sense. Pastano tried to calm the confused troops.


    ¡°Keep your minds steady! We are the great armored elite troops! We won¡¯t be fooled by this trick!¡±


    The person who summoned the phoenixes were likely to be subordinates of Ares. But when he thought calmly, there was no reason to be afraid. It didn¡¯t make sense that a human could summon the legendary red phoenix. That¡¯s right. Pastano judged that the two phoenixes in the sky were a trick. It was ast hurrah from Ares to tie up their feet.


    "Rush in at full force! Trample on the fool who dares try to deceive us and burn all of Ares¡¯nds!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The armored elite troops regained theirposure at Pastano¡¯smand and their horses started running again. However, it was already toote. The man in the distance pulled out two more golden bows and fired them.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Kiiiiiiing!


    Hwaruruk!


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Even the sun was swallowed. Four red phoenixes appeared in the sky, their zing bodies covering the whole sky. Now it wasn¡¯t sunshine but mes that lit up the grasnds.


    ¡°Four red...


    ¡°Phoenixes...!!¡±


    Pastano and the armored elite troops were shocked. To be honest, they were werepletely scared. It might be a trick, but the heat of the mes could be felt on their skin. The soldiers were confused, but narrowed the distance without stopping. Then the man below the four phoenixes gave them even greater despair.


    "Two more! Fly Up!¡±


    God¡¯s Command. In the process of transforming the four God Hands into the Red Phoenix Bows and using it four times, Grid¡¯s God¡¯s Command skill was activated twice. It was only a half chance. Thanks to this, six red phoenixes filled the sky and the sum of their power overtook the Fly Up! of the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow.


    Kurururung!


    Fire fell indefinitely. The green ins burned instantly.


    ¡°Uwaaaaack!¡±


    ¡°H-Help me...! Hiiik!¡±


    The mes that wouldn¡¯t go out. The world had nothing to fear as the armored elite troops burned.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid gained five levels from wiping out less than 3,000 troops? It was unforgettable experience. The bewildered Grid finally noticed.


    "Are they actually high level soldiers?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The members of the Ares Army were silent as they watched Grid. Their lives seemed to be in vain after seeing Grid kill the armored elite troops so easily.


    ¡®An ignorant and uncouth human...¡¯


    ¡®He seems to be as strong as Ares?¡¯


    How frightening would he be when he became their enemyter?!


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The shocked Ares members regained their senses. It was because a survivor appeared in the 3rd Battalion, who they thought had been wiped out. It was the 3rd Battalion¡¯s leader, Pastano. He survived the constant rain of fire, showing that the battalion leaders were on a different dimension.


    ¡°You! Who are you?¡±


    A leader who lost his troops would be condemned. Yes, Pastano had lost everything. His honor, power, and status. He was forced to give up his ambitions and only had rage left.


    ¡°I will kill you! I will kill you!¡±


    <i>Kuaaah!</i>


    Pastano roared and shot towards Grid. He was able to reach 100 meters in an instant and got additional charging power, showing a fearsome sight. A cavalry¡¯s dash was said to be more powerful than anything else and Pastano¡¯s force was terrifying. But distinct strengths always had a weakness. The cavalry¡¯s dash attack was in a straight line, which meant it was vulnerable to a counterattack.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve.¡±


    Kwajajajajak!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Pastano¡¯s chest armor was breached. The +7 Sword Ghost moved in a circle and turned Pastano¡¯s attack back on him.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Pastano felt great confusion as he was injured.


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t a summoner?¡¯


    The ck-haired man in front of him had summoned six legendary red phoenixes. Pastano didn¡¯t know how he summoned sacred creatures, but he was sure that this man was a summoner. If Pastano could narrow the distance, the man would be easily suppressed. But what was this?


    ¡°Swordsmanship... How can a summoner use a sword? Cough, cough!¡±


    A fatal blow had been dealt to Pastano. Grid tried to show mercy to him who was bleeding. It was the mercy of death, which would free Pastano from suffering.


    ¡°Now I will be killed by a summoner? How can I lose my manliness?¡±


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid was surprised while aiming for Pastano¡¯s neck. It was because Pastano blocked his attack with a spear.


    ¡®His reactions aren¡¯t dull?¡¯


    Pastano had been hit by the six phoenixes. His health gauge was extremely low and his whole body was injured. A normal humanoid NPC wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up in this state. Yet Pastano moved quickly and precisely defended against Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡®This is enough!¡¯


    He had gained five levels from the armoured elite troops. The level of their leader shouldn¡¯t be low. In addition, the reason they could be so strong was purely because of Ares. Grid once again felt afraid of Ares. The power of Ares as an individual hadn¡¯t yet been grasped, but the strength of the army he created was amazing. He wanted to avoid a war with the Ares Army.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Pastano roared and attacked Grid. But his remaining health was too low. He died the moment Grid struck him twice. Grid was once again shocked.


    [The leader of the armored elite troops 3rd Battalion, Pastano, has been defeated!]


    [The armored elite troops are burning with desire for revenge against you! The armored elite troops will exert more power when facing you in the future!]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    He got a penalty instead of a reward? The Ares troops came over to the baffled Grid and exined.


    "This is the characteristic of those who have been given leadership by Ares.¡±


    ¡°Those who are strong enough to kill Ares¡¯manders...¡±


    "The Ares Army¡¯s potential will explode against them.¡±


    "Kraugel was a victim of this.¡±


    The intentions of the Ares members¡¯ exnation to Grid was simple. They wanted him to feel fear. Grid¡¯s response was beyond the expectations of the Ares troops.,


    ¡°The penalty obtained from killing the battalion leader has no meaning to me. I don¡¯t intend to meet the armored elite troops again in the future.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "My colleagues will kill the remaining armored elite troops.¡±


    Grid¡¯s meaning was also very simple. The penalty incurred by killing Ares¡¯manders? He wasn¡¯t afraid because of his strong colleagues.


    The two forces had already started their war of nerves.

 Chapter 653

    Pured Bridge.


    It was a bridge crossing a river that was bigger than ake. It belonged to the Belto Kingdom and was one of the core transportation routes. It was called the ¡®immortal bridge¡¯ because it never copsed.


    Dudududududu!


    There were 300 horses marching on the bridge. There were so many that a person had to stare closely at the legs to find out that there were 300 horses. It was the armored elite troops¡¯ 4th Battalion.


    "Speed up!¡±


    The 4th Battalion¡¯s specialty was to be swift and surprising. It was in order to supplement the disadvantage of having low numbers.


    "Quickly upy the watchtower at the end of the bridge!¡±


    If their surprise attack was exposed by the enemy guarding the watchtower, things could be annoying. Bocard, leader of the 4th Battalion, believed this and prompted the soldiers. The soldiers responded to his expectations by using advanced skills. Immediately crossing the bridge, they narrowed the distance to the tower to three meters and leapt from their saddle. It was a perfect jump without a loss of bnce!


    Chwaruruk!


    They threw chains that wrapped around the pirs of the watchtower.


    ¡°Enemy...! Eek!¡±


    The Ares soldiers on the watchtower detected it toote and died. It was right to say that they lost their lives the moment they discovered the enemy. The 4th Battalion was extremely stealthy and quick.


    "The enemy!"


    The guards weren¡¯t aware of the enemy¡¯s intrusion until half their defense had disappeared. By then, it was toote. The armored elite troops had already climbed up the chains and were running wild in the watchtower.


    "Set a fire! We must inform the others of the enemy¡¯s intrusion!¡±


    The Pured Bridge was in a fully exposed location so it was easy to monitor. That¡¯s why the defense became conceited. They never imagined the armored elite troops would break through here and were too rxed. Pured¡¯s defense leader tried to set a signal fire. But the armored elite troops wouldn¡¯t let him. He was quickly suppressed by the soldiers and the fire put out. The defense chief on the ground discovered Bocard.


    "Right now, you are using Duke Ares¡¯ techniques! If it wasn¡¯t for Duke Ares, you wouldn¡¯t exist! How dare you sprinkle blood on Duke Ares¡¯nd?¡±


    "The reason we trained with Duke Ares was for the royal family. Duke Ares was a great general and teacher, but he¡¯s a traitor for betraying the royal family.¡±


    [Quest failed!]


    [You have failed to convince 4th Battalion¡¯s Captain Bocard!]


    [Retreat from Pured Bridge! Make sure Duke Ares knows about the enemy¡¯s intrusion!]


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    The Pured Bridge¡¯s defense chief was a yer of the Ares Army, Baphrang. In fact, he had been disappointed in his role in this war. He was asked to guard the bridge that the enemy would never attack, so he felt like he had been relegated to the periphery. He felt it was unfair because he wouldn¡¯t have a chance to build up achievements. But now his role was very important.


    ¡®It¡¯s over if they break through here.¡¯


    Pured Bridge was the shortest route to reach Ares¡¯ city. What if he gave way to the enemy here? Ares would be surprised without a chance to properly defend.


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous. Somehow I have to pass the news to Ares!¡¯


    If he used the guild chat or whisper system then he could easily tell Ares about the enemy¡¯s invasion. But the problem was that a quest was currently in progress. The moment that armored elite troops, Baphrang, received the penalty of having all rangedmunications blocked. He had to run directly to the castle.


    ¡°Hat!¡±


    Baphrang jumped off the watchtower. A man in heavy armor jumping out of a six meter high tower? He would surely be injured by the fall effect. But Baphrang was a third advancement user and had good control. He used a charge just before his two feet neared the ground, twisted the orbit of his body and countered gravity.


    However, he couldn¡¯t escape. It was because Bocard predicted Baphrang¡¯snding point and threw a spear.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Bocard was a master of the spear. The spear he threw prated Baphrang¡¯s heart and dealt a critical injury. Baphrang lost one third of his health at once. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    Kwajijijik!


    Lightning emerged from Bocard¡¯s spear. Baphrang was damaged by the lightning and received the additional status of being stunned.


    ¡®Damn bastards!¡¯


    Baphrang couldn¡¯t move. Due to the electric shock, he couldn¡¯t drink potions and could only watch as the armored elite troops rushed towards him.


    ¡®It is the end!¡¯


    Baphrang saw his death and closed his eyes. The frustration he felt was very big. If he died here, he was likely to be med and expelled from the Ares Army. His splendid future guaranteed in the Ares Army would disappear.


    ¡®XX! If only I was alert!¡¯


    He would¡¯ve discovered the enemy more quickly and would¡¯ve been able to light the signal fire. Baphrang felt regret. He listened to the sound of the hooves approaching and was ready to die. He gave up on his brilliant future. It was a hell-like moment. Then at that moment...


    Kururung!


    A lightning bolt fell from the clear sky. It was a huge and intensely destructive lightning bolt that couldn¡¯t bepared to Bocard¡¯s lightning spear.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The sound tore at their ears.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The armored elite troops were shocked due to the lightning bolt that fell at close range. They stopped the spears aiming at Baphrang and spread out in different directions. It was an instinctive survival need that drove their actions.


    Gulp!


    There was silence for a while. There was only the sound of the armored elite troops gulping. The armored elite troops doubted their eyes. It was due to the light on the ground. That¡¯s right. The lightning bolt that fell from the sky didn¡¯t disappear. The intense presence still existed on the ground. But the more surprising thing...


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    The still lightning started to move.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    The lightning that fell from the sky didn¡¯t disappear, but moved by itself? The armored elite troops fell into confusion. They didn¡¯t know.


    Asura. Out of the hundreds of tens of thousands of martial artists, only one powerhouse seeded in drawing out the strength of the normal ss!


    ¡°Regas!¡±


    Baphrang eximed.


    "Lightning Dragon Ascension!¡±


    Supak!


    Regas maximized his movement speed and agility as he moved around the armored elite troops.


    Peeng!


    Up!


    Kwajak!


    To the top.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    There was an onught every time he instantly appeared. It was an attack speed that couldn¡¯t be followed with the eyes. The armored elite troops couldn¡¯t react and allowed Regas¡¯ attacks.


    ¡®I can¡¯t...!¡¯


    ¡®...Respond!¡¯


    Kwajajajak!


    Regas¡¯ fists and feet struck the armored elite troops. There was a thunderous sound every time there was a collision with the armored elite troops and they were caught by the electric shock. The person who appeared at this time was Pon.


    "I didn¡¯t want to interfere.¡±


    The Ares Army would be an enemy in the future. Pon thought it was right to appear after Baphrang died. But Regas was someone who honored the spirit of Taekwondo since he was a child. He couldn¡¯t stand back and watch when an ally was in trouble and eventually rescued Baphrang.


    "So I listened to him. Well, it¡¯s good for you.¡±


    Theughing Pon threw a ck spear as hard as possible. Then.


    Peeeeeong!


    It simultaneously pierced the bodies of multiple armored elite troops who were stunned by Regas¡¯ attack. It was the power of Mach Spear, which manifested using Belial¡¯s Spear that he gained as a national reward. Baphrang couldn¡¯t close his mouth.


    ¡®Pon and Regas were so strong?¡¯


    Of course, Baphrang knew that the Overgeared members were top ss. But he looked down on most of them apart from Grid, Yura, Jishuka, and Katz. He was mistaken.


    ¡®Regas¡¯ swiftness and Pon¡¯s damage... It isn¡¯t top ss in the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    World ss.


    Chill.


    Baphrang got goosebumps at the evaluation. Regas approached and held out a hand to him.


    ¡°Can you rise?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Regas was smiling so happily? Baphrang was embarrassed when meeting Regas¡¯ transparent gaze.


    ¡®I will be your enemy someday, but you¡¯re treating me like a real colleague?¡¯


    Baphrang was convinced. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that Regas appeared when he was in a crisis. Regas came to help him.


    ¡®How big-hearted is the Overgeared Guild?¡¯


    On the other hand, himself? He was too embarrassed to im himself as Ares¡¯ subordinate. He had been disgruntled since being appointed to defend Pured Bridge and didn¡¯t fulfill his mission. He didn¡¯t think about taking care of his colleagues, only building up his own achievements.


    "I am ashamed...¡±


    He would take a leaf out of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s book. Baphrang grabbed Regas¡¯ hand and got up. His gaze was filled with obvious liking and respect as he looked at Regas.


    "How great is Grid that he has people like you as his subordinates...? I can¡¯t even guess.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Regas was bewildered while Pon was in pain from all hisughing.


    ***


    @ The 4th Battalion has copsed under the cooperation of Pon and Regas.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Ares troops received Baphrang¡¯s report. The 4th Battalion was a small and elite group. Their ability in guerri warfare was very threatening. It wasn¡¯t Grid or Jishuka, but Pon and Regas who destroyed them?


    ¡°It would be possible if Baphrang efficiently operated the defenses of the Pured Bridge.¡±


    Someone guessed and everyone agreed. But Scott and Luck thought differently.


    "No, the power of the Overgeared Guild is more than we guessed.¡±


    ¡°I think the items they obtained from the great demon raid were much bigger than expected. They¡¯re a lot stronger than what they showed in the Belial raid.¡±


    ¡°Stronger than they were during the Belial raid? Then what type of monster has Jishuka be?¡±


    "Grid is overwhelming in a way. 20,000... No, it¡¯s right topare her to Ares when Ares managed 30,000 troops.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the problem. Grid will have great confidence in Jishuka and would tell her to take care of the 1st Battalion.¡±


    ¡°Jishuka will fail her mission and die.¡±


    Unlike the other battalions, the 1st Battalion had several types of soldiers mixed in and their defense was excellent. Jishuka¡¯s red phoenix wouldn¡¯t be able to prate the armored elite troops¡¯ defense.


    ¡°But it won¡¯t be useless. Her role is to consume the enemy¡¯s stamina.¡±


    "Yes, I expect the same thing. The 1st Battalion will be exhausted dealing with Jishuka and it will be easy for us to handle them afterwards.¡±


    The experience that the 1st Battalion dropped would be theirs. The Ares members were confident of this when a new message appeared in the Ares Army¡¯s guild chat.


    @ The 1st Battalion has encountered an Overgeared member. But...


    @ What?


    @ It¡¯s a girl called Euphemina, not Jishuka...?


    @ Euphemina?


    @ Who¡¯s that?


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why was the development always strange?

 Chapter 654

    Duplicator.


    It was rare for people to know it, but it was the first hidden ss that appeared in Satisfy along with Baal¡¯s Contractor and Blood Warrior. If the skill was below the epic rating, it could be unconditionally copied and used like her own skill. It would be used depending on the need.


    Once a Duplicator had copied arge number of skills, thebat power and effectiveness that it exerted was the ultimate strength. Even the Overgeared King Grid was convinced he would lose if he fought Euphemina in a perfect state.


    ¡°Who is that girl?¡±


    It was the armored elite troops¡¯ 1st Battalion. It was the strongest unit of the Belto Kingdom that tied up the feet of the Saharan Empire during the war. They doubted their eyes as the approached the capital of the Ares Duchy. It was because Parklu Fortress, which should be empty after the soldiers retreated, currently had a girl on its walls. She was a cute girl with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.


    ¡°A civilian who didn¡¯t escape?¡±


    But that was too confident. She was standing on the walls without holding a white g in her hand. 1st Battalion chief Zen signalled to the archers.


    ¡°Kill her.¡±


    Duke Ares was a great person. Any weak person could be a soldier and then a knight under his training. The girl on the wall seemed fragile, but she was likely a secret weapon that Ares raised. The march would be disrupted if he didn¡¯t pay attention to any suspicious existences. It was correct to block the unknown variables from the beginning.


    Kkirik!


    The armoured elite archers hesitated for a moment after hearing Zen¡¯smand before drawing their bows. The distance to the wall was 500 meters. The wind direction was also bad. However the armored elite troops had the ¡®80% increase in uracy with arrows¡¯ passive skill. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to see the target that was 500 metres away using Hawk Eyes.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    10 jaffa arrows flew in a parab. All 10 were capable of hitting the girl on the wall. Everyone foresaw the girl¡¯s death. Everyone except for the girl.


    ¡°There is a total of 200 archers... I have to defend.¡±


    Euphemina used the skill that she copied from Jeff, master of the Zeraph Guild¡¯ and first ce on the Qigong Master rankings.


    ¡°Deny Reason.¡±


    One of the ultimate techniques of a third advancement ss of a Qigong Master, Defying the Natural Order.


    Paang!


    Papapapang!


    Hundreds of spheres reminiscent of water droplets appeared around Euphemina. Next.


    Sururuk.


    The 10 arrows that wanted to pierce Euphemina¡¯s body were swallowed up by the spheres. It was a force that neutralized all projectiles. The armored elite troops raised their speed.


    ¡°Qigong Master!¡±


    "Ranged attacks are futile! Maintain your minds and approach!¡±


    ¡°Shield soldiers stand at the front and archers stop attacking! There¡¯s the possibility of being hit back by those spheres!¡±


    The officers quickly gavemands and the armored elite troops reached the bottom of the wall in an instant. But it was useless. They couldn¡¯t threaten Euphemina. They couldn¡¯t climb the walls.


    ¡°Earthquake. Blizzard. Thunderstorm. Volcano.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She was a magician, not a Qigong Master? She was also a magician who unfolded the ¡®top magic¡¯ of four attributes without casting!


    ¡°Great magician!¡±


    Kurururung!


    The earth copsed.


    Jjejeok!


    Jjejejejeok!


    The bodies of the armored elite troops were weakened by the freezing snowstorm.


    Kwajik!


    Pajijijijijik¨D!


    Lightning struck the frozen armored elite troops, dealing critical blows.


    Then.


    Kurururung!


    A volcano rose from the copsed earth and spread magma that was a disaster to the armored elite troops.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°How can all these spells be linked...?¡±


    Pandemonium!


    The armored elite troops were defenseless against the linked magic. Zen shook his head as he saw his subordinates trying to escape from the volcanic eruption.


    ¡®There¡¯s a great magician among Duke Ares¡¯ people!¡¯


    There were many magicians who dealt with all attributes. But they couldn¡¯t use top attribute specific magic, unlike the magicians who concentrated on one attribute. That¡¯s right. The existence of a magician who could cast the top magic of each attribute was called a great magician by the world. The blonde girl might like young and tender, but she was one of the top 10 magicians on the continent.


    ¡®No! More than that!¡¯


    A great magician was still a magician. They couldn¡¯t use the techniques of a Qigong Master. The girl first used the skill of a Qigong Master topensate for the weakness of a great magician. Indeed.


    ¡®...Aplete person!¡¯


    Gulp!


    Zen inwardly eximed and swallowed his saliva.


    ¡°Get off the walls! The hammer troops will smash it down!¡±


    The armored elite troops boasted a strong body. There were seriously injured people from Euphemina¡¯s magic, but there was not one casualty. Once the volcano disappeared, they quickly recovered from their pain and rose again. They used the best skills they had to simultaneously hit the walls. Then.


    Kuuong!


    Kurururung!


    The wall that Euphemina was on started copsing and the armored elite troops showed off their agility to avoid the rocks.


    Teook!


    Tadak!


    The armored elite troops avoided the wreckage of the walls and Euphemina became surrounded by 1,000 of them.


    "Die, Witch!"


    It was difficult to determine Euphemina¡¯s exact identity. They were forced to evaluate her as a monster that transcended human categorization. Heat emerged from the ends of the skys and contained enough force to evaporate the clouds in the sky. However, it wasn¡¯t a threat to Euphemina.


    ¡°White Light Steps.¡±


    Supaak!


    ¡°....!!¡±


    White Light Steps. It was a skill that was hard to control and achieved its best effect under intense sunlight or clear moonlight. The top footwork skill loved by Kraugel waspletely reproduced by Euphemina.


    ¡®Gone?¡¯


    Zen lost the target. It was like she was a ghost.


    ¡°Assist the battalionmander!¡±


    The 200 archers of the battalion had been forced to keep their distance. As soon as they noticed theirmander¡¯s confusion, they started shooting randomly. They didn¡¯t think that Euphemina was still controlling the spheres despite using several magic spells in a row. It was impossible for them to understand the control skills of a genius yer, rather than a named NPC.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Something could be sensed from Euphemina. Zen cried out with astonishment as he felt hundreds of arrows rising from the ground He knew. The spheres hovering in the air were still under the control of the blonde girl.


    Sururuk.


    Suruk...sururuk.


    The moment that the arrows were swallowed up by the spheres.


    "Sonic Boom."


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    It was the ultimate magic of Zednos, the 1st ranked wind magician. The magic was used above Zen¡¯s head.


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    It was something that human hearing couldn¡¯t endure. Zen and the other armored elite troops copsed to the ground, blood pouring from their ears. The wind pressure that followed crushed the flesh and bones, while the arrows trapped in the spheres flew out.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has ri....]


    ...


    ...


    [The leader of the armored elite troops¡¯ 1st Battalion, Zen, has been defeated!]


    [The armored elite troops are burning with desire for revenge against you! The armored elite troops will exert more power when facing you in the future!]


    ***


    @ Euphemina is a magician of Overgeared who was active in the Reinhardt golem invasion.


    @ Ah... The girl who killed the golems?


    The Ares Army had been paying attention to the Overgeared Guild for quite a long time. They glimpsed the potential of Grid and the Overgeared members from the beginning. They watched the battle videos of the golem invasion several times. They couldn¡¯t forget the beautiful female magician who had a great influence on the situation at the time.


    @ She did an outstanding job of getting rid of the golems, but she couldn¡¯t scratch the ancient weapons.


    @ She didn¡¯t y a big part in the war against the Eternal Kingdom or show a presence in the Belial raid.


    @ Her poprity isn¡¯t high... Why did Grid send her to the 1st Battalion?


    @ It¡¯s to buy time. She will tie up the feet of the 1st Battalion while Grid, Jishuka, Regas, and Pon repel the other battalions.


    @ Indeed... A magician¡¯s wide area magic makes it easy to buy time.


    @ The more I know Grid, the more he seems like a loyal person. He¡¯s determined to sacrifice his colleagues in order to keep this alliance rtionship.


    @ Grid cares about poprity. We can trust and rely on him as long as this alliance is maintained.


    @ Yes, he¡¯s a respectable person.


    The Ares troops couldn¡¯t deny Grid¡¯s charms. They admired Grid¡¯s bold determination that allowed him to sacrifice his colleagues for the alliance. They thought that Euphemina was also a big person for believing and sacrificing herself under Grid¡¯s orders.


    @ Overgeared Guild... They can¡¯t be ignored.


    @ The 1st Battalion copsed...!


    @ She¡¯s likely to be stronger than Kraugel and Agnus.


    @ The 1st Battalion copsed!


    @ It isn¡¯t the same level as Agnus. The power of that madman can¡¯t be measured at all.


    @ It¡¯s even more desperate due to all the necromancers following Agnus. Later, the under army led by Agnus alone can approach the hundreds of thousands.


    @ The 1st Battalion was wiped out!


    ¡°...¡±


    The Ares members in a heated debate simultaneously closed their mouths. It was due to the ridiculous words that appeared in the guild chat window. Someone could no longer overlook it and replied angrily.


    @ The 1st Battalion was wiped out? Don¡¯t joke around in this atmosphere.


    @ We have been overvaluing the Overgeared Guild for a long time.


    As the Ares members thought this, a colleague spying on the battlefield of the 1st Battalion sent in the guild chat.


    @ It¡¯s true! Euphemina wiped out the 1st Battalion alone!


    ¡°...¡±


    It was crazy nonsense. Even Jishuka couldn¡¯t go against the 1st Battalion alone. There were 2,000 troops, five different types of soldiers, and the bnce was excellent. The Saharan Empire¡¯s army could be controlled for a while thanks to the efforts of the 1st Battalion. Yet Euphemina wiped them out by herself? In addition...


    @ In only 12 minutes?


    The report that Euphemina had encountered the 1st Battalion hade exactly 12 minutes ago. The Ares members got a chill down their spines as they confirmed the time.

 Chapter 655

    -I¡¯ve finished cleaning up the 1st Battalion.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was said simply. It was like someone finished cleaning a room. 2,000 elite troops were easily killed. Grid was covered with sweat as he saw the whisper and replied to Euphemina.


    -Are.you.okay¨J??Was it¨K hard¨J?You.I.Bothersome.Work¨J?I was worr.ied. <i>(Tone marks: Grid¡¯s voice going up and down)</i>


    Of course, Grid cherished all his colleagues. But among them, his feelings towards Euphemina were special. It was a fear of dying. Grid was always nervous and tried not to make any mistakes in front of her. He was like a mouse in front of a beast.


    Thus, whenever he talked to Euphemina, it was like he was reading from a bilingual book. Euphemina just thought that Grid was especially kind to her. She had to be equally friendly to Grid.


    -Why is it bothersome?I¡¯m happy to y an active role for the Overgeared Kingdom.Give me many opportunities in the future.


    -Ah, yes...Y-Yes?I¡¯m thankful for your words.Ha.ha.


    -But...


    -Huh?


    -I think Ares¡¯ power is really great.We must be alert.


    Euphemina¡¯s voice was heavy. To be honest, she felt a great shock.


    -The armored elite troops...None of them died despite being hit by four S-grade magic spells in session. The attributes that Ares gave to the armored elite troops included magic resistance and increased health. What would¡¯ve happened if one or two healers were among them?


    -...Granting attributes.


    The value of the information obtained by the Overgeared Guild in this war was very high. The armored elite troops were directly trained by Ares. The number of skills and attributes possessed by the armored elite troops were so varied as to beparable to named monsters. In many circumstances, Ares seemed to have the ability to forcibly raise the level of his soldiers and to give them skills and attributes.


    In other words, it was a scam.


    ¡®Of course, there are likely to be big restraints. But even considering that...¡¯


    Over time, the strength of the Ares Army would increase dramatically. It would be in full swing the moment the Belto Kingdom was upied.


    ¡®He can constantly produce the best units based on the vast territories, people, and taxes.¡¯


    The thought was threatening. The future Ares Army could have military powerparable to the empire. Euphemina was worried about this part.


    -The armored elite troops belong to the Belto royal family.They aren¡¯t strictly part of Ares¡¯ army.Ares is likely to have trained ¡®proper¡¯ armored elite troops.But based on this...The strength of the army that Ares nurtures with all his heart will exceed our imagination.We shouldn¡¯t give Ares time to grow.


    The reason why Grid and Euphemina could take care of the armored elite troops rtively easily was because of their overwhelming attack power. Both of them had legendary rated weapons and used top rated skills in a ¡®continuous¡¯ manner, allowing them to kill the armored elite troops. But what if the armored elite troops were more powerful? If they had a few healers like Euphemina said, it was likely that even Grid and Euphemina would be countered by the armored elite troops. Grid and Euphemina wouldn¡¯t be able to easily handle the army Ares would raise in the future.


    -It doesn¡¯t seem good to maintain this alliance for long.If we hold Ares¡¯ hand in fear of the empire, we will be swallowed by Ares.


    -...I know.


    -But what can we do?


    -An alliance with Ares is required in order to survive the empire.


    -That¡¯s right. As Euphemina said, it was dangerous to maintain a long-term alliance with the Ares Army. But.


    Grid spoke as calmly as possible. It was intended to reassure Euphemina.


    -You must not forget about our potential while guarding against the enemy¡¯s potential.Don¡¯t forget.I¡¯m the Overgeared King.The soldiers of Overgeared are wearing my items and are also strong.


    Yes, there was no need to unnecessarily worry. Being afraid of the future Ares Army? Why? The Overgeared Kingdom would be stronger in the future!


    -The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army is just as capable as Ares¡¯ army.No, they can grow stronger than Ares.So don¡¯t be afraid of Ares.


    -...Indeed.I was too short-sighted.


    Euphemina was relieved as she heard the confidence in Grid¡¯s voice. Grid wasn¡¯t aware of it, but Euphemina relied on Grid the most.


    ***


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild? Mmmm, not bad.¡±


    As expected, Jishuka wiped out the 6th Battalion. Grid kept his promise of handling the four battalions of armored elite troops within two days. Ares was surprisingly calm after hearing about it.


    ¡®It¡¯s a natural result given the fact that the battalionmanders in the army aren¡¯t good at strategy and tactics.¡¯


    The true strength of the army was exerted when led by a superiormander. No matter how powerful the army, they wouldn¡¯t be able to exercise their full strength if themander was ipetent. In that sense, it was the limit of the armored elite troops.


    The battalionmanders didn¡¯t have a strategy to raise the true strength of the armored elite troops and eventually fought the Overgeared members head on. Then they were obliterated by strength. It was a cheap price.


    ¡®It¡¯s themander¡¯s capacity that determines the value of the army.¡¯


    This was why Ares was careful about recruiting guild members. Unlike the top ranked members of each ss, Ares¡¯ troops had the ability tomand an army, although theirbat power might be somewhat lower. Ares chose guild members who had good chemistry with his skills.


    "Bring thebat data of the armored elite troops against the Overgeared members. I will train a new army that eliminates the shorings and weaknesses of the armored elite troops.


    Ares¡¯ heart started beating wildly. He was happy when thinking about therge army he could raise using the resources of the Belto Kingdom that would soon fall into his hands.


    ***


    ¡°You have gone to a lot of trouble.¡±


    Scott greeted Grid who returned after taking care of the armored elite troops. His gaze was focused on Euphemina. He was alert despite her cute appearance. Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling proud.


    ¡®It¡¯s natural to be afraid of her.¡¯


    He was d, since Euphemina caused fear in him. Grid smiled as he felt a sense of empathy with Scott. Then Scott started talking.


    "We n to lead the army in four days. Will the Overgeared members be able to support us for that time?¡±


    The goal was naturally the capital of the Belto Kingdom. Scott¡¯s request was reasonable. They would help the Ares Army conquer the Belto Kingdom. This was the condition proposed when the Overgeared Guild offered an alliance. Grid easily nodded.


    "The current members will remain to support the war.¡±


    ¡°You will...?¡±


    Scott was startled. It was a great honor that the king of another kingdom would act for them for the next few days.


    ¡®He has some conscience.¡¯


    Ares was forced to ally with the Overgeared Guild. They were the reason why the Ares Army was branded as traitors by the royal family. Scott had no choice but to dislike Grid and the Overgeared Guild. But he felt confused because Grid became more charming the more Scott discovered.


    ***


    ¡°What?!! The armored elite troops were wiped out?¡±


    The Belto royal family experienced great disorder. They believed the armored elite troops woulde back with news that the Ares Army was wiped out.


    ¡°Duke Ares defeated them, despite losing so many troops in the war with the empire...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that Ares held back his power in the war against the empire! He had nned to deceive the royal family for a long time!¡±


    ¡°Ares is a person who trained the armored elite troops. It isn¡¯t unusual for him to have more hidden.¡±


    The agitated princes trembled. They were afraid. It was doubtful if the Belto royal family could defend against Ares¡¯ counterattack after being weakened by the loss of the armored elite troops.


    ¡°The end... This is the end...¡±


    "That snake has taken everything...!¡±


    The princes were frustrated. The ipetent king remained silent. At that moment.


    ¡°Should I watch? Yes~?¡±


    The door of the meeting room, where only the royal family could enter, was opened without permission and a man entered. It was an impressive looking man with a slim body and pale white skin.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    The golden eyes froze the heart just by looking at them. The madness that dwelled in the man was very violent. The king and princes instinctively felt great fear and sought help.


    ¡®Heeok?¡¯


    The king and princes gazed at the knights waiting in the corridor simultaneously gasped. It was because all the knights guarding the meeting room were killed.


    "W-Who are you?¡±


    He was violent enough to invade the royal family? He seemed like a heretic. But surprisingly, the man presented the g of the empire.


    ¡°I am an envoy sent by the Saharan Empire. Umm, yes. It¡¯s rotten. Kuk! Kukukuk!¡±


    The manughed like it was funny. He licked the sword stained with blood and grabbed the Belto king¡¯s jaw with his hand.


    ¡°Lick my feet. Beg me to save you. Then I will defeat Ares.¡±


    "H-Hik!"


    The Belto king paled as he saw two death knights standing quietly to the left and right of Agnus. This was a nightmare. He wanted to be independent from the empire, but he was desperate from losing the armored elite troops. Now he had to grab onto the empire.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikikik!¡±


    Shake shake!


    Agnus looked down at the Belto king licking his shoes with shame, insult, and fear, and broke out in insaneughter. Protect the Belto Kingdom, gain the hearts of the Belto royal family, and secure the rear of the empire by disposing of the dangerous element called Ares.


    Agnus had long forgotten themands of the empire. He was just enjoying this moment of pleasure.


    Grid and Agnus. The first meeting between small-minded and evil was approaching.

 Chapter 656

    "Did you draw it correctly? A very nice and handsome man. Isn¡¯t it almost at the level of rugged man? Kelkelkel!¡±


    God of War Ares. He was the bigshot closest to gaining the title of First King. Grid now knew. If it wasn¡¯t for Lauel, the throne of first king would¡¯ve been upied by Ares.


    "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone calling themselves handsome. Aren¡¯t your words too much?¡±


    Ares had the ability to make people feelfortable. His cheerful personality and ordinary appearance gavefort and liking to the other person.


    ¡°Have you never heard that you are handsome? That¡¯s strange... Aha, this friend.¡±


    Ares smiled and poked Grid¡¯s side with his elbow.


    "Are you acting modestly in front of your lover?¡±


    ¡®Lover?¡¯


    Where was his lover? Grid followed Ares¡¯ gaze. It was Jishuka. The impressive beauty with tanned skin and elongated limbs like a model. She stood out even in a crowd of hundreds.


    ¡°...She isn¡¯t my lover.¡±


    "I know the rumor that you conquered both Jishuka and Yura.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t conquer them...¡±


    "Obtaining the world¡¯s finest South American flower and Oriental flower... I¡¯m envious, envious. I would¡¯ve had a chance if I was only 10 years younger. Well.¡±


    "No, they aren¡¯t my lovers. Think about it realistically. Unless I was an enviable person who saved the universe in my past life... No, wouldn¡¯t I be trash for having two people as lovers at the same time?¡±


    "Ohu, then you are only dating Yura? The rtionship with Jishuka was just a sh of fire?¡±


    "Sigh, stop talking."


    Grid got the scent of Doran from Ares. He thought it was pointless to bother arguing with the other person. Grid grumbled and turned his head. Ares¡¯ eyes were calm as he looked at Grid.


    ¡®He¡¯s the pure and honest type.¡¯


    It was hard to believe he was the owner of a kingdom. There was no embarrassment and his expression of emotions was honest. The 49 year old Ares knew that people like Grid normally didn¡¯t stab him in the back.


    ¡®Of course, I can¡¯te to a conclusion too quickly.¡¯


    The fact that the first impression was good couldn¡¯t be denied. The Overgeared Guild might¡¯ve used a dirty trick to forge an alliance with the Ares Army, but that had already passed. They were able to easily handle the armored elite troops thanks to the Overgeared members. Ares thought it was right to establish a good rtionship with Grid and the Overgeared Guild from now on.


    ¡°I was just joking. You¡¯re narrow-minded for a hero. Shouldn¡¯t a man have a wider heart? Just like me! Kelkelkel!¡±


    Ares started to make fun of the silent Grid. This old man... No, it was hard to believe he was the leader of the famous Ares Army.


    ¡®We have to be vignt.¡¯


    ¡®Is he acting?¡¯


    Jishuka and Euphemina started to warily watch Ares.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Scott gave a deep sigh. It was like Lauel when he was with Grid. Jishuka and Euphemina scratched their cheeks. They roughly understood what type of person Ares was.


    ***


    Ares really liked Grid¡¯s nature. In addition, he determined that the strength of the Overgeared Guild and the Overgeared Kingdom was necessary in the long term. This alliance might be forced, but he hoped it wouldst a long time.


    Thus, he met Grid with sincerity.


    "It is still insufficient?¡±


    Ares Castle, the central training ground. Ares unveiled the 10,000 new troops he trained.


    "My Fostering Strong Soldiers skill is only level 2, so I can only give 20 types of attributes. The starting level of the soldiers is only 200. Well, it¡¯s much better whenpared to the starting point of the armored elite troops. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s group and the Ares Army guild had gone to see the soldiers. Ares¡¯ behavior of revealing his skills and new army to others was absurd.


    ¡°D-Did you lose your mind?¡±


    Scott screamed out toote. He couldn¡¯t understand why Ares was revealing his hand to Grid and the Overgeared members. Ares shrugged.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already grasped some of my abilities. Why bother concealing what will be revealed over time? It¡¯s better to know early and be smart. Kelkelkel!¡±


    ¡°Hah... Sigh...¡±


    Scott breathed roughly and let out a deep sigh. His usual cool appearance was gone. His face was so haggard he seemed like he would copse. Grid asked a question in this awkward atmosphere.


    ¡°Distinct attributes? Is this the skills they can learn?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... Things like advanced Riding Techniques, advanced Heavy Armor Mastery, intermediate Weapons Mastery and beginner anti-magic shields. Oh, there is also the beginner Charge. There are quite a few? A lot of skill slots are filled because I put in two advanced skills.¡±


    ¡°...This isn¡¯t a joke?¡±


    In Satisfy, there were two ways for a yer to train an army.


    The first was to build a barrack in a territory where they were a lord. Then capital and people would be invested to train soldiers. Depending on the level of the barracks, the level and skills of the soldiers produced varied. It was like a famous game one century ago, XtarXraft. It was convenient to use resources to produce soldiers but they had the disadvantage of a low level and low skills level.


    Secondly, a yer could directly train or instruct his NPCs to recruit and train soldiers. It took a lot more work because they needed to take care of everything. It was time consuming and money consuming. But the soldiers could choose the skills they wanted to learn and the level of the soldiers steadily rose during the training course.


    In conclusion, Grid raised soldiers using both the first and second method. The soldiers produced using the first method were ced in the lower units such as security forces. Meanwhile, the soldiers produced with the second method were trained as elite troops. In particr, the soldiers trained by Asmophel and Piaro were guaranteed to acquire high levels and various skills.


    But separate characteristics were difficult to artificially give. There were many cases of it urring naturally during training. For example, Piaro¡¯s soldiers were given the attribute of ¡®120% increase in adaptation rate to rice fields terrain.¡¯ In any case, this was the conclusion.


    ¡®Even the soldiers directly trained by Piaro and Asmophel can¡¯t acquire dozens of different types of attributes, and advanced skills are impossible.¡¯


    The skills were learned from the beginner level and steadily grew. That was a soldier. Yet Ares¡¯ soldiers had advanced skills from the beginning.


    Ares¡¯ ability was great.


    ¡°A scam... You¡¯re truly great. But wouldn¡¯t big skills have constraints?¡±


    "I will keep it a secret since it¡¯s too disadvantageous for me. Haha!¡±


    "...No, you should tell me. I thought you were broad-minded.¡±


    "I am broad-minded and thorough.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In no time, Grid was at ease talking with Ares. It was like they were old friends. Jishuka, Euphemina, Pon, and Regas showed great interest in Ares¡¯ words. On the other hand, the Ares troops were confused.


    ¡®What¡¯s he thinking?¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild were people they could rely on. But it was impossible to rely on them forever. One day, there would be a confrontation. Yes, they were potential enemies. Why was he giving out information so freely?


    ¡®Grid is also Kraugel¡¯s friend!¡¯


    It was likely that Ares¡¯ information would get exposed to Kraugel and this was disadvantageous in many ways. Ares asked Grid after examining the faces of the concerned members.


    "How about it? Won¡¯t it be overwhelming if your items are added to my army?¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    What if the strongest army trained by Ares was using the strongest armor that Grid produced?


    ¡°The empire? We will chew them up. Of course, it isn¡¯t possible right now. Haha!¡±


    He wanted to obtain the legendary cksmith Grid. Ares sincerely hoped. He believed that the strongest army no one could go against would be born the moment his power wasbined with Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    Aresughed and held out his hand. At this moment, he was radiating a dignityparable to Grid. No, maybe it was even more than him. Themon neighborhood uncle disappeared like it was a lie and a big bear-like threatening body approached.


    ¡®As a specialist in training andmanding soldiers, it¡¯s natural to have a high dignity stat.¡¯


    Grid wondered what his ss was. Grid put aside this question and shook Ares¡¯ hand.


    "Okay, let¡¯s get along well.¡¯


    ***


    The Belto royal pce.


    "The little scum, they¡¯re too slow.¡±


    The person sitting on the throne wasn¡¯t the king. It was Agnus, a man with pale skin and green hair.


    Spin spin.


    A gem-encrusted circr object was being spun in his hands. The crown that symbolized the Belto Kingdom was turned into a mere ything. The Belto king watched this without any anger and carefully asked Agnus.


    "I summoned all the troops that were deployed in each fortress. It¡¯s now possible for the enemy to advance to this ce without any interruptions... Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡±


    The fortresses were defense facilities built in important military ces. The value of the fortresses in a war was great. It was the most suitable facility to repel the enemy. Yet Agnus closed all the fortresses. The enemy could march without a hitch. The Belto king and his men couldn¡¯t understand Agnus¡¯ intentions.


    Agnus replied to them.


    "You want to know why I gathered all of the kingdom¡¯s military power here?¡±


    "Y-Yes.¡±


    The emblem of a pink rose on Agnus¡¯ chest kept capturing the eyes of the officials. The rose symbolized the empire¡¯s second greatest power, the Red Knights, who were under themand of Empress Marie. The Belto king and officials was certain that Agnus was a close aide. It was honestly surprising that he came to help them. It seemed right for them to survive under a power they despised rather than being killed by a traitor.


    Unfortunately, Agnus wasn¡¯t a person they could depend on.


    ¡°I want them toe here as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it boring waiting? So I opened the way. Come quickly. Kukuk~ the more bodies there are, the more convenient it is.¡±


    ¡°A-Ahh...¡±


    This was the reason they sacrificed so many battlefields on the way to the capital? The Belto Kingdom¡¯s officials shook. Their faces were red from repressing their anger as Agnus told them.


    "As soon as the enemy arrives, don¡¯t resist and open the gates. Throw the people and soldiers to the enemy. Okay? Kik! Kilkik! Puhahahat!¡±


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...!¡±


    In the end, some nobles couldn¡¯t bear it and rose from their seats.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane! I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re acting ording to Empress Marie¡¯s will!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Don¡¯t resist the enemy and open the gates? Throw the people and soldiers to the enemy? What is this nonsense...! Heeok?¡±


    The nobles fell silent. It was because Agnus summoned a lich.


    ck.ack.ck ck ck ck.


    The lich was wrapped in a cloak and emitted terrifying magic power. They didn¡¯t know why, but they immediately felt like running away from here.


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    Agnusmanded.


    Kuaaaaang!


    The lich fired magic at the nobles.


    [You have killed the nobles of the Belto Kingdom.]


    [Baal¡¯s Contractor is one who brings out the fundamental fear in humans.]


    [The Belto royal family and remaining nobles don¡¯t have any animosity against you as they have be more frightened.]


    [Some people have ovee their fear. They mean to resist against you.]


    ¡°Kik? Kill more.¡±


    Kwarururung!


    The name of the lich who continued to kill following the will of his master was Mumud. Mumud had no face as a skeleton, but he seemed to be shedding tears.

 Chapter 657

    "Isn¡¯t it strange?¡±


    The Ares Army had to upy a total of 13 fortresses before arriving at the capital. It was a big war. The upation difficulty of the fortresses were so high that the Ares members and Grid¡¯s group were quite nervous. It should be a tough fight. But for some reason, all the fortresses were empty. All the fortresses on the way to the capital were empty, without even one rodent.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason for clearing the fortresses?¡±


    ¡°Have they already given up on the war?¡±


    The fortresses were strategic points. There was no better base than a fortress to stop the enemy. Yet the fortresses were vacated? It was difficult for Grid to understand. He could only interpret it as the Belto Kingdom giving up on this war.


    On the other hand, the Ares Army had a different hypothesis.


    "The royal family thinks that Ares¡¯ new army destroyed the elite armored troops.¡±


    Yes, the Belto royal family didn¡¯t know about the involvement of the Overgeared Guild. On the other hand, they knew about Ares¡¯ Fostering Strong Soldiers skill. From the standpoint of the Belto royal family, it was natural to attribute the deaths of the armored elite troops to Ares¡¯ new army.


    "The royal family has clearly seen it. The armored elite troops raised their level and strength in real time in the war against the empire.¡±


    ¡°Fortresses are efficient enough to defend with a small number of people, but they will eventually sumb to overwhelming power.¡±


    "It¡¯s clear that the Belto royal family is afraid that our new elite army will defeat the troops deployed to each fortress and be stronger.¡±


    "Thus, the king gathered all the troops in the capital and nned to intercept us at once.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Ares nodded as he listened to the opinions of his people. It meant there was no disagreement.


    "They acted wisely in their own way.¡±


    The level of Ares¡¯ new army, the ¡®Iron Wheels,¡¯ was still only 200. It was higher than the average soldier level of the Belto Kingdom, but their number was only 10,000. Ares wanted the level of the Iron Wheels to be higher and nned to use the conquest of the 13 fortresses as a means to level them up. But that n was gone. The 10,000 level 200 Iron Wheels would have to go to the capital and deal with an army of 130,000 at once.


    ¡®Hrmmm... I¡¯m a little annoyed because the n has be a little twisted.¡¯


    But it wasn¡¯t serious enough to be frustrating. Ares had 30,000 troops in addition to the Iron Wheel soldiers. He was confident that he could lead them well to victory. It was natural, but the Iron Wheels also possessed the characteristic of ¡®recovering all resources when levelling up¡¯ like the armored elite troops, so the Iron Wheels could fight infinitely on the battlefield. It was okay as long as they weren¡¯t hit by someone with an unusual attack power like Grid, Jishuka, or Euphemina.


    ¡®And there are no such monsters in the Belto Kingdom.¡¯


    Those three monsters were currently on Ares¡¯ side. It was reassuring. He thought that no matter how he fought, he couldn¡¯t lose this war. But Ares wasn¡¯t distracted. In a war, he could rule perfectly. The mild-mannered uncle transformed into a god of war.


    ¡°Shall we go and trample on the animal that opened its mouth without knowing that its guts are pulled out?¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    The Ares Army didn¡¯t need to be wary of the fortresses and sped up their march. They headed to the capital without a hitch.


    ***


    ¡°Breaking news! Urgent breaking news!"


    The media all over the world, including South Korea and the US, were turned upside down.


    Immortal. They introduced themselves as Agnus¡¯ followers and sent a message.


    -Today, Agnus will ughter the Overgeared King and the God of War. Agnus will reign as king of the living and the dead.


    Agnus. A person known to have one of the first epic sses who was shrouded in mystery. He never made any public appearances. This was the first time. However, it was publicly known that Agnus was strong. It was due to all the rankers who imed to have been killed by him.


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯


    He was someone who ughtered a yer just because they were standing on the street. It was natural for the attention of the world to be concentrated on him after he used the media to show his presence. In addition...


    ¡®The target of his massacre is the Overgeared king Grid!¡¯


    Most people didn¡¯t know about the ¡®god of war.¡¯ But even a five year old child knew who the Overgeared King was. Overgeared King Grid was one of the most famous and influential people in the world!


    ¡°He dered that he would kill such a big person!¡±


    ¡°Agnus! He truly is as mad as the rumors say!"


    "Send people to the Belto Kingdom right away! Be prepared to write this scoop and don¡¯t miss anything!¡±


    ***


    ¡º At 10:24 a.m. in Korean time, an email arrived at mediapanies all over the world. Today, Agnus will ughter the Overgeared King and the God of War. Agnus will reign as king of the living and the dead. As you all know, Agnus is the first epic hidden ss and is currently 5th on the unified rankings... ¡»


    ¡º We must focus on the expression of ¡®king of the living and the dead.¡¯ In the past, some people spected that Agnus¡¯ ss is a lich. In other words, he¡¯s likely to be immortal... ¡»


    ¡º Veradin, who identified himself as Agnus¡¯ follower, was named a genius of the 10 Rookies and is now 1st in the necromancer rankings. The fact that he is following Agnus shows how great Agnus is... ¡»


    ¡º Immortal. There¡¯s a high probability that it will be an undead army with Lich Agnus and Necromancer Veradin. They are probably the strongest group of yers after the Overgeared Guild. He wants to use Overgeared King Grid as a target to prove his strength. ¡»


    ¡º But does he stand a chance against Grid? I don¡¯t think so. Agnus was only the 7th ranked yer before Kraugel and Yura disappeared from the rankings, despite being the first epic hidden ss. Of course, the 7th ranking isn¡¯t low. But I don¡¯t think he has the talent to reach the top-ss yers ssified as geniuses. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. The ss called lich is supposed to exercise overwhelming power based on infinite power and survival, but Agnus¡¯ nature itself will have limitations. He would be much lower than Kraugel if they share the same ss. It¡¯s arrogant to dere to the whole world that he could ughter Grid, who only Kraugel has beaten. ¡»


    Most of the media focused on the confrontation between Grid and Agnus. There was little mention of the mysterious God of War.


    But those who had knowledge were very interested in the God of War. One of them was OGC¡¯s director, Lee Gookrae.


    ¡®The God of War... He can¡¯t be a smallfry if he¡¯s called a god.¡¯


    Director Lee Gookrae was curious about the identity of the God of War. While the other broadcasters were focused on Agnus and Grid, OGC had the sense that they should obtain information about the God of War and tell viewers about it.


    ***


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    The capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt. Lauel heard the newste due to being connected to the game and felt a chill go down his spine. Agnus? That crazy monster stood on the side of the Belto Kingdom to stop Ares?


    ¡®No!¡¯


    They were caught up in the fight between Agnus and Ares. Grid would be tired and at a disadvantage if he collided with Agnus without any preparations.


    ¡®How did this work be twisted so suddenly? No... I was yed from the beginning.¡¯


    Veradin of the Immortal Guild.


    Lauel btedly realized.


    ¡°Veradin...! This is all your work! You predicted we would hold hands with the Ares Army!¡±


    Veradin was a figure that Lauel was on guard against since his days as part of the 10 Rookies. Lauel thought of himself as the best genius in the world, but he had to admire Veradin¡¯s brains and cold-hearted thinking.


    ¡®The worst evil from my past life...!¡¯


    Lauel was convinced. Veradin expected the Overgeared Guild and Ares to hold hands and made a n to destroy both at the same time.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult to predict what traps will be set in the Belto Kingdom.¡¯


    Lauel sent Grid a whisper.


    -Grid,e back right now...!


    It was before he could even finish speaking.


    -Why?Is it because of Agnus?


    -...!!


    ***


    Let¡¯s go back to a long time ago, before Immortal¡¯s message was spread to the media around the world.


    ¡°What¡¯s this situation?¡±


    The Ares Army and Grid¡¯s group arrived at Belto¡¯s capital. They were thinking about how to break through the formation of 130,000 troops, only to be surprised. It was because the gates to the capital were open, as if they were weing Ares. Even the walls were empty.


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    "If this is a trap, it¡¯s the most insignificant and stupid trap in the world.¡±


    The enemy opening the gates wasn¡¯t a trap, but a surrender. Ares was a prudent but bold person. In this case, he didn¡¯t feel the need to think deeply.


    "Everyone enter. I need to see if the enemy if foolish enough to intercept us in the city or if they have run away.¡±


    Kung!Kung!Kung!


    The Ares Army moved from where they were stopped in front of the gates. They entered the capital with Ares in the lead. There were 130,000 troops scattered through the streets of the city, not even in proper formations.


    "H-Hik...!"


    "The enemy! The rebel Ares hase to the capital!¡±


    "D-Don¡¯t fight!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The state of the Belto Kingdom was weird. There was no leader among them. The soldiers just rushed towards the Ares Army. Ares felt a big surprise at the abnormal situation.


    ¡®What¡¯s happening in this kingdom?¡¯


    Themand system hadpletely copsed. He didn¡¯t know the situation, but something must¡¯ve happened with the capital.


    ¡®In any case, this is good luck for me!¡¯


    Ares and his troops concentrated in dealing with the enemies and the level 200 Iron Wheels started to increase their level dramatically.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The Ares Army cut down the enemy for several hours and reached the front of the pce. Scott looked at the tranquil pce that didn¡¯t look like it was in the midst of a war.


    ¡°Strange. I have a bad feeling.¡±


    "Yes, it looks suspicious. But how can we stop here?¡±


    Now they just needed to take the king. Then they would conquer the Belto Kingdom. In addition, the enemy¡¯s army had already copsed. Ares had no reason to hesitate.


    Clink!


    The moment Ares opened the entrance to the pce.


    Piing.


    There was a purple aura. The power of a death knight emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Ares was currently leading an army of 40,000. All their stats had risen significantly. The death knight¡¯s surprise attack was remarkable but Ares promptly evaded it. The purple light only hit air. However, magic immediately flew to the ce where Ares had evaded.


    Kuaaaaang!


    ¡°Ares!¡±


    The Ares troops cried out when they saw Ares being swallowed up by mes.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik! Kuhahahahahat!¡±


    Laughter was heard from a dark ce where light waspletely blocked.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know who the owner of this bizarreughter was. He had never met the owner of this light. On the other hand, the faces of the Ares members, Jishuka, Euphemina, Pon, and Regas turned white.


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    At the same time.


    Kwaaaaah!


    ck!ck ck!!


    From the inside of the pce, arge number of skeletons pushed out like a tide. In addition, the bodies of the Belto Kingdom¡¯s army rose like zombies and struck Grid¡¯s party and the Ares Army.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Kwaaaang!


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    The sound of yelling and screaming, as well as simultaneous explosions filled the ears. Pandemonium! Grid¡¯s party and the Ares troops were in great confusion due to the unexpected event. Of course, this wasn¡¯t everyone. In particr, Grid was fine. Grid had just blown away some skeletons when his gaze fell on someone.


    ¡°You¡¯re Agnus?¡±


    ¡°Then you are the Overgeared King~? Yes~? Kilkil.¡±


    Grid locked eyes with Agnus¡¯ gold ones. Then...


    Kuaaaaang!


    A death knight broke through the formation of the Iron Wheels and swung the sword at Grid. It was different from the death knight that first attacked Ares.


    Jjejeong!


    Grid blocked the death knight¡¯s sword.


    Kuaaaaang!


    Then a lich¡¯s magic struck him.


    [You have suffered 11,900 damage.]


    At the same time.


    -Grid,e back right now...!


    A whisper came from Lauel. It was a whisper that stimted Grid¡¯s pride as he was surrounded by hundreds of cameras.


    -Why?Is it because of Agnus?


    -...!!


    -Do you think I¡¯ll run away?Is that what you were nning to say?


    Suuk.


    Grid¡¯s equipped the ughterer¡¯s Mask on his face.


    Kwajik!


    Kwajijijik!


    The four golden hands around him turned into Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    "I didn¡¯t know today was a mad dog day.¡±


    ¡°Kik?¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    A brilliant light. A white sh swallowed the middle of the battlefield.

 Chapter 658

    ¡°...¡±


    It was a phenomenon. Students in ss, office workers, passengers, and even passersby on the street were all gazing at the smartphone in their hand. On the screen that they were watching, the scene of a battlefield was unfolding. The background was a veryrge city with thousands or tens of thousands of houses.


    The soldiers of the Ares Army used weapons, shields, and sometimes movement tools to demonstrate an agile and destructive advance that broke into enemy territory. The resistance of the Belto Kingdom was like fallen leaves. This was an army made by a yer? The strength of the soldiers was great and the Ares Armymanders, who used theyout of the buildings and the enemies in real time, were like historical people. The viewers witnessed the progress of the quest and were reminded of the strength of the imperial army.


    On the other hand, the Belto Kingdom didn¡¯t have a propermander and it seemed like the capital would be taken. The viewers felt thrilled by the power of Ares¡¯ army. In particr, they were impressed with Ares in the vanguard. They were forced to understand why Agnus called Ares the God of War. Then...


    ack!


    ck ck!


    The flow changed the moment the Ares Army reached the pce. The emergence of the huge death knight was like a 180 degree change. The death knight and lich broke through Ares¡¯ front lines and waves of skeletons swallowed up the Ares Army.


    ughter, destruction, and screams urred. The cameras of the broadcasting stations captured every soldier constantly fighting against the skeletons. And along the way.


    ¡º Finally! ¡»


    The cameras on the battlefield focused on two men. These two men were none other than Grid and Agnus. Both men showed a unique presence as they encountered each other in the middle of the bloody battlefield. Agnus had an armored death knight and the magic of the lich with him.


    Grid wielded a blue greatsword from the centre of four golden hands that moved by themselves. Agnus broke through the barrier of the soldiers with the skeletons and faced Grid.


    The broadcasters were excited.


    ¡º Agnus and the Overgeared King are finally shing! ¡»


    ¡º Can Agnus ughter the Overgeared King as he dered? ¡»


    ¡º Hrmm... Isn¡¯t a closebat fight too favorable for Grid? I don¡¯t understand why Agnus is narrowing the distance to Grid. If the death knight is in the lead and he stays at the back with the lich, won¡¯t he be able to fight against Grid more equally? ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s just arrogance. Agnus had two monsters with the death knight and lich. He¡¯s sure he can win, even if the conditions are favorable towards Grid. In other words, he¡¯s mocking Grid right now. ¡»


    Now thementators would learn about Agnus¡¯ real power. Agnus¡¯ ss? It wasn¡¯t a lich. If he was a lich, then he wouldn¡¯t have another lich serving him.


    ¡º Agnus can be proud. His ss exerts more power than anyone expected and that power is certainly more than Grid. The bnce of the game was already destroyed the moment he called more than one lich and death knight. ¡»


    ¡º Certainly... From a power perspective, Agnus seems to be superior to Grid. Agnus seems to have secured a hidden growth type ss, not a simple epic ss. But we must not forget Grid¡¯s power. He defeated the sky above the sky, so it¡¯s hard to imagine him being defeated. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Grid is someone we can¡¯t measure. I¡¯m sure that Grid will win. Why? It¡¯s because Agnus is too powerful. He must have some big penalties for his abilities. ¡»


    ¡º The more brilliant the presence, the more rules there are...¡»


    The death knights. They were the strongest undead among the third generation necromancers. It depended on the ¡®life¡¯ of the knight but a death knights¡¯ stats were basically a few times better than a yer¡¯s. In addition, they had a lot of powerful skills. The most frightening thing was that they could grow through levelling up like a yer. Despite many limitations, such as being restricted in the items that could be worn and being difficult to control, a death knight was nevertheless the strongest force of a necromancer.


    Yet Agnus had two death knights. Was that all? He also had two liches.


    Lich. They were the top undead who could use magic with infinite magic power. Their strength overwhelmed a death knight. The evidence was that liches who appeared as bosses often had death knights as their subordinates. In other words, a lich wasn¡¯t an existence that yers could handle. Many people guessed that a lich would appear as the fourth advancement ss of a necromancer.


    Yes, a lich was a powerful existence, so people assumed that Agnus¡¯ epic ss was supposedly a lich. The Satisfy setting meant it was impossible for yers to deal with a lich¡¯s infinite magic power. Yet Agnus had two liches. He was already beyond the category of a yer.


    Thus, people were skeptical. They were certain that Agnus would have a big penalty that would grab at his feet. They thought that Grid would win in this war.


    ***


    [Lifael¡¯s Spear]


    Rating: Legendary (Reproduced Transformation)


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power: 1,230~1,890


    * Fixed damage of +3,000 on each attack.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light Wheel¡¯ skill. Every time Light Wheel is activated, Magic Missile (Enhanced) is shot. The number of Magic Missiles is determined ording to the usage range of Light Wheel. The damage of Magic Missile is fixed at 4,000 per hit and will increase by 20% if the target is evil. No mana will be consumed.


    * When defending or evading, there is a high probability that Shield of Light will activate. Magic Missile (Enhanced) is attached to the Shield of Light. Any target that pierces through the Shield of Light will be hit by Magic Missile. The damage of Magic Missile is fixed at 4,000 per hit and will increase by 20% if the target is evil. The uracy of the Magic Missile counterattack is 100% and does not consume mana.


    * When moving, there is a high probability of activating the ¡®Light of Guidance¡¯ skill.


    * Attack power +20% against those with dark magic power.


    The reason that Grid changed Lifael¡¯s Spear was purely for Isabel. He was hoping for her health and happiness. But as a result, Grid gained something excellent for himself. He had perfectprehension of the myth rated Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid was now able to reproduce the power of the new Lifael¡¯s Spear, which added specific abilities while weakening the power of White Transformation. It was also four of them!


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    Agnus¡¯ small pupils flinched as the four God Hands around Grid stopped blocking the skeletons and started to change in real time. It was because he sensed the divine powering from the golden hands that were gradually turning into spears.


    ¡®Kukuk! This is the basics!¡¯


    There were many undead type monsters in Satisfy. It wasn¡¯t strange for Overgeared King Grid to create weapons dedicated to the undead. The excited Agnus heard Grid¡¯s taunt.


    ¡°A crazy dog? I didn¡¯t know today was a mad dog day.¡±


    ¡°Kik?¡±


    Kuwaaaaaah!


    The four spears spun in the air like a wheel and covered Agnus at the same time. Magic Missile (Enhanced) with its divine power was released at the same time, devastating the battlefield around them.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°....!!!¡±


    The eyes of the Ares troops widened from where they were fighting with the skeletons that Immortal¡¯s necromancers continued to produce. The explosion that urred at the spot where Agnus was standing instantly killed dozens of skeletons in the area. It was huge damage. The goosebumps wereparable to those caused by Grid¡¯s red phoenixes.


    ¡®What¡¯s the identity of those golden hands?¡¯


    ¡®They can change shape depending on the enemy and exert an overwhelming firepower every time...¡¯


    The name of Overgeared King couldn¡¯t be disputed. Grid¡¯s items were the strongest.


    ¡®Even Agnus is helpless in front of the best... Heok?¡¯


    A magical explosion filled with divine power. It was natural for the Ares troops to think Agnus received a serious blow. But Agnus walked out from the dust without a scratch on him. It was thanks to the Body Shield skill. Baal¡¯s Contractor was top ss among the necromancer types and had the ability to utilize their excellent body. The Body Shield skill boasted enormous efficiency. Any attack that dealt less than 10,000 damage waspletely blocked. It was like Grid¡¯s Can you Be the King of the Dead? skill that could summon the Overgeared Skeletons to block an attack once.


    ¡°You lousy bastard!¡±


    Agnus had a surprisingly cautious personality for someone so crazy. It was why he chose a battlefield filled with dead bodies as the stage of his first public battle. Grid cursed and quickly narrowed the distance to Agnus. Agnus¡¯ death knight blocked his way.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The four Lifael¡¯s Spears prated a hole in the death knight and opened the way for Grid.


    ¡°Kuahahahat! Come!¡±


    Agnus was full of rxation. He believed in the lich that was guarding his side. He thought Grid would be destroyed before he could approach. But.


    [You have dealt 5,700 damage to the target.]


    [The target has resisted the damage.]


    [The target has resisted the damage.]


    [You have dealt 6,100 damage to the target.]


    ¡®Full resistance?¡¯


    Grid was wearing the Holy Light set. He had been focused on Agnus¡¯ lich when selecting his equipment. Thanks to this, the magic of the lich barely damaged Grid.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Grid seeded in narrowing the distance to Agnus using items.


    Taack!


    He took a big step and moved the +9 Failure in session.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    ¡°Body Shield!¡±


    Agnus shouldn¡¯t be able to cope.


    Puok!


    [The target¡¯s attack power is too strong. The defense has failed.]


    ¡°Kik? Cough!¡±


    Agnus¡¯ chest was pierced after his shield broke. Agnus spat out blood from his mouth as As Grid was linking up the second strike of Linked Kill.


    Peeeeeong!


    A body moved between Grid and Agnus and exploded, breaking off Grid¡¯s attack motion. It was a corpse explosion.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    Linked Kill was cancelled! Grid stumbled and Agnus stabbed him with a longsword.


    Peeeeeong!


    [You have suffered 2,859 damage.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s Contractor a necromancer? How could he wield a sword and what was this damage? The physical damage of the Holy Light set was low, but this damage couldn¡¯t be understood. Agnus saw Grid¡¯s shaky eyes and clicked his tongue.


    "This is a normal attack.¡±


    Grid¡¯s thick eyebrows rose even higher.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jishuka¡¯s saying...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s cry containing his anger didn¡¯tst long.


    Peeeeeong!


    Agnus¡¯ death knight suddenly sprang from where it had been isted by the four spears. It also attacked Grid. The attack didn¡¯t contain great destructive power, but Grid was shaken because it had the effect of ¡®pushing all objects in range.¡¯


    "Shall I show you something interesting?¡±


    Agnusughed and opened the Rune of Death. He had obtained the rune much earlier than Grid¡¯s Rune of Darkness. Currently, there were nine skills attached to the rune.


    ¡°Furfu¡¯s Power.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Grid was reminded of something the moment he heard the name of a great demon. Their starting lines were different. During the time when Agnus signed a contract with Baal, Grid was just amon novice user, like a stone on the roadside.

 Chapter 659

    Furfu. Along with Hell Gao, Drasion, Morax, and Astaroth, they were the great demons that the public were most familiar with. It was because these great demons appeared as regr guests in stories of Muller¡¯s heroism that could be found in various quests and books.


    That¡¯s right. Furfu was one of the great demons who had their bodies sealed by Muller. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that all two billion users knew the name.


    ¡°Furfu¡¯s Power.¡±


    ¡°Furfu...?¡±


    Why did Agnus mention the name of a great demon? Ordinary viewers didn¡¯t know the concept of ¡®runes¡¯ and were puzzled, while the Overgeared members and Ares troops turned pale. At that moment.


    Swaaaaah!


    The night sky turned white. It was a change inndscape caused by the frost that started to pour down like rain.


    ¡®Blizzard-like magic?¡¯


    Grid and the Overgeared members took up defense postures.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t magic!¡±


    Ares shouted from where he was dealing with a death knight and lich with the help of Luck and Scott. His voice sounded urgent.


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of Furfu...!¡±


    Yes, this was the power that Ares wanted most. The might power was taken by Agnus!


    ¡°Dammit...! Beware of Agnus¡¯ familiars...!"


    Kuaaaaang!


    Ares¡¯ cry was buried. It was due to the aura explosion from the death knight that was bound by Luck. The death knight¡¯s aura that poured towards the sky was no longer purple. It was transparent like ice.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Ares was hit in the chest and coughed up blood. For amander who needed to lead the army until the end of the war, safety was the most important virtue. Most of Ares¡¯ stats were invested in stamina and health. Yet he received a serious injury from the death knight¡¯s blow.


    ¡°Ares...! This damn bastard!¡±


    It didn¡¯t change its aggro and only attacked Ares until the end. Luck rotated like a spinning top in front of the persistent death knight and used the eleration to aim a mighty kick at the death knight¡¯s face.


    Peeok!


    A heavy blow! The skull that seemed smallpared to the gigantic body looked like it shattered. Luck¡¯s strike was that powerful. But the death knight was fine. The frost from the sky created a barrier at the point where the death knight was hit, nullifying Luck¡¯s kick.


    "What?"


    This was aplete scam! Unlike Luck, who was losing his cool, Scott calmly grasped the situation.


    ¡°The caster...! Attack Agnus!¡±


    ¡°....!¡±


    Scott¡¯s shout reached Grid.


    If only he had secured the rune before raiding Hell Gao. His rune would also hold the power of Hell Gao. Grid was filled with envy and regret when he saw Agnus use Furfu¡¯s power.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He hurriedly recovered. All of the Magic Missiles fired by Lifael¡¯s Spear were blocked by Agnus¡¯ Body Shield and Agnus was fighting back to back with the death knight and lich.


    ¡°The starting point is different...!¡±


    It was actually an excuse. Grid and Agnus¡¯ starting points were the same. No, maybe Grid was earlier. Why? Grid had been ying Satisfy since the closed beta. Why was Grid a low level user while Agnus was Baal¡¯s Contractor? It was simple due to ack of talent and skill, not because their starting point was different. In other words.


    ¡®Our difference urred at that time...!¡¯


    Grid recalled the past while opening the power attached to the Rune of Darkness. Was hecking after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant? No. The evidence was that he had already caught up with Kraugel, the sky above the sky.


    ¡°...I will fill up any gaps that remain!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Grid¡¯s body was surrounded by mes. It was from head to toe. The red flickering covered Grid¡¯s eyebrows and hair. Belial¡¯s Power, the power of fire was opened.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Agnus, who could continue to release Furfu¡¯s Power thanks to the help of Baal, felt his eyes widening. It was because the intensity of the mesing from Grid was so sharp it felt like his flesh was distorting.


    ¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯


    This was the true power of a great demon that was iparable to Furfu, who was weakened and had his body sealed by Muller!


    Duguen!


    A wide smile spread on Agnus¡¯ face. He was enjoying this moment. Grid won that power and took one step ahead of him. Agnus was delighted at being able to grasp the power he would eventually have.


    ¡°Kik! Kilkil! Kuhahahat! Come!¡±


    Agnus shouted with a high momentum, but didn¡¯t engage directly with Grid. One hand extended to the sky as he attempted to release Furfu¡¯s strength to block Grid.


    ck!


    ck ck!!


    A defense line of 50 skeleton warriors armed with a sword and shield was formed. The effect of a unique skill of Baal¡¯s Contractor that could enhance the stats of a summons and Furfu¡¯s Power meant that each skeleton warrior was equivalent to a level 250 user.


    A one man army! There was no statement more appropriate to describe Agnus. But no matter how powerful the army, Grid already proved that this force was helpless in front of him.


    ¡°mes of Hell Path!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    The ming Grid rushed towards Grid.


    Chwaruruk!


    ck!ck ck!!


    The skeleton warriors that approached Grid and the frost in the sky were melted.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Agnus¡¯ smile of admiration became thicker. It was amazing that Grid dealt damage despite Furfu¡¯s power protecting the summoner from enemy attacks twice.


    ¡®Did he already know about Furfu¡¯s Power?¡¯


    Indeed, this was the guy who defeated the rodent Kraugel.


    Clink!


    Agnus admired Grid¡¯s skill and gave amand to the 20 skeleton archers behind him. It was the appearance of the skeleton archers that Agnus used to deal damage in hunting andbat. Their attack power was high, although their physical strength and defense were significantly lower than the skeleton warriors.


    Ping!


    Pipipipiping!


    The sharp bone arrows flew towards Grid, who was narrowing the distance with Agnus. But Grid¡¯s momentum didn¡¯t decrease.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    As soon as he saw the flying arrows, Grid changed to ranged attacks.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeong!


    Grid¡¯s energy des intercepted the flying arrows. The unbnced skeleton archers copsed from the aftermath of the explosion and Agnus recalled them. At this point, Grid was already in front of Agnus.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it!¡±


    Kwajak!


    The death knight moved. It was the death knight that had been tied up by the God Hands wielding Mjolnir after Item Transformation ended. It released its aura as it moved in front of Grid. The explosion between aura and Kill caused a powerful shock wave that shook the ground. At that moment.


    ¡°Corpse Explosion!¡±


    Agnus exploded the bodies that rose from the ground shaking. No, he tried to explode them. But the bodies didn¡¯t explode.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Agnus was confused. The skill was activated and mana was consumed, but the skill effect wasn¡¯t shown. His sharp eyes discovered a ck ring on Grid¡¯s finger.


    "Dispel!¡±


    He knew exactly what he saw. Grid was wearing Dark Bus¡¯ Ring. In addition, he was careful not to let his sword dance be cancelled by the Corpse Explosion.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Paaaat!


    The death knight couldn¡¯t endure Kill and fell down. Grid narrowed the distance to Agnus as much as possible and used his ultimate skill.


    ¡°¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    The energy of the blue greatsword, enhanced by mes, was tremendous enough to remind Agnus of the ultimate boss monsters he raided so far. Agnus felt thrilled as the fiery +9 Failure aimed for his vital spot.


    Puok!


    The strike that precisely hit Agnus¡¯ heart announced the start of Linked Kill.


    Puoook!


    The second strike aimed at the same spot. Grid¡¯s amazing skill meant Agnus¡¯ health gauge fell in an instant. It was an overwhelming damage that made Baal¡¯s Contractor¡¯s Mana Shield useless.


    ¡°From now on...!¡±


    The true power of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle would be revealed when the third strike of Linked Kill hit. Grid raised his concentration. He raised it to its limit in order to hit Agnus with the next attack. There was still a smile on Agnus¡¯ face.


    ¡°Peong-¡±


    A sound emerged just before Grid¡¯s third consecutive Linked Kill hit Agnus.


    Kwajajajajak!


    Jishuka, Euphemina, Pon, and Regas were astonished as the lich suddenly fired magic at Grid.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    The strongest the species, the higher the ego. Jishuka and the others were convinced that the lich¡¯s aggro wouldn¡¯t pour towards Grid as like as they were attacking it. This wasn¡¯t the case. Agnus¡¯ dominance vitedmon sense.


    "Kuaaaack!"


    ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡±


    Agnusughed as he watched Grid scream from the lightning that flew from his rear. Heughed as Grid¡¯s sword dance was cancelled. But this didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡®Dead?¡¯


    Swaaaaah!


    Grid turned to grey after being hit by the lich¡¯s magic? Agnus was puzzled. Grid wouldn¡¯t die from the lich¡¯s magic. Even if he died, he had the passive of a legend and would fall into an immortal state. Then how did he die?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    Agnus urgently moved his gaze behind him.


    "It¡¯s toote! Shit!¡±


    Puoook!


    ¡°Keeok!¡±


    Grid¡¯s third Linked Kill flew from the side and struck Agnus in the side. It was all thanks to Grid utilizing the ¡®position change¡¯ skill with Randy.


    ¡º Ninja...! ¡»


    Thementators around the world were excited by the reversal. In particr, there was an uproar in Japan. The Japanesementator saw Grid¡¯s swapping skill and was reminded of a ninja. He revealed unnecessary pride that Grid acted like a ninja. At this moment, no one doubted that Grid would win. In particr, Grid was aware that Agnus¡¯ health gauge was like amp in front of the wind.


    ¡®It¡¯s the end!¡¯


    Grid was linking up Wave when Agnus¡¯ sullen voice was heard in his ears.


    ¡°Bentao¡¯s Mockery.¡±


    Peok!


    [You have suffered 1,930 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid¡¯s confusion reached the peak due to the situation that couldn¡¯t be understood.

 Chapter 660

    "Bentao¡¯s Mockery.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Grid suffered through something incredible once Agnus used a mysterious skill.


    Kihihihit!


    He saw the illusion of a fat clown.


    [You have heard Bentao¡¯s badughter. You can¡¯t stay calm after listening to it.]


    [You have lost yourposure. The deployment of all active skills will be cancelled.]


    [Insane Clown King Bentao has fallen into a rage. Resistance has failed.]


    [It will take over one minute to ovee the ¡®frenzy¡¯ state.]


    [During the frenzy, your base damage will increase slightly, but your defense will decrease slightly. In addition, the casting speed and resource consumption of all skills are greatly increased .]


    [Bentao has stretched out his hand while you are losing your cool. Your health has changed with the owner of Bentao.]


    [49,300 health has be 819!]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Their health gauges were changed? It was a type of skill that was difficult for Grid to understand. Grid was forced to feel confused. Above all, the hardest part about Bentao¡¯s Mockery was that it ¡®changed¡¯ instead of ¡®reduced¡¯ Grid¡¯s health. Thus, the healing and shield effects of Tiramet¡¯s Belt and First King wasn¡¯t applied.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 1,930 damage.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    In this gap, Grid lost his cool. Agnus wielded a sharp de at Grid¡¯s back and Grid lost thest insurance of the legendary ss.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    He only had five seconds of invincibility remaining. The irritated and nervous Grid started swinging his sword at random. Of course, he didn¡¯t actually wield his sword without thinking. Grid had umted a lot ofbat experience and his body remembered how to fight, despite his mind being in an impatient and ufortable state.


    Yes, Grid was attacking Agnus with a normal pattern. He mixed his skills with basic attacks and paid attention to the increased uracy rate. The problem was more than the frenzied state. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship took one or two seconds to deploy. Now Grid couldn¡¯t use it as quickly as normal and his attacks weren¡¯t threatening.


    ¡°Ha? You became a mess just from losing your cheat?¡±


    Grid panicked when he failed to link up his skills and the motions were cancelled. The smile gradually disappeared from Agnus¡¯ face as the young man sloppily avoided his attacks. He lost interest in Grid. It was natural. A status condition that made all actions impossible, a silence thatpletely banned the use of skills, and a confusion that increased the difficulty of controlling the body. There wasn¡¯t one person who hadn¡¯t suffered from Agnus¡¯ abysmal abilities.


    Then what about Grid? It might be because he relied on a legendary ss¡¯ ¡®resistance to all status conditions¡¯ for years and became ustomed to it. Unlike other yers, he didn¡¯t acquire skills to cope with the situation. The helplessness exposed in this moment was enough to disappoint Agnus.


    "You defeated Kraugel?¡±


    Peeng!


    Agnus avoided Grid¡¯s attack, stretched out his hand and caused an explosion using the ¡®charging¡¯ features from his fingertips, hitting Grid.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    In a situation where time was short, Grid became frustrated when Agnus opened the distance with him. Agnus started to get angry at the sight.


    "This is a poor side effect of Bentao¡¯s Mockery.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The reason Bentao¡¯s Mockery was scary was because their health was switched. The frenzied effect wasn¡¯t anything worth bragging about. However, Grid became helpless in the frenzied state. He was garbage that couldn¡¯t be tied together with Kraugel and Ares.


    ¡°Fake bastard.¡±


    The first yer to be a king? It was a feat purely because he got a legendary ss. Grid himself was insignificant. Agnus felt disappointed and once again reached out to Grid approaching him. Then.


    Peeng!


    One of the numerous titles of Baal, the ¡®Destruction King¡¯ was imperfectly reproduced. Agnus¡¯ normal attack was turned into a ¡®shoot with a charging effect.¡¯ Thanks to this, Grid couldn¡¯t reach Agnus and there was only one second left on the immortality. The moment he aimed at Grid.


    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt has been equipped.]


    As soon as he entered the immortal state, he could quickly rece and swamp items.


    [You have suffered 1,400 damage.]


    [Your health has dropped below 10%. Tiramet¡¯s Power is activated. 30% of your health has been restored.]


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    Yiing-


    Grid¡¯s empty health gauge suddenly rose by one-third. This wasn¡¯t the end. Since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he had acquired the posure¡¯ state and steadily grew through the production of items and acquisition of titles. Composure was a stat that increase the recovery rate from status conditions. Originally this stat wasn¡¯t useful for Grid, who waspletely resistance to all conditions, but not at this moment.


    [You have regained yourposure.]


    [You have ovee the frenzied state.]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Transcended Link.¡±


    Kurururung!


    Grid struck Agnus with a medium to long distance skill containing overwhelming power.


    ¡°?!¡±


    Agnus was surprised when confronted with dozens of energy des. The top rankers were also quick to ovee status conditions, but Grid¡¯s speed was extremely fast.


    ¡¯Is this the strength of a production ss?¡¯


    Grid was able to raise theposure stat that generalbat sses found difficult raise due to Item Creation. This was the result.


    ¡°But so what?¡±


    Agnus still wasn¡¯t smiling. He was already disappointed with Grid. He couldn¡¯t feel any pleasure from Grid.


    Kwaaaaang!


    The magic wave that came from Agnus¡¯ lich collided with Grid¡¯s energy des, causing a storm that destroyed the battlefield.


    ***


    "Grid!¡±


    Jishuka turned pale when she saw Grid¡¯s health gauge in the party window fall dramatically. She wanted to go to help Grid right away, but it was impossible. ck was the reason.


    "Where are you looking?¡±


    Pajijik!


    ck created a magician clone and fired a lightning spell at Jishuka. It was poison to the archer Jishuka, whose defensive ability was weak.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Jishuka revealed a gap due to the electric shock thatsted for a while. Another warrior clone flew at her and stabbed with the sword, but the attack came to naught. It was due to Pon¡¯s obstruction.


    ¡°Rain Spear!¡±


    Chwarururuk!


    ck¡¯s warrior clone swung a spear in order to block the dozens of spears summoned by Pon. He rode on a white horse and faced ck with a cold gaze.


    "You trash-like man...! You males only look at pretty girls!!¡±


    Kwaang!


    After joining Immortal, ck had focused on raising her level with the help of the necromancers. Her ability to protect her body using clones was strengthened, so she didn¡¯t care about Pon¡¯s Rain Spear. Pon clicked his tongue at her shout.


    "I don¡¯t judge females based on their appearance. I like everything about women.¡±


    ¡°Lies! Shut up!¡±


    "No, in the first ce, we¡¯re enemies, while Jishuka is an ally... Ack?¡±


    ck¡¯s illusions changed the stage of the battle. The bloody pce filled with corpses was turned into a steep canyon. It was a terrain that blocked Pon. Pon¡¯s attack power on a horse would rapidly fall while the water would tie up Jishuka and Pon.


    The situation of Euphemina and Regas also wasn¡¯t good.


    "All young and beautiful women should die!¡±


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The martial artist who surpassed Asura Regas, White! She could change her body size and weight freely when using martial arts, making her the power of a sun. She showed no signs of being pushed, despite facing Euphemina and Regas at the same time.


    ¡®Why is this crazy woman so angry at me?¡¯


    Euphemina barely escaped from White¡¯s attack with Regas¡¯ help and sighed with relief. She couldn¡¯t understand the psychology of White. Didn¡¯t they meet for the first time today? Why did she feel like a bad person? White aimed for Euphemina until the end.


    "I can¡¯t believe your white skin and curly hair!!¡±


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Euphemina was in a hurry to escape. Was it because she judged she couldn¡¯t beat White? No. Victory wouldn¡¯t be easy, but she didn¡¯t think it was impossible. The lich Mumud was what Euphemina cared about right now. She had the quest ¡®Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation¡¯ and was waiting for Agnus to summon the lich Mumud.


    However, Agnus summoned two different liches and never called Mumud. It was irritating and frustrating from Mumud¡¯s position.


    ¡®This is a golden chance to clear the quest.¡¯


    Euphemina continued to look towards Grid and Agnus. White snorted.


    "Aren¡¯t all pretty women foxes? You are looking at Grid because you are expecting Grid to help you? You are too ipetent, leaning on a man.¡±


    "What?"


    Euphemina¡¯s round eyes narrowed. She had these eyes when she annihted Faker¡¯s party in the past.


    ¡°L-Lady Euphemina?¡±


    Regas jolted with surprise. It was because he felt the scent of Jishuka from Euphemina. Regas didn¡¯t know. The fundamental reason why Grid feared Euphemina was because Euphemina had a temper.


    "Should I kill this white pig-like woman before doing the quest?¡±


    ¡°W-White pig?¡±


    "Stop. I¡¯m annoyed.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ***


    "Protect Grid!¡±


    Grid was already a symbol. If Agnus defeated Grid during his debut appearance, Agnus¡¯ momentum would grow out of control. Ares didn¡¯t want Agnus to grow any more. But.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡±


    No on was able to carry out Ares¡¯mand. It was due to the power of the skeleton army summoned and controlled by the necromancer rankers belonging to Immortal. In particr, Veradin was an eyesore. Veradin¡¯s death knight wasn¡¯t as destructive as Agnus¡¯ death knight, but it was more delicate. Agnus controlled two death knights and liches at the same time, while Veradin only focused on one death knight. This was a strength.


    ¡°Veradin!¡±


    Scott couldn¡¯t ignore the growing loss of troops and tried to change the battlefield. He decided to concentrate on fighting Veradin with all his power. Veradin narrowed his eyes as he blocked the attack.


    "It¡¯s unpleasant to see your low-key ID.¡±


    ¡®I will change it when I get an ID change ticket!¡±


    Chaaeng!


    Chaaeng!


    Veradin¡¯s death knight and Scott¡¯s sword collided in the air several times. Both of them struck each other, ultimately leading to Scott¡¯s disadvantage. The death knight was steadily restored with Veradin¡¯s magic power while Scott was unable to ovee the stamina limitations of a yer.


    The Overgeared King and God of War were in a crisis. The strength of Agnus¡¯ force was overwhelming. The viewers were now aware of it.

 Chapter 661

    "Why doesn¡¯t he use his knight summoning skill?¡±


    The Overgeared members watching the TV all over the world were irritated. They wanted Grid to summon his knights right away to show the true majesty of the Overgeared King. Yes, Grid was a king. There was no need for him to fight one on one. Even if he didn¡¯t move himself, his soldiers and knights would defeat his enemies.


    But Grid didn¡¯t take advantage of his king¡¯s status.


    ¡°Just summoning Piaro is sufficient...¡±


    "If Grid is defeated, the dignity of the Overgeared King...¡±


    The Overgeared members were irritated and nervous. Many of those keeping an eye on the TV belonged to the Overgeared Two Guild. That¡¯s right. Those who joined Overgeared after Grid became a duke weren¡¯t familiar with Grid¡¯s depths.


    Duke Grid and King Grid were great men who worried and acted for thefort of his forces, but his personality was barely repressed. Grid was a selfish person. In addition, there was a lot of greed. His past trauma was too strong. He always wanted to prove himself.


    It wasn¡¯t possible for him to summon the knights in a one on one match watched by the whole world.


    ***


    ¡®Shit, it¡¯s going to be a confrontation.¡¯


    Prior to aiming Transcended Link at Agnus, Grid had swapped the Holy Light set to physical resistance armor such as Triple Armor. Transcended Link released 20 energy des and the power of each one was very good. It had already been shown several times, so Grid judged that people would think it was one of his special moves, including Agnus.


    Grid thought that Agnus would be very wary of Transcended Link. He would avoid it and try to defend with the lich¡¯s mana shield, while counterattacking with the death knight at the same time. But he was wrong. Agnus¡¯ lich was far better than he thought. He counterattacked at the same time as offsetting Grid¡¯s Transcended Link with double casting.


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    Grid was hit with an ice st that made its way through the Transcended Link storm. He resisted the frozen state and hurriedly pulled out a potion. Agnus snorted at the blood-stained armor.


    "If you don¡¯t have skills then you should be honest. Aren¡¯t you digging your own grave by making random predictions?"


    Agnus was once again disappointed with Grid. Grid¡¯s behavior of guessing the lich¡¯s attack and suffering damage by himself was a joke.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have Kraugel¡¯s analytical power and senses... Hah! Now that I¡¯ve seen you, Kraugel is just a pup! He was actually hit by you!¡±


    Agnus stopped the lich¡¯s double casting. It wasn¡¯t suitable for a long battle because Agnus had quick casting speed but low total mana.


    "Finish it, Cao.¡±


    Agnus turned his back on Grid. Once hemanded the big death knight called Cao, Cao shed with a purple light. Cao was a death knight made from one of the top 10 orc warriors. His senses were somewhat dull but he boasted remarkable strength and attack power. Agnus judged that Cao could defeat the already tired Grid. It was enough to tear at Grid¡¯s pride.


    ¡°From the beginning... You spoke a lot of dirty words.¡±


    Grid¡¯s health had fallen to 10,000. Yet there were no signs of frustration on his face. It was natural. Grid hadn¡¯t used everything yet. Frustration was for a person who lost everything. He might¡¯ve lost his immortality, but Grid still had a lot left over.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kakiing.


    This was a skill that belonged to the legendary rated essory, ¡®Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings.¡¯ The cooldown was 12 hours, while the duration of the skill was only five minutes. It meant there were restrictions on the use. Any skills withrge restraints were strong.


    Kuwaaaang!


    Explosive demonic power! Grid¡¯s skin turned pale and the whites of his eyes became ck. Grid¡¯s appearance was like a demon as demonic power wrapped around him like a haze. It was the emergence of the ckened version of Grid that provided fear and despair to constant enemies.


    ¡º It finally came! ¡»


    Thementators and viewers were excited.


    "You have be a bit stronger. So what?¡±


    Agnus scoffed. Grid intercepted the death knight Cao with his increased agility and the use of ckening.


    Jeeeong!


    Cao¡¯s greatsword scattered a purple light as it hit Grid¡¯s chest.


    [Death Knight Cao has inflicted 1,940 damage to the target.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Agnus¡¯ eyes widened. Agnus himself didn¡¯t know it. It was the first time he was surprised in Satisfy. He hadn¡¯t been so surprised even when he first met Kraugel.


    ¡®There isn¡¯t even 2,000 damage?¡¯


    Grid shook off Cao¡¯s attack while advancing and narrowing the distance to Agnus. Grid¡¯s physical defense was extremely shocking after wearing Triple Layers, Lantier¡¯s Cloak, etc.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Agnus smiled again. He stared at Grid with a provocative gaze and focused energy on his fingertips. But he couldn¡¯t release that energy. He couldn¡¯t swing his arms.


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    There was a powerful deterrent. Agnus couldn¡¯t move and subconsciously flinched away from Grid. The death knight Cao hurriedly chased after Grid and swung his sword.


    [Death Knight Cao has inflicted 1,670 damage to the target.]


    [Death Knight Cao has inflicted 1,910 damage to the target.]


    [Death Knight Cao has inflicted...]


    ...


    ...


    As an orc, Cao had better basic abilities and fewer skills. The basic attacks without any clear attack skills couldn¡¯t stop Grid.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Agnus burst out intoughter that was simr to a groan.


    Peok!Peok!Peok!


    He felt evil from Grid¡¯s eyes as he ignored the death knight.


    "Specta...cr!¡±


    Sakak-!


    The +9 Failure cut Agnus¡¯ body diagonally. Pinnacle.


    [You have suffered 35,400 damage.]


    [The Mana Shield is working. You have dealt with the loss of life with the loss of mana.]


    [You have taken a high grade mana potion.]


    ¡°Kuock! Heeok?¡±


    He seemed shaky and barely upright, but Agnus managed to catch his breath. He confirmed that Grid was linking the next attack and burst intoughter again.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuhahahahahat! I didn¡¯t expect you to be disappointing, because you defeated Kraugel!¡±


    Yes, this was why fighting was fun. It was the breathtaking feeling of walking on a tightrope. The slightest mistake would mean death! The excitement that made him forget reality rose!


    ¡°Veradin! I¡¯ll leave Ares to you!¡±


    Agnus shouted as got rid of the death knight ¡®Doom¡¯ and lich ¡®Amy¡¯ putting Ares in check. It was to have spare ¡®Domination¡¯ stats. The reason? He needed to summon a super worker who required arge amount of magic power.


    ¡°Lich summon, Mumud!¡±


    Jjejeok.


    The gap between Grid and Agnus was split apart.


    Kieeeeeeek-!


    There was the roar of a monster and magic power rose from the cracked space.


    -Avoid it!


    Braham¡¯s urgent cry entered Grid¡¯s ear as he was attacking Agnus with Pinnacle Kill. It was the same was when the yangban Garam appeared so Grid¡¯s alertness rose to the extreme. But.


    ¡®How do I avoid this?¡¯


    It was during the development of the swordsmanship. It wasn¡¯t possible to avoid the magic that sprang out from a space created in front of him. Grid had only one choice. Just before the magic hit him, use Pinnacle Kill to hurt Agnus. He only aimed for this. He didn¡¯t know if they would die together or if only one of them would die.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    Immediately before the magic power reached Grid¡¯s chin. Shortly before Grid hit Agnus with the finished Pinnacle Kill.


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Braham and Mumud¡¯ has been created!]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid and Agnus¡¯ eyes widened at the same time. It was because both of them acquired the same quest and were seeing different notification windows.


    [Braham has perceived Mumud¡¯s soul and is filled with a burning desire. He had consumed a soul fragment and forcibly invoked Assimtion.]


    [You have be one with Braham¡¯s soul. Control of your body has been given to Braham... It has failed.]


    [Consuming the soul fragment has dealt a very powerful blow to Braham. Braham¡¯s soul has fallen asleep. You have to control Assimtion manually.]


    [Braham¡¯s basic stats have weakened.]


    [Your ss has been changed to Great Magician and your stats will be readjusted.]


    [Braham has something to say to Mumud. Lich Mumud¡¯s magic power is cut and neutralized by up to 30%.]


    Energy escaped from his body. The ck hair turned as white as snow while the eyes became red like rubies.


    ¡°Ugh! B-Braham!¡±


    The energy disappeared like it was a lie and Grid struggled to readjust.


    [You can feel Mumud¡¯s hatred, who has sensed Braham¡¯s soul. The stat that you have suppressed with your resisting heart is temporarily freed.]


    [Lich Mumud¡¯s level is increase to 400.]


    [Control Mumud and fight against the Legendary Great Magician Braham. Give Mumud the title of a new legend.]


    [If you defeat Braham and resolve Mumud¡¯s grudge, the future Mumud will be your faithful servant.]


    ¡°Hat...! Kihahahahahat!¡±


    Agnus was having too much fun.

 Chapter 662

    "Kyaaaak!"


    It wasn¡¯t a scream. They were shouts of joy from women watching the confrontation between Grid and Agnus. It was due to the bewitching appearance of the white-haired Grid. As if his whole skeleton had changed, Grid had thinner lines and became beautiful. The sleek appearance and eye-catching appearance of the young Barahm invoked the protective instincts of women.


    ***


    Name: Braham Eshwald (Grid)


    ss: Great Magician


    Title: Possessor of Great Knowledge


    * The best intellectual of this time. The truth hasn¡¯t been learnt yet, so he is still obstinate. This pursuit of knowledge is very strong, sometimes acting as a poison.


    * Intelligence will rise by 35%.


    * There is a low probability of running wild.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    ...


    Level: 400 (Correction)


    Health: 100,000/100,000 (Correction)


    Mana: 200,000/200,000 (Correction)


    Strength: 158 Stamina: 1,400


    Agility: 601 Intelligence: 7,000+2,100


    * In this human flesh, Braham Eshwald¡¯s full strength can¡¯t be drawn out. Most of his stats are sealed.


    * Braham¡¯s soul is shocked and has fallen asleep. You have control over your body. The stats have been sealed to a greater extent.


    ¡¯At this point, he¡¯s just a troll.¡¯


    It was the 2nd big incident that Braham caused. Braham had caused his defeat during his confrontation with Kraugel. Now it happened again. At a crucial moment when a quest was forcibly invoked, he fell asleep?


    ¡®He wants to fuck with people...¡¯


    Shake shake.


    Grid shook his head. He couldn¡¯t afford toin. Grid¡¯s head was spinning as he secured a safe distance from Agnus and confirmed his status window.


    ¡¯Level 400, 9,000 intelligence, 100,000 and 200,000 resources...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a level that ordinary yers could grasp. It was just like when his body was adjusted for the quest during his first Assimtion experience with Braham.


    ¡®Then can¡¯t I beat Agnus in one blow?¡¯


    This thought swept through Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡¯No, it can¡¯t be solved that easily,¡¯


    Grid faced reality.


    Agnus had the lich, Mumud. In addition, the subject of this quest was Mumud. Grid expected that Mumud¡¯s stats would be corrected by the quest.


    ¡®My specs right now are highly likely to coincide with Mumud¡¯s.¡¯


    Agnus probably had the same quest as Grid. Yes, the conditions of both of them would beparable. Then there was a serious problem.


    ¡®Agnus has a lot of experience controlling Mumud. On the other hand, myself...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have experience controlling the Assimtion state. It was because the control of his body was passed to Braham every time Assimtion was used. Grid was forced to watch the assimted Braham from the perspective of a third party, so Assimtion was an unfamiliar state for him.


    ¡®And in the first ce...¡¯


    cksmith and swordsman. He wasn¡¯t a magician.


    ¡®Can i handle a magician ss well?¡¯


    Along with the assassins, a magician was considered to be one of the most difficult sses. It took a lot of wits to be able to use magic with different casting speeds at the right time. It was a bad ss for the dumb Grid who was only good at physical things.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid shook his head. He tried to suppress the tension and anxiety. The quest suddenly appeared, creating a lull in the battle. He needed to remain calm. The moment Grid was trying to regain his mind.


    Ttiring~


    There was a sound and the contents of the quest appeared.


    [Braham and Mumud]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Braham was jealous of Mumud. He couldn¡¯t tolerate a disciple who had more talent than himself. He started neglecting Mumud and even took away his achievements. In the end, he decided to kill Mumud. It was a foolish judgment that arose from the idea that he should reign as the supreme being on Earth.


    But Braham didn¡¯t harm Mumud. No, he couldn¡¯t harm Mumud. Braham had lived as a human for hundreds of years. Braham awakened emotions without knowing it.


    One day, Mumud suffered from an incurable disease and left Braham.


    After a long time, Braham found him again.


    There was a short exnation. It was followed by a single video.


    "Even when you turned away from me... I didn¡¯t me you when you interfered with my achievements and erased my name from the world.¡±


    The underwater city of Siren.


    Two men stood facing each other with the dark and mysterious sea as the background. They were Braham and Mumud. The vampire Braham was still young and beautiful, while the skinny Mumud looked like he had lost his vitality.


    Cough cough!


    He coughed up blood every time he spoke, but he didn¡¯t stop speaking.


    "I¡¯m sorry that you suffer from such a terrible obsession that you would be afraid of your disciple... I pitied you and couldn¡¯t me you...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...But now I resent you. Turning me into a lich...? Do you want me to serve you even after I am dead...? I won¡¯t be able to rest!!¡±


    Tears fell from Mumud¡¯s eyes. His eyes were filled with hatred as he said coldly.


    "Isn¡¯t life meant for death anyway? It would be better for me to disappear naturally than to be a lich.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart stung as he watched the video. He could sense Braham¡¯s feelings.


    ¡¯Actually, I wanted to save you.¡¯


    ¡¯I feel sorry for you.¡¯


    ¡®I want the heavens to see your talent, even if you¡¯re dead.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Braham felt guilty about being jealous of Mumud and ruining his life. He missed Mumud, the only person in the world who trusted and followed him. Braham wanted to make up for the sins hemitted, but Mumud was about to die at an age that wasn¡¯t even over 30. He wanted to make Mumud a lich and raise Mumud¡¯s reputation in the world. But Braham¡¯s pride was too high to speak his heart. He thought he wasn¡¯t qualified to sympathize with Mumud. In the first ce, the idea of making Mumud a lich wasn¡¯t normal. Due to his own desires, he murdered his kin and was banished from the vampire world as a result. He was a crooked existence that couldn¡¯t be understood by vampires or humans.


    ¡°You... You¡¯re the worst even to the end. With the handful of magic power I have left, I will kill you... Cough! Cough!"


    ¡°...You don¡¯t have much time left. ept the honor of being a lich. The moment Pagmapletes the Vessel of the Soul, I will reim my immortality and you will be by my side. You will be praised by all, even if you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t...!¡±


    "You don¡¯t have veto rights. The day you die, I will remove your body from its grave and resurrect you as an immortal.¡±


    It was the end of the video. There was no need to speak about what happened afterwards. The current Mumud was a lich. This was proof that Braham made his decision. There was a problem.


    ¡®Agnus stole Lich Mumud.¡¯


    It was also in front of the watching Overgeared members. It was shortly after Grid fought with Elfin Stone in the vampire city.


    ¡®How rotten.¡¯


    Grid only knew about what happened between Agnus and Braham after Euphemina got the quest to liberate Mumud¡¯s soul. He felt a sense of difort and asked the sleeping Braham.


    ¡®Braham, what do you want to say to Mumud now?¡¯


    Well, Grid didn¡¯t need an answer. Grid already knew Braham¡¯s heart.


    ¡¯It is obvious... You want to apologize to Mumud after btedly realizing how wrong you were. Right?¡¯


    Of course, it didn¡¯t make sense to apologize now. Mumud already tasted a great deal of pain that was irreversible. Mumud didn¡¯t have to feel forgiveness after Braham¡¯s apology. Even if he did forgive, the pain that Mumud experienced wouldn¡¯t be erased.


    ¡®Braham knows this as well.¡¯


    Grid looked back at the dictionary meaning of Assimtion. Different things bing simr to each other. Yes, Grid and Braham were different. But they read each other¡¯s thoughts and feelings during the assimtion process and changed little by little. Thanks to Grid, Braham now understood humans.


    Whether Mumud epted his apology or not...


    Braham still thought he should apologize to Mumud. It was clearly the responsibility of the one whomitted the sin.


    ¡°Yes... That is a man.¡±


    Grid recalled Lee Junho, who used to torment him in his school days. What if Lee Junho came to him and apologized for the mistakes of the past? The pain of the past wouldn¡¯t disappear, but it might resolve a little bit. The darkness in his heart could be lifted.


    ¡°...I will try it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t for Braham. It was for his quest and for the sake of the victim, Mumud.


    ¡®I have to win.¡¯


    He firmly made up his mind. Then he checked the list of spells he could use now.


    On the other hand, Agnus.


    ¡°Kukukuk... Yes, Mumud, you were also a stupid fool.¡±


    Agnusughed as he verified the contents of the quest from Mumund¡¯s position. Theugh had a different feeling from usual. Agnus¡¯sugh was filled with a terrible anger.


    "Stupid blockhead.¡±


    He was a fool. The victim was a fool. Agnus hated the weak and victims. He was reminded of himself in the past. Agnus grabbed Mumud¡¯s skull with a thin hand and whispered.


    "Victims only have two choices. Go away or get revenge.¡±


    Forget everything and just live? It wasn¡¯t living. If they ignored the past, they couldn¡¯t move forward. It was being deprived of their body and soul.


    ¡°Kill Mumud. Clear away the past and break away from it. This time, you... We will trample on them.¡±


    Shaaaaaaah-


    Lich Mumud¡¯s magic power exploded. It was the new concept of magic that contained seven attributes. Agnus was determined to win from the start, using the highest-rated magic avable to the level 400 Mumud. Then what about Grid?


    ¡°Fireball. Wind Cutter.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Using only the lowest level magic? Agnus was puzzled by Grid¡¯s unusual response.


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    Before the magic waspleted, Mumud was hit by mes and a dark de. Fireball and Dark Cutter prated the lich¡¯s Mana Shield!


    ¡°What?¡±


    Agnus felt panicked. He didn¡¯t understand the situation as Grid looked at Belial¡¯s Staff.


    "This is a myth rated item, bastard.¡±


    Intelligence rose by 30%. Magic casting speed rose by 30%. He could cast three types of magic at the same time. However, proficiency was required. When fire and dark magic are cast simultaneously, the magic power of each one was increased by 200%. Magic critical chance was increased by 20%. Magic critical damage was increased by 150%, etc.


    This was Belial¡¯s Staff.


    Agnus had only hunted the weakened great demons and didn¡¯t know about the power and extent of myth rated items.

 Chapter 663

    [Mana Shield Lv. 6]


    When attacked, mana is consumed instead of health. However, only 68% of your defense and magic resistance is avable.


    When casting a spell, the function of Mana Shield is iplete. During magic casting, the Mana Shield will be prated if more than 30,000 damage is dealt.


    * Can be turned ON/OFF without a cooldown time.


    These were the specifications of the level 400 Mumud¡¯s Mana Shield. In addition, Mumud was a lich who had close to infinite magic power, so his mana was close to 500,000. There was something else.


    [Mumud¡¯s Knowledge]


    Increases magic casting speed by 15% and mana regeneration rate by 30%.


    Mumud also had basic skills like this. It was enough to convince Agnus to have Mumud cast high level magic from the beginning of the battle. Yes, Agnus interpreted the present Mumud as an invincible being. Mumud would take 5~7 seconds to cast the high level spell and Agnus thought Mumud would be able to withstand any attacks during that time.


    But the result? Grid¡¯s casting speed of the lowest level magic was three times faster than Mumud and the power was enough to prate the Mana Shield.


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 37,300 damage!]


    [Lich Mumud has lost 30,000 mana!]


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 7,300 damage!]


    ¡¯Mumud really received this type of damage from Fireball and Dark Cutter?¡¯


    Mumud¡¯s current intelligence was as high as 10,000. Mumud¡¯s magic resistance was high enough to absorb most damage from the 1st ranking magician. But in front of Grid¡¯s magic, Mumud¡¯s magic resistance was useless. Agnus¡¯ eyes twisted before heughed.


    ¡®This is Braham¡¯s strength... I have to acknowledge it!¡¯


    Agnus finally raised his rating of Grid. This was the first yer to acquire the legendary ss of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and then Braham¡¯s power. Agnus decided that Grid¡¯s ¡®quest progression¡¯ would be unique.


    ¡®If Kraugel is a genius atbat, Grid has the talent to understand and use the game¡¯s worldview and story.¡¯


    The truth was very different, but Agnus was forced to overestimate Grid. It was because he could only interpret the existence of a person who could use the power of two legends as a bugged yer. Agnus shook with thrill. His smile curved from ear to ear as Grid spoke.


    "This is a myth rated item, bastard.¡±


    "I...tem!¡±


    Kwaaaang!


    Grid once again cast Fireball. Before Lich Mumud finished casting the S grade unique magic, Grid was already using his third spell. Of course, from amon sense perspective, the lowest rated Fireball would be no threat to Mumud. It was impossible to get through a lich¡¯s Mana Shield with the lowest rated magic. But the destructive power of Grid¡¯s Fireball was so beyondmon sense that Agnus was nervous.


    ¡®Is a Fireball that deals at least 20,000 damageing again?¡¯


    The damage suffered when Fireball and Dark Cutter hit at the same time exceeded 37,000. Agnus thought that he would suffer 20,000 damage from Fireball alone.


    Peeeeeong!


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 8,800 damage!]


    [Lich Mumud has lost 8,800 mana.]


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The power of Fireball was much weaker than before?


    ¡®Was the first spell a critical hit?¡¯


    Agnus regained his reason and stood in front of Mumud. It was in order to shield Mumud while the spell casting finished. On the other hand, Grid was suffering.


    [The double casting of Fireball and Dark Cutter has failed.]


    ¡®How rotten!¡¯


    Belial¡¯s Staff had a fraudulent option that made Triple Casting possible. But it was an option that could only be used when supported by proficiency. For Grid, it was absolutely impossible to do Triple Casting.


    ¡®Double casting...¡¯


    He had to call out Fireball with his mouth and Dark Cutter in his mind, which was difficult for him. The first time he seeded was purely... A coincidence.


    ¡¯I should grab 100 people passing by and have them try it.¡¯


    Maybe all 100 out of 100 would fail. The difficulty of double casting was high.


    ¡¯Should I use high level magic?¡¯


    The current Grid was wearing almost all his overgeared items. There was Neberius¡¯s Bracelet which increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 30 and shorted magic casting time by 20%. The ck Quartz Earrings increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 15%. The Ring of Absurdity increased the wearer¡¯s mana regeneration rate by two times and reduced the resources consumed by magic and skills by half. Mcus¡¯ Cloak increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 200 and gave off a bloody smell. The Holy Light Crown raised his intelligence by 300 and his dignity by 200. There was also Belial¡¯s Staff.


    In order to take full advantage of the power of a magician, Grid pulled out all the products that were effective. In addition, there were the dozens of magic spells that could be used at level 400. That¡¯s right. The current abilities of the magician Grid weren¡¯tckingpared to Lich Mumud. He might even be ahead. The reason why Grid only used the lowest level spells was for efficiency. Basic spells liked Magic Missile, Fireball, and Dark Cutter only took one or two seconds to cast, while the casting time increased as the rating went up.


    ¡®It¡¯s too risky to cast long spells when I¡¯m unfamiliar with the magic.¡¯


    Every spell had an antagonistic attribute. There weren¡¯t just simple attack spells, but those that showed all types of functions. The probability of being countered was extremely high, as utilization was unlimited. It meant that a battle involving magic was a psychological war. The only magic that Grid had used was Magic Missile, Fly, and rm.


    Could the not intelligent Grid fight efficiently using various spells in real time? It was impossible. His opponent was Agnus. He had a lich skilled in using magic. It was highly likely that Grid would be defeated in a psychological war with him.


    ¡®So.¡¯


    Grid nned to take advantage of the option of Belial¡¯s Staff where additional damage would be dealt if he used both fire magic and dark magic at the same time. He wanted to avoid a psychological warfare by using only the lowest level magic, which was close to immediate magic, in order to push Lich Mumud. However, reality wasn¡¯t that easy.


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    ¡¯ Dark Cut...Ball!¡¯


    ¡°Fire...! Dark!¡±


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    It was really difficult to cast Fireball and Dark Cutter at the same time. He was convinced that double casting wasn¡¯t an area for yers.


    ¡®This is why... The title of a great magician will be the exclusive property of NPCs.


    Pepeng!


    Peng!


    Fireball and Dark Cutter were deployed separately to attack Mumud. The power was so weak that it couldn¡¯t bepared to when cast at the same time. This meant it couldn¡¯t prate the Mana Shield. Grid¡¯s nervousness reached the peak.


    Kiyaaaaaaah!


    Under the protection of Agnus and the Mana Shield, Lich Mumud finished casting his magic. Magic power exploded and headed towards Grid.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid called out but he had be a great magician thanks to Assimtion. The God Hands were the dedicated item of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and didn¡¯t respond to Grid¡¯s call. In the end, Grid had to endure Mumud¡¯s attack with his own strength.


    ¡®What should I stop?¡¯


    Mumud cast magic that Grid had never seen before. The power and effects couldn¡¯t be predicted. But it was clearly top rated magic if it took eight seconds to cast.


    ¡¯I have to unconditionally stop it.¡¯


    Grid quickly pulled something out from the magic list he had checked before. The defense magic list. Among them, there was a spell that exerted extreme magic resistance.


    ¡°Anti-magic Shield!¡±


    [Increases magic resistance by 50% for 10 seconds.]


    [Defends against one magic attack.]


    Chwaaaaak!


    A pink transparent curtain wrapped around Grid¡¯s body.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Like aet, a sh of glowing light hit the pink curtain. Then...


    The pink curtain shattered. The prismatic sh that boasted seven colours now had only six colours. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡¯Multi-hit magic...!¡¯


    The shing prism. It seemed like one spell but it was actually seven types of spells separated by seven attributes.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Mumud¡¯s magic flew through the anti-magic shield and exploded as it collided against Grid¡¯s chest. The explosion was so huge that the ground where Grid was standing disappeared like it was hit by a meteorite.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    Through the dust generated by the explosion, they could see the silhouette of the struggling Grid. He was being burned, frozen, covered with dirt, blown by the wind, pierced by a sh. Grid received different types of damage at once. It was a scene that caused goose bumps.


    Lich Mumud. Those who knew about him and those who first came to know about him today...everyone was thrilled. This was Mumud¡¯s magic. It was enough to invoke silence on the chaotic battlefield.


    ¡°Kukuk...!¡±


    How much time passed? Both the viewers and those on the battlefield foresaw Grid¡¯s death as the stillnesssted for a moment or maybe an eternity. Someone¡¯s unpleasantughter broke the silence. It was Agnus¡¯ughter.


    "Kuhahahahahat!¡± Okay! Very good! Hahahahahat!¡±


    Agnus sought the pleasures of the moment. He wanted to forget the terrible reality by receiving new stimuli. For example, today¡¯s encounter with Grid was the best.


    ¡°You having Braham¡¯s soul... It will be the stepping stone for Mumud¡¯s growth!! Kuk! Kukuk! Gridddd! More! Jump further! Give me more!!!¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Lich Mumud aimed a spell at the silhouette of Grid in the dust. Most of the viewers saw this action as the killing shot. It was because the power that Mumud used before was too strong for Grid to recover so quickly. At that moment.


    ¡°...Why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?¡±


    The storm caused by the aftermath of Mumud¡¯s magic. The appearance of the wounded Grid was revealed. Over his left shoulder, 10 fireballs were lined up while there were 10 ck des over his right shoulder. It was like wings of fire and darkness.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The viewers, Ares members, Overgeared members and Agnus didn¡¯t understand the meaning of Grid¡¯s appearance. But Lich Mumud...


    Flinch.


    He was learning. Among the enhanced magic that Braham redefined, it was the seconding of the rm magic that showed the most efficiency.

 Chapter 664

    Satisfy boasted graphics more colorful than any game or movie. The effects that urred every time skills or magic was used were beautiful and morous. The yers who used brilliant skills and magic became the objects of envy.


    ¡°Wings...?¡±


    The left side was zing red mes and the right side was dark wings. The viewers and everyone on the battlefield looked at the white-haired Grid with wings The sight of a yer with opposing wings captured everyone¡¯s admiration.


    ¡°Kik...¡±


    Agnus still maintained his concentration during a time when everyone else were fascinated. He quickly grasped the situation and took measures to cope with it.


    "Flying magic that contains a bombardment capability...is it?¡±


    Agnus though that Grid would fly. It wasn¡¯t a hasty conclusion. It was a rational conclusion since wings were a tool for flying in the sky.


    "Raincoat."


    Chwarururuk!


    Agnus used a skill attached to the Rune of Death and dozens of magic shields were created above him. It was the strongest anti-air defense magic. Agnus was prepared for Grid to attack from the sky. This was a mistake.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t fly.


    He waved his wings firmly while standing on the ground. At the same time, he released a line of fire magic and dark magic at Lich Mumud.


    ¡®Fireball and Dark Cutter?¡¯


    He never imagined that the magic that looked like wings was actually a multi-deployment Fireball and Dark Cutter. Agnus btedly realized his misjudgment, hurried to turn off the anti-air defense and raised bodies around him. It was an attempt to use a body shield.


    But.


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    It was toote. Due to the time gap between the release of the anti-air defense magic, the deployment of the body shield was dyed!


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯


    Agnus cursed as 10 pairs of Fireball and Dark Cutter narrowly made it past the bodies. He lost hisposure for a moment as there was a strong explosion.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 38,100 damage!]


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 36,860 damage!]


    [Lich Mumud has suffered 37,500 damage!]


    [Lich Mumud...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°...¡±


    The lich was the culmination of the undead. But this was a story for when it existed as an independent object. The moment it belonged to a yer, the power of a lich became extremely limited. The problem wasn¡¯t the weakening of stats, but the limits of themand system. During real-timebat, it was very difficult for a yer to instruct the worker in detail about certain actions, resulting in extremely low potential for the worker.


    Of course, yers with outstanding concentration and wits were able to deliver high qualitymands to the worker, but this was in a situation where they were able to do that. It was virtually impossible to deliver high-qualitymands duringbat with an unpredictable opponent. It was difficult to respond to constantly changing variables and a gap was eventually revealed.


    Just like Agnus right now.


    ¡®I was too impatient. I should¡¯ve instructed Mumud to defend.¡¯


    It was too early to judge that Grid¡¯s attack woulde from the sky. No, it was a mistake to be overconfident that he could protect Mumud from Grid¡¯s attacks. Agnusmanded Mumud to cast attack magic and as a result, Mumud was exposed to Grid¡¯s magic and suffered a serious injury.


    The 10 pairs of Fireball and Dark Cutter caused Mumud to lost 30,000 mana and 70,000 health with every hit. Now Mumud had 50,000 health remaining and 170,000 mana.


    ¡®The lowest level magic could exert such power...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just high attack power. It required an incredibleputing ability to use 20 magic spells simultaneously, even if they were the lowest rated magic.


    ¡®Is this Braham¡¯s unique characteristic?¡¯


    Like Mumud, Braham had his own unique magic style. It wasn¡¯t strange if he had increased speed in magic casting and mana recovery. Agnus reached a conclusion.


    ¡®This situation is bad for me.¡¯


    Mumud¡¯s magic was ssified as ¡®high level¡¯ magic. Mumud was a magician of mass destruction. On the other hand, Braham was well-rounded. It was possible for him to use low level magic with unbelievable power and there was no dy between spells. It meant he was specialized. In one on one matches, Braham was ahead of Mumud.


    ¡®My role is important.¡¯


    Now Agnus was only focused on the battle in front of him. He had seeded inpletely forgetting the memory of reality that afflicted his mind and soul.


    Sururuk.


    The moment that Agnus calmed down.


    ¡°You should stay focused.¡±


    A handsome man with ck hair was watching the TV and cheering for Grid. It was Kraugel.


    ***


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Agnusmanded Mumud to cancel the casting of the attack magic and to enter the ¡®defense¡¯ and ¡®evade¡¯ mode. He avoided the Fireballs and Dark Cutters that Grid wasunching while continuing to look elsewhere. It was in the direction of the battle between White and Regas and Euphemina. At that moment.


    Peeng!


    Agnus shook as he was hit in the arm by a fireball.


    ¡®...It¡¯s tricky.¡¯


    Fireball and Dark Cutter had simple paths as the lowest grade magic. It was rtively easy to avoid the attacks if he didn¡¯t think about counterattacking. However, Grid suddenly used 10 pairs of Fireball and Dark Cutter at the same time. This meant that Agnus was asionally hit.


    On the other hand, Mumud waspletely protecting himself with defensive spells. Agnus was relieved by the sight and looked at White again. She was overwhelming Regas, but couldn¡¯t deal the finishing blow. It was because the female magician called Euphemina interfered with White during important moments. It seemed impossible for White to suppress them alone during a short time.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t useless.¡¯


    Agnus pulled out his sword and licked it. Then something amazing happened.


    Pisisik.


    Agnus¡¯ tongue started corroding the sword.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes shook as he kept using Fireball and Dark Cutter to attack Mumud. He was astonishing by the toxicity contained in Agnus, as the de was corroded with a lick of the tongue.


    At that moment.


    Teong!


    Agnus escaped to the rear. He left Mumud to deal with Grid alone and moved to the ce where White was.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    Grid hurriedly shouted. He thought Agnus was trying to attack Regas and Euphemina. But Agnus wasn¡¯t aiming at them.


    Puok!


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Agnus¡¯ sword pierced the abdomen of a woman. It was White.


    "Eh?¡±


    Attacking the same side? Everyone was shocked while White¡¯s face distorted. She was the most confused.


    "What are you doing?"


    Agnus whispered to White.


    ¡°ept your fate.¡±


    Shaaaaah!


    Purple demonic energy emanated from the corroded sword and started to flow through White¡¯s veins and muscles. It was the precursor of Death Knight Transformation.


    [You have temporarily made the target a death knight.]


    [If the target epts the magic, they will be a death knight and their species will change to the undead. At this point, all stats will increase by 23% and they will have the ¡®Death Aura¡¯ skill. However, they will be extremely vulnerable to divine magic and won¡¯t benefit from healing effects.]


    Death Knight Transformation. It made a living person into a death knight, giving them the deadly abilities of a death knight. It was a strength that Agnus obtained from clearing a hidden quest. It was a fraudulent power, but it was also risky. The downside of this skill was that...


    [¡¯Agnus¡¯ wants to make you a death knight! Once the duration of Death Knight Transformation is over, you will die and lose experience!]


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    The person who became a death knight would receive a huge penalty. No one would ept Death Knight Transformation unless they had a great deal of loyalty towards Agnus. Agnus whispered to the hesitating White.


    ¡°If you refuse, I will kill you. ept it with ease. Yes? Kukuk!¡±


    Death Knight Transformation could also be used on a corpse. However, if a corpse was made into a death knight, the abilities weren¡¯t fully applied and Agnus would have to control it directly. It was the next best thing.


    "Son of a bitch... Reward me properlyter!¡±


    White was caught and couldn¡¯t refuse Agnus. She grudgingly epted the Death Knight Transformation. Then...


    Kiyaaaaaaah!


    Peeeeeong!


    White¡¯s fist emitted a purple aura and she aimed it at Regas and Euphemina.


    ¡°Regas! Euphemina!¡±


    Jishuka and Pon were surprised while facing ck. The power of White was overwhelming after she transformed into a death knight. Grid also seemed to be in danger. Agnus smiled with satisfaction.


    "Kikik, this is the power of a necromancer. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Death Knight Transformation was a one-time skill with a time limit, but it didn¡¯t consume the dominance stat. It was the only way to have a death knight and Mumud, since Mumud consumed a lot of dominance. Agnus was confident. He would tie up Grid¡¯s feet with White and then Mumud would cast the ultimate spell, destroying Grid in an instant.


    It wasn¡¯t just Agnus. All the viewers thought this was Grid¡¯s defeat.


    "It will soon be over.¡±


    Veradin sighed while facing Scott. All the necromancers, including himself, had exerted an excessive amount of power to block the Ares Army. The Ares Army was strong and was likely to counterattack if more time kept passing. Veradin wanted Agnus to end the fight as soon as possible.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Agnus to waste such a long time on Grid... What?¡¯


    The battlefield, which had been bnced for minutes, would now be overturned. Veradin¡¯s eyes widened. A shadow was cast on the battlefield where tens of thousands of troops were fighting.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Veradin and the others in Immortal. In addition, all of the Ares members doubted their eyes. They couldn¡¯t understand the sight of the massive pir falling from the sky.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style, Pounding Mortar.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A strange voice entered the ears of all the confused people.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    A pir fell from the sky. It was a massive force that crushed White who was rushing towards Grid.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    A pir suddenly falling from the sky? Death Knight White was killed in one blow? Agnus couldn¡¯t close his mouth. His head was nk from the situation he couldn¡¯t understand.


    "You were the one who called a friend first. Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had unleashed hundreds of magic at once and lost a lot of mana. A middle-aged man with a hand plow and sickle stood beside the tired Grid. His name was Piaro. He was now a famous legendary farmer.


    ¡°You dare...! Who would dare go against the Overgeared King!?¡±


    Kuooooh!


    The fierce Piaro! The grains of the world responded to his anger. Piaro triggered Natural State and narrowed the distance to Agnus in an instant.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Puk!


    A voice filled the silent battlefield.


    ¡°N-No...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and Euphemina were frustrated.

 Chapter 665

    -I will leave your share, so please don¡¯t interfere.


    It was the whisper that Grid had sent to Euphemina immediately after Agnus summoned Lich Mumud. Grid didn¡¯t want Euphemina to interfere in his confrontation with Agnus. It was because he wanted to win against Agnus, who was praised as the best, and be reborn as a true master. Euphemina was convinced. She didn¡¯t mind Grid¡¯s useless pride and respected it.


    Thus, she remained silent. She felt sorry for Regas, but she reserved her power and waited for the time when she could leave the battle with White. Grid would call her after showing a satisfactory performance against Agnus. However, this n was ruined.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Piaro appeared in response to Grid¡¯s summons. He broke White with Pounding Mortar and then used the worst technique. The target was Agnus!


    Puk!


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    The death of the summoner meant the defeat of the familiar. Once Agnus started turning to grey due to the hand plow hitting his forehead, Grid and Euphemina felt despair. It was because it was natural for Mumud to die when Agnus died. That¡¯s right. Due to Piaro, Grid failed the ¡®Braham and Mumud¡¯ quest, while Euphemina failed to clear her ¡®Liberate Mumud¡¯s Soul¡¯ quest.


    ¡°D-Damn Piaro...¡±


    He was a troll like Braham!


    ¡°Ruined... Eh?¡±


    Grid doubted his eyes. It was because the grey covering Agnus had disappeared.


    ¡®The death was cancelled halfway through?¡¯


    The concept itself was different from the immortal passive possessed by legends or those who were close to being legends. The immortal passive was a skill that temporarily resisted death, while Agnus had already received the death sentence.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    Agnus¡¯ dismal voice entered the ears of the confused Grid.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukuk! I never dreamt that such a big boss monster would show up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Agnus lifted the grey coloration and appeared again. The flesh and muscles of his body were torn apart, exposing his bones. It was like seeing an undead, causing everyone to freeze.


    ¡°Summoning knights... You don¡¯t need to control the summoned targets, so it¡¯s the best summoning skill.¡±


    Agnus swept away his green hair that was covered with blood and sweat. Of course, a person needed to have a noble title to be able to summon knights. But he never thought about using the Summon Knights skill in this battle. The yers who he had a dominant rtionship with were already engaged in battle and the NPCs had finite lives. It was too risky to summon them against the ¡®strong¡¯ Grid.


    ¡°The bottom line is that your knight is too fraudulent.¡±


    Agnus stared at Piaro. A legendary NPC wasn¡¯t something that yers could face at this time. Wasn¡¯t it unbnced for such a monster to exist as someone¡¯s possession?


    ¡®People think like this when they see me.¡¯


    Agnusughed and remembered the Absolute Domination skill. Absolute Domination. It was a skill that Baal¡¯s Contractor could only use three times. He could make a dead target his servant forever. Thus far, Agnus had only used Absolute Domination once. It was when he took away Lich Mumud from Braham.


    ¡®I want to use this skill...¡¯


    Agnus lips curved up. His eyes were filled with greed as he stared at Piaro. On the other hand, Piaro was looking at Agnus with a fierce hostility.


    "The power over death... A dangerous guy.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ strength was so high that Piaro was alert against it. Piaro saw that if he didn¡¯t finish off Agnus now, Agnus would someday strike back at Grid.


    "I have to kill you.¡±


    Taack!


    Piaro tightened his grip on his sickle and hand plow.


    "Ah, forget about today.¡±


    Agnus stepped back. The power of Immortal gathered near Agnus.


    ck!ck ck!


    ck ck ck!


    Uwaaaaah-


    A barrier of thousands of skeletons was created. Even Piaro couldn¡¯t rush through all of it and had to take a while. Veradin cried out as he broke through the encirclement of Ares troops.


    "Agnus, this way!¡±


    "Wait!¡± Grid called out to the retreating Agnus. "Do you have no pepper? Does it make sense for you to flee? Isn¡¯t it shameful?¡±


    "Pepper?"


    Agnus froze in ce. Grid thought his provocation would work. Unfortunately, Agnus was ustomed to criticism and mockery. He wasn¡¯t sensitive enough to respond to Grid¡¯s provocation.


    ¡°No? Kik!¡±


    p.


    Agnus threw off his robe and revealed his lower body. It was in a skeletal state. It wasn¡¯t a good view, causing Grid to flinch and some people to feel nauseous.


    "I will dy the game until next time. In any case, the quest doesn¡¯t have a time limit. Kukuk!¡±


    Agnus tried to leave his position, but the Overgeared members and Ares troops weren¡¯t willing to let him.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The phoenix rose from Jishuka¡¯s myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and acted as the signal for the Ares¡¯ troops onught towards Agnus. But.


    "Raincoat. Body Shield.¡±


    Pepepepeok!


    Fly Up! was blocked by Agnus¡¯ anti-air spell while the other skills were disabled by Body Shield. Of course, Agnus couldn¡¯t stop every skill alone. But Agnus had hundreds of necromancers and their undead numbered in the thousands. It was virtually impossible to break through the undead army that was only focused on defense. Piaro and Euphemina struggled against the skeletons.


    "Next time we meet, summon the farmer and you will end up crying.¡±


    Agnus used Lich Mumud¡¯s magic and retreated quickly. While Immortal was tying up the legs of the Overgeared and Ares members, Agnus left this meaninglessment and exited the battlefield.


    [You have failed to defeat Mumud.]


    [Braham¡¯s promise will have to wait for next time.]


    ***


    The failure to kill Agnus couldn¡¯t be interpreted as a loss. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s purpose was to help Ares upy the Belto Kingdom and it was purely a coincidence that they met Agnus.


    ¡º As soon as Agnus and Immortal retreated, the Belto Kingdom raised the white g! ¡»


    ¡º God of War Ares has upied the Belto Kingdom and has be the second yer king! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s amazing that a person who possesses a national-level army has remained obscure for so long. I once again realized how wide the world of Satisfy is. ¡»


    ¡º In that sense, Agnus is also incredible. He might¡¯ve been defeated and unable to keep his promise to kill both the Overgeared King and God of War, but his strength was unique. ¡»


    ¡º He blocked the Ares Army and elites of Overgeared... To be honest, the impact is bigger than when Kraugel appeared. I don¡¯t know how many times I was thrilled watching him. ¡»


    ¡º But the conclusion is that Grid is much better. The first king who helped the birth of the second yer king will be even higher. ¡»


    ¡º The farmer... ¡»


    The stir was huge. The second kingdom of yers was born after the Overgeared Kingdom. It also seemed to have a strong rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom, exponentially increasing Grid¡¯s influence. Numerous people became alert and fearful of Grid.


    The reputation of the Ares Army also soared into the sky. The impact that people received was great because the unknown force had excelled over a kingdom. People suspected there were many hidden forces in addition to the Ares Army...


    And...


    "If Agnus hadn¡¯t consumed power to deal with Ares in the beginning, the oue of his battle with Grid might¡¯ve been different.¡±


    ¡°In particr, his undead appearance when he reached the point of death was thrilling. Agnus is at least the level of Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°I felt charisma in the way heughed while sacrificing the same side.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Agnus is the only one. Let¡¯s follow Agnus.¡±


    The former Blood Carnival members and other viins were attracted by Agnus¡¯ strength and madness. They started to gather around Agnus.


    ***


    "I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid apologized to Euphemina. It was because she lost the opportunity to gain Lich Mumud due to his desires. Euphemina shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. In the first ce, it¡¯s unclear if I could¡¯ve suppressed Mumud even if I was part of the fight.¡±


    The encounter with Agnus was unexpected. It was pure coincidence in Grid and Euphemina¡¯s eyes. It was doubtful that Euphemina, who had consumed a lot of skills dealing with the armored elite troops, would be in good shape against Agnus and Mumud.


    ¡°He¡¯s too strong.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ strength far exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. But there were no shadows on the faces of Euphemina and the Overgeared members as they thought about Agnus. Agnus might be great, but Grid eventually won. The Overgeared members were reassured because Grid was by their side.


    However, Grid¡¯s expression was dark.


    ¡®The crowd was right. If Agnus had all his liches and death knights against me from the start, I would¡¯ve been less likely to win.¡¯


    If the Braham and Mumud quest hadn¡¯t urred, then Grid wouldn¡¯t have been a match for Agnus. Grid was able to maintain his status due to the robustpensation effect of the quest.


    ¡¯Yes, I¡¯m currently weaker than Agnus. I would¡¯ve lost if it wasn¡¯t for Piaro.¡¯


    But.


    ¡®The next time will be different.¡¯


    The darkness on Grid¡¯s face lifted. He was reminded of the flexibility of his items.


    ¡®It¡¯s the greatest advantage of Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    He could create new items. Grid didn¡¯t doubt it. It would be much easier to deal with Agnus if he had items for the undead.


    ¡¯I¡¯m sure. Agnus is different from Kraugel.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s control and senses were a strong foundation that made him feel like a hard wall. But Agnus relied on skills and seemed to have a lot of blind spots. Items were the correct tool to use against skills.


    ¡°Then next time...¡±


    He would win. A big smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he vowed. The game was too fun and there was no time to be bored.


    ***


    Outside the Belto Kingdom.


    Chik...


    Chiiiik!


    Agnus was alone and his body started turning to grey. The duration of his half-lich transformation was over.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost arge amount of experience.]


    ¡°Kik... Kikikik! Grid...¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯t furious, despite his supposedly glorious debut being stained with humiliation. Was there another opponent who had pushed him so far since Kraugel? No.


    "Grid! Kihat! Kikikik! Kuhahahat!¡±


    Agnus was happy. He felt gratitude for Grid, who covered his memories of suffering. At the very least, he would be able to sleep soundly tonight.

 Chapter 666

    Agnus.


    Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, he was constantly harassed by his ssmates during his school years. The intensity of the harassment was so high that there were countless horrible stories. Surprisingly, this intense bullying continued even into adulthood.


    ¡°Why was he the subject of harassment?¡±


    Lauel asked after reading the papers and the detective lit up a cigarette and replied.


    ¡°It was due to his tone of speech.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That was the reason?¡±


    Lauel responded like it was absurd. The smoking detective shrugged with a bitter expression.


    "It originally doesn¡¯t take a lot to annoy people. It¡¯s fun to see a soft target be in pain, and then it will be a normal part of life... Well, there¡¯s no need to lengthen this story. The thing that should be noted is that Agnus¡¯ lover, who was his sole resting ce, met a terrible end.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The contents were terribly cruel. The people who harassed Agnus for many years. No, the trash raped Agnus¡¯ lover as a group. It was also in front of Agnus.


    "The big shock caused her to eventuallymit suicide. From that time on, Agnus changed. He enacted a terrible revenge and was sentenced to 28 years in prison by the court. But thanks to a human rights organization, he only served three years before being released from prison.¡±


    "Satisfy was just released when he got out...¡±


    ¡°Agnus¡¯ psychiatrist highly rmended Satisfy as part of his social readjustment program. Since then, Agnus became a so-called gaming addict and the people around him were relieved. They liked the fact that a ticking time bomb was locked into the game.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Indeed, there was no better method to ignore reality than a game. Unlike reality, the game world was filled with fun and interesting stories and a fair system that allowed a person to get rewards.


    Dok dok.


    Lauel knocked on the table before grabbing the papers and getting up.


    "Thank you."


    ¡°I¡¯m getting paid, so I should thank you instead. Call me again the next time you need something. You cane to Seattle at any time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He left the detective and returned to his mansion. Lauel was in deep thought.


    ***


    ¡°Noe, why aren¡¯t you eating?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat, nyang.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "Why do you care if I don¡¯t eat, nyong?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Pets were creatures. Even if they stayed in the pet inventory without doing anything, they needed to eat to survive. In addition, Noe was a pig who was always waiting for meals. Yet he was refusing a meal! Grid felt worried after seeing Noe¡¯s thin belly and asked carefully.


    ¡°Is it because I didn¡¯t summon you when I fought Agnus?¡±


    Flinch.


    Noe¡¯s triangle-shaped eyes twitched. His tail stood upright as he cried out.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, nyang! Why, nyang? Why didn¡¯t you call me when you were fighting?¡±


    Noe had long since recognized Grid as a parent. It was natural since Grid was the first person Noe saw when he hatched from the egg and Grid raised him. Noe always wanted to help Grid. He was worried when Grid was fighting against a mighty enemy.


    "This body is the best demonic beast of hell! I am the noblest being in this world and you should depend on me! Nyang!¡±


    Noe opened his eyes as big as possible. Grid smiled as he saw Noe¡¯s heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t forget you in the future. But you should eat.¡±


    Did Grid really forget about Noe? That wasn¡¯t the case. He couldn¡¯t forget about Noe, the strongest pet, while dealing with Agnus. In fact, Grid wanted to summon Noe several times during the battle with Agnus. But Agnus had contracted with Baal, the 1st great demon, and the memphis was a great demon¡¯s pet.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was just scared. He was afraid that Noe would be affected by Agnus¡¯ aura and betray him.


    ¡®Betrayal might be too much. However, I can¡¯t rule out the possibility that Noe might be influenced by Agnus.¡¯


    There were still too many things Grid didn¡¯t know about Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know much about necromancers, let alone Baal¡¯s Contractor...¡¯


    There were no necromancers in Overgeared. In the first ce, necromancer was a ss that specialized in solo y and few of them joined guilds.


    ¡®I have to understand necromancers better.¡¯


    In particr, he wondered about the structure of a death knight. Grid hunted monsters and gave their souls to Noe before logging out.


    ***


    Necromancer. They were magicians who could summon the undead such as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, skeleton warriors, skeleton archers, skeleton magicians, etc. The higher the domination stat, the more undead that could be summoned. In addition, the level of the undead was affected by the summoner¡¯s level. An average level 300 necromancer had an estimated 1,500 domination stat. This meant they could summon 150 skeletons or 15 skeleton magicians at the same time.


    In other words, the number of the domination stat required for every undead was different. In order to summon a death knight, avable for third advancement necromancers, at least 1,000 domination points were required.


    Death knights. A death knight was made using the body of a warrior who built up a high reputation during their lifetime. Since the level and skills varied depending on the body used as a material, it was important to secure a body that was strong in life. Once created, the death knight could be used permanently. Like a pet, it could raise its level through hunting. The death knight¡¯s tendencies depended on where the stat points were invested after levelling up.


    A third advancement necromancer could use the ¡®Death Knight Production¡¯ skill only one time. But people guessed that this would increase with the fourth advancement.


    ¡°Agnus, how much of a scam is he?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo clicked his tongue after collecting information about necromancers from variousmunities. The more he knew about necromancers, the more fraudulent he realized Agnus was.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why people are talking about Agnus these days...¡±


    It was two days after the battle. The people of the world were in a heated debate about Agnus. People were excited and spected that he would be the owner of the next legendary ss after Pagma¡¯s Descendant and Sword Saint.


    "Not many people know about the hidden growth sses. Hrmm...¡±


    After gathering information about the necromancers and reying Agnus¡¯bat abilities, Youngwoo turned off theputer. He had a meal and got back into the capsule.


    ¡°The Behen Archipgo.¡±


    The death knight Lantier guarded the 61st ind. He would create items for the undead inspired by his battle with Agnus. Then he would finally conquer the Behen Archipgo and grab Pagma¡¯s heritage. Shin Youngwoo had this as his immediate goal. He was convinced that it was a shortcut to a fast increase in strength.


    "Login."


    ***


    Grid didn¡¯t waste a single second after connecting to Satisfy. As soon as he connected, he moved to a field outside Reinhardt and summoned the four God Hands, Noe, Randy, and the two Overgeared Skeletons. He had them hunt to gain experience, while he sat down and worked on increasing his tailoring experience. It was almost macro-level... No, it was the level of a necromancer¡¯s automatic hunting.


    ¡°Item Information.¡±


    While stitching, Grid brought up the information about Tiramet¡¯s Belt.


    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Experience: 58.9%.


    * Reduce damage received by 10%.


    * Stamina +250.


    A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet. If this belt grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Viscount Tiramet.


    Weight: 13


    ¡°58.9%...¡±


    It had been several years in game time since he acquired Tiramet¡¯s Belt. But Tiramet¡¯s Belt was still stuck at the unique rating. It was really hard to raise it to the legendary level.


    ¡°Once I can summon Tirament, it¡¯s likely that my attack power will sharply rise.¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s tanking ability was one of the highest among the vampires. Grid would be much more stable in battle if he could summon Tiramet.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to give the God Hands an order to defend. Tiramet¡¯s bite means I can maximize stability and attack power at the same time.¡¯


    Grid started to burn with motivation. Considering the strength of Lantier on the 61st ind, the experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt would increase exponentially every time he was hit.


    ¡°I need to strike the iron while it is hot.¡±


    Grid started moving without stopping his sewing. He nned to visit Sticks to move to the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid stopped in ce.


    He was much stronger than before. But it was still hard to assure victory against Lantier.


    ¡®I have already finished making armor for Lantier... It would be nice to make a new weapon.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know how many years he had been using Failure. Grid hadn¡¯t been able to produce a famous sword since Failure, to the extent that he was still using Failure after making the most recent Sword Ghost.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯


    Grid had the materials that he secured from Belial¡¯s raid. In addition, he learned how to use Belial¡¯s essories properly in the process of creating items for the meritorious retainers. Grid decided to make a sword he had dreamt about. But there was one thing.


    ¡®Belial¡¯s essories contain too much demonic power to be made into the weapon I need...¡¯


    It was unfortunate that using the material of a great demon to make a weapon meant the weapon was specialized for only one characteristic.


    ¡®What if there was a true master weapon that was strong against normal monsters, strong against people, strong against big monsters, and strong against the undead?¡¯


    But was such a weapon possible? Right now, the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and Lifael¡¯s Spear were each specialized in fire and divine power. It was impossible for a perfect all-rounder weapon to exist.


    ¡°...No, wait.¡±


    Lightning struck Grid¡¯s mind. An idea surfaced. The hidden skill Item Combination gave him inspiration!

 Chapter 667

    ¡°It¡¯s virtually impossible to create an item with all-epassing effects...¡±


    The myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and Lifael¡¯s Spear only had one attribute. The materials used to make an item were limited, so it was theoretically impossible to create all-rounder items. But the weapon Grid wanted didn¡¯t necessarily have to be ¡®all-rounder.¡¯


    ¡®How... Ah!¡¯


    The Item Transformation skill passed through Grid¡¯s head, followed by Item Combination and Sword Ghost.


    ¡®Is it possible to make an item that can transform orbine without using the skills?¡¯


    Like a detachable Sword Ghost!


    ¡¯I have caught a strand!¡¯


    The excited Grid noted some of the options and information of Sword Ghost.


    [+7 Sword Ghost]


    Rating: Legendary


    ...


    ...


    * Can be separated into small andrge pieces.


    * When separated, the attack power of the small andrge piece are applied separately.


    ...


    ...


    There are two knobs, one in the middle of the de and one in the bottom, made of drake fangs. Turning the knob in the middle will separate the pieces. In addition, you can deal serious damage to the enemy¡¯s mind if you hit the enemy with these knobs.


    Since the surface is entirely ck and the circumference of the de and the knob is the same, it isn¡¯t easy to distinguish the knob with the naked eye.


    ...


    ...


    ¡®What if I make multiple Sword Ghosts with different attributes that can be separated and attached?¡¯


    It would have the all-purpose ability that he dreamt of! He could use a suitable de depending on the situation!


    ¡®However, the problem is...¡¯


    There was an inevitable gap in the process of attaching and detaching the de. Grid summoned the Sword Ghost from the inventory. Then he separated them and reattached them.


    ¡®0.5 seconds for separation and 0.7 seconds for attachment.¡¯


    In addition, it took another 0.5 seconds to retrieve a new de from the inventory.


    ¡®Around two seconds...¡¯


    This speed was possible because Grid had high dexterity and was familiar with swapping items. An ordinary person would take a minimum of four seconds. But that wasn¡¯tforting.


    ¡®All the enemies I have to deal with are far from ordinary.¡¯


    Monsters, NPCs, and yers. The enemies that Grid had to confront in the future were all transcendent. Revealing a gap of two seconds to them would be fatal. ¡®The protection of the God Hands isn¡¯t absolute and it isn¡¯t possible to summon Tiramet right now.¡¯ He could protect his body with the two Overgeared Skeletons, but it was limited to two attacks in total. It was difficult to rely on them. He couldn¡¯t use the Overgeared Skeletons as a shield forever.


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    Grid suddenly stopped frowning. He seeded in thinking of a new idea.


    ¡®Silver thread!¡¯


    [Silver Thread]


    Attack Power: 100~????


    Durability: 1,000/1,000


    Fragments of silver armor that have been shaped in the blood vessels of the armored needles for many years.


    Unlike ordinary silver thread that only has a thin coating of silver, this is made of pure silver. It also contains the powerful magic power of the armored needle.


    Depending on the skill level of the user, it can be used in various ways due to its different forms.


    * It is ssified as a secondary weapon.


    Conditions of Use: Secondary Weapons Mastery Advanced Level 5. More than 2,000 dexterity.


    * The silver thread can be shot quickly if you have more than 2,000 dexterity.


    * If you have more than 2,500 dexterity, you can twist 5 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.


    * If you have more than 3,000 dexterity, you can twist 10 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.


    * If you have more than 4,000 dexterity, the speed at which you can control the silver thread is doubled.


    * If you have more than 5,000 dexterity, you can twist 20 or less...


    ...


    ...


    * The silver thread can be used as a material for making items. However, a craftsman level cksmithing skill is required.


    Weight: 5


    He only explored the possibilities of using the silver thread as a secondary weapon. Until now, Grid had focused on using the silver thread as a secondary weapon. But reality was cruel.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard for me to use the silver thread in practice.¡¯


    It was too difficult to utilize the silver thread, even with Grid¡¯s high dexterity. There was no time to control the silver thread while using the sword and magic. In particr, the silver thread wouldn¡¯t work against strong opponents such as Agnus. It wasn¡¯t reasonable to be obsessed with using the silver thread as a secondary weapon.


    ¡®Let¡¯s use it as an item making material.¡¯


    In the first ce, the silver thread was a ¡®material that all cksmiths of the East Continent dreamt about having.¡¯ Grid had forgotten about this fact while obsessing with the silver thread as a secondary weapon. Grid was able to think more rationally than before since dealing with Agnus.


    ¡®Putting the thread between des... If I use this as an item making material, it would be a highly useable secondary weapon.¡¯


    The usage that Grid thought about?


    "Being drawn together!¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    Noe was surprised by Grid¡¯s sudden and loud shout. Grid stroked the head of the little guy whose eyes had be rounded.


    "I can connect the parts of Sword Ghost with the silver thread. With one click of the button, the silver thread will be pulled and the des will fly, automatically attaching to the Sword Ghost!¡±


    ¡°...Nyang?¡±


    Noe couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Noe made a confused expression, but the excited Grid didn¡¯t care.


    "It is easy to imagine it as Spiderman shooting a thread from the wrist. I will make an item.¡±


    One of Grid¡¯s few advantages was that he wasn¡¯t indecisive. Once decided, he acted quickly.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation!¡±


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 10/24.]


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡°Secondary weapon. With a single click of the button, the tool will pull or loosen the silver thread.¡±


    [...Analyzing your intentions. I understand. I will inform you after understanding the item information of the silver thread.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a pattern that had never been seen before. Grid was a little nervous but waited quietly. But the system was silent. He waited one minute, two minutes then five minutes. However, nothing was said.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible?¡¯


    He wanted to exin the exact item but maybe he had exined too much.


    ¡®I need to be more specific...¡¯


    The moment Grid was about to exin again.


    [The analysis of the silver thread is over. I have grasped the intentions of the item you want to create. Are you sure you want to create it?]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Indeed, the supeputer! Grid marvelled at theprehension of Satisfy and nodded.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    [What materials would you like to use?]


    "I will attach it to the handle of the Sword Ghost, so it should be the same material.¡±


    Grid confirmed there was a small amount of drake¡¯s fang remaining and decided to use it as the material. A nk blueprint appeared in front of him.


    [Please design the item.]


    ¡®The outline...¡¯


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation was convenient to use. Even if the user had no knowledge of the item he wanted to create, it would bepleted with the help of the system. Grid trusted in this and filled in the nk blueprint. He designed a small square box that wouldn¡¯t be disturbed when attached to the handle of the Sword Ghost and designed a spinning fan. It was intended to loosen or pull the silver thread ording to the direction of the fan.


    ¡®It will be done by clicking the button outside the box.¡¯


    Slowly, slowly. He wasn¡¯t a professional but he did it carefully. Grid spend two hours constantly revising and designing the box. However, thepleted design was too poor. It was a small box five centimetres in diameter that was made of drake fangs. There were two buttons on the outside and a fan that rotated clockwise or anticlockwise depending on which button was clicked. The fan would pull or loosen the silver thread ording to the rotation.


    Grid¡¯s idea was very simple.


    ¡°I will put several of these boxes on the handle of the Sword Ghost. At the end of the silver thread, I will hang new types of des that will be produced. Then I will automatically attach and detach the desired de with one click of a button.¡±


    [...]


    The design was over. Yet there was no response from the system. It seemed difficult to interpret Grid¡¯s design.


    ¡°...A failure.¡±


    Perhaps he tried too much.


    ¡®I should go to the Inte and think of the scientific structure.¡¯


    The moment that Grid sighed and was going to log out.


    [Have you decided? When youplete the blueprint, the number of avable creation skill will decrease by one.]


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill was better than Grid expected. This was the power of the supeputer called Morpheus.


    ¡°I have decided!¡±


    The moment Grid spoke.


    Suksak suksak.


    Numbers andnguages quickly covered Grid¡¯s blueprint. All types of figures were being calcted in real time. The system was doing its best to supplement the contents of the design created by Grid. After a few minutes.


    [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]


    The rebuilding of the blueprint was over! The appearance of the box in the design was the same as Grid¡¯s original design, but the internal structure was based on a level that the system could understand.


    ¡®The energy source of the fan is mana.¡¯


    Mana was consumed every time he used it. But Grid epted this, since he was just thankful that the item was created sessfully. He smiled and exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secondary tool that can detach a de with one click of a button. The de connected to the silver thread will usually stay in the inventory and will appear when the button is pressed! Then it will pop out! And it will be mounted on the handle. Huhut.¡±


    A highly practical item! Grid exined the concept of the newly created secondary tool with enthusiasm. But then the system struck.


    [It is impossible to reproduce this due to Satisfy¡¯s settings. The silver thread on the outside of the inventory can¡¯t be linked to des stored separately in the inventory. They should be in the same ce since they are connected items.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    [It is rmended that you make a separate storage space to store the des connected with the silver thread.]


    ¡°...¡±


    (He held a handle in calloused hands and 10rge des around his body.)


    It was an image of the Overgeared King that wouldter be on everyone¡¯s lips.

 Chapter 668

    Over four hours. It was the time Grid spent by the roadside creating a new item. He was only focused on one thing.


    ¡°...Finished.¡±


    A confident look! Gridpleted the process of creating an item and asserted.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best!¡±


    [Pulling Tool]


    * Secondary tool.


    A small box with a diameter of five centimeters, created by the cksmith Grid who is eager to learn the divine techniques.


    When the button on top of the box is clicked, the internal fan will rotate counterclockwise and release the silver thread. When the button on the button is clocked, the internal fan rotates clockwise and pulls the silver thread. It takes 0.3 seconds every time.


    The end of the silver thread can be attached to a ¡®de¡¯ item.


    Conditions of Use: Depends on where the box is installed.


    * The box can be installed anywhere.


    Fan Operation (Button Click) Resource Consumption: 630 mana.


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    0.3 seconds!


    The time it took to detach and attach a de was dramatically reduced!


    "I will experiment right now!¡±


    The giddy Grid headed towards the smithy.


    ***


    Ttang!Ttang!


    "Stupid bastard! There¡¯s no rhythm in your hammering! How many times do I need to tell you to listen to the melody of the metal!?¡±


    "The fire isn¡¯t good at all. You can smelt more metal by properly controlling the intensity of the mes, just like a woman¡¯s body.¡±


    Therge smithy located in the center of Reinhardt. Advanced cksmiths from all over the kingdom and the cksmiths of Pangea were training thousands of cksmiths. The effect of the teaching was unrivalled as the techniques of the East Continent and West Continentbined in a positive direction.


    [Baron¡¯s Beginner cksmith¡¯s skill has risen!]


    [Spinner¡¯s Intermediate cksmith skill has matured!]


    [Medon¡¯s Intermediate cksmith skill has achieved dramatic maturity!]


    "Well well. Okay, very good!¡±


    The only craftsman cksmith in the Overgeared Kingdom, Khan. He was in charge of the cksmiths management and education and smiled warmly. He was very happy to see the cksmiths teaching, learning,peting, and growing every day. He hoped they could develop and contribute to King Grid.


    "His Majesty would¡¯ve aplished a great feat somewhere...¡±


    Grid had left Reinhardt immediately after kidnapping tens of thousands of residents of Pangea. What was he doing now? It was obvious. He would be sure to impress people with good deeds or would¡¯ve made a great piece of equipment with the best techniques on the continent. This was what Khan believed.


    Snap!


    The front door of the smith, which a able-bodied man had to push with all his strength, opened lightly like a reed swaying in the wind. It was followed by the appearance of a person.


    "Out of the way!


    It was Grid. Something was so urgent that Grid forgot he was a king and stood before the nearest furnace. He immediately pulled out a hammer.


    ¡°The Overgeared King...!¡±


    The attention of the cksmiths focused on Grid. The legendary cksmith, Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was a great learning opportunity for the cksmiths to observe him making an item. The cksmiths couldn¡¯t hide their excitement as they gathered by Grid¡¯s side. Of course, Khan was the same.


    ¡®These resolute eyes...!¡¯


    Khan gulped. He was already excited to see what type of item Grid would make. Grid pulled out the drake fangs and silver thread.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    The materials that were as rare as pulling a star from the sky were brought out at the same time! The expectations of the cksmiths soared into the sky.


    ¡®Is he trying to make a legendary sword?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s likely to be an armor if he took out the silver thread. The silver thread will increase the aesthetic beauty of the armor and will also increase its defense.¡¯


    What would the only legendary cksmith in the world make with such unusual items? Everyone forgot what they were doing as they focused only on Grid. Grid started making the item without realizing the eyes of those around him.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Hwaruk!Hwaruruk!


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...¡±


    Doubt appeared on the cksmiths¡¯ faces as Grid¡¯s work progressed. Grid used the precious drake fangs to create an empty box and an unidentified round disc. Unlike everyone¡¯s expectations, it was neither a weapon nor armor. The purpose was unknown.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The box and disc produced by Grid were very small. The box was only five centimeters in diameter and the disc was less than three centimeters. It was the size of a kid¡¯s toy. The cksmiths couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡¯The precious drake fang was turned into this...¡¯


    Maybe the Overgeared King didn¡¯t know about the importance of resources! Some people started asking questions like this while Grid continued working. He took a strange of silver thread, wound it on the small disc and mounted it in the box. The advanced cksmiths all felt admiration. Grid¡¯s dexterity was so delicate that they could never reach it in their lives.


    On the other hand, the intermediate and below cksmiths didn¡¯t feel any inspiration. Grid finished it so quickly that they mistook it as an easy task.


    "Okay, it¡¯s finished.¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction, took out the +7 Sword Ghost and separated it into two. Then the Pulling Device box was attached to the handle. It was welded together using the st furnace.


    ¡°Kukuk... Kukukuk!¡±


    What was so good? Grid wasughing alone with a very pleased expression. The cksmiths cocked their heads to one side.


    Click!


    Grid pressed a button on the attached box. Then.


    Hwiririk!


    The silver thread stretched out from the box.


    Tadak.


    Grid pressed a button again. Then this time.


    Hwiririk!


    The extended silver thread returned to the box.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    A spectacr sight!


    The cksmiths started to show greater interest in the tool that Grid produced. But the precise use of it hadn¡¯t yet been determined.


    ¡¯It¡¯s amazing, but what¡¯s the significance of shooting out a strand of silver thread...?¡¯


    ¡®The silver thread can be shot out, but it¡¯s too weak to be used as a weapon...¡¯


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a weapon, but an assisting tool. Does he intend tounch the silver thread at trees and pirs, or to bind the enemy¡¯s body?¡¯


    ¡®The length of the silver thread is too short for that. It is less than one meter.¡¯


    ¡®Hrmm...¡¯


    Most production ss yers chose the Saharan Empire as their home country. It was because the empire¡¯s rich economy benefited the production sses. Due to that, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s cksmiths were 100% NPCs. The NPCs who only knew the world of Satisfy couldn¡¯t grasp the intentions of the modern day Grid. Grid pulled out Belial¡¯s Horn.


    [Belial¡¯s Horn]


    A weapon material that contains Belial¡¯s magic power.


    Various options are added when making weapons.


    However, finding a cksmith who can handle this horn is as difficult as picking a star from the sky.


    It was a weapon production material that a great demon dropped. It could be considered a production material with more value than adamantium. Grid had already dealt with Belial¡¯s Horn in the process of making items for his kingdom¡¯s meritorious retainers. It was also several times!


    ¡®There will be at least eight options if I make a weapon with Belial¡¯s Horn.¡¯


    Additional physical damage, additional magic damage, additional fire damage, additional dark damage, there was a certain probability of releasing fire when attacking, additional damage to divine existences and the ability to cause hallucinations.


    Grid had learned this while making weapons for his retainers. When making a weapon with Belial¡¯s Horn, at least two to four of the eight options were assigned to the weapon.


    ¡®I want to add physical damage, fire damage, and damage to divine existences.¡¯


    These were the options that belonged to Piaro¡¯s hand plow. The power was overwhelming. The weapon that Grid would make with Belial¡¯s Horn was a ¡®de.¡¯


    Grid hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be the additional magic damage option as he threw Belial¡¯s Horn into the furnace.


    Kurururung!


    "Heok...!¡±


    The cksmiths held their breaths. There was turbulence as soon as Belial¡¯s Horn entered the fire.


    ¡°T-The curse of a great demon?¡±


    Khan reassured the anxious cksmiths.


    "Don¡¯t make a big fuss. It isn¡¯t a curse. This is a shock caused by the special magic power contained in the demon¡¯s horn.¡±


    This was the reason why cksmiths found it hard to handle Belial¡¯s Horn. Belial¡¯s Horn had a very violent temper. In particr, the process of resistance was extremely severe.


    Ttang!


    Peeeeeong!


    Ttang!


    Kwa kwa kwang!


    The red Belial¡¯s Horn was ced on the anvil. An explosion of mes and darkness swallowed Grid every time he hammered it. Grid kept suffering damage.


    [You have suffered 4,400 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,530 damage.]


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    [2,265 health has been restored.]


    [You have suffered 4,370 damage.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.01%!]


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been unfair if the item experience didn¡¯t rise.¡¯


    If Grid¡¯s stats and items weren¡¯t as high, he might¡¯ve lost his life in the process of refining Belial¡¯s Horn.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Kwarururung!


    He hammered it hundreds of times! Grid was swallowed up by mes and darkness every time he hammered it, but he didn¡¯t die. He was able to cope with the anticipated damage using potions, the healing effect of Tiramet¡¯s Belt, and the defensive effect of the First King title.


    ¡°...Gulp.¡±


    Risking their lives with cksmith work? The cksmiths watched Grid work with fear and horror. Everyone shut their mouths and focused on Grid¡¯s work.


    [Your potion cooldown time hasn¡¯t returned.]


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The resistance of Belial¡¯s Horn was terrible. Grid was injured and had to rest a few times along the way. It wasn¡¯t something that could be done with ordinary persistence.


    "G... Ghoul...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Night was over and the bright morning arrived. The cksmiths had forgotten about eating while watching Grid work and unknowingly fell asleep.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Hwaruruk!


    Belial¡¯s Horn was still resisting. But its momentum had waned. Grid felt that the end wasing. Once the sun was high in the sky.


    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [Vitality, defense, and dexterity will rise by 200% for one hour.]


    The patience effect, which had a much lower rate of activating than the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath, was triggered and made Grid¡¯s work easier.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid kept up the hammering and Belial¡¯s Horn started to gradually change shape. It was forming the shape of a de as Grid intended. Then something amazing happened.


    [After thest tempering, Belial¡¯s Horn is strengthened.]


    [Enhanced Belial¡¯s Horn]


    Belial¡¯s Horn enhanced by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    The Enhanced Belial¡¯s Horn is a better weapons building material than the existing Belial¡¯s Horn.


    However, the degree of difficulty in handling it has also increased. A lot of time and effort must be spend to forge it into the form that you want.


    "Eh...?¡±


    A simr phenomenon to when the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath became the Enhanced Phoenix Breath urred!

 Chapter 669

    ¡®Enhanced... Just like the byproduct of the divine creatures, the byproduct of a great demon is also a myth rated material.¡¯


    It was natural when thinking about the existence of a great demon. It was right that Belial¡¯s Horn would be a material superior to ordinary materials.


    ¡°Good...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expectations were amplified. Considering that the weapons made with Belial¡¯s Horn exerted the greatest power, the de made with the Enhanced Belial¡¯s Horn would far surpass it.


    ¡®There might be 2~4 options attached, possibly more...!¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped wildly with joy.


    ¡®Calm down.¡¯


    Grid was aware from numerous experiences how importantposure was. He was afraid that he would be in a hurry when working and be disappointed. Therefore, Grid took deep breaths and controlled his mind. He try to soothe his excited heart.


    ¡°...¡±


    Despite feeling expectant of the result produced by the Enhanced Belial¡¯s Horn, his excited mind became calm.


    ¡°...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hear the voices of the cksmiths gathered around him.


    ¡°...¡±


    He looked back on his techniques. He looked back on his mistakes. He looked back on his goals. Time flowed.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The cksmiths watching Grid held their breaths. Belial¡¯s Horn that had been emitting fire and demonic energy. Grid stared at it and his eyes deepened like an abyss.


    ¡®A bright and clean mind...!¡¯


    Khan and the cksmiths got goosebumps.


    Ttaaaaaang!


    The sound of Grid hitting Belial¡¯s Horn made a clear sound that resonated through the huge smithy.


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯


    White from the White Hammer Smithy, Enoch from the Blue mes Smithy, Byuksan of the ck Anvil Smithy, and Lahochu of the Red Tongs Smithy. They were praised as the four great cksmiths of Pangea. Now they were inspired by Grid¡¯s techniques!


    [White has reached new enlightenment as a cksmith of the Overgeared Kingdom! He has been blocked by the wall of the Advanced cksmith¡¯s technique and now has room to grow into a craftsman!]


    [Enoch has reached new enlightenment as a cksmith of the Overgeared Kingdom! He has been blocked by the wall of the Advanced cksmith¡¯s technique and now has room to grow into a craftsman...]


    [Byuksan has reached new enlightenment as a cksmith of the Overgeared Kingdom! He has been blocked by the wall of the Advanced cksmith¡¯s technique...]


    [Lahochu has reached new enlightenment as a cksmith of the Overgeared Kingdom! He has been blocked by the wall...]


    ¡°Oh... Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Khan¡¯s elderly body shook. The bright future of a cksmith kingdom, the Overgeared Kingdom, was unfolding beautifully in his head. He was eager. He wanted to survive longer and see Grid¡¯s works. He wanted to do more for the bright future of the Overgeared Kingdom. This desire was passed on to Grid.


    ¡®Khan.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid reached his peak while tempering Belial¡¯s Horn. He felt the burning aspiration of someone who was sometimes a friend, sometimes a teacher, and sometimes a father. Thus, he poured even more strength and skill into his hammering.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think about dying until you learn from all my skills.¡¯


    His first friend, Grid wanted to be with Khan forever. This wish raised Grid¡¯s concentration to a higher level. A stage of self-transcendence. Now Grid forgot even himself. He couldn¡¯t distinguish himself from the hammer and as a result, Belial¡¯s Horn became further tempered.


    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely concentrated and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely con...]


    ...


    ...


    Ttaaang!


    Every time he hit it with the hammer, Belial¡¯s Horn would sh red and ck. The material to make the strongest weapon in existence gradually took the shape of a de.


    ¡°...It¡¯s finally over.¡±


    After a long time, the result came out. It was beyond Grid¡¯s expectations.


    [de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,660/1,660 Attack Power: 3,500


    * 20% increase in physical attack power.


    * 20% increase in magic attack power.


    * 30% bonus fire attribute damage.


    * 30% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * Deals an additional 50% damage to sacred beings.


    * There is a certain probability of mes rge) being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of illusions being released when attacking.


    ¡ï There is a certain probability of a ck mes explosion when attacking.


    * The skill ¡®Enlightenment¡¯ is created.


    * The skill ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ is created.


    It is a de that will be a myth beyond a legend. The owner of this de will leave countless achievements and will be the protagonists of hymns that future generations will sing.


    Of course, this is a story for when the de is attached to a handle. It isn¡¯t possible to use the de with no handle.


    The cksmith Grid has surpassed the skills of a god and has shared his enlightenment and aspirations with others.


    The blinking mes on this silvery de show an artistry that is rare even in dragonirs.


    The hidden function of ¡®ck mes¡¯ has been implemented because the features of Belial¡¯s Horn have been drawn out to the extremes.


    The explosion of ck mes will ignore all fire resistance and dark resistance of the target and will ruin the area.


    Conditions of Use: Under the premise that a handle is attached, the three highest ranked use of each ss in which a sword can be equipped.


    Weight: 1,999


    [Enlightenment Lv. 1]


    A persistent passive.


    Increases character experience and skill experience acquisition by 10%, and uracy and evasion by 20%.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    [Ecstasy of Desire Lv. 1]


    A conditionally triggered passive.


    When fighting an enemy with a higher level than yourself, there is a very low probability of entering a ¡®selfless¡¯ state if your health drops below a certain point.


    Your attack power will increase by three times and your evasion by 99% for 20 seconds.


    However, defense will fall to 0.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    ¡°Uh... Um...¡±


    Of the options that were possible when making a weapon out of Belial¡¯s Horn, Grid had uncovered eight. But now he saw nine things in total. And all nine of them were attached to his weapon.


    ¡°...This is really amazing.¡±


    The mes rge) that had a certain chance of being emitted was a secondary effect that applied 5,000 fixed damage. Of course, damage wasn¡¯t fully applied to targets with fire resistance, but this wasn¡¯t a disadvantage. Grid always wanted the fire release option. Yet there were eight options as well as the fire release one. No, nine options were allocated.


    Grid had especially high anticipation for the hidden attribute of ck mes.


    ¡®A unique property that ignores fire and dark resistance...¡¯


    The explosion was also likely to be a ssh attack. Maybe it would be simr to the 5,000 damage of the mes rge). No, it would show great destructive power even if it dealt only half of that damage.


    ¡®Next.¡¯


    It might not beparable to Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity, but the Enlightenment effect would be very helpful in battle. Starting with the durability and attack power, all the options were perfect. There was only one problem.


    ¡®Ecstasy of Desire...¡¯


    It was a skill that reminded of the legendary weapon Sword of Self-transcendence produced during his beginner days. Strictly speaking, it could be called a higher state than self-transcendence. Perfect State of Self-Transcendence was a skill that caused the user to lose their ego in exchange for doubling all stats. They would also be defenseless for two seconds after the duration ended.


    ¡®Certainly... It is a hundred times better than the Perfect State of Self-Transcendence skill. It¡¯s much more powerful to have my attack power triple than my stats doubling.¡¯


    Furthermore, his evasion increased to 99%. It meant he could avoid 99 out of 100 attacks. It was almost a cheat key. But as mentioned before, there was a problem. It was also a deadly one.


    ¡®Defense will be zero...¡¯


    Didn¡¯t it mean a 1% chance of being hit? Grid had a 99% evasion rate, so from an ordinary person¡¯s point of view, having zero defense wasn¡¯t something to worry about. But who was Grid? He was an unlucky person. The probability of 1% was too annoying.


    ¡®Ah, damn... I feel like this is a troll skill...¡¯


    No, he shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions. Grid shook his head and pulled out the Sword Ghost with the Pulling Device attached to it. Then he tied the Enlightenment de to the other end of the silver thread.


    ¡°...¡±


    The cksmiths were still unable to grasp the identity of the pulling device and showed great interest. They were excited to finally find out the use of the box. Then...


    Ttalkak.


    Grid pressed a button. Then.


    Chwarururuk!


    Clink!


    The Enlightenment de flew and was automatically fitted to the Sword Ghost. Grid¡¯s intention was revealed. There was a reason why Grid tried the Sword Ghost as a handle. The reason...


    [Sword Ghost (Small Piece) and the de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires have beenbined. The item information will be updated.]


    [Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    Rating: Myth


    ...


    ...


    * For every attack that hits the same target, 10% attack power will umte (up to 100%).


    A sword that will be a myth beyond a legend.


    The owner of this sword will leave countless achievements and will be the protagonists of hymns that future generations will sing.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The Sword Ghost was a sword designed to exert the best power inbat. Compared to other weapons, it was veryfortable to handle and had the option of exerting extreme attack power. It was easy to use and strong. Grid was obsessed with the Sword Ghost because he wanted to add the strength of the Sword Ghost to his new de. This was the result.


    ck!


    Chwaruruk!


    Clink!


    Once he clicked the button again, the de separated from the handle. It flew through the air, was grabbed by a God Hand and inserted into Grid¡¯s waist belt. This item swap was at the speed of light.


    ¡°...Huh.¡±


    The cksmiths couldn¡¯t close their mouths after grasping Grid¡¯s intent.


    [You have failed to enhance the +0 de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [You have failed to enhance the +0 de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [You have failed to enhance the +0 de Born from Enlightenment and Strong...]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid shed tears. He tasted the pain of his heart breaking despite hearing from Jishuka that myth rated weapons were difficult to enhance.


    ¡°XX.¡±


    Grid forgot his dignity and cursed before leaving the smithy. He intended to relieve his stress and test the power of the weapon by hitting the scarecrows in the training ground.


    After a moment.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    ¡°Pounding Mortar?¡±


    Reinhardt shook. It was like the shock that urred when Piaro and Kraugelpeted in Reidan.

 Chapter 670

    ¡°The Overgeared King!¡±


    The training grounds. Asmophel was training the soldiers when he found Grid and ran over. He was interested in the de hanging from Grid¡¯s waist.


    "Isn¡¯t that a peculiar shaped weapon?¡±


    It was a de without a handle. He wondered if it could even be called a weapon?


    ¡°Is the production process unfinished? Ah!¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s eyes widened in the middle of his question. It was because the de hanging at Grid¡¯s waist suddenly heated up likeva and threw out mes. It blossomed like a flower and disappeared, looking beautiful and mysterious. Grid smiled warmly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool? Asmophel, this is a de made of Belial¡¯s Horn, just like your weapon. This is the also the finished product.¡±


    A long exnation wasn¡¯t necessary.


    Tadak!


    Grid pulled out the Sword Ghost and pressed a button on the Pulling Device.


    Hwiririk!


    Clink!


    The de was drawn by the silver thread towards the Sword Ghost and became attached.


    ¡°Huh... That¡¯s why there is a deep groove in the de.¡±


    "Yes, it can attach to the de of the small piece like a sheath.¡±


    ¡°Great. You can use it during battle and deal an unexpected blow to the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Um, well... I can use it for that purpose.¡±


    Grid crossed the training ground while talking to Asmophel. His dignity grabbed the attention of the soldiers. Thousands of soldiers forgot about training as they watched Grid. There were also yers present.


    There was Soldier, who was active on Cork Ind with Peak Sword, as well as yers who had the ¡®soldier¡¯ ss. Why did they enlist in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army instead of the Saharan Empire? It wasn¡¯t because of Grid or the expectations that the future of the Overgeared Kingdom would be brighter than the empire. They only wanted the mass produced Grid set.


    That¡¯s right. They aimed to carry out quests they could receive from the Overgeared army and built up items based on it. It was an iplete force that had the ability to leave the Overgeared Kingdom at any time after achieving their goals.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the mass produced Grid set...¡¯


    ¡¯I would¡¯ve enlisted with the empire or Ares.¡¯


    ¡¯From the standpoint of a soldier, the empire and Ares are much more advantageous than Grid.¡¯


    They would gain the mass produced Grid set and then leave. In order to obtain the set, they had to contribute to the development of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s he trying to do?¡±


    The yers looked at the Overgeared Kingdom as a stage to ¡®step through.¡¯ Unlike the NPC soldiers, they looked at Grid without any inspiration. Grid was standing in front of a scarecrow on one side of the training ground.


    Someoneughed. "Is he going to show off his sword dance in front of the soldiers in order to increase the morale of the army?¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡±


    Grid¡¯s strength was known by all. It was the same with the yer soldiers. But the yer soldiers remembered the battle in the Belto Kingdom not long ago. Grid was defeated by Kraugel in the National Competition and pushed back by Agnus in the Belto Kingdom, so they recognized him as the ¡®number two.¡¯ They thought it was funny that Grid was posturing in front of his soldiers.


    ¡®Well, the NPC soldiers are frogs in a well who don¡¯t know the identities of Kraugel and Agnus. They will praise him if Grid shows off his sword dance.¡¯


    ¡®Grid will enjoy the soldiers making a big fuss over him.¡¯


    The yer soldiers weren¡¯t disregarding Grid right now. They were jealous of Grid who was beyond them. However, these people didn¡¯t want to admit that they were jealous of Grid. They tried to find a small w in Grid in order to criticize him.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    On the other hand, Grid didn¡¯t even see the yer soldiers. He knew exactly why they joined the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army. He thought they were just passing by and treated then as a folding screen. In addition, the reason why Grid came to the training ground was to test the power of his weapon, not for the soldiers.


    ¡°I will start the test.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Sparks flew from the sword in Grid¡¯s hand. He struck a training scarecrow that had a fixed defense and resistance of 0. However, the power and effect was beyond the category of a basic attack.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°....!!¡±


    After making the myth rated item, all stats had risen by 10 and Grid¡¯s total strength was 3,120. At the third awakening, the strength stat gave an extra 0.4 attack power per one point. Thus, 3,120 strength guaranteed 1,248 damage. There was the 20% increased physical attack power, 30% additional fire damage and the 30% additional dark damage. Once the sum of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires was added together, his attack power was 6,300. It was a total of 7,548 attack power for those who had no fire resistance and dark resistance, plus the effects of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4 and Weapons Mastery Lv. 5. The deactivated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4 increased attack power by 34% and Intermediate Weapons Mastery Lv. 5 increased attack power by 17%.


    [You have dealt 11,397 damage to the target.]


    Grid¡¯s basic attack dealt more than 10,000 damage to the scarecrow.


    Kung!


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    The scarecrow fell down, proof that it suffered more than 10,000 damage, before jumping up again. The soldiers¡¯ mouths dropped open as Grid attacked the scarecrow a second, third and fourth time.


    Jjang!Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    [You have dealt 12,537 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 13,791 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 15,170 damage to the target.]


    The effect of Sword Ghost increased attack power once it attacked the same target. Thus, the scarecrow started to suffer more damage.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The yers doubted their eyes. Grid didn¡¯t seem to be using a skill. This made it hard to understand why the scarecrow fell every time it was hit.


    ¡®Surely he isn¡¯t doing more than 10,000 damage with a basic attack?¡¯


    ¡®This is impossible...¡¯


    The soldiers kept refusing to believe it.


    Jeeeong!


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    A critical was applied to Grid¡¯s basic attack. The important point here was that like the Death in One Shot! title, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship also increased critical damage. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4 increased critical damage by 20%. While a yer¡¯s base critical damage was 200%, Grid¡¯s critical damage was more than 250%. It was a number that would shame assassins.


    [You have dealt 41,718 damage to the target!]


    Kwajak!


    "...This isn¡¯t a basic attack?¡±


    The scarecrows had the option of ¡®stabilizing when under 50,000 damage.¡¯ The yers started turning pale. Grid hit the scarecrow again.


    [The +8 Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be generated!]


    [You have dealt 91,780 damage to the target!]


    Every time he hit the same target, the option of Sword Ghost increased the default damage. At the same time, 5 Joint Attacks was activated, turning the scarecrow into ashes.


    Kuwaaang!


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire damage!]


    The fire option was activated, causing the mes to burn the ash scattering in the air without any traces left behind.


    "...He is continuously using a skill. Right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a skill. How can he smash a scarecrow with basic attacks?¡±


    The yer soldiers never imagined that Grid was hitting the scarecrow with basic attacks. The misunderstanding that Grid could use ¡®skills without any dy¡¯ arose and they felt admiration. At that moment.


    [You have dealt 11,397 damage to the target...]


    [You have dealt 12,537...]


    [You have dealt 13,791...]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [You have dealt 22,794 damage to the target!]


    A notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s vision once he hit the new scarecrow 10 consecutive times and instantly raised his power by 100%.


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    One side of the training grounds. A total of 5,000 scarecrows used for the soldiers¡¯ training were destroyed. In the center of the burning scarecrows, Grid held a sword that was emitting ck mes!


    [Ssh damage equal to 300% of your attack power will hit every target within 10 meters.]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The +8 Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be...]


    [You have dealt 854,775 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 854,775 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 854,775 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 854,775...]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    An explosion that urred 360 degrees around Grid. Hundreds of scarecrows were erased from the world without a trace.


    ¡°...¡±


    "...It seems that Lauel will be angry.¡±


    The overwhelming destructive power that swept away the training ground. Asmophel wiped off the sweat that urred due to the explosion and muttered. The soldiers and yers were unable to bear the destructive power and fell down. Now they were struck dumb.


    ¡°...Awesome.¡±


    Grid shed tears of joy. He didn¡¯t even use the buff skills such as ckening or cksmith¡¯s Rage, yet he destroyed an area of 10 meters.


    On this day.


    Title: To those who say that the Overgeared King is no better than Agnus.


    Contents: Hello. I am Soldier J of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army. Today, I want to tell you the truth. You might not imagine it, but Lord Grid was going easy when he faced Agnus. In fact, King Grid has a burning sword... This sword can burn Agnus, the death knights, liches, and everything else... But King Grid didn¡¯t use it because it¡¯s too much ??;;;;


    For reference, I will be in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army forever.


    A ridiculous rumor started to spread around the Satisfymunities. Absolutely zero credence was ced in the contents. People thought that the Overgeared Kingdom was manipting public opinion to protect Grid¡¯s reputation. Well, the truth would be revealed someday.


    Later.


    ¡°Salute!¡±


    ¡°Hooray King Grid!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The eyes of the yer soldiers were as motivated as the NPC soldiers. The enthusiastic Overgeared army was quickly bing stronger.

 Chapter 671

    "...58 gold each.¡±


    The ¡®training scarecrows¡¯ that could be purchased and installed from the ¡®Facilities¡¯ menu was quite expensive as it was a military equipment that could be used semi-permanently. But ording to the report, 219 scarecrows disappeared without a trace. Why? They were smashed by none other than Grid.


    ¡®Why did he destroy the sinless and expensive scarecrows? ...Wait, didn¡¯t Grid say he would make a sword out of Belial¡¯s Horn?¡¯


    Shake shake.


    Lauel shook as he started worrying about Grid.


    ¡¯Surely he didn¡¯t fail to make an item?¡¯


    How stressed would Grid have to be to destroy national facilities?


    ¡®He would be upset if the weapon made of Belial¡¯s Horn has an unsatisfying finish.¡¯


    It was right after Grid met the powerhouse called Agnus. He would already be on edge so how much pain would Grid have suffered failing to produce a weapon?


    ¡®This... I have tofort him.¡¯


    As a friend and colleague, Lauel was worried about Grid and rose from his seat. He ignored the stacks of paper piled up like a mountain and tried to send a whisper to Grid.


    "Hi, hisashiburi.¡± (Long time no see in Japanese)


    At that moment, the door opened without permission and Pope Damian entered. He had the beaming expression that was his ¡®I¡¯m dating Isabel¡¯ face.


    "Why has Your Holinesse to see me? Aren¡¯t you busy preparing for the Vatican¡¯s festival?"


    Lauel liked Damian a lot. It was because there was goodmunication between them.


    ¡°Yare yare... Is Lauel, the brain of Overgeared, busy? I came to see if the Reba temples are operating well.¡±


    As the pope, Damian built a total of three Reba temples in Reinhardt. There were 50 priests and 100 pdins in each one. But as the saying went, priests were precious. Since it was virtually impossible to deploy arge number of NPC priests, Damian gave quests to the yer priests and led them to stay in the Overgeared Kingdom. As a result, arge number of priests were stationed in each temple. But were they working for the kingdom properly? Damian was honestly sorry.


    "Not long ago, I saw that Grid wascking priests when fighting Immortal. Did the Saharan Empire tempt away all the priests?¡±


    Lauel smiled at the worried Damian.


    ¡°No. The priests are still staying in the Overgeared Kingdom. The reason Grid didn¡¯t bring priests with him was because he felt he had a lot of room. He hadn¡¯t expected Agnus¡¯ emergence."


    "Is that so? I was worried about the recent rumor that the empire is trying to ess our priests in the Overgeared Kingdom. Fortunately, it was just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t nonsense. The Saharan Empire was trying to intimidate the Overgeared Kingdom and were jockeying to take the Reba priests.


    ¡®Thanks to this, Faker is really busy.¡¯


    The shadow behind the Overgeared Kingdom. Faker was always watching the Reba priests. He blocked the empire¡¯s spies before they could contact the priests. Lauel felt sorry for Faker, who didn¡¯t have time to do his individual work. But Faker had good news recently.


    "My level is going up quickly while hunting the enemy spies. It¡¯s better than monster hunting.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t false. Faker¡¯s level was rising faster than the Overgeared members at the hunting grounds. The Saharan Empire was helping Faker.


    ¡¯Furthermore, Kasim seems interested in Faker.¡¯


    Kasim was King of the Shadows and a disciple of Lantier. He was a named NPc on the same rank as Piaro and Asmophel. It was extremely good news that he was interested in Faker. Maybe Faker would receive a hidden quest and learn Lantier¡¯s skills.


    ¡®...Faker might be strong enough topete with Grid.¡¯


    Faker rarely made public appearances, unlike the other Overgeared members. The number of times he participated in various events and battles was smaller than the other Overgeared members. It wasn¡¯t because Faker was weak, but because he acted secretly. Faker had as much talent as Jishuka, as much passion as Regas, and as much reasoning ability as Pon. HIs potential for development was unlimited.


    ¡®Due to the nature of his ss, there¡¯s little time for personal activities.¡¯


    If he grew while hunting enemy spies and received Lantier¡¯s teachings...


    ¡°...Sir? Lauel?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lauel was locked in thought and became startled at Damian¡¯s voice. Damian felt sorry for Lauel.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing most work alone these days? Then your hair loss will be worse. Shouldn¡¯t you obtain more manpower?¡±


    "Haha, it¡¯s okay. Since then, I have greatly increased the number of people involved in administrative affairs. I was thinking about something else.¡±


    As with any other country, the Overgeared Kingdom was zealous in seeking manpower. They often held trials to recruit NPcs and yers talented in each field. Furthermore, the growth rate of the NPCs taught by Sage Sticks was so high that the workforce of the Overgeared Kingdom was rapidly increasing. Lauel¡¯s workload had declined from what it was a few months ago. However, he still had a murderous schedule.


    "Then I¡¯m d... By the way, where were you nning to go?¡±


    "Ah, I was going to see Grid. His Majesty seems to be in pain after failing to make an item.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Grid failed to make an item?¡±


    Damian had an expression like he lost his country.


    ¡°Unbelievable! The legendary cksmith Grid failed to make an item!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was the person who saved Isabel with just his cksmithing techniques. Damian¡¯s experience with Grid¡¯s cksmithing techniques was thousands, tens of thousands of times greater than anyone else. But Grid had failed to make an item. The impact that Damian received was veryrge. Vantner, who was passing by in the hallway, heard his scream and rushed in.


    "What? Grid failed in making an item?!¡±


    Vantner¡¯s voice was as loud as a train horn. He was like Orator Huroi as he easily attracted people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Is it true that God Grid failed to make an item?¡±


    ¡°Grid made a normal weapon?¡±


    "No, he actually failed in making an item! The materials were destroyed!¡±


    ¡°Crazy...! Has the level of Grid¡¯s cksmithing skill fallen?¡±


    "Will Grid be deprived of his legendary cksmith status?¡±


    The rumors became exaggerated! Rumors spread that Grid would be deprived of his qualification as a legendary cksmith and plunged the Overgeared Guild into chaos.


    ¡°Is it a penalty from when he was forced to assimte in the fight against Agnus?¡±


    ¡°Now Grid is a legendary magician instead of a legendary cksmith?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable... The Overgeared King isn¡¯t a cksmith but a magician... Then is he no longer the Overgeared King?¡±


    "Do we have to change his name to the Magic King...?¡±


    "How big is Grid¡¯s heartache...?!!!¡±


    This misunderstood Overgeared members started searching all over Reinhardt. It was to find Grid who was hiding alone somewhere. Damian was with them. Then.


    ¡°I found him!¡±


    An Overgeared member was able to find Grid at the training ground. Grid had just destroyed hundreds of scarecrows and was afraid of Lauel¡¯s nagging.


    "Look at that dead expression!¡±


    "The rumors were true...


    "G-Grid, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was with all the fuss? Grid wondered about the violently worried Overgeared members. Then Damian ran up to Grid.


    ¡°Grid! Don¡¯t be saddened by the fact that you failed to make an item!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "There are also times when monkeys fall from trees! No matter how skilled Grid is, you can¡¯t always be good! Isn¡¯t it just today? Even if you failed to make an item, you can make the next item well!¡±


    ¡°...What are you saying?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t understand why people were saying that he failed to make an item. Damian looked at the frowning Grid and hit his chest.


    ¡°Hit me!¡±


    "...??"


    "Didn¡¯t you fight me in the National Competition? I am very sturdy! I won¡¯t die! Hit me until your broken heart is soothed! Relieve your stress!¡±


    The tankers of the Overgeared Guild, Toban and Vantner also stepped forward.


    "Hit us! Do it heartily!¡±


    "Release the stress that must¡¯ve umted since your fight with Agnus! Nowe!¡±


    ¡°...Ohu.¡±


    Grid still wanted to experiment with the damage. He wanted to enjoy the power of the sword that broke all the scarecrows so easily. Then the punching bag... No, Grid happilyplied with his friends.


    "Okay, apply for a duel. Your experience won¡¯t drop even if you die.¡±


    ¡°What is death?¡±


    "We are tankers.¡±


    ¡°No Grid. Did you forget how strong I was at the National Competition? I am several times more durable than I was at that time. Just freely vent. I can endure it.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t regret it?¡±


    Grid smiled and wielded the Enlightenment Sword that was attached to the Sword Ghost. The target was Damian. At that moment.


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    ck mes exploded from the sword that collided with Damian...


    "T-Time! Stop!¡±


    Damian hurriedly shouted after checking the damage. He suggested.


    ¡°I-I will apply for a duel...!¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Grid already had a taste. Grid was excited by the ¡®additional 50% damage to sacred beings¡¯ that boasted power beyond imagination.


    "Owaaaaack! Yamete! Yamete kudasai!¡± (Stop! Please stop!)


    Damian ran away from Grid, whose eyes were shining brightly likenterns. He didn¡¯t have any confidence despite using his defensive buffs.


    ¡°...¡±


    "...Did he make that sword just now?¡±


    Vantner and Toban already shrank back. The day that praise for Grid spread around Satisfy¡¯smunities, the Overgeared members admired the power of Grid¡¯s weapon. It was the beginning of the full-scaled overgeared myth.

 Chapter 672

    ¡°Irene!!¡±


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    "Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hohohoho!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    An attack power of one billion, Meteor that could be instantly activated with no conditions, etc. It wasn¡¯t a dream item, but Grid seeded in making the best item. He seeded in this achievement three years after starting Satisfy. The joy that Grid felt was so big that it was difficult to gauge. It was natural that he would rejoice after reuniting with Irene.


    ¡°You¡¯ve be even more beautiful sincest I saw you!¡±


    Grid smiled widely as he stroked Irene¡¯s soft hair. Grid¡¯s hand moved and revealed Irene¡¯s pretty little forehead. It was a very lovely forehead so Grid kissed it. He didn¡¯t care about the knights and maids watching. Irene¡¯s milky white skin turned red as she blushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy. I missed your kind kisses.¡±


    In fact, recently Irene had been very worried. Yura, Jishuka, Euphemina, Lae, etc. Grid always had beauties around him. But recently, the woman called Sua appeared and Irene realized that Grid couldn¡¯t resist his desires and would have several concubines. Grid had the right as the king. But unlike Irene¡¯s concerns, Grid didn¡¯t take any concubines.


    Of course, Irene knew. The reason Grid didn¡¯t have concubines wasn¡¯t because he only loved her, but because he was so busy.


    ¡¯Someday, he will have concubines.¡¯


    Irene felt pained. She was sad to think that Grid¡¯s warm touch and breath would be shared with other women. But she didn¡¯t intend to monopolize Grid. She knew she couldn¡¯t monopolize him. A noble should have many children. For the future of the kingdom, Grid needed to have many offspring.


    ¡®Furthermore.¡¯


    Grid was blessed by the gods. He was a presence who surpassed the flow of time. It had been five years since her marriage to Grid. Irene was in her mid-twenties, while Grid looked the same. Now they looked like the right age, but it would be different after 10 years.


    ¡®I don¡¯t belong with him.¡¯


    The people who matched with Grid were Yura and Jishuka. Irene¡¯s eyes became red as she was reminded of the painful reality.


    ¡°Irene?¡±


    Grid was surprised when the happily smiling Irene suddenly became tearful. He worried that he had made a mistake. Irene was deeply embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯m too happy. I¡¯m very d to spend this time with Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was a person with no sense of others. He didn¡¯t know that Yura and Jishuka harbored a crush on him. But he wasn¡¯t a fool. Irene was a woman he shared his life and heart with. Grid got a glimpse of what she was thinking right now.


    ¡®Irene... Khan... Lord...¡¯


    A finite life was a natural part of life. Satisfy¡¯s time flowed differently from reality. Grid became depressed at the thought of some of his precious people disappearing someday. But Grid didn¡¯t express it. He wanted Irene to be happy without feeling any sadness. He could be happy thanks to her, so he wanted to repay it with her own happiness.


    ¡°Irene!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty... Hup...um.¡±


    ¡°...Hup.¡±


    The knights and maidens guarding by the side of Grid and Irene blushed and turned their gazes to the wall. Grid¡¯s lips covered Irene¡¯s small lips in a deep kiss. The two people shared a hot kiss, as if they were the only ones who existed in the world.


    [Overgeared King Grid and Queen Irene¡¯s love has set an example for the people.]


    [The marriage and birth rates in the Overgeared Kingdom have increased by 20%.]


    [The poption growth rate of the Overgeared Kingdom has increased.]


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this a jackpot?¡±


    Lauel was delighted back in his office.


    "...Shit.¡±


    The bald Vantner was in tears. He felt sorrow at being solo since his mother¡¯s womb and Ponughed at him.


    ***


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Piaro felt admiration when he saw the traces of the battle in the training ground. His shock was greater since he personally trained Damian in the fields.


    ¡°Temporary farmer two... No, His Majesty has be strong enough to drive back His Holiness?¡±


    Asmophel nodded at Piaro¡¯s question.


    "That¡¯s right. He will be stronger than I am in the next two to three years.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Asmophel was a person who didn¡¯t exaggerate. Then his words must be true. Piaro recalled the first time he met Grid. A dull child who couldn¡¯t properly handle his own abilities.


    "But now he¡¯s overwhelming a genius.¡±


    This was the power of effort and the flow of time. A dark smile formed on Piaro¡¯s wrinkled face. Grid and Kraugel. He was proud and grateful that opening of the era of the new generation wasing closer. He thought that even the Saharan Empire pressuring the Overgeared Kingdom right now, wouldn¡¯tst forever.


    ¡®There¡¯s a problem.¡¯


    That person called Baal¡¯s Contractor. A sinister figure also appeared at the opening of the new era. He would surely interfere with Grid along the way, making Piaro feel uneasy.


    ¡¯...My role is to punish him.¡¯


    Agnus¡¯ presence was so great that Piaro made an earnest vow.


    ***


    Valha. It was a kingdom founded by God of War Ares and the interest in it was very hot. Numerous yers hoped to move to Valha and join Ares¡¯ army. Just like the Overgeared Kingdom had the power of items, Valha had the chance to grow in a systematic organization called the army.


    yers had arger choice of kingdoms to choose from and the poption of the Saharan Empire decreased ordingly. It wasn¡¯t at a catastrophic level, but the empire would receive definite losses in the long run. It was a very unpleasant phenomenon from the perspective of the imperial royal family.


    "The Overgeared Kingdom hasn¡¯t self-destructed yet?¡±


    The leaders of the Saharan Empire gathered in Titan, the capital. Most of them insisted that the new kingdoms of Overgeared and Valha should be punished and immediately destroyed. But it wasn¡¯t easy. The empire had been pursuing a policy of eradicating immigrants for decades and was in constant conflict.


    The soldiers and people were tired. The empire of today had no room to invade both Overgeared and Valha. That¡¯s why they wanted the Overgeared Kingdom to destroy itself. They demanded a high tribute from the Overgeared Kingdom, forcing the kingdom to naturally walk down the path of defeat. However, the Overgeared Kingdom was surprisingly resilient.


    ¡°It¡¯s really strange. How can they continue to produce battle gear and feed the people when there is no money?¡±


    "Are they cheating us with the taxes and holding back some money?¡±


    "No. We are thoroughly monitoring them and it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you exin the situation now? The situation can¡¯t be exined unless they have infinitely proliferating minerals and food.¡±


    ¡°Infinitely proliferating minerals and food... That¡¯s a funny joke.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely that other kingdoms are helping the Overgeared Kingdom. I think it will be good to block all of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s diplomacy avenues.¡±


    "What¡¯s the justification? It would be morefortable to cause a war.¡±


    ¡°Valha is the problem. Valha was only established due to the help of the Overgeared King. The Overgeared Kingdom doesn¡¯t have any allies apart from Valha. It will be easy if we iste the Overgeared Kingdom from Valha.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it simple if we invade both Overgeared and Valha at the same time?¡±


    "Where can we spare the army? It¡¯s impossible for the empire to make arge-scale military move at this time due to the immigrants.¡±


    ¡°As the war continues, the tribes are experiencing a famine. It¡¯s impossible to receive aid from their tributaries for war money and they will have to squeeze the blood of their own people, causing an internal problem. They can¡¯t cause a war for the next few years.¡±


    "The ambassadoring to the great Saharan Empire to discuss poverty... This is due to the persistence of those scum.¡±


    "First of all, the immigrants need to be eliminated. Then Overgeared and Valha are next.¡±


    This confusion was caused by the Overgeared Kingdom still surviving despite being supposed to perish within a few months. Why wasn¡¯t the Overgeared Kingdom suffering from a famine? It was difficult for the empire to understand.


    ***


    "This quarter also has a good harvest. Congrattions, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This is all thanks to Piaro.¡±


    The agriculture of the Overgeared Kingdom was phenomenal. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, every season had a good harvest. It was thanks to the legendary farmer Piaro¡¯s passive skill. Piaro¡¯s existence itself was fraudulent.


    "I am lucky that despite having most of my possessions taken away by the empire, neither my people or my soldiers are going hungry.¡±


    Rabbit shook his head at the relieved Grid.


    "It¡¯s only peaceful on the surface. The state of the Overgeared Kingdom is actually very dangerous. There is no money to invest in different fields and development isn¡¯t happening. In the end, we will die out.¡±


    "In the end, we have to get away from paying a tribute to the empire?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Rabbit nodded. But he didn¡¯t offer any good solutions. Valha¡¯s presence might¡¯ve prevented the empire¡¯s invasion, but the Overgeared Kingdom couldn¡¯t dere their freedom from the empire. There was no room to stop the empire froming.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    The moment Grid was immersed in his thoughts.


    -Overgeared King, what are you doing?


    A whisper came from Valha King Ares.


    -What happened?


    They might be enemies one day but right now, Ares was the most dependable ally for Grid. Ares exined after hearing Grid¡¯s question.


    -The empire sent an envoy.They told me to offer a tribute to the empire as a token of loyalty.


    -Indeed, Valha as well...


    Grid thought that Ares naturally epted the demands of the empire. However, Ares was a formidable man like Lauel had said.


    -I told him to get lost.


    -Eh?


    -How can I pledge allegiance to them when they sent Agnus to hinder me?Those damn scum, I¡¯ll pop them like popcorn and drink them like Coke.


    -...Aren¡¯t you giving the empire a chance to invade?


    -They won¡¯t invade right away.They are afraid of the Overgeared Kingdom.Well, once they handle some of the ethnic tribe immigrants, they will move onto Valha.


    -What will you do?


    -Let¡¯s see...Overgeared King, you should take care of me.


    -You want me to send reinforcements?


    -No, it¡¯s enough to send me items.


    -...?


    -I would like to arm my soldiers with your items.Of course, I will purchase them at a fair price and I won¡¯t forget this grace for the rest of my life.


    Ares believed that if the most powerful army was equipped with the strongest items, there would be no need to fear the empire¡¯s invasion. But Grid still found it difficult to trust Ares. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of the overgeared Ares Army bing enemies. Ares seemed to read his mind and added.


    -As a reference, I really like you.I don¡¯t want to be your enemy.


    -...Come to think of it, you are an uncle.


    -Huh?


    -No, nothing.I need to discuss this with Lauel.


    Why was he only loved by men? Grid was seriously worried as he told Ares he would think about it. Then he had a consultation with Lauel. Lauel spoke honestly.


    ¡°If Ares made this proposal yesterday, I would¡¯ve refused. But...¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°It is different from the past. ept Ares¡¯ demands. Sell items and make money.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "So what if Ares tries to hit you in the back of the head? Use the spark of darkness sealed in the burning de. Kuk! Kukukuk!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel dered that Grid¡¯s power was now at a national level.


    ¡°Leave the trade with Valha to me and leave now. Please conquer the Behen Archipgo ande back.¡±

 Chapter 673

    ¡°Umm... The Behen Archipgo.¡±


    Grid made a reluctant expression and judged that it was too premature. Lauel gave a different opinion, however.


    "Didn¡¯t you say that the guardian of the 61st ind is the legendary assassin Lantier?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it is Lantier who has be a death knight that has also been armed with Pagma¡¯s items!¡±


    "He must be strong. But Your Majesty, haven¡¯t you already set up a n to deal with Lantier? You created an armor that can nullify Lantier¡¯s attack power.¡±


    Grid had many pieces of armor: ¡®Triple Layers,¡¯ the piece of armor that specialized in physical resistance, ¡®Lantier¡¯s Cloak¡¯, the ¡®Horned Helmet,¡¯ and the ¡®Large Gloves.¡¯ Grid nodded.


    "I don¡¯t think you would speak empty ttery... Certainly, I won¡¯t die as quickly as I did before. But what about my weapon?¡±


    Grid was concerned about his weapon.


    ¡°This time, I made the Enlightenment Sword, a demonic sword¡ªthe best tool to use against divine beings, but not the most powerful one against the undead.¡±


    Death Knight Lantier was strictly ssified as a monster with dark properties. The additional 30% dark damage from the Enlightenment Sword would work as a heal for him. Lantier¡¯s evasion rate was also exceptional, so Grid wondered if he could actually dispose of the named boss monster.


    ¡°Hrmm... Are you saying you need to make a holy sword first?¡±


    "That would be good.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense. It is great to prepare without needing to worry about the death penalty... Then do you have enough material to use for a holy sword?¡±


    "Mithril is easily avable on the market.¡±


    ¡°Mithril!¡± shouted Lauel as he suddenly rose from his seat. Grid was surprised by the unexpectedly severe response.


    ¡°W-What? Why are you so excited?¡±


    "I¡¯m not excited right now! This is a holy sword, a holy sword! Yet you are nning to make it out of mithril?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mithril was powerful against the undead and was ssified as an advanced mineral. That was just a perceptionmon to ordinary yers, however.


    "Isn¡¯t the demonic sword made of Belial¡¯s Horn? If you¡¯re nning to make a holy sword, shouldn¡¯t its material be on the same level as that of the demonic sword?¡±


    ¡°...Come to think of it...¡±


    The de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires was a myth rated weapon. Assuming he was dealing with the undead, the Enlightenment de would be more powerful than a legendary mithril weapon.


    ¡°Right. It doesn¡¯t make sense to use ordinary materials for my weapon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you understood my words properly.¡±


    In the future, all of Grid¡¯s dedicated weapons should aspire to be ¡®at least¡¯ the level of the Enlightenment Sword. It was significant.


    Grid realized it.


    ¡®...Then where can I find the materials for a holy sword?¡¯


    Even adamantium couldn¡¯tpare to Belial¡¯s Horn. In order to obtain sacred materials on the same grade as Belial¡¯s Horn...


    ¡¯Should I kill an angel?¡¯


    For what reason?


    ¡¯No, can I even meet an angel?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s head started to be cluttered.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    Sage Sticks came to visit. He was called by Lauel.


    "Are you going to the Behen Archipgo?¡±


    Sticks¡¯ desire was for the Behen Archipgo to be purified. He hoped that the Behen Archipgo would re-establish itself as the Hall of Fame, and was very d that Grid would challenge the Behen Archipgo again. Grid saw his bright expression and scratched his cheek.


    "No, I think it should be postponed.¡±


    Grid thought Sticks would understand, as he knew exactly how powerful the guardians for the inds in the 60s were. Sticks reaction wasn¡¯t as expected, however,


    ¡°Why do you want to postpone it?¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯m still weak.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A strange response! Grid was confused.


    "What¡¯s with this reaction? Sticks, didn¡¯t you see Lantier¡¯s strength? I wasn¡¯t able to touch him before.¡±


    ¡°That is an old story. A death knight who loses its owner doesn¡¯t grow. Then what about you? You have all types of new armor and weapons, making you iparably stronger than before. You can defeat Lantier now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel and Sticks. Once the smart people repeatedly spoke about Lantier like he was easy, Grid felt like a fool.


    ¡®Maybe I am underestimating myself?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid had grown by leaps and bounds since he had first challenged the Behen Archipgo. His items had been strengthened a few times, and both his character level and skill level had steadily increased. He had even earned legendary titles such as ¡®Savior of the World¡¯ and ¡®First King.¡¯ However, Grid wasn¡¯t able to think objectively because the shock of Lantier in the past was too great.


    "Even if I can defeat Lantier, the Behen Archipgo doesn¡¯t end at the 61st ind. Doesn¡¯t it have 66 inds? I have to fight many legendary death knights in a row. Wouldn¡¯t it be safer to have a holy sword ready?¡±


    "I see. You think that a holy sword is indispensable because a death knight is evil. But a death knight is an undead before it is evil, making it vulnerable to explosive attacks and the light attribute.¡±


    An undead¡¯s endurance was weak. Of course, in the case of high-level undead, their defense was also high. But defense and endurance were different concepts, however. While their defense might be high, a strong explosion would be able to separate and weaken the bones.


    "I heard rumors that the sword you made has a strong explosion effect. You can easily defeat the undead with it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was no reason to dy any longer. Grid¡¯s scared mind was freed by Sticks¡¯ words.


    ¡°The conclusion is that the Behen Archipgo is easy?¡±


    ¡°...No, not that far...¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay, let¡¯s go! Go! Right away!¡±


    It was sad when thinking about it. He was the king, but he was forced to go on a business trip.


    ¡®I feel like a sryman, not a king!¡¯


    Grid felt aplete sense of istion for some reason and asked Lauel before he left,


    ¡°Is it okay if I leave at this time? Won¡¯t it be dangerous if the empire strikes?¡±


    Grid knew that the empire was in a situation that made it difficult to move troops. However, the empire had the Red Knights. If Lauel carried out his n to not offer a tribute to the empire this month, the empire was likely to threaten the Overgeared Kingdom with the Red Knights. Lauel reassured Grid.


    ¡°I received news that a person who pretended to the descendent of the Undefeated King has appeared in Lubana. Thus, the Red Knights have been dispatched on arge scale. It is one of the reasons why Ares was able to beat the imperial envoy. The empire can¡¯t do anything to us right now.¡±


    ¡°The Undefeated King...?¡±


    Grid was dimly aware of Undefeated King Madara. During the time of the 2nd National Competition, thementators mentioned it while talking about Bubat¡¯s Undefeated King¡¯s Battle Gear Set.


    "The king of Lubana, who never defeated the empire...¡±


    Perhaps!


    ¡°Is Bubat the descendant of the Undefeated King?¡±


    Bubat was someone whose status conditions ¡®always¡¯ applied. He couldn¡¯t be ignored if he had the power of the Undefeated King. Lauel shook his head at the wary Grid.


    ¡°His identity is unknown. In addition, we aren¡¯t in a ce to worry about them."


    The appearance of the Undefeated King was helping both Overgeared and Valha. Their identity was unknown, and while they might be an enemy in the future, they were wee right now. It was too early to be wary.


    ¡°We just need to do what we have to do.¡±


    ***


    The Behen Archipgo was the Hall of Fame that honoured the achievements of past legends and handed down legacies to the current legends. It could be considered an important base in the human world (middle world). Thus, it became the target of great demons.


    The great demons, wary of the legends who could threaten them despite their status as trivial humans, invaded the Behen Archipgo to conquer it. Out of all this, Pagma came out, gaining a transcendent power through a contract with the 1st great demon, Baal. He transformed the Behen Archipgo and intercepted the great demons, consequently defeating them.


    But the Behen Archipgo wasn¡¯t able to function properly in the aftermath. The Behen Archipgo was no longer the Hall of Fame, nor was it a ce of session after it was converted by Pagma. It became an impregnable fortress that existed only to hurt intruders. Sticks saw this as ¡®contaminated.¡¯


    "I can¡¯t deny Pagma¡¯s feat. If it weren¡¯t for Pagma, the middle world would¡¯ve be a yground for demons right now, and neither of us would¡¯ve existed. I respect Pagma and am grateful to him.


    But.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s choice resulted in the weakening of the middle world. The Behen Archipgo lost its function, and the memories of the feats and visions of the past legends were forgotten. The legends weren¡¯t able to exert their full strength, except for those who pioneered a new legend on their own like Piaro. They are another matter.¡±


    ¡°¡®People¡¯? There is someone else who became a new legend besides Piaro?¡±


    "I can¡¯t rule out the possibility. Somewhere else, a new human or elf might¡¯ve be a legend in their field. Of course, it is very unlikely, but it¡¯s still possible.¡±


    ¡°...Indeed.¡±


    Satisfy was wide. Sticks only spoke about humans and elves, but there might be legends among other species such as dwarves or orcs.


    ¡®No, a new legend is bound to emerge.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t just be the existing legends. The damn S.A Group would raise the difficulty level of the game and it was unknown what type of work they were doing. Sticks ced a hand on Grid¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart.¡±


    Sticks had very big hopes for Grid. Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant so it seemed like his destiny was to cleanse the Behen Archipgo.


    "Restore the Hall of Fame and be a legendary hero.¡±


    ¡®Legendary hero...¡¯


    It was like saying to be a hero of heroes.


    ¡®It is simr to being a celebrity of celebrities?¡¯


    The moment Grid shook.


    Paaaat!


    His field of view blinked ck. It was the Mass Teleport of Sticks after the coordinates of the Behen Archipgo were inputted.

 Chapter 674

    Corpse storage: an inventory exclusive to necromancers that could permanently store a total of 5 NPCs or monsters. AS such, necromancers had a habit of storing the body of a named NPC or raid boss monster that they had previously acquired in a quest or event.


    They did this in order to gather excellent corpses and to use the best corpse among them as the material of a death knight. In other words, the corpse storage was for concepts such as a death knight ¡®candidate¡¯ collection. Agnus had one body in the corpse storage.


    [Lantier¡¯s Remains]


    Rating: Legendary


    The remains of the 15th Lantier, who was revered as a legendary assassin.


    "...I¡¯d like to try this guy out, but it¡¯s just too hard to raise the dominance stat.¡±


    Agnus sought out the Behen Archipgo in order to find Pagma¡¯s legacy, which belonged to Baal¡¯s former contractor.


    He had fought two days and nights against Lantier on the 61st ind. Both his death knights and liches lost experience several times, and he even had to invoke the passives of the liches. In short, it was a tough battle, in which he struggled with stamina control. Agnus got a thrill just from remembering it. He was solely focused on the battle!


    ¡®A level 400 death knight using a legendary body...¡¯


    Moreover, Lantier was an assassin. His agility seemed made him seem like a living being, aspared to Agnus¡¯ death knights. Agnus was convinced that Lantier would beparable to Lich Mumud.


    ¡®Once I raise my level and gain the required amount of dominance, I can use Lantier as if he were my very own arms and legs.¡¯


    He would rechallenge the 62nd ind, which he had failed.


    ¡°...I will obtain all of the legendary death knights remaining on the inds.¡±


    Agnus realized it now. The fact that the legendary death knights on the Behen Archipgo were Pagma¡¯s legacy and that they were armed with his items.


    ¡®More.¡¯


    More and more strength.


    ¡®I will crush and break everything.¡¯


    There was no entertainment as good as ughter and destruction. Now he could understand the feelings of the trash who used to gue him to death...


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Agnus stumbled while lost in thought and shook his head. He felt a terrible headache when he realized his own mind had be distorted enough to understand the trash that destroyed his life and killed his beloved. It was a type of self-defense mechanism.


    ¡°Hah... Hah... Kik, kikik.¡±


    Agnus licked his sweat with his tongue and barely managed tough. He tried to ignore the past and the meaningless reality before shouting,


    ¡°Veradin! Veradin!¡±


    "Did you call?"


    The pce where Empress Marie and the Rose Knights resided. Agnus didn¡¯t care about Marie as he shouted, and Veradin was quickly summoned. Veradin hastily rushed over and Agnus dered,


    "I am going to the Behen Archipgo right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Veradin was upset. The death knight of the Demon yer Alex defended the 62nd ind and Agnus couldn¡¯t beat him right now. Veradin couldn¡¯t help but feeling puzzled at the prospect of Agnus going to the Behen Archipgo without any preparations.


    "You will fail if you challenge it again right now. Why are you doing such a pointless...¡±


    Veradin fell silent in the middle of his question after seeing the tears in Agnus¡¯ bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I have to fight...! I must forget!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s right. Agnus wanted to forget the memories of the past and reality by concentrating on fighting against those who were strong. It was a very desperate wish. Veradin understood his heart, but was forced to stop it.


    "I would rather you go to Empress Marie and receive a quest. It isn¡¯t the time to head to the Behen Archipgo yet. Right now, it¡¯s pointless to weaken yourself with repeated, meaningless defeats. Not only will this not help you, it will also eventually lead you away from your wish. Now, take a deep breath and regain yourposure.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veradin was a young man with a beautiful appearance, but his voice was as deep as a cave. There was a charisma in the low voice that gave the listeners intense confidence. Thanks to this, Agnus¡¯ mind gradually calmed down. Veradin noticed it and continued speaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. The Behen Archipgo will stay standing forever until you gain enough strength.¡±


    The difficulty level of the Behen Archipgo was terrible. Even Kraugel couldn¡¯t clear the Behen Archipgo. Veradin was convinced of this based on his superior brain and Agnus agreed after regaining hisposure.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukuk, yes. I will challenge the Behen Archipgoter. I will go to Marie. I hope she has prepared a fun quest this time too.¡±


    ***


    "Why don¡¯t you tell Grid about Agnus¡¯ past?¡±


    Faker asked. Faker thought that Grid deserved to know about Agnus, who would continue to be an enemy in the future. But Lauel gave a different opinion. He shared Agnus¡¯ past with all the leaders of Overgeared except Grid. The reason was simple.


    ¡°Grid isn¡¯t heartless.¡±


    At first nce, he was selfish. But Grid drew a line at inflicting damage to others forever. Basically, it meant he was full ofpassion.


    What if he learned about Agnus¡¯ past?


    "Rather than using that past as a weakness, it is more likely that Grid will sympathize. He will feel disturbed when dealing with the psychopath.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Faker didn¡¯t agree. He knew that Grid¡¯spassion was limited to ¡®his people.¡¯ He had never seen Grid show mercy to an enemy.


    Lauel smiled bitterly.


    "Agnus¡¯ past oveps with Grid¡¯s past. It means Grid will feel a sense of homogeneity and this might lead to sympathy.¡±


    Of course, the weight was different. The harassment that Agnus experienced was much greater than the harassment that Grid was subjected to. But it was equally painful. A person¡¯s pain couldn¡¯t be discussed.


    ¡°I just hope they don¡¯t be entangled.¡±


    Lauel spoke his wish while looking out the window. He was certain that Agnus was a poison to Grid. It was terrible that Agnus had such a past, but Lauel had no intention of defending how twisted he became. Faker watched him quietly in the darkness before asking.


    "Why does Veradin serve Agnus?¡±


    Veradin had been famous since his rookie days. It was enough to form double pirs with Lauel and people¡¯s evaluation of him was still the best. Faker couldn¡¯t understand why such a person would serve Agnus. Lauel came up with a shocking interpretation.


    ¡°Veradin isn¡¯t serving Agnus. He¡¯s observing Agnus as an interesting experiment.¡±


    "...Experiment?¡±


    "Veradin is a psychologist."


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, Agnus was still alone in the world. Lauel thought he was a poor person.


    ***


    [You have entered the 60th ind.]


    The Behen Archipgo. Grid appeared at thest save point before the 61st ind. By his side was the beautiful elf Sticks, although he was a male.


    "I suddenly thought of something. Will Muller¡¯s death knight be the guardian of the 66th ind?¡±


    The legend that even Braham recognized as the strongest. Grid thought it would be impossible to conquer the Behen Archipgo if he had to face Muller. Sticks reassured him.


    ¡°Pagma can¡¯t make Muller a death knight, even if contracted with Baal. Muller was a noble soul.¡±


    "...He truly is the best, with no rivals.¡±


    Did this mean he survived after dying? Then Grid heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Sticks! Sticks! Sticks!!¡±


    It was the voice of the little fairy Bini, who guided the challengers of the Behen Archipgo in Sticks¡¯ absence. What was so urgent? This little fellow was making a fuss as he flew around Grid and Sticks.


    ¡°Pant pant.¡±


    Bini seemed to have something to say but he consumed a lot of his stamina from flying in a hurry. He couldn¡¯t speak for a long time before he was gasping for breath.


    ¡®This is why exercise is important.¡¯


    Tonight, he would do 200 push ups and 100 squats and pull-ups before sleeping! Grid started reconsidering the workout n he had been following for a few years.


    ¡°The 61st ind...! The 61st ind was cleared!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Both Grid and Sticks were surprised. Death Knight Lantier. The monster whose swiftness and stealth reached the extremes was defeated?


    ¡®Who?¡¯


    Grid had secured the first legendary ss and had been growing continuously since then. At this moment, he fell behind again. The impact on Grid was beyond imagination. He resented his lowly talent that made him fall behind, despite having a legendary ss. As Grid was feeling frustrated, the small fairy spoke the name of apletely unexpected person.


    ¡°Agnus...! He said he was called Agnus! He was apletely crazy person!¡±


    ¡°Agnus?¡±


    The person who made Grid almost taste defeat in front of the whole world was standing before him again? Grid¡¯s blood became heated. His eyes were burning like when he faced Kraugel at the National Competition.


    ¡°...¡±


    The usual Grid lost his calmness every time he became heated up, just like any other person. But.


    "What about the 62nd ind? Did he also clear the 62nd ind?¡±


    Grid was different from ordinary people. When he thought about someone he recognized as a petitor,¡¯ all the passion gave him a cool head.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t capture the 62nd ind. He died from a few gunshots.¡±


    ¡°Gun? The 62nd ind is guarded by the former Demon yer?¡±


    It meant Grid had to fight with ckening sealed. But he had to take that penalty.


    ¡®I have to attack the 66th ind. I must break through the 62nd ind without ckening.¡¯


    Agnus had cleared the 61st ind despite not yet evolving to a legendary ss. Grid had started to peek at the myths beyond the legends so he couldn¡¯t be worse than Agnus.


    ¡°I will go to the 62nd ind.¡±


    Grid said while attaching the Enlightenment de onto Sword Ghost.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Sticks smiled gently and cheered him on. On the other hand, Bini was turning blue.


    "H-H-How can you challenge the 62nd ind that the crazy human failed to do? You also didn¡¯t break through the 61st ind!¡±


    "That was a long time ago.¡±


    Supaak!


    Grid stepped towards the gate that was created in front of him. Bini didn¡¯t know what to do as Grid¡¯s appearance disappeared.


    ¡°S-Sticks. Shouldn¡¯t you say something? That person is going to die again!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "He will purify the Behen Archipgo and win the title of Hero King.¡±


    Sticks said significantly while pulling out a crystal ball. Bini¡¯s eyes widened the moment he found Grid¡¯s appearance.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    ck mes blew towards Death Knight Alex!

 Chapter 675

    [You have entered the 61st ind.]


    [The ind is already purified.]


    Immediately after stepping foot through the gate. Grid warped to the 61st ind and faced the expected situation.


    ¡®Indeed, the bosses of the 60th inds don¡¯t regenerate.¡¯


    It was easy to infer since Bini said that the 61st ind had been cleared. In the first ce, this was the end content of the Behen Archipgo. For the development of the story, the bosses of the 60th inds had to be finite. If the bosses infinitely regenerated then the story of the Behen Archipgo wouldn¡¯te to a conclusion.


    ¡®This means that the person who eats the inds in the 60¡¯s first...¡¯


    Preemption was important. From Grid¡¯s viewpoint, he missed out on Lantier.


    ¡®It¡¯s likely that Agnus obtained Lantier¡¯s cloak and dagger...¡¯


    It would be lucky if he only obtained items. Considering Agnus¡¯ personality, there was the possibility of him securing Death Knight Lantier.


    ¡¯No, isn¡¯t that too much of a leap? If he got Death Knight Lantier, wouldn¡¯t he have used in when he fought me in the Belto Kingdom?¡¯


    Thendscape that unfolded in front of the deep in thought Grid was very beautiful. A cool breeze blew through the wide meadows and spread dandelion seeds. The horizon beyond the meadows looked like a jewel. It was an unbelievably spectacr sightpared to the deste wastnd Grid hade to before.


    Step, step.


    Grid hastened his pace. He didn¡¯t have enough free time to watch the scenery. Someone else would be challenging the Behen Archipgo at this moment. He was nervous at the thought of them possible reaching the 60th inds.


    ¡¯The remaining bosses are all mine.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s greed was burning! He moved to the gate of the 62nd ind without any hesitation. At the same time.


    [You have entered the 62nd ind.]


    Tang!Tang tang!


    The moment the scenery changed. The moment Grid¡¯s darkened vision was restored and he faced the notification windows, four jade light bullets flew towards him. It was the surprise attack of the guardian of the 62nd ind, Demon yer Alex. In fact, Agnus encountered this surprise attack as soon as he entered the 62nd ind and proceeded to fight in adverse circumstances. Most yers, not just Agnus, would¡¯ve allowed the surprise attack.


    Alex¡¯s attack speed was 0.25. It meant he could fire four bullets per second, meaning he could attack four times per second. It was impossible for an ordinary yer to cope with Alex¡¯s surprise attack, as a gun had the highest uracy of all weapons.


    But who was Grid? He was the peak of the overgeared people. Grid was different.


    Tatatatang!


    The battle ready Grid had summoned the God Hands and their effect was fraudulent. The God Hands moved around Grid and protected him from Alex¡¯s bullets.


    ¡°You have no manners.¡±


    Grid used Alex after calming down his surprised heart and rushing forward. Alex used guns, so Grid¡¯s top priority was to narrow the distance. It was a textbook judgment. It was too obvious.


    Clink!


    Death knight. Their reasoning abilities might be lost, but their fighting skills in the past were fully preserved. Alex was skillful. As soon as Grid narrowed the distance, he converted the magic engineering gun into sword form and responded to the attack.


    Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid swung the Enlightenment de attached to Sword Ghost. He was surprised while defending against Alex¡¯s counterattack.


    ¡®Why is his speed so fast?¡¯


    Grid thought it was a characteristic of the weapon or a skill when Alex fired four shots in a row. But Alex managed to swing his sword four times a second. It was really a basic attack. There were no precursors to using a buff or skills.


    ¡®Human¡¯ yers and NPCs had a basic attack speed of 1 (1 per second. Of course, this figure might increase depending on the type of weapon used). Given that the attack rest was estimated to be 0.25, Alex¡¯ agility must be at least 8,000.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Based on Yura, a Demon yer¡¯s core stats were strength and intelligence. She also needed to invest a few points into stamina for survival. The Demon yer ss didn¡¯t have enough room to invest points in agility.


    ¡®Is theck of agility covered by the gun?¡¯


    Due to the nature of the weapon, guns had a lot of options that would increase the attack speed. However, it was a different story for a sword. It was highly probably that the attack speed option wasn¡¯t avable when the magic engineering gun was in sword mode.


    Alex must have a passive or attribute that allowed him to swing a sword four times per second.


    ¡®Like assassins or swordsmen, does a Demon yer have a passive that increases their attack speed?¡¯


    For example, an assassin¡¯s attack speed was increased due to the ss characteristics as well as a passive skill. On top of that, the assassin steadily increased their agility stat so they had the fastest attack speed among all sses. As a simple example, Faker hit an average of two times per second and asionally three times.


    ¡®Instead, his attack power is weak!¡¯


    Jeeeong!


    It wasn¡¯t just Faker. Most assassins had to cover theirck of damage from their low strength stat with active skills. Once an active skill was used, the assassin¡¯s attack power was extremely high. But Alex?


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Every basic strike that he aimed at Grid was as powerful as an assassin. Alexbined the attack speed of an assassin and the attack power of a swordsman!


    ¡®Che!¡¯


    Fortunately, Alex¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t high enough to stiffen the God Hands. Grid was able to hold on thanks to the God Hands and counterattacked from time to time. But.


    Kuaaaaang!


    Not surprisingly, Alex didn¡¯t just use basic attacks. The moment he aimed four bullets at Grid, the unique jade light of a Demon yer also covered Grid in an explosion. It was an explosion that only urred when Grid grasped the chance for a counterattack.


    ¡®His control is good...¡¯


    Grid became irritated as he started umting damage with every explosion. He desperately felt how powerful Alex was. It wasn¡¯t clear how strong Alex must¡¯ve been when he was alive.


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    But there was still hope, as Grid didn¡¯t allow any critical attacks. He had the four God Hands. They blocked most of the four attacks that Alex unleashed in one second. Grid once again felt awe at the God Hands.


    ¡®This game is truly about items.¡¯


    An opportunity came in the midst of the crisis. The God Hands were steadily building up experience while blocking Alex¡¯s strikes. Now the experience of the God Hands was at 70%. If he fought for a whole month with Alex, the rating of the God Hands would rise to legendary. But.


    "I will be behind if I wait a month...! Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Grid ignored Alex¡¯s intermittent explosions and started a sword dance.


    Hwaruruk!


    mes sparked from the Enlightenment de and followed Grid¡¯s movements. It looked like a red dragon¡¯s ck tongue.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Four basic attacks per second?


    This was the strongest skill that attacked 20 times per second!


    Jjang!Jjeejeeeong!


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    ¡°....!¡±


    The alert Alex was ready to defend, but it was meaningless. Alex could only defend against Grid¡¯s first four strikes. Then he was hit by a Mjolnir wielded by a God Hand and his body was bombarded by sword strikes. The original Link had the drawback of not having enough attack power to threaten boss monsters.


    [You have dealt 240,555 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 235,900...]


    ...


    ...


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire damage!]


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire...]


    ...


    ...


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [You have dealt 3,673,800 damage to the target.]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires...]


    [You have dealt 4,392,220 damage to the target.]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯...]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 9,215,090 damage to the target.]


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The chance of activating the ck mes with every attack was demonstrated whenbined with this skill. The ck mes that constantly exploded was enough to cover thecking attack power of Link, making it worthy of the strongest attack skill Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡°...Amazing.¡±


    When Grid first used Failure, the overwhelming attack power of the Holy Light Glovesbined with Kill was still intact in his mind. The thrill when he used Failure to defeat the field boss was enormous. At this moment, that thrillpletely disappeared from Grid¡¯s mind. Grid was able to experience a new level with the Enlightenment Sword that Failure couldn¡¯t give him!


    Duk.


    Alex suffered continuous explosive damage. He lost one third of his health and his left arm bone fell off. It was a scene proving that the undead was vulnerable to explosions. Now Alex had one hand.


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence filled the deste 62nd ind. The only speaker, Grid, had shut up. He was in a trance as he admired the power of Link and the Enlightenment de.


    ¡®...Is this real?¡¯


    He felt invincible! He felt like he could also win against Piaro... No, this was an illusion.


    Clink!


    Did Alex feel a sense of crisis after losing one arm? While Grid was lost in thought for a moment, Alex transformed the sword back into a gun.


    Tang!


    Tatatatang!


    Alex fired four bullets every time he stepped back. He asionally used the Continuous Fire skill and the God Hands couldn¡¯t keep up with the bullets. A heavy rain of bullets broke through the God Hands¡¯ defence and wounded Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Grid regained his mind as he became bloody in an instant. He realized that it wasn¡¯t the time for admiration. This was the Behen Archipgo. It was an instant dungeon that cause Grid toin about the difficulty several months ago. Grid reminded himself that it wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about items. He took out the Ideal Dagger, used Quick Movements and caught up with Alex.


    [You have suffered 5,200 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,880 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,150...]


    ...


    ...


    Despite giving up the Holy Light Gloves and arming himself with Triple Layers, Alex¡¯s bullets were powerful. He continued to fire at the approaching Grid and considerable damage umted.


    Grid¡¯s health gauge, which was still less than 100,000, quickly disappeared as he narrowed the distance to Alex. Grid¡¯s goal was to defeat Alex before the immortal passive kicked in. He thought it was possible with the attack power of the Enlightenment Sword.


    But Alex didn¡¯t repeat the same mistake. After realizing that Grid¡¯s approach could threaten him, he didn¡¯t let Grid near.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    [You have suffered 15,900 damage.]


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Suddenly? No, was it nted in advance? Grid was rushing towards Alex, only to step on a mine and was swept up in an explosion. The force of the explosion was so big that Grid¡¯s body flew back one metre. It was a mine that contained the unique magic power of a Demon yer. Despite Grid wearing Triple Layers, the mine contained so much attack power that it would¡¯ve been deadly if he used ckening.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    The fallen Grid quickly got up.


    Clink!


    Alex switched his magic engineering gun from a pistol to a sniper rifle. It was the sniper mode that Yura couldn¡¯t use yet.


    Peeeeeong!


    An explosion urred right when Alex was aiming at Grid. It was from Alex¡¯s head!

 Chapter 676

    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°....!¡±


    A sudden explosion! Alex shook while aiming the sniper gun at Grid. Grid had a wide smile on his face.


    ¡°Heh, how about this?¡±


    This might not be his field of confidence, but Grid took an attitude of trying to learn no matter the circumstances. He even studied the domestic affairs that were handled by Lauel. It was a habit resulting from the serious obsession of not going back to being a loser. Of course, his learning ability was slow due to his innately low intelligence. However, this wasn¡¯t a big problem. No matter how stupid, he would improve a little bit if he kept trying.


    A desire to be better than he was! Grid was filled with hot aspirations during his battle with Agnus. Then he developed.


    Jiing.


    Pepepepeng!


    There was no guarantee of victory in a confrontation with the strong. He had to induce constant variables and the skill most suitable to cause a variable during his battle with Agnus was the rm spell. Thanks to this, Grid was conscious of the rm spell since the beginning of the fight with Alex.


    He predicted that Alex would once again open the distance after bing alert to the powerful attack of Link and arranged the rm spell in Alex¡¯s predicted movement path. Of course, Grid wasn¡¯t smart and couldn¡¯t predict the exact path. As a result, he wasted a lot of mana cing magic over a wide range.


    ¡®I only have enough mana to use the ultimate skills two more times... Eh?¡¯


    Just like all rankers, Grid¡¯s flow of consciousness sped up during a battle. The proper eruption of adrenaline had a positive effect. Thus, Grid¡¯s judgment was quick.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Alex hadn¡¯t let go of the sniper position despite rm being triggered and Magic Missile being fired.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Alex fired the sniper rifle at Grid.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Grid immediately used his strongest counterattack skill that could ¡®deflect all types of attacks.¡¯ But it was useless. The sniper mode of the magical engineering gun had the option of ¡®make sure to hit the target¡¯ in exchange for taking a significant amount of time to aim. This was the same concept as reality. It wasn¡¯t a question of speed. A human¡¯s body was already pierced with a bullet by the time they heard the gun being fired.


    It was the same with Grid. He couldn¡¯t expect the protection of the God Hands right now.


    Peeng!


    ¡°....!¡±


    The bullet from the sniper rifle left a jade afterglow as it pierced between Grid¡¯s brow and the sound of a watermelon bursting was heard. In a sense, his head had burst. The psychological fear that Grid felt was enormous.


    [You have died!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    "Ah...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s body instantly became soaked with sweat. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration when he said he was like a drowning rat. Didn¡¯t he feel his head bursting like a watermelon? Grid¡¯s first action was to touch his head with trembling hands. He was worried that he might be suffering from a body that lost its head. Fortunately, Grid¡¯s head was fine. The head drilled in his forehead had also been restored. There were some cases of monsters or NPCs¡¯ heads being cut off, but even the S.A. Group avoided yers having their heads burst.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Grid¡¯s breathing became rough from the terrible experience while fear also rose in him. Normally, he would¡¯ve acted with all his strength during the five seconds of immortality. But he already wasted two seconds recovering his soul. Alex didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    Tang tang!Tatatatang!


    Alex was convinced that the intruder had suffered deadly damage and was embarking on a more aggressive offensive. The sniper was converted back to a pistol and bullets were constantly fired at Grid.


    ¡°...¡±


    The intruder was a great demon. Protect the Behen Archipgo from the great demons and save humanity. This was themand that Pagma, his summoner, gave him and was the driving force behind Death Knight Alex. Alex wouldn¡¯t stop attacking until he died. The result?


    Tatatatang!


    As only two seconds remained for the immortality passive, Grid¡¯s body had already be riddled with bullets. Alex used quick fire skills without a sense of reason. At this point, Grid¡¯s fury reached its peak.


    "...Making me consume my immortality.¡±


    It meant he couldn¡¯t immediately challenge the next ind.


    "Thanks to you, I have to grind for another day. ckening!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    A whirlwind emerged and covered Grid. Grid¡¯s skin turned pale and the whites of his eyes became ck. Even his visible breath was ck.


    Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 30% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the dark attribute.]


    His body was already in the immortal state! Grid didn¡¯t need to be afraid of taking additional damage from Demon yer Alex. The key to ending this battle as soon as possible was ckening. But.


    [There is one second remaining on the immortality passive.]


    Could he beat Alex, with two thirds of his health gauge remaining, in one second?


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Tang tang!


    Tatatatang!


    Grid used a buff and rushed in a straight line. There was no need for evasive behaviour and Grid seeded in quickly narrowing the distance to Alex. His agility also rose due to ckening.


    ¡°Item Transformation! Lifael¡¯s Spear!¡±


    Kuooooooh!


    The God Hands turned into golden spears and pierced Alex at the same time.


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    Grid¡¯s life became finite.


    Clink!


    Alex¡¯s skull seemed to be smiling as he pointed the pistol at Grid. Grid hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy the effect of Tiramet¡¯s Belt and the First King title due to an instantaneous death with nearly 50% of his health remaining. He only had 1 health point left and was facing Alex¡¯s pistol...


    ¡®...He is calm?¡¯


    The 60th ind. Sticks was startled while watching Grid¡¯s battle. Grid was on the threshold of death and facing Alex who had almost half his health left. Yet Grid¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shake at the pistol aiming at him. An unbelievable calm had settled over him. Sticks thought that Grid¡¯sposure was abnormal.


    ¡®The one who is blessed by the gods.¡¯


    People were small in front of death. The countless challengers who stepped onto the Behen Archipgo felt frustration and despair when facing death. Yet Grid didn¡¯t seem fazed at all.


    Taaang!


    In the crystal ball. Alex¡¯s pistol fired from in front of Grid. The sound of the gunshot caused Sticks and Bini to close their eyes. Both of them was expecting Grid¡¯s death. But Grid didn¡¯t give up. He didn¡¯t feel frustration or despair. The worst scenario?


    ¡®How many times did I not experience the worst?¡¯


    Grid was already very familiar with it.


    Taaang!


    The moment Alex fired his pistol.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    It was the skill attached to the title ¡®Secret Hero.¡¯ It was a high level dash skill that avoided all attacks until it reaches the ¡®desired target¡¯ within 200 meters.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Alex¡¯s purple light shook. He was confused that the four bullets fired from right in front of Grid were avoided with easy movements of the head.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    Sticks and Bini were astonished as they watched Grid through the crystal ball. In particr, Sticks was so surprised that he felt a recurrence of his heart disease. Then Grid...


    [The option effect ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [Your attack power will increase by three times and your evasion by 99% for 20 seconds.]


    [Your defense has be 0.]


    Teong!


    Grid dodged all the bullets thanks to the close deployment of Freely Move. He shoved Alex with his shoulders and then followed Alex, who was moving back.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship...!¡±


    Was it the strongest skill Pinnacle Kill? It was insufficient. Grid wanted to use a higher damage skill in order to take advantage of the 200% option attached to the Enlightenment de. But Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had the deadly disadvantage of a long cooldown time and Link was still on cooldown.


    Yet Grid didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. For Grid, Link¡¯s higher skill Transcended Link was still left!


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    ¡°.....!¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    A turbulent storm of energy des at short range! Alex¡¯s body became mangled.


    Kuwaaaaaaaaang!


    The energy des appeared many times and swallowed him up. The 62nd ind shook several times. It was enough momentum to make someone fall down. On the other hand, Death Knight Alex was asionally healed by the dark damage...


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaaaaack!¡±


    The power of Grid¡¯s buff skills and Ecstasy of Desire was overwhelming. It wasn¡¯t a level that could be withstood with a certain amount of recovery. The 62nd ind was purified.


    [Death Knight Alex has been defeated!]


    [You have seeded in beating the 62nd ind!]


    [Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay (Produced by Pagma) has been acquired!]


    [Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves (Produced by Pagma) have been acquired!]


    [As a reward for cleansing the ind, you have gained one level!]


    Shaaaaaaah-


    Then a light fell from the sky. The deste 62nd ind was filled with grass and flowers.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid narrowly won. His smile was filled with relief and joy. In fact, it wasn¡¯t necessary to give special meaning to ying the game. The game itself was fun and enjoyable.


    ¡°Grid! Thank you Grid!¡±


    Sticks made a fuss as he came running from afar. The fairy Bini was pping his wings beside Sticks. They remembered forgotten dreams and hopes as they saw the increasingly purified Behen Archipgo.

 Chapter 677

    "You defeated Alex as I expected. It is truly amazing.¡±


    Sticks said with a shining face. Grid was also the same. The two of them were delighted to ovee one big mountain. In particr, the excitement that Sticks felt was very big. He had been waiting for the savior toe and purify the Behen Archipgo. Sticks had been waiting for decades. For him, Grid was like a light of hope.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s excited heart was slowly sinking.


    "Sticks, I can see why you asserted that I could clear the Behen Archipgo. Demon yer Alex couldn¡¯t use any of his original skills.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Based on what Yura showed during the great demon raid, a Demon yer¡¯s skills were quite diverse and the power was tremendous. Due to their special characteristics of suppressing demonkin, it would¡¯ve been possible to restrain Grid in ckening mode.


    However, the only skills that Alex used today was the magic power explosion and sudden attack. He used the unique transformation properties of the magic engineering bay to go against Grid. In retrospect, the same was true for Lantier. At the time, Grid hadn¡¯t noticed because he was killed so quickly. But when he thought about it now, Lantier only used stealth and didn¡¯t show any other special skills.


    "...It seems that they have lost most of their life skills after bing a death knight.¡±


    It was a state where their base stats and level had significantly dropped from when they were alive. Yet they couldn¡¯t even use skills. The Alex who pushed Grid so much was 10 to 100 times weaker than when he was alive.


    ¡¯This is the reason why Sticks assured me that I could clear the Behen Archipgo.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Grid¡¯s clenched fist shook. His pride was hurt.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not as strong as the previous legends. It¡¯s just that the previous legend¡¯s death knights are weak...¡¯


    Sticks looked at Grid¡¯s trembling body and didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. The legendary death knights here are very weak. They¡¯re weakpared to when they were alive, but they have be weaker since their owner Pagma disappeared. To be honest, it¡¯s shameful to give them the title of legends. That¡¯s why I believe that you could beat them.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid could only sigh. His previous excitement was nowhere to be seen. It was natural. He wasted his immortal skill on a death knight which couldn¡¯t even be called a legend. He lost his immortality, despite it being an opponent he could win against without losing his immortality.


    ¡¯This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    Grid knew that his tendency to depend on his immortality was too great.


    ¡®Now it isn¡¯t the power of items, but the power of immortality? Then I should be called the Immortal King, not the Overgeared King.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t realize that at least the Immortal King was more stylish than the Overgeared King. It was a pity. Grid thought back to his battle with Agnus.


    ¡¯If I didn¡¯t have the immortality when I fought him, I would have been defeated...¡¯


    At this moment, Grid realized.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just Agnus. The reason I won most of my one on one matches wasn¡¯t because I was stronger than my opponent. It was because I had the immortal skill.¡¯


    Immortality was a unique ability of the legendary sses. No one would me Grid for winning due to his immortality. It wasn¡¯t reprehensible to use the ability he was given. But Grid criticized himself.


    ¡®This type of thinking is a poison.¡¯


    The problem was that the idea of ¡®I can¡¯t die because I am immortal¡¯ was deeply rooted in his subconscious mind. The perception that ¡®I can win because I have immortality¡¯ would make him think that he couldn¡¯t win without the immortality. Grid would someday experience a big upset if he didn¡¯t fix this rotten mentality.


    It was an urate guess. Grid wasn¡¯t aware of it, but he was going through a transformation that an average person rarely experienced. How many people in the world would be aware of their subconscious thoughts and try to fix them when they realized they were rotten? Many writers rationalized their smoking under the pretext of ¡®I can¡¯t write without cigarettes¡¯ and failed to quit smoking for more than 10 years. Grid himself didn¡¯t know it, but he was already bing a special person.


    ¡°But.¡±


    Then Sticks voice entered the ears of the deeply focused Grid. He gave a grim reality to Grid in a calm manner but now he was smiling warmly.


    "The death knights here are weaker than when they were alive, but these legends are just specters of the past. There are very few people among those living today who can defeat the death knights here.¡± This was the main point. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. The reason I believed in you was because I trusted your skills, not because I ignored the death knights. I have repeatedly told you this, but you¡¯re a great person. Take pride in this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was praise from a sage. The past Grid would¡¯ve been smiling from ear to ear. He would¡¯ve scratched his head and smiled with a monkey-like face. However, the current Grid wasn¡¯t someone who could becent. He wanted to go higher. If he wasn¡¯t satisfied then he couldn¡¯t rejoice when praised.


    ¡°I might be great whenpared to ordinary people. However, I have to deal with monsters.¡±


    The great demons with the power to drive humanity to destruction, Agnus who had contracted with Baal, the Saharan Empire of the West Continent, Ares bordering the empire, Sword Saint Kraugel who boasted a unique presence, the yangbans of the East Continent...


    There were also the Overgeared members. They were specialpanions andpetitors. If he was careless, he could fall behind.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Grid was already determined to be the best. He believed he was eligible. He had confidence in himself for the first time since he was born. He never wanted to give up.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Grid took a deep breath and got up. His gaze was resolute. ¡°On the next ind, I will win without depending on my immortality.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Sticks was startled. He knew that it took at least one day for the immortality ability of a legend to function again.


    "Surely you aren¡¯t nning to challenge the 63rd ind straight away?¡±


    Without the immortal passive! Sticks was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s determination and shook.


    ¡°Am I crazy?¡± Grid stared at Sticks. "Of course I will challenge it tomorrow.¡±


    Grid said he wouldn¡¯t depend on the immortality, but that didn¡¯t mean he would fight without it.


    "Why would I challenge it without my immortality?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As expected from Grid. He didn¡¯t make a mistake despite hismitment. His high pride was easily bent. He didn¡¯t want to receive damage from a futile attempt. It wasn¡¯t nice to look at, but it was extremely reasonable.


    ¡®Indeed... This is the king of a nation...¡¯


    All of a sudden, Grid took out cloth and started making underwear.


    ***


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    The greatest attraction of a game was the loot system. Grid had fun when he checked the result of the item he produced and saw that it was a jackpot. But Grid didn¡¯t confirm the information of the items he obtained after raiding Alex. It was due to fear.


    ¡¯The problem is that Death Knight Alex is weak.¡¯


    The Alex of the past was unknown. However, Death Knight Alex was too weak to be called a legend. Of course, that was whenpared to the former legends. Among the current yers, only Grid and Kraugel could raid Death Knight Alex. He was a powerful boss. But due to Sticks, Grid had the perception that Alex was a weakling. He thought that the items dropped by the weakling Alex would be garbage. In the end.


    ¡°Ummm...!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t check the item information while making four underwear. He didn¡¯t have the courage to face the awful reality. Sticks was frustrated.


    "Take a look at the gun and gloves as soon as possible. They will surely be incredible battle gear.¡±


    ¡°Wait... I will make one more underwear.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, what was the point of this act? Sticks couldn¡¯t understand Grid. However, most yers would understand.


    ¡®If this underwear has a rare rating then I will check the item information!¡¯


    So far, all four underwear that he produced had a normal rating. The underwear production skill level was still low, but Grid thought it was also because he was unlucky.


    ¡®The maximum rating that the intermediate level skill can produce is rare... If rare rated underwear appears now, I can interpret it as a moment of luck.¡¯


    What if he appraised the items right then?


    ¡¯The item rating might be higher or there will be one more option...!


    Of course, it was an illogical superstition. It was simr to the enhancement superstition floating among the yers where a certain time and ce was better for enhancement. But humans loved superstitions. They especially relied on it when they encountered content with the concept of probability.


    [You havepleted the underwear production.]


    [Under the effect of the intermediate Underwear Production Method, a rare rated underwear has been produced! There is a very low probability of an option being added!]


    Ttiring~


    [Clean Underwear]


    Rating: Rare


    Durability: None Defense: 5


    * Agility +1.


    There are no distinctive features, but this underwear is veryfortable to wear. Activities arefortable when wearing it.


    Weight: 1


    * When rare rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +30.


    Grid suffered a terrible penalty to the cksmith¡¯s benefits after producing a certain number of legendary items. Now his stats didn¡¯t rise no matter how many rare and epic items he produced. But that was only for cksmithing. Grid¡¯s tailoring and underwear production skills were only intermediate level, so there were no penalties.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Grid felt great please after seeing that all his stats rose by two for free. He believed his luck was bad and shouted in a loud voice.


    "Legendary! cksmith¡¯s! Appraisal!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Some of Pagma¡¯s Descendants had a disadvantage of being embarrassing since the skill names had to be cried out. But Grid didn¡¯t care. Since the point where he shouted Item Combination, he put an iron te on his face. Now the embarrassment was for the people with him. For example, Sticks whose face had turned red.


    [Observing the target item with the legendary cksmith¡¯s eyes.]


    [If the item has a hidden feature, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves (Produced by Pagma)]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 60/340 Defense: 130


    * Normal attack speed is increased by three times.


    Gloves made by the legendary cksmith and Baal¡¯s Contractor, Pagma.


    He focused on oveing the weakness of Death Knight Alex, the guardian of the 62nd ind.


    Weight: 66


    ¡°Two times?¡±


    No.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t two, but three times?¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart shook wildly.

 Chapter 678

    ¡°...¡±


    Grid thought he had stepped on poop. The durability and defense of the Quick Gloves were so below level that it was hard to believe they were legendary items. In addition, there was only one option attached so it seemed like a garbage item.


    ¡®Did Pagma really make this?¡¯


    Looking back on it now, the works of Pagma that Grid had witnessed weren¡¯t that great. The items that the current Grid produced now were often better. But. Grid had never questioned Pagma¡¯s ability. Pagma¡¯s words that Grid had seen so far were from before he reached his prime. They were items Pagma made in the process of growing up. Grid believed that the items Pagma made in his prime would be amazing. And Pagma¡¯s time on the Behen Archipgo was during hisst years. It was when he was at his peak.


    Yet look at Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves! It was absolutely unbelievable that Pagma in his prime made it!


    ¡®Did his cksmithing abilities weaken after making the contract with Baal?¡¯


    Misgivings arose. But those misgivings copsed quickly.


    ¡°...Eh? Three times?¡±


    Grid identified the one option attached to the Quick Gloves and his eyes widened. It was the expression of a person who saw something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t double the attack speed, but triple?


    ¡®It isn¡¯t even a probability item.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The Quick Gloves were an overpowered item that increased attack speed by three times. It probably had a much higher expected damage value than the 5 Joint Attacks of the Holy Light Gloves.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    The Quick Gloves clearly stated that this applied to ¡®normal attacks.¡¯ It was the so-called basic attacks. The triple increase in attack speed only applied to this. It waspletely different from the Holy Light Gloves where the 5 Joint Attacks could apply to anything.


    "I wouldn¡¯t have felt so good about this before making the Enlightenment de.¡±


    Most yers depended on skills rather than basic attacks. It was natural that skill damage was several times higher than normal damage. It was the same for Grid. No, Grid was more than that. Grid had the legendary Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship with the highest attack power, and his main weapon was Failure, which increased skill damage. The important thing for him was always skill damage. He wasn¡¯t concerned with basic attacks.


    However, that story changed once he made the Enlightenment de. The ck mes attached to the Enlightenment de show power above normal active skills and even activated with basic attacks. Grid wanted the ck mes to frequently activate. He wanted to trigger the ck mes by attacking more often. Acquiring the Quick Gloves that increased attack speed by three times at this point was pure luck.


    ¡°Kuhuhuhu...¡±


    Grid burst outughing. His legs were slightly rxed. He was so happy that he couldn¡¯t suppress his emotions. He was d that he acquired the Quick Gloves so soon after making the Enlightenment de that had the strongest ¡®basic damage.¡¯ Grid felt like he was the protagonist of the world.


    "How can I be so lucky...? Heok.¡±


    Grid was murmuring when he suddenly stopped. He had little experience saying these type of lines so it felt strange.


    ¡°Surely this isn¡¯t the end of the world?¡±


    The joy and doubts that Grid felt were proportional. He pinched his cheeks several times because he thought it might be a dream. Fortunately, it was reality.


    "...Let¡¯s buy a lottery ticket.¡±


    Grid was seriously worried! He caressed the ¡®orange¡¯ Quick Gloves with satisfied eyes.


    ¡®Even the color is beautiful.¡¯


    What were orange gloves? If Grid was a person with normal senses, he would dislike it. Fortunately, Grid wasn¡¯t ordinary and he liked the orange gloves a lot.


    ¡®I need to constantly disassemble and reassemble it to raise my understanding to 100% and challenge a mass production version.¡¯


    He had already decided to mass produce Lantier¡¯s Cloak and give them to the evil eyes kingdom. The number of items he needed to mass produce was increasing, making Grid feel proud. He packed the gloves in his inventory and pulled out the magic engineering weapon next.


    ¡®Indeed...¡¯


    Would it be a top rated item like the gloves? Grid shook his head. The problem was that the Quick Gloves were too good.


    ¡®I can¡¯t expect a big profit toe from two items in a row.¡¯


    Yes, it was generally like this. Most boss monsters were likely to drop only one core item. For example, if a legendary item dropped, then the rest of the items were likely to be unique and below. It was the same with Belial. She only dropped one myth rated item. Of course, it wasn¡¯t certain that one core item would drop. There was a 99% chance of it dropping, but Grid was likely to hit the 1% chance.


    The Quick Gloves had a legendary rating so the remaining magic weapon should be unique or below. It was like Grid expected. Well, only half. Yes, it was half what he expected.


    [Observing the target item with the legendary cksmith¡¯s eyes.]


    [If the item has a hidden feature, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay (Produced by Pagma)]


    Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Durability: 599/1,260


    * Pistol Mode


    Attack Power: 870


    Mana Purification Rate: +60%


    - If you hit the same target five times, there is a 20% chance of causing an abnormal state.


    * Rifle Mode


    Attack Power: 1,416


    Mana Purification Rate: -15%


    Firing Speed: -20%


    * Bay Mode


    Attack Power: 1,067


    Stabbing Attack Power +50%


    - Additional damage every time abo is achieved.


    - The Sword Mastery skill is applicable.


    ¡ï Sniper Mode


    Attack power: Instantaneous death..


    Aiming time: 10 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on the distance)


    Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * Mode conversion is only possible once every four seconds.


    A magical engineering bay made by the legendary cksmith and Baal¡¯s Contractor, Pagma.


    Pagma was inspired by Milepeu and made a bay capable of transforming into a sniper rifle, something no dwarven craftsman has managed to do. This is a work that will fascinate the dwarves.


    Conditions of Use: Demon yer


    Weight: 3,050


    ¡°It is a unique rating...right?¡±


    The rating was as he expected. But it was a growth item.


    ¡¯...It is a higher version of the magic engineering gun that Yura is using.¡¯


    It was also several times better. A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he got two sessive benefits.


    ¡®Okay, I will give this to Yura.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t even contemte the idea of using it himself. He was already familiar with how troublesome and difficult it was to raise the experience of a growth item.


    ***


    "Oh, this rotten item experience.¡±


    Vantner, who was raising a pair of growth type axes,ined after raiding a named boss. The Overgeared membersforted him.


    ¡°Originally, the experience of an item doesn¡¯t climb easily. It will take a least a fortnight to raise an item to the rare rating, despite grinding. It might take a few months to grow to the unique rating and years to grow to the legendary rating.


    Recently, there had been a ¡®growth type item¡¯ trend among the top rankers. It was because after level 300, the bosses dropped growth type items and their growth potential was explosive. It seemed like a message to prepare to deal with level 400 monsters.


    Of course, expectations were only high at this moment. Boss monsters mainly dropped growth type items that started at the normal rating and they were weak, making it hard to use them as a main weapon.


    ¡®Come to think of it... Hasn¡¯t it been a year since Grid got Elfin Stone¡¯s ring?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it over? It has been less than a year since he got Tiramet¡¯s Belt.¡±


    ¡°Crazy...! And it still hasn¡¯t risen to the legendary rating? I can¡¯t imagine how difficult it is to raise the item experience.¡±


    Vantner had been doing the ultimate grinding for thest fortnight. It was in order to increase the rating of his twin axes. Thus, for the past fortnight, he had only been searching for durable monsters such as a golem. It meant that he hunted level 300 monsters with a normal item. It was really grinding. Even so, the item experience didn¡¯t go up easily, making Vantner go crazy. He once again thought that Grid was great.


    "I¡¯m feeling anxious, so how can Grid be so calm?¡±


    If he was Grid, he would want to quickly grow an item stuck at the unique rating. The unique rating was annoying. He would want to use it to raise it to the legendary rating quickly. Once he had an idea, he couldn¡¯t concentrate on anything else and would devote himself to raising the item experience for months.


    But Grid? Grid never showed any impatience about the item rating. Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, Tiramet¡¯s Belt, Iyarugt, and the God Hands. Grid didn¡¯t seem obsessed with raising the item experience despite having such huge growth items.


    ¡°...How is that possible?¡¯


    In particr, it was clear that Grid would be more explosive the moment the God Hands grew to the legendary rating. If Vantner was in Grid¡¯s position, he would be obsessed with raising the experience of the God Hands.


    "But Grid isn¡¯t doing that... Is he a block of stone?¡±


    Come to think of it, Grid was like a block of stone when it came to rtionships with girls. This was despite so many of the world¡¯s best beauties appealing themselves to him. It was suspicious. Ibellin spoke his thoughts to the puzzled Vantner.


    ¡°Brother Grid... Maybe he isn¡¯t thinking?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Certainly, there were many times when it was hard to understand Grid from the point of view of the Overgeared members, who fell into the category of ¡®genius.¡¯ He had many inefficient priorities and they always wondered what he was thinking. Perhaps that was why? No one denied Ibellin¡¯s words about Grid. The moment everyone was thinking this.


    "You punks!¡± Peak Sword, who was trying to raise the experience of a one-handed sword, cried out angrily. "Don¡¯t think of God Grid like that! This is God Grid you¡¯re talking about! He is too busy to obsess over one item! God Grid isn¡¯t an ordinary person like us! He is a king, a king! The king of South Korea!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, wasn¡¯t the king¡¯s work being done by Lauel? Many people wanted to say this, but they stayed silent.


    In the first ce, whatever the truth was, it wasn¡¯t important to the Overgeared members. Regardless of how Grid behaved or thought, even if he didn¡¯t think, they all respected and admired Grid. They couldn¡¯t help feeling admiration when looking at the continuously developing Grid.

 Chapter 679

    Clink!


    Grid converted Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay to sniper mode and checked the maximum distance. The sniping distance wasn¡¯t mentioned in the item description. Grid used a target to identify the distance.


    ¡®87 meters...¡¯


    OF course, every noble Korean male who joined the army would know. The fact that you could hit a 200 meter, 300 meter target with a rifle. But it was obvious that the target was small. When Grid used the sniper mode, it was up to a distance of 87 meters that the ¡®must hit¡¯ option was applied. If the distance was more than that, the target couldn¡¯t be seen easily and uracy would fall, causing a warning window to pop up.


    ¡®The performance of the scope is garbage...¡¯


    The scope of the sniper model showed little zoom capability. Grid questioned whether this could be called a sniper rifle. But there was a fact that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. Satisfy¡¯s scientific power remained mostly in the Middle Ages. In Satisfy, guns weren¡¯t a produce of science of technology. They were a produce of engineering magic that the dwarves developed. Pagma didn¡¯t know how to produce a magic bay until he learned it from the dwarves.


    ¡®In addition, the sniper mode was an area that even the dwarves couldn¡¯t make.¡¯


    In the first ce, Satisfy had the ¡®Hawk Eye¡¯ skill. It helped to broaden the field of view and to clearly identity distant targets. All the snipers in Satisfy had this skill. Strictly speaking, it was a time when the concept of a scope didn¡¯t even exist. The fact that Pagma created a scope in this day and age could be regarded as an amazing event. It was understandable that it would have a poor performance.


    "Well, whatever."


    Yura was a gunman and should have a vision skill, allowed her to maximize the abilities of the sniper rifle. She could snipe targets that were a few hundred meters away. This was the real reason why Grid wasn¡¯t greedy for Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay. It was the same for the Red Phoenix Bow. It was impossible for Grid to use the power of Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay to 100% when he didn¡¯t have the Hawk Eye skill.


    ¡®There¡¯s no need to be misled. The aiming time is too long and the target has to be within 100 meters for instant death.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t need to be greedy. This was originally a weapon for a Demon yer. Giving it to Yura would benefit all of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid didn¡¯t doubt it. He smiled cheerfully as he imagined a beautiful woman aiming at the enemy with a sniper rifle. The imaginary Yura looked strangely cute and charming.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Grid shook off his imagination. He felt he was pathetic for touching a tree that couldn¡¯t be climbed.


    ¡®I will just receive damage if I like someone.¡¯


    The incident with Ahyoung was the biggest trauma in Grid¡¯s life. Grid has no confidence in real world rtionships. What about the women screaming his name when he went to Chinese restaurants? That¡¯s right. Grid thought the reason these women cheered was because they were pure fans. It was the only rational reason for women being nice to him. Who could imagine that a man who was a celebrity and had the potential to be one of the richest in the world would have such low confidence?


    But it was the truth. Grid had received a big psychological blow. Of course, it was only in reality.


    ¡¯It¡¯s okay, I have Irene.¡¯


    How lonely would he be without her? He was always thankful for the one who gave him love.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid thought of Irene¡¯s warm and kind eyes. His hands were moving non-stop while he was thinking. He cut the cloth with scissors and used thread and needle to turn it into the shape of underwear. Sticks was very embarrassed. A legendary cksmith and king of a nation was sitting down and making underwear with a sincere expression. Sticks felt that something was wrong. However, Grid wasn¡¯t self-conscious when doing his work.


    ¡®I have to raise the skill level and make underwear for all the soldiers.¡¯


    After acquiring the intermediate Underwear Production Method, Grid¡¯s underwear was given a defensive ability, even if it was normal rated. The defense was in the single digits and very minimal, but it was better than nothing. A single digit defense could save 10,000 or 20,000 lives!


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to make a lot of money... Okay. Let¡¯s keep making it. I¡¯ll be the manager of an underwear factory.¡¯


    The current Grid was focused on raising the skill level of his underwear production. The skill was only at intermediate level and the experience was steadily increasing, despite him not producing high rated items. Thus, he didn¡¯t use any special materials for the underwear. He used the cheapest materials. The cost of making the underwear was less than two silver. Of course, even a small amount would umte sooner orter. Even if it was two silver per piece, a lot of gold would be required in order to make it for 10,000 soldiers. Sage Sticks was concerned about this part.


    "Your concern for the soldiers is great and deserves to be praised. But won¡¯t this be a considerable loss for the kingdom?¡±


    Sticks was currently working for the Overgeared Kingdom. Lauel and Rabbit asked him to teach at the academy as well as financial management. That¡¯s why he was talking about spending with Grid. Grid felt gratitude to the concerned Sticks and smiled.


    "It¡¯s okay. I am using my own pockets.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    The king was financing the soldiers? Sticks was surprised by Grid¡¯s decision. Humans in high positions were often greedy. It was rare for a person like Grid, who didn¡¯t feel any greed, to appear. Grid exined.


    "If I make underwear, the soldiers will like me more. Then they won¡¯t protest when I raise the taxester. Right?¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Indeed, humans weren¡¯t easy to judge. Sage Sticks felt enlightenment.


    [The principal of the Overgeared Academy, Sage Sticks intelligence stat has increased by 10.]


    [The principal of the Overgeared Academy, Sage Sticks has learnt the skills ¡®Human Vignce¡¯ and ¡®Caution.¡¯]


    ¡°????¡±


    What happened? Sticks bowed to Grid, who didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, Grid felt a bit upset.


    ***


    "I feel it every time, but thefort of the Comet Group¡¯s diamond ss capsule is really great.¡±


    Even ying PC games on a small monitor stimted the human peripheral nerves. Anyone who yed PC games would experience the hand holding the mouse bing covered in sweat. The excitement of virtual reality games, which was a much more immersive experience than PC games, was much greater.


    Sweat flowed all over Shin Youngwoo as he got up from the capsule. If it wasn¡¯t for the diamond ss capsule¡¯s ability to control the condition of the upant, he would be sweating like a drowned rat. Youngwoo was excited from going against Death Knight Alex. Youngwoo was feeling expectant for the confrontation with the death knight on the 63rd ind and the rewards he would get.


    There was no fear. He was burning with motivation to win without the immortal skill.


    "Let¡¯s wash up.¡±


    Lulla~


    Youngwoo hummed as he headed to the bathroom, turning on the TV attached to the marbled wall of the bathroom. It was naturally fixed to a channel specializing in news about Satisfy.


    ¡º Do you remember the news a week ago where there was a rebellion within the Saharan Empire? Surprisingly, unlike the predictions of experts, the empire still hasn¡¯t subdued the rebels. ¡»


    The point of rebellion on the news screen was ¡®Lubana.¡¯ It coincided with the ce that Lauel had mentioned.


    ¡®Right there...¡¯


    Grid was rubbing soap over his body when his hand suddenly stopped. The anchor¡¯s voice was continuing.


    ¡º It is interpreted that the person who is supposed to be Undefeated King Madra¡¯s opponent is ying a big role. ¡»


    ¡°...¡±


    Undefeated King Madra. The hero who defended Lubana from the empire during its heyday and boasted overwhelming defense. He had never been defeated and was called the Undefeated King. It was easy to deduce that he was a legend. Thus, Youngwoo was wary.


    ¡º We should pay attention to the identity of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. A yer or an NPC? What new wind will they bring to Satisfy? ¡»


    The artificial intelligence of named NPCs was excellent. Better than most humans. Whether the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant was a NPC or yer, it was clear they would have a big influence on the West Continent in the future. Just like right now. Their emergence allowed the Overgeared Kingdom and Valha to take a breath from the empire¡¯s pressure and made the empire¡¯s influence decrease.


    ¡®The descendant of the Undefeated King is likely to be a yer like me.¡¯


    Of course, there was a chance it could be an NPC. It was still impossible to specte about their identity.


    ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s great.¡¯


    ording to Ares, there was a tremendous gap between the empire¡¯s solo number knights. The fifth knight was at the level of the current best yers. Thus, the fifth knight was a bit better than Kraugel and Grid. The fourth knight was many times stronger and the third knight several times stronger than the fourth knight. Among them, the one considered to be the strongest...


    ¡®The first knight.¡¯


    Mercedes. He had already met the young woman, whose name reminded Youngwoo of a luxury foreign car. He had felt it intuitively. She was a wall that couldn¡¯t be ovee yet. The army she led had destroyed the Ares Army, yet they were now being defeated by the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    ¡¯Is it really an NPC?¡¯


    If the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant was a yer, they couldn¡¯t afford to go against the empire yet.


    ¡®In the first ce, a yer would have a very low level. If he just became a legend... No, wait.¡¯


    Just bing a legend? There was no reason to think so. Youngwoo got goosebumps. The fact that Youngwoo and Kraugel became legends was only reported several monthster. It was also due to unavoidable circumstances. Youngwoo revealed his identity while raiding the Yatan Servants and Kraugel revealed he was a legend while raiding the great demon.


    ¡®Can a low level yer stop the imperial army? If the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant is a yer, they might¡¯ve obtained the legendary title a long time ago.¡¯


    Shaaaaaaah-


    Youngwoo stood in the shower. He smiled as he saw the water flowing down his body.


    ¡®An NPC or yer is wee.¡¯


    Really, there was no room to rx. Satisfy gave people constant irritation and vitalization. Youngwoo felt anxious, but delighted. Hisplicated emotions burned brightly. He would soon enter the 63rd ind.

 Chapter 680

    Swaaaaah.


    A bridge connecting the sky and thend. The waterfall in the center of the 62nd cleansed ind reached several thousand meters in height. It was difficult to gauge the scale of it and the power of the waterfall was great. Water sshed in every direction like rain seeping into the earth.


    Sticks had a weak body and was ufortable with the cold water. However, Grid grew into a man who didn¡¯t fear sharp des. He wasn¡¯t surprised at all by the deafening noise of the waterfall.


    "Do you know in advance what the guardian of the next ind is?¡±


    There was a saying that knowledge of the enemy made you unbeatable. It would be difficult for Grid to win without relying on his immortality, so he wanted more information. He wanted to know in advance what the boss of the next ind was and prepare for it.


    Unfortunately, the next ind was uncharted territory for Sticks. It was natural. In the first ce, he was only able to reach the 60th ind thanks to Grid.


    "I can¡¯t jump to conclusions... I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t help.¡±


    "Don¡¯t bow your head.¡±


    In the old days, Grid would¡¯ve done more than grumble. A man of great wisdom. No, an elf, should be able to help him. But now Grid understood. He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to offend the other person because the work didn¡¯t go ording to his will. He put himself in Sticks position. This action made Sticks put in a bit more effort. Sticks was deep in thought for a moment before opening his mouth.


    "Previously, I ruled out Sword Saint Muller. It is also likely that Pagma, the creator of this Behen Archipgo, won¡¯t appear. Of course, Braham won¡¯t be present either.¡±


    It was natural. Braham¡¯s soul was currently with Grid. Still, Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling relieved.


    ¡®I won¡¯t have an answer if Braham appeared as a lich.¡¯


    The death knights of the former legends could only use ¡®basic skills¡¯ and that was their weakness. But not for Braham. Braham¡¯s enhanced spells were powerful even at the lowest level of magic. It was clear that Lich Braham would have a very high level of difficulty, even if only basic magic was used.


    ¡¯Braham, do you know that you are really great?¡¯


    -Hmph, not all legends are the same.I was the most outstanding among the legends.


    Now Braham was in high spirits from a little praise. It was ridiculous when he was a professional troll. Grid stuck his tongue out at Braham without hesitation while Sticks analysis continued.


    "Apart from those three, Lantier, and Alex, there are four legends left. The legendary archer Povia, the legendary tailor Kruger, the legendary miner Gis. And...¡±


    It was said that there was a total of nine legends. Then who was thest one? Grid was now certain.


    ¡°Madra?¡±


    ¡°You already know.¡±


    It was as he expected. The identity of the ninth legend was the Undefeated King Madra, who overwhelmed the empire. He was the only king among the first legends.


    "The four of them will appear sequentially on the remaining four inds.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be predicted who would appear next. Yet Grid¡¯s heart had be rxed.


    "I can easily win against two of them.¡±


    They were the legendary miner Gis and the legendary tailor Kruger. Grid thought they were easy because they were production ss legends. This was a mistake.


    "...You are a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Pagma was a cksmith and a great swordsman. Gis and Kruger would also have powerful abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s reasonable to think...¡±


    Grid was filled with tension. When he looked back at himself and Pagma, he was sure that Gis and Kruger wouldn¡¯t be easy opponents. The biggest problem was that he had no information about their fighting abilities. Sage Sticks¡¯ knowledge helped him.


    "Madra is a strategist who mastered martial arts. Gis is a tanker who demonstrated a rock-solid defensive ability based on his strong physical strength. And Kruger was famous for his killer needles.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid tried to think. He first ssified Povia and Gis as easier opponents.


    ¡¯Archer Povia isn¡¯t as threatening. Once I narrow the distance to 200 meters, I can approach using Freely Move and then overpower the archer who has weak physical strength.¡¯


    A tanker was also easy to deal with.


    ¡®Tankers aren¡¯t aggressive... On the other hand, both my defense and attack power are high. I will win as long as I keep hitting Gis.¡¯


    On the other hand, he was likely to struggle against Madra.


    ¡®If Madra really mastered all martial arts, he would¡¯ve learned a variety of swordsmanship. Most of his active skills from his prime are sealed, but he¡¯s still a threat because he has so many skills. In addition, he was a king. Based on the title of First King, he¡¯s likely to have a special survival passive.¡¯


    The most important target to watch out for was Madra. Then Kruger? He didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t grasp anything from ¡®killer needles.¡¯ But Grid had Sticks. Grid once again relied on Sticks.


    "What are killer needles?¡±


    Sticks kindly exined to the questioning Grid.


    "It¡¯s battle-specialized acupuncture that drives people to death. As a legendary tailor, Kruger is a master of sewing. He uses the needle very well. His technique of stabbing a needle precisely to overwhelm the opponent is extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Hrmmm...¡±


    Martial arts came to mind. Acupuncture in martial arts was generally a versatile skill. They could kill or save the target with one thin needle. But Grid didn¡¯t take it as a threat.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t it sound weak?¡¯


    There were clear limits to a needle weapon. It was too short. Grid could easily hit it with a sword. Furthermore.


    ¡®It¡¯s thin and will have less power.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Triple Layers boasted a defensive ability that could prevent a knife. A thin and short needle couldn¡¯t prate Triple Layers. Grid grinned.


    "In the end, they¡¯re all easy opponents except for Madra.¡±


    Grid wanted to meet Madrast. He thought it would be ideal to meet Madra after encountering easier opponents first, gaining their items and bing stronger.


    [The cooldown time of immortality is over.]


    Then a notification window popped up. Grid stepped towards the bridge leading to the next ind and waved at Sticks.


    "Then I¡¯ll see you on the next ind.¡±


    ¡°I will support you.¡±


    Sticks felt something strange as he saw Grid¡¯s confident figure. But he didn¡¯t express it. He trusted Grid¡¯s skills. In the meantime, Grid crossed the bridge and entered the gate.


    Paaaat!


    Grid¡¯s figure disappeared. He entered the 63rd ind.


    ***


    [You have entered the 63rd ind.]


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    Povia, Madra, Gis, and Kruger. Which of the remaining four legends would be guarding the 63rd ind? Grid was first on the lookout for sniping. The God Hands spread out and found the sniping locations. It was an act that assumed the opponent was Povia. But no arrows flew after dozens of seconds. The likelihood of the 63rd ind¡¯s guardian being Povia was significantly lowered.


    ¡®Unlike Lantier and Alex, they aren¡¯t appearing immediately...¡¯


    Grid guessed that the guardian of the 63rd ind was likely to be Gis or Kruger. They were rtively weak, so Grid thought they wouldn¡¯t act carelessly. At that moment.


    ¡°Legendary Tailor¡¯s Eye.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because he heard the distinctive voice of a death knight from a rock behind him. The voice sounded like it was speaking in a big cave.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid drew the God Hands closer in anticipation of an attack. He grabbed the Enlightenment de and nned to counterattack, but the death knight just stared down at him. The death knight¡¯s name was Kruger. The legendary tailor who created the invisibility cloak. He looked at Grid and said something again.


    ¡°Legendary Tailor¡¯s Eye.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid clearly heard Kruger¡¯s words and became alert. If the Legendary Tailor¡¯s Eye was simr to the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eye, Kruger was now checking his item information. It was a chance to expose a weak point. Grid couldn¡¯t give Kruger a chance to observe him. In the first ce, he thought of Kruger as an easy opponent.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The storm of des aimed directly at Kruger on the rock! Grid thought that Kruger wouldn¡¯t be able to protect himself since he was busy observing Grid¡¯s items. While Kruger was suffering great damage, he nned to climb onto the rock and link the next attack. However.


    Swaeeeeek!


    A sharp needle aimed at Grid¡¯s brow as he was jumping towards the rock. It was a needle that had flown from the explosion generated by Transcended Link. There also wasn¡¯t a message window indicating that Kruger suffered damage.


    ¡®He avoided or blocked Transcended Link?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand it but he kept hisposure. He avoided the needle that was less than five centimeters in length and seeded in climbing up the rock. Then he was surprised.


    ¡®No?¡¯


    Gone! Kruger had disappeared from the rock. Grid was the only one present on the rock.


    ¡¯What is going on?¡¯


    Grid was looking around with confusion when he heard Braham¡¯s voice.


    -Use Magic Detection.


    It was the same advice as when Lantier was hiding. Grid realized.


    ¡®Invisibility cloak!¡¯


    Yes, this was the legendary tailor Kruger. Just like the legendary cksmith Grid was overgeared, Kruger would also be overgeared.


    Puok!


    Grid was urgently trying to use Magic Detection when a shock hit his side. A needle from the hidden Kruger had pierced Grid. But.


    [You have suffered 430 damage.]


    Indeed, a needle was a needle. It failed to pierce Triple Layers. The impact of the sting was very slight and the actual damage was extremely low.


    ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    Grid snorted and started the sword dance for Wave. It was necessary to use a wide area skill to attack the invisible Kruger and then he would use Magic Detection during that time. But he failed.


    [Kruger¡¯s acupuncture needle has reversed your mana flow.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave has failed.]


    [Your health will suffer three times the mana that was consumed by the failure.]


    [You have suffered 2,400 damage.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The strongest debuffer. That was the reality of Kruger. Grid felt goosebumps on his skin and hurriedly moved. Meanwhile, Kruger had taken off the invisibility cloak and revealed his appearance. The death knight was holding three needles in every finger joint. He looked like a lich in his robe.


    ¡°Legendary Tailor¡¯s Eye.¡±


    Pahat!


    Kruger used the same skill again. A violet light glowed as he contemted Grid. He felt naked as detailed information about his items was sent to Kruger.


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    Grid felt ufortable and attacked Kruger. Kruger¡¯s needle causing mana reflux was a one time effect so Grid could now use skills without any penalty. He used Link without hesitation. At that moment.


    Paaaat!


    A translucent circle was created in a 10 meter radius around Kraugel and Grid¡¯s Link hit it directly.


    Tteteong!


    Tteteteteong!


    ¡°....?!¡±


    It didn¡¯t move? Kruger¡¯s barrier held firmly despite being hit by Link. It didn¡¯t shake at all, no matter how many times the ck mes exploded. Grid was confused.


    ¡®What is this ridiculous defense technique?¡¯


    It was a misunderstanding. This wasn¡¯t a skill used by Kruger but a system effect. Grid quickly realized this.


    [For the next 10 minutes, the legendary tailor Kruger will make an item!]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Inside the ward. The squatting death knight pulled out a cloth and started sewing it with a needle. It was a funny picture.


    ¡°??????¡±


    Question marks appeared over Grid¡¯s head.

 Chapter 681

    Jjang!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    No matter how many times he tried, the result was the same. Grid¡¯s attack didn¡¯t make a scratch on the barrier. The system¡¯s privacy was absolute.


    ¡®Sheesh, why am I not invincible when making an item?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have anything like this when using Item Combination. It was discrimination that made people dissatisfied. Item Combination was even from a hidden piece!


    ¡®It¡¯s too much.¡¯


    Grid red at Kruger inside the barrier. Kruger squatted on the ground and was cutting cloth with tools such as scissors, chisels, and knives. Arge cloth was divided into specific forms and then sewn together. A skeleton squatting down and sewing...


    Was there such a greatedy? Anyone else would look at Death Knight Kruger andugh. But Grid didn¡¯tugh. His expression gradually stiffened.


    ¡®He can cut cloth so quickly and precisely with a bony hand...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s admiration was huge. It was the aftermath of acquiring the intermediate Tailoring skill. Grid knew something about tailoring, even if he wasn¡¯t a tailor. Thanks to this, he could see Kruger¡¯s great ability.


    ¡®He can sew so many different types of fabrics together without making it seem like it... This is the legendary tailoring technique...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s tailoring ability was naturallycking. He couldn¡¯t use various types of cloth when making one item. He had to concentrate on only two types of fabrics when producing items, as well as retain the characteristics of the fabric in order to produce usible results.


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit too much to sell.¡¯


    Most of Grid¡¯s cloth items didn¡¯t have a good performance. They were a bit better than the items sold at the usual vige stores. This was the power of dexterity. Grid still had a long way to go when it came to tailoring itself.


    ¡®In the first ce, I don¡¯t want to be a tailor... Well, whatever.¡¯


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking of these things. Grid shook his head and cleared his mind.


    ¡®I need to focus on the fight. I will win this fight.¡¯


    Why was Kruger making items duringbat? It was easy to deduce. Kruger analyzed Grid¡¯s items using the Legendary Tailor¡¯s Eye skill and was making a new item to counter them. This was certainly an amazing ability. Kruger had the ability to make items in real time to weaken his opponent¡¯s strength and lead the battle in a favorable way.


    ¡®But this time, he met the wrong opponent.¡¯


    Grid smiled confidently and put the Enlightenment de back in his inventory. The weapon he pulled out was Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay.


    ¡®While you are making an item...¡¯


    Clink!Clink clink!


    The magic bay started to change. It became a one meter long sniper rifle with a rough scope. The smooth ivory beauty of the gun barrel seemed to capture the hearts of others. Grid grasped it with both hands. The item making Kruger was 80 meters away.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was going to utilized the ¡®fixed instant death¡¯ function attached to the sniper mode of the magic engineering bay. At a distance of 80 meters, Grid had to spend two minutes aiming. But time wasn¡¯t a penalty for him right now. Kruger was involved in making an item so he had enough time.


    ¡®Kruger, it is over the moment you finish.¡¯


    Grid leaned forward and targeted Kruger. His act of breathing was skillful. There was no shaking as the South Korean army man aimed at Kruger¡¯s head.


    ¡®I will end it in one blow.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Grid¡¯s long, thick finger was fixed on the trigger. Kruger squatted in the transparent barrier and was still making an item. He never imagined that Grid would snipe him in a few minutes. At the same time, the 62nd ind.


    "He misjudged...!"


    Sticks was rmed as he watched Grid in the crystal ball. It was because Grid misunderstood the concept of instant death when it came to the undead.


    "A death knight doesn¡¯t experience instant death...!¡±


    Instantaneous death techniques act by counterattacking an enemy¡¯s life.¡¯ In other words, it was a power that acted absolutely on a living being. And the undead were dead. There was no life force to wipe out so the instant death was nullified. Grid shouldn¡¯t have forgotten this fact. He was someone who was protected from death because he had the ¡®immortal¡¯ skill. It was silly for him to forget the concept of the undead.


    ¡®No, isn¡¯t it unavoidable?¡¯


    Sticks was regretting Grid¡¯s stupidity, only to realize Grid¡¯s position. In the era that Grid was living in, peace had been maintained for hundreds of years thanks to the performance and sacrifice of the former legends. Humans developed and monsters didn¡¯t thrive. In particr, undead were monsters that couldn¡¯t exist if there were no corpses. Thus, their appearance was thoroughly prevented.


    In other words, it was ack of experience. Grid didn¡¯t know about the undead. He had also never used an instant death skill, one of the greatest techniques in history.


    ¡¯Then he¡¯ll have to drink a bitter cup...!¡¯


    Taaang!


    In the crystal ball. Grid fired the moment the barrier was lifted from Kruger. Sticks thought that Grid would be in a great crisis. Death Knight Kruger would resist the instant death and hit Grid with a deadly counterattack. It turned out like he expected.


    Puok!


    Kruger charged through the bullet from the sniper rifle, threw a needle at Grid and Grid allowed it. He was facing a crisis. Sticks cheered Grid on.


    ¡°Ovee it...! This is a costly price for learning, but if you keep your concentration...!¡±


    ***


    [Shooting the target!]


    Peeeeeong!


    The sniper rifle roared and shot a bullet.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Grid gritted his teeth. It was due to therge recoil, despite the fact that he was on the ground and his body position was firm. Yura¡¯s strength was much lower than Grid and she was likely to get dislocated from using this sniper rifle.


    Peeeeeong!


    Immediately afterpleting the item. The Kruger running to Grid was pierced by a mana bullet. Grid had consumed a huge 2,000 mana for that bullet. Grid naturally thought that Kruger would die.


    Kiyaaaaaaah!


    "What?¡±


    Kruger was fine. Despite there being a holel in the center of the skull, not one point of the health gauge had been consumed and Kruger kept rushing to Grid.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    The confused Grid hurriedly swapped his weapon. He recalled the sniper rifle to his inventory and pulled out the Enlightenment de. Kruger reached Grid and fired dozens of needles.


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Grid used Quick Movements to evade the needles.


    Puk!Puuoooook!


    However, Kruger acted promptly in this gap. He approached and stabbed Grid¡¯s chest directly with a needle.


    [You have suffered 1,570 damage.]


    [You have been stabbed in a blood vessel. Your blood flow isn¡¯t smooth. Health recovery is blocked for 20 seconds.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [You have suffered 1,390 damage.]


    [An abnormality has urred in your joints. Your left arm is paralyzed for the next 13 seconds.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [You have suffered 1,642 damage.]


    [There is a reflux of mana. Use skills with caution.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    It was the moment when Grid witnessed the proper use of dexterity. Kruger used his thousands of dexterity to precisely aim for the gaps between Triple Layers, causing critical damage to Grid. Not only did he suffer more damage than when his armor was stabbed, he also suffered from various conditions. But Grid was calm.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    [You have failed to activate Magic Missile.]


    [Your health will suffer three times the mana that was consumed by the failure.]


    Grid made a very smart judgment. Kruger¡¯s needle prevented the one-time use of a skill, so Grid minimized the damage by using a skill that consumed the least mana. While Quick Movements was maintained, he focused on avoiding Kruger¡¯s needles and started the sword dance of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. It was Link.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Kruger couldn¡¯t respond. It was because at least 20 energy des were fired at him.


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The speed of the energy des gave the illusion that the flow of time had stopped. As Sticks watched in the crystal ball, the power of Link wasbined with the Enlightenment de. ck mes erupted a total of nine times with Kruger in the centre.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t doubt his victory. He prepared to put an end to Kruger by continuing this offensive. But that resolutionsted for only a moment. Grid was shocked when he saw the sessive notification windows in front of him.


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 30% additional fire damage to the target!]


    [The target has neutralized the mes.]


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire damage!]


    [The target has neutralized the mes.]


    [The option effect of the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 30% additional dark damage to the target!]


    [The target has maximized the darkness. The target¡¯s dark attribute damage will increase by 10%.]


    [Darkness is the power of the undead.]


    [The target has recovered 98,500 health.]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [The target has failed to neutralize the ck mes.]


    [You have dealt 667,940 damage to the target!]


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    Link dealt much less damage to Kruger than Grid expected. It was due to the power of the cloth item that Kruger made for 10 minutes. Kruger had weakened the power of the Enlightenment de by wearing cloth that maximized the dark attribute and blocked the fire attribute.


    It was admirable that he could maximize the dark attribute that was an advantage to him while blocking the mes. He might be a death knight, but named NPCs had very high intelligence. Fortunately, the ck mes were an independent attribute that didn¡¯t belong to either the darkness or fire attribute. Kruger couldn¡¯t block the ck mes and suffered great damage.


    Kik.


    Kkikikikik!


    The joints of Kruger¡¯s right leg were broken by the explosion. Kruger fired a few needles at Grid and retreated. Then a barrier was once again unfolded. He wanted to create a new item!


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Grid trembled.


    He needed to keep up his flow of concentration in battle so it was annoying that it kept being interrupted. He was once again convinced of the wicked personality of the Satisfy creators.


    [For the next 20 minutes, the legendary tailor Kruger will make an item!]


    "An additional 10 minutes?¡±


    Grid was shocked by Kruger¡¯s ability to make items and disable the instant death. His mental shock was doubled at the thought of having to wait here for another 20 minutes. On the other hand, Sticks watched the crystal ball and prayed earnestly.


    "Grid, you have to defeat Kruger in order to cleanse the 63rd ind. If this keeps repeating, Kruger will be stronger than you and your odds will disappear.¡±


    Please, please. He hoped that Grid would discover this fact. Sticks desperately wanted his heart to reach Grid, but it didn¡¯t. Grid wasn¡¯t even thinking about this. Just.


    "Yes, I will do the same.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Sticks¡¯ eyes widened. It was because in the crystal ball, Grid was taking out a portable furnace and cksmithing hammer.


    "T-This method...!¡±


    An eye for an eye! This was it! Confront item making by making an item! Sticks admired Grid¡¯s idea and determination.

 Chapter 682

    "T-This method...!¡±


    Grid intended to respond to item production with item production! Sticks felt admiration at the unexpected idea. It was exciting to see Grid overturn themon sense of a sage every time. But.


    ¡®Going againstmon sense isn¡¯t always a good thing. This isn¡¯t a smart method!¡¯


    Sticks was certain of it. No matter how he thought about it, the method to win against Kruger was to break the barrier. Kruger¡¯s ability to make items was essentially blocked if the barrier was eliminated. Kruger wouldn¡¯t be able to deal deadly injuries to Grid with his needles alone and it was likely that Grid would catch him as time passed. Yes, all he had to do was break the barrier.


    But Grid wasn¡¯t even thinking about this. It was natural. Grid believed that Kruger was in an area that couldn¡¯t be touched since he realized that Kruger was the recipient of the system. It wasn¡¯t a hasty judgment. The system was absolute. Most yers, not just Grid, wouldn¡¯t have through about breaking Kruger¡¯s barrier. The more items Kruger made, the stronger he became. Eventually the yer would fail to capture the 63rd ind.


    That¡¯s right. The difficulty of the 63rd ind was very high. Kruger was a much more demanding boss monster than Lantier and Alex, who only pushed him physically. Just like he seeded in the Hell Gao raid by obtaining the fire stones, Kruger was a raid that would only seed if he found the right hints.


    But Grid¡¯s thoughts werepletely different.


    ¡®He¡¯s an easy opponent.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t false confidence. From Grid¡¯s perspective, Kruger was really an easy opponent. Why? Grid had the ultimate magic, the enhanced versions of rm and Magic Missile. It was fortunate for Grid that Kruger spent 10 minutes and 20 minutes making items.


    This was after the Belial raid. Grid cleared several ss quests in a row and raised his level significantly in the process of killing the armoured elite troops of the Belto Kingdom. This time, he cleared the 62nd ind and gained another level. Now his level was 348. His total intelligence was 2,260. His pure mana was 13,560. If his intelligence was applied, his mana was close to 20,000. It was arge source for magic.


    ¡®The cooldown time of rm Lv. 3 is 15 seconds.¡¯


    Of course, this was the story when adding up the items that reduced skill cooldown. Theoretically, Grid was able to prepare 80 rm + Magic Missiles in 20 minutes. It would be possible if he freely took the best mana potions supplied from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    Once Kruger finished making the items? The barrier would fall and he would be hit by a fatal bombardment of Magic Missiles. Yes, Grid was confident that he could defeat Kruger at any time. Therefore, he could take risks and challenge new things.


    ¡®Making an item!¡¯


    Grid was also a legend. If Kruger could produce items in 10 minutes and 20 minutes, Grid could as well. Grid wanted to experiment.


    ¡®I learned from the 2nd National Competition. I spend a few days working on items while other cksmiths only spend minutes or hours.¡¯


    At first, Grid was very surprised and thought negatively. He made fun of other cksmiths as he wondered how items produced in a short amount of time be meaningful. But what was the reality? Most of the top ranking cksmiths seeded in making items with superior power.


    At this moment, Grid realized. Spending a long time didn¡¯t necessarily mean a good item would be born.


    ¡®It is an X probability game.¡¯


    The result of making a good item depended on probability, not time. Of course, the more time spend creating items, the more likely a higher rated item was to be produced.


    ¡®But the probability will be simr to making several items in a short amount of time.¡¯


    In fact, Grid produced the mass production set in as little time was possible and made a lot of rare and epic items.


    ¡®I can¡¯t deny that spending a lot of time inbat is useful.¡¯


    Grid knew that it took a lot of time to produce the ultimate items. But he didn¡¯t deny the fast production of items like factories.


    ¡®Sometimes I need the ability to quickly produce items.¡¯


    The items wouldn¡¯t unconditionally be bad just because it was made quickly. Kruger proved that fact right now. Thus, Grid would also challenge it.


    "Me too...¡±


    Kkuok!


    Grid put white phosphorus wood in the portable furnace. He held his cksmith¡¯s hammer while waiting for the temperature of the furnace to rise.


    ¡°I will be a factory manager too...!¡±


    Too much craftsmanship could sometimes be a weakness grabbing at his ankle. He would ovee it and advance. Grid pledged to shake off the craftsmanship that was deeply rooted.


    [Kruger has 18 minutes remaining.]


    The temperature of Grid¡¯s portable furnace rose very quickly. As Kruger cut two fabrics, the mes in the furnace had already reached the desire temperature. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill was very versatile and Grid was even an expert with the bellows.


    ¡°I will make an item!¡±


    He would make an item in 18 minutes. An item that would demonstrate its usefulness right now. What was it? Grid had already thought about it. Based on his experience of making many items, Grid was quick-witted when it came to big work.


    ¡°I will make a weapon that crushes all of Kruger¡¯s bones!¡±


    Grid was excited topete with a legendary tailor. He shouted as hard as possible and took a red bead out of his inventory. It was from his distant newbie days. It was the Red Lightning Summoning Bead that he obtained after raiding the frostlight orc chief.


    [Red Lightning Summoning Bead]


    The power of a frostlight orc shaman dwells in this bead.


    Can summon red lightning from the sky. Temporarily increases the attack power of the weapon struck by this lightning bolt and gives the weapon an electrical attribute.


    * It takes one minute to summon the lightning bolt, and the summoner¡¯s health will drop by 10% after each summoning.


    Weight: 50


    "It¡¯s been a while."


    Grid hadn¡¯t forgotten about this summoning bead. As the enemies became stronger, he avoided using it because the burden of the time it took to summon the lightning bolt was too long. He thought that the penalty was higher than the performance.


    The Red Lightning Summoning Bead increased the weapon¡¯s attack power by 10%, not his total attack power. He didn¡¯t want to lose 10% of his health for a one minute buff. But Grid had been thinking about it. What if this summoning bead was permanently attached to a weapon? For example, it could be used as an item making material.


    However, it was an unrealistic assumption. It was because the Red Lightning Summoning Bead wasn¡¯t ssified as a ¡®production material.¡¯ In the past, Grid found it impossible to make an item based on the Red Lightning Summoning Bead. But now Grid had the Item Reconstruction skill.


    From the moment he could this skill, he thought about using it on the Red Lightning Summoning Bead. Grid decided that now was the right time to use the Red Lightning Summoning Bead.


    ¡®The undead are weak against explosions.¡¯


    An explosion urred at the point where the red lightning struck. If he could attach the Red Lightning Summoning Bead to the Enlightenment de, it was highly likely that the Enlightenment de would be a weapon that could deal deadly damage to the undead.


    In particr, Kruger was only watching out for the mes of the Enlightenment de. Kruger would have no defense against the lightning attribute because the current Enlightenment de didn¡¯t have it. What if the lightning power of the Red Lightning Summoning Bead was granted to the Enlightenment Sword at this time?


    ¡®I will be able to hit Kruger in the back of the head.¡¯


    A smile spread on Grid¡¯s face as he checked the skill information window.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction Lv. 1]


    Current experience 63.2%.


    Reinterpret items with a 100% understanding into a new form.


    The performance of the modified item will depend on your interpretation, skill, and intentions.


    * An item can only be reconstructed once.


    * When the skill level increases, the number of reconstructions will increase by one.


    The requirements were met. The Enlightenment Sword was made by Grid so his understanding was already 100%. One thing to watch out for was that he could only reconstruct an item one time.


    ¡®I need to be careful.¡¯


    Grid thought once again. Was it enough to attach the Red Lightning Summoning Bead to the Enlightenment de? Of course it was sufficient. There was the ck mes of the Enlightenment de. It was worth investing the Red Lightning Summoning Bead as well.


    ¡®In addition, the skill will reach level two sooner orter.¡¯


    The number of possible reconstructions would increase. There was no reason to hesitate. Grid separated the Enlightenment de from Sword Ghost and threw it into the furnace without hesitation. He added the Red Lightning Summoning Bead.


    Peeeeeong!


    A powerful explosion took ce in the furnace. The mes from the Enlightenment de and the lightning from the Red Lightning Summoning Bead caused the earth to shake.


    ck.


    ack.


    Kruger turned his gaze to Grid while cutting the cloth. If Kruger was alive, he would¡¯ve be alert to the fact that Grid was making an item, which could be a variable. However, the current Kruger was a death knight. He had no thoughts. He soon became indifferent to Grid and turned his gaze back to the cloth. Then.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The 63rd ind.


    A hammering sound started to ring on the quiet ind. Grid pulled out the Enlightenment de and the Red Lightning Summoning Bead before they lost their shape and started hammering frantically.


    ¡®The time it took me to modify Lifael¡¯s Spear isn¡¯t much different from when I make a new item.¡¯


    However, now he realized that he spent too much time when looking at Kruger. In the first ce, Item Reconstruction was a very active skill. The more it was used in real time during battle, the more valuable it was.


    ¡®I have to aim to be a factory manager and finish it in an instant!¡¯


    The 18 minutes flew by quickly.


    Paaaat!


    The barrier around Kruger disappeared without a trace.


    [Kruger has finished making the item!]


    Then a notification window popped up.


    Taack!


    Kruger was already moving. Just like Grid had most of his health and mana restored while hammering and the skill cooldown time ended, Kruger also had most of his health gauge filled.


    ¡°What did he make this time?¡±


    Ttang!


    Grid hit the de that was blinking red on the anvil onest time. As the God Hands blocked a few attacks from Kruger, Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Pajik!


    The de shed red. It was the Enlightenment Sword. But now it was different. Sparks rose every time it blinked red.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kwang!


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Kruger was engulfed in a storm of red light. The cloth he wrapped around himself blocked the mes, absorbed the dark energy and allowed part of the ck mes.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    A red lightning bolt struck.


    Duk!


    Duduk!


    Kruger¡¯s bones shook from the electric shock. It was the moment when the legend of the previous generation was overwhelmed by the present legend. The former legends were weak because they weren¡¯t intact? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid wasn¡¯t perfect as a legend. Don¡¯t forget that the legends of the present day weren¡¯t mature. Simply, the new generation was better.

 Chapter 683

    [Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,660/1,660 Attack Power: 3,780


    * 20% increase in physical attack power.


    * 20% increase in magic attack power.


    * 30% bonus fire attribute damage.


    * 30% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * 15% bonus lightning attribute damage.


    * Deals an additional 50% damage to sacred beings.


    * There is a certain probability of mes rge) being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of illusions being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of summoning a red lightning bolt when attacking.


    ¡ï There is a certain probability of a ck mes explosion when attacking.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The Red Lightning Summoning Beadbined with the Enlightenment de! The base damage of the weapon was increased by 8%, there was additional lightning damage and an option to summon a red lightning bolt. There was no decrease in health penalty!


    In addition, the red lightning bolt boasted superior power to general lightning. The damage was calcted in proportion to the total attack power and the probability of causing electric shock was also high. But the real strength of the red lightning bolt was separate.


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 30% additional fire damage to the target!]


    [The target has neutralized the mes.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire damage!]


    [The target has neutralized the mes.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 30% additional dark damage to the target!]


    [The target has maximized the darkness. The target¡¯s dark attribute damage will increase by 10%.]


    [Darkness is the power of the undead.]


    [The target has recovered 83,200 health.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 15% additional lightning damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 41,900 damage to the target!]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned a red lightning bolt!]


    Kwajik!


    The difference was that the red lightning bolt was summoned from the sky. Unless the enemy had eyes on the top of the head, the enemy targeted by the Enlightenment de wouldn¡¯t be able to cope with the red lightning.


    Kwarururung!


    A red lightning bolt crossed the grey sky.


    Kuwaaaang!


    It fell towards lightning rod Death Knight Kruger on the ground!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    A light shed in Kruger¡¯s eye sockets as part of his bones cracked. It was the aftermath of the powerful explosion.


    [You have dealt 195,600 damage to the target!]


    [The target is caught in an electric shock for 1.2 seconds!]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    The red lightning struck in a narrow range. It only damaged a single target. In addition, the probability of it appearing was only ¡®low.¡¯ But it was better than nothing. No, it was a thousand times better. Since it was a skill attached to a myth rated weapon, there was no resource consumption and the strength was around 40% of the ck mes.


    Pajijik!


    ck!ck ck!


    Death Knight Kruger flinched as he was wrapped in sparks. It was the effects of the electric shock. From this point, the God Hands started their rampage with Mjolnir.


    Peok!


    Peok peok peok!


    [God Hand (1) has dealt 3,110 damage to the target.]


    [The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has caused the target to stiffen for 0.3 seconds.]


    [God Hand (2) has dealt 2,030 damage to the target.]


    [The +7 Mjolnir (2) has caused the target to stiffen for 0.1 seconds.]


    [The God Hand (4)...]


    [The +7 Mjolnir (4)...]


    ...


    ...


    A snowball effect that started from the one second of electric shock! Kruger was incapacitated. He wasn¡¯t able to block the golden hammers constantly attacking his skull. It was the moment when Grid grabbed his victory.


    ¡°God Hands! It has been a long time since you¡¯ve done this!¡±


    The God Hands¡¯ first and foremost role was to protect their master. Grid¡¯s safety was the priority no matter the circumstances. It was almost impossible for Grid to suppress the basic attribute despite ordering them to ¡®attack the target.¡¯ While the God Hands were attacking the target, they were ready to switch to protecting Grid if he was attacked.


    This was a strength and weakness. Of course, this weakness could be ovee if Grid continued tomand the God Hands in real time. But was it that easy? It was difficult to constantly renew themands to the God Hands while dealing with the enemy in front of his eyes.


    This was why thebination of God Hands and Mjolnir couldn¡¯t be used properly in every raid. But that weakness was ovee at this moment. Thanks to the Red Lightning Summoning Bead attached to the Enlightenment de!


    Puk!


    Puk puk!


    Grid was able to attack at least two times per second with the option effect of the Quick Gloves. He continued to beat up the rigid Kruger. He didn¡¯t take a break at all. Together with Mjolnir, he bombarded Kruger with sword attacks. Then.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Kuoooooh!


    He tried abo. After a basic attack, he cancelled the recovery action and immediately linked a skill. It omitted some motions, making it possible for him to link skills and basic attacks faster. Arge number of yers did this skillfully, but Grid wasn¡¯t familiar with it. It was the limit of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship rather than Grid¡¯s individual talent. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was difficult to mix basic attacks in because the skill development motion was too long. However, this weakness was ovee with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves.


    Cheook!


    One step.


    Puok!


    A flurry of basic attacks.


    Cheook!


    Another step.


    Puok!


    Another flurry of basic attacks. Grid mixed in his basic attacks between the steps of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. This was possible thanks to the faster attack speed. The best part was something else.


    [Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves have been released.]


    [You have equipped the +8 Holy Light Gloves.]


    Due to the target being stiffened, there was time for Grid to swap items. Once he used a skill, he could take off Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves which weren¡¯t effective and use the Holy Light Gloves.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Kuooooooh!


    He had managed to overwhelm Yatan¡¯s Servant Mcus in his beginning days with the separate skills. Even Death Knight Kruger felt an instinctive crisis.


    ck!


    ck ck!


    Kruger struggled as he was hit. He wanted to move, but couldn¡¯t get away from the God Hands constantly hitting him. Infinite stiffness. It was a fraudulent technique that could be mistaken as a bug if activated properly.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    The energy des raged.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    mes and ck mes exploded in session. After that.


    Kurururung!


    Red lightning fell from the sky and struck Kruger¡¯s skull.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    [You have dealt 132,790 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 145,840 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 170,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 188,050 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [You have dealt 926,430 damage to the target!]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    ...


    ...


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned a red lightning bolt!]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The +8 Holy Light Gloves¡¯s option effect is activated, causing the skill ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ to be....]


    ...


    ...


    [You have dealt 3,235,900 damage to the target.]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [You have dealt...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡±


    In the ensuing explosion and lightning strikes, Kruger¡¯s voice filled the sky. It was a roar of anger, not pain. It was because he couldn¡¯t feel pain. However, Grid¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over. This was only the Link part of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. The real attack started now.


    Puk.


    Puk puk!Puuoook!


    The energy des aiming at Kruger changed their orbits, this time moving in a straight line. Kruger was pierced by it and his purple light turned grey. It seemed that all activities stopped for a while due to the excessive impact.


    [You have dealt 310,100 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 343,000 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 379,300 damage to the target...]


    ...


    ...


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [You have dealt 1,102,500 damage to the target.]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned a red lightning bolt!]


    Kwarung!


    Kwarururung!


    A natural disaster wouldn¡¯t be as hard as this. The endlessly swirling attacks struck Kruger. Grid felt sympathy since this was also a person who fought for the world as a legend.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Sticks was pale as he watched through the crystal ball. He was amazed beyond admiration at Grid¡¯s absurd aggressiveness. He was so surprised that he could feel a pain in his weak heart. Grid¡¯s strikes continued. The storm of death turned Kruger into rags and then Pinnacle descended. A powerful blow!


    Jjejejeok!


    Kruger¡¯s skull was heavily cracked. As soon as Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle waspleted, Grid reced the Holy Light Gloves with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves and immediately started hitting Kruger with basic attacks.


    ¡®He is really durable.¡¯


    Kruger still had 30% of his health remaining. Grid grumbled, but a named boss had lost 70% of his health from one skill. It was truly shocking. It meant that Grid¡¯s attack power was outside a yer¡¯s range and was on the level of a catastrophe.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Grid prepared the final blow. After a basic attack, he swapped the Quick Gloves to the Holy Light Gloves. Then.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Puk.


    Puk puk puk!


    Grid stabbed Death Knight Kruger again! The 5th strike wasn¡¯t a critical and it felt somewhatcking, but he didn¡¯t try transforming the God Hands into Lifael¡¯s Spear. It was because the moment a Mjolnir was lost, Kruger might escape from the infinite stiffness and fight back. It was a very wise decision.


    ¡®There is no need to fret.¡¯


    The prey was already caught so there was no need to worry about finishing the battle quickly. The key was keeping the infinite stiffness. Grid thought this and after Linked Kill, he used Transcended Link, Pinnacle Kill, and Link. He was able to trigger two Pinnacle Kills thanks to God¡¯s Command activating.


    In the end.


    Kurururu!


    It took 10 minutes but Kruger, the guardian of the 63rd ind was killed. He wasn¡¯t able to use the unknown item that he spent 20 minutes making. It was because he was weak to status conditions, bing good prey for the God Hands and Mjolnirbination.


    [You have defeated Death Knight Kruger, guardian of the 63rd ind!]


    [The 63rd ind has been cleansed!]


    [As a reward for cleansing the ind, you have gained one level!]


    [You have acquired Kruger¡¯s tailoring tools!]


    [You have acquired Kruger¡¯s Mysterious Cloth!]

 Chapter 684

    ¡°The gloves are really great...¡±


    After the battle was over.


    Grid recreated the battle before checking the items that Kruger had dropped. If there was a part to praise about himself, there was also a part to criticize. This would be used as a stepping stone to mature one step further. In the process, the most noteworthy part for Grid was his items. He noticed the Holy Light Gloves and Alex''s Quick Gloves more than the Enlightenment Lightning Sword and Mjolnir.


    ''There is the lottery option of the Holy Light Gloves that I¡¯ve always relied on.¡¯


    Now he realized that Alex''s Quick Gloves were amazing.


    The speed of his basic attacks had doubled so his continuous damage rose sharply. The attack power of each basic attack increased andbined with the power of the Enlightenment de, his basic attacks had been maximized beyond expectations. The damage was even better than the Holy Light Gloves.


    ¡®It will be more effective as my agility increases.¡¯


    Every 1,000 agility increase general attack speed by 0.1. Grid¡¯s current agility was 2,876. He could achieve a base attack speed of 0.8 and if he wore Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves, it would be 0.4. It was possible to do two basic attacks per second and five per two seconds.


    ¡®If my basic speed is at 0.7...¡¯


    The Quick Gloves will make it 0.35 attack speed and almost three attacks per second. Grid¡¯s original goal was to obtain a ratio of 1:1 for strength and agility. Grid decided he didn¡¯t need to hesitate and opened his status window.


    ¡°Status Window!¡±


    Name: Grid


    Level: 349


    ss: Pagma''s Descendant (Conditional Great Magician)


    Title: One who Became a Legend and 22 others.


    Health: 88,175 Mana: 13,602


    Strength: 3,140 (+360)


    Stamina: 1,967 (+580)


    Agility: 2,546 (+330)


    Intelligence: 1,727 (+540)


    Dexterity: 3,507 (+880)


    Persistence: 1,452 (+330)


    Composure: 1,058 (+330)


    Indomitable: 1,313 (+440)


    Dignity: 1,966 (+330)


    Insight: 1,806 (+330)


    Courage: 1,002 (+330)


    Demonic Power: 13,402


    Good Luck: 241


    Deity: 3


    Remaining Stat Points: 300


    Grid acquired 12 stat points per level since bing one with Braham¡¯s soul. Then the title of First King gave him 14 stat points per level. Since recently, he had umted two and then four points more than others. However, half of the points were forcibly invested in intelligence. Therefore, even if Grid had been umting his points since level 301, he only had 300 stat points.


    ¡®Nevertheless, I don¡¯t see it as a loss. Intelligence is a stat that I need after all... That¡¯s right... It isn¡¯t a loss...¡¯


    Grid tried tofort himself.


    Shake shake.


    In the end, he failed and started distributing the stat points.


    ¡®Points in agility.¡¯


    [124 points will be invested in agility. Have you decided?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [It has been applied.]


    [Your agility has increased by 124.]


    [Your agility stat is now at 2,546 points.]


    [Through thebined effects of various titles, 3,000 agility has been achieved.]


    [Your base attack speed has increased by 0.1.]


    [Movement speed has increased by 30.]


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He finally achieved 3,000 agility. Grid tested it immediately.


    Syuok!


    Syuok!


    Six attacks in two seconds! Some people might have questions. In reality, a high quality professional boxer could attack four times per second. Was attacking three times per second in the game really that great? Of course it was. Grid wasn¡¯t using bare hands but wielding a long sword. It was difficult to wield a sword that was one meter in length three times per second.


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    Grid was satisfied as he looked at the energy des that looked like waves under the moonlight. He now had 176 stat points left.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid thought for a while before decided to keep the remaining points.


    ¡®Even if I invest all my points in agility right now, the proportion still won¡¯t match with strength...¡¯


    In fact, he was impatient to invest points in intelligence. It was because he could learn Fireball once his intelligence reached 2,500. If he invested the remaining points in intelligence, he would be able to level Fireball in a rtively short period of time if he kept tailoring and leveling up. But Grid suppressed his impatient heart.


    ¡®Intelligence will naturally increase whenever I level up. There is no need to invest points.¡¯


    The part that Grid feltcking in right now was stamina. Grid had a high survival rate due to his items and various title effects, but it was more stable to increase his total health. Thus, there was value in investing points in stamina.


    ¡®But I will watch more.¡¯


    Grid decided it would be better to save his points. He thought it was right to use the points after clearly figuring out what he wascking when dealing with the formidable enemies he would face.


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    Grid closed his status window and finally started to appraise Kruger¡¯s items. First of all, he started with Kruger¡¯s tailoring tools. It was a set of scissors, a knife, a tape measure, and a needle.


    [Kruger¡¯s Scissors and Knife]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 171/220 Attack Power: 311


    * Increases the cutting speed of cloth and leather by 10%.


    * Can cut all types of cloth and leather.


    One handed scissors and a knife used by the legendary tailor Kruger during his life. They are sharp and durable and can even cut through the scales and skin of a dragon.


    Weight: 10


    [Kruger¡¯s Measuring Tape]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 26/50


    * Increases the speed of cloth and leather tailoring by 15%.


    A measuring tape used by the legendary tailor Kruger during his life. It has a total length of 50 meters and boasts perfect uracy.


    Weight: 5


    [Kruger¡¯s Needle]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: None Defense: 30


    * Increases the speed of cloth and leather tailoring by 20%.


    * Can pierce all types of cloth and leather.


    A very thin needle used by the legendary tailor Kruger during his life. A needle made from the mr of an identally discovered silver dragon¡¯s remains, it can easily pierce all types of cloth and leather.


    Weight: 0


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t have much expectations for the tailoring tools. At best, he expected it to be items that raised the probability of the item rating. However, Grid¡¯s expectations werepletely wrong. Kruger¡¯s tailoring tools didn¡¯t have an option to raise the item rankings. Instead, it sped up the speed of tailoring and allowed him to work with all types of cloth and leather. It was a necessary item for Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate that there is no item rating increase option.¡¯


    It increased tailoring speed by a total of 45%. It meant that Grid could make two underwear in the time it took to make one. Furthermore!


    ¡®A knife and scissors that can cut all types of cloth and leather and a needle that can pierce...¡¯


    The reason why Grid couldn¡¯t cut several types of fabrics at the same time was because the strength was different for each fabric. It was impossible for Grid to cut cloth of different strengths simultaneously with ordinary scissors and needles. But now things had changed. With this, scissors and knife, Grid could cut many types of cloth and leather at the same time like Kruger.


    ¡®If I raise my tailoring skill, I will be able to make not only underwear, but usable cloth armor.¡¯


    He was happy. He felt joy and sadness in equal proportions. An increase in tailoring speed meant his workload increased. Of course, there was no need to increase the workload. But it was impossible for Grid¡¯s nature to not do so. The fear of being left behind didn¡¯t allow him to ck off.


    ¡°Hah... Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    Then Grid appraised the cloth. It was a cloth made of silk.


    [Mysterious Cloth]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: None


    A four dimensional cloth that neutralizes damage of the ¡®explosion¡¯ type.


    Once the cloth is opened at the explosion point, all the explosive energy is absorbed into the cloth.


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    Weight: 1


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was difficult for Grid to understand the item description. Absorb explosion type damage?


    ¡®What... Ah, perhaps?¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He had a hypothesis and ordered the God Hands to keep the cloth open. Then he swung the Enlightenment de at the cloth. The result was amazing.


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    An explosion that caused ssh damage over a radius of 10 meters. The mes that burst out!


    Syuuuuuuu!


    It was sucked into the cloth that the God Hands spread out. It didn¡¯t do a single bit of damage to the area!


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    Grid gulped. He was covered in sweat. Kruger was already equipped against fire and darkness.


    ¡®...He was going to absorb the ck mes with this cloth?¡¯


    What if Grid hadn¡¯t neutralized Kruger with the electric shock and infinite stiffness...


    ¡®Most of my damage would be blocked...¡¯


    In particr, the cooldown time of 10 minutes was likely to shorter when Kruger used it directly. NPCs and boss monsters often got a correction effect.


    ¡®We would¡¯ve fought for a few minutes before Kruger opened the barrier again to create a new item.¡¯


    If it reached that stage, Grid¡¯s chances would fall exponentially. Grid shivered at the thought. He gathered the cloth together as Sticks entered the 63rd ind and approached him.


    ¡°Now there are three inds left.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Legendary miner Gis, legendary archer Povia, and Undefeated King Madra. ording to Sticks¡¯ guess, there were three bosses remaining. Grid predicted that they would be rtively easy to ovee except for Madra. An archer with a weak body was nothing after breaking through the arrows, and a tanker¡¯s weakness was that theycked attack power.


    ''Of course, I won¡¯t be careless.¡¯


    Grid breathed in deeply and stepped on the bridge to the 64th ind.


    "Go straight away."


    Grid achieved his goal of winning without losing his immortality. There was no need to dy the time, so Grid immediately entered the 64th ind. Then he met miner Gis.


    ck!


    ck ck ck!


    The 64th ind was a cave. It was a huge square where minerals grew everywhere. There was a death knight in the center of the cave, lit up by blue ores on the ceiling. Gis was a veryrge skeleton. It wasparable to Agnus¡¯ orc warrior that was turned into a death knight. Due to that, the pickaxe in his hand looked small.


    "A tanker must be really durable.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Attacks with overwhelming damage! Grid didn¡¯t dy. Immediately after using Quick Movements and cksmith''s Rage, he rushed to Gis. At that moment.


    Ttang!


    Death Knight Gis started mining. Despite the enemy rushing towards him, Gis started swinging his pickaxe!


    "Eh?¡±


    Grid thought it was ridiculous. It was difficult to understand why Gis was ignoring the enemy.


    ¡®Is his artificial intelligence broken?¡¯


    Maybe he could break through the 64th ind quicker and easier than he expected. Grid smiled at the thought.


    Chaaeng!


    The Enlightenment Sword struck Gis¡¯ skull.


    [Gis is mining. Gis is invincible when mining. You can¡¯t cause any damage.]


    ¡°....????¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Gis didn¡¯t even look at Grid as he quietly focused on mining. Slowly, very slowly. For reference, the cave was over 200 square meters in size and all walls had minerals growing on them. Even Peak Sword, who specialized in mining, would take at least a fortnight to gain all the minerals from this cave. Grid thought of the worst scenario.


    ¡®The 64th ind consumes time...?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t break through until Gis finished mining. Didn¡¯t that mean his feet would be tied up by this trial for days?


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help cursing and turned his attention to the gate he had used just now. Of course, the gate was gone. Just like the other inds, he couldn¡¯t escape from the 64th ind until he failed the challenge or cleared it.


    Ttang!


    Gis was still mining slowly like a turtle.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid was frustrated when he remembered that he only had enough food for four days. It was the first time he had been so frustrated since bing Pagma''s Descendant.

 Chapter 685

    He attacked again and the result was the same.


    [Gis is mining. Gis is invincible when mining. You can¡¯t cause any damage.]


    "Ah, it¡¯s seriously nasty.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t talking about the 64th ind. Grid felt disgusted with the Behen Archipgo itself. Every one of the 66 inds making up the Behen Archipgo required a special strategy, making him very tired and irritated.


    "Well, some ces were easy...¡±


    The other yers who challenged the Behen Archipgo would¡¯ve been appalled if they heard this murmur. From the perspective of ordinary yers, almost nothing about the Behen Archipgo was easy. This was the difference between Grid and other yers.


    Since Grid could create and produce items in real time, he cleared the Behen Archipgo more easily than others. For example, the hell moon stage was easily cleared with his Hooded Zip Up. However, even Grid felt that the average difficulty of the Behen Archipgo was very high. It showed the hell difficulty of the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    The legendary miner Gis was invincible when mining. Given his slow speed, it would take him more than a month to mine all the minerals. It meant challengers of the 64th ind would be stuck here for more than a month. And Grid only had four days worth of food left.


    ¡°XX.¡±


    It had been a long time since Grid cursed like this. He was really upset.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I an all-rounder?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid was an all-rounder ss capable of utilizing all types of weapons thanks to being Pagma¡¯s Descendant and the Weapons Mastery. He was a cksmith and a tailor and knew how to use magic. But he couldn¡¯t cook. Gridcked the ability to cook food on his own. Therefore, he would starve to death. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    "I¡¯m not a real all-rounder...¡±


    He would starve because he was missing one ability!


    Flop!


    Grid had fallen to his knees in frustrated when he suddenly got a sh.


    ¡®Should I try it once?¡±


    Taang - taang-


    Grid slowly approached Gis, who was still mining while ignoring Grid¡¯s curses and frustration. An ugly smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he looked at Gis¡¯ back.


    ¡¯It is theoretically possible.¡¯


    What was possible?


    Wiggle wiggle!


    Grid¡¯s ten fingers moved without a break. That¡¯s right. Grid was using his dexterity.


    ¡®Right now, my dexterity exceeds 4,000.¡¯


    Women and even men felt an electric current when Grid poked them with a finger There were those who couldn¡¯t cope with the pleasure that came flooding in like a tsunami. Some of this tremendous dexterity was even applied in reality. Grid had deliberately sealed this power apart from when he slept with Irene, but now he unleashed it.


    "I¡¯ll make you stop... Your legs will be so rxed that you can¡¯t mine!¡±


    Grid red at Gis. Then he worked hard on tickling the bones. The result was amazing.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    No response!! Gis was assaulted by Grid¡¯s fingers but he devoted himself to mining without a change in attitude. Grid¡¯s over 4,0000 dexterity didn¡¯t have an effect!


    ¡°...As expected.¡±


    The opponent was too bad. The undead didn¡¯t feel a sense of pleasure or itching.


    ¡®Then the only way left...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t give up. He was experienced with oveing frustration after facing hardships for a long time. His eyes were motivated and passionate as he thought of ways to ovee the current situation.


    ***


    "This is the time to use your head.¡±


    On the 63rd ind that Grid cleansed. Sticks felt anxious as he observed Grid through the crystal ball.


    "Invincible during mining...¡±


    The legendary miner, Gis. The number of great demons tied up by him and failed was more than one. Gis¡¯ ability was great. But Grid shouldn¡¯t be so frustrated. Grid¡¯s mission was to cleanse all of the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®Grid, the concept of invincibility doesn¡¯t exist. Please keep yourposure and find Gis¡¯ weakness.¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. Pagma was a smart person. He would¡¯ve tried to hide the weakness of Death Knight Gis. Sticks wasn¡¯t able to find Gis¡¯ weakness until just now.


    ¡¯Basically, the key is to make him stop mining.¡¯


    No matter what Grid did, Gis kept devoting himself to mining. It seemed virtually impossible to make him stop mining.


    ¡®It is tricky...¡¯


    The possibility of breaking through the 64th ind was very low. Sticks judged and bit his lips.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid pulled out the portable furnace and started to make something.


    "What are you making?¡±


    Sticks couldn¡¯t understand it at all. It was because Grid couldn¡¯t stop Gis¡¯ mining no matter what he made.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Sage Sticks lost his dignity. He forgot about appearances and expressed his absurd thoughts. It was because the new item Grid made was a pickaxe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    He truly was a sage. Sticks corrected grasped Grid¡¯s intentions.


    "S-Such an ignorant method....¡±


    Why did Grid make a pickaxe? Just like he responded to the legendary tailor Kruger with making an item, it was clear he intended to respond to legendary miner Gis with mining.


    ¡¯He will mine all the minerals so that Gis can no longer remain invincible...?¡¯


    Ah, how foolish. What an ignorant idea!


    ¡°Mining isn¡¯t something that anyone can do...¡±


    The speed of mining would fall dramatically for anyone who didn¡¯t have the mining skill. Even if Grid used all his power, he would be as fast as Gis, who was deliberately going slow.


    "No?¡±


    Sticks stiffened. Grid had started to make several more pickaxes. After a while. Grid summoned the memphis and the doppelganger and threw them the pickaxes. Of course, the four God Hands were also armed with pickaxes. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Grid summoned two additional skeletons. The skulls were bigger than the skeletons and the eyes were wild, giving them a cute feel.


    ck!


    ck ck!


    The two skeletons moved their jawbones like they were trying to appeal to Grid. They also held pickaxes in their bony hands.


    "...The power of quantity...¡±


    Was Grid going to make a another legend? Sticks belonged to the Overgeared Kingdom, so he knew its dictionary meaning.


    ***


    Gis was invincible when mining. What should Grid do to avoid starving to death in four days? After his dexterity failed, Grid worried about it for a long time beforeing up with a groundbreaking method.


    "Yes, let¡¯s get rid of all the minerals in the cave... Gis will no longer have minerals to mine.¡±


    Truly an ignorant idea! Grid had already determined that Peak Sword would take a fortnight to obtain all the minerals in the cave with his Intermediate Mining Technique. Yet he had to do it in four days! Was this possible? It was impossible. Grid had been mining asionally, but he still hadn¡¯t learned the mining skill. It was difficult to acquire skills that were far away from his ss. He didn¡¯t know who long it took the swordsman Peak Sword to obtain the mining skill.


    Anyway.


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    Grid was very confident in this n that had a close to 0% chance of working. He naturally had grounds for this confidence.


    ¡°I have the Fantastic Pickaxe¡¯s production method!¡±


    The Fantastic Pickaxe. It was the legendary rated pickaxe that Grid made for Peak Sword. It increased the probability of obtaining high grade minerals and gave the Intermediate Mining Technique Lv. 3 skill. Even if five year old would be a master of mining if he had that pickaxe!


    "I will mass produce it.¡±


    Time was short. Grid didn¡¯t dy any longer. He immediately pulled out the portable furnace and started smelting the white phosphorus wood. The first mineral a cksmith learnt to handle was iron ore and Grid quickly refined the iron ore that was the base of the pickaxe. Then.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid immediately started making the pickaxe on the anvil. He made a total of eight pickaxes. The time it took to make them? It was just two hours. This was possible because Grid learned to speed up during his production battle with Kruger. In the first ce, a pickaxe was easy for a cksmith to make. The result?


    [Mass Produced Fantastic Pickaxe]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 125/125 Attack Power: 37


    * The chances of acquiring advanced minerals will increase by 3%.


    * The skill ¡®Beginner Mining Technique¡¯ master level will be generated.


    A pickaxe based on the Fantastic Pickaxe made by cksmith Grid who is bing a myth over a legend.


    It isn¡¯t to the extent of the Fantastic Pickaxe, but it boasts an excellent performance.


    User Restriction: Level 100 or higher.


    Weight: 75


    [Mass Produced Fantastic Pickaxe]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 150/150 Attack Power: 77


    * The chances of acquiring advanced minerals will increase by 3%.


    * The chances of acquiring the highest grade minerals will increase by 1%.


    * The skill ¡®Intermediate Mining Technique¡¯ Lv. 1 will be generated.


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Grid seeded in producing two rare rated pickaxes, four epic rated and two unique rated. The performance was excellent. Of course, it wasckingpared to the legendary rated Fantastic Pickaxe. However, it was a masterpiecepared to ordinary pickaxes.


    ¡°Noe! Randy! God Hands! Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    Grid summoned so many familiars that it was like he had a summoner ss. A ck cat, a little girl, four golden hands, and two skeletons appeared around him. The God Hands had always been with Grid, but Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons were meeting Grid after a long time. Grid threw pickaxes towards his pets who were very happy.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Noe felt deja vu. He was reminded of the mining that took ce in the mine where the evil eyes stayed. Wasn¡¯t he the best demonic beast of hell? Noe was very sad. But there was nothing he could do. Noe liked Grid, no matter how sad he felt. He had to follow Grid¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Led by the tearful Noe, the pets started mining. In particr, Randy¡¯s ability after transforming into Grid was dazzling. Grid looked satisfied and shouted at Gis.


    "Let¡¯s see how long you can stay invincible!¡±


    Grid would take all the minerals in here in four days! Grid was filled with ambition and started mining with a passionate attitude.


    Peeok!Peeok!


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Dirt was thrown every time a pickaxe dug into the wall, quickly turning Grid, Noe, and Randy¡¯s faces ck.


    The legendary cksmith, great magician, swordsman, and king of a nation, Grid. The greatest demonic beast of hell, Memphis Noe. The strongest doppelganger who dominated the Mysterious Forest, Randy. Existences that boasted such wonderful specs were covered in dirt in a mine. It was so unbelievable that people wouldn¡¯t believe it even if they saw it themselves. People just imagined that Grid was living a brilliant life. But what was the reality?


    "Cough cough! U-Urgh...! Hey! ve! Be careful not to blow the dust.¡±


    ¡°Nyaang... Understood, ong.¡± By the way, was I mistaken when I just heard you call me ve ong?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course. How can I call you a ve? Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s normal life was far from the glitz and m. It was mostly miserable and pathetic. Noe and Randy met the wrong master.

 Chapter 686

    ¡®Does this make sense?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s chosen strategy for the 64th ind was mining!


    ¡®This is a scam!¡¯


    First, he felt hope.


    The Overgeared Skeletons were armed with the rare rated pickaxes that gave Beginner Mining Technique Lv. 5, the God Hands had the epic rated pickaxes that gave Beginner Mining Technique master level, and Noe and Randy were armed with the unique rated pickaxes that gave Intermediate Mining Technique Lv. 1.


    If he concentrated on mining with them, Grid thought he could get all the minerals on the 64th ind before his food ran out. In addition, even if he failed to finish on time, he could rechallenge it. He would pack enough food for a few months and finish the mining before he starved.


    That¡¯s right. Grid interpreted the 64th ind as easily cleared if he had enough food. But reality was unlike Grid¡¯s idea. This was the Behen Archipgo and the inds in the 60s boasted an atrocious difficulty. The minerals on the 64th ind...


    They regenerated in real time. As soon as Grid¡¯s group dug out a mineral, new minerals immediately grew on the spot. In other words, mining all of the 64th ind¡¯s minerals was impossible.


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    Before he knew it, three hours had passed. Grid, who had focused on mining without giving up, eventually threw the pickaxe. Noe and Randy had long lost their motivation. They couldn¡¯t be motivated since they worked so hard to obtain the mineral, only for new ones to grow again.


    "I can only destroy the cave itself.¡±


    It would be nice if he didn¡¯t have to suffer all this trouble. But just like any other game, Satisfy had terrain that could be destroyed as well as those that were indestructible. And the 64th ind was indestructible.


    Peeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    He struck again and again with the Enlightenment Sword and ck mes exploded. However, the cave didn¡¯t move at all. The minerals caught in the explosion stayed in the same ce. The cave couldn¡¯t be destroyed and minerals just grew again. There was no solution to this problem.


    ¡®How can I clear this ce?¡¯


    It was difficult to think about how to disable Gis¡¯ invincibility. Common sense suggested that the 64th ind wasn¡¯t built to be cleared. It felt like the maker had intended this to harass the yer.


    ¡°Dammit... Why can¡¯t anything be solved easily?¡±


    Peok!


    The anxious Grid threw the iron ore he had just mined. At that moment.


    Flinch.


    Death Knight Gis, who hadn¡¯t stopped mining since Grid entered the 64th ind, was stiff like a stone statue.


    ¡°...Nyang?¡±


    Noe stuck his tongue out like a puppy and his big eyes blinked. He had witnessed Gis stop moving. However, Grid wasn¡¯t looking at Gis. He didn¡¯t want to look at the hateful bastard.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Death Knight Gis started mining again.


    "Master! Throw it again!¡±


    Noe hurriedly eximed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand Noe¡¯s words. He had unconsciously thrown the iron ore out of pure anger and hadn¡¯t been aware of what he just did.


    "I¡¯m telling you to throw the iron ore nyong!¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    Why?


    Questions were raised in Grid¡¯s mind. However, rather than asking a question, Grid moved first ording to Noe¡¯s demand. It showed how much Grid trusted Noe.


    Peok!


    Grid threw the iron ore!


    Flinch.


    Gis stopped mining.


    ¡°.....!¡±


    Grid witnessed his appearance. Noe folded his arm andughed at Grid¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Nyahahat! How is this body¡¯s insight? I am the best demonic beast of hell ong! Nyahahat!¡±


    ¡°Good...! Well done! The best!¡±


    Grid learnt the strategy to attack the 64th ind! He once again threw an iron ore to stop Gis¡¯ mining and then used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The deep cave. Every time Grid wielded the sword, there was the sound of Death Knight Gis screaming.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡±


    Gis lost his invincibility and his health!


    Sticks shivered as he gazed at the sight in the crystal ball with admiration.


    ¡®Figuring out the strategy for the 64th ind in only a few hours...!¡¯


    The basic condition for attacking the 64th ind was ¡®mining technique.¡¯ Grid met this condition with his ability to make items. Then by getting rid of the minerals, he shook Gis, who had an inherent ¡®love of minerals.¡¯ This resulted in the invincibility being lost. Gis was no longer invincible.


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    Gis was a tanker. He was a legend who boasted the highest defense. Gis might¡¯ve lost his invincibility, but he wouldn¡¯t be so easily damaged by Grid...


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    "...It seems easy.¡±


    ***


    [You have dealt 42,350 damage to the target!]


    Grid released Gis¡¯ invincibility with Noe¡¯s help! He immediately used Link but Gis¡¯ defense was amazing. He felt three times more solid than other death knights and wasn¡¯t damaged properly. However, Grid had the skills to prate defense. It was Pinnacle and Pinnacle Kill. In particr, Pinnacle Killpletely ignored the defense of the target.


    Chukakakakak!


    The stab caused Gis to lose a tremendous amount of health! Gis was threatened and immediately counterattacked.


    [You have suffered 2,700 damage.]


    A tanker¡¯s attack power couldn¡¯t cause serious damage to Grid. Gis¡¯ pickaxe failed to prate Grid¡¯s Triple Layers. After losing his invincibility, Gis was just good prey for Grid.


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of Pinnacle KIll. If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Gis, the guardian of the 64th ind who caused a lot of frustration for Grid. He was unable to endure Grid¡¯s onught and eventually died.


    [You have defeated Death Knight Gis, guardian of the 64th ind!]


    [The 64th ind has been cleansed!]


    [As a reward for cleansing the ind, you have gained one level!]


    [Gis¡¯ Pickaxe has been acquired!]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid felt that the difficulty of the 64th ind was very high. Gis himself was weak, but the ind was the most difficult to purify since it was almost impossible to find the strategy. If it hadn¡¯t been for a coincidence, this was a ce that would¡¯ve been impossible for Grid to clear.


    Therefore, he was feeling expectant. The reward would be enormous in proportion to the difficult!


    ¡°But...¡±


    The pickaxe was the onlypensation?


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid sighed and used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill without any anticipation.


    Ttiring~


    [Gis¡¯ Pickaxe]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 300/366 Attack Power: 190


    * The chances of acquiring advanced minerals will increase by 20%.


    * The chances of acquiring the highest grade minerals will increase by 8%.


    * Increases the user¡¯s mining skill by 3.


    * 150% increase in mining speed.


    * 40% increase in defense while mining.


    * There is a low probability of entering the ¡®invincible¡¯ state when mining.


    A pickaxe that the legendary miner Gis loved in life.


    Gis cared about this pickaxe so much that he asked to be buried with it.


    Conditions of Use: Anyone who has the mining skill.


    Weight: 111


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    During the process of digging out Gis¡¯ body from his grave, Pagma took his beloved pickaxe as well?


    ¡®Based on Braham¡¯s words, the more I know about Pagma...¡¯


    Well, Pagma¡¯s nature wasn¡¯t important at this moment. Grid just admired Gis¡¯ pickaxe. There was an increase in minerals acquisition rate, it increased the mining skill of the user and greatly increased mining speed. In particr, the increased defense during mining and the invincible buff was great.


    ¡®Can¡¯t it be used to draw aggro?¡¯


    Grid was suddenly reminded of Peak Sword.


    ¡®Whenever encountering an enemy, make Peak Sword go and mine minerals...¡¯


    It would be convenient to use him as a tanker. Peak Sword¡¯s ss was one known for its damage, but Grid had long forgotten this fact. It was because Peak Sword¡¯s activities as a miner since the Hell Gao raid were really great.


    ***


    [You have entered the 65th ind.]


    Now there were only two inds left. The 65th and 66th inds. Grid would seed in cleansing the Behen Archipgo as long as he cleared two more inds. He would be the hero who saved the Behen Archipgo, which lost its function for many years.


    ¡®One of the original functions of the Behen Archipgo is the Hall of Fame.¡¯


    It was likely that Grid¡¯s name would be stamped on top of the Hall of Fame. It would have a huge symbolic significance.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Grid¡¯s motivation was overflowing. His reputation was catching up with Kraugel little by little.


    Suuk.


    Grid started moving. The background of the 65th ind was a forest. It was a huge forest with the sound of birds and insects. Grid predicted that the guardian of this dark forest without any sunshine would be the legendary archer Povia. It was because there were many good ces to use as sniper points. It was like he expected.


    Syuk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    The problem was that the sound of the birds was too loud. Grid picked up on the flying arrows toote and couldn¡¯t cope, the arrows precisely piercing Grid¡¯s chest.


    [You have suffered 6,993 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...! Is this a godly archer?¡¯


    It was massive damage despite wearing Triple Layers that raised physical resistance. Grid recalled the fact that archers had the highest attack power among physical damage dealers and brought out the Holy Light Shield. It was intended to block the flying arrows and to receive less damage.


    ¡¯I have to figure out the location first.¡¯


    The key was to identity Povia¡¯s hiding ce based on the direction of the arrows and then narrow the distance. An archer was weak so he was confident that he could ovee Povia if he narrowed the distance. But Povia was a legendary archer. As long as he had a favorable distance, he wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of exposing himself.


    Swaeek!


    Puuoooook!


    Povia¡¯s arrows fell from the sky like rain, making it difficult for Grid to locate Povia.


    ¡°Che... Rain Arrows.¡±


    The skill Rain Arrow fired arge amount of arrows into the sky which would fall towards the target like rain. The strength of this skill was its wide range of attack and that it was difficult to predict. But it also had the advantage of hiding the archer¡¯s position. Grid found it hard to find where Povia was shooting from. The surrounding trees were so high that his line of sight was greatly disturbed.


    ¡°Noe! Randy!¡±


    Grid summoned his pets and sent them all over the forest.


    "Report to me immediately if you find out where the arrows are being fired from!¡±


    The moment Grid gave the order to Noe and Randy.


    Jiing-


    Red apple emoticons appeared over Noe and Randy¡¯s hearts.


    Puk.


    Puk puk!


    Arrows flew and pierced the apple. Noe and Randy¡¯s hearts were pierced.


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid was upset when he saw Noe and Randy hit the ground. Apple emoticons appeared simultaneously on his face, stomach, heart, lungs, elbow, wrist, etc. It was the precursor of the ¡®targeting¡¯ skill.

 Chapter 687

    ¡®Apple??¡¯


    Looking at the previous Noe and Randy, the apple effect seemed to mean that he was ¡®locked on¡¯ by Povia. It was the moment when Grid¡¯s n to defeat Povia with Freely Move was ruined.


    ¡°An archer has the ability to target from such a long distance...? Che! Itpletely destroys the bnce! Magic Detection!¡±


    Pahat!


    Grid desperately felt the need to find Povia¡¯s position quickly and used Magic Detection (Enhanced) He had used Magic Detection steadily every day and it was now level three. Then Braham¡¯s voice was heard.


    -An archer¡¯s sniping point isn¡¯tparable to an assassin.In particr, a legendary archer...


    Grid also knew this because he had watched Jishuka from the side. It was as he expected. Magic Detection failed to find Povia!


    "Ah, your magic is useless whenever I actually need it.¡±


    -It¡¯s because you are ipetent.


    Braham was convinced that if Magic Detection had two more levels then Death Knight Povia would be quickly found.


    -That is why I always tell you to train your magic.Don¡¯t create unnecessary underwear.


    It had been a while since Grid devoted himself to the tailoring technique rather than magic training. As Braham was sighing at him, arrows poured down from the sky. There were 11 arrows in total. Grid¡¯s response was surprisingly calm.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    First of all, he tried to block all the arrows falling to the right side using the God Hands and then evade the rest. It was a pretty good move. If Povia used non-targeted attacks, Grid would be able to escape from arge number of arrows with this behaviour. However, Povia¡¯s attacks were targeted and avoiding targeted attacks weren¡¯t possible with the Satisfy system.


    Jjang!


    Puk!Puuok!


    A few arrows were reflected off the shield and the rest hit Grid.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    A total of six arrows hit him and he lost more than 40,000 health.


    ¡®Based on the damage, it ignored defense?¡¯


    Tong!


    Teteteteng!


    As five more arrows flew, Grid blocked it with the God Hands and shield and examined the arrows. It was a jaffa arrow.


    "Tsk, no wonder why it hurts...¡±


    Grid drank a health potion. The best potion made by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility filled up his health gauge instantly.


    -Aren¡¯t you surprisingly calm?


    A huge forest with no sunlight. The lush greenery interfered with vision while the noisy chirping of birds interfered with hearing. Grid was currently in a pretty bad shape. He was confused by the one-sided attack of an invisible enemy and it wasn¡¯t strange to fall into a crisis. Yet Grid was reacting really calmly.


    -Do you have a good idea?


    Braham¡¯s tone was trying not to sound curious. Grid was confident.


    "Even if Povia is a legendary archer, it is impossible to always shoot arrows. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Think about it realistically. An archer who could shoot a massive number of arrows over arge distance, and they were targeted attacks as well? It was obviously overpowered. It was a power that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡®There will definitely be a cooldown on Povia¡¯s ¡®lock on¡¯ skill.¡¯


    It might be different when still alive, but it was likely that the death knight had a long cooldown.


    ¡®There was one each for Noe and Randy, then five out of 11 arrows for me. The next attack will be non-targeted.¡¯


    Non-targeted attacks were often more powerful than targeted attacks. The more powerful the attack, the harder it was to use.


    ¡®I can maximize the power of Revolve here. Then...¡¯


    Grid recalled the characteristics of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve. It had the characteristic of ¡®hitting back any form of attack.¡¯ In other words, it returned the attack to the target. Grid guessed that he could take advantage of this part.


    ¡®If I go after the attack that is reflected by Revolve... I will find Povia.¡¯


    The ability to return an attack could also be used as a means of locating the enemy¡¯s position. Now Grid was showing real-time thinking. This was a sense that had been raised naturally. Grid felt proud, but wasn¡¯t arrogant.


    ¡®Kraugel would¡¯ve thought of this use for Revolve the moment he got it.¡¯


    Every time he grew one step, he felt Kraugel¡¯s greatness more strongly. It was ironic. The closer he got, the further away he felt he was.


    ¡®...Discovering your greatness means I am bing great as well?¡¯


    Clink!


    Kraugel was also enjoying a risky adventure somewhere. Grid smiled as he imagined the sight and swung the Enlightenment Sword.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    This time, an arrow with a fearsome momentum fell from the sky like a meteorite. It was only one but the impact was enormous. If he allowed this attack... It was likely to be an attack containing fatal power. But Grid wasn¡¯t nervous. He alreadypleted the strongest counterattack and only needed the right timing.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The forest tilted. The meteor arrow was swept away by Grid¡¯s sword and caused Grid¡¯s skin to be distorted. Grid waited for a moment.


    ¡°Fly!¡±


    He borrowed the power of Braham¡¯s Boots and flew behind the meteor arrow that was returning to where it had been fired.


    ¡®rm. Attach to Magic Missile. Three secondster, deploy in front.¡¯


    Yiing-


    Spheres of light started appearing around Grid¡¯s side as he flew through the trees.


    ¡°There!¡±


    Once Grid descended to the ground, he saw Death Knight Povia hiding between cliffs.


    Peeeeeong!


    First, the meteor arrow hit Povia, followed by the Magic Missiles fired at the same time. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Povia moved sideways to precisely avoid the meteor arrow and Magic Missiles, but Grid fired Link in the direction she was moving.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Dozens of energy des emerged. There was also the summoning of a red lightning bolt and the explosion of ck mes.


    Kurururung!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    It felt like he was in the midst of a natural disaster. Povia struggled amidst the cliffs that crumbled due to the constant explosions. She fired arrows based on the high agility of a legendary archer.


    ¡°Quick Movements! cksmith¡¯s Rage! Freely Move!¡±


    Grid¡¯s concentration reached its peak in order to reach the end of the Behen Archipgo. No, his concentration wasn¡¯t at the peak. That power only exploded when he was pressed, like in the fight against Kruger and Gis.


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Grid broke through the rain of arrows, reached Povia and unleashed a series of basic attacks. The Enlightenment Lightning Sword roared in response.


    [You have dealt 18,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 20,730 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 22,500...]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires...]


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Overwhelming...! He unleashed a series of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and then God¡¯s Command activated as well. It would break even the iron wall of the Undefeated King.


    -Is this enough?


    Braham asked from where he dwelled in Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°Amazing...!¡±


    Sticks watched Grid¡¯s battle in the crystal ball and repeatedly expressed his admiration.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    Povia¡¯s resistance was strong. She struggled against Grid¡¯s onught and fought repeatedly. It was very threatening to shoot at a close range and the high attack power caused Grid to fall into a crisis many times.


    "Iyarugt!¡±


    Paaaat!


    Grid seeded in passing the first crisis using Doran¡¯s Ring and overcame the second crisis with a health potion and Tiramet¡¯s Belt effect. Immediately before the First King effect kicked in, he grabbed a blood sword and summoned it. An old demonkin appeared beside Povia.


    ¡°Sublime Sword.¡±


    Chukakakakak!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaack!¡±


    Strong. Braham and Sticks watched Grid with appreciation. Braham could no longer treat Grid as a young person easily handled.


    -As expected!This force will be able to threaten a great demon!


    "After bing a hero, reach the seven malicious...!¡±


    [You have defeated Death Knight Povia, guardian of the 65th ind!]


    [The 65th ind has been cleansed!]


    [As a reward for cleansing the ind, you have gained one level!]


    [The Elf Bow Thimble (Made by Pagma) has been acquired.]


    [World Tree¡¯s Ne has been acquired.]


    Swaaaaah!


    A light shone in the dark forest. The light shone on Gird¡¯s sweaty and bloody face.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Now there is only one left.¡±


    The Behen Archipgo, which had been challenged by the Overgeared members, Kraugel, Agnus, Damian, and Zibal. It was about to be captured by the Overgeared King Grid.


    ***


    [Elf¡¯s Bow Thimble (Made by Pagma)]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 100/111


    * Bow attack speed +20% when worn (elves receive double the effect).


    * Allows normal attacks or skill attacks to switch to ¡®target mode¡¯ (Three minute cooldown. The cooldown is halved when used by an elf).


    A thimble made for Death Knight Povia by Pagma, a legendary cksmith and Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    It was designed to fit the body structure of Povia, born between a human and a elf.


    Weight: 15


    [World Tree¡¯s Ne]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 20/22


    * 20% increase in strength and agility in elven territory.


    * 150% increase in mana regeneration in elven territory.


    * 1.2 times increase in movement speed in elven territory.


    Before she became a legend, Povia was a loner who wasn¡¯t recognized by humans or elves. This ne was given to her by the world tree, her only friend.


    Weight: 50


    ¡®I can¡¯t say anything.¡¯


    All the items that Grid gained in the course of attacking the inds in the 60¡¯s were amazing. The value of all the items was enormous. The Behen Archipgo was a treasure house in itself. Grid was d to be the first one here before anyone else.


    A huge smile. Then the excited Grid heard Stick¡¯s voice.


    "It is possible that the Undefeated King Madra still has his intelligence. You should be cautious.¡±


    "Still has his intelligence?¡±


    The cleansed 65th ind. Prior to entering the 66th ind, Grid received a warning from Sticks.


    "Death knights can have intelligence?¡±


    "Yes, a body with a strong mind will have some memories of its life, whether it is a death knight or a lich. And these memories are the driving force.¡±


    ¡°A strong mind... What would the Undefeated King hold to his heart even after dying? It sounds like he died happily.


    -He died unhappily.He was murdered by his own son.


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    -Kukuk, I was betrayed by a friend, but it¡¯s nothingpared to Madra.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid thought the story was more suitable for a morning drama than a Korean game.

 Chapter 688

    ¡°He was murdered by his own son...¡±


    It was ridiculous. Such tragedy couldn¡¯t exist in the world. Coincidentally, this was the reality they lived in that they wanted so badly to deny. Incidents where blood kin harmed each other weremon in history and modern society.


    ¡¯Even an ancient man of power...¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t forget this fact. Grid had been trying hard for a long time. The reason he was able to maintain his average grades in school was because he studied a lot more than other people. In particr, he was strong in subjects that required students to memorize rather than understand, such as history. He pledged after hearing about Madra, who was killed by his own son.


    "At least in the Overgeared Kingdom, I will make it so that such sad things don¡¯t happen...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know the specific details. But Grid wasn¡¯t uneasy about it. As a husband and a father, he believed there would be no discord if he cared for and respected his family.


    ¡®Just like my parents and Sehee cared for me...¡¯


    Grid smiled fondly at the thought. Then Sticks said to him.


    "The reason why Prince Rajandra hurt Madra wasn¡¯t because of bad feelings. In Prince Rajandra¡¯s memoirs, we can see how much he loved and admired Madra."


    ¡°...?¡±


    Love and admiration? No bad feelings? Then why did he murder his father? Grid found it absurd. He couldn¡¯t understand why Rajandra murdered Madra. Sticks¡¯ exnation was as followed.


    "Madra believed he could defend Lubana for eternity. However, Prince Rajandra knew that Madra was human and would someday die from old age.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    "Prince Rajandra was worried about after Madra¡¯s death. At the time, just Madra¡¯s existence alone caused the empire to continuously invade and Lubana was swept up in it. The more war there was, the higher Madra¡¯s reputation became. However, the people of Lubana were torn to shreds.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Prince Rajandra asked this of Madra several times. For the people of Lubana, for the future of Lubana, let¡¯s make peace with the empire. But this request was ignored every time. Madra condemned Rajandra as a coward and was disgusted by him. Time passed and Madra became a white-haired old man.¡±


    "When Madra was in hisst years, Rajandra¡¯s nervousness reached its peak...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Apart from Prince Rajandra, all the nobles, knights, soldiers, and people were nervous and afraid. They thought that Lubana would be destroyed once Madra died and begged Prince Rajandra to take action. Madra¡¯s head was given to the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the process, the Lubana Kingdom became the empire¡¯s possession. Prince Rajandra kept the lives of the royal family and the Lubana people in return for giving his father Madra¡¯s head to the empire. He might¡¯ve lost his kingdom, but he was alive. After that, Madra¡¯s head was said to have hung at the gate of Titan, capital of the empire, for one year.


    ¡°...How pathetic.¡±


    Grid felt ufortable at the thought of people spitting on Madra¡¯s head whenever they entered the gate. It was a poor ending for the person who protected his kingdom all his life and was praised as the Undefeated King. But at the same time, he could understand the position of Prince Rajandra and the people of Lubana. Of course, he couldn¡¯t advocate for what they did. But Madra couldn¡¯t think from the position of the weak and was overconfident in his own strength.


    ¡®If Madra didn¡¯t have such a personality, this wouldn¡¯t have happened... Hrmm.¡¯


    It was nothing but history. It already happened and the result was now. People lived in the present. They could learn from history.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get too immersed in my strength. Make Madra as the example.¡¯


    Grid got up from his seat. His gaze was fixed on the gate to the 66th ind.


    "...I will go and give the poor spirit his first defeat.¡±


    yers had heard that Sword Saint Muller was the strongest person in thest decades. Of course, Grid was the same. In addition, ording to Sticks, the Behen Archipgo was the session site connecting past legends and present legends. In other words, legends existed before the legends of the previous generation that yers knew.


    Legends ssified as sword saints, magicians, archers, assassins, cksmiths, tailors, and miners were likely to have passed down their legacy for quite some time. But what about the Demon yer and Undefeated King? Alex had a grudge against great demons and cried out for the destruction of hell, while Madra was a legend because he had never been defeated. They were people who pioneered a new path, like the current Piaro.


    Grid couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of them being more distinguished than other legends. Demon yer Alex had ¡®hell restriction¡¯ as a powerful force and might¡¯ve seemed a bit weaker on the Behen Archipgo. But it was absolutely impossible for Madra to be the same.


    ¡®Thest boss is always the strongest.¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he moved to the 66th ind. Grid was looking forward to being the first one to defeat someone who had never been defeated.


    ***


    Eat Spicy Jokbal South Jeo Province, Haenam Branch.


    "Wee!"


    The Dungeon Maker, who was once head of Blood Carnival, was diligently doing business today. He loved jokbal and made sure to go to the store for at least one hour every day. The fun of picking up a hot and crisp jokbal and eating it one by one gave him happiness.


    "Hmm, you have no customers today.¡±


    "...My store has a lot of delivery customers.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s expression hardened when he confirmed the identity of his customer. It was because thete night customer was Peak Sword. He was a Satisfy ranker representing South Korea, President of the Patriotic Association, and a marquis in the Overgeared Kingdom. He visited Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s Haenam branch once a week.


    The purpose was naturally to obtain Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was analyzed that if Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s ability to make dungeons wasbined with the Overgeared Kingdom, the power of the Overgeared Kingdom would rise significantly. It was natural to covet Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    "One makguksu.¡± (noodles)


    Eat Spicy Jokbal looked coldly at the ordering Peak Sword.


    "Why is it that youe here and order makguksu every time?¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal opened a jokbal store and used Eat Spicy Jokbal as his game ID because he really loved jokbal. He didn¡¯t like it when Peak Sword came all the way from distant Seoul just to eat makguksu. He seemed like a person who hated jokbal. Peak Sword answered with a serious expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like jokbal.¡±


    "Jokbal... You dislike it?¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s face distorted like a demon. Peak Sword¡¯s expression was still serious. It even looked noble. It was reminiscent of an independent fighter during the Japanese upation period.


    ¡°Hrmm... It would be better to lie and say I like jokbal to gain your favor. But I don¡¯t want to lie to you. I want to be truepanions with you. That¡¯s why I will be honest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This man, he was honest to the extent of being stupid. And Peak Sword sincerely wanted him. Eat Spicy Jokbal was somewhat excited when he realized this. This great giant of South Korea knew his evil past, yet still coveted him. But he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. Eat Spicy Jokbal kept staring at Peak Sword.


    "Why do you dislike jokbal?¡±


    That¡¯s right. From the viewpoint of Eat Spicy Jokbal who loved jokbal, Peak Sword¡¯s remarks were uneptable. Peak Sword replied honestly to Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    ¡°It¡¯s too expensive.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    "The price of jokbal is usually 30,000 won. But what about the volume? Isn¡¯t it small enough that an adult male can eat it all by himself?¡±


    "...Can you usually eat it all alone?¡±


    ¡°A person with a high basic metabolism like me can eat it all alone. But the price of jokbal can easily exceed 35,000 won. I can¡¯t afford that price. Think about the cost of jokbal. Isn¡¯t it enough to go to a butcher¡¯s shop and buy two jokbal for 10,000 won? The prices I see for jokbal are ridiculously expensive.¡±


    Of course, Peak Sword was rich. But he wasn¡¯t born rich. During the hard days, there were times when he couldn¡¯t eat jokbal when he wanted to eat it. This still made Peak Sword tremble. Eat Spicy Jokbal asked him.


    ¡°If... What if the jokbal is made of handon?¡±


    ¡°What? Han... Don?¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s eyes shook.


    Handon! This meant domestic pork! Peak Sword shook.


    A smile of satisfaction appeared on Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s face.


    "My Eat Spicy Jokbal store uses jokbal made from handon. It is also the finest handon. Do you still think 30,000 won is expensive after hearing this?¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! You aren¡¯t fooling me about the origin?¡±


    22nd century South Korea. Most of the meat was imported from foreign countries. The value of handon was enormous. The president of the Patriotic Association, Peak Sword eventually gave in.


    ¡°Okay! Add one jokbal to my order of makguksu!¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡±


    Peak Sword and Eat Spicy Jokbal. Due to the repeated meetings, they were bing more familiar with each other. It was a story that showed how well the Overgeared Kingdom could run without Grid. On the other hand, breaking news wasing from the TV set on the wall of the restaurant.


    ¡º It has been confirmed that amon notification window has emerged in front of all yers of Satisfy. The information of this notification window... ¡»


    [A new hero has given peace to the specters of past heroes and has opened the final gate of the Behen Archipgo.]


    This was a world message that appeared to every yer connected to Satisfy. Who was the new hero and who were the specters of past heroes? In the first ce, the Behen Archipgo wasn¡¯t a publicly known ce. Only some of the top rankers monopolized the information and challenged it. The majority of yers who didn¡¯t know about it were curious about the the identity of the Behen Archipgo.


    ***


    Build strength against the five pirs of the empire.


    This was a quest given to Agnus by Empress Marie. Agnus was a mighty force for Marie, who had the ambition to make her son the emperor. She invested a lot in Agnus. Agnus was on the way to receive her support when he hesitated.


    "...The final gateway of the Behen Archipgo was opened?¡±


    It meant someone had cleared the 62nd ind that he failed to capture. But who had reached thest gateway? Agnus¡¯ worries didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Kik... Kikik, of course it must be you? Kraugel...!¡±


    Agnus had to give up on the Behen Archipgo because of Demon yer Alex. Alex¡¯s attacks were deadly to Agnus, who held the power of a great demon. It was a perfect counter to Agnus that made it impossible for him to beat the 62nd ind. But Kraugel was different. There was no theoretical counter for him who had obtained the strongestbat ss.


    ¡°Kikikik, yes! I am willing to concede if it¡¯s you!¡±


    If only he could take all the death knights of the previous legends. Agnus was sorry, but he didn¡¯t cling to it. The value of the quest he acquired from Empress Marie wasparable to the Behen Archipgo.


    ***


    ¡°Who the hell reached the 66th ind?¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t imagine it.¡±


    Hao and Alexander. They were with Kraugel and were stunned to see the world message. They couldn¡¯t imagine that someone other Kraugel had managed to capture the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®Who...?¡¯


    Who had almost captured the Behen Archipgo, which they thought existed only for Kraugel? Kraugelughed at the shaken Hao and Alexander.


    ¡°It¡¯s Grid.¡±


    "Grid...¡±


    Hao and Alexander didn¡¯t deny it. Grid¡¯s strength during the duel against Kraugel in the 2nd National Competition and the Great Demon Belial raid was too intense in their minds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. Kirinus is a NPC who only appears once every three years. If I miss him today, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll have to wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡±


    There was no one who didn¡¯t try, no one who missed an opportunity. From here on out, it was a matter of talent and tenacity.

 Chapter 689

    Sword Saint was the strongestbat specialized ss. History proved it and in fact, the current Kraugel felt it. Sword Saint Kraugel was level 259. It was 100 levels lower than when he was a white swordsman, yet the current Kraugel was several times stronger than when he was a white swordsman.


    The amazing thing was that there was still room for Kraugel to grow. Just like Grid and Yura, Kraugel hadn¡¯tpleted his ss quest. In particr, one of Kraugel¡¯s ss quests was to find Muller¡¯s swordsmanship and inherit it. If he acquired Muller¡¯s swordsmanship, Kraugel¡¯s power would grow exponentially stronger.


    But Kraugel refused. He was a person who had no contact with Muller, who became a Sword Saint on his own. He didn¡¯t want his reputation to be buried in the shade of the former Sword Saint. He wanted to carve his own path.


    ¡°Thus, I looked for you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The best spearsman on the continent, Kirinus. He didn¡¯t belong anywhere on the continent, but visited a certain ce once every three years. It was Empress Aria¡¯s pce in the Saharan Empire. However, Empress Aria died five years ago. Now Kirinus was looking at a cemetery, not a beautiful pce that resembled Aria.


    "I thought I would meet you if I waited here.¡±


    Kraugel greeted Kirinus politely. Kirinus looked at him with striking eyes.


    "Surrounded by the ultimate sword energy... You¡¯re the one who has pierced the peak of swordsmanship.¡±


    "Just as you have peeked at the peak of the spear. I would like to ask for your teachings.¡±


    "The peak swordsman is asking me to teach... This means you are admitting that the sword is less than the spear.¡±


    ¡°No. Regardless of the sword or the spear, I am inferior to you. For now.¡±


    "For now... It will be differentter.¡±


    Kraugel had two ss change methods. The first was to seed in Muller¡¯s swordsmanship as mentioned above. The second was to fight and defeat the best warriors in each field. Of course, it was unlikely that Kraugel, who hadn¡¯t reached level 300, could win against the strongest warriors in each field like Kirinus. No, it was a close to zero chance. Thus, Kraugel pledged that things would be different in three years.


    ¡°In return for teaching me today, in three years I will teach you.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Kirinus burst outughing. The ultimate swordsman, who hadn¡¯t yet ripened, was speaking nonsense. But there wasn¡¯t any feeling of animosity. Rather, there was some liking.


    "You will teach me... How interesting. Then shall I teach you in anticipation of three years from now?¡±


    ------!


    There was no sound. Kirinus¡¯s blue spear was only a dot. It was reminiscent of a dot that a brush made on white paper. But the impact that Kraugel received was powerful. Despite defending against Kirinus¡¯ spear, Kraugel¡¯s body flew 10 meters away.


    [The impact was too big! Your perfect defense has failed!]


    [You have suffered 8,130 damage.]


    ¡¯I couldn¡¯t avoid it?¡¯


    Kraugel wiped the blood flowing down from his mouth and was convinced.


    ¡¯Indeed, the strongest warriors in each field obviously have the super sensitivity skill.¡¯


    It was unknown if the super sensitivity was applied passive like with the Sword Saint, or actively like the great swordsman. But those who had super sensitivity gave off a tremendous pressure.


    ¡®Grid, what enemy are you facing right now?¡¯


    On this day. Kraugel saw a bigger world and his passion became greater. It was the same for Hao and Alexander who were watching from the side. This short experience held huge value for them.


    ***


    What was the Behen Archipgo?


    As soon as the world message appeared, many media outlets started to gather information about the Behen Archipgo. They needed to get the information rapidly so that it would be a scoop. As a result, the public was able to grasp the identity of the Behen Archipgo rtively quickly. The Hall of Fame and session ce for legends.


    But now it had changed for some reason. It had a brutal difficulty even for the top 100 rankers and was one of the few ways to move to the East Continent. Rumor had it that the top rankers and Pope Damian had failed to capture the Behen Archipgo.


    Then who was it? Who had reached thest gateway of the Behen Archipgo? This was a huge topic. The media outlets around the world were busy guessing the main character of the world message. And the most likely candidate was Kraugel.


    Grid, Agnus, and Ares, who showed skills beyondmon sense in the Belto Kingdom war, were also considered candidates, but the sky above the sky Kraugel overwhelmed all of them. It was natural. Kraugel had won against Grid when he was just a normal ss. Now that he was a Sword Saint, it was estimated that he was much better than the three yers.


    ¡®They can¡¯t imagine it.¡¯


    The Overgeared members who saw the news could onlyugh. Kraugel had already failed to break the Behen Archipgo and Grid was actually the main character of the world message. They were excited about the turmoil that would once again happen once the news got out.


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t know either. The impact of capturing the Behen Archipgo wasn¡¯t just at this level.


    ***


    [You have entered the 66th ind.]


    [You deserve praise for reaching this ce.]


    [Give rest to thest remaining hero...]


    ¡°The notification windows are very interesting.¡±


    The guardian of the 66th ind was thest remaining hero. It was right to interpret that the legend who became a death knight was also in a painful position.


    ¡°Umm...?¡±


    Grid was slightly confused when he saw the 66th ind. It was just t ground. That¡¯s it. The 66th ind was a stage without small stones and bushes. There was no ce to hide and the terrain couldn¡¯t be taken advantage of when facing the enemy.


    -A ce where you can¡¯t use shallow tricks.


    Grid was convinced after hearing Braham¡¯s voice.


    "A stage where purebat is prioritized... Indeed, the owner of this ce is Madra right?¡±


    Braham agreed.


    -Right.He was the ultimate warrior before he was a genius strategist.A ce for a one on one match with no variables is the best for a guy like him.In the first ce, he can achieve a perfect victory on any terrain.


    ¡¯A genius? The ultimate? Perfect? Braham is praising him so much...?¡¯


    Braham¡¯s evaluation of Madra was at least equal to Muller and Mumud.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Grid felt his heart pounding. Was it due to fear? Yes. Did he want to run away? No. Grid was d to be enough to fight against an opponent that caused fear. He didn¡¯t want to run away.


    Sticks would be amazed if he found out about this, but since winning the First King title and quickly bing powerful, Grid didn¡¯t have experience with fighting with all his strength. He hadn¡¯t met the right opponent. It was the same in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®In that sense, I want to fight the first knight. Even if I would¡¯ve lost.¡¯


    But he couldn¡¯t fight Mercedes. If he fought with her, it would be the end of the Overgeared Kingdom. However, now things were different. There weren¡¯t any external factors involved. He just had to fight with all his strength to obtain the rewards.


    ¡®If I can figure out my skills here, it will be a big help in the National Competition.¡¯


    The schedule for the 3rd National Competition waster than usual. One of Grid¡¯s goal was to win against Kraugel in the National Competition that would be held in three months. In order to face that day in a perfect condition, Grid was happy to fight strong opponents.


    Step.


    Step, step.


    A death knight wearing majestic armor was slowly approaching. There was an amazing sense of power from the gait, despite it only being a body made of bones.


    ¡®Sword... I thought he could use a variety of weapons because he is the ultimate warrior.¡¯


    The name ¡®Madra¡¯ clearly appeared in gold above the head of the death knight in majestic armor. He held an ordinary long sword around one meter in length and looked Grid up and down with a purple light.


    ¡°It has been 100 years since a human guest appeared. One day, Pagma died, my strength weakened and the invasion of the great demons was over.¡±


    ¡°....!¡±


    Grid was startled. He held that Madra was likely to maintain his intelligence, but he hadn¡¯t expected Madra to speak clearly like a human. Madra asked the confused Grid.


    ¡°Did you beat the halflings guarding the previous inds?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The halflings guarding the previous inds? Who were the halflings? Grid cocked his head and replied firmly.


    "All of them except for Lantier.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Indeed, the halflings that Madra spoke of were the death knights of past legends. He called the legends halflings! How strong was Madra?


    ¡®Will this be tougher than I imagined?¡¯


    The tense Grid grinned. Madra, who was still looking him up and down, nodded like he understood.


    "Well, it¡¯s Pagma¡¯s fault. Their names are legends, but they fell after bing death knights. Once Pagma died and the supply of power was cut off, they couldn¡¯t exert their strength properly. But you¡¯re still pretty good. For a human to hurt those halflings... You¡¯re also a present legend... Hrmm?¡±


    Madra cocked his head. It was because he found it hard to determined Grid¡¯s identity.


    "Despite being armed with a sword, you aren¡¯t the peak swordsman. You bear the soul of a hybrid vampire, but only have this much magic power? But you have the dignity of a king...?¡±


    A human who reached the 66th ind. Madra called Grid a present legend. But he wasn¡¯t a swordsman nor a magician. It was difficult to gauge his true identity because only his high dignity could be seen. In the end, Madra couldn¡¯t resolve the question and asked openly.


    ¡°What do you call yourself?¡±


    "Call myself...¡±


    What did he want the world to call him? Shin Youngwoo? Grid? Pagma¡¯s Descendant? He was all of them, but more so...


    ¡°Overgeared King... I am the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared King...? Hoh, a king!¡±


    Madra showed great interest in Grid¡¯s answer. Since he was also a legend and a king, he felt a strong sense of kinship with Grid.


    "Yes, what does overgeared represent?¡±


    Madra was never defeated, which was why he was called the Undefeated King. Then was why the human in front of him called the Overgeared King? Madra waited for the answer like a kid filled with pure curiosity. Grid was thinking about how to exin being overgeared and summoned the God Hands. The God Hands were armed with Mjolnir.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Grid exined to Madra, who was surprised to see the golden hands moving by themselves.


    "Overgeared is being able to make the best use of these tools. That is why I am called the Overgeared King.¡±


    Best? A person who knew Grid would say that ¡®he has no conscience.¡¯ But the only ones here right now were Grid, Braham, and Madra. Madra didn¡¯t know the truth.


    "I see. You have the ability to make good use of battle gear... Um?¡±


    Madra nodded with interest, only to suddenly frown. Looking back, there weren¡¯t any legends who didn¡¯t have this ability. In other words, is was a basic thing for all the legends to be overgeared. But the human in front of him was speaking as if this basic thing was his own outstanding ability.


    ¡°This... Maybe you are mocking me. Well, you don¡¯t need to reveal your identity if you don¡¯t want to. It is reasonable to be reluctant to show it before a fight.¡±


    This conversation wasing to an end.


    ¡°Your purpose is to purify the now useless Behen Archipgo. If you want to cleanse it, then you have to beat me. As a death knight, my existence is to repel all intruders. A fight is inevitable. In addition.¡±


    Supaak!


    ¡°Whether alive or dead, I have never experienced defeat. Not even once.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The voice of Madra, who was in front of him just a moment ago, was suddenly heard right beside him. Madra in front of him had suddenly disappeared. The moment Grid realized this.


    [You have suffered 11,200 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid was sliced in the side. Death Knight Madra recreated the top level footwork that Garam showed. He had never been defeated, became the Undefeated King and maintained this position in the Behen Archipgo. He had be weaker after bing a death knight and weaker again after Pagma¡¯s death.


    "100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    Madra¡¯s majesty remained. The sword technique that was twice as fast as Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link cut at Grid¡¯s body 40 times per second.

 Chapter 690

    Chapter 690


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Like the name, it was a skill with ridiculous power. The scope of the sword wielded by Madra affected not just Grid, but a radius of 100 meters around Grid. Thousands of energy des filled the vast ins. It was a wide area skill.


    [You have suffered 10,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 11,310 damage.]


    [You have suffered 10,870 damage.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.12%!]


    [You have suffered 11,100 damage...]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [The First King title effect is activated.]


    [A great king puts his safety first. You have lost 70% of your maximum health, so a shield containing the health you lost within thest minute will be created. All terrain adaptability has increased by 100% while movement speed and defense has increased by 10%.]


    [You have obtained a shield containing 61,722 health.]


    [You have suffered 9,870 damage.]


    [You have suffered 10,200 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,930...]


    ...


    ...


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.12%!]


    [The shield is destroyed!]


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    It happened in less than a second. It was impossible to Grid to have rational thoughts. Once his health gauge fell tremendously and the effect of the First King title was activated, he just demonstrated his survival instinct. But it was an instinct that came from a lot of experience and it worked properly.


    Supak!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    ¡°...Um!¡±


    Madra was surprised when his attacks that hit Grid suddenly started to miss. Then Grid¡¯s sword fell towards his neck. Four strikes per second!


    Puk.


    Puuok!


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,600 damage to the target!]


    [You have recovered 912 health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring!]


    [The experience of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring has increased by 0.2%!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,540 damage to the target!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,660 damage to the target!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 7,590 damage to the target!]


    ¡°I can¡¯t avoid it... I have really weakened...¡±


    "Weakened...¡±


    Grid gulped. He btedly realized. At the time of the 2nd National Competition, the Undefeated King¡¯s armor worn by Bubat posted high defense and physical resistance.


    ¡®My criticals deal less than 8,000 damage. Madra is a monster whobines tanking ability with attack power.¡¯


    A superior version of Grid. This was Madra. As the enlightened Grid was filled with a greater tension, Madra¡¯s hands tightened their grip on the sword several times.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to use the sword with a body that is only bones. I can only used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword in this shape.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Bosses who disturbed the story must be attacked by yers. There must be room to defeat them. Unless they were a dragon that was made impossible to attack in the first ce. Therefore, the S.A. Group would put in an appropriate arrangement. Based on the actions of the boss, the yers could get a hint on the strategy.


    Of course, it was up to the yers to find the hint. The experienced Grid noticed that Madra¡¯s right hand seemed somewhat ufortable.


    ¡®Madra¡¯s hand bone is cracked!¡¯


    In retrospect, Madra was giving several hints. He emphasized several times that he was weakened, acted as if the hand holding the sword was ufortable and said it was hard to use the sword with an undead body. Grid¡¯s brain was activated.


    ¡®Madra is the type of boss that gets weaker as we fight.¡¯


    There were asionally bosses like this. The bosses were ridiculously strong, but weak when it came to endurance.


    ¡®Every time he uses the sword, his body will copse and he will eventually self-destruct.¡¯


    It meant Grid only needed to endure the first and middle parts. But Grid had already lost the First King title and Freely Move.


    Would it be that easy to hold on?


    ¡°I will soon see! God Hands!¡±


    Tong!


    Teteteteng!


    The God Hands moving around Grid started their assault, aiming Mjolnir at Madra from different orbits. But Madra was the incarnation of war. He always fought against many enemies. He could attack while blocking the four God Hands.


    "One Million Army Breakthrough.¡±


    Pahat!


    Madra¡¯s movements were alert. He spun his body and avoided all the attacks of the God Hands, managing to reach Grid.


    ¡°...!¡±


    "200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    Kuoooooh!


    Sword cutting through the ins! Shock waves of aura in a half moon shape were emitted from the top of Madra¡¯s sword.


    Kuwaaaaaah!


    The physical earthquake caused Grid¡¯s body to stagger as an aura de aimed at his upper body. The power was enough to separate Grid¡¯s upper and lower body. However, Grid had already been thinking ahead. After he ordered the God Hands to attack, he used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Revolve.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kwajak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Grid¡¯s circr sword swallowed Madra¡¯s explosive attack and returned it. The purple aura that should¡¯ve turned Grid into a corpse struck Madra instead.


    [You have dealt 2,118,000 damage to the target.]


    Grid grinned as he confirmed the notification windows.


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Was it called 200,000 Army Crushing Sword? Madra, whose defense was so powerful and Grid only did 7,000 damage to, ended up receiving 2 million damage. Grid clearly understood that allowed Madra¡¯s attack to hit once meant losing his immortality.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    Madra finally realized Grid¡¯s identity. After the usage of 200,000 Army Crushing Sword, Madra switched his sword to his left hand.


    ¡°Very interesting. It¡¯s Pagma who made the current ce, and now his descendant is going to purify it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was surprised. It was because Madra¡¯s attitude was too light.


    "As you have discovered, I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant. The Pagma who turned you into a death knight is like my teacher. Don¡¯t you have anything special to say to me?¡±


    "What should I say to you?¡±


    "...Pagma has been holding you here for over 100 years.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...? Kukuk, I see. Do you think I would have a grudge against Pagma and then shift that grudge onto you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid recognized the legends that guarded the Behen Archipgo as ¡®victims.¡¯ They couldn¡¯t restfortable after they died, but were instead forced to resurrect and fight in solitude for over 100 years. Strictly speaking, he felt sorry for them. Madra shrugged as he read Grid¡¯s heart through his eyes.


    "In fact, the only poor person is the hybrid vampire inside you. He is the sad fellow who was betrayed by Pagma and now has to sponge off Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Inter years, he started to feel human emotions and is craving for affection.¡±


    -This bastard...!


    Since entering the 66th ind. Braham had been in a state of difort since Madra called him a hybrid vampire. Now he could no longer resist feeling anger after being mocked. Grid barely suppressed Braham who was attempting to run wild.


    ¡®Please stop being a troll.¡¯


    During the battle with Agnus, Grid was forced into the assimted state and was unable to exert its original strength. He didn¡¯t want another simr situation to ur again. Relying on Braham during important fights always had unintended results, so he was reluctant to pass the responsibility onto others.


    ¡®I will teach him a lesson. So believe in me and watch.¡¯


    -Grid...


    Braham was moved. Nobody had ever told the strongest magician in history to depend on them. Grid¡¯s words were unfamiliar to Braham and caused Braham¡¯s soul to shake. But he didn¡¯t express it.


    -Bah...!Don¡¯t let it get to you!You should keep this in mind!The current Madra is weak!You can¡¯t lose!


    ¡®Uh, yes...¡¯


    Madra was weak. This was whenpared to his previous life. Grid didn¡¯t know the Madra of the past, but it was correct to say that the current Madra was his strongest enemy. There was no room for cockiness.


    ¡°Quick Movements. cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    Grid pulled out the Ideal Dagger and aimed at Madra¡¯s right side after using the buff skills. It was a weakness because Madra was less likely to fully use his cracked right hand. Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Mask and ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch, activated Vital Spot Detection and aimed at only that point.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Link!¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    It might look shabbypared to 100,000 Massacre Sword, but Grid¡¯s Link also boasted speed. 20 energy des per second poured towards Madra¡¯s right side. But Madra responded easily. He moved to Grid¡¯s left side and tried a flowing counterattack.


    At that moment.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Madra¡¯s back was hit by a God Hand wielding Mjolnir. Madra was hit because Grid anticipated he would avoid to the left. Braham cheered.


    -Yes!That¡¯s it!Now he is just a skeleton!He doesn¡¯t have a brain and is hit by your shallow trick!


    ¡®...What is the point of saying it is shallow?¡¯


    Teong!


    Grid started a new sword dance the moment Madra stiffened. It was Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡°This?¡±


    Kuooooooh!


    Madra was stunned when he saw the sword dance. It was surprising for Madra, who knew Pagma and Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle had a power reminiscent of Pagma¡¯s ultimate technique during his peak period.


    "Reaching this level without borrowing the power of the Duke of mes...!¡±


    Puk.


    Puuoook!


    Kurururung!


    sh, stab, sh, stab, a downward blow and then sh again. mes, red lightning bolts, and ck mes emerged from the Enlightenment Lightning de and continuously bombarded Madra.


    [You have dealt 113,500 damage to the target!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 256,200 damage to the target!]


    [God Hand (1) has dealt 1,010 damage to the target.]


    [The Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir has caused the target to stiffen for 0.3 seconds.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has dealt 15% additional lightning damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 129,700 damage to the target!]


    [God Hand (2) has dealt 650 damage to the target.]


    [The +7 Mjolnir (2) has caused the target to stiffen for 0.1 seconds.]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned a red lightning bolt!]


    [You have dealt 278,030 damage to the target!]


    [The target is caught in an electric shock for 1.2 seconds!]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have dealt 950,490 damage to the target!]


    It was an infinite stiffness methodpleted by connected the continuous stiffness of the four Mjolnirs and the electric shock effect of the red lightning bolt. The Undefeated King felt helpless for the first time since he was living or dead.


    "I will take away the title of undefeated...!¡±


    Attack, continuously attack. Grid¡¯s excited voice rang through the 66th ind. He summoned Noe and Randy to his side.

 Chapter 691

    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    There was a loud sound every time Grid hit Madra. Every attack summoned either red mes, a red lightning bolt, or ck mes, causing intense sound effects. It wasn¡¯t possible topare it to the sound of a general weapon. Needless to say, it was intense power!


    ¡°Umm...!¡±


    Madra.


    He was called the Undefeated King because he had never been defeated and was eventually a legend. To him, who was an absolute being when alive and death, the helplessness that Grid was making him feel was new. At first he panicked when the golden hands wielding the hammer caused him to stiffen with every hit, then heughed.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk! I see! This is how ordinary people fight!¡±


    Legendary characters resisted all conditions except for ¡®states that urred due to physical force¡¯ and ¡®states that ignore resistance.¡¯ Yes, strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t perfect. But Madra was different. In order to not be defeated, the precondition of blocking any variables was necessary. Thus, he had the unique ability of ¡®perfect¡¯ status resistance among all the legends. In terms of safety, he was superior to Sword Saint Muller¡¯s Super Sensitivity.


    But that was a story of the past. Madra had lost most of his abilities after being resurrected as a death knight. This was why he couldn¡¯t resist Mjolnir¡¯s stiffening effect.


    ¡°I...! The Undefeated King Madra is faced with a situation I can¡¯t cope with! This is truly an unfamiliar and enjoyable experience!¡±


    ¡¯What is this stupidity?¡¯


    Peeok!


    Peok peok peok!


    The four God Hands continued to strike Madra¡¯s skull. The four Mjolnir¡¯s continuous attacks caused infinite stiffness. The winner and loser had been decided. Madra could no longer do anything. He was destined to be beaten to death. Yet he wasughing with delight.


    ¡¯Agnus...?¡¯


    In other words, he was crazy. Grid was misunderstanding. It was a fact that had been emphasized a few times, but Madra had never been defeated. He was undefeated because of his coolness during battle. The fact that he wasughing meant it wasn¡¯t a crisis situation.


    Jjeok!


    Jjejejeok!


    On the other hand, the explosion and intensive attacks of Mjolnir were causing cracks on Madra¡¯s skull.


    ¡®Okay. Keep pushing like this.¡¯


    Grid confirmed that Madra¡¯s health gauge had fallen before 50% and spurred on his attacks. As long as the infinite stiffness was maintained, Grid didn¡¯t doubt his victory.


    Then.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    After a minute and ck mes exploding a few more times, Madra¡¯s health gauge dropped to 30% and his skull broke. The right forehead bone waspletely destroyed. At that moment.


    "I have been waiting for this time!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Madra escaped from the infinite stiffness. The reason was simple. The moment Madra¡¯s right forehead bone was broken, the timing for the strike of God Hand (3) was slightly dyed. Why? It couldn¡¯t be helped because the shape of the target had changed after hundreds of hits.


    God Hand (3) had been hitting Madra¡¯s forehead in 0.6 second intervals to match the behavior of the other God Hands. Once Madra¡¯s forehead bone was broken and it lost its position, it was confused and had to make a new judgment. Due to this, there was a gap of less than 0.2 seconds after the stiffness ran out and this was the timing Madra had been waiting for. Madra had already foreseen that this situation would ur due to the weak durability of his body.


    Puok!


    It happened in the blink of an eye. Madra broke through the encirclement of God Hands and his sword pierced Grid¡¯s chest.


    [Critical!]


    [You have suffered 26,130 damage.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 0.12%!]


    ¡°Che...!¡±


    A frontal battle wasn¡¯t the answer. Grid had to restore the infinite stiffness again. Grid made a rapid judgment and the God Hands once again surrounded Madra. But it was useless.


    Peeeeeong!


    Madra¡¯s sword in Grid¡¯s chest exploded. It was the manifestation of 200,000 Army Massacre Sword that exploded in a range of hundreds of metres around Madra.


    "...Kuock!¡±


    Grid screamed as he was swept up in the explosion and his vision blinked red.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [The God Hands have be stiff.]


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt has increased by 1%!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    Grid had maintained his maximum health during the time when Madra was caught in the infinite stiffness. His close to 90,000 health could bepared to the health of the tankers in the top 100 rankings. All of this was wiped out by two hits and his immortal passive was activated. This was despite Grid being armed with Triple Layers.


    ¡®This is the power of a basic attack and wide area skill...!¡¯


    It was a scam. This was a real scam!


    ¡®The other death knights can only use basic skills. What is this monster?¡¯


    Grid thought that 200 Army Massacre Sword was Madra¡¯s ultimate technique. The scope of the attack reached a few hundred metres and the power was the strongest, so he had to think like this. It was unfair that Madra could use his ultimate attack despite bing a death knight. Then Braham¡¯s voice entered the ears of the confused Grid.


    -This is a basic skill.Madra¡¯s true value is revealed from at least 500,000 Army Massacre Sword.


    ¡®What? At least?¡¯


    -The power that symbolizes Madra is the One Million Army Massacre Sword.The current Madra is weak...His limit is only 200,000, it is indeed weak.You can¡¯t think of that as Madra.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t hear it. He tried to ignore Braham¡¯s voice.


    ¡®I have to end it in five seconds.¡¯


    He used ckening and was determined tounch all attacks within five seconds. But was it something that could be done through just determination? The world he lived in wasn¡¯t that good.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    Peeok!


    Madra recovered the sword stabbed in Grid, kicked out and pushed himself away from Grid. Madra was also a legend. He knew about a legend¡¯s immortal power.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to reach me.¡±


    ¡°Hey...! You cowardly wretch!¡±


    Madra spoke in a dignified tone of voice. However, this tone was ipatible with his actions. In order to not allow Grid ess while he was immortal, Madra was already running away from Grid. It was virtually impossible for Grid to catch up to Madra who used shunpo in advance.


    ¡°Wait there! Oh! Stand there!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! See if you can catch me!¡±


    ¡°Ahh! I will catch you!¡±


    -...


    Grid had four seconds left in his immortal state. Madra ran through the ins yelling ¡°Catch me,¡± while Grid chased him. At first nce, it seemed like they were long time lovers. It was a hot scene of a old skeleton and a young man!


    -...What are you doing?


    The moment Braham cried out in disgust.


    ¡°It is time.¡±


    Teong!


    Just before Grid¡¯s immortal state ended, Madra stopped running away and struck at Grid instead. He intended to end the fight as soon as Grid¡¯s immortality was over. Anyone who understood the immortal passive would make the same judgment.


    Thus, it was easy for Grid to predict. He took a superior health potion ahead of time, wore Doran¡¯s Ring and prepared a sword technique in advance. Of course, it was Revolve. The strongest counterattack skill that would return the enemy¡¯s attack.


    However.


    Jeeeong!


    ¡°....!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as Revolve countered Madra¡¯s attack. It was because Madra attacked him with a ¡®basic¡¯ attack. In other words, the Revolve that Grid prepared was wasted on a basic attack.


    ¡°Hahaha! You are ridiculous!¡±


    ¡®He knew...!¡¯


    Indeed, Madra knew Pagma so it was likely he would know about Revolve. He predicted that Grid would use Revolve at this timing.


    Syuoook!


    Madra¡¯s 100,000 Army Massacre Sword flew towards the neck of the confused Grid.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    The 65th ind. Sticks was pale as he watched through the crystal ball. He was astonished at Madra¡¯s power and seriously worried that he would have to give up on the purification of the Behen Archipgo. But Grid was different. A wide smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he gazed at Madra¡¯s attack, causing Madra to feel suspicious.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The sword technique Madra just neutralized was used again?


    Kuwooooh!


    100,000 Massacre Sword. The attack originally intended to kill Grid was returned to Madra. Then.


    Peeeong!


    It hit.


    [You have dealt 1,435,900 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    The earth was swept away by an explosion. The new, unbeaten king shaking on top of it... Who would have imagined? The Undefeated King Madra was forced into a crisis twice by the same opponent!


    "Nobody could¡¯ve imagined it. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Grid was able to use Revolve sessively because of God¡¯s Command. Grid honestly escaped from the crisis out of pure luck but he didn¡¯t express it on the outside. He pretended to be dignified as he spoke.


    ¡°Except for one person. Didn¡¯t I tell you? I will take away your title of undefeated.¡±


    ¡°Hah...!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°300,000...!¡±


    Grid started to perform the sword dance of Transcended Link while Madra attempted to resist. Unfortunately, there was a physical difference between the two. Death Knight Madra. His frail body consisted entirely of bones and had already reached its limits.


    ¡°Army..!¡±


    Jjeok!


    "Massacre...!¡±


    Jjejejeok!


    ¡°....Sword!¡±


    Kuaaaaang!


    He wanted to use 300,000 Army Massacre Sword to neutralize the enemy¡¯s skill attack. Madra wanted to escape the crisis, but just worsened it. Madra¡¯s cracked and damaged body could no longer withstand the mighty force. 300,000 Army Massacre Swordpletely smashed Madra¡¯s left arm and shoulder, while his rib and leg bones sank in.


    Flop!


    The sword technique failed. Madra fell down. He wasn¡¯tughing any more. But there wasn¡¯t any feeling of animosity. He faced Grid with a humble attitude. Despite the fact that he was losing the title of undefeated that he defended for hundreds of years, there were no signs of obsession with it.


    Madra was already exhausted. Since his resurrection as a death knight, he had lived in solitude on the 66th ind for more than 100 years. As the Undefeated King, he couldn¡¯t express himself orin, but it had taken a toll on his heart. He had been longing for rest.


    ¡°...Overgeared King, the legend of the new era. I am thankful for you giving me enjoyment at the end. I will give you a reward.¡±


    ¡°...Madra!¡±


    A short thank you and goodbye. The moment Madra¡¯s voice entered Grid¡¯s ears.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Grid¡¯s Transcended Link covered Madra.


    [You have dealt 21,560 damage to the target!]


    [You have recovered 2,587 health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring!]


    [The experience of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring has increased by 0.2%!]


    [You have dealt 24,010 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 26,500...]


    [You have dealt 29,100...]


    ...


    ...


    [Critical!]


    [...The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯...]


    [A red lightning has been summoned...]


    [Critical!]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [The great hero, Overgeared King Grid has given rest to the heroes and seeded in cleansing the Behen Archipgo.]


    [This will be a long-standing achievement in humanity¡¯s history.]


    World messages emerged.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was bitter. Madra¡¯s final attitude made Grid¡¯s heart feel numb.

 Chapter 692

    [A new hero has given peace to the specters of past heroes and has opened the final gate of the Behen Archipgo.]


    A world message. It referred to an alert that appeared to all yers of Satisfy, regardless of species, affiliation, and level. Why were the contents revealed to all yers? It was naturally because the importance was high. The fact that a particr situation emerged as a world message meant that the situation would have a profound influence on the flow of Satisfy.


    Until now, the world messages had been seen when the golems invaded the Eternal Kingdom, when Pagma¡¯s Descendant appeared, when Sword Saint Kraugel appeared and when Great Demon Belial appeared. Thus, the world paid attention to the protagonist of this world message. Discussions were held all over the world on TV channels.


    ¡º First, we should pay attention to the title of hero. A person strong enough for the system to ssify as a hero will certainly be a top ranker. They are also likely to have a hidden ss. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s a legendary ss. That is why they are interpreted as a hero. ¡»


    ¡º It might be the case... Every ind on the Behen Archipgo has its unique trial. Based on a variety of contexts, theter inds are likely to be guarded by former legends. ¡»


    This was the reason why Kraugel, Grid, Agnus, and Ares were mentioned as candidates for the world message. If the system recognized them as a hero, it was likely they had secured a legendary ss. The viewers also agreed. 100 out of 100 people thought that Kraugel was the main character of the world message. He had already won the battle against Grid with his normal ss. It was everyone¡¯s idea that Kraugel was stronger than Grid, Agnus, Ares, etc. after bing a Sword Saint, the strongest legendary ss.


    ¡º The power of some of the former legends isparable to or greater than the great demons. I don¡¯t see how they can be beaten unless it is Kraugel. ¡»


    ¡º But it will be hard to break through thest gate, even for Kraugel. A legend beyond a great demon will be protecting thest gate. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. It doesn¡¯t make sense for Kraugel to be able to win against Muller and the other former legends. ¡»


    The experts talked incessantly. Without perfect information, they presented their expectations and deceived the viewers. But it didn¡¯tst for long.


    ¡º...?¡»


    ¡º ... ¡»


    The panelists on the broadcasting shows simultaneously looked nk. The staff delivered urgent news. The contents of the news they received was the following world message.


    [The great hero, Overgeared King Grid has given rest to the heroes and seeded in cleansing the Behen Archipgo.]


    [This will be a long-standing achievement in humanity¡¯s history.]


    ¡º Holy shit... ¡»


    An expert suddenly cursed. So what if he guessed enthusiastically?


    Grid! Once the Overgeared King was involved, all spections were wasted! The experts still trembled when thinking about how public confidence was weakened by Grid. Now once again...


    The professions in each field were hit by Grid. Indeed.


    -Yes, the next X.


    -I am surprised to see them getting paid and appearing on TV for every wrong analysis. ??


    -Next time I won¡¯t believe anything you say.


    The Intemunity in each country was already heated up. The experts were ashamed to raise their heads. All except for one person.


    ¡º Kahahat! Hooray God Grid! Hooray South Korea! ¡»


    It was Peak Sword who participated on a Korean TV station as part of a panel of Satisfy professionals.


    ***


    ¡°...Overgeared King, the legend of the new era. I am thankful for you giving me enjoyment at the end. I will give you a reward.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Madra was stripped of the undefeated title that he had defended for hundreds of years. It was shameful and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to feel anger. However, Madra thanked Grid rather than feel resentment. Grid was confused for a moment before realizing.


    ¡°You... It was really painful.¡±


    The former legends had already finished their lives. It was unlikely that they wanted their bodies to be dug up from their graves and resurrected as a worthless undead.


    ¡¯Of course it would be painful. How hard was it to be trapped on this deste ind for over 100 years after being forcibly resurrected as a skeleton.¡¯


    In particr, Madra had human intelligence and wisdom. Being resurrected as a skeleton would be shocking, but to spend more than 100 years alone on a remote ind with nothing...


    "Rest from now on.¡±


    Madra turned to grey ash and was dispersed. Grid bowed deeply to Madra who was returning to the dead. It was an act stemming from respect. Grid envied Madra¡¯s strong mentality andbat power.


    Swaaaaah.


    The 66th ind started to be cleansed. The somewhat cloudy air cleared and green forests and ake appeared.


    Next.


    Kukukukukung!


    There was an earthquake. Nine pirs rose from the bottom of the earth, centered around the hugeke. No, they were stone statues. There were nine stone statues, each of which were close to 10 meters in size and were carved in borate detail.


    "Eh? Braham? Pagma?¡±


    Grid was surprised by the rising statues. Two of the nine stone statues looked like Braham and Pagma. Grid was reminded of the original purpose of the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°The Hall of Fame...! These are stone statues of the former legends?¡±


    -That¡¯s right.It was made for people ofter generations to honor our achievements.


    "Ohu!"


    Grid¡¯s face became rosy once Braham confirmed it. The people who were admired as legends, who left outstanding achievements in their field. What did they look like when alive? The curious Grid observed each status in turn. The first one was Pagma.


    ¡°Really nice.¡±


    Grid had already seen Pagma¡¯s appearance through Randy. That¡¯s why he knew. He didn¡¯t know who the sculptor was, but this stone statue fully reproduced the target. The carved statue of Pagma was just as beautiful as he was.


    "The cksmith who fought for peace in the world...¡±


    It was Pagma who killed Braham for being a demonkin and stole away his life force, despite being close enough to create a new mineral together, as well as signing a contract with 1st Great Demon Baal. He dug up the graves of the former legends and turned them into death knights. To be honest, he felt like a ruthless person. But it was undeniable that he fought for the world.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid looked up at the stone statue of Pagma for a while before bowing deeply.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They were heartfelt words. It was thanks to the techniques Pagma left that Grid was able to break away from his pathetic self of the past. He honestly didn¡¯t care about what Pagma did. He just felt infinite thanks.


    -It¡¯s clear that this sculptor didn¡¯t get me.


    On the other hand, Braham was angry when he saw his statue. It was because his appearance carved on the stone statue was far less than the real thing. Grid grinned.


    "I understand the position of the sculptor. Braham, it¡¯s impossible for even a brilliant sculptor topletely carve your beauty.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just ttering Braham. As a vampire, Braham¡¯s beauty was transcendent. It was so great that some people in the world thought of it as the ideal appearance.


    -B-Bah.Well, it¡¯s natural.


    Braham shrugged. The sculptor carved Braham wearing a robe and holding a staff in his hand, his expression very benign. There was no trace of Braham¡¯s arrogance. It was the result of taking away Mumud¡¯s achievements. Braham was recognized as a great person who developed magic for humanity.


    ¡°This is Madra...¡±


    The third statue that Grid looked at was that of Undefeated King Madra. The stone statue of Madra resembled Grid¡¯s imagination. He was a middle-aged man with a warm smile.


    Flop. Grid sat down out of frustration.


    ¡°Why are the people who like me always like this...?¡±


    Like any other yer, Grid had dreamt of meeting the elves. He expected a romantic rtionship with a beautiful female elf. But in reality, he was liked by a male elf.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Grid sighed deeply before confirming Sword Saint Muller, Godly Archer Povia, Demon yer Alex, Tailor Kruger, and Miner Gis.


    Sword Saint Muller was a young man who looked like the protagonist of a manhwa. He had am ambitious expression on his face. Archer Povia was beautiful as a half elf while Alex looked lonely, like a man with a deep wound. The spirit of craftsmanship could be felt from Kruger and Gis¡¯ faces.


    "Um...¡±


    Grid¡¯s face gradually became brighter as he looked at the former legends. Now that he thought about it, he was the first yer to see the faces of all the former legends. Grid felt proud of himself. It felt like a dream that he was ahead of everyone else after alwaysgging behind. As if to praise him, the Behen Archipgo¡¯spensation event finally urred.


    Kurururung!


    Ake surrounded by nine stone statues. The waves suddenly forming on it grabbed Grid¡¯s attention.


    Puhahahak!


    Something rose from the centre of theke. It was a new statue. A stone statue of a young man surrounded by four golden hands. Armed with sturdy barbed armor, the man held a hammer in one hand and the Enlightenment Sword in the other.


    It was Grid. A stone statue of Grid was erected in the Hall of Fame. It was also in the middle of theke, watched by the nine former legends!


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Being registered in the Hall of Fame didn¡¯t just mean appearing on a list. It meant having a stone statue as well? Grid was thrilled since the effect was much more spectacr than he expected.


    ¡®I am standing side by side with the previous legends...¡¯


    Grid was caught up in the excitement when notification windows emerged in front of him.


    [The Behen Archipgo has sessfully been purified.]


    [You deserve praise for cleansing the Behen Archipgo, which has been left untouched for many years after the invasion of the great demons ended, and for giving rest to the former legends. Your feat will be recorded forever.]


    [Your statue has been built in the Behen Archipgo¡¯s Hall of Fame. Statue only buffs have been created.]


    [As a reward for cleansing the Behen Archipgo, you have gained five levels!]


    [Your challenger points have been filled to the maximum (1 million) inpensation for cleansing the Behen Archipgo.]


    [You can now use the Fog Ind Store.]


    [As a favor to Death Knight Madras, guardian of the 66th ind, a special item has been added to Fog Ind!]


    ¡°Fog Ind...!¡±


    It waspletely unexpected! Grid¡¯s heart thumped.


    ¡®The price of one elixir was 250 points?¡¯


    Grid had a huge one million points! 400... No, he could buy 4,000 elixirs!


    ¡®In addition, a special item has been added as a favour to Madra?¡¯


    It was a tremendous reward. The items that he got from the inds in the 60¡¯s were great, but thepensation for fully cleansing the inds was unthinkable.


    ¡°Good! Yes! Yes!! Yahooo!¡±


    Grid jumped with joy. Grid forgot the pains in his body as his vision was covered with fog and a golden carriage appeared. Grid didn¡¯t dy. He ran straight for the goods carriage. His n was to buy Madra¡¯s special item and then use the rest of the one million points on elixirs.


    ¡°Now it is more like the power of stats? Should I change my name to the Stats King? Hahaha!¡±


    Grid was so excited that he was talking to himself like a madman. However, that good atmosphere didn¡¯tst long.


    -Fog Ind Items List-


    [Madra¡¯s Diary]


    A diary written by Death Knight Madra himself.


    Price: One Million Challenger Points


    [East Continent Movement Portal Scroll]


    You can go to the starting vige of ¡®Pangea¡¯ on the East Continent.


    Weight: 0.1


    Price: 50 Challenger Points


    "...????"


    Diary...? The special item was just a diary? The price was also one million challenger points?


    "And where are the elixirs?¡±


    The only product beside the diary was the portal scroll?


    ¡°XX...¡±


    The Hall of Fame. Curses echoed through the sacred ce built to honor the feats of former legends. Up until now, Grid had forgotten something from a long time ago. The person who asked him to purify the Behen Archipgo was none other than Sticks.


    That¡¯s right. This wasn¡¯t the only reward for cleansing the Behen Archipgo.

 Chapter 693

    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    If Death Knight Madra seeded in using 300,000 Army Massacre Sword, Grid would¡¯ve been defeated. However, a death knight¡¯s body was weak and Madra failed to use it. In addition, Grid had been lucky that the God¡¯s Command passive triggered. It was a dicey battle. Sticks was soaked with sweat as he watched the confrontation through the crystal ball.


    ¡°Grid...! I knew you would do it!¡±


    A hero was someone who fell from the heavens. Sage Sticks had some knowledge of astronomy and saw that Grid was protected by Reba, goddess of light. He believed that Grid would exceed his capabilities and Grid actually seeded. Was it simply luck? No. Grid pioneered the way himself.


    He rescued the Reba Church by defeating the evil pope, earned the favor of Reba¡¯s Daughters, and set up the correct Pope, causing Reba to feel attached to him. Grid moved the hearts of a goddess and thus, was selected by the heavens.


    ¡°Truly a great man...¡±


    It was extremely rare that High Elf Sticks would praise a human. He smiled and raised his hot body. The Behen Archipgo had been purified after more than 100 years. Sticks wanted to rush to the 66th ind right now and share his joy with Grid. But he was forced to stay in ce. It was because he saw that Grid was locked in deep thought.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid showed respect to the departed Madra, admired the statues of the former legends and was thrilled at his own statue appearing next to them. Sticks didn¡¯t want to interfere in this time. He wanted the new hero to enjoy it. He waited. Then Fog Ind popped up and a golden carriage appeared!


    ¡®Right now!¡¯


    Sticks saw Grid approaching the golden carriage and finally entered the 66th ind. He hoped that Grid would be even more weing due to the good atmosphere.


    However.


    ¡°XX...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The sacred Hall of Fame. The first word that Sticks heard after entering thepletely cleansed 66th ind was something that couldn¡¯t be spoken.


    ¡®W-What?¡¯


    Why had the atmosphere darkened in only a few minutes? Sticks panicked. Grid discovered him and screamed with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Sticks! Surely you aren¡¯t in league with this damn carriage!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, the timing was wrong. Sticks sighed as he was reminded of Grid¡¯s nature.


    ***


    "Fog Ind and the golden carriage was an arrangement made for the growth of those who challenged the Behen Archipgo. Now that the Behen Archipgo is cleansed, the reason to raise challengers has disappeared. That is probably why items such as the elixirs and books have disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Hah... Then why is the only thing left the continental movement scrolls?¡±


    "...An average person would be delighted with the scrolls.¡±


    Sticks was right. This portal scroll that made movement to the East Continent easy was now very rare. Grid had a chance to securerge quantities of it. But the scrolls were insignificant from Grid¡¯s position. It was because he had Sticks. Sticks could make the intercontinental portal scrolls so Grid didn¡¯t want to waste points buying them.


    "I already told you that it takes me a long time to produce the scrolls. You should be happy to buy the scrolls.¡±


    ¡°Um... Is it really okay?"


    Grid¡¯s eye was constantly caught by Madra¡¯s diary. At first, he was frustrated and angered by the fact that it was a diary. But when he thought about it, this was Madra¡¯s direct reward. The price was also one million points. It couldn¡¯t be a normal diary.


    Sticks smiled.


    ¡°Then buy the diary. Believe in your own choice.¡±


    ¡®You are the one who has the love of a goddess.¡¯ Sticks swallowed down these words.


    He didn¡¯t want Grid to fall into pride andcency.


    ¡°Umm... Based on Madra¡¯s personality, it is highly unlikely to be a trap."


    Grid¡¯s worries didn¡¯tst long. He knew that a bulk volume of East Continent movement scrolls would be a tremendous boost to the national power of the Overgeared Kingdom if used well.


    ¡®But I think the legacy of the Undefeated King is better.¡¯


    He acted quickly once he made his decision.


    ¡°I will buy Madra¡¯s diary!¡±


    At the same time.


    [One million challenger points have been consumed to buy Death Knight Madra¡¯s Diary.]


    Madra¡¯s diary entered Grid¡¯s inventory. What was the identity of the diary? Grid wanted to open it right away! At this moment, Sticks bowed deeply to him.


    "Grid, I am deeply grateful to you for cleansing the Behen Archipgo and the Hall of Fame, which is the session link between the legends of the old generation and new generation.¡±


    [Sage Sticks thanks you for fulfilling his desire for the purification of the Behen Archipgo!]


    [Sage Sticks has given you a new title!]


    "You are the hero of heroes who put to rest the suffering past heroes (legends). I will call you the Hero King in the future.¡±


    [The title ¡®Hero King¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [Hero King]


    A hero of heroes. You are a living myth.


    * The Hero King shines among the heroes. Deals 10% additional damage to all unique or higher rated sses.


    * The Hero King is in a position to discuss the peace of the world. Deals 15% additional damage to great demons, archangels, dragons, and demigods and reduces damage by 15%.


    * The Hero King is proud. He is conscious of always being the best and is always full of fighting energy.


    [Fighting Energy]


    A special resource only for the Hero King.


    It is usually held at 10 and increases to 100 duringbat.


    The higher the fighting energy, the higher the stats.


    However, caution should be exercised since there is a penalty if fighting energy falls below 10.


    Chwarururuk!


    Once the Hero King title was acquired, the fighting energy resource bar was added to the health and mana bar in Grid¡¯s status window. A translucent purple aura started to rise like a haze from Grid¡¯s whole body. It was the appearance of fighting energy in reality.


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Sticks felt admiration. It was because Grid was radiating a fierce but solemn energy. On the other hand, Grid was surprisingly unexcited about receiving a unique effect among two billion users. His expression was ufortable. He was reminded of the ¡®coolness¡¯ option attached to Iyarugt. He felt ufortable when he thought about when the money eating alchemy facility would start being useful. But after a moment.


    Twitch twitch.


    The ends of Grid¡¯s mouth started curving up. Grid wanted to dance, no matter how ugly it looked. He was the only one among two billion users to be surrounded by purple energy!


    ¡®I will stand out even in a crowd of two billion?¡¯


    It was a unique effect. He really felt like a special person. But there was a problem.


    ¡®So what if they look? The face is ugly.¡¯


    Grid still had no confidence in his appearance. The heart that was pleased for a moment soon became frustrated. Sticks became uneasy as he watched Grid.


    ¡®Did he go crazy after being cursed by the former legends?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t strange that he would think so when Grid repeatedly switched between smiling happily to looking frustrated. Then another world message emerged.


    [Overgeared King Grid, who gave rest to the heroes of past generations, has been recognized as the hero of heroes. It is the birth of Hero King Grid who will go beyond history and lead to myths.]


    On the other hand.


    -That abominable elf...


    Braham felt hostile to Sticks. The two people had always disliked each other due to the bad rtionship between demonkin and elves, but now the hostility was iparably greater. There was a reason. The title of Hero King, it came from Sword Saint Muller.


    -Making Grid carry on Muller¡¯s responsibilities...I will stop it even if I am resurrected in hell.


    ***


    [...It is the birth of Hero King Grid who will go beyond history and lead to myths.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    At the entrance to the Behen Archipgo. The reporters gathered like ants were amazed. A world message appeared once again and the protagonist was also Grid.


    ¡°A-A scoop!¡±


    Hero of heroes? Myth was mentioned? The stimting sentences stirred the blood of the reporters.


    ¡°Logout!¡±


    ¡°I will also logout!¡±


    The reporters waiting for Grid to emerge from the Behen Archipgo started to disappear one by one. The first thing they did after logging out was to write an article. The titles of the articles were stimting.


    [Hero of heroes! Hero King Grid is born! Does this suggest the emergence of a myth ss?]


    [Kraugel is no longer unique.]


    [(Column) Hero of heroes, reaching above the sky.]


    And so on. Articles rting to grid poured in online and offline around the world. Broadcasting stations held live debates on the topic of Grid.


    ¡°Kik... Kikik, I can¡¯t help but acknowledge him.¡±


    The main character of the world message was Grid, not Kraugel? Agnus was initially shocked, but soon epted reality. The Grid that he encountered was strong. There was no reason to deny it.


    ¡°But.¡±


    What was Kraugel doing?


    ¡°He... He isn¡¯t falling down, is he?¡±


    Of course, Agnus himself knew. It was an impossible thought. The sky would never fall.


    At the same time, South Korea.


    "Oh my, this time your son has be the hero king?¡±


    ¡°First he was a king, then the Overgeared King and now the Hero King? He truly is great.¡±


    ¡°Ah, these people. Absolutely zero sense. Youngwoo is his name so he is King Youngwoo.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The parents of Shin Youngwoo (Grid) were still operating a vegetable store. The two people left the fields early in the morning were constantly bombarded with congrattions from the people living near the fields. There were constant calls from rtives.


    -Uncle!Please tell Youngwoo hyung my words!I will drop out of school so please let me join the Overgeared Guild!I will work hard to level up!Yes?


    -Oh my, Youngmo.Do you remember when I repeatedly told you that your son would do well?My daughter who has be a stewardess is a real beauty.Speak to Youngwoo and have him arrange for her to join Overgeared.Yes?What does this have to do with Inyoung?Help her connect with someone higher!My daughter is pretty!


    ¡°...¡±


    A person should be sessful. The attitude of people towards their son hadpletely changed from the past. They were so proud, then what about Youngwoo¡¯s parents? Youngwoo¡¯s parents were extremely happy and proud.


    ¡°Honey! We y games... No, let¡¯s do a lot of volunteer work on behalf of our son who is busy!¡±


    "Yes, the cabbages this time are very good. I want to donate them.¡±


    "Yes, donations should always be in Youngwoo¡¯s name.¡±


    Thanks to their child, Youngwoo¡¯s parents could always be cheerful. They were grateful that their son did his best, despite them not being able to do anything. They wanted all the children of the world to be as good as Youngwoo.

 Chapter 694

    ¡°Hero King...!¡±


    It was a great title from the name alone! Looking at the description, it was likely to be a unique title, just like the First King.


    ¡®It was worth going through all this trouble to cleanse the Behen Archipgo!¡¯


    Getting rewards for suffering seemed natural, but it wasn¡¯t always true. It was easy to realize when looking at all the office workers. They worked hard for thepany, while thepany didn¡¯t give them reasonablepensation. Unfortunately, most of the people living in the world were ves of this irrationality.


    Then what about Satisfy¡¯s yers? Those who worked hard to level up would get rewards from clearing quests and steadily progress. Among them, the forerunner who developed in a positive direction was Grid.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was covered with the haze of the fighting energy. He was filled with joy as he grasped the details of the Hero King title.


    ¡®On the surface, it¡¯s much less effective than the First King title.¡¯


    It added additional damage to unique rated or higher sses, as well as great demons, archangels, dragons, demigods, etc. The listed beings seemed special, but it was actually a title that exerted an effect in extreme conditions. In normal times, the only function was the resource called ¡®fighting energy.¡¯


    ¡¯On the other hand, the First King always shows a great power.¡¯


    Hero King. Why did he put this title on par with First King?


    ¡®It¡¯s natural.¡¯


    Not everything was visible at first nce. Grid looked at the details of ¡®Fighting Energy.¡¯


    [Fighting Energy]


    A special resource only for the Hero King.


    ...


    ..


    Every time fighting energy increased by one point, his strength, stamina and agility increased by 0.5%.


    "...It¡¯s huge.¡±


    Fighting energy was usually kept at 10 and would increase up to 100 inbat. In other words, Grid would always receive a 5% increase in strength, stamina, and agility, and in some cases it would go up to 50%.


    ¡®It¡¯s almost crazy.¡¯


    This was especially favorable to Grid who had high stats. What if Grid¡¯s 3,500 points in strength increased by 50%? It was 5,250. It was a figure that could only be obtained if Grid gained 200 more levels and invested all the points into strength.


    ¡®I¡¯m concerned about the penalty that will ur when fighting energy falls below 10.¡¯


    Normally, fighting energy remained at 10 points. Grid judged that it wouldn¡¯t fall below 10 unless there was a shameful situation.


    ¡°Kukukuk...!¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t endure theughter that bubbled up after he realized the true value of Hero King. He paid attention to the fact that this wasn¡¯t the end of the Behen Archipgo¡¯s rewards.


    ¡®There are still the statue buffs and Madra¡¯s diary!¡¯


    A stone statue of Grid in the center of the Hall of Fame! In the future, Grid would gain buffs from it. What were the buffs? The excited Grid immediately approached his stone statue. Then he frowned. It was because his stone statue was carved exactly like his appearance.


    "...It¡¯s sadly ugly.¡±


    Why was the ugliest face decorating the center of the Hall of Fame? Wasn¡¯t thispletely shameful? He was embarrassed when he thought of the two billion users and NPCs of Satisfy who wouldugh every time they saw his statue. Sticks and Braham couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s frustration. When they looked at it objectively, Grid¡¯s appearance was quite average for humans. However, Grid¡¯s self-esteem was so battered after the incident with Ahyoung that he wasn¡¯t aware of it himself.


    ¡°Hah... What should I do to get the buffs?¡±


    Grid gave a deep sigh and touched the stone statue.


    Ttiring~


    There was a lively sound effect and the details of the stone statue came up.


    [Statue of Hero King Grid Lv 1]


    A stone statuememorating the feats of the hero of heroes, the legendary cksmith Grid who gave rest to all the legends who became death knights and cleansed the Behen Archipgo.


    If you pay homage to the stone statue, your dexterity will increase by 5% and the probability of making a higher rated item will increase slightly. In addition, the speed of sword type attack skills will increase by 2%.


    * Every time a yer or NPC pays homage to the statue, the ¡®Statue¡¯s Worship¡¯ will increase by 1.


    *Every time the ¡®Statue¡¯s Worship¡¯ value exceeds 5,000, the level of the statue will increase by 1 and the buff effect increases. Sometimes a new buff effect will also open. The maximum level of the stone statue is 15.


    * You can only worship a statue once every three days and the duration of the buffs is two days. In addition, the stone statue buffs can¡¯t be ovepped.


    * The protagonist of the stone statue, ¡®Grid¡¯ will receive the statue buffs for 10 days every time the Statue¡¯s Worship increases by 1,000.


    Current Statue¡¯s Worship: 0


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Dexterity increased by 5%, sword type attack skills by 2%, and there was a light increase in the probability of making higher rated items? It was a very useful buff for Grid. In particr, the ability to acquire 10 days worth of buffs every time the Statue¡¯s Worship value increased by 1,000 was extremely attractive to Grid.


    ¡®Maybe?¡¯


    Considering the fact that Satisfy had two billion users, couldn¡¯t he maintain an infinite statue buffs?


    Dugun dugun!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He was delighted that the statues weren¡¯t merely a symbol and that they gave him an advantage beyond his imagination. But there was something he had to check first.


    "Sticks, can people easily ess the Hall of Fame?¡±


    So what if there were the stone statues? It would be useless if it was hard for the yers toe here.


    Sticks smiled at the concerned Grid.


    ¡°They can. Originally, the entrance to the Behen Archipgo was scattered all throughout the continent. I sealed it in consideration of the danger once it became contaminated, but now there is no more need. In the future, many people will visit the Hall of Fame.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Grid had goosebumps at the thought of his Statue¡¯s Worship increasing rapidly.


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    There was the phrase ¡®statue buffs can¡¯t be ovepped.¡¯ Grid frowned before standing in front of the statues of other legends.


    [Statue of Sword Saint Muller Lv. 1]


    A stone statuememorating the feats of Muller, the strongest Sword Saint of the past who sealed many great demons saved the world.


    If you pay homage to the statue, your strength stat will increase by 7% and the power of your sword type skills will increase by 10%.


    * Every time a yer or NPC pays homage to the statue, the ¡®Statue¡¯s Worship¡¯ will increase by 1.


    *Every time the ¡®Statue¡¯s Worship¡¯ value exceeds 5,000, the level of the statue will increase by 1 and the buff effect increases. The maximum level of the stone statue is 10.


    * You can only worship a statue once every three days and the duration of the buffs is two days. In addition, the stone statue buffs can¡¯t be ovepped.


    Current Statue¡¯s Worship: 0


    ¡°...¡±


    [Statue of the Legendary cksmith Pagma]


    A statuememorating the feat of the legendary cksmith Pagma, who contracted with the 1st Great Demon Baal for the sake of humanity.


    If you pay homage to the stone statue, your dexterity will increase by 7% and the probability of making a higher rated item will increase slightly. In addition, the speed of sword type skills will increase by 2% and the undead summoning skill¡¯s mana cost is reduced by 3%.


    * Every time a yer or NPC pays homage to the statue, the ¡®Statue¡¯s Worship¡¯ will increase by 1...


    ...


    ...


    Current Statue¡¯s Worship: 0


    ¡°No, dammit!¡±


    Grid cursed once he confirmed that the other legendary statues gave buffs. His buffs were the worst so he would be a saint if he didn¡¯t swear.


    "Doesn¡¯t this mean no one will worship my stone statue?¡±


    The infinite stone statue buffs had disappeared! To Grid¡¯s dismay, his stone statue was just a symbol. It seemed that the worship value would be maintained at 0 for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Wow, really XX... I feel like crying... Won¡¯t peopleugh at my statue every time theye here? It¡¯s ugly and useless.¡±


    There was no god in the world. Grid was terribly frustrated. He had forgotten something. The fact that there was Lauel, a more useful person than God, beside him.


    ***


    "Are you now calm?¡±


    After checking the stone statue buffs, Grid was paralyzed for a few minutes. His ugly stone statue was built in the center of the Hall of Fame and the buffs were useless. Grid¡¯s mental state copsed at the thought of it bing a mockery in the future. He had been so proud about having a stone statue in the Hall of Fame and now he wanted to hide it in a mouse hole. But it was only for a moment.


    Grid¡¯s mental state recovered rtively quickly. It was because the weight of the burden he carried was too heavy.


    ¡°Yes... I can¡¯t space out when I have to return to the kingdom.¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom was still under pressure from the empire. As the king, Grid couldn¡¯t be absent forever.


    ¡®I will go back to the pce and check Madra¡¯s diary...¡¯


    If even the diary turned out to be ¡®garbage¡¯ then Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to cope with the mental trauma. Therefore, he wanted to return to the kingdom first to calm his heart.


    "Let¡¯s go back."


    Grid signalled to Sticks.


    Then Sticks said to him, "Before that, let¡¯s hear from the field of session.¡±


    ¡°Field of session?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? The Behen Archipgo is the Hall of Fame that honors the achievements of past legends, while also handing down legacies to the current legends.


    "Ah...!¡± Grid¡¯s expectations rose as he heard the word ¡®legacy.¡¯ ¡°I might inherit the legacy left behind by Pagma?¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    "Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    The field of session located on the 65th ind.


    "It is a ce where no one apart from present legends can enter.¡±


    The field of session was covered in gold. There were nine elegant buildings, like shrines, erected and Grid and Sticks stood in the center. They naturally found the building for the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Session.¡¯ Of the nine buildings, there was one with a hammer an anvil engraved on top of the entrance.


    ¡¯What has been left?¡¯


    Grid questioned and entered the building.


    [You have been admitted to the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Session¡¯ as Pagma¡¯s Descendant.]


    [Wee! Pagma¡¯s Rare Book (2) is waiting for you!]


    Inside the enormous building. There was a book at the end of dozens of pirs. It was simr to the book that Grid obtained from the North End Cave.


    "Gulp."


    What was contained in the book? The tense Grid gulped. He was trying not to expect too much.


    ¡®This is a ce where you can enter as long as you have a legendary ss.¡¯


    Nothing special would be gained from here. It would be a minor skill. He didn¡¯t set his expectations high in order to not be disappointed. Grid thought this many times before touching Pagma¡¯s Rare Book.


    [You have acquired Pagma¡¯s Descendant Hidden Piece ¡®Granting an Ego¡¯.]


    [Granting an Ego]


    You can give the target item an ego.


    It will be ssified as an ego item and the value will be astronomical.


    The amount of times it was possible to use Granting an Ego increases by one every time the skill level of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill increases.


    Current number of egos that can be given: 8/8


    ¡°Ego item...!¡±


    This technique wasn¡¯t just for dwarven cksmiths? Grid trembled in amazement from the new ability. The impact and loss felt after checking the buffs of the stone statue had already been erased.

 Chapter 695

    ¡º As Grid and the Behen Archipgo is bing a hot topic, the S.A. Group has announced the new rules for the 3rd National Competition. ¡»


    ¡º It was a shocking announcement. Thanks to this, interest in Grid has been dispersed. ¡»


    ¡º This is a conspiracy, a conspiracy! The new rules released are too disadvantageous to South Korea! This is a tant shot at South Korea! The S.A. Group deserves criticism at a national level!! ¡»


    The Haenam branch of Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    Peak Sword frowned as he chewed on jokbal. He was angry due to the news report.


    "Those traitorous S.A... The nationalpetition is in three months and they want to add such rules?¡±


    The Olympics, which had long been a festival of the world, werepletely different from when it was first held hundreds of years ago. From the current point of view, the first one had bizarre events and rules. But over the years, know-how was umted and the Olympics applied fair rules that were close to perfection. Yes, it meant that the Satisfy National Competition would one day have aplete system like the Olympics. However, the current system was still iplete.


    The basic rules were changed every year, causing confusion among participants and viewers.


    The 1st National Competition had been limited to 17 participating countries and the yers of each country were obliged to participate in three events.


    On the other hand, the 2nd National Competition was extended to 32 participating countries and the yers of each country could participate in three individual events and three group events, for a total of six events.


    Now the 3rd National Competition scheduled in three months would be expanded to 50 participating countries and each yer was only allowed to take part in two events, whether it was a solo or group event.


    The problem wasn¡¯t the increased number of participating countries. The increase in countries meant the recognition of the National Competition had risen and the gap between yers for each country had narrowed, which was rather positive. The problem was that each individual could only participate in two events.


    In the future, the first ce was likely to be the U.S. which had the widest yer pool. The country that suffered the most damage was undoubtedly South Korea. Why? It was easy when thinking about the reason why South Korea was able to overturn everyone¡¯s expectations and achieve top results in the 1st National Competition and 2nd National Competition.


    It was only thanks to the activities of Grid. Grid secured arge amount of gold medals and raised South Korea¡¯s ranking exponentially. Now that was impossible. No matter how good Grid was, he would eventually only get two gold medals. South Korea relied on the lone Grid and it was impossible to dream about bing the top ranked country.


    "The number of events has even increased to 20... Sigh.¡±


    Peak Sword sighed. He brought up the conspiracy theories that the majority of people had.


    ¡°It seems to be true that the S.A. Group has received funding from the United States. They want the reputation of being the strongest country in Satisfy and are threatened by our country, so they have revised the rules.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it South Korea who has only relied on Grid in the first ce? Can¡¯t you win a gold medal without Grid? What is different if you don¡¯t qualify for the gold medal? Even if South Korea stays in the lower rankings, it can only me itself. There is no reason to me anyone else.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal said while making makguksu. In fact, Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s words were right. Looking at it objectively, South Korea was unusual since it ranked high due to Grid. In fact, criticism had sprung up which was why the rules of the 3rd National Competition had been changed. However, Peak Sword refuted it.


    "It definitely is sad to rely on only one person. But isn¡¯t it funny for the organizer to change the rules just to keep one person in check? Think about it. Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina are good at ser and keep winning the World Cup. Have they ever had rules against them?¡±


    "...No, ser is different.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal clicked his tongue when Peak Sword came up with an absurd example. But Peak Sword didn¡¯t care and continued the im.


    "On the other hand, what about Taekwondo and E-sports? South Korea won medals in variouspetitions and they adopted rules to keep South Korea in check! This is really reasonable!! The whole world is bullying South Korea!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was a Korean after all. He didn¡¯t agree 100% with Peak Sword¡¯s im, but he could empathize to some extent. But what could they do? Everyone med South Korea and felt resentment for their ranking in the previous two National Competitions. There wasn¡¯t a single country who felt it was fair when they saw South Korea securing arge number of gold medals thanks to Grid. If the National Competition continued to be dominated by Grid, it would lose credibility and be a minor contest.


    "Peak Sword, you should understand this part. Would you be able to speak like this if you aren¡¯t Korean?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "The scale of the Satisfy National Competition is big, but it¡¯s still a newpetition. Anything that feels unreasonable right now will eventually be a foothold for the future. Over the years, it will eventually develop into apetition where everyone will be satisfied.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal had organized and operated Blood Carnival to fulfill his own desires. Considering his basic tendencies, these lines didn¡¯t fit him. However, Eat Spicy Jokbal was changing. It was a phenomenon that urred as a result of getting close to Peak Sword who came every week. Eat Spicy Jokbal, who was only interested in his own growth in the game, was nowforting Peak Sword. He was being grabbed by Peak Sword¡¯s warm personality.


    "Stop being upset and drink more soju.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal filled up Peak Sword¡¯s empty ss of soju. Peak Sword drank it and revealed his true feelings.


    "Eat Spicy Jokbal, I dislike people like you. People think that South Korea is a country weak in Satisfy but what is the reality? I heard rumors that there are many South Koreans among the unofficial rankers. One of them is right here, Eat Spicy Jokbal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "If you gamers who hide in the shadows for the sake of personal gain actually fought for South Korea, then nobody would think this. South Korea could be recognized as a great power in Satisfy like the United States or Canada. Everyone in South Korea could be proud. But what is the reality? Among the yers, Yura and Grid are the only ones fighting for South Korea with pure intentions.¡±


    Peak Sword was also ming himself for not participating in the 1st National Competition. Why hadn¡¯t he taken part in the 1st National Competition? He was afraid that he would have to disclose all his skills to the world and tricked himself, saying ¡°Nothing will change even if I participate in thepetition.¡±


    On the other hand, Grid and Yura took a penalty andmitted to the country. This was Peak Sword¡¯s subjective interpretation. In particr, he was still shocked when he thought of the scene where Grid, who was close to obscurity, appeared in the 1st National Competition and revealed his talents.


    "I hope you won¡¯t regret it like me... Participate in the 3rd National Competition and let the world know that Grid and Yura aren¡¯t the only talents in South Korea. How exciting would it be if we can prove that even changing the rules won¡¯t push down South Korea!!¡±


    Peak Sword had already eaten more than half the jokbal. First he asked for makguksu as a service and now he was making this request of Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    "Didn¡¯t you approach me to get me to join Overgeared? Now you are telling me to fight for South Korea. I don¡¯t know what you want.¡±


    It was a criticism telling Peak Sword not to forget his original intentions. After Peak Sword came every week, Eat Spicy Jokbal thought of him more as a drinkingpanion than an Overgeared member. Of course, it was a miscalction. Peak Sword hadn¡¯t forgotten. He was just greedy.


    "If you join the Overgeared Guild, the Overgeared Guild will be abundant. If you participate in the National Competition, South Korea will be abundant. I want both.¡±


    "In the end, you want everything? Aren¡¯t you being too greedy?¡±


    "Of course I won¡¯t push you. I don¡¯t have the right to do that. The choice is yours. No matter the choice, I still want you to be my drinking buddy. Your jokbal is delicious.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal filled Peak Sword¡¯s ss again. His ability to make dungeons could be used in various fields and he was the best talent that had the title of ¡®conditional¡¯ strongest alongside Yura, Katz, and Seuron. Now he was locked in deep thoughts.


    ***


    "Hero King~ Hero King ~~ lululu~~Ego sword producer ~~~ llulua~~~¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Really, Grid was a person with a lot of emotional ups and downs. The man who had been holding his head in frustration a few minutes ago was now dancing around the room and singing. Question marks appeared above Sticks¡¯ head as he watched Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s amazing that he can show such extreme concentration in battle when he has this personality.¡¯


    By default, a person needed to be self-controlled in order to show high concentration. But the usual Grid seemed like an innocent child. It was questionable how such a person could control himself and show high concentration.


    ¡®He must try harder than others...¡¯


    He came up to his present ce despite hiscking talent because he worked hard. Sticksughed and used Mass Teleport.


    ***


    ¡°A letter came from Lubana.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s finally here.¡±


    The capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    Lauel looked up from where he had been buried in a pile of documents. The sender of the letter that the soldier held was stated to be the ¡®descendant of the Undefeated King.¡¯ Lauel could easily infer the contents of the letter.


    ¡®He is asking to cooperate in the war.¡¯


    It was the right answer. The person who imed himself to be the descendant of the Undefeated King and caused a rebellion in Lubana hoped that the Overgeared troops would move while the empire was concentrating its forces on Lubana. The rumor that the rtionship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire wasn¡¯t good was already spreading and the descendant believed it would be a good proposition for Overgeared.


    ¡°But why should we do this?¡±


    The request of the descendant was to attack the rear of the empire and disperse their gaze. Lauel had no intention of epting this. There was no way of knowing exactly who the descendant of the Undefeated King was and the situation in Lubana. The risk was too great to stand on their side.


    "I thought he would give a bit of information about himself in the letter, but he hid it until the end.¡±


    Lauel confirmed the contents of the disappointing letter and put it in a corner of his inventory.


    Pahat!


    There was a sh of light in the center of the office and Sticks and Grid appeared.


    ¡°Ah! How surprising!¡±


    Two people suddenly appeared in a quiet room. Lauel would be dull if he didn¡¯t feel surprised. The startled Lauel fell back. Grid approached him and extended a big hand.


    "Isn¡¯t this too over the top? What will the Overgeared Kingdom do if a high ranker has such a poor body?¡±


    "...I don¡¯t dare be called a high ranker in front of someone who is ranked third on the unified rankings.¡±


    Tears poured from Lauel¡¯s eyes as he sped Grid¡¯s callused hands. Grid had only been at the Behen Archipgo for 10 days, but Lauel felt like he was seeing Grid after a very long time. It was natural. Grid hadpletely changed in these 10 days. He had gained close to 10 levels, his expression had matured further and the red energy around his body gave off a transcendental energy. It felt like Grid came back apletely different person.


    "What a wonderful aura... Have you finally recovered some of the power that was sealed in a previous life?¡±


    "Hahaha, I¡¯m d to hear your chuuni words after such a long time.¡±


    Grid also felt like it had been a long time since he saw Lauel. It was because he experienced many things on the Behen Archipgo. Looking back at what happened on the Behen Archipgo, it felt like it took ce over several months rather than days.


    "Are you going to see Queen Irene?¡±


    After a brief greeting, Grid immediately opened the office door.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to the library.¡±


    Grid waved a shabby looking booklet.


    "Eh? Huh? Library??¡±


    Lauel doubted his ears. It was because the space called the library didn¡¯t suit Grid at all. Lauel had never once seen or heard of Grid using the library.


    ¡°...¡±


    What was so urgent that Grid had to leave immediately? Then Lauel asked Sticks, who was puzzled about why he had to teleport into someone¡¯s office.


    "Is His Majesty okay? Did he perhaps hit his head?"


    ¡°...¡±


    So it was unusual to read a book. Sticks felt pity that Grid was misunderstood as having a head injury just for going to study.

 Chapter 696

    "Anyone who knows the joy of reading has a way to face the disaster.¡±


    Just as there was a phrase like this, reading in Satisfy was also ssified as a valuable hobby. yers were able to umte new knowledge through reading and enjoy the synergistic effect of various stats based on this. asionally, they could get quests and skills by following the clues in books. Even if they couldn¡¯t get anything, they were able to be absorbed in the joy of the moment. Therefore, reading was an absolute benefit.


    In particr, Satisfy boasted a vast worldview and the amount of books it possessed was tremendous. Even the protagonist of the rumor that ¡®there is a madman who only reads books whenever he connects to Satisfy¡¯ had only read a fraction of Satisfy¡¯s books.


    Of course, this story was far from Grid. From the standpoint of Grid whoseprehension was less than ordinary people, reading was a hobby not for him and he naturally kept away from books. But now.


    [Death Knight Madra¡¯s Diary]


    ¡°...¡±


    A royal study room located in the Overgeared Pce. Grid sat where Irene and Lord normally did and faced a book.


    ¡®How long has it been since I read a book?¡¯


    It wasst year, when he read the instructions for the diamond ss capsule that he received from the Comet Group.


    ¡°Umm... The contents of the diary can¡¯t be as difficult.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know that it was rare for anyone to read a manual from the first chapter tost chapter in detail. His obsession with hisck of talent caused him to finish reading the book all the way to the end. He perceived reading as bor¡¯ and was nervous despite this not being an educational book.


    ¡°Sigh, okay.¡±


    Grid took a deep breath and controlled his mind. It was a process to maintain his concentration until he finished reading Madra¡¯s diary.


    ¡®Well, it is unlikely I will get something because it is just a diary. I need to work hard.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations for the diary were surprisingly small despite purchasing it for one million challenger points. There was a basis. He couldn¡¯t forget that one word would make things different. The diary that Grid obtained from the Behen Archipgo was precisely the diary of Death Knight Madra.


    It wasn¡¯t Undefeated King Madra. In other words, it was a diary written after Madra was resurrected as a death knight, not when he was living. It was realistic not to expect something special from the diary created by Madra who had been trapped on the ind for over 100 years after bing a death knight.


    p.


    Finally.


    Grid opened the first chapter of Madra¡¯s diary. At the same time, Grid wasn¡¯t seeing sentences written in the diary. His eyes naturally closed and what followed was the gaze, sensation, and emotions of someone else.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    An indirect experience item. This was the identity of Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary. As soon as the diary was opened, Grid became Madra.


    ***


    The first chapter.


    Once I opened my eyes again, the most amazing thing was that I couldn¡¯t feel my own breathing. I realized that I wasn¡¯t alive. Yes, I died. Then how did I open my eyes again? It was confusing.


    ...Confusing? I feel confusion? Did the cognitive power of the Undefeated King Madra decline to this level?


    It was weird. Perhaps I was wandering in my dreams? From the beginning, I wasn¡¯t dead. It was just a long nightmare. No.


    Rattle.


    ...This was the awful reality. I tried to put my hand on my forehead and witnessed it. My body, it was just bones. The red blood that always boiled hot, the muscles that were never cut, the flesh and skin... Everything was stripped and gone.


    Ah, the memories. I died. I was murdered by my own flesh and blood and given to the beasts of Saharan. Huh, whose head was this? Everything was unfamiliar. An empty goal that couldn¡¯t contain the total amount of memories flooding back like a tsunami. It took too much time to think. I couldn¡¯t get away from the strange sense of confusion.


    Step.


    The source of the current situation appeared. The man with the feminine face. I knew him. I remember the man with the cold eyes that wasn¡¯t suitable to be called Duke of Fire.


    ¡°P...agma...¡±


    I barely managed to open my mouth and my voice was a deep roar that echoed. It was an ufortable voice to hear. I felt ufortable and the Duke of Fire bowed deeply.


    "Undefeated King, sacrifice yourself for the peace of the world.¡±


    ***


    ¡°...Ugh!¡±


    The moment the first chapter in the diary ended. Grid¡¯s mind returned to reality. The confusion, anger, resentment, and sorrow felt by Madra after he was resurrected as a death knight. Grid experienced all these gloomy emotions from Madra¡¯s position. The mental shock he received was too big to bear. His whole body was sweating as he looked around with trembling eyes.


    ¡°Kuoock... Kuhuk!¡±


    Flop!


    Grid fell to the ground from the chair and couldn¡¯t help shedding tears. He was cursed by the people he protected his whole life, stabbed in the heart by his son, his head cut off and his decaying corpse fell into a bleak desert without entering a coffin. Then when he opened his eyes again, he was a skeleton. Despair led to nothing but more despair.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Was he Grid or was he Madra? The terrible confusion that filled Grid after experiencing Madra¡¯s memory seemed tost forever. He wiped at the tears that kept falling and breathed roughly, his face distorted with pain. His field of view was blinking red.


    [¡ï Warning ¡ï You have assimted with Madra in the diary and shared his memories and feelings. You need to be careful because you are psychologically feeling a great amount of anxiety and pain.]


    [You are in extreme confusion.]


    [The system is checking your brain waves and pulse. If it is determined to be dangerous, Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary will be sealed.]


    "Ku...no!¡±


    Immersive virtual reality often put the yer at risk. For example, the first meeting with Huroi a long time ago. The warning message from the system wasn¡¯t unfamiliar because Grid strongly remembered what happened that day. This wasn¡¯t exaggerated and Grid was scared.


    But he didn¡¯t give in. Grid intended to receive what Madra left behind. The tears stopped as he started to distinguish reality from virtual reality. He was aware that he wasn¡¯t Madra, but Grid, and Shin Youngwoo before he was Grid.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen...


    His crazily beating heart started to stabilize.


    [You are free from the confusion.]


    [Your vitals have returned to normal. The second chapter of Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary is unfolding.]


    [Do you want to read it?]


    "Of course...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s fear hadn¡¯t gone away yet. He was already trembling at the thought of experiencing Madra¡¯s point of view again. But when faced with trials, Grid knew better than anyone that grumbling and giving up because of fear would be a lifelong regret. Grid opened the second chapter of Madra¡¯s diary.


    ***


    The second chapter.


    "Undefeated King, sacrifice yourself for the peace of the world.¡±


    White skin contrasted with long ck hair. The long and narrow eyes were cold. The legendary cksmith, the Duke of Fire was bowing his head to Madra. Then Grid was Madra.


    "You want me to sacrifice myself?¡±


    It was very unpleasant. Regardless of will, I was being forced to sacrifice myself immediately after being resurrected as an undead. Anxiety and fear boiled up from deep inside. This was before I heard any exnation.


    "It has been a long time since I felt such anger.¡±


    I intuitively sensed that the current Duke of Fire was a target to be hated. He managed to stir up a body made entirely of bones. Strange. But I definitely realized. This was my burden of the present.


    "The situation... You should first exin more.¡±


    The person who resurrected me must be the Duke of Fire. I wanted to kill him right now, but I couldn¡¯t. Why? He must¡¯ve resurrected me for some reason. I had to know what sacrifice he was talking about. The answer was absurd.


    "The great demons are invading this ce, the Behen Archipgo. As you know, the Behen Archipgo is the session ce and the Hall of Fame. If this falls into the hands of the great demons, there is no future for humanity. You must protect it.¡±


    ¡°The future of humanity...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a problem for me to discuss. I was only responsible for the future of my people. Aside from that, I had no interest. That¡¯s why I became more angry.


    ¡°...I see. This is why you are keeping me here and resurrected me as an undead? How trivial! How scandalous! How dare you deprive me of my burden! You deserve to die a hundred times!!¡±


    ***


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    The moment Madra roared angrily and drew his sword.


    Grid was returned back to reality. It was the end of the second indirect experience. Grid¡¯s fingers were shaking. He was afraid. The feeling when he pulled out a sword with a hand only made of bones came back with him,pletely frightening him.


    ¡®So vivid.¡¯


    He wanted to avoid bing an undead. The moment he gulped.


    [At present, you can¡¯t reproduce Madra¡¯s swordsmanship with your abilities. You can¡¯t read the second chapter of the diary to the end.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    A notification window popped up.


    [In order to read the second chapter of the diary, you need to learn Madra¡¯s swordsmanship.]


    [Swordsmanship Textbook: 100,000 Army Swordsmanship has been acquired.]


    [Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary is sealed until you learn 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Madra¡¯s swordsmanship book? It was a reward he couldn¡¯t even imagine!


    ¡®This is just from reading the second chapter of the diary!¡¯


    The astonished Grid confirmed the swordsmanship book.


    [Swordsmanship Textbook: 100,000 Army Swordsmanship]


    Rating: Legendary


    A textbook recording the basics of Madra¡¯s swordsmanship. However, it records the swordsmanship used after Madra became a death knight, so the contents are weakpared to the original.


    There are only two swordsmanship techniques recorded. 100,000 Army Blockade Sword (Degraded) and 100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded).


    Learning Conditions: Those who have been recognized by Madra.


    ¡°Madra...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s blood was boiling. He became hostile to Pagma in the diary, but he didn¡¯t care. He was thrilled that an overwhelmingly strong man had acknowledged him.


    ¡°The legacy you left... I¡¯m going to use it for the rest of my life.¡±


    Grid had always been anxious since witnessing the power of Sword Saint Kraugel during the Great Demon Belial raid. Kraugel split the world despite his level still being low. Grid realized that he needed to continue to grow, grow, and grow in order to keep up with Kraugel.


    Now he got a new opportunity. It was extremely valuable. Grid silently closed Madra¡¯s old diary and was resolved.


    "The greatness of the Undefeated King, I will announce it to the world.¡±


    The true swordsmanship of the Undefeated King was a natural step for the descendant of the Undefeated King. But Grid had a hunch that he would at least be able to maintain the Undefeated King¡¯s will.


    At the same time, the Saharan Empire¡¯s territory of Lubana.


    ¡°This is the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant? How boring.¡±


    Mercedes became angry as she arrived at the scene of the army fighting the rebels. Her blue eyes were focused on a man in majestic armor surrounded by knights and soldiers. The few weeks of struggle against the empire¡¯s regr army was an achievement that would go in history, but that was it. In the end, it wasn¡¯t enough to change history.


    "In the first ce, the Undefeated King is nothing. History was just exaggerating.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ ridicule permeated the ground. It was as if she was mocking Madra in the grave.

 Chapter 697

    Grid got a textbook containing the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King! He was impressed by the fact that 100,000 Army Swordsmanship was ssified as a legendary skill.


    ¡¯It¡¯s legendary despite being a degraded version...¡¯


    100,000 Army Swordsmanship was also just the ¡®basic swordsmanship¡¯ of Undefeated King Madra. Braham said that Madra¡¯s true value was exerted from at least 500,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    ¡®The more I know about the past legends, the greater they be.¡¯


    Grid recalled when he first assimted with Braham. Braham used Mana Drain the Sky and forcibly absorbed all the mana from nature. From that time, Grid realized that the current legends weren¡¯tparable to the previous generation. Even Piaro, one of the strongest people of the present time, wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a fireball from Braham in his prime.


    "...That¡¯s why it¡¯s interesting.¡±


    Satisfy was still in the early stages of its story and it meant there was room for further growth. Grid¡¯s motivation shot up.


    ¡®Let¡¯s catch up with the former legends.¡¯


    No, he would surpass them. Kraugel¡¯s goal was the same. There was no need to dy. Grid was filled withrge ambitions as he opened the textbook for 100,000 Swordsmanship. At the same time.


    [You are attempting to learn a new swordsmanship technique, 100,000 Army Swordsmanship (Degraded).]


    [You are someone who has received the recognition of the Undefeated King. You have already achieved the learning condition of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    [Congrattions! You have seeded in acquiring the 100,000 Army Blockade Sword (Degraded) and 100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded)!]


    [The new skill information can be found in the skills list.]


    ¡°Good!"


    Grid immediately opened the skills window. 100,000 Army Massacre Sword sent out 40 attacks per second over a wide range. It was obviously a superior version of Link, so Grid wanted to try it quickly. However.


    [100,000 Army Blockade Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    It deals 20% damage to all enemies visible in your field of view and deals 3 seconds of the ¡®blockade¡¯ effect. The targets that are blocked can¡¯t move and their use of skills and magic is blocked.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 5,000 mana, 20 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    * The skill isn¡¯t activated. You must acquire the sword energy resource to activate the skill.


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    Deals 60% of your attack power 30 times to everyone (can¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe) in a 10 meter radius.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 8,000 mana, 50 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    * The skill isn¡¯t activated. You must acquire the sword energy resource to activate the skill.


    ¡°What¡¯s sword energy?¡±


    It said it was possible to learn it, but not how. He had an illusion of the system message moving in front of him.


    ¡°...No, is this a joke?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t use a skill that he won in a fair fight after being acknowledged by the opponent?


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Grid denied reality. He got up and left the study. He headed through the wide corridor towards the pce garden.


    "Kyaaak! The Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh! The Overgeared King!¡±


    The maids and gardeners in the garden cheered when they saw Grid. They were d to have the good fortune of weing the world¡¯s most respected king. They held their breaths as Grid pulled out a gorgeous red long sword. The people gathered, regardless of gender, watched Grid with shining eyes. Then Grid...


    "100,000 Army.¡±


    Clink!


    On one side of the garden. He aimed at the trees and used a skill.


    ¡°Massacre Sword!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The dozens of maids and gardeners watching Grid were simultaneously shocked. Their great king was talking about ughtering 100,000 troops. They were all nervous about what type of swordsmanship would develop. The result?


    Hwiiiing~~


    Nothing happened. The trees in front of Grid didn¡¯t have a single injury.


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword is a non-activated skill. It has failed.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid, the maids, and the gardeners were silent.


    On this day. The rumor that Grid was a chuuni started to spread in the Overgeared Kingdom. 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Starting with the name, the debut of the strongest skill was the worst.


    ***


    "Ah, it¡¯s seriously nasty.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased his attack power and chances of a critical hit when deactivated. That¡¯s why Grid¡¯s basic attacks were strong. Grid was sincerely anticipating the power of 100,000 Army Swordsmanshipbined with the passive function of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Yet he couldn¡¯t use it at all?


    ¡®The mana consumption is really high, but what the hell is sword energy?¡¯


    Grid was forced to invest points in intelligence but his total mana was still less than 14,000. 100,000 Army Swordsmanship consumed 5,000 and 8,000 mana and this was a huge burden alone. It was painful that he needed one more unidentified resource.


    ¡®Wow, shit... I have the fraudulent skill that causes 60% damage 30 times over a wide area and I can¡¯t use it...¡¯


    It was psychologically painful. It felt like he was being tortured. The frustrated Grid was suddenly reminded of Chris.


    ¡°Won¡¯t Chris know about sword energy?¡±


    After obtaining the title of Hero King, Grid opened a new resource called fighting energy. It was likely that sword energy was a resource for sses specializing in swordsmanship. And the 1st ranked Chris was a master of the greatsword. After joining Overgeared with the Giant Guild members and bing a duke, he was one of the people that Grid most relied on.


    Grid didn¡¯t hesitate and went to find Chris.


    ***


    Reidan.


    Arge city that was once the home of the Overgeared Guild, it was now called the second capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. The lord of this ce was Chris. He was a yer with a natural talent and a good mentor called Zirkan. He was once the leader of the Giant Guild that was part of the Seven Guilds and a strong person in Satisfy. In particr, his strength stat was high enough to overwhelm Grid. After acquiring his second ss Tyrant, he had the ability to take away strength from surrounding targets and could exert a destructive power higher than Grid¡¯s Enlightenment Sword.


    Who would¡¯ve imagined that the Canadian representative in Satisfy would one day join Grid? The world had been shocked the day Chris bowed to Grid during the founding ceremony. There were many voices shouting that Grid had caught Chris¡¯ weakness and was threatening him.


    But the reality waspletely different. Chris acknowledged Grid and served Grid of his own free will. Chris was confident that he could be the best if he was with Grid. Anyway, the bottom line was that Chris liked Grid. Except when this happens.


    "I also want to use sword energy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, what type of nonsense did hee for? Chris was hunting in a vampire city when his concentration was shattered.


    "Sword energy is a unique resource for swordsmen who have earned the title of great swordsman. How can you use it?¡±


    Sakak-!


    Chris attacked the true blood vampires on both sides. It was a truly excellent swordsmanship that inspired Grid. Grid felt a cool and stuffy emotion in his chest when he saw Chris¡¯ exciting swordsmanship after a long time.


    "You really do know about sword energy. I need to obtain sword energy. How do I get it?¡±


    Puk.


    Puuoook!


    Kwaaaang!


    Grid struck the true blood vampire four times per second and then killed it with a ck me explosion. Chris was speechless for a moment.


    ¡®This is the rumored new sword?¡¯


    The power of Grid¡¯s sword was tremendous. Chris admired Grid, who grew by leaps and bounds in a few months.


    "Didn¡¯t you reach 3rd on the rankings after clearing the Behen Archipgo and getting the title of Hero King?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t boast in front of the 1st ranked user.¡±


    ¡°...Bah.¡±


    Chris knew. The throne that was 1st in the unified rankings could be taken away by Grid at any time. But Chris didn¡¯t feel bad or anxious. He already acknowledged Grid. He was ready to give the ce to Grid at any time. Of course, he didn¡¯t intend for anyone other than Grid to take the seat.


    "Did you gain a swordsmanship technique from the Behen Archipgo?¡±


    The clever Chris immediately guessed Grid¡¯s situation. It was an incredible reasoning that impressed the dumb Grid.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are really impressive.¡±


    ¡°In conclusion, sword energy is a resource that opens up only after reaching a certain level after bing a great swordsman. And great swordsman is a title that can only be obtained if you have a swordsman type ss. In other words, you absolutely can¡¯t obtain sword energy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes twitched. He was hit with cold reality. He angrily used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcend. He ughtered the vampiresing out of the darkness and gave a deep sigh.


    ¡°Then what should I do? I will never be able to use the skill that consumes sword energy?¡±


    "It was originally like that. But it might be possible.¡±


    Suuuuok. The 13th vampire city.


    Elfin Stone who once ruled the city had been reced by another true blood vampire. Grid and Chris. The two strongest of Overgeared had already reached the boss¡¯ room. The boss was furious at his sleep being disturbed and attacked the two. At this point, a blue energy rose from Chris¡¯ body like a haze.


    ¡°This is sword energy.¡±


    Peeng!


    Chris¡¯ greatsword drew a blue line. It was an iparably powerful blow that blew away the upper body of the 13th city¡¯s boss.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°The red energy around your body, is that the fighting energy gained after winning the title of Hero King?¡±


    Chris focused on Grid¡¯s fighting energy.


    "ording to a quest I did in the past, Hero King was Muller¡¯s title.¡±


    ¡°Sword Saint Muller...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Muller would use sword energy and fighting energy. It means that fighting energy is a resource that can be used with swordsmanship. Why don¡¯t you try recing sword energy with fighting energy?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    "...I¡¯m not in a position to answer. You have to find the answer yourself.¡±


    Kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    [The owner of the 13th city, True Blood Vampire Ray has been destroyed.]


    Grid and Chris had a lot ofbat experience. They didn¡¯t miss anything in the raid while talking and the result was amazing. The two of them captured the vampire city in the shortest time. Grid thought about it.


    ¡®It might be time to challenge the next cities.¡¯


    Grid and the Overgeared Guild hadn¡¯t challenged any new vampire cities because they feared the power of Vampire Duke Marie Rose and the other direct descendants. But now quite a lot of time had passed. Grid and the Overgeared members had all grown. Wouldn¡¯t they be rtively safe as long as they didn¡¯t meet Marie Rose?


    ¡°Um... I have to talk to Sticks about fighting energy. Thanks again, Chris. Level up.¡±


    "You took away all my experience and now you are saying this...¡±


    "Haha, sorry. Get in touch if you need me!¡±


    Grid left the grumbling Chris behind and returned to Reinhardt. Chris smiled as he was left alone.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the National Competition.¡±

 Chapter 698

    Click.


    The lid of the diamond ss Comet Group capsule quietly opened. The person who raised his body from inside was none other than Shin Youngwoo.


    ¡®I now understand Piaro¡¯s words from his days as a great swordsman.¡¯


    In the past, Piaro expressed that he had abandoned aura for sword energy. It seemed like an abstract concept in martial arts, so Grid hadn¡¯t understood it at the time, but now it was clear.


    ¡®At that time, Piaro acquired a new resource called sword energy. But due to his position as a NPC, it¡¯s different to articte the concept of a special resource.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know for certain why he had to leave aura. However, now it was possible to deduce to a certain degree.


    ¡®There are skills that use sword energy as a resource and the power of these skills is much better than aura.¡¯


    Every person had different skills. In Piaro¡¯s case, his aura rted skills might be rtively weak. It didn¡¯t make sense to have them grab his ankle when he was trying to be a sword saint.


    ¡°Huuk. Huuk.¡±


    Youngwoo was moving continuously even while thinking. He stretched the body that had been trapped in the capsule, did one hundred push-ups and then one hundred pull-ups. A healthy mind would dwell in a healthy body. The reason Youngwoo logged out every six hours was to eat and to maintain his health.


    ¡®If I didn¡¯t exercise...¡¯


    His head would be even more like a stone and he would be frustrated every time he looked in the mirror. He felt good every time he exercised, allowing his mind to emit a clear and positive energy.


    ¡¯...There are two ways I can approach sword energy.¡¯


    Youngwoo showered after his workout. He had jajangmyeon delivered for lunch then he put on a cardigan and sat in front of the garden pond. His disciplined body in the pond was nice enough topare with athletes and his deeply thoughtful eyes were reminiscent of an actor.


    ¡®First I need to figure out how to rece sword energy with fighting energy.¡¯


    In this case, he had to rely on Sticks. He couldn¡¯t be sure how to use fighting energy but Sticks was still a sage. He might have clues for Youngwoo.


    ¡®The second is to examine the sword with Piaro and Asmophel.¡¯


    There had to be a way of achieving the great swordsman title through training. Chris was convinced that great swordsman was a title unique to swordsman sses but Grid¡¯s idea was different. Why? Pagma was a great swordsman.


    ¡®A cksmith and great swordsman...¡¯


    If it was possible for Pagma, it would be possible for him as well. Grid had faith, but he would rather find a way to exploit fighting energy than being a great swordsman. ording to Chris, sword energy was a resource that opened at a certain level after bing a great swordsman. In other words, it didn¡¯t mean he would obtain sword energy if he became a great swordsman.


    ¡®I might have to take great swordsman rted quests for a few years.¡¯


    It had almost been two years in Satisfy time since Grid received Braham¡¯s soul. But he only had a few magic spells avable. It took a lot of time and effort to gain results in areas far from his ss.


    ¡®First of all, I want to use 100,000 Army Swordsmanship right now.¡¯


    It was a hidden skill that he obtained after suffering. To not be able to use it was painful.


    ¡®If possible, I want to activate the skill before the National Competition.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of Chris, who he met after a long time. As he was growing, other people were also growing. Grid wanted to be more perfect and stronger in the National Competition. That¡¯s right. Grid had already decided to participate in the 3rd National Competition. It was because the propaganda effect was important.


    ¡®I have to stamp the majesty of the Overgeared King onto the world so that people will quickly gather in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    In the next National Competition.


    ¡®I need to be active and show my strength every time.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo promised. But he didn¡¯t know. There was a video file on the Inte called ¡®Grid¡¯s Chunni Scene.avi¡¯...


    ***


    Grid was the best star of South Korea! His fan cafe membership now exceeded one million. There were many people who loved Grid and some of them had the stalker temperament. They wanted to see Grid asionally and there was a female yer who worked as a maid in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    She was the culprit. As soon as she discovered that Grid had appeared in the pce, she turned on video recording mode and then Grid shouted 100,000 Army Massacre Sword.


    "Haack, haack. Grid is so cute.¡±


    A wide back and shoulders like a swimmer. Sharp eyes without double eyelids. Such a manly person was doing such cute actions?


    The woman in her early 20¡¯s, ¡®Min¡¯ reyed the video of Grid shouted 100,000 Army Massacre Sword at a tree several times. She was in ecstasy. Then she suddenly had a desire to share this video with other fans. It was purely to spread the appearance of the cute Grid. Thus, she finally uploaded the video to Grid¡¯s fan cafe.


    The resulting ripple effect wasrge. The video of Grid shouting 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was spread by members of Grid¡¯s fan cafe to various SNS sites andmunities.


    -100,000 Army Massacre Sword ????? Crazy ?????


    -Having delusions of killing 100,000...


    -No, no matter how delusional it is.Isn¡¯t the naming sense too low level?Isn¡¯t this childish skill name something an elementary school student would make up?Is Grid¡¯s mental age that low?


    -Sigh, really.What mental age?You can y when you are alone.


    -It¡¯s too different from what I see on broadcast.it is funny that he has caught the chuuni disease.


    -Chuuni?Grid¡¯s life is one million times better than yours.


    -It is funny that this video is controversial right now.Doesn¡¯t everyone know that Grid is a chuuni?If he was a normal person, will he be able to think up the names Overgeared Guild, Overgeared Kingdom, and Overgeared King?Aren¡¯t you all idiots?


    -...


    People didn¡¯t know about the existence of a skill called 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. They had no choice but tobel it Grid¡¯s naming sense. Of course, there were many people who purely enjoyed the video, such as members of Grid¡¯s fan cafe. The achievements that Grid showed were so diverse that it was extremely rare to see someone unconditionally envy and degrade Grid.


    ***


    A beautiful penins that boasted a variety of climates, Lubana. It had already been 200 years since it became a territory of the Saharan Empire, but Lubana had great pride in its history and culture. It was natural, since it existed as an independent kingdom for approximately half a thousand years before Madra died.


    But the people of Lubana were in pain. It was due to the discrimination of the maind and the distorted education imposed by the empire. The people of Lubana had been constantly suppressed for the past 200 years and this resulted in great dissatisfaction with the empire.


    At this time, a person who imed to be the descendant of the Undefeated King appeared. He shouted.


    ¡®I will free you.¡¯


    It was enough to tempt the already tired people of Lubana. The Lubana people responded to the descendant of the Undefeated King and rebelled against the empire. It was a movement for independence. The people of Lubana didn¡¯t want to be discriminated against any longer. They wanted to live freely.


    However, the empire didn¡¯t tolerate their free will and dispatched troops. The descendant of the Undefeated King fought back.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Oasis. He was an early user who had been ying since Satisfy opened. He always maintained a ranking within the top 10 million. 10 million out of two billion. It was certainly a high ranking. But the level was too vague to boast about. A person in the middle of mediocrity, that was Oasis.


    Of course, Oasis was aware of this fact. He never once thought of himself as extraordinary, and celebrities such as Kraugel and Grid were always the subject of his longing. If only he was born with talent like Kraugel. If only he had good luck and the charm to attract people like Grid. He really didn¡¯t know how many times he hoped and dreamt about this. They were ideal protagonists of a shonen manhwa. Just like most people, Oasis wanted to be a special person.


    But reality was relentless and his everyday life was always ordinary. One day, an opportunity arrived for him. Due to his timid personality, he was always cautious. That¡¯s why Oasis had never lost a fight. He had never been defeated or died when he came to Lubana as a second advancement ss and found something.


    An old sheath. It was an ego item with part of the ego of the Undefeated King.


    -There isn¡¯t the aura of a loser or a master around you.In any case, you are undefeated.You are moderately interesting and curious.In the end, what type of master are you?I will check.


    Undefeated King Madra. A rtively unknown personpared to other legends because he was only active in Lubana during his lifetime. Oasis smiled the moment he was chosen. It was due to the idea that ¡®an ordinary person was chosen by a legend.¡¯ Anyway, this was an opportunity for Oasis.


    ¡®I will also be a legend.¡¯


    Would it be possible to work alongside Kraugel and Grid, who he had previously only seen from a distance? Could he also live like a protagonist in a movie? Oasis couldn¡¯t miss this chance. He respectfully received the Undefeated King¡¯s old sheath.


    ¡°I will believe and follow you. Please make me a master.¡±


    He would be a master. If he was like Kraugel or Grid, he would¡¯ve shouted this. But Oasis was just an extra. He couldn¡¯t shout such a thing. He was desperate. After careful thought, he proceeded with a long quest from the old sheath that took a year. It was an opportunity he won with his own efforts, but Oasis couldn¡¯t recognize this. He believed it was luck that this chance came to an ordinary person like him and tried not to miss it.


    As a result, the old sheath gave him a choice. During the process of performing the ss quest to be the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant, he took on the adventure of a lifetime. He waged war against the Saharan Empire. He who had always hidden in a safe ce. He who had always given up dangerous adventures and quests.


    He had hopes and dreams. After this adventure, he hoped to be the main character. But he soon realized.


    ¡®A dream is just a dream...¡¯


    Ku tang tang tang!


    It had been a long time since his vision started blinking red.


    Oasis no longer resisted the knights. The passive super sensitivity and status resistance gained after bing the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant candidate was still exercised, but his physical and mental strength were at their limits. The effect of the ¡®infinite stamina¡¯ and ¡®10 times stats increase¡¯ received from quest progress privilege was ineffective.


    ¡®The reason I wasn¡¯t defeated once after getting my second advancement ss is...¡¯


    It was because he ran away. It wasn¡¯t because he fought and won in trials like the Undefeated King.


    ¡®I...¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t qualified. Oasis¡¯ heart acknowledged the awful reality. The dream he had in his heart was shattered. Surrounded by thousands of imperial troops, First Knight Mercedes approached him. A beautiful and expressionless woman. A big shot that the original Oasis would¡¯ve never been able to face. There was no inspiration in her eyes as she gazed at Oasis.


    "In the end, the rebels are suppressed. You have lost in your debut and are disqualified from being the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    "...I never qualified in the first ce.¡±


    Oasis silently closed his eyes. He had no fear about facing death for the first time, nor did he regret losing the opportunity to be the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant. As he recalled the fact that pine needles should just eat pine needles, he prepared to return to his original ce.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Hey, youngdy. Hasn¡¯t it been a while?¡±


    Suddenly, Oasis heard a middle-aged man¡¯s voice. The power of the voice was so great that the eyes of thousands of soldiers headed in its direction. Oasis also reflexively turned his head. Then he saw it.


    "God of War...?¡±


    Ares. Another main character in the world like Kraugel and Grid. He appeared on the battlefield!


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I have to take the baby Undefeated King with me.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯s expressionless face distorted for the first time. She hated Ares, who dared to go against the empire and set up his own kingdom. His existence itself couldn¡¯t be tolerated. Scott and Luck appeared on her left and right. Each of them shot their ultimate skills.


    Ares didn¡¯t miss this gap. He led the 50,000 troops of Valha. Now there was a significant rise in his stats. As the head of the army, he broke through the imperial army and ran to Oasis.


    "You¡¯re the undefeated king? You must be the undefeated king! Isn¡¯t that right? Kelkel!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ares on a giant horse wasn¡¯tparable to a normal person. He looked as big as a giant. This was the presence of a main character. The thrilled Oasis grabbed Ares¡¯ hand.

 Chapter 699

    [You have left the event map! The war is considered to be lost!]


    [The Undefeated King¡¯s ss change quest has failed!]


    [All stats are restored to their normal values. The stamina maintenance passive is destroyed.]


    [The appreciation of the Undefeated King¡¯s old sheath has greatly reduced.]


    -A loser.You only maintained your life.You didn¡¯t exceed my expectations.How disappointing.


    ¡°...¡±


    Destroy the Red Knights within 22 days before the First Knight arrives on the battlefield. This was the content of the Undefeated King¡¯s ss change quest that Oasis received. But he failed. The battlefield was set to ¡®no yers except the quest host can enter¡¯ until First Knight Mercedes appeared. Oasis alone experienced despair and frustration.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do it.¡¯


    Oasis was a bnce type warrior who invested equally in stamina, strength, and agility. Due to the quest benefits, his stats increased by 10 times. Oasis thought there was a chance when his strength, stamina, and agility all exceeded 1,000. As he looked at the enemy forces turned grey under his sword, he finally believed he had be the protagonist of the world.


    However, he was mistaken. It wasn¡¯t a solo number knight, but from the 15th knight, Oasis¡¯ soldiers were tied up by the Red Knights and copsed. From this time on, Oasis waspletely neutralized by the enemy offensive pouring in. Every time he stretched out his sword, he received dozens of counterattacks, lost his bnce, and failed to attack. Now he was in a state where he couldn¡¯t move his hands.


    ¡®If only I had my third advancement ss.¡¯


    The stats awakening from his third advancement would¡¯ve maximized the 10 times stats increase. In addition, his resistance would increase greatly and the probability of resisting status conditions would rise. This would allow him to use a wider variety of skills in active fighting.


    ¡®All the Red Knights have their third advancement and the solo number knights have their fourth advancement. This fight is too disadvantageous to me. I only have my second advancement ss. No... These are all excuses!¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t been able to finish his third advancement because hecked ability. Even if he did have it, he would¡¯ve been overwhelmed by the solo knights. In particr, the Fifth Knight was a different dimension. He still got goosebumps when he thought about the talents of the solo number knights.


    ¡°Hey! Cheer up!¡±


    p!


    Oasis was busy thinking on Ares¡¯ horse. All of a sudden, his back was hit, almost making him fall. Ares cast a deep shadow on his face as he gave Oasis a big smile.


    "I have already investigated you. Aren¡¯t you only at your second advancement? It¡¯s great that you gained the power of a legend and dealt with the monstrous empire alone. It¡¯s really amazing. You did what none of us could. Isn¡¯t this a talented person?¡±


    "...The reason I was able to survive without dying was thanks to the quest benefits. In the end, I failed the quest and am far from bing a legend. How am I talented? It¡¯s ridiculous. I¡¯m just an ordinary person.¡±


    Oasis¡¯ voice was weak as he spoke. He gave a sad smile like he was despising himself.


    "Failure is natural. How can I inherit a legendary power that I¡¯m not qualified for in the first ce? Unless I¡¯m a genius like you... I¡¯m d to meet you on this quest. No, it¡¯s an honor. I no longer have any wishes.¡±


    "You punk!¡±


    Peok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Oasis shrieked as Ares once again hit him on the back. Ares¡¯ back hit contained enough power to threaten the life of Oasis, whose level was in the mid-200s. Considering that Ares was currently leading 50,000 troops, he was much greater than someone in the top 10 million rankings. It was possible for Ares to beat and kill Oasis with bare hands.


    But Ares didn¡¯t think of Oasis as trivial. He felt pure respect.


    ¡°Can a person with no qualifications really have a chance to be a legend? You, aren¡¯t you unnecessarily modest? Haha!¡±


    ¡°...I was just lucky.¡±


    ¡°What? Luck? Puhahat! Look back. If you were just eating and ying around, how could you get in touch with the Undefeated King?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "It isn¡¯t luck, but skill. If you were napping, then you wouldn¡¯t have formed a connection with the Undefeated King.¡±


    ¡°...Why are you doing this to me? Isn¡¯t it enough for someone like you to help me personally? Now you¡¯reforting me. What do you want? There¡¯s nothing I can do for you.¡±


    "Eh? Are you really asking that question? Of course it¡¯s because I like you. I came running here in order to scout you.¡±


    "Scout...? You have made a big mistake. I¡¯m not the descendant of the Undefeated King. I was just a candidate. Now I¡¯ve failed the ss change quest. Your expectations have been disappointed...¡±


    "You really are speaking a lot. Let¡¯s go to Valha first. I¡¯ve created a specialty Coke. Valha is the only area where you can drink Coke in Satisfy. Haha! Let¡¯s discuss our rtionship while enjoying the delicious carbonated drink! Hiyah!"


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    Oasis was very embarrassed. No, to be exact, he was afraid. Ares clearly understood that he misinterpreted Oasis as the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. He would feel disgusted and furious once he knew the truth and send Oasis away. As they rode on the wild horse, Ares whispered to him.


    "I don¡¯t intend to put a burden on you just because I have expectations. I don¡¯t want to ask anything from you. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    There was a big smile on Ares¡¯ mouth.


    ¡°I just want to make contact with you, one of the few great people in the world who met a legend.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One of the few great people in the world. This filled Oasis¡¯ heart. He realized something. He was someone who had already be special.


    ¡®Everybody is strong...¡¯


    As you live a hard and repetitive life everyday, don¡¯t give up hope. Don¡¯t forget that you are the hero of your own life.


    Thanks to Ares, Oasis was filled with courage.


    ***


    "Ares has taken in the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.¡±


    The killing god Faker. Despite having a normal ss, he won against the sun-grade ck in a one on one match with his talent and efforts. He reported to Lauel, master of the Overgeared Shadows.


    "The Ares Army helped the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant, who failed in his rebellion.¡±


    The timing of Ares¡¯ appearance in Lubana was terrible. Lauel nodded at the report.


    "The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant asked for help from Valha as well as the Overgeared Kingdom. Ares epted it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a good situation. If the two people established a trusting rtionship, then the power of Valha could grow rapidly.


    ¡®If the descendant of the Undefeated King joins Ares¡¯ army...¡¯


    It caused goosebumps just imagining it. But Lauelughed.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it will happen.¡±


    At this moment, Lauel was sure of it.


    "The descendant of the Undefeated King is a fake.¡±


    Madra got the title of Undefeated King because he had never been defeated. It didn¡¯t make sense that his descendant would be defeated during his debut. It was likely that he lost the qualification to be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant when he lost the war. No, he might not have been qualified in the first ce.


    ¡®Not just anyone can inherit the power of a legend. Ares, you¡¯ve made a mistake. You¡¯re wasting your time. Kukuk.¡¯


    Lauel was filled with joy the moment he discovered that the descendant of the Undefeated King was a fake. It was because he thought there was a possibility that Grid would be reborn as the Undefeated King. That¡¯s right. Lauel had heard from Sticks. In the Behen Archipgo, Grid had obtained the hidden item called the Undefeated King¡¯s Diary.


    ¡¯After Pagma and Braham, it¡¯s now the power of the Undefeated King.¡¯


    Maybe Grid would be a mythical entity beyond a legend. Lauel was full of expectations. But was it that easy?


    ***


    "If Gridpletely reads the diary, will he be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant?¡±


    The S.A. Group headquarters was busy with preparations for the 3rd National Competition. However, Yoon Nahee¡¯s work was nothing new. As Satisfy¡¯s operations manager, her duty was to observe the users. Chairman Lim Cheolho shook his head at Yoon Nahee¡¯s question.


    "It¡¯s impossible for Grid to be the descendant of the Undefeated King. The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant can only be someone who has never been defeated.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Not being defeated even once? It was impossible for a yer. It was a ss change that had unrealistic difficulty. Yoon Nahee was relieved, since she had worried that Grid would monopolize the legendary sses.


    ¡°Only.¡±


    Lim Cheolho smiled in a meaningful manner.


    "It doesn¡¯t stop him from inheriting some of the power. He¡¯s qualified. It is just like how Agnus recently received a technique from one of the five pirs of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Agnus... It¡¯s more like a scam than a technique.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The five miracle yers who messes up the predictions of the supeputer Morpheus. Three of them were Kraugel, Grid, and Agnus, and Chairman Lim Cheolho had a great affection for them. He was always happy when talking about them. Yoon Nahee understood his mind to some extent.


    The actions of the five miracle yers were always unexpected and observing it from the perspective of a third party was fun.


    ***


    ¡°Sticks!¡±


    After the Behen Archipgo was cleansed, Sticks immediately returned to the Overgeared Academy as the principal. He gave the students effective instructions and enabled them to grow into talented individuals who would be a help to the kingdom.


    Now Grid came to visit the busy Sticks. He unabashedly demanded. ¡°Tell me how to rece sword energy with fighting energy!¡±


    Sticks asked with confusion.


    "I can tell you, but don¡¯t you already know?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this reaction? Sticks stared at the flustered Grid.


    "Did you never try to use fighting energy after you obtained it?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes... Then?¡±


    He hunted the vampires while talking to Chris. However, he hadn¡¯t used fighting energy. In the first ce, he didn¡¯t have the concept of ¡®using¡¯ fighting energy. Fighting energy was a resource that strengthened his stats as the number increased. Therefore, he thought that he would just experience a rise in attack power inbat.


    "...Go to the hunting ground. After building up fighting energy, try using swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Judging by Sticks¡¯ reaction, Grid must¡¯ve done something stupid. He started sweating.


    "Surely fighting energy isn¡¯t a resource that can be used naturally after it reaches a certain level?¡±


    No way, it was impossible. Grid shook his head and ran to the hunting ground.

 Chapter 700

    Grid¡¯s gamey approach was unique. His way of approaching the game was different to the average person and frankly speaking, it wasn¡¯t very good. What if a typical yer had received the title of Hero King?


    First of all, they would study the resource called fighting energy. How did fighting energy rise, what was the effect of the rising fighting energy, the penalty if fighting energy fell below 10, etc. They would try to adapt to the newly acquired resource quickly in order to fully utilize it.


    But Grid was different. The effect of fighting energy was listed in the detailed information so Grid epted it and didn¡¯t feel the need to analyze it. So what about the penalty that urred when fighting energy fell below 10? In any case, fighting energy was always kept at 10, so he wasn¡¯t worried about it. He thought he would discover it gradually.


    In the end, Grid focused on Madra after cleansing the Behen Archipgo. Due to Madra¡¯s strength and Grid¡¯s gratitude, it was natural to think of Madra above anything else. He didn¡¯t care about the fighting energy resource until he read the diary and got Madra¡¯s swordsmanship.


    This showed how emotional Grid was. If Grid was a user of a regr game, he would be wasting his life. Fortunately, Satisfy ced high importance on NPCs, and it was ironic that this unique gaming approach was Grid¡¯s strength.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The beginner hunting ground near Reinhardt. The ce with monsters below level 10 was where Lord used to visit as a baby. In a peaceful ce where a few beginners and woodcutters could be seen, Grid struck a passing deer.


    Peok!


    Of course, Grid killed the deer. Grid¡¯s sword struck four times per second and it died on the first hit, the remaining three only hitting empty air.


    ¡°Kuoong...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became rotten. He had already hunted 20 deer but his fighting energy didn¡¯t budge from 10 points.


    ¡®Look back at my memories.¡¯


    He had hunted the vampires while talking to Chris. He had killed a few ordinary vampires and true blood vampires but his fighting energy didn¡¯t go up at all. Grid was certain of it after hunting a few more deer.


    ¡®My fighting energy won¡¯t go up if I fight a weak opponent. It will be easier to manage my fighting energy if I determine the exact criteria of weakness.¡¯


    Grid judged and moved hunting grounds. He moved sequentially from a low difficulty to high difficulty ce, ughtering monsters by type. In the process, he summoned the Overgeared Skeletons to help them grow. The result?


    ¡®If I fight against monsters 30 levels lower than me, fighting energy will never go up.¡¯


    Grid had to fight at least level 326 monsters for his fighting energy to rise.


    ¡®On the other hand, I think that fighting energy will rise rapidly for opponents that have a higher level than me.¡¯


    There was a basis for this analysis. The higher the level of the monster, the faster fighting energy will rise.


    ¡®For monsters 10 levels lower than me, hitting them 10 times will increase fighting energy by one. For the same level monster, hitting them eight times will increase it by one. Hrmm...¡¯


    Fighting energy was a tricky resource. It only umted when he hit an enemy or allowed an enemy attack. If Grid or the other side avoided or defended against the attack, there was no influence on fighting energy. Grid¡¯s expression became more and more rotten.


    He was upset when he thought about this fighting energy form being applied to yers. Grid was third on the unified rankings. Out of two billion yers, there were only two with an official higher level than him.


    ¡®Anyway, I can¡¯t use it actively in PvP.¡¯


    Most of the enemies that Grid wouldpete against in the 3rd National Competition would be at least 30 levels lower than Grid. Then fighting energy was a resource that couldn¡¯t be used.


    "Dammit.¡±


    Hero King. It was a title that was only useful against the strong in many ways. He couldn¡¯t say it was bad because it conditionally exerted the best effect, but he also felt regret.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Grid analyzed fighting energy and grumbled. A feminine monster with hair that wriggled like a snake appeared. It was the emergence of the degraded medusa, who froze a target when their eyes met.


    ¡®I ended up walking to Rock Forest.¡¯


    Rock Forest. It was a thick forest filled with rocks. It was considered the hardest hunting ground near Reinhardt, so there were almost no users. This was because it was very difficult to deal with the degraded medusa, who appeared inrge numbers.


    It was a hunting ground where the party needed at least 80% petrification resistance as well as a member of the Reba Church. Users couldn¡¯t dream of solo y at all. Of course, Grid was the exception.


    [You have made eye contact with the degraded medusa! You have been petrified.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [You have made eye contact...]


    [You have resisted.]


    [You have resisted.]


    {You have res...]


    ¡°????¡±


    The five medusae surrounding Grid were very confused. The stupid humans would freeze to stone when their gazes met. Grid flew towards them with the God Hands and used Wave.


    [You have dealt 25,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 28,100...]


    ¡®This is honey.¡¯


    The level of the degraded medusa was 350. They were ssified as an elite monster and gave good experience to Grid. In addition, as a status condition monster, their physical ability was weaker than general elite monsters. Grid was able to build up fighting energy quickly by defeating them. Along the way, he wore Mcus¡¯ Cloak in order to hunt quickly.


    [Fighting energy has reached 20 points.]


    He was fighting monsters at a simr level to him so fighting energy rose quickly. The purple aura, which could be seen as red depending on the angle, rose steadily from Grid¡¯s body.


    [You have dealt 32,700 damage to the target!]


    As fighting energy rose, Grid¡¯s attack power became more powerful. His hunting speed became faster as time passed.


    ¡®Whoops.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of his original purpose while destroying the medusae in Rock Forest. He confirmed that fighting energy reached 50 and opened the skills window.


    "...Go to the hunting ground. After building up fighting energy, try using swordsmanship.¡±


    Sticks¡¯ meaningful words repeated in Grid¡¯s mind.


    [100,000 Army Blockade Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    It deals 20% damage to all enemies visible in your field of view and deals 3 seconds of the ¡®blockade¡¯ effect. The targets that are blocked can¡¯t move and their use of skills and magic is blocked.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 5,000 mana, 20 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    * The skill has activated due to acquiring the fighting energy resource.


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    Deals 60% of your attack power 30 times to everyone (can¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe) in a 10 metre radius.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 8,000 mana, 50 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    * The skill has activated due to acquiring the fighting energy resource.


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    Once fighting energy reached a certain level, it would be naturally converted to the skill resource. Grid fell into shame.


    ¡®I could¡¯ve solved this easily if I checked fighting energy from the beginning!¡¯


    He had just been worrying alone. The waste of time was also great. Grid was forced to regret his own foolishness. He was ashamed of himself.


    ¡°Kuoock... I¡¯m angry.¡±


    Grid took out his anger on the innocent medusae! He used Quick Movements and started striking the medusa.


    Kiyak!


    Kyak!


    The screams of the medusa, a synonym of fear for ordinary yers, echoed in Rock Forest.


    [Fighting energy has reached 70 points.]


    Finally, Grid gathered all the resources needed for 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Fly.¡±


    Paang!


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He wore Braham¡¯s Boots and flew high in the sky.


    "8, 14... 20, 32...¡±


    Grid could see over 30 medusae from the sky. They smelt blood while roaming Rock Forest and kept on gathering. A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. He followed the tone of the Undefeated King.


    ¡°Look. This is my dance.¡±


    Kuoooooh!


    Around Grid¡¯s body, the purple aura started to stir like a storm. The effect was so gaudy that Grid¡¯s shape couldn¡¯t be discerned with the naked eye.


    "100,000 Army.¡±


    Grid¡¯s sharp eyes brightened among the violet storm. Grid moved his sword.


    ¡°Blockade Sword.¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    A festival was unfolding. A purple storm of fighting energy rained down from Grid¡¯s sword like firecrackers. The target was all the medusae on the ground. Every target in Grid¡¯s ¡®sight¡¯ was hit by the fighting energy.


    Kiik!


    Kuaaaaaah!


    The attack power of 100,000 Army Blockade Sword wasn¡¯t so good. The medusae struck by the firecrackers of fighting energy didn¡¯t suffer much physical damage. The problem was the blockage. It was the worst CC skill that blocked movement, skills, and magic for up to three seconds. The medusa became as solid as stone statues. The medusa, who were ustomed to turning people into stone statues, were confused by the reversed situation.


    "100,000 Army.¡±


    Grid descended to the ground.


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    Death!


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    30 attacks per second. The target was the medusa right in front of Grid and all medusa in a 10 meter radius.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Ssh, ssh, a feast of ssh damage! ck mes exploded around the medusa in Rock Forest.


    [You have dealt 15,380 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 16,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 18,700 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt...]


    There were two main reasons why Grid favored Link since making the Enlightenment Sword. First, the high number of strikes meant the probability of the ck mes activating would increase. Second, the effect of increasing damage every time an attack hit the same target was fully applied. In other words, once Link hit the target, Grid¡¯s attack power instantly increased by 100%. But 100,000 Army Massacre Sword shone even more. All targets in its range received 30 stikes, so all of them had a 100% increase of Grid¡¯s attack power.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Bliss! Pleasure!!


    Grid eventually burst outughing. On one side of his field of view, the damage notification windows were updated several hundreds times. He dealt 30 hits to dozens of enemies at once, so the update notification windows appeared at the speed of light.


    "The finishing touch...!¡±


    Grid controlled the thrill of this hunt! Just as he was about to finish off the dying medusa, he suddenly flinched.


    [Fighting energy has dropped to 0.]


    [A penalty has urred. Fighting energy won¡¯t recover for 10 minutes and all stats will drop by 50%.]


    ¡°Crazy...¡±


    In fact, the reason why Grid used the skills after only securing 70 fighting energy was to try out the penalty. He judged the medusa to be suitable test subjects. Of course, he never imagined that the penalty would be so severe when making the decision.


    Kyaooooh!


    "H-Hik...!"


    All stats dropped by 50%! It was impossible to deal with dozens of medusae in this state, even for Grid. Grid was also still wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak so the medusae were constantly gathering.


    ¡°G-God Hands! Noe! Randy! Overgeared Skeletons!¡± Grid turned pale as he hurriedly took off the cloak and summoned his pets. Noe and Randy didn¡¯t even get a chance to greet him after a long time. "Distract them while I run away!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hell¡¯s best demonic beast, a memphis¡¯ learning abilities were excellent. As he served Grid, who once used to be verbally abusive, he learned to speak various things. But Noe never once cursed. A noble being like him shouldn¡¯t meet an opponent that would make him forget his dignity and let out low-grade profanity. But he let one loose at this moment.


    "My damn master...¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 701

    [Your memphis Noe has harmed the degraded medusa.]


    [Your memphis Noe has harmed the degraded medusa.]


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen!]


    [The doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest Randy has harmed the degraded medusa.]


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s level has risen!]


    [The Overgeared Skeleton One has been petrified.]


    [Due to continuous petrification, the petrification resistance of Overgeared Skeleton One has increased by 1.]


    [The Overgeared Skeleton Two has been petrified.]


    [Due to continuous petrification, the petrification resistance of Overgeared Skeleton Two has increased by 1.]


    [The experience of God Hand (4) has increased by 0.01%!]


    ¡®Huh? Is this honey?¡¯


    Rock Forest. The medusa, which had been damaged by Grid¡¯s 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, turned to grey. Grid only summoned his pets in order to save his life, but ended up giving them experience.


    ¡®Almost all of the medusae were dying, so they were rtively easy for Noe and Randy to catch.¡¯


    On the other hand, the Overgeared Skeletons hadn¡¯t yet reached level 50 and didn¡¯t have a chance against the medusa. They didn¡¯t get any experience. However, their unique ability to learn quickly raised their resistance to petrification. They were exposed to the petrification every time they met the eyes of the medusae. 10 minutester, eye contact had evolved to the point of resistance.


    [Fighting energy has reached 10.]


    [All stats are restored to their normal values.]


    Grid¡¯s penalty finished. The fighting energy that was fixed at 0 for 10 minutes naturally recovered to 10 and his stats were restored.


    ¡°Okay. Shall I take care of the children?"


    The development of his pets was directly connected to Grid¡¯s development. The excited Grid put on Mcus¡¯ Cloak again. The bloody smell started to attract new medusa. Randy screamed as the medusa gathered like dogs.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for Randy. Scary.¡±


    ***


    [Fighting energy is at the maximum.]


    [Strength, stamina, and agility have increased by 50%.]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Transcend.¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The increase in stats due to fighting energy raised Grid¡¯s power to the extreme. As a result of Transcend, Grid¡¯s attacks were converted to ranged attacks. Four strikes were released per second and the medusa couldn¡¯t cope. Two hours after arriving at Rock Forest. Now Grid understood exactly how to take advantage of fighting energy.


    ¡®I should seal 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.¡¯


    Rather than losing fighting energy by using 100,000 Army Swordsmanship, Grid would rather have his damage increased while using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship by keeping fighting energy at the maximum.


    ¡¯Of course, 100,000 Army Swordsmanship is strong, so I might rely on it sometimes.¡¯


    Grid was very disappointed in the fighting energy consumption of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    ¡®No matter how strong, 50 fighting energy is too much.¡¯


    At first, he thought it would be solved by relying on the Ring of Absurdity. But the ¡®all resources consumption reduction¡¯ of the Ring of Absurdity didn¡¯t include fighting energy. If he wore the Ring of Absurdity and used 100,000 Army Swordsmanship, only mana consumption was reduced.


    ¡®It¡¯s because fighting energy is a special resource.¡¯


    Grid was forced to ept it. It was because he already experienced the special stat called demonic power. The ¡®all stats increase¡¯ effect that urred when making a certain level of item didn¡¯t affect the special stat that was demonic power.


    ¡®In the end, I need to use 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and fighting energy properly.¡¯


    It was just like this. Grid felt the need for fighting energy.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be so unfortunate if I could umte fighting energy withrge skills.¡¯


    Fighting energy only umted as a single attack. If he hit multiple targets at once with a ranged attack, fighting energy didn¡¯t umte. The restriction seemed to exist because easily umting fighting energy was too fraudulent. Grid returned the Enlightenment Lightning Sword to his inventory. Rock Forest was empty, because once fighting energy was at the maximum, the speed at which he hunted the medusa surpassed the medusa respawn speed.


    Grid moved to the safety zone and pulled out Madra¡¯s diary. Fighting energy umted and the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship skill was activated.


    ¡®Now I can experience the contents of the diary.¡¯


    The moment Grid opened the diary.


    sh!


    Grid¡¯s vision blurred. When he opened his eyes, Pagma was standing in front of him.


    ***


    ¡°How trivial! How scandalous! How dare you deprive me of my burden! You deserve to die a hundred times!!¡±


    Resurrection as an undead just for the burden of protecting the Hall of Fame? Regardless of my intentions? It was uneptable and unforgivable.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    I aimed my sword at Pagma. It was my sword technique that defeated more than 100,000 imperial troops. But.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Pagma couldn¡¯t be cut. My body couldn¡¯t be controlled. My body refused to cut him. I tried to swing the sword again but unlike my will, my sword avoided Pagma.


    Pagma exined with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have revived you without a safety device. I¡¯m your master. You can¡¯t attack me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was as described above. Now I was a death knight. Regardless of my will, this disgusting instinct called out for me to follow Pagma.


    ¡°Protect this ce from the invasion of the great demons. It¡¯s your mission.¡±


    This was the end. Pagma left and I was left alone. It was the beginning of eternal solitude.


    ***


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    The moment that the contents of the diary was finished, Grid wiped at his sweat. The mental pain he felt when he became Madra was very great. It led to extreme anger and confusion. He was dominated by an infinite sense of loss.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to read any more.¡¯


    Grid was afraid. He didn¡¯t want to experience the loneliness that Madra felt when trapped on the ind alone. But Grid eventually opened the third chapter of the diary. This diary was Madra¡¯s favor. Grid felt an obligation to confirm things.


    ***


    The third chapter.


    I counted how many days had passed since I opened my eyes. The body of an undead couldn¡¯t fall asleep and the concept of ¡®day¡¯ dulled.


    ¡°...¡±


    A small ind with nothing. I didn¡¯t know if I felt the pain of being alone for a few days or a few years.


    I forgot myself in my solitude.


    I wish I could close my eyes.


    I wish I could stop thinking.


    I hoped to disappear.


    ***


    ¡°Hell...¡±


    After being forcibly resurrected as an undead with memories of his life, Madra was alone for decades. The prison called eternity that held him was as terrible as hell. The fourth chapter, the fifth chapter, the sixth chapter. Madra only experienced solitude.


    Grid felt deep sympathy for him. He resented Pagma, despite knowing that Pagma¡¯s actions were for the peace of the world.


    Then an event urred in the seventh chapter. Finally a great demon appeared!


    ***


    The seventh chapter.


    ¡°This is thest ind.¡±


    He said he was the 10th great demon.


    ¡°My name is Leraje. I am one of the 33 rulers who control hell.¡± Leraje covered half of his face with a deep hat. The red lips were a sharp contrast to the pale skin. "I¡¯m a great ruler whobines power and strategy. The proof is that I easily made it to the 66th ind. Huhut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It had truly been a long time since I have met other people. Maybe it was decades. But I wasn¡¯t happy. I didn¡¯t want it to be a great demon who was selfish and talked about trivial topics.


    Leraje kept talking from the moment he emerged.


    "My specialty is struggle. I have a habit of winning against anyone Ipete with. The evidence is that I easily took care of all the previous legends guarding the other inds. Demon yer Alex who made great demons tremble? Even he couldn¡¯t be my opponent. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... It¡¯s unreasonable to try and talk to a death knight who doesn¡¯t have an ego. It¡¯s no fun. But I¡¯m looking forward to it. Based on the sword hanging from your waist, you must be Sword Saint Muller. Didn¡¯t you seal several great demons, including Hell Gao? I have always wanted to meet you. I will use this opportunity to prove that I am better than Hell Gao.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Muller.¡±


    Who would dare to mistake me? As I opened my mouth, Leraje smiled.


    "Hoh, a death knight is talking? Yes, you aren¡¯t Muller? What are you called?"


    ¡°Madra. I was king of Lubana.¡±


    ¡°Madra...? I have heard it a few times. How disappointing. I was hoping to meet Muller on thest ind... The final battle will be worthless as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My anger rose. Pagma, you resurrected me because you are afraid of this guy?


    "200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t find any meaning in this second life. I had no motivation and couldn¡¯t move since I was trapped alone on the ind. I stood in ce and looked up at the sky. But my skills aren¡¯t rusty. Fear filled the eyes of the arrogant Leraje.


    ***


    [At present, you can¡¯t reproduce Madra¡¯s swordsmanship with your abilities. You can¡¯t read the seventh chapter of the diary to the end.]


    [In order to read the seventh chapter of the diary, you need to learn Madra¡¯s swordsmanship.]


    [Swordsmanship Textbook: 200,000 Army Swordsmanship has been acquired.]


    [Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary is sealed until you learn 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    [Swordsmanship Textbook: 200,000 Army Swordsmanship]


    Rating: Legendary


    A textbook recording the basics of Madra¡¯s swordsmanship. However, it records the swordsmanship used after Madra became a death knight so the contents are weakpared to the original.


    Only one swordsmanship technique, 200,000 Army Crushing Sword (Degraded) is recorded.


    Learning Conditions: Those who have been recognized by Madra. Level 399 or more.


    "A legend at Muller¡¯s level.¡±


    It was easy to guess when he heard Braham¡¯s evaluation. His reputation was lowpared to other legends because his active area was limited to Lubana, but his skills were the best. It was certain since the 10th Great Demon reached thest ind after beating Lantier, Alex, Kruger, Gis, and Povia had felt horror when he saw Madra¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°Then... After 100,000 Army Swordsmanship, I got the textbook for 200,000 Army Swordsmanship...¡±


    Would he eventually learn One Million Army Swordsmanship? The excited Grid became frustrated when he confirmed the level limitation of the swordsmanship textbook.


    ¡°Level 399. It will take many years to read this diary.¡±


    Unfortunately, what could he do? Sometimes there was content that continued over a long time.


    ¡®Let¡¯s return to Reinhardt first.¡¯


    Grid ced the diary back in his inventory and rose from his spot.

 Chapter 702

    Do good work at least 50 times a month. This was the minimum condition for maintaining the Saintess ss. If a Saintess didn¡¯t do any good works, she would be deprived of her qualification and she couldn¡¯t be a Saintess again. In other words, Ruby had been doing good deeds every day for the several years that she had been a Saintess.


    Angel with lost wings, Reba¡¯s incarnation, etc. Therge number of people that Ruby helped praised her with various names. Minstrels sang songs about her.


    Grid might be the most famous yer, but Ruby was the most beloved yer. The words about the siblings delivered to the people were manipted by Orator Huroi¡¯s cry. There were Overgeared members spreading it everywhere.


    ¡°Saintess, Saintess Ruby! Please try this. The bread is well-baked today.¡±


    "Saintess, will you ept this bracelet? I found it at the market in Winston and I bought it because I thought it would look good on you. Please ept it.¡±


    "This is a coat made with the leather of wild boar. The weather is getting colder recently, so it would be nice to wear this. Don¡¯t get a cold. I¡¯ll be sad.¡±


    ¡°Saintess!¡±


    ¡°Saintess Ruby!¡±


    [You have received 10 quality rye bread from Reinhardt¡¯s baker, Jackson.]


    [You have received a low grade emerald bracelet from Reinhardt¡¯s merchant, Ale.]


    [You have received a wild boar leather coat from Reinhardt¡¯s hunter, Revalo.]


    [Reinhardt...]


    ...


    ...


    This was amon sight every time Saintess Ruby appeared on the street. People who found her woulde running over with gifts. Ruby originally rejected, but the persistent thanks of the people was big enough to surpass imagination. They felt frustration and sometimes depression when Ruby refused the gift, giving her no choice but to ept. As the people¡¯s love and respect for Ruby grew, so did the amount and quality of the gifts that she received.


    The average value of Ruby¡¯s daily gifts was now around 80 gold. 80 gold! Converted to Korean won, it was worth 100,000 won. Thanks to the good work that she did over the years, Ruby could now make 100,000 won a day just from logging in. It was why she refused pocket money from her brother a few months ago.


    Ruby joined the ranks of people making money from the game. Her surroundings started to tempt her. Why did she need to go to university when she could making money ying games like her brother? Many people were talking like this.


    But Ruby¡¯smitment to going to university didn¡¯t break. She couldn¡¯t believe in the uneasy future of Satisfy. Like all the youth of South Korea, Ruby had dedicated her elementary and middle school years to enter a good university. She didn¡¯t want her efforts to be wasted and she wanted to see for herself the values of a good university.


    However, her goal of getting a job after graduating from university was bing faint. She knew how desperately she was needed in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®Perhaps... Once I go to university, I will have more time to concentrate on the game.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t dislike it. Rather, it was good. She was happy to be able to help people and above all, she wanted to contribute to her brother¡¯s work. Even if she didn¡¯t like the game, she would¡¯ve concentrated on it for her brother. It was natural. Just a few years ago, Ruby was worried about money every time she bought school supplies. She grew up in a house that wasn¡¯t economically stable, so even buying snacks on the street was a luxury. From her point of view, her recent affluent life was appreciated.


    ¡®This is all thanks to Oppa.¡¯


    A warm smile appeared on Ruby¡¯s face as he thought of Grid. The worry that appeared every time she thought of Grid in the past had changed to relief.


    ¡®Mother and Father areughing every day. Thanks to Oppa, my family is full of happiness.¡¯


    She felt very grateful and proud of her brother. Ruby would do anything for her brother. And Lauel knew this about her.


    "Ruby, please encourage people to visit the Hall of Fame once every three days. Tell them to pray once every three days to the stone statue of Grid.¡±


    It was enough to give orders to the soldiers. However, the ordinary people were different. If the kingdom forced the people to do this, they could lose public sentiment. That¡¯s why Lauel took advantage of Ruby.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    After the Behen Archipgo was cleansed, Sticks dismantled the seals on most of the entrances to it. Now it was rtively easy to move from Reinhardt to the Behen Archipgo. But it was only ¡®rtively easy.¡¯ In particr, the Hall of Fame was located on thest ind of the Behen Archipgo.


    It took at least five hours to get to the Hall of Fame from Reinhardt. It meant that the people of Reinhardt had to waste five hours every three days. Ruby had this part in mind. But she couldn¡¯t refuse when she thought of her brother.


    ¡¯Instead, I will treat them better. Let¡¯s try a bit more, Sehee.¡¯


    The intensity of the good deeds Ruby was doing increased over time. Ruby was also in danger. But Ruby was prepared to endure it. Ruby¡¯s red lips tightened with determination. Her eyes were lovely as she grasped both hands together tightly. Lauel couldn¡¯t help smiling at the sight before coughing.


    "There is no need to worry about the people. This worship will be a good thing for them. Won¡¯t their stamina go up if they regrly walk for five hours?¡±


    ¡°Bah... I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    "Yes, please don¡¯t trust me. I don¡¯t want to be a sinner who disappoints you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel was confident that hisments were perfect. He didn¡¯t doubt that the goddess¡¯ heart was romantic enough to be captured. But Ruby didn¡¯t listen to Lauel¡¯s words. Lauel was also a solo person since he was born.


    ***


    [Visit Grid¡¯s Stone Statue]


    Difficulty: Repeated quest in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Once every three days, go to the Hall of Fame and worship at Grid¡¯s stone statue.


    Quest Reward: A Grid mass production item for every 20th consecutive visit.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was the contents of a new quest that yers of the Overgeared received. The yers thought it was absurd.


    "I went to see the Hall of Fame the other day and the buff from Grid¡¯s stone statue is garbage...¡±


    ¡°It has no effect onbat sses like ours.¡±


    "How many sses are there...¡±


    "Wow, isn¡¯t Grid really smart? He made a new quest to fulfil his own self-interest.¡±


    "It is more vulgar than smart.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m angry. We have to do this quest to obtain Grid¡¯s set.¡±


    ¡°Che, whatever. It takes a few hours to get to the Hall of Fame.¡±


    "Administrator Rabbit says he will sell movement scrolls to the Behen Archipgo...¡±


    ¡°Wow? Isn¡¯t this a good business? The servant is like the king. They met each other very well.¡±


    Grumble.


    The Overgeared yers were full ofints about the new quest. But what could they do? They had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom in the first ce to get the Grid set. They couldn¡¯t refuse the quest that would give them one of Grid¡¯s set items every two months.


    "It¡¯s really dirty. Once I collect all of Grid¡¯s set, I will immediately go to the empire.¡±


    "I¡¯m going to Valha."


    There were many people who thought like this. For most yers, the Overgeared Kingdom was just a stepping stone to another kingdom. Lauel didn¡¯t condemn this.


    "Let¡¯s increase the types of mass produced Grid set items.¡±


    The current mass produced Grid set consisted of weapons, armor, helmet, gloves, and boots. There were only five parts so it was hard to keep yers for a long time.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn the tailoring skill? Add a cloak and underwear to the set. Preferably socks as well.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t.¡±


    The set effect of the mass produced Grid set was concluded with five parts. It was originally designed like this. If he added the cloak and underwear, there would be no set effect added. Lauel smiled wickedly at Grid.


    "Even if there is no set effect, can¡¯t you fool them with the same name? Put the underwear and cloak as a quest reward first, so that yers will slow down in collecting the Grid set.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t you have a conscience?¡±


    "Aren¡¯t I thinking about the yers? Aren¡¯t you the only yer in the world who can produce underwear with options? Where will people go to get good underwear? They will be happy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, it at least increased defense by one point. Grid was convinced and threw the pile of underwear he made at Lauel.


    "I will keep sending them every time I make new underwear.¡±


    "It¡¯s a good decision, Your Majesty.¡±


    "...I should also make socks.¡±


    If Grid had a conscience, he would think that ¡®I should make a good cloak.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t difficult to produce a quality cloak because Grid intended to mass produce Lantier¡¯s Cloak for the evil eyes. Unfortunately, Grid had no conscience. His mind was already full of a method to make cheap socks.


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t do this in the long run.¡¯


    Grid shook his head.


    ¡®If I want to tie up the yer¡¯s feet a bit longer, I have to make a good cloak. In addition, learn how to make socks.¡¯


    Grid was at least better than Lauel. As a result, the Overgeared Kingdom was running well. The one problem was what the empire would do about Lubana¡¯s rebellion.


    ***


    "You missed the descendant of the Undefeated King?¡±


    The imperial capital, Titan. The emperor¡¯s voice resonated in the imperial pce, one of the most magnificent and beautiful pces on the continent.


    ¡°Useless...! Does it make sense to miss the rebel army?¡±


    Emperor Juander was furious.


    His eyes were filled with disdain as he looked at Sword Duke Limit.


    ¡°The Red Knights these days are really trivial! This wasn¡¯t the case when Piaro was here!"


    ¡°...¡±


    Juander was a powerful person who could im to be master of the continent. He wasn¡¯t stupid. He knew that the present day Red Knights were under the influence of Empress Marie and felt wary towards them. There were a number of cases where they were constrained and weakened.


    ¡°I will hold themander of the army, 1st Knight Mercedes and 2nd Knight Lucas responsible! They will be on probation for three months!¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty...!¡±


    The bowing Sword Duke Limit cried out with surprise. Mercedes and Lucas were the backbone of the Red Knights. It would be a severe blow to the operations of the Red Knights if they were gone for three months. Juander also knew this. Juander spoke before Limit could ask him to reconsider.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Kyle will take their ce for three months.¡±


    ¡®Kyle...!¡¯


    Kyle was one of the five pirs of the empire. He was the youngest of the five pirs and his ability wasn¡¯t perfect right now, but he had great potential. Therefore, he received a lot of favor from Juander. Limit immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡®Kyle has a high virtue, but he¡¯s actually a snake skilled in propaganda and maniption.¡¯


    The Red Knights were tired from years of continuous warfare. The reason why they could fight without a break was because they were eager to jump forward. No matter how hard they tried, they weren¡¯t acknowledged like the Red Knights of the previous generation.


    In the meantime, several Red Knights were killed in the former Eternal Kingdom and the 6th Knight Reidorn had recently gone missing. All sorts of rumors spread and the reputation of the Red Knights plummeted. Anxiety dominated them. If their spiritual pirs, Mercedes and Lucas, disappeared and that snake-like Kyle filled the vacancy...


    ¡®Kyle will rule or break the Red Knights. This is His Majesty¡¯s motive.¡¯


    This was a chance to concentrate the power distributed by the empress back to Juander, as well as increase the influence of Kyle, who was rtively weak in the five pirs. It was the worst situation for Sword Duke Limit, who belonged to the empress¡¯ faction. But he couldn¡¯t veto it. The leader of the rebel forces. The Red Knights missed the descendant of the Undefeated King, who was the greatest threat to the empire in history.


    On the other hand, there was a man watching the conversation between the emperor and the Sword Duke in the form of a quest format. It was the first ranked necromancer and Agnus¡¯ closest subordinate, Veradin.


    ¡®The quest content will change depending on how Limit deals with this.¡¯


    Based on circumstances, Kyle was likely to aim the Red Knights at Valha. The emperor couldn¡¯t forgive Ares, who dared to take in the descendant of the Undefeated King. What would Limit¡¯s choice be at this time? Would he obediently watch as Kyle destroyed Valha and built up publicity?


    ¡®Maybe Agnus and Ares might end up holding hands.¡¯

 Chapter 703

    [King¡¯s Quest]


    It was arge-scale quest created after Grid became king. As the name suggested, Grid had alreadypleted the first king¡¯s quest, the King¡¯s Role (1). The reward he got at that time was the method to make the King¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®The reward isn¡¯t worth the limited quest.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t yet been able to proceed with the quest King¡¯s Role (2). The quest¡¯s level limit was 350. However, he reached level 357 after returning from the Behen Archipgo. It was now possible to proceed with the King¡¯s Role (2).


    [The King¡¯s Role (2)]


    You have experienced the lives of the people and learned their suffering.


    Please resolve the troubles of the people.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Give the necessary help to 5,000 people.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Political Power stat will open. The next linked King¡¯s Quest.


    * It counts if other members of the royal family help the people.


    ¡°Crazy.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t 100 or 1,000, but helping 5,000 people? How long would it take? Fortunately, Grid had experienced the lives of the people as he proceeded through the King¡¯s Role (1) quest. Grid remembered how the people of each ss had suffered and knew how to help them. But it was too much to help 5,000 people. It was obvious that it would take a great deal of time.


    ¡°Ah... I can¡¯t say anything bad.¡±


    Yes, curses didn¡¯t emerge. He was aware of the intentions of the quest. The King¡¯s Role (2) was to supplement what wascking in the kingdom. In other words, it was a guide to reconstruction the nation. If he steadily carried out the quest, the Overgeared Kingdom would grow. The problem was time.


    ¡®It is a very long-term quest...¡¯


    If he helped 10 people a day, the quest would take 500 days. It would take even more time if Grid had to leave the kingdom.


    ¡°Hah... The quest will bepleted in a few years...¡±


    The moment Grid was giving a deep sigh.


    [The royal princess Ruby has already helped more than 5,000 people. The condition for the King¡¯s Role (2) quest has been fulfilled.]


    [The King¡¯s Role (2) quest has beenpleted.]


    [As a quest reward, the political power stat will open.]


    [You will be able to proceed with the next King¡¯s Quest ¡®Choice¡¯ at level 370.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Question marks appeared over his head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    What was the rtionship between this quest and Ruby? The puzzled Grid then confirmed the phrase, ¡®It counts if other members of the royal family help the people.¡¯


    ¡°Unbelievable... The good deeds Ruby as umted as Saintess counts?¡±


    Of course, not all good works were counted. It only counted the good deeds after Grid set up the Overgeared Kingdom and Ruby became royalty. Yet she already helped 5,000 people...


    Grid recalled that Ruby was the person with the biggest achievement when recovering from the damage after the war.


    "My sister is really diligent and nice. I will kiss her when I log outter... No, I will be hit if I do that.¡±


    His sister was very good. Grid smiled.


    At the same time, Valha.


    "This is finally the 399th...!¡±


    His level was higher than Grid so Ares quickly started the King¡¯s Role (2) quest. He was once again wandering the capital and doing ¡®good deeds.¡¯


    "Puah! It is really hard!¡±


    He wanted to hit someone a few times in the middle. He was busy and often felt difort doing this. But Ares decided to think positively. It was a pleasure to see the people¡¯s happiness when he helped them but he wasforted to think that Grid, who just broke through level 350, would be suffering the same thing.


    ¡¯Grid, would you have served 30 people by now? Puhaha, how pitiful.¡¯


    Augh emerged.


    "Have strength Grid! Let¡¯s share our hardships! Kuhahahat!¡±


    ***


    [Political Power]


    Improves efficiency of various domestic activities.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Political power was a stat held by politicians, some hidden sses, royalty, and merchants. Rabbit had a high political power stat. It would apply to various domestic affairs. For example, if he was appointed as head of market development, the rate of market development would greatly increase. Political power and intelligence were totally separate. The political power stat was a necessary virtue for politicians.


    ¡®I got it.¡¯


    Lauel, who had been in charge of the Overgeared Guild and kingdom¡¯s internal affairs for several years had only opened up political power after achieving the title of ¡®prime minister.¡¯ It was a stat that was difficult to obtain. Grid had believed that the political power stat would never open for him.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The effect of the stat was absolute. In the future, Grid would be able to carry out the role of domestic affairs without any knowledge. He was moved by the fact that he finally became a king and moved. His destination was the smithy. It was to design Lantier¡¯s mass produced cloak and to make a crown for himself. This was Grid¡¯s next task.


    ***


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    Designing Lantier¡¯s mass produced cloak wasn¡¯t difficult. He solved it by using the original design of Lantier¡¯s Cloak and recing the materials with those that were cheaper and easier to obtain.


    "Khan, please hand out this design to the cksmiths. The advanced cksmiths should be able to easily understand the design, right?¡±


    ¡°Um, I think so.¡±


    Khan verified the contents of the drawing that Grid handed him and nodded. Grid¡¯s expression was very dark. It was because the wrinkles on Khan¡¯s face had deepened after a few months. He felt that time was running out whenever he looked at Khan.


    ¡®Is there no such thing as medicine for eternal life?¡¯


    Human life span wasn¡¯t infinite and the lifespan of an NPC was even shorter. Grid was afraid of parting with Khan. He wanted Khan to live forever. Khan saw Grid¡¯s expression and struck his own chest.


    "Do you see this steel body? This old geezer is still fine. Your Majesty doesn¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    His health gauge decreased from his own attack. Grid¡¯s sadness grew sorge that it couldn¡¯t be controlled. But he tried not to express it on the outside. He was afraid that he would bother Khan.


    "I¡¯m not worried about your health. Why would I worry when I know how strong you are? I only feel bad because the smell of a widower is getting worse.¡±


    "Hoh, smell of a widower?¡±


    Grid sniffed his body and struggled to look bright.


    "Don¡¯t you want to remarry? Won¡¯t a family appease your loneliness?¡±


    Khan had been alone for a long time since his wife and son died. Grid was worried that Khan would live alone and closed his eyes. There were many cases where elderly people living alone were only discovered after a long time. Did he know Grid¡¯s heart or not?


    "How can I be lonely? I have a family.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Khan¡¯s cheery smile struck Grid¡¯s heart.


    ***


    ¡®How do I intentionally attach stats to items?¡¯


    Among the effects of the First King title, there was an item slot increase. Grid could wear a helmet and crown at the same time. He stood in front of an anvil before making a new crown and longed for the stamina stat.


    ¡®Stamina not only increases defense and health, but also the rate of health recovery. It seems to be directly linked to health.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Now Grid had a desire to present Khan with a stamina item. He had the vague belief that Khan would live longer if his stamina could be increased. In addition, Grid needed the stamina stat. His defense was already so high that it was hard to increase. However, the defense value wasn¡¯t fully applied to those with higher levels and many people had a defense bypass skill. Grid felt the need to increase his total health.


    In the end.


    ¡°Sticks!¡±


    Grid left the smithy and ran to the Overgeared Academy. As always, he was dependent on the sage¡¯s knowledge.


    ¡°What is a way to make a battle gear that raises stamina?¡±


    "You must use alchemy.¡±


    "Alchemy...¡±


    Grid frowned. He still felt negative about alchemy that attached the coolness option to Iyarugt.


    "I¡¯m aware that you don¡¯t believe in alchemy. But alchemy is a field that has a high probability of failure, but a great effect when seeding. Rather than unconditionally distrust it, you should depend on it. Of course, you need to invest a lot of money.¡±


    Typically, high risk gave high returns. This was alchemy. Grid was bound to have the worst luck.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be avoided indefinitely. In the first ce, didn¡¯t he invest a lot of money in the alchemy facility with the goal of making Reidan the second Talima?


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it forever. I have to use it.¡¯


    The determined Grid left the academy and he sent a whisper to Lauel.


    -What¡¯s the level of the alchemy facility in Reidan?


    -Intermediate level 8.


    -Still?Wasn¡¯t it intermediate level 8 a few months ago?


    At present, Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility had been steadily producing small quantities of the super restorative potions. Grid thought that the level of the alchemy facility would¡¯ve gone up considerably. Now he felt confused and disappointed.


    Lauel exined.


    -In order to effectively raise the level of the alchemy facility, we must focus on development rather than production.But a lot of money is required for development.Recently, we haven¡¯t been able to fund the alchemy facility because we¡¯ve been offering a tribute to the empire.


    -The damn empire...


    ording to Sticks, the alchemy facility needed to be at least intermediate level 9 to have a high probability of attaching stats. The empire was always grabbing onto his ankle. Grid¡¯s grudge against the empire gradually deepened.


    -Is there a way to screw with the empire?


    -There is one way.


    As expected from Lauel. He immediately responded to Grid¡¯s emotional question.


    -What is that method?


    -Go to Valha.The emperor can¡¯t forgive Ares, who dared to take in the descendant of the Undefeated King.He will certainly dispatch troops to Valha.


    -Go and help?But then won¡¯t the problem be serious?


    -The situation is different from when you joined the Belto Kingdom war.


    -If we fight with Valha this time, we will be the enemy of the empire.I don¡¯t know what to expect after that.


    -Go by yourself. Hide your identity.


    -...?


    -As Your Majesty said, the problem will be more serious if the Overgeared Kingdom officially helps Valha.The next target after Valha will be Overgeared.Thus, help Valha secretly.While you are gone, I will n a strategy to attack the vampire cities.


    -Kukuk...This should be interesting.


    Grid¡¯s shoulders started shaking. He was d that he had a chance to strike the empire in the back.


    ¡®I will do it properly.¡¯


    The excited Grid! Lauel warned him.


    -You do know that if you don¡¯t want to be found by the empire, you can¡¯t just cover your face, but Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship as well.


    -...? O-Of course.In the first ce, can¡¯t I use a basic attack?


    -...You didn¡¯t know.Act with moderation.Based on what¡¯s going on in the empire, Valha won¡¯t fall.


    At the same time, Titan.


    [Secret Mission]


    Difficulty: SSS


    You have received a secret mission from Sword Duke Limit.


    In order to prevent Kyle from building up achievements, support Valha and fight Kyle.


    The imperial household has yet to identity the members of the Rose Knights, so you don¡¯t need to worry about your identity being discovered.


    However, please avoid killing as many Red Knights as possible.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kyle¡¯s death or making him flee.


    Quest Clear Reward: Death Ruler¡¯s Staff. Affinity with Sword Duke Limit will increase by 50.


    "Kikikik, what type of quest is this? I have to help Ares fight the five pirs?¡±


    "You should refuse. Kyle might be the weakest of the five pirs, but...¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to~? Why would I refuse this interesting quest? Kikikik! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    An unidentified person also headed to Valha.

 Chapter 704

    [The Saharan Empire has dered war on the Valha Kingdom!]


    [The rtionship between the Valha Kingdom and the Saharan Empire has be ¡®hostile¡¯!]


    [There are various restrictions on exchanges and activities of the people of the two countries!]


    These notification windows appeared to all the yers belonging to Valha. But few people were confused or frightened. From the time when the Ares Army rescued the descendant of the Undefeated King, or when they refused to give a tribute to the empire, the people of Valha were ready for this event.


    "I don¡¯t wish for war!¡±


    Chatter chatter!


    Ares¡¯ powerful voice resonated in the capital¡¯s square. The outward appearance of Ares nted awe and trust in the hearts of the people.


    "In the future, we will enter into an infinite war with the empire! This war won¡¯t end until one of us is destroyed!¡±


    Ares was the god of war. The battlefield proved the reason for his existence. He nned to develop himself and his army, then Valha, through wars. The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant candidate, Oasis, had a question.


    ¡®What is behind this confidence?¡¯


    After joining Valha, Oasis was surprised when he grasped Valha¡¯s power. After absorbing the Belto Kingdom, the poption of Valha was now around 700,000. There were only 50,000 troops. The difference in national power with the empire, which was known to have a 10 million strong army, couldn¡¯t be disputed. Valha couldn¡¯t survive the war with the empire. It could be destroyed within as little as a few days.


    Ares came down from the podium after his speech and exined to the questioning Oasis.


    "The army that Imand directly gains 200% more experience during a war. I also have the Plundering skill. I can take away the food, property, and troops of the enemies or enemy territory. If I use it well, Valha will be able to make a breakthrough in this war.¡±


    Ares was an existence that specialized in war. His army wasn¡¯t just strong, but boasted an extraordinary persistence.


    ¡°A base that can be hostile to the empire. Well, it would¡¯ve been more ideal to grow step by step fighting against a small country rather than the empire.¡±


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t possible. Most kingdoms on the continent were already tributaries of the empire. If they touched anything belonging to the empire, then they would be hostile to the empire. Therefore, the first ce he tried to stare at was the Overgeared Kingdom. But Ares chose to be allies rather than enemies with Grid.


    Oasis asked him.


    "I understand your abilities. But your opponent is the empire. If they dispatch arge army to destroy you instantly, your ability would have no meaning.¡±


    Aresughed. It was an excitedugh.


    "I don¡¯t move without thinking. The reason why I chose a war with the empire is due to the instability of the empire. The empire is currently divided into several factions and doesn¡¯t have the capacity to focus on one ce.¡±


    "But the Red Knights...¡±


    Oasis knew the terror of the Red Knights. Solo number knights. Among them, the fifth knight upwards was on a different dimension. Ares also knew this fact.


    "The Red Knights right now aren¡¯t fearful.¡± There was a meaningful smile on Ares¡¯ face. ¡°I¡¯ve received intelligence that the first and second knights are on probation. We know from experience that the Fourth Knight only emerges in special cases and the third and fifth knights alone can¡¯t stop my army.¡±


    There was another reason why Ares was confident. People needed to move through Liberon Forest to go from the Saharan Empire to the Valha. It was filled with arge number of doppelgangers and Ares nned to fully exploit the area with difficult terrain.


    ¡°The empire will just be my army¡¯s prey. Puhuhut!¡±


    ***


    "Liberon Forest is visible in front.¡±


    The wave of 50,000 troops was spectacr. The best part was the Red Knights at the forefront of the great army. The Red Knights. The strongest knights of the continent, which symbolized the imperial power, were gathered at the front of 50,000 troops.


    ¡°Hmmm... Isn¡¯t it much bigger than I thought?¡±


    The white-haired man looking at the exterior of the forest was the Third Knight, Lorex. He seemed to be over 40 years old and one of the five pirs, Kyle, was next to him. Kyle was white from head to toe. White hair, eyebrows, skin, even lips and eyes. It was a bizarre impression.


    "The forest is a good ce to set traps and ambushes...¡±


    Kyle started to observe Liberon Forest. It wasmon sense since the bushes were thick and not one animal sound could be heard. Lorexughed. A respectful attitude couldn¡¯t be found at all.


    "Liberon Forest is different from ordinary forests. It¡¯s so infested with doppelgangers that it¡¯s difficult to ce traps.¡±


    "But from the enemy¡¯s point of view, isn¡¯t Liberon Forest their territory? Won¡¯t they be more likely to figure out the terrain?¡±


    ¡°No. You will soon experience it but the most terrifying aspect of Liberon Forest is its high temperature and humidity. It is virtually impossible for ordinary people to work or wait in there. Especially if they are armored soldiers.


    This was why Lorex stopped the march ahead of the forest. It would take around 4 hours and 30 minutes to break through the forest at normal speed. Lorex decided that it was important for the soldiers to recover their stamina prior to marching through the forest.


    p p p!


    Kyle nodded and firmly pped. Then heughed and praised Lorex.


    ¡°Sir Lorex is correct. I¡¯ve heard a lot of stories about the Third Knight and there is a reason for it. You have a good grasp of the enemy¡¯s position and are careful. I admire you.¡±


    ¡°Huh... This is really...¡±


    Lorex made a cynical expression and scratched the back of his head.


    Who was Kyle? He was one of the five pirs who hadn¡¯t been able to umte any achievements, but he had obtained the emperor¡¯s favor. The reputation of the five pirs was higher than the Red Knights, who had fought without rest, so Lorex really hated them. He perceived them as someone with the emperor behind them. He had been furious when he heard that Kyle would lead the Red Knights in ce of Mercedes.


    But what actually happened? Kyle was humble and knew how to respect the Red Knights. Despite being appointed as chiefmander of this war, he delegated all authority to Lorex and was gracious to the Red Knights.


    ¡¯Indeed, the five pirs don¡¯t have direct experience. They are raised so high because of His Majesty.¡¯


    It was the will of the emperor to rece Mercedes and Kyle was just performing themand of the emperor.


    ¡®Limit says I should be on guard. I won¡¯t release my tension, but I won¡¯t bother to hate him.¡¯


    Hum hum, Lorex coughed before giving an order to the army.


    "The break is over! We will enter the forest!¡±


    ***


    ¡°They¡¯reing.¡±


    Liberon Forest. It was apletely abandonednd when it belonged to the Belto Kingdom. But from the moment Ares considered a war with the empire after capturing the Belto Kingdom, he regarded Liberon Forest as an important base. The rest reason was that all the Valha soldiers had the ¡®Climate Adjustment¡¯ ability to adapt to the temperature of the forest.


    That¡¯s right. Ares¡¯ soldiers had adapted to the temperature of Liberon Forest. In addition, they were able to grasp the terrain of the forest through training.


    ¡°The Red Knights¡¯ ability to detect the presence of the enemy is the best. Wait for them to go deep into the forest. Attack as soon as you see them.¡±


    Aresmanded the soldiers and they nodded silently. They were stationed all over Liberon Forest. They couldn¡¯t make a sound to let the enemy know where they were.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The rear of Liberon Forest. The 50,000 imperial army were already exhausted from moving through the forest for more than three hours. At this point, the 50,000rge Ares Army led by Ares emerged from the bushes and attacked with arrows or swords. The imperial army couldn¡¯t cope.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    ¡°E...enemy! Kuaaaak!"


    ¡°Ambush...!¡±


    The imperial army were exhausted from moving through the hot forest. They moved without considering an ambush and were helpless in front of Valha¡¯s surprise attack. The empire soldiers turned to grey while the Valha soldiers were surrounded by golden pirs of light. It was the signal of a level-up and was the prelude to a fiercer onught.


    ¡°Keep the momentum up!¡±


    Every time Ares attacked, the morale and stats of the Valha army increased. Due to the Valha army bing stronger in real time, the confusion of the imperial army intensified.


    "H-Hik...!"


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    There was an unexpected ambush and the enemies became stronger as they fought? As the number of copsing colleagues increased, so did the fear of the imperial army.


    At this time.


    ¡°Areeees!¡±


    Third Knight Lorex rushed towards Ares. He had fought Ares in the past and won. He thought he could subdue Ares in five strikes like before.


    ¡°This time I will have your head!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t leave this mistake alone! Lorex was angry as he remembered the loss of the soldiers and leapt towards Ares, hisrge axe moving in a half-moon arc. In the past, Ares hadmanded 10,000 troops and failed to defend against this attack, suffering serious injury. But Ares was currently leading an army of 50,000. This caused a 25% increase in his stats! In addition, there were a separate slight increase in attack and defense.


    ¡°I¡¯m different from before!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    "What?"


    Lorex¡¯s axe was stopped? Lorex was startled. He couldn¡¯t believe that the guy who had fallen to one blow of his axe a few months ago could now exert such power. Lorex wielded his axe in rapid session.


    "Let¡¯s see you stop this!¡±


    "Oh my, isn¡¯t this disgusting?¡±


    Ares¡¯ right hand was numb just from defending against a blow. He had no confidence in defending himself. Ares hurriedly avoided the axe and left it to Scott and Luck.


    "Tie up the feet of that monster!¡±


    "We¡¯ll both charge!¡±


    Peeng!


    Luck answered energetically! His small shield hit Lorex in the back of his head and attracted the aggro from Ares. Then it was Scott¡¯s sword. Both of them used high ss skills.


    "Silly things like this!¡±


    It didn¡¯t even make a dent on Lorex¡¯s health gauge. The Third Knight. He was weakpared to the first and second knights, but he wasn¡¯t at a level that yers could deal with.


    Kwajak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The axe swung by Lorex blew away Scott and Luck¡¯s bodies at the same time. However, the Ares Army didn¡¯t shrink back. Lorex¡¯s dance was in the range they had foreseen.


    "Block it all together!¡±


    The top rankers of the Ares Army started to help Scott and Luck. Lorex was preupied as dozens of third advancement users attacked at the same time.


    ¡°These people! Help Sir Lorex!¡±


    The Fifth Knight and other Red Knights busy with the army btedly tried to help Lorex. Ares saw the scene and shouted.


    ¡°Now! Activate the trap!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The eyes of the Red Knights widened. The ground suddenly fell and they were swallowed up by arge pit. Ares held his belly andughed from above them.


    ¡°Puhahat! You morons~ I wouldn¡¯t be unprepared against monsters like you...gasp!¡±


    Ares screamed. The 20 meter deep pit that he had his soldiers dig. The Fifth Knight jumped up from the huge pit that had taken a fortnight toplete. It was a ridiculous physical ability.


    "Hey, isn¡¯t this a scam!?¡±


    It was bad. Ares, who tried to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible while the Red Knights were tied up, was frustrated since the physical abilities of the Fifth Knight surpassed his expectations. The moment Ares detected danger.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Large explosions were sessively heard from the imperial army. The eyes of the Red Knights, Ares and everyone else on the battlefield turned in that direction.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Red lightning fell from the sky. It prated the bodies of the armored soldiers and broke through the empire¡¯s military camp.


    "Did a demon king appear...?¡±


    ck mes swallowed up the entire imperial camp in the forest. There was constant ssh damage and hundreds of soldiers were continuously destroyed. It was unbelievable attack power.


    ¡°W-What? A monster without mana restrictions?¡±


    What type of crazy creature could kill a great army with infinite use of such skills? Ares gulped. He didn¡¯t think such a boss monster would be sleeping in Liberon Forest.


    ¡°Ares! We can¡¯t let our army get caught up! We should retreat!¡±


    Scott escaped from Lorex in the turmoil and shouted. He expected the mysterious monster to reach here after cutting through the empire¡¯s forces. It was the same for Ares. He was unable to visually confirm the appearance of the monster because it was hidden by the army, but he could imagine that it wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    ¡°Full retreat! Retreat!¡±


    Lorex and the Red Knights were busy trying to control their army. Now was the time to retreat. The moment Ares gave the order without hesitation and turned his horse.


    "I am the Basic Attack King.¡±


    The unidentified monster who prated through the imperial army appeared and introduced himself as the ¡®Basic Attack King.¡¯

 Chapter 705

    On the surface, the Overgeared Kingdom was neutral. Recently, they stopped giving tribute to the empire and even had two tributaries, so many people misunderstood the Overgeared Kingdom as a great power.


    But what was the reality? They were surrounded by enemies on all sides. There was no statement more appropriate to express the reality of the kingdom. The Saharan Empire was a male lion and the Overgeared Kingdom was a deer stuck in a group of female lions. From the perspective of the empire, the Overgeared Kingdom was a meal to be cooked and eaten at any time.


    Grid was resentful of this reality. The kingdom that he and his colleagues worked hard to build up was just like a sand castle.


    Sigh.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look at me.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to weaken the empire¡¯s power. He believed that every time he defeated an imperial soldier, he would save the life of one Overgeared resident. He abandoned any recognition.


    ***


    [You have dealt 17,870 damage to the target!]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has added 5,000 fire damage!]


    [You have dealt 20,100 damage to the target!]


    [The target has died!]


    [Your demonic power has increased by one.]


    This was the result ofbining Grid¡¯s 3,000 points in strength and the power of the Enlightenment Lightning Sword. The imperial soldiers couldn¡¯t withstand two of Grid¡¯s strikes and turned to grey. There was no meaning in the level that was over 230 and their armor.


    The Enlightenment Lightning Sword increased physical attack by 20%, fire damage by 30%, dark damage by 30%, and lightning damage by 15%. In addition to the options, Grid¡¯s passive ability itself was very outstanding.


    Weapons Mastery that was obtained in the Behen Archipgo was intermediate level 5 and added 17% attack power, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4 increase attack power by 34% when deactivated and the Dominion¡¯s Blessing on the pavranium increased attack power by 15%.


    Buffs, buffs, buffs, and Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship ovepped to give Grid¡¯s ¡®basic attack.¡¯


    Was that all?


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned a red lightning bolt!]


    [You have dealt 44,900 damage to the target!]


    [The target is caught in an electric shock for 1.2 seconds!]


    [The target has died!]


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [Ssh damage equal to 300% of your total attack power has hit all targets in a 10 meter radius!]


    [The target has died!]


    [The target has died...]


    [The target has died...]


    [The target has...]


    ...


    [Your demonic power has increased by 232.]


    The various options attached to the Enlightenment Lightning Sword exploded out with Grid¡¯s basic attacks. It was the continuous manifestation of mythical skills that didn¡¯t consume resources. It was an invincible figure.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Pandemonium! Grid¡¯s ¡®basic attack ¡®that was stronger than a yer¡¯s skills instantly destroyed the camp of the imperial forces.


    ¡°The enemy...! The enemy is behind us!¡±


    "Hundreds of people copsed in one st...! It must be a great magician!¡±


    "When did a great magiciane to Valha? Che! Be careful ofrge-scale magic!¡±


    The imperial army was the strongest army on the continent. They quickly resolved the chaos from Valha¡¯s ambush and Grid¡¯s subsequent attack. What was the identity of the enemy that emerged in the rear, how many numbers, how to cope with it, etc. The imperial army moved quickly based on their goodmand system. They identified the explosion of red lightning and ck mes in session as part of a magic system. The soldiers set up special magic shields against magic in the front while the minstrels sang songs that slowed the casting of magic.


    It was a foolish move.


    ¡°What? Why are you digging your own grave?¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword swept across the sea of enemies. He felt that the battle had be easier because the troops had less armor than before. He wondered if there were spies hiding inside the empire that were helping him.


    "I don¡¯t know what it is, but thanks!¡±


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    Four times per second! Grid¡¯s attack speed when armed with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves was like a sh itself. The soldiers targeted by Grid died within one second and dozens of those within 10 meters of the target were affected.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    The terrain of the forest was rough. The explosion of the ck mes was like a disaster itself from the viewpoint of the imperial army. Every time the ck mes exploded, hundreds of people turned to grey. It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t take long for the 50,000 army to be annihted.


    Captain Beit of the imperial army couldn¡¯t close his mouth.


    ¡°W-What? What is that monster?¡±


    It was five minutes after the enemy¡¯s surprise attack. Beit broke through the rear of the army and was able to visually confirm the approaching enemy. The opponent wasn¡¯t a magician like he expected. He was holding a sword in one hand and there was only one opponent. Every time he swung the sword once...


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Blood would spurt.


    Kwajijijik!


    Peeng!


    There was either a red lightning bolt or ck mes. The camp of the imperial army that was as solid as a fortress? It didn¡¯t function in front of this monster.


    "I didn¡¯t know there was such a talented person in Valha...!¡±


    The opponent wielded the sword at a pace that was hard to follow with the eyes. How much infinite mana did he have to keep using mes, lightning, and dark power? Beit saw the man whose face was covered with a straw hat as equal to the solo number knights. It should be worth at least the 5th one!


    ¡°Sir Lorex...! Ask for support from Sir Lorex!¡±


    The distance with the swordsman was gradually narrowing. Hundreds of troops were ughtered every time the man got closer. Beit felt a great crisis. He saw that the rear of the army would copse if this kept continuing. He thought that the power of the Red Knights was necessary.


    He cried out urgently. ¡°The Red Knights have fallen into the enemy¡¯s trap!¡±


    "Lorex is being attacked by the enemy leaders...!¡±


    Only desperate reports were heard in session.


    ¡°This... Everyone retreat! I will stop him!¡±


    In the end, Beit moved directly. He was a captain of the empire. It might not beparable to the Red Knights, but he was confident in his ability. He didn¡¯t doubt that he could tie up this monster for a brief time.


    ¡®Lizzie, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t keep my promise to return safely.¡¯


    Beit kissed the pendant around his neck before confronting the monster. It was a farewell to his beloved wife.


    ¡°For His Majesty!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Captain Beit was determined to change the atmosphere of the battlefield. He wouldn¡¯t cower against the monster and raise the morale of the soldiers...


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    ...Or he tried. Beit was running wonderfully on horseback. He was in by the unidentified monster in the straw hat. It was eight strikespared to the other soldiers but there was only one or two seconds of difference.


    "T-The captain was so easily...¡±


    ¡°Hiik...! Run away! Run away!¡±


    It was poison, since Beit was a person who was usually envied by the soldiers. The morale of the imperial soldiers fell and reached a point that couldn¡¯t be controlled.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t an ordinary person...! Not only are his skills excellent, he also knows our internal situation!¡±


    The other captains were surprised when they witnessed Beit¡¯s death. They interpreted it as the intentional sniping from the enemy.


    The enemy knew the army would fall into a bad shape after Beit¡¯s death and nned thoroughly.


    "An amazing guy...! Shit! There¡¯s no time to fix the army! Retreat to where the Red Knights are!¡±


    A yer above a certain level couldn¡¯t be overpowered with numbers. The captains of the imperial army were aware of this grim reality thanks to watching the solo number knights. Therefore, they decided to quickly retreat. It was easier thanks to Grid¡¯s activities. He reached the head of the imperial army, cutting down the treating imperial forces.


    Why did he move forward towards where the Red Knights were? Of course, it was to attack the Red Knights.


    "I am the Basic Attack King.¡±


    It was the battlefield where the Ares Army and the Red Knights were fighting fiercely. Grid arrived there and dered after feeling attention on himself.


    "The Red Knights of the empire. The empire is overpowering because you exist. Thus, I won¡¯t allow you to exist.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was an awkward silence. There were two reasons for this. The Red Knights were overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s presence while the Ares Army...


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A chuuni with the worst naming sense! Was there anyone in the world other than Grid? The Ares troops had seen the video of Overgeared King Grid shouting 100,000 Army Massacre Sword and were convinced that the monster¡¯s identity was Grid. Of course, Grid denied it.


    "Grid is the Overgeared King and I am the Basic Attack King.¡±


    ¡°...I-I see.¡±


    Ares nodded. He realized it wouldn¡¯t be good if Grid¡¯s identity was discovered here. He decided to follow Grid¡¯s actions. Then he felt excited at the same time.


    ¡®How strong is he?¡¯


    Ares admitted that there were many people stronger than him. There was Kraugel, Grid, Agnus, as well as Luck and Scott. He respected and admired many people. But unconsciously, he had the idea that Kraugel was unique. That was, until now.


    ¡®The one who reached the sky....¡¯


    The video of the 2nd National Competition passed through Ares¡¯ mind. Grid was the one who had pushed Kraugel to the verge of death. Now he was...


    ¡¯Does he have the power to break the sky?¡¯


    Hwaruruk!


    Ares gulped while the red color of the sword in Grid¡¯s hand heated up. The Enlightenment Lightning Sword. The best sword made by Grid aimed at Third Knight Lorex.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡±


    ¡°Come!¡±


    Lorex roared. He had no intention of forgiving the monster who suddenly appeared and ughtered his soldiers. The opponent wasn¡¯t someone that the soldiers could overpower, so he knew he had to do it himself.


    "In front of our Red Knights, you¡¯re just a frog in a well! I will paint despair on the face that is covered by that hat!¡±


    Kurururung!


    The red armor that Lorex was wearing became redder. It was the true power of the Red Armor that had the ability to amplify the wearer¡¯s stats. It meant that Lorex acknowledged Grid. At this time.


    [A strong aura has been detected. Your fighting energy reacts and has started to boil.]


    [From now on, fighting energy will naturally rise by 1 every 10 seconds.]


    Grid smiled widely as he realized the true value of fighting energy.


    "Let¡¯s see.¡±


    A knight who represented the continent and the hero of heroes. Who was stronger?

 Chapter 706

    ¡¯He isn¡¯t shrinking back?¡¯


    Lorex was startled. It was because he confirmed the smile that spread on the face of the enemy.


    ¡®Is he insane?¡¯


    Who was this person?


    The Third Knight. As one of the powerhouses in the empire and the whole continent, everyone feared Lorex. However, the man in front of him was smiling. Lorex couldn¡¯t think he was anything but crazy.


    "I¡¯ve seen many people who are terrified and sick when they see me...¡±


    Surprise turned into anger. The blood vessels on Lorex¡¯s forehead bulged.


    "This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone smiling!¡±


    Peeng!


    Lorex didn¡¯t feel the need to speak for long. It was shameful that the man in front of him killed all his soldiers. He would erase this person from the world.


    "You broke through 50,000 troops? I can also do that easily! I will let you know how wide the world outside the well is!¡±


    Sukakak!


    Lorex roared and the glow around his axe caused the atmosphere to shake. It was a shockwave generated by a mighty force. The stones became ashes in front of it. Ares saw it and shouted urgently.


    "Don¡¯t take it head on! He has a strength of at least 5,000! You have to unconditionally avoid it!¡±


    Ares was aware that his advice to Grid was pointless. Lorex wasn¡¯t a stupid fool. He was agile and clever. There was no avoiding it, despite knowing the attack was strong. It was too fast, the orbit was perfect, and it couldn¡¯t be defended against. The moment it was blocked, there would be a big shock that would lead to the road of destruction. Ares¡¯ evaluation of the Third Knight was ¡®overwhelming even at Kraugel¡¯s prime.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to admit it, but this is reality!¡¯


    The level of the yers hadn¡¯t yet reached 400. The solo number knights were the top talents that couldn¡¯t be defeated unless the yer had their fourth advancement. That¡¯s what Ares thought.


    ¡°How do I avoid this?¡±


    Grid¡¯s hobby was destroyingmon sense.


    Peeeeeok!


    Lorex¡¯s axe struck Grid¡¯s chest.


    [You have suffered 14,300 damage.]


    It was great damage despite the fact that Triple Layers greatly reduced physical damage. But he stood firmly.


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    Four times per second. It was a counterattack against Lorex.


    [You have dealt 6,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 7,630 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 8,400 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 9,390 damage to the target!]


    [The option effect of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has summoned red mes. Additional 5,000 damage will be dealt.]


    That¡¯s right. He was overgeared and he struck harder with his items. It was the unique overgeared battle style.


    ¡°Kuk...?¡±


    Lorex¡¯s eyes shook after being hit by the four blows. He felt strange anxiety for the umted damage on his side.


    ¡®It¡¯s amazing that he survived my attack, but his attack seems to grow stronger with every hit...?¡¯


    Kwajajajak!


    Lorex was one of the strongest in the world. Despite being embarrassed by the counterattack, his body was constantly moving. While allowing Grid¡¯s attack, his axe struck Grid¡¯s shoulder.


    [Critical!]


    It was a proper hit. Lorex believed that Grid¡¯s body would naturally break apart. He tugged at the axe in Grid¡¯s shoulder and tried to tear the armor. However.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t budging?¡¯


    An armor with multipleyers. The extreme sturdiness didn¡¯t fit its elegant appearance and Lorex¡¯s axe didn¡¯t crack it one bit. Well, there were no problems up to here. There were many excellent armor in the world. Lorex¡¯s axe was famous for tearing steel like paper, but he didn¡¯t always cut down armor.


    The real problem urred afterwards. The barbs of the armor started to damage Lorex¡¯s axe.


    Kkirik!


    Kiiiiikik!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The surprised Lorex wanted to retrieve his axe, but it was already toote.


    Pasak!


    Lorex¡¯s axe barely escaped from the gap in the barbs and cracked slightly. It was the effect of the ¡®Sword Breaker¡¯ option attached to Triple Layers.


    "Hit me as much as you want. Let¡¯s see if I will die first or if your axe can¡¯t be used anymore.¡±


    Gulp gulp.


    Grid dered to Lorex while drinking a health potion. He stabbed at Lorex¡¯s side without a break. Whenever he umted an attack to the same target, his attack power increased.


    [You have dealt 14,300 damage to the target!]


    "Huup!¡±


    On the 10th blow, Lorex¡¯s side was slightly dented. It was a phenomenon caused by physical pain.


    "This guyyyy!¡±


    Wuuong.Kwang!


    Wuuong!Kwajak!


    Lorex swung the axe sessively and Grid couldn¡¯t escape. But every time he was struck by a counterattack, damage umted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    An awkward silence filled the battlefield as the confrontation between the two people deepened. Ares made a nk expression as he uttered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this aplete dog fight...?¡±


    No high rated skills could be seen in the confrontation. It was like little kids fighting.


    Nod nod.


    Everyone nodded as if they agreed with Ares. It was friends and foes alike.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯m not joking.¡¯


    Ares¡¯ expression became deeply shadowed. Grid and Lorex. The difference between the two was obvious to anyone. They were a yer and NPC. The yer¡¯s health was decided by stats, titles, and items, but the NPC¡¯s health level was adjusted separately. In particr, the health of a named NPC was as high as a boss monster, making it tens or hundreds of times higher than a yer. While Grid¡¯s health gauge dropped by 1/7th or 1/6th every time he allowed an attack, Lorex¡¯s health gauge was still healthy.


    ¡®In this state, Grid has no chance. Let¡¯s get rid of the Fifth Knight and look for an opportunity to help...¡¯


    The moment Ares thought this.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±¡¯


    Sounds of admiration were heard. Liberon Forest had a high temperature and thick water vapor. Now a red and purple aura started to be emitted from Grid¡¯s body, which had been hidden by the thick water vapor. It was fighting energy. In fact, Grid was wrapped in fighting energy since he first appeared but other people couldn¡¯t see it because of the blood and water vapor. But as the color became thicker, it became visible through the water vapor.


    [Fighting energy has reached 50 points.]


    Jjang!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Lorex¡¯s eyes widened as he allowed an attack from Grid. He couldn¡¯t believe how much stronger the attack was.


    ¡°I see...! You¡¯re a berserker!¡±


    He felt that Grid¡¯s defense was too high for a berserker, but he was forced to think like this. Grid shook his head at Lorex¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Berserker? No.¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    "It¡¯s a basic attack.¡±


    ¡°Ik...! What nonsense does this guy keep saying!?¡±


    Lorex was filled with anger. He was furious at Grid¡¯s response. He roared like a beast and unleashed an onught.


    ***


    [You have suffered 14,600 damage.]


    [Fighting energy has reached 60 points.]


    [You have dealt 15,660 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 15,710 damage to the target!]


    [You have recovered 1,885 health thanks to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring!]


    [The experience of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring has increased by 0.3%!]


    ¡®This bastard, his endurance is monster-like.¡¯


    Two minutes had passed since Lorex started the battle. But it felt like Grid had been fighting for 30 minutes or 1 hour. It was a battle that allowed one hit per second and four counterattacks. Grid¡¯s stamina could afford it, but his mental power couldn¡¯t. He needed to focus his concentration and power every second.


    That¡¯s right. Grid felt a strong sense of mental pressure.


    Kwajak!


    ¡®I think he is equipped with a passive blood-sucking ability.¡¯


    Grid coughed up blood as his chest was hit by the axe and watched Lorex¡¯s health gauge. It seemed to be rising a bit.


    ¡®Damn bastard... It seems to be a passive skill since he doesn¡¯t use too many active skills. That makes it stronger.¡¯


    Grid was well aware that Lorex was stronger than him. It was because his t damage was much stronger than Madra and the experience of items such as Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, Tiramet¡¯s Belt, and the God Hands increased more than when he fought Madra. He thought carefully about it. He concentrated carefully in order to not miss anything. Then he reached a conclusion.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have a chance of victory.¡¯


    It seemed virtually impossible to defeat Lorex, who had more than 10 million health, with basic attacks.


    ¡®It might be possible with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡¯


    This monster-like persistence? He would be able to neutralize it with the overwhelming offensive power of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. But the current Grid couldn¡¯t use any techniques that symbolized the Overgeared King. It was because his identity couldn¡¯t be discovered.


    So? Was he going to run away because there was no chance?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    It felt different from when he met Yangban Garam and First Knight Mercedes. Lorex¡¯s presence fell far short of them. In addition, Grid had a high opinion of himself. It wasn¡¯t arrogance. A hero of heroes, was it an easy title to obtain? Grid trusted his skills.


    ¡®Think about it, Youngwoo. How can I beat this guy?¡¯


    "Kuhahahaha! You must be tired!¡±


    ¡®This!¡¯


    He had been thinking too deeply. Grid nked out for one second. He didn¡¯t strike back and in the gap, Lorex used a skill. The blue ck aura around Lorex¡¯s axe flooded towards Grid. The ripple of energy at the end of the axe looked like it was about to explode. It was likely to be an attack in the form of ssh damage like the ck mes.


    ¡®I can¡¯t stop it when I can¡¯t even stop his basic attacks. Shit, I have to use Quick Movements for evasive purposes...!¡¯


    But it was better than losing the immortal passive. Grid determined and was about to use Quick Movements.


    ¡¯Wait? Explode?¡¯


    An object passed through his mind. As Lorex¡¯s axe flew towards his face, Grid pulled out arge fabric.


    Cloak?


    No, it was a piece of cloth.


    ¡°Grid...! Eh?¡±


    Ares judged that Grid was in danger when Lorex used the skill. He ran out to help Grid only to freeze in ce. He felt something when he saw Grid pulled out a piece of cloth. Right then, Lorex¡¯s axe hit Grid. No, he cut the piece of cloth before it hit Grid.


    Lorex snorted.


    ¡®This guy really is crazy!¡¯


    He must be crazy to block Volcano Axe that could destroy the whole area with a piece of cloth. Well, he could understand. Volcano Axe was a strong technique that couldn¡¯t be blocked or avoided. There was nothing strange about doing something crazy when it was meaningless to resist.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    A dark smile appeared on Lorex¡¯s face as he imagined the man being killed by an explosion. His mind went nk for a moment. It was because his axe, which should¡¯ve emitted a powerful energy, became silent the moment it was wrapped in the cloth.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    He felt possessed! Lorex couldn¡¯t understand it, but he retreated because his vision was blocked. Grid¡¯s sword stabbed his side. A basic attack as usual? That¡¯s right. But this time, he immediately linked a skill between the basic attacks as usual.


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Lorex¡¯s eyes turned white.

 Chapter 707

    [Unbreakable Justice Lv.1 (93.1%)]


    Deals 300% of your attack power.


    Skill Mana Cost: 350


    Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds


    It was a skill Grid acquired due to the Apostle of Justice title. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Braham¡¯s magic, Madra¡¯s swordsmanship, etc. Unbreakable Justice was obviously a shabby skillpared with the legendary skills, but it was also ssified as a top skill.


    The damage coefficient was remarkable. A level 1 wide area skill usually had less than 100% attack power while Unbreakable Justice boasted 300% attack power. Unbreakable Justice was also a skill that activated immediately. It was easy to use because it wasn¡¯t a skill that required certain motions like Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. In fact, the Apostle of Justice¡¯s Partner Huroi had long since mastered the skill after obtaining it.


    Why? Why did Grid neglect Unbreakable Justice? It was naturally because of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. The aforementioned benefits of justice cannot defeat Pagma¡¯s swordsmanship and ended up second whenpared to justice. The advantages of the above mentioned Unbreakable Justice were minorpared to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Grid didn¡¯t use the skill at all. Grid used Unbreakable Justice, Continuous Stab, and Spear Shot in the right ce when needed. In particr, Spear Shot was useful in the Tiramet raid and the 2nd National Competition.


    Peeeong!


    [You have dealt 15,730 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 47,200 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 15,710 damage to the target!]


    [Fighting energy has reached 61 points.]


    [You have dealt 16,050 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 16,090 damage to the target!]


    [The ck me explosion...]


    [You have dealt 48,040 damage to the target!]


    "Kuoh...!¡±


    Unbreakable Justice was linked between basic attacks and once the ck mes exploded, Lorex received over 160,000 damage in a second. Grid thought after being hit by Lorex¡¯s counterattack.


    ¡®It has supplemented some of mycking attack power. If both the red mes and red lightning summoning options are activated at the same time, the maximum damage will increase to 200,000.¡¯


    This was the damage per second. Theoretically, Grid could inflict one million damage in 10 seconds to Lorex. If Lorex boasted tens of millions of health, it was meaningless in front of Grid. The problem was that Lorex wasn¡¯t a scarecrow. Lorex countered every time he was hit and Grid¡¯s health was less than 100,000. If they kept hitting each other like this, Grid would eventually fall first.


    ¡®If this was Kraugel...¡¯


    He could¡¯ve avoided Lorex¡¯s axe. Grid was sure Kraugel would one-sidedly attack Lorex without being hit by a counterattack.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    Grid shook his head and got rid of the thought. He was tired ofparing himself to Kraugel every time.


    ¡®I¡¯m overgeared. The way I fight itself is different from Kraugel.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t avoid it? Then it was fine. So what if it hurt? He would have to hurt them back. Grid abandoned the sword.


    [You have equipped the Motley il.]


    "...???"


    Lorex was stunned beyond confusion. In the middle of a battle, abandoning the sword to pull out farming equipment?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he a real idiot?¡¯


    Lorex got goosebumps. It wasn¡¯t because the mutt was scary, but because it was dirty! Lorex unknowingly flinched back from Grid. It was apparent he didn¡¯t want to associate with Grid. In the gap, Grid swung the il a few times in the air.


    Buong~ Buong~


    ¡®Okay. Thanks to Alex¡¯s Glove, I can also wield the il four times per second. I am expecting the debuffs.¡¯


    The buff expectation value was... Grid disregarded the worst situation.


    [Motley il.]


    Rating: Unique


    Durability: 259/259 Attack Power: 143~191


    * A special effect will ur every time the target is hit. The effect is unpredictable.


    * Thrashing speed will increase by 150%.


    * There is no guarantee how the condition of the thrashed grain will change.


    It was a farming equipment he made a long time ago. No, a weapon. In the past, Grid determined he had no chance of winning against his clone and depended on the random ability of this il.


    ¡®I don¡¯t expect the dramatic effect that urred when I fought my clone. Just a little. It¡¯s enough to drop the attack power for a short time.¡¯


    The health loss rate could be made up using potions, Doran¡¯s Ring, and the blood-sucking abilities. It was just enough.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Grid screamed and rushed at Lorex.


    ¡°You bastard...!¡±


    Lorex instinctively moved back. Previously, he experienced being incapacitated by the mysterious cloth. He had no choice but to be wary of this farming equipment.


    ***


    ¡°Unbreakable Justice!¡±


    "...I thought he was the Basic Attack King.¡±


    Ares said as soon as Grid used a skill, but the members of the Ares Army felt admiration. It was because Lorex was greatly shaken by the new skill. Lorex¡¯s health gauge was visibly reduced. The Ares members gulped.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Grid¡¯s damage crazy?¡¯


    ¡®The attack speed is a scam.¡¯


    The Ares troops had fought him a few times and knew how high Lorex¡¯s defense was. Even Luck, who had the highest attack power of the Ares members, only dealt 5,000~7,000 damage to Lorex. Grid¡¯s basic attack was at least two times stronger than Luck¡¯s basic attack and it was twice as fast. It seemed to be even stronger and faster.


    ¡®Overgeared...! Is this being overgeared?¡¯


    The eyes of the Ares members followed Grid¡¯s weapon and gloves. It was the first time they saw both items. Scott trembled.


    ¡®Making new items...!¡¯


    This was the unrivalled power of a legendary cksmith. It was a wake-up call.


    ¡®A presence that destroys the bnce itself.¡¯


    There were two main types of yers. One levelled up and the other experienced a jackpot. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to experience jackpots. In order to get better items, you had to go on more difficult raids. Even if you seeded in the raid, you couldn¡¯t always get the items you want.


    This was why there was a limit to the growth rate of yers. Most yers had a long stagnation period. Particrly for high level yers whose level up speed was slow. In many cases, theirbat power would be simr to what it was a month ago.


    Then what about Grid? He could make and wear top quality items by himself, making the necessity of finding a jackpot obsolete. He could be stronger day by day. After not seeing him for a long time, he was iparably stronger. Scott was really afraid of Grid.


    ¡¯There¡¯s no answer if he¡¯s an enemy. Ares was clever when he decided to be Grid¡¯s friend. Huh?¡¯


    Scott, who was staring at Grid with awe in his eyes, became stunned.


    Grid suddenly put away his sword and pulled out a strange item.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an item he had seen before. Scott frowned as he pondered on it. He realized that the item Grid pulled out was exactly like the tool that farmers used to thrash grain.


    ¡°il...? What is he doing when he was fighting so well?¡±


    A confrontation with the strong. He suddenly pulled out farming equipment in an important match that would determine the situation? Scott couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s actions at all. He wanted to dissect Grid¡¯s mind. The soldiers and Ares troops! Everyone had fallen into confusion when Ares shouted.


    "I understand...! I know Gri... No, I know the Basic Attack King¡¯s intentions!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Ares quickly figured out the intentions behind pulling out farming equipment during a battle?


    ¡°It truly is Ares...! Gri... No, you know the Basic Attack King¡¯s intentions?¡±


    The Ares troops admired it and asked questions. Ares made a meaningful look and exined to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a taunt. It¡¯s taunting him.¡±


    ¡°A taunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Basic Attack King is telling Lorex. I can beat you with a farming tool!¡±


    ¡°...No way.¡±


    The Ares troops absolutely trusted Ares. But this time it was too much. It was impossible to ept Ares¡¯ interpretation. Who was Lorex? He was the Third Knight. It was hard to find a presence stronger than Lorex. He was almost at the level of a final boss. How could Grid beat him with farming equipment? It was impossible, no matter how strong Grid was.


    The moment everyone thought this. Grid struck Lorex¡¯s face with the il.


    "What...?"


    They didn¡¯t know why but Lorex was shocked. His face was white.


    At the same time.


    ¡°Quick Movements! cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Grid used the saved buff skills and swapped back to the Enlightenment Sword after striking Lorex several times with the il. It was the connection of basic attack, basic attack, and basic attack. But every time he was struck, Lorex¡¯s health gauge visibly fell.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ares and the Ares members stopped thinking.


    ***


    [The target will receive three times the damage due to the effect of the Motley il. This effect willst for one minute!]


    ¡°This much...!¡±


    Grid had only hoped for Lorex¡¯s attack power to be lower. It was in order to avoid being hurt in the process of repeating the hits. Conversely, Grid¡¯s attack power itself could be increased. The fact that the damage Lorex received would increase meant that Grid¡¯s attack power increased.


    ¡°This will hurt!¡±


    There was a one minute debuff but the opponent was the Third Knight. Grid thought that Lorex would resist the debuff in 30 seconds and rushed. He increased his agility with Quick Movements and raised his attack and attack speed again with cksmith¡¯s Rage.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    He was affected by the steadily rising fighting energy and could do six basic attacks per second.


    ¡®I have reached the highest speed.¡¯


    ¡°Crazy guy...! Now I see that you are an assassin!¡±


    An attack speed reminiscent of a legendary assassin! Lorex was frankly frightened by Grid¡¯s attacks, which were much faster than before. It was to the point of goosebumps. But he didn¡¯t fall into confusion. So what if the attack speed was faster than before?


    These attacks weren¡¯t threatening. He could return it...


    ¡°Keeeok!¡±


    Lorex screamed as he was brandishing his axe. It was because the moment he was stabbed in the side, he felt pain that transcended the range he assumed. Grid smiled.


    [Fighting energy has reached 70 points.]


    [You have dealt 69,100 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 68,930 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 70,800 damage to the target!]


    This was a ¡®basic attack.¡¯ It was a result of Grid¡¯s attack power rising by 25% due to cksmith¡¯s Rage and Lorex receiving three times the damage.


    [The ck me explosion...]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [You have dealt 489,300 damage to the target!]


    "Kuaaaack!"


    So far, no matter how much Grid attacked, Lorex had only let out a small groan. But now he was screaming. He felt terrible pain and his health gauge fell rapidly. Even if he struck back, the amount of blood-sucking couldn¡¯t keep up with the lost health.


    ¡®Why did he suddenly be so strong?¡¯


    Lorex couldn¡¯t imagine that this situation was causing by a farming equipment! A chill went down his spine.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...! Has he been hiding his strength?¡¯


    Lorex couldn¡¯t gauge the real ability of this freak. The anxious Lorex shouted at the Red Knights.


    ¡°How long are you going to watch? Help me!¡±


    In fact, Lorex wasn¡¯t a person suited for a one on one match. He used arge axe as a weapon and was a war specialist with many skills to destroy the terrain and sweep away many enemies at once. It was disadvantageous for him to fight in a one on one match against an enemy equal to himself.


    ¡°Cowardly bastard...! We will help the Basic Attack King!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Once Lorex called the Red Knights over, Ares gave amand and the Ares members responded.


    "No, don¡¯te.¡±


    Grid restrained the Ares Army. He leapt up high, Lorex and all the Red Knights filling his vision.


    "100,000 Army.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Blockade Sword!"


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Dozens, hundreds of stems of fighting energy flooded down from the sky with a red and purple light, causing Lorex, the Red Knights, and Oasis to feel shock and panic.


    ¡°The Undefeated King...!¡±

 Chapter 708

    It wasn¡¯t a dragon or a great demon that the empire was most afraid of. It was the king of Lubana, Madra. The empire waged 97 wars against him, but never won once.


    The soldiers who umted experience in the process of winning over the continent, the strategists who turned the world upside down with mysterious tactics, and the knights that caused the empire to dominate with strong force. All of it was nothing in front of Madra. They were just novices.


    In front of Madra¡¯s valor, the empire¡¯s soldiers became cowards. In front of Madra¡¯s tactics, the empire¡¯s strategists were nothing, and the empire¡¯s knights couldn¡¯t endure Madra¡¯s strength. The empire¡¯s people didn¡¯t know this because a lot of information was concealed, but it was clearly described in the imperial history record books.


    ¡º If Madra had lived for three more years, other nations would¡¯ve sought to be Lubana¡¯s servants. If Madra lived for five more years, the empire would¡¯ve lost half its territory. If Madra lived for 10 more years... The empire wouldn¡¯t exist. ¡»


    The Undefeated King! The name had been imprinted with fear into the imperial royal family for hundreds of years. This was why the empire unusually oppressed the Lubana tributary. The empire was afraid of the kingdom that produced the Undefeated King. They were worried that the second or third Undefeated King might be born in Lubana and crippled Lubana and its people.


    How surprised must they be? Once the news that a person who imed to be the descendant of the Undefeated King appeared in Lubana, Emperor Juander forgot his dignity and his body shook.


    "Destroy the descendant of the Undefeated King!¡±


    The emperor immediately gave an order. The elite army of the empire and the Red Knights advanced to Lubana. But they couldn¡¯t fulfill the empire¡¯s order. Due to the intervention of Ares, king of Valha, they lost the descendant. That¡¯s why the current situation was like this.


    The Red Knights were given the responsibility. Punish Valha who dared to rebel against the empire and destroy the descendant that they took in. It was the new mission that Lorex and the Red Knights were assigned. Now Lorex was watching the mission fail. It was easy to punish Valha, but the descendant of the Undefeated King was hiding somewhere like a rodent. They thought it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find him.


    However.


    ¡°100,000 Army Blockade Sword.¡±


    The descendant appeared before their eyes.


    ¡°The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant...!¡±


    Lorex¡¯s eyes widened and sweat flowed down. The identity of the strange man he had been fighting against was the descendant of the Undefeated King?


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it!¡¯


    Not long ago, Lorex had met the descendant in Lubana. It was highly likely that the descendant of the Undefeated King was fake. Unlike the legendary Undefeated King, the descendant¡¯s force was at an ordinary level. He didn¡¯t even use the swordsmanship that symbolized the Undefeated King.


    Then what was this strange ghost? Only two weekster, a person used the swordsmanship that symbolized the Undefeated King.


    100,000 Army Blockade Sword. It was a cursed technique that had been spoken about through Lorex¡¯s family for generations. The Undefeated King pulled out his sword and tied up an army of 100,000?


    "It¡¯s absurd!¡±


    Lorex shouted and denied the legend. The legends of the Undefeated King were too unrealistic and Lorex couldn¡¯t ept them as fact. A sword that sealed 100,000 troops? Lorex was convinced that it wouldn¡¯t appear in novels of the third generation. He asserted that everything rted to the Undefeated King was false and the man in the sky was just bluffing. But.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The firecrackers of red and purple fighting energy that filled the sky and earth. Lorex realized it after him and the Red Knights were hurt. The legend was true.


    [You have been blocked! You can¡¯t move for 3 seconds and can¡¯t use any skills or spells!]


    ¡°This...!¡±


    It was a real story? Lorex paled and his legs weakened. It was the same for the Red Knights.


    Supaak!


    A sword of light descended. It was the sword that Grid wielded after using 100,000 Army Blockade Sword.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Lorex hurriedly tried to defend with the axe. However, Grid¡¯s attack speed had reached the peak with Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage. Lorex couldn¡¯tpletely defend against the sword that struck six times per second.


    Peeeeeong!


    A dark sword energy flew towards the center of the helmet.


    Peeeeeong!


    Then ck mes exploded. Lorex, who was the target of the attack, and all those standing like stones around him suffered great damage and bloodshed. Ares and the Ares troops shivered.


    The Red Knights. The strongest group in the Saharan Empire that dominated the continent. Grid was sweeping away those who caused fear and respect on his own.


    "Nonsense...!¡± Ares gulped and squeezed out some words. ¡°You...! You¡¯re the best!! You are the best, Grid!¡±


    Grid. The first legend, the first king and also the hero of heroes. If he couldn¡¯t be called the best then who could be recognized as the best? Ares called out honestly. None of the Ares troops denied his cry. Then Grid...


    ¡®The best...!¡¯


    His eyes were red.


    Duguen!


    His heart was greatly affected by Ares¡¯ cry as he struck Lorex.


    ¡®I am the best...!¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t mistaken. Everyone acknowledged it. Grid acknowledged that at this moment, he was the best yer. He lived a lifetime as a fool and suffered countless failures due to ack of talent. Now he was given a title that geniuses had monopolized.


    [Fighting energy has reached 60 points.]


    Nothing was more pleasing to Grid, who had been ignored and ridiculed most of his life. Not to mention, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. Ares was the one praising him for being the best. Tears filled Grid¡¯s eyes as he was moved.


    ¡°Youuuuu!¡±


    Lorex escaped from the influence of the Blockade Sword and roared while wielding his axe. It was different from the forms of attacks he used so far. His axe was divided into three and hit Grid from three orbits at the same time. The Three Point Axe was Lorex¡¯s persistent active skill. This was one of Lorex¡¯s symbols.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to avoid this attack just by being fast!¡±


    Lorex shouted with confidence!


    Grid retorted, ¡°That¡¯s if you are correct.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Lorex noticed his mistake. The person in front of him. No, the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. He was a bit quicker and avoided Lorex¡¯s attacks. But in retrospect, hadn¡¯t the descendant been enduring the attacks up until now? Avoiding the attacks weren¡¯t necessary. Being hit by the attack itself was meaningless.


    Peeeeok!


    The moment Lorex¡¯s axe hit Grid¡¯s chest.


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    Grid fiercely countered it. Lorex still had the debuff where he received three times the damage.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    It was Lorex, not Grid, who felt a greater pain in their exchange of strikes. The Red Knights tried to help Lorex.


    Pepepepeng!


    An explosion of ck mes stopped them.


    ¡°What the hell...!¡±


    How could he keep using such a strong skill? Did this person have no limit on his mana?


    A shaken Red Knight muttered. ¡°This... This is the strength of the Undefeated King...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Undefeated King. Yes, the enemy in front of him was the descendant of the Undefeated King. He couldn¡¯t be measured with theirmon sense. The moment everyone realized it.


    [Fighting energy has reached 70 points.]


    Grid¡¯s fighting energy, which had weakened after using 100,000 Army Blockade Sword, thickened again. It was the power of Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage. The speed at which fighting energy umted was much faster than before.


    [Fighting energy has reached 71 points.]


    [Fighting energy has reached 72 points.]


    [Fighting energy...]


    Fighting energy umted more quickly. The Red Knights who joined the battle to help Lorex was a problem. The several people surrounding Grid dealt more harm than good. Finally.


    [Fighting energy has reached the maximum!]


    There were only 10 seconds remaining on Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage. Notification windows appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view as he barely maintained his life with Doran¡¯s Ring, Tiramet¡¯s Belt, and the First King title.


    "Push!¡±


    Lorex and the Red Knights increased their momentum. They confirmed that Grid sustained his life with intermittent recovery skills and was on the verge of dying, so they determined it was time to put an end to this fight. Grid made the same judgment. Grid had a 50% increase in strength, agility, and stamina thanks to fighting energy reaching its maximum. He used a somewhat obscure, special power that symbolized the Overgeared King.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Demonic power exploded. Then.


    "100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    30 times per second. The fastest swordsmanship poured out at a speed that couldn¡¯t be pursued with the eyes. The air darkened with the energy des. Lorex and all the Red Knights were attacked.


    [You have dealt 65,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 67,800 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 66,670 damage to the target!]


    [The ck me explosion...]


    [Ssh damage equal to 300% of your total attack power has hit all targets in a 10 meter radius!]


    [You have dealt 32,100 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 29,500 damage to the target!]


    [The ck me explosion...]


    [Ssh damage equal to 300% of your total attack power has hit all targets in a 10 meter radius!]


    [You have dealt...]


    [You have dealt...]


    The reason that Grid favored Link was because the opportunity of activating the ck mes option of the Enlightenment Lightning Sword increased. Of course, this logic applied equally to 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. And unlike the single-target Link, 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was a wide area attack skill. It hit many enemies several times, meaning the probability of the ck mes exploding was high. Much higher!


    Kwang!


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°...¡±


    The best magic that a yer had yet to encounter, Meteor, was falling from the sky several times? Ares and the Ares troops were unable to close their mouth as ck fire constantly exploding, destroying Liberon Forest. And on this day.


    [The 23rd Knight Rove has been defeated.]


    [The 26th Knight Kent has been defeated.]


    [The 29th Knight Ordo has been defeated.]


    [The 12th Knight Theo has been defeated.]


    [The 14th Knight Shen has been defeated.]


    [The 15th Knight Vio has been defeated.]


    ...


    ...


    The knights from number 30 to 20 copsed. In addition, the knights in the 10¡¯s also lost their lives. Then.


    [The Third Knight Lorex has been defeated.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The Red Knights¡¯ Red Armor has been acquired.]


    [Lorex¡¯s Red Armor has been acquired.]


    [Lorex¡¯s Large Axe has been acquired.]


    The Third Knight Lorex also met his end.


    ¡°U-Unbelievable...!¡±


    ¡°You! The Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant!


    The surviving Red Knights gathered around the Fifth Knight. They were rtively fine. Damage hadn¡¯t umted like Lorex and they didn¡¯t have the debuff of having damage increased by three times. Thus, they were able to protect their bodies with defense skills.


    On the other hand, Grid was exhausted.


    [The duration of Quick Movements is over.]


    [The duration of cksmith¡¯s Rage is over.]


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    He was in a state where all his survival skills were exhausted. His buffs had ended. His health had fallen by half due to the use of ckening.


    ¡®I can¡¯t keep fighting this way.¡¯


    It would be difficult to lose his immortality. The immortality was hisst,st resort. Grid determined that he should leave the battlefield before the duration of ckening was over. He tried to get as far away as possible from the Red Knights. But he couldn¡¯t move.


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    [A powerful lightning attack has paralyzed you!]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [The effect of highposure has reduced the duration of the restraint.]


    "I¡¯ve never seen the Red Knights pushed so far. You are truly the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. His Majesty will be very pleased when I give your head to him.¡±


    A voice was heard from empty space. The irresistible force caused a shiver to go down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was confused. A figure started to appear in front of his eyes. It was a person with transparent skin. The appearance of the skin gradually whitened while the owner also had wide hair, eyebrows, and even pupils.


    "Hello? I am called Kyle.¡±


    One of the five pirs supporting the empire. It was the moment when the still unknown people emerged in front of Grid.


    ¡°Now, die.¡±


    Pajik!


    Paijijik!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    [There is one second left until the restraint is lifted.]


    Kyle¡¯s hand became covered with lightning and he pointed it at Grid¡¯s face.


    "Raising Corpses.¡±


    Peeng!


    Behind Kyle. A death knight rose from the spot where Lorex died and attacked Kyle. Lorex had be a death knight.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Kyle flinched from the unexpected attack.


    [You are free from the restraint!]


    Grid shed the lightning energy that was holding his body. He hurriedly opened the distance from Kyle as he heard a familiar, unpleasant voice.


    ¡°Kik... Kikkik, you are mine. I won¡¯t let you fall to someone else.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Grid was astounded.


    Dark eyes with dark circles. It was Agnus, a man with pale skin and green hair. Baal¡¯s Contractor had emerged.

 Chapter 709

    ¡®Why is he here?¡¯


    In fact, such a question was pointless. Agnus was also a yer and it was unknown what quests he had. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to appear anytime, anywhere, or in any form. Grid always had to keep the possibility of encountering him in mind. At this moment, Grid should be having other doubts.


    ¡®Why did he help me?¡¯


    Grid was caught by the unknown strong person called Kyle and this was a crisis for everyone. The Ares troops tried to help him, but it was hard since the imperial troops intervened while giving up their lives. At this time, Agnus helped Grid. It could only be interpreted as an obvious favor. Grid found it hard to understand. Even if there were no personal feelings, wouldn¡¯t the quest development make Agnus his enemy?


    ¡®From Agnus¡¯ perspective, he should wee my death.¡¯


    Why?


    ¡®Why did he help me?¡¯


    The moment Grid was feeling confused.


    [The level of the corpse that you raised is too high.]


    [Control can no longer be maintained.]


    Death Knight Lorex turned grey after attacking Kyle¡¯s back. It was only three seconds after his appearance. A wide smile spread on Agnus¡¯ face.


    ¡°3,000 dominance was consumed just to control him for three seconds? Kilkik! Grid, you defeated this monster?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hero King...! Hero King!! I want to see how much stronger you have be! Kihahahahat!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid hurriedly backed away. Agnusughed like a madman and started attacking him. Agnus helped and now he wanted to kill Grid.


    "What the hell is this?¡±


    Grid screamed wildly as he avoided the attack. Agnus chased after him and stabbed his sword.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik! Ast ditch effort! Do it! Give me more fun! Kihahahahat!¡±


    ¡°This crazy bastard...!¡±


    Grid realized. It was impossible to understand Agnus. Yes, Agnus was just crazy. Grid must not make the mistake of feeling like he owed Agnus for his life.


    ¡¯Saving me was just a mere whim...!¡¯


    Grid judged. Agnus¡¯ sword grazed his cheek. It was a sword made of bones.


    [You have been cursed.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡¯A weapon that triggers a debuff...! Did he get a new item?¡¯


    ¡°Kikikik! What are you doing staring nkly? Don¡¯t run away! Hit me! Kuahahahat!¡±


    Agnus became crazier. He wasn¡¯t aware of the Red Knights and Kyle surrounding him and Grid. Fifth Knight Dia grinded his teeth.


    ¡°Treating us like a folding screen...!¡±


    Dia was a person specialized inbat. His overall stats were inferior to Third Knight Lorex but he was better in a one on one match. The moment that he furiously tried to fly towards Grid and Agnus.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Kyle restrained Dia. "As you have seen, the descendant of the Undefeated King is strong. The same is true for the unidentified man who appearedte. It is better to induce the two of them to fight.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum...!¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t like Kyle very much. He hadn¡¯t been seen at all when Lorex and the Red Knights were in a crisis, only showing up when the descendant of the Undefeated King was exhausted. If Kyle went out a bit earlier, then Lorex could have lived. But.


    ¡®I can¡¯t criticize him!¡¯


    Dia also failed to save Lorex. He was no different from Kyle. Dia barely suppressed his anger at Kyle and nodded.


    "I understand.¡±


    The descendant of the Undefeated King was strong and the man who showed upte didn¡¯t seem weak either. Dia thought it would be better for the two of them to fight each other as Kyle said. But the development didn¡¯t flow ording to what they wanted.


    ¡°Agnus! Calm down!¡± Veradin btedly arrived on the battlefield and grabbed Agnus¡¯ reason. ¡°You can fight him at any time, but not Kyle! If you miss the chance today then you might not encounter Kyle again!¡±


    Kyle and Agnus¡¯ factions were different, but they belonged to the same empire. Originally, they couldn¡¯t be hostile to each other. Depending on the story development, it was highly likely they would be allies the next time they met.


    "...Kihi!¡±


    Agnus, who was chasing Grid, barely regained his reason and stood in ce. Kyle was ssified as one of the strongest NPCs. Agnus thought that fighting Kyle would be much more fun than Grid who was running away.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯d rather fight a tough guy than a weary coward... Kik.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Grid was relieved when Agnus stopped chasing him.


    ¡®I almost died.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just because he was tired. Grid was unable to reveal that he was the Overgeared King,. There was no chance of winning if he couldn¡¯t fight Agnus with all his strength. There was no chance unless Agnus summoned Mumud and forced Grid to use Assimtion.


    ¡®But Agnus won¡¯t summon Mumud unless he is an idiot.¡¯


    Summoning Mumud would initiate the Braham VS Mumud quest and Grid would receive the level 400 correction. In addition, the assimted Grid and Lich Mumud would be forced intobat. Grid was convinced that Agnus wouldn¡¯t summon Mumud after being aware of this fact.


    Indeed.


    Kukukukukung...


    Agnus summoning his death knights and liches except for Mumud. Then he ordered them to attack Kyle. The death knight that Veradin summoned also hit Kyle.


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous.¡¯


    Grid wore Braham¡¯s Boots and flew into the sky to move as far away from the battlefield as possible and anticipated Kyle¡¯s crisis. He was familiar with how strong Agnus¡¯ death knights and liches were.


    ¡®Kyle is at least on the same level as Lorex.¡¯


    But he couldn¡¯t endure the pincer attack of Agnus and Veradin. They were monsters who blocked both Grid and the Ares Army. Grid judged this, but Kyleughed at this judgment.


    Pajik!


    Kurururung!


    Kyle summoned a storm of lightning around himself. It was powerful magic. The death knights were swept away by the lightning storm and fell in all directions.


    ¡®It is beyond Ashur¡¯s magic?¡¯


    More than a great magician! Grid was taken aback when he realized that Kyle¡¯s skills were more than imagined. He was reminded of one of the empire¡¯s greatest powers, beyond the solo number knights.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, the five pirs...!¡±


    Grid now noticed Kyle¡¯s identity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who sent the assassin, but it¡¯s stupid. Do you think you can beat me with such skills?¡±


    Pajijik!


    Kyle, surrounded by lightning, disappeared from his ce and reappeared. He appeared behind Agnus without anyone in the battlefield knowing, a dagger in his hand. He wasn¡¯t just a magician, but a person specialized inbat itself.


    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    Kyle¡¯s dagger stabbed Agnus¡¯ side again and again. Six times per second. Kyle reached the maximum speed that the buffed Grid was capable of.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±


    Grid flinched in the sky.


    ¡®Should I help?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like Agnus. Grid was clearly enemies with Agnus and was in a position to desire Agnus¡¯ death. However, he was aware that Kyle was a much more threatening enemy than Agnus.


    ¡®As long as the five pirs exist, the empire will maintain its power and pressure the Overgeared Kingdom forever.¡¯


    Maybe he should take advantage of this opportunity? It was a great opportunity to break down the five pirs and weaken the empire!


    ¡¯...I don¡¯t want to have a debt owed to that crazy man.¡¯


    His health, mana, and stamina had recovered to an adequate level. Grid checked his condition and pulled out the Enlightenment Lightning Sword. At the same time, the Ares Army broke through the imperial army and joined Agnus. The Ares Army made the same judgment as Grid.


    ¡°Agnus! I know roughly what you are up to! But it¡¯s okay! I will use it! If I can get rid of the five pirs, I will join hands with a mad dog!¡±


    Jeeeong!


    Agnus¡¯ death knights had been swept away by the lightning storm and scattered all over. The members of the Ares Army attacked the rear of the Red Knights fighting them. Thanks to this, Agnus¡¯ death knights were able to regain their freedom. Agnus kept up the onught on Kyle using all means and methods. Heughed on the battlefield.


    ¡°Okay! Good! Furfu¡¯s Power!¡±


    The moment a great demon was mentioned.


    Swaaaaah.


    The sky stained by the setting sun was filled with a white light. It was a change inndscape caused by the frost that started to pour down like rain.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Kuoooooh!


    This was the power of Great Demon Furfu! Agnus¡¯ death knights became more powerful and the isted Kyle clicked his tongue.


    ¡®How annoying.¡¯


    In fact, Kyle¡¯s goal was achieved the moment Lorex died.


    ¡®As a result of the Third Knight leading the army, the imperial army was routed inbat and the Third Knight and numerous Red Knights died. It was proof of the ipetence of the Red Knights. ¡®There¡¯s no need for the Red Knights.¡¯


    The emperor would be delighted when Kyle made this report to him. That¡¯s right. Kyle¡¯s real mission this time was the copse of the Red Knights. As a result, the empress¡¯ power would be weakened.


    ¡®It would be better if I could handle the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant here but...¡¯


    The two necromancers who unexpectedly appeared were difficult. In particr, the crazy necromancer was a skilled man who escaped frommon sense.


    ¡®The power of a great demon... I¡¯d rather leave while the surviving Red Knights are serving as shields.¡¯


    Valha was a rural area from the standpoint of the empire. Kyle didn¡¯t want to make his official debut in this vige. He felt this ce was too small a stage to announce his dignity, so he decided to leave.


    ¡°Blue Dragon¡¯s Dance.¡±


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    Kyle used the power obtained from the East Continent to maximize his physical abilities. He nned to escape the death knights persistently sticking to him. But his n was ruined by an unexpected event.


    ¡°Summon Lich! Mumud!¡±


    "Hey, you crazy guy!¡±


    ¡°?!¡±


    As soon as Agnus summoned Lich Mumud, Grid fell towards Kyle and his ck hair turned white.


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Braham and Mumud fired magic at each other at the same time. It was natural for Kyle in the middle to be caught in the st.

 Chapter 710

    Kraugel was the first person to be mentioned when it came to geniuses in Satisfy. The whole world recognized Kraugel as a collection of talents. They thought the reason why he reached the peak of two billion users was because he was a genius among geniuses.


    But what was the truth? The world was wide and there were many monsters. If Kraugel was a human only blessed with natural talent, he would never be the best. The reason he could be the best was because he worked hard. In order to be the best, Kraugel was also striving to keep his top position and to climb higher. Strictly speaking, he was a superior version of Grid.


    On the other hand, this ce.


    ¡®Kikik, yes, the fool finally figured it out. Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be worthwhile saving him.¡¯


    There was a person who became the best with rtively little effort. Agnus. The person who stayed at 7th in the unified rankings despite being one of the first to obtain a epic hidden ss. The world tended to underestimate him. He didn¡¯t take first despite his epic ss, so his talent was somewhatcking. But those who knew Agnus¡¯ disposition didn¡¯t undervalue him.


    Unlike other rankers, Agnus wasn¡¯t afraid to die. He only pursued pleasure. He yed this game in pursuit of the fun of the moment, rather than profit. Therefore, he received countless penalties and caused others to fear him. If an ordinary person yed the game like this, he could never be a high ranker. Agnus not only held the 7th ce in the unified rankings, he also had the title of one of the strongest. He had a collection of talents gathered in his body.


    At this moment, Agnus saved Grid¡¯s life and summoned Mumud based on instinctive calctions.


    One of the five pirs of the empire, Kyle. He was the weakest of the five pirs, but his level was at least 450. Agnus determined that a special method was necessary to beat him and he instinctively grasped that particr method. It was the power of Mumud and Braham, who received the quest correction.


    ¡°Summon Lich! Mumud!¡±


    [Lich Mumud has been summoned!]


    [Mumud has detected Braham¡¯s soul!]


    [The quest Braham VS Mumud has been triggered!]


    [Lich Mumud¡¯s level is increased to 400. Some of the sealed magic will now be avable. However, control is impossible.]


    Mumud who was magician whose talent transcended legends. He pulled out some of his strength.


    "Hey, you crazy guy!¡± Fireball!¡±


    The magic of Braham, a top talent and legend, could also be used. What was the destructive power that would ur when these two powerful forces collided with each other? Agnus estimated it would be enough to kill Kyle.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Giant mes emerged from Lich Mumud and Braham and collided. The two spells exploded with Kyle in the center.


    ¡°Avoid it! Everyone avoid it!¡±


    The panicked Ares hurriedly moved his army back. On the other hand, the imperial army was confused after losing theirmander and didn¡¯t escape. The result was terrible.


    Kwarururung!


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Liberon Forest was ruined by the subsequent explosion and the imperial army was swept away. Agnus burst outughing as he saw the blood and corpses all over the ce.


    ¡°Kik...! Hahahahahat! Interesting! Interesting!! Go on a rampage! More! More! Rampage further! Mumud!¡±


    "...Agnus, please don¡¯t forget your original purpose.¡±


    Veradin had a hard time calming Agnus, who was constantly losing focus.


    ***


    [Braham¡¯s soul has found Lich Mumud!]


    [The quest Braham VS Mumud has been triggered!]


    [Your level has increased to 400. Some of the sealed magic has been opened because of increased intelligence. You can¡¯t control your body.]


    [Braham has taken control of your body and equipped Belial¡¯s Staff.]


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    After Agnus summoned Lich Mumud, Braham controlled Grid¡¯s body and used magic. He targeted only Mumud and Mumud responded by releasing his unique magic power. At this time, Grid thought that things were ruined. But.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    There was a white man, Kyle, at the point where Braham and Mumud¡¯s magic collided. He couldn¡¯t escape the magic flying from both sides and experienced a catastrophe.


    [You have dealt 3,250,900 damage to the target.]


    This was the power of a legendary magician using Fireball with a myth rated staff! The heaven and earth shook as Kyle suffered terrible damage.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    A shiver went down Grid¡¯s spine as he experienced what happened with Kyle. He wondered if Agnus had deliberately induced this situation. He couldn¡¯t help thinking that the position of himself, Agnus and Kyle was exquisite. But that thought disappeared.


    ¡°Hahahahahat! Interesting! Interesting!! Go on a rampage! More! More! Rampage further! Mumud!¡±


    ¡¯...No, that crazy person can¡¯t do suchputations.¡¯


    Once again, this situation was dangerous. Braham and Mumud were only aiming at each other. There was no stopping Kyle if he recovered from his wound and started acting.


    ¡®Kyle can hit us in the back if we fight against each other. Braham, please calm down!¡¯


    Grid shouted.


    ¡°Mumud...! I will give you rest!¡±


    It didn¡¯t reach Braham. His consciousness was focused only on his old disciple.


    ¡¯...Damn troll.¡¯


    Grid cried out.


    ***


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    On the burning ground. The entirely white man was lying with ragged clothes. It was Kyle.


    ¡°What are those monsters...?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s eyes shook as he confirmed Braham and Mumud¡¯s appearance. He sensed that the magicing from the two beings wasparable to himself. Kyle was confused. Since acquiring a magic power that was far superior to a great magician, he also prided himself on surpassing the legendary magician.


    Then what on earth was this? There were two magicians as good as him? In particr, the descendant of the Undefeated King.


    ¡®How can the descendant of the Undefeated King use magic...?¡¯


    The legend of the Undefeated King was so great that it was unbelievable. The absurd record of him killing hundreds of thousands with a sword wasn¡¯t false. However, there was no record of the Undefeated King using magic. But now. The descendant of the Undefeated King was using magic! The magic power that transcended the magic of a great magician!


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The descendant of the Undefeated King and the lich used magic against each other.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Kyle was once again touched by the magic bombardment of the two monsters and moved away fearfully. He had no choice but to get out of here first. But there was a problem. The descendant of the Undefeated King and the lich were fighting around him.


    Kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Due to the sh between powerful magic, the radius of the explosion was huge. Kyle was swept up in the explosion and coughed up blood. He couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡®This is Fireball? It isn¡¯t Meteor?¡¯


    Fireball was the lowest grade magic. The only advantage was that the casting speed was fast. The weakness in power and uracy meant it could only be given the lowest rating. That¡¯s right. The original Fireball couldn¡¯t threaten Kyle. But the Fireball cast by the descendant of the Undefeated King was different from an ordinary Fireball. The casting speed was as fast as the lowest rated magic but the uracy and power was as good as the best magic. It was reminiscent of the legendary great magician Braham... It contained such a force.


    ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t make sense to think of Braham in regards to the Undefeated King.¡¯


    Shake shake.


    Kyle viciously shook his head and denied it. The descendant of the Undefeated King acquired Braham¡¯s magic? It was a ridiculous assumption!


    ¡°What... There¡¯s something I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    He needed to escape. Please, quickly. He needed to go back to the empire and analyze today¡¯s big events. Kyle barely moved his trembling body and opened the power of the blue dragon.


    "Kyle, you have excellent natural magic power, but your ability to understand magic forms is significantly reduced. It¡¯s useless for you to walk the same path. I will give up my hopes for you. Leave. Just looking at your face is hard.¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Every time the power of the sacred creature filled his body, he recalled the moment when he was abandoned by his teacher and father figure. The moment that Kyle was surrounded by lightning.


    ¡°Fireball! Fireball!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant and unidentified lich elerated their magic casting. They continued shooting at each other, causing massive damage to Kyle in the middle. The result was terrible.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Kyle was surrounded by light. He was able to escape from the range of the explosion but lost an arm from the shock. He was a pir that supported the empire. He couldn¡¯t be hurt like this.


    ¡°Ik...! Ick!¡±


    Kyle¡¯s eyes were bloodshot.


    Kwaduk, kwaduduk! His gaze focused on the descendant of the Undefeated King.


    ¡°Someday...! I will pay you back...!¡±


    "What is it, smallfry?¡±


    "Heok!"


    Kyle would run away now but it would be different when they met againter! Kyle was in a hurry as he was making this resolution. It was because the descendant of the Undefeated King, who was watching only the lich, suddenly turned his gaze to Kyle. It was like Kyle was a bug. There were no emotions in the eyes. The moment he met the descendant, Kyle felt like a bug.


    ¡°A guy like you has an unusually violent temper. Do you want to die?¡±


    The Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant. In other words, Braham borrowed Grid¡¯s body and threatened Kyle in his distinctive tone. It was towards one of the five pirs of the empire, Kyle.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    He bowed his head and ran away. Kyle wouldn¡¯t forget the face of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant that he saw underneath the tip of the straw hat. Yes, it was Grid¡¯s face. Later, this would be a huge variable.


    ***


    [Kyle has retreated!]


    [The quest Secret Mission has beenpleted!]


    Agnuspleted his purpose foring to this ce.


    ¡°Kill me.¡±


    He ordered his closest subordinate, Veradin. He chose the extreme method of death in order to recover Mumud who had flown into an uncontroble state. Was it because he didn¡¯t want to hurt Grid who he fought with for a while? No way.


    It was because due to the intense attack from Grid and the Ares Army as he made his way through the forest, he was about to die. Agnus didn¡¯t care about dying, but it would be a huge loss if the Braham VS Mumud quest was considered a failure. It was a good idea to end his own life and stop the quest. Veradin also respected his choice.


    "I¡¯m d your mind has returned.¡±


    ¡°Kikikik!¡±


    Puok!


    Agnus died and Lich Mumud also disappeared.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    As Grid¡¯s ck hair started returning, Veradin immediately left the battlefield.

 Chapter 711

    "Chase the enemy! Don¡¯t let a single one of them leave alive! Show no mercy! Carve fear into the empire!¡±


    After Braham and Mumud turned up in Liberon Forest. The Red Knights and imperial army started their retreat without looking back. Ast hurrah to destroy Valha and the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant? It couldn¡¯t be done. After the defeat of the Third Knight, there was nobody left to deal with the descendant of the Undefeated King, the monster who even chased away one of the five pirs.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    ¡°Hiiik!¡±


    The imperial army wanted to escape from his hellish ce as soon as possible. Unfortunately, their retreat rate was very slow. The rugged terrain and climate of Liberon Forest captured their ankles. On the other hand, the Valha soldiers had been trained in Liberon Forest. Their morale rose and they quickly caught up with the imperial army.


    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    Chukakakakak!


    A terrible sight! The Valha soldiers were like devils. They didn¡¯t spare the imperial soldiers begging him to live. They didn¡¯t ept the surrender. It was a warning to the empire not to take Valha lightly.


    "These guys...!¡±


    The Fifth Knight gritted his teeth as he witnessed his soldiers being ughtered. He deeply hated Valha, who dared to go against the empire. But he didn¡¯t move to help the soldiers. He had to take care of the Red Knights, not the soldiers who could be reced at any time.


    ¡®While Mercedes wasn¡¯t here, our Red Knights suffered great damage. I don¡¯t deserve to see Mercedes if I lose all these knights.¡¯


    Kwajak!


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    Dia blew away the enemies chasing after the Red Knights. He was relieved by one fact. It was regarding the emperor.


    ¡®Kyle, who His Majesty so favors, couldn¡¯t stop the descendant of the Undefeated King. It¡¯s natural that our Red Knights would fail this mission.¡¯


    The emperor couldn¡¯t punish the Red Knights. If he wanted to punish the Red Knights, he had to punish his favored Kyle.


    ¡®...But it¡¯s surprising.¡¯


    Dia recalled Kyle, who became helpless in front of the magic bombardment of the lich and Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    ¡®He¡¯s weaker than the rumors. Even if he is the weakest of the five pirs, he is below Lorex.¡¯


    Kyle couldn¡¯t defeat the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant, who killed Lorex. It meant Kyle was weaker than Lorex. The reputation of the five pirs was exaggerated.


    ¡®What about Mercedes and Lucas?¡¯


    The First Knight and Second Knight. Their reputation, which was iparable high, was much weaker than the reality. It was the result of the emperor not acknowledging their achievements.


    ¡®In fact, Mercedes is superior to the five pirs.¡¯


    Dia was running at the very rear of the Red Knights. It was a location where he intended to protect the Red Knights from the pursuit of the enemy. It was a dangerous situation and he had to take responsibility.


    "Look at the Red Knights running like rodents! Puhuhu!¡±


    Luck of Valha. He held a horse¡¯s reins in one hand and a huge guandao in the other hand as he moved to Dia¡¯s side. (Guandao: type of Chinese pole weapon) Once the distance was narrowed.


    Peeeeeong!


    Luck¡¯s guandao moved in an arc and Dia¡¯s upper body shook after blocking it with a sword.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Dia was surprised. He had fought Luck several times, but it had always been an exchange of swords on the ground. At that time, Dia had overwhelmed Luck. Now Luck¡¯s attack power was twice as strong when he was using a spear on the horse. Dia became alert. Luckughed.


    "My horse riding ability level is really high. And a sword isn¡¯t a weapon suited to being used on a horse!¡±


    Jeeeong!


    Luck¡¯s guandao fell at a right angle this time. It was with great power. Dia¡¯s bnce slightly copsed as he blocked it with his sword.


    ¡°Sir Dia!¡±


    Once he heard a cry from behind, he turned his head towards the Red Knights. Dia called out as he saw them turn their horses around.


    "Keep moving forward! You should go to Mercedes¡¯ side!¡±


    ¡°B-But...!¡±


    The Red Knights knew the situation. Dia, who overcame thousands of Valha soldiers while Lorex was dealing with the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant, was already weary. Now he was facing the enemies with high morale alone.


    The Red Knights were worried.


    ¡°I am the Fifth Knight! My duty is to protect you!¡±


    Dia shouted.


    He thought. A leader should be willing to protect his subordinates. Just like Mercedes.


    "I will protect you! Go! Don¡¯t think about anything and head to the capital!¡±


    Jjang!Jjang!Jjeejeeeong!


    Dia groaned while defending against Luck¡¯s bombardment. He gave up on survival. He turned around and stood in front of Luck. There were dozens of famous enemies, including Scott, supporting Luck. But Dia wasn¡¯t afraid.


    ¡°The Red Knights are eternal...!¡±


    Piaro, whose name it was a sin just to mention. As a young man, Dia had been a member of the ck Knights and admired him. He dreamt of someday destroying the enemy in the front as a Red Knight and protecting his friends.


    ¡¯In the end, I couldn¡¯t achieve my dream...!¡¯


    Jjejeong!Jjang!


    His sword twisted and cut at Luck¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Luck coughed up blood.


    ¡°I have no regrets!¡±


    Dia roared. Scott leapt from behind Luck and stabbed Dia¡¯s chest, but his sword didn¡¯t stop moving for a moment. He kept cutting at the approaching enemies, keeping them firmly in ce. In the end.


    "...A brilliant guy.¡±


    Due to Dia¡¯s skills actions, the Ares troops missed the Red Knights. The Red Knights hadpletely disappeared from view. There were even dozens of Ares troops killed. He was truly a solo number knight.


    "Yourst will?¡±


    Ares admired Dia¡¯s outstanding dance and sacrifice and asked him. It was the greatest honor given to an enemy in a war.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Dia¡¯s eyelids were growing heavy. His vision blurred.


    Flop!


    Dia, who endured to thest moment, finally fell to his knees. His legs were weak and he couldn¡¯t stand anymore. But he still didn¡¯t let go of the sword in his hand.


    ¡°...I... Believe in Piaro... I never once doubted you...¡±


    One day.


    "One day, your stigma as a traitor will be washed away.¡±


    Swaaah.


    Who was thisst will for? Dia coughed up ck blood and his body turned to grey. Ares was silent.


    ***


    Kyle fled and Agnus took his own life. Grid sat to one side and regained his stamina. He watched the strength of Valha¡¯s army end this war. Then Braham¡¯s heavy voice was heard.


    -Grid.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re fine?¡± Grid grumbled at Braham. ¡°You fainted thest time you saw Mumud. How did you hold on today? Oh my, how great.¡±


    Braham never helped in the critical moments. This time, the result ended up well, but Grid still didn¡¯t like it. Braham sincerely said to the dissatisfied Grid.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°...?¡±


    A person who thought he was the best in heaven and earth! There was no phrase more suitable to describe Braham. Yet he was apologizing to a human?


    ¡°W-What? Did you eat something bad?¡±


    Braham questioned the confused Grid.


    -I failed to recover my body and went to meet you in the Behen Archipgo.Do you remember what I said when I borrowed your body?


    ¡°...?¡±


    Unlike usual, Braham¡¯s voice was gentle. It was almost kind.


    ¡®Why is he doing this?¡¯


    Braham was different from usual! Grid was feeling confused when he suddenly recalled a quest.


    [Legendary Great Magician]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Braham has failed to recover his original body. He wants to stay in a safe space until he recovers his exhausted magic power, and has chosen your body as that space.


    If you ept Braham¡¯s soul, you will gain a powerful force.


    Quest eptance Reward: 50% increase in affinity with Braham, the legendary second ss ¡®legendary great magician.¡¯


    It was an ongoing quest. Grid got a legendary second ss thanks to this quest and since then, he had been with Braham¡¯s soul. Then Grid realized one fact.


    ¡®That¡¯s right... Braham asked to borrow my body for 1~4 years.¡¯


    Now it had been three years since they were together. This was in terms of Satisfy time.


    ¡°...Have you recovered your magic power?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice shook as he asked the question. Once he was reminded that he wouldn¡¯t be with Braham forever, he felt agitation and sorrow. Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling affection for Braham. He liked Braham. Despite being a troll, how much had Grid won thanks to Braham? There were many enjoyable days. Braham was a strong assistant and also a precious friend.


    Braham read Grid¡¯s feelings and sniffed.


    -Yes, I have recovered.It¡¯s something to be happy about.But what is with your reaction?Do you really like me?


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t deny it. Braham was too precious to deny just because he was ashamed.


    -...


    Braham remained silent when Grid didn¡¯t speak. In fact, this wasn¡¯t the normal Braham. After being expelled from the world of vampires and living as a human, he became aware of feelings of affection. He treasured Pagma, felt jealous and worried of Mumud, and now he liked Grid. In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, Braham spoke in a forced cheerful voice.


    -This is a happy asion.Now you and I are free.I will restore my body and you don¡¯t have to be hurt by my actions.


    Hurt. Braham¡¯s words made Grid¡¯s chest feel numb. Grid noticed. Braham med himself for being out of control every time he met Lich Mumud. Grid hurriedly denied it.


    "No, Braham. You have never done any damage to me. Think about it. Can¡¯t I be here now because of your presence? I was always happy and thankful to be with you.¡±


    -...Thank you.


    Braham said with difficulty. His voice was also trembling. There was a lump in Grid¡¯s throat.


    Paaaat!


    A source of great power was nestled deep in Grid¡¯s chest. Braham¡¯s soul started to stir. He was going to leave.


    Grid hurriedly eximed. ¡°What? Why are you in a hurry? Take it slowly! Slowly leave!¡±


    -Kukuk, I have been waiting for this moment for three years.I want to leave.I want to recover myplete body as soon as possible.


    ¡®But even so! It is too abrupt! Haven¡¯t we been together all these years? Unburden your innermost thoughts!¡±


    Grid shouted tearfully. It was difficult for him to ept the sudden separation.


    Brrururung.


    Braham¡¯s soul shook. He was deeply moved by the fact that he became a precious person to someone.


    -...I will give you a present.I will put my magic forms into your body. Later, you will be able to learn new magic once you have sufficient intelligence.You won¡¯t feel my absence.


    ¡°Braham...!¡±


    -Kukuk, don¡¯t be a girl.Didn¡¯t I tell you?I will reim my flesh.We live in the same age.We will meet again.


    Paaaat!


    Braham¡¯s soul emerged from Grid¡¯s chest. Braham¡¯s voice was no longer heard.


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    Grid reached out to Braham¡¯s soul which had reached the sky in an instant...


    ¡®Stay well.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s soul disappeared into the sky without looking back. A blue soul moved as a beam of light.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejejeok!


    It cracked little by little.


    ¡®In my current state, I can¡¯t guarantee victory against Lich Mumud. I will drive Grid to death.¡¯


    Braham knew from the beginning. His presence was bing disruptive to Grid. Of course, he didn¡¯t care at first. Grid was just a vessel to stay in while his magic was restored. But it changed once they were together. He didn¡¯t want to trouble Grid anymore.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I will repay you, even if I die and fall into hell. Be well. Live life with no regrets.¡¯


    Jjeok!Jjejejeok!


    More and more cracks appeared in the blue soul. But Braham didn¡¯t care. He focused on saying goodbye to Grid.


    ¡®New legend, I praise you, feel awe towards you and love you.¡¯

 Chapter 712

    [Braham¡¯s soul has left.]


    The friend he built up many memories with had left him, but there was only a short notification window.


    The system didn¡¯t understand the friendship between the two of them.


    ¡°Braham...¡±


    Grid was left alone and felt depressed. He could no longer feel Braham¡¯s soul in his chest, causing him to be overwhelmed by a sense of loss that was difficult to describe.


    ¡°...¡±


    His legs wouldn¡¯t fall. Grid stood firmly in ce, looking at the blue trail that Braham¡¯s soul left in the sky. He continued for a long time after the trail hadpletely disappeared.


    ***


    Oasis. He became a candidate to be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant, but he was gradually moving away from his dream. He was stunned in this war. Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid. The hero of this era who became the first king with natural talent (?). Wealth, fame, and women. Having secured everything, now he used the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Oasis felt a sense of deprivation. Why was the world so unfair? This world was for main characters only! The awful reality made Oasis sad. He felt that Grid was dominating all the luck in the world and resented the world¡¯s unfairness. But now.


    ¡¯...He is truly an amazing person. Yes, like Ares said, good luck doesn¡¯t exist. Grid was qualified, so he could be a main character.¡¯


    Oasis no longer med the world. He couldn¡¯t envy Grid. The five pirs. Oasis shook as the Ares Army dealt with the remnants of the empire and observed Grid.


    ¡®Grid... He has been locked in thought for five hours...¡¯


    Why was Grid staring up at the sky after the battle?


    ¡®He¡¯s reying the fight.¡¯


    Oasis was convinced. Grid was like this all the time.


    ¡®After experiencing some incidents... Grid always spent hours reying the situation. Then he would use it as food for growth to develop constantly.¡¯


    Reying the battle. It was easy to say, but who could do it every time? In particr, Grid invested a few hours.


    ¡®Amazing... Really amazing. I can¡¯t even be jealous. Grid is different from me.¡¯


    Well, of course. While he was an ordinary person, Grid was the best ranker who achieved countless great feats. No, he was one of the best. He couldn¡¯t bepared.


    Kkuok.


    Oasis gripped the Undefeated King¡¯s old sheath tightly. He was conflicted. Could he really keep this sheath? He had lost his qualification to be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. After much struggling.


    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯


    The Undefeated King. It was impossible for Oasis. He realized reality.


    ¡®The rightful owner of the sheath is Grid.¡¯


    Grid already had the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. If he obtained the old sheath, he would be immediately chosen as the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    ¡®He is already Pagma¡¯s Descendant... He has a second ss.¡¯


    Step, step.


    The determined Oasis approached Grid.


    Dugun dugun!


    He looked like a tycoon from afar. Oasis¡¯ heart beat like crazy. Finally.


    ¡°H-Hello?¡±


    Oasis was so nervous after greeting Grid that he bit his tongue. Grid nced at him.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The moment he met Grid¡¯s ck eyes, Oasis got goosebumps all over his body. Grid¡¯s eyes were so deep that he couldn¡¯t believe they were the same age. It was a totally different feeling from looking at a distance or through the screen. Oasis was confronted with the reality of Grid and gulped.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    Grid asked politely. If someone who knew Grid was in this ce, they would be shocked. Why? It was because originally Grid wasn¡¯t polite. Since a long time ago, Grid rarely used honorifics on his opponent. In fact, this wasn¡¯t a problem of Grid¡¯s nature.


    It was an overall feature of Korean gamers. Korean gamers lost politeness due to the AOS genre game ¡®rules¡¯ in the past. Since a certain point in time, informal conversations in game was a basic culture. But at this moment, Grid¡¯s thoughts changed. It was a change that urred when he looked back at himself and regretted that he had never been polite to Braham, who was hundreds of years older than him.


    Grid didn¡¯t know if he would develop a rtionship with the person in front of him in the future, but he shouldn¡¯t make this person disgusted with him. He came to know the concept of ¡®respect.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, t-that...¡±


    Oasis was confused and nervous, since the image of Grid that he knew was different than the one he faced. He was in a muddled state.


    "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but feel free to speak your mind.¡±


    Grid smiled kindly. He could see his past self in the obscure Oasis. He alwayscked confidence so he bowed his head and was afraid of even meeting people¡¯s eyes a few years ago. Now Grid knew. Even pathetic people deserved respect. He had wanted to be respected in the past.


    ¡¯But now I am.¡¯


    He had never respected the weak. He never harassed anyone unless they were an enemy, but he only helped his allies if they were in distress.


    ¡®I never thought about the position of that person.¡¯


    He was vignt and suspicious of everyone before he got to know them. Yes, it was the same with Braham. He was wary and didn¡¯t feel respect because Braham was a demonkin.


    ¡®Just once.¡¯


    If only he talked to Braham about being betrayed by Pagma, if only he said words of warmfort. When Braham encouraged him, Grid could also give Braham hope.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I show any interest in Braham?¡¯


    Grid knew his position. He could try to help Braham with his resurrection. But Grid didn¡¯t. He just treated Braham the way he wanted. Nevertheless.


    ¡°Nevertheless, you... You liked me...¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Grid bit his lower lip hard. He was trying to stop himself from crying. Oasis had a great misunderstanding after seeing Grid.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anyone who is so kind and looks at me with such friendly eyes...?¡¯


    King Grid. It wasn¡¯t just limited to Satisfy. He had a reputation and power to reign like a king in the real world. But rather than being arrogant, he was such a warm person. It was surprising.


    ¡®He can control his mind... That¡¯s how he was able to seed...!¡¯


    The arrogance exposed through various types of broadcasts was a false production. He didn¡¯t want his true self to be seen by potential enemies. It was indeed admirable. ¡®Yes, this is the ideal Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.¡¯ Oasis¡¯ tension was released once he saw Grid as such a big person. He had a warm heart like believers in front of a Buddha statue.


    "Please ept this."


    Oasis handed the old sheath of the Undefeated King to Grid. Of course, it wasn¡¯t without good reason. He wasn¡¯t a fool. In any case, if he made Grid the descendant of the Undefeated King, he might get a separate reward in return.


    ¡®It might be a few legendary items.¡¯


    He would be able to live a different life. The moment that Oasis thought so.


    ¡°Hey, sh... Is this a joke?¡±


    "?????"


    Grid frowned after being given the old sheath of the Undefeated King. The gentle atmosphere hadpletely disappeared. His eyes looked like he was going to curse at Oasis.


    ¡®W-What? Why so suddenly?¡¯


    Oasis panicked. The angry Grid threw the old sheath back to him.


    "A person is trying to suppress his emotions. Why are you giving this japtem to me? What is wrong with you? Eh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Jap...tem?¡±


    An item that provided a legendary ss change quest was called japtem? It was impossible. Oasis thought that something was wrong with the Undefeated King¡¯s old sheath. Then he heard a voice that hadn¡¯t been present since he failed the quest in Lubana.


    -Do you think you can surrender ownership at will?The choice isn¡¯t your burden.


    "...I didn¡¯t lose my qualifications?¡±


    Oasis asked in a quivering voice. The voice from the old sheath hummed.


    -It¡¯s a problem for me to judge.Don¡¯t think about it.


    ¡°...¡±


    Oasis¡¯ eyes turned red. Deep emotions flickered as the dream he thought was long gone appeared again. Grid¡¯s eyes were t when they looked at Oasis.


    ¡®Talking alone in front of a person... He ispletely crazy.¡¯


    Once again, he shouldn¡¯t be kind to anyone. This was just a strange and twisted person. Then someone on a horse ran towards Grid. It was Ares returning after the war. Ares got down from his horse and bowed deeply to Grid.


    "I really appreciate it this time. Thanks to your help, I was able to achieve a bigger victory than I expected.¡±


    In the war that Ares nned, Liberon Forest was just the ¡®first interception.¡¯ Despite taking advantage of the terrain and climate of Liberon Forest, Ares knew that this line of defense would eventually be ovee. He prepared other traps in various ces, but was able to get rid of the imperial troops before they were exposed. It was a tremendous benefit in the long run. Ares was truly thankful and grasped Grid¡¯s hand.


    "No, I didn¡¯t do it for your thanks.¡±


    "I know."


    The reason that Grid participated in this war was for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom, not Valha. Ares also knew this fact.


    "But it¡¯s clear that Valha greatly benefited as a result. Allow me to repay you.¡±


    p p.


    Ares pped and 500 soldiers ran over. At a nce, they were clearly well-trained.


    ¡°They are elites who have been given top attributes. The war raised their level to 270. Maybe they can grow into knights?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "I will give them to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "These soldiers, please ept them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Valha would supply troops to the Overgeared Kingdom, while the Overgeared Kingdom supplied items to Valha. This was the ideal alliance that Ares dreamt of.


    ¡°I hope that the exchanges between the two kingdoms will be more active from today."


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    The grateful Grid left Valha with the soldiers. Oasis looked at his back and questioned the old sheath.


    "Isn¡¯t he a fit for the ruler you¡¯re looking for? Honestly, won¡¯t he fulfil your wish?¡±


    The answer he received in return was:


    -He is already a ruler.His vessel is too big for the small part of my soul in this sheath to handle.


    ¡°...¡±


    An amazing person who was recognized by an arrogant ego item. Oasis¡¯ eyes filled with envy as they looked at Grid¡¯s back.


    ¡®Someday, I will stand side by side with you... No, I will be a person you will be aware of. Until then, please win.¡¯


    The footsteps left by a hero of heroes, countless people followed them. Now Grid was someone else¡¯s goal. Just like Grid¡¯s goal was Kraugel.

 Chapter 713

    Name: Hail


    Level: 271


    upation: Soldier


    Strength: 1,090/1,700


    Stamina: 1,047/1,700


    Agility: 600/1,000


    Intelligence: 306/800


    Skills: Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 1, Intermediate Spear Mastery Lv. 1, Beginner Bow Mastery Lv. 7, Beginner Shield Techniques Lv. 7, Beginner Horse Riding Lv. 3, Beginning Swimming Lv. 1.


    Hidden Attributes: Terrain Adaptability Increase, Climate Adaptability Increase, Increased Amount of Experience Gained, Recover all Resources at Level Up, Status Resistance Correction, Decreased Morale Drop Rate.


    Status: Depressed (I was abandoned by King Ares... Did I do something wrong?)


    Name: Kan


    Level: 275


    upation: Soldier


    Strength: 1,290/1,400


    Stamina: 1,347/1,500


    Agility: 810/1,100


    Intelligence: 106/500


    Skills: Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 2, Intermediate Spear Mastery Lv. 2, Beginner Bow Mastery Lv. 9, Beginner Shield Techniques Lv. 9, Beginning Horse Riding Lv. 5, Beginner Swimming Lv. 1.


    Hidden Attributes: Terrain Adaptability Increase, Climate Adaptability Increase, Increased Amount of Experience Gained, Recover all Resources at Level Up, Status Resistance Correction, Decreased Morale Drop Rate.


    Status: Confused (It is an honor to serve the famous Overgeared King... My family is left at home...?)


    ¡®...Crazy.¡¯


    On the way to the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was astonished as he observed the 500 soldiers with the King¡¯s Sword. Was it due to the outstanding talents of the soldiers? No, that wasn¡¯t it. The measure of a NPC¡¯s talent was the maximum number of stats they could obtain and their special skills. From a general point of view, these 500 soldiers were all had in talent. That¡¯s why it was even more amazing.


    ¡¯Being able to raise the ordinary soldiers to this level...¡¯


    The more talented the NPCs, the better their learning ability. In other words, ordinary soldiers were slow when it came to increasing their skills. The 500 soldiers that Ares gave him had a very high skill level despite being ordinary. Moreover, the separate attributes they possessed were also the best.


    ¡®In particr, all resources are recovered when levelling up. This is the reason why Valha soldiers show great fighting ability in a war.¡¯


    It was hard to give original attributes.


    They reason why the Overgeared soldiers had the Increased Adaptation in Rice Fields attribute was the result of steadily training there. The Overgeared soldiers did intense drills all day but unlike the Valha soldiers, they didn¡¯t have a wide range of attributes. Recovering all resources when levelling up... Grid had no idea how to give that attribute.


    ¡®How strong is Ares¡¯ Fostering Strong Soldiers skill?¡¯


    Imagine it. The appearance of Ares as hemanded one million soldiers.


    ¡®...Scary, scary.¡¯


    Grid never wanted to be hostile to Ares. If they had to be enemies...


    ¡®I have to hit while Valha still isn¡¯t developed.¡¯


    Grid was confident. If he, Asmophel Chucksley, Maxong, and the best members of Overgeared devastated the enemy while Kasim and Faker assassinated them in the turmoil, they could conquer Valha. But instead...


    ¡®Our damage will be big and we will show a gap to the empire.¡¯


    Eventually, they would be destroyed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be enemies with Ares in the first ce.¡¯


    Grid had a great deal of liking towards Ares. How many people in the world would hate Ares¡¯ straightforward and bold personality?


    ¡®...He has the candidate for the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant by his side.¡¯


    Oasis. The man who came to him and handed him an old worn-out sheath. Grid was reminded of him and cheered him on.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be discouraged.¡¯


    In fact, he had been confused when a man he didn¡¯t know came up to him and handed him the sheath. Then he used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal on the sheath and felt anger and sympathy at the same time.


    [Undefeated King¡¯s Old Sheath]


    ¡ï Quest Item ¡ï


    A sheath used by the Undefeated King when he was alive. A part of the Undefeated King¡¯s will is contained in it.


    Conditions of Use: A yer. After changing to the current ss, unable to have died once.


    A quest item associated with the Undefeated King. Grid quickly grasped Oasis¡¯ identity. He was the rumored descendant of the Undefeated King. No, he was a candidate to be the descendant.


    ¡®It is a precious opportunity you have won for yourself. You shouldn¡¯t give it to other people.¡¯


    Why did Oasis try to hand over the sheath to him? Grid grasped the reason for it.


    ¡®He wanted to give up.¡¯


    It could be seen in the eyes and the shadows on the face. Oasis didn¡¯t have any confidence. Just like Grid in the past.


    ¡¯I used to talk to myself all the time...¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid was projecting himself onto Oasis. Thus, he hated Oasis while at the same time, felt sympathetic and wanted to cheer him on.


    ¡®Right now, the quest is difficult and you want to run away. But don¡¯t give up. Hang on.¡¯


    Setting his private emotions aside, wasn¡¯t Grid greedy for the Undefeated King¡¯s old sheath? Didn¡¯t he want it? Certainly not. Grid and his colleagues were people who weren¡¯t afraid of failure. There was no one among them who met the conditions to use the old sheath.


    ¡¯Well, there is nothing free in the world. If I received the sheath, I would have to give something else instead.¡¯


    Rather, it was more urgent to get rid of the depression in the 500 soldiers. Grid reassured the soldiers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry if your family is in Valha. In the name of the Overgeared King, I will take all your family members into the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Of course, Ares would willingly cooperate if he knew. The soldiers were thrilled when they saw Grid¡¯s trustworthy face.


    ¡®Unbelievable... Despite us not saying anything, he saw our anxiety and prepared a solution...¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s truly great... As expected from the famous Overgeared King.¡¯


    Grid used items to build up the people.


    ***


    "What?¡±


    50,000 soldiers wiped out, many Red Knights died, and Kyle¡¯s left arm was gone. Emperor Juander was upset when he heard the report. He wanted to suppress the Red Knights and the soldiers could be reced at any time. But the fact that Kyle was hit was a problem. It became impossible to pass the responsibility of this war to the Red Knights and the position of the five pirs would be weaker. As a result, Juander was unable to achieve his intended purpose. His prestige even dropped.


    ¡°Kyle...! Kyle, this guy! I believed in you!¡±


    Kuwaaaang!


    The energy of the Saharan imperial family passed down through generations filled the area. Once Juander became angry, the powerful red energy exploded and shook the great hall. Kyle¡¯s face became paler.


    "I¡¯m ashamed..."


    Kyle couldn¡¯t lift his head. He was ready to die. The emperor¡¯s n was broken because of him and his position was weakened. However, Juander was cold. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to cut his own flesh.


    ¡°Confinement...! Don¡¯t show yourself until I call for you again!¡±


    ¡°...You are sparing my life?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself! I¡¯m only leaving you alive because it¡¯s necessary!¡±


    ¡°...I will surely make up for this one day.¡±


    Kyle bowed deeply to Juander and left the great hall. Once left alone, Juander¡¯s body started to tremble.


    ¡°The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant...!¡±


    He destroyed half of the Red Knights and damaged Kyle with magic? It was something that couldn¡¯t bepared to what was witnessed in Lubana!


    ¡®He can even use magic?¡¯


    Magic was an area that even the Undefeated King in the legends didn¡¯t use. Juander became uneasy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... The descendant of the Undefeated King is stronger than the Undefeated King?¡±


    ***


    Many people knew that the East Continent had a higher level of difficulty than the West Continent. It was no surprise that the people from the East Continent brought over by Grid to the Overgeared Kingdom performed better than the existing Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s residents.


    By default, their level was high and they were distinguished in each field. A prime example was the four cksmiths, the Red Phoenix Group, Sua, and Han Seokbong. Additionally...


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s time to water the garden. I have to hurry.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. Yang Fei has already watered it.¡±


    "Ugh! Prince Lord¡¯s snack hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet!¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. I already brought him a homemade pie made by Yang Fei.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in big trouble. Tomorrow is cleaning day, but I can¡¯t find the supplies.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. Yang Fei has already figured it all out.¡±


    "Prince Lord¡¯s escort, Sir Chucksley has asked for a vacation because of back pain. I will summon Jude, who will temporarily be in charge.¡±


    "No, Sir Chucksley withdrew the request. His back pain was gone after Yang Fei gave him a massage.¡±


    ¡°Yang Fei...¡±


    ¡°Yang Fei...¡±


    Super maid! It was the nickname attached to Yang Fei. Grid¡¯s hand techniques... No, after moving to the Overgeared Kingdom, she was truly very versatile. It was possible because she had to support arge family alone. She was able to cope with any situation and became a senior maid representing the Overgeared Pce. She was from themon people and became a royal maid!


    ¡®I will devote myself even more!¡¯


    Yang Fei was very motivated. Being able to show off all her skills was a vocation for her. This was like heavenpared to working in Idan¡¯s restaurant.


    "If I work hard... One day King Grid will...¡±


    ¡°What about Father?¡±


    "Come to me at night like the old days...¡±


    "At night?"


    ¡°Massage... Kyaaack!¡±


    Yang Fei blushed as she spread her imagination. She btedly realized and screamed. The cause was the 5 year old boy standing next to him. The ck hair and high nose resembled his father. On the other hand, the eyes that resembled his mother was as blue as the sky. His eyes were gentle. The face was a perfect oval shape. It was an amazing small face with that nose and mouth!


    ¡°P-Prince Lord...!¡±


    That¡¯s right. The smiling boy whose eyes were shining likenterns was Lord. As usual, he was covered in grease and dirt. It was incredible that he was the prince of a kingdom. It was inevitable since he worked in the fields in the morning, did martial arts in the afternoon, and royal business in the evening.


    ¡°Hello Yang Fei.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A bright expression. Yang Fei was absorbed in Lord¡¯s beauty and was stunned for a moment. Lord¡¯s beauty was so perfect in all respects that even the great Yang Fei was amazed. This was despite the fact that he was only 5 years old. Lord asked an innocent question to the staring Yang Fei.


    "Does Father massage Yang Fei every night? Is it good?¡±


    ¡°N-No! It was only a few times in the past! It hasn¡¯t happened in recent years!¡±


    It was just a normal massage. But what Yang Fei felt was different. Therefore, she felt guilty for some reason. She couldn¡¯t deny itpletely. A strange smile appeared on Lord¡¯s face. The innocence disappeared like it was washed away. He felt more like a sly uncle than a 5 year old boy.


    "Teach me how to give a massage. I want to give my girlfriends massages.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "I will keep it a secret from Mother. Yes? Shall we go to my room?¡±


    Lord smiled again like he didn¡¯t know anything! Yang Fei, who was known for always been calm and impersonal, couldn¡¯t help feeling embarrassed in front of Lord. Lord was enjoying her reaction when a voice was heard.


    ¡°King Grid has returned. Prince Lord, please change clothes and greet him.¡±


    The voice heard from the ceiling came from the King of Shadows, Kasim. Since the situation with the empire became uneasy, he devoted himself to escorting Lord and handed over leadership of the Overgeared Shadows to Faker.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Lord¡¯s face brightened. He was delighted to be reunited with his father, who he respected and loved most in the world. He really looked like a child when this happened.

 Chapter 714

    ¡®Where did it go wrong?¡¯


    Recently, Kasim¡¯s worries had been deepening. It was because Prince Lord was quite wicked at age 5. His actions were gradually bing perverse. Was it a cause for concern? Yes, it was. If Lord was a normal child, his spiteful nature wouldn¡¯t be a problem. What 4~8 year old didn¡¯t act out? Lord was the same as children of the same age.


    The problem was that Lord wasn¡¯t normal. His innate intelligence was extraordinary enough to understand when taught and his talent was outstanding enough to adapt quickly to any field. Looking at him, Kasim was convinced that Lord would be a legend in the future. Was that all? He even had power. It was a serious problem for such a smart and influential person to have a spiteful nature.


    Look at what happened just before. He had Yang Fei in his hand and Yang Fei wasn¡¯t able to resist simply because Lord was a prince.


    ¡®It is still at the level of a joke.¡¯


    But what if Lord became eviler?


    ¡®A prince¡¯s joke can ruin a person¡¯s life.¡¯


    The King of Shadows had made assassination as his business and knew the dark side of the world. He saw how dangerous crooked power was.


    ¡®I worked hard on his emotional education but...¡¯


    Kasim wasn¡¯t Lord¡¯s only teacher. The legendary farmer Piaro, Sage Sticks, cksmith Khan, and asionally Pope Damian all taught Lord. They all tried to instill the correct way of thinking into Lord. Piaro taught him how to understand the minds of farmers and soldiers, Sticks taught him the moral sense of the whole species, Khan the unassuming spirit of a craftsman, and Damian the spirit of faith. Nevertheless, Lord was gradually bing distorted.


    ¡®This is a serious problem.¡¯


    Kasim had started guarding Lord right after he was born. He no longer recognized Lord as a means of going against the empire and thought of Lord as his own child. That¡¯s why he was more worried. However, he didn¡¯t have an idea of how to fix Lord¡¯s crooked character. Fortunately, his worries were quickly resolved.


    ¡°Huh? What? My Lord. Did you suffer from studying today?¡±


    King Grid returned from a war. He saw the sweat and dirt on Lord and anxiously hugged him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to study hard, but I would rather you make a lot of friends and y around. Lord is still young. You don¡¯t have to live with excessive responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Father...¡±


    Lord¡¯s eyes turned red as he was hugged by Grid. The best genius of the continent, the only sessor to the Overgeared Kingdom, a legend¡¯s descendant, etc. Lord had the expectations of millions of people on him since he was born and had always beenpelled to fulfill these expectations.


    It was always stressful. He felt resentment that he was overworked just because of his father and his natural talent. But Lord wasn¡¯t able to express this to anyone. He was afraid of disappointing the people around him and didn¡¯t want to disgrace his great father. Yet at this moment...


    "I will be happy if Lord is healthy and happy. I want Lord to make a lot of good friends rather than being alone. It would be great if my Lord is always happy and makes other people happy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The most respected and loving father in the world was revealing his heart.


    Kkuok...


    Lord buried his face in Grid¡¯s chest and bit his lip. He was trying to stop himself from crying. At the age of 5, Lord had started to be skewed from his burdens. This little boy was getting his act together today.


    ¡®Father, I¡¯ll study harder from today onwards. I won¡¯t make other people embarrassed. I will be a great person like Mother.¡¯


    The smell of iron from his father¡¯s arms was too good. The feeling of his father¡¯srge and rugged hands stroking his head made Lord feel happy. Lord barely managed to hold back his tears and smiled. Kasim gave a warm smile from where he was watching in the shadows.


    ¡®I can¡¯t fill a father¡¯s role.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡±


    Grid¡¯s office.


    Lauel came to see Grid. He was still unfamiliar with the sight of Grid whispering to Lord in his arms. Wasn¡¯t it just a few months ago that Grid was trying to teach Lord everything? Gridughed bitterly.


    ¡°Whenever I see a sweaty young child, I¡¯m reminded of Sehee.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Ruby?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A child who received the expectations of their parents due to her terrible brother. Sehee went to all types of private academies and woulde homete at night. Grid knew how hard it was.


    ¡°There is no reason to be overworked just because a person is talented. Well, he needs the minimum level of education as a prince, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand your mind. But Prince Lord will be the biggest power in the future of the Overgeared Kingdom. Stopping the gifted education will directly lead to weakening the power of the Overgeared Kingdom...¡±


    "Do I have to rely on my son? This time, I have obtained the political power stat. I will try harder, so let¡¯s stop putting the burden on Lord.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was trying to be more responsible since Braham left. At this moment, he realized he hadn¡¯t been trying his best. He made up his mind to do even more.


    "Have you decided on the strategy to attack the vampire cities?¡±


    The named bosses sleeping in a vampire city dropped the best items. It was important to raise the power of the Overgeared Kingdom by upying the vampire cities.


    "Yes, I have excluded the 2nd city, which is believed to contain Marie Rose and the 1st city, which is estimated to have the highest level of difficulty, from the attack list. We will clear the remaining seven cities sequentially.¡±


    ¡°The raid group members?¡±


    "A party will be formed with Your Majesty and the viscount members.¡±


    The viscount members included the top members of the Tzedakah Guild: Jishuka, Pon, Regas, etc. There was also Peak Sword, Euphemina, Chris, and Katz.


    ¡°It¡¯s great...¡±


    "At first, I thought to include a wider variety of people in the party. But I thought an overall power boost was necessary.¡±


    The empire failed to destroy Valha and the cause of the failure was ced on the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. Right now, they were afraid to approach Valha and might detour to the Overgeared Kingdom first. Lauel thought it would be better to raise the power of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    "If the third advancement users don¡¯t grow now, they won¡¯t have the ability to deal with the solo number knights. I think it would be better to focus on raising the high level members in preparation for going against the empire.¡±


    Grid had directly witnessed the skills of the solo number knights and agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡±


    In particr, the growth of Chris, Faker, and Regas were necessary. If they became more powerful than they were now, maybe they could fight one on one with a solo number knight. Grid nodded and Lauel added.


    "Ah, Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl will also go with you.¡±


    "...Do they have time?¡±


    ¡°The two of them have decided to focus on Satisfy rather than their studies.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    Grid felt sorry for the vampires. And at this moment, Grid¡¯s misfortune was triggered.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    The national cemetery of the imperial capital, Titan. The Red Knights were gathered where the empire¡¯s lords were sleeping. They were dressed in ck mourning clothes. It was to honor their colleagues who died in the war against Valha.


    ¡°A moment of silence.¡±


    The ck outfit made her white skin more noticeable. Mercedes bowed her head and everyone followed her.


    "...Sir Lorex, I will surely avenge you.¡±


    ¡°SIr Dia... I won¡¯t forget your sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Red Knights started to sob. Pain filled their chests. However, their leader Mercedes was silent and didn¡¯t shed any tears. Her role wasn¡¯t to share in the sorrow, but to get revenge.


    ¡°Prepare to leave.¡±


    After the funeral. Mercedes broke through the heavy mourning and gave an order to her aide, Sky. At this moment, a quest window appeared in front of Sky.


    [Blood Revenge]


    Difficulty: SSS


    First Knight Mercedes wants to honor her deceased colleagues. She¡¯s determined to go to Valha and find the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant in order to kill him.


    As Mercedes aide, you have the obligation to act with her and help her achieve her goal.


    Quest Clear Conditions: The death of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    Quest Reward: Join the Red Knights. Once you join the Red Knights, you will gain benefits such as increased stats and new skills.


    Quest Failure: Level -5.


    ¡®Finally...!¡¯


    He was the first yer to receive the opportunity to be a Red Knight. The ambitious Sky had been working only for this moment.


    ¡¯...Climb up thedder step by step.¡±


    One day, he would be a solo number knight and stand side by side with Mercedes.


    ¡¯Then I will make you my girl.¡¯


    An ugly smile appeared on Sky¡¯s face. His gaze swept over Mercedes¡¯ white neck.


    ***


    "Three brothers have died."


    The nine direct descendants of Shizo Beriache. Among the vampires, they had transcendent power, but were under the Curse of Idleness. They spent most of their life sleeping. They btedly received the news that Elfin Stone, Tiramet, and Latina had died.


    "I don¡¯t know about Tiramet and Latina, but I can¡¯t believe Elfin Stone...¡±


    Earl Elfin Stone. The nine. No, if Braham was included, then Elfin Stone was one of the top members among the ten direct descendants.


    "But to be killed by humans...¡±


    "Is it one of the rumored legends? People like Muller.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a few hundred years? Muller and the other legends are long dead.¡±


    ¡°Eh...? Then who killed Elfin Stone...? Um... Ummmm...¡±


    ¡°...Kuooh... Kuoooh...¡±


    ¡°...Drrrool!¡±


    The direct descendants gathered after hundreds of years. Apart from Duchess Marie Rose and Marquis Fenrir, all of the direct descendants gathered in one ce started to fall asleep. It was the fearful Curse of Idleness.

 Chapter 715

    There were a total of 15 vampire cities. The Overgeared Guild had already conquered cities 10~15.


    ¡°The bosses who protect each city are true blood vampires or direct vampires. Everyone here has faced the true blood vampires a number of times, right?¡±


    The entrance to the 9th city. Lauel¡¯s briefing started before they entered.


    ¡°The direct descendants are super named bosses. Once killed, they won¡¯t respawn again. Instead, a true blood vampire will appear as a boss.¡±


    Chris nodded.


    ¡°Since taking over as lord of Reidan, I have hunted the true blood vampires 53 times. They are all named bosses and are strong.¡±


    "53 times...? You have attacked the cities 53 times in just three months?¡±


    Pon was amazed when he heard Chris¡¯ words. He knew how high the difficulty of the vampire cities was. Unless Grid was with them, it took at least three days to capture a city once. Of course, this was a story for when the top members set up a party.


    Chris modestly responded to Pon.


    "It¡¯s thanks to the actions of my captains."


    The five captains of the Giant Guild! They were the best talents, including the 1st ranked swordsman Zirkan. They wereparable to the top yers of the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡®If we form a party with them, it will be easier to conquer the cities...¡¯


    The convinced Pon nodded.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Chris hunting alone before?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was the one who asked the question.


    Pon was shocked.


    Hum hum. Chris coughed and exined.


    "That day, I specifically challenged myself. Up to that point, I had always been with the captains. I built up my know-how and was able to challenge it by myself.¡±


    ¡°No, stop. You don¡¯t have to be so considerate." Pon interrupted Chris¡¯ words. "There¡¯s arge gap between us. I will try to narrow the gap in this raid.¡±


    Chris was 1st on the unified rankings and Pon was currently 7th. He didn¡¯t think he wascking so much. His provocative words stimted Chris.


    ¡°...I will be looking forward to it.¡±


    Chris realized how much he had grown. He had never once won against Jishuka, Regas, and Pon during the days of L.T.S. Now their positions were reversed. Regas¡¯ eyes were zing as he watched the two people.


    "I hope to see a direct vampire. It will be a lot of fun.¡±


    Regas was always longing for a fight with the strong!


    "...What fun? It would be awful.¡±


    Vantner clicked his tongue. He was nervous because he had experienced fighting a direct descendant.


    "At this point, Elfin Stone would beparable to Belial.¡±


    Monsters also grew. Just like Satisfy yers levelled up over the passage of time, a monster¡¯s level also rose significantly. Once he recalled Elfin Stone¡¯s presence in the past, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the current earls were as strong as Belial a few months ago.


    Lauel nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable reasoning. From now on, the direct vampires we meet will be tough. But...¡±


    Suook.


    Lauel examined the Overgeared members. Overgeared King Grid, 1st ranked Chris, godly archer Jishuka, god of killing Faker, Asura Regas, White Knight Pon, bald-headed Vantner, Blood Warrior Katz, conditional powerhouse Euphemina, Peak Sword, Pdin Toban, Huroi, etc. The best people who deserved to be praised were gathered together. There was also Saintess Ruby, who had the strongest healing ability, and the Saintess¡¯ Knight Sexy Schoolgirl, who protected her.


    "Even if we meet Belial again, we don¡¯t have to be afraid with all the members here. Although Yura¡¯s presence would be nice."


    ¡°Yura...¡±


    It had been a few months since Grid had seen Yura. Her beautiful face was like a drug and he sometimes deeply missed her.


    "Yura still hasn¡¯t returned from hell?¡±


    "Yes, I haven¡¯t been able tomunicate with her.¡±


    "I¡¯m looking forward to when shees back.¡±


    In contrast to the smiling Grid.


    "She has toe back before the National Competition.¡±


    Peak Sword was worried.


    Then.


    "Our stamina has recovered.¡±


    Saintess Ruby and Saintess¡¯ Knight Sexy Schoolgirl reported. They had just reached level 200 so they were exhausted from crossing Reidan¡¯s desert.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Grid nodded and got up. Then he took the lead with the strongest rankers behind him.


    "This is the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    They were the ones with the highest pride. Even the 1st ranked Chris was willing and happy to follow Grid. They all recognized Grid as the best. It had been from the time when Grid wasn¡¯t recognized by the world.


    ***


    The 9th vampire city.


    "When is Earl Craying back?¡±


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯sing back...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One year ago. The master of the 9th city and descendant of Shizo Beriache, Earl Cray had left the city. He left for a ¡®short¡¯ meeting and said he would be back. Yet he still hadn¡¯t returned. The vampires of the 9th city had half given up. The Curse of Idleness had a stronger effect on the top ranking vampires. The vampires if the 9th city knew that Earl Cray had fallen asleep during the meeting and wouldn¡¯t wake up for decades.


    "What will happen if the humans that kill Earl Elfin Stone attack at this point?¡±


    "At that time."


    "We should have the true blood vampires go out.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Blood.¡±


    "Vampires.¡±


    True blood vampires. Vampires made by the direct descendants. They had high pride. In particr, Earl Cray was better than Earl Elfin Stone, so they believed that they could stop the enemy invasion. At that moment, intruders appeared in the city as if to prove that belief.


    "Around 20 humans have entered?¡±


    "Heh, humans are crazy. Invading our city with such a small number of people.¡±


    The true blood vampires who were the guardians of the 9th city! Three of them barely shook off their sleepiness and raised themselves from their coffins.


    Shaaaaaah-


    The flesh of the vampires scattered into smoke and flew through the city where sunlight didn¡¯t enter. Then.


    ¡°There they are.¡±


    "How long has it been since I smelt human blood?¡±


    "Dinner, dinner! Kihahahahat!¡±


    The true blood vampires discovered the intruders and regained their original bodies. Their red eyes watched from the sky in the position of a hunter. The humans surrounded by hundreds of vampires were just good prey.


    ¡°The vampire who eats first will be the owner!¡±


    The three excited true blood vampires descended to the ground. It was fast enough to exceed the ridiculous speed of a griffon descending to snatch prey. Usually humans couldn¡¯t follow along with their eyes!


    Sukakak!


    Puok!


    Peeng!


    The true blood vampires rapidly descended and attacked the humans with their ws, magic, and weapons. The humans buried their heads in the cold floor without being aware of it. The true blood vampires believed so and smiled coldly. However...


    Kwajak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡®Keok... Huh?¡¯


    ¡®Ugh... Eh?¡¯


    Those whose faces were on the cold floor weren¡¯t human, but the true blood vampires. All of them were attacked without noticing and crashed into the ground.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    A technique? The confused true blood vampires raised their bodies.


    --!


    ---!


    ----!


    Three sharp shes of light moved silently in the darkness. At the same time, blood rose from the back of the true blood vampires. The god of killing, Faker. Despite having a normal ss, he was a master of swiftness who won against the sun-grade ck. His master level Assassination skill exerted maximum power due to his exquisite control skills.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    They felt pain in the necks. The true blood vampires grasped the situationte and screamed. The moment they noticed Faker¡¯s existence, Faker¡¯s assassination skill was already lifted.


    Chwarururuk!


    A man with cold eyes appeared in the darkness. There was no fear on his face despite standing alone among three true blood vampires. It was enough to disturb the true blood vampires.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    ¡°Damn humans!¡±


    ¡°You son of a bitch."


    Due to the assassin¡¯s surprise attack, the anger of the true blood vampires pierced the sky. Their feelings were evident in their attacks.


    Peng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Brilliant magic aimed towards Faker. The true blood vampires were nning to ughter the assassins in front of them and then the humans fighting fighting the vampires in the rear. But their n didn¡¯t work. The assassin was so fast that 70% of the magic bombardment missed.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡± The power was enough to remind them of Earl Cray¡¯s magic. It was due to the strong aura. ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Chukak.Chukakakakak!


    Pajijijik!


    Kurururung!


    "Ke...ok.¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    The true blood vampires. As long as a direct descendant wasn¡¯t present, they were the head of the general vampires. They forgot their bodies and gave a terrible scream. They were embarrassed by the acute pain.


    ¡®These humans...!¡¯


    ¡®They are well prepared...!¡¯


    After they were surprised by the assassin, a powerful person attacked. Indeed, humans were smart. The moment the true blood vampires barely endured the pain by using the unique resilience of the species to counterattack.


    ¡°Your parents are sloths! You arezy and don¡¯t care about food, only sleeping!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Someone cried out the truth that couldn¡¯t be denied and the defense of the agitated true blood vampires fell. At this time.


    ¡°1,000 ton Sword!¡±


    ¡°Rail Spear!"


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    "Draw Sword, Extinguish!¡±


    It was the skills of the most powerful members of the team after they received the Overgeared Guild¡¯s buffs.


    "Kuaaaaack!¡±


    The 9th vampire city was conquered in just two hours.


    [The party ¡®Let¡¯s Obtain Loot!¡¯ has seeded in capturing the 9th vampire city!]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired a intermediate vampire ring.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired a strength elixir.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 21 weapon enhancement stones...]


    ...


    ...


    [The level of party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ has risen!]


    [The level of party member ¡®Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯ has risen!]


    "...I didn¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    Toban and Vantner, the tankers of the party, felt isted. It was because the vampires died without giving them a chance to tank the monsters. They just stood still and ate experience! It was like a meal.

 Chapter 716

    Among the yers, there was one party called the ¡®all-time best grade.¡¯ It was the Belial Raid party. The party contained Grid, the top rankers of the Overgeared Guild, Sword Saint Kraugel, and Pope Damian. It was the evaluation of most people that the strongest party wouldn¡¯t be born again twice.


    But now, breaking the expectations of people, another strongest party was born. The name of the radiant party was ¡®Let¡¯s Obtain Loot!¡¯ party.


    [The party ¡®Let¡¯s Obtain Loot!¡¯ has seeded in capturing the 8th vampire city!]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired two advanced vampire rings.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired a stamina elixir.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯...]


    ...


    ...


    1 hour and 48 minutes. After capturing the 9th city in two hours, the Let¡¯s Obtain Loot! party set a new record again. It was the advantage of the guild party. There was great teamwork because the party gathered people who shared the same ideals.


    "Wow, aren¡¯t we invincible?¡±


    ¡°That... We can¡¯t lose with these members.¡±


    The power of the current party wasparable to the Belial raid party.


    Kraugel¡¯s space was filled by Chris, and Damian¡¯s space was filled by Saintess Ruby. In particr, Ruby¡¯s percentage heal, great heals, and divine power abilities exerted a unique power in party y. The only areas were Ruby was inferior to Damian was that her personalbat power was weak and she couldn¡¯t use various buff skills. This was despite the fact that she was only level 200.


    In addition,pared to the time of the Belial raid, the average power of the members was very high. It was natural, since most of them were equipped with weapons made by Belial¡¯s items.


    ¡°As Lauel says, the current members can raid Belial.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>Haha hoho!</i>


    The 9th and 8th cities were easier than they expected, so the Overgeared members had a friendly atmosphere among them. They were especially delighted with the drops of the vampire rings and the elixirs.


    Advanced vampire¡¯s ring. It had a longer cooldown and less effect than Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring that Grid possessed, but that was whenpared to Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.


    A vampire item with a healing effect; the value of the vampire rings in Satisfy was so rare that it was hard to find an alternative. Among them, the Advanced Vampire¡¯s Ring was the most effective. The drop rate was so low that only a few members of Overgeared had them. The vampires rings were popr with the Overgeared members, but most of them had inferior ones.


    What about the value of the elixirs, which increased a stat permanently by 10? The elixirs had the worst drop rate. Since bing lord of Reidan, Chris had only drank an elixir three times. The value was astronomical. But the elixirs dropped continuously in two cities!


    ¡°Luck is following us. We will be able to grow tremendously during this expedition.¡±


    All the party members were excited. All of them were hopeful for the future. Except for Grid!


    ¡®...I¡¯m anxious.¡¯


    Grid was gripped by an anxiety that couldn¡¯t be expressed in words. The reason? He was too lucky. The elixirs that he never found dropped in session in two cities? Unfortunately, Grid was fortunate enough to experience it.


    ¡®It¡¯s unusual... In the 9th city, three true blood vampires appeared at the same time.¡¯


    Originally, it often happened. Looking back at the city that Tiramet guarded, the direct descendant Tiramet and several true blood vampires appeared at the same time. Yes, Grid¡¯s anxiety didn¡¯t have a clear basis. But Grid¡¯s emotions didn¡¯t dissipate.


    ¡¯What if Marie Rose appears in a city other than the 2nd city...?¡¯


    No, he wanted to believe that wouldn¡¯t happen. Grid trusted Braham.


    ¡¯...Or will several direct descendants appear at the same time?¡¯


    Was it because he experienced so much misfortune? Grid was getting better and better at anticipating it.


    Chill!


    As Grid got goosebumps, the morale of the party members rose into the sky.


    "Next is the 7th city! Number 7 is lucky in South Korea! Haha! As the chairman of the South Korea Patriotic Society, I will confidently say that two elixirs will drop in the next city! Puhahat!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! You¡¯re feeling good? Okay, let¡¯s move onto the next city!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Don¡¯t be too excited. Grid wanted to say this, but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. He didn¡¯t want to lower the atmosphere for no reason.


    ¡®It¡¯s sad that I haven¡¯t yed around with friends... There¡¯s no need to unnecessarily worry them.¡¯


    He could worry about it alone.


    Shake shake.


    Grid shook his head and headed to the next city with his colleagues.


    ***


    As it became two months to the National Competition, the attention and expectations of the world focused on it. What countries would be active this year and what types of scenes would be produced.


    ¡º Once the new rules are applied, it¡¯s clear that the United States will win an overwhelming number of gold medals. It can¡¯t be denied. The United States will be number one. ¡»


    ¡º There are so many yers from the United States... Zibal¡¯s whereabouts are still unknown, but won¡¯t Kraugel fill his empty seat? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it¡¯s the most noticeable part of this National Competition. Kraugel¡¯s nationality changed from Russia to the United States. ¡»


    ¡º In interviews with the Russian people, it seems that Kraugel had suffered considerable racial discrimination in Russia. It¡¯s understandable that he moved countries. But why the United States instead of South Korea? Considering his Korean background, shouldn¡¯t he move to South Korea? ¡»


    ¡º There¡¯s a lot of spection about this part. Among them, the most likely spection is... ¡»


    Kraugel was dreaming of a rematch with Grid. He deliberately avoided South Korea with the aim of fighting Grid.


    ...Many people guessed this. However, the credibility was low because it wasn¡¯t what Kraugel himself said.


    -There are rumors that it is because of his mother¡¯s illness.It seems that the United States promised to fix his mother¡¯s illness.Well, it might be tricky.


    -It¡¯s much more realistic than the spection that he is conscious of Grid and avoided going to South Korea.Didn¡¯t Kraugel already win against Gridst year?Does he need to be conscious of Grid?


    -Right.Kraugel doesn¡¯t seem to care about Grid.


    The confrontation between Kraugel and Grid was so gorgeous and fierce that it was always in the top 3 best scenes of the National Competition. Regardless of nationality, countless people watched the video of the confrontation between the two. Again and again, repeatedly again and again.


    There were many people expecting the reunion between the two and the S.A. Group recognized this fact. It was enough to insert the confrontation scene of the two people fromst year into the opening video of the 3rd National Competition.


    But people knew the reality. This year, there wouldn¡¯t be a great showdown in the National Competition. It was clear. Last year, Kraugel was praised as the sky above the sky, but he was still a normal ss. Nevertheless, he beat Grid, who had a legendary ss.


    What about Kraugel of this year? A legend. He was also a Sword Saint, the strongest among the former legends. It was clear that this year¡¯s Kraugel would be several times stronger thanst year¡¯s Kraugel and Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it. If there was a rematch between the two of them, it would be a one-sided fight.


    -It isn¡¯t that Grid is weak.It¡¯s rare to find someone stronger than him.


    -Who doesn¡¯t know this?


    -Just.


    -Kraugel is too strong.


    -He¡¯s the sky above the sky!


    -Kraugel is special among the special people.The most outstanding of all.


    -It doesn¡¯t make sense that he would avoid South Korea because he¡¯s aware of someone he defeated.


    -The issue this year isn¡¯t the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel. It¡¯s which country will take second ce in the overall medals rank.


    -Right.The United States will certainly be number one.


    After the United States, Canada and China were emerging as Satisfy superpowers due to their poption. Which country would take second ce? Attention was focused on this. South Korea wasn¡¯t even mentioned and the interest in Grid was very faintpared tost year.


    There was a person who was stimted by this.


    "...South Korea isn¡¯t a country that could be ignored.¡±


    The protagonist was Dungeon Maker Eat Spicy Jokbal. Recently, he¡¯d been going through many internal changes while drinking with Peak Sword. He contacted the three friends who he set up Blood Carnival with.


    ***


    [You have entered the 7th vampire city.]


    ¡°It¡¯s the same everywhere.¡±


    The vampire cities all had one thing inmon. It was dark without any light. 10 minutes after entering, they couldn¡¯t see anything. And this was a tremendous risk.


    Kkiiiiiiii!


    Kwaaaaah!


    It was before the party members¡¯ eyes had adapted to the darkness. The wild beasts hanging around the city came to them. The vampires¡¯ familiars. This timing was one of the most dangerous moments. Most of the first time visitors to the vampire cities were unable to resist the familiars and died.


    On the other hand, the Overgeared members had a lot of experience. They had already attacked the vampire cities several times and were aware that they would be attacked by the familiars, so they could cope with it. Even if they couldn¡¯t see in front of them, they could estimate the enemy¡¯s path and use a skill.


    Yes, the familiars at the entrance of the city couldn¡¯t threaten the Overgeared members. This was normal. But the 7th city was strange.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    "Why are they so strong?¡±


    ¡°Shit! Don¡¯t rx and be alert!¡±


    From the thick darkness, numerous familiars came from all directions. They were different from the other familiars. Their level was well over 50 and there were many of them. The Overgeared members became aware that they weren¡¯t ordinary familiars.


    Kwang!


    Kwarururung!


    ¡°Ugh! Take your formations!¡±


    ¡°Stay close until you adjust to the darkness! Be careful not to attack a teammate!¡±


    It was a crisis! The Overgeared members were passive in front of the familiars¡¯ onught.


    ¡°Ahaha! Finally it is our turn!¡±


    It was Toban and Vantner, who didn¡¯t have anything to do in the 9th and 8th cities.


    ¡°Sun Guard!¡±


    sh!


    Splendid light poured from Toban and Vantner¡¯s shields. It was a bright light that caused catastrophic damage to the familiars who had adapted to the darkness for tens and hundreds of years.


    Yelp!Yipppp!


    Grrrrr!


    The wolf and bat familiars became blinded. Theypletely lost sight from the two shields and Vantner¡¯s brightly shining head. The Overgeared members started the onught and barely overcame the crisis. But the real crisis was just beginning.


    "Hrmm... I guess they aren¡¯t the ones who killed Elfin Stone if they¡¯re having trouble with the familiars.


    "They¡¯re trivial. Let¡¯s handle it quickly.¡±


    ¡°....!!¡±


    The party members were astonished at the voices that came from the sky.


    [Earl Cray]


    [Earl Yetima]


    [Earl Ruson]


    [Earl Noll]


    The best monsters with gold names shining brilliantly...


    Four Elfin Stone level vampires gathered and were looking down at them!


    ¡°XX...¡±


    Why was it always him? Grid could only curse.

 Chapter 717

    sh!


    The remnants of light shing off Vantner¡¯s bald head was still dazzling. Due to this, he felt eyes focused on him from four directions.


    ¡°Hahaha... The helmet designs these days...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was an awkward silence. Pon, who would¡¯ve normallyughed at Vantner, could only gulp. The appearance of the four direct descendants was still shocking.


    ¡°...Seven is a lucky number?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Peak Sword couldn¡¯t react to someone¡¯sment. Four direct descendants in one city. The four earl-ss vampires appeared at the same time? It was the worst case scenario that no one expected. How could Peak Sword imagine it?


    ¡°How did this happen...?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes were shaken. ording to the results of his research, the direct vampires were strongly affected by the Curse of Idleness. They didn¡¯t leave their cities and slept in the coffins for tens or hundreds of years. It was against the setting for them to leave their cities and gather in a certain area.


    ¡®The four of them are all city owners?¡¯


    Lauel started to get a headache. He was stressed because the n changed with unexpected variables.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor...ry.¡±


    Lauel opened his trembling lips and apologized. As the initiator of the city conquest n, he thought he should bear all responsibility. He wanted to sacrifice himself to give his colleagues time to retreat. But in order to escape from the vampire city, they had to defeat the owner of the city. Until then, they couldn¡¯t leave the city. Lauel¡¯s sacrifice wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. The party¡¯s chances of survival were zero.


    ¡®This is bad...!¡¯


    His carelessness weakened the power of the Overgeared Kingdom. Lauel¡¯s face was white and stricken. Someone ced a hand on the shoulder of the guilt-stricken Lauel. It was a big and warm hand. Lauel couldn¡¯t not know the owner of this hand.


    ¡°King Grid...¡±


    Lauel turned his gaze and met Grid¡¯s cool eyes.


    "Use your brain if you have time to apologize. Isn¡¯t this the time to be calm? Try it. Regain your spirit.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, Lauel was aware of his weakness from a long time ago. If things flowed differently from his thoughts, he lost hisposure and the ability to deal with it. This was a fatal weakness for a strategist. A strategist should be able to cope with any variable calmly and do their best.


    "Don¡¯t look like it¡¯s over.¡±


    Four earl ss direct descendants? There was no possibility of fighting and winning. But he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of being helpless. This was Grid.


    "Think while we buy some time. That¡¯s the best thing we can do right now.¡±


    The morale of his colleagues had fallen to the bottom. Regas, who desired fighting against the strong, and Katz, who had a strong spirit, were fine. But not all members of Overgeared were the same. In particr, Ruby was terrified.


    ¡®I promised to be a dependable person.¡¯


    A leader had responsibilities. Especially in a tricky situation!


    Teong!


    Grid looked up and flew into the sky. He would confront the four direct descendants alone.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    This was the end. They would all die. Some Overgeared members were frustrated and desperate at the thought of losing experience and items. They btedly noticed Grid soaring into the sky. ck demonic energy covered Grid¡¯s body as he reached the four direct descendants.


    ¡°ckening. Quick Movements.¡±


    [Your ck magic power has increased.]


    [You don¡¯t have any ck magic power. It will be reced with demonic power.]


    [While ckening is activated, your species will change to half-demon.]


    [As a half demon, your maximum health is reduced by 50%. Your attack power, magic power and agility will increased by 30% each.]


    [All attacks will be converted to the dark attribute.]


    [Your evasion rate is increased by 30% and your agility doubled for 1 minute.]


    Grid would directly confront the four direct descendants alone! He put a lot of effort into survival. He was determined to grasp the power of the direct descendants and show the way to his colleagues.


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    ¡°Hoh.¡±


    The eyes of the four direct descendants, looking down at the humans with no inspiration, widened slightly. They thought a trivial human wasing tomit suicide but he was as agile as a flying squirrel.


    "Interesting."


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    A storm of dark energy des poured out! Blood started to appear on the skin of the four direct descendants. They weren¡¯t able to avoid the attack of Grid who had reached the highest speed.


    ¡¯Not even fighting back or defending? Okay, there isn¡¯tpletely no answer.¡¯


    Grid slightly grasped the agility of the direct descendants and performed a sword dance. This time he intended to measure their defense.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    The 20 strikes per second, which was more powerful than normal, cut at the body of Earl Cray. The God Hands firmly guarded Grid against the counterattacks of other earls and Grid identified the notification windows that came into view.


    [You have dealt 16,900 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 18,780 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 20,600...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡®Not bad!¡¯


    The defense wasn¡¯t at a very good level. It was slightly less than the defense of Third Knight Lorex. Grid had hope.


    ¡®If we all join forces, we can hunt two of them.¡¯


    In the end, it was okay to fail in attacking the city. If they took out two out of four, they would unconditionally seed in attacking the city in the next challenge. The moment Grid thought this.


    ¡°Ohu, that¡¯s right. That ring shows that you¡¯re the human who sealed Elfin Stone.¡± Earl Cray smiled at Grid after being hit. His gaze was focused on Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. ¡°Looking at this, Elfin Stone must be pathetic. Well, unlike me, he wasn¡¯t a candidate to be a marquis.¡±


    Paaaat!


    ¡°...?¡±


    Time stopped? Grid fell into an illusion for a moment. The blood that flowed from Earl Cray¡¯s wounds rejected thews of gravity. The drops of blood floated in the air.


    "What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Time hadn¡¯t stopped. Grid heard Earl Cray¡¯s voice and tried to swing the sword again, but it was already toote.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Therge amount of blood shed by Earl Cray. The massive amount of blood gathered in the air and shot towards Grid.


    Peeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted with pain and shock once he was struck by the blood.


    [You have suffered 19,500 damage.]


    [All of your lost health is absorbed by the target.]


    A powerful blood-sucking ability! Earl Cray¡¯s bloody attack didn¡¯t stop at massive damage to Grid. 100% of the damage done to Grid was restored as Earl Cray¡¯s health.


    ¡®Shit, this is a direct...!¡¯


    Earl Cray wasn¡¯t an intimidating opponent because his physical ability was rtively normal. Just as Elfin Stone specialized in swordsmanship and magic, and Tiramet specialized in physical abilities, Cray specialized in the ability to absorb blood. He wasn¡¯t an easily dismissed opponent. As Grid was hit in the chest and started to fall to the ground, Cray¡¯s hand grasped Grid¡¯s face.


    Next.


    ¡°Blood Tornado.¡±


    Puhahahak!


    Pirs of blood uncoiled around Earl Cray¡¯s body like living serpents. They started to swirl in response to Earl Cray¡¯s order. Grid¡¯s body started to be torn apart.


    [You have suffered 17,500 damage.]


    [You have suffered 15,900 damage.]


    [A great king puts his safety first. Due to the First King title effect, a shield with all the health lost in thest minute will be created.]


    [All terrain adaptability has increased by 100% while movement speed and defense has increased by 10%.]


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    The pirs of blood wouldn¡¯t stop until the target waspletely dead. Earl Cray, who was convinced that the man trapped inside would soon die, was amazed. It was due to the strong shield created around the human¡¯s body.


    Kukwak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The human body, which should¡¯ve been torn easily in the bloody storm, suddenly started to resist the storm. This was because Grid swapped from Triple Layers to the Holy Light Armor set.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    Puk!


    An energy de shot through the storm. The terrible attack hit Earl Cray¡¯s chest.


    Puk puk puk!


    Two times, three times, and four times.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Earl Cray coughed up blood and hurried away from Grid.


    ¡°Hahahat! This is too interesting!¡±


    Unlike the others who suffered from the appearance of the four direct descendants, there was one person who was happy.


    "ck Lightning Ascension!¡±


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    It was Asura Regas, who wished to fight strong opponents at any time. He couldn¡¯t fly in the sky like Grid, so he climbed the wall of one building and jumped from the roof towards the four direct descendants. This was the point where Earl Cray moved away from Grid.


    "A pincer attack...!¡±


    Earl Cray was surprised when an enemy appeared in an unexpected ce!


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    Regas¡¯ punch struck his face. At this time.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    ¡°Rail Spear!"


    The other Overgeared members responded by starting the attack. 20 attack skills that killed the true blood vampires at once hit Earl Cray.


    Sukakak!


    Peeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Hit, hit, hit, and hit again! The Overgeared members¡¯ attacks caused Earl Cray¡¯s wounds to increase, as well as the amount of blood shed. It was the prelude to a disaster.


    ¡°Hmmm... I¡¯m surprised that humans are so strong.¡±


    Earl Cray sincerely felt admiration. The number of blood pirs around his body increased from one to four. The more blood he shed, the stronger he became. This was the reality of Earl Cray. All of the Overgeared members, including Grid, tensed up. They couldn¡¯t imagine how much stronger he had be now that he had four blood pirs.


    ¡°Cray has made four ¡®tails¡¯ after a few hundred years.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it the first time since he fought Braham with six tails and was beaten up?¡±


    "These humans are pretty good.¡±


    All three direct descendants, who hadn¡¯t yet participated in the battle, were assured of Cray¡¯s victory. Until a crazy person came forward.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk! Using blood as a weapon in front of me?¡±


    Blood Warrior Katz. He hadined about why they had to all gather together to hunt. He had sat with folded arms when the party conquered the 9th and 8th cities.


    ¡°I¡¯m the master of all the blood in this world.¡±


    Kwaruk!


    Kwarururung!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The eyes of all four direct descendants, including Cray, widened. It was because the four blood pirs around Cray¡¯s body started to run wild.

 Chapter 718

    Kurururuk!


    Therge amount of blood shed by Earl Cray. The four ¡®red tails¡¯ moved away from Earl Cray¡¯s control and moved ording to Katz¡¯ will. The tails that should¡¯ve killed Earl Cray¡¯s enemies bit at his body instead.


    Kwajak!


    Peeng!


    Earl Cray was nervous as the tails squeezed him and dug into his neck. He felt that the flow of blood wasn¡¯t under his control! It felt like he was going to be crushed into powder.


    ¡°Damn human...!¡±


    The vampires who perceived humans as a subspecies. In particr, Cray was a direct descendant, so the situation was very shocking and humiliating.


    "These humans dare trifle with my noble blood!¡±


    Earl Cray was someone who showed little emotion, despite being attacked by Grid and the Overgeared members. He just treated them like livestock ying around. But now he was different. His face was furious like a demon. The other descendants watched him being threatened by his own tail andughed.


    ¡°Hahaha! Cray! What is this pathetic state? A descendant of the blood ruler is humiliated by a human?¡±


    Blood ruler. It was one of Shizo Beriache¡¯s numerous titles. In her lifetime, she was the master of all blood. She could even use the blood of the target to control them. She showed the transcendental ability to control the blood in the body of any living creature.


    The person who imed to be the descendant of the blood ruler was none other than Cray. Earl Cray was especially prideful among the earls and felt tremendous pride in the fact that he inherited one of Beriache¡¯s abilities. But now he was suffering from humans. The other earls thought it was funny and ridiculed him.


    "Shut up!"


    Earl Cray screamed at hisughing brothers. Two of the four tails moving from left to right were destroyed. The two remaining tails no longer reacted to Katz and followed Cray¡¯s will. It was a scene proving that Earl Cray was still iplete. The reason he didn¡¯t be a marquis was because he could only control two tails perfectly. Once he grew three tails, he could exert a higher destructive power, but he couldn¡¯t control it.


    ¡°You..! This garbage dares to give me such shame!¡±


    Earl Cray looked shabby with only two tails wrapped around him. He red at Katz on the ground.


    ¡°Die...! I will remind you that you are just prey! I will bite your neck, suck your blood, and eat all your flesh and hair!¡±


    A cruel deration of murder!


    [Vampire Earl Cray has used Direct Suppression.]


    [It¡¯s a force that mortals find difficult to resist! You have fallen into the ¡®fear¡¯ state.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The Overgeared members started to tremble. Their stats declined dramatically as they felt a strong sense of anxiety. At that moment.


    "Purification!¡±


    Saintess Ruby¡¯s warm light covered the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were able to ovee the fear and felt fine. Earl Cray and the other descendants were surprised.


    ¡°What is that strength?¡±


    Every creature had a natural role. Just as livestock like pig were destined to be eaten by humans, humans were destined to be eaten by vampires. It was natural for humans to feel fear towards direct vampires. But what was this power that twisted destiny?


    The direct descendants shifted their gaze from Katz to Ruby. The aggro shifted from Grid to Katz and now to Ruby. Regas, who fell to the ground after dealing a big blow to Earl Cray, felt alienated.


    "No, pay attention to me...¡±


    Was he a small fry that the direct descendants didn¡¯t even care about? Regas was stimted.


    ¡°Haha... I must devote more time to training.¡±


    Pajik!


    Pajijijik!


    While the direct descendants were staring at Ruby, Regas¡¯ body started to transform. It was the precursor to the descent of an Asura.


    Katz said to him, "Why are you turning into an Asura when you can¡¯t even fly in the sky?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As with most transformation skills, Asura had a time limit and a penalty. And Regas only had a high jump. He couldn¡¯t fly in the sky. On the other hand, the vampires had the ability to fly. A normal vampire could fly by transforming into bats or smoke, but the direct descendants had a passive flying ability. They moved in the air with no restrictions. Regas and most of the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t exert their full strength while the direct descendants were floating in the sky.


    Katz decided to change this. He took advantage of the fact that Earl Cray had a big grudge against him.


    "Hat!"


    Katz snorted as loudly as possible for Earl Cray to hear. He shrugged at Earl Cray, who proimed that he would kill Katz.


    "You have a big mouth for someone who¡¯s so scared that you¡¯re hiding in the sky. Aren¡¯t you talking so far away because you are scared?¡±


    Katz was famous for his personality in the past. He also spoke provocative words. But there was a fact that shouldn¡¯t be forgotten. He was also a top ranker aiming for the top and had always beenpeting. Unlike his outward behavior, his thinking ability was always keen and calm. On the other hand, Earl Cray was born naturally strong. There were fewpetitors and he wasn¡¯t used to fighting. He had a high pride and quickly lost his cool.


    ¡°Who¡¯s afraid of whom?¡±


    Earl Cray roared! His eyes moved from Ruby back to Katz.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    As soon as Earl Cray fell to the ground, it was shattered by the magic power he emitted. The entire city was shaken by the powerful shock, including Katz and the Overgeared members.


    [Vampire Earl Cray has used Magic Power Emission.]


    [The earth is turbulent and the mana in the area has reversed!]


    [You are affected by the ¡®bnce loss¡¯ condition. There is a big restriction on your behavior.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®mana containment¡¯ state. Mana can¡¯t be used as a resource.]


    "First I will tear off your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    Sweat trickled down Katz¡¯ cheek as he faced the angry Earl Cray.


    ¡®It¡¯s a tremendous pressure. It¡¯s the absolute difference in species in Satisfy.¡¯


    Hidden sses had a special concept. Most of them were specialized in one trait. This was sometimes a weakness, but it was mostly a strength. The ultimate concept of the epic ss ¡®Blood Warrior¡¯ is ¡®master of blood.¡¯ He had the ability to control the flesh of anyone, including himself. This was the greatest strength that Katz boasted.


    But Katz had realized from the time he controlled Cray¡¯s tail. His epic rated ability wouldn¡¯t work against the direct descendants. This was sufficient evidence. This was because his special resource ¡®Blood System,¡¯ consumed when capturing the blood of a target, had fallen rapidly the moment he took control of Cray¡¯s tails.


    ording to Katz¡¯ calctions, the maximum time that Katz could control Earl Cray¡¯s tail was only one minute. Yes, even if Earl Cray hadn¡¯t reduced his tail to two, the tails would¡¯ve eventually reverted back to Earl Cray¡¯s control. But Earl Cray didn¡¯t know this. He reduced his tails to two and Katz looked big.


    "Well, I don¡¯t have to use blood magic.¡± Katz barely moved his trembling hands and pulled out the sword at his waist. "I¡¯m a warrior. Kukuk! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Shuaack!


    Katz flew forward with his sword that contained a powerful blood-sucking ability. The attack speed was around three times slower than Grid¡¯s full buff state. However, Earl Cray wasn¡¯t specialized in physical abilities. He couldn¡¯t avoid Katz¡¯ attack and was stabbed in the chest. No, in the first ce, he had no intention of avoiding it. It was just like humans showing no fear towards puppies.


    Kukwak!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Katz¡¯ sword prated Earl Cray¡¯s heart. Earl Cray¡¯s two tails spread out like a and swallowed Katz¡¯ body, squeezing tightly. It was asso of blood. Katz was unable to counterattack. His health was cut by two thirds with a single strike. But Katz knew.


    "This should be enough right?¡±


    Earl Cray reduced the number of tails and came down to the ground because of Katz. He had abandoned his strengths. Katz now believed that his colleagues could take care of it. It was a strong trust. Katz was now melting into the Overgeared Guild. His colleagues repaid his trust.


    ¡°Katz! Hide behind me!¡±


    Toban and Vantner rescued Katz from the bloodsso and hid him behind their shields. Then Regas transformed in Asura, Chris raised his sword energy to the limit, and Pon rode on a white horse before simultaneously attacking Earl Cray. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    Jishuka¡¯s arrows, Zednos and Lae¡¯s magic, and Lauel¡¯s qigong skills assisted their colleagues.


    "Aren¡¯t I the most reliable in a boss raid?¡±


    Puoook!


    Ibellin¡¯s ¡®thorn¡¯, which inflicted damage to the target in proportion to their health, moved at the perfect timing and struck Earl Cray¡¯s heart. All of this was possible due to the healing abilities of Saintess Ruby.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    The best healer in Satisfy who gave a heal whenever her colleagues were hurt and a cleanse whenever they were affected by a status condition. The three direct descendants were still watching her. They could feel her mental and physical pressure as she sequentially used magic.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. It¡¯s a dangerous presence.¡±


    "I agree.¡±


    No matter what happened to Earl Cray, the direct descendants justughed and watched. But their reaction was different towards Ruby. There was no room for it. The vampires instinctively sensed danger from the Saintess, who could even destroy the souls of great demons.


    "I will surely kill her.¡±


    The three direct descendants moved to the ground and surrounded Ruby.


    ¡°I will protect Sehee!¡±


    Saintess¡¯ Knight Sexy Schoolgirl always tried to protect Ruby.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    However, it was impossible for the level 200 Sexy Schoolgirl to protect Ruby from the direct descendants who were stronger than the top rankers. She could block a few attacks with the Sacrifice skill but that was the limit.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink your blood. Turn into ashes.¡±


    Chiiiiiing!


    Dark magic power flowed from the hands of the direct descendants towards Ruby¡¯s small face. Ruby sensed death while the Overgeared members sought to rescue her, but they were caught by Earl Cray.


    "Where do you want to go?¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°S-Shit...! Miss Ruby...!¡±


    The two tails swirled in all directions and swept through the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were turned into rags but didn¡¯t care. They only reached out to Ruby. Everyone in the Overgeared Guild knew she was the most important person in this raid. But unlike their eagerness, the distance between them and Ruby was too far. The hands of the Overgeared members didn¡¯t reach Ruby.


    On the other hand.


    "I will guard my sister.¡±


    Grid was already next to Ruby. He felt hope the moment Katz appeared and yed an active part. He had been sitting in a corner and using Item Combination. Hebined the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires with Failure.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeok!


    He returned the dark magic aimed towards Ruby back towards the direct descendants with greater damage.


    [Fighting energy has reached 80 points.]


    In the process of fighting Earl Cray, his fighting energy increased and his purple and red aura became thicker. Grid¡¯s fighting energy exploded as he shouted.


    ¡°God Hands! Noe! Randy! Iyarugt!¡±


    Kwarururung!


    It was the God Hands armed with Mjolnir, Noe the best demonic beast of hell who temporarily took away the highest stats of the target and transferred it to his master, Randy who transformed in Grid, and the best swordsman of hell, Iyarugt. Everyone appeared at the same time and tied up the feet of the direct descendants for a while.


    ¡°Open Rune of Darkness! cksmith¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Grid maximized his damage. Then.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    He used the strongest skill in Satisfy on Earl Cray, who already hadrge wounds. Earl Cray¡¯s eyes widened. No, it seemed he was trying to figure out why he was attacked when the other three direct descendants were nearby.


    Huroi shouted instead of Grid, answering the question.


    "I always hit the weakest one!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    He was weak? Earl Cray became agitated and his defense fell!


    Kurururung!


    The consecutively exploding red lightning bolt and ck mesbined with the option of increasing attack power in the dark and the option of increasing skill damage hit him.

 Chapter 719

    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    The union of Link and Kill led to a new state. It was the appearance of Linked Kill which was the precursor to Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Earl Cray was struck four times in a row! ck blood poured out from him. He was overwhelmed by the terrible pain.


    ¡®How can a human exert such power?¡¯


    Earl Cray¡¯s eyes shook. Grid opened the Rune of Darkness, used cksmith¡¯s Rage, and his fighting energy had reached 80 points. His attack power when he wielded the ultimate weapon made with Item Combination was so high that the direct vampires were dismayed. The more desperate thing for them was that Grid still had a lot of power remaining.


    [Fighting energy has reached 83 points.]


    [You have hit the target with Linked Kill more than four times! The damage of Linked Kill is increased by 200% and Wave is summoned!]


    Puk!Puk puk!


    ¡®Kuk...! He is getting stronger?¡¯


    Earl Cray was hit by the Linked Kill of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle seven times. Earl Cray coughed up blood again after he was hit another three times by Linked Kill.


    Kwaruk!


    Kwarururung!


    Then a turbulent energy started to rise from the end of Grid¡¯s sword. The energy soared and seemed like it was blow everything away in the sky and on the ground. It was the usage of Wave. This was something not even Yangban Garam could avoid. The wide area skill Wave was aimed at only one person, making it unavoidable. It was a definitive attack.


    Kurururung!


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Earl Cray was trapped by the energy and gave a terrible scream. He felt his skin being peeled and his flesh and bones separating.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [...The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated!]


    [Wave has reduced the speed of all targets hit by 60%.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    Kwarung!


    Pepepepeng!


    Strong damage continued to umte. Earl Cray had just been hit by the Overgeared members¡¯ pincer attacks and now his health fell down to 40%. Was this the end? No. There was still the final blow.


    Supaak!


    The energy around Earl Cray started focusing above his head.


    Sakak-!


    It was Pinnacle, which ignored 80% of the target¡¯s defense and deals 1,800% of his attack power as physical damage. It was aimed exactly at the crown of Earl Cray¡¯s head.


    [Fighting energy has reached 90 points.]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The ck me explosion...]


    [A red lightning has been summoned...]


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Earl Cray let out a scream as he was hit on his head. Earl Cray became stronger when bleeding and could absorb 100% of the damage done to the target. The concept of health wasn¡¯t important to him in everyday life, but now it was different. This was why Earl Cray¡¯sbat method was to summon as many tails as possible and use the blood as a wide range weapon, inflicting damage on the enemy and absorbing their health. This was now useless.


    Why? It was purely due to Blood Warrior Katz. Earl Cray was unable to summon any more tails because of him. He feared that the damage would be bigger if he summoned more than three tails and lost control of them. As a result, he couldn¡¯t exert his uniquebat power.


    ¡®Should I run away?¡¯


    After being hit by all stages of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, Earl Cray only had 20% of his health left. The image of him bing a dog with his tail tucked in filled him with rage.


    ¡®Run away...? I...! A great earl has to run away from humans?¡¯


    Braham¡¯s ridiculing words echoed in his head.


    "A person who believes in the power of his mother and has be a big sloth. You¡¯re insignificantpared to Elfin Stone, who¡¯s full of trivial emotions. You¡¯re someone who shouldn¡¯t have be an earl, let alone a marquis candidate."


    ¡®Braham...!¡¯


    A lunatic who murdered his kin using the excuse of getting rid of the Curse of Idleness. Earl Cray having to flee despite all the taunts and humiliation from Braham remained a strong trauma. Earl Cray swore to never run away again. He firmed up his heart and faced the crisis.


    "Innate power is also my strength...! I will prove that I¡¯m better than Elfin Stone!¡±


    The unlucky guy who looked down on Earl Cray despite not even being a marquis candidate. The vampire who talked about love. The vampire, who due to the awful Curse of Idleness, fell asleep in front of Braham, who killed his lover!


    ¡°I...! Don¡¯t look down on me!¡±


    He was above all of them. He would prove it by tearing apart the human who killed Elfin Stone!


    Kwaduk!


    Kwadududuk!


    Earl Cray roared and summoned six red tails. Power. It was proof that he would no longer pay attention to Katz. He was worried that he might lose control of the tails, but he would rather use his whole power to resist than to run away. No matter what the consequences might be, he wanted to leave with no regrets.


    ¡®Six?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened after driving Earl Cray to the extremes. Earl Cray had previously overwhelmed Grid with four tails, and now there were six? It was a frustrating situation for Grid, who didn¡¯t know that Earl Cray had such hidden strength.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The Overgeared members continued to support Grid. All of them made an effort to attack Earl Cray. This was possible because the other three direct descendants were once again taking the attitude of a bystander.


    "A memphis and Iyarugt? This human really isn¡¯t ordinary.¡±


    "I¡¯m not...curious about his identity. Everything is annoying.¡±


    ¡°Nyang...¡±


    ¡°Shit... Once I regain my power of the past, you vampires...!¡±


    The four God Hands, Noe, Randy, and Iyarugt were defeated by the three direct descendants. Yet they still didn¡¯t help Earl Cray. They forgot their purpose of destroying Saintess Ruby and stood idly in ce. It was due to the Curse of Idleness. Not only were they annoyed, they felt a strong desire to sleep.


    Right now. The Overgeared members judged that they couldn¡¯t miss this moment to kill Earl Cray. In particr, Lauel was eager.


    "We must get rid of him!¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members only attacking Earl Cray was due to Lauel¡¯s n. It was unlikely that the four direct descendants would rule one city. The owner of the 7th city was just one vampire and if they could kill the owner, they would be able to retreat.


    In addition, the owner of the 7th city was likely to be Earl Cray. He was the one who took the most active position among the four direct descendants who appeared. In other words, killing Earl Cray would open the possibility of escaping from the 7th city.


    That¡¯s why the Overgeared members and Grid focused on Earl Cray. Until a little while ago, they felt hope. Then Earl Cray roared and summoned six red tails.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the difference between us!¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The six red tails summoned by Earl Cray. Some of them unfolded like a and captured several Overgeared members, while some of them acted like a whirlwind and blew several Overgeared members into the sky. Some of them struck the earth, causing a lot of damage to all members of Overgeared. Based on this, Earl Cray¡¯s health was recovering.


    Peeng!


    The tail shot like a missile and caused a serious injury to Grid.


    [You have suffered 29,000 damage.]


    [All of your lost health is absorbed by the target.]


    ¡°Kuock...!¡±


    Grid barely refrained from screaming as a red tail pierced his heart. He feared that if he looked weak, the morale of his colleagues would fall. Therefore, he had to push through the pain.


    -Katz, can you control the tails like before?


    The pain Grid hurriedly sent a whisper and Katz replied gloomily.


    -I¡¯m sorry.As mentioned earlier, it¡¯s impossible with my remaining resources.


    -I understand.Don¡¯t worry.


    Rather, he was in a position to be grateful to Katz. He gritted his teeth and started thinking.


    Peeng!


    Due to the God Hands attacked the attention of the three direct descendants, Sehee¡¯s heal managed to fall on Grid who was defending himself against the red tail.


    [Saintess Ruby has restored 18,900 health.]


    A warm light. The pain became blurred. However, Grid wasn¡¯t misled by it.


    "Heal the others!¡±


    Grid felt how powerful Earl Cray¡¯s attack power was after he used his full strength. Even Sehee¡¯s percentage heal couldn¡¯t cope with Cray¡¯s attack power. Also.


    "I¡¯m immortal!¡±


    Grid was currently the only legend among the party members. He was thest fortress remaining.


    ¡®Focus the aggro on me!¡¯


    Grid was prepared! There was around 40 seconds left on the duration of Item Combination so he flew into the sky. Earl Cray floated in the sky with six tails and weed him.


    ¡°Come human! I¡¯ll pay you back for the shame from before!¡±


    Earl Cray was several times more stronger than before. This was his true appearance. The confident tails of Earl Cray shot towards Grid.


    p.


    First, one tail spread out as a.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The two tails behind it shot forward like missiles. It was to capture Grid and then deal a powerful blow. But Grid avoided all it with Freely Move.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    What was this perfect movementpared to the past? Earl Cray was amazed and made the three tails around him into a blood tornado. It dominated the field by expanding threerge-scale zones at the same time. It was a perfect decision to neutralize Grid¡¯s ¡®no-targeted skill and approach the target.¡¯


    Kwajak!


    Kwajajajak!


    [You have suffered 8,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 8,730 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,100 damage.]


    [All of your lost health is absorbed by the target.]


    ¡®Shit...!¡¯


    Blood tornadoes spread all around Earl Cray, grabbing Grid and tearing his body apart. Grid¡¯s vision started to sh red. It meant his health was depleted.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    The Overgeared members did their best to help Grid, but once Earl Cray¡¯s focus was on Grid, it didn¡¯t shift to any other ce. He only aimed at Grid.


    ¡°Kukuk...! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    Earl Cray burst outughing. He was thrilled watching Grid be trapped in the blood tornado.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Then Grid pulled out hisst hand.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid believed in his immortality and broke through the blood tornadoes.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    Sakak-!Puoook!


    The most powerfulbination of Failure + the Enlightenment Sword was stabbed. Then he tried to grab a way to win.


    Teong!


    The problem was that the damage of Pinnacle Kill was too high. Earl Cray was wary and threw his body higher into the sky, opening the distance from Grid.


    ¡°Che...!¡±


    Grid hurried to catch up with Earl Cray.


    "I won¡¯t allow you to approach!¡±


    Earl Cray¡¯s six tails spread out like a.


    ¡°...!¡±


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    The worst notification window came up as Grid evaded the in a breathtaking way with Quick Movements, whose cooldown had run out.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The six tails that scattered in the air without being able to restrain Grid was changed to missiles and hit Grid.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Everyone. Everyone thought it was the end. They all predicted Grid¡¯s death. At that moment.


    [You have entered the Ecstasy of Desire state.]


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s ck eyes turned purple.

 Chapter 720

    Grid was able to have an even match with Earl Cray not because he was as strong as Earl Cray. It was only possible due to the support of the Overgeared members.


    "Peacock Shield!¡±


    sh sh!


    Vantner put away his axe andunched an aura in the shape of a peacock from his veryrge shield. The purpose was to attract Earl Cray¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Holy Roar!¡±


    Toban¡¯s cry that caused distress to evil beings slowed down Earl Cray¡¯s reactions by paralyzing his ears.


    ¡°Your mother...!¡±


    Huroi kept up a barrage of insults against Beriache, who was long dead. There was an unbroken connection between provocation and debuffs. The three of them used various skills without a break in order to help Grid. Earl Cray¡¯s resistance was so high that he resisted most of the provocations and debuffs. Despite being provoked and debuffed, he recovered within seconds, but even that short gap was an opportunity for Grid.


    "Flower Lance!"


    Pon saw that Earl Cray paused in attacking Grid due to Huroi¡¯s attack and threw a spear. It was an attack that perfectly captured the moment when Earl Cray¡¯s rear was unprotected.


    Puok!


    The spear pierced Earl Cray¡¯s back.


    Supaak!


    A flower bloomed. It was a skill that caused massive bleeding and an inability to recover by simultaneously tearing apart the target¡¯s whole body. Pon judged that it was the key to blocking Earl Cray¡¯s blood-sucking ability. But the more catastrophic the effect, the lower the uracy rate.


    [The target has resisted.]


    "Fuck.¡±


    Pon had be proficient in cursing during his time spend with Grid. Many female fans attracted to his noble and handsome appearance on a white horse would be disappointed if they saw him now.


    "Cowardly western ghost! Come down here! Draw Sword, Annihte!¡±


    "Rising Sword!"


    "Dagger Throwing.¡±


    "I have to throw one rock...¡±


    The closebat members such as Chris, Peak Sword, Faker, and Ibellin. The Overgeared members were restricted the moment Earl Cray had fled 15 meters into the sky. But once the cooldown of a few mid-range skills returned, they used those skills without stopping. If the skills weren¡¯t avable, they picked up chunks of rocks and threw them at Earl Cray to umte damage.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    At first, Earl Cray ignored the small damage.


    Suook- Puook!


    Puuoooook!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Earl Cray¡¯s rxation disappeared from his face as the overwhelming damage from Jishuka¡¯s myth rated Red Phoenix Bow came constantly. Zednos and Lae¡¯s magic was also a great threat. But.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Earl Cray was only focused on Grid. Grid could fight evenly due to the Overgeared members, but the scene suggested that Grid was the most threatening person.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Shortly after being attacked with Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and Pinnacle Kill. Earl Cray resisted the Overgeared members by summoning six tails and eventually won. He failed to constrain Grid with the of blood and the tails changed to missiles. It created a situation where Grid would be hit from all directions.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Grid was isted in the threatening onught at the same moment the duration of his immortality was over. He felt a sense of crisis and the Overgeared members also expected his death.


    Earl Cray. In many ways, he was weaker than Elfin Stone, but his abilities were enormous. Looking back, he had an extensive range of CC that was as threatening as Elfin Stone. Without Katz and Ruby, it would¡¯ve been a much tougher fight. Indeed, an earl was an earl.


    Syuooooook!


    The powerful attack caused the God Hands to stiffen and six red tails reached Grid!


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Ruby¡¯s scream reached the sky.


    Sururuk.


    Grid¡¯s ck eyes were purple.


    [The option effect ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ has activated from the Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    Susuk.


    Sususuk.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The eyes of Earl Cray and the Overgeared members widened. They couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised that Grid avoided the six attacks with an exquisite orbit. Every time he moved, the purple light in the darkness caught everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    The circle lens were the representative item of millions of people in real life. The circle lens weren¡¯t just loved as an item. They made a person¡¯s pupils veryrge. Just erging the pupils by 1mm made a person look better. It was also noticeable if the eyes changed color.


    ¡°What type of transformation is this?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Now all the Overgeared members noticed Grid¡¯s change. Inside the dark vampire city without any light. It was inevitable that the purple light scattered by Grid would be visible. Anyone who didn¡¯t recognize this change must have severe colour blindness.


    Earl Cray was furious.


    ¡°A trivial human...! How many times do you want to humiliate me?¡±


    The fight was full of disgrace and Earl Cray wanted to finish it quickly and believed it was finally over. He didn¡¯t doubt that his tails would kill Grid. But Grid survived once again. In the past, vampires called humans ¡®walking cockroaches¡¯ and there seemed to be a reason for it.


    "Why won¡¯t you die?"


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Once Earl Cray roared, everyone on the ground was affected by a status condition. The cooldown time of Direct Pressure had returned. However, Grid was a legend. He resisted abnormal conditions.


    Chukakakakak!


    Grid¡¯s strongest weapon cut at Earl Cray¡¯s heart.


    Peeeeeong!


    The ck mes exploded. They swept over Earl Cray. He let out a rare loud scream. It was the power of Ecstasy of Desire, which raised fighting energy to 100 and attack power by three times. The current Grid was three times stronger than before.


    Supak!


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid wielded the sword again and Earl Cray was caught up in the ck mes. He spread two tails over himself as a in order to restrict Grid¡¯s movements, while the remaining four tails attacked Grid from all directions. It was the same technique as before. Grid¡¯s purple eyes shone like jewels.


    "It¡¯s a simple battle.¡±


    Obvious ridicule! Did he ever think there was a day where humans wouldugh at him?


    ¡°...!¡±


    The furious Earl Cray was amazed.


    Susuk.


    Sususuk.


    It was because Grid avoided all six tail attacks in a single action.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t a coincidence?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s movements were projected into Earl Cray¡¯s eyes. A dance. He was dancing. He avoided all the red tailsing from everywhere.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link.¡±


    Pit!


    Pipipipipit!


    Pepepepeng!


    It was 20 strikes with the 100 points in fighting energy and the triple attack power of Ecstasy of Desire, exerting havoc that surpassed Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡°Ugh...! Yes...! I see...!¡±


    Earl Cray just noticed.


    A dark sword with red mes shing. There was also an intermittent blue lighting from the weapon whose attack power transcendedmon sense.


    ¡°That¡¯s a dragon¡¯s weapon!¡±


    Dragon. The strongest creature on the earth that could threaten a god. Ironically, there were times when the absolute beings became interested in trivial human culture. At one time, they transformed into human form and travelled around the world, equipping humans with weapons and armour. It was a legacy left behind.


    Yes, Earl Cray was trying to rationalize the current situation. It was a rationalization that originated from a firm belief that he wouldn¡¯t be hit by a human unless the human was armed with a dragon¡¯s weapon. Grid gave him a cruel reality.


    "A dragon¡¯s weapon? No, I made this.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I don¡¯t believe you!¡±


    As expected, there was no limit to a human¡¯s bluff. Earl Cray determined that this conversation was pointless and produced a tornado with all six tails. It was to create an inevitable despair for the human who couldn¡¯t escape anywhere.


    ¡°It will soon end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. I will go to sleep.¡±


    "Me too.¡±


    The direct descendants watching the battle with nk expressions started to leave. They were convinced of Cray¡¯s victory once they saw the six blood tornados that controlled the entire area.


    Kwaduk!


    Kwadududuk!


    The vicious tornadoes started swallowing the ancient structures, barren trees, and towering cliffs.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    The blood tornadoes fused together and the increased momentum swallowed up the Overgeared members on the ground. It was a gigantic whirlwind that would undoubtedly destroy the entire city. The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t do anything. Lae was especially scared and fell into a panic. It was Jishuka, leader of the Tzedakah Guild, who calmed and led them.


    "Earl Cray is also in a critical condition. If Grid can endure this blow, we will be able to counterattack. Understood? We must protect Grid.¡±


    In this situation, they had to seed in the Earl Cray raid. They had to kill him here. Then once they re-challenged the 7th city in the future, their odds would increase.


    "Guard Grid with all your power!¡±


    ¡°Good!"


    Jiing!


    Paaaat!


    The Overgeared members¡¯ defense magic and skills started to focus on Grid. At the same time, explosion magic and skills were used to slow down the momentum of the whirlwinds hitting Grid. The whirlwinds covering the Overgeared members? Nobody cared. Everyone was preparing to sacrifice themselves for Grid.


    ¡°Grid! Be sure to kill Earl Cray!¡±


    This cry was delivered. The Overgeared members had doubts as they shouted towards Grid inside the whirlwind.


    Then.


    Chukak.


    Chukakakakak!


    [You have suffered 12,430 damage.]


    [You have suffered 11,650...]


    The whirlwind started to hit the bodies of the exhausted Overgeared members. Death had arrived.


    Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The Overgeared members heard the roar of the giant whirlwind swallowing the city. They felt resentment for always relying on Grid at important moments and closed their eyes. At the same time.


    ---!!


    The whirlwind that tore at their flesh and the roaring sound in their ears disappeared like a lie.


    Hwaduuk.


    Shaaaaaah-


    Rain fell. No, it was blood. The blood that had been moving with force fell like rain.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t understand the situation. Then they saw it. Earl Cray was started to turn to grey and Grid held a sword that pierced his heart. Grid¡¯s hair was raised from the effect of Transcend.


    "Tornado? I can avoid it.¡±


    He wanted to reassure his colleagues. The ragged Gridughed brightly as he endured the suffering in his entire body. His purple eyes were returning to ck.

 Chapter 721

    ¡®The direct descendants are outstanding.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of one person throughout his fight with Earl Cray. It was Elfin Stone, the former owner of Iyarugt. Earl Cray was strong enough to remind him of Elfin Stone. Tiramet and Latina were noparison. Grid had a question once he remembered Elfin Stone.


    ¡®What if Elfin Stone appeared in the present time?¡¯


    Ruby¡¯s one-shot Purification skill couldn¡¯t resolve Blood Field and most of the Overgeared members would be neutralized. Grid wouldn¡¯t have benefited from the instantaneous skills and would¡¯ve lost his immortality.


    ¡®He might¡¯ve even summoned Iyarugt...¡¯


    Grid had suffered several crises during the Elfin Stone raid and eventually died. From Grid¡¯s perspective, the Elfin Stone raid was one of the most difficult raids. But now he thought it was fortunate that he met Elfin Stone at an early stage.


    Grid broke through the widespread Tornado. The blood tornadoes were a magic that dominated the field itself by oveying with each other. The field magic that disarmed all ¡®avoid non-targeted skills¡¯ was useless in front of the present Grid. Grid¡¯s evasion rate in the Ecstasy of Desire state reached 99%. Grid¡¯s consciousness left his body and evaded all the winds of blood.


    But.


    [You have suffered 8,700 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    After all, 99% wasn¡¯t 100%. Furthermore, the higher Earl Cray¡¯s uracy rate, the more likely it was for the 99% evasion rate to fall further. Grid¡¯s skin started to tear as he broke through the area of blood tornado. Immediately after avoiding the red tails that became six pirs, his potions cooldown had ended. Otherwise, Grid would¡¯ve died at this moment.


    ¡°Transcend!¡±


    His health was so dicey that approaching closely was difficult. Grid judged and entered transcendent mode. It was the Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship technique that raised attack power by two times while converting basic attacks to ranged attacks.


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The more powerful Grid started aiming ranged attacks towards Earl Cray beyond the blood tornadoes.


    ¡°Youuuu!¡±


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The blood tornadoes responded to Earl Cray¡¯s emotions and became wilder. But this momentum didn¡¯tst long. Thanks to the Enlightenment Sword, Grid¡¯s basic attack disyed a power that could kill an army and it wasn¡¯t inferior in the Transcend state. Earl Cray continued to be hit by red mes and ck mes and his health soon reached the bottom.


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    Beyond the bloody whirlpool, Earl Cray¡¯s face was white. At the same time, the blood tornadoes¡¯ momentum weakened and Grid didn¡¯t miss this gap. In the end, he used Ecstasy of Desire to reach Earl Cray and fired Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle and Kill.


    Shaaaaaah-


    The blood tornadoes that had grown to devour a city started to disappear. Earl Cray shed tears of blood as he was stabbed by Grid¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Cough! Kuhuk...! I...! To a human, I...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was full ofpassion as he stared at Earl Cray, who had started turning to grey. The moment that Earl Cray transformed all six tails into a whirlwind, Grid had interpreted it as manifesting an obvious need for survival. It seemed to be an obstacle disallowing ess to Grid and to remove all risk factors to the city. In other words, Earl Cray felt a crisis from the beginning.


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t ask for help from his brothers. Pride? No, it was probably because they wouldn¡¯t help in the first ce.


    "How poor...¡±


    People couldn¡¯t live alone in the world. Grid had always been alone, so he knew this fact.


    "It¡¯s not because you are weak. I just havepanions and you don¡¯t. That¡¯s the difference.¡±


    Was he reminded of himself in the past? Grid gave a meaningless and ufortablefort to Earl Cray. Oh my god, was there anyone other than Grid who would sympathize andfort a monster at the end? If someone saw this scene, they would be scared orugh.


    "...A human is taking pity on me. You should be caredul of Marquis Fenrir and Duke Marie Rose. Fenrir inherited two powers from Mother and Marie Rose is the seconding of Mother...¡±


    As he stared at Grid with eyes that were losing light, Earl Cray gave him advice. Braham and Elfin Stone, who ignored and degraded Cray, despite being kin. Compared to them, he thought Grid was better. It was the unexpected result ofbining the Qualification of a Blood King title and Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue title. At the end, Earl Cray felt favorable towards Grid.


    Swaaaah!


    Eventually, Earl Cray scattered as ashes.


    "...Your personality seems to be simr.¡±


    Grid gave a bittersweet smile as he was reminded of Braham.


    [Owner of the 9th city, Vampire Earl Cray is forced to sleep after exhausting all his powers.]


    [The level of the party members including ¡®Grid¡¯ has risen by 1.]


    [The level of party members ¡®Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯ and ¡®Ruby¡¯ have risen by 3.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Cray¡¯s Bracelet.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the the Finest Opals.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 12 blessed weapon enhancement stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 16 blessed armor enhancement stones.]


    [Cray¡¯s Strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness possessed by party leader ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    [Party member Chris¡¯ ¡®Rune of Supplementation¡¯ has been engraved with ¡®Direct Descendant Resistance,¡¯ ¡®Blood Magic Resistance,¡¯ and ¡®Blood-sucking Capabilities.]


    ¡°...¡±


    The raid¡¯s difficulty was naturally rewarded. Grid confirmed the rewards and became filled with joy and bitterness. In particr, he noted the power attached to the rune that Chris had recently acquired.


    ¡¯As the name suggests, it is a rune thatpensates forcking parts?¡¯


    It was a rune that would have tremendous value over time. Grid felt proud. He was d aboutbining strength with his colleagues and sibling and knocked down one of the strongest. But that joy was brief.


    ¡°What...? He isn¡¯t the owner of the 7th city?¡±


    Grid btedly confirmed it. Earl Cray was the owner of the 9th city, not the 7th city!


    ¡°This!¡±


    The Overgeared members, including Grid, fell into shock. They hoped the exit would open when they raided Earl Cray and this unexpected reversal was confusing.


    ¡°Wait! Everybody, calm down!¡± Lauel eximed urgently. "All the direct descendants have left this ce. We still have time to recover. And just like Earl Cray, the rest of the direct descendants will deal with us on their own without cooperating.¡±


    Yes, it meant there was hope. So what if there were three direct descendants? Each one fought separately. Everyone expected that they could escape the 7th city safely if they defeated the direct descendants individually. But this expectation was broken. Coincidentally, it was due to Grid.


    [You have sealed four of Shizo Beriache¡¯s direct line. The title Qualification of a Blood King has been promoted to ¡®Blood King Candidate.¡¯]


    [Blood King Candidate] Lv. 1


    You have be a candidate to be a blood king.


    You will give a sense of pressure to ordinary vampires. All general vampires hostile towards you will have their stats decreased by 15%.


    You will give a sense of hostility to true blood vampires. All true blood vampires hostile towards you will have their stats decreased by 8%.


    Direct vampires will be interested in you. Any direct vampires facing you will temporally awaken from the Curse of Idleness.


    "Ah...?¡±


    Qualification of a Blood King reduced a general vampire¡¯s stats by 10% and a true blood vampire stats increased by 10%. It also had the effect of making the direct descendants interested in him. Thus, Earl Cray liked Grid at thest minute. However, the influence of Blood King Candidate waspletely different. It created a vignce in the direct descendants that caused them to ovee the Curse of Idleness.


    "XX, this sucks...¡±


    The moment Grid cursed.


    "Cray was defeated?¡±


    Earl Yetima. He was one of the three direct descendants who took a bystander¡¯s attitude throughout the attempt to fight Earl Cray.


    ¡°This damn thing!¡±


    The Overgeared members were exhausted in the aftermath of the Earl Cray raid. All types of skills were on cooldown and their stamina wascking. Given the fact that Earl Yetima was the same rank as Cray, the probability of the Overgeared members¡¯ survival was 0%.


    Huroi came forward.


    ¡°Your Majesty! I will buy time so take the others away!¡±


    Always, always. Huroi sacrificed himself every time there was a crisis in order to guard Grid.


    Grid looked at him and pledged. He wouldn¡¯t sacrifice his colleagues again. In order to do that, he had to be stronger.


    "Huroi, it¡¯s my job to protect you from now on.¡±


    Step.


    Grid took a big step in front of Huroi. His fighting energy was still at 100 points so he pulled out the trump card he had been saving.


    Hwaruruk.


    Grid¡¯s body was surrounded by mes. It was from head to toe. The red flickering covered Grid¡¯s eyebrows and hair. Belial¡¯s Power, the power of fire was opened.


    "I¡¯m certain. You¡¯re weaker than Cray. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Cray had said that he was a marquis candidate. He had warned Grid to be careful of Fenrir and Marie Rose before he died. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t even mention the remaining three direct descendants. It was clear that Yetima was weaker than Cray.


    "Kukuk, what does a human known? Even if I¡¯m weaker than Cray, what can you do now?¡±


    Yetima noted that Grid¡¯s body was injured. He was like an intense me in front of the wind. At that moment.


    Peeng!


    Grid flew up. He was like aet.


    ¡°Item Transformation!¡±


    Paaaat!


    The hands behind Grid transformed into Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    ¡°Trivial humans!¡±


    In the sky, Yetima pulled out a greatsword. Yetima aimed an overwhelming horizontal sh towards Grid. He believed that the human was injured and attacked Grid without fending off his strike. It was to tear flesh off bones. This was the first step.


    ¡°Linked Kill!¡±


    The Power of Fire boasted overwhelming resilience, so Grid had already regained a considerable amount of health.


    Puok!


    Puk puk!


    [You have dealt 539,000 damage to the target!]


    [You have recovered 100% of the damage deal to the target due to the effect of Cray¡¯s Power, attached to the Rune of Darkness.]


    [Cray¡¯s Power]


    Passive.


    Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Absorb 100% of the damage done to the target. Once the blood volume exceeds the maximum health, a red tail will be summoned with a duration that is proportional to the amount of health exceeded. You can have up to two red tails and can¡¯t control them.


    In addition, Grid had a new power. It was a mighty force that couldn¡¯t be met by Yetima, who was less than Earl Cray.


    ¡°Kuk...! What?¡±


    The moment Earl Yetima was struck by Grid¡¯s Linked Kill. Unlike his expectations, Grid didn¡¯t die. Then Earl Yetima found two red tails behind Grid and was shocked again.


    ¡®Stupid Cray! Your power was absorbed by an inferior human!¡¯


    Teteng!


    It was a matter of being conscious of Earl Cray¡¯s strength. Yetima defended against the red tails with the greatsword, but couldn¡¯t defend against the four Lifael¡¯s Spear that came after him. It was the second cause of his defeat.


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    The deadly power of one of Reba¡¯s three divine artefacts. Yetima flinched as he was skewered by four spears. Grid whispered to him.


    ¡°Small fry.¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Gigantic spheres of fire rose before Yetima¡¯s body. It was Queen¡¯s mes of Hell which dealt damage proportional to the target¡¯s health.


    Puaaaaaaaah!


    The explosion shook the ground. Then it was followed up with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Due to the influence of the power of fire, the mes that repeatedly came from Enlightenment Sword struck Yetima. He was also assisted by Jishuka, who boasted infinite stamina thanks to the Red Phoenix Bow. The other Overgeared members also started to join the battle.


    On the other hand, Yetima was alone. It was the third cause of his defeat.


    After a while.


    [The owner of the 7th city, Vampire Earl Yetima is forced to sleep after exhausting all of his powers.]


    The entrance to the 7th city, where the Overgeared members were trapped, was opened.

 Chapter 722

    [The owner of the 7th city, Vampire Earl Yetima is forced to sleep after exhausting all his powers.]


    [The level of party member ¡®Faker¡¯ has risen by 1.]


    [The level of party member ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has risen by 1.]


    [The level of party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ has risen by 2.]


    [The level of party member ¡®Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯ has risen by 3.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired Yetima¡¯s Greatsword.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired Yetima¡¯s Gloves.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the ??? Piece.]


    [Party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ already knows the information of the ??? Piece. The ??? Piece has been updated to the Red Mirror Piece.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 7 blessed weapon enhancement stones.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired 10 blessed armour enhancement stones.]


    [Yetima¡¯s Strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness possessed by party leader ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    [Party member Chris¡¯ ¡®Rune of Supplementation¡¯ has been engraved with ¡®Cutting Attack Resistance¡¯ and ¡®Vampire Swordsmanship¡¯ techniques.]


    [The entrance to the 7th city has opened.]


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Yetima was an easier opponent than Earl Cray. Yes, he was easypared to Earl Cray. However, he was a strong and demanding opponent infinitely more powerful than other normal named bosses. It was a rtively quick raid due to Grid¡¯s overwhelming attack power. But in the process, the damage caused to the Overgeared members was great.


    In particr, Grid was physically and mentally exhausted. It was strange if he wasn¡¯t tired because he yed the role of tanker and damage dealer in two consecutive raids. Grid was very tired because he had to keep up his high concentration. He wanted to log out and rest right away.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it always too hard?¡±


    No matter how strong he became, it was hard every time. It would¡¯ve bought a deeper despair to the average yer. But it wasn¡¯t enough to frustrate Grid.


    "It¡¯s good that it¡¯s always rewarding.¡±


    A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he checked the items he acquired.


    [Cray¡¯s Bracelet]


    Durability: 8/30


    Rating: Epic (Growth)


    * If you are in the ¡®bleeding¡¯ state, your magic damage and defense will increase by 19%.


    * The lower the health, the faster the magic casting speed.


    * If this bracelet grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summoned Vampire Earl Cray.


    A bracelet that contains Earl Cray¡¯s unique magic power.


    The more that the wearer falls into crisis, the more power that can be achieved.


    Weight: 5


    [Yetima¡¯s Greatsword]


    Rating: Epic (Growth, Set)


    Durability: 609/1,300


    Attack Power: 500~2,890


    Attack Speed: -5%


    * When the maximum damage is achieved, twice the damage will be applied.


    * When worn in a set with Yetima¡¯s Gloves, the critical damage will increase by 100%.


    * If this greatsword grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summoned Vampire Earl Yetima.


    A greatsword favored by Earl Yetima.


    It is safe to say he had no sense of aesthetics based on the crude appearance. In addition, it is very big and difficult to handle.


    However, if you can bring out the function perfectly, you will achieve ultimate attack power.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher. More than 3,000 strength. Advanced Sword Mastery level 6 or higher.


    Weight: 3,200


    [Yetima¡¯s Gloves]


    Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 29/100


    Defense: 65


    * There is a low chance of activating 2 Joint Attacks.


    Attack speed will increase by 1.8 times.


    * When worn in a set with Yetima¡¯s Greatsword, the chance of a critical hit will increase by 10%.


    Leather gloves loved by Earl Yetima.


    It is easier to swing a greatsword when wearing them.


    User Restriction: Level 320 or higher.


    Weight: 20


    [Red Mirror Piece]


    Pieces of a round mirror made of blood stones.


    The exact function of the mirror isn¡¯t known.


    The third prince of the Saharan Empire is looking for this mirror. It is rmended that you gather all the pieces and give them to him.


    * If you collect two more pieces in the future, the Red Mirror will bepleted.


    This was the list of loot from the raid. In addition, he obtained 19 blessed weapon enhancement stones and 26 blessed armor enhancement stones. The rewards were tremendous since it was a tough raid. If he converted the value of the items he received today into cash, it would¡¯ve easily passed billions of won. It was obvious but the distribution of items was a sensitive and important issue since it had substantial economic value. The party members couldn¡¯t take unjust gains or losses. It must be carried out fairly.


    ¡°If you need the dropped item, please raise your hands.¡±


    In the past, Grid would¡¯ve kept them due to his pure greed. But not now. He felt a strong sense of responsibility since he was in charge of the party. Despite them being items that could summon a direct descendant vampire, he didn¡¯t have the desire to monopolize them. Once Grid started to distribute the items, Euphemina, Zednos, and Lae raised their hands.


    The item they coveted was naturally Cray¡¯s Bracelet. Cray¡¯s Bracelet gave the magician the necessary magic power and thecking defense. It was natural for them to covet it. The condition that they had to suffer from ¡®bleeding¡¯ was difficult, but the increase in magic casting speed when health declined was a reliable and stable function.


    "Well, is there anyone else who needs Cray¡¯s Bracelet?¡±


    Grid was conscious of Lauel and asked again, but Lauel never raised his hand to the end. It was because it was more suitable for damage dealers like Zednos, Lae, and Euphemina than Lauel, who adjusted the weather and environment. It was simr to why Grid didn¡¯t covet Cray¡¯s Bracelet.


    Despite the fact that Braham had left, Grid still maintained his second ss of great magician. He could use magic and as his intelligence increased, he could learn new magic. But for him, magic was just a secondary concept. In particr, the stronger the opponent, the less he tended to rely on magic.


    Just look at this raid. Grid didn¡¯t use magic throughout the battle with Cray and Yetima. No, he couldn¡¯t. Grid wasn¡¯t able to calcte magic one by one against opponents who unleashed an offensive without rest.


    ¡®They didn¡¯t give me any room, just like Kraugel in the National Competition.¡¯


    Well, in the first ce, he was unlikely to fall into a bleeding condition. Even if he had Cray¡¯s Bracelet, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out the functionspletely. Grid knew this and gave up ownership of Cray¡¯s Bracelet. In the end, only Euphemina, Zednos, and Lae seriouslypeted for ownership of the bracelet. Everyone watched as they focused intensely.


    ¡°Rock, paper, scissors!¡±


    ¡°I won!¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I lost.¡±


    ¡°Sob... Congrattions.¡±


    It was truly a fair fight...


    As a result of the game, the owner of the bracelet was Euphemina. There was a cute smile on her cute face as she spoke to her teammates.


    "After deciding the value of the bracelet, I will divide goods worth the same value equally.¡±


    ¡°Yes, take your time.¡±


    The next item to be distributed was Yetima¡¯s Greatsword and Gloves. Grid also didn¡¯t covet these items. It was natural. First, there was Yetima¡¯s Greatsword which had the strongest conditional attack power. Grid didn¡¯t want it because it was only strong in attack power andcked separate options. It couldn¡¯tpare to the Enlightenment Sword. There was no reason for Grid to covet it.


    ¡®In the first ce, my luck is too bad.¡¯


    Grid was sure that if he swung it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve the maximum attack power. On the other hand, Chris greatly desired Yetima¡¯s Greatsword. The average stats were definitely below Grid¡¯s Greatsword, but the maximum damage value was too high. In addition, Chris prided himself in being the best with the greatsword. He believed he could easily achieve the maximum damage.


    All the Overgeared members gave up ownership to Chris. The problem was Yetima¡¯s Gloves. There were no warriors who didn¡¯t covet the 1.8 times increase in attack speed and 2 Joint Attacks. Apart from Grid, who had the Holy Light Gloves and Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves!


    The conclusion.


    ¡°This must be a set with the greatsword.¡±


    "Chris, you take the gloves.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    All the Overgeared members yielded the item to Chris. Chris was grateful to hispanions.


    "One day I will pay you back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to have the right type of items.¡±


    A warm sight! As Chris and the Overgeared members smiled at each other, Pon was squatting in a corner with a dreary face.


    "Please have a speare out next time... Please a spear...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He kept repeating ¡®spear.¡¯ Vantner clicked his tongue and asked Grid.


    "The Finest Opals is an essory? Grid, can you handle it?¡±


    "No, it isn¡¯t my field. I can handle it with my dexterity, but the items won¡¯t be good."


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that there are no jewel craftsman in the guild...¡±


    Most production ss yers were based in the empire. It was difficult to bring over those who greatly benefited from the empire.


    "I will keep the jewels safe. Someday I will find a jewels craftsman. The only thing left is the Red Mirror Piece...¡±


    If he collected two more pieces in the future, the Red Mirror would bepleted. There was also the Amethyst Shield. Why was 3rd Prince Benoit looking for such items? There was no way of knowing his ulterior motives.


    ¡°Well, I will know someday.¡±


    Grid put the Red Mirror Piece into the inventory. Then it was the turn of the blessed weapon and armor enhancement stones.


    "Let¡¯s share this fairly.¡±


    At this moment, Lauel came forward.


    "Your Majesty, why don¡¯t we share the armor enhancement stones while you keep all the weapon enhancement stones?¡±


    ¡°Me? Why?"


    They fought together. Of course, looking at the achievements, Grid was the most brilliant. But Katz, Ruby, and Jishuka also yed a role. If even one of the party members hadn¡¯t been present, the Cray raid wouldn¡¯t have seeded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need such consideration. I¡¯ll share it fairly.¡±


    Until now, Grid had always monopolized the best items in each raid with the Overgeared members. A typical example were the items from the direct descendants. Every item that could be useful to Grid was given to him by the Overgeared members. Grid couldn¡¯t forget that favor. He didn¡¯t want to take all the necessary items like the blessed enhancement stones.


    Katz snorted as Grid rejected it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need japtem that I can buy with money.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members would¡¯ve once been offended, but they now knew Katz¡¯ personality. Katz took care of Grid in his own way.


    "You have a weapon to enhance. You have been suffering the most and we want to see you enhance your sword."


    [Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    The myth rated weapon that Grid produced. The Overgeared members hadn¡¯t forgotten. The weapon still hadn¡¯t been enhanced. That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s weapon hadn¡¯t been enhanced at all, yet it had killed the imperial army, the Red Knights, and even the direct descendants. It clearly showed the fraudulent ability of the myth rated weapon.


    "Then I should share with Jishuka...¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow was also at 0. But Jishuka frowned and refused.


    ¡°Are you going to make me even more in debt? I won¡¯t ept it. Don¡¯t make me owe you anymore.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jishuka still needed to pay Grid off. She wanted to use this opportunity to pay back a bit of her debt and give Grid a boost. In the end.


    ¡°Okay, I understand. Thank you.¡±


    Grid agreed. He was eager to see the brilliantly glowing Enlightenment Sword after it had been enhanced. Of course, he needed to seed.


    [The enhancement has failed.]


    ¡°Sigh.¡±

 Chapter 723

    [The enhancement has failed.]


    [The enhancement has failed...]


    [The enhancement...]


    Fail, fail, fail in a row! Grid kept failing in his weapon enhancement. Every blessed enhancement stone was worth 1,200 gold. The Overgeared members started sweating.


    "...Doesn¡¯t he have a passive that increases the probability of enhancement?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Therefore, every time I need to strengthen an item, I asked Grid to strengthen it instead.¡±


    Ibellin replied to Vantner. It wasn¡¯t just him. Most of the Overgeared members ran to Grid when they needed to enhance something.


    ¡°But looking back...¡±


    "...I feel like the probability when Grid enhances it is simr to when I enhance it...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a fact that was hard to deny. He had the ¡®increased probability of enhancement¡¯ passive and was the first to seed in the ultimate enhancement, but looking at his total experience, his enhancement ability wasn¡¯t very good. His probability of sess wasn¡¯t much different from a regr yer.


    The reason? Grid believed that the probability of the ¡®increased enhanced probability¡¯ itself was bad. Otherwise, it was hard to understand why he was so bad with enhancement. Now the Overgeared members dimly noticed it. The real reason why Grid didn¡¯t do well.


    ¡¯...A poop hand.¡¯


    The Overgeared members¡¯ interpretation wasn¡¯t wrong as another blessed weapon enhancement stone vanished.


    Shake shake!


    Grid¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he started shaking. He thought he would cry at any minute. It was natural since a huge amount of money was disappearing into thin air. It was a normal Grid reaction, since he didn¡¯t have money like Katz.


    "G-Grid, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take it easier?¡±


    ¡°Do as Toban says. I don¡¯t think this is the time.¡±


    There were countless myths about enhancement. Many people believed that a particr time or ce had an impact on enhancement probability. An average person would give up on the enhancement and wait for a better time. But not emotional people like Grid. Having failed so far, he couldn¡¯t stop the unfounded belief that he would seed next time. He was too angry to make a reasonable judgment.


    "Uwaaaaaah! Let¡¯s see who will win!¡±


    Grid cried at the expense of destroying the enhancement stones while continuing to try enhancing the Enlightenment Sword.


    [The enhancement has failed.]


    [The enhancement has failed.]


    There was no reversal. The odds hit Grid in the back of the head as usual. Goosebumps crept over the skin of the Overgeared members as they watched Grid failing continuously.


    ¡®Grid has no luck. We should leave now.¡¯


    ¡¯Maybe the probability of enhancing myth rated items is lower than expected?¡¯


    Normal items could be enhanced up to +6, while myth rated items had a probability of failure from +0. In addition, every time an item failed to be enhanced, the enhancement value would drop. This was what Grid and the Overgeared members knew.


    Nobody knew the percentage of sessful enhancement for a myth rated item. They vaguely guessed that it would be a simr probability to a +7 normal item. But now they realized it wasn¡¯t +7. The odds were more simr to a +8 enhancement.


    "Jishuka, haven¡¯t you already tried enhancing the Red Phoenix Bow?¡¯


    Once he saw Grid¡¯s stress, the worried Peak Sword asked Jishuka. His expression was reproachful since she could¡¯ve given Grid information about enhancing myth rated items. Jishuka shook her head.


    "I only attempted a few enhancement attempts.¡¯


    ¡°Why?¡±


    It was a myth rated item. It would have explosive growth even at +1. Why didn¡¯t she try to enhance the Red Phoenix Bow when she knew this? Jishuka exined to the confused Peak Sword with a depressed expression.


    ¡°How can I afford to buy enhancement items when I¡¯m so busy paying Grid off?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was rare for anyone to live in this worldfortably. Peak Sword once again realized this timeless truth.


    ***


    * If this bracelet grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Earl Cray.


    * If this greatsword grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Earl Yetima.


    As Grid was drinking a bitter cup of hardships, Euphemina and Chris couldn¡¯t help looking at the information of the bracelet and greatsword they obtained. Items that could summon a vampire lord! Putting aside their performance, Cray¡¯s Bracelet and Yetima¡¯s Greatsword had tremendous value alone as a summoning tool.


    That¡¯s why Euphemina and Chris appreciated the fact that Grid gave them the items. They fought together and seeded in the raid. Didn¡¯t they have the right to im ownership of the items? Why did they thank Grid? The reason was simple. Grid acted modestly, but he clearly was 1st in this raid. Grid had the strongest right to im ownership over items. If he imed the items, Chris and Euphemina could only give up. But Grid didn¡¯t im ownership of the items. He wanted hispanions to use the dropped items more appropriately. This was despite the fact that it was a direct summoning item.


    ¡®As expected, not just anyone can be king.¡¯


    When Chris was leading the Giant Guild, he had monopolized the small number of elixirs dropped in his castle¡¯s dungeon. In fact, most organizations benefited from this structure and Chris thought he was exercising his right as a leader. But Grid was different. He gave a lot of concessions despite being a leader. As a typical example, he created, enhanced, and repaired items for his colleagues.


    ¡®Respect.¡¯


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    There was a strong feeling of trust in the eyes of Euphemina and Chris, who were looking at Grid. Like their other teammates, they knew that Grid had the Qualification of a Blood King title (although they didn¡¯t know it would be promoted). There was the possibility of him bing the king of the direct descendants. From Grid¡¯s viewpoint, it was better for him to possess as many direct descendants summoning items as possible. The fact that he suppressed his desires for the sake of his colleagues caused Euphemina and Chris to feel respect. They vowed.


    ¡®I will raise the item rating to legendary.¡¯


    ¡®Then I will return it to His Majesty.¡¯


    They weren¡¯t just thinking and acting for Grid¡¯s sake. Items could be reced from time to time. As time passed, it was natural to get stronger items. By the time the bracelet and greatsword grew to the legendary rated, Euphemina and Chris would be armed with superior items.


    ¡®Even if it isn¡¯t the case, Grid will make me a better item. Isn¡¯t that right?¡¯


    They had faith because the other person was the legendary cksmith Grid. They thought it was really good that they joined the Overgeared Guild. A wide smile appeared on Chris and Euphemina¡¯s faces.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s better to stop for a while.¡±


    Laeul said as he came up to Grid, who was still busy strengthening.


    Grid just snorted.


    "If a man pulls out the radish, he has to slice it. I won¡¯t stop until I use all up the enhancement stones.¡±


    "What if you don¡¯t have a knife to cut it?¡±


    Lauel who knew Korean better than an actual Korean! He spoke without hesitation and gave Grid a warning.


    "I¡¯m worried about the two direct descendants left.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid came to his senses. The two direct descendants who disappeared with Yetima and didn¡¯t return. If one of them came back, the party would bepletely annihted. It was impossible for the currently exhausted party to deal with the direct descendants.


    ¡®I¡¯m relieved that the city¡¯s entrance is open.¡¯


    Grid put the remaining six enhancement stones back in his inventory and told his teammates.


    "Let¡¯s leave the city first. Today we¡¯ll rest and tomorrow will be an expedition...¡±


    Before Grid finished speaking.


    Peeng!


    A bloody magic power aimed at Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The surprised members were still relieved. It was because the God Hands guarded Grid. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the magic. They saw the earls floating in the sky next to each other.


    ¡®Che, it¡¯s toote.¡±


    The reason why the direct descendants left Earl Cray earlier was purely to sleep. Lauel didn¡¯t miss this. The possibility of the direct descendants reemerging was very low. He knew that the direct descendants wouldn¡¯t wake up for a long time after they fell asleep. However, Yetima appeared directly after the Cray raid and now the direct descendants appeared after the Yetima raid. Lauel thought that Yetima overcame the sleep because he was the owner of the city. But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    "After Cray, you defeated Yetima?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re insidious bastards. We shouldn¡¯t go out alone, so why don¡¯t we hunt half each?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Once the vampires in the sky talked about cooperation, the faces of the Overgeared members paled. Assuming that they were at least Yetima level, it would be impossible to defeat both of them at the same time. In particr, it was hard to deal with both of them at the same time when they were exhausted.


    ¡°I will buy time while you run away.¡±


    Step.


    Grid stepped forward. He was ready to die. He nned to sacrifice his life to open the path for hispanions. But the n wasn¡¯t needed.


    ¡°No. Just retreat. The escape route has already been made.¡±


    Lauel had secured a retreat route while Grid put on a strong show in front of their colleagues. Grid had a confused expression.


    ¡°That... Really?¡±


    Grid scratched his head and Lauel reassured him.


    "I don¡¯t want to repeat my mistakes. Now, let¡¯s go."


    ¡°You! I won¡¯t let you escape!¡±


    The direct descendants followed as the Overgeared members started escaping with Lauel. They tried to narrow the distance to the Overgeared guild members, making full use of their ability to fly. Originally, they would¡¯ve caught up with the Overgeared members. But it was strange.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®Why is it so hard to catch them?¡¯


    The direct descendants couldn¡¯t catch up with the Overgeared members. It was because their flight path was full of stctites so it was difficult to speed up. It was Lauel¡¯s n. He had observed the terrain since he entered the city and resorted to this route to block their flying capabilities. Thanks to this, the Overgeared members were able to escape from the city without any sacrifices.


    ¡°Good! Well done Lauel!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re alive thanks to you!¡±


    The sunny desert. The Overgeared members escaped through the city¡¯s entrance and started to praise Lauel.


    Lauel covered half his face with one hand andughed.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukukuk, the residents of the night are helpless in front of this body, who is master of the darkness. They are small fries. Hut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It had been a long time Lauel contributed.


    "Hum hum, let¡¯s split up here and gather tomorrow.¡±


    Grid settled the atmosphere and logged out. It was the same with his colleagues.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Theughing Lauel realized after a while that he was left alone. He missed Damian and the evil eyes. It was less than two months before the National Competition.

 Chapter 724

    Who came to mind when thinking about assassins? From a 3 year old child to an 80 year old person, most people would think about the shadow protecting the Overgeared Kingdom. The killing god, Faker. Despite having a normal ss, he showed the strongest PK skills and his stage was increasing every day. It was natural to think of him first among assassins.


    However, the story changed when it became ¡®assassin who ys in the National Competition.¡¯ Since Faker had never made public appearances other than the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony, people naturally thought of Tarma.


    Assassin Tarma from the dark gamer group, Blood Carnival.


    At the time of the 2nd National Competition, he entered for money and showed off his skills. At least, until he met Grid.


    ¡®I will avenge my loss in the National Competition.¡¯


    Since Blood Carnival was destroyed by Grid, Tarma had hid in a sandy kingdom of the East Continent. Over the past few months, he performed all types of quests, learned to deal with sand and wind, and realized how much stronger he was. He was able to easily hunt the creatures that he couldn¡¯t three months ago, so it was impossible for him to not realize. Grid, who felt so strong every time he looked back, now seemed inferior.


    ¡®If I have this power, even Grid...!¡¯


    The fox¡¯s sword was caught in Tarma¡¯s hand and it instantly turned to sand. It was the power of Erosion, a racial special skill that Tarma had obtained. It was the ability to dpose¡¯ objects ssified as ¡®things.¡¯ Items that monsters or yers were armed with were ssified as ¡®things.¡¯ It was an ability that was the perfect counter for Grid¡¯s items.


    ¡®The duration of Erosion is 5 seconds.¡¯


    After destroying the monsters in the canyon, Tarma closed his eyes and concentrated. It was the beginning of the simtion. He imagined a battle based on the past Grid who had grown stronger. The result?


    ¡®Victory!¡¯


    Tarma saw it. Grid¡¯s appearance after all the new items he was proud of became eroded!


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    A sly smile crossed Tarma¡¯s sharp face. He was convinced that he could pay back the grudge from the National Competition and raise his reputation to a higher level than before.


    ¡®Then I should find a sponsor.¡¯


    Who would benefit the most if Grid was damaged? As he pondered this, Tarma was reminded of the Belto Kingdom war.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t Agnus hostile to Grid?¡¯


    He was the master of Immortal who proimed to be the king of the living and the dead, but he retreated before Grid and Ares. Agnus would definitely perceive Grid as a big barrier.


    ¡®If I make it so Grid wins only one gold medal in the National Competition, it will be a temptation that he can¡¯t resist.¡¯


    Like the previous National Competition, the S.A. Group promised special rewards to the medalists. Making Grid unable to obtain medals would be a big loss and it would be a tremendous boon from the perspective of Grid¡¯s enemies. Tarma was convinced of this and contacted Agnus. Then he realized why Agnus was called crazy.


    ¡°You want money to kill Grid? I don¡¯t understand what this mad dog is saying. Huh~~?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand me? Don¡¯t you know what a huge profit it will be for you if Grid can¡¯t win a medal?¡±


    ¡°Kikikik? Grid is my target. Do you think you can beat him?¡±


    "No, what does beating Grid have to do with him being your target?¡±


    "I will kill those who touch my prey.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    Was he crazy? The conversation kept going wrong and didn¡¯t make sense. It was like talking to an alien. Tarma clicked his tongue.


    ¡®Is he just acting because he doesn¡¯t want to pay me? He¡¯s this type of person.¡¯


    ....No, it was better to assume that he was surprisingly clever than a miser.


    ¡®He knows that I will defeat Grid, even if he doesn¡¯t ept my request.¡¯


    The fact that Tarma had a grudge against Grid was something that most people in the world could guess. Agnus was also the same. Tarma guessed this and nodded.


    ¡°Then I will search for other clients.¡±


    Sururuk.


    Tarma escaped into the darkness. Agnus stared at the spot where he disappeared and asked Veradin.


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t remember small fries? I don¡¯t know if you should be treating him as a small fry...¡±


    Veradin smiled pleasantly. His eyes were filled with anticipation.


    ¡®Tarma has already fought against Grid several times. He must have a sure basis for being so confident about hunting Grid.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t Tarma unexpectedly y a big role?


    ¡®I¡¯m especially looking forward to this year¡¯s National Competition. It¡¯s unfortunate that Agnus can¡¯t participate.¡¯


    Agnus had already appeared to the world since the battle in the Belto Kingdom. But he still wasn¡¯t in a position to attend the National Competition. He was unable to control himself, so it was unknown what he would do in an event with rules.


    ***


    The sky would never fall. Hao was confident of this as he followed Kraugel.


    "Congrattions on reaching level 260.¡±


    He was full of admiration and dismay. Kraugel¡¯s overwhelming levelling ability was already beyondmon sense. It was hunting that didn¡¯t allow any wasted movements or time. He demonstrated optimum efficiency in any hunting ground and overwhelmed the monsters with force.


    Kraugel¡¯s levelling ability was so perfect that it couldn¡¯t bepared. Hao¡¯s levelling speed also increased by 1.4 times as he watched Kraugel from the side. However, Kraugel felt that he wascking.


    ¡°In thest fortnight, Grid had gained close to 10 levels. I¡¯mckingpared to him.¡±


    Alexander denied it.


    "Wasn¡¯t he able to grow quickly thanks to the clear reward of the Behen Archipgo? He also seems to be focusing on named raids after that.¡±


    Yes, Grid¡¯s current levelling speed couldn¡¯t be exined unless it was a named grade boss raid. In addition, the named boss raid target wasn¡¯t always present. Named grade bosses weren¡¯t so easy to find. Kraugel appreciated this part about Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to have an environment where we can concentrate on named boss raids. How many people in the world can monopolize hunting grounds where named bosses appear?¡±


    Of course, Kraugel also monopolized many named bosses. Kraugel hunted named bosses that popped up in ces that ordinary people couldn¡¯t imagine.


    The problem was that Kraugel had trouble finding hunting grounds where arge number of monsters and bosses appeared at the same time. In other words, he wasn¡¯t able to secure a hunting ground like the vampire¡¯s city. Most of the named bosses that Kraugel secured were in weed-infested ces.


    ¡®This is why I might not catch up.¡¯


    Kraugel smiled as he thought this. The feeling of impatience stimted him positively. He had always been at the forefront and now he was following someone else. He found it fresh and fun. A heavenly gamer.


    ¡®I would like to achieve level 300 before the National Competition... But at my current speed, I will be level 272 in two months.¡¯


    Did he read Kraugel¡¯s grieving expression?


    Hao asked carefully.


    "Are you going to participate in PvP?¡±


    Grid and Kraugel¡¯s had a close to 80 level difference. Furthermore, Kraugel hadn¡¯t reached level 300, so his stats hadn¡¯t awakened at the third level. Now Grid¡¯s stats were overwhelmingly high. Should Kraugel participate in PvP, which was sure to include the top rankers including Grid? It was a huge penalty. It was an unfair fight. Hao hoped that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t participate in the PvP this year. It would be a painful experience to watch his idol be defeated.


    Kraugel nodded at the anxious Hao.


    ¡°I will participate.¡±


    Alexander was surprised.


    ¡°What? Are you aplete fool? Putting aside Grid, can¡¯t you lose to someone like Chris or Damian? Do you need to decrease your reputation like this?¡±


    "I agree with Alexander. In particr, I don¡¯t want you to fight against Grid.¡±


    Hao respected Grid as much as Kraugel. He knew they considered each other to be rivals. Fighting in a disadvantageous situation was painful for both of them. No, everyone in the world would feel sorry for them.


    Hao expressed his opinion. "I believe that your rematch should only ur when you are perfectly prepared for each other. Everyone will share my opinion.¡±


    Indeed, it was a confrontation of the century. Everyone in the world expected a memorable battle between the two. It shouldn¡¯t be meaningless. Hao was certain of this and Alexander nodded in agreement.


    At that moment.


    "Are you assuming that I will lose?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes sunk. It was a calm look that was reminiscent of the days when he was alone and was hard to read.


    "I am determined to fight and I believe I can win.¡±


    Hao and Alexander shouldn¡¯t forget. Kraugel was the sky above the sky. Now that he had the strongest legendary ss of Sword Saint, he wouldn¡¯t be caught by the notion of level.


    "In the first ce, my odds are the highest this year.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hao and Alexander were pushed by Kraugel¡¯s force and felt puzzled. It was because Kraugel implied that this year was his highest chance of winning. Kraugel shrugged at them.


    "How many times have you told me? Grid¡¯s potential is the strongest. He will grow stronger over time. If I try to match my level with him as much as possible, I might not be able to win again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was ridiculous. Someone might¡¯ve thought so. But Kraugel was sincere.


    ¡¯He¡¯s different from me, who can only use swordsmanship.¡¯


    Grid could use swordsmanship, as well as items and magic. At the present time when Kraugel didn¡¯t have a second ss, he judged that Grid¡¯s potential was higher than his. Of course, the basis for this judgment was Grid¡¯s talent.


    ¡¯His unyielding spirit will spur his growth.¡¯


    When theypeted the first time or when theypeted the second time. Kraugel couldn¡¯t forget Grid¡¯s eyes. The more desperate the situation, the more his eyes zed with determination.


    Duguen, duguen, dugeun.


    Just like when Grid thought about Kraugel, Kraugel also got excited when he thought about Grid.

 Chapter 725

    "Did you calcte all your actions?¡±


    The 7th vampire city.


    Lauel asked Grid after he logged in.


    Grid was surprised when he heard a voice as soon as he logged in.


    ¡°W-What is it Lauel? Why are you already here? There is still a long time until the appointment time.¡±


    "I was working diligently to create a n for the raid attack. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    Unlike the previous direct descendants, the two remaining in the 7th city would cooperate.


    Grid and Lauel knew they couldn¡¯t afford this. Unlike the other guild members, they were the leaders. It was necessary to act quicker than the others and make more ns.


    It was truly Lauel. He was reliable.


    Grid thought about it and btedly cocked his head.


    "But what action did I calcte?¡±


    Lauel smiled slyly.


    "The act of yielding Cray¡¯s Bracelet and Yetima¡¯s Greatsword to Euphemina and Chris.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you learn from experience that raising the rating of an item isn¡¯t easy? Didn¡¯t you give them the items so that they can raise the item rating instead of you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "You can be the king of the direct descendants. Euphemina and Chris knows this so they will be willing to return Cray¡¯s Bracelet and Yetima¡¯s Greatsword depending on the circumstances."


    ¡°....??¡±


    "Well, it won¡¯t be a big loss for them if they return it. At that time, they will return it and ask for a new item from Your Majesty in return.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid never thought about this part. He just yielded the item to his teammates. He never thought they would give back the itemter after raising the rating of the item.


    But it was quite usible when he heard Lauel¡¯s words. Grid, Euphemina and Chris, it was a win-win for all of them.


    ¡°Great... I didn¡¯t think so deeply...¡±


    Lauel shrugged at Grid¡¯s bemused mutter.


    "You don¡¯t have to act stupid. I have already witnessed many times where your thinking power has evolved.¡±


    ¡®I am acting stupid...?¡¯


    He would be a fool if he told the truth.


    In the end, Grid found it hard to deny Lauel¡¯s spection.


    ¡°Ha...hahaha, right. I guess I can¡¯t fool you. Yes, as expected. I nned everything in advance and gave the items to the two of them.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... No matter how smart Your Majesty is, it is still far from deceiving me.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t know the truth andughed.


    Grid vaguely felt some remorse.


    ***


    ¡°Keep this in mind. If I send a signal, retreat immediately using the retreat path you have already seen. Don¡¯t look back. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    "I will keep it in mind."


    After the Yetima raid, the boss of the 7th city hadn¡¯t regenerated yet. The city still didn¡¯t have an owner and the entrance was always open.


    The two surviving direct descendants didn¡¯t leave the city. The existence of this open entrance became a great support for the Overgeared members.


    ¡®There is zero chance that we can fight two earl ss vampires at the same time and win.¡¯


    The purpose of today¡¯s expedition was simple. They had an understanding of the earl ss vampires. Their goal today was to figure out who was weaker among Ruson and Noll.


    ¡®Then we will try again tomorrow and attack the weaker vampire.¡¯


    Once one earl was defeated, they could rechallenge the remaining earl the next day.


    ¡°It is better to check the side that has lower physical resistance than magic resistance. Then the full damage of our main damage dealers will be applied.¡±


    "As soon as the two earls appear,unch a full-fledged attack. The magicians will check which side has higher magic resistance.¡±


    Sakak-!


    Puok!


    The Overgeared members moved slowly with the earls in mind. They hunted the familiars and vampires as they headed into the deepest part of the city. They reserved their skills and magic for the earls.


    Then.


    ¡°Ho...?¡± Those guys came back?¡±


    ¡°Look, what did I tell you? You said they wouldn¡¯t return?¡±


    ¡°Bah, the stupid Cray and Yetima reduced the dignity of our line to nothing.¡±


    It was around an hour after the Overgeared members entered the city.


    Thanks to the hunting of many vampires, the experience gauge of Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl went up by 10%. Then Earl Ruson and Noll appeared.


    They once again emerged in the sky.


    They looked like bats as they hung upside down from the ceiling. No, it was really cool.


    Grid frowned.


    ¡®Good looking guys are cool even when they do something crazy.¡¯


    Why was the world so unfair?


    Why wasn¡¯t he handsome?


    Grid embraced his anger and shouted.


    ¡°Zednos, Lae! Start!"


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Hwaruruk!


    Lae¡¯s powerful fire magicbined with Zednos¡¯ wind magic.


    The fire hurricane hit Ruson and Noll at the same time.


    [You have dealt 41,700 damage to the target!]


    [The target has resisted.]


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Zednos and Lae were surprised when they saw the notification windows.


    They were upset because their cooperative magic damage was too weak. Noll even resisted it.


    ¡°Both of them have higher magic resistance than Cray and Yetima. In particr, Noll...!¡±


    Lae hurriedly exined.


    Then Earl Ruson fell towards her.


    White pale skin and transparent red eyes like rubies.


    A vampire who gave off a mysterious atmosphere. His sharp fangs were visible between long hair.


    "You dare to attack me? I will get your blood in return... Kuk!¡±


    Ruson groaned as he was grabbing Lae¡¯s neck.


    ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, Quick Movements and 100 points in fighting energy.


    Grid struck his back in a full buff state.


    Then ck mes exploded and Ruson¡¯s¡¯ silky long hair became ruined.


    ¡°You!"


    Ruson shouted indignantly at Grid but Grid didn¡¯t even see him. He flew towards Noll, who was fighting with his other colleagues, and hit Noll¡¯s back.


    ¡°Kuak! A coward who strikes from the rear!¡±


    Noll was angry like Ruson when he was suddenly attacked.


    But Grid just snorted and muttered.


    ¡°Noll¡¯s physical resistance is also higher.¡±


    ¡°These humans!¡±


    Ruson was furious at being ignored!


    Their aggro waspletely focused on Grid.


    It was natural.


    It was the fate of the dealer with the highest attack to attract aggro. Grid had the highest attack power in Overgeared so he always monopolized the aggro.


    And most damage dealers were weak in defense. A powerful attack was a double-edged sword since the dealer¡¯s life was always threatened.


    Unfortunately, Grid was an all-rounder.


    Both his defense and attack power were high.


    Peeok!


    Kwajak!


    At the same time, Grid avoided the attacks of Ruson and Noll.


    Grid didn¡¯t fight back as he spoke to his colleagues.


    "Noll¡¯s magic resistance and defense is much higher while Ruson has overwhelming superior attack power.¡±


    The members nodded.


    "That¡¯s right. Our test results are the same.¡±


    Like Grid, the Overgeared members were attacking Ruson and Noll. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they poured out all the skills they had.


    In the process, the characteristics of Ruson and Noll that they identified coincided with Grid.


    Grid confirmed Noll and Ruson¡¯s strengths and opened Belial¡¯s Power.


    It was 100% power.


    ¡°Okay. We wille back tomorrow and attack Ruson. Retreat while I buy time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t hesitate. Even Huroi left immediately. They weren¡¯t worried about leaving Grid alone.


    They believed in him.


    Now that Grid used all his buffs, they believed that even two earl ss vampires couldn¡¯t kill Grid.


    Pepepepeng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Magic and swordsmanship.


    The injuries on Grid grew as the Overgeared members retreated first.


    ¡¯These bastards, they are dirty.¡¯


    [The duration of cksmith¡¯s Rage is over.]


    [The duration of Quick Movements is over.]


    Various buffs began to turn off. ckening would soon be over.


    In addition, Grid¡¯s heath gauge was now dropping out of control.


    "Don¡¯t think that you can leave alive!¡±


    ¡°You are too naive!¡±


    Dark smiles appeared as Ruson and Noll followed Grid. They were delighted at finally being able to eat humans.


    But that joy was brief.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    300 metres before reaching the exit.


    Several rm spells that Grid had installed in advanced were fired.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Trap?¡±


    Ruson and Noll suffered great damage from Grid¡¯s Magic Missiles, which ignored magic resistance. Their momentum while chasing Grid was weakened for a moment.


    Grid used that gap to safely escape.


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ***


    "Good work.¡±


    "Thank you for the hard work.¡±


    The Overgeared members¡¯ faces brightened as they found Grid.


    Grid smiled wickedly at his pleased colleagues.


    "Tomorrow, we will challenge Ruson as nned.¡±


    Kill the weakest one!


    The key yers in tomorrow¡¯s raid would be Vantner, Toban and Huroi.


    ¡°The three of you have to tie up Noll as much as possible. The raid will be difficult if he attacks our damage dealers or Ruby. The slightest slip can cause failure.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s keep a tight formation.¡±


    "I have prepared many things for Noll to focus on me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    "...Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl are present, so refrain from speaking too harshly.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Then the next day.


    Grid confirmed that everyone¡¯s skills were back and led the party.


    ¡°Go again. As I said yesterday, the target is Ruson.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    They had to take damage.


    The Overgeared members and Grid spected that quite a few people would die today.


    Vantner, Toban and Huroi would try but it was impossible topletely bind Noll while raiding Ruson.


    But today¡¯s sacrifice would lead to tomorrow¡¯s sess.


    The Overgeared members had faith and entered the 7th city without hesitation.


    Five hourster.


    Another direct descendant left the world.

 Chapter 726

    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision shed red as he coughed up blood. It meant his health had reached a dangerous level. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died. Then Noll¡¯s voice was heard. His voice was filled with killing intent.


    "You guys... You trivial humans...!¡±


    [Vampire Earl Noll has used Direct Suppression.]


    Kurururung!


    The air shook. There was a river of blood that Ruson had spilt. Direct Suppression gave fear and despair to all inferior species. It was a power that served as a big barrier to the Overgeared members in the process of today¡¯s raid. But at this moment.


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid was the only Overgeared member left in the city. The pressure of the direct descendant was no longer meaningful. It was because all the Overgeared members, except for Grid, were killed in the process of raiding Ruson. Grid gazed into the red eyes of Noll.


    "Shouldn¡¯t I be the angry one, not you?¡±


    He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with two direct descendants at the same time. However, Grid wanted to minimize the damage to his party members. That¡¯s why they prepared well in advance. As well as the terrain of the city, he grasped the personal characteristics of Ruson and Noll, procured various buff potions from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility, and installed rm magic traps all over the city.


    The Overgeared members did everything they could. But the raid didn¡¯t proceed as they nned. It was due to Noll¡¯s power. Noll wasn¡¯t just a tanker with excellent defense and resistance. His skillposition ran more towards a supporter. He specialized in recovery and initializing abilities.


    The blood tsunamis and aftershocks urred from time to time, breaking the formation of the Overgeared members. He also healed Ruson who was in a critical condition several times due to the Overgeared members. In particr, his ability to recover with Blood Donation was a problem. Noll donated his blood to increase Ruson¡¯s health and defense. Thanks to this, the damage to the Overgeared members was bigger than expected. It took too long to hunt Ruson and in the process, the Overgeared members died.


    Grid got goosebumps. What if Ruson had been faithful to his role as a supporter in the Earl Cray raid? It wouldn¡¯t be possible to capture the 7th city. He couldn¡¯t be certain of winning, even if NPCs such as Piaro and Asmophel were invited to the party.


    ¡®The Curse of Idleness...¡¯


    It was fortunate for Grid that the direct descendants were affected by the curse and wouldn¡¯t cooperate. Looking back, the reason why he was able to raid Elfin Stone in the past was the Curse of Idleness. Therefore, Grid hated the Blood King Candidate title.


    It temporarily released the direct descendants facing him from the Curse of Idleness. The effect was equally applicable to Duke Marie Rose and Marquis Fenrir. There was no possibility of raiding them when they were several times or tens of times stronger than the earls. But.


    ¡°You¡¯re an exception.¡±


    Grid¡¯s smile contained poison.


    "You will pay the price for hurting my colleagues today.¡±


    "Shut up!"


    Noll rushed towards Grid. He was freed from the Curse of Idleness, so he willingly attacked.


    Puok!


    It was just before the cooldown of his health potion ended. Grid¡¯s vision changed to ck and white as he was stabbed in the heart.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 36.2% experience.]


    [Grid¡¯s Boots have been lost.]


    ***


    "The scale of the damage?"


    Outside the 7th vampire city. Grid instantly asked once he resurrected and Lauel, who had done the research beforehand, reported to him.


    ¡°We lost experience and 14 people dropped equipment items.¡±


    ¡°What? 14?¡±


    Death in Satisfy was dreadful. It was a huge penalty to yers. The experience loss was in proportion to level and there was also the possibility of dropping some items in their possession. The worst was dropping equipment items. Basically, the value of the equipment item was high. If they lost the item they used as their main power, their strength would be reduced. Instead...


    "Isn¡¯t the probability of dropping equipment items only around 1%?¡±


    That¡¯s right. When a yer died, the drop rate of equipment items was quite low. Grid felt that it was actually at 50%.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... Did my bad luck spread to everyone?¡¯


    Grid was frustrated by the fact that more than half of the party members had dropped equipment items! He felt extreme guilt and Lauel told him more desperate news.


    ¡°Among them, Pon and Vantner have lost their main weapon and shield.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was experiencing extreme mental pain just losing Grid¡¯s Boots, which he often swapped to when using Grid¡¯s Greatsword. It was due to the value of the item. However, Pon and Vantner lost the weapon and shield that must be used immediately. From Grid¡¯s position, it was like losing the Enlightenment Sword. Grid was worried about how much pain they were in. His gaze moved towards Pon and Vantner. They were already looking at Grid.


    ¡°My spear...¡±


    ¡°Shield...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid wished he could make a new shield and spear! The two men, who couldn¡¯t bear to ask him for a new spear and shield, were like brothers. The difference was that Pon was handsome while Vantner was bald.


    "I¡¯m prepared to make new items. Anyway, if we want to challenge the raid again, we have to wait for everyone¡¯s skills to return. It won¡¯t be difficult to recreate the items while waiting.¡±


    Item making was the source of Grid¡¯s power. He couldn¡¯t ignore the rise in stats by making items. In addition, Pon and Vantner weren¡¯t people who wanted freebies. They always paid a reasonable price for Grid¡¯s items. It was good for Grid to make items in the remaining time. However, there was a problem.


    ¡°There are no materials.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The ck Dragon Spear used by Pon and the me Shield used by Vantner were the best items made by Bil¡¯s dropped items. It was impossible to recreate the same things. Grid trembled.


    ¡®If only I was stronger.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t have been so hard to raid Ruson. Jishuka spoke to the regretful Grid.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that you arecking. We are the onescking. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡±


    Pon and Vantner nodded.


    "That¡¯s right. This is the result of our weakness. It isn¡¯t because Grid is weak.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The mood was depressed. Most of the party members lost valuable items, increasing the pressure. In particr, the fact that the National Competition wasn¡¯t far away raised the burden. The National Competition was the ce where the best rankers representing each country gathered. Everyone¡¯s hearts were heavy at the thought of participating in the National Competition in a weakened state. On the other hand, Lauel¡¯s expression was bright.


    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. We can find the items you lost.¡±


    Dropped items weren¡¯t destroyed. They literally existed in the ce where they fell. Then why was dropping an item a problem? It was due to the users of Satisfy. Since it was impossible to block a user from the hunting grounds, it was almost impossible to regain an item once it was dropped. By the time they resurrected and ran to the ce where the item dropped, the item wasn¡¯t present anymore. It was because another user took it.


    But the vampire cities weren¡¯t an ordinary hunting ground. The vampire cities existed secretly in the vast desert of Reidan. The difficulty itself was very high so it was hard for ordinary yers to approach. In addition, Lauel controlled the vampire cities from the beginning. It was because he didn¡¯t want a valuable hunting ground for the Overgeared members to be upied by other yers. This mentality wasn¡¯t wrong. Controlling the hunting grounds within a territory was a privilege of the guild that owned it.


    ¡°The items that we dropped are still here. Tomorrow we will go back to the 7th city to raid Noll, retrieving the items on the way."


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We don¡¯t have to worry about someone else taking it.¡±


    "We will guard the entrance to the city.¡±


    "Okay, tomorrow we will regain them.¡±


    "Come on!¡±


    The atmosphere was cleared up. Everyone was looking forward to tomorrow. Lauel gave them a warning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too distracted. Noll is a support type, but he¡¯s still an earl. Hisprehensive battle strength isparable to other earls. A strong opponent. If you¡¯re careless, then you will die again before retrieving the item.¡±


    Also.


    ¡°Noll is likely to lead arge number of vampires and familiars to maximize his support capabilities. He¡¯s fighting diligently after oveing the Curse of Idleness thanks to Grid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s chest hurt but Lauel was just reminding them of the facts. It wasn¡¯t his intention to criticize Grid.


    "The key to tomorrow¡¯s raid is how quickly we can retrieve the dropped items. If we encounter Noll before we collect all the items, we are likely to be killed.¡±


    Chris confirmed it.


    "That¡¯s right. Nollcks attack skillspared to the other earls, but he has CCs and high endurance. It¡¯s impossible to get rid of him without full preparations. Don¡¯t forget the point where you each lost an item.¡±


    Lauel added a final warning.


    "Noll must be raided. If we can¡¯t raid Noll and Fenrir or Marie Rose joins...¡±


    Gulp!


    The sound of swallowing could be heard everywhere. At the same time, they all imagined the worst. If Noll¡¯s support abilities were used on Marquis Fenrir or Duke Marie Rose...


    "Fenrir and Marie Rose might never be able to be raided in the future.¡±


    ***


    "Everyone remembers, right?¡±


    After adequate rest. Grid asked before they re-entered the 7th city. It was excessive concern. The party members responded confidently.


    ¡°Of course I remember. Grid, could you forget the point where your precious items were dropped?¡±


    ¡°I also remember.¡±


    Grid spoke after confirming their answer.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move as secretly as possible until we arrive there. We will get hurt if we are caught by Noll before we manage to collect the items.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The Overgeared members had experienced the vampire cities many times. ording to their experience, the boss would never appear when they just entered the city. There would be a big disturbance as the battles proceeded. The boss would be aware of the intruders and reveal themselves.


    Of course, the Overgeared members believed it would be the same again. But was it a matter of having too much faith in Grid? Their faith was betrayed.


    ¡°Huhuhut, I was waiting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The moment they entered the 7th city. Grid and the Overgeared members encountered Noll. Noll knew that Grid and the Overgeared members woulde again and waited in advance. There were 500 vampires and familiars with him. This was the amazing artificial intelligence of a top grade NPC.


    ¡°I...I¡¯lle back. Haha.¡±


    Gridughed awkwardly and ran away with the Overgeared members.


    ***


    ¡°XX... Call all of our kids.¡±


    The entrance to the 7th city.


    Grid gave amand to all the Overgeared members who were afraid to enter the city again. It was a royal order. A king who had the power to move thousands, tens of thousands at will!

 Chapter 727

    "Haap!¡±


    ¡°Hiyaaack!¡±


    "Hey! How can you roll to avoid the attack? Every side of the battlefield will be full of enemies waiting to kill you! Stop! Grit your teeth!¡±


    Capital Reinhardt. Constant bellowing sounds were heard from the training grounds. In the morning, daytime, and evening, sound rang out without stopping 24 hours a day. It was due to the unique training policy of militarymander Asmophel. Asmophel advocated that ¡®war was just a matter of time¡¯ and emphasized night-time training.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean to train 24 hours a day. He rotated the soldiers and paid attention to their stamina. Thanks to this, the Overgeared soldiers were able to demonstrate their abilities at night. The same was true for the Red Phoenix Group who hade from the East Continent.


    "I realize that I¡¯m getting stronger every day. I can¡¯t help acknowledging this training method.¡±


    "Lady Sua acknowledges it.¡±


    Despite his high position, Asmophel was at the training grounds every day. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish him from a soldier. He was always there among the soldiers and trained with them. The members of the Red Phoenix Group genuinely respected him.


    ¡°How many people in a high position would try and understand the poor soldiers?¡±


    "Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue... No, he¡¯s the aide of King Grid.¡±


    There were good people under a great master!


    The Red Phoenix Group believed there was a subordinate like Asmophel due to Grid. They also aspired to be like Asmophel. They didn¡¯t despise the soldiers because they were stronger, nor did they seek special treatment. They were always enthusiastic about training with the soldiers.


    Therefore, the knights of the Overgeared Kingdom felt a sense of crisis.


    ¡°The people who are already strong are training harder than us...¡±


    The Western Nova, Royman. She was originally an ordinary soldier of Reidan until she was unearthed by Asmophel and became a knight. Since then, she was trained directly by Piaro. As a named NPC with no limits on her stats, Grid had high expectations for her.


    She had the best potential. In fact, she was one of the most powerful knights, despite only being promoted a few years ago. Butpared with the Red Phoenix Group, she was still somewhatcking. It was because the Red Phoenix Group of the East Continent had very high levels by default.


    ¡°We can¡¯t catch up to them if we spend the same amount of time in training. We have to work harder in training.¡±


    ¡°Okay! We can do it!¡±


    The knights were filled with great passion, beginning with Royman. The existence of the Red Phoenix Group was a positive effect to further develop them. This was the fun part.


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    Now most of the knights knew that Royman was a woman. They had been living together for a few years, so it was natural to find out. However, Royman didn¡¯t know that she was discovered. She was still trying to pretend she was a man. She used pressure bandages and tried to use the bathroom or changing room with her colleagues. She didn¡¯t know that her colleagues fled every time she went into the bathroom.


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s good to be sociable among colleagues!¡¯


    Piaro was still unaware of Royman¡¯s reality. Despite being the closest to her due to training her, he never imagined that she was a woman. He believed Royman without a doubt because she had dered herself a man. As a result, Piaro didn¡¯t realize that the knights were treated Royman like their sister. He thought that people followed Royman well because she was a great leader.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Asmophel sighed deeply. He was worried his old friend would forever be a bachelor. At that moment.


    ¡°A royal order!¡± Several horses entered the training grounds. They shouted loudly so that all the soldiers and knights could hear. "Apart from the defense troops. the Overgeared King has ordered all troops to gather in the desert of Reidan tomorrow morning!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Piaro and Asmopehl¡¯s eyes widened. They were worried something had happened to Grid.


    ¡°I will go first!¡±


    Piaro was themander of the army and he tried to leave Asmophel alone. Asmophel stopped him.


    "If His Majesty was in a critical situation, he would summon his knights. Don¡¯t worry too much and takemand of the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Umm... You are right.¡±


    He was so worried about his king that he got carried away. Piaro was able to calm down thanks to Asmophel and directed the soldiers.


    On this day. All the troops of Reinhardt, except for some defenders, made their way to Reidan. The training grounds always filled with the shouts of soldiers was as quiet as a mouse.


    ***


    ¡°Huh, what the hell is going on?¡±


    Duke Steim. He was regarded as the man closest to bing a grand duke in the Overgeared Kingdom. He ruled six cities in the north and was always dignified. As the father-inw of Overgeared King Grid, he always made sure not to lose face. But today, he couldn¡¯t stay calm. He was filled with worry when he heard that all of Reinhardt¡¯s troops were going to save Grid.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Duke Steim forgot about his dignity as he worried about his son-inw. The young knight Laden, who was once praised as the Northern Nova and was now the ¡®Strongest in the North¡¯ tried to reassure him.


    "If he was in a dangerous situation, he would¡¯ve sent a request for troops from the north.¡±


    However, Grid didn¡¯t make a request for troops from the north. It meant he didn¡¯t need the north. Laden judged that Grid¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t dangerous enough to Duke Steim to worry. But the older one got, the more anxious they became. Duke Steim couldn¡¯t erase his worries.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    Grid was the Overgeared Kingdom itself. Grid set up the Overgeared Kingdom and the Overgeared Kingdom revolved around Grid. If there was a mishap to Grid, the whole Overgeared Kingdom would obviously be shaken. In addition, Duke Steim didn¡¯t want to see his beloved daughter Irene and his grandson Lord sad.


    ¡°Maybe I should send the army.¡±


    It would take some time for the army to get get to Reidan. Unlike the western Reidan, the north was very cold and the soldiers in the north were weak to the heat. Even if he sent troops, could he really help his son-inw?


    ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    Duke Steim controlled his mind and was about to give an order to call the army.


    "I will lead the army.¡± Laden offered. "I have already experienced the desert of Reidan. I think I am eligible for this campaign.¡±


    It was during the time when the Eternal Kingdom still existed. Prince Ren had invaded Reidan. At that time, Laden had fought to defend Reidan.


    ¡°Um, yes. You¡¯re the right person.¡±


    Duke Steim sent his usual gaze towards Laden. His eyes were filled with trust.


    "Lead the Gale Troops. They are able to advance three times faster than normal horses so you can arrive in time.¡±


    "Gale Troops...!¡±


    The Gale Troops were the strongest cavalry that the north boasted. In addition, Phoenix had been in charge of the Gale Troops for over 10 years already. The fact that Duke Steim granted them to Laden meant Laden would be Phoenix¡¯s sessor. The deeply excited Laden bowed.


    ¡°I will be sure to repay your expectations and return.¡±


    ¡°I hope Your Majesty will be safe.¡±


    ***


    ¡°There¡¯s news that arge army is moving from Reinhardt.¡±


    The Water n kingdom, Siren.


    "What? Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Um... Ummm...¡±


    Maxong¡¯s face darkened as he received his son¡¯s report. Due to the situation in the Overgeared Kingdom, it seemed that Grid, the savior of their kingdom, was in danger. There was no reason for Maxong to hesitate.


    "Convene the whole army immediately! I will lead the army myself to help the Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    There was no disagreement. The moment Maxong gave an order, the army assembled immediately. The water n. Their innate physical abilities and magic transcended humanity. It was the opinion of schrs that if they weren¡¯t obsessed with the aquatic life, the human-dominatednds would be much smaller than they were now. They were a powerful race.


    ¡°Depart!¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    They came tond only to save Grid. The water n king, Maxong led them!


    ***


    ¡°Son. Chew chew.¡±


    "Yes. Lick lick.¡±


    The fortified city of Patrian. High on the walls, Ashur stood with his son. It was like a picture as the father and son faced each other.


    ¡°I will tell you honestly. Lick lick. I hated Grid. Chew chew. I didn¡¯t feel very good about joining his side.¡±


    ¡°...I know. Lick lick.¡±


    Marquis Ashur and Earl nd were eating steamed potatoes as they talked. The taste of the rainbow potato was incredibly shocking and addictive from the viewpoint of the rich nobles.


    ¡°But now it¡¯s different.¡±


    Marquis Ashur devoured the big rainbow potatoes. His act of wiping his hand with a handkerchief was full of refinement. He was indeed different from ordinary people. Until he licked the potato pieces off his cheek instead of throwing them away.


    "I think it¡¯s good to serve the King Grid, looking at how fast the Overgeared Kingdom is growing.¡±


    The fortified city of Patrian was a city that could be upied at any time due to the geographical nature. It was normal for arge number of troops to be stationed there at all times. However, the Eternal Kingdom was ipetent and Patrian always suffered from a shortage of troops. Due to this, the residents of Patrian were always nervous. But now? The faces of the Patrian residents were full of vitality. It was because there were strong soldiers guarding the city and the powerful royal family cared for them.


    ¡°I know about His Majesty¡¯s past. Thus, I can faintly imagine how much effort His Majesty has put in. Now I admire him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    nd smiled softly. He was d that his father admired a person he respected. Marquis Ashur cut to the chase.


    ¡°Grid is this kingdom¡¯s power... No, he¡¯s the treasure of this continent. The hero who can resist the Saharan Empire. He must always be safe. Thus, my son, I want to send troops to Reidan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable idea.¡±


    "But I can¡¯t leave because of the Gauss Kingdom. nd, lead the army. Be sure to protect King Grid and return alive. This isn¡¯t amand, but a request.¡±


    "I will live up to your expectations."


    The average level of the Patrian soldiers was the highest in the country. Due to the geographical nature of the border with the Gauss Kingdom, both Grid and Lauel were aware of the importance of defending Patrian and didn¡¯t spare any assistance. These soldiers...


    ¡°Go to the desert now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The son of the great magician Ashur and disciple of the farmer Piaro, the magic swordsman nd left through the gates.

 Chapter 728

    Titan, the capital of the Saharan Empire, had the biggest Reba Temple on the continent. The size of one temple wasrge enough to overwhelm the size of the Vatican. It was a ce where people could see the close rtionship between the empire and the Reba Church.


    "Your Majesty, it¡¯s urgent.¡±


    The temple built on the blood and sweat of countless immigrants. A statue of Reba, goddess of goodness, actually existed in this ugly ce? People against the empire didn¡¯t appreciate Titan¡¯s Reba Temple. However, from the viewpoint of Emperor Juander, this temple was the symbol of absolute power and the sole home of the ¡®real¡¯ Goddess Reba. Someone came to this sacred ce.


    ¡°Urgent...¡±


    Juander, who was sitting in front of the statue and praying, opened his eyes. He was grumpy at his prayers being disturbed. Earl Lisha, who ran to give the report, bowed his head deeply.


    ¡°There is a strange trend in the Overgeared Kingdom. It is said that they are gathering arge army in Reidan by mobilizing all allied troops.


    "...Hrmm."


    Reidan was a city that bordered the empire. The act of gathering troops there could be regarded as a threat to the empire. Juander could send an army to the Overgeared Kingdom under the ¡®sin of making the people of the empire nervous.¡¯ But Juander was unable to move his army. It was because most of the empire¡¯s main forces were dispatched to Valha.


    ¡°Moving after knowing this fact... As expected from the Overgeared King.¡±


    The reason why Juander ced arge number of troops near Valha was to keep the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant in check. Juander was very alert to him, who killed tens of thousands of imperial troops, killed the Red Knights, and damaged Kyle. He didn¡¯t express it to anyone, but the feeling was almost like fear. He wondered if it was the seconding of the Undefeated King.


    Thus, Juander posted an army near Valha to guard against the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. But Valha and the Overgeared Kingdom didn¡¯t know this. They interpreted it as the empire going to invade Valha soon. Therefore, the Overgeared Kingdom gathering the army in Reidan was a type of warning. It was a warning that if they invaded Valha, the Overgeared Kingdom would strike their rear.


    ¡°Sigh... Kuk, kuku! Kukukuk!¡±


    Juander gave a deep sigh before bursting out intoughter. It wasughable. A mere kingdom just born dared to warn the empire. He never thought there would be a kingdom that ignored the empire. Juander was amazed by the changes in this era. He was so pathetic that it was funny.


    Heughed for a while before asking Earl Lisha.


    "What¡¯s the exact number of the Overgeared army gathering in Reidan?¡±


    The empire had eyes and ears throughout the continent. The empire¡¯s spies existed in every country and region. Any of Juander¡¯s questions could be answered immediately. But not this time.


    "I¡¯m ashamed. I haven¡¯t figured out the exact number yet.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Earl Lisha, the head of the empire¡¯s intelligence agency, had already tried several times to nt spies in the Overgeared Kingdom. But it was difficult. All territories of the Overgeared Kingdom were strictly guarded. Even if a spy was nted, they were caught immediately. In particr, the spies that were nted in Reinhardt were close to zero. Most of the 300 spies dispatched to Reinhardt were unounted for. That¡¯s why there was a big restriction on their ¡®eyes¡¯ in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Juander frowned.


    ¡°The informationwork in the Overgeared Kingdom is still weak. How disappointing, Lisha.¡±


    "I¡¯m ashamed... It seems that there are many high level assassins in the Overgeared Kingdom... But I wille up with a solution soon.¡±


    ¡°Then can you roughly guess the number of enemies?¡±


    The exact number wasn¡¯t known, but it was possible to guess. Lisha replied once Juander asked again.


    "Approximately 40,000."


    40,000. It was an insignificant number. From the viewpoint of the empire that had an army of millions, 40,000 was a number that could be erased at any time. But war wasn¡¯t all about numbers. In particr, there were many people in the Overgeared Kingdom who were as good as the Red Knights. Among these, the Overgeared King had already destroyed two kingdoms and established two new ones. There would be no Valha without the Overgeared King.


    ¡®The hundreds of thousands of soldiers and my strong people sent to Valha...¡¯


    They were just good prey. Juander judged this and was filled with big regret.


    ¡®There¡¯s no talent.¡¯


    Sword Duke Limit and the Red Knights were on the side of the empress and it wasn¡¯t the time to send the Five Pirs to the frontlines. They were busy raising knights and magicians who would surpass the Red Knights. Kyle was somewhat idle, but he¡¯d lost one arm to the descendant of the Undefeated King.


    Juander wondered when things had be so twisted. Looking back, it had been a long time. Since he lost Piaro...


    In the end, the descendant of the Undefeated King appeared and the bnce of power copsed.


    ¡°More than this...¡±


    Step.


    Juander beckoned and a guard came up to him, handing him a cloak. Juander wore the cloak, walked outside the temple and muttered.


    "For the time being, I need to drink a bitter cup. Let¡¯s try diplomacy.¡±


    Diplomacy. Juander had never tried diplomacy before. From the time he took the throne of the empire, he became the ruler of the continent and only gave orders to other countries. They were one-sided deals, not diplomacy. But now the times had changed.


    ¡°Send an envoy to the Overgeared King. Tell him that we won¡¯t invade Valha for the time being. I will ask for a truce with Valha as proof.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The emperor of the world was dering that he would take a step back? It was unbelievable. Earl Lisha¡¯s eyes widened while the guard captain Bain¡¯s face was red with anger.


    "Your Majesty! I would rather go to the battlefield! Instead of the useless Red Knights, this Bain will obtain the heads of the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant and the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be. Bain, if you aren¡¯t around then I can¡¯t feelfortable for even a moment. I can¡¯t even sleep well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Who could be in charge of escorting the ruler of the continent? Guard Captain Bain was someone recognized by Juander. Bain was the person Juander trusted most in the world. He was able to walk down the street thanks to Bain.


    ¡°The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant...¡±


    After calming Bain down, Juander thought about the description of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant that Kyle gave. He got goosebumps.


    ¡®A monster who can use the legendary 100,000 Army Swordsmanship as well as magic... It¡¯s better not to move until all of the Five Pirs have returned. Yes, today¡¯s choice is wise, not a disgrace.¡¯


    ***


    "Hahahaha! Did you see it? Those scandalous fools ran away!¡±


    The vampire earl Noll. Currently, he was in a peculiar state. He had ovee the Curse of Idleness. It was difficult for him to understand. He just knew that after encountering the human called Grid a few times, the word ¡®annoying¡¯ disappeared from his head.


    Noll believed this change was based on his feelings of anger. There were humans who weren¡¯t afraid of direct descendants. The moment that his anger rose to his head, Noll interpreted that he was free from the curse. Then he felt joy. It was the first time he felt a distinct emotion since he was born hundreds of years ago. He realized that he was alive now.


    ¡®Now I see why Braham and Elfin Stone tried to ovee the Curse of Idleness.


    Braham had a desire for knowledge and Elfin Stone longed for love. Those who opened their eyes to desires and emotions earlier than their kin wouldn¡¯t like the Curse of Idleness. That was why they struggled so hard.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuahahaha! But in the end, I overcame it first!¡±


    Noll thought that he was superior to Braham and Elfin Stone. Then a true blood vampire approached him and asked carefully, ¡°Excuse me... Earl Noll, can we go to sleep now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The true blood vampires and ordinary vampires received only a small bit of the Curse of Idlenesspared to the direct descendants. But that was just whenpared to the direct descendants. They were all annoyed and wanted to go to sleep. However, they couldn¡¯t leave because they had to follow the orders of the direct descendant.


    Noll clicked his tongue.


    "Sleep here if you¡¯re tired. I don¡¯t know when that human wille back.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were noble vampires who slept in coffins, not on the ground! The true blood vampires and ordinary vampires wanted to protest, but couldn¡¯t. Just like the direct descendants honored, loved, and feared Beriache, the true blood vampires and ordinary vampires also felt the same towards the direct descendants.


    Some of the vampires who noticed it carefully gave their opinions.


    ¡°That... Earl Noll. Humans aren¡¯t stupid. Isn¡¯t it likely that they won¡¯te back?¡±


    "It would bepletely crazy toe back when they know we¡¯re camped here.¡±


    Yes, it was a verymon sense interpretation. Grid wouldn¡¯te back here unless he was a madman. Thus, Noll believed they should stay camped here. Noll was aware that Grid was a psycho!


    "That human is crazy. He came back to this ce several times, struggled when there were no odds, and killed my brothers one after another. It¡¯s evidence that he¡¯s crazy.¡±


    "You mean he wille again?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He will surelye."


    And.


    ¡°He will be killed by me. Kuk, kukukuk!¡±


    Noll had already killed Grid once. He enjoyed the blood. It was very sweet. The moment he drank the blood, it felt like his strength reached boiling point. Evolution. It was simr to a ss advancement whenparing it to yers. After wiping out the Overgeared members, he was stronger than ever. He was confident because he was aware of this fact himself.


    ¡°Was it 10 years ago? Do you remember the human army that entered our city?


    "Yes, at that time, there were thousands of humans.¡±


    "It was a full feast. It was the first andst time I ate so much.¡±


    "There will be another feast soon.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Just like ants, weak people like to gather together because they can¡¯t do it themselves. The crazy human will certainly bring reinforcements to resist us. The number will be simr to ours.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    The eyes of the drowsy vampires shone. By nature, humans were weak. They were a species that was the vampire¡¯s prey. A lot of theming at once wasn¡¯t a threat, but a buffet. In this warm atmosphere, Noll shouted joyfully.


    ¡°Come...! Come at any time! Bring it on! I will feed on all your humans and gain the strength to reach another level!¡±


    At that moment.


    "Yes, I¡¯m here.¡±


    A human voice was heard from the entrance of the city. The owner of this voice was unforgettable. Grid. He waspletely crazy.


    ¡°Kik...! Kihahahaha! You came! You really came back!¡±


    Noll shuddered with joy when he discovered Grid. It was great to see the prey that hade to him. It was so lovely that he wanted to kill. The other vampires also shouted excitedly.


    ¡°He didn¡¯te alone, did he?¡±


    "Did you bring a lot of friends this time? Baby.¡±


    The vampires were too excited! Grid nodded at them.


    "Yes, I have a lot of friends.¡±


    Kurururururuk!


    Footsteps could be heard from the doorway. It wasn¡¯t the sound of dozens or hundreds of footsteps. Thousands? It wasn¡¯t that either.


    Kurururururuk!


    ¡°...?¡±


    Noll and the vampires cocked their heads at the sound. The number of people entering through the doorway seemed to be more than expected. There was a problem.


    Kurururururuk!


    There was still a lot of noise. Humans were constantly entering the city. The number...


    "...I can¡¯t count them.¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    It was a number they were seeing for the first time in their lives! The vampires shrank at the emergence of arge army. In the meantime, humans were constantly entering. Eventually, Noll cried out.


    "Why are you so stiff? The long-awaited banquet is right in front of you! Dinner! Shouldn¡¯t a predator be rejoicing?¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhhh!¡±


    Noll¡¯s cry woke up the stunned vampires. It was the power of a direct descendant. The vampires lost their fear and flew to the humans. Noll was naturally in the lead. He was only looking at Grid. He didn¡¯t care about the other humans.


    ¡°I will eat something delicious again!¡±


    Noll proimed in a threatening manner! Then above Noll and the vampires following him.


    ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Something very big fell from the ceiling of the city.


    Kuuuuuuong!


    The vampire city with hundreds of years of history started to copse.

 Chapter 729

    Pounding Mortar. It was the Free Farming technique that the legendary farmer Piaro created. It was a technique that created a mortar that was as big as a house in the sky. Itsted for two seconds and the radius was 180 meters. The most remarkable aspect of this technique was that it could distinguish between allies, despite the overwhelming range of the skill.


    Jjirak.Jjirak.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Noll who was only aiming for Grid. Arge shadow appeared over his head and the air became heavy.


    Kurururung!


    Thunder. No, the sound was more artificial, intense, and threatening than thunder. Noll instinctively felt fear and created Blood Shield.


    Kurururung!


    An unimaginable weight hit the Blood Shield.


    Jjejeok!Jjejejejeok!


    Jjejejejeoook!


    The Blood Shield shattered. Blood Shield was a magic and robust defense created to protect the direct descendants!


    ¡®What strength is this?¡¯


    Originally, Noll would ask this question. But Noll had no doubt about the power that destroyed Blood Shield with one blow. It was due to the terrible pain.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Kwajak!


    Kurururung!


    Kwajajajajak!


    The unbearable pressure crushed Noll¡¯s skin, flesh, and bones. Noll couldn¡¯t even scream. As soon as his mouth opened, the pressure caused his eyes to bulge out. It was useless to grit his teeth.


    Kwajajak!


    Noll continued to be squashed. The body that had been floating in the air was pressed close to the ground, while the ground continued to sink in like a meteorite attack.


    Peeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    Hundreds of vampires and familiars around Noll were already turning to grey. It was the scene of a massive number of enemies being crushed to death.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaah!¡±


    Noll tried to endure and let out a loud scream. It was to emit magic and defy this transcendent power. Then the duration of Pounding Mortar was over.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡±


    The pain of experiencing a huge pressure. Noll breathed roughly once he was freed from it. His red eyes looked around as his body shook. The city, familiars, and vampires were all ashes. Everything that stood in a dignified manner was gone. Noll was shocked and lost for a moment.


    ¡°A force deadly to a vampire... Did that guy bring one of Reba¡¯s dogs?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The strength that was powerful enough to almost crush him must be divine power. That¡¯s what Noll believed. It was a reasonable idea from his position. But reality was much different from what he thought.


    ¡°The city¡¯s soil... It is very unusual since it has sucked in arge amount of blood without seeing the sun for so long.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Normally, humans confronted with a direct vampire were likely to suffer from heart attacks and die. It was because the difference between direct descendants and humans was too big. And Noll was a direct descendant. In particr, he was an earl. Except for a few special people like Grid, most humans couldn¡¯t even raise a finger in front of Noll.


    Noll was emitting a fearsome killing intent even in his current state. In fact, the vast majority of the thousands of soldiers who entered the city were frozen in ce. All of them were pale and didn¡¯t dare look at Noll. But at this time.


    ¡°Hrmm... If I farm here, I might be able to grow something very interesting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One human kept making fun of Noll. At first nce, it was a man in shabby attire. The clothes he wore were covered with dirty and his hands held unfamiliar tools. It was a small tool that looked simr to a sickle but it wasn¡¯t as sharp. It was clearly not a weapon.


    ¡°Interesting, how interesting. It¡¯s certainly interesting soil.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Noll, who had been living in the city for a lifetime, didn¡¯t know about human society. But he still hadmon sense. He instinctively perceived that a human armed with strange tools and the old, dirty attire was a ve or lower ss among humans. However, the ve couldn¡¯t grasp the atmosphere. He kept on touching the ground in front of Noll, mumbling something.


    "...All humans are crazy.¡±


    He believed that the Reba¡¯s believer who used the technique would need a long time to reuse it. Noll was determined to take care of Grid before Reba¡¯s believer could act again. But before that.


    "I will drink this ve¡¯s blood as an appetizer.¡±


    Noll wanted to take care of the ve who was disrupting him. He snorted and waved a hand lightly to destroy the ve smelling the ground, intending to leap over and fly towards Grid. However.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The simple ve. The dirty human who didn¡¯t even have a weapon lightly blocked Noll¡¯s attack. Then he took out an unknown tool.


    Puk.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Noll was hit by the unknown tool and suffered terrible pain. He forgot his dignity and let out an unseemly scream. Then he moved away from the ve. He grabbed his injured forehead with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡®Divine power...? Is his attack so painful because he has divine power?¡¯


    Then this person who looked like a ve was actually one of Reba¡¯s dogs?


    ¡°What...? I heard Reba¡¯s dogs always wear white and clean clothes!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How pathetic. After Pounding Mortar, Grid and the Overgeared members watched Noll being hit. Noll felt worse.


    ¡°What? What are all of you doing?¡±


    Noll¡¯s confusion reached the extremes! If his magic resistance wasn¡¯t so high, he might¡¯ve suspected that he was caught by a spell without knowing it. But as it happened, Noll was highly resistant to magic. It was safe to say that there was no possibility of him being enchanted. This confused Noll even more. How was that human called Grid able to draw some many supporters and what was the identity of the powerful force that crushed the vampires and familiars? More than anything else.


    ¡°You... Who are you?¡±


    The identity of the ve was the thing he was most curious about. The man mistaken for being a ve, Piaro replied.


    ¡°A farmer.¡±


    ¡°Farmer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "A farmer...!¡±


    As mentioned earlier, Noll had somemon sense. He knew that food was necessary for humans to live and there was a group of humans who grew the food. Yes, he knew what ¡®farmer¡¯ meant.


    ¡°This crazy guy!¡±


    Noll was agitated, It was scandalous that a mere human could cause him such confusion. It was the first time since Noll was born that he met such a nasty person. His anger soared.


    ¡°Eat...! I will eat you!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Blood magic was released as Noll roared. It was the manifestation of the high grade blood magic that only the direct descendants could use.


    Kurururuk!


    The blood magic that burst out swallowed up Piaro. Noll was invigorated by the sight. He thought that the damn madman who appeared once in one hundred years would disappear without a trace. It was just for one second.


    "The ability to breathe blood like water...! I think I need to build a farm here!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Piaro was surprisingly alive despite being swallowed up by Noll¡¯s blood magic. It was natural. He was someone who survived Great Demon Belial¡¯s attacks several times. In addition, he was now being thoroughly supported by Ruby. The strong support from Grid¡¯s party meant that Piaro¡¯s death should never happen.


    sh!sh!


    The heals of Saintess Ruby were ovepped on Piaro¡¯s body. Holy Weapon was also included. The hand plow in Piaro¡¯s hand started to shine brilliantly.


    ¡°Hit me now!¡±


    ¡°Shut up...! Just shut up!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t enough that this crazy person much stronger than Grid lied about being a farmer. The farmer dared to directly challenge him. Noll felt extreme confusion and anger every time Piaro opened his mouth and hisposure fell. It was due to the Farmer¡¯s Provocation skill that the legendary farmer Piaro acquired unintentionally. It was a powerful skill that Piaro learned in the process of training many powerful people including Kraugel and Damian.


    ¡°Die...! Die!¡±


    He cried out dialogue different from predators who saw humans as food usually said. It was ¡®die¡¯ instead of ¡®be eaten.¡¯ This meant that he recognized Piaro as special. Now his eyes didn¡¯t see anyone other than Piaro. Now only Noll and the farmer were in this ce... No, he focused only on Piaro as Piaro was the only one who existed. That was the problem.


    ¡°Wrath of the Sea!¡±


    ¡°Grey Strike.¡±


    Maxong summoned a tsunami using powerful magic and the eternally second ce Asmophel wielded a glowing sword at Noll. The two attacks were powerful enough to threaten Noll. In particr, the current Noll had lost hisposure and the impact was greater.


    Kurururung!


    Puoook!


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Noll lost his bnce as he was swept away by the tsunami and the sword stabbed his heart. Piaro didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    ¡°Fated to Perish.¡±


    Puk!


    The hand plow deeply pierced Noll¡¯s chest. Noll couldn¡¯t even scream. Grid checked Noll¡¯s heath gauge and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°...How did this happen?¡±


    "Hey look. Shouldn¡¯t you wait your turn?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you know that our Gale Troops arrived one second earlier then you? It is our turn to enter next.¡±


    ¡°Ha...? One second? Is there any evidence? I will swear on this potato.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On the other hand, at the entrance of the gate behind Grid, the soldiers who couldn¡¯t enter the city were still making a fuss. Grid and the other Overgeared members only yed a ¡®part¡¯ of the disaster.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this aplete cheat key?¡±


    Vantner muttered. It was the power of the ¡®royal order¡¯ used by Grid.

 Chapter 730

    ¡°You...! You!¡±


    Was it towards the water n¡¯s king, Maxong? No, it was Piaro and Asmophel. Noll no longer used the expression ¡®human.¡¯ Yes, Noll was forced to admit it. The human species wasn¡¯t insignificant. Their power was too amazing to be dismissed as mere livestock.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it!¡¯


    The hand plow caused terrible pain and Noll¡¯s chaos elerated. He was a direct descendant. He was the child of the great mother Beriache. A great demon¡¯s blood flowed through him. At the very least, he would reign as an absolute being in this middle world.


    ¡®Then what is this situation? Am I actually an insignificant being?¡¯


    Noll never dreamt that the people he was dealing with were the strongest party that even destroyed a great demon. He fell into a frenzy.


    Chaaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    He blocked Maxong¡¯s trident and magic with a shield, as well as Asmophel¡¯s sword with blood magic.


    Puk.


    He was struck with a hand plow again due to the gap that was revealed when dealing with the two.


    ¡®Why is it so painful?¡¯


    The tool that the human calling himself a farmer wielded was too ambiguous to be called a weapon. The efficiency was very lowpared to conventional weapons. It hurt every time he was hit. This made Noll angry. At the very least, he was embarrassed and humiliated about being hurt by this tool.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it seriously!¡±


    Thanks to Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong, Noll¡¯s health was reduced to 40%. Like most named bosses, Noll entered a new phase.


    Kukukung!


    Kukukukukukung!


    Direct Suppression Lv. 2. Due to eating Grid in a previous battle, the Direct Suppression had evolved to be much more powerful than those used by the previous earls. By overwhelming all targets that he was ¡®aware¡¯ of, it dramatically lowered stats and at the same time, caused the abnormal state of fear and silence. The duration had doubled.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Asmophel and Maxong spat out as they felt their minds and bodies shrinking back. The inherent gap was difficult to ovee. Maxong of the water n overcame fear more quickly than Asmophel, but the gap between them was a big one. There was a grim smile on Noll¡¯s face.


    ¡°Kik...! Kikikik! Yes, things are finally aligning. People in front of me with frightened expressions... Eek!¡±


    He would reverse the situation. He would transfuse the blood of humans, who were frozen like mice, recover from his wounds and fight back. Noll suddenly screamed. It was because a hand plow hit the back of his head. Noll¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Why are you perfectly fine?¡±


    Noll shouted with an incredulous expression.


    "A legend doesn¡¯t yield.¡± Piaro started to introduce his real self. "In fact, I¡¯m not usually a farmer.


    ¡¯Indeed!¡¯


    Gulp!


    Noll swallowed his saliva. As soon as Piaro resisted the Direct Suppression, he realized that Piaro was a legend, just like Grid. But the question was, what type of legend? Maybe Piaro was the strongest among legends, a Sword Saint. In other words, he would have to fight against a frightening new Sword Saint.


    ¡®What legend are you?¡¯


    Noll trembled as he watched Piaro, waiting for his introduction. Then Piaro revealed himself.


    ¡°I am a...¡±


    ¡°L...?¡±


    ¡°Legendary...¡±


    Gulp!


    ¡°Farmer!¡±


    ¡°X%#@$~!!!¡±


    Before the vampires were kicked out of hell. It was the evilnguage that vampires used hundreds of years ago. Noll might be born in this middle world, but he knew the demonkinnguage because of his natural knowledge as a direct descendant. The vast majority of the demonkinnguage consisted of terrible profanity...


    Piaro¡¯s face hardened as the worstnguage emerged from his mouth. Piaro naturally couldn¡¯t understand the words of the demonkinnguage. However, Piaro noticed they were curses because the words used were simr to those usually spoken by Grid and Huroi.


    ¡°Perhaps... Did you curse me just now?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    "I will find your dead parents!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    This was too much. Even great demons didn¡¯t mess with their parents.


    ¡®I¡¯m not evil like that fellow!¡¯


    Noll¡¯s gaze moved towards Huroi, who was standing far away from Grid. He was a bastard who cursed at the dead Beriache several times. Noll hated that he was being treated like that by a garbage human. He wanted to actively deny it.


    "It¡¯s hard to forgive...! You will have to fix this habit if we will do field work together in the future!¡±


    Piaro was already emitting killing intent. It was the first time since the Great Demon Belial raid that he had such a ferocious expression. His momentum seemed like he would strike Noll immediately. But it wasn¡¯t so easy in reality. Noll had very high innate stats as an earl ss vampire while Piaro had already consumed Pounding Mortar and Fated to Perish. In addition, Maxong and Asmophel were suppressed and couldn¡¯t actively support Piaro.


    ¡®This guy is great, greater than necessary. But does he believe he can win against me in a one on one situation?¡¯


    Noll¡¯s red eyes calmed down. He was looking for a safe victory. Yes, he was too focused on Piaro that he forgot reality. The fact the he was alone while Piaro had an army!


    "Purification!¡±


    "Eh?¡±


    Saintess Ruby¡¯s skill! She was able to restore all of the allied forces caught by Direct Suppression. At the same time, Asmophel and Maxong struck Noll while Piaro used Free Farming and gave Noll another critical strike. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    "Shoot!¡±


    Puk!


    Puuoooook!


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The elite soldiers of Reinhardt started firing their bows and using magic. Thanks to Ruby¡¯s Purification, the soldiers overcame their fear and started acting.


    "We are going too!¡±


    Laden and nd, who arrivedte into the city, joined the front lines. The amount of damage increased to a different level than before.


    ¡°These small fries!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Noll no longer clung to just Piaro. He threatened all the Overgeared soldiers who stepped into the city with a wide area spell. The new phase, berserk mode.


    ¡°E-Everyone avoid it!¡±


    ¡°Open...!!¡±


    The knights tried to minimize the damage to the soldiers but the problem was that too many troops were gathered in a narrow city. The soldiers could barely move. If the Overgeared members tried to avoid the flying magic, they would cause greater damage to each other. But the Overgeared soldiers were elite soldiers trained by the bestmanders. They realized that moving back and forth was counterproductive. All of them stood still, closing their eyes tightly without escaping the magic flying towards them.


    At this moment, there were hundreds of soldiers ready to die. No, there were thousands. However, the actual damage was small. It was because there were Overgeared members beside the soldiers.


    "Protect the soldiers!¡±


    These people, the army was their national power! The Overgeared members moved actively, despite Grid and Lauel notmanding them. Each one of them came up with the best method to protect the soldiers.


    Katz consumed special resources to block the blood spell while the tankers, including Vantner and Toban, defended the soldiers using all types of defense skills. Meanwhile, the damage dealers like Chris and Pon tried to weaken the power of the magic. They even threw their own bodies to defend the soldiers.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    "Cough! Cough!¡±


    The screams and groans of the Overgeared members resonated through the city. Noll was truly strong. He was a direct vampire for a reason. However, it was somewhat shabby in front of the legendary farmer Piaro.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Jishuka fired the Red Phoenix bow. It was an effort to damage Noll and heal his allies. Thanks to her, the damage to their allies was smaller than expected. But Noll in berserk mode didn¡¯t stop.


    "Die! All of you will die!¡±


    Kuwang-!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Noll used wide area magic again. It was at this point that the soldiers started to grab the ankles of the Overgeared members.


    Due to the nature of the Overgeared members, who were unable to recognize the soldiers as consumables, the Overgeared members were obliged to protect the soldiers from Noll¡¯s wide area attacks. This caused the Overgeared members to suffer damage.


    "Block it!¡±


    The water n were also acting. They continued to use magic to weaken Noll¡¯s blood magic. Then Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong trio also continued to attack Noll, attempting to stop his running wild mode. But Noll¡¯s infinite health recovery after using the wide area skill was phenomenal. It was the vampire¡¯s unique ability to convert the damage done to the target into health. This ability along with therge number of enemiesbined to give Noll wings. The hundreds of soldiers and Overgeared members were hit by Noll¡¯s magic and his health gauge kept on going up.


    "This monster has no waiting time on his cooldown...!¡±


    Vantner shouted as the durability of his shield fell to a dangerous level. It was the aftermath of protecting the soldiers with the shield and blocking big magic. He couldn¡¯t endure the speed at which the durability fell.


    Finally.


    Jjejeok!


    Jjejejejeok!


    Vantner¡¯s shield cracked. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it was broken. A chill went down Vantner¡¯s spine. He was worried that if the shield broke, him and the soldiers he was guarding would be destroyed. He was feeling frightened when he heard a hammering sound in his ears.


    Teeong-! Teeong-!


    [The durability of the Lud Shield has been restored.]


    [The durability of the Lud Shield has been...]


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Vantner opened his eyes again and grasped the situation. Was there anyone other than a legendary cksmith who could restore the durability of the items at such a fast pace? Grid put his hand on Vantner¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish it soon, so hold on a bit longer.¡±


    Grid was also protecting the soldiers in real time. In the process of counterattacking against therge scale magic spell with Revolve, blocking with a shield, and offsetting the power with attack skills, his fighting energy rose to 80 points. He was surrounded by a purple aura as he used ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, and Quick Movements.


    Next.


    Teong!


    His body flew up. His goal was naturally Noll.


    ¡°You...! You finally came!¡±


    Noll was wielding a weapon against Asmophel, Piaro, and Maxong when he discovered Grid and roared. It was an opportunity to get revenge on the person who created the situation, making him full of enthusiasm. He ignored Piaro¡¯s attack and only reached out to Grid.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Grid had already used Item Combination. Thebined Enlightenment Sword and Failure aimed at Noll¡¯s heart. At this time, Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong also attacked. Here, Grid had a new experience.


    [You have joined forces with people you absolutely trust!]


    [The yermon hidden piece ¡®Cooperative Skill¡¯ has been opened for the first time!]


    [As a reward for first opening the skill, the damage when using the Cooperative Skill has permanently increased by 20%!]


    "Splitting the Sky!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s skill, which Kraugel copied, broke the sky.


    Puhahahak!


    Blood gushed out like a waterfall from Noll¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Fire Sword!¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s sword was surrounded with fire and repeatedly cut Noll¡¯s side. Noll¡¯s wounds became ashes and the direct recovery ability of a direct descendant was blocked. Then...


    ¡°Sea Sting!¡±


    Maxong¡¯s trident shone with blue magic power and stabbed at Noll¡¯s heart with the force of a tsunami.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword followed. The Cooperative Skill was activated when a yer used a skill at the same time as an NPC they had the maximum affinity with and the target was the same. It was the moment when a powerful system hit one of the strongest beings. Now it seemed like Noll had no choice but to pray for his soul.


    But the abnormal character Grid inadvertently blocked the natural flow.


    [The title ¡®Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue¡¯ is activated!]

 Chapter 731

    ¡¯I didn¡¯t want this to happen...¡¯


    Grid wanted to show off the numerical superiority he could wield as the king of a kingdom. It was absolutely upsetting to see a person who didn¡¯t know what the real power of numerical superiority was. Thus, Grid assembled the main force in Reinhardt.


    The final number was over 30,000. It was arge army worthy of the Noll raid. It was enough to make Noll experience the fear of a numerical superiority. Grid didn¡¯t want any more troops. Yet things became twisted.


    "Maxong, king of the water n, has led his army to help the Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Laden and the Gale Troops have arrived! Duke Steim sent me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°nd. My father hasmanded me to protect Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    -Grid-sama, I heard rumours that you are in danger.I¡¯m running over with Reba¡¯s Daughters right now, so hold on for a while.


    -...Please don¡¯te.


    The power of a royal order was much bigger than Grid imagined. The lords and yers at various ces misunderstood that Grid was in danger and constantly sent troops to Grid. It was hard to even enter the vampire city. It was useless.


    ¡®All the food consumed moving here... What should I do...?¡¯


    The soldiers consumed more food in wartime than in peacetime. A simple march consumed more food than usual, which was a real economic burden on a kingdom. In particr, the Overgeared Kingdom tended to depend on food exports as an agricultural kingdom. Food was precious. Grid sighed as the troops gathered like dogs.


    ¡®What is this...¡¯


    From the first time he convened the troops, Grid only need Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s power. He had no intention of the soldiers participating in the battle. He just wanted the soldiers to stand in ce and scare the vampires. Why? The first reason was that if the soldiers joined the battle and died, it would be a big loss for the kingdom. There was a second important reason.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to share the experience with many soldiers!¡¯


    Grid knew that even if only Piaro and Asmophel joined the raid, the experience of the party members would be greatly reduced. Grid didn¡¯t want to dispatch soldiers who would gain the experience. How impractical would it be to raid a direct vampire and only gain experience the size of a rat¡¯s dropping? Thus, Grid tried to make the soldiers wait and only take Piaro and Asmophel into the raid...


    ¡°Help the alliance! It is time to repay the favor!¡±


    "Cause a tsunami!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This n was wiped out when Maxong, who led an independent army, told the water n army to participate in the raid. Now it was a war, not a raid. Grid and the party members couldn¡¯t hope for experience even if they hunted Noll.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid sighed as he lost motivation. He stood idly as he watched Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong¡¯s struggle. He didn¡¯t think of participating in the raid. There was no enthusiasm. But he couldn¡¯t lose his motivation for long.


    ¡°I will kill all of you!¡±


    Noll started to run wild as he became furious at Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong. His huge magic was invoked without rest, causing damage to the Overgeared soldiers. It was a scene that woke Grid up. Grid stopped regretting the missed experience and came back to reality. He defended the soldiers and used all sorts of buff skills before attacking Noll.


    Then.


    [You have joined forces with people you absolutely trust!]


    [The yermon hidden piece ¡®Cooperative Skill¡¯ has been opened for the first time!]


    [As a reward for first opening the skill, the damage when using the Cooperative Skill has permanently increased by 20%!]


    Piaro, Asmophel, Maxong, and Grid. These four people didn¡¯t intentionally link their skills. They just read the perfect timing and trusted each other. The result was amazing.


    [The power of all skills have increased by 240% thanks to the Cooperative Skill! Your skill damage has increased by 260%!]


    Kwajajak!


    Piaro¡¯s Splitting the Sky, which boasted the power of Pounding Mortar, was deadly to Noll.


    Kwaruruk!


    Kwarururung!


    Asmophel¡¯s sword contained a simr power. The effect of the sword perfectly sealed off the target¡¯s healing effect.


    ¡°Sea Sting!¡±


    Maxong¡¯s ultimate technique, which boasted a proportional damage to the target, also showed a power reminiscent of Piaro¡¯s Fated to Perish.


    ¡°Kuock...!¡±


    The skills of the three people hit at the same time and Noll¡¯s health gauge dropped to a dangerous level in an instant. The Cooperative Skill of the three people was extremely lethal to Noll, who lost his defense ability in his berserk state. Noll lost momentum and coughed up blood. In his blurred vision, he could see Grid¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    It was the four linked sword techniques that Noll clearly saw kill his brother. Noll couldn¡¯t help sensing his death. Of course, he wasn¡¯t willing to ept this. He was hundreds of years old. Due to the Curse of Idleness, he could only sleep. He finally overcame the Curse of Idleness and was going to enjoy life. He didn¡¯t want to see this world disappear. He had to live no matter what. He would get out of the city, get out of the desert, and walk the world.


    But.


    Puk!


    Puk!Puk.Puk!Puok!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The power in Grid¡¯s attack was enough to exceed Noll¡¯s imagination. It was the havoc of the Cooperative Skill. Grid¡¯s attack was a death penalty itself to Noll.


    Kwarururung!


    Peng!


    Pepepepeong!


    Noll was continuously pierced and stabbed as ck mes swallowed his body. It was a momentum that would turn him into ashes.


    ¡®Ah... Ahhh...¡¯


    Noll¡¯s mind became increasingly blurred. He no longer felt the pain that dominated his body and mind. Now he felt only one thing. Foolishness. It was only a craving for life.


    ¡®This is also a curse...¡¯ Noll thought.


    If he was still suffering from the Curse of Idleness, then this moment of death wouldn¡¯t be so scary and sad. He was convinced that leaving the world wouldn¡¯t be so bad if he thought it was a nuisance. But now Noll had ovee the Curse of Idleness. He was in a state where he desired to enjoy life. It was terrible for him to be killed in this state. The feeling of sadness dominated him.


    sh!


    Energy emerged from Grid¡¯s sword like a wave and then sunk like a thunderbolt. It was the final blow.


    ¡®Mother... This stupid son who shouldn¡¯t have been born... This unworthy existence is leaving the world. I wanted to make you feel like it was worthwhile giving birth to me, but the fate of a natural curse is difficult to ovee.¡¯


    The only things he saw in the kaleidoscope of life was the coffin that was his bedroom and his mother¡¯s face. Noll felt empty as he realized this. He was sorry towards his mother.


    ¡®If... If another chancees to me...¡¯


    He wanted to live a lifepletely different from this one. But it was just wishful thinking. It was already the end. Noll closed his eyes. He was ready to ept death. Grid¡¯s sword was now right in front of his nose.


    But.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Noll had a question as he was ready to die. It was because Grid¡¯s sword, which should have split apart his skull like a watermelon, seemed to stop in front of his nose.


    ¡®Am I mistaken?¡¯


    Had he already been killed and his soul was wandering in the eons of chaos? Yes, he had already died. It was without feeling any pain. After a short amount of time passed, Noll arranged his thoughts opened his eyes. He feared thendscape of ¡®Chaos¡¯ that his cursed soul would live in forever. However.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the scenery of ¡®Chaos.¡¯ It was Grid breathing roughly. The gigantic greatsword held in his hands stopped just before Noll¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°...¡±


    There was an awkward silence. Everyone was paying attention to Grid. They all wondered why he didn¡¯t kill Noll.


    ¡°Wh...at?¡±


    Noll¡¯s gaze was the same. He couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s intention behind not killing him,


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. He just swung his sword, only for it to once again stop in front of Noll¡¯s nose. Noll frowned.


    ¡°What...? Why aren¡¯t you killing me?¡± It couldn¡¯t be. ¡°You... Are you sympathizing with me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything. He just had aplicated expression on his face as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. Noll was convinced.


    ¡°Right... You sympathize with me. You realized my yearning for life and my weak heart...¡±


    Noll had an unbelievable experience for someone who lived for hundreds of years. He had the appearance of a beautiful 13 year old boy. His delicate body and voice started to tremble.


    ¡°Human...! This human...!! Feeling sympathy for a direct descendant...!¡±


    Tears flowed from Noll¡¯s eyes as he cried out. Did he feel shame that a human felt sympathy for him? No. It was because he was d. He was a person who hadn¡¯t been able to prove his reason for being born and just existed. He never even dreamt that someone would sympathize with him and save him.


    Yet that person appeared in front of him. It was also an opponent who had fought with him several times over the past few days. Noll dimly noticed it.


    ¡°Yes... You... You must¡¯ve noticed my value. Through your experiences over the past few days, you have be convinced that I am a good vampire.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...Thank you. For not denying me, for giving me the benefit of the doubt. I am moved for the first time since I was born.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    "I am able to live thanks to you. My remaining life will be given to you. I will prove my value and repay your favor by your side.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything to the end. Noll thought it was because he was excited. It was natural. A human bing the master of a direct vampire. It was unheard of. It was a legend that no one would believe, even if it was written down in history. Of course Noll thought that Grid was excited.


    At that moment, Piaro opened his mouth instead of Grid.


    ¡°It is a good idea to serve King Grid. Work in the field with me.¡±


    ¡°[email protected]##...¡±


    Noll couldn¡¯t help cursing. This crazy Sword Saint kept pretending to be a farmer and was treating him as a fool was very unpleasant for Noll to deal with. Noll liked Grid, but was hostile towards Piaro.

 Chapter 732

    ¡®What? What is this?¡¯


    ¡®What is this situation?¡¯


    A perfect chance! Grid, in conjunction with Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong, had a great chance to end the battle. As they saw the health gauge go down, the Overgeared members were looking forward to what items would drop. But what was happening? Grid didn¡¯t deal the final blow to Noll. He stopped the attack at thest moment.


    "Purification!¡±


    Saintess Ruby thought that Grid was affected by a status condition. She hurriedly used Purification on him but it didn¡¯t work.


    [Target is in a normal condition.]


    The notification window popped up and Purification didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Oppa...?¡±


    Surely he wasn¡¯t disconnected? Would her brother start awsuit against the Intepany? Ruby¡¯s worry was realistic since she knew Grid¡¯s personality better than anyone. It was at that moment.


    "...I am able to live thanks to you. My remaining life will be given to you. I will prove my value and repay your favor by your side.¡±


    As Grid was frozen, Noll bowed humbly towards Grid. At this moment, goosebumps spread over the skin of all Overgeared members, including Ruby.


    ¡®Direct descendant...¡¯


    ¡®Taming?¡¯


    It was an incredible result! The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t understand the situation. It was natural. It was amon thought in Satisfy that even the famous tamers couldn¡¯t tame named grade bosses. However, the non-tamer Grid made a named boss his subordinate. It was a scene thatpletely vitedmon sense.


    The moment that everyone was feeling stunned.


    ¡°Truly God Grid!¡±


    ¡°As expected from My Lord!¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk...! Your benevolence can even capture the heart of a monster?¡±


    Peak Sword, Huroi, Lauel. The famous Grid worship trio started to praise Grid.


    "The corrtion between the Blood King Candidate title and showing mercy results is the gratitude of the direct descendants? This is a method that only Grid who has aplete understanding of Satisfy¡¯s world view and setting can implement! Truly God Grid!! The pride of South Korea!¡±


    "My Lord has already captured the hearts of many named NPCs... It isn¡¯t strange for him to capture a monster¡¯s heart. It¡¯s a tremendous aplishment that transcends my imagination by taming a direct descendant. I respect you, Mr Lord!¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk... I have noticed since His Majesty tamed the evil eyes. His power that prates the past and former is invaluable. Kukukuk...!¡±


    Peak Sword, Huroi, and Lauel overrated Grid more than necessary and arbitrarily interpreted the situation.


    ¡°Ah... Um.¡±


    Grid tried to deny the truth only to shut up. Tens of thousands of soldiers were watching him enviously. If he told them the truth then they would be disappointed. In the end.


    ¡°Hahaha! Well, that¡¯s right. Your interpretation is right. I figured out how to grab Noll¡¯s heart and put it into action. Thanks to Noll¡¯s cooperation, things are going as nned.¡±


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    ¡°Hooray King Grid!¡±


    ¡°Hooray Overgeared King! Hooray Overgeared King!¡±


    Tens of thousands of soldiers began to praise Grid. Every one of them felt more respectful of Grid than before.


    ¡¯...I will tell the truth to my teammatester.¡¯


    Grid ignored the bright eyes of the soldiers and organized the army.


    ***


    ¡®It¡¯s better.¡¯


    Grid expected to gain experience, items, and a new power for his rune by raiding Noll. From his point of view, he had to me Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue. It hadn¡¯t been activated once since he acquired it. No, Grid had been hoping the damn title wouldn¡¯t activate. He had been very angry when he was unable to raid Noll when it activated at the final blow. It was the feeling of experience, items, and a new rune power flying away. But the subsequent development caused Grid to change his mind.


    Noll dered that he would follow Grid. It was an earl ss direct descendant! Experience, items, and a rune power weren¡¯t things to obsess over. In the first ce, what did Grid most want to gain by hunting a direct descendant? It was a direct descendant summoning item.


    However, it was very difficult to raise the rating of a summoning item. Even if heter achieved the rating and summoned a direct descendant, the level of the direct descendant would be initialized. There was also a duration to the summoning. It was like normal pets.


    But Noll became Grid¡¯s subordinate while he was alive. Grid could obtain the loyalty of a direct descendant with no penalty. In particr, Noll was a strong supporterparable to Asmophel and Piaro. Grid was already looking forward to how strong he would make the Overgeared Kingdom. It was as if he had obtained thousands of troops.


    "Hrmm."


    Grid smiled as he faced Noll. Grid looked at him with pure eyes that were filled with affection.


    "Noll, I¡¯m a human who you vampires think of as livestock. Can you truly serve me?¡±


    It was a matter of concern. Grid asked seriously and Noll answered without hesitation.


    "I decided to serve you because you acknowledged my existence. I don¡¯t care what your species is.¡±


    Grid was a person who acknowledged him. Noll felt thankful to Grid for giving him the opportunity to prove his worth.


    "I promise on my mother¡¯s name that I won¡¯t look down on you because you are a human or look at you as an object to eat. Only.¡±


    ¡°Only?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know about other humans. You know that my food is human blood.¡±


    Suruk.


    Noll looked at Grid¡¯s teammates and soldiers that were far away. There was a strong desire in his eyes. Hunger. Noll recognized all humans as prey except for Grid. It was inevitable. Eat and be eaten. It was the intrinsic rtionship between vampire and human.


    ¡®Yes...¡¯


    Grid became unhappy as he faced the unrealistic problem. There was a need to constantly provide Noll with humans for food.


    ¡®If the rumor spreads that the king of a kingdom ced a vampire near him and feeds him humans spread...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s reputation would certainly fall. It would be used as a propaganda tool by other kingdoms and he would lose public opinion. Grid had a headache as he pulled out the King¡¯s Sword.


    ¡®Character Observation.¡¯


    Ttiring~


    Name: Noll


    Age: 219 years old Gender: Male


    Species: Direct Descendant Vampire


    Title: Fourth Child of Shizo Beriache


    * Has inherited Beriache¡¯s attribute ofpassion. Can use blood magic that has a beneficial effect on his allies.


    Title: Vampire who has Ovee the Curse of Idleness.


    *Has a strong desire for life. If his health falls below 10%, he will be a coward. He will lose his purpose and only strive to survive.


    * Has a strong desire to broaden his horizons. He will actively want to learn.


    Title: A Predator


    * Once hungry, his true power will be exerted. The current hunger level is 5/10.


    Level: 433


    Strength: 3,500 (¨‹) Stamina: 2,449 (¨‹)


    Agility: 1,980 (¨‹) Intelligence: 3,500 (¨‹)


    Skills: Direct Suppression (SS), Blood Transfusion (S), Blood Donation (SS), Blood Magic (S+), Run Wild (SSS)


    A child who Shizo Beriache particrly loved. Beriache was excited about the attribute ofpassion sleeping deep in Noll¡¯s heart. She hoped he would give great strength to his brethren and to ovee trials with his brethren. But like the other direct descendants, Noll couldn¡¯t meet Beriache¡¯s expectations. The Curse of Idleness was to me.


    Noll was terribly bitter about this fact.


    [Run Wild]


    The cooldown of all magic will be 3 seconds. However, mana consumption will double.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help eximing. It was because Noll¡¯s stats were much higher than expected.


    ¡®How strong is he in a full state?¡¯


    Of course, it was weakpared to Noll in boss mode. In boss mode, Noll boasted a health of tens of millions. This was tens or hundreds of times higher than it was now. However, it was obvious that the stats of a boss and a NPC would be different.


    ¡®An existence who is strong as an enemy bes weaker as a friend.¡¯


    This rule was thoroughly applied to every game!


    ¡®Given this rule, Noll is much stronger than I expected.¡¯


    Thus, it was more regrettable. The fact that Noll was a vampire. Grid sighed and Noll asked, "What happened? Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I wonder if you can eat food other than human blood. As you know, I am a human king. I can¡¯t give humans to you as food.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it a moral problem?¡±


    "Moral...? I don¡¯t understand this concept. In any case, there is one food that can be eaten instead of human blood.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    There was no need to kill anyone! Grid¡¯s eyes shone wasnterns as Noll exined.


    ¡°Elixir. I can eat elixir when there is no human blood.¡±


    "Ah, is that why you drop elixirs asionally? It is the concept of carrying it as emergency food and then dropping it...¡±


    Grid¡¯s bright face turned dark again. He couldn¡¯t afford to give elixir as food. Noll reacted to Grid¡¯s deep sigh.


    "My food isn¡¯t a problem for you to care about. I can procure my own food. It is enough to hunt humans.¡±


    "That is the problem."


    The reason why Grid thought it was necessary to procure food for Noll was to prevent him from running wild. It would cause great confusion if Noll randomly hunted humans in Reinhardt.


    ¡°Human blood... How much do you have to eat until you are full?¡±


    Grid asked in a blunt manner.


    Noll replied honestly. "If I sleep, I can starve for decades. But I need blood equivalent to three people to work properly for a day. To be in a full state, I have to eat 100 servings of blood.¡±


    "What happens to the people you suck the blood of?¡±


    "They die or be a vampire.¡±


    "...Can¡¯t the blood be drawn separately and ced in a cup?¡±


    "It is meaningless since it isn¡¯t fresh.¡±


    "Oh."


    Noll was worth an army of thousands but there were many restrictions. As Grid was feeling confused, Piaro approached.


    "Don¡¯t worry about the vampire¡¯s food, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Piaro...? Do you have a solution?¡±


    Grid was looking forward to it while Noll snorted. He wasughing at the idea that the madman pretending to be a farmer could solve the food shortage. Piaro smiled.


    ¡°I think it is possible to use this city¡¯s soil to grow nts with a lot of blood. The vampires can eat them.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Noll was astonished. nts?


    ¡°Vampire...! In addition, I am a direct descendant. I can¡¯t be a vegetarian!¡±


    Noll raised his voice from this absurd nonsense and Piaroughed.


    "But what if you can¡¯t drink human blood?¡±


    "I¡¯d rather drink the elixir...!¡±


    "No, being vegetarian is good.¡±


    "Hey!"


    ¡°Then shall we start farming?¡±


    ¡°This crazy bastard...!¡±


    ¡°...I added one more noisy person.¡±


    It was even an old grandfather. Grid was seriously worried if his body gave off the smell of a old bachelor.

 Chapter 733

    Grid highly appreciated Noll¡¯s value. At least in the field ofbat, he was superior to Piaro. Not only were his stats superior to Piaro, he also had great healing skills and defense buffs. Above all, there was one thing Grid liked.


    ¡®He has a strong desire for survival.¡¯


    The reason why Grid was reluctant to participate in battle with named NPCs like Piaro and Asmophel was because their lives were finite. Unlike yers, they couldn¡¯t be resurrected. Grid didn¡¯t want to lose them. However, Piaro and Asmophel had the chivalrous spirit of a knight. They threw away their lives too easily for Grid. Grid was afraid. He didn¡¯t want to let them go to war.


    Noll waspletely different from them. His motivation for life was too strong. If he was in danger he would forget his purpose and retreat. Some people would mock him for being a coward. But Grid¡¯s thoughts werepletely different. He considered it worthy of praise to cherish your life, not criticism.


    ¡¯I can use him without being burdened... No, I should send him to war.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations were amplified as he envisioned Noll taking over the battlefield as a general of the Overgeared Kingdom. His heart pounded. Imagine it. A named NPC. The shockwave that would ur when the world found out that a direct descendant became a user¡¯s subordinate!


    ¡®Ah, they will make a fuss again.¡¯


    Gridughed. His shoulders and nose had already risen into the air. It wasn¡¯t a bluff. He was proud of his new achievements.


    ¡®Anyway...¡¯


    The smile disappeared from Grid¡¯s face. He was reminded that there was a real problem with Noll. It was the food problem.


    ¡®...I have no choice but to do what Piaro said.¡¯


    Piaro was certain that he could grow new crops here in the vampire city and these crops would be Noll¡¯s food. Grid was forced to look forward to it. The determined Grid spoke to Noll who was still roaring at Piaro.


    "Noll, for the moment, help in the field by Piaro¡¯s side.¡±


    "What?¡±


    Noll¡¯s face became pale.


    A vampire. He was an earl yet he was expected to work in the fields? Noll couldn¡¯t imagine it so it must be a joke.


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯m not ustomed to the pun in human words!¡±


    He was certain that Grid was joking. Grid exined to him.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m serious. It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m afraid of what will happen if you go outside in this state.¡±


    ¡°Shit... This is a moral issue? Don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t hurt your people. I will take the people of other kingdoms as food.¡±


    "No, it will cause a diplomatic problem. And in the long run, it¡¯s better to solve your food problem.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Noll gritted his teeth. He was really angry. "You¡¯re going to make me work in the field because you fear for the lives of a few humans? Don¡¯t you know my value? My power! I am a powerful force! It¡¯s a power that can make you the ruler of the human world! Yet you want me to work in the fields?


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid could understand why Noll was offended. Grid¡¯s pride would be hurt if he was in Noll¡¯s position. But what could he do?


    "Humans have their own circumstances and society has its own rules. You should understand this part if you have to live with humans in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean! But working in the field is too much!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid flinched at Noll¡¯s words and whispered to Piaro, "I also think it is a little too much. Making a direct vampire work in the fields... Do you really need Noll¡¯s power for farming?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right." Piaro answered without any hesitation. ¡°A vampire¡¯s blood will be a great help in growing new crops. In addition, field work is a good experience for learning how to live in the human world, as well as cultivating the mind and body."


    ¡°R-Really...¡±


    Grid¡¯s confidence in Piaro was absolute. Grid nodded without denying it and asked something he was curious about.


    "By the way, how is the golden walnut cultivation going?¡¯


    "There is no answer yet."


    ¡°Yes... It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    It was a half elixir. There was no easy way to grow elixirs. Maybe it would be impossible forever. It was because the wavelengths generated if a user grew one would be too big. It was possible that the S.A. Group had blocked it.


    "Well, okay. We will all return except for Piaro and Noll.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Really?¡± Noll shouted. His voice was as loud as a trainpared to his young appearance.


    Lauel approached Grid. "Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to capture the rest of the cities with this much power?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    Grid decided that at the present time, it was impossible to raid Marie Rose and Fenrir. There was absolutely no chance against Marie Rose and Fenrir should only be challenged after the fourth advancement since he was several times stronger than an earl. It would be a big blow to lose so many troops if he challenged them now. Then he had to target cities that didn¡¯t have the two. They were cities without direct descendants.


    ¡°There are few rewards that can be obtained if we capture a city without a direct descendant. There isn¡¯t much time left until the National Competition. Until then, I think it¡¯s better to raise our growth.¡±


    "I admit it.¡± Lauel was convinced and nodded.


    "Return the whole army.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The king¡¯s order was absolute. The tens of thousands of soldiers moved the moment Grid gave the order. The power to move tens of thousands with one word...


    Grid felt refreshed.


    ¡®King. Yes, I am a king.¡¯


    Now he was responsible for numerous people. He had to remember that his honor was their honor.


    In that sense...


    ¡®I will give a good show in the National Competition.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t lose. Even if his opponent was Kraugel.


    ¡®This time I will win.¡¯


    He would pay Kraugel back forst year¡¯s defeat and take this year¡¯s victory. Grid¡¯s eyes were zing. He was full of enthusiasm and joy just thinking about Kraugel.


    ***


    ¡°How active can Japan be in the National Competition this year?¡±


    Click!


    Snap snap!


    Camera shes went off here and there. Damian was surrounded by hundreds of reporters. He was one of the top-ranked yers of Japan and the first user to be the pope of the Reba Church. Despite the fact that he was a fan of the Korean Grid, Damian was a hero to the modern Japanese people.


    Putting aside personal tendencies, his abilities were recognized by the Japanese people and they had a great expectation for him. In particr, this year¡¯s National Competition would be held in Japan and people wished for Damian and the Japanese rankers to y a bigger role than usual.


    "A century ago, Japan was ssified as country weak in e-sports. But that is due to the Japanese people¡¯s tendencies to neglect online games, not because theyck gaming talent. The Japanese have excellent gaming skills because they are ced in an environment where they can easily ess the game from a young age.¡±


    Indeed, this fact was proven in Satisfy. There were quite a few Japanese on each ss rankings list. Damian believed in them.


    "This year, Japan will be able to reach the top 5. I think this is enough to be proud of as the host country.¡±


    Most reporters nodded silently. Damian¡¯s analysis was realistic. On the other hand, some reporters questioned it.


    "Aren¡¯t you evaluating Japan too low? There are many talented people in Japan including you and Katz. There are a lot more rankingspared to China and India, which has 10 times the poption of Japan. When ites to poption ratio, aren¡¯t we the country with the most number of rankers?¡±


    "Won¡¯t Japan be in at least the top three? In particr, this year¡¯s National Competition is different from the previous year. It is a system where one excellent person can¡¯t monopolize medals. We might not have a dominant person like the United, States, Canada, Brazil, and South Korea, but isn¡¯t Japan¡¯s average power enough to rank in the top three?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s starting again.¡¯


    Damian frowned. He already knew based on previous experience. They were speaking with unnecessary malice.


    "Maybe you want to im that South Korea will be in third ce?¡±


    Indeed. The journalists of the right-wing media outlets wanted to create a conspiracy around South Korea.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Damian looked like someone else when he sighed. The reporters who saw him sighing at the official press conference were surprised. In the Japanese society that emphasized manners, Damian¡¯s behavior was very rude. Damian shrugged without caring.


    "Even at this year¡¯s National Competition, whose rules are aimed at suppressing South Korea, you¡¯re still conscious of them? It¡¯s pitiful. Are you unable to sleep every night out of fear of South Korea?¡±


    "What...?¡±


    "What a rude person!¡±


    The reporters were red with agitation. The same was true for the right wing Japanese watching the press conference broadcast. The Inte was filled with posts condemning Damian. But Damian wasn¡¯t conscious of it at all. He was a person with strong beliefs. He wasn¡¯t afraid of irrational evaluations.


    "Perhaps the most interesting party of your question is how I evaluate Grid? There is always a good story when I mention Grid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He saw through it exactly. No reported denied it.


    Damian opened his mouth. ¡°Two gold medals.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Due to the S.A. Group, people can only participate in two events. Thus, this year¡¯s Grid can only win two gold medals.¡±


    Other yers would find it hard to obtain one gold medal but Damian evaluated Grid as obtaining ¡®only¡¯ two gold medals. Questions poured out.


    "So far, Grid has always been involved in PvP. He actually won a gold medal in it at the 1st National Competition. But in the 2nd National Competition, a barrier called Kraugel appeared and he missed the gold medal.¡±


    "This year, only a handful of people believe that Grid will beat Kraugel. But Damian, you are promising that Grid will win two gold medals?¡±


    ¡°In other words.¡±


    "Grid will avoid the PvP event this year?¡±


    This was the point. Grid would avoid fighting with Kraugel. The quietly listening Damianughed.


    ¡°There is no doubt.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "He will chase Kraugel!¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    "Grid will take part in both of Kraugel¡¯s events and beat him. Maybe that is Grid¡¯s goal this year. I know that he is such a person.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Not being afraid of losing afterst year! The reporters started to write the breaking news.


    [Can Grid reach the sky above the sky this time?]


    [Grid, aiming at Kraugel!]


    And so on.


    The exciting titles caused a stir overseas. Thanks to that, Grid was suffering.


    "Oh, that brat Damian.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t PvP, Grid was nning to avoid Kraugel. He wanted to reliably secure at least one gold medal. He wanted to y in the cksmith event. However, the atmosphere meant it wasn¡¯t possible. Grid would be branded as a coward if he avoided Kraugel.


    ¡°Ah... This bastard treats his benefactor like this.¡±


    He was unhappy. As usual, Grid had many things to think about.

 Chapter 734

    Shortly after the Noll raid ended.


    ¡°Won¡¯t the soldiers need a break? Let¡¯s take a break in Reidan.¡±


    "Thank you for your deep consideration!¡±


    Chris encouraged the soldiers to take a break before returning home. The soldiers were in tears from the consideration. The soldiers marched without a break because they thought Grid was in danger, then they fought the vampires after crossing the desert. They were physically and mentally in a difficult state. Their eyes were dark at the thought of crossing the desert again to return home. It was rmended that they take a break. It was a break in Reidan, the second capital. It was obviously sweet honey.


    "Leave the rest to me and return.¡±


    Chris told Grid as he smiled at the cheering soldiers.


    Grid expressed his appreciation. "Thank you for taking care of the soldiers. It will cost a lot of money to provide amodations and meals to tens of thousands of people..."


    "It¡¯s natural as a duke of the Overgeared Kingdom. It isn¡¯t something to be thankful about.¡±


    ¡°...It feels good.¡±


    Grid was fulfilled. The presence of strong colleagues made him happy. The mncholy of the days when he was alone was washed away.


    ***


    ¡°What? What force is that?¡±


    "Is this the power of the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡®If you want to interview me,e to Reidan.¡¯


    This was the words of Chris, the hope of Canada. Since he was busy as duke of the Overgeared Kingdom, he refused to hold a press conference in reality. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste that much time. Canada¡¯s media agreed to his position. They dispatched reporters to Reidan.


    At this point, the reporters¡¯ only concern was the National Competition. The most prominent Canadian ranker, Chris, received overwhelming support from the Canadian people. He had been in the top position in the rankings for more than a year. They wanted to know what he thought about the 3rd National Competition, what vision he had and how much he could achieve. The reporters had hundreds of questions to ask Chris, many of which were rted to the National Competition.


    But now.


    "Duke Chris is returning in triumph!¡±


    Tuong!


    Tung!Tung!Tudong!


    The procession of tens of thousands of soldiers following Chris as he returned changed the interest of the reporters.


    ¡¯The total force of the Overgeared Kingdom was estimated to be 60,000...?¡¯


    ¡®The information was wrong...! Rumor has it that the Overgeared Kingdom only has 60,000 troops. Yet how could there be 40,000 troops in Reidan when it isn¡¯t the capital...! The Overgeared Kingdom must have at least 100,000 troops!¡¯


    ¡®The Overgeared Kingdom...! How can a new kingdom have this much power...? This is Grid¡¯s power!¡¯


    The media paid attention to the great procession of soldiers following Chris. They were excited to find proof that the power of the Overgeared Kingdom was more than the rumors. It was a scoop. But the real scoop urred afterwards.


    ¡°An envoy from the Saharan Empire has arrived!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chris and the reporters were surprised. The empire sent an envoy? Why?


    ¡®Haven¡¯t the two nations bepletely hostile since the tributes stopped being offered?¡¯


    Chris looked troubled at the sight of the envoy. He was already worried about what the dog of the empire would talk about.


    ¡®The reason why an envoy was sent here might be to test a reconciliation... Of course, it will be apanied by threats.¡¯


    It was upsetting now that he was targeted by the empire. Chris was extremely worried about how the empire would pressure him. He was feeling anxious when the empire¡¯s envoy came up to him. The people of Reidan and the Canadian reporters paid attention.


    The envoy dered to Chris, ¡°I came to tell you the will of His Majesty the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°What...?


    Chris¡¯ voice was filled with tension. The tens of thousands of people gathered around him, the people of Reidan and the reporters of Canada were all nervous. It was a message from Juander, the ultimate person who could change the map of the continent with a few words.


    What did he want to convey? It didn¡¯t seem to be anything good. They could only assume the worst. The moment that everyone was feeling uneasy.


    ¡°His Majesty the Emperor wants to make peace with the Overgeared Kingdom. If the Overgeared King doesn¡¯t want the empire to invade Valha, the empire will make an immediate truce with Valha.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "?????"


    The buzz in the air suddenly died down. Reidan fell silent. It was difficult to believe even when they heard it from the empire¡¯s envoy. The empire wanted to make ¡®peace¡¯? They would make a truce with the enemy if the Overgeared King wanted it?


    Was there ever such a big event in the continent¡¯s history? No. The empire¡¯s emperor always exercised absolute power. Everything was resolved ording to his will. He only knew how to givemands. He didn¡¯t look at the will of others. This was Emperor Juander.


    Due to that...


    ¡®A scoop...!¡¯


    ¡®This is be an overseas topic!¡¯


    The reporters were convinced. The story of the empire¡¯s envoy would be a featured article.


    ¡°Um... Let¡¯s go to the great hall.¡±


    Chris btedly noticed the atmosphere and led the envoy elsewhere. Due to this, the reporters didn¡¯t know what happened afterwards but it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡°Logout!¡±


    The reporters forgot about their original purpose of interviewing Chris and started to leave.


    ***


    [The Saharan Empire¡¯s emperor, Juander has requested to make peace with the kingdom!]


    [The power of the Overgeared Kingdom is much more than revealed.]


    [(Column) For the first time in history, the empire is engaging in ¡®diplomacy¡¯... The meaning of this incident is much greater than imagined.]


    The world was overturned. The presence of the Overgeared Kingdom, which made even the absolute ruler of the West Continent aware of it, overwhelmed the public. The media was shaken. Every day, they were busy talking about the greatness of the Overgeared Kingdom and Grid.


    Grid thought it was absurd.


    ¡°What¡¯s this situation?¡±


    Why was the emperor doing this? Why was he requesting to make peace with them? In order to make peace, he was even willing to sign a truce with Valha.


    "In fact, isn¡¯t there an ulterior motive?¡±


    The Overgeared King¡¯s office. The uneasy Grid was making underwear with the God Hands. He was feeling confused when he heard a knocking sound.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Good! Come in!¡±


    Grid weed it. The situation had changed recently so he thought that Lauel could resolve his questions. Grid wanted to know the truth and be rid of the confusion. Lauel gave him a thumbs up.


    "Great.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "It¡¯s a result of Your Majesty assembling an army in Reidan in a matter of days.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid made an expression like he couldn¡¯t understand.


    Lauel smiled and exined, ¡°Your Majesty convened an army to raid Noll, but the timing was exquisite. It¡¯s because the empire gathered most of their troops in Valha, while you gathered a force in Reidan, the rear of the empire. The emperor thought you were a threat to the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is the result. The empire recognized that it was dangerous to deal with both Overgeared and Valha at the same time, making them pull out a carrot. The emperor had to start diplomatic actions. I am sure that the name of Your Majesty will remain in the history of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid understood the situation after hearing Lauel¡¯s exnation. But he was stunned. "I can¡¯t understand why the empire felt a threat? Can¡¯t the power of the empire destroy both Overgeared and Valha? Why do they feel threatened?¡±


    "That is also because of Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Because of me?¡±


    Lauelughed.


    "Didn¡¯t the descendent of the Undefeated King appear in Valha and push the Red Knights to the point of copse? The emperor is frightened of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The moment he used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword in the war, Grid was misunderstood as the descendant of the Undefeated King. This was the repercussion.


    "The rumor that the empire is afraid of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant is true.¡±


    "Maybe it¡¯s more than rumored.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... They¡¯re afraid.¡±


    Grid was reminded of the Undefeated King¡¯s death knight and his body shook. Grid couldn¡¯t imagine how strong the Undefeated King was when alive. He felt pity for the imperial army who fought with the Undefeated King.


    "It all worked out in the end. We won¡¯t have to fear any problems during the period where we¡¯re at peace with the empire. The minimum period of a truce is two years. We have to build up maximum power during this period.¡±


    "The period of peace is so short?¡±


    ¡°No. It can go from one year to twenty years. Up to twenty years.¡±


    "Then isn¡¯t it possible for us to set the period of peace as long as possible?¡±


    ¡°Longsting peace requires a good talker with a high diplomatic stat. They need to use diplomatic skills and conversation to negotiate with the opponent. Unfortunately, there is no one with this talent in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Huroi?¡±


    "He is unchallenged in the art ofmunication but... He doesn¡¯t have the diplomatic stat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad. It would be useful in many ways if Huroi has the diplomatic stat.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes shone.


    "Then will you give themand to Huroi?¡±


    ¡°Whatmand?¡±


    "Amand to proceed with the diplomatic quest.¡±


    "What is the diplomatic quest?¡±


    "It is one of the quests for high ranking nobles.¡±


    ¡°Those who perform this quest can gain a diplomat¡¯s status and open the diplomatic quest?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. Of course, the degree of difficulty of the quest is very high. It will take at least half a year toplete the quest.¡±


    ¡°Kung...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t say anything. Huroi was also a ranker. Grid knew better than anyone how much effort Huroi put in to be by Grid¡¯s side. Grid didn¡¯t want to force Huroi to stop levelling up and to go on a difficult quest. It was likely that Huroi would lose the ranker position that he worked so hard for. After a moment, Grid shook his head.


    "If no one has done the diplomatic quest so far, it means they don¡¯t see the merit in being a diplomat. It¡¯s okay. I have no intention of interfering with Huroi. I would rather pick a new person.¡±


    "Is that so...? I understand.¡±


    Lauel was inwardly disappointed, but he already anticipated Grid¡¯s reaction. The moment that Lauel nodded and bowed.


    ¡°My Lord! Nooooooooo!¡±


    The door of Grid¡¯s office burst open and Huroi ran in. Huroi was someone who tried to stay by Grid¡¯s side as much as possible. Even today, he was guarding the front of Grid¡¯s office in the name of an ¡®escort.¡¯


    "I heard the two of you from the front door! Leave it to me! A diplomat! I will be one! I will make excellent conversation with foreign diplomats and make them puppets of the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°...Is that a diplomat?¡±


    He didn¡¯t think a diplomat would use such methods. Grid¡¯s eyes were red with anxiety but he smiled. The appreciation he felt for Huroi was always big.


    ¡®Before the start of the National Competition, I need to create a new item for Huroi.¡¯


    Grid decided.


    The National Competition was approaching.

 Chapter 735

    "Has the old man finally be senile?¡±


    The 4th Prince Edan. The son of Empress Marie, he was originally low in the line of session. Regardless of the order of birth, there was a big drop in his reputationpared to the other children. But this story changed after the death of Empress Aria and Empress Marie took power. Marie¡¯s faction actively supported Edan and recently, Edan boasted a positionparable to 1st Prince Rnd. A person who thought he was the best in heaven and earth!


    Jean warned Edan, who always moved through the world without fear.


    "Try not to speak like that. If anyone hears it, it isn¡¯t just Your Highness, but countless number of people who follow you will lose their heads.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with saying an old man is old? Hey, Teacher Jean. Do you think the emperor is sane?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Tell me honestly. No? If His Majesty was sane, he wouldn¡¯t have asked for peace with the Overgeared Kingdom. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    "He must have a deep meaning behind it.¡±


    "It¡¯s one small kingdom. He¡¯s afraid of a new kingdom without a deep history. He¡¯s just crazy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It fell on deaf ears. Jean couldn¡¯t say anything. He gave up on teaching Edan two years ago. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t thrown away by Edan.


    ng!


    Edan threw an empty ss at the wall. The knights hurriedly entered, followed by maids who cleared away the remnants of the wine ss. Idan clicked his tongue.


    "It¡¯s because that old man is old and senile that he signed a truce with Valha. It has dyed the first appearance of the magic machines.¡±


    Magic machines. A giant robot that moved with magic power as the energy source. Itbined ancient alchemy and magic essence.


    It was a robot that people rode on. The agility was greatly reduced, but the robustness and destructive power wasn¡¯tparable to humans. The magic machines could smash a mountain and could blow up a city with their magic power, so their strength wasparable to a great demon.


    The problem was that few people could control the magic machines. In addition, the magic power supply problem wasn¡¯tpletely solved. The magic machines were considered ancient artifacts. That was all. But Edan saw the possibilities of the magic machines and invested a lot of time and money into them. In order to solidify his session to the throne, he needed to prove the value of the magic machines.


    Edan sighed deeply and rose from his seat.


    "Tell the riders. They have a vacation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ***


    In the early days, Satisfy had two legends.


    God of War Ares? Overgeared King Grid? 1st on the unified rankings Chris? Godly archer Jishuka? The god of killing, Faker? No, they were obscure people in the early days of Satisfy.


    Since the opening of Satisfy, the legends that people envied were Kraugel and Zibal. They were characters who sped up to the first and second ce in the rankings at a different speed than others. Among them, Kraugel still kept his reputation as the sky above the sky...


    ¡°The weather is good.¡±


    The capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan. A man on the walls smiled as the morning sun revealed itself. It was Zibal. From the opening of Satisfy to the 2nd National Competition, the 2nd ranked Zibal was a bigshot. He was once a hero of the United States and held the hopes and dreams of millions of people.


    ¡°Hey! Zibal! Are you crazy? Why are you goofing off?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Now he was an ordinary soldier in a ce where no one knew. The only rival of Kraugel, head of the Seven Guilds, god of raids, etc. The countless titles he gained over the years were nowhere to be seen. The public¡¯s forgetfulness was severe and he had long been forgotten by the people.


    "Did you confirm that Raiders are sessful maintained?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? When did youe out?¡±


    "I did it as soon as morning training was over!¡±


    ¡°The meal?¡±


    "I can eat bread on the go!¡±


    "Ha, this brat. We can¡¯t afford it. I told you not to goof off again.¡±


    The Imperial Army¡¯s 14th Division, 21st Battalion. The unit, secretly located on the outskirts of the capital, was an officially nonexistent unit. The size of the battalion was also very small. There were only 80 members. The surprising thing was that there were only fourbatants.


    One of them was Zibal. He was the lowest of the four people and had the rank of a private, but the ss carved on his military uniform was ¡®chungik.¡¯ Apart from his direct supervisor, he was a special officer who could veto an order even if it came from a member of the imperial family.


    Why? A yer who was a noble of the Haken Kingdom and leader of the Snake Guild, why was he in the imperial army? He obtained a new secret hidden ss.


    ¡®Blue Sky Rider.¡¯


    * You can ride on all ¡®vehicles¡¯ and drive them perfectly.


    * On a ¡®vehicle,¡¯ your stats will increase significantly.


    A unique ss. One of the distinct advantages of the ss was that it was only specialized in riding. Zibal had been very disappointed at first. When he heard ¡®riding,¡¯ he could only think of horses and some monsters. He regretted that he changed his ss. But that disappointment and regret turned to amazement. He was thrilled the moment he checked the contents of the rider ss quest. He gained the hope that he could stand next to Kraugel and Grid.


    [Blue Sky Rider]


    * ss Quest


    Go the 4th Prince Edan of the empire. If you prove your talent and swear allegiance to him, you will be able to get the strongest vehicle in return.


    A magic machine! From a yer¡¯s point of view, it was an ancient weapon that could only recognized as a fictitious thing in mythology.


    ¡®I never even dreamt that I could be the master of it.¡¯


    The 4th magic machine ¡®Raiders¡¯ was a vehicle that could fly in the sky.


    ¡°Look forward to next year.¡±


    Zibal knew it was meaningless to participate in the 3rd National Competition. The level of Raiders was still low and there were various restrictions, so he couldn¡¯t show off the proper use of Raiders in the National Competition. If Zibal participated, he would be crushed by Kraugel or Grid. However, Zibal believed the story would be different in the 4th National Competition.


    ¡°Grid, I will show you what it truly means to be overgeared.¡±


    Now Zibal acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills. To be honest, he respected Grid. But Grid was the one who stigmatized Zibal as a punching bag. Zibal nned to pay Grid back next year and clean up this rtionship. He would do so.


    "Then I can move forward.¡±


    The sky above the sky. He would be it. The determination on Zibal¡¯s face was extraordinary.


    ***


    Title: Informing all participants of the 3rd National Competition.


    Sender: S.A. Group


    Contents: We are aware that many people are disappointed that the number of personal medals that can be won has been reduced to two. We feel the need to prepare a special event to apologize to the participants.


    If you wish to participate in the event, please allow us to collect and use your personal information.


    Please be aware that we can¡¯t announce the exact date and time of the event.


    * The event contents and progress will be broadcasted to the world the moment the event starts. This may infringe on some human rights of the event participants.


    * We will ensure the safety of all event participants.


    * The eventpensation will be paid with Satisfy goods.


    * There is no disadvantage if you don¡¯t participate in the event.


    "What?¡±


    After a workout. Shin Youngwoo was entering the bathroom when he frowned at the e-mail.


    "Why aren¡¯t they disclosing the contents of the event?¡±


    Was there such an unfriendly event?


    ¡°I won¡¯t participate.¡±


    If he agreed to his personal information being collected, Shin Youngwoo was worried that his phone would be flooded. He closed the mailbox without hesitation when he received a phone call. The caller was Yura. Youngwoo¡¯s heart pounded the moment he heard her name. It jumped quickly.


    ¡®It has been a long time.¡¯


    It had been almost three months since they were in contact. He was nervous at the thought of hearing Yura¡¯s beautiful voice after a long time.


    Hum hum, Youngwoo cleared his throat and picked up the call.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Indeed, there was a reason why he couldn¡¯t be in a rtionship. Shin Youngwoo was a young man with no clue about manners. If Yura was a sensitive woman then she wouldn¡¯t call Youngwoo again.


    (Did you receive the event announcement email?)


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura¡¯s voice over the phone was really sweet. Youngwoo¡¯s heart throbbed and he answered in a trembling voice.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    (Are you going to participate?)


    "No?¡±


    (I thought so. Please join us.)


    ¡°Why? Do you know the contents of the event?¡±


    (I don¡¯t know. But when you consider the intent of the event, you can imagine that the rewards will be at a level to rece the medals. Please participate).


    "Well, if you say so...¡±


    Youngwoo was unaware of it, but he was smiling. He was delighted that one of the world¡¯s greatest beauties cared for him and a blissful smile emerged. He wanted to record the contents of the conversation and disclose it on the Inte.


    ¡®I¡¯m like this with Yura. Are you jealous?¡¯ He wanted to brag in the papers.


    (Then I¡¯m hanging up.)


    ¡°Ah, wait a minute.¡±


    (....?)


    ¡°Are you also participating in the National Competition?¡±


    Yura had participated in the National Competition every year. In particr, she had been South Korea¡¯s only hope in the 1st National Competition. Since it was striving to gain honor for South Korea, Shin Youngwoo expected her to participate in the National Competition this year.


    (Of course. Didn¡¯t I receive the same email because I applied to participate?)


    Yura¡¯s voice was slightly raised over the phone but the insensitive Youngwoo didn¡¯t notice it. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn¡¯t have known why.


    ¡°Yes, I understand. Then I will see you soon.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s voice was excited. He was d to see Yura¡¯s face after a long time.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there will be someints about the event.¡±


    ¡°There is already a conspiracy that we reduced the number of gold medals to two because of a certain person and now there is this event...¡±


    S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters. The members of the board of directors expressed their concerns about the event. It was natural to be worried.


    [Battlefield]


    All event participants fought against each other with the goal of surviving to the end in an isted field. At the beginning of the game, all levels, abilities, items, and titles were equal. It was a concept event that was reminiscent of the mock games that were popr in the previous century.


    It was an event that seemed to be aimed at a certain person whose strength was being overgeared.


    Yoon Sangminughed at the concerned executives.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Maybe many people will me us. But I¡¯m sure that Grid himself will be delighted. He finally has a chance to prove it.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    What would he prove? The executives were puzzled while Yoon Sangmin spoke meaningful words.


    ¡°As soon as Grid proves it, the people¡¯s usations will turn into cheers.¡±

 Chapter 736

    ¡¯Considering Kraugel¡¯s level during the Belial raid...¡¯


    Ahead of the National Competition, Grid¡¯s nerves were concentrated on Kraugel. It was a phenomenon caused by his desire to win the rematch that was taking ce after one year and three months.


    ¡®At present, the level difference between him and me should be at least 150?¡¯


    Until now, the total was 1 to 1. This would be the game that determined victory or defeat. The winner would be the real winner.


    ¡¯No, Kraugel¡¯s level up speed will be beyond my calctions. Maybe the level difference is less than 100.¡¯


    Well, even if the level difference is less than 100, there was no problem.


    ¡®Even Kraugel couldn¡¯t have passed level 300 yet. He wouldn¡¯t have achieved the third awakening.¡¯


    In a game, the level difference was as absolute as items. A higher level yer would be stronger than a lower level one. In particr, the stats awakening every 100 levels caused a tremendous difference. In the past, the level 299 Grid failed to defeat Elfin Stone while the level 300 Grid seeded. It was an example that showed the gap.


    ¡®Okay. This is sufficient.¡¯


    Kkuok!


    Grid was convinced and formed fists. Some people might think it wasn¡¯t fair because of the level difference, but not Grid. It was natural. Levelling ability was also a skill. It was talent that Grid¡¯s level was higher than Kraugel¡¯s.


    ¡°Huhuhut... Kraugel, this is the difference in skill. Don¡¯t me the level reset. I also experienced it. It¡¯s the same thing I went through.¡±


    A level reset at level 300pared to a reset at level 80. The former was much more disadvantageous and pitiful. The damage waspletely different. But there was an eternal truth.


    ¡®I am the strongest person in the world!¡¯


    It was this. Grid¡¯s level reset and Kraugel¡¯s level reset were on the same line.


    ¡°Compared to knowing everything, I had a much more difficult time when my level was reset. But now I have a much higher level than Kraugel. In the end, it means that I¡¯m more talented than Kraugel. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    Grid didn¡¯t have a conscience! Anyone who saw him now would¡¯ve cut out his tongue. But Huroi just nodded. He didn¡¯t intend to disturb his lord who was trying to reduce the burden with a mental victory.


    ¡°My lord is a genius of geniuses and above the sky. I have no doubt that you will win in the ¡®fair¡¯ battle that will take ce at this year¡¯s National Competition. It is only natural that My Lord, the incarnation of Genghis Khan, will reign over the world as its master.¡±


    "Indeed, you have a discerning eye. As expected from Huroi. But isn¡¯t Genghis Khan a Mongolian? I¡¯m a Korean.¡±


    "Do you need to dwell on nationality in this global age? Everything is out there. Are you ruler of a global kingdom?¡±


    ¡°You are right. Huroi, don¡¯t you have deep thoughts? Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! My Lord the best!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One person was making an item while the other was preparing for the diplomat¡¯s exam. Lauel¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t good as he looked at the two people sitting side by side.


    "Your Majesty, too much confidence isn¡¯t good. Even if the level difference isrge, the opponent is a Sword Saint. It¡¯s the strongestbat ss. It will obviously be a tougher fight thanst year. Please don¡¯t be careless.¡±


    In addition to Huroi, Lauel supported Grid as well. He wanted Grid to win and develop even further. The problem was that the opponent was too strong. Thus, Grid had to pay attention.


    ¡°A sword that can even cut the world... It will be difficult to handle with Your Majesty¡¯s items.¡±


    Lauel saw Kraugel as a bad opponent for Grid. Grid¡¯sbat style was more about items than control. He thought that Grid sticking to this attack style against Kraugel, who was the ultimatebat ss, wouldn¡¯t be effective.


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    The alert Lauel spoke the right words, but he angered Grid. Didn¡¯t Grid know that it would be hard to win against Kraugel? What Grid wanted now was to be cheered up, not made to worry.


    "Are you trying to decrease my morale right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "You are on the American team with Kraugel in the National Competition. Do you want to decrease my morale so that Kraugel will win?¡±


    ¡°What... Ah.¡±


    Lauel realized his mistake. He btedly discovered that Grid was more sensitive than expected. The person right now was Grid before he became a king. It was a state where his dirty and stingy nature was revealed. Huroi was already aware of this fact from the beginning. Thus, he ttered Grid very well.


    ¡°My Lord! I will drive out this evil tongue with my own hand!¡±


    "Yes, I can only believe in Huroi. I will pay attention to your loyalty and raise your item to higher heights.¡±


    "It will be the glory of future generations!¡±


    "No, I was joking just now...! Huroi, I... Ack!¡±


    This was the end of a loyalist! As he was caught and dragged away by Huroi, Lauel felt like he was in a historical drama. Today, the Overgeared Kingdom was peaceful.


    ***


    Time was bitter. It couldn¡¯t be reversed and it flowed quickly. The 3rd National Competition, which had been dyed three monthster than usual, was only three days away.


    Snap!


    Snap snap!


    John F. Kennedy International Airport was crowded with arge number of reporters. It was to interview the representatives leaving for Japan. The prestigious representatives. They were the people¡¯s pride and idols, causing them to receive much attention and love. Of course, there was an outstanding person among them. It was Kraugel.


    ¡°yer Kraugel! How do you feel about bing the American representative?¡±


    "What has your life been like living in the US for the past six months? Do you think you did well to immigrate to the US?¡±


    ¡°What event will you participate in?¡±


    "There¡¯s a rumor that Grid will participate in all the events you are. Grid isn¡¯t denying anything. How do you see this excessivepetition?¡±


    And so on!


    Kraugel was flooded with many questions. While the other representatives listened to one question, Kraugel alone was listening to 10 questions. There were also a lot of beautiful blonde reporters around Kraugel. Kraugel might be Asian, but he was popr because he had the ultimate beauty.


    "There¡¯s a lot more interest than when we had Zibal.¡±


    "I agree. He¡¯s on a different dimension.¡±


    The top US rankers who participated in the National Competition every year clicked their tongues. As far as they knew, the most popr person in the world was Zibal. But it was surprising that Kraugel transcended his poprity.


    ¡°Haha... Wherever we go, a superstar...¡±


    That¡¯s right. All the US representatives were popr rankers. They received excessive love and interest whenever they went. But it was different when standing next to Kraugel. They were just folding screens. It was a strange feeling for them, but they didn¡¯t dislike it.


    ¡°First of all, I have adapted well to life in the US. It¡¯s thanks to the kindness of everyone around me. For them, I am honored to fight for the honor of the United States.¡±


    Kraugel skillfully dealt with the group of reporters. He started making public appearances since the 2nd National Competition and now he had fully adapted to the life of a superstar. He gave an interview where everyone could feel good while mixing in the appropriate lip service.


    "As you all know, one of the events I will be participating in is PvP. But I won¡¯t reveal the other one at this moment. I think it will be fun to wait to disclose it at the opening ceremony in three days. And about whether yer Grid is conscious of me...¡±


    Kraugel stopped and stared at the camera in front of him. His big, ck eyes were mysterious and beautiful. The female and male reporters were shocked by his charm. In this atmosphere, Kraugel opened his mouth again.


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased. I¡¯m also conscious of him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it due to Kraugel¡¯s gender neutral appearance? The reporters felt like Kraugel was confessing to the opposite sex. It felt like there was a deep bond between Grid and Kraugel. Amidst the strange atmosphere...


    ¡°He isn¡¯t gay.¡±


    Lauel arrived at the scene. He was thetest of the US representatives to appear.


    ¡°Lauel...!¡±


    The prime minister of the Overgeared Kingdom! The right arm of Overgeared King Grid! The emergence of someone bigger than Kraugel attracted the attention of reporters at once. Lauel saw that the cameras were focused on him andughed.


    ¡°Kraugel and the Overgeared King are goodpetitors and friends. I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand their feelings towards each other.¡±


    Lauel disguised Kraugel¡¯s gay soul while mixing in humor. His intention wasn¡¯t to help Kraugel, but to elevate the position of the Overgeared Kingdom. Kraugel was the friend of Overgeared King Grid. In other words, Sword Saint Kraugel was friendly to the Overgeared Kingdom. If they were hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom, they would be hostile to a Sword Saint. Lauel encouraged the people to recognize this.


    "Grid and Kraugel, both men will fight each other.¡±


    A huge smile. Lauel smiled as he thought about how this was a sess.


    ***


    "You can use this lounge.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The 1st National Competition was held in South Korea, so there was no flying. The 2nd National Competition was held in France and Shin Youngwoo used Yura¡¯s private ne. This was the first time he experienced a specific airline¡¯s services.


    ¡°Wo...¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s mouth gaped open as he entered the exclusive lounge avable to first ss passengers. This lounge was more spacious than a yground! On one side, there was a variety of food ranging from cup noodles to delicacies. The panoramic view of the airport seen through the outer walls made of ss was overwhelming beautiful. Above all, the amazing thing!


    "A-A private bathroom?¡±


    The nervous Youngwoo cried out when he arrived at the bathroom.


    There were dozens of rooms on both sides of the long corridor and all the rooms were private bathrooms. There was a sink, urinal, and toilet in each room. They even had the finest toothpaste and toothbrush. The quality of the toothbrush couldn¡¯t bepared to the one that Youngwoo usually used.


    ¡°A profit... Huh?¡±


    Youngwoo ced the toothbrush in his pocket and came across Kang Daehan (Peak Sword) in the hallway. Kang Daehan was in a confused state.


    ¡°What? I definitely entered a bathroom but why is it a hotel room? What are these rooms?¡±


    "It¡¯s a bathroom...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was also the first time that Kang Daehan used the exclusive first ss lounge. It was because a person normally couldn¡¯t afford to use the first ss lounge, which normally went from millions of won to tens of millions of won. Shin Youngwoo, Kang Daehan, and the other Korean representatives. The reason why they were able to use the first ss hotel today was due to the S.A. Group.


    The S.A. Group provided first ss seats to all delegates around the world. Those who read the information in the contents of the announcement ¡®Please board the airne provided by ourpany¡¯ were already alerted, but Youngwoo and Daehan hadn¡¯t read it. They just enjoyed this moment.


    ¡°I want to live here.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, yes. I can see beautiful sisters every day. Wouldn¡¯t it be perfect if there was a capsule here?¡±


    Youngwoo and Daehan giggled with each other over a te of food. The other representatives watched them with embarrassed expressions.


    ¡®What... Their atmospheres are different than usual.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo and Kang Daehan. They were recognized as emerging chaebols in South Korea who had umted a lot of wealth due to Satisfy. It was normal for them to have enough resources to use the first ss lounge every day. However, they were making such a fuss over the lounge that the other representatives were shocked. An unexpected person appeared in this awkward atmosphere.


    "Can¡¯t you act like an ordinary person? Who doesn¡¯t know what you are capable of?¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    Munch.


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s eyes widened as he chewed on dongpo pork. Dark... No, Eat Spicy Jokbal. The former head of Blood Carnival, who Youngwoo fought with over the insane dragon egg, appeared in front of him.


    "Why are you here?"


    Surely he didn¡¯t want revenge in reality? Daehan exined to the wary Youngwoo.


    ¡°He¡¯s my friend. He will be a goodpanion who will fight with us during the National Competition.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Dungeon Maker. It was the moment when the top yer unknown to the world joined the Korean national team.

 Chapter 737

    "God Grid, after hearing your story, I developed great interest in Eat Spicy Jokbal and kept in steady contact with him. But it was hard work. I looked all over the country for Eat Spicy Jokbal and learned to distinguish the taste of makguksu in every store...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Various expressions crossed Daehan¡¯s face as he recalled it. All types of memories seemed toe to mind.


    ¡°I wanted to give up several times. But I didn¡¯t give up. Why? I searched for Eat Spicy Jokbal. I am convinced that Eat Spicy Jokbal is a person that the Overgeared Kingdom needs!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The result is what you see now. I became friends with Eat Spicy Jokbal. Hut, how about it? Isn¡¯t it great? Kuahahahat!¡±


    Daehanughed excitedly while putting a had on Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s shoulders. They seemed really close.


    One secondter.


    "Where are you putting your hand?¡± A cold attitude! Eat Spicy Jokbal broke away from Daehan¡¯s hands and warned Youngwoo. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I am fundamentally different from you guys. We can never be friends.¡±


    ¡°Fundamentally?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m evil. The reason why I¡¯m participating in this National Competition is different from you. I¡¯m not participating in the National Competition for the sake of the country. I¡¯m not a person with high patriotism.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "My purpose is only money! Money! I will recoup the damage of the egg you stole with the gold medals!¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    Youngwoo wasn¡¯t participating in the National Competition for the country. It was also to satisfy his individual desires. However, Eat Spicy Jokbal misunderstood. No, it wasn¡¯t just him. Most South Koreans considered Shin Youngwoo to be a patriot.


    It was natural. From an objective point of view, Youngwoo was better off not participating in the National Competition. If he hadn¡¯t participated in the National Competition, he could¡¯ve hidden the true powers of Pagma¡¯s Descendant and would be able to y the game in a better position. Youngwoo was a person who could make money by producing more items. There was no need to covet the rewards of the National Competition.


    But Youngwoo participated in the National Competition every year. People had no choice but to misunderstand that Youngwoo was participating in the National Competition out of pure patriotism.


    ¡®Well, that doesn¡¯t mean there is no patriotism.¡¯


    As a former member of South Korea¡¯s army, he had a minimum of patriotism. It was good that he helped his country. But the real reason why Youngwoo participated in the National Competition was honor, not patriotism. He wanted to prove himself in public and be recognized as a better person.


    In addition, there was additionalpensation from the National Competition. Youngwoo could receive myth-rated materials as a reward for gold medals. They couldn¡¯t be obtained even with money. In particr, thepensation for this year was expected to berger thanst year.


    ¡®Last year, the only myth rated material I knew was adamantium.¡¯


    He was different from before. This year¡¯s Youngwoo knew the existence of various myth rated materials such as the sacred creatures byproducts and the Goddess¡¯ Hair that he could demand as a gold medalpensation from the S.A. Group.


    ¡®I have to win two gold medals.¡¯


    He wanted a byproduct of the sacred creatures, such as the Red Phoenix Breath. He was eager to make a second and third Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°Um... Our rtionship will gradually be established. Either way, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    Youngwoo woke up from his thoughts and shook hands with Eat Spicy Jokbal. Youngwoo felt good at Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s desire to ¡®make up for the damage of losing the dragon egg with the gold medals.¡¯ He seemed to be a straightforward person.


    What if Eat Spicy Jokbal was a bad person? He would threaten Youngwoo to pay back the debt from the game. At a minimum, he would express hostility. But Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s gaze towards Youngwoo was clean. He dered he would recover the damages in a fair manner.


    ¡¯The fact that he¡¯s a good person is why he¡¯s in Peak Sword¡¯s heart.¡¯


    Youngwoo smiled as nicely as possible. Eat Spicy Jokbal responded to the handshake with an expression that said he had no choice.


    ¡°Well... We are colleagues during the National Competition so we should shake hands... Huh?¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was surprised when he shook hands with Youngwoo. It was because the strength was amazing. The big hand full of calluses showed the hard lift that Youngwoo lived.


    ¡®In reality, he¡¯s a hard worker?¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was 36 years old. Youngwoo looked like he wasn¡¯t even 30 years old yet. He was a legendary cksmith in the game, but Eat Spicy Jokbal expected him to be timid in many ways in reality. But that wasn¡¯t the truth at all. From the moment they first met, Youngwoo showed the same attitude and eyes as he did in the game. He was overflowing with dignity.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal gulped.


    ¡®Grid... He was born like this.¡¯


    Indeed, it was obvious. If he was an ordinary person, he wouldn¡¯t have be the king of a nation. Eat Spicy Jokbal misunderstood and decided not to be hostile to Grid.


    On the other hand.


    "...Surely your name isn¡¯t Eat Spicy Jokbal?¡±


    "Aish... Of course it¡¯s my game ID.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t Eat Spicy Jokbal too much even for a game ID?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The representatives gathered on one side murmured. Eat Spicy Jokbal prayed for an ID change item to be released quickly. At that moment.


    "Oh my, everyone is here.¡±


    A man and woman approached the ce where the Korean representatives were gathered. It was a woman in a hanbok and a blond male. The woman was in her 30s and had a refined elegance. It was an appearance that could be seen on Korean promotional brochures for foreigners. The blond male was mixed race. He seemed to be born between a Korean and a Westerner and was wearing a riding jacket. It was a couple with an extreme contrast.


    ¡°Who...?¡±


    All the representatives were puzzled. It was the first time they saw the man and woman who arrivedte. In particr, the woman¡¯s behavior was too unusual. The man and woman introduced themselves.


    ¡°I am Vi. I¡¯m also a representative at the National Competition this year.¡±


    ¡°I am Ma Bongshik. It is the same for me.¡±


    ¡°?? Are those your game IDs?¡±


    "They are our real names.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    What strange names. This was the first impression of the two new Korean representatives.


    ***


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal, Vi, and Ma Bongshik.


    Peak Sword continued to show great interest and favor to the three people. One of South Korea¡¯s giants, Peak Sword, wouldn¡¯t show such an attitude to ordinary people. Therefore, the other representatives surely that that these three people were big. The problem was that they were unfamiliar. The representatives couldn¡¯t guess who they were.


    ¡°Um... I have never heard of their names before.¡±


    Despite belonging to the same country, the representatives weren¡¯t obliged to disclose their information. The game still continued after the National Competition was over. If there was an obligation to disclose information, there would be fewer rankers in the National Competition.


    "Rather, Grid is really cool.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. He actually looks better.¡±


    ¡°Look at his back muscles. He¡¯s cool even to a man. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    The attention of the representatives was soon focused on Grid. Grid didn¡¯t know this, but more than half of the 30 Korean representatives participating in the National Competition this year respected Grid. They were the ones who dreamt about bing Grid while watching Grid, especially after hepeted with Kraugel in the National Competitionst year. They were buds who grew watching Grid. For them, Grid was a special existence. They wanted to use this opportunity to get close to Grid. But no one was able to approach Grid. It was hard to talk to such a great figure without inhibition.


    ¡®I will be very active in this National Competition.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s attract Grid¡¯s attention and enter the Overgeared Guild... Eh?¡¯


    Suddenly, the minds of the enthusiastic Korean representatives became nk. It was due to the appearance of thest Korean representative in the lounge, Yura.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was the world originally ck and white? The representatives stared nkly as Yura smiled gently and apologize in a sweet voice. Yura¡¯s overwhelming beauty caused everything to fade except for her.


    ¡°I-It has been a while.¡±


    Even Youngwoo stuttered. He was nervous and his heart jumped as he saw Yura after a long time.


    ¡®Her skin is like a new baby... Has she been eating and living well?¡¯


    Youngwoo felt uneasy as he looked at Yura¡¯s white skin. Yura tilted her head as she looked at him.


    "Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°N-No. You have be prettier after a long time... Hup.¡±


    What nonsense was he saying now? Youngwoo spoke without thinking and covered his mouth when he discovered it. And Yura...


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura¡¯s milky white skin turned red. The eyes of the Korea representatives blurred as they watched.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the prime of their lives.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m envious...¡¯


    ***


    A total of 50 countries were participating in the 3rd National Competition! Unlike the previous year, the size of thispetition amplified the expectations of gamers all over the world. What interesting and cool scenes would be produced in this year¡¯s National Competition? Countless people were filled with expectations as they waited for the National Competition to begin. There were many people hoping for three days to pass quickly so the National Competition to begin.


    Did they sense this desire?


    ¡º A special event for the National Competition will now be held. ¡»


    Representatives of various countries started boarding the ne. Game-rted broadcasters from all over the world started a live broadcast. It was a broadcast produced by the S.A. Group. Ondo, a world-ss pop star and Satisfy ranker in the top 100,000 was the MC.


    ¡º At this time, 1,500 representatives from each country havepleted boarding flights to Japan. And the S.A. Group is nning a special event for all of them. ¡»


    "Event?"


    It was a live broadcast that started without any notice but it was powerful since it was rted to the National Competition. Word of mouth spread and many viewers flocked. MC Ondo had a cheerful expression and started exining.


    ¡º All yers on board have a capsule instead of a seat. It¡¯s a capsule that allows them to enter the Battlefield server. ¡»


    ¡°Battlefield?¡±


    ¡º It¡¯s a secret server that Satisfy has borrowed. From this moment on, 1,500 yers from all over the world will enter a certain area with the same level, same stats, same items, same skills, and everything is equal. It¡¯s a small mini-map. From there, the yers will... ¡»


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡º They will continue to fight until there are three survivors. ¡»


    ¡°What?¡±


    "A survival game without levels and items?¡±


    "No, isn¡¯t the S.A. Group too obvious? Isn¡¯t this event aimed at Grid?¡±


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really too much.¡±


    The criticisms of the Korean public started to pour out once they learned of the event. But the reaction of the overseas viewers was hot.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting? Who¡¯s the best yer when ites to pure talent?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s naturally Kraugel.¡±


    "No, maybe an anonymous person we don¡¯t know might be better than Kraugel.¡±


    Grid ¡®naturally¡¯ wasn¡¯t mentioned in the winning candidates. It was hard to imagine he would win after losing his items.

 Chapter 738

    ¡°From this moment on, you will be connected to Battlefield.¡±


    It was a special event where the details hadn¡¯t been disclosed. All 1,500 National Competition participants this year hoped to take part in the event. It was somewhat unreasonable that the contents weren¡¯t disclosed, but it was inevitable that they would covert the rewards. The moment the representatives of each country boarded the ne.


    ¡°The battlefield is a mini-map around 10,000 pyeong. It isn¡¯trge enough for 1,500 people, but it boasts diverse terrain that makes it easy to develop a strategy. You will have to fight each other until there are three survivors remaining.¡±


    The event details were released. There was a bacsh.


    "It sounds like a solo show. Isn¡¯t this too unreasonable?¡±


    "A battle in a limited space is unconditionally advantageous to those with higher specs. Isn¡¯t this an event for just a few people?¡±


    Vi and Ma Bongshik expressed their concerns. The other representatives were sympathetic. However, it was difficult to read Grid and Yura¡¯s minds. The host exined in more detail.


    "No, it¡¯s a fair game. Battlefield is apletely separate server from Satisfy. Satisfy¡¯s ount information won¡¯t be passed onto Battlefield and all yers will receive a new character with the same stats.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Gawk.


    Everyone looked at Grid. Once he heard that the character he trained so hard wouldn¡¯t apply to this event, how would he react? Everyone expected him to be angry. From Grid¡¯s perspective, this event would be awfully unreasonable. But Grid¡¯s expression was calm. He just sat in the capsule and listened to the exnation without any reaction.


    ¡¯His vessel is big...¡¯


    ¡®Truly God Grid. If I was Grid, I would be arguing right now.¡¯


    As Eat Spicy Jokbal and the Korean representatives were admiring Grid¡¯s attitude, what was the truth?


    ¡®Wow, shit. Am I the only rotten person here?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s insides weren¡¯t mature. But he knew there would be no change so he remained silent.


    Meanwhile, the host¡¯s exnation continued.


    ¡°After entering Battlefield, you will have 10 minutes to select your ss. There are four types of sses, all with the same stats, but different characteristics. Please think carefully and decide. After 10 minutes, the game will automatically start. Be sure to decide your ss within 10 minutes. If you don¡¯t, a ss will be selected randomly for you.


    The host exined the following rules:


    1. The 1,500 participants will all be masked. The ID and face won¡¯t be exposed to each other. The voice is also modted. It is a measure to prevent certain forces from cooperating. However, the IDs will be shown to the viewers.


    2. Immediately after entering Battlefield, all participants will have bare hands. Weapons will be scattered through the battlefield. It will be advantageous to find a weapon as soon as possible.


    3. The game¡¯s time limit is three hours. Once one hour passes, the map will gradually disappear and became narrower. The people located in those parts of the map will be destroyed. The alert window that appears before the map disappears shouldn¡¯t be ignored.


    4. It is a survival game aimed at being thest three, so there is no need to kill. You can stay hidden throughout the game. However, it is impossible to hide 10 minutes before the game ends because the map is very narrow. In order to win, you will have to fight.


    5. Health and mana won¡¯t recover normally. You have to unconditionally drink potions. When taking a potion to restore health, you will regain 7 health points. When taking a mana potion, you will regain 6 mana points. Recovery potions will fall from the sky every 5 minutes. The maximum number of health and mana potions that can be held are two each.


    ¡°It¡¯s a separate game system, so you will quickly get used to it when ying directly. If you are the top rankers among two billion users, it¡¯s easy to adapt to the new game.¡±


    ¡®Eh...? It sounds difficult?¡¯


    No, shouldn¡¯t he be given a more detailed manual? Unlike the other representatives, Grid alone was panicked.


    [You will now ess Battlefield.]


    The capsule started to work.


    ***


    [You are now connected to Battlefield.]


    [The character will be created automatically.]


    [Please select a ss.]


    [The sses that can be selected are ¡®warrior,¡¯ ¡®magician,¡¯ ¡®cleric,¡¯ and ¡®producer.¡¯ The attributes are different, but all stats are the same.]


    [Warrior]


    Health: 20/20 Mana: 15/15


    Attack Speed: 1 Movement Speed: 2


    Deals 1 damage to the enemy with a fist.


    You can wear all types of weapons. Once a weapon is equipped, you will deal 2 damage to the enemy.


    However, it is possible to equip a bow and ranged attacks (up to 10 meters) will only deal 1 damage. The bow will also consume an arrow with each attack.


    You can wear the ss specific ¡®shield.¡¯ If you block an opponent¡¯s attack with the shield, your damage is reduced by 50%.


    [Magician]


    Health: 20/20 Mana: 15/15


    Attack Speed: 1 Movement Speed: 2


    You can¡¯t damage the enemies with your fists.


    You can equip all types of weapons except bows. Once a weapon is equipped, you can deal 1 damage to enemies.


    You can wear the ss specific ¡®magic wand.¡¯ The magic wand will deal 3 damage to the enemy. The magic wand can do ranged attacks (up to 10 meters), like the bow. However, ranged attacks will cost 7 mana. If won¡¯t activate if there is no mana.


    [Cleric]


    Health: 20/20 Mana: 15/15


    Attack Speed: 1 Movement Speed: 2


    You can¡¯t damage the enemies with your fists.


    You can equip all types of weapons except bows. Once a weapon is equipped, you can deal 1 damage to enemies.


    You can read the ss specific ¡®scriptures.¡¯ The scriptures are found all over the map. When you read the scriptures, your health will be restored by 10. When reading the scriptures, 2 mana is consumed.


    [Producer]


    Health: 20/20 Mana: 15/15


    Attack Speed: 1 Movement Speed: 2


    You can¡¯t damage the enemies with your fists.


    You can wear all types of weapons. Once a weapon is equipped, you will deal 1 damage to the enemy.


    You will receive a pickaxe as a default item. The pickaxe isn¡¯t a weapon. You can use the pickaxe to gather resources such as y, wood, metals, etc. You can create an item based on the collected resources.


    The performance of production items are no different from the items avable in the field.


    However, if the creator equips the item then they will deal 2 damage per hit. It also applies to the bow.


    * The total time required to produce one item is 15 minutes. You can move while making items. 10 mana is consumed when making items.


    All 1,500 participants connected to Battlefield faced the ss selection window. And this scene was being broadcast all over the world. The audience¡¯s attention was focused on the magician and producer ss.


    "If a magician finds a magic wand, won¡¯t they have the greatest power? It¡¯s a scam.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... But there are restrictions on ranged attacks. I think that ranged attacks will be most advantageous due to the nature of the game.¡±


    "When I look at it, the producer will be the best in the second half if they can survive unharmed and make a bow.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They can hide and attack people with 2 damage.¡±


    "Won¡¯t the producer ss be selected by the production rankers, including Grid?¡±


    From a general point of view, the warrior ss seemed to be the best. It was particrly advantageous in the early stages because it boasted stable attack and defense ability. But the viewers guessed that the rankers would be different. The rankers confident in their control would generally pursue high returns. The viewers thought that the rankers would bear the initial risk and turn their attention to a magician or producer ss.


    "The cleric ss won¡¯t be so bad if they can find the scriptures well.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Other sses have to rely on supplies falling from the sky and there is a danger of encountering an enemy or their supplies being snatched. Meanwhile, the cleric seems more stable.


    ¡°But if you are unlucky enough not to find the scriptures, the ss won¡¯t survive.¡±


    ¡°I also think that the cleric ss is the most garbage. It¡¯s a ss thatcksbat power and has to rely purely on luck.¡±


    ¡°Um... Apart from the cleric ss, the other sses are a matter of taste.¡±


    Warriors, magicians, and producers had obvious advantages and disadvantages. The viewers saw that the 1,500 participants would chose a ss to their own liking. The people with a warrior ss in Satisfy would choose the warrior, the people with a magician ss would choose magician and the people with production sses would choose producer.


    Why? It was because they were most familiar with that ss. It was a simple matter. The viewer¡¯s engagement reached the peak.


    Pak!


    Pa pa pa pa pak!


    The 1,500 participantspletely their ss choice within the 10 minute time limit and simultaneously entered Battlefield. The location was different for each person. They all appeared at vertical intervals.


    ¡°Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°Where is Yura?¡±


    The viewers were busy searching for the most expected rankers. This included Grid. It was determined that Grid had a chance with the producer ss. People wondered what type of material the legendary cksmith Grid would use. However...


    [Grid]


    upation: Cleric


    "?????"


    "Is this real?¡±


    Unlike predictions, Grid chose the cleric ss. This was a remarkable situation for viewers who thought that Grid would naturally choose a producer.


    "No, why is it a priest?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t have been that surprising if Grid had chosen a warrior or magician. Grid was a cksmith, but he could also use the sword and magic. Yes, whether it was warrior, magician, or producer, Grid could easily adapt to any ss. Except for the cleric. But unlike predictions, Grid chose the cleric ss. It was ridiculous.


    ¡º This is amazing! Grid, who was expected to choose a producer or warrior ss, actually chose the cleric ss! ¡»


    ¡º This is a total unexpected development since it¡¯s the ss with the worst ability. ¡»


    The cleric was a ss that had no distinct traits if a scripture couldn¡¯t be found. The scriptures might be scattered all over the field, but that didn¡¯t mean they could be obtained. It was a ss that relied almost entirely on luck. From the point of view of the professionals, people who didn¡¯t have the ability might rely on luck and choose the cleric ss.


    Yet Grid chose a cleric. In other words...


    ¡º Grid seems to have no confidence in his abilities. I guess he is aiming to survive as long as possible, depending purely on luck. ¡»


    It was natural toe to this conclusion. The viewers¡¯ chatter followed.


    -Wow...Look at Grid...He has such a high level, but he has no faith in his skills?


    -It was the end the moment he lost his items.


    -I can see how much Grid normally relies on items.


    -Look.Isn¡¯t the analysis that Grid¡¯s control skills suck and he relies on items true?Perhaps most of Grid¡¯s items have the options to raise mastery skills?


    -Sigh, it¡¯s starting again.Aren¡¯t you tired of underestimating Grid now?


    -Grid is the best.He¡¯s different from us.He will have his own deep thoughts. There is definitely a reason why he selected the cleric ss.


    Whose thoughts were right? The Inte became heated up.


    ¡°It¡¯s as I expected. The cleric isn¡¯t a simple ss that relies on luck.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he connected to Battlefield and saw the locations of the shrines disyed on the mini-map.

 Chapter 739

    ¡®It¡¯s like this. Why are they always aiming for the back of my head?¡¯


    Grid loved Satisfy. He was very enthusiastic about it. Thanks to Satisfy, he was able to grow up, make precious bonds, and to seed in life. But interestingly, he felt something close to hostile towards the S.A. Group. It was natural from Grid¡¯s position.


    There was some doubts about maniption in the game and every time the National Competition was held, Grid thought that the S.A. was deliberately guarding against him. That¡¯s why Grid didn¡¯t trust the S.A. Group. He also had doubts about this event. While the other representatives were discussing the event, Grid tried to find a trap hidden in the game system. He took note of the limited number of potions that could be held. He used his experience and instincts to spot the potential trap.


    Then in the ss selection window, he noticed the trap that was hidden.


    ¡®Cleric.¡¯


    It was a very bad ss when he first saw it. The warriors were powerful from the beginning, while magicians and producers could be more powerful when certain weapons were acquired. Compared to those, the clerics didn¡¯t receive any items. Theycked explosive power and seemed to be disadvantageous in the second half. However, all the sses had 20 health and there was no means to regain health except for potions. Therefore, Grid¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡®yers can only possess two potions, but there¡¯s no limit on the number of scriptures a cleric can possess.¡¯


    In other words, it meant a cleric could hold arge number of scriptures.


    ¡®Based on this, a priest has superior potential.¡¯


    Let¡¯s say he went one on one with a magician who had a magic wand. The magician would deal 3 damage to the cleric while the cleric could only deal 1 damage to the magician. The cleric would die in seven hits while the magician would die in 19 hits. But what if the cleric secured arge number of scriptures? Every time they read the scripture, the priest would recover 10 health and would be able to win. Yes, this was only relevant if the cleric could secure arge number of scriptures. The cleric who failed to secure scriptures was the weakest of all the sses.


    But out of the 1,500 delegates, the number that selected a cleric was so small that he didn¡¯t consider the possibility of not securing scriptures. People perceived a cleric as a very risky ss. Grid thought differently. He was convinced that it would be rtively easy to secure the scriptures and chose the cleric ss. He chose this considering the S.A. Group¡¯s inclination to hit yers in the back of the head.


    ¡®In the ss description, the scriptures are described as being all over the map.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t stated that it was difficult to obtain the scriptures. The merit of the scriptures was too bigpared to the sculptures. While people perceived it as ¡®difficult¡¯ to obtain, Grid was the opposite and this was the result.


    The shrines. The small buildings indicated on the mini-map seemed to scream out ¡®there is a scripture here!¡¯


    ¡®Indeed, it isn¡¯t difficult to find scriptures.¡¯


    Of course, this could also be a trap. In addition, the total amount of scriptures could be surprisingly small. But this was something that could only be seen if he moved directly.


    ¡®Besides the shrines, there might be scriptures elsewhere. They exist everywhere in the map.¡¯


    Grid decided and started moving to the nearest shrine. He focused on understanding his physical abilities by jumping, running, swinging his fists, kicking, etc. The result?


    ¡®It¡¯s like a level 10 character.¡¯


    In Satisfy, a basic character had 1 attack speed and 3 movement speed. Of course, the movement speed was faster. In any case, these were the stats in Battlefield.


    ¡®Attack power and health are fixed, so strength and stamina are meaningless... The problem is my vision.¡¯


    Grid felt that his vision was able to follow if it was one attack per second. If he concentrated as much as possible, it seemed that he could avoid an enemy¡¯s attack once every three times. This was where the problem urred.


    ¡®It¡¯s possible for others to do the same thing...¡¯


    Can a cleric with a fixed attack power of 1 really push the enemy to death? Especially if his opponent was a master of control like Kraugel or the Overgeared members?


    ¡®It¡¯s the worst.¡¯


    Grid grasped that like Satisfy, Battlefield was a game that required control and became stressed. Rather than being insecure about his control, he knew too many people with excellent control.


    ¡®I think most of them would¡¯ve selected the magician ss.¡¯


    Grid was a different type of ranker. Thus, he knew the characteristics of the rankers with good control. Those who were confident in their skills would look into the distance. Given their inclination, they were more likely to chose the powerful magician over a warrior. On the other hand, it was unlikely that they would chose a priest who had high survival possibilities and low damage.


    ¡°Gulp...¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind and body became stiff and he gulped nervously. Since there was a chance to MISS. it was doubtful if he could fight against the skillful people even if he had a lot of scriptures.


    ¡¯I will do 1 damage if I hit, but if I miss... No, don¡¯t shrink back.¡¯


    During the past few years of ying Satisfy, he had seen the value of a highly disciplined mentality. Grid¡¯s tense body and mind became flexible again.


    ¡®Right now, I¡¯m notcking a great deal of control. If I use the scriptures well, I can hold on.¡¯


    Grid was confident as he reyed the countless battles he had against numerous enemies. His eyes were determined as he moved to the shrine. There was no hesitation. He just moved straight.


    ***


    ¡®There¡¯s a high probability that there will be a scripture in here.


    More than half of the 1,500 yers connected to Battlefield were concentrating on the shrines. There was no reason not to watch over it, despite being a space for clerics. Every small shrine had at least 100 people around them. All of them hid and held their breaths as they watched the shrine entrance.


    Despite not being priests, they coveted the scriptures because the scriptures could be used as a trading tool or to lower the potential of clerics. But a few minutester, no one entered the shrine. It was natural. They knew there were enemies hiding in the surroundings. The first one to act would be an obvious loser. Then one person appeared.


    ¡°Oh! The door is closed. This means nobody has entered yet? Isn¡¯t this a profit?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A mysterious figure rushed towards the shrine without hesitation! People didn¡¯t know it, but he was Grid. While other people were worried about all types of dangers and couldn¡¯t move, he just unabashedly showed up? It was difficult for people to understand Grid.


    ¡®Can I believe this?¡¯


    ¡®It could be a trap!¡¯


    1,500 people participated in the event. People had a lot of thoughts and couldn¡¯t act easily. On the other hand, Grid was already opening the old door to the temple. He was confident that he was safe. It was as he expected.


    ¡®There¡¯s no danger of a sniper. Isn¡¯t it too early for people to obtain a bow and arrows?¡¯


    Based on the character selection window, Grid understood that the weapon called a ¡®bow¡¯ was very useful. Grid was confident that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to obtain the weapon capable of ranged attacks and his confidence was right. Of the dozens of people who watched Grid enter the temple, none of them had secured a bow. None of them were able to shoot Grid. Even if they had a bow, they couldn¡¯t use the arrow since it was a consumable item.


    ¡®In the first ce, shooting a bow means bing the target of the people around here.¡¯


    There would be people intent on stealing the bow.


    Step, step.


    Grid entered the shrine safely. He searched for the scripture and smiled. It was because he found a scripture and bow in one corner.


    [A scripture has been acquired.]


    [A bow has been acquired.]


    [Scripture]


    Opening the book will restore 10 health.


    Avable sses: Cleric


    [Bow]


    A weapon capable of shooting an enemy from 10 meters away. An arrow will be consumed when fired.


    Avable sses: Warrior, Producer


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Grid was delighted because he gained the scripture far more easily than expected and even got the bow as an extra. He felt good because the work went smoothly from the beginning.


    ¡®It would be better if I got a weapon I could use rather than a bow. Well, I have it, so I will put it to good use.¡¯


    Grid ced the bow in his inventory that could hold 30 items. Then he prepared to leave the temple.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    A woman entered the shrine after Grid and blocked his path. Unlike Grid, she held a sword in her hand and threatened him with it.


    ¡°Give me the scripture. Otherwise I will kill you.¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    He thought things were going too well. The frowning Grid head the sound of fighting and screaming outside. Fights were taking ce outside the shrine.


    ¡®Did the people sh among themselves after they saw me safely entering the shrine?¡¯


    He had to get out of here quickly. Grid pulled the bow out of his inventory. Then he spoke to the woman wearing a mask.


    "There was no scripture here. There was only this bow.¡±


    ¡°How can I believe that?¡±


    "It can¡¯t be helped if you don¡¯t believe it. But I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    Grid was a warrior, a legendary cksmith, and eventually a king. His experience in Satisfy was iparable to ordinary people. Therefore...


    Unlike others, he could easily make judgments to enter the temple and to calmly cope with this moment. Grid didn¡¯t realize it himself, but everything about the way he thought and behaved was naturally different for ordinary people.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the bow a weapon that is difficult to obtain? It is a strength that isn¡¯t easy to get in the beginning. Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t the scripture that you want, but I have this bow. Let¡¯s exchange this bow with your sword.¡±


    Grid¡¯s suggestion confused the woman.


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    In response to the woman¡¯s question, Grid lied like it was natural.


    "Isn¡¯t the bow a lot better than the sword? Isn¡¯t it more profitable to trade with this? It¡¯s a big loss for me, but I don¡¯t want an unnecessary struggle.¡±


    The woman refuted.


    "The bow is a weapon that can¡¯t be used without arrows. Now you don¡¯t seem to have a weapon other than the bow. I am in a situation where I can easily overpower you...¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡± Grid interrupted her in the middle. He put the bow in his inventory and raised his fists. "Seeing you refuse the bow, you must be a cleric or a magician? Your attack power with the sword is the same as my bare hands. Right? Then let¡¯s fight. Let¡¯s have a dog fight.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The woman panicked.


    ¡®He¡¯s a warrior, not a priest?¡¯


    The scripture was a tool needed by the priest. The woman saw Grid enter the shrine to search for the scripture and naturally thought he was a priest. But now he was a warrior. Things didn¡¯t look good. Grid confirmed that she was shrinking back and said again.


    "How about it? Do you want to exchange the sword with a bow, or fight?¡±


    ¡°I-I guess it is better not to fight. But I won¡¯t exchange weapons. Just go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Grid nodded and left the shrine. Some of those fighting saw him but no one was able to pursue him straight away. After a while.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Grid was relieved once he arrived at a safe area. Thementators spoke words of admiration as Grid sitting in a tree was broadcasting.


    ¡º I¡¯m amazed at the wit and bold judgment that allowed him to escape from a crisis. He¡¯s a charming person. ¡»


    ¡º This isn¡¯t the Grid we know. This is how an ordinary yer became a legend and a king... I feel like I got a glimpse of that strength. ¡»


    Grid was Grid, even if he lost the power of a legend. He demonstrated his strength. The viewers¡¯ appreciation of Grid rose sharply.


    At this moment, the number of participants in Battlefield were dwindling fast.

 Chapter 740

    Some people looked for weapons from the beginning, while some people hid in safe ces. In addition, some people eliminated others by killing them. Hide and seek, defeating and looting were repeated without stopping. There was no safe zone here so the thoughts and strategies of 1,500 people intersected. Battlefield progressed rapidly, with the survivors shrinking to 900 in the first 20 minutes.


    Grid confirmed the number of survivors marked on one side and frowned.


    ¡®I thought it was dirty because it was 100,000 pyeong.¡¯


    Actually, a size of 100,000 pyeong was big. It was around half the size of any town in a province. The first time he entered Battlefield and saw the various hills, valleys, buildings, and forests, Grid wondered how many people would die in three hours. He thought that most people would be looking for each other when the time limit was over.


    However, he was mistaken. The 100,000 pyeongnd felt small due to the pursuit, hiding and fighting of 1,500 people. Grid looked at the mini-map while looking for the next route.


    ¡®I will pass the shrine closest to here.¡¯


    The shrine closest to Grid¡¯s present location was 110 meters away. It was closest to the shrine where Grid secured the scripture. Grid judged that it was too dangerous.


    ¡®The people who watched the entrance of the shrine will move to the nearest one and follow the same procedure.¡¯


    Right now, it would be pandemonium. A massive battle might happen. Grid was afraid he would be in danger.


    ¡®Should I use an underpass?¡¯


    Battlefield had an underground area. There were entrances everywhere so it was easy to enter. There was also a sense of covertness because the mini-map didn¡¯t show the detailed structure of the underpass. Objectively, the underground seemed like the safest area.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t think the same as other people. Many people would¡¯ve fled to the underground and would be fiercelypeting.


    Flinch.


    Grid felt a sense of difort as he looked at the mini-map. His hands were empty.


    ¡®Speaking of bare hands...¡¯


    He needed a weapon. It was the minimum condition to survive. Grid stayed above ground and started looking around. He didn¡¯t miss the niche in the thick forest. Weapons were rtively easy to find.


    ¡°A mace.¡±


    He found a mace between thorny vines and swung it several times. The blunt weapon didn¡¯t have a distinctive weight. It felt like wielding an ordinary sword. Every weapon in Battlefield had the same form except for the bow and the magic wand.


    ¡®But there¡¯s a slight difference.¡¯


    Grid noticed that the blunt weapon was 50cm in length. It was much shorter than the average length of swords. In fact, the blunt weapon that Grid was equipped with now was much shorter than the sword that the woman he encountered in the shrine was using.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t feel good in my hands.¡¯


    Grid used various weapons as Pagma¡¯s Descendant but in the end, his favorite weapons were the greatsword and long sword. Blunt weapons didn¡¯t receive the corrective effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant so he was somewhat unfamiliar with them.


    ¡®I better find a sword.¡¯


    Scriptures weren¡¯t only in the shrine. They might be out in the open like this blunt weapon. Grid was able to rx because he had such convictions. He could think flexibly because there was no need to obsess over the shrines.


    ¡®Oh?¡¯


    How good would it be to find a sword after a scripture? Grid was filled with expectations as he moved through the forest and found a cabin beyond lush bushes. It was an old, narrow cabin that seemed cramped when only one person entered.


    ¡®Can I get something from here?¡¯


    It was a situation where he could get items on the path. It was expected that various tools would be avable in specific buildings.


    So...


    ¡®Let¡¯s not enter.¡¯


    Grid decided that there would already be someone inside the cabin. ¡®Hiding the tools and unleashing a surprise attack on anyone who enters.¡¯ Grid hid in the bushes and thought carefully about the structure of the cabin.


    ¡®There is a window on every side so it¡¯s impossible to approach it in secret. I will wait for someone else to appear first.¡¯


    Once a person blinded by greed found the cabin and approached without thinking, there would be a dogfight with the person already hiding in the cabin.


    ¡®I will watch quietly ande outter.¡¯


    It was ideal to take the items from mindlesspetitors fighting each other! Grid smiled grimly as he thought about it. There was nothing as happen as eating something free in the world. But his smile didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡®Well, there will be few idiots who will approach the cabin... It is better to abandon any lingering attachment... Eh?¡¯


    Grid thought realistically and was about to leave. He knew there was no reason to be obsessed with the cabin where obvious danger lurked. At that moment.


    Step.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid threw himself t on the ground. A man was approaching the cabin. Grid covered his mouth to block his breathing, smiling as he watched the man.


    ¡®A fool like this actually exists in the world!¡¯


    It was like seeing himself in the past. Grid realized his own growth as the man entered the cabin. However, the sight that unfolded before his eyes was beyond Grid¡¯s expectations.


    Snap!


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    As the man opened the door of the cabin, the woman hiding in the hut waved her sword. It was the ideal timing for a surprise attack. But the ideal timing meant it was predictable.


    Peok!


    The man who opened the cabin door. He closed the door again and used it to block the sword. Due to that, the woman¡¯s sword that should¡¯ve pierced the man¡¯s body ended up only piercing the cabin door. The man confirmed that the sword pierced the door and immediately opened it again.


    Then.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    The woman¡¯s body fell out of the cabin with her sword still stuck in the door. The man¡¯s spear struck her.


    Puok!


    A spear that precisely struck the heart! Battlefield had fixed damage. In Satisfy, this attack would have a 100% chance of causing a critical strike. Perfect response speed, the ability to use the environment and the skill to handle the spear. Grid was convinced as he hid in the bushes and witnessed it.


    ¡¯High ranker...!¡¯


    This man wasn¡¯t stupid. He knew someone would be hiding in the cabin and approached anyway. It was because he was confident that he could overpower the person hiding. On the other hand, what about Grid? He was also a high ranker so why?


    ¡®Why don¡¯t I have such confidence?¡¯


    Paruru...


    Grid¡¯s eyes shook as he saw the unidentified high ranker overpowering the opponent with pure ability. It was the moment when the blood of the Overgeared King, who fought against the empire and vampires, started to boil.


    ***


    ¡º It truly is the genius of fighting...! He has tremendous skills!! ¡»


    In Battlefield, surprisingly one-sided battle scenes were unfolding. All 1,500 people started in equal conditions, but their strategy and control skills were different. In the same circumstances, one person could easily ovee the crisis while another person would be frustrated.


    There were people who had better weapons but lost against fists. Most of the winners were high rankers. The giants who had been reigning in Satisfy solely through their skills. Their skills were being fully demonstrated in Battlefield. Among them, the most prominent one was Hao.


    As the miracle of the continent and number one ranker in China, hisbat ability was the most impressive. Maybe it was because he was conscious of the other bigwigs, including Kraugel, but he chose a magician, which had more potential than a warrior. He beat all hispetitors with just an old spear that dealt 1 damage. In the eyes of ordinary people, his ability to control most attacks with the same physical ability and vision as others was amazing. His control was close to a supernatural feat.


    "Kyaaak!¡±


    Despite having the advantageous position, the Japanese woman in the cabin was easily beaten. As they saw Hao use an old door to neutralize the opponent, people realized why he was the master of battle. They felt awe at his ability that was beyond the level of ordinary.


    -Hao is one of the yers closest to Kraugel...It wasn¡¯t a futile im from the Chinese.


    -I agree.It wouldn¡¯t be a joke if Hao has the same levelling ability was Kraugel.


    -If it hadn¡¯t been Grid VS Kraugel in the National Competitionst year, it would¡¯ve been Hao VS Kraugel.


    Those who witnessed Hao¡¯s true talent were sure that Hao would be in thest survivors of Battlefield.


    What about Grid who was hiding in the bushes and watching the one-sided massacre?


    It could be said that he showed a surprising performance, but it was poorpared to Hao.


    -How long will Grid hide like this...?


    -He will wait for Hao to leave.


    The participants don¡¯t know each other, but Grid witnessed Hao¡¯s skill in real time. He would feel that Hao isn¡¯t a regr person.


    The possibility that he will take a risk and struggle with Hao was close to zero.


    -It seems humiliating, but it¡¯s smart.


    -That¡¯s right.Grid is doing well enough.


    In Battlefield, where items couldn¡¯t be used, it was natural that Grid would be perceived as weak. Grid was the person known as overgeared and the Overgeared King. He seemed aware that he was less talentedpared to other high rankers. In fact, Grid was avoidingbat as much as possible.


    He was meekpared to his reputation. But people didn¡¯t me him. They appreciated that he was aware of his own ability and was ying the game to match it. No one looked at him badly.


    ¡º Ah! As soon as I spoke, Hao has logged out Satsuki! ¡»


    ¡º This is really worthy of admiration. He only suffered two damage. ¡»


    ¡º In other words, he hit Satsuki 20 times while only being hit once. I don¡¯t know why high rankers have such good control... As an ordinary yer, I can¡¯t even imagine it. ¡»


    ¡º Due to these scenes, there is a theory that a specific DNA gene for virtual reality exists... Eh? W-What is this? ¡»


    ¡º No, what courage is this? ¡»


    Thementators were startled while praising Hao. A man had been hiding the whole time Hao was fighting. Then Overgeared King Grid jumped up and moved in front of Hao.


    -What?


    -Does he want to fight Hao?


    -Grid has already showed some excellent skills.Maybe he¡¯s trying to show off his talent again by facing Hao?


    As everyone was feeling expectant.


    ¡°Pon? Regas? Or perhaps Kraugel? I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    Grid held his blunt weapon and pointed to Hao.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight. I¡¯m curious. What level am I at now?¡±


    Flinch.


    Hao saw Grid¡¯s eyes, which were visible through the mask, and instinctively sensed something. The opponent was a predator like himself.


    ¡°I preferably want to win...¡± Hao smiled bitterly. Then he let out a sigh and took a fighting stance. ¡°I can¡¯t avoid the fight, since you asked so proudly.¡±

 Chapter 741

    ¡®It¡¯s difficult to adjust to this body.¡¯


    Hao was a martial artist ahead of being a high ranker. In reality, he was a monster who practiced martial arts around the world to the limit. He had a transcendent body in Satisfy and the real world. Thus, he was forced to feel a lot of dissatisfaction with the newly granted body in Battlefield.


    It was a rotten body equivalent to a level 10 character in Satisfy. Heavy, slow, and weak. Hao¡¯s perception was already far away while his body was still in ce. Hao filled that his whole body was covered with shackles. He was shocked that he wasn¡¯t even aware someone was watching him.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Hao thought. This unreasonable situation, it wasn¡¯t just him. All other participants were experiencing the same thing. He wasn¡¯t the only one disadvantaged. It was an equal situation. Hao tried to identity the man in front of him.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t Kraugel.¡¯


    Kraugel was the strongest person that even Hao envied. It was absurd that such a person would say that they wanted to test their abilities. Hao identified the blunt weapon in the man¡¯s hands and thought of a few people.


    ¡®Damian, Vantner, Toban, Bubat, Shane, Ronam...¡¯


    They were the rankers who focused on blunt weapons. Among them, Damian favored the sword. But he was a pdin, so he was probably used to blunt weapons. Hao thought about it and came to a conclusion.


    ¡®Damian.¡¯


    Hao decided since Vantner, Toban, Bubat, Shane, and Ronam were two or three levels below him. He was sure that this was the truth.


    ¡®If they saw my skills, they wouldn¡¯t daree forward.¡¯


    On the other hand, Damian was different. Damian, one of the few people who yed a close match with Grid in thest National Competition, was Hao¡¯spetitor.


    ¡®But that¡¯s in Satisfy.¡¯


    In Satisfy, Damian reigned as the pope. As the pope, his skillsposition was beyond the realm of a yer. Hao couldn¡¯t guarantee victory. But this was Battlefield. This was a separate world where he didn¡¯t need to be afraid of Damian¡¯s fraudulent skills.


    ¡®If we fight under the same conditions, I will definitely be superior.¡¯


    Supak!


    Hao promised and moved the spear in a straight line. It was the basic thrust of the spear. Hao had steadily trained in the sword for 20 years, but he also had considerable skill with the spear. Moreover, he had Weapons Mastery and often used the spear in Satisfy. He was able to use spear techniques with a lot of difficulty.


    Then why use a basic thrust? Difficult techniques would just grab his ankles. Hao judged that it was counterproductive in his present body. It would just expose gaps. Thus, he decided to rely on the most familiar and efficient basic operations. The result?


    Puok!


    Hao¡¯s basic thrust was very powerful. Hao guessed that his opponent was Damian. In other words, Hao¡¯s spear pierced Grid¡¯s chest. Grid couldn¡¯t respond to Hao¡¯s spear, which moved through the shortest route. Grid recognize that Hao¡¯s spear wasing almost at the same time that Hao¡¯s spear reached Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡®This is my chance!¡¯


    Hao immediately withdrew the spear. He wanted to umte damage with continuous stabs. But he couldn¡¯t pull the spear back. It was because Grid moved forward the moment Hao started to retrieve the spear. The distance between Grid and Hao narrowed in an instant. It was a distance where Grid¡¯s blunt weapon could be effective.


    Peng!


    Grid rush and the blunt weapon narrowly brushed by Hao¡¯s head.


    ¡®Once again, a non-threatening action won¡¯t stop the enemy from attacking.¡¯


    As he listened to the ringing in his ears, Hao felt pity that he could only deal fixed damage. Normally, that attack would be enough to threaten the opponent¡¯s life. But how could the opponent in front of him be so brave?


    Puuok!


    Hao avoided Grid¡¯s attack and retreated, security a safe distance for the spear. Then he stabbed without hesitation. Grid was hit again as he rushed forward.


    Peng!


    Grid¡¯s blunt weapon once again brushed by Hao¡¯s face. This time, he twisted his body to avoid Grid¡¯s attack. He turned his spear to recover. Once his waist was back in its original position, he wielded it again.


    Pakak!


    Hao¡¯s spear struck Grid¡¯s forearm! Grid umted 3 damage in an instant.


    ¡®Vantner or Toban?¡¯


    The level was lower than expected. Hao realized that his opponent wasn¡¯t Damian and the audience sighed.


    -Ah...He couldn¡¯t even hit Hao once while he was hit three times.


    -The result is too obvious.What is Grid thinking?


    -A fool mistakenly gained courage and his illusion was dissipated.


    -That¡¯s the current Grid.


    The audience clearly saw Grid¡¯s talent and thought that Grid was stupid and frustrating to challenge Hao. Did Grid upset himself with unfounded self-confidence? Was he crazy or stupid? The moment everyone thought this.


    Cheook!


    Grid was hit in the forearm with Hao¡¯s spear. Hao retreated to reim the spear again. Then Grid moved to the left and right in front of Hao. The movement was too ludicrous to be simple evasive action. It was like a dance. At that moment.


    ¡®These movements...!¡¯


    Hao¡¯s eyes widened.


    -Eh...?


    -Isn¡¯t this vaguely familiar?


    The viewers felt something strange. Then Grid¡¯s blunt weapon struck once.


    Peng!


    The second blow.


    Peeng!


    The third blow.


    Kwajak!


    Hao allowed several blows. On the other hand, Grid avoided all of Hao¡¯s stabs. It was the side to side movement of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, performed by a level 10 character.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Hao shouted in a trembling voice after finding out who he was fighting with.


    Grid retorted.


    "It¡¯s best with behavior the body is familiar with. Right?¡±


    Grid became familiar with Hao¡¯s basic motions of stabbing and used the Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship that he was ustomed to. Pagma¡¯s sword dance had been used repeatedly over the years and was the ¡®base¡¯ of Grid. Grid reminded himself. Unlike other skills that could be activated just by crying out the skill name, this damn skill had the disadvantage of going through a ¡®process¡¯ before Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship could be used.


    The experience he had in Satisfy was shown here in Battlefield. The unavoidable umtion of experience was sublimated into a powerful weapon at this moment.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid started moving again. It was the skilled footwork that had been repeated hundreds of thousands of times. The moves he used to approach Hao weren¡¯t ordinary. It was evasive and charging forward. Therefore, Hao shrank back. Hao¡¯s excellent eyes grabbed his ankles at this moment.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Peeng!


    A technique that rushed towards the target while raising the killing intent. Unlike Satisfy, the damage was only 1. However, the momentum expressed was scary. Hao forgot that this was Battlefield and sensed his death. But it was only an illusion.


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    He forgot to breathe as he was beaten by Grid¡¯s attacks. The notification window reminded Hao of reality. He recovered hisposure. But Grid already had the momentum.


    ¡°Endless Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    No mana consumption! No cooldown! Grid didn¡¯t rest but kept moving. He used the footwork for Link, Kill, Wave, Pinnacle, and Revolve. He started to avoid, attack, and counterattack. Finally.


    Peok!


    Puk!


    Jjejejeok!


    Grid¡¯s attacks now hit once every three attempts while Hao¡¯s attacks fell to one hit every three attempts. The situation of the two people was temporarily the same. Thementators and viewers couldn¡¯t close their mouths as they watched the fierce fight.


    -Grid and Hao are even...


    -Is this a dragon fight?


    -Wow, Grid is cool.He¡¯s the best even without items.


    -Where are all the people saying that Grid¡¯s skills are only because of items?


    -Grid has proved it.


    -How he managed to get recognized as a legend.How he became king and how he got into the Hall of Fame.


    He showed his experience winning, losing, fighting strong enemies, and winning to the world as he fought Hao. He was also a high ranker!


    ¡°Uraaaaaat!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Peng!


    Peng!Pepeng!


    Was he too excited? Grid roared like a beast and kept wielding the blunt weapon. In order to make sure that Hao couldn¡¯t use the long reach of a spear, Grid got up close and used the threatening nature of the blunt weapon. Due to the thick end, it was difficult topletely avoid the blunt weapon and it boasted a rtively wide attack range.


    ¡®It truly is Grid...!¡¯


    Grid was already acknowledged by Hao since the 2nd National Competition. He praised Grid so much that he probably would¡¯ve followed Grid if he hadn¡¯t met Kraugel first. But he didn¡¯t give up.


    ¡®He has fully grasped the use of the blunt weapon with his natural talent.¡¯


    Hao¡¯s gaze temporarily moved away from Grid to behind Grid. It was the side of the cabin. Since they started fighting, Grid had been backing up towards the cabin.


    ¡®I made a sufficient gap in the beginning. In the end, I will be victorious. But it is difficult to suffer from this damage.¡¯


    Hao¡¯s eyes were caught by the long sword dropped by thepetitor he previously defeated. It was at the side of the cabin entrance. Hao decided that if he could get the sword, he would be able to fight against Grid in a melee. He believed he could overpower Grid without any more damage. He was much more ustomed to a sword than a spear in the first ce. However, there was a problem.


    ¡°Why do you think our positions have changed this way?¡±


    Grid was aiming for the sword from the beginning. Grid was approaching the side of the cabin because Grid guided it this way. On the other hand, Hao had only recently be obsessed with the sword. At first, he didn¡¯t even care about the sword. He was confident that he could overpower the opponent with just a spear. His brow furrowed.


    Grid opened the distance from Hao and picked up the sword! Heughed at the despairing Hao and opened the scripture in his other hand.


    At the same time.


    Shaaaaaah-


    Light covered Grid¡¯s body and his health was restored. Even here, it was the power of items.

 Chapter 742

    ¡®What?¡¯


    As soon as Grid pulled out the blue booklet, Hao got goosebumps. He knew what the identity of this book was.


    ¡®Scripture...!¡¯


    Swaaaaah.


    Grid¡¯s body was surrounded by light. The wounds that proved the fierceness of the battle disappeared like a lie. Hao¡¯s eyes shook.


    ¡®He selected a cleric?¡¯


    In the character selection value, Hao saw the cleric¡¯s value as low.A magician exerted a unique attack power after getting a magic wand, while a producer could make bows and arrows themselves. Both were excellent sses. In particr, Hao thought that Grid would choose the producer ss.It was a spection considering his identity as a legendary cksmith.Yet he was a cleric?


    Hao gulped.


    ¡®Grid, did you know from the beginning?¡¯


    In the character selection window, Hao saw the cleric as a bad ss.Immediately after entering the battlefield, he realized after seeing that there were dozens of shrines on the mini-map.In fact, the cleric was the ss with the greatest potential. Why?The scriptures, which he thought relied on pure luck, were actually items that could be secured strategically.If a cleric secured arge number of scriptures, Hao predicted that the cleric would be the greatest hurdle.


    But he didn¡¯t worry much.He was sure that no one among the high rankers would choose a cleric.


    ¡®I don¡¯t anyone would¡¯ve realized that the scriptures can be secured so easily just by looking at the character description.¡¯


    The scriptures were described as being all over the map. There was no exnation that it could be secured in a specific area.The other rankers were likely to evaluate a cleric lowly. But Grid was different.He selected a cleric.


    ¡®Grid, you read a few steps into the future. Indeed, you are the person that I acknowledge. I can only say that you are great.¡¯


    Hao was impressed and thrilled.Now he had 7 health left. On the other hand, Grid read the scripture and had 15 health.


    ¡®I need to hit him 15 times.¡¯


    The situation had be worse. The word ¡®defeat¡¯ entered Hao¡¯s head.However, Hao didn¡¯t know how to give up.


    ¡®There¡¯s still a chance. The possibility that Grid has secured two scriptures is very unlikely.¡¯


    He had to do two or three hits for every time he got hit!Hao held his spear and raised his concentration to the extremes.He had already be ustomed to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡®Grid turns when he uses Link and Wave, while he can respond with a faster thrust when he uses Kill. He doesn¡¯t attack when using the footwork of Revolve and will narrow the distance when he uses Pinnacle.¡¯


    Hao was a person who was praised as the master of fighting. His ability to identity the enemy¡¯s strengths and weaknesses and reverse the situation were excellent. He had excellent analytical abilities and improvisation so it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to grasp Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Hao believed that he could observe the direction of Grid¡¯s feet during the sword dance and cope with it, allowing him to easily win.


    At that moment.


    Teong!


    Grid stepped forward. The weight on his leg was different from simply moving.It was the precursor of Kill and Pinnacle.


    Hao quickly identified it and moved his right foot backwards. He watched clearly how Grid¡¯s feet moved and took preliminary actions to cope with a stab or avoidance.At this point, Grid moved forward again. He narrowed the distance to Hao more than necessary.


    ¡®Pinnacle!¡¯


    Hao detected it!Hao didn¡¯t want to confront it with his low health and took one step back.He chose to take evasive action. At the same time.


    Sakak-!


    Grid¡¯s sword moved through the area where Hao had just been standing.It was an attack with more sharpnesspared to using blunt weapons. A smile appeared on Hao¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    It was time to counterattack.Hao moved his right foot in a wide manner. The spear in his hand stretched out like a sh.It was aimed precisely at Grid¡¯s heart.Hao was confident that he wouldpletely stab Grid. But at that moment.Grid¡¯s sword falling towards the ground stopped in the air. The moment Hao came closer to Grid.The descending strike was converted into a stab.


    Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Puk!


    Hao¡¯s spear stabbed at Grid¡¯s chest.


    Puoook!


    Grid¡¯s sword pierced Hao¡¯s heart.Of course, Grid was faster. Before Hao could reim the spear, Grid retrieved the sword and attacked a second time.It was possible because the length of the sword was shorter than the spear.


    Seokeok!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Hao¡¯s shoulder was cut. Grid recovered his sword again and Hao, who already finished retrieving his spear, btedly struck a second time. Hao tried to maintain hisposure. If he could hit two more times, they would return to the starting point. Therefore, he decided not to fret. However, Hao¡¯s second blow didn¡¯t hit.


    Jjejeong!


    Just before Hao¡¯s spear reached his chest. Grid turned his sword in the air and blocked Hao¡¯s spear. Revolve.


    ¡¯What happened?¡¯


    Hao¡¯s eyes twitched. Not only did Grid¡¯s swordsmanship became more diverse, but it was surprising since it was linked at a faster timing than before. It might be a small change when other people saw it. But in Hao¡¯s case, he was directly dealing with Grid and Grid seemed to have been transformed into a different person.


    Hao was confused.


    "Sword dance, sword dance. It is no wonder that a sword is more appropriate for it than a blunt weapon.¡±


    Grid informed him of the situation. That¡¯s right. Grid changed the moment he switched from a blunt weapon to a sword. Now he was showing off his true talent.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose with a sword!¡¯


    From the beginning, Grid saw Hao as a tough opponent. Thus, he was keenly looking for a sword from the moment the battle began. On the other hand, Hao saw Grid as below him. He wasn¡¯t obsessed with the sword at first.


    ¡®This is the result of carelessness!¡¯


    Hao realized the difference between himself and Grid. Grid was humble, while Hao was arrogant. This difference showed in the current results. Hao thought so. But the reality was somewhat different. Hao used various weapons thanks to Weapons Mastery. He was skilled with all weapons because of his excellent talent. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t obsessed with a specific weapon. On the other hand, Grid had no talent like Hao. He used a variety of weapons but he wasn¡¯t ustomed to weapons other than swords. Therefore, he had no confidence with other weapons. This was why he was so obsessed with the sword.


    One who had talent and one who had not. The two of them were divided here. It wasn¡¯t because Grid was humble. It was a truth that no one knew.


    ¡®I can¡¯t win.¡¯


    Hao judged. He sensed it the moment Grid used two sword dances in a row.


    ¡®Achieving suchplicated sword dances with the stats of this body... His talent isparable to Kraugel.¡¯


    The difference between heaven and earth! Hao was enlightened and abandoned the weapon on his hand.


    ¡°I lost. Kill me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Grid was confused when his opponent surrendered at the end. ¡°Why are you surrendering? Shouldn¡¯t you umte as much damage on me as possible, even if you lose?¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve done this if I hated you.¡±


    Hao had a great liking for Grid. That¡¯s why he visited South Korea. He didn¡¯t want to cause damage to Grid by fighting to the end. He wanted to cheer on Grid rather than grab at Grid¡¯s ankle. Grid noticed his heart and smiled.


    ¡°You are truly Pon. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This guy, he still didn¡¯t know Hao¡¯s identity despite fighting for so long? Hao became frustrated once he realized how weak his presence was.


    ¡®My skills arecking.¡¯


    Hao was once Grid¡¯s enemy. If Grid had been impressed by Hao, it would¡¯ve been possible for him to identify Hao in this match. But Grid didn¡¯t know Hao¡¯s identity. It meant Hao didn¡¯t leave an intense impression on Grid. Hao med himself for beingcking. But it wasn¡¯t true. The reason why Grid mistook Hao as Pon wasn¡¯t because he trivialized Hao¡¯s ability. It was the opposite.


    "How about it? You are Pon right? Only Pon can use the spear in such an amazing manner.¡±


    ¡°...Haha, I am Hao.¡±


    A big smile appeared on Hao¡¯s face.


    ***


    -Hao is pathetic!


    -Surrendering without fighting to the end...!It¡¯s the disgrace of a great nation!


    The Chinese viewers were indignant. The top ranker of China was defeated by the ranker of a ¡®small country.¡¯


    -Hao should be banished forever from China!


    -Right!It is uneptable for a representative of 1.5 billion people to kneel to a Korean representative!The entire world is watching as China surrenders to South Korea!It¡¯s an absolute disgrace!!!


    -Banish Hao!


    -Send him to the trash!


    The Inte was in chaos. The Chinese people were angry on variousmunities and socialworks. Of course, this wasn¡¯t all Chinese people. But some people disgraced the country of China with their selfishness and arrogance.


    -I pity Hao.


    -Yes.How many medals has Hao obtained for China so far...One result has caused him to be called aplete traitor.


    -Aren¡¯t they particrly sensitive because Grid is Korean?The Chinese seem to ignore South Korea quite a bit.


    -Why are they taking thepetition between Grid and Hao like thepetition between South Korea and China?It¡¯s a solo exhibition anyway.


    -That¡¯s right.What does a person¡¯s nationality matter?


    The moment whenizens of each country were using some of the Chineseizens, the Koreanizens felt a great deal of pleasure.


    -God Grid alone can turn the continent upside down. ???? Really amazing.


    -South Koreans seemed to be gically excellent.Our poption isn¡¯t high, but one person in each field is always unique.


    -Ah, I really like Grid.Thanks to Grid, I¡¯m happy at every National Competition.


    -Eh?What is this?


    -Wow.It is big.


    The people watching Battlefield grew restless. As Grid and Hao were facing each other, an Australian representative aimed at Grid through the bushes. Just before Grid was caught off guard.


    -Avoid it!


    -Notice it!


    No matter how fast theizens typed or the shouts of the audience, the contents couldn¡¯t reach Grid. Grid was thinking if it was better to kill Hao, who already acknowledged defeat, or team up with Hao. Then.


    Teong!


    An arrow flew through the bushes and hit Grid.


    [You have suffered 2 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    High destructive power! Grid turned a perplexed gaze in the direction that the arrow came from.


    ¡°Take this. If you beat me then you better win.¡±


    Hao handed the blue booklet to Grid and rushed through the bushes.


    Puk!


    An arrow struck Hao¡¯s chest. Now Hao¡¯s health fell below 3. His vision started blinking red as a warning. However, Hao didn¡¯t stop. He moved urately in the direction of the arrow and stabbed the spear in the opponent who ambushed Grid.


    ¡°Shit...! I thought I could eat for free! Aren¡¯t you enemies?¡±


    The Australian representative shook as he was stabbed by the spear. He was also in a state of low health from fighting against other representatives.


    Paaaat!


    Hao and the Australian representative turned grey at the same time.


    ¡°Hao!¡±


    Thanks to Hao, Grid preserved his health. There were now less than 400 people left on Battlefield.

 Chapter 743

    ¡°Reap what you sow...¡±


    Grid remembered how he treated Hao to jjampong when he came to South Korea. It was also 1,000 won more expensive than ordinary jjampong.


    ¡°I will repay this favor.¡±


    Grid vowed as he watched Hao turn to grey. He would live by killing many people in the future. He wouldn¡¯t sacrifice himself, but he realized it was better to help people in the proper limits.


    ¡®I will pay back those who helped me, like Hao!¡¯


    A heart full of evil intentions! Grid¡¯s intentions to advance weren¡¯t pure. However, he was developing. Grid was originally a person who hated the act of giving to others. But this was changing. It was bit by bit in the process of making friends, sharing with colleagues, sharing love with his family, and making new bones.


    ¡°...Thank you once again, Hao.¡±


    Grid confirmed the blue booklet that Hao gave him. It was a scripture. Hao had stopped by a shrine at the beginning of the game.


    "The next time you go to South Korea, I will treat you to more expensive jjampong...¡±


    Grid ced the scripture on one side of his inventory and approached the ce where Hao and the Australian representative had died. He was hoping they would drop items. Unfortunately, all five items that dropped were arrows.


    ¡®Not all items that you own will drop if you die. The drop rate is like Satisfy.¡¯


    The cleric couldn¡¯t use a bow. Grid took the arrows and moved to the rear of the cabin. The cabin was located at the edge of a cliff and a small vige could be seen beneath the cliff. This was the end of the forest.


    ¡®I should stop there and secure a few more swords.¡¯


    The Battlefield items also had durability like Satisfy. Every time he used it, the red gauge on the weapon was slightly reduced. Grid assumed that the item would be destroyed when the gauge disappeared. He needed extra weapons because half of the gauge was reduced when he fought against Hao.


    Grid decided and went down to the vige. He moved secretly and carefully so he wouldn¡¯t be seen by people in the vige.


    ***


    There was a small vige on the mini-map with the name of ¡®Caroline.¡¯ It was a vige located below a high altitude forest. Located on the outskirts of Battlefield, there were only nine small houses in this vige. Now in this ce.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Brazil¡¯s representative, Jishuka was isted. It was a mistake to stop by Caroline in order to get an item.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think a team would be hiding.¡¯


    As soon as she entered the vige, she was attacked by three people and barely survived. Now she had only 7 health left and her weapon was on the verge of breaking.


    ¡®If only I had a bow...¡¯


    Jishuka was a person praised as a godly archer. The weapon she was most familiar with was the bow. The bow was a tool to prove her true abilities. But she had no luck after entering Battlefield and couldn¡¯t see the bow.


    "Girl, you will die anyway, so don¡¯t waste time. Huh?¡±


    "What are you doing? You¡¯re also a representative of a country. Aren¡¯t you ashamed to hide like a rodent?¡±


    ¡°Or do you have no honor because you are the representative of a poor country? Kilkil.¡±


    The three men surrounded the house where Jishuka was hiding and shouted. For safer hunting, the French representatives provoked and attracted their prey. Those who were allies created a signal to confirm their identity immediately before essing Battlefield. Since then, they were lucky to find each other and had been working together as a team of three. The number of people they hunted in this small vige of Caroline had already reached 40 people.


    "...She isn¡¯ting out to the end.¡±


    "Dammit, we have to be careful. This woman is a ranker.¡±


    The French representatives trembled as they looked at their injuries. They were trying to hunt the women hiding in the house and suffered great damages. They were nervous. They had to deal with this fierce beast before starting the next hunt. Drain, the leader of the three men, calmed his teammates.


    "It¡¯s time for the supplies to fall. We can recover using the potions, but not her. Wait calmly. In the end, that woman will be nervous.¡±


    Time was on their side. The map might be narrower and they had to fight morepetitors, but there were three of them.


    "We will be thest three people.¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    "Yes, let¡¯s wait."


    His teammates leaned on Drain. He was always cool with facing the enemy and his unified ranking was as high as 10,000. His strength was also excellent. The moment that the French representatives believed they could be the final three with him.


    p.


    A parachute fell from the sky. It was a parachute loaded with a supplies box.


    ¡°It came!¡±


    "Potions!"


    The French representatives shifted their gaze to the sky at the same time. Fortunately, the supplies were falling near here. It was 40 meters away.


    Drain said, "You stay in your positions. I will bring the potions.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    "She isn¡¯t weak, so defend well.¡±


    Nod.


    Drain confirmed his colleagues¡¯ trustworthy answers and moved away. The ce where the supplies dropped was inside Caroline. Drain judged that the risk was low since they had upied this area for more than an hour.


    Indeed.


    ¡®There!¡¯


    The box of supplies was still in its ce. Drain smiled as he rushed out of the alley which had four houses side by side. Drain left the alley and his hand stretched out to grab the box of supplies.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Pipit!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Something sharp flew twice in a row and cut at Drain¡¯s hand. Drain was physically shocked from suffering 2 damage and missed the supplies box.


    ¡°What bastard...?¡±


    Someone sneaked into the vige without them knowing? Damn, they paid too much attention to the female high ranker. They didn¡¯t guard the boundaries. The angry Drain hurriedly pulled out a weapon. Then he swung it in the direction that the sword was flying.


    Jjejeong!


    The two sounds let out a loud sound as they collided in the air. Drain threatened the intruder.


    "I¡¯m a warrior...! I¡¯m different from you who can only deal 1 damage!¡±


    Teong!


    Drain used all his strength to bounce the other sword back and then pushed against the opponent¡¯s hard shoulder. Once the opponent lost his bnce, he wielded his sword. As a ranker in the top 10,000 of the unified rankings, he had excellentbat ability. However, the viewers watching this scene didn¡¯t admire Drain¡¯s abilities.


    Drain was ordinarypared to Hao, who was the main character of the screen a while ago. The intruder he was dealing with right now was the 2nd ranked on the unified rankings, who even beat Hao.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Kwakakakang!


    ¡°What?¡±


    The opponent naturally rotated his body as he was falling to block the attack and counterattack at the same time? Not only did Drain¡¯s blow fail to hit, he also suffered 1 damage. Now he realized.


    ¡®This guy is a high ranker...!¡¯


    The opponent was a different level from him. The top 5,000. No, maybe this ranker was in the top 1,000.


    ¡®I have no chance!¡¯


    He had to join his teammates. Drain judged and started running without looking back. He was heading to where his teammates were. He easily gave up the supplies box. Thanks to this, Grid could easily obtain the supplies.


    [One health potion has been acquired.]


    [Two mana potions has been acquired.]


    "There are three potions?¡±


    Grid especially weed the mana potion. This made it possible to use a few more scriptures in the future.


    ¡°A dog profit.¡±


    He could easily obtain this without receiving any harm! Grid wanted to hum but he was worried he might be discovered by someone else. He was about to search the houses when he stopped.


    "Kyaaaak!"


    It was because he heard a woman scream. The direction of the scream was the same direction that the man had run towards.


    ¡®Let¡¯s take a look.¡¯


    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to help the owner of the scream. He wanted to watch the people fighting among themselves and then profit from it.


    ***


    ¡°Dammit! We have to finish soon!¡±


    Drain was in a hurry after being struck by an unidentified high ranker and being deprived of the supplies box. His teammates thought it was strange since he was a leader who always kept his cool.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?"


    His teammates were uneasy. Rather than bringing back supplies like potions, Drain was wounded. They were worried about what the problem was. Drain aimed his sword at the door of the house where Jishuka was hiding and exined.


    ¡°Another high ranker appeared. He will obviously aim for us. We have to get rid of the woman in this house before hees.¡±


    They could run away and abandon the vige. However, the unforeseeable danger from moving to another ce was too great. Drain didn¡¯t want to leave this ce. Hispanions read his intentions and responded. One pulled out a mace and the other pulled out an axe. The three of them attacked the door at the same time.


    ¡°You guys...!¡±


    Jishuka hurriedly pulled out a sword from where she was hiding in the house. She intended to fight, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    Jjang!Jjejejeok!


    Puk!


    "Ohh!¡±


    It was a tough fight because she was attacked by three people in a small space. In particr, Jishuka wasn¡¯t proficient at closebat. It was absolutely impossible for her to overpower the French trio who had good control. In the end.


    "Kyaaaaak!"


    Jishuka suffered a series of critical blows and screamed. The pain and fear she received psychologically was tremendous as she was hit by the weapons. In particr, the French trio were warriors. Jishuka drank all the potions she secured in advance but she only had three health left.


    "It is really terrible.¡±


    ¡°This is the end.¡±


    Jishuka was also a warrior. The French representatives were also damaged by her fierce resistance. But it was finally over. The French representativespletely suppressed Jishuka. Now the fight would be over if Drain dealt thest blow. The moment Drain was about to stab Jishuka¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Tong!


    Teteteteng!


    Suddenly, there was an eerie voice behind them and the three French representatives were simultaneously hit.


    ¡®Wide area?¡¯


    The French representatives made disbelieving expressions. Weren¡¯t there no attack skills on Battlefield? How were they suddenly hit at the same time? As they turned their heads with trembling eyes, Grid retrieved his sword.


    "Three men shouldn¡¯t be mean enough to attack one girl. Come here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and Jishuka¡¯s eyes met across the French trio. The two of them immediately recognized each other. Jishuka used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship as a clue while Grid used her chest as a clue.


    ¡®Grid...!¡¯


    ¡®E cup...¡¯


    Grid was convinced the masked woman was Jishuka. Both the size and shape matched. He could tell even if he couldn¡¯t identify her face or voice. Grid know only one woman in the world with this ideal figure.


    Chaaeng!


    Grid swung his sword at Drain again, before pulling the bow and arrows out from his inventory and throwing them to Jishuka.


    "Fly up!¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡±


    The advent of the godly archer.


    ¡°A bow in this narrow ce...! Keok!¡±


    The arrows fired at the French representatives in session and Grid was able to finish them off easily. The moment the scattered bonds gathered together.


    -He¡¯spletely a prince on a white horse.


    -He¡¯s protecting his girl.


    -Jishuka is really sexy and pretty...I really envy Grid.


    Grid¡¯s anti-cafe members started to increase as much as his fan cafe members. It happened every year due to the men¡¯s jealousy.


    Finally, Battlefield was moving to the second half. The current number of survivors was 166.

 Chapter 744

    ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes were shining brightly behind the mask. She was happy that Grid recognized her instantly. It was a happiness that couldn¡¯t be satisfied even with her natural beauty and wealth.


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°That?¡±


    ¡°...I knew when I took a close look. Haven¡¯t we been together for a few years?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t answer honestly because he was concerned that he might be used of sexual harassment. His roundabout words would cause anyone else to be suspicious, but Jishuka justughed.


    "You recognized me despite changing my voice and covering my face...? Huhut.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? I¡¯m not a stalker. Please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was worried because he didn¡¯t understand Jishuka¡¯s mood. It was because he couldn¡¯t assume she liked him, when she had topped the list of women that men were attracted to for the third year in a row.


    [An axe has been acquired.]


    [A long sword has been acquired.]


    [A tanto has been acquired.]


    [A short bow has been acquired.]


    [Four arrows have been acquired.]


    [A ¡ï backpack ¡ï has been acquired.]


    [¡ï Backpack ¡ï]


    Hidden Item.


    Increases the maximum number of health potions and mana potions that can be held by one.


    ¡°Oh...?¡±


    The French trio had taken over Caroline and hunted numerouspetitors so they obtained plenty of good stuff. It was natural that Grid would see great benefits from killing them.


    Lulla~


    Grid hummed with pleasure and handed the bow and arrows to Jishuka.


    "The Red Phoenix Bow is more of a short bow than a great bow right? Use this as a recement.¡±


    "Grid, you¡¯re giving me this?¡±


    Jishuka had been thinking of returning the bow that she received before to Grid. It was originally Grid¡¯s item. Grid thought she didn¡¯t want to be in debt to him and exined with an ufortable expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m a cleric, so I can¡¯t use the bow.¡±


    ¡°Cleric?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jishuka naturally thought that Grid was a producer. Yet he was a cleric?


    "...You¡¯re not a magician or warrior? A cleric?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and a cleric. Was there anybination stranger than this? Grid shrugged at the confused Jishuka.


    "I would¡¯ve given it to you even if I could use the bow. Your archery is the best. Now drink this potion.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid had already made up his mind.


    "Jishuka, team up with me. Survive together.¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡±


    Jishuka smiled and nodded vigorously. This was a terrible survival game where only three yers could survive. She was relieved and happy that she could be with someone more reliable than anyone else.


    ***


    One and a half hours after Battlefield started.


    ¡º Now it¡¯s hard to see a solo exhibition. ¡»


    Most of the 166 survivors started teaming up. It was a natural phenomenon. As the number of survivors decreased, the participants in Battlefield could be identified rtively easily. They used their connections and ideas to hold hand with people of the same purpose.


    ¡º Battlefield is an event designed to just every yer¡¯s abilities... It¡¯s doubtful that the current flow is precisely what the S.A. Group wanted. ¡»


    It was clear that a solo exhibition had been transformed into a team game. While there were people who thought like this...


    ¡º Communication can also be considered to be an individual¡¯s ability. Anyone who can get apetent and trustworthy team in this difficult situation has already proven their worth. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem. ¡»


    Teaming up was also an ability. There was many people who weed the situation. Generally, there were more of thetter.


    -It¡¯s a survival game of three people, so it isn¡¯t strange to have teams of three.


    -The ability to enter a good team or not depends on personal capabilities.


    The Inte started to heat up. The 166 survivors were big names so the audience engagement increased. Who would be thest three among these strong people of each country? One person was for certain.


    ***


    The moment Battlefield started, many people escaped to the underpass. The rtively weak judged that it would be easier to defend in the dark andplex underground rather than the rtively open ground. After escaping to the underground, they picked the right terrain, hid themselves and took the ideal defense posture. It was with the belief that they would be safe for a limited time, unless the map disappeared. But it was wishful thinking.


    A disaster urred. The identity of this disaster was Sword Saint Kraugel.


    Dark visibility and narrow,plex terrain. From a general point of view, the underpass was a disadvantage to attackers. It was beneficial to the defenders that were established first. Other people didn¡¯t go underground but Kraugel¡¯s interpretation was different. Kraugel determined that it was possible toplete hunting in an enclosed underground space. The defenders lost items and lost escape routes in exchange for safety. He personally descended underground in order to knock downpetitors who would be a potential threat. All the people he encountered died.


    Words werecking to express the godly talent. Therefore, he was praised as the sky above the sky. In a battlefield of control, Kraugel was invincible. While people couldn¡¯t avoid his attacks, Kraugel neutralized attacks that came from all over the ce. He was definitely beyond the category of a human. He was like an absolute figure in a movie.


    ¡®Is it settled here?¡¯


    He seeded in defeating the hundreds ofpetitors in the underground. He was the only one remaining.


    Step, step.


    Kraugel was the only person to kill over one hundred of the 1,500 Battlefield participants. To be exact, it was 127 people. This was in a record one and a half hours.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Kraugel put all the usable items into his inventory and stopped as he was about to climb back up to the ground. The number of survivors had stopped at 166 for two minutes.


    ¡®Are they starting to form teams?¡¯


    Given the size of the field, it was too early to see a lull in the 166 yers remaining. Kraugel instantly realized that Battlefield was no longer a solo exhibition. Therefore.


    ¡®I have to wait.¡¯


    Wariness. What did he have to be afraid of when he was invincible? It was naturally Grid.


    ¡®Grid is likely to have assembled the Overgeared members.¡¯


    Kraugel was a person who appreciated Grid¡¯s potential from the time when Grid hadn¡¯t yet been acknowledged by the world. He was always wary of Grid. Control, speed, andmunication were all considered. As a result of this calction, he judged that he had low chances of winning at the moment. If Grid gathered the top talents of the Overgeared Guild then even Kraugel would suffer.


    ¡®I will wait.¡¯


    Kraugel hid in the darkness of the underground. He was prepared to wait until the number of survivors decreased further. In the meantime, he would knock down anyone who came underground.


    ***


    It had been two and a half hours since Battlefield started. There were only 30 minutes left and the map had shrunk by a thirdpared to the beginning. The surviving 32 participants struggled while Kraugel also prepared to move from the underground.


    ¡°My Lord...!¡±


    The ne containing the Mongolia representatives. As soon as he entered the Battlefield, he cast a wide area taunt and was honored to be the ¡®first¡¯... No, Huroi suffered a bitter cup of hardships. He was watching Grid on the monitor. Since joining up with Jishuka, Grid¡¯s team had focused on securing arrows and scriptures. On the other hand, the other survivors had teams of at least three to five. Kraugel was alone, but he was an outlier.


    ¡°My Lord is at a disadvantage...!¡±


    If only he waspetent! When he first logged onto Battlefield, he should¡¯ve sworn at only one person instead of using a wide range provocation.


    "If I did, I would¡¯ve been by My Lord¡¯s side right now! It¡¯s an irreversible mistake!¡±


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    The other Mongolian representatives sighed with relief at his words. If Hurio had survived and kept cursing, they thought that Mongolia would¡¯ve been disgraced. They thought it was good that Huroi was eliminated early.


    ***


    [After two minutes, this space on the mini-map will disappear.]


    Beep beep!


    The intervals between the warning windows gradually shortened. The survivors found it hard to find a space to hide. The distance between each other narrowed until they could see each other among several small buildings.


    "Now the real fight will start.¡±


    ¡°There is no party greater than ours.¡±


    The 32 survivors were filled with confidence. In particr, the party of Regas, Pon, and Lauel were amazing. The strongest party thatbined the best brain and best control. They believed that they could fight any opponent and win. In fact, they had consecutive winning streaks until now. No one could stop their momentum.


    ¡°Huhuhut... Even His Majesty can¡¯t stop us.¡±


    Lauel gave a wickedugh. In fact, the viewers recognized these three as candidates for the championship. They thought that even Kraugel couldn¡¯t win. So far, the abilities that Pon, Regas, and Lauel showed were great. But they had a poison. It was Grid.


    ¡°Everybody listen!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The survivors gazed at one side after hearing a voice. There was a duo consisting of a man and woman. The man was shouting.


    "From now on, I will make an item for anyone who surrenders!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who was suddenly saying such nonsense? As everyone was feeling confused, Lauel paled.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating...!¡±


    ¡°I am the Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The survivors started to shake.

 Chapter 745

    28 minutes until Battlefield ended.


    The Battlefield map had undergone a lot of destruction and the only area left was ¡®Trion.¡¯


    Trion was a small town with five six-story buildings and around 40 one-story houses. The boxes and drums left in the alleys, therge fountain in the central square, and the side roads created a number of variables by serving as cover. The six-story buildings were connected with clotheslines that were exceptionally thick and sturdy.


    Like the other survivors, Grid was forced to move into a tree.


    ¡®The odds are low.¡¯


    Why? Grid had only teamed up with Jishuka, while the other survivors had at least three team members. There was even a team with five people.


    ¡®Most of the people here are rankers.¡¯


    Considering that Kraugel, Chris, and Pon would be present, Grid wasn¡¯t convinced of his superiority. In such a situation, the numerical disadvantage was a huge burden. Above all, the biggest problem was the narrow map.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to find a sniping point.¡¯


    Grid was a cleric. The warrior Jishuka had to perform the role of damage dealer. She currently had a total of 136 arrows. Theoretically, it could exert sufficient attack power. However, the bow was a weapon that showed its true power when a certain distance was secured.


    ¡®For Jishuka to be active here... We must enter a high building...¡¯


    It would be easy to enter a building. However, as soon as Jishuka settled on a high floor and started shooting, it was obvious that thepetitors¡¯ aggro would be concentrated on her.


    ¡®I have to guard the stairs to give Jishuka time to deal with them.¡¯


    However, clotheslines connected buildings. People could use the clotheslines toe from the building next door. It was impossible to contain all of them at the same time.


    ¡®In the first ce, I don¡¯t know if I can protect the stairs.¡¯


    They had a numerical disadvantage and it was an environment where Jishuka couldn¡¯t fully demonstrate her archery. In the end, he came to the conclusion that he must y passively.


    ¡®I should look at the flow...¡¯


    Even that seemed difficult. The otherpetitors were already paying attention to Grid and Jishuka. It was because they were alone. They were branded as rtively easy prey. As soon as the lull was over, Grid and JIshuka were destined to be chased.


    ¡®Shit, these rotten bastards. Why are they pushing me to this point?¡¯


    Now Grid was familiar with the camera. He had awareness as an influential person in society. He was inwardlyining but had a poker face on the surface. Jishuka¡¯s murmur was heard in his ears.


    ¡°Indeed... Everyone who has survived to the end is skilled enough to team up. It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    "Skilled?¡±


    Was forming a team also a merit?


    ¡°How can it... Ah?¡±


    Then Grid realized something.


    ¡¯That¡¯s right, it is a skill.¡¯


    In Battlefield, a solo exhibition wasn¡¯t a ¡®rule.¡¯ There was no provision that they couldn¡¯t form a team. That¡¯s why Grid teamed up with Jishuka.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t easy to form a team.¡¯


    How easy was it to turnpetitors into teammates? It was virtually impossible to build a team here in Battlefield unless they had extraordinarypetence or had a special charm. A person who didn¡¯t have skills couldn¡¯t get a team. Grid shook the moment he realized this.


    ¡®The means of proving my skills to people is far more diverse than I thought. I don¡¯t have to be obsessed with just showing offbat skills.¡¯


    Proof. That¡¯s right. Grid recognized Battlefield as a ce to prove himself. It was a game where everyone else was in the same situation. Grid wanted to prove himself to people by surviving to the end. The rankers had pure talent who didn¡¯t rely only on his items or ss. Grid hoped that he would be perceived as equal to those people. Foolishly, he confined his talents tobat ability. He waspelled to show he had better control skills. But not now. A ranker¡¯s skills weren¡¯t just aboutbat ability. It was much more diverse.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show them.¡¯


    Grid had skills. He would show everyone in the world why he could rise to this ce. A smile crossed Grid¡¯s face. He found the answer and shouted without hesitation.


    ¡°Everybody listen! Surrender! From now on, I will make an item for anyone who surrenders!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was awkward silence as the yers in the trees tensed up. The survivors looked at each other with bewildered expressions.


    ¡®What nonsense is this?¡¯


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    ¡°I am the Overgeared King!¡±


    In the confusion, Grid revealed his identity. He announced himself as the legendary cksmith. He would take advantage of this ability to win. This was Grid¡¯s ¡®pure talent¡¯ that he advertised to the world and it was the proof of his petence.¡¯


    ¡°This is a rare opportunity. Why are you hesitating to surrender?¡±


    Grid was confident. There were few people who could resist his temptations. It was actually the case. The survivors started buzzing.


    ¡®Grid?¡¯


    ¡¯That bastard, pulling out something like this to win.¡¯


    ¡®But think about it. Isn¡¯t it much better to surrender and earn items than to lose everything after failing to win an uncertain victory?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s true. How easy is it to gain items that Grid produces? Doesn¡¯t it go up to a legendary rating?¡¯


    ¡®He can even make growth rated items.¡¯


    Gulp!


    The survivors started to realize what a wise choice it was. They bit the bait.


    ¡º ... ¡»


    Thementators were silent. The atmosphere of the survivors as they looked at each other showed they were willing to surrender. Looking at it objectively, there were few reasons not to surrender.


    ¡º Why is this result...? ¡»


    Onementator broke the silence. He wanted to ry a fierce and cool final match so he didn¡¯t wee Grid¡¯s position. But he couldn¡¯t condemn it. The way that Grid caused the survivors to feel conflicted wasn¡¯t lousy. It was a strategy that caused admiration.


    ¡º It¡¯s a shame to those watching but... I have to acknowledge it. Grid is a wise person. He¡¯s resourceful. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. I never imagined he would use his ability to make items in order to manipte the survivors. It¡¯s a strategy I couldn¡¯t imagine. ¡»


    Currently, the survivors were ying the game called Battlefield. Wasn¡¯t it cheating for Satisfy to intervene here? There were few people who thought this. In the end, the survivors were Satisfy yers and Satisfy was the reason why they joined Battlefield. It was natural for Grid to use his influence in Satisfy to survive.


    Just.


    -Nobody did this except for Grid...


    -They didn¡¯t use it because they couldn¡¯t.If it wasn¡¯t Grid, who else can make the survivors surrender?


    -You¡¯re right.


    -Really amazing.He will win without fighting.


    -I felt it from the beginning, but Grid¡¯s wit is really great.He doesn¡¯t have enough strength?It isn¡¯t that either.He even beat Hao.He¡¯s a perfectbination of intelligence and strength.He¡¯s exceptional among the high rankers.


    -He also has the quality of an alpha, allowing him to be the first king.There seems to be a huge difference between the Grid we know and the actual Grid.


    -That¡¯s right.We only got a few glimpses of him from videos and the National Competition.If we watch by his side...


    -...There will be a huge liking towards him.Look at the members of Overgeared.I know why the Overgeared members are so loyal to Grid now.


    -Isn¡¯t this why Pope Damian likes Grid?


    The praise continued. They urately saw Grid. He proved his abilities and his value to people.


    Now.


    -I don¡¯t think there will be any more fools ignoring Grid.


    Grid was reborn as aplete existence. Just like Kraugel who Grid so envied.


    ***


    "Now, what is everyone¡¯s choice?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know the outside situation and was only focused on right now. He was expecting a few of the 30 survivors, apart from Jishuka, to surrender to him.


    ¡®Maybe not everyone will surrender?¡¯


    Grid was well aware of the value of his production items. Thus, he used his items as a means of transaction and diplomacy. He believed it would work again this time. He knew most of the survivors coveted his items and would surrender. But there was a problem.


    Putting aside Grid and Jishuka, 14 of the 30 survivors were Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were able to get Grid¡¯s items even if they didn¡¯t surrender here. This was the part that Grid overlooked. It was evidence of his stillcking intelligence.


    An achievement was an achievement. Just as Grid aspired to win, the Overgeared members also wanted to win.


    ¡°That Grid is fake!¡± Lauel shouted. ¡°There is no way to prove that he is Grid! Don¡¯t be confused!¡±


    He loved Grid. He wanted to bepanions for all his life. This was Lauel¡¯s true heart. Lauel really liked Grid. That¡¯s why he had been by Grid¡¯s side for so many years and wanted to be with him in the future. But he clearly distinguished between priorities. Lauel never thought about giving up victory just because he liked Grid. He also wanted to win. He would do his best to win. It was for himself and the people of his country.


    It wasn¡¯t just Lauel. It was the same for the other Overgeared members.


    "That¡¯s right! Grid isn¡¯t that kind!¡±


    ¡°Grid isn¡¯t that kind!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    All of a sudden, a wave spread! Grid was confused by the unexpected development while the survivors, who were misled by Grid¡¯s proposal¡¯ felt overwhelmed.


    "That¡¯s right. Maybe it is someone pretending to be Grid. I almost made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, will Grid really make us a ¡®free¡¯ item if we win?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean I would make it for free...¡±


    ¡°That person isn¡¯t Grid!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Grid had no chance to talk. The Overgeared members kept interrupted when Grid tried to talk.


    Jishukaughed. "Indeed, our kids aren¡¯t that easy.¡±


    "What? They are Overgeared members?¡±


    "Yes, just look.¡±


    ¡°You stupid bastards!¡±


    Grid was irritated but he was smiling proudly. He liked that his colleagues were doing their best in their respective positions.


    ¡®Yes, if you want, then let¡¯s fight to the end.¡¯


    He would fight fairly like they wanted. The moment Grid became prepared.


    "I won¡¯t surrender... I want to join your team. Will you make me an item in return?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    In the middle of the bustling atmosphere, a man opened his mouth. He was alone. Unlike the other survivors, he didn¡¯t have a team. Everyone¡¯s gaze focused on the man. As if he was ustomed to attracting attention, the man approached Grid.


    "You have two people, so it won¡¯t be a problem if I join?¡±


    The man moved right in front of Grid.


    Grid asked him, "Is it okay? I just pulled a lot of aggro because of this turmoil. Won¡¯t it be dangerous to team up with us?¡±


    The man snorted.


    "Who would be afraid with you and I together?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who was this guy? The moment Grid cocked his head with confusion.


    -Cra...Crazy....I can only say that it is crazy...


    -Really ???? It is an unthinkable development.


    -Isn¡¯t this the dream team?


    The audience became excited. Themunity sites around the world were rmed, as if they heard about Earth¡¯s destruction. Amentator shouted.


    ¡º K-Kraugel...! Sword Saint Kraugel has announced his intentions to join Overgeared King Grid! ¡»


    That¡¯s right. The only person who didn¡¯t pass up Grid¡¯s production item was the sky above the sky. The strongest person beyond the standards of a human.


    ¡°Why are you here...?¡±


    As Grid looked stunned, the world sensed it.


    Battlefield. It would end soon. Thest three had already been set.

 Chapter 746

    "Who would be afraid with you and I together?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who was this guy? Grid felt deja vu as he saw the man who intended to join his team. It felt like he had seen the man somewhere before. Then someone popped up in his head.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Grid denied it. The man he thought of wouldn¡¯t be someone tempted by items.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see the other teamsing?¡±


    The participants were heading towards Grid. They didn¡¯t want Grid to form a team of three like them. They had to act quickly before the three people could team up.


    Ping!


    Piiing!


    There was a flood of arrows. Four arrows shot from various ce flew towards Grid, Jishuka, and the unknown man.


    "Che!"


    Things had be twisted. He ended up getting more aggro. Grid clicked his tongue and avoided an arrow. He would¡¯ve been pierced by it if his reaction time was 0.5 secondster. Meanwhile, an arrow was stuck in Jishuka¡¯s forearm. She couldn¡¯t avoid the arrow like Grid. In addition.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The unidentified man struck two arrows with his sword. Grid, Jishuka, and the survivors admired the skill involved.


    ¡°You...!¡± Grid was forced to admit it. He knew the identity of the man who wanted to join his team. ¡°Kraugel...?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...Why are you here?¡±


    Yes, the sky above the sky. A person whobined skills with confidence!


    Kraugel exined to the confused Grid. ¡°Why am I here? Did you think I would be eliminated?¡±


    "No, I don¡¯t mean that. Running over here for an item doesn¡¯t match with you.¡±


    "Should I shake from a lofty position? I¡¯m not stupid enough to turn a blind eye to a golden opportunity because of dignity.¡±


    "Really? Even the great sky above the sky is like this?¡±


    Grid¡¯s rivalry with Kraugel was beyond imagination. Kraugel¡¯s attitude of not even blinking when the enemies were rushing here was hateful. He could even afford to rx in a situation like this? Grid grumbled towards Kraugel.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Another arrow flew and stuck in Grid¡¯s side. He frowned as he received 2 damage and shouted to Jishuka.


    ¡°Let¡¯s first take refuge in a nearby building!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Grid and Jishuka didn¡¯t hesitate. They rushed into a building that was right behind them. On the other hand, Kraugel was standing in the wrong ce. Behind him was a group of 20 enemies flocking like dogs.


    Grid hurriedly eximed, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving?¡±


    "Do you ept me as a team member?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡± Had Kraugel been waiting for an answer? In this urgent situation? "This jerk...! Hey! Do I have a choice other than to join hands? Come quickly!¡±


    By this time.


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Step.


    Kraugel started moving. But it was already toote. He was surrounded by four enemies.


    "Where are you going?¡±


    "Do you think we will let you join hands?¡±


    There were only three final winners! The participants in Battlefield were obliged to disqualify otherpetitors and it was wise to choose the rtively weak prey to be eliminated. Grid had only two people in his team and the unidentified man who hadn¡¯t yet joined them was alone. It was natural that they would be the first targets.


    But.


    Sakak!


    Chukakakakak!


    ¡°Keok..!¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    One lone man was stronger than a group of 100. Number wasn¡¯t a measure of power. Kraugel fought back while avoiding the four attacks, causing each of the four people to look like they had seen a ghost as they suffered 2 damage. They suddenly realized it.


    What was the identity of the lone man?


    ¡°The sky above the sky...!¡±


    ¡°Crazy...!¡±


    Cries of shock were heard everywhere. The momentum of the group chasing Grid stopped. It was an incredible sight. The top rankers representing each other were overwhelmed by one person and standing as stiff as a stone statue. The impact of the viewers watching this was veryrge.


    -A different dimension... Could anything else be said?


    Kraugel stood alone. He stood between dozens ofpetitors and the building that Grid and Jishuka entered. But he wasn¡¯t like a moth in front of amp. He was looking down at the other people from a high position. No one was able to rush at Kraugel. It seemed like the winner was already Kraugel.


    At that moment.


    ¡°Kraugel! I¡¯m d!¡± Among the crowd of dogs, a man rushed out. He was also a tiger. He took out the ws that he had been hiding among the dogs. "It is the first time I canpete with you on an equal footing. I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    The man cried out childishly. He was a top ranker of the Overgeared Guild and represented the United Kingdom, Regas. Kraugel noticed his identity based on personality andughed.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem like an equal footing.¡±


    He was referring to the group Regas had been part of.


    Step.


    Kraugel took one step.


    Step.


    He took another step. In no time, he had reached the entrance of the building that Grid and Jishuka had entered.


    "If you¡¯re really serious about fighting with me, chase after me.¡±


    Kraugel knew Regas¡¯ nature. Once he said this provocative words as he entered the building, Regas would have to chase after him.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Please wait!¡± Lauel shouted but it was useless. In Regas¡¯ eyes, only Kraugel was visible. He had already entered the building. ¡°Shit...! That stupid fool! Chase after him!¡±


    The moment Lauel and Pon were going to enter the building.


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    Arrows flew from above and pierced Lauel and Pon¡¯s shoulders. The arrows were perfectly fired. Pon and Lauel were reminded of one person.


    ¡°Jishuka?¡±


    A light shed through their heads. In their field of view...


    "Hi~ nice to see you kids.¡±


    A woman sat on the window and pulled her bow. It was the woman who had been standing by Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined!¡¯


    Lauel and Pon had a hunch.


    "You should raise your hands if you don¡¯t want your head to be broken.¡±


    Jishuka made a surprise announcement and started firing rapidly. It was terrible for the people on the ground. Most of them were members of Overgeared and recognized Jishuka. They avoided the falling arrows by sticking close to the wall of the building and exchanged opinions.


    "Shit, Jishuka secured high ground.¡±


    ¡°We were too rxed. We have to get out of that witch¡¯s sight.¡±


    "No, Iet¡¯s go into the building like that fighting idiot before. In any case, we have no choice but to work together.¡±


    A party consisting of Grid, Jishuka, and Kraugel. They hated to admit it, but it was the best party. Unless they cooperated, there was no way to stop the trio.


    ¡°First join forces to get rid of those three and then we willpete. How about it?¡±


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be too bad to form an alliance? Won¡¯t the viewers criticize us?"


    Someone expressed their concern. The rankers who represented their country were really nervous about their image. Someone replied to the hesitating participant.


    ¡°Are we are ones who are wrong? Isn¡¯t it a foul for those three to join together?¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡±


    "Nobody would call us names.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Then let¡¯s enter the building!¡±


    "We will move to the building next door! We can use the clothesline!¡±


    It was obvious that Kraugel and Grid would be guarding the stairs. It would be a tough fight because it was a difficult structure to try a pincer attack. But they had overwhelming numbers.


    ¡®As time goes by, Grid¡¯s party will reach the limits of their health and will eventually fall.¡¯


    Confidence! Momentum!


    The participants smiled with satisfaction and started moving in teams. Those who were confident in theirbat skills entered straight into the building where Grid¡¯s party was. Those with bows and arrows moved to the next building and secured sniping spots. They would use the window to fire at Grid¡¯s party and help their allies. Some also nned to use the clothesline to infiltrate.


    The viewers watched them move and started sweating.


    -The purpose of the event seems to have changed a lot...


    -...


    Battlefield was no longer a battlefield. It was catch Grid¡¯s team! This was what the game had be. Thementators called it a natural phenomenon.


    ¡º It¡¯s the destiny of a strong person to rally the weak. ¡»


    ¡º I wonder how long Grid, Kraugel, and Jishuka willst. ¡»


    ¡º It doesn¡¯t matter how great the three of them are, they can¡¯t beat all these rankers. They were all intimidated by Kraugel, but look at Regas now. Isn¡¯t he fighting well? He might beat Kraugel alone. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it counterproductive to gather too strong team members? Grid¡¯s party will surprisingly be the first to fall... Heok? ¡»


    Thementators hurriedly shut up. It was because while they were speaking a few words, Regas was in a fatal condition. Regas seemed so strong throughout the game, but now he was losing to Kraugel. At first, it seemed like a close match, but now he was beingpletely overwhelmed.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Incredible. How did you be so strong?¡±


    The injured Regas. On the narrow stairs, he struggled with Kraugel and foresaw his loss. Kraugel thought it was absurd.


    ¡®Does this man really want to win against me?¡¯


    There was a reason why Kraugel had this question. Regas was fighting with his bare hands. That¡¯s right. Regas fought Kraugel without a weapon. It was because he was a martial artist. He chose the warrior ss that dealt 1 damage with bare hands and believed he could show his true skills without a weapon. That¡¯s why he fought on Battlefield with his fists. Of course, the same applied when dealing with Kraugel.


    ¡°...¡±


    The Overgeared members were really great people in several ways. Kraugel dealt the final blow to Regas.


    ¡°Kuk...! Truly the sky above the sky!¡±


    Regas expressed his admiration as he turned to grey! The viewers mourned and felt admiration for Regas who fought in Battlefield with his bare hands. Then Kraugel faced the next crisis. 10 enemies wereing.


    ¡®I have surprisingly lost a lot of health.¡¯


    Regas¡¯s fists and kicks had dealt five blows to Kraugel. He decided that he shouldn¡¯t ignore the skills of the top-level talents and gripped his sword.


    ¡°Leave this ce to me. Go protect Jishuka.¡±


    "Grid, you...¡±


    Kraugel became speechless. Grid btedly appeared in front of him. He was holding 10 scriptures in his hands.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    The advancing enemies were amazed at the sight. Grid stood on the stairs and dered, ¡°I am the Overgeared King?¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 747

    "...Are those scriptures?¡±


    "No way...but the design is really simr.¡±


    The people climbing the stairs with dignity. They were just as good as Regas. They were the strongest people who everyone in the world knew. They survived to the end for a reason. It was natural for them to be filled with confidence. They didn¡¯t doubt that if they united their strengths, they would be able to win rtively easily. The characters in Battlefield only had 20 health. The maximum number of potions held was only two, so it was natural to think they would win. Until they witnessed over 10 scriptures in Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡®This crazy guy...¡¯


    ¡®Did he only collect scriptures throughout the game?¡¯


    A thin booklet with a blue cover. The identity of Grid¡¯s items was definitely a scripture. The scriptures, which were difficult for the other weak clerics to secure even a single one... The eyes of the people present shook. In the awkward silence, someone opened their mouth.


    "Brother Grid, it¡¯s great that you are here. It¡¯s amazing. You have been only looking for scriptures? I know who important it is for a person to persevere every time I see you.¡±


    Ibellin, a member of Overgeared,ughed after speaking to Grid. There weren¡¯t many people who called him ¡®brother¡¯ so Grid recognized Ibellin straight away.


    ¡°Oh, Ibellin? You survived?¡±


    "I was lucky. I was able to survive because so many people were eliminated earlier.¡±


    "Is it lucky that you are here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    The fact that Grid secured arge number of scriptures was confusing. No, it was almost the level of a disaster. At least 10 scriptures. Using simple maths, it meant Grid had 100 health. If he had two potions as well, Grid would have almost six lives. But in the end, he was a cleric.


    Clink!


    Ibellin opened his inventory and took out a magic wand. It was a weapon that dealt 3 damage.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Heok.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡±


    Grid and the other people temporarily allied with Ibellin were amazed. It was the first time they saw a magic wand, the strongest weapon in Battlefield. Ibellinughed brightly as the magic wand illuminated with magic power.


    "Isn¡¯t the game about items?¡±


    "...I raised a tiger cub.¡±


    Grid started sweating. There was an atmosphere of death. All the viewers and the allied forces shrank back.


    Ibellin was the same.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Ibellin was well aware that Grid¡¯s power was much better than what was known. He had watched Grid¡¯s growth right next to him. Ibellin still vividly remembered.


    In the Mystery Forest, Grid had fought Pagma¡¯s doppelganger 83 times before finally winning.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give Brother a chance!¡¯


    He had to break Grid from the beginning. The momentum of the ¡®monster¡¯ called Grid rose as time passed. The determined Ibellin wielded his magic wand.


    Jeeeeeong!


    The railing of the stairs broke. It was the railing where Grid had been standing just before.


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Grid barely avoided the attack and made a dumbfounded expression. He was impressed by the power. The other people saw it and thought.


    ¡®He¡¯s definitely shrinking back.¡¯


    Was it due to the obsession that he shouldn¡¯t be hit by the magic wand? Just now, Grid¡¯s eyes were only focused on Ibellin as he avoided the attack. He did his best to avoid the magic wand. His eyes were only chasing after the magic wand. It was obvious that all his nerves were concentrated on the magic wand.


    ¡®This is our chance!¡¯


    Grid was currently distracted by Ibellin¡¯s magic wand. The other rankers saw the best opportunity. They realized the right timing was when Ibellin wielded his magic wand again.


    Then.


    Wuuong!


    Ibellin¡¯s magic wand moved in arge circle and magic aimed at Grid.


    ¡¯Now!¡¯


    Three of the top rankers moved at the same time. They jumped up the narrow stairs and waved their weapons. They swung their weapons in the direction that Grid moved to avoid the magic wand.


    ¡®Perfect!¡¯


    Conviction passed through the minds of the rankers.


    "No...!¡±


    Ibellin noticed the crisis. He noticed it from the moment he missed his second attack. Grid didn¡¯t shrink back at all despite his outside appearance. Grid¡¯sposure was still perfect. It was evidence that he was tracking Ibellin¡¯s attack orbit and reacting. But even Ibellin, who was directlypeting with Grid, only noticed at the very end. The other rankers couldn¡¯t read Grid¡¯s real intentions. He was ying around.


    Grid looked at the three swords heading towards their escape points and smiled. He had already used the movements of Revolve to avoid Ibellin¡¯s attack.


    Sururuk.


    ¡°?!¡±


    The eyes of the three people attacking Grid widened. Grid reacted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, turning to avoid two of the three attacks.


    Teong!


    The stairs were too cramped for five people. Grid was tangled up in the three people and used the weight of their shoulders to push them away.


    ¡°Eh? Ohhh.¡±


    The three people in an unsecure position were pushed back a few steps.


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    A chill went down the spines of the three people. It felt like that feet were stepping on thin air. That¡¯s right. They were pushed to the ledge that Ibellin created. The result?


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaah!¡±


    Kwajak!


    Ku tang tang tang!


    Falling down.


    All three of them fell from the fourth floor to the first floor, suffering 10 damage each. It was a critical wound that couldn¡¯t be ovee with one potion. Grid spoke to the enemies who were looking nk.


    ¡°There is no room for carelessness. Isn¡¯t this the basics?¡±


    Grid¡¯s previously shaken eyes looked different. They were sharp like a bird of prey. The Overgeared members, including Ibellin, knew these eyes. It was the eyes of their king.


    Gulp!


    It was unknown if this was Battlefield or Satisfy. Ibellin was frightened and stepped back. His attitude was like he wasn¡¯t holding a magic wand in his hand. The moment that Grid stabbed him without hesitation.


    Teeeeeong!


    A greatsword flew. The lower part of the de blocked Grid¡¯s sword and then it tilted, causing the axis of Grid¡¯s sword to incline.


    Then.


    Seokeok!


    The top of the greatsword approached Grid¡¯s neck. During this process, the master of the greatsword moved naturally and took control of Grid¡¯s rear.


    Chukakakakak!


    The de descended. Grid hurriedly retreated. He escaped to the top of the stairs. The fourth floornding was upied by the enemies in an instant. It was faster than expected, causing Grid tough bitterly.


    "Isn¡¯t this too big?¡±


    The owner of the greatsword.


    "I¡¯m only a shade in front of you and Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°No. Nobody would think so.¡±


    1st on the unified rankings, Chris.


    Grid inwardly grumbled.


    ¡®Ah, why didn¡¯t he go to Kraugel¡¯s side?¡¯


    Chris¡¯ greatsword contained an unparalleled force. The world acknowledged his abilities and Grid admired it every time he saw it. One of the reasons why Grid was greedy for the greatsword was due to Chris. Why? As long as Chris existed, Grid knew he couldn¡¯t be the symbol of the greatsword.


    ¡®Yes...¡¯


    Grid confirmed the time remaining in Battlefield and counted the number of enemies in front of him. It was 13 people, including Chris. Grid¡¯s goal was drastically modified.


    ¡®I won¡¯t destroy them.¡¯ The ideal thing to do it... ¡®Hang in there until the otherse.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s original purpose was to destroy all the enemies here. They were the highest rankers representing their countries. Was it pride? No, it was a realistic judgment based on solid grounds. Grid was above ordinary rankers from the moment he knocked out Hao. He was a master.


    ¡¯Well, I have a name.¡¯


    In addition, there was the sky above the sky and the godly archer. He believed they would block all the enemiesing from the rear and then help him.


    ¡°Now, the first one.¡±


    Shaaaaaah-


    Grid opened one of the scriptures and a light covered his body. The wounds on his body disappeared like a lie and his health was restored.


    ¡°I still have 11 scriptures left.¡±


    ¡°Cockroach...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Someone muttered. It was undeniable, striking a chord in Grid¡¯s heart.


    ***


    Peng!


    ¡°...Oh my.¡±


    Dust fell on Jishuka¡¯s head as she drew the bowstring. An arrow pierced the ce right above her head.


    ¡°Are you aiming for a headshot?¡±


    Tiing!


    Jishuka fired arrows through the window of the building across the street.


    Puk!


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    "Amazing."


    Kraugel felt admiration for the third time. Jishuka¡¯s archery that pierced the enemies was astonishing even to the sky above the sky. Jishuka shrugged.


    "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m no Grid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The nature of the Overgeared members was somewhat difficult for Kraugel. He didn¡¯t know what to say and just wielded his sword. It was to cut an enemying across the clothesline. The moment Kraugel exposed himself through the window.


    Ping!


    Pipiping!


    Three arrows flew from the building across the street.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous...!¡±


    Jishuka shouted. Kraugel twisted his body and avoided all three arrows.


    ¡°...Are you a person?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    It was an easy question to answer. Kraugel was pleased.


    At that moment.


    Kwajajak!


    A spear flew through the window on the left. Kraugel blocked it and was alert, but the next move came through the right window instead of the left. Jishuka tried to cover him but she couldn¡¯t cope with the arrows that suddenly focused on her. She had to hide in a corner to avoid the flying arrows.


    ¡®They have realized it¡¯s useless to shoot at Kraugel.¡¯


    It was stressful. Jishuka avoided the flying arrows and noticed two men. They surrounded Kraugel on the left and right. It was Pon and Lauel.

 Chapter 748

    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I see them?¡¯


    A tough clothesline that couldn¡¯t be cut or sawed off. At the window, Kraugel was blocking the enemies crossing the clothesline. In other words, he was looking at all the clothesline connected from the building across the street. But he didn¡¯t see Pon or Lauel at all. They suddenly appeared at the windowsill like ghosts.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    Kraugel was feeling puzzled when his gazended on a spear stabbed into the wall. It was apletely dull spear, like the durability had been exhausted.


    ¡®They crawled up the outer wall.¡¯


    This five-storey building they were gathered in was old and ugly. The exterior wall was rugged and cracked in ces. It was a structure that could be climbed using a tool. However, the condition was showing agility, patience, and concentration.


    Suook.


    Kraugel watched the two men who surrounded him. One of them was armed with a spear while the other was holding a fan made of iron.


    ¡®Who are they?¡¯


    Kraugel was feeling alert when they told him their identities. It was honestly without any lies.


    "I am Lauel of the Overgeared Kingdom. Oh, should I introduce myself as American Representative Lauel. This is a separate event not rted to the National Competition, but I regret that we couldn¡¯t fight together...¡±


    Shortly before Lauel¡¯s words finished.


    Syuk!


    Kraugel swung his sword. His target was Lauel. He judged that Lauel needed to be taken care of quickly. What was the identity of the man holding the spear next to Lauel? Of course, it was Pon.


    ¡®Pon is strong.¡¯


    On the other hand, Lauel was a schemer. His fighting skills were weak. Kraugel decided to take care of Lauel first before focusing on Pon. That¡¯s why he did a surprise attack. However.


    Jjejeong!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Lauel blocked Kraugel¡¯s attack, like he predicted it. He read the timing of the sword and opened the fan to defend. Kraugel was surprised by his unexpected skill. His eyes widened but there was no change in expression. Lauel folded the fan back up and ced it against his mouth.


    "I have also advanced. Well, it¡¯s a different scale from you who is at the top of 2 billion users.¡±


    Around three years ago, there were 10 geniuses who overturned the world. The young boys and girls topped the rankings despite yingte. They were the very first generation of the 10 Rookies. And Lauel was the best of them. He was praised by countless people. After joining the Overgeared Kingdom, he became a flow master to direct the battle.


    ¡°But my basic skills are still present.¡±


    In Battlefield where all characters were the same and strength was determined by control, Lauel was a top yer.


    Kukuk! Heughed at Kraugel.


    ¡°In addition, I have the brilliant mind that allows me to predict your behavior pattern. Kraugel, you will have a pretty tough fight. The blood is boiling in my body. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He truly was an Overgeared member difficult to deal with. Kraugel got goosebumps from the words when a spear flew at him. It was from Pon. Kraugel rolled to the side to avoid it. Then he immediately rose and tried to counterattack.


    Jjejeong!


    Lauel¡¯s iron fan followed his actions. Kraugel defended and Pon¡¯s spear aimed at the back of his neck. Both of them were quick and fast. It was a perfect pincer attack.


    Puok!


    Kraugel was bleeding. It was a scene that shocked the world.


    ¡º Kraugel was hit by the enemy first...! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a sight I never imagined! ¡»


    Thementators of broadcastingpanies around the world made a fuss. It was rare for Kraugel to allow a hit.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    Jishuka was surprised by the sudden development and tried to help, but...


    Puk!Puk puk!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The arrows constantly flying from the other side of the building made her unable to move. She was forced to hide behind arge leather couch.


    ¡¯This is annoying!¡¯


    Jishuka felt angry at the situation. What was her role? Shoot as many enemies as possible before covering both Grid and Kraugel inside. But the situation was too difficult because the enemies allied with each other.


    ¡®I wanted to win with Grid.¡¯ She wanted to embrace him on the stage while everyone was watching. If the atmosphere was nice then she might¡¯ve kissed him. But this seemed to be difficult. ¡¯I¡¯m ipetent! I am too ipetent!¡¯


    Puok!


    An arrow flew as Jishuka was busymenting. The tip of the arrow pierced through the leather sofa. The leather sofa Jishuka was hiding behind hadpletely be a hedgehog.


    ¡®There are almost no spaces left. I will be a hedgehog when I get out of here.¡¯


    The interior of the building was too bare and there were many windows. In order to shoot a bow, the target had to be followed with their eyes. But if she left the leather sofa, she would receive a flood of arrows.


    ¡¯...I can¡¯t follow them with my eyes?¡¯


    Then...


    ¡®I will have to use my ears.¡¯


    Jishuka took deep breaths to calm herself and closed her eyes. She focused on the footsteps of Kraugel, Pon and Lauel, who were fighting in this narrow space, and pulled her bowstring. At that moment.


    Puk puk puk!


    Several arrows flew and threatened her.


    ¡¯Ah, they can see what I¡¯m doing because of the mirror over there.¡¯


    Who would ce a mirror in an old building with almost nothing in it?


    ¡°The map designer had archers in mind. Hah.¡±


    She put down the bow with a deep sigh. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t feel despair.


    ¡®It is okay. There is a limit to the number of arrows.¡¯


    After joining Grid, Jishuka looked for arrows and scriptures and discovered it was actually very hard to find arrows. They were hard to find and even if she found some, there were only one or two. It was an item close to a consumable so a lot of effort was needed to collect it. It would also be the same for the other people.


    Jishuka thought that the arrows threatening her would stop soon. On the other hand, what about her?


    ¡®My arrows are now almost endless.¡¯


    In the dusty mirror, Jishuka¡¯s beautiful face shone. The sofa and walls filled with arrows made her feel good.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m d there¡¯s Jishuka.¡¯


    The arrows from the other building no longer headed for Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s evasion rate was high but he was worried that Pon and Lauel would attack in that gap. It was good that the aggro of the archers werepletely focused on Jishuka.


    ¡®There¡¯s a problem.¡¯


    The close range dealers. Earlier, they had unsessfully tried to cross the clothesline and now they were trying to move across again. Kraugel had to get rid of Pon and Lauel as quickly as possible. But Pon and Lauel wasn¡¯t easy opponents.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    A fan less than 30 centimeters long. Lauel was tangled up with Kraugel and quickly hit him with the iron fan.


    Swaeeeeek!


    Pon stayed at a medium range and stabbed his spear. As time passed, the two men werepletely grabbing Kraugel¡¯s ankles.


    Peok!


    Lauel, who was struck by Kraugel¡¯s sword in exchange for a punch, smiled instead of panicking.


    "A damage of 1 isn¡¯t possible. Are you irritated because time isn¡¯t on your side?¡±


    Lauel confirmed that his allies had started to cross the clotheslines. Sooner orter, Kraugel would lose hisposure. It couldn¡¯t be overlooked that he was still a human. Lauel knew it for certain because he served by Grid¡¯s side. Grid was at the top like Kraugel and didn¡¯t he often lose hisposure?


    ¡¯You will also in the end... Eh?¡¯ Lauel was puzzled as he was immersed in wielding the iron fan. His vision spun and he felt his body being hit. ¡°What?¡±


    He was caught unawares and blown away? Lauel became aware of his situation when he had already fallen to the ground. He was defenseless and Kraugel struck him with the sword.


    Puok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The moment Lauel was pierced in the chest, Pon¡¯s spear shed towards Kraugel. Then it was blocked by the shield.


    [The defense is sessful!]


    [The damage received has been reduced.]


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    [The shield¡¯s durability has fallen by one.]


    The shield, a warrior only item. It was one of the items that Kraugel had obtained from the ¡®underground hunt.¡¯ It could definitely block the enemy¡¯s attack but it lost durability every time it was used to defend. The total durability was only 10. But Kraugel wasn¡¯t disappointed by the loss in the shield¡¯s durability. It was because of who the opponents were The skills of the Lauel and Pon duo were excellent. Kraugel felt it was worth using the shield against them.


    Snap!


    Kraugel gripped Pon¡¯s spear that was blocked by the shield. Then he used the sticity of his body to dig it into Pon¡¯s heart.


    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    An attack that maximized the benefits of a dagger! He hadn¡¯t reimed the sword piercing Lauel and there was already a small dagger in Kraugel¡¯s hand. Two strikes quickly umted on Pon¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Shit...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it happened in the blink of an eye. Lauel lost concentration. But at this moment, the situationpletely reversed. Lauel got goosebumps. He rushed to help Pon but Kraugel had already grabbed Pon¡¯s neck and pushed him out the window frame.


    Peok!


    Kraugel grabbed Pon¡¯s ankle to tilt him out the window and Pon fell out.


    ¡°Pon! Kuk!¡±


    What was this creepy and realistic battle? Lauel got a chill as he was left alone. Kraugel dismissed the dagger and took out a new sword from his inventory. It was a great help that he secured many weapons in the underground hunting.


    "This ce is a big wide so it would be more advantageous for Pon. But as you can see, this is inside a building. From the beginning, the odds were low.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The word ¡®monster¡¯ almost popped out. Lauel barely closed his mouth as he looked out the window. He could see his alliesing on the clothesline.


    In addition.


    Piing!


    He also saw the arrow aiming at Kraugel. The situation started to change rapidly once the archers fired. Lauel¡¯s judgment was quick. Surprisingly, he was running to Jishuka, not Kraugel. It was to create a situation where Jishuka couldn¡¯t control his enemies. Thanks to this, Kraugel was surrounded by arrows. His enemies managed to cross the clotheslines safely and reached the window frame.


    Seokeok!


    Kraugel judged that the answer wasn¡¯t to avoid the arrows. He used the shield to block the arrows. Then he abandoned the shield that lost its durability.


    He took a potion while attacking the enemies hanging on the window frame. But potions were more limited than the shield and Kraugel couldn¡¯t hold out against the arrows forever. In the end, he only caused four enemies to fall and the remaining six enemies seeded in entering the building.


    ¡°Lauel! You bastard!¡±


    Jishuka shouted at Lauel while counterattacking. Lauel was amazed that she could fire an arrow again after being hit with an iron fan.


    ¡°Battlefield is great training. Thanks to the battle today, the Overgeared Guild will grow bigger. Please think about your trials as growing pains."


    ¡°The training instructor is a dog! A master at ganging up on people! You lousy bastard!¡±


    "...Is it King Grid¡¯s influence? You use a lot of Korean curses. Well, it¡¯s a hundred times better than learning from Huroi¡¯s curses.¡±


    Lauel had regained hisposure. Jishuka lost her motivation and her resistance started to weaken. Meanwhile, Kraugel was besieged in a narrow space.


    ¡®We will win.¡¯


    Lauel smiled as he watched a manpeting with Kraugel. It was Soul Predator Seuron.


    "You bastard! I will knock you down!¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaeng chaeng!


    Kraugel¡¯s momentum weakened quickly as he blocked Seuron¡¯s sword. He was already in a tired condition. In the first ce, it was impossible to stop over 20 enemies. Were the enemies regr yers? They were mainly rankers in the top 100. They were talented enough to be called the best wherever they went.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Grid.¡¯


    Jishuka felt a sense of defeat as she saw Kraugel¡¯s wounds. She couldn¡¯t help being disappointed that she got help from Grid every time. She was filled with bitter frustration. Then suddenly,


    "Kuaaaak!"


    ¡°This damn guy...!¡±


    Jishuka came to her senses as she heard an enemy scream. She shifted her gaze and saw that Kraugel was still fighting against the enemies with unshakable eyes. He didn¡¯t care that his health was in the single digits. He was focused. He always did his best. The arrows kept flying from the opposite building and he stood up to the six strongest people without flinching. Every time there was a wound on his body, he dealt two or three injuries to the enemy.


    ¡®Me too...!¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s heart was grabbed. She was inspired by Kraugel, who did his best and didn¡¯t feel despair under the same circumstances. She took a step forward.


    At the same time.


    Kwajak!


    The firmly closed door opened with a loud sound. It was the door connected to downstairs. Yes, the door that the intruders were so eager to open. In addition, it was the door Grid was guarding.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    At the same time, Jishuka and Kraugel faced the door. They were waiting for Grid. How funny. Could Grid fight alone against 10 enemies? He came here after repelling all enemies. It wasn¡¯t a feasible fantasy.


    Indeed.


    ¡°...It¡¯s chaos.¡±


    The person who opened the door wasn¡¯t Grid. It was a man armed with a greatsword.


    ¡°Chris!¡± Lauel knew his identity and shouted with pleasure.


    ¡®Grid was defeated?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to see.¡¯


    Jishuka and Kraugel were forced to ept reality. They thought that Grid hadn¡¯t survived. It was a reasonable judgment. So what if he could restore his health with scriptures? He could only inflict 1 damage on the enemy... Such a non-threatening attack couldn¡¯t wipe out 10 of the strongest people. Jishuka¡¯s face filled with dark clouds while Kraugel silently wielded the sword.


    ¡°Then... I wish you luck... Cough!¡±


    Chris, who opened the door, suddenly coughed up blood and turned to grey.


    Then.


    "Ah, what is with you guys? Why are you sote? No matter how long I waited, I had to do it all by myself. Sigh, forget it.¡±


    Grid appeared among the grey ash scattering.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Sharp shes reminiscent of a crescent moon cut down many enemies at the same time.

 Chapter 749

    ¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡®A skill?¡¯


    How was this possible? All yers in Battlefield were given characters with the same abilities. There wasn¡¯t one active skill that could be used. But Grid was triggering a skill at this moment. It was even the famous Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. A legendary rated skill in Satisfy was being implemented in Battlefield.


    ¡®A bug...? No!¡¯


    Grid approached using the sword dance. Seuron, who had been shrinking back from Grid, regained his mind. Grid¡¯s attack was just a simple sh. That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t a skill but a basic strike. He just mixed in the attack with the motions.


    "A trick!¡±


    It was a low quality trick to shake them by pretending to use a skill. First of all, how could a skill emerge in a ce where a system didn¡¯t exist?


    ¡®I was ying so seriously that I was almost deceived!¡¯


    The Overgeared King, he was a treacherous guy. There were hundreds of sly foxes in his head.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t a good king...!¡¯


    Seuron moved his sword to defend against Grid¡¯s attack. However.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s orbit suddenly changed. It went down and then back up. As the name suggested, it had the momentum of a wave.


    ¡®Crazy?¡¯


    Chukakakakak!


    Seuron failed to defend because of the unexpected anomaly. Another ranked yer next to him was simultaneously hit by Grid¡¯s sword.


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    Seuron¡¯s eyes shook fiercely as he checked the notification window.


    ¡®He has this much control?¡¯


    Grid was overgeared. He was merely a person who relied on the performance of his items, meaning hisbat skills were low. Seuron couldn¡¯t deny that Grid¡¯s ability to use items was extraordinary, but this was how Seuron evaluated Grid. But now that assessment had changed.


    ¡¯He grew this much in a year...? He has the bestbat qualities!¡¯


    This was a talent from the heavens.


    ¡®Another sky above the sky...!¡¯


    Chill!


    At this moment, Seuron got a chill.


    ¡®Grid has given me new enlightenment.¡¯ Kraugel was also surprised by Grid¡¯s technique that cut Seuron. It was more shocking than when Grid appeared with over 10 scriptures. ¡®He uses the motion of Satisfy¡¯s skills to add real power to the attack.¡¯


    Grid sublimated his skill in the game into real martial arts. Kraugel naturally felt admiration.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s idea has a clear basis.¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s skills weren¡¯t realistic. Walking on water, smashing rocks, moving in a sh, etc. It was ridiculous for such transcendental effects and powers to be manifested in the real world. But the motions when using the skill weren¡¯t foolish. Such motions weren¡¯t significantly different from thews of physics. The supeputer Morpheus based them on martial arts theories that existed all over the world. There were strangely realistic and sufficiently practical parts.


    ¡®Grid and his Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship is a good example of this.¡¯


    Sigh.


    ¡¯Being able to implement Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship in reality, he will reap the benefits of fighting here in Battlefield.¡¯


    Wonderful. Kraugel¡¯s appreciation of Grid could be summed up with this one word.


    ¡®Making an effort to memorize, study, and bepletely ustomed to the skill so that the movements could be used just by crying out the name... It¡¯s definitely far from normal.¡¯


    This moment proved it. Grid was a person looking 10 steps ahead.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    It could be expressed as a short moment. Kraugel heard Grid¡¯s voice and settled his mind. Grid¡¯s eyes were looking at the right side behind Kraugel. Based on this, Kraugel tilted his head to the left. Then a spear shot by his face. If Kraugel had been a little bitte, his head would¡¯ve been pierced by the spear right now.


    "...It seems the rumor that you have eyes in the back of the head is true.¡±


    Grid was astonished by Kraugel¡¯s amazing evasion and Kraugel exined.


    "It is just instant analysis and fast judgment. It¡¯s nothingpared to your foresight.¡±


    "Foresight?¡±


    Did he have foresight?


    ¡®It¡¯s the most ridiculous thing I¡¯ve heard all year.¡¯


    Was this bastard teasing him? Two arrows flew toward the frowning Grid. They were shot by archers from the other building.


    Puk puk!


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!


    Grid couldn¡¯t escape. He wasn¡¯t free enough to respond to arrows flying from a distance. Seuron would strike when he tried to avoid the arrows.


    "Che!"


    Seuron had a nasty expression as he saw Grid defend against Seuron and his colleagues¡¯ attacks in exchange for being hit by the arrows.


    "I understand that you are guarding against me, Soul Predator Seuron, but can you afford to keep umting damage? Aren¡¯t you going to be a hedgehog while worrying about my attack?¡±


    ¡®Ah, it was Seuron.¡¯


    Seuron believed that Grid had recognized him from the beginning but it was just excessive self-confidence. Grid only now realized his identity. In addition, he didn¡¯t care. Seuron was a threat in Satisfy, but it was different in Battlefield.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t Pon or Regas.¡¯


    Jjejeong!


    Grid hit Seuron¡¯s iing sword and kept advancing.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Puk!


    ¡°Kill. Kill.¡±


    Puk puk!


    ¡°Kill. Kill. Kill.¡±


    Puk puk puk!


    "Ugh...?¡±


    "Barley.¡±


    "?"


    ¡°A fake! Kill!¡±


    Puok!


    Grid¡¯s attack was a mere stab. However, the momentum seemed more vicious than a normal stab. It was because Grid kept taking one step forward. Grid gave off a strange sense of pressure every time he got closer to Seuron.


    ¡®This bastard, it¡¯s clear that he has practiced stabbing tens of thousands of times.¡¯


    Seuron saw the skill and confidence in Grid¡¯s movements. It was because Grid had been steadily training in swordsmanship every day.


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Seuron was pushed back by Grid, but he wasn¡¯t one-sidedly hit. He blocked as many attacks as possible and sharply counterattacked. But he couldn¡¯t fight to the end and let out a huge scream. It was because an arrow shot by an ally in the opposite building pierced him.


    ¡®A mistake?¡¯


    The flying arrows had hit the wrong target. The allied archers weren¡¯t experts like Jishuka, so he couldn¡¯t me them for making mistakes. Seuron thought so but it didn¡¯t seem to be a mistake.


    Puk puk!


    ¡°These scum...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Seuron. His other colleagues were started to get hit by the arrows flying from the opposite building. The atmosphere was strange.


    "What are you doing?¡±


    Seuron gritted his teeth and yelled as he pushed at Grid. There was an immediate reply to Seuron from the other building.


    "You guys are useless. Just die together.¡±


    There was less than 10 minutes left in Battlefield. The map was gradually narrowing. It seemed like all areas were going to disappear and only one building was left. Therefore, the six archers in the opposite building agreed. They had to get rid of their allies and Grid¡¯s party before the map waspletely destroyed.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡±


    Seuron was irritated. The same was true for Lauel who was fighting Jishuka alone.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t imagine that it would take so long.¡¯


    Grid was too big a variable. Lauel never imagined he would crush Chris¡¯ team alone.


    Puk!


    Chaeng!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    It was pandemonium. Grid, Seuron, and Lauel fought hard as they struggled with the rain of arrows from the other building.


    ¡®There¡¯s still hope!¡¯


    Seuron hadn¡¯t given up. It was because Grid was much more tired than him.


    ¡®There are no more potions left.¡¯


    It was shortly after Grid struggled with manypetitors. It was safe to say that all his potions were consumed. On the other hand, Seuron still had one potion remaining. It was the power of numerical superiority.


    [Battlefield will end in 7 minutes.]


    Kurururung!


    Along with the notification window, part of the map started to disappear. Now the only area remaining was this building. The other building with the archers and the clothesline started to copse. Seuron saw this and shouted. "Let¡¯s finish this off and then deal with the traitors... Heok!¡±


    Even if he was hit two or three more times, he just needed to seed with one counterattack.


    The enemy¡¯s limited health would soon be depleted. Seuron judged and shouted, only to close his mouth.


    Swaaaaah.


    Grid opened a blue booklet and was covered with light. It was a scripture.


    ¡°You monster...!¡±


    Seuron had guessed Grid was a cleric based on the damage. He noticed that Grid had secured arge number of scriptures, allowing him to wipe out Chris¡¯ party. But he hadn¡¯t expected Grid to have scriptures left. Sueron was feeling astonished when a sword flew from behind.


    It was Kraugel¡¯s sword. As Grid was struggling two against one, Kraugel joined in and took care of the rest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Yes, please finish it.¡±


    Grid and Kraugel¡¯s gaze headed to the window at the same time. There were new enemies crossing the clothesline.


    Kwajajajajak!


    Without needing to say anything, Grid and Kraugel pulled out spears and stabbed them. The two of them made the same judgment simultaneously. The enemies were pierced and fell down one by one. They hit the ground and started to vanish.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll surrender.¡±


    Now the only one left to face Grid¡¯s party was Lauel, who realized that he was outmatched and abandoned his weapon. The final three survivors of Battlefield was determined to be Grid, Kraugel, and Jishuka.


    Shortly after arriving in Japan, hundreds of reporters and Japanese fans were waiting for the South Korean team representatives. The crowd was huge enough to paralyze the airport. Most of them were Grid¡¯s fans.

 Chapter 750

    "A ss of beer."


    Red Deer, Canada. It was a small town in southern Alberta. In this small city with 80,000 residents, the ck-haired foreigner was conspicuous. But today was an exception. Due to the live broadcast of Battlefield, the streets were quiet and most people were focused on the TV.


    Thanks to this, the ck-haired man was able to sit in the seat without receiving any attention. His white skin, small lips, less developed brow bone, and ebony hair showed that he was a man with Asian blood in him. The eyes behind dark sunsses were also ck.


    His name was Ray and he had a Korean father and a Canadian mother. His ID in Satisfy was Faker. Of course, people didn¡¯t know his identity.


    "You never take off your sunsses. It has been a while since you¡¯vee. Jennifer often asks about you.¡±


    A middle-aged man running the shabby pub alone handed him a beer. Was it because he didn¡¯t want to indulge in useless chatter or because of his original reticent nature?


    ¡°...¡±


    Faker nodded silently and drank a mouthful of beer. Like the other guests, his gaze was on the TV.


    "Oh, Grid¡¯s movements are fantastic.


    ¡°But Chris is a level above him.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Chris is Canada¡¯s pride for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Have strength Chris! Forget that Grid is your king for the moment!"


    The customers were enthusiastic. They praised Grid¡¯s skills in protecting the stairs alone and were excited by Chris¡¯ skills, which overwhelmed him. On TV, Grid was continuing to read the scriptures. However, he was being overwhelmed. There was too big a difference with Chris¡¯ skills.


    ¡®But Grid is doing well enough. If he puts in a bit more effort to protect his health, he will be able to hold on.¡¯


    This was Faker¡¯s impression.


    ¡®If it wasst year¡¯s Grid, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to face Chris in Battlefield.¡¯


    It was a bright growth rate. And the root of this growth wasn¡¯t talent, but effort.


    ¡®Excellent.¡¯


    Faker wasn¡¯t aware of it himself but he had a habit of smiling every time he observed Grid. If Grid found out Faker had such a good impression of him, he would be moved to tears. A normal ss user who was strong enough to beat sun-grade powerhouses. Faker was above a sun and Grid was one of his targets.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Chris doing all of a sudden?¡±


    At this point, Faker¡¯s ss of beer was half empty. The development of Battlefield changed rapidly. Grid, who was being one-sidedly pushed by Chris, starting pushing back as if he had awakened. As Chris was on the defensive, Grid caught the other rankers in the confusion. The enemies turned to grey one by one.


    Faker¡¯s gaze was fixed on a woman. Her name was Yura, one of the rankers allied with Chris. A South Korean representative.


    ¡®Her movements are limiting Chris¡¯ actions.¡¯


    Faker¡¯s saw her actions urately. In fact, Yura was interfering with Chris. She blocked his path every time Chris tried to respond to Grid¡¯s attack. Of course, it wasn¡¯t tant. The movements were very fine. There were few people in the world who would see that she was bothering Chris. Even the people in Battlefield couldn¡¯t read her intentions. Only Chris probably noticed her interference.


    "Young Master is in a crisis... Yura¡¯s heart is for Grid.¡±


    Faker heard an old man¡¯s voice as he was concentrating on the TV. Faker turned his head and was surprised. The old gentleman had neatly brushed white hair. Zirkan. He was once the first ranked swordsman. But at some point, he devoted all his energy into raising Chris. He was Chris¡¯ mentor, a captain in the Giant Guild, and now a solid power in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°You... Why didn¡¯t you go to Japan with Chris?¡±


    Faker wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Zirkan had found out his position. He knew what a big influence Chris¡¯ family had in Canada. It was easy for Zirkan to find out when he was a steward of Chris¡¯ family.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to travel long distances at this age. Isn¡¯t it better for me to rest at home than to be a burden?¡± Zirkanughed and sat across from Faker. The old manid down his cane and tapped his knees. But Faker could see the solid muscr body beneath the coat. ¡°Grid is blessed. He has the love of so many beauties. I would be jealous if I was 10 years younger.¡±


    Zirkan didn¡¯t have any hard feelings about Yura interfering with Chris. Yura was also a valuable colleague in the Overgeared Guild and above all, he liked her feelings towards Grid. It was from his years of experience.


    "Love is good. Really good.¡± Zirkan neatly folded his coat and gave an order to the owner. "A ss of Coke over here please.¡±


    "Yes, I understand."


    The owner was very kind to Zirkan. It wasn¡¯t just because he was an elderly person. It was a pleasure to know that this young man had a friend.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good person.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why I have been going to this store for a few years.¡¯ Faker swallowed back the words he wanted to say to Zirkan. It was better not to advertise this ce.


    "Please understand why I am only drinking Coke. My body is getting old and can¡¯t handle the alcohol properly. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to stay away from alcohol.¡±


    Zirkan spoke shamelessly. Faker bluntly asked him, "Then why did youe here from Toronto?¡±


    "I thought you would be lonely.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The words were unexpected. What was this old man saying? Zirkan smiled benignly at the rarely embarrassed Faker.


    "You have more talent than anyone else and are more passionate than anyone else. Like Chris and Grid, you can also y in the sun. You would surely win medals.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re forced to stay in the shade because of your position. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t participate in the National Competition this year.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your blood will be boiling.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Zirkan saw through it exactly. Faker felt a desire to act in the National Competition. He wanted topete with Grid and the other talented people in front of the public. He wanted to publicize his existence to the world. However, Faker was a person who could control himself.


    "This boiling blood is easily settled. I know that much. Even if I don¡¯t participate, the public is already aware of me. This is sufficient.¡±


    ¡°...Excellent.¡± Zirkan was happy. "You¡¯re much better than the mest year. Was I like this at your age?¡±


    The reason why Zirkan was focused on Chris¡¯ education was because Zirkan was old. Once he determined that international activities were difficult, he decided to concentrate on his role as Chris¡¯ steward and teacher. But he soon regretted it.


    Zirkan liked the game more than he expected. He enjoyed standing in front of the public. He regretted it and realized that his retirement was too soon. When he failed topete in the National Competitionst year because of his rusty skills, his stress was very great. That¡¯s why he came to Faker. Zirkan wanted to heal Faker, who would feel a simr grievance to him. However, he was mistaken. Faker was already well-centred.


    ¡®At a young age, your heart is mature without being overburdened by your talent... Is it the blood of your grandfather?¡±


    Decades ago, when South Korea was still called a powerhouse in e-sports, there were many legendary gamers in South Korea and as a young man, Zirkan was fascinated with them. One of them was Faker¡¯s grandfather. The information wasn¡¯t officially disclosed, but Zirkan could see it when he first met Faker. Faker was the spitting image of his grandfather.


    "...This talent might¡¯ve been inherited from your grandfather.¡±


    Faker¡¯s gaze returned to the TV as he answered. Grid was rampaging.


    ¡°I have learned about hard work from Grid.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Faker was originally a diligent person full of tenacity, but he was reasonable. No matter what, he didn¡¯t do anything that vitedmon sense. There was a limit. But Faker changed as he met Grid and watched Grid¡¯s changes. Now there was no limit to his efforts. That¡¯s why he could grow enough to defeat a sun-grade powerhouse.


    ¡°There¡¯s no greed to be in the sun as long as there is Grid. I will let Grid be the king in the sun while I will be king of the shadows.¡±


    "...Even your spirits are simr.¡± Zirkan¡¯s eyes were blurred with memories as he called out to the pub owner. "A ss of beer over here please. I will have a drink. It¡¯s rare to get a chance to drink with a legendary bloodline.¡±


    ***


    "Kyaaaaak! Grid-sama!¡±


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid!¡±


    ¡°Yura! Yura! Yura!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The airport staff rushed to the Korean representatives after the immigration process. They requested for the representatives to wait while they extended the security.


    ¡®I knew there would be a lot of fans waiting.¡¯


    Peak Sword saw the crowd and clicked his tongue.


    ¡®It¡¯s beyond imagination.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t thousands, but tens of thousands. Over 10,000 people gathered here to meet Grid and Yura. They were even Japanese. Peak Sword felt very proud.


    ¡®Koreans are truly great! We have a small poption, but we¡¯re steadily bing a global giant!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t intend to denounce foreigners. He just ¡®objectively¡¯ saw Koreans as superior to foreigners.


    "Um...¡±


    Peak Sword felt proud as a member of the Korean Patriotic Association. He nodded with satisfaction.


    "yer Grid, there are evaluations that you control skills have improved dramatically in one year. Can I ask about the secret to your improvement?¡±


    "I did well from the beginning. It was just buried by my items.¡±


    "The Overgeared Kingdom is the first of the West Continent countries to establish an alliance with the empire. As a result, it¡¯s spected that theposition of the continent will greatly change. Now that you have the strong backing of the empire, what will happen to the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an alliance with the empire. We just signed a temporary truce agreement. It isn¡¯t right to describe the empire as being behind me.¡±


    "Is there anything you like about Japanese culture? For example, manga.¡±


    ¡°Hey... Hum hum, hum! I like baseball videos.¡±


    ¡°Baseball videos? Do you mean recorded videos of the Japanese Baseball League?¡±


    "Ah, yes. That¡¯s correct. Baseball is a representative sport of Japan... No, it¡¯s significant in developed countries. I have great interest in it.¡±


    ¡°As a Japanese person, I am happy and proud that you like Japanese baseball. If you don¡¯t mind, can I ask what team your cheer for?¡±


    "Es O di?¡±


    ¡°Huh? There isn¡¯t a team like that?¡±


    "Too bad... No, I was confused for a moment because of all the questions at once. I like and cheer on every team.¡±


    "You encourage everyone while cheering on a particr team? You are very considerate. As expected from the leader of a kingdom.¡±


    "Excuse me. I have a question. What is your favorite food?¡±


    ¡°I like wraps.¡±


    "You mean the popr style of wrapping beef or pork in lettuce?¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it eaten with canned tuna?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat meat with vegetables... The taste of the most expensive meat with the taste of vegetables is a bit...¡±


    They were specific questions for Grid. In the past, he would¡¯ve refused most interviews because he was ufortable or annoyed. But now he was well aware of his position. He never forgot that he represented a kingdom and answered all questions faithfully.


    The result.


    ¡¾ Lettuce, canned tuna, and hot pepper paste are temporarily out of stock. Sorry. We hope to secure more quantities quickly. Thank you. ¡¿


    Such signs were attached to various marts and convenience stores in Japan. It was the moment when a new Korean dish (?) was spread to Japan. This was the ripple effect of a huge star.

 Chapter 751

    ¡º Satisfy¡¯s opening ceremony held in Tokyo has thergest number of tourists in history. ¡»


    ¡º The Tokyo Dome has heated up. The 1,500 participants from 50 countries have determination on their faces and the crowd is giving them an enthusiastic cheer. ¡»


    ¡º The National Competition is significant. It¡¯s an opportunity for the yers to gain wealth and honor at the same time. For the people of each country supporting them, it¡¯s a chance to get a big buff. ¡»


    ¡º I wonder what countries and participants will y a big role this year. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯m looking forward to the birth of a new star. ¡»


    ¡º Won¡¯t it be hard for a new star to emerge because the existing top talents are so big? ¡»


    ¡º Don¡¯t forget that the world is wide. I believe there are countless hermits who haven¡¯t been discovered. Ares and Agnus... People like them. ¡»


    Satisfy could be described as a game enjoyed by the whole world and the size of the National Competition expanded every year. As a result, the attitude of the yers became more serious. It was because the size of thepensation grew with the size of thepetition.


    The gold medal winner received an item equivalent to the legendary rank or a material equivalent to the myth rank. The silver medal winner would receive an item equivalent to the unique rating or a material equivalent to the legendary rating. Bronze medal winners were able to obtain items equivalent to the epic rating or a material equivalent to the unique rating.


    At first nce, there seemed to be no merit to the bronze medal. But there were parts that shouldn¡¯t be overlooked. There was no explicit mention of ¡®no growth type items¡¯ in thepensation description. That¡¯s right. Bing a medal winner meant that a person could get a growth type item with a minimum epic rating. Most growth items starting at the epic rating were able to grow to the legendary rating.


    ¡®I will surely win a medal!¡¯


    As Chris, the 1st ranked yer on the unified rankings stood on the podium, the eyes of the participants from all over the world were zing. Most of them were feeling nervous.


    Grid, Kraugel, and Jishuka had won rewards equivalent to a gold medal from the Battlefield event a few days ago. The fact that these powerful people went one step further ced a great pressure on the others. They were nervous because the walls they had to cross had be even higher.


    ¡®In particr, Grid¡¯s item making is a problem.¡¯


    The use of high rated materials didn¡¯t necessarily mean that high rated items would be produced. The production result relied on probability.


    But people perceived that Grid was an exception. They spected that as a legendary cksmith, he could produce myth rated items with legendary rated production materials. They were concerned that if Grid and the Overgeared members secured arge number of medals, the strength of the Overgeared Guild would rise exponentially.


    Of course, it was a big misunderstanding.


    ¡¯Should I get a finished product?¡¯


    Grid originally wanted the by-products of the sacred creatures. They were in the same ss as the Red Phoenix Breath. Grid¡¯s goal was to create a second or third masterpiece like the Red Phoenix Bow and Enlightenment Sword.


    However, it didn¡¯t mean a myth rated item would be created if he used a myth rated material. He wasn¡¯t able to produce any myth rated items when he used the by-products of Great Demon Belial to make items for the Overgeared members. If he was lucky then he made legendary rated items. If he was unlucky, there were times he made unique rated items.


    It meant Grid could fail.


    ¡®On the other hand, if I can get a legendary growth type item then I will surely acquire a myth rated item.¡¯


    After the opening ceremony was over.


    Jishuka approached Grid, who was still trying to decide on thepensation. Her reddish hair and golden skin was absolutely charming under the sunshine.


    ¡°I will ask for a Red Phoenix Breath. Grid, I hope you will make a good item that has synergy with the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    "I can¡¯t unconditionally create a myth rated item using the Red Phoenix Breath. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. Jishuka¡¯s beautiful face wasn¡¯t the only reason. The absolute trust she gave Grid filled his heart. Thanks to her, Grid also gained courage.


    ¡°Okay... I will get the Blue Dragon Breath.¡±


    Then.


    "Once I win two more medals, I will get the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. Jishuka, I¡¯ll cheer you on as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯ll always be cheering for you. Thank you.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s smile became more beautiful. Grid¡¯s presence itself was a great strength for her. Had she ever been so dependent on someone since being born? She was happy. She willingly wanted to stay with Grid.


    "...So we have to get married.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? I couldn¡¯t hear because it¡¯s so noisy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. It¡¯s okay if you didn¡¯t hear me. I was talking to myself.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s face turned red. She was more nervous when facing Grid in reality, unlike Satisfy.


    ¡°Grid.¡± Another beauty arrived as there was a friendly atmosphere between the two people. Unlike Jishuka, who was as bright as the sun, Yura was like the moon. "The events that other yers hope to participate in had been released.¡±


    Yura¡¯s cold eyes examined Jishuka. She didn¡¯t like Jishuka, who was always dressed in cleavage revealing clothing.


    ¡°Everybody is waiting in the waiting room. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The participants had three hours to change after seeing the hopes of others. It was necessary to have a meeting to confirm the hopes of other yers so that better results could be created. Jishuka¡¯s bit her lip as she saw Yura grab Grid¡¯s wrist. She kept her smile but there was clear hostility in her eyes.


    "Ah, it¡¯s good to be on the same team.¡±


    "It¡¯s better than living in distantnds.¡±


    "If your rtionship is good just because you live in the same country, shouldn¡¯t you be nervous? My Korean immigration project is currently in progress.¡±


    "I¡¯m wondering if you can easily move to another country when you have arge amount of debt. Surely you aren¡¯t dreaming of being an illegal citizen?¡±


    "Uh...! I will get a gold medal in this National Competition and get rid of my debt!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We will probably bepeting in the same events.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to interfere? Bah, okay! Feel free toe! I¡¯ll see how great you are aftering back from hell!¡±


    ¡°Will you be able to breathe?¡±


    Pajik!


    Paijijik!


    Once Jishuka¡¯s hot gaze met Yura¡¯s cool eyes, the air froze and it was like electric currents were flowing. Grid looked puzzled as he stood between two girls who showed hostility to each other.


    ¡®Why are they like this?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know what the men around him were feeling right now.


    ***


    This year there were a total of 27 events. There was no rule that a country had to participate in all events. The yers from each country had to win medals by participating in their own event or events with rtively lowpetition. The reason why the S.A. Group revealed the hopes of other yers was to create more diverse strategies and variables.


    Thanks to this, the yers had a headache. Were the yers actually participating in these events or were they lying? The yers held a meeting to discuss the various possibilities.


    "Grid, what are you going to participate in?¡±


    The South Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    The yers¡¯ eyes were focused on Grid. It was natural to give the right to decide to the person with the highest winning rate.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid¡¯s worries increased as he looked at the events the US team wanted to participate in. It was due to Kraugel¡¯s desired events.


    "PvP is natural but what is saint sword drawing?¡±


    Saint sword drawing had been a steady event in the National Competition for three years. But it was ssified as a rtively minor event. The event wasplex and slow, making it less popr.


    "Isn¡¯t this a game where the brain needs to be used extensively?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Participants in the saint sword drawing event had to first check the story of the saint sword. Then they would follow the hidden hints in the story to figure out what the saint sword wanted. Then in order to be a person that the saint sword wanted, various types of quests were carried out. There werebat-oriented quests as well as puzzle quests. It wasn¡¯t an event that people with shallow knowledge could participate in. It was an event that wasn¡¯t suitable for Grid at all.


    "Is Kraugel really going to participate in this?¡±


    These were just the ¡®desired¡¯ events. Grid was convinced that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t actually participate in the saint sword drawing event.


    "Why is this guy giving a fake...? Um, what type of event will Kraugel participate in?¡±


    Grid wanted topete in both events with Kraugel. It wasn¡¯t just because of Damian¡¯s press conference. He had a bigger desire after losing in PvPst year. Last year, Kraugel took a gold medal for him so Grid wanted to take two gold medals from Kraugel. He was trying to predict Kraugel¡¯s events when Yura and Peak Sword told him.


    ¡°Kraugel is a clever person. There are few people better suited for saint sword drawing.¡±


    "Kraugel¡¯s current level is low and he can¡¯t exert his fullbat power, so saint sword drawing is perfect from Kraugel¡¯s perspective. He can cover hisckingbat power with intelligence.¡±


    ¡°...Kraugel is smart?¡±


    "Of course. Think of his actions when he was the first ranked yer. They were extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, then he was really going to participate in the saint sword drawing event? Grid asked cautiously, "What if I participated here?¡±


    "...Don¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe this year¡¯s revenge could only be done in PvP. Grid felt both regret and relief. In fact, there was no guarantee that he could win against Kraugel.


    ¡®Then let¡¯s go to an event where I will unconditionally win a gold medal.¡¯


    What event was it? Of course...


    ¡°Then I shall participate in PvP and cksmithing.¡±


    People mightugh at him participating in the cksmithing event. They would say he was tantly avoiding Kraugel.


    ¡¯Well, they can mock me all they want.¡¯


    Those people would mock him no matter what he did. The determined Grid watched Yura¡¯s choices. Then he was surprised. It was because Yura chose the target processing and saint sword drawing event. Target processing was a major event that was famous for having as many strong yers as PvP. In addition, didn¡¯t she see that Kraugel would participate in the saint sword drawing event? Why did she want to take the risk?


    Yura exined to the confused Grid and yers.


    "We have topete against those who are likely to win gold medals in order to boost South Korea¡¯s ranking.¡±


    He understood her heart.


    ¡°But what about the odds? Yura, you are one of our greatest powers. The blow will be big if you miss out on gold medals. Don¡¯t fight a losing battle... Oof! Oof!¡±


    Grid blocked Peak Sword¡¯s mouth. Then he smiled at Yura¡¯s unwavering eyes.


    "Have you be really strong in hell?¡± She could even match Kraugel. ¡°I¡¯ll trust you and cheer you on.¡±


    Grid had never seen Yura bluff. He didn¡¯t doubt her confidence.


    "Thank you. I will return your faith.¡±


    Yura replied with a smile. She looked so beautiful that Grid blushed.


    Then Eat Spicy Jokbal spoke up, "Me and my friends will participate in two team events.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s good!¡±


    Peak Sword barely tore away from Grid and cried out enthusiastically. He was full of expectations for Dungeon Master Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s power in the team events. The world might expect South Korea¡¯s overall ranking to be at the bottom this year but Peak Sword thought differently.


    ¡¯South Korea will get the top position this year!¡¯


    There was a person filled with hopeful expectations.


    "I¡¯ll try to get at least one bronze medal.¡±


    It was beast master Toon who had been guarding Grid¡¯s side sinceing to South Koreast year.


    ¡°Puhahaha! Hooray South Korea!¡±


    Peak Sword was dancing with excitement. He didn¡¯t even know what events he was participating in.

 Chapter 752

    ¡º The two billion Satisfy yers all over the world! It is the 3rd National Competition that you have been waiting for long for! Finally! Start!!! We will now watch the first event! ¡»


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    The event that was the prelude to the 3rd National Competition was the saint sword drawing. The public originally wasn¡¯t interested in saint sword drawing, but this year was different. It was because there were many people waiting for the National Competition which was held three monthster than usual. In addition, Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s name was on the list of participants.


    -We can see Kraugel on the opening day!This ispletely exciting!


    -The opening is with God Kraugel...He¡¯s the main character.. ??


    -Isn¡¯t it a game where the person who draws out the saint sword first is the winner?Since he¡¯s a Sword Saint, he will surely be picked by the saint sword. Will Kraugel wins as soon he starts?


    -Ey, that doesn¡¯t matter.Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be a match.


    Saint sword drawing was based on the famous Arthurian legend, the sword stuck in the rock. It had the simple rule in which the person who pulled the sword out of the rock first would win. But the process wasn¡¯t easy. In order to draw the saint sword, certain conditions had to be met. The participants had to break through the missions with strength, intelligence, andpetence. It was very difficult for the participants because they had to be proficient in both literary and martial arts, and the public¡¯s interest wasn¡¯t easy to attract. It was inevitably less popr than other stimting events.


    Due to that, few people participated in saint sword drawing. In the 2nd National Competition, this event was reduced to anonymous rankers. However, this year Sword Saint Kraugel and Demon yer Yura would participate in saint sword drawing. People¡¯s expectations were heightened.


    ¡°It will be thrilling to watch the saint sword drawing!¡±


    ¡°By the way. Kraugel is a Sword Saint and well suited to saint sword drawing, but why is Yura participating? Can¡¯t she y separate events?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Is it because it¡¯s reliable to secure a medal based on the lowpetition? Just one medal will be invaluable to South Korea, who will be ranked at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big blow to her that hell running was abolished due to equality issues.¡±


    "She picked out saint sword drawing but ended up meeting Kraugel. She has no luck. I¡¯m sorry for her.¡±


    One of the best yers in the Great Demon Belial raid was Yura. However, it was spected that her abilities were only powerful against a great demon. It was true. Until a few months ago.


    ***


    Bruton Ind, the stage for saint sword drawing, wasrgely divided into three sections.


    First, there was the safety zone. It was impossible to PvP in the safety zone. yers couldn¡¯t attack each other in here. The ¡®sword in the rock¡¯ was ced in the center of the safety zone.


    Secondly, there was the route zone. PvP was possible, but you would be ssified as a criminal when attacking a yer and could be attacked by guardians. It was a neutral zone where yers could be killed. There were viges where NPCs gave clues and shrines which increased resource recovery. There were a total of nine vige son Bruton Ind and the distance between viges was around three kilometers. The location of the shrines weren¡¯t marked on the mini-map.


    Finally, there was the chaotic zone. It was a chaotic zone where PvP was allowed without any restrictions. Apart from the safety zone and route zone, all of Bruton Ind was considered a chaotic zone. yers in the chaotic zone had to pay attention at all times, since it was filled with many types of monsters, including named bosses.


    £û A sword isn¡¯t important. £ý


    ¡°...?¡±


    The center of Bruton Ind. The 42 people participating in saint sword drawing fell into confusion at the beginning. A sword was stuck at a right angle in the sparkling marble. The sentence ¡®a sword isn¡¯t important¡¯ floating at the bottom of the saint sword made it difficult for them. No, why was the verse decorating the sword denying the necessity of a sword?


    ¡®This isn¡¯t right?¡¯


    The participants¡¯ minds went nk but not all of them.


    ¡®Does it mean it wants a master who doesn¡¯t rely on it?¡¯


    ¡®Does it mean to not be stronger by holding the sword, but to be an inherently strong master?¡¯


    Kraugel and Yura immediately knew the meaning of the sentence.


    Supak!


    The two people moved at the same time. What did it mean to prove they were ¡®strong?¡¯ It was simple. Combat. Kraugel and Yura judged this and moved out of the safe zone towards the chaotic zone. In the process, they faced each other.


    Surung!


    Kraugel discovered Yura entering the forest opposite him and wielded his weapon. It was a silver weapon made from the bones of a dragon, White Fang.


    ¡®She¡¯s dangerous.¡¯


    Yura had been one of the 10 strongest yers in the world for a long time. Kraugel acknowledged her skills and was naturally wary. He knew it could be a disaster if he didn¡¯t get rid of her in the beginning.


    Supak!


    Just before Yura hid in a shady forest. Kraugel used White Light Steps and aimed at her. He used the refraction of the sunlight to enter a stealth state.


    ¡°Ah! Yura!!¡±


    The crowd cried out. The crowd was sure that the beautiful woman would be eliminated at the beginning of the event.


    ¡°Kraugel is a bloodless person with no tears!¡±


    "That cruel side is good! Win Kraugel!¡±


    Some people criticized Kraugel for trying to kill his biggest contender while others cheered him on. The premise behind both wasmon. Yura would die soon. That¡¯s right. The crowd expected that Kraugel would easily beat Yura. Kraugel¡¯s PvP ability was superior and his footwork was quick because he added stealth. Yura didn¡¯t notice Kraugel¡¯s approach and would suffer a critical injury. Most of the Korean representatives monitoring the game from the waiting room had the same idea.


    "There are very few people who can handle Kraugel¡¯s power. It¡¯s the end the moment she allowed him ess.¡±


    Peak Sword bit his nails. He prayed that Yura would see Kraugel¡¯s approach and pull out her gun. The only way for her to survive was to block Kraugel¡¯s approach in advance. He thought there was no other answer. But Grid was different.


    ¡®Will you show me?¡¯


    Grid still believed in her. The confidence expressed by his dear colleague.


    ¡®Have strength!¡¯


    Yura had been stuck in hell for several months. She must¡¯ve grown. Now she had to prove the value of her efforts. If she failed to prove it, she would be more shocked than anyone else.


    Grid cheered on Yura.


    ¡®I will repay your faith.¡¯


    Maybe it was a coincidence or faith. Yura was reminded of her promise to Grid. Then.


    Supak!


    The fight went different than what everyone expected. The moment that Kraugel approached Yura.


    ¡°Hell Leap.¡±


    Yura responded like she knew he was here. Her body was surrounded by a red light as she used the skill and disappeared without a trace.


    ¡®Stealth?¡¯


    It was impossible for a person to disappear unless it was a teleport magic. In addition, teleport type magic belonged entirely to magicians. Based on this, Kraugel judged that Yura¡¯s disappearance in front of him was simply a gimmick. He didn¡¯t panic and just kept up the trajectory of the sword.


    It was at the point where Yura had been standing. Kraugel expected Yura to bleed and reveal herself again.


    But.


    Wuuong.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t the sensation of cutting anything. White Fang left a faint afterglow in the air and Kraugel raised his eyebrows. At the same time.


    Suruk.


    A small ck hole was created behind Kraugel. There were no precursors and no sound, so Kraugel couldn¡¯t notice it. Then Yura emerged from the ck hole.


    ¡°?!¡±


    After hearing the sound of a cor rustling, Kraugel sensed the change and reflexively swung White Fang back.


    Puk!


    Kraugel wasn¡¯t a monster. Unlike what people thought, he didn¡¯t have eyes in the back of his head. The White Fang that he swung back didn¡¯t hit Yura. The problem was that his super super Sensitivity detected Yura toote. On the other hand, Yura precisely pierced Kraugel¡¯s back.


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    "!!!!"


    ¡º !!!! ¡»


    The yers, the crowd watching the game, thementators and the viewers were shocked, their mouths dropping open. Above all, the one who was most surprised was Kraugel himself. He was caught. It wasn¡¯t the same as when he fought Lauel and Pon on Battlefield.


    This was Satisfy. Here, Kraugel was aplete presence. He was the sky above the sky. An absolute person. Now he lost to a person in a frontal confrontation. It was the first time he¡¯d experienced this.


    Hwiririk!


    While Kraugel was feeling confused, Yura reimed her sword and spun. It was an elegant movement like a swan.


    Swaeeeeek!


    The sword with a centrifugal force pierced Kraugel. It was steadfast swordsmanship based on her experience in hell.


    Kaang!


    Kraugel barely managed to defend.


    Now that he was face to face with Yura, his super sensitivity passive was active. He used White Fang to fend off Yura¡¯s attack and showed his strength. The new acquired ¡®Weapon Swallowing¡¯ of a Sword Saint caused White Fang to interlock with Yura¡¯s sword. Due to this, Yura¡¯s upper body leaned forward and her face neared Kraugel¡¯s. The distance between the two of them was so close that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if their lips touched.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    "It is Kraugel instead of Grid!¡±


    The crowd was excited at the beautiful sight. However, the atmosphere between Kraugel and Yura was cold. Their faces were expressionless as they whispered to each other.


    "I didn¡¯t know I would be subjected to this type of defeat by someone other than Grid.¡±


    "Don¡¯t take him for granted. Youngwoo-ssi is the only one special to me.¡±


    ¡°Hah...?¡±


    Tatang!


    Yura lost her bnce due to Kraugel¡¯s sword swallowing. People judged that Kraugel would win. After allowing a counterattack from Yura, they thought Kraugel would overpower her. However, that wasn¡¯t it. Yura¡¯s left hand held a gun and she pulled the trigger. The speed at which her bullet flew was slightly faster than Kraugel¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t escape from the bullets shot at close range. Blood flowed from his forehead and his eyes reddened. He could see Yura with his blurred vision. She held a sword in one hand and a gun in the other. She obtained the Demon yer ¡®Use Both Hands¡¯ passive when she reached level 300.


    ¡°...Interesting.¡±


    Kraugel allowed two attacks in a row and was surrounded by a blue sword energy. Now he recognized Yura as a petitor.¡¯ She was on the same level as Grid. But he couldn¡¯tpete with Yura¡¯s power.


    ¡°Hell Leap.¡±


    Yura judged that it was disadvantageous to face a Sword Saint head on and immediately disappeared. Her movements that disappeared into a ck hole and reappearing in another ce couldn¡¯t be pursued by Kraugel¡¯s super sensitivity. It was like she leapt into space itself. The moment she entered the hole, she waspletely removed from his senses. There was no precursor to the creation of the ck hole.


    ¡°...Demon yer.¡±


    Kraugel muttered as he gazed at the back of the distant Yura. His feelings were simr to when he first faced Grid. And...


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Yura! Yura!! Yura!!!¡±


    "Ah!! My goddess has finally returned!!¡±


    Yura, who had been wandering after bing a legendary ss, regained her old reputation. It was a splendid return.

 Chapter 753

    Duk.


    A ck object fell and dirtied the marble floor. It was the chocte pudding that Grid was eating.


    ¡°...¡±


    The South Korean team¡¯s waiting room. Grid had lost his soul. He didn¡¯t even notice that the expensive pudding he normally didn¡¯t buy had fallen to the ground.


    ¡°God Grid? Hey, God Grid!¡±


    Peak Sword noticed Grid¡¯s unusual state. He grabbed Grid¡¯s shoulder and randomly shook it. He couldn¡¯t help feeling worried. Among the many snacks avable in the waiting room, Grid had only picked the most expensive chocte pudding. He had already eaten six consecutive ones!


    "Hey! I told you! I told you it was dangerous if you consumed so much sugar at once! But you...! You just said that freebies are good...! Hey! God Grid!! Wake up! Look into my eyes!¡±


    ¡®...It¡¯s different from the image I imagined.¡¯


    The representatives¡¯ images of Overgeared King Grid and Peak Sword was very big. In particr, Grid and Peak Sword were heroes and idols to the young rankers participating on the Korean team this year. They imagined a noble image. However, reality was the exact opposite of their imagination. They seemed like neighborhood idiots.


    But why weren¡¯t they disappointed? Grid and Peak Sword had no authority? Well, it was better to be friendly andfortable.


    "It¡¯s okay. I was just thinking about something else.¡±


    In the turmoil, Grid btedly regained his mind and focused on the screen again. He watched Yura hunt monsters and gather the ¡®proof of strength.¡¯


    ¡°Really... Really strong.¡±


    In fact, he hadn¡¯t expressed it, but Grid had been worried about Yura. She had been in the top position. How hard would it be for her to be in a slump for more than a year after bing a Demon yer?


    ¡°Demon yer...¡±


    A conditional ss that exerted exceptional power in certain conditions. It was a good fit for ordinary people like Grid. However, it was poison for a versatile person like Yura. It was a poison that regted Yura¡¯s talents, who could act in various fields. Grid worried that Yura had been regretting her choice.


    ¡¯...I would certainly regret it.¡¯


    But she didn¡¯t. She walked alone without relying on anyone. Then she descended to hell. This was the result. Yura seeded in returning as a dominant power in the National Competition.


    "Good work."


    Grid was someone who always tried. He knew how much Yura had done for this moment. Thus, he was in awe.


    ¡°God Grid...¡±


    Peak Sword handed a tissue to Grid with a solemn expression. There was no handkerchief.


    "Wipe your mouth...¡±


    ***


    [The crystal skeleton has been defeated.]


    [All the Proofs of Strength have been gathered. Visit Andrew Vige and meet the chief. He will give you the second version of the ¡®Saint Sword¡¯s Song.¡¯]


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t ovep with Kraugel.¡¯


    Had Kraugel already collected all the proofs? Or was he still at the collecting stage? ording to Yura¡¯s calctions, it was naturally the former.


    ¡®I might meet Kraugel if I go directly to the vige.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t want to admit it, but even if they were both legendary sses, Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯sbat ability was much better. The pressure that Yura felt when she was hit a while ago was considerable. If Yura had pulled the gun a bitter then she was likely to be hit. Kraugel¡¯s strength was beyond what she had expected.


    ¡®If only Hell Leap was a bit more stable...¡¯


    It was the trump card that Yura acquired by clearing a hidden Demon yer quest. Unfortunately, it was difficult to use. It was a skill that temporarily moved the user¡¯s body ¡®somewhere¡¯ in hell. No one could guarantee where the caster would fall. In the worst case, she could fall where a great demon was or directly onto hell fire.


    In fact, 30 minutes ago, Yura used Hell Leap during her confrontation with Kraugel and fell right in front of the castle of the 15th great demon. She was caught by a red monster guarding the gates and even the legendary passive couldn¡¯tpletely resist the ¡®absolute petrification.¡¯ The agility of her body fell significantly.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Yura couldn¡¯t help letting out a sigh. Shemented being weaker than Kraugel despite also being a legend. Her level was even higher. She had passed level 300 before the start of the National Competition, while Kraugel was still in the mid-200s. Even so, Yura had a low chance of winning in a frontal confrontation.


    ¡®...No, it¡¯s an excuse.¡¯


    ss wasn¡¯t the only important thing. The grim reality was proven when the normal ss Kraugel had defeated Grid.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯ Acting in front of Kraugel wasn¡¯t her first choice. She would miss the gold medal if she kept avoiding Kraugel. Then there would be no meaning in participating in the saint sword drawing. ¡®I can¡¯t avoid a fight with Kraugel.¡¯


    Yura realized the cold reality and ran to Andrew Vige. She wished that Grid¡¯s support would bring her good luck.


    ***


    "Ah, they met again.¡±


    ¡°Yura is pitiful.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really dangerous this time?¡±


    It was two and a half hours since saint sword drawing started. By the time most participants acquired the third verse of the Saint Sword¡¯s Song, Kraugel and Yura were on thest verse and encountered each other again. It was their sixth sh. No matter how much Yura was damaged, she kept chasing after Kraugel.


    As the confrontations continued, Kraugel¡¯s side overwhelmed Yura. Kraugel¡¯sbat adaptability was unmatched. In the repeated battles, he grasped the unique characteristics of a Demon yer and reversed thempletely to neutralize Yura. Now it was hard for Yura to resist. The only path she could choose was to retreat from Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship. She didn¡¯t look back when she met Kraugel and used Hell Leap.


    In the process...


    ¡°Heok! What?¡±


    ¡°Now she is summoning a demonkin?¡±


    The people were startled at the sight of Yura. She disappeared with a red light and reappeared through a ck hole with something on her shoulder. People naturally assumed it was a demonkin that she summoned. But the demonkin was biting her shoulder.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Thementators, crowd, and even Kraugel was confused at the situation. They couldn¡¯t understand why Yura had ended up like this. But they noticed it within a few minutes.


    ¡®No way, has she been going to hell every time she uses the skill?¡¯


    It had been like this from the beginning. When she disappeared and reappeared, Yura often seemed injured or affected by a status condition. It was obvious that the teleportation skill she used was different from normal instantaneous movements.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this skill too dangerous?¡±


    Kraugel asked as if he knew everything. But Yura¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Sakak-!


    Yura cut off the demonkin biting at her shoulder and pointed her gun at Kraugel. She had to open the distance and recover enough resources to make full use of Hell Leap. Kraugel read her intentions and tried to narrow the distance, but she was the sky above the sky for female users. She didn¡¯t allow him to easily narrow the distance.


    ***


    ¡°Oh! Kraugel is apletely bad guy!¡±


    Grid was extremely agitated. It was because Kraugel hunting Yura instead of proceeding with the quests was too hateful.


    "Can¡¯t you share a gold medal and silver medal? Why are you acting like you want to eat everything?¡±


    "It¡¯s because he acknowledges Yura¡¯s skills. There¡¯s a chance he might miss the gold medal if he spares her.¡±


    Like the other yer, Eat Spicy Jokbal was concentrating on the game. Vi, the woman in a hanbok sitting next to him nodded as if she agreed.


    "Thatdy, she¡¯s too strong.¡±


    It was obvious that Kraugel was one level higher. The problem was that so far, only Grid had managed to go against Kraugel. In people¡¯s eyes, the difference in skills between the two people was minimal.


    ¡°But what the hell is that Hell Leap?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought it was simply a fraudulent movement skill, but now a monster hase out.¡±


    Yura once again retreated. She escaped from Kraugel and lurked in the forest, escaping from a great crisis for now. Grid¡¯s throat became parched as he felt relief. He was just grabbing a soda when a security guard approached him.


    "That... A guest hase.¡±


    "Guest? Who is it?¡±


    Who woulde to the South Korean team while the National Competition event was going on? The security guard replied to the confused Grid.


    ¡°Panmir of the US team.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The first ranked cksmith since Satisfy opened. He was the person who made Grid participate in the cksmithing event inst year¡¯s National Competition.


    ¡®Is heing to ask me to participate this year?¡¯


    After thinking aboutst year¡¯s incident, Gridughed and left the waiting room. Panmir was an opponent difficult to ignore. Grid respected his position but didn¡¯t fear him. Grid was familiar with Panmir¡¯s craftsmanship. He understood the sense of deprivation Panmir felt because Grid was a legendary cksmith. Panmir was an opponent Grid had to be careful of in many ways.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    Grid discovered Panmir in the hallway and spoke first. Panmir had more grey hair thanst year. But his solid body and strong eyes didn¡¯t make him look old. He looked like Khan would¡¯ve 15 years younger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak bluntly.¡± Panmir responded to Grid¡¯s greeting and immediately got to the subject. ¡°This year, I will beat you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, this was the only reason why he came? It was disturbing his day with this silly thing. Grid couldn¡¯t hide his displeasure and frowned. Panmir added, ¡°Even if I win, it doesn¡¯t necessary mean I¡¯m better than you. Your craftsmanship and perseverance in manually making each item is naturally better than me. Nevertheless, there¡¯s a reason I can say that I will beat you.¡±


    Panmir stopped speaking and pulled out a thin booklet. It was the book that described the rules for the cksmithing event.


    "It¡¯s due to the maniption of the organizers.¡±


    From this year on, the rules of the cksmithing event changed. Last year, all participants made the ¡®same item¡¯ with the ¡®same design.¡¯ But this year, the participants could make the item they wanted with any design. The most important change was the victory criteria.


    Unlikest year, where the prehensive value¡¯ was judged based on the item¡¯s ability, this year¡¯s cksmith event only looked at the ¡®rating¡¯ of the item. The criteria was changed so that those who produced unconditionally high rated items would receive good evaluations. Growth type items were no exception. It didn¡¯t matter if the item could grow to the legendary rating. If it was a normal rating when it was finished, the gold medal would be lost.


    Panmir spoke with straightforward eyes.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already noticed? The reason why the rules and evaluation criteria for the cksmithing event changed this year was to keep you in check.¡±


    Even if items of the same rank were produced, Grid¡¯s items would have higher average stats. If the criteria for evaluating items were just stats, the winner of the cksmithing event would be Grid.


    This was why the organizers changed the evaluation criteria for items.


    "Changing the rules to keep a certain yer in check... In your position, I would feel that it¡¯s unfair.¡±


    "What do you want to say?¡±


    "I want to tell you not to take it personally if you lose to me in this event. You aren¡¯t worse than me. You were just defeated by the organizers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What type of confidence was this? The biggest problem was that Panmir was speaking with good intentions. Grid was forced to shut up because he was too embarrassed to reply.


    Panmir smiled bitterly at him.


    "I achieved level 280 andpleted three hidden quests. Now I have a 0.01% chance of producing legendary rated items. In addition, my items will be at least epic rated... I can make crazily fraudulent items. So prepare your heart. Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    After a while, Panmir left and Grid was left alone scratching his head.


    "The conclusion is that you are worried about me?¡±


    He knew for a long time that Panmir was a person with excellent craftsmanship. But Grid didn¡¯t know Panmir was such a gracious and sensitive person.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry...¡¯


    Grid wouldn¡¯t show mercy to Panmir. At present, Panmir could never imagine that Grid was holding back a surprise card.

 Chapter 754

    The stronger the predator, the more prideful they were. They weren¡¯t cautious when hunting small rabbits. Patience and strength were the basics. It was important to do their best whenpeting with the same beast.


    Clink!


    The second half of saint sword drawing. Kraugel was doing his best to stop Yura. He was very wary of her since she was also qualified to draw the saint sword.


    ¡®There¡¯s a slight difference in movement speed due to the difference in basic stats. I need to deal with her before entering the safety zone.¡¯


    Kraugel hadn¡¯t achieved level 300 before entering the National Competition. His stats failed to reach the third awakening and were generallycking. He needed to be tenacious to make up for this. Kraugel ced his hands on the sheath at his waist.


    He aimed for Yura¡¯s predicted path and drew White Fang. It was Space Sword, one of the ultimate skills of a Sword Saint.


    Supaak!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s silver-coloured sword cut the earth, rivers, trees, rocks, mountains, and sky. Thendscape in his field of view was cut in two. All except for one thing. It was Yura. The moment Kraugel¡¯s sword reached her, she used Hell Leap to make Kraugel¡¯s technique useless.


    -Wow...!


    -How does she match the timing like that?


    -I have goosebumps.


    The crowd and viewers had already been impressed by Yura several times. From what they saw, there was only a difference in ss between Kraugel and Yura. People thought that if the Demon yer ss had the ability to fight the Sword Saint ss, she wouldn¡¯t be in the position of a fugitive.


    But that was just their perspective. Kraugel dominated Yura in all ways, albeit subtly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t run.¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    Yura was surprised when she emerged from a ck hole. It was because Kraugel stood before her.


    ¡®He read the path?¡¯ Yura noticed. ¡®It¡¯s my mistake!¡¯


    The problem was that she chose the shortest route to reach the saint sword as soon as possible. Kraugel read her thoughts. The cause of her defeat was a failure to ovee her anxiety.


    Sakak-!


    A white sh projected towards Yura¡¯s trembling eyes.


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    White Fang descended towards Yura again.


    Sakak-!


    Chukakakakak!


    Kraugel didn¡¯t lose momentum after hitting Yura once. He used tricky orbits to deal with Yura.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Yura¡¯s vision kept shing red. She attempted to defend against Kraugel¡¯s attacks but it didn¡¯t work. Kraugel perfectly analyzed her behavior patterns and his super sensitivity supported his analysis. Yura had only one option left to counterattack.


    Tang!


    Tang tang!


    As Yura was caught in a storm of swords and bled out, she aimed her magic gun at Kraugel. But Kraugel read her gaze and the direction the muzzle was pointing in, moving in advance to avoid the bullets. In the end, eight of the ten bullets shot by Yura were deflected. On the other hand, Yura allowed seven out eight hits by Kraugel. The difference in health between the two people greatly widened.


    ¡º It seems to be over. ¡»


    ¡º Ah, yer Yura is really miserable. After all this, she¡¯s missing the medal. ¡»


    Yura¡¯s performance had been dazzling through saint sword drawing. She quickly met the requirements of the saint sword with a good strategy and ovee the difficulties experienced in the process with her strength and wits. Thementators and the crowd had no doubt that she would win a medal for her country. But now Kraugel from the United States was about to trample on Yura and South Korea¡¯s dreams.


    ¡º As you all know, the yers in South Korea are very shallow. Apart from Grid, Yura, Peak Sword, and Toon, all participating yers are unknown. ¡»


    ¡º The experts guess that apart from Grid and Yura, the other yers can only obtain silver medals at most. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s desperate news for South Korea that Yura is being eliminated without winning a single medal. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s a pity. The Korean people will feel a great deal of heartache. ¡»


    Thementators were telling the truth. The rules were revised so that one yer could only participate in two events. The elimination of Yura was a painful loss for South Korea. Even if Grid won two gold medals, South Korea would stay at the bottom of the rankings as expected. Then the Korean yers wouldn¡¯t receive any buffs.


    ¡°Meteor Sword.¡±


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Kraugel¡¯s sword fell like a meteor and continuously struck Yura¡¯s injured body. Yura used her skills to resist, but her health was currently at the bottom while Kraugel¡¯s was close to being full. Kraugel was several times stronger thanst year after bing a Sword Saint and was on a different level from Yura. At this point, people thought the winner of the one on one PvP was determined. They started specting about the results of the events that hadn¡¯t yet started.


    Then Kraugel prepared to deal the final blow to Yura.


    ¡®End it.¡¯


    Kraugel decided after checking Yura¡¯s health gauge. He precisely calcted Yura¡¯s health and defense figures during the course of the battle and used a charging skill. He prepared to deal a blow to Yura¡¯s heart while simultaneously opening the distance, in order to avoid a counterattack from Yura in her immortal state.


    "Jajinmori.¡±


    Peeok!


    A secret technique obtained from the East Continent. It was a kick that unfolded without any preliminary movements, striking the enemy and pushing him away. He kicked Yura¡¯s abdomen. At the same time, Yura¡¯s health was depleted, she entered the immortal state and fell far away from Kraugel. Kraugel naturally didn¡¯t approach her. He judged that he could prevent her from essing the safety zone during her five seconds of immortality.


    "Huhut.¡±


    In this desperate situation, Yuraughed. Kraugel¡¯s actions were within the range that she anticipated. Since she was far away from Kraugel, she cast a spell that took some time to use.


    ¡°Hell Summoning.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Kurururung!


    The Demon yer ss exerted great influence in hell and operated with a penalty on this middle world. It was too unreasonable to call it a legendary ss when it couldn¡¯t exert its abilities outside of hell. That¡¯s why the skill set involved a hell summoning. It was a field magic that allowed a Demon yer to show 100% of their abilities by transferring over a certain random area of hell.


    Shaaaaaah-


    A dark curtain fell. A radius of 1km around Yura was flooded with demonic energy and turned ck. It was the moment when the bright Bruton Ind was contaminated.


    ¡º Hup...! ¡»


    The world was astonished. Hell Summoning was a unique magic used by Great Demon Belial! How could a yer use it?!!


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Kraugel was also surprised. He frowned as he was contaminated by the demonic energy.


    [You have entered hell.]


    [You are affected by a strong evil energy.]


    [Your body is exhausted. Attack power, defense, and agility will decrease by 30%.]


    [Health won¡¯t recover naturally.]


    [You have received a mental blow. Mana regeneration rate will slow by 50%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡®The status resistance is meaningless.¡¯


    Yura was strong. Kraugel became vignt and grasped White Fang.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Yura leapt over the boiling hellfire river reached Kraugel in an instant and used three joint attacks. It was a much faster and stronger attack than before.


    ¡®Kuk...! She managed to keep this trump card hidden so far?¡¯


    He understood her thoughts. It was ufortable for yers to reveal their true power in the National Competition, where everyone in the world was watching. It was better to hide as much power as possible. But if she had to release it to the public, shouldn¡¯t it be in a better situation? Kraugel felt negatively about Yura¡¯s Hell Summoning.


    ¡¯Revealing it in a situation where defeat is already determined... She isn¡¯t that stupid.¡¯


    The summoning of hell was toote. Even if Yura was strong in hell, the gap between the two people¡¯s health was too big to be reversed. The oue of the battle couldn¡¯t be changed. She should¡¯ve summoned hell earlier or not summoned it at all.


    Kraugel thought this as he avoided two bullets that flew from Yura in the darkness. He moved his sword while enduring the heat of the hellfire flowing near his feet. It was a counterattack aimed precisely for when Yura¡¯s immortal duration ended.


    But.


    Sakak-!


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t cut Yura. He was a bit confused because he hadn¡¯t yet been able to adapt to the sudden change inndscape. Yura used Hell Leap and left the battlefield. It was a retreat using herst remaining mana.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t miss her!¡¯


    The moment that Kraugel used White Light Steps and was about to pursue Yura.


    Kiyaaaaoh!


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Kurururung!


    A hell bone dragon emerged in sky that contained thousands of hell eyes and blew a poisonous breath at Kraugel. The hell summoned by Yura was a habitat for the hell bone dragon. It was extremely good luck from Yura¡¯s position.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The hell bone dragon was a powerful high level named monster that would make a yer scream. Kraugel gave a rare scream as he was attacked by it. He suffered a critical injury as he flew back.


    At this time.


    Surururuk!


    The hell vanished. The hell summoned by Yura only had a duration of a minute or so. In that short period of time, the situation of saint sword drawing dramatically reversed. Breaking everyone¡¯s expectations, Yura was going to reach the safety zone first.


    The only area where PvP was impossible. It was the central area where the saint sword was stuck.


    ¡º Y...Yura....! ¡»


    ¡º South Korea¡¯s Yura will be the first master of the saint sword!! ¡»


    Who would¡¯ve imagined that someone other than Grid would win a confrontation with the sky above the sky? No, it was the opinion of most people in the world that even Grid couldn¡¯t win against Kraugel. Yet Yura pulled it off...


    Puk!


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡º....!! ¡»


    One step. One step wascking. Just before Yura entered the safety zone, dozens of swords rushed at her. It was the long-ranged skill of a Sword Saint, which caused 10 swords to be released from his inventory to hit the target. It was one of the skills Kraugel wanted to hide until he met Grid.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A sword stabbed Yura¡¯s ankle. Fortunately, she kept her life because she drank a potion. However, she fell down while entering the safety zone. Then...


    Teook!


    Kraugel jumped over her. He reached the saint sword first.


    ¡º K-Kraugel wins! Kraugel has won the gold medal by drawing the sword first! ¡»


    ¡º Ahh, yer Yura has ended up with the silver medal. It is really a waste. But she fought well. I admire her. ¡»


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±


    Huge cheers shook the Tokyo Dome. The premiere of the 3rd National Competition was fierce and gorgeous.


    ***


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    "Well fought. You fought really well.¡±


    On the screen, the sight of Yura tearing up could be seen. It was the first time she had ever looked so frail. She became a legend before Kraugel and actually achieved a higher growth, but she eventually lost. Was it because her efforts werecking?


    No. In fact, Grid knew better than anyone. It was purely-


    ¡®The difference in talent...¡¯


    Humans were rtive. A person who was praised as the best would end up being humble in front of someone better than them. Grid had been through this painful reality many times. That¡¯s why he could figure out what Yura was feeling right now. He was able to feel her desperation.


    ¡®I¡¯ll get revenge for you.¡¯


    Talent?


    ¡¯I will ovee it with items.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s blood boiled. After witnessing the victim of Kraugel¡¯s talent, he wanted to win even more.


    After that. Four more events took ce and South Korea didn¡¯t win a single medal. On the first day of the National Competition, South Korea¡¯s medal status was only one silver medal. But this one silver medal was very valuable. South Korea, which originally should¡¯ve been at the bottom of the rankings, ended up being near the top of the overall rankings.


    At this time, no one knew what this small difference would lead to.

 Chapter 755

    United States: Gold (4), Silver (3), Bronze (0)


    Canada: Gold (2), Silver (4), Bronze (1)


    China: Gold (2), Silver (0), Bronze (0)


    United Kingdom: Gold (1), Silver (0), Bronze (4)


    Japan: Gold (0), Silver (1), Bronze (2)


    South Korea: Gold (0), Silver (1), Bronze (0)


    France: Gold (0), Silver (0), Bronze (2)


    This was the result of the first day of the 3rd National Competition. As with previous years, the North American, European and East Asian countries were remarkable. Of course, this table was only temporary. There were still 18 events remaining today and tomorrow. New countries would emerge on the leaderboard. Last year¡¯s number one, Russia was included.


    ¡º Just like yesterday, there will be nine events held today. Six of those are team events. Today is the most important day out of the National Competition¡¯s three days. ¡»


    In order to win the team events, the team must have a wide variety of yers. Countries with many outstanding athletes were more likely to win a team medal. The US, Canada, China, and Russia met these conditions. Other countries were significantly less likely to win medals at team events.


    ¡º The countries that wins many medals in the team events out of the four major powers will be ranked first in the overall rankings. ¡»


    ¡º Will Russian achieve first ce for a second consecutive year? Will the United States regain its reputation after winning first at the 1st National Competition? Will Canada, which has always been a first ce candidate, finally be different this year? Will China gain the honor of being the first Asian country to be ranked first? ¡»


    ¡º The possibility of Russia getting first is very low. Alexander is outstanding and there are other great talents, but the team is much weaker than when they had Kraugelst year. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Russia¡¯s goal is to reach the top 10 and get the country buff. If Russia¡¯s strongest ranker Knight, who has been raising his reputation recently, participated, then there was a chance they could get first. ¡»


    ¡º What about France, the third ranked country in the 1st National Competition? ¡»


    ¡º Bondre, who lost his status since the copse of the Seven Guilds, isn¡¯t participating in the National Competition this year. France also has no hope. ¡»


    In the end, it would be the trilogy of the US, Canada, and China. It was as everyone expected, causing thementators to smile bitterly.


    ¡º It¡¯s sad that South Korea, which took second ce in the 1st and 2nd National Competitions, isn¡¯t being talked about at all. ¡»


    ¡º The reason why South Korea was able to be ced high in the past National Competitions was because the number of events was small. On the other hand, this year¡¯s National Competition has 27 events. Grid might win two gold medals alone, but it¡¯s impossible for South Korea to be ranked as highly as before. Look. Today South Korea is only participating in two out of six group events. The yers on the participating list are all obscure. ¡»


    ¡º Based on the atmosphere, South Korea seems to have half given up already. ¡»


    ¡º The attitude is like just participating in the National Competition is fine. ¡»


    South Korea was a country shallow in yers. There weren¡¯t many notable yers except for Grid and Yura.


    ¡º Yura might win one more medal and Grid might win medals in the PvP and cksmithing event tomorrow, but that¡¯s it. ¡»


    ¡º Frankly, I wonder if Grid can win a gold medal. The new rules for the cksmithing event are disadvantageous to Grid. Then in PvP, Kraugel is standing in the way. ¡»


    "They¡¯re making too much noise.¡±


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room. Eat Spicy Jokbal was burning with enthusiasm as he prepared to take ce in the subjugation expedition event. As a Korean person, he felt the desire to prove thementators who undervalued South Korea were wrong.


    "Thementator isn¡¯t necessarily wrong.¡±


    The hanbok-d woman Vi giggled. She had long eyes and a long chin, looking like a fox when sheughed.


    ¡°Is South Korea really weak?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. South Korea is weak.¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal nodded as if to agree with Vi¡¯s words. ¡°But only when we weren¡¯t here.¡±


    A ranker¡¯s official activities might bring wealth and fame, but there were alsorge constraints. That¡¯s why Eat Spicy Jokbal, Vi, and Ma Bongshik had always been unofficial rankers. But now they decided to reveal themselves to the world. As long as they decided, they didn¡¯t intend to do it roughly.


    "Our appearance should be gorgeous. Just like a certain someone.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal looked at Grid. Grid saw him and said easily, "Come back with gold.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We will bring back two.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s momentum! The other young Korean yers didn¡¯t know his identity and clicked their tongues. They were questioning why he was so confident. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expectations were high since he knew Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s identity.


    ¡®Blood Carnival¡¯s master.¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was a big person who created and operated the strongest and worst dark gamers group. Grid also acknowledged the power of his hidden ss, Dungeon Maker. Grid and Peak Sword were sure that his appearance would bring a tremendous shock to the world.


    ***


    [Eat Spicy Jokbal? The ID is real.]


    [Crazy! What is this? ???]


    [Wow, this name is more idiotic than childish.]


    [I guess he likes jokbal.]


    Subjugation expedition was an event that introduced PvP to the existing raid. Three countries participated in a raid at the same time, hunting the boss while keeping each other in check. The country that umted the most damage to the boss would be the champion.


    The boss was a cockatrice. It was one level below the drake, the boss of the existing raid. If the raid target was too strong, the yers would take a cooperative attitude instead of keeping each other in check. Thanks to this, the subjugation expedition event was expected to be much faster and more intense than a raid. This was the S.A. Group¡¯s intention.


    ¡°Our first opponents are South Korea and Japan. We have good luck.¡±


    The participating countries in Group A were South Korea, Japan, and Russia. It was good luck for the Russian yers. South Korea was weak apart from Grid and Yura. In fact, the Korean yers participating in this event werepletely unknown. Japan was no different. Damian and Katz weren¡¯t participating in this event, only second level rankers.


    On the other hand, Russia had Alexander. He was the strongest ranker in Russia after Knight, who had recently started to gain poprity. Last year, he acted with Kraugel to make Russia first in the overall rankings.


    ¡°Our goal is the gold medal. We have to get through this first game.¡±


    The results of the previous four group events made the development of the National Competition interesting. The United States didn¡¯t win any gold medals, Canada won three gold medals and China won one gold medal. It meant the United States failed to be first. If Russia seeded in winning gold in the remaining two team events, maybe Russia could be in the top position in the overall rankings The Russian yers were motivated.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Three minutes before the boss emerged. Alexander nced at his sessor, Ikonikoski, now one of the leading rankers in Russia. Ikonikoski rushed to his side and answered vigorously.


    Alexander ordered, "There is a high possibility that South Korea and Japan will feel a sense of crisis and ally with each other. We must aim for the Korean yers at the start of the match. Don¡¯t give them a chance to cooperate with Japan.¡±


    Ikonikoski¡¯s abilities were equivalent to the former Alexander. It would be simple for him to get rid of three small fries alone. Ikonikoski replied confidently.


    "Yep! I¡¯ll get those yellow monkeys...ugh!¡±


    Ikonikoski suddenly screamed. It was because Alexander hit the back of his head. Alexander warned him with a grim facial expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be racist.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Alexander was a notorious skinhead. Ikonikoski was stunned once he talked about racial discrimination. Alexander exined to him, "Kraugel is also Korean! You stupid bastard!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    Many people didn¡¯t know that Alexander was following Kraugel. Ikonikoski hadn¡¯t known. He wasn¡¯t able to understand the situation properly but had to respond like this. He was afraid of Alexander. Right as the Russian team were in turmoil.


    "The first match opponents are too weak.¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal on the South Korean team was unhappy. "Shouldn¡¯t my debut appearance be at least the level of Kraugel?¡±


    It was the exhibition he had thought hard about. Eat Spicy Jokbal wanted a gorgeous debut to the world. He wanted to imprint his presence on people. However, the Russian team were the first opponents. Ma Bongshikforted him.


    "Alexander is quite famous. It¡¯s lucky that we¡¯re matched against him.¡±


    "Hmm... it isn¡¯t the worst.¡±


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do anything. Eat Spicy Jokbal thought positively as he looked over the battlefield. Sand and dust blew through the steep canyon on the center of a wastnd and a cockatrice was on top.


    ¡¯The key is the climb the canyon first.¡¯


    The team that reached the cockatrice first could umte more damage. In the end, it would be a game of speed. It was a space where flying magic was blocked. Who could climb the high and steep canyon quickly?


    ¡®In addition, the other yers have to be kept in check. Well, it has nothing to do with me.¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal paid attention to the cave at the entrance of the canyon.


    "It¡¯s a good structure to summon a dungeon.¡±


    A Dungeon Maker became stronger when dungeons were created. It wasn¡¯t just because of the rise in stats. He could also summon a dungeon that he created into a specific area. Eat Spicy Jokbal made a variety of dungeons and was able to cope flexibly in any situation as long as the terrain was suitable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vi and Ma Bongshik started to move ording to Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s basis. While the Russian and Japanese rankers moved towards the top of the canyon, they headed towards the cave at the entrance of the dungeon.


    ¡º...??? ¡»


    ¡º What is this...? .¡»


    Immediately after the subjugation expedition match between South Korea, Japan, and Russia started. Thementators who were sure that Russia would win were surprised. It was absurd that the Korean team members were hiding inside the cave instead of defeating the monsters.


    ¡º It¡¯s hard to see the actions as meaningful. They must be very nervous. ¡»


    Thementators thought that the Korean yers had panicked. They thought there was no possibility of winning and decided to ¡®hide¡¯ in the cave. They were stupid cowards. The Russian rankers thought the same.


    "They¡¯re worth half a penny.¡±


    Shake shake.


    Alexanderughed. He was stunned that the Korean yers hid out of fear.


    "Ikonikoski, just ignore them. Move faster than the Japanese yers.¡±


    "Yes!"


    The Russian yers moved in an orderly fashion. In the process of climbing the canyon, they narrowed the distance with the Japanese yers. The cockatrice was pecking the sand on top of the canyon. It seemed that both the cockatrice and the Japanese yers would be killed by the Russians. But it went differently from everyone¡¯s expectations.


    Kyao?


    The cockatrice pecking at the sand suddenly looked down at the canyon. The sharp eyes were looking at the cave entrance where the Korean yers were hiding.


    Kyaooooh!


    The cockatrice let out a loud sound. Its long legs stretched out. It ignored the Russian and Japanese yers climbing the canyon and jumped down.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Russian and Japanese yers were upset. When did it suddenly jump down when they had gone through so much effort? It was also where the Korean team was hiding!


    "C-Chase it!¡±


    Even if the Korean yers were small fries, their levels were over 250 if they were participating in the National Competition. The three of them would be enough to catch the cockatrice. The Russian and Japanese rankers were nervous. But the canyon walls were too steep. They couldn¡¯t catch up with the speed of the cockatrice. The cockatrice arrived in the cave where the South Korean yers were hiding.


    ¡°Hey! This damn chicken head! Stand there!¡±


    Why was it doing this? Why did it show such great interest in the cave? Alexander questioned it as he yelled at the cockatrice.


    Tak!


    The moment the cockatrice entered the cave.


    ¡°Chicken isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Sakak-!


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s sword cut at the cockatrice. It was the moment when dozens of cameras moved from the Russian participants to focus on Eat Spicy Jokbal.

 Chapter 756

    Most dungeons contained monsters. The monsters were precious prey that gave experience and riches, making it natural for yers to recognize a dungeon as a hunting ground. Nobody was interested in the origin of the monsters in the dungeon.


    ¡°Chicken isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Kiyaaaaaaack!


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s sword cut at the cockatrice. The cockatrice let out a sharp scream as it struggled. Its eyes were bloodshot as it kept heading deep into the dark dungeon. There was no interest in Eat Spicy Jokbal, who had just seriously decreased its health gauge with one blow. Thanks to this, Eat Spicy Jokbal was safe from ¡®petrification.¡¯ He was safe from one of the top status effects.


    ¡°The Snake Dungeon was the right answer.¡±


    People might ignore it, but most dungeons were built with a purpose. They all had different features and purposes. That¡¯s why different types of monsters lived in different dungeons.


    [Snake Dungeon]


    Rating: Epic


    A dungeon built by Dungeon Maker Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    Due to the argandi trees nted inrge quantities inside, rodents such as the ratmen proliferate inrge quantities. It is a paradise for snake monsters who eat them.


    ...


    ...


    Eat Spicy Jokbal had built this Snake Dungeon in order tomunicate with the Burangtang n, who worshipped snakes. He built the Snake Dungeon near the Burangtang¡¯s vige and became friends with them, allowing him to clear the ¡®Burangtang¡¯s Treasure¡¯ hidden quest. In other words, the Snake Dungeon was originally meant to be near the Burangtang¡¯s vige.


    But Eat Spicy Jokbal had the Dungeon Summoning skill. Dungeon Summoning was a skill that could only be triggered when the cave, building interior, mountain etc. was ced in a ¡®upied¡¯ state and had the ability to ¡®summon your dungeon for a limited time.¡¯


    The reason Eat Spicy Jokbal summoned the Snake Dungeon was to target the cockatrice. The favourite food of monster which had the head of a rooster and the body of a snake was the ¡®amphisbaena¡¯.


    Kieeeeeeek-!


    The cockatrice recovered from the wound on its neck with its unique resilience and resumed dashing. It was blinded by its appetite and didn¡¯t even look at Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s party. It only chased after the delicious smelling from deep in the dungeon.


    ¡°Bongsik!!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Severe Cold Spear!¡±


    Ma Bongshik. One of the four founding members of Blood Carnival. He enchanted his spear with spells. In other words, a magic spearman. His spear had the power to induce the ¡®chill¡¯ state.


    Jjang!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The cockatrice was stabbed by the spear and its movements started to slow rapidly. This was the power of severe cold. It wasn¡¯t as dramatic as other status conditions such as ¡®frostbite¡¯ or ¡®frozen.¡¯ But it showed the power to ignore resistance to abnormal conditions. The chill caused the one affected to slowly lose health and agility.


    ¡°Okay! Well done!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal jumped high as the cockatrice was slowed down. His battle power, supplemented by the dungeon buff, wasparable to Grid before Grid for the Enlightenment Sword.


    Sakak-!


    Strong. The cockatrice¡¯s health gauge fell by a tenth when hit with Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s sword.


    Kiik...!Kiiiiiik!


    The cockatrice¡¯s eyes widened. After receiving a certain amount of damage, it woke up from the prey it was focused on. As soon as its gaze moved to Eat Spicy Jokbal...


    ¡°Oh my! Boys! What are you doing?¡±


    Vi wore a witch¡¯s hat and spun her magic wand. Like Ma Bongshik, she was a founding member of Blood Carnival and her ss was a conjurer. She had the power to strengthen an effect or increase the duration of a status effect. The gaze of the cockatrice once again returned to the dungeon. It immediately started running again while the Eat Spicy Jokbal attacked it.


    ¡º W-What is this...? ¡»


    Thementators were filled with great doubts. Why was there a dungeon in Reilt Canyon, the stage of subjugation expedition? ording to the information released by the S.A. Group, a dungeon shouldn¡¯t exist here. Then why was the cockatrice obsessed with this dungeon and why weren¡¯t the Korean yers affected by its petrification?


    More than anything else.


    ¡®Strong!¡¯


    The Korean team members were performing tremendously, despite being unknown. In particr, Eat Spicy Jokbal was outstanding. The cockatrice was only a level 260 field boss, but its base defense was high. There were few who could cause it to lose one-tenth of its health with one blow out of the 1,500 rankers participating in the National Competition. However, Eat Spicy Jokbal was doing this continuously. The cockatrice¡¯s health fell every time his sword struck it.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who he is, but he¡¯s great! I¡¯m cheering for him!¡±


    While thementators couldn¡¯t understand the situation and had fallen silent, the crowd and viewers were cheering. The development beyond expectations excited the audience.


    ***


    ¡°A dungeon?¡±


    Finally, the Russian yers descended the canyon. They were confused when they entered the cave where the Korean yers had hid.


    [You have entered Snake Dungeon.]


    [You haven¡¯t received permission from the creator. The dungeon considers you an intruder.]


    "Now I understand why the cockatrice headed here.¡± Alexander confidently said after thinking about it. "This dungeon is the real stage of the subjugation expedition. The canyon was just a bait.¡±


    Ikonikoski admired Alexander¡¯s interpretation.


    ¡°I see! We wasted our energy and time trying to climb the canyon to get the cockatrice!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s my fault for not seeing it from the beginning.¡±


    "On the other hand, isn¡¯t it great that the Korean yers came here from the start?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was the story like this? Alexander panicked for a moment before soon denying it.


    ¡°No. They just got lucky.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal, Vi, and Ma Bongshik. The Korean team members participating in this event were really nothing. They were unknown yers he had never heard of before. Alexander was certain that the three of them were certainly the lowest of the 1,500 yerspeting in this National Competition. Theck of skilled Korean yers gave credence to this thought.


    ¡°The cockatrice came to the ce where they are fearfully hiding... Those guys are really lucky.¡±


    They were really ugly yers who got to eat for free.


    "Let¡¯s go after the cockatrice. No matter how weak, the Korean yers can hunt the cockatrice. We can¡¯t give them the chance.¡±


    It had been three minutes since the cockatrice entered the dungeon. It was the time when the cockatrice had just unleashed its opening petrification offensive. It was the right timing for the Korean team to counterattack.


    ¡®They will slowly chip away at its health... It should be around 1/30th so the momentum isn¡¯t that high. All variables should be blocked.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t good to rx. Alexander lit a torch and started running with his colleagues. They advanced into the depths of the surprisinglyrge dungeon. Snake-type monsters popped up several times along the way. But they were only level 100 and weren¡¯t a threat.


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    Alexander and the Russian yers got goosebumps. It wasn¡¯t convincing that monsters who were only level 100 would appear in the National Competition. There was also the warning window about not getting the permission of the creator when they first entered the dungeon.


    ¡®It¡¯s like a separate space...¡¯


    There were many reasons to be wary, but theycked grounds to doubt the situation. The Russian yers were forced to move forward and eventually reached the end of the dungeon. Then they saw it.


    Kyaak!


    The cockatrice¡¯s head was separated from its body!


    "What?¡±


    Only seven minutes. It had been seven minutes since the cockatrice entered the dungeon. Yet the cockatrice ended up being raided. It was by the unknown Korean yers!


    ¡°W-Who the hell are you?¡±


    How could they do this? Alexander asked in a trembling voice and Eat Spicy Jokbal replied while dealing the final blow to the cockatrice.


    ¡°The two gold reserves.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Run!¡±


    The wave that urred when South Korean defeated Russia and overturned everyone¡¯s expectations was huge. After the Group A game, the other yers participating in the subjugation expedition ran to the cave at the entrance of the canyon at the start of the game. It was because everyone knew that the cockatrice woulde to this ce.


    But,


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...????¡±


    The cockatrice didn¡¯t move from the top of the canyon. It stayed in ce and waited for the invaders. It was the same in the other games. Apart from South Korea¡¯s Group A match, the cockatrice never descended from the canyon.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Thementators, spectators, participants, and viewers thought they were possessed by ghosts. No one could understand why the cockatrice showed a different behavior pattern only in Group A. In the meantime, the games continued and now there were only 12 countries remaining


    The quarterfinals began. The first teams in the quarterfinals were South Korea, the United States, and Canada. Nobody felt sorry for South Korea, who was assigned to be in the same group as the strongest winning candidates. It was because the yers were aware of the Korean yers¡¯ strength after they defeated the cockatrice in an instant.


    ¡®It¡¯s tricky.¡¯


    The US representative, Cloud clicked his tongue. The United States hadn¡¯t won a single gold medal in the four group events that were held. They were in a position to win a gold medal in the subjugation expedition, but they had to face Canada, who had won three gold medals in the previous team events, and South Korea, who showed an unexpected power.


    ¡®If we fall here, there won¡¯t be a bronze medal.¡¯


    The United States representatives had to figure out how to increase the odds and the conclusion was surprisingly quick.


    ¡°We have to stop the Korean team from entering the cave.¡±


    It was a fact that the cockatrice showed a strange behavior pattern when the Korean yers entered the cave. They didn¡¯t know what the principle behind it, was but there was a possibility that unexpected variables would ur when the Korean yers entered the cave.


    As a result, Cloud and the other US yers ran in the direction of the Korean yers at the start of the game. The Canadian yers made the same judgment as the American yers. They were worried that they cockatrice would jump down while they climbed up the canyon.


    ¡º Ah! South Korea is in a great crisis at the very beginning!! ¡»


    South Korea became amon target because of their unimaginable power. Thementators were making a fuss while the Korean yers were calm. No, they rejoiced at being noticed.


    "Cloud and Henry... It wouldn¡¯t be an excellent debut if I didn¡¯t face people of at least this standard!¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s better than one Alexander.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hunt humans instead of a chicken this time.¡±


    The six US and Canadian yers participating in the subjugation expedition were the highest ranked yers in the top 500 unified rankings. It was evidence that both the US and Canada recognized this event as important. Since both countries wanted to secure the number one position in the overall rankings, it was natural to boldly invest in this event. However, South Korea had invested more than the two countries.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal. The concept of ranking was meaningless to a sun grade powerhouse. South Korea had the strongest yers who could match Grid. The rankers in the top 500 were just hatched chicks in front of Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    Puk!


    Sukakak!


    Without needing to reveal any special powers, the Eat Spicy Jokbal trio ughtered the American and Canadian representatives with purebat power. Both the United States and Canada missed out on a bronze medal while South Korea won the gold medal.


    Throughout the day, Eat Spicy Jokbal rose to the top of all portal sites¡¯ search queries. The sale of spicy jokbal in the country rose sharply. Ironically, the jokbal store that Eat Spicy Jokbal operated in Haenam was on holiday.

 Chapter 757

    "There were such high rankers in South Korea?¡±


    "Cloud couldn¡¯t do anything...¡±


    The United States wasn¡¯t able to win a single gold medal in the team events held today. The result of the ¡®subjugation expedition¡¯ was very important since their overall ranking was reversed with Canada. It was a situation where Cloud, the right arm of Zibal, participated in the subjugation expedition. The US wanted Cloud to win a gold medal and didn¡¯t doubt that he would live up to their expectations. Yet he was disastrously defeated by the unknown yers of South Korea. The US representatives were in a big shock from the unexpected situation.


    In this atmosphere, Skull was feeling impressed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a perfectbination.¡±


    Skull. He was the US¡¯s top ranking yer who maintained the top 10 in the unified rankings for thest four years. He used his excellent eyesight and saw that the Eat Spicy Jokbal trio was really perfect.


    Ma Bongshik used his spear to cause the ¡®chill¡¯ status condition, Vi used her magic to maximize the power of the cold, and Eat Spicy Jokbal finished off the weakened enemies with his powerful attacks. The three Korean representatives had excellent individual ability and alsopatibility with each other. Looking at their activities, they had been colleagues for at least a few years.


    ¡®Grid and Kraugel won¡¯t be able to easily go against them.¡¯


    Skull thought this and saw Kraugel¡¯s eyes. He witnessed Kraugel¡¯s ck eyes shining with interest.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    He thought that the DNA of Koreans were still alive when he saw the Korean yers captivating the minds of the people. It was the gaming DNA of South Korea, which used to be a powerful in e-sports.


    ***


    "This is...¡±


    The Canada team¡¯s waiting room. Unlike the other yers, Chris already knew about Eat Spicy Jokbal and was thrilled. He knew that Eat Spicy Jokbal was acknowledged by Grid but he hadn¡¯t expected Eat Spicy Jokbal to be at a level to kill Henry at once.


    ¡®Just looking at the strength stat, he has more than me.¡¯


    Chris paid attention to Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s attack power.


    ¡®Dungeon Maker... it isn¡¯t abat specialized ss. There were very fewbat skills. However, the ability to exert a high attack power is purely due to the high strength stat.¡¯


    It was evidence that Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s strength stat was very high. The Dungeon Maker could be ssified as an architect. Unlike the production sses of cksmiths, construction workers, and tailors where ¡®stats were increased every time an item was made,¡¯ the architects increased their strength and stamina by two every time they built a building.


    ¡®I know why Grid and Peak Sword covet him so much.¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was basically a good fighter. Once hebined his strength with his colleagues, he would be a full-fledged presence in PvP. Indeed, he was the head of the former PvP group Blood Carnival.


    ¡¯Bing stronger in a dungeon...? I also want to fight him someday.¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal. He captured the attention of the popr rankers as well as the general public, making it a splendid debut.


    ***


    ¡º South Korea¡¯s victory! South Korea has won the gold medal in building walls after the subjugation expedition! ¡»


    ¡º South Korea has won two gold medals in the team events! I never imagined that this development was possible... ¡»


    ¡º This is a huge variable. The United States hasn¡¯t won a single gold medal in the team events today, while Canada missed the opportunity to widen the gap with the US. China, who is chasing these two countries, is also shaken. ¡»


    South Korea had shaken up all three candidates to be first. The country that would be first in the overall rankings was bing more and more of a mystery.


    Canada: Gold (5), Silver (5), Bronze (1)


    United States: Gold (4), Silver (5), Bronze (2)


    China: Gold (3), Silver (1), Bronze (1)


    South Korea: Gold (2), Silver (1), Bronze (0)


    United Kingdom: Gold (1), Silver (2), Bronze (4)


    Japan: Gold (0), Silver (1), Bronze (3)


    France: Gold (0), Silver (0), Bronze (3)


    Brazil: Gold (0), Silver (0), Bronze (1)


    South Korea obtained two gold medals and their ranking rose. Considering the fact that there were still Yura, Peak Sword, and Grid remaining for South Korea, it was likely South Korea would finish in a high position in the 3rd National Competition.


    It was an entirely different result from before thepetition started. South Korea¡¯s strength went beyond expectations and turned the whole world upside down. South Korea had apletely festive atmosphere.


    "Every season of the National Competition is very enjoyable.¡±


    "I agree. Grid was activest year and the year before, while there are new faces this year...¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really happy! This year we will get the National Competition buff!¡±


    "I¡¯m really excited about Eat Spicy Jokbal. I¡¯m going to eat spicy jokbal instead of chicken during the National Competition.¡±


    "I like Ma Bongshik. I didn¡¯t know there was a person who raised the ¡®chill¡¯ skill to such an extreme.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s usually evaluated as a junk skill. He must have special insight.¡±


    "If Vi wasn¡¯t there, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this.¡±


    "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a conjurer. It has a high difficulty.¡±


    There were those who were happy and those who were sad! While South Korea was excited, China had a funeral-like atmosphere. The wide country that contained 1.5 billion people didn¡¯t know what to do.


    "Will we once again be ranked lower than South Korea in this year¡¯s National Competition?¡±


    "No way! How can a small nation with a poption of 50 million beat us every time? I can¡¯t ept it!¡±


    Did South Koreans have particrly good genes? Some people had these types of doubts while others were angry at being questioned. The fact that their great nation was caught by a small country shattered the pride of the Chinese people. One of the 50 Chinese yers, Zhang Zheng, was the same. He was extremely proud that he was born in the great country of China and grew well enough to enter the world stage.


    "Silver medal... not even a silver medal?¡±


    China had been in thest four countries in the subjugation expedition and had advanced to the finals. He thought they could win a gold medal against South Korea, who defeated America and China. But reality was cruel. The Chinese yers were trampled by the Korean yers and were the first to be eliminated. As a result, China didn¡¯t win a single medal in the subjugation expedition. This was despite the fact that they were within the top five rankers of China. The loss was veryrge.


    The agitated Zhang Zheng seized the throats of the yers who participated in the subjugation expedition.


    "Do you think you can live if you bring such humiliation to our great country? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Kek! Kekek!¡±


    Among the Chinese rankers, Zhang Zheng was known as a crazy person. Zhang Zheng had his father, a high ranking official, behind him. He was really outspoken and easily hurt people. There was a rumor that he stabbed people with a small knife he always carried.


    He took out the knife and threatened his colleagues.


    "Remove your hand. They also fought very hard. Don¡¯t me them as if they were sinners.¡±


    ¡°Hao...!¡±


    Zhang Zheng¡¯s bloodshot eyes stuck to Hao. He wanted to stab and kill Hao right now. But Hao didn¡¯t even blink. Zhang Zheng¡¯s influence and the knife he wielded didn¡¯t pose any threat to Hao.


    "Che!" Hao looked at him slowly and Zhang Zheng eventually lowered the knife. He removed the hands gripping his fellow yers¡¯ necks and muttered towards Hao. ¡°Isn¡¯t this funny? Are you the person who kneeled to the Korean dogs twice? Why don¡¯t you go and live in South Korea?¡±


    ¡°...Speak any more and you will be hurt.¡±


    "Ah? No, aren¡¯t you scary? What did I say? Aye, I was just talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°Trash.¡±


    Hao turned away like he didn¡¯t want to argue with Zhang Zheng anymore. Hao returned to his own seat while Zhang Zheng cried out.


    ¡°But do you know? People are hating you. Kneeling to someone else when standing on the world stage? You should be careful. If you don¡¯t get any good results this year, you might die without knowing it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a threat, but the truth. Hao surrendered to Grid inst year¡¯s National Competition and in Battlefield this year. He wasn¡¯t in a good position. If he went home without any results like Zhang Zhang said, he might receive a knife in the back. China was huge and there were many crazy people.


    Hao closed his mouth and Zhang Zheng giggled.


    "On the other hand, won¡¯t I be cheered on by the people? Yes, I will break the Grid who you kneel before every year.¡±


    Zhang Zheng had established arge-scale workshop in China using his wealth and power. He hired more than 100 high level yers and repeatedly had them do raids, acquiring their raid items. Currently, Zhang Zheng had reached the highest level, in items as well as level. Hao gave up when Jang Zheng announced his intention to participate in PvP this year.


    ¡®Grid, be careful. You will receive all types of insults if you lose to him.¡¯


    In this situation, he was worried about Grid rather than his country. Hao realized his attitude and smiled bitterly. He deserved to be stigmatized as a traitor by his people.


    ***


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    There were glittering gold medals around the necks of the Eat Spicy Jokbal trio as they returned from two events. They were the first gold medals that South Korea had won this year. The eyes of the young yers shone brighter than gold as they saw the gold medals.


    ¡°Brothers, Sister! Really cool!¡±


    "I admire you!¡±


    "To be honest, when I saw your ID... No. I really admire you!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal puffed up at the enthusiastic response of their fellow yers. Grid came up to them for a handshake.


    ¡°You have suffered. Congrattions and thank you."


    ¡°Um... hum hum! Why are you thanking me? Don¡¯t misunderstand that I brought the gold medal for you!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was about to grab Grid¡¯s hand when he suddenly gave Grid the cold shoulder. It had already passed but Grid was the one who disbanded Blood Carnival and took away the insane dragon¡¯s egg. Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s abilities werecking and he couldn¡¯tin. However, he had no intention of being friendly with Grid.


    <i>Bah!</i> Vi snorted and approached Grid on his behalf.


    "Jokbal is originally a bit narrow-minded. Overgeared King, please generously understand.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Vi continued to be pleasant to Grid throughout the National Competition. Grid saw that Eat Spicy Jokbal was surrounded by other yers and asked her carefully.


    "You don¡¯t me me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I me you. Our big business copsed because of you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "But I don¡¯t want revenge just because I me you. Looking at the way you treat Jokbal, you look like someone who can give us bigger profit than before.¡±


    She saw it properly. Grid wanted Eat Spicy Jokbal to join the Overgeared Kingdom. It was clear that the power of the Overgeared Guild would rise sharply if they joined.


    "You can see people properly. I want you. We can be a great help to each other.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well. But.¡±


    The problem was Eat Spicy Jokbal. It would be hard for them to be colleagues unless Eat Spicy Jokbal opened his heart. Grid was thinking this when Vi mentioned apletely different person.


    "The princess will hate you even when she wakes up. Therefore, we probably won¡¯t be able to join you for a while.¡±


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    "The youngest of the founding members of Blood Carnival. She¡¯s a pretty university student? Huhut, please be careful, because that child is a fierce leopard.¡±


    ***


    The second day¡¯s schedule was over. China, Ennd, and Mongolia won the gold medals in the three solo events after the team events.


    There was the ¡®truth game¡¯ where the yers had to capture the hearts of 10 NPCs based on the clues they obtained during the game. Once Grid saw that Huroi took part in the event, he thought, ¡®Ah, this is going to be bad.¡¯ But unexpectedly, it was a big sess. Huroi didn¡¯t mention the opponent¡¯s parents, despite facing stressful challenges. He showed his dignity by calmly charming the NPCs. Looking at it, Grid was reminded that Huroi¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t a curse debuffer, but an orator.


    Now there were nine events remaining. Tomorrow, the 3rd National Competition would be over.


    Then.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting now.¡±


    Grid, Yura, Peak Sword, and Toon. South Korea¡¯s gship members were ready to y.

 Chapter 758

    ¡°Hahahahat! The Japanese surprisingly know the taste of food! Ah~ they have great taste!¡±


    The second day of events for the National Competition finished. Peak Sword was satisfied after dinner at a famous restaurant. He embraced people passing by and even danced. Why was he feeling so good?


    "Heh, I guess he¡¯s happy that I won a gold medal.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal thought this way but reality was different.


    "The restaurant has kimchi as a side dish! It¡¯s really wonderful that the Japanese know the taste of kimchi! Nice! Puhahahat!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The president of the Korean Patriotic Society, Peak Sword! He was very happy that most of the restaurants he visited during his stay in Japan sold kimchi. He felt great pride that the great food culture of Korea hadpletely captivated the hearts of the Japanese people.


    ¡°I especially like the fact that kimchi is being sold! Right! It¡¯s right! Good food like kimchi should receive money to eat it! Don¡¯t just give it for free! In Korean restaurants, the kimchi side dishes should be paid for separately! Right! That¡¯s right!¡±


    "...No, most side dishes in Japan you need to pay for...¡±


    "Kuhahahaha! Hooray kimchi!¡±


    ¡°...Crazy guys.¡±


    They were tired of dealing with the extreme Peak Sword, who fell into a world of his own without listening to others. Eat Spicy Jokbal and the other representatives left Peak Sword alone. Thanks to that, Grid frowned as he was left alone with Peak Sword.


    "No, this country doesn¡¯t have jjampong?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid was also in a world of his own.


    ***


    ¡º It¡¯s finally the day. ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it¡¯s thest day of the 3rd National Competition. Most people are looking forward to this day because it¡¯s a big day of popr events. ¡»


    ¡º There are more people who feel regret. There are ims that it¡¯s necessary to increase the duration of the National Competition to two weeks like the Olympics. ¡»


    Before the start of the third day of the National Competition, thementators of various broadcastingpanies spoke freely. Thementators were as excited as the audience and the viewers. They were all filled with expectations.


    They didn¡¯t know which country would make it to the top 10 of the overall rankings and receive the country buff. They didn¡¯t know who would win the target processing event. They didn¡¯t know if Grid could do well in the cksmithing, if Kraugel could prove himself to be the strongest, etc.


    All nine events held today were enough to stir up a hot topic. The result was that the expectations of billions of people around the world were boosted. What would unfold? In the midst of this...


    ¡º The first event of the third day of the 3rd National Competition will now begin! It¡¯s starting! ¡»


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The first event on the third day started. The first event was the cksmithing game! It was an event that Grid, who yed a leading role every year of the National Competition, was participating in.


    "I will cheer you from afar!¡±


    "You will surely win! Prove that there is no use in the S.A. Group¡¯s actions!¡±


    ¡°Fighting Grid!¡±


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room. The young yers of South Korea didn¡¯t hesitate to cheer for Grid. Grid felt strange as he saw them looking at him with envious eyes.


    ¡®Those who dream of being me...¡¯


    He had always been ignored and now he was the target of envy for someone. It was like a dream for Grid. It felt like he was experiencing a hidden camera prank. But this was reality.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. Grid didn¡¯t want this reality to shatter like a dream overnight. He desired to prove himself further. Interestingly, the form of his aspirations was somewhat different from before. Grid previously wanted to prove his worth for himself, but now it was different. For those who envied him, Grid wanted to prove his worth to return their faith.


    "Believe in me.¡±


    He had ovee the jinx a long time ago. Grid spoke a trustworthy line and smiled at the young yers. The smile of an idol was eternally engraved in the minds of the young yers.


    ***


    ¡°Do you remember what I said before?¡±


    Panmir greeted Grid after they connected to the stage of the cksmithing game. His appearance in the game was somewhat younger than reality. It was because the character created four years ago didn¡¯t age. There was a longing to catch the years that flowed on endlessly.


    "Don¡¯t be too frustrated if you miss out on the gold medal today. You aren¡¯t any worse than the others.¡±


    The criteria for this year¡¯s cksmithing event was purely the ¡®item rating.¡¯ The item performance didn¡¯t apply to the evaluations, making Grid a clear victim since he could produce better items than other people. Panmir sympathized with Grid. He saw Grid as amb sacrificed to the tyranny of therge corporations. Grid knew Panmir had no hostility and took a friendly attitude.


    "Well, I will ept your encouragement.¡±


    ¡°Haha! You surely are a king. I praise your solid mentality that can be so calm in front of an unreasonable situation.¡±


    Panmir, who had dominated the cksmith rankings for the past several years, knew the sad truth. The fact that top-quality blueprints only guaranteed an ¡®epic¡¯ rating.


    ¡®The situation is the same for Grid...¡¯


    Like the other participants, Grid didn¡¯t have a way to ensure a unique or higher rated item. Those who were less skilled than Grid became equal to him in thispetition.


    ¡®It¡¯s the moment when all the items you have made be meaningless...¡¯


    Panmir confirmed the time and moved to his position.


    After a while. The host confirmed that all yers were in front of the furnace they were assigned to.


    ¡°Everyone, do you see? This year¡¯s cksmith event has 50 people! All 50 nations participating in the National Competition this year have a representative taking part in the cksmith event!¡±


    The result of making an item was pure luck. Depending on the creator¡¯s capabilities, the performance might vary. But the rating wasn¡¯t affected by the creator. It was determined by probability. In the end, there was no winning candidate for the championship. The luckiest person would win. There were many people who wanted to participate.


    ¡®I prayed all night for the sake of today!¡¯


    ¡®J gave an offering to the temple!¡¯


    ¡¯I prayed on a totem. Please give me a unique rated item!¡¯


    The cksmiths became religious! They adjusted the firepower of the st furnace and dreamt of winning. They brought out their best blueprint to prepare for this fight. It was the highest grade production method that guaranteed at least an epic rating.


    ¡®I will definitely beat Grid this year!¡¯


    The cksmiths pulled out materials suitable for the production method and started making items. Dozens of cksmiths lined up in five rows and wielded their hammers. It was amon sight in the Overgeared Kingdom, which hadrge smithies.


    ¡º Many people will remember thatst year, yer Grid made a growth item and won. At the time, the judging team appreciated the potential of the growth type item and give yer Grid the gold medal. ¡»


    ¡º It backfired. There was a bacsh in many countries. People questioned whether Grid¡¯s item, which was just a normal rating at the time, was worth a gold medal despite being a growth item. ¡»


    ¡º This is the result of the public opinion. The criteria for this year¡¯s cksmithing event is just the item rating. The people who created the highest rated item will win the championship. ¡»


    ¡º There is a rumor that the cksmith rankers have achieved the minimum qualifications to make a legendary item. What if several yers make a legendary item? ¡»


    ¡º Those yers will proceed with a separate rematch. ¡»


    ¡º Ah, I see. Hrmm... I am really curious about the result. The title of ¡®only legendary item maker,¡¯ supposedly owned by yer Grid, will end soon. I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing which yer will make a legendary rated item. ¡»


    The Only Legendary Item Maker. Grid had been aware of the fact that the lifetime of his unique title, which raised dexterity by 350, was finite since the time he produced a myth rated item. Grid wasn¡¯t able to produce myth rated items originally, but grew to be able to make them. It wasn¡¯t difficult to deduce that other cksmiths would also be able to make items of the legendary rating.


    ¡®Maybe this title will change.¡¯ It would likely change to ¡®First Legendary Item Maker¡¯ the moment another cksmith made a legendary rated item. ¡®I don¡¯t know if the effect of raising dexterity by 350 will be maintained.¡¯


    If the title effect was eaten then he would definitelyin to the customer service. Grid pledged and pulled out a production item. It was Design: Failure. It was a production method that Grid originally created and the minimum rating was guaranteed as ¡®unique.¡¯


    ¡®The change in rules this time doesn¡¯t affect me.¡¯


    Only Grid knew. The others couldn¡¯t imagine it, but the new rules of the cksmithing event couldn¡¯t hit Grid. The S.A. Group was conscious of public opinion but didn¡¯t infringe on the rights of individuals like Grid. It was natural for thepany to operate the game as fairly as possible. It was the S.A. Group¡¯s policy to try and exclude any unfair advantage or disadvantage to a particr person.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid pulled out therge number of blue orichalcum that he prepared for this event.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the production.


    Grid grasped the production hammer he had been using for several years. His goal was naturally to make a legendary rated Failure. It was because there was a higher possibility of a rematch if he made a unique rated item.


    ¡®At least one out of the 50 people will make a unique rated item.¡¯


    But Grid was certain.


    ¡®I am the only one who can make a legendary rated item in three hours.


    The odds were much higher than 1%.


    Kkuok!


    He ced strength in the hand holding the hammer. He thought it would be great if he could give the legendary rated Failure to Chris.


    ***


    Ttang!Ttang!


    It was two hours after the cksmithing event began. There was sympathy in the eyes of the crowd watching Grid work hard. He seemed pitiful since the revised rules meant he could no longer see the benefits of a legendary cksmith.


    ¡°It¡¯s futile.¡±


    ¡°If I was Grid, I would go to the headquarters of the S.A. Group and flip it upside down. Honestly, they¡¯re sniping at certain yers too obviously.¡±


    ¡°But Grid didn¡¯t say even one word. I once again realize what a great person he is.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t he a king? Grid is the ruler of hundreds of thousand of people. His heart is like a wide ocean.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not. It¡¯s obvious to be angry about this situation. However, the people who follow him might be disgraced if he shows it. Therefore, he¡¯s patient.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he not even 30 years old yet? His mindset is very deep for his age. I¡¯m over 50 years old, but I respect him.¡±


    The process of making an item wasn¡¯t gorgeous. It was the simple task of heating, cooling, and hammering. But it was strangely addictive. The audience was focused on watching the powerful yet delicate cksmithing work.


    ¡°The given time limit is over!¡±


    Before they knew it, three hours had passed. Some cksmiths smiled as if satisfied with the result of their item, while some cksmiths looked disappointed. Some cksmiths wanted more time.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    The crowds¡¯ eyes were focused on Grid. There was a transparent blue sword that looked like a shark in front of Grid.


    ¡°Oh! Look at that!¡±


    It was the greatsword that Grid once used. The audience was excited about Failure while the judges started to check the information of the items that the yers had made. Panmir was smiling.


    ¡®Okay. A unique rating has emerged. I was lucky!¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t expecting a legendary item. The probability of making a legendary item was only 0.01%. Panmir was satisfied. No one could make a legendary item in this short time. Panmir expected that he would win the event or have a rematch was someone as lucky as himself. The judging panel finally finished their examination. The host received the examination results and immediately shouted.


    ¡°Grid wins!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    "yer Grid has made a legendary rated item, bing the winner for two consecutive years!¡±


    ¡°Huh??¡±


    Panmir¡¯s eyes widened as he witnessed the scene.

 Chapter 759

    ¡®Grid made a legendary item? In such a short time?¡¯


    Panmir analyzed that the probability of Grid making a legendary item was less than 0.01%. The evidence was sufficient. Grid had been Pagma¡¯s Descendant for at least three to four years. In other words, Grid was already qualified to produce legendary items from three to four years ago. It was as long as 10 years in Satisfy time. However, it was estimated that Grid had made less than 10 legendary items in these years.


    ¡®The blue greatsword, ck greatsword, ck scale armor...¡¯


    Grid had steadily used the same items over the years. Despite being called the Overgeared King, he was suffering from an item famine. Based on this, Panmir thought that the probability of Grid making a legendary item was very low. He was convinced that Grid had an almost 0% chance of making a legendary item in this event. Panmir thought it wouldn¡¯t be much different from himself.


    But what was the reality?


    [(Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 8]


    Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique had evolved and now disyed a better performance than before. While the past Grid had a ¡®very rare¡¯ chance of producing legendary items, the current Grid had a ¡®slim¡¯ chance of producing legendary items. That wasn¡¯t all. Grid had the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer which he designed and produced himself. It was a hammer that raised the probability of making a legendary item by a huge 1%. Theoretically, one out of 100 items that Grid made would be a legendary item.


    Nevertheless, why did Grid have so few legendary items? It was purely because he was unlucky. The bad luck that Grid was born with overshadowed the system¡¯s probability. Yoon Nahee, head of the S.A. Group¡¯s operations team, still vividly remembered. It was the dozens of emails that Grid had sent to the operations team a few years ago.


    [Operators, I¡¯m a legendary cksmith. I clearly made the item ording to the production method, so why do I only make normal items? Is it a bug??]


    [Operators?? I sent you an email the other day. I spent a few hours making an item, but why is it only normal or rare?? Even the rare item rarely emerges.]


    [Hey, this XXX people! I have already made hundreds of items but I haven¡¯t seen an epic item! Huh? Is this a fart? Why am I called a legend when I don¡¯t make legendary items, you XXX!! Is this a bug or the operators¡¯ maniption? Eh?? Eh?!]


    [Ah! XX! This scammer! Do I have to go to headquarters?? Will good words stop the maniption??]


    ¡°...¡±


    These were the contents of Grid¡¯s emails. At that time, Team Leader Yoon Nahee and the management team hadn¡¯t applied any sanctions to Grid. They turned a blind eye to his senseless behavior. It was because he was too pitiful. At the time, the odds of Grid making an item was too low for the operations team. The operations team even doubted if there was a bug and checked it out. Of course, the conclusion was that it wasn¡¯t a bug. It turned out that Grid¡¯s luck was just bad. The operations team sympathized with Grid.


    ¡®At that time, I couldn¡¯t imagine.¡¯ A smile spread on Yoon Nahee¡¯s face as she confirmed the result of the cksmithing event. ¡¯I didn¡¯t think that person would be so big.¡¯


    The misfortunate that Grid umted led to a burst of good fortune at important moments. It was possible because Grid fought to the end, rather than feeling frustration or giving up. Team Leader Yoon Nahee saluted Grid.


    ¡°Congrattions. I look forward to your continued sess in the future.¡±


    ***


    ¡¯...Luck is also a skill. My defeat is natural.¡¯


    The opponent was a legendary cksmith. The fact that Grid was a legend in the first ce suggested that his luck was overwhelmingly good. Panmir tried to convince himself after being defeated for two consecutive years. But it wasn¡¯t easy either. He was overwhelmed when he thought that his efforts of the past few years were meaningless.


    Look at the tailor¡¯s event and the jewelry maker event. The number one tailor and number one jeweler both won gold medals in their events. On the other hand, the number one cksmith had never won a single gold medal.


    ¡¯It¡¯s no use trying.¡¯


    Why did the sky give birth to Panmir and Grid in the same time? Panmir wasmenting and feeling frustrated when the performance of Failure was revealed to the public.


    ¡°Wow! Look at this performance. Really crazy.¡±


    ¡°This is a production item? Isn¡¯t the performance much nicer than dropped items?¡±


    ¡°No, what? It¡¯s even an item that Grid designed?¡±


    ¡°The name is Failure...¡±


    "If that¡¯s a failure, what¡¯s a sess...?¡±


    The first item that Grid created, Failure was only a tier two item ording to Grid¡¯s current standards. Failure wasckingpared to the Red Phoenix Bow and the Enlightenment Sword. However, the public perceived Failure as a master weapon. Failure started popping up in the real time search of portal sites in various countries. Theizens were busy analyzing the performance.


    In the midst of the turmoil.


    ¡°Panmir."


    Grid approached Panmir. Grid was worried. Panmir¡¯s eyes were full of grief, resembling Khan remembering the loss of his son. It was as if he would quit the game at once. Grid didn¡¯t want this development. An excellent cksmith was a must for the Overgeared Kingdom!


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    [yer Grid wishes to share the item information with you. Would you like to ept?]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Panmir was stunned. He couldn¡¯t understand why Grid passed the hammer to him.


    ¡°Heok...!¡± Panmir epted the item information sharing while feeling puzzled. It was like he had seen a ghost as his eyes widened.


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 550/550 Attack Power: 130~150


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +30%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +20%


    Odds of Making a Unique Rated Item: +8%


    Odds of Making a Legendary Rated Item: +1%


    * The amount of experience acquired for production rted skills will increase.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma¡¯s Descendant


    ¡°U-Unbelievable!!!¡±


    13 years. That was how long Panmir had been working as a cksmith in Satisfy. Panmir had produced countless items over the years and cleared all types of quests, giving him a 0.01% chance of making legendary items. However, the hammer produced by Grid raised his chances of making a legendary item by 1%. Everything was useless in front of the power of items.


    Panmir received a great shock and stumbled. He tried to give strength to his weakened legs.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to make a hammer for you.¡±


    Grid helped him. Grid held Panmir¡¯s thick waist to support him and suggested.


    "The condition is that you move to the Overgeared Kingdom. Panmir, I want you. Please join the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°...B-But.¡±


    Panmir felt very greedy at Grid¡¯s proposal. He became motivated again. However, after learning how to make ego items in the dwarf kingdom, Panmir was now the chief cksmith of the empire. He beat prominent NPCs and was directly acknowledged by the emperor. He wasn¡¯tcking wealth and power after receiving the protection of the empire that dominated the continent. Was it worth it to give up all of this to move to the Overgeared Kingdom?


    Grid made the hesitant Panmir realize reality.


    ¡°Is there anything more important than items in the world? The empire can¡¯t give you items.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The fog in Panmir¡¯s mind cleared. Life was items! Panmir realized the truth and his hesitation was gone.


    ¡°Understood...! I will put in my application to the Overgeared Guild immediately!¡±


    "It isn¡¯t the Overgeared Guild but the Overgeared Workfor... No, put in your application to Overgeared Two. That¡¯s the guild for all nonbat sses.¡±


    ¡°Yes...? "U-Understood."


    If he wasn¡¯t wrong, Grid was about to say workforce? Panmir doubted his ears and nodded.


    Then.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Numerous audience members and viewers witnessed a middle-aged man and a young man whispering to each other while holding each other. A lot of people misunderstood what was going on between Grid and Panmir. The flush on Panmir¡¯s face just increased the misunderstanding.


    ¡®Something is suspicious.¡¯


    Grid got a chill but he wasn¡¯t overly concerned. In any cause, today the workforce of the Overgeared Kingdom... No, it was the day he secured a huge talent. Grid was very happy. The more the National Competition repeated, the bigger Grid became.


    ***


    ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    The US team¡¯s waiting room. After the match, Skull criticized Panmir. It wasn¡¯t because Panmir lost to Grid for two consecutive years. Panmir, who won the silver medal, was to be praised, not med. Skull¡¯s anger was because Panmir joined Grid.


    "I heard from the other cksmiths. You decided to join the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! Don¡¯t you have any pride? You¡¯re actually going to serve Grid? Didn¡¯t you say you would always deny Grid, who obtained the ss of legendary cksmith from luck?¡±


    "Don¡¯t downy his feats as mere luck.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! You¡¯re out of your mind because you¡¯re blinded by items!"


    In fact, Skull had admired Panmir. Skull respected Panmir for being at the top of his field, despite his age. That¡¯s why he was more disappointed.


    ¡°Panmir! I...! I wanted you to resist Grid to the end and ovee him!¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Panmir knew that Skull admired him. Panmir couldn¡¯t help smiling bitterly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you! I will deny items and rely on my skills!¡± Skull dered as he ran out of the waiting room.


    Two hourster.


    ¡°...Can I join the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    After participating in the monster obstacle race, Skull was hit like a dog by Jishuka¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow and went to find Grid. Skull realized the true power of items.

 Chapter 760

    Break through 13 gates guarded by different boss monsters and reach the destination. This was the goal of the monster obstacle race. If saint sword drawingbined strength and intelligence, this monster obstacle race required both stamina and strength since it required constant raids.


    The most important thing was stamina. The yer¡¯s stamina was consumed quickly in the process of moving through continuous raids and rough terrain. The basics for the participants had to be high stamina and stamina management. It was natural that all 15 participants taking part in the monster obstacle race were the strongest representatives of each country.


    It was strange that only Jishuka of the Overgeared Guild was taking part, but people predicted a fierce battle. But the result was different from everyone¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Kiiiiiiing!


    Peng!Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°This is crazy! Uwaaaack!¡±


    One overwhelming attack! Jishuka climbed on top of the third boss, the pinky dragon. The moment she put all the participants in her sight, it could be said that the game was already over. The overwhelming bombardment of the Red Phoenix Bow dealt a fatal blow to all participants. The pinky dragon¡¯s breath also caused some of the injured participants to grey.


    "Riding the pinky dragon and not being burned... Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡±


    "It¡¯s good that we didn¡¯t participate.¡±


    The Overgeared members in the waiting rooms of each country muttered. They were reluctant to participate in events with Jishuka since they knew the options of the Red Phoenix Bow. The host was shouting.


    ¡º J-Jishuka wins! Brazil has sessfully obtained a valuable gold medal! ¡»


    The other yers were noticeably tired as they passed through each gateway, while Jishuka alone was different. Hundreds of cameras focused on Jishuka¡¯s bright smile as she broke through the 13th gateway. She looked beautiful no matter the angle, causing the hearts of men all over the world to thump.


    ¡°Grid, have strength for the event remaining. Chu!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s concern was only for Grid...


    ¡°Boo! Booo!¡±


    ¡°Die Grid!!¡±


    The anger of the crowd rang out all over Tokyo Dome and across the world.


    "Isn¡¯t it nice to be encouraged by a beauty? Is the chocte pudding sweeter today?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room. Grid didn¡¯t know why he received a scolding from Yura.


    ***


    Thest day of the National Competition.


    Unlike the wishes of the people, time flew quickly and four of the nine events scheduled for today had already ended. The global festival that urred once a year was almost over.


    "I¡¯m sorry."


    Toon returned after winning two bronze medals in two events and apologized to Grid. It was difficult from Grid¡¯s perspective.


    "Why are you apologizing for doing well? You were amazing. Thank you for the two precious medals.¡±


    ¡°Yes Toon! You fought really well! The people will be delighted!"


    ¡°But...¡±


    Toon¡¯s gaze was stuck to the rankings board. There was a big screen in the center of Tokyo Dome that showed the overall rankings.


    United States: Gold (5), Silver (7), Bronze (3)


    Canada: Gold (5), Silver (5), Bronze (4)


    China: Gold (4), Silver (2), Bronze (1)


    United Kingdom: Gold (3), Silver (2), Bronze (4)


    South Korea: Gold (3), Silver (1), Bronze (2)


    Brazil: Gold (1), Silver (0), Bronze (1)


    Mongolia: Gold (1), Silver (0), Bronze (0)


    Japan: Gold (0), Silver (2), Bronze (3)


    Italy: Gold (0), Silver (2), Bronze (3)


    France: Gold (0), Silver (1), Bronze (4)


    Bronze medals didn¡¯t have a significant effect on the rankings. A silver medal was more valuable than dozens of bronze medals. That¡¯s why Toon didn¡¯t feel proud. Toon was frustrated that South Korea had the same rank before and after gaining the medals.


    "I wish that South Korea can be number one. I wanted to please Grid and your family. But...¡±


    Toon was an orphan who didn¡¯t know the face of his parents. He¡¯d been in the underworld from a young age and was active in the mafia until encountering Satisfy. He was a criminal in Italy and not loved by anyone. But Grid and his family were different. Toon came to South Korea and received a warm greeting from Grid¡¯s family. They believed and cared for him just because he was friends with their son or brother. They treated Toon like a son, a brother.


    Toon felt warm every time he sat with them. It was the first time he¡¯d felt this way. He didn¡¯t know how many times he cried himself to sleep out of happiness. A happiness he learned muchter than others...


    Toon wanted to help those who gave him happiness. It was a desperate wish. But the truth was that it didn¡¯t help at all.


    "I know how good Yura is. But it¡¯ll be hard for her to win a gold medal against Jishuka, who¡¯s armed with the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "And Peak Sword... Even if Grid gets a gold medal by beating Kraugel in PvP, South Korea won¡¯t get the first ranking. All this is because of my ipetence.¡±


    "Why was I omitted?¡± Peak Sword cried out, but Toon didn¡¯t hear his words. His eyes were blurred by helplessness. He bowed his head when Grid¡¯srge hand touched him.


    ¡°Raise your head. Aren¡¯t you my bodyguard? Who will protect me if you¡¯re looking at the ground? Don¡¯t worry about Yura and Peak Sword. Both of them will give us a gold medal.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    South Korea getting first in the rankings was realistically impossible. All the Korean yers were aware of this reality. Therefore, they turned to look at Grid with a stunned expression. They felt the full confidence in his voice.


    Grid smiled. "Wait a minute. I¡¯ll log into the game.¡±


    Grid pointed to the capsule in the corner of the waiting room and called Yura and Peak Sword over.


    "Shouldn¡¯t we try taking first ce? How long will we be second? Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    ***


    ¡°The Overgeared King cares a lot about his colleagues.¡±


    Vi smiled and spoke to Eat Spicy Jokbal after seeing what Grid had done for Yura and Peak Sword.


    ¡°Does Eat Spicy Jokbal like it?¡±


    "Stop talking useless words.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal blushed, but didn¡¯t remove his gaze from Grid. He was interested in Grid¡¯s every move.


    ***


    Target processing was a popr event every year. It was the event where Grid announced his existence to the world. But this year it was Yura participating, not Grid. The revised rules had changed it to a one yer event and the winning candidate was naturally Jishuka. It was spected that she would summon the red phoenix to simultaneously shoot down the targets andpetitors on the map. In theory, there was no way Jishuka couldn¡¯t win.


    ¡º Originally, Yura was one of the strongest candidates... ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s no longer possible to talk about a winner other than Jishuka. ¡»


    The experts also thought the same. The Koreanmentators were disappointed.


    ¡º There are a number of ways that South Korea can get the overall first ranking. ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s possible if Canada and the US don¡¯t win a gold medal in the remaining five events and South Korea wins four gold medals in a row? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, that¡¯s right. But it¡¯s sad since that¡¯s impossible. ¡»


    ¡º Jishuka is too strong. Peak Sword is an excellent yer, but he¡¯s somewhatcking to receive a gold medal. But this isn¡¯t something to be sad about. It isn¡¯t necessary to be first. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Our yers have done well enough. We should pay tribute to our yers. ¡»


    Everyone in the world had expected South Korea¡¯s ranking to be the lowest this year. However, the Korean yers were excellent and as a result, South Korea was in the top rankings. There was no one who would me the South Korean yers for failing to be first.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Grid, but personal matters should be separated.¡±


    The target processing began. At the same time, Jishuka moved through the forest and aimed to upy the highest spot. She was nning to take advantage of the power of Fly Up! She would put as many targets as possible into her field of view and would win a gold medal at once.


    ¡º Jishuka has climbed to the top of the hill! ¡»


    ¡º She ns to see all targets in the sky and on the ground. ¡»


    The target processing event, which was intense every year, was on the verge of facing an unprecedented result.


    Kkirik!


    People didn¡¯t doubt that Jishuka would soon be the winner as she pulled back the Red Phoenix Bow. Of course, it was the same for Jishuka.


    ¡¯I must win the gold medal and obtain the Red Phoenix Breath...¡¯


    Jishuka had 120 targets in her field of view. The moment she was about to use the Fly Up! skill.


    Taaang!


    A shot rang out from the forest below the hill. It happened when Jishuka noticed the birds simultaneously flying up out of surprise. Her vision turned ck and white.


    [You have been shot.]


    [You have died.]


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    Swaaaaah.


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t understand the situation as she turned to grey.


    Clink!


    After confirming Jishuka¡¯s death, Yura changed Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay (Produced by Pagma) from sniper mode to rifle mode. It was the moment that the Demon yer exclusive item that Grid obtained from the Behen Archipgo was revealed for the first time to the world.


    This was the power of items.


    ***


    "Our goddess has done it!!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Yura! Yura! Yura!!!¡±


    The winner of the target processing was Yura. South Korea was heating up. Over 50 million people were delighted that Yura exceeded expectations. Everyone cheered at the thought of South Korea¡¯s overall ranking rising higher. In addition, they sent personal congrattions to Yura. There were a surprising number of people desperately happy for Yura after she suffered a painful defeat in the saint sword drawing event to Kraugel. It was evidence that Yura had the love of the people.


    "Canada and the US might continue losing in the remaining four events. Then maybe we can get first?¡±


    ¡°It will be possible if South Korea wins three more gold medals in the future!¡±


    ¡°The remaining yers are Grid and Peak Sword?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°...That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Peak Sword can¡¯t win.¡±


    It was undeniable that Peak Sword was one of the top three strongest in South Korea. He was definitely a world ss yer. The problem was that there were more talented people in the world. People didn¡¯t expect much from Peak Sword. In the midst of these worries.


    ¡°...¡±


    Unlike usual, Peak Sword had a solemn expression as he entered the battlefield. There was a beautiful sheath of a transparent red color hanging from his waist. It was the strongest sheath exclusive to Iyarugt and made of bloodstone, Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath.

 Chapter 761

    Seven yers from six countries participated in breaking the hero. There was a ¡®Hero¡¯ in the center of the stage.


    "Are you challenging me?¡±


    A ck-haired man asked with a nonchnt face. He was the ¡®Hero.¡¯


    ***


    [Breaking the Hero]


    It was the event Peak Sword was participating in. The participants would fight one on one with the Hero and the contestants who defeated the Hero the quickest would win. It was an ordinary time attack game. However, the public¡¯s expectation for the event that was debuting this year was very big.


    It was due to the identity of the Hero. It was the PvP winner of the 2nd National Competition, Kraugel. That¡¯s right...


    To be precise, the Hero was a ¡®doppelganger¡¯ who duplicated Kraugel¡¯s stats and skills fromst year. How many of this year¡¯s contestants could fight against the strongest yerst year? Breaking the hero was enough to stimte the curiosity of the public and attracted a great deal of attention long before the 3rd National Competition began.


    ¡º Chris from Canada, Damian and Katz from Japan, Pon from Spain, Regas from the United Kingdom... The participants are amazing. But the number of participants is much lower than expected. Why? ¡»


    ¡º This the majesty of Kraugel. It might be the Kraugel from one year ago, but Kraugel ofst year is still recognized as the ¡®best.¡¯ How many would dare challenge him? I think it¡¯s great that there are seven participants. ¡»


    Some experts interpreted this way, but reality was different. The reason why other yers didn¡¯t participate in breaking the hero wasn¡¯t because they feared Kraugel¡¯s doppelganger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of knocking down a ghost of the past?"


    The Argentina team¡¯s waiting room. Soul Predator Seuron scoffed as he confirmed the participants of breaking the hero.


    ¡°Pathetic losers. If you want to be a real hero, you should y in PvP.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Seuron. The elites of the other countries alsoughed at the participants of breaking the hero. What was the pointing of winning a fight with the Kraugel from one year ago? It was clear that this year¡¯s Kraugel would be much stronger thanst year after bing a Sword Saint. They had to fight and win against this year¡¯s Kraugel in order to be qualified to win the title of the strongest.


    ¡®Breaking the hero is nothing but a refuge for the cowards who don¡¯t dare to challenge the true Kraugel.¡¯


    The people who thought like this didn¡¯t realize that all the participants in breaking the hero were members of Overgeared or deeply rted to the Overgeared Guild.


    ***


    "In the end, we gathered like this.¡±


    1st on the unified rankings, Chris. He broke the expectations of many people and participated in breaking the hero instead of PvP. Then he greeted the other participants.


    Pon, Regas, Peak Sword, Katz, Ibellin, and Damian. All the participants except for Damian belonged to the Overgeared Guild and Damian was a famous Grid fan. The people who challenged the non-PvP event, breaking the hero, had one thing inmon. They were those who knew the power of Grid¡¯s new sword, the Enlightenment Sword.


    In particr, Damian had the direct experience of dying from the Enlightenment Sword. That¡¯s right. The reason they didn¡¯t participate in PvP wasn¡¯t because they were afraid of Kraugel like the other strong yers thought. Grid was scary.


    ¡°But...¡± Katz ignored the other participants and talked to Peak Sword and Ibellin. "Isn¡¯t it too difficult for guys like you to challenge Kraugel?¡±


    It was a realistic question, not a hurtful one. Peak Sword and Ibellin were vulnerable to Kraugel. It was suicide for Peak Sword topete one on one against the nimble Kraugel, since Peak Sword had a big dy after attacking. Ibellin was very talented, but he was still inexperienced. He couldn¡¯t handle Kraugel¡¯s skills.


    Ibellin replied ambitiously, "I don¡¯t believe I can win! But I think this is a good chance to measure my skills! I¡¯m determined to use today¡¯s challenge as a tform for my growth!¡±


    On the other hand, Peak Sword...


    ¡°Hut. The Japanese have such futile hobbies? You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡±


    The replies were very enthusiastic.


    Chrisughed. "It¡¯s nice that you have faith. But it won¡¯t be easy. Don¡¯t you know? It will be very difficult to win a gold medal against me.¡±


    Chris carried the fate of his country. Once he won a gold medal in this event, the chances of Canada being ranked first would be increased exponentially. Chris had an obligation and a desire to win. Chris¡¯ eyes showed his desire not to yield and it was enough to stimte the other participants.


    The participants became morepetitive because they were close friends. Apart from Peak Sword and Ibellin, there was a fierce war of nerves between those who were regarded as the power of their countries. It was like there were mes in their eyes as they looked at each other. However, their eyes were amiable when they looked at Peak Sword and Ibellin. The pity was obvious! In this event, they were clearly looking down on Peak Sword and Ibellin!


    Peak Sword felt isted, but he muttered with a calm expression. "...I will show you the spirit of South Korea today.¡±


    ***


    ¡º Chris and Damian have an 80% chance of winning in breaking the hero. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. They¡¯re the strongest people who have been oftenpared to Kraugel sincest year. After all, Chris is first in the unified rankings while Damian has been the pope for a few years. I think it isn¡¯t hard for them to beat the Kraugel ofst year. Time is of the essence. ¡»


    ¡º Chris has explosive power with his greatsword, so he¡¯s likely to kill the Hero faster than Damian. Apart from these two, Katz seems to have high odds. Katz has a high chance of winning if he can block the Hero¡¯s agility with his unique ability to control blood. ¡»


    ¡º On the other hand, it¡¯s questionable if Pon and Regas can win. Their strength is in their control, the same as Kraugel. It will be difficult for them to win against Kraugel, who¡¯s the peak of control. ¡»


    ¡º Peak Sword and Ibellin are highly likely to be eliminated. ¡»


    The experts started specting ahead of the match. The evaluation of Peak Sword was very cold. Peak Sword had a disadvantage against Kraugel because the characteristics of his ss were weaker than the other participants. It was natural to analyze that he couldn¡¯t defeat Kraugel when he had a gap between attacks.


    The Koreans couldn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°It will be very difficult for Peak Sword.¡±


    "Peak Sword is a bit dubious. He¡¯s overwhelming when supporting a team, but there are too many vulnerabilities when fighting solo. There¡¯s no answer when his opponent is Kraugel.¡±


    No matter how much they thought, it was difficult to expect anything from Peak Sword. People thought that the chance of South Korea bing first was gone. But Grid thought differently.


    ¡®Peak Sword has the highest possibility of winning.¡¯


    Grid was someone who knew exactly the power of Kraugelst year.


    ¡®He has a paper body. He just needs to be hit.¡¯


    Bloodstone. It was the best mineral that Grid acquired as a reward inst year¡¯s National Competition. The Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath that was made from it fit very well with Peak Sword. It wasn¡¯t something Grid intended from the beginning, but it ended up like this.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s expectations were amplified.


    ***


    ¡º Wahhhhh! It¡¯s an overwhelming attack power!! ¡»


    Jjejeong!


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Chris, the first challenger of Breaking the Hero, did as well as everyone expected. He blocked the swift attacks of the Hero while hitting back with his greatsword.


    Puok!


    In the end, the body of the Hero was damaged by the greatsword.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The Hero perceived the danger and developed Super Sensitivity. The evasion rate and uracy of the Hero was instantaneously amplified. The Chris ofst year wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the Hero in this state. But Chris had been hunting harder than anyone in the past year. This was how he could maintain the number one ranking. He had encountered Super Sensitivity multiple times due to his ¡®Great Swordsman Hunting¡¯ hidden quest and quickly blocked the Hero with the wide area attack of his second ss, Tyrant.


    In the end.


    Kwajajak!


    At the end of the fight, Chris seeded in breaking the Hero. It took him 19 minutes to turn the Hero to grey. It was 20 minutes shorter than the time it took forst year¡¯s Grid to be defeated by Kraugel. He was a strong candidate to be the winner.


    ¡°Wow, really great.¡±


    "I realize how big a year is after seeing this.¡±


    Last year. People thought that the confrontation between Kraugel and Grid were on a different dimension. At the end of a fierce battle, Kraugel was victorious. Now one yearter. No, to be exact, it was one year and three months. Last year¡¯s Kraugel was no longer the best. He seemed like nothing in front of Chris, the first ranked yer. Everyone was realizing how great the power of time was when Damian challenged the Hero.


    The Hero was once again defeated by Damian, who used the strong defense of a pdin, various buffs, and the pope skills to win. Damian took 20 minutes and 55 seconds to take down the Hero. It was two minutes slower than Chris.


    "Ugh, gold medal...¡±


    Damian became frustrated by the fact that he lost first ce.


    ¡®What a monster...¡¯


    Chris and the other participants were unable to close their mouths. It was because Damian¡¯s attack was incredibly powerful. It wasparable to a major damage dealer using the greatsword. His defense was also several times higher.


    ¡®Watching him get beaten up by Grid...¡¯


    ¡¯...I didn¡¯t know he was so strong.¡¯


    The Overgeared members pledged not to be enemies with Damian.


    Then.


    "I¡¯m next.¡±


    The third challenger was Peak Sword. He went on stage without any expectations and faced the Hero.


    ¡®What pressure...¡¯


    The Hero, which recreated Kraugel from a year and three months ago, had already been defeated two times. This didn¡¯t mean he was weak. Peak Sword forgot to breathe the moment he faced the Hero in a one on one match. The Hero caught the moment he was distracted.


    Teong!


    The Hero narrowed the distance to Peak Sword in an instant.


    Clink!


    Peak Sword used Draw Sword. He was also a strong representative of his country. He restored his breathing.


    ¡°Annihte.¡±


    sh!


    Iyarugt showed a beautiful appearance as it was pulled from the red and transparent sheath. At that moment.


    [Iyarugt, who is 100% charged with magic power, is in an intoxicated state. He has lost his ego and is running wild.]


    [The conditions of use for Iyarugt has been changed to ¡®person to be sacrificed.¡¯]


    [It¡¯s impossible to summon Iyarugt.]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s damage has increased by 500%.]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s state is delivered to Peak Sword through Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath.]


    Sakak-!


    Among all the skills that existed in Satisfy, Draw Swordbined the best attack power and speed, drawing a red color in the air.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Chris, the other participants,mentators from various broadcastingpanies, and viewers were simultaneously amazed. It was because the Hero¡¯s health gauge fell to the bottom with a single blow.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Hero was more surprised than anyone and stopped attacking, stepping back. He lost arge amount of health and entered defense mode, judging that he was in danger. This was the limit of an artificial intelligence. The original Kraugel wouldn¡¯t have made such a stupid mistake.


    Clink!


    The Hero didn¡¯t fight back, making it easy for Peak Sword to retrieve his sword.


    [Iyarugt has been picked up by his sheath! 50% of your health has been lost!]


    Peak Sword ignored the notification window and attacked again.


    Sakak-!


    The Hero used Super Sensitivity to try and evade, but it was impossible to escape the moment it had allowed Peak Sword to retrieve his sword. The Hero was hit once again and died. Just two blows. This was what it took Peak Sword to bring down the Hero.


    Then.


    Swaaaaah.


    Peak Sword turned to grey.

 Chapter 762

    Only one minute. Peak Sword defeated an existence that people perceived as the best in a very short time. Peak Sword might¡¯ve died as well, but people didn¡¯t care about this part.


    "No way! A bug!¡±


    Those who worshipped the Hero denied reality.


    "Isn¡¯t this enough to beat Kraugel this year?¡±


    "The real top is neither Kraugel or Grid, it¡¯s Peak Sword.¡±


    Some busybodies enjoyed the situation. A whirlwind of confusion swept across the globe. But Peak Sword didn¡¯t know this.


    ¡°Pant...pant...¡±


    Peak Sword had died in exchange for using Iyarugt¡¯s intoxicated state. His entire body was soaked with sweat when he logged out. It would¡¯ve been a failure if he missed a single attack. In the midst of this heavy burden, fighting the Hero was intimidating for Peak Sword. The mental power consumed was too great.


    ¡¯God Grid who can fight this monster for dozens of minutes...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s presence became even bigger as Peak Swordy in the capsule and shivered.


    Grid, who had fought the Hero one year and three months ago, couldn¡¯t help looking great to Peak Sword.


    In addition, this year¡¯s Grid made the item ¡®Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath,¡¯ which could devastatest year¡¯s Kraugel in two blows.


    ¡¯Truly God Grid... he¡¯s a god.¡¯


    ¡°...yer Peak Sword? yer Peak Sword!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Peak Sword woke up from his thoughts. He looked up from the capsule and saw the host approaching. The excited host pushed the microphone towards him.


    ¡°You did a great job! People are wondering how you beat the sky above the sky in just one minute and one second. Have you been hiding your skills until now?¡±


    At the time ofst year¡¯s National Competition, Peak Sword had been branded ¡®useless Peak Sword.¡¯ Despite being in the top 15 of the unified rankings, he didn¡¯t win a single medal. Then this year, Peak Sword¡¯s unified ranking fell to the 20th ce. People hadn¡¯t expected him to y an active role in this year¡¯spetition. Yet he showed a reversal.


    The host¡¯s eyes shone likenterns while the crowd was breathless. Peak Sword realized that the world was focused on himself and wiped the sweat rolling down his cheek. Then he spoke with his best expression.


    ¡°Do you know Overgeared?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you know God Grid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was unfortunate. It was impossible to get a normal interview with Peak Sword, who was fascinated by the power of Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath and Grid¡¯s items. He missed the chance to be reborn as a top star in the world.


    [The secret to Peak Sword¡¯s gold medal is Grid¡¯s items?]


    [Grid who makes the useless Peak Sword useful.]


    [(Column) If Grid took part in Breaking the Hero, could he knock down the Hero faster than Peak Sword?]


    And so on. Headlines around the world were concentrating on Grid rather than Peak Sword.


    ***


    ¡°God Gridddd!¡±


    After the breaking the hero and piercing the waterfall events ended. Peak Sword wore the two gold medals that held the wishes of 50 million people and ran straight into the waiting room. He grasped both of Grid¡¯s hands and cried out.


    ¡°Amazing! I won a gold medal thanks to your item! You are really the best! A god!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Spit spit!Spit spit spit!


    Peak Sword was so excited that he kept spitting while he talked. Grid¡¯s face became terribly soaked.


    "No, how did you make this monster-like sheath?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    [Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath]


    Durability: 200/200


    * Iyarugt¡¯s demonic power is supplied to Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath. 1% demonic energy will be charged every 10 seconds.


    * Drawing Iyarugt consumes Iyarugt¡¯s demonic energy. 1% demonic energy will be lost per second.


    * Once 20% magic power is charged, Iyarugt will enter the satisfied state. At this point, Iyarugt will easily submit to the owner and gains 20% attack power. This state is maintained for 30 seconds after the sword is drawn. The cooldown time of Draw Sword is reset.


    * Once magic power is charged to 70%, Iyarugt will enter the ¡®excited¡¯ state. At this point, Iyarugt won¡¯t listen to the owner¡¯smands and will go at his own pace. This state is maintained for 70 seconds after Draw Sword. The cooldown time of Draw Sword is reset.


    * Once magic power is charged to 100%, Iyarugt will enter the ¡®intoxicated¡¯ state. At this time, Iyarugt will recognize the owner as his prey. The damage of Iyarugt¡¯s drawn sword will increase by 500%. The user will lose 50% of its health in 4 seconds and will die within 30 seconds. In order to avoid death, the sword must be retrieved within 10 seconds and Draw Sword can¡¯t be used for two minutes while demonic energy is declining. The moment Draw Sword is used again, death is instantaneous.


    Conditions of Use: None. However, the weapon is limited to Iyarugt.


    Grid had seeded in securing bloodstone in the 2nd National Competition. But he couldn¡¯t easily find a use for it. Iyarugt was already a sword and the quantity wascking to make an armor. Then they raided Belial and secured arge number of materials. Bloodstone fell to the side. Grid had neglected the bloodstone only to make a hypothesis before the National Competition.


    Maybe the reason why Iyarugt¡¯s soul was sealed in a bloodstone sword was because Iyarugt¡¯s soul waspatible with bloodstone? Wouldn¡¯t Iyarugt be stronger if a sheath was made with bloodstone? Grid was obsessed with reinforcing his items before facing Kraugel and immediately made a sheath. The result was Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath. It was a beautiful sheath that fit the standards of Iyarugt.


    ¡°As you can see, a powerful sheath was born. It¡¯s strong, but the penalties are huge.¡±


    Iyarugt¡¯s satisfied state had no merit for Grid, who had the Enlightenment Sword. Even with a 20% increase in attack power, Iyarugt was weakpared to the Enlightenment Sword. The same was true for the excited Iyarugt, who was uncontroble.


    Then what about Iyarugt¡¯s intoxicated state? As it happened, Iyarugt¡¯s intoxicated state also wasn¡¯t attractive to Grid. There was a 500% increase in pure attack power but it could only be used safely for three seconds. The damage wasn¡¯t highpared to the various options of the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡®Of course, the pure attack power is higher than the Enlightenment Sword. But the Enlightenment Sword is more stable.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t see the value in swapping out the Enlightenment Sword just for higher damage. Of course, this was only the case when Grid used it ¡®directly.¡¯


    Grid was convinced and reached out to Peak Sword.


    "Now, shouldn¡¯t you return the items you borrowed?¡±


    The story was different when the God Hands used it. The God Hands didn¡¯t have the concept of health and could use the intoxicated Iyarugt with less penalties.


    ¡°Y-Yes. Of course.¡±


    Peak Swordy directly in the capsule.


    The synergy of Peak Sword and Iyarugt, which boasted a high attack power, was certainly fantastic. But he wasn¡¯t entitled to use Iyarugt since he didn¡¯t have demonic power. It was only possible to use it when Iyarugt was in the intoxicated state, which meant the damage was bigger than the gains.


    The sword was inappropriate for Peak Sword other than a one-off event like the National Competition. Peak Sword wasn¡¯t greedy for Iyarugt at all. Just.


    "E...Excuse me, God Grid. Once I ask for minerals from this gold medal, can you make a de and sheath set for me?¡±


    Peak Sword requested carefully. Grid nodded immediately.


    "Of course.¡±


    A byproduct of a sacred creature. Considering that the power of fire was embedded in the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath, there was a strong possibility that the Blue Dragon Breath contained the power of lightning. Lightning attribute items were likely to have speed increasing options.


    "Ask for the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath.¡±


    How strong would Peak Sword be? Grid trembled. He felt proud that his skills could help someone grow. And time passed...


    ¡º Now there¡¯s only thest event remaining! ¡»


    The National Competition¡¯s third day. Eight out of nine events ended, leaving only the closing event. PvP. The big match that the world had been looking forward to for over a year, the moment where Grid and Kraugel would reunite.


    ¡°Kuk! Kukukuk! Finally, the moment hade!¡±


    Seuron of Argentina.


    "Grid and Kraugel, I can take out these trash with my power!¡±


    Zhang Zheng of China.


    ¡°Grid! I will get my promised revenge this year! I will neutralize your items with the power of Erosion!¡±


    Tarma of the former Blood Carnival.


    And...


    ¡°...¡±


    The sky above the sky.


    A total of 32 people were converging on the stage. Of course, Grid was part of them.


    South Korea: Gold (6), Silver (1), Bronze (2)


    United States: Gold (5), Silver (8), Bronze (4)


    ¡°Grid, have strength!¡±


    "Please win this year!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel! Be sure to win this time!¡±


    "The first ce in the overall rankings must be the US!¡±


    ¡°Grid! Grid! Grid!!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel! Kraugel! Kraugel!¡±


    The crowd¡¯s shouts resonated across Tokyo. Tokyo Dome was heating up. The sky above the sky and the person who nearly reached it. Which one was going to fall this year?


    In the midst of the people¡¯s cheers and expectations.


    "During saint sword drawing.¡±


    Grid and Kraugel faced each other on the stage. Grid started talking.


    "I was relieved when you got the gold medal and Yura got the silver medal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "It was fortunate. You didn¡¯t lose. My heart wouldn¡¯t be beating this fast if you¡¯d been defeated by someone other than me.¡±


    The person who broke the sky must be Grid. It was thest proof remaining before he could reach the top.


    ¡°This year, I will surely win.¡±


    Kraugel briefly replied to the motivated Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    For Kraugel, Grid was a special existence. The only person who victory wasn¡¯t guaranteed against. In today¡¯s showdown, Kraugel might be more eager than Grid.

 Chapter 763

    There was no longer a promised victory.


    The 1st National Competition, the 2nd National Competition, the battle between guilds and the sessive defeats to Grid and the Overgeared members led to Bubat bing the symbol of defeat. Numerous people who praised him now turned away from him. Sometimes other people mocked him.


    The honor he built up as the leader of the Yak Guild, one of the Seven Guilds, and as the strongest initiator, Crusher, disappeared like a sandcastle. But Bubat wasn¡¯t shaken. He didn¡¯t shake at all. As a tanker, he was ustomed to being hit. He had a strong mentality from taking blows well.


    "This year I will definitely do it.¡±


    Bubat was determined before the PvP event of this National Competition.


    ¡°I will definitely beat Grid this year.¡±


    The reason he was so obsessed with Grid wasn¡¯t because of personal grudges. It wasn¡¯t simply payback for being defeated. He burned with a sense of challenge because he recognized Grid as a trial to be ovee. He had a desire to develop further.


    In addition.


    ¡®Father, have strength!¡¯


    ¡®This year, be sure to win the gold medal!¡¯


    He wanted to be a wonderful dad in the eyes of his two daughters, who were just beginning to grow up.


    ¡®Huhut, tomorrow I can meet my cute princesses.¡¯


    He remembered his daughters¡¯ appearances in the video callst night and smiled. The Chinese representative, Zhang Zheng was waiting for him. Zhang Zhengy down in the capsule at the request of the host and provoked Bubat.


    "Are all people from Turkey brainless? Or do they have no shame? Why participate in the National Competition every year when you don¡¯t get medals? Isn¡¯t it a waste of time for other people?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk.¡±


    Zhang Zheng was still young and had less personality. Bubat clicked his tongue andy in the capsule. He was 35 years old. It might be different two years ago, but he wasn¡¯t easy enough to be provoked by a young man. The host was shouting.


    ¡°Before the long awaited first match of PvP, China¡¯s Zhang Zheng and Turkey¡¯s Bubat are logging in! The showdown between the two yers is starting now! It has started!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The cheers of the crowd filled Bubat¡¯s ears as he closed his eyes in the capsule.


    Then.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Bubat opened his eyes again in the Lion¡¯s Castle. It was the castle that had been the stage of PvP for three years already. Zhang Zheng jumped over the wall and pulled out his weapon immediately.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you very solid? Are you a person?¡±


    Supak!


    Zhang Zheng flew forward while making insidious remarks. His hands held one of the eight strongest weapons obtained from his workforce, the Destruction Sword. It was a powerful weapon that inflicted additional damage to human type targets, had the effect of blocking healing, and dealt damage proportional to the target¡¯s health.


    Puk!


    Puk puk puk!


    Zhang Zheng, who started appearing as a new star in Chinast year, had the hidden ss of ¡®fighter¡¯ and was a master ofbat. He could handle all weapons with Weapons Mastery and possessed high strength and agility. It was impossible for Bubat, who had invested most of his stats in stamina, to avoid Zhang Zheng¡¯s swordsmanship. The ck sword quickly shaved at Bubat¡¯s rock-like body. But Zhang Zheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good. It was because Bubat¡¯s health gauge didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡®Why does he have such high defense?¡¯


    Bubat¡¯s tanking powerst year was already enough to surprise Grid. In the first ce, the reason why he could be called the strongest initiator was because he could jump into the enemy¡¯s base with his overwhelming defense.


    Snap!


    Bubat seeded in grabbing the wrists of the confused Zhang Zheng and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not called the Yak for nothing. Did you bring a small knife to catch a cow?¡±


    "You boar-like bastard...!


    Zhang Zheng sensed the crisis and attempted to shake off Bubat¡¯s touch. But it was wishful thinking. A Crusher didn¡¯t miss the opponent he had caught.


    ¡°Go to Hell!¡±


    Kwajajajak!


    It was the Crusher¡¯s move that mmed the enemy¡¯s head into the ground, causing all types of status conditions. This skill had very high attack power. His attack power was influenced by his stamina stat, resulting in a force simr to a damage dealer.


    "...!"


    Zhang Zheng couldn¡¯t even scream as his head was mmed to the ground. His vision was blurred by the darkness of the ground.


    "Ahat!¡±


    Bubat wrapped an arm around the waist of Zhang Zheng, stuck upside down in the ground. It wasn¡¯t a gesture of affection.


    ¡°It will hurt more this time. Huup!¡±


    Bubat gritted his teeth!


    Sok!Zhang Zheng¡¯s body was lifted up like a sweet potato and descended again. It was like a gyro drop.


    ¡®Ick!¡¯


    As his vision moved from the sky to the ground at the speed of light, Zhang Zheng felt an instinctive fear. Goosebumps crept over his skin.


    ¡®You dare...!¡¯


    Zhang Zheng gritted his teeth. He overcame the chaos state caused by ¡®Go to Hell.¡¯


    ¡°You dare do this to me! I will ughter you!¡±


    He abandoned the Destruction Sword and pulled out a dagger. It was a lethal weapon that increased uracy, had a probability of disregarding the defensive power of the target, and inflicted damage equal to the Sword of Destruction.


    Puk! Puk puk puk!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Bubat¡¯s face distorted as Zhang Zheng in his arms stabbed Bubat¡¯s side. Zhang Zheng¡¯s attacks that had a chance of ignoring defense were effective against Bubat. The Crusher had a passive skill that allowed him not to be harmed over a certain level of damage, but it was scary when the low damage umted.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Bubat endured the pain and mmed Zhang Zheng into the ground.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaah! Kieeek! Kyaack! Keok!¡±


    Zhang Zheng continued to stab at Bubat¡¯s side as he was mmed into the ground. Of course, the one who suffered the most damage was Zhang Zheng. The Descending Death boasted a damage twice as high as Go to Hell. Zhang Zheng looked like he was just about to die as his head was stuck in the ground. It was a quiet match.


    Peok peok!Peok!


    Bubat¡¯s attack continued. Zhang Zheng was continuously in the ¡®stunned¡¯ state. Zhang Zheng boasted a high defense due to his items. However, his defensive power fell due to the influence of Descending Death and his health was rapidly consumed.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    Bubat shouted as firmly as he could. He emitted a red light. It was the forerunner to one of the Crusher¡¯s few attack skills, Watermelon Break.


    Jeeeeeong!


    The moment when Bubat¡¯s hammer swept across Zhang Zheng¡¯s unprotected abdomen.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor exploded. It wasn¡¯t the effect of Watermelon Break. It was the ¡®there will be triple the damage reflection if you receive a certain amount of damage¡¯ effect of Zhang Zheng¡¯s legendary rated armor.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Bubat was caught in the explosion and copsed, while Zhang Zheng overcame the stun and raised his body. Then he unleashed sharp attacks on Bubat¡¯s body.


    Puk!


    Seokeok!


    Blood spurted. Zhang Zheng swapped between eight types of weapons and started to maximize the power of various skills. The weapons had effects such as reducing defense power, dealing fixed damage, etc. The effect of the skills gradually weakened Bubat¡¯s rock-like body.


    "You damn bastard! Do you know who I am? Kyaak!¡± Zhang Zheng stabbed the fallen Bubat without a break. Zhang Zheng¡¯ shining eyes as he attacked made he seem like a killer in the movies. The organizers minimized the bloody effect but it was still a cruel scene.


    Finally.


    ¡°B-Bubat has been logged out!!¡±


    Bubat turned to grey. However, Zhang Zheng kept stabbed the ground where Bubat had been.


    ¡°Kyaak! Kiyaaaaaah!¡±


    It was a terrible thing. The sight filled the public with fear. Even the Chinese supporting Zhang Zheng felt creeped out and fell silent. Bubat¡¯s wife, watching thepetition on TV, had to hurriedly send her daughters to their room. It was an appalling atmosphere.


    ¡°Cute.¡±


    Grid muttered as he prepared for his match. For Grid, who had the experience of meeting the read madman Agnus, Zhang Zheng was just at the level of a puppy barking.


    ***


    "The atmosphere will rise.¡±


    Tarma¡¯s lips curved as he prepared for the second match in the round of 32. It was good for him that Zhang Zheng, ssified as part of the new generation, had beaten Bubat. Since he was matched with Grid from the beginning, he wanted the public¡¯s attention.


    He looked at Grid and smiled. That¡¯s right. Tarma was assured of his victory. He was confident that he could easily neutralize Grid after using Erosion to temporarily destroy Grid¡¯s strongest weapon.


    "I will take you down today and get rid of the humiliation of the past.¡±


    Tarma lost his reputation after being defeated by Grid in just three seconds at the 2nd National Competition. He became insignificant in the industry and requests stoppeding in. He lost wealth. Was that all? After Blood Carnival was dissolved due to Grid, he became a fugitive and hid on the East Continent, living a life of hell. Life on the East Continent was very difficultpared to the West Continent. It was truly awful.


    However, due to his desire for revenge, he eventually got Erosion.


    "Kukuk! Grid...! I will kill you!¡±


    There was a stir in Tarma¡¯s body. He felt pleasure as he imagined the glory that could be gained by knocking down Grid.


    ¡º After Bubat¡¯s sudden defeat, South Korea¡¯s Grid and Greece¡¯s Tarma are on stage. ¡»


    ¡º yer Tarma is notorious as a member of the former Blood Carnival. He¡¯s an assassin who¡¯s evaluated as being better than the god of killing, Faker. ¡»


    Butst year, he was defeated by Grid in just three seconds and his image changed a lot. Now people didn¡¯t have high expectations for him. At least until yesterday.


    ¡º Though the rumors about him have been overstated, Tarma has done great in the asura path event in the past few days. He beat hispetitors and won a gold medal, proving that the rumors about him weren¡¯t exaggerated. ¡»


    The level of skill that Tarma showed in the asura path event was certainly at the highest level. He looked like a powerhouse who was above Chris, Damian, Pon, and Regas. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Once the asura path event ended yesterday, Tarma revealed in an interview how great he was.


    ¡®I am the one who upied the Overgeared Guild¡¯s Cork Ind. The Overgeared members guarding the ind were killed by me. Kukuk, if you think I¡¯m lying then go to Peak Sword and ask. Peak Sword was brutally killed by me. I was just caught off guard when defeated by Gridst year!¡¯


    It was a shocking interview. The media investigated to confirm the truth and as a result, Tarma¡¯s remarks were proven to be true. Tarma had caused the Overgeared Guild to suffer the bitter taste of defeat. There were people who thought that Tarma might have a chance to beat Grid.


    At this time.


    ¡®I want to use it.¡¯


    Grid felt a strong urge as he faced Tarma on stage. 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. It was a desire to show the strongest skill he got from the Undefeated King to the public. Why? He would wash away the stigma of a chuuni! Grid wanted to prove that the ¡®Grid is a chuuni¡¯ video on the Inte was wrong.


    Thus, it was fortunate that he met Tarma in the first match. It was likely that Tarma¡¯s level would be equal or higher than Grid¡¯s since Tarma had been an unofficial ranker for a long time.


    ¡¯After building up fighting energy, I will perfectly finish it off with 100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡¯


    Gridy down in the capsule. He opened his eyes in Lion¡¯s Castle and faced Tarma.


    Tarma cried out.


    ¡°I! I have been waiting for this moment! Kuahahaha!"


    Taack!


    Tarma moved. An assassin was abat ss with low health and defense, but it demonstrated exceptional attack power and agility. Tarma¡¯s speed was enormous since he was considered to be at the peak of assassins. He reached Grid instantly and attacked. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an attack with all his power. Tarma was cautious, unlike how he outwardly looked. He was nning to explore first.


    Swaeek!


    A quick strike with minimal movements.


    Puk!


    Tarma¡¯s yellow dagger stabbed Grid¡¯s shoulder and he moved back after confirming the damage, fearing a counterattack from Grid. At that moment.


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid reached the fastest speed with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves and quickly reached Tarma. The roar of ck mes, as terrible as a dragon¡¯s breath, swallowed Tarma up.


    [The target has died!]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was upset by the rising notification window.


    ¡º Ah! This is the strongest assassin! Tarma has disappeared like a lie!! ¡»


    ¡º He can¡¯t be seen anywhere! How shocking! ¡»


    Thementators, spectators, and viewers weren¡¯t aware that Tarma had died. The ash pir effect, which symbolized a yer¡¯s death, was buried by the brilliant effects of the ck mes. Grid sweated as he stood alone in the castle. He had to stand there for a few seconds before the host btedly realized the situation and announced the end of the match.

 Chapter 764

    1.6 seconds. It was the time it took Tarma to reach Grid with Shadow Shift. After that, Tarma¡¯s dagger stabbed Grid¡¯s shoulder and it took another 0.5 seconds for Grid¡¯s sword to reach Tarma¡¯s body.


    Yes, just 2.1 seconds. It was the time it took to defeat Tarma. It broke his previous record of 3 seconds.


    ¡°...¡±


    Tokyo Dome fell silent.


    Duk.


    Some viewers in South Korea dropped their jokbal on the floor. They were eating spicy jokbal instead of chicken. The viewers and TVmentators btedly opened their mouths.


    ¡º Skill... yer Grid has acquired a powerful skill. ¡»


    ¡º Ah...! Yes! C-Correct! That¡¯s right! ¡»


    Most of Grid¡¯s attack skills required the preparatory actions of a ¡®sword dance.¡¯ Sometimes it was an advantage, but there were more disadvantages. There were blind spotspared to the immediate skills of thebat specialized sses. It was viewed as Grid¡¯s weak spot. This year¡¯s Grid had ovee his weakness.


    ¡º yer Grid is a hero who captured the Behen Archipgo. He seems to have acquired the strongest skill as a reward from the Behen Archipgo. ¡»


    ¡º He¡¯s born again as aplete body... ¡»


    Nobody expected that what Grid used to kill Tarma was a ¡®basic¡¯ attack. No, they couldn¡¯t even imagine it. People rarely imagined things that brokemon sense. The experts interpreted it as Grid acquiring a new ultimate skill. The audience and viewers saw the rey video that was repeated several times and agreed.


    ¡º A quick fire skill boasting a range that even the fastest assassin can¡¯t avoid... Ah! Maybe it¡¯s a ck fire dragon...! ¡»


    ¡º ck fire dragon...? Do you mean the power that yer Lauel mentioned several times? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, that¡¯s right. Lauel had said it in an interview with various media. The power of a ck dragon was sealed in his right hand and he served his master Grid with this power sealed. Maybe Grid has released the seal of that power... ¡»


    ¡º I think the ck fire dragon is a reward from some type of quest. It¡¯s really scary if it¡¯s true... ¡»


    This was an interpretation that started to spread, but few people were concerned about this part. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a ck fire dragon or not. Either way, Grid had acquired the ultimate skill. The anticipation towards the battle between Grid and Kraugel increased.


    ***


    "yer Tarma! Tell me how you feel about being logged out in two seconds!¡±


    "Shut up!¡±


    After the match. Tarma hurriedly came down from the stage like he was ashamed. He was terrified. He feared Grid who disbanded Blood Carnival... The fear that he had forgotten filled Tarma¡¯s body and mind. Tarma¡¯s body was shaking as he rushed to the waiting room. Tarma realized. The fact that the power gap with Grid couldn¡¯t be filled up no matter how he struggled.


    ¡®I can¡¯t face that monster.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what type of harm he woulde to from the Cork Ind incident.


    <i>Scoff.</i>


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Tarma stopped as he was running away with a pale face. Zhang Zheng was leaning of one side of the corridor leading to the waiting rooms,ughing sat Tarma.


    "Do you think it makes sense to die in one blow? The old generation is just a joke.¡±


    ¡°You..!¡±


    Tarma¡¯s face reddened. His grudge against this bastard, who didn¡¯t even know Grid¡¯s power, was veryrge. His eyes instantly filled with killing intent. But it quickly died down. Tarma confirmed that there were bodyguards by Zhang Zheng¡¯s side and lost his momentum. He snorted at the sight.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re good enough to look down on me? This small fry who was just born? I think the world has gone crazy if someone like you is walking around.¡±


    ¡°You...! I¡¯m a third-generation rookie!¡±


    10 new rookies were born every year. They used the know-how umted by senior yers and information released to the world to speed up their growth. They believed that their growth was faster than their predecessors due to talent. The older yers were just ridiculous.


    ¡°I can assure you. You will also die in two seconds. You will die in a single strike from Grid. Grid is a monster and you aren¡¯t better than me!¡±


    Tarma eagerly hoped it would be like this. He didn¡¯t like this bastard before him.


    ¡¯Shit! I never thought the day woulde when I will support Grid!¡¯


    Tarma disappeared after ranting.


    Zhang Zheng shouted towards his shabby rear view. "This dog only knows how to talk! I will show you how ipetent the old generation are! Understood?¡±


    Time was proportional to developed. This also applied to humans. There were far more great people in the science age than in history. The new generation was unconditionally better than the old generation. These were Zhang Zheng¡¯s thoughts. It was his personal thoughts!


    ***


    ¡°Grid, I won¡¯t challenge you again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On the way back to the waiting room. Grid met Bubat, who was waiting for him. There was a bitter smile on Bubat¡¯s face.


    "I realized it after being defeated by Zhang Zheng. I have no hope in a one on one battle.¡±


    During the 1st National Competition and 2nd National Competition¡¯s PvP event. Bubat won against everyone except for Grid. He was overlooked because he kept being defeated by Grid. It was the limits of a Crusher. After all, a Crusher was an initiator. He had weak attack power. It was possible to neutralize the target, but he didn¡¯t have the force to finish them off.


    It took Bubat many years to acknowledge the painful reality.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Apart from Grid, I have only fought with weak people. I thought I was really strong. Therefore, I was burning with a will to challenge you. But I realized it in this fight with Zhang Zheng. It¡¯s impossible to beat an opponent who has reached a certain level.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid showed some confusion because he didn¡¯t know how to respond. It had been three years since the start of his bad rtionship with Bubat and there was no reason to like him. Grid was clearly aware that Bubat took part in the invasion of Patrian and put the Overgeared Guild in a crisis. Such a person wouldn¡¯t being up to him with a good heart.


    Bubat confirmed that Grid was at a loss and waved his hand. "No, I don¡¯t mean to burden you. It¡¯s too presumptuous to try and start a new rtionship with you. Just... I just...¡±


    Bubat¡¯s eyes twitched as he recalled the phone call to his wife a moment ago. The shock of his children due to the cruel actions of Zhang Zheng constantly rang in his ears.


    "...I hope that you don¡¯t lose to that cruel boy.¡±


    "The person called Zhang Zheng?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Please be careful. If that type of person wins over you...¡±


    It would no longer be a dream stage for his daughters and other children. Bubat wanted to provide information to help Grid win.


    "Don¡¯t be too careless against the rookie. Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor has an option of reflecting damage by three times. It is dangerous even for you.¡±


    It was terrible when thinking of Grid¡¯s strong attacks being reflected with three times the damage. Maybe Grid would lose. Bubat came to Grid because he was concerned.


    ¡°Three times the damage reflection.. Hmm, I understand.¡±


    Grid nodded with a calm expression and passed by Bubat.


    Step step.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s footsteps gradually faded away. He didn¡¯t even bother saying farewell to Bubat. Bubat knew what he did to Grid and the Overgeared members. He couldn¡¯t expect to be greeted with familiarity. He was standing there quietly when he heard Grid¡¯s voice.


    "You are weak."


    ¡°...¡±


    "As you said, it¡¯s in a one on one match.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°If we meet again in a war, I hope that we are no longer enemies.¡±


    ¡°...Grid.¡±


    The Overgeared King acknowledged him in a war? Bubat was thrilled. A bright smile appeared on his gloomy face.


    ***


    The PvP round of 32 passed quickly. The rtively weak people were dropped out and only the qualified people advanced to the round of 16.


    There was also Sword Saint Kraugel. He met winning candidate Seuron in the round of 32 and defeated Seuron with skills that were more overwhelming thanst year. People took it for granted that Kraugel, who was several times stronger thanst year, would win.


    On the other hand, Grid was shocked. He was aware that Kraugel was at least 50 levels lower than he wasst year.


    ¡®Not even reaching level 300 yet...¡¯


    Maybe. Was this Grid¡¯sst chance to win against Kraugel? As time passed, Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to reach this genius. The moment Grid thought this.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    He couldn¡¯t help smiling. The higher the sky that was Kraugel, the most Grid instinctively felt that he could build a higher tower.


    "Hey, Bangzi. What are you thinking?¡± (Bangzi = A derogatory word that some Chinese people use for Koreans.)


    Zhang Zheng. The Chinese yer was Grid¡¯s opponent in the round of 16.


    "Are you thinking of packing up and going home?¡±


    ¡°What bullshit are you saying?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Zhang Zheng was confused by Grid¡¯s words. Until now, the ¡®existing powerhouses¡¯ tended to cling to their dignity. They didn¡¯t reveal their true colors until they were provoked. Zhang Zheng enjoyed seeing them lose their patience. However, Grid cursed easily despite being on a throne.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ignoring you just because you¡¯re weak. If you want to be respected, conduct yourself well.¡±


    Grid btedly turned off the microphone. Grid scoffed andy in the capsule, while Zhang Zheng¡¯s face btedly turned red.


    "Bangzi...! This damn Bangzi dares...! Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±


    Not ignoring him just because he was weak? In other words, Zhang Zheng was weak?


    ¡°Asshole!¡± Zhang Zheng hurriedlyy down in the capsule. He wanted to show Grid the taste of defeat as soon as possible. "Login! Loginnn!¡±

 Chapter 765

    There were many dialects around the world. It was said that there were more than 100 dialects in China due to itsrgend mass and poption.


    "Standardnguage unification.¡±


    As soon as he connected to Satisfy, Grid ended the dialect interpretation system. It was the reason why he heard Zhang Zheng¡¯s Yanbian dialect tranted into Korean.


    "I personally hate Yanbian.¡±


    "What?¡±


    Ruined castle walls weathered by dry winds. Zhang Zheng emerged from behind them and dered, "Grid, don¡¯t think you will die painlessly.¡±


    It had been two years and three months since Zhang Zheng started Satisfy. He took great pride in using his wealth of information and tremendous talent to catch up with existing yers, bing a top ranked yer beyond the second generation rookies.


    Grid? Kraugel? He didn¡¯t believe the people at the top were his opponents.


    "My confidence has grown after I participated in the National Competition. Existing yers are weak. They¡¯re rotten and dull-witted. It¡¯s worthless to be the king of the trash. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    To describe the current Satisfy, it was like a lion getting lost in a forest. Wolves and foxes were abundant. Zhang Zheng believed he was a talented person who would fill the empty position of a lion.


    "I¡¯ll be the master of this forest.¡±


    He would win. Zhang Zheng was sure of it. The talent that allowed him to jump over the second generation rookies that the old generation imed to be geniuses was the basis of his conviction. He was sure that he was better than Grid.


    "You want to cut me up?¡±


    Zhang Zheng gave a wicked and arrogant smile as he showed eight types of legendary weapons in order. They were the most powerful weapons with different users. The unusual appearances showed they were enhanced.


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    The crowd made sounds of admiration due to the spectacr effects that urred every time Zhang Zheng changed weapons.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many weapons you take out. I won¡¯t give you a chance to wield them.¡± Grid said with a nonchnt expression. It was enough to stimte Zhang Zheng.


    ¡°The king of petty wild dogs! How can a dog challenge a lion? Today I will show you reality! I will make you realize how trivial and frivolous the world you have reigned over is!¡±


    Zhang Zheng¡¯s face was red as he yelled. He was like a demon as his axe rose in the air. Grid smiled bitterly.


    ¡®A new generation mutant...¡¯


    Grid was the king of a nation. He had information that general yers couldn¡¯t possess and knew about Zhang Zheng. A genius who achieved unparalleled growth above the third generation 10 Rookies. Someone who was said to transcend the second generation.


    ¡®I was expecting a lot.¡¯


    In fact, Zhang Zheng was just a lump of arrogance. Grid felt a sense of responsibility when he saw Zhang Zheng disparaging the old generation. He felt responsible to eliminate the prejudices about the old generation. It was an obligation Grid felt for himself and his precious colleagues. Grid didn¡¯t want the people who had paved the way to be called trivial.


    Paaaat!


    Four golden hands appeared behind Grid. They were armed with Mjolnir, the most powerful status inducing weapon. Zhang Zheng¡¯s eyes shone at the appearance of the famous God Hands.


    "Kukuk! Kuhahaha! Indeed! This is it! You¡¯re admitting that you are afraid of me!¡±


    In the past National Competition PvP matches, it was rare for Grid to use the God Hands. Apart from when facing Kraugel, there were no cases where Grid actively used the God Hands from the beginning. From Zhang Zheng¡¯s point of view, it was a clear acknowledgement. It proved that Grid put him in the same ss as Kraugel!


    The crowd was also excited.


    "Grid is already pulling out the God Hands!¡±


    "Zhang Zheng seems to be strong...¡±


    "Indeed, the strongest of the third generation of rookies!¡±


    Zhang Zheng was the one who broke Bubat, one of the strongest of the old generation. In a situation where Grid revealed his power from the beginning against the monster rookie, people were forced to appreciate Zhang Zheng even more. In particr, China had a festive atmosphere.


    "Finally, a hero has emerged in our great nation!¡±


    "He¡¯s a different genius from Hao, who bows down to Grid every time! Despite being a neer, Grid is nervous about him!¡±


    ¡°Zhang Zheng is just the beginning. There are many people in our great nation and the younger generation is evolving every day. The descendants of the heroes in history will continue to appear and upy the world stage!¡±


    The Chinese pride in their country was the highest in the world. They were drunk in the name of nationalism and dreamt of a brilliant future. They didn¡¯t doubt that China would be one of the leading superpowers in Satisfy. The 1.5 billion poption were excited.


    "Admitting that I am afraid? Me? Of you?¡± Then Grid gave them despair. "You¡¯re just a fly to me. I don¡¯t have to catch you directly. Summon Iyarugt.¡±


    Kurururung!


    Grid pulled out Iyarugt and it roared. Grid couldn¡¯t hold it as a blood red light scattered all over the ce.


    Paaaat!


    Iyarugt emerged from Grid¡¯s grasp and flew into the sky. The translucent red color of the smelted bloodstone started to darken. The ancient golden characters gave it a mysterious and beautiful sight.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Zhang Zheng and the crowd was dazzled by the amazing sight.


    Kuoooooh-


    Iyarugt didn¡¯t move anymore. The light being emitted calmed down and everything became silent.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was static, like time had stopped. It was a short moment.


    Paaaat!


    The static broke as a red ball popped out from Iyarugt, still floating in the air. Hell¡¯s best swordsman, a Sword Demon, Great Demon Zepar¡¯s only rival, etc. It was the moment when the soul of Iyarugt, who had all types of titles attached to him, appeared before the public.


    "What¡¯s this...?¡±


    Zhang Zheng btedly became anxious and moved back. His instincts told him that he shouldn¡¯t let the red swordplete its actions. However, it was already toote. Iyarugt¡¯s soul exploded like the starlight of the universe and formed a shape.


    An old man bent over. He had a sharp horn sticking out from his forehead, was covered with a ming red light, and his eyes bulged like developed muscles. The iris, visible in the shadowy eyes, were as ck as the deep sea.


    ¡°Demonkin...!¡±


    A yer could summon a demonkin? No, they knew it was possible for a third advancement ck magician, but the cksmith Grid? Zhang Zheng paled at the unexpected situation. Then the elderly old man summoned in front of him took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet air that entered deep into his lungs.


    "Sweet."


    He had the magic power of a lower demonkin, but his swordsmanship was enough for him topete with great demons. Marbas, one of the major powers in hell evaluated Iyarugt as ¡®one who can change thendscape of hell.¡¯


    Sakak-!


    He held the floating Iyarugt and moved towards Zhang Zheng.


    ¡°Keok...!¡±


    [A weakness in your swordsmanship is exposed.]


    [Evasion rate is ignored, defense has dropped, and you will receive critical damage.]


    [You have suffered 12,150 damage.]


    ¡°K-Kuock...!¡±


    One sword. Yet this strike caused Zhang Zheng to lose one-fifth of his health. What the hell was this demonkin? Zhang Zheng was dumbfounded by the emergence of an unexpected monster.


    Snap!


    It was hard to believe that Iyarugt was an old man as he moved and pushed Zhang Zheng to the ground.


    Peeeeok!


    Zhang Zheng couldn¡¯t resist and fell to the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    The Chinese spectators and viewers were mute at the helpless appearance of Zhang Zheng.


    ***


    Name: Iyarugt


    Age: ?? Gender: Male


    Species: Horned Demon


    Title: Best Swordsman of Hell


    * When sword type weapons are used, the attack power is doubled. There is a 100% chance of a critical strike when hitting a weak point. Evasion rate will increase by 50%.


    Strength: 3,503 Stamina: 1,090


    Agility: 3,201 Intelligence: 330


    Skills: Swordsman¡¯s Eyes (S), One Way of Life (SS-), Sword Dance Explosion (SS), Volcanic Cirction (SS), Hell Moon Cut (SS), Sublime Sword (SS+)


    A horned demon ssified as a lower demon. As a result of training in swordsmanship without giving up, he became the strongest swordsman of hell. But he failed to ovee the limit of his birth and was defeated in a battle with the great demon Zepar and died.


    After that, his soul was cursed and attached to a sword.


    * By winning in a battle against the strong, he can regain a feeling of life. Repeating this a few more times can recover all his skills (1/10)


    * You must win against an opponent who is recognized as an ¡®enemy.¡¯


    * Iyarugt has a strong camaraderie that will develop into liking towards you.


    It specified that Iyarugt hadn¡¯t regained his strength yet. In one on one fights with the current Grid, Iyarugt would be hit like a dog every time by Grid. Of course, from a general point of view, he was a powerful demonkin. HIs health and defense weren¡¯t much different from normal yers, but his attack attack was based on a definitive critical attack and almost matched Grid¡¯s attack power. Even within the Overgeared Guild, there were only around 10 people who could match Iyarugt¡¯s attack power.


    The third advancement Zhang Zheng couldn¡¯t afford to be hit by him. What about the control skill that Zhang Zheng was so proud of? It didn¡¯t work in front of Iyarugt. What about Zhang Zheng¡¯s items? They were trivial to Iyarugt after being hit several times by Grid¡¯s items.


    "Kuaaaah!"


    Zhang Zheng roared with humiliation and raised his body. He tried to swing the sword that dealt ¡®extra damage to demonkin.¡¯ But Iyarugt swung his sword again and Zhang Zheng¡¯s attack was in vain. Zhang Zheng red at Grid.


    ¡°You! You Bangzi bastard! You¡¯re a coward! You¡¯re afraid of a fair fight so you brought a monster like this!!¡±


    There was a limit to the attack power of a pet. Their stats were low if their level didn¡¯t exceed their master¡¯s. However, the demonkin in front of him dealt 10,000 damage. It was well beyond Grid¡¯s attack power that Zhang Zheng had estimated. Zhang Zheng believed that Grid had temporarily contracted with the demonkin through a special quest. In other words, it was interpreted as a trump card. He had no idea that Iyarugt was a Grid specific summon.


    Grid was conscious of the cameras focused on himself and Iyarugt as he answered, ¡°What damn monster? He¡¯s just my pet.¡±


    "What? What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    Zhang Zheng rushed towards Grid.


    [ck King¡¯s Armor]


    Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 299/299 Defense: 699


    * Blocks iing damage by 7%.


    * There is a 30% of a stealth effect in the dark.


    * There is a 20% increase in defense in the dark.


    * Agility +50 in the darkness.


    * Once 30,000 damage is umted, three times the magic damage will be reflected back. At this time, the armor¡¯s durability is reduced by 50. In addition, the effect isn¡¯t activated if more than 30,000 damage is received at once.


    Zhang Zheng was determined to beat Grid and the demonkin with the strongest armor. Theoretically, it was possible. The ck King¡¯s Armor reflected a damage of 90,000, which wasn¡¯t enough for a yer to endure! But...


    Peok peok!


    [You have been stiffened.]


    [You have been stiffened.]


    [You have been stiff...]


    ¡°Ugh! Keok! Eek!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t reach Grid. From the moment the God Hands wielded Mjolnir, Zhang Zheng fell into the hell of infinite stiffness. Zhang Zheng kept screaming as he was hit in the head with a hammer. It was the appearance of a cheap dance as his head moved from the right to left. Gridughed as an infinite CC that could be called a scam was used.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? You won¡¯t even have a chance to swing your sword.¡±


    Originally, Grid was the representative of an arrogant person. If he truly expressed any grudges he had, he would make Zhang Zheng look charming.


    ¡°You...! You lousy jerk! Eek! Keok!¡±


    Zhang Zheng resented Grid¡¯s attitude, but he had no way of doing anything. As Zhang Zheng¡¯s health was slowly being consumed in units of hundreds, the 1.5 billion poption of China fell into shock and despair.

 Chapter 766

    [You have suffered 1,950 damage.]


    [You have be stiff. You can¡¯t take any actions.]


    [You have suffered 879 damage.]


    [You have be stiff...]


    [You have suffered 880 damage...]


    ¡°Ugh! Keok! Eek! Kuoh! Kuaaah!¡±


    There was a feeling of helplessness, like a fly caught in a spider web. Zhang Zheng roared like a wild beast after being frozen by Mjolnir for a few minutes. It was difficult for him to ept this awful feeling of helplessness that he felt for the first time. Why did he have to be disgraced in front of the world?


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to raise my head if I¡¯m logged out this way!¡¯


    It had been less than an hour since his interview stating that Grid and Kraugel were insignificant. The one who was defeated without Grid lifting a finger would transform into trash that was no different from Tarma.


    Kwaduduk!


    Zhang Zheng wanted to deny this terrible reality. He tried to act. In order to regain his freedom, he looked for a gap.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s concentrate!¡¯


    He only needed to move his hands once. If he wielded his sword the moment the stiffness was released and defended against the hammer attack, he would be freed. Zhang Zheng calmed his mind and didn¡¯t doubt it. Until now, he had lost his cool at the infinite CCs. But he was confident that he could escape from this hell since a skill with an infinite effect in Satisfy couldn¡¯t exist.


    But.


    Peok!


    0.3 seconds.


    Peok peok!


    0.1 seconds, 0.1 seconds, 0.1 seconds and 0.3 seconds again. The four hammers alternated, leaving no gaps in the stiffness. Zhang Zheng tried to focus but he couldn¡¯t find the right timing to escape.


    ¡®This is ridiculous...!¡¯


    It was a scam! Grid was using a bug! The moment that Zhang Zheng was convinced.


    [30,000 damage has umted. The ck King¡¯s Armor feels humiliated!]


    Peeeeeong!


    The dark armor that Zhang Zheng was wearing shed red and exploded. It was the prelude to a counterattack. The God Hands were caught in the explosion and flew in every direction, bing rigid. Then Zhang Zheng was freed from the endless CC.


    Gulp!


    Zhang Zheng immediately drank a health potion and headed to Grid.


    ¡°How long did you think you could hide behind that trick?¡±


    Zhang Zheng was excited. The moment when Zhang Zheng tried to aim his sword at Grid.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 13,050 damage.]


    Iyarugt, who had been standing next to Grid with folded arms interfered.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Zhang Zheng was hit by Iyarugt due to being blinded by Grid. Then he coughed up blood. It was the moment when his hell started again.


    Peok peok!Peok peok peok!


    ¡°Ugh! Eek! Kek!¡±


    The God Hands were released from their stiffness and randomly assaulted Zhang Zheng again. It was the scene where the counterattack that the Chinese crowd were hoping for failed.


    [30,000 damage has umted. The ck King¡¯s Armor feels humiliated!]


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah! Bastard! Die! Dieeee!¡±


    During the time that Zhang Zheng was released from the stiffness, he pulled out some chains.


    Chwaruruk!


    The chains stretched out in all directions to restrain the God Hands.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it!¡¯


    Zhang Zheng smiled with satisfaction, took a potion, and rushed to Iyarugt. He realized that he had to beat Iyarugt to get to Grid.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Zhang Zheng exchanged sword blows. Zhang Zheng recovered his cool and demonstrated 120% of his stats. It was because he had a desire to smash the nasty Grid. But his momentum didn¡¯tst long. While Zhang Zheng was caught in the fight against Iyarugt, Grid had released all the chains restraining the God Hands.


    Peok!Peok peok!


    ¡°Cough! Ugh! Eek!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor was hit a few more times by Mjolnir and exploded again. It meant that a lot of damage umted during the battle with Iyarugt.


    ¡°Bastard! You nasty bastard! Cowardly bastard!!!¡±


    Zhang Zheng bound the God Hands with the chains again and red at Grid with bloodshot eyes. Grid didn¡¯t fight until the end, only relying on his items and pets. It was like a one yer fighting game! But what could he do about his anger? Zhang Zheng might be able to match Iyarugt, but he couldn¡¯t defeat Iyarugt.


    While he was tied up with Iyarugt, Grid untied the chains holding the God Hands. Then he rxed with a whistle!


    ¡°...¡±


    Thementators were silent. It was too ufortable to talk about this one-sided and terrible match. On the other hand, Grid...


    ¡®It¡¯s still iplete.¡¯


    He was watching Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor. It wasn¡¯t a ¡®damage reflection every time it was hit¡¯ but a ¡®damage reflection every time a certain amount of damage umted?¡¯ It reflected a huge three times the damage. Therefore, Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor was sure to have a huge penalty.


    Grid had expected this from the beginning. Grid could make a better production item than a dropped item the reflected three times the damage. From the moment he heard about Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor from Bubat, he predicted there would be a deadly problem with Zhang Zheng¡¯s armor.


    Peeeeeong!


    Finally, the ck King¡¯s Armor exploded and Zhang Zheng drank a potion. Then the same thing repeated.


    Peeeeeong!


    It was the fifth explosion of the ck King¡¯s Armor. Zhang Zheng once again drank a potion. Then he noticed a wicked smile spreading on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®Is this bastard smiling...? Eh?¡¯


    Zhang Zheng was taken aback when he witnessed Grid¡¯s face. He btedly realized that he overlooked one fact because he waspletely lost in the humiliation he felt for the first time in his life.


    ¡®...The armor¡¯s durability!¡¯


    A chill went down Zhang Zheng¡¯s spine. The ck King¡¯s Armor, it exploded five times? Then 250 durability had been lost. If it exploded one more time...!


    Peok!Peok peok!


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    [You have suffered 1,600 damage.]


    [You have suffered 930...]


    [You have suffered 965...]


    Zhang Zheng became panicked as the Mjolnir bombardment started again.


    ¡°Stop! Please! Please stoppppp!¡±


    The crowd murmured as Zhang Zheng¡¯s desperate screams rang out through Tokyo Dome. The nasty Zhang Zheng was crying and begging as a child. Then Grid...


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop. Zhang Zheng was wicked. Considering his personality, Grid didn¡¯t know what he would do if Zhang Zheng wasn¡¯t trampled on. Grid knew it for sure because he had met many enemies in his life. Zhang Zheng wasn¡¯t someone he should show mercy to.


    "Today is your memorial day.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Zhang Zheng was unable to swap items in the infinite stiffness state! Zhang Zheng fell into despair at the worst situation when a notification window rose.


    [30,000 damage has umted. The ck King¡¯s Armor feels humiliated!]


    Peeeeeong!


    [The ck King¡¯s Armor haspletely lost its durability. The ck King¡¯s Armor is permanently destroyed.]


    ¡°N-No! Nooooooooo!!¡±


    Zhang Zheng screamed.


    Puok!


    Iyarugt dealt the final blow. Zhang Zheng was finally released from hell.


    ***


    "The winner is Grid!!¡±


    The same time that the host called out.


    ¡°You...! How dare you!¡±


    Zhang Zheng rushed towards Grid the moment he logged out and exited the capsule. Hepletely lost his temper and forgot that this was the National Competition. His actions were being broadcasted around the world.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    Zhang Zheng roared like a dog with rabies and swung his fist. It was a fist that urately aimed for Grid¡¯s face as he left the capsulete. Grid was caught off guard. The crowd cried out as they expected Grid to be hit. But surprisingly, Grid didn¡¯t allow the attack. He instinctively used footwork to avoid Zhang Zheng¡¯s fist. Then he kicked out, knocking Zhang Zheng down. It was a counterattack that took full advantage of the natural body movements from ying Satisfy, a body that had been constantly exercising and the Taekwondo taught during military service.


    "...!!"


    The security guarded running on stage were stunned when they witnessed what happened to Zhang Zheng. They were impressed with Grid¡¯s clean movements. On the other hand, Grid was baffled.


    ¡®Wow, what a terrible fighter.¡¯


    Grid had been beaten up in his school days. Even a few years ago, he had been hit by the gangsters harassing Sehee and Yerim and ended up being protected by Yerim. Being protected by a high school girl...


    Grid was forced to think he was weak. He believed that he was someone who couldn¡¯t fight in reality. Yet Zhang Zheng¡¯s fist seemed to be in slow motion.


    ¡®There are people who are worse at fighting than me...¡¯


    Grid looked at Zhang Zheng, who had copsed from his weak kick, and was filled with sympathy. Grid didn¡¯t know. Zhang Zheng was actually a martial artist in China.


    The viewers cheered.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°Grid properly gave a scolding to that nasty Chinese yer!¡±


    "How can he fight so well? What can¡¯t he do?¡±


    "He¡¯s the real deal...!¡±


    ¡°Grid! Grid!! Grid!!!¡±


    The atmosphere rose. The Grid who exited on the cheers was the main character of the world itself. On the other hand, Zhang Zheng was greatly disciplined for his constant cursing and violence. His ount was suspended from Satisfy for four months and he wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the next two National Competitions.


    China¡¯s new star fell as soon as he rose. All of China had a mournful atmosphere. But surprisingly, few Chinese people med Grid. This incident was caused by Zhang Zheng himself and they thought he deserved it.


    At the same time, the Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    "...Doesn¡¯t Grid fight better than me?¡±


    Toon was afraid of losing his job as Grid¡¯s bodyguard.


    ***


    The 3rd National Competition¡¯s PvP event seemed like a stage designed for Grid and Kraugel. They rose from the round of 32 to the finals.


    Grid used his overwhelming attack power to blow away the enemies while Kraugel used his control to take down the enemies. If Grid managed to defeat his opponent without even touching them, Kraugel also took control of his sword to defeat the opponent with folded arms.


    Strangely, not one member of Overgeared participated in this year¡¯s PvP, making it apetition between Grid and Kraugel. In the course of four matches, Grid and Kraugel won easily without a single crisis. The crowd was overwhelmed by their unrivaled strength.


    "Isn¡¯t Grid several times stronger than he wasst year?¡±


    "Is Grid the reason why the Overgeared members didn¡¯t participate in PvP? They knew they would obviously lose against Grid and gave up.¡±


    "It¡¯s a realistic interpretation. I have the same idea.¡±


    "But Kraugel is also much stronger. He won¡¯t be pushed by Grid.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. In particr, the Control Sword technique is a big hit. He can move the sword without using his hands. This year¡¯s Kraugel has a perfect defense for the God Hands.¡±


    ¡°Who will win?¡±


    Nobody could predict the winner. Even the experts didn¡¯t disclose their opinions. Did they deserve to be paid for the show if they stayed silent on air? There were many protests from viewers. The experts, who gradually lost their ce due to Grid, were no different from being unemployed.

 Chapter 767

    Due to their overwhelming presence, Grid and Kraugel went straight to the finals. They shared the same thoughts 30 minutes before the match.


    ¡®Can I win?¡¯


    ¡®I must win.¡¯


    ¡®If not this year-¡¯


    ¡®There might not be a chance to win anymore.¡¯


    The two men saw each other¡¯s skills during thest National Competition. They acknowledged each other and were afraid. They had both expectations and concerns about the potential that was hard to quantify of the other person.


    Duguen, duguen, dugeun...


    The Korean team¡¯s waiting room.


    Grid sat on the sofa, his heart beating much faster than usual. He thought of the first day he met Kraugel. He was reminded of the emotions he felt when facing the sky above the sky, who wasn¡¯t easy to see.


    ¡®...Good.¡¯


    How could he exin this deep emotion? Grid changed due to his meeting with Kraugel. He became known world wide, knew his potential strength, and gained confidence. In addition, he was able to run towards the goal of ¡®Kraugel.¡¯


    ¡®If I hadn¡¯t met you at that time, I wouldn¡¯t have grown to where I am now.¡¯ Yes, for Grid, Kraugel was a special person. Sometimes he felt like a benefactor. ¡®He¡¯s the benefactor who shared the information of the Behen Archipgo with me.¡¯


    Grid smiled and rose from the sofa.


    "Kraugel, you have an obligation to see my growth.¡±


    Victory. Fight and win at all cost. Grid was filled with strong desire.


    Now he realized. In the future, he wouldn¡¯t be the one chasing after another yer. He would be the one going ahead. Grid had to evolve, for the young yers of South Korea and the yers of the Overgeared Kingdom. It would be done by breaking the sky called Kraugel.


    ¡®The role that you have been taking so far... I¡¯ll do it for you in the future.¡¯


    Kkuok.


    Grid raised trembling hands to his grim face.


    ***


    The other Korean representatives were afraid of interrupting Grid¡¯s thoughts and waited outside the room.


    ¡°Who will win?¡±


    Vi wasn¡¯t affected by the atmosphere and questioned. Then.


    "Of course it will be God Grid.¡± Peak Sword didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment before replying.


    ¡°...¡±


    The other yers couldn¡¯t easily guess and remained silent. The rematch between Grid and Kraugel that took ce after one year and three months.


    It didn¡¯t just involve the pride between the two, but the destiny of South Korea and the United States. The first ce in the overall rankings would be decided by who won the match. The citizens of the first ranked country could secure arge experience buff.


    From the standpoint of the Korean yers, they were praying for Grid¡¯s victory. The problem was that the opponent was the sky above the sky. The man who had reigned since Satisfy opened. No matter how strong Grid was, it was hard to be sure if he could beat Kraugel.


    ¡°We will find out at the end of the day.¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal said. "It¡¯s true that Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s power can¡¯t be measured, but Grid hasn¡¯t revealed all his power yet either. We don¡¯t know who will win.¡±


    The fact that the Sword Saint was the strongestbat ss was hard to deny. But Grid had items and a higher level than Kraugel.


    "...Well, I will personally cheer for Grid.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just because Eat Spicy Jokbal coveted the buff. What if Grid who defeated him lost to Kraugel?


    ¡®I will also be under Kraugel. Damn!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to be below another person!


    Peak Swordughed without knowing why Eat Spicy Jokbal was going crazy. "You¡¯re hoping for Grid¡¯s victory? Friend Jokbal! You have finally fallen for the charms of God Grid!¡±


    ¡°What bullshit...! I just want the buff!¡±


    There were 20 minutes until the finals started.


    ***


    The US team¡¯s waiting room.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel sat with his eyes closed.


    He thought of the first time he encountered the mad Agnus. The first andst day he met with Haster, who had no interest in the world. The day he first met Grid, who had mes in his ck eyes. Among the people who the S.A. Group called the ¡®Five Miracles,¡¯ Grid was the one who made Kraugel¡¯s heart boil. It was just after fighting Piaro. However, Grid was still the first yer to defeat him.


    ¡®From then on.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s gaze and awareness always followed Grid. Every time he saw Grid go one step further, Kraugel became more motivated and was able to grow faster. Kraugel realized. If Grid hadn¡¯t been here. Kraugel might not have been left behind, but he would¡¯ve be empty from the curse called nothingness.


    ¡®Since then, I have been happy.¡¯


    There was a smile on Kraugel¡¯s face as he opened his eyes. The moment he stood up.


    ¡°yer Kraugel, it¡¯s 15 minutes until the start of the match. Please move to the stage.¡±


    The voice of the staff could be heard outside the waiting room.


    Lauel saw him and said, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t want Kraugel to win. He naturally wanted Grid to win. As Grid¡¯s subordinate, he eagerly prayed. But Kraugel was the peak of two billion users and an idol to billions of people. It would beplicated if Kraugel fell. Kraugel read Lauel¡¯s bittersweet facial expression and replied with his distinct expressionless face.


    ¡°The other person is Grid. If I lose to him, his existence can no longer be denied.¡±


    The fact that Grid deserved to bring down the sky, now everyone in the world knew this. No one would be disappointed or criticize Kraugel if he lost.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t intend to lose.¡±


    Victory. He would also win this time. Kraugel was filled with a strong desire. He hoped that he would always be Grid¡¯s goal. He wanted Grid to keep being conscious of him. There was nothing as sad as one-sided liking.


    ***


    ¡°Crying Tiger.¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The PvP finals video of the 2nd National Competition was being yed on the screen. Kraugel prated the shield summoned by the white-haired Grid, while being burned by mes at the same time. The winner was decided with a mere 0.1 seconds difference, touching the hearts of the crowd and viewers.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool to see that scene again a few times.¡±


    It was a video recording that had 5 billion ybacks in a year. Of the 8 billion people, the only ones who hadn¡¯t seen the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel were babies. In addition, people didn¡¯t y the video once. Growing children, young people aggressively nning for their future, middle-aged people getting tired of their lives, and old people in the twilight of their lives.


    All of them came up with new dreams and desires by repeating the video of the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel. They lived a faithful life, hoping to stand on the same stage someday.


    The yers who became idols. Grid and Kraugel entered the stage.


    ¡º The protagonists of the confrontation that urred one year and three months ago! Kraugel of the United States and Grid of South Korea are on the stage!! ¡»


    ¡º Hey! The cheers were amazing! I have never seen such a sight in 15 years. Won¡¯t Tokyo Dome copse if it continues like this? ¡»


    ¡º Hahaha! At this moment, everyone seems united, regardless of nationality, race, gender, or religion. We can see how great the two yers are. ¡»


    ¡º Nobody cares that this match will determine who will be first on the overall rankings. Everyone in the crowd is just passionate about both yers. ¡»


    ¡°Grid!! You¡¯re the first legend! You¡¯re the first king! Prove that you¡¯re the best!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel! Don¡¯t fall! Show Grid why you have reigned at the top for so many years!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The piercing shouts spread throughout Tokyo. The excitement of the scene was being transmitted to viewers. But Grid and Kraugel were in the middle of a tranquil world. The two men faced other other and were solely focused on the other person. The cries of other people didn¡¯t reach their ears.


    "A man¡¯s match should be decided in three rounds?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Then this time is the real winner?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    "We will still be friends regardless of the result?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    "Then I will beat you.¡±


    "I will also do my best.¡±


    The two men lightly greeted each other before standing in front of their capsules. The host hurriedly handed a microphone to Kraugel.


    "Could you please tell us your feelings ahead of the match?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The moment Kraugel was given the microphone. The heated up Tokyo Dome fell silent. Tens of thousands of people in Tokyo Dome gazed at one person. Their faces were filled with anticipation as Kraugel opened his mouth.


    "I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The sky above the sky was afraid? The host and spectators doubted their ears.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am looking forward to it even more.¡±


    Kraugel smiled at the end of his words. The always emotionless Kraugel was smiling so brightly?


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    The people who saw Kraugel realized it for the first time. The person who had been waiting for this moment more than anyone else was Kraugel.


    "Kyaaaaak! Kraugel!¡±


    "Yes, enjoy it! Kraugel, win!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel! Kraugel! Kraugel!¡±


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The atmosphere reached the peak.


    At the same time, in Satisfy.


    ¡°We will soon move.¡±


    Veradin led the elites of Immortal into Reinhardt, capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was easy to infiltrate, since the Overgeared Kingdom freely allowed yers to ess the city.


    "Head straight for the smithy.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Not only did Grid show an overwhelming performance in the National Competition, he also seeded in getting the first ranked cksmith, Panmir. In such a situation, Immortal was forced to feel a sense of crisis since they were hostile to Grid. It was hard to overlook the Overgeared Kingdom.


    So.


    ¡°The target is cksmith Khan. Find him and kill him.¡±


    Immortal acted first. Most members of Overgeared were logged out now that the PvP finals had begun. Reinhardt was an empty house.


    ***


    ¡°The stars are bright.¡±


    His hammering would give strength to Grid. Khan worked hard again today with such an attitude. His eyes in his wrinkled face were filled with longing as he looked up at the night sky. Today, he wanted to see Grid more and more.

 Chapter 768

    The US team¡¯s waiting room.


    Panmir was sitting next to Lauel and chattering away. He looked like a young child ced in front of a birthday cake. He was excited about the new life he would live as an Overgeared member after finishing the National Competition.


    "Is there a cksmith craftsman in the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are a total of five.¡±


    The cksmiths who came from Pangea on the East Continent and Khan. All of them were taught by Grid and became craftsmen through enlightenment. In particr, Khan¡¯s craftsmanship level was high. Lauel dared to boast that Khan was in the top 10 of the continent.


    ¡°cksmith Khan...? I¡¯ve heard that name before. I remember that he was praised as the best cksmith 20 years ago, until he retired after losing his son.¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right."


    "Huhu, he didn¡¯t actually retire, but followed Grid. Khan reached the craftsman rank thanks to Grid. It¡¯s no different from Grid being his benefactor."


    Grid had nurtured talent from a long time ago. It was truly amazing. Lauel spoke meaningfully towards Panmir, who admired this new fact. "Benefactor... But Khan might be King Grid¡¯s benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    "Haha, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    In terms of Khan¡¯s superior cksmithing skills, it was mostly from an NPC point of view. In fact, he was Grid¡¯s first friend, teacher, student, and also a family member. Who would understand?


    Grid was on the monitors. Lauel watched him standing in the center of the world with unwavering eyes and showed a gentle smile.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A castle enveloped in the darkness of night. The Lion¡¯s Castle, the stage of PvP every year was veryrge. There were four spires, seven floors, and corridors with hundreds of rooms. But in the end, it became a ruin. It might¡¯ve boasted a brilliant civilization and beauty in the past, but now it was just a ruin where deste wind blew.


    Chichik, chijijik.


    The hundreds of pirs supporting the roof were in such a precarious state that there were doubts about whether they could copse straight away. The stone powder falling on the ground was a signal. The extremely concentrated Grid and Kraugel in the middle of the square with a fountain moved at the same time.


    Chaeeeng!


    The sword where darkness was encroaching. There was no trace of it as Kraugel¡¯s +9 White Fang shot towards Grid.


    [Aplete evasion has failed. You have suffered 1,290 damage.]


    [The durability of Triple Layers has decreased by 1.]


    Kwajajajak!


    A sword split apart the darkness. Like the ws of a bird of prey, the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires smashed the old fountain.


    "Che!"


    This attack could easily be avoided despite Grid being equipped with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves? Grid was amazed by Kraugel¡¯s movements, who took full advantage of the passive Super Sensitivity and his innate abilities as he rotated and retrieved his sword.


    Then.


    Peeeeeong!


    Grid¡¯s Enlightenment Sword blocked Kraugel¡¯s White Fang that appeared behind Grid¡¯s back.


    [You have blocked a powerful blow!]


    [Your hands are temporarily paralyzed.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The durability of the +9 White Fang has decreased by 2.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s attack power with his new sword exceeded Kraugel¡¯s assumed range. Only their swords shed but the weight of the sword was so great that Kraugel moaned.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Grid was able to grasp and react rtively quickly to Kraugel¡¯s movements thanks to the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and his high insight stat. ¡°Have I be stronger?¡±


    ¡°The best.¡±


    ¡°Hat..!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s confirmation made Grid flourish. Grid felt his heart beat faster as he advanced forward. He tried to use footwork while pushing Kraugel¡¯s White Fang with his Enlightenment Sword.


    At that moment.


    "Crushing Sword.¡±


    Kraugel used a unique sword breaking type skill.


    Hwiririk!


    The Enlightenment Sword intertwined with White Fang was rotated by White Fang. Naturally, Grid¡¯s wrist also turned.


    Kwajajajak!


    An eerie sound was heard. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    [Your wrist has been broken.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®fracture¡¯d state.]


    [Your attack speed is reduced by 50% for 20 seconds and damage is reduced by 30%.]


    [The current durability of the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has decreased by 12%.]


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯


    It caused a physical condition that couldn¡¯t be resisted while drastically reducing the durability of the weapon? Grid reminded himself. Kraugel was able to be a Sword Saint by mastering the sword. The person who the world viewed as strongest in Satisfy right now was Kraugel!


    Seokeok!


    Pa pa pa pat!


    [You have suffered 4,700 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,950 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,230...]


    [You have suffered 4,110...]


    The moment he allowed an attack. The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and his insight didn¡¯t detect that constant shes that struck Grid¡¯s body. The minimum damagepensation when a ¡®sword type weapon was equipped¡¯ in proportion to defense and the ability of a Sword Saint to deal additional damage to all species made the defense of Triple Layers futile.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    The flow wasn¡¯t good. Grid determined that it was necessary to reset the situation. He shouted and the four God Hands appeared behind him. Under the clear moonlight that shone in the darkness, a glittering gold light appeared. But the gold was soon lifted.


    It was because four swords were fired from Kraugel¡¯s inventory and the God Hands were blown away. It was the Control Sword skill. A Sword Saint was able to remotely control up to 10 swords. An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t be able to control their body and the swords at the same time.


    Sururuk.


    But it was possible for Kraugel, the sky above the sky. He controlled the swords while using White Light Steps. He reached Grid¡¯s side while hiding in the moonlight.


    ¡®Ick...!¡¯


    Grid realized Kraugel¡¯s approach and btedly swung his sword.


    Supaak!


    He was hampered by his fractured state. Kraugel had the effect of reaching the maximum speed ¡®when a sword type weapon was equipped¡¯ and he was much faster than Grid¡¯s sword.


    [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid coughed up blood as he was cut on the side. Kraugel moved forward the moment he attacked, capturing Grid¡¯s rear area. There was a perfect gap behind Grid.


    Clink!


    Kraugel bent forward and took a stance. It was the forerunner to the sword that cut the world, Space Sword.


    Sakak-!


    As soon as White Fang emitted a ck light, the ground, darkness and the moonlight...


    Jjejeok!Jjejejejeok!


    They were split in half at the same time. However, the target Grid received no damage. It was thanks to the use of Freely Move, which avoided all non-targeted skills. Even the glorious Sword Saint found it hard to harm the Secret Hero who saved the world.


    Kwajak!


    Rising and descending. With a simple action, Grid slipped away from the range of Space Sword and struck Kraugel¡¯s body.


    [You have suffered 9,490 damage.]


    "...!"


    Didn¡¯t he have a passive that reduced maximum damage done by a sword type weapon by 40%? This question rose in Kraugel¡¯s eyes as he received big damage. The biggest problem was that Grid¡¯s attack didn¡¯t end with just the primary damage. Up to three extra damages were possible.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The ck mes inflicted 300% damage.


    ¡º Ah...! ¡»


    Thementators of broadcastingpanies around the world cried out. This was the strongest immediate skill that destroyed Tarma, one of the PvP winning candidates. Somementators predicted Kraugel¡¯s death.


    ¡º P-yer Kraugel! Surely he won¡¯t be logged out like this? ¡»


    The legendary ss had an immortal passive. The people of the world were now clearly aware of this fact based on various circumstances. Of course, thementators were the same. Thementators were well aware that Kraugel wouldn¡¯t die from this blow. But they had to make a more dramaticmentary, sweeping the audience and viewers into an extremely nervous atmosphere.


    In particr, those who cheered on Kraugel were watching the remnants of the ck mes with worry. They didn¡¯t want the sky above the sky that they had admired for so many years to fall like this.


    At that moment.


    Chwaruruk!


    A shield of light blocked the ck mes. The ck mes sweeping the Lion¡¯s Castle vanished without a trace. It was the defensive skill of a Sword Saint, ¡®Sword Curtain¡¯ that used sword energy as a resource. The skill created a protective curtain made of dozens of swords and had the ability to block all magical and physical damage.


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Grid sweated as he looked at Kraugel. So far, he had dealt with variouspetitors. Perhaps they had the same thoughts every time they faced him?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡±


    Grid spoke what he was thinking. The strongest legendary ss, Sword Saint. He was revealing a grand majesty when dealing with the Overgeared King. In addition.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy has started to boil!]


    Grid was alsoplete. Grid¡¯s fighting energy, which had been kept at 10 thanks to Kraugel¡¯s low level, slowly started to rise. It was a hidden effect created by the Sword Saint ss.


    Kuooooh!


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was real or not. People murmured as the fighting energy appeared like a haze around Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    "Wow, it¡¯s cool.¡±


    The crowd and viewers started to notice one by one. A red and purple aura was wrapped around Grid¡¯s body. It was the mighty power of the Undefeated King, whose existence itself was a legend. Grid inherited his will and was now exposing it to the world.


    Duguen!


    Kraugel sensed it. This year¡¯s showdown would be much tougher thanst year.

 Chapter 769

    ¡®From now on, it is the real thing.¡¯


    Kuoooooh!


    The red and purple aura around Grid. Kraugel knew what it was. Sword Saint Muller was also the Hero King.


    ¡®Fighting energy...¡¯


    Just like Grid learned about Pagma, Kraugel learned about the former Sword Saint Muller. He had a variety of Muller episodes that ordinary people didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t be ignorant about fighting energy.


    ¡®The power of a hero of heroes.¡¯


    Muller was said to beplete bybining fighting energy and sword energy. From the time Grid was named the Hero King, Kraugel could no longer follow Muller. Kraugel would¡¯ve felt desperate if he had been pursuing Muller¡¯s shadow. But Kraugel was pioneering his own way. There was no reason to be obsessed with the title of Hero King because he didn¡¯t follow Muller. When Grid became the Hero King, Kraugel could congratte him in a pure manner.


    Clink!


    It would be a tough fight that couldn¡¯tpare tost year. Kraugel¡¯s expression calmed down as he faced Grid¡¯s fighting energy. But it was just a superficial appearance. His hands holding White Fang were filled with cold sweat. A tensionparable to the time when he faced Great Demon Drasion filled him. It meant that Grid¡¯s presence was equal to or greater than a weakened great demon.


    ¡°From now on, it will be different!¡±


    The exited Grid ran over to him. He was faster and stronger thanks to his rising fighting energy.


    Jeeeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword descended at the fastest speed! Kraugel gritted his teeth and defended. The weight behind Grid¡¯s attack was like a great mountain. Kraugel¡¯s body and mind were driven to the extreme.


    Jaaeng! Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    Every time he hit Kraugel¡¯s sword, Grid¡¯s fighting energy rose and his attack speed increased. A relentless ck and red light pressed Kraugel from all directions, causing Kraugel to take several steps back.


    Finally.


    Tak!


    Kraugel¡¯s back ended up against an old pir. Grid was already in the process of moving forward with his footwork.


    "Pinnacle!¡±


    It was one of the basic skills of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. The powerful skill that disregarded a certain amount of defense fell like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, a question popped into Kraugel¡¯s brain. Wasn¡¯t Pinnacle a technique that Kraugel had counterattacked twice in the past already? Every time Grid used Pinnacle, he was hit back with Tearing the Sky the sky and suffered great damage. He wouldn¡¯t have forgotten this fact.


    ¡¯Is he trying to do something else separately?¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s intuition told him not to use Tearing the Sky. As Grid¡¯s sword descended, Kraugel used Sword Curtain to defend.


    Then.


    ¡®Che!¡¯


    Grid, who was preparing to use Revolve, clicked his tongue. That¡¯s right. Grid intended to return the counter to Pinnacle, Tearing the Sky back to Kraugel using Revolve. But it was all for naught.


    Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The collision of Pinnacle with the Sword Curtain produced a powerful shock wave. Of course, the pir Kraugel was backed up against as well as the ones 3m to his left and right were swept away by the shock wave. The moment a corner of the castle copsed.


    Kurururung!


    The copsing roof and rising dust hid Grid and Kraugel. Thementators and viewers looked around in order to find traces of the two.


    Kuuong!


    Grid flew out from the smoke. A jump! He immediately raised his body and used magic.


    ¡°Magic Detection!¡±


    [Magic Detection (Enhanced) has been used.]


    Paaaat!


    Mana was released from Grid¡¯s body and scanned around him.


    Name: Kraugel


    Level: ???


    ss: ???


    Stats: ???


    Race: Human


    Status: yer


    Since reaching level three on the East Continent, Magic Detection (Enhanced) disyed a small part of the target¡¯s information as well as informing Grid of Kraugel¡¯s location. It was right in front of him.


    Chaeeeng!


    Grid hurriedly swung his sword and it was stopped by the empty air in front of him.


    Sururuk.


    A full moon was floating above the high spires. Kraugel, who had hidden himself in the moonlight with White Light Steps, was revealed. His breathing was rough as he blocked Grid¡¯s sword. Thementators, spectators and viewers who saw this series of processes were disturbed.


    ¡º Kraugel¡¯s condition is strange...? ¡»


    ¡º Is that right? ¡»


    Kraugel was different from Grid. He neutralized his targets with pure control rather than overwhelming them with physical stats, skills, or items. Yet his control skills weren¡¯t highlighted when fighting Grid. Throughout the battle, he seemed to rely solely on skills like Grid.


    People started to specte.


    ¡°Is Kraugel¡¯s control less than what it was?¡±


    "Or maybe Grid¡¯s control is a match for Kraugel...?¡±


    ¡°In any case, the situation is different from the past.¡±


    The reason people envied Kraugel was because of his controll. If only they could move as well as him. If only they could make the same cool judgment in that situation. How many rankers could follow even half of Kraugel? People always thought like this.


    But they didn¡¯t think this when they saw the current Kraugel. Kraugel seemed to be worse than usual in the confrontation with Grid.


    ¡¯Is it the aftermath of bing a Sword Saint?¡¯


    A legendary ss. Obviously, the Sword Saint was the one with the best power among them. An example was the Space Sword that split apart the world. Perhaps Kraugel had be obsessed with the power of these skills and forgot his own strength? Did his control decline because he became dependent on skills?


    People who thought like this couldn¡¯t even imagine. In fact, Kraugel was currently controlling four swords against the God Hands. It was in order to block Grid¡¯s strength with the God Hands, which was much more proficient thanst year. Kraugel was forced to disperse attention to the four swords, meaning hecked delicacy when dealing with Grid. But people didn¡¯t know the principles of Control Sword and couldn¡¯t understand Kraugel¡¯s position.


    On the other hand.


    ¡®Is it hard?¡¯


    Grid faintly guessed the situation Kraugel was in. It was natural. A delicatemand system was needed in order to make high-quality movements with the God Hands, even for Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was Grid¡¯s conjecture that Kraugel¡¯s Control Sword would be just as hard and his thoughts were correct. Kraugel¡¯s mental power was consumed twice as fast after using Control Sword.


    ¡®God Hands! Continue to attack Kraugel! Don¡¯t rest!¡¯


    Grid maximized the benefits of the God Hands. He took full advantage of the ego items that could act on their own. It was the majesty of the legendary ss exclusive item that Kraugel hadn¡¯t acquired yet.


    Peng!Pepepepeng!


    The God Hands set Kraugel as the target and started tounch Magic Missiles. The four swords were interfering with Mjolnir. Then Grid would rather abandon Mjolnir and have them support him from a distance.


    Syuok!Syuok!


    Kraugel moved in a zigzag to avoid Magic Missiles. Grid attacked the gaps that urred at this time. Kraugel who was trying to defend himself with Super Sensitivity, stopped trying to fight back. Then a new Grid appeared behind him. It was Doppelganger Randy. It was the first time Grid summoned his pets in his three confrontations with Kraugel. It was the influence of Battlefield. Now Grid had be aware. Pets were also his skills. He realized it was wasteful to refrain from using pets in the name of fair y.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    At the same time, Randy was able to reproduce his master¡¯s skill.


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡±


    Kwajak!Kwajajak!


    As soon as Randy appeared, he was hit by Kraugel¡¯s counterattack and died. One of the two pets that Grid had relied on for many years vanished. But Grid wasn¡¯t upset.


    ¡°Sorry...!¡± He apologizing to the grey Randy. "It was good enough!"


    Grid sent encouragement.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    Then he finallypleted the footwork of his fusion skill. It was something he had been unable to do through the battle due to being blocked by Kraugel. If it wasn¡¯t for Randy pulling Kraugel¡¯s gaze away, Grid would¡¯ve never been able toplete it.


    Kuooooh!


    The ultimate sh containing killing intent. It was soon linked with a stab. The skill that Grid had trained in the process of dealing with his clone on the Behen Archipgo was devastating to the target since it ignored defense. It was the second most powerful skill in Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    It was a skill that Kraugel¡¯s counterattack, Tearing the Sky couldn¡¯t cope with. Last year, Kraugel had used Jajinmori, which instantly activated in close ranges, to block it.


    ¡®Toote...!¡¯


    This year¡¯s Kraugel had fallen for the bait that was Randy. Kraugel¡¯s reaction to Pinnacle Kill was toote.


    Sakak-!


    The ck and red sword fell in a straight line towards Kraugel.


    Puok!


    Then it was followed by a stab. The strongest skill that exerted a powerful force. It put a heavy burden on the user¡¯s muscles and had a risk of causing the user to lose 4,500 health.


    [You have dealt 69,300 damage to the target!]


    What did 4,500 health matterpared to dealing a critical wound to Kraugel? Grid smiled with satisfaction.


    Snap!


    Kraugel took out a gold peach and bit it. It was the ultimate health recovery item that Kraugel gained in exchange for being Pangea¡¯s Little Hero. The gold peach restored the user¡¯s health to the maximum. Grid ignored the various PvP rules intended to create a ¡®grand spectacle.¡¯ It was Kraugel who positively utilized the newly applied ¡®potions can be taken¡¯ PvP rule.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Grid was confused when Kraugel¡¯s health was restored to the maximum.


    Kraugel pushed away from Grid using Jajinmori, then used one of the unique endgame skills of a Sword Saint, ¡®Condemnation Sword.¡¯ Unlike the wide-range Space Sword, this skill aimed at a single target and its power transcended Space Sword. It was the beginning of a full-scale counterattack.


    By using Space Sword in the beginning, Kraugel deliberately had Grid consume Freely Move. He was in a position to win. Even if it was only a 1% chance, Kraugel hoped. He wished to be Grid¡¯s goal for one more year and sincerely swung the Condemnation Sword.


    But there was a saying that the heavens didn¡¯t love short-lived geniuses. Brilliant talent came with a lethal curse.


    [The True White Fang is resonating!]


    [The curse ¡®Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze¡¯ is activated!]


    [Retreat!]


    [Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze]


    The evil dragon Bunhelier is always watching over you.


    You might be attacked on the day when Bunhelier is feeling grumpy.


    Skill Activation Condition: Random


    It was the curse attached to White Fang. It had never activated before and now it was activated in a match that Kraugel had dreamt about for the past year.


    Kurwarwarwarwa!


    With a roar that shook the earth, a huge shadow that erased the moon appeared.


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    Kraugel stopped using Condemnation Sword and urgently shouted towards Grid. The worst situation was triggered due to the probability system. There was no time to me anyone. Kraugel just didn¡¯t want to ruin the situation. He couldn¡¯t overlook the consequences of what would happen if Grid was trampled on by a dragon while the whole world was watching. He had to bear responsibility for the current situation.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    The condition to acquire this title was to ¡®raid¡¯ three named bosses higher in level ¡®alone.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s exclusive skill. It was one step behind Grid but Kraugel also obtained the title this year. Due to this, he could use Freely Move.


    Supaak!


    Kraugel escaped from Bunhelier¡¯s breath, ascended the grey scales and reached its huge head. His ck eyes shed under ck hair as he faced the dragon, while the world watched agape. There were only two people in the world who understood the present situation. The people who knew the options of White Fang. One of them was Grid.


    "Damn lizard...!¡±


    Appearing at this timing to obstruct the match?


    Kwaduduk! A distinctively purple fighting energy rose from Grid¡¯s body. His gaze was only following Bunhelier. He ignored Kraugel.


    Then.


    "100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    The power of the Undefeated King was revealed to the public.

 Chapter 769.5

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    The National Competition Operations Team in the S.A Group was in a state of emergency.


    The National Competition¡¯s server was operated separately from Satisfy¡¯s server. It was impossible for a dragon that existed in Satisfy to appear in the National Competition. However, a dragon appeared in the most important closing event. It was a situation they couldn¡¯t understand and it was serious.


    ¡°Figure out what is going on right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After receiving the orders of the team leader, the employees started to investigate all variables. The National Competition Operations Team wasposed of the elites of the S.A Group. Thus, reports immediately poured in.


    "Bunhelier has disappeared from this server!¡±


    ¡°What...? Then that is the body?¡±


    "No, how did this happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve found the cause! It is the weapon used by Kraugel. The +9 White Fang has an option to summon Bunhelier.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The National Competition¡¯s server was separate from Satisfy¡¯s server. However, the data of the yers brought into the National Competition¡¯s server was the same. The option of ¡®summoning Bunhelier¡¯ was present in the imported data. It wasn¡¯t impossible to exclude the summoning probability from the National Competition¡¯s server.


    ¡°This is crazy! A user has an item that summons a dragon?¡±


    "It is a drop item from the ¡®Weakened Great Demon Drasion¡¯ that Kraugel raided alone!¡±


    ording to the information that came up on the central monitor, White Fang was originally an item with its real power and function sealed. Yet Kraugel hadpletely released the seal on the item. That¡¯s why the Bunhelier¡¯s curse option was opened.


    "How did he break the seal of a legendary grade weapon? Did he proceed with the hidden quest?¡±


    ¡°There is no history of the quest being unlocked.¡±


    "The greatest probability is that it was due to the involvement of Pagma¡¯s Descendant Grid...¡±


    ¡°Again...! It is Grid once again!¡±


    The head of the National Competition Operations Team was Mr. Nicol Cage, the server audit director of the S.A Group. He was responsible for preventing errors and bugs from appearing in the server in real time. Therefore, Grid¡¯s existence was very troublesome for him. Every time Grid created a variable that was beyond a yer¡¯s category, he would have to work overtime.


    Now it was the National Competition... what was this mess?


    ¡°That nasty child!¡±


    Kwang!


    Nicol Cage couldn¡¯t control his boiling rage and hit the table. His face was green and he was gritting his teeth.


    ¡°This situation is very interesting.


    ¡°Chairman...!¡±


    An elder gentleman had entered the office of the operations team. He was the father of Supeputer Morpheus and the creator of Satisfy. The founder and chairman of the S.A Group, Lim Cheolho. After a simple greeting and encouraging the employees to go back to work, he sat down in front of Nicol Cage.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    This incident wasn¡¯t Nicol Cage¡¯s fault. It was the fault of the management team responsible for verifying the data of the yers. But he still apologized. Nicol Cage was the head of the National Competition Operations Team. He didn¡¯t give any excuses and apologized for ruining the closing ceremony.


    Lim Cheolho grinned at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a situation where you need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°...?"


    Nicol Cage was confused. This situation had ruined the closing ceremony. He couldn¡¯t understand how Chairman Lim Cheolho could be so rxed right now.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho said, "Hasn¡¯t the water already been spilt? There is something else that should be noted.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    "Did you know what Bunhelier just woke up from his seal?¡±


    There was a vige called Trempet. It was a vige where the descendants of the Taylor Kingdom that was destroyed by the Saharan Empire lived. There was a verse in the folk song of the locals, stating that ¡®Evil dragon, a hero sealed it 500 years ago.¡¯ The evil dragon was Bunhelier. The yers who visited Trempet would know that Bunhelier was sealed. The S.A Group executives who knew the world view of Satisfy knew that Bunhelier¡¯s seal had recently been released.


    "The evil dragon Bunhelier is one of the reasons for Nevartan going crazy. Once he sensed the unlocking of Bunhelier¡¯s seal, the insane Nevartan regained his mind for a moment.¡±


    From here, an episode that would transform Satisfy¡¯s world view would proceed.


    In order to get revenge on Bunhelier, Nevartan would travel all over the world and reunited in the Saharan Empire of the West Continent. The West Continent would be a global stage. The two dragons would have a long battle that wouldst for several months. As a result, most of the West Continent would be destroyed. The number of humans who controlled the West Continent was destined to greatly decrease.


    ¡°The species that will rece humanity will appear on the continent and be either fight or ally with yers.¡±


    Yet Bunhelier disappeared from the server at this time.


    "Nevartan can¡¯t sense Bunhelier¡¯s energy and can¡¯t maintain the lease on his reason. He has be insane again and hid somewhere. The original scheduled battle between the two dragons has been cancelled.¡±


    "In other words...¡±


    "Grid and Kraugel have caused the nned disaster and transformation to disappear.¡±


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t this a big deal?¡±


    Two yers twisted the world view of the game that billions of people were ying. It was a serious problem. It must be restored. These were Nicol Cage¡¯s thoughts. However, Chairman Lim Cheolho thought the opposite.


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be reversed. Have you forgotten that our policy is to absolutely not intervene in Satisfy?¡±


    The management team shouldn¡¯t intervene in Satisfy. The reason for this rule was to avoid losing the ¡®another reality¡¯ setting of Satisfy. If the management team intervened in the flow of Satisfy and its users, could it really be called another reality?


    In Satisfy, users must be guaranteed the same degree of freedom as reality. The moment that thepany intervened, the users might be aware of the fact that Satisfy was a game and lose their immersion. It would vite the reason why Chairman Lim Cheolho created Satisfy.


    "We can¡¯t intervene to restore the situation and the changed fate.¡±


    ¡°But this is a special situation... No. It is nothing.¡±


    Nicol Cage objected only to shake his head. It was a basic policy that management couldn¡¯t intervene in Satisfy and he had to follow this if he wanted to be kept by the board of directors. In addition, there was no real impact on Satisfy¡¯s development if an episode designed by Morpheus didn¡¯t proceed normally.


    Morpheus¡¯ role was to encourage yers to have fun in a pleasant environment. Morpheus provided new fun by inducing yers to create more diverse forces, not just the current kingdom forces. This episode was intended to give yers the fun of choosing different species but the yers would eventually pioneer the way themselves. Grid was the one who showed the possibility of destroying an existing kingdom and creating a new one.


    ¡¯Rejecting even the fate of God (Morpheus)...¡¯


    On the monitor, Grid and Kraugel were facing a giant grey dragon. Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes were very fond every time he looked at the miraculous beings who defied Morpheus¡¯ predictions. Chairman Lim Cheolho thought they were simr to himself and the employees who broke all expectations and built a virtual reality world.


    ¡°Now it is time to reveal Bunhelier¡¯s information.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Reveal it to the public?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We will make the appearance of the dragon an event.¡± A dragon was a godlike presence in Satisfy. The majority of yers might never encounter a dragon. ording to the information collected by Morpheus, only 17 yers had every seen a dragon from a distance. "Wouldn¡¯t it be exciting to experience the existence of another world?¡±


    A crisis was an opportunity. If the public perceived the appearance of the dragon as a ¡®special event¡¯ rather than ¡®ruining thepetition¡¯, it could lead to a positive result.


    "But it doesn¡¯t make sense to restart the finals. People will notice that it is a mistake, not a prepared event.¡±


    "Why should it proceed again from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?


    ¡°Once Grid and Kraugel dies to Bunhelier, don¡¯t log them out and have them resurrect in Bunhelier¡¯s nest. It was package their death as the process for releasing a new stage.¡±


    The National Competition¡¯s server was separate from Satisfy¡¯s server but all maps were implemented. Bunhelier¡¯s nest was naturally included. The operations team wasn¡¯t involved in Satisfy but they were constantly involved in the National Competition. An example was the changes in the rules every year.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a problem. The appearance of Bunhelier will be finished with a dramatic directing that brings joy to the public.¡±


    This year¡¯s PvP finals would be more popr than ever. Nicol Cage was impressed by Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s resourcefulness and creativity.


    ***


    ¡º D-Dragon... ¡»


    [The evil dragon Bunhelier has appeared!]


    This message appeared the moment that the sky was covered. Thementators and viewers were overwhelmed by the grandeur and were speechless. The question ¡®No, why is a dragon appearing in the National Competition?¡¯ was covered by the presence of the dragon itself.


    Kurarararara!


    Bunhelier opened his huge mouth and shot out a breath. The momentum was like the whole sea being summoned. The range of the blue breath swept over the Lion¡¯s Castle. It was different from a wyvern¡¯s breath that only burned a few metres. This was a heug attack that was impossible to avoid.


    Kurururung!


    Was it true that this ce existed a while ago? The Lion¡¯s Castle disappeared so quickly that people questioned it.


    ¡°...¡±


    The crowd and viewers all closed their mouths.


    Dragons. yers recognized them as the final boss, a legendary presence that overwhelmed even the 1st Great Demon Baal. It was enough to make the silent world feel fear.


    At this time.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. The life force is fixed to a minimum. Resistant to all attacks for 5 seconds.]


    Grid was hit by Bunhelier¡¯s breath and entered the immortal state, while Kraugel avoided the breath using Freely Move and rose to Bunhelier¡¯s head. The height was 30 metres above sea level. He avoided the non-targeted skill and flew by using the effect of Freely Move to reach the target.


    ¡°Condemnation Sword!¡±


    Pajik!Paijijik!


    It was the Sword Saint¡¯s ultimate attack that was originally for Grid. The +9 White Fang was surrounded by silver and struck Bunhelier.


    [The information of the evil dragon Bunhelier is released.]


    [Bunhelier]


    Level: ????


    Species: Dragon


    Strength: 99,999 Stamina: 99,999


    Agility: 12,000 Intelligence: 25,000


    Skills: Breath (SSSS). ????, ????,????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????.


    A transcendent dragon. He can destroy the world if he wants. Only a simr transcendent presence can threaten a dragon.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The crowd was astonished at Bunhelier¡¯s ridiculous status window.


    Puk!


    Kraugel¡¯s sword flew against the fierce momentum and prated Bunhelier. The pupil size along was bigger than Kraugel¡¯s body. White Fang was just like a toothpick.


    Then.


    [Sword Saint Kraugel has done 1 damage to Bunhelier.]


    This notification window appeared on the centre of the monitor.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    People realized. The sky above the sky, who they so envied, was a mere speck of dust in front of the dragon.


    ¡º That is the world¡¯s strongest creature...! ¡»


    ¡º Dragon... It is more amazing than I can imagine. Perhaps it can be raided in 10 years, 20 years? ¡»


    ¡º Named bosses grow with the yers. It is impossible to raid a dragon. In the first ce, dragons weren¡¯t created for yers to raid. ¡»


    Thementator was right. Dragons weren¡¯t targets for raids. This was clearly stated in Satisfy¡¯s default setting.


    The moment that everyone was in shock.


    ¡°...?"


    ¡°What?¡±


    The camera suddenly focused on Grid. The purple fighting energy around Grid was burning.


    "100,000 Army.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    People thought of the ¡®Grid is a chuuni¡¯ video. Overgeared King Grid. He was acting like a chuuni in an emergency like this?


    ¡°Was this a joke?¡±


    "No, what is he doing alone in this urgent situation?¡±


    ¡°Crazy. Crazy.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know where this joke came from. Some people criticized Grid while others thought it was ridiculous. Then Grid...


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    The Undefeated King¡¯s power was unveiled.


    Peng!


    Pepepepeok!


    The Enlightenment Sword was swung 30 times per second. ck red energy des filled the air and headed towards Bunhelier.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    As soon as Grid fired the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword at Bunhelier, the following notification windows appeared.


    [The target is a dragon.]


    [The Hero King title effect is activated.]


    [The fighting energy of the Hero King has risen to the rank of a transcendent and threatens the dragon. The Absolute Defense of Bunhelier is disabled.


    [You have dealt 1,500 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 1,430 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 1,610...]


    [You have dealt 1,290...]


    ......


    ......


    Kurarararara!


    A storm of energy des struck Bunhelier! The scratches on the dragon scales that couldn¡¯t even be damaged by the Sword Saint¡¯s ultimate attack caused massive shock to the public.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    People on the stands started huping.

 Chapter 770

    [You have dealt 1,430...]


    [The ck me explosion...]


    Pepeng!


    Pepepepeng!


    ¡º P-yer Grid is continuing the onught!! ¡»


    ¡º yer Grid¡¯s attack power ispletely overwhelming yer Kraugel!! ¡»


    ¡º 100,000 Army Massacre Sword...! I now understand why it has such a name! It has tremendous power!! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s worth noting that the ck mes are intermittently exploding. It¡¯s applied at the same time as other skills so it might be a passive skill... ¡»


    ¡º Huh? Is that so? ¡»


    The sight of Bunhelier being bombarded 30 times with 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was shocking. Bunlier¡¯s scales, whichpletely neutralized Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s attacks, received damage. It was the moment when the hidden skill ¡®Absolute Defense (SSS) was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s dignity.


    Flinch.


    Bunhelier¡¯s 30 meter long body was finely shaking. The spectators and viewers watching wondered if Grid might seed in raiding Bunhelier. But reality was terrible. It was like an ordinary person scratching the paint of a luxury sedan only for it to emerge unscathed. Even if slight scratches were made with human fingernails, it was just like dirt from the road blowing. It meant that the wounds on Bunhelier¡¯s scales were very minor after being hit by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword.


    Bunhelier had an ill-natured personality. It had a health recovery speed that made a damage of 10,000 or 100,000 meaningless. After being hit by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, the grey scales that were finely scratched healed in an instant. Grid¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t keep up with their resilience.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The spectators and viewers were dazzled by the colourful effects and noticedte. Bunhelier¡¯s health hadn¡¯t decreased at all despite being hit by Grid dozens of times.


    ¡¯Does it have 10 billion health?¡¯


    It was estimated that Great Demon Belial had 2 billion health. It wasn¡¯t strange that a dragon, which overwhelmed even the 1st Great Demon Baal, possessed at least 10 billion health. Given the defense and resilience, it was impossible to raid Bunhelier, even if he used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword endlessly. Grid didn¡¯t even know about the One Million Army Massacre Sword.


    ¡°...I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Kung! As Kraugel hit Bunhelier¡¯s snout and turned the giant eyes to him, Kraugel apologized to Grid. He had no choice but to bow his head. Dragon. Kraugel felt awe towards the world¡¯s strongest creature.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    The ground shook. Grid couldn¡¯t maintain his bnce and fell down. It wasn¡¯t an earthquake. It was a wave created by Bunhelier¡¯s ¡®one step¡¯ as it tried to trample Kraugel on the ground. For a dragon, the small and feeble human was like an ant. Grid who prated the defense and left small scratches on the scales? From Bunhelier¡¯s point of view, he was no different from Kraugel. It felt a little annoyed and wasn¡¯t inspired at all. He had no special interest in the ants that were biting at his nails.


    Kurarararara!


    Bunhelier blew out a breath. Grid and Kraugel had no way to withstand the powerful attack that swept through the ruins of the old castle. People were upset when Grid and Kraugel turned to grey at the same time.


    "...Even Grid and Kraugel can¡¯t match a dragon.¡±


    "The range of the breath is a scam. Who can endure that? Even if all the yers are gathered together, they will be wiped out in 10 minutes.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s this? Why did a dragon suddenly appear in PvP?"


    ¡°...¡±


    The crowd and viewers btedly detected the abnormality. They recovered from the dragon¡¯s presence that had overwhelmed them. People were angry because the confrontation that had waited 1 year and 3 months for came to a futile end.


    ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    "I want my admission fee back!¡±


    ¡°Boo! Boooooo!¡±


    The crowd was convinced that this incident was due to the organizers and criticisms poured out. They were no longer concerned with Bunhelier. They couldn¡¯t have any interest because it was an existence in another world. The public wanted a target that was in reach.


    After Grid and Kraugel¡¯s deaths. Bunhelier stood alone on the PvP area where everything was destroyed. It was the moment when the worst existence, that should¡¯ve terrorized the world along with Insane Dragon Nevartan, felt a sense of uncertainty due to an unfamiliar situation.


    At this time.


    ¡°Ah! Look there!¡±


    ¡°What? Was it staged?¡±


    The screen was switched. The PvP stage had changed. It was a spacerge enough to make humans look like dust. A little while ago, Bunhelier had suddenly showed up. Now there was a huge ce that looked like there was room for it, even with its two wings wide open.


    ¡°Is this a dragonir?¡±


    As soon as they noticed, they guessed it was the new PvP stage. Then Grid and Kraugel, who had been resurrected, checked the notifications in front of them.


    [You were killed by Bunhelier. The evil dragon¡¯s venom has prated deep into your lungs. Until you die again, all types of health recovery are reduced by 60%.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a terrible curse that could only be solved with death. Kraugel was silent as a bitter expression appeared on his face. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of great helplessness.


    In reality and in Satisfy. Every time he met an opponent better than himself, he had a belief that he could jump over the opponent one day. For him, dragons were unfamiliar presences that couldn¡¯t be reached even if he tried for the rest of his life. Kraugel didn¡¯t want to meet a dragon again and it was deeply engraved in his heart.


    Grid was different from him.


    ¡°Ah, shit...!¡±


    Grid was jumping around while huffing and puffing. An opponent he couldn¡¯t catch up with in his life? Unlike Kraugel, Grid had experienced it countless times. He had learned how to grow using the feelings of helplessness and frustration as nutrients. His attitude was in contrast to Kraugel.


    ¡°This damn lizard scum! Not even apologizing after killing someone? Ah, bastard! The next time we meet, I will be sure to get revenge! Kill it at all cost... No, subtract half blood! Yes! I will make an item to counter a dragon!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel was surprised at Grid¡¯s burning desire. Grid¡¯s eyes presented Kraugel with an unexpected future.


    "This lizard, I will summon it again for youter.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "At that time, you and I will be armed with dragon yer items and cut off hisyer of scales. And... huhuhu! Make armor out of the scales. How about it? Aren¡¯t you happy just imagining it?


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel became aware that Grid was a great person. But he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much.


    ¡®His vessel fills my vessel.¡¯


    With aplicated expression, Kraugel returned to reality.


    ¡°Then what about this?¡±


    Grid noticed the cameras reopening and noticed that the PvP match would resume. He was affected by the evil dragon¡¯s curse. The recovery abilities of Doran¡¯s Ring, Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, and Cray¡¯s Power had be ineffective. The situation was the same with Kraugel. It was a deadly curse for Kraugel, who had the ability to recover with the Troll King¡¯s Curse, Bitter Grief Spear, and the Red Sword.


    Of course, the S.A. Group didn¡¯t overlook this. The organizers released the curse on the two people by borrowing the name of a god.


    [Goddess Reba has healed you of the evil dragon¡¯s extreme poisoning.]


    At the same time.


    ¡º Did you enjoy the emergence of the evil dragon Bunhelier, which made the PvP finals more colorful? From now on, the second round of the finals will begin on a new stage! This stage is a dragonir! It¡¯s the nest of the evil dragon Bunhelier! ¡»


    The host received a notice and shouted in a loud voice.


    Grid and Kraugelughed as they discovered the situation.


    "The host is also suffering.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    "Let¡¯s finish this quickly. Fighting, fighting, and fighting again. I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°A sea of hope.¡±


    No further words were necessary. The resources such as health and skill cooldown time were restored to what they were before Bunhelier appeared. The two people rushed towards each other.


    Paaaat!


    Grid¡¯s attack power was high now that fighting energy exceeded 50, making it difficult for Kraugel. He started to be pushed on the defensive in the sword exchange. He evaded and thenunched arge number of swords with Control Sword. The swords moved in every direction so that Grid couldn¡¯t avoid them.


    Grid didn¡¯t find a way to escape, but he wasn¡¯t afraid. When he looked with a cksmith¡¯s Eyes, the swords had a rating from unique~ legendary. Then what about Grid¡¯s defense? Grid judged that it would be hard for the weapons to prate his armor unless Kraugel wielded them directly.


    Puk!Puuoook!


    Grid¡¯s battle style was exchanging flesh and blood! He tried to counterattack against Kraugel every time he was hit by a sword. Then he suddenly stopped. Some of the swords fired by Kraugel pierced his right elbow. Grid was unable to swing his arms because the physical conditions prevented the rotation of his joints.


    ¡®Crazy...!¡¯


    It was guided?


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    The moment that Grid was feeling irritation and excitement.


    ¡°Condemnation Sword.¡±


    Pajik!Paijijik!


    A silver sword was raised. It was the skill that was blocked by Bunhelier¡¯s emergence. Now it appeared again as a threat to Grid.


    Clink!


    It was toote to move the hand holding his sword. Grid judged and raised his left hand, summoning Iyarugt from his inventory. Kraugel expected Grid to fight back with Revolve. But Grid¡¯s choice was different.


    "100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    ¡®At this timing?¡¯


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The strongest skill that prated even a dragon¡¯s scales washed over Kraugel. He was swallowed up as a silver light shed from the tip of his sword.

 Chapter 771

    People were different. They might be looking at the same thing but would feel something else. Most people who felt good were already ahead.


    ¡¯This time, Grid was ahead.¡¯


    The evil dragon Bunhelier. The world¡¯s strongest presence that could never be raided. When Kraugel didn¡¯t want to see it again, Grid dreamt of getting revenge. It was a huge difference. It was clear that after Bunhelier, Grid would achieve a much faster growth.


    In order to avoid falling behind, Kraugel also couldn¡¯t turn away from Bunhelier. In addition, Grid drove the sky above the sky to the edge.


    ¡°Condemnation Sword!¡±


    Condemnation Sword was one of the Sword Saint¡¯s ultimate skills which boasted an attack power equivalent to 100% of the target¡¯s defense. It couldn¡¯t prate Bunhelier¡¯s defense, but it was enough to inflict damage on Grid. White Fang was surrounded by a silver light as it rushed to Grid.


    "100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    "...!"


    Kraugel thought Grid would choose to defend or counterattack, but he ending up using an unexpected skill. It was the strongest skill that dealt damage even to Bunhelier. It was an unexpected development for Kraugel.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid grew stronger as fighting energy umted. From a certain point of view, it was right to keep fighting energy at the maximum. However, Grid consumed fighting energy by using 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Kraugel had a headache. Why did Grid make this choice? Kraugel questioned it.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±


    He opened up the power of Secret Hero and avoided all the strikes of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword that was release at close range.


    ¡°Whoa...!¡±


    Sounds of admiration flowed from everywhere. The crowd was overwhelmed by Grid, who wielded the sword 30 times in one second and Kraugel, who avoided all the swift attacks.


    Pajik!Pajijijik!


    Before the red spots in the air disappeared.


    Teook!


    Kraugel reached Grid¡¯s side and inserted Condemnation Sword.


    [You have dealt 53,400 damage to the target!]


    Puoook!


    White Fang sunk deep into Grid¡¯s waist! Grid shed blood at the critical blow. The moment Kraugel grabbed the spirit of victory. The crowd gasped. People now admired Grid more than ever after he damaged Bunhelier. It was a standard simr to the sky above the sky. There were many people who felt sorry that he would be defeated after a long fight.


    On the other hand, Kraugel was trying to link the White Sword, ck Sword, and Twin Swordbo.


    At this time.


    "...!"


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes widened. He perceived the intense aura gathered at the end of Grid¡¯s sword. Kraugel knew what it was.


    ¡®Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle...!¡¯


    It was the ultimate swordsmanship that Grid showed in the Great Demon Belial raid! It was the power that Kraugel feared most from Grid. The reason why Kraugel blocked Grid¡¯s footwork during the finals was to stop Grid from using Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    Gridpleted it. It was while Kraugel was focused on the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword!


    ¡®This was his intention.¡¯


    Grid consumed fighting energy and used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword to disperse Kraugel¡¯s attention? He wasted his best skill in order toplete the footwork? No, in the first ce, was 100,000 Army Massacre Sword his best skill? No. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was the strongest.


    Chill.


    Kraugel¡¯s spine was cold and sweaty.


    Kuooooooh-!


    The Enlightenment Sword roared. Kraugel realized the sword in front of him was flickering with mes. He had been trapped the moment Grid used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword on Bunhelier. Kraugel was so dazzled by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword that Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle became obsolete and Freely Move was consumed.


    Puok!


    Puk puk!


    The Enlightenment Sword continuously pierced Kraugel. The Enlightenment Sword was like a fish that met water. The powerful sword containing killing intent fluttered like a butterfly but was as quick as a bee.


    [You have suffered 43,100 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    It was difficult for Kraugel topletely avoid it. The Super Sensitivity passive. It had an advantage of there being no penaltypared to the active version, but it was true that the function was weakened. The story would¡¯ve been different if Kraugel had reached level 300 and his stats had gone through the third awakening. His high agility would¡¯ve maximized the Super Sensitivity passive and he might¡¯ve been able to avoid Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    But now Kraugel¡¯s level was in the 200¡¯s. He was also using Control Sword to keep the God Hands in check. From the time he got the Sword Saint ss to now, it was too little time.


    Puk puk!


    [You have been hit by a lethal blow!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Kraugel went into the immortal state despite his Sword Saint ss reducing the damage. Grid shouted as Kraugel was swept away by Linked Kill that lead to Wave.


    ¡°Next year¡¯s hero...!¡±


    Last year¡¯s winner of PvP, Kraugel became the hero. The idol of everyone, their goal. Grid looked at him and burned with motivation. He was desperate to be crowned the hero next year.


    ¡°I will be next year¡¯s hero!¡±


    Kurururung!


    Grid¡¯s desire for victory was stronger than ever. As if in response to this, the Enlightenment Sword was more eager than usual. ck mes exploded in session while a red lightning bolt struck Kraugel.


    ¡°Ugh! Passing the sky!¡±


    Kraugel was covered with waves of sword energy. He gritted his teeth and tried to counterattack against the Pinnacle portion.


    Passing the Sky. It was the strongest counterattack that Kraugel created based on Tearing the Sky. The power was at least equivalent to Revolve and unlike Grid, it was possible to cast it immediately without needing footwork. Strictly speaking, it was a counterattack that exceeded Revolve.


    Then.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    It faced the end portion of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Arge amount of blood poured from Grid¡¯s chest. Right here.


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Kraugel relied on the immortality passive to unleash fierce attacks. He would deal the final strike to Grid, make him also consume the immortal passive, and then reverse the battle. But that n was blocked.


    [Your health has dropped below 10%. 31,600 health is instantly restored due to the effect of Tiramet¡¯s Power attached to the Rune of Darkness.]


    [A great king puts his safety first. Due to the First King title effect, a shield with 92,800 defense will be created.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Kraugel let out a confused cry of rm. White Fang that stabbed at Grid.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    It was blocked by a shield that shone around Grid like the sun.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Wow...


    The crowd and viewers were busy admiring it. They were amazed by Grid¡¯s ability to restore health and create a splendid shield. His tanking ability was just like the famous tankers, Vantner and Bubat.


    ¡°ckening!¡±


    "Splitting the Sky...!¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t give up. His sessive sword techniques threatened Grid. It was regrettable that Kraugel couldn¡¯t use all the skills of a Sword Saint due to his low level andcking resources.


    Jjejejeok!


    Chaeeeeeng!


    Kraugel and Grid¡¯s swords moved without stopping. Grid¡¯s specs rose at a rapid pace due to ckening and fighting energy, while Kraugel lost his immortal passive. In the end, Kraugel had to make a choice. He recovered the swords he was controlling. He ignored the God Hands and rejoined his dispersed attention. He regained his concentration and his control skills.


    Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid was driven on the defensive. His radiantly shining shield gradually lost its light. But Kraugel was a me on the verge of going out. As soon as the God Hands joined Grid, Kraugel was gradually neutralized as he lost most of his resources.


    Finally.


    Peeeeeong!


    Puk!Puoook!


    The moment Kraugel broke through Grid¡¯s shield, Grid¡¯s sword pierced Kraugel¡¯s chest. After he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Grid had gone through all types of quests and even rose to the throne. On the other hand, Kraugel had only been focused on levelling since he changed to a Sword Saint.


    This was the difference between the two people. This fact was clear from the beginning. Time wasn¡¯t on Kraugel¡¯s side.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    The God Hands were turned into Lifael¡¯s Spear with Item Transformation and the four spears pierced Kraugel¡¯s flesh. Before he turned to grey, he knew that everyone was focused on him and spoke.


    "In the future, you are my idol and I will be the challenger.¡±


    Kraugel knew. The gaze that Grid always looked at him with. Envy and longing. There would be no more burdensome gaze. Now he was finally free.


    Pisik.


    The moment that Kraugel smiled warmly and touched Grid¡¯s cheek with a bloody hand.


    Shaaaaaaah-


    Kraugel¡¯s body turned to grey. The winner of the 3rd National Competition¡¯s PvP event was decided.


    ¡º As a result, South Korean is first in the overall rankings!! ¡»


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    South Korea heated up. The 50 million people in South Korea were screaming. Some peopleughed happily while others cried.


    ¡°Our son is the best!¡±


    ¡°Oppa...!¡±


    Of course, the people who shed tears the most was Grid¡¯s family. They witnessed Grid beating the world¡¯s best yer and being recognized, so his family was grateful.


    On the other hand, Grid was left alone on the PvP stage.


    ¡°...¡±


    He gritted his teeth. It was because he was about to burst into tears. He kept silent for a moment before shouting in a trembling voice.


    ¡°Log out.¡±


    It was time to return to reality. He won the title that he had dreamt of.


    ***


    ¡º yer Grid had broken the sky above the sky and led South Korea to be first in the overall rankings. ¡»


    ¡º Ahhh, who would¡¯ve expected South Korea to be number one? ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯m proud to tears. yer Grid is indeed the son that South Korea is proud of. ¡»


    ¡°yer Grid! Please tell us what you are feeling!¡±


    "How do you feel about being crowned the new sky?¡±


    Hundreds, thousand of camera shutters went off without interruption. The questions of the reporters and cheers of the crowd were endless. It had been four years and five months since Satisfy opened and the world changed. Interest was hot. Grid¡¯s name and face decorated the world news. The feats that Grid umted so far was unveiled all over the world.


    Grid had be the new sky.


    ¡®Everybody...¡¯


    His parents and Sehee. Khan, Irene, and Lord.


    Grid stood on the podium as people watched him with eyes filled with envy. Grid wanted to rush and see his ¡®family¡¯ as soon as possible. He wanted to hold them in his arms and bask in their pride.


    Snap!Snap snap!


    The camera shutters of various reporters started to click faster. The reporters had an instinctive feeling. It was a sense of duty that told them they needed to take photos of this gentle and loving Grid.

 Chapter 772

    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    "Grid finally did it!¡±


    ¡°The best! Always exciting!¡±


    ¡°Keok! God Grid...! I love you, God Grid!!¡±


    It was strange and proud to see Grid on the podium higher than Kraugel. He broke Kraugel, who¡¯d reigned supreme. In the past two years, he¡¯d led South Korea to the second rank despite it being known for being weak in Satisfy. Now he gave them the honor of being the top country this year.


    It was natural for the Korean yers to feel unlimited gratitude and respect for him. Even Eat Spicy Jokbal, who hated Grid on the surface, was thrilled. He realized there was still deep patriotism in his heart and embraced Peak Sword.


    "You should try and persuade Princess to join the Overgeared Guild.¡± Vi said with a scolding expression.


    On the monitor, Grid was being interviewed.


    "Just like anyone who yed Satisfy, Kraugel was an idol and goal for me. I heard his heroic stories and burned with fighting spirit when hearing his saga. Then I worked hard. This is the result.¡±


    Grid stopped speaking and looked at Kraugel, who was also surrounded by reporters. Grid¡¯s eyes were no different than before.


    ¡°Thanks to Kraugel, I was able to reach where I am now. Kraugel will forever be my idol andpetitor.¡±


    Grid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He recalled everything that happened in reality and in Satisfy as he struggled at the bottom before he reached the peak. He opened his eyes and smiled at the hundreds of cameras focused on him. He already organized his thoughts.


    "And...the best capsules are from the Comet Group.¡±


    Grid still had the sponsorship of the Comet Group this year. The most important point was that the Comet Group¡¯s sales jumped thanks to Grid. Grid¡¯s words had a bigger impact on sales than thebination of TV, Inte, and newspaper ads. All the Comet Group employees felt unlimited gratitude and affection for Grid. The chairman of the Comet Group had a n to marry his youngest daughter to Grid. But the youngest daughter of the Comet Group stubbornly refused. The world¡¯s best women, Yura and Jishuka, were standing by Grid¡¯s side. She wasn¡¯t a match for Grid when she was just a rich daughter.


    Overall, it was a friendly atmosphere.


    "Then...what about next year?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just imagine the hell.¡±


    "What can we do? We just have to give up.¡±


    Chris, Damian, Pon, Regas, Katz, etc. They felt despair because they knew Grid¡¯s power. They didn¡¯t have a sense of how to win against Grid, who thanks to winning this year¡¯s PvP, would appear as the Hero next year.


    "Infinite stiffness is the default and his God Hands can turn into all types of items.


    ¡°ckening and Belial¡¯s Power...¡±


    "How can we beat Grid¡¯s Enlightenment Sword?¡±


    "I don¡¯t want him to summon Iyarugt. Maybe we can win in two years?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it possible to beat him after two years? No one was sure. They didn¡¯t say it, but they already knew the answer. They wouldn¡¯t participate in next year¡¯s Breaking the Hero. That was the easiest thing to do.


    ***


    ¡°Are you going back to South Korea?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to eat the rice that my mother prepares.¡±


    "...A mother¡¯s cooking. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Kraugel, don¡¯t you live with your mother? What? Is your mother sick again?¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t take my words seriously.¡±


    Tokyo Dome had been the stage of the National Competition for the third year. After the closing ceremony, Grid and Kraugel were sitting side by side on the empty stands. Both of them were illuminated by the dim lighting.


    "In the future, your area of activities will be wider.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    "I¡¯m an individual and you¡¯re a king. You will obtain more information and visit more ces.¡±


    "Huhu, are you nervous? You don¡¯t have to worry. Don¡¯t I also have to shoulder the responsibility of a king? I will be going forward with heavy footsteps while you will have a light gait.¡±


    "...Let¡¯s not keep talking about this. Grid, remember one thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes were very dignified. What did he want to say? Grid¡¯s smiling face went away. He took a serious listening attitude.


    Kraugel started talking. "If you visit the East Continent as a king, you will certainly be intertwined with the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    Kraugel also had eyes and ears. He visited the East Continent much earlier than Grid and knew roughly what Grid had gone through on the continent. However, he didn¡¯t know the detailed information of what Grid had already encountered. He only knew that Grid was active in Pangea and moved some of its residents to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    "You should¡¯ve heard about the Hwan Kingdom. They¡¯re the only religion and ruler of the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re like the Saharan Empire.¡±


    Kraugel spoke seriously. It was a story he already knew so he couldn¡¯t take it lightly. Kraugel shook his head at Grid. "There¡¯s noparison to the empire. Didn¡¯t I tell you? They¡¯re the only religion and ruler of the East Continent. They¡¯re gods to the people of the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The yangban Garam passed through Grid¡¯s head. In the meantime, the word ¡®yangban¡¯ emerged from Kraugel¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Yangban... They aren¡¯t those who fancy themselves as pseudo-gods. They¡¯re the ones who consider themselves as gods because they have the right qualities and skills.¡± Kraugel finally cut to the chase. "Don¡¯t mix up with them until you are at least level 500. If you have to visit the East Continent, then visit it as an individual. I don¡¯t know what will happen if your kingdom gets tied up with the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What? Are they really dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, they aren¡¯t evil. But their ideas are different. Think about them as monsters.¡±


    Grid recalled with Garam was like and fully sympathized with Kraugel. Grid smiled and asked a question, "Are they that strong? It¡¯s enough to make you act like this.¡±


    Kraugel nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°They¡¯re strong. To you right now, they¡¯re a great mountain, another mountain on top of the great mountain and the sky above it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was this referring to the Chiyou test that Garam mentioned? Had Kraugel met up with them? Grid was filled with pure curiosity when he heard Kraugel¡¯s voice.


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "They aren¡¯t as strong as Bunhelier.¡±


    "Huhu.¡± Grid understood Kraugel¡¯s meaning and stretched. ¡°Okay. I understand. I¡¯ll be alert. I can avoid them, but I won¡¯t be daunted by those who aren¡¯t a dragon."


    "I¡¯m d that you understand.¡±


    Yes, Grid just had to be alert. He wouldn¡¯t be involved with those sociopaths unless they were interested first. Grid was strong. Kraugel believed this but he didn¡¯t know Grid had already be a target of a yangban.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going. I¡¯m going home to eat.¡±


    Grid said farewell with a handshake. He wanted to have a ss of soju with Kraugel, but it wasn¡¯t yet time. The day that he shared a cup with Kraugel...


    "Three rounds.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "A man¡¯s match should be decided in three rounds? I was thinking about it but the first time we fought doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    "It was just after you fought Piaro. Wouldn¡¯t you have won if you were in a normal state?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to think this way. I lost at that time. This is the truth.¡±


    "No, I¡¯m not convinced.¡± Grid pulled back his hand. He immediately turned away from Kraugel. "Let¡¯s y the third round in the National Competition next year. Then we will have a cup of soju on that day.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Grid ignored Kraugel¡¯s cry. He headed straight to the parking lot where Toon was waiting. Grid had noticed. After being freed from his high position, Kraugel was nning to seclude himself from the world. Kraugel would act like he used to and not do public activities again.


    "You shouldn¡¯t retire alone.¡±


    Kraugel must be in Grid¡¯s field of view. If Grid didn¡¯t see Kraugel, he would feel insecure. Grid had to confirm whether Kraugel was still behind him or had already gone ahead.


    "Just rx and continue to y against me, Kraugel.¡±


    There were many ways to invalidate the three rounds. Grid had overwhelmingly conditions not just in the first round, but the second and third as well. It was too unfair.


    A huge smile. Toon jumped as he saw Grid smiling in the middle. It was because Grid was making a different expression from normal. He seemed like apletely different person from this morning.


    ¡®The best...¡¯


    A warrior became a cksmith, joined the Tzedakah Guild, became the master of the Overgeared Guild, and eventually became the king of the Overgeared Kingdom. His evolution was still ongoing. What would Grid look like a year from now? Toon was full of expectations when he suddenly received a call.


    "...What?¡±


    It was the worst news. Toon paled and looked back. Grid was so tired that he had fallen asleep.


    "Did something happen?¡± The driver asked.


    "Go to the airport instantly.¡± Toon urged. He prayed eagerly for Grid to be having a good dream.


    ***


    Let¡¯s go back in time. It was time for the PvP finals between Grid and Kraugel to start.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    Veradin led the elites of Immortal and stood in front of the smithy in the center of Reinhardt. It was a huge smithy. No, to be exact, it was a smithyplex. There were five smithies in the center of Reinhardt that could amodate at least 30 furnaces. The rming part was that there were many smithies still under construction.


    "Reinhardt is said to be a city without a night and it¡¯s all because of the smithies.¡±


    The necromancers of Immortal clicked their tongues. On the other hand, Veradin was smiling.


    ¡¯Grid will be quite angry if all the smithies here are burned.¡¯


    The legendary farmer Piaro, who lived in Siren, had disappeared after the vampire expedition. Grid¡¯s first knight Jude was still in Bairan. In addition, the great magician Ashur was guarding the border.


    Grid¡¯s three heavenly kings weren¡¯t in Reinhardt. He was sure of it since it was information received from Empress Marie. In addition, the National Competition was now urring. Most of the Overgeared members who were supposed to rece the three heavenly kings were mostly away. It was obvious that Reinhardt¡¯s defenses were weak at this time.


    "But shouldn¡¯t I be careful? First of all, I will assassinate Khan who is the target.¡±


    Sururuk.


    He secretly summoned a death knight in the darkness. It was a death knight made from the corpse of the assassin who was called ¡®reaper in the dark.¡¯ Veradin¡¯s heart pounded. There was a need to weaken the power of the Overgeared Kingdom for the future of Immortal. He led the elites of Immortal for this reason.


    This incident would make Grid furious. What would happen when he found out Agnus was behind it? It was obvious. Grid would be filled with killing intent. What would Agnus look like in a dire crisis? Veradin was curious as well. He wanted to observe all aspects of the madman.


    That¡¯s right. Like Lauel said in the past, Veradin wasn¡¯t loyal to Agnus. Agnus was just an interesting experiment. Grid was selected as a sacrifice for the experiment.

 Chapter 773

    Khan¡¯s family had produced excellent cksmiths for generations, while the king of the Eternal Kingdom changed 11 times. They owned a famous smithy. It was no wonder that Khan¡¯s pride was as high as the sky. Since his youth, he had been praised as the best cksmith in the eastern part of the Eternal Kingdom and dreamt about bing the first cksmith of the continent. He didn¡¯t doubt that his dream would be a reality.


    But reality wasn¡¯t that easy. It was cruel. Reality trampled on his dreams, tearing them to ashes. His beloved wife and son died. Khan experienced great heartbreak and spent a few years as a drunkard. He held a bottle in his hand instead of a hammer and looked at the river instead of a fire.


    His wife was a childhood friend he had grown up with. In the process of weing her as his lover and wife, Khan¡¯s affection was iparably greater than the world¡¯s gold and treasures. Then he lost her overnight. There was also his son who loved her as much as Khan did.


    Khan was left alone and had no meaning in his life. If the Mero Company hadn¡¯t coveted the smithy Khan inherited from his father, he would¡¯ve chosen to obediently die. But the Mero Company coveted his smithy. Khan had to endure somehow. He recalled his duty and suppressed his grief in order to maintain his smithy.


    It was a meaningless effort. His grief was veryrge. He couldn¡¯t keep back the poison for long. In the end, he gave up everything in life. He gave everything to the damn swindlers and was on his way to making the extreme choice of cutting off his life.


    The savior who appeared at this time was Grid. Khan still vividly remembered Grid¡¯s first appearance. A young man with a sullen expression and a dead look in his eyes. Grid resembled himself. But their skills were different. After he saved Khan from the crisis, he became Khan¡¯s disciple, friend, and son. Now he was a king.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Deep in the night. Khan carefully polished the metal and wiped the tears that suddenly flowed down. 80 years old. He had lived longer than others. Perhaps that was why? He was keenly aware of it. He couldn¡¯t sleep easily, he was submerged in memories, and he kept shedding tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go.¡±


    Every person had a fixed lifetime. He would naturally know how much life he had left once it was time. Some people might see Khan as only an NPC, but he was also a person. He instinctively sensed it was time for him to leave. That¡¯s why he was busy hammering. His hammer was filled with a desire to pay back Grid as much as possible before Khan left.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Did he want to prove that the blood of Albatino, who inspired Pagma, flowed inside his body? Khan was obsessed with making a better Valha. He wished that this armor would help preserve Grid¡¯s life.


    ¡®Perhaps this will be my posthumous work.¡¯


    This was hisst chance. It was an opportunity to prove his life as a cksmith wasn¡¯t in vain. An opportunity to prove that King Grid¡¯s teaching wasn¡¯tcking!


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Khan wanted Valha to bepleted as the greatest armor on this earth. He wanted to make an armor that Grid wouldn¡¯t be ashamed of. He reminded himself of this every time he saw Grid¡¯s armor.


    Ttaaang!


    Khan¡¯s hammering was more sophisticated than ever. It was so delicate that it wasparable to a legendary cksmith. It was a hammer containing the desires of a cksmith. Now Khan was making his life¡¯s work. It wasn¡¯t a miracle, but all his experience that allowed him to disy a greater ability than usual.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    The cksmiths alternated working day and night on the mass produced Grid set. Their hammering could be heard despite thete hour. Khan¡¯s hammering sound was exceptionally clear.


    "The chief is in good condition today?¡±


    "I agree. I¡¯m already anticipating some monster-like work.¡±


    "But I¡¯m a bit worried. It looks like he hasn¡¯t been sleeping for the past few days...¡±


    A strange voice entered the cksmiths¡¯ ears.


    "There¡¯s a saying about the final radiance of a setting sun (dying sh).¡±


    It was a low voice. The voice came from the entrance.


    ck!ck ck ck!


    The sounds that followed were a bit strange. It sounded like footsteps but were very light.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Khan turned his gaze towards the entrance and was shocked.


    "Heok!¡±


    ¡°S-Skeleton...?¡±


    They weren¡¯t mistaken. Bones upied the entrance to the smithy. The lifeless bodies moved in a threatening manner. Skeleton knight. At the center of these skeletons, the white-haired Veradin fixed his gaze on Khan.


    "The appearance of working severe hours while burning your life. It¡¯s a very desirous attitude for a worker. It is no wonder that you have the favor of the Overgeared King.¡±


    "Who are you?¡±


    The smithyplex was the most important area in the Overgeared Kingdom. Soldiers were always stationed here and the knights patrolled every hour. Now an unidentified intruder appeared in the smithy that was at the center. Khan didn¡¯t know what types of terrible things happened outside.


    Khan replied to Khan, who showed extreme vignce.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a viin.¡±


    Swipe.


    Veradin winked and the robed men behind him pped their hands. It was a signal for the skeleton knights to move.


    "H-Hik!"


    ¡°K-Khan! Run away!¡±


    The frightened cksmiths gathered to stall the skeleton knights. They knew that Khan¡¯s life was more important than their own. Khan was their respected mentor and the closest one to King Grid!


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...! K-Khan! Hurry!¡±


    The skeleton knights were the advanced undead that could only be produced with the body of a knight. Since they were already dead, they weren¡¯t afraid of death. They were given the power of the necromancers and demonstrated a transcendent ability. It was a level where knights could barely subdue them.


    Then what about the cksmiths? They had excellent strength and stamina because they used their bodies for a living, but they were still civilians in the end. Five skeleton knights instantly ughtered dozens of cksmiths.


    ¡°Jane...! Abra!¡±


    Khan screamed with a white face. The young people who would be the pirs of the kingdom lost their lives. His sense of despair was great.


    ¡°Come forward. Isn¡¯t it easier for you to quickly ept the inevitable fate?¡±


    The sacrifice of the young cksmiths to save an old man made Veradin unhappy. It was awkward to have unnecessary casualties. He was sensitive to the value of life. He didn¡¯t mind killing for a purpose, but he disliked unnned killing. Veradin blocked the entrance with a frown and hastened Khan¡¯s death.


    The result was that a sound was heard. Something fell from the high ceiling of the smithy and the skeleton knights were cut apart.


    "...!"


    Veradin¡¯s eyes shook. It was because he knew the identity of the man who destroyed five skeleton knights summoned by the elites of Immortal.


    ¡°Faker, why are you here?¡±


    As a close confidant of Grid, shouldn¡¯t Faker be watching the PvP match right now? He should support his master like a loyal dog. The doubtful Veradin read Faker¡¯s eyes and snarled.


    ¡°I see. The god of killing... Is it more interesting to be a god than a dog?¡±


    Teook!


    Just before Veradin¡¯s words finished. Faker used eleration to move faster than anyone and he reached Veradin¡¯s side. His weapon was one of the Belial series of items received at the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony. The dagger made of Belial¡¯s bones stabbed at Veradin.


    Puok!


    [You have suffered 12,900 damage.]


    [You have received the curse of fire and darkness!]


    [Every five seconds, damage equal to 4.8% of your total health will be received. This effect willst for 30 seconds.]


    [As a necromancer, you have resisted the curse of darkness.]


    "Did you conclude it¡¯s better to act first?¡±


    Veradin rushed back and quickly drank a health potion. The moment Faker reached him again.


    Ttaak!


    Veradin raised a finger.


    Then.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Khan¡¯s groan was heard and Faker looked back with panic. A death knight appeared from the darkness and pointed a sword at Khan¡¯s neck. Veradin saw that Faker was unable to move and his eyes curved in a half moon.


    "I knew that this cksmith was Grid¡¯s close friend. But I didn¡¯t know it was enough to get your protection. Aren¡¯t cksmith craftsmenmon in the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hrmm? You don¡¯t seem shocked by the surprise attack itself? Is it thanks to Lauel? That friend was able to predict this type of situation?¡±


    The rewards for the National Competition were huge. In particr, the reward for a medal was 10 times bigger than a raid. But big profits were apanied by big risk. Why were rankers and hermits reluctant to take part in the National Competition?


    While theirpetitors were wasting time with the official schedule, they were hunting and raiding in order to achieve a steady growth. It wasn¡¯t guaranteed to get a medal when participating in the National Competition and they might fall behind. In severe cases, forces could invade while the participants were away.


    Of course, there was a considerable number of participants in the National Competition. In the end, they made their choice and were responsible for their choices. Lauel knew this face and would¡¯ve prepared some countermeasures during thepetition.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t surprising to put a big person beside the target. That Lauel, is he a fortune teller?¡±


    Lauel wasn¡¯t a fortune teller. He was just prepared to protect what was most important to Grid. Kasim was beside Irene and Lord so he put Faker on Khan. That¡¯s why he was here when Veradin struck. But Veradin didn¡¯t seem panicked.


    "I know that you are a talented person, but who knows? Will it work against me?¡±


    Veradin was the right arm of Agnus, who could be the peak of two billion users. Of course, it was just a superficial rtionship. But Veradin was able to be Agnus¡¯ right-hand man because he was qualified. On the other hand, Faker wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s right-hand man. He was only one of Grid¡¯s many subordinates. It meant that their levels were different.


    Ttaak!


    Veradin flicked his fingers with an emotionless face.


    Pahat!


    Faker immediately elerated.


    Jeeeeeong!


    "...!"


    The death knight would¡¯ve been surprised if it had feelings. No, there was no surprise. Faker¡¯s dagger stopped the de that was going to stab Khan and immediately linked an attack skill.


    Chukak.Chukakakakak!


    The sharp dagger pieced the death knight several times. A bright purple light covered the death knight and the death knight was in a state of blindness. It was the Luminous Ray sh.


    Peeok!


    Faker kicked the death knight and grabbed Khan¡¯s wrist. He wanted to first take Khan to a safe ce. At that moment.


    ¡°Tower of Command.¡±


    ¡°Tower of Command.¡±


    ¡°Tower of Command.¡±


    Ku ku ku ku!


    A ck tower with a height of one meter appeared around Khan and Faker. The number of towers increased. It was a necromancer¡¯s special skill, which weakened the power of the living and gave absolute power to the dead.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    The death knight flew towards Faker. It wielded its sword randomly, as if not caring if Faker or Khan died. It had been affected by the blindness state.


    But the death knight recovered the moment the Tower of Command was used. The reason the attacks looked disorganized was due to the style of swordsmanship. It was an unrefined, fierce attack that was like a wild beast. Faker saw that its Sword Mastery level was quite high.


    Tadak!


    ck!ck ck!


    The situation was bing worse and worse. The skeleton knights, which had fallen to Dance of the Reaper when Faker first appeared, now stood up one by one. They gradually approached while armed with threatening weapons. The situation wasn¡¯t good and Khan shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this old man. Just run away!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "I¡¯m an old man who doesn¡¯t have long left to live! You don¡¯t need to risk yourself to save me!¡±


    "Your life is worth 100 times more than mine.¡±


    Faker opened his mouth for the first time. Khan was amazed because it was the first time he heard the voice of the normally taciturn Faker in years.


    Faker whispered to him. "Hold on tightly. I will move faster.¡±


    Sukakak!


    Faker¡¯s dark dagger shed red. At the same time, the bloody demonic energy shattered the towers and mangled the skeleton knights. Only the death knight seeded in evading. Khan and Faker already reached the ceiling of the smithy.


    ¡°Overgeared...!¡±


    The elites of Immortal were fed up. It wasn¡¯t easy to estimate the power of the Overgeared members, who were armed with non-standard equipment. They were filled with the thought that their n might go to hell.


    Kwaaaaah!


    The death knight moved to intercept Faker. It was Veradin¡¯s response to Faker¡¯s determination to protect Khan.


    Peeeeeong!


    Chaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    Faker frowned as he exchanged blows with the death knight. It was because the death knight started exuding a terrible poison.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The poisoned Khan coughed up dark blood.

 Chapter 774

    Wiiiiiiing!


    Faker whistled. It was a signal to call the Overgeared Shadows waiting outside. But there was no reaction.


    "Our Immortal also has huge forces. There are many people as talented as you. To them, your subordinates aren¡¯t so difficult.¡± Veradin said. The Death Knight crossed several pirs to get to Faker, like a performing monkey. 10 new skeleton knights entered the smithy. They were summoned by the necromancers who smashed the Overgeared Shadows waiting outside and joined in.


    Furthermore. The bodies of the cksmiths turned to ghouls and started to rise up.


    Chaaeng!Chaaeng!


    Faker¡¯s nervousness reached its peak as he blocked the death knight¡¯s dagger persistently pursuing him. The poisoned Khan¡¯s health continued to decline. Faker was alone and the number of enemies kept increasing. As time went by, he was at a disadvantage. His first priority was to get out of here, but the death knight called Kyleo was stronger than expected. He was an erosion type assassin who used poison as his main force, while also having excellent meleebat ability. It was clear that he was a strong person in his lifetime.


    "Cough! Cough!"


    Death Knight Kyleo used Veradin¡¯s mana to constantly release poison. Khan¡¯s poisoning status became worse and the speed at which his health was consumed elerated.


    Chwarururuk!


    The illusion technique released intermittently limited Faker¡¯s ability. Since Faker had to fight while protecting Khan, his eyes were tied up.


    {Faker: I need support at the 1st smithy.}


    He tried shouting in the guild window but no one responding. It was clear that the Overgeared members had left to watch the finals between the Overgeared King Grid and Kraugel. Did he me them? No. If Lauel hadn¡¯t called him to protect Khan in case of danger, he would¡¯ve logged out as well.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    After discovering that Faker was vulnerable to the illusion technique, Kyleo increased the number of times it was used. He didn¡¯t care about Veradin¡¯s mana as he used skills continuously against Faker.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Faker was caught in the illusions and found it hard to tell what was real. Hundreds of Kyleo¡¯s daggers were visible while Khan seemed like skeletons. The pirs on both sides of him turned into snake heads.


    Puok!


    Seokeok!


    The number of injuries on the body of the confused Faker increased. He soon fell to the ground and the skeleton knights and ghouls flocked to him. Veradin¡¯s face was filled with joy. Rather than taking care of his own body as he fell, Faker aimed to protect Khan. Veradin could see how important Khan¡¯s position in the Overgeared Kingdom was.


    ¡®Okay. I have set the target properly.¡¯


    It was good. The Overgeared Kingdom would receive extensive damage and Grid would be furious. How far would Agnus¡¯ madness reach as he was hunted by Grid¡¯s rage?


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Veradin¡¯s heart ran wild as he looked forward to the future.


    "Stop your actions right now!¡±


    Women and men armed from head to toe in the mass produced Grid set appeared in the smithy. They were Sua and the Red Phoenix Group. This was Lauel¡¯s arrangement. The warriors who defended Pangea. Lauel had them guard the cksmithplex since their average abilities were superior to those on the West Continent. The safety device wasn¡¯t just Faker.


    ¡°Hoh, isn¡¯t this good?¡±


    The elite necromancers of Immortal. They were captivated by Sua¡¯s gentle eyes. Satisfy had many beautiful NPCs, but Sua was outstanding. Her beauty was at least in the top five.


    ¡°I would like to see beyond your flesh. Huhu! I want to make you into a death knight.¡±


    A necromancer started drooling. It was the 7th ranked necromancer, Drew. Sua was clearly a named NPC at first nce, so he was interested in her. Veradin nodded because he knew that Drew wasn¡¯t satisfied with his current death knight.


    "Do what you want.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Sua was his now that permission had been given. Drew ignored the boos of the other necromancers and instructed his skeleton knight to attack Sua.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    The skeleton knight ran to Sua and wielded his sword. The skeleton knight wasn¡¯t intimidating to Sua, who had dealt with the armored needles in Pangea.


    Kieek!


    "What?¡±


    "...!"


    The necromancers¡¯ eyes widened as they saw the skeleton knight fall from the blow.


    ¡®Faker level?¡¯


    An NPC? The hidden elites of the Overgeared Kingdom! Drew identified this and hurriedly summoned a death knight. The summoning time was short because he wasn¡¯t at Veradin¡¯s level, but it was still a death knight. It exerted a power several times stronger than the skeleton knight.


    Sua judged that her opponent wasn¡¯t easy and urged the Red Phoenix members. "I¡¯ll take the vanguard. Go and rescue Khan!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    It transformed into a melee. The Red Phoenix members had be several times stronger due to Asmophel¡¯s swordsmanship and they broke dozens of skeleton knights. Meanwhile, Sua tied up the feet of the death knight. Like the other Red Phoenix members, she learned Asmophel¡¯s sword techniques and was several times stronger than she was in Pangea.


    Thanks to them, Faker got some breathing room and could counter Veradin¡¯s death knight. Khan was moved to a safe ce and given an antidote. But Khan¡¯s poisoning wasn¡¯tpletely resolved. His health was slowly declining.


    Then Veradin¡¯s voice was heard. "Have you ever heard of the story of the distinguished poisoner?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "It was said that there was a man who slowly but thoroughly applied more than 20 types of poisons to his own body. It was for as long as 30 years. He even put poison into his bath water.¡± The result. ¡°The man was said to have a constitution that emitted poison when he was just breathing. He was a walking death. He wasn¡¯t just an assassin but a mass killer.¡±


    That person was here.


    "My death Knight, Kyleo. It¡¯s impossible to detoxify the extreme poison that had permeated into his bones.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Khan¡¯s poisoning wasn¡¯t relieved. Khan¡¯s life could be saved since the poison¡¯s damage wasn¡¯t high enough that it couldn¡¯t be recovered with a potion, but Khan had to suffer from terrible pain. Didn¡¯t someone say it? The pain that NPCs felt were the same as humans in reality.


    ¡®I have to take him to Sticks.¡¯


    The sage¡¯s knowledge and wisdom would know an antidote to save Khan. Faker gave Khan some health recovery potions and rose from his seat. He took a deep breath as he stared at Kyleo while Veradinughed.


    "Are you still holding onto hope?¡±


    Sua and the Red Phoenix Group were strong. From the time that Faker first appeared, the enemy¡¯s power surpassed Veradin¡¯s assumption. But it didn¡¯t change the results. It was because Veradin and Immortal¡¯s power was superior. Veradin was able to defeat Faker alone, while Immortal¡¯s elites were sufficient for Sua and the Red Phoenix Group. Right now, the power of both sides might seem even, but the bnce would soon copse. The moment a Red Phoenix member died, the scales would tip.


    ck!


    Veradin moved his fingers with a rxed mind and ordered Kyleo.


    ¡°Finish it.¡±


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    Step, step.


    Kyleo spewed out a poisonous breath as he approached Faker. Faker was more vignt against the illusions than the poison. Due to his assassin ss, his tolerate to poison was high. But he had nopensation effect on illusions.


    ¡®Don¡¯t face the eyes.¡¯


    He avoided the line of sight and kept attacking. Those who knew the basics ofbat knew not to miss the direction of the gaze. It was the same with Faker. However, this time he made an exception. The death knight¡¯s eyes shed purple with the illusion technique as soon as it was met. Therefore, Faker deliberately ignored the eyes.


    Veradin read Faker¡¯s intentions and clicked his tongue. He felt disappointed by Faker¡¯s judgment, which would make it a more unfavorable fight.


    Seokeok!


    Faker quickly fell into a crisis. While protecting Khan, Faker defended and avoided Kyleo¡¯s attacks eight out of ten times. Now he allowed most attacks.


    ¡®It will end soon.¡¯


    They wanted to harm Agnus when they were only at this level? Grid and Chris were the only ones to worry about in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    "...!"


    Veradin suddenly jumped with surprise.


    ¡°Moon Sting.¡±


    Faker approached in Veradin¡¯s moment of carelessness and stabbed his heart.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The damage was close to 40,000! Faker¡¯s ultimate attackbined with eleration caused Veradin¡¯s vision to blink red. Veradin barely maintained his life with potions as his chest was pierced continuously with Faker¡¯s dagger. If Kyleo hadn¡¯t btely stopped it, Veradin would¡¯ve turned to grey. Faker knew from the beginning. In order to fight against a necromancer, the caster had to be killed, not the ve. That¡¯s why Faker deliberately acted on the defensive to get Veradin off guard.


    "This... you almost got me. Thest resistance is pretty sharp.¡±


    Veradin had a wide variety of information. He knew that the number of times the Master of Swiftness could use eleration was extremely limited.


    ¡¯I will be safe if I maintain the distance.¡¯


    Veradin summoned the Tower of Command to weaken Faker and strengthen Kyleo. Then he used Specter¡¯s Hand. It was an attack skill that caused a small amount of damage to the target as well as various debuffs. Due to Kyleo tying up his feet, Faker was hit by Specter¡¯s Hand and gradually lost power.


    The battle on the side of the Red Phoenix group also wasn¡¯t good. As soon as a member died, they turned into enemies and grabbed the ankles of their former colleagues. The bnce sharply copsed.


    ¡°Pant... pant...¡±


    Faker¡¯s breathing was rough as he endured Kyleo¡¯s offensive. The Master of Swiftness was originally a ss with bad endurance. Every time he used eleration, his stamina fell rapidly.


    "Support Kyleo.¡±


    Was he uneasy about it taking longer than expected? Veradin summoned an additional skeleton knight. Now Faker had to deal with the death knight and skeleton knight at the same time.


    ¡°Faker...¡±


    Behind him, Faker could hear Khan¡¯s trembling voice. He seemed to feel guilty. He was sad that people were sacrificing themselves to save him.


    Faker barely blocked Kyleo¡¯s attack and moved back to Khan. There was a smile on his normally impassive face. ¡®This isn¡¯t your fault. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡¯


    Khan read Faker¡¯s eyes and felt pained. Faker confirmed that Khan was drinking a health potion and focused on the battle again.


    Veradin couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it pointless trying to resist?¡¯


    The battle was ending soon. Faker¡¯s resistance had no meaning. Apart from the difference in abilities, Veradin had the advantage. Veradin judged that Faker couldn¡¯t beat him.


    He had considered PvP since the beginning, causing him to invest a lot of points in his stamina and achieved a high level of survival. His specs were good to quickly get rid of an assassin. After inducing the assassin to attack and consuming stamina, the death knight would be able to defeat the opponent.


    Just as Veradin was making a disgusted expression.


    -An assassin fighting to defend someone is really rare.Most assassins exist for the purpose of killing people.


    "...!"


    A voice was heard in Faker¡¯s ears. The origin of the voice came from Faker¡¯s shadow.


    -Yes, you¡¯re suitable for Doran¡¯s techniques.


    ¡®Kasim...!¡¯


    Faker figured out who the owner of the voice was instantly. In this moment, he knew that a hidden quest would begin.

 Chapter 775

    Muller, Pagma, Braham, Madra, Lantier, Povia, Kruger, Gis, and Alex.


    The name of the nine former legends. Most yers were aware of them. It was because the former legends upied arge amount of Satisfy¡¯s worldview. But what about other legends? The legends before the previous generation? They were unknown. It was virtually impossible for a yer to collect the information of all the legends in the past. It was because a person who was too far in the past wouldn¡¯t be mentioned well in history.


    Pokibun, Ten, Arin... They were legends in the distant past that not much was known about. But Kasim was well aware of the former legend, Lantier. His master often told the story.


    The introduction was too long. Faker avoided the attacks of the death knight Kyleo and skeleton knight while paying attention to Kasim.


    "First of all, can you save Khan?¡±


    -My teacher also used the name Lantier.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -Lantier isn¡¯t the name of an individual.It¡¯s the title given to the head of Eclipse, a shadow group that existed for over a thousand years.We...the teacher who taught Doran and I was the 32nd Lantier.Do you understand?


    Puok!


    Kyleo¡¯s dagger was deeply embedded in Faker¡¯s shoulder. Faker was in pain but the skeleton knight protected Kyleo against his counterattacks. Kasim¡¯s exnation continued.


    -From now on, I will give you the techniques meant for a legendary assassin.Of course, it isn¡¯tplete.Many years passed and many techniques were lost.


    This strength.


    -Will it raise you to the legendary status or will you stay at the same level as me, Doran, and our teacher?It¡¯s purely up to you.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Why was Kasim doing this? Didn¡¯t Kasim know what Khan meant to Grid? Faker grumbled about Kasim, rather then rejoicing at receiving the forerunner of a very important hidden quest. He put Khan¡¯s safety higher than his development. He wanted to stop Kasim, even if it meant not receiving the hidden quest.


    ¡°Kasim...!¡±


    Faker urged Kasim to move.


    -Don¡¯t fret. I will arrive soon.


    Kasim¡¯s words were meaningful.


    "I willpliment you on your diligence.¡±


    Veradin¡¯s voice was heard at the same time. Faker was unable to exert his full strength due to Tower of Command and was imprisoned by the skeleton knight. He sensed his death when he saw Kyleo¡¯s dagger flying.


    Veradin. He had a high level of survival and dominance stat that made it hard to see him as a normal necromancer. He dealt painful despair to Faker. Faker realized it since he stabbed Veradin with Moon Sting. Veradin still had a lot of hidden power left. Veradin was several levels higher than Faker. Maybe Immortal was more terrifying than the Overgeared Kingdom thought?


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Khan.¡¯


    Kyleo¡¯s dagger entered Faker¡¯s field of view. It wasn¡¯t just the shape of the de. The snake scales embossed on the green handle were clearly marked in his eyes. Now Faker was going to die. Faker demonstrated transcendent concentration. His thinking power transcended the speed of time.


    Gulp!


    Just before the dagger stabbed between his eyes. Faker swallowed a small drug that he had inserted in the gap of his mrs. It was the ¡®Assassin¡¯s Mindset¡¯ that he obtained from a hidden quest in the past. A person who swallowed the drug would immediately explode when they activated it, ¡®instantaneously¡¯ targeting the enemy within 2 meters.


    However, the death penalty increased by three times. It meant that the user lost three times more experience and had a triple chance to drop items. In short, it was crazy. It was something that shouldn¡¯t be used unless the person was willing to quit the game.


    However, Faker swallowed it without hesitation. It was purely to increase Khan¡¯s chances of survival. If he were to die and the death knight and skeleton knight freed, Sua and the Red Phoenix Group wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the remaining enemies to save Khan.


    Then.


    Puhahahak!


    Faker¡¯s shadow started rising like a waterfall. It was the moment when King of Shadows Kasim appeared. He used Shadow Move several times to travel from the royal pce where Lord and Irene lived and rose from Faker¡¯s back, stabbing at Kyleo with his dagger.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    "Awful people. You deserve this.¡±


    Faker smiled as he confirmed Kasim¡¯s appearance.


    Veradin was baffled. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Faker, the Red Phoenix Group, and now Kasim. Veradin gritted his teeth at the people that kept appearing.


    "Don¡¯t disturb us!¡± Veradin screamed.


    Kyleo and the skeleton knight attacked Kasim in response to Veradin¡¯s order. Kyleo was releasing more poison than before. Veradin¡¯s mana was quickly consumed. His mana potions couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of mana consumption. This wasn¡¯t what Veradin intended. Kyleo was running wild.


    Why? Veradin still had dominance remaining. The moment the question popped into Veradin¡¯s mind.


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Kasim swung his dagger just as fast as Faker and more vicious than Kyleo. Then the shadows at the feet of Kyleo and the skeleton knight rose.


    Puoook!


    Kwajajajak!


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Veradin¡¯s face turned white. Kyleo¡¯s health feel sharply as he was prated by the shadow spear while the skeleton knight turned to ashes.


    Kiik...!Kiiiing!


    Kyleo¡¯s runaway condition was getting out of control. He waved his sword randomly, speaking in an odd voice as he emitted a huge amount of poison. Why?


    Kasim answered. ¡°This guy, he still has the memory of being murdered by me?¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    Veradin was shocked. He knew the end of Kyleo so he finally realized Kasim¡¯s identity.


    ¡°King of Shadows!¡±


    The strongest assassin currently in existence. His presence across all the shadows of the world was a death sentence that couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    ¡°Shadow Soldiers.¡±


    He was as majestic as any other king with his 100,000 shadow soldiers.


    "Not a target...¡± Veradin muttered with a confused expression. Why was such a big monster in the Overgeared Kingdom? He shook with fear as he felt doubts. The huge smithy was already filled with hundreds of thousands of shadow soldiers.


    "W-What is this?"


    ¡°Eh...? Eh eh? Aaaack!¡±


    The screams of the necromancers belonging to Immortal rang out. The number of dead bodies increased. Kasim¡¯s shadows were a perfect counter to the necromancers who specialized in arge number of troops. The necromancers were overwhelmed with numbers and were helpless.


    Seokeok!


    Chukakakakak!


    The dozens of ghouls and skeleton knights were shattered by the shadow swords and spears flying in all directions. In the center of the smithy covered by darkness, Kasim handed a booklet to Faker. It was a booklet containing Lantier¡¯s knowledge.


    "This is what Doran inherited from Teacher. The skills couldn¡¯t be seeded with my talent and emotions. But it might be possible for you.¡± Kasim had been watching Faker for the several years that he guarded Lord. He saw that Faker¡¯s talent transcended himself. ¡°For you, this power is just the beginning. First of all, go beyond Doran. And...¡±


    Kasim¡¯s sharp eyes focused on Veradin. Veradin made a quick judgment and was running away. It was stupid. Didn¡¯t he realized he had received a death sentence he couldn¡¯t escape from?


    Kasim scoffed.


    "...And then seed my skills.¡±


    The moment that Doran¡¯s skills and Kasim¡¯s skillsbined, Lantier¡¯s techniques would bepleted. The path to being a legend would open. Despite being a normal ss yer, Faker had wings as he defeated a sun grade yer. But Faker pushed the joy back. He didn¡¯t even examine the contents of the hidden quest as he ran to Khan.


    "I will thank you next time.¡±


    They were family living in the same house anyway. They could meet at any time. Faker lightly nodded to Kasim and took Khan to escape the smithy. He headed towards Sticks. Then Kasim...


    Puhahahak!


    Shadows appeared at Veradin¡¯s feet and immediately spread like water. Veradin used the hidden technique ¡®Oveing Death¡¯ to endure Kasim¡¯s attacks several times, but it didn¡¯t make sense. It would take him 18 hours to re-summon Death Knight Kyleo, who just died. Even if Kyleo was summoned, he couldn¡¯t win.


    In the end, Veradin fell to his knees andughed. He seemed to have ulterior motives. But Kasim didn¡¯t show any interest. Veradin saw the dagger heading towards him and hurriedly shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to regret killing me!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Kasim finally showed some interest and Veradin exined, ¡°Do you think I would¡¯ve invaded this ce without any insurance? If I die, the queen and prince might not be safe.¡±


    Of course, it was a bluff. Even Veradin wouldn¡¯t dare harm Irene or Lord. They were Grid¡¯s family, but they weren¡¯t excluded from the target list because of a moral issue. They were excluded because Veradin knew they would always be protected. But there was no reason to tell the truth. Veradin didn¡¯t want to receive the death penalty. The penalty for Veradin was different from an ordinary yer.


    ¡°Really? You sent troops to Queen Irene and Prince Lord?¡±


    "Of course. It is a power that consists of 20 death knights. If I die, then they won¡¯t be safe...¡±


    Veradin didn¡¯t change his expression when lying, only to suddenly stop talking. It was because Kasim wasughing. He was holding his belly andughing.


    ¡®Did I exaggerate too much?¡¯


    20 death knights was too much. It was obviously an exaggeration. He should¡¯ve said 10. Veradin was uneasy.


    ¡°The 20 death knights... By now, they would¡¯ve all returned to dust.¡±


    There were 200 Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates around Lord. Even if there really was a group of death knights, they were no match against the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates. In the first ce, Kasim knew that Irene and Lord were safe. That¡¯s why he came to support Faker. If there was the slightest risk, he wouldn¡¯t have left them.


    Puok!


    Kasim¡¯s de stabbed his heart.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 32.3% experience.]


    [Your death has caused all the conditions to be a Hwan Kingdom resident to be lost. You have lost all the additional effects you have obtained in the meantime. In order to get the effects back, you must meet the criteria again from the beginning.]


    It was huge damage. It had been almost a year since he died. Veradin experienced the biggest frustration since Satisfy began. He missed his target, Khan, and only killed a few young cksmiths.


    At the same time, in Sticks¡¯ office.


    "I need to go to the elf kingdom to obtain an antidote to cure this poison. I will hurry, so wait here.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t it faster if you bring Khan with you?¡±


    "Many procedures are needed for a person to enter the elf kingdom. I can¡¯t help with this part."


    "Please let me know the exact timing. How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°Six hours... no, seven hours...¡±


    "Can¡¯t you do it sooner? Khan¡¯s pain is too great.¡±


    "...I will try.¡±


    Sticks checked Khan and hurried. He disappeared immediately with Teleport. Faker held his head. Seven hours? It meant that Khan would experience the severe pain of poisoning for the next seven hours.


    Khan spoke to the saddened Faker. ¡°I... Take me to the smithy.¡±

 Chapter 776

    There was no blood on Khan¡¯s wrinkled face. His skin was pale all the way to his fingertips. His body was a mess. It was hard to fathom his pain as he kept coughing up ck blood.


    ¡°I... Take me to the smithy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Faker wanted Khan to rx. His chances of survival were likely to increase if he was stable until Sticks came back. But Faker quickly got rid of that idea. He recalled that Khan had been working for most of his 80 years of life. Khan would feel alive when striking metal in front of a hot furnace.


    "I understand.¡±


    Doing cksmithing would help Khan became stable. Faker believed this and helped Khan. Khan leaned on his shoulder and smiled gently.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    Faker¡¯s heart ached. Since when had Khan be so small? Where did his big and hard hands go, leaving only the faded hands of an old man? Time was truly cruel. Faker recalled the bond with Khan since the days of the Tzedakah Guild and worried about Grid above all else.


    He knew that the sadness Grid felt would be hugepared to what Faker was feeling now.


    ***


    Unlike usual, the air was cold.


    ¡°...¡±


    Khan was tearful as he returned to the empty smithy. This ce had been filled with young cksmiths just a few hours ago. One day, they disappeared into a handful of ashes, shouting that they also wanted to support King Grid. Khan was filled with great sadness at the loss of their dreams and futures.


    ¡°Should we go back?¡±


    Faker caught Khan¡¯s trembling body and asked with a concerned look. Khan shook his head.


    "It¡¯s nothing. I will be okay.¡±


    He had a final work to do. He would go directly to the souls of the young cksmiths andfort them. Khan thought this and walked up to the furnace. Faker piled up hundreds of potions beside him.


    ¡°I will bring the Saintess. Don¡¯t forget to drink a potion whenever it¡¯s time.¡±


    Nod.


    Faker confirmed Khan¡¯s answer and immediately logged out. Then he tried to contact Saintess Ruby using the emergencywork. However, it was currently the moment when the PvP was over and Grid was receiving the gold medal. She couldn¡¯t be reached.


    The urgent Faker tried to contact the other Overgeared members. But he couldn¡¯t get in touch with them either. Everyone was thrilled with Grid¡¯s victory and preupied with the celebration.


    Kwang!


    Faker mmed his fist against the wall. He continued to do this a few times until his fists were bleeding.


    ¡°...Dammit.¡±


    Faker was furious with himself. He was going to defend the Overgeared Kingdom? How could he when he couldn¡¯t even protect one elderly man?


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I try harder?¡¯


    He realized the limits of a normal ss. He knew that there were many monstrous yers in the world that he didn¡¯t know yet. Nevertheless, he was satisfied andcent with this reality. It was a terrible arrogance. He was mistaken after winning the battle against ck. A little more, he had to do a little more.


    The moment that Faker held his head and sank to the floor.


    Yiing.


    His phone vibrated as it rang. His face turned rosy as he hurriedly epted the call. It was Saintess Ruby¡¯s number.


    ***


    ¡°Grandfather Khan!¡±


    Taang, taang.


    The sound of the hammer on the calm night was lonely today. Ruby breathed heavily as she arrived at the smithy.


    "Grandfather...¡±


    "Oh, our princess hase.¡±


    Who was the person standing in front of the mes? Khan¡¯s color waspletely white as he faced the furnace. His skin remained cold despite the hot heat.


    ¡°G-Grandfather...¡±


    Ruby started crying. The light in her big eyes, more beautiful than jewels, faded. It was Khan who loved her and took care of her like a granddaughter. To Ruby, he was like a grandfather. She believed he would love her forever and nned to always see him. But what was this haggard appearance? It seemed that they couldn¡¯t be together anymore. Ruby¡¯s chest ached as she saw Khan try to hide his pain with a cheerful expression.


    ¡°Hope! Benevolent Light! Purification!¡±


    Ruby wanted to get rid of Khan¡¯s pain. After hurriedly using heal, she used a cleansing spell to heal his abnormalities.


    [You have healed the target.]


    [The target is old. His body has reached its limits.]


    [The recovery effect isn¡¯t applied properly.]


    [The detoxification effect isn¡¯t applied properly.]


    "...!"


    In the process of doing good deeds, Ruby had saved many lives. She believed that she could save more people in the future and give them happiness. Yet she couldn¡¯t save a precious person. Ruby was shocked since she never doubted the power of a Saintess.


    ¡°P-Purif... Purification! Purification!¡±


    Ruby had a short ying experience with Satisfy. She was unfamiliar with the concept of NPCs. She couldn¡¯t ept reality and continued to use the skill. Khan ced a hand over her head.


    "Please calm down.¡±


    ¡°G-Grandfather...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m giving pain to our princess because I¡¯m too old. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Ruby fell into Khan¡¯s arms. Khan¡¯s always hot body was exceptionally cold today. Khan patted her trembling back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in too much pain. There¡¯s no need to be sad. My grandson has be a wonderful adult and king. Princess Ruby, who was just a girl, is bing a respectable adult. It¡¯s time for this old man to return to the earth.¡±


    "Grandfather...! Grandfather! Wahh!¡±


    Ruby eventually started sobbing. She always had a gentle and calm appearance because she was conscious of her great responsibility as a Saintess, but she was still just a girl.


    Khan took a deep breath and said, "Huhu, don¡¯t be sad. I should leave when my natural life span ends. Instead, you should celebrate... Cough! Cough cough!"


    Khan¡¯s health gauge dropped dramatically. His symptoms of poisoning were getting worse.


    ¡°Grandfather!¡±


    Faker returned as Ruby was crying out in shock. He brought the priests who had just returned from an expedition.


    "I pray to the Goddess of Light.¡±


    "Give peace to your son.¡±


    The priests gathered their hands and started praying. It was the manifestation of the ultimate healing spell Light Prayer, where 17 or more Reba priests chanted a prayer. But even that didn¡¯t work on Khan.


    A priest approached Faker and said cautiously, "It¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? We have to save him for the next four hours, just four hours.¡±


    Sticks would return in four hours. No, it could be faster. The sage¡¯s wisdom would surely save Khan. The priest quietly turned away from Faker¡¯s eyes, which were full of firm belief. It was an attitude that said he believed Faker¡¯s faith was a futile hope.


    ¡°Not yet... I still have work to do.¡±


    Khan wiped away the blood at his mouth, let go of the crying Ruby and rose. He approached the anvil in front of the furnace. An armor was ced on the anvil. It was te armor with no visible gaps for a sword or spear to pierce. The gold rings and hinges connecting the ck iron tes and the red buckle were all delicately crafted. It was armor with an excellent design. It focused on the safety of the wearer without any restrictions on movements.


    ¡°Just a bit more...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Taang, taang, taang.


    Ruby and Faker didn¡¯t stop Khan. He put a new iron te on the armor and started hammering again. Connect the hinges, connect the rings, and do it again. Khan looked at his armor with warm eyes and diligently worked. It was hard to believe he had been affected by the pain of the poisoning not long ago.


    "...He¡¯s a true craftsman.¡±


    ¡°I admire...¡±


    The priests marvelled in trembling voices. Their attitude towards Khan was just as reverent as when they prayed in front of Reba¡¯s statue. How much time passed?


    ¡°Hu...huhu.¡±


    In thetter half of the work, Khan suddenly burst outughing. He suddenly realized it. An armor with gold and red details. This color, wasn¡¯t it precisely to Grid¡¯s taste? He put a new iron te on the armor while desperately praying to see his king wear it once.


    "...Cough!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡±


    Khan coughed out blood again as he was bringing a health potion to his mouth. Arge amount of blood soaked the floor. Throughout the work, Ruby and the priests¡¯ heals wrapped around Khan¡¯s body. But it was useless.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to send him off.¡¯


    Faker was forced to ept reality as he saw Khan¡¯s health gauge. There was one-tenth left and it as slowly dwindling.


    ¡®Grid.¡¯


    Faker was nervous. Grid should¡¯ve received the news by now and Faker hoped that Grid woulde quickly. Grid needed time to say farewell to Khan.


    ¡¯Pleasee.¡¯


    Come quickly Grid. The moment Faker¡¯s heart was be more and more tense.


    Ttaaang!


    "...!"


    Faker, Ruby and the dozens of priests were all shocked. It was because their souls rang as Khan¡¯s hammer connected to the armor.


    ¡°O-Ohhhh...¡±


    ¡°Khan...¡±


    Sounds of admiration flowed from everywhere. Even an outsider could tell. At this moment, Khan had reached a new ground.


    Ttaang... taang... taang...


    ¡°...¡±


    Khan¡¯s hammering sound, which had captured everyone¡¯s soul, died down and suddenly ended. Khan had hardly any health left. At that moment.


    [A new legendary cksmith has been born!]


    [Every cksmith in the world will look up to him and praise him!]


    Five seconds.


    All yers currently essing Satisfy had this notification window rise in front of them. A world message.


    Then.


    "Pant! Pant! Khan!!¡±


    Grid came running.


    Three seconds.


    Without sparing a moment to breathe, he looked at Khan with a devastated expression.


    ¡°You came.¡±


    One second.


    Khan smiled with pleasure and opened his arms. Grid jumped into his arms as Khan started to turn to grey.

 Chapter 777

    ¡°Khan!!¡±


    As Khan turned to grey, Grid hugged him like he didn¡¯t want to miss a single part.


    "You must be happy.¡±


    Khan wanted to say a lot but there was no time. Khan only left a single wish as his testament.


    Swaaah.


    Finally, Khan¡¯s two hands that wanted to hold Gridpletely disappeared before they could wrap around Grid. Khan smiled brightly rather than showing any sorrow. It was Khan¡¯sst appearance that would forever be kept in Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Khannnnn!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to lost Khan¡¯s touch, body temperature, and smell that was disappearing like a mirage. He eagerly stretched out a hand but it was useless. His hands only touched the air that had nothing left.


    ¡°Oppa...¡±


    Tears constantly flowed from Ruby¡¯s eyes as she watched thest farewell between Grid and Khan. Faker supported her as her nose turned red from crying.


    "Let¡¯s leave Grid alone.¡±


    ***


    The first person who acknowledged him. The person who shared his sufferings, sorrows, and joy. Khan was his teacher, disciple, friend, and family member. He was always at the forefront when Grid was thinking about his ¡®precious people¡¯ in his head.


    "Kkuk...¡±


    The empty smithy. Now in the ce where there was no more Khan, Grid stared at the air with dry eyes before grabbing his chest and copsing. How many hours passed since Khan left? He thought he had no more tears left but they once again flowed.


    "...Terrible old man.¡± Grid cried with his head on the floor and finally opened his mouth for the first time. His cracked voice echoed through the empty smithy. "Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t leave until you got all my skills? Then why...why did you break your promise? Huh? You bad...¡±


    Bad person. Gridined before stopping. He was worried that the gods were listening to him and might misunderstand, dropping Khan into hell.


    ¡°...¡±


    Time flowed in the void. Grid felt a deep grudge as he looked at the smithy covered with traces of Khan. He felt bitter towards himself. Why didn¡¯t he protect Khan? Why couldn¡¯t he arrive a bit sooner?


    ¡°We spent 10 long years together.¡± Grid felt signs of someone being around and said, "But the time to say goodbye was only one second.¡±


    How sad and lonely was Khan? Grid shouted ¡®father¡¯ and ¡®grandfather¡¯ in his heart but failed to show filial piety. He couldn¡¯t even be there properly at the end.


    Lauelforted Grid, who couldn¡¯t raise his head. "To Khan, that one second would be like an eternity. He wouldn¡¯t have been lonely. He was happy to be able to see you.¡±


    13 hours and 23 minutes after Khan¡¯s death. Lauel had been doing his job while Grid was mourning.


    ¡°I used our informationwork to identity the members of Immortal. I¡¯m investigating the radius and base of their activities, so please give a killing order.¡±


    They dared to invade the Overgeared Kingdom and hurt Grid¡¯s family and friends. Putting aside Grid, there was no forgiveness from the position of the Overgeared Kingdom. Lauel and the Overgeared members were ready to rain hell down on the Immortal members. They nned to trample on Immortal so that they would live in regret while suffering forever.


    "In addition, Khan¡¯s funeral will be a state funeral in consideration for his achievements in life. His contribution to the development of the nation¡¯s economy and military power was huge. And...¡±


    Lauel shut his mouth for a moment while giving the report. He took a deep breath, calmed his trembling heart and opened his mouth again.


    "The new legendary cksmith who emerged...you guessed it, but it was Khan.¡±


    He could be sure because the world message appeared the moment that Khan died. Khan hammered the iron to the end and became a legend only after he died. He might be a legend that existed for only a moment, but his feats would be forever. Lauel would make sure of it.


    ¡°The exact cause of death is natural causes, not the poisoning.¡±


    A legend had a passive that caused resistance to all status conditions and five seconds of immortality. If Khan was in a normal state, the poison would¡¯ve disappeared the moment he became a legend and his health should¡¯ve remained fixed at the minimum. But that didn¡¯t happen. Based on the testimonies of Faker, Ruby, and the priests, Khan had reached the end of his life.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate. Khan could leave without any pain.¡±


    In addition, he was able to meet with Grid thanks to the legend¡¯s five seconds of immortality. Lauel hoped to slightly ease Grid¡¯s mind but instead, Grid¡¯s anger soared to the limit. His expression distorted and he said in a shaky voice, "His life span might¡¯ve been shortened because of the poison.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, Khan had to endure the pain of the poisoning.¡±


    Khan was poisoned for several hours in an elderly state. As a yer, Grid couldn¡¯t fathom the pain and fear that Khan would¡¯ve felt. Khan, who lived in sorrow after losing his wife and son. Grid was infinitely sad that he suffered even at thest minute.


    ¡°Immortal...¡±


    Grid¡¯s body shook with uncontroble anger. He didn¡¯t say anything special. He just clenched his fists. He needed more time to control his mind.


    ¡°I will make the arrangements.¡±


    Lauel bowed his head and turned around. He was currently acting on Grid¡¯s behalf and had no time to stay here. He had to move quickly.


    ¡¯Looking at the state of the king, I think I should prepare to move the army.¡¯


    Lauel predicted that Grid would go on a frenzy. Grid wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with a simple kill order and would ughter Immortal by moving his entire army. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a good development. It was the worst. War consumed soldiers, food, and an astronomical amount of supplies. If they fought a war with the necromancers of Immortal, the Overgeared Kingdom would suffer huge losses.


    ¡®Veradin, you son of a bitch. Causing this incident during the time when there is a truce with the empire.¡¯


    Lauel nned to increase the national power of the Overgeared Kingdom by more than 20% during the armistice with the empire. Instead, it would be a negative. At the end of the armistice period, it would be more difficult to deal with the empire. Lauel¡¯s eyes were dark. He felt powerless as he headed to the exit.


    Behind him, Grid was rising from his spot. The full te armor on top of Khan¡¯s anvil btedly caught his attention. Khan¡¯s posthumous work. Grid approached the armour and his eyes widened as he gripped it with trembling hands.


    [Valha of Infinite Affection]


    Rating: Secret


    Durability: ??? Defense: ???


    Options: ???


    An armor containing the hidden story of the 2nd legendary cksmith Grid and the 3rd legendary cksmith Khan.


    * Only ¡®Grid¡¯ can check the detailed information of the item.


    [You are Grid.]


    [The item information will be updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [Valha of Infinite Affection]


    Rating: Secret


    Durability: 1,721/1,721


    Defense: 1,410


    * 20% increase in health recovery.


    * 40% reduction in damage from physical attacks and magic attacks.


    * Immunity to instant death and assassination skills.


    * Maintains the body temperature.


    * If you are in a party, defense will increase depending on the number of party members.


    * Defense will increase every time the armor durability falls.


    * Magic defense +300.


    * When you get hit, there is a high probability of emitting the ¡®Distinguished Poisoner¡¯s Poison.¡¯


    * Passive skill ¡®Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons¡¯ will be generated.


    * Passive skill ¡®Moving Fortress¡¯ will be generated.


    An armor produced by the legendary cksmith Khan while wishing for Grid¡¯s safety. It is filled with Khan¡¯s caring, affection, and devotion, and covered in poison. It is a work based on Valha, the masterpiece of cksmith Albatino which gave deep inspiration to Pagma.


    The performance is beyond the original and there is room to be a myth depending on the wearer¡¯s actions.


    Weight: 3,980


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    ¡°Khan...¡±


    Grid was able to see at a nce how much care and skills Khan put into this armor. He noticed it was designed solely for himself. In the end.


    "I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry Khan.¡±


    Grid once again cried in sorrow. He was a sinner. Why didn¡¯t he give any presents to Khan? If Grid had given him such a wonderful gift, Khan¡¯s fate might¡¯ve changed. Grid realized how indifferent he was to Khan and felt guilty. He vowed to do better with his family in the future.


    -Prepare for a news conference.


    Grid calmed down and sent a whisper to Lauel.


    -Huh?Press conference?


    Lauel was stunned since he had been expecting Grid to say that he was going to find Veradin and Agnus right now. Grid exined to him.


    -Denounce Immortal, who invaded another kingdom during the National Competition and caused enormous damage.


    -...Are you nning to move public opinion through the media?


    -Yes.


    The continent was wide. It was practically impossible for the Overgeared members to search and punish the Immortal members scattered everywhere. Of course, they could kill a few people. However, that was it. The efficiency was too low.


    -Thus, I will borrow other hands.I am going to give a killmand on Immortal to all two billion yers.


    ¡®I know that I can¡¯t move the army.¡¯


    Grid was filled with anger and sadness but he analyzed the situation calmly. It was a king¡¯s attitude. Lauel honestly admired it, but he felt negatively about moving public opinion.


    Immortal¡¯s raid and Khan¡¯s death. It was a big disaster and source of grief for the Overgeared Kingdom, but the death of an NPC was just a small incident to a third party ying the game. Wouldn¡¯t Grid condemning Immortal just cause ridicule? In particr, Grid had obtained huge rewards from this year¡¯s National Competition. The many people jealous of him were likely to ridicule and criticize him.


    -I think there¡¯s nothing to gain if we use the media.Even if you denounce Immortal, it¡¯s just someone else¡¯s story.It is rare for yers to act.


    Lauel replied honestly.


    -You¡¯re mistaken.


    -...?


    -I¡¯m not trying to use the media to ask people to cooperate.I want to advertise.


    -Advertise...?


    -Yes.After justifying why I am going after Immortal at the press conference, I will publicize that I will make an item for the yers every time they hunt a member of Immortal.


    -...


    It was a sure way. The moment Grid¡¯s advertisement spread to the world, two billion people would be Immortal hunters. The people who would look for Immortal would grow like bamboo shoots and Immortal would be exposed to infinite PK without room to breathe.


    However, this meant that Grid would be paying a lot. Making items for hundreds, maybe even tens of thousands of hunters would empty his pockets.


    -...How can you afford it?


    Lauel talked about a realistic problem and Grid immediately responded.


    -I have a lot of money.


    Grid¡¯s assets had been steadily umting since selling the Red Phoenix Bow to Jishuka and he expressed his resolve.


    -It doesn¡¯t matter if I be broke.I will make those Immortal dogs quit the game.This is amand.


    Now it wasn¡¯t just items. Grid was learning how to take advantage of his wealth and position.

 Chapter 778

    Changes started happening.


    "You want a job? Aren¡¯t you a necromancer? Tsk, find a job elsewhere.¡±


    "Are you joking? Where on earth would a Necromancer¡¯s Guild reject a necromancer?¡±


    ¡°Where? Here! Get lost!¡±


    ¡°This is crazy...!¡±


    The Fold Kingdom. The little kingdom currently belonged to the Overgeared Kingdom, but was formerly a tributary of the Saharan Empire. It had a terrible history as every time the king was reced in a civil war, tens of thousands of casualties would ur. The reason was the intervention of the Saharan Empire. The empire would confuse the session to the throne by supporting and inciting princescking intelligence. Therefore, the Fold Kingdom had a bloody history whenever the kingship was changed.


    Was that the reason? The Fold Kingdom was a bleaknd where dozens of ghosts filled with grudges roamed. Undead monsters and ghosts could be found all over the ce. This was why necromancers called Fold Kingdom a treasure ind. For necromancers who could make undead, the Fold Kingdom was close to an ideal residence.


    At least until yesterday.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy. No NPCs are giving quests.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happening to me as well. The attitude of the NPCs has changed overnight. The intimacy that we have umted so far is useless.¡±


    ¡°Is it a bug? Does it make sense that the Necromancer¡¯s Guild doesn¡¯t give quests to necromancers?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t a bug. I have already contacted customer service.¡±


    Three days after the end of the 3rd National Competition. The necromancers couldn¡¯t receive quests anywhere in Fold Kingdom. Even the basic facilities such as restaurants and inns couldn¡¯t be used. They were treated with outright hostility by the people. The necromancers were assaulted or deported after being questioned. The necromancers seemed to be persecuted on a kingdom level.


    The water n people in the Siren Kingdom was even worse.


    ¡°A necromancer? rify your affiliation.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?"


    ¡°Just do it! Ah! This guy is from Immortal! Arrest him immediately!¡±


    "H-Hik!"


    The soldiers forced the necromancers visiting Siren to reveal their affiliation. If they found a necromancer belonging to Immortal, the necromancer was arrested immediately and locked in prison for a week. There were a few necromancers killed while resisting arrest.


    Why did this happen overnight? The confusion of the necromancers grew.


    ¡º I strongly condemn Immortal, who invaded the Overgeared Kingdom during the National Competition and caused enormous damage. We will never forgive those who caused material and personal damage to us, causing us to suffer a great deal of emotional suffering. I ask for many people to support us. ¡»


    Grid held a press conference in Seoul, Korea and attracted worldwide attention. Immortal found out that Grid was behind this, while ordinary necromancer yers med Immortal. Immortal was split into factions. There was a suggestion that Veradin and his followers should take responsibility.


    Veradin calmed his furious colleagues.


    "The impact on us is actually very minimal. We¡¯ll be safe if we avoid working in the range of influence of the Overgeared Kingdom, such as the Fold Kingdom and Siren.¡±


    "Isn¡¯t the biggest problem the fact that we can¡¯t act in the Fold Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°There are many hunting grounds on the continent that are more ideal than the Fold Kingdom. Have you neglected to collect information?¡±


    ¡°Ick...! Ignore the intimacy we have built up in the Fold Kingdom in the meantime? What the hell is this? Many people have suffered because of what you have done!¡±


    "Do I have to apologize? Why? Aren¡¯t we an organization created to help Agnus build the Kingdom of the Dead? The reason I invaded the Overgeared Kingdom is to weaken the power of the Overgeared Kingdom that might interfere with the construction of Agnus¡¯ kingdom. It¡¯s an action for the future of all of us. Why should I be med?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In the National Competition, Grid seeded in attracting Panmir. At this time, the production of items in the Overgeared Kingdom will get out of the control. Therefore, we invaded the smithies and seeded in hitting them. Is my behavior really worthy of criticism?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone became mute. The Immortal members could no longer me Veradin. They struggled as a result, but his intentions couldn¡¯t be med. Whatever the truth was, the justification was too good. Veradin confirmed that the atmosphere had calmed down and spoke.


    ¡°Once again, there¡¯s no need to be afraid of the Overgeared Kingdom. We just need to move away from the influence of the Overgeared Kingdom. While the Overgeared Kingdom is trying to catch up, we will reserve our power and set up the foundations of our kingdom.¡±


    Veradin was confident. There was a limit to the manpower Grid could invest to catch them. The Overgeared Kingdom searching for Immortal was no different from looking for a needle in the desert.


    As everyone was relieved by Veradin¡¯s idea, the 2nd ranked necromancer, Bullet, spoke. "How will the normal necromancers handle this?¡±


    The innocent necromancers were receiving damage because of Immortal. Many necromancers were suppressed and lost their ces in the Overgeared Kingdom. In particr, the Fold Kingdom was very important for low and medium level users.


    "There is a possibility that they will vent their anger by cooperating with the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    This was Bullet¡¯s concern.


    ¡°No. The necromancers can¡¯t be hostile to us. If they¡¯re hostile to us, they know that Agnus won¡¯t let them in his kingdom in the future. In the first ce, they¡¯re being suppressed by Grid., Their anger will naturally be directed towards Grid.¡± Veradin didn¡¯t feel that this situation was very serious. In his head, the damage was only one person¡¯s death.


    But what happened was more catastrophic than he expected.


    "Kukuk, you guys. What the hell did you do alone? Huh? Weaklings. Kukuk!¡±


    The door of the meeting room opened without permission and a man appeared. It was Agnus. Veradin and everyone present jumped up and bowed. Agnus sat on the windowsill, leaving the table for Veradin.


    "Grid has ced a bounty on Immortal for all yers in the world.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He will make an item for every Immortal member killed? Kukuk, kikikik!¡±


    ¡°What...?!!¡±


    Veradin and the Immortal members paled. None of them imagined that Grid would extend his reach to the world, rather than staying in the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the same with the smart Veradin.


    ¡®Giving items as a reward?¡¯


    There was a limit to the funds. Veradin thought that Grid was bluffing since the financial situation of the Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t very good. He couldn¡¯t imagine the assets that Grid got from selling the Red Phoenix Bow to Jishuka.


    "In the first ce, will there be many people who respond to Grid? The reason for invading during the National Competition is purely Grid¡¯s fault. He couldn¡¯t fully defend himself and is now using other people to do his work. It must be seen negatively by the masses.¡±


    Agnus exined to Veradin who was denying reality. "Have you forgotten that Grid defeated Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Kilkik! Don¡¯t you know the power of a symbol? Right now, Grid is the best.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Veradin btedly realized. The present Grid was a person who received the envy and longing of millions of people. There were countless people sending absolute favors to Grid and one word from Grid had a great deal of power. Grid could easily move the masses.


    Agnus whispered in the ears of the pale Veradin. "I don¡¯t know what mischief you are up to but... This time the opponent isn¡¯t doing what you want. Right? Kukuk!¡±


    Flinch.


    Veradin was startled. He could perceive distrust in Agnus¡¯ words. Agnus, who had showed absolute trust in Veradin so far, was actually distrustful? Agnus saw Veradin¡¯s confusion and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Do you think I am a fool? A few months ago, you told me to absolutely avoid conflicts with the Overgeared Kingdom. Now you suddenly changed your mind and invaded the Overgeared Kingdom. Did you think I would have no doubts? Huh?¡±


    Agnus gripped Veradin¡¯s thin shoulders with great strength. A necromancer wasn¡¯t strength based so Agnus¡¯ strong grip caused Veradin¡¯s face to distort.


    "You won against Faker? You? Kukuk! What¡¯s your identity?¡±


    "That, I think you are misunderstanding something...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "I don¡¯t care what you have in mind. I don¡¯t care if you stab me in the backter. Why? You won¡¯t be able to do anything to me anyway.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veradin faced Agnus¡¯ golden eyes and realized.


    ¡°Keep one thing in mind. You can do what you like was long as you keep providing conveniences to me like a dog. Work like a dog in moderation. I won¡¯t abandon you as long as you¡¯re useful.¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯t crazy. His emotions were just intense, sometimes making him seem crazy. In fact, Veradin was suspicious from the beginning. Agnus was acting with such a clear sense of purpose that he couldn¡¯t be a simple madman. Thus, Veradin was interested and decided to observe from the side. But Veradin didn¡¯t know he was such a bad guy.


    ¡®I have been dancing on top of his palm?¡¯


    Veradin gritted his teeth.


    "Then what will you do now? I don¡¯t care what happens to Immortal, so should I just sit on the sidelines? Or should I fight Grid as you wish? Take your pick. I only want to have fun.¡±


    "...For the moment, I think it is better to take shelter in the empire and receive the protection of the empress.¡±


    The wicked Veradin came up with a realistic countermeasure. He was forced to abandon his first n of pushing Agnus into a corner and seeing his madness amplify. It was highly likely that Agnus¡¯ distrust would skyrocket if he was forced into a meaningless fight. Veradin believed that they shouldy low until the public¡¯s interest in Immortal eased.


    But would they be safe with the empress? Like everyone else, he couldn¡¯t measure the scale of two billion yers. In addition, he didn¡¯t know how persistent Grid was. Grid¡¯s tenacity once he had a clear purpose was close to madness. It was more than Agnus¡¯ insanity, which urred when pursuing fun to forget reality.


    ¡°Gather the insane dragon iron.¡±


    Grid gave an order after receiving information that Immortal was hiding in the empire.

 Chapter 779

    Kill Immortal!


    The press conference held by Grid because of a personal grudge contained serious moral issues. Not only did Grid dere that he would destroy a force who caused him damage, he also asked for people¡¯s cooperation. It was obviously revenge. Grid was like an absolute tyrant as he wielded the power of his position. This gave a physiological rejection to the public.


    It was a press conference that should gain criticism, rather than public approval. But Grid¡¯s press conference received huge support from the masses. It was thanks to the screeny written with money.


    "I understand that the Overgeared Kingdom has suffered tremendous damage. But in the end, isn¡¯t it just a quarrel between two forces? What rtionship does it have with the world? Why should other people join in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s revenge?¡±


    "It¡¯s for the future of the National Competition. If I don¡¯t condemn Immortal, who invaded another power during the National Competition, there¡¯s likely to be a second and third Immortal in the future. From next year, the forces that will be damaged during the National Competition will get out of control.¡±


    ¡°Um... then the participation rate of rankers in the National Competition will fall?¡±


    The National Competition had be a world festival. There was a joke that people waited one year for the National Competition. The public didn¡¯t want a National Competition that only involved second and third advancement users.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. If you enjoy watching the National Competition, then you shouldn¡¯t let Immortal set this precedent. I believe that we should thoroughly punish Immortal so that a force that will abuse our National Competition won¡¯t appear again.¡±


    "Are you saying that the Overgeared Kingdom is punishing Immortal for the sake of the public, rather than a private grudge?¡±


    "Yes, that¡¯s right."


    There might be more than 200 reporters gathered at the press conference, but Grid only received the questions of 20 people. They were reporters bribed by Lauel. The 20 reporters asked questions favorable to Grid. They ignored the violence of revenge, which was a matter to be taken seriously. Thanks to the questions asked by the reporters, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s desire for revenge was covered by a good packaging.


    ¡°Excuse me, wait a minute. In the cause of Immortal, they invaded the Overgeared Kingdom to stop the expansion of power. Isn¡¯t this an eptable strategy? Don¡¯t you think it is too much to want topletely destroy Immortal?¡±


    "In the process of suppressing Immortal, you caused great damage to ordinary necromancer yers. How is that...¡±


    ¡°Raise your hand if you want to ask a question. Reporter on this side, please ask.¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    Grid ignored the reporters who askedmon sense questions. No matter how much they raised their hands, Grid only received questions from reporters bought in advance.


    ¡®How tant!¡¯


    As the press conference proceeded in Grid¡¯s good direction, the suspicions of the reporters grew and were soon confirmed. They realized that Grid¡¯s press conference was a show and they were just bridesmaids. Some of the reporters were furious and tried to make a disturbance. Grid sprinkled bait like he had been waiting. It was bait to fool the angry reporters and the public at once.


    "I will make items for those who contribute to protecting the future of the National Competition by joining the Immortal Hunting.¡±


    "Is it the mass produced Grid setmonly found in the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s more special. I will guarantee that the items will have at least an epic rating. As a token of my appreciation, I will pay for the materials.¡±


    "...!"


    A chance to get a free item made by Grid! The reporters couldn¡¯t miss this scoop. They dropped their doubts for a moment and started to focus on the reward articles. The public¡¯s attention was focused on thepensation.


    "This press conference is finished. I thank you for your participation.¡±


    By the end of the one hour press conference, Grid was presented as the ¡®apostle of justice¡¯ that condemned Immortal in order to protect the rights of the public and a popr event. Corrupt media and sweet capitalbined to give a sweet C.


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± After the press conference. Toon looked at Grid in the back seat and asked anxiously.


    Grid seemed ufortable. He seemed to feel remorse for buying the media and deceiving the public.


    Grid smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t you know? I¡¯m originally a bad guy.¡±


    Even if he was a good guy, he would be corrupted for Khan¡¯s revenge. Grid¡¯s fists shook.


    ***


    "I watched the press conference. You did very well.¡±


    Blur the issue and focus on justice. This was the advice Lauel gave him and Grid carried it out earnestly. The reporters bought by Lauel helped a lot.


    "Why are you praising me? I just read from the script written by Huroi in the movie you staged.¡±


    "Doesn¡¯t thepletion of the movie depend on the actor¡¯s performance?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid closed his mouth. He felt uneasy that his face was getting thicker. He was worried that he would be a rotten person like the politicians he saw in the news and movies. Lauel smiled at the anxious Grid.


    "Politicians are very clever. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s unlikely that you will be like them.¡±


    "...That¡¯s good.¡±


    Grid was reassured by the answer and smiled at Lauel. Grid btedly noticed that Lauel was trying to make a bright smile.


    ¡¯My face is too stiff.¡¯


    He tried to rx. Friends were truly good. Just like Khan.


    "Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m not feeling bad.¡±


    Grid sat on a chair and pulled out the main point.


    "Immortal is hiding in the empire like you predicted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They probably won¡¯te out for the time being.¡±


    The empire¡¯s infrastructure was the best on the continent. From the hunting grounds and quests to the facilities, everything was perfect. There were some inconveniences from therge poption. However, there was nothing wrong with staying in the empire for a lifetime.


    "Moreover, Immortal belongs to the empire. They will be treated generously in the empire.¡±


    "They will enjoy themselves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But they will suffer from a constant threat. It¡¯s because the yers in the empire will be watching Immortal. The moment they step somewhere by mistake, they will receive the surprise attack of an assassin!¡±


    This threat would continue. It was terrible from Immortal¡¯s viewpoint. However, Grid wasn¡¯tforted. Grid wanted Immortal¡¯s utter ruin. In particr, Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate Veradin, who dealt direct suffering onto Khan, as well as Agnus behind him.


    ¡°I have to visit the empire.¡±


    ¡°You n to infiltrate and assassinate by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. After Your Majesty abducted Sir Asmophel, the empire¡¯s defense facilities were upgraded. The search magic will find you even if you wear the invisibility cloak.¡±


    Of course, the remote regions of the empire could be crossed freely. However, Immortal was likely to be based in the imperial pce. It would be impossible for Faker¡¯s grandfather to safely infiltrate the imperial pce. Then what about Grid? There was no way.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Lauel was amazed as he was showing a negative reaction. It was because he saw the ends of Grid¡¯s mouth curving up.


    "You intend to openly go?¡±


    Grid maintained hisposure after Khan¡¯s death. He showed a wonderful and cool appearance at the press conference. That¡¯s why Lauel was caught off guard. He forgot that the current Grid wasn¡¯t sane.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m still holding on tightly to my spirit.¡±


    Grid reassured the worried Lauel and gave an order.


    "Send a letter to the empire. The Overgeared King Grid will officially pay them a visit.¡±


    The master of the West Continent was the Saharan Empire. Grid was supposed to visit the emperor and give greetings as soon as he built a kingdom. But he refused and was oppressed by the empire.


    "During the truce...I will use this opportunity to meet the emperor.¡±


    The fact that the empire proposed a truce agreement with the Overgeared Kingdom proved that the Overgeared Kingdom couldn¡¯t be ignored. Grid believed that he wouldn¡¯t be insulted if he visited the empire at this time. He judged it was an appropriate time to find out what type of person the emperor was. Lauel read Grid¡¯s thoughts and was thrilled.


    "I wanted to tell you to visit the empire once after the truce. But I couldn¡¯t say it because I thought you would be unhappy.¡±


    If Grid visited the empire and gave a good impression, the duration of the armistice might increase.


    ¡°But...¡± Lauel suddenly had a doubt. "What are you going to say to the emperor? Will you ask him to hand over Immortal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. Should I bow down only to be rejected?¡±


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    It was fortunate that he wasn¡¯t a ¡®fool¡¯ anymore. Lauel felt relief.


    "I¡¯ll be in the smithy working on the insane dragon iron. Gather all the workmen and sculptors of the Overgeared Kingdom together. Ah, there¡¯s also the merchant ranker called Muto. Tell him I want to make a deal.¡±


    Grid gave meaningfulmands. Lauel grasped Grid¡¯s intentions and immediately nodded.


    "I understand.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s heart thumped in his chest. He noticed that Grid¡¯s intelligence was in the process of development as he learned to use everything in the environment as well as the individual¡¯s armed forces.


    ¡®It¡¯s like looking at a chimpanzee.¡¯


    Primates such as chimpanzees were rtively uneasy. But innate intelligence alone couldn¡¯t make them smart. They had to learn how to use the tools and environment to be smarter. Just like the Grid of the past. This could sum up the present Grid.


    "The stage of maturity...¡± (TL: Maturity can also be hard-boiled egg)


    ¡°What? Why are you suddenly talking about an egg?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel, who was muttering with a happy face, looked like he was waking up.


    ***


    "From now on, make ornaments out of the insane dragon iron. The more you have, the better. However, don¡¯t think about making it roughly. I can¡¯t give it as a gift if the artistry isn¡¯t high.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I think it will be too difficult to craft.¡±


    "I will help. White, make arge number of needles with the insane dragon iron.¡±


    ¡°Needles?¡±


    ¡°Yes. No matter how solid the wall, won¡¯t it break if needles are inserted in? Teach it to the cksmith called Panmir.¡±


    "Yes, I understand."


    The smithyplex in the center of Reinhardt regained its vitality for the first time since Khan¡¯s death. Arge number of workers gathered and Grid watched them while burning with motivation.


    ¡®Just wait. I will go and kill you many times. ¡¯


    It was fortunate that Immortal was hiding in the empire. This opportunity allowed him to deal a severe blow to a future enemy. Grid¡¯s way of thinking was colder than ever.

 Chapter 780

    "The kingdom built by a cksmith!¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir, was very excited whening to the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because the smithyplex containedrge-scale smithies reminiscent of the dwarf city of Talima. The sound of hammering rang out around the clock, the smoke rose from every chimney, the scorching heat and the smell of steel...


    This was truly a cksmith¡¯s paradise. A heaven made by a cksmith for cksmiths!


    ¡®If I work here, my efficiency will rise sharply!¡¯


    A cksmith¡¯s heart knew cksmiths well. Panmir admired the rational smithy structure and felt great pleasure. He could see how much consideration Grid put into the process of designing the smithy. Panmir¡¯s ambition surpassed fullness and ascended into heaven.


    "Is this the first smithy?¡±


    After touring the smithies, Panmir moved to the smithy that would be his workce in the future. He was so happy that his steps were light.


    ¡°Make way!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Panmir, who was humming while walking down the street, paused and looked back. There was a parade of people carrying huge flour bags that were over 100kg on their backs. Panmir frowned.


    ¡®ves?¡¯


    The people burdened by flour bags were walking like ducks. It seemed very painful as they were sweating while covered in dirt. Someone couldn¡¯t endure it and fell down along the way. But he immediately jumped up like he was afraid and ran with the heavy bags.


    "Huh...truly harsh.¡±


    It was hard to see tant very in the empire. Even the empire, which ughtered thousands of minorities, didn¡¯t treat ves harshly, at least in the eyes of the people. It was presumed to be the arrangement of the S.A. Group in consideration of the yers¡¯ emotions. However, there was such a terrible sight in the kingdom that a yer had set up.


    "It¡¯s hard to understand.¡±


    Why didn¡¯t Grid set a limit on very? Panmir tried to understand but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Panmir shook his head and was about to leave this ce, only to feel amazed. It was because he found a familiar person in the procession of ves. Aura Master Hurent.


    ¡®Hurent?¡¯


    Hurent was one of the strongest representatives of the United States. He was a big yer who maintained the one digit ranking for years. Many Americans missed him at the 2nd National Competition. Every time the National Competition came around, the Americans had a habit of saying ¡®If only there was Hurent...¡¯


    Many people were looking forward to Hurent¡¯s brilliant return and it was the same for Panmir. Panmir had been looking forward to reuniting with Hurent once he emerged from his training. Now at this moment, he was reunited with an unimaginable figure in an unexpected ce.


    ¡¯Is Hurent a ve?¡¯


    Panmir was hallucinating. It was clear that he had seen wrong. Panmir rubbed his eyes and denied reality. But when he looked back a few times, the ve really was Hurent. He was suffering more than any other ve. He was walking like a duck with sixrge bags of flour.


    ¡°U-Unbelievable! Hurent! What are you doing here?!¡±


    Panmir couldn¡¯t stand it and ran to Hurent. Hurent¡¯s face was scruffy and he was covered with dirt. Was this the gentleman who looked like a middle-aged noble in Britain and was loved by women?


    ¡°W-What is going on? Why are you living in very?¡±


    ¡°Panmir...?¡± Hurent recognized Panmir andughed. ¡°No, how did you know me after seeing me once? Other people thought I just had the same name.¡±


    "How can I not recognize you? You¡¯re the buyer of the first epic rated weapon that I made!¡±


    ¡°Haha... Yes, there was something like that.¡±


    Hurent looked tired at first nce. Panmir was able to get a glimpse of how hard Hurent had been living if he kept having to do hardbor like this.


    "How did youe here? Why did you be a ve?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m not a ve.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°A farmer.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°I was doing field work in Bairan. Today we are carrying out the mission of transporting the food grown in Bairan to Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°Field work...? Move food...?¡±


    "This isn¡¯t a procession of ves but a procession of farmers.¡±


    ¡°Eek! You are crazy right now!¡±


    Even if Hurent¡¯s words were true, Panmir refused to ept it. A one digit ranker representing a nation, why was the hidden ss Aura Master suddenly a farmer? And what farmer carried so many flour bags weighing hundreds of kilograms? It was even at a duck pace! Where was the cart? The madman Hurent whispered to Panmir.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is training.¡±


    ¡°Training?¡±


    "Yes. I¡¯m currently living as a farmer in the Overgeared Kingdom to be stronger. But please don¡¯t spread any rumors. This practice shouldn¡¯t be known to the world.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thispletely crazy bastard. Or maybe Panmir was being deceived by a cheater. Panmir was at a loss for words.


    "Adios."


    Hurent said goodbye and carried the flour bags on his back again. Then he chased after the procession with duck-like steps.


    "...He¡¯s out of his mind in the peak of his life. Tsk tsk tsk.¡±


    This was the time when the expression ¡®the end¡¯ was used. It was truly regrettable for the United States to lose a big star. Panmir gave a deep sigh and moved with heavy footsteps. The person waiting for him at the first smithy was a cksmith with ck skin. His name...


    ¡®White?¡¯


    Why was a ck-skinned NPC named White?


    ¡®What is this hobby?¡¯


    Panmir had felt deeply ufortable since he saw Hurent. The Overgeared Kingdom started to seem strange.


    ¡°Are you Panmir?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m cksmith White. Since Master Grid has instructed me to educate you, I will bestow my skills onto you from today on. Let¡¯s make needles.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Panmir frowned. Who was this person? He was first in the cksmith rankings and learnt how to make ego items at the dwarf city of Talima. He was even recognized by the emperor and appointed as deputy chief cksmith of the empire. Even the older people of the empire, the arrogant cksmiths, acknowledged him because he knew how to make ego items.


    In other words, Panmir was one of the best cksmiths. Panmir was confident that there were few cksmiths better than him on the whole continent. Yet a young cksmith around 40 years old seemed to think he would teach Panmir.


    ¡®I even have to make needles?¡¯


    He moved to the Overgeared Kingdom to be treated like this? Panmir calmed his mind and exined.


    "You must be mistaken. I¡¯m a cksmith invited by King Grid.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    "You know? But you want to teach me? I also have to make needles that even a child can make?¡±


    "These are instructions from King Grid. Are you going against the king?¡±


    ¡°Kuhum...!¡±


    Panmir felt ufortable and his face turned red.


    ¡®Grid wasn¡¯t trying to make me a colleague. He just wanted to insult me?¡¯


    Such doubts arose. Despite his reaction, cksmith White was already moving to his private furnace and anvil.


    He thought that Panmir would leave.


    ¡®Yes, I should check how they will treat me.¡¯


    He followed behind White. White was taking out a dark, matte material in front of the furnace.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    The grumbling Panmir¡¯s attitude changed.


    ¡°What is this mineral?¡±


    The color was the same as ck iron, except that it wasn¡¯t glossy. It was a crystal like mineral but magic power could be felt from it. Panmir was very interested in the mineral and poked it with his fingers. His attitude was like a child seeing something for the first time.


    White smiled. "You are really a cksmith. Then check it yourself.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    White passed Panmir the mineral and he immediately used the appraisal skill. He was an advanced cksmith with advanced mineral appraisal skills.


    [Insane Dragon Iron]


    A mineral that naturally urs in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan.


    It has been influenced by Nevartan¡¯s madness for countless years and gained the chaotic ability ¡®Proliferation¡¯


    It doubles every 10 days.


    This absurd nature makes it very difficult to control. The hardness isparable to ck iron, but the smelting difficulty is several times higher.


    Weight: 5


    "Heok!"


    A mineral from a dragonir? It was hard for an ordinary person to see such a mineral in their entire lifetime!


    "Does the doubling include the volume and weight?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This mineral bes twice as heavy and twice as big every 10 days.


    "Huh... it can be useful in some cases.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just one or two things that came to mind right now. Panmir was inspired and wanted to work with this mineral right away. But the degree of difficulty was several times higher than smelting ck iron. Therefore, he wondered if he could handle it with his skills. White read his mind andughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From now on, I will teach you how to work this mineral.¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    White was too young. The cksmith NPCs of this age that Panmir knew only had basic to intermediate level skills. The so-called geniuses were sometimes advanced level but they were far less than Panmir¡¯s Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill.


    Panmir didn¡¯t really trust White. But he didn¡¯t express his distrust. White was treating him well, so Panmir should be polite.


    "I would appreciate it if you showed me.¡±


    ¡°Then.¡±


    White nodded and threw the insane dragon iron into the furnace.


    Puok!Puok!


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Panmir admired White¡¯s appearance. White¡¯s skills in dealing with the temperature of the furnace wereparable to the old men of the empire.


    ¡¯Of course, it isn¡¯t at a craftsman level...¡¯


    It was important to consider White¡¯s age. Unlike the old craftsmen of the empire, the young White had an infinite future. In 10 years, it seemed possible for him to catch up the craftsmen of the empire and even get ahead.


    ¡®It¡¯s tremendous talent. A different dimension from the geniuses I have seen so far. Is he a cksmith specializing in the smelting technique? Heok?¡¯


    Panmir observed White closely in order to learn, only to suck in a breath. It was because White¡¯s atmosphere became different once he finished smelting the insane dragon iron and started hammering it. He was like a sura. The smithy was the battlefield and the mes of the furnace was the cries of the enemy. The insane dragon iron set on top of the anvil was the king of the enemy. White grasped the weapon called a hammer and had the same dignity of a ruler of the battlefield.


    Ttaaang!


    White finished focusing and hammered the insane dragon iron as hard as possible.


    Ttaang~!Ttaaang!


    ¡°...¡±


    Panmir was shocked and couldn¡¯t close his mouth. White¡¯s hammering quality was equal to the old craftsmen of the empire!


    ¡°You, what is your identity?¡±


    White exined to Panmir. "I am the head of the White Hammer Smithy and Grid¡¯s disciple. Thanks to Grid¡¯s deeppassion and precious teachings, I was able to be a craftsman.¡±


    "W-What?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t just develop his skills but also nurtured cksmith craftsmen? Panmir was feeling thrilled when White spoke even more shocking news.


    "King Grid has three more disciples besides me. They are Enoch from the Blue mes Smithy, Byuksan of the ck Anvil Smithy, and Lahochu of the Red Tongs Smithy. We all received King Grid¡¯s order to educate you.¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Panmir¡¯s heart beat in anticipation. It was fierce enough to be somewhat burdensome to a body that was halfway to 100 years old!


    "Panmir, you will learn the skills of the four of us from today. It will surely be a tough road and I need to know if you have sufficient determination. Are you willing to receive our techniques?¡±


    Ttiring~


    [A hidden quest has been created.]


    [Learn the cksmithing Techniques (1)]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    You have to spend 10 hours a day with White for a total of 300 days while learning his hammering techniques.


    Quest Progress to Date: 1/300


    Quest Reward: White Hammer Family¡¯s Hammering skill.


    He would receive teachings 10 hours a day for 300 days. He would need to invest four years if it was four people. This was clearly abor quest that vitedmon sense. It was clear that he had to be prepared to live a ve life like Hurent. Panmir clearly knew this fact, but didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°I will learn it! I want to thank King Grid for giving me the opportunity and I will passionately follow you!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    The notification window popped up at the same time.


    "Then gather some coal. I¡¯ll let you know how to make the insane dragon iron needles afterwards.¡±


    White¡¯s attitude changed. He started to give orders.


    ¡°C-Coal?¡±


    "Yes, coal! Don¡¯t you know coal? Why are you standing there with a stupid expression? These are chores for a neer! It¡¯s the basics for a cksmith!¡±


    "Oh, no, I am an advanced cksmith so...¡±


    ¡°Really? Then you can quit.¡±


    "Coal! I will bring it right now!¡±


    It was the day when the 1st ranked cksmith got the job as a neer worker. There were no rewards or skills learnt. Panmir¡¯s days passed while asionally eating rainbow potatoes and his persistence and stamina stats rose quickly.

 Chapter 781

    The Overgeared Kingdom started as an agricultural kingdom. Thanks to the agriculture developed by Piaro, the kingdom¡¯s finances were stabilized and the foundations ofmerce could be established. The reason why Grid was able to train cksmiths with Khan and to build a smithyplex was thanks to the money earned from agriculture.


    ¡°So much?¡±


    Grid felt reluctant when he saw the mountain of wheat and potatoes transported from Bairan. The wheat and rainbow potatoes had be special products of the Overgeared Kingdom and were the most important export items for the nation¡¯s economy. He didn¡¯t want to give 100 tons to the empire.


    "Why do we have to give an offering in the first ce? We aren¡¯t even a tributary of the empire.¡±


    Lauel exined to the grim Grid. "It isn¡¯t an offering, it¡¯s a gift. Your Majesty asked to visit the empire first and the empire epted the request. Isn¡¯t it basic courtesy to give a small gift in return for that?¡±


    It was a meeting between the leaders of both kingdoms. It was a notable official event for the entire continent. The empire would entertain Grid for their own sake, but Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s image would be tarnished if they came with empty hands.


    "Don¡¯t think of it as a loss. The empire has prepared many events for Your Highness. Maybe they have even prepared small gifts. Simply with physical value, they will spend more money than us. It won¡¯t be a loss. And there is one more thing you can expect...¡±


    Kukukuk. A demon likeugh emerged from Lauel.


    "It¡¯s the reactions of the empire as they taste our wheat and potatoes. It might bepletely to their tastes and they¡¯ll importrge amounts.¡±


    The wheat grown by a legendary farmer was an improved species. The quality was excellentpared to the wheat of any kingdom. Hadn¡¯t rumors spread that the bread and noodles of the Overgeared Kingdom were delicious? The empire couldn¡¯t be immune to the taste. It was highly likely that trade with the empire, which had been firmly closed, would be opened thanks to this opportunity.


    "Is this why you prepared agricultural products as gifts?¡±


    Grid was forced to admire Lauel¡¯s extraordinary head to pursue profit no matter the circumstances. He always felt it, but Lauel was truly a great blessing to Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°This was Administrator Rabbit¡¯s idea, not mine. I can¡¯t match him when ites to making money.¡±


    It was Rabbit who paid only 73 silver to Piaro when he was still a great swordsman. From the time he was recruited to now, Rabbit had been properly managing the finances of the kingdom. Without Rabbit, the growth rate of the Overgeared Kingdom would be two or three times slower than it was now.


    Grid was the one who recruited Rabbit as the administrator.


    "It¡¯s amazing when thinking about it now. Wasn¡¯t Your Majesty still a fool when you met Rabbit? How did Your Majesty manage to select and recruit talented people like Sir Rabbit? Are you a natural talent?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At the very least, he wanted to be true to the person he was serving. This was Lauel¡¯s true heart. After several incidents, Lauel always tried to be honest with Grid. Sometimes his words were too much. Grid asionally felt angry, but his gratefulness was bigger. Lauel¡¯s honesty gave Grid many opportunities to reflect on himself.


    "The ability to select and recruit talents...¡±


    Grid was reminded of all the people he recruited, including Khan, Piaro, Asmophel, and Sticks. It was amazing when thinking about it now. Weren¡¯t they all half-dead when they first met Grid? Grid had made a positive connection with them. Of course, the Character Observation skill attached to the Lord¡¯s Sword helped, but now Grid started to realize it. It wasn¡¯t easy for anyone to unconditionally make a person their own just by looking at the stats.


    ¡®Can I take pride in it? Khan.For me who captivated your heart.¡¯


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid woke up from his thoughts and wiped his eyes. He had shed tears without knowing.


    Lauel saw his sad expression and asked carefully, "Khan¡¯s funeral... You really don¡¯t want a state funeral?¡±


    Grid nodded. ¡°Yes. This isn¡¯t the ce where his soul should be buried.¡±


    Three days before he was scheduled to visit the empire. He headed somewhere else before that.


    Winston. Khan¡¯s home.


    ***


    The concept of a corpse in Satisfy was small. Both yers and NPCs turned to grey and dispersed into ash when they died. Bodies weren¡¯t seen unless they were in the middle of a specific quest or they were a necromancer. Grid was extremely grumpy due to this fact. He felt sorrow at not being able to take care of his precious person¡¯s remains.


    But Grid was reminded of something. Satisfy had the concept of a soul. Braham¡¯s soul, Iyarugt¡¯s soul, and the souls of Khan¡¯s ancestors and son witnessed at the cemetery proved this fact. Grid believed it. Right now, Khan¡¯s soul was by his side. He thought about attaching Khan¡¯s soul to an item using the ¡®Granting an Ego¡¯ skill he obtained from the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®I can¡¯t cause Khan suffering because of my greed.¡¯


    Grid saw it. The sorrows of the former legends after they were resurrected as death knights by Pagma. They wanted rest. Grid couldn¡¯t tie Khan¡¯s soul to him.


    ¡°Khan.¡±


    A small cemetery outside Winston. Grid stood alone where Khan¡¯s son, his wife, and his ancestors were buried. He kept wiping at the falling tears and took an item out of his inventory. It was a memorial stone he made in conjunction with the sculptors of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the memorial stone where Khan¡¯s soul would stay.


    ¡°Please stay in heaven. You should only asionallye down to the ground to y. I¡¯ll take good care of the cemetery. Ruby and Lord wille to visit often. The children...¡±


    Grid ced the memorial stone in the center of the cemetery and couldn¡¯t resist anymore. He burst out sobbing.


    After a while.


    In the remote cemetery where no one was present, Grid fought with his grief alone.


    Thank you.


    Thank you.


    A familiar voice haunted his ears.


    ***


    Overgeared King Grid. He received the legendary Pagma¡¯s abilities and was the hero of the former Eternal Kingdom. He beat the 32nd great demon, Belial, with his capable subordinates. Later, he overthrew the Eternal Kingdom, built the Overgeared Kingdom, and contributed greatly to the establishment of Valha.


    "He cleaned up the Behen Archipgo and restored the Hall of Fame?¡±


    ¡°He even has a statue built there.¡±


    "Yohohoho... I feel like he¡¯s a new man of this era.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe to say he haspletely stepped out of the shadows of the past.¡±


    "Yohoho...he also has a deep rtionship with the pope of the Reba Church?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He also seems to have interactions with Sword Saint Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°Yoho...that friend knows how to use his abilities well.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well. Grid uses Pagma¡¯s techniques as bait to expand hiswork.¡±


    "Even Braham was involved with him?¡±


    The Tower of Eternity. It was a group that studied magic under the aegis of the empire and vited numerous taboos in the name of developing magic.


    "Yohoho, I want to see him soon.¡±


    The master of the magic tower, Goldhit. One of the 10 great magicians on the continent, she was a great powerpared to Ashur. They were onpletely different dimensions since birth. She was the fourth disciple of the legendary great magician Braham.


    ***


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    The capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan. On the way back from hunting, a necromancer from Immortal stopped by a grocery store and screamed. It was because a knife and axe pierced his body the moment he exited the store.


    "Stop it now!¡±


    The soldiers on patrol ran when they heard the fuss, but it was already toote.


    ¡°This is one member!¡±


    The necromancer died and the hunters ran away smiling. They didn¡¯t care about the penalty for killing someone in a city. Why? The penalty was nothingpared to the reward they would gain.


    "Did you film it properly?¡±


    ¡°Of course! One of Grid¡¯s items has been secured!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Puhahahat!¡±


    The group of peopleughed as they were chased by the guards. The yers who saw them were impressed.


    ¡®I¡¯m envious!¡¯


    They needed to quickly find Immortal! The eyes of the yers lit up as they roamed all over the ce. Once they saw a necromancer, they tracked them, monitored them and figured out their identity. Some impatient people killed just because the other person was a necromancer. It was a hellish time for Immortal.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Kwang!


    A vige located in a remote part of the empress¡¯ pce. The 347 members of Immortal were raging. They were nervous about not being able to step out of the pce due to Grid. At a time when they should be steadily hunting and gaining items, they had to hide like rats?


    ¡°That damn Veradin. He pretended to be smart, but fellpletely.¡±


    "Let¡¯s turn in Veradin¡¯s group. All of us don¡¯t need to receive damage.¡±


    "No matter how angry, is it okay to sell out our colleagues?¡±


    "Then what should we do? Should we die together?¡±


    The bonds of the Immortal members started to twist. Fear was deeply rooted in their hearts. It was fear of Grid who moved billions of yers. They felt regret that they touched a sleeping lion who was now raining hell down on them. One of Immortal¡¯s executives, Bullet, tried to calm the guild members. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. This atmosphere can¡¯t be maintained forever. Their interest will wilt once they can¡¯t find us.¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Hunters who couldn¡¯t find their game were bound to lose motivation. Immortal felt like they would be able to breathe if they hid like this for a while. At least until they heard the following news.


    ¡°G-Grid! Grid is going to visit the empire!!¡±


    "What...?¡±


    All of the Immortal members became deathly pale.


    ¡°He¡¯s the devil! The devil!¡±


    He made them sinners just because he lost some cksmith NPCs. Now he was going to the empire to hunt them directly? Wasn¡¯t he almost crazy at this point? The moment everyone was making a fuss.


    ¡°What is everyone afraid of? Isn¡¯t this something to be happy about?¡± Veradin appeared and said, ¡°It¡¯s a chance to show our strength to Grid. Let¡¯s reverse the situation and hunt the man who came here for us.¡±


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t strike recklessly. ording to the information obtained by Veradin, Grid would have an official schedule set by the empire. If the attack on Grid ruined the emperor¡¯s schedule, Immortal could be abandoned by the empire.


    "We need to pick the right timing.¡±


    A mouse would bite back when cornered by a cat. Veradin felt that Grid should be pushed. At the same time, a group of merchants entered Empress Marie¡¯s pce.

 Chapter 782

    ¡°Hello Muto. Thank you for answering the invitation.¡±


    "The number two of the Overgeared Kingdom called me? I had toe running.¡±


    The 3rd ranked merchant, Muto. He was shaken when he received an invitation from the Overgeared Kingdom. The first yer to be a king. He thought that if he was able to trade with the Overgeared Kingdom, which was progressive due to modern ideas, he could make great deals.


    "Muto has already exchanged with the empire for several years?


    "It has been exactly four years. I was fortunate to encounter Duke Guardian during a quest and I started to sell things to the empire through the duke.¡±


    ¡°Four years ago...? Isn¡¯t it faster than Kir?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. I pioneered the empire¡¯s market first.¡±


    The 1st ranked merchant Kir was a big guy who had several merchant rankers under him and ran a huge tradingpany. He used his enormous wealth to equip himself with military power and recently purchased a whole city. This could be a stepping stone to building a kingdom. There were already many people calling Kir a king.


    Lauel felt disbelief.


    "You pioneered the empire¡¯s market first, so why are you ranked lower than Kir?¡±


    The merchant rankings were determined not just by level, but through the trading volume and number of trades. Muto pioneered the continent¡¯srgest market first, but was ranked lower than Kir. It frankly made him seem ipetent. Muto revealed the truth. "I was beaten by Kir¡¯s trick and lost several ounts. His political power is several times higher than me.¡±


    Muto was a type of merchant to do everything directly. He conducted lucrative business by investigating the market and gaining information ahead of others. It was why he took a risk and went to the East Continent. On the other hand, Kir was a master of nder. His specialty was taking away the businesses built by others. Muto had been hit several times.


    "In the end, I¡¯m not a vessel for the first rank. But isn¡¯t the vessel for the 3rd rank big enough? I¡¯m confident that I can do enough.¡±


    Muto knew. The merchant that the Overgeared Kingdom wanted now wasn¡¯t the best merchant. If they wanted the best merchant, they would¡¯ve called Kir instead of Muto.


    "Please tell me what you called me for. I will do well and pay back your expectations.¡±


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    He was a quick merchant without any bragging. It was good to believe in him.


    "You apanied King Grid on the East Continent for a few days? I can see why His Majesty liked you. Okay. I have a suggestion. Be a scammer.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? A scammer?¡±


    "Sell a defective item to the imperial pce. It means you will have to stop trading with the empire in the future.¡±


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Despite the fact that Kir had deprived him of most of his business in the empire, he still had some dealings left. A lot of Muto¡¯s wealth came from the empire. Now Lauel was telling him to scam the imperial pce and give up on dealings in the future. As Muto thought the suggestion was absurd...


    "The prize is the Overgeared Kingdom. We will leave one-third of our trade to the Muto Company.¡±


    "One-third of a kingdom¡¯s trade...¡±


    The development of the Overgeared Kingdom was ongoing. Numerous yers flocked to the Overgeared Kingdom based on Grid¡¯s absolute item production ability and Lauel¡¯s resourcefulness. In the future, the Overgeared market was likely to be the secondrgest after the empire. He was being given one-third of this market. It was an unbelievable proposal.


    "The first rank, shouldn¡¯t you take it?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Muto was visiting the empress¡¯ pce. He recalled the meeting with Lauel two days ago and took a deep breath, calming his mind.


    ¡¯This is the sky...an opportunity from the sky Grid. Do well Muto.¡¯


    Daring to scam the empire. He was crossing a river that he couldn¡¯t turn back from. Muto¡¯s hands shook from the tension and he swallowed cold water several times.


    But.


    "Did the sun rise in the west today? Sir Muto ising to see me first, not His Majesty?¡±


    After a 30 minute wait, Muto¡¯s trembling stopped with Empress Marie appeared. It was thanks to the passive skill Merchant¡¯s Fortitude. He would never shake when facing a trading partner.


    "You¡¯re more beautiful every time I see you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet the star of the empire. It will be the glory of my family for generations.¡±


    "How can natural beauty fade? Okay. I¡¯m especially excited about the things you have brought today.¡±


    The merchants who traded with the imperial family always went to the emperor first. It was natural courtesy to give the highest priority over goods to the highest ranking person. Yet today Muto found the empress first, not the emperor. There was clearly a reason, but Marie couldn¡¯t help feeling good about it. It felt like she was being treated as superior to the emperor.


    ¡®The atmosphere isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Unlike her mild appearance, Empress Marie was a fickle and violent woman. Muto was relieved that she was in a good mood and signalled to his subordinates.


    "Isn¡¯t the material amazing?¡±


    Empress Marie checked the items on disy and was interested in two ornaments. They were a splendid chandelier and mobile made of a matte ck metal.


    "The ce where the candles will be set are made to resemble the imperial chrysanthemum? When it¡¯s lit up, you can see the red-colored tulip.¡±


    "The light prates evenly into the matte frame.


    "I like this. It feels elegant.¡±


    "Indeed, the empress has a discerning vision.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a falsepliment. Muto sincerely admired her. Before listening to the description of the product, the empress recognized them as special products.


    "I don¡¯t know. What material is it made of?¡±


    Marie was one of the world¡¯s leading authorities on gold and silver valuables. Due to her high position, the best items on the continent were gathered near her. Therefore, she had high insight and a lot of knowledge. But this was the first time she saw the matte ck metal that made up the chandelier and mobile. She couldn¡¯t understand no matter how many times she touched it.


    Now it was time to drive in the wedge. Muto gave a meaningful smile and exined, ¡°It is a mineral from a dragonir.¡±


    "What? D-Dragonir?¡±


    Marie doubted her ears. Humans managed to enter the nest of a dragon and obtain minerals? Hermon sense told her it was impossible.


    Muto gave her confidence. ¡°It¡¯s a mineral from their of the insane dragon Nevartan."


    ¡°Nevartan...¡±


    Nevartan wentpletely crazy for some reason and was wandering around the world. Nevartan¡¯sir would be empty. It would be a big hit for the person who found it.


    "Check it out.¡±


    The convinced Empress Marie ordered the various experts standing behind her and they started to look closely at the chandelier and mobile. They came up with an answer in minutes.


    "I don¡¯t know if it is a mineral from a dragonir, but it¡¯s definitely a mineral I have never seen before.¡±


    "The workmanship of the mineral is also excellent. It¡¯s at least a craftsman level. However, the biggest w is the craftsmanship. It isn¡¯t a masterpiece because it isn¡¯t in harmony.¡±


    "But it¡¯s sufficient to be worth a lot.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I like this. I¡¯ll buy two of them.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Marie decided after hearing the opinions of the experts, only for Muto to be embarrassed. Marie frowned.


    ¡°What is it?


    "T-That...with all due respect, I was going to show one of these to His Majesty. It is polite to show the emperor such a special thing...¡±


    ¡°Look Sir Muto.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Get rid of the unnecessary acting. Didn¡¯t you bring these things to me first because you knew I would pay a higher price? I¡¯ll buy them. Don¡¯t worry. I will give one of them to His Majesty as a gift.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re truly amazing.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut.¡±


    There were few rare objects in the world. The emperor would be greatly pleased when the empress gave him one of these item as a gift.


    ¡¯Sometimes I need to be charming to make him shed some suspicions.¡¯


    The empire was currently divided into two factions between the emperor and the empress. But the rtionship between the emperor and Marie was good. The emperor tried to believe in Marie. The emperor recognized Marie¡¯s faction as the faction of 4th Prince Edan. Marie didn¡¯t make her own faction, but the people who wanted to put her son Edan on the throne were gathering by Marie¡¯s side. Empress Marie had been acting as a naive woman towards the emperor for decades.


    "Now, this price should be enough?¡±


    [You have received 580,000 gold as the transaction price for the Insane Dragon Iron Chandelier.]


    [You have received 190,000 gold as the transaction price for the Insane Dragon Iron Mobile.]


    Thanks to the merchant¡¯s passive skills Advanced Trading and Bargaining, as well as the products made from the insane dragon iron, Muto earned a huge amount of money. It was a huge benefit even if he had to return half of the profit to the Overgeared Kingdom ording to the contract.


    Muto smiled and bowed to the empress.


    "I am thankful every time Your Majesty deals with a poor merchant like me.¡±


    A huge chandelier and a mobile with sharp leaves. They would be ced on the ceiling of the office and in the bedroom of the emperor and empress The moment they failed to hold the weight and crashed down one monthter, the empire would be in great turmoil.


    Merchant Muto perfectly fulfilled his mission.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡±


    The convoy transporting 100 tons of wheat and potatoes and Overgeared King Grid arrived at Titan. His spirit disappeared as he gazed at the endless walls in front of him. He lost motivation when he witnessed the overwhelming scale of Titan, which made Reinhardt look shabby.


    Grid weakly thought that it would be better if he avoided fighting with the empire forever. But he quickly got rid of this thought.


    ¡®I will be swallowed up if I shrink back.¡¯


    The growth rate of the empire was much faster than the growth rate of the Overgeared Kingdom. He had to fight and take things away from them, otherwise he would end up losing.


    ¡®I have to swallow them first before I lose.¡¯


    Surururuk!


    Grid and the convoy moved along the shadows of the huge walls hanging over them. Kasim¡¯s shadow soldiers were putting needles in the walls. Not a single one of the soldiers watching Grid¡¯s procession noticed anything suspicious.


    ¡®There is only one chance.¡¯


    Grid calcted that it would be in one month. The chandelier crashing would threaten the emperor and empress, while Titan¡¯s walls, which stood for hundreds of years, would copse. This would confuse the entire empire. That was his chance. Grid and the elites of the Overgeared Guild would infiltrate the imperial pce and kill all members of Immortal.


    They would tell Immortal that nowhere in the world was safe. This was the goal of his long-term n.


    ¡®I will make them feel fear and regret every night.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes zed as he thought about Veradin and Agnus. After a while, he entered through the gates.


    "Overgeared King Grid is entering!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    ¡°King Grid, wee!¡±


    "Wee to the Saharan Empire!¡±


    Baam baam!Baambabababa!


    The empire¡¯s soldiers and people warmly weed him. Flowers bloomed all over Titan and the cheerful music helped the atmosphere. The reporters from various stations ryed the situation in a loud voice.


    ¡º In history, the Saharan Empire has only received one formal guest. The first andst time was when they weed Prince Rajandra of the Lubana Kingdom. ¡»


    ¡º The empire is more ustomed to domination than diplomatic rtionships. From the point of view of the empire that controls all kingdoms on the continent, they don¡¯t recognize anyone as a VIP guest. ¡»


    ¡º I now have respect for Grid who is treated as an honored guest by the empire. ¡»


    Grid was treated as a honored guest of the empire for the first time since Prince Rajandra handed Undefeated King Hamad¡¯s head over to the empire. The people of the world were thrilled to realize that Grid was a much greater person than they thought. The same was true for Grid.


    ¡¯These formalities are for me.¡¯


    He really would¡¯ve been shamed if he came with bare hands. Grid waved to the people with a dignified expression. It wasn¡¯t just due to his high dignity stat. Grid was familiar with big events so he could look natural. This was the power of experience.


    ¡®Your Majesty, I have been looking through the pce with shadow movements and I think you should be nervous.¡¯ He heard Kasim¡¯s voice. ¡®It seems that most of the powers of the empire are gathered here in Titan. I have detected at least 10 people in the pce who are more powerful than me.¡¯


    "Can they read you?¡±


    ¡®Probably.¡¯


    Kasim had previously been detected by Duke Steim¡¯s knight, Laden. It was highly likely that his stealth wouldn¡¯t work against real geniuses or high-ranking officials.


    "Don¡¯t enter the imperial pce.¡±


    It would be bad if he was caught bringing an assassin into the ce where the emperor was. Especially if Kasim¡¯s appearance was exposed. Kasim was thest survivor of the Nero, which had been destroyed by the empire. His appearance was very noticeable.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    Gridughed at Kasim¡¯s hesitance.


    "It¡¯s fine because I have the Knights Summoning.¡±


    He could summon any of the elites of Overgeared, as well as Kasim, Piaro, and Asmophel. He had already put them on standby just in case.


    ¡°Sigh. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    What would the owner of the strongest forces and his nearest aides be like? Grid hung the Great Lord¡¯s Sword at his waist and entered the pce. At that moment.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    The effect of the Hero King that responded to Sword Saint Kraugel was activated, causing Grid¡¯s fighting energy to rise. It was because he encountered Mercedes, the 1st Knight guarding the entrance. Mercedes nodded slightly as she discovered Grid.


    [Mercedes¡¯ deep eyes have looked at you.]


    [Some of your stats and skills are forcibly revealed to Mercedes.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [Mercedes¡¯ sharp sword energy threatens you. The strong pressure makes your mind and body shrink. All speeds are reduced by 30% and skill casting speed is reduced by 20%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Reflecting the status has failed.]


    Grid had experienced this in the past. But Mercedes was the one feeling surprised, not Grid.


    ¡°You...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you saw.¡±


    Tak.


    Grid ced a hand on the stunned Mercedes¡¯ shoulder and gripped hard.


    "Next time, please bow your head a bit deeper. How can a knight dare to look a king in the eyes?¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    This was the person who had been kneeling in front of her a few months ago? Mercedes¡¯ beautiful faced wrinkled while Grid entered the hall behind her.


    At the same time.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [You have discovered a strong person...]


    [You have discovered a strong...]


    ...


    ...


    The notification windows kept rising.

 Chapter 783

    Chill.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There were 30 pirs on each side in intervals of four meters. Grid was overwhelmed because the size of the great hall, which was just the tip of the pce, was bigger than he imagined. He felt helpless since the kingdom he and his colleagues worked so hard to build was just a speck of dust in front of the empire.


    But the source of the alienation and fear that Grid currently felt wasn¡¯t the great hall. Grid gulped and cautiously moved. At the far end of the hall, a person on the throne was watching Grid.


    Step, step, step...


    As he stepped forward, Grid¡¯s fighting energy responded to this ¡®era¡¯s powerhouse¡¯ and the color deepened. Some people observed the purple red glow with interest, some people looked upset, and some people didn¡¯t notice.


    In the silence.


    "Overgeared King Grid greets Your Majesty the Emperor.¡±


    Grid reached the stairs of the stage where the throne stood and bowed his head. He knelt on one knee and bowed politely. Emperor Juander. The greatest power of this age. Numerous people and a huge army that covered thend followed him. Grid didn¡¯t disagree that he was the master of the continent. Juander might be a present and future enemy, but Grid couldn¡¯t skip the courtesies. The bitter des were hidden behind his back.


    ¡°You truly are the Hero King.¡± He seemed to have natural white hair. The emperor¡¯s white hair was shining, unlike the usual hair that elderly people had. "King of the Overgeared Kingdom, I sincerely wee you to the empire. I will greet you. I am the emperor.¡±


    Was a long introduction needed? The word emperor meant he was already the master of heaven and earth. Juander wasn¡¯t arrogant, but being the emperor was a huge position.


    Chill.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid knew immediately after entering the hall. Grid realized why there was a chill down his spine and realized why he felt fear. Was it due to the lines of strong people on the left and right? No. The direct source of this huge fear was the emperor.


    ¡®...Thest boss?¡¯


    It was impossible to observe the emperor using the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eyes or Character Observation. The difference in levels was too great. But Grid¡¯s high insight told him that the emperor was strong. Grid couldn¡¯t overlook him!


    ¡¯Isn¡¯t this beyond expectations?¡¯


    As mentioned several times before, an NPC¡¯s strength was often proportional to their status. In particr, those representing a nation or n were really great. The water n and the evil eyes were good examples. How strong was the emperor, the master of the continent?


    Grid expected that the emperor wouldn¡¯t be easy. But he didn¡¯t know it would be this much.


    ¡®Legendary level...¡¯


    The system might make the ¡®emperor¡¯ equivalent to a ¡®legend.¡¯ It was natural when thinking about it. Wouldn¡¯t the founder of the empire be a myth? The royal pedigree was special.


    "Yes, did you like the wee?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than I deserve. I¡¯m d that you were willing to ept my sudden request for a visit.¡±


    ¡°It might be temporary, but we are allies. It¡¯s only natural for me and my people to respect you. Just as you were just polite to me.¡±


    The words were full of hidden meaning. The emperor was smiling with a good face, but no favor could be found in the grey eyes that seemed like a beast.


    "Yes, what¡¯s the reason that you came to find me right now?¡± The puzzled emperor watched Grid.


    "I came to say thank you to Your Majesty, who gave us the mercy of a truce.¡±


    "Mercy of a truce...¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes twitched. What was the reason for the empire first offering a truce to the Overgeared Kingdom? When the empire was about to invade Valha, therge army of the Overgeared Kingdom gathered on the border of the empire.


    That¡¯s right. The emperor didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the empire had folded before the Overgeared Kingdom. The empire, which had always one-sidedly trampled on foreign countries, was forced to be diplomatic for the first time. This was a painful shame to the empire. If possible, Juander didn¡¯t want to be reminded of it again and hoped it would be erased from the empire¡¯s history.


    Now this person brought up the empire¡¯s embarrassment. Grid didn¡¯t have such intentions, but the emperor misunderstood it.


    ¡®This son of a bitch dares?¡¯


    Punching King Rigal. One of the empire¡¯s seven dukes and captain of the air force. He lead a squad of 500 griffons and 300 wyverns. Rigal also led an army of 100,000 to 1,000,000 troops and had tremendous pride in himself and the empire. Rigal couldn¡¯t forgive Grid for ignoring the empire and suddenly iming to be a king.


    Rachel, another duke who had been looking at Grid¡¯s fighting energy from the beginning, calmed him down.


    "The other person is an honored guest. Don¡¯t get caught by his provocation. Will you cause international embarrassment just because you can¡¯t suppress your anger? Well, I don¡¯t know if that was really a provocation. Kukuk!¡±


    Rachel was a descendant of Dehakel, a meritorious retainer at the founding of the empire and a legendary spearman. She used a spear and was thepetitor to Kirinus, the best spearman on the continent. The Twilight Spearsmanship that she raised in a war made herparable to the Red Knights.


    Grid felt the atmosphere and inwardly grumbled.


    ¡®They came here to greet me, only to not say hello.¡¯


    It was nasty. But what could he do? They were powerhouses and Grid was weak. He must endure any treatment that he received. For now.


    [Rigal]


    Level: 439


    upation: Rider


    Stats: ????


    Skills: ????


    [Rachel]


    Level: 475


    upation: Spearman


    Stats: ????


    Skills: ????


    ¡®Are they the Five Pirs?¡¯


    Grid was confirming the information of these strangers when a new voice was heard in his ears.


    ¡°Did you reallye up this way just to say thank you?¡±


    Even the emperor treated Grid as a king, yet the owner of the voice ignored all his titles. Grid and the emperor frowned at the rudeness.


    "Reinhardt was recently attacked by the organization called Immortal?¡±


    The information of the person starting an argument appeared in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    [Limit]


    Level: 468


    upation: Sword Duke


    Stats: ???


    Skills: ???


    The master of the Red Knights and the best swordsman in the empire. Grid had also heard of Sword Duke Limit. Limit ignored the unhappy Grid and the emperor and kept on talking.


    "The organization called Immortal is now here in Titan. The real reason you came to the empire is to hunt them... Can I say that?¡±


    ¡°Coming here to hunt Immortal?¡±


    The empire might be a bigger nation than the Overgeared Kingdom, but Limit was a duke and Grid was a king. Whatever the truth, it was basic courtesy to at least outwardly treat him as a king. Yet Limit didn¡¯t show any manners towards Grid. It felt like the entire Overgeared Kingdom was being ignored. A smile appeared on Limit¡¯s face as he saw the fighting energy of the angry Grid.


    ¡¯Yes, reveal it.¡¯


    There were few people who liked the exchange between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. Emperor Juander requested a truce with a small kingdom. He was called the most ipetent of all the emperors. What if at this time, Grid showed hostility to Limit, the representative of the nobles?


    Limit¡¯s loyalty to the emperor would weaken and he could turn to the empress. That¡¯s right. Limit¡¯s provocation towards Grid had a clear purpose. At this moment, Grid was on the verge of being provoked.


    Grid¡¯s agitation was an ideal situation. Juander would be a pathetic man ignored by the king of a small kingdom while Limit, the leader of the empress¡¯ faction, would suppress this king. As soon as such rumors spread, the position of the empress would be much bigger than before.


    Limit was looking forward to it.


    "...If I visited the empire¡¯s capital for such a reason, things would be much more enjoyable than they are now. I would be able to punish them with my own hand. But isn¡¯t it a pity? I didn¡¯t know that those viins were hiding here until now.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t fall for Limit¡¯s provocations. Reaching the top spot among two billion users made him more prudent and wise.


    ¡°But it¡¯s strange. Duke Limit, how do you know about Immortal? Are you the one who sent Immortal to the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t just suppressing his anger. He returned the provocation to Limit in another form. ying one side against the other.


    "Are you dissatisfied with the armistice agreement that His Majesty made? That¡¯s why you attacked the Overgeared Kingdom while breaking the armistice agreement that HIs Majesty made himself?¡±


    Grid highlighted ¡®His Majesty¡¯ several times. It was to push Limit as going against the will of the emperor.


    ¡¯Of course, it won¡¯t work.¡¯


    Grid was the emperor¡¯s enemy and would be an enemy any time in the future. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for the emperor to see that Grid was ying one side against him. Grid was ying one side against the other and Limit was doing the same. But surprisingly, the emperor fell for it. He didn¡¯t think it was ridiculous. The problem was that Limit was in the empress¡¯ faction. In particr, the emperor had frequently disciplined Limit and the Red Knights recently. The emperor believed that it wouldn¡¯t be unusual for Limit to have a grudge against him and for Limit to be behind the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s invasion.


    But he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. It was impossible to doubt a servant in front of Grid.


    "The situation has be noisy. Let¡¯s enjoy dinner.¡±


    The emperor tried to calm things down as much as possible.


    After that.


    ¡®What can I do about the low level of the nonbat sses?¡¯


    Grid was floored when he confirmed the names and level of the supporters attending the dinner. The average level of the powerhouses of the empire was higher than Piaro. The problem was that Piaro had a farmer ss. The power of the empire was a huge pressure and Grid felt anxious about the uncertain future. But there was a person even more nervous than him.


    ¡¯That Grid...¡¯


    It was the beautiful woman who gave off an icy feeling, Mercedes. The owner of this beauty, the First Knight couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Grid. It was obvious vignce. Mercedes was afraid of Grid. It was because her inborn insight at understanding the talent and potential of the target couldn¡¯t measure Grid correctly. There was an unknown feeling in the shoulder that Grid had touched an hour before. It was the first time she felt like this, causing Mercedes to feel greater confusion.


    "He isn¡¯t insignificant.¡±


    Sword Duke Limit came to her side and whispered, "Hit Grid.¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to kill him yourself. Just tell Grid that the empire ordered you to strike at him.¡±


    "You want to make it clear that the empire is attacking an honored guest? Can I ask why?¡±


    "The intention is for Grid to break the armistice first. What would happen if the armistice agreement that His Majesty made was one-sidedly destroyed by the other party? It will be an absolute disgrace. His political position will fall to an extent that can¡¯t be imagined.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Limit was a person conflicted between the temptation of the empress and his loyalty to the emperor. Now he seemed to be firmly entrenched next to the empress. The emperor¡¯s actions of keeping the Red Knights in check had brought about the worst result.


    Limit whispered to the sad Mercedes. "The empress will give troops to support you. They¡¯re good necromancers. Strike at Grid when he¡¯s returning to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "...I understand."


    Was this right? Mercedes was certain that it wasn¡¯t right. All knights were loyal to their master. It was the knight¡¯s fate to remain faithful even if they didn¡¯t like what their master was doing. Mercedes felt like she was being denied her very existence.


    Mercedes bit her lips until blood flowed as she looked between the emperor and Grid. At the same time, in Empress Marie¡¯s pce.


    ¡°This is a great opportunity. We¡¯ll show Grid.¡±


    Veradin, the mastermind between Limit joining with the empress, convened the elites of Immortal.

 Chapter 784

    "This is also okay.¡±


    Emperor Juander¡¯s face was satisfied as he tasted the fooding out in turn. The other officials were the same. The imperial cuisine, which reinterpreted the food culture throughout the continent, was originally famous for its taste. But it tasted especially good today. The imperials chefs seemed to be at their best since an honored guest was visiting.


    ¡®Huhuhut, that hillbilly will be shocked by the taste.¡¯


    Punching King Rigal watched Grid¡¯s response. The specialty of the Overgeared Kingdom was potatoes? Rigal wanted to see what type of response the king of a country that ate only pig food would show to the food of the great empire. It was as he expected.


    "The food tastes good. In particr, the food made from flour are excellent.¡±


    Grid¡¯s reaction was as Rigal expected. He admired and praised the food. The Saharan Empire was truly the best in every way. Grid¡¯s admiration made the emperor feel good. Rigal confirmed the smile on the emperor¡¯s face and quickly pped his hands. The chef soon came running.


    "Y-You called me.¡±


    Being called to the emperor¡¯s presence? The head chef was full of fear. He was worried he had made a mistake and angered the emperor.


    Rigal spoke to the sweating chef. "Exin the food to our honored guest. I¡¯m sure there are a lot of foods he doesn¡¯t know. Shouldn¡¯t you take care of this part?"


    Every dish had history and background. Knowing it made eating the food more delicious. Rigal had this logic but in reality, he was treating Grid as a hillbilly. The contempt in his eyes was clear when he looked at Grid. But Grid didn¡¯t flinch back when facing him. He smiled calmly and enjoyed the situation.


    "Thank you for the favor, Sir Rigal.¡±


    ¡°Of course...¡±


    Rigal was surprised by Grid¡¯s gratitude.


    ¡®You still haven¡¯t noticed.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t even know he was being made fun of. There was a teasing taste. Rachel shook her head at Rigal and made an insidious remark.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a child. You¡¯re bothering a weak person.¡±


    "You are the one saying this? When I recall the memories of being bullied by you as a child, I still jump up in my sleep.¡±


    The two of them had been close since childhood due to the connection between their families. The friendly atmosphere caused by their memories didn¡¯tst long.


    "As the Overgeared King may already know, all of today¡¯s dishes are cooked using the wheat of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "...!"


    ¡°...?¡±


    The head chef¡¯s unexpected words caused the people watching the situation pleasantly to feel surprise and the emperor frowned. Grid was still smiling.


    ¡°Indeed, it was like this. Somehow the taste of the wheat dishes were particr good. It was because you used the wheat produced in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You already know. Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m grateful for your gift of the best wheat on the continent.¡±


    The head chef was just a chef. He was ignorant about political things. He recognized Grid as a precious guest of the emperor and was able to purely praise the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s wheat. It was unfortunate. The chef might lose his job today. Grid looked at Rigal¡¯s dark expression and wanted to sneer.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t it.¡¯


    Arge-hearted person was better than an childish one. Grid acted wisely as he was reminded that he was representing the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°You are surely the head chef of the imperial family if you can recognize the value of our wheat. I¡¯m happy that a chef like you can make wonderful food for His Majesty the Emperor every day. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    "Y-You¡¯re overpraising me."


    The head chef was thrilled by the praise and bowed, while the unpleasant looking emperor ended up smiling. He liked Grid¡¯s consideration.


    ¡°The Overgeared King is right. I am happy because I have a chef who can make such wonderful food with good ingredients. Now is the time to bring out the 1,000 year old wine. Take a ss.¡±


    "Yes, Your Majesty!"


    Thanks to Grid, the atmosphere of the dinner party became rxed again. The emperor, Grid, and the officials enjoyed the moment as they drank from their sses. The emperor was delighted and they all had to hide what they were feeling inside.


    ¡®Tsk.¡¯


    In a corner of the venue, Limit chewed his food with a sour expression and stood up. He was heading to the empress¡¯ pce.


    ***


    ¡°He has been through many hardships.¡±


    Limit evaluated Grid.


    "His ability to read the situation is excellent. He¡¯s a wise man who knows how to control himself and isn¡¯t easily provoked. He also takes advantage of the opponent¡¯s provocation.¡±


    Marie showed interest as she listened to the story while staring at her nails.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it surprising? I thought he was a simple and violent character who purely swallowed up a kingdom with force."


    ¡°I also thought the same but...it looks like he is a natural born politician.¡±


    The expression of ¡®natural born¡¯ wasn¡¯t suitable for Grid. Grid was originally a personcking in every way. But Limit didn¡¯t know this. Like Limit said, the Grid who Limit met today was the Grid that had gone through countless hardships. It was a Grid who had already grown. Limit was forced to appreciate him.


    "As Veradin said, he¡¯s a formidable opponent.¡±


    Veradin. One day, he suddenly appeared and got the favor of Empress Marie. Limit had been suspicious, but he was forced to acknowledge Veradin.


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. We must strike Grid as nned today and make Grid go against the emperor. I will tell the Red Knights.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will send Immortal. Please finish it well.¡±


    A smile appeared on Marie¡¯s face as she nodded. The fact that she had just been the daughter of her family and could now give orders to the duke of the empire gave her great joy. What would she feel like when she ced her son on the highest position and held more power? She got goosebumps just imagining it.


    ***


    -What type of person is the emperor?


    The outskirts of Titan. As Grid moved away from the cheering crowds, Kasim asked from the shadows.


    ¡®Despite the fact that the emperor was known as a tyrant, he was surprisingly ordinary. He might be a good ruler.¡¯ Grid thought, but he remained silent. For Kasim, Emperor Juander was a hated person who he couldn¡¯t afford to kill.


    In the end, Grid replied casually, "The emperor, well, he is the emperor. He was unbelievably arrogant. "


    -...You are deepening.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -Unlike the past, you are speaking very carefully.


    Kasim had been observing Grid since before Lord was born. It meant he knew Grid when he was immature. Kasim watched Grid¡¯s growth in real time and he saw that the current Grid was reaching the end of his growth.


    -You don¡¯t have to worry about me.I would like to hear your honest opinion.What type of person is the emperor?


    Kasim repeated the question and Grid replied.


    "He wasn¡¯t as selfish as I expected.¡±


    The master of the continent. It wasn¡¯t strange if the person who aplished such a thing was violent, brutal, and selfish. However, the emperor that Grid met was more careful and respectful than expected. It was a shameful story but the current emperor was better than Grid when he was just grasping his power.


    "He surprisingly has plenty of friends.¡±


    -...


    ¡°But that is the individual called Juander.¡±


    Grid knew.


    "As the emperor, he¡¯s as ferocious and selfish as we thought.¡±


    History proved this fact. Wasn¡¯t he the emperor who conquered and wiped out many lives in the name of the emperor?


    "Eventually, we will fight. The emperor will remain an object of hatred forever. You don¡¯t have to worry. Just dream of revenge.¡±


    The driving force behind Kasim was revenge on the empire. The more he dreamt of revenge, the more he developed. Grid naturally wanted Kasim to develop.


    "Today I didn¡¯t see any of the Five Pirs. There were only seven dukes and the knights. But I mistook them for the Five Pirs.¡±


    It meant that everyone was strong. He could imagine how much stronger the Five Pirs were. He easily escaped Kyle the other day due to Braham and Mumud¡¯s pincer attack. But without Braham, both Grid and the Ares Army would be in danger.


    ¡°Be stronger, Kasim.¡±


    -Yes, Your Majesty.


    Grid had already achieved his dream of being the best. The current Grid couldn¡¯t be ignored by anyone and was an object of envy. However, this was in reality. In the gigantic world of Satisfy, Grid was still weak and he had an obligation to protect his precious people. Strength, more strength was needed.


    tter, tter.


    Grid¡¯s carriage slowly moved through the dark forest. It was a speed keeping in mind the soldiers and transport convoy followed them. It was also because of Grid¡¯s order. Overgeared King Grid was growing into a wise king.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Deep in the forest.


    Veradin saw the carriage slowly approaching in the distance.


    "Human choices and behavior are based on a desire forpensation. Humans do things because they want something. Let¡¯s take the example of libido. For what reason do people feel sexual desire? The pleasure ispensation for breeding. It¡¯s proof thatpensation is the ultimate need.¡±


    There was a smile on Veradin¡¯s normally expressionless face.


    "Thepensation dominating Grid is a desire to be respected. As a person who has been despised for most of his life, he tends to be extremely obsessed with the evaluation of others. He dreams that everyone in the world will acknowledge and respect him. It¡¯s a desire to be acknowledged by the soldiers, not consideration for the soldiers, that is behind Grid¡¯s hypocritical act of slowing the carriage.¡±


    Grid was a lump of pretenses. He was a man who was always bluffing. Due to this, he became more attached to revenge. He was afraid that the world would ignore him again if he didn¡¯t get revenge for the damage inflicted on him. In fact, Grid was nning a revenge y that went beyond Veradin¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°A simple human.¡±


    Veradin¡¯s face showed no motivation as he looked at Grid¡¯s gradually approaching carriage. People like Grid were so prevalent in the world that Veradin couldn¡¯t be interested in Grid. Then what about Agnus? Agnus was filled with a desire topensate for his ¡®loss.¡¯ He was a very unusual case. Veradin wanted to observe him longer. In order to stay near Agnus, it was necessary to restore their rtionship.


    "The means of recovery...¡±


    Veradin held the Ghost¡¯s Ne in his hand and started to infuse magic power into it.


    "Grid, you are holding it. Now die. And burn with a stronger vengeance.¡±


    Direct the grudge towards Agnus and stir up Agnus¡¯ madness. Once Agnus was in a stage of oblivion, he would be forced to rely on Veradin again.


    ¡°Summon, Death Knight.¡±


    Kuwaaah...


    Kyleo, the one who drove Khan to death, responded to Veradin¡¯smand and raised his body from the ground. Hundreds of skeleton knights and skeleton mages had already surrounded Grid¡¯s carriage.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t right.¡¯


    The First Knight watching the scene, Mercedes¡¯ eyes shook.

 Chapter 785

    Screech.Screech.Screech...


    tter.tter.


    Screech...


    As the carriage containing Grid entered deep into the forest, the cries of the beasts subsided. The only sounds that could be heard in the silent forest were the wheels of the carriage and the footsteps of the soldiers.


    ¡°Monster?¡±


    The birds and beasts hiding was a sign that monsters would appear. Grid naturally knew suchmon sense.


    Kasim replied to Grid.


    -Monsters can¡¯t pop up on a forest that the people of Titan often use.


    -It¡¯s people.


    -There are many people hiding in the area.


    Kasim¡¯s shadows spread out in the forest that was filled with darkness. Kasim reported back.


    -The enemy.There are more than 300 of them.


    ¡°Thieves?¡±


    -No.They¡¯re the people who attacked Khan.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Immortal! The nonchnt looking Grid rose from his seat. His face distorted like a demon as he opened the door of the carriage.


    Kuweeeeeoh!


    Kwaaaaah!


    ck!ck ck!


    The ground shook as hundreds of red lights appeared in the bushes. As the dark clouds covering the full moon were lifted, the blue moonlight shone onto the forest and revealed hundreds of unsightly skeletons. It was arge undead army. The vanguard contained skeleton knights while the skeleton mages were in the rear.


    "Build up a stronger sense of revenge.¡±


    From far away, a sweet voice was heard in the rear of the undead army. Grid jumped out of the carriage and saw the white-haired young man.


    ¡°Veradin...!¡±


    The person who made Khan¡¯sst moments filled with pain. The target of hatred that Grid killed dozens or even hundreds of times in his head!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Kasim had no time to stop him. Grid pulled out the Ideal Dagger, used Quick Movements and immediately rushed towards Veradin. He put away the Ideal Dagger and pulled out a weapon.


    ¡°Grid! Get him!"


    "Kill that bastard!¡±


    Kwaaaaah!


    The necromancers shouted excitedly as they discovered Grid and dozens of skeleton knights blocked Grid¡¯s way. They wielded huge swords and spears,pletely focused on only killing Grid.


    Kwa kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The four God Hands transformed into Lifael¡¯s Spear, inflicting catastrophic damage to evil beings and opening the way for Grid.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...!¡±


    Dozens of skeleton knights over level 250 were turned to ashes at once? The spears also moved without Grid touching them? The astonished necromancers simultaneously thought.


    ¡®The best...!¡¯


    The necromancers were reminded. The opponent they were currently trying to hunt was the one who broke the sky. Grid stormed into the middle of enemy camp and pressed the button of the Pulling Device.


    Hwiririk!


    Red and ck swords appeared in the moonlight, rotating before joining together.


    Seokeok!


    Puhahahak!


    The skeleton knights and necromancers standing in the direction of the rotation were hit. The Pulling Devicebined the two swords into one. The Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°Veradinnnnnn!¡±


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The earth shook. It felt like the forest would fly away. Grid rushed through the undead army as four spears rotated around him, reminiscent of someone breaking through the sea.


    ¡®Now he¡¯s just a monster.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s presence rose to the rank of deities. Veradin wasn¡¯t surprised because he already knew this, but Grid¡¯s presence was beyond the scope that he observed. Veradin¡¯s tension soared to the peak as Grid narrowed the distance with a fearsome expression. His legs were shaking. But Veradin had a smile on his face. It was a smile of satisfaction.


    Kwaaaaah!


    Did he believe in the four spears around him? Or was it because he lost his mind in front of his enemies. Grid was so focused on Veradin that he was unable to response to the attack of the death knight that suddenly appeared.


    Puok!


    The poisonous dagger of Kyleo pierced Grid¡¯s heart. It was an attack filled with the poison master¡¯s killing power. It gave a paralysis that couldn¡¯t be resisted to the target and simultaneously reduced the target¡¯s health by 50%. It was Kyleo¡¯s ultimate ability that had a very low chance of causing instantaneous death.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    A perfect opportunity to defeat the crazy beast! After confirming that Grid was trapped, Veradin shouted and the skeleton mages simultaneously chanted a prepared spell.


    ¡®I got him!¡¯


    47 skeleton mages used magic at the same time. Veradin was convinced when he saw the explosive magic power. He had no doubt that Grid would receive huge damage from the magic bombardment and enter the immortality state. That¡¯s right. In the midst of the urgent situation, Veradin hadn¡¯t confirmed it yet.


    [Death Knight Kyleo has returned to an inactive state.]


    [The target didn¡¯t receive any damage.]


    [The target has resisted the absolute paralysis and poison.]


    These notification windows!


    "What?¡±


    Veradin¡¯s face was dismayed as he btedly checked the notification windows. Veradin couldn¡¯t understand it. Kyleo¡¯s dagger had clearly stabbed Grid¡¯s heart. Veradin had seen it with his own eyes. Yet the attack was for nothing? Grid didn¡¯t receive any damage?


    ¡°What is this...? Stop!"


    Veradin was upset that things went differently than nned and hurriedly shouted. But it was toote. The necromancersmanded their summoned skeleton mages to activate the magic.


    Huuuuuuong!


    Gravity Boom. It was advanced ck magic avable to skeleton mages over level 300. It wasmonly used as the ultimate spell of a skeleton mage. It modified the gravity of the specified area and slowed down the target, while causing an explosion. The spell was powerful but the scope was too narrow and the casting time was very long. It was even slower to deploy. It was almost impossible to hit a moving target with Gravity Boom.


    That¡¯s why...


    "M-Moving?¡±


    Grid resisted Kyleo¡¯s paralysis and poison with Khan¡¯s posthumous work Valha and avoided Gravity Boom. Grid took one step towards Veradin.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Two steps.


    Peng!Pepepepeong!


    Three steps. Every time he got closer, a senseless explosion urred behind him. As the forest became a wastnd, Grid used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, to get rid of the skeleton mages as he reached Veradin.


    ¡°This is the first time.¡± Grid¡¯s voice, full of killing intent, reached Veradin¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to die for me.¡±


    This death was just the beginning, not the end.


    Grid dered, "You will keep dying because of me over and over. I will make you suffer more pain than Khan felt.¡±


    Puk!


    Puk puk!


    Kyleo kept attacking Grid to protect his master, but it was in vain. He attacked Grid with assassination skills, which were resisted by Khan¡¯s armor.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazily overgeared.¡±


    Veradin said with a silly expression.


    "Shut your stinky mouth.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak. He swung the Enlightenment Sword. But the sword never reached Veradin¡¯s neck.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    All of a sudden, a sword flew and blocked the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°You...?¡±


    Transparent blue hair faded into the moonlight and looked like it was shedding frost. Grid was puzzled as he grasped the identity of the woman who interfered.


    ¡°Mercedes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The First Knight. The strongest sword that exercised the will of the empire. In the end, she was just a tool. She said with a sad expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    Grid¡¯s body rose in the air. It was because he was hit by Mercedes¡¯s shield that rose at an angle that couldn¡¯t be seen. It was an overwhelming ¡®charge.¡¯ Grid flew through the air and showed a defenseless appearance.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Kasim¡¯s voice was heard from behind him. Kasim and the soldiers were surrounded by several Red Knights. While Grid was blinded by Veradin, Kasim and the soldiers were also fighting.


    ¡°Shadow Move...!¡±


    Kasim attempted to save Grid. However, his range of movements were greatly reduced due to the moonlight swallowing up the darkness. He couldn¡¯t move long distances and was caught from behind by the Red Knights.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Kasim...!¡±


    Grid knew who Kasim was. Lord¡¯s mentor, friend, and family. It was Kasim who filled the vacant position of ¡®father¡¯ for Lord. Yes, Kasim was like Khan to Lord.


    "No...!!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t lose Kasim. Grid forgot the enemies in front of his eyes as he fully focused on Kasim. Grid used Fly and flew to Kasim to save him from the Red Knights. No, he tried to fly there. Mercedes was the problem.


    Chaaeng!Chaeeeeeng!


    She unleashed her sword at the fastest speed that matched Kraugel and pressed Grid. Mercedes avoided the God Hands swinging Mjolnir after the duration of Item Transformation ended and blocked Grid¡¯s way. Grid¡¯s confusion disappeared and was reced with anger.


    ¡°You dog...! The emperor...! The emperor ordered you?!!¡±


    The emperor sent Grid off with a smile only to hit him in the back of the head? Mercedes couldn¡¯t carelessly reply to Grid.


    Veradin¡¯s voice filled the silence instead. ¡°If you¡¯re smart then you should¡¯ve thought about it. Do you think I could attack you without any insurance?¡±


    He believed in the strength of the Red Knights and the full moon. Veradin¡¯s n was perfect. Now the only thing left was to kill Overgeared King Grid and announce it. The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s wrath would grow bigger and Immortal¡¯s reputation would naturally rise. Agnus would no longer be able to stand by.


    Veradin smiled with satisfaction. He knew that Grid had the three heavenly kings and the Overgeared members that he could summon. But he believed there was no way to stop the 10 Red Knights that included the First Knight, even if all of them were summoned.


    ¡®Please summon your knights.¡¯


    He would kill all the people Grid relied on. The moment that Veradin was rejoicing.


    Puoook!


    Mercedes¡¯ sword, which boasted a different strength from Lorex, pierced Grid¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    This woman was truly a monster. She was equal or much better than the seven dukes of the empire. Grid coughed up blood but he wasn¡¯t worried about his life right now. He cared about Kasim¡¯s finite life.


    ¡®It¡¯s over for Kasim if I die.¡¯


    Lord would be upset. Grid didn¡¯t want his child to feel such sadness and hatred. Grid could only make one choice.


    ¡°Knight... Cough! Summoning...!¡±


    The strongest power that Grid relied on. The only one with the power to achieve Grid¡¯s desire!


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The name buried deep in her chest. Mercedes became nk as she witnessed a man appearing in a pir of light.

 Chapter 786

    <i>The pirs supporting the country. </i><i>The empire was eternal and the people would be at ease.</i>


    This was a verse of a song that was once popr throughout the empire. Great Swordsman Piaro and Splendid Swordsman Asmophel. The people of the empire gained great courage and hope when they listened to the song that praised the two heroes of the empire.


    It was the same for the young Mercedes. She had dreams of bing a knight and was raised humming the heroes¡¯ song. Mercedes overcame every hardship and trial in the hope that she could someday wear the same red armour as the two heroes. For her, the tragedy of 12 years ago was a huge shock.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The name buried deep in her chest. The moment when the name of the sinner flowed from Grid¡¯s mouth.


    sh!


    The pir of light fell and a man appeared inside. He was a middle-aged man dressed in shabby clothing and covered in dirt and sweat. He wore a straw hat on his head and he was holding a sickle and hand plow with hands covered in calluses. He looked like a farmer, but Mercedes wasn¡¯t deceived by the appearance. Despite the 12 years of misunderstanding, she recognized his identity with one nce.


    ¡°Piaro...!¡±


    Great Swordsman, Hero, Pir, Emperor¡¯s Sword, Head Teacher, Captain...


    They were all the titles that Mercedes once used for Piaro in the past. Now the best courtesy she could give Piaro was to not speak the stigma of ¡®traitor.¡¯ Piaro defended Grid from her sword and made a bittersweet expression.


    "That keen-eyed girl is now a beautiful knight.¡±


    No regrets could be found in Piaro¡¯s eyes as he recalled the past. This made Mercedes¡¯ beautiful face distort.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Why didn¡¯t he miss the past? How could he be so dignified? Why was he standing on the side of the Overgeared King? It couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°Your Majesty, are you safe?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you.¡±


    "I am here to serve.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    The empire in Piaro¡¯s heart. It hadpletely disappeared?


    ¡°Ick...!¡±


    Mercedes eyes became red without her knowing. There was a sense of struggle as she tried to hold back her tears.


    ¡°I...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Do you know how much I have been looking for you in the past 12 years?¡±


    It was hard to bear. In the end, Mercedes¡¯ tears emerged. It was because she realized that she was only an ¡®enemy¡¯ to Piaro as she watched Piaro hiding Grid behind his back.


    "Every day... I was waiting every day. For the day when you would suddenly appear, telling me that the betrayal was a false usation.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "But look at you now? My captain... Where did my captain go?!!!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ cry rang across the battlefield. Thanks to this, all the Red Knights saw Piaro.


    ¡°P-Piaro...?¡±


    "No way... Why is Piaro here...?¡±


    The chaos of battle stopped. Veradin and the Immortal members were baffled by this unexpected situation. Grid was also confused as he faced the Red Knights.


    ¡¯Why are the Red Knights reacting like this?¡¯


    Grid knew that Piaro was kicked out of the empire 10 years ago. At that time, he heard that most of the Red Knights who followed Piaro were branded as traitors and killed. As a result, Grid regarded the current Red Knights as a group that had no rtion to Piaro. Everyone else in the world was the same. Yet looking at their reactions, it seemed this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Why?


    Grid¡¯s question was resolved by Mercedes.


    "Many boys and girls dreamt of seeing you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "The young knights who devoted themselves to your teachings and gained great strength from them are now wearing red armor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "No one has ever spoken your name, but we were all missing you. If you one day appeared before us and told us that you were framed and didn¡¯t betray the empire, I wanted you toe back.¡±


    At the very least, she wanted to hold the funeral. Mercedes¡¯s sad face and shaky voice gradually calmed down. The tears flowing down her cheekspletely dried up.


    "But the traitor appeared alive before us.¡±


    The reason was because he was hiding behind the Overgeared King.


    Kwaduduk!


    Mercedes recovered from her confusion. Enormous anger filled her from the betrayal.


    "I missed you... I wanted to believe you. Now I¡¯m ashamed and embarrassed.¡±


    Surung!


    Mercedes pulled out another sword. It wasn¡¯t until the double swords were grasped with both hands that Mercedes¡¯ strength was revealed.


    "Overgeared King Grid, you have done the sin of sneaking a traitor into the empire. And the traitor... I will exterminate Piaro.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ meaning was absolute to the Red Knights. Her deration was a signal. The Red Knights, who hesitated after seeing Piaro, started attacked Kasim again. Meanwhile, Mercedes flew to Piaro and wielded her swords. Veradin and Immortal didn¡¯t miss this moment.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Immortal had been watching the strange atmosphere with unease. Now they started to act again. They summoned new undead to hit Grid¡¯s soldiers. Veradin shouted, ¡°Grid! You have to summon all your knights right now!¡±


    If he didn¡¯t want to lose the strongest farmer that the Overgeared Kingdom was proud of! Summon all the talents and lose everything in return!


    Veradin, who believed in the power of the Red Knights and smiled with joy, didn¡¯t know. Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar that took off one of Great Demon Belial¡¯s arms. It was a power that a mere yer couldn¡¯t afford.


    ¡°Piaro! How long will you y around? Are you still seeing me as a child?¡±


    Chaaeng!Chaeng!


    Mercedes spat out angrily at Piaro¡¯s clear disregard as he used his sickle and hand plow to block her swords.


    ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±


    Kuooooooh!


    A pir, or mortar, that was a size too big for humans to guess appeared in the night sky. It was gigantic enough to devour the bright moon that floated in the sky.


    Chill.


    The strong aura caused goosebumps. Mercedes and the Red Knights escaped, but the nervous Veradin and Immortal necromancers had low agility and were forced to stand in the wrong ce. Yet they didn¡¯t despair. Veradin was still smiling.


    ¡°It finally came. The legendary farmer¡¯s strongest technique.¡± Veradin had watched the Belial raid video several times. It was to grasp the power of Grid, Kraugel and the Overgeared members. In the process, he analyzed Piaro and Pounding Mortar. ¡°A wide range skill that deals physical damage in proportion to the target¡¯s maximum health?¡±


    He was certain. He believed that unless the skill dealt proportional damage, it couldn¡¯t inflict a critical wound on Belial who had millions of health. The confident Veradin signalled to Immortals top rankers. They all took out new armor.


    [The Armor of Great Weight has been equipped.]


    [Armor of Great Weight]


    Rating: Epic


    Durability: 59/59 Defense: 579


    * Increases defense in proportion to the level of the wearer (1 defense per 3 levels).


    * Reduces physical damage by 9%.


    * Movement speed is fixed at 0 and moving isn¡¯t possible.


    * Stamina is reduced by 20%.


    * Stamina will be reduced by 1 every 10 seconds.


    The armor of the Pero people that was made to endure the raids of the Saharan Empire.


    It increases the wearer¡¯s defense to the extreme. However, the armor is so heavy that wearing it is exhausting. The durability iscking because it is designed only for high defense. Wearing it for too long isn¡¯t allowed.


    Weight: 69,900


    User Restriction: Level 250 or higher.


    The worst armor that decreased stamina and made it impossible to move! However, the defensive power was high enough to exceed heavy armor.


    ¡°If we can endure this attack...!¡±


    The death of the sub-rankers who couldn¡¯t obtain such armor wasn¡¯t a concern. Veradin calcted that he and the surviving top rankers could help Mercedes destroy Grid. Veradin and the necromancers took expensive buffing potions that temporarily boosted their defense.


    Kuwaaaaaaaang!


    Pounding Mortar fell. Piaro was aiming for the necromancers from the beginning. He knew that necromancers needed to be taken out when fighting an undead army.


    "Kuahahat! Ha?¡±


    Take a step forward. After a while, kill Grid.


    Veradin and the necromancersughing like crazy couldn¡¯t even scream as they were crushed.


    [The Armor of Great Weight has been destroyed!]


    [The Armor of Great Weight has been...!]


    [The Armor of Great Weight has...!]


    ...


    ...


    The heavy weight of the falling mortar contained a power that vitedmon sense. The armor that Veradin and the necromancers believed in was destroyed and their bodies and souls disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°...¡±


    No one could open their mouths. They just gaped at the forest that disappeared. As the trees disappeared, ash-colored pirs scattered all over the night sky. The countless undead also turned to dust and returned to the ground. There was an awkward silence.


    "As long as I am alive, no one can harm my king¡¯s body.¡± Piaro dered to his confused enemies, including Mercedes. There was no trace of the old days. As Mercedes expected, Piaro recognized the Red Knights as an obvious enemy.


    Crack.


    Her heart hurt. The hero who taught her how to be a knight was a traitor aiming his sword... No, aiming his hand plow at them. It was awful. It made her wonder if a knight was such a fleeting existence. The Red Knights spoke to the pained-looked Mercedes.


    "It¡¯s dangerous with just us alone.¡±


    "If we retreat... Even Captain Limit would understand.¡±


    Right now, Mercedes was the only solo number knight present. Meanwhile, Piaro seemed stronger than he did in the past. In addition, Grid and Kasim were formidable opponents. The Red Knights judged it was impossible to beat the enemies with their current power.


    Mercedes nodded and gave amand, ¡°Okay. Everyone retreat.¡±


    "Sir Mercedes...?¡±


    "Who will guard your retreat?¡±


    What did it mean to be alive? The captain she vowed a knight¡¯s oath to was forcing her to betray, rather than be loyal to the emperor, which her former teacher who taught her about a knight¡¯s oath was already a traitor. In the end, she would rather die than be corrupted.


    Piaro smiled for the first time as he prepared for Mercedes¡¯ challenge.


    "You are the same as ever.¡±


    There were those who didn¡¯t change under any circumstances. They were the ones who had strong convictions from the start.


    "I can¡¯t break your will. Good. I will deal the end with my own hands.¡±


    Piaro was Grid¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t stand that Mercedes tried to harm Grid. He knew her talents and beliefs and decided to kill the girl he had raised as a seed. But Grid didn¡¯t allow it. It was because he witnessed the sadness in Piaro¡¯s face.


    "Piaro, do you remember how I wished for you to be happy?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...?¡±


    "Summon Knight, Asmophel.¡±


    The only key to getting rid of Piaro¡¯s bad name. The Red Knights were astonished when Grid shouted this name. Mercedes once again lost her soul.

 Chapter 787

    12 years ago, Asmophel condemned Piaro and his loyalists as traitors. The fallen hero. Yes, after Piaro¡¯s betrayal, Asmophel was no longer a hero. After destroying his most precious friend Piaro, his fellow men, and their families with his own hands, he isted himself in a mansion for many years, sinking into drugs and alcohol. It seemed like a ritual. A ritual to call death.


    "...One day, you suddenly disappeared.¡±


    He might be ruined, but a splendid swordsman was still abducted. Did he do this? Mercedes was aware of Asmophel¡¯s ability despite his inaction and wasn¡¯t convinced. Therefore, she had only one guess.


    ¡°I thought it was a self-fabricated act.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The old hero Asmophel appeared in a pir of light. Like the old days, he smiled at Mercedes with a noble and beautiful appearance.


    "I thought that you wanted to turn away from a hellish life and left the empire to escape from the protection of the Red Knights.¡±


    She was sad. The knight who died for himself, not for his master, was no longer a knight. Mercedes felt sorrow that the hero who had been an idol like Piaro had transformed into a symbol of shame and corruption.


    "Yes. I thought you were already dead.¡±


    However.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive. And you¡¯re by the traitor Piaro¡¯s side.¡± Mercedes gripped her two swords with great strength. Blood was flowing down her hands as she started to tremble. "You were once a hero, yet you betrayed your country and your emperor to be with your friend?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The key to resolving the misunderstanding just made things worse. But Grid wasn¡¯t worried. He knew that Asmophel would release the misconceptions as soon as he spoke.


    ¡°Mercedes, there are a few things to keep in mind.¡±


    After responding to Grid¡¯s call, the silent Asmophel finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°The first one. The Red Knights didn¡¯t protect me, they watched me. You know the Fourth Knight, right?¡±


    The Fourth Knight was different from the other Red Knights. It wasn¡¯t a position appointed by the emperor but one handed down.


    "The Fourth Knight, a position designed to protect the Red Knights, became corrupted. It¡¯s my guess that the Fourth Knight is closely rted to the Yatan Church. Dive, the one closest to Marie, was a ck magician... In fact, he was Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant and the subordinate of the Fourth Knight. The Red Knights who watched under the pretext of protection were the Fourth Knight¡¯s men.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was an unbelievable story. The problem was that he imed the person closest to the empress was a Yatan Servant. Didn¡¯t this mean that Empress Marie was rted to the evil Yatan Church? Mercedes and the Red Knights didn¡¯t believe Asmophel.


    "The empress can¡¯t be just anyone. The imperial family thoroughly investigated their origins and only wee the cleanest women. How can the empress be rted to the Yatan Church?¡±


    "At first she was a clean girl. But the empress could no longer be clean the moment she was filled with the ambition to ce her son on the throne. She held hands with the evil forces that serve the great demons. Humans are weak creatures to temptation.¡± Asmophel¡¯s expression was exhausted. ¡°I¡¯m also a weak creature of temptation.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "I fell for Marie¡¯s beauty. I had a rtionship with her.¡±


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Asmophel didn¡¯t use the excuse that his mental state had been weakened by the Yatan essence and that he was brainwashed. It was because of his feelings of inferiority toward Piaro that there was a gap in his mind for Yatan¡¯s essence to affect. It was his own fault in the first ce.


    "That¡¯s right. I had lost the qualification to be a knight from the beginning. I betrayed my country and the emperor. Piaro was purely a victim.¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s heart was shattered and his soul filled with shame every time he reminded himself of his sin. His guilt towards Piaro and his country was endlessly deep, like the depths of hell.


    ¡°That¡¯s right... I¡¯m the one who betrayed the emperor, not Piaro and the Red Knights."


    He didn¡¯t even deserve tears. Asmophel¡¯s eyes were bloodshot when he thought about it.


    "I only wanted to cover up my sin... For my own sake, I framed my friends andrades, murdering their families and lovers.¡±


    It was a terrible sinmitted under the name of punishment. Asmophel¡¯s body trembled with pain, sorrow, and anger towards himself. But Asmophel didn¡¯t stop speaking. It was in order to reveal the hidden truth to the world. This was the only reason why Asmophel was currently living.


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    Piaro, who had already forgiven Asmophel, tried to stop him. However, it was useless. Asmophel didn¡¯t stop. His trembling voice filled the ears of Mercedes and the Red Knights.


    "The knight of the empire, the hero who you once admired and loved is still alive. Please get rid of all misconceptions about him and pour the hate and me onto me."


    ¡°...¡±


    What the hell was this person saying right now? The Red Knights couldn¡¯t follow the truth. However, Mercedes realized it instantly. Asmophel was telling the truth. In the end, tears flowed down Mercedes¡¯ white cheeks. She was aware that Asmophel was still hiding the truth from her. If Asmophel was truly wicked, then Piaro wouldn¡¯t have forgiven him.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Over the past 12 years, one hero lived in desperation and suffering from a false usation while another hero was ruled by guilt. In the end, the source was Empress Marie and the Yatan Church. The moment she realized this.


    ¡¯...I am the hero of your heroes.¡¯


    Grid was excited when he saw Mercedes¡¯ eyes. Now that she found out the truth, she had an obligation. It was to make the other Red Knights believe Asmophel¡¯s words. In order to do so...


    "I need solid information to be convinced. We will go back to the empire and review the events from 12 years ago to determine if your words are true or false. Once I can be sure that your words are true...¡±


    Mercedes stopped and turned her gaze towards the Red Knights. The confused Red Knights nodded with determined eyes. All of them believed in Mercedes.


    "We will help you pursue charges against Empress Marie and punish her.¡±


    It was the duty of the empire and the emperor towards the two heroes.


    ¡®First, I need to investigate Captain Limit.¡¯


    Was he also on the empress¡¯ side? Or had he been affected by the Fourth Knight? There was a lot to do. Mercedes was in a rush and said to Piaro and Asmophel.


    "Today I didn¡¯t see you. Later when we are reunited, I hope my sword doesn¡¯t turn towards you.¡±


    In her heart, she wanted to kneel down. She wanted to yell at them for making her feel resentment towards them over the years. But it wasn¡¯t possible. She couldn¡¯t change her attitude until the other Red Knights understood the truth. She bowed deeply to Grid.


    "Overgeared King Grid, I want to apologize for our rudeness and to ask for understanding. Today¡¯s price will be paidter, even if I have to give up everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything... Okay. I am looking forward to it.¡±


    Grid smiled as his heart thumped.


    [Affinity with First Knight Mercedes of the Red Knights has increased by 20.]


    It was due to this notification window. Grid knew that it was very difficult to raise affinity with this named NPC.


    ¡¯This woman must¡¯ve believed in Piaro and Asmophel. It will be a great contribution when the truth is revealedter.¡¯


    Perhaps Mercedes would fall into a crisis in the process. The opponent was the empress of the empire. There was a high chance that Mercedes would suffer a counterattack from the opponent and bebeled a traitor like Piaro. It was good from Grid¡¯s perspective. It might be an opportunity to take Mercedes away from the empire.


    "Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mercedesmanded the Red Knights and approached the aide guarding her horse far away. His name was Sky. A yer. He was wearing a helmet, so Grid wasn¡¯t aware that he was a yer.


    ¡®Kukukuk... It is a jackpot.¡¯


    Sky was excited about being able to glimpse a hidden episode of the Red Knights thanks to Grid. He was one step closer to his grand ambition of making Mercedes his ve.


    ¡®I have to reach the empress at the right timing. Grid, thank you. Kukukuk!¡¯


    Satisfy wasn¡¯t a microcosm world, but a world itself. Politics and betrayal were rampant and there were more than a few wicked people. It was impossible for only one person to survive in this huge world where there were conflicting goals between the two billion yers. Sky thought like this and it was right.


    ¡°Kasim.¡±


    -Yes.


    "Go after the witness who overheard the conversation between Mercedes and Asmophel.¡±


    -Are you talking about the aide of the First Knight...?What if I¡¯m discovered by the First Knight?


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. Mercedes will understand. In the worst case, she might stop the assassination, but she will also dismiss the aide. In the future, she also has to be careful.¡±


    -I understand.


    The current Grid had the power to go beyond reason. His journey to transcend the category of a legend wasn¡¯t over yet.

 Chapter 788

    The Overgeared Kingdom was the strongest yer force in the game and a threat to anyone. It was a basic thing to target them. There were countless people trying to keep the Overgeared Kingdom in check. But Grid wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. He overlooked the fate of the strong. He didn¡¯t properly defend his kingdom during the National Competition and allowed the enemy to enter.


    Grid thought that Khan¡¯s sad end was the result of his own stupidity. Khan was the victim of his ignorance.


    After Khan¡¯s death, Grid became obsessed with wisdom. If he had been a bit wiser, Khan¡¯s end wouldn¡¯t have been so lonely. Therefore, Grid challenged being reborn as a wise man. The umtion of knowledge was slow because of his innate intelligence, but Grid believed that by repeatedly thinking ¡¯infinite¡¯ times, he could use his own merits and patience to be a wise man. No, he decided not to believe, but to put it in action.


    This was the result. Grid was thinking nonstop. Hecked intelligencepared to others, so he had to think many times more than others. He continued and continued to think whenever facing a situation. His head was constantly working.


    Why did he summon only Piaro when he was attacked by the Red Knights and Immortal? It was because Agnus couldn¡¯t be seen. As a result, Grid thought that the Red Knights and Immortal members attacking him might be bait. If he caught the bait and summoned all his knights, his kingdom would be weakened and the empty house could be destroyed. That¡¯s why he first summoned Piaro.


    It was this same context that Grid used to judge that Mercedes¡¯ aide should be handled. The reason why Grid was concerned about the aide wasn¡¯t because he was smart, but because he was thinking.


    Grid was exhausted. It was different from when he chose without worrying, acted emotionally, and depended on others. The energy consumption of this mindset was enormous.


    Sururuk.


    Kasim disappeared into the darkness.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid leaned his exhausted body against the carriage. It was like he had just raided a powerful boss monster. Piaro measured his condition and bowed deeply.


    "You went through a lot of trouble.¡±


    Piaro was proud of Grid. Rather than being frustrated by Khan¡¯s death, Grid honored Khan by looking at himself. Grid had done well when facing the emperor. Piaro had this type of belief.


    Grid asked the smiling Piaro, ¡°Was I right to handle the aide?¡±


    Grid had witnessed the discipline of the Red Knights. They were shaken by Piaro¡¯s appearance, but immediately executed Mercedes¡¯ orders. They doubted Asmophel¡¯s story, but didn¡¯t resist Mercedes¡¯ judgment. Grid believed that the Red Knights in this ce wouldn¡¯t talk about Piaro and Asmophel. But the aide was unknown. It was difficult to judge what type of person the aide was when he protected the horses in the distance. That¡¯s why Grid ordered Kasim to handle him.


    Piaro nodded. ¡°Mercedes will decide on her own. She will sort out the trustworthy and untrustworthy knights and aides.¡±


    "You trust her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an incredibly smart girl.¡±


    That¡¯s why she was his seed.


    "And she grew to my expectations. She willter be a new pir of the empire.¡±


    In fact, Piaro was very surprised when he was called by Grid and met Mercedes. He hadn¡¯t thought she was alive. It was natural. Didn¡¯t the brainwashed Asmophel destroy all of the Red Knights in the past? Asmophel wouldn¡¯t leave anyone to hit him in the back. It was difficult to expect that Mercedes, a seed of Piaro, would¡¯ve survived.


    But Asmophel saved Mercedes. The reason...


    ¡®In his subconscious, he was afraid for the empire.¡¯


    Asmophel was reluctant to kill talent even in his brainwashed days. That was Mercedes. Piaro looked up at the night sky.


    "I have be greedier because of your words.¡± Grid dered, ¡°I¡¯m going to make Mercedes mine.¡±


    Grid faced an unprecedented pressure whenpeting with Mercedes. He felt like she was reading all his actions. At first, he thought it was just her excellent skills, but looking back, it wasn¡¯t. It was clear that she ¡®predicted¡¯ his behavior.


    ¡®A scam.¡¯ Grid asserted.


    Mercedes was in the same ss as Piaro. A wall that normal yers could never cross. A transcendent named NPC. Grid wanted to make her his own person. Piaro thought the same. When he exchanged blows with Mercedes, he thought the only way to overthrow her was Fated to Perish.


    ¡®Once more time passes...¡¯


    She would grow to a level of rejecting Fated to Perish. Piaro¡¯s greed grew.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. She must be gathered by Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Grid nodded. He swallowed down the question of whether Piaro yearned for the empire and his country. He trusted Piaro.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to Reinhardt.¡±


    Grid thought that it was highly unlikely the empire was behind this raid. It was highly likely the empress was the mastermind. But the issue was too big to judge for himself. He had to quickly meet Lauel. Grid immediately climbed into the carriage.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    This one day in the empire was like a year. Grid sat on the seat and his eyes moved towards the window. Asmophel entered his gaze. Asmophel was walking on the right side of the carriage with a pained expression.


    ¡®His guilt has gone beyond his heart and imprinted in his soul.¡¯


    Salvation would be difficult. Piaro might¡¯ve forgiven him, but the dead Red Knights and their families couldn¡¯t. As Grid predicted, Asmophel was willing to end his life the moment he got revenge on the empress.


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯ Grid made a sad expression only toe up with something. ¡®Did all the Red Knights really die?¡¯


    The rebels who followed the traitor Piaro. This was the evaluation of the previous generation of Red Knights. Grid heard that ¡®most¡¯ of the Red Knights were executed. Yes, most of them. It wasn¡¯t all of them. Some were still surviving as fugitives.


    ¡®Maybe I can give Asmophel a chance to atone?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He immediately gave an order to Asmophel, ¡°Asmophel, travel through the continent and find the survivors of the Red Knights.¡±


    ¡°Huh? W-What...?¡±


    Surprise and fear. Asmophel¡¯s face turned grey from the unexpectedmand.


    Grid stared into his wavering gaze and exined, "I will absorb the previous generation of the Red Knights. It isn¡¯t impossible to absorb them. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    "You want to gather the survivors of the old Red Knights?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Is it really appropriate for me to be the one to find them? Why are you leaving it to me instead of Piaro...?¡±


    Asmophel stopped talking. He grasped Grid¡¯s intent but he didn¡¯t dare say the word ¡®atonement.¡¯ He bowed his head with a dark expression.


    ¡°Piaro forgave you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t the others be the same? They will all feel like Piaro.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Find them. Then talk to them.¡±


    Asmophel could only think that themand to ¡®find the old Red Knights¡¯ was purely out of concern for himself. It was also a chance to bring the ¡®power of the previous generation¡¯ to the kingdom. It was an example that showed Grid¡¯s mindset of thinking about his precious people, which was the greatest driving force behind the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Always be happy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is the dying wish I received from Khan. Let us try to be happy together.¡±


    ¡°...I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Asmophel stopped walking and bowed deeply. He didn¡¯t raise his head until the carriage that Grid was in had disappeared from view.


    Piaro cheered for Asmophel on his journey of atonement.


    ¡®Have strength.¡¯


    Pleasee back with old friends.


    ***


    [Hwan Kingdom¡¯s Resident (1)]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    You have to meet the minimal qualifications to challenge the Chiyou test.


    First, go beyond the level of an ordinary person.


    Quest Clear Condition (1): Don¡¯t die until you reach level 400.


    * Every time you gain 20 levels without dying while the quest is ongoing, you will gain arge number of additional stats.


    * If you die, you will lose all the additional stats you have acquired. The lost stats can¡¯t be restored.


    * If you die, the quest clear conditions will change to number two.


    Quest Clear Condition (2): The number of deaths must be less than 5 until you achieve level 400 (Number of Deaths: 2/5).


    * This is thest chance. If you fail toplete the second clear conditions, you willpletely lose your qualification to challenge the Chiyou test.


    In the past, Veradin visited the East Continent andpletely focused on the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. He anticipated that he could benefit from the greatest power on the East Continent. As a result, he was the first yer to visit the Hwan Kingdom and received the hidden quest to be a ¡®yangban.¡¯


    It was because he gave off a good impression to the yangbans. At that time, Veradin was level 290. He tried hard to go over level 300 without dying and secured a tremendous amount of stats as a result. But it was all blown away. He touched the Overgeared Kingdom and died two times already.


    ¡°Maybe...¡±


    Veradin gulped with a paleplexion. Grid¡¯s words ¡®the first time¡¯ constantly revolved in his head. Grid really would try to find and kill Veradin many times.


    ¡°...In the meantime, I will hide.¡±


    Veradin always believed he was better than others. For a person who manipted other people, Grid and his items that vitedmon sense caused him to feel a new shock and horror. He didn¡¯t want to face Grid anytime soon. It was the first time that Veradin feared another person.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m feeling like this towards an ordinary person...!¡¯


    Kwaduduk!


    Anger filled Veradin¡¯s body. He suddenly had a question. It was about the reaction of the Red Knights to the farmer summoned by Grid.


    ¡®Why did they look so shocked?¡¯


    The necromancers were in the rear of the battlefield. They were too far away so Veradin couldn¡¯t hear the conversation. This was bad.


    ¡¯There is something. Something....¡¯


    Maybe the key to breaking the current crisis was the farmer? Veradin looked at new possibilities.


    At the same time, the outskirts of Titan.


    Chaeeeng!


    Mercedes¡¯ sword blocked a dagger flying through the darkness. Sky btedly realized that his neck would¡¯ve been pierced if Mercedes hadn¡¯t acted and hurriedly raised his shield. Mercedes looked into the darkness.


    "Tell the Overgeared King I know what he¡¯s concerned about. Please let me handle it.¡±


    -...Understood.


    ¡°...?¡±


    A chill went down Sky¡¯s spine as a gloomy voice was heard from the darkness.


    ¡®What? Why was I on the brink of being assassinated?¡¯


    Mercedes said to the frightened Sky, "As of today, you are dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    "You can never set foot in the imperial pce again.¡±


    ¡°W-What is this...?!¡±


    What the hell was this all of a sudden? It happened when Sky was confused and going to ask for an exnation.


    [You have lost your qualifications for the second ss ¡®First Knight¡¯s Aide.¡¯]


    [All Red Knights quests currently in progress will be destroyed.]


    [You are denied entry to the imperial pce.]


    [The 7 points of affinity built up with Mercedes have been reset to 0.]


    ¡°Eh...? Eh eh?¡±


    Sky trembled from the unbelievable reality. He was worried that Mercedes had noticed the darkness inside him. After a while, he was left alone. Sky reflected on this incident and realized that Grid was behind it. He had to think about the circumstances.


    ¡°You...! You son of a bitch!¡±


    Sky felt extreme anger at Grid because he could no longer fulfill his goal of making Mercedes his ve. But after a moment.


    ¡°C-Crazy...¡±


    Sky started to feel fear instead of anger. He feared Grid¡¯s transcendent power that could destroy one person¡¯s life so easily. The presence of the new and matured king was too great topare to the previous one.

 Chapter 789

    ¡°Did you handle it properly?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We didn¡¯t hide our identities and attacked.¡±


    "Hrmm... why is there no response?¡±


    It had been a week since Grid returned home. It meant it had been a week since the Red Knights and Immortal attacked him. However, the Overgeared Kingdom still hadn¡¯t announced any stance.


    "Despite their king being attacked, they didn¡¯t even announce it, let alone react...¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t have hidden it because of fear. Then they must be up to something.


    Dok dok.


    Limit tapped the table and frowned.


    "Did they see our intentions?¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom could be aware that the empire was starting to split into the emperor and empress. If the Overgeared Kingdom had a capable schemer, they could¡¯ve discovered that the empress was behind the attack rather than the emperor.


    ¡°A tough opponent.¡±


    It was correct to say that the n to use the Overgeared Kingdom to weaken the emperor was in vain.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work out easily.¡±


    Limit determined and nced at Mercedes. It was a signal to leave. Mercedes sighed with relief after leaving the office.


    ¡¯For Captain, His Majesty is definitely an enemy.¡¯


    After meeting Piaro and Asmophel and finding out the truth. Mercedes had been looking at Sword Duke Limit for the past week. She thoroughly investigated how far Limit intervened in the tragedy that urred 12 years ago. However, was it that easy to investigate a duke?¡¯ The more she tried to ess about Limit, the more interference she faced. One of them was the Fourth Knight.


    ¡°Sir Mercedes.¡±


    "Sir Gyuratan?¡±


    The position of the ¡®Fourth Knight¡¯ in the Red Knights was special. He yed the role of defending the Red Knights from outsiders and performed the work of an inspector in peacetime. The Fourth Knight must constantly observe and watch the Red Knights so that the essence of the Red Knights didn¡¯t fade.


    12 years ago, Fourth Knight Gyuratan ruled that Piaro was a traitor. Mercedes trusted Piaro, so she didn¡¯t like Gyuratan from the start. She doubted him. However, now she felt hatred and hostility instead of just suspicion. The true darkness that copsed the Red Knights. A figure closely rted to the Yatan Church. Thanks to Asmophel, she became aware of Gyuratan¡¯s reality.


    Mercedes smiled as she faced Gyuratan in the hallway. She didn¡¯t expose any hostility. The basics of a swordsman was to control their emotions.


    ¡°It has been a long time.¡±


    "I have been away for a while. I was conducting a review on the death of Third Knight Lorex and Fifth Knight Dia.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lorex and Dia. They were both killed by the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. They also missed Piaro. Mercedes had briefly thought about Lorex and Dia when she met Piaro a week ago.


    If Lorex and Dia were still alive... if they knew the truth...


    ¡®They would¡¯ve cried all night from joy and sorrow.¡¯


    They would¡¯ve been a great strength. Mercedes was missing the colleagues she couldn¡¯t meet again when Gyuratan¡¯s voice entered her ears.


    ¡°In the course of the investigation, I identally stumbled on your traces. Sir Mercedes, it seems like you were in Valha for a while?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Did you go after the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant to get revenge for your colleagues?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The result?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get revenge. I couldn¡¯t find the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant."


    Mercedes fought directly against the descendant of the Undefeated King in Lubana and knew him. It meant she was familiar with the characteristics of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. But despite infiltrating Valha for two months, she couldn¡¯t find a person who could be considered the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    "You disobeyed amand and couldn¡¯t even get revenge... If you were able to get revenge, I might¡¯ve asked for leniency from the emperor. Now it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    "What now?"


    ¡°What should I do? Should I report to His Majesty that you vited an order?¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    "Don¡¯t forget. The First Knight should be an inspiration to all knights of the empire. But didn¡¯t you disobey hismand and act ording to your own will? I can¡¯t overlook it.¡±


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    "If another orderes again, don¡¯t vite it. Even if you are the First Knight, His Majesty won¡¯t overlook it.¡±


    ¡®At this point, I need to investigate the tragedy of 12 years ago...¡¯


    It was the worst. Why was her mistake noticed at this timing? She had no luck.


    ¡®No... It isn¡¯t a coincidence.¡¯


    Mercedes realized it. This timing, Gyuratan intended it.


    ¡®It¡¯s likely that he knew I vited the order from the beginning.¡¯


    But he buried it until it was appropriate to be used, like now.


    ¡®He knows that I have started to doubt the tragedy of 12 years ago.¡¯


    She could no longer hide her hostility. Mercedes red at Gyuratan, who justughed and shrugged.


    "Well, don¡¯t worry about the Red Knights. Sir Lucas and I will manage them very well. Ah, Sir Lucas was arrested? Then I will manage them alone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She wanted to let out a flurry of curses. No, she wanted to tear out his throat. Mercedes felt a strong killing desire, but endured it. She couldn¡¯t do anything to him before she found out the truth and revealed it to the world.


    ***


    "Let¡¯s put it all together.¡±


    The capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    Lauel started writing on the ckboard. At the top was the name Garam, the yangban.


    "The yangbans are defined as having the best strength, the dukes of the empire are advanced level, First Knight Mercedes is lower advanced, Asmophel is of the intermediate level and Your Majesty and Kraugel are below him?¡±


    "That¡¯s right."


    ¡°Piaro? Isn¡¯t he the best?¡±


    "When looking at his level, it¡¯s logical to ssify him as lower advanced like Mercedes. Mercedes actuallypeted with Piaro.¡±


    ¡°But what if Piaro used Fated to Perish?¡±


    "Among the named NPCs, there are many who can resist Fated to Perish... Hmm, but there is deadly damage even if it is resisted. Piaro is ssified as on the same level as the seven dukes.¡±


    "Being below the yangbans even when taking Fated to Perish in consideration...¡±


    It was very important to know the power pyramid of the world. Lauel looked at the ckboard with a serious expression.


    ¡°By the way. If Garam was so strong, how did you get away from him?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? He was absent-minded and God¡¯s Command fortunately activated, allowing me to repeat Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle twice.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Lauel erased Grid¡¯s name at the bottom of the board. Then he wrote Grid between the yangbans and the seven dukes. ¡°What do you think about this location?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Was this a joke? Lauel saw Grid¡¯s questioning eyes and spoke seriously. "It¡¯s good to be cautious but please don¡¯t lose sight of your ambitions.¡±


    "I haven¡¯t lost sight of my ambitions. I made a realistic self-diagnosis after thinking about it deeply.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny to unconditionally trust your thoughts? You¡¯re not smart, are you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "You¡¯re much stronger than what you measured yourself as.¡± Lauel was convinced. ¡°Raise your level. Keep your level higher than named NPCs and equip yourself with your items.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Don¡¯t you know how fast named NPCs raise their level?¡±


    The level of NPCs would naturally rise with the passage of time due to thepensation effect when the average level of the yers rose. It was a basic rule, notmon sense, that a yer could never catch up with the level of a named NPC. But Lauel had a different opinion.


    ¡°Did you forget how fast your level up speed is? The named NPCs be stronger in proportion to the average level of the yers. Isn¡¯t it possible to raise your level much higher than the average?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Starting today, use your God Hands, Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons to make infinite hunting macros. In particr, the Overgeared Skeletons. How long do you want to leave them as useless skeletons? If I had them then I would¡¯ve already made them into a death knight or lich.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s words were right. In the meantime, Grid had neglected the importance of level and he also failed to utilize the Overgeared Skeletons. But why did he feel like squeezing Lauel? Grid tried to calm his boiling anger while Lauel gave advice.


    ¡°In addition, don¡¯t forget to constantly think duringbat.¡±


    Train to repeat the infinite thoughts even during dire moments.


    "You¡¯ll be better than a genius.¡±


    "It¡¯s hard to use my mind because I have a stone head. It¡¯s particrly hard to think while moving the body.¡± Grid grumbled.


    "Real stones don¡¯t think. Calling you a stone head is... No, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    "Can I hit you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Lauel regretted talking without thinking. He knew that if he received one hit from Grid, he would die!


    ***


    A fortnight after the end of the 3rd National Competition. An item that the medalists were waiting for entered their inventory.


    [3rd National Competition Medal Reward]


    It was a gift box containing the items that the medalists wished for. Of course, Grid wanted the production materials.


    [The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The White Tiger¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid smiled as he got the rewards for Battlefield and his two gold medals. Maybe this was just before the birth of a new myth rated item. He couldn¡¯t not feel exhrated.


    [Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath]


    Contains the blessing of the blue dragon.


    It will increase lightning resistance by 30%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the blue dragon.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong lightning attribute.


    Weight: 2


    [White Tiger¡¯s Breath]


    Contains the blessing of the white tiger.


    It will increase earth resistance by 30%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the white tiger.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong earth attribute.


    Weight: 2


    [ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath]


    Contains the blessing of the ck tortoise.


    It will increase water resistance by 30%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the ck tortoise.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong water attribute.


    Weight: 2


    ¡°Very good!¡±


    Grid was filled with joy as he held the beautiful blue, white, and ck beads. He was excited by the thought of strengthening these three breaths and upgrading his items, just like he strengthened the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®Let¡¯s quickly be stronger!¡¯


    He was filled with enthusiasm! Grid was grasping the hammer with zing eyes when a guest arrived.


    ¡°Grid, keep your promise.¡±


    ¡°...You?¡±


    The guest was surprising. It was the sky above the sky. Sword Saint Kraugel. He was staring at Grid with a radiant look that didn¡¯t match his normal image.


    "Will you make me a sword?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    Had he been waiting for this day? Kraugel appeared as soon as the reward arrived. It seemed he had been waiting in Reinhardt.


    ¡®He has a cute side.¡¯


    Grid smiled as Kraugel told him good news.


    "Recently, I have found a good hunting ground. I¡¯ll let you know if you want.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you...¡±


    "You should rest for 10 minutes every time you hunt a monster.¡±


    They were meaningful words.


    ¡¯How high is the difficulty of this hunting ground?¡¯


    Grid was filled with anticipation and tension.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I killed 52 people from Immortal. In return, can you make me armor and boots?¡±


    ¡°...5-50?¡±


    "52 people. I lived in Titan for a while. I can show you the proof shots if you want.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Truly the sky above the sky. Tremendous skills were a default for him.


    Grid received two breaths and a small amount of adamantium from Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s eyes were gentle as he watched Grid start a fire in the furnace.


    ¡¯He seems to be oveing the wound. It¡¯s fortunate.¡¯

 Chapter 790

    The Hwan Kingdom¡¯s national wood. The White Phosphorus Tree, also known as the Eternal Tree, was burned as firewood. The overwhelming momentum of the mes instantly filled the smithy.


    ¡®His Majesty has started working!¡¯


    The attention of the cksmiths concentrated on Grid. The cksmiths knew that the person who could control the mes, heat, and temperature sopletely was only Grid since Khan died.


    ¡¯Khan¡¯stter years.¡¯


    ¡®He dealt with the mes as brilliantly as His Majesty...¡¯


    The eyes of the cksmiths reddened as they started reminiscing.


    ¡°Kraugel, there are three options.¡±


    Grid took out a hammer and anvil and started to exin to Kraugel.


    "First of all, if you have a specific item you want then give me the production method. Then I will learn the design and make the item for you. You already know right? The performance of the items I make is higher than that shown in the design.¡±


    From Grid¡¯s standpoint, it was a great benefit because he could acquire new designs for free.


    "Secondly, you can leave the design entirely to me. In this case, I will make items based on the production methods I already have.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really wonderful.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. In this case, you can have something created by a legendary cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Of course I...¡±


    Kraugel was interested in the second way. It was a natural choice since he knew the power of the sword weapons that Grid used. But Grid gave him a third option.


    ¡°No, listen to my words.¡±


    Grid interrupted Kraugel¡¯s mouth and thought about Khan. How much help did he get from Khan every time he made a new item? In particr, Khan¡¯s opinions were great when making new items. The best cksmith that Grid respected helped Grid with his knowledge and insight. Khan thought about what materials should be used for newly created items, what characteristics should be included and so on.


    Now the role that Grid wanted Kraugel to y was Khan¡¯s role. Grid wanted Kraugel¡¯s knowledge. Grid was convinced he would be a great help in making the strongest sword.


    ¡°Kraugel, what do you think is the ideal shape for a sword?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Tell me. I will realize your ideals with my skills."


    ¡°...This is the third way?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Duguen!


    Kraugel¡¯s heart thumped as he met Grid¡¯s eyes. His Swordsmanship Creation skill passed through his head. Since he had a unique skill that could create new sword techniques, the cksmith Grid would have an item creation skill.


    Kkuok.


    Kraugel formed fists to calm his trembling body.


    "In the history of the Overgeared King... My name will be part of your history that will be worshipped inter generations. Is it okay?¡±


    It was a very prudent question. Kraugel had met many people and he knew that people clung to their feats as they rose higher. They wanted to keep other people from appearing in their feats.


    Grid¡¯s answer was simple. ¡°Is it okay? Is that a question? It isn¡¯t okay, it¡¯s an honor.¡±


    Grid remembered. At the time of the Belial raid, he saw Kraugel learn Piaro¡¯s technique. It was the best tribute that Kraugel could show to Piaro. Now Grid was paying homage to Kraugel.


    "The best cksmith will make the best sword with the best swordsman. Won¡¯t another great legend be born?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it together. The strongest sword. The best legend.¡±


    Undefeated King Madra fought for his kingdom all his life but in the end, he lost his head to his son. Pagma betrayed a friend due to his sense of duty to save the world and contracted with a great demon. Braham realized the absurdity of the world and despised his own people, but after he became a human, Braham was betrayed by his friend because he was a vampire.


    The tales of the legends that Grid knew were all sad and vilified. Grid didn¡¯t want to be like them. Kraugel was the same.


    "...It¡¯s a great honor.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s begin." Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation.¡±


    [Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation]


    You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill¡¯ goes up.


    Number of items that can be created at present: 9/24.]


    * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically ced on the item.


    Jiing-


    A nk blueprint appeared in front of him.


    "I think the ideal sword using the knowledge of a Sword Saint...¡±


    The blueprint had a huge ck space.


    "It¡¯s different from person to person, but it¡¯s generally a heavy sword. It¡¯s the easiest to use in terms of width, length, and weight, thus having high utility. Considering all the variables. It¡¯s the least inconvenient to use.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought it was a long sword. In fact, the Enlightenment Sword is a long sword. It is a sword that emits ck mes.¡±


    "Have you ever used a heavy sword?¡±


    "I don¡¯t like it. I¡¯ve always used a greatsword or a long sword...¡±


    "...Well, as I said, the ideal form is different for each individual. In the first ce, it might be arrogant to discuss an ideal form. When cutting fruit, a knife is the best. When walking through a jungle, a machete is the best. There are differences depending on the application.¡±


    The experiences and knowledge of a Sword Saintbined with the knowledge and skills of the legendary cksmith.


    "But universally, a heavy sword is better inbat? Are there any other special features?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    "Do you intend to add another option by giving the sword a distinct shape?¡±


    "Like the shark that is part of Failure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "If you don¡¯t know, the basic form of the sword is good. It is more important to have the bnce of the sword be even than to have the center of gravity to one side.¡±


    ¡°The answer is correct. This is why the cross section of the sword is a diamond shape.¡±


    "Section?"


    "The cutting surface you see when you cut with the sword. The bnce is important so a perfect diamond as the cutting surface is preferred. On the other hand, I prefer a hexagon or octagon.¡±


    "I don¡¯t know anything about these details."


    "You don¡¯t know about me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a legendary cksmith. Even if I put special decorations on the de, I can perfectly bnce it. I can do it with my skills. So tell me what you are thinking. What features do you want?¡±


    ¡°This is interesting...¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    The cksmiths gathered near Grid and Kraugel started to make a disturbance. It was surprising that a ck-eyed man with a good face was sharing his thoughts with their king.


    ¡°This...?¡±


    The four biggest cksmiths from Pangea, including White, were the most surprised. They remembered that Kraugel was the ¡®Little Hero¡¯ of Pangea. The Kraugel they remembered was a great warrior. Yes, he wasn¡¯t a cksmith. Nevertheless, Grid was listening to Kraugel¡¯s opinions.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Was he qualified to rece Khan¡¯s vacancy? The cksmiths questioned it.


    "He is a saint with a sword.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The first Sword Saint after Muller.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The youngest cksmith, Panmir, announced the true identity of the ck-eyed man. The stir was huge. The cksmiths were astounded as they saw a prominent figure in a totally unexpected ce. As they were at a loss for words, Panmir gave his opinion.


    "Wouldn¡¯t the two of them make the best sword in history?¡±


    No one was able to reject Panmir¡¯s opinion. The expectations about what sword would be born from thebined knowledge, experiences, and techniques of the legendary cksmith and Sword Saint were great.


    ¡°But...¡± White was feeling admiration when he felt a sense of incongruity and asked, "Panmir, have you gathered all the firewood for today?¡±


    ¡°...I will go ande back to see His Majesty¡¯s sword.¡±


    It was very sad. Panmir pouted. He was the youngest cksmith in the smithy despite being the 1st ranked cksmith.


    ***


    Over three hours. This was the time it took Grid and Kraugel to coordinate their opinions. They finally finished the shape of the sword. Now all that was left were the materials.


    "The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and White Tiger¡¯s Breath...¡±


    Grid confirmed the two breaths that Kraugel had.


    ¡°Will the sword use the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath? Then I have to use a mineralpatible with the lightning attribute.¡±


    ¡°No, I want my sword to contain the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Grid was confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t the white tiger of the earth attribute?¡±


    The earth attribute was rted to a higher defense. It wasmon for the earth attribute to create options for a higher defense. Meanwhile, the lightning attribute was good for speed and power. Generally, it gave options for increasing attack power. In other words, the breath most suitable for a weapon was the blue dragon, not the white tiger.


    "Why are you using a white tiger breath for your weapon? Isn¡¯t it better for armor? Shouldn¡¯t you use the White Tiger¡¯s Breath for armor?¡±


    "No, this adamantium that I gathered is for armor. The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath will be attached to the boots to increase the overall speed."


    "But still. Isn¡¯t it hard to expect overwhelming attack power if you attach the White Tiger¡¯s Breath to the weapon? Shouldn¡¯t a weapon have high attack power? Look at the blueprint. You can expect to have additional defense options just from the form of the sword. But you want to increase your defense even more?¡±


    "Just as speed is linked with power, weight is also directly linked to power. For example, Chris¡¯ 1,000 ton Sword.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Grid¡¯smon sense was broken. "Minerals with the earth attribute are generally harder and heavier... Do you think you can use that weight to exert a higher attack power?¡±


    "Yes, I believe that if the White Tiger¡¯s Breath is used well, you canplete the best sword thatbines high attack power and defense.¡±


    "That¡¯s a possible interpretation.¡±


    If he looked at magic as an example, the power of earth magic wasn¡¯t very weak. In particr, magic of the stone crushing series was very powerful.


    ¡°A weapon with the earth property...¡±


    A smile crossed Grid¡¯s face. Once he heard Kraugel¡¯s words, he wondered about the results of earth-based weapons.


    ¡®It will be easy to name the item.¡¯


    A sword with strong earth attributes. A sword made of stone. Then he would try it.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s finish the Stone Sword.¡±


    ¡®Stone Sword?¡¯


    What was the Stone Sword? A chill went down Kraugel¡¯s spine.


    Overgeared Guild, Overgeared Kingdom, Overgeared King... Grid¡¯s naming sense was the worst.


    "Wait a minute, Grid."


    "The material will be stone. We can sometimes rece it with bloodstone.¡±


    The mass production of the sword. A sword made of stone would be ideal for the Overgeared knights while the version made of bloodstone would be ideal for Grid and the Overgeared members. Yes, from the time that he asked Kraugel to cooperate with the item creation, Grid was aiming to improve the overall strength of the kingdom. Imagine the Overgeared knights and the soldiers using a sword designed by a Sword Saint. It would be overwhelming.


    ¡°The name of the item.¡±


    ¡°Hey Grid...¡±


    ¡°Stone Sword.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s naming sense. He should be d of one fact. There was room for various modifiers to be added to the items that Grid produced. Yes, the name of the sword used by Kraugel in the future wasn¡¯t likely to be a simple Stone Sword. Especially when it was a sword with the White Tiger¡¯s Breath attached.


    However, Kraugel didn¡¯t know this fact and was filled with deep despair.

 Chapter 791

    [Do you want to name the item Stone Sword?]


    ¡°...No, wait.¡±


    Grid, who was flowing with the momentum, suddenly stopped. He realized that the name of Stone Sword is inadequate. Was it because he heard the sighs of Kraugel and the cksmiths? No. The cause of Grid¡¯s current enlightenment was the armour he was wearing.


    Khan¡¯s posthumous work, Valha. It was the armor Grid had never taken off since Khan died.


    ¡®The name of the item is important. I need to think carefully and decide.¡¯


    Why did Khan call the armor Valha? In fact, Grid didn¡¯t find much meaning in it. It was modelled after the Valha armor made by Albatino, Khan¡¯s ancestor. Grid just through that the name was copied from that. But he found outter. One of the other meanings of Valha was ¡®house of joy.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks to this, I was able to get a glimpse of Khan¡¯s heart.¡¯


    Khan was hoping that Grid would be a huge house-like entity that could embrace many people and give them joy.


    ¡®Yes, the name is important.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s thinking, which had been biased towards the design and function of the item, started to activate. Grid recalled Lauel¡¯s advice to ¡®always think.¡¯ If Khan¡¯s name was simply Iron Armor, Grid wouldn¡¯t have felt the same way he did now. He recognized the weight of the name.


    ¡®In the first ce...¡¯


    This was a work he made with his friend. It was insincere to his friend to give it a name like this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll correct it.¡±


    Stone Sword. Grid¡¯s imposing voice resonated with the cksmiths who were silent with shock from the name.


    "Muksabal.¡± (TL: Generally acorn jelly in a chilled broth. But it can also be ng for badly damaging or disfiguring a face i.e. beating to a pulp).


    ¡°...?¡±


    "The sword¡¯s name will be Muksabal.¡±


    From a general point of view, the power of the earth was close to the symbol of ¡®guardian.¡¯ However, Hero King Grid and Sword Saint Kraugel were monsters of a level that could wield the ground. The nd¡¯ they wielded would overwhelm the enemy with its weight.


    "That¡¯s why it is Muksabal.¡±


    "...Is it really possible to pull up the ground?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Panmir forgot the concept of an analogy and asked. Due to this, the solemn (?) atmosphere became awkward, but Grid didn¡¯t mind.


    "Kraugel, I don¡¯t doubt that our knowledge, skills, and experience will greatly damage our enemies. Muksabal... It¡¯s a name I carefully thought of. I wish you can hear it in your heart.¡±


    ¡°...Yes. I won¡¯t speak long words.¡±


    There were too many parts to tackle. But Grid looked so serious that Kraugel couldn¡¯t refute it.


    Just.


    ¡®I should introduce it with a different name.¡¯


    He could only think of it like this.


    ***


    [Design: Muksabal]


    Rating: Epic ~ Legendary


    Epic Rating Information:


    Durability: 455~790 Attack Power: 390~650 Defense: 100~188


    * The options are unforeseen.


    Unique Rating Information:


    Durability: 667~980 Attack Power: 493~817 Defense: 140~246


    * The options are unforeseen.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Durability: ??? Attack Power: ??? Defense: ???


    * The options are unforeseen.


    A weapon design from cksmith Grid, who has gone beyond a legend and is bing a myth, and Sword Saint Kraugel.


    It is in the form of a sword, with a knuckle bow at the handle. The purpose is to protect the hands. The knuckle bow is designed as a miniature crown and looks great. The top part of the handle extends from side to side, giving the illusion that there are two handles. The special sword will allow for anomalous attacks and will also defend against enemy attacks.


    The material of the sword is the 10,000 year stone or bloodstone and will vary significantly depending on the material.


    The weight is so heavy that people with low strength can¡¯t swing it. However, it¡¯s a very ideal sword with no ws in its bnce.


    Weight: 6,800~13,900


    Conditions of Use: Unforeseen


    ¡®If I make it with the 10,000 year stone, the minimum stats will be applied. When made with bloodstone, the maximum stats will apply. On the other hand, the weight will be overwhelming high when I use the 10,000 year stone.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face blossomed like a flower as he confirmed the finished design. He didn¡¯t know exactly what the options were yet, but it was a very good weapon when just looking at the attributes. Wasn¡¯t an epic rated one-handed sword guaranteed at least 390 attack power and 100 defense? It was hard to find aparable performance among the level 300 items.


    ¡®In addition, the level limit of Muksabal is likely to be very low.¡¯


    The ideal sword that Kraugel thought about was a ¡®wearable sword¡¯ and Grid also focused on Kraugel¡¯s ideals. In other words, it had high versatility and practicality. There was a high weight due to the characteristics of the materials, but those who had the minimum strength would be able to handle Muksabal easily.


    ¡®The high cost of the 10,000 year stone will mean it will take a long time before I can distribute it to the soldiers... Let¡¯s distribute it to the knights first.¡¯


    It was a powerful weapon that couldn¡¯t bepared to the mass-produced Grid weapons. The unique rated Muksabal was superior to the attack power of many legendary weapons. It was clear that the strength of the Overgeared Knights would grow by leaps and bounds.


    Grid was delighted and now the most important task remained. It was to produce it.


    ¡°Kraugel, give me the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A material that couldn¡¯t be obtained unless a hidden quest on the East Continent was cleared or a gold medal was won in the National Competition. Kraugel handled the white bead that was worth an astronomical amount to Grid without hesitation. In front of the st furnace where the white phosphorus wood was still burning, Grid was reminded of the time he made the Red Phoenix Bow and the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡®The basic premise for making a myth rated weapon is strengthening the core materials.


    With the Red Phoenix Bow, he strengthened the Red Phoenix Breath and with the Enlightenment Sword, he strengthened Belial¡¯s Horn. Looking back now, it was very hard work. It would take at least three days, the long task of hammering on one item for a week and even delicate techniques. It was physically and mentally hard.


    The biggest problem was the ¡®resistance¡¯ of the item. The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath emitted hot fire every time it was hit with a hammer while Belial¡¯s Horn exploded. If Grid didn¡¯t have thebination of high defense and stamina, it would be impossible to strengthen both the Red Phoenix Breath and Belial¡¯s Horn. He would¡¯ve been dead after hammering a few times!


    ¡®The White Tiger¡¯s Breath will also resist.¡¯


    It could take more than a week for smelting, assuming it had a temper.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    He was afraid when thinking about the pain he would have to endure. Grid needed to control his mind. After taking several deep breaths, Grid¡¯s expression rxed. Kraugel and Panmir had no choice but to misunderstand. They thought that Grid was nervous about a high-rated item not appearing. They never imagined that he was afraid of the act of making an item itself.


    It was natural. So far, all the cksmithing work they had seen, heard, and experienced was ordinary. Yes, most cksmiths produced items by pressing a single ¡®production¡¯ button. Even Panmir, who was proud of making items by hand, relied on all types of systems. They couldn¡¯t predict how much effort and time Grid ced into making items.


    "Okay. Let¡¯s start the production.¡±


    He acted fast once the preparations were over. Grid put the White Tiger¡¯s Breath into the furnace. The temperature in the furnace rapidly increased and the white bead heated up.


    [The temperature is too high!]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Panmir watched Grid and sighed. Grid aggressively utilized the characteristics of the white phosphorus wood and continued to raise the temperature of the furnace. Panmir was burned despite watching from a few meters away. Panmir clutched his burning forearm and btedly realized. Apart from himself, the other cksmiths were already far away from Grid¡¯s furnace. It was the same even for White, the greatest of the four cksmiths.


    ¡®Even the craftsmen can¡¯t endure the temperature?¡¯


    It was amazing that Grid instantly generated such a high temperature! As Panmir was feeling surprise beyond admiration.


    Puoook!


    Chik!Chiiiik!


    Grid removed the red bead and started quenching it. The bucket that was filled with at least 100 liters of water started boiling likeva. Kraugel, who had been watching from Grid¡¯s side, avoided the water drops using Super Sensitivity. It was an almost instinctive motion.


    ¡°Ohh! Truly a Sword Saint...!¡±


    The cksmiths marvelled at Kraugel¡¯s brilliant movements while Kraugel wondered.


    ¡®Was making an item originally so urgent and dangerous?¡¯


    Teong!


    Grid put the bead on his anvil. He still looked grim. He was like a warrior on the battlefield. Kraugel couldn¡¯t help gulping at the momentum.


    Ttaaang!


    Grid finally started hammering. The moment that his hammer hit the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    Kwarururung!


    The White Tiger¡¯s Breath roared. Heavy shaking! Sharp thorns made of stones emerged like a hedgehog.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s cheeks, neck, and wrists were wounded. He couldn¡¯tpletely evade the thorns that came from the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The confused Kraugel and cksmiths shouted. But they weren¡¯t in a position to go forward. This was a battlefield only for Grid. There was no one who could help Grid without his permission. Grid wiped the blood flowing down his cheeks andughed.


    "This bastard, you are high-grade.¡±


    Its nature was fiercer than the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath and Belial¡¯s Horn. Why was this white tiger so dirty?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to fight this guy twice in a row.¡¯


    Grid judged for a moment, temporarily stopped the hammering and pulled out his White Tiger¡¯s Breath. Then he threw it straight into the furnace.


    ¡®It is better to fight just once.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid intended to simultaneously strengthen the two White Tiger¡¯s Breaths. The biggest problem was time. Grid had to go to the empire in two weeks. That was when the walls would copse. He needed to finish producing the items then.


    "Kraugel, I need your help to smelt both of them at once.¡±


    "Say it.¡±


    "Give me potions.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    After a moment.


    Ttaaang!


    Grid ced the two White Tiger¡¯s Breaths next to each other and resumed hammering.


    The White Tiger¡¯s Breaths let out arge number of thorns every time they were hit by a hammer. Grid was wounded, yet he kept wielding his hammer. When his wounds umted, Kraugel fed him potions to restore his health. Avoiding the thorns that stretched out everywhere!


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°Kraugel! Potion!¡±


    "Drink. It¡¯s on the left. Avoid it.¡±


    "Keuk! I failed to avoid it again!¡±


    "It¡¯s difficult to avoid attacks that have already started to fly. Watch the actions of the enemy and try to predict the direction of attack.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttaang~!


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was fiercely concentrating during the hammering while Kraugel ran around and helped him. Panmir watched the amazing scene of the best yers fighting together and felt something strange.


    ¡¯Is this really making an item?¡¯


    It was steadilypleted. The two divine swords!

 Chapter 792

    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Hwaruruk!


    Chiiiik!


    The repetition of smelting and hammering. Grid kept doing this for a full day. But the two White Tiger¡¯s Breaths didn¡¯t yield. They resisted the mes and hammering to the end, bing more ferocious. Every time they were hit by Grid¡¯s hammer, the thorns spread out faster than before.


    Ttaaang!


    [You have wounded the pride of the noble White Tiger!]


    [The White Tiger is angry!]


    [You have suffered 890 damage.]


    [You have suffered 844 damage...]


    ...


    ...


    ¡¯This guy is like a yangbanpared to the Red Phoenix.¡¯


    It was like a hedgehog trying to protect itself. Whenever it was shocked, the White Tiger shot out dozens of thorns and Grid¡¯s face became covered in wounds. He was displeased with the phrase ¡®the pride of the noble White Tiger.¡¯ The White Tiger¡¯s Breaths attacked every time its pride was damaged, so it was easy to tell how arrogant the White Tiger was.


    ¡¯One day in the East Continent.¡¯


    Ttaang~!Ttang!


    ¡®If I happen to meet with the sacred creatures.¡¯


    Kwaruk!Kwaruruk.


    ¡®It is better not to associate with the White Tiger. No, I shouldn¡¯t meet it at all.¡¯


    However, Grid had no time to think about it while hammering. He moved without hesitation to escape the thorns. Grid wasn¡¯t yet aware. The number of times Kraugel fed him potions was gradually diminishing.


    ¡®This was his intention.¡¯ Kraugel¡¯s eyes shone. ¡®Why did Grid face it directly without resorting to the God Hands... He¡¯s trying to understand the hidden intent and to analyze the patterns to develop his evasive power.¡¯


    Grid thought up to here when creating an item? Grid wanted to make up what he wascking. Kraugel admired Grid¡¯s spirit.


    ¡®This type of effort made him what he is now.¡¯


    Was Kraugel, who looked at Grid with warm eyes, misunderstanding? Wasn¡¯t the reason why Grid didn¡¯t bring out the God Hands was because he was so immersed in making an item that he didn¡¯t use his head? No. It was what he intended.


    Grid took the resistance of the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths as a training opportunity. Practicing to avoid attacks when making items was better than easily defending with the God Hands. In other words, he focused on expanding his thinking and mastering control.


    He calcted it from the beginning. Kraugel discovered this. However, Kraugel didn¡¯t notice one thing.


    That¡¯s right.


    [The experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt (Unique) has increased by 0.01%!]


    It was raising the experience of his items. The quality of the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths was high and the power was low, so the experience of Tiramet¡¯s Belt was steadily rising. It barely rose by 0.01% every thousand hits, but wasn¡¯t it still good?


    ¡®If this was ssified as a hit, the experience of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring could rise as well. It¡¯s a shame.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid was aiming at three things while making the item. Improving his control skills, his item experience, and his thinking ability.


    Ttang!


    Ttang!


    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to make the item roughly. The present Grid wasn¡¯t foolish enough to waste the White Tiger Breaths. The most important part for Grid was the production of items, so he did his best to strengthen the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths. He was in such a state of concentration that he could count exactly how many sparks flew every time he hammered.


    But the result wasn¡¯t good.


    Kwaruruk.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Time passed. On the third day of the production, Grid was mentally tired. The momentum of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath wasn¡¯t lowered at all.


    ¡®No, how stubborn is it?¡¯


    It was too strongpared to other production materials in the same ss. Despite the repeated smelting and hammering, the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths kept their original shape. Grid recalled the phrase ¡®pride of the noble White Tiger¡¯ and saw the White Tiger¡¯s nature as the reason for theck of progress.


    ¡®No, wait.¡¯


    He realized it only on the third night.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a matter of attribute rather than personality?¡¯


    The White Tiger had the earth attribute. And earth was strong against fire. As soon as he was reminded of the basics, Grid noticed that this work was wrong from the beginning.


    ¡®The White Tiger¡¯s Breath is the energy of the earth itself... It is a material that can¡¯t be smelted with conventional methods.¡¯


    He had a headache. Kraugel, who had been guarding Grid for three days, saw that Grid stopped hammering and frowned as he noticed that something was wrong.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    "I can¡¯t smelt it.¡±


    ¡°...?"


    Panmir was surprised from where he was sleeping on a mat to the side.


    "What do you mean by you can¡¯t smelt it?¡±


    In thest three days, Panmir had been watching Grid¡¯s every move. He didn¡¯t want to miss anything about the legendary cksmith¡¯s work. He saw that there was nothing wrong with Grid¡¯s actions. Grid¡¯s workmanship was the best. Nevertheless, the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths remained in their original form. Wasn¡¯t it because it couldn¡¯t be smelted?


    ¡°Then is it impossible to make the item?¡±


    Panmir had no experience in dealing with myth rated materials and was confused. Unlike Kraugel, who was forced to stay silent because this wasn¡¯t his world, Panmir thought about it.


    "Is the temperature of the firecking? Isn¡¯t the melting point very high because it is a material of the earth attribute?¡±


    ¡°No. The melting point has been reached.¡±


    Minerals were ssified as pure substances and mixed substances. As a simple example, iron was a pure substance while steel was a mixed substance. Once iron was heated up, the temperature would continue to rise to the melting point of 1,530 degrees, but the temperature was maintained until the iron waspletely melted. On the other hand, steel was a mixed substance and the temperature wasn¡¯t maintained. Even after the temperature reached the melting point, it kept increasing by 100 degrees.


    Grid was able to distinguish between a pure substance and mixed substance based on the temperature change.


    ¡°The White Tiger¡¯s Breath is a pure substance. There are no foreign materials added. The evidence is that the temperature hasn¡¯t risen since it reached 7,230 degrees.¡±


    Yes, the temperature wasn¡¯tcking. The system recognized the melting point of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath as 7,230 degrees. In fact, just after the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was taken out of the furnace, it was reduced to a y-like intensity.


    "But in this state, the shape doesn¡¯t change despite the repeated quenching and hammering?¡±


    "Yes. So I noticed a bitte. The material was so strong that I thought I needed to repeat the smelting and hammering many times to change shape gradually.¡±


    But not now.


    "The smelting itself was wrong. I need topletely dissolve it to strengthen the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡±


    The fire was enough. Nevertheless, the fact that it wasn¡¯t melted meant he needed another way. Grid judged and asked Kraugel and Panmir, "What attributes is the earth attribute weak to?¡±


    "It is naturally water and ice.¡±


    "If you go into the detailed ssification, it is also vulnerable to nt-based skills.¡±


    "Soaking, transforming, freezing, cracking from the inside...is it?¡±


    Grid guessed. In order to strengthen the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths, it was necessary to weaken the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths first. But a cksmith was rted to fire. Water, ice, and nts weren¡¯t Grid¡¯s areas.


    ¡®Then is it impossible for a cksmith to strengthen the White Tiger¡¯s Breath?¡¯


    Strictly speaking, it was impossible for him to do it alone and needed the cooperation of others. Grid had no choice but to miss Braham.


    ¡®If there was Braham...¡¯


    <i>¡°Bah! It is a simple matter. With the magic in this body, I will drown the bead like a rat. Or what if I turn it into ice and smash it?¡±</i>


    He would say something like this. There was the illusion of Braham¡¯s voice ringing in his ears.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid smiled bitterly as he realized. His greatest strength was other people. He immediately sent a whisper to Lauel.


    -Is there a magician in our guild who specializes in water magic?


    -I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking, but there¡¯s one person who can use powerful water attribute magic.


    Lauel¡¯s vision was high. He was in a position to seek able people, but he always ced Grid in the center. He wouldn¡¯t use the word ¡®powerful¡¯ for someone who wasn¡¯t. Grid¡¯s expectations were heightened.


    -Who is it?


    -Euphemina.


    -Ah!


    Duplicator Euphemina. Right. She could duplicate the best water attribute magic. Grid started to see the solution but it was only for a second.


    ¡®Is it that easy to duplicate the best magic?¡¯


    She had to find a caster and watch in real-time how the magic was used. He didn¡¯t know how many days it would take Euphemina to copy the best water magic. Grid needed to strengthen the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths now.


    Lauel sent a whisper to the disappointed Grid.


    -Hasn¡¯t Euphemina learnt Mumud¡¯s magic?I heard that she has Mumud¡¯s water attribute magic.


    -That¡¯s right!It was like this!


    Grid¡¯s face was filled with joy. Braham, who was one of the strongest among the legends. Mumud, one of the greatest talents who survived a one-on-one fight with the fire dragon Trauka. It was natural that Mumud¡¯s magic would be equal to Braham¡¯s magic.


    The excited Grid immediately sent a whisper to Euphemina.


    -Euphemina!Can youe to the smithy right now?


    -Of course.You¡¯re the one calling.


    She didn¡¯t even ask why. Euphemina was the representative of the Grid loyalists. Thanks to Mumud¡¯s magic, she was devoted to hunting without the limitations of the Duplicator ss. Now she immediately returned to Reinhardt.


    ***


    "This is?¡±


    A white bead. Unlike a pearl, it was just white. It was a deep color. But the surface was shiny and there was a mysterious spiritual energy.


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. Hit it with the water attribute magic. Continue until just before it breaks."


    "Yes, I¡¯ll try."


    Euphemina nodded and gathered both hands together. It was only a moment.


    ¡¯What?¡¯


    Both Grid and Kraugel were surprised at the same time. There was a blue intangible aura that asionally urred when magicians used magic. The so-called mana in the smithy started to gather at Euphemina¡¯s fingertips. It was different from ordinary usage. Normal magicians ¡®emitted¡¯ their mana while Euphemina seemed to ¡®absorb¡¯ the surrounding mana.


    Peeeeong!


    Euphemina shot the mana gathered at her fingertips. It became a stream of water that struck the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths. Then...


    ¡°Heok!¡±


    Strong...¡±


    Grid and Kruagel¡¯s faces turned white at the same time. It was because the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths, which had maintained itsplete shape despite Grid hammering it for three days and nights, was dented with a single blow.


    Peng!Pepeng!Pepepeng!


    Euphemina kept shooting the magic. She hit the two White Tiger¡¯s Breaths until Grid told her to stop. The water she fired was as fierce as waves and his momentum was like an angry beast.


    ¡¯The magic resembles the master...¡¯


    Grid had been afraid of Euphemina in the past and trembled from the momentum.


    "Stop! It¡¯s enough now!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Euphemina stopped the magic and Grid immediately took the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths. The White Tiger¡¯s Breaths were cracked, like a ss bead on the verge of breaking.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. The white phosphorus wood was used as firewood and the white beads ced into the furnace that had been heated up to 7,230 degrees. Then...


    Tatak!Tak.


    In the mes, the cracks on the White Tiger¡¯s Breaths grew bigger. The smelting was finally over. It was the moment when Grid and Kraugel¡¯s knowledge, skills, and experiences were added to Euphemina¡¯s magic.


    Grid sensed it. The strongest sword would be born.

 Chapter 793

    ¡®Does Grid have such a hard time every time he makes an item?¡¯


    A typical cksmith produced items based on existing designs. They were able toplete the item by clicking on the Production Button with the necessary materials. But even such a simple production caused cksmiths to feel weary, bored, and that it was difficult. It took several hours to produce ording to the rating of the design. It was a hassle to sit down for a few hours in one ce.


    Yes, a few hours. Even the manual worker Panmir rarely took much longer toplete an item. It took a maximum of three days production time only when he made an ego item that could be produced every time certain conditions were met.


    Yet Grid had already spent six days making an item. He even made the design himself. Mulling over it, discussing, responding to all sorts of variables, and repeating the same task for days and days. Putting aside the skills, this wasn¡¯t a process possible without his mental power.


    Panmir was forced to pay tribute to Grid¡¯s efforts, persistence, and concentration.


    ¡®A legendary cksmith... If I got that ss, could I have developed like the current Grid?¡¯


    Panmir wondered. It wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    ¡®I¡¯m ashamed for once feeling jealous of Grid.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Panmir. Many cksmith users saw Grid badly. They misunderstood that he easily made items because he was a legendary cksmith. But what if they discovered the secret behind Grid? They wouldn¡¯t dare to be jealous and envious of Grid. There was only one person.


    ***


    Ttaaang!


    Thousands, tens of thousands of times of hammering.


    [The White Tiger¡¯s Breath has been strengthened!]


    A notification window popped up.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    As fatigue pushed down his body and spirit, Grid cheered while hammering. The White Tiger¡¯s Breaths on the anvil hadpletely transformed into transparent beads.


    [Strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath]


    It was the White Tiger¡¯s Breath that hardened after all types of impacts.


    Increases earth resistance by 40% even when carrying it in the inventory.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the white tiger.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong earth attribute.


    Weight: 2


    "It¡¯s finally finished!¡±


    Panmir heard Grid¡¯s cry and rose from his seat. Kraugel¡¯s face was shining. He had been protecting Grid for thest week and felt relieved that the hard fight was over.


    Grid grinned. ¡°Now that the necessary material isplete, I can make the sword.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, wasn¡¯t it originally making a sword? He had watched Grid hammering the bead for a week and forgot what item was supposed to be made.


    Kraugel, Euphemina, and Panmir all couldn¡¯t help shrugging. They were worried about how hard Grid would have to work from now on.


    "I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eventually, Kraugel bowed his head.


    Grid was embarrassed by Kraugel¡¯s apology. ¡°Why are you apologizing suddenly?¡±


    "I never dreamt you would suffer like this every time you make an item. I asked you to do this and ced a huge burden on you.¡±


    "No."


    He didn¡¯t suffer every time he made an item. Grid tried to exin but Euphemina spoke before he could.


    "In the past, you suffered during the few days you made my orb. Grid, you truly are amazing. Having the noble spirit of sacrifice to produce the best items, all the people in this world should emte it.¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    This time and that time were special cases, it didn¡¯t always happen. Grid tried to exin again but this time Panmir interrupted.


    "At this point, you should be on the National Geographic. A documentary should be made in order to inform everyone that Grid devotes a much greater effort and sincerity than the cksmiths of the real world.¡±


    "That¡¯s right! Everyone should know that Grid is the best worker in the world!¡±


    "Grid, there will be more than one or two people who will respect you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The world¡¯s best worker worthy of respect... The best figures in each field couldn¡¯t help praising Grid¡¯s great spirit ofbor. But Grid didn¡¯t feel proud. He was actually sad.


    ¡®Is it just me living this hard?¡¯


    How many people suffered in the game so far? Originally, games were a means of satisfying pleasure. Grid was really a special case. Grid sighed and pulled out the design of Muksabal.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡±


    Now that the necessary materials wereplete, the remaining work could proceed.


    ***


    ¡°Gulp...¡±


    Kraugel, Euphemina, and Panmir gulped as they stood next to each other. They were amazed by Grid¡¯s delicate and brilliant work while maintaining his peak concentration.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Once the bloodstone, the best mineral of hell, was hammered, it became a transparent red. It was as beautiful as ss. But the hardness couldn¡¯tpare to any metal in the world.


    Hwaruruk!


    The shape of the de gradually emerged from the fire.


    Chiik!


    It was immersed in water and cooled down.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid repeated the hammering dozens of times.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°Whoa...¡±


    The cksmiths who rushed once they heard Grid¡¯s work was ending let out cries of admiration. A transparent red sword with a crown-shaped knuckle bow. It wasn¡¯t gorgeous, but was full of elegance. It wasparable to a sword that had been passed down through the royal family from generation to generation.


    ¡®There are no faults.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart started pounding. The thickness and width of the de were designed with thebined knowledge of Grid and Kraugel, making the shape perfect. The instincts of the Sword Saint were attracted to the sword.


    [You are witnessing a famous sword of the era!]


    [You will gain an additional bonus if you acquire the sword!]


    Duguen.


    He was reminded of the notification window that popped up when he encountered Grid¡¯s Enlightenment Sword in the 3rd National Competition. Kraugel realized. It was the luck of a lifetime that he built up a rtionship with Grid. Thus, he was able to decide.


    ¡¯Grid, I will repay you.¡¯


    He would return it a few times. Was his true mind passed on?


    ¡®It will definitely be excellent.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s faith in the oue became stronger.


    ¡°With this, it¡¯s finished!¡±


    It was a lot of hard work. The excited Grid shouted as loud as he could as he attached the strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath. It was thest stage of the work.


    At that moment.


    sh!


    A brilliant yet warm white light enveloped the smithy. The effect was so intense that people couldn¡¯t see.


    "Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    Grid¡¯s cheer echoed. Twopleted swords were ced on the anvil in front of him. The red transparent de was nowpletely white and transparent.


    [World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger]


    Rating: Myth


    Durability: 2,170/2,170 Attack Power: 3,150 Defense: 724


    * 20% increase in physical attack power.


    * 10% increase in defense.


    * 10% increase in magic resistance.


    * 20% increase in maximum health.


    * 30% bonus earth attribute damage.


    * 15% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * 20% additional damage to sacred beings.


    * There is a chance of the sword¡¯s weight increasing when attacking. At this time, the physical attack power that ignores the target¡¯s defense will increase by 113%. However, the speed of recovering the sword is increased by one second.


    * When attacked, there is a normal chance of ¡®Pir¡¯ being released. The giant stone pir has a sting effect of up to 5 meters. The damage applied is 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power.


    * There is a normal chance of blocking attacks. If you seed in blocking an attack, ¡®Thorns¡¯ will be released. Sharp stone thorns will cause damage to all targets in range and will caused a ¡®reduced recovery¡¯ effect. The amount of damage applied is 30% of the weapon¡¯s attack power.


    ¡ï When attacking, there is a low probability of causing the target to be ¡®partially petrified.¡¯ Ignores petrification resistance. A small amount of health will be restored when attacking a petrified target.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Attitude¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Cry¡¯ is generated.


    A sword that will be a myth beyond legends. The owner of this sword will leave countless achievements and will be the protagonists of hymns that future generations will sing.


    The skill Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques of cksmith Grid, the magic of Mumud, and the knowledge of a Sword Saint are gathered. The hidden function of ¡®petrification¡¯ and ¡®recovery¡¯ have been implemented because the features of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath have been drawn out to the extremes.


    It will be the symbol of fear to the enemy and a symbol of protection to the master.


    Conditions of Use: The top three rankers in each ss capable of using a sword type weapon.


    Weight: 6,800


    [White Tiger¡¯s Attitude Lv. 1]


    Acquires the attitude of the White Tiger.


    Attack power and movement is reduced by 80% and defense is increased by 198%.


    Skill Mana Cost: 17 per second.


    Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    [White Tiger¡¯s Cry Lv. 1]


    Creates an earthquake with a radius of 5 meters.


    All objects within range are subjected to a ¡®loss of bnce¡¯ status and a 13% reduction in defense, evasion, and uracy. If the target is using a spell or skill, casting is forcibly cancelled.


    Mana Consumption: 1,500


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    ¡®The best!¡¯


    The attack power was less than the Enlightenment Sword. It was evident that the Enlightenment Sword was much better than the White Tiger Sword when the effects of ck mes and red lightning urred. But in terms of sustainability and bnce, the White Tiger Sword was definitely superior. It had much better utilization. In particr, Grid paid attention to White Tiger¡¯s Attitude.


    ¡¯An 80% reduction in attack power.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s attack power was so high that he could easily incapacitate the opponent. On the other hand, who could defeat the Grid who had nearly three times the defense?


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t they have to be a duke level to catch me?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. White Tiger¡¯s Attitude favored people with excellent stats. The skill was more fraudulent when applied to people like Grid.


    [A total of three myth rated items have been produced so something special will happen!]


    Grid smiled at the rising notification window and handed Kraugel a normal rated growth type White Tiger Sword.

 Chapter 794

    [Still Crouching White Tiger Sword]


    [Rating: Normal (Growth)


    Durability: 390/390


    Attack Power: 373


    Defense: 31


    * 10% drop in attack speed.


    * 3% increase in physical attack power.


    * 3% increase in defense.


    * 3% increase in magic resistance.


    * 6% increase in maximum health.


    * 8% bonus earth attribute damage.


    * There is a low chance of the sword¡¯s weight increasing when attacking. At this time, the physical attack power that ignores the target¡¯s defense will increase by 33%. However, the speed of recovering the sword is increased by one second.]


    A sword that will be a myth beyond legends...


    Omitted.


    It was one of the two swords made by Grid. Fortunately, Yura had been able to steadily attain the bloodstones while hunting in hell. This was a sword made by borrowing the legendary rated material stored in the guild¡¯s warehouse. It was also boosted by the power of the strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath, meaning it couldn¡¯t be regarded as a normal rated item. Considering that the basic performance of growth type items was superior to that of general items, this was unreasonable.


    Of course, it was insignificantpared to Grid¡¯s myth rated sword.


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel¡¯s mouth was firmly closed after confirming the item information. Was it an expression of disappointment? No. That wasn¡¯t the reason why he didn¡¯t open his mouth.


    Grid knew the reason.¡°Are you touched? You have forgotten your words.¡±


    If a person who didn¡¯t know the value of a growth item witnessed the present scene, they would¡¯ve doubted Grid¡¯s personality. There might be people who insulted Grid for only taking the good items. However, Kraugel knew the value of the growth type items.


    Every time a growth type item raised its rating, its stats would increase significantly and new options would be added. The contents of the options were determined ording to the characteristics of the user, so it was very good for the user. In other words, the lower the rating, the higher the potential of the growth items¡ªfrom normal to rare, rare to epic, epic to unique, unique to legend, and legend to myth.


    Every time the White Tiger Sword increased its rating, it would be dramatically stronger and eventually surpass Grid¡¯s myth rated White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°Really... Can I really take this sword?¡± The silent Kraugel finally opened his mouth.


    Grid smiled at his quivering voice.¡°Of course. I made the sword for you in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°But Grid, this is a growth type item. You deserve to have it.¡±


    The other White Tiger Sword... Grid wanted to use the myth rated White Tiger Sword, but the growth type White Tiger Sword would be better for him in the long run. Kraugel sincerely thought like this. Grid shook his head at Kraugel¡¯s concern. ¡°As you know, I¡¯ve been swapping between multiple weapons. How can I raise the sword to a myth rating over time?¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s Belt, Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, and the God Hands had been stuck at the unique rating for years. It would take at least 10 years of Satisfy time to grow the normal rated White Tiger Sword to myth rated. However, that was just from his perspective. Unlike Grid who had many items, Kraugel could focus on only raising the White Tiger Sword. There was also the possibility of elerating the growth rate of the sword with the ss bonus of a Sword Saint.


    ¡°This is right. I think it is a reasonable distribution,¡± Grid asserted.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Kraugel pledged, ¡°I will return it to you as soon as I raise this sword to the myth rating. I will exchange it with your current sword.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    This was absurd. Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He could feel Kraugel¡¯s sincerity.


    ¡®Really.¡¯


    There were many good people around him. He didn¡¯t know where this good luck came from. The red-eyed Grid was so embarrassed that he became angry.¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Won¡¯t it grow into the most appropriate sword for you? Just be thankful.¡±


    ¡°...You won¡¯t regret it?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to make me regret it?¡±


    ¡°No, I will pay you back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. It is more than enough.¡± Grid knew Kraugel¡¯s value. The future sword god? If he could get the heart and trust of his friend, then it was worth more than 10 swords. ¡°I hope this sword will be a token of our eternal friendship.¡±


    ¡°Eternal...¡± A smile spread across Kraugel¡¯s face as he thought of this word. The number of times he had felt this happy could be counted on one hand. It was the same with Grid. The people who had been alone because they were toocking or too good were now facing each other on the same level with the same feelings.


    ***


    ¡®Let¡¯s try it once.¡¯


    Grid was obligated to use the Pulling Device. It wasn¡¯t possible to neglect the item which had been created to minimize item swapping speed. In the future, he nned to make weapons in the form of a ¡®de¡¯ like the Enlightenment Sword.


    The reason he had made the White Tiger Sword in its full form was due to Kraugel¡¯s expectations. He had listened to Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s advice and created a sword with unrivaled abilities.


    The result wasmendable. The aggressiveness was less than that of the Enlightenment Sword, but the overall harmony was overwhelming. Grid especially liked the great defense. The basic defense alone was at 724. This was at the level of wearing a good armor. It was close to the basic defense of the Holy Light Armor, which Grid had used along with Triple Layers for nearly nine years of game time.


    ¡®The source of this defense is the knuckle bow.¡¯


    Grid looked at the knuckle bow that was at the end of the transparent de. The crown-shaped knuckle bow decorated with red velvet blended elegantly with the transparent de.


    ¡®I had no choice but to make it with a handle. In order to connect the White Tiger Sword to the Pulling Device, I must eventually remove the handle, losing the best defense.¡¯


    However, the White Tiger Sword¡¯s attack power would increase greatly instead. Attaching it to the handle of Sword Ghost with the Pulling Device would transform the de into an aggressive one.


    ¡®It is the most ideal n.¡¯


    The knuckle bow would be modified to be integral with the de, not the handle. Even if it was connected to the Pulling Device, it could increase attack power while maintaining defense.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t afford it with my current skill.¡¯


    Once the knuckle bow was integrated with the de, the bnce of the de would break. The White Tiger Sword wouldn¡¯t be the White Tiger Sword anymore, and it could even lose its myth status.


    ¡®I think it will be possible if my cksmithing level increases by two more...¡¯


    It meant he had to wait a few years. At present, he had no solution for this. Grid thought for a long time before shaking his head. It wasn¡¯t meaningful to think in a state where his head waspletely stiff.


    ¡®I¡¯m at my limit.¡¯


    He had been focused on making an item for 10 days. It was natural to be exhausted. Grid needed time to recover. He would leave Kraugel¡¯smission for armor and boots forter.


    ¡°Dear husband!¡±


    It was his family. Irene was now the national mother and a role model for hundreds of thousands of people. There were countless people who were encouraged by her kindness and tried to imitate her. However, even such a great woman was still a girl in front of Grid. The girl who faced her first love¡ªshe dreamed of being loved.


    ¡°I heard you suffered a lot,¡± Irene spoke in an emotional voice while hugging him firmly. She understood Grid¡¯s pain, from after Khan died, better than anyone else and was worried he would do something.


    Grid stroked her soft cheek and smiled brightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not overdoing it. I always consider my health and safety first. Don¡¯t worry about my physical fitness,¡± he said to fill Irene¡¯s heart with relief.


    However, even someone pure like Irene could notice Grid¡¯s lie. Grid was someone who had built a family, fought alongside his colleagues, and built a kingdom and defended it. Irene was well aware that Grid always pushed himself too hard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Rest as much as you can today.¡±Irene ced her hands on his waist and raised her gaze. However, her big and round eyes couldn¡¯t look angry. She looked like a rabbit instead. Grid had to hide his smile because she looked so cute.


    ¡°I won¡¯t yield. Please enter the bedroom and rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s have a good sleep today.¡±


    Grid needed a break anyway. His stamina was depleted from the tiring item production, and his tense spirit needed stability. Yes, he really meant to take a break. However, he couldn¡¯t rest effortlessly when moving to the bedroom.


    It was because Irene started massaging his legs to help him recover from the fatigue. The game underwear that Grid had saved... No, she was wearing the vampire underwear. He wasn¡¯t able to rx because she was wearing underwear which revealed her body while she continued rubbing his body. Every time he felt her soft touch, his body shuddered. Every time her mouth touched his skin, the detailed exnation will be omitted. In the end...


    ¡°Irene! I can¡¯t do it!¡±


    "What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Irene!!¡±


    The detailed description of Grid touching Irene¡¯s ripe flesh will be omitted.


    ¡°Irene! I love you!!¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Dear husband~!¡±


    As the air in the bedroom became hotter, the two of them became entangled on the bed. Further descriptions are omitted.


    ***


    ¡°Will I get a younger sibling?¡±Lordughed as he stood in front of Grid¡¯s bedroom. It was the pure pleasure from knowing that his parent¡¯s love was still alive.


    Hum hum, a middle-aged man cleared his throat.It was Chucksley, a knight guarding the Overgeared royal family. ¡°Prince, this is disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t notice. Hehet! I¡¯lle backter.¡±


    The calm Chucksley trusted Lord. Now the child, who had be a big boy, obediently stepped back and into the arms of beautiful girls. The women who were Reba¡¯s Daughters¡¯ candidates would be mature women in a year or two. It was an Overgeared army that most people didn¡¯t even know about.


    ¡°Prince Lord, do you feel good?¡±


    ¡°No. I want a kiss.¡±


    ¡°Then I am first! Chu!¡±


    ¡°Ah! No! The prince¡¯s right cheek is mine!¡±


    ...If other people saw it, they would think it was a scene of lonely girls chasing after a prince.


    A few dayster...


    ¡°I will be going.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t missing anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I stopped by the alchemy facility and got everything I needed.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I already mentioned it a few times but if you are in danger, use Knights Summoning. The Overgeared members will be standing by. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±Grid received Lauel¡¯s goodbye and secretly left Reinhardt. His destination was naturally in Titan. It was the imperial pce.

 Chapter 795

    It had been confirmed that Mercedes disobeyed an order and went to Valha. Breaking an order was proof that she had lost faith in the emperor, while visiting a hostile kingdom without permission was evidence of rebellion. The contents of Gyuratan¡¯s report contained clear nder and distortion of facts. The behavior of the First Knight was a cause for emergency because she had gone to visit the enemy.


    ¡®There is a reason why Mercedes visited Valha.¡¯


    She had tried to get revenge by finding the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant. In fact, there was no way she would join with Valha. Emperor Juander was convinced of this. However...


    ¡®It is also true that she broke my orders.¡¯


    Sadly, the emperor had no choice but to doubt Mercedes¡¯ loyalty. If she were truly loyal to him, she wouldn¡¯t have left his sight for any reason.


    ¡®Well, I never expected loyalty in the first ce.¡¯


    It was natural. Even the trusted Piaro had betrayed him and the emperor. The so-called knights were no different from clowns. Loyalty was merely a mask that could be thrown away at any time.


    ¡®But it would be nice if I could trust Gyuratan a bit more.¡¯


    The Fourth Knight Gyuratan was the decisive figure who revealed Piaro¡¯s betrayal 12 years ago. What was his reason for monitoring the Red Knights and turning Mercedes into a viin by distorting the truth?


    ¡®There might be something dangerous. I have to watch out for Mercedes.¡¯


    Emperor Juander made a decision.


    ¡°The First Knight should be loyal to the royal family, but Mercedes abandoned her duty by breaking my orders. I will deprive Mercedes of all her qualifications, and she will be disciplined for three years.¡±


    It was like a bolt out of the blue. The big and small officials were upset.


    Who was Mercedes? She was the person who united the Red Knights which had been fractured due to Piaro¡¯s betrayal. Thanks to her work, the Red Knights could be maintained and stability restored. She showed bravery in wars and activities which were difficult to emte. Mercedes was the symbol of a new era. Yet the emperor was throwing away this symbol? The wave of shock created at this time was terrible.


    Even the emperor¡¯s aide thought negatively about it.


    ¡°She is under the empress¡¯mand. No, I don¡¯t think you should do this, even if she is a puppet of the empress.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Disqualifying her is on a different dimension from simply disciplining her.


    ¡°You have to think about her influence. There is a fear that the knights will go against Your Majesty. I think it is right to give proper disciplinary actions.¡±


    Would the Red Knights follow Duke Limit or First Knight Mercedes? Most of the knights were likely to choose Mercedes. Mercedes was a respected knight, so the emperor¡¯s decision was puzzling.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± With even his closest people reacting like this, the calm emperor became frustrated. He tapped the table with his thick fingers. Then suddenly...


    Kwaduduk!


    Strange noises came down from the ceiling.


    ¡°...!¡±


    In the emperor¡¯s office, Emperor Juander and the dukes sitting around the table looked up.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Guard captain Bain, who was always protecting the emperor¡¯s side, jumped up. The falling metal chandelier was caught in Bain¡¯s big hand.


    ¡°W-What is this...?¡±


    The faces of the dukes turned white. The chandelier hanging on the ceiling had suddenly fallen?


    ¡®What an ominous sign!¡¯


    This was the emperor¡¯s office. It was impossible for the facilities to not be maintained properly. Indeed, there were no signs of old age on the chandelier. In fact, it seemed new. The dukes read this as the sign of a disaster and were anxious. However, the emperor was furious.¡°Empress...!¡±


    The blood vessels on his face bulged ashe realized something.The empress wasn¡¯t a puppet of the nobles but their leader. The emperor confirmed that this chandelier was a gift from the empress one month ago and shouted furiously, ¡°Drag Marie before me right now!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    It was an unusually serious situation. The dukes, who had been sitting heavily on the ground, rushed out of the room. There were already hundreds of guards in front of the office. Emergencymands were ringing out all over the imperial pce.


    ¡°Block all the doors right now! Don¡¯t let a single mice leave the pce!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Go and collect Empress Marie! This is a royal order!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    A flood of chaos poured out. The political situation of the empire was changing rapidly. At this time...


    ¡°I-It is urgent!!¡± Shocking news was delivered to the emperor. ¡°A corner of the southern wall has copsed!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The strong walls of Titan, which hadn¡¯t allowed a single enemy since its founding, had copsed? To think that all of this was happening so suddenly? It was an unprecedented event and emotional instability started to bubble deep in the heart of the emperor.


    ***


    ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t have any part that isn¡¯t beautiful.¡±In the empress¡¯ pce, the noblewoman bowing whilst on her knees kept on saying ttering words. She was carefully painting the empress¡¯ nails. A nobledy from a good family was on her knees and doing someone else¡¯s nails... It made the maids, who were at one side, restless. They knew that they would eventually receive a punishment for witnessing a noble like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried this powdered pearl might not be beautiful enough for your feet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disruptive. It isn¡¯t bad,¡± Empress Marie responded with a benign smile. She felt a bliss that couldn¡¯t be spoken. A nobledy was like a puppy before her... The feeling of this power was great.


    ¡®She is doing my toenails.¡¯


    This was the power of the empress. She couldn¡¯t imagine what the power of the empress dowager would be like. Marie¡¯s desires were overwhelming. Her goal of putting the 4th Prince on the throne became even more set.


    ¡°Huung. Huuung,¡± the empress¡¯s humming flowed out from her mouth. It was a beautiful song like an angel was singing. However, the noblewoman and the maids knew.They couldn¡¯t be deceived by the empress¡¯ kind smile and beautiful appearance. She was far from an angel.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°...Huung.¡±


    The tranquility was broken. The empress stopped humming and moved her gaze. Viscount Albert had urgently rushed over, panting harshly.¡°It is better to avoid His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±The empress was angry rather than confused. She was the empire¡¯s empress and wouldter be the mother of the emperor. Yet she now had to avoid the emperor? Her? Why?


    Viscount Albert exined to the frowning empress, ¡°Duke Grenhal is headed for this pce, but his mood is bad! He has His Majesty¡¯s guards with him!¡±


    ¡°Duke Grenhal...?¡±


    Why was the right arm of the emperoring here? The emperor¡¯s guards were alsoing?


    ¡°Find out what is going on,¡± the empress said, realizing that the mood was unusual. Then she immediately rose from her seat, and the maids carefully put on her shoes. Before leaving the room, the empress pointed to the maids. ¡°Get rid of them. We must defend the honor of our countess.¡±


    ¡°E-Empress...!¡± The maids cried out.


    ¡°I am always thrilled with Your Majesty¡¯s consideration.¡± The noblewoman bowed with thanks. The empress¡¯ pce, which was filled with lowly women, was also disgusting today. Viscount Albert bit his lips so that the empress wouldn¡¯t notice his thoughts. Then he picked up his sword and cut down the five maids.


    One knight ran and reported to the empress, ¡°I heard that the mobile hanging in your bedroom fell down.¡± (Mobile: a decorative structure that is suspended so as to turn freely in the air.)


    The empress¡¯ face stiffened. ¡°What is the cause?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The maids said that the mobile became bigger and heavier than before.¡±


    ¡°.....¡± She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Empress Marie immediately grasped the situation. ¡°Right now... Prepare the carriage right now. I must meet His Majesty.¡±


    She had to exin it at once. Then the empress heard a voice, ¡°I have already prepared the carriage. Now, let¡¯s go, Your Majesty.¡±


    It was Duke Grenhal.As usual, he was riding on top of a rhino. The empress didn¡¯t like his gaze. However, she couldn¡¯t express this. Duke Grenhal, who boasted the strongest power among the seven dukes, wasn¡¯t someone the empress could deal with.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    ***


    ¡°This is serious.¡±


    Regardless of the awfulness, the empress¡¯ pce was peaceful on the surface.


    At one point in the afternoon, this was overturned. Veradin identified the cause and decided that the empress¡¯ position would be greatly reduced from today onward.


    ¡®If we don¡¯t move, we might be caught in the mes.¡¯


    Immortal belonged to the Rose Knights under Empress Marie¡¯smand. They had to be careful of the guilt by association.


    ¡®A new nesting site is necessary.¡¯


    Veradin hastened to take steps. Immortal and Agnus had stayed at the empress¡¯ pce for a while.


    ¡®Let¡¯s leave this pce.¡¯


    In the worst case, the backing of the empress could be poison. Then it would be hard to go anywhere on the East Continent.


    ¡®It would be nice to move to the East Continent.¡¯


    A crisis was an opportunity. It might be forced but this was good timing to try new challenges. Veradin thought so and felt a clear sense of hope. He thought it was simply Marie¡¯s crisis and forgot how dangerous the situation was. Why?


    ...Because at least the pce was still the safest ce. Leaving it would be a big mistake. His enemies were greater in number than he had imagined. For the sake of revenge, the enemy had sunk the biggest nation on the continent into chaos.


    Step, step.


    ¡°.....¡±


    One step, a second step, a third step...


    Veradin¡¯s steps became faster as he left the pce. He felt a sense of difort. Due to the absence of the empress, the knights and soldiers who used to be on guard everywhere couldn¡¯t be seen. Then he realized... this was no longer a safe ce. However, enlightenment always arrived toote.


    ¡°Do you feel the need to go to the toilet? Why are you in a hurry?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    When they arrived in front of the pce, Veradin heard a familiar voice behind him. Veradin stopped walking. ¡°Is it because of Lauel? The current situation is Lauel¡¯s work?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t qualified to ask me.¡±


    ¡°Are you a fool? This is Immortal¡¯s base. What do you n to do after sessfully infiltrating it? You alone can¡¯t threaten us.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a threat. I will kill you. All of you.¡±


    ¡°Hah, do you n to use Knights Summoning? If the Overgeared members¡¯ faces are seen in this uproar, the sword the empire will point at the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You know what? You are the first one.¡±


    ¡°Get out here!¡±


    Veradin was still turned away from Grid. Then he looked toward the entrance of the empress¡¯ pce and screamed as loudly as possible, ¡°What? Eh! G-Grid!¡±


    ¡°What? Really? It is Grid!!¡±


    ¡°Everyone get out of here!¡±


    Dozens or hundreds of necromancers poured out. It was only after seeing them that Veradin felt relief. Then he faced it¡ªGrid¡¯s cool gaze.


    ¡°This is the first time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?"


    ¡°The first time that you will die for me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t count Piaro¡¯s kill, you bastard.¡±


    Khan¡¯s enemy was finally right here. The Grid at this moment wasn¡¯t the person admired by two billion people or the Overgeared King representing his people. It was theplete Grid. He wanted to vent his uncontroble resentment and killing desire.


    Paaaat!


    The necromancers summoned their skeletons. However, the moment that Veradin¡¯s death knight and some of the necromancers¡¯ skeletons tried to intercept Grid...


    ¡°Remember. You are already dead if I appear before you.¡± Grid moved to Veradin¡¯s side using Freely Move and wielded the Enlightenment Sword while being buffed with cksmith¡¯s Rage and ckening.


    Sakak-!


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    [You have suffered 51,900 damage.]


    [35% of your maximum health is preserved due to the effect of Oveing Death.]


    Did Veradin get hit by a skill? His spirit was stunned by the very powerful blow. Veradin shrank back and pulled out a potion.


    Puoook!


    Then Lifael¡¯s Spear pierced him. Death Knight Kyleo and the other skeleton knights started hitting Grid. However, rather than blocking the attacks, Grid just released a poisonous fog. Veradin was in pain from being stabbed by a sword and spear, not because he was poisoned.


    ¡°Die. A hundred times, a thousand times more.¡± Grid smiled evilly as he dealt the finishing blow, reminiscent of the days when he was called a butcher.


    It was only two normal attacks...


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Then the ck mes exploded. Veradin and the surrounding necromancers turned to gray.

 Chapter 796

    ¡°This is nonsense!¡±


    It was an obvious story, but Immortal had also watched the videos of the National Competition several times. From the opening ceremony to the closing ceremonies, there were enthusiasts who watched the rerun without missing a single game. They knew the existence of the instant skill Grid had used to take out Tarma.


    However, they hadn¡¯t expected for the power of that skill to ruin Veradin. Why? Veradin was a person who had transcended the limits of a necromancer in the area of survival. Just look at back when the Overgeared Kingdom was invaded. At the time, Veradin had overpowered Faker. Veradin had even endured an assassin¡¯s onught, so it was hard to think he would die with just one blow. Furthermore...


    ¡®It was a wide-range skill?¡¯


    The moment the ck mes exploded, dozens of necromancers within 10 meters of Veradin died as well. The Immortal members thought it was absurd. How could an instant skill boast such great power and an enormous range of influence?


    ¡®Is a legendary skill this different?¡¯


    The sound of nervous gulps could be heard everywhere. The one who broke the uneasy silence was the 2nd ranked necromancer, Bullet. ¡°Scat... Scatter! Scatter everywhere!¡±


    Then the 7th ranked Drew shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t let that monster get away!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    A human¡¯s desire to survive overcame fear. The necromancers overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s firepower quickly recovered their minds. They summoned advanced undead such as skeleton knights and mages to keep Grid in check while they maximized the distance. However, there were some people who ran away without looking back.


    They were Grid¡¯s first targets.


    ¡°Where are you trying to run away to?¡±


    There was no salvation, only pest control. Grid needed to eradicate thempletely. He knew this because he had met many types of people.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    Kuooooh!


    As Grid started a sword dance in the middle of the retreating necromancers, his neat ck hair started to rise. The fragments of the ground, which couldn¡¯t endure the ck mes explosion, rose into the air. It was the forerunner to Grid changing to ranged attacks.


    Peng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    In his ckened state, Grid reached his maximum speed. He was able to swing his sword six times per second, which meant he could fire six energy swords per second. Grid was a weapon rather than a human.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Kuk...!¡±


    The necromancers, who had wanted to survive alone by escaping, fell as their backs were hit by the energy swords Grid fired. As ordinary necromancers, they had low defense and health. Therefore, most of them died after receiving a single blow from Grid. The people who had the fortune to survive were in a stunned state. It couldn¡¯t be helped since they had lost more than half their health with one blow.


    ¡°Lubaan!¡± Bullet¡¯s cry that was close to a scream echoed on the battlefield. Death Knight Lubaan responded to his will and struck toward Grid.


    Kwaaaaah!


    Lubaan was an orc fighter when still alive, and he used a halberd that was over two meters long as a weapon. While sniping at the fleeing necromancers, a gap in Grid¡¯s defense was exposed, causing him to fall from Lubaan¡¯s powerful slice.


    ¡®Very good.¡¯ Bullet¡¯s expectations of Lubaan rose sharply. Lubaan¡¯s attack power was the best. His attack power was even beyond that of Death Knight Kyleo, and Bullet thought that Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a critical hit. However...


    Chaaeng!


    The notification windows which rose as soon as Lubaan¡¯s halberd struck Grid¡¯s shoulder caused Bullet¡¯s face to harden.


    [You have dealt 2,430 damage to the target!]


    [Poisonous fog has popped up!]


    [Death Knight Lubaan is now poisoned.]


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡±


    It was an armor which caused poison damage instead of having overwhelming defense?


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Bullet had already witnessed Grid exert a powerful attack against a dragon. However, like Kraugel, hadn¡¯t Grid died easily from the dragon¡¯s breath? Additionally, he had be ragged in his PvP match against Kraugel.Yes, Grid¡¯s items were excellent, but his defense seemed rather normal.


    Bullet was the second strongest out of tens of thousands of necromancers. Like the National Competition rankers such as Kraugel, Bullet believed that he could threaten Grid. However, it was a terrible arrogance. No, it was a shameful mistake.


    ¡®I am a frog in a well.¡¯


    They were in entirely different sses. When Bullet realized the reality of the situation, he was stunned for a moment.


    [Death Knight Lubaan has returned to the ground.]


    Seeing that his death knight was unable to withstand Grid¡¯s onught and had died, Bullet shouted, ¡°Corpse Explosion! There is no other answer!¡±


    The necromancers, who were helpless while Grid wielded his sword without a break, instantly found hope. Corpse Explosion¡ªit was a magic which inflicted damage proportional to the target¡¯s maximum health by self-exploding the summoned undead. A big disadvantage of this magic was that it took a considerably long amount of time to re-summon the destroyed undead. However, its power was outstanding.


    The necromancers realized that a long battle with Grid was disadvantageous and started to used Corpse Explosion.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]


    The moment that the undead approaching Grid exploded...


    The necromancers cheered, ¡°Good!¡±


    This was because they saw Grid coughing up blood for the first time. Hundreds of undead that were now walking bombs approached Grid. This scene was no different from a horror movie.


    ¡°Grid! Pay the price for your arrogance!¡±


    There was a limit to the power of an individual. Immortal looked down at Grid¡¯s foolishness for facing them alone. Dozens of ghouls closed the distance to Grid, and they exploded simultaneously.


    Kwang!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    There was a powerful explosion! The explosion centered on Grid shook the empress¡¯ pce. However...


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    Grid was fine. It was because he absorbed the explosion with Kruger¡¯s Mysterious Cloth. He emerged unscathed from the dust.


    Puok!


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Kwajak!


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    Grid in his ckened State chased the necromancers with an agility that they couldn¡¯t afford. The necromancers continued to die as he shed about like Hong Gildong across the battlefield.


    ¡°W-What...? How can you be fine? Heok!¡± Drew shrieked as he summoned new undead to stop Grid. Then he saw two delicate skeletons. The undead he thought had been summoned by allies came up and stabbed him. These skeletons were different from normal skeletons. They had ¡®expressions.¡¯


    Bullet was confused when he saw the skeletons¡¯ ¡®? ?¡¯ eyes which seemed tough at him.


    ¡°W-What are these crazy skeletons?¡±


    The unidentified skeletons were weak. Bullet only suffered 100 damage from their stabs. However, he felt a strangely ominous feeling. Undead with facial expressions?He had never heard of it before. Even the best undead, the lich didn¡¯t have expressions.


    ¡®Maybe these are...¡¯


    Super rare undead?


    ¡®Who is the summoner? Heok!!¡¯


    Bullet¡¯s gaze shifted to above the skeletons¡¯ heads. The names of the skeletons were Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two. The naming sense clearly showed who their master was.


    ¡°G-Grid is the summoner?¡±


    A cksmith with undead? No, how could this be? The moment Bullet had this question...


    Puok!


    ¡°Keok..!¡±


    He coughed up blood. While Bullet had been busy looking at the Overgeared Skeletons, Grid hade up behind him and stabbed his heart.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute...¡±


    He was stabbed once and only had 10% health left. Stunned, Bullet barely managed to open his mouth, ¡°S-Spare me... Please spare me...! I never invaded the Overgeared Kingdom! It was all Veradin¡¯s group! I¡¯m a victim!¡±


    Bullet was well aware that the human mind was surprisingly weak. He believed that if he told Grid the truth like this, he would hesitate. However, Grid¡¯s reaction was different from what Bullet had expected.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve stopped it.¡±


    It was a dull reaction. Grid subsequently struck forth, and Bullet turned to gray. His terrible appearance made the few remaining necromancers despair. It was at this moment that they realized when to use the expression, ¡®intimidated enough to piss slightly.¡¯ This would continue until they left Immortal. No, maybe they couldn¡¯t get rid of Grid¡¯s revenge until they quit the game.


    Grid scared all of them and immediately wore the Hooded Zip Up. Soldiers were rushing over after hearing the damn Corpse Explosions, so he couldn¡¯t dy.


    ¡®It is unfortunate that I missed Agnus.¡¯


    However, it would be terrible if his identity were to be discovered here. The angry empire would attack the Overgeared Kingdom if they discovered the truth.


    ¡®I have to escape.¡¯


    Grid nned to leave via the north gate. The vignce there should be rtively weak since it was located opposite the copsed southern wall.


    ***


    In the north of Titan, there was a dwelling area filled with mansions and vis for the empire¡¯s nobles.


    First Knight Mercedes¡¯ mansion was also located there.


    ¡°Who would dare go against the empire...?¡±


    Mercedes was informed of the southern wall copsing and immediately equipped her sword. She was about to wear the Red Armor, only to hesitate and leave her home in a one-piece outfit. Then she encountered a group of Red Knights. Mercedes looked confused. The knights gathered in the garden were Fourth Knight Gyuratan and his followers.


    Gyuratan shrugged. ¡°Breaking another imperial order... I guess the rumor must be true.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that you have lost respect for the emperor and that you are trying to rebel.¡±


    ¡°What is this unfounded usation?¡±


    ¡°Anyone would think like me unless they are a fool. The wall copsed as soon as there were rumors that His Majesty was going to deprive you of your qualifications. Isn¡¯t it something that the forces behind youmitted?¡±


    ¡°No one is going to believe this.¡±


    ¡°No, everyone will be led to believe it. Didn¡¯t you create this chaos to leave your mansion? I don¡¯t know what type of terrible punishment you will receive.¡±


    ¡°...This conversation is meaningless,¡± Mercedes said. Then she noticed something.¡°You are nning to frame me, just as you did to Piaro 12 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Speaking the name of a traitor. It is clear evidence of your betrayal.¡± The corners of Gyuratan¡¯s mouth curved upward. His mouth was too big, so his smile was bizarre as a clown¡¯s.


    ¡°First Knight Mercedes, I sentence you to death.¡±


    The Fourth Knight¡¯s punishment began. The moment Gyuratan gave the order, five Red Knights attacked Mercedes.


    Supaak!


    Mercedes spun around in her pure white clothing. She rotated while pulling out two swords, soundlessly cutting apart the flowers and trees in the beautiful garden. Blood sshed from the chest of the Red Knights.


    Gyuratan clicked his tongue.¡°Knights in the 20s aren¡¯t enough.¡±


    These weak people were really of no help.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t that far from the squad of Red Knights that I killed.¡± As Gyuratan spat out those shocking words, Mercedes flew toward him like a butterfly. Gyuratan saw Mercedes¡¯ exposed thighs, but there was no desire in his eyes. Sexual desire was something only lowly creatures like humans and animals felt.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    Just before Mercedes¡¯ two swords reached Gyuratan...


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    ck magic power was released, and it hit Mercedes. The unexpected form of the counterattack caused Mercedes to panic and cross her swords.


    Kwajajajak!


    However, it was impossible to defend against magic with just two swords. The absence of body armor was too big. Blood spurted out as Mercedes flew through the sky and hit the wall of her mansion. Gyuratanughed while approaching her slowly. Covered in demonic energy, his skin was pale and his eyes were all ck, without any whites.


    ¡°In the past 12 years, I have been irritated by your eyes. Your clear eyes seem to prate all hidden secrets like a curse. I wanted to rip them out every time I saw them. I wanted to see your pained appearance.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant... You...¡±


    ¡°But Limit trusted you so much. I couldn¡¯t see any gaps to break through. Kukuk, the story changed after you were stupid enough to start digging into Limit.¡± Gyuratan reached out a wrinkled hand. His long fingernails headed toward Mercedes¡¯ eyes. ¡°Thank you for digging your grave yourself. Watch in limbo. Scream in pain and sorrow at the sight of the empire that you wanted to protect so much.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Her body wasn¡¯t listening. The deadly demonic energy, more poisonous than any poison, was strangling Mercedes¡¯ heart.


    As she waited for death, unable to resist...


    ¡°That woman is mine,¡± a male voice rang out.


    Puk!


    Puuok!


    A golden spear filled with divine power flew and pierced Gyuratan.


    ¡°Overgeared King...?¡±Gyuratan, who had barely ovee Reba¡¯s curse, cried out with astonishment while Mercedes recalled a fairy tale she had read as a child.

 Chapter 797

    [You have been discovered by a magic power detector!]


    [The effect of the Hooded Zip Up has been rendered ineffective and Stealth has been turned off.]


    [The magic power detector is looking at you, and any actions considered dangerous in the next three minutes will cause it to strike.]


    He had seen this happen dozens of times since he first entered Titan. Grid became a person in a in white hooded outfit.


    ¡®How much money do they have?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just the pce ¡ª the magic power detectors were installed in ordinary stores, even including the slums. Just this was a small glimpse of the great wealth and technological prowess of the empire that ruled the continent for hundreds of years.


    ¡®I can¡¯t draw any attention to myself.¡¯


    Grid barely escaped the pce, suppressing the urge to rush as he headed to the north gate. He boldly walked down the street without covering his face and ID. Satisfy had a huge yer count of two billion: wouldn¡¯t there be at least one or two people with the ID of Grid? When he walked by on the street, he looked like a passerby to the people around him. There wasn¡¯t a single person who observed him closely. If he hid his identity and acted suspiciously, he would be more noticeable.


    Kwaang!


    ¡°...?¡±


    The rtively quiet north street. Grid entered a new area without much difficulty since people were concentrating on the south wall. Grid suddenly stopped, hearing a loud sound at the end of the quiet street. Grid had heard this sound thousands, if not tens of thousands of times.


    ¡®Combat? Who is fighting here?¡¯


    Grid could ignore it. He needed to get away from Titan as soon as possible, and not get caught up in an unknown fight. But Grid found it hard to just walk away. This was because a golden exmation mark shone in the direction where the fighting was heard.


    A quest signal!


    ¡®A quest at this time?¡¯


    Who in the empire would give him a quest in this turmoil?


    ¡®Who is associated with me?¡¯


    Grid found it hard to imagine, but he didn¡¯t give up and kept thinking. As a result, he could recall one person with surprising speed.


    ¡°...Mercedes!¡±


    The First Knight who shared a secret with Grid. She wasmitted to revealing the truth about what happened 12 years ago. In some cases, there was the risk of being exposed. The moment he thought about this, ¡°Quick Movements!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy and rushed over. Since ckening was on cooldown, he used Quick Movements to greatly increase his agility and ran over to the scene of the battle. From there...


    ¡°Thank you for digging your grave yourself. Watch in limbo. Scream in pain and sorrow at the sight of the empire that you wanted to protect so much.¡±


    A middle-aged man, who looked like a more bizarre version of Grid¡¯s ckening form, was threatening Mercedes. She was wearing a white dress and coughing up ck blood. Grid received a notification window.


    [A new quest has been created!]


    [For Piaro]


    ¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    First Knight Mercedes, who was digging into the truth about what happened 12 years ago, is experiencing a great crisis.


    If you are unable to save her, Piaro will forever bebeled a traitor.


    Save Mercedes!


    Quest Clear Conditions: The survival of Mercedes.


    Quest Reward: 50 increase in affinity with Mercedes. An event with Mercedes will ur.


    Quest Failure: Mercedes¡¯ Death. All episodes rted to the Red Knights will be deleted.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this funny?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Why was Mercedes in such trouble despite beingparable to Piaro? And where in the world was her iconic red armor?


    ¡®In any case, this is a game.¡¯


    He was sick of the form of a strong enemy being nerfed as soon as they turned friendly. Grid transformed one of the four God Hands into Lifael¡¯s Spear. In the battle with Immortal, only one God Hand transformed so the remaining three God Hands were avable to be transformed into items.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The moment Mercedes moaned and was on the brink of death.


    ¡°That woman is mine,¡± shouted Grid as he gave an order to Lifael¡¯s Spear.


    Puoook!


    [You have dealt 26,900 damage to the target!]


    The enigmatic man threatening Mercedes coughed up blood and stepped back. The fact that Lifael¡¯s Spear caused enormous damage showed that he was obviously a demonkin. And demonkin were helpless in front of Reba¡¯s divine artifacts. Grid expected the demonkin called ¡®Gyuratan¡¯ to not be able to move for a while. He nned to use this gap to save Mercedes.


    However.


    ¡°Overgeared King...?¡±


    Gyuratan was fine, unlike Grid¡¯s expectations. He pulled out Lifael¡¯s Spear that pierced his waist. His health gauge was also intact.


    ¡®Transcendent named?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. After running as hard as possible, he was almost at Mercedes¡¯ location. This meant he was close to Gyuratan.


    ¡°Mercedes! You were in league with the Overgeared King! This has made your betrayal clear!¡± Gyuratan shouted excitedly.


    There was a smile of joy on his face as he stabbed towards Grid, who was reaching for Mercedes. The weapon that Gyuratan wielded was a twisted, bizarre looking sword that was simr to its master.


    Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°...!¡±


    Gyuratan was shocked. He thought that he had stabbed Grid while Grid was paying attention to Mercedes, only for two golden hands to fly and block his sword.


    ¡®Autonomous artifacts?¡¯


    One person passed through Gyuratan¡¯s mind. He made a strange expression as the God Hand armed with the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir flew towards him. Lifael¡¯s Spear, which had fallen onto the ground, also aimed at Gyuratan. Gyuratan allowed an attack from another golden hand and Lifael¡¯s Spear, which flew from behind. Despite the numerous attacks, he was fine and only became stiff for a moment. Gyuratan withdrew the golden spear from his chest and didn¡¯t release it.


    ¡°I see. Overgeared King and Temr... No, Overgeared.¡±


    Over the past few years, there was the unprecedented event in which Yatan Servants were ughtered throughout the continent. The culprit was Overgeared. He was a strong man who had artifacts that moved by themselves.


    ¡°Kukuk, you aren¡¯t an ordinary person. You managed to build a kingdom. It is no wonder that you can kill the Yatan Servants.¡±


    "Who are you?"


    Few people knew that Grid was the Yatan Servant ughterer. Braham and Yura were the only ones who knew the rtionship between Grid and the Yatan Church. Yet this demonkin grasped Grid¡¯s identity at once, meaning that he had a close rtionship with the Yatan Church.


    "Are you also a Yatan Servant?¡±


    Gyuratan nodded at Grid¡¯s question. "You could say that. All creatures under heaven are the servants of God Yatan.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the answer he wanted. Grid started frowning.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±Mercedes was staring at Grid only to suddenly shout,¡°He will use ck magic!¡±


    "What?"


    His opponent quickly neutralized the two swords wielded by the God Hands, Lifael¡¯s Spear, and the stiffness of Mjolnir, just to use magic? Grid became alert, but it was toote. Gyuratan had started casting the magic circle from the moment he began the conversation with Grid. A spell started forming under Grid¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Naive guy,¡± Gyuratan ridiculed.


    Kuwaaaaaah!


    A big explosion urred at Grid¡¯s feet, causing a gigantic hellfire to billow out and swallow Grid and Mercedes at the same time. The momentum reminded Grid of Hell Gao before the fire stones were mined.


    "It is my unexpected luck to be able to handle two troublemakers at the same time.¡±


    Gyuratan was delighted. He believed that Grid and Mercedes would vanish without a trace after being swallowed by the ck mes. No humans could survive when hit directly with this magic.


    ¡®Now how should I weave these two together?¡¯


    Sururuk.


    His pale skin started to fill with rosy color as his whites appeared amidst his pitch-ck eyes. He returned to his human form, no, disguised himself as human and wondered how to report today¡¯s events to the emperor. He never imagined that he would be hit back.


    ¡°What is your weakness?¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Did Grid use his body as a shield? Through the smoke, Mercedes was held up in Grid¡¯s arms and didn¡¯t have a single scratch on her. It felt like Grid alone had endured the explosion. Yet there was a problem.


    "Why are you fine?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have any outstanding injuries, an unbelievable fact given that he had just encountered hellfire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why I am called the Overgeared King?¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword struck Gyuratan.


    Puoook!


    Gyuratan had exposed a gap while caught off guard. He couldn¡¯t defend himself as his heart was pierced with the Enlightenment Sword. A human¡¯s weapon was powerful enough topare to the divine artifact of Reba, Goddess of Light.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Gyuratan¡¯s coughed up blood and Lifael¡¯s Spear in his hand returned to being a God Hand after the duration of Item Transformation ended. Gyuratan grabbed the God Hand that was fiercely trying to escape.


    Kwajijik!


    That¡¯s why he was struck by the red lightning that fell from the sky. Gyuratan¡¯s body shook while Grid performed a sword dance.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    Puok!


    Puk puk puk!


    Powerful stabs started continuously piercing Gyuratan¡¯s body.


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    ck mes exploded. The mes contained a destructive power that wasparable to the hellfire that Gyuratan summoned, but without any casting dys. Gyuratan and Mercedes were shocked.


    ¡°Kuk...! Y-You...!¡±


    Gyuratan started emitting demonic energy again. Grid didn¡¯t shrink back at all despite facing bizarre ck eyes.


    "You must be a scum who has already lost his body to Muller.¡±


    Kwarururung!


    Linked Kill swallowed up Gyuratan. As Gyuratan¡¯s flesh scattered and body was torn apart, Grid¡¯s sword energy skyrocketed. There were also the four God Hands armed with Failure, the White Tiger Sword, Iyarugt, and Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    "Isn¡¯t it too early to be ted?¡±


    A cynical remark.


    Seokeok!


    Grid¡¯s Pinnacle was deployed. As it cut from head to groin, the four other top weapons pierced Gyuratan.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    ck mes once again exploded and swallowed up Gyuratan.


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes was unable to say anything. She had seen Piaro and the great dukes, yet Grid¡¯s firepower was one step above theirs. The power of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was unrivaled.


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Would Grid defeat the unidentified great demon like this? Mercedes was filled with expectations only to be confused. It was because Grid, who was overpowering Gyuratan, starting retreating. Grid exined, ¡°Wake up. People will being soon. I¡¯ll be in trouble if I¡¯m caught up in this mess.¡±


    In the first ce.


    ¡®I can¡¯t win.¡¯


    Despite being weakened and sealed by Sword Saint Muller, the opponent was still a great demon. Grid had no chance in a 1:1 or 1:2 confrontation. In the past, the reason why Grid was able to raid Hell Gao was because he found the weak point of the fire stones. In fact, Gyuratan¡¯s health hadn¡¯t even decreased by one-tenth.


    ¡°By the way, where did you sell your armor?¡±


    Grid grabbed Mercedes¡¯s hand and asked a question while running.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t sell it! How could I sell such a noble symbol for money?" Mercedes shouted with a red face.


    Grid could see that she was a serious person who didn¡¯t know jokes. Yes, she was serious. For her, the touch of the ¡®man¡¯ tightly holding her hand was very special.

 Chapter 798

    The gates came into view.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Mercedes, who was pulled by Grid, suddenly stopped. She watched the soldiers guarding the gate and gently pulled her hand away from Grid. There was a dark flush on her white face, and the feeling of Grid¡¯s touch lingered on her fingertips.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going to take me?¡±


    ¡°Outside the empire, of course.¡±


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Grid frowned.¡°Was that guy called Gyuratan? From his attitude earlier, he seems to upy a high position in the empire?¡±


    Grid had noticed that the empire didn¡¯t know Gyuratan¡¯s identity. The demonkin weremon enemies of humanity. So, if the Saharan Empire knew that Gyuratan was a great demon, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stand by. The reason Mercedes was in a crisis was due to Gyuratan¡¯s trick.


    ¡°He said that you are a traitor. Aren¡¯t you in a very dangerous situation? He will frame you like he did Piaro in the past.¡±


    ¡°But I have an obligation to inform everyone about Gyuratan¡¯s identity.¡±


    ¡°Do you think people will believe you?¡±


    Mercedes smiled bitterly at Grid¡¯s question and replied, ¡°Nobody will believe me. I can¡¯t believe it myself.¡±


    It had been 15 years since Gyuratan became the Fourth Knight. He had acted as a perfect human for many years. Even with her sharp eyes, Mercedes, as well as the famous magicians and priests, hadn¡¯t noticed for the past 15 years that Gyuratan was a great demon. Gyuratan¡¯s ability to hide his demonic power was beyond extraordinary. It was clearly the power of a great demon. Despite being weakened, his power was still enough to mock humans.


    ¡°But if I wait, I will be able to catch an opportunity. I will keep my position until that dayes. It is my duty.¡±


    Now that an unidentified great demon was about to bring the empire to chaos, the First Knight must stop him. This was a noble mission. She couldn¡¯t turn away and didn¡¯t want to turn away. Grid gave an uncertain response to Mercedes¡¯ resolute expression, ¡°If Gyuratan tells the emperor that you and I were together today...¡±


    She would disappear before the chance she waited for woulde. However, Mercedes smiled brightly at Grid with a smile that was brighter than sunshine.


    ¡®She could smile like this?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t fit the appearance of a noble knight. Grid admired her beauty and couldn¡¯t help turning red.


    Mercedes blushed at his reaction and avoided his gaze as she exined, ¡°I will deny it. Just like how people won¡¯t believe my ims that Gyuratan is a great demon, people won¡¯t believe the ims that Gyuratan ces on me. But if I run away like this, I will have no chance to deny it. So I will stay.¡±


    ¡°In the worst case scenario, what if Gyuratan attacks you directly? Like today. What will you do then? I won¡¯t be able to help you.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± A light shone in Mercedes¡¯ clear eyes. It was a glimpse into the pride of the First Knight of the empire. The strongest knight who made Grid bow down at their very first meeting was now here. ¡°Today, things turned out bad in many ways. But if I fight him again next time, I can do my best.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t taken her armor because it was her detention period, and she had allowed Gyuratan¡¯s magic because she had believed he was a swordsman. Moreover, in the first ce, her morale had been at the lowest point. In a situation where she hadn¡¯t known who to believe and had gotten trapped in her house, she had be restless and confused.


    However, she was okay now. She knew that Gyuratan was an enemy, and there was someone she could rely on. The fog before her dissipated.


    ¡°Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will clear the wrongful usation of the Piaro you cherish as I promised.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Grid was well aware of the Piaro¡¯s past pain. He desperately wanted to remove Piaro¡¯s stigma and free him from the bondage of his dark past. Additionally...


    ¡°You must stay safe.¡±


    Grid also wanted Mercedes. He needed people with strength and talent, and Mercedes was a person close to what he wanted. Mercedes stiffened like she was frozen before she asked, ¡°...Do you like me?¡±


    It was a difficult question. Grid nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t just liking but coveting. I think about it every night.¡±


    Who in the world wouldn¡¯t covet a noble knight like her? However, among them, Grid was the one who knew her value best. Grid¡¯s words contained this meaning, but Mercedes epted them differently. Her ears flushed red, and she couldn¡¯t face Grid. ¡°You are too aggressive. Are you like this to everyone?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ question was basically asking if he was a womanizer. However, Grid didn¡¯t realize it. ¡°No, I¡¯m not like this to everyone. I also know that I shouldn¡¯t say this, but what can I do? You are special.¡±


    He knew that she was already the empire¡¯s knight, but he wanted to make her his own knight. Grid¡¯s ardent heart was distorted while it was being conveyed.


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡± Mercedes was wary of Grid¡¯s attitude.


    ¡®This man isn¡¯t ordinary.¡¯


    Grid must live as a yboy. He seemed like a person who would have a woman around him every day. However, Mercedes didn¡¯t hate it. Grid was Piaro¡¯s and Asmophel¡¯s benefactor. He was also the one who provided the opportunity to wash away the stigma of the old Red Knights, as well as the savior of her life. So, he no longer seemed like a bad person.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you why you are in Titan right now. I won¡¯t doubt my benefactor. However, please stop shaking my heart. Nothing can happen anyway.¡±


    As the empire¡¯s knight, how could she marry the king of another kingdom? That would be forsaking the empire. It was impossible. The moment that Mercedes smiled bitterly... Grid caught Mercedes¡¯ wrist in order to express his strong will. Then he dered, ¡°I won¡¯t give up on you. Didn¡¯t you say it when you were reunited with Piaro? You will repay me even if you have to give everything to me. Don¡¯t you have to keep your promise?¡±


    ¡°...So, you don¡¯t want a lover or a wife but a ve.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You are crass.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    What the hell was this? Grid was embarrassed as he btedly realized it. He was reminded of the power of his dexterity, but he had already touched Mercedes¡¯ wrist.


    ¡°It is too much harassment to caress the body of a woman with those greedy eyes. In return for saving my life, you want such things in exchange?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The reward he got from clearing the quest clear was being misunderstood as a pervert? Grid was embarrassed and disappointed.


    ¡°...If you want that, it can¡¯t be helped,¡±Mercedes spoke meaningfully and raised her hand to her slender neck. Grid¡¯s gaze fixed on her corbone, and he gulped nervously. However, it wasn¡¯t the development he thought it would be. Mercedes released the pendant hanging around her neck and handed it to Grid. It was a pendant made of white silver with an elegant rose pattern.


    ¡°This is...?¡±


    ¡°It is a token of my family. If you ever face an awkward situation in the empire, use this token. It will help you.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [The hidden quest has beenpleted!]


    [Affinity with Mercedes has risen by 50.]


    [You have obtained the Vaintz Family¡¯s Pendant.]


    [Vaintz Family¡¯s Pendant]


    [Durability: 31/33


    Charm +100.


    Nobility +100.


    -A pendant passed down through the direct line of the prestigious Vaintz family in the Saharan Empire. It can be used to prove your identity in all ces of the empire. There is a high probability of receiving great respect.


    Weight: 5


    Conditions of Use: The heir of the Vaintz family or someone recognized by the heir.]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this precious?¡±


    It was a token that symbolized Mercedes, who was the heir, or someone closely rted to her. Strictly speaking, it was strange for Grid to receive it. Mercedes shook her head at his concern. ¡°It is a trivial thing for me, king of a nation.¡±


    ¡®Rubbish.¡¯


    This item demonstrated ¡®status¡¯ across the Saharan Empire. It meant that Grid could move freely through the empire, no matter his appearance. It would surelye in handy.


    ¡°It is really okay? What if I abuse it and put your family at risk?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Piaro and Asmophel choose Your Majesty? I don¡¯t think someone like you would abuse it. Even if you do abuse it, you would have a good reason. I will ept the damages caused as my price.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Does this mean you will keep your word?¡±Grid grinned.


    Mercedes¡¯ straightforward personality was a favorite for him. The more he knew, the more he trusted her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Grid said a short goodbye.


    Meanwhile, Mercedes went down on one knee and politely spoke, ¡°I appreciate it, Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°I must achieve it, for the sake of the empire and Piaro.¡±


    Then Grid would safely meet Mercedes again.


    ***


    ¡°You came back without running away? Are you that eager to die?¡±


    Mercedes returned to her mansion where Gyuratan was waiting. His tone and attitude were the same as always. It was as if nothing had happened a few hours ago. After confirming there was no one else around, Mercedes said mockingly,¡°Didn¡¯t you expect me toe back?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want you toe back.¡±


    If Mercedes had gone with Grid, Gyuratan would¡¯ve put all type of false charges against her to the emperor. It would also be possible to destroy her family by turning them into rebels. However, she hadn¡¯t run away and had eventually returned instead. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. It would be fine if he killed her.


    ¡°It is easy to falsify information about sins. There would be quite a bacsh, but it¡¯s fine if I kill everyone just as I did with Piaro¡¯s family. Kukukuk!¡± Gyuratan smiled wickedly. His tone and attitude were like those of a great demon.


    Why did he mention Piaro to Mercedes? Obviously, it was a taunt. There was no way Mercedes wouldn¡¯t be able to see through it.


    ¡°Such trivial provocation, it isn¡¯t suitable for a great demon.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I am nervous and can¡¯t easily control myself. If you fight me while I¡¯m fully prepared, great turmoil can¡¯t be avoided and your identity might be revealed. Now, tell me. What do you want to do?¡±


    Looking at Mercedes, Gyuratan realized something. ¡°Are you trying to make a deal with me?¡±


    Originally, making deals was the specialty of a great demon, not the contractor. Few people were able to reject the temptation of a great demon. Mercedes knew this.


    Gyuratan said, ¡°I don¡¯t want us to interfere with each other. The fact that I¡¯m a great demon can¡¯t be revealed to the end. I am the great demon, Astaroth. Until the desire of the human who summoned me is fully achieved, my presence has to be thoroughly masked. I will use my power to oppose everything for the fulfillment of my contract.¡±


    ¡°Summoner...?¡±


    Mercedes had overlooked one thing.


    ¡®Who is the summoner?¡¯


    Who had summoned a great demon to infiltrate the pce? Mercedes¡¯ eyes were very shaky. However, Gyuratan looked satisfied. ¡°Kukuk! My summoner is someone you know well.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°How can I tell you? A demon¡¯s contract is based on a definite agreement. The damage that the contractor will suffer is enormous and even a great demon can¡¯t bear it. But let me give you a hint. It isn¡¯t the woman you expect.¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t Marie?¡¯


    ¡°Compared to her, they are very close to the emperor.¡±Gyuratan smiled widely enough for the corners of his mouth to reach his ears.


    Mercedes¡¯ face was turning blue. It was hard to see ¡®close¡¯ as a physical distance.In this case, it meant flesh and blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it is one of the princes?¡±


    ¡°My hints ends here. It is obvious that the person behind me isn¡¯t easy. On the other hand, what about you? You haven¡¯t earned the trust of the emperor from the beginning and you have rejected the empress¡¯ hand. You also ruined your rtionship with Sword Duke Limit, the man who trusted you. The knights that envy you? They are merely sheep. They can¡¯t help you. Mercedes, you are alone. You are thoroughly helpless. You can¡¯t threaten me.¡±


    These were whispers which caused the spirit to be helpless.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I also can¡¯t threaten you. I don¡¯t want to deal with you right now, so I also have to take a great risk.¡±


    His trump card of magic was lost. Mercedes¡¯ skills were acknowledged by a great demon. Of course, he was in a weakened state, so he had to acknowledge it.


    ¡°Therefore, I propose that we watch each other. It won¡¯t be so bad for you. Don¡¯t you need time to umte enough power to resist me?¡±


    The great demon¡¯s temptation... it wasn¡¯t as sweet as the rumors said.


    ¡®I need to earn His Majesty¡¯s trust urgently.¡¯


    Mercedes nodded while in deep thought, making Gyuratanugh.

 Chapter 799

    ¡°Sigh.¡±Grid was able to breathe once he escaped from Titan. He utilized the stealth function of the Hooded Zip-up to avoid the magic power detectors and lively soldiers. Was it because his control skills had risen? No, his senses were a bit sharper now.


    ¡°Great demon...¡±


    Grid could still see a small fraction of the huge exterior walls of Titan. The sky above it waspletely gray. The gathering of heavy clouds foretold rain and thunder would arrive after a while.


    ¡®What great demon is he?¡¯


    Hell Gao, Furfur, Drasion, Morax, Astaroth¡ªthis was the list of great demons sealed by Sword Saint Muller, the greatest legend in history. Gyuratan was certainly one of them.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t Hell Gao.¡¯


    Hell Gao was the owner of hellfire and had descended on an unspecified cycle in the body of a low-grade demonkin. It wasn¡¯t in the empire but on Cork Ind.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t Drasion.¡¯


    ording to the information that Grid gained from Kraugel in the past, he already guessed that Kraugel had raided Drasion. If it had been in the middle of the empire, a few witnesses would¡¯ve seen Kraugel raiding him.


    ¡®Of course, it isn¡¯t Furfur.¡¯


    After recalling that Agnus had used Furfu¡¯s power, Grid reduced the possibilities of Gyuratan¡¯s identity to Morax or Astaroth. Among them, Astaroth probably had the power of lightning and it was likely he was rted to the thunder stone, but Grid didn¡¯t know about Morax. (TL: I think I previously tranted thunder stone as ure stone. It will now be changed to thunder stone.)


    ¡®Mercedes must be safe.¡¯


    He knew her well. It wasn¡¯t likely that she would be easily caught by pure force. The weakened great demon was so low in power that it couldn¡¯tpare with theplete great demon.


    ¡®I think that guy called Gyuratan is very cunning.¡¯ Grid recalled the great demon and shook his head. ¡®But it isn¡¯t a problem for me to worry about.¡¯


    This was a matter within the empire. He had no choice but to hope that Mercedes overcame the crisis. The moment that Grid turned his back to Titan...


    ¡°Overgeared King.¡±


    Grid was approached by a suspicious figure in a hat and forsythia-colored robes. Thanks to his high insight stat, Grid became alert. ¡°You know me? Who are you?¡±


    The person took off their hat. Then the color of the name was revealed, showing he was an NPC.¡°I am Raji, a magician of the Tower of Eternity. The owner of the tower, Goldhit, is looking forward to your visit. I hope Your Majesty will respond to the invitation.¡±


    ¡®The Tower of Eternity?¡¯


    Grid could use the Magic Missile and Magic Detection which had been given to him by Braham. Additionally, he had the potential to learn Fireball if he increased his intelligence. However, he wasn¡¯t a magician. He had never heard of the Tower of Eternity.


    ¡®What is the Tower of Eternity?¡¯ Grid¡¯s kneejerk reaction was to ask this, but he judged that it wouldn¡¯t be good to expose hisck of knowledge to a stranger. In such a situation, he relied on Lauel.


    -Lauel.


    -Yes, Your Majesty, a reply came as soon as Grid sent a whisper. It seemed that Lauel had been waiting since Grid infiltrated the empire alone.


    -What is the Tower of Eternity?


    -A magic tower belonging to the Saharan Empire.It is rumored that the emperor relies on the Tower of Eternity as well as the Tower of the Sun.The master of the tower, Goldhit, is one of the ten great magicians on the continent.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this huge?¡¯Grid was startled.


    -Then why do they want to see me?


    -Huh?Have you been discovered in the empire?Are you currently in danger?


    -No.I quietly handled my work and left Titan. Then a magician was waiting for me.He knew my identity and invited me.


    What? They came to invite Grid instead of arresting him?


    -Invite... no, maybe not. Lauel¡¯s voice was excited. -It is true that the magicians of the Tower of Eternity are part of the empire¡¯s forces, but that is only a story for wartime.Usually, the Tower of Eternity is an institution that is secluded from the world and is unlikely to be involved in the empire¡¯s political situation.


    -Then it is a pure invitation?


    -Yes.Please ept the invitation.The Tower of Eternity is famous as a ce to give hidden quests.There are many magicians lining up to be invited to the Tower of Eternity.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    There was a reason for Lauel¡¯s excitement. The giddy Grid was about to respond to Raji¡¯s invitation straight away only to stop. There was a part that was suspicious.


    -By the way.The magician called Goldhit knows that I am a king yet they didn¡¯t invite me in person. Instead, they sent their man?Isn¡¯t it polite toe personally?


    This wasn¡¯t a sensitive reaction but amon sense one. It was clear that the person named Goldhit was making fun of the Overgeared Kingdom. With his status, Grid couldn¡¯t just overlook it.


    Lauel exined, -Goldhit isn¡¯t an opponent to discuss manners with.The masters of the Tower of Eternity and the Tower of the Sun are the magicians of the king.Goldhit would be over 120 years old this year.They have been the strongest magician for more than a century.If Emperor Juander wants to see Goldhit, he has toe to the Tower of Eternity.


    ¡®A person who can make the emperor move directly?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations gradually grew. Why would the master of a tower famous for giving hidden quests want to meet Grid?


    ¡®Will I get a huge hidden quest?¡¯


    In the end...


    ¡°I understand. I will ept the invitation.¡±Grid nodded to the waiting magician, Raji.


    ***


    The 80th floor of the Tower of Eternity...


    There was only one person who could climb to the top of the tower, which was so high that all of Titan could be seen at a nce. Goldhit was a great magician who boasted unique strength among the 10 great magicians.People said that if she pursued power, she would be a person of authority right now.


    In fact, many people believed that she could¡¯ve built a huge magical nationparable to the Saharan Empire. Goldhit was that great of a figure. However, she had little influence on Satisfy¡¯s present worldview because she secluded herself from the world. Unless they were high-level magicians, normal yers would never see the name ¡®Goldhit.¡¯


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fully trained in Teacher Braham¡¯s enhancement magic.¡±


    Braham¡¯s fourth disciple was a genius. It was said that there were no magicians more talented than her on the entire continent. However, that was a story among ordinary people. Her talent was mere dust before Braham¡¯s talent, and she couldn¡¯t follow her mentor¡¯s teachings.


    Goldhit was resentful that she was his student.She became aware of the existence of enhancement magic, but she was frustrated because she couldn¡¯t receive the important magical theory. Just a little...


    If she could really understand the theory behind enhancement magic, she could strengthen her talent and awaken as a legend. For Goldhit who had spent many years grumbling about reality, Grid¡¯s appearance was like a ray of light. Goldhit didn¡¯t know how excited she became when Grid assimted with Braham¡¯s soul and learned the enhancement magic. Now, finally...


    ¡°The opportunity hase.¡± Goldhit looked at Grid in the crystal sphere and smiled. ¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    Shaaaaaaah-


    The master-level detection wrapped around the Tower of Eternity. Simultaneously, all of Goldhit¡¯s nerves were focused on feeling Grid¡¯s mana.


    ¡°Come on, show me Braham¡¯s reinforcement magic. Yohohoho...¡±


    ***


    ¡®Thunder stone?¡¯


    After Grid was guided by Raji to the Tower of Eternity, he spotted an extrarge stone at the top of the tower. It was a transparent stone containing a huge thunderbolt. This made it seem like an erged thunder stone was decorating the top of the tower.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what it means. In the first ce, how did the thunder stone get that big?¡¯


    Grid was feeling doubtful when he heard Raji¡¯s voice, ¡°You have to go up alone from the 10th floor to the 20th floor. It is a field to test whether you deserve to be a guest of the tower and is part of the tower¡¯s history. I hope that Your Majesty isn¡¯t offended.¡±


    Inviting a guest only to test them? Grid felt somewhat ufortable, but it was difficult to say anything if it was a tradition of the tower. Then he quickly noticed, ¡®This test should be a quest.¡¯


    As such, his expectations rose further. Grid followed Raji and reached the 10th floor of the tower. Raji then politely said goodbye and withdrew. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Simultaneously...


    [A quest has been created.]


    [The Tower of Eternity]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The Tower of Eternity is the tallest tower in history. Not just anyone can ess it.


    Your mind will gain enlightenment every time you climb a floor that contains the essence of knowledge and wisdom.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Break through the gateways to climb the tower. Currently, you can break through up to the 20th floor.


    Quest Clear Compensation: Every time you climb a floor in the tower, your intelligence will permanently increase by 2.


    Quest Failure: Return to the 10th floor.]


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Grid was forced to cheer.


    Every time he climbed a tower floor, he would permanently get 2 intelligence stats. The reward was beyond imagination.


    ¡®It is intelligence.¡¯


    If Grid were an ordinary cksmith, it would be a rather useless reward.


    However, Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant and Braham¡¯s disciple.His skills consumed a lot of mana and he had the potential to acquire all of Braham¡¯s enhancement magic. As such, the intelligence stat was important to him. It was true that his priorities were strength and stamina, but it was a bit tricky that a fixed number of stat points were forcibly invested in intelligence every time he leveled up. How happy was he to get a chance to raise his intelligence stat?


    ¡®I can go up to the 20th floor, so this is 20 intelligence points?¡¯


    The excited Grid opened the firmly closed door on the 10th floor. There was a circr arena inside. Unlike what he could see from the outside, the inside of the 10th floor was veryrge. It was bigger than the training grounds which could fit hundreds of the Overgeared soldiers.


    [The Tower of Eternity¡¯s Guardian has appeared!]


    Kwaaaaah!


    The guardian¡¯s identity was a golem. The enemy who had just appeared seemed to make the entire tower shake as it instantly struck at Grid. It was very big. However, due to the golem¡¯s very slow nature, Grid wasn¡¯t burdened. He avoided the golem¡¯s attack and swung the Enlightenment Sword.


    Jeeeeeong!


    It was a powerful blow! The gray golem¡¯s thick waist was hit with the Enlightenment Sword. However...


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    ¡°Full physical resistance?¡±


    The golem was fine. It ignored Grid¡¯s consecutive attacks like they were mosquitoes flying about and just waved its arms.


    Kung!Kwang!


    The golem¡¯s arms hit the ground instead of Grid, but this alone was a threat to him. The massive weight behind the attack caused Grid¡¯s bnce to copse. Goldhit smiled as she watched Grid¡¯s crisis through the crystal ball.


    ¡®The tower¡¯s guardians can only be handled with magic. In the end, you will have to use magic. Come on. Use the sweet enhancement magic and let me get a glimpse of the glory.¡¯


    The moment that Goldhit was bing desperate...


    Peng!


    Kwarururung!


    Inside the crystal ball, many mes red up in session and swallowed up the guardian. This was the power of the ¡®fire emission¡¯ attached to the Enlightenment Sword. The mes dealt 5,000 fire damage to the target.


    ¡°...????¡± Goldhit was stunned.

 Chapter 800

    ¡¯That magic sword can wreak so much havoc alone?¡¯


    A magic sword could only be created bybining the strengths of a magician and a cksmith. A cksmith or magician could sometimes produce it alone, but this was a very rare urrence. Goldhit had experience with producing magic battle gear with cksmiths.


    ¡®It is difficult to produce such a magic weapon alone.¡¯


    There were three types of magic weapons.


    First, a magic battle gear imbued withplete magic. In this case, it was possible to consume the user¡¯s mana when the magic was used.


    Second, there was magic battle gear enhanced with magic. It increased the magic power of the wearer.


    Third, there was magic battle gear containing a pure attribute. It consumed the wearer¡¯s mana while having a certain probability of releasing fire, ice, electricity, etc. It wasn¡¯t very powerful despite being able to express the pure power of an attribute.


    The current sword Grid was using was the third type. But the user¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t consumed. The atmospheric mana was used every time mes were released. Thus, the user wasn¡¯t tired and the power of the mes were huge. It was a weapon that would appear in legends.


    ¡®A legendary sword...!¡¯


    Goldhit recalled that Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant. All her nerves were concentrated on Grid¡¯s long sword. It wasn¡¯t made out of an ordinary material.


    ¡®Demonic energy? Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    The story that Grid defeated the Great Demon Belial was already well known. Goldhit could easily guess what type of material the sword was made out of.


    ¡®A by-product of Belial!¡¯


    Definitely. This sword would be worshipped as a legendary swordter on. In addition, it was likely that Grid had made it directly. Goldhit got goosebumps. How many years had it been since she felt such admiration? Looking back on faint memories, it seemed to happen half a century ago.


    A dark smile appeared on Goldhit¡¯s face. Her impression of Grid changed. He wasn¡¯t just the beneficiary of enhancement magic. She epted him as a greater person.


    ¡®In fact, it was like this from the beginning.¡¯


    The other person was a legend, the hero of a nation, a person who built a new kingdom and a hero of heroes. Now that her narrow-mindedness due to her obsession with enhancement magic was released, Goldhit had genuine respect for Grid.


    ¡¯A hero that transcends the era... It is right to greet him politely.¡¯


    But.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget my original purpose.¡¯


    Respect and purpose are separate things. She felt respect but she needed to do what she had to do. Goldhit needed to encourage Grid to use enhancement magic. She checked on Grid on the 16th floor and pulled out her trump card.


    "Let¡¯s try the lilith guardian.¡±


    ***


    [You have dealt 1 damage to the target.]


    [You have dealt 1...]


    [The Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has emitted mes. It deals 5,000 fixed fire damage to the target.]


    The Enlightenment Sword had ¡®a certain chance to releaserge mes with every attack.¡¯ Based on Grid¡¯s experience, the probability was around 30%. As the number of attacks increased, the probability of releasing mes would increase exponentially.


    It had a very goodpatible with the Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves which raised Grid¡¯s basic attack speed.


    The power was very lowpared to the ck mes and it was often useless against enemies with high fire resistance because it had a pure fire attribute. But it was useful in situations like now. It was sometimes more capable that the ck mes which was separated as physical attacks.


    ¡®There are many item options remaining.¡¯


    A huge smile! Wasn¡¯t this huge luck? Grid smiled as he saw that his intelligence stat had increased by 12 points and ascended to the 16th floor. Grid was able to handle all the guardians while climbing up here and didn¡¯t feel any great tension. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t vignt.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this different?¡¯


    Snap!


    He opened the door to the 16th floor without a hitch and looked at the features of the waiting guardian. The physique was very small. It was the level of a normal adult male so there wasn¡¯t any big pressure. However, it was less likely for monsters on the higher floors to be weaker than monsters on the lower floor. It was ridiculous to judge the outward appearance.


    ¡®It reminds me of Braham¡¯s golems...¡¯


    He recalled the golem invasion of Reinhardt years ago. The humanoid golems with small physiques had caused the most casualties. Their strength that was iparable to ordinary golems was still vivid in his memories.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t this golem look simr? Am I mistaken?¡¯


    [Lilith Guardian]


    Grid looked at the name and appearance of the monster before trying to grasp the type of metal that the body was made out of.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    He reflexively raised his sword. It was because the guardian narrowed the distance with footwork reminiscent of Yangban Garam¡¯s Shunpo and suddenly appeared in front of Grid¡¯s nose.


    Peeeeeong!


    Shockwaves urred the moment the Enlightenment Sword collided with the guardian¡¯s fist. One of the inner walls and a part of the ceiling copsed. Grid ignored the rain of stones and fought back, hitting the guardian before using the moment to raise his sword. He linked attacks without stopping. He judged that the act of opening the distance against the guardian would be bad. Grid kept wielding the sword and didn¡¯t give the guardian a break.


    Kaang!Kakakang!


    Every time Grid hit the guardian, it suffered one damage. Like the previous guardians, this one was resistant to physical attacks. There was no defense against a man who cut and stabbed and who wasn¡¯t afraid of being hit. It punched with its right fist when Grid shed and responded with a left fist when Grid stabbed in the centre.


    [You have suffered 1,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,780 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,910 damage.]


    The damage that Grid received umted. Despite the outward appearance, Grid was being one-sidedly struck. Yet he wasn¡¯t irritated and waited for the release of the mes.


    Peeng!


    Finally, the Enlightenment Sword burned red.


    However.


    [You have dealt 1,660 damage to the target!]


    ¡¯What? Why is its fire resistance so high?¡¯


    The guardian¡¯s health gauge only got a small scratch. The total health was also high. It was difficult to tell how long it would take to die if Grid only relied on the release of mes that dealt a small amount of damage. Maybe Grid¡¯s stamina would be depleted quicker than it took for the guardian to die.


    Jjeejeeeong!


    The guardian ignored the Enlightenment Sword, jumped into the air and kicked out. Grid¡¯s vision filled with the crumbling ceiling as he flew back.


    And.


    ¡°Yohohoho... Is it hard to hold on?"


    Goldhit on the 80th floor clearly saw Grid¡¯s shaky eyes.


    In fact, at first she had chills. She had been amazed beyond admiration when she saw Grid respond to the guardian¡¯s first space jump using the magic Blink. She knew that Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a cksmith and swordsman. She never dreamt that Grid would show such strength and agility.


    Yes, Grid was much more outstanding than rumoured. Maybe the empire had underestimated him.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    Resistance was a factor that neutralized strength. In order for Grid to defeat the guardian with excellent fire resistance, he had to discard the sword and bring out magic. Goldhit¡¯s expectations reached the peak. She hoped that Grid in the crystal ball would used the enhancement magic she wanted. She still didn¡¯t know. Grid was an expert at destroyingmon sense.


    ***


    Peok!


    Kwajajak!


    ¡®It isn¡¯t painful.¡¯


    Grid desperately felt Khan¡¯s presence every time he was hit by the guardians¡¯ punches and kicks. It was because the work Khan left behind was protecting Grid. Valha emitted a little bit of smoke every time the guardian hit Grid. Only Grid knew what it was the precursor of.


    Chukakakakak!


    Peeng!


    Grid cut at the guardian¡¯s chest while umting minor damage and smiled.


    Jeeeeeong!


    The guardian¡¯s fist firmly hit him. At the same time. The guardian¡¯s fist hit Grid¡¯s arm and green smoke emerged from the armour. It was now a fog.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Goldhit, who had been watching closely in order to not miss the moment when Grid used magic, was shocked and stood up. She noticed it. The identity of this fog was poison!


    Shaaaaah-


    It was the poison that Kyleo hadpleted after many experiments. The powerful poison that was hard to resist filled the 16th floor. It was an option attached to Khan¡¯s armour. The lilith guardian suddenly lost its destructive momentum. The guardian couldn¡¯t resist the poison. Not only did its health drop, its movements also became dull. The unidentified metals that made up the body quickly rusted.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    He had a powerful magic armour as well as the magic weapon? It even caused reflective damage? Goldhit was nervous as Grid quickly cleared the 16th, 17th and 18th floors with the help of the armour. He was now entering the 19th floor. It was thest gateway. If Grid broke through the 19th floor, he could reach the 20th floor.


    In the end.


    -Expand the gateways by 10 more!


    Goldhit¡¯s urgent voice rang in the minds of the magicians of the tower. Her disciples were upset.


    -Aren¡¯t you giving an outsider too many benefits?


    -Master, the internal bacsh will be great.


    The essence of knowledge that was obtained every time the tower was climbed was incrediblerge. Therefore, climbing the tower had great meaning. The magicians of the Tower of Eternity studied in order to qualify to climb the tower. Yet Goldhit was giving preferential treatment to the outsider Grid.


    Goldhit asked the worried disciples.


    -How many people can climb the tower even if they qualify?This is a trial, not preferential treatment.No matter how much I increase the gateways, it will be pointless if Grid fails. And Grid...


    He was rising. He kept continuing! Even without magic!


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    Goldhit had been blocked by a wall for decades. Theck of development meant the past few years of Goldhit¡¯s life was hell. Her only hope was Grid. However, the problem was that Grid wasn¡¯t a person who could be predicted.


    [Grid is on the 24th floor.]


    [Grid is on the 25th floor.]


    [Grid is on the 26th...]


    .......


    .......


    "...No, he still isn¡¯t using magic?¡±


    Who could imagine that the strongest magician on the continent would be sulking like a child? Even Grid couldn¡¯t imagine despite him making Goldhit like this.


    [A new gateway has opened. Please challenge up to the 40th floor!]


    ¡°Is this heaven?¡±


    The gateways kept being generated and he kept getting rewards! Grid had secured 40 intelligence in just three hours. The smile couldn¡¯t disappear from his face. He was extremely happy.

 Chapter 801

    ¡®This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    Goldhit anxiously watched Grid and made a hard decision after deliberating for quite some time.


    ¡¯I have to release the lightning god.¡¯


    The lightning god, powered by the huge thunder stone discovered in the northwest forest of Titan 15 years ago, was a guardian that was the culmination of Goldhit¡¯s knowledge, magic, and a huge amount of funding and manpower. Like the other guardians in the Tower of Eternity, it had basic resistance to physical attacks and alsobined a magician¡¯s magic power with the brute force of a solo number knight.


    While it could only operate within the parameters of the Tower of Eternity, it was the strongest weapon that could advance the empire¡¯s ¡®Pioneer the East Continent¡¯ project if its mass production project seeded. In fact, Emperor Juander had huge expectations for the lightning god.


    Goldhit opened the lid of the device powered by the thunder stone, awakening the lightning god.


    ¡°Never.¡±Goldhit gave an order, ¡°You should never kill him.¡±


    ***


    A guardian didn¡¯t show up on the 32nd floor, just like what happened the 21st floor. Bookshelves crammed with books filled the endless space, and magicians sitting around in various ces were indulging themselves in knowledge through them.


    ¡®Is there a magic that can arbitrarily adjust the size of the space?¡¯


    The Tower of Eternity had different dimensions for each floor. Some floors were hard to measure, like the 32nd floor, while some floors were less than 300 square meters. The inner structure of the Tower of Eternity couldn¡¯t be imagined just from observing its exterior. The building was so vast that Grid felt that he was exploring another world.


    "Overgeared King, I will guide you.¡±


    The stairs to the next floor couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere? A magician approached Grid while he was looking for the way to go. Grid soon arrived on the 33th floor, thanks to his guide.


    ¡®From here on out, it is real.¡¯


    From the 33rd floor on, thepensation for climbing a floor increased: instead of two, Grid¡¯s intelligence rose by three each time he climbed a floor. If he could keep up this momentum and reach the 80th floor, it wouldn¡¯t be much longer before he could learn Fireball.


    Grid was busy thinking.


    Creak.


    He opened the door and came across a guardian in a form he hadn¡¯t seen before. A humanoid guardian, with a body covered in gold. Its eyes were red, pointed chin, and three horns were all threatening. The most striking feature of the guardian before him was the electric current that danced across the humanoid body. The pale blue light of the electricity intermittently shed in and out as the dust in the atmosphere was burned away.


    Step.


    The lightning god, the humanoid guardian that caused minor explosions with the lightning around it. It looked just as threatening as the name.


    Step.


    Taking one or two steps towards Grid, the Guardian narrowed the distance between them in an instant. The outstretched hand wrapped around Grid¡¯s head and mmed it into the ground.


    Kwaaaaang!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    It was even faster than the lilith guardian! Grid couldn¡¯t respond to the unpredictable speed and groaned on the floor, suffering a total of 4,230 damage. More than half the damage was lightning damage.


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Grid had been fighting with his own strength the whole time, and shouted for the first time in the fight. The four God Hands appeared in response to the call, wielding Mjolnir. It didn¡¯t reach, however, due to the lightning god¡¯s magic. When one of its horns shone blue, an electrical barrier was created that enveloped its whole body, demonstrating the power to block physical attacks. The hands that hit the electricity barrier stiffened at the same time. The electric barrier wasn¡¯t just protective, it also had the ability to reflect damage that it received.


    Kwaaaaang!


    Grid¡¯s face was buried in the ground. Swinging his sword behind him, mes were released, hitting the lightning god¡¯s arm. In fact, they were the ck mes that were considered as a physical attack.The lightning god wasn¡¯t damaged, just like the other guardians.


    Grid wielded his sword again until finally, the mes emission was activated. Grid was able to escape from the lightning god¡¯s hands and started a counterattack.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    Grid used the fast attack speed to release mes several times.


    [You have dealt 4,100 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 4,100...]


    [You have dealt 4,100...]


    ....


    ...


    It was said that there was no perfect existence. The lightning god overwhelmed the lilith guardian in all aspects: from speed, to destructive power, to magic. However, it had rtively ordinary fire resistance.


    Only.


    ¡®Its health is high.¡¯


    The lightning god¡¯s health gauge was still high, despite being hit by 10 or more fire emissions. This wasn¡¯t due to the lightning god¡¯s fire resistance, but to the limit of the fire¡¯s basic damage. The lightning god spread its legs apart and let out a roar.


    Grid saw it open its firmly closed mouth and remembered the boss monster he encountered before the golems had invaded Reinhardt. He knew it. Magic power started to concentrate in the mouth of the lightning god. The mass of golden magic power would soon be shot at Grid.


    This was its goal? Grid judged that the difficulty was different from the past and performed a sword dance. The lightning god released the magic power, which shot out in a straight line towards Grid. Goldhit was convinced after seeing this through the crystal ball.


    ¡®Now Grid will use magic.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s skills were much higher than previously rumored, but it wasn¡¯t enough to deal with the lightning god. The destructive power of the lightning god, whichbined the magic power of a magician and the strength of a solo number knight, was overwhelming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dy any more and show me the enhanced magic...!¡± Goldhit shouted excitedly.


    She overlooked one fact in her zealousness, however. While it was true that the lightning godbined the magic power of a magician and the strength of a solo number knight, it didn¡¯t have the ability to use a variety of spells like a great magician.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Not only that, the lightning god didn¡¯t have the excellent swordsmanship of a solo number knight, meaning that it fell behind in techniques. To a veteran like Grid, who had fought against all kinds of legends, including the Undefeated King, the lightning god was just a child with great strength.


    Grid counterattacked with Revolve and returned the attack back to the lightning god. The lightning god didn¡¯t have the skill to cope with the technique that exceeded its speed.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    ¡°Nyaaaaong! It is finally this body¡¯s turn!¡±


    As the level of Grid¡¯s opponents increased, Noe had fewer and fewer opportunities to y an active role. The recent enemies didn¡¯t even allow Noe to get close, meaning the power of Soul Ingestion couldn¡¯t be used.


    ¡°Nyahahat! Look at the greatness of the best demonic beast of hell!¡±


    The lightning god was different. ording to its input data, the lightning god didn¡¯t bother to be cautious of a ¡®cat.¡¯ It had suffered a great deal of damage due to Grid¡¯s counterattack, and ignored the approaching cat. It concentrated only on Grid.


    The result? Noe¡¯s wide mouth opened and swallowed the lightning god. Soul Ingestion was triggered.


    [The memphis Noe has taken half the power of the magic weapon ¡®Lightning God.¡¯]


    [Your intelligence will increase by 3,113 for 3 seconds!]


    [You have understood the knowledge and magic of Braham.]


    [The skill Fireball (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Dark Cutter (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Chain Lightning (Enhanced) can be used.][The skill Enchant Weapon (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Decoy (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Ice Spear (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Mana Jamming (Enhanced) can be used.]


    If the foolish Grid acquired a variety of magic, they wouldn¡¯t work properly, and would just cause confusion instead. Braham left behind magic that he judged as necessary for Grid. In fact, Grid only now realized that as his intelligence rose, Braham¡¯s knowledge flowed into his head and he could grasp it.


    "Decoy.¡±


    A bird-shaped mass of mana was summoned.


    p.


    The bird pped its wings and flew to the ceiling. The lightning god escaped from Noe¡¯s mouth and chased the bird with its eyes. The lightning god entered the mouth of a cat that it didn¡¯t take seriously. It wasn¡¯t aware of its weakened state, but it was attracted by the decoy. It was only for a moment.


    ¡°Mana Jamming.¡±


    Except for Grid¡¯s mana, all of the mana in the area became confused. The mana in the air scattered, the lightning god¡¯s mana reversed and stopped. The moment that it fell towards the ground.


    ¡°Ice Spear.¡±


    A sharp spear of ice that was two metres long was created by Grid¡¯s side. It was shockingly beautiful.


    [Ice Spear (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    Deals 10,000 fixed damage and additional damage in proportion to your intelligence. Ignores the magic resistance of the target.


    The target that is hit will be subjected to the ¡®frozen¡¯ state. The target that is frozen will receive two times the damage from an additional ice spear.


    Mana Consumption: 2,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute.


    The target of the ice spear was obvious.


    Kuuong!


    The lightning god crashed to the ground.


    Puk!


    [You have dealt 23,900 damage to the target!]


    A giant ice spear pierced its back and it was temporarily paralyzed. The wounded area was frozen. It wriggled around. The transparent ice spears appeared and multiplied. From the moment he used Decoy, Grid also used rm + Ice Spear.


    Puk!


    The lightning god¡¯s health plummeted as it was pierced, frozen, broken, pierced, frozen, broken, etc. Goldhit¡¯s face became pale as she watched the scene before her. She couldn¡¯t help being nervous at the thought of losing the lightning god, which she had spent nine years developing and producing.


    However, there was a bigger problem.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t understand...¡±


    Goldhit couldn¡¯t get a single hint about the enhanced magic like she wanted. Goldhit realized. The reason that she couldn¡¯t receive the enhanced magic was because Braham was transcendent, not because she was ignorant.


    There was one questionable part. Grid must be a genius to have inherited Braham¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Grid...! You are a perfect existence...!!¡±


    It was the moment when the best magician on the continent respected and envied Grid. And...


    ¡°Haaaack! Too delicious nyong!¡± Noe became really excited and ate the remnants of the lightning god.


    At the same time, in the imperial pce.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaah...!¡±


    First Knight Mercedes was trying to appeal to lift her suspension.


    "Kuaaaaack!¡± Gyuratan screamed.


    The destruction of the lightning god damaged the thunder stone that was situated on the top floor of the Tower of Eternity.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Mercedes knew Gyuratan¡¯s true identity and paled. She moved earlier than anyone else. Despite the fact that she wasn¡¯t allowed to equip her swords and armour, she threw herself to the emperor¡¯s side to protect him.


    ¡°Kuhuk...! Huhuhu!¡±


    Gyuratan no longer hid his demonic energy.


    Mercedes and Gyuratan were bewildered. They never expected the situation to change so rapidly!

 Chapter 802

    ¡°Unbelievable...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Goldhit¡¯s exmation. She had gotten a shock when she lost the lightning god and was now in a stunned state. No, it was Grid who made the surprised sound after Noe absorbed the remnants of the lightning god. Grid had no choice but to be surprised.


    [The memphis Noe has taken half the power of the magic weapon ¡®Lightning God.¡¯]


    [Your intelligence will increase by 3,113 for 3 seconds!]


    [The memphis Noe has taken half the power of the magic weapon ¡®Lightning God.¡¯]


    [Your intelligence will increase by 3,113 for 3...]


    [The memphis Noe has taken half the power of the magic weapon...]


    ......


    ......


    It was due to the notification windows that kept rising up as Noe swallowed the lightning god. That¡¯s right. Noe was a predator. As the aggro of the lightning god was drawn by Grid and his magic, Noe had been hanging onto its leg and eating. Thanks to this, the durations of Soul Ingestion and Soul Transference were constantly updated, and Grid could maintain his transcendent power.


    ¡®This is the first time.¡¯


    [Soul Ingestion Lv. 1]


    [Has the ability to take away half of the target¡¯s highest stats and transfer it to your master.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Your own decision.]


    [Scratch Lv. 1]


    [Your paws will attack and poison the target.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Whenever you like.]


    These were the descriptions of Noe¡¯s skills. They were simple but fraudulent. Grid was the only one who knew that Noe had no cooldown for his active skills. This was why he was the best demonic beast of hell that even great demons loved. However, Grid had never been able to sense Noe¡¯s fraudulent ability. There had been rare times when Noe continuously used Scratch. However, there was never a single instance of continuously using Soul Ingestion. Therefore...


    ¡®I forgot.¡¯


    The fact that Noe had no cooldown on his skills had beenpletely erased from Grid¡¯s mind.


    Lick lick!


    ¡°...¡±


    Noe was eating deliciously. His chubby butt moved from side to side as he chewed on the remnants of the lightning god with wet eyes. He was so pleased that he was even shedding tears. Grid made a hypothesis, ¡®The reason why Noe didn¡¯t continuously use Soul Ingestion...¡¯


    Was it because the targets Noe ate so far hadn¡¯t suited his taste?


    ¡®That¡¯s why he ate in moderation? Ah, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Grid was shaking when he heard Noe¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Master! Too delicious, nyong! I can keep going even if I¡¯m full!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The hypothesis seemed to fit. Grid sighed. He was very sad. When Grid was in danger, this selfish cat had acted less often because the food wasn¡¯t delicious?


    ¡°A beast is a beast...¡±


    A beast was only faithful to their instincts!


    Tsk tsk. Grid clicked his tongue and searched the area in case the lightning god had dropped any items. He was also faithful to the animal instinct of greed. Unfortunately, the lightning god hadn¡¯t dropped any items. The only thing left was the body. It was the same as the previous guardians.


    ¡°They should at least give me something.¡±


    Grid¡¯s gratitude for the intelligence he acquired every time he cleared a new floor was already being diluted. The greedy Grid was now hoping for more. Did he read his master¡¯s mind?


    ¡°Nyang...! Nyaaaaong!¡± Out of nowhere, Noe stood up on his hind feet. Then he moved his front paws from left to right like a bear, roaring in a threatening manner.


    ...Perhaps 100 out of 100 people would say that it was cute. However, something serious was happening to Noe.


    ¡°W-What? What happened?¡±


    Was his stomach upset from eating like a pig? Grid rushed to Noe with worry and stroked Noe¡¯s protruding belly. ¡°Do you think your stomach will burst? Do you want to puke?¡±


    ¡°Nyaaaaong!¡± Noe shook his head.It was a strong denial.


    Grid saw the pink soles of Noe¡¯s feet and asked again, ¡°Then what are you doing all of a sudden? Did you go crazy?¡±


    ¡°Kyaong! I am the best demonic beast of hell! Master is the crazy person, nyong!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was this a rebellion? Grid was confused by Noe¡¯s actions and retreated backward. There was a sh around Noe¡¯s body!It was a brilliant and intense light. It hurt Grid¡¯s eyes, and he was forced to turn his head away.


    ¡®What...?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long for the light to gradually lose its momentum. Grid confirmed it and looked at Noe. Then he got a shock. ¡°N-Noe!!¡±


    ¡°Nya...! Nyaaaaong!¡±


    Like a pooing baby, Noe¡¯s legs were up, and he was screaming. He was changing. Noe¡¯s ck fur began to brighten while the small horns on his forehead split into two.


    ¡°Nyaaaaong!¡± Noe let out a strong roar that was different from the past. His now longer and brighter fur turned golden, and his head became slightly more rounded. Noe¡¯s white horns had been split in two and were now smaller than before. The change was easily expressed.


    ¡°...Why have you be cuter?¡±


    That¡¯s right.Noe¡¯s transformation made him even cuter and more lovable. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call him beautiful. He was a perfect pet that anyone would want to have. Noe seemed to be a species that had improved over several generations to meet humanity¡¯s sense of beauty.


    It was difficult to call him a ¡®demonic beast¡¯ of hell. Perhaps it was a deterioration?Was Noe¡¯s body worsened after overeating?


    Grid was wrapped in anxiety. Then he noticed something strange. There were sparks flying around Noe¡¯s body.They were like the sparks that had wrapped around the lightning god. Then a notification window popped up.


    [The memphis ¡®Noe¡¯ has seeded in the evolution!]


    [Name: Noe


    Species: Memphis


    Level: 1 (0/10,000)


    Affinity: 100/100


    Health: 10,000/10,000


    Physical Attack Power: 160


    Magic Attack Power: 160


    Defense: 160


    Magic Resistance: 160


    Attribute: Dark, Lightning


    Status: Narcissistic


    (I will further develop, nyang! I will make myself stronger like the best demonic beast of hell! Nyahahahat!!)


    Skills: Fluidization (S), Scratch (S), Soul Ingestion (SSS), Lightning Discharge!! (SSS)]


    [Discharge!! Lv. 1]


    [The electricity will be turned on when something other than your master approaches. Attacks up to 10 enemies with 10 times the magic damage, and there is a very high chance of causing electrical shock.


    Cooldown Time: None]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was an enormous evolution.Noe¡¯s stats were now overwhelmingly highpared to when Grid first got him. They were three to six times higher. Yes,pared to when he first got Noe... Compared to level 1...


    ¡°Nyahahat! Master! Isn¡¯t this body cool, nyong? It is enough to be captivated!¡± Noe was filled with pride.He licked his chest fur with a short red tongue.


    The temples of the silent Grid twitched. ¡°...Is this a joke?¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    ¡°Why...? Why?! Why did you reset to level 1?¡±


    This was an excuse, but he had gotten the Overgeared Skeletons sote that it was hard to level them up. The enemies that Grid faced were too strong for the Overgeared Skeletons. In order to train the Overgeared Skeletons, he would have to move to a novice hunting area, but Grid didn¡¯t have enough time for this.


    However, Noe was different. Noe had been with Grid from early on, and they had grown together. Recently, Noe¡¯s level had reached as high as level 300. Now, it had been reset to level 1. The thousands in stat points had fallen to hundreds, making it an obvious deterioration.


    Of course, Noe¡¯s potential was much higher now. However, Grid couldn¡¯t help thinking that the past few years had been in vain. Grid couldn¡¯t understand the terrible reality and mourned for the loss.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master. Feed me a lot of delicious food like today, and I will quickly be stronger again. Cheer up, nyong. Treat me to delicious food!¡±


    ¡°...Delicious like today?¡±


    Grid suddenly recalled the information of a mineral.


    [Thunder Stone]


    [A mineral that is produced only when the great demon, Astaroth, is present in the human world.


    The lightning attribute can be given to an item, and it is also good for feeding to demonic beasts.


    The demonic beast will be very pleased when fed.


    Weight: 5]


    ¡°...¡±


    A few years ago, Grid fought with Prince Ren of the Eternal Kingdom.Grid had defeated Eternal¡¯s first archer Ferrel and won the Thunder Bow. The Thunder Bow was a solid weapon passed down through Ferrel¡¯s family. However, it then met Grid, and Grid had disassembled it without caring. As a result, he obtained three thunder stones.


    The description of the mineral said that ¡®demonic beasts¡¯ would like it, but Grid had never thought of feeding the thunder stones to Noe. That was natural. It wasn¡¯t a question of affection but an extremely normal attitude. Who in the world would throw away a precious mineral that was only produced when a great demon appeared in the world?


    ...Especially to an animal that was quick to die.


    ¡®...No, Nyangmong would do it. Ah?¡¯


    Something shed in Grid¡¯s head. The thunder stone was a symbol of Astaroth¡¯s emergence, and it was here in the empire.


    ¡°Then Gyuratan is...¡±


    ...Astaroth. Grid had a poor mind and came to this conclusionte.


    ¡®Dispose of the thunder stone.¡¯


    Grid knew from his past experience with Hell Gao that destroying the thunder stone located at the top of the magic tower would weaken the Gyuratan¡¯s power, and weakening Gyuratan was a sure way to save Mercedes from her crisis.


    ¡°Noe! Come eat!¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    There was no hesitation once his purpose was clear. Grid immediately ran to the staircase leading upstairs. There was someone waiting for him.


    ¡°I am pleased to see the Overgeared King.¡±


    It was a child, a young girl who looked four or five years old. Grid identified the name of the girl who greeted him politely and was shocked. ¡°Goldhit...?¡±


    Magician king... The identity of the strongest magician right now was a little girl? Grid felt something beyond confusion.


    At this moment, there were people even more confused than Grid at the imperial pce...


    ¡°Demonkin...? How dare a mere demonkin break into the pce!¡±


    ¡®Kuk...! Why are those greedy magicians messing around with the thunder stone?¡¯It was Gyuratan, the Great Demon Astaroth. As his identity was revealed, Mercedes epted this moment as a chance, though she still didn¡¯t know that it was caused by Grid.


    However, a big chance was apanied by great danger. Mercedes wasn¡¯t wearing armor or holding a weapon, so she couldn¡¯t withstand Gyuratan¡¯s assault. Gyuratan blew away the knights and cut at Mercedes¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Mercedes?¡± The emperor uttered.


    He had persecuted her, yet she was defending him? The emperor¡¯s eyes shook as blood filled his vision.

 Chapter 803

    ¡°Kid.¡±


    The girl on the stairs was really small and didn¡¯t even reach Grid¡¯s waist. Grid couldn¡¯t ept the name that floated above the girl¡¯s head. Goldhit? It was ridiculous that this girl could be the magician king.


    ¡°What is your name? Why are you in a ce like this? Where did your parents go?¡±


    The girl made a guileless expression. Simultaneously,ughter emerged from her that was far from innocent. It was reminiscent of an olddy¡¯sugh. ¡°Yohoho... I am Goldhit. Some people call me the magician king.¡±


    ¡°...Is this real?¡±Grid could no longer deny reality and his mouth dropped open. Where was the appearance of the old woman who was over 120 years old? Even the elves, famous for their longevity, wouldn¡¯t look like this. Grid regained his spirit and asked, ¡°Is this due to magic?¡±


    Goldhit nodded with her ited red hair moving cutely. ¡°Correct. Magic is an area that creates miracles. I have been constantly trying to obtain the ultimate miracle, and as a result, I look like this now. Yohohoho.¡±


    He should¡¯ve noticed from the name ¡®Tower of Eternity.¡¯ Grid immediately realized what was the ¡®ultimate miracle¡¯ that Goldhit wanted.


    ¡®Eternal life...¡¯


    However, it went against providence. Grid bet that Goldhit had been pointed at and reprimanded by countless people for all sorts of reasons. Yet Grid didn¡¯t reproach her. After all, didn¡¯t Grid want Khan to have eternal life, and wasn¡¯t he afraid of Irene¡¯s death? Grid understood Goldhit¡¯s wish.


    ¡°Amazing. Using magic to regain youth...¡±


    Goldhit was indeed worthy of being called the magician king. While Grid was admiring her, Goldhit made a subtle expression. ¡°Your Majesty, did you interpret it as regaining youth? Yohoho... You are really pure, unlike what I expected.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    They were meaningful words. If Goldhit hadn¡¯t regained her youth, then how did she look like she did now? Anxiety settled in his heart as Grid felt a strange incongruity. He felt a sense of rejection toward Goldhit. However, Goldhit didn¡¯t give him a chance to think too deeply. ¡°I want to thank you for answering my invitation. It is an honor to be able to host the best hero of our time.¡±


    Her tone didn¡¯t match her appearance. She was even standing with her hands behind her back. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t abandon the habits of the old.


    ¡°Why did you invite me?¡± Grid asked bluntly. In fact, Grid didn¡¯t like Goldhit¡¯s emergence as the hidden quest had ended with it.


    ¡®If I had continued with the quest, my intelligence could¡¯ve reached 2,000 points.¡¯


    It was possible based on the progress of the quest and the increase in intelligence given. So, it was disappointing for Grid since he could obtain Fireball (Enhanced) the moment his intelligence exceeded 2,500. Then Goldhit made a shocking suggestion, ¡°Can you take me as your disciple?¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    The magician king wanted to be his disciple? Grid doubted his ears.¡°The best magician on the continent wants to learn cksmithing?¡±


    ¡°No, that is impossible.¡±


    Indeed, he wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    ¡®I heard wrong.¡¯


    He had been straining himself since Khan¡¯s death, so he was weary. Should he start taking energy supplements? Grid looked seriously worried about himself. Meanwhile, Goldhit added, ¡°I want to learn magic, not cksmithing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Grid¡¯s expression distorted. ¡°Did you invite me here to joke around?¡±


    The best magician on the continent wanted a cksmith to teach her magic? It was a joke that even an elementary school student wouldn¡¯t make.


    ¡®Has her brain be younger?¡¯Grid clicked his tongue, not hiding his displeasure. He was the Overgeared King and didn¡¯t like Goldhit joking around with him. It was like she was ignoring the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Goldhit spoke to the displeased Grid with a gentle expression, ¡°Don¡¯t be offended. I¡¯m serious. I want to receive Braham¡¯s enhanced magic from Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±Grid was startled. The name ¡®Braham¡¯ had unexpectedly emerged from Goldhit¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Additionally, how did she know that he had learned Braham¡¯s magic? Then Grid noticed his mistake.


    ¡®Was she watching when I fought the lightning god?¡¯


    His opponent was the magician king.The system recognized her as a ¡®powerhouse of the time.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t a legend but she could someday be one. If she was that type of person, it was possible for her to see the origin of the magic that Grid had used on the lightning god.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not simply asking. If Your Majesty teaches me magic, you will get something in return.¡±A cheerful smile appeared on Goldhit¡¯s face. With ruddy skin, freckles, red hair, and round eyes, she was a really lovely girl... At least, when it came to appearance.


    ¡°What can I get? What will you do for me if I agree?¡±


    ¡°I have protected the empire through three generations of emperors. It means I am an important person in the empire. I have umted enormous wealth and power thanks to my abilities and the halo of the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is almost almighty. If you want anything, just tell me. I will listen to any request from you. Yohohoho.¡± It was an irresistible temptation. Goldhit was certain of this.


    ¡°The thunder stone,¡± Grid said what he wanted. ¡°The stone that is on the roof of your tower. Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°...That is a bit too much to ask.¡± Goldhit frowned for the first time. ¡°You truly are a legendary cksmith. You know about the thunder stone.¡±


    ¡°It is impossible for me to not know.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t you know that it is an impossible request? The value of the thunder stone is iparable to anything in the world. It can¡¯t be obtained unless a great demon descends...¡±


    ¡°You know.¡±Grid cut Goldhit off. ¡°You know that the thunder stone is closely rted to a great demon and yet you left it like that without disposing of it? Don¡¯t you know what a great demon can do?¡±


    "The thunder stone is the symbol of Astaroth, one of the great demons who lost his flesh due to Muller and is disqualified from being a great demon. How can he be a big threat?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The thunder stone has enormous magic power. It is a great help to the development of magic and weapons. How can I dispose of such a precious treasure just because of a weakened great demon?¡±


    ¡°Hat!¡± Grid burst outughing. Weakened great demon? What would happen if it became known that Astaroth had been ying in the empire for the past decade? One thing was clear. Goldhit¡¯s reputation would nosedive, and her presence in the empire would weaken.


    An rm sounded all over the tower the moment Grid was feeling convinced of this. The magician Raji hurriedly ran over. ¡°Master! Something is happening in the imperial pce!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Goldhit reached out into the air. Then a space simr to the yers¡¯ inventory was created, and a white robe popped out. Goldhit put on the robe and looked at Grid. ¡°I have to dy this story for a while.¡±


    ¡®Yes, go.¡¯He would smash the thunder stone in the period of time when she wasn¡¯t here. Grid was convinced that the disturbance in the imperial pce was linked to Gyuratan. Goldhit read Grid¡¯s intentions but didn¡¯t feel uneasy. ¡°Stop any silly talk. Nobody can ess the thunder stone without my permission. I¡¯ll just get mad at you.¡±


    Arge number of traps and five lightning gods were protecting the thunder stone. It was a thorough defense that not even Astaroth could get through.


    ¡°I will go ande back. I will solve the problem so that my precious guest won¡¯t wait long.Yohohoho...¡± Goldhitughed bizarrely, and the small body in white robes disappeared. Grid waited for her to disappear from view and headed straight upstairs. His destination was naturally the top of the tower.He nned to destroy the thunder stone for Mercedes¡¯ safety and then pick up the wreckage.


    However, how could it be that easy? On the next floor, Grid faced a maze. It was a huge andplicated maze, and he couldn¡¯t see a way out. A magician came up to him and said, ¡°Goldhit has asked me to take care of Your Majesty. Now, let¡¯s go down. I will serve you respectfully.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I go up?¡± Grid refused the friendly magician¡¯s offer.


    In turn, the magician scoffed, ¡°The Tower of Eternity isn¡¯t a ce that any dog or cattle can climb.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything with my eyes. Are you a dog?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    To think that the king of the Overgeared Kingdom and the peak of two billion users was being called a dog or cattle? There was no reason for Grid to endure his anger. He eagerly pulled out the Enlightenment Sword, consuming the fighting energy that had risen during his encounter with Goldhit.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Peng!


    Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!


    The red and purple energy des prated the maze in a straight line. From there, the maze started to copse, and an explosion urred in a corner of the Tower of Eternity which had been firmly in ce for ages. There was now a small hole in the high tower.


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Did Grid just blow up a magic trap with force? Furthermore, did he call out 100,000 Army Massacre Sword? It was then that the magician discovered Grid¡¯s identity. ¡°T-The Undefeated King¡¯s descend... Keok!¡±


    However, the current Grid wasn¡¯tx. He didn¡¯t hesitate to kill the eyewitness and climbed to the next floor.


    ***


    ¡°Uh...!¡± Mercedes¡¯ scream resonated in the hall. As a matter of fact, Gyuratan had been aiming at Mercedes, not the emperor, from the beginning. It was because he knew that Bain woulde out when he reached the emperor. It also meant that Bain wouldn¡¯t act unless the emperor was being aimed at.


    ¡°Sir Mercedes!¡± The knights heard the turmoil and were aghast. They roared angrily and came to rescue her from Astaroth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move if you want this woman to live.¡± Gyuratan was holding Mercedes by the neck. She was poisoned by the demonic energy that entered her body through the sword cut.


    The knights were stunned while the emperor gave an imperial order, ¡°First Knight, I will allow you to be armed.¡±


    Simultaneously...


    ¡°Sir Mercedes!¡±Two quick-witted knights threw their swords toward Mercedes.


    Seokeok!


    Two shes of lights gleamed around Gyuratan¡¯s body.¡°Kuk...!¡±


    They were truly agile movements. Gyuratan trembled as he let go of Mercedes. Mercedes stood before the emperor and tore at the bottom of her blood-stained dress to allow for easier movement. She faced Gyuratan and opened her mouth, ¡°12 years ago, youmitted the sin of killing the Red Knights and their families who devoted themselves to the empire.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You havemitted the sin of deceiving His Majesty and the empire¡¯s people.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The reception hall was tense. Gyuratan was dumbfounded while Mercedes was crying.


    ¡°...You havemitted the sin of cing a stigma on Piaro. I will never forgive you,¡± Mercedes dered with no fear in her eyes.


    Justice would destroy evil.

 Chapter 804

    Gyuratan was forced to defend against a sword that struck like a lightning bolt and a sword that stung like a bee. Gyuratan¡¯s armor was pierced, and he coughed up blood. Mercedes didn¡¯t give him time to have a break. In front of her dual swords, Gyuratan¡¯s hands and feet were tied up.


    ¡®To a human...!¡¯


    ¡°Two Storms.¡±


    Peng!


    Pepepepeng!


    The swords increased in speed. Mercedes¡¯ unique technique, which took advantage of sword energy, assaulted Gyuratan.She attacked and then backed away to a distance of three meters before repeating it. As she wielded her swords, her strikes were light enough to be fast and clean.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±A groan emerged from Gyuratan¡¯s mouth as he defended himself against the swords. It was hard for him to cope with Mercedes¡¯ anomalous attacks where the attack distance changed in real time. The fight would be up to here.


    ¡®Indeed!¡¯


    Things were flowing as everyone expected. The strength of the Fourth Knight was special since he protected the Red Knights. However, the First Knight was the peak of the Red Knights. The Fourth Knight couldn¡¯t be stronger than the First Knight. Mercedes¡¯ victory was already decided.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    ¡°Sir Mercedes...!¡±


    The noble knight defended the emperor who had suppressed her in the past, and she also defended the honor of the old hero whom everyone had thought was corrupted. This image of Mercedes punishing Gyuratan with her bloody body was imprinted onto the knights. Some knights were so inspired that they started crying. They were happy that their object of admiration existed right beside them.


    However, this was the reason why...


    Puk!


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ crash caused a greater impact.


    ¡°S-Sir Mercedes!¡±


    Gyuratan discarded swordsmanship.He was a great demon now, not the Fourth Knight. As such, he started to counterattack, and the screams of the knights filled the hall. However, Mercedes couldn¡¯t hear anything. Her world was calm as she was caught in the explosion Gyuratan had created.


    ¡®Ah...¡¯ Mercedes¡¯ time flowed slowly. Lightning demonic energy rose from Gyuratan¡¯s body like a haze. The hall filled with lightning that it couldn¡¯t endure, and the emperor was shouting with an expression she had never seen before. Everything was slow. One second was one minute, ten minutes, one hour...


    The images of the old heroes passed through Mercedes¡¯ mind. Knights wearing red armor... The big backs, dependable smiles, and warm teachings of those who stood at the forefront of the battlefields came to her mind. Mercedes was filled with images of the past as Gyuratan¡¯s lightning fist flew toward her.


    ¡°Are your eyes bad? How can that be? If you can see through them, feel free to look. There is no darkness or lies in my heart.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ innate vision... Piaro had fully epted the cursed power which sometimes even caused fear in the parents who had given birth to her. Back then, Mercedes was still young. That¡¯s why Mercedes had been able to keep her eyes straight, and Piaro had been able to look into them without any fear. Nevertheless...


    ¡®I¡¯m so...rry.¡¯ Mercedes hadn¡¯t trusted Piaro. She had given up on him due to the stigma of being a traitor. Everyone had shouted that Piaro was a traitor, and she hadn¡¯t doubted it. ¡®I was the traitor.¡¯


    Kwaang!


    Mercedes smiled bitterly as she fell to the floor. Simultaneously, lightning demonic energy exploded around her body.


    ¡°Sir Mercedes!¡±


    ¡°You evil bastard! Stop right now!¡±


    The knights ran to assist Mercedes. Their eyes zed as they poured out all types of sword techniques. However, Gyuratan¡¯s true power was much stronger than the Gyuratan of their memories.


    ¡°It is insulting that humans can even breathe in front of me for a moment.¡±


    Every time this happened, the damn face of Sword Saint Muller popped up. Gyuratan started to concentrate his lightning. Then...


    ¡°W-What is this...?¡±


    The knights¡¯ swords and armor¡ªtheir whole bodies were drawn to the lightning. Resistance was futile. Just like mas with different electrodes, Gyuratan¡¯s lightning emitted an attraction force that the surrounding metals couldn¡¯t deny. This was why he had suddenly won the battle against Mercedes.


    ¡®The situation is bad.¡¯ Bain¡¯s duty was to only protect the emperor. So, he protected the emperor while thinking about why the great demon had appeared in the middle of the pce. ¡®It will be difficult for even me to handle him.¡¯


    Great Demon Astaroth... From the time that the thunder stone appeared 15 years ago, the empire had already predicted his emergence. However, it was strange. The longer the survival period of the great demon, the greater and more powerful the thunder stone became. This meant it was due to sheer greed that they were facing this current situation. However, it was also unexpected that Astaroth would be in the imperial pce.


    Bain thought for a while before urging the emperor, ¡°Leave this ce while the knights buy time.¡±


    The seven dukes had to govern their respectivends, and their period of stay in the pce was extremely short. They had gathered for the visit of the Overgeared King but returned to their respective estates. Currently, only the Five Pirs could be relied on. However, Bain judged that they weren¡¯t needed.


    It might be difficult for him to deal with Astaroth, but he thought that Goldhit could easily overpower the weakened Astaroth. The emperor thought the same. Great demon?The Overgeared King had managed to hunt one in aplete state. The Overgeared Kingdom was no match for the empire, so it was natural that the powerful empire should be able to easily hunt the weakened great demon.


    However, this situation was a problem. The emperor hesitated to leave. It was because he saw Mercedes¡¯ copsed form. Could she survive until Goldhit arrived? It would be tough. The emperor wanted to know the truth regarding 12 years ago and gave an order, ¡°Bain.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Save Mercedes.¡±


    Bain¡¯s eyes narrowed. He didn¡¯t know why the emperor wanted to save Mercedes when he already hated the existence of the Red Knights. However, it wasn¡¯t Bain¡¯s role toment on the decision. He just needed to follow orders.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Supaak!


    Bain disappeared from the emperor¡¯s right side. The point where he appeared was behind Gyuratan and next to Mercedes.


    ¡°Bain...!¡±Gyuratan cried out as he was handling the knights that were dragged over by the lightning. Bain¡¯s presence was so great that it made him wary. However, Bain pulled the ragged Mercedes into his arms and shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you,¡± he said briefly before trying to leave.


    ¡°But I am interested!¡± Gyuratan obstructed Bain¡¯s way. He picked up the knights like they were a ball and threw them toward Bain. Gyuratan couldn¡¯t forgive Mercedes.His 15 years of hardships were wasted, and Mercedes was the best target to resolve his anger.


    ¡°N...no...¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    Bain had been about to cut at the flying ball of knights only to be stopped by Mercedes. He looked at Mercedes holding onto his wrist and took evasive action. However, the moment he was going to disappear and reappear by the emperor¡¯s side, Gyuratan¡¯s sword came flying.


    The sword was aiming for Mercedes in Bain¡¯s arms. Bain moved, so he was struck in the shoulder instead as he stabbed back at Gyuratan.It was a counterattack that aimed at Gyuratan¡¯s exposed abdomen. However, it didn¡¯t reach. This was due to the lightning demonic energy around Gyuratan¡¯s body. The demonic energy which had been previously pulling the metal was now pushing it away.


    Thanks to this, Bain¡¯s sword lost momentum and stopped in the air. Bain clicked his tongue while Gyuratan wielded his sword again.


    A fierce battle raged on. Gyuratan¡¯s swings gradually elerated while Bain¡¯s movements were gorgeous enough to be considered acrobatics as he used the small shields attached to his shoulders and wrists to block. Both the emperor and Bain were surprised.Astaroth was too strong to be called a weakened great demon.


    ¡®Was he a high-ranking great demon before?¡¯


    It was likely.The great demon that Grid and his allies hunted had been the lowest of the great demons. If Astaroth was a high-level great demon, then he would be stronger than Belial, despite having lost his body.


    ¡®Furthermore...¡¯


    The emperor noted that as more time passed, the thunder stone became stronger.Perhaps the growth of the thunder stone meant the growth of the great demon? He thought this far.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Goldhit here yet?¡±


    The emperor was nervous. Then...


    ¡®Am I toote?¡¯ Bain felt Mercedes¡¯ body gradually cooling down. The shadow called death was covering her. At that moment...


    Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    A meteorite fell through the ceiling of the great hall. It was Meteor Strike, a spell from the current strongest magician among humans¡ªGoldhit. The spell wasckingpared to Meteor which summoned ¡®multiple¡¯ meteorites. Due to the level of the magic, Meteor Strike only summoned a small meteorite.


    However, the only magician who was able to use the full Meteor in human history had been Braham. Meteor was the symbol representing the great demons.It was already great for a human to be able to use Meteor Strike, and the spell was powerful enough to break through the impregnable wall.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte. Yohoho...¡± Beyond the copsed ceiling, a girl descended from the stormy sky. Her hair fluttered as she attracted everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Tsk tsk, foolish great demon. I wish you had continued living like you were.¡±


    It was a pity for the thunder stone. Goldhit reached toward Gyuratan who had been hit by the meteorite. Magic power that exceeded the category of a human gathered at her fingertips. However, it was useless unless the magic manifested. A ck lightning strike fell from the sky and struck Goldhit. She copsed without even being able to scream.


    Goldhit exited the moment she arrived. A lightning storm was raging, and Astaroth was gradually getting stronger. The pouring rain brought with it despair.


    Simultaneously, in the Tower of Eternity...


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The breakthrough was ridiculously quickpared to the Behen Archipgo. Grid soon arrived at the 79th floor and faced a huge kennel. There were young girls and boys waiting for food like they were livestock, and dirty straw was scattered all over the ground.


    ¡°Crazy jerk...!¡± Grid realized why he felt strangely diforted during his conversation with Goldhit. Yes, Goldhit hadn¡¯t be younger. She had snatched it away.


    ¡°Uwek!¡±


    How long had this taboo been happening? The horrible scene made Grid feel disgusted and nauseous. He pitied the girls and boys who looked at him with expressions that knew nothing, and he developed a hatred for Goldhit.


    There was no reason for him to hesitate now. Grid immediately moved to the next floor¡ªthe 80th floor. The ss ceiling where the thunder stone was located on the Tower of Eternity attracted Grid¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Discovery.¡±


    ¡°Intruder.¡±


    ¡°Discovery.¡±


    ¡°Repel. Repel. Repel.¡±


    The five lightning gods started operating. Goldhit believed the five lightning gods were the strongest weapons that could defend the thunder stone. However...


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    [Show off the virtues of a cksmith who deserves to be praised as a god. The casting time and cooldown time of all cksmithing skills will be removed. It is applicable up to two times.]


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t enough to prevent Grid from opening the power he obtained from producing three myth rated items.

 Chapter 805

    [The heavenly gods can¡¯t take their eyes off you. Your dignity can bepared to a god after making three sets of battle gear that even the gods will covet.]


    This was the notification window that rose when Grid made the myth rated White Tiger Sword. It was the first of the ¡®special event¡¯ that would happen every time he made three myth rated items. The reward was a skill, Divinity.


    [Divinity - cksmithing Version]


    [-Raises your existence to a level close to a god.


    The casting time and cooldown time of all cksmithing skills will be removed. It can be used up to two times whenever the skill is activated.]


    Resource Consumption: None.


    Cooldown Time: 23 hours.]


    Grid thought of a number after he got this skill¡ª18. The ¡®F¡¯ word came out. (The pronunciation of 18 in Korea sounds a lot like the F word in Korea.)


    Think about it. A cksmith¡¯s skills were almost always rted to production.So, if Grid¡¯s cksmithing skill was considered an active skill like ordinary cksmiths, then it would be possible to show the merit of Divinity bypleting one item the moment the ¡®production¡¯ button was pressed.


    However, Grid¡¯s cksmithing skill was passive. He didn¡¯t have a production button. Furthermore, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was ssified as a sword skill and it wasn¡¯t affected by Divinity. This meant that the benefits Grid gained from Divinity weren¡¯t veryrge.


    Grid¡¯s anger had skyrocketed for the first few hours.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    On the day that he got Divinity, Grid had controlled his mind and recalled all the skills rted to cksmithing which he had obtained from hidden pieces.


    They were Item Combination and Transformation.The skills exerted a transcendent power depending on the use. However, the cooldown time was too long for Item Transformation, and the casting and cooldown times of Item Combination were long as well. It was difficult to use them in practice.


    However, Divinity could now get rid of these shorings. It was a skill that removed casting and cooldown time. Grid was confident that his upgraded power was at a level close to ¡®invincible.¡¯


    [Belial¡¯s Staff and the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires will bebined!]


    Grid usually merged items of the same type. Typically, it was a sword and a sword. Why? That was because he found it difficult to manually devise what types of items should bebined. However, it was now possible for him to depend on the Divinity system. If he used Item Combination after Divinity, the system would assemble the items with care.


    That¡¯s why he was able to challenge it. Hebined a sword and a staff, which werepletely different types of items.


    sh!


    Belial¡¯s Staff and the Enlightenment Sword flew into the sky by themselves and merged together, apanied by a bright and splendid light which captured everyone¡¯s eyes. However, the lightning gods rushing toward Grid showed no response to that. After all, they were weapons with no emotions. They only wanted to get rid of Grid. Then...


    [Item Combination has beenpleted!]


    The staff and the sword joined together within the light and returned back to Grid¡¯s hand. Appearance-wise, there was no major issue. The staff had be a handle with a length of two meters. The total length of thebined weapon was three meters.


    [Belial¡¯s Staff + Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    [Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    Durability: Infinite


    Physical Attack Power: 3,490 Magic Attack Power: 2,253


    * 30% increase in intelligence.


    * 20% increase in physical attack power.


    * 40% increase in magic attack power.


    * 30% bonus fire attribute damage.


    * 30% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * 15% bonus lightning attribute damage.


    * Deals an additional 50% damage to sacred beings.


    * There is a certain probability of mes rge) being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of illusions being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of summoning a red lightning bolt when attacking.


    ¡ï There is a certain probability of a ck mes explosion when attacking.


    * 30% increase in magic casting speed.


    * You can cast three types of magic at the same time. However, proficiency is required.


    When fire and dark magic are cast simultaneously, the magic power of each one was increased by 200%.


    * Every time a spell is cast, a shield that absorbs 5,000 damage is automatically created. Targets that strike the shield are subjected to the fear and slowed stats.


    ¡ï When triggered, the options such as fire emission, hallucinations, red lightning summoning, ck mes explosion, and so on are considered as casting a spell.


    * 20% increase in magic critical chance.


    * 150% increase in magic critical damage.


    * The skill ¡®Enlightenment¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Belial¡¯s Power¡¯ is created.


    ¡°...??¡±


    The attack power and magic damage were slightly lower than those of the individual weapons. It seemed there was a negative aspect because the sword and staff had lost the ideal bnce. There was also no significant change in the option values.


    There was only one change.


    [* Every time a spell is cast, a shield that absorbs 5,000 damage is automatically created. Targets that strike the shield are subjected to the fear and slowed stats.


    ¡ï When triggered, the options such as fire emission, hallucinations, red lightning summoning, ck mes explosion, and so on are considered as casting a spell.]


    The newly added option made the Belial¡¯s Staff + Enlightenment Sword reach a new level of fraudulence. It was more than Grid had expected. The power of myth + mythbined...


    [The cksmith god is very surprised. He feels jealous of a human¡¯s skills.]


    [The other gods areughing at the cksmith god.]


    [Affinity with the cksmith god has decreased by 1.]


    [If affinity with the cksmith god reaches -10, any items made (above legendary rating) will be cursed.]


    ¡°Ah, ****...¡± Grid cursed after a long time. Every time he got something new, he always felt both joy and loss. There were big profits but also a big worry. One example was when he was nerfed every time he created five legendary items.


    ¡®Jealousy? Curse? What type of god is this?¡¯


    It was a really serious situation that when hebined two myth rated items, his affinity with the cksmith god would reduce. If Grid didn¡¯t know how to increase the affinity, he would only get a penalty and wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the curse.


    ¡°Wow, this sucks! Really annoying.¡±


    ¡®Damn bastard!¡¯


    The lightning gods came closer as Grid was cursing the unknown cksmith god. However, Grid¡¯s response was simple.He drew a full moon with the weapon he held, hitting the five lightning gods simultaneously. One was struck by mes while another was struck by a red lightning bolt. Then Grid¡¯s body was surrounded by a translucent dark shield.


    [A shield with 5,000 health has been created due to the effect of Belial¡¯s Shield.]


    [A shield with 5,000 health has been created due to the effect of Belial¡¯s Shield.]


    They were ovepping shields! In the blink of an eye, Grid obtained an extra 10,000 health. The other three lightning gods, that were not exposed to the mes and electricity, counterattacked.


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage.]


    [The target you have attacked has resisted the ¡®fear¡¯ state and failed to resist the ¡®slowed¡¯ state.]


    [You have suffered 3,710 damage.]


    [The target you have attacked has resisted the ¡®fear¡¯ state and failed to resist the ¡®slowed¡¯...]


    [You have suffered 4,050 damage.]


    [The target you have attacked has resisted the ¡®fear¡¯ state...]


    Grid looked at the lightning gods losing their unique speed and was thrilled.


    ¡®A scam!¡¯


    The opponent being unaffected by the status conditions was a secondary problem. Grid just enjoyed the ovepping shield effect which didn¡¯t consume any mana.


    ¡®More in the future...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s motivation boiled up. He attacked the lightning gods with the ¡®spear¡¯ whichbined physical attack power and magic attack power.


    ¡®I want to make more items in the future!¡¯


    This desirey in Grid¡¯s heart. Grid thought about thebination of items he could actively utilize due to Divinity, and his anticipation for the infinite overgeared state he could show pierced the sky. The five lightning gods exchanged blows with Grid and gradually turned to rags, suffering damage from the magic attack power that Grid disyed.


    On the other hand, Grid was fine. The fire emission, red lightning, and ck mes¡ªthe options attached to the item frequently appeared, and the shields umted in number. As the battle progressed, he didn¡¯t lose any health and increased his protection instead. It went up to at least 50,000.


    ¡°Hat..! Kuhahahahaha!¡± A feeling of pleasure exploded within Grid.


    It felt like he was cheating while ying the game. This was the joy of being overgeared. He was so excited that he felt like he would burst into pieces. If the lightning gods were creatures with emotions, they wouldin about Grid¡¯s absurdity.


    ¡°Nyahahat!¡± Noe also had a smile on his face while he was binge eating. Every time he swallowed a piece of the thunder stone which was the core of the lightning god, Noe¡¯s level rose quickly, and it was now close to 100. This wasn¡¯t strange since Noe was eating five lightning gods.


    Grid shattered the head of thest lightning god. The duration of Item Combination finished, and he recovered the two separate weapons. Then he looked up at the ss ceiling.


    ¡°The thunder stone...¡±


    It was emitting massive thunderbolts. Grid stabbed it with his sword. Then...


    Kuwuong.


    The clouds covering the sky disappeared like they had been a lie, and the thunder and lightning stopped. The heavy rain subsided as well. Light returned to the world that had faded to grey.


    ***


    ¡°...!!¡± Goldhit opened her eyes.


    She hurriedly raised her body and looked around, wondering if she had dreamed everything. Then Goldhit saw the scene of Gyuratan and Bainpeting against each other. It wasn¡¯t a dream.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    To think she had shown such an ugly appearance to the emperor...? It was a disgrace. Goldhit was stunned because she had been so confident at first. Now, her face was flushed red. She was confused. Why hadn¡¯t she used Teleport to get to the pce? It had been to analyze the power and techniques of the great demon.


    Goldhit had inferred that Astaroth was familiar with darkness and lightning magic. There was also the high possibility that swordsmanship was involved. Therefore, Goldhit had used magic to significantly increase her body¡¯s defense and physical strength.


    Had that been all? After her splendid appearance, she had immediately deployed a barrier in case the great demon counterattacked. As a person who explored eternal life, Goldhit¡¯s desire for survival was really great. Yet she had allowed an attack to hit her almost as soon as she arrived.


    Goldhit clutched her head and recalled herst memory. ¡®I didn¡¯t get hit by him.¡¯


    Yes, the great magic that hit her body hadn¡¯t been from Gyuratan. She winced as she remembered his appearance.


    ¡®There is another enemy somewhere here.¡¯


    Goldhit was finally convinced that she had been hit in the back.


    ¡®The enemy¡¯s level is significant.¡¯


    They had the ability to use magic capable of prating a shield made of all attributes and the ability to hide so that she couldn¡¯t detect it. Maybe it was another great demon... Could another great demon be hiding somewhere here? Goldhit gulped nervously.


    A lightning bolt fell from the sky.


    ¡°Uh...?¡± A chill ran down Goldhit¡¯s spine. She realized once again how clever the enemy was. The lightning storm itself was magic... The source couldn¡¯t be found because this was magic without attributes.


    ¡°Is this Astaroth¡¯s field...?!¡±


    It was an enormous monster. Maybe Astaroth was a single digit great demon when he wasplete?


    It was at this time that Bain¡¯s sword was unable to pierce through the demonic energy and floated in the sky. Bain missed the sword flying away from his head and was unable to block Gyuratan¡¯s next attack.


    ¡°...¡±


    At the copsed great hall, the First Knight was in rags, and the Five Pirs present had been defeated. The corpses of the soldiers and knights that formed a mountain in the background were meaningless. This was the overwhelming power of the great demon.


    Astaroth was about to speak. There was no hope for humanity. At that moment...


    Swaaaah!


    The rain pouring from the ceiling suddenly stopped. The lightning storm subsided, and the demonic energy around Gyuratan¡¯s body became a haze.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...?¡¯


    The frustrated Goldhit remembered a certain man¡ªOvergeared King Grid. Then...


    Clink.


    Mercedes used a broken sword as a cane and raised her body. It was a dangerous situation. Mercedes was severely wounded and seemed like she would die at any moment. It seemed like it was hard for her just to breathe. So, why?Why did the emperor feel infinite trust in her? This was the value of a knight¡¯s existence.

 Chapter 806

    A great demon was an existence beyond eternity. From their point of view, 15 years was extremely short. It was a long time for Astaroth, however, despite him being a great demon. The newly acquired body that he obtained 15 years ago from his contract was extremely fragile. It was like walking a thorny road as he mixed among humans. He felt relief whenever he passed the day safely.


    "So...I persisted for 15 years.¡±


    The shackle that was called a contract wouldst until his summoner¡¯s wish was fulfilled. He overcame Piaro and Asmophel, the ones who decorated the golden age of the empire, before securing his own power. He devoted himself to making sure the days passed without blood or vomiting. However.


    ¡°This woman...!¡±


    Kwaduduk!


    Astaroth¡¯s eyes were consumed with hatred as he gazed at Mercedes.


    "You ruined everything!¡±


    In fact, the direct cause was the Overgeared King. If that crazy human hadn¡¯t showed up, Astaroth would have seeded in getting rid of Mercedes and establishing a more solid position. With the way things were going, the contractor¡¯s wish to be the emperor would¡¯ve been quickly realized. As such, thepletion of the contract would then secure him enough magic power to look for a chance of resurrection.


    Yes, Astaroth hated and resented the Overgeared King for ruining his years of waiting. He wanted to tear out Grid¡¯s soul and chew on the body. But the Overgeared King wasn¡¯t here at the moment, making it natural for Astaroth¡¯s resentment to spill over Mercedes.


    ¡°Why...?! Why did you bring him in?¡±


    Astaroth¡¯s weak body couldn¡¯t bear his wrath as the swollen blood vessels on his forehead were ripped apart, spewing blood everywhere. Astaroth didn¡¯t care, however, as he barely managed to gather his weakened demonic energy and fire it at Mercedes.


    Astaroth knew one fact from mixing in with humans for the past 15 years: they were really weak. They were creatures that were little different from the livestock that they raised. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for the injured Mercedes in front of him to die immediately. She would disappear from even a small wave of mana. There was a limit that humans couldn¡¯t ovee.


    The lightning demonic energy reached Mercedes; resistance was not allowed. The metal attraction attribute of the lightning pulled Mercedes¡¯s broken sword towards her, preventing any resistance. She was destined to be helplessly killed by her own weapon, Astaroth was sure of it.


    On the other hand, the emperor believed in Mercedes. The emperor shouted, ¡°Mercedes! Survive!¡±


    In the 12 years that she had been serving her master, this would be the first time that Mercedes had received her master¡¯s sinceremand.


    ¡°...¡±


    Her faint consciousness. Her numb flesh. Mercedes¡¯s vision was blurry, as if she was trapped in a cloudy fog. The only thing keeping her standing was her instinct and to protect the emperor. However, things changed the moment she received the emperor¡¯smand.


    Mercedes¡¯s vision brightened, her sharp eyes processing the world morepletely than before. Mercedes threw her sword, stopping the demonic energy that was flowing towards her.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless!¡±


    Astaroth hade flying after the demonic energy. Astaroth ridiculed Mercedes for using the lightning rod principle to neutralize his demonic energy. It was a just a desperate,st-ditch effort after all. His devastating sword flew towards Mercedes¡¯ face.


    Mercedes used a sword technique, shouting, ¡°Supreme Swordsmanship 4th Style!¡±


    Her body responded with the technique that had been ingrained in her body since childhood. The skill of an old hero, the technique that exuded the essence of a personbeled a traitor. While it had to be sealed, Mercedes used it at this moment.


    "What?"


    Astaroth¡¯s eyes narrowed in surprise. He was baffled that the sword about to pierce Mercedes¡¯s face suddenly lost momentum before being pulled towards Mercedes¡¯ fingertips. Mercedes created a sword by substituting her hands and arms in its ce. Her body shone radiantly as her palms held Astaroth¡¯s sword.


    World messages emerged.


    [A legendary knight has been born!]


    [Every knight in the world will look up to her and praise her!]


    ¡°What...?¡± What...! What?!!!¡¯


    The fear sealed deep inside Astaroth¡¯s heart instantly surged up. He got a glimpse of Muller¡¯s shadow, a legend that broke beyond human limits and could threaten a superior species, from Mercedes. Mercedes had evolved. Astaroth wanted to deny the terrible reality before him.


    ¡°Knight¡¯s Resolution.¡±


    Silver sword energy burst out from Mercedes. Her sword energy didn¡¯t target Astaroth,as they headed towards her fellow knights instead.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhh...!¡±


    ¡°S-Sir Mercedes!¡±


    The knights who received Mercedes¡¯ sword energy rose up. They were so energetic it was hard to imagine that they had been on the verge of dying not too long ago. A silver sword imprint on their chests burned like fire. There was also a silver sword imprint on Mercedes¡¯ own chest.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?!!¡± shouted Astaroth, feeling threatened. He let out a deep, guttural growl, as if he were a wild beast. However, Mercedes and the knights felt no fear, with infinite courage protecting them.


    ¡°For our homnd.¡±


    ¡°For our homnd!!¡±


    Mercedes and the knights yelled! Then they rushed to Astaroth all at once. Astaroth was forced to give up the sword caught by Mercedes in order to get away from his spot, which was a big deal considering his strength. Thanks to Astaroth, Mercedes got a new weapon and became aplete knight.


    Despite her various injuries, she leapt towards Astaroth at a transcendent pace, her sword dancing through the air like it was nothing. Her beautiful swordsmanship captivated everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Pledge Sword."


    The knights couldn¡¯t count how many times Mercedes stabbed Astaroth with her silver sword energy; it was just too fast to be seen by the naked eye. She stabbed so much and so fast that it made the illusion that the universe was pouring out into the air.


    ¡°Kuak!"


    Astaroth crashed to the ground and coughed up blood.


    Kuwaaaang!


    The floor copsed. The ground vibrated but the knights stood firmly in ce. Due to Mercedes¡¯ buff effect, their courage and physical abilities had increased significantly.


    ¡°You...!¡± Astaroth¡¯s pale face became paler as he barely raised his body. Dozens of swords could be seen in his vision. It was in the sky above him. Mercedes watched Astaroth being damaged by the buffed knights and held her sword in front of her chest. The straight line seemed to represent her heart.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I will punish you.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯s sword energy fully unfurled, revealing wings of silver light fluttering behind her. Her glowing sword gave Astaroth a sense of despair.


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    Why were the legends always disturbing him?! This call rang out as Mercedes¡¯s sword came down like an angel descending to earth. Astaroth lost his power in the aftermath of the thunder stone¡¯s destruction, and was unable to cope with her attack. Thus, he was split in half, turning to grey.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±


    The knights¡¯ shouts filled the great hall. Their momentum seemed to cover all of Titan. On the other hand, everyone, including the emperor, Bain, and Goldhit were silent. The second legend in the empire¡¯s history. Bain and Goldhit couldn¡¯t help feeling jealous.


    In addition, there was the emperor.


    ¡°...¡±


    He was ashamed. From the moment he was born, he had reigned over the world. This was the first time he was unable to raise his head. Mercedes approached him. Her life was saved after bing a legend, but her body was covered in bloody wounds. Even so, just the fact that she was still beautiful was amazing.


    "Your Majesty, please forgive my disloyalty in not trusting you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The emperor was silent as Mercedes kneeled down before him. She was dominated by guilt, making the emperor feel even more pained.


    "That...you are putting the burden of me on yourself?¡±


    "Knights can¡¯t me their masters.¡±


    "Piaro and the former Red Knights didn¡¯t betray me?¡±


    "Yes. Everything was the work of the evil great demon.¡±


    ¡°Did you know it from the beginning?¡±


    "I only found out recently. Piaro and Asmophel are serving the Overgeared King.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ exnation followed, exining the truth that she had heard and seen to the emperor. The emperor listened quietly while the knights were in tears.


    ¡°I see... It was like that...¡± The emperor nodded after he found out the truth. Hemented while feeling regret and guilt over the past. He was grateful that Piaro met a new master and overcame the past feelings.


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    What decision would the empire make? Would he forgive Piaro¡¯s sins, and redeem him as a hero? Or would he cover up the past mistakes? No matter what choice the emperor made, Mercedes had to ept it. Honestly, though, she hoped that the emperor would tell the truth to the empire. She dreamed that Piaro would be stripped of the ¡®traitor¡¯bel.


    The emperor¡¯s voice entered her ears, ¡°I will strip you of your knight qualifications.¡±


    "...!"


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡±


    Mercedes was at a loss for words while the knights were agitated. Bain and Goldhit were also greatly confused. The emperor was getting rid of a knight who had be a legend? It didn¡¯t matter what the reason was; it was an incredibly stupid choice.


    Bain was absolutely obedient to the emperor¡¯smands, and had never dared give his opinion before, making what he was doing now all the more incredulous. He stood in front of the emperor, admonishing. "Your Majesty, you should reconsider...¡±


    It was useless, as the emperor didn¡¯t give in. He shook his head and approached Mercedes, who was shocked to the core. He touched Mercedes¡¯ delicate, wounded hands.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t amand, but a request. Mercedes, give me a chance for atonement. Please serve my old friend and help him spend hisst years in peace.¡±


    Piaro, who was regarded as the best genius of the empire since childhood, also came from an excellent lineage. It was natural for him to be approached by the emperor when he was still a prince. The two of them were friends for a long time and umted a friendship beyond status. This was why the emperor¡¯s sense of betrayal towards Piaro was sorge, and also why he hated the existence of the Red Knights. Piaro¡¯s betrayal was a great ordeal and pain for the emperor.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The emperor shed tears. It was the first time Mercedes and the knights had seen it. They realized that the emperor was also human. Mercedes was unable to refuse his request. In the end, ¡°...I will leave. I will protect the old hero and pass on his happiness to Your Majesty in the future.¡±


    "Thank you... I really thank you.¡± Then. "I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Did the emperor ever meet anyone with a pure heart since the time he lost Empress Aria, and the time he was betrayed by a friend? Sadly, he hadn¡¯t. But things would change in the future. The weeping emperor smiled as the great burden in his heart was relieved.


    The Saharan Empire was destined to be stronger in the future.


    At the same time...


    [A legendary knight has been born!]


    [You have seeded in sealing the weakened great demon Astaroth!]


    [The 1st ce raidpensation is acquired!]


    ¡°...No, what is this?¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind became nk.

 Chapter 807

    [Name: Kazak


    Age: 6 years old Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Level: 1


    Strength: 1/40 Stamina: 2/50


    Agility: 1/30 Intelligence: 1/???


    -A child with innately high magic power. Four years ago, he was kidnapped by the magic tower and raised by magicians.


    Hecksnguage and intellectual abilities because he didn¡¯t receive any education.]


    [Name: Cha Cha


    Age: 5 years old Gender: Female


    Race: Human


    Level: 1


    Strength: 1/20 Stamina: 1/40


    Agility: 1/40 Intelligence: 1/???


    -A child with innately high magic power. Four years ago, she was kidnapped by the magic tower and raised by magicians.


    Shecksnguage and intellectual abilities because she didn¡¯t receive any education.]


    Shortly after destroying the thunder stone, Grid immediately descended to the 79th floor. In fact, he wanted to rush to the imperial pce right now. However, he couldn¡¯t pass by the children who were being treated as livestock.


    ¡°Abu? Ah!¡± Dozens of boys and girls extended their hands as they found Grid. The sounds from the children¡¯s stomachs indicated they were hungry.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯ Grid found it hard to understand. Goldhit had selected children to be the ¡®vessel¡¯ of her soul. If she was going to use their bodies, then it was normal to take care of them. Yet why were the children treated as cattle?


    ¡®It¡¯s also annoying to look after too many of them.¡¯


    He could imagine all types of things. It was horrible and disgusting. Tsk, Grid narrowed his eyes only to suddenly control his expression. It was because the children became scared when they saw his tough face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not a bad person.¡±


    Since when had he been so kind? It was strange for him to save people who weren¡¯t rted to himself. Grid smiled bitterly and smashed the lock containing the children. The small padlock was too thin to cope with Grid¡¯s strength that was over 3,000.


    ¡°Come out.¡± Grid opened the door as gently as possible. However, none of the children attempted toe out. For the children, this was the only world they knew.


    ¡®...Shit.¡¯ Grid¡¯s emotions intensified. His blood boiled just thinking about Goldhit¡¯s face, or rather, the face of the child that she took over.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Grid reigned in his heart and entered the 79th floor. He fell to his knees without worrying about the dirt between the haystacks.¡°Come outside with me. If you go outside, there will be many delicious and pretty things. You can feel the clean air when you breathe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The intentions in his heart were delivered. Grid¡¯s smilebined with his high charm and dignity stat gave the children confidence.


    ¡°Abu...¡± The first one to bravely move was a small boy. He took a cautious step outside. It was a signal.


    ¡°Ahh! Ah!¡±All the other boys and girls started running out.


    ¡°Please stay quiet.¡±


    Then it happened when Grid was handing out the underwear he¡¯d made to the children.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Magicians emerged. They hade rushing when they heard the sound of the thunder stone exploding. The frightened children hid behind Grid¡¯s back. Grid asked, ¡°What are these children?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you met Goldhit already? Can¡¯t you guess the identity of the children based on her appearance? Then...¡±


    ¡°Just answer. Why did you abuse the children like this?¡±


    ¡°Neglect isn¡¯t abuse. Of course, we looked after them well at first. Now they are just waste children who lost the qualification to be a ¡®vessel.¡¯¡±


    ¡°...Waste? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to let them go instead of treating them like this?¡±


    Grid had experienced countless incidents while ying Satisfy. He had suffered a lot in the past and learned not to lose his cool. However, this time was an exception. The victims were so young. Grid¡¯s voice was shaking, but the magicians didn¡¯t care much. They were also angry. Grid had be an enemy the moment he destroyed the thunder stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s a waste to release them, don¡¯t you know? They can be used as experiments someday. They¡¯re guinea pigs.¡±


    The words were a taunt filled with ridicule. In the end...


    ¡°You trash!¡± Grid couldn¡¯t endure his anger. He threw his body toward the magicians, who acted like they had been waiting.


    ¡°Water Wave!¡±


    ¡°Chain Lightning!¡±


    Overgeared King Grid¡ªhe was the Hero King born hundreds of years after Muller. Yes, hundreds of years... The years were too long for people to urately gauge the value of the Hero King. The magicians acknowledged Grid but mistook him for someone they could go against. This was a misjudgment that would lead to a terrible tragedy.


    ¡°What...?¡± The magicians were shocked as Grid was unharmed despite their coboration magic. Grid also ignored the binding magic and grease magic on the floor.


    ¡°Tch! Explosion!¡± One of the magicians used a powerful explosive spell. He was the first to realize he could be killed if he fought while worrying about the tower copsing. However, this enlightenment was toote. Grid used Valha¡¯s magic resistance to minimize the magic damage and Doran¡¯s Ring to regain health. Then he also seeded inpleting his sword technique.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Peeeeeong!


    The explosion, which should¡¯ve hit Grid, swallowed up the magician instead. Someone was seriously injured, while someone else¡¯s casting was canceled. However, the group of magicians could draw out an ultimate efficiency by casting different spells sequentially.


    Grid had variousbat experiences and couldn¡¯t be unaware of this fact. The reason he had chosen a counterattack as his first skill was to cut off the magicians¡¯ flow, and it had a big effect. The magicians¡¯ formation broke down, but Grid didn¡¯t use any skills on them.


    He judged he would get more out of the basic attacks instead of just one skill. It was a judgment based on the inherent limitations of a magician with low defense and health. The magicians weren¡¯t able to endure the basic attacks Grid dealt them with the assistance of Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves. It was safe to say that the battle ended at this point. Of course...


    ¡°Crossfire!¡±


    ¡°Thunder Hammer!¡±


    There still existed excellent people in a group. Some of the magicians, who were Goldhit¡¯s disciples, showed excellentbat power in a melee. They used rtively weak spells with a quick casting time in order to umte damage on Grid. The problem was that a single hit from Grid dealt more damage than three of the magicians¡¯ spells. Resistance was futile.


    ¡°Kuk...! Cough!¡±


    ¡°You...! You are really crazy!¡±


    The fallen magicians threw threats at Grid.


    ¡°Do you think you will be safe if you harm us?¡±


    ¡°How dare you insult subjects of the empire?! Can you afford the empire¡¯s wrath? You and your country will soon disappear into history!¡±


    The tower magicians were estimated to have a minimum level of 360 or higher. Despite the limitations of humanoid NPCs and magicians, it wasn¡¯t easy for them to die from Grid¡¯s attacks.That¡¯s why they could talk like this. Grid looked at them and didn¡¯t let go of his sword. ¡®It¡¯s a good idea to take care of all of them.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just because of his anger but also for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom. The empire was eventually destined to be the main enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom, which meant the magicians were expected to be a major threat. Now that Grid had destroyed the thunder stone to get rid of the great demon, it was an opportunity for him to get rid of the magicians. That¡¯s right. Grid was someone who usually didn¡¯t fall for provocations easily. So, the reason why he responded to the magicians¡¯ provocations was actually due to his calctions.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mountain I have to cross. I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be avoided.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s reply sank the magicians into despair. Then Grid nced at Noe, who yawned and approached the boys and girls. ¡°You human kids! You can appreciate the noble appearance of hell¡¯s best demonic beast! Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Abu! Abuoo!¡± The children had never seen something cuter and more beautiful. After confirming that the children were looking at Noe, Grid cleaned up the magicians.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    ¡®I have to help Mercedes,¡¯Grid judged as he left the tower with the magicians in it. ¡®The fact that I visited the empire today will be known by Goldhit.¡¯


    It was inevitable that he would be identified as one of the suspects behind the chandelier falling and walls copsing.However, Grid wasn¡¯t greatly concerned. Wouldn¡¯t it be considered the work of the great demon?


    ¡®Astaroth was revealed at a good time, so things are going well.¡¯


    Grid decided to rescue Mercedes from danger without realizing that he was the reason for Astaroth¡¯s emergence.


    ¡°All of you wait here.¡± Grid moved the children to a ce that looked safe and handed out food to be shared. Noe¡¯s mouth was in a ¡®?¡¯ shape as he flew around Grid. It was difficult to see Noe as a ¡®demonic beast.¡¯


    ¡®If these children were raised in a good environment, they would be happy right now...¡¯


    Greaterpassion and gentleness filled Grid¡¯s eyes as he looked at the children.


    [A legendary knight has been born!]


    [Every knight in the world will look up to her and praise her!]


    ¡°What?¡±


    The world message about the birth of a new legend appeared before Grid. Grid noted that the legendary knight was a ¡®her.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it is Mercedes?¡¯ Grid was naturally reminded of Mercedes.


    [You have seeded in sealing the weakened great demon, Astaroth!]


    [1st ce raidpensation is acquired!]


    He was stunned. ¡°...No, what is this?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for the empire to be able to raid the great demon. That was natural when considering the power of the empire. However...


    ¡®Why do I have the first ce contribution?¡¯


    He got the first ce contribution despite not participating in the raid?


    ¡®Something like this... Ah!¡¯ The confused Grid realized it. ¡®Is it because raiding Astaroth was impossible until I destroyed the thunder stone? Is that why I have first ce in the contribution?¡¯


    He was only half right. Revealing Astaroth¡¯s identity was considered by the system to be part of Grid¡¯s contribution. However, it was impossible for Grid to notice this fact.


    ¡®In any case, this is serious.¡¯


    It was a surprise! Grid didn¡¯t have much of an expectation, but he was worried. His developing thinking ability sent him a warning.


    ¡®Mercedes is a legendary knight.¡¯


    A legend...


    She had made a great contribution in raiding Astaroth and was now the empire¡¯s hero. Could she still join the Overgeared Kingdom? It was impossible. The empire wouldn¡¯t let her go, and her nature meant it was impossible for her to leave the empire.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Grid depended on items more than anyone, considered items as more important than anyone, and thus became the Overgeared King. However, he knew the importance of personnel. He had arge number of named NPCs such as Piaro, Asmophel, Sticks, and Rabbit. Grid felt more regretful about losing Mercedes than joyous over the various raid rewards now entering his inventory.


    ¡°Return to the kingdom first... Eh?¡±


    Grid was moving the children when he stopped. Thest raid reward captured his gaze.


    [¡®Weakened Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s Power¡¯ has been attached to the Rune of Darkness!]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was an iing reward. However, he didn¡¯t know what Astaroth¡¯s power was. Grid hadn¡¯t fought with Astaroth personally, so he didn¡¯t know Astaroth¡¯s skills and abilities. It was hard to predict what power would be attached to the rune without information about Astaroth.


    The excited Grid immediately confirmed Astaroth¡¯s power.


    [Weakened Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s Power]


    [If you are a demonkin or have demonic energy, you can create the ¡®Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡¯]


    ¡°...Field?¡± Grid¡¯s mouth dropped open. Create a field...? This waspletely...


    ¡°Am I a boss mob?¡±


    Grid was bing more omnipotent rather than versatile.

 Chapter 808

    Mercedes left the great hall after receiving the emperor¡¯smand.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Are you okay?¡±The other Five Pirs, apart from Bain and Goldhit who were guarding the emperor and the indisposed Kyle, came running btedly.


    They were Grandmaster Zikfrector and Armored Cavalryman Chensler. Zikfrector looked at the traces of the battle, while Chensler examined the emperor¡¯s body. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the emperor gave a brief answer, but he didn¡¯t rebuke Zikfrector and Chensler for noting sooner. In the first ce, they had been outside the imperial pce. This was actually a fast arrival time.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve destroyed the thunder stone,¡± Zikfrector opened his mouth as he realized Astaroth¡¯s death. ¡°It looks like an overwhelming battle... The fact that you can ovee the situation meant there was an extra variable?¡±


    Goldhit nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was able to ovee the crisis by ordering my disciples to destroy the thunder stone.¡±


    Clearly, Goldhit didn¡¯t intend to announce that it was Grid who destroyed the thunder stone. She had already lost the thunder stone, so she nned to gain benefits from it. After all, she hadn¡¯t done anything during the Astaroth raid. However, Zikfrector was cynical. ¡°You gave up the thunder stone? That¡¯s a funny joke.¡±


    Zikfrector knew Goldhit¡¯s desires, so he was convinced that Goldhit would never destroy the thunder stone herself. Goldhit¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Do you doubt my words?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too agitated.¡± Zikfrector didn¡¯t pay anymore attention to Goldhit. After all, he was the pinnacle of the Five Pirs. From his point of view, the magician king was trivialpared to the new legend.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Zikfrector stood before the emperor and saw through everything, making it hard to believe that he had just arrived at the scene. ¡°Was Mercedes the one who dealt the final blow to Astaroth?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°If she isn¡¯t here, does this mean that Your Majesty sent her away for some reason?¡±


    ¡°...Grandmaster has seen it correctly.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask anymore. There¡¯s just one thing,¡± Zikfrector even dared to speak in such a casual manner to the emperor.It was estimated that he had lived longer than Goldhit despite having the appearance of a young man. Zikfrector told the emperor, ¡°You might respect her work, but don¡¯t give her any spoils of the battle. You need it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re embarrassed, I will go and get it from her.¡±


    ¡°No, I will give the order.¡± The emperor listened to Zikfrector, wrote a short order, and delivered it to a soldier.


    ***


    ¡°I will forever keep the loyalty I have learned from you.¡±


    There were dozens of knights gathered at Mercedes¡¯ mansion. They were in the garden saying farewell to Mercedes. On the other hand, Mercedes was indifferent.¡°Why are you gathering to send me off when the pce is in disarray from all types of disasters? Even now, people are in misery.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s thest time. Please let us say a final farewell.¡±


    ¡°We will return to the front lines as soon as we confirm your departure.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t kids,¡± Mercedes scolded them even at the end. However, a smile was spreading across her face. She was secretly happy about being able to share a final farewell with the colleagues she had been with for 12 years.


    Step.


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    ¡°I respect and love you.¡±


    Step.


    ¡°Blessings for you and the heroes of the past.¡±


    One step, another step...


    As Mercedes moved through the garden toward the gate, the speed of her footsteps was slower than usual. There were tears in the eyes of the knights as they saw her off with their swords.


    ¡®Sir Dia, Sir Lorex, and the other knights who passed on... Are you watching us from heaven?¡¯


    The Red Knights had the highest regards for Mercedes, the noble knight. There were many people who wanted to leave with her. However, their master was the emperor.They had learned from Mercedes that knights must be loyal to their master until the end.


    It was a solemn atmosphere. In the garden, Mercedes faced a young soldier.


    ¡°This is an imperialmand,¡± the soldier said. Then he read out the imperial letter, ¡°Mercedes, I wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°Is that the end?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Dear Captain Mercedes, I also wish you good luck.¡±The eyes of the young soldier were shining like a star as they stared at Mercedes.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Soldier. I wish you luck,¡±Mercedes responded with a smile that was more beautiful than the stars.


    ***


    [Storm Demonic Energy Field- Weakened State (3)]


    [-Summons a lightning storm with a radius of 200 meters.


    -Field Effect 1-


    A maximum of 11 lightning strikes will ur at least four times per second. The struck target will suffer 10,000 fixed damage, resulting in paralysis, stuns, burns, and other status conditions.


    * Lightning bolts will fall randomly. In addition, the lightning bolt won¡¯t distinguish between enemies and friends. It will be a threat to all except for the caster.


    -Field Effect 2-


    Strong winds will lighten the user¡¯s body. Under the effect of the strong winds, the user¡¯s movement speed will increase by 20%. On the other hand, everyone apart from the user will be unable to cope with the pressure of the strong wind and movement speed will drop by 20%.


    -Field Effect 3-


    The heavy winds will interrupt the visibility of all targets except the user, reducing the uracy rate by 10%.


    -Field Effect 4-


    The sound of thunder in the ears will cause confusion. The skill and casting speed of everyone except the user is reduced by 10%.


    -Field Effect 5-


    Sealed due to the weakening. Will be opened in Weakened State (2).


    -Field Effect 6-


    Sealed due to the weakening. Will be opened in Weakened State (1).


    -Field Effect 7-


    Sealed due to the weakening. Will be opened when released from a weakened state.


    Resources consumed when field is activated: 1,000 mana per second.


    The time it takes to summon the field: 30 seconds.


    * Activated immediately in ces where the weather is already cloudy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Field magic was one of the symbols of a boss monster. The field that the boss summoned created enormous pressure by strengthening the boss, weakening the yers, or exerting aggression. This powerful force was now obtained by one yer¡ªGrid. It was more appropriate to say it was crazy than to say it was great.This was almost a copse of the bnce!


    ¡®However, the mana consumption is veryrge.¡¯


    It was a magic that exerted all types of influence over a 200-meter radius. He couldn¡¯t think of it as a waste of mana. Grid thought that if he used this field magic in conjunction with ckening, it would be like giving himself wings. This was despite its weakened state.


    ¡®What are the other sealed effects?¡¯


    It almost made up for missing the rare talent called Mercedes. This was the excitement of a game. Unlike reality where trying hard gave a reasonable reward, the world of games gave huge rewards as a yer moved through new quests, raised their level, and overcame trials. Who wouldn¡¯t love games?


    Grid smiled as heforted his past self, ¡®Shin Youngwoo, the game isn¡¯t a refuge for you. It¡¯s hope.¡¯


    Thanks to the power he gained today, many things could be achieved in the future. Grid formed a fist and called out to Noe, ¡°Let¡¯s really go back now.¡±


    It was good. He had aplished his purpose and got more than he had expected. This was enough to appease the regret of having to give up Mercedes. Grid led the children along with Noe. If Grid were alone, he would be able to fly to Reinhardt in one month. However, it was impossible with dozens of young children. Their movement speed was as slow as a turtle¡¯s.


    ¡®What should I do with these children?¡¯


    Should he leave them at a vige? But would these children be weed? Wouldn¡¯t these innocent children, who were victims without knowing the reason, suffer new pains? Grid was more concerned for the children than for how long it would take to return to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®It might be better to summon a knight.¡¯


    Euphemina could use Mass Teleport and take all the children with her at once. Grid was about to make a decision when he heard Noe¡¯s excited voice in his ears.


    ¡°That is a flower, nyong.¡±


    ¡°Abu!¡±


    ¡°That is a mountain, nyong.¡±


    ¡°Ada!¡±


    ¡°That is the sky, nyong.¡±


    ¡°Bubu! Ba!¡±


    ¡°Nyahahat! The best demonic beast of hell Noe is your teacher, nyang!¡±


    ¡°No...e!! No..uh!¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    The children had been trapped in the magic tower for as long as they could remember, while Noe had spent a lot of time in the pet inventory. Now the children¡¯s faces were full of happiness as they received freedom and saw the picturesque scenery. In the end...


    ¡®Let¡¯s walk a bit more.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t want to ruin the atmosphere and summoned Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons instead.


    ¡°Abu!¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    ¡°Adad!¡±


    ¡°Hello. I am Randy.¡±


    ack!ck!


    Hell¡¯s best demonic beast, the strongest doppelganger, two skeletons, little children who didn¡¯t know anything, and the ¡®strongest yer¡¯¡ªthis unusual party crossed the river and passed through the forest. Anyone who saw them would feel it was absurd. Additionally, the party...


    ¡°You! Give me your money! Keok!¡±


    It was incredibly powerful. In the process of walking, Grid destroyed more than 10 groups of bandits and at least 1,000 monsters, giving a good amount of experience to the Overgeared Skeletons. However, a crisis soon arrived for everybody. People who always won were rare in this world.


    Kiyaaaaaaah!


    ¡°Dammit! Why is the medusa here?¡±


    They encountered a field boss monster as soon as they entered the Lamia Forest. It was a boss with a level in the low 300¡¯s¡ªa weak field boss that Grid could hunt alone. The problem was the children.They could die just by having their gazes meet the medusa¡¯s eyes. Grid encouraged the medusa to focus on him, but the children didn¡¯t cooperate.


    ¡°Ahh! Kyao!¡±


    ¡°Kyaak~~!¡±


    The bizarre appearance of the medusa¡¯s snake hair was horrifying to the children who didn¡¯t know the world. The children screamed, and the medusa¡¯ eyes turned straight toward them.


    ¡°No...!¡±


    Were these children¡¯s lives were going to end after only a short life of suffering? Grid felt desperate.


    Puk!


    A number of arrows flew from the side and sessively pierced the medusa¡¯s head. It was done with an archery skill reminiscent of Jishuka. Grid¡¯s and the medusa¡¯s gazes headed in the direction of the arrows. They saw a knight. Armed with old leather armor instead of red armor, she put away the bow and pulled out an axe.


    The medusa was hit in the neck with the thrown axe and the knight rushed toward it. Two swords shed in a fast and powerful manner. The medusa¡¯s heart was pierced, and its head was separated from its body. Then the medusa turned to grey.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Wandering knight Mercedes greets the Overgeared King.¡±


    The two people were reunited.

 Chapter 809

    ¡°What?¡±


    Why was Mercedes here when she should be the hero of the empire? Grid suspected his eyes and doubted his ears. ¡°Wandering knight? You left the empire?¡±


    It was impossible. Even if Mercedes wanted it, the empire wouldn¡¯t have let her go. Wouldn¡¯t the emperor be a fool not to keep a legendary hero? Grid knew this, but he couldn¡¯t help having expectations. In the first ce, Mercedes had a serious nature and didn¡¯t know how to joke.


    ¡°...Is this real?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I really left. To be precise, I got kicked out. Can Your Majesty take me?¡±


    ¡°Ha..!¡± A smile crossed Grid¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t even have time to feel suspicious about Mercedes being ¡®kicked out.¡¯ Grid felt so happy that his head was refreshed. Then he acted rashly.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy! I¡¯m really happy, Mercedes! Of course, you¡¯re wee!¡± Grid hugged Mercedes¡¯ slender body as hard as possible. Mercedes was embarrassed, but Grid didn¡¯t care. He felt like he would miss her and hugged her desperately. ¡°Haha! I¡¯m so happy! I never thought this day woulde!¡±


    If there was a game that ssified cards from the F ss to the SSS ss, Mercedes was undoubtedly an SSS card, and this was before she became a legend. At present, Grid didn¡¯t even dare deduce her value. Now that she hade to serve him, he was happy enough to tear up. He imagined Khan smiling at him in the sky.


    ¡°...¡± Mercedes¡¯ face turned extremely red. Grid¡¯s smile was as bright as the sun, his chest was hard, and she felt his hot breath against her ear. Mercedes was grateful to Grid for saving her from a crisis as well as healing the wounds of the old heroes... Yes, Grid stirred Mercedes¡¯ heart. Mercedes clearly realized that she had been longing for Grid.


    ¡°I...¡± Abandoning resistance, she spoke in a trembling voice as she rested her face against Grid¡¯s chest, ¡°Can I stay with you?¡±


    This was Grid¡¯s answer, ¡°Always, always stay with me.¡±


    It was like this. Mercedes¡¯ confession entered his ears, ¡°I have lived for 27 years as a swordsman and a knight.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t know the role of a woman.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? I see.¡±


    ¡°But I will do my best."


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°As Your Majesty¡¯s knight and mis...¡±


    ¡°Mis?¡±


    ¡°Mis...!¡±


    Mistress! Mercedes hadn¡¯t experienced a first love and couldn¡¯t say the unfamiliar word.She couldn¡¯t say ¡®as Your Majesty¡¯s knight and mistress.¡¯ The words turned around and around in her head. Grid cocked his head in confusion. ¡°Mis-mis-mis?¡±


    Was it something like true true true? (simr in Korean)


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. In any case, I wee you once again.¡± Grid was so intoxicated with joy at obtaining Mercedes that he ignored his trivial curiosity. Anyone watching them now would be so frustrated that they would copse.


    ***


    [The level of the Overgeared Skeleton (1) has risen!]


    [The level of the Overgeared Skeleton (2) has risen!]


    Grid had an unexpected harvest as he walked with the children. It was the growth of the Overgeared Skeletons. In the process of moving from Titan to the border, Grid faced all sorts of monsters. There were many low-level monsters suitable for the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡°Really cute.¡± With her eyes shining likenterns, Mercedes looked like a naive girl.She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off the Overgeared Skeletons. That¡¯s right. She wasn¡¯t calling Noe or the children rescued from the magic tower cute.Instead, Mercedes had a great fascination with the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡®Her taste is truly...¡¯ Grid clicked his tongue, but the Overgeared Skeletons had a different look from ordinary skeletons. Their faces and eyes were bigger. So, it was true that they looked cute at first nce. In that case, Mercedes¡¯ taste couldn¡¯t be called strange.


    ck!ck ck!


    Mercedes patted their heads, and the eyes of the Overgeared Skeletons curved like crescent moons. They liked Mercedes too. Mercedes admired them. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen undead expressing emotions.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t skeletons like these kids in the empire?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t be found anywhere on the continent. These children have a sense of empathy that¡¯s almost life-like. They¡¯re very special children.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    It¡¯s true that they were special kids. They could raise their levels, equip items, and even learn skills.It was difficult to see them as simply summoned undead. They were more like pets. However...


    ¡®They are weak.¡¯


    Grid looked at the status windows of the level 70 Overgeared Skeletons.


    [Overgeared Skeleton (1)]


    [Lv. 70


    Health: 1,045/1,045 Mana: 3/3


    Strength: 127


    Stamina: 100


    Agility: 127


    Intelligence: 1


    Remaining Stat Points: 0


    Items Worn:


    Weapon: Sturdy Long Sword


    Secondary Weapon: Silver Thread.


    Armor: Dependable Armor


    Exclusive Skills: Silver Thread Shooting, Silver Thread Avoidance, Beginner Mining Technique Lv. 6, Beginner Sword Mastery Lv. 2, Beginner Petrification Resistance, Beginner Physical Resistance, Beginner Magic Resistance, Strike, Bite, Skull Headbutt]


    [Overgeared Skeleton (2)]


    [Lv. 70


    Health: 1,045/1,045


    Mana: 525/525


    Strength: 25


    Stamina: 100


    Agility: 55


    Intelligence: 175


    Remaining Stat Points: 0


    Items Worn:


    Weapon: Sharp Dagger


    Secondary Weapon: Good Shield


    Armor: Dependable Armor


    Exclusive Skills: Silver Thread Avoidance, Beginner Mining Technique Lv. 6, Beginner Mental Focus Lv. 1, Beginner Petrification Resistance, Beginner Magic Resistance, Beginner Instantaneous eleration, Strike, Bite, Skull Headbutt.]


    The Overgeared Skeletons gained five stat points every time they leveled up. Unlike ordinary undead, they could grow, wear equipment items, and had high learning abilities. However, they had the limitations of a skeleton.The Overgeared Skeletons were so fragile that they would blow away with the wind or when striking the White Phosphorus Tree with an axe.


    Grid had invested points into their stamina, but their survival ability was still weak. In particr, they were vulnerable to explosions and didn¡¯t demonstrate a visible defense capability. It had gotten to the point where Grid built armor for them to increase their defense.


    ¡®However, they show a high resistance to shes and stabs...¡¯


    To be precise, their evasion rate was high.Stabs or shes couldn¡¯t strike the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons directly, entering crevices or gaps instead. Therefore, attacks would be judged as having missed their targets. Still, this only happened when they were lucky.


    While Grid was regretting the weakness of the Overgeared Skeletons, Mercedes said, ¡°The fundamental problem is that these children don¡¯t know how to fight.¡±


    She first pointed to Overgeared Skeleton One. ¡°This kid has a very good strength to agility ratio. Therefore, his movements are agile and his attacks are sharp, but his intelligence is too low. He doesn¡¯t know how to correctly take advantage of his physical ability.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he gained Sword Mastery?¡±


    ¡°His intelligence is so low that it is hard to apply the techniques."


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The problem was the one point in intelligence.


    ¡®I also need to invest points in intelligence,¡¯Grid realized and was reminded of Jude. ¡®Is he doing well?¡¯


    There were many people with talent in the Overgeared Kingdom. Now that Jude didn¡¯t have to defend Winston, Grid could send someone else.He thought that he should bring Jude to his side sooner orter. Then Mercedes¡¯ voice entered his ears, ¡°This kid is clever, but his physical abilities are very low. He uses his skills properly, but there isn¡¯t a big effect.¡±


    This was the evaluation for the Overgeared Skeleton Two. Grid spoke the truth, ¡°In the first ce, he¡¯s a candidate to be a magician.¡±


    However, he hadn¡¯t learned any magic. Additionally, Grid wasn¡¯t good at making magic battle gear. As such, Overgeared Skeleton Two couldn¡¯t exert his true strength at the present time. The moment Grid thought this...


    Awooooo! The sound of wolves rang out from the sky. Grid moved his gaze to the sky and saw direwolves ppingrge bat wings. They were level 200 monsters. The Overgeared Skeletons wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with them. Mercedes moved forward with a sword in both hands, piercing through the gaps in the sharp teeth of the descending direwolves.


    This was a fast and clean swordsmanship that Grid wanted to learn. It seemed that the Overgeared Skeletons were the same. Overgeared Skeleton One watched Mercedes with wide eyes and suddenly tried to hit Overgeared Skeleton Two. Overgeared Skeleton Two was turned upside down and Overgeared Skeleton One stole his dagger. He wanted to use two swords like Mercedes.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Mercedes¡¯ clear eyes shone like ake. She held her double swords and nodded at Overgeared Skeleton One. ¡°Okay. I will teach you simple swordsmanship.¡±


    This was the moment that the Overgeared Skeletons gained a great mentor. Mercedes started to teach the Overgeared Skeletons basic movements that could be followed, and the Overgeared Skeletons used this whenever they encountered low-level monsters.


    [The level of the Overgeared Skeleton (1) has risen!]


    [The level of the Overgeared Skeleton (2) has risen!]


    [The Overgeared Skeletons (1) and Overgeared Skeletons (2) have acquired the skill ¡®Vaintz Swordsmanship.¡¯]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The growth rate of the Overgeared Skeletons had be noticeably faster. In particr, the jump in Overgeared Skeleton One development was huge. Every time his intelligence increased with a level-up, his attack rate and evasion rate increased significantly. The weakness of his low durability wasn¡¯t ovee, but the number of times his arms and legs broke had decreased.


    ¡°It¡¯s rewarding to teach these children.¡± Mercedes gently patted the skulls of the Overgeared Skeletons. For some reason, Grid felt a desire to have his head patted by her.


    However, he regained his spirit and wondered, ¡®Wasn¡¯t Braham favorable to the Overgeared Skeletons?¡¯


    The prideful Braham had advised Grid to raise the Overgeared Skeletons well. That¡¯s right. The Overgeared Skeletons were recognized by the legendary knight Mercedes and the legendary magician Braham. Maybe these guys were more than Grid had expected?Grid¡¯s expectations of them now soared into the sky.


    Then a few days passed by...


    ¡°Have you been raising two families?¡± Lauel greeted Grid when he finally returned to Reinhardt. The other Overgeared members were also shocked. Grid arrivedte with a group of children and a woman, causing them to misunderstand.


    Someone muttered, ¡°Energetic King...¡±


    ¡®Secretly having two families and so many children!¡¯The forever single Vantner shed tears of blood.


    ¡°There are many people to meet,¡±Mercedes spoke while taking off her helmet. The Overgeared members could now see her name and face.


    ¡°The First Knight...!¡± Someone cried out.


    It seemed that Mercedes¡¯ presence was really big. Grid formally introduced her, ¡°Everyone, say hello. This is the legendary knight that will be with us in the future.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡± The eyes of Lauel and the Overgeared members widened.

 Chapter 810

    The birth of a legendary knight became a global issue. Who was the main character of the new legend and how strong was her power? How would she change thendscape of Satisfy in the future? Various mediapanies around the world provided in-depth analytical broadcasts, all of which had high ratings. It was proof that there was hot interest in the new legend.


    On the other hand, the mood among the Overgeared members was the worst.The Overgeared members internally discussed the matter and found it was highly likely the legendary knight had been born in the empire. The Red Knights were the best on the continent. Among them, the First Knight Mercedes was a female and likely to have be the legend. The Overgeared members were able to easily guess this and felt upset.


    Who was Mercedes?She was the person who made Grid kneel to her the first time she met him. It was terrible to think about how the Overgeared members would be suppressed by her now that she was stronger. However, at this moment...


    ¡°Everyone, say hello. This is the legendary knight that will be with us in the future.¡± Grid brought Mercedes as hispanion.


    ¡°...????¡±


    ¡°...Is this real?¡±


    The Overgeared members shut their mouths. They knew that Grid could easily build up affinity with NPCs, but they didn¡¯t realize it would be enough to catch a legend. In particr, wasn¡¯t Mercedes a knight of the empire? She was famous for her unwavering loyalty, so how did she end up with Grid? It didn¡¯t make sense no matter how they thought about it.


    p.p p, a sound broke the silence. It was the sound of Vantner hitting his bald head in order to determine if this was a dream or not. After a moment, Vantner scratched his bald head that was as red as a boiled octopus and muttered, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream?¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was reality. Everyone couldn¡¯t deny it any longer and gulped. They alternated looking between Grid and Mercedes as they asked for an exnation.


    ¡°This is it.¡±


    Where should he start?There were too many parts to exin. The moment that Grid was sorting out his thoughts...


    ¡°Your Majesty, the introduction is wrong,¡± Mercedes opened her mouth and kneeled in front of Grid. ¡°I am your knight before I am a legendary knight.¡±


    She would serve him forever along with the old heroes. Mercedes¡¯ noble appearance under the radiant sun gave everyone a chill. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.


    [You have recruited the legendary knight Mercedes. The city she stays in will have the strength of its city walls increased by 50% and the power of its siege weapons increased by 20%. Once there is a siege, her knights and soldiers will have their attack, defense, and health increased by 10%.]


    ***


    Mercedes¡¯ and Piaro¡¯s past, the emergence of the great demon Astaroth and Mercedes¡¯ crisis, and then Grid¡¯s rescue of Mercedes and the Astaroth raid¡ªall the Overgeared members were briefed on the series of incidents and felt doubts.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why did the emperor release Mercedes? Why did the emperor release Mercedes, who got a great achievement and was promoted to a legend?¡±


    ¡°It is fishy, fishy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the emperor sent her as a spy?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The atmosphere was boisterous. Grid btedly realized that he had missed the most important part of the story and opened his mouth again, ¡°Mercedes exined it to me on the way.¡±


    Then Grid once again started a long story. It was about the rtionship between the emperor and Piaro. In the end, the atmosphere in the group calmed down.


    ¡°The hidden story...¡±


    ¡°The emperor sent Mercedes as atonement for what happened to Piaro.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I guess he wants to get rid of his guilt. He also hopes that Piaro¡¯sst years will be happy.¡±


    ¡°...Even the best power on the continent is a human like us in the end. It is a needless bother.¡±


    After all, the Saharan Empire was bound to be the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s main enemy. This move dampened the hostility that the Overgeared members felt toward the empire and the emperor. They felt strange emotions once they realized the emperor wasn¡¯t that different from them. There were many people who were impressed by the sentiment of sending Mercedes to the Overgeared Kingdom for atonement.


    Grid warned them, ¡°Straighten your spirits. The emperor has finished his atonement by sending Mercedes here. He will be bigger than before after getting rid of the shadows in his heart.¡±


    Grid knew because he had seen the emperor face to face, and the emperor was never satisfied.As an individual, Juander waspletely different from how he was as an emperor.


    Lauel spected, ¡°For the time being, the emperor will concentrate on strengthening the inner stability.¡±


    The empire needed control after the chandelier and the great demon incidents had urred one after another. In the course of the reorganization, there would be a bloody fight between factions. Lauel suggested, ¡°We have to regain power during this gap.¡±


    Grid¡¯s revenge was over for the moment. Now that Immortal had left the imperial pce, Grid had other things to do until their whereabouts were found. A new group of knights had to be created with Mercedes as the captain, and new items produced for the Overgeared members. A few Overgeared members had won medals in the National Competition, allowing them to pursue a rapid power development.


    Grid rose from his seat. ¡°Okay. I will start.¡±


    It was time for morebor...


    Darkness was in front of Grid, but he didn¡¯t show it. He wanted his colleagues to depend on him.


    ***


    In front of the great hall, Mercedes greeted Grid after the meeting finished, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    Grid once again realized the power of appearance. It was because his tired mind and body became lighter upon seeing Mercedes¡¯ beautiful face. He was excited when he thought he could continue being with her. ¡°Aren¡¯t I able to work a bit harder thanks to you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±It was adorable seeing her try to figure out the meaning of his words. Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing and looked at Mercedes¡¯ detailed information.


    [Name: Mercedes


    Age: 27 Gender: Female


    upation: Legendary Knight


    * All types of weapons and armor can be worn without restrictions. However, magic weapons are excluded.


    * Can bring out hidden functions when wearing a shield and heavy armor.


    * Can create your own knights. The number of times a knight can be created will increase every time the skill level of Complete Weapons Mastery is increased.


    Title: Owner of Keen Insight


    * Can prate the essence of things.


    * Disables mental magic and all sorts of traps. Can see through the target¡¯s skills and abilities, which will reduce the target¡¯s defense and attack power by up to 30%.


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    ......


    Title: Bing a Role Model


    * Increases the growth rate of the knights and soldiers youmand by 30% while keeping their loyalty at the maximum.


    * When appointed as amander in a war, the morale of allies won¡¯t deteriorate easily. The delivery speed ofmands will increase by 50%.


    Level: 457


    Strength: 3,231 Stamina: 2,588


    Agility: 2,910 Intelligence: 1,530


    Leadership: 2,512


    Exclusive Skills: Empire¡¯s Military Tactics (A+), Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship (S), Eyes that can Read Combat (SS), Noble Bravery (SS), Knight¡¯s Resolution (SS), Shield Block (SS), Complete Weapons Mastery (???), Iplete Predictions (???), Noble Chivalry (???), Silver Wings (???).


    -A person with a prestigious lineage of the Saharan Empire and who has a unique insight. As she develops, his insight will grow to a level that can predict the future.


    * Currently, she is loyal to yer Grid. yers aside from Grid can¡¯t build up an affinity with her.]


    The strongest¡ªwas there any other word to describe her? In particr, Grid liked that he was the only yer who could build up an affinity with Mercedes in this world. The sense of superiority at being her favorite was beyond imagination.


    ¡°Have you looked around the capital?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it is a ce like heaven.¡±


    ¡°Heaven?¡±


    ¡°It is a city where people who don¡¯t know misfortunes are gathered. Even the lowest residents areughing. Since it is a city where Piaro and Asmophel are located, the walls and military facilities are perfect.¡±


    A rich and secure city¡ªthis was what Mercedes felt when she saw Reinhardt.It was the same as when she looked for Grid two months ago in order to convey the imperial order. Mercedes had traveled all over the continent and visited countless cities, but Reinhardt was counted within the top five of good cities.


    ¡°I am thankful for the words. Have you met Piaro?¡±


    ¡°No. I searched all the military facilities in the city but couldn¡¯t see him anywhere. He seemed to be away.¡±


    ¡°Military facilities? Why are you looking for Piaro there?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid was about to say Piaro could be found in the fields, only to stop and sigh deeply. He was saddened by the fact that he now recognized Piaro as a farmer.


    ¡®Originally, he should be in the military facilities...¡¯ This was during Piaro¡¯s days as a great swordsman. ¡®Of course, he is still strong enough now.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar and Fated to Perish were winning cards that could even damage a great demon. In particr, his destructive power was transcendent when he used Natural State. Piaro was still strong and was in a position to be the best. Unfortunately, most of Piaro¡¯s skills were agriculture-rted. If all of his skills werebat-rted, Piaro would be much more powerful than he was now.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    Grid looked up and realized that Mercedes was making an anxious expression at him. Her transparent eyes, which were filled with a clear light, healed Grid¡¯s heavy heart. He smiled and grabbed Mercedes¡¯ small hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Piaro.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ face flushed red, but Grid didn¡¯t notice.


    ***


    ¡°Why is Piaro here?¡± Mercedes was confused when Grid led her to some agriculture fields. Piaro was someone who had aplished the title of a great swordsman. Why would he be in fields instead of working to obtain the status of a Sword Saint? Shouldn¡¯t he be spending 24 hours a day polishing his swordsmanship?


    ¡®...Piaro probably needs time to rest.¡¯


    The full moon that filled the night sky was huge today, and the rice fields were calm and beautiful. Mercedes walked beside Grid while listening to the night sounds. Her heart was beating wildly. She imagined Piaro looking up at the night sky with his hands sped behind his back and pictured the noble and dignified appearance of the old hero resting.


    Puk!Puk puk!


    ¡°...?¡±Mercedes moved across the fields with a throbbing heart only to stop in ce when she heard the sound of something digging at the ground. On the other hand, Grid didn¡¯t stop. He hadn¡¯t heard the digging sound yet. It was a major reminder of the gap between Mercedes and Grid.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Mercedes silently pulled out her sword and stopped Grid. ¡°I can hear a suspicious sound. I think people are digging a tunnel to infiltrate the capital.¡±


    ¡°Tunnel?¡±


    The thought of North Korean operatives breaking into South Korea came to Grid¡¯s mind. He tried to focus, then he started to hear the sound of digging in his ears. Grid was very familiar with this sound. It was the sound of a hand plow. However, it was unfamiliar to Mercedes who was ignorant about farming.


    ¡°Leave it to me. I will ovee the enemies and find out who sent them.¡±


    ¡°No, wait...!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t time to shout. Silver sword energy wrapped around Mercedes¡¯ body, and she was already flying forward.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    It was a charge. The distance between Grid and Mercedes widened to dozens of meters in a sh. Then distant shing sounds rang out.


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t her personality bold?¡± Grid felt sorry for the man who she liked or who married her. He didn¡¯t know this person would be himself.


    Kwa kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    Thunder-like roars were heard, and the wind pressure crushed the wheat in the field. Grid was nervous. ¡°Who is she fighting?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be...


    ¡°This is Piaro again!¡±


    It was clear that Piaro wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress his enthusiasm once he saw Mercedes¡¯ growth. The confused Grid ran to the scene of the battle. He didn¡¯t want this fight to happen because he didn¡¯t want to see Piaro defeated. Grid still didn¡¯t know... Piaro¡¯s true value!

 Chapter 811

    Piaro was sitting in the moonlight while moving the hand plow. The result of his experiments in the vampire city... No, the full moon tonight was enough to nt a ¡®bloody tomato¡¯ he had developed with the help of a colleague.


    ¡°Field work is fun.¡±


    Piaro felt this every time, but farming wasn¡¯t a joke. He had to dig at the hard ground, nt seeds in it, and cover them with soil again. The more he repeated this series of exercises, the more efficiently his muscles were trained and the more strength he gained.


    ¡°It is thanks to the health and clean outdoor air.¡±


    He sucked the clean air deep into his lungs. It might be exaggerating but he felt that his life was extended by one day every time he took in a breath. It was a sensation he couldn¡¯t feel in the vampire cities. The vampire cities were underground, and the flow of air wasn¡¯t smooth. He also never got sunburnt because it wasn¡¯t sunny. However...


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go back soon...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t avoid it just because he didn¡¯t like it.


    Noll¡¯s blood was an enormous help for farming because it contained arge number of nutrients. Thanks to Noll¡¯s help, Piaro could improve the new variety of potatoes that he was nting. Ultimately, he might be able to get a hint on how to grow the golden walnuts.


    ¡®I have to say goodbye to His Majesty tomorrow.¡¯


    The reason why Piaro had briefly returned to Reinhardt was due to Grid¡¯s safety. He had waited in Reinhardt so he could receive Grid¡¯s call at any time when Grid was in the empire. Grid had returned unharmed today, meaning Piaro no longer had a reason to stay in Reinhardt.


    ¡®I want to go and see him.¡¯


    However, the time was toote. It would be rude to find Grid now. Recently, Piaro had been nting potatoes in the middle of the night, causing him to wake upte.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Piaro was wishing that morning woulde soon when he suddenly stopped moving his hand. He felt turbulence in the atmosphere a few hundred meters away.


    ¡°...¡±


    Yet the silence of the night continued. The only sound in the serene farnd was the cries of the night owls. However, Piaro felt certain that... something was approaching. Was he mistaken? No. Piaro farmed using the power of the sun, the earth, the water, and the wind. His keen senses precisely captured the changes in the atmosphere.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    He knew it. Piaro could hear the cry of a womaning from far away. Her silent footsteps seemed like she was secretly approaching, but her shout showed that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡®It was a subconscious hiding of her presence...¡¯


    It was at a considerably good level. The moment Piaro felt admiration...


    ¡°Stop!¡± A cry came from the woman¡¯s right side.


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Piaro was startled. It was because the woman¡¯s movement speed was fast enough to exceed his awareness. Her presence had been dozens of meters away, and now it was right in Piaro¡¯s field of vision.


    ¡°This is an unexpected guest.¡± A smile appeared on Piaro¡¯s face as he confirmed the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°P-Piaro?!¡± Mercedes¡¯ eyes widened as she grasped the identity of the person digging the tunnel. What method had she used to train? Piaro burned with an intense fighting spirit and cried out excitedly, ¡°You have grown a lot in just one month!¡±


    He didn¡¯t ask trivial questions about why Mercedes was now here. Piaro only swung his hand plow with the dream of dueling with a strong person.


    ¡°What...?¡± Mercedes panicked. She had reunited with an old hero in a totally unexpected manner. Rather than feeling joyous, he attacked her randomly? Moreover, it was with a hand plow!


    Mercedes frowned as she defended herself with her sword. ¡®He seems different from before?¡¯


    One month ago, Piaro had attacked her under Grid¡¯s orders, so Mercedes had already experienced Piaro¡¯s power.His attack power with a sickle and a hand plow, instead of a sword, had been surprising. However, Mercedes had been promoted and was now a legend. As long as Piaro didn¡¯t pull out his sword, it should be expected for Mercedes to overtake his hand plow.


    Yet it was impossible. Why? It was because this was farnd, and farnds were Piaro¡¯s field.The aura of nature made Piaro even stronger, like how Demon yer Yura who became more powerful in hell. This was something Grid had overlooked because he didn¡¯t be stronger when fighting in the smithy.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Piaro continuously took advantage of the hand plow¡¯s short reach and quickness to attack. His attack power was even more threateningpared to one month ago. The fast and powerful Mercedes hurried to defend herself. ¡°As expected from Piaro...! You have be stronger in such a short time!¡±


    Facing a legend with farming equipment...!


    Mercedes felt a sense of difort and didn¡¯t question why Piaro attacked her.She was well aware of Piaro¡¯s obsession with the strong. Pulling out one more sword, she cried out as she defended against Piaro¡¯s hand plow, ¡°Are you finally reaching the level of a Sword Saint?¡±


    If it was like this...


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    She would duel wholeheartedly so that the old hero could reach a higher level. A silver sword energy sprung up behind Mercedes. It was in the shape of beautiful wings, reminiscent of an angel. The silver wings¡ªMercedes¡¯ wings¡ªspread out. She had some capacity for flight, and she also constantly released sword energy from the wings in order to deal damage to a target.


    Mercedes great power collided with Piaro. Strong winds like that of a storm rose and ruined the farnd, swirling the grains in the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer the young girl from your memories. Draw your sword,¡±Mercedes suggested. However, Piaro was stubborn. Instead of a sword, he drew a sickle. Now, he struck back with a hand plow and sickle.


    Mercedes¡¯ expression stiffened. ¡°...You will regret it.¡±


    Mercedes felt the need to convince Piaro that she was no longer a young girl. She didn¡¯t just want to be acknowledged.It was necessary to validate her skills with her future colleagues.


    ¡°Sword of Honor.¡±


    Then something amazing urred. Mercedes¡¯ two swords hit only one point. Her swift assault with her pping wings rushed toward Piaro, forcing him to defend.


    ¡®Ha!¡¯Piaro defended against a stab that couldn¡¯t be followed with an ordinary person¡¯s eyes. The hand plow and sickle had been made personally by Grid, yet cracks started to appear on the farming equipment made of materials from Great Demon Belial. The reason for this phenomenon wasn¡¯t because Mercedes¡¯ two swords were better than Grid¡¯s hand plow and sickle.


    It was just the limits of farming equipment. Farming equipment used a much smaller amount of metal than weapons, making them less durable. This was a w Mercedes had already discovered.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to be attacked with this strategy.¡¯ Piaro admired the fact that Mercedes truly had an amazing insight as he twisted his crossed hand plow and sickle.


    Then...


    Kakakang!


    ¡°...!¡± Mercedes¡¯ sword was pushed to the side. Piaro expected Mercedes¡¯ stride to be twisted and lose bnce. ¡°Hah!¡±


    However, Mercedes¡¯ used transcendental movements to keep her bnce. She swung her other sword and grazed Piaro¡¯s chest, turning her upper body along with the sword.


    ¡°Draw your sword now, please.¡±


    ¡°The hand plow and sickle are my best weapons. Why should I draw a sword?¡±


    ¡°Stubborn to the end...!¡±


    During the past 12 years, had Piaro be like this to cope with the terrible suffering? Mercedes was convinced of this. ¡®It is clear that Piaro has regressed.¡¯


    How could he have made progress? How could he have afforded to train his mind and body when it was hard just surviving? Mercedes determined that Piaro had be narrow-minded due to what had happened.


    ¡°Knight¡¯s Resolution.¡± An energy sword formed on her chest, andher mind and body became stronger. Mercedes felt a sense of obligation. She felt obligated to defeat Piaro to remind him of the painful reality and give him a chance to develop further.


    ¡®Piaro must be a Sword Saint.¡¯


    What about Kraugel? She couldn¡¯t ept a person she hadn¡¯t heard of suddenly bing a sword saint. The moment Mercedes made her resolution...


    ¡°Free Farming 7th Style.¡±


    Thousands and then tens of thousands of seeds were scattered in the aftermath of the battle.


    ¡°Polishing.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Pepeng! A series of explosions urred on the ground and in the air. There were literally thousands or even tens of thousands of explosions. The seeds were what exploded, so the size of each explosion wasn¡¯t great. However, it was big enough topare to magic.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Mercedes was trapped in the st and couldn¡¯t take a single step. She wrapped her body with the silver sword energy to minimize the damage.


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    The seeds suddenly exploded? Was it possible to take advantage of sword energy to do something like this?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Mercedes shrank back in her wings and btedly realized that Piaro had already reached the same realm as herself. In other words...


    ¡°A Sword Saint...¡± The explosions ended, and Mercedes¡¯ expression became jubnt as she opened her ragged wings. ¡°Are you already a Sword Saint?¡±Mercedes asked.


    She was expecting a brilliant resurrection of the old heroes. However, Piaro brutally destroyed her expectations.


    ¡°No, I am a farmer.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was he still joking around right now?The baffled Mercedes tried to open her mouth to speak. Then Piaro pulled out a pitchfork. ¡°Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡±


    Supapak!


    The ground around Mercedes was quickly cleared.


    ¡°Sowing Seeds! Grow!¡±


    New crops were nted, and Piaro used the energy of nature to make them grow.


    ¡°...¡± Mercedes was stunned as she was suddenly surrounded by a golden wheat field. It was a nightmarish night.

 Chapter 812

    They were the people who were praised as ¡®pirs¡¯ for supporting the empire. However, Mercedes and most of the empire didn¡¯t acknowledge the Five Pirs. No, to be precise, they couldn¡¯t acknowledge the Five Pirs. It was because the Five Pirs didn¡¯t have anything to show. They were strong, but they hadn¡¯t achieved any particr feat.


    Well, it could be said that they strengthened the emperor by protecting the emperor¡¯s side, maintaining the empire¡¯s bnce as a result.However, on the other hand, what about the former pirs called Piaro and Asmophel? They had defeated countless enemies and protected countless people. They were a paragon of the people and the nobles, saving the empire whenever it was in a crisis and giving courage to the imperialists.


    Piaro and Asmophel were great people.


    ¡°...A farmer.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t joke around.¡¯ Mercedes couldn¡¯t speak her wishes and hopes. It was because her insight was telling her that it was real and not a trick. Piaro¡¯s farming power had indeed created a new field in an instant.


    ¡°Why...¡±Mercedes was pale as she bit her trembling lips.She wanted this moment to be a nightmare. However, this was reality. It was terrible.


    ¡°Why are you a farmer?¡±


    The upation of a farmer was exclusive to the peasants.


    Mercedes cared for the people but she was still a noble. She had been taught that there was dignity in every profession, and she acknowledged it. However, Mercedes was nobler than anyone. She couldn¡¯t understand or acknowledge that the Piaro she had long admired was now a humble farmer.


    Piaro understood her feelings as he was also from the nobility. However, now Piaro realized that... ¡°I like being a farmer better than a great swordsman.¡±


    Piaro held the pitchfork and pulled out a il.It was a tool used to thrash grain. ¡°There is no job that is better than another. If we have to discuss it, a farmer is nobler than a great swordsman or Sword Saint. Without a farmer, there is no food for daily use. If there was no delicious food, humanity couldn¡¯t have developed this much and be happy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After all, if there was no hunter, meat or leather couldn¡¯t be gathered. Mercedes rejected Piaro¡¯s extreme remarks and felt a sense of duty instead. During the past 12 years, she had felt a sense of duty to help the ¡®broken¡¯ Piaro recover from his hellish life.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t the time for questions and answers.¡±


    Her torn silver wings shone brilliantly again.


    Kuooooh!


    Mercedes¡¯ two swords started to glow. The pure brilliance filled the darkness of the night and swallowed up the moon.


    ¡°Piaro! Regain your mind!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ attacks were exceptional. The white light attacks created numerous wounds on Piaro¡¯s body. Piaro was only wearing thin cloth clothes and couldn¡¯t resist Mercedes¡¯ sharp attacks. However, there was a bigger problem. Mercedes started to swap weapons.She umted damage on Piaro without giving him time to rest and opened the distance to avoid a counterattack.


    Of course, Piaro was persistent. He used his rapid growth ability to create a barrier of nts and cut off ranged attacks. Rice, wheat, potatoes, and cabbages flew in the air.


    ¡°...!¡± Mercedes withdrew. The grains and vegetables contracted like they were going to explode. However, this time they didn¡¯t explode.They struck her body instead. Piaro linked this attack with the Free Farming 6th Style. It became a barrage of attacks!


    Mercedes shook as the il hit her back.Her defense was quite weak since she was only wearing old leather armor, so she felt great pain. It was more painful than when she was stabbed by a sword or spear. For a noble knight to be beaten by a farmer... Her mental suffering was iparable.


    ¡°How about it? This is the power of a farmer! I am much stronger and healthier than I was during my days of a great swordsman. I can bring happiness to more people! This is it!¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°This is my new path!¡±


    The earth was in turmoil.The effects produced by two legends fighting was gorgeous enough to bepared to the raid of a great demon. It was on a different scale as all the farnd in the path of the two people disappeared. Grid watched the two people fighting from a distance and gulped. ¡°A dragon and tiger fighting...!¡±


    A dragon and tiger...


    However, that wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s problem right now. He was too busy feeling in awe.


    ¡®Was Piaro always this strong?¡¯


    The grains exploded without a break. Crops rose from the ground and stretched around Mercedes¡¯ body. Mercedes¡¯ actions were severely restricted as her wrists and ankles were caught by the crops that kept growing. Mercedes¡¯ perfect bnce of swapping between all types of weapons¡ªsword, axe, bow, shield, spear, and so on¡ªon a case by case basis copsed before the crops.


    In the end, was this another nerf? Had Mercedes weakened the moment she became his ally? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Mercedes was still strong. It was just that Piaro was stronger than her.


    Grid noticed btedly, ¡°The farnd...¡±


    These were the fields that Piaro had been working on for years. This ce...


    ¡°It is Piaro¡¯s field...!¡±


    Piaro was already beyond the standards of an NPC. The legendary Piaro was now a boss monster. Grid¡¯s heart beat excitedly as he had great confidence in Piaro who always showed overwhelming strength. He felt that he could infinitely count on Piaro.


    As for the regret that he felt about Piaro bing a farmer? That had blown away. It would be strange if Grid felt regretful about it. After all, Piaro was now fighting several times better than Sword Saint Kraugel!


    ¡°Piaro!¡± Grid¡¯s cry resonated in the farnd.¡°Show me the power of the strongest!¡±


    His shout echoed. It pierced through the sound of the hand plow and sword colliding in the air and into Piaro¡¯s ears. Piaro¡¯s hands trembled as he held the farming equipment. ¡°If this is Your Majesty¡¯s wish...!¡±


    The wind raged, and Mercedes¡¯ silver wings fluttered like in a storm. Piaro¡¯s hands rotated.¡°Free Farming!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡± Mercedes¡¯ eyes widened. It was because her two swords were sucked into Piaro¡¯s rotating hands.


    ¡®Supreme Swordsmanship 4th style...!¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s old swordsmanship had been a great contribution to bringing down the great demon Astaroth.


    ¡°Watermill!¡±


    It was sublimated and expressed as a more powerful agricultural method.This was enough to neutralize Mercedes¡¯ weapons and cause the ground to shake. Then a water pir erupted and struck Mercedes¡¯ body.


    ¡°Ah...¡± As Mercedes flew through the air, she realized, ¡®One upation isn¡¯t more noble than another.¡¯


    Her way of thinking expanded. At this moment, 1st Knight Mercedes set up her first chivalric code.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be prejudiced.¡¯


    At this moment...


    [Legendary Knight Mercedes had created a new chivalric code.]


    [All of the legendary knight Mercedes¡¯ stats will increase by 10% and the chance of weak spots being exposed will decrease by 80%.]


    ¡°...?¡± Grid¡¯s expression became one of astonishment as he watched the two people duel. Mercedes crashed to the ground and bowed her head to Piaro. ¡°We have been reunited after 12 years. I wasn¡¯t able to show my development but I received your teachings. I am ashamed and thankful.¡±


    ¡°I have also learned a lot. I can¡¯t be assured of victory if you fought with all your power.¡±


    ¡°No. I would¡¯ve lost anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you are too modest.¡±


    The night deepened with a warm sight.


    ***


    ¡°Are you just leaving?¡±


    After the battle was over, Mercedes and Piaro unburdened their hearts all night and came to Grid in the morning. Piaro said he would leave for the vampire cities.¡°Yes. Now that the best knight is with Your Majesty, I can leave feeling reassured.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so diligent? Hasn¡¯t it been a long time since you reunited with Mercedes? Why don¡¯t you stay for a few more days?¡±


    Piaro was a valuable person to Grid, so he didn¡¯t want Piaro to be stressed. Piaro spoke a surprising name to the concerned Grid, ¡°I was shaken when I heard the news about Khan. If I had seeded in growing the golden walnut a bit sooner... If I had, Khan might¡¯ve been able to live a bit longer.¡±


    Grid¡¯s grief and suffering at Khan¡¯s sudden departure was passed onto Piaro, who lived with regret.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am going to be more diligent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Piaro¡¯s true heart was transmitted to Grid, and Grid could no longer stop him. Feeling thankful, Grid grasped Piaro¡¯s hands. ¡°Thank you. But keep this in mind. Don¡¯t overdo it. I won¡¯t forgive you if you leave like Khan.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    It was a touching scene. Mercedes smiled as she saw the leader and subordinate caring about each other.


    ¡°Piaro, wait!¡±Someone¡¯s shout rang out. The person who showed up was Administrator Rabbit.He first politely greeted Grid before handing a piece of paper to Piaro.¡°This is the cost of the damage dealt to the farnds yesterday! I¡¯ll get it from your pay!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The reason why the Overgeared Kingdom had been able to make steady progress during Grid¡¯s absence was thanks to all the people who worked so hard.


    ***


    ¡°What amazing children.¡±Sage Sticks was now the principal of the Overgeared Academy, and the smile couldn¡¯t disappear from his face. ¡°They were a bit slow to learn at first. But once they got the hang ofmon sense, they evolved remarkably. All 23 children will surely grow into great schrs and magicians.¡±


    They were talking about the children Grid had brought over from the Tower of Eternity. The children, who had been misunderstood as Grid¡¯s children, had recently been the topic of discussion in the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because all the children had genius brains.


    A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. ¡°This is good news. Are the kids healthy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The shades in their hearts have been removed. I think that the affection Your Majesty showed while bringing the children here healed many of their wounds. You did well. You did very well.¡±Sticks¡¯ eyes were warm as he gazed at Grid.


    The noble elf species¡ªthey disliked the selfish and violent tendencies of humans. Were they any elves in history who felt great affection for humans?There were none. Yet Sticks felt great affection toward Grid who gave him new feelings. Thanks to Grid, Sticks got rid of his prejudices against humans.It was a hasty change.


    Simultaneously...


    ¡°I finally found it.¡± Merchant King Kir was the first yer to find the World Tree¡¯s Forest. A species quest was about to be opened by a yer, and it was actually in the worst form.

 Chapter 813

    ording tost year¡¯s statistics, the number of yers who chose a merchant as a ss was 41,715,997. It wasparable to the most poprbat sses such as swordsman and magician. Why? That was because it was a ss that gave hopes and dreams to ordinary people. In modern society where in-game goods were traded for cash, it was natural that a merchant ss which was meant for making money would be popr.


    Of course, reality was tough, and most merchants didn¡¯t make money. However, a few merchants gained fame by umting a huge wealth. A typical figure was the 1st ranked Kir. As he was the first yer to make apany, he had been umting wealth steadily. He had tens of thousands of people under him, and some people called him the merchant king.


    ¡°I finally found it.¡±


    The forest of the world tree¡ªit was also known as the Elven Forest, and Kir was the first yer to step foot in there.


    [You are the first yer to discover the elves¡¯ territory!]


    [It is an achievement that will remain in history! The first discovery will give you various benefits!]


    [You can easily raise affinity with the elves, and you will receive a 20% discount on the prices of items purchased in elven viges. There will be 20% more profit when selling goods.]


    [Hunting in the elf territory will increase experience rate by 20%, and item drop rate will increase by 10%.]


    [Mana regeneration rate is permanently increased by 8%.]


    ¡°Hoh! This is more than I expected.¡±


    With tinum hair, emerald eyes, and pure white skin that blended beautifully, Kir seemed like a typical handsome nobleman in movies and novels. He checked his first discovery benefits and nced behind him.¡°You cane in now.¡±


    As soon as Kir gave permission...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the air somewhat different?¡±


    ¡°It is sweet every time I breathe. The sunshine is exceptionally pleasant. I¡¯d like to build a house here.¡±


    A group of people entered the forest. They were yers who were armed with high-level equipment. Among them, the man with the ID of Boutian used magic.¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    Supaak! His mana extended a few dozen meters and searched the surrounding life forms. Boutian reported, ¡°There are many small animals. It seems that the elves have no defenses at the boundaries of the forest.¡±


    ¡°It is peaceful.¡±


    The elves had been living in this forest for hundreds of years. It was hard to expect them to be vignt when they had beenpletely cut off from the outside world and lived their own lives. Of course, this was a good thing for Kir.


    ¡°I am sorry that I can¡¯t enjoy the bonus game but...¡±Kir¡¯s mouth spread into a deep smile as he stopped talking. It contained a meanness that wasn¡¯t shown before. No, it was right to say that his true nature was being expressed.


    Who was Kir? He was a person who deceived others, trampled on them, and umted wealth from stealing in order to reach the 1st merchant ranking. The most appropriate description for him was ¡®evil.¡¯ The usual mild and remote impression? It was just a mask to distract the other person.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± Kir gave the order. His silent colleagues started to sh at him with a sword.


    ¡°Cough! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Merchants had no way to invest points in stats to increase their physical abilities. Kir¡¯s defense was terrible due to his low stats. despite the expensive armor he was wearing.His health fell to the bottom in a sh, and he started to flee. His colleagues, or former colleagues, chuckled as they watched him flee into the forest.


    ¡°It is useless trying to escape with such slow footsteps. Won¡¯t he be caught by us very quickly?¡±


    ¡°If he wants to run away, shouldn¡¯t he run away faster?¡±


    ¡°D-Dammit! S-Save me! Anyone out there?¡±Kir shouted in every direction, but there was no reaction. His shouts just echoed in the forest. Theughs of the traitors grew louder.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone here except us. Who are you asking for help from?¡±


    ¡°Do you want a bear to show up and protect you? Stupid! Kakaka!¡±


    The fierce pursuit of Kir followed. Kir had no time to breathe as he ran. The pursuers, who were faster than him, hummed as they slowly gave chase without killing him.


    ¡°Shit...!¡± Frustrated, Kir¡¯s eyes reddened as he was constantly hit by bushes and branches. The pursuers closely followed him.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of this. Let¡¯s finish this fun game. Yes?¡± This was spoken by a woman who destroyed every bush in the way because she didn¡¯t want to be dirty. Kir saw the killing intent in her eyes and cried out desperately, ¡°Why? Why are you doing this all of a sudden? We¡¯re colleagues! Why are you suddenly attempting to harm me?¡±


    Deep in the forest, Kir¡¯s unfortunate cries rang out in the middle of the world tree forest. The woman shrugged. ¡°What colleagues? We just wanted your money from the beginning. Now, do you know what you have to do?¡±


    The woman ced her scimitar to the neck of the frightened Kir. ¡°If you want to live, give me money. I will spare you if you give enough money to satisfy us. Okay? Rich. Man.¡±


    ¡°Ick...!¡± Kir gritted his teeth. The horror and frustration that filled his expression vanished like they had been lies, and anger took their ce. ¡°Using people for money...! You are worst than beasts!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my. What is this? Beasts? We are people. Most people are greedy like us, apart from freaks like you. Aren¡¯t we normal?¡±The woman¡¯s scimitar neared Kir¡¯s neck, soaking Kir¡¯s cor with blood. ¡°Give me your money.¡±


    Kir was at the crossroad of life and death. He gulped as he feared death. ¡°I don¡¯t want to...!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Justice is shouting in my heart! I would rather choose an honorable death than listen to the demands of people like you!¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m fine! I am sane! I absolutely won¡¯t sumb! If I surrender, you will keep doing this and new victims will appear!¡±


    ¡°Hah, you are really a freak. Then die.¡±


    Tsk. The woman clicked her tongue and raised her weapon.


    Puk! An arrow flew without a sound and prated the woman¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°...?¡± The woman and all her colleagues were amazed.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°There are people in this forest?¡±


    A breeze blew in the chaos.The bushes swayed, and a woman who boasted a perfect beauty emerged. Her perfect ratio and pointed ears revealed her identity.


    ¡°E-Elf?¡±


    ¡°I-Is this an elf forest?¡±


    The number of elves was so small that it couldn¡¯t bepared to humans. There was a rumor that there were only 100,000 elves on the continent. Nevertheless, why was it that the elves could protect their territory from the greedy humans? That was simple. It was because they were strong.The elves¡¯ innate archery and spirits were so great that humans couldn¡¯t afford to go against them.


    The groups of humans who tried to kill Kir stopped immediately. They put away their weapons and raised their arms while the elf pointed a bow at them.


    ¡°Leave this sacred forest right away. This isn¡¯t a ce to be corrupted by humans like you.¡±


    ¡°H-Hik!¡± Grateful that they could escape alive, the humans no longer clung to Kir. They didn¡¯t look back as they ran away.


    ¡°Allowing ess to humans... Are the wards old?¡± Beniyaru, the white-haired elf who gave off a haughty impression, muttered something about ¡®wards.¡¯ Then she gazed at Kir. Kir bowed his head.¡°T-Thank you for your help! I will definitely pay you back!¡±


    ¡°There is no need.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll leave right away... Ugh!¡±Remembering that this was a ce where human ess wasn¡¯t allowed, Kir got up hurriedly, only to flop down again. He couldn¡¯t support his body due to all his wounds. ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry. I will take a short break and then leave immediately.¡±


    With a good face and a pure attitude,Kir¡¯s appearance was different from the ordinary humans in the elves¡¯ memories. Unable to catch a glimpse of any mean desires, Beniyaru said, ¡°I heard your conversation with them. You would rather choose death than listen to such a vile request?¡±


    ¡°...You can call me stupid. I dislike greedy people. It would be better to die than to give money to them.¡±A small smile crossed Beniyaru¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll guide you to the vige.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Can I visit your vige despite being a human...?¡±


    ¡°I think you will be okay. You are the first guest in hundreds of years. Stay in the vige and heal your wounds until those greedy people waiting outside the forest have left.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Kir¡¯s face brightened. His innocent smile didn¡¯t induce any rejection in the elf. The merchants¡¯ high charm stat, friendliness, and the first finder¡¯s benefits ovepped together, producing an excellent effect.


    -Wait one more day before leaving, Kir sent a whisper as he followed the elf.


    -Yes, I understand.


    The whisper was sent to the person who betrayed him just a moment ago. In other words, Kir gave amand to the woman who had ced the scimitar at his neck. It was all an act...an act to approach the elves naturally!


    ***


    -List of people who can be appointed as leader of a knights division-


    [Mercedes]


    [Mercedes can lead a total of 50 knights.


    Mercedes¡¯ knights will have physical damage increased by 12%, defense by 12%, attack speed by 5% and movement speed by 7%.


    The effects are permanent as long as the person belongs to the knights division.


    Knights Division¡¯s Passive Skills: Increased Health Regeneration (High), Increase Mana Regeneration (Medium), Decreased Stamina Consumption (High)]


    ¡°...¡±


    Until now, only Piaro and Asmophel had been able to be appointed as a knights division leader. Even Chucksley couldn¡¯t be appointed despite being one of the best knights of the Eternal Kingdom.In other words, any NPCs who could be appointed as the leader of a knights division meant they had great value. However, Mercedes passed the level of ¡®great.¡¯


    ¡®It is the level of aplete scam...¡¯


    Piaro increased the group¡¯s attack power by 10%, attack speed by 3%, and movement speed by 5%. Meanwhile, Asmophel increased magic damage by 5% and reduced skill cooldown by 8%.The presences of those two were great enough. However, the effects of Mercedes¡¯ presence was twice as great as theirs.


    Increase attack and defense by 12%...It wasparable to enhanced items. This was huge when the effects were applied to high-level yers like Chris and Pon.


    Gulp! Grid swallowed his saliva. He looked solemn for a moment before opening his mouth, ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Can I join your knights division?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It... isn¡¯t possible? Haha.¡± It wasn¡¯t a genuineugh. Grid trembled with a terrible regret.


    [The Legendary Knights¡¯ Overgeared Division has been created.]


    The third Overgeared Knights Division was born after the Overgeared Knights and Overgeared Magicians. Only the best members of the Overgeared Kingdom could join this new division. Lauel joined it due to his skill level and was stunned. ¡°I... The Legendary Overgeared Knights Division...!¡±


    He should be happy when he looked at the stats, but why were tears flowing from his eyes? Lauel was sad.

 Chapter 814

    This was after forming the knights division.


    ¡°Are you talking about my armor?¡± Mercedes responded to Grid¡¯s call and was confused.¡°Your Majesty will make armor for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ reacted to Grid¡¯s words like a bolt hade out of the blue,¡°That is ridiculous. Your Majesty can¡¯t work for your subjects.¡±


    Of course, Mercedes knew that Grid¡¯s root was a cksmith. However, she was currently talkingmon sense. Which king in the world would put inbor for their subjects? A king¡¯s subjects couldn¡¯t be given priority over a king¡¯s convenience.


    ¡°Please reconsider.¡±


    Grid shook his head at Mercedes¡¯ concern. ¡°In the end, it is for me. The stronger you are, the stronger I am. Don¡¯t feel burdened.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ main armor was heavy armor. It was right to say that she wasn¡¯tplete when wearing leather armor. Nevertheless, she hadpeted with Piaro for a while in his field. She was a really lovely person. Grid wanted to make herplete as soon as possible.¡°Let¡¯s go. There are many things I have to make in addition to your armor.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±In the end, Mercedes was unable to break Grid¡¯s determination and bowed deeply. Her liking toward Grid was growing day by day.


    ***


    ¡°Will your parents be happy if you die in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°You...! Don¡¯t mention my parents!¡±


    ¡°I sincerely pity your parents. How sad would they be because their childmitted a crime and ended up in prison?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A terrible criminal was trapped in Reinhardt¡¯s dungeon.


    Reidorn¡ªhe was the worst criminal who had tried to assassinate Grid during the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom. They wanted to find out who was behind him. This was left to the 1st ranked orator, Huroi. Huroi¡¯s daily routine began with him questioning Reidorn.


    ¡°If you want to see your parents again, then tell me! How dare a motherless person like you try to assassinate King Grid?!¡±


    ¡°Kuk! Kukuk! You stupid person. How many times do I have to tell you? It was my own n. I didn¡¯t receive instructions from anyone.¡±


    ¡°The king of a nation... It was your own idea to attempt assassinating a king on the day of the founding ceremony? Who would believe this obvious lie? Your parents won¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±Reidorn wanted to regain hisposure, only to be agitated again. ¡°I told you to stop bringing up my parents!¡±


    ¡°Why do you get angry every time I talk about your parents? Am I cursing your parents?¡±


    That was right. Huroi wasn¡¯t cursing Reidorn¡¯s parents. He just frequently mentioned them. However, it was strange. Reidorn snapped every time Huroi mentioned his parents. This was the power of Huroi¡¯s Taunt skill.Huroi used Taunt every time he mentioned Reidorn¡¯s parents. So, why did he bother doing this? It was rted to Huroi¡¯s personal taste, not out of any particr efficiency.


    ¡°Hrmm... ¡± Huroi faced the growling Reidorn, who was tied up. He was forced to acknowledge Reidorn, who had been imprisoned for more than half a year and never opened his mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this... Tsk.¡± A shadow fell over Huroi¡¯s face. He looked reluctant.


    Reidorn¡¯s heart became anxious. ¡®Did he prepare a terrible torture...?¡±


    Gulp. Reidorn swallowed his saliva as his body shook. However, his mind became stronger.¡®I will never yield.¡¯


    Reidorn never intended to reveal that he was Red Knight and also a solo number knight. No, he couldn¡¯t say it. His attempt to assassinate Grid had been purely from his own thoughts. That¡¯s right.He hadn¡¯t received anymands. Reidorn had tried to assassinate Grid because he thought Grid would be a threatter. If Reidorn¡¯s identity were revealed, a diplomatic problem could ur. It could even cause damage to the empire. After all, Grid¡¯s power, which Reidorn had personally experienced, was a threat to the empire!


    ¡®I would rather die!¡¯ Reidorn pledged to keep his mouth shut.


    Duguen!Duguen!His heart beat faster. In the midst of his growing fear...


    ¡°Bring it in,¡± Huroi ordered.


    Then guards entered while carrying a small box.


    Gulp!


    What was in this box? Was it a tool to dig out his eyeballs? Reidorn¡¯s imagination was moving toward the negative things. His face paled as Huroi opened the box in front of him. In the box...


    Chirp!Chirp!


    There was a chick. It was a small, yellow, and cute chick.


    ¡°...?¡±Reidorn was confused. How did a chick pop out of a box that he thought would contain torture tools? Reidorn was puzzled as the chick moved toward him.


    Chirp chirp! The chick¡¯s little ck eyes looked up at Reidorn. He seemed to mistake Reidorn as his mother. Reidorn had faced torture every day for a long time. Now that he saw a cute animal, he couldn¡¯t help smiling. He felt a desire to touch the chick¡¯s fur.


    Huroi¡¯s cold voice entered his ears, ¡°Something urgent happened. I won¡¯t be back here for a while. Enjoy a few days of peace.¡±


    ¡°You, what are you nning? What is this chick?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Huroi didn¡¯t answer and left with the guards.


    Chirp chirp!


    Reidorn was left alone with the chick and felt peace for the first time in ages. His heart was warmed. Meanwhile, the prison guards questioned Huroi.


    ¡°Can I ask what the meaning of that chick is?¡±


    ¡°Why are you giving the wicked criminal time to heal his heart?¡±


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Wanting to smoke a cigarette, Huroi gave a deep sigh before replying to the confused guards.¡°I will eat that chick when it is a bit older.¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    ¡°It will be in front of Reidorn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The chick he shares a deep bond with...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...I will put it in various vegetables and boil it.¡±


    ¡°T-That...!¡±


    ¡°You are worse than a great demon!¡±


    The guards got goosebumps. The method of psychological torture that Huroi nned was so horrific that it was creepy. Of course, Huroi didn¡¯t feelfortable doing this. However, what could he do?


    ¡°He is the one who made me evil...¡±


    ¡°Ahhh...¡±


    It would be a perfect scene if there was the sound effect of thunder, but today was a clear sky without any clouds.


    ***


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Mercedes asked as she followed Grid. She thought Grid would go to the smithy, but he walked out of the castle instead.


    ¡®Is there a smithy outside the castle?¡¯


    Grid exined to Mercedes, ¡°Starting from today, I will do the work of a cksmith more efficiently.¡±


    He consumed a lot of time and effort whenever he made an item. Additionally, he had to maintain his concentration for several days. The result was often good, but there was a big problem with this method. There was no time to hunt. In thest few months, Grid had been in a stagnant position. He would soon be pushed out of the top 10 of the unified rankings.


    This was the limit of a nonbat ss. Unlike thebat sses that could devote themselves to hunting, Grid also had to act as a cksmith and had too little time to concentrate on leveling up. In this regard, Grid worked hard. The idea which came to mind was the portable furnace.Thanks to the white phosphorus wood, he could get the desired firepower whenever and wherever he wanted.


    ¡°In the future, I will make items at the hunting grounds.¡±


    Grid had tried to challenge it in the past. He¡¯d made items in the hunting area while Noe, Randy, and the God Hands hunted. However, it hadn¡¯t been effective. At the time, he hadn¡¯t had white phosphorus wood, so there was a limit to the firepower that a portable furnace could exert. He had only been able to produce low-level items.


    ¡®But it is different now.¡¯


    Grid made a confident smile and pulled out the map.His destination was the new hunting ground Kraugel had given him¡ªthe Boundary Forest. Due to unknown wards, it was said that the deep parts of the forest were unable to be essed.


    ¡°A forest with unusually sweet fruits...¡±


    If Grid took out the ¡®Media Mountains Honey¡¯, a monster called ¡®bear-wolf¡¯ would appear. It was very powerful and took strong yers a long time to hunt. However, Kraugel said the monster gave the experience of a field boss.


    ¡°Is the information reliable? How does Kraugel know the method to summon the bear-wolf?"


    ¡°He was taking a break and eating honey bread.¡±


    It was valuable information that Kraugel had given Grid in return for the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°In any case, he is a good friend.¡±Grid always felt proud when he thought about Kraugel.


    Mercedes was filled with a strange jealousy when she saw Grid¡¯s smile and gave negative feedback, ¡°I am aware of the bear-wolves. They are monsters thatbine the destructive power of a bear and the agility of a wolf. It will be stronger than Your Majesty anticipates.¡±


    Yet Grid wanted to hunt these monsters while making armor? That was impossible to do. Grid made a confident expression as he looked at the worried Mercedes. ¡°I have you by my side, so why do I need to be worried?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need experience? If you don¡¯t hunt the bear-wolves yourself, will you be able to grow?¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t be hunting. You just need to season them for me.¡±


    ¡°Season... what are you saying?¡±


    Why was he suddenly talking about cooking? Grid exined to the baffled Mercedes, ¡°You will hit the bear-wolf as hard as you can when it appears. Then won¡¯t it be angry at you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡±


    ¡°From then on, you just need to tank. While you tank, I will finish it off with my pets, the God Hands and the Overgeared Skeletons. Then I can get experience while sitting down and making armor, and my pets and the Overgeared Skeletons will grow as well.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will do so,¡± Mercedes responded energetically! Despite being the strongest person, her role was to assist. This was the legendary knight bus, and Grid was the only passenger on the bus she was driving.

 Chapter 815

    ¡°It is tougher than I thought.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how many times he had checked the map during thest four days of the journey. It was difficult to find the right path. Grid was still unable to find his destination. However, it wasn¡¯t because he was lost. Grid had a good sense of direction.It hadn¡¯t been a fluke that he discovered the North End Cave and Pagma¡¯s Rare Book.


    ¡°Um...¡±Grid¡¯s gaze fell on the map again and again.


    Kraugel said that the Boundary Forest was right there at the point where the Beldon Volcanic Zone and the Lilton Desert ovepped.That¡¯s right.The Boundary Forest was a ce not marked on the map, so it was no wonder that it was hard to find.


    ¡°Go east from the Beldon Volcanic area, west from the Lilton Desert...¡±Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was irritating since the schedule was different from what he had nned.


    The silent Mercedes finally asked carefully, ¡°Is Kraugel a credible person?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why are you asking all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that there is a forest here.¡±


    This was a volcanic area whereva flowed, a desert where not a single de of grass could be found. Yet there was a forest at the center? How could vegetation grow in this hot temperature? Grid replied to Mercedes¡¯ reasonable doubt, ¡°You can trust him.¡±


    Of course, this world wasn¡¯t nice enough to have unconditional beliefs just because a person was a friend. Still, Grid didn¡¯t doubt Kraugel.


    ¡°He is a friend with high pride. It isn¡¯t in his nature to lie.¡±


    ¡°He is a... Sword Saint?¡±


    ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He has been famous in the empire for several months already.¡±


    The empire showed a lukewarm attitude toward Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but they had a great response to a Sword Saint. Some people argued that the Sword Saint should be acquired while others insisted that the Sword Saint should be eliminated. The emperor¡¯s choice was...


    ¡°Try and win him over.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, it is natural for Kraugel to be coveted by the emperor.¡±


    Grid had heard rumors, but to think that Kraugel was given such special treatment...? Grid¡¯s pride wasn¡¯t hurt even when he realized this fact. Was it because he acknowledged that a Sword Saint was a better ss than Pagma¡¯s Descendant?No. It was because Grid had a great pride that wouldn¡¯t be swept away by the evaluation of other people. So what if he was given a low evaluation? The truth was different.


    ¡°Kraugel rejected the emperor¡¯s offer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you quite angry?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was well aware of Mercedes¡¯ personality from the first time they met. She had an excessive loyalty and felt unconditional resentment toward those who went against the will of her master. From the position of an enemy, it was a terrible personality, but it was great now that they were allies.


    ¡°You can rx your emotions and fight when you meetter. One or two yearster, you will be so strong that victory will be guaranteed.¡±


    ¡®Please don¡¯t incite an unnecessary fight.¡¯


    Grid had already experienced several times that a confrontation between the strong and the strong was a great help to each other. As such, seeing that Mercedes could go one step further, Grid wanted to set up a confrontation with Sword Saint Kraugel for her.


    ¡®It will be a great help for Kraugel as well.¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!Grid¡¯s heart beat faster as he imagined a confrontation with the further developed Kraugel. His obsession with Kraugel was a reaction to the regret he had felt in the 3rd National Competition. Why did he feel sorry as the winner? It was because he had won before he revealed his true power. Truth be told, Grid felt empty after the finale match with Kraugel. It was different from the exhration he felt during the 2nd National Competition.


    ¡®It is an undeniable fact.¡¯


    He had reserved his strength and won against Kraugel. However, who could he tell this truth to?No one would believe him if he said it.


    ¡®There is no need to speak in the first ce.¡¯It would just be seen as a useless pretense.


    The grinning Grid stopped walking. He was at the end of theva zone, which was also at the end of the desert. Then an unexpected phenomenon urred.


    [The World Tree¡¯s Ne is responding!]


    Grid pulled the ne out of his inventory.


    [World Tree¡¯s Ne]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 20/22


    * 20% increase in strength and agility in elven territory.


    * 150% increase in mana regeneration in elven territory.


    * 1.2 times increase in movement speed in elven territory.


    Before she became a legend, Povia was a loner who wasn¡¯t recognized by humans or elves.


    This ne was given to her by the world tree, her only friend.


    Weight: 50]


    A ne made from tree bark being weaved together¡ªit was one of the rewards he had gotten from Death Knight Povia on the Behen Archipgo. This response meant...


    Gulp!Grid made a guess and wore the ne. Then...


    [Strength and agility will increase by 20%.]


    [Mana regeneration rate will increase by 150%.]


    [Movement speed has increased by 1.2 times.]


    ¡°Indeed...!¡±


    Grid realized two facts. Firstly, he was already in the Boundary Forest. However, it was impossible to perceive it because of the wards. Secondly, the Boundary Forest was the forest of the world tree. It was the territory of the elves!


    ¡°Now if I can release the wards...!¡±


    ...But how? Kraugel had only shown him the location of the Boundary Forest, not how to enter it.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Did he want to provoke Grid? Or was it a test? That was impossible. Kraugel had given him the location of the Boundary Forest out of pure kindness. He wouldn¡¯t hide something from the information he had given willingly.


    ¡°Maybe...¡±


    Could the wards around the forest be stronger than when Kraugel visited here? It was a reasonable hypothesis when he recalled the rumor that elves hated humans.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. The elves must have been disturbed by Kraugel¡¯s movements in here and strengthened the wards.¡±


    Grid was confident of this. His difficulty was on how to release the ward.


    ¡°The general information on how to release a ward...¡±


    It was to grasp the principle of the ward or release it with magic. These two methods were widely used. Grid hadn¡¯t learned the magic associated with releasing wards, so he had to solve it with the former method. It meant he had to use his head, and that was terrible.


    ¡°F... Um...¡± Grid was about to curse only to close his mouth with an awkward expression. He couldn¡¯t curse in front of a person who had just be his subordinate.


    ¡°Kuoong.¡± He became more frustrated because he couldn¡¯t swear. Grid was struggling when Mercedes asked him, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°I want to release the ward here but I don¡¯t know how to do it...¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ thin eyebrows rose.The fact that her master didn¡¯t expect anything of her touched her pride.


    ¡°I will just smash it,¡± she spoke in a cold voice.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Smashing the ward...?Grid didn¡¯t understand and made a strange expression.


    ¡°If my physical strength is three times stronger than the person who made the ward, I can just destroy it with force. Shall I test it out? Let¡¯s see who is better.¡±


    Kuwooooh!


    Mercedes pulled out her swords while energy des bent around her.She swung them once at the air, creating an opening. It was as if Grid was looking at Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword. The sky, the desert, the volcanoes, and the earth split in half. Then the desert area and volcanic area disappeared like they were mirages. After that, a huge forest appeared in the ce where the volcanic area and desert had been located. The scale of the forest was toorge to determine. It was like a country in itself.


    ¡°...Amazing.¡± Grid was marveling at Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship, not the size of the forest. The elves¡¯ magic had created a perfect ward. Grid realized that the heat of the volcano and the desert was a lie and asked,¡°Is this the elemental magic that I have only heard about?¡±


    ¡°I think so. They seem to have borrowed the power of the fire elemental to make the volcanic zone and the power of the earth elemental to make the desert. They were different from simple hallucinations.¡±


    ¡°Elementals... Have you ever met them before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid btedly noticed that the sun flowing through the green leaves shone on Mercedes¡¯ face. Yes, Mercedes was also shaken.


    ¡®Right...¡¯


    They had discovered the territories of the elves who had been separated from humanity for hundreds of years. How could anyone be calm before this amazing discovery? Grid watched Mercedes¡¯ cute appearance as she looked around the forest and felt warm.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t receive the first discovery reward, so someone else came here before me.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t Kraugel. Kraugel didn¡¯t even know that this was the territory of the elves.


    ¡°Kraugel couldn¡¯t enter the forest? Or did he simplyg behind others? If it is thetter, the world was very wide.¡±


    It was amazing that there were people ahead of Kraugel. Who could it be? Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he pulled out the portable furnace and started to ce firewood inside it. On one side, he prepared an anvil, a hammer, and a huge bucket for quenching.


    ¡°...¡± Mercedes felt it was absurd as she watched Grid turn the forest into a smithy.¡°Your Majesty. This is an ideal opportunity to meet the elves. Isn¡¯t it right to look for the elves first?¡±


    Some people misunderstood the elves as a species from fantasies. Thus, they were unfamiliar with elves. The elves were targets of great interest.Even Mercedes wanted to meet an elf right away. However, Grid had no interest in this.


    ¡°I can meet an elf every day.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He could meet an elf on a daily basis? Mercedes didn¡¯t understand what Grid was saying.


    ¡°Moreover, it is a high elf. He is Sage Sticks. You didn¡¯t know that he was in the Overgeared Kingdom? Doesn¡¯t the empire know anything?¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Mercedes couldn¡¯t be unaware of this. In fact, she had forgotten due to an incident from a few days ago. Five days ago was the day that Grid had arrived in Reinhardt.


    ¡°Grid!¡± Sticks had run to find Grid. ¡°Increase the number of teachers at the academy! I have to teach 12 sses a day alone, 12! I don¡¯t have any time to rest!¡±


    ¡°I understand. Tell Administrator Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°No, he is the problem! He says that he can¡¯t increase the number of teachers due to ack of finances! He is an unscrupulous human who is abusing me to save money!¡± Sticks cried out, feeling it was unjust. He seemed like such an ordinary person that Mercedes had forgotten... She hadpletely forgotten the fact that Sticks was a high elf and sage.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± Mercedes was reminded of the memories she had instinctively sealed. She nodded as if she understood. ¡°Then you have no reason to look for the elves.¡±


    ¡°Right? In any case, they will just be men.¡±


    ¡°Men?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there was something like that. In any case, let¡¯s begin in earnest.¡±Grid rolled up his sleeves and handed Mercedes some Media Mountain honey which he bought with a lot of money. Then he held a hammer. ¡°I will do the hammering while you eat honey.¡±


    This was the first important mission she had received since she started serving Grid, but why did she feel that it was somewhatcking?


    ¡°Yes...¡± Mercedes responded weakly and pulled out her swords. Simultaneously, an arrow flying through the air was split apart.


    ¡°What is this rudeness?¡± Mercedes looked sharply in front of her. The appearance of elves with angry expressions entered her field of view. The white-haired elf named Beniyaru shouted, ¡°We hate you...! Humans deserve to be extinct!"


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Talking about extinction all of a sudden? Was creating a fire in the middle of the forest that big of a sin? Grid sweated as he btedly realized, ¡®...It is a sin,¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t know it yet... The reason why the elves hated humans wasn¡¯t because of Grid and Mercedes.

 Chapter 816

    Let¡¯s consider when it¡¯s the most annoying time to y a game:


    -When an enhancement failed...


    -A yer¡¯s level not going up no matter how many mobs were killed, dying and losing experience...


    -Failing a raid, or seeding in a raid only to not get a jackpot...


    -Struggling like a dog to clear a quest, only to receive a poor reward...


    -Finding out that the ss chosen was rubbish...


    -Selling an item for a low price, only for the value to skyrocket a few dayster...


    -Witnessing someone else get a jackpot, and so on...


    There were so many moments that they couldn¡¯t be listed individually.The culture of the game brought yers a lot of entertainment, but it also brought them extreme loss and stress.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid was the same as everyone else, despite being at the peak of the yers.He gained wealth and honor from the game, but he still felt loss and stress from it. The current situation was the same. The elves were another species that had been separated from humanity for hundreds of years. They couldn¡¯t be met even when Grid wanted to meet them, so why did they show up right now?


    ¡°...Why did theye up when I am using the white phosphorus wood?!!¡± Grid screamed as an arrow swept past his cheek and struck his portable furnace.


    Puk!


    [The portable furnace is hit.]


    [The portable furnace won¡¯t function properly.]


    [You need to be careful.]


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    The white phosphorus wood was still burning in the furnace that had a hole in it.The wood, which was difficult to transport from the East Continent, was consumed meaninglessly.


    ¡®Now there are only 80 of them left!¡¯


    Since he needed a minimum of three or four pieces to achieve the desired firepower, the limited number of white phosphorus wood gave Grid considerable pressure. Moreover, as he couldn¡¯t cross to the East Continent currently due to danger from the yangbans, the white phosphorus wood was truly a valuable resource.


    Yet the elves had suddenly appeared and caused him to waste four pieces of white phosphorus wood. As such, Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling heated up. ¡°You are just pretty!¡±


    It seemed that the rumor of how Kim Taehee and Kim Yisun were just like potatoes whenpared to the elves of the elven kingdom was true. Among the elves who appeared in front of Grid, there were none who weren¡¯t beautiful. The elves¡¯ perfect beauty wasparable to the beauty of the best beauties he had seen so far¡ªYura, Jishuka, Irene, Sua, Mercedes, and so on. It wasn¡¯t at all difficult to make aparison since Mercedes was right next to him.


    However, so what if they were pretty?They weren¡¯t his anyway!


    ¡°Their chests are also small... Ugh!¡±


    Puk!


    [You have suffered 8,980 damage.]


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°God Hands!¡±


    Arrows flew without any sound. Grid could figure out the orbits of the arrows using his high agility and insight, but it was impossible to pick out the arrow that came flying immediately after the first one.


    ¡®It is like archery from the movies.¡¯


    If an arrow was shot first and then another one, the second one would closely follow the target and hit the target a second time. Since ancient times, archery had been said to be the best on the Korean penins, and this was a high-level archery technique.The Korean yers were proud of this.


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯ Grid didn¡¯t care about such things. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    Tang! Tatatatang! Grid started a sword dance as Mercedes and the God Hands protected him.


    Puk!Then an arrow flew through a gap in the God Hands and pierced his thigh, interrupting the skill casting. This was the moment when he was caught by the deadly disadvantage of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡®Shit! The arrows are too fast!¡¯


    The power, speed, and covertness of the arrows were topnotch. The elves¡¯ archery reminded Grid of the death knight of the legendary archer Povia. This meant that the skills of the elves were greater than the rankers. Arrows started to pour down like rain. The God Hands couldn¡¯t endure the cumtive damage and fell into a stiffened state, exposing Grid to danger.


    ¡°Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship 3rd style.¡±


    Right now, Grid had a knight as a bus... No, it was a legendary knight. Mercedes appeared in front of Grid and protected him.¡°Fly Sword Energy.¡±


    A storm urred along the direction of Mercedes¡¯ rotation. It was a silver storm that crushed the bushes, trees, and rocks equally well.


    ¡°Kyaaack!¡±


    Kwang!Kwa kwa kwa kwang!


    The elves were hit by the storm of energy swords and fell in all directions.Their sharp screams echoed in the vast forest. However, there was something even more surprising.


    ¡®Their health only decreased by half?¡¯


    All the elves survived, and their health was even maintained at 50%. They had an unbelievable defense despite the fact that only leaves were barely covering their bodies. It was also a persistent vitality that didn¡¯t fit their delicate bodies.


    ¡®These are elves...! Then how strong is that elf?¡¯ Grid¡¯s gaze was focused on the white-haired elf. The elf called Beniyaru was a named elf, and her name was in a golden color.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you better avoid them.¡± Mercedes was also aware of the seriousness of the situation. The elves were stronger than rumored.Mercedes decided that protecting Grid while dealing with them was virtually impossible. Then...


    ¡°Avoid them?¡±Her judgment scratched Grid¡¯s pride. Grid stared straight into Mercedes¡¯ eyes. He used Quick Movements and spoke as two arrows flew, ¡°You are mistaken. I¡¯m not a weakling to be protected.¡±


    Grid¡¯s footwork elerated.It was the effect of Quick Movements. He avoided the flying arrows and safely used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship this time.


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The elves who were hiding behind a tree and sniping were amazed.Their behavior was being controlled by an unknown force, and their fingertips couldn¡¯t move.It was an oppressive authority that couldn¡¯t be rejected unless they had a status resistance. The bows and arrows in the hands of the elves fell to the ground.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±Grid had been dressed forfort when making an item, but he now swapped to Valha of Infinite Affection. He did this quickly with the help of the God Hands. Grid quickly moved while the elves were showing a gap.¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± The elves and Mercedes were startled because Grid¡¯s momentum was reminiscent of a volcano. Strong, destructive, and widespread¡ªthe elves were swept away in it, suffering a lot of damage while losing their swiftness.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Who was the cry meant for? Naturally...


    ¡°Yes!¡±It was Mercedes.She was amazed and thrilled at the grandeur of the king she served.


    ¡°Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship 4th style, Raising the Sword Energy.¡±A storm of silver sword energy sprang up from below. Swept away by the attacks of the two people, the bodies of the elves flew through their air.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link.¡±


    ¡°Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship 5th style, Sowing Sword Energy.¡±


    Grid and Mercedes chose ranged skills as the final blow and aimed at the unaware elves. No, they attempted to start a rampage.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Grid and Mercedes groaned at the same time.


    This was due to Beniyaru. Her bow struck Grid¡¯s neck while her fist, which contained a fire elemental, mmed into Mercedes¡¯ abdomen.Grid flew back into a rock while Mercedes flew toward a tree to the left, stopping with the power of her silver wings. Meanwhile, Beniyaru restrained her fellow elves, whonded safely on the ground with the help of the wind elementals.


    A smile emerged on Grid¡¯s face. ¡®It is a sign.¡¯


    The fact that the heavens had brought him a legendary knight was preparation for a greater threat.How many of them were hidden in every corner of Satisfy¡¯s huge world? Grid judged Beniyaru to be on the same level as Mercedes.


    ¡®However, Mercedes has the disadvantage.¡¯


    It was natural asthis was the world tree forest, the home of the elves. Furthermore...


    ¡®Just like me, Mercedes doesn¡¯t know anything about elementals.¡¯


    It was an unknown power. As Grid watched Beniyaru alternate between the fire and wind elementals, respectively called ¡®Yutan¡¯ and ¡®Sulle¡¯, his regret toward the white phosphorus wood disappeared. At this moment, Grid was purely focused on the enemy in front of him.


    Beniyaru¡¯ ridiculing words entered his ears, ¡°She is a pretty decent human, but you aren¡¯t.¡±


    Elves were ssified as a superior species to humans, like the water n, vampires, and the evil eyes. Beniyaru¡¯s self-esteem as one of the 12 Te was extremely high. (TL: Te= a one-word character that has multiple meanings, none of which seem to fit. I¡¯ve decided to just trante it literally)


    A human was just an oddity from her point of view. She didn¡¯t like that the weak male was looking at her with challenging eyes.


    ¡°Yutan, Sulle.¡±


    The elementals were the symbol of the elves¡¯ strength.Among them, there were only 15 elves who had two or more elementals. They were the 12 Te and three kings.


    ¡°Help me.¡±


    The bowstring Beniyaru pulled back was surrounded by mes. Suddenly, a wind blew from the south, and Grid¡¯s hair moved. Then Beniyaru let go of the bowstring. The fire arrow elerated with the wind and reached Grid.


    ¡°How dare you?!¡± Mercedes was moving even before Beniyaru fired the bow. Her sword appeared before Grid and cut the two arrows. A huge explosion urred. Mercedes¡¯ leather armor was swept up in the explosion and became rags.


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Mercedes was furious as her milky-white shoulders were exposed. If an elf were killed here, wouldn¡¯t the diplomatic rtionship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the elves bepletely impossible? Mercedes wasn¡¯t concerned about this and revealed her power.She had no intention of forgiving Beniyaru for attacking her king.


    However, Grid acted before she did. As he entered the ckening state, he stepped across in front of Mercedes and arrived before Beniyaru.


    ¡°Trivial thing!¡± Beniyaru hated both humans and demonkin. From her point of view, the ckened Grid was an uneptable existence. Her fire and wind elementals responded to her rage, causing her body to be surrounded by a burning vortex. It was a powerful shield that couldn¡¯t be pierced with ordinary physical and magic forces. The shield was also a weapon that swallowed up nearby objects.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Then just as Mercedes was wrapping her silver wings around Grid to protect him, lightning struck.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t the sky clear a little while ago? The elves¡¯ gazes headed to the sky and saw apletely grey sky peeking through the thick leaves of the forest. Grid whispered to Mercedes who was holding him, ¡°You should get far away if you don¡¯t want to be hurt.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A knight who existed for her master was told to get away? Mercedes was about to refuse, only for her eyes to widen as she hastily escaped. This was because she detected an unfamiliar energy from the sky. It was almost as if...


    ¡®Astaroth?¡¯


    Demonic lightning bolts were aimed at the feet or heads of the elves.


    ¡°What...?!!¡±


    Beniyaru¡¯s ward was knocked down with a single blow.She was confused by the transcendent power and tried to escape using the power of the wind elemental. However, her body was heavy as the storm was holding her down. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s body was infinitely lighter. ¡°You won¡¯t die from this much right? Let¡¯s talk after this. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    He wanted to talk...?


    A ferocious attack mangled Beniyaru¡¯s body while the other elves became rags due to the thunderbolts falling from the sky. Rain and lightning bolts fell onto the middle of the forest.


    [The title ¡®One who Made the Elves Surprised¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [The elves feel awe toward you.]


    [The elves aren¡¯t hostile to you.]


    Consequently, Grid gave a good impression on his first time meeting another species. And...


    ¡°Strong...!¡± Mercedes was unable to close her mouth from outside the storm. Then she finally remembered. Her new master was the first Hero King born in hundreds of years!

 Chapter 817

    ckening had been strengthened by Grid¡¯s rapid increase in demonic power during the Eternal War.After all his efforts, he managed to create Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle with the effect of the title Watched by the Gods. In addition, fighting energy had started to umte around him from the moment the elves appeared. Finally, there was the Weakened Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s Power.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    In the heavy pouring rain and the demonic lightning, Beniyaru hesitated. Her pupils, which could be seen beyond her disheveled white hair, were trembling.


    ¡®How did this happen?¡¯


    It felt terrible to experience it personally. One of the 12 Te...One of the noble elves of the 12 families was forced to kneel before a human...?It left a big blot on the name of ¡®Te¡¯, which meant to protect.


    ¡°Did you sell your soul to the great demons?¡±Beniyaru¡¯s gaze was filled with strong hostility as she red at Grid. Her problem wasn¡¯t with Grid¡¯s demonic energy. Demonic energy wasn¡¯t unique since countless people obtained it from ck magic or artifacts in the past. However, this field was different.It was an ability that raised a storm filled with lightning demonic energy. This was a force reminiscent of a monarch of hell!


    ¡°Wicked human...! You joined hands with a great demon to invade the territory of the elves! Isn¡¯t there a limit to your greed?¡± Beniyaru¡¯s sharp voice, which was filled with mana, prated through the storm. If Grid was an ordinary yer, it was likely that the flow of his mana would¡¯ve been disturbed and he would¡¯ve suffered from all types of status conditions.


    However, Grid stood firmly in ce.¡°Why are you always jumping to conclusions?¡±


    The rain stopped, and the sky which could be seen through the lush leaves was now cleared up. Grid couldn¡¯t handle therge mana consumption, so he stopped using Storm Demonic Energy Field. This caused Beniyaru to misunderstand.¡®Is he saving his strength? Didn¡¯t he want to kill us?¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t good news. Despair filled Beniyaru¡¯s face. ¡°You...! You intend to sell us to vers!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The elves were truly narrow-minded toward humans. It was a biased negative view.Despite her strong force, Beniyaru seemed to be a coward.


    Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with pity as he looked at her. Beniyaru believed her thoughts to be true, so Grid didn¡¯t me her or feel frustrated. He actually felt pity because he was reminded of his past self.


    ¡°The reason for your twisted personality isn¡¯t just your own problem. I think you have been greatly hurt by humans.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid¡¯s kind voice caused Beniyaru to shake. She was dumbfounded for a moment before shaking her head again, filling it with hostility toward her enemy. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you understand when you don¡¯t know anything about us. I don¡¯t need gentle expressions or sweet whispers. I will never be deceived, no matter how you try to fool us!¡±


    ¡°Ah, what a mess.¡±


    It was almost impossible to have a conversation with the elves, much like talking to a wall. This was a reality that would disappoint the many yers dreaming about meeting a beautiful elf. However, Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. After all, he hadn¡¯te here to meet the elves.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not speak for too long. Listen up. I will state my position.¡±


    Hearing Grid¡¯s domineering tone, Beniyaru and the other elves gulped. The tender skin of the female elves could be seen through the clothes made from woven leaves. They were afraid of the terrible sentence the human would hand down to them.


    ¡°First, I will introduce myself.I am Overgeared King Grid. I am a descendant of the legendary Pagma and the king of a human kingdom. I have not made a contract with a great demon. I used a power that I got in exchange for killing the great demon.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Then Grid came forward and said, ¡°The reason I came to this ce was to hunt the bear-wolves. I had no idea that this was your territory. I¡¯m sorry if my actions frightened you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hostile to you in the future. As a king, I have an obligation to lead exchanges with other species in a positive direction. You can keep feeling doubtful and being wary. Just let me stay for a while to hunt.¡±Grid was calm after introducing himself, and he shifted his gaze to the clear sky.


    It was due to the way that the elves were dressed. They were half-naked with only a few leaves covering their important parts. Grid didn¡¯t have the courage to gaze at them from the front. He didn¡¯t want to be mistaken as a pervert in his first encounter with the elves or for distorted rumors to spread.


    His decisive yet innocent appearance caused Beniyaru and the other elves to lower their guards slightly.


    ¡°Legend... I see. That transcendent force is convincing if you are a legend. Is she a legend like you?¡± Beniyaru¡¯s gaze shifted to Mercedes. Mercedes was still staring at Beniyaru because she couldn¡¯t forgive any attacks on Grid.


    Grid grabbed Mercedes¡¯ hand to calm her down. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. She is also a legend.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± In the end, Beniyaru was convinced of her defeat. She had no idea about the Pagma that Grid mentioned, but she knew about Povia. Povia was a child born between a human and an elf. She was a poor child who had lived an unhappy life without belonging to any society, until she achieved transcendent power and became a legend.


    ¡°...The legend that I knew was a sublime presence. You are credible. Okay. You can¡¯t be seen as a normal human. I will trust your words. As one of the 12 Te, I give you permission to stay here for a while. The bear-wolves are also a threat to us elves. It isn¡¯t bad if you hunt them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°However, don¡¯t go too deep into the forest. Your actions will be limited to this area.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grid answered readily.


    Meanwhile, Mercedes was embarrassed. She stared at Grid¡¯s big hand that had wrapped around hers and whispered hurriedly, ¡°Your Majesty, this is the perfect opportunity to peek into the elves¡¯ society and discuss future rtionships with them. Are you going to miss this chance?¡±


    The elves¡¯ archery was even more spectacr than what was recorded in history. It was clear that the elementals were beyond their expectations. Mercedes thought that the Overgeared Kingdom and the elves should develop a good rtionship.Of course, Grid was the same.¡°I know, but look at their attitudes. If we rush our approach now, they will just raise their vignce. We shouldn¡¯t be hasty. Another chance wille someday.¡±


    This was a situation where rushing it wouldn¡¯t end well.Grid had learned patience from numerous experiences.


    ¡°I think it is great enough just being able to stay in the elves territory.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Since the king had already decided, Mercedes didn¡¯t sit down anymore.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± Grid made a happy expression and pulled out his broken furnace and hammer. First of all, he would start with the repairs. However, the darkness of the forest disturbed him. It was so dark that any delicate work seemed impossible.


    ¡°The trees grow so thickly that the sun isn¡¯t shining through well...¡± Grid hammered for a while before stopping and looking around the forest. All types of trees and bushes were growing wildly. The elves loved nature, so it was the aftermath of neglecting to control the trees and bushes.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid had nted small maple trees, persimmon trees, and plum trees in his garden after building the penthouse.As such, he was familiar with pruning and could observe that the condition of the forest wasn¡¯t that great.


    He pointed to a giant tree in front of him where the surface was torn and said, ¡°If you really care about the trees, you should prune them. The trees that grow indiscriminately have be intertwined with each other and are deformed. No sunlight can pass through, so the moss growing near the roots are deprived of nutrients, making them vulnerable to pests and diseases.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Beniyaru and the elves were embarrassed as Grid started preaching to them. They couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s words properly.


    ¡°Pruning? Pests? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°A helping hand is needed to make the forest healthier.¡±


    ¡°What type of sophistry is this? Nature is perfect when it exists as it is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to know human subjects!¡±


    There was a bacsh from the elves. However, Beniyaru was different. She could see the glimpse of an old friend in Grid.


    ¡®He is saying the same thing as Povia...¡¯


    Povia had imed to have learned human knowledge from her human parent, yet the elves hadughed at her. Many people had ridiculed the pathetic half-breed, andBeniyaru had been one of them. She waved her hand, thinking she should believe in Grid. This was atonement for Povia. So, Beniyaru decided to make a request. ¡°You... Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Can I hand over management of the forest to you?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Grid was panicked over the sudden proposal.


    Beniyaru bowed to him. ¡°I think there is enough evidence for your argument. I would like to ask you to do the pruning.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    One of the elves, who were famous for their pride, was bowing down to a human while making a request...? Moreover, this was an elf who had tried to harm him just a little while ago! Mercedes¡¯ eyes widened as she stared at Grid, impressed by his greatness.¡®His Majesty intended all of this!¡¯


    Mercedes was ignorant about nts and didn¡¯t know anything about this situation, but it was obvious that Grid was the one driving this situation. Grid started sweating as Mercedes¡¯ shining gaze focused on him.¡®No, what...¡¯


    [Tend to the Elven Forest]


    [Difficulty: A


    Beniyaru, one of the 12 guardians who defend the elves, has a request for you.


    She wants you to make this forest beautiful!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Prune 2,000 trees (0/2000)


    Quest Clear Reward: Affinity with the entire elf species will increase by 20. Leaves of the World Tree (20), Fruits of the World Tree (5).


    Quest Failure: Your rtionship with the elves will be hostile.]


    ¡°...I¡¯m not a gardener.¡±


    Yes, Grid was a cksmith. So, why did he receive quest meant for a gardener? Grid hade here for equipment and to level up. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste time pruning 2,000 tree branches.


    ¡®How hard will it be to strike the trees?¡¯


    This quest should be rejected! Grid wanted to shout out loud.


    However, the quest reward was the problem.The leaf of the world tree that he had given to Sticks was a panacea. Grid was intensely curious about what effect the fruit of the world tree would have, since it seemed more precious. Additionally, the increased affinity with the elves was also crucial.


    ¡®Why...?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t ept or refuse the quest.It was because one person passed through his mind.


    ¡®Piaro!¡¯


    He was a legendary farmer who knew crops!Maybe Piaro had also specialized in the management of other nts, including trees? Grid thought of this and immediately used Knights Summoning. The legendary farmer and the elves¡ªthis would be the first meeting between people who cherished nature.


    Had Piaro thought his king was in danger? Piaro had felt anxious and immediately responded to the summoning.


    ¡°Elves...¡±He faced the elves while holding a hand plow and sickle in his hand. The elves sniffed him, and their faces became flushed.


    ¡°A wonderful man...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The smell of soil around Piaro¡¯s body struck the elves¡¯ emotions.It was fortunate for Grid.¡°Okay. From now on, I will make armor while Mercedes will eat honey. Meanwhile, Piaro will prune the branches with the elves.¡±


    Grid¡¯s method of handling things wasn¡¯t wrong. In the first ce, subordinates were meant to be used. However, Grid¡¯s subordinates were a legendary farmer and legendary knight...

 Chapter 818

    The branches, which were longer than humans, were as threatening as sharp des, while the lush and overgrown foliage interfered with one¡¯s vision. The giant trees eagerly reached for the sky. Was there anyone who wouldn¡¯t feel reverence when standing before this scene? They would feel so overwhelmed that they couldn¡¯t breathe.


    However, Piaro was a legend.Nature was familiar to him as he immersed himself in the fields. The clean air and nature stirred up his mind and body.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean you up!!¡± Piaro yelled as he moved like a flying squirrel between the trees. Every time Belial¡¯s sickle moved through the air, the branches of the giant trees fell to the ground.It took less than 10 minutes for a giant tree to be trimmed neatly.


    Grid¡¯s expectations were met. The legendary farmer had a high understanding of nts as a whole, giving him spectacr pruning skills. His hands gave life to the trees.


    [Your subordinate, Piaro, haspleted the pruning. (1/2,000)]


    ¡°Well done!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Grid started hammering a metal te on top of the hole in the portable furnace. It was a move that was more reminiscent of a drunk soldier dancing.


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯


    In the case of quests that required hunting a certain number of monsters, those killed by his party members who epted the quest and his pets would also count. So, Grid had thought about it. Why did he need to do the pruning himself? Couldn¡¯t he get his pets or subordinates to clear the quest for him?


    His idea was reasonable and actually came true. Thanks to the legendary farmer, Grid was able to proceed with the pruning quest much faster than if he did it on his own.


    ¡°Cool...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize there could be a human who is so close to nature and understands nature better than us.¡±


    ¡°Look at how he has be one with nature. He is a few times better than our elves. If I was going to have a baby, I would like to have that man¡¯s children.¡±


    It seemed there hade a day when the noble elves would fall in love with a mere human. The female elves now realized why the species called half-elves existed. Their eyes were wet as they watched Piaro prune a tree. Mercedes felt a strange pride. ¡®This is the attraction of a true hero that transcends even species. Piaro is truly amazing.¡¯


    He was indeed the person she admired. Mercedes dipped a finger into the honey and licked it. She seemed to be the most leisurely one out of Grid¡¯s group. During a time when she should be protecting her king, she was actually eating honey?Anyone who didn¡¯t know the situation would misunderstand Mercedes if they saw this scene. However, Mercedes had her own troubles.


    ¡®I have to eat sparingly.¡¯


    The Media Mountain honey¡ªthis expensive honey that Grid was reluctant to eat was extremely fragrant and sweetpared to the premium honey Mercedes had tasted previously. It was so fresh that she could keep eating without getting tired of it. This honey was so delicious that the legendary knight Mercedes felt a desire to eat it indefinitely. Yes, it was hard to resist the honey which had a demon-like temptation.


    Lick...


    She wanted to eat it all at once! Mercedes looked more beautiful than usual as she barely suppressed this intense desire, taking a little bit of honey with her fingertips and bringing it to her tongue. Grid stared at her nkly while hammering and realized, ¡®Why haven¡¯t I seen a bear-wolf yet?¡¯


    It had been 20 minutes since Mercedes first started eating the honey. 100ml of honey cost a huge 50 gold.It meant that 60,000 won was wasted on the uselessly expensive honey.


    ¡®Am I going to waste money in vain?¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang! Grid kept hammering as his nervousness reached the peak.


    Lick.


    ¡°Hah... Hah... Y-Your Majesty. It is difficult to endure any longer.¡± The look in Mercedes¡¯ eyes changed. She started breathing hard, and more and more honey began to cover her fingers.


    [Mercedes has entered the ¡®intoxicated¡¯ state.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be resisted even with a legend¡¯s passive resistance. This was the terrifying power of expensive honey!


    ¡°N-No...! My money...!¡± Grid screamed as 60,000 won worth of honey was about to enter Mercedes¡¯ stomach at once.


    Did his desperate cry reach the heavens?


    Kwaaaaah!


    Finally, a bear-wolf that Grid had been waiting for so long showed up.


    [The bear-wolf is enticed by the sweet scent!]


    [The atrocious cry incites fear in all those who hear it!]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The cry of an atrocious beast has filled the ears of those scattered throughout the forest. If you can¡¯t hunt the bear-wolf within five minutes, a new bear-wolf will pop up! Be careful! The bear-wolves have excellent collective hunting ability and will be stronger as their numbers increase!]


    ¡°Hah!¡± A smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he sighed with relief. As soon as an enemy appeared, Mercedes recovered from the intoxicated state. She licked the honey on her hand without swallowing all of it and pulled out a shield with her other hand. The bear-wolf leaped with a wolf¡¯s nimble body and struck Mercedes with a big paw that was reminiscent of a bear. Mercedes blocked it with a shield and took two steps back.


    Grid, Mercedes, and Piaro, who was pruning the trees, were all surprised.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this strength equivalent to an ogre¡¯s?¡¯


    At this point, it was difficult to ssify the bear-wolf as a normal monster. If Grid couldn¡¯t hunt the bear-wolf within five minutes, a new bear-wolf would pop up. Grid had been d about being able to save the honey by hunting the bear-wolves slowly, but now it wasn¡¯t a positive message.


    ¡°The bear-wolves are also a threat to the elves!¡± Beniyaru¡¯s shout rang out. She felt a great affinity toward Piaro and was concerned about Grid¡¯s party.


    It was an urgent atmosphere. Grid was a bit embarrassed as he shouted the name of the skill, ¡°C-Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    ck! ck ck!


    Two skeletons rose from the ground.They were Overgeared Skeletons One and Two.


    ¡°Undead!¡±


    The bear-wolf didn¡¯t respond to the skeletons, but the elves were different.The elves, who adored nature, disliked the undead that went against the providence of nature. As such, they aimed their bows at the Overgeared Skeletons reflexively.


    ¡°These children aren¡¯t bad undead, they are good undead,¡± Piaro exined as he jumped down from a tree. There was no basis for his argument.Undead were undead. What was a good undead and bad undead? It wasn¡¯t logical at all. Yet the elves were persuaded to believe it.Words from those they respected were the most powerful thing in the world.


    What would happen if an ugly man talked to a beautiful school junior? He could be called a molester. Then what if a handsome man was nice to the junior? They were likely to directly be a couple. It was simr to this.


    ¡°I see. They are good undead!¡±


    ¡°I looked again, and their appearance is really good!¡±


    Haha, hoho! Piaro and the elves formed a cheerful atmosphere. Piaro was surrounded by a flower field, and this was a pleasant feeling for any man. Moreover, the elves had a much milder attitude than usual.


    ¡®Is he going to marry an elf?¡¯


    There had already been the precedent with Povia.Marriage between humans and elves wasn¡¯t impossible. It was good to see the affinity the elves had toward Piaro due to theirmon love of nature. Grid began to imagine it. If Piaro married the elves, an alliance between the elves and the Overgeared Kingdom would be born...


    ¡°No, now isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about this.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ small shield cracked as she defended against the bear-wolf¡¯s paws. After leaving the empire, the equipment Mercedes used was terrible as they were what she had used during the days when Piaro was a captain.The level of the sword, shield, armor, boots, and gloves she used were all in the 200s. It was a level that would cause any poor man in the army to tremble.


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡± Randy was summoned after the Overgeared Skeletons. He fought the bear-wolf and was blown back. The good news was that the Overgeared Skeletons were still safe. The bear-wolves ignored them because their low-level attacks couldn¡¯t prate the bear-wolf¡¯s leather at all. It didn¡¯t care even when it was attacked by the skeletons.


    In fact, the damage that the Overgeared Skeletons dealt to the bear-wolf was fixed at 1 damage. Not only did the bear-wolf¡¯s defense power exceed the attack power of the Overgeared Skeletons, the gap between their levels was overwhelmingly great.


    As such, Mercedes¡¯ role became even more important. It would take at least 20 minutes to umte damage on the bear-wolf to the extent that the Overgeared Skeletons gained experience points. In the meantime, Mercedes had to steadily endure the bear-wolf¡¯s attacks as well as avoid the attacks of the new bear-wolves that appeared.


    However, was that even possible? Mercedes¡¯ shield was about to break. It would be too risky for her to fight with just her swords if her shield broke. Grid couldn¡¯t let that happen and opened his inventory.The item he took out was the World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger that he had designed with Sword Saint Kraugel.


    ¡°Mercedes!¡±


    The usage condition of the White Tiger Sword was that the user had to be one of the top three rankers in each ss capable of using a sword-type weapon. Could Mercedes meet this condition?Of course, Grid thought she could meet it. She was a legendary knight and would naturally be judged as the top ranker of her ss.


    It was as he expected. Mercedes caught the sword Grid threw over to her. She blocked the bear-wolf¡¯s paw with her shield without looking, while she examined the White Tiger Sword. Then Mercedes got goosebumps. It was the aftermath of examining the White Tiger Sword with her insightful eyes. The small shield could no longer endure the impact of the bear-wolf¡¯s paw and cracked, splitting apartpletely.


    Kwaaaaah! The bear-wolf roared as it swung its sharp ws. However, its ws couldn¡¯t reach Mercedes¡¯ face. Instead, the White Tiger Sword struck the bear-wolf¡¯s abdomen.Simultaneously, a stone pir rose and hit the bear-wolf¡¯s big body. The pir was several hundred kilograms heavy and caused the bear-wolf¡¯s body to fly up five meters.


    ¡°Unbelievable...!¡± Mercedes was amazed by the power of the divine sword which couldn¡¯t be seen even in legends. Grid¡¯s voice entered her ears, ¡°I congratte you on bing a legendary overgeared knight, Mercedes.¡±


    A product of the worst naming sense, which would¡¯ve caused someone else to cry, made a stir in Mercedes¡¯ heart.


    ¡®Legendary overgeared knight...¡¯


    She was an overgeared knight of the Overgeared King. Mercedes felt a strong sense of belonging, and her loyalty to Grid increased even further. She was now a real member of the Overgeared Kingdom.

 Chapter 819

    The bear-wolves were gray wolves with a lot of fur, and they had a body length of around three meters. The first impression one would have of a bear-wolf was that it was a very threatening ¡®big wolf¡¯. However, people would soon realize this was a big misunderstanding after seeing its thick paws.The bear-wolf wasn¡¯t just about size. The destructive power of its paws was more like that of a bear.


    The bear-wolf was struck by the White Tiger Sword¡¯s pir and flew up five meters.At first, it was confused by the power and instinctually rotated into a position to gain eleration. This was a near explosive move. The bear-wolf borrowed the power of gravity, and its hundreds of kilograms fell toward Mercedes¡¯ face. It was an instant cast skill that couldn¡¯t be avoided by humans or even elves.


    However, Mercedes avoided it with rtive ease. Her insight and experiences allowed her to read the attack easily. Therefore, she narrowly avoided the bear-wolf¡¯s linked skills.


    ¡°...!¡±


    As Mercedes avoided it, the bear-wolf used the wolf¡¯s agility to ce a paw on the ground and did a wheel spin. The perfect conversion of the bear-wolf¡¯s missed attack aimed at the defenseless Mercedes. Mercedes sensed the attackte, so she gave up on counter-attacking and instead secured a safe distance away from the bear-wolf.


    Grrrr...


    Perhaps it was to gain leverage to leap forward...? The bear-wolf bent forward with its chest close to the ground.


    ¡®I think it will spin.


    Mercedes recalled the bear-wolf¡¯s body structure and agility, using it to predict the power of the next attack.She held the White Tiger Sword in one hand and another sword in the other. This was the moment when the legendary knight went all out against a monster.


    Ttang!Ttang! Grid couldn¡¯t hide his embarrassment as he almost finished repairing the portable furnace.


    ¡°What type of monster is that?¡±


    Grid imagined himself in the situation that Mercedes had just been in.He might¡¯ve been able to avoid the first strike, but he likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the pivoted paw that followed immediately afterward and would be thrown into the air. Grid would¡¯ve ended up being battered.


    ¡®Kraugel wasn¡¯t exaggerating.¡¯


    Sword Saint Kraugel had called the bear-wolf ¡®strong¡¯ and said that they wouldn¡¯t be easy to hunt. How could a field mob be a threat? Grid had jokingly thought this at the time. However, he now realized it was true. If Grid hadn¡¯t brought Mercedes here, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to raise the level of his Overgeared Skeletons alone. He wouldn¡¯t be able to control the Overgeared Skeletons while hunting the bear-wolves at the same time.


    Beniyaru¡¯s admiring murmur entered his ears, ¡°Going up against an ancient species...¡±


    ¡°Ancient species?¡±


    ¡°I am referring to beasts or organisms that have been present since the beginning of the world tree¡¯s existence. The bear-wolves are one of them. The damage they suffered during the elves¡¯ thousands of years of history hasn¡¯t been severe, but for a human to be facing them...¡±


    One person was dealing with the bear-wolf alone. She even seemed to have room to breathe.


    ¡®Truly a legend...¡¯Beniyaru was reminded of the half-elf Povia, the legendary archer. Then Beniyaru returned to her senses when she heard the bear-wolf¡¯s piercing scream. The bear-wolf had started spinning like a spinning top. It had expected to mangle Mercedes with its sharp ws, only for the situation to reverse. As its front paws were pierced by Mercedes¡¯ twin swords, the bear-wolf howled. The White Tiger Sword¡¯s rapidly rising weight pushed down on the bear-wolf¡¯s heavy body.


    [There will be a one-second penalty in the recovery of the White Tiger Sword.]


    This was the moment when the fatal disadvantage of the White Tiger was revealed.Mercedes couldn¡¯t retrieve the White Tiger Sword that was pressing on the bear-wolf. At this moment...


    ¡°Haaap!¡± Mercedes¡¯ two swords shone. She swung the other sword in her hand, leaving the White Tiger Sword in the bear-wolf. Then just as she was about to deal the finishing blow, she stopped. Mercedes was reminded of her mission. Her role was to attract the bear-wolf¡¯s attention, not hunt it. The finishing blow...


    ck!ck ck!


    That was for Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons to do. They unleashed an onught on the bear-wolf but the damage naturally wasn¡¯t high. The Overgeared Skeletons only decreased the bear-wolf¡¯s health by one, while Randy turned into Grid but could only deal damage in the thousands.


    The bear-wolf jumped up, not even seeing the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy who were sticking close to it. It only rushed at Mercedes. This was like watching a bullfighter and a bull. As requested by Grid, Mercedes¡¯ drew the wolf¡¯s aggro.


    Ttang!Ttang! The repair of the portable furnace wasing to an end. Grid determined that the bear-wolf didn¡¯t have much health left and began shouting orders, ¡°Okay! Go!¡±


    He was looking forward to the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy getting experience.In particr, he wondered what would happen once the Overgeared Skeletons reached level 100. Would their stats awaken like yers? Additionally, would there be the concept of a promotion like how ordinary skeletons might be skeleton warriors or magicians? Grid had extremely high expectations for the Overgeared Skeletons.


    There was a loud noise as forest trees broke and copsed. At first, it was hundreds of meters away. Then it got closer and closer. A giant tree behind Mercedes fell down, and a new bear-wolf appeared. It pushed through all the trees in its way with extremely developed shoulder muscles and swung its paws at Mercedes.


    Only five minutes had passed since the first bear-wolf appeared.It was okay up to here. Mercedes handled the first and second bear-wolves without much difficulty. She grabbed the aggro with constant damage, allowing the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy to concentrate on hunting. However, the situation became somewhat urgent after the third bear-wolf appeared.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The three bear-wolves acted together like systematically trained soldiers.They attacked Mercedes relentlessly from every direction, and she was wounded for the first time. The bear-wolves became stronger every time their number increased. Still, Grid wasn¡¯t worried. He believed in the legendary knight.


    ¡°White Tiger¡¯s Attitude.¡± Mercedes used the skill of the White Tiger Sword at 100%.


    [White Tiger¡¯s Attitude]


    [Acquires the attitude of the White Tiger.


    Attack power and movement are reduced by 80% and defense is increased by 198%.


    Skill Mana Cost: 17 per second.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    The now more durable Mercedes endured the pincer attacks of the three bear-wolves. Her swordsmanship was optimized for defense. Grid finally finished repairing the portable furnace and put the white phosphorus wood inside. Then the temperature rose.


    [You have defeated a bear-wolf.]


    It happened when the fourth bear-wolf appeared. In other words, the first bear-wolf turned to grey 20 minutes after it appeared. The rewards far exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations.


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton One has risen!]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton One has risen...]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton One...]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton One...]


    ......


    ......


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton Two has risen!]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton Two has risen...]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton Two...]


    [The level of Overgeared...]


    ......


    ......


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s level has risen!]


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s level has risen...]


    ......


    The Overgeared Skeletons gained a huge 14 levels while Randy gained three levels! Was that all?


    [39,000,100 experience has been acquired.]


    As the master of Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons, Grid also gained experience. It was only a fraction of the experience, but it was still a considerable amount.


    ¡®It is worth the long hunt.¡¯


    This was as expected of the hunting ground Kraugel rmended. Gridmanded Mercedes, ¡°Keep the number of bear-wolves to two!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In any case, the bear-wolves constantly appeared every five minutes. There was no need to y with three or more bear-wolves at the same time. Mercedes received Grid¡¯s order and showed her power for the first time. The ground around Mercedes shook due to White Tiger¡¯s Cry.


    [White Tiger¡¯s Cry Lv. 1]


    [Creates an earthquake with a radius of 5 meters.


    All objects within range are subjected to a ¡®loss of bnce¡¯ status and a 13% reduction in defense, evasion, and uracy. If the target is using a spell or skill, casting is forcibly canceled.


    Mana Consumption: 1,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.]


    The bear-wolves stumbled!They wanted to resist the loss of bnce with their innate athleticism, but Mercedes didn¡¯t miss this gap.A storm of sword energy swallowed up the bear-wolves.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid watched Mercedes¡¯ movements.He intended to design an armor and shield optimized for her.However, there was something he had to make sure of first.


    ¡°Mercedes!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Collect all the loot from the bear-wolves and give them to meter!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The bear-wolves¡¯ cries kept echoing through the forest as the hunt continued. Grid¡¯s experience increased by 0.5% and the Overgeared Skeletons reached level 100 even though Grid wasn¡¯t involved in hunting at all! Then...


    [Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have received their first stats awakening!]


    The Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ stats were awakened at level 100, just like the yers¡¯. Furthermore...


    [Overgeared Skeletons One and Two can be upgraded. Please select the desired ss.]


    Upgrades were also avable.Grid¡¯s expectations for the Overgeared Skeletons were perfectly met. What would be the secondary sses of the in skeletons? Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he looked excitedly at the ss list rising in front of him.


    ck!ck ck!


    Were they aware of their own growth? Overgeared Skeletons One and Two were also excited. They held hands with each other and danced around.

 Chapter 820

    [Overgeared Skeletons One and Two can be upgraded. Please select the desired ss.]


    The Overgeared Skeletons had reached level 100! Grid stopped for a moment after identifying that they could be upgraded. His extremely excited heart burned much hotter than his skin, which had been heated by the white phosphorus wood.


    ¡®Can they be a skeleton warrior or mage?¡¯


    Skeleton -> skeleton warrior -> skeleton knight -> death knight, dark knight, or reaper.


    Or skeleton-> skeleton mage-> skeleton general general-> lich.


    These were the evolution patterns of ordinary undead. Grid¡¯s idea that a skeleton warrior and skeleton mage would appear in the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ upgrade list was usible.


    ¡°Huhuhu...¡± A wide smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he thought about Overgeared Skeleton One being reborn as a death knight and Overgeared Skeleton Two being born as a lich. Extremely excited, he called Overgeared Skeletons One and Two to him.


    ck!ck ck!


    They were skeletons with a temperament and were like dogs or cats that followed people well. cking as they moved to follow Grid¡¯s call, the puppies came running.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see.¡±Grid faced the Overgeared Skeletons with a warm expression and touched the golden exmation marks above their heads.


    [Possible ss list for the Overgeared Skeletons One and Two.]


    The list of sses he could choose from popped up.It was a list that would trample Grid¡¯s expectations.


    [Possible ss List for Overgeared Skeleton One]


    [1. Skeleton Miner


    2. Skeleton Dancer


    3. Skeleton Destroyer]


    [Possible ss List for Overgeared Skeleton Two]


    [1. Skeleton Miner


    2. Skeleton Dancer


    3. Skeleton Restorer.]


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t this crazy?¡±


    Where were the skeleton warrior and the mage?What were miner and dancer? Grid doubted his eyes and started rubbing them. However, the list of possible sses for the Overgeared Skeletons didn¡¯t change. It wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    ¡°Why does this always happen to me...?¡±


    No, it didn¡¯t make sense. The undead... Why was there a miner and dance on their list of advancement sses?


    ¡°This is a joke...!¡± Grid¡¯s entire body shook and he gritted his teeth as his mind entered a state of extreme anger. However, it was only for a moment.Grid checked up on Mercedes and Randy, who were dealing with the bear-wolves alone after the Overgeared Skeletons came over to him. Mercedes was worried that the Overgeared Skeletons wouldn¡¯t get enough experience, so she only defended. This made Grid concerned about her stamina, and he regained his calm.


    ¡®Calm down.¡¯ Grid took deep breaths and looked at the ss information of the Overgeared Skeletons.


    [Skeleton Miner]


    [The Overgeared Skeletons were forced into mining by their master and have the qualities of a miner. They are likely to be rtively good miners.]


    [Skeleton Dancer]


    [The Overgeared Skeletons dance every time the wind blows and loves dancing. It is still weak but they have the quality of a dancer.


    ¡°...There is a reason for everything.¡±


    Grid found out why miner and dancer were included in the ss list and regretted the past. If only he hadn¡¯t made the Overgeared Skeletons mine... If only he hadn¡¯t forced the Overgeared Skeletons to be blown by the wind, making them dance...


    ¡®...No, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything.¡¯


    In the end, Grid decided for the unique sses of the Overgeared Skeletons to be destroyer and restorer. Based on their names, they seemed to be unusual sses.


    ¡®They might be better than ordinary sses like warrior or mage...!¡¯Grid gulped.


    Anticipation once again filled the depths of his heart.


    [Skeleton Destroyer]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has a history of destroying Overgeared Skeleton Two, giving it the ability to deal deadly wounds to the undead.


    Even a death knight should be vignt in front of the skeleton destroyer.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Skeleton Restorer]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has been destroyed several times by Overgeared Skeleton One, using its high intelligence to learn a technique to quickly restore broken bones using mana.


    It can be seen as a skeleton healer.


    The presence of the skeleton restorer will greatly enhance the duration of skeleton-based undead.]


    ¡°...¡± Grid closed his eyes and several scenes came to mind. One was of Overgeared Skeleton One hitting Overgeared Skeleton Two in the back. Unable to deal with Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s force, Overgeared Skeleton Two had been blown back...


    Why...


    ¡°Why did I let them act like this...?¡±


    That¡¯s right.The destroyer and restorer were also unique sses of the Overgeared Skeletons. They were manifested based on the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ behavioral patterns. Grid got goosebumps.


    ¡®How high is the degree of freedom?¡¯


    The sses were divided based on the growth environment? Wasn¡¯t there more freedom than what was given to yers?


    ¡®These guys are really...¡¯


    They were undoubtedly a super-named type of undead. Grid was feeling convinced of this while Mercedes and Randy continued battling the bear-wolves.


    Mercedes endured the pincer attacks of three bear-wolves with White Tiger¡¯s Attitude, while Randy was assisted by the God Hands.As she waited for the Overgeared Skeletons to join the battle again, Mercedes¡¯ stamina was reduced to a level that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Havinge out together when Randy was summoned, Noe now asked Grid a question, ¡°Master, should I help?¡±


    Grid shook his head.¡°No. You can just rest.¡±


    Noe had ingested arge amount of energy from the thunder stone during the Astaroth raid and evolved, showing a perfect strength. So, it wasn¡¯t urgent to level him up when he could hunt at any time. Noe could level up any time if he wanted. The two things Grid were aiming for in this battle were the growth of the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy, and watching Mercedes fight in order to design a suitable armor for her. As such, there was no reason for Noe to act.


    ¡°Change ss.¡±


    Grid stroked Noe¡¯s soft fur and decided on the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ sses. Overgeared Skeleton One would be a destroyer and Overgeared Skeleton Two a restorer! He had to be careful not to click on miner or dancer by mistake!


    sh!


    Overgeared Skeletons One and Two were surrounded by a bright light, and numerous notification windows popped up.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has been converted to a skeleton destroyer.]


    [The sspensation effect will increase Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s strength and stamina by 10.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has acquired the skill ¡®Bone Cracking¡¯.]


    [Bone Cracking Lv. 1]


    [There is a low probability of destroying materials made of bone (undead, items, structures, etc.).


    Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 seconds]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has been converted to a skeleton restorer.]


    [The sspensation effect will increase Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s intelligence and stamina by 10.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has acquired the skill ¡®Bone Sticking.]


    [Bone Sticking Lv. 1]


    [Restores 20% of a skeleton-based undead¡¯s health. The damaged part of the target will be restored.


    Skill Resources Consumed: 20


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 seconds]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was kind of funny. A skeleton that cracked bones and a skeleton that healed bones...


    ¡®If this continues, will Overgeared Skeleton One keep destroying while Overgeared Skeleton Two bes capable of using wide-area heals?¡¯


    The future Grid would realize how poor his imagination was on this day. However, that was a story for when the Overgeared Skeletons have their second advancement sses.


    Kyak kyak!Kyak!!


    ¡°...!¡± Grid was startled. After changing sses, the Overgeared Skeletons developed a capability to make sounds. Previously, they just moved their jaws, but they could now make kyak kyakughs.


    ¡°Sigh, it is amazing.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a horror movie. How were these guys cute? Grid was still suspicious of Mercedes¡¯ taste and gave an order.


    ¡°Move! Level up!¡±


    Kyak kyak!Kyak!


    Kyak kyak kyak!


    They were really excited. Overgeared Skeletons One and Two rushed toward the bear-wolves and stabbed. Then something amazing happened.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has inflicted 4 damage to the bear-wolf.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has inflicted 2 damage to the bear-wolf.]


    The Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ damage was several times greater than before!


    ¡®This is the power of the stats awakening...!¡¯


    Were damages of 2 and 4 that surprising? Of course, it was.The bear-wolves were presumed to be at least level 400, whereas the Overgeared Skeletons had just achieved level 100.The fact that the huge 300-level difference was slightly ovee suggested one thing.


    ¡®Normal monsters don¡¯t have the concept of stats awakening.¡¯


    Therefore, most monsters were weakpared to their level. The gap between named-grade monsters and ordinary monsters was almost certain to widen as the level increased. Then what about the Overgeared Skeletons, who were super-named monsters?Their level value was astronomical. At level 300 and 400, the Overgeared Skeletons were likely to be more destructive than boss monsters. That possibility was proven right now.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has used the skill ¡®Bone Cracking¡¯.]


    ¡°...!?!?!¡±Grid¡¯s eyes widened. Overgeared Skeleton One stabbed his de deep inside the bear-wolf facing Mercedes.The skill was used as soon as it detected that its de hit the bear-wolf¡¯s bone.


    The aftermath...


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has inflicted 10,500 damage to the bear-wolf!]


    [The bones of the bear-wolf¡¯s lower body have been broken, and the bear-wolf is now permanently paralyzed! The bear-wolf¡¯s stats will drop by 20%!]


    The bear-wolf¡¯s aggro headed toward the Overgeared Skeletons for the first time.The paw of the wounded bear-wolf hit the head of Overgeared Skeleton One. However, it was wishful thinking.


    Kik!Kikikik! This was because Overgeared Skeleton Twoughed at Overgeared Skeleton One before using Bone Sticking.


    Kyak kyak!Kya kya kyak! Confirming that its disappeared head was restored, Overgeared Skeleton Oneughed. Then its hand hit Overgeared Skeleton Two, and Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s head flew off. Overgeared Skeleton Two was forced to remain silent until the cooldown of Bone Sticking ended.


    ¡°...¡± Grid was also silent. He couldn¡¯t open his mouth as he stared at the Overgeared Skeletons with affection.Even the sound of the Overgeared Skeletonsughing started to feel lovely.

 Chapter 821

    The bones were thest bastion of an animal. The skin might be easily damaged by sharpness, but the bones were resistant. However, Overgeared Skeleton One destroyed the bone itself. It was a reaper.


    ¡®I need to make a rapier-type weapon suitable for it!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes were full of affection as he looked at Overgeared Skeleton One, who disabled the bear-wolf that even threatened the elves. The affection Grid disyed was enough to make Noe feel jealous.


    ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t like skeletons. They can¡¯tpare to the best demonic beast of hell.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After all, his affection for Noe was already close to infinity! Grid stroked Noe¡¯s fur while trying hard to calm his heart.


    ¡®Permanent debuffs...!¡¯


    The system clearly said so. Overgeared Skeleton One paralyzed the bear-wolf by destroying the bones of its lower body. The reason was obvious. How could it move with broken bones?


    ¡®This is on the level of a scam.¡¯


    Of course, recovery wasn¡¯t impossible.It was a condition that could be restored immediately with a skill like Bone Sticking. However, how many monsters would have a skill like that? Boss monsters could restore broken bones when recovering, but regr monsters couldn¡¯t escape the Overgeared Skeletons. The yers were also simr.


    ¡®Broken bone¡¯ wasn¡¯t amon condition, so the number of yers who could endure their bones breaking was surprisingly small. Given that damaged bones cost 100 gold to restore, the use of Bone Cracking alone could cause serious damage.


    ¡®Well... the heals of a priest can restore it. So, this isn¡¯t a problem to worry about.¡¯


    Did Grid need help from Overgeared Skeleton One to deal with ordinary monsters and yers?No, Grid alone could handle them. Overgeared Skeleton One was only worthy when going against a more transcendent being. For example...


    ¡®Agnus!¡¯ Grid thought of the mad dog. Agnus, Baal¡¯s Contractor, was a sun-grade yer who pretended to be the king of the living and the dead, and had arge number of liches and death knights. Like Grid, Agnus far transcended the category of a yer and was one of the few opponents who could cause Grid to tense up.Grid had felt both regret and relief when he hadn¡¯t met Agnus while hunting Immortal in the empire. Now, he would no longer feel any fear as long as he had Overgeared Skeleton One!


    ¡®Agnus, where are you hiding now?¡¯Grid¡¯s anger toward Agnus, the head of Immortal and the source of Khan¡¯s death, revived again. The eternal war between Grid and Immortal had yet to end.


    The Overgeared Skeletons continued hunting the bear-wolves. Of course, the speed of the hunt wasn¡¯t very different from before. Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s Bone Cracking skill only had a low chance of activating. So, it was very rare for the Overgeared Skeletons to deal a fatal blow to the bear-wolves.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t worried.He had no doubt that the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ level and skill levels would rise quickly with Mercedes as a bus.


    ¡®I have to give a reward to the bus driver.¡¯


    Before he knew it, the portable furnace reached the temperature he wanted. What material should he make Mercedes¡¯ armor out of...? Fortunately, there was no need for Grid to fret about that as he had the items he acquired when he went to support Valha!


    [Red Knights¡¯ Red Armor]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 599/599 Defense: 501


    * Strength increased by 20%.


    * Two of the wearer¡¯s highest stats will increase by 10%. If strength or intelligence increases at this time, there will be 200 additional attack power. Physical defense will increase by 200. An increase in agility will raise uracy and evasion by 10%.


    * Increases magic resistance in proportion to the wearer¡¯s intelligence.


    * The wearer¡¯s highest level skill will increase by 20%.


    * The cooldown of the wearer¡¯s two lowest level skills will decrease by 10%.


    * Durability and defense will slightly increase when the wearer¡¯s level increases. However, this number is reset when the wearer changes.


    * Unlocks a unique characteristic every time the level increases by 100. This characteristic is permanently maintained.


    A heavy armor made of ck mithril filled with the red energy of the Saharan emperor, ogre bones and rosar tin.


    It increases the armor and strength of the wearer, as well as enhancing their unique ability.


    As an armor given to the Red Knights ranging from 10-30, it is a treasure worthy of stimting the Red Knights.


    Weight: 1,000


    Conditions of Use: A Red Knight.]


    [Lorex¡¯s Red Armor]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 599/599 Defense: 501


    * Strength increased by 20%.


    * Two of the wearer¡¯s highest stats will increase by 10%. If strength or intelligence increases at this time, there will be 200 additional attack power. Physical defense will increase by 200. An increase in agility will raise uracy and evasion by 10%.


    * Increases magic resistance in proportion to the wearer¡¯s intelligence.


    * The wearer¡¯s highest level skill will increase by 20%.


    * The cooldown of the wearer¡¯s two lowest level skills will decrease by 10%.


    * The power of all wide-range skills is increased by 20%.


    * When arge weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 10% and attack speed will increase by 5%.


    * Durability and defense will slightly increase when the wearer¡¯s level increases. However, this number is reset when the wearer changes.


    * Unlocks a unique characteristic every time the level increases by 100. This characteristic is permanently maintained.


    Red armor that has grown with Third Knight Lorex.


    After Lorex¡¯s death, the growth figures for the durability and defense were reset. However, the other unique characteristics remain. The new Red Knight who inherits this armor will be stronger over time.


    Weight: 1,000


    Conditions of Use: A Red Knight.]


    [Lorex¡¯s Large Axe]


    [Durability: 1,000/1,000


    Attack Power: 1,200~1,500


    * 20% drop in attack speed.


    * When attacking more than 10 enemies at once, weapon damage will increase by 3% for 10 seconds. This effect will umte up to 30%, and the duration is reset whenever a damage boost urs.


    * Every time more than 10 enemies are attacked at once, 5,000 health will be recovered.


    A special axe made out of rosar tin, produced for Lorex due to his distinguished military service.


    The more enemies the wearer faces, the more powerful they be.


    Weight: 5,900


    Conditions of Use: Lorex]


    This was the list of items he had gotten from ughtering Lorex and the Red Knights back when he became the Basic Attack King.


    Grid¡¯s knowledge of these items were 100% due to constantly disassembling, assembling, and repairing them.However, he hadn¡¯t used them directly.He might be able to exert a high level of attack power if he used the armor, but its inherent defense was too low. Grid didn¡¯t regret this since he aimed for greater attack power with his swords. He would prefer the guaranteed high defense of Triple Layers over the red armor.


    Mercedes was in a different position. As a legendary knight, she received a correction effect when wearing heavy armor. Rather than make something like Triple Layers which was ssified as chain mail, it was better to boost her potential with the red armor.


    ¡®Moreover, Mercedes is familiar with the red armor since she has been using it until now.¡¯


    This was truly a big issue. Wouldn¡¯t Mercedes¡¯ red armor clearly be better than Lorex¡¯s red armor?It would¡¯ve been perfect if she hadn¡¯t returned it to the empire...


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if the emperor is generous or stingy. If he is going to give her to me, he should give everything.¡¯Grid thought too much!


    He nned to recreate the red armor and axe all in one order. The higher the content of the ore, the higher the durability and defense of the armor would be. Of course, there was the problem of the increased weight. However, considering Mercedes¡¯ fighting method, it should be okay.


    ¡®Mercedes¡¯ battle style is simr to mine.¡¯


    Rather than avoiding the target¡¯s attack, she defended and fought back. Mercedes relied on weight for her sword attacks instead of speed.As such, Grid decided that Mercedes¡¯ armor should be in a form that could protect all of her without any gaps, even if her agility was somewhat limited.


    The Overgeared King¡ªa man who had skills that even the gods admired¡ªstarted concentrating deeply.


    The two sets of red armor and therge axe had already melted in the st furnace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the production.¡±


    Inside the elven forest that humans hadn¡¯t entered for hundreds of years:


    Kyak kyak! Skeletons wereughing as the cries of bear-wolves were continuing unabated...


    ¡°Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship 1st style!¡±The legendary knight was fighting...


    ¡°Hahaha! The air is clear!!¡± The legendary farmer was pruning branches...


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! And the legendary cksmith was hammering away.


    It was an unusual sight that no one would believe.


    ***


    ¡°Why did the ward disappear?¡±


    A group of people was entering the forest of the world tree.It was Merchant King Kir and his subordinates. The weighed-down donkeys and carriages made them seem like an ordinary merchant group, but that wasn¡¯t the truth. Among these hundreds of people, Kir was the only one ssified as a merchant.


    Kir spoke to the person who asked about the fully exposed forest, ¡°They probably removed the ward because they knew it was time for me toe back. The stupid naive elves trust mepletely.¡±


    Approximately 10 days ago, Kir had managed to infiltrate the elves¡¯ vige thanks to his sessful act, and he poured the Yatan Essence on the world tree. When the elves witnessed the sudden illness of the world tree, Kir turned the cause of the illness onto the other humans and dered he would retrieve healing medicine for the world tree.


    Today was the day he had promised toe back, and it was currently at the three-hour mark before the Yatan Essence would lose its effect. Kir returned to the world tree. He was very excited about being able to exchange the elves¡¯ treasures for the fake medicine.


    ¡°What about after you get what you want?¡±


    ¡°The elves specialties are the branches, leaves, and fruit of the world tree. If they don¡¯t give all of it... Then isn¡¯t there only one choice?¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, that is good news.¡±


    Kir smiled wickedly and disappeared deep into the forest with his procession.

 Chapter 822

    The shape of the red armor in the furnace was rtively intact, while therge axe started to melt as the melting point of the rosar tin was reached.


    ¡®Just a little bit more.¡¯ Grid gazed at the furnace, not even blinking because he was afraid he might lose the timing.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ He grasped the moment when the big axe was melted down and the shoulders and waist of the red armor started distorting. His tongs went into the st furnace as the generated heat withered the grass and flowers around it.


    ¡°The precious flowers...¡±Some elves made a pained expression. Originally, elves hated human technology because most of the human technology that humans boasted about were damaging to nature.


    Piaro came down from the 1,753rd tree and spoke some nonsense, ¡°We humans are a weak species, unlike you. We can¡¯t survive naked like you and have to depend on technology. It is also nature¡¯s providence. Try to understand humans rather than hate us unconditionally.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the elves expressed their resistance despite their affinity with Piaro. ¡°Human technology evolved just for humans to survive? No, that isn¡¯t it. Didn¡¯t human technology progress to take away things from others and gain what they desire? We hate humans because they are fundamentally greedy. Their greed isn¡¯t the providence of nature. It opposes providence. You are speaking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Piaro was forced tough bitterly as there was nothing wrong with the elves¡¯ words. After all, Piaro had also lived a life of stealing from others and trampling on them. ¡°I see. It was also greedy of me to ask you to understand us.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    ¡°We also know that there are friendly humans. Like our young friend who ising soon... I think we can trust a small number of humans.¡±


    Beniyaru knew that Grid, Mercedes, and Piaro could hurt all the elves currently present.However, they didn¡¯t hurt the elves. Despite the fact that the elves could have killed them, they forgave the elves. They were quite different from the old humans who had burned the elves¡¯ wildnd with their dirty desires, wanting the youth and beauty of the elves.


    ¡°Well... there are many types of people in this world. We might meet many people like you in the future. However, I wasn¡¯t expecting much. We don¡¯t have the capacity to deal with all the treachery and suffering we will face until we meet people like you.¡±


    The events were hundreds of years old, but the wounds that humans had dealt to the elves were still prominent. They were still sore and painful. As such, the elves didn¡¯t want to understand humans or to be understood by humans.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    As darkness started to fall on the forest of the world tree, Grid¡¯s hammering was the only thing heard in the awkward silence.


    The sounds of Mercedes, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons fighting the bear-wolves served as background noise. However, it currently wasn¡¯t as fierce as the first battle because there were only two bear-wolves. Once night approached, no more new bear-wolves appeared.


    Beniyaru exined to the puzzled Mercedes, ¡°The bear-wolves are weak at night. They fall asleep as soon as the sun sinks, and new bear-wolves won¡¯t emerge again until dawn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± The legendary knight was relieved. The continuous battle with the bear-wolves was a challenge for Mercedes. On the other hand, the Overgeared Skeletons were disappointed.Their eyes were like ¡®? ?¡¯ as they looked at the bear-wolves and stabbed.They were eager to continue fighting. After all, they were undead and didn¡¯t have any restrictions on stamina, unlike living creatures.


    ¡®Good!¡¯ Meanwhile, Grid smiled brightly as he ced the two sets of red armor on the anvil and starting hammering. He seeded inpletely separating the ck mithril from the ogre bones and the rosar tin, and the ck iron te shed red. The raw material which made up the inner iron tes of the red armor was ck mithril. A skilled craftsman had processed it into a fine form, but it wasn¡¯t perfect.


    Grid ced the iron tes on the anvil and started the full-scale tempering and forging.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose the unique characteristics of the red armor by damaging the red energy.¡¯


    The iron tes should be further strengthened and shaped to the ideal form. Grid thought this as he hammered repeatedly at constant intervals. Tens of minutes and then hours went by.


    [You are extremely focused, and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has been activated.]


    [You are extremely focused, and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has been...]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath has risen to Lv. 7!]


    ......


    ......


    Grid received apensation effectparable to when he produced the Enlightenment Sword. It wasn¡¯t an effect that could be achieved simply by raising his concentration. He also had to be lucky.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    This was the best start. Grid was filled with joy as his concentration heightened.


    [


    The ck mithril is filled with your fighting energy.]


    ¡°...!!¡± Grid¡¯s fighting energy had been kept at the maximum thanks to Mercedes, Piaro, and Beniyaru. Grid injected the solemn red and purple aura fiercely into the ck mithril.This was the moment when the true value of the ck mithril¡¯s characteristic of having ¡®a high affinity with any form of energy¡¯ was revealed. Now, the iron te made of ck mithril was blinking purple as well as red.


    ¡®Maybe?¡¯


    Would something beyond his expectations be born?


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang...His hammering became stronger as Grid entered a state of nothingness.


    ¡®Is that a human?¡¯The elves¡¯ eyes were wide open as they watched Grid work steadily. They were amazed by Grid¡¯s dexterity and focused concentration. In particr, Beniyaru was greatly shocked.¡®How can a human...?¡¯


    To think that Grid was able to enter a higher spiritual realm than the elves who had lived for hundreds of years and received the protection of nature and the elementals...?It was an area that couldn¡¯t be seen even by the 12 Te.


    ¡®No, won¡¯t it be difficult even for a high elf?¡¯


    What type of life had this human lived?How could he achieve this level in just decades?Beniyaru couldn¡¯t imagine it. Having been trapped in this forest due to old wounds, it was impossible for her to gauge the lives of the heroes living in the present.


    Kyak kyak!


    Thest two remaining bear-wolves were hunted. Then suddenly, the Overgeared Skeletons that were sitting like puppies next to Grid came forward. They picked a t rock and started to hit it with their swords. The Overgeared Skeletons seemed to be copying Grid¡¯s hammering.


    ¡°How lovely.¡±


    ¡°Haha, these guys want to learn from their master.¡±


    Mercedes and Piaro watched the Overgeared Skeletons with warm smiles. The skeletons looked cute as they tried to copy their master. However, this was a desperate situation for Grid. If he hadn¡¯t entered this trance state... he would probably be yelling at the Overgeared Skeletons to stop once he realized that they were copying him.He didn¡¯t want to see ¡®cksmith¡¯ appear in the list of second ss advancement for the Overgeared Skeletons... But what could he do?The water had already been spilled.


    The Overgeared Skeletons copied Grid¡¯s hammering, and their posture soon started to resemble his.


    ......


    The Overgeared Skeletons were silent for once. Now that they became ustomed to the cksmithing itself, they were learning Grid¡¯s ¡®focus.¡¯


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has acquired the skill ¡®Skeleton¡¯s Patience¡¯.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has acquired the skill ¡®Skeleton¡¯s Patience¡¯.]


    These notification windows passed through Grid¡¯s vision.


    Ttang!


    Ttang!


    ¡®Okay. A bit more, a bit more...!¡¯ Grid wasn¡¯t aware of them since he was busy hammering the ck mithril filled with fighting energy. Meanwhile, an elf approached Beniyaru and whispered, ¡°Kir has arrived at the vige.¡±


    ¡°Finally...!¡±


    The world tree¡¯s illness could be cured! The excited Beniyaru told Piaro, ¡°We have to go back to the vige for a while. Will youe with me? I will set aside a ce for you to take a break.¡±


    ¡°I will stay here.¡±


    ¡°Why? It iste at night. There is a possibility that ancient species more threatening than the bear-wolf will show up. It could be dangerous for you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t interfere with Master¡¯s work. I will stay here with him.¡±


    ¡°...It seems like his work will continue until dawn.¡±


    ¡°No, it could take a few days. But what does it matter?¡± Piaro would continue to protect Grid for one hundred years, one thousand years.After speaking, he looked at Mercedes. ¡°Take a break.¡±


    ¡°Then please excuse me. I will take the dawn shift.¡±


    She was once again standing vigil with Piaro...Mercedes was reminded of her training days and became cheerful. After the elves left, Noe and Randy fell asleep. Meanwhile, Piaro and Mercedes slept in shifts as Grid¡¯s work continued.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    In the elves¡¯ vige, the elves¡¯ faces turned rosy as they gathered under the world tree¡ªthe ancient tree that sustained the world. It was because the world treepletely regained its health five minutes after Kir sprinkled on it some water, which he imed was the only holy water that could cure the world tree.


    Well, it was funny to say that the world tree had been in a bad state in the first ce. After all, only a few leaves had turned yellow. However, when those few leaves became brighter again, it made Kir¡¯s im of holy water seem real.


    ¡°Is it Goddess Reba¡¯s holy water?¡±


    Elves didn¡¯t worship gods. The world tree was the only existence they regarded as great and precious. That didn¡¯t mean they denied the existence of the gods. In particr, they had a great liking for Reba, the goddess of light. As Kir exined to the questioning elves, his good appearance, soft voice, and smile gave them confidence.


    ¡®Talking with a merchant will make you bewitched.¡¯One of the famousws of Satisfy was being fully manifested at this moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I rushed to the Vatican and poured out my life savings as a donation.¡±


    ¡°Doing all of this for us...¡±


    ¡°You are my saviors. I will do anything for you. Now, everyone.¡±


    Kir felt the elves¡¯ attention focused on him. Were there no male elves today? Howe men didn¡¯t show upst time either? Kir had these questions in mind as he brought a carriage full of jars toward the elves.


    ¡°I still have a lot of holy water left. Taking it will help your health. Please share a toast with me. Shouldn¡¯t we celebrate the recovery of the world tree?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s make a toast.¡±


    The elves¡¯ health wasn¡¯t a concern like it was for humans. Unlike humans, elves lived for a long time and maintained their youth. In that case, why should they drink the goddess¡¯ holy water? Some of the elves thought of this question, but there was no room for them to think about it.


    Adept at leading the atmosphere, Kir had already gotten all the elves to hold sses in their hands.


    ¡°To the eternal health of the world tree.¡±


    Kir drank the holy water, and most of the elves followed, causing all of them to get poisoned and experience a terrible pain. This was the moment when the merchant Kir, who had dealings with the Yatan Servants, showed off the power of the Yatan Essence he had secured inrge quantities.


    ¡°Kukuk! Kukukuk! Kuhahahahat! Is there anything in the world as easy as deceiving old people who don¡¯t know the world?¡±


    Kir¡¯s nice smile had disappeared. Instead, his evilughter and the screams of the elves, who were now caught by his men, enveloped the vige.

 Chapter 823

    Ttang...Ttang...Ttang...Amidst the smoky gray of dawn, a hammering sound rang out in the serene forest.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a matter to worry about.¡¯ Mercedes shook her head in an effort to shake off her thoughts as she watched Grid sweat at dawn.


    Why did Grid have Lorex¡¯s axe?Who dropped these sets of armor?


    Yesterday, Mercedes witnessed Grid putting the red armor and the big axe into the furnace, and her imagination ran wild. The feelings in her heart becameplicated. However, Mercedes knew that the doubts and anxiety stirring her mind were nothing.After all, the worst things she could imagine had all happened in the past.


    Indeed, she wasn¡¯t in a position to feel angry or betrayed even if Grid turned out to be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant, who had ughtered the Red Knights during the war between the empire and Valha.


    ¡®The empire is a potential enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    After all, the empire had the greatest potential to threaten the survival of the Overgeared Kingdom.It was the same even now.Mercedes couldn¡¯t me Grid for his activities which caused enormous damage to the empire. From Grid¡¯s perspective, they were natural actions. Even if he did deserve to be med for it, Mercedes was now Grid¡¯s knight. She had to understand and embrace Grid¡¯s past, rather than hold it against him.


    There was only one regrettable thing.


    ¡®If Lorex had known about the rtionship between Grid and Piaro...¡¯


    Lorex might not have died. Maybe he would be serving Grid by Mercedes¡¯ side right now. Of course, this theory was meaningless. There were no if¡¯s in history.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t a problem to raise a fuss about.¡¯


    Mercedes was trying to control her heart when her ears heard something.It was a strange sound that came from nearby.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Was it because she was too immersed in her thoughts? It was shameful that she had allowed something to approach in this empty area. The frustrated Mercedes jumped up while rotating at the same time, with her hand holding a sword naturally.Then her sword hit a solid barrier, and a sharp metallic sound entered Mercedes¡¯ ears.


    Sensing the turmoil, Piaro immediately rose from his seat and was startled as he witnessed the sight before him. A huge cave cricket the size of a house was attacking Mercedes.


    It belonged to an ancient species, creatures that had existed since the beginning. Having lost their homes as human societies developed and expanded, they had long since disappeared from the history of humanity. However, they were alive in the world tree¡¯s forest.


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Mercedes was on the defensive.


    The creature had a total of eight legs. Two of them were rtively short front legs, and there were four sharp side legs that were used as a shield and weapon. This gave the creature abat style that was beyond humanprehension. The hunting instincts imprinted on the organism that had survived for tens of thousands of years were beyond measure.


    In the end, Mercedes spread her silver wings and flew into the air in an attempt to free herself from the attacks of the cave cricket. However, the cave cricket¡¯s long and resilient antennae detected Mercedes¡¯ movements in real time.The cave cricket raised its legs and hit Mercedes, causing her to cough up blood as she was blown away.


    ¡°Ku....ock!¡±


    How could a noble knight possibly be hit by an insect?


    However, Mercedes didn¡¯t have such arrogant thoughts.After all, the giant cave cricket was a monster that couldn¡¯t be defined as an insect.


    Its outer shell was harder than a wyvern¡¯s scales, and its strength was higher than that of the bear-wolves in the daytime. Furthermore, its irregr attacks were hard to figure out. Therefore, the difficulty of this confrontation felt like it was on a higher ground. Mercedes wasn¡¯t dealing with an enemy that acted thoughtlessly based on instincts.


    The ground began to sink. It was a phenomenon caused by the giant cave cricket bending its hind legs. As this continued on, the ground caved in around the ce where the cave cricket was bending down.However, at this point, the cave cricket had already jumped high into the sky.


    ¡°Mercedes! Wake up!¡±


    What was this giant leap? Mercedes was staring nkly at the cave cricket high in the sky when Piaro¡¯s shouts entered her ears.


    ¡°Growth!¡±


    The trees that Piaro had been pruning for a day grew rapidly. The branches which had been cut off were restored and covered with lush leaves. Thanks to the sudden growth of the huge trees, the cave cricket couldn¡¯tnd on the ground and struggled among the trees. The giant branches were cut off by the front and side legs of the cave cricket and trampled on by its hind legs.


    Mercedes quickly recovered from her nk state and focused sword energy on her swords, covering them with a white light that shook off the darkness. Meanwhile, Piaro was using Pounding Mortar without hesitation. Simultaneously, a huge object fell from the sky andnded on the body of the cave cricket.


    ¡°Pledge Sword!¡± Mercedes then rushed forward with her silver wings and stabbed the cave cricket¡¯s bulging belly several times. It was a coboration of two legends who had past experiences of destroying great demons.


    However...


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Theirbined power wasn¡¯t enough to destroy the cave cricket. The cave cricket¡¯s weakness was that it was only active at night. Nevertheless, the strength of the cave cricket that had reigned as a supreme predator since the beginning wasparable to a monarch of hell.


    ¡°This thing...¡± Mercedes was stunned for a moment when she noticed the corpses of dozens of bear-wolves beyond therge trees that had been cut down due to the struggle.That was the cave cricket¡¯s trail, and now it was nning to feast on the small and adorable creatures called ¡®humans.¡¯


    As soon as she grasped the cave cricket¡¯s pure desire, Mercedes¡¯ insight started to detect its movements little by little. Piaro also thought of methods to deal with it.¡°Please restrain its actions fully. I have to clear arge field. Buy time for me while I am farming.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±Mercedes responded vigorously while avoiding the frontal attack of the cave cricket. The ground shook every time the cave cricket¡¯s front legs struck it.


    Meanwhile, the rock where Grid, the anvil, and the portable furnace were located shook like it was going to copse. Nevertheless, Grid was solely focused on his work.From the moment of the cave cricket¡¯s emergence to the present, he hadn¡¯t shown a moment of agitation.


    It might be an exaggeration to say that he didn¡¯t seem aware of the battle taking ce. However, the amazing thing was that it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Grid was in a world of his own, one which consisted of him, his hammer, the anvil, the fire, and the metal.


    ¡®I feel it.¡¯


    The ogre bones were tempered into their ideal form, and all their potential power was pulled out, causing the ck mithril¡¯s fighting energy to surge in response. Meanwhile, the rosar tin calmed down the ogre bones and the ck mithril.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! Grid¡¯s hammering became more delicate as his concentration rose endlessly. The constant reurring effects of the cksmith¡¯s Patience and cksmith¡¯s Breath made Grid and the metal extremely robust. Finally...


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid saw the end.


    [You havepleted the item production!]


    [The cksmith god is very surprised. He says that his skill has once again been overtaken by a human.]


    [The other gods areughing at the nervousness of the cksmith god.]


    [Affinity with the cksmith god has decreased by 1.]


    [If affinity with the cksmith god reaches -10, any items made (above legendary rating) will be cursed.]


    [Current affinity with the cksmith god is -2.]


    The full te armor, which could look red or purple depending on the refraction of light, waspleted.Its name was Hero King¡¯s Armor.


    ***


    Mercedes¡¯ swords were burning with a silver me-like energy. She couldn¡¯t afford to hold back her strength in front of an ancient predator that couldn¡¯t be included in any category with a human¡¯smon sense.


    The cave cricket fought with sheer force. With the transcendent leap from those hind legs and the strength of a mountain, the fast and irregr attacks from the hard but flexible front legs, and the antennae and side legs that removed any blind spots...The cave cricket was like a creature born for battle, while Mercedes was a small soldier striking against an impregnable fortress.


    The difference in power was great. Mercedes¡¯ body was wounded as she confronted the cave cricket with White Tiger¡¯s Attitude. Meanwhile, Piaro was still farming. ¡®Just a little longer!¡¯


    He needed to perfectly restrain the cave cricket in order to beat it. Having made this judgment, Piaro spent a great deal of time clearing the field and using Free Farming. Mercedes only needed to hold on for three more minutes. No, he prayed earnestly that she could hold on for two more minutes.


    However, in Mercedes¡¯ eyes, two minutes seemed like an eternity.Her White Tiger¡¯s Attitude copsed when the cave cricket¡¯s side legs, which had been used for defense, suddenly switched to offense. They breached Mercedes¡¯ defense perfectly and stabbed her in the sides.


    As Grid was making her a new set of armor, Mercedes¡¯ leather armor hadn¡¯t been repaired. Therefore, it hadn¡¯t been working properly from the very beginning. It wasn¡¯t a set of armor but a rag.


    Mercedes shook as the cave cricket¡¯s four side legs and two front legs poured down toward her like rain. Cracks started to form on the silver wings wrapped around Mercedes¡¯ body. Dozens of sharp hooks at the tips of the cave cricket¡¯s legs broke through and tore at the surface of the silver wings.


    Although Mercedes endured it, she couldn¡¯t shake off the despair in her heart. ¡®How fleeting is my existence?¡¯


    She had worshipped heroes and trained for all her life. Praised as the strongest knight on the continent, she had eventually be a legendary knight. However, it would all be in vain in the end. The legend of humanity was just prey for an ancient species. The passing years, the resolutions in her heart, and her hopes for the future were all wishful thinking.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    In the end, her silver wings fell down like ss. Amidst the glittering remnants, Mercedes held onto the White Tiger¡¯s Sword. Thest mission on her mind was to protect her master¡¯s treasure. In order to buy some more time, Mercedes¡¯ blue hair gradually turned white as she wrapped sword energy around the sword. The white hair was like shimmering moonlight, and Mercedes boasted a radiant beauty in herst moments.


    Then the cave cricket¡¯s front legs flew toward Mercedes¡¯ small face.


    ¡°XX monster, ¡± rough cursing that Mercedes was hearing for the first time filled the air. ¡°Why is an insect as strong as a great demon?¡±


    It was Grid.He wore Lantier¡¯s Cloak, which was strong against physical attacks, and used Revolve on the cave cricket. Then he handed armor to Mercedes.¡°Put it on. From now on, you¡¯ll be able to exert your real skills.¡±


    There was a wide smile on Grid¡¯s face.It was because the name of the cave cricket before him was shing gold! Grid was expecting a huge reward now.


    ¡°Noe! Randy! C-Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Kyak kyak!Kya kya kyak!


    Grid¡¯s party appeared in full swing in the field that Piaro was clearing.


    Simultaneously, at the operations team at the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters:


    ¡°Maybe he will hunt it?¡±


    ¡°...It is crazy. Really crazy.¡±


    Yoon Nahee and the operations team monitoring the dozens of monitors in real time quietly blurted out these lines.


    The giant cave cricket was a disaster-type monster that was supposed to y a role in reducing the number of elves along with theunch of the multiple species episode. However, it couldn¡¯t y its role due to the variables of Overgeared King Grid and Merchant King Kir.


    In the end, it had be a raid target. Mercedes¡¯ presence was too big. No matter how legendary a knight she was, for her to be able to fight against the cave cricket...


    ¡®In this situation, if Grid meets Kir...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s nature meant he might rescue the elves and maintain their numbers. In that case, the dark elves episode was likely to be lost.


    ¡®The survivors of the 12 Te were going to fall under the temptation of Yatan to bnce the power...¡¯


    How many times had this happened? It was difficult to remember how many times the scheduled story had been changed by a yer.


    ¡°Will it be okay?¡± Yoon Nahee let out augh at her team¡¯s worries. ¡°Have you forgotten the chairman¡¯s message? Satisfy is a world where the history is made by yers. We don¡¯t have to feel concerned over this.¡±


    Yes, they could only silently watch. Who would be the final winner of this long history?

 Chapter 824

    ¡®This is a monster I¡¯m not meant to catch.¡¯ Grid noticed it the moment he faced the giant cave cricket.


    It had a disgusting appearance that couldn¡¯t be endured by ordinary people, and it didn¡¯t fall down despite being hit by two legendary NPCs.The cave cricket was at a level that yers couldn¡¯t reach. Once hebined all these factors, Grid knew the giant cave cricket wasn¡¯t meant for yers. There were no chances of winning if a yer met this monster.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. A normal person will be stunned just by looking at it.¡¯


    It was a superrge version of a cave cricket. Grid thought about its eyes, stretched-out snout, long whiskers, bent antennae, translucent skin, and so on... These were features that were hard for humans to ept.It felt like a few people would faint when they saw the giant cave cricket and then try to sue the S.A Group.


    Additionally, there was clear proof that the giant cave cricket was a monster not scheduled to meet yers.


    ¡®It appears to be an event monster rted to a specific story.¡¯


    Grid had been ying Satisfy since the open beta test. Unlike the talented people in the game, he had experienced rock bottom. He didn¡¯t have regr experiences, and it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to understand the nature of certain monsters.


    Behind Grid, Mercedes was changing into the new set of armor, and the leather armor she had been wearing since she left the empire fell to the ground. That was when Grid confirmed the information of the leather armor.


    [Old Leather Armor]


    [Durability: 15/140 Defense: 60


    -The armor that Legendary Knight Mercedes wore during her days as Piaro¡¯s aide. The performance of the armor isn¡¯t bad, but it has long lost its original function because it can¡¯t withstand the long years that have passed.


    Weight: 290


    User Restriction: Level 180 or higher.]


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid was appalled. He had analyzed Mercedes¡¯ worn equipment with a Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eyes and thought it should have a level limitation of 200. However, he had no idea that the performance of the armor was such garbage. The usage condition was level 180, but the leather armor¡¯s actual performance was like a set of level 20 armor.


    ¡°Fighting with something like this... Heok.¡±Grid turned his gaze toward Mercedes, only to close his eyes with horror. It was because he¡¯d caught a peek at Mercedes¡¯ body as she just started wearing the red and purple full te armor. Grid blushed while Mercedes was casual about showing her naked body. She wasn¡¯t embarrassed since this was the process that a knight used to wear equipment.


    ¡°It is shameful to me the equipment.¡±There was a determined expression on Mercedes¡¯ face as she adjusted the hinges of the armor. ¡°However, I changed my mind since using the sword that I borrowed from Your Majesty.¡±


    The more formidable the equipment, the higher the strength would be. It was an undeniable truth. The newly enlightened Mercedes made a new chivalric code,¡°Overgeared... Is that what you called it? In the future, I will also be overgeared.¡±


    It happened at this moment.


    [Legendary Knight Mercedes has created a new chivalric code.]


    [Legendary Knight Mercedes¡¯ stats have increased by 10%. Every time she wears a high rated item, she will receive apensation effect.]


    [If the legendary knight Mercedes wears epic rated items, she will receive an additional 5% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears unique rated items, she will receive an additional 7% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears legendary rated items, she will receive an additional 10% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears myth rated items, she will receive an additional 20% increase in the item stats (apart from the options).]


    [The legendary knight Mercedes has equipped the Hero King¡¯s Armor.]


    [Due to the ss bonus of wearing heavy armor, there is a 20% increase in defense.]


    [A myth rated item has been worn. The stats of the Hero King¡¯s Armor that Mercedes is wearing have increased by 20%.]


    ¡°What?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes grew bigger and twitched as he realized the unique nature of a legendary knight¡¯s chivalric code was more than he¡¯d imagined. In awe of Mercedes, Grid felt a greater liking toward her.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant in the future...¡¯


    Grid was well aware of the fraudulent nature of Item Creation. He could mass produce arge number of high rated items. However, Grid¡¯s own stats didn¡¯t increase when he used Item Creation. On the other hand, Mercedes had overwhelming growth every time she made a chivalric code, while Sword Saint Kraugel was able to build his own skills based on Swordsmanship Creation.


    It was evident that the attack power of Pagma¡¯s Descendant would fall over timepared to other sses. Just as Grid was feeling frustrated, a voice entered his ears.


    ¡°My strength is Master¡¯s strength.¡±It was Mercedes¡¯ soft voice. Grid looked at her and once again admired her. She was so beautiful. The intensebination of white hair and transparent skin with the red and purple armor took Grid¡¯s breath away.


    [Hero King¡¯s Armor]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,430/1,430 Defense: 1,190


    * Strength increased by 200.


    * Two of the wearer¡¯s highest stats will increase by 15%. If strength or intelligence increases at this time, there will be 300 additional attack power. Physical defense will increase by 300. An increase in agility will raise uracy and evasion by 12%.


    * Increases magic resistance in proportion to the wearer¡¯s intelligence.


    * The effect of the wearer¡¯s highest level skill will increase by 25%.


    * The cooldown of the wearer¡¯s two lowest level skills will decrease by 10%.


    * Attack power will increase by five for every hit (Up to 500).


    * The power of all wide-range skills will increase by 20%.


    * When arge weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 10% and attack speed by 5%.


    * There is a low probability of umting ¡®iplete fighting energy.¡¯ Stats will rise every time the iplete fighting energy rises by 10 points.


    -An armor that the legendary cksmith Grid, who even the gods admire, made for the legendary knight Mercedes.


    -A heavy armor made of ck mithril filled with the red energy of the Saharan emperor, ogre bones and rosar tin, and the fighting energy that was given by Grid.


    Due to the limitations of the rosar tin, there is less defense. However, it has the ability to give more aggression to the wearer as the battle continues.


    Weight: 3,020


    Conditions of Use: Grid or Mercedes.]


    It was an armor that couldn¡¯t be sold. Who would buy it for an expensive price when Grid and Mercedes were the only ones who could wear it? Still, Grid wasn¡¯t worried.


    After all, the Hero King¡¯s Armor was made only for Mercedes. Grid had no thoughts aboutmercializing an armor with such excellent performance in the first ce. He wasn¡¯t certain that he could get another ck mithril that contained the emperor¡¯s red energy.


    ¡®The defense is lower in exchange for offense.¡¯


    Step.Step.Step.


    Mercedes wore the armor and steadily walked through the forest that was transforming into farnd. The giant cave cricket¡¯s antennae detected Mercedes as its aggro was still focused on her. Then it moved soundlessly. The cave cricket swung its legs through the air. The sharpness of its legs cut through the wind, air, and space in 0.1 seconds to reach Mercedes.


    Mercedes¡¯ might¡¯ve had a 10% increase in stats from making the chivalric code, but it was still impossible for her to avoid the cave cricket¡¯s attackpletely. Not only was the cave cricket fast, but it also aimed at all types of gaps in her defense. Mercedes disregarded defense and took the offensive.This was a judgment that was different from before as when she wore the leather armor, she had tried to block some attacks.


    The cave cricket made a confused sound.The small creature stuck to its legs. The sweet smell of blood disseminated and flew away, while the creature clung to it like a rock.


    ¡°It hurts.¡± Mercedes gulped as blood flowed from her side and grasped the White Tiger Sword more firmly.


    Step.Step.Her pace didn¡¯t stop. The distance between Mercedes and the cave cricket was now only four meters. The cave cricket¡¯s ability to detect danger was fast, just like an insect¡¯s instinct. Compared to the past, the number of Mercedes¡¯ offensive attacks had increased, and the cave cricket had no intention of allowing Mercedes to get close to it.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    The cave cricket had be faster...?


    Mercedes was forced to use White Tiger¡¯s Attitude once the Hero King¡¯s Armor started to lose its durability. She maintained a slow pace as she advanced steadily. Suddenly, four golden hands flew in and started to assist. They were Grid¡¯s God Hands.


    Then what was Grid doing? A strong aura came from the sky. Grid had flown up there. He swung the Enlightenment Sword and shouted, ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    Kuwaaaaaang!The storm of fighting energy descended. It was Grid¡¯s signal.


    ¡°Growth! Threshing! Polishing!!¡±After finishing the clearing, Piaro quickly spread all types of fast-growing grain and seeds, making them explode. The farnd received a lot of damage and copsed. Mercedes was the only one who had ess to the cave cricket.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    Thanks to the Hero King¡¯s Armor, Mercedes was able to exert more damage by umting damage.Her swords hadn¡¯t been able to prate the skin of the cave cricket earlier, but they entered easily now and caused great damage. The cave cricket struggled as some of its nerves were damaged.Its eight legs moved strangely in every direction, forming a sight that could induce someone to vomit.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t shaken at all. He had learned to control his emotions after seeing the boys and girls raised like cattle in the Tower of Eternity. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle crushed the shell of the cave cricket.


    ¡°Fated to Perish!¡±Piaro ultimate attack dug into the cave cricket¡¯s inner flesh.


    Kyak kyak!Kyak kyak kyak!


    ¡°Lightning Discharge! Discharge, nyong! Nyang nyang nyang!¡±


    The Overgeared Skeletons, Randy, and Noe also attacked the cave cricket with all their might. The cave cricket¡¯s cries stirred up the forest at dawn. The effect of God¡¯s Command was activated, and Grid used a second Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    [Your level has risen!]


    A really wee notification window popped up in front of him. The growth of his pets and the items dropped were a bonus...


    [Your memphis Noe¡¯s level has risen!] x8.


    [Doppelganger Randy¡¯s level has risen!] x3.


    [The level of Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have risen!] x15.


    [3 ancient weapon enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [5 ancient armor enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [59 ancient steel have been acquired.]


    [67 shells of an ancient species have been acquired.]


    ...This wasn¡¯t a bonus. It was too big to be called a bonus.

 Chapter 825

    A loud siren rang out, and the red lights installed all over the production team¡¯s offices shed without interruption. The mechanical sounds rang out repeatedly.


    [x:;72ZX987B19 has disappeared.]


    [Threerge episodes will be permanently deleted.]


    [188,490 out of 390,112 rted quests are now unlikely to ur.]


    [Restoration of x:;72ZX987B19 is rmended.]


    [Correction.]


    [x:;72ZX987B19¡¯s dropped items have been acquired by a specific yer. It is rmended to rollback the server.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Category x:; entities had a great influence on Satisfy¡¯s world view. Among the great demons, only eight were given the code ¡®x:;¡¯ and there were only five NPCs.It was extremely unlikely that contact with yers would ur, so the ancient species were ssified as ¡®secret monsters.¡¯ Among them, the giant cave cricket was ssified with an x:;.


    The dark elves episode, which was scheduled to take ce, was meant to reduce the number of elves to one-tenth of their current poption and darken the 12 Te. The 12 Te would then sell their souls to the great demons and be dark elves. As a result, yers would be able to select from various types of species and create different power structures during the ¡®Great War¡¯ episode.


    However, this all flew away at once.Why had this suddenly happened?


    The leader of the third production team, Rahul, saw the warning messages on the monitor and shouted, ¡°Convene an emergency meeting right now! It is the first bug in Satisfy¡¯s history! We have to respond quickly!¡±


    Rahul¡¯s Korean was so perfect that it was hard to believe he was Indian.


    Chatter chatter!The production team was upset and hesitant about where to start fixing this.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a bug.¡±The manager of the operations team, Yoon Nahee appeared. She handed paperwork to Rahul. ¡°It is something that happened due to two yers. There is no bug in the current situation.¡±


    ¡°Did I learn Korean wrong?¡±


    Rahul was a genius with an IQ of over 180, so it had been easy for him to learn Korean which had be more influential since theunch of Satisfy that now dominated the world market. He asserted himself that his listening and speaking abilities were perfect, yet he couldn¡¯t understand Yoon Nahee¡¯s remarks. It seemed like an aliennguage.


    ¡°yers encountered an x:; code monster and raided it? Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?¡±


    ¡°It is true. Will it make sense if I say that the Overgeared King and Merchant King are involved?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared King and Merchant King...!¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is how it happened. Merchant King Kir seeded in discovering the forest of the world tree and simultaneously tried to obtain wealth from the elves.¡±


    Kir had briefly made the world tree sick and deceived the elves. Then he returned and captured them. As a result, the incident of some of the elves being eaten by the cave cricket was absent.


    ¡°...It prowled the area after losing its food and ended up meeting Grid?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Rahul could no longer deny reality. He knew the power of Overgeared King Grid better than anyone. How surprised was he when he saw the character details of Grid, the protagonist of the Fourth National Competition¡¯s Breaking the Hero? Rahul had almost fallen down. He could still feel the bruised bones from that time. Rahul thought that no one would be able to clear the Fourth National Competition¡¯s Breaking the Hero.


    ¡®It might be possible for the Five Miracles, including Kraugel. But...¡¯ Rahul shook his head.


    ¡°Was Mercedes with him?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ legendary knight story had caused a huge impact in the S.A Group. How many NPCs were there that had SSS potential stats? There were thousands. However, most of them were waiting for their talents to blossom. In the meantime, some NPCs sadly perished.


    It meant that the expectations of the S.A Group toward the youngest of them, Mercedes, hadn¡¯t been high. Moreover, she had originally been scheduled to be killed by the insane dragon. The empire would then fall on that day. However, this episode had been deleted due to Grid and Kraugel. Afterward, Grid saved Mercedes and she became his knight.


    ¡°You should remember the leader of the fourth team. Mercedes was supposed to be a short-lived character, so he designed her with greater affection.¡±


    Keen insight¡ªit was a passive skill that would show an overwhelming performance as time passed and the skill developed.


    The leader of the fourth team, Chen, had said that if Mercedes could grow, then she would be able to develop ¡®foresight.¡¯ However, since she was a short-lived character that was unlikely to exert an influence on Satisfy¡¯s subsequent world setting, she had been given a fraudulent skill.


    ¡°How can she stop that monster...? ...No?¡±Rahul was trying to convince himself when he suddenly cocked his head. He was reminded that thebat power of the giant cave cricket was equivalent to the 28th great demon.


    ¡°How can the cave cricket... Ah!¡±


    It was due to Knights Summoning! A chill went down Rahul¡¯s spine as he remembered the characters Grid had obtained from a long time ago.¡°I understand... Now I understand everything.¡±


    Merchant King Kir had used his unique intelligence and resources to obtain the elves, while Grid had used his unique strength and people to handle the cave cricket. Rahul was convinced of the situation once he recalled all of their abilities.¡°Yes... In the end, a rollback won¡¯t happen. We can¡¯t reverse history written by the yers themselves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if it was a bug, I wonder if he would¡¯ve allowed a rollback.¡±


    The water was already spilled, and there was no fault behind the water being spilled. It was a natural phenomenon. Rahul was able to calm his mind.¡°I¡¯m d it wasn¡¯t a bug...¡±


    Their chairman would be happy again. Rahul thought about Lim Cheolho¡¯s interest and affection for the Five Miracles.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you convening a meeting straight away?¡±An angry voice rang out from the office¡¯s entrance. It was Chairman Lim Cheolho. Hadn¡¯t he been enjoying the variables created by the Five Miracles over the past few years? Who would have imagined this...?


    Lim Cheolho headed over to the confused Yoon Nahee and Rahul and exined the severity of the situation. First he asked, ¡°How many yers and NPCs have a myth rated item?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±The production team leader, Rahul, couldn¡¯t answer.


    On the other hand, Yoon Nahee of the operations team replied immediately, ¡°There are 17.¡±


    ¡°Have any of them seeded in enhancing the myth rated item?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What if someone strengthens multiple myth rated items by themselves?¡±


    ¡°...The bnce will crumble.¡±


    Enhancing an item increased its stats. The higher the basic stats of the item, the higher the increase would be. This was why the probability of enhancing a myth rated item was extremely low.


    ¡°This...!¡±Rahul made a dumbfounded expression and sighed. He was reminded of the items that the cave cricket dropped¡ªthe ancient weapon and armor enhancement scrolls!They were supposed to emerge when at least 20% of the yers were armed with legendary items. What if Grid seeded in enhancing a myth rated item that ordinary yers didn¡¯t even have ess to?


    ¡°Not only the Five Miracles but most of the existing named NPCs won¡¯t be able to resist.¡±


    Lim Cheolho clearly remembered that the ancient scrolls definitely increased the item¡¯s enhancement level by 1¨C3. Grid had three weapon and five armor scrolls, so it was possible for him to make a myth rated armor or weapon ranging from +4 to +7.


    ¡°What should we do? Should we shut down the server once?¡±


    There was no concept of a pause in Satisfy. Having it formed a structure that would just drive yers away from the game. Lim Cheolho smiled. ¡°No. We can¡¯t damage hundreds of millions of people just for one person. I will go and meet directly with Grid.¡±


    ¡°You will go and speak with him directly?¡±


    There were rumors in thepany that the chairman¡¯s ount would be a ¡®god¡¯ in Satisfy. Would they finally see a god? Yoon Nahee and Rahul gulped as their expectations rose to the extreme. Their expectations were huge enough for them to forget about the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡°I know that I can¡¯t use my position to force anything upon Grid. But I am certain I will be able to persuade him as he also loves Satisfy sincerely.¡±


    After all, it was a case where Grid¡¯s life was changed by ying Satisfy. His affection for Satisfy had the potential to be greater than Lim Cheolho¡¯s. Lim Cheolho felt hopeful as he logged into Satisfy.


    [Name: S.A Group Chairman Lim Cheolho


    Level: 29


    ss: Fisherman


    * The longer the fishing time, the greater the probability of catching good fish.


    Strength: 29 Intelligence: 49


    Stamina: 175 Agility: 21


    Concentration: 75 Endurance: 19]


    There were few environments as good as Satisfy to enjoy his hobby of fishing. As such, he raised his character only through fishing! Deeply concerned that someone would see his ID, Lim Cheolho immediately sent a whisper to Grid.


    &S.A Group Chairman Lim Cheolho: I am Chairman Lim Cheolho of the S.A Group. This is the first time saying hello to you separately. It is very nice to meet you. I want to share a story with Youngwoo-ssi...


    [The target has blocked you.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was there something wrong? A chill went down Lim Cheolho¡¯s spine.


    ***


    ¡°People are crazy. Now there is someone impersonating Lim Cheolho.¡±


    It was after killing the cave cricket that Grid received a whisper while confirming the information the ancient scrolls, which definitely enhanced an item by 1¨C3 levels. The more famous a person was, the more whispers they received. It was a chance for Grid to see how many crazy people there were in the world.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±Mercedes asked anxiously.


    Grid shook his head and pulled out the Enlightenment Sword. ¡®This is the final item.¡¯


    However, he was confident he wouldn¡¯t regret using the ancient weapon scroll on the Enlightenment Sword!


    ¡°Please be +3!¡±


    Grid was full of ambition as he used the ancient weapon scroll on the Enlightenment Sword without hesitation. He was filled with the expectation that the unique characteristic of Pagma¡¯s Descendant would help the enhancement go straight to +3.


    The result?


    [You have sessfully enhanced the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [The Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has increased to +1!]


    ¡°Damn rotten luck XX system!¡±


    There was a chance to get 1, 2, or 3, yet he got 1?Grid¡¯s anger reached its peak, and he lost his temper. However, he stopped just as he was going to throw the +1 Enlightenment Sword to the ground.


    [You have seeded in enhancing a myth rated item, and a hidden piece of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has opened!]


    The newly emerged notification window relieved his anger and sadness.


    Simultaneously, Lim Cheolho said, ¡°I will go to Grid¡¯s house.¡±


    He hurried to his car after logging out.


    Lim Cheolho was the best scientist, the greatest human in modern society, the world¡¯s best... so on and so forth. This person that even the president found hard to invite was going to visit an ordinary (?) young man¡¯s house. It was a big matter that would decorate the world¡¯s headlines if it were made known.

 Chapter 826

    A limited edition supercar, of which there were only three models released in the world, captured the attention of every driver on the road.Moreover, it was in an East Asian country! The other drivers made way in theirnes, and the owner of the supercar, Lim Cheolho, was able to make his journey faster than expected.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Thete autumnndscape was filled with widespread foliage. Lim Cheolho was able to calm his mind as he headed into the suburbs.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Grid supporting his family?¡¯


    Grid was someone who had seeded at a young age and owned a building. Taking into ount the nature of young people at this age, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he enjoyed his own independent life. However, Grid looked after his family. He kept his original intentions by looking after his parents and sister while ying games.


    ¡®I can¡¯t arrive empty-handed.¡¯


    Lim Cheolho was going to ask Grid for a favor, and it was also a ce where Grid¡¯s other family members lived.So, he had to prepare a gift... But what gift?When had he ever needed to worry about this? Lim Cheolho called the name of his most trusted friend, ¡°Morpheus.¡±


    [Yes.]


    It was the best supeputer!The world¡¯s top supeputer that maintained Satisfy immediately responded to Lim Cheolho¡¯s call.


    Lim Cheolho asked, ¡°What type of gift would be most appropriate for a high school girl a few months away from entering university and a couple in their mid-50s?¡±


    [The first ce gift for a high school girl who wants to go to university is a full-body stic surgery certificate while the top gift for the couple in the mid-50s is divorce papers.]Morpheus took no more than one second to answer. Its analysisbined various data embedded in its many servers and was both fast and perfect.


    ¡°I see... Um.¡±Lim Cheolho made a surprised expression. As humanity¡¯s top scientist, he trusted data, but he also hadmon sense. He understood the stic surgery certificate, but it didn¡¯t make sense to show up as a guest and give divorce papers as a gift.


    ¡°What are the second ce and third ce gifts for a couple in the mid-50s?¡±


    [Skin care gifts and travel abroad vouchers.]


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s it.¡±Chairman Lim Cheolho showed a satisfied response. Then Morpheus asked for confirmation, [I will order a stic surgery certificate, which has the most experience with high school girls and the highest patient satisfaction, through the cheapest site. Will that be okay?]


    ¡°Yes. Please order the cheapest and best skincare vouchers and overseas travel vouchers as well.¡±


    [Yes.]


    These gifts were perfect.Lim Cheolho¡¯s burden was relieved, and he smiled with satisfaction as the many gift certificates arrived on his phone. The supercar increased in speed after reaching the suburbs and soon arrived in front of Grid¡¯s building.


    ¡°It is a bit out of Seoul, but the air is good.¡±


    [The fine dust density is good.]


    ¡°It is a nice neighborhood.¡±Chairman Lim Cheolho looked around as he got out of the car. The area around Grid¡¯s building was filled with flower gardens. It was so peaceful that couples sat side by side in the flower garden while drinking coffee. Then he saw some buildings across the road from Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°Do those buildings belong to the Overgeared members?¡±


    [Yes. These buildings belong to Yura, Jishuka, Regas, and Pon. Jishuka, Regas, and Pon are expected to move to South Korea within the next few months.]


    ¡°Haha...¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s heart was moved. He was proud to see that bonds that had been built up in Satisfy transferred to reality. ¡°The young people who love Satisfy are a blessing...¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was once again convinced. He was certain that Grid¡¯s affection toward Satisfy was no less than his own as the creator. Grid had obtained a new life from Satisfy, so Lim Cheolho was sure that Grid would be praying for Satisfy¡¯s infinite sess.


    ¡®He will definitely understand and listen to my request.¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s steps were light. He took the elevator to the top floor and encountered Toon¡ªa Satisfy high ranker who had been part of the Italian Mafia.In recent years, Toon had been a main member of Overgeared who was active as Grid¡¯s bodyguard. He was also someone whose life had changed due to Satisfy.


    ¡°I¡¯m really d to see you.¡±Chairman Lim Cheolho looked at him with a proud expression.


    However, Toon was puzzled. ¡°Have we met?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°From here on, you can¡¯t enter unless you have a prior appointment,¡± Toon spoke firmly as he stood in the hallway and brushed his teeth. It seemed that he had just woken up.


    Lim Cheolho smiled at Toon. ¡°You must becking sleep.¡±


    After all, this person was Lim Cheolho. He had been in the newspapers every day since Satisfy was released, and he was always in the top Inte search rankings. Lim Cheolho was a person who was weed anywhere and at any time.


    How could a Satisfy yer, let along a high ranker, not recognize him? Lim Cheolho thought that Toon made a mistake due to sleepiness. However, he was mistaken as Toon was a man who had little interest in the world. His life had been too hard for him to pay attention to people living in other worlds.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too absurd? Lim Cheolho was at a loss for words for a moment before recovering his spirit. Then he whispered to Morpheus, ¡°Please call Grid¡¯s parents.¡±


    [His mother or his father?]


    ¡°...Connect me to the one who responds faster.¡±


    [I understand.]


    A man was blocking the hallway to the front door.His sleek and strong muscles had a threatening appearance while his eyes resembled those of a wolf. Lim Cheolho gulped as he faced someone who saw him as an ¡®enemy¡¯ for the first time in years.


    In the meantime, Morpheus seeded in calling Grid¡¯s parents.


    (Hello?)


    ¡°Is this Shin Youngwoo¡¯s father?¡±


    (That¡¯s right...)


    ¡°Hello. I am S.A Group¡¯s chairman, Lim Cheolho. I am d to greet you this way...¡±


    Dududu...


    ¡°...¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho had been dedicated to inpany activities and official activities for the past few years. He had been cut off from ordinary lives and btedly realized that the weight of his name was now too big. That¡¯s right. The reason why Grid had blocked his whisper and why Grid¡¯s father had cut off the phone call was due to the weight of the name, Lim Cheolho, carried.


    ¡®They think I am an impersonator!¡¯


    This was aplete impasse!It was a big deal to suffer something like this in such a desperate situation. Lim Cheolho felt upset.


    Dding~


    Then a girl showed up in the elevator behind Lim Cheolho. It was Sehee dressed in a uniform.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    Lim Cheolho and Sehee saw each other and were surprised.


    ¡®She didn¡¯t add anypensation effects to her profile picture and game character?¡¯ Lim Cheolho was surprised that Sehee¡¯s face, body, and skin tone all matched up perfectly with what she looked like inside the game.


    ¡®Why is he here at our home?¡¯Sehee was shocked to see Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    ¡°H-Hello?¡± Unlike her brother, Sehee was polite and gave a greeting despite her confusion.


    Lim Cheolho made a gentle expression as he saw her bow her head. ¡°Hello. Hahah! This is a surprise. I prepared a gift for nothing.¡±


    He would have to refund the full-body stic surgery certificate as soon as possible. Sehee looked at the deep in thought Lim Cheolho and smiled brightly. ¡°Did youe to celebrate Oppa¡¯s birthday?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The cake in Sehee¡¯s hands captured Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s gaze. Morpheus analyzed the situation and whispered, [The top birthday present for a male in histe 20s is a Satisfy exclusive luxury capsule. The second-ranked gift is an epic rated or higher Satisfy item.]


    ¡°...He already has a lot better.¡±


    Lim Cheolho hade to get back an item rather than to give one. Well, it wasn¡¯t bad. He was looking forward to meeting Grid.


    ***


    ¡°Ah, what is it?¡±Shin Youngwooined as he was forced to log out due to Sehee¡¯s continuous calls. He still had one hour and a half left of his daily connection time. There were many things he could do in this time, so he didn¡¯t like that his sister was urging him to log out.


    However, as expected from the Comet Group¡¯s diamond capsule...! Grid didn¡¯t have a bird¡¯s nest for hair despite havingin in the capsule for more than 12 hours. He didn¡¯t even need to stretch his body to make sure that he wasn¡¯t stiff. It was the convenience of a luxury capsule that ordinary people couldn¡¯t get a glimpse of.


    ¡°Where did she go after calling me?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo was in a spacious room which contained only a capsule and a fridge. He quickly realized he was alone in this game room he called his ¡®office¡¯ and headed out to the living room. Then he was surprised.


    ¡°Congrattions on your birthday!¡±


    ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    Sehee and Yerim smiled while setting off firecrackers.


    Youngwoo¡¯s expression went nk. A birthday message and pretty decorations covered the living room walls. There was also a table set up for a birthday party. Shin Youngwoo saw the unexpected scene and asked,¡°Is it my birthday today?¡±


    ¡°I knew this would happen,¡± Sehee pouted. ¡°I didn¡¯t call you to eat in the morning, so did you have lunch? The seaweed soup was still the way I left it.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents spoke up as well.


    ¡°So what if you are working hard to earn money? You should take care of your nutrition! Is there any point in Korean people not eating rice?¡±


    ¡°It is good that you don¡¯t smoke, but you should take care of your meals, just as your sister and mother said.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±Youngwoo smiled bitterly and nodded. He was touched by the sight of his parents, Sehee, Yerim, and Toon, who was now like a family member, sitting before his birthday party table. Despite forgetting about his own birthday, Youngwoo was d that they had prepared for this day. In particr, Toon¡¯s eyes were red with tears. He was an orphan, so holding a birthday party gave him a great deal of pleasure.


    However, in the midst of this friendly atmosphere...


    ¡°By the way...why is Chairman-nim here?¡± Youngwoo took his seat and asked this to Chairman Lim Cheolho. Both Youngwoo and Lim Cheolho had awkward expressions on their faces. Who would¡¯ve expected this development?

 Chapter 827

    Shin Youngwoo was in a very ufortable state.


    Due to his enhancement failure, he had gotten so angry that he almost lost his sight. The ancient enhancement scrolls enhanced items from +1 to +3, but both the Enlightenment Sword and Valha of Infinite Affection had only increased to +1.Wasn¡¯t that the lowest value possible?His luck was truly bad.


    As such, Shin Youngwoo had been forced to stop the enhancement. He wanted to be cautious with the remaining ancient scrolls and would use them when his luck was high.


    It was natural to be cautious. One enhancement level increased the basic stats of the item by 5%. This value was very important when looking at myth rated items with basic stats exceeding 1,000. He would be able to secure a difference of dozens or hundreds in attack and defense with just one enhancement level.


    ¡®Furthermore, it is likely to be hard to obtain the ancient scrolls again in the future.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo had noticed from the beginning that the giant cave cricket wasn¡¯t a monster meant for yers to hunt. It hadn¡¯t used any special magic or skills, but its basic stats were simply too high.


    How could a yer beat the cave cricket when Piaro and Mercedes had failed and suffered serious injuries? It was likely that Shin Youngwoo would¡¯ve experienced death if he had attracted the cave cricket¡¯s aggro. This made it understandable that such a strong monster dropped the fraudulent ancient enhancement scrolls.


    ¡°Umm...¡± So when Shin Youngwoo sat facing Lim Cheolho at his birthday party, he muttered, ¡°Why is such a big person...?¡±


    The VIP guest, Chairman Lim Cheolho of the S.A Group, hade to celebrate Shin Youngwoo¡¯s birthday! What was the title of this new hidden camera broadcast program? There was no other exnation for this. Chairman Lim Cheolho, who only appeared in magazines or on TV, was actually sitting in front of Shin Youngwoo on his birthday? Was this a normal scene?


    Shin Youngwoo tapped his fingers beforeing to a conclusion and asking,¡°Is this a hidden camera TV show?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo started to feel excited.He was looking forward to the gift that the S.A Group had prepared for him after he contributed to the National Competition. Maybe it would be enough to make up for the two wasted ancient enhancement scrolls?


    Unable to hide his expectations, Shin Youngwoo looked like an excited child. His family was the same.


    As he met the burdensome gazes of the family members, Lim Cheolho was very stressed. He was used to meeting the presidents of the United States and China, yet now he was ufortable when facing these ordinary family members. It was difficult for him to disappoint them.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± There was a moment of awkward silence. ¡°First of all, happy birthday. I am very happy to personally meet a great yer like you, Grid. I am a huge fan.¡±He was being sincere.


    Lim Cheolho respected all of Satisfy¡¯s yers, but he felt greater liking for certain yers. In particr, he felt great respect for the five people called the Five Miracles.The supeputer Morpheus couldn¡¯t predict their actions, and the pleasure that gave Lim Cheolho couldn¡¯t be converted into money.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Youngwoo¡¯s face reddened. His heart was pounding as he felt Lim Cheolho¡¯s sincerity. He couldn¡¯t help being moved. After living a life at the bottom, Youngwoo had grown up, seeded, and be someone who was acknowledged by one of the greatest people in the world.A joy that was difficult to describe filled him, nking out his mind.


    It was the same with Youngwoo¡¯s parents. Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was a famous person, a great scientist, and an entrepreneur, hade to congrattion their son on his birthday and profess to being a big fan. This was a sight that seemed like a dream.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim and Beast Master Toon looked at Lim Cheolho and Youngwoo¡¯s family with warm expressions. This was a heartwarming sight, yet it was an atmosphere that made Lim Cheolho feel increasingly burdened!


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Lim Cheolho pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat flowing down his face. It had be hard for him to tell Youngwoo to return the ancient scrolls. While he was feeling embarrassed about that, Youngwoo¡¯s mother gave him some rice and said, ¡°Please eat.¡±


    She was aware that Chairman Lim Cheolho was a busy person, so she would cut her son¡¯s birthday cake right after Chairman Lim Cheolho ate something. Chairman Lim Cheolho was surprised when he saw her dark nails. ¡°Are you still doing work in the fields these days?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Everyone in South Korea knew that Youngwoo¡¯s parents personally farmed the vegetables they sold. Even Chairman Lim Cheolho was aware of it.


    ¡°Why do you need to suffer when your son is enjoying great sess? Isn¡¯t it enough for you to hire people or to stop working?¡±


    ¡°The sesses of a son is separate from his parents¡¯ lives. How can we spend our son¡¯s hard-earned money? We aren¡¯t old enough to retire, so we should work too.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t all. Youngwoo¡¯s parents thought about the past. The real reason they worked even harder than before was for Youngwoo¡¯s sake. Their son was currently experiencing great sess. Therefore, they constantly gave to charity in their son¡¯s name out of fear that people would feel jealous of him. They personally sent their vegetables to orphanages and nursing homes.


    It was also meant as a repayment of their debt.As parents, they hadn¡¯t been able to believe in their son and hadn¡¯t given him any strength back when he was having a hard time. Youngwoo¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t get rid of their feelings of guilt toward their son. However, this caused Youngwoo pain. As their son, he had always gotten involved in incidents and had never been praised. He had gone to university thanks to his parents, yet he hadn¡¯t studied and had ended up in debt.


    Nevertheless, his mother had prepared breakfast for her son every day, and his father hadn¡¯t turned against him. They had done enough for him and had been waiting a long time for him to find sess. Yet now they were sorry toward their son? Youngwoo felt like a sinner. He was the son who broke their hearts in the first ce. If he had even half resembled Sehee, then his parents wouldn¡¯t have a shadow in their hearts now.


    ¡°...¡± The previously harmonious atmosphere sank, and an awkward silence flowed. Lim Cheolho felt like he was sitting on a cushion of thorns. Yerim and Toon were staring at him. They seemed to be saying, ¡®Why did you make the atmosphere like this by saying unnecessary things?¡¯


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± How long had it been since hest felt someone¡¯s tant resentment?Lim Cheolho was embarrassed for a while before smiling in an attempt to recover the atmosphere. He took a spoonful of food. Was there a need for other people to say so much? In the end, as parents and children, they would be able to understand each other, care for each other, and find greater happiness.


    ¡°It is delicious.¡± Lim Cheolho couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since hest ate a homemade meal. It was probably 33 years ago when he lost his parents.


    Lim Cheolho had a gentle expression as he ate the rice and seaweed soup.¡®I was treated to warm rice, so I must repay them.¡¯


    Recalling the original intentions he¡¯d had when he made Satisfy, he had dreamt of everyone being happy. He wanted Satisfy to be a world beyond a game and for it to give people joy they couldn¡¯t feel in their harsh realities. Yet, now, he hade here to put a constraint on a person just because of the game bnce? Would he forcibly take away the happiness a person had obtained after suffering?What was this unscrupulous act?


    ¡®I have be too rigid.¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho put down the cutlery and said, ¡°Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will give you a small hint. The reason why you¡¯ve grown so much isn¡¯t because you are Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was hard to understand what Lim Cheolho meant since Youngwoo had reached his current position due to bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Lim Cheolho exined to the confused Youngwoo, ¡°NPCs... The act of treating the people who live in Satisfy as if they are people is the thing that has made you what you are now.¡±


    Could the Overgeared Kingdom have been born if there had been no talents beside Grid? That was impossible asGrid wasn¡¯t versatile enough to have done it all by himself.It was because he had been able to support Khan¡¯s wounds, rejuvenate Piaro, and meet Rabbit that allowed him to be reborn as the Overgeared King.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t lose your foundations,¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho spoke meaningful words and rose from his seat. He had no intention of interfering with the family¡¯s birthday party any longer. So, he put on his coat and gave arge present to Shin Youngwoo. There were travel vouchers for his parents and a hint. ¡°You have be angry due to the cksmith god a few times.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Please be aware that there is a big rtion with Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s ss quests.¡±


    It was a big hint. This was a huge hint for Shin Youngwoo who was afraid to use the ¡®Divinity¡¯ skill due to the cksmith god¡¯s curse, and it eased some of his mental burdens. Shin Youngwoo asked excitedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much to be called a birthday present? Can you give this privilege to a specific yer?¡±


    ¡°Privilege? Did I give any to you? I was just speaking to myself.¡±


    There was no doubt that problems would arise from Grid hunting the cave cricket and obtaining the ancient enhancement scrolls. However, Lim Cheolho regained his original thoughts and decided to leave the flow of Satisfy to the yers.


    ¡°Let me say a few more words to myself,¡± Lim Cheolho said while putting on his shoes at the front door. While nodding to Youngwoo¡¯s parents and Sehee, he whispered, ¡°Even if you are a few times stronger than you are now, there are countless strong enemies that you can¡¯t face alone. Don¡¯t be so overconfident that you lose the things precious to you.¡±


    The catastrophic episodes designed to deal despair upon all of humanity hadrgely been deleted. From the yers¡¯ standpoint, the various variables caused by this were a poison.


    One example was the empire¡¯s grand master. This person, who originally should¡¯ve been killed by the insane dragon, was currently still alive. Like Mercedes, he was an NPC with one of the highest growth potentials. Unlike Mercedes, there was no one to put a brake on his growth since he was a grand master.


    How could the yers handle the vicious NPCs who would continue to reign, unlike the insane dragon that would just go crazy for ¡®a while¡¯ before leaving? Lim Cheolho wondered this as he left Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house.


    After that...


    ¡°Do you acknowledge me now after the S.A Group¡¯s chairman came personally to celebrate my birthday?¡± Youngwoo asked Toon while shrugging.


    ¡°Uh. I acknowledge you.¡± Toon was perfectly ustomed to life in South Korea and raised his thumb.

 Chapter 828

    ¡°The richest person in the world is stingy.¡±Yerim, who had be more bewitching as the years passed, clung to Youngwoo¡¯s forearm and looked at him with shiny, teary eyes that captured a person¡¯s soul. ¡°Didn¡¯t hee to celebrate Oppa¡¯s birthday? Why did he just leave without giving Oppa a gift?¡±


    ¡°No, I got a great gift.¡±Youngwoo patted Yerim¡¯s head in a familiar manner. No matter the type of offensive she took toward him, Youngwoo only recognized her a sister. This was natural as Yerim was Sehee¡¯s best friend after all!


    ¡°A great gift?¡±


    When would this person see her as a woman? Yerim sulked when she saw that Youngwoo wasn¡¯t shaken no matter how close she was to him.As she wondered when the seal on her would be released, Youngwoo gave her a meaningful smile and said, ¡°Yes. It is a gift that is too big to be valued.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t exaggerating.


    [The cksmith god is closely rted to the ss quest of Pagma¡¯s Descendant.]


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s hint was more precious than gold. If Grid¡¯s affinity with the lightning god fell to -10, he would receive a curse. The thought of this curse made Youngwoo feel uneasy and ced great restrictions on his behavior. However, he could now feel expectant rather than afraid.


    ¡®Will an event ur when I receive the curse?¡¯ Youngwoo¡¯s heart beat faster in anticipation.He wanted to ess the game quickly. His family members and friends noticed this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have an hour and a half left of connection time? We can have the birthday party after that.¡±


    ¡°Sehee...¡±Youngwoo was touched. Where in the world could you find a sister who would know and give consideration for her brother¡¯s Satisfy ess time? He hugged Sehee firmly before heading straight to the capsule.


    ***


    In the midst of the calm morning forest, a quiet wind blew through the leaves. Mercedes was sitting alone on arge rock. She closed her eyes and recreated the battle with the giant cave cricket in her mind.


    ¡®In conclusion...¡¯


    She was convinced that she would¡¯ve been able to withstand the cave cricket¡¯s barrage if she had a sturdy shield.Mercedes judged that a shield would be more efficient than double swords when dealing with enemies stronger than herself.


    ¡®The swordsmanship of my family isn¡¯t that good.¡¯


    Mercedes used double swords because her swordsmanship was based on the Vaintz swordsmanship. She had always believed that the sword techniques she learned since childhood were the most suitable for her. However, she realized she was mistaken after bing a legend. The Vaintz swordsmanship might be useful for killing many enemies but it exposed too many gaps to strong enemies. This was a clear limitation of the Vaintz swordsmanship.


    In fact, hadn¡¯t she ultimately relied on the Supreme Swordsmanship during the Astaroth raid?


    ¡®So, there is no reason to be obsessed with the double swords.¡¯


    King Grid had known this from the beginning, which was why he had said he would make her armor and a shield.


    ¡°...¡± While Mercedes was thinking about her new armor, she suddenly opened her eyes. Her keen insight pierced deep into the forest, and she could feel the presence of thousands. They couldn¡¯t just be the elvesing back withpanions from the vige.Some of these presences were clearly human. Moreover...


    ¡®The elves have lost the strength of the elementals.¡¯


    It was unusual. This was just shortly after the giant cave cricket raid. Grid had left to go ¡®rest¡¯ while Piaro finished pruning and then returned to the vampire cities. As such, Mercedes was currently alone in this ce.¡°...¡±


    Her task was to wait until Grid finished his rest and came back. She thought for a moment before climbing up a tree and hiding her body. It wasn¡¯tparable to how an assassin would have done it, but it was still a sufficiently stealthy act. Soon after...


    ¡°Why are you trying to call the elementals? Don¡¯t be silly and just walk quickly.¡±


    A procession of humans and elves appeared. Thousands of elves were tied up together in a line, while hundreds of humans mocked as they watched over them.


    ¡®What...?¡¯ Mercedes was confused. Hadn¡¯t Beniyaru said that her ¡®friend¡¯ had arrived in the vige and that she woulde back after meeting her friends? Then what was this situation? Mercedes gritted her teeth. She had a vague idea of what Beniyaru and the elves had been through. The elves had lost the light in their eyes, and the wounds on their slender bodies incited Mercedes¡¯ anger.


    However, she thought inwardly, ¡®I¡¯m not qualified to be angry.¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ heart cooled down as she thought this.


    After all, who was she? She was a knight of the empire who had invaded countless nations and destroyed numerous immigrants. Of course, she hadn¡¯t done those things because of her own will as a person but because of the emperor¡¯smands. Although she might not have enved them or mocked them, she had still taken their lives.


    ¡®...I was also like them.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t deserve to criticize them. As Mercedes realized this, she closed her eyes, wanting to turn off this horrible sight. In the first ce, she was in a position where she had to ignore it.She didn¡¯t have the right to act freely and save the elves without Grid¡¯smand. So, Mercedes sat on the branch and clenched her fists.


    However, someone on the ground sensed her presence.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±It was Knight.He was someone who had won a small PvP tournament in Russia.


    Knight had even beat Alexander, who was known to be the strongest yer in Russia so far. However, his identity was close to obscure at the moment as there was a high level of awareness of him only in Russia. This was because Knight was a person who didn¡¯t want to be influential.


    Still, his skills were undoubtedly excellent. This was the reason why Merchant King Kir had squeezed out a lot of money to hire him. Discovering that Knight had stopped his horse, Kir approached him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Knight thought for a moment before shaking his head.¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    Of course, that was a lie. His passive skill, Death God¡¯s Sixth Sense, told him that the presence he sensed from the top of the tree was ssified as the ¡®highest risk.¡¯ Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to have the will to fight.It would be nice if they didn¡¯t encounter each other and just passed by.


    Knight judged this would be the best situation and rushed Kir.¡°Don¡¯t we have to arrive at the nearby temple before the duration of the Yatan Essence finishes? We should hurry.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±Kir listened to Knight¡¯s opinion and sped up the speed of the march. He whipped the elves¡¯ backs and urged them to walk faster. A few yers acted like they were having fun as the sound of whips rang through the forest constantly.


    Beniyaru ground her teeth together. Why had she believed in humans? Her foolishness had once again ced the elves in a great crisis.She wanted to bite her tongue and die. However, she couldn¡¯t die. Beniyaru pledged that she would survive and someday save all the people who suffered today because of her. She had to persevere through this shame and pain.


    Kir noticed her mindset. ¡°That is a good expression. No matter where you are, try as hard as you can. I look forward to the moment when your will is broken. Kukukuk.¡±


    ¡°Dirty human!¡±Beniyaru¡¯s anger reached its peak. She lost her temper and made another attempt to gather her mana and call the elementals.However, it was just an act of giving pain to herself.¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    The Yatan Essence had prated deep into her body, burning Beniyaru¡¯s mana and blood. Beniyaru¡¯s eyes turned white, and she struggled with the terrible pain. Kir¡¯s eyes became like crescent moons as he watched her spew out blood from every orifice in her body.


    ¡°Money is truly the best. The more expensive the goods, the better they are. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    For the sake of this day, Kir had traded with the Yatan Servants and spent as much as 40 million gold, which was around 48 billion won. Why did he pour so much money into a game? Ordinary people couldn¡¯t understand Kir¡¯s behavior. However, this expenditure was an obvious investment from Kir¡¯s point of view. It was also a sessful investment.


    Kir thought that 40 million gold was a cheap price for obtaining a whole species.


    ¡®Once sold into very, the elves I captured today will earn me more than 40 million gold.¡¯


    However, the real profit that Kir gained from this incident wasn¡¯t the elf ves. It was the right to the world tree. If he continued collecting and selling the fruit, branches, leaves, and bark of the world tree, Kir estimated that his ie would be equal to that of a country.


    ¡®Father, are you watching? Your son was able to grow brilliantly, unlike you who met a miserable and humiliating end.¡¯


    He would live differently from his father. There was only one step left in the oath Kir made at the miserable funeral.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Kir took a deep breath. He stepped forward to hasten the speed of the march when he saw something. A pale red pir of light was formed right before his eyes. It was the effect that urred when a yer logged in.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Had someone else discovered the forest of the world tree? Kir¡¯s group was confused, but they weren¡¯t very wary. After all, they knew that the stupid elves had removed the ward to wee them. That¡¯s right. The forest was now a ce where any dogs could enter. It was no longer a ce that only special people could visit. Moreover, there was only one opponent, so there was no reason to be vignt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kir¡¯s group nned to ignore the yer who had just logged in. However, they couldn¡¯t ignore the person.


    [Grid].


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was because the person who logged in was a huge yer.This wasn¡¯t an illusion, this was real.


    ¡°What is this situation?¡± Grid faced the thousands of people as soon as he logged in.His eyes gradually narrowed as his confusion grew because he was witnessing thousands of elves being captured by unidentified yers.


    Kir hurriedly approached on his horse to shake Grid¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you Grid? It is an honor to meet you. I am the 1st ranked merchant, Kir.¡±


    As usual, Kir disyed a smile that made people feel good. However, Grid didn¡¯t respond to Kir¡¯s handshake. Grid was reminded of the 3rd ranked Muto¡¯s words as he looked at the elves and opened his mouth, ¡°Beniyaru, can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡± Kir stood in front of Grid to block his view because Grid¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he looked at the elves.¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡±


    Grid showed him an indifferent attitude! Kir¡¯s eyebrows twitched, but he made an effort to maintain his smile. ¡°Your attitude isn¡¯t very good. You are the king of a nation and one of the top yers. Don¡¯t you know the basic manners?¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± Grid was no longer a fool and became aware of the situation. He knew clearly the terrible treatment that the thousands of wounded female elves would receive in the future. As such, Grid¡¯s expression hardened.


    Then Kir said to him, ¡°Isn¡¯t this frankly none of your business? I think it would be good if we just pass each other by.¡±


    Kir was also a ranker who was called the best. His sense of rivalry toward Grid was much greater than he had expected, and he unknowingly spat out those provocative words. Grid asked, ¡°Good for each other? Isn¡¯t it only good for you?¡±


    As he scoffed at Kir, Grid scouted the elves with his high insight.


    ¡°...¡±He soon discovered the wounded Beniyaru. Grid suppressed his boiling anger and asked, ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°...Why...?¡± All types of things were implied with that question. Grid stared at the shaky Beniyaru and gave her his first gentle smile since their initial meeting.¡°I have received a lot of help from the high elf called Sticks. I want to help you to repay him.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will let you act as you like?¡±Kir smiled and raised his killing intent. It was a signal.


    ¡°Look at this dirty jerk! Do you think you are so great just because you won once against Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°Why are you interfering with others in the first ce?¡±


    Kir¡¯s colleagues cried out and pulled out their weapons. Grid was still staring at Beniyaru as he waited for an answer.


    ¡°...¡±Beniyaru¡¯s eyes shook. In her despair, she had just made a promise not to trust another human. Now she wasn¡¯t convinced that she could once again believe in a human. However, Grid had pulled out the name Sticks. Furthermore, Grid hadn¡¯t hurt her in the past despite having the opportunity to do so. In the end...


    ¡°...Help us,¡± Beniyaru begged. ¡°Please! Help us!¡±


    Her eager cries struck Grid in the heart. ¡°Yes. I will act as the apostle of justice.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A fist quickly hit them...? The faces of the Kir¡¯s Company members distorted as they were hit by Unbreakable Justice.

 Chapter 829

    Unbreakable Justice was an area of effect skill that dealt 300% of his attack power. The members of Kir¡¯s group that were around level 250 couldn¡¯t respond to Grid¡¯s immediate skill and were struck by his fist.


    [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 3,150 damage.]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Fast. It was an attack that they couldn¡¯t see. However, it was bearable. While Grid might¡¯ve been ranked first in PvP, it would still be difficult for him to kill them instantly while they were equipped with unique rated equipment. The five yers attacked by Grid relied on the items that were avable to them since joining Kir¡¯s Company and attempted a counterattack. The narrow field of view of an ordinary yer didn¡¯t notice the threating from behind them.


    [You have suffered 11,290 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,870 damage.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Someone else¡¯s de flew towards them? The yers were astonished as they looked behind them and saw the spinning de before btedly discovering the silver thread hanging from the end of the de. The de shed red and headed towards the sword in Grid¡¯s hand as if it were being sucked into the sword, forming the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.


    Thanks to the ancient scroll, Grid seeded in enhancing it to +1 and the Enlightenment Sword was 5% stronger than before.


    5% was an ambiguous value. If a weapon with 100 attack power was increased by 5%, wasn¡¯t it just an increase of 5 damage? 5% wasn¡¯t much when applied to rare-epic rated items. Despite this fact, however, people were still obsessed with this 5% figure.


    There were many cases where victory in a fight was determined by a small difference in stats, let alone an attack power that was 3,780+189. The figure of 5% was too big to ignore for high-rated items with high basic stats. The additional level in enhancement for the Enlightenment Sword raised its attack power by 189 damage.


    This was why Grid was very sad. ¡®Shit! If I seeded in getting it to +3 then the additional damage would be over 567!¡¯


    Why was it only +1? Grid used Quick Movements to raise his agility and speed before rushing into enemy territory without hesitation. He either avoided or blocked all attacksing towards him with the God Hands and fought back with the Enlightenment Sword.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The faces of Kir¡¯s group lost their color, stunned at Grid¡¯s brutal attack power that killed their colleagues with one blow.


    ¡®It¡¯s different from what I saw in the video!¡¯


    It was rare for there to be any Satisfy user who hadn¡¯t watched the videos of the National Competition. Those who missed the live broadcast would watch the reruns, and the high-profile PvP videos were watched countless times by any one person.


    Kir¡¯s Company wasn¡¯t any different. They obtained money and items while serving Kir and dreamt about bing rankers someday. For them, the National Competition¡¯s PvP videos were a means for them to live vicariously, while also serving as a textbook.


    From the 1st National Competition to the 3rd National Competition, they watched dozens of videos of Grid fighting and sometimes defeating famous powerhouses. They had felt confident that they saw through Grid¡¯s way of fighting. They had the audacity to say that they could defeat Grid as long as they watched out for the ck state and white state (Assimtion), as well as his ¡®quick attack skill¡¯ that instantly killed most enemies.


    But what was the reality?


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    They were gravely mistaken. Grid¡¯s movements, which they could easily track in the video thanks to the help of high-speed cameras, were actually so fast that they couldn¡¯t be followed with the naked eye. His attack patterns, which seemed so simplepared to Kraugel¡¯s, were actually hard to predict in person.


    Grid¡¯s battle style of being hit and counterattacking was only expressed against opponents whose control was superior to his own.


    Kir¡¯s members couldn¡¯t go against Grid¡¯s ¡®rtively normal control.¡¯ They couldn¡¯t even determine where Grid woulde from and at what timing. More than anything else, though...


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    His attack power was too strong, and they all died in a single blow.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    It was only 30 seconds. The faces of Kir¡¯s Company all nched in shock as they witnessed more than 10 of their colleagues die in a short period of time. One of them even became a frightened puppy and cowered back in fear.


    Furthermore, Grid¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any excitement. Merchant King Kir, who was the most likely to build a kingdom after Grid and Ares. His trusty subordinates and colleagues that he was so prideful of, they were all just ordinary people to Grid as he continued the absolute ughter without stopping.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Give me amand.¡±


    The magician ¡®Boutian¡¯ and the female scimitar user ¡®Arisa¡¯ approached Kir and asked.


    They were colleagues who had been with Kir ever since he first discovered the forest of the world tree. They were very strong, with their levels at 349 and 351 respectively. On top of that, they were also armed with legendary items, all thanks to Kir.


    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking.¡±


    Kir couldn¡¯t easily move. The two groups led by Boutian and Arisa had a total of 30 people. While they were all third advancement rankers, it was still questionable if they could go against Grid. This was due to Grid¡¯s Knights Summoning.


    ¡®It is also possible to summon my knights, but...¡¯


    He had left three named NPCs in his city, who should be able to handle the Overgeared members that Grid summoned. However, Piaro was the real problem at hand. Piaro was Grid¡¯s right hand man who yed an overwhelming role during the great demon raid. They couldn¡¯t go against a named NPC who had probably alreadypleted his growth.


    ¡®Knights Summoning isn¡¯t the only thing I have to be careful about.¡¯


    Kir might¡¯ve met Grid for the first time today, but he was very impressed with Grid. Was it due to Grid¡¯s strength? No. Kir was already familiar with Grid¡¯s strength. He foresaw from the beginning that Knight would have to expose himself to stop Grid. Unlike this rabble, Merchant King Kir¡¯s discerning eyes were real.


    Then what caused Kir to feel surprised? It was Grid¡¯s ¡®intelligence.¡¯


    ¡®His brain works very quickly.¡¯


    If Grid wasn¡¯t smart, he would¡¯ve chosen to not save the elves. He would¡¯ve tried to build a good rtionship with the 1st ranked merchant rather than be hostile to Kir. However, Grid had saved the elves, and directly had the elves ask for his help in order to build a foundation for the future.


    ¡®Grid saw it instantly.¡¯


    Right now he was taking a big risk, but choosing to save the elves would be a much bigger benefit for him in the long run. Grid was the first yer king for a reason. The ignorant look that he exposed in the media over the years was just paltry acting.


    ¡®Damn snake.¡¯


    Grid must have something else besides the Knights Summoning. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have moved to deal with 400 enemies alone. Arisa spoke confidently to Kir, who was unable to make a choice.


    "What if it is just simple arrogance?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°He is the best in the world. It is likely that his sense of pride from beating Kraugel has ruined him. Think about it: assuming that he can even manage to summon 10 knights, that is just the maximum number of people he can summon. Would the Overgeared members be on standby 24 hours a day? Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Maybe the number of knights he can summon right now is simr to what you can summon. Even if he can call upon more people than expected, we have a lot of people here right now. Thinking too much can be poisonous.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kir was silent as his brain worked on overdrive. Finally, Boutian used Magic Detection and opened his mouth, ¡°Kir, it is as you expected. Grid seems to have something else besides the Knights Summoning.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There is a rodent hiding above our heads."


    ¡°Just one? Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In the first ce, our position is too favorable. Look, Grid isn¡¯t using any wide-area skills despite us having superior numbers.¡±


    Why?


    ¡°He is concerned about the elves being swept away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless even if he uses Knights Summoning. And as for the burning rain of arrows created by Jishuka? We can just use the elves as a meat shield.¡±


    Arisa pped her hands in excitement as she eximed, ¡°Right! If Kir threatens to kill the elves, then we can fight more thoroughly.¡±


    Trying to keep their current status would just be a disadvantage for Kir. If Kir was willing to take some damage, he would be able to win this battle that started somewhat abruptly.


    ¡°...Okay.¡± Kir finally made a decision and proimed, ¡°I will smash Grid using our numbers advantage. Let¡¯s show the power of Kir¡¯s Company to the prideful Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The flow of battle would change from now on as Boutian, Arisa, and the other top members took the stage. The high-levelpany members¡¯ morale skyrocketed as they witnessed Grid running wild.


    -Knight: Do you intend to give up on the elves?


    Kir received a whisper from Knight, who had been watching the situation from one step away. Kir frowned. He had invested a whopping 40 million gold into this operation. The damage would be hard to recover from if he gave up on the elves.


    -Kir: That is impossible.


    -Knight: Then I won¡¯t stop you.I will do my best to fight as much as I am paid.Just.


    Knight wore a ck robe that covered his body and pulled out a giant scythe befitting his ¡®Death God¡¯ ss. He added,


    -Knight: I won¡¯t risk my life, as it isn¡¯t worth a bit of gold.I will retreat if I feel threatened.


    -Kir: ...Is Grid that strong?


    Kir knew about Knight¡¯s Death God¡¯s Sixth Sense. It was something he had to take into ount. Knight replied, ¡°It is a question mark.¡±


    ¡°....???¡±


    A question mark? Kir made a confused expression.


    ¡°It means I can¡¯t measure him. For example, there is the skill called ckening. Grid still has room to increase hisbat power, so the system can¡¯t measure him properly. Well, he is the person who beat Kraugel. He is certainly strong. However, haven¡¯t you determined that you can handle him? I will leave Grid to you.¡±


    Knight thought the real problem was something else. The problem was the ¡®highest risk¡¯ rodent hidden in the trees. The giant scythe dug into the tree, smoothly felling it in one quick motion. As the tree trunk crashed onto the ground, a woman with white hair appeared: Mercedes. She ruthlessly swung her sword at Knight as soon as she fell from the tree.


    Kir¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he shouted, ¡°The First Knight?! Why is she here?!!¡±


    ¡°The First Knight?¡±


    Knight was also upset, but he didn¡¯t retreat just yet. He believed that he should act ording to what he was paid. The power of the Death God that exerted power over all targets with a finite life exploded outwards. The bushes and trees in the area wilted as a new ¡®soul gauge¡¯ was created at the bottom of Mercedes¡¯ health bar.


    "Shouldn¡¯t you hurry if you don¡¯t want your soul to be eaten away?¡±


    The huge image of a death god appeared behind Knight¡¯s back. It was something that Alexander hadn¡¯t seen when he was easily knocked down by Knight. That¡¯s right, Alexander was defeated without being able to bring out Knight¡¯s entire strength.

 Chapter 830

    It was obvious by his name, but Knight was a yer who originally dreamed about bing a knight. Since the opening of Satisfy, he had devoted himself only to training and quests to be a knight. However, that dream was unfulfilled.He even received a curse.


    The knights division Knight had an apprenticeship with met an unexpected enemy and were then wiped out.He moved cities and kingdoms, but things always turned out the same way. Knight¡¯spanions always died. This was the result.


    [You have opened the power of a death god.]


    [The spirit of life is perceived as an enemy.]


    [The energy of death covets the soul of the target.]


    Knight obtained the growth type hidden ss, Death God. Compared to his original target of being a knight, this was a ss with an unparalleled power. Yet Knight wasn¡¯t pleased. It felt like the stigma of a death god was mocking him.


    ¡°12 minutes... The reputation of the First Knight is real after all. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a solid soul.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You will die if you don¡¯t hurt me in 12 minutes,¡± Knight warned Mercedes, smiling bitterly as he saw her soul gauge being consumed slowly. The dark curtain that fell over the area veiled his appearance.


    ***


    ¡®These dogs aren¡¯t strong like Immortal.¡¯


    Almost half of Immortal¡¯s members had endured Grid¡¯s basic blow. He had to hit them two or three times for them to die. This was despite the fact that they were necromancers. It was estimated that their high rated items and the increase in stats given by their titles were quite high. They were truly a group made of rankers.


    Then what about Kir¡¯s Company?


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    They were one shot one kills! The members of Kir¡¯s Company turned to gray with just one blow from Grid. They were incredibly weakpared to the Overgeared members, Valha, and Immortal.


    ¡®It¡¯s funny.¡¯


    Why did so many yers nurture their characters carefully?It was because they wanted to be stronger than other people. They felt the greatest joy when boasting absolute invincibility... just like the current Grid.


    [The target has died!]


    [The target has died...]


    [The target has...]


    Grid drew a sharp line with the Enlightenment Sword, and three members of Kir¡¯s Company turned gray simultaneously. There were also members who couldn¡¯t approach due to the Magic Missiles being fired from the God Hands floating to the left and right of Grid.


    ¡®The hands are good.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s joy kept rising as he overwhelmed hundreds of enemies alone, and a smile spread across his face. However, even so...


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°These dogs.¡±


    He didn¡¯t be careless. Grid maintained his extreme concentration and swung his sword without leaving a gap for the enemy to strike. So, why did he bother wasting power to defend against the trivial attacks? It was in order to hide his hidden card. Grid wanted to conceal the poison being emitted by the +1 Valha of Infinite Affection as much as possible.


    ¡®There will be rankers present.¡¯


    The top rankers were like hyenas seeking the right time to aim at him. It was inevitable that Grid would be wounded when they started to act, so he was certain the poison fog would be a significant variable at that time.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    Grid¡¯s fighting energy increased gradually. Then as he became stronger during the fight, his red and purple aura rose up. His basic attacks wreaked greater havoc, and his improved agility made the cooperation between level 250 yers meaningless.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    His shing eyes caused the hearts of the Kir members to freeze. Grid smiled throughout the battle and realized the gap that existed between those with high strength and those with low strength.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough...¡¯


    This was beyond their imagination. The Kir members had watched Grid fight against the giants of other worlds and Great Demon Belial dozens of times on the TV and Inte, but he hadn¡¯t been this strong.To think there was a gap of over 100 levels...?


    They had thought they would be able to ovee the gap somewhat with their control skills. Now, they realized the control skills they were so proud of was at the level of an elementary school student. What about the difference in items? They had thought they would be able to ovee the gap with the various unique items they¡¯d received after joining Kir¡¯s Company. Now, they clearly realized that Grid¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t just in his items.


    What about their numerical superiority? A confrontation of one person against hundreds would naturally be advantageous for them. However, now they were experiencing it. There was a limitation of having a great number of people. Hundreds of people couldn¡¯t attack a single person at the same time. The space was too limited.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯


    ¡®Who can win against that monster?¡¯


    It was admirable that Kraugel had been able topete with this monster for a short time.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grid said, suddenly appearing right in front of their noses. The members of Kir¡¯s Company flinched.


    ¡°Why are you so absent-minded? Should I beat you like you did the elves?¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    There were few people who could resist the mob mentality. Once one member started to step back from Grid, the other members around him started to retreat as well. Grid took one step forward, while they took three steps back. Then he took one more step, and they fell over each other¡¯s feet.


    The pride they¡¯d felt about belonging to the huge Kir¡¯s Company had long been lost. Just as the Kir members sank into despair, a voice entered their ears, ¡°Use the elves as a shield!¡±


    It was the call of Merchant King Kir.


    ¡°Swap to ranged weapons! Those who know how to use magic, don¡¯t save your mana potions! Push at Grid without resting! Don¡¯t shrink back! You will be safe if you use the elves as shields!¡±


    ¡®Safe.¡¯ This one word raised the morale of the Kir members.


    The members of thepany hid among the thousands of elves and pulled out weapons like bows and throwing daggers. The magicians, who hadn¡¯t been able to perform their roles due to the Magic Missiles fired by the God Hands, also started to cast magic.


    A total of 32 rankers, including Boutian and Arisa, started to act as well.


    ¡°Stone Shower.¡± Boutian¡¯s magic dumped a pile of stones onto Grid. Meanwhile, Arisa reached Grid¡¯s side and swung her scimitar.


    ¡°Heh, I didn¡¯t expect you to block it. Did you get better after the National Competition?¡±Arisa smiled with admiration as Grid blocked her attack.¡°But won¡¯t this be more difficult?¡±


    Quick Movements¡ªit was the buff skill that Grid or the God Hands developed using a specific ¡®dagger¡¯ as a medium. Due to watching hundreds of Grid¡¯s battles, Arisa knew that its duration was about to end, and it was just as she expected. While avoiding Boutian¡¯s continuous spells, Grid avoided Arisa¡¯s second and third attacks before being hit by her fourth one. Arisa¡¯s scimitar fell like lightning and cut Grid¡¯s chest as Arisa¡¯s subordinates joined her btedly.


    ¡°The timing is perfect.¡±Gridughed with ridicule as he faced Arisa¡¯s colleagues.


    ¡°...?¡± Arisa¡¯s eyes widened in confusion after hearing Grid¡¯s murmur.


    [You have be affected by poison!]


    [It is an irresistible poison!]


    [You will receive 4,300 damage per second!]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Where had this poison fog suddenlye from? The poisoned Arisa began to panic. Her subordinates joined her one stepte and bombarded Grid. The swords and spears stabbed at Grid¡¯s body.Every time it happened, a dark green fog was released from Grid¡¯s armor.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    A crazy situation unfolded as the health gauges of the dozens of people attacking Grid simultaneously started to decrease significantly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a scam? What type of reflexes is this?¡±


    There was poison in addition to the high defense? Arisa moved backward with a frown and hurriedly drank an antidote. However, it was a foolish act. Taking a potion in front of the target without restraining their actions was no different frommitting suicide.


    Grid asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have experience dealing with enemies much stronger than you?¡±


    He mocked Arisa¡¯s stupidity as his sword pierced Arisa¡¯s chest. This was the moment when the health gauge of the level 352 ranker, Arisa, was reduced by one-fifth with a single strike.


    [You have suffered 14,900 damage.]


    [The durability of the Organ Armor has decreased by 20.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Why did a basic attack contain so much power?Arisa¡¯s face hardened as she suffered great damage despite the legendary armor she wore. She sensed her impending death and closed her eyes, expecting the ck mes that killed Tarma in the National Competition to engulf her.


    However, the mes didn¡¯t explode. Instead, Grid recovered his sword and quickly left this ce to avoid the Earthquake spell that Boutian had used. The other rankers chased Grid. During the time in which Arisa had been taking an antidote, the rankers used all types of buffs that increased their power by 200%.


    No matter how strong Grid was, the power of 30 rankers at level 300 wouldn¡¯t be easy to handle. Therefore, he used a skill for the first time. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    That¡¯s right. So far, Grid had only been using basic attacks, and no one in Kir¡¯s Company had noticed this` until now.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    Link, Kill, Wave, Pinnacle, Transcend, and so on¡ªmost of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had been exposed to the world. As such, all the talented rankers were prepared to cope with Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and were quick to respond. They hurriedly moved their bodies away from the range of Wave¡¯s sword energy.


    ¡°Over here!¡± Boutian cried out as he hid among the elves like a rat and continued using magic. Arisa and the rankers rushed to his side and hid among the elves, grabbing and threatening them with des to their necks.


    ¡°There is a limit to the power of an individual, no matter how strong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you happened to be with the First Knight, but can you rescue all the elves?¡±


    ¡°`Stop fighting right now. Then we will give you a few elves as gifts. Let¡¯s leave each other on good terms.¡±


    The selfish members of Kir¡¯s Company deluded themselves.


    ¡°XXX.¡± Grid wasn¡¯t greatly concerned about the elves. The reason Grid didn¡¯t use a wide area skill wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of harming the elves. He just didn¡¯t feel the need to use skills to handle these small fries. ¡°Now it is annoying.¡±


    The Kir members ignited Grid¡¯s rage again by taking the elves as hostages, and the cost for it was disastrous. The Enlightenment Sword was filled with a red and purple energy as the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy sublimated the power of the Undefeated King. Grid used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword¡ªa skill which had been used against the dragon that had suddenly emerged in the National Competition.


    ¡°You¡ª!¡±


    Thepany members were astonished that such a ruthless skill was being used. Arisa hurriedly shouted, ¡°Are you insane? Are you nning to kill all the elves?"


    ¡°What?¡±Grid jeered but his eyes weren¡¯t smiling. ¡°The elves won¡¯t die from this.¡±


    His sword tilted, and the intense aura around his body shone like a sun shortly before exploding.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    Boutian was the person Grid viewed as the strongest in Kir¡¯s Company, and that¡¯s why he was the target. Grid¡¯s sharp sword aimed at Boutian.


    ¡°Wait! Wouldn¡¯t you rather use that power to help the First Knight?¡± Kir¡¯s voice suddenly rang out.¡°I don¡¯t know what the story is but isn¡¯t the First Knight apanying you right now? Her life is being threatened by the Death God.¡±


    Grid paused the activation of the skill and spoke in a tone that was as calm as possible, ¡°Death God?¡±


    Then Grid¡¯s gaze shifted and saw that Mercedes¡¯ bright hair had lost its pigments as she was trapped in the dark curtain. A scythe held by a bone-white hand aimed for her neck.


    ¡°That yer is a master of defense and has the power to deal a definitive death to the target. I am convinced that his special way of fighting is beyond the most powerful NPC...¡± Kir looked at Mercedes and Knight while exining, only to close his mouth before finishing.


    Mercedes suddenly unfolded bright wings of light and raised her sword. The darkness surrounding her on all sides was broken, and a pir of gray soared up.


    [Your party member Knight has died.]


    ¡°...What?¡± Kir approximately knew what Mercedes¡¯ and Knight¡¯s skills were like, so he hadn¡¯t expected such results. Unlike what he bragged, he hadn¡¯t thought that Knight would win, just that he would buy more time. However, what was this result?


    Kir couldn¡¯t shut his mouth as thendscape turned red. It was the aftermath of the massacre.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    There were 30 strikes in one second. The strongest energy des poured down at a speed that couldn¡¯t be pursued by the eyes, damaging Boutian and everyone in the area. Blood soaked the forest.

 Chapter 831

    These elves had survived Mercedes¡¯ and Grids¡¯ attacks, and Beniyaru had even endured Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. The elves had a high defense vitality, unlike their slender bodies which were covered with just a few leaves. They were an upper-level species different from vampires.


    However, could they withstand the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword?


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    [-Deals 60% of your attack power 30 times to everyone (can¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe) in a 10-meter radius.]


    It was impossible to confirm. Despite being degraded, the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King that ¡®ughtered¡¯ 100,000 enemies had a power beyond Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.There was even the possibility of the ck mes exploding when 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was used with the +1 Enlightenment Sword.


    So why? Why did Grid use the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword when he wanted to save the elves? It was because he had faith. There was a thimble on Grid¡¯s long and thick thumb.


    [Elf¡¯s Bow Thimble (Made by Pagma)]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 111/111


    * Bow attack speed +20% when worn (elves receive double the effect).


    * Allows normal attacks or skill attacks to switch to ¡®target mode¡¯ (Three-minute cooldown. The cooldown is halved when used by an elf).


    -A legendary item received from Death Knight Povia on the Behen Archipgo!]


    It was a fraudulent item that transformed non-targeted skills into targeted skills. However, Grid¡¯s brain hadn¡¯t been in an active state when he received the thimble. He hadn¡¯t recognized the fraudulent nature of the thimble and had only been fascinated with the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship. As such, he had naturally forgotten about the bow thimble.


    Consequently, the biggest harvest Grid got from discovering the forest of the world tree was actually realizing the use of the bow thimble. Grid put on the World Tree¡¯s Ne and the bow thimble, then he used the skill.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    He used a wide-range skill, but only the bodies of the Kir members were blown away from where they were hiding amidst the thousands of elves. ck mes asionally swept over the elves.


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°Uhh...!¡±


    The basic vitality of the elves¡¯ was high enough for them to not die. However, the two or three sessive explosions caused the elves to be seriously injured.


    ¡°Look. The elves wouldn¡¯t die from this much.¡±


    In the end, they would just have to endure it even if it hurt. Grid confirmed the countless gray pirs that rose into the air and used Revolve immediately after 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Then Arisa¡¯s scimitar which aimed at Grid ended up reversing and striking herself in the chest instead. She fell into a stunned state from receiving the great damage and cried out in a trembling voice, ¡°What the hell is this...?¡±


    The ck mes were the instant skill which had killed Tarma instantly during the National Competition. Yet how many times did the ck mes just explode in a row?Every skill had a cooldown, and the more powerful the skill, the longer the cooldown would be. Logically, this situation waspletely iprehensible.


    Grid asked the confused Arisa, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    That¡¯s right.Grid didn¡¯t understand Arisa¡¯s question. He didn¡¯t know that Arisa and others had misunderstood the ck mes as a skill! Grid¡¯s basic attack struck once at Arisa¡¯s unprotected side.Then he stabbed a second time and a third time.


    However, the third strike wasn¡¯t required. Arisa was already seriously damaged from the time she was hit with Revolve, and she turned to gray after Grid¡¯s second blow.A high-level yer who couldn¡¯t be harmed by hundreds of 200+ level yers had been helpless before Grid¡¯s nonsensical attacks.


    Grid wanted to shout, ¡®All existences apart from me are equal!¡¯


    Knight, who had been hired for millions of gold, and the top members that Kir had fostered were brutally killed, leaving Kir speechless. ¡°Crazy...¡±


    The disaster called ¡®Grid¡¯ was something that the 1st ranked merchant and so-called Merchant King was unfamiliar with. Only 34 people survived the bombardment of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Having lost their killing intent, they simply stood silently. No one interfered with Grid as he approached Kir.


    Everything Kir had done was in vain. The army that he¡¯d built with his hard-earned strength was made to kneel before a one-man army. Grid was an unjust existence for Kir, who lived with the power of money.


    ¡®...Power is imperative.¡¯Kir realized that he shouldn¡¯t be ted about purchasing one city. The thing he needed was the power to break through the limits of money.¡®The money I invested in a small city could¡¯ve been spent on the emperor.¡¯


    Grid wouldn¡¯t have dared be so hostile to him if Kir were under the aegis of the empire. While Kir was feeling regretful and remorseful, Grid arrived right in front of him and asked, ¡°Is there a demand for elf ves?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is a merchant¡¯s role to create demand? Why? Do you intend to find the ve buyers and punish them? Is that your justice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that diligent. I was just wondering how many people take for granted the buying and selling of people?¡±


    ¡°People?¡± Kir doubted his ears and burst outughing. ¡°Are you crazy? Are you going to say that the masses of AI are actually people?¡±


    Anger filled Kir¡¯s eyes.¡°NPCs exist for the convenience and progress of us yers. Only yers can be called people. Have you forgotten the reality of games after marrying an NPC and giving birth to one? Or is it your wish? Are you one of those madmen who wish to be an NPC so that your wife and child are real?¡±


    In reality, many people fell in love with anime characters television. So, it wasn¡¯t strange that people would fall in love with NPCs who could actually converse, touch, and share emotions.


    ¡°Kukuk!¡± Kir could onlyugh. He had been fiercely ying the game in order to fulfill his grand dream ofpleting his revenge against his father. Meanwhile, a famous ranker had been ying house with NPCs.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t acknowledge it.¡± Kir¡¯s anger exploded. He stared at Grid with murderous eyes and pulled out a heavy bag. Based on the sounds the bag was making, it was clearly full of money. Were there gold coins that weighed around hundreds of kilograms?


    ¡°You carry that much money with you? You are the 1st ranked merchant for a reason.¡± The surprised Grid scoffed. ¡°So what? Will you give me money in order to spare you? Okay. Give it a try. I might spare you depending on the amount.¡±


    He had seeded in rescuing the elves, and Mercedes was wiping out the remaining members of Kir¡¯s Company. Kir was the only one left, so Grid could afford to spare him. He didn¡¯t have any personal grudges that made him want to kill Kir, and there was no reason to reject the offer.


    However, Kir ridiculed Grid,¡°You talked about different things, but you are the same as the rest.¡±


    In the end, humans wanted money.It was rare for a human to not be greedy.Kir once again remembered this fact.


    ¡°Money? If you want it then I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± He shouted and swung the bag full of money toward Grid.


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    Was this called an attack? Grid was unfamiliar with the merchant ss and saw them as having nobat power. Therefore, this attack seemed meaningless.It was some that he couldn¡¯t even mock it.


    ¡°...!¡± Grid shook his head and was too surprised when he was about to be hit by Kir¡¯s attack. It was because he couldn¡¯t avoid Kir¡¯s slow move.


    [The huge power of gold stimtes your greed.]


    [You can¡¯t resist. You have been attracted by the gold force.]


    ¡®What?¡¯ Grid felt a moment of anxiety. Then the heavy money bag struck Grid¡¯s face.


    [You have suffered 1 damage.]


    [The weight of riches is a greatw. You can¡¯t bear the weight!]


    [You have exited from the battlefield!]


    Grid¡¯s body flew high into the sky and disappeared.

 Chapter 832

    ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡±


    What was this? It was an unbelievable sight!Mercedes looked at the sky with a devastated expression. Then Kir urged her, ¡°Your Majesty? Are you referring to Grid? Then you should hurry. Isn¡¯t it dangerous to be alone this deep in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡± There was nothing more important than her master¡¯s safety. Mercedes looked at the elves and then at the ugly Kir before leaving without hesitation. She ran in the direction that Grid had flown to. It was only after she had leftpletely that Kir revealed his desperate situation. ¡°Another unexpected expenditure...¡±


    [Flying Money]


    [-Hits the target and blow them away. It applies to everyone that can¡¯t resist the smell of money, except a certain species.


    It inflicts 1 damage to the target and blows the target 3 kilometers away.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Gold in proportion to the target¡¯s level and attack power will be consumed. The skill won¡¯t activate if there isn¡¯t enough gold.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    Flying Money was a survival skill that only a third advancement merchant could acquire. Since there were only two merchants who had acquired their third advancement ss, there were only a few people who knew the identity of this skill. This meant people didn¡¯t know much about the skill, and even Kir couldn¡¯t grasp it urately.


    Why? That was because he¡¯d never used it before! As a result, he confirmed that it was a very powerful skill that guaranteed a high survival rate.


    ¡°...430,000 gold was blown away.¡±


    An absurd amount of money was consumed. Kir expected the spending to be great considering the effect of the skill, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so big. When he saw that his number of gold had sharply decreased, Kir trembled. The operation to capture the elves had failed because of Grid, and Kir was forced to give up ownership of the world tree. This resulted in a total loss of 40.43 million gold, which was worth more than 48.5 billion won. The loss was sorge that it was hard for Kir to bear.


    ¡°Dammit...! Dammit!!¡±


    The merchant¡¯s ranking wasn¡¯t simply calcted based on level. It was also based onpleted transactions and the total number of assets. Due to this incident, Kir would lose the title of 1st in the merchant rankings as well as many things he had enjoyed in the meantime. The expression in his eyes turned dark, and he felt suffocated as his body trembled.


    ¡°Hrmm, this is great.¡± Beniyaruughed at the angry Kir.


    It was natural for Kir¡¯s anger to turn to her.¡°You! It is because you cried out for help!¡± Kir kicked Beniyaru¡¯s face many times. He spat on her and then forced her onto his horse. ¡°I will sell you for an expensive price.¡±


    ¡°Beniyaru!¡±


    The elves tried to stop Kir, but it was impossible. Having been poisoned by the Yatan Essence, they couldn¡¯t even move their fingertips. Kir was about to leave with Beniyaru when he shouted, ¡°Knight Summoning!¡±


    Three knights were summoned. They were named NPCs that Kir was proud of. Kir gave an order to the best knights that ordinary yers couldn¡¯t go against. ¡°One minute. Kill as many elves as you can in one minute. Then take a few back to the city.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    A deep grudge settled in Kir¡¯s heart as he sat behind Beniyaru and rode in the opposite direction of Grid¡¯s flight.


    ¡®Grid! I will make you regret your actions today for the rest of your life!¡¯


    The screams of the elves rang through the forest behind him.


    ¡°...¡± Darkness filled Beniyaru¡¯s empty eyes.


    ***


    ¡°...¡± Grid didn¡¯t know where this ce was. After being hit by a bag of money and flying a few kilometers away, heid on the ground for a while. However, he recovered within a short span of time and got up.


    ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t this absurd?¡±


    The power of gold that couldn¡¯t be resisted...? He never imagined that there would be this type of skill.If he had known that a merchant had such a dangerous skill, Grid wouldn¡¯t have spared Kir.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would be so annoying.¡¯


    Grid was aware that Kir had left the battlefield at the beginning of the battle, but Grid hadn¡¯t gone after him. It had been a conscious decision to not ce Kir into the range of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Why? It was because Grid had been confident that he could easily deal with a merchant who didn¡¯t have a separate escape route. However...


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Having too much confidence was terrible. Grid felt the need to study.


    ¡®I should collect as much information as possible about rtively unfamiliar sses and be aware of their characteristics.¡¯


    Would there ever be an end to this studying?Grid¡¯s pledge might be useless considering the countless sses avable in Satisfy. However, Grid was confident that he wouldn¡¯t regret it. He believed that he could do it without giving up. At the same time, he reflected on himself.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve used Mercedes more aggressively.¡¯


    He should¡¯ve ordered Mercedes to watch Kir in order to grasp some of his skills and abilities. There was a low probability that she could¡¯ve detected the Flying Money skill and then allowed him to avoid it.


    ¡®I¡¯ve obtained a legendary knight, but I haven¡¯t been using her properly. Tsk.¡¯


    The problem wasn¡¯t a dumb brain. This incident was caused by excessive confidence.Grid had believed himself to be a top yer while Kir was an insignificant enemy. Therefore, he had been careless. Grid had failed to maintain his concentration and ended up missing things.


    ¡®Well, everything is an experience.¡¯


    He put on Braham¡¯s Boots and started flying.There was no nervousness about the fact that Mercedes and the elves were left alone as he believed in Mercedes. Grid flew back to his original location.He smiled as he overcame all the obstacles in the forest using the advantage of flying.


    ¡®Kir, you stupid bastard.¡¯


    What did he intend by blowing Grid away?Mercedes still remained behind. She would take care of the remaining members of Kir¡¯s Company and rescue the elves.


    ¡®I hope that Kir is still alive.¡¯


    Then Grid could take his money. It hadn¡¯t been out of ¡®general consideration¡¯ that Grid had listened to Kir¡¯s ufortable nonsense from beginning to end. He¡¯d done so out of patience to gain the maximum advantages. Grid intended to gain money by bargaining with a ¡®merchant¡¯ who was afraid for his life, giving Kir hope for his future. What if Grid didn¡¯t get as much wealth as he wanted? Then he would just go ahead and kill Kir. From Kir¡¯s point of view, he would be forced to feel desperate.


    ¡®There is still hope. Mercedes might¡¯ve saved his life. Um...?¡¯ Grid became confused and stood in ce.


    It was because he saw Mercedes running toward him from a distance.¡°Your Majesty! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    This was an unexpected encounter! Grid was confused for a bit and then smacked his lips together with regret. ¡°Did you already kill Kir?¡±


    ¡°Huh...? No, I was worried about your safety and immediately followed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Grid narrowed the distance towards her. Mercedes was surprised since Grid had only shown her a gentle appearance after acquiring her. Grid asked, ¡°Are you that bad? You let go of the enemies that needed to be kept and the targets to be protected?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Mercedes wanted to refute it. However, a knight couldn¡¯t give excuses to their master.


    Grid flew up again while speaking to the silently bowing Mercedes, ¡°Well? Return to the front line immediately!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Grid no longer rebuked Mercedes. If he looked at it from the perspective of a knight that should consider the safety of their master as the top priority, he understood why she had run while leaving Kir and the elves alone. Mercedes¡¯ master had been attacked by the enemy and had disappeared before her eyes. Had there been room to think about anything else? It was natural that she would chase after Grid, disregarding Kir and the elves. After all, her duty was to protect Grid, not the elves.


    However, it was regrettable. What if Mercedes were a yer? They would be able to respond flexibly to the situation by sending a whisper to Grid or by checking the health gauge in the party window.


    ¡®It is a limitation of an NPC.¡¯Grid felt strange whenever he remembered that yers and NPCs were different from each other. In particr, his heart throbbed when he thought about Irene. Trying to shake off his thoughts, Grid¡¯s shout was louder than usual, ¡°Knight Summoning!¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to summon Piaro or Asmophel.¡¯


    It was a burden to summon Asmophel, who was traveling all over the continent to find the Red Knights. Meanwhile, Piaro would have to return to the vampire city all over again. In the first ce, Grid wanted the knights with high mobility since it was to track down Kir who had already run away!


    ¡°Huroi! Faker!¡±


    [The summoningmand has been sent. The response is pending.]


    [The targets have epted the summons.]


    [The knights Huroi and Faker have been summoned.]


    ¡°This Huroi! I havee in response to Your Majesty¡¯s call!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Huroi and Faker immediately appeared in response to Grid¡¯s call.


    ¡°Merchant King Kir is somewhere in this forest. He couldn¡¯t have gone too far. Find him now and bring him before me.¡±


    Orator Huroi had a wyvern, so he was able to see the entire forest from the sky and demonstrate an excellent maneuverability. Meanwhile, Faker was an assassin who had excellent tracking abilities.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Both of them replied confidently. They had no idea what was going on, but they noticed the urgency of the situation and immediately took action.


    A few minutes after they left.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and Mercedes arrived at the ce where the elves had been. The number of elves making frightened expressions had obviously been reduced. More than 100 elves had disappeared in the short time they had been gone. Beniyaru couldn¡¯t be seen either. Grid had an ominous feeling. He took several deep breaths to empty his mind of the terrible sight and approached a young elf.


    Then he released her bound wrists and ankles and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Sob.¡± The elf couldn¡¯t speak and just shook her head with a frightened expression. She was obviously afraid of Grid and humans.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡±Mercedes bowed deeply, believingthe terrible events of this day had been caused by her. She felt sad because the trust Grid had built up with the elves copsed due to her not being able to cope flexibly.


    Grid¡¯s voice entered her ears, ¡°No. It isn¡¯t your fault. Kir is the one in the wrong. In the end, I crossed a river that can¡¯t be reversed.¡±


    Grid felt a strong hostility and disgust toward Kir who had tried to enve the elves using the excuse that they were just NPCs with an artificial intelligence. However, he knew that most people, not just Kir, perceived NPCs as bits of artificial intelligences or chunks of graphics. Just looking at the Overgeared members, weren¡¯t there also yers who didn¡¯t recognize NPCs as people?


    There was no reason to waste energy by imposing notions of respect and affection on Kir. He was just a bastard that money could be obtained from. Of course, that was until a few minutes ago.Now, the situation had changed. Grid took several deep breaths in an effort to calm his mind.


    No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t calm down. He had witnessed countless terrible and miserable things in the past, but why was it that he couldn¡¯t adapt every time? Grid¡¯s eyes were cold, and his hands trembled as he released some of the frightened elves while sending a whisper to Lauel.


    -Grid: The city of Merchant King Kir.What kingdom is it in?


    -Lauel: The Gauss Kingdom


    -Grid: If we invade the city, does it count as invading the Gauss Kingdom?


    -Lauel: Of course.There is a high probability that a diplomatic problem could lead to war.


    Lauel didn¡¯t ask what happened.He had sent a whisper to Huroi after the summoning and gotten a glimpse of Grid¡¯s current situation.


    -Lauel: My role in this life is to realize Your Majesty¡¯s will.Don¡¯t worry about anything.


    -Grid: ...


    -Lauel: Since Mercedes¡¯ arrival, the power of the Overgeared Kingdom has clearly exceeded the Gauss Kingdom.They can¡¯t defeat us even if a war takes ce. Of course, there is room for other countries to intervene.


    There were no small countries that wanted the Overgeared Kingdom to expand its power. It was likely that an alliance of small countries would form, and the Overgeared Kingdom would suffer a great crisis. However, Lauel didn¡¯t say this. After all, Grid was the strongest yer.Lauel couldn¡¯t control him under the reigns of ¡®responsibility¡¯ while Grid was spreading his wings.


    Lauel was thinking from Grid¡¯s position.How frustrated would he feel if he were suppressed by the guild and kingdom that he had built up with his own efforts? He wouldn¡¯t feel strong but doubtful of himself instead. This was the time to release Grid¡¯s desires.


    -Lauel: Please give themand.I will summon an army to trample on Kir¡¯s city and burn it.


    -Grid: Is there a need to move the army?


    -Lauel: Huh?


    Lauel didn¡¯t know about the Divinity and Astaroth¡¯s Power which Grid had acquired recently. A wicked smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    -Grid: Leave the army.I will go alone.


    However, he had work to do before that. He had to chase Kir down and save the kidnapped elves.


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Release the elves here and protect them.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±Mercedes was given an order, so she couldn¡¯t tell him that she didn¡¯t want him to go alone. She wasn¡¯t stupid enough to make the same mistakes. Instead, Mercedes believed in the power of her master because this was what he wanted.


    Grid received a new whisper.


    -Faker: I¡¯ve found a party moving with dozens of kidnapped elves. However, Kir isn¡¯t here.


    -Grid: There was another party left? Yes, it would be impossible for Kir to kidnap or harm over a hundred elves in such a short time alone.


    Grid realized that Kir had likely summoned his knights. This was natural since Kir was a baron.


    -Grid: Okay.


    This was fine. He would handle all of Kir¡¯s knights.A dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. It was evil enough to surprise Mercedes.


    -Grid: Let me know their locations.Additionally, keep track of Kir.


    Faker¡¯s biggest advantage was that he didn¡¯t talk a lot. He epted his role without expressing any opinions.However, it wasn¡¯t the case this time.


    Faker: I am two kilometers northwest of the point where I was summoned.Be careful.There are three people, and they are all named-grade NPCs.Depending on the situation, I will stop tracking Kir and join you.


    -Grid: Needing to join me...That won¡¯t happen.


    ***


    ¡®Won¡¯t he be blind with anger right now?¡¯Kirughed. He felt great pleasure at the fury Grid would feel when he witnessed the deaths of the elves. Of course, this was only for a moment.Kir remembered that he had lost close to 50 billion won in one day and soon forgot about this slight joy.


    ¡°You dog bastard!¡±Kir let out a curse.


    From his perspective, Grid was the scum of the earth. This was natural as Grid was the person who had ruined Kir¡¯s businesspany just for the sake of helping NPCs. Grid was a disruptive character that was difficult to understand.


    ¡®He is almost at the level of a psychopath.¡¯


    Kir thought about it and recalled his past.How many weak people had he trampled on? He had directly and indirectly taken advantage of many people as he climbed to 1st on the merchant rankings. However, he had justified his evil deeds under the guise of getting revenge on his father.


    ¡®...In the end, I am the same.¡¯He regained his sense of reason. Looking over at the wounded Beniyaru, Kir btedly realized something. As he saw the poison in her heart again, Kir warned Beniyaru, ¡°There is no hope. You can¡¯t go back anymore. Just ept reality.¡±


    It was also a warning to himself.Kir controlled the poison in his heart. Then he heard a great noise from above. It was a loud roar.


    ¡®A wyvern?¡¯Was there a wyvern habitat here?


    Kir looked up and saw a red wyvern in the sky above the forest.The wyvern descended with a terrifying momentum andnded on the ground. It blocked Kir¡¯s way and he was forced to stop his horse.


    ¡°This is...!¡±


    Why had a wyvern suddenly appeared and blocked his path? Kir was as stiff as a stone statue when he finally noticed that a person was riding on the back of the wyvern. The person¡¯s identity was Huroi. Huroi came down from the wyvern and asked Kir a question, ¡°Did your parents recently died?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kir and Huroi were both upset by this, but the one who first recovered his spirit was Huroi. Huroi coughed and made a serious expression, as if his previous words had never been said. ¡°Hoh! You are very bad! You are a terrible person who has gone astray and caused your wonderful and precious parents to feel shocked and sorrowful!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Why was this person suddenly talking about a stranger¡¯s dead parents? From Kir¡¯s perspective, Grid, Huroi, and the Overgeared members were all terrible viins.

 Chapter 833

    -Huroi:Your Majesty!I¡¯ve found that damn bastard!


    -Grid:That damn bastard?Do you mean Kir?


    -Huroi:Yes!


    -Grid:Good.Faker, join Huroi right now.I will follow after rescuing the elves.


    -Faker:I understand.But as I said, be careful.


    yers like Grid who didn¡¯t have a lot of dependence on pets were rare. Pets boasted different characteristics depending on their species, attribute, sex, level, and so on. Most ordinary yers felt the limits of their individual strength and were forced to rely on pets.


    As a result, the levels of their pets were naturally high. The mes emitted from the level 300 Lord of the Skies above the Grasnds, which had been active since Huroi¡¯s early days, was enough to threaten Kir.


    [You have suffered 9,700 damage!]


    [You have been burned! You will receive 1,330 burn damage per second.]


    ¡°Kuuack!¡± Kir was swept up by the mes and struggled with the pain.


    His legendary armor, jewelry, and items received terrible damage. Additionally, his defense and resistance were lower after being affected by Huroi¡¯s Spiteful Tongue. Kir couldn¡¯t escape receiving serious injuries despite having proudly dered that he was the most overgeared person after Grid.


    ¡®I have no chance!¡¯ Kir¡¯s judgment was quick. Who was Huroi? He wasn¡¯t a simple orator. As the first yer to obtain a second ss, Huroi was also a swordsman. Whenbined with the strength of a wyvern, he was as strong as a high ranker. It was natural for Kir to consider retreating when he was a merchant with nobat power apart from Flying Money. However, it was difficult for him to escape.


    ¡°You are a bastard that your parents would be ashamed of!¡±


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    [You have been provoked!]


    Kir was thinking about running away only to stop in ce. Huroi¡¯s taunt skill was stronger than his sense of reason and instincts. It was impossible for an NPC or yer to stand up to the system. Grid¡¯s Longsword, which waspletely different from the mass-produced longsword, stabbed deeply into Kir¡¯s side.


    However, Kir had a legendary-rated armor and wasn¡¯t damaged by Huroi¡¯s attack. As soon as the duration of the taunt was over, Kir drank a potion and cried out bluntly, ¡°I am Merchant King Kir! I can¡¯t be easily hurt by rabble like you!¡±


    Huroi might be a high ranker, but he wasn¡¯t tough inparison to Overgeared King Grid! Kir had used arge number of gold coins to blow Grid away, but he didn¡¯t feel the necessity of using Flying Money on Huroi. In fact, he thought it would be a waste to use money on Huroi.


    The wyvern¡¯s strong mes were his only source of worry. The wyvern seemed to cry out, ¡®If you want to live, give me money!¡¯


    ¡®No! I can¡¯t afford any more spending!¡¯


    Shit, how good would it be if he could summon his knights at this time? Kir only owned three knights, but he had already summoned all of them a few minutes ago. The cooldown time meant it was impossible to summon them again right away. Feelings of regret surged inside him about how he had summoned the knights to ughter the elves just to get petty revenge on Grid!


    The wyvern¡¯s breath turned the forest into a sea of fire, and Kir barely evaded it on his horse.The bushes and thorns obstructed Kir¡¯s vision as his white horse broke through trees and rocks. Huroi¡¯s eyes widened, finally noticing a small white horn on the horse¡¯s forehead.¡°A unicorn?¡±


    The size of the horn was small enough for the unicorn to be mistaken as a horse. Based on the size of the horn, it wasn¡¯t an adult yet. However, even a baby unicorn had astronomical value. As far as Huroi knew, only a few NPCs who were royalty possessed unicorns.


    ¡°The rich are truly different!¡± Huroi got back on his wyvern and hurriedly chased after Kir, with Faker joining him after a moment.


    Kir felt a great threat as there were people chasing him on the ground and in the sky.


    ¡®Why... Why do I have to suffer like this?¡¯ Revealed between the gaps in his matted hair, Kir¡¯s eyes were filled with anger and fear. It was a shabby appearance. The majesty of the Merchant King¡ªwho boasted the highest reputation after Grid, Kraugel, Agnus, Ares, and so on¡ªwas long gone.


    ***


    ¡°This is a really unpleasant mission.¡±Banus, one of Kir¡¯s knights, wasining.


    Beside him were 20 elves tied together. His mission was to massacre and kidnap women who couldn¡¯t resist. Even if they were a different species, the mission from Master Kir upset Banus. To be honest, Banus¡¯ pride was pricked. It felt disgusting that a big person like him would have to perform the same duty as a third-rate bandit.


    ¡®I picked the wrong master.¡¯


    His master, Kir, had promised him enormous wealth and honor. What was the biggest honor for a warrior? It was to win a fight against famous and strong people.Yes, this was what Kir had promised. ording to Kir, Banus would get to fight countless giants. Every day would be fun. However, this was the reality.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Banus walked while swinging the whip that he held. It was to rush the elves who were walking slowly because they didn¡¯t want to leave the forest.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± The elves moaned as their health decreased noticeably. It waspletely different from when the members of Kir¡¯s Company had hit the elves.This was an indirect glimpse of Banus¡¯ strength. Banus warned the elves, ¡°Don¡¯t act silly and I won¡¯t touch you. This is good for both of us.¡±


    ¡°Where are the other knights and elves?¡± At this time, a ck-haired man fell from the sky and blocked Banus¡¯ path.


    Banus saw the man¡¯s eyes that were as sharp as a bird and asked, ¡°Overgeared King?¡±


    As a mercenary, Banus longed for money and sought battlefields throughout the continent. He had been employed by the former Eternal Kingdom before serving Kir. The opponent in that war had been the Overgeared Guild. Banus couldn¡¯t forget the exhrating experience from that time. Was Toban the name of the dark-skinned pdin? Banus was still thrilled when he recalled the battle with whom he believed was the strongest warrior in the Overgeared Guild. He didn¡¯t forget falling down after a one-hour-long battle, but Banus was confident. If he hadn¡¯t caught the ankle of the Overgeared warrior, the formal Eternal Kingdom would¡¯ve been upied by the Overgeared Guild much faster.


    ¡°Kuk! Kukukuk! That¡¯s right! So, my master was running away from you?¡± Banus¡¯ huge muscles started to swell. The force that could crush a man¡¯s head burned heartily.


    ¡°I took a peek at your performance in the war from the distance. You swept through thousands of soldiers. Huhut, okay... This is very exciting! Thank you! Thank you for showing up in front of me!¡±Banus roared and rushed toward Grid without hesitation.


    His muscles, which were trained to not be cut by a spear and had blocked a sword from the strongest warrior Toban, werebined with the defense of the legendary armor Kir had given him. With these, Banus dealt a vigorous blow to Grid.


    ¡°Ugh?¡± However, Banus suffered pain for the first time in decades. He was bewildered, but he endured with his physical strength, pushing his fist deeper into Grid¡¯s chest. His swollen fist contained an ogre¡¯s strength and had even dealt significant damage to Toban, the strongest of Overgeared warriors. Combined with his legendary-rated knuckles, Banus delivered an impact to Grid¡¯s armor.


    "W-What?¡± Banus felt like he was dreaming. His fist couldn¡¯t even scratch the armor? No, the armor wasn¡¯t the problem. In the first ce, armor was designed to defend against attacks. Banus found it hard to believe that Grid could maintain his posture and not fly away from the weight behind the first.


    ¡°Is this the strength of a legend? I knew you would be stronger than Toban but I didn¡¯t realize it was by this much...¡± Banus was amazed and excited at the same time. ¡°This is the first time since a solo number knight that I am actually forced to use this power!¡± Banus screamed, and the mana around him stirred.


    As the injury on Grid healed, Banus¡¯ already swollen muscles swelled up even further. In particr, his right forearm was now thicker than an ogre¡¯s forearm.


    ¡°From now on, it is the real battle!¡± Banus roared with extreme excitement. Confidence overflowed on his face as he used his ultimate technique which had inflicted serious damage onto the Ninth Red Knight. That¡¯s right. The people who believed themselves to be the strongest were always filled with confidence... until they were hit by Grid!


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    He was hit by his own fist...? This was an unfamiliar experience for Banus, who fell down while coughing up blood. Then Grid¡¯s sword arrived at Banus¡¯ neck.


    ¡°Where did the other two knights and the elves go?¡±Grid asked without expecting an answer. He honestly admired Banus¡¯ high defense and high attack power, which had prated Grid¡¯s defense. However, a named NPC with such high loyalty would rather choose to die than to answer. In fact, didn¡¯t all the NPCs that served Grid boast high loyalty? Well, apart from Minor.


    Unexpectedly, Banus answered in a hearty manner,¡°You will be able to meet them if you just go straight ahead. I just slowed down the march because I dislike being with them.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid was confused as he hadn¡¯t expected Banus would answer so earnestly.


    He was hesitating when Banus revealed his throat. ¡°Well? Kill me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Um? What are you waiting for? Didn¡¯t you kill tens of thousands of people during the Eternal War? Go on and kill me. For a warrior, being defeated is no different than death. There is no point in living anymore.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± Grid originally intended to get rid of all of Kir¡¯s knights. He nned to take everything away from Kir. It was funny that he was hesitating now because he felt a slight affinity after seeing Banus¡¯ skills and attitude. In the end, Banus advised Grid who was raising his sword, ¡°The strongest warrior who defeated me. The other two knights you are chasing arepletely different types of monsters. You should be vignt. Kukuk.¡±


    Banus turned to gray, leaving behind his knuckles. They were legendary-rated knuckles. Their performance was greatly inferiorpared to the items Grid made, but they could be melted down and used as a material. Grid grabbed the knuckles and released the elves. ¡°Go back to the previous ce. Your family and friends will be waiting.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± One scared elf opened her mouth. Her name was Deruyaru. She was a beautiful girl reminiscent of a rabbit due to her round cheeks and big eyes. ¡°I am one of the 12 Te. The Deru family... I want to thank you on behalf of my people.¡±


    ¡°You can say itter.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t saved everyone yet. Grid left Deruyaru and the elves behind him as he ran in the direction that Banus had indicated.


    ¡°Noe, Randy. Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Respecting the various warnings, Grid fully prepared for the worst.

 Chapter 834

    ¡°Pant! Pant! Pant! Cough...!¡±


    No matter how much Kir ran, he couldn¡¯t see the end.The forest, which he had believed to be a treasure warehouse, was now more terrible than hell. The beautiful flowers and trees, the fresh air, and the sweet fragrance of fruit all seemed like a deceitful curse. There were constant questions in Kir¡¯s head as he swallowed a potion and checked his stamina gauge.


    How had this happened? Why had he met Grid? Why had Grid be hostile to him? Was it that big a deal that he had enved the elves? Why did he have to experience this pain? Maybe Grid had nned this entire situation?


    ¡®Was I dancing on Grid¡¯s palm?¡¯


    When on earth had he started nning this? Had it been since Kir started investigating the forest of the world tree?


    ¡°Ugh..!¡± The huge shadow on the ground made Kir¡¯s heart throb. He felt an infinite pressure as Huroi¡¯s wyvern flew above his head.


    ¡°Pero! Avoid it!¡±


    The white horse¡ªno, the unicorn jumped sideways like a crab at Kir¡¯smand. These movements weren¡¯t possible for a normal horse. The mes emitted by the wyvern moved straight ahead and would¡¯vepletely burned the spot where they had been traveling.


    Kir followed the path of fire to the left and gulped. ¡®A wyvern doesn¡¯t have infinite mana.¡¯


    The wyvern had a limit of one or two more me breaths left.Meanwhile, the unicorn, which was ssified as one of the highest-rated rides, could use its evasion skill dozens more times. The unicorn¡¯s basic mana far exceeded that of the drake!


    ¡®I will live!¡¯


    Kir didn¡¯t have time to resent the past or worry about the future. The present was more important.He didn¡¯t want to face the worst experience of losing arge amount of experience and items by dying.


    ¡®Somehow! I have to somehow make it back to my city!¡¯


    He would pay back the loss and shame of today by several times!Kir made this promise because he had something to believe in¡ªthe presence of his three knights.


    Form King Banus, Dark King Dias, and Eating God Phou were the strongest people Kir recruited as he wandered around the continent as a merchant.Named NPCs were stronger than the Overgeared members at the moment, especially Grid and Kraugel. Kir knew this right after seeing Piaro y an overwhelming role during the Belial raid.


    As such, Kir was certain that if he invested another year and concentrated on raising these three knights, they would be born again as stronger than Piaro!


    ¡®The possibilities are endless! They haven¡¯t developed yet but they¡¯re the ones with the nicknames of ¡®king¡¯ and ¡®god¡¯.


    Just as Kir was praised as the Merchant King, Banus, Dias, and Phou were already called kings or gods by the local NPCs when Kir first met them. They were so powerful that they exceeded the category of a yer and had the unlimited potential of named NPCs. It was no wonder that Kir had high expectations for them.


    ¡®If I escape safely, it is very likely that the Overgeared Guild will invade the city. I will ask for support from the Gauss Kingdom, defend with my three knights, and then move to the empire...¡¯


    Kir started smiling as he nned it out. The Overgeared Guild¡¯s invasion was likely to be very beneficial for him.


    Firstly, it was possible to make the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared Kingdompletely hostile to each other. Then he would be able to shift public opinion of the Overgeared Kingdom to a negative one for invading another country, and he would also be able to create an alliance with the other countries that were anxious. It was a bonus that he would be able to move into the empire without fearing the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like that the First Knight is with Grid.¡¯


    However, it shouldn¡¯t be a big factor considering the emperor¡¯s ambition of unifying the continent. Kir made this judgment as his body moved upward. It was because the unicorn carrying him jumped randomly. Kir soon figured out the reason why.There was a sword energy at the unicorn¡¯s feet. If the unicorn had jumped a bitter, its legs would have been cut off.


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    To think that Huroi had swooped down fast enough to catch up with the unicorn¡¯s speed and wield his sword...! Even if he was a ranker, wasn¡¯t he an orator? Kir wasn¡¯t convinced of this, and he looked back. Then his trembling eyes saw the source of the attack.


    ¡°Faker!!¡±


    That Grid had pulled out his strongest card! A chill went down Kir¡¯s spine. While growing to be the Merchant King, Kir¡¯s greatest strength had been his informationwork. In the ¡®yer rating¡¯ table that he¡¯d made using his extensive intelligence, Faker¡¯s power was S-ss. It was just behind yers like Grid, Kraugel, Agnus, and Haster. He wasparable to the top yers when it came to killing power alone. They were both high rankers but Faker had apletely different force inparison to the B-ss Huroi.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Kir knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out after bing Faker¡¯s target and urgently shouted, ¡°Pero! Use Brilliant Sprint!¡±


    The body of the unicorn was then covered with a pure white light, and it disappeared from its location. To be precise, the unicorn made an extremely quick movement. It was a major skill that consumed most of the unicorn¡¯s mana.


    Faker looked beyond the forest as he was left alone. ¡°Do you think you can get away?¡± Then Faker also disappeared from his position.


    Huroi watched the two people from above and stroked his jaw. The wyvern flew in the sky as Huroi gave a soliloquy, ¡°A unicorn... It would suit Master.¡±


    ck smoke rose up from the forest.


    ***


    In the forest of the world tree, Dias frowned when Phou said like a fool, ¡°Hungry...¡±


    The elves being dragged behind them had terrified expressions. They trembled because they had already witnessed the terrible scene that urred every time Phou said he was hungry, and fear poured in like the tide. Dias scolded Phou, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just eat? They aren¡¯t your food. They are Master¡¯s goods.¡±


    ¡°Hungry...¡±Phou lost his intelligence when he became hungry and only cared about his stomach. It would be pointless to say anything to Phou.


    ¡°Sigh, do whatever you want.¡± Dias raised his hands. He didn¡¯t have any authority or power over Phou and was quick to give up.


    ¡°N-No...!¡±The elves turned deathly pale as Dias retreated. Tears filled their eyes, but Phou just stared at them with saliva dripping.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    The fate of the elf Phou snatched up was terrible. She was swallowed by Phou and turned to grey.


    Gulp! A man had just devoured a female elf that was 170 centimeters tall, yet there was no glimpse of satisfaction on his face as he burped. His meal wasn¡¯t over yet.


    It was a horrible disaster for the elves, of whom there were only 30 left. However, the elves no longer cried or begged. They had gone insane from witnessing the gruesome sight of their family and friends being eaten several times. Now, they couldn¡¯t even feel fear.


    ¡°Hungry...¡±


    One of the elves didn¡¯t resist as Phou¡¯srge hand caressed her body. Then it happened when Phou opened his mouth and tried to swallow her. Four golden hands flew forth and swung their hammers. The hammers struck Phou¡¯srge neck and thick biceps in rapid session.


    Additionally, a furry cat moved his short and chubby legs and then shot out like a lightning bolt toward Phou. ¡°Lightning Discharge~! Discharge, nyong!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grid showed up next. His cloak pped as he danced.There was a killing intent in his eyes as he stared at Phou.


    ¡°Kill!¡± Grid screamed as he swung the Enlightenment Sword. He was convinced that his enemy would be stiff from being hit by Mjolnir four times in session, as well as Noe¡¯s lightning. Additionally, Grid thought Phou would stop eating the elf and that his unprotected flesh would be hit by Kill.


    Gulp!


    However, unlike what Grid had expected, Phou resisted the stiffness and electric shock. Instead, he swallowed the elf, who was making a hopeful expression, and then hit Grid¡¯s Kill with his palm.


    [The skill has been neutralized.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Phou had a defense that neutralized a legendary skill? Moreover, it was just by using his bare hands? No, how did he resist the stiffness and electric shock in the first ce? Grid was making a shocked expression when Phou headbutted him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dias shook his head. He didn¡¯t doubt that the ck-haired man would be beaten by the three-meter-tall Phou. However, Dias was mistaken.


    ¡°...¡±


    The ck-haired man was fine. One of the golden hands flew up and blocked Phou¡¯s strike. The golden hand shook and stiffened, while Grid¡¯s burning eyes peered over the golden hand at Phou.


    ¡°You pig-like dog!¡±


    A dog and a pig, what was this? Dias scratched his head with confusion.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡®Pagma?¡¯


    ¡°Wave!¡±Grid drew a dark red half-moon with his sword. Simultaneously, a wave of energy emerged and hit Phou.


    [You have dealt 28,310 damage to the target!]


    [Decreases all speeds of the target.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    ¡®Slow resistance?¡¯


    Phou¡¯s health was also high. There was no change in his health gauge despite receiving almost 30,000 damage.


    ¡®His defense is rtively normal and his basic speed is slow...¡¯


    Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and was surprised when he looked at Phou. It was because Phou¡¯s palm, which was three times bigger than Grid, was flying toward him. It would¡¯ve been a disaster if the God Hands hadn¡¯t responded right then as Phou was faster than suggested by his size. Additionally, after eating the two elves, Phou¡¯s mild-looking eyes were now wild. He was baffled and angry by Grid¡¯s iron-like defense.


    ¡°These hands... Phou¡¯s attack... stop...¡± Phou firmly grasped a God Hand, ced it in his mouth, and tried to swallow it. However, he felt an instinctive rejection.


    Dias led the elves away.¡°Since you used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, are you the famous Overgeared King? But are you Phou¡¯s opponent? That guy is a monster born between a giant and a troll king. Even a transcendent human can¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    Phou¡¯s abdominal wound, which had been caused by Wave, was already recovering. His recovery power was simr to that of a troll. Phou¡¯s face reddened, and he roared angrily, ¡°Phou! Monster! Nooooooooo!¡±


    The dozens of elves, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons who arrivedte on the scene, and even Dias stumbled at the roar. The power of Giant¡¯s Roar took away the strength in their legs.


    ¡°Divinity. Item Combination.¡± On the other hand, Grid was fine.


    [Belial¡¯s Staff and the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires will bebined!]


    sh! The Enlightenment Sword and Belial¡¯s Staff were engulfed in light andbined into one.


    Grid soon swung a spear-like weapon. Thanks to the options produced bybining the items, the ck mes and red lightning bolt were ssified as magic. The magic damage was increased by 20% and the critical damage was increased by 150%. This was enough to threaten Phou¡¯s high health.


    Phou¡¯s health gauge decreased noticeably as he struggled with the pain. Then what about Grid?


    [A shield with 5,000 health has been created due to the effect of Belial¡¯s Shield.]


    [A shield with 5,000 health has been created due to the effect of Belial¡¯s Shield.]


    [A shield with 5,000 health has been created due to the effect...]


    ......


    ......


    Many ovepping ck shields started rotating around him. It was a contrast to the growing number of wounds on Phou.


    ¡°Hurts! It huuuuurts!¡± The expression in Phou¡¯s eyes turned crazy, and his fists struck the shields surrounding Grid in session. However, this was poison to Phou.


    [You have suffered 9,700 damage!]


    [The shield will absorb damage.]


    [You have suffered 10,300 damage!]


    [The shield will absorb damage.]


    [The target who attacked you is in the ¡®fear¡¯ state. The ¡®slowness¡¯ has been resisted.]


    Grid avoided a loss of health thanks to the shield while Phou lost his momentum.


    ¡°H-Hik! Phou... Phou is afraid...!¡±


    That¡¯s right. Phou was a strong person, who wasparable to Piaro during the time of the Belial raid. He could resist many types of status conditions, but he wasn¡¯t a legend nor was he immune to all status conditions. Phou was vulnerable to feeling frightened. On the other hand, Grid was several times stronger than he had been during the Belial raid. Yes, he was currently much stronger than Piaro had been at that time!


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage, ckening.¡± Grid turned in a semicircle and pulled out his maximum force. He pierced Phou¡¯s bloated stomach with an invincible spear. ¡°Knight Summoning! Jishuka, Regas, Chris, Pon, and Jude!¡±


    Why did he bother calling them in a situation where he was winning?It was to make sure the job was finished cleanly. He had no more room to feel rxed. Grid cut Phou once again andmanded the five knights who appeared, ¡°Kill that bastard! Save the elves!¡±


    The ¡®bastard¡¯ he was referring to was Dias. All five knights seemed tough, so Dias was forced to shrink back in fear. Grid showed that he was far superior to Kir in every way!

 Chapter 835

    ¡°Lauel put us on hold, and you really summoned us. We roughly know the situation,¡± a tanned beauty holding a bow spoke up. She drew three arrows which flickered with mes that were as gorgeous as her big lips and wavy hair.


    ¡°Leave the small fries to us.¡± Jishuka smiled confidently and unleashed archery close to a godly archer. The three ming arrows were shot without a time difference and arrived precisely at the middle of Dias¡¯ eyes, brows, and heart.


    Dias and the dozens of elves he¡¯d captured were surprised.


    ¡®To think that a person who isn¡¯t an elf is capable of this sort of archery?¡¯


    The arrows shot like beams of light and exploded the moment they hit, dealing Dias with deep wounds. Dias flew back, butChris rushed to the wide open Dias and swung his greatsword.


    ¡°Daring to hit Grid without permission!!¡± Chris thought that everything should have a process. If someone was going to challenge King Grid, they had to demonstrate their qualification by going through Chris first! Chris¡¯ greatsword struck Dias! Following this, Dias continued to suffer great damage as he was hit by Regas and Pon. The intense skills made Dias feel dizzy.


    ¡°Jude. Hit.¡± Then the finishing blow came from Jude, whose attack aimed at the ragged Dias. However, it only cut the air.


    ¡°...???¡±What was this sudden trolling?The group was stunned because they had expected Jude to finish off Dias.


    Chris acted on behalf of Jude. ¡°1,000 ton Sword!¡±


    It was a heavy blow! Then Dias started turning gray.


    ¡°What is this?¡± The party paused as they were heading to support Grid. It was because they didn¡¯t receive messages about Dias¡¯ death, as well as the experience and dropped items.


    ¡®What?¡¯ The party was confused. Jude was the only one who was untroubled and didn¡¯t look surprised. Then a voice rang out from behind Jishuka. It was the voice of the supposedly dead Dias, who had reappeared without a single wound and shook his head. ¡°I guess Master caused a terrible incident. I told him to stop but he touched a lion¡¯s nose. Tsk!¡±


    Chris hurriedly eximed, ¡°Jishuka! Avoid it!¡±


    However, it was toote. Dias¡¯ ck hand prated Jishuka¡¯s armor, tearing at her skin and muscles.


    [You have suffered 12,390 damage!]


    [You are affected by ck magic. Your pain is maximized.]


    [You have suffered a further 5,700 damage!]


    [The recovery of all resources has slowed. Defense and resistance have dropped. Skills and magic can¡¯t be used for 3 seconds!]


    The attack was strong.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Jishuka became rmed as she was stabbed and severely injured.


    ¡®Grid dealt with these monsters alone?¡¯


    This was a natural misunderstanding! Dias opened the distance again as Regas¡¯te kick and Pon¡¯s stab burst into the air instead of hitting him. He narrowly avoided their attacks in a breathtaking manner! Letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief, Dias looked at Phou and Grid. ¡°It¡¯s ruined. No matter how I looked at it, there is no chance of turning this around.¡±


    The Overgeared King and his knights were better than rumored. This situation was dangerous for him to face just by himself. So, Dias made a judgment. It might be possible in a one-on-one fight against Grid or his knights, but it was impossible to go against them all. In particr, the stupid-looking knight with a silly expression was a problem. ¡°Jude. Kill.¡±


    ¡®My illusion magic doesn¡¯t work on him. Is his stupid expression mocking me?¡¯ Dias blocked the greatsword that aimed at him. He couldn¡¯t cope with the weight of the sword and hurriedly withdrew his arm, while Jude kept turning left and right.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    Jude¡¯s power was incredible! Dias¡¯ illusion was shaken from side to side and removed.


    ¡°He¡¯s there!¡±


    The gazes of the other members, which were in apletely different direction from Jude, shifted to Dias¡¯ body at once. Dias was frustrated. ¡°I didn¡¯t think my illusion would be broken so soon.¡±


    It was the first time he had ever experienced this. Dias had yed an active role in the Violet Kingdom and faced countless powerful yers, but he had never experienced such a grave crisis. He saw Jude as a transcendent person.¡°You are the Overgeared King¡¯s first knight for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Jude. His Majesty¡¯s first knight!¡± Jude¡¯s greatsword didn¡¯t stop for even a moment as he continued to corner Dias. Jude had been growing ever since he became Grid¡¯s knight.He had been breaking his limits over and over, having fought Maxong and then bing stronger during the Belial raid. Now, he was in the spotlight for the third time.


    Dias tried to fight back and resist. His magic blocked Jude¡¯s greatsword and aimed at Jude¡¯s abdomen a few times. However, Jishuka¡¯s rain of arrows flew over Jude, making his counterattack pointless. As more arrows were shot, Dias¡¯ wounds increased while Jude healed.


    Meanwhile, Chris, Pon, and Regas worked with Jude to add more pressure onto Dias. Dias was knocked to his knees and cried out with pain. He coughed up blood and asked, ¡°The battle gear you use... Were they produced by the Overgeared King? Precious memories¡ªstories that will be history and legends¡ªare contained in these solid objects, right?¡±


    Yes, there was nothing insignificant in the world. Dias wanted to convey it, ¡°We all have our unique circumstances. I have somehow be a viin, but there are many stories where I¡¯m not a monster. I had a special power and had a terrible life because I was born as a hybrid. Then I met my master...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What did Dias want to say? The named NPCs¡¯ long tirade entered the ears of Chris¡¯ group. Thinking it was the precursor of a quest, everyone focused on Dias. This was apart from Jude, who struggled in Regas¡¯ and Pon¡¯s constraints while everyone listened to Dias.


    However, Dias didn¡¯t give them a quest. He just asked for a favor, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t hate my master too much. He wasn¡¯t a wicked person in the beginning.¡±


    It was the same for yers, NPCs, and monsters. Everyone had a story.As such, thest wish that Dias wanted to convey was for his master¡¯s safety. When Dias finished speaking, he moved his fingers.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    Some of the surrounding trees turned into elves. No, to be precise, they were changed back into elves. This was the reason why Phou was still hungry despite frequently eating elves.


    ¡°That Phou, he is currently on an empty stomach. The satiety he feels is due to my illusions. But this will soon be released, and he won¡¯t be able to fight for long.¡±Dias looked sympathetically at Phou whom Grid was hitting one-sidedly.


    Jishuka asked, ¡°What is your reason for saving the elves?¡±


    ¡°I am also an apostle of justice.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, I¡¯m joking. I will say it bluntly. I helped my master, not the elves.¡±


    Yes, he had protected the elves because he hadn¡¯t wanted to see his master¡¯s ¡®goods¡¯ damaged. Everything was for the sake of his master. His master had never given all his heart to Dias, but the grace Kir had offered to his knights on the first day had been real.


    ¡°I do feel a bit of anger toward my master but...¡± Dias extended his neck to the struggling Jude, who was still being held back by Regas and Pon. He wanted his end toe from the strongest knight who defeated him.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡± Jishuka tried to stop Jude because she felt reluctant to kill Dias. Chris, Pon, and Regas also looked troubled. However, Jude was adamant. He barely shrugged off Regas and Pon and then swung his greatsword at Dias¡¯ neck without hesitation.¡°Waste of time. No. His Majesty. Help. I will.¡±


    A gray pir shot up, then Jude immediately headed to Grid. Once Dias died and his illusions werepletely removed, Phou fell into a terrible state of hunger and went berserk. He swung his big hands at Grid continuously.


    ¡°Jude! Help!¡± Only looking at Grid and only thinking about Grid... No, he was a thoughtless knight.Jude broke through his third limit after killing Dias and acted, but it was toote.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°Kuwaaah!¡± Phou had be berserk and only focused on attacking. This was a mistake. He wasn¡¯t aware of the damage he received from the shield and the poisonous fog of Valha of Infinite Affection, and he didn¡¯t bother to block or avoid Grid¡¯s attack either.


    The fight was over. Unable to endure Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle which had activated twice due to God¡¯s Command, Phou turned to gray.


    Jude¡¯s eyes lit up when he arrived at Grid¡¯s side btedly. ¡°Your Majesty. Cool!¡±


    ***


    ¡°...¡± Kir¡¯s stamina was depleted because he hadn¡¯t been able to rest for a while after entering the forest.


    Pero, the unicorn, licked Kir who looked haggard and drained. The unicorn¡¯s clear eyes contained feelings of deep affection and anxiety, but these emotions weren¡¯t delivered to Kir. From Kir¡¯s point of view, pets were just chunks of graphics and artificial intelligence.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Kir wiped away the saliva on his cheek like it was dirt and shifted his gaze to see Faker standing silently nearby. This made Kir sincerely curious.


    ¡°Why are you so relentless? Is there any meaning in killing me? What does the Overgeared Kingdom gain if I lose items and experience?¡± Kir grumbled despite already knowing the reason why. Satisfy was apetitive society like in reality. It was natural for yers to keep other yers in check. Let¡¯s suppose that they let Kir go. One day, he might have an impactparable to Grid, and when that happened, he was likely to threaten Grid.


    ¡°Shit... Dammit.¡± Kir understood why Grid was obsessed with killing him. Now that he was a target, Kir¡¯s fate was inevitable. He would suffer enormous damages from the moment he started dancing on Grid¡¯s palm. However, even so...


    ¡°It will be a mistake if you think this will end so easily.¡±


    His stamina was slowly recovering thanks to the unicorn¡¯s blessing. Kir overcame his exhaustion and held a ss bottle to Beniyaru¡¯s mouth, who was still trapped in his arms. The bottle was filled with a ck liquid.


    ¡°The Yatan Essence. If she swallows this much, even a named NPC will die instantly. Understand? I absolutely won¡¯t die alone.¡± Beniyaru was the one Grid had called out to, and she had asked Grid for help. As such, Kir spected that there was a special link between Kir and Beniyaru and that Beniyaru¡¯s death would be a significant blow to Grid. ¡°I won¡¯t lose everything alone. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t right.¡±


    While he was chuckling wickedly, Kir stopped with surprise. ¡°...!¡±


    He got goosebumps as a God Hand flew toward him and swung a hammer.


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Kir became stiff due to the hammer! Grid used that moment to take Beniyaru away. Kir gritted his teeth. Feeling that he was obviously the victim, the hatred and anger in his voice were genuine as he said, ¡°You! How much do you want to take from me?¡±


    Grid asked in return, ¡°How much do you have to take away from the elves?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kir was speechless. He was taken aback by the question since he nowpletely understood the feelings of a victim. Grid ignored the silent Kir and looked at Beniyaru.Did she want to get away from reality?Having blocked off her emotions and thoughts, Beniyaru looked like an empty doll.


    ¡°She... What have the elves done that they have to suffer like this?¡±


    ¡°...¡± The present Kir couldn¡¯t answer that. Grid aimed at Kir and was about to hit his neck. However, at this moment, Huroi ran over urgently and whispered in Grid¡¯s ears, ¡°Master, the horse he is riding is a unicorn.¡±


    ¡°Unicorn? Really?¡±


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Take away a pet?What was this? Pets were different from items. yers didn¡¯t have to worry about losing pets when dying because the ownership of a pet was fully guaranteed.


    ¡°There is a way. Ownership can be transferred over.¡±


    ¡°No, what are you saying?¡±Grid frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand Huroi at all. ¡°Why would that bastard transfer his pet to me?¡±


    ¡°In exchange for sparing him...¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the scene of Huroi whispering in Grid¡¯s ears.The people didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, so they soon got a shock.


    ¡°Kir, do you want to live?¡± It was due to Grid¡¯s sudden offer.


    ¡°What? You will spare me?¡±Kir was also confused.


    Grid nodded at the suspicious Kir.¡°Yes. I¡¯ll spare you. Didn¡¯t you spend a lot of money on the elves this time? If you die here, won¡¯t you lose your ranking and have trouble with future transactions?¡±


    It made a lot of sense, so Kir didn¡¯t deny it. He thought about it and immediately noticed the catch because he was a merchant. ¡°What do you want in return for sparing me?¡±


    Grid pointed to the unicorn in response. ¡°That.¡±


    ¡°Crazy jerk!¡± Kir¡¯s angry reaction was natural. The value of a unicorn was so great that it couldn¡¯t be converted into money! Kir calcted that no one had a unicorn as a pet. He would rather die than give up something so precious. Just when Kir was about to refuse the proposal without hesitation, Grid said, ¡°Think carefully before answering. If you make a mistake, I will be an enemy you can never get rid of.¡±


    Gulp! Chills went down Kir¡¯s spine. He was well aware of what Immortal had suffered recently. Could one merchant cope with the Overgeared Kingdom that not even Immortal could handle? Realistically, it was hard. The protection of the empire might¡¯ve prevented Immortal from being raided by those who are tempted by the items, but it was impossible for other ordinary yers to deal with. He could be the target of two billion people! Kir imagined something terrible and shook his head.


    Grid didn¡¯t give Kir a chance to think too deeply. ¡°Give me the unicorn. Then I will spare your life without giving you a death bounty.¡±


    ¡°You will really spare me? You won¡¯t set a kill order on me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Instead, I will kill you the next time we meet. I really dislike you. Be careful not to encounter me again for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Ugh..!¡±


    Grid had the trinity of money, strength, and authority. The force he could gather using his items as raw material was infinite. All these made Kir afraid of Grid, and he was convinced that it was best to ept Grid¡¯s offer. In the end...


    [Ownership of the unicorn ¡®Pero¡¯ has been transferred to ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    Kir agreed to Grid¡¯s request. This was a decision for his future.


    ¡°...Can I go now?¡± Kir asked in a powerless voice.


    Grid nodded. ¡°Yes. Go."


    Kir had lost time, money, pride, and his unicorn. However, his eyes were overflowing with motivation.


    ¡®Definitely... I will someday repay today¡¯s disgrace.¡¯


    It might not be possible in one or two years. However, the story would change in four or five years. Kir would sessfully recover under the aegis of the empire as nned. He would build up an alliance around the Gauss Kingdom and get revenge on Grid one thousand¡ªno, tens of thousands of times. Kir believed that if he had more strength and authority, he would be able to do something about Grid.


    However, this faith was soon broken.


    ¡°Did you forget my warning? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to meet me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kir had walked for around 20 minutes and was shocked when he suddenly heard a voice. He raised his head to see Grid blocking the way on a white unicorn.


    ¡°W-What is this? It can¡¯t be!¡±


    Was the top-ranked yer such a gangster? No, it was impossible. Grid pointed a knife at Kir who was denying his imagination.


    ¡°I told you I would kill you again. Didn¡¯t I tell you to be careful?¡±


    ¡°Y-You son of a bitch!¡±


    Grid was a viin¡ªno, a scoundrel... No, a gangster. Kir paled as he btedly realized Grid¡¯s essence and shouted, ¡°Knights Summoning!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the time to cling to the elves.He had to take down Grid today! Kir summoned his three knights...


    ¡°What?¡±Kir lost his soul.


    It was due to an unexpected notification window.


    [No knights are avable to be summoned.]


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    ¡°The unicorn is good.¡±


    Kir, who had transformed the forest of the world tree into hell, turned to gray. This was the precursor to the fall of the Merchant King. That¡¯s right. Kir thought he had lost everything to Grid today, but it was only an illusion. He still had things left to lose¡ªthe trading connections he had all over the continent.


    [The unicorn is sad.]


    [Affinity with the unicorn is very low.]


    [It is rmended to give the unicorn a new name.]


    [Affinity with the elves has increased by 50.]


    [The world tree is interested in you.]


    [The world tree has sent you an invitation.]

 Chapter 836

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget...! Never! Never!!¡± Anger and hatred filled Kir¡¯s eyes as he screamed and turned to gray, showing his willingness to get revenge no matter what.


    However, Grid¡¯s expression was calm. Naturally, Grid knew that being the subject of a deep grudge could be deadly. A disaster might end up returning to him. After all, Grid had many grudges in the past and had experienced returning anger and hatred to his opponent. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t be unaware of this fact.


    ¡®...Now, I have be the target of revenge.¡¯


    The more power he gained, the more he had at stake.


    ¡°Is it okay to push him this far?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be okay?¡±Grid didn¡¯t regret his choice. His eyes weren¡¯t shaken as he stared at Jishuka, who looked extremely worried. ¡°Was there something wrong with my actions today?¡±


    Merchant King Kir was a potentialpetitor, but Grid had fought for a just reason. Since it had already happened, it was better to crush Kir thoroughly. Showing mercy was just likely to lead to deadlier disaster being returned to Grid. At this moment, weren¡¯t there countless yers forming alliances and then betraying and going to war against each other?


    ¡°It is a matter of survival. I don¡¯t want to give leeway to the other person.¡±


    Yes, Grid couldn¡¯t show any weaknesses. A second or third Immortal would be born to threaten Grid¡¯s precious people.


    ¡®I will trample them so thoroughly that they can¡¯t even try getting revenge.¡¯ Grid pledged with cold eyes.


    Gulps could be heard from the Overgeared members watching Grid.However, Chris had a bright expression on his face. Chris had once been head of the Seven Guilds and knew the virtues of a leader.


    ¡®A leader needs to be ruthless towards the enemies.¡¯


    Satisfy was a world where survival of the fittest ruled. A person who was gentle to everyone would just be eaten. Therefore, Chris judged that Grid¡¯s qualities were ideal. Meanwhile, Grid checked the information of the unicorn.


    [Unicorn]


    [-A legendary divine creature on the East Continent. It is very aggressive and not easily tamed. They have a temperament that loves women and hates men.


    Name: Not Set


    Level: 189


    Affinity: -110/100


    Health: 40,000/40,000


    Mana: 80,000/80,000


    Defense: 1,980


    -Barding can be equipped (Barding= body armor for war horses)


    Status: Sad and petnt.


    (Master, who gave me many girlfriends, has abandoned me. If he was going to abandon me, then abandon me. Why did he give me away? To add to my grief, my pride is hurt. It is more annoying because my new master is a man.)


    -Skills Possessed-


    [Unicorn¡¯s Blessing (Passive)]


    Increases the resource recovery of all riders by 20%. If the rider is a woman, there will be a further 30% increase.


    [Sprint]


    Moves a distance of 60 meters per second for up to 3 seconds. At this time, the unicorn and riders will enter a super armored state and will resist all conditions. However, physical status conditions can¡¯t be resisted. If the rider is a woman, the unicorn can move for up to 5 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 minutes.


    Mana Consumption: 4,900


    [Jump]


    The unicorn can jump up to 10 meters. Avoid all types of attacks and obstacles at the moment of the jump.


    Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Mana Consumption: 7,800


    [Repel]


    The unicorn will attack a target with therge and beautiful horns. Knocks back the target and deals 10,000 fixed damage.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 seconds.


    Mana Consumption: 1,500


    [Male Hatred]


    The unicorn will hate all males, regardless of the species. Humans are no exception. If the owner of the unicorn is a male, affinity will reduce by one point per day. In order to raise affinity, the owner must keep the unicorn in constant touch with women.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Gender discrimination? The confused Grid stared at the unicorn.


    Thebination of the unicorn¡¯s elegant and smooth white fur, long neck, and beautiful horn looked good. Moreover, the unicorn¡¯s big ck eyes werepletely pure.The unicorn¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t match the description in the status window at all.


    ¡®A bug?¡¯


    Were the details of the status window wrong? Grid reached out to stroke the unicorn¡¯s face. Suddenly, the unicorn huffed and struck Grid¡¯s chest with the horn.


    [You have suffered 10,000 damage!]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±This damage was unfamiliar for Grid who had an extremely high defense. He frowned at the pain, taking a few steps back as he stared at the unicorn. The unicorn¡¯s eyes suddenly curved into the shape of crescent moons as he approached Jishuka. He licked Jishuka¡¯s big chest and pretty face with his tongue.


    Jishuka didn¡¯t know the reality of this unicorn and smiled brightly. ¡°He is a child who follows people well. It is fortunate. You got a good pet.¡±


    ¡°...Didn¡¯t you see that he just hit me?¡±


    ¡°It is probably an expression of affection. What pet would attack their master?¡±


    The unicorn¡¯s status changed as he buried his face in Jishuka¡¯s chest and listened to their conversation.


    [Status: Joyful


    (I didn¡¯t think my ugly new master would have such a pretty girlfriend. This is aplete gain.)]


    [Affinity with the unicorn has risen by 10.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was disgusting. No, seriously, what was with this different tone when it came to women?


    ¡®Was the developer sick when they made the unicorns?¡¯


    Grid frowned and gave a name to the unicorn. He didn¡¯t intend to give the unicorn a rough name just because he didn¡¯t like his personality.


    ¡°Overgeared Corn.¡±


    [A name has been given to the unicorn.]


    [A bond has formed with the unicorn.]


    [Affinity with the unicorn is restored to a normal value.]


    [Affinity: 0/100]


    Was he that d about receiving a name?Grid watched the unicorn and thought he was a surprisingly pure creature. However, in the eyes of the Overgeared members, the unicorn seemed sadder than when he lost his master.


    ***


    ¡°Thank you for saving us.¡±


    The 12 Te, elves from the 12 ns, bowed toward Grid. This was the first time that the highly prideful elves had bowed to a human. Grid felt more embarrassed than proud. ¡°This isn¡¯t something to thank me for. Didn¡¯t I tell you? I just wanted to repay the favor I received from Sticks.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Deruyaru, who had an exceptionally young appearance among the elves, grabbed Grid¡¯s hands and raised herself up. Then she asked carefully, ¡°What exactly is your rtionship with Sage Sticks? Do you know Sticks¡¯ current status?¡±


    100 years ago, the honorable high elf Sticks left the forest before the tragedy that split the World Tree¡¯s Forest in half. Male elves and female elves had separate viges around the world tree for several decades now. They pretended not to know each other even when they passed each other in the forest.


    The 12 Te took this situation seriously. The birth rate of the elves had fallen even further, and they worried about the survival of the species.However, the king who had left to be with the male elves ignored the worries of the 12 Te. He was firm about not reconciling with the female elves, who also loathed the male elves.


    If only Sage Sticks appeared at this time... He could awaken the king¡¯s spirit andy the foundations for uniting the species again...


    The 12 Te missed Sticks. In particr, they felt a greater need for Sticks after this incident. If Sticks had been here, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen for the human¡¯s lowly trap. The problem was that they didn¡¯t know where Sticks¡¯ location was.


    Grid exined, ¡°Sticks is my special friend. Right now, he is staying in the Overgeared Kingdom to help me.¡±


    ¡°Sticks is in a human kingdom...¡±The 12 Te twitched.


    This reaction puzzled Grid. ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t you know Sticks¡¯ status? Didn¡¯t he recentlye here?¡±


    Sticks had gone to the World Tree¡¯s Forest to make an antidote for Khan. However, the elves didn¡¯t know this fact and were confused along with Grid. The 12 Te were perplexed. ¡°Sticks recently visited the forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±The 12 Te whispered among themselves after hearing Grid¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Did Sticks appear in the king¡¯s vige?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the terrible king told him all sorts of lies. Sticks won¡¯t know about the situation in the forest.¡±


    There was only one conclusion. The 12 Te turned to Grid with serious expressions.


    ¡°Could you please ask Sticks to visit the forest? Tell him not to see the king but to meet the 12 Te.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes. Okay.¡±


    What other episodes were hidden among the elves? There must be a serious situation for them to call their king ¡®terrible.¡¯ Grid didn¡¯t want to know because it seemed to be an annoying situation. However, it wasn¡¯t possible for him to leave the forest immediately. He couldn¡¯t ignore the call of the world tree!


    ¡®Is it going to thank me for saving the elves?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he receive a great gift then? Grid was filled with high expectations as he moved to the vige under the elves¡¯ guidance. Along the way, he didn¡¯t notice that there were feelings of emptiness and anger in the silent Beniyaru¡¯s eyes, which were different from the other 12 Te.


    However, Grid did see the notification window that appeared in front of him.


    [The one who leads the dead has been born again as a legend!]


    [The world will fall into a panic!]


    It was a world message announcing the birth of a new legend. The style of the message was somewhat different from normal. With the mention of ¡®reborn¡¯ and ¡®one who leads the dead¡¯, only one person came to mind. The aghast Grid and Overgeared members stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°Agnus...¡±


    ***


    ¡º The sculptor Polish, who became famous at the time of his debut, has found out that he learned sculpting through Satisfy. Experts in each field im that it is possible to learn skills in Satisfy. In fact, many organizations and countries are trying to nurture talent through Satisfy. The S.A Group... ¡»


    The huge castle was locked in silence.Only the voices from the TV echoed meaninglessly in the darkness. Then the capsule opened. A thin and pale man rose from it and wore a robe over his naked body. He was Agnus.His tired eyes looked at arge portrait in the middle of the room. The woman in the portrait was smiling happily. There were no traces of the unhappiness and unfortunate things that had happened before she took her own life.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long until we meet again.¡±


    He had finally upgraded the growth type hidden ss Baal¡¯s Contractor to the legendary rating. This was the result of repeated efforts over three years. Agnus had gotten the ¡®creation¡¯ skill he had been hoping for.


    ¡°Caroline, I will make you.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter what sacrifices he had to make, or if it was a lie and not reality. He wanted to recreate his lover who had been driven to death because of him. Then this impoverished reality would be the lie. Agnus leaned his cheek on the portrait and fell asleep.

 Chapter 837

    It was like watching wild dogs with rabies. The terrible kapen skunks that foamed at the mouth were threatening monsters which stimted a human¡¯s primordial fear.


    As she faced the skunks rushing through the foothills, Royman, an Overgeared knight, yelled, ¡°Archers! Run and seize the hignds! The spearmen and shield soldiers will buy time here with me!¡±


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡±


    The kapen skunks appeared at the outskirts of Reinhardt every spring and were level 277. Their strength and awful stench gave hell to the knights and soldiers of the Eternal Kingdom. Due to therge casualties that urred without exception, many tombstones were erected every spring, which produced the saying ¡®there is no stone in the spring of Eternal.¡¯


    However, Reinhardt was now part of the Overgeared Kingdom. The knights and soldiers of Overgeared confronted the kapen skunks boldly. Their flesh had been trained while farming with Piaro!


    ¡°Haaap!¡±Royman moved faster than the skunks jumping on rocks, trees, and other objects as she ced her shield on the ground, embedding the sharp end of the triangr shield in it.


    As soon as the skunks approached, the ground copsed like it had been dug with hoes.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Beasts were said to be sensitive to impending disasters. In line with this, the skunks that were flying through the steep foothills suddenly stopped with surprise. Then while they were startled by the suddenndslide, arrows rained down on them. Royman and the soldiers bought time while the archers upied the hignds.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The jaffa arrows pierced the skunks and turned them to gray one by one. Pirs of light fell onto Royman and her people several times.It was the symbol of a level up.


    ***


    ¡°There is a signal from Sua¡¯s group! The skunks in the Buren Valley have beenpletely eradicated!¡±


    ¡°There is a signal from nd¡¯s group! The skunks in the Fortina Field have beenpletely eradicated!¡±


    ¡°Royman¡¯s group has sent a signal!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then the southern section has also been cleaned.¡±


    In the outer barracks, Lauel couldn¡¯t hide his satisfied smile as he conducted the army with a map in front of him. He remembered the painful first spring they experienced after establishing the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Many viges on the outskirts of Reinhardt had been destroyed by the group of skunks, and countless people lost their lives or be refugees.It had been almost impossible to eradicate the skunks, considering their high breeding rate and thecking power of the Overgeared members at the time. There would¡¯ve been irreversible damage without Overgeared members like Pon and Regas.


    However, as the years passed, the Overgeared Kingdom became stronger. The talent Grid brought over from the East Continent, the people Piaro trained, and the army Asmophel raised meant that this year¡¯s military power was the strongest ever. After they repelled the scary skunks in just two days, Lauel felt that their military power was hundreds of times stronger than before.


    ¡®It is a reward that burns the soul.¡¯


    Lauel thought that the efforts and hardships of the past were worth it. He felt proud of his contribution to the development of the kingdom, despite suffering from hair loss.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be satisfied with just this. The Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t the best yet. The Saharan Empire wasn¡¯t the only threat to the kingdom. There was also the rtively recent threat of the Valha Kingdom. Furthermore, there was one more person.


    ¡®Agnus...¡¯


    A few minutes ago, there was a world message about the birth of a new legend. One of the strongest enemies had been reborn as a legend, and this made Lauel nervous. The responsibility of raising the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s strength even further weighed down on his shoulders.


    ¡®Things have be twisted in many ways.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t hard to specte that Agnus¡¯ ss, Baal¡¯s Contractor, had grown to the legendary level. Additionally, a growth type ss probably didn¡¯t have the level reset when it reached legend.


    Lauel hadn¡¯t expected Agnus to be a legend so fast.This had been due to Agnus¡¯ method of gamey. Someone had said, ¡®There is no one who dies as often as Agnus among the high rankers.¡¯ Agnus was a rare type of ranker who wasn¡¯t afraid of death. Death in Satisfy meant a decline in growth, which had made Lauel predict that the timing of Agnus¡¯ upgrade wouldn¡¯t take ce for a long time.


    ¡®But it was the opposite...¡¯ Lauel felt a chill as he thought about Agnus and realized what Agnus¡¯ frequent deaths meant. ¡®It means he has been continuously challenging content with little or no information.¡¯


    Agnus pursued a high risk, high-return gamey method that was more like thorough calctions than madness. It was the reason why Agnus had stayed at 7th in the rankings for so many years despite dying so often.


    ¡®He has his own standards. He can bear this level of damage until he reaches a shortcut... He has his own criteria...¡¯


    There was only one conclusion that could be made. Unlike what was known, Agnus wasn¡¯t as mad as he seemed on the surface. Was Agnus a much stronger enemy than Lauel assumed?Lauel shivered and gulped as he realized this.


    -Grid: Lauel.Send people to be a bus for Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl.


    A whisper came to Lauel from Grid.


    -Grid: We have to raise them in order to be able to fight against Agnus.Additionally, raise the offerings to the Reba Church by three times.It doesn¡¯t matter if there is a deficit.I will fill up thecking money with my own money.We need more priests in order to fight an undead army.And in my personal opinion, there are NPCs who havepleted training in the academy. Can¡¯t we use them now?


    -Lauel: Yes.I understand.


    Lauel¡¯s anxiety disappeared as he responded to Grid¡¯s orders and opinions. So what if Agnus was stronger than he expected? It didn¡¯t matter.After all, his master was also growing more than expected!


    ***


    A towering tree soared into the sky. A few hundred meters away from the gigantic world tree, there was an elf vige with houses made of dense branches.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    Jishuka, Faker, Huroi, Pon, Regas, and Chris. The elite members of Overgeared were surprised and confused as they visited the elf vige with Grid. It was due to Grid¡¯s order to move away from national affairs and concentrate on their personal growth.


    ¡°Realistically, it is impossible. Look at Jishuka and Chris. Since the founding of the kingdom, they have been in charge of Bairan and Reidan. The two cities will be inoperable if they don¡¯t do their jobs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The kingdom will fall into confusion.¡±


    Bing a lord was a dream for all yers. They could build up their own territory, umting great wealth and power based on the taxes that came from there. However, a high status meant great responsibility.


    Jishuka¡¯s and Chris¡¯ workloads were considerable. Assuming that they yed Satisfy for 14 hours a day, at least a quarter of that time was spent on territory management. It was the same for the other lords. The lords of the country had their respective roles and were obliged to carry out these duties. The entire Overgeared Kingdom would be a mess if key members like Jishuka, Chris, and Pon didn¡¯t do their jobs.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t withdraw hismand.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. In the past few years, the Overgeared Kingdom has been able to develop thanks to you sacrificing your personal time. Now it is time to prove this development.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have secured NPCs to do your jobs.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lauel had been struggling since the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom. Administrator Rabbit was the only NPC who could help Lauel with his work. Finding an NPC with administrative talent was like picking a star from the sky.


    ¡°Rabbit has selected talents and Sticks trained them at the academy.¡±


    They trained people in administrative work, just like Piaro and Asmophel trained people in military work.


    ¡°Now, we aren¡¯tcking talents. Most of the work you are doing right now will be reced by the new talents in the future. You have suffered a lot in the meantime. I am grateful for the work and congratte you for being able to escape it.¡±


    Agnus was a very aggressive person. He had dealt with both the Overgeared members and Valha before bing a legend, and it was unknown how strong that monster would be now. It was likely that he would continue jumping without limit. Grid needed to be prepared for this.


    ¡°Go with the flow. As I said earlier, all of you should focus on your personal growth. Shouldn¡¯t you change to your fourth advancement ss?¡±


    Lim Cheolho had stated it clearly a few years ago at a press conference. A normal ss would eventually be as powerful as a hidden ss due to the ss advancements. Grid had felt somewhat deprived as a legendary ss, but now he realized he had been wrong.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean I will have a disadvantage if everyone is strong.¡¯


    Why?


    ¡®Now I have the best colleagues by my side.¡¯


    No matter how strong he was, there were many talented people in the Overgeared Guild who excelled at certain areas more than others. Grid believed in them and wanted to rely on their strength.


    ¡®I also have to be stronger.¡¯


    By the time the normal sses became as strong as legendary sses...


    ¡®I will be a myth-rated ss.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a joke or arrogance. Grid had absorbed the power of great demons and produced several myth-rated items. So, he was sincerely looking at all the possibilities. Grid asked the cute elf called Deruyaru, ¡°Speaking of my colleagues, can they hunt the ancient species while staying in the forest for a while?¡±


    Aside from Deruyaru, the eyes of the 12 Te widened.


    ¡°Do you know how strong the ancient species are?¡±


    ¡°It is too dangerous if your colleagues aren¡¯t as strong as you. They will lose their limbs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is good for us if you hunt the ancient species, but... you are cing too big a burden on your colleagues. Please forget it.¡±The 12 Te refused Grid¡¯s request due to how much they liked him.


    However, in the midst of this turmoil, Deruyaru opened her mouth, ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about Grid¡¯s colleagues. They are all strong. I saw it myself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Weren¡¯t humans originally weak creatures? Were they mistaken? Grid shrugged at the confused 12 Te. ¡°There are dozens of kids who are as strong as they are. I will call them all to the forest in order to hunt. We will get rid of the ancient species.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡± It was too absurd to be a bluff.The 12 Te shook before nodding. Then a warm voice rang out in the air, -Children of the forest.The human loved by the goddess of light.Give him and his colleagues the blessing of the elementals.


    It was the world tree. Grid and the Overgeared members were now experiencing a fraudulent event.


    [The world tree has given you a huge blessing!]


    [yer Grid and all the yers in the Grid-led forces will be able to contract with elementals. However, it is limited to lower elementals. The attribute can¡¯t be selected. The attribute will be given at random.]


    [The benefit will only apply to existing members. Any new members won¡¯t receive this benefit.]


    Grid¡¯s soul was leaving him when he heard the trembling voices of Jishuka and the Overgeared members.


    ¡°...I love Grid.¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 838

    [Thanks to the yer ¡®Grid¡¯, you have received the blessing of the world tree. You can now make contracts with lower elementals.]


    [You must meet the world tree in order to make a contract with the elementals.]


    It felt like they had just received a bunch of money while sitting down doing nothing. The Overgeared members cheered at the notification window that suddenly popped up.


    ¡°God Grid, what did he do again?¡±


    ¡°It is great! He hits a jackpot every time he goes somewhere!¡±


    ¡°Grid is the best!¡±


    Making a contract with elementals...! This was uncharted territory for most yers, which gave them even greater expectations. The excited Overgeared members started preparing to travel in the order that Lauel decided. The destination was naturally the World Tree¡¯s Forest.


    ***


    -Lauel: Yes.Only the yers belonging to the Overgeared Guild, not the Overgeared Kingdom, are eligible to contract with the elementals.


    -Grid: I¡¯m d.


    -Lauel: Yes.Unconditional rewards shouldn¡¯t be given to people who can move to other kingdoms at any time.By the way, have you signed with an elemental?


    -Grid: I¡¯m going to try it now.


    Grid stood in front of the world tree as he grasped the situation through Lauel¡¯s whisper. It was a huge tree that he couldn¡¯t see the end of. His neck hurt as he turned his head to measure the tree¡¯s size. The Overgeared members, Mercedes, and even the unthinking Jude gulped. The humans, who were proud about dominating the world, became infinitely smaller in front of the infinite mysteries of nature.


    ¡°I greet the mother of the forest,¡±Grid respectfully greeted the world tree. It wasn¡¯t an attitude based on any calctions, he truly was honored. Just like the others, Grid was overwhelmed by the world tree.


    The voice of the world tree was warm and sweet. [You who have received the love of the goddess of light after exercising a strong will... I am grateful to you for helping my children. The protection of the elementals will forever be with you...]


    ¡®Elementals!¡¯ Grid¡¯s heart thumped.


    Beniyaru¡¯s elementals had neutralized Mercedes¡¯ and Grid¡¯s attacks. The mighty image of a burning giant and a beautiful woman came to mind, amplifying his expectations.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if they are lower elementals.¡¯


    It would be great!


    Duguen duguen!Grid was unable to calm his beating heart and knelt before the world tree. This was ording to the procedure that the elves described. There was a sh of light that was brighter than the sun, but it didn¡¯t blind him. Additionally, it was warm. The green light wrapped around Grid¡¯s body gently.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid couldn¡¯t help letting out a groan. His mind and body rxed the moment he was wrapped in the light, and a feeling of infinite happiness rose within him. It was likeying in a futon on the night before a holiday. He wanted time to stop right here. However, he couldn¡¯t rx. The brightly lit up Grid opened his eyes.


    ¡°I, Grid, want to contract with an elemental!¡±


    The light surrounding Grid grew stronger as if responding to his call. Simultaneously...


    [The lower elementals are looking at you.]


    [The lower fire elementals are scared after feeling a fire hotter than them and have run away!]


    [The lower water elementals trying to reach you have evaporated and disappeared!]


    [The lower earth elementals smelled the metals on you and have hidden in the ground!]


    [The lower wind elementals realize they can¡¯t wrap around you and have passed by!]


    ¡°...??¡±Grid panicked when notification windows which werepletely different to his expectations popped up. In particr, he was greatly disappointed that the fire elementals had escaped.


    ¡®I thought the fire elementals would be a hint to achieve the Duke of Fire.¡¯


    The great magician Braham had said that it had been due to the Duke of Fire that Pagma had been surrounded by mes while hammering. It had been from this point that Pagma¡¯s status went up. This supported the fact that cksmiths and fire were highlypatible with each other. So, Grid naturally wanted the fire elemental. Yet they had run away! Additionally, all the other elementals didn¡¯t want him!


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    The tranquility that came from the light around him was lost. Just when Grid was nervous that a contract with an elemental might not be possible, another notification window appeared.


    [The world tree admires your big vessel that can¡¯t be filled with lower elementals. The world tree has called for the hidden elementals!]


    [The lower elementals of light and darkness have appeared!]


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Round masses of darkness and light descended from the sun and the covered moon, surprising the many elves watching the ceremony. It was because the light and dark elementals were the symbol of the ¡®royal family¡¯ that not even the 12 Te could have.


    He might be their savior but he was still a human. Yet Grid was going to be chosen by a light or dark elemental? It was something that the elves couldn¡¯t understand. On the other hand, the Overgeared members, Mercedes, and Jude were calm because they had no information about elementals. They didn¡¯t know anything and kept watching the elemental contract ceremony silently.


    Meanwhile, Grid was suffering once again.


    [The lower light elemental is consumed by the darkness hidden inside you!]


    [The lower dark elemental is lost in the light of Goddess Reba, who has blessed you!]


    [The world tree is embarrassed!]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too much?Grid¡¯s anxiety was amplified as the elementals of light and darkness disappeared.He was forced to feel like this since he had been rejected by all the elementals. The voice of the world tree entered the ears of the trembling Grid, [The goddess of light¡¯s love toward you is greater than you thought. Yet you also have a great darkness in your heart.]


    ¡°Is this the end?¡±Grid asked bluntly.


    The world tree took special measures.[I watched from beginning to end as you struggled to protect my children in the forest. I can¡¯t ignore your grace, so I will give you a greater blessing.]


    [The intermediate elementals are looking at you.]


    [The intermediate fire elementals are scared after feeling a fire hotter than them and have run away!]


    [The intermediate water elementals trying to reach you have evaporated and disappeared!]


    [The intermediate earth elementals smelled the metals on you and have hidden in the ground!]


    [The intermediate wind elementals realize they can¡¯t wrap around you and have passed by!]


    [The intermediate light elemental...]


    [The intermediate dark elemental...]


    ....


    ...


    ¡°...¡±


    The same thing happened again.Like the lower elementals, the intermediate elementals couldn¡¯t endure Grid¡¯s presence.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too much?¡¯


    Was he not going to get a reward? Then it happened when Grid was cursing in his mind...


    [The advanced elementals are looking at you.]


    The world tree called for the advanced elementals. Elementals resembling Beniyaru¡¯s elementals appeared around Grid.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The world tree hadn¡¯t given up?Grid was stunned. However, the 12 Te protested violently.


    ¡°Mother! I understand Mother¡¯s heart but you have to be careful!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t doubt Grid but we are concerned about the weakness of the human mind. Humans can be corrupted by excessive power. Mother, think about the seven malignant people who gained the power of a god and became corrupted. Grid might be a new malignant person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The emergence of a malignant evil in this era with no Hero King will signal the destruction of this world! Calm down, Mother!¡±


    The seven malignant people¡ªGrid¡¯s strongest passive skill, God¡¯s Command had originated from them.Who would¡¯ve expected the name to pop out of the elves¡¯ mouths? Grid¡¯s eyes widened with surprise as he muttered, ¡°I am the Hero King...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    The 12 Te were astonished.


    [That¡¯s right. You are a human beloved by the goddess of light and the Hero King. I can trust you.]


    The world tree was determined. The advanced elementals tried to reach Grid only to stop repeatedly. Unlike the lower and intermediate elementals, the advanced elementals spoke in the humannguage.


    ¡°This is a human already good at dealing with fire. My mes won¡¯t be a great help to this human.¡±


    ¡°It is too hot and bad for me. When water disappears when I near him.¡±


    ¡°Um... Ummm... The power of the earth... Not required... Umm... I don¡¯t think... Um..¡±


    ¡°He is called Grid? He already has the power of a storm. My wind won¡¯t help. Hmm, the elemental kings might be needed.¡±


    The advanced elementals also rejected Grid. Then the advanced light and dark elementals appeared btedly. There was a white sphere with the size of a ser ball.The cute ball of light with yellow half-moon eyes spoke first, ¡°I like it. This person¡¯s light is like Mother¡¯s light. The hidden darkness is scary but I can ovee it. I like it.¡±


    There was a ck sphere that resembled the light elemental. The red-eyed ck sphere adamantly rejected Grid, ¡°I don¡¯t like it. This child has more light than darkness. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    So, it was decided. The important thing in contracting with an elemental was the will of the elemental. Grid didn¡¯t worry about this part.


    [Light elemental, be with him forever.]


    ¡°Okay!¡± The light elemental consented to the world tree¡¯s request.


    [You have seeded in contracting with the light elemental!]


    [The title ¡®Light Elemental (Advanced) Contractor¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Light Elemental (Advanced) Contractor]


    [You can use the advanced light elemental.


    Current level of the light elemental: 1


    -Avable Elemental Techniques-


    * The energy of the advanced elemental is infinite. An advanced elemental doesn¡¯t consume the resources of the contractor.


    [Sword of Light]


    Makes the elemental into a sword of light.


    It will follow the contract and help the contractor secure visibility in the dark. When an enemy with the attribute of darkness is found, it will move by itself and attack the enemy.


    The attack power of the Sword of Light is affected by the contractor¡¯s physical attack power and magic attack power.


    * This skill can be maintained at all times. However, separate techniques can¡¯t be used in the Sword of Light state.


    [sh]


    The light elemental will ¡®instantaneously¡¯ move to the target pointed out by the contractor.


    If the target is an enemy, it will shine intensely and blind the target for 0.3 seconds. The target can¡¯t resist the blindness effect.


    If the target is the contractor¡¯s ally, it will shine brightly and give the target a one-time ¡®dark attack resistance¡¯ effect.


    Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.]


    ¡°...Amazing.¡±


    There was a CC that couldn¡¯t be resisted as well as an autonomous attack power. Although it was limited to a dark target, it could surpass a Sword Saint¡¯s cognition. This was just the performance of a level 1 elemental. Grid didn¡¯t know how great the elemental would be when the level rose.


    The 12 Te weren¡¯t exaggerating when they were worried about the seven malignant people. Jishuka¡¯s eyes turned to heart shapes as the Sword of Light started to hover beside Grid. ¡°A visual explosion...¡±


    It was like the lights that were set up for shootingmercials with celebrities. The power of the light was almost fraudulent. Grid was bing equipped with more systems.

 Chapter 839

    [The lower wind elemental whispers that it will make your arrows faster.]


    [The lower wind elemental whispers that it will your spear lighter.]


    [The lower wind elemental whispers that it will your mouth lighter.]


    ¡°Why is it my mouth?¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    Jishuka, Pon, and Huroi contracted with wind elementals.


    [The lower earth elemental promises to make your body more solid.]


    Regas seeded in contracting with an earth elemental.


    It was a bit disappointing after seeing Grid contract with an advanced spirit, but they didn¡¯t express it.After all, if it wasn¡¯t for Grid, they wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to contract with an elemental. It was an undeserved honor for them to even contract with a lower elemental.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Jishuka and Pon had their attack speed and attack uracy increased slightly due to the lower wind elemental, while Huroi had his talking speed increased thanks to the wind elemental. Regas gained more resistance and defense due to the earth elemental, making him fully satisfied. He was particrly joyful because his low defense had grabbed his ankle several times.


    Meanwhile, Faker and Chris received great fortune.


    [The lower wind elemental notices that you are faster than it and has retreated with frustration.]


    [The intermediate wind elemental whispers that it is going to have fun with you.]


    [All lower elementals have felt the qualities of a tyrant and have run away.]


    [The intermediate earth elemental promises to govern your rough nature.]


    After seeing the people who sessfully contracted with the intermediate elementals, Chris established a hypothesis that the most important factor when contracting with a higher elemental was a ¡®higher rated ss¡¯. The basis for this hypothesis was the two men who managed to make contracts with intermediate elementals. Faker had received the second ss ¡®Shadow Master¡¯s Student¡¯ after Khan¡¯s death while Chris had the second ss ¡®Tyrant.¡¯


    ¡°It is highly likely. Isn¡¯t this why Grid contracted with an advanced spirit?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... We will know for sure when we see the result of Yura¡¯s contract.¡±


    Would Demon yer Yura seed in contracting with an advanced elemental like Grid? Grid and all the members of Overgeared were filled with expectations.


    ***


    There was a thick fog around the poisonous river. It was a terrible fog that caused the ¡®poisoned¡¯ state when it was breathed in. The volcanoes in the area were active and the earth was shaking with agitation. The sense of bnce was lost. The boilingva melted skin with heat alone and didn¡¯t allow any living thing to enter.


    This was the 32nd Hell.It was full of chaos after losing its ruler, Belial. Creatures were no longer controlled, and its residents had long since left their homes. Only hungry demonic creatures were left wandering aimlessly. In this ce, gunshots rang out, announcing the deaths of the demonic beasts.


    Tatang!Tang tang!


    A demonic beast turned to gray whenever the gun fired. Dozens of pirs of gray ash kept rising through the fog. The demonic beasts witnessed their kin being killed and lost momentum. Their tails dropped, making them seem like puppies as they ran away.


    However, the beauty didn¡¯t miss any of them. She jumped through the space itself and shoved her sword into the mouths of the retreating demonic beasts. The Demon yer¡¯s beautiful white skin looked red as blood sshed on her.


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡±


    Anymunication with the human world was blocked in hell.It was impossible to live alone in this barrenndscape with a normal mentality.


    Yura had never lost herposure apart from when she dealt with Grid. However, life in hell was hard.Her body and mind had long been exhausted. Now, she couldn¡¯t tell if the screams that constantly rang in her ears were real or false, and her thoughts were a mess.


    Nheless, Yura kept moving forward. She walked without resting in the unchanging scenery that she had seen for several months already and pointed her gun at a demonic beast.


    Tatang!


    She longed to be qualified to stand at the same level as Grid, who had copsed the sky to be the new sky. Yura wanted to feel proud again. Desperately wanting to be the best again, she wanted to prove that the Demon yer ss she had selected wasn¡¯tckingpared to Sword Saint and Pagma¡¯s Descendant. She didn¡¯t want to be ashamed with facing Grid.Furthermore, she didn¡¯t want to be a burden to Grid after abandoning the Yatan Church for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°...?¡±Yura stopped in ce as she was moving forward. Then her eyes shook. It was because she felt a change in thendscape of hell that had been the same for two months. In the distance, she saw a ck castle covered in fog.


    ¡®Belial¡¯s Castle?¡¯Yura gulped as the light of the castle reflected in her eyes.


    She was filled with hope that perhaps something left in the ownerless castle would help her.There might be a fierce monster, but she was convinced there would be a treasure to help her grow further.This wasn¡¯t without basis. Considering the symbolism of a great demon¡¯s castle, Yura¡¯s expectations were reasonable.


    A huge dusty gate opened instantly under Yura¡¯s hands.


    ¡°...¡±Yura¡¯s eyes narrowed as she observed the scenery outside the castle. Had the demonic beasts eaten themselves after bing hungry? The outside of the castle was filled with the stench of rotting corpses. Yura¡¯s footsteps were careful while she moved forward. As the distance to the front doors narrowed, she started to detect ¡®something.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    [The Demon yer¡¯s intuition has felt a strong demonic energy.]


    [You will enter the Prepared to Die Posture. The extremely concentrated magic bullets will have a 10% increase in the creation speed and physical defense will increase by 15%. Magic resistance has increased by 20%.]


    The passive skill that hadn¡¯t activated when she faced the 32nd Great Demon Belial told Yura something. The gift beyond the door would be muchrger than her expectations. Yura gulped and controlled her thoughts. ¡®I am over level 300 now.¡¯


    This ce was also hell. It was a stage that maximized a Demon yer¡¯s abilities. The present Yura was iparable to during the time of the Belial raid. Yura recognized this fact and overcame her fear, pushing open the door with her small, fine hands. The rusty iron made an unpleasant sound as it was opened, but it was the ¡®man¡¯ on the throne in the dark great hall that caused chills to run over Yura¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yura¡¯s voice trembled as she asked the man sitting on the throne. Thest time she was so tantly shaken had been when she faced Grid.


    Why? Grid was the one who always transcended her expectations. Yes, like right now.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    The man raised his body from the throne. He took one and then two steps forward before dancing. His sharp eyes, reminiscent of a bird of prey, stared at her.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    The atrocious surge of energy moved with a fierce momentum and hit Yura.


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    The giant castle that was the symbol of the 32nd Great Demon¡¯s supremacy copsed like a sand castle.


    ***


    In the past few years, the Overgeared members had actively utilized Grid¡¯s reputation and abilities. They had called in people by using Grid¡¯s name, and Lauel had selected talents to join the Overgeared Guild.


    Now, the Overgeared Guild had reached 620 people.It was unbnced since more than half of them were production-oriented sses. However, it was natural since the ¡®army¡¯ of the kingdom meant production sses were more valuable thanbat sses.


    ¡°All the cksmiths have contracted with the fire elementals?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Panmir as well.¡±


    ¡°Shit... Why am I the only one with a light elemental? Isn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s Descendant a cksmith?¡±Grid¡¯s obsession with the Duke of Fire was greater than imagined.It couldn¡¯t be helped since he was pursuing Pagma¡¯s shadow.


    Lauel soothed the grumbling Grid, ¡°Isn¡¯t the light elemental a higher ss spirit? I heard that they are elementals of the royal family. Isn¡¯t it better than the fire elemental? Be calm and satisfied.¡±


    ¡°I know that. However, it isn¡¯t very good if the target isn¡¯t of the dark attribute.¡±


    ¡°In¡¯t the water elemental a counter for the fire elemental? What result would ever give 100% satisfaction?¡±


    ¡°No, think about it. How convenient would it be if I had a fire elemental? It would befortable when I¡¯m making an item and it¡¯d be easy to cook rice while traveling.¡±


    ¡°...You only eat beef jerky anyway.¡±


    Grid¡¯s words were just petty grumbles, so Lauel gave up trying to calm Grid and looked outside. Hundreds of Overgeared members were standing before the world tree. Their contracts with the elementals were sessful, and they were full of happiness as they cheered for Grid.


    ¡°In any case, it is really great. I always admire your performance.¡±


    ¡°Did you sign with an elemental?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I followed the attraction of my soul andmunicated with an elemental as soon as I entered the forest.¡±


    As he stared at theughing Lauel, Grid asked carefully, ¡°Did you contract with a dark spirit?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I hesitated for a moment between the fire and dark spirit due to the ck me dragon sealed in my arm, but I eventually decided on the dark elemental.¡±


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    At this point, the game system was creepy. It seemed to prate the personality of the target person perfectly. Lauel asked for a final confirmation from Grid, ¡°If the Overgeared members team up in groups of eight, they can raid the ancient species called the bear-wolf... Are you sure there is nothing wrong with thismand?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the current full power of the Overgeared members can attempt the Belial raid again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The bear-wolves are that strong?¡±


    ¡°They are strong. That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving Mercedes and Jude behind. They will take responsibility for the safety of the guild members when they¡¯re hunting and growing together in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Really... Will you really go alone?¡±


    Grid had dered that he would invade and destroy the city of Merchant King Kir alone.As such, Lauel couldn¡¯t help feeling worried. Although Grid had taken care of Kir¡¯s elite knights, there were still thousands of troops left in the city. There would even be hundreds of yers. There were also dozens of high rankers who had ties to Kir due to the items he had given them. Did it make sense to be able to defeat them with one person? Despite having a grasp of Grid¡¯s strength, Lauel thought it was impossible. The recent growth of the rankers was scary, and the trend was gradually rising.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have be much stronger.¡±


    Kir¡¯s chance of escaping had disappeared the moment Agnus became a legend. He had to shatter Kir to a level that made it impossible for him to recover. This was a natural need when considering Kir¡¯s personality.


    ¡°I have to hurry. Kir might¡¯ve already made contact with Agnus.¡±


    The Saharan Empire, Immortal, the Yatan Church, and the great demons...


    Grid had no intention of neglecting a variable in the uing wars which couldn¡¯t be avoided. The determined Grid left the World Tree¡¯s Forest and headed for the city of Merchant King Kir.

 Chapter 840

    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°U-Ugh!¡±


    In the copsed wreckage of the castle, Yura¡¯s head was dizzy as she barely escaped from the pile of rocks. Why was Grid in a ce like this? Why did he attack her? Furthermore, she was driven to death with ¡®one blow¡¯? She had never imagined this situation.It was difficult to make a reasonable judgment due to the confusion that surged in like a tsunami. Her willpower was scattered. She didn¡¯t know what she was doing, what situation she was in, and what she had to do.


    ¡®No.¡¯ Yura gritted her teeth and regained herposure. Grid didn¡¯t have a reason to visit hell at the present time. The opponent who attacked her couldn¡¯t be Grid.


    That¡¯s right.


    ¡®This person isn¡¯t Grid.¡¯


    Her confusion was settled. Yura moved through the remnants of the castle. Then she confronted the mysterious person who had driven her to death in a single blow.


    ¡°Grid...¡±Yura¡¯s eyes widened as she confirmed the name of the mysterious person. The name ¡®Grid¡¯ was present on top of the person who looked like Grid. However, the golden shining name made him clearly different from Grid.He had the symbol of a named NPC.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Why did a named NPC version of Grid exist, and why was he located in hell? In the midst of her growing confusion, Yura made several hypotheses.


    ¡®Is it Yatan ck magic?¡¯ Were they trying to assassinate her for betraying the church? ¡®Perhaps there is a demonkin that can copy people¡¯s appearances...¡¯


    In any case, he was an enemy. Yura drank a potion and aimed her gun at Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡°Question,¡±the demonkin who borrowed Grid¡¯s appearance spoke in a voice that also resembled Grid¡¯s, ¡°Are you human? Are you the same creature as Grid?¡±


    ¡°...!¡± The demonkin¡¯s question was enough to increase Yura¡¯s confusion. ¡®Do you know Grid?¡¯


    Then demonkin¡¯s questions continued. ¡°Surprise. It is the first time I¡¯ve seen a human here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Question. Can Gride here?¡±


    He knew about Grid and was obsessed with Grid? Yura heard the question and asked, ¡°Are you looking for someone called Grid?¡±


    ¡°Answer. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What is your rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°Answer. There is no rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you looking for him?¡±


    ¡°Answer. I have to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Answer. I was born for the sake of killing Grid.¡±


    ¡°You... Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Subtle. Grid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±Yura¡¯s hair started rising. She felt an extreme fear despite the man in front of her having the same appearance, voice, and name as Grid. However, she wasn¡¯t afraid of him because he was strong. This was a more primitive type of fear. The man cocked his head. ¡°Question. Does our conversation mean anything?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Yura stepped back. This wasn¡¯t an unidentified monster whose ego was iplete but a bomb that she couldn¡¯t deal with. So, she turned around and ran away.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Flower.¡± Dozens of energy des reminiscent of a flower blooming appeared.


    ¡°...!!¡± Yura¡¯s vision shed red. Once again, the blow dealt her a serious injury. Fortunately, her health was still in the unit of 10s. She escaped from the ruins without looking back. However, the man in the hall didn¡¯t chase after her. Instead, he returned his rusted sword to its sheath and muttered, ¡°Difficult. Need to find a new home...¡±


    Who was he? He had never thought about it. He only knew that he had to kill Grid.


    ***


    ¡°I will make it so that the gangster can¡¯t piss anymore! Funny, how funny! How are the other rankers so ipetent that they are pushed by that fool?¡±


    There was a small city with a poption of 30,000 at the eastern end of the Gauss Kingdom¡ªPenan. It was a city that Merchant King Kir had bought for arge sum of 20 million gold. He had paid 10 billion won in cash, but he hadn¡¯t thought it was a waste of money.


    If he developed the city as nned, he would be able to withdraw his investment in seven years of game time and turn it into a surplus. Yet it was all wasted now because of Grid. The firstrge-scale project that would¡¯ve been a stepping stone for profit had failed due to Grid¡¯s interference. This morning, he lost more money than what his city was worth.


    Kir resented Grid¡¯s ¡®ignorance¡¯ more than his ¡®evil.¡¯


    ¡°Stupid bastard! Doesn¡¯t he know that joining hands with me will result in a huge profit for him? Why did he have to make me so tired by bing my enemy?¡±


    It was always like this.Low intelligence caused disgust to form inside him. In short, Grid was a lump of cancer. Reminded of Grid, Kir was feeling resentful and irritated when he received good news.


    ¡°Earl Taru has promised to support with his troops.¡±


    ¡°Okay. It is natural.¡± Originally, Penan had been one of Earl Taru¡¯s countless cities. The amount of money Kir had given Earl Taru in the process of purchasing Penan was significant. ¡°How much money did I give him? He can¡¯t refuse my request if he has a conscience.¡±


    Kir was in a dangerous condition because he had lost many troops and three knights to Grid. His top priority was securing as many troops as possible. He had to expand his business quickly to recover the lost money, but this required force. As soon as he resurrected, he had contacted Immortal in order to secure some military strength.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we would meet this way.¡±The door opened and a white-haired man appeared. The man who shook hands with Kir was Veradin.


    Merchant King Kir smiled brightly and grabbed Veradin¡¯s hand with both hands. ¡°Thank you for epting the invitation.¡±


    ¡°I am the one who should be thankful.¡±


    Immortal had lost their ce due to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s killing order. It was hard to find a safe ce to go since they were always chased by yers.Then they received an invitation from Merchant King Kir. It was a proposal to stay in Kir¡¯s city.


    Veradin faced Kir and smiled.¡°Were you hit by Grid?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡± Kir hadn¡¯t said anything about what he¡¯d gone through and why he had called Immortal. So why did Grid¡¯s name pop up randomly?


    Veradin shrugged at the confused Kir. ¡°Aren¡¯t you famous for always putting your best interests first? If you were in a normal situation, you wouldn¡¯t go against Grid by inviting us.¡±


    Yes, Kir wouldn¡¯t do anything against Grid unless he was an idiot. That¡¯s why Veradin guessed that Kir had already been hit by Grid. Kir sighed deeply.¡°Well... I didn¡¯t intend to hide it. Your guess is right. I was hit by that damn Grid and have a debt to repay.¡±


    Veradin¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Interesting. Why don¡¯t you tell me more?¡±


    ¡°The beginning started with...¡±


    Kir needed Immortal¡¯s cooperation and was obliged to make them a perfect ally. So, he exined in detail about what happened to him. However, he reduced the amount of damage he¡¯d suffered and hid his rtionship with the Yatan Church. Then the lengthy exnation ended.


    ¡°Yes. You went through a lot of trouble. You also suffered damage from the viin called Grid. Okay. Immortal will stay here and help you. Victims should help each other. Otherwise, who will help us?¡±Veradin gave Kir a satisfactory answer.¡°We will make this ce our base and reserve our strength. Immortal will do our best to carry out your instructions.¡±


    ¡°Good. I will also support Immortal by providing items. By the way... what about Agnus?¡±


    In fact, it was because of Agnus that Kir first thought about Immortal. The world message which spoke about Agnus bing a legend gave Kir hope. He assumed that it would be easier to get revenge on Grid if he had Agnus. However, he couldn¡¯t see Agnus here at all. He was feeling troubled by how Veradin responded like it was nothing, ¡°Isn¡¯t Agnus famous? At this moment, he is freely wandering the continent and enjoying the moment.¡±


    ¡°What about the kill order?¡±


    ¡°What is the use of a kill order against him? Who would dare to hurt Agnus apart from Grid directly?"


    ¡°Haha! I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. Agnus will arrive after we deal with the misceneous matters.¡±


    That was a lie. Veradin had lost Agnus¡¯ trust due to the Reinhardt invasion, so Agnus¡¯ attitude was now very different from the past. He didn¡¯t leave any tasks to Veradin andpletely neglected Immortal. However, Veradin couldn¡¯t reveal this fact. It was obvious that Immortal would be nothing without Agnus. Additionally, he believed that Agnus would find him again someday.


    ¡°Shall we talk about future ns?¡±


    ¡°First of all, I will raise money. I will gather money from all types ofmercial areas, regardless of means and methods. I will then develop talent and weapons.¡±


    ¡°Is this to defend yourself against Grid?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t enough. I must take everything away from Grid.¡±


    ¡°Haha! It is a great mindset. Okay. Let¡¯s join forces to tten Grid.¡±


    ¡°Is it enough to tten Grid? We will destroy everything. Hahaha!¡±


    The sound of the two men¡¯sughter filled the colorfully decorated office.


    The two men nned to get revenge on Grid and believed it was fully feasible. After all, the stronger the Overgeared Kingdom became, the more people became jealous of them. Thus, Kir and Veradin were confident that they could trample on the Overgeared Kingdom.


    This was something Grid and Lauel were concerned about.They couldn¡¯t give any room to people who had already be enemies.


    ¡°K-Kir!¡±


    ¡°Veradin! He came!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The cheerfullyughing Veradin and Kir closed their mouths and stiffened at the same time. Their faces turned pale as their rushing colleagues exined the situation.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ***


    ¡°At that time, I was careless.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Boutian and Arisa¡ªthe two high rankers belonging to Merchant King Kir¡¯s forces¡ªreyed the fight in the forest.


    ¡°It was a shame when I tried to use magic to blow him away. It would¡¯ve been enough to tie up his feet.¡±


    If he had blocked the movements that were required for Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid¡¯s power would¡¯ve been weakened by several times. They had analyzed Grid¡¯s weak points in the National Competition videos but hadn¡¯t been able to utilize them due to their greed.


    Boutian was filled with frustration while Arisa confessed honestly, ¡°We made a lot of mistakes. I was too conscious of ckening and got caught off guard. It would¡¯ve been easier if I did my best from the beginning...¡±


    Then Tarot, who was sitting quietly between the two people,ughed. ¡°You should¡¯ve taken me along. I would¡¯ve been able to hunt Grid easily. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Tarot was someone with ckening, like Grid. He had gained a mighty power during a great demon quest and evolved into a half-demonkin. Even Boutian and Arisa were deeply regretful that he hadn¡¯t encountered Grid at this time.


    ¡°Ah, it was a chance to hunt him and get bonuses.¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. You had a separate mission.¡±


    ¡°That was a mistake in the first ce. If you waited until my mission ended, you wouldn¡¯t have gone through such humiliation... Huh?¡± Tarot was ming Kir¡¯s stupidity when he let out a sound of confusion. He rubbed his eyes a few times before pointing at the gate.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Grid?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Boutian and Arisa frowned at the same time. They thought that Tarot was joking in this serious atmosphere. Tarot licked his lips like he had a delicious meal in front of him.¡°Ah, how bad is a human¡¯s vision? It has been a few months since I¡¯ve been a human, so I have forgotten.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    It was too much to fool around.Boutian and Arisa became confused as Tarot suddenly used ckening. Unfortunately, Tarot wasn¡¯t joking right now. He pulled out a red sword and jumped toward the gate. Then a white sword of light flew and pierced his brow.


    ¡°...Eh?¡± Tarot was stunned as he lost half his health from the one blow. He lost his momentum and fell helplessly. Then a man passed by him, and Tarot was hit with hundreds of energy des and turned to gray.


    Boutian and Arise hurriedly shouted, ¡°E-Emergency!¡±


    ¡°Gather the entire army right now!¡±


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    rm bells rang as a wild beast appeared in the city.

 Chapter 841

    TL: Please read this announcement. I am specifically posting it at the top to ensure that people read it.


    Satisfy boasted freedom that went beyond reality and had a vast worldview that was close to infinite.It would take years to explore the continent and find the unique food of each region.However, humans pursued their own path.


    Some people enjoyed Satisfy in a way that was no different from existing games.They were typical rankers, who were obsessed with maintaining their ranking or reaching a higher ranking. This meant they spent most of their time connected to Satisfy in hunting grounds. They abandoned the ordinary content that others enjoyed and focused on hunting. Thanks to their efforts, they became rankers and could earn wealth and honor.


    However, Grid was different.


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 362


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant (Conditional Great Magician)


    Title: One who Became a Legend and 25 others


    Health: 88,815 Mana: 14,268


    Strength: 3,160 (+360)


    Stamina: 1,987 (+580)


    Agility: 2,690 (+330)


    Intelligence: 1,838 (+540)


    Dexterity: 3,547 (+880)


    Persistence: 1,472 (+330)


    Composure: 1,078 (+330)


    Indomitable: 1,333 (+440)


    Dignity: 1,986 (+330)


    Insight: 1,826 (+330)


    Courage: 1,022 (+330)


    Political Power: 21 (+330)


    Demonic Power: 15,498


    Good Luck: 241


    Deity: 4


    Remaining Stat Points: 267]


    Compared to normal rankers, Grid spent a very small amount of time hunting. In fact, he spent most of his time in the smithy and suffered from various incidents. So, logically, he shouldn¡¯t have such a high level. Yet Grid¡¯s level was still in the single digit rankings. How...?


    He was linked to various NPCs and was at the center of the world view. In the process, he had raided powerful bosses or cleared hidden quests.Grid had gained experience in a single raid that others would take 100 days of hunting to gain. This was due to him building up rtionships with NPCs.


    However, other people didn¡¯t know this.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    There was an explosion followed by dozens of energy des filling the air. The Penan soldiers who ran in response to Boutian¡¯s and Arisa¡¯s cries all turned to gray.The number was well over 200.


    ¡°You damn son of a bit¡ª...!¡± Boutian shuddered as he witnessed the soldiers, who had been trained using Merchant King Kir¡¯s money and their efforts, disappear due to the overwhelming firepower. He was resentful that he had overlooked the ¡®personal power¡¯ of Grid, who had the position of king and yet still retained the top ranking.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve expected him to chase us here! He is a diligent guy who only eats and ys games!¡¯


    In fact, Boutian yed Satisfy for an average of 12 hours a day. He spent most of the time at the hunting grounds, apart from when he was carrying out Kir¡¯s orders.Even so, he had never dreamt of reaching the single-digit rankings. His highest ranking was in the top 100. He thought that Grid was likely to spend all his time eating and ying games.


    ¡®If only I was 10 years younger...!¡¯


    It was frustrating that his body had weakened once he reached his 40s. Envious of Grid¡¯s youth, Boutian shouted, ¡°Full force! Build a barricade!¡±


    Despite witnessing 200 troops being wiped out with a single skill, Boutian didn¡¯t despair. He still had hope because there were too many advantages when it came to defending a city.


    There was the help of various facilities. A typical example of this was a barricade. The soldiers arranged in a row the barricades which were installed in various parts of the city. Like this, the attacker would have to first break through the barricades while the soldiers could attack freely.


    Boutian smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Overgeared King! You came to your grave on your own! You will forever regret today¡¯s stupidity!¡±


    He was naturally aware that Grid could break the barricades with his high attack power, but the blow would have to be heavy. While Grid attacked the barricade, the archers and magicians should be able to hit Grid dozens of times. In a perfect environment, the numerical advantage was absolute. It was clearlymon sense.


    ¡°Magic Missile.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The God Hands fired white missiles one per second, and the barricades installed throughout the city broke down.


    ¡°Lightning, nyang!¡± A cat flew to the soldiers and used a wide-range lightning spell, causing the soldiers to copse. The guards copsed in a sh, causing Boutian to coordinate the archers hurriedly. ¡°Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Revolve.¡± Randy duplicated Grid¡¯s appearance and reflected all the arrows.


    ¡°Kuock...!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The archers were pierced by arrows and fell!


    ¡°What is this?¡±Boutian and the magicians cast magic btedly, but it was toote.


    ¡°Do you think I would¡¯vee alone if I was going to be hit by such shallow tricks?¡± Grid avoided the magic using Freely Move and reached Boutian¡¯s side instantly.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Your spirit can¡¯t endure it!]


    ¡°Cough!¡± Boutian¡¯s health gauge dropped to less than half when he was hit by the Enlightenment Sword. Due to Grid¡¯s attack, he was stunned and became unable to do anything. During this moment, he was hit by creepily smiling skeletons.


    [You have dealt 509 damage to the target!]


    [You have suffered 480 damage!]


    Boutian was stabbed by a short dagger. As the soldiers rushed over to protect him, Boutian roared angrily, ¡°You! Are you looking down on me by not finishing me off yourself?¡±


    The finishing blow was going to be left to these small fries? Boutian was in shock as he shouted angrily. Then the insignificant attack power of the skeleton¡¯s dagger, which had failed to prate Boutian¡¯s defense, now caused a stunning critical hit.


    [Your ribs have been broken!]


    [It is serious damage! Skills can¡¯t be used! Your spirit can¡¯t endure it. Movement speed is reduced! Health recovery is reduced by 80%!]


    [You have taken medicine for broken bones.]


    [The effect of the medicine isn¡¯t working.]


    [You need the best medicine for broken bones.]


    ¡°What?¡±A chill ran down Boutian¡¯s spine. Grid was currently ughtering the soldiers while ignoring Boutian. The golden hands, the cat, the doppelganger, and the skeletons¡­ None of them were ordinary. Grid monopolized the strongest items and pets alone, while other yers would be happy with just one. Due to this, there was one major problem.


    ¡°Ugh..!¡±


    Grid¡¯s individual power was enough to overwhelm two and three digit high rankers, including Arisa. Boutian was convinced of this as he watched Arisa while being stabbed by the skeletons.


    ¡®...It is enough to transcend the category of a yer.¡¯


    Grid transcended the category of an ¡®individual.¡¯ He was an army, a giant that couldn¡¯t fall. There was only one choice remaining. Boutian judged that the remaining forces wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Grid and gave an order before dying, ¡°Shit! Army... full force! Keok!¡±


    However, it was an Immortal¡¯s necromancer who killed him, not the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡°I can''t miss this great opportunity.¡± The necromancers smiled as they raised the dead bodies all over the ce. Today was different from when they were in the empress¡¯ pce as the ck and White sisters were present.


    ¡°It has been a long time, damn bastard.¡±


    ¡°Today is a chance to get revenge.¡±


    The sun-grade yers who once represented Blood Carnival...! They had abandoned Blood Carnival a long time ago and hid from the world after joining Immortal.


    There was a fierce wave of energy as ck and White sisters burned off fat and summoned clones. They had raged with the desire to take revenge against Grid, Faker, and even Grid¡¯s son, Lord, as they raised their levels while hunting for several months. After doing so, they were now confident that they had be strong enough to shatter Grid. In particr, Kir and Immortal were supporting them, so they were sure it would be easy to repel Grid.


    ¡°Dieeeeeee!¡±


    It was finally time to get revenge. After blowing away the Overgeared Skeletons with one blow, White¡¯s and ck¡¯s clones headed toward Grid. They quickly reached Grid who was dealing with the soldiers. However, this was no different from suicide.


    ¡°ckening.¡± When Grid discovered the ck and White sisters, he used a skill without dy.


    ¡°Open the Rune of Darkness, Weakened Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s Power.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡±


    From the beginning, the sky had been overcast. As such, Grid selected ¡®today¡¯ because of the weather. The power of the great demon immediately caused four to eleven lightning strikes per second to strike in a radius of 200 meters around Grid. The sisters and soldiers hit by the lightning received 10,000 fixed damage and were paralyzed, stunned, burned, and so on.


    ¡°Eek! What nonsensical item is this?¡±


    Fortunately, ck avoided the paralysis and stun. She gritted her teeth and endured the pain. A yer could summon a field...? There was no way that this power could be a skill. Now he wasn¡¯t a yer but a boss. White was convinced that Grid had used a consumable item to ovee the current crisis.


    ¡°Overgeared jerk!¡± White barely moved her heavy body under the wind pressure as she avoided the lightning and rushed to Grid. It was a blow containing all her strength. However, it was virtually impossible for the ckened Grid to be hit by ck and White after the field slowed them down and reduced their uracy rate.


    Grid easily avoided White¡¯s blow, which contained her anger and grudges, before shing at her. Then he continued to attack until the sun-grade yer died.


    ¡°Sister!¡± ck was in despair as her clones became paralyzed whenever lightning struck. Two suns were equal under the new sky.

 Chapter 842

    [Your party member, White, has died.]


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    In an alleyway that was far from the center of the battlefield, ck turned pale as she hid in a safe ce while controlling her clones. Her proud sister, who had steadily raised her level and equipped herself with legendary items after vowing to get revenge on Grid and the Overgeared members, had actually been killed in less than two minutes.


    ck stared at Grid as her clones were stunned by the lightning strikes, and a chill ran down her spine.


    ¡®The gap between us has widened rather than narrowed?¡¯


    Every game had limits. Growth would slow after a certain level. The growth of low-level yers was much faster than high-level yers. yers with low-rated items were more likely to develop than those with arge number of high-rated items.As such, it was expected for the growth rate of the top ranker Grid to be much slower than others¡¯ since he had been wielding legendary items from the very beginning.


    Then what was this strength?The current Grid was transcendentpared tost year, let alone the National Competition that had been held several months ago.


    ¡°...Surely he didn¡¯t obtain myth rated items?¡±


    No, it was impossible. Finding a myth-rated item was harder than plucking a star from the sky.


    ck shook her skinny face as she confirmed that the resources consumed by Illusion Manifestation had finally recovered. Then she immediately used his ultimate technique, Illusion World. She intended to alter the field that Grid had summoned and make it hurt him instead.


    [Your illusions have twisted reality.]


    [You have lost 4.7% experience as a penalty for using the great power, Illusion World.]


    [The target point of Illusion World is already dominated by a huge power!]


    [The target¡¯s presence neutralizes your illusions.]


    [Illusion World has failed to manifest!]


    ¡°...What?¡±


    A long time ago, Grid had faced ck and spected that her ss was legendary-grade.


    Seeing as he had met many strong yers, Grid¡¯s vision was excellent. So he knew that in fact, Illusionist was a growth type hidden ss that could grow to the legendary rating. ck¡¯s level was still low due to therge penalties that urred every time she used a skill, so the ss was still at the unique rating. However, the fact that it was a top ss was undeniable.


    An Illusionist¡¯s illusions had an influence on most targets. Even if the opponent had a legendary ss, they were still helpless in front of the illusions that ck summoned at the cost of her experience. However, this excluded targets like archangels, great demons, and transcendents like the yangbans. They resisted the unique-rated Illusionist. It was necessary to upgrade to the legendary rating if she wanted to influence them.


    Yes, there were the limitations of rare targets like archangels, great demons, and yangbans, but a unique-rated Illusionist should still be able to exert absolute power over a yer. Yet it was impossible to exert absolute power over Grid.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Despite consuming the resources and experience, the ultimate technique was neutralized! ck was astonished by the painful loss when she heard Grid¡¯s voice. He was speaking directly to ck¡¯s illusion clone, ¡°You sisters haven¡¯t grown at all. Did you quit the game for a while?¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Quit the game for a while? How hard had they tried to grow from thest time they appeared? They had many stories of hard work and effort.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything!¡± The angry ckmanded the illusions who overcame their paralysis and stun tounch a full-scale attack. The illusions copied the characteristics of the ideal strong person, Faker, and rushed toward Grid. ck believed that a copy of the monster Faker would be able to handle Grid, since he had defeated her despite having a normal ss. There was a basis for this idea.Grid had consumed all types of skills while dealing with Kir¡¯s troops and White and then acted like he was tired.


    In reality...


    ¡®It consumes too much mana.¡¯


    Grid could no longer maintain the Storm Demonic Energy Field that consumed 1,000 mana per second. The Ring of Absurdity that he¡¯d gotten from ck in the past reduced the mana cost of the skill by half, but the problem was that Grid¡¯s mana base was too small. However, Grid didn¡¯t feel regretful. The Storm Demonic Energy Field massacred hundreds of soldiers in exchange for consuming arge amount of mana!


    ¡°Hihi! Hihihik! Die! Die! Dieeee!¡± Three beauties holding daggers in their hands flew toward Grid at the same time. Their speed was very fast as they moved from left to right around the soldiers. It was reminiscent of the third advancement assassin ss, Master of Swiftness. For a moment, Grid was unable to respond, and his arm and waist were cut. The curses and spells of Kir¡¯s magicians and the necromancers interfered with Grid¡¯s concentration and movements.


    ¡°Kyahat! Kuhihihihit!¡± ck let out delightedughter when she saw Grid¡¯s wounds.


    Meanwhile, her illusions continued to rotate and stab at him.


    Grid defended against the magic bombardment with the God Hands and equipped the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. It was then that the attack uracy of the clones dropped noticeably. This was because Grid borrowed the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch and started to read their attack orbit.


    ¡°Tch!¡± The emotions of the main body were conveyed to the clones. ck became annoyed as Grid started to avoid attacks like a rodent. She urged Immortal¡¯s necromancers, ¡°What are you not covering me? Move the skeletons to seal his movements! Why are men so useless?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The influence of White and ck in Immortal was veryrge since Veradin had recruited them himself.


    Although the necromancers felt great dissatisfaction toward the women who treated them badly because they were men, they couldn¡¯t express it. In the first ce, they would lick shit if it meant taking down Grid. They didn¡¯t intend to miss this opportunity to catch Grid.


    ck!ck ck! The undead army started these activities in earnest. The bodies of the soldiers were raised and started pushing at Grid. Due to them, Grid¡¯s movements were greatly restricted, and ck¡¯s attack uracy started to rise again. s, there was a problem.


    [You have dealt 2,100 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 1,860 damage to the target!]


    [You have dealt 1,990...]


    ......


    ......


    It was Grid¡¯s ridiculously high defense.


    ck¡¯s illusions were armed with unique-rated weapons enhanced to +7. ck summoned them in exchange for experience but failed to inflict damage on Grid as the performance of the armor that Grid was armed with was far superior. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it was at least +8 enhanced armor.


    However, ck was still optimistic about the situation. Even water droplets could eventually damage rocks. The low damage would continue to umte, and Grid would eventually fall down. ck believed that after the storm field and ckening was lifted, Grid would be damaged by her illusions and die.


    It was at this time that...


    ck ck!ck!


    The hundreds of skeletons summoned by the necromancers surrounded Gridpletely. With nowhere to go after being surrounded by undead and illusions, it was virtually impossible for Grid to avoid the attacks. It was a perfect defensive move.


    ¡°Hihit! Hihihik! This is the end!¡±


    ¡°Die! Grid!!¡±


    The attacks of the necromancers and ck poured down like rain.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    In response, Grid used a wide-range skill. The waves of energy spread out in all directions and hit the undead and ck¡¯s illusions simultaneously. The reason why he had deliberately been acting on the defensive was so he could get rid of ck¡¯s illusions using Quick Movements.


    ¡°The number of skill uses is limited.¡±


    He had to kill as many enemies as possible with one skill. Grid broke through the copsing undead army and chased after ck¡¯s illusions to wipe them out.


    [The illusion summoned with Illusion Manifestation has been damaged and has vanished.]


    [20% experience has been lost.]


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡± ck was hiding deep in an alley. Her eyes shook violently as she suffered a huge penalty from her illusions being destroyed. It was then that she finally regained the senses she¡¯d lost after witnessing her sister¡¯s death.


    ¡®No! I can¡¯t win!¡¯


    Her sister hadn¡¯t even been able to survive two minutes against Grid, so what could ck do? ck settled her spirit and turned to escape. Then a lovely voice spoke out from behind her, ¡°I found you, nyang.¡±


    She turned back and...


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    It was the memphis famous for having more fan cafe members than Grid.ck¡¯s sister had secretly signed up for the fan cafe, and Noe was even cuter now after his fur changed in color. Nevertheless, to Noe, she was just the enemy. Moreover, she even dared threaten his master!


    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat, nyang.¡±


    The small ¡®?¡¯ snout expanded and swallowed up ck.


    [Your pet, Noe, has ingested the soul of the yer, ck.]


    [He has taken away half of the target¡¯s highest stat!]


    [Intelligence has increased by 2,131.]


    [You understand the knowledge and magic of Braham.]


    [The skill Fireball (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Dark Cutter (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Chain Lightning (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Enchant Weapon (Enhanced) can be used.]


    [The skill Decoy (Enhanced) can be used.]


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Grid swapped over to Belial¡¯s Staff. He also took off Triple Layers that he had been temporarily wearing to tank the attacks and switched to Valha of Infinite Affection. At this moment, Merchant King Kir and Veradin appeared leading arge number of reinforcements.


    ¡°Keep pushing!¡±Veradin shouted after calmly analyzing the situation, unlike Kir who was making a fuss over the mess in the city. Then Veradin confirmed that Grid had a fairly reduced health gauge due to the overwhelming advantage of numbers and the activities of the White and ck sisters.


    ¡®This time I will kill you!¡¯


    The new start here in Penan was a brilliant opportunity from Veradin¡¯s and Immortal¡¯s standpoint. Veradin nned to use this counterattack against Grid to provide the foundations of their resurgence. The death knight famous for his poison was summoned, and his breaths poisoned the whole area. Determination filled Veradin¡¯s eyes. He still hadn¡¯t given up his dream of bing a resident of the Hwan Kingdom as he gave orders to the poisonous death knight and Immortal.


    ¡°Kill Grid!¡±


    Grid had already used many skills, so he should becking in skills since Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had the disadvantage of a long cooldown time. Veradin was feeling confident about this when iprehensible words entered his ears.


    ¡°Enchant Weapon. Chain Lightning.¡±


    Magic? Why did magic a few levels higher than Magic Missile pop out of Grid¡¯s mouth? Before Veradin could figure it out, lightning struck the necromancers¡¯ undead army, Kir¡¯s soldiers, Veradin, and Veradin¡¯s death knight.


    [You have suffered 19,000 damage!]


    [You have received an electric shock!]


    [You have ovee the electric shock with the effect of oveing death...]


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaack!¡±


    The Chain Lightning reached a distance of 100 meters? Furthermore, this strength was on par with high-level magic!


    ¡°Why... Why are you...?¡± Why did he break the predictions every time? ¡°How are you growing?¡± Veradin screamed as a huge fireball filled his vision.


    Kir was unable to close his mouth as he saw Veradin disappear into a pir of gray ash.


    ¡®From the beginning...¡¯ The first day that Kir met Grid... ¡®I should¡¯ve prostrated myself before him!¡¯


    Kir couldn¡¯t even breathe.He was filled with regret, but it was already toote. In Grid¡¯s mind, the ¡®Merchant King¡¯ was Muto, rather than Kir.

 Chapter 843

    TL: Please check the updated announcement post if you haven¡¯t already. I got the dates wrong with the first post and updated it.


    The undead were never weak pets.They had the fundamental limit of low intelligence, but they would perform anymand unconditionally. Another advantage was that they had no emotions ormon sense. What about how their agility and durability which were rtively lower than those of other species? This was a problem that could be ovee be evolving into a higher undead.


    In fact, the speed of the skeleton warrior was just a bit slow. Its durability was also considerably strengthened. Skeleton warriors were great pets to fight one-on-one with yers of the same level. Considering the fact that a second advancement necromancer could summon skeleton warriors and a number of skeletons, a necromancer was a very favorablebat ss.


    Still, this was just referring to general hunting or PK. A necromancer was a vulnerable ss when it came to boss raids. It was virtually impossible for the undead¡¯s attack and durability to defeat a boss monster¡¯s extremely high defense and attack power.


    ¡°...Should we just surrender?¡±


    The elite necromancers of Immortal lost their fighting spirit as the new Grid was a boss monster itself. They were convinced that they would never be able to beat Grid with their abilities.


    ¡°He is a X monster!¡± The level 245 necromancer Kakron trembled. He had been ying hard like everyone else, but he just couldn¡¯t knock down Grid who was facing thousands of people alone.Kakron felt a great sense of deprivation, and curse words had popped out unknowingly. Despite this, there wasn¡¯t a single person who agreed with him.


    The 7th ranked necromancer Drew reproached him, ¡°What bullshit are you saying? Do you deserve toin? You have a lower level than everyone here and your equipment isn¡¯t great. It means you will lose a lot less. Didn¡¯t you put in less time, less money, and less effort? Do you have any sense?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Shut up if you have a brain. Don¡¯t im more things than necessary.¡±Drew¡¯s strong anger and spite were also directed toward himself. Drew had been watching Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus for a while. He knew what Satisfy yers had to do to be a top yer.


    Was it having the patience to hunt for a few days in one ce? Was it having the power to purchase the best items? Was it having the good luck to cope with financial difficulties? No. Those alone weren¡¯t enough. It was the ability to continuously generate and link hidden quests. Those who could use Satisfy¡¯s infinite degree of freedom to pass through episodes made them qualified to be a top yer.


    Yet Drew had never achieved it. He didn¡¯t know the details of when, where, and whom to meet. What choices did he have to make to experience a hidden episode or quest? Drew didn¡¯t know because there was a clear limit to his thinking ability.


    ¡°...This damn monster.¡±There was no hatred in Drew¡¯s eyes as he watched Grid single-handedly kill Veradin, followed by the annihtion of the soldiers and the undead army. There was only awe.


    ¡°How smart is he?¡±


    Was Grid a game genius? Did he keep experiencing new episodes and make rapid progress while performing hidden quests? It was a talent that Drew wanted to take away.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Drew was unable to ovee his frustration and was sighing deeply when he received Veradin¡¯s whisper.


    -Veradin: I¡¯m sorry I was killed without doing anything.I am now at the resurrection point.I will be sure to join you again, so use Kir¡¯s soldiers as a shield.Let¡¯s catch Grid today.


    ¡°Hat!¡± Drewughed. He smiled wryly as he replied.


    -Drew: You are going to rejoin us?You?


    -Veradin: What is the meaning of your words?


    -Drew: You hate dying.Don¡¯t you think I know that you are doing a quest where you can¡¯t die?


    -Veradin: Your guess doesn¡¯t make sense.What yer likes to die?I¡¯m just trying to protect myself from dying?What type of quest are you talking about?


    -Drew: The difference before and after you came back from the continent is too big.


    -Veradin: ...Are you sure?


    -Drew: Jerk!I already got the information about your separate exit!Do you think we are idiots?


    -Veradin: ...


    -Drew: Based on your reaction, you must¡¯ve already arrived there?


    There was the entrance to a waterway which existed underneath Kir¡¯s castle. Veradin had been nning to leave the city through the waterway while Immortal bought time. He stiffened once he arrived at the entrance. It was because the 2nd ranked Bullet was waiting for him there.


    The usually gentle Bullet was enraged.¡°I followed you because I recognized your skills and believed in the aplishments you showed me. In the end, are we just tools to be discarded by you?¡±


    ¡°...So what? Do you want me to give you something special? Me? To an ordinary person like you?¡± Veradin spoke in a proud manner. Then he drove the nail in, ¡°I gathered you together because I wanted to be recognized by Agnus. I wanted him to treat me as a useful person and be qualified to stay by his side in order to observe his madness.¡±


    [Hwan Kingdom¡¯s Resident (1)]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    You have to meet the minimal qualifications to challenge the Chiyou test.


    First, go beyond the level of an ordinary person.


    Quest Clear Condition (1): Don¡¯t die until you reach level 400.


    * Every time you gain 20 levels without dying while the quest is ongoing, you will gain arge number of additional stats.


    * If you die, you will lose all the additional stats you have acquired. The lost stats can¡¯t be restored.


    * If you die, the quest clear conditions will change to number two.


    Quest Clear Condition (2): The number of deaths must be less than five until you achieve level 400 (Number of Deaths: 4/5).


    * This is thest chance. If you fail toplete the second clear conditions, you willpletely lose your qualification to challenge the Chiyou test.]


    There was no more turning back for Veradin. He was half-abandoned by Agnus who wasn¡¯t actually crazy, and Immortal was pulling him down rather than helping him. Veradin had only one life left, so he had to defend himself. He had to get out of here quickly.


    Tsk! He clicked his tongue as he pulled up the list of guild members. Veradin intended to expel Bullet and Drew using his authority over the guild. He nned to stop them from inciting the other guild members and give them the expulsion penalty. However, unlike Veradin, Bullet and Drew had been acting for the guild with true sincerity. So, the members¡¯ sentiment was with them.


    [You have been impeached from your position as guild leader due to the vote of the guild members!]


    [Guild leader Bullet has expelled you from the guild!]


    ¡°You¡ª!¡±


    The system interpreted that a ¡®serious sin that can¡¯t be forgiven¡¯ had beenmitted as the reason why a guild member was expelled from a guild. Due to this, a penalty was incurred.


    [You have been expelled from the guild and have be a fugitive!]


    [There is a punishment for your sin. If you are arrested by a former guild member, the imprisonment sentence will increase. If killed, the death penalty will increase by 20%. This penalty is limited to one time.]


    ¡°This is... This is like being bitten by a dog I raised.¡±


    Immortal was his force! These guys did nothing, even Agnus! Veradin¡¯s voice shook angrily as he raised his head and shouted, ¡°Summon! Death Knight!¡±


    Veradin was in an extreme state of anxiety. He had to keep in mind that the necromancers who betrayed him might surrender to Grid and lead him to this ce.


    ¡®I have to leave here quickly!¡¯


    Veradinmanded his death knight to kill Bullet.


    ¡°Summon, Death Knight.¡±In response, Bullet also summoned a death knight. The unexpected battle between the first and second-ranked necromancers began.


    ***


    ¡°Dammit! How do I fix this?¡±


    Unlike what was known in the past, had Grid been a magician before he changed to Pagma¡¯s Descendant? As Grid suddenly started using magic to kill the soldiers, Kir felt a sense of difort. This was because the undead army that rose again had started to retreat from Grid.


    ¡®Is there a separate operation?¡¯


    Veradin might¡¯ve died in vain, but Immortal had many necromancer rankers besides Veradin. Kir relied on Immortal sincerely. He thought that when they cooperated with his troops, there would be a chance to win against Grid who was bing tired. Yet a strange phenomenon urred.The undead army gained a bit of distance from Grid before suddenly copsing and returning to the earth.


    ¡°What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kir shouted toward Immortal, but there was no response.No one answered Kir¡¯s call. Bit by bit, little by little, the Immortal members stepped back while trying not to catch Grid¡¯s attention. Kir cried out, ¡°You darede here only to one-sidedly destroy the alliance?¡±


    His eyes zed with anger.


    ¡°The person who made the alliance with you just left the guild,¡± Drew exined as he came up to Kir. ¡°That jerk Veradin abandoned the guild and moved alone. We no longer have a reason to fight.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know the details but aren¡¯t you being too rxed? You have already attacked Grid. Do you think Grid will take care of you because you aren¡¯t fighting? In the end, you have to fight in order to survive. Stop talking nonsense and summon the undead again. Stop the monster called Grid along with the soldiers.¡±


    Drew shrugged at Kir, who barely contained the curse words that wanted to emerge because of his frustration. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t believe it will be easy. However, I am already prepared.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°In the future, we will die until Grid¡¯s anger is released. I just hope that Grid can release it quickly.¡±


    ¡°You will go that far?¡±


    Drew replied to Kir¡¯s question, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the only answer? Haven¡¯t you noticed yet? Is Grid an enemy we can go against at our level?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thest spell finally exploded. Grid destroyed dozens of soldiers with just one Fireball, put away his staff, and pulled out his sword. His period of raised intelligence caused by Soul Ingestion was over, and his mana waspletely exhausted. He could no longer act as a magician. Despite this, to Immortal and Kir, it seemed like Grid was just ¡®ying¡¯ around.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t satisfied ughtering with magic, so he is using a sword again...¡±


    Kir listened to Drew¡¯s analysis and gulped. He was on the verge of losing his fighting spirit. Then Arisa rushed to Kir¡¯s side. ¡°Grid is quite tired and his stamina will be low. I am sure that he can be cornered right now. Isn¡¯t Taroting?¡±


    The half-demonkin Tarot was the most expensive person hired by Kir¡¯s Company. He had been killed by a surprise attack right after Grid appeared, but Arisa didn¡¯t doubt that his fighting spirit would be high after he resurrected. Kir met Arisa¡¯s hopeful eyes and shook her head with a bitter expression. ¡°He hasn¡¯t replied to my whispers.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Arisa fell silent.


    The reason why she hadn¡¯t lost hope was that she believed in Tarot¡¯s power. Why would Tarot suddenly not reply?The hope that filled her scattered in vain. Grid was approaching. Whenever he took one step, dozens of soldiers were turned to gray. The power of the intermittent ck me explosions was amazing. It was an infinitely activated skill.


    They didn¡¯t know what the structure of Grid¡¯s skill tree was like. So, in the end, Kir was forced to put down everything. He ordered Arisa to stop the troops and approached Grid. ¡°This is a one-sided invasion, a cruel massacre. If today¡¯s disaster is revealed, public opinion toward you will worsen. There will be all types of usations.¡±


    It was a threat that was meant to end this situation. No matter how mighty the forces were, ¡®standing alone¡¯ would cause fear.As such, Kir wanted to negotiate, but unfortunately, his intimidation didn¡¯t work.


    Grid scoffed and tilted his chin toward a distant ce. ¡°Do you think I just came here to y? Some crazy guy used ckening and rushed at me. Then the soldiers attacked? I was just defending myself when Immortal popped up? All those things are now being streamed live.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± The surprised Kir turned his gaze in the direction that Grid indicated. The world¡¯s most famous game BJ, Bunny Bunny, waved to him. Grid¡¯s eyes became cold. ¡°The cost of challenging me is very great.¡±


    ¡°Ick...! Eeek!¡± Kir just wanted to protect his minimum rights. Now his eyes turned yellow as he heard Grid¡¯s words.

 Chapter 844

    Grid was as aggressive as he was strong, and he wasn¡¯t wise as he was intoxicated with his own power.He was the type of person who was blinded by immediate gains and lost the bigger profits.His cruel violence expressed in the name of decisiveness was enough to cause disgust, and he was perfect at antagonizing people.


    So far, this was Kir¡¯s evaluation of Grid. Right now, Grid reigned with a strong force, but he would be isted and be destroyed sooner than expected.Kir didn¡¯t expect Grid tost for very long. Nevertheless, what was the truth? Kir¡¯s spine became freezing cold as he saw Bunny Bunny. He was forced to evaluate Grid differently.


    ¡®He is clever!¡¯


    No, Grid wasn¡¯t smart. It was clearly the influence of Lauel, who founded the Overgeared Kingdom.There was no weakness in Grid with the genius called Lauel behind him. After Kir realized that Grid had decided to take away everything he owned, he experienced a deep frustration and lost all hope. He fell into despair and questioned it, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between you and me?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°At least I didn¡¯t ughter the elves. I didn¡¯t kill a single elf until you interrupted me. On the other hand, what about you? Now you have ughtered hundreds of soldiers in dozens of minutes. What? You respect NPCs? You are better than me because I took the elves as prisoners? A murderer like you hates me and rescued the elves?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is an obvious story.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Many years ago, Grid was performing a time attack quest to wipe out Pope Candidate Pascal and the Vatican elders, causing him to overlook the deaths of prostitutes. The prostitutes had been used as shields to threaten Grid, but he had ignored them and they were then killed by the elders.


    No, let¡¯s go back in time further than that.On the first day he encountered Khan, Grid casually killed the local gangsters who threatened him and Khan.


    ¡°I have my own standards. I never said that I respect all NPCs.¡±Grid was someone who agonized over and over about the existence of NPCs. He pointed to the civilians hiding in the streets.¡°Look. I didn¡¯t kill those people.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± It was impossible to intimidate or even criticize Grid. His deep selfishness meant that not even these words had an effect. Kir became lessposed. His eyes became bloodstained as he shouted, ¡°You! Do you think you are a god? How can you be so selfish?¡±


    Grid doubted his ears.¡°What are you saying? Aren¡¯t you the one who thinks you are a god?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been acting like one? You captured weak people without hesitation. You did this because you thought you were a god.¡±


    ¡°S-Sophistry!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s sophistry. Don¡¯t make a broad analysis of a simple matter.¡±


    ¡°I am what?¡±Kir found it hard to understand the Korean manner of speaking. Kir frowned while Grid aimed a sword at his neck and dered, ¡°Stop your attacks now.¡±


    ¡°???¡± What nonsense was Grid saying? Kir was stunned. Why was the one-sided ughterer telling him to stop attacking? ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I say that to you?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t I have the right to defend myself? Stop the attacks. Then I will stop mine.¡±


    ¡®This jerk!¡¯


    Grid was conscious of the camera right till the end. Acting like a victim, he was being really hateful right now. Still, Grid gave Kir onest chance. ¡°Please surrender. Then I will leave this city without taking it away from you.¡±


    ¡°...¡± It was just the city. In other words, he would take away everything outside the city.Kir wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. He had expected Grid toe here with that type of mindset. ¡°...Are you going to take away all my merchandise?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is beyondmon sense. One day, the world will discover what you have done to me and criticize you. Then the Overgeared Kingdom might be isted.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    All types of maneuvers would ur before the Overgeared Kingdom was established. Many forces wanted to take away the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s rice bowl because they were strong, so there would be an alliance that would try to destroy the Overgeared Guild. The threat woulde anyway, so it was better to be stronger than to sit silently and wait.


    ¡°It will be dangerous if you are left alone. It is better to take your life and make it so that you are unable to recover. This is from the position of the Overgeared Kingdom. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Kir didn¡¯t say anything because he agreed with Grid.In the first ce, he had also taken things away from other people in case they would strike at him again someday. Ultimately, Kir¡¯s goal was to keep his trading rights. So, after careful consideration, Kir disyed the wit of a merchant. ¡°I understand. I will follow your demands.¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    ¡°Only...¡±


    ¡°Only?¡±


    ¡°I want you to promise not to take away any trading rights that I gain in the future.¡±


    If he was forced to lose it, then he would give it to Grid. Instead, there should be a promise for his future. Grid thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s write up a contract.¡±


    In fact, Grid hadn¡¯t known that Kir would listen to his demands. He had expected to spend a great deal of time and money in order to steal the merchant¡¯smerce rights which were bound in the form of a ¡®contract.¡¯Yet Kir was willing to give it all at once.Moreover, it was also good for Grid to guarantee Kir¡¯s future.


    ¡®If he loses everything and has to start again from the beginning, he won¡¯t grow fast enough to threaten the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    Grid removed his sword and turned his gaze to the necromancers standing to one side. Grid¡¯s face distorted as he saw them. It was a terrible expression that contained fearsome hatred and killing intent.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you even abandoning putting up resistance now?¡± Grid aimed his sword at a certain man.


    The famous ranker Drew, who was the head of the necromancers, cried out, ¡°...Kill me!¡±


    Grid was flustered. The strong necromancer had retreated and given up resistance. Now, he was even handing over his neck.


    ¡®Do they have some trick in mind?¡¯


    Was it possible that the hundreds of bodies in the ground would explode the moment he approached them? Drew exined to the wary Grid, ¡°The reason we invaded Reinhardt was purely due to Veradin¡¯smand. But Veradin abandoned us. He left Immortal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to shirk responsibility. Moreover, I am one of those who invaded Reinhardt. I¡¯m not asking you to end your revenge now. However, I hope that you will listen to a request today.¡±


    ¡°A request?¡±


    ¡°Chase Veradin and kill him. We can¡¯t stop him with our strength.¡±


    ¡°...Where is he?¡±


    ¡°If you go behind the castle, there will be the entrance to an underground waterway. He is running away using that ce.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Grid answered before cutting Drew¡¯s neck. The necromancers were all nervous when Drew died this time. Grid stared at them. ¡°You were one of the ones who invaded Reinhardt? You will continue to die in the future.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had noticed that Immortal had been abandoned by Agnus. It was the only reason why they had lost their fighting spirit.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t see one peep of him but...¡¯


    Grid used Quick Movements and ran toward the underground waterway.


    ***


    [You have died.]


    Tarot had been hit by Grid¡¯s surprise attack as soon as he used ckening. He had been stabbed by the white light and received death from the passing Grid, reviving far from his resurrection point. There was a poisonous fog that caused nausea and dizziness as well as hotva. Tarot woke up in the middle of hell.


    ¡°How rotten...¡±


    Tarot didn¡¯t panic.Hell wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to him since he had experiencing dying while using ckening during a boss raid. Nevertheless, this didn¡¯t mean it was afortable ce for him.Despite being ssified as a half-demonkin, hell was an unknown ce that caused him to feel fearful.


    [You have failed to send a message to the guild. Hell is disconnected from the human world.]


    [You have failed to send a message to the guild. Hell is disconnected from the human world.]


    [The death penalty has failed to remove ckening.]


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    The duration of Tarot¡¯s ckening was 15 minutes. It was a much better performance than that of Grid who used ckening through Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings. So, what was this?


    ¡®I was hit without noticing!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s appearance from when he cut Tarot without blinking was stuck in Tarot¡¯s brain. Tarot had no idea there was such a difference in skill between Grid and himself.


    ¡®I was a frog in the well.¡¯ Facing reality, Tarot burned with motivation rather than frustration. ¡®The fact that I am still weak means I can be stronger. Grid, it will be different the next time we meet.¡¯


    Tarot was a weed-like man. No matter how he was trampled on, he would jump up again. This process had been repeated hundreds of times, allowing Tarot to reach who he was today.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try hunting demonic beasts within the time limit.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t waste time like this! Tarot knew that he would return once the duration of ckening ended. Therefore, he decided to invest the remaining time in hunting. The odd thing was that there wasn¡¯t a single beast around, as if someone had just swept through this ce...It was vaguely creepy.


    Tarot was walking carefully with his weapon when he saw the back of a man in the distance.It was a man with shaggy hair and shabby attire. Tarot felt a strange sense of difort because he seemed to have seen this back view somewhere before.


    It looked like the back view of Grid which he¡¯d seen when he died.


    ¡®How can that be?¡¯


    Was he crazy? Tarot desperately shook his head. The man in front of Tarot turned and asked him a question, ¡°Question. Human?¡±


    ¡°...?!!¡± Tarot¡¯s heart sank as he confirmed the man¡¯s appearance. ¡°G-Grid...?!¡±


    Had he followed Tarot to hell to kill him? The man¡¯s sword flew toward the astonished Tarot. Tarot couldn¡¯t respond to the speed nor could he endure the power.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    [You have died.]


    [You have died two times within 24 hours and have been forcefully logged out.]


    Stabbed several times, Tarot had died in the blink of an eye. He had died twice to Grid! Tarot swore that even if there was a de at his throat or if he was given a bunch of money, he would never be hostile to Grid again! On this day...


    [Title: Meeting with Grid]


    Author: Hokquah


    Contents: If you mess with Grid, he will follow you to hell and kill you. This isn¡¯t a metaphor, it is real;;;


    A post on one of the famous Satisfy forums became a hot topic.


    Thements below were full of sarcasm.


    -Who doesn¡¯t know this?Think about what happened to Immortal.Hell is natural for Grid¡¯s personality. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he chased someone up to heaven.


    -Why would you want to taste hell by going against God Grid?


    -Are you a Penan resident?Are you air of crazy people?


    -I think Penan is really weird.Grid went there for sightseeing only to suddenly be attacked.


    -Author¡¯s Comment: No, I mean he literally chased me to hell.And how is Penan crazy?That bastard invaded first.


    -Yes, you really are a crazy guy.


    -Author¡¯s Comment: (Reports have been received and thement is hidden).

 Chapter 845

    ¡®Should I have killed all of them?¡¯


    Veradin, Drew, Tageo, Dail, Eisto, King Dragon, and so on¡ªthis was the list of Immortal members who had invaded Reinhardt and killed the cksmiths and soldiers. Of course, the necromancers who offered their necks to Grid a little while ago were included.


    Yet Grid hadn¡¯t killed all of them. He felt reluctant to take away their lives when they hadpletely lost their fighting spirits and possessed a strong sense of regret over the past. They were different from Kir. Kir was a threat to Grid while Immortal was fragile after being abandoned by Agnus.Still, he hadn¡¯t been able to let Drew pass since he was a representative...


    ¡°...Tsk, I should¡¯ve killed all of them.¡±


    Grid felt sorry toward Khan, who left first, and resented himself for being weakened by unnecessary sympathy. A strong killing intent filled Grid¡¯s eyes as he rebuked himself. This killing intent was only directed toward one person.


    ¡®Veradin!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s steps became faster as he headed to the underground waterway.


    ***


    ¡°Wasting time struggling... Don¡¯t you know that this is a loss for both of us? Don¡¯t you have any of your own thoughts? This is why I don¡¯t want to hang out with lowly people.¡± Veradin looked down at Bullet like he was a bug. He felt disgusted.


    The eyes of the wounded Bullet shook as he asked, ¡°The Veradin who struggled with the empire¡¯s quest to massacre the immigrants, the Veradin who cared for his colleagues, the Veradin who was loyal to Agnus... Where has he gone?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t exist from the beginning.¡± It had all just been a fake act. Veradin had yed the ideal human in order to gain the trust of others and attain easy ess to observe them.


    ¡°...¡± Bullet sighed. He tried to hide his emotions but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Veradin witnessed Bullet¡¯s eyes twitching and scoffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you once say that I felt like an old friend? I led you to feel that way. I needed your reputation to attract talent in the early days of Immortal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, that was the past you. If you still think of me as a friend, don¡¯t grab my ankle. Don¡¯t use my name to live alone in the empress¡¯ pce. By the way, since when did you start to doubt me?¡±


    ¡°...Since Agnus stopped acknowledging you and you started to givemands arbitrarily.¡±


    ¡°I see. I was careless.¡± Veradin nced over at his poison master death knight and raised his dagger. He had wounds on his body from struggling with Bullet¡¯s death knight, but there wasn¡¯t arge impact on his movements. Bullet was forced to feel the gap between first and second ce.


    ¡®There is such arge gap in the rankings...¡¯ It was crazy when thinking about how many times Grid had challenged the strongest people in the world. ¡®If Agnus was still on our side...¡¯


    Bullet remembered the first day he met Agnus. Agnus had been so strong and cool. Back then, he led an undead army and seemed to shout ¡®this is a true necromancer¡¯, causing everyone to feel thrilled. When Bullet joined Immortal, he trusted Veradin, who spoke for Agnus.


    s, reality was like a gutter. To Agnus, Immortal was nothing.Veradin, the spokesman for Agnus, had just been using them as scapegoats.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Tears filled Bullet¡¯s eyes as his expression distorted. Bullet had wanted to be friends with people who gathered for the same purpose. He wanted them to move forward together and enjoy this wonderful world. Was this wish such a big mistake?


    His heart was screaming when he heard Veradin¡¯s voice in his ears. ¡°You should¡¯ve been more vicious. Keep this darkness in your heart. Then I would¡¯ve been the one lying on the floor right now, not you.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, boring person with a pure enthusiasm.¡±


    The poisonous dagger stabbed Bullet¡¯s chest. This was a blow that tore Bullet¡¯s heart apart.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Bullet received great damage and was poisoned. Darkness sprouted in his heart.It was anger toward his past self for chasing a vain dream. Agnus who didn¡¯t ept his admiration... Bullet didn¡¯t hate him. After all, Agnus didn¡¯t have an obligation to look after others.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun.¡± Veradin read the expression in Bullet¡¯s eyes and clicked his tongue. Bullety with his face against the cold floor and waited for his death.


    [You will receive 4,300 poison damage.]


    [Your potion cooldown time hasn¡¯t returned.]


    [The antidote isn¡¯t working.]


    [You will receive 4,300 poison...]


    His field of view blinked red. Then his health gauge reached the bottom, and his motivation disappeared. Bullet had be an empty shell when he heard something.


    ¡°I saw it well.¡± It was an unfamiliar voice. The voice contained a strong will like Agnus¡¯. However, it was gentler than Agnus.


    ¡°Gri...d...¡±


    ¡°If you have any interest in jiangshi, please contact me. Talented people are always wee,¡±Grid said as he passed by the dying Bullet. Grid¡¯s liking for Bullet didn¡¯t mean he would spare Bullet. After all, Bullet was still part of Immortal. Still, Grid just gave him a chance. A gray pir rose behind Grid as he entered the underground waterway.


    ***


    ¡°Pant... Pant...!¡± Veradin panted as he ran through the underground waterway.The arrogance and ease he¡¯d had while mocking Bullet hadpletely disappeared. It was because Veradin had clearly seen Grid watching silently as Veradin dealt the finishing blow to Bullet.


    ¡®Terrible jerk!¡¯


    To think that Grid just stood there and watched? Was he so confident that he could catch Veradin at any time?


    ¡°I will make him regret giving me all that time!¡±


    In fact, Veradin had been watching Penan for a long time.


    [The Cave King]


    It was presumed that the strong man with this title was sleeping in the Penan underground waterway. Veradin had been extremely happy when he received Merchant King Kir¡¯s call and thought this was destiny.


    That¡¯s right. Secrecy wasn¡¯t the only reason why Veradin used the underground waterway as an escape route. He also wanted to obtain the body of the Cave King.


    It had been shown that the poison master didn¡¯t have any effect on Grid in battle, so Veradin would now discard the poison master. He aimed to secure the required dominance points by abandoning the poison master and then turning the body of the Cave King into his death knight.


    ¡®Is it here?¡¯


    Grid would soon chase him down. He had to hurry before Grid arrived. The nervous Veradin started searching through the underground waterway, not caring about how his body was being covered in dirt.


    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡±


    Veradin seeded in finding an old and rusted iron coffin.


    The Cave King¡ªhe was a viin from hundreds of years ago, who built a secret city under the Gauss Kingdom in an effort to conquer the Gauss Kingdom.Now, he would be resurrected in this world with infinite stamina and the force to stir the earth.


    Veradin smiled with satisfaction as he opened the coffin and shouted, ¡°Give up control of Death Knight Kyleo!¡±


    The necromancer¡¯s exclusive inventory, Corpse Storage, was opened. Then Veradin pulled out the white bones of the poison master and filled it with the bones of the Cave King.


    ¡°I, Veradin, will dominate the Cave King! Cave King! Be my trusty death knight!¡±


    [This is a legendary rated body.]


    [Due to theck of dominance stats, you have failed to make the Cave King your death knight.]


    [The title ¡®Possessed by the Deceased¡¯ has allowed you to ovee the limitations of the dominance stat.]


    [You have seeded in making the Cave King a death knight.]


    [The title, ¡®Under the King...¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Death Knight]


    [Name: Cave King


    Level: 361


    * The master¡¯s level is too low. The level and stats of the Cave King are in a weakened state.


    Strength: 4,100 (¨‹) Stamina: 4,100 (¨‹)


    Agility: 540 (¨‹) Intelligence: 190 (¨‹)


    -Skills Possessed-


    Plunder (A-), Cave in Sword (A+), Lead to Hell (S)...


    ....


    ...]


    ¡°Hat...! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    It was more than Veradin had expected. The Cave King was stronger than any death knight Veradin had obtained in the past, including the poison master. He had high stats, and all his skills were grade A and above... Wasn¡¯t this equivalent to one of Agnus¡¯ death knights?


    Veradin burst outughing once he seeded in gaining the Cave King.The fear he felt toward Grid disappeared.


    He didn¡¯t blink as he faced Grid who finally caught up with him. ¡°Every time I see you, I am reminded of a theory. Don¡¯t you have any shame? You have inflicted countless damages to others and at this moment, you are giving birth to new victims. So why? Why are you so obsessed with the damage that you once suffered?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was meaningless if the listener didn¡¯t understand the words.


    Veradin said to Grid, ¡°Your hatred and revenge toward Immortal. It is going overboard. Is Immortal invading Reinhardt that big a sin? Haven¡¯t you invaded many ces? You even destroyed an existing kingdom. You are living well, yet you won¡¯t tolerate the aggression of other people? You won¡¯t forgive me? You are being dominated by the memories of the past. Your mentality of not wanting to return to your weak past is so strong that you react sensitively to your territories being invaded. You really aren¡¯t fit to be at the top.¡±


    This was the reason why.


    ¡°Today I will punish you. I will drag you down from above. To a person whose consciousness is already damaged, I will be disgusting and evil to you forever.¡± Veradin finished speaking and moved his fingers, causing the death knight to act. The Cave King¡¯s red eyes glowed, and a purple light surrounded his body as he roared.


    Grid triggered Item Combination, and the Enlightenment Sword and Belial¡¯s Staff became one. Mana was used as the Cave King fired rocks at Grid. Simultaneously, Grid swung his sword as a shield was created around him. As Grid¡¯s shields continued to be generated, the Cave King¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t have an effect.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    What was this infinite shield? How many abilities did Grid have that went againstmon sense?


    ¡°With this, how many times have I killed you? I forgot so let¡¯s call this the first time,¡± Grid whispered to Veradin, who was astonished at the sight of the Cave King copsing.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡±


    ¡°Keook!¡±


    [You have suffered serious damage!]


    [It is catastrophic damage...!]


    ....


    ...


    [You have died.]


    [You have failed to fulfill the conditions of ¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Hwan Kingdom¡¯s Resident (1). The Hwan Kingdom¡¯s Resident (1) quest has been destroyed.]


    [The Hwan Kingdom will no longer give you a chance. You aren¡¯t even permitted to visit.]


    [You have died two times within 24 hours and have been forcefully logged out.]

 Chapter 846

    ¡°Kuk! Kuaaaah! Gridddd!¡±


    Veradin thought it was a dream until he opened his eyes in the capsule. It wasn¡¯t a dream but reality. He had died two times in a row and was forcefully logged out from Satisfy. Additionally, he permanently missed the chance to be a resident of the Hwan Kingdom.


    Veradin raised himself from the capsule and couldn¡¯t help questioning it, ¡®How could he have that much power remaining?¡¯


    Penan had 3,000 troops. Thanks to the power of Merchant King Kir, there had been many rankers and soldiers armed with items, including the necromancers of Immortal. As such, Veradin had predicted that Grid would¡¯ve consumed most of his skills and stamina in order to break through the elite troops and reach him.


    No, the word ¡®predicted¡¯ was too modest. Veradin had been convinced. Grid should have been exhausted before chasing after Veradin. Even if he managed to chase Veradin, Grid shouldn¡¯t have had the stamina to swing his sword once.


    Why?


    It was due to the special nature of the resource called ¡®stamina.¡¯ Stamina was different from ordinary resources such as health and mana. It wasn¡¯t something that could be recovered with artificial methods such as taking a potion. A person had to unconditionally rest in order to recover stamina.


    Logically, it was impossible for him not to be tired, even if Grid¡¯s stamina stat was over 3,000 points.


    ¡®Yet he was fine.¡¯


    How was this possible?


    ¡®Did the Immortal members on the front lines surrender to Grid?¡¯


    Was that why Grid had stamina remaining? It was possible but...


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    Veradin wasn¡¯t convinced by his guesses. He was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t understand what had gone wrong with his calctions. In actuality, Merchant King Kir was to me. When he spoke to Veradin, Kir had ¡®reduced¡¯ the amount of damage he¡¯d suffered in order to maintain his pride. He hadn¡¯t told Veradin that he had lost his unicorn to Grid! So, in the end, Veradin had been forced to make a false guess.


    ¡°...Surely, Grid doesn¡¯t have over 4,000 points in stamina?¡±


    If Grid¡¯s stamina was this high, then his defense also made sense. Then new questions arose. What was the secret behind Grid¡¯s extremely high attack power when most of his points were invested in stamina? How many intelligence points did he have that he could use magic? What was with his agility?


    ¡°...Is it due to him being overgeared after all?¡±


    Veradin¡¯s fist mmed down onto the capsule. However, he couldn¡¯t exert a high strength with his lean body which didn¡¯t have muscles. So, the expensive capsule was fine. Veradin was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness, feeling that he was a small and shabby person. He had always been a victor in reality and in Satisfy, so his consecutive losses to Grid were shocking.


    ¡°Shit! Dammit!¡±


    Veradin had wanted to be a yangban.He wanted to show there was a difference between himself and the two billion yers. Someday, he wanted to put Agnus under his feet and feel an unrivaled sense of superiority.


    ¡°Grid!!¡±


    His grudge toward Grid soared into the sky.


    ¡°...¡±


    However, he wasn¡¯t filled with fighting spirit. How much had Immortal lost because of Grid? Veradin hesitated for a long time. He shouldn¡¯t have touched the nose of a sleeping lion...


    If he had known that the identity of the lion was actually a monster...


    Then Veradin lost his motivation and became filled with frustration and regret. He would¡¯ve been a star that shone for a long time if he hadn¡¯t stepped on a monster.


    ***


    The 3rd ranked merchant, Muto¡ªhe had cooperated with Grid to sell the chandelier to the imperial pce and was on the track of unprecedented sess.


    He hadn¡¯t missed out on themerce rights secured with the support of the Overgeared Kingdom and made a pricing policy that satisfied the consumers rather than being greedy for profit. Now, hundreds and thousands of yers came to the Overgeared Kingdom to visit the Muto Company, which was fully embedded in the kingdom.


    Due to the rapid development ofmerce in the Overgeared Kingdom which had beenckingpared to agriculture, Muto waspeting for the second rank. Muto predicted that he would reach the second rank in the merchant rankings within the next four months.


    The higher the ranking of the merchant, the higher the number of stores that could be held. Therefore, the value of the ranking was very high. The gap between the second and third ranks was great. Muto was overflowing with happiness.


    In the past, he happened to meet Grid on the East Continent and ate the poisonous food of some crazy chef. Muto wanted to praise himself for having gained Grid¡¯s favor even if it meant going against the empire.He was proud of his own acumen for having chosen the person named Grid.


    As such, he was very satisfied with the current situation. Then one day...


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Muto had a strong feeling of anxiety. The 1st ranked merchant Kir, who was praised as the Merchant King, was visiting the Overgeared Kingdom. Muto was chagrined to see Kir sitting with Lauel.


    ¡®Once again...!¡¯


    Many of Muto¡¯s things had been taken from him by Kir.Kir expanded his business by using any means and methods, making him a natural enemy for Muto. Muto believed that Kir was doing some political maneuvering behind the scenes and realized that the position he had built up in the Overgeared Kingdom was about to be taken away.


    ¡®He managed to make a situation like this while his city was being invaded by Grid... He turned a crisis into an opportunity in such unfavorable conditions?¡¯


    Kirughed at Muto who was staring at him with eyes filled with hostility. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m a viin. From my point of view, you are the viin. Now, take this.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±Muto was confused. It was because Kir handed over the ¡®ount bnce¡¯ book.


    ¡®What is this joke?¡¯


    Lauel smiled at the extremely confused Muto. ¡°ept it. This is a book that provides aprehensive view of the Merchant King¡¯s ounts and business status.¡±


    ¡°That... What is this situation?¡±


    Kir was the one who replied sarcastically to Muto¡¯s careful question, ¡°This evil bastard is pretending not to know anything until the end. You don¡¯t know the n that involves taking everything away from me and handing it over to you? Does this make sense?¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    They were taking everything away from Merchant King Kir and giving it to him? Muto¡¯s brain couldn¡¯t keep up with the discussion. Lauel patted his shoulders.¡°It is time for you to take away everything that Kir has built up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Be the new Merchant King. This is an order from King Grid.¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Muto¡¯s face turned red as he finally found out the situation. All sorts of emotions bubbled up in his heart and tears formed in his eyes. ¡°Grid did this for me... He believes in me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of believing. There was no option from Grid¡¯s position. The Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t have a merchant, so Grid could only use Muto. Additionally, Muto had shown to be wonderfully resourceful in this short time and proved why he was third in the merchant rankings.


    Despite this, Lauel remained silent. He thought it would be better to let Muto maintain his thoughts. Muto¡¯s response showed that a new Grid fanatic was born. Lauel was pleased but he clearly distinguished between public and private matters. ¡°Muto, in the future, you will gain an astronomical amount of money using Kir¡¯s rights and themerce of the Overgeared Kingdom. Do you admit it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then give 70% of your profits to Grid.¡±


    70% was a reasonable request. The revenue share between a kingdom and a merchantpany would typically be between 40~60% if it was an exclusive deal. After all, Grid had secured the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯smerce rights as well as Kir¡¯smerce rights for Muto. It was would difficult for him to refuse a profit distribution of 80%, let alone 70%.


    However, Kir thought that Muto would refuse.


    ¡®What is 70%?¡¯


    Kir knew that there were only two merchant yers who could manage hismerce rights among the yer¡ªthe 3rd ranked Muto and the 2nd ranked Cecilia. This meant it was inevitable for Grid to rely on Muto. Muto was aware of this fact, so would he be satisfied with only 30% of the profits? 40% to 60% was more realistic.


    It was as Kir expected.


    ¡°70%...? I don¡¯t like that,¡± Muto declined it firmly.


    ¡®Look at this.¡¯


    Kir tilted his nose upward into the air conceitedly as he was hoping for a rift between Grid and Muto. He didn¡¯t want to see them embracing each other. Lauel sighed. He didn¡¯t show any signs of being upset at all. It was because Lauel had already anticipated Muto¡¯s rejection.


    ¡°I understand. Then we will discuss this a bit more.¡± Lauel thought that 60% was a realistic amount.


    ¡°I will give you 90%.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lauel and Kir were confused by Muto¡¯s shocking remark. Muto smiled brightly. ¡°I will repay Grid¡¯s grace for the rest of my life. In return, I want Grid to defend the Muto Company to the end.¡±


    Muto was certain that Grid wouldn¡¯t end as the king of a small country.


    ¡®Considering Grid¡¯s brute force, cksmithing skills, and unstoppable momentum, as well as the many talents under him...¡¯


    In the future, Grid was likely to be the leader of a great nation that couldpete with the Saharan Empire. Muto believed it would be worth the investment, even if it might only be returned in 10 years. That¡¯s right. This was an investment. Muto dreamed of arger future.


    Kir read his thoughts and found it absurd. ¡°Can¡¯t you read the situation? Grid is an extreme person. He is dangerous. He is always creating new enemies and will one day copse. Yet you are dreaming of a future with him? Muto, this foolishness is why you are currently third,¡± Kir made fun of Muto.


    ¡°Third? Aren¡¯t I first right now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you think I am stupid? Aren¡¯t you the one who lost everything?¡±


    Kir was forced to shut his mouth at Muto¡¯s words.


    After that...


    [Merchant Rankings]


    [1st ce - Muto (Affiliation: Overgeared Guild)]


    The newly updated rankings had arge impact on the world. Kir¡¯s name was nowhere to be found in the rankings, and the one with the title of Merchant King was now Muto. The recognition of him belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom rose sharply, and it was natural to expand the forces of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    ¡°We can¡¯t take it easy right now.¡±


    Something massive was taking ce in the second yer-built kingdom¡ªValha. The famous general, God of War Ares, was leading an army filled with tens of thousands of elite soldiers. His destination was the Ultina Kingdom. Ultina was a small kingdom which was chosen as Valha¡¯s first invasion target.


    ¡®I must also do my best!¡¯


    The yers Oasis, who once overturned the world with the title of Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant, was right beside Ares.


    Simultaneously, deep in the mountains of the Ultina Kingdom.


    ¡°Master¡¯s old friend?¡±


    One yer was facing an NPC called Asmophel. Haster, the yer, was very wary of the sudden visitor. Asmophel was tired from his long journey and exined with a dark expression, ¡°We belonged to the same knights division... Tell him that I am a traitor and he will know.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it is you. I have been waiting for a really long time.¡±


    He was one of the Five Miracles. The hermit Haster, who even Kraugel feared, started to move.

 Chapter 847

    <h4>Chapter 848</h4>


    Underwatch, Rainbow Seven, and Unlimited Battleground¡ªthis was the list of FPS games which had been very popr among gamers all over the world for 7 years and 10 months.In particr, after Unlimited Battleground was released, it had gotten the title of No. 1 FPS game for three years.It led the golden age of e-sports, and the public was enthusiastic about the brilliant and precise control skills of the gamers.


    Among them, the gamer who was the most respected and loved by the public was Haster.Haster was a legend. He was pointed out as the best yer in Underwatch, Rainbow Seven, and Unlimited Battleground. His ultimate control skill was a default. He had the patience to wait minutes in one ce for the enemy and the ability to read the other yers using ¡®sound.¡¯


    The American media hadvished him with praise. They had been enthusiastic that a legendary pro gamer equivalent to Lim X-hwan and FakX was born in the US. The foreign media couldn¡¯t deny it.However, Haster¡¯s reign, which had seemed evesting, ended in vain.


    It was due to the release of Satisfy.Once virtual reality games appeared, people were no longer enthusiastic about existing games. Their focus shifted. Everyone in the world became concentrated solely on Satisfy, and traditional e-sports experienced a downturn.


    Then Haster announced his retirement.His retirement was tantamount to the downfall of the existing game industry. Many people were regretful while the E-sports Association asked Haster to stay and protect the existing game system.Despite that, Haster didn¡¯t withdraw his retirement.


    After all, he too had a new future in Satisfy.


    ***


    ¡°I really waited a long time.¡±


    The Red Knights, the traitor, Asmophel...


    A smile appeared on Haster¡¯s face as he connected the scattered words.How long had it been? It had been two years in real time.


    Haster remembered the days when he first encountered Satisfy. He had a weak body that couldn¡¯t keep up with his brain.There was the item system which couldn¡¯t be ovee by raising his stats and training his body, as well as the inherent limitation of the character tied to the framework of a ss. Inparison to FPS, there were too many external factors in Satisfy which made relying on his innate physical ability difficult.


    Consequently, Haster judged that a hidden ss was necessary to thoroughly train and utilize his natural skills.He didn¡¯t want a strong ss. A low-rated ss could be good too.Haster wanted a ss that could perform all types of roles with variousbat styles, one that would be able to carry out his cognitive thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting?¡± Asmophel was wary when the disciple of his old friend weed him. He felt something ominous.This was the disciple of a friend whom Asmophel had betrayed and made to live a hellish life as a result.Why was this disciple waiting for him?


    ¡°Is it to seek revenge for your teacher?¡±If it were Asmophel from the past, he would¡¯ve epted the revenge. In fact, he would ask to be killed.However, he couldn¡¯t do that now.Asmophel served a king and received his king¡¯smand. He couldn¡¯t die until his king¡¯s reign was over.


    Haster asked the bitter-looking Asmophel, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Master¡¯s nickname the Wise Red Sage?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Do you think my master didn¡¯t notice the ck curtain behind your betrayal?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Flinch.The astonished Asmophel stiffened like a stone statue, and he started to tremble.¡°Winfred knows the truth... I see...¡±


    Tears of joy and regret filled Asmophel¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    Haster suddenly pulled out a small Korean horn bow[1]</a>and fired an arrow at Asmophel.Asmophel responded by avoiding it while Haster pulled out a long sword and approached.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Didn¡¯t he say that Winfred knew the truth? Moreover, revenge wasn¡¯t mentioned. So, why was this person attacking?Asmophel¡¯s confused eyes shook like a fire before a gust of wind.Meanwhile, Haster¡¯s eyes were as calm as a deepke. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get revenge. I just want to check.¡±


    ¡°Check what?¡±


    ¡°If it is time.¡±


    ¡°Time?¡±


    ¡°Time to revive the king¡¯s name.¡±


    ...Haster.Was it time for the name of the king who once enthralled gamers all over the world to appear again on the stage called Satisfy?Haster needed confirmation. He didn¡¯t want to lose his past honor by appearing on stage too early, nor could he determine his strength by challenging existing powerhouses such as Kraugel and Grid.


    Still, Haster wanted to fight.


    [Descendant of the Red Knights]


    [Difficulty: ss quest.


    Rating: SS


    You have been given the skills and knowledge of the previous First Knight of the Red Knights, Red Sage Winfred, but it is questionable if you are qualified to be Winfred¡¯s disciple.


    Duel with the old Red Knights and prove your credentials.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Duel with an old Red Knights member and win.


    * The locations of the old Red Knights can be seen through hints left by Winfred before his death.


    Quest Clear Reward: Unlock all the skills of the unique ss ¡®Red Sage.¡¯]


    ¡°The king¡¯s name? I don¡¯t know what you mean!¡± mes appeared at the end of Asmophel¡¯s sword as he blocked the sword aiming for his waist.Nevertheless, Haster didn¡¯t panic. He used Ice Dance, which he had learned from Winfred, to create a curtain of ice and block the heat.Steam rose from the ice curtain that melted instantly. The tip of a spear shot through the steam toward Asmophel¡¯s abdomen. Asmophel barely avoided the attack, and both he and Haster were astonished.


    ¡®Using magic, a spear, and a sword at the same time? This is the seconding of Winfred...!¡¯


    ¡®He avoided abo that even Kraugel couldn¡¯t respond to?¡¯


    As Haster recovered his spear, Asmophel¡¯s sword passed by his face. Haster gave up on the spear and his counterattack as he spun to minimize the damage.The attack wasn¡¯t visible to his eyes, but Haster heard it with his ears. Asmophel was showing off a dazzling swordsmanship.


    Haster stepped back hastily.


    ¡°...!¡± Asmophel¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°That isn¡¯t Winfred¡¯s technique...?¡±


    ¡°This is a technique I built myself.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Asmophel¡¯s expression darkened.Was it because he had no chance of winning against the bearded man before him?No. Asmophel acknowledged the enemy¡¯s skills, but it didn¡¯t mean he had no chance.Asmophel was worried about something else.¡®He didn¡¯t show up even in this turmoil...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t sense any signs of life from the small cabin behind Haster.At first, Asmophel had thought Winfred was just hiding, but he didn¡¯t think so anymore.Asmophel barely suppressed his emotions as he carefully questioned Haster, ¡°Is Winfred away?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Master passed awayst year. He lost his friends and family to the empire and was chased... The past few years exhausted his mind and body.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    It was because of Asmophel. He had betrayed everyone!Asmophel felt deeply guilty and bowed his head. He was now filled with a new anxiety.Winfred had boasted a stronger mentality than Asmophel and Piaro, yet he hadn¡¯t been able to bear the terrible reality and left first.Were his other colleagues safe and sound? Maybe it was already toote...


    ¡°Sob!¡± Asmophel failed to hold back his tears.Haster faced him with gritted teeth and couldn¡¯t move easily.


    ¡®This is embarrassing.¡¯


    Was it because he had lived with his teacher for the past few years...? Haster was no longer able to sense the difference between NPCs and humans.Therefore, Asmophel¡¯s pained emotions were transferred to Haster.


    ¡®How painful is it?¡¯


    Haster had picked the wrong opponent.After all, Asmophel was the former captain of the Red Knights. Haster was happy to have a good opponent to test his skills, but considering his position, Asmophel wasn¡¯t a good opponent.


    ¡®I should wait a bit.¡¯


    Haster apologized to his memory of Winfred and lowered the weapon he had aimed at Asmophel.


    ¡°....!!¡±


    Then suddenly, the ground shook.In the distance, ck smoke rose from the direction of thecapital.


    ¡°War?¡±


    No, how could this be? Moreover, why was it at this critical timing?Haster frowned as he heard a rustle in his ears.The sounds wereing from a small vige in the foothills of the mountains.


    ¡°Sp... are...! Me...!¡±


    ¡°No...!¡±


    ¡°Resist...! You will...! Die...!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    The conversation wasn¡¯t heard clearly, but the terrible screams were surely conveyed.


    The faces of the vigers passed through Haster¡¯s mind one by one. The woodcutter who often brought wood in winter, the clothing store auntie who cared for him and packed thick leather clothes for him, the little kids who greeted him every time their eyes met, the shy daughter of the innkeeper...


    The NPCs were all chunks of graphics.However...


    ¡°Shit!¡± Haster couldn¡¯t stay still because the warmth he¡¯d felt from the people of the vige was real.Eventually, Haster left Asmophel and descended to the bottom of the mountain.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    A huge castle was depicted on the g of the army plundering the vige. It was the g which symbolized the second yer-built kingdom, Valha.Suddenly, Haster could no longer descend the mountain.


    There had been a period of two years before he met his master and another two years after he met his master. It was clear why Haster had lived quietly for four years. He wanted to show the world that the old king of the fallen game system had resurrected in a new game.


    This was a simple matter of honor, but it was also a surprise for the many fans who loved and cared for him, and who were perhaps still waiting for him.Was he going to reveal his existence for the sake of a few NPCs? It would be denying the efforts of his past four years.


    ¡°Why is it Valha?¡±


    Haster would be noticed by yers, and they might even recognize him.While Haster hesitated, Asmophel approached him and handed over a worn helmet. It was a military helmet with a rod drawn on it.Asmophel was wearing another helmet with two rods drawn on it.Why was Asmophel handing him a military helmet?


    ¡°Ah!¡± Haster blinked as he btedly realized that Asmophel¡¯s name and face were obscured by the helmet.This was an act of consideration for Haster.


    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful.¡± Haster bowed deeply before equipping the military helmet.Then he appeared in the world after a long time...


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a soldier.¡±


    ¡°...M-Me too.¡±


    Only one of them was actually a soldier.


    Oasis, who had been leading the Valha soldiers to pige the vige and secure food, frowned at the sight.

 Chapter 848

    The Three-Eyed Valley¡ªit was the best hunting ground after the Boundary Forest (World Tree¡¯s Forest) which Kraugel had rmended to Grid. Kraugel had been fighting the three-eyed giants inside it for a few months and finally achieved his goal.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Congrattions! You have reached level 300 and achieved the third stats awakening!]


    [For every point of stamina, health will increase by 25 and defense will increase by 0.9.]


    [For every point of strength, health will increase by 7 and attack will increase by 0.6.]


    [For every point of intelligence...]


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    He felt strength boiling inside him. It was a sensation that waspletely different from a while ago. This was an aplishment that he achieved for the second time, so Kraugel closed his eyes with a calm expression.


    ¡°...¡±


    The past was drawn out in his mind. In order to get one of the three passive attack skills, Quick Command, Kraugel had been on a quest involving the seven malignant saints and had visited the deep mountain where the Red Sage was located. Then he¡¯d met an unexpected person in front of the small cabin. It had been Haster, the protagonist of old.


    Kraugel hadn¡¯t listened to Haster¡¯s advice, that the Red Sage was sick and weary, and hadn¡¯t retreated. Instead, he had insisted on meeting with the Red Sage and confronted Haster with his sword. The result was devastating. Yes, Kraugel was defeated during the days when he was still called the sky above the sky.Back then, Kraugel had be a Sword Saint and just passed level 200. He hadn¡¯t been able to defeat Haster.


    Haster¡¯s battle style was unique and creative as he used all sorts of weapons and could summon an ice curtain. His unpredictability and speed had disrupted Kraugel¡¯s innate insight and super sensitivity several times. On the other hand, Kraugel¡¯s erratic nature hadn¡¯t worked with Haster, who relied on ¡®sound¡¯ to read the direction of attack and respond immediately. It allowed Kraugel to understand why Haster had been called the king of the gaming world in the past.


    ¡®Now?¡¯


    Kraugel wanted to confirm it. Now that he had reached level 300 and achieved his third stats awakening, could he fight against Haster?


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel closed his eyes and the cabin deep in the mountains appeared in his mind. Haster was blocking his way. Kraugel fought him and was once again defeated.


    ¡°...He is the peak of the old gaming age.¡±


    Haster was confronting the peak of the new age in order to win back his legacy, but could he steal the title from Grid who had already taken it? Kraugel closed his eyes again, and this time Grid appeared. The strugglested a long time until he opened his eyes again.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get used to defeat.¡¯


    Haster, Grid, and likely Agnus as well¡ªthey were the three people he couldn¡¯t ovee at present. Despite that, Kraugel¡¯s heart was filled with motivation instead of frustration.


    ***


    ¡°Tie up all those who resist! Don¡¯t threaten them and don¡¯t kill them! Remember that your opponents are civilians who can¡¯t harm us.¡±


    Oasis¡¯ unit entered a small vige at the foothills. It was a vige but it was no different from a hamlet. Oasis frowned. All the vigers seemed hungry because of the cold season. In fact, there was almost no food in the vige storehouse. There were only small amounts of dried meat and boiled animal skins.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    With the help of the Overgeared Kingdom, Valha had prevented an invasion from the empire and had raised its military strength for a year.In spite of this, it was inevitable that they would have to face the empire¡¯s invasion again, making Valha greatly poor. It was impossible for the internal economy to maintain at this level.


    ¡®We have to conquer other countries to live.¡¯


    The Ultina Kingdom bordering the Valha Kingdom was a potential threat. If Ultina joined with the empire for the invasion, Valha would have to fight in istion. The purpose of Valha¡¯s conquest war was to absorb Ultina¡¯s economy while eliminating a rear threat.


    Still, was it necessary to plunder them in the process? Even a small vige like this? Should they incite the hatred of the people when they were nning to devour the whole kingdom? Oasis had doubts but it was answered by the power of Ares¡¯ Plundering skill.


    [The Oasis Squad has seeded in looting the food of Ren Vige!]


    [The effect of ¡®War King¡¯s Generosity has been activated!]


    [War King Ares has made a proposal to the inhabitants of the vige that has been looted! The residents of the vige will be able to find more food than what was stolen! The inhabitants of the looted vige had a deep respect for King Ares!]


    [The morale of the Oasis Squad has risen sharply! All stats will increase by 5% while the morale is maintained. Stamina consumption will slow by 50%. The ¡®Courage¡¯ effect will be obtained. The squad won¡¯t shrink back even when meeting a strong enemy.]


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡± Oasis and the soldiers cheered with excitement. The power of Ares¡¯ growth type hidden ss ¡®War King¡¯, which was currently at the unique rating, was the most special and unique amongst all the sses. Oasis had a deep faith in Ares. He had seen and learn many things under Ares and believed that Ares would help him be the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®I will also be a protagonist like Ares and Grid...¡¯


    One year¡ªno, five years... No, it would be good even after ten years. Oasis was confident that his days of glory woulde one day. He boasted a perseverance and determination that was beyond the ordinary.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Oasis was directing the soldiers carrying food when two men suddenly appeared. The two men had their faces and names obscured by military helmets. At first, Oasis thought they were neighborhood youths, but their outfits were unusual. The sets of armor they wore underneath the cloaks were luxurious and excellent.


    The mysterious men answered:


    ¡°I am a soldier.¡±


    ¡°....? M-Me too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How were they soldiers?One was wearing shabby leather armor while the other was dressed like a mountain hunter.


    Oasis frowned and sent a signal to his soldiers, who surrounded the two men. ¡°You are a wandering knight passing by who has paired up with a vige youth who burns with a sense of justice. Valha¡¯s troops aren¡¯t something that small fries like you can deal with. I will let you keep your swords if you leave right now.¡±


    Currently, Oasis was one of the faces of Valha. There was a need for him to act dignified so that the Valha army wouldn¡¯t be despised by others.


    ¡°Acting strong while robbing a small vige? Your Valha is aplete group of thugs!¡± One of the men shouted at Oasis who was warning them. It was the man in leather armor.


    ¡°Thugs? Take that back.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be true based on your reaction?¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Then Oasis gave a signal. To think the great Valha that Ares founded was beingpared to thugs? The furious soldiers simultaneously attacked the two men. After their morale boost, the attacks of the soldiers were threatening. These soldiers who trained under Ares were as firm as rocks, and it was hard to find a gap in their defenses. Moreover, their spears were sharp.


    ¡°Hoh.¡± Asmophel was impressed.He didn¡¯t know that ¡®real¡¯ soldiers could be trained to this level. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t panic. After all, Asmophel nurtured the Overgeared soldiers who were armed with items, so he saw Valha¡¯s soldiers as below the Overgeared soldiers.


    Asmophel avoided five spears which came at him from different orbits, and he caught one of them by hand. As Asmophel swung the spear he now held, the soldier on the other end flew and broke his allies¡¯ formation. Meanwhile, Haster blocked the attacks with a curtain of ice, firing magic like bullets through the cracking ice curtain. The soldiers had their armor pierced by the ice bullets and copsed with loud screams, ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    Oasis felt astonished as the soldiers¡¯ formation broke in the blink of an eye.


    ¡®Where did these talented peoplee from?¡¯


    Was it because the soldiers were rtively weak, highlighting the skills of the two men? The mysterious men masquerading as soldiers were reminiscent of Grid. Originally, Oasis would¡¯ve run away once he sensed how strong these people were. However, Oasis was now part of Valha, so he couldn¡¯t just leave the soldiers and retreat. Additionally, he had lost his fear because of the ¡®Courage¡¯ effect.


    ¡°You!¡± Oasis pulled out a sword and rushed toward Haster. Thanks to his ¡®Charge¡¯ skill, Oasis¡¯ speed was very fast and his momentum was fierce. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Haster. He fired his horn bow and shot the front leg of the approaching horse.


    ¡°What?¡± Oasis¡¯ vision spun. Then Haster¡¯s sword aimed at Oasis as he fell.


    The Undefeated King¡¯s sheath scoffed, -You aren¡¯t a threat to anyone now.You aren¡¯t qualified to handle my great power.I think the rtionship between you and I will end here today.


    ¡°That...¡± Oasis gritted his teeth and twisted his waist. Did he want to take evasive action while falling in the air? It was a control that the usual Oasis would¡¯ve never been able to achieve with his concentration and physical ability.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Oasis avoided Haster¡¯s attack in a breathtaking manner. He rolled across the ground and jumped back up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose anymore!¡±


    Oasis wanted to be the main character. He wanted to let everyone know that ordinary people like him could alsoe up to the big stage. The expression on Oasis¡¯ face wasn¡¯t ordinary as he raised his sword. Unfortunately, his opponent was too strong. No, his natural talent was bad. The level of skills he built up wasn¡¯t enough. The world wasn¡¯t that easy. Not everyone could be a protagonist.


    [You have suffered serious damage!]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Oasis!¡±


    A notification window popped up as he heard the screams of the soldiers. The pain camete.


    ¡°...?¡± Oasis¡¯ eyes trembled as he couldn¡¯t understand the present situation. What was this spear through his abdomen? When did this happen and who did it? Oasis slowly turned his head and saw a soldier in a military helmet. It was Haster. Haster had moved behind Oasis and stabbed him. He pulled out a sword and stabbed Oasis again without removing the spear, causing Oasis¡¯ body to slowly turn to gray.


    [You have died.]


    [This is considered a defeat.]


    [You have lost your qualification to be the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.]


    [The voice of the Undefeated King can vaguely be heard.]


    -I like your heart.


    [The hidden ss quest ¡®Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant¡¯ has changed to the ¡®100,000 Army Swordsmanship¡¯ skill acquisition quest.]


    -A loser also has his own oath.Shall we try a bit more?


    The conditions for acquiring a legendary ss were very tricky. It wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained by deliberately targeting it. Still, the S.A Group wasn¡¯t unreasonable enough to make the opportunity disappear after a single failure. There were new opportunities. No, in fact, Oasis received a more realistic opportunity as he died.


    Meanwhile, Haster faced Asmophel.¡°I am thankful for your help. Aren¡¯t you looking for the old generation of Red Knights? I will help you.¡±


    There were loud roars from the distant capital. Valha¡¯s conquest war was in full swing.


    Simultaneously, in the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡°I want to learn how to make jiangshi.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to learn?¡±


    ¡°I want to be qualified to be next to the benefactor who gave me a new opportunity. I... I want a friend. I am tired of the rtionship where you only use each other.¡±


    ¡°You did well toe,¡± Grid greeted a wee guest.

 Chapter 849

    Asmophel and Haster didn¡¯t bother following the fleeing soldiers. The inhabitants of the vige were safe now, and it was unlikely that the soldiers would return to retaliate.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to help me? Can you leave here? Weren¡¯t you protecting the cabin for a reason?¡± Asmophel asked Haster, who had taken off the military helmet and returned it.


    There was obviously a reason. Some of the skills that he learned from Master Winfred involved raising the level through ¡®meditation.¡¯ Additionally, Winfred had left a will saying that a person of distinction would visit here. Therefore, Haster had protected the cabin while waiting.


    Now, it was time to leave. Haster¡¯s skill level was high enough, and his teacher¡¯s will seemed to be referring to Asmophel.


    ¡°I will leave now.¡±Haster would say goodbye to the ce that contained memories of his teacher. Then a notification window appeared before Haster, causing him to smile.


    [Affinity with Asmophel has increased by 10.]


    Asmophel dly weed Haster. ¡°It is reassuring to be with Winfred¡¯s disciple. I believe that we will help each other on the journey.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±As he replied, a transparent orange shield was formed around Haster.


    [All resources have been restored by the effect of the passive skill ¡®Heroic Story.¡¯ For one minute, your defense will increase in proportion to the amount of resources used within the past two minutes. In addition, a shield that negates all types of skills and magic damage will be maintained for 10 seconds.]


    ***


    [Jiangshi Recipe]


    [Category: Skill Book (Unique)


    -An old booklet containing the recipe for a steel jiangshi.


    Conditions of Use: Daoist, Necromancer.]


    Skills were mostly divided into two categories. They could be learned either through ss-specific skills when their level went up or through acquiring them from hidden quests or skill books.


    Of course, the value of thetter was higher. Unlike a ss skill that could be acquired by raising the level, the skills acquired from quests and skill books were scarce. In particr, the higher the rating of the skill, the greater the versatility and power, as well as their astronomical value.


    What about a unique-rated skill book?If it were ced on the auction site right now, the auction price would likely reach billions of won. The more assets the rankers umted, the greater the demand for items would be. Meanwhile, the supply remained unchanged. This meant the value of a Satisfy item was now several times higher than it was a few years ago.


    ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± The 2nd ranked necromancer, Bullet, had been ignored by Agnus and then left the decaying Immortal after being used by Veradin. Now he was stunned. He hadn¡¯t known that the jangshi making method Grid talked about was a skill. Of course, he assumed it would be an item. He¡¯d thought that a jiangshi-type monster would be summoned when certain items were used.


    In fact, he hadn¡¯t thought about it too deeply. Bullet hade to find Grid because of the expectations Grid had held in his gaze when he looked at Bullet, not because of his iprehensible words about jiangshi production.


    ¡°Why me?¡± Bullet asked again while staring nkly. He was wary that this skill book would be poison. ¡°It is pointless if you want me to tell you information about Agnus in exchange for this. I don¡¯t know anything about him. Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t say it. I don¡¯t want to mess with him. I¡¯m sorry,¡±Bullet bowed deeply and apologized.


    It was an apology for disappointing Grid, who had expectations toward Bullet despite them being enemies.


    ¡®I am once again missing out on a bond.¡¯Bullet¡¯s expression was bitter as he looked down at the ground. He believed that Grid would be angry. After all, from Grid¡¯s point of view, Bullet was protecting Agnus, who was an enemy.


    However, Grid¡¯s response was unexpected.¡°Why are you making a fuss on your own? Who wants something like that?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I want you to be my colleague. This skill book is simply a bribe.¡±


    Grid definitely knew that he was strong. He also trusted the Overgeared members, who were prominent in all areas. Still, this didn¡¯t mean that he felt no anxiety. His obsession with Kir wasn¡¯t due to being fearful of a future enemy. Rather, it was because Grid predicted that the Overgeared Kingdom, which was developing uniquely, would soon be isted, so he wanted more strength. Since there was a limit of the strength of an individual, his desire to recruit talented people naturally increased, and Bullet was a good candidate to fulfill Grid¡¯s wishes.


    Moreover, how long would Grid leave the unique-rated skill book that he¡¯d received in the East Continent to rot away? He needed a good necromancer in the Overgeared Kingdom. However, most necromancer rankers belonged to Immortal, so he hadn¡¯t been able to find any talent. The 2nd ranked Bullet was a treasure that Grid had fortunately stumbled across.


    ¡°I already heard the story of Immortal and Veradin. Agnus never showed up while Immortal was being smashed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had identally seen Bullet screaming at Veradin and knew the ideal that Bullet pursued was a fit for the Overgeared Kingdom. It was why he was certain about this.


    ¡°Join the Overgeared Guild. We need you. I need you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shake as he stared at Bullet. It was different from those who tried to rely on Bullet¡¯s strength and also from those who tried to exploit it. Grid was confident enough to make Bullet feel he was trustworthy. To think that there was such a firm belief despite them once being enemies... Bullet¡¯s heart thumped. He felt a type of respect for Grid that was different from what he felt for Agnus. ¡°Thank you. In the future, the Overgeared Guild... No, Grid, I will repay your faith.¡±


    Nevertheless, there was something Bullet had to make clear before that. ¡°I will purchase the skill book at a reasonable price. It is too big a burden if I just receive this from you.¡±


    He had seen more than one or two rtionships destroyed because of money and didn¡¯t want to leave room for this at the very beginning. This decision was made based on Bullet¡¯s previous experience. However, Grid refused to ept it. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to? This is a skill book that I obtained from the East Continent.¡±


    It was an item he had obtained after defeating the chief of the Lava Prison, thergest prison of the Cho Kingdom. The skill book was a rare item which couldn¡¯t be obtained twice.


    ¡°Do you think you can put a value on this skill book?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then what was Bullet supposed to do?Confused, he just stayed silent. Meanwhile, Grid showed a wicked smile. ¡°I¡¯ll mortgage your life with this. You can never leave my side in the future.¡±


    ¡°What if I eat the skill book and run away?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already seen the result of the kill order? I will follow you to the ends of hell.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Should he pull out now? Bullet thought about it seriously, but he couldn¡¯t ovee the temptation. His wish of a ¡®precious bond¡¯ caused him to feel a deep attraction to Grid¡¯s offer.


    [Necromancer ¡®Bullet¡¯ has joined Overgeared Guild One!]


    ***


    [The ¡¯Jiangshi Recipe¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The skill Jiangshi Production has been opened.]


    [The skill Coffin Production has been opened.


    [The skill Jiangshi Control has been opened.]


    [Jiangshi Production Lv. 1]


    [You can turn a human body into a jiangshi. It can¡¯t be produced from the body of another species, monster or animal.


    If the level of the body is higher than the creator¡¯s level, the jiangshi can¡¯t be made.


    The starting level of the steel jiangshi is 100 and the maximum level is 100 levels lower than the creator.


    * The higher the skill level, the higher the variety of the jiangshi that can be created.


    Skill Mana Consumption: 100% maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    [Coffin Production]


    [It is possible to produce coffins for the purpose of storing the jiangshi.


    A coffin is required to control the jiangshi.


    One coffin is consumed per jiangshi.


    Resources Consumed: 1,000 mana.


    Skill Ingredients Consumption: 12 spikes, 3 birch trees.


    Coffin Production Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.]


    [Jiangshi Control Lv. 1]


    [Passive.


    You can have a maximum of two jiangshis.


    Once taken out of the coffin, the jiangshi can be active for up to three hours. After three hours, it should rest for three hours in the coffin. After death, the jiangshi needs to rest for 12 hours in the coffin.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this unbelievable?¡¯ Once Bullet saw the information of the newly learned skills and understood the concept of a jiangshi, he couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised. ¡®Won¡¯t it grow to be recognized as a unique presence like the death knights?¡¯


    There was a disadvantage in the fact that the level of the jiangshi was limited, but this was likely to be ovee once the level of Jiangshi Production increased. In other words, the jiangshi was ssified as a top-grade undead.


    ¡°This is a great undead...¡±


    ¡°I told you. It was obtained from the East Continent.¡±


    Grid remembered the strength of the ck horse jiangshi that had been the head of the Lava Prison. It was a monster that ordinary yers couldn¡¯t afford to go against. If Bullet had several ck horse jiangshis...


    ¡°Bullet, please work hard in the future. I will give as much support as you need.¡±


    ¡°I will surely live up to your expectations...!¡±Bullet was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s cheers. He was convinced that if he summoned the regr undead, which consumed the dominance stat, and the jiangshi which didn¡¯t consume the dominance stat, he would have an undead army that wasn¡¯tckingpared to Agnus¡¯. Bullet felt a sensation that went beyond his limits.


    Once this happened, a bit of greed rose inside him. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get a new ne.¡±


    His current ne was made with crow bones. This bone ne had arge amethyst embedded in the center and was an essory which raised a necromancer¡¯s dominance stat. The higher the rating, the higher the effect would be.


    ¡°Ne? Do you know a good jewelry maker?¡± Grid asked Bullet, who nned to invest a lot of money in the ne. The jewels acquired from the Belial raid were stuck in Grid¡¯s inventory. Grid hadn¡¯t been able to use the treasures which showed various effects because he couldn¡¯t find a suitable person to work on it.


    Bullet nodded without hesitation. ¡°I have a rtionship with Princess.¡±


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    Why was a princess suddenly being mentioned? Bullet exined to Grid, ¡°Oh, she is famous among the necromancers. There is a skilled jewelry maker who lives deep in the dungeon of Gerad Mountain and only makes nes. Her style and attitude are like those of a princess, so we call her ¡®Princess¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Introduce me to her.¡±


    ¡°It will be difficult.¡±


    On the day that Grid and Bullet joined forces, Satisfy¡¯smunities heated up.


    -Necromancer Rankings-


    1st ce ¨C Veradin (No affiliation).


    2nd ce - Bullet (Overgeared Guild).


    -After Muto, it is Bullet?


    -The 2nd ranked necromancer joined the Overgeared Guild...This is big.


    -Wasn¡¯t Bullet part of Immortal?


    -He kept dying because of the kill order, so he surrendered and joined the Overgeared Guild...


    -He has no guts. From the perspective of Immortal, he is aplete traitor.


    -Are you condemning him for trying to find a way to live?Is this something to criticize?


    -The Overgeared army + an undead army...


    -Even if the old Seven Guilds are reunited, they won¡¯t be able to go against the Overgeared Guild.


    -Isn¡¯t that obvious?Weren¡¯t the Seven Guilds ughtered by the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s farmers before?


    -Ah... ??;; There was something like that.


    -Where are people like Zibal and Seuron these days?


    -They can only suck on the Overgeared member¡¯s fingers everyday.


    -What about Agnus?


    -Agnus is too elusive...


    The current powerhouses, the old powerhouses, and the new powerhouses were destined to be discussed. Additionally, it was natural for the public to be interested in Agnus after he became a legend.


    ¡°Kilkik!¡±One man arrived before the giant mountain¡ªGerad Mountain¡ªwhich contained six artificial dungeons. Eat Spicy Jokbal panicked as he confirmed that the dungeons were being destroyed one by one.


    ¡°Grid?¡± No, it wasn¡¯t. The invader was destroying the dungeons much faster than when the old Grid did it. ¡°A dragon has appeared!¡±


    Troubled, Eat Spicy Jokbal rushed off to Gerad Mountain.

 Chapter 850

    [An intruder has appeared in the ¡®Gerad 1st Dungeon¡¯.]


    The time between the warning message and the result was unusually short.


    [The Gerad 1st Dungeon¡¯s first zone has beenpletely destroyed!]


    [The Gerad 1st Dungeon¡¯s second zone has beenpletely destroyed...]


    [The Gerad 1st Dungeon¡¯s third zone...]


    [The Gerad 1st Dungeon has beenpletely destroyed!]


    ¡°What?¡±


    There were a total of six dungeons installed in Gerad Mountain to defend the Princess. They were thoroughly designed to keep out invaders. Yet a single dungeon had been attacked in a few minutes and was nowpletely destroyed.


    ¡°Who...?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be a yer when even Grid hadn¡¯t been able to break a dungeon so quickly. Particrly, the difficulty of the Gerad Dungeon was much higher than that of the Beware Dogs dungeon that Grid had hit in the past. How could a yer beat the Gerad Dungeon in minutes? ording tomon sense, it was impossible.


    ¡°A dragon has appeared!¡±


    The image of the dragon that appeared in the National Competition was still vivid in Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s mind.Perhaps a dragon hadnded on top of Gerad Mountain, destroying some of the dungeons.


    [An intruder has appeared in the ¡®Gerad 2nd Dungeon¡¯.]


    ¡°It can¡¯t be a dragon!¡±


    The attacker was targeting the dungeons sequentially. Eat Spicy Jokbal hurriedly prepared various potions and rushed to Gerad Mountain.


    ***


    [You have entered the Gerad Dungeon (4).]


    [The traps have been activated.]


    It happened when he entered the fourth dungeon. Sharp spears appeared from the ground and walls on both sides, while a huge iron ball that was a few hundred kilograms heavy fell from the ceiling.This was a trap which would¡¯ve killed hundreds of troops.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Yet Agnus just scoffed while Lich Mumud used a spell. He floated himself and Agnus into the air and covered them with a shield of shimmering light. The des which hit the shield were crushed and cracked, while the ball which fell from the ceiling failed to prate the shield and rolled onto the ground. Agnus stepped onto the iron ball and looked down the long corridor of the dungeon.¡°It¡¯s a structure that only one person can pass through. Kik!¡±


    The difficulty of the dungeon was rising rapidly. Unlike the first and second dungeons where he pushed through by summoning arge number of undead, the third dungeon became very narrow and the number of traps increased. Agnus had experienced all types of adventures, but he still found the Gerad Mountain dungeons considerably hard.


    ¡®I can¡¯t overuse Mumud.¡¯


    Agnus thought about it for a moment before waving his fingers. Then a skeleton emerged from the ground. It acted ording to Agnus¡¯ will and stepped on the small path in front of his eyes. The moment the skeleton entered the path, mes burned the skeleton. However, the skeleton kept stepping forward like it wasn¡¯t in pain. It took four steps before more mes emerged and the skeleton¡¯s body of bones was burned to ashes.


    ¡®It is a fire trap that deals 5,000 fixed damage every fourth block.¡¯


    Agnus waved his fingers again, and a new skeleton popped up at the fourth block. This was Death Chain, a unique skill of Baal¡¯s Contractor which created a new undead at the spot where the old one was destroyed. The second skeleton disappeared as soon as it reached the eighth block, and a new skeleton was born, reaching the 12th and final block. The 12th block exploded without emitting any mes.


    [Your skeleton has received 20,000 damage and has been destroyed.]


    The entire path was destroyed in the aftermath of the explosion, and the fire traps which had been installed up to the 11th block exploded in a chain, shaking the entire dungeon. Agnus was far away, so he didn¡¯t receive a single bit of damage.


    ¡°Kilkik!¡± Agnusughed and walked leisurely through the damaged path. New skeletons were created at the next trap and the one after that.


    ***


    At the top of the Gerad Mountain, there was a young girl¡ªno, woman alone in a small dungeon. Her two dark eyes under her bangs were veryrge, while her face was small and looked like a doll¡¯s.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: There is an enemy!Log out right now!


    ¡°...¡± The woman ignored Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s whisper. This ce was her workshop. All the items and equipment she needed to make essories were here. She couldn¡¯t leave this ce.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: Hey!Bokja!


    Blood suddenly rose to the temples of the woman who was listening to Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s urging, and anger suddenly filled her eyes.


    -Elizabeth: Stupid uncle!I told you not to call me by my real name!


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: It is because you didn¡¯t answer!Why are you chewing my ears off?!


    There was a sense of urgency in Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s words.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: The fifth dungeon is about to be breached!Log out right now!


    He urged her again, but it was useless.


    -Elizabeth: I don¡¯t want to!!


    Bokja¡ªno, Elizabeth had a certain sense of pride and responsibility as a jewelry maker.She was different from someone who made high-rated items easily because of their legendary ss.Elizabeth was only able to make a few rare-rated ornaments with every few thousand normal-rated ornaments, and she had built up her current skills by making thousands of rare-rated and epic-rated ornaments.


    She wanted to show confidence to the people who believed in her and requested formissions, and this workshop was necessary for that.


    -Elizabeth: I don¡¯t know who it is, but didn¡¯t the gueste because they need my skills?They might be an illegal trespasser, but it is only right for me to respond.Yet you want me to flee from my workshop?


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: It is fine if the opponent is a yer!But...!


    Who was it? What if it was a monster or a named NPC? It was hard toe to a conclusion, but he knew one thing for sure.Non-yers wouldn¡¯t be able to urately determine the value of his niece, and there was a high possibility that it was a malevolent person who would not hesitate to harm her.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: Bokja...!


    Either way, Eat Spicy Jokbal didn¡¯t want his niece to suffer. He knew how hard his niece had struggled in order to raise her production ss.Even that was just a secondary problem. Most importantly, as her uncle, he didn¡¯t want her to go through terrible experiences like death threats. Eat Spicy Jokbal shouted her name as he headed for the Gerad Mountains.


    -Elizabeth: The illegal intruder seems to be a yer.


    He received an unexpected whisper from his niece.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: What?A yer?Are there hundreds of them?


    He was convinced that his dungeon couldn¡¯t be taken in such a short amount of time unless 10,00 of the top rankers had joined together. Elizabeth gave a reply to the confused Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    -Elizabeth: No, just one.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: This isn¡¯t the time to joke around!


    -Elizabeth: His ID is Agnus.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: What?


    Eat Spicy Jokbal got goosebumps. Now, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the attacker who broke through the dungeons at the speed of light was just one yer, and Eat Spicy Jokbal definitely didn¡¯t want his niece to face such a madman.


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal: Close your eyes and block your ears!Don¡¯t interact with that crazy guy!


    Eat Spicy Jokbal shouted with a pale face, but it was useless. It might be due to ate round of puberty or because she had just started university, but his niece¡¯s rebelliousness caused Eat Spicy Jokbal to feel dumbfounded every time.


    [The target has blocked your whispers.]


    ¡°Dammit! That Agnus, I will kill him if he touches my niece!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s face distorted like a demon¡¯s as his anger burst out. It was a great rageparable to what he¡¯d felt the day he lost Blood Carnival and the dragon egg.


    ***


    ¡°You are invading illegally without going through the proper procedures. Can a famous person act in such a violent manner?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s hands were sweaty. It would be a lie if she said she wasn¡¯t nervous, but Elizabeth tried to act unconcerned. After all, this ce was her workshop. She needed it to be an essories maker.


    ¡°It takes too long to go through those procedures.¡± Agnus approached her slowly. Unlike the rumors, he didn¡¯t show any signs of madness. He looked at Elizabeth with a purely fierce expression like that of a bird of prey.


    ¡°W-What?¡± Elizabeth could no longer endure her nervousness as Agnus got closer. She took a few steps back.


    ¡°This.¡± Agnus handed her a red stone. It was a stone that was more beautiful than a ruby.


    However, Elizabeth recognized the stone with a single nce and couldn¡¯t appreciate its beauty.¡°The Stone of Life...!¡±


    The Stone of Life¡ªits name sounded good, but the truth was the opposite. This stone had a terrible identity. It was a symbol of death which could only be created by killing a young virgin and sealing 666 souls in her deceased heart.


    ¡°You recognize it. You can work on it, right?¡± There were expectations and hopes in Agnus¡¯ eyes.This was the opposite of Agnus¡¯ image.


    Elizabeth asked cautiously, ¡°What do you want to do with this? Do you intend to use it with the Amethyst Shield and Red Mirror to summon a high-ranking great demon?¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t struggle so much for something like that,¡± Agnus denied it immediately.


    Elizabeth didn¡¯t believe him though. ¡°What else could you use it for?¡±


    It was her mistake to pry as Agnus reached the limits of his patience. Snap! He was filled with anger and grabbed Elizabeth by the cor. ¡°You just have to do what I say. You have no right to reject. I will chase you for the rest of your life until you ept mymission.¡±


    ¡°You have no manners!¡± In the midst of being angry at Agnus¡¯ wild words, Elizabeth suddenly stopped when she noticed there wasn¡¯t any great force in the hands grabbing her cor.¡°You...¡±


    Was a human capable of making such a sad expression? s, the moment that Elizabeth wanted to question Agnus this...


    ¡°You bastard!!¡± There came a roar from the entrance of the dungeon. It was Eat Spicy Jokbal. ¡°Get your hands off that child right now!¡±


    [You have be stronger in a dungeon!]


    Eat Spicy Jokbal pulled out his sword and rushed madly at Agnus.


    At the same time, Grid was following Bullet. Then there came a moment when Grid couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, and he opened his mouth, ¡°Hey.¡±


    He had been seeing the same ce for several hours already, yet there didn¡¯t seem to be a ward.


    ¡°Are you sure this is the way?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will arrive soon. Probably.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid was inwardly surprised.


    He admired the fact that Bullet had managed to maintain his 2nd ranking despite being incapable of finding hunting grounds easily due to his terrible sense of direction. If it wasn¡¯t for this, wouldn¡¯t Bullet be the first ranked necromancer by now? Grid thought about this seriously as he continued walking with Bullet.


    Then after a while, they arrived at the same ce again.


    ¡°...¡±


    The good news was that Grid wasn¡¯t simply wasting time. He continued to make underwear while walking.

 Chapter 851

    Eat Spicy Jokbal bought a variety of information from top rankers in each ss. It was a habit that had started since the time of Blood Carnival, and based on the enormous amount of information he had, Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯ strength was greater than what people imagined.


    ¡°You dog bastard! Take your hands off her right now!¡±


    sh! Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s body was surrounded by a green glow as he rushed toward Agnus. The mithril longsword and armor reflected the lights which were installed throughout the dungeon. That¡¯s right. Eat Spicy Jokbal had equipped items meant for facing the undead. He was fully prepared for Agnus being the identity of the intruder. Having the power of Blood Carnival meant he could reserve many types of items. He wielded the legendary-rated ¡®Lua¡¯s Blessing¡¯ and the unique-rated mithril armor, instantly ughtering dozens of skeletons that Agnus summoned.


    The special characteristic of a Dungeon Maker was that they were stronger in a dungeon, and the synergy with his battle gear exploded against the undead.


    ¡°Kik? There are strong people everywhere,¡± Agnus spat out. However, the smile on his face didn¡¯t seem to disappear. He was still rxed.


    It was an attitude that enraged Eat Spicy Jokbal. ¡°You...!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal felt a strong desire to kill Agnus, who still hadn¡¯t let go of his niece, and narrowed the distance between them. He hoped that shock would spread across Agnus¡¯ leisurely face. In spite of that, the process of narrowing the distance was too difficult.


    ck!ck ck!


    The undead that emerged from the ground kept pestering him. The skeleton warriors...! For a number of rankers, these undead were tricky to face. Due to the high amount of dominance consumed and their outstanding abilities, third-advancement necromancers were limited to summoning two skeleton warriors at one time.


    Yet Agnus summoned four skeletons at the same time, and Eat Spicy Jokbal was quickly isted. The people who witnessed Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s actions in the National Competition wouldn¡¯t be able to understand how he was suffering a crisis right now. However, Agnus himself was in a crisis and released his grip on Elizabeth¡¯s cor.


    ¡°Sprinkle Cement!¡±Eat Spicy Jokbal left the four skeleton warriors in a state where they couldn¡¯t move with just one skill. Then he reached Agnus and linked it with ¡®Cutting Bricks.¡¯If Agnus were still holding Elizabeth, he would¡¯ve been cut by the sharp attack several times.


    Instead, Agnus managed to protect his body and evaded the attack before letting out extremely pleasedughter, ¡°Kuk! Kukukuk! Kuhahat! You are also one of them?¡±


    ¡°Them?¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal made a confused sound.


    ¡°A monster that can split the game into 0.1-second increments. Kikik!¡± Agnus kindly gave him the answer. He then suddenly pulled out the basic ¡®Supreme Ruler¡¯ ability of his sword, and Eat Spicy Jokbal felt a strong pressure.


    ¡®Just like the rumors!¡¯ Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s expression hardened as he blocked Agnus¡¯ sword. He could feel how fast and powerful Agnus was despite being a necromancer. Still, the information Eat Spicy Jokbal had obtained in advance allowed him to cope flexibly without any confusion.This information made arge difference.


    The biggest part of why yers were defeated by Agnus was his unpredictable nature. Even if Eat Spicy Jokbal predicted Agnus¡¯ actions, there would still be a problem. It was that Agnus evolved.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s face turned pale as he exchanged a fourth blow with Agnus.


    [Lua¡¯s Blessing has received a demon¡¯s curse.]


    [The divine power of Lua¡¯s Blessing has temporarily disappeared.]


    [The durability of Lua¡¯s Blessing has decreased by 27.]


    [The attack power of Lua¡¯s Blessing has dropped by 50% for 20 seconds.]


    Was it a skill? Or was it a curse that dwelled in the sword itself? Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s eyes shook every time he blocked Agnus¡¯s sword as he confirmed that Lua¡¯s Blessing had lost its strength. Agnus¡¯ voice echoed in the dungeon, ¡°You have a divine sword to punish the viin?¡±


    This was Agnus dering that he was prepared for divine weapons. Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s temporarily weakened sword pierced Agnus¡¯ abdomen, while Agnus¡¯ heavy sword tore at Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s shoulder. Although Eat Spicy Jokbal seemed to suffer a superficial effect, they actually suffered a simr amount of damage.


    The power of the Supreme Ruler imprinted on the rune and the Sword Mastery skill weren¡¯t enough to ovee the base difference in stats. After all, Dungeon Maker was about hardbor! Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s strength and stamina were high like Grid¡¯s stats. Therefore, his attack power was still strong despite his weapon being weakened. The set of divine armor also yed a firm role.


    The problem was that Agnus wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°...!¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal got goosebumps and looked behind him, ignoring Agnus¡¯ blow. A death knight was moving. In order to prepare for the attack of the death knight who was raising a sword with a purple aura, Eat Spicy Jokbal was beaten by Agnus¡¯ continuous strikes and saw a painful notification window.


    [Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Armor has received a demon¡¯s curse.]


    [Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Leggings has received a demon¡¯s curse.]


    [The divine power of Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Armor has temporarily disappeared.]


    [The divine power of Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Leggings...]


    [The durability of the Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Armor has decreased by 47.]


    [The durability of Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Leggings...]


    [The defense of the Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Armor has decreased by 20% for 20 seconds.]


    [The defense of Soseosan¡¯s Mithril Leggings...]


    ¡°What?!¡±


    To think that the curse could enter armor as well as weapons...? The death knight¡¯s sword fell toward Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s head.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The explosion caused by Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s sword colliding with the death knight¡¯s sword caused the dungeon to shake. Agnus and the death knight seized this winning chance and proceeded to bombard Eat Spicy Jokbal without stopping. The swords that kept pouring toward Eat Spicy Jokbal exhausted his health at a rapid pace. He tried to counterattack, but the debuffs, which had a low chance of activating, made him feel even more helpless.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    This was the uncle who had raised Elizabeth on behalf of her grandparents and parents. She treated him as a friend but he was a person she looked up to from deep inside her heart. Elizabeth didn¡¯t want to see her uncle, who was always steadfast, in such a helpless state. It might be a game, but her uncle¡¯s pained expression caused her heart to ache. The most serious problem was the terrible death penalty.


    In the end, Elizabeth shouted, ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll ept your request, so leave Uncle alone!¡±


    Agnus paused at this, and Eat Spicy Jokbal took advantage of the gap.


    ¡°Looking away from me during a fight is bad because I am a coward!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Something unexpected started to ur. The dungeon shook like it was hit by an earthquake, and its structure started to change. Some floors floated up while some of the ceiling rotated around and around, and the walls changed their position. This was the Dungeon Remodeling skill that Eat Spicy Jokbal received when he reached level 325.


    [Dungeon Remodeling Lv. 1]


    [Temporarily change the internal structure of a dungeon that you created. The structure change is random, and all objects in the dungeon won¡¯t be able to resist the ¡®confused¡¯ or ¡®isted¡¯ state. The caster himself can¡¯t avoid this effect.


    * Locations set as critical points will be preserved and won¡¯t be affected by the remodeling.


    * The changed dungeon can be restored to its normal structure at any time.


    Skill Mana consumption: 20% of the current mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.]


    It was a skill that put even the caster in a crisis.There were too many variables, but it was worth trying out in the midst of a crisis.


    ¡°U-Uncle! Diz...zy...¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Agnus¡¯, Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s, and Elizabeth¡¯s sight became blurred. Although Agnus¡¯ resistance as a legendary ss was an unexpected variable, the Gel-Dena Ring gave Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth a quick recovery. It was a ring made by Elizabeth herself.


    ¡°Bokja!¡±


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth grabbed each other as they recovered from the abnormal state more quickly than Agnus did. They ran away from Agnus, who was isted by the moving walls, and headed toward the dungeon¡¯s exit. Elizabeth no longer insisted on keeping her workshop. The loss of throwing away her workshop was serious, but it was nothingpared to losing her uncle¡¯s life. The two of them were confident they had escaped from Agnus, butit was an unproven confidence.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik!¡±Agnus barely recovered from his confusion. Seeing Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth run away, Agnus shouted, ¡°Demon Summoning!¡±


    As the name, Baal¡¯s Contractor, suggested, he was the contractor of the 1st great demon.


    ¡°Dyulebul.¡±


    In fact, the true power of Baal¡¯s Contractor was in summoning and controlling demons, rather than the summoning and control of the undead. However, this ability only emerged after his ss was promoted to the legendary rating. The demon opened its mouth and shot out a ray, hitting Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth.


    ¡°Bokja!¡±


    His niece was hurt, and Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s clothes were turned into rags as he wrapped himself around her small body.


    ***


    ¡®Does Youngwoo know?¡¯


    Yura wondered as she barely escaped from hell.


    It was likely that the Grid NPC in hell had a close rtionship with Grid, but she judged that Grid probably wasn¡¯t even aware of the existence of the NPC. Otherwise, Grid would¡¯ve told Yura in advance if he had known that his NPC was in hell. However, Yura hadn¡¯t heard anything about it.


    ¡®First, I should inform Youngwoo-ssi about this.¡¯


    She had no intention of asking for answers, but there was no reason not to tell Grid about how there was an NPC in hell that was exactly the same as Grid when he used ckening.


    ¡®Then I will rest for a few days.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s fatigue was considerable after being stuck in hell for several months. One¡¯s body could be restored through rest, but one¡¯s spirit wouldn¡¯t recover as easily. The barrenndscapes and the harsh atmosphere of hell made her spirit deste.


    The biggest problem was that the Demon yer ss didn¡¯t shine despite her level reaching 320. Yura felt increasingly disappointed with her ss which was unable to exert a satisfactory power, and her mental state kept falling. She felt shameful when she waspared to other legends.


    ¡®In hell, I¡¯m notcking when I¡¯mpared to the Sword Saint and Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but...¡¯


    Hell wasn¡¯t the only stage of the game.Yura couldn¡¯t be locked in hell for the rest of her life. This made her feel that she wascking inparison to the other legendary sses which could be powerful anytime and anywhere.


    ¡®Will it be different once Iplete all my ss quests? But I know that Youngwoo-ssi hasn¡¯t finished his ss quests yet... Perhaps I missed a hidden quest?¡¯


    Yura¡¯s steps were heavy and her face was dark as she headed toward Reinhardt. Her undiminished beauty attracted the gazes of passersby, but this was an obstacle for Yura.She didn¡¯t want to dazzle others with her outward appearance but to be recognized for her pure abilities. Then she received a chance.


    [A demon has emerged in the human world! It is a high-level demon dependent on dark and powerful magic.]


    [The new skill Demon Tracking has been opened.]


    [The fourth ss quest ¡®Old Enemy¡¯ has been created.]


    [Defeat Baal¡¯s Contractor!]


    ¡°Gerad Mountain!¡±


    Was this luck from the sky? The demon¡¯s location was very close to where Yura was. Feeling joyful, she ran as fast as possible. Agnus was a figureparable to Grid, but as a Demon yer, Yura knew that she was the counter to Agnus. She had a good chance of winning.


    Simultaneously...


    ¡°Is this ce right?¡±


    ¡°You have asked three times already. Rest assured. We will soon arrive safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I apologize again for wasting your time. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°...I would curse if you weren¡¯t ashamed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid and Bullet were still wandering on the road. Unexpectedly, Grid wasn¡¯t feeling particrly irritated. He could utilize the time by making underwear, and after talking to Bullet for a few hours, he felt that their rtionship had be better.

 Chapter 852

    [Dyulebul]


    [Health: 100,001


    Dyulebul was an ordinary hellfire lizard that lived in the hellfire river. One day, it was struck by the spit of 1st Great Demon Baal who was having a pic and evolved into a higher demon.


    * Dyulebul¡¯s salivary nds are affected by Baal. Dyulebul will spit out a ray of light every 5 seconds.


    * Dyulebul¡¯s spit will deal 2,000 fixed damage to the target, as well as doing 8,000 ssh damage in a radius of 10 meters around the attacked target.


    * Dyulebul¡¯s skin is less evolved. It will get 2,000 fixed damage when hit. It is true regardless of whether it is a weak or hard hit.


    * Dyulebul¡¯s tail will rotate without resting. The hellfire from the tail will inflict 3,000 fire damage to all enemies approaching Dyulebul. The enemy will receive 699 burn damage per second.]


    Dyulebul¡¯s appearance was that of a human body with a lizard head.Its long tail, which had a me at the end, was spinning like a h hoop.


    ¡°A demon...?¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal felt like he had been struck with a hammer.He had never dreamt that a day woulde when a yer could summon a demon. However, when he thought about it, this wasn¡¯t that surprising.After all, Agnus was Baal¡¯s Contractor! It was weird that Agnus had only been able to summon the undead when he contracted with the 1st great demon.


    Dyulebul flew over Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s and Elizabeth¡¯s heads and then once again opened his mouth. A ring light filled with a mighty magic power was gathered there.How many people would think that the identity of this was saliva? Agnus warned them, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you stop resisting if you want to live? Kikik.¡±


    Dyulebul was less useful than a death knight or lich. Its skill structure was so simple that it could only be used to kill the enemy. Additionally, its intelligence was so low that it was only faithful to the instinct of ¡®killing humans¡¯ and didn¡¯t listen tomands properly.


    However, it was strong enough to ignore all those shorings. It had a ranged attack which dealt 2,000 fixed damage and 8,000 ssh damage, a me that didn¡¯t allow the enemy to get close, and above all, a powerful tanking force!The demon received 2,000 fixed damage per hit and had a health of 100,001. Therefore, Dyulebul would only die after being hit 51 times. It was meaningless for the opponent to use legendary-rated skills.


    This was a disaster for yers. It would naturally be helpless under a group attack but when dealing with arge number of enemies, Agnus could summon the undead to attract aggro.


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    sh! The dungeon started to copse in the aftermath of the first ray of light. Witnessing the second ray emerge from Dyulebul, Eat Spicy Jokbal pushed Elizabeth away, letting himself be struck directly by it.


    [You have suffered 20,000 damage!]


    [You have suffered 8,000 damage!]


    ¡°Keok! Cough! Cough!¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s health fell to the bottom. He was unable to endure the shock and fell into despair. What was Agnus¡¯ biggest advantage? It was his liches, yet the current Agnus hadn¡¯t even summoned lich. Eat Spicy Jokbal felt that it was absurd.


    Agnus¡¯ rebirth as a legend was great enough to render the information that Eat Spicy Jokbal had collected as meaningless. He even wondered if all the information he had on Agnus was wrong.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m not stronger than Grid?¡¯ A bitter smile appeared on Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s face. It was funny because he had been using Grid as a criterion of strength without knowing it. ¡®I thought he was a bad guy...¡¯


    Strangely, Eat Spicy Jokbal felt that Grid wasn¡¯t a detestable guy.It seemed the experience they shared in the National Competition yed a great role in this as he realized that he didn¡¯t actually hate Grid. Then Dyulebul opened its mouth again.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±Elizabeth screamed as she witnessed the sh of light. She felt regretful. If she had only just listened to her uncle, he wouldn¡¯t be suffering like he was now.


    Did he read her expression?


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault!¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal shouted while facing the sh of light. There was no resentment or anger in his eyes when he looked at his niece. Instead, his gaze was only full of affection.¡°The result would¡¯ve been the same even if you listened to me and left! He would wait here forever! Did you forget our family¡¯s saying? Don¡¯t regret the past!¡±


    Dyulebul fired the third sh.


    ¡°Come ooooon!¡± Tears filled Elizabeth¡¯s eyes as she watched her uncle die. He was the uncle whom she had always thought of as Superman...! As her legs weakened and she fell down, Agnus¡¯ cold voice was heard in her ears, ¡°Give up and work on the Stone of Life. You have no choice but to listen to me.¡±


    Why?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me, you will die hundreds or thousands more times in the future. Do you want a life of hell?¡±


    There was no smile on Agnus¡¯ face. He was just serious and desperate. Agnus could finally resurrect ¡®her¡¯ based on the creation skill he got after bing a legend, but in order to do so, the help of the Stone of Life was necessary. Resurrection¡ªit was a word that would make anyone in the worldugh, but Agnus was sincere.


    ¡°...¡±


    The atmosphere sank heavily. Eat Spicy Jokbal had been struck by a third ray and was believed to have been crushed to death by a pile of stones. Yet now Eat Spicy Jokbal roared loudly, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask for a favor with that attitude!!¡±


    He jumped out from the pile of stones and rushed to Elizabeth.


    ¡°U-Uncle?¡±The tearful Elizabeth was perplexed, rather than pleased that her uncle was alive. Eat Spicy Jokbal smiled at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t Uncle invincible?¡±


    [You won¡¯t die easily in your dungeon. You can resist all attacks for 2 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    [The dungeon escape skill ¡®Emergency Exit¡¯ has been activated.]


    It was the Dungeon Maker¡¯s special move!On the first day that he met Grid, Eat Spicy Jokbal had been able to survive thanks to this skill. At present, the moment Eat Spicy Jokbal was going to use the Emergency Exit skill...


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Eyes.¡±Agnus used a skill as he noticed Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s actions. He had been on many adventures and met countless people. After having faced a number of past crises, he managed to read Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s suspicious actions and blocked the variable.


    Duguen!


    Agnus sensed the air around him darken, and a giant eyeball appeared. The eyeball¡¯s pupil which changed between ck, red, and yellow clearly wasn¡¯t human. All the beings it observed¡ªDyulebul, Eat Spicy Jokbal, and Elizabeth¡ªwere unable to resist.


    [Aplete fear will stop your heart.]


    [Your thoughts havee to a stop. You won¡¯t be able to move for one second. You can¡¯t use any skills and magic for 3 seconds.]


    This was an ultimate technique of Baal¡¯s Contractor which ignored all status resistance. It didn¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe, so Agnus received the disadvantage of having all of his currently summoned undead and demons disabled. However, he was fine since he could summon new undead.


    ¡°Stop interfering!¡±


    After stopping Eat Spicy Jokbal from using Emergency Exist, Agnus rushed toward him.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Eat Spicy Jokbal gulped, and his expression distorted as he realized there was no way to avoid death.


    Suddenly, a beautiful woman appeared.


    ¡°I will punish you.¡±


    Her pure white cloak fluttered, and her silky hair waved in the air. The woman¡¯s name was Yura, and she contemted evil with eyes that were as deep as ake.This was the appearance of the strongest ranker who had carried South Korea alone until Grid¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Purification.¡±


    Tatang! She fired a bullet at Agnus.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Agnus¡¯ head shot back with a groan. Hepletely lost his momentum, and a quarter of his health gauge flew away instantly. The problem was that after Baal¡¯s Contractor was upgraded to a legendary rating, his race had changed from human to half-demonkin. A Demon yer¡¯s attack was now fatal to Agnus.


    ¡°Why...¡± He slowly raised his body and summoned skeletons, using them as a shield for Yura¡¯s next bullet. ¡°Why does the world interfere with me every time?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Kik! Kikikik!¡± Agnusughed, burning with anger as he held his injured forehead. He was filled with killing intent while he watched the woman in front of him. Then a quest urred.


    [The second ss quest of Baal¡¯s Contractor has urred.]


    [Old Enemy]


    [A Demon yer is the destroyer of hell. She regards you, the agent of Baal, as an enemy and will keep interfering with you.


    For the sake of your future, kill the Demon yer!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill the Demon yer.


    Quest Reward: Species evolved from half-demonkin to demon. When you evolve into a demon, you can acquire new skills and magic as well as increase the number of demons you can contract with.


    Quest Failure Condition: Killed by the Demon yer.


    Quest Failure: The permanent loss of 100 points in your highest stat.]


    The penalty that a growth type ss received upon reaching the legendary level was to have their level regress to 300. It was a very small penaltypared to what Grid, Yura, and Kraugel would receive, which was to have their levels reset to level 1 after obtaining a legendary ss.


    This wasn¡¯t always a good thing. The difficulty of the ss quests was very high, so the penalty which would be obtained after failing a quest was unbearablyrge.The ss would be permanently weakened if even one mistake was made.It was like walking a breathtaking tightrope.


    Agnus wanted to ignore reality, so he would normally wee this situation. Nevertheless, this time was an exception.


    ¡°Get lost! Summon Lich! Mumud!¡±


    Magic power exploded and hit Yura. Dyulebul overcame the status condition and also fired a ray of light at Yura.


    ***


    Unlike other kids her age, Elizabeth had never once dyed her hair. In university, she had also stuck to her ck hair. Wasn¡¯t it because ck hair best suited her appearance which was like that of an Oriental doll? The surrounding people thought so, but the reality was different. For Elizabeth, ck hair was Yura¡¯s symbol, which was why she stuck to it. She had adored Yura since the first time she saw Yura on TV four years ago.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...!¡±


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    Yura was a world star whom Elizabeth had always been watching from afar, yetshe had no time to rejoice that her idol was currently right in front of her. She was excited that Yura had appeared like a hero when she and her uncle were in a crisis. However, her heart ached as Yura became injured once the fight progressed.


    ¡°Kuk! Bok...! No, Elizabeth! Run away instead of standing there idly!¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal couldn¡¯t leave Yura alone since she hade to help them. Still, his desperate voice filled the dungeon as he struggled to support Yura, but he was isted by the death knight and skeleton warrior.


    However, Elizabeth stood still in her current position. She couldn¡¯t escape alone while her uncle and Yura were in a crisis. After all, they were her family member and her idol. Of course, she would¡¯ve run away if her presence was hindering them, but this wasn¡¯t the case.Agnus never harmed Elizabeth. He just attacked Yura and Eat Spicy Jokbal persistently.


    Yura was reloading her magic bullets after avoiding Lich Mumud¡¯s magic and Dyulebul¡¯s sh, only for Agnus to disappear from her field of view. Instead of Agnus, a skeleton appeared. Agnus had noticed that Yura was targeting him, so he summoned a skeleton to use as a shield. It was a tremendous improvisation.


    While Yura was unable to fire her magic bullets, a magic circle appeared at her feet. It was the precursor to Lich Mumud¡¯s magic. Yura had already suffered a severe blow from the Fireball shot by Mumud. So from her perspective, she definitely had to avoid this magic. Yura¡¯s slender figure jumped away from this magic circle while a heavy pain was transmitted to her. Right after, Yura turned the muzzle of her gun behind her back and fired without any fuss.


    Tatang!


    The shot broke a skeleton warrior¡¯s skull was broken. Then the ground cracked like broken pottery, and mes sprang up from the gap. This was the explosion magic that Mumud had developed earlier. Thanks to the skeleton warriors, Yura couldn¡¯t avoid the magic.


    ¡°Unni!¡±


    ¡°Kikikik! Kuahahahahat!¡±


    In the copsing dungeon, screams andughter were mixed together.


    ***


    ¡°Is it here?¡±Grid asked after he barely made it out of the forest and discovered a mountain several kilometers ahead.


    Bullet hadn¡¯t expected to see a mountain in the distance and quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! That mountain is Gerad Mountain!¡±


    ¡°It was a long trip.¡±


    Colorful jewels jingled in Grid¡¯s pockets. They were the jewels he¡¯d obtained from Belial¡¯s raid.

 Chapter 853

    Most of Lich Mumud¡¯s high-level spells had a mix of two or more attributes.The same was true for Explosion. Mumud first summoned strong winds and then ignited the mes.These mes boasted a higher uracy and destructive power than normal Explosions. ording to Agnus¡¯ experience, even a third advancement pdin, who would have higher magic resistance than the other sses, would lose half their health with one shot.


    ¡®She¡¯s fine?¡¯


    However, Yura emerged from the explosion with no wounds on her body. Her health gauge was stable too.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t harmed? Kik!¡± Agnus¡¯ eyes shone with joy again.He briefly forgot his purpose foring here.


    Duguen!Duguen!His heart was racing. The only moment he could feel alive was in urgent situations when he found breathing difficult!


    ¡°Yuraaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    It was a lie to say they didn¡¯t know each other. Until theet known as Grid appeared and disturbed the rankings, Yura and Agnus had been at the forefront and were quite conscious of each other.A Yatan Servant and Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªthe two of them originally walked a simr path that might¡¯ve linked their destinies.


    Now it was all in the past. The weight of the evil that the Yatan Servants were responsible for was too big a burden for Yura. Consequently, she abandoned her foolish thought of fighting against Grid and became enemies with Agnus, the leader of evil.


    Agnus had to be evil in order to achieve his purpose, which pitted him against Yura. This meant one of them had to defeat the other. They had to devour each other. It was impossible for them to coexist. The two of them fought with serious determination as dozens of skeletons rose and fell in the dungeon.


    Every time a blue light burst, a demon was destroyed. Then every time a new demon appeared, it was swallowed up by a blue light. Andslide urred inside the mountain every time Lich Mumud used a spell, while Agnus was injured every time Yura¡¯s magic engineering weapon changed forms.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik! Kuahahahahat! Interesting! I¡¯m happy! It is exciting! You are strong!¡±


    ¡°Ugh..!¡±


    The shock wave of the force was too big. Gerad Mountain was the 23rd tallest mountain on the continent, but it was too small to be the stage for the sh between two legends. The mountain started topletely sink.


    ¡°Bokja! You should leave!¡±


    ¡°B-But...!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal no longer paid attention to his niece¡¯s stubbornness. He just hugged her and ran down the mountain. Did Elizabeth want to stay here to help Yura and be crushed to death by stones?


    ¡®Was Yura that strong?¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal noticed the difference between the Yura back at the National Competition and the present Yura.To be able to fight Agnus for 10 minutes, wasn¡¯t this a strengthparable to Grid? He wondered about the secret behind Yura¡¯s rapid growth over just a few months.


    ¡®Or was I mistaken?¡¯


    Was Agnus not at Grid¡¯s level in the first ce?This couldn¡¯t be. It was impossible to predict who would have the advantage whenparing Grid¡¯s strength to Agnus¡¯ strength.


    ¡®Maybe it is simply a difference of attributes...¡¯


    The blue light Yura generated was fatal to Agnus¡¯ undead and demons. It was right to interpret that the Demon yer ss had the advantage in attributes. Nevertheless, Agnus was well-matched against her.


    ¡®There really are many monsters in this world.¡¯


    Agnus was on a totally different level. Eat Spicy Jokbal felt the same motivation toward Agnus as he did toward Grid. He was filled with the desire to be shoulder to shoulder with them. However, this motivation was soon broken. He felt it was impossible as a person fell from the sky. The surprised Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth stopped running. The person who fell before them was none other than Yura.


    ¡°S-Sister!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Yura¡¯s health gauge was depleted. She was barely alive by depending on the legendary ss¡¯ immortal passive skill where they couldn¡¯t die for five seconds. Then a voice was heard from the sky, ¡°Is this the end?¡±


    ¡°Agnus...!¡± A chill went down Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s spine as he confirmed the identity of the voice. Inparison to the dying Yura, Agnus¡¯ health was at the maximum. To think that the result of the 10 minutes battle was so one-sided...? Eat Spicy Jokbal felt a terror that went beyond his admiration, and his determination to stand on the same level as Agnus was quickly broken. In the midst of the silence...


    Snap!


    Agnusnded on the ground and grabbed Yura¡¯s small face with one hand.


    ¡°Well, it was fun.¡±


    The fight with Yura wasn¡¯t easy for Agnus. Three demons that he contracted with had returned to hell, and he had exhausted the remaining time of Lich Mumud¡¯s summoning. He had even used the skill, Bentao¡¯s Mockery, which exchanged health with the target. It was regretful that he had used Baal¡¯s Eyes on Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    ¡°It would be morefortable if you had jumped at me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±Agnus shifted his gaze while holding Yura¡¯s face.This forced Eat Spicy Jokbal to step back. It was instinctive behavior. He felt greatly fearful toward Agnus who beat him and then Yura sequentially.


    ¡®Who can win against this monster?¡¯


    Grid? Kraugel? Ares? Was it possible? Grid alone could exert enough firepower to destroy a city, but this was also true for Agnus. Agnus also had Kraugel¡¯s power and senses to neutralize most of the enemy attacks. An example was how most of Yura¡¯s bullets were blocked by the skeletons. Then what about Ares¡¯ army? Agnus had the demons and the undead army.


    ¡®It¡¯s a scam no matter how I look at it...¡¯ Eat Spicy Jokbal gulped andpletely shrank back. He was overwhelmed by Agnus and couldn¡¯t take any action. The moment Agnus¡¯ sword aimed for Yura¡¯s heart...


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Elizabeth shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your request! So stop your hands!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Agnus, Yura, and Eat Spicy Jokbal gazed at Elizabeth. Elizabeth demanded with confidence, ¡°I¡¯ll work on the Stone of Life. Instead, please guarantee my uncle and Yura¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡±Agnus didn¡¯t hesitate to ept her request. He was confident that he could defeat Yura and Eat Spicy Jokbal at any time, even if they recovered. Just as Yura¡¯s ego was shattered, an angry voice rang out, ¡°Why are you bargaining for the life of my colleague?¡±


    Yura, Eat Spicy Jokbal, and Agnus were shocked. A man with ck hair was standing in the location where everyone was looking at. The man who had sharp eyes and exceptionally broad shoulders was Grid.


    ¡®Why is he here at this time?¡¯ Agnus was puzzled, instead of pleased, as the situation got worse. It was the first time anyone had seen him so confused, including Bullet who was the third leader of Immortal!


    ¡°Agnus...¡±Bullet¡¯s mouth gaped open at meeting an unexpected person in such an unexpected ce. Agnus looked relieved when he saw Bullet standing next to Grid, but no one saw this change. A Sword of Light struck Agnus¡¯ face. In shock, Agnus barely blocked it with a skeleton and let go of Yura.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Grid hastily caught the stumbling Yura.


    ¡°...¡±The rescued Yura wasn¡¯t pleased, bowing her head with a red face as Grid¡¯s fingers touched her. She bit her lips. ¡°I...I¡¯m...¡±


    ¡®Weak.¡¯


    This terrible reality hadn¡¯t changed, despite the fact that she had trained in hell for several months. Unable to be of any help to Grid, she couldn¡¯t stand side by side with him. Yura swallowed back her words.


    ¡°You are strong,¡± Grid said, but he wasn¡¯t merely consoling her. ¡°All you¡¯recking in are items.¡±


    The sniper rifle didn¡¯t have any effect on Agnus who constantly summoned the undead, soGrid guessed that Yura had likely fought Agnus with her weapon in pistol mode to guarantee an attack speed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any runes. On that other hand, that Agnus haspletely fraudulent specs.¡± Grid knew since he had fought with Agnus before. Agnus possessed skills which were hard to resist, and his items weren¡¯t easy tobat. Grid still trembled when he thought about Bentao¡¯s Mockery. How strong would Agnus be whenbined with a transcendent talent?


    Compared to Agnus, Yura had excellent talent, but herck of skills and items inevitably ced her at a disadvantage. Still, this was just when looking on the surface!


    This was Grid¡¯s conclusion.


    ¡°Fight again.¡±


    Yura wasn¡¯t weak at all, and Grid wanted to give her confidence. Grid felt a strange heartache when he saw her looking so uncertain. He missed her imposing figure from the past. As a friend, colleague, and benefactor, Grid wanted to restore confidence in Yura.


    [yer ¡®Grid¡¯ wants to hand you the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [Do you want to ept it?]


    ¡°Y-You?¡±


    Following Alex¡¯s Magical Engineering Bay created by Pagma, Grid was going to hand over a new myth-rated weapon? Frightened, Yura refused it. Yet Grid handed her the item again. ¡°I¡¯ll lend this to you. I don¡¯t want to turn you into a debtor like Jishuka.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s meaning was conveyed to Yura. After being troubled for a few minutes, Yura epted the dark sword and stared at Agnus. Agnus scoffed, ¡°A dog who is already down is returning to the battle?¡±


    Agnus¡¯ anger soared every time he saw Grid. Wasn¡¯t Grid also someone living with a terrible past? Didn¡¯t he want to pay back the pain from being trampled by others and a life of suffering?


    ¡°Why are you...¡± Rather than giving pain to others...! ¡°Annoying! Kik! Kilkik! It is annoying!¡±


    Was there only one essories maker in this world? Why did Agnus need to go through all this trouble? At this moment, Agnus lost the string of reason that he was barely holding onto. He let out a roar, ¡°Just die!¡±


    Then there was an explosion of demonic energy. Grid protected the injured Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth with the God Hands and moved them to a safe distance away.


    sh!


    Yura pierced through the demonic energy in front of her. She reached Agnus in an instant, firing her gun to break Agnus¡¯ skeleton shield while swinging the Enlightenment Sword at the same time.


    ¡°...!!¡±

 Chapter 854

    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    [You have dealt 12,300 damage to the target!]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    ¡°What?¡±


    The attacker and the one who was attacked were surprised at the same time. Experiencing damage in the ten thousands was unfamiliar to both Yura, the attacker, and Agnus, the one who was attacked. When Yura attacked Agnus with the Magic Engineering Bay (Produced by Pagma), the damage he suffered had been 4,700. Now, she had just inflicted three times the damage with the Enlightenment Sword. Moreover, it was a basic attack!


    This was surprising for Agnus, who possessed a passive skill to reduce his damage by 30%, and it caused a chill to go down his spine. Agnus backed away hurriedly, while Yura confirmed the Enlightenment Sword¡¯s information within this gap.


    [+1 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,660/1,660


    Attack: 3,780+189


    * 20% increase in physical attack power.


    * 20% increase in magic attack power.


    * 30% bonus fire attribute damage.


    * 30% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * 15% bonus lightning attribute damage.


    * Deals an additional 50% damage to sacred beings.


    * There is a certain probability of mes rge) being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of illusions being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of summoning a red lightning bolt when attacking.


    * There is a certain probability of a ck mes explosion when attacking.


    ......


    ......


    ......]


    ¡®This is the power of a myth-rated item!¡¯


    The bay that Yura obtained from Grid was still at the unique rating. From her perspective, a legendary weapon was strong and a myth-rated weapon was several times stronger.


    ¡®The damage added by a +1 enhancement of the myth rated weapon is simr to three enhancement levels on a legendary weapon. ...Youngwoo-ssi managed to enhance this?¡¯


    Yura knew that myth-rated weapons didn¡¯t have a safe enhancement area. The probability of enhancing a myth-rated item to +1 was extremely low. They could enhance it 100 to 1,000 times, and it would rely purely on luck. However, Grid had enhanced the Enlightenment Sword to +1.


    Yura thought it was obvious that Grid had saved a country in a previous life.


    ¡®He seems to be unlucky at times, but isn¡¯t he lucky in the important moments?¡¯


    As the saying went, a hero had to be backed up by luck in order to be a heavenly existence. Of course, talent and effort needed to follow. In actuality, Yura didn¡¯t know that Grid had enhanced the Enlightenment Sword to +1 by using the ancient scrolls which definitively enhanced the item by 1¨C3 levels.


    ¡°Kik! Kilkik!¡± While heughed, Agnus was convulsing. Ever since upgrading to the legendary rating, Agnus had rarely experienced damage in the ten thousands.Baal¡¯s Contractor was a ss that was hostile to the majority of yers, so it was right for Agnus to have increased defense.Yet 12,300 health had flown away with a single basic attack...? It meant Grid had the power to distort Satisfy¡¯s world view, and this was passed onto Yura.


    ¡°Kyahahahahat!¡± Agnus stopped shaking. He held his forehead while making a bizarre smile. Was he excited about the circumstances of this big crisis?


    Grid, Yura, and Eat Spicy Jokbal frowned, while Bullet and Elizabeth trembled.


    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Grid asked foolishly.


    ¡°Kik...hiik...¡± Agnus barely managed to stopughing and gave an answer, ¡°I¡¯m d to know there are no limits in this world.¡±


    ¡°There are no limits?¡±


    What was he suddenly saying? Agnus pointed a finger toward the confused Grid. ¡°You are proving it.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes. You¡¯ve grown better. Ah... Good... Good! Good! Gooood!¡±


    Agnus saw an illusion of his dead lover. His only reason for living smiled brightly at him, and he could feel that his reunion with her was imminent. He knew that resurrecting his lover wouldn¡¯t be a futile dream if he could distort Satisfy¡¯s world view like Grid andpletely break the limits of the system. Agnus, who had beenughing and screaming like a lunatic, suddenly looked at empty air with a light in his eyes.


    ¡°Is it time to take your medicine?¡± Feeling ufortable, Grid reacted sarcastically, but there was no response. For Agnus, ¡®this moment¡¯ was no longer important.


    ¡°Kahahahat!¡± Agnus rushed toward Yura. The Great Demon¡¯s Horn that he wielded reduced the durability and attack power of the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡®It affects even a myth-rated weapon?¡¯


    Yura had already experienced the power of the curse emitted from Agnus¡¯ sword during the previous battle, but now she felt greatly confused because she had thought a myth-rated weapon would be able to resist the curse. While Yura¡¯s sword was tied up with Agnus¡¯ sword, two skeleton warriors appeared behind her and attacked.


    It was an attack that couldn¡¯t be allowed tond on Yura, who had only just recovered a decent amount of health after consuming potions. There was a possibility that her health would fall to a dangerous level again. As she escaped from Agnus, Grid shouted to her, ¡°Don¡¯t flee! Just deal with it!¡±


    Avoiding the enemy attacks would give the enemy time to defend and fight back. Staying to fight was the unique battle style of the overgeared, and right now, Yura was a true overgeared.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yura replied. She abandoned her techniques, ignored the skeleton warriors, and continued attacking Agnus. Then what about Agnus¡¯ counterattack? He didn¡¯t bother.


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires...]


    [The option effect ¡®Red Lightning Strike¡¯ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires...]


    Yura¡¯s gaze caused Agnus¡¯ health to drop. Her health gauge wasn¡¯t safe either, but it was finepared to the speed at which Agnus¡¯ health gauge was falling. Yura¡¯s passive skill to alleviate damage from evil beings was also excellent.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Kik! Kihahahahat!¡±


    ck mes, red mes, and red lightning mixed together in the darkness. There was no turning back for the two people who were fighting desperately. They didn¡¯t care about their bodies and only wanted to injure each other. At first, Yura seemed to have the overwhelming advantage. This was because Agnus¡¯ health gauge was depleted one step ahead of Yura¡¯s health gauge, which still had one-third left.


    Nheless, there was a problem.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    Agnus still had the immortal passive skill, while Yura also consumed her passive.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Agnus¡¯ health was fixed at one point and didn¡¯t drop anymore. Then Yura lost her momentum and stepped back. Her opponent became immortal for five seconds. Yura wasn¡¯t immortal, so she needed to stall for these five seconds but Agnus was persistent.


    As soon as he entered the immortal state, he used a ck magic and cursed the ground in a 10-meter radius around Yura. It was an excellent move. Yura would¡¯ve resisted if he had cursed her directly, but the ground couldn¡¯t resist the curse. The ground became like a rotted swamp and grabbed at Yura¡¯s ankle, causing her to be stuck.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    ¡°Unni!¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth paled.They thought Yura would soon die due to Agnus, who resisted all the attacks that Yura dealt to him. Agnus was also assured of victory while Yura felt defeated. Meanwhile, Bullet closed his eyes.The two people were his idol, Agnus, and his new colleague, Yura. This ced Bullet in a position where he couldn¡¯t cheer on either side, so he didn¡¯t want to see the end of this terrible battle.


    What about Grid? Grid suddenly pulled out Failure and moved. He blocked Agnus¡¯ sword just as it was about to pierce Yura.


    ¡°Who said it was a one-on-one fight?¡± Grid entered the battle and used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave. Stabbed by Grid¡¯s reversed sword, Agnus screamed. Then he tried hastily to retrieve his sword, but it was toote. Grid connected it to Link and persistently drove Agnus toward the swamp. Blood gushed from Agnus¡¯ body as he lost momentum before Grid¡¯s continuous shes.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal, Elizabeth, Bullet, and Yura were stunned. Grid was getting involved in a big fight...? Everyone was speechless at the sight of the cowardly (?) Grid.


    It was funny.


    ¡°Kik! Kilkik!¡± Agnus, the victim of this cowardice, wasn¡¯t afraid. After all, it was natural. How could there be a fair fight in this world? In the end, the winning side was defined as the one that was right, while the loser was the one in the wrong. Agnus was a former loser, so he knew this better than anyone.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Grid was swinging his sword when he fell into the swamp. Agnus seeded in stopping Grid before the duration of his immortality was over. Grid, drowning in the swamp, hurriedly shouted to Yura, ¡°What are you doing? Finish him quickly!¡±


    ¡°U-Understood!¡±


    Agnus was currently distracted by Grid, so it was a golden opportunity for Yura. She dealt the final blow to Agnus, who was showing his back to her. Simultaneously...


    [Baal¡¯s Contractor has been defeated!]


    [You have cleared the fourth ss quest, Old Enemy!]


    [As a quest clear reward, your sealed stats are released.]


    [The new skill, Sword of Light, has been acquired. Acquiring the Sword of Light skill has removed the Sword Mastery skill.]


    Agnus was one of the best yers who had dominated Eat Spicy Jokbal and Yura alone. Yet he died in a state where most of his skills were exhausted, and the swampy ground returned to its original state. Yura was wrapped in a blue light as she copsed to the ground.


    Then she heard Grid¡¯s gentle voice saying, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid and Yura smiled as they sat facing each other. s, they knew that the fight with Agnus would continue in the future. This was a natural fate because the path that Agnus had chosen was against humanity.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    The first thing Agnus did after resurrecting was open his inventory.He was worried about having dropped the Stone of Life after he died. Thankfully, the Stone of Life was safe.


    ¡°How fortunate. It is lucky...¡±


    Agnus¡¯ eyes reddened with relief as he hugged the Stone of Life. Then he heard Baal¡¯s whisper.


    -Do you want more power?


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    -You can¡¯t refuse me.


    [The ss quest ¡®Massacre (1) has been created.]


    [Massacre (1)]


    [Difficulty: ss quest.


    1st Great Demon Baal wants human souls. ughter humans and give their souls to Baal.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 1,000 yers (0/1000)


    Quest Clear Reward: 200,000 demonic power. Quest linked to Massacre (2).]


    ¡°I am... busy...¡±


    Agnus¡¯ back seemed pitiful and lonely as he started moving with precarious steps. The madman that people knew was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 855

    [The bright morning has arrived. The list of Overgeared Kingdom quests has been updated.]


    [Contribute to the City¡¯s Security]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Daily Quest


    Please visit the security department. Today¡¯s new mission is waiting for you.


    Quest Reward: One Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Ticket.


    *If you collect 40 Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Tickets, you can obtain one of Grid¡¯s mass-produced items. If you collect 120 Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Tickets, you can acquire one of the Grid¡¯s mass-produced items made by a craftsman.]


    [Contribute to Securing City Resources]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Daily Quest


    Collect 100 leather and bones from at least level 100 monsters or collect 200 resources¡ªsuch as minerals, stone, wood, herbs, and so on¡ªand present them to the Procurement Department.


    Quest Reward: One Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Ticket.]


    [Contribute to Agriculture Development]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Daily Quest


    Please visit the farnds. Today¡¯s new field work is waiting for you.


    Quest reward: One rainbow potato. Affinity with the farmers of the Overgeared Kingdom will rise by 1.


    * If affinity with the farmers of the Overgeared Kingdom reaches the maximum and is maintained, you are likely to receive a hidden quest from a ¡®special character.¡¯ However, the probability is very low.]


    [Administrator Rabbit¡¯s Call]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Daily Quest


    The official looking for you today in the Overgeared Kingdom is Administrator Rabbit. Administrator Rabbit needs your help.


    Quest Clear Reward: Gold.


    * Administrator Rabbit is well known for paying a cheap sry. It will be a great help if you urgently need money. However, the sry amount will vary greatly depending on your performance.]


    [Overgeared Member Nyangmong¡¯s Advertisement]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Daily Quest


    Overgeared member ¡®Nyangmong¡¯ has announced a daily mission.


    Bring food to 10 sheep and 10 street dogs.


    Quest Reward: One Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Ticket.]


    [Earl Pon¡¯s Advertisement]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Special Quest


    The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s noble, ¡®Pon¡¯ has announced a special mission.


    Earl Pon wants a new skill book. If you have an epic or higher rated skill book rted to the ¡®spear¡¯, please look for Earl Pon.


    Quest Reward: ???]


    [Duke Jishuka¡¯s Advertisement]


    [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s Special Quest


    The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s noble, ¡®Jishuka has announced a special mission.


    Duke Jishuka wants arge number of jaffa arrows. If you have jaffa arrows, please look for Duke Jishuka.


    Quest Reward: The jaffa arrows will be bought at 1.5 times the market price. It will be three times the market price for special jaffa arrows.]


    [Visit King Grid¡¯s Stone Statue]


    [Difficulty: Repeated quest in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Once every three days, go to the Hall of Fame and worship at Grid¡¯s stone statue.


    Quest Reward: One Grid mass-produced item for every 20th consecutive visit.]


    ¡°Hehe! I only have a few left now.¡± Ryan was a new user who started Satisfy after the 3rd National Competition, and he now had 32 set vouchers. Just like most fourth generation yers, Ryan had chosen Reinhardt as the starting city. It was easy for Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, to lure new yers because the infrastructure for yers was well established.


    In fact, the satisfaction of the yers was very high. They were able to get Grid¡¯s set just by doing the daily quests every day, so they were able to get items faster than in other countries and were guaranteed a growth rate that was faster than average. Reinhardt¡¯s convenient system, which couldn¡¯t be created without thinking from a yer¡¯s point of view, was a great attraction.


    ¡°If I finish today and tomorrow¡¯s quests, I can finally get a Grid weapon...!¡±


    The performance of the various Grid mass-produced items could be seen in variousmunities, and theypletely overwhelmed epic-rated items of the same level. It was difficult topare them to unique items of the same level which some yers carried around, but when the set effect was added, they weren¡¯t that inferior to unique items.


    In the previous years, the growth rate of new yers had been fast when they purchased high rated low-level items with gold. However, that was no longer the case. There wasn¡¯t a big difference amongst the Overgeared Kingdom yers who had gathered Grid¡¯s set. Still, Grid was the hero of themon people.


    ¡°What are you so excited about?¡±Alcolman¡¯s group approached Ryan while he wasughing. Alcolman was a person who had started ying the game at the same time as Ryan.


    Ryan coughed and proudly raised his nose. ¡°By tomorrow afternoon, I will have 40 Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Tickets.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    The eyes of in Alcolman¡¯s group members shone. They hadn¡¯t been able to finish the quests and gather 40 exchange tickets, so Ryan looked amazing in their eyes. They wanted to congratte him on obtaining a Grid weapon, but they also felt jealous.


    ¡°Ryan, will you be our bus driver tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°What bus driver? You will be our captain if you have a Grid weapon!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s challenge the Cigna Cave tomorrow.¡±


    The Cigna Cave¡ªit was a dungeon where at least five level 60¨C70 yers had to party together to clear it easily. Of course, it was possible to hunt in the dungeon with fewer people, but then the cost would be muchrger than the profits gained.


    For the level 50 Ryan and Alcolman¡¯s group, the Cigna wasn¡¯t an appropriate hunting ground. However, the group thought it would be possible if Ryan had a Grid weapon. This was because the strength of Grid¡¯s weapons was already well known.


    ¡°By the way, today is a bit disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The epic rated skill books are only dream items unless high-level bosses are raided, and the jaffa arrows are like a cksmith only quest.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible to buy jaffa arrows from the auction? Jishuka is going to buy them for 1.5 times the market price.¡±


    ¡°They are already sold out on the auction. I think Jishuka already bought them all yesterday.¡±


    ¡°There is a rumor that she is deep in debt. Where is she getting the money?¡±


    ¡°With Jishuka¡¯s hunting speed, she can easily earn back the money she spent on the arrows...¡±


    ¡°I really want to see Jishuka hunt just once.¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    When were they going to step onto the threshold of the high-level Overgeared yers? Still, as newbies, did they think they could get the opportunity to hunt with the best Overgeared members? Ryan and the Alcolman group were filled with expectations as they moved. They passed the hundreds of wagons belonging to the Muto Company and headed to the security building.


    ¡°I came to do today¡¯s security activities. I am Ryan.¡±


    ¡°You are a level 51 swordsman. I will give you a list of suitable quests.¡±


    Ttiring~


    The friendly receptionist handed Ryan a list of eight quests. However, the difficulty of today¡¯s quests was quite high. They were quests which required a minimum of level 60 to perform.


    ¡°It looks a bit tough... Are there any easier quests?¡±


    Upon hearing Ryan¡¯s question, the receptionist looked embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s hard to get easier quests. It is the time when the two moons ovep, so the level of the monsters that pop up are higher.¡±


    ¡°Urgh! What should I do?¡± Ryan and Alcolman¡¯s group were disappointed with today¡¯s daily quests. It was a tremendous loss for them to miss even one Grid¡¯s Set Exchange Ticket. They were in a quandary when the receptionist made a suggestion, ¡°Would you like to do a cooperative quest?¡±


    ¡°A cooperative quest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is a time-limited quest under the auspices of the empire that is designed tomemorate the armistice agreement between the Overgeared Kingdom and the Saharan Empire. You can cooperate with people of the empire to do the quests, and the quest rewards are equivalent to the daily quest rewards of this kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Cooperate with the empire...¡± The expressions of Ryan and the Alcolman group weren¡¯t very good.


    Most yers who started in the empire had the ideal of ¡®the empire is the center of the world.¡¯ In fact, the empire didn¡¯t refrain from spending money to help new yers, and the early growth rate of the new yers in the empire was much faster than new yers in the Overgeared Kingdom (who hadn¡¯t yet acquired the Grid set). So, it felt ufortable in many ways to cooperate with people of the empire.


    The receptionist reassured them, ¡°It is safe because it is a quest made by Lauel who wishes for there to be exchanges and developments between the two countries. There is no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t because it will be dangerous...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    The receptionist didn¡¯t know anything about the world of newbies, but Ryan and Alcolman sighed and exchanged nces. They quickly came to a decision.


    ¡°Okay. I will participate in the cooperative quest.¡±


    Ryan and Alcolman¡¯s group couldn¡¯t miss out on the exchange ticket. They had to clear the daily quests, so they epted the receptionist¡¯s suggestion.


    An hourter...


    ¡°Hello. Are you the ones who received the cooperative quest?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    In Reinhardt Capital, the Ryan party encountered six imperial yers.


    Ryan¡¯s group greeted them politely while the imperial yers remained silent. One of the empire¡¯s yers saw the shabby weapons and armor of Ryan¡¯s group and said sarcastically, ¡°It is just like the rumors. The Overgeared Kingdom is really stingy with supporting beginners and are just exploiting them.¡±


    ¡°I agree. They are likely to die when hit by boars in those outfits. Kilkil.¡±


    Of course, the imperial yers knew about the Grid mass-produced set. Still, the Grid mass-produced set wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained for free. It was a reward which could only be obtained by repeatedly clearing daily quests for several months and contributing to the kingdom¡¯s development.


    On the other hand, the Saharan Empire supported all new yers with gold. As a result, the imperial yers were able to purchase the best equipment from the beginning and wore shy armor. It was different from the Overgeared yers who couldn¡¯t get the Grid set yet.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how good the Grid set is. It isn¡¯t a lifelong item anyway.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It is better to receive funding, quickly reach level 100, and go to the higher-level hunting grounds.¡±


    It was around level 90 that the growth of new yers in the Overgeared Kingdom elerated. Once they equipped a minimum of four Grid mass-produced items, they demonstrated explosivebat power and grew rapidly to level 180. In other words, the first few months were full of hardships.


    Whereas, in contrast, new yers in the empire could quickly reach level 100. After that, an individual¡¯s growth rate would gradually change depending on their financial ability and fortune. The great attraction was that they didn¡¯t need to struggle in the difficult early stages. The average level of the Ryan group and the imperial group was in the 50s, so this was a time when the imperial side had the advantage!


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    The imperial yers easily hunted the horned rabbits with their expensive weapons and armor, only needing to hit the horned rabbits three times, while Ryan¡¯s group struggled and had to hit them six times. This meant the imperial yers were fine facing two or three horned rabbits at once, whereas the Ryan group would end up on the verge of death.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who are the overgeared ones.¡± The imperial yers started to mock the Ryan group openly.


    The members of Ryan¡¯s group were angry, but they remained patient. There was a rumor that their King Grid had also been ignored in his beginning days, so Ryan¡¯s group had the vague belief that they just needed to be patient.


    [The cooperative party has hunted 231 horned rabbits. (231/500)]


    The progress of the quest was almost midway, which meant the duration of this humiliation was almost over. They just needed to endure it a bit more. The moment that Ryan¡¯s group thought this...


    [The field boss, Four-Horned Rabbit, has appeared!]


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    A huge horned rabbit appeared before the cooperative party. The four-horned, red-eyed rabbit frightened the party members.


    ¡°Showing up here...!¡±


    ¡°Ah, really! The Overgeared Kingdom scum! If you hunted the horned rabbits more quickly, we would¡¯ve finished and gone back by now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! This is all because of you! The quest progressed slowly because of you and now we¡¯re caught by the boss!¡±


    The Four-Horned Rabbit was level 120! The party members thought that this was a boss that the cooperative party couldn¡¯t raid.


    ¡°Oh, my. The newbies are in danger.¡± Another cooperative party emerged. Unlike Ryan¡¯s cooperative party, this one was made up of over level 100 yers. The yers belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom were armed with Grid¡¯s mass-produced set while the imperial yers were armed with gorgeous unique items. It was highly likely that the imperial yers bought their items with gold.


    ¡°He is ours!¡± The yers belonging to the empire struck first. Three people armed with gorgeously decorated swords rushed to the four-horned rabbit. However...


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    Three-quarters of the four-horned rabbit¡¯s health remained. The imperial yers might have unique rated weapons, but it was hard for only three of them to catch the field boss.


    ¡°You should help us!¡±The imperial yers had wanted to monopolize the field boss, but now they were ming the Overgeared yers. The three yers belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom shrugged. They were armed with Grid¡¯s mass-produced set and were the future of Ryan¡¯s group.


    [The Four-Horned Rabbit has died!]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°C-Crazy...¡±


    To think that the field boss that they couldn¡¯t raid died so quickly...? The imperial yers discovered that Grid¡¯s set was more spectacr than rumored. Meanwhile, Ryan¡¯s group were filled with hope and expectations.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Yes!¡±


    The eyes of the Ryan group shone as they looked at the senior yers armed with Grid¡¯s set.


    ¡°Brothers! Are you members of the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    The answer to this question was:


    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°How can we be part of the Overgeared Guild? Well, joining the Overgeared Guild is certainly our ultimate goal.¡±


    ¡°It is a goal that has a 0.001% chance of happening. Haha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Time flowed and generations changed. For the new generation, the Overgeared Kingdom was hope, the Overgeared members were a dream, and the Overgeared King was a distant idol. However, Grid himself didn¡¯t feel this.


    ¡°Achoo!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it polite to at least turn your head away when sneezing?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I received a sudden tickle. Did I get it on you?¡±


    ¡°I was infected with invisible bacteria. Rather, where did you find these precious jewels? Did you steal a treasure chest when you visited the empire a while ago?¡±


    ¡°No? I raided a great demon. Additionally, how can I steal from the empire? The emperor and his subordinates are formidable.¡±


    ¡°You raided a great demon... The emperor...¡±


    In the copsed Gerad Mountain, Elizabeth faced Grid for the first time and received several blows. Grid casually spoke words that were on a scale which ordinary people couldn¡¯t reach. Elizabeth¡¯s resentful attitude toward Grid for being Yura¡¯s lover (?) gradually diminished.¡°In the first ce, she wouldn¡¯t choose an ordinary man... I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know the world and misunderstood you.¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    ¡°You are special.¡±


    The first ranked essories maker¡ªher workshop had been destroyed, and now she was on the verge of tapping on the door of the Overgeared Guild.

 Chapter 856

    Legendary items weren¡¯t an area of production¡ªactually, thismon sense fact had already been destroyed sincest year. yers started to produce legendary items that were known to drop only from boss monsters. It was a natural phenomenon that urred as yers¡¯ production skill levels developed while their ss quest difficulties increased.


    ¡°I think you already know but let me formally introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth. My ss is an essories maker and I am at the craftsman level. I can make all types of essories, and I was fortunate enough to make a legendary rated ring and ne,¡± Elizabeth spoke candidly.


    Managing to make a legendary item was like a pie falling from the sky. She couldn¡¯t control the rating, so she added the word ¡®fortunate.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t humility. It was a warning that even if Gridmissioned her to make an essory, she couldn¡¯t guarantee a legendary rating. If Grid were an ordinary yer who didn¡¯t understand the production system properly, he would¡¯ve been disappointed since he believed the exaggerated rumor of the ¡®Princess of Jewelry.¡¯


    ¡°I am Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    However, Grid had made more items than anyone else and had the best understanding of the production system. He knew that the rumors of the ¡®Princess of Jewelry¡¯ were exaggerated and wasn¡¯t disappointed at all. The anticipation in his gaze remained constant from the beginning.


    ¡°That...¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face reddened as Grid held out a hand for a handshake. An unknown feeling swept through her body when their hands met. She lost strength in her legs. It was the first time she had ever felt this way in her life. She pulled back her hand with a startled expression and hurriedly said, ¡°T-Thank you... for saving me. Well, you saved Yura more than me. Anyway, it is a fact that you helped me.¡±


    Elizabeth had disliked Grid. She had felt jealous that he got good results easily thanks to his legendary cksmith ss and his innate luck. Additionally, she felt offended by his distasteful attitude.The fact that he was Yura¡¯s lover was also a big factor of her dislike toward him.


    Still, it was impossible to treat people rudely just because of personal feelings. It was true that Grid had helped her. So, Elizabeth appreciated it sincerely. It was awful to think that her uncle would¡¯ve died by now if Grid hadn¡¯t shown up. Grid cut straight to the chase, ¡°If you really appreciate it, do me a favor. Would you mind omitting themission process?¡±


    In order to meet the Princess, there was a waiting list and they had to wait for their turn. Additionally, the Princess wouldn¡¯t ept anymission in which the materials didn¡¯t attract her attention. These were the conditions required for Elizabeth to ept a production request. It was simple but fastidious. To think they had to wait just to ask for a production request? Moreover, what materials attracted her interest?


    ¡°I understand. I will ept your request and make it the top priority. Only...¡± Elizabeth needed to let Grid know. ¡°I won¡¯t be as efficient if I don¡¯t find pleasure in the work process. The result of tedious work isn¡¯t always as good. I hope that your request will interest me.¡±


    ¡®I just want tomission a ring...¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid just wanted rings. He currently had a total of four rings¡ªhis wedding ring, Doran¡¯s Ring, the Ring of Absurdity, and Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. Among them, his wedding ring and Doran¡¯s Ring were worn ording to circumstances. The only rings he always wore were the Ring of Absurdity and Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. Eight fingers were almost always empty.


    One bracelet could be worn on both wrists, and he wore the Guardian¡¯s Bracelet and Neberius¡¯ Bracelet. His ne was the Guardian¡¯s Ne while his earrings were Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings and the ck Quartz Earrings. Therefore, making eight rings was sufficient.


    Yet she was asking for an interesting request?


    ¡®What type of unusual essory should I ask for? A piercing? A chain? Will such essories add stats?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s deep thoughts were unnecessary though. While he was feeling troubled, he brought out a jewels package.


    ¡°Huh...? U-Uh?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened when she verified the contents of the package. She was speechless as she witnessed jewels she had never seen before.


    [Belial¡¯s ck Jewel (S)]


    [-A beautiful jewel that can be processed into a material for essories. The value of this gem that can never be obtained is at the same level as buying a city.


    When making essories, you can acquire options that increase intelligence or shadow resistance. Additionally, there is a possibility that a passive skill will be attached depending on the skills of the essory maker.


    However, it will be difficult to find someone who can handle this jewel, like picking a star from the sky.]


    [Belial¡¯s Red Jewel (S)]


    [......


    ......


    When making essories, there is a chance of acquiring items that increase intelligence or me resistance. Additionally, there is a possibility that a passive skill will be attached depending on the skills of the essory maker.


    However, it will be difficult to find someone who can handle this jewel, like picking a star from the sky.]


    ¡®There are jewels that can add stats and resistance? It can even have a passive skill attached?¡¯


    Elizabeth had received countless productionmissions, and among those whomissioned essories from her, many were high rankers. Some of them had given her jewels which had dropped from bosses. Unlike regr jewels, the ones dropped from named bosses had a ¡®low probability¡¯ of increasing stats or resistance.


    The jewels from Grid, however, gave stats and resistances, as well as passive skills.Elizabeth had never seen such jewels among the hundreds that she had worked on. As stated in the exnation, the value of these jewels was astronomical.


    ¡°H-Huge...¡± The admiration in Elizabeth¡¯s expression rose after hearing that Grid got the jewels from raiding Belial.


    Grid was sighing.¡°I don¡¯t know if my request will interest you. I just want ordinary rings...¡±


    ¡°Rings?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Eight rings.¡±


    ¡°What about a ne? Bracelets? Do you need earrings?¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Grid was confused. He thought Elizabeth would be disappointed to hear his request, but she was so excited that she got close to his face. Herrge ck eyes shone likenterns. It was as if she had a meal before her. ¡°You are too close...¡±


    ¡°...¡±Yura and Eat Spicy Jokbal looked ufortable for some reason.


    Grid stepped away from Elizabeth and exined, ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m currently using nes, bracelets, and earrings.¡±


    Their effects were also excellent. The Guardian¡¯s Bracelet and Ne, which had defense and indomitable stat options, were unique essories that gave an additional 100 defense when worn as a set. Meanwhile, Neberius¡¯ Ne increased strength by 30 and reduced magic casting time by 20%, the ck Quartz Earrings increased intelligence by 15%, and Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings made it possible to use the ckening skill.


    Grid yed the roles of damage dealer, tanker, and magician, so he couldn¡¯t abandon any of them.


    However, Elizabeth nced at the options of Grid¡¯s essories using her ¡®Artisan¡¯s Eyes¡¯ and thought differently. ¡°You can stop wearing the jade bracelet and ne. They look like they have an effect as a set, but aren¡¯t they just unique rated essories?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Few items were as hard to find as essories, especially essory sets. A unique rated essory set had a simr value to legendary rated ornaments. Grid responded like he couldn¡¯t understand, causing Elizabeth to hit her chest with frustration.Still, Grid didn¡¯t show any reaction to her agitation. Elizabeth shouted at the nk-looking Grid, ¡°I can make much better bracelets and nes, even when considering the set effect! I don¡¯t need luck! It is enough just using the jewel materials that you brought!¡±


    However, there was a problem.


    ¡°But theserge jewels might be hard for me to work with...¡± Elizabeth had no confidence in working with S-grade jewels. A level higher than craftsman was required to work on them. In other words...


    ¡°You can make essories better than my current ones using the B-grade jewels but not the S-grade jewels?¡±


    The value of Belial¡¯s jewels were several times greater than what Grid had expected.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Elizabeth took out the B-grade jewels and confirmed it. ¡°The rating will be epic, but the effects will be better than the ne and bracelet set you are wearing now.¡±


    The number of jewels was enough. Grid had handed over 30 jewels to Elizabeth. There were 10 C-grade jewels, 10 B-grade jewels, and 10 S-grade jewels.Putting aside the 10 S-grade jewels, there was enough to make a ne, bracelet, and eight rings.


    ¡®This is a great opportunity.¡¯


    Elizabeth was more excited than Grid. She felt joyous at being lucky enough to craft essories using jewels which could only be obtained by raiding a great demon. As such, she revealed her inner feelings without knowing it. ¡°It¡¯s too bad. I could¡¯ve tried different things if I had more jewels.¡±


    ¡°I was told that people who want to ask formissions have to wait in a line? Would you take multiple orders from one person?¡±


    ¡°Of course! If I can work on more jewels like this, then I will work for you for a lifetime!"


    ¡°Lifetime...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Elizabeth¡¯s passionate yells toward Grid seemed like she was courting him. Eat Spicy Jokbal and Yura¡¯s troubled gazes worsened at the sight.


    ¡°There are dozens of people in my guild with 10 or 20 Belial jewels...¡± Grid pulled out shocking words.


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Elizabeth doubted her ears.


    She had thought that Grid¡¯s 30 jewels were all the jewels which Belial had dropped. It surprised her that there were still hundreds left. Elizabeth started shaking.She shook her head and seemed to decide something. ¡°I will go to the Overgeared Kingdom. This is beyond the concept of a VVIP guest. Since you are the king, can you give me a small workshop? Would it be better for me to join the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, do I not meet the conditions to join?¡±


    ¡°H-How can that be?¡±


    On this day...


    ¡°No, why do you kidnap someone everywhere you go? What the hell are you doing? Do you have a separate human trafficking skill? Do you have a legendary trafficker as a third ss? Huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had a pleasant surprise for Lauel after returning with Elizabeth.

 Chapter 857

    Valha¡¯s invasion of the Ultina Kingdom was entering the final phase.Ultina¡¯s outer fortresses had been destroyed, and the walls of the capital had been smashed through. After the fall of the fortified walls, Valha¡¯s strong army one-sidedly killed Ultina¡¯s weak soldiers who were obedient to the empire.


    The reason why the Ultina Kingdom could hold on was thanks to the struggles of the Ultina Guardian Knights, who hadpleted their fourth ss advancement. Pon had watched the news of Valha¡¯s invasion war when he logged out, and now he raised this question, ¡°Can we just stand by like this?¡±


    Just like the other Overgeared members, Pon was very wary of Valha. Overgeared and Valha were currently allies due to having amon enemy, the empire. Yet what if Valha became an enemy? Fostering Strong Soldiers¡ªAres¡¯ skill which allowed him to raise strong soldiers quickly¡ªwas cing enormous pressure on the Overgeared Kingdom.


    However, Lauel was surprisingly calm. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Just leave it alone.¡±


    ¡°What? Haven¡¯t you heard from the ones who went to support the Valha war? Ares¡¯ forces will soon be stronger than the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldiers. Their numbers are swelling and if they be stronger...¡±


    Lauel interrupted Pon¡¯s impassioned speech, ¡°Valha can be even stronger. No, they must be stronger.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Did Lauel experience side effects from eating chuuni medicine? Lauel¡¯s im that Valha should be stronger puzzled Pon. What was the reason for it? Pon could only think of one thing.¡°If Valha is stronger, we can join forces to bring down the empire?¡±


    ¡°Sigh... Sadness burns in my heart which is deeper than the sea... Humans live in a three-dimensional world but why are their thoughts so one-dimensional...¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    ¡°Pon, think about why you are wary about Valha. Do you think they might be an enemy one day?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°Yes. You should know that there are no eternal allies. But think about it. Will you live for eternity?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    What nonsense was this? The confused Pon then suddenly thought of something, and his eyes widened. Lauel ced his hand on his forehead and let out a sinisterugh. Pon gulped and asked carefully, ¡°Do you intend to hold hands with the empire?¡±


    ¡°Is there aw saying I can¡¯t?¡± Grid had already suggested the possibility. The Saharan Empire was different from the great demons. Unless they were absolutely evil, there were no unconditional enemies. So, their rtionship could change at any time. ¡°Wait and see. The empire won¡¯t stay still, and the goals of both nations will be bigger and bigger. Don¡¯t forget that we have a friendly rtionship with both nations and thus have the advantage, so stay calm.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Pon was reminded of something¡ªthe Overgeared Kingdom wouldn¡¯t exist if it wasn¡¯t for Lauel. If Grid hadn¡¯t grasped Lauel¡¯s heart and Lauel had be hostile to them, what would¡¯ve happened to the Overgeared Guild now? Pon was horrified just imagining it. Only Lauel¡¯s dismalughter was heard.


    Knock knock.


    Then someone knocked on the door of the office. Lauel confirmed the time and opened the door with a bright smile. The person who visited his office was none other than...


    ¡°Wee, Eat Spicy Jokbal. Come in.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Dungeon Maker Eat Spicy Jokbal made dungeons to protect something, trap enemies, or make people grow. His personal strength was estimated to be sun-grade, so Lauel, Pon, and the Overgeared Guild weed such a great ally. Both Lauel and Pon weed him with a bright smile.


    ¡°...What do you want?¡± On the other hand, Eat Spicy Jokbal seemed unhappy with the wee. He was staying in the Overgeared Kingdom because his niece Elizabeth had joined the Overgeared Guild, but he wasn¡¯t eager to join it as well. It was still hard to forgive Grid for causing the copse of Blood Carnival and taking away the insane dragon egg.


    ¡°If you want me to join the guild, stop here. I don¡¯t intend to join the Overgeared Guild. If you want to ask me to make a dungeon, stop. Do you think I would do anything good for you? Bah.¡±Eat Spicy Jokbal scoffed and turned to leave.


    ¡°Have you acquired the cooking skill?¡± Lauel asked apletely random question.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    Both Pon and Eat Spicy Jokbal were stunned. Lauel asked again, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a professional chef in reality? I think it is likely that you learned cooking in the game.¡±


    ¡°Well... That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t you know that there are many yers with cooking skills?¡±


    Cooking was amon skill which could be learned without being a chef. Of course, the skill couldn¡¯t increase to a high level without being a chef. However, it was better for yers to learn basic cooking for long adventures on the road. The same was true for Eat Spicy Jokbal.He was a true jokbal enthusiast who honed his cooking skill in order to be able to make jokbal on the road. For him, Lauel¡¯s suggestion was unexpected.¡°There is a chef called Poison Master in the basement of this castle. Why don¡¯t you learn cooking from him?¡±


    ¡°Poison what? What is this?¡±


    Learn cooking from a chef? By the way, why was the name of the chef Poison Master? Eat Spicy Jokbal was speechless for many reasons before realizing something. ¡°Are you trying to trick me into staying in this city for as long as possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. If you stay here, won¡¯t you end up liking us? Then you might join the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Nonsense! What benefits will I receive from learning to cook from the chef?¡±


    ¡°He is a chef from the East Continent. He can¡¯t cook, but his basic Cooking skill is very high. If you build up affinity while cooking with you, your Cooking skill level is likely to increase.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that I raise my Cooking skill level? Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°I am aware. You are Jang Doksoo, the current president of the Eat Spicy Jokbal Haenam Branch, who was once chairman of the Eat Spicy Jokbal Company¡¯s main branch. Don¡¯t you want to show off the taste of jokbal to the people of the world who are visiting the Overgeared Kingdom? Don¡¯t you want to increase the number of Eat Spicy Jokbal chain stores around the world? Don¡¯t you want to recover your position in the Eat Spicy Jokbalpany?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How long do you intend to be relegated to Haenam? Recall why you were raising money with Blood Carnival. Do you intend to give in to the traitors?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ***


    ¡°You want to watch?¡±Elizabeth¡¯s round eyes became slightly bigger. She was confused because there was no warning. Elizabeth had never met anyone who wanted to study her work. The delicate and static work was far from a spectacr sight. Other fields only took a few hours while she had to do tedious work for a few days. It was a far cry from the rtively colorful and brilliant cksmith¡¯s work.


    Elizabeth was puzzled and sighed a bit.¡®This person is thinking too simply.¡¯


    essory makers with the rank of craftsman spent a few hours to many days producing one item. Among them, particrly delicate work would take at least four days. However, a legendary cksmith was unlikely to know this fact. Why? He could easily make items due to the sspensation effect, and he couldn¡¯t help seeing other people¡¯s work as easy.


    ¡®I¡¯m aware that he demonstrated good skills in the National Competition.¡¯


    Yes, Elizabeth didn¡¯t ¡®ignore¡¯ Grid. The level of concentration and efficiency that he demonstrated in the National Competition was worthy of praise. It was expected that he had put in a lot of effort to build his current skills. However, Elizabeth was forced to think that Grid put in rtively less effort than people like her who worked hard to build up her skills.It was a reasonable assumption based on the fact that Satisfy was a game.


    In the game called Satisfy, the ability of the legendary ss was overwhelming. Since Grid was a legendary cksmith, she couldn¡¯t help thinking that he learned cksmithing techniques easily.


    ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t his fault.¡¯Elizabeth¡¯s eyes filled with pity as she looked at Grid, who thought it would be a few hours of easy work. She didn¡¯t hate Grid and realized that she should instead resent the S.A Group for making the cksmithing job ¡®easy¡¯ for him.


    ¡°Okay. Feel free to visit although I don¡¯t know how long you will stay.¡±


    At the center of a high-end shopping district which housed a wide range of cosmetic and jewelry stores. There was a colorful and luxurious small store. The sign on the store said ¡®Elizabeth¡¯s Workshop¡¯. It was a new workshop the Overgeared Kingdom hat up to wee Elizabeth, a craftsman level essories maker. Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were excited as she entered with Grid and looked around. ¡°Both the internal structure and the equipment are amazing... You have thoroughly listened to my requests and even thought about parts that I hadn¡¯t thought of.¡±


    Grid was a delicate man, unlike his outward appearance.


    ¡®Yes, he is a man who cares about details. This is how he was able to get powerhouses to join the Overgeared Guild and how he was had been able to capture Yura¡¯s heart.¡¯


    Elizabeth¡¯s gaze toward Grid changed as she was forced to evaluate Grid much higher than before. However, she had to treat Grid the individual and Grid the legendary cksmith separately.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get started.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Elizabeth sat in front of a table and warned as she raised a magnifying ss, ¡°I will warn you, this won¡¯t be fun. You won¡¯t understand by watching from the side. If you be bored, feel free to leave.¡±


    ¡°You are very kind.¡±Grid didn¡¯t know what Elizabeth thought of him, so he just epted her warning as goodwill stemming from kindness. Elizabeth was embarrassed by Grid¡¯s bright smile. The Grid that she had seen in various media outlets was an arrogant person, but wasn¡¯t he actually pure enough to feel like an idiot?


    The bright smile of an adult man gave off a strange charm, and Elizabeth suddenly became aware that she was in a small space with someone of the opposite sex. Her face turned red as she recalled the exhrating feeling she¡¯d felt when she shook his hand.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing! It¡¯s nothing!¡±


    Elizabeth ignored the concerned Grid and pulled out the package of jewels. First, she took out 400 Belial C-grade jewels. They were C-grade, but they were much more beautiful and solidpared to the finest rubies and emeralds. The C-grade jewels boasted the splendor and hardness of diamond of the highest grade.


    The amazing thing was that these jewels were still close to being jewels. It was difficult to predict how much more beautiful they would be after Elizabeth, a craftsman-level essories maker, worked on them.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±Elizabeth took a deep breath and raised her concentration to the extreme. Then she slowly and carefully started working. Once the marking process waspleted, she would cleave, cut, and shape the jewel. Her hands were careful, just like when she had been at the final gateway in the test to be a craftsman, and her concentration was maintained throughout the night.


    The next morning...


    ¡°Beautiful...¡±Elizabeth finally had a gorgeously shining jewel in front of her. She gave a bright smile of satisfaction and finally remembered Grid, whom she had forgotten about.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even know when he left.¡¯


    She had forgotten that he had even been there in the first ce. It was the aftermath of being too concentrated.


    ¡®Grid must¡¯ve gone back.¡¯ While thinking this, Elizabeth stretched only to end up screaming, ¡°Kuooooh... Kyaaack?!¡±


    Grid was still watching her from the spot where he had been sitting yesterday.


    ¡°Y-You. What are you doing here?


    Grid¡¯s hands were itchy as he responded casually, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it? I will watch.¡±


    After watching Elizabeth work all night, he got a hint about something.


    ¡°The jewels... Depending on the hardness, can they be attached to actual equipment like swords or armor?¡±

 Chapter 858

    ¡°The jewels... Depending on the hardness, can they be attached to actual equipment like swords or armor?¡±


    If so, Grid would be able to attach the stats and resistance from Belial¡¯s jewels to his equipment.Thebination of battle gear and jewels would lead to the further development of being overgeared. Elizabeth nodded at Grid who was filled with anticipation. ¡°It isn¡¯t a bad idea and is a rather idealbination. Arge number of essory makers and cksmiths have already tried it, but they failed.¡±


    This was because there was a fundamental problem.


    ¡°The toughness (resistance to breaking) of the jewels isn¡¯t proportional to hardness. Apart from some special jewels, most jewels are easy to break. Even the famous diamonds are vulnerable to shock impact. It is the same for Belial¡¯s jewels. That¡¯s why it is very rare to attach jewels to equipment that aren¡¯t intended for ceremonial and decorative purposes.A solid jewel that continuously receives impact from weapons like a sword or a spear will soon be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°What are shock resistant special gems?¡±


    ¡°They are typically ck diamonds. But they are special jewels that I can¡¯t work on. Perhaps it is the realm of a legendary essories maker...¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Disappointment filled Grid¡¯s face. It was annoying to hear that the idea he thought of was useless. However, this onlysted for a moment.


    ¡®Wait?¡¯ Grid was suddenly reminded of a crown. Why had he postponed the production of a crown after bing the First King?It was because he couldn¡¯t put splendid jewels in the crown which was a symbol of power and honor, but it was also because he hadn¡¯t been able to acquire a skilled essories maker.


    Thus, he had put off making the crown. If he remembered something that was buried in his memories...


    ¡®I can wear a crown and a helmet at the same time while hiding the appearance of one.¡¯


    Grid now had a good essories maker andrge quantities of excellent jewels. He could make a crown with 10 jewels attached, simr to the emperor¡¯s crown.That way, his stats would rise significantly. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t wear a crown in battle. The jewels would soon be destroyed, and there would be arge loss of assets. Then what about Grid?


    ¡®I can put a helmet over the crown. The abilities of the crown would be applied in full, but there would be no need to worry about the jewels being destroyed.¡¯


    One of the greatest benefits of the First King title was the addition of an ¡®equipment slot¡¯ which no one else had. Other people had to choose one item for their head, such as a helmet, hat, crown, and so on, while Grid could wear one crown and one headpiece.


    In fact, Grid had used the Holy Light Crown to experiment with adding a helmet over a crown or a crown over a helmet. In other words, by wearing a crown under the helmet, he would be able to apply the crown¡¯s abilities while the durability of the crown would be protected by the helmet. He didn¡¯t know how it would be for equipment items, but this meant he could attach the jewels to the crown and securely gain the ability to increase his stats with the jewels! Still, there was a problem.


    ¡®The helmet must be big enough to wear over the crown.¡¯


    In the past three years, Grid had been wearing the Thick Helmet that he¡¯d made along with Triple Layers. As its name suggested, the thick helmet boasted a high physical defense and arge size. It was possible to wear the helmet over the Holy Light Crown.


    Then could it be used with a new crown? The answer was NO. Grid wanted to attach as many jewels as possible to the new crown, but he also had to pay attention to the design. The size of the new crown would naturally berger than the Holy Light Crown, so the helmet that was worn over it naturally had to grow in size.


    ¡®The helmet...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed. If he made a helmetrge enough to wear over the crown, he feared that his eyesight would be disturbed and his movements slowed down.


    ¡®Ah?¡¯Grid saw Elizabeth working on the next jewel and remembered something. It was something that Lim Cheolho had worn when he visited Grid¡¯s house to celebrate his birthday.


    ¡®A cone hat...!¡¯


    In standardnguage, it was a pointed hat¡ªa three-dimensional triangr shaped hat.


    ¡®If I raise the height of the helmet, I will have enough space to wear a crown and my field of view won¡¯t be disturbed because the left and right dimensions are narrow.¡¯


    ¡®Wow, I really am a genius,¡¯ Grid thought about himself admirably.


    He only cared about the shape of the crown, which affected a king¡¯s dignity, and didn¡¯t pay attention to the shape of the helmet, but it wasn¡¯t because he was acting stupid again. As a result of the First King title, Grid could choose the ¡®exposed appearance¡¯ to be either a helmet or a crown. Once the helmet was worn over the crown, he could choose the appearance of the crown and then get the ¡®cool¡¯ effect.


    Grid was thinking along when he suddenly started tough, causing Elizabeth to look at him. ¡°Did something good happen?¡±


    Then Grid asked her, ¡°Is there a limit on the number of jewels that can be attached to an item? For example, how many jewels can be attached to a ring?¡±


    ¡°I can attach dozens of small jewels. But then the ring won¡¯t have a function.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The jewels need to be a certain size to show a good performance. The performance of the jewels will disappear if they are too small.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Then the rings that yers wear only have one jewel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°How many jewels can be attached to a crown before the performance is lost?¡±


    ¡°10. Shouldn¡¯t you know this since you have directly met the emperor? There are a total of 10 jewels embedded in the emperor¡¯s crown.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That is the best number. Compared to nes where three jewels can be attached, the crown is the best item to raise the power of the jewels to the limit. Of course, the only person who can fight with a jeweled crown is the emperor.¡±


    ¡®No, there¡¯s another person here.¡¯Grid smiled while suppressing the words in his throat.


    Elizabeth asked, ¡°I assume the jewels initially crafted will be used by the other Overgeared members and not by you?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I have worked on Belial¡¯s jewels. The quality of the jewels at the start will inevitably be low. The options of the jewels craftedter will be better. You should make essories out of theter jewels.¡±


    ¡°No. I will make it with the initial jewels.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear my exnation? The jewels worked on initially are rtively inferior. Look at this.¡±Elizabeth handed Grid the Belial¡¯s ck Jewel that she had worked on all night.


    Grid looked at the information of the jewel.


    [inly Crafted Belial¡¯s ck Jewel (C)]


    [* Intelligence +6.


    * Shadow Resistance +2%


    A ck jewel crafted by Elizabeth, a craftsman level essory maker. It is not bad.]


    ¡°The next few jewels will be better as I be more proficient. At that time, ¡®delicately crafted¡¯ or ¡®perfectly crafted¡¯ jewels can be found. Then the additional stats will increase by at least 1¨C3.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t a kid, so did she have to exin such things? Elizabeth had met many clients and was well aware of human greed. In particr, the greed of the top rankers couldn¡¯t be controlled, and they always wanted to get the best jewels. That¡¯s right. Elizabeth thought that Grid wanted the best jewels to make the essories out of, so the more inferior jewels would be left to Grid¡¯s subordinates. However, an unexpected answer was received.


    ¡°Give the better jewels to my colleagues. I am strong enough without the jewels.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s ID had the meaning of greed. In fact, Grid came across as greedy through all media tforms. So, was he acting right now? No, he wasn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t see any pretenses in Grid¡¯s expression and attitude. Grid smiled warmly at the baffled Elizabeth.


    ¡°The stronger my colleagues, the stronger I am. I want my colleagues to be strong for myself and for them.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I might¡¯ve wanted good jewels if I didn¡¯t have the S-grade jewels.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Someday you will be able to make S-grade jewelry, right? Until then, I am happy to wait.¡±


    ¡®Ah, there are many types of people in this world.¡¯


    Elizabeth felt shouldn¡¯t judge people by their appearance. The 20-year-old young woman who had just entered university gained a new enlightenment. There was a faint sense of trust in her eyes as she looked at Grid.


    ¡®The Overgeared Guild... It might be good to stay for a while.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Hrmmm.¡±


    It was the fourth day after Elizabeth started working. Elizabeth¡¯s speed of working on the jewels increased slightly as she rapidly umted skill experience. She worked on jewels all night and thenughed at the sight of Grid.


    ¡°Oppa is really incredible.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t surprised anymore. The patience Grid disyed as he sat by her side for four days was beyond Elizabeth¡¯s expectations.


    She sat down next to Grid and gave a small nod. ¡°Now I understand. It was never easy for Oppa. You are always cautious and invest a lot of time into your work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How can anything be easy in this world?¡±


    Elizabeth naturally called Grid as ¡®Oppa¡¯. Since he was a fellow Korean who was older than her, she was embarrassed to call him by name. However, they had be familiar in the process of staying in the workshop together and oveing prejudices.


    Additionally, Elizabeth was the same age as his younger sister, so Grid didn¡¯t dislike Elizabeth¡¯s attitude change. Rather, she seemed like a cute little sister. Grid also spoke in a casual manner with Elizabeth, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired from working all night? Do you want a massage?¡±


    Despite his words, Grid was also very tired. He had designed a new crown and helmet while watching Elizabeth work. Then when Elizabeth logged out, he went to the hunting grounds to raise the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ levels. Grid had spent thesest four days like he had two or three bodies. That¡¯s why his head was in a muddled state and he carelessly talked about a massage.


    ¡°Really? I would appreciate it,¡± Elizabeth epted Grid¡¯s offer with a wide smile. Grid smiled back and touched Elizabeth¡¯s shoulders without any hidden intentions.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Elizabeth¡¯srge eyes and white shoulders shook as soon as Grid touched her. The tired Grid didn¡¯t notice the subtle change and put more strength in his fingertips.


    ¡°Haat!¡±


    As soon as Grid¡¯s big and hard fingers pressed against her neck, Elizabeth felt strength drain from her body. She couldn¡¯t help leaning back on Grid¡¯s wide chest. Her eyes lost light as she gazed at the ceiling. The sensations running through her body were beyond description...


    Eat Spicy Jokbal hade to visit his niece at her workshop before going to work in the kitchen.


    ¡°What are you doing noooooow?!!¡± His loud and furious voice rang out through the workshop. ¡°You are worse than a beast! You already have two girlfriends, yet you are touching my niece...!!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a girlfriend...¡±


    ¡°What? You have Yura and Jishuka! I¡¯m envious... No, you are a bad guy! You are the enemy of all men!¡±


    ¡°What the hell... Hik!¡±Grid was forced to leave the workshop because he was kicked out by the furious sword-wielding Eat Spicy Jokbal. Then Grid ran toward the smithy. ¡®What is wrong with Eat Spicy Jokbal in the morning? Sigh, let¡¯s make a helmet and a crown.¡¯

 Chapter 859

    [Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 180/180 Defense: 20


    * Intelligence +300


    * Dignity +200


    -When 3 set items are equipped: Defense +500, health +6,000.


    -A crown that the legendary cksmith Pagma made for 5th Pope Franz.]


    This was the crown that Grid had favored for numerous years. He always used this shining crown for official events or when using magic. Grid rotated the small crown hanging from his fingertips. He watched the Holy Light Crown, which had already been used, disassemble and reassemble several times to raise the understanding to 100%.


    ¡®The crown is an essory, not a defense equipment.¡¯


    Unlike a helmet designed for defense, it was easy to aim for stats or options depending on the design. As a special equipment only allowed for those on the throne, the value of the crown was very high. In fact, the crown, which Grid had designed for the purpose of ¡®showing off¡¯ after founding the Overgeared Kingdom, had 190 dignity attached to it.


    ¡®This time, my crown will be designed for battle.¡¯


    Due to the influence of his production intent, there was a great deal of room to raise battle-rted stats.


    ¡®If I add the 10 jewels that Elizabeth crafted...¡¯


    Based on the C-grade jewels, he could gain an addition 60 strength and 20% attribute resistance. Grid¡¯s desire to used Braham¡¯s enhanced magic, which could be obtained once his intelligence increased, caused his motivation to re up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the production!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is starting to work!¡±


    ¡°Gather all the cksmiths in Reinhardt!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    As hundreds of people gathered in a huge smithy, Grid started the production of the new crown he had designed in thest four days. It was a new crown based on the Holy Light Crown and the crown of the Saharan Empire.


    Unlike with ordinary crowns, he chose to use mithril instead of gold and silver for this one. Mithril was stronger and lighter than gold and silver, and it also possessed a high rate of assimtion with attributes. Additionally, it had a silver color which Grid thought matched better with his ck hair.


    In fact, he wanted to use the Seolkwang Stone which was harder and more expensive than mithril but had the same silver color. However, there was none in the auction house, and Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to secure it. He only knew about the presence of the ore through Pagma¡¯s knowledge, and he hadn¡¯t handled it directly.


    ¡®Well, I can make the crown again once it became avable at ater time.¡¯


    Belial¡¯s red and ck jewels only raised intelligence. There woulde a time when he needed a crown which gave him other stats.Grid made the crown while thinking this. Velvet didn¡¯t cover the crown, which was light and oval-shaped, closely resembling a tiara.


    Grid melted the mithril in the extremely high temperature of the furnace.


    ***


    ¡®Is it over?¡¯


    This was after the battle at Gerad Mountain. Yura had returned to the Overgeared Kingdom with Grid and Elizabeth. Now she was waiting for the right opportunity to report what she had seen in hell¡ªGrid¡¯s clone that was a named ss NPC. In fact, this was a touchy subject for Grid. Think about it.How creepy and unpleasant would it be to realize that someone who looked exactly like you was currently ¡®living¡¯ somewhere else?


    Yura decided not to talk about the clone until Gridpleted his current project. She was afraid that she might disturb his concentration.


    ¡°It is finished!¡±


    After spending four days in Elizabeth¡¯s workshop and a week in the smithy, Grid finally solved the task at hand. The rumor that he was making a new crown and helmet had already spread among the Overgeared members.


    ¡°You worked hard!¡±


    ¡°What fraudulent item did you make this time?¡±


    Grid rarely produced items with a bad performance. The members of the Overgeared Guild gathered after hearing the news and showed interest in their shining eyes. Yura was among them.She wanted to see the crown and helmet that Grid made before telling him about the clone.


    ¡®They will definitely be wonderful and excellent items.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s and the Overgeared members¡¯ expectations were rising.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡±Elizabeth now treated Grid with affection. This was a sharp contrast to her unfriendly attitude one week ago.She looked like a doll and was very cute when she attached the title of Oppa to him.


    ¡°The new member is cute.¡±


    ¡°She is a great talent.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I have a lovely and dependable little sister.¡±


    Yura felt somehow annoyed when all the Overgeared members looked at Elizabeth with a gentle expression.


    ¡°It is thanks to Elizabeth.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t read Yura¡¯s emotions and stroked Elizabeth¡¯s head before pulling out the crown. It was a crown embedded with the ten jewels which Elizabeth had crafted. The crown of mithril shone in the light while the ten jewels were of a darker red than a ruby. The red jewels seemed to have a darkness that was deeper than an abyss. They weren¡¯t that shy, but they felt elegant.


    Everyone gulped as Grid ced the crown on his head. Grid could no longer have short hair after bing king, so he had grown it to a moderate length. The blend of his sharp eyes, his ck hair, and the beautiful silver crown disyed a neutral charm.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    His body was tempered, and his face had matured as he grew older and experienced all types of things. Compared tost year, Grid¡¯s appearance had improved, and the Overgeared members felt an affinity with him, regardless of their gender. Everyone felt a great attraction toward Grid.


    Duguen, duguen. In the silent smithy, someone¡¯s heart was beating exceptionally loudly. This sound didn¡¯tst long though.


    ¡°Next is this.¡±Grid ced the helmet over the crown. It was a helmet in the form of a cone and had a height of at least 50 centimeters.


    ¡°...¡±


    Dignity could no longer be seen in Grid¡¯s appearance as he wore the iron cone hat. Everyone was speechless, and someone burst outughing. The silence was broken.


    ¡°Puhahaha! What? Look at that stupid appearance! Puhahahat!¡±


    ¡°Vantner, why are youughing? I think it is better to wear that helmet than to be bald.¡±


    ¡°Pon, you son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it that funny? Grid was puzzled by the people¡¯s response and stood in front of a mirror. There was an alien in the mirror. An alien with a long and pointed head. It was almost as if...


    ¡°...I look like a squid.¡±


    Yes, he was an ugly squid. Grid¡¯s face reddened, and he used the First King title effect.


    ¡°Hide the helmet.¡±


    [The appearance of the helmet has been hidden to keep the dignity of the first king. The appearance is now hidden but the ability remains.


    ¡°Phew...¡± Grid sighed with relief as he checked his appearance in the mirror. The feeling of wearing the heavy helmet disappeared while the stats remained intact. He was shown to be wearing a crown again, so he was no longer a squid. Lauel approached Grid who was feeling relieved. Strangely, Lauel¡¯s expression was very serious. He looked like a man going to a funeral. Had something bad happened?


    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s going on?¡±Grid noticed the atmosphere and felt worried.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Lauel spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°Please don¡¯t even show that appearance again. I almost quit the guild. I felt a pain simr to losing my sight forever.¡±


    ¡°...¡± For the first time, Grid was able to understand Lauel¡¯s feelings.He hurriedly nodded and defended himself, ¡°I will always hide the image like this. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Why did you make the helmet look like that in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be morefortable to wear over a crown... Don¡¯t worry. It looks like that, but the performance is impressive.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it should be. It doesn¡¯t make sense if the performance is as garbage as the appearance. The performance should be equivalent to a myth rated item.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Grid thought that it couldn¡¯t be like this. He judged that he should share the item information to calm down the atmosphere as soon as possible.


    Ttiring~


    [yer Grid wishes to share the item information with you. Would you like to ept?]


    This message appeared in front of all the Overgeared members, and they naturally epted.


    [Overgeared King¡¯s Crown]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 270/270 Defense: 33


    Defense +60


    Intelligence +65


    Dignity +400


    Fire resistance +20%


    Shadow Resistance +15%


    * There is a low probability of ¡®confusing¡¯ anyone who looks at it.


    * Maintains loyalty without needing to give a gift.


    A crown created through the coboration of Grid, a legendary cksmith who is bing a myth, and the craftsman level essory Maker Elizabeth. It is beautiful and elegant. The household gods are very proud of the person who wears this crown.


    The magic power of Great Demon Belial contained in the jewels often makes people confused.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 267]


    [Cone Helmet]


    [Rating: Legendary (Degraded)


    Durability: 496/496 Defense: 450


    -A cone-shaped helmet.


    It is made by the cksmith Grid who is bing a myth beyond a legend.


    The material is very hard because Grid spent a few days tempering the iron mixed with a small amount of Belial¡¯s leather.


    However, the debate on its appearance will never end. It is hard to see the intentions of the cone shape.


    It has enough defense to be a legendary item for a long time, but the appearance...


    * The stats have room to fall depending on the behavior of the wearer.


    User Restriction: More than 3,000 strength. Level 340 or more.


    Weight: 4,820]


    ¡°What...¡±


    The Overgeared King¡¯s Crown suited its name, and the helmet¡¯s name and description matched its appearance. They seemed to be great items, yet...


    The Overgeared members felt both confusion and admiration. It was the same symptoms that Grid had experienced afterpleting the items. That¡¯s right. Grid had been in great chaos from producing a bizarre legendary itembeled as ¡®degraded.¡¯


    ¡°Well... either way, a legend is a legend...¡±


    In fact, the performance was legendary. The helmet contained a defense equivalent to armor of the same level. Grid was feeling satisfied with this reaction when Yura approached him.


    ¡°I have something to tell you. Do you know about your clone?¡±


    ¡°My clone?¡±


    What was this? Grid¡¯s face turned red as he thought about it. There was only one thing that popped up when hearing of a ¡®clone.¡¯


    ¡°Did you think of something?¡±


    ¡°N-No, what is this?¡±


    ¡°I saw it in hell, your clone.¡±


    ¡°What? Hell?¡±


    Why was his clone in hell? Grid stopped as his hand was moving to his crotch to check. Something crossed his mind.


    ¡°Can you tell me more?¡±


    Simultaneously, at the Yatan temple...


    ¡°There is a rumor that a vile traitor is poking around our sanctuary. Show the traitor our god¡¯s power. The other Yatan Servants will help you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I dly do so!¡±


    Rose, who had been able to be the 1st ranked ck magician thanks to Yura¡¯s absence, received a hidden quest. It was thergest quest since the one to summon Belial.

 Chapter 860

    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    The result of the Overgeared King¡¯s Crown was better than Grid had expected. It was honestly surprising that his crown was superior to the legendary set item, the Holy Light Crown, which Pagma had made.


    ¡®It is inevitable that the intelligence given is low.¡¯


    The Overgeared King¡¯s Crown had been produced with the intention of increasing Grid¡¯s physicalbat power. So, it was natural to end up with a crown which gave defense instead of intelligence. He only got the additional 65 intelligence due to Belial¡¯s jewels.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit disappointed with theck of force...¡¯


    Still, Grid knew the power of the ¡®confusion¡¯ abnormal status. A confused target would lose attack power and have their defense lowered. This ¡®confusion¡¯ effect attached to the Overgeared King¡¯s Crownforted Grid.


    The confusion state attached to the crown was likely to mislead everyone who looked at the wearer. It was a passive skill with no mana consumption or cooldown time, and it could also be a wide-range CC skill. This effect wasn¡¯t just like a scam. It was so good that it was almost criminal.


    ¡°Hrmm... By the way...¡±


    Grid seriously observed his ¡®dull but decent¡¯ appearance in the mirror. The existence of the clone that Yura told him about was constantly on his mind. He thought about the clone he¡¯d met on the Behen Archipgo. That clone had fully understood and used the potential of the Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss. He had shown great skill and given Grid a sense of helplessness by using fusion skills that Grid had yet to be capable of.


    Before the clone, Grid had been at the level of a young child. As the battle continued, the gap with the clone had increased rather than narrowed, and it then reached a stage where Grid thought it would be impossible to win. He ended up knocking the clone down by relying on the Motley il as ast resort...


    ¡®That guy died while using ckening.¡¯


    Grid had experienced it personally. He had died in the ckened state and fallen to hell previously. Was it the same for the clone?


    ¡®What if due to some error, the clone literally settled in hell?¡¯


    Yura stated that his clone was in the ckened state.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. I was banished from hell once ckening was released. What if the clone couldn¡¯t remove ckening and he stayed in hell?¡¯


    Grid made a nervous expression. He was afraid that this opponent, who he hadn¡¯t been able to beat, had not died and might still be looking for him. Grid had obtained 100,000 Army Swordsmanship, steadily improved his items, gained the power of great demons, and so on... So, why did he feel fearful when he was so strong?


    It was because it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Yura reported that the clone had used a five-technique fusion skill. He had also shown off a whole new technique called Flower. Flower was easy to interpret as the clone opening up the potential of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, and Grid hoped that he could learn it someday. However...


    ¡®What the hell is a linked five-technique skill?¡¯


    Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡ªthe reason Grid had been able tobine these four skills was due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. Thanks to a god¡¯s help, he had learned a sword technique which could threaten the gods. In the aftermath, he had received bacsh from the other gods.


    ¡®This technique has four skills...


    Yet the clone fused five skills? Grid found it hard to understand. Doubts rose with him about whether Yura was mistaken about what she had seen. Then he thought of one hypothesis.


    ¡®Did the clone receive Yatan¡¯s blessing? Then that would mean it is possible to fuse five skills by using the unique potential of Pagma¡¯s Descendant...¡¯


    No matter how he thought about it, Grid didn¡¯t know the answer.He trembled with nervousness as his thoughts had beplicated.


    ¡°No, what are the great demons doing... Ah?¡±


    Grid was amazed by something. He btedly recalled the surprise that 32nd Great Demon Belial had shown back when he appeared and how she had called him a ¡®soulless man.¡¯


    ¡®Was she talking about the clone?¡¯


    In other words, the great demons were also aware of the existence of the clone. Belial, in particr, was wary about him. Grid was able to infer that they didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. Indeed, the clone hadn¡¯t died and was instead alive in hell. There was only one conclusion.


    The present clone that made even great demons wary...


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    The clone had been born in order to kill Grid. If he was alive, then Grid would forever need to be vignt, causing Grid to feel a greater sense of despair the stronger he became. Grid crouched down in frustration.


    ¡°Father.¡± A small boy approached him. The boy¡¯s blue eyes wererge and deep. He had inherited his mother¡¯s milky skin and his father¡¯s ck hair.The name of the beautiful boy with a promising future was Lord.


    ¡°Lord, what¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t you have to get up early tomorrow to go to the Vatican?¡±


    For Grid, Lord was his real flesh and blood. He truly loved Lord. Grid hugged Lord because he was worried about his son. Lord giggled as he felt his father¡¯s big and warm arms! He smiled shyly with a red face.¡°It¡¯s nothing. I came to see Father.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. My Lord, you cane see me at any time. I will always wee you.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, no. Lord doesn¡¯t want to hinder Father with my greed. Father is busy protecting the kingdom and its people. I¡¯lle and see you asionally.¡±


    ¡°Lord...¡±Grid patted Lord¡¯s head, and his eyes became wet from Lord¡¯s remarkable consideration. This was why he felt warm. Yes, Lord was real. At least in this world, Lord was a real human and he was Grid¡¯s blood.


    Kiss.


    How good would it be if they were together in reality? Grid swallowed his regrets and kissed the back of his son¡¯s small head.


    ¡°Father, if you have any difficulties, put them behind you. Lord will grow quickly so I can protect Father.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    At this moment, Grid decided that he would bring peace to the Overgeared Kingdom before Lord became an adult. He would ensure that this lovely child would never have to go through hardships.


    ¡®Clone, you are just a fragment of me.¡¯


    Grid would destroy all beings that threatened him and his surroundings. At this thought, Grid¡¯s gaze became colder than moonlight.


    ***


    ¡°Go well.¡±


    The morning sun tinged Reinhardt with gold. In the early morning, the streets were peaceful and beautiful, but not all the cityndscapes were as good as here.


    ¡°I hope you have afortable trip.¡±


    In Grid¡¯s eyes, Irene was the most beautiful woman in the world. There was deep affection in Grid¡¯s eyes as he kissed her cheek. He was grateful and proud of his loving and wise wife.


    ¡°Father! Me too!¡±Lord spread open his arms as he asked for a kiss.


    Grid kissed Lord¡¯s cute cheek and then spoke to Kasim, ¡°You are responsible for their safety regardless of the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kasim¡¯s voice which emerged from the shadows gave a strong sense of trust to Grid. Irene and Lord had received Pope Damian¡¯s invitation and was going to visit the Vatican. The destination was safe, and the escorts were amazing. King of Shadows Kasim, the knight Chucksley, Royman, and the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates were escorting Irene and Lord. It wouldn¡¯t happen but even Agnus wouldn¡¯t be able to easily break through this guard.


    ¡®Is this enough?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes shifted to Mercedes standing by his side. Mercedes read Grid¡¯s anxiety and asked, ¡°Do you want me to join the escort?¡±


    Although Mercedes¡¯ top priority was Grid¡¯s safety, she realized on the day they met Merchant King Kir that Grid wanted her to be flexible. As such, Mercedes was willing to leave Grid for a short while if that was what he desired. Grid thought about it before shaking his head.¡°No, that isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    There were already enough escorts. Damian would also be sending a separate escort. Irene and Lord were safe, and it would be a waste of manpower to send more escorts. Grid was a king and knew how to separate public and private matters. He decided that it wasn¡¯t right to attach Mercedes as an escort.


    ¡°Go safely.¡± Grid smiled while waving. He watched until the carriage carrying Lord and Irenepletely disappeared from view.


    ***


    ¡°Kik? What?¡± The man with green hair burst outughing. Once his big mouth opened from left to right, white pointed teeth were revealed. Agnus dwelled in his madness for a moment before calming down. ¡°I was told that ording to the terms of the contract, you need to help with the raid on the Vatican.¡±


    A contract existed between Agnus and the Yatan Church. Agnus would be helped in the process of making the Stone of Life while the Yatan Church could take advantage of his strength. In the first ce, Baal¡¯s Contractor had an inseparable rtionship with the Yatan Church.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± The smile disappeared from Agnus¡¯ face. He checked the contents of the quest and finally got up. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    For Agnus, the Yatan Church was a necessary force, so he was forced to ept the quest to maintain his favor with them.


    Rose¡¯s face became radiant when she received his answer.At this point, she still had no idea that the trump card she had prepared would end up grabbing her ankles. It was naturally hard to imagine.


    ***


    The Vatican was busy. There was a lot of work to be done since the queen and prince of the Overgeared Kingdom, who had a deep rtionship with the Reba Church, was visiting the Vatican personally. Still, Damian was looking forward to it. It was difficult to imagine how strong Lord¡¯s divine power had be after all this time.


    Isabel, Reba¡¯s Daughter, started scolding him, ¡°Please take care of your body.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum, if Isabel-chan says so.¡±


    In the distance, carriages were moving up the foothills and entering the Vatican. The carriage which arrived before the statue of Goddess Reba wasrge and gorgeous. Everyone was able to have a glimpse of the considerable wealth that the Overgeared Kingdom had umted.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±The Reba believers found a young boy getting off the carriage and let out a burst of exmations. In particr, the elders felt in awe of him. They hadn¡¯t been expecting much, but now their attitudes changed. They hurriedly went down the stairs and greeted Lord personally. This was how they evaluated Lord:


    ¡°A true pope!¡±


    ¡°No, why was a pope born to the Overgeared King...?¡±


    Damian felt slightly burdened. The elders around him were busy talking about Lord, and the lonely Damian buried his face in Isabel¡¯s shoulder. Then Lord discovered him and shouted, ¡°Teacher Damian!¡±


    ¡°You came! My cute Lord-chan!¡±


    The boy who stole the hearts of the Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates and the Reba¡¯s Daughters met after a long time. Was it an illusion that the face of Reba looking down at them from the statue was slightly dark today? Isabel felt vaguely anxious.

 Chapter 861

    Damian heard that she had entered her 30s, yet Irene was still pure and beautiful. She didn¡¯t look like she had aged at all. Irene had already been a perfect woman even before she matured.


    ¡®She is older than Grid.¡¯


    There was a bittersweet smile on Damian¡¯s face as he watched Irene put down her cup of tea. He was also in love with Isabel, so he felt that the gap between yers and NPCs was painful and sad. Irene was looking affectionately at her son, Lord, who was embarrassed about being stuck between the bald elders. Damian continued to smile as he also turned his attention to Lord.¡°Prince Lord has better manners now. Despite his innate talent that pierces the heavens, his humble and upright nature is thanks to your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No. The prince was born with a good heart.¡±


    Personality wasn¡¯t something that could be resolved merely through education alone. Irene was a prominent noble from the fallen Eternal Kingdom, and she had witnessed numerous corrupted aristocrats. Didn¡¯t they hurt the weak with ease and only care about their own interests despite what they¡¯d been taught? Thus, Irene was always grateful to Lord. She was proud of her son who respected everyone, regardless of their status.


    ¡®He is like Grid.¡¯ Irene smiled when she thought of her husband. It would be the same even if she knew about Grid¡¯s earlier personality. To her, Grid was everything.


    ¡°...¡±


    Under the sunlight, Irene¡¯s smile was lovely. Damian¡¯s and Isabel¡¯s cheeks flushed red as they gazed at her. Then Damian shook his head and rose from his seat. ¡°Hum hum. Elders, don¡¯t bother Prince Lord since he must be tired. I will take him back.¡±


    Damian said goodbye to Irene and crossed the green grass. His gait contained the aggressiveness of a pdin, rather than the nobility of a priest. It was one of the reasons why the elders didn¡¯t like Damian. Nevertheless, were there any humans in the world with no shorings? Not all the elders felt frustrated about Damian. Some of them acknowledged him, while others had high expectations for him. In fact, Damian was a great pope whenpared to the fallen Pope Drevigo and the snake-like candidate, Pascal. So, it was best for the church that the elders supported Pope Damian, who was already in his third year.


    ¡°Elders, let the prince go. The prince will suffocate from the smell of old bachelors.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    The elders, who were obsessed with the divine power that Lord gave off, regained their spirits btedly. They were ashamed that they had forgotten about the boy¡¯s suffering and now tried to give him a helping hand. However, they were smiling instead of blushing with shame.


    ¡°Prince Lord, I¡¯ll see you at dinner. Let¡¯s talk again.¡±


    ¡°Prince, don¡¯t forget to pray to Goddess Reba.¡±


    ¡°The goddess will bless you...¡±


    The elders bowed before stepping back. They werepletely fascinated by Lord¡¯s divine power and spoke to him like he was the goddess¡¯ messenger. Lord was finally able to breathe after they retreated! He gasped for air as Damian shrugged and said,¡°Sometimes, it is okay to be immature. If you already care about the eyes of others at this age, you will soon be old.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be old than embarrass Father.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Lord¡¯s behavior was praiseworthy. Still, Damian felt regretful and patted Lord¡¯s hair unconsciously.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    No matter how young Lord was, he was still the prince of a kingdom, so it was very rude for Damian to ce his hands on Lord¡¯s head. Damian was still apologizing when Lord entered his arms.


    ¡°Please stroke my hair, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Haat! Lord-chan, so cute!¡±


    In the end...


    ¡°Your Holiness! This rudeness...!¡±


    ¡°Think about your dignity, Your Holiness!¡±


    Damian wasughing while acting as Lord¡¯s horse! Heughed loudly as he ran through the gardens of the Vatican, while the panicked Isabel and Reba¡¯s Daughters tried to stop him. Irene was happy to see this peaceful sight as she sat under the shade of a tree. Meanwhile, the Overgeared Knights escorting her and Lord were stunned. It was amazing that the Reba Church¡¯s pope, one of the biggest powers next to the Saharan Empire, was treating their little prince as his nephew. They felt proud, and a chill ran down their spines.


    In particr, Coke felt very proud.


    ¡®The rtionship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the Reba Church is deeper than the rumors say. It is good that I came to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    Coke¡ªas one of the third generation 10 Rookies, he had recognized the potential of the Overgeared Kingdom early on. Back when he had been convinced that he was a genius, he traveled to the fortified city of Patrian and was then beaten by a bone Piaro had thrown. Convinced about the future of the Overgeared Kingdom, Coke had traveled there as soon as it was founded.


    After some years, he was inducted as a knight of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was a result of his pure abilities. Even if Grid didn¡¯t know him, Coke was loyal to Grid and was determined to live for the Overgeared Kingdom. He didn¡¯t doubt that the Overgeared Kingdom would unite the continent sometime in the future, and he dreamed ofter bing a noble of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Why was he taking the hard path? Some people would say that Coke¡¯s evaluation was wrong. They thought Coke was stupid because he would be able to have a more stable future in the empire with his talent. Of course, Coke had also been hesitant. In particr, he had heard rumors at the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom that they were hostile to the empire and seriously wondered if he should join the empire.


    However, Coke wasn¡¯t a person to easily reverse a decision once he made it. Additionally, he was a solid fan of Grid. Coke believed in Grid and the Overgeared Guild. Then the Overgeared Kingdom ended up being the first in history to make a truce with the empire. Now, Coke was no longer nervous. He watched the Overgeared Kingdom develop while he honed his skills and faithfully performed his role.


    ¡°Sir Coke?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Coke was watching Damian and Lordugh in the garden when a voice called out to him. Knight Royman gave him a warning, ¡°Have you forgotten the basic rules of an escort? You have to pay more attention when the surroundings are safe.¡±


    Royman spoke in a bold voice deliberately, unaware that her gender had already been discovered. She didn¡¯t notice that her colleagues left every time she entered the shower or the changing rooms.However, her skills were real. Her level was 320. It was only 19 levels higher than Coke¡¯s, but she was twice as strong as him.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just inparison to Coke. Royman was uniquely strong among the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s knights that Asmophel raised. There was a lot of spection that Royman had gotten a hidden ss or skill after working in the fields with Piaro.


    ¡°Yes, I will keep that in mind,¡±Coke replied with the appropriate tension. He adjusted his position so that he could see both Irene and Lord simultaneously. It wasn¡¯t simply to build up goodwill with Royman though. Coke, who hoped to be a noble of the thriving Overgeared Kingdom, wanted Grid to win, and he felt responsible for ensuring Irene and Lord¡¯s safety.


    ¡®There are many notable people.¡¯ Coke¡¯s gaze was directed at the bottom of the hill. A parade of carriages carrying royalty from all over the continent continued to enter the Vatican. There was also a carriage with the g of the Saharan Empire. All the countries, apart from the warring countries of Valha and Ultina, were gathered here to celebrate Damian¡¯s time as pope.


    ¡®An imperial prince came...!¡¯ Coke was shocked when he witnessed a carriage drawn by four white horses.


    It was 2nd Prince Dndal. Coke hadn¡¯t known that one of the greatest powers of the empire would be here and realized just how great of a presence the Reba Church really was on the continent. Damian put Lord down. ¡°Lord-chan, return to your quarters with your mother. Rest and I will see you at dinner.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lord replied gently, not expressing his desire to keep ying with Damian. He was a bright child and understood Damian¡¯s position. Once Damian left to meet the royal family of every nation, including the empire...


    ¡°ce the golden statue over there.¡±


    ¡°Station the 4th Knights Division at the entrance of the vige. We have to pay as much attention to security as we do our VIPs.¡±


    The elders were bustling around the Vatican. They weren¡¯t interested in any of the guests, unlike with Lord. In fact, they didn¡¯t even pay attention to the emperor of the empire. This was natural since the Reba Church was a transcendent collective. They didn¡¯t kneel before power. After Grid cleaned up Pope Drevigo and Pascal¡¯s forces, the Reba Church was now regaining its full power.


    Coke felt more fulfilled as he escorted Irene and Lord. It was interesting and enjoyable for him to know that the arrogant elders treated Prince Lord in a special way.


    Step, step.


    In a red-carpeted corridor, as Lord led the procession to the room assigned to them, he whispered in a small voice, ¡°Teacher, do you feel ufortable?¡±


    A voice was heard from the shadows, -No...I¡¯m fine...


    It was Kasim. He said he was fine, but his voice was trembling.In fact, he wasn¡¯t okay. 2nd Prince Dndal of the Saharan Empire¡ªthe person who had just stepped into the Vatican¡ªwas the one responsible for the destruction of the Nero. Kasim couldn¡¯t suppress the anger and resentment that boiled in his heart when he saw his enemy. It was hard for him to keep his cool.


    Chucksley noticed his struggling heart and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cause any incidents.¡±


    -I know, Kasim answered nervously. Theughter disappeared from Lord¡¯s face as he overheard the conversation between the two people.


    On the other hand, all three people weren¡¯t aware of the subtle changes in the atmosphere. Irene and the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates were having a friendly conversation while the young knights, including Royman and Coke, were only concerned with the security of the party.


    Dark clouds were once again covering the sky. The sound of thunder outside the windows was heavy and loud. Simultaneously, at the top of Kay Mountain which overlooked the white buildings of the Vatican...


    ¡°Crazy monsters have gathered.¡± Agnusughed as he arrivedte at the location of the appointment. Rain soaked his feet while images of the Yatan Servants were projected into the sky.

 Chapter 862

    The Yatan Eighth Servant, Yura¡ªshe was a traitor.


    The Yatan Seventh Servant, Dark Bus¡ªhe died during the mission to infiltrate the Saharan Empire.


    The Yatan Sixth Servant, Mcus¡ªhe died while preparing a ritual in Winston.


    The Yatan Fourth Servant, Neberius¡ªhe died during the invasion of Bairan.


    The Yatan First Servant, Tallos¡ªhe died due to an unidentified magician who invaded the Yatan headquarters.


    This was the record of the former Yatan Servants. It was a shame that the Yatan Church wanted to erase. Those chosen by Great Demon Amoract to serve the evil god Yatan had been murdered by unknown people. It was a disgrace.


    Likaos was appointed as Amoract¡¯s agent after Tallos died. On the surface, he was the Yatan First Servant, and he gave thismand to the other servants, ¡°The beasts who serve Reba and the people devoted to catering to them will gather at the Vatican. This is an opportunity to sweep up these bastards. Destroy the Vatican and reestablish the fallen status of the Yatan Church!¡±


    Likaos calcted that the present Reba¡¯s Daughters were near the end of their lives. The curse of the Reba Church¡¯s three divine artifacts meant they were no more than dead bodies, while the newly recruited Yatan Servants were young and strong.


    With these in mind, Likaos saw a golden opportunity to cause chaos. Apart from the Reba Church, this was a great chance to deal a blow to the empire and other kingdoms. So, Likaos sent out five Yatan Servants and requested cooperation from Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    ¡°Kik? Crazy monsters have gathered.¡±


    The top of Kay Mountain was soaked with heavy rains. Rose who was the 1st ranked ck magician and the Yatan Eighth Servant, Baal¡¯s Contractor Agnus, and the other four Yatan Servants looked down at the Vatican.


    The so-called Overgeared King? He had the power to ruin the Vatican twice over, but the Yatan Church couldn¡¯t be afraid of one person. The Red Knights escorting the imperial prince? They were people who had lost the emperor¡¯s trust and were on the brink of ruin. Reba¡¯s Daughters? They were worn down by the divine artifacts and were on the brink of death.


    ¡°How trivial.¡±


    This was the previous impression Likaos had of the Yatan Servants, and Agnus agreed with it. However, the power here was overwhelmingly strong. Agnus judged this due to the wave of shadows moving behind him. They were the shadows of thousands of ck magicians who had been discretely moved here.


    ***


    ¡°Haha, I see.¡±


    ¡°As expected from Prince Dndal.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop admiring you!¡±


    The scenery of the dinner banquet was no different from people¡¯s expectations. Most of the royal families of other nations were gathered around the empire¡¯s 2nd prince, Dndal. He was said to be far from the session since he was behind the 1st Prince supported by the emperor and the 4th Prince supported by the empress, but his name was still famous. Dndal had the power to copse a small kingdom in one morning, so it was natural for the small royal families dependent on the empire to curry favor with him.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Dndal¡¯s gaze shifted from these royal families toward a corner of the room. A woman with silver hair was shining under the lights. Her beauty, which was rare even in the empire, attracted Dndal¡¯s attention. Dndal especially liked the woman¡¯s gentle impression.¡°Who is that?¡±


    Once Dndal expressed interest, the royal families exined, ¡°The Overgeared Queen.¡±


    ¡°Hoh... The wife of the Overgeared King?¡±


    The Overgeared King¡ªhe was the opponent who made the empire attempt ¡®diplomacy¡¯ for the first time in history. Emperor Juander, who wasn¡¯t afraid to invade anywhere on the continent, was wary enough of the Overgeared King to invite him as a state guest.


    ¡°Too bad.¡±Dndal emptied his drink. He thought it was a trick of fate that this woman had fallen in love with the Overgeared King first. The next person to attract his attention was a young boy.This boy had ocean blue eyes like the Overgeared Queen who attracted his attention just a short moment ago. An innate grace was felt from the boy¡¯s white skin and ebony hair.


    ¡°What about that kid?¡±


    ¡°He is the Overgeared Prince.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    The son of the Overgeared King... What type of vessel was he? With his interest piqued, Dndal moved his feet. The prince of the Fold Kingdom, who was standing with Lord, was stunned when Dndal approached.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know that an imperial prince woulde...!¡¯


    The Fold Kingdom had be a tributary of the Overgeared Kingdom during the founding ceremony.After that, they had stopped all exchanges with the empire and left their fate with the Overgeared Kingdom. However, the very which had been imprinted in their genes for generations wasn¡¯t something that could change overnight.


    1st Prince Shining of the Fold Kingdom was afraid of what Dndal would do. He forgot that he had a strong ally in the Overgeared Kingdom and was afraid that the Fold Kingdom would be destroyed by the empire. Prince Shining¡¯s hands shook.


    ¡°Stay back,¡±Prince Lord said while grabbing him. Then something interesting happened. Prince Shining suddenly became calm. Prince Lord¡¯s gentle voice melted the anxiety and fear in Prince Shining¡¯s eyes, while Lord¡¯s small and warm touch gave him courage.


    ¡°No. I will protect you.¡± Prince Shining held Lord¡¯s hand and gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t flee from Prince Dndal and kept to Lord¡¯s side. ¡°I am 1st Prince Shining of the Fold Kingdom. I am honored to greet a great imperial prince of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡± Dndal was puzzled by Prince Shining¡¯s polite and dignified attitude. What type of royalty could be so proud before an imperial prince? It was amazing and disgusting that no fear could be sensed in Prince Shining¡¯s eyes. Still, Dndal wouldn¡¯t be an imperial prince if he expressed such difort.


    Dndal smiled and patted Prince Shining¡¯s shoulder. He pressured Prince Shining using political reality, rather than personal feelings. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Fold Kingdom dere that it would no longer rely on our empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes... How can a small and poor kingdom like ours rely on the empire? There is no value in the Saharan Empire protecting our small kingdom while consuming its resources. Father thought he could no longer bring anything to the empire and was forced to be independent..¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t consume a lot of resources to take care of a small kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Independence is a matter for the emperor to decide, not you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°His Majesty¡¯s wrath is veryrge. I am wondering if the Fold Kingdom has forgotten the grace of the empire.¡±


    ¡°That... How can that be? We can never forget the grace that the empire has shown us...¡± Prince Shining paled again. His voice and his body started shaking.


    The Fold Kingdom had been built on a destend, and the king¡¯s will to reim the wastnd and feed all the people couldn¡¯t be achieved. This was all due to the empire!


    The Saharan Empire, which had the power to trample on the Fold Kingdom at any time, had demanded massive tributes from the Fold Kingdom for 200 years, preventing the Fold Kingdom from developing. This was despite the fact that the persecuted people couldn¡¯t afford to give the tributes.


    That¡¯s right. For the past 200 years, the Fold Kingdom had been copsing slowly and steadily. Resistance? It was useless. Several kings and countless officials who tried rebelling against the empire had been killed for the outrageous crime of ¡®treachery.¡¯ The Fold Kingdom was thoroughly helpless and continued to build up anger and fear toward the empire.


    This fear waspletely manifested in Prince Shining. The moment that Dndal brought up the emperor, Shining seemed to be smaller and his eyes darkened. He was worried this would be the end of the Fold Dynasty. Then Lord grabbed his cor, and Shining once again overcame the fear. He regained stability in his heart, and his courage grew again. Shining felt a warm aura wrap around his body and came to know clearly that this was a blessing!


    ¡®This young child has divine power...?¡¯


    Lord smiled brightly at the confused Shining. ¡°Pope Damian taught me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The pope taught the prince of a country? It was ridiculous. Prince Shining thought that Lord¡¯s words were too absurd, but he didn¡¯t doubt Lord. He simply interpreted it as a child¡¯s misunderstanding.


    On the other hand, Dndal felt something strange.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    This was already the second time. Did this person introduce himself as Shining? The prince whose name Dndal would forget tomorrow was being influenced by something.


    ¡®Is it an artifact?¡¯


    Red mes glowed in the middle of Dndal¡¯s ck eyes. It was the appearance of the ¡®red energy¡¯ that only flowed in the empire¡¯s royal bloodline. Dndal was amazed as he observed Shining with red eyes. Yet it wasn¡¯t Shining whom he was surprised by. It was the little boy standing by Shining¡¯s side.


    ¡®What is this divine power?¡¯


    ¡®All beings apart from me are evil.¡¯This was what the divine power felt from Lord seemed to be saying. If this child kept training in divine power, in 10 years, he would gain a divine power that even transcended Pope Damian¡¯s.


    ¡®Is he really the child of the Overgeared King?¡¯


    It was understandable if he had the talent for cksmithing, but divine power...?


    ¡®A mutation appeared when he was born.¡¯


    Why had the Overgeared King sent a little boy to the pope¡¯s celebration? Dndal was now able to solve this question.


    ¡®His son was born with a high divine power, so he thinks it is better to send him to the Vatican early on.¡¯


    Lord wascking talent as an Overgeared Prince, but he was worthy for the Vatican. It was clear that the Overgeared King showed his son to the pope and elders in advance in order to leave him in the Vatican one day.


    ¡®It will definitely greatly benefit the country if a bond with the Vatican is formed...¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t this why the empire supported Pascal in the past? Dndal grasped the Overgeared King¡¯s intentions and honestly admired them.


    ¡®Even using his young son as a political tool... As expected from the Overgeared King. He is the adversary that His Majesty acknowledges.¡¯


    A smile appeared on Dndal¡¯s face as he thought about the Overgeared King that His Majesty the Emperor acknowledged.


    ¡°Hello, Your Highness. I am Lord, the son of the Overgeared King.¡±Lord smiled and bowed to Prince Dndal. He was a six-year-old.It was hard to think that a child with such pure and innocent expressions would be an enemy in the future. Right now, Lord was just cute and adorable.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Dndal was dazzled by Lord¡¯s charm and coughed when he btedly regained his spirit. He struggled to make a serious face and spoke sternly,¡°It is nice to meet you. I have heard about your father¡¯s reputation...¡±


    Dndal didn¡¯t finish his greeting though. It was because the knights escorting Dndal suddenly pulled out their swords.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The inside of the hall became chaotic.People were filled with confusion at the sight of swords being drawn. The pdins came rushing, and Prince Shining embraced Lord. Coke, who was guarding Irene, ran over and shouted, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    He felt a bitter hostility toward the Red Knights who drew their swords in front of Lord. Coke misunderstood that they were trying to harm the Overgeared Prince. However, Royman had a different interpretation of the scene. She red at the shadow that Lord was stepping on. ¡®King of Shadows¡ªthis man...!¡¯


    Kasim, the person hiding in Lord¡¯s shadow, suddenly shot a killing intent at the imperial prince, and the knights reacted it.


    ¡®For you to cause this situation...¡¯


    It was an urgent atmosphere.


    ¡°His Holiness, Pope Damian is entering!¡±


    The main character of the celebration had shown up. Damian pretended not to know about themotion in the hall and changed the topic itself. It was to protect Lord from being in a disadvantageous situation.


    ¡°Ick...!¡±Although the imperial prince might¡¯ve been threatened, that did not mean the Red Knights could act freely. The Red Knights were furious but couldn¡¯t say anything. Even a solo number knight couldn¡¯t go against the pope easily. In particr, they couldn¡¯t act freely in this sacred ce.


    ¡°Your Holiness!¡± Prince Dndal came forward directly, shouting to Damian in a voice like he was giving a speech. ¡°A rodent seems to be hiding. Shouldn¡¯t we find the rodent for the sake of Your Holiness and all of our safety?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lord and Chucksley made embarrassed expressions, while Kasim in the shadows regretted his mistake.


    On the other hand, someone on the ceiling of the banquet hall was amazed.


    ¡®How did he know?¡¯


    It was the Yatan Fourth Servant, Silvenas. As a darkness type demonkin, she could fully assimte with the darkness and be darkness itself. When it came to stealth, she was confident that she wasparable to the legendary assassin, Lantier. Yet she had been caught.


    ¡®Their skills... are better than expected?¡¯


    No, she hadn¡¯t been discovered yet, but her position would be exposed if she moved in a panic now. So, Silvenas stayed still and gulped.

 Chapter 863

    ¡°A rodent seems to be hiding. Shouldn¡¯t we find the rodent for the sake of Your Holiness and all of our safety?¡±


    Chatter chatter!


    Dndal¡¯s cry filled the banquet hall and caused numerous people to question it. A rodent? The royal family of other nations failed to read Kasim¡¯s killing intent from the shadows and couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of Dndal¡¯s words. Consequently, they thought the imperial prince was making a fuss about nothing. They believed that capricious people always acted selfishly to relieve their boredom.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    On the other hand, the Overgeared Knights sensed a big crisis. The Red Knights had picked up Kasim¡¯s killing intent from the shadow, so what could they do to defend Kasim and Prince Lord?The Overgeared Knights were tense. Meanwhile, Kasimmented, ¡®Prince Lord is in a difficult position because of me...!¡¯


    Past memories unfolded in Kasim¡¯s mind as he stared with bloodshot eyes.


    There had been a small vige deep in the mountains.It was the vige where the Nero n lived.The people in the Nero n were gentle and not greedy, and they never antagonized each other. The vigers spent there every precious and peaceful day with their families.


    However, this happiness was short-lived, ending when the empire¡¯s army came to the vige.


    Prince Dndal had arrived with dozens of Red Knights and hundreds of soldiers. ¡°With your skin that¡¯s darker than night and your long arms... all of you are hard to look at. The empire won¡¯t allow you to have territory and religion. Housing and clothes are also forbidden. You are beasts. If you want to live, you will have to be livestock. If you don¡¯t want to be livestock, leave your skin here. Don¡¯t argue. Beasts shouldn¡¯t use humannguage.¡±


    Kasim couldn¡¯t forget any of these brutal words. For the young Kasim who was unfamiliar with the world, it was the first time he had been treated this way and he was shocked. Beasts! They were called beasts! From decent humans, they had be beasts!


    This was the first time Kasim felt angry since the day he was born. It was an enormous resentment that destroyed the natural temperament of the Nero. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t just Kasim. Thousands of Nero were outraged by the empire that denied their existence. They fought against the empire that was trying to take away their lives, but they were powerless. The Nero had excellent physical abilities, yet they were just babies in front of the well-trained empire¡¯s knights and soldiers. The Nero were annihted, and Kasim was the only survivor.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a curse called survival. Kasim felt aplicated sense of revenge that only desired the fall of the empire. Between the boy who had forgotten the awful reality and the person who served Lord, he couldn¡¯t determine reasonably as to how he should act.


    Prince Dndal seemed to urge Kasim on, ¡°A rodent is no different from an ownerless dog. I won¡¯t hold anyone here responsible for hiding the rodent.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who you are, but don¡¯t you harbor a terrible killing intent toward me?Come out.If you stand in front of me right now, your little prince will be safe.¡¯This was what Dndal was implying.


    He also cared about the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. It was a burden for Prince Dndal to break the truce that the emperor made himself, but he would be satisfied with hunting the rodent. His intentions were read by the Overgeared Knights.


    ¡°...¡±Chucksley nced at Lord¡¯s shadow.It was a signal to take responsibility. Chucksley was sad because he knew that Kasim was a valuable talent for the Overgeared Kingdom.However, talent existed for the sake of the kingdom.The talent couldn¡¯t put the kingdom in an inconvenient position. Chucksley¡¯s will was clearlymunicated to Kasim¡¯s heart.


    ¡®Yes.¡¯Kasim¡¯s shaking eyes gradually calmed down. His red eyes became white again. Kasim took a deep breath and soothed his mind. Once the Overgeared Kingdom developed safely and the genius Lordpleted his growth, the Overgeared Kingdom would wipe out the empire.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t achieve revenge directly with my own hands, then I have to leave it to others.Yes, let¡¯s die.¡¯ Kasim would leave the destruction of the empire to the Overgeared King and his son, while he would take responsibility for his actions today. ¡®I was the one who made the mistake. It is right that I take responsibility for it,¡¯Kasim pledged and was about to leave the shadows.


    At this time, someone spoke to Kasim, ¡°Stay still.¡±


    Lord? No. Before Lord could broach the subject, someone else stepped forward. She was Queen Irene.


    ¡°Hoh...?¡±


    The woman standing alone in a corner of the banquet hall, who seemed to have nothing to do with politics, was stepping forward at the critical moment? Prince Dndal lowered his hostility. He was very interested in the courage and wisdom the woman who caught his eyes would show.


    ¡®Things are bing more serious.¡¯


    The special privilege of the strong was to be ¡®leisurely.¡¯ In the midst of this serious situation where someone was worried about their nation and someone else was willing to give up his life, Dndal was pleased. Irene stared straight into his eyes and said, ¡°Your Highness, this person isn¡¯t a rodent or a dog. He is Prince Lord¡¯s legitimate escort and a precious talent of our Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±It waspletely different from Dndal¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®This stupid woman.¡¯


    Dndal frowned and narrowed his eyes. ¡°In other words, Your Majesty wants to im that Prince Lord¡¯s escort tried to hurt me? The end result is that the Overgeared Kingdom tried to harm the empire¡¯s 2nd prince, meaning the Overgeared Kingdom is hostile to the empire? Then they are also ignoring the truce agreement.¡±


    ¡°No. Think about why your escort knights pulled out their swords. Wasn¡¯t it to defend Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°...Hrmm? That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The same is true for Prince Lord¡¯s escort. As a knight who grew up beside the little prince, he acted in his position of an escort when your knights approached.¡±


    ¡°Is emitting killing intent part of the role of an escort?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t killing intent less dangerous than pulling out swords?¡±


    ¡°Hah...?¡± Dndal was hit in the head. By admitting that the Red Knights had drawn their swords to protect him, Dndal legitimized the actions of the rodent who dared to send killing intent at him.This was absurd and embarrassing. He was angry, but he quickly suppressed this anger. Dndal¡¯s expression distorted, and he burst outughing. Then he reached out to Irene with a polite attitude. ¡°I admire Your Majesty¡¯s intelligence. Can you please let me touch your white hand as an apology?¡±


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    Was there anyone in the world who could refuse the formal gesture of an imperial prince? In the first ce, there was no reason to refuse it. Irene readily stretched out her soft hand, and Dndal kissed it.


    ¡°...¡± Lord¡¯s clear eyes turned fierce with a sharpness that resembled his father¡¯s. This was because Lord saw the desire which filled the imperial prince¡¯s eyes when he gazed at Irene.


    ¡®What?¡¯ The Red Knights protecting the imperial prince were shocked. They wanted the intense pressure that they felt from the young prince, who was only around six years old, to be an illusion or a dream. Damian¡¯s heart became restless as he watched the situation progress.


    ¡®Things are better thanks to Queen Irene but...¡¯


    Could it be dangerous again now? Damian judged that Lord might make things worse and was about to step forward.


    sh!


    Then all of a sudden, the banquet hall was filled with light. It was a nasty light which made it impossible for people to open their eyes,pletely different from the warm light that symbolized Goddess Reba. Damian recognized this sh of light. While he was temporarily blinded, he shouted, ¡°ck magic! Pdins, immediately escort the imperial prince and royalty!! Kuk...!¡±


    Damian didn¡¯t finish his shout as he¡¯d stepped onto a red pentagram, which had been drawn on the floor, and was now cursed.


    [Part of the will of God Yatan has cut you off from the world.]


    [You can¡¯t take any action inside this dark barrier.]


    [The barrier can only be destroyed from the outside.]


    ¡®The will of Yatan?¡¯ Damian raised his head as he btedly overcame his blindness. A demonkin fell from the ceiling. The being surrounded by darkness was called Silvenas, who was one of Yatan¡¯s Servants.


    ¡°Silva did it! I neutralized the pope!¡± Her shout was the signal. All types of sounds were heard from outside the banquet hall, and an explosion sent the door of the hall flying open. Dust filled the inside of the banquet hall, and the royalty who barely overcame their blindness were immediately confused.


    ¡°Punish the dogs of the damned goddess!¡±


    ¡°The curse of God Yatan is waiting for you!¡±


    The ck magicians who entered the banquet hall shouted loudly. The knights of the various nations raised their swords to defend their masters, and the elders of the Reba Church and the pdins quickly prepared to fight. Meanwhile, the Overgeared Knights fled with Lord and Irene into a corner. Five new people followed the ck magicians into the banquet hall.Three of them were NPCs and two were yers.


    The big shots were gathered together:


    Yatan¡¯s Third Servant, Aliburn...


    Yatan¡¯s Sixth Servant, Cardiora...


    Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant, Hill...


    The 1st ranked ck magician and Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant, Rose...


    And finally...


    ¡°Agnus...!!¡±


    Baal¡¯s Contractor. The yers who attended this banquet, like Coke, were shocked.They didn¡¯t know about Yatan¡¯s Servants, but they were overwhelmed by Agnus¡¯ presence...


    ¡®There are four of them, including Silvenas?¡¯ Damian, who was trapped inside the barrier, was wary of Yatan¡¯s Servants apart from Agnus. Reba¡¯s Daughters pulled out their divine artifacts and ran to Damian¡¯s side.


    ¡°....!!!¡± Damian shouted from inside the barrier but he couldn¡¯t be heard. Isabel decided that the first pressing need was to destroy this barrier.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±She stabbed at the barrier with Lifael¡¯s Spear, but there was no change. Far from being destroyed, it didn¡¯t budge at all. Physical force and divine power were unable to harm the barrier.


    ¡°Leave the barrier to us and protect the people!¡±


    ¡°In particr, protect Prince Lord!¡±


    The elders came forward. Their instructions reassured Damian. Damian felt a great affinity at the thought of these stuffy old people. However, it wasn¡¯t a situation where he could feel reassured.


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    The screams of the guests started to fill the banquet hall. The knights and pdins who ran over to the situation seemed to be stuck outside. Agnus¡¯ undead seemed to be interfering with them. Isabel also noticed this fact. First of all, she rushed to Prince Lord¡¯s side. After confirming his safety, she turned toward Agnus.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik!¡±


    The screams of the other nations¡¯ royal families and the creepyughter filled their ears. The confusion in the banquet hall reached an extreme.


    ¡°It is okay. It is okay.¡±


    There was a woman who had been captured as a virgin and almost sacrificed to Yatan. It was Irene.From the moment the Yatan Church showed up, she was frightened by her old memories, but she tried not to express it. In order to prevent her son from feeling uneasy, she held her young son in her arms and smiled.


    ¡°...Mother.¡± Lord felt his mother¡¯s trembling and her love.The child¡¯s gaze turned toward the battlefield.He was filled with a desire to fight.


    ¡°You can¡¯t. You aren¡¯t their opponent right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Highness. Please stay back.¡± Kasim, Chucksley, and the young knights came forward.

 Chapter 864

    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï The Vatican¡¯s Crisis has urred.]


    [The history of the continent will change depending on the result of the story.]


    [The privilege of witnessing the ¡ïHidden Quest¡ï The Vatican¡¯s Crisis has increased all stats by 2. Movement speed is permanently increased by 1%. You can sell your story at an expensive price to the bards drifting around the continent.]


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Escape from Death is in progress.]


    [Escape from Death]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    It is your responsibility to escort Irene and Lord.


    Escape with Irene and Lord from the Vatican, which has be a battlefield after being attacked by the Yatan Church.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Escort Irene and Lord safely out of the banquet hall.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Irene will never forget your aplishments. Your reputation in the Overgeared Kingdom will rise sharply. The Overgeared Kingdom is a nation founded and ruled by the yer ¡®Grid.¡¯ The precisepensation can¡¯t be predicted.


    Quest Failure: Disqualified from being an Overgeared Knight. Expelled from the Overgeared Kingdom. Level -5.


    ¡ù Sub Quest (1) ¡ù


    Kill 150 ck magicians (0/150)


    Sub Quest Reward: Strength +10


    * The average level of yers currently in the Vatican is 301. The level of the Yatan Church¡¯s ck magicians is set at 275.


    ¡ù Sub Quest (2) ¡ù


    Survive when health has fallen below 10%.


    Sub Quest Reward: Stamina +20


    ¡ù Sub Quest (3) ¡ù


    Keep the health of the escort target Irene at 100%.


    Sub Quest Reward: The title ¡®Protector¡¯ is obtained.]


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    An urgent situation had suddenly urred, and a hidden quest was triggered. The considerablepensation was worth looking forward to, but Coke wasn¡¯t happy at all. His facial expression distorted.


    ¡®How can I break through?¡¯


    Coke had to escape with Irene and Lord. This thought wasn¡¯t just due to the quest. It was his duty as a knight.


    ¡®First of all, I can¡¯t go against Yatan¡¯s Servants.¡¯


    The Yatan Church was a group that could fight against the Reba Church, thergest religion on the continent. It was easy to guess the strength of the named NPCs representing the Yatan Church, and Coke didn¡¯t have the power to break through them as a third advancement yer.


    ¡®In the end, I have to break through either Rose or Agnus...¡¯


    It was a terrible predicament. Coke might be the peak of the new generation of rookies, but he wasn¡¯t first in his ss rankings. Rose¡¯s and Agnus¡¯ talents in their respective fields were at least equal to Coke¡¯s, and their levels were also higher than Coke¡¯s. Above all, there was a gap that couldn¡¯t be narrowed by items.


    Agnus and Rose had been ying the game since the beginning. Coke assumed that the quests and boss monsters they had cleared were extremely valuable. This made him think that both Rose and Agnus had a higher level than him and that his items and skills were also inferior.


    ¡®I can¡¯t stand by idly.¡¯ Coke drew his sword and waited for orders from his superiors.


    He knew his precise role in this event that had suddenly urred. It was a supporting role. The faces of the other actors on stage were too brilliant for him to be mistaken as a lead actor. The supporting role only followed the thoughts and judgment of the actors.


    Chucksley and Royman were in the middle of a discussion.


    ¡°Reba¡¯s Daughters will handle Yatan¡¯s Servants. We have to break through the necromancer blocking the right entrance.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡±


    Chucksley and Royman were apparently targeting Agnus.


    Kasim also agreed with them.He came out of the shadows and told Chucksley, ¡°ording to the report of my shadow soldiers, an undead army is deployed outside the banquet hall. The pdins and Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates can¡¯t enter because of them. The man who controls the undead must be that necromancer.¡±


    ¡°He no longer has the capacity to defend himself if ismanding such arge army,¡±Chucksley and hispanions made this judgment.


    On the staircase of the banquet hall, Isabel moved from where she had been trying to break Pope Damian¡¯s barrier and rushed toward Agnus. ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath!¡±


    Her judgment was the same as Chucksley¡¯s. Most of the people gathered here analyzed Agnus as the weakest enemy. However, the reality of it wasn¡¯t that clear.


    ¡°Kik!¡± Agnusughed at one of Reba¡¯s Daughters, who were considered invincible.


    He raised his sword and defended against Lifael¡¯s Spear. Isabel and those present were astonished. It was unbelievable that a necromancer seeded in defending against an attack from one of Reba¡¯s Daughters with a sword. Coke and the other yers shouted simultaneously:


    ¡°He isn¡¯t an ordinary necromancer!¡±


    ¡°He is Baal¡¯s Contractor!¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Contractor...?¡± Isabel murmured.


    Agnus¡¯ rusty-looking sword engaged with Lifael¡¯s Spear, and divine power started to escape from the spear. It had a curse that could even neutralize divine power? Isabel was convinced of it once she heard that the necromancer before her was Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    ¡°Dispersed Dream.¡±Rose, the 1st ranked ck magician and Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant, used one of her ultimate skills.It was a huge ck magic that inflicted 10,000 fixed damage to all targets in sight and cursed targets without ck magic with the abnormal conditions of confusion, weakness, and silence.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaak!¡± Screams rang out from everywhere. In particr, people with low status resistance fell to their knees. On the other hand, the royalty of the other nations, including Irene and Lord, were safe. All of them were covered by their knights and weren¡¯t in Rose¡¯s vision.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay,¡±Irene said, but her voice and body trembled as she hugged Lord. She was anxious, yet she tried to make a bright face for her son.


    ¡°Mother...¡± Lord, who felt his mother¡¯s anxiety and love at the same time, was filled with a sense of purpose. He had to protect his mother. Coke witnessed Lord jumping up from his position and was shocked.


    ¡®I thought he was a smart child!¡¯


    Coke had heard many rumors about Lord. Wasn¡¯t he a genius among geniuses? Lord had learned assassination from Kasim and farming from Legendary Farmer Piaro, and he studied under High Elf Sticks. There were rumors that he was a genius who would surpass his father. However, he was only a six-year-old child.Even if he could use an assassin¡¯s techniques, how well could he fight when his strength, stamina, and agility werecking? Coke was dumbfounded when Lord rushed toward Yatan¡¯s Servants, including Agnus. He thought that Lord was letting his emotions get ahead of his rationality.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped since he is still young. I have to pay more attention to him.¡¯


    Coke was filled with arger tension, while Kasim and Chucksley blocked the road ahead of Lord. No one had to say anything.Kasim and Chucksley supported Isabel, who was struggling with Agnus and Rose. Chucksley attacked Rose and separated her from Isabel, while Kasim emerged from Agnus¡¯ shadow and struck Agnus¡¯ back with a dagger.


    ¡°Kuhat! Hat!¡± It was hard to distinguish if Agnus was screaming orughing. Still, one thing was clear. Kasim¡¯s attack dealt huge damage to Agnus. Apart from Grid, there were no yers who could easily handle the attacks of named NPCs over level 400.


    Chucksley and Kasim seeded in pulling Rose and Agnus away from the entrance and shouted at the same time, ¡°Royman!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    It was now time for the young knights, including Royman and Coke, to take action. They ced Irene and Lord in the center and rushed toward the empty entrance. Rose and Agnus weren¡¯t particrly interested in Royman¡¯s group though. Their primary goal was the Reba Church itself. In fact, the quest they were carrying out required them to get rid of Reba¡¯s Daughters, Pope Damian, and the pdins. Eliminating them would Rose and Agnus great rewards.


    However, the other Yatan¡¯s Servants were different. The Third Servant, Aliburn shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t miss a single person! We must kill all of them and announce the dignity of the Yatan Church!¡±


    Aliburn used ck magic. He could burn the mental power and mana of others to use as his own resources. The Reba Church¡¯s subjects were helpless before him.


    ¡°Ah...! Ahhh...!¡± The Reba priests and pdins paled as they lost their mana and couldn¡¯t use magic. The thousands of ck magicians in the banquet hall started to target the royal family of each nation, including Irene and Lord.


    ¡°Dark Vocation...¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    The Overgeared Knights were busy. They continuously swung their swords at the warlocks aiming for Irene and Lord.


    [You have defeated a ck magician of the Yatan Church.]


    [2,290,190 experience has been acquired.]


    The average level of the ck magicians was proportional to the average level of the yers present. They weren¡¯t particrly strong, so Coke killed them rtively easily. The problem was that there were too many ck magicians. The Overgeared Knights killed and killed, but new ck magicians kept appearing. The chants of spells being cast were heard all over the ce.


    In the end, Royman allowed a ck magician to cast a spell. The dark mes, shackles, and curses bombarded Royman¡¯s group, including Irene and Lord.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Prince!¡±


    Coke had to defend them. He didn¡¯t think of anything else and embraced Irene and Lord. Receiving the bombardment of ck magic spells with his back, Coke¡¯s health gauge fell to less than half in an instant, and he suffered a lot of physical and mental pain.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± Irene was worried about Coke, who suffered from the curse and coughed up blood. Coke smiled brightly as he suppressed his pain and replied,¡°I am fine as long as both of you are okay.¡±


    ¡°Sir Coke...¡±


    Blood flowed down his back and hips. Coke was worried about Irene¡¯s troubles increasing and stepped away from her without showing his back. Then he immediately cut down two ck magicians and cleared the way.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Irene didn¡¯t hesitate. She knew that Coke and the other knights would be in greater danger if she slowed down.¡°Thank you.¡±


    Coke ignored the pains in his body and started running after Irene when he heard familiar voices in his ears.


    ¡°Your Majesty!! Prince Lord!¡±


    ¡°Prince, where are you?¡±


    They were the Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates. Lord tried to respond to the cries of those outside the banquet hall, but it was impossible.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to take one step outside.¡± Yatan¡¯s Fourth Servant, Silvenas, flew like the wind and blocked Irene and Lord¡¯s way. She let out an uglyugh as she pulled out a weapon and pointed her other hand at the entrance.Then she shot ck magic toward the entrance, sweeping the Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates waiting outside into an explosion. Through the smoke, Silvenas¡¯ eyes focused on Irene. ¡°I have been watching you while I was hiding. You are beautiful and speak well. Bah, whatever. Pretty things are just ugly.¡±


    The courage Irene had garnered from her desire to protect Lord disappeared in a sh.Irene¡¯s body trembled with horror as she confronted the Yatan Servant.


    ¡°Hahhh, your terrified face is very good.¡± Silvenas was ecstatic. Her cheeks flushed red, and she licked his lips with a red tongue that contrasted with her grey hair as she approached Irene.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Coke defeated the ck magicians following closely and came just in time. However, Silvenas¡¯ sword moved at a speed that was too fast for Coke.A red energy de cut Coke¡¯s armor, and he lost a big amount of health.


    [You have suffered serious damage!]


    [The durability of the Grid Armor Made by a Craftsman has decreased by 47.]


    [You have survived with less than 10% of your health.]


    [As a result of the subquest reward, the stamina stat has permanently increased by 20.]


    ¡°K...uack...! Not yet...!!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t die, and his quest couldn¡¯t fail. Coke tried to raise his body quickly. He had to somehow protect Irene and Lord until Royman¡¯s group finished off the ck magicians and joined him. However, it wasn¡¯t easy. The bleeding status made him dizzy, and Coke eventually fell onto the bloody floor.


    Silvenas gazed into Irene¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where do you want me to tear you apart? Huh~?¡±


    Rose, Agnus, and the ck magicians were tying up the enemies¡¯ feet, so Silvenas could afford to take her time with Irene and Lord, who were helpless sheep. She was going to enjoy this pleasant situation slowly.


    ...At least that was until the little prince, whom she had thought of as a meekmb, bared his teeth. ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡± A storm of sword energy swallowed up Silvenas.

 Chapter 865

    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    It was an unpredictable attack from Silvenas¡¯ point of view.Who would¡¯ve expected the young prince to swing his sword? No, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to call it just swinging his sword.This was a refined swordsmanship. It was a powerful, fierce, and persistent swordsmanship which cut off the flow of mana in the area!


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Silvenas was trapped in the unfolding storm of sword energy and became helpless. The dark demonkin¡¯s ¡®assimtion with darkness¡¯ and ¡®conformity with the wind¡¯ were closely rted to the inborn mana cirction of the dark demonkin. The storm interfered with the cirction of mana, and it prevented Silvenas from exercising her full strength and made her lose her speed.


    Unfortunately, Lord was young and weak and soon became tired.


    ¡°Hiyaaack!¡± Still, he managed to buy enough time for the Overgeared Knights, including Royman and Coke. The young swordsmen broke through the siege of the ck magicians and bombarded Silvenas, who was trapped in the storm. In particr, Royman¡¯s swordsmanship was brilliant. Her unique swordsmanship greatly constricted Silvenas¡¯ behavior by continuing to freeze or knock her down.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The never-ending CC made Silvenas burst with frustration, and she eventually pulled out her hidden card. To be exact, it was an eruption of wings made out of demonic energy. Once her demonic energy exploded, Silvenas entered a super-armored state and resisted all CCs. She regained her swiftness and flew upward before wielding her sword. A red light filled the air and aimed at the Overgeared Knights one by one.


    ¡°Avoid it!¡± Royman cried out urgently as she blocked some of the sword energy flying through the air. Silvenas¡¯ next target was Coke. He was severely injured after having protected Irene and Lord alone while the other knights were tied up with the ck magicians. Royman was worried about him.Currently, Coke couldn¡¯t defend against Silvenas¡¯ attack, and he would die the moment he was hit.


    Her judgment was correct.


    ¡®This is the end.¡¯ Coke¡¯s health was only at 5%. His recovery speed from consuming potions couldn¡¯t keep up with the rate at which he was being hit by ck magic. Thus, Coke humbly epted death.He had no confidence in blocking Silvenas¡¯ attack which the other knights, apart from Royman, couldn¡¯t even defend against.


    As Silvenas flew through the air, her speed was beyond Coke¡¯s perception. The hairs on his body hair shot up as the demonic energy neared him. Coke felt the hair tickling his nose and told Royman with a bitter smile, ¡°Make sure that the queen and the prince are safe...¡±


    ¡°Sir Coke!¡±Royman was already using the ¡®Farnd Walk¡¯ that she had learned from Piaro.


    She knew that Coke had a blessing which allowed him to revive, but she still didn¡¯t want to see a colleague die in front of her. Additionally, she knew that those with the blessing experienced arge penalty when they died. Farnd Walk allowed her to leap half the distance of Blink.Royman repeated the jump and tried to narrow the 13-meter distance between her and Coke.


    ¡°Hihit!¡±


    Nheless, it was toote. Silvenas had already taken control of the situation behind Coke and was just about to strike him.


    [Prince ¡®Lord¡¯ of the Overgeared Kingdom wants to appoint you as his knight.]


    [Would you like to ept?]


    This notification window popped up in Coke¡¯s vision that was shing red. Coke didn¡¯t dy his response. ¡°I will be loyal to Your Highness!¡±


    [You have be the knight of Prince ¡®Lord¡¯ of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [Lord has summoned you.]


    [Would you like to ept the summons?]


    It happened in an instant. The moment Silvenas¡¯ sword was about to touch Coke¡¯s back, Coke responded to Lord¡¯s summon and was moved to his side. Confusion filled Silvenas¡¯ eyes as she cut empty air. ¡°This is nonsense!¡±


    She ignored Royman who had jumped in front of her as her target was now the young prince who had already interfered with her many times. Silvenas¡¯ sword dropped mercilessly toward the young child who was sweating in the aftermath of using the sword technique. Simultaneously...


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡± Lord used the wooden sword his father had given him and used the counterattack limited to attacksing from the top. It was one of the sword techniques that Kraugel loved using before he became a Sword Saint. The strength of the master was manifested through the disciple.It was like looking at the ws of a giant beast. The sword energy cut Silvenas¡¯ body and the banquet hall continuously.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Silvenas suffered a serious injury for the first time, and blood flowed from her mouth. Tearing the Sky returned the attacker¡¯s technique to them and waspletely different from Storm Sword, which dealt damage in proportion to the user¡¯s attack power. Lord could do great damage to Silvenas even if he was only level 60.


    ¡°Kuoh... Ugh..! You...! This little guy!!¡± Silvenas¡¯ health gauge fell by one-tenth, and she lost her temper. It insulted her that she was disgraced by a little boy while the Vatican¡¯s dogs, the royal families, and thousands of ck magicians were watching. Silvenas had never experienced such great shame since she was born. In the end...


    ¡°Die...! Killing power!!¡± Silvenas threw off her mask of beauty and revealed the appearance of the dark demonkin that was ridiculed as the ugliest species in hell.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    ¡°W-What is going on?¡±


    Her skin was peeled and twisted like it had been burned, and her eyes, nose, and mouth were jumbled together. Silvenas¡¯ ugly appearance gave a huge shock to everyone in the banquet hall. Even the Yatan believers were either shocked, dismayed, or disappointed by Silvenas¡¯ appearance. On one side of the banquet hall, Yatan¡¯s Sixth Servant Cardiora disyed a meaningful smile. ¡°Now, no one can survive.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.Silvenas exposing her ugly appearance meant she would kill everyone around her¡ªenemies, allies... everyone!


    ¡°Kieek! Kieeeeek!¡±Silvenas¡¯ shriek inflicted great pain onto everyone in the banquet hall. The dark demonkin¡¯s scream, whichmented their ugliness, made listeners feel ufortable and disturbed while also interfering with mana flow and damaging their hearing. It was dangerous! There might be no physical damage, but ordinary people like Irene couldn¡¯t endure it.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Chucksley immediately noticed this and tried to run to protect her.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±Unfortunately, Rose didn¡¯t let him go. She blocked Chucksley using the magic umted in Belial¡¯s Staff (Myth Reproduction) that she had gained in exchange for the 32nd Great Demon Belial summoning episode.


    ¡°This is a mess...!¡±Chucksley cried out as he fell. He med himself for being unable to do anything while Queen Irene was in danger. In fact, there was no reason to me himself. The fact that he could face Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant for a while was already sufficient. The same was true for Isabel and Kasim.They were doing a tremendous job.


    ¡°Kikikik!¡±Baal¡¯s Contractor Agnus recalled all the undead he had summoned outside the banquet hall. Agnus couldn¡¯t cope with Isabel and Kasim alone, so he brought the death knight and demons to his side to defend himself. There was a difference in strength.Baal¡¯s Contractor might be hostile to humanity, but he had a clear limit to his abilities as a yer.


    What if Baal¡¯s Contractor was an NPC? He would be able to threaten everyone in the Vatican simultaneously, instead of just Isabel and Kasim. As a yer, Agnus had all types of restrictions until a number of ss quests were cleared.


    ¡°Shadow Soldiers!¡±Kasim raised his shadow soldiers from various ces and concentrated the offensive on Agnus. Meanwhile, Isabel stabbed her spear in this gap and killed a demon.


    ¡°Kik...! Kikikik! More! More! More! Moreee! Kuhahahahat!¡± Agnus¡¯ madness was getting out of control. To him, this was a sweet dream that made the terrible reality disappear.


    ¡°Your Holiness!¡±


    ¡°Prince Lord!¡±


    ¡°Imperial Prince!¡±


    Agnus recalled the undead, allowing the pdins, Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates, and soldiers from many countries to enter the banquet hall. They started to dispose of the Yatan Church¡¯s ck magicians and gave hope to Damian and the royalty of the other kingdoms.


    However, this hope was short-lived.


    ¡°There are more small-fries.¡±The Third Servant, Aliburn, started to act.Aliburn burned the mana of the priests and pdins and jumped into the front lines. The mana he stole from others was converted to magic, and he was like a weapon made for the purpose of killing as he shot ck magic everywhere. Dozens of priests and pdins lost their lives in a sh, while several Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates turned to gay pirs of ash.


    ¡°Lea! Anne!!¡± Lord was in despair after losing his precious girlfriends. He wanted to run toward Aliburn but couldn¡¯t. By now, he was already exhausted, yet Silvenas was threatening his mother. The first thing he had to do was protect his mother.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡± Silvenas¡¯ screams grew louder.


    ¡°Uh...!¡± Irene stumbled from the pain. Lord supported her with his small body while Coke blocked her ears with bloody hands, despite him also bleeding from the ears.


    ¡°This can¡¯t continue!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Irene was Kasim¡¯s top priority. He no longer clung to Agnus and switched targets to Silvenas. Thanks to this, Agnus regained his freedom and was able to breathe. Then he btedly discovered Irene and Lord.¡°Huh?¡±


    Were they Grid¡¯s wife and son, whom he had seen on the news previously? Yes, they were Grid¡¯s precious people. Agnus frowned. There was a certain memory he wanted to forget. However, the unforgettable memories stirred his mind. The sight of the woman he loved being abused by angry men...


    ¡°...That jerk, Grid.¡±


    Unlike how Agnus was previously helpless, Grid was currently brimming with strength. So why was he neglecting those precious to him?Would he only realize their importance after losing them? Agnus¡¯ wrath shot upward. Then Agnus¡¯ eyes widened, and he summoned the trump card he had been saving¡ªLich Mumud.


    His magic power struck Silvenas, who was floating above Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s heads.


    ¡°Agnus! What are you doing right now?¡±The puzzled Rose shouted.


    ¡°Kik? So what? Is it normal to hurt a weak woman?¡±Agnus abandoned the ¡®Vatican Invasion¡¯ quest that was in progress.


    ¡°You dog-like bastard... I want to rip you apart.¡±


    ¡°You are crazy!!¡±


    Overwhelmed by the repeated explosions, the ceiling of the banquet hall started to copse. Agnus flew toward Irene and Lord.


    Simultaneously, in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡°Quickly!¡± Grid urged Sage Sticks. Having received a whisper from Coke a few minutes ago, Grid wanted to fly to the Vatican immediately.However, things weren¡¯t so simple.


    ¡°Just a bit more...¡± Due to the academy lessons, Sticks had consumed arge amount of mana and wascking mana. In order for him to be able to use Mass Teleport, Sticks had to use Mana Drain for 5 minutes while also taking mana potions. For Grid, these five minutes felt like 10 years¡ªno, 100 years.

 Chapter 866

    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Vatican Invasion¡¯ has been abandoned.]


    [Affinity with the Yatan Church has decreased by 100.]


    [The rtionship with the Yatan Church has changed from friendly to wary.]


    The Vatican Invasion was a hidden quest with huge rewards, and the clear probability of a story unfolding from it was very high. Yet Agnus was now abandoning the honeypot that he had been certain to win.It was a craziness that no one could understand.


    ¡°You are crazy!!¡±Rose screamed. It was already toote to stop Agnus.Lich Mumud attacked Silvenas, while Agnus flew through the gap and reached Irene.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±


    He was the man who was called a mad dog. Coke was frightened when the man everyone called crazy approached the queen and prince.He didn¡¯t know that Agnus had stopped Silvenas¡¯ scream and squeezed his sword with trembling hands. The sight of a weak person determined to defend someone caused Agnus¡¯ eyes to sh with emotion.


    Recalling his past helpless self who hadn¡¯t been able to protect the woman he loved, Agnus felt regret, anger, resentment, and sadness. Agnus¡¯ face distorted in a terrible manner as he hated his past self. It was a face that induced sympathy rather than fear.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±The little prince asked.He was aware of the sad face of the man who was protecting him and his mother.


    Agnus barely suppressed his anger and replied,¡°Just a fool.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was obsessed with the past that couldn¡¯t be reversed and was forming new regrets at this moment. Wasn¡¯t he a fool? That¡¯s right. Agnus was clearly aware that it was wrong for him to give up the hidden quest just for old memories. He knew he was going to regret it.


    In fact, Yatan¡¯s Third Servant Aliburn was threatening him right now.


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Contractor...!! Have you forgotten the grace we showed you by giving you the Stone of Life? You will regret this!¡± Aliburn was furious, misunderstanding why Baal¡¯s Contractor was trying to betray the Yatan Church. ¡°It is always Baal¡¯s Contractor...! You always pester us!!¡±


    The Yatan Church served the evil god, Yatan, and the great demons were Yatan¡¯s children. Originally, the 1st Great Demon Baal was the second highest subject of respect for Yatan¡¯s Servants.However, Baal had an iprehensible side. Hundreds of years ago, he contracted with the legendary Pagma and gave him a mighty force, interfering with the descent of the great demons. It was on a mere whim, but Aliburn was forced to doubt Baal¡¯s intentions when his contractor betrayed the Yatan Church.


    ¡°Baal wants to betray God Yatan!¡± Aliburn knew that there was no limit to the desires of a great demon, so he interpreted it as the 1st Great Demon Baal wanting to pull down God Yatan and be a god.


    Agnusughed. ¡°That jerk¡¯s intentions aren¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°What? You..?¡±


    ¡°I am me. Do you think I will act for others? Kik!¡± Agnus didn¡¯t care if this was the wrong move. He pointed to Coke and Irene. ¡°I want to save these people. That is the desire in my heart.¡±


    He was like a heaven-sent savior to Irene and Lord, but Coke was still vignt toward him. Watching Agnus, Aliburn became speechless. Then he made a tant threat, ¡°Someday, you won¡¯t be able to protect them with your present strength. You will surely be defeated, and they will die.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Then you will have the Stone of Life stolen from you.¡±


    This was Agnus¡¯st chance.


    ¡°Now, wake up and change your mind.¡± Aliburn reached out to Agnus.


    A notification window asking if he wanted to ept the Vatican Invasion hidden quest once again appeared in front of Agnus, and once again, the rewards for the hidden quest were amazing. He would be able to secure arge amount of demonic power, intelligence, dominance and also gain a 50% resistance to divine attacks. There were quest rewards which maximized the strengths of Baal¡¯s Contractor while oveing the weaknesses.


    It was a temptation that couldn¡¯t be refused unless the person was a fool...and Agnus was a fool.


    ¡°I am still going to fight. Kik!¡±


    Agnus¡¯ desires were different from ordinary people, and he didn¡¯t want strength, power, or wealth. He just wanted to recover the past. That¡¯s why it was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to this scene due to his regrets of the past, even if new regrets rose.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Vatican Invasion¡¯ has been rejected.]


    [Yatan¡¯s Third Servant Aliburn is extremely angry.]


    [The rtionship with the Yatan Church has changed from wary to hostile.]


    [The hidden ss quest ¡®Will of the Former Generation¡¯ has been opened!]


    [Will of the Former Generation]


    [Difficulty: ss quest.


    You have be hostile to the Yatan Church. This means you will be hostile to God Yatan and all great demons.


    You have chosen the same path as the former Baal¡¯s Contractor, Pagma.


    Go to the Hall of Fame!


    Understand Pagma¡¯s will!


    Glimpse the will and power that he left behind and prepare to fight against the great demons!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Clear the events that will ur in the Hall of Fame.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Baal¡¯s Contractor will acquire some of the power left by Pagma.


    Quest Failure: The rewards will be permanently deleted.]


    He ended up being connected with Pagma? The new development interested Agnus. One of the Five Miracles once again broke Morpheus¡¯ predictions.


    ¡°Kik?¡± Agnus burst outughing.


    ¡°Yes! Baal¡¯s Contractor is like this!¡±Aliburn roared. His magic power that had been built up by absorbing divine power stirred the ground. However, Agnus wasn¡¯t afraid to confront it.


    ¡°Summon! Death Knight!¡±


    Lich Mumud tied up Silvenas¡¯ feet while the death knights rose from the ground.


    ¡°Furfu¡¯s Power!¡±


    A white light covered the stormy night sky. It was a scene where the pouring rain turned to ice. This was the power of Great Demon Furfu. His power was manifested through Agnus¡¯ hands and strengthened all of Agnus¡¯ servants, from the demons to the death knights and Lich Mumud. Silvenas was trying to keep up with Lich Mumud¡¯s iridescent magic when she suddenly screamed, ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    The strengthened Lich Mumud alone threatened Yatan¡¯s Fourth Servant. Once Agnus crossed the irreversible river, Aliburn¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°You...!¡±


    Aliburn¡¯s infinite pride as the best ck magician of the continent was destroyed.


    ¡°The unclean darkness will spread, and the sky and earth will be corrupted!!¡±


    The sky, which had turned white due to Furfu¡¯s Power, darkened once again, and the heavy rain pouring down was invisible. All types of curses flew out while the people present trembled in terror.


    ¡°Do as you please!¡± At this moment, the elders devoted to breaking the barrier containing Pope Damian unleashed Goddess¡¯ Purification. The elders had high dark resistance and weren¡¯t affected by Aliburn¡¯s Mana Burn.The divine light created by the 13 of them cleaned the polluted sky and earth in an instant.


    ¡°It will be dangerous if I don¡¯t go out directly.¡± The silent 2nd Prince of the Saharan Empire manifested his red energy. His sword was wrapped in red energy and destroyed dozens of ck magicians at once.


    ¡°What?¡±The eyes of Yatan¡¯s Sixth Servant Cardiora widened as she engaged with the solo number knights who escorted the imperial prince. She couldn¡¯t have imagined that the imperial prince, who grew up in a greenhouse, would have such great power concealed. It wasn¡¯t just Cardiora. Kasim, who was flying to defeat Aliburn, and everyone else in the banquet hall was surprised by Dndal.


    ¡®This cursed strength!¡¯


    Naturally, Kasim knew about the power of the royal family.Indeed, he couldn¡¯t forget the red energy that wiped out his n.


    Silvenas was caught by Agnus, and Rose was facing Chucksley and Isabel. Aliburn was fighting the elders and other Reba¡¯s Daughters, and Cardiora was facing the Red Knights and Dndal. Meanwhile, the ck magicians were holding back the knights of other kingdoms and the Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates.


    Agnus¡¯ betrayal and Dndal¡¯s power were unexpected variables for the Yatan Church, and the situation was going badly for the Yatan Church.


    ¡®There is hope!¡¯ The royalty, who had fairly high insight, were filled with expectations.


    They believed that if they cooperated actively, they would be able to ovee this crisis and survive. With this in mind, they led the knights to kill the ck magicians quickly. However, Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant Hill reversed the situation again. Everyone became desperate as the fat middle-aged man showed up from wherever he had been hiding since the beginning of the battle.


    ¡°Hehe! Kihehe! Aliburn! I have seeded!¡± Theughing Hill was holding a sword that was stuck in a piece of rock. The trapped Pope Damian, the elders, and Reba¡¯s Daughters were all astonished. It couldn¡¯t be helped since the Holy Sword which had been given to the first pope by Goddess Reba was now in the hands of the Yatan Church.


    Damian was forced to proceed with a new quest.


    [Recapture the Holy Sword]


    [The Sealed Holy Sword, which the goddess gave to the first pope, has fallen into the hands of the Yatan Church!


    The Holy Sword is the symbol of Reba and proof of the pope!


    You must retrieve it!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Take back the Sealed Holy Sword.


    Quest Clear Reward: Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. Affinity with the elders will reach the peak and you will be respected by all believers.


    Quest Failure: Many believers will be disillusioned with the ineffective church leadership and will leave the church. You won¡¯t be eligible to serve as the pope. Goddess Reba will be disappointed in you. Level -5.]


    No, what could he do when locked up in this barrier? In the midst of this crisis, Damian prayed for salvation. However, Goddess Reba was silent.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Despite his anxiety, Damian¡¯s gaze kept following Isabel and Irene. He hoped that the woman he loved and the people precious to him would all be safe. How long could they continue enduring this? As Aliburn started cursing the Holy Sword, the Reba priests, pdins, elders, and daughters started to lose their divine power.

 Chapter 867

    The righteous heroes had been attracted by hymns and set up statues and temples for the goddess. The heroes had raised the saint, who became a pope and then a hero. This was the legendary history¡ªthe birth of the Reba Church. The Holy Sword was the first emergence of the goddess¡¯ will. It was the symbol of the pope and the pride of the church.


    At the end of the Dark War, the sword was inserted into a rock and couldn¡¯t function at all. However, the symbolic significance of the sword was still intact, and its value couldn¡¯t be determined. At least, this was the case in the eyes of the Reba Church.


    ¡®Our precious treasure ended up in the hands of the Yatan Church!¡¯


    From the elders to the priests, the Reba believers were forced to be agitated. Their sacred treasure wasn¡¯t allowed to outsiders, yet it was being taken by a dirty Yatan Servant? This was an unbelievable sight.


    [The Sword Stuck in the Rock has fallen into the hands of the Yatan Church!]


    [The morale of the Reba Church has decreased drastically.]


    [The defense and magic resistance of the Reba members have been reduced by 60%.]


    [The pope has a duty to lead the members. The pope¡¯s morale is unaffected.]


    [The Sword Stuck in the Rock has been contaminated with Yatan¡¯s essence! The weakened divine power remaining in the Holy Sword has been extinguished slightly!]


    [The Reba Church members will be confused for 10 seconds. No actions can be taken.]


    [The pope has a duty to lead the members. You won¡¯t be confused.]


    Damian resisted the confusion with the power of the system, but his mental state wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°What is this...?¡± Damian panicked at the arrival of the worst situation he had never imagined toe about. He was trapped in a dark barrier, and his confusion was maximized because he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it an impossible quest to clear?¡¯


    Damian was currently fully restrained. He waspletely cut off from the outside world by the barrier and was unable to act. Despite the entire Reba Church being in a crisis, he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think. Think about it, Damian!¡¯


    As an otaku, Damian enjoyed countless movies, animations, and manhwas, and he hade across countless fantastic and interesting stories. So, he was now contemting Satisfy¡¯s worldview from a reader¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense that the Reba Church will copse. In a time when wicked people all over the world, including the Yatan Church, are trying to resurrect the great demons, the bnce of the world will copse once the Reba Church is destroyed.¡¯


    In short, it would be hell.It would be a world with no dreams or hope. On the day of Satisfy¡¯s release, Chairman Lim Cheolho had expressed his desire to make a world where yers could achieve their dreams and feel a sense of fulfillment that couldn¡¯t be felt in reality. How could he have nned for this dystopia?


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible. It is against the will of the world for the Reba Church to fall.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s body trembled with conviction. At this moment, he realized how big a burden was being ced on him. An enormous pressure weighed down on his mind and heart.


    ¡®The fate of the world is left to one person!¡¯


    The destruction of the Reba Church meant the end of the world, yet he was the only one who could stop the destruction. Damian obviously felt a great burden. If his spirit was at the level of ordinary people, then his mind would¡¯ve nked out due to the great pressure. However, Damian¡¯s spirit exceeded the category of ordinary people.It was a spirit that had been trained since childhood due to people criticizing him for his otaku nature.


    In the first ce, if he were the owner of an ordinary mind, he wouldn¡¯t have cried out in official meetings, ¡°Isabel, I love you!¡± Neither would he have continued praising Grid-sama despite the criticism of the people. This meant he wasn¡¯t a regr person.


    ¡®This is too exciting!¡¯ Damian seeded in sublimating the enormous pressure into a joyful passion, and the anxiety in his gaze disappeared.


    That¡¯s right.Damian was also a protagonist.He was the same type as Grid.


    ¡®Think about it again.¡¯


    Once he realized it was a crisis that could be ovee, he forced his brain to work. Damian thought about it for a while beforeing up with a hypothesis, ¡®What if the pope was an NPC and the current episode urred?¡¯


    It was highly likely that the NPC pope would¡¯ve easily ovee the current crisis by knowing about it beforehand due to the goddess¡¯ divine message.This was because NPCs had the characteristic of flexibly adapting to already designed stories. However, yers were different. They didn¡¯t know the pre-designed story and could experience sudden crises like Damian was going through right now.Compared to NPCs, yers were at a disadvantage.


    Then Damian had an idea. ¡®yers have more disadvantages than NPCs, but they also have a lot of advantages. Let¡¯s think about it as the yer Damian, not Pope Damian.¡¯


    The intervals between the explosions were gradually shortening, and the screams of the Reba followers rang out through the broken ceiling of the banquet hall. Damian gritted his teeth and struggled to ignore them.He couldn¡¯t spare time for the people suffering in front of him and focused on thinking of an idea.


    ¡°Kikikik! Kihahahahahat!¡± Agnus¡¯ madugh echoed and his hair had long been wildly swept all over the ce from the fighting. Two demons were already dead, while others were injured. Agnus had lost two death knights, with only Lich Mumud remaining.


    Yatan¡¯s Fourth Servant Silvenas was also in bad shape. She was breathing hard and covered with blood.A named NPC representing a major force was struggling against just one yer.Rose, who was overpowering Chucksley, felt horrified by this sight.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Silvenas level 420?¡¯


    Yet a yer in the 300s was dealing damage to her single-handedly? A typical level 300 yer wouldn¡¯t be able to push Silvenas to this extent. The power of a legendary ss was greater than expected. Rose was filled with a fierce jealousy as she pointed her staff at Chucksley lying on the ground. In the past, he had been a sword that defended the Eternal Kingdom, and now he defended the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Rose shook with rage at the fact that the NPC with the golden name had managed to grab her ankles for 10 minutes.


    ¡°Due to you, I couldn¡¯t hunt the followers properly! A trash like you interfering...!¡±


    Rose had received some subquests to hunt the Reba followers. It was a precious quest that increased her intelligence every time she hunted a number of priests and pdins of the Reba Church. As such, she had expected to achieve massive growth from the subquest, but all her ns werepletely destroyed by one NPC. The other Yatan Servants and ck magicians had wiped out arge number of believers, and there wasn¡¯t much prey remaining.


    ¡°Die! Be wrapped in thorns and die! Tempting Thorns!¡±


    Purple vines grew from the cracked ground. Then it happened the moment the sharp de-like thorns tried to wrap around Chucksley¡¯s entire body.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    A knife flew toward the thorn that was climbing up Chucksley¡¯s ankle and cut through it. Surprised, Rose turned toward the direction that the dagger came from while Chucksley turned red.


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Rose doubted her ears.She knew that Chucksley served Grid¡¯s son and that Lord was now around five or six years old.Still, the one at the end of her gaze really was Lord.


    ¡®This little guy threw the dagger towards the vine and cut it off?¡¯


    No, it was too absurd...


    Rose denied the reality and once again aimed toward Chucksley with her staff. Simultaneously, a new dagger flew and struck Rose exactly in the neck.


    [You have suffered 1,300 damage.]


    [The magic casting has been forcibly canceled.]


    ¡°Crazy...!¡±


    It was a thin and sharp dagger. Rose pulled it out of her neck and once again turned to Lord, who was staring at her with eyes that resembled his father.


    ¡°You!¡±


    There was a monster before her that shouldn¡¯t be allowed to grow up! Rose felt this instinctively and cast a new spell. This time the target of the spell was Lord. Then Lord pulled out a new dagger. The throwing skills he had learned from Kasim before he was even a toddler were being unfolded.


    ¡°Kuk...! Cough!¡± Once again, a dagger stabbed Rose¡¯ neck, and her casting was canceled! The daggers thrown by the little prince didn¡¯t deal her with fatal damage due to her legendary armor, but they were definitely a hindrance. It was enough to fill her with fury!


    ¡°You...! You are your father¡¯s son!¡±


    Rose med Grid and the Overgeared members for her death during the Great Demon Belial raid. So, she didn¡¯t have any good feelings toward Grid and didn¡¯t care how young Lord was. She then opened a shield to block Lord¡¯s daggers and started chanting a spell.


    ¡°No!¡± Coke¡¯s and Royman¡¯s gazes shifted toward Lord from where they had been moving through the ck magicians. Coke tried to throw himself over to protect Lord with his body. Flop! However, Coke fell to the ground because his stamina was at its limit. Instead, he witnessed Agnus, who had been struggling with Silvenas, reach out toward Lord.


    Agnus¡¯ golden eyes shone fiercely as he moved his gaze backward. It was because he witnessed Rose casting magic toward Lord and Irene.


    ¡°This woman!¡±


    ¡°Are you selling one hand?¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    This was bad.The sight of Rose¡¯s disgraceful behavior agitated Agnus in an irreversible manner. With Agnus¡¯ gaze shifted to Rose, Silvenas was now able to move freely. She moved through Lich Mumud¡¯s magic, reached Agnus¡¯ back, and swung her weapon at his heart.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Irene¡¯s eyes shook as her son and her savior suffered a crisis at the same time. There was only one thing she could do now that she thought it was over.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Simultaneously, Agnus and Coke, who were struggling, apologized for their efforts being in vain. Irene rushed over as hard as she could and held her young son.This was the only thing Irene could do. She closed her eyes and waited for death. Her body would be a shield for her son to live.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±Frightened, Chucksley raised his body. He once again transcended his limits as he swung his sword as hard as he could to protect his queen and prince. However, Rose¡¯s casting time was shorter than the time it took for Chucksley¡¯s sword to cut Rose. Her magic was fired out. The giant sh of magic flew straight toward Irene and Lord, but Agnus couldn¡¯t defend them. He wasn¡¯t in a position to reach them because Silvenas was clinging to him.


    ¡°Kik...! Kikikik! Kihahahahat!¡±


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    He had be stronger than before, but he still couldn¡¯t save a woman? Agnus¡¯ eyes filled with shame when a voice reached his ears.


    ¡°Thank you for buying time, Agnus-chan.¡± It was someone¡¯s holy voice. The person had taken his own life and resurrected at the Vatican¡¯s resurrection point. The voice belonged to Damian, who had broken free of the dark barrier in a very yer-like manner.


    He fell by Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s side and then turned to look at Agnus and Silvenas. A bright golden magic circle rose and destroyed the ck magic, forming a shockwave that caused Damian¡¯s white clothes to flutter.As Irene and Lord opened their eyes, they saw Damian¡¯s divine armor under his white clothes. After confirming that his mother was unharmed, Lord smiled at the person who was most reliable to him after his father.


    ¡°Teacher Damian!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte. I will protect Lord-chan and your mother from now on.¡±


    The grandeur of the pope captivated everyone. He had the light of the goddess¡¯ blessing. This was a man whopeted with Sword Saint Kraugel in swordsmanship, the person who helped the Overgeared King be overgeared, and the person who learned to farm after Piaro.


    One of the strongest yers in the game overwhelmed the people present.

 Chapter 868

    ¡°Soul Decay.¡±


    ¡°Dirty Whispers.¡±


    ¡°Mel-Pia¡¯s Land.¡±


    ¡°Rising Desire.¡±


    Pope Damian was greeted with a harsh reception by the ck magicians. All types of ck magic tried to neutralize Damian¡¯s body, mind, and soul, butit was wishful thinking.


    [The pope can¡¯t be corrupted by darkness.]


    [The ¡®decay¡¯ state has been resisted.]


    [The ¡®confused¡¯ state has been...]


    [The ¡®hunger¡¯ state has been...]


    [The berserk¡¯ state has been...]


    The pope had the power to block ck magic at its source! Damian¡¯s 80% dark resistance and 100% ck magic CC resistance amazed the thousands of ck magicians. Their magic didn¡¯t go through at all? The ck magicians were overwhelmed by Damian who denied their existence, and this had a profound effect on the battlefield.


    [The emergence of the Reba Church¡¯s pope has reduced the morale of the Yatan Church members.]


    [The defense and magic resistance of the Yatan Church members have been reduced by 60%.]


    [Yatan¡¯s Servants have a duty to lead the members. The morale of Yatan¡¯s Servants isn¡¯t affected.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Damian weakened thousands of ck magicians with just his existence? Rose¡¯s defense declined dramatically, and she witnessed the ck magicians failing to withstand the onught of the knights. She knew that the pope¡¯s strength was beginning toe through now!


    ¡®They were fighting in such a difficult situation.¡¯ Damian kept being bombarded with ck magic and realized how hard the church members and knights of other kingdoms had been struggling while he had been trapped. They fought the enemies in front of them while enduring the curses on their bodies, minds, and souls...


    Feeling in awe of them, Damian blessed the church members and the knights with the skill, Light Rain, that he had gotten during his second term as the pope.


    [Light Rain Lv. 1]


    [You have begged Goddess Reba for rain.


    A divine golden rain will fall in a 300-meter radius around you.


    Those who aren¡¯t evil will have a 50% chance of oveing their current abnormal status and will regain 10% of their health.


    If those hit by the rain are evil, the duration of the current abnormal status has a 50% chance of doubling and will lose 10% of their health.


    Skill Mana Cost: 5,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 50 minutes.]


    It wasn¡¯t a definite cleanse, but it was a skill with many advantages. There was no doubt that it was a healing and offensive spell which even Saintess Ruby would admire. Moreover, it was a ranged skill that targeted all beings within 300 meters. A gold rain defeated the darkness of the night.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡± The ck magicians struggled with the pain.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    ¡°I feel a bit better now!¡±


    ¡°Praise His Holiness!¡±


    The Reba members, the royal family, and the knights enjoyed the peaceful moment. They recovered their lost physical strength, and their decreased morale started rising again. The situation was reversing. Rose was filled with questions while she shook from the pain. ¡®How did he escape from the barrier in the first ce?¡¯


    The Yatan Church viewed the Yatan Essence as an all-purpose item. From simple curses to summoning a great demon... there was nothing worse than thebination of Yatan Essence and ck magic. With it, it had been possible to corrupt one of the strongest knights of the empire in the past. It could even be said that Pope Drevigo¡¯s desires had been fueled by the essence and that it was possible to damage the world tree with the Yatan Essence.


    The power of the Yatan Essence was absolute. The barrier created with thebination of the Yatan Essence and ck magic should¡¯ve contained Pope Damian to the end. Then how the hell had Damian escaped? Rose was questioning it when Aliburn shouted, ¡°Reba¡¯s dog! Stop this nasty rain right now!¡±


    Yatan¡¯s Third Servant threatened Pope Damian tantly. While gesturing to the sword stuck in the rock, Aliburn shouted, ¡°If you don¡¯t stop resisting, your symbol will disappear.


    ¡°...!¡±The relieved Reba members were once again shaken. They btedly recalled that the symbol of the church was in the hands of the enemy. ¡°What should we do...?¡±


    The older the group, the more attached they were to symbols. People felt proud of their organization through the presence of their historical symbols. It was why countries around the world named national treasures. The elders were fidgeting, but Damian replied with a casual attitude, ¡°Get rid of that sword.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Yatan¡¯s Servants and members of the Yatan Church, as well as the Reba elders and members, doubted their ears.


    The battle paused for a moment. They were at a loss because they hadn¡¯t expected Pope Damian to give up the symbol of the church so easily. Damian was aware of this. ¡°I mean it. It is a worthless antique. What? A symbol? Isn¡¯t Goddess Reba the symbol of the Reba Church? Will the pope not be a pope? History? The history of the Reba Church has already been described in countless books. There is no reason to be obsessed with antiques.¡±


    ¡°That is absurd logic! Your im denies the value of all artifacts throughout the continent!¡±


    ¡°Do you recognize the value of those artifacts?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You are someone who devotes yourself to the great demons and wants to turn humanity into cattle. What type of sophistry is this that you would discuss the value of artifacts?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, no matter how great the value, it is just a remnant of the past. The lives of the people in the present are more important than such things! Do you understand, you viin?!!¡±Damian channeled the heroes that he had followed for decades in anime and manhwa.


    Shonen manga greatly influenced Damian¡¯s thoughts, and the rtive simplicity made it hard for Aliburn to argue against.In the first ce, the topic of the debate was disadvantageous to Aliburn.


    The sight of the mute Aliburn served to further break down the morale of the Yatan Church. This didn¡¯t mean that the morale of the Reba Church rose though. The Reba members were disappointed with the pope¡¯s irresponsible words, and the situation was bing a mess. Additionally, Damian had the Recapture the Holy Sword quest. If this quest failed, the penalty he would receive was huge. This meant he was in a position where he had to recover the sword.


    Even so, there was a genuineness behind him treating the Holy Sword as a trivial antique. Think about it. What would happen of Damian clung to the Holy Sword? Aliburn would¡¯ve aggressively exploited the weakness of the Holy Sword, and Damian¡¯s and the Reba members¡¯ situation would worsen. In the end...


    ¡°Kuoh...!¡± Aliburn held the sword in his arms. Seeing as the pope treated the Holy Sword as a trivial thing, Aliburn was now unable to use it as a threat.


    ¡®Good!¡¯ Damian maintained his calm expression while inwardly feeling delighted.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯ll take care of it myself! Come out! Hell¡¯s keepers!¡± Aliburn summoned arge number of cerberuses.


    The three-headed dogs ran to Damian, shooting fire from their mouths.Damian couldn¡¯t withstand the heat with his divine power and stepped back. Then Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant Hill started to act.How could he move his round, obese body so quickly?Damian¡¯s eyes widened as he moved to avoid the mes.


    Dozens of fists poured toward him. ¡°My stone fists fly at a rate of 12 times per second! Haaaap!¡±


    This was the best monk of the Yatan Church! Hill¡¯s attack of 12 fists per second was reminiscent of a cat¡¯s paws, but unlike the cute appearance, his fists were as hard as stone. Damian¡¯s armor was hit 12 times per second.


    ¡°Kuhahaha! How is it? Can you afford to endure Hill¡¯s 12 punches per second?¡±


    The pope, who overwhelmed the thousands of ck magicians, started to swell up like a dog in front of Hill. Hill felt a sense of superiority and was determined to kill Damian.However, Damian had previously fought against a monster wielding a sword 30 times per second.


    Hill¡¯s fists were slow inparison to Link, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. So, Damian gradually adapted.


    Damian guarded himself with a shield spell and blocked the attacks, which were visible with the naked eye, with a square shield. After Hill finished the 12 attacks, he staggered back for a short interval of 0.5 seconds to breathe, and Damian stabbed out with his sword during this gap.


    ¡°Keok!¡± Confusion filled Hill¡¯s eyes as he screamed.


    Damian scoffed, ¡°I¡¯ve fought with monsters much faster than you.¡±


    Damian¡¯s abilities rose to the extreme due to the divine light around him. On the other hand...


    [The demon, Dyulebul, has been badly damaged and run away.]


    [The demon, Cao, has gotten into great trouble and run away.]


    [Lich Mumud has less than 20% of his health left. Be careful.]


    ¡®This jerk!¡¯


    Damian¡¯s Light Rain caused serious damage to Agnus who was already seriously injured. To be honest, Agnus felt like he had been hit in the back of the head. He thought that Damian was an ally who would help him, only for Damian to immediately attack Agnus and his demons.


    Agnus red at Silvenas in front of him. Like Agnus, Silvenas was also seriously wounded by the rain.


    ¡°I will kill you first...!¡±


    ¡°Damn traitor...! I will tear you to death!¡±


    ¡°Then I will cut off the pope¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°Then curse that Reba dog! Huh?¡±


    Was Agnus an enemy or ally? Why did they start fighting? Silvenas felt frustrated and unhappy about being caught by this madman. At the same time...


    ¡°This is a problem.¡± In a small vige below the Vatican, Sticks looked confused as he appeared on the road to the Vatican. ¡°I can¡¯t move directly into the Vatican because of a barrier. It will take time to analyze and pull down the barrier...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a barrier that only allowed the entrance and exit of evil beings. Grid stared at the barrier with some nervous pdins and immediately came up with a solution.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The only way was for Grid to jump in alone. Sticks tried to dissuade him from passing through the barrier alone. However, Mercedes stopped Sticks. ¡°The king will rescue the queen and the prince.¡±


    Was this the attitude of a knight who was only concerned about Grid¡¯s safety? Sticks thought it was absurd, but Grid smiled with satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. Follow as soon as you break down the barrier. I will protect Irene and Lord until then...¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t able to finish speaking. Dozens of ck magic spells flooded toward him at the same time.

 Chapter 869

    The 2nd ranked ck magician, Dolce, was very unhappy with this quest. Why did he have to protect the entrance while the others raided the Vatican?


    ¡®I¡¯m not a mere dog!¡¯


    Dolce had won the position of the 2nd ranked ck magician with his talent and efforts. As the second-best among thousands ofpetitors, he was proud to be a genius. In the first ce, ck magicians found it harder to hunt than warriors, so it was great that he had reached his third advancement.


    Yet he had to protect the entrance? Why did he need to block the entrance? Would the enemy evene here?


    ¡®Dammit! How long are they nning to waste a talent like me?¡¯


    Wasting time while doing nothing was extremely annoying. Dolce¡¯sints increased greater and greater in number as dozens of minutes passed by. He was jealous of Rose, who had broken into the Vatican and would get tremendous rewards.


    ¡®If I just get a chance to be active...¡¯


    He would be as active as Rose, be one of Yatan¡¯s Servants, and eventually surpass Rose!Dolce was filled with this conviction. His confidence was based on a realistic analysis, not arrogance.The former 1st ranked ck magician, Yura, felt like an inescapable wall while Rose had no such force. Dolce didn¡¯t think he was even worse than Rose. He just didn¡¯t get a chance because he was unlucky.


    ¡®A chance. If I get a chance, my position would be reversed with Rose right now... Huh?¡¯


    While Dolce was ming his luck and was just carrying out his mission without any motivation, he sensed something.


    Someone had crossed the barrier established at the foot of the mountain the Vatican was on, yet there was no notification window about the barrier being destroyed.It meant that the intruder was entitled to cross the barrier, which signified they were evil and likely to be on the side of the Yatan Church.


    ¡®Was someone assigned a trivial task like me?¡¯


    They must be quite angry. Dolce got up from his rock sulkily, wondering who had joined him in this petty task.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    A ck outfit...? The appearance of his colleague in the darkness couldn¡¯t be distinguished from this distance. Dolce frowned and tried to get closer. Then the moonlight shone through the rain clouds and revealed a neer wearing a crown on his head. The beautiful red and ck jewels on the crown absorbed the moonlight and glowed brightly.


    [You have been confused by the target! You have be defenseless. You can¡¯t take any action, and your defense and magic resistance are reduced by 40%.]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The biggest variable inbat was a person¡¯s status.The consequences of being caught in an abnormal state were severe, and the essence of winning a battle was to ovee it quickly. The 2nd ranked ck magician, Dolce, couldn¡¯t be unaware of this fact. Like other rankers, he raised his resistance to various conditions to the extreme.Thus, he hadn¡¯t expected to be ¡®confused¡¯ just by looking at a person.


    Was this at the same level as the ¡®medusa¡¯ that petrified a target by looking at them? Dolce was so creeped out that he got goosebumps. He felt like his breathing was going to stop, but there was one piece of good news.


    [There is one second remaining for the confused state.]


    The level of the confusion wasn¡¯t very high. Dolce¡¯s high resistance meant he was only affected by it for one second. Dolce was safe since the unknown person was 15 meters away from him. He judged that he could escape from the confusion and use magic before the person reached him.


    ¡®Once I¡¯ve confirmed who it is...¡¯


    One second... It felt like it took unusually long for this one second to pass. Dolce braced himself and searched the face of the target that was getting closer and closer. The person had developed jaw muscles, a high nose, and sharp eyes. The sharp ck eyes looked coldly at the 2nd ranked ck magician like he was a bug.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Dolce recalled a person with thisbination of features and was astonished for two reasons. The first reason was that the finally visible ID of the enemy matched the person he had thought of. The second reason...


    ¡®Fast?¡¯


    The target, who had been standing 15 meters away, moved and arrived right in front of Dolce in one second.


    ¡°Get lost.¡± The target was a man who wore demonic energy that was darker than night. He crushed the sky above the sky and rose above him. The Overgeared King Grid showed off the power of ckening and Quick Movements as he swung his sword.


    Dolce and the five ck magicians with him were caught up in the ck energy des. Their mission had been to prepare for the enemy¡¯s intrusion.Unlike Dolce¡¯s thoughts, it wasn¡¯t a trivial mission. Anxiety and fear filled Dolce as he was hit by Grid¡¯s ck mes and his health fell to the bottom.


    ¡®Can they endure it?¡¯


    Would the ck magicians and Yatan¡¯s Servants struggling with the enemy in the Vatican be able to cope with this enemy? Yatan¡¯s Servants were strong, but Reba¡¯s Daughters were present at the Vatican. Dolce judged that those Yatan¡¯s Servants on the battlefield wouldn¡¯t be able to go against this variable called Grid.


    ¡°S...top!¡± Just before his death, Dolce used the danger re that he never thought would be required. He hadn¡¯t been able to use magic against the intruder, but it was significant that he endured a blow and managed to send the signal re. What would happen if he tried to shoot ck magic instead? It would be useless though since he couldn¡¯t stop Grid anyway. Sending the signal re was a wiser decision.


    Dolce smiled with satisfaction at his own judgment and turned to gray. The people who would rece him appeared.


    ¡°They are nobodies.¡±


    The ck magicians and ck knights, who were scattered around the foothills, ran when they saw the signal. Like Dolce, the first thing they did was attack the intruder with magic.Normally, after simultaneously casting different curses, they would thoroughly neutralize the target. Then the ck knights would finish off the target with their sword.It was a simple and effectivebination.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work?¡±


    However, the ck magic didn¡¯t have an effect? The ck magicians were astonished at the ck-haired man who resisted all types of ck magic and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Not yet...! Wait!¡±


    s, it was toote. The ck knights had already moved. They remembered thebined attack which they had practiced countless times and flew toward the target the moment the curses were released. Six sharp swords filled with corrupted sword energy flooded toward the man in ck. The ck knights naturally thought that their swords would hit him.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Yet the man moved at a speed that was difficult to follow with their eyes and avoided the attacks. Then he drew a circle with his sword and cut all the ck knights around him.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Unlike the Reba Church, it was hard for the Yatan Church to foster knights. Divine magic had defensive spells which increased the physical ability of the caster in the initial stage, whereas early ck magic often reduced physical abilities. Compared to the pdins, the ck knights had low defense and high attack power, but having high attack power was meaningless if the attacks couldn¡¯t hit the target.


    One sword strike, a second sword strike...


    The ck knights died every time Grid swung his Enlightenment Sword. As the ck magicians watched their colleagues suffer greatly, they felt extremely fearful and stood still like stone statues.


    ¡°Wave.¡± Grid released a sword technique the moment ckening and Quick Movements ended. ck waves of energy poured out in all directions, destroying the ck magicians, the trees, and the rocks. Grid cleared the surrounding area and finally glimpsed the Vatican.


    ¡°Irene!! Lord...!¡±


    ¡®Please be safe.¡¯


    Grid summoned Overgeared Corn and rushed forward aggressively.


    ***


    Damian¡¯s shield and armor endured the fists that were striking it continuously, but the symbols of the pope¡ªthe silver armor andrge shield¡ªwere being crushed. Hill¡¯s fists, that flew at a rate of 12 times per second, were definitely fast and powerful. Pope Damian was almost like a cockroach with his defense magic, buff magic, and healing magic.He had yet to die despite Hill hitting him with his attack of 12 fists per second for a few minutes.


    ¡°Persistent bastard!¡± Hill gritted his teeth. Damian still had skills to use, but inwardly, he wasn¡¯t feeling very good about this. Honestly, Damian was frustrated.


    ¡®Is it a skill?¡¯


    It was difficult to see the fists that Hill was wielding as a basic attack.Whenever he swung his fists, he entered a super-armored state which resisted CC.Hill punched 12 times per second, then there was a one-second gap.


    ¡®No matter how I think about it, it seems like a skill.¡¯


    Damian raised his shield the moment the punches came flying. As he took two steps back to offset the shockwave delivered through the shield, he was convinced Hill¡¯s attack was a skill.


    ¡®The moment it activates, super-armor is triggered. The skill will hit 12 times, then there is a cooldown of one second...!¡¯


    It could be called a fraudulent skill. Damian spected that Hill had the greatest attack strength amongst Yatan¡¯s Servants.


    ¡®There is only one attack pattern, and it is very simple but...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a form of attack that Damian could cope with. 12 fists were swung per second unconditionally, and they weren¡¯t easy to defend or fight back against as the timing to counterattack was only a one-second gap. Unfortunately for Pope Damian, he didn¡¯t have a skill which dealt powerful damage in one blow. Hecked attack power in exchange for a perfect bnce and arge number of wide-area skills. So, it was impossible for Damian to knock down Hill during the one-second gap.


    ¡®The situation is bad. This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    Damian couldn¡¯t be tied up by Hill forever. If he couldn¡¯t defeat Hill, then it was better for him to help his allies or kill the ck magicians. However, who could deal with Hill except for him? Reba¡¯s Daughters and the Red Knights were engaged in battle with the other Yatan¡¯s Servants.


    ¡®If I can¡¯t tie up Hill, my allies will be ughtered...¡¯


    In the end, would he have to keep fighting Hill? Despite being unable to hurt Hill, would Damian have to keep defending while watching his allies repel the enemies?


    ¡®No! It isn¡¯t a situation where I can rely on anyone else!¡¯


    Damian couldn¡¯t ignore that the Overgeared forces protecting Queen Irene and Prince Lord were exhausted.Unlike the Red Knights, the Overgeared troops had fought the enemies from the beginning and reached their limits. They were in great danger while Damian was still tying up Hill, which meant Irene and Lord could die. In the end, Damian had to choose.He had to deal with HIll alone, but it didn¡¯t necessarily have to take a long time.


    ¡®I will try it.¡¯


    Damian recalled thebat method that Grid had shown during the National Competition.He had hit harder in return for every hit received. That¡¯s right. Damian nned to fight back instead of defending against Hill¡¯s 12 punches.


    ¡®My attack power is weaker, but I have to try.¡¯


    He would be hit by Hill, then he would strike back. Damian adopted this newbat style straight away, swinging his shield instead of blocking the flying fists with spells or his shield.


    ¡°Puhahat! Stupid fool!¡± Hillughed when he read Damian¡¯s intentions. Damian could only swing his sword 2¨C3 times per second, while Hill could punch 12 times per second.


    ¡°Two or three hits inparison to 12 hits...? What does that mean? Puhahahat!¡±


    Damian was using a heal? It was futile though as Hill had been hiding a hidden card!


    ¡°Strike harder! Adadadada!¡±


    Hill had an attack power buff.His fists suddenly turned red, and he started to deal twice the damage to Damian. Damian¡¯s healing skills couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Teacher Damian!¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness!¡±


    It was a great crisis! The Reba members and royalty turned pale when they saw Pope Damian start to be pushed. In particr, Lord was filled with deep frustration.¡°I...! I wish I was an adult!¡±


    Then he would¡¯ve easily saved his mother from the crisis and would¡¯ve helped Damian. When would he be an adult? Lord clenched his small fists and tears filled his eyes.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡± A man dropped in through the broken ceiling of the banquet hall.


    His target, Hill, scoffed, ¡°Who is this bastard? Do you want to taste my fist too?¡±


    Hill entered the super-armored state and aimed one, two, three... twelve fists at the man.His fists, which couldn¡¯t be followed by eyes, aimed at the man¡¯s face, chest, and sides. It happened in just one second.


    In that one second, the man...


    ¡°Link.¡±


    He cut Hill 30 times per second in a much stronger manner!

 Chapter 870

    During the time when he had been waiting for Sticks to recover his mana, when he couldn¡¯t teleport straight to the Vatican, when he faced the barrier surrounding the Vatican, and when his ankles were caught by sessive enemies... Grid had inwardly believed that there was no need to fret.


    He had believed that Irene and Lord were safe. After all, Damian and Isabel were in the Vatican. Grid knew they would watch over his wife and son, and so he calmed his heart. Yes, Damian and Isabel were a great help to Grid just by existing. If it wasn¡¯t for them, Grid could never be so calm. It might¡¯ve taken him more time to get to the Vatican due to nervousness and a blurred judgment.


    ¡°Fortunately, I made it on time.¡± Gridnded on the ground after exchanging attacks with Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant Hill, then he saw Irene and Lord. Although they were both mentally and physically exhausted, they were mostly unharmed. There were no injuries on their bodies.


    ¡°It is lucky. It is really lucky...¡± Relieved, a bright smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face.It was an excellent smile. The first people to see Grid were so pure that they misinterpreted him as an angel.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s eyes turned red as they weed Grid. The husband and father who had just appeared in a desperate crisis seemed like the world¡¯s greatest hero to them. They weren¡¯t mistaken. The Grid before them was indeed a hero of heroes.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [You have discovered a strong...]


    The purple-red aura around Grid thickened rapidly. Reba¡¯s Daughters, Yatan¡¯s Servants, 2nd Imperial Prince Dndal, and the solo number knights all provoked the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy.


    ¡°Everybody...¡± Grid looked at the young knights while the fighting energy surrounded him. The knights were so injured that it was hard to find any part of them that was unscathed.Yet they were still surrounded around Irene and Lord, even as the swords in their hands trembled. Grid noticed how they had received all types of injuries and had been hit by many curses in their fierce battle to protect their masters.


    ¡°Thank you. I really thank you,¡± he said to Kasim, Chucksley, and the young knights. Irene and Lord were safe because they had fought with all their strength. Grid thanked them before looking at Hill who was getting up. Hill¡¯s health gauge had fallen to 9/10th after being hit by Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link. On the other hand, Grid lost 9,600 health, and his health gauge was less than 9/10th.


    Damian confirmed their health statuses and shouted, ¡°Grid, even you will find it hard to face him!¡±


    In the process of dealing with Hill, Damian estimated that Hill had an approximate health of 50 million. Furthermore, his attack power was at least 1.6 times higher than Damian¡¯s while his defense was only slightly lower than Damian¡¯s. Grid¡¯s attack power and defense might be two times higher than Damian¡¯s, but it wouldn¡¯t make a big difference to Hill. Basically, Grid was at a disadvantage in facing Hill.


    ¡°He is a monster who can use his skill without any restrictions! You should avoid a frontal fight!¡±


    Hill¡¯s skill of 12 punches per second could be used continuously while Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had a long cooldown time. Hence, Damian judged that no yer could win in a one-on-one match against Hill, including Grid. Grid listened closely to Damian¡¯s words.


    ¡°He is strong. He has high defense and attack power.¡±


    Grid lost 800 health every time he was hit by Hill¡¯s fist. If all 12 punches hit him, he would lose 9,600 health. Additionally, Hill could unleash the 12 punches every second. Hill¡¯s attack power was threatening even when taking into consideration the healing power of Doran¡¯s Ring, the blood-sucking ability of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, Tiramet¡¯s Power, and the health restoration and shield creation of the First King Title.


    ¡®This guy is on a different level from Dark Bus.¡¯


    Grid had experience with shattering Yatan¡¯s Servants several times in the past few years, so he couldpare the current Yatan¡¯s Servants with the previous ones in a more objective manner than anyone else. This meant he was forced to evaluate Hill highly.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been defeated if we had met at the time of the National Competition.¡¯


    Yes, Hill was really strong.It wasn¡¯t unusual that a skilled yer like Damian was driven to the defensive.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    It was why Grid revealed his power right at the beginning.


    [Belial¡¯s Staff and the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires will bebined!]


    Grid made a judgment. If he activated things like the mes emission, the illusions, the red lightning bolt, the ck mes, and so on, it would be counted as using magic. This meant a shield that absorbed 5,000 health would be created. Thebination of the sword and staff was the only means to resist Hill¡¯s overwhelming attack power.


    ¡°A spear?¡± From Hill¡¯s perspective, an unidentified enemy had suddenly appeared. Hill slightly shrank back at the sight of the ck-haired man with a beautiful crown on his head. The swordsman who could swing a sword faster than Hill¡¯s fists abandoned the sword and armed himself with a spear.


    In spite of that, Hill¡¯s confusion onlysted for a moment. He quickly scoffed inwardly, ¡®He must be trying to maximize his strength because it is hard to deal me a big blow no matter how hard he swings the sword.¡¯


    It was stupid. Didn¡¯t the enemy know it was useless regardless of whether it was a big blow or many blows? Among Yatan¡¯s Servants, Hill was the strongest physically. While swinging his fist, he shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t be just quick or strong! In order to win against me, you need a powerful attack that can prate my defense faster than I move! Kuhahahat!¡±


    Hill jumped forward energetically.His face, chest, and rounded belly seemed ridiculous at first, but no one couldugh at him. Everyone shrank back at the presence of the powerful man who had already dominated Pope Damian.


    ¡°Danger!¡± Lord¡¯s worried voice echoed through the banquet hall at the sight of his father in a crisis.


    ¡°...!¡± Hearing the distant scream of a boy, Agnus got up from where he was fighting outside the banquet hall with Lich Mumud. He had to defeat the enemy in front of him to protect the woman and child! Silvenas¡¯ fists struck the jaws of the shaking Agnus. Agnus spat out blood, and his chest was exposed without any defenses. Silvenas¡¯ sword cut at his chest.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª? Why do you care about other people when you are dying? Why protect the enemy in the first ce? Are you crazy?¡±


    Yatan¡¯s Servants were wicked people.The people who aimed at the destruction of the world and the fall of humanity ultimately couldn¡¯t be good. From a general point of view, Yatan¡¯s Servants were crazy. Yet even they thought that Agnus was a madman. Grasping the wound on his chest, Agnus giggled, ¡°Is it possible to maintain my mind in a world with crazy people like you? Huh~? Kik...! Kilkik!¡±


    Agnus himself admitted that he was crazy.He had gone insane the night his lover experienced that terrible pain.


    ¡°Mumud!¡± Agnus cried out to Lich Mumud, who was running out of mana.¡°Save the queen and the prince!¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Lich Mumud hesitated. It was a reaction that showed he hadn¡¯t expected his master to give an order to protect others.


    Agnus urged him with bloody eyes, ¡°Get out of here quickly!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The highest level undead lich was able to ¡®think.¡¯ They had emotions and will. However, duty was more important than personal feelings and will. From the day he had been dominated by Agnus until today, Lich Mumud hadpleted many undesired missions.He had harmed countless people under his master¡¯smands, causing Mumud to feel like he was in hell. This time was an exception.His master¡¯smand coincided with his will.


    ck...ck ck... Lich Mumud stepped toward the banquet hall, wielding his magic power. Silvenas tried to stop him.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±Agnus blocked Silvenas¡¯ way. Silvenas turned her sword on the guy who would die soon and had no more mana.


    ¡°You crazy guy!¡±Silvenas¡¯ sword pierced Agnus¡¯ abdomen. She thought that Agnus would die like this because he had already lost his immortality.


    ¡°Kik...! Kikikik!¡± Strangely, Agnus didn¡¯t die, yet the abdomen pierced by Silvenas¡¯ sword didn¡¯t heal. Agnus¡¯ body was clearly in tatters. No health could be felt from him.So how was he still alive? Silvenas took a step back out of confusion and btedly realized that Agnus was on the boundary between life and death right now.


    ¡°Lich Transformation? You even consumed your soul for the sake of protecting others?!¡±


    ¡°Kik...! Kikikik!¡±


    Death knights and demons appeared around Agnus, who recovered some of his magic power after bing a lich. Silvenas felt a threat to her life.


    ***


    ¡®What is this...?!!¡¯ Yatan¡¯s Third Servant Aliburn was astonished by the man who had suddenly entered the battlefield. It was because he knew the identity of the man with the purple-red aura.


    ¡®Hero King!¡¯


    The legend of Sword Saint and Hero King Muller having sealed several great demons was famous. The Hero King, Demon yer, and Reba¡¯s Daughters were the greatest enemies for the Yatan Church and the great demons. The Hero King was now showing up at this timing...? Did Reba intervene?


    ¡®...No, this is the best chance!¡¯ A smile appeared on Aliburn¡¯s face as he stopped shrinking back. Hill was Dark Bus¡¯ sessor and the teacher of former Yatan¡¯s Servants. Unlike the previous servants who had been killed due to being vulnerable in closebat, Hill was someone who specialized in individualbat power. It was impossible to defeat him in a one-on-one match.


    ¡®Hill was specifically chosen by Amoract. He has a secret weapon that can destroy the Hero King.¡¯


    Aliburn¡¯s expectations soared into the sky. He saw this as a genius opportunity God Yatan created.It was a chance to wipe out the Reba Church and the Hero King at the same time!


    ¡°Take this punch!¡± The shining Hill aimed 12 punches toward the Hero King. The 25th great demon, Dantalian, had given ¡®Fighting Knowledge¡¯ to Hill. When it evolved, Hill gained the power to break the sky. Just like the pope, Aliburn judged that the Hero King would soon be forced on the defensive and forced to his knees. However, the result was different from Aliburn¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°What?¡± Aliburn¡¯s eyes shook as he watched the battle. Every time the Hero King swung his spear, lightning and mes struck. Hill was turned to rags while the Hero King was surrounded by shields on all sides. The two of them exchanged attacks, but Hill was the only one damaged while the Hero King¡¯s body was still intact.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this above the legendary Muller? Alburn¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    A myth, myth, and myth...


    The myth rated Belial¡¯s Staff and Enlightenment Sword, which werebined using a god¡¯s blessing, far exceeded the category of a legend. This was the moment when the Yatan Church¡¯s Hill was sentenced to death.


    [You have killed Yatan¡¯s Seventh Servant, Hill.]


    [Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment has been obtained.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]

 Chapter 871

    [Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment]


    [¡ïFighting Knowledge ¡ï


    -A fragment containing the fighting knowledge of the 25th great demon, Dantalian.


    Most of the knowledge is lost, but it is far beyond the knowledge of an ordinary human.


    Martial arts will evolve one step further.


    Knowledge Acquisition Conditions: A martial artist type profession.


    Knowledge Acquired: All skill level +1. 10% increase in attack speed, 20% increase in evasion.]


    ¡®This is a great demon¡¯s ability?¡¯


    Four years after bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, none of Grid¡¯s skills had reached the master level. It was extremely difficult to raise skill levels, which meant that the value of the Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment was unreasonably high. This wasn¡¯t even all of the knowledge.


    Despite the two levels he gained from killing Hill, Grid had been disappointed when only one old booklet dropped. Then his thoughts changed after reading the description of the booklet. Rather than disappointed, he was now satisfied, and his admiration for it was far beyond his satisfaction.


    ¡®Is there something like a cksmith¡¯s knowledge fragment? In any case, this knowledge would be a great help to Regas.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t think about how much it could be sold for and the people it could be sold to. He had no intention of taking anything from his colleagues. Right now, he wasn¡¯t frantic about immediate gains. It wasn¡¯t because he had be a pushover who easily gave things to others. Instead, it was because he was certain that the stronger his colleagues and friends became, the more they could be of great help to him and his precious ones.


    Grid judged that the benefits gained from Regas acquiring Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment were much higher than the value of a few coins. In the first ce, he could get money easily.


    ¡®Regas will pay me back like Jishuka and Yura.¡¯


    That¡¯s right.Grid was unconsciously making a project where the Overgeared members would be indebted to him.


    [The duration of Item Combination is over.]


    [Belial¡¯s Staff and the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires have been separated.]


    [The cooldown time of Item Combination is reset by the effect of the skill ¡®Divinity¡¯.]


    The spear reverted back to the form of a sword and a staff. Aliburn was stunned as he watched Grid kill Hill and return the staff to his inventory. It was due to the familiar earrings hanging from the ck-haired man¡¯s ears.Aliburn was sure that the tasteful ivory earrings were Dark Bus¡¯ earrings¡ªthe ones he¡¯d worn during the mission to infiltrate the Saharan Empire. It was the strongest artifact with the ckening ability, which turned the wearer into a half-demonkin once every 12 hours...


    ¡®Is it him?¡¯Aliburn had heard the name of the Overgeared King.


    It was impossible not to know the famous person who built up a new kingdom.Yet he was also the person who killed Dark Bus...?


    ¡®No, it is strange to think that he killed Dark Bus. Dark Bus was performing a mission to drive the empire into chaos. There was no reason for him to be killed. It doesn¡¯t add up...¡¯


    Aliburn denied it only to be surprised again. He noticed the ring that Grid was wearing on his finger.It was a thin ck ring.This was Dark Bus¡¯ Ring, which consumed the wearer¡¯s mana and exploited the dispel function. Aliburn could no longer deny it. Dark Bus¡¯ killer... He had to acknowledge that the Overgeared King was the Yatan¡¯s Servants¡¯ ughterer that he had been searching for.


    ¡®He is a more famous person than I expected!¡¯ Aliburn was ready to chew on Grid¡¯s skull.


    Simultaneously, some people cheered after seeing Grid kill Hill while others felt desperate.


    ¡°Overgeared King! The Hero King and Yatan¡¯s Servants¡¯ ughterer!¡±Aliburn¡¯s scream soared into the sky.


    It had only been two minutes. Despite seeing Grid take care of Hill in that short amount of time that the items werebined, Aliburn didn¡¯t shrink back. Grid was able to sense that Aliburn was a tough opponent.


    ¡®He knows that I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Grid had already exhausted skills like ckening on the way to the Vatican and then shortly after arriving there.Having ced Irene and Lord¡¯s safety as the top priority, he had used most of his trump cards at the beginning.It also meant that Hill was strong and Grid wanted to get rid of some of the enemy¡¯s overwhelming numbers.


    In fact, the battle was going as he intended. Pope Damian¡¯s appearance had demoralized the ck magicians earlier, and now they were on the verge of losing their fighting spirit after witnessing Hill¡¯s death. Currently, the ck magicians attack power and defense were lowered.


    However, Aliburn¡¯s momentum had risen.He wasn¡¯t weak enough to be shaken by Hill¡¯s death, and he was aware that Grid had consumed a lot of power.


    ¡°You just caught me off guard with your divinity skill. But even the Hero King can¡¯t exert divine skills consecutively.¡±


    Aliburn didn¡¯t care about the power of a divine skill because he was familiar with them. He pointed a finger at Grid. The tips of Aliburn¡¯s long fingernails were ckened, but it wasn¡¯t nail polish. His fingernails had been stained by the blood of countless humans. Just like most of Yatan¡¯s Servants, Aliburn was a terrible murderer.He could ughter innocent children for his own ambitions and for the church.


    ¡°Warning Cannon.¡±


    It took only 0.5 seconds for the ck magic power to focus on his fingertips.Then took him another 0.5 seconds to fire it.It was one second in total. The focused magic power gun that Aliburn fired destroyed all the Reba pdins in its path. Its ultimate target was Grid.


    Warning Cannon, Warning Curtain, Warning Sphere, and so on¡ªthis transcendent ck magic had been presented to Aliburn by the true First Servant, Amoract. It allowed Aliburn to overflow with confidence.


    ¡°This is a treasure that I kept as a means to harm Reba¡¯s Daughters! It is an absolute power that can¡¯t be sustained even by the Hero King!¡±Aliburn shouted even before it hit.


    Soon after, Grid was swept up in the explosion. The wall of the banquet hall where Grid was standing couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and copsed. The ground was broken, and dust filled the whole area, hiding everyone from view.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Shouts rang out from all over the ce. They witnessed the power of Aliburn¡¯s magic cannon and thought it was unlikely that Grid was safe.Pope Damian and Lord were the same even though they were people who knew Grid¡¯s skill and trusted him more than anyone else in the world.


    ¡°Father!¡±Lord yelled in a trembling voice while feelings of anxiety rose within him.The child wanted to run over to his father.


    ¡°He is okay,¡±Irene said as she grabbed onto Lord. Her hands were no longer trembling. All her fears from the past had been wiped out the moment Grid appeared. Her trust in Grid was absolute, and Damian and Lord were unable to argue against it.


    ¡°Phew.¡±As if rewarding them for their faith, Grid emerged safe and sound. His ring shone red as soon as he escaped from the dust.It was Dark Bus¡¯ Ring, which dispelled the attack and became hotter as it devoured Grid¡¯s mana. This was the sign of an explosion that was soon to ur.Once the ring absorbed 5,000 of the wearer¡¯s mana, Skill Dispel had to be used two times in 10 minutes or it would cause enormous damage to the wearer.


    ¡®I need to dispel another attack,¡¯Grid grumbled inwardly and sent a provocative gaze to Aliburn. He was nning to fight back after neutralizing Aliburn¡¯s next round of attack. However, Aliburn was unexpectedly calm and just stared at Grid silently without using any magic. It gave off a creepy feeling.


    ¡®Since when?¡¯


    The other ck magicians had also stopped using magic.They remained silent and were being hit one-sidedly by the Reba members and their knights. The momentum of the Reba members rose, but Grid¡¯s spine was cold.


    ¡®Do they know about Dark Bus¡¯ Ring?¡¯


    That¡¯s right.The members of the Yatan Church knew the characteristics of Dark Bus¡¯ Ring and were inducing it to explode. So, of course, they wouldn¡¯t give Grid a chance to dispel a skill.


    [The amount of magic power umted in Dark Bus¡¯ Ring is too high. Dark Bus¡¯ Ring can¡¯t endure it.]


    [Warning. There are 30 seconds left until Dark Bus¡¯ Ring explodes. The explosion will permanently destroy Dark Bus¡¯ Ring, and the wearer will lose their life.]


    ¡°F...!¡± It was a terrible situation! Grid barely contained the curse when he thought about Lord and Irene¡¯s presence and shouted urgently, ¡°Damian! Attack me with a skill!¡±


    The Skill Dispel attached to Dark Bus¡¯ Ring was difficult to use.He had to directly block the skill by making the ringe into contact with it. Dark Bus¡¯ Ring rating was not legendary but unique because its utilization was low and the penalty was high.


    ¡°Hah? U-Understood!¡¯


    Grid suddenly wanted Damian to attack him...? Damian found it hard to understand, but he followed Grid¡¯s orders anyway. However, he failed to activate the skill.


    ¡°Warning Curtain.¡±


    It was due to Aliburn¡¯s intervention. He created an enchantment that made all living things in it unable to use skills.


    [Warning. There are 20 seconds left until Dark Bus¡¯ Ring explodes.]


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    In the end, Grid was forced to take special measures.He had to give up the ring. Although the ring was definitely a valuable item, Irene and Lord would be in danger if he were too greedy. He had no choice, but avoiding the penalty wasn¡¯t that easy.


    [You can¡¯t take Dark Bus¡¯ Ring off.]


    There were 15 seconds left until the ring would explode, yet he couldn¡¯t remove it from his finger. 10 seconds, 9 seconds, 8 seconds...


    ¡°Shit!¡±Grid¡¯s nervousness reached the peak. Then a skeleton emerged from beyond the copsed outer wall and used magic.A total of six magic power pirs sprang up, sweeping through the ck magicians surrounding Irene and Lord. Grid instinctively reached out toward a pir.


    [The Skill Dispel option of Dark Bus¡¯ Ring has been activated!]


    [Dark Bus¡¯ Ring has removed the target skill. All the mana umted in Dark Bus¡¯ Ring has been consumed, and it has entered the resting state.]


    The ring fell silent four seconds before it was going to explode.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡± Feeling like he had regained 10 years, Grid looked away. He held a killing intent toward the lich who suddenly appeared and shot magic toward Irene and Lord.


    ¡°Mumud!¡±Agnus was hiding somewhere and watching the situation...?


    ¡°Crazy jerk!¡± Grid¡¯s mind was filled with anger when he heard another voice.


    ¡°Warning Sphere.¡±Aliburn used new magic.He was upset about losing a great opportunity to get rid of Grid. Dozens of ck spheres formed around Aliburn. The number of spheres wasn¡¯t something that the Overgeared Knights, the God Hands assisting Kasim, and the already summoned Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons could handle.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±Aliburn¡¯s purpose was to destroy the Reba Church and increase the influence of the Yatan Church. It was a bonus to warn the kingdoms all over the continent by killing their royal families. Yet the king of a small nation was grabbing at his ankles? The spheres of darkness, which were flying in all directions, threatened not only Grid¡¯s group but all the other royalty as well. Aliburn nned to aplish his purpose after cleaning up everyone around him.


    He still had power.The new power that Amoract had given him prior to the invasion could achieve his purpose. The Hero King? The Overgeared King? Hill had already weakened this unexpected variable¡ªGrid. So, Aliburn judged that Grid wasn¡¯t a big threat.


    ¡®It is the end.¡¯ Rose smiled.


    Agnus¡¯ sudden betrayal, the little prince¡¯s unexpected skills, the imperial prince¡¯s ability, Damian¡¯s escape, Grid¡¯s appearance, and so on¡ªshe had felt uneasy about these unexpected variables which urred in session but not anymore. She believed that Yatan¡¯s Third Servant, Aliburn¡ªthe powerful and clever NPC who nned out this Vatican raid¡ªwould trample on Grid, Damian, and Agnus like they were insects.


    In fact, Grid felt a serious crisis.


    ¡®There are too many!¡¯


    The number of dark spheres reached several hundred. He used Freely Move to reach Aliburn, but Aliburn didn¡¯t stop casting.Instead, he endured Grid¡¯s swordsmanship with his high health and defense and continued to create more spheres. Once the spheres¡ªwhich contained magic power¡ªexploded, the whole area would be devastated.


    Grid could somehow survive with his various titles, item effects, and passive skills, but Irene, Lord, and the young Overgeared knights were the problem. He might lose all of them.


    ¡®I can¡¯t summon any knights because of the ward blocking outside summoning. What should I do?¡¯


    The enemy was too strong, and the situation was the worst. Grid was at a disadvantage since he had to protect everyone.


    ¡®Maybe...¡¯


    From beginning to end, had the Yatan Church¡¯s victory already been decided? The yers couldn¡¯t put up a resistance anymore, and it was the worst ending...


    ¡®Am I destined to lose Irene and Lord?¡¯


    Grid turned pale at the thought and looked around. His gaze fell on the hilt that suddenly showed up through Aliburn¡¯s robe.


    [Sword Stuck in the Rock]


    A quest arrow appeared above the item with the golden name.It looked exactly like the arrow which had floated above Lifael¡¯s Spear the first time he saw it a few years ago... Grid instinctively grabbed the hilt. Aliburn had been watching the dark spheres with satisfied eyes when he suddenly panicked.¡°You, what are you...?¡±


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal!¡±


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    Ttiring~


    [You have discovered a hidden feature in the item!]


    [!!!! The first holy sword of humanity. It was sealed in the stone by the original seven malignant saints!]


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Crossroad of Good and Evil has urred!]


    [The power of God¡¯s Command has shattered the Stone of Original Sin!]


    [The quest item First Iplete Holy Sword has been obtained!]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Light exploded, and the darkness was cleared.The hundreds of ck spheres floating in the air vanished like they were a lie. Aliburn¡¯s face filled with consternation for the first time.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Grid¡¯s and Damian¡¯s gazes met in the air as Grid confirmed the contents of the hidden quest while Daman confirmed the contents of the newly updated Recapture the Holy Sword quest.

 Chapter 872

    It was a quest that could be cleared. Damian was convinced about it.His confidence hadn¡¯t changed even when he was trapped in the barrier, when he was caught by Hill, or when Aliburn summoned hundreds of ck spheres.


    ¡®Based on the worldview, this crisis must be passed.¡¯


    He was sure it would be maintained even if Grid hadn¡¯t shown up. In fact, Reba¡¯s Daughters weren¡¯t using White Transformation as promised. If they did, the momentum was likely to change. Thus, Damian had been waiting for the story to reach a specific section¡ªthe moment when Reba¡¯s Daughters would go out with all their strength.


    However, the situation went differently from Damian¡¯s expectations. Before Reba¡¯s Daughters could move, Grid changed things dramatically. Something happened the moment Grid touched the sword in Aliburn¡¯s arms. It was the sword that was sealed into the rock.


    A brilliant light exploded, and the image of the sword Grid had drawn out didn¡¯t fade away. Instead, it becameplete.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was interfering with the symbol of the Reba Church?


    ¡®What are his qualifications?¡¯


    The keepsakes of Fifth Pope Franz¡ªthe Holy Light Set¡ªwere made by Pagma, so it wasn¡¯t strange for them to be associated with Grid.


    ¡®Did Pagma have anything to do with the first holy sword?¡¯


    Ttiring~


    Damian was feeling confused when a notification window popped up.


    [The Recapture the Holy Sword quest has been updated to Recapture the Holy Sword (2)!]


    [Recapture the Holy Sword (2)]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The sealed holy sword, which was in the Yatan Church¡¯s hands, has been liberated with the power of the seven malignant saints.


    The seven malignant saints, who wanted to move away from being half-gods and be true gods, sought the sword in the past.


    The Holy Sword is the symbol of Reba and proof of the pope!


    You must retrieve it!


    Be wary of the evil person seeking the throne of a god!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Take back the Sealed Holy Sword.


    Quest Clear Reward: The blessing of Goddess Reba, God Judar, and God Dominion. Affinity with the elders will reach the peak, and you will be respected by all believers.


    Quest Failure: Many believers will be disillusioned with the ineffective church leadership and will leave the church. You won¡¯t be eligible to serve as the pope. Goddess Reba will be disappointed in you. Level -10.]


    ¡®The seven malignant saints? Where did this suddenlye from?¡¯


    For the majority of ordinary yers, the seven malignant saints episode was still uncharted territory. Even Overgeared King Grid had only recently learned about this story. Additionally, he only knew because Kraugel told him. However, Damian wasn¡¯t an ordinary yer.He was a ranked who had a formerly hidden ss, and he was the pope of the Reba Church. Just like Kraugel, he had dominated many quests. No, perhaps Damian was a yer with even more knowledge and information sources than Kraugel. He knew that the malignant saints were absolutely evil.


    ¡®They became half-gods due to the gods¡¯ favor, but they weren¡¯t satisfied and aimed for the gods¡¯ position...¡¯


    He had heard that one of them had inherited the power of light from Goddess Reba. Just thinking about the seven malignant saints made Damian angry. How dare they betray Goddess Reba who cared for humanity with love andpassion? From the time he became the Goddess¡¯ Agent until the day he became a pope, Damian had learned many things about Reba¡¯s work. He admired Reba and didn¡¯t like the seven viins who had tried to hurt her by betraying her.


    ¡®Wait...¡¯Damian was astonished. Weren¡¯t the quest¡¯s contents updated the moment Grid touched the holy sword? Then that meant the mention of the ¡®evil person¡¯ who used the power of the seven malignant saints was referring to Grid.


    ¡°Grid!¡±Damian felt a chill as his voice entered Grid¡¯s ears. Grid was also looking at a new quest.It contained a powerful temptation that was causing him to feel conflicted.


    [Crossroad of Good and Evil]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    After all sorts of adventures, you have won the power, God¡¯s Command, that the fourth malignant saint, Taren, left forter generations.


    You can hear Taren¡¯s voice, ¡°The light was so bright that I couldn¡¯t see the darkness hidden beyond it.¡±


    The voice of the War God Zeratul is also heard, ¡°Human. This isn¡¯t Taren¡¯s arrangement. It is Dominion¡¯s and my arrangement. Don¡¯t listen to the voice of the corrupted one.¡±


    The Iplete Holy Sword is starting to be eroded by the power of God¡¯s Command.


    The Iplete Holy Sword is a symbol of Reba.


    Please make a choice.


    Will you rely on the power of the seven malignant saints to make the Iplete Holy Sword yours or return it to the Reba Church?


    Pioneer your own path!


    Rewards for Gaining the Iplete Holy Sword:


    The ¡®Holy Sword of the 4th Evil¡¯ will be acquired.


    * Your race will evolve from a human into a half-god. A half-god is a race that transcends humanity and approaches being a god. There will be room for great increases of all abilities.


    * The passive skill God¡¯s Command is strengthened. The probability of activating God¡¯s Command will be 100%. However, a critical hit won¡¯t be applied to skills that God¡¯s Command is used on.


    * The skill, Corrupted Holy Sword, will unlock.


    * You will be cursed by Goddess Reba, God Dominion, God Judar, and God Zeratul.


    * Affinity with the Reba Church, Dominion Church, and Judar Church will fall to minus values.


    * Followers of the Warrior God will chase you.


    Rewards for Returning the Iplete Holy Sword:


    Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. Affinity with the Reba Church will rise to the maximum.


    * Affinity with the Reba Church is already at the maximum.]


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he read the contents of the quest. His greed wriggled under the enormous stimtion. Grid¡¯s original heart was crying.


    ¡®Grab the Holy Sword!


    ¡®A half-god, half-god!


    ¡®No one will be able to beat me! I will reign forever!


    ¡®The whole world will see me everyday, and people will look up to me.


    ¡®My first love Ahyoung will feel regretful every night. Huhuhut.


    ¡®What about those guys who bullied me?


    ¡®This is a unique opportunity. It is dangerous now. A strong person like Kraugel or Agnus can take my position at any time.


    ¡®What about those people hoping for the downfall of the Overgeared Kingdom? What if I am deprived of everything and return to that awful life?¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    His conflict was biased. Grid¡¯s greed was too strong, despite receiving many rewards and oveing his past. He gripped the holy sword harder.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Grid heard Damian¡¯s shout. Damian sincerely respected and envied Grid.Grid liked him too. It sometimes felt akin to a dream that he shared a mutual admiration with a great person like Damian. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. Grid didn¡¯t let go of the holy sword in his hand.


    ¡°Grid! Wake up!¡±


    Then he heard Isabel¡¯s cry. Isabel¡ªshe was a poor woman. Grid had saved her, and she gained happiness. The feelings of gratitude, love, and respect she felt for Grid were a great source of strength and pride for him. He felt a bit sorry to let her down.


    ¡°I...¡±Grid¡¯s tight grip on the holy sword loosened slightly. Still, this onlysted for a moment. Grid increased his strength again because he couldn¡¯t suppress the greed inside him.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    He heard Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s cries. That¡¯s when Grid¡¯s mind awakened, and he shifted his gaze from the sword for the first time. The first woman who loved him¡ªshe was the woman who devoted herself to him and taught him what happiness and rest were. Additionally, there was the fruit of his love with her¡ªthe child who followed his back.


    Then other faces appeared in his mind¡ªHuroi, Yura, Jishuka, Regas, Pon, Lauel, Peak Sword, and Toon.


    ¡°I...¡±


    The biased conflict changed. He suppressed his boiling desire and shouted with all his strength, ¡°I can¡¯t risk my family and colleagues...!!¡±


    What was he doing alone? His people would suffer if he gave into his desires and became hostile to the world. He didn¡¯t want that. Right now, his life wasn¡¯t his own.


    ¡°Damian!¡±Grid shouted and threw the holy sword into the air. Pope Damian caught the turning sword, and a bright smile appeared on Damian¡¯s face.


    Phew, it was really fortunate. What would he have done if Grid had be the seconding of a malignant saint? It was the worst situation that Damian didn¡¯t even want to imagine.


    ¡°This... Stop all of them!¡±Aliburn shouted urgently, overwhelmed by the divine power released from the holy sword. He had lost his calm expression long ago, but he was already toote. Yatan¡¯s Servants and the ck magicians weren¡¯t able to react yet.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Will.¡±The pope waved the first holy sword, and a divine power was manifested. The sword glowed in the darkness, getting rid of all the dark curses and cutting the Yatan¡¯ Servants and ck magicians in its path.


    ¡°Kuock!!¡±


    The first holy sword was a weapon against the great demons. Yatan¡¯s Servants couldn¡¯t endure its power. Aliburn suffered a terrible blow and copsed, while Grid started dancing in response to Damian¡¯s move.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±Aliburn red at Grid with bloodshot eyes.The grudge he felt toward the person who made all his ns useless was too great to be described.¡°I will die and take you to hell with me!¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Kuk...!Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡±


    ¡°The Third Servant!¡±


    The deathly screams of the wicked being who threatened thousands of Reba members drove the ck magicians into chaos.They ran away while the Reba pdins chased them.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Aliburn disappeared in a gray pir of light, and Grid stumbled. The physical and mental fatigue he felt while fighting to protect his precious ones were tremendous. The sudden drop of stamina meant it wasn¡¯t strange if he fell down immediately. However, Grid stood firm. He had to hold out his wife and son.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate. I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡±


    As he embraced them, the smile on Grid¡¯s face as was as warm as the portrait of the goddess. The Reba Church¡¯s elders gazed at Grid with a different expression in their eyes. Meanwhile, Isabel looked like she was on the verge of deifying Grid.

 Chapter 873

    Grid touched the red-eyed Irene gently. It was an attitude like he was handling the most precious treasure in the world.


    ¡°I was praying that you were safe the entire time I headed here. Thank you. I¡¯m really thankful that you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes, hand gestures, and warm words gave Irene great happiness.Irene¡¯s affection for Grid was now close to infinitely deep.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how happy I am to be here...¡±


    If Irene had been alone in the crisis, she would¡¯ve felt more sorry than joyful.She would¡¯ve felt guilty that she had forced the king toe all the way here while he was busy taking care of the country and its people. However, Irene wasn¡¯t alone in today¡¯s crisis. Her son Lord, the loyal Kasim and Chucksley, and the young knights who were the future of the country were all in danger. Irene felt a deep gratitude and respect to Grid who had saved all of them.


    ¡°On the first day we met, you were fighting to save someone,¡± Irene recalled. Those had been the days when she was just the eldest daughter of an earl. Back then, Doran was still alive, and Grid had helped rescued her when she was kidnapped by the Yatan Church. ¡°I first heard about you when I was made the ruler of Winston.¡±


    She had heard there was a hero who saved the powerless people from an evil lord, including an old cksmith called Khan. That hero was Grid. After that, Grid saved Irene who had once again been kidnapped by the Yatan Church, rescued Reinhardt which had been invaded by golems, and saved the 250,000 residents of Pangea on the East Continent. Grid was a person who only lived for others. This was his life.


    ¡°I sincerely admire you.¡± Irene blushed.


    ¡°Hum. Hum hum.¡± Grid sweated and coughed with embarrassment. He felt somewhat ufortable every time he saw Irene misunderstanding himself. It made him worry that Irene would one day be disappointed if she knew his real self. Irene buried herself in his chest and whispered, ¡°Please know... I would love you even if you weren¡¯t a hero.¡±


    She realized it when she saw the brilliantly shining sword being eaten by the darkness Grid emitted. Irene would¡¯ve cheered Grid on even if he abandoned herself and Lord to walk down the corrupted path.


    ¡°You are the most precious person in the world,¡± she said in a voice full of conviction.


    Grid was filled with joy. ¡°Irene...¡±


    Just like Irene, Grid felt infinite affection when he looked at her. No more long words were necessary. The two of them shared a hot kiss without caring about the gazes of other people. At this moment, the emotions they felt werepletely mutual. Of course, they didn¡¯t forget about Lord. The two people both had one hand wrapped around one of Lord¡¯s small hands. This ¡®family¡¯ gave the child peace of mind.


    ¡°Father. Mother...¡±


    The parents, who loved each other more than anyone else, had a positive impact on Lord. Today, the child had seen and learned many things¡ªthe patience to swallow a grudge for the sake of the cause, the loyalty of a retainer and the duty of a ruler, the wisdom of a woman and the love of a mother, the pope¡¯s righteousness and power, his helplessness, and...


    ¡®Father¡¯s strength and...¡¯


    Then Lord¡¯s gaze moved to the skeleton standing silently nearby. Several of its ribs were broken, and there was arge crack in its skull. It was Lich Mumud.


    ¡®...Sadness.¡¯


    Was it because Lord was young that he could see the sadness, regret, and hatred in Agnus¡¯ eyes as he looked at Lord and his mother? Additionally, Lord felt that Mumud was lonelier than anyone else. Lord knew that everyone had emotional wounds, just like how his teacher Kasim resented the empire and how his mother feared the Yatan Church.


    ¡®I need to be someone who can help with the wounds.¡¯


    This was his path. Lord¡¯s way of thinking was established through this incident. If his father set up a kingdom and was walking the path of a guardian, then Lord¡¯s role would be to assist his father and take care of the missing parts.


    ¡®I will make more people stand by Father in the future.¡¯


    Lord believed it. King of Shadows Kasim, Pope Damian, Sword Saint Kraugel, and Farmer Piaro¡ªhe believed that with these great teachers, he would be much strongerter on. Lord didn¡¯t doubt that he would ovee today¡¯s helplessness.


    ¡®Stronger, I will also be stronger.¡¯ Someday, he would stand side by side with his father. ¡®I have to work harder for Father.¡¯


    Normally, the prince watched for an opportunity to weaken the king while the king kept an eye on the prince. It was a sad reality. As history already proved, the rtionship between a king and a prince was very different from the rtionship betweenmoner parents and their children. It was like the cruel rtionship between an old lion and a young lion. That¡¯s right. The young prince¡¯s pledge to be loyal to the king was a very important event in history.


    Grid¡¯s kiss with Irene had finished. Then Grid followed his son¡¯s gaze and his expression distorted like a demon.


    ¡®That bastard is still...!¡¯


    He btedly noticed Lich Mumud standing motionless while gazing at his body. Grid didn¡¯t know about the living Mumud, but Lich Mumud had be Agnus¡¯ limb. Agnus was a clear enemy, so Lich Mumud was a dangerous enemy that Grid had to watch out for.


    ¡°Agnus! Come out!¡± Grid¡¯s shout rang out in the sky of early dawn.He pulled out the Enlightenment Sword and rushed toward Lich Mumud.


    ¡°Father! That skeleton isn¡¯t the enemy!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty! That lich helped us!¡±


    Irene and Lord cried out urgently, but Grid was already close to Mumud. Moreover, he also couldn¡¯t ept Irene and Lord¡¯s ims so easily. Mumud had helped Irene and Lord? It was something that Grid couldn¡¯t understand. He thought that Lord and Irene were mistaken. The Enlightenment Sword shed against the magic shield that Lich Mumud had created. The already damaged walls nearby crumbled from the ck mes, but Lich Mumud¡¯s shield wasplete.


    ¡°Where is your master?¡±Grid gritted his teeth at the thought of Agnus. This person was hiding his body somewhere andughing at Grid¡¯s suffering wife and son!


    ¡°...¡± Lich Mumud didn¡¯t respond and stared at Grid with deep eyes. There was no counterattack.It felt like he was ridiculing Grid.


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    Agnus was a crazy person, making this situation dangerous. Despite this, Grid was appalled and upset at the thought that Agnus enjoyed Irene and Lord¡¯s suffering. So, Grid¡¯s offensive became more powerful. He didn¡¯t care about the small amount of stamina he had recovered and continued attacking Mumud. In the meantime, he kept the God Hands, the light elemental, and his pets beside Lord and Irene, showing how worried he was about them.


    ¡°...¡± As Lich Mumud stood among the storm of sword attacks and explosions, he recalled his life. What had he been doing back when he was the same age as the young prince? He had been an orphan who didn¡¯t know his parents¡¯ faces and had to beg for food. Had he ever tried protecting anyone like the young prince before him had done?


    There was one person¡ªhis wife whom he¡¯d met in Siren. She had been his only love whom he¡¯d promised to make happy forever.


    ck...ck ck... Mumud¡¯s jaw moved, and hisrge cracked skull shook. The sad memories were to me. There was a teacher who had raised him. Mumud had followed him like a father but was then betrayed. He¡¯d left the wound of betrayal behind him when he met his love, but he became sick with an incurable illness after that.


    ck!ck ck!


    Ahh, yes. Mumud had lived in pain and died. There were people he loved, but it was different from an immediate family. He had found no peace in his life. Death was his rest, and he had hoped the death wouldst forever.


    ¡°Mumud!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yet a voice had pulled him out of death. As if he wasn¡¯t worthy of rest, Mumud had been given a new pain like he was born to suffer. ck ck!ck!Mumud¡¯s jaw moved more rapidly.


    ¡°Agnus!¡± Grid¡¯s eyes turned toward Agnus while attacking Mumud. Agnus was a half skeleton, which was the sign of turning into a lich.


    Who was he fighting with?


    Grid had this question but didn¡¯t think further about it.


    ¡°You!¡± Grid had clearly seen Lich Mumud cast magic in Irene and Lord¡¯s direction. If he hadn¡¯t used Skill Dispel, Irene and Lord might not be in the world right now. ¡°Die!¡± Grid¡¯s extreme killing intent was directed to Agnus. It happened before Irene and Lord could shout anything.


    ¡°Mumud! Why aren¡¯t you killing that bastard? Eh? Kik! Kikikik! Kihahahahat!¡±Agnus crossed the line first. The silently defending Mumud immediately responded. He hated Agnus but was forced to follow his orders.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡± Grid was about to fly to Agnus only to be struck by magic in his side. It was a sphere of mana that decreased Grid¡¯s health by thousands.


    ¡°Asshole!¡±


    ¡°Kuahahahahat!¡±


    The chaos reached the peak. Grid hadforted his family, but then another enemy had appeared. So, he had been unable to confirm his quest rewards. He didn¡¯t even know what he had gotten from killing Aliburn. Agnus was the same. He had seeded in raiding Silvenas, but he had run to the banquet hall without checking what he had gained. It was because he wanted to make sure the powerless woman was okay.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Come!¡±


    The shockwave generated by the conflict was iparable to before. It wasn¡¯t just the already copsed banquet hall. Even the Vatican was shaken. The residents of the vige below the mountain were worried that andslide could ur.

 Chapter 874

    There were people who were physiologically disgusting.Grid was one such person to Agnus. ording to one theory, Grid had a past that resembled Agnus¡¯.Grid hadn¡¯t experienced something as serious as failing to protect his beloved, which led to her death, killing those responsible, and mourning his lover afterward.


    ¡®He also suffered!¡¯ Agnus knew that it was difficult topare the pain that individuals suffered. The bullies who had harassed him and devastated his lover were an example. They had used his palm as an ashtray every morning andughed at him, but hadn¡¯t he endured the pain and turned the pages of his textbook?


    Yes, pain was a rtive and selfish thing.The pain he suffered couldn¡¯t be considered any worse than what Grid had suffered. This was the actual reason why he found Grid physiologically disgusting.


    ¡®I can¡¯t understand!¡¯ Why didn¡¯t Grid spend his life abusing others after what happened to him? ¡®Why does he look so happy?¡¯


    Grid was always with someone¡ªhis family, lovers, and friends. They were always smiling while standing with him. This was difficult for Agnus to understand. Had Grid forgotten the days when they were powerless? They were now in a position to trample on people rather than embrace them. People like them had to be alone.


    [You have suffered 8,900 damage.]


    [Your health is less than 10%. You have used Silvenas¡¯ Power that is attached to the Rune of Death. The nature of the dark demonkin who can assimte with darkness has manifested, hiding your appearance and status.]


    [Your contractor Baal is happy.]


    -Evil that uses personal beliefs to devour evil.It is the opposite of my former contractor.Once again, I did well in choosing you.How interesting.


    [Affinity with 1st Great Demon Baal has risen by 10.]


    The notification windows appeared before Angus, but he didn¡¯t confirm them. His hateful gaze only chased Grid.


    ¡°You¡¯re an ipetent person who can¡¯t protect your precious people!¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s mind dark like Agnus¡¯? Why didn¡¯t he choose to be alone? Why didn¡¯t he concentrate on the precious ones he had earned and embrace all the little people? At the very least, Agnus didn¡¯t like this.He hated Grid. Agnus had just disappeared from Grid¡¯s eyes when there was an explosion of ck mes from the Enlightenment Sword.


    The ssh damage caused new damage to Agnus who was hiding his body.


    [You have suffered serious damage!]


    [You are in a half-lich state. You have a resistance to death for the duration of this transformation.]


    [You have survived!]


    It was a gray dawn. Agnus¡¯ ribs were cracked as he hid in the shadow of a nted pir. He was in danger of losing his bnce. This was a crossroad of life and death. It was an urgent battle situation where his head could be blown away at any time. The usual Agnus would beughing madly, expressing his joy at exhrating moments that made him forget the awful reality.


    However, it was different now.The only emotions that could be seen on Agnus¡¯ face were confusion and pain. Agnus wasn¡¯t confused over protecting the hateful Grid¡¯s family. He had protected them because he projected his dead lover onto them, thus Agnus had no regrets about that.


    Rather, the origin of the pain and confusion Agnus was feeling right now was Grid specifically. Why was Grid so different from him? Was Agnus the one who was wrong?


    ¡®No! No!¡¯


    ¡°You are wrong!¡± Agnus¡¯ sword prated the darkness and stabbed Grid¡¯s side. It contained a powerful curse which weakened all the resistances that Grid had. In particr, Grid¡¯s dark resistance waspletely destroyed.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Grid coughed up blood and was reminded of the notification windows that rose a few minutes ago.


    [The goddess of light, Reba is awaiting your response.]


    [You have once again been given an opportunity to gain great power through the goddess¡¯ blessing.]


    [War God Zeratul is feeling satisfied with your choice.]


    [War God Zeratul supports the goddess¡¯ affection toward you.]


    Like Agnus, Grid had yet to check his notification windows. From the first day they met till this moment, Agnus was always hurting someone.Grid disliked this type of person who could trample on others easily and feel bliss while doing so. Now Grid¡¯s precious family members were sacrifices for Agnus¡¯ joy?


    ¡°Crazy jerk!¡±A desire to kill bubbled up inside Grid. He felt a sense of responsibility to kill Agnus. The killing intent Grid felt toward Agnus was real, and the fighting energy around him became thicker.


    ¡°Wave!¡± Waves of sword energy stretched out around Grid. He was using this wide-area skill to capture Agnus who had suddenly be invisible.


    ¡°...There!¡± Grid detected Agnus. It was when Grid felt that some of the waves were being blocked by something, Then Grid focused and started a sword dance¡ªPagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill. The manifestation of the fusion swordsmanship was an obvious mistake though.


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    Flop! Grid stopped the sword dance as his legs weakened. He had been too agitated that he overlooked the state of his stamina.


    [You are on the verge of running out of stamina. You can¡¯t use anybat skills.]


    ¡°Overgeared... Corn...¡±


    Grid urgently needed to recover his stamina bymunicating with his unicorn. It was the first thing he thought of, but how could hemunicate with the unicorn during the battle? His enemy wasn¡¯t a fool, nor was he dull-headed... especially not the enemy he was dealing with right now!


    ¡°Kikikik! Kihahahahat!¡±Agnus¡¯ body was prated by Wave, and the darkness was removed. Half of Agnus¡¯ body was just a bunch of white bones, but his momentum was fierce as his disheveled hair moved in the wind.


    Grid felt a sense of crisis.Now that he¡¯d ced the God Hands, Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the light elemental in the role of protecting Irene and Lord, there was no one left who could defend him. Moreover, it was hard for him to even move his fingertips.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    With his blurry vision, Grid could see Agnus charging toward him.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    The surroundings were noisy. He could hear the voices of people talking, but the contents didn¡¯t enter his ears.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Would he die like this? No, his opponent was exhausted and on the verge of death.Agnus¡¯ use of Lich Transformation could be considered hisst resort.


    ¡®Maybe he still has his immortality and Bentao¡¯s Mockery remaining...¡¯


    Grid painfully opened the Rune of Darkness, using Cray¡¯s Power which absorbed 100% of the damage done to the target. Determined to maintain his life against Agnus, Grid swung his sword in a basic attack. He still had the effects of the First King title, Tiramet¡¯s Power, and his immortality.So, he judged that he could win if he continued fighting.


    In the first ce, Grid was in a position where he just had to keep enduring. In order to protect Irene and Lord, he absolutely couldn¡¯t copse. Grid pledged this firmly while swinging his sword. Meanwhile, Agnus used an attack skill as he plunged through Grid¡¯s basic attack and hit Grid¡¯s body.


    The two people, who were trying to harm each other, tangled together. Then there was a sh of light.Compared to the past, its strength was now ridiculously weakened, but it was clearly the sword that had hurt Yatan¡¯s Third Servant Aliburn.


    Grid¡¯s and Agnus¡¯ eyes turned toward Damian at the same time. Damian had also evolved a step further after regaining the holy sword and preventing the invasion of the Yatan Church. As Grid and Agnus finally started looking around, Damian said to them, ¡°This is a sacred ce that serves the will of the goddess. Stop fighting. In the capacity of the pope, I won¡¯t allow any further killing.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Grid questioned him. Agnus was the enemy. Putting aside personal feelings, he was still Baal¡¯s Contractor. He was a person who should be targeted by the Reba Church.So, why didn¡¯t Damian take the chance to punish Agnus?Grid couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Damian pointed to Irene, Lord, and Lich Mumud. ¡°Look.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±Irritated and suspicious, Grid followed Damian¡¯s gaze and was shocked. He witnessed Lich Mumud¡¯s shield floating in front of Irene and Lord.Lich Mumud was protecting Irene and Lord from the aftermath of Grid¡¯s battle with Agnus.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Irene and Lord¡¯s shouts came to the mind of the troubled Grid. They had said that he was a good skeleton. Lich Mumud protected them...


    ¡®Their words were true?¡¯


    Why though...? Damian watched Grid¡¯s trembling eyes and said carefully, ¡°I understand Grid¡¯s feelings, but...let¡¯s end the fight for today.¡±


    The Reba Church saw Baal as an enemy. Baal¡¯s former contractor, Pagma, had tried to defend the Hall of Fame, but ultimately, he still sold his soul to the great demon. The Reba Church didn¡¯t regard Pagma as a hero in hister years and thought that the new Baal¡¯s Contractor should be punished.


    However, Pope Damian judged that now wasn¡¯t the time for it.¡°I think it is better to leave each other alone today.¡±


    Damian didn¡¯t know why Agnus had betrayed the Yatan Church and helped them. He wondered about the reason but didn¡¯t dare ask. The most important thing was to rectify the situation.He believed a chance for that conversation woulde someday. Still, this reason didn¡¯t seem enough to satisfy Grid.¡°What are you up to? Why did you protect my family?¡±


    ¡°Ah? What nonsense are you saying? I never did anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Answer seriously!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was your family.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I just saw a pretty woman and didn¡¯t want her to die. Kikik... I wanted to y with her.¡±


    The duration of Lich Transformation had ended, and only death was waiting for Agnus. He didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity when he didn¡¯t know if it woulde again. This was a great chance for a fight with the Overgeared King Grid while he was unprotected.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Agnus gave a reason that nobody would believe and swept his hair back.He neatly arranged his hair, exposing his cold golden eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Just fight and kill. Huh? Kik! Kikikik! Kihahahahat!¡±Agnus broke away from the appearance of politeness and rushed toward Grid. Agnus ignored the pope. Consequently, the Reba followers watching quietly couldn¡¯t stay still anymore. Isabel¡¯s spear and the pdins¡¯ sword pierced and stabbed Agnus¡¯ skinny body. Agnus was fully restrained before even reaching Grid.


    ¡°Why did you...?¡±Damian¡¯smenting cry rang out, but Agnus didn¡¯t pay any attention to it.


    Instead, Agnus¡¯ gaze went back to Irene and Lord who were sad and tearful, before looking at Grid again.¡°You...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Be stronger.¡±


    This was the end. Agnus¡¯ body slowly turned to gray after being stabbed by the spear and swords. Mumud followed behind him.


    ¡°Skeleton knight...¡±


    ¡®When will they be saved?¡¯ Lord grew sadder as he saw Agnus¡¯ and Mumud¡¯s sorrow. The red-eyed child tried to hold back his tears.


    Then Pope Damian went to talk with the elders. They sent the royalty and the imperial prince away to rest. After that, they started to investigate how they had allowed this invasion to happen and also examine the extent of the damage.


    ¡°I saw your struggle. Your Majesty is truly a hero. I was impressed by your moves several times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered,¡±Grid responded passively to 2nd Prince Dndal¡¯s words and was only able to face the goddess after confirming that Irene and Lord were asleep.


    -Hero, bless you.

 Chapter 875

    He was sleepy. Today had been extremely long and hard. Hey down in his bed and thought his sleeping cap looked like an angel. Grid felt thankful that this beautiful woman was his wife and that this bright child was his son.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was very dark as he stroked their heads carefully. He was also feeling greatly confused.


    ¡®Agnus, why...?¡¯


    Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s im about Agnus helping to protect them hadn¡¯t been their misinterpretation. The Reba followers, Overgeared knights, and even Pope Damian testified to it. Everyone spoke unanimously. It was thanks to Agnus that Irene and Lord were safe.


    ¡®Why the hell did he do that?¡¯


    ording to the testimonies, Agnus was originally helping the Yatan Church but betrayed them to help Irene and Lord. Grid could easily guess how much Agnus had lost with this single choice. Why had Agnus saved Irene and Lord while suffering big losses?


    ¡®A madman who feels pleasure through fighting and trampling on others...¡¯This was Grid¡¯s evaluation of Agnus.


    In fact, the Agnus that Grid met was no different from the rumors. He alwaysughed as he trampled on someone. Yet that madman fought for others? Moreover, they were Grid¡¯s wife and son? Grid tried to read Agnus¡¯ intentions, but it was impossible. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t understand why Agnus had sought to protect Irene and Lord.


    ¡°...In the first ce, isn¡¯t it too much to try and understand him?¡±


    Agnus wouldn¡¯t be called a madman if he could be understood.


    ¡®He is an opponent who is fickle and doesn¡¯t think too deeply...¡¯


    Indeed, Grid shouldn¡¯t waste time and energy on useless things. He shook off his thoughts and decided, ¡®I just need to protect those important to me. That¡¯s enough.¡¯


    It was a promise that he had to keep. In any case, he was grateful for Agnus¡¯ actions that protected Irene and Lord. It was an unforgettable favor.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s breathing sounds stabilized Grid. Grid took a deep breath and calmed his mind before looking at the notification windows which were still on one side. He checked the unconfirmed notifications, btedly remembering that he was in the middle of a quest.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    He hadpletely forgotten about the quest. It wasn¡¯t a game for him today as he had only focused on saving Irene and Lord.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. I gave up the sword...¡¯


    If he hadn¡¯t given up the holy sword, he would be a half-god overwhelming the world right now.


    ¡°...Hat.¡± Grid led out a scoff. He felt disgusted about the greed that had almost made him give up his family, colleagues, and kingdom.


    ¡®However, it is natural to be greedy.¡¯


    [Reward for Gaining the Iplete Holy Sword:


    The ¡®Holy Sword of the 4th Evil¡¯ will be acquired.


    * Your race will evolve from a human into a half-god. A half-god is a race that transcends humanity and approaches being a god. There will be room for great increases of all abilities.


    * The passive skill God¡¯s Command is strengthened. The probability of activating God¡¯s Command will be 100%. However, a critical hit won¡¯t be applied to skills that God¡¯s Command is used on.


    * The skill ¡®Corrupted Holy Sword¡¯ will open.


    * You will be cursed by Goddess Reba, God Dominion, God Judar, and God Zeratul.


    * Affinity with the Reba Church, Dominion Church, and Judar Church will fall to minus values.


    * Followers of the Warrior God will chase you.


    Reward for Returning the Iplete Holy Sword:


    Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. Affinity with the Reba Church will rise to the maximum.


    * Affinity with the Reba Church is already at the maximum.]


    This was the reward for the Crossroad of Good and Evil hidden quest. The difference in rewards between giving up the quest and not giving up the quest was toorge.


    ¡®I know how great the goddess¡¯ blessing is.¡¯


    He had acquired the Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle skill thanks to the goddess¡¯ blessing. Grid was likely to get another four fusion skill with the goddess¡¯ blessing. It would be one of the strongest skills he had gained. However, was it better than a 100% chance of activating God¡¯s Command? Once God¡¯s Command had a 100% chance of activating, Grid would be able to use all the skills twice in session. He was able to assert that the value of the 100% God¡¯s Command was much higher than Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡®...Well.¡¯


    There was no point in regretting now, even if the reward was very low. In the end, he was able to keep everyone safe. Grid controlled his heart and finally responded to the notification window that said: [The goddess of light, Reba, is awaiting your response.]


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡±


    -Yes, I was waiting.It is very nice to see you care for your family.


    ¡°...!!¡±Grid was astonished by the answer of Goddess Reba. He had already heard Goddess Reba¡¯s warm voice several times, but this was the first time their conversation was so clear. Wasn¡¯t a ¡®divine message¡¯ a one-sidedmunication? Grid had previously recognized the gods as a part of the system, but he could now establish a new hypothesis.


    ¡®NPC? Is the god an NPC?¡¯


    He should¡¯ve noticed it ever since getting the jealousy of the cksmith god. Clearly, the gods had personalities and had a form somewhere in existence.


    ¡®If one day I meet a god... Ah?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he thought about it. The ¡®truth¡¯ that he¡¯d heard from the legendary great magician Braham in the past crossed his mind.


    ¡®Once human desires reach the peak, chaos wille to the world. In other words, if Goddess Reba no longer controls the world, God Yatan¡¯s destructive instinct will be exercised. God Yatan will emerge to destroy the world, then Goddess Reba will once again create a new world. The two opposing gods on the surface are actually cooperating with each other. Great demons, angels, and humans are all ying in the hands of the gods.¡¯


    These were Braham¡¯s ims.


    ¡®No, there were no gods in the first ce. Yatan? Reba? The gods aren¡¯t the omnipotent beings that we think they are. Like machines, they are essories that exist for the world¡¯s providence. There is no reason to serve their existence or endure their trials.¡¯


    They were made like that in the first ce. The gods were just essories of this world. Grid agreed with Braham¡¯s ims since he knew that Satisfy was a game. Both Yatan and Reba were part of the system Lim Cheolho had created, and they were passive existences that conformed to the will of the world (Lim Cheolho).


    However, Grid¡¯s thoughts changed once he realized the gods were NPCs. The gods had personalities. They weren¡¯t passive presences like what he had expected. Maybe the individual¡¯s judgment could go against the system. For example...


    [Crossroad of Good and Evil]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    After all sorts of adventures, you have won the power ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ that the fourth malignant saint ¡®Taren¡¯ left forter generations.]


    The setting of Satisfy, which Lim Cheolho created, stated that this quest is something ¡®Taren left forter generations.¡¯ This was a ¡®truth.¡¯


    ¡®Human, this isn¡¯t Taren¡¯s arrangement. It is Dominion¡¯s and my arrangement. Don¡¯t listen to the voice of the corrupted one.¡¯ This statement suggested that War God Zeratul¡¯s ims might be false. Grid¡¯s entire body got goosebumps.


    -Thank you again for fighting for the peace of humanity.


    Goddess Reba¡¯s voice was so warm that it felt creepy, yet Grid was nk-faced and didn¡¯t show any response.


    [The goddess of light, Reba, is awaiting your response.]


    This notification window floated in front of Grid, forcing him to answer. Grid answered hurriedly, ¡°I just did what I had to.¡±


    He thought that the gods weren¡¯t evil or part of the system. They were just NPCs with individual personalities.


    ¡®Why does it matter?¡¯


    They were beings who stayed in the distant sky and were strong allies who gave humans the power to fight against the great demons. Yes, there was no problem. He was just one yer, and he didn¡¯t need to worry about them.


    ¡®Just...¡¯


    It was worrisome that the seven malignant saints might not be evil, unlike what had been known in the past. A group of bright lights enveloped Grid¡¯s body while he frowned.


    -I will give a gift to the hero who fought hard.


    [Reba the goddess of light has given you a blessing.]


    [The goddess of light, Reba, respects you for oveing the temptation of the seven malignant saints¡¯ offer to strengthen the power of God¡¯s Command.]


    [¡®Skill Enhancement¡¯ has been acquired aspensation.]


    [Skill Enhancement]


    [You can strengthen one skill that you possess.


    The power of the skill will rise.


    However, this only applies to ss-specific skills.]


    ss-specific skills¡ªin Grid¡¯s case, it meant Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and his various cksmithing techniques. He didn¡¯t know how the enhancement would be applied, but this was a terrible reward for Grid who wanted an entirely new skill. Grid didn¡¯t know about the five fusion skill that Hell Grid used, but he was expecting at least a four fusion skill. Would it just end with the enhancement?


    -Full blessings for your heroic future.


    It seemed to be the farewell. The goddess¡¯s voice became more and more distant. Grid shouted urgently, ¡°Excuse me! Goddess!¡±


    A conversation meant that flexibility was possible!


    -What is going on?


    As expected, Goddess Reba stopped leaving and listened to Grid. Grid spoke in a blunt manner, ¡°Help me fuse more sword skills together!¡±


    A god was truly a god. Goddess Reba immediately understood Grid¡¯s meaning andughed, -Huhut.


    Considering her high affinity with Grid, she gave him a very valuable hint, -That is something only you can pioneer now.Isn¡¯t this blessing also supported by War God Zeratul?


    ¡°...?¡±


    -It means this blessing is more valuable than previous blessings.


    Goddess Reba didn¡¯t say anything else. The warm lights that made Irene and Lord smile in their sleep disappeared like they were lies. Then she was gone. Grid was left alone and brought up the list of skills which could be strengthened with Skill Enhancement. All of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and the various cksmithing skills were stated on the ¡®Skills that Can Be Enhanced¡¯ list.


    ¡®I can build fusion skills by myself... What is the method?¡¯


    Grid first confirmed the effect of enhancing a single sword dance technique. The first one he checked was Link. The result was amazing.


    [Genuine - Link]


    [Regardless of attack speed, the number of strikes dealt by Link will be fixed at 40 times per second. The damage is equal to 200% of your attack power.


    Link can be connected to another sword dance.


    * The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±Grid¡¯s face brightened. When he saw this, he no longer regretted missing out on the enhanced God¡¯s Command.

 Chapter 876

    TL: READ THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT above this. I¡¯ll even kindly link it below for when that announcement stops appearing.


    Announcement.


    Good thing about this is that it gets me a little bit further away from the author, thus, there is no point in a mass release once OGes back up. In addition, keeping the current schedule of 7 chapters a week will end it on a terrible cliffhanger. Thus, I will be doing six chapters this week and six chapters next week.


    For those reading who still insist on reading older chapters, please don¡¯t read on aggregate/pirate sites. I would prefer you make your own pdf/epub during the two weeks you are given and read it privately, though not spreading them around.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡¯


    40 hits dealing 200% attack power per second...? If he hit a target with all 40 attacks, he would cause 8000% damage in just one second.


    ¡®Of course, if the target isn¡¯t a fool, they will try to dodge or block...¡¯


    Grid had the Enlightenment Sword. He might encounter a great yer who would dodge more than half of the 40 strikes, but the ck mes or red lightning bolts meant he could expect more than 8000% attack power.


    ¡®Who could handle this?¡¯


    Except for boss monsters, wouldn¡¯t Grid be able to deal with almost all his enemies in one blow? In particr, yers with rtively low health inparison to monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to afford this attack power.


    ¡®It is possible to beat them in one blow.¡¯


    If Grid took into ount that Link had the shortest cooldown of one minute among Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, it was unquestionably an invincible skill. It was the strongest skill that would kill an enemy in front of him with every minute!


    ¡®If I connect it with other sword dances immediately afterward...¡¯


    It was possible to use all types of two fusion skills by connecting Link -> a single swordsmanship. Then it would eventually be possible to use a five fusion swordsmanship. He was looking forward to the firepowerparable to the Hell Grid who overwhelmed Yura.


    ¡®...A god is a god for a reason.¡¯ Grid was thrilled by Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. It was difficult to imagine how much stronger he would be in the future. However, this joy was short-lived. Grid was disappointed when he confirmed the cooldown time of Genuine Link.


    ¡®The cooldown time is 30 minutes?¡¯


    Did he see that wrongly?


    ¡°No, it is right?¡±


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    How strong was the skill? Could it really be called an upgraded version if the skill with a cooldown of one minute was changed to 30 minutes?


    ¡®This can¡¯t be.¡¯


    The biggest advantage of Link was its ability to unleash the ck mes through the multiple hits. If Grid was lucky, he would be able to hit the target every minute. There was no big advantage in a skill that had its cooldown increased to 30 minutes. Then Grid determined the changes that would ur with Wave and Restraint. Wave would be stronger, and Restraint wouldpletely ignore all status resistances. However, the cooldown of these two skills would also change to 30 minutes.


    ¡°Hah...?¡±


    What about Transcend, Kill, and Revolve?


    ¡°The strength increases but...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became worse with every skill. The other sword skills also had a fixed cooldown of 30 minutes. Grid eventually couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and jumped up. His wife and son were sleeping, so he let out the curses that had built up inside him, ¡°Damn!! %!*$!!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±The knights guarding the door were disconcerted by Grid¡¯s sudden cursing. In particr, Coke was extremely shocked. Then when Grid discovered the knights btedly, he coughed. ¡°You have suffered a lot.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a bother. I am delighted and honored to be in charge of Your Majesty¡¯s defense.


    ¡°...¡± Grid was amused by Coke¡¯s vigorous attitude. He had no idea of Coke¡¯s saga though. Was it because Irene and Lord hadplimented him before...?


    ¡°...Thank you.¡± In the silent corridor, Grid bowed deeply to coke.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty?¡± The best person in the world was bowing to him?The confused Coke didn¡¯t know what to do. Grid kept bowing and said, ¡°I¡¯m really grateful that talented people like you have entered the Overgeared Kingdom and that you sacrificed yourself to protect Irene and Lord.


    Grid had heard that Coke was the pinnacle of the second generation 10 Rookies. He knew that there were many options for a talent like Coke. Coke wasn¡¯t a person who chose the Overgeared Kingdom for the mass-produced Grid set, so he must¡¯ve moved to the Overgeared Kingdom because he envied the Overgeared members. The way he protected Irene and Lord with everything he had shown he wasn¡¯t aiming for quest rewards. He had sincerely tried to protect Irene and Lord and was then chosen as Lord¡¯s knight as a result. Grid raised his head and caught Coke¡¯s hand.A big, rough hand wrapped around the knight¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I will surely repay you. So, going forward, continue to look after my son.¡±


    Grid never dreamt that Lord¡¯s first knight would be a yer. yers were much more fluid than NPCs and there were many variables. This meant Grid had to put in a big effort to maintain Coke¡¯s loyalty.


    ¡®Please continue to protect Lord,¡¯Grid sent him this message through warm eyes.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a reward,¡± Coke said with red eyes. ¡°I feel pride and joy every time I see you y an active role in the National Competition or achieve new feats. That alone is enough.¡±


    Coke was a Korean like Grid. He felt genuinely pleased every time Grid elevated their country¡¯s status. His heart heated up, and he had a passion to be like Grid one day. Grid was a great help to Coke just by being present. This was the power of an ¡®idol.¡¯ Just as many young people cheered on their athletes during the Olympics and World Cup, Coke dreamed while watching Grid. It was a great joy and honor for him just being able to talk to Grid.


    ¡°Ah...¡± A smile crossed Grid¡¯s face as he read the emotion in Coke¡¯s eyes. He realized that he was the idol of the young man before him. A wind blowing through the half-open window ruffled Grid¡¯s hair.There were many emotions filling the eyes which were covered by the fluttering hair.


    ¡®The talents I never would¡¯ve dared to be envious of now think of me as their idol...¡¯


    Grid was happy and proud. A feeling of additional pressure apanied the pleasant emotions. The burden stemmed from a sense of responsibility toward those who worshipped him.


    ¡®If I shame them or let them down...¡¯Grid cleared his throat several times.


    It was shameful that his double nature was exposed a moment ago. Coke noticed his embarrassment and grinned. ¡°Two years have passed since I first saw Your Majesty.¡±


    It had been when Coke was living in the fortified city of Patrian. After meeting Grid and Piaro, he had steadily gotten to know Grid¡¯s personality through various media like the TV and the Inte.


    ¡°I¡¯m already familiar with your personality.¡± Yes, Coke knew about Grid and understood. ¡°I know this but I still admire you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please rx and actfortably. I will never be disappointed in you.¡±Coke gazed at Grid with firm eyes!


    As he realized Coke¡¯s unwavering heart, Grid trembled. He hadn¡¯t experienced it until now. It turned out that there were many people like Coke who admired him in the world.However, it would take them a lot of time to reach Grid¡¯s side and stand out. Why?It was because Grid was the sky above the sky. It wasn¡¯t easy for newly emerging talents to reach the high Grid.


    -Grid. The thrilled Grid received someone¡¯s whisper. It was from Pope Damian. -If you aren¡¯t busy, can you give me a moment?


    Had something happened? Anyway, it was fine.


    -Yes.


    Grid moved to the gardens of the Vatican. As Grid left, Coke bowed and maintained his position. Coke had defended Irene and Lord and gained the title of Protector. He was bing stronger just staying by his master¡¯s side.


    ***


    ¡°Damian, there is something I want to ask you,¡±Grid said as he found Damian waiting in the gardens. Reba, the goddess of light, might be an NPC and not unconditionally good, unlike what people perceived. What did Grid think about this? It was a heavy andplex subject. In any case, the gods were too far away and Grid had other things in front of him.


    ¡°Did you receive the goddess¡¯ blessing as a quest reward?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was blessed with this quest reward.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so? I¡¯m d. Did you receive a blessing called Skill Enhancement?¡±


    ¡°Skill Enhancement...? No, nothing like that. I receive a new skill every time I get a blessing. I never got a chance to enhance my skills. Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Why...¡±Grid started to exin to the interested Damian. Damian was a trustworthy person on the level of the Overgeared members, so Grid confessed everything he knew.¡°That is the conclusion.¡±


    Damian listened to Grid¡¯sints and summarized the situation, ¡°You¡¯re saying that the cooldown time of the enhanced skill is fixed at 30 minutes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Can this really be called enhancement? Does it matter if the power increased if I can¡¯t use it often?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. It is fair to call it a type of buff.¡±


    ¡°Yes. How is this a blessing? Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    To think that the reward of a god was this stingy...? Damian spoke cautiously to the grim Grid, ¡°What about skills with a cooldown of over 30 minutes?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°For example, will a skill with a cooldown of one hour change to 30 minutes if it is enhanced? If so, wouldn¡¯t it be considered enhanced?¡±


    ¡°Ah...?¡±


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    Surprised, Grid thought about Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.This was the strongest skill that Grid had with a cooldown of two hours. It was an ultimate skill that could only be used once in battle as long as God¡¯s Command didn¡¯t activate. What if he enhanced this skill? Grid didn¡¯t dy. He opened the list of skills that could be enhanced and looked at Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    [Genuine - Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle]


    [Four types of sword techniques are connected.


    2,000% of your attack power will be dealt to the target due to Linked Kill.


    If the target is hit at least twice, the damage of Linked Kill will increase by 300%, and Wave will be summoned.


    Wave will affect any enemy within a range of five meters. It will deal 750% of your attack power, and all targets hit will have all speeds decreased by 80% for 30 seconds. Additionally, there will be definite damage from the Pinnacle that follows.


    Pinnacle ignores 88% of the target¡¯s defense and deals 2,300% of your attack power as physical damage.


    You can connect another sword technique immediately after Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, Wave, Pinnacle, and Linked Kill.


    * The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.


    Skill Mana Consumption: Half of the maximum mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    ¡®This is great!¡¯ Grid¡¯s body shook as he confirmed the information of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Damian noticed that things had worked out and smiled. A fusion skill consisting of five sword dances? How funny. Grid was looking forward to fusing six sword dances.

 Chapter 877

    ¡®I can use Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle more often!¡¯


    Then perhaps Grid could link up to six sword techniques!


    ¡®Will apletely new sword technique like Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle be born?¡¯


    If he used Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and another skill in sequence, perhaps a new skill called Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle could be expressed as a true fusion skill.


    ¡°Umm.¡±Yet Grid felt ufortable.


    After all, didn¡¯t the four fusion sword dance show a power that caused a bacsh among the gods? Additionally, the five fusion sword dance had caused Yura to die in one blow. So, it was obvious that the six fusion sword dance would obviously show off an extreme power.


    It was at this point that Grid had a question. Would the system even recognize a six sword fusion sword dance? Would the S.A Group allow the six fusion sword dance to exist at all due to wanting to maintain the bnce?


    ¡®How ufortable.¡¯


    Grid reminded himself that it was rare for expectations to be reality. That¡¯s right. Most of the benefits Grid had gotten so far had been products of ¡®chance.¡¯ It was rare for him to gain things intentionally. Nheless, these chances were the result of effort, of course.


    ¡®...No, let¡¯s not worry too much. I don¡¯t even know if a six fusion sword dance exists.¡¯


    A five fusion sword dance certainly existed. The clone had proved its existence.


    ¡®I should be able to make a five fusion sword dance. Then I¡¯ll be much stronger than I am now.¡¯


    Furthermore, there was the extremely tempting performance of the enhanced Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. In particr, the cooldown time going from three hours to 30 minutes was a big attraction.


    ¡®Honestly, a cooldown time of three hours is too long.¡¯


    Even if he wanted to keep it as a trump card, he couldn¡¯t use it at the usual hunting grounds. How could it be an ultimate skill with a cooldown time of three hours? What ultimate technique had the penalty of such a long cooldown time?


    ¡®The cooldown time for an attack skill should be shorter.¡¯


    It was truly right to enhance Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Grid made a decision only to suddenly feel doubtful.


    ¡®No, do I need to use it on an attack skill?¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was a cksmith, so enhancing the cksmithing side could be better.


    ¡®Who knows? Perhaps the probability of making myth rated items will rise?¡¯


    The greatest strength of Pagma¡¯s Descendant was that he could wear all items! Grid imagined himself wearing all myth rated items.


    ¡®What if I had a helmet, armor, shoes, gloves, a cloak, and a crown like the Enlightenment Sword?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he be much stronger even without the five fusion skill?


    ¡®Overgeared...¡¯


    Yes, the core of a game was items. A skill? In the end, it was below items. The stronger the items, the stronger the skill. The stronger the item, the less damage he received when he was hit by a skill! Grid thought about it and confirmed what would happen if he enhanced the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.


    [Genuine - (Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill Lv. 8]


    [The production button is now enabled. and the time it takes to make an item has been greatly reduced.


    A minimum of epic rated items will be produced. There is a somewhat high probability of producing unique rated items. There is a certain probability of producing legendary rated items. If certain conditions are met, there is a rare probability of making a myth reproduction or myth rated item.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 30%.


    * When myth rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +20 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every three myth rated items created. (Currently 2/3)


    * The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.]


    ¡°Hah?¡± Grid was speechless. The production button was activated! Like ordinary cksmiths, he would be able to create items automatically and the time it took to make items was significantly reduced. The items he created would have a minimum of an ¡®epic¡¯ rating! It meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about normal or rare rated items appearing in the future!


    ¡®The probability of making unique, legendary, and rare rated items also increased!¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the end though. Originally, the stats of any items Grid produced would increase by 21%. That alone was tremendous. If a normal longsword dealt 100 damage, the longsword produced by Grid would deal 21 more damage, meaning it could be treated as a higher-rated item. Now, the enhancement cksmithing skill would increase the stats of all items Grid made by 30%.If he produced a weapon with 2,000 attack power, he would get an additional 600 attack power.


    ¡®Furthermore, every time I make a myth rated item, all stats will increase by 20 instead of 10...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes shook as he gulped. Should he enhance Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle or cksmithing? It wasn¡¯t easy to decide.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to consider this seriously...¡¯


    Through this incident, Grid once again realized that there was a clear limit to the power of an individual.What could he do by bing stronger alone? Ultimately he was only one body.He wasn¡¯t Hong Gildong, and he couldn¡¯t save everyone. Enhancing the cksmithing skill and using it to strengthen his colleagues and subordinates would be a much greater help in the future.


    ¡®It is certain. There are many advantages to enhancing cksmithing.¡¯


    Moreover, enhancing the cksmithing skill didn¡¯t mean that Grid himself would weaken. Grid would also be stronger if his items were enhanced.


    ¡®There just isn¡¯t as dramatic an increase in strengthpared to enhancing the sword dance.It also requires a considerable amount of time and luck...¡¯


    Grid frowned as he stood at the crossroads of choice. His face would never be extremely handsome due to his high nose and angr jaw, buttely, he was looking more mature than he should at his age. The greater his strength and the higher his position, the more things he needed to protect and worry about.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Why did you ask to meet me?¡±


    How much time had passed by? Grid had been thinking for a long time when he was reminded of Damian beside him. Damian watched Grid with an awkward smile and bowed his head.¡°First, I want to say thank you.¡±


    Without Grid¡¯s help, Damian wouldn¡¯t have been able to clear the Vatican quest. He guessed that it was a quest that could surely be cleared even without Grid.Nevertheless, he was grateful because Irene and Lord were safe. Irene and Lord would¡¯ve been in danger if Grid hadn¡¯te. Damian didn¡¯t want to think about it. Irene¡¯s and Lord¡¯s death would have a huge negative effect on Grid. He wondered how Satisfy would be ruined by Grid¡¯s rampage if they had died.


    Moreover, how sad would Damian be at the death of his cute and loving student, Lord? Damian¡¯s chest throbbed just thinking about it. Then he said, ¡°I actually have a problem.¡±


    ¡°A problem?¡±


    What problem was there when all the Yatan members had been killed or captured? Damian handed a shining sword over to Grid. It was a sword covered in a gold color¡ªthe first holy sword.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Grid couldn¡¯t help eximing. Amazingly, he couldn¡¯t tell what the holy sword was made of even with Pagma¡¯s knowledge.It wasn¡¯t gold, adamantium, or even pavranium. If he looked closely, it seemed like ss, and there was a clear sound when he hit it.It felt like a metal that could break easily, but Grid had witnessed the power of the sword firsthand.He already knew that this unknown golden substance was hard and sharp, unlike the surface features.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? Ah!¡±Grid btedly noticed the problem. There were small grey spots all over the holy sword. He rubbed the surface of the grey spots and found a rough surface.It was stone¡ªa sign of petrification.


    Damian exined, ¡°The curse of the original sin is affecting the sword again. If this continues, the holy sword will be sealed in the Stone of Original Sin and the divine power will be lost.¡±


    ¡°What is the Stone of Original Sin?¡±


    ¡°It is said to be the curse of the seven malignant saints who tried to bring the gods down to Earth and be new gods. The curse has the ability to neutralize ¡®all types of divine power.¡¯ It is a corrupted power that denies the gods.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Was it really appropriate to call it a corrupted power? Grid was already suspicious of the rtionship between the gods and the seven malignant saints, so he couldn¡¯t ept it easily. However, he didn¡¯t express this.Pope Damian had absolute trust in Goddess Reba. Grid didn¡¯t want to question him in front of Goddess Reba and cause doubts or confusion.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have any certainty yet. Now isn¡¯t the time.¡¯


    Damian had the position of pope, and Grid was the one who cast him in this role. He couldn¡¯t create any confusion without clear evidence. Grid barely held back the doubting words that rose in his throat.Then Damian said, ¡°I received a divine message from the goddess.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Damian handed the sword to Grid.¡°Please make the first holy swordplete.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [The new quest ¡®Cleanse the First Holy Sword¡¯ has been created.]


    [Cleanse the First Holy Sword]


    [Difficulty: ss quest.


    Your cksmithing skills have already reached the level of a god.


    Prove it to the gods!


    Your cksmithing skills are nowparable to Pagma!


    Completely cleanse the First Holy Sword and escape from his shadow!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Cleanse the First Holy Sword


    Quest Clear Reward: Unlock a new Pagma story and a new Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship technique. The goddess¡¯ blessing.]


    ¡°...!?¡± Grid¡¯s breathing was blocked suddenly. What was this new ss quest? This was a chance to learn a new Pagma story and get a new swordsmanship technique!It had been a few years since he had gotten a new sword dance.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone likenterns, and his heart beat faster. He was very excited about the goddess¡¯ blessing on the rewards list.


    ¡®I might be able to enhance both Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and cksmithing!¡¯


    ***


    (¡°Is the light so bright that you have to close your eyes? A half-god isn¡¯t any better than a blind man.¡±


    A bitter smile spread on the face of the mocking Clown King. The Clown King sympathized with the seven good people.)


    ¡°...¡± The young man was calm as he stared at the writing on the b.


    However, the middle-aged man standing by his side was extremely confused. ¡°C-Clown? Seven good people? What type of sophistry was this? Yes, it¡¯s clearly just maniption! It is a wicked trick of the seven malignant people to get between future generations and the gods!¡±


    Kusar was a pilgrim who traveled all over the continent to understand the true nature of the gods. The writing on the b waspletely different from what he knew about the story of the Clown King and the seven malignant people. This b was definitely wrong. It was a big problem since the person who wrote about the time of the Clown King marked the seven malignant saints as good people.


    ¡°Put that stone b down! The great demon isughing at us while hiding somewhere!¡± Kusar fiercely denied it and turned away from the stone.


    ¡®...This is it.¡¯ The ck-haired Kraugel gazed at the b without being disturbed by the truth. He sensed it. ¡®Grid, Haster, Agnus... and me... Sooner orter, everyone will be together in one ce.¡¯


    Some people would try to do good while others would remain evil.


    ¡°...¡±The illusion of a wing flickering back and forth between white and ck appeared on Kraugel¡¯s back.


    Grid, Agnus, and Haster had all seeded in acquiring one of the seven malignant saints¡¯ skills. The freaked out Kusar eximed, ¡°You are a great demon...!!¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t know that yet.¡±

 Chapter 878

    ¡®How do I cleanse it?¡¯


    Grid felt troubled as he held the holy sword, but he showed no signs of great anxiety. He believed he would naturally figure out the method to cleanse it during the process of doing the quest.


    ¡®It is likely done by using the Goddess¡¯ Tears.¡¯


    Just like the Yatan Church had the Yatan Essence, the Reba Church had the Goddess¡¯ Tears.If the Yatan Essence was a universal poison, then the Goddess¡¯ Tears was a powerful remedy. Grid had experience with the Goddess¡¯ Tears and was confident that he could use them properly. The difficulty of this quest wouldn¡¯t be high.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t arrogance.¡¯


    The ss quests of Pagma¡¯s Descendant had something inmon every time. The process of acquiring a ss quest was very difficult, but the difficulty of the ss quest itself wasn¡¯t very high. Grid had on a bright expression as he was reminded of the previous ss quests.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll start right now.¡±


    He would surely cleanse the holy sword. The new sword dance and goddess¡¯ blessing alleviated some of his regret about missing out on being a half-god. Despite this, Damian poured cold water on the motivated Grid. No, he calmed Grid down. He said, ¡°Not today.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The royal families of different countries are still staying in the Vatican. They will leave tomorrow afternoon, so you can start then.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    It was a good suggestion.Grid¡¯s main job was to be a cksmith, so he would naturally proceed with the cleansing in a smithy. What if the sound of hammering starteding from the Vatican¡¯s smithy? Someone would certainly be interested, and rumors that the Overgeared King was working there would spread to all parties present.


    ¡®I can¡¯t show future enemies what I¡¯m working on...¡¯


    After all, Grid wouldn¡¯t be paying attention to his surroundings and might expose something. It would be troublesome in many ways.


    ¡°That would be good.¡±Grid nodded and checked how long he had been connected. He received the notification that he had been logged in for 14 hours today.


    ¡®It is better to rest.¡¯


    It was the right time to control his daily connection limit and take care of various physiological needs. Grid decided to log out until Irene and Lord woke up. Then he shifted his gaze to the moonlight, and someone was revealed to be present in an area where the moonlight didn¡¯t hit.It was Mercedes. She had only been able to run toward Grid once Aliburn died and the barrier was lifted. Since then, Mercedes had been guarding Grid for several hours already.


    ¡°I will be taking a break. Look after the queen and prince while I am going.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mercedes responded with no unnecessary remarks.


    ¡°...¡±


    Pope Damian was enraptured by the sight of Mercedes. Her white hair and pale skin in the moonlight were enough to make her seem like a translucent beauty. She was reminiscent of a ¡®yukionna¡¯ who appeared in Japanese legends. Mercedes had a cool and unrealistic type of beauty.


    ¡°She is a person, right?¡±Damian asked with a bemused face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted. Don¡¯t you have Isabel?¡±Grid scolded him.


    Damian waved his hand.¡°Of course. I am purely impressed by her beauty. I¡¯ve got no dark thoughts. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°...I am worried that you will get more anti-fans.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No, it is just all the women around you...¡±


    There were Yura and Jishuka in real life, his wife Irene, and now Mercedes. Why were there only beautiful women beside Grid? Even Damian, an ardent fan of Grid, was a bit jealous. For those who disliked or felt antipathy toward Grid, they might feel an anger beyond jealousy.


    Grid understood the meaning and sighed. ¡®Why would they be jealous of me?¡¯


    In any case, he was single in real life. Grid didn¡¯t want to talk about it. He was ashamed about never having been in a rtionship despite being almost 30.


    ***


    It was noon. Pope Damian arranged a meal for all the VIPs who would¡¯ve been tiredst night.


    Mercedes apanied Queen Irene and Prince Lord to the dining room.


    ¡°I heard that you were deprived of your knight¡¯s qualification by His Majesty the Emperor, but I didn¡¯t realize we would be reunited in this form.¡±The 2nd imperial prince Dndal appeared and blocked the Overgeared party. He was very interested in Mercedes.


    ¡°It is good to see you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You are more beautiful than yesterday,¡± Dndal responded to Irene¡¯s greeting before turning back to Mercedes again. ¡°The strength that you practiced to defend the imperial family... The strength that you gained from being loyal to the imperial family, it¡¯s now being used for the sake of another royal family? It is a contradictory result. This is absurd.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Mercedes didn¡¯t refute any of Dndal¡¯s sarcastic words. She understood Dndal¡¯s anger. The reason why she was strong was due to the support of the imperial family, not just her innate talents. Despite her having already paid them back with her merits, Mercedes was obviously a traitor from Dndal¡¯s point of view. The dog they¡¯d raised with great care was now guarding another house.


    ¡°His Majesty mercifully gave you freedom. Still, if you have any loyalty or conscience left, shouldn¡¯t you have stayed deep in the mountains? A woman who immediately wags her tail for another owner has no principles.¡±


    The atmosphere was getting worse. Dndal was clearly showing an example. This mocking in front of Queen Irene and Prince Lord was nothing less than mocking the Overgeared Kingdom itself. In the end, Chucksley couldn¡¯t stand it and stepped forward.Yet before Chucksley could speak, a red knight came forward. ¡°It is a luxury to even pay attention to an ungrateful person who has forgotten the virtues of the imperial family.¡±


    The 9th knight, Susan, was newly appointed by the emperor, who lost his prejudices against the Red Knights after so many knights died and Mercedes left the empire. Her appearance startled Mercedes because Susan was Mercedes¡¯ cousin. It was rumored that she was a genius, but she had only juste of age. So how did she end up guarding the imperial prince?


    ¡®What happened in just a few months?¡¯


    As he read the questions in Mercedes¡¯ eyes, Prince Dndal smiled coldly.¡°His Majesty, who couldn¡¯t believe in the Red Knights after Piaro¡¯s betrayal, has started to use the Red Knights again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The imperial prince knew that Piaro hadn¡¯t betrayed them and that it had actually been the plot of Great Demon Astaroth. The emperor had shed tears of remorse after finding out the truth.


    ¡®...Prince Dndal still hasn¡¯t received the emperor¡¯s confidence.¡¯


    He wascking in every aspectpared to the 1st prince and 4th prince. It was rumored that the emperor¡¯s evaluation of 2nd Prince Dndal was ruthless and cold. Yet Dndal was now talking proudly.¡°His Majesty has decided to reorganize the Red Knights into the strongest knights division on the continent, and the grandmaster is actively cooperating. It ispletely different from the previous generation of Red Knights and your generation. Their loyalty and force will be better.¡±


    ¡®Grandmaster...!¡¯ Mercedes¡¯ eyes widened.


    Grandmaster Zikfrector¡ªording to one theory, he was a strange character that existed in the history of the empire 100 years ago. He was a mysterious person who mastered swordsmanship, magic, and summoning, and he was an opponent that Juander feared. It was rumored that even the emperor couldn¡¯t control him...


    ¡®He will cooperate directly with training the Red Knights?¡¯ A chill went down Mercedes¡¯ spine. She thought of Zikfrector¡¯s eyes which always seemed to dissect her.


    ¡°...¡± Mercedes¡¯ trembling eyes looked at her cousin Susan. Was Susan able to be a Red Knight at this age because she had some rtionship with the grandmaster? Mercedes was concerned. In spite of this, Susan, a beautiful woman who resembled Mercedes, smiled.¡°The grandmaster told me something.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I will receive a mission as soon as the truce with the Overgeared Kingdom ends. It is to seize the loot from the Astaroth raid from you. I¡¯m looking forward to going against the genius.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡± Mercedes and the members of the Overgeared Kingdom were shocked. They didn¡¯t know exactly what was meant by Astaroth¡¯s loot, but Susan¡¯s statement was clear. The empire would be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom as soon as the truce was over. Of course, they had been prepared, but...


    ¡®Daring to say this in front of the queen and the prince!¡¯


    Chucksley and the young knights of the Overgeared Kingdom could no longer overlook the behavior of the imperial prince and the Red Knights. In particr, Coke was furious. He couldn¡¯t forgive their behavior of despising the kingdom that Grid had built. Susan read Coke¡¯s killing intent and scoffed, ¡°A nobody.¡±


    Coke¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°It is up to here.¡± A ck-haired man with fierce eyes appeared. It was Grid. He came toward the group and first kissed Irene and Lord on the cheek, without giving even a nod toward Prince Dndal. Grid was clearly ignoring Dndal and the Red Knights, causing them to frown. Then Grid bared his white teeth. ¡°I am looking forward to the expression you will show me when the truce is over.¡±


    ¡°This rudeness!¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Talking like this to the great bloodline that has reigned for hundreds of years!¡±


    The Red Knights immediately became furious while Dndal remained silent. The imperial prince was interested. He wanted to see how high the great Hero King evaluated himself.


    ¡®I can¡¯t deny that he was great when fighting against the Yatan Servants. He is no less than Mercedes. As expected from someone who set up a new kingdom through force alone.¡¯


    However, what could he do alone? If the princepared the power of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire, only a few people in the Overgeared Kingdom had a strength great enough to resist the empire. The empire¡¯s overall power waspletely dominating. How could the Overgeared King go against the empire that dominated the continent? Didn¡¯t he have the power of an individual at best? If so...


    ¡®He is a flying bird who can¡¯t grasp his enemy. Unlike His Majesty¡¯s concern, the Overgeared King isn¡¯t someone to be wary of.¡¯


    He was an inconsequential opponent who could be easily trampled on.


    Then Grid said ridiculous words to Prince Dndal,¡°The new Red Knights? This young knight will shatter all of them alone.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±The prince and Red Knights were stunned. Grid was pointing to Coke who had just been called a nobody by Susan.


    ¡°Hah?¡± Susan was dumbfounded by the absurd words. Her reaction was natural. After all, Coke¡¯s level was lower than everyone else, and it was impossible for the NPCs not to know this. During the Yatan fight, Coke had been weaker than the young prince, yet he was going to beat all the Red Knights?


    ¡®Why is he saying nonsense like this?¡¯


    Dndal and the Red Knights had serious doubts.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. On the day that the truce ends and the empire aims a sword at us, my words will be reality.¡±


    Making the weak stronger¡ªthat was the power of items. Grid, who intended to use the goddess¡¯ blessing to enhance the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill, whispered to Coke, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. There is still plenty of time. I will show you what it really means to be overgeared.¡±


    The Saharan Empire was a huge nation. One city in the empire was equal to the full size of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was impossible to control all the people with the imperial family alone. Yes, Grid had already been preparing. He thought that the empire would threaten them when the truce ended or even before the truce ended, regardless of the emperor¡¯s will. Grid needed to train talents to prepare for that time.


    ¡®After clearing this quest, I will show a true overgeared army.¡¯


    ¡®The target is too high. His Majesty is making a mistake.¡¯


    While Grid and Dndal were having a staring contest, someone was feeling tense. Coke felt like he was sitting on a thorny cushion.

 Chapter 879

    Coke felt like he was sitting on a thorny cushion.


    ¡®Am I misunderstanding something?¡¯


    On the day that the truce ended, this young knight would knock down all the Red Knights of the empire, and the young knight that Grid was pointing to was Coke. Coke had the lowest level among the people gathered here, so it was ridiculous.


    ¡®Is he pointing at Royman instead of me? Yes, I misunderstood!¡¯ Coke didn¡¯t ept reality and looked at Royman on his left.


    Yet, Royman was staring at Coke. The same was true for the other knights behind her. Everyone was looking at Coke.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s right?¡¯ Coke¡¯s panicked eyes shook. ¡®I¡¯m going to destroy the Red Knights?¡¯


    How...? What was this?


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯ It was naive of him to take this practical joke seriously. Gridy a hand on the confused Coke¡¯s shoulders just as he was thinking this was a joke. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. There is still plenty of time. I will show you what it really means to be overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was serious. Coke was able to realize it since he had been steadfastly watching Grid as his fan. A fierce will shone in Grid¡¯s eyes. It was a willpower he showed every time he spoke true words.


    ¡®Does he really think I can go against the Red Knights?¡¯


    Coke was well aware of the power of the items that Grid showed but...


    As his thoughts becameplicated, Coke gulped.


    He was happy that Grid trusted him, but he felt anxious that he couldn¡¯t live up to Grid¡¯s trust. Coke thought he was a failure before it even happened.


    ¡°How interesting,¡± Dndal¡¯s derisive voice entered Coke¡¯s ears. Dndal wasughing at Grid¡¯s bluff. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there would be a person who would act so vainly before me... Interesting. It¡¯s really pleasant. Is your upation actually a clown?¡±


    The prince¡¯s mocking gaze moved from Grid to Coke. ¡°The innocentmb is already trembling with fear. Kukuk! Is this a cattle being taken to the ughterhouse?¡±


    The imperial prince wasn¡¯t wary of Coke at all, treating him as a total nobody.


    All the Red Knights were going to be defeated by this guy...? It was something that the imperial prince couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡°...¡± Coke stayed silent.


    After all, the imperial prince¡¯s assessment was urate. Coke was the peak of the second generation rookies and a yer with exceptional talent, but that was all. He wasn¡¯t at a levelparable to the strongest Red Knights on the continent. In fact, weren¡¯t the high rankers who started the game a year earlier than him afraid of the Red Knights?


    ¡®I will only be able to defeat a Red Knight after a few years.¡¯


    So, why did Grid trust him? Coke was full of doubts.


    ¡°It might seem funny now, but won¡¯t it be different once he is overgeared?¡± Grid maintained his confident answer.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯ Coke btedly realized it wasn¡¯t that Grid trusted Coke. It was that Grid trusted his items.¡®He has the confidence to create the best knight!¡¯


    This was a confidence that only a legendary cksmith could have! Duguen!Duguen!The anxiety dominating Coke¡¯s mind was lifted, and expectations filled its ce. Coke was curious. How much could he grow when armed with Grid¡¯s items, and could he really defeat the Red Knights?


    ¡°Overgeared...? You are talking nonsense. Well, this is just a conversation. Empty talk is a waste of time.¡± Prince Dndal had an unpleasant expression on his face.


    Tsk! He clicked his tongue and warned as he turned his back to Grid¡¯s party, ¡°You better keep one thing in mind. Next time we meet and you omit honorifics, I will cut off your head immediately.¡±


    The blood of the imperial prince was great, and he should be respected by everyone on the continent as a king above kings. To Prince Dndal, Grid¡¯s rudeness was an unforgettable insult. However, the reason he hadn¡¯t immediately cut off Grid¡¯s head was due to the emperor¡¯s truce. No matter what sin Gridmitted, the prince couldn¡¯t ignore the truce that the emperor created. It would be a rebellion against the emperor!


    ¡®Hut... Today¡¯s patience will flow to His Majesty, and my position will rise.¡¯


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±Dndal evaluated his patience highly and left while smiling with satisfaction. Grid watched Dndal¡¯s back with a rxed gaze. He was feeling relieved.


    ¡®I thought an imperial prince would be a big shot, but he is ordinary.¡¯


    The prince was a type of person that Grid had often met. Grid judged the prince as being strong enough to stimte his fighting energy, but that was the only thing Grid had to be wary about. He didn¡¯t have the daunting feeling that Grid had felt from the emperor.


    ¡®He isckingpared to his father. I hope the other imperial princes are the same...¡¯Grid prayed sincerely.


    He was anxious that if the emperor¡¯s sessor showed excellent skills, it would be ever harder to cope with the empire.


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±Mercedes confirmed that the imperial prince hadpletely disappeared from view and began to speak. She was very worried.¡°I heard about Sir Coke¡¯s actionsst night. He is promising, but his talent isn¡¯t fully proven. It is too early to dere that Coke will defeat the Overgeared Knights.¡±


    Of course, Mercedes knew what Grid was capable of. Considering the performance of the sword and armor that Grid had given her, there was room for the young knight to be stronger than she thought. However, the difference between the two couldn¡¯t be easily ovee. The Red Knights were geniuses selected from among tens of thousands of nobles and were granted the swordsmanship that had dominated the continent for hundreds of years. They were also given the strength of the red energy, giving them the pride of the strongest. It might seem useless from Grid¡¯s point of view, but Coke wasn¡¯t Grid.


    ¡®Furthermore, the new Red Knights will receive the great powers of the grandmaster.¡¯


    Mercedes knew that Susan was very clever and that her confidence wasn¡¯t unfounded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. By the way, what is a grandmaster?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Mercedes looked at Grid with a strange expression. He was a person who had used the power of an individual to build a new kingdom, be a hero, and gotten recognized by even the emperor. Grid was certainly great. That¡¯s why Mercedes was even more worried. She wondered if Grid had lost touch with reality due to being carried away by his greatness. Mercedes failed to conceal the frosty shadow on her face as she replied, ¡°The grandmaster is a great person who has mastered several martial arts, magic, and academics.¡±


    ¡°He has mastered martial arts, magic, and academics?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ answer surprised Grid.


    ¡®In the end, it means that he is good at everything? A jack of all trades?¡¯


    A jack of all trades was familiar to Grid. It was because Grid was a typical jack of all trades himself. He knew cksmithing, swordsmanship, magic, tailoring, and so on. Grid could do much more than a normal yer.


    ¡®However, the depth is shallow.¡¯


    He was exceptional with cksmithing, but what about swordsmanship, magic, and tailoring?


    ¡®My swordsmanship can¡¯t escape the limits of a sword dance, and I¡¯m often caught by how long it takes to use.¡¯


    Meanwhile, magic was difficult to use because of his low intelligence.


    ¡®If I have to throw away the sword, I can arm myself with Belial¡¯s Staff...¡¯


    He was able to bring down so many mighty enemies was because he possessed a variety of items, titles, and fraudulent skills. Yet his tailoring was still at the intermediate level. Ultimately, he could never be afraid of a jack of all trades! This was Grid¡¯s evaluation.


    ¡®Like me, the grandmaster is outstanding in one field, but he isn¡¯t an all-rounder like the world assumes.¡¯


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t use the word ¡®mastered¡¯ for nothing.The grandmaster is outstanding in all areas. You should never take him lightly,¡±Mercedes warned him.


    Grid frowned.¡°What exactly do you mean by outstanding in all areas? Can he use a sword better than a Sword Saint or use magic better than a great magician? And is he smarter than a sage?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°There is no Sword Saint or great magician in our time who can reach the feet of the grandmaster. Since the grandmaster can freely enter and leave the imperial library, he is likely to boast more knowledge than Sage Sticks.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been long since Kraugel became a Sword Saint. In particr, the limitations of a yer meant he was weaker than the previous Sword Saint. The situation was simr for the great magicians. There were no legends among the current great magicians. It was understandable to some extent that the grandmaster was stronger than them. However, Grid couldn¡¯t acknowledge that the grandmaster boasted more knowledge than Sage Sticks.


    Mercedes said, ¡°If the grandmaster had been watching the events in the empire, I assure you that all of Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s tricks would¡¯ve been blocked in advance. Additionally, if the grandmaster had been in the imperial pce on the day Astaroth revealed his identity...¡±


    ¡°If he had been there...?¡±


    ¡°Astaroth would¡¯ve disappeared as a handful of ashes before he could summon the Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡±


    It was due to their absolute trust in the grandmaster that the imperial princes weren¡¯t afraid of great demons and legends. There had been a day when the Magic King said, ¡°The Undefeated King was the only one who was able to fight the grandmaster. The moment the grandmaster reveals himself to the world and is stamped into history, a new legend will be born.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid was silent for a long time after hearing Mercedes¡¯ exnation.


    Mercedes saw that Grid was finally alert. ¡°You can¡¯t make fun of the new Red Knights who are being trained by the grandmaster himself.¡±


    Grid was silent for a while before shrugging. ¡°Mercedes, you are mistaken about one thing.¡±


    ¡°I am mistaken?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not making fun of the Red Knights.¡± It was natural. The Red Knights had been raised by the legendary knight Mercedes, and now they were stronger than before. ¡°I just want to say that my items are better.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, Overgeared King.¡±


    As they were talking, the group arrived at the banquet hall. Grid followed the elders¡¯ instructions and saw that in front of them was a table of delicacies across from the imperial prince. Prince Dndal had a very unpleasant expression. He couldn¡¯t understand the elders¡¯ actions of treating Grid so well.


    ¡®What am I? I am a cksmith.¡¯


    The various titles such as Hero King, Great Magician, and First King were all secondary. Grid hoped this boring lunch would end soon. He wanted to hold a hammer in his hand and cleanse the sword. That evening...


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    All of the royalty, including the imperial prince, left the Vatican. Then Grid headed to a small smithy in a corner of the Vatican. The holy sword had lost more lightpared to when Damian showed it this morning. The speed of the petrification brought on by the Stone of Original Sin was very fast.


    ¡°Item Disassembly!¡±


    Grid had to first raise his understanding of the holy sword to 100%. Despite the holy sword breaking down in front of his eyes, Damian didn¡¯t feel uneasy. He just believed in Grid!

 Chapter 880

    There was a concept of understanding items. He could get up to 100% understanding by observing, using, disassembling, and assembling an item. Once he seeded in acquiring 100% understanding, he could gain the method to make the item.


    ¡°Item Disassembly!¡±


    Grid intended to increase his understanding before cleansing the holy sword. The more he understood the holy sword, the easier the cleansing process would be.


    ¡®It might not be possible to raise my understanding to 100%.¡¯


    Why? Wasn¡¯t this holy sword the symbol of Reba¡ªthe goddess of light¡ªand the pride of the supreme religion on the continent? It was exceptional among myth rated items, so was it impossible to raise the understanding of this item with a human¡¯s ability? No, all myth rated items were equally special. The performance might vary, but there was no arguing about the ¡®meaning¡¯ of a myth rated item. The reason why Grid thought it would be difficult to raise his understanding to 100% was that the holy sword was a quest item.


    [First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified]


    [Rating: Myth


    The first holy sword of humanity. It was sealed by the Stone of Original Sin, but Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡ªGrid¡ªhas temporarily unsealed it.


    It still isn¡¯tpletely free from the curse.


    The Stone of Original Sin is encroaching back on it.]


    At the time of the Crossroad of Good and Evil hidden quest, the name of the holy sword had still been Sword Stuck in the Stone. Information, such as details about the attack power, durability, and the options, hadn¡¯t been shown at all. It had only been a brief description. When he saw Damian deal a serious injury to Aliburn in a single blow, Grid had gotten convinced that...


    ¡®The holy sword is a quest item. It can¡¯t be used as a normal item.¡¯


    Quest items were items which didn¡¯t have any special function apart from in special moments. After all, it didn¡¯t make sense to mass-produce items made for specific quests.


    ¡®In order to preserve its symbolic value, the system would prevent a 100% understanding.¡¯


    However, it could go up to 99.9%. Grid couldn¡¯t learn how to make the item, but he could fully grasp the item¡¯s hidden functions and intentions.


    ¡®Just this much will give me a glimpse of how to cleanse it.¡¯


    First, he had to see how the curse had eroded the sword. As Grid judged this, he used the hammer in his hand.


    Ttang!


    Grid hit the church¡¯s relic without hesitation! It was a sight that would make the thousands of members of the Reba Church furious. However, Pope Damian watched Grid silently.


    Ttang!Ttaaang!Ttatatang-!Ttaang-!


    It didn¡¯t matter that Grid used various tools on the holy sword. Damian didn¡¯t shake at all despite the sword being thrown into the furnace.He just watched as his trust in Grid was absolute. Ultimately, Damian had no choice but to trust Grid. After all, Grid had already demonstrated his power, having disassembled and assembled Lifael¡¯s Spear dozens of times while saving Isabel!


    ¡®By the way...¡¯


    30 minutes must¡¯ve passed. Damian gradually started to feel anxious as he watched Grid. When Grid ced the holy sword in the furnace, it maintained its full form instead of changing or breaking down.


    ¡®Am I mistaken? Why does it seem like there is no progress?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem to be a mistake.


    ¡®Is something wrong?¡¯


    The anxiety that Damian felt was correct.


    ¡°Pant pant... Damn?¡± Grid was cursing as he hammered and used the bellows repeatedly. He was about to go crazy.


    [You have failed to find the melting point of the metal that makes up the target item.]


    [The smelting has failed.]


    [You can¡¯t find the binding section of the target item.]


    [The disassembly has failed.]


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t my understanding rising?¡¯


    It might be a myth rated item, but Grid thought that his understanding of the item would gradually rise while disassembling the item. However, the method of understanding the holy sword was unconventional. Despite Grid¡¯s repeated attempted disassembly, his understanding was kept at 7%.


    ¡®I¡¯m not hoping for 100%... I just want 99.9% or a clue toward cleansing the sword.¡¯


    No, there was nothing wrong with it.


    ¡®Will it rise if I keep trying?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s greatest strength was his persistence. Instead of feeling frustrated or demotivated after seeing his low understanding, he just controlled his emotions and started the disassembly again.


    If he didn¡¯t understand after disassembling it 10 times, then he would have to do it another 10 times.


    If he didn¡¯t understand after disassembling it 20 times, then he would have to do it another 20 times.


    If he didn¡¯t understand after disassembling it 20 times, then he would have to do it another 30 times.


    If he didn¡¯t understand after disassembling it 30 times, then he would have to do it another 40 times.


    Grid continued trying.


    ¡°Pant pant! Pant! Keok!¡±


    Suddenly, something came to Grid¡¯s mind. cksmithing was a heavybor ss that required high stamina, and he felt like he was on the verge of dying.


    ¡®Will I meet Khan if I die?¡¯


    ¡°...id! Grid!¡±


    ¡°...Heok!¡±


    Grid, whose tongue was hanging out like a dog, suddenly came to his senses. It was because a voice woke him up. He looked around and saw Damian right beside him with a worried expression.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rest now?¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    Grid routinely took a few days to make one item. He must¡¯ve spent one or two hours trying to improve his understanding of the item...


    ¡°Huh?¡± Grid was looking at Damian when he became confused. The window behind Damian showed that it was currently the brightly lit daytime. ¡°Have I been working all night?¡±


    ¡°It is already past noon. You have been working for 15 hours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it an hour or two at most? A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡®Did I enter a trance state?¡¯


    It meant he had sufficient concentration. However, the efficiency was zero. His understanding gauge of the holy sword was still stuck at 7%.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Grid became desperate. This was the first time he had gotten a horrible result despite having entered the trance state.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯Grid red at the holy sword that was set up on the anvil. He didn¡¯t like that it maintained a perfect state in spite of all his troubles. Damian sighed.¡°There is a saying that the holy sword is made from minerals created by the cksmith god Hexetia himself. It is in the realm of the gods, so this might be difficult for Grid.¡±


    ¡°Hex what? Xe what?¡±


    Ttiring~


    [You have learned about the cksmith god Hexetia.]


    [Intelligence has permanently increased by 10, and the experience of all cksmithing skills has increased by 2%!]


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The acquisition of new knowledge was sometimes a great power. This was why people tried to read as many books as possible in the libraries of each city and kingdom. Grid was confused when he got the bonus effect of hearing about the cksmith god for the first time.


    [You have discovered the maker of the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified.]


    [Your understanding of the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified has increased by 5%!]


    [You have roughly identified the materials that make up the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified.]


    [Your understanding of the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified has increased by 7%!]


    These notification windows rose in session.


    ¡°...Ah,¡± Grid moaned. Was he happy? Not at all! Grid tried to suppress his soaring anger. He smiled awkwardly and asked Damian, ¡°What exactly are the materials of the holy sword?¡±


    ¡°I heard it is divine stone. As I mentioned earlier, this is a material created by the cksmith god Hexetia himself.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [You have obtained information on new minerals!]


    [The base of your cksmithing technology is expanding!]


    [You have discovered the material that makes up the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified.]


    [Your understanding of the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified has increased by 15%.]


    ¡°...¡±


    This was akin to doing something embarrassing when lying down to sleep like kicking off the nket. Grid had countless simr memories, and one of those memories was when he first received Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.He had followed the movements of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship which had been drawn on the wall mural...


    ¡°Hah... XX!¡± He cursed properly for the first time in a while. Grid had forgotten the basics of a quest because the client was a yer, not an NPC.


    ¡®I forgot to get the minimum of information from the client...¡¯


    He was embarrassed and angry about having lost time.


    ¡®...No, it isn¡¯t my fault. Shouldn¡¯t Damian havee forward and exined when he noticed?¡¯Grid trembled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad. Sometimes things don¡¯t work out. Why don¡¯t you have a meal first and rest before working again?¡± Damian suggested with a smile. He didn¡¯t notice that Grid was angry at him. ¡°Ah~~ I¡¯m hungry. What if my Isabel didn¡¯t wait for me before eating?¡± Damian was about to leave the smithy with a wide smile.


    ¡°Wait there.¡± Grid called out to him with an eerie expression as he stared at the innocent-looking Damian.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You will sit next to me and not go anywhere until my work is done. Don¡¯t even think about eating.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    ¡°Sit down and cough up all the information you know.¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°How can you eat in this situation?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why was Grid suddenly mad at him? Damian thought it was strange at first, then he realized...


    ¡®He isn¡¯t angry! My thinking was too shallow!¡¯


    The curse on the holy sword hadn¡¯t been released yet, so how could the pope eat alone while an outside guest was struggling to solve the curse on the holy sword? The church members would be disappointed. They would whisper about how he chose to eat over tending to the holy sword. Damian would lose public sentiment, and his position would be lowered. He might even lose the pope¡¯s position next year.


    ¡®U-Unbelievable...¡¯


    Damian¡¯s eyes became teary. He felt a deep gratitude and respect toward Grid. ¡°Once again, you are saving me and teaching me great lessons! Truly... You truly are God Grid-sama!!¡±


    ¡°What? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Your humility...! Kuock!! It is truly amazing!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was clear that there weren¡¯t many normal people around Grid. Grid realized this once again as he threw the sword into the furnace. Then the smelting began. This time he wouldn¡¯t fail.

 Chapter 881

    ¡®It isn¡¯t a dream?¡¯


    There was a ck round table with 10 chairs around it. As soon as Coke returned to Reinhardt, he was called in by Lauel and couldn¡¯t contain his excitement.


    Demon Brain Lauel, Red Phoenix Godly Archer Jishuka, Lightning sh Peak Sword, Cold-Blooded Prince Pon, Iron Fist of Justice Regas, and Bald Vantner¡ªthe people sitting down were the meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom. If one of them had been missing, the birth of the Overgeared Kingdom would be difficult. After Grid, they were the people that Coke respected and envied the most. Then who were the owners of the remaining four empty seats?


    ¡®Is it Faker, Huroi, Katz, and Chris? No, Faker might¡¯ve rejected a ce due to his personality... Perhaps it is Euphemina?¡¯


    Gulp!


    Coke¡¯s eyes shone likenterns. It was a dreame true for him to be facing the top rankers in each field and the people closest to Grid. So, he was naturally nervous.


    ng!


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    He eventually dropped the ss of water he was holding in his trembling hands and didn¡¯t know what to do. While Coke was fussing over the broken ss, Regas smiled gently at him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it and sit down.¡±


    Bald Vantner clicked his tongue. ¡°Bah! This brat protected Queen Irene and Prince Lord? Isn¡¯t the information wrong?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Cold-Blooded Prince Pon just remained silent.


    ¡°As expected from a Korean.¡± Peak Sword looked affectionately at Coke. It was like reuniting with a younger brother after a few years. ¡°Puhahat! Coke! I have been watching you from the beginning! The DNA of the Koreans which has evolved due to blood, sweat, and tears is the best! Puhat! Puhahat!! Good! I like it! Sign up for the Korean Patriotic Association! The membership fee is only 800,000 won per year! It is an opportunity to be patriotic for only 800,000 won!¡±


    No, it was more like Peak Sword was looking at a pushover.


    ¡°...¡±Coke was embarrassed and disappointed by Peak Sword¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°Everybody.¡±


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯


    It was the voice of Jishuka, one of the most beautiful women in South America. Jishuka¡¯s voice was a beautiful voice that seemed to stimte the listener¡¯s senses and take away their soul. What was she going to say?


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Coke was anticipating Jishuka¡¯s words only to be embarrassed.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The words that emerged from Jishuka¡¯s lips were unexpectedly different from Coke¡¯s expectations. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all going to shut up?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh...¡± The noisy Vantner and Peak Sword immediately shut up like cats in front of a lion. Bald Vantner was considered the shield of the Overgeared Kingdom while Lightning sh Peak Sword had beaten the Hero Kraugel in the National Competition. Yet right now, these people, who were big names in the world, couldn¡¯t open their mouths before Jishuka.


    ¡®She truly is the Red Phoenix Godly Archer!¡¯ Coke was fascinated by Jishuka¡¯s beauty only toe to his senses. He reminded himself that she was the godly archer who had annihted thousands of enemies with one bow in the Eternal War! That¡¯s right. The woman before him was the strongest in the Overgeared Guild that was swarming with monsters. It wasn¡¯t right to simply evaluate her by her beauty. Coke unknowingly straightened his posture.


    Once the atmosphere was calm, Jishuka spoke to Lauel, ¡°Now, tell us.¡±


    Lauel¡ªhe was the demonic brain who had used all types of ploys and tricks to give the enemies despair and eventually make Grid king! He was currently taking care of the government affairs of the Overgeared Kingdom. Feeling tense, Coke gulped once again. Lauel showed a strange charisma as he covered half of his face with one hand. He truly was a chunni. Anyone would be nervous when facing Lauel.


    ¡®Uhh...¡¯


    It felt like an eternity... Coke only met Lauel¡¯s gaze for a few seconds, but it felt like hours had passed by. Lauel¡¯s blue eyes contemted him, and Coke felt like he had been stripped naked. It was a feeling that everything inside him was being dug up by Lauel.


    Gulp! Coke¡¯s throat was parched, and he swallowed his saliva as his tension reached the peak. Coke hoped that Lauel would quickly exin why he had been summoned. Did Lauel read his wish?


    ¡°You...¡± Lauel finally spoke.


    ¡°Yes...!¡±Coke¡¯s voice cracked as he reflexively answered. His throat was dry, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Lauel sat with his legs crossed and his chin arrogantly raised. The smile on Lauel¡¯s face could be seen through the gap in his cor. It was a meaningful smile.


    ¡®What is he going to say?¡¯ Coke had already forgotten his excitement of meeting the meritorious retainers. The strength of the meritorious retainers was greater than he¡¯d imagined!


    Lauel continued speaking, ¡°You are Coke?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± It was difficult for Coke to understand the meaning of the question.


    Lauel looked up and smiled with his eyes wide open. ¡°The 10 meritorious retainers! Isn¡¯t this great!¡±


    ¡°Meri...torious retainers?¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Kukukuk...! That¡¯s correct. In the past, there were the seven malignant saints who worshipped the gods, and now there will be the 10 meritorious retainers who serve the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had told Lauel the details of what had happened in the Vatican, and Lauel was captivated by the name, ¡®the seven malignant saints¡¯. He thought it sounded very nice and attractive. That¡¯s why Lauel came up with the 10 meritorious retainers¡ªthe 10 meritorious retainers who served the Overgeared King and founded a new kingdom with him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool? The people of the world will praise our 10 meritorious retainers, and our reputation will increase. Then won¡¯t the authority of the Overgeared King soar into the sky? Huhuhut!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes... 10... meridorious... retainers...¡±


    What the hell did Lauel want to say? What was his reason for calling Coke?Stunned, Coke just nodded. Meanwhile, Peak Sword whispered to him, ¡°Be careful with your pronunciation. It is merit, merit. Not merid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He felt like the 10 meritorious retainers weren¡¯t that reliable, especially Peak Sword. Coke looked at Peak Sword with pity while Lauel finally cut to the chase.


    ¡°Sir Coke, I heard your saga. You said that you are a talented person who will beat the Red Knights on your own?¡±


    ¡°Huh? N-No, it was King Grid...¡±


    ¡°We have decided at the end of a meeting to train you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°From today, you will be studying under the 10 meritorious retainers. You will learn strategy from me, archery from Jishuka, swordsmanship from Peak Sword, the spear and magic from Pon, martial arts from Regas, and how to use the shield from Vantner.¡±


    The knight ss could gain all types of mastery skills such as Sword Mastery, Bow Mastery, and Spear Mastery. It was meant to be a universal ss, but there was a problem. The process of acquiring the skills and raising the level was very difficult.


    It was natural. The experience of mastery skills increased only when using a weapon suitable for that mastery. How did they have the time to raise mastery skills levels for Sword Mastery, Bow Mastery, and Spear Mastery? Compared to some sses that only had one mastery skill, a knight¡¯s growth was much worse.


    In fact, most knight yers only focused on one weapon. It was a sword, a spear, or a blunt weapon. Only one weapon was used repeatedly in order to train that mastery skill. It was a ss that needed decisions and concentration. This was what it meant to be a knight. Of course, as time went by, the skill level of the NPC naturally increased, but this situation was different.


    ¡°Thank you for the consideration, but I will refuse.¡±


    Coke was a yer. There was a limit to his time and growth. The tremors disappeared from his voice for the first time since he entered the room. His unwavering eyes stared straight at Lauel and the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°So what if I have wonderful teachers? There are limits to the system. If I receive your teachings, the speed of my mastery skills increasing will be very slow, and I will eventually be a trashy jack of all trades. I would rather focus on swordsmanship like I have been doing so far. Only...¡±


    ¡°Only?¡±


    ¡°I want to get a chance to study strategies from Lauel. As you know, knights can learn tactical skills, and it will be useful...¡±


    ¡°Huhut! You are bold.¡±


    He rejected the offer made by the meritorious retainers of the kingdom he belonged to and took advantage of a loophole instead...? Coke¡¯s attitude seemed reprehensible. If this were any other country, the meritorious retainers would be furious. However, the meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom weren¡¯t like this. Rather, they now had a better impression of Coke.


    ¡°Our personalities are simr.¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s evaluation was urate.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±Coke had been afraid of the reaction, but he ended up dumbfounded. He was perplexed about how the atmosphere had improved instead of worsening. Lauel exined to him, ¡°There are countless different options for items. Just as there are items that make the wearer stronger, there are items that can help the wearer grow.¡±


    A typical example was an item that sped up the rate at which a skill level increased. It was an item that often dropped when catching low-level field bosses.


    ¡°We have prepared all types of things to help you grow.¡±


    ¡°I was yawning so much when hunting the petty field bosses.¡±


    ¡°The performance isn¡¯t great, but it¡¯s okay because we¡¯ll support you.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t enough time. Let¡¯s move to the hunting grounds right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    They already knew everything and were prepared. Well, that was natural. After all, they were senior rankers and meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom. They knew a lot more than Coke. His heart jumped as he realized that he was being raised. However, there were some doubts in his mind that couldn¡¯t be erased.


    ¡°Can I ask why you are doing this for me?¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers were busy people. They had to take care of government affairs and maintain their ranking, yet they were wasting time they didn¡¯t have on him. Why? What was he supposed to say? Coke couldn¡¯t understand it. Lauel replied as the representative of everyone present, ¡°We have to turn Grid¡¯s deration into a reality. Won¡¯t you be angry if His Majesty is misunderstood as a useless braggart?¡±


    It was a simple and straightforward answer. Convinced, Coke shouted energetically, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, so thank you in advance! 10 meritorious retainers!¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s change the name,¡± Peak Sword requested, but it just passed through Lauel¡¯s ears while heughed.


    On this day, the secret weapon development project of the 10 meritorious retainers began.


    ***


    Ttang!Ttang!


    [You have reached 60% understanding of the First Holy Sword that is Bing Petrified.]


    It was the third day after Grid started working, and this urred after he had disassembled and reassembled the holy sword more than 100 times.


    [The sin of the holy sword¡¯s maker is stimting the Stone of Original Sin!]


    ¡°Sin of the holy sword¡¯s maker?¡±


    The maker of the holy sword was a god¡ªthe cksmithing god, Hexetia.


    ¡®A god sinned?¡¯ Grid was surprised by the unexpected development. The petrification process the reassembled holy sword was captured in real time. Proceeding much faster and wider than before, the petrification eroded the de of the holy sword.


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    Frightened, Grid started to beat the sword with a hammer. He intended to shock the petrified parts and reduce the progress of the petrification. However, the method he had been using for thest three days no longer worked. The petrification was no longer vulnerable to external stimuli. No matter how hard he hit it with the hammer, the speed of the petrification didn¡¯t slow down.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Were his efforts for thest three days useless? Grid got a chill and used hisst resort. He threw the holy sword in the furnace, deciding to remove the petrified stone in the process of melting it again, disassembling, and then reassembling it. Yet the sword which entered the st furnace didn¡¯t melt. Instead, it caused a big explosion that shattered the furnace.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Swept away by the impact, Grid was shocked. The half-petrified holy sword floated in the air.


    -The sins of the gods are covered up? An unknown voice rang out.


    Grid sensed that the quest he was carrying out had reached its main stage!


    -You who have seeded the power of the 4th evil, look at the sins of the gods! Anger seeped into the unknown voice.


    Grid¡¯s vision shed white, and his consciousness was transferred from the Vatican to an entirely new ce. It was Asgard, the world of the gods.


    Simultaneously, at the head office of the S.A Group...


    ¡°This is the second time...¡±


    What decision would Grid make? Would he align with good or evil? Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s expression was full of tension.

 Chapter 882

    The role of the cksmithing god, Hexetia, was to inform humanity of how to use fire and iron.Hexetia descended to the earth under the will of the goddess of life and faithfully fulfilled his role. He gave the concept of cooking and tools to the savage humans. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the development of humanity was due to Hexetia, and he was very proud of this fact.He realized this was the reason why the gods existed, and it filled him with satisfaction.


    However, it was only for a short time. Human beings were arrogant and evil. They would throw babies into boiling iron or cover the iron with the blood of virgins.Humans were uncivilized beings who relied on the gods and passed their responsibilities onto others instead of developing their own trivial skills.


    ¡°They are worse than the great demons.¡±


    Hexetia felt only hatred toward them. So, he started to thoroughly ignore humanity. He didn¡¯t care when they reached out for salvation. It was the same even when the world was destroyed by the evil god, Yatan. Rather, he felt a great joy at the destruction of humanity. He hated humanity so much that he rebelled when Goddess Reba dered that she would resurrect humanity.


    -In particr, he didn¡¯t tolerate Pagma.


    Pagma, the legendary cksmith who had developed without his help, was a mutation that denied Hexetia¡¯s existence. He was a human capable of developing without the help of a god, a monster who proved his potential wasparable to a god¡¯s. Hexetia became envious of Pagma and kept him in check.He ced all sorts of hardships and trials on Pagma so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to transcend.


    However, Pagma overcame all the sufferings and trials.In the process, he became transcendent¡ªa stronger and more innovative being who wasn¡¯t bound by the ¡®mind.¡¯ At the time, the work born from his hands became a ¡®myth¡¯ and started to bepared to Hexetia¡¯s works.


    -Hexetia went looking for Yatan.He wanted to destroy humanity right then and reset the world.Kukuk, isn¡¯t it funny?A god wanted the world to perish just because he feared a human would surpass him.A god isn¡¯t almighty or benevolent. There is an end to their talents, and they are terribly selfish, just like humans.


    Asgard was the world of the gods that existed above the clouds. The voice echoed in Grid¡¯s mind as the golden area around him gradually became violent.


    -They aren¡¯t qualified to ¡®manage¡¯ humanity!It is no different from breeding a dog!


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± A powerful rage struck Grid¡¯s chest. The unknown person¡¯s wrath, which Grid felt, was great. Grid¡¯s breath stopped, and his pupils trembled. He couldn¡¯t endure it! His vision from above the clouds spun round and round.


    ¡®My head!¡¯


    He had a terrible headache. Grid frowned as the surrounding scenery changed. He now appeared in a ck and red world. Grid knew this ce which was dominated by seethingva and poison.


    ¡®Hell!¡¯


    The earth was shaking, and the appearance of a volcano erupting was seen through the window of a dark castle. However, the two men standing opposite each other weren¡¯t agitated at all. Grid looked at them. The man with long red hair was the hero of this story, Hexetia, while the fair-skinned man giving off an ice-cold air was 1st Great Demon Baal. Baal looked like he was very interested. ¡°You¡¯ll make weapons for the great demons?¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ Grid doubted his ears.


    It didn¡¯t make sense for the cksmithing god, Hexetia, to make weapons for the great demons. Yet Hexetia nodded instantly. ¡°Yes. I will give you strength. Therefore, destroy humanity.¡±


    Grid learned Hexetia¡¯s intentions and spat out, ¡®This crazy guy!¡¯


    Hating the entire human race was a good excuse. On the other hand, for a god to join hands with a great demon just because of a grudge against Pagma... It couldn¡¯t be epted.


    Baal dyed giving an answer. ¡°The role of God Yatan is to destroy Earth...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t destroy Earth! Just have the great demons wipe out the humans!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    ¡°Baal!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, good. Only...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°A one-sided entertainment is no fun, so I will bnce it out.¡±


    ¡°Entertainment? This is entertainment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s entertainment. It will be a good match between the ipetent god, Hexetia, and the human who incited his envy.¡±


    ¡°Baal!¡±


    ¡°Enjoy it. It is enjoyable. Or do you think your god¡¯s position will be at risk, just like that time?¡±


    ¡°Ick...!¡±


    ¡®That time?What was that time?¡¯ Grid questioned it.


    -It was the war between the gods and the seven half-gods, the mysterious voice gave the answer.


    Grid btedly realized, ¡®The seven malignant saints existed long before Pagma?¡¯


    -That¡¯s right.The reason I am showing you Pagma¡¯s era is to help you understand.


    In other words...


    -This was the second time Hexetia was jealous.He was envious of the seven half-gods who threatened his position as god andtermitted the same sin. He¡¯s a really narrow-minded guy!


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he was reminded that Hexetia was also jealous of him.


    ¡®This Hex bastard!¡¯


    Was Hexetia already plotting to hurt Grid? Grid was feeling concerned when the surrounding scenery changed again.It was now a ce that was familiar to him¡ªthe Hall of Fame. The great demons who climbed up from the red-ck earth faced a man. He was armed with a sword and a scythe as he watched the great demons with sharp eyes.


    ¡°In the end, I am alone.¡±


    The hand holding the sword wasn¡¯t very strong, but Pagma¡¯s ck eyes which shone through his long hair were splendid as he started a sword dance.


    ¡°Drop.¡±


    The sky began to fall. The great demons felt an infinite pressure as the sky fell down right in front of them. The sky was falling while Pagma¡¯s sword dance destroyed the earth.


    ¡°If I knew that the distinction between good and evil in my mind was wrong, I would never have betrayed Braham.¡± Pagma shed tears.


    -Hexetia¡¯s envy brought sorrow to countless humans and threatened all of humanity.Hexetia¡¯s sins are truly heavy.Will you be able to forgive him?


    ¡°I...¡±


    ***


    ¡°Keook...!¡±


    Grid saw Asgard, hell, and the Hall of Fame beforeing back to the present.


    ¡°Grid!¡± Damian was surprised while he was swallowing dry bread. It was surprising because Grid, who had been hammering, suddenly copsed. He ran forward and lifted Grid up. ¡°Did you fail to control your stamina?¡±


    Grid was a powerhouse. He had experienced numerous battles, so how could he fail to manage his stamina? It was hard enough when the conditions were normal. Damian judged that Grid¡¯s physical condition was very bad. ¡°I think you are pushing yourself too hard. Take a break.¡±


    Grid had been using all up his daily ess time for the past few days. He had only eaten jerky and dried bread and hadn¡¯t left the smithy. Both his physical fatigue and mental fatigue should¡¯ve reached the limit. While Damian was feeling concerned, Grid woke up.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Grid shoved himself away from Damian¡¯s chest and stood up alone. However, his face was still pale and his breathing was rough.


    Damian couldn¡¯t help worrying about Grid. ¡°Please rest. Your health is much more important than the quest.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid didn¡¯t answer.


    To be exact, he had no time to answer. He was busy checking the notification windows in front of him.


    [The original sin of envy has been revealed!]


    [Unless the cksmithing god Hexetia gives up on his envy, the Stone of Original Sin encroaching on the holy sword won¡¯t disappear.]


    [If you pass on this fact to the Reba Church and its members, the Cleanse the First Holy Sword quest will end and you won¡¯t be able to receive the goddess¡¯ blessing. Affinity with Goddess Reba will drop to minus values.]


    [If you bury the truth, the duration of the Cleanse the First Holy Sword quest will be extended indefinitely. You can receive the goddess¡¯ blessing after clearing the quest.]


    [You have discovered the hidden story of the legendary cksmith Pagma.]


    [Telling this story to great magician Braham will likely cause a positive phenomenon.]


    [The new skill Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Drop has been acquired.]


    [Drop]


    [-A sword dance that disys a grudge against the sky.


    It is a deep and serene sword dance that informs the world of the authority of the fallen sky.


    -Inflicts 30% of your physical damage to all enemies within five meters of you, and there is a 30% chance of ignoring the enemy¡¯s status resistance.


    -Deals an additional 300% damage to all divine beings.


    That target that gets hit won¡¯t be able to attack, and their defense will decrease.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Mana Cost: 850


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 minutes.]


    ¡®Braham...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t care that the reality of the gods was different from what was known or that the progress of the quest was bingplicated. He wasn¡¯t even interested in the newly acquired sword dance. All he was thinking of at the moment was Braham.


    ¡®Pagma regretted it. He felt sorry toward you.¡¯


    Braham had been betrayed by his only friend, Pagma, just because he was a demonkin. Wouldn¡¯t the grudges and sadness imprinted on Braham¡¯s soul be slightly relieved now?


    ¡®I¡¯m d. I¡¯m really d...¡¯ Grid sincerely felt pleased.


    He wanted to quickly reunite with Braham and convey this truth. That¡¯s right. Grid didn¡¯t know that Braham¡¯s soul had scattered after leaving him.


    ¡®Come back soon, Braham.¡¯


    Braham had left to recover his body. They were separated right now, but they would be able to reunite someday because they were living in the same era.


    ¡®Old man, I want to see you.¡¯


    Their first encounter had been the worst, but Braham was Grid¡¯s mentor. Grid missed Braham¡¯s empty spot from time to time. Simultaneously...


    ¡°This is the ce.¡±


    It was Skunk, the 1st ranked explorer who discovered the Yatan Church¡¯s main temple in the past. He found the Sword Grave, where Braham¡¯s body was known to be buried.


    ¡°Now! Let¡¯s find the treasures!¡±


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    Skunk and his colleagues started to move.

 Chapter 883

    Born as the son of a prominent filmmaker, Skunk had seen many masterpieces ever since he was a child.


    In particr, he was devoted to the ssics from one or two centuries ago¡ªa mafia boss who fought to defend his organization but conflicted with his family, a young genius absorbed in wealth and defending evil, an archaeologist¡ªwho while discovering ruins and treasures of the world¡ªstopped the Nazis¡¯ ambitions, a middle-aged man who shaved his head just to save a local child, and so on.


    The protagonists of countless movies impressed Skunk, and he was attached to them. Ever since he entered the drama department during his school days, he had walked the path of an actor, living various lives. Sometimes he had the life of a hero, sometimes a viin, sometimes an explorer, and sometimes an normal office worker or an unemployed youth.


    He was very happy experiencing things that were different from his ordinary life. In particr, the life of an explorer encouraged him to dream of exploring the world and pioneering unknownnd. However, this was rare in today¡¯s society. The earth had already been revealed by great people. The only ce left to explore was the universe, but Skunk was a second-rate actor and rarely got the chance for space exploration.


    Then Satisfy was released at this time. It was a whole new world! For Skunk, Satisfy was and of opportunity. He became a young Indiana Jones and revealed many secrets about Satisfy over the years.


    [The Great Explorer¡¯s Knowledge and Intuition is activated!]


    The Sword Grave¡ªthe ce where legendary cksmith Pagma was known to have spent hisst years¡ªwas a vast in. There were thousands of swords stuck into the center of the in, nothing else.


    ¡®He spent hisst years here?¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t even the minimum of living spaces or any tools.


    ¡®Did someone erase the traces?¡¯


    No, there were no such signs. It was likely that a living space on the ins hadn¡¯t existed in the first ce.


    ¡®Then Pagma...¡¯


    Had he solved the problem of living in the middle of the in, be it during spring, summer, autumn, and winter? Or had he been exposed to the sun and heat, the dry and cold, and the rain and wind?


    ¡®No, I don¡¯t think he is that unreasonable.¡¯


    There were no signs of any tools having been used. Skunk analyzed the area and found it was difficult to think that the signs had disappeared after hundreds of years of weathering. So, he could only conclude that no one had lived here before.


    ¡°There is nothing!¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce where people lived.¡±


    ¡°The rumor that Braham was buried here is just that, a rumor.¡±


    It was as he had expected. The reports from Skunk¡¯s subordinates weren¡¯t different from his. They couldn¡¯t find any clues at the Sword Grave.


    ¡®There are only these swords.¡¯


    Skunk grabbed one of the thousands of swords stuck in the ins. The sword didn¡¯t budge. The swords here were just the ¡®backdrop¡¯ of the Sword Grave. It was impossible for yers to physically influence them. One sword, two swords, three swords...


    Skunk was deep in thought as he grabbed the sword sunk into the ground.


    ¡®Are they real?¡¯


    A yer could hold them and swing them.


    ¡®Mysteriously, there are no signs of life, but shouldn¡¯t there be some treasures?¡¯


    It was a ce where Pagma was known to have spent hisst years.Would the cksmith have left any useful swords behind? This ce was called the Sword Grave because it was a ce where Pagma had discarded thousands of swords. That¡¯s right. It was a ins area where thousands of swords were stuck in the ground. They were discarded swords because they had been useless garbage to Pagma. However, this was just from the point of view of a legendary cksmith.In general terms, these waste products were great swords.


    ¡®There is a high possibility.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t the works criticized as failures by Pagma actually be epic or unique rated weapons?


    ¡®It is amazing.¡¯


    A high-grade weapon from Pagma...! It was clear that the performance would be overwhelming. Even if the performance had dropped slightly, the historical value could be appreciated. As an explorer, it was a chance for Skunk to raise his reputation and skill level.


    ¡®Money is a bonus.¡¯


    Skunk was filled with anticipation and shouted to his people, ¡°Check the swords! Don¡¯t miss a single one!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Everyone was confused by the absurdmand. They needed to check all the swords? These swords had been stuck in the ground for many years. They would be less valuable because the des were weathered.


    ¡®How long would it take to check all of this?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it is very meaningful.¡¯


    His subordinates were dissatisfied, but Skunk was already taking action, carefully checking the swords stuck in the ground. Then it happened.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It happened when he twisted the 134th sword. Skunk confirmed that an unexpected phenomena had urred. He twisted the handle of the 134th sword, and the de stuck in the ground spun by half a turn. It wasn¡¯t pulled out of the ground as Skunk had hoped it would be, but it was distinctively different from the other 133 swords that didn¡¯t move.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen! Skunk¡¯s heart sped up. He couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of anticipation. As the sword rotated half a turn, the positions of the other swords changed slightly! The ground was moving!


    ¡°...Did all of you notice?¡± Skunk smiled as he exchanged gazes with his colleagues.Then he shouted as hard as he could, ¡°Align them in a cube from now on! A few days¡ªno, it might take a few months to prepare everything!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± The talented explorers were burning with motivation and enthusiasm. Now that they had a clue, they wouldn¡¯t give up until they found hidden secrets or treasures.


    Every time a sword moved, the ground moved. The position of the ground moved depending on the sword. Sometimes, it was returned to its original position. It was quite aplex structure. As Skunk feared, they might be tied up here for a few months.


    However, the eyes of Skunk and his colleagues were shining.


    ***


    -Hexetia¡¯s envy brought sorrow to countless humans and threatened all of humanity.Hexetia¡¯s sins are truly heavy.Will you be able to forgive him?


    ¡°I...¡±


    Grid had seen the reality of the gods. What decision would he make? Would he inherit the will of the fourth evil and rebel against the gods? Or would he act like he had done previously and turn away from the truth?


    -The probability that yer Grid will inherit the will of the fourth evil is 61.8%, Morpheus¡¯s voice entered the ears of Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was watching the troubled Grid listen to the 7th evil¡¯s whispers.


    Lim Cheolho responded with surprise, ¡°61.8%? Then there is only a 40% chance that Grid will deny the fourth evil?¡±


    The reward for the current episode Grid was experiencing was the ¡®4th evil.¡¯ It was a reward which could be obtained when Grid dered that the gods couldn¡¯t be forgiven. The effect would be the strengthening of God¡¯s Command, which was what Grid had missed in the Crossroads of Good and Evil quest.


    On the other hand, there was nopensation if he ignored the truth. The only advantage was that he could keep the goddess¡¯ blessing. Chairman Lim Cheolho decided that Grid was likely to agree with the 7th evil. The goddess¡¯ blessing was an excellent reward, but it was nothingpared to strengthening God¡¯s Command. Therefore, Morpheus set the probability as fairly low.


    ¡°Is it because he has already given up on bing a half-god once?¡±


    -That¡¯s right.When I analyzed Grid¡¯sst action, I determined there was a 97% chance of him bing a half-god since he is a person who doesn¡¯t want to receive excessive penalties. Yet the result ended up differently.


    ¡°...It is because his colleagues might end up receiving penalties.¡±


    Grid was concerned about his surroundings. He had already proved through several incidents that he values his family, friends and colleagues. The Grid on the monitor was responding, ¡°I... It¡¯s okay. I also feel envious of others. Do I deserve to condemn or forgive Hexetia? I don¡¯t care.¡±


    -You aren¡¯t on the same level.You are human and he is a god.Hexetia¡¯s envy threatens all of humanity.Will you still forgive the crimesmitted by Hexetia?


    ¡°Yes, he is a god. That is why he is strong enough to threaten the entire human race with his envy.¡±


    -...?


    ¡°If Hexetia was weaker than me, I might¡¯ve rushed to condemn him. But isn¡¯t he stronger than me? So I have to lower my tail.¡±


    -You!You coward!


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped since I am responsible for my family, not the human race.¡± Grid¡¯s smiling eyes became serious. ¡°...Therefore, I want to avoid him right now. However, his envy might be directed to me one day. If he threatens my family, I will take responsibility. No matter how many times I fall, I will try again until I eventually destroy him. Is this selfish? What can I do? This is me.¡±


    -.....


    The 7th evil stopped shouting and started to disperse. The story of the past that wasid out before Grid ended. Grid had once again refused to inherit the will of the 7th evil. On the other hand, he received the hint that a god might be hostile to him. He had honestly and confidently expressed his opinion. Thanks to this...


    [The 7th evil has be interested in yer Grid.]


    [Affinity with the 7th evil has risen by 10.]


    Things headed in a strange direction.


    ¡°Affinity with the 7th evil...? The intelligence of the seven malignant people¡ªthis intelligence that has been isted for years has already developed to this extent?¡± Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes shook. He was obviously baffled.

 Chapter 884

    TL: For some reason, the end sections of thest three parts have been cut off, despite me being pretty sure I saw them when I posted. Please read 881, 882, 883 again just to double check that you didn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡®It is ufortable.¡¯


    Grid was in a sky garden with a panoramic view of the Vatican. He sat in the center of the garden which was carved in the middle of the mountain. As he sat alone on a table made of silver, his hair scattered in the breeze. His appearance was quite striking while he drank tea. The Vatican members present flushed red. How could the hero who saved the Vatican not be appealing? Yet, this view was quickly removed.


    Spit!Spit spit spit!


    ¡°...¡±


    It was because Grid spat out the ck tea that he had just poured into his mouth. He couldn¡¯t enjoy this bitter taste, and his current appearance was far from graceful.


    ¡®Ah! I forgot to add honey.¡¯


    Grid put down his tea and drank some cold water. He had been so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he even forgot to put sweet honey in the bitter tea!


    ¡®Creepy. It is terrifyingly creepy.¡¯


    Grid was full of doubts.


    ¡®Why do they keep trying to tempt me?¡¯


    The Crossroad of Good and Evil and Cleanse the First Holy Sword quest gave the reward of strengthening God¡¯s Command. This passive skill which deleted the ¡®cooldown¡¯ of a skill would then have a 100% chance of activating. The fraudulent nature of the enhanced God¡¯s Command could easily be inferred by even an idiot. It made Grid feel uneasy.


    ¡®The S.A Group has been keeping me in check the whole time, and now they want to give me this...?¡¯


    It was strange.


    ¡®A normal ss user would gradually be as strong as a hidden ss through steady advancement.¡¯


    Lim Cheolho had stated it directly, showing that the S.A Group was very sensitive about Satisfy¡¯s bnce. Even a legendary ss couldn¡¯t be the strongest forever.


    ¡®Then why do they keep giving me a chance to strengthen God¡¯s Command to a 100% activation probability?¡¯


    It was obvious that the power of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship would be beyond imagination if it could be used twice in a row.


    Kraugel, Agnus, and the dukes of the empire? War God Ares¡¯ army? The true blood vampires? They were likely to all be equal in front of Grid.


    ¡®Who can endure a series of blows from fusion skills, including Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle?¡¯


    The strengthening of God¡¯s Command was no different than bing invincible. It was a power that was far away from what the S.A Group was aiming for. Grid had no doubts about this.


    ¡®Does the S.A Group want me to be a unique powerhouse in the world? No, it is impossible. The strengthened version of God¡¯s Command is likely to be a trap. There must be a tremendous penalty.¡¯


    For example, if God¡¯s Command were used a certain number of times in a row, his stamina would drop to zero and he wouldn¡¯t be able to lift one finger.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. The S.A Group wouldn¡¯t give a benefit without a price.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t be caught here. It was a trap. The S.A Group were filled with people who enjoyed watching the suffering of others, so he was likely to experience severe pain if he bit the bait. It was a judgment that Grid could make due to being hit in the back of the head many times. Hepletely abandoned any lingering affection for the enhanced version of God¡¯s Command.


    ¡®In the first ce, the goddess¡¯ blessing is more important.¡¯


    Grid had thought this several times, but there was a limit to the strength of an individual. It was much better to receive the goddess¡¯ blessing and enhance his cksmithing.


    ¡®So I need to cleanse the holy sword...¡¯


    Was there a method to get rid of the cksmith god¡¯s envy? Grid pondered on his worries for a long time.


    ¡°Overgeared King, here you are.¡± A group of people approached Grid.


    They were elderly people dressed in clean white clothes. These people were the elders of the Reba Church who only served Goddess Reba. The people, whom even the pope and the emperor didn¡¯t dare go against, gathered by Grid.


    ¡°Elders, did youe here to rest?¡±Grid spoke in a polite manner.


    This caused the elders tough.


    ¡°Do old people need a break? We were just loafing around.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t as diligent as Your Majesty, who takes care of us like we are your family."


    ¡°...?¡± Grid was confused. The elders showed a great liking toward him. Of course, Grid had a high level of affinity with the Reba Church, but...


    ¡®Weren¡¯t these elders always nagging at Damian?¡¯


    Grid knew the tendencies of the elders. Didn¡¯t they treat even the imperial prince coldly?


    ¡®Of course, I helped them a lot...¡¯


    However, it was strange that they were only showing Grid this attitude. Grid once again felt suspicious. ¡®Do they have other ulterior motives?¡¯


    Maybe they were trying to give him another troublesome task? The elders spoke unexpected words to the wary Grid, ¡°Your Majesty is truly special.¡±


    ¡°Special?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are a divine existence like a god.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grid btedly realized that the eyes of the elders closely resembled Isabel¡¯s eyes.


    That¡¯s right. These people...


    ¡°You have appeared with perfect timing whenever we are in danger, saving everyone like a god from a legend.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. You truly are a hero among heroes.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Grid shrugged. He didn¡¯t respond with much humility because he naturally deserved praise.


    Were the elders exaggerating? No. There had been the incidents involving the evil Pope Drevigo, the pope candidate Pascal, saving Isabel, and now protecting the Vatican when it was attacked. Grid had appeared at the right time to destroy evil and save everyone. So, it was natural for him to be appreciated. Noticing that the elders¡¯ affinity was at the maximum, Grid thought they could help him.¡°Do you know about the cksmith god, Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°Of course. He is one of the six gods who serve the goddess of light. Hexetia taught humanity how to deal with fire and the usage of iron. Humanity was able to evolve thanks to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡±Grid nodded in response. He couldn¡¯t express his personal feelings about Hexetia since he was in a position where he couldn¡¯t reveal Hexetia¡¯s true nature to the Reba Church. Still, he listened to the elders¡¯ stories.


    ¡°However, Hexetia¡¯s actions were all based on the will of Goddess Reba... In the end, the merit should be given to Goddess Reba.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. Didn¡¯t Hexetia tell humanity about fire and iron purely due to the goddess¡¯mand? The truly wonderful one is Goddess Reba, and Hexetia is just her messenger.¡±


    The excited elders started to make a fuss. It seemed easy to guess why Hexetia was so easily jealous of others.


    ¡®He has low self-esteem.¡¯


    Hexetia had taught humanity, but the one being appreciated was Goddess Reba, not Hexetia. In fact, Grid didn¡¯t remember seeing any religion that served Hexetia. He had never even seen a statue of the cksmith god.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve felt sad if I were Hexetia.¡¯


    Hexetia must¡¯ve felt angry, yet he hadn¡¯t been able toin about the goddess. Then a human who threatened his talent appeared, and the various emotions became intricately intertwined, causing the arrow of resentment to point at humanity.


    ¡®...He is pitiful in some ways.¡¯


    Self-esteem was important. Grid knew this better than anyone. During his unfortunate past, Grid had low self-esteem, and he had been overly conscious of others due to having been a victim and easily felt jealous of others.


    ¡®Hexatia became crooked.¡¯


    Grid started to understand Hexetia. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he would defend Hexetia¡¯s past sins.


    ¡®...I need tofort Hexetia.¡¯


    Once Grid started to understand Hexetia, he figured out a way to deal with him. Grid tapped on the table while the elders¡¯ excited chatter became background noise. He finally came to a conclusion. ¡®What if he is acknowledged now?¡¯


    If Grid recognized Hexetia¡¯s hard work and conveyed his gratitude, would Hexetia¡¯s twisted nature be eased a little bit? The moment Hexetia lost his envy, the holy sword would be freed from the curse.


    ¡®It is possible.¡¯


    The opponent was a god. It would be better to solve this amicably rather than by using a hostile method.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get rid of the sense of alienation.¡¯


    The method was simple, and there was also justification for it. Grid was reminded that he was a cksmith and gave his opinion to the elders.


    ¡°I want to build a temple for Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? A temple for Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°Why do you need to do that? Serving Goddess Reba is the way to respect all gods.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Hexetia himself wouldn¡¯t be happy. He would be embarrassed.¡±


    The elders protested. Then Grid frowned. ¡°Then what about the Dominion Church and the Judar Church?¡±


    ¡°No. It is different. God Dominion and God Judar are those who have many achievements, unlike God Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Then what about God of War Zeratul? I heard there are those who follow God Zeratul.¡±


    ¡°Well, Zeratul¡¯s achievements might be small, but a god is a god... It isn¡¯t strange that there are those who honor him... Ah, I see. Your Majesty is a cksmith, and you want to honor God Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the end, everyone was selfish. Grid made a bittersweet expression as he looked at the elders. With the benefit of hindsight, the elders started to agree.


    ¡°Well, the legendary cksmith serving God Hexetia... I think it is fine in many ways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The meaning of Your Majesty¡¯s service to God Hexetia means you will serve Goddess Reba, who Hexetia serves. Goddess Reba will be d."


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Our elders will permit the construction of a new temple. Build a temple to serve God Hexetia. However, you must build arger statue of Goddess Reba next to God Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Everyone shouldn¡¯t forget that God Hexetia exists because of Goddess Reba.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I will.¡±


    It was necessary to get the permission of the Reba Church to build a temple serving a god besides Goddess Reba...? Grid nodded with a somewhat stiff expression after finding out this fact. He was blinded by the attitude of the elders who served Goddess Reba. Honestly, they served Goddess Reba to an extent that didn¡¯t look good. That¡¯s why he got goosebumps.


    ¡®They serve Goddess Reba almost to the level of brainwashing. Yet I have reached a status where they are at the point of deifying me.¡¯


    In particr, didn¡¯t Isabel worship him as much as Goddess Reba? Maybe...


    ¡®Did I help the Reba Church more than I thought?¡¯


    He felt both d and afraid. In particr, he didn¡¯t want the goddess¡¯ wrath to descend upon him.


    ¡®No, now isn¡¯t the time to think about it.¡¯ Grid shook off hisplicated thoughts and rose from his seat.


    He would ease Hexetia¡¯ envy by building a temple for him. It was imperative to confirm if this method would work.

 Chapter 885

    The Haalrune Swamp near Reinhardt...


    Level 130¨C150 monsters upied it inrge quantities, and there were three types of boss monsters that appeared, making it a hunting ground with many users. There was the level 135 field boss, the swamp lion, the level 145 field boss, the mudmia, and the level 160 field boss, the gigant minion. Each field boss gave a big reward, so it was strange if they weren¡¯t loved. People dreamed of raiding the field bosses in Haalrune Swamp.


    ¡°...I thought it would be nice to meet a boss.¡±


    At the center of the swamp, a party of 21 yers with levels in the 140s fell into a panic. There was a swamp lion, a mudmia, and a gigant minion in front of their eyes.


    ¡°...But how could three bosses appear at the same time?¡±


    The boss monsters in Haalrune Swamp were known to respawn 36¨C80 hours after a raid. Additionally, the respawn points were random. In other words, the probability of all three boss monsters appearing in the same area wasn¡¯t high. The party had never nned to raid three boss monsters while hunting in the Haalrune Swamp.


    ¡°Kuek! We can¡¯t win! Everyone scatter! Retreat!¡±The party¡¯s leader, Hee Dongi, shouted as he defended against the swamp lion¡¯s ws with a Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Shield. However, the swamp added a big restriction on the yers¡¯ movements. The party members couldn¡¯t escape quickly, yet the swamp lion and mudmia could freely swim through the swamp and quickly catch up with the party.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    Hee Dongi paled when he saw the boss monsters start to devastate hispanions.


    ¡®We can¡¯t avoid being wiped out!¡¯


    He resented the heavens. Who would believe that three boss monsters would appear in the same ce at the same time? Was there anything else in the world as unlucky as this?


    ¡®Shit! I normally go to church!¡¯


    The party leader med himself for his party members¡¯ suffering. Then while Hee Dongi was feeling frustrated and guilty, new footsteps appeared at the scene. Unlike Hee Dongi¡¯s party members, these footsteps were crossing the swamp at a very high speed.


    ¡®Who? Heok!!¡¯


    Who was crazy enough to run here while everyone else was fleeing from the raid? Hee Dongi frowned and turned his head, only to be shocked. It was because the person foolishly rushing here was Overgeared King Grid. His sword, armor, cloak, and crown¡ªwhich was the symbol of the throne¡ªwas dirtied with mud.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    This was a ce filled with screams. It was where Hee Dongi¡¯spanions were being attacked by the boss monsters. At such a ce, Grid cut the swamp lion with a basic attack first.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Then he took one step, and his sword descended.


    ¡°Drop.¡±


    The sky was falling...? Hee Dongi and hispanions doubted their eyes as Grid caused the sky to fall with one sword. The giant, intangible sword energy crushed the marsh lion, mudmia, and gigant minion. Grid struck three field bosses with one sword technique!


    ¡°B-Be careful!¡± Hee Dongi eximed urgently.


    The swamp lion had been hit by Grid¡¯s basic attack previously, so it now turned to grey. Meanwhile, the mudmia and gigant minion still had some health left. Hee Dongi knew the survivors would react by hitting Grid. Then what was this...? The mudmia and gigant minion didn¡¯t dare strike back at Grid.They just stood there nkly. It was clear that they were ovee by an abnormal condition.


    ¡®A boss monster suffering from an abnormal condition?¡¯


    Most bosses had high resistance to abnormal conditions. In particr, the gigant minion in the Haalrune Swamp was known to bepletely resistant to abnormal statuses! Yet it was helpless in front of Grid¡¯s attack. Grid dealt the finishing blows. The mudmia and gigant minion died, and various enhancement scrolls and items were dropped.


    ¡°T-Thank you!!¡± Hee Dongi and hispanions, who were able to survive thanks to Grid, shouted excitedly. They didn¡¯t know that they would meet their king at a novice hunting ground. The party interpreted it as Grid patrolling the beginner hunting grounds for the sake of beginners and felt deep respect for him.


    ¡°Stay strong!¡±Grid cheered them on. He smiled and left after picking up the items from the boss monsters.


    On this day, various Satisfymunities were bustling with activity. There was a post with the title of ¡®The Overgeared King is a mighty person¡¯ in eachmunity. Grid¡¯s heroic stories once again increased.


    ***


    Grid returned from the Vatican andmanded, ¡°I¡¯m going to build a temple. Find excellent painters, sculptors, and architects for me.¡±


    ¡°You want to set up another temple?¡±


    Reinhardt already had three Reba temples, and they had secured enough Reba priests and pdins. Yet Grid wanted to build another one? Didn¡¯t he know how much money it would cost? Was this really meaningful? Grid exined to Lauel who was unconvinced, ¡°I want to build a temple for God Hexetia, not Goddess Reba.¡±


    ¡°Hexetia? The cksmith god?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid wanted to build a temple for God Hexetia whom no one worshipped...? Lauel thought about it before asking the reason and soon figured out Grid¡¯s purpose.


    ¡®The Overgeared Kingdom is a kingdom built by a cksmith... In fact, Grid has attracted and trained arge number of cksmiths. If the Overgeared Kingdom doesn¡¯t serve the cksmith god, who will? Additionally, serving the cksmith god means the cksmiths will be blessed. There is room for further development of the cksmiths.¡¯


    There was a clear reason to serve the cksmith god, and the profits from serving him would be great.


    Lauel was thrilled. ¡°How did you get this idea? Your Majesty, aren¡¯t you bing smarter? Kuk! Kukukuk, a miracle is urring in your body. It is a miracle that can raise a waterfall toward the sky...¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    How was he bing smarter? Grid was puzzled. That¡¯s right.Grid didn¡¯t even consider the possibility that if cksmiths worshipped the cksmith god, they might receive a blessing.


    ***


    ¡°His age is maybe in the mid-50s? His race is simr to Hispanics, and his red hair is like zing fire. His eye sockets are deep while his eyes specifically are small and ck. Is there a harsh shade...? His nose is a bit hooked, and his mustache and beard are long. Ah, the color of his beard is red.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Picasso was the 1st ranked painter. Fascinated by the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s announcement of ¡®looking for someone to paint a god¡¯, she made a visit to Reinhardt. At present, Hexetia¡¯s image was being born under her brush as she sat facing Grid. Grid added an exnation while confirming the progress of the portrait, ¡°No. A bit thinner. His skin is thin, and his cheeks are slightly like a clown¡¯s? Try to raise them a bit.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°It is very urate. You are an excellent painter.¡±


    ¡°It is thanks to the system correction effect.¡±


    ¡°You are being humble.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Picasso had a question. Grid¡¯s description sounded like he had actually seen Hexetia as the description was so detailed and vivid.


    ¡®Is it possible for a yer to encounter a god? No, are gods real existences in the first ce?¡¯


    The bigshots were truly different.It was clear that they lived in apletely different world from her. As Picasso thought this, Grid continued exining to her, ¡°His top is bare while his bottom half just has a gray cloth like a skirt. His dry and cracked muscles look like bark, but they are harder than steel. Ah, his nipples are burning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see. Are they these types of muscles? Yes. His nipples are burning. Yes...?¡±Picasso was nodding as she drew the god on the canvas, only to be shocked. Her face turned bright red.


    ¡®H-His nipples are burning? That isn¡¯t possible! This is a gross sexual joke! It is sexual harassment!¡¯


    ¡°...casso? Hey, Picasso.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Yes?¡±


    A famous person had changed into a pervert! Picasso was somewhat disappointed in Grid and felt embarrassed. Her blushing face looked like she was going to cry at any minute. Grid was concerned about her condition. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drawing? Are you tired? Would you like to take a break?¡±


    ¡°N-No. T-That... It is hard to understand what you mean by nipples burning...¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... There were small mes on both of the red, inmed nipples. There is a transparent blue me on the left nipple and a transparent red me on the right nipple.¡±


    ¡°R-Red inmed nipples...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing! Nothing! I¡¯ll concentrate!¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t allow any further sexual harassment!


    ¡®Don¡¯t show the opponent a reaction that he would enjoy!¡¯


    Picasso endured it with clenched teeth and started to concentrate on her work again. She made a great effort not to show a reaction that Grid would enjoy. Now, she couldn¡¯t trust the image of the god on the canvas. It was hard to believe that someone who went around half naked with burning nipples was a god. Then what was this...? Picasso was faced with the truth the moment she finished painting.


    [You havepleted a new work!]


    [It is the birth of a masterpiece that perfectly depicts the cksmith god, Hexetia.]


    [Your reputation as the first human to recreate Hexetia¡¯s image will spread throughout the continent!]


    [Many royal families and nobles hope to meet you! If you work as a royal painter, you can earn great rewards!]


    [All stats will increase by 20 points due to thepleting of a masterpiece.]


    [The voice of the cksmith god, Hexetia, is heard in your ears.]


    -To reproduce my beauty so well...Hmm, it is quite good for a human.


    [Affinity with the cksmith god Hexetia has risen by 35.]


    [The title, ¡®One who has Drawn a God,¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°Rea...lly...?¡±


    There were all sorts of unexpected rewards! Picasso felt dazed rather than happy. The hostility she held in her eyes when she gazed at Grid disappeared, and it was reced by great respect and gratitude.


    ¡°Oh, your drawing is very nice. It is perfect. You have worked hard.¡±


    ¡°It was a work that was born thanks to your detailed information.¡±


    ¡°You are always humble. Well, okay. Lauel, tell the sculptor to reproduce the person in this portrait.¡±


    Lauel replied, ¡°Yes. Huroi is still flying him here. I will give him themission as soon as he arrives.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Huroi?¡±


    ¡°The sculptor might be even more of a monster than Huroi... The problem is the high sry he is asking for. Don¡¯t worry and just wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    Thanks to the good people, the temple¡¯s statues would likely bepleted easily. Then Picasso spoke to Grid, who was smiling with satisfaction, ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?"


    ¡°...C-Can I join the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course, I would wee you.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you! I¡¯m really happy!¡±


    ¡°I am really grateful.¡±


    Grid and Picasso smiled as they faced each other. The sound of construction could be heard through the open windows as the construction of the Hexetia temple had begun.


    Grid and the seven malignant saints...


    Truth and lies...


    Good and evil...


    Grid strayed from various concepts imposed by the world view and pioneered a whole new path. It was unpredictable for the S.A Group, including Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not interested in simple things.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled warmly as he watched Grid on the monitor.

 Chapter 886

    People who umted experience and skills in their field of expertise were treated with respect everywhere. In short, being at the pinnacle evoked respect. Picasso was at the pinnacle.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you like this.¡±


    ¡°Please look after me in the future.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild weed Picasso who had just joined them. The Overgeared members who had been scattered all over the continent flocked together to greet her. Despite being busy with maintaining their ranking and looking after their territory, they took a break. Of course, they also intended to visit the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re done in Reinhardt, stop by Bairan.¡±


    ¡°No,e to Reidan first. Jishuka, have you forgotten that Reidan is the second capital? Reidan is naturally after Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°Reidan is too big. There are more than one or two facilities there, and it will take a long time. It is advantageous to start from the rtively small Bairan first.¡±


    ¡°It is a way of thinking that fits your rural tastes.¡±


    ¡°Rural? Hehe, our Chris seems to have grown up? It has been a while since you¡¯ve had an arrow stuck in your butt.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny to bring up the L.T.S days now? It is just like how you were tied up by Zirkan in the old days.¡±


    ¡°Zirkan? Why are you bringing up his name here?¡±


    ¡°You are overly fussy.¡±


    ¡°What? Is that what you should say to a young woman? Hey! Shall we fight for the first time in a while?¡±


    ¡°I will fight if you don¡¯t use the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°An Overgeared member should be overgeared!¡±


    A masterpiece was a great inspiration for people. In reality, millions of people saw masterpieces and gained the energy to carve out a better life, whereas in Satisfy, paintings weren¡¯t just for simple appreciation. A painter¡¯s paintings had many possibilities.If the portrait of a brave soldier were put in the barracks, the morale and training efficiency of the soldiers would rise. If a decorative painting were put in a restaurant, the chef¡¯s cuisine would be more delicious and a coolndscape would reduce the heat encroaching on the city.


    The better the artist¡¯s ability, the more varied and powerful the effect of the painting would be. In other words...


    ¡®Picasso¡¯s joining is a huge event that will remain in our country¡¯s history.¡¯


    Picasso¡¯s value was difficult to measure. That¡¯s why Lauel was very excited. A prideful person who rejected most requests had applied for membership to the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®Does this mean that Hexetia¡¯s painting was a special event for her? It is all due to King Grid¡¯s great description of God Hexetia.¡¯


    Lauel was convinced of this. He knew that most people, including himself, were attracted to Grid or that they joined the Overgeared Guild because they wanted something from him. It was thanks to Grid alone that the Overgeared Kingdom could be created.


    ¡°Kuk...kukukuk! King Grid, you are definitely a man born from a star. I look at you and the memories of a former life that I have forgottene to mind. You boasted a unique presence in a previous life. Like the sun... Kuk! Kukuk! I¡¯m thrilled! My soul is melting!¡±Lauel covered half his face with his hand while he shouted at Grid.


    Grid felt the pain of having curled fingers and toes from cringing so hard for the first time in a while, but he didn¡¯t reply. To be exact, he didn¡¯t want to reply. Grid¡¯s head was already busy enough. There wasn¡¯t enough room for nonsense.


    ¡®Very good. It is more than I expected.¡¯


    The construction work for the Hexetia temple had started without a hitch. Grid sighed as he thought about the potential of Drop that he had measured on the way back to Reinhardt. ¡®The motion is very short.¡¯


    There was just one step, or half a step to be exact. The skill was triggered by taking that half step and swinging his sword at the same time. It was almost an immediate-use skill. Drop was overwhelmingly faster than the existing sword dances which required 2¨C4 steps.


    In fact, it was possible to connect it immediately after a basic attack! Moreover, it affected a target that waspletely resistant to CCs. Theoretically, it meant an abnormal status could be applied to gods or dragons! What if Grid had been able to use it during the 3rd National Competition? He would¡¯ve been able to show a spectacr sight going against the giant dragon as the whole world was watching.


    ¡®It is a huge weapon.¡¯


    Grid was particrly looking forward to the fusion skills. Based on the fact that the motions for Drop were so short, it was likely to be easy to link with other swordsmanship.


    ¡®Linked Drop, Kill Drop, Wave Drop, Revolve Drop, Pinnacle Drop...¡¯


    ...They didn¡¯t sound very good.


    ¡®It must be because I am Korean.¡¯


    If people from other countries listened to them in their ownnguage, they might be wonderful and fantastic skill names! While Grid was trying tofort himself, Picasso came up to him and said, ¡°I want to draw you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    A painter¡¯s ¡®drawing¡¯ literally meant a painting.


    ¡°Why all of a sudden?¡± Then the bewildered Grid shut his mouth. It was because he witnessed Lauel, Jishuka, Chris, Pon, and his other colleagues open their mouths with astonishment.


    Lauel hastily whispered to him, -Just ept it!Her portraits are rumored to have a special effect!


    -Special effect?What is it?


    -I don¡¯t know exactly.It was a rumor that urred after she was invited by nobles to paint their portraits. The truth hasn¡¯t been revealed yet.In any case, you can feel expectant.The great nobles of each country offered a lot of money to invite her and ask her to paint their portraits.


    There were countless artists who could paint simple portraits. They were portraits which looked exactly like the real people or were better.These portraits were enough to decorate a wall, so any artist with decent talent couldplete them. However, the nobles were paying attention to Picasso. The people spected that there must be a reason.


    -She has never done a yer¡¯s portrait, so no one can see the hidden features of her portraits.You are the first one.


    -Um... yes.


    There was no reason to refuse. Moreover, there was a problem of etiquette before discussing the reason. Right now, Picasso was clearly showing goodwill to Grid. He wasn¡¯t cold enough to ignore the goodwill of his colleagues.


    ¡°Okay. Please draw me.¡±


    Picasso had perfectly reproduced the image of God Hexetia. What image would she draw of him? Grid was slightly curious, but his expectations weren¡¯t great. He didn¡¯t even want it. After all, this was his own ugly face that they were talking about. Grid hadn¡¯t been loved since childhood and felt embarrassed about his shameful appearance being put down on canvas.


    ¡°The wee party is over, so let¡¯s move locations. I want a ce where I can glimpse your true face.¡±


    ¡°My true face?¡± Grid was confused for a moment by Picasso¡¯s request but soon realized what she meant.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the smithy.¡¯


    It was also time to repair the items he was wearing. Grid nodded easily and stood up. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s move.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is right to judge humans, but I personally sympathize with Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    It was a veryrge smithy that could only be seen in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Picasso started drawing the hammering Grid while musing with a bittersweet expression, ¡°I was the first person to reproduce Hexetia¡¯s image. This gave me a high affinity with him.¡±


    Hexetia was a god who had contributed greatly to humanity¡¯s development. However, Hexetia had done it due to Goddess Reba, so humanity praised her instead. The people didn¡¯t even remember Hexetia.He had only appeared briefly in the beginning of the story before disappearing.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve felt sad if I were God Hexetia.¡±


    ¡®She saw it properly.¡¯


    An artist had an abundant sensitivity and a strong ability to empathize. Picasso questioned Grid, ¡°Where did you see the appearance of God Hexetia? His image has never been reproduced, so how did you know?¡±


    ¡°It is nothing special. I naturally saw the god¡¯s appearance while proceeding with the quest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He had seen the appearance of a god during the process of a quest. How many yers could experience this? Grid had reached a much higher realm than Picasso had vaguely imagined. This was the reason why.


    ¡°In order for a painter¡¯s work to be recognized as a masterpiece, several conditions are necessary. The first is that the artist¡¯s ability must reach a certain level. The second is the artist¡¯s intention behind bringing the painting into the world. The third is the artist¡¯s mindset while painting, and the fourth is the value of the protagonist of the work. The value isn¡¯t about the target¡¯s identity or status. It means the weight of the target in proportion to the era.¡±


    Picasso aimed for a new masterpiece by making Grid the protagonist. So far, she had onlypleted four masterpieces. Three of the four masterpieces showed the greatness of nature while the remaining one was the portrait of God Hexetia which shepleted yesterday.


    That¡¯s right.She had no experience with her drawings of ¡®people¡¯ being recognized as a masterpiece. Her portraits of the nobles were excellent, but they weren¡¯t evaluated as masterpieces. A masterpiece was something that had to inspire everyone. However, the reputation of the nobles wasn¡¯t enough to be talked about by everyone.


    ¡®Grid is different.¡¯


    He was a person who had established a kingdom, be the sky, and seen a god. It was Picasso¡¯s judgment that the system wouldn¡¯t underestimate his weight.


    ¡®There will be good results for you and me...¡¯Picasso prayed as she delicately drew Grid¡¯s image.


    Grid hit the iron amidst the zing heat as hundreds of cksmiths watched him with admiration. He showed a dignity that wasn¡¯t inferior to that of God Hexetia.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°You want me to show the mes using a surrealist method? Even the colors are different?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Rabbit, the person responsible for the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s politics and economy, was facing a sculptor. They were discussing the statue which would be built before the temple finished construction.


    ¡°It is a tricky request. There isn¡¯t a sculptor who will ept such a request! There is no inspiration!¡±


    ¡°Is it difficult to depict the mes attached to the nipples? I called you because I heard you were one of the best sculptors... Yet it is difficult to even depict the mes? Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated?¡±


    ¡°It might be easy for outsiders, but any expert will say that it is a difficult request. It is at a level that requires a fortnight of food and work! Do you know how many workers in the world are suffering because of vicious employers like you?¡±


    ¡°No,what are you talking about? Am I forcing you to stop eating and drinking? I will increase the deadline for making the statue, so please depict the mes.¡±


    ¡°800%.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is a bonus allowance. The employer¡¯s demands have increased, so isn¡¯t it reasonable to increase the benefits?¡±


    ¡°120%.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why are you doing this? In order to improve the efficiency of the work... 800%!¡±


    ¡°120%.¡±


    ¡°800!¡±


    ¡°120!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No matter how much time passed, there was no progress in the negotiations. They had met the right opponent. The enlightened Rabbit and the sculptor developed a great vignce toward each other.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change it to 600%,¡±Lauel btedly appeared and made a great concession in the negotiations. However, the sculptor was as stubborn as rumored. He maintained an attitude of not cooperating with the negotiations.


    ¡°799%!¡±


    ¡°...700%.¡±


    ¡°798%! I won¡¯t go down any further! This is a 2% cut, not 1%. I won¡¯t decrease it any further unless you give me a bribe!¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Why were people in the kingdom like this? Lauel had an excruciating headache from stress and nodded.¡°Okay. I will ept the 798% bonus allowance...¡±


    ¡°Oh, my~~ hehe! Thank you. I have already ordered the materials for the sculpture. I¡¯ll use even more!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this getting out of hand? Lauel felt regretful as he realized the sculptor was more vicious than rumored, but it was only for a moment. Lauel quickly forgot his regret. The sculpture born from the sculptor¡¯s fingertips was so perfect and wonderful!


    ¡®He is even more proficient than the rumours say!¡¯


    The sculptor was worth every bit of the money. It felt like Lauel was witnessing an item being made by Grid.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    One wasing from the smithy and the other from the temple construction site¡ªthe sound of hammering resonated in Reinhardt and filled the Overgeared members. The cksmith and sculptor sensed each other and had infinite respect for the other person.

 Chapter 887

    ¡®Painting isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang...


    Grid had already finished working 10 minutes ago. He hadpletely repaired all the items he normally used. However, he didn¡¯t stop hammering. He didn¡¯t want to disturb Picasso, who was transferring his image to canvas. Grid could feel the spirit of an artist from Picasso who observed him without blinking. He couldn¡¯t help having respect for her.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think.¡¯


    What should he do until Picasso¡¯s work was over? He didn¡¯t want to make underwear in the painting, so should he make the mass-produced Grid items for a while? Grid thought about it before recalling the First Holy Sword. His understanding of it was at 60% after repeatedly disassembling and reassembling it in an attempt to resolve the curse.It was impossible to perfectly reproduce the First Holy Sword, but a ¡®reproduction¡¯ was possible.


    ¡®I should use this opportunity to make a smaller holy sword.¡¯


    It would give him a glimpse of how powerful the First Holy Sword was.


    ¡®If I¡¯m lucky, my understanding will rise.¡¯


    Grid was filled with anticipation as he looked at the minerals warehouse on one side of the smithy.


    ¡°What do you need me to bring over?¡± A young cksmith noticed and quickly came forward.


    Grid frowned. ¡®It is like I am a bully making them buy me bread.¡¯


    Now people were trying to do things for him. He didn¡¯t even have to say anything. They just read his desires. It wasn¡¯t due to his strength but pure goodwill and respect!


    ¡°Iron ore and mithril.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The young cksmith rushed to the warehouse at Grid¡¯s instructions. After the young cksmith returned with arge amount of iron ore and mithril, Grid poured the iron ore into the furnace he had heated up.


    ¡®Of course, it is insignificantpared to the divine stone that Hexetia created.¡¯


    Among the minerals present on the Earth, those which could ept as much divine power as mithril could were rare. Grid nned to reproduce the First Holy Sword by using a minimum amount of iron ore and arge amount of mithril.


    Ttaaang!Ttang!


    He repeatedly smelted, tempered, and quenched the minerals. The iron ore and mithril which seemed to just be stones were transformed into a single de through the process of smelting and hammering.


    ¡®The First Holy Sword! I can perfectly reproduce its image!¡¯


    Ttang!


    Extremely focused, Grid entered a trance state and thought back to when the holy sword was still in the hands of the Yatan Servants. He recalled all the impressions he felt when he saw it the first time, from the divine stone to the history and intentions of the First Holy Sword. Then he tried topletely reproduce the holy sword.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    It wasn¡¯t perfect, but he hadn¡¯t ruined its essence. The appearance of the sword on the anvil wasn¡¯t much different from the original. Still, there was a problem.


    ¡®Ah, the divine power.¡¯


    It was the absence of divine power. The holy sword that Grid was making resembled the original, but the divine power was iparably weak. This was natural as there was a clear limit to the divine power in the mithril. The biggest feature of mithril was its ability to ept divine power. It was like the Divine Shield in the past where Grid had needed the help of a Reba priest to truly reproduce it.


    ¡®I made a mistake!¡¯


    This was bad. The sword wasn¡¯t a holy sword. He had actually overlooked an important part of its essence!


    ¡®I¡¯m really stupid.¡¯


    Grid was greatly disappointed in himself. He believed he was stupid because he had forgotten to ask for a priest for help. However, it was too much of a leap. Anyone could make this mistake. Grid had only focused on recreating the intent and form of the holy sword, so he ended up missing something.


    ¡®...Sigh, yes. Calm down.¡¯


    Grid stopped hammering and took a deep breath to control his mind. The sword on the anvil was already half finished, but there was no need to fret.


    ¡®I can ask for support from the priests at the temple.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter if the temple authorities reported that theycked manpower. He had other chances to try recreating the holy sword. Yes, there was no reason to be frustrated by one failure.


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯


    Once his mind rxed, his way of thinking expanded. Grid shook off his anxiety and was reminded of the advanced light elemental. He noted two possible methods.


    ¡®First, there is the iron ore magic training method!¡¯


    Grid could train the iron ore using attack magic. The speed of the iron ore magic training depended on the power and skill of the magic used. A slow speed made the magic training very challenging.


    ¡®Now I have the elemental!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The second point that Grid noticed was the advanced light elemental.


    ¡®Can I train minerals with the light elemental?¡¯


    Grid recalled the detailed information of the elemental.


    [Light Elemental (Advanced)]


    [You can use the advanced light elemental.


    Current level of the light elemental: 1


    -Avable Elemental Techniques-


    * The energy of the advanced elemental is infinite. An advanced elemental doesn¡¯t consume the resources of the contractor.


    [Sword of Light]


    Makes the elemental into a sword of light.


    It will follow the contract and help the contractor secure visibility in the dark. When an enemy with the attribute of darkness is found, it will move by itself and attack the enemy.


    The attack power of the Sword of Light is affected by the contractor¡¯s physical attack power and magic attack power.


    * This skill can be maintained at all times. However, separate techniques can¡¯t be used in the Sword of Light state.


    [sh]


    The light elemental will ¡®instantaneously¡¯ move to the target pointed out by the contractor.


    If the target is an enemy, it will shine intensely and blind the target for 0.3 seconds. The target can¡¯t resist the blindness effect.


    If the target is the contractor¡¯s ally, it will shine brightly and give the target a one-time ¡®dark attack resistance¡¯ effect.


    Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.]


    ¡®This is it! I can use the Sword of Light to keep hitting the sword!¡¯


    Grid was neglecting the Magic Battle Gear Production Method due to the excessivebor required. In the past, Grid used a whole fortnight to train the metal with Magic Missile. He had used magic and mana potions, but his stamina had dropped and he had be physically and mentally exhausted.


    Although Grid might be the master ofbor, he couldn¡¯t endure the challenge of the Magic Battle Gear Production Method. Then what about now?


    ¡®I have the light elemental!¡¯


    The one using the magic was the light elemental and the energy of the light elemental was infinite.


    ¡®Let¡¯s melt the de again. Then I will let the Sword of Light hit it 10,000 times.¡¯


    Thepleteness of the sword would increase due to the injection of divine power, and there was a high chance the level of the Magic Battle Gear Production Method would rise. Grid wouldn¡¯t have to waste any energy!


    ¡°Kukuk! Puhahahat!¡±


    What idiot? Wasn¡¯t he a genius? He was very impressed with himself ating up with the idea to use the advanced light elemental. Thrilled, Grid put his n into action. He melted the sword and ordered the light elemental to train the metal. Then the struggles of the light elemental began. The white light sword hit the minerals on the anvil without stopping, and Grid watched with folded arms.


    ¡°What is that?¡± The young cksmiths were surprised by the sight and started to mutter. They asked their seniors about the new method Grid was using. Yet who could answer them? The cksmith craftsmen weren¡¯t able to give an answer because this was their first time seeing a cksmith use an elemental.


    So, they could only silently watch the process. They couldn¡¯t even imagine what would be born.


    ¡°...¡±


    Picasso put the finishing touches on the canvas. The painting waspleted. There was an intense zing red background behind a man with a crown who hammered away while dozens of cksmiths watched. A brilliant light elemental surrounded the man.


    ¡®What is the result?¡¯Picasso focused on the painting with a burning soul. She gulped and waited for a rating to be assigned to the finished work. Picasso had poured everything into this painting and thought that the level of the finished work was better than she had expected, but she wondered if the system would give the same evaluation. The result came out pretty quickly.


    [You havepleted a new work!]


    [It is the birth of a masterpiece that perfectly captures the appearance of the legendary cksmith, king, and Hero King who impresses all the cksmiths in the world!]


    [It is the first extremely honorable painting born in 177 years.]


    [You deserve praise for your aplishment in portraying the greatest character of this day to the next generation!]


    [All stats will increase by 20 points due to thepletion of a masterpiece.]


    [All stats will increase by 50 points due to thepletion of an extremely honorable painting.]


    [The level of all ss-rted skills will increase by 1!]


    [The ss quest ¡®Painter who will go down in History¡¯ has been generated!]


    [The protagonist of the extremely honorable painting will feel deep gratitude toward you.]


    ¡®Extremely honorable painting?¡¯


    What was this? Picasso was confused by the unintended and unexpected result.


    [You have be the protagonist of an extremely honorable painting. Your appearance and achievements will be handed down toter generations unless the extremely honorable painting is destroyed.]


    [Your current stats will be engraved on the extremely honorable painting. No matter what happens to you, you will be able to recover the strength stored in the extremely honorable painting if you recall your identity engraved in it. However, there is only one chance.]


    ¡°...?????¡± Grid had dozens of questions.


    Picasso said to him, ¡°Even the system acknowledges that you are the best.¡± It wasn¡¯t an unproven spection. Picasso expressed her deep gratitude to Grid, ¡°Thank you for giving me the opportunity to draw you. I will never forget this honor. I will continue to serve the Overgeared Kingdom and repay this favor.


    ¡°...????¡±


    Grid took back the term ¡®genius.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Bewildered, Grid btedly looked at the painting. Was he seeing things? Or had Picasso intentionally made him more handsome? The drawing which showed his passion while he smithed was extremely cool.


    20 dayster...


    [A temple of God Hexetia has beenpleted in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom!]


    [This is the first temple for Hexetia!]


    [The artistic value of the statues which are perfect recreations of the appearances of God Hexetia and Goddess Reba have pierced the sky!]


    [The new artifacts will enhance your insights. We rmend that you visit Reinhardt.]


    All yers currently essing Satisfy had this world message rise in front of them.

 Chapter 888

    Please read the announcement read: Talks about a lot of relevant things.


    [Protagonist of the Extremely Honorable Painting]


    [* One-time limited skill.


    When used, your information will return to what it was when the extremely honorable painting was made.


    However, it will only be the stats and skills information. Additional information such as titles, ss, status, race, age, and so on aren¡¯t affected.]


    This was the new skill at the bottom of Grid¡¯s skills list. Grid had a headache for the past 20 days because of this skill. At first, he was happy about being the protagonist of an extremely honorable painting and was excited to realize that he had a power simr to a single yer ¡®save¡¯ point. Then he reached a stage of anxiety.


    ¡°It seems to imply that I will soon experience something terrible...¡±


    It was a natural phenomenon. Think about it. A save file was only needed in the worst situation. Going by the way things were now, the save file would be hisst resort. The fact that Satisfy provided a save point was like a warning that sooner orter, he would experience something he couldn¡¯t resolve. Grid already felt sick, and the expression in his eyes was dark.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen...¡±


    He was afraid. Grid was reminded of the fact that he was currently experiencing an episode regarding the gods and seven malignant saints.


    ¡°Well, nothing has ever been easy.¡±


    The Hexetia temple had beenpleted. Grid¡¯s shaking eyes calmed as he wore the crown on his head prior to thepletion ceremony. It was just like the days when he was an unknown warrior, when he sought for Pagma¡¯s Rare Book, when he became a lord, when he fought against a great demon, when he became a king, or when he cleansed the Behen Archipgo.


    Grid had walked along a thorny road. It had always been painful and difficult.However, he had endured the pain and finally ovee it. He had gotten good results and was now able to step forward.A new trial might be waiting for him, but he had been tempered both mentally and physically.


    Grid thought, ¡®The save point is insurance. So far, I have fought without insurance. I can ovee the trials in the future more easily.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t stop.He would challenge how far he could reach. Grid pledged inside his heart and left the office. He went down the stairs to the first floor and saw the extremely honorable painting that Picasso had drawn 20 days ago. All those who entered the castle would see the extremely honorable painting first.


    Grid¡¯s expression twisted, and he started sweating. ¡°Why did you hang up the painting here?¡±


    Lauel followed him and responded to the question, ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to decorate the castle with a portrait of the king?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡±Grid blushed. No matter how he looked, he was too handsome in the portrait. It was clear that Picasso had beautified him in the painting. ¡°I don¡¯t want to scam people like this...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a selfie swindler is? This is something that will cause extreme levels of hatred!¡± (TL: Someone whose selfie looks really good but the real appearance is much poorer)


    ¡°Hah...? Haven¡¯t you looked in a mirror? There is no difference between your actual appearance and the extremely honorable painting. Picasso has reproduced the image of the time when you were in full concentration.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk.¡±


    How could Grid be so good looking when he was concentrating? If that was the case, would he really be single? Wouldn¡¯t women be lining up in front of him? Grid shook his head and rushed forward. He didn¡¯t have a lot of time because the opening of the Hexetia temple would soon begin.


    ¡®I¡¯m curious about what Hexetia¡¯s reaction will be.¡¯


    What would Hexetia¡¯s reaction be after the first temple for him was built? Grid hoped that Hexetia would rejoice.He wanted Hexetia¡¯s feeling of alienation to be removed, for his self-esteem to be restored, and for him to stop feeling envious. At that moment...


    ¡®Then I will be able to cleanse the First Holy Sword.¡¯


    Grid would get the goddess¡¯ blessing and use it to enhance his cksmithing, reaching a higher level.


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    ¡°Protect King Grid, the sun that surrounds the kingdom!¡±


    Dozens of young knights saluted Grid and started to escort him. Coke was an exception.He was waiting in the pce for Prince Lord to finish his preparations.


    ¡°The king ising!¡±


    ¡°Open the way for the king!¡±


    As Grid was surrounded by knights, thousands of elite soldiers wearing the Grid mass-produced set made by craftsmen opened the way for him. Tens of thousands of people on the street watched the king¡¯s procession.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!Grid¡¯s heart thumped, and hepletely shook off the anxiety about the dangers he would face one day. He had faith. After all, Grid was no longer alone and didn¡¯t have to rely on his own strength.


    ¡®They are protecting me, just as I protect them.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a time to be aloof. He was too weak to remain aloof to everyone. It was a time filled with countless people, making him even more powerful.


    ***


    The Hexetia temple, open to the public and people of the Overgeared Kingdom, was very small inparison to the Goddess Reba temples. The temples of Goddess Reba, which existed all over the continent, boasted the same size as one of therger churches in the middle of Gangnam, while the Hexetia temple was like a temple built on top of a mountain.


    Still, no one could scoff at the quality.Its exterior and interior were all crafted from the finest marble. The design work of dozens of architects was visible, and dozens of sculptors had worked hard to sincerely recreate Hexetia¡¯s image. Additionally, there were hammer and anvil motifs everywhere.


    The highlights of the temple were the two statues ced side by side outside the temple. The five-meter-tall Hexetia statue was a recreation of God Hexetia whom Grid had seen. Meanwhile, the seven-meter-tall Reba statue had on a dignified andpassionate expression. They were much better than any statues Grid had ever seen.


    He heard the sculptor had asked for a ridiculous pay, but wasn¡¯t this worth it? Well, perhaps...


    [A temple of God Hexetia has beenpleted in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom!]


    [This is the first temple for Hexetia!]


    [The artistic value of the statues that perfectly recreated the appearance of God Hexetia and Goddess Reba has pierced the sky!]


    [The new artifacts will enhance your insights. We rmend that you visit Reinhardt.]


    An effect appeared?


    ¡°Eh?¡± Grid waspletely shocked by the world message that appeared.


    Meanwhile, Lauel was delighted.¡°It is very rewarding! Now many more people will visit Reinhardt than there were in the past! They will leave their money here! It was worth hiring that vicious sculptor!¡±


    ¡°What? You guessed this would happen?¡±


    ¡°Huhut, it is the first statue and temple of God Hexetia. Isn¡¯t it natural for this temple to be a tourist attraction for those who have never seen the cksmith god before? Didn¡¯t you expect this as a genius among geniuses?¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Grid never expected this, but he couldn¡¯t say such words.


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡±


    ¡°The culture of Reinhardt is blossoming thanks to King Grid!¡±


    ¡°King Grid! I love you!¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing... My intelligence increased by 10 for looking at the statue...¡±


    ¡°The level of the cksmithing skill increased? It is really amazing. I¡¯m jealous. It is a kingdom founded by a cksmith for a reason.¡±


    Both the yers and NPCs were happy and praised Grid. Their cheers spread through Reinhardt, and Grid smiled at them.


    ¡°This is Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom! The temple and statue of God Hexetia built by Overgeared King Grid are now unveiled to the public...¡±


    ¡°It is a whole new temple and will probably attract many effects. For most people, new quests rted to God Hexetia will be generated, and they can enjoy a stats boost effect...¡±


    ¡°Experts have predicted the birth of new sses with thisunch of a new religion. Examples are priests, pdins, or cksmiths who can use divine power.¡±


    Reporters from all over the world were already at the scene. They were deeply grateful to Grid as they started spreading the news in real time. After all, hadn¡¯t he directly told them the time of the scoop? His new temple provided them with big news. That¡¯s how the reporters had been able toe to Reinhardt beforehand and catch the scoop in real time.


    ¡®How did the reporterse here so quickly? Do they have a magician who can use Mass Teleport for each broadcaster?¡¯


    Of course... Grid didn¡¯t actually know anything about this.


    The one who told the broadcasters about this scoop was Lauel, not Grid!


    ¡®I will spread all your feats to the world.¡¯The loyal Lauelughed madly.


    [You are the first human to set up a temple for God Hexetia!]


    [The gods, including Hexetia, are very surprised.]


    Hexetia finally bit the bait that Grid cast. In this festive mood, Grid alone looked up at the sky as he received notification windows.


    [The goddess of light, Reba, is showing a warm smile.]


    [The other gods are staying silent because the god of war, Zeratul, is defending you.]


    [The voice of the cksmith god, Hexetia, is heard in your ears.]


    -Thank you.


    [Affinity with God Hexetia has increased by 50!]


    -But it is worrisome...Can you, a human who can look beyond my abilities andugh behind my back, truly serve me?


    [God Hexetia is feeling suspicious.]


    -Are you honoring me because of respect?Do I want to be respected by humanity?The people right now seem to be respecting you more than my statue.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this strange attitude? Grid got a chill as he felt something ominous from Hexetia, who was hesitating to ept all of this.


    [Affinity with God Hexetia has decreased to -10!]


    Grid lost favor with the god with low self-esteem. He now reached the requirements to receive the curse!


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    Everything in front of Grid was dark.


    In the chairman¡¯s office in S.A Group¡¯s headquarters, Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled in a meaningful manner. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? You can look forward to the god¡¯s curse.¡±


    Hexetia shouted at Grid, -I am challenging you to a duel!


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Win a cksmithing Competition with a God¡¯ is in progress.]

 Chapter 889

    -I am challenging you to a duel!


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    If Grid were a Hollywood movie character, it was the time to shout ¡®WTF!¡¯ Grid doubted his ears for a moment before his brain started working again.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Hadn¡¯t he invested a lot of money and care into building a temple? A duel...? Why couldn¡¯t Hexetia just say thank you?


    ¡®Didn¡¯t affinity increase by 50?¡¯


    Then Hexetia changed his attitude, doubted Grid¡¯s goodwill, decreased affinity to -10, and applied for a duel...?


    ¡®Hexetia ispletely...¡¯


    He was a maniac with inconsistent actions. Grid¡¯s money and efforts were in vain thanks to this frivolous guy. Yet Grid didn¡¯t think this, nor did he feel angry. At this moment, Grid was feeling sympathetic toward Hexetia. He understood what Hexetia was feeling.


    ¡®...Completely pathetic.¡¯


    It could be seen from Hexetia¡¯s attitude of not being able to ept a person¡¯s goodwill and questioning them. Hexetia¡¯s self-esteem was much lower than Grid had expected.


    ¡®How...¡¯


    How long had Hexetia lived without receiving love and expectations? To think that a god had ended up in this situation... It was regretful. Grid felt that he and Hexetia were turning out to be more and more alike.


    -What are you doing?I am challenging you to a duel!Respond!Hexetia¡¯s furious voice rang out again. He was obviously angry. Why was he always furious? A normal person wouldn¡¯t be able to understand Hexetia¡¯s sudden mood swing, but Grid was different.


    ¡®...He thinks I am ignoring him.¡¯


    Grid thought of his middle school days.It had been his second year. One day, he had suddenly felt that he shouldn¡¯t be alone and vowed to try making friends. The Grid of that day had been filled with courage, unlike how he had been usually. He had gone to school in the morning and spoken words of greetings to his ssmates who didn¡¯t even look at him. It was a simple morning greeting.For most people, it was an ordinary act. It was a normal routine, but it had been a special challenge for Grid. He had gathered his courage and barely managed to do it, yet his ssmates¡¯ reactions had been cold.


    ¡®Just saying hello to them?¡¯


    Grid still remembered the dozens of cold eyes and the silence. That¡¯s right.The weak Grid had been looked down upon by others, but he had been mostly ignored. He knew that pain.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure you feel the same.¡¯ Grid¡¯s expression distorted as he looked up at the blue sky.


    Then Hexetia spoke again, -Not even answering me!You really are ignoring me!All of you!You humans are always...!!Never showing respect to a god!!


    ¡°No,¡± the silent Grid finally opened his mouth. He looked up to where Hexetia was staying and spoke in a determined voice, ¡°Ignoring you? How can I refuse the request of the greatest god who has contributed to the development of humanity?¡±


    There was no response. Hexetia was silent due to his surprise. The tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the temple started buzzing with chatter. Grid, who was on the stage, hadn¡¯t spoken since the announcement about the temple. He just silently looked up at the sky.


    ¡°Grid?¡± Lauel approached slowly and examined Grid¡¯s condition. ¡°What is it all of a sudden? If you don¡¯t feel well, then just say hello and step back. I will direct Huroi to give a speech.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±Grid raised a hand to stop Lauel. He didn¡¯t pay attention to the reaction of the public and faced Hexetia. There were tens of thousands of yers and soldiers paying attention to Grid. There were also reporters from all over the world with cameras.


    While everyone watched, Grid shouted, ¡°The cksmith god, Hexetia, is a god who taught humanity how to use fire and iron. Thanks to Hexetia, humanity was able to develop, cksmiths were born, and I was eventually able to exist. As a result, I was able to establish the Overgeared Kingdom. If you are a human, cksmith, or Overgeared citizen, it is appropriate for you to appreciate and respect Hexetia.¡±


    ¡®What is this severe leap in logic?¡¯ The majority of yers were dumbfounded. Satisfy was a game. The gods that existed in Satisfy were just imaginary gods, so the yers couldn¡¯t respect them. It was hard for them to understand Grid¡¯s praise of Hexetia. However, a small number of yers took into ount Grid¡¯s position.


    ¡®There are benefits to getting the favor of the cksmith god. That¡¯s why he made a temple and gave a speech praising the cksmith god...¡¯


    ¡®He is probably doing a quest.¡¯


    Benefits urred when serving the god corresponding to their ss.Maybe one day they would also experience it? By using Grid as a lighthouse, many people looked forward to what would happen in the future.


    sh! Suddenly, there was a lightning strike in the clear sky. It was a lightning strike that precisely aimed at Grid on the stage.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    ¡°The camera! Don¡¯t miss this!¡±


    They were scared out of their wits! The people who witnessed the king being attacked in real time were frightened and confused. The soldiers tried to calm the people, while the knights ran around the stage, wary of the unknown threat.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The Overgeared members ran to the stage and looked around for Grid.


    ¡°Remove that camera!¡±


    ¡°Get off!¡±


    Pon, Vantner, and Peak Sword threatened the reporters of each country.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    Grid had disappeared from the podium.


    ***


    [You have been abducted to Asgard, the world of the gods!]


    [You are the first yer to visit Asgard: First World.]


    [Your location in Asgard can¡¯t be identified. The map has failed to open.]


    [As a reward for being the first to visit Asgard: First World, you have received the interest of the angels!]


    [The title ¡®Dipped your Feet into the World of the Gods¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Dipped your Feet into the World of the Gods]


    [* Health +10,000


    * Altitude adaptability +70%


    You have visited the world that exists beyond the sky. It feels like you can live for a long time because of the clear air.]


    This was beyond the sky...?


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Grid had blinked and found himself above the clouds. They were clouds that were as light and fluffy as the Italian bed he had bought his parents after bing sessful! Grid wanted to stretch out and sleep, but he then came to his senses.


    ¡°What is this all of a sudden?¡±


    What had happened?


    ¡°Ack?¡± Grid¡¯s breathing became blocked the moment he was unable to grasp the situation. When he raised his body, his hands and feet felt heavy.


    [You are far up in the sky. The altitude penalty causes all stats to drop by 100%!]


    [The effect of the Dipped your Feet into the World of the Gods title has increased your altitude adaptability by 70%. The altitude penalty is reduced to 30%. All stats are reduced by 30%.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±His mind cleared as he overcame the difort of his body and grasped the situation. Grid reminded himself that he had epted Hexetia¡¯s duel request!


    ¡®I was kidnapped straight away.¡¯


    The first yer to visit the world of the gods... It would¡¯ve been nice if the form of the visit was something better than being kidnapped.


    ¡®Hexetia¡¯s nature is too hasty.¡¯


    Where should Grid go? Under a golden sunset and dozens of rainbows, the lone Grid scratched his head. There were no mountains, rivers, seas, or buildings, just clouds and the sky. This was the world of the gods...? While he was bewildered, Grid heard something.¡°...?¡±


    He could hear faint voices. Grid listened carefully and determined that the sounds wereing from 50 meters behind him.


    ¡°Look! There are no wings or rings! It is a human, right?¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me...? The gods allowed a human to visit...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There were voices of boys and girls. It was easy to deduce they weren¡¯t human based on the contents of the conversation. Grid was reminded of the ¡®interest of the angels¡¯ that he received as a reward for being the first to visit Asgard: First World and deliberately spoke loudly to himself, ¡°Oh, my! This...! I am a human, and it is my first time in the world of the gods! I don¡¯t know where to go! Where should I go to find God Hexetia?¡±


    Shortly after his words finished...


    ¡°It really is a human?¡±


    ¡°H-How is a human here?¡±


    Four boys and girls flew around Grid.They had tinum hair and skin that was as white as milk.Additionally, they had pure white wings and a ring-shaped object floating above their heads. Their glowing green eyes seemed more valuable than any jewelry in the world. It was the image of angels that Grid had often imagined!


    ¡®Pretty.¡¯No other word coulde to mind. Not a single bit of evil could be seen from the blend of innocence and beauty. While Grid was stunned, a quest popped up.


    [Interest of the Young Angels (1)]


    [You are the first human that the young angels have seen. They feel a great interest in you. Please answer their questions.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Answer the angels¡¯ questions appropriately (3 times in total).


    Quest Clear Rewards: +1 affinity with the young angels. Link to the Interest of the Young Angels (2) quest.


    Quest Failure: The young angels will lose their interest in you.]


    It was a typical savings system in Satisfy. The more interest that was umted, the higher the interest would be. Even if the target was a great demon, umting affinity would give rewards such as quests. Grid couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to build up an affinity with the angels.


    ¡®In the first ce, I can¡¯t do anything alone.¡¯


    The cloud field was as wide as the sea. It reminded him of the Red Sea that he had seen on the first day he assimted with Braham. Grid needed the help of these young angels.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a human. I came here was because I was kidnapped by God Hexetia... No, I received an invitation from him.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear? God Hexetia invited a human!¡±


    ¡°No way! God Hexetia hates humans!¡±


    ¡°I heard that humans are good at lying! Don¡¯t be fooled!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lie! The only people who can visit here without a god¡¯s permission are the seven malignant saints!¡±


    ¡°...Kids? Do you have any more questions?¡±


    The angels were excited and agitated. Grid was irritated because he wanted to answer the questions and receive the next quest. It would be upsetting if the angels lost their interest. It was a groundless worry though as the angels were fortunately still interested in Grid.


    ¡°Can you bear the heat?¡±


    ¡°The heat?¡±


    ¡°Yes! You can¡¯t be invited by God Hexetia! God Hexetia is so hot that no one wants to go near him!¡±


    ¡°Right, right! His fire nipples are too much! The heat is hard for the angels to bear!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Alone in the world of the gods, Grid just nodded with a bitter expression.¡°I can endure it.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [The quest has seeded!]


    [Affinity with the young angels has increased by 1. It has led to the Interest of the Young Angels (2) quest.]


    [Interest of the Young Angels (2)]


    [You are the first human that the young angels have seen. They have a great interest in you. Please answer their questions.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Answer the angels¡¯ questions appropriately (6 times in total).


    Quest Clear Rewards: +1 affinity with the young angels. Link to the Interest of the Young Angels (3) quest.


    Quest Failure: The young angels will lose their interest in you.]


    The next quest was no different from the preceding one. The angels asked Grid various questions. They went from trivial questions like what humans ate and whether they really died in less than 100 years to questions which indirectly gave Grid a glimpse of Hexetia¡¯s situation...


    It was a small help. The Interest of the Young Angels quests continued to the fifth one. Then after clearing the fifth quest...


    [Hexetia¡¯s Home]


    [The young angels are starting to like you. They will guide you to Hexetia ording to your request.]


    Grid was able to find a path. He followed the guidance of the angels and arrived in front of a shabby cabin at the end of the sea of clouds. The huge chimney of the cabin was impressive.


    ¡°Hot... I will go.¡±


    ¡°Me too~~ I don¡¯t like God Hexetia~~¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sometimes naivety could be a knife. The frankness of the young angels deeply wounded someone.


    [The temperature of the area is very high.]


    [The legendary cksmith doesn¡¯t sumb to the heat.]


    As if waiting for the young angels to disappear, the door of the cabin opened only after the angels disappeared. The name ¡®cksmith God: Hexetia¡¯ floated in an orange color on top of the half-naked man¡¯s head. Hexetia¡¯s burning nipples looked lonely. They seemed to be shouting that he didn¡¯t emit this heat because he wanted to.


    Grid greeted Hexetia politely, ¡°It is an honor to meet the cksmith god who contributed to the development of humanity. I will duel you out of a sense of respect toward you.¡±


    ¡°You are a mere human in front of a god. The fact that you aren¡¯t afraid of me shows that your respect is certainly false...! You are someone who sold the name of a god for the sake of your fame. I will give you a taste of hell!¡±


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Win a cksmithing Competition with a God¡¯ has started!]


    [Win a cksmithing Competition with a God]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    God Hexetia is the creator of most of the tools that exist in this world.


    It won¡¯t be easy to win against God Hexetia!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Create a better item than God Hexetia.


    Quest Clear Rewards: The acknowledgment of God Hexetia and enlightenment. The disappearance of God Hexetia¡¯s envy. Affinity with God Hexetia will increase, and the curse on the First Holy Sword will be released.


    Quest Failure: A new divine punishment.


    * The divine punishment will cause a strong penalty such as a drop in character level, a drop in skill level, or a permanent loss of acquired goods and experience.]

 Chapter 890

    [(Breaking News) Grid is missing!]


    [Overgeared King Grid was hit by lightning during the opening ceremony of the Hexetia Temple...]


    [Grid disappeared like smoke... None of the hundreds of cameras can find him.]


    [(Column) Is this a warning from the great demons about humanity serving a new god? Grid will certainly receive a big penalty.]


    The world was in upheaval as Grid disappeared during real time. The way he disappeared without a trace caused all types of spections.


    ¡°Grid is safe. He just logged out.¡±


    Logging out during an important event...? The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s exnation couldn¡¯t be understood at all and provoked greater turmoil. People started specting that Grid had disappeared because of the curse of a great demon and that he had been forcibly taken to hell. Then the disturbing testimonies of the Reba Church yers were added, ¡°The senior priests have stated that Grid has received the goddess¡¯ wrath for serving another god.¡±


    Half a day had passed since Grid disappeared. Where was he and what was he doing now? Many people assumed Grid was in danger. The conclusion was that the construction of the Hexetia Temple had an adverse effect on him.


    [This is the signal of his downfall.]


    These exaggerated headlines spread across the world.


    ***


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Grid was upset by the penalties that would be gained when the quest failed. It felt like the extremely honorable painting had been arranged for this exact moment. A duel with a god after obtaining the extremely honorable painting... The timing was too good. It was as if the episodes were linked naturally. There was nothing for Grid to worry about if he lost. He could use the skill in the extremely honorable painting to regain his skills and stats... It was as if someone was whispering this to him.


    Grid found it hard to understand. ¡®Picasso is a yer. It doesn¡¯t make sense that she knew what I would go through and painted a map for the future. No... Wait?¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s freedom was infinite. The history of the world moved ording to the actions and choices of the yers. It was possible that one painting drawn by one yer might have a great influence.


    ¡®...Maybe the extremely honorable painting is one of the causes of this episode?¡¯


    Among all the reasons for Hexetia to request for a duel, one of them might be jealousy due to Grid bing the main character of the extremely honorable painting. In the end, it could be interpreted that now was the right timing to use the extremely honorable painting.


    ¡®I can get away without a huge penalty even if I lose to Hexetia.¡¯


    So what if he lost?


    ¡®No, I must win.¡¯


    The quest reward was telling him that this was a battle he must win. This was also Grid¡¯s wish.


    Yes, Grid wanted to win unconditionally. He wanted to get rid of Hexetia¡¯s envy and release the curse on the First Holy Sword. Grid¡¯s ultimate goal was to receive the goddess¡¯ blessing twice and enhance Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and cksmithing at the same time.


    The person Grid was facing right now was a god, despite the fact that he had the image of a human. Hexetia lived in a shabby cabin that was unlike the giant castles of the great demons, but he was one level above them. The heat and the mes on his nipples were evidence of that.


    Yes, Hexetia was an enemy more fearful than anyone Grid had ever fought. Sweat flowed down Grid¡¯s cheek as he was reminded of this. It was difficult for him to remain calm against a god, despite being the Overgeared King.


    Hexetia said,¡°You humans might¡¯ve forgotten, but when I received the goddess¡¯ will, I created a million tools and spread them across the earth. I created all of them, from ordinary items such as tableware and farming tools to luxury items like jewelry and weapons.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What did Hexetia want to say? It wasn¡¯t simply taking credit. Noticing that Hexetia was trying to exin the rules of the match, Grid focused thoroughly in order not to miss anything.


    ¡°Yes, humanity has produced the tools and weapons I created. Yet they became deluded and thought it was due to their own talents. It is to the extent that they built up people as ¡®new gods¡¯... just like you.¡± Anger started to spread on Hexetia¡¯s face. He was really angry. ¡°I feel sick every time I see people who are just imitating me get praised...! It is disgusting to see the stupid people who don¡¯t know their true benefactor! Therefore¡ª! Therefore¡ª!!¡±


    Hexetia had attempted to destroy humanity as he had seen that the same things would be repeated again. However, this cksmith who was ¡®beyond a god¡¯ was somewhat unusual. He announced Hexetia¡¯s merits to the world and imed to respect him. To be honest, Hexetia was happy. He felt a throbbing sensation in his chest. It was an emotion he felt for the first time in his endless existence. Hexetia was deeply grateful to Grid. However, unlike his heart, his mind had doubts. A human different from the others had appeared for the first time in tens of thousands of years, so it was natural for Hexetia to have doubts.


    ¡®I want to resolve my doubts.¡¯


    This was Hexetia¡¯s home. Hexetia wanted to acknowledge Grid¡¯s abilities. He wanted this person to stand firm without him. Only then he would be able to trust this human. Therefore...


    ¡°Prove your skills! If you prove that you aren¡¯t a simple subordinate, I will acknowledge and trust you!¡±


    Hexetia requested for a duel. It was apletely different desire from the past, back when he didn¡¯t want to be pursued by a human. Then how did Grid respond?


    ¡°Okay,¡± he epted the duel without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll prove it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter ofpensation now. Grid didn¡¯t want the effort and experiences he had umted to be in vain. He wanted his strength to be acknowledged by Hexetia.


    ¡°A good attitude! I¡¯ll give you mercy! You decide the theme of the match!¡±


    A sword? Armor? A spear? No, Grid wouldn¡¯t dare choose a battle gear as the theme. They were the best out of all the tools Hexetia had created. That¡¯s right. Hexetia predicted that Grid would avoid a frontal match with him. He also hoped for that as he wanted Grid to improve his chances of winning.


    ¡°A sword.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Unlike Hexetia¡¯s hope, Grid chose a frontal match.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who can make the more powerful sword.¡±


    ¡°You really...!¡±Hexetia¡¯s expression distorted. He felt like Grid was ignoring him. It was obvious that Grid¡¯s outwardly respectful manner was all false. Hexetia trembled with fury.


    ¡°The source of my confidence isn¡¯t a heart that ignores you,¡± Grid exined. ¡°I merely believe in the experiences and efforts that I¡¯ve umted over the years.¡±


    ¡°Hat..! Talking about experience when you only started learning cksmithing 10 years ago?¡±


    ¡°For me, 10 years is a long time. I spent every day of that time struggling.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t exaggerating. He had been working around the clock since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Starting from the bottom, he had been more stubborn about climbing to the highest point.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to deal with you,¡±Grid dered with deep eyes before pulling out his portable furnace. Then he put in the white phosphorus wood and started the fire.


    Hexetia watched the scene and scoffed, ¡°You take so long to make a fire. Take a look. This is the power of a god.¡±


    While exposing his chest, Hexetia raised both hands.


    ¡®Divine power?¡¯ Grid gulped. He didn¡¯t dare imagine what the power of a god would be like.


    Then at that moment...


    ¡°Haap!¡± Hexetia made a serious expression and twisted both nipples with the index finger and thumb of his hands. Then a blue me flew out from the left nipple and a red me from the right nipple, hitting Grid¡¯s furnace and igniting the white phosphorus wood. Grid couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of admiration as the best timber of the East Continent was easily set alight. The temperature of the furnace exceeded Grid¡¯s desired level.


    ¡®This is the power of the cksmith god.¡¯


    It was definitely great. However...


    ¡®XX nipples...No, let¡¯s not think about Hexetia¡¯s actions.¡¯


    Grid could deal arger wound to Hexetia¡¯s low self-esteem. Shaking his head, Grid expressed his thanks to Hexetia. Then he called the four golden hands to him, ¡°God Hands.¡±


    Why? Was it because he needed more help to go against the god? No. There was a specific reason why Grid called the God Hands to him. It was to obtain pavranium, the mineral created through the coboration of the legendary cksmith, Pagma, and the legendary great magician, Braham. Once Grid gave the order, the God Hands jumped into the furnace and started to melt. It was the moment when all the experience of the God Hands, which had been steadily building up since thepletion of the growth type items, was lost.


    ¡®I have to take some damages in a confrontation against a god,¡¯ Grid soothed his bitter heart. In fact, he had faith. He believed that if he recreated the God Hands with his current skills, he couldplete a masterpiece which transcended the old God Hands he¡¯d made years ago.


    ¡®I¡¯ll revive you again, God Hands. But before that, I have to make a hammer and sword first.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! Grid smelted, tempered, and quenched the pavranium on the anvil. He was making a hammer. Once he produced a cksmithing hammer containing the best mineral which was made bybining Pagma and Braham¡¯s knowledge, Grid nned to produce a sword with this hammer.


    ¡°Can I go slowly? There is no time limit in this match, right?¡±Grid grinned at Hexetia and summoned the light elemental, turning it into a Sword of Light and ordering it to train the mithril. Technique, knowledge, materials, and tools¡ªGrid poured everything he had into this match. Maybe this was the ¡®first¡¯ time. He would eventually be making battle gear out of pavranium for the first time.


    Every time the pavranium was hit with the hammer, it emitted a white light intense enough to make the golden cloud fields turn white for a moment. It was a splendid sight that soothed Hexetia. Hexetia already realized that the reason why Grid made the temple wasn¡¯t for the sake of simple ttery.


    ¡®Truly... He truly respects me!¡¯


    Hexetia¡¯s poisonous gaze gentled. He held the hammer made of divine stone and felt the feeling of ¡®joy¡¯ for the first time.

 Chapter 891

    [Pavranium]


    [-The strongest mineral produced by the coboration between the legendary cksmith, Pagma, and the legendary great magician, Braham.


    It is harder than the god¡¯s mineral, adamantium, and has morepatibility with magic than mithril. It also boasts more sticity than jaffa.


    By default, the pavranium revolve around and protect their owner, but they will also take other actions when givenmands from their owner.


    * The pavranium have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. They will increase their owner¡¯s health recovery speed by 300%.


    * Thepavranium have obtained an attack buff skill due to God Dominion¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s attack power will increase by 15%.


    * The pavranium have obtained a defense buff skill due to God Judar¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s defensive power will increase by 15%.


    Smelting Conditions: Pagma, Grid.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma, Grid.]


    This was the exnation for the mineral. It couldn¡¯t be called perfect because sometimes having an ego was a disadvantage, but for Grid, pavranium was the best mineral. Nevertheless, Grid never made any battle gear with pavranium. Was it because pavranium was too hard to smelt? No way. Pavranium was the best mineral, and it was simultaneously a ss item for Pagma¡¯s Descendant. From Grid¡¯s point of view, it was naturally easy to smelt.


    Grid was like a fish in water when smelting and hammering pavranium. Grid found it easier and more enjoyable to smelt and temper pavranium than iron ore, which had the lowest degree of difficulty. The reason why Grid didn¡¯t make battle gear with pavranium was that it was too precious. He didn¡¯t want to bind the pavranium into a solid form when it could move around and act on its own.


    Now, the situation had changed. This was apetition with a god. He couldn¡¯t afford to save the pavranium when facing a god.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!Grid hit the pavranium using the hammer he had used for many years. The pavranium responded to Grid¡¯s intentions and techniques, and it gradually became a hammer.


    Hexetia¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®He is definitely in the realm of transcendence.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s hammering technique was four to five times faster and twenty times more sophisticated than the technique of ordinary human cksmiths. It was a skill that was beyond the domain of humans. Grid¡¯s skill was at a level simr to that of Pagma and the seven malignant saints whom Hexetia had been jealous of in the past.


    However, Grid was different from them. Pagma had rebelled and resisted Hexetia, while Grid understood, embraced, and served Hexetia. The divine stone was a mineral which Hexetia had created, and it gathered the strength of all minerals.


    Tong! Grid ced the divine stone on the anvil and started working. Hexetia was confident. A mineral that was more perfect than the divine stone didn¡¯t exist anywhere!


    ¡®Grid, the feelings in your heart and your abilities have been sufficientlymunicated to me. So I will show it to you in return...¡¯


    ...The greatness of a god!


    ¡®I will imprint my greatness on your soul, and you will serve me forever!¡¯


    Hexetia wasn¡¯t loved by anyone. He was hiding alone in the shadow cast by the goddess of light. Why did he exist? Hexetia might¡¯ve acted on the will of the goddess, but he wasn¡¯t remembered by anyone. He was forgotten and avoided... Why? What was the point of his existence? Would it be better to not have been born in the first ce?


    These thoughts constantly revolved around Hexetia¡¯s mind. Hexetia sometimes became envious of the humans on the ground. They were existences who lived in the moment. He felt jealous of those born inferior to himselfughing, crying, and finding meaning in life. There was no chance for Hexetia to find meaning in life when he existed alone. However, the opportunity had now finally arrived.


    ¡®I will be sure to prove my worth to Grid!¡¯


    This was the first time in his life that there was someone who understood his hard work and wanted to serve him.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! Hexetia started hammering the divine stone desperately. There was no room for him to rx. He was far from the omnipotent god that the world assumed he was.


    ¡®I won¡¯t miss this chance...!¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t lose. Otherwise, he would fail to prove his value. He didn¡¯t want to be alone again. Hexetia¡¯s hammering speed became faster and exceeded Grid¡¯s speed. It was a huge 10 times faster!


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯ Grid was astonished. Grid didn¡¯t fear potentially causing damage with his hammering speed and had great pride in it.His hammer hit the pavranium on the anvil six times per second, which was already considered a new record. Yet Hexetia was hammering 10 times faster than him at 60 times per second!


    ¡®Is that a person? Ah, no, he isn¡¯t a person.¡¯


    Apart from the mes on the nipples, Hexetia¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t much different from humans. In addition, the personality he expressed was far from transcendent. It was more like that of a normal person. That¡¯s why Grid forgot for a moment. Hexetia was a god. Yes, he was the cksmith god¡ªa monster who could simply pinch his nipples to increase the temperature of the furnace!


    ¡®Stay calm. Don¡¯t get agitated.¡¯


    Watching the monster forge the metal at an unbelievable speed, the agitated Grid started to move his hand again.


    ¡®Just being fast has no meaning.¡¯


    Yes, the important thing was quality. It was sophistication which was required when forging metal, not speed. Just forging a metal quickly wouldn¡¯t produce refinement.


    ¡®I have to maintain my own pace!¡¯


    In the first ce, there was no time limit for this match. There was no need to be nervous because Hexetia was hammering 10 times faster than him. On the other hand...


    Ttang!


    Hexetia stopped hammering for a moment. The divine stone on the anvil was in the shape of a de. Hexetia ced the hot de into cold water and took it out, entering the next stage.


    Ttaaang!The sound of metal being hit rang through the sky.


    ¡°...!¡± Grid admired Hexetia¡¯s ability to enter the next stage ahead of himself. He was also wary of the fact that the divine stone was equivalent or better than pavranium.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it natural?¡¯


    Pavranium had been made by the joint forces of two legends, while the divine stone had been literally made by a god. It was likely that the divine stone was a higher concept mineral than pavranium.


    ¡®The best material I can take out might be trivial in front of a god...¡¯


    His belief in the pavranium faded. Grid weakened when he realized he couldn¡¯t evenpete in materials against a god.


    ¡°...¡± A stillness flowed through Grid, and his hammering stoppedpletely. Could he win when he was even beaten in materials? Had the game ended already? Was he currently wasting his time? Grid could feel defeating. It was a pity that he had to miss out on the goddess¡¯ blessing. The moment these thoughts stirred Grid¡¯s mind...


    Ttang! Hexetia was raising the speed of his tempering. Every time he hit the de with his hammer, the mes emitted from his nipples would warm the de again, making the process of tempering much easier. Sweat flowed down Grid¡¯s cheeks. As Hexetia continued working, the number of mes emitted by Hexetia¡¯s nipples increased and the temperature of the entire area rose. The air was now as hot asva. It was too hot for even the legendary cksmith to bear. Grid could understand why the young angels avoided Hexetia.


    ¡°Keuk...¡±


    Grid initially thought that a legendary cksmithpletely ignored the effect of temperature, but it turned out that there was a ceiling to that. Realizing how small he was before a god, Gridpletely lost his motivation.


    ¡®I was crazy. What confidence did I have to think I could win against a god?¡¯


    Yes, it was natural to lose. He should just neatly give up. This was the moment when Grid gave up his only advantage¡ªhis tenacity.


    [The effect of Valha of Infinite Affection is helping to maintain your body temperature...]


    The notification window that rose gave strength to Grid¡¯s weakened body and mind, and his pained body suddenly felt lighter than a feather. Valha, Khan¡¯s masterpiece which Grid had never taken off, triggered the effect that maintained his body temperature.


    ¡°...Khan.¡± Grid¡¯s heart sank as he read Khan¡¯s intentions in the armor. Khan had prayed for Grid¡¯s well-being even in hisst moments. Grid¡¯s grip on his hammer tightened.¡®Yes. Khan didn¡¯t give up.¡¯


    Despite knowing that his life was about to end, Khan never let go of the hammer in his hand. Grid was a cksmith. How could a legendary cksmith let go of the hammer in his hand? It was an uneptable sin. Khan would probably be frustrated as he watched Grid from wherever he was now.


    ¡®I have to fight to the end, even if I lose.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t disappoint Khan. Grid had this thought and was no longer fighting alone. Khan¡¯s soul and will were with him.


    ¡°Uraaaaat!¡± Grid struck the pavranium with force. He had reminded himself that Khan¡¯s final work, Valha of Infinite Affection, was an armor which had been made without any special materials. ck iron, which was rtivelymon now, was the main material. Yet the armor had been born as a non-standard item, and its performance was equivalent to the myth rating.


    Yes, the result of an item didn¡¯t just depend on the value of the material. The more important thing was the skill, intentions, and will of the maker. This was thest thing Khan had taught Grid.


    ¡®Khan, watch me until the end.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The forged pavranium entered the quenching stage, and the hot metal gave off a golden glow.


    ¡®Your son will face a god with your teachings!¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    [You are extremely focused and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely focused and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely focused and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath skill has been activated.]


    [You are extremely focused and the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience...]


    [......]


    [......]


    There was no distinction between day and night in Asgard. Under the serene sky, Grid¡¯s first work waspleted.


    [You have created a myth rated item!]


    It was the birth of a new cksmithing hammer.

 Chapter 892

    [cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 870


    * Moves to protect the master and kill enemies.


    * All types of materials can be hammered without much difficulty.


    * The probability of normal and rare rated items is fixed at 0%.


    * There is a very low probability of making epic rated items.


    * There is a very high probability of making unique rated items.


    * Odds of Making a Legendary Rated Item: +5%


    * Odds of Making a Myth Rated Item: +1%


    -A hammer made by the legendary cksmith Grid, who is bing a myth beyond a legend, in preparation for a match against a god. It is verypatible with Grid because it is designed with Grid¡¯s physical conditions and habits in mind. cksmiths other than Grid can¡¯t use it.


    The ego of the pavranium used as a material in the hammer will help the owner use it more conveniently.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 490]


    [A myth rated item has been produced, permanently increasing all stats by 10!]


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯ Grid was shocked when he examined the golden hammer. The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir, had said that his probability of making a legendary rated item was 0.01%. It was small, but it contained his aspirations.


    ¡®This hammer increases it by 5%...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s existing cksmith hammer was also fraudulent. It increased the probability of making legendary items by 1%, which was equivalent to denying the existence of regr cksmith yers. However, the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods had a 5% chance of making a legendary rated item! It was five times better than the hammer Grid was currently using. No, it was greater than that. It suppressed the creation of lower rated items such as normal and rare items and also increased the probability of making myth rated items by 1%.


    This was much more than Grid had been hoping for. While creating the new hammer, he had just wanted to increase his chances of making a myth rated item. Still, there was just one thing that wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t have the ability to move on its own and make an item.¡¯


    Grid had been inwardly hoping for that. He wanted the hammer¡ªwhich was made of pavranium¡ªto move by itself and help him when making items, increasing the efficiency of his item production. However, the cksmith hammer had the ability to protect its master and hit the enemy rather than help with cksmithing.


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    In the days when the pavranium had been the God Hands, it had the dexterity stat which allowed it to help Grid. The present pavranium was just a hammer and didn¡¯t have the skills or knowledge to help its master.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a thief. I shouldn¡¯t want too much!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to experience hair loss again! Grid recalled the hair loss he had experienced in the past and raised his hands to his head out of habit. It wasn¡¯t because he was missing hair though. Grid had abundant hair.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Hexetia had continued working through the process of Grid suffering from the heat, bing calm thanks to Khan, and then finishing the hammer. Grid couldn¡¯t help admiring the blue sword that was beingpleted under Hexetia¡¯s hands.


    ¡®It is perfect...!¡¯


    It gave off an atmosphere that seemed to freeze the heat just by being present. The ice-like, transparent sword was rtively short and thin like a woman¡¯s arm, but it wasn¡¯t weak.


    [Observing the target item with the legendary cksmith¡¯s eyes.]


    [The target item has gone beyond the area of a legend. You have failed to observe the targeted item.]


    ¡®It is naturally a myth rated item!¡¯


    Once again, it wasn¡¯t surprising. Hexetia was a god.It was obvious that the items made by a god would have a myth rating. Yes, the basic premise for winning this match was to create a myth rated item. Grid¡¯s expression twisted, and he started sweating nervously.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯m doomed.¡¯


    Why was the new hammer that he made myth rated?


    ¡®What is the probability of making two myth rated items in a row?¡¯


    This was the end. There was nothing infinite in this world. There would definitely be a limit on luck, and his luck was likely to be lower than that of those in the general public. The cksmithing hammer should¡¯ve been legendary. Then the sword made with this hammer would¡¯ve received a myth rating.


    ¡°...It is ruined! Shit!¡±Frustrated, Grid flopped onto the cloud field before jumping up again. He had ¡®experience.¡¯ Grid had made several myth rated items, so he now knew that the condition required to make a myth rated item wasn¡¯t just luck. The ¡®story¡¯ in the materials and production process yed a major role. ¡®Of course, having a story doesn¡¯t unconditionally mean that a myth rated item will appear.¡¯ Luck was also needed, but there was no need to depend on good luck.


    ¡°...Sigh,¡±Grid took a deep breath. His gaze was still on the sword that Hexetia was making. Did this sword contain an exceptional artistry beyond anything Grid had produced before? Was it enough to make him forget his work?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s spirit waspletely restored. He looked at the sword to study it. That¡¯s right. Grid was learning in real time. He searched for the corrtion between the smelting, forging, and tempering that Hexetia was doing.


    ¡®Why is he minimizing the number of times he folds the metal?¡¯


    ¡®He is tempering it again?


    ¡®The shape of the cross-section is perfect like it was made by a machine... There aren¡¯t any errors. But that is a god only technique...¡¯


    ¡®Is he not grinding the de? No, the sharpness can be restored when repairing it. So far, I have been grinding it more than necessary.¡¯


    ¡®The pattern isn¡¯t just cool. The intention of it is to prevent blood from clinging to the de so that it doesn¡¯t be dull.¡¯


    In fact, this wasn¡¯t anything special. Many yers had a chance to learn when they met a yer who was better than they were. For example, it would be easy for Kraugel to learn if let¡¯s suppose that Kraugel met Zeratul and had topete in skills. Kraugel would learn and evolve in real time while fighting his opponent.


    Yes, it was natural for Grid to learn the skills of the cksmith god, Hexetia. Getting kidnapped was a great opportunity for Grid to learn from a god.


    [You have seen the skills of the cksmith god!]


    [Your cksmithing skill has evolved!]


    [(Seeing the Gods¡¯ Techniques) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has changed to (Fighting Against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill, and the probability of making top items has increased.]


    [cksmiths¡¯ Breath and cksmith¡¯s Patience have changed to passive skills, and they will always be maintained when making items.]


    ¡°Hat!¡± Thrilled, a smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. His anxiety decreased, and his confidence rose.


    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s start the production!¡±Grid shouted energetically and pulled out various materials from his inventory. They were the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath and Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath which he had obtained from the 3rd National Competition, Great Demon Astaroth¡¯s Horn, and the shell of the cave cricket that threatened the World Tree¡¯s Forest. They were rare materials that ordinary humans could never see in their lifetime.


    ¡°Huh?¡±Hexetia stopped hammering. He looked at the materials with very surprised eyes.


    ¡®How did a mere human...?¡¯


    Additionally...


    ¡®He has the courage to use all these materials in a single sword?¡¯


    It was difficult for Hexetia to understand. In particr, it was hard for the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath to coexist with the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. This was a rule which couldn¡¯t be ovee using technique.


    ¡®Grid, you...!¡¯


    Was Grid saying that he was more skilled than a god? Hexetia¡¯s surprise was beyond admiration.


    ¡°Ah... Let¡¯s use this next time.¡±While Grid was squatting in front of the furnace, he put the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath back in his inventory.He thought it wasn¡¯t right to use both the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath for a single item.


    ¡°...¡±Was this a joke? Hexetia stared at Grid wide-eyed.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more vignt?¡± Grid gave him a warning. Finally, the mithril being hit by the Sword of Light was reaching its final stage. Grid first strengthened the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath.Then he put the blue bead into the furnace, burning the bead with Hexetia¡¯s mes before taking it out and starting the hammering.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...!!¡± Hexetia¡¯s eyebrows rose. He noticed that the functionality of Grid¡¯s new hammer was several times better than his previous hammer. It wasparable to Hexetia¡¯s own hammer which had been made with divine stone. The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath emitted lightning every time it was hit by Grid¡¯s hammer. Grid sometimes coughed up blood when he was hit by the lightning, but his hammering didn¡¯t stop. He waspelled to finish the strengthening, even if his body became ashes.


    ¡°He... Hehe. Even if it takes a long time... Just wait... Hiik!!¡± Grid was hit with another lightning strike while trying to speak. To think that he was enduring great pain and devoting himself to cksmithing despite the cost to his life...?


    ¡°You are a fool...!¡± Hexetia frowned.


    Grid looked stupid to him. However, Grid was proud of his actions. ¡°cksmithing is my thing. Aren¡¯t you the same? Hik! Hiiiiik!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    cksmithing was his thing? Hexetia¡¯s eyes shook. At this moment, he realized the reason for his existence.


    ¡®Yes, I am the cksmith god... I was born just for the sake of cksmithing.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have to look elsewhere for the meaning of his existence. So what if he was alone? He just needed the hammer and the anvil. Hexetia was able to do cksmithing anytime and anywhere. When he was working as a cksmith, he was able to prove why he existed in this world.


    Yes, cksmithing was his thing. All he needed to do was cksmithing. He didn¡¯t need to worry about the eyes of others. He could just do his job as a cksmith. He didn¡¯t need to worry or be jealous when someone¡¯s cksmithing skill was beyond his. Hexetia just needed to focus on cksmithing. There was no one who could deny his existence when he worked as a cksmith.


    Yes, this was it. The wicked feelings inside Hexetia were dying. He shouted at Grid who was being shocked, ¡°Endure it, Grid! You shouldn¡¯t fall down until this match ends!¡±


    It was a blessing.


    [The cksmith god has used his power.]


    [The power of the god has given you 100% electric shock resistance!]


    ¡°Hexetia!¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    The meeting gazes of the two men were passionate. They started toplete the masterpieces which couldn¡¯t be seen in any legends.

 Chapter 893

    ¡º There is still no news of the Overgeared King? ¡»


    ¡º Yes. He is still missing. ¡»


    ¡º Hasn¡¯t it been three days since he went missing? What about the Overgeared Kingdom? ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared members are iming that Grid is safe, but... people are still uneasy. This will adversely affect the domestic and foreign situation... ¡»


    The news pieces all over the world were about Grid. As the world focused on Grid who had gone missing during the temple¡¯s opening ceremony, strange rumors started to circte among the essory maker yers. It was rumored that the Yatan Church was looking for essory makers. Why was the evil Yatan Church looking for essory makers? All sorts of rumors spread to the ears of the essory maker yers. It was difficult to rte the Yatan Church to essory makers, so it was judged as simply rumors.


    ¡®Master might be in danger!¡¯ The 7th ranked essory maker Clover, however, was rmed. The Yatan Church was looking for essory makers. How could such a strange rumor spread? The Yatan Church might have a reason for needing an essory maker. Clover couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the rumor was true. He thought that his master might encounter the Yatan Church and...


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Keok..!¡±


    [The essory maker Helen has died.]


    Clover was a step toote. By the time he arrived at his master¡¯s studio, she had already been killed by the Yatan Church¡¯s ck knights.


    ¡°Master!¡±Clover¡¯s hair turned white. To him, Helen was an invaluable teacher who had taken care of him ever since he chose this ss many years ago. He had vowed to someday repay her grace, and there were only a few steps left until he could.


    However... However...!


    ¡°Master! Master!!¡±


    Satisfy was sometimes crueler than reality. In reality, it was possible to hold the body of a precious person in one¡¯s arms, but Satisfy didn¡¯t allow that. Clover¡¯s face distorted like that of a demon as he saw Helen turn into ashes.


    ¡°The Yatan Church...! Why...?! Why Master?¡±


    In fact, it didn¡¯t make sense to ask why. After all, the Yatan Church was evil. It would be hard to understand the reasons for their actions from a general point of view. Still, Clover wanted to know.Why did his master have to die? He wondered why a person who had refused the invitation of the Saharan Empire and worked in her hometown for all her life had to meet such a terrible end.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t care about money or honor... She devoted her life for the sake of others... Her life shouldn¡¯t have ended like this...¡±


    Like other production sses, an essory maker had weakbat capabilities. Clover didn¡¯t have the ability to fight against the ck knights in front of him. Honestly, Clover was afraid. It would be difficult to recover from the damage if he died and lost experience and items. Yet he couldn¡¯t back away from his master¡¯s enemies just because he was scared. Clover was determined to hear the reason from the ck knights. Then he would do whatever it took to make them pay for his master¡¯s death.


    ¡®I will dedicate everything...!¡¯


    This was the moment when another person with a profound hatred for the Yatan Church was born.


    ¡°It is to prevent the traitor of our church from finding an essory maker from working on the Stone of Life,¡± the ck knights exined the reason. It was a surprisingly friendly attitude.


    ¡°The Stone of Life?¡±


    It was the worst stone made by using the blood of virgins! What monster would create such a terrible stone and then want his master to work on it? Clover¡¯s anger and hatred aimed toward the Yatan Church split toward the traitor they spoke of.


    ¡°The name of that traitor is Agnus. Remember it. It is the name of the man who took away the life of your master.¡±


    ¡°...Agnus!¡±Clover¡¯s desire for revenge deepened at the unexpected name. The newly acquired quest called Master¡¯s Enemy stated that Baal¡¯s Contractor was amon enemy of the world.


    Simultaneously, in the capital of the Murray Kingdom, Juden...


    ¡°Weak... They are all weak...¡±A man burst outughing as he visited the home of an essory maker named Catherine in Juden. There was only the stench of death in the messy workshop. The guards, who arrivedter, pointed the spear at the man. ¡°We will arrest you as the suspect of Catherine¡¯s murder!¡±


    ¡°Kik?¡±


    Why did he hear this everywhere he went? Agnus realized that the influence of the Yatan Church was much greater than he had imagined. He felt nervous.


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a cute girl with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. No, the woman breathed heavily as she watched Agnus from afar. She was a powerful member of the Overgeared Guild¡ªa member whom Grid thought was stronger than himself, Euphemina. Euphemina used Faker¡¯s master level Stealth skill, so Agnus couldn¡¯t detect her presence.


    ***


    [The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath has been strengthened!]


    [Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath]


    [It is made by the cksmith Grid who is bing a myth beyond a legend.


    -Increases lightning resistance by 50% even when carrying it in the inventory.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the blue dragon.


    However, it can only be attached to items with a strong lightning attribute.


    Weight: 2]


    ¡°Good!¡±A grin of delight spread on Grid¡¯s face as he seeded in strengthening the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. The bead of white light radiated a constant light.


    ¡®Excellent...¡¯ The cksmith god, Hexetia, admired it. He believed that Grid¡¯s ability to strengthen the by-products of divine creatures to be in the realm of the gods. No, Grid¡¯s patience was even more amazing than his skills. Hexetia had to admit it.As Grid focused and endured the lightning that emerged every time he hit the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath, his patience reached a new realm ofmitment. It was an area that couldn¡¯t be understood by a god who solved all problems with ¡®technique.¡¯


    ¡®Although he wouldn¡¯t have seeded in the strengthening without my blessing... He has the patience to ovee the limitations of relying on technique.¡¯


    Bultar, Pagma, and Grid¡ªthey were the only humans who managed to reach the stage of seeing the gods¡¯ techniques.


    ¡®...I¡¯m not qualified to be jealous.¡¯


    The jealousy that remained deep inside Hexetia¡¯s heart was gradually diluted. He felt ashamed. Without thinking about the great effort that the humans who threatened him put into their work, Hexetia had treated their growing abilities as a mistake by the heavens. He was worse than a child.


    ¡®Yes, I should respect them rather than feel jealous.¡¯


    It was ate enlightenment. Bultar and Pagma didn¡¯t exist in this world anymore, but Grid was still here.


    ¡®You will receive their share...¡¯ Hexetia stared at Grid with meaningful eyes. The Sword of Light, which had been constantly hitting the mithril for two days, stopped after dealing thest blow. The mithril magic training wasplete.


    [White Light Mithril]


    [Mithril thatbines the strength of the cksmith Grid, who is bing a myth beyond a legend, and the power of an advanced light elemental using the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.


    It is three times harder than normal mithril, and thepatibility with magic is ten times better.


    Additionally, it contains the power of light.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.]


    ¡°In fact, I had a chance to hold the First Holy Sword recently. It is your work.¡± Grid grabbed the mithril and threw it into the furnace. ¡°The surface of the de is made of divine stone while the frame is made of adamantium.¡±


    At first, Grid couldn¡¯t understand why it was made like that. Then after the repeated cycle of disassembly, reassembly, and making a duplicate, he realized the reason why.


    ¡°The divine stone is a better mineral than adamantium, but it reflects your will. Iron is strong, but it isn¡¯t enough to hold a god¡¯s divine power. That¡¯s why you used the adamantium to concentrate the divine power, right?¡±


    ¡°You saw it clearly. Both the divine stone and adamantium are so strong that they are difficult to join into one. They are sublimated into one through a separate smelting process.¡±


    In the end, the First Holy Sword had beenpleted whilebining strong physical force and divine power. The divine stone, which made up the surface of the de, could easily slice through a great demon¡¯s skin and bones. Meanwhile, the adamantium that formed the frame of the de responded to the user¡¯s divine power to destroy the great demons¡¯ soul.


    However, it was difficult to see it as perfect. The divine stone and adamantium were in forms that maximized the attributes of both metals, but no new attributes were formed when they werebined. At least, this was what Grid saw. It was why he had trained the mithril.


    ¡°I judged that it was difficult to fuse the pavranium and Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath into one because of their individuality. Then I remembered mithril. Mithril has the attribute to absorb all types of magic, which means it has goodpatibility with all attributes...¡±


    Grid ced the Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and the pavranium in the st furnace which contained the White Light Mithril. Then the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath that was originally difficult to mix became influenced by the mithril and started to fuse into one with the pavranium.


    ¡°Hexetia, please feel proud. I was able to reach this conclusion from the First Holy Sword that you made.¡±


    Ttaang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The molten mineral from the furnace was cooled, hardened, and then quenched. Once the red metal waspletely ced on the anvil, it took the form of a translucent tinum which reflected a blue light. The pavranium, Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath, and White Light Mithril were reborn as a perfect mineral. It was the birth of the hardest mineral in the world, which maintained the ego while simultaneously having the attributes of lightning and light.


    Ttang! Ttang!


    The metal became a de. It was a de that could be easily attached or detached using the Pulling Device, but he didn¡¯t attach the silver thread to it. Grid didn¡¯t need the silver thread for a de which could move on its own to carry out its master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°To think mere mithril can y such a key role...¡±


    The goddess didn¡¯t create anything in vain. Everything had its own role. Hexetia had be arrogant because he was a god, and he ended up forgetting the basics.


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    As he checked out Grid¡¯s sword, Hexetia hid his ownpleted sword behind him. His sword was much stronger than Grid¡¯s sword, but Hexetia was ashamed that his work was reallycking. It was a failure. He couldn¡¯t raise his head.


    ¡°Why are you ashamed? Are you focused on your pride? I was able to make this work because I learned so much from you.¡±


    ¡°...Why am I always pleased when I¡¯m with you?¡±


    [The quest has beenpleted!]


    [You have won the cksmithingpetition against a god!]


    [Hexetia acknowledges you. He has thrown away his jealousy and gained enlightenment from you. He no longer doubts your intentions in setting up a temple.]


    [The Stone of Original Sin encroaching on the Vatican¡¯s First Holy Sword is losing its influence and disappearing. Once you visit the Vatican, you canplete the Cleanse the First Holy Sword quest.]


    [Affinity with Hexetia, who has been reborn as a true god, has reached 70 points!]


    [The divine voice of Hexetia resonates throughout the world.]


    ¡°The cksmith Grid has given me new enlightenment. He is my benefactor, and I will bless humanity.¡±


    [The cksmith god has blessed all cksmiths on the ground.]


    [For the next 10 days, the growth rate of all cksmith rted skills will increase by 20%.]


    [There is no one in the world who will not know you.]


    [The great demons in hell will remember your name.]


    [The dwarves want to meet you andpete against you.]


    [Someone in hell knows where you are.]


    [1st Great Demon Baal is delighted...]

 Chapter 894

    [de Aiming at the Gods]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 4,395


    * Attack speed will increase by 20%


    * 40% increase in physical attack power.


    * 70% bonus lightning attribute damage.


    * 20% bonus divine attribute damage.


    * 5% bonus shadow attribute damage.


    * 50% bonus damage to transcendent beings such as gods, angels, great demons, boss monsters, and named NPCs.


    * There is a high probability of dealing an electric shock when attacking.


    * There is a certain probability of lightning rge) being summoned.


    * There is a low probability of emitting a maic force when attacking.


    * There is a very low probability of summoning a golden cloud when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of summoning a God Hand when attacking.


    * The skill ¡®Contempt For the Weak¡¯ has been created.


    -A de made by the cksmith Grid, who gained enlightenment while fighting against a god.


    The divine power in the White Light Mithril suppresses the magic contained in Astaroth¡¯s Horn while maximizing the lightning energy of the Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. The beautiful de made from the shell of an ancient creature will make even a god feel threatened. After raising the functionality of the pavranium to the extreme, the hidden attribute ¡®God Hand¡¯ has been implemented.


    The God Hand is a form that the pavranium has maintained for a long time. It perfectly reproduces the hand of the cksmith Grid, who gave enlightenment to a god.


    * The de will revolve around its master. It can make judgments and move on its own.


    Conditions of Use: Pagma, Grid.


    Weight: 2,580]


    [God Hand]


    [-Summons a golden hand modeled after Grid¡¯s hand. The golden hand will revolve around the user of the de Aiming at the Gods and will protect the user. There is a low probability of firing Magic Missile (Enhanced) to attack the enemy. No resources will be consumed at this time.


    Up to eight God Hands can be summoned at the same time.


    God Hands Summoning Time: None


    God Hands Summoning Cooldown Time: 5 minutes]


    [Contempt For the Weak]


    [-Inflicts a fatal blow to a target who isn¡¯t in the realm of transcendence.


    -Strikes a blow that consumes 80% of the target¡¯s current health.


    Skill Mana Cost: 5,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    A divine sword containing all of Grid¡¯s skills and the best materials. The number of best minerals was limited by the use of the pavranium. Since its basic stats exceeded those of existing swords and it possessed the ability to move by itself, the utilization was unlimited. Grid was forced to describe it as the strongest item ever.


    ¡®There can¡¯t be an item greater than this!¡¯He had this thought. Forgetting that his opponent was a god, Grid was certain of his victory... At least, until the information of Hexetia¡¯s final product popped up.


    [Hexetia¡¯s Small Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 28,990


    * Attack speed will increase by 80%


    * Physical and magic damage increased by 200%.


    * 200% bonus damage of all attributes.


    -A small sword made by God Hexetia, a cksmith who was motivated to develop further.


    Conditions of Use: Transcendent


    Weight: 1,100]


    ¡°...?¡±


    It looked like there was one more zero?


    ¡®Did I see that wrong?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t ept the item information. He rubbed his eyes several times and checked the information of the small sword again. It was an attack power of 28,990. He wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    ¡°...¡± Grid, who had been feeling confident of producing the best sword, fell into despair. He was devastated by the gap between a human and a god.


    ¡®This is a X game.¡¯


    It was a truly nasty game. How could he win against the opponent who couldn¡¯t be beaten unless the sky turned upside down? Realizing he had failed the quest, Grid felt frustrated. Then these notification windows popped up.


    [The quest has beenpleted!]


    [You have won the cksmithingpetition against a god!]


    ¡°...?¡±Grid was bound to feel surprised. His defeat was certain, so how did he be the winner?


    ¡®Is this really a X game?¡¯


    This was a bug. It was clear that Grid bing the winner was due to a bug, and he would be subjected to penalties such as an ount seizure. Then it happened the moment when Grid, who was feeling uneasy, wanted to shout, ¡®This match is invalid!¡¯


    [Hexetia acknowledges you. He has thrown away his jealousy and gained enlightenment from you. He no longer doubts your intentions in setting up a temple.]


    Grid saw the series of notification windows, then he heard Hexetia¡¯s voice, ¡°The cksmith Grid has given me new enlightenment. He is my benefactor, and I will bless humanity.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    This was why Grid was announced as the winner. When he realized it, Grid was thrilled and also d that someone could forsake the darkness in their heart and smile brightly. He felt proud that Hexetia, who had suffered because of his poor self-esteem, would live a better life in the future. ording to Grid¡¯s own experience, the happiness that Hexetia would feel in the future was likely to be so huge that it would dilute the wounds of the past.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hexetia approached Grid on the cloud field with an awkward smile.¡°I was able to realize the reason for my existence by looking at you. I can feel the reward of my achievement. In the future, I don¡¯t need to be envious of other people. I won¡¯t feel lonely even if I am alone. Thank you. This is all thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The person who was feeling emotional was Grid, not Hexetia. He was new to this emotion. Grid had been wounded, and now he was helping others with their wounds. He felt proud of himself. Thanks to Hexetia, Grid was able to gain a greater sense of pride.


    ¡°...I really appreciate it.¡±


    Grid often omitted honorifguage to other people. His intention wasn¡¯t to put down the other person but to preserve his own value as the representative of a country. The fact that Grid tried to raise himself higher by omitting honorifics showed that his self-esteem wasn¡¯tplete. Now things had changed. Grid once again realized how great he was and wouldn¡¯t be obsessed with his way of talking in the future.


    ***


    [The cksmith Grid has given me new enlightenment. He is my benefactor, and I will bless humanity.]


    This world message emerged.


    ¡°A-A scoop!!¡±


    The reporters from all over the world waiting in the Overgeared Kingdom for the missing Grid logged out simultaneously, and new headlines soon appeared around the world.


    [Grid, the first yer to visit Asgard?]


    [Grid! He is acknowledged by a god!]


    ¡®Due to the construction of a new temple, he was cursed by the great demons.¡¯


    ¡®He brought Goddess Reba¡¯s wrath on him by serving a new god.¡¯


    ¡®The use of a bug was detected and his ount was suspended.¡¯


    All those rumors about Grid¡¯s disappearance vanished. Now people were praising Grid¡¯s new feat. In particr, the cksmith yers became Grid¡¯s fans.


    ¡°My skill level is rising thanks to Grid!¡±


    ¡°It has been widely rumored that the Overgeared Kingdom is hiring cksmiths. Now I¡¯m considering moving there.¡±


    In fact, the cksmith yers had disliked Grid. They had felt that as a legendary cksmith, Grid was denying all the time and effort they put in. So, many yers hadn¡¯t even looked at the announcement that the Overgeared Kingdom was hiring cksmiths. Those thoughts now changed. They couldn¡¯t deny Grid who was even recognized by a god.


    The number of cksmiths moving to the Overgeared Kingdom started to get out of hand, causing the other kingdoms to suffer a famine of cksmiths. Now it was harder to produce and distribute weapons to the army. In particr, Valha, an emerging kingdom, suffered a huge blow. Having recently conquered and absorbed the Ultina Kingdom, Valha was once again a target of the empire¡¯s wariness and needed to quickly gain armaments. However, it was impossible to produce weapons without any cksmiths.


    Ares was troubled because he could foster new troops with his skills, but he couldn¡¯t arm them with any weapons.


    ¡°We have to ask Grid to send cksmiths for support right now!¡±His aides urged him.


    Feeling troubled, Ares questioned them, ¡°Isn¡¯t it shameful? Why do we keep reaching out our hands to Grid? Every time! Every time! It¡¯s like we can¡¯t do anything if we don¡¯t rely on Grid!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t reaching out our hands. It is a reasonable request. Isn¡¯t the shortage of cksmiths caused by Grid? We have the right to get back the cksmiths he took away...¡±


    ¡°Grid didn¡¯t take the cksmiths away. They chose to leave!¡±Ares blushed with embarrassment at the aides¡¯ absurd ims. Ares felt rmed as he realized the most important thing that hecked. It was the ability to gather people around him. People¡ªthat¡¯s what he wascking.


    ¡®Do I deserve to be a king?¡¯


    Ares was seriously troubled by this. However, his subordinates knew that he wasn¡¯tcking charisma. If Ares really didn¡¯t have it, then all of them wouldn¡¯t be gathered here. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers wouldn¡¯t have supported Ares, and he wouldn¡¯t have been able to establish a kingdom in the first ce.


    ¡®Grid is too much of a scam.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The problem was that Grid¡¯s ability to gather people far exceeded Ares¡¯. Some of Ares¡¯ troops started to rebel against Grid, who was unintentionally causing events that Lauel wanted.


    ***


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    After the match with a god, Grid headed straight to the Vatican. Damian rushed over after hearing about Grid¡¯s visit and asked on behalf of the elders, ¡°What did you do to be considered the benefactor of a god?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give a more detailed exnationter. First of all, guide me to the holy sword.¡±


    ¡°The holy sword...¡±


    The sword had once again been devoured by the curse and was now safely stored in an underground warehouse. The sadness and sense of loss that the Reba members felt about the cursed holy sword was so great that they hid it away from view.


    Then what was this?


    ¡°T-The holy sword!¡±


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhhh!¡±


    Damian and the elders marveled after guiding Grid to the warehouse. It was because the sword which had been covered in darkness was now radiating a bright light. The Stone of Original Sin had vanished without a trace from the holy sword.


    ¡°T-The curse was released! Don¡¯t tell me...?!¡± Stunned, Damian and elders instantly stared at Grid. They realized that the person who got rid of the curse on the holy sword had been Grid.


    -...To take away the sin of envy.You are definitely an amazing human.


    Grid was listening to the voice of the seven malignant saints.

 Chapter 895

    -Before Pagma was born, there was a cksmith called Bultar.Was he worshipped as a legend like you and Pagma?No, he was a very ordinary cksmith.However, he worked hard.For the sake of those who needed his skills, he never left the furnace and his skin was always red.


    Who was the owner of this cold and cynical voice? Grid was still unaware of who exactly this second voice belonged to.


    ¡®God¡¯s Command is the power of the fourth evil, so is it Taren¡¯s voice?¡¯


    In any case, it wasn¡¯t important. Darkness encroached Grid¡¯s eyes and then his location changed from the Vatican¡¯s warehouse to a shabby smithy.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a cksmith making various tools with crude workmanship. The cksmith¡¯s skin was red from the heat of the furnace, and he was covered with sweat. It was Bultar. He hammered desperately despite his fatigue and suffering.


    ¡®Why is he going so far?¡¯


    The reason was immediately apparent.


    ¡°Hey! Bultar! Isn¡¯t it ready yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done!¡±


    How many days had he gone without sleep? Bultar, who was dozing off and almost fell into the burning furnace, woke up when he heard the voice. The person who called out to Bultar was a viger. A small vige covered in pouring rain could be seen through the gap of the smithy¡¯s open door. The levee had broken, and the vige was being flooded. The vigers were struggling to minimize the disaster, and the only cksmith in the vige, Bultar, had been working day and night to make tools for the vigers.


    ¡°Bultar! I need 20 more shovels!¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone had a limit. It was the same for the legendary Grid. Working one more day or night would be difficult, but Bultar had to withstand it. He stayed in one ce for four days, hammering constantly. The amazing thing was that Bultar never showed any vigers he was having a tough time. He knew that his strength was needed to protect the vige.


    Additionally, he knew that if he talked about his limitations, the vigers would feel greater anxiety. Therefore, he worked without saying anything. He persevered to the end. This was the moment his mind transcended his flesh. Once he seeded in protecting the vige, a voice entered his ears.


    -He heard Reba¡¯s voice.


    Bultar was called by the goddess of light. The goddess imed that he had sacrificed himself for the sake of others and ovee his limits. She promised to give him strength that would make up for hiscking abilities. It was a situation where Bultar was blessed by the cksmith god, Hexetia. Blessed by Hexetia, Bultar became an iparable superior cksmith, praised by the people as one of the ¡®seven selected.¡¯


    -Afterward, Bultar kept trying hard.He was filled with a passion to be the best cksmith to repay Reba and Hexetia who blessed him. Nobody expected for this passion to be poisoned.


    Bultar was able to exert the ¡®Creation¡¯ power after polishing his skills. In addition to the millions of tools already on the ground, he started to create tools that were beneficial to humanity, and he soon made new minerals. The result?


    -Hexetia got jealous.


    Hexetia became furious once a human, whose achievements were trivial whenpared to a god¡¯s, started to be praised by humanity. The cksmith god then destroyed the human race. All types of minerals fell from the sky, and the ground boiled withva.


    -Bultar watched the people die, and thest piece he left behind was the Stone of Original Sin.


    The First Holy Sword was the greatest achievement Hexetia left behind. It was the reason why humans couldn¡¯t forget Hexetia. Bultar denied it. He sealed the sword with the sin of envy that Hexetia left behind and exterminated the evidence of Hexetia¡¯s achievements with humanity. It was the ¡®seven selected¡¯ who fought against the gods and helped humanity. Like Bultar, they were blessed by other gods. This was the birth of the seven malignant saints who the gods deemed evil.


    -In the end, we didn¡¯t stop the gods.The gods preached that the seven malignant saints were the original sin who threatened the earth.We fought for humanity, yet we became viins.


    ¡°...¡±


    The voice didn¡¯t express negative emotions such as resentment or anger. The main character of the unknown voice remained sarcastic to the end. He had learned how to control his grudge after hundreds or maybe a thousand years.


    -The seven of us were sealed between the ground and hell...Yes, the seven of us watched the gods.We hoped that their brilliant ¡®light¡¯, which once blinded us, would be revealed to the next generation.


    It was the feeling of grabbing at straws. The seven malignant saints wanted to believe in thepassion of the gods.


    -Yet the same thing repeated again. Hexetia felt jealous of Pagma and threatened humanity. The other gods ignored it or helped, but we were convinced.The rise or fall of humanity is only determined by their whims. This world is merely something created for their entertainment.


    The seven malignant saints were desperate. They thought that a generation without their presence would suffer from the crisis of annihtion, that the human race would disappear from the world. However, the result was different from what they expected.


    The gods had consumed a great deal of power in the war against the seven malignant people and weren¡¯t in perfect condition. This meant they were forced to borrow the hands of hell. 1st Great Demon Baal received the demands of the gods and stood on Pagma¡¯s side. This time, the gods were Baal¡¯s entertainment.


    Humanity was saved thanks to Pagma and Baal. Since then, 200 years passed.


    -It is now this era.


    The seven malignant saints were weaker, and the talents of the legends were infinitely weaker than the previous generations. In particr, the fact that Pagma¡¯s Descendant won the title of Hero King instead of the Sword Saint and that there was no substitute for the Undefeated King was huge.


    What if Hexetia¡¯s jealousy were triggered now? Humanity would once again step on the path of destruction. The seven malignant saints were determined. They wouldn¡¯t wander as ghosts any longer and would give their remaining power to the inexperienced heroes of this time. Although they would perish, they hoped humanity would be protected. However...


    -...You changed the flow.


    To think that Grid removed the envy, the source of one of the seven sins...? The seven malignant saints were amazed at Grid¡¯s ridiculous aplishment of changing Hexetia. This Hero King had seemed so infinitely smallpared to the past generations, yet they now realized that he was greater than anyone else.


    -The next six sins that the gods willmit are dyed, and for a time, humanity will walk on the path of peace.


    Of course, the peace that was discussed here was merely avoiding punishment.


    -The war between humans, whomit more sins than the gods do every day, will continue for a lifetime...Well, that isn¡¯t a problem for us to intervene in.


    The conversation wasing to an end. As the voice faded out, Grid asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    -I...


    It was said to be the greatest sin.


    -I am the 7th evil, ¡®Corruption.¡¯


    After thisst answer, darkness exploded. Grid¡¯s consciousness became distant as he couldn¡¯t see anything in front of him.


    ¡°...Grid!¡±


    Once he opened his eyes again, Grid found that he was being supported by Damian and the elders of the Reba Church. This was the moment when Grid¡¯s spirit, which had been flowing with the quest, returned to reality.


    ¡°Ah...¡±Grid noticed that he was holding the perfect form of the First Holy Sword.


    ¡°The curse was released!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are really great! King Grid is always helping the church! I can¡¯t help respecting the faith that you always show to Goddess Reba! Hahaha!¡±


    The elders shook and made a fuss. Even if they hadn¡¯t witnessed him doing it, they believed that Grid had cleansed the First Holy Sword. It was an infinite trust. Well, it was natural. All of them were already on the verge of deifying Grid.


    ¡°...This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±Grid felt burdened as the elderly people stared at him. He handed the sword to Damian, who was still looking anxious. ¡°The sword won¡¯t be eroded by the curse again in the future. The symbol of Reba willst forever.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Damian held the sword and opened his mouth, only to stop. He opened and closed his mouth several times. ¡°Did you enjoy the adventure?¡±


    Damian had witnessed the world message like everyone else. In fact, there was something else he wanted to say. He wanted to thank Grid but also apologize for the suffering Grid received every time he got tangled up with the Reba Church. Yet Damian suppressed his words was because he didn¡¯t see any shadows on Grid¡¯s face. Instead, there was a smile on Grid¡¯s face as his eyes stared at a distant ce. He didn¡¯t seem tired at all. It would be rude to say these words when Grid was ready to explore a new world.


    Grid replied, ¡°Yes, I had a great time.¡±


    Having seen a god and changed the world, he felt like a hero in the myths. Grid was filled with a huge sense of achievement as the protagonist of the world.


    [The quest has beenpleted!]


    [In the course ofpleting the Cleanse the Holy Sword quest, a new Pagma episode has opened and a new swordsmanship has been acquired. You have gained the goddess¡¯ blessing aspensation.]


    [You have heard Goddess Reba¡¯s warm voice.]


    -Bless you.


    ¡°...¡±


    Now, Grid had two blessings from the goddess. Prior to enhancing Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and cksmithing, he was filled with a strange sense of goosebumps.


    ¡®What is Goddess Reba¡¯s sin?¡¯


    Goddess Reba was the supreme god. She knew everything that happened in the world. However, she still had a great liking instead of wariness toward Grid who interfered with the seven malignant saints and blocked Hexetia¡¯s envy. It was an attitude of denying that she was even involved with the seven malignant saints. Still, the seven malignant saints were wary of the goddess, and Braham called the goddess wicked.


    ¡®Hrmm.¡¯ An unknown opponent was truly scary. Grid¡¯s wariness towards the goddess increased. That didn¡¯t mean he resisted her blessings though. It was a blessing he¡¯d won after putting in hard work, and he was prepared to use it thoroughly.


    ¡°Ah, before that,¡± Grid asked Damian on the way out of the warehouse, ¡°Do you feel like a spar?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Damian panicked at the question and replied after thinking about it, ¡°I can¡¯t damage you even if I hit you, and if you hit me, I can die in one shot. Therefore, I feel a lot of pressure to try not to get hit as much as possible while hitting you, but the barrier of the God Hands is difficult...¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±Grid was agonizing over the new sword he¡¯d made in Asgard.


    The God Hands were a trump card made to supplement what he wascking. Therefore, he wondered if it was okay to bind the pavranium in its current form of a sword.


    ¡®There is a certain chance of summoning a God Hand when attacking, but it won¡¯tst indefinitely.¡¯


    The de Aiming at the Gods might have an advantage in physical attack power, but it didn¡¯t affect magic attack power and its wide area damage was far below that of the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡®Contempt of the Weak doesn¡¯t work on transcendents.¡¯


    For ordinary yers, it could cause death with one blow, but he could do that through other methods. The usefulness of Contempt of the Weak wasn¡¯t as significant.


    ¡®I have to experiment and determine what the lightning and golden clouds are.¡¯


    He needed confirmation. Feeling determined, Grid grabbed Damian¡¯s shoulder andughed. ¡°How long has it been since we sparred?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Recalling that thest time had been when Grid made the Enlightenment Sword, the pope¡¯s face turned white. ¡°Yamete kudasai!¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to? Hmm, then I will ask Isabel.¡±


    ¡°...I will spar with you.¡±


    How many men in the world would allow the woman they loved to be a punching bag? The weeping Damian epted the match. The stage of the confrontation was the beautiful garden that the Vatican was proud of. After hearing the rumors, the yers belonging to the Reba Church came over. The yers knew Pope Damian¡¯s skills, which had be iparable stronger since the 3rd National Competition, and couldn¡¯t easily guess who the winner of the spar would be. Damian¡¯s growth might be less developed than Grid¡¯s, but Damian was already one of the best in the world.

 Chapter 896

    ¡°...¡±Grid¡¯s expression was serious as he faced his opponent. It wasn¡¯t much different from when he met Kraugel in the PvP finals. It was because the opponent was Damian. This was despite the fact that Grid¡¯s winning percentage against Damian was 100%.


    ¡®He is dangerous in his full buff state.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s unique ss, Goddess¡¯ Agent, and his status as the pope undoubtedly made him the best among the yers. In particr, Damian used various buffs and was able topete with Grid in terms of firepower.


    ¡®The important thing to take note of is Goddess¡¯ Wrath.¡¯


    Once Damian drew two big magic circles in the air, it was a good idea to avoid a frontal battle. The magic pirs fired from the magic circles boasted overwhelming firepower reminiscent of an anti-tank gun. Previously, Grid had the protection of the God Hands and could win rtively easily, but...


    ¡®Right now, I don¡¯t have the God Hands.¡¯


    Grid had to weigh the pros and cons. He had sacrificed the Sword Mastery, cksmithing skills, and the possible development of the growth of the God Hands to make a new sword. It was necessary for him to confirm the value of the item that reced the God Hands.


    ¡®Based on the performance, the sword is much better than the God Hands. However, I need to look at its effectiveness in a match.¡¯


    Grid wanted the current form of the pavranium to be better than when it had been the God Hands.


    First of all, he liked the cksmithing hammer too much. He didn¡¯t want to give up the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods which increased the probability of making myth rated items while decreasing the probability of making normal and rare rated items to 0%.


    ¡®The difference when I have the hammer is like the difference between heaven and earth.¡¯


    If he devoted the same amount of time, money, and effort to make an item, the result would be influenced by ¡®luck.¡¯ From the viewpoint of Grid who was always careful when making an item, it made him ill if the finished product had a normal or rare rating. The damage was serious. If he used the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods, he would be able to make an item that was at least epic rated and would avoid any damages. As such, he couldn¡¯t avoid feeling greedy over the hammer.


    ¡®However, if my cksmithing ability increases in return for mybat ability falling, there will be many limitations on my activities. I have to be careful.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath and pressed the button of the Pulling Device, causing the Enlightenment de¡ªwhich was connected to the silver thread¡ªto spin in their air. It spun dozens of times per second around Grid, making Damian feel tense. The pulling device joined items together into the shape of a clear sword.


    Damian¡¯s face was already pale since early on. He had experienced being beaten like a dog by the Enlightenment Sword, so he couldn¡¯t help feeling fearful now. Damian shrank back and lost his fighting spirit.


    ¡°I will cheer for Your Holiness!¡±


    ¡°Receive Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing!¡±


    However, Damian couldn¡¯t back down from the moment he agreed to duel with Grid. How could he show weakness to the hundreds of church members who were cheering for him?


    ¡°Your Holiness...¡±


    ¡°Isabel-chan...¡±


    The woman he loved was also among those gathered. Damian wanted to be a great guy in front of her. Despite having no chance to win this match, he wanted to show his best abilities to the end.


    ¡®Watch me, Isabel-chan! I¡¯ll show you a man¡¯s fight.¡¯Damian¡¯s eyes were filled with this desire as he looked at her.


    ¡°Please fight in moderation before yielding. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±These were Isabel¡¯s words.She said this because she was worried about Damian, but she was also telling Damian that he wasn¡¯t a match for Grid. It was something that Damian acknowledged himself.


    ¡®Still, I am a bit sad.¡¯


    He wanted to be the best person to the woman he loved! Damian¡¯s fighting spirit was once again ignited.


    ¡°Divine Protection, Incarnation of Light, Goddess¡¯ Blessing.¡±


    [Divine Protection increases the defense of you and your party by 30% for 5 minutes.]


    [Incarnation of Light increases the attack power of you and your party by 20% for 5 minutes.]


    [The Goddess¡¯ Blessing increases you and your party members¡¯ stats by 15% for 7 minutes, negates one strike, and will create a shield that absorbs 12,000 damage.]


    sh!sh!sh!


    Damian¡¯s body became surrounded with light as he continuously used buff skills. The performance of his buffs had improvedpared to the time of the 3rd National Competition. This was natural since the skill level had increased. Damian had also grown, and although this growth could be a poison, it was just enough to stimte the Hero King.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy has started to boil!]


    As Damian used his buffs and became stronger, the red and purple aura around Grid started to thicken. Damian jumped with surprise and shouted, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy!¡±


    Conscious of Isabel¡¯s gaze, Damian didn¡¯t lose his fighting spirit. A small golden magic circle appeared above Damian¡¯s left shoulder as he held his sword. It was like a miniature version of the magic circles which appeared when Goddess¡¯ Wrath was used.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    The moment that Grid became alert of this, a sh of light emerged from the small golden circle. The power of Goddess¡¯ Anger was four times weaker than Goddess¡¯ Wrath, but it was possible to always keep it activated as it consumed lesser resources. Grid was hit by the sh of light. An explosion urred at the point where Grid was standing, causing the Reba followers to feel in awe while the elders groaned.


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness! Why are you attacking so suddenly? Don¡¯t you dare kill him!¡±


    ¡°No, that person...¡±


    Why was the pope being treated as the viin? Since when did the elders like Grid so much? Damian was embarrassed by the elders¡¯ attitude and started sweating nervously. Then the smoke was slowly removed from the area of the explosion, and Grid appeared there unharmed.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Goddess¡¯ Anger consumed less magic power and had a higher minimum damage. No matter how high Grid¡¯s magic resistance was, it should possible for Damian to deal Grid 7,000 fixed damage. Damian found it hard to understand why Grid had no wounds.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Damian was confused while the elders were shocked, although they didn¡¯t show it because of their status. Meanwhile, the ordinary members of the Reba Church couldn¡¯t even close their mouths. A sight beyondmon sense was unfolding before them.A beautiful ivory de was moving alone in the air and guarding Grid.


    That¡¯s right. A de had reced the role of the God Hands.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Pavranium was the exclusive item of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Other people didn¡¯t know the secrets and functions hidden within it. So, it was impossible for Damian and the other followers to know that the de that just appeared had been made out of the God Hands. Meanwhile, Grid analyzed the de Aiming at the Gods.


    ¡®The reaction rate is the same as when it was the God Hands.¡¯


    This was natural. The pavranium protected Grid and reacted to the enemies at the same speed, whether it was in the form of a disc or the God Hands. It was easy to predict that this would stay the same even after it became a de. There was just one surprising thing.


    ¡®It seems that the total damage it can receive has increased?¡¯


    The pavranium would normally freeze for a while once it received damage beyond a certain amount and lose its original function. The discs and God Hands would be stiff for one second every time they received more than 10,000 damage, yet the de endured 10,000 and was still fine.


    ¡®It is because the amount of pavranium in the de is more than there was in the God Hands? Or is it the result ofbining it with other minerals?¡¯


    It was likely to be due to both. Grid¡¯s smiled with satisfaction and provoked Damian, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try a proper attack instead of this small one?¡±


    Grid¡¯s insight was now above normal. He was aware that Damian was conscious of Isabel in the crowd.


    ¡°If you want it!¡± As expected, Damian wanted to show a nice appearance to Isabel and responded to the provocation. If Grid were the ¡®enemy¡¯ and if this were a real battlefield, he would beughing. Tworge magic circles, which were 3 meters in diameter, were created above Damian¡¯s shoulders. Grid knew what this phenomenon was. It was the precursor to the strongest skill that showed the dignity of the pope.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Wrath!¡± Damian first triggered only one of the two magic circles. A sh of light was fired and hit Grid. It was iparablyrger than Goddess¡¯ Anger. The shockwave that followed shook the entire garden, and the church members started to fall.


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± There was a barrage of criticisms from the elders. They resented Damian, whounched an enormous attack on the church¡¯s benefactor.


    ¡°Who cares now?¡±Damian dismissed them as he looked in front of him. The pir of light was shing with the ivory de. This was the moment when the pope¡¯s strongest technique was easily weakened. The sh faded, and the de froze in ce, shaking.


    Grid¡¯s lips curved as he watched it. ¡®30,000!¡¯


    It was a huge 30,000 damage. The de Aiming at the Gods would only be frozen if the damage was over 30,000. It could absorb 20,000 more damage than the God Hands.


    ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t bad... Eh?¡±


    The frozen state of the de Aiming at the Gods wasn¡¯t over yet! Damian attacked during this gap. A new sh of light was fired from one of the two huge magic circles, and it reached Grid.


    ¡®This is bad!¡¯


    This de was still frozen! It was burdensome for Grid to receive this attack that would deal at least 70,000 damage.


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯Grid stopped just as he was trying to swing the Enlightenment Sword to offset some of the damage. Then he pulled out the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods from his inventory. The hammer met the sh of light that was about to hit Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Hat..!¡± Grid burst outughing. He recalled that the hammer was also made of pavranium and then started a sword dance. It was the sword dance for Transcend. The atmosphere surrounding Grid boiled. His attack power increased, and his attacks were transformed into ranged ones.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this a scam? Damian could only fight in closebat, so it became more difficult for him to deal with Grid, who started to fly into the distance. Damian had to set up a shield and crouch like a turtle while slowly narrowing the distance. Unlike Grid who could freely move while swinging his sword, Damian had to shoot magic while hiding behind a shield. This caused his hit rate to drop substantially. At this time, Damian¡¯s shield was pointed upward in front of him. It was set up like a wall to constantly block the many strikes. This meant that the de Aiming at the Gods pierced Damian¡¯s unprotected side easily.


    [You have suffered 8,170 damage.]


    ¡°Keuk?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t swing it, but it moved by itself. To think that the de which could only exert its own attack power actually dealt so much damage to the fully buffed Damian...? The damage wasn¡¯t much differentpared to when he was directly hit by Grid.


    A chill went down Damian¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Link.¡±Grid used Freely Move to appear by Damian¡¯s side and used a new swordsmanship.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute! Time!¡± Damian cried out, but Grid didn¡¯t stop. In the course of the sword dance, the Enlightenment de fell off the sword and was reced by the de Aiming at the Gods. This was the birth of the Sword Aiming at the Gods.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to die in sparring mode anyway?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good...!¡±Damian shouted urgently, but Grid still had many things to check. It wasn¡¯t worthwhile to Grid for them to stop the spar now. Grid swung the sword, and a lightning bolt fell over Damian¡¯s head while golden clouds appeared in the sky.


    Then a transparent God Hand hovered around Grid. Grid felt it was stillcking and asked the enraptured elders, ¡°Elders, can you participate as well? Help the pope in his spar with me...¡±


    The elders shook their heads. They were incredibly terrified as they looked at Grid, who waspletely fine, and then at Damian, who was injured on the ground.


    ¡®We can¡¯t make him angry...!¡¯ In the minds of the elders, Grid¡¯s presence was bing so big that he wasparable to the goddess. It wasn¡¯t too long before Grid gained a new deity stat point.

 Chapter 897

    [The Sword Aiming at the Gods was born after being smelted and forged in Asgard: First World.]


    [The energy of Asgard: First World is released from the Sword Aiming at the Gods.]


    [Golden clouds have appeared!]


    [The golden clouds will be the bridge between you and Asgard: First World.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The golden clouds that descended from the sky wereyered like stairs. It felt like they were telling Grid to step on them and climb into the sky.


    ¡°Oh...! Ohh?!¡±


    ¡°A bridge to the goddess...!¡±


    The Reba members were fascinated. The elders were frightened of Grid while being captivated by the golden clouds. Heaven existed! The golden clouds of stairs proved there was meaning in their lifelong faith and infinite worship in all those who served a god.


    [The appearance of the golden clouds has amplified the morale of all those who serve the gods. During the three minute summoning time of the golden clouds, all those who serve a god will have their attack and defense increased by 10%.]


    [Everyone who doesn¡¯t serve a god will feel terrified by the golden clouds. During the three minute summoning time of the golden clouds, their attack and defense will decrease by 10%.]


    [You serve multiple gods, so your attack power and defense have increased by 10%.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±Grid sighed.


    Those who served a god and those who didn¡¯t...


    After dividing humanity into these two types, the power of the golden clouds, which generated a global buff and debuff, turned out to be below Grid¡¯s expectations. Grid had hoped that the golden clouds were a powerful wide area attack skill like the ck mes explosion.


    Yet what was this wide area debuff and buff? The buffs and debuffs didn¡¯t even distinguish between friend and foe. Right now, the Overgeared members had visited the Hexetia Temple and had the status of serving Hexetia. Then what about other yers? Grid spected that many yers had already joined a religion. It meant that people could receive the golden clouds buff even if they didn¡¯t have a ss like a pdin or priest.


    ¡®If these clouds are summoned in the middle of a battlefield...¡¯


    The war situation might significantly tilt depending on how many soldiers had joined a religion. Just looking at the Saharan Empire, the Reba Church was a state religion.


    ¡®It is aplete mess... No, at least I will receive minimal damage if I have all my people serve the Hexetia Temple...¡¯


    In any case, it was below expectations. The golden clouds weren¡¯t very appealing to Grid who had been able to gain an overwhelming power after the Astaroth raid. Then something happened. It was as if his disappointment was noticed.


    [The baby angels at the other end of the golden clouds touching the highest heaven are reaching out. The angels have a great interest in the ground. However, they can¡¯te down to the ground because they know the summoning time of the golden clouds is short.]


    [The linked skill of the golden clouds, Angel¡¯s Aria, has failed to activate.]


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡®Angel¡¯s Aria?¡¯Grid¡¯s disappointment quickly disappeared as he recalled the young angels he had met in the world of the gods. He felt anticipation now that he knew the golden clouds could be a tform for a special skill, not just buffs and debuffs.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°...¡± Damian was ovee with pained frustration as hey on the ground. What was defeat? It was denying his own efforts and value. Damian admired and respected Grid more than anyone else, but this was separate from losing. He felt ashamed and humiliated at being defeated every time hepeted with Grid.


    ¡®Putting my pride aside, it is a real problem. This is why Grid is disappointed with me.¡¯


    Damian had grown as time passed, but he still seemed weak. He felt like he disappointed Grid and was anxious, despite being the pope. Damian wanted to prove his worth. He wanted to prove his past efforts. Yes, time was equal to everyone. Just as Grid went through all types of incidents after the 3rd National Competition, Damian was the same. He shouldn¡¯t be defeated in such a manner. Damian raised his body that had been burned with lightning. He didn¡¯t rely heavily on the 10% increase in attack and defense that appeared thanks to Grid¡¯s golden clouds as he knew that Grid was likely to have received a simr buff.


    ¡°Goddess¡¯ Breath.¡±A light surrounded Damian, and his health was restored to 100%.


    Grid saw his fighting spirit and looked surprised. ¡°Do you still want to continue?¡±


    Damian hadn¡¯t wanted this duel from the beginning. Thinking he would lose, he had started the fight with a dejected spirit. Grid had been somewhat disappointed with that. Where had the old Damian gone? This was the man who fought against the corrupted Pope Drevigo, the farmer Piaro, and the sky above the sky Kraugel. His conviction had never dampened.


    However, Damian had changed little by little after bing pope. He had worried over the status of a pope more than his own beliefs and gradually bowed his courage under the pretext that it was for the church. It was the same for this spar. A few years ago, Damian would have been happy just sparring, but now he was only crying. He had the attitude of not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his beloved Isabel but showed no fighting spirit to ovee Grid.


    Unlike Grid, Damian had gotten weak. Grid was bound to think of Damian like this and felt manyplicated emotions. Damian¡¯s change, which could be evaluated as maturing in some way, was bittersweet and painful. Yet at this moment...


    ¡°I will continue. It might be one-sided, but it is problem if Grid doesn¡¯t feel any fun.¡± Damian was regaining his old self. He threw off the cumbersome white clothing that symbolized a pope.


    ¡°Your Holiness!¡± The elders frowned and rebuked him. They didn¡¯t like Damian¡¯s behavior of casting aside the pope¡¯s clothing in front of the congregation. The usual Damian would¡¯ve scratched his head andughed awkwardly. Instead, he said, ¡°It is ufortable. I can¡¯t fight while wearing it. What am I supposed to do when the fabric catches on armor every time I move?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please respect the fact that unlike other popes, I am a pdin and not a priest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the first pope fight in armor instead of clothing when sealing Marie Rose?¡±


    He felt good as he watched the elders close their mouths. Then he pointed his sword at Grid. Damian still had 1 minute and 10 seconds left on his buffs.


    ¡°I am going to use all my power.¡±


    This time, he didn¡¯t pay attention to the eyes of the church¡¯s members and Isabel. Damian would fight for himself. He would also discard the pope¡¯s dignity. Reading Damian¡¯s determination, Gridughed. ¡°Okay. Come, Damian.¡±


    Then he quickly pulled four hammers out of his inventory.They were the Mjolnirs which could cause a target to be stiff. Of course, the Ultimate Enhanced Mjolnir was included. Grid was curious. Was it possible for the God Hands made by the Sword Aiming at the Gods to wear equipment?


    ¡®Indeed?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s new God Hands were able to wear equipment. If equipment couldn¡¯t be worn, they would be toocking inparison to the old God Hands. The semi-translucent God Hands grabbed the Mjolnirs from Grid, meaning that equipment could definitely be worn.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    The pulling device was used. The de Aiming at the Gods fell off and was reced by the Enlightenment de. Grid equipped himself with the ming ck sword, while the God Hands and de Aiming at the Gods moved around him.


    ¡®If I make good use of defense magic, I have a chance to counterattack.¡¯Damian tried not to be daunted by the fraudulent abilities Grid was disying.


    The God Hands rushed toward Damian. Damian was aware he would be defeated if he allowed even one hit from the hammer, so he summoned a number of small light shields in the air to neutralize the God Hands as much as possible. The de Aiming at the Gods was blown away. Damian wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be hit by the same move again. He showed a gap as he twisted his hips and swung his sword.


    ¡°Drop.¡±Grid used the skill that had the shortest activation time among Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. He didn¡¯t take it easy. In order to show his respect to Damian, Grid would fight seriously. This was his power. Damian blocked it with a huge square shield. It was as if he expected Grid to attack, so he used the shield to block Drop without even moving his eyes.


    [The Square Divine Light Shield has absorbed the powerful shock!]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased by 67.]


    [Your left hand holding a shield has been paralyzed temporarily.]


    [You have ovee the paralysis with your high status resistance.]


    ¡°Kuk...!¡±


    As expected, a scam was a scam. The durability of the shield designed for defense had been reduced by two digits, making it questionable if the shield was doing its job properly. A sh of light emerged from the small magic circle above Damian¡¯s shoulder after countering Grid¡¯s offensive. The shes struck the God Hands and the de Aiming at the Gods continuously, making the God Hands stiffen.


    On the other hand, the de Aiming at the Gods moved smoothly and cut Damian, interrupting the illusion that Damian was in a 1 vs 1 match instead of a 1 vs 2 match. There was a bigger problem.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    Damian was a powerhouse, but this was his mistake. As the years passed by, the gap between Damian and Grid hadn¡¯t narrowed. The reason wasn¡¯t because his efforts werecking or because he had the wrong mindset. The problem was that Grid was the Hero King. As Damian became stronger, he stimted Grid¡¯s fighting energy to a greater extent. Grid was able to umte fighting energy faster because of Damian¡¯s strength.


    [The Square Divine Light Shield has absorbed the powerful shock!]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased by 35.]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased by 31.]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased by 39.]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased by 20.]


    [The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has decreased...]


    [Warning! The durability of the Square Divine Light Shield has reached its limit!]


    Grid unleashed an onught without stopping.


    [The Square Divine Light Shield has been destroyed!]


    The huge square shield which had protected Damian from numerous threats so far cracked and then turned to gray.


    ¡°Nani?! Pope¡¯s Charity! Goddess¡¯ Protection!¡±Damian tried simultaneously casting a healing skill and a shield skill.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡± Grid¡¯s powerful attack dealt a critical blow to Damian who had just lost his shield. Damian¡¯s health fell down to 1 point, and his defeat in the spar was announced.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...!¡± Damian¡¯s face became shadowed as he was injured. He felt ashamed because of his terrible defeat and wondered if he was qualified to be Grid¡¯s colleague. At that moment...


    [You have heard Goddess Reba¡¯s warm voice.]


    -You, my agent, need to be stronger.


    Damian¡¯s unique ss of Goddess¡¯ Agent encountered a change.


    [The goddess of light is the pinnacle of all gods and thinks that you, as the Goddess¡¯ Agent, also needs to be at the pinnacle.]


    [The goddess has witnessed your many defeats against the same opponent and feels terrible enough to make a trial.]


    [The ss quest ¡®To Truly be the Goddess¡¯ Agent...¡¯ has been created.]


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    What conditions had he met unknowingly? It might not be Grid¡¯s intention, but shouldn¡¯t Damian be thankful to Grid?


    ¡°Good job. It was really fun to fight against you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Damian finally looked up from where he had been sitting without grabbing Grid¡¯s outstretched hand. He saw Grid with the sun behind him. There wasn¡¯t pity but pride in Grid¡¯s eyes as he looked at Damian. He had beat Damian easily, but Grid acknowledged Damian instead of ignoring or being disappointed in him.


    Damian¡¯s grip on the grass strengthened. Grid looked like a person who had fallen from the sky. Every time, this person was a great help to Damian. Grid was like a person who only existed for him.


    ¡°You... You truly...¡± Damian couldn¡¯t exin this feeling. He was unable to endure the surging emotions, and his eyes reddened.


    ¡®Crying all of a sudden?¡¯ Grid was at a loss for words as tears filled the eyes of the beautiful young man. ¡°W-What is it? Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I will naturally reimburse you for the shield. I will make a far better shield. So, please calm down...¡± Grid couldn¡¯t finish speaking.


    Damian suddenly stood up and hugged him tightly. It was a hug from a pretty man...


    ¡°W-What?¡± Feeling ufortable, Grid tried to pull Damian off.


    Still, Damian clung to him like a leech. ¡°Daisuki! Grid-sama aishiteru!!¡±


    ¡°L-Let go!¡±


    To think that Damian was confessing his love while hugging Grid... as hundreds of Reba followers watched, including yers...? Grid felt bitter. He was seriously worried that Damian was deliberately messing with him due to the loss of the shield.


    That evening...


    [Pope Damian¡¯s confession of love to the Overgeared King!]


    [Damian¡¯s worship of Grid originated from private feelings...?]


    Media outlets around the world started to release unpleasant articles. In particr, the women¡¯s magazines which enjoyed gossip featured these articles. Grid was an undisputed world star as every move he made was turned into a story. He was the best star who had been popr ever since he appeared in public!


    It¡¯s just that...


    ¡°Dammit. How annoying.¡±Grid himself felt very ufortable. The number of members in the Grid Anti-Fans Cafe was skyrocketing due to the rumors that he was a garbage yboy.


    ¡®Well, whatever. I was able to figure out various things from the spar with Damian, so it isn¡¯t a loss.¡¯


    Grid decided to hold off on disposing of the hammer and de Aiming at the Gods for the time being. It was difficult to abandon the exponential rise in production ability, and the versatility of the de wasn¡¯t thatckingpared to the God Hands. He had another problem to worry about in the future.


    ¡°How can I secure more pavranium?¡±


    It was clear that the more pavranium he obtained, the stronger he could be. Was there a way to gain more pavranium?


    ¡°...Ah?¡± Grid suddenly thought of his clone in hell.

 Chapter 898

    Grid was reminded of the 41st ind on the Behen Archipgo. The small ind had given him a clear and sinct mission¡ªto fight against himself and win.


    ¡®The clone...¡¯


    At the time, it had reproduced all of Grid¡¯s information. The clone had used the same skills based on Grid¡¯s stats, had betterbat abilities, and had been able to fuse sword dances. He had worn the same items as Grid and also had the God Hands, but his use of the God Hands was much better than Grid¡¯s. Unlike Grid who couldn¡¯t focus on giving delicatemands to the God Hands, the clone had inherited the super intelligence of the super named NPC and couldpletely control the God Hands. In any case, Grid had somehow beat the clone.


    ¡®The clone has God Hands, so I can secure more pavranium by taking his God Hands.¡¯Grid was able toe to this conclusion. In fact, until rtively recently, Grid had forgotten about his clone. He had never dreamed that the clone he had killed on the 41st ind would still be alive. However, Yura then told him that his clone was in hell. It seemed Grid¡¯s dark-skinned version was looking for him. Grid was able to instantly realize that the clone had died in ckening mode and fallen to hell, surviving until the present.


    ¡®The reason why Belial was surprised to see me was probably because of the clone.¡¯


    It was normal to fall to hell when dying in ckening mode and then get expelled from hell when ckening ended. Still, it was presumed that the clone had been in hell for years.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t receive an answer to his question. It was virtually impossible for a yer to understand every game setting. He just needed to ept and cope with the current situation.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid tapped on the table while thinking. It was because his clone was in hell that he desired to maintain the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods and the de Aiming at the Gods. He wanted to steal the clone¡¯s God Hands as soon as possible.


    ¡®Of course, there is no guarantee that the God Hands will drop when I kill the clone.¡¯


    At present, he needed new God Hands. To be exact, he needed to secure more pavranium from the clone. So, it was worth trying. There was a problem though.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know the path to move to hell...¡¯


    In the past, Grid had been defeated by his clone several times. To be honest, the clone had been much stronger than Grid. He might have had the same stats as Grid, but the clone had the artificial intelligence of a super named NPC and had disyed an overwhelmingbat ability. However, Grid had won in the end. Based on Item Creation, he had produced the Motley il and won by purely relying on luck.


    ¡®I have be stronger over thest few years.¡¯


    His skill levels had gone beyond the clone¡¯s skills. Grid had also gained God¡¯s Command, the titles of First King, and Hero King, as well as the powers of several named bosses such as Belial and Astaroth onto his rune. There were also the goddess¡¯ blessings which he obtained this time and the special event that happened when he made six myth rated items. It was true that Grid was currentlypletely different from when he entered the 41st ind. Grid believed that if he went to hell and met the clone now, he would be able to ovee the clone.


    ¡®I think I can win even if I fight with one hand.¡¯


    Of course, this belief onlysted a moment.


    ¡®Ah... Wait?¡¯


    Didn¡¯t Yura receive a fatal blow with a single strike? Would the clone from a few years ago be able to win against the current Yura?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Was the clone from a few years ago strong enough to embarrass the Great Demon Belial?


    ¡®That isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    At this moment, Grid perceived it clearly. His clone had also grown stronger over the past few years.


    ¡®Maybe. In the worst case scenario...¡¯


    The clone might be affected by Grid¡¯s growth. In fact, the clone might¡¯ve also gained God¡¯s Command when Grid got it, and he might have gotten fighting energy when Grid became the Hero King. It was a possibility which couldn¡¯t be ruled out when recalling that the clone had the characteristic of duplicating Grid¡¯s appearance and abilities.


    ¡®Even so, I can fight him.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. Even if the clone was stronger than him, Grid believed this.


    ¡®I can somehow win if I use the Motley il again. Okay, don¡¯t think too hard.¡¯


    In the end, Grid nned to rely on luck. He wasn¡¯t a fool just because he didn¡¯t prepare any measures. Instead, he was calmly grasping the situation. What measures could be prepared against an unknown enemy who couldn¡¯t be evaluated? It was a waste of time.


    ¡°Okay...¡±Grid made a decision and rose from his seat. He would go to hell and hunt the clone.


    -Yura, take me to hell.


    Yura was embarrassed by the random whisper.-Are you thinking of fighting against your clone?


    -Yes.I can¡¯t leave him alone.I have to get rid of this cheap shit.


    Grid wasn¡¯t just greedy for the pavranium. The clone was derived from Grid, and it might be possible for him to influence Grid one day if Grid left the clone alone. This influence might be in a bad direction. As such, Grid¡¯s mission was to hunt the clone. It couldn¡¯t be helped when he didn¡¯t know the clone was alive, but Grid couldn¡¯t stay still now that he knew about the clone¡¯s presence.


    -.....


    Yura was speechless for a moment, butit wasn¡¯t because she was impressed with Grid¡¯s determination.


    ¡®Shit...¡¯ Yura was called the world¡¯s most beautiful woman. Countless people praised her, and men tried to look good to her. Everyone was cautious with their words and gestures in front of her but not Grid. Grid had said the word ¡®shit¡¯ without hesitation. It became clear that he considered Yura as afortable friend, instead of a woman.


    <i>¡°</i><i>Hah...</i><i>¡±</i>


    -Yura?Did you go somewhere?Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?Ah, is it impossible for you to take another person to hell?


    -...No.I can take up to two other people.It would be a total of three people, including me.


    -Three people?


    Grid flinched. He said he was cleaning up shit, but it would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t afraid. After all, he would receive a death penalty if the clone was stronger than him, so he would rather fight with his colleagues. Of course, one person came to Grid¡¯s mind.


    -If you can bring one more person, let¡¯s take Euphemina.


    The only yer that Grid perceived as stronger than himself was Duplicator Euphemina. Yura agreed, -It is a good idea.We can count on her.


    Unlike Grid, Yura could objectively evaluate Euphemina. She wasn¡¯t afraid of Euphemina and had a solid grasp on her power. Yura didn¡¯t disagree that Euphemina was the strongest.She knew that Euphemina was one of the greatest yers whenever she copied the strongest skills. Moreover, she could use Mumud¡¯s magic.


    ¡®If the three of us join forces, there is no chance for the clone to win...¡¯


    Yura had watched the Grid vs Damian duel in the Vatican as it was ryed through OGC, the world¡¯s best gaming station. The media and public were amazed at how Grid had overpowered Damian easily, but Yura knew that Grid hadn¡¯t used all his power against Damian.


    ¡®It has been like this since the 3rd National Competition.¡¯


    Grid never exposed his true power against a yer. It was the same when dealing with Kraugel. Due to this, Yura believed that Grid¡¯s power was greater than what she imagined. If Gridbined forces with Euphemina who was the strongest conditionally, Yura believed they could ovee the clone. However, there was a problem.


    -Is Euphemina replying to you?


    -...?


    ***


    [A whisper has arrived, but you can¡¯t hear it.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s Skill Duplication wasn¡¯t universal. There was another realistic problem apart from the issues of having a limited number of times she could duplicate and the overload caused by overuse. Her Skill Duplication could duplicate a skill at 100%, but an unexpected penalty might ur. The master level Stealth that Euphemina was currently using had the realistic penalty of ¡®concentration.¡¯ She needed to focus in order to maintain the stealth. This meant that executing high speed movement, casting skills, and having conversations were forbidden since they all interfered with her concentration. It was an unreasonable penalty considering the fact that assassins who mastered the skill could move at high speeds, cast skills, and converse with other people while maintaining the stealth.


    ¡°...¡±Still, Euphemina was calm.


    After being a Duplicator for so many years, she was familiar with the penalties that urred. She naturally epted the penalty for maintaining the stealth since she wasn¡¯t an assassin.


    [A whisper has arrived, but you can¡¯t hear it.]


    Euphemina ignored the continuously rising messages. Rather than feeling curious toward whoever was whispering to her, she was more focused on what was happening in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Kik... Kikik...¡±


    It was already the third one. For some reason, Agnus was visiting the workshops of essory makers in every country. Yet by the time he reached them, the essory maker would already be dead and the guards med Agnus.


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡± Thest surviving guard dropped the spear in his hand. Yet Agnus didn¡¯t show him mercy. Agnus¡¯ de pierced the heart of the young guard.¡°...Kik.¡±


    Deep in the alley, Agnus stopped after losing all trackers.


    ¡°...Lu...na. Luna...¡±


    Stagger. Stagger.


    His body, mind, and spirit were like his empty eyes. He seemed exhausted. His mouth only repeated one name. No, Euphemina knew it was a nickname.


    ¡®Luna is Caroline...¡¯


    Euphemina was an unofficial ranker who was not on the leaderboards, but her informationwork and resourcefulness had allowed her to be at the top since the beginning of Satisfy. She couldn¡¯t be unaware of the information rted to Agnus¡ªthe target she must deal with to clear her ss change quest. That¡¯s why her heart ached even more.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Why did that man draw his lover, who was already dead in reality, in the game? She became terribly sad as she watched Agnus and felt cold from seeing the madness that covered up his sorrow. He looked like a huge beast baring its teeth, but he was actually small in front of reality.


    ¡°Lu...na.¡±


    Flop! It was a journey without any breaks. Agnus had fought countless enemies while feeling in despair and was already at his limit. Like a sand castle meant to break down from the beginning, he copsed. Agnus fell down and was unable to get up.


    Then a blonde girl approached in the darkness. It was the appearance of Euphemina, who could no longer just watch.


    ¡°You?¡± His facey against the cold floor, and his eyes shook as he watched the girl approach. She felt sad to see the wounded beast so scared.


    Euphemina made a bittersweet expression and extended a small hand to Agnus. ¡°Do you want to craft that stone?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Promise that you will release Mumud. Then I will help you.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    It was a world where there was only frustration and despair. Agnus¡¯ vision blurred as the fantasy of salvation appeared. Euphemina felt her heart drop as she saw Agnus¡¯ tears and struggled to calm down.¡°No reason. I just think it will be convenient.¡±

 Chapter 899

    The problem was excessive exhaustion.Agnus¡¯ fatigued body could only react reflexively. Slightly tearful, the expression on his face was distorted. The shaking of his pupils stopped, and his eyes became sharp and threatening.¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Agnus knew the girl who was lifting him up. It was Euphemina.She was a meritorious retainer of the Overgeared Kingdom, and she had helped with Valha¡¯s establishment. Agnus knew the rumor about how she was one of the people that Grid trusted most. Furthermore, wasn¡¯t she aiming for Mumud? So, why was she helping Agnus?


    ¡°Acha!¡±


    Duplicator Euphemina¡¯ s strength stat was low enough to beparable to a magician¡¯s. This was one of the reasons why she rarely duplicated physical attack skills that required the use of a ¡®weapon.¡¯ It was hard for her to support an adult male who weighed more than herself.


    ¡°Kuoong.¡± Finally, Euphemina sat beside Agnus, who was leaning against a wall, and pulled out a handkerchief.¡°Why are you looking at me like that? What is it? Do you want to wipe off your sweat as well?¡±


    ¡°Get lost,¡± Agnus growled out. He wasn¡¯t given the nickname of Mad Dog for nothing. Euphemina nervously put the handkerchief away as he asked again, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot? Why do you keep asking? Didn¡¯t I tell you from the beginning? I will help you.¡±


    ¡°...Hah?¡± Agnus was dumbfounded. The failure condition of the ¡®Mumud¡¯s Desire for Liberation¡¯ quest that popped up whenever Agnus saw Euphemina was for Agnus to be killed by Euphemina.In other words, Euphemina could clear her quest by killing Agnus. Yet she was helping Agnus instead of using this chance to kill him. Why?


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me?¡±


    ¡°Well... It won¡¯t be easy. Won¡¯t it be hard to deal you with a mortal wound when you can use Lich Transformation and recover your stamina instantly?¡±


    ¡°You have the power to neutralize that short period of resistance. Tell me honestly. What are you up to?¡±


    Agnus¡¯ only ally had been his dead lover. The other people he had encountered over the years were all enemies. Consequently, it was natural for him to be suspicious of Euphemina, who was one of Grid¡¯s closest people. Euphemina spoke with deliberately wide eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any friends? Why do you keep doubting people¡¯s good intentions? You should just ept it.¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to if you were me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You should rejoice at receiving the help of such a beautiful and pure woman. Doubting the goodwill of a beauty? Shouldn¡¯t you be kind to a beauty like me?¡±


    ¡°A kid...¡±


    ¡°Why are you calling me a big girl like me a kid?¡±


    Euphemina was an adult woman in her early 20s. However, she was 150 centimeters tall and had a young appearance that made it believable she was still in middle school. As such, she had a bit of aplex about it and was sensitive to the word ¡®kid.¡¯


    ¡°Big girl...?¡± Agnus started to observe the agitated Euphemina from head to toe. No matter how he looked at her, she was a kid.


    Euphemina¡¯s face turned red.¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean that type of big! It hasn¡¯t grown yet, but I¡¯m still an adult! I¡¯m not a kid!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Agnus wondered how he ended up having this conversation with Grid¡¯s friend. The situation was trulyughable. Agnus got up as his stamina had recovered. ¡°Get lost. I¡¯ll spare you once,¡±Agnus spoke in a patronizing rather than thankful manner.


    ¡°Did you hear wrong because you weren¡¯t sane before?¡± Euphemina threw him a temptation that was hard to resist. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I will help you craft the stone¡ªthe Stone of Life.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you free Mumud...!?¡±Euphemina didn¡¯t finish her words didn¡¯t finish though. The spot where she stood was suddenly swept away by an explosion. It was a huge explosion which devastated the 10 houses around the narrow alley. Euphemina¡¯s small body disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°...I¡¯ve found you.¡±


    This was the capital of the Murray Kingdom, Juden. Agnus was identified as the murderer of the essory maker Catherine and had already defeated several Juden guards. He had to escape from Juden as soon as possible, but he took too long and got caught.


    ¡°Capture him!¡± The magicians had hit Euphemina with magic while the knights flocked around Agnus. Hundreds of soldiers could be seen behind them. The average level of the knights and soldiers was high.It wasn¡¯t a power that a yer could go against alone. Of course, this was a story for a normal yer.


    ¡°Kikik... Numbers are useless in front of me.¡± Agnus stepped forward, causing the ground to shake and for skeleton soldiers to emerge.


    ¡°Eh? Ughh!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    The approaching soldiers witnessed the skeletons wielding swords and paled. Many of them would¡¯ve been killed without the help of the knights and magicians.


    ¡°An evil necromancer!¡± One of the knights shouted. From the knight¡¯s perspective, Agnus had suddenly invaded the capital and murdered civilians and guards, so he was definitely a bad person. The knight was filled with a deep grudge. Agnus started making undead from the corpses of the soldiers, and the young knights failed to reach him. Surrounded by skeleton soldiers, Agnus seemed like an impregnable fortress. In reality, he was an old fortress.


    ¡°Kik! Kikikik!¡±


    Due to the sessive chases, Agnus¡¯ resources were at their limit. He wascking in stamina and mana, which meant that various spells couldn¡¯t be used. His important spells were also cooling down. The skeletons crumbled quickly due to the magicians¡¯ spells. As the number of skeleton soldiers decreased, the Murray Kingdom¡¯s soldiers and knights stabbed Agnus with their spears and swords.


    ¡°...Kik!¡± Pain and fear stimted Agnus¡¯ frontal lobe. The painful memories of reality disappeared, leading him to feel pleasure. The smile on Agnus¡¯ face widened as he was stabbed by spears and shields. Agnus, who had been nervous and weakened as his reunion with his old lover neared, regained his true nature of a mad dog.


    ¡°Keeok!¡±


    ¡°T-This monster... Kuaaack!¡±


    ¡°Kahahahat! Hat?¡±


    He believed in the Lich Transformation. Yet while Agnus was breaking into the enemy and killing them, he suddenly copsed. It was due to the sword that fell from the sky and pierced his shoulder. The long and sharp sword prated Agnus¡¯ shoulder and chest.


    [You have suffered 27,900 damage.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®internal injury¡¯ state.]


    [This is a physical phenomenon. Resisting the status has failed.]


    [All resource recovery speeds are reduced by 30%. Apanied by the ¡®bleeding rge)¡¯ status, this causes your health to drop continuously.]


    ¡°Kuock?¡±


    It was a powerful blow that caused even his madness to disappear. Agnus was astonished by the terrible pain and couldn¡¯t help thinking about Grid. It was a powerful attack that caused him to misunderstand and think that the Overgeared King had chased him all the way to a distance kingdom. However, the person who struck Agnus wasn¡¯t Grid. The person, whonded on the ground and retrieved the sword he had stabbed into Agnus, was a middle-aged man wearing faded red armor.


    ¡°This is my chance to pay back the Murray Kingdom¡¯s grace.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    ¡°Sir Singuled!¡±


    The frightened Murray knights and soldiers cheered. The fierce battlefield turned into a festival, and Agnus was the clown.


    ¡®Who?¡¯The wounded mad dog watched the unwee visitor.


    ¡°You were here.¡±


    ¡°I finally found you.¡±


    Then two soldiers spoke as they came to the center of the stage.Both of them looked like low-level soldiers.


    ¡°You are...?¡± The former Red Knight Singuled became wary. One of the soldiers took off his helmet and introduced himself, ¡°A soldier... No, I am the traitor who betrayed you and made you fall into misery.¡±


    The golden name of ¡®Asmophel¡¯ appeared above the noble looking soldier¡¯s head. Singuled¡¯s face distorted like he was a demon. ¡°You...! Asmophellllll!¡±


    ¡°....???¡± Agnus was dumbfounded by this change in the situation.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ Euphemina, who had been hiding in the enemy camp since being swept away by the explosion, was surprised when she saw Asmophel.


    ¡°It looks like you haven¡¯tpleted the seven malignant saints quest yet.At this point, the strongest yers are Grid and Kraugel.¡±


    The unidentified soldier standing beside Asmophel came up to Agnus and took off his helmet to reveal the name ¡®Haster¡¯. These unexpected developments made the many people present confused. If Grid had been watching this situation, he would¡¯ve ordered fried chicken for dinner while watching the ¡®crucible of chaos.¡¯


    ***


    [...It is the power of brain learning. In the end, the number of people implementing Satisfy¡¯s skills in reality will continue to increase. This isn¡¯t a good phenomenon. Experts from all fields who have been polishing their skills for decades will feel a sense of deprivation and lost motivation, while there will be mentally untrained youngsters who can¡¯t control their skills developed in a short period of time...]


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Youngwoo turned on the TV as soon as he got out of the capsule and then shook his head. He was filled with a strong sense of hunger while the voices of the news reporters entered one of his ears and out the other.


    [NASA has picked up an asteroid with a weight of 56 billion kilograms. The giant rock that measures 300 meters in diameter is now turning around the sun at speed of 80,000 kph and is expected to cause several times the damage of an atomic bomb if it hits Earth.]


    [The asteroid collision is estimated to happen in five years. It doesn¡¯t make sense. NASA¡¯s technology should¡¯ve detected the approach of the asteroid many years ago. If NASA is telling the truth, the asteroid suddenly appeared one day. This is a physically impossible phenomenon...]


    [...Still, NASA says there is a 1 in 4,500 chance of the asteroid hitting the Earth and they are well-prepared.]


    Theposed voices of the experts trying to calm the agitated hosts tangled together.


    ¡°Turn off the TV.¡±


    Youngwoo turned off the unpleasant story and moved to the kitchen. The sunny kitchen with itsrge windows was well-built with enough tools to satisfy the chefs of the finest restaurants. Youngwoo stood in there and waited until the water boiled in the pot. Then he took out a pack of ramen. This was the power of the finest induction cooker!


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Youngwoo let out a deep sigh as the water started boiling as soon as he put the pot on.¡°My clone...¡±


    Euphemina wasn¡¯t replying to his whispers, so Youngwoo had decided to take a break and logged out. Youngwoo became tense again. He wanted to bring his colleague with him to face an enemy in a fight where luck might not be enough. What if Yura or Euphemina died because of him? Should he take responsibility for the penalties they would receive?


    ¡°Indeed... I wish I could go alone.¡± He soothed his empty stomach and wondered if Euphemina not answering was a sign from God. Youngwoo cleared his thoughts while eating the ramen and theny back down in the capsule. ¡°Yes, this is my job in the end. Let¡¯s resolve it alone.¡±


    His eyes were cold as he logged in.


    [Wee to Satisfy.]


    Youngwoo became Overgeared King Grid.


    [The presence in hell, who has captured your location, has arrived on the ground.]


    The system informed Grid of the news.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Chill. Grid got goosebumps.

 Chapter 900

    The Murray Kingdom was surrounded by mountains and the sea. It didn¡¯t boast the excellent infrastructure of the empire or a variety of quests like the Overgeared Kingdom, but it had its own advantages and was quite popr among yers. Tens of millions of yers belonged to the Murray Kingdom, and one-tenth of them were active in the capital of Juden. There was a disturbance in the city. The guards moved quickly, and the army was dispatched. Then there was a sudden explosion and screams.


    ¡°No way...¡±


    Thousands of yers heard the noise and rushed to the scene. They felt it was a surreal scene as they saw a knight in red armor and a soldier in shabby army fighting. They jumped into the air and exchanged blows at a speed that wasn¡¯t visible. It was reminiscent of the confrontation between Grid and Kraugel in the PvP finals of the 3rd National Competition. No, this confrontation was far more devastating.


    ¡°Asmophellllll!¡±The knight in red armor, Singuled, roared angrily. Every time he wielded his sword, a glow broke everything in its path.


    Even the high walls surrounding a mansion were destroyed after being pierced by the glow. It was terrible to imagine what would happen if a person were hit by that attack. Then what about the blond soldier facing him? He burned everything in his path, leaving a ze of light. Dust rose due to the explosions, and it seemed like this entire area would turn into ruins.


    ¡°There were such NPCs?¡±


    ¡°Where did these monsters... Heok!¡±


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    The yers watching the fight between Singuled and Asmophel panicked. This was because Singuled¡¯s sword hit the ground and destroyed a 100-meter radius around it. Asmophel rose in the air due to the bacsh that urred from his collision with Singuled¡¯s sword and groaned when hended, ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    The sight of Asmophel¡¯s face distorting with pain just stimted Singuled¡¯s anger.¡°This is merely pain from a stab...!¡±


    Singuled had a homnd, and his homnd protected his family. He was all about his homnd. Singuled was proud that he was a citizen of the great empire that dominated the continent and was willing to devote himself to it. It had been the same 12 years ago. Singuled had embraced his homnd¡¯s will and headed for the battlefield, fighting without shame. He had torn out the hearts of the enemies for the glory of his country and gotten wounded.


    However, when he returned home, he wasn¡¯t weed with the people¡¯s cheers or the emperor¡¯s praise. Instead, he had met with the sharp spears and swords of Asmophel and thousands of soldiers, whom he had believed to be his colleagues.


    ¡®Enemy who betrayed your homnd, don¡¯t resist.¡¯


    ¡®...¡¯


    It had been thendscape of hell. The heads of his parents, his wife, and his children had been hanging in this beautiful city. On that day, Singuled fled and vowed with all his heart that he would surely get revenge. He would cut Asmophel¡¯s tongue, dig out his eyes, cut off his limbs, and scatter them like trash in front of Asmophel¡¯s family!


    ¡°Asmophel! Until you feel that much pain...!!¡±


    How could he prate the empire to reach Asmophel? For the past 12 years, he had only been thinking of a way to sneak into the empire. Asmophel showing up here was an unexpected stroke of good luck for Singuled, and he didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Singuled¡¯s sword energy which was injected into the ground became stronger, and the earth was eroded. It was a sharp sword energy that copsed the ground and led all living creatures above the ground to death. At the center of it all was Asmophel.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Asmophel¡¯s skin had now turned blue. Every time he coughed, the blood vessels of his neck and face swelled like they were going to burst. Death was approaching, and Asmophel wanted to ept this death. He wanted to use death to escape the bridle of the sin he hadmitted, and he hoped it would release the grudges of his old colleagues.


    However, his king had given him a mission. Asmophel couldn¡¯t die until he aplished it. A burst of mes exploded from Asmophel¡¯s sword, neutralizing Singuled¡¯s sword energy. The shaking earth stopped, and all of the nts and people standing on it were freed from death.


    ¡°I cut off your father¡¯s head,¡±Asmophel confessed as he cut his neck with a knife.It wasn¡¯t a deep cut, but it was just enough for blood to flow out.


    ¡°All the soldiers who hurt your family were following mymands.¡± Asmophel kneeled in front of Singuled and wounded himself all over. He cut his eyes, ears, mouth, neck, chest, arms, waist, and legs with a knife like splitting the skin of livestock.


    ¡°What crazy thing are you doing?¡± Singuled asked.


    ¡°When you kill meter on, dismantle my body and throw it to the beasts. I hope that you will feel more at ease,¡± Asmophel said to Singuled. ¡°It will happen sooner orter. Until then, please hold off until I repay the favor I owe to the king I serve.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare ask for forgiveness. I¡¯m just sorry. Imitted a great sin against you and your family.¡±


    ¡°...¡± An unpleasant feeling swept over Singuled.Perhaps the object of revenge that he had been cursing for 12 years...


    ¡°Singuled,e with me to the Overgeared Kingdom. Piaro is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°...Boss?¡±


    ***


    The results of his confrontation with Hexetia were a big joy for Grid. He was now the benefactor of a god, everyone in the world knew his name, and the cksmiths, including himself, enjoyed a great benefit. Grid could feel a sense of pride and superiority.


    Thinking of how the dwarves¡ªwho had inspired Pagma¡ªwere bing interested in him, Grid was filled with nervousness and anticipation. However, not everything was good. His position had been captured by someone in hell, and the mention of 1st Great Demon Baal was worrisome. Who was the presence in hell, and why was Baal mentioned? Grid grew afraid after finding out he had be the target of someone in hell. At this moment, his fear became reality.


    [The presence in hell who has captured your location has arrived on the ground.]


    ¡®No, how did this happen?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a great demon. After all, it would¡¯ve been clearly stated if that was the case.


    ¡®The presence was looking for me in hell, isn¡¯t a great demon, and is motivated enough to appear on the ground as soon as my location was discovered...¡¯


    Grid was about to identify the presence as his clone. The clone who had been born in order to kill Grid... ording to Yura¡¯s testimony, this was still the clone¡¯s purpose. He was still looking for Grid in order to kill him.


    ¡®Yes, it is highly likely to be my clone.¡¯


    This raised other questions though.


    ¡®How did the clone break out of hell?¡¯


    Yura had said the clone had looked like Grid when he used ckening. His clone had died while using ckening and had fallen to hell. It had maintained ckening afterward and could exist in hell. In order to him to climb out of hell, he had to release ckening. The moment he lifted ckening, he would be pronounced dead and cease to exist. Of course, this was what Grid assumed based on his personal experience.


    ¡®There might be other ways. In the first ce, the clone is a difference existence from me.¡¯


    Grid shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. The method that the clone used to escape hell wasn¡¯t an important issue right now. The clone that even Great Demon Belial was wary of was already here. Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t a great demon, so he wouldn¡¯t receive a penalty. It was likely that the clone could boast more strength than Belial on Earth, and he was aiming for Grid. The clone would naturally advance to the Overgeared Kingdom, and there was a high possibility that many people would be injured in the process. Grid had to stop him.


    ¡®Where is he?¡¯


    The clone knew where Grid was, but Grid didn¡¯t know where he was.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t that worried about it. He had a person he could go to.


    ¡°Call the 10 meritorious retainers and Sage Sticks right now."


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    It was a problem that couldn¡¯t be solved by worrying alone, so he would meet with his colleagues. The Overgeared King had so many talents that he didn¡¯t feel any doubts.


    ***


    A red light shed, and sirens rang.


    [TEX-214098 processor has started]


    Yoon Nahee, the head of Satisfy¡¯s management team, frowned at the warning.¡°Isn¡¯t TEX the code for clones? What is the problem with this clone?¡±


    Satisfy had hundreds of thousands of doppelganger monsters and spells that could create a clone of someone. It was extremelymon. The actions of a clone couldn¡¯t have an adverse effect on Satisfy¡¯s world view. However, the supeputer Morpheus was reporting a risk. Why?


    ¡®...Ah?¡¯ Yoon Nahee wasn¡¯t convinced of the reason for Morpheus¡¯ fuss. She bit her nails and thought, ¡®Am I working overtime today for a ridiculous reason?¡¯ Then she realized... there was one presence who survived all types of variables.


    ¡°Him...?¡±


    It would be a long day of work. Yoon Nahee put her bag back down and wore her white coat again.


    ¡°Checking code name 214098... G-Grid¡¯s clone!¡±


    The team members were reporting it right now. It was as Yoon Nahee expected. Hundreds of monitors in the office were broadcasting the image of Grid¡¯s clone. What was wrong with the background? It wasn¡¯t the dark hell filled withva but a lush green forest.


    ¡°214098¡¯s position isn¡¯t hell? How did he appear on the ground?¡±


    Her team members increased their typing speed. They nned to analyze the cause of this oue by calcting 214098¡¯s route.


    ¡°It is Baal¡¯s entertainment,¡±Lim Cheolho appeared and spoke at this moment. Hisplexion was very good, and he looked excited. He seemed decades younger than his usual self.


    ¡°Baal...? Are you talking about S-003?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the 1st Great Demon Baal.¡±


    As the presence equipped with the most advanced artificial intelligence, Baal experienced the first ¡®tedium¡¯ of all virtual creatures in Satisfy and pursued ¡®entertainment.¡¯ In Satisfy¡¯s history, he was a simtion that preceded Satisfy¡¯s formal opening and created all sorts of variables, such as helping Pagma. This made Satisfy¡¯s worldview more extensive andplex. Now, this was happening.


    ¡°Following Agnus, Grid has stimted Baal¡¯s interest. Baal has sensed it. The presence of the Five Miracles who will soothe his tedium.¡±


    ¡°Then the reason why Grid¡¯s clone was able to escape from hell...¡±


    ¡°Your guess is right. It is Baal¡¯s will, not an error. In Satisfy, it can be described as a god¡¯s blessing or a demon¡¯s curse.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On the monitors, Grid¡¯s clone started to move. When Grid unlocked new skills with the goddess blessing, the clone also unlocked new skills. Grid grew stronger in the process of repeated battles and quests, and the clone was the same. Would the present yers be able to withstand the huge catastrophe that had been brought to the ground by Baal?


    ¡®...It will be hard unless the Five Miracles join forces.¡¯


    It might be possible with an army, but great losses would be suffered. The clone¡¯sbat ability was too high, and he had too many skills. It was possible for millions to be ughtered.


    ¡°...Hah,¡± Yoon Nahee burst outughing.


    Originally, most of humanity was supposed to have been wiped out by the insane dragon Nevartan event or the other species event. However, Grid had intervened along with Kraugel and Kir and saved humanity.


    ¡®Now humanity is in danger due to Grid.¡¯


    What did this mean? It was fate. The unscientific reasoning that results were determined by something superhuman and couldn¡¯t be jumped was being realized in virtual reality.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    A scientist thinking about fate? Laughter could only emerge. While sheughed, Yoon Nahee suddenly heard Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s voice. ¡°I went through this a long time ago.¡±


    Lim Cheolho noticed that Yoon Nahee was now thinking about fate.


    ¡®Once this happens...¡¯


    Grid will do something big.

 Chapter 901

    ¡°Why were you born?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers who came running at Grid¡¯s call were stunned. What was Grid¡¯s intention in calling all of them when they were so busy? Was it for some random question...? In the chilly atmosphere, Lauel and Peak Sword answered seriously.


    ¡°Is that a question that needs to be asked? I was resurrected to rule the world. Kukuk... I n to satisfy all the regrets of my past life...¡±


    ¡°I am Daehan! Of course, I was born to raise the status of South Korea! It is the same for Grid!¡±


    Huroi interjected excitedly, ¡°You are truly my liege! I have received great learning!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    What did he learn? Grid started sweating at the unexpected response and opened his mouth again, ¡°None of you can answer either.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I gave an answer...?¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s skip them.¡¯Grid ignored Lauel, Peak Sword, and Huroi and looked at the other meritorious retainers. ¡°Why were you born? How many people in the world can answer this? Most people probably can¡¯t answer it. I am the same. However, my clone is an exception.Can¡¯t that guy answer it easily? He was born for the sake of killing Grid.¡±


    ¡°Clone? Of Grid?¡±


    ¡°Is it the person Yura saw in hell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Now he is here, not in hell. He is heading toward our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The atmosphere sank. The tenacity and danger of the clone were indirectly conveyed to the meritorious retainers, and they realized the seriousness of the situation. Grid warned them, ¡°He is dangerous. The clone is really dangerous. He only acts to hurt me and ising toward me at this very second. In the process, many people will be victims.¡±


    ¡°What is the basis for this? Are you certain that the clone is here and heading toward you?¡±


    ¡°I am sure when considering the system information and the mindset of the clone.¡±


    The 1st ranked Chris rose from where he had been listening quietly and asked, ¡°Do you have his exact position?¡±


    A strong enthusiasm was burning in Chris¡¯ eyes. He wondered if he could fight against the current Grid, who had be several times stronger after the 3rd National Competition.


    ¡®I can fight the fake Grid without hesitation.¡¯ Chris epted the appearance of the clone as an opportunity and burned with fighting spirit.


    ¡°I would be there if I knew,¡±Grid gave a disappointing answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is. Only he knows where I am.¡±


    ¡°Then it is imperative to find him quickly.¡±


    ¡°No, didn¡¯t you say he ising here? Shouldn¡¯t we just wait?¡±


    ¡°What if the people and the soldiers get swept up in the battle?¡±


    ¡°The soldiers will fight on the ins outside.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    The meeting was in full swing. Ater appeared and gave a warning to the optimistic Bald Vantner, ¡°Based on the characteristics of the clone that I witnessed and what Youngwoo-ssi told me, the clone can use more skills than Youngwoo-ssi. He even has the God Hands.¡±


    Theter was Demon yer Yura. She paid particr attention to Grid¡¯s wide-range skills and item changing skills. ¡°We have to fight as far from here as possible. If the battle is fought in close proximity to the city, many parts of the city will be destroyed.¡±


    The power of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle which had caused her to suffer a fatal blow with one hit was still vivid. Reinhardt¡¯s proud, high walls would copse in front of the clone. Additionally, if the God Hands were transformed into the Red Phoenix Bow...


    ¡°The clone is like a hungry predator. He attacked me as soon as he saw me, regardless of the reason. He will hurt everyone in his way while heading here. We have to use all the power of the kingdom to find his position and intercept him as far away as possible.¡±


    The Overgeared members weren¡¯t heroes who fought for the world; they were people who sought personal profit.They weren¡¯t in a position to worry about the wounds of other people. However, they were colleagues and friends, and they were worried about their leader, Grid. What if someone with Grid¡¯s appearance started hurting people? The public would quickly condemn Grid and he would suffer a big loss. The image of the Overgeared Guild would also crack. For Grid¡¯s sake and their own sake, the Overgeared members were obliged to stop the clone.


    ¡°I will release the shadows right now. Contact us if you have any additional instructions,¡± Faker said, taking immediate action. As he disappeared into the shadows, hundreds of people wearing ck cloaks emerged from the castle. They were the Overgeared Shadows, the strongest assassin group that carried out various duties in the shadows and supported the Overgeared Kingdom. Their skills, which were trained under King of Shadows Kasim and then Faker, were enough to impress Grid. The sight of their actions somewhat settled Grid¡¯s mind. ¡°Won¡¯t we soon know the position of the clones now that the shadows are moving?¡±


    ¡°If the clone is running wild, it will be faster than you think. However, if the clone is acting stealthily...¡±This was Lauel¡¯s answer.


    His reaction somewhat disappointed Grid.¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Yura? He attacked as soon as he saw her. Would such a ferocious person act stealthily?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a simple monster. Doesn¡¯t he have intelligence? Didn¡¯t you say he was a super named NPC?¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°You know the importance of stamina. I don¡¯t think he will waste resources before getting here. The shadows informationwork is spread out like a spider web in the Overgeared Kingdom, but it will be difficult to find the target if he passes through remote ces.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, ultimately, Grid had to wait until the clone arrived in the capital? Grid felt desperate because he had faced the clone directly and knew his strength. It puzzled Grid that Lauel couldn¡¯te up with an appropriate solution. Lauel confirmed the shadows on Grid¡¯s face and asked a question, ¡°By the way, is it true that you¡¯ll have a low chance of winning when you fight the clone?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Grid frowned as he recalled his long-ago experience with the clone.¡°He is stronger than me. He can use Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship techniques that I don¡¯t know and fuse more types of sword dances. Hisbat ability is higher than me, and his stats are higher. Even his control and improvisation are several times higher than mine.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± Vantner let out an admiring sound. How much more powerful would Grid be if he had better control? Vantner didn¡¯t want to think about such a monster. It was questionable if the Overgeared members could even stop the clone. This was enough to make even the arrogant Katz gulp, so all the meritorious retainers felt fearful.


    Yura¡¯s words heightened the tension,¡°I was knocked down with one blow.¡±


    ¡°...¡± There was an ufortable silence. The meritorious retainers were thinking about how much damage the Overgeared Kingdom would receive in the future.


    ¡°No... ¡± Lauel scratched his head and broke the silence. ¡°It might be bad for me to say this, but to best honest, I think that Grid can also kill Yura in one blow? It shouldn¡¯t be taken that seriously.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Yura¡¯s eyes narrowed as she doubted her ears. Who was she? Yura had gotten into the top rankings before she received a legendary ss, and now she was a Demon yer. Inst year¡¯s National Competition, she had even fought with Kraugel for a while. It would be a lie if she said she wasn¡¯t confident in her skills. No matter how much she admired and liked Grid, she couldn¡¯t acknowledge Lauel¡¯s assertion that she would be knocked down in one blow by Grid. It hurt her pride.


    Grid was embarrassed. ¡°Why are you provoking Yura?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. It isn¡¯t a provocation. Miss Yura, you said that you were defeated by Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle?¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Go to a sparring room with Grid and be hit by a two fusion skill. Won¡¯t you die in one blow?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Yura¡¯s face reddened. She found Lauel detestable because he was denying her worth.


    ¡°So what are you saying? In fact, Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s clone is insignificant and that I was defeated by Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s clone because I am weak?¡±In the end, Yura couldn¡¯t endure it.


    ¡°No? It is true that Grid¡¯s clone is strong. I¡¯m just iming that Grid is equally as strong,¡± Lauel replied with an innocent face. There was no malice in him.


    ¡°Yura, ignore him. Lauel made a mistake. Doesn¡¯t everyone make mistakes?¡±Grid smiled awkwardly and tried to fix the situation, but it was useless.


    Yura knew that Lauel wasn¡¯t showing any malice, but she still wanted to be hit by Grid.¡°Let¡¯s go to the sparring arena. Hit me once. However, for the sake of fairness in the experiment, I will summon hell and temporarily raise my stats.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Huh? I-Is this okay?¡±


    Sehee was Grid¡¯s sister, so he had many chances to learn how tiring it was to touch a woman¡¯s temper. The woman told him to hit her, but he didn¡¯t know what mess was going to happen afterward.


    ¡®Additionally, how can I hit her in the first ce?¡¯


    The opponent was Yura. She was Grid¡¯s friend and the world¡¯s best beauty.Randomly hitting a beautiful woman... He didn¡¯t like it. Grid stubbornly rejected the suggestion.


    ¡°If Your Majesty doesn¡¯t do the experiment, I will forever be hated and doubted by Miss Yura,¡± Lauel stated with a sad expression. Ultimately, Grid was forced to participate in the experiment for the sake of the rtionship between the two people. It was an experiment to hit a woman!


    ¡°This is crazy...¡±


    He felt like garbage! Grid was pale as he arrived at the sparring arena with Yura.


    ¡°Hell Summoning.¡± Yura used a field magic that turned the surroundings into hell and greatly increased her stats. ¡°Now, hit me once.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Umm...¡± Grid faced Yura who was pushing forward her chest. He was worried that someone might be hiding and filming him one-sidedly attacking a woman. Lauel shouted at him, ¡°I havemanded that no one is to approach! Don¡¯t worry, the meritorious opponents are the only ones here!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s the problem!¡¯


    They were indispensable friends whom Grid was truly grateful toward. Simultaneously, they were the people who made him embarrassed every time. Grid summoned the de Aiming at the Gods and attached it to the sword while performing a sword dance. It was Pinnacle Kill. This was because it wasn¡¯t possible to kill Yura in one blow with multi-hit skills like Linked Kill and Transcended Link.


    Lauel ced a hand on his forehead.¡°No, you should use the strongest of your two fusion skills...¡±


    Why did Grid used Pinnacle Kill instead of Linked Kill?Did he want Yura to know that Lauel¡¯s im was wrong and drive them apart? Lauel worried about it when his viewpoint tilted.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°....!?¡±Yura suffered a mortal wound from Pinnacle Kill!


    Grid hurriedly apologized to Yura who copsed with a disbelieving expression,¡°I-It is the power of items. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Yura and the 10 meritorious retainers were speechless. At this moment, they were reminded of something. They had received Grid¡¯s weapons, but they weren¡¯t fully equipped with his armor.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the clone using a rusty knife? He might have stronger skills than Grid, but Grid has been polishing his items, so...¡± Lauel¡¯s voice echoed in the quiet arena.

 Chapter 902

    He knew the meaning of the word ¡®worry¡¯, but he was never worried about himself. After all, the purpose of his birth was clear. Ahead of him, there was a dimensional gate swirling with magic power.


    Step, step.


    There was no hesitation in the clone¡¯s footsteps as he approached it. Baal¡¯s voice rang out, -Poor being, the world beyond the door is the real hell.No one will wee you. Only pain and solitude are waiting for you.Even so, do you still want to cross the gate?


    ¡°Reply. Do the great demons here wee me?¡±


    ¡®In the first ce, I don¡¯t know how to feel anything other than pain and solitude,¡¯ the clone wanted to add. He didn¡¯t say it for some reason though.


    -At the very least, the great demons don¡¯t hate you.They are just afraid.


    ¡°Meaningless. There is no Grid here.¡±


    -Kuk... kukukuk!Yes, go.Show me what awaits at the end of your fleeting life that had only one purpose.I will enjoy the pain, loneliness, and despair that you will feel in the future.


    ¡°...¡±


    The clone was already entering the dimensional gate. His body and vision spun as the endless universe spread out before him. Then he emerged in the sea¡ªthe Red Sea. The clone who arrived in the center of the world removed ckening.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    His sharp eyes which resembled Grid¡¯s faced the western sky.


    ***


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    When the world¡¯s first virtual reality game¡ªSatisfy¡ªwas released a few years ago, Yura had been shocked to find infinite freedom and a vast worldview. She had no doubt that Satisfy would set deep roots in people¡¯s lives at the level of recing online games and socialworks, and she predicted that Satisfy¡¯s sess would have a major worldwide impact. This was how she had started Satisfy.


    Yura had set the goal of escaping from the confines of her family by bing sessful and recognized in Satisfy. Then she did it. She became one of the best rankers and a star beyond predictions. The whole world had enthusiastically thrown money at her, and she escaped from the image of a rich girl who happened to have good parents. Yura then became a walkingpany and was liberated from the bondage known as her parents. She gained a true sense of freedom and felt a full sense of pride.


    There were two billion yers in Satisfy. Yura had been able to realize how superior a talent she possessed when she was crowned the top five of a game that a quarter of humanity yed. She had been confident that she could be a yer with a unique ce, not just the top five. However, it wasn¡¯t that easy in reality.


    Yura was a true genius. Yet she realized that in front of someone else, her talent which everyone praised was trivial and the amount of knowledge and experience she had been gaining was shameful. That someone else was Kraugel. It was then that Yura had sensed her limits. She realized that no matter how much effort she put in, she couldn¡¯t go beyond the records of the real genius called Kraugel.


    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t be frustrated. Satisfy was a game, not reality. She still had countless opportunities before her. Following that, Yura sought to evolve her ss to jump over Kraugel. The first step was choosing to be Yatan¡¯s Servant. She tried to narrow the difference in talent by establishing a better environment. The person she met in the process was Grid. At the time, Grid was just an unknown person, but he showed Yura a sense of disappointment and frustration. He shattered Yura¡¯s pride, dreams, and hopes in a single blow.


    ¡®It has been many years since then.¡¯


    Yura had gone on to be involved in all types of incidents and feelplicated emotions, leading to her changing her path several times. The result was that the legendary ss, Demon yer,nded in her grasp, and she became confident that she was gradually narrowing the distance with Grid and Kraugel. However, she was mistaken.


    ¡°I-It is the power of items. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude of rushing and apologizing to her created a new crack in Yura¡¯s pride.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t weak, I¡¯m just overgeared... A-Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was restless after knocking down Yura in a single blow. He was worried that she had experienced a great shock. It was a cautious attitude that he would never have shown if he recognized Yura as an equal. Had Gridforted Kraugel like this after beating him? Had he shown pity? No. Currently, Grid was treating Yura like a weakmb, not apetitor. From Yura¡¯s point of view, it was a terrible attitude, since she was someone who dreamed of bing hispetitor.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not weak.¡± Yura¡¯s cheeks puffed up as she ignored Grid¡¯s hand and got up. It was obviously a sulky appearance. This was a long way from her usual intellectual and cultured appearance.¡°I¡¯m not agitated. Wasn¡¯t it just an experiment? If it wasn¡¯t an experiment, I would¡¯ve used my defensive skills and wouldn¡¯t have been knocked down in one blow. Don¡¯t you know? I wouldn¡¯t have been knocked down under normal circumstances!¡±


    ¡°Ah, t-that. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Was this woman showing her feelings? It was an unfamiliar and exciting sight for Grid, who thought of Yura as a cliff flower living alone.


    ¡®She looks younger.¡¯


    Yura was three years younger than Grid, but he often had the illusion of her being older due to how mature she acted. Grid once again thought Yura looked cute. His heart which was always nervous when facing the most beautiful woman in the world calmed down for the first time. He looked at Yura who rarely expressed her emotions and thought she was adorable.


    The atmosphere between the two people wasn¡¯t bad, causing Jishuka to twitch from where she was watching. ¡°...That fox.¡±


    -What are you doing here?


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Grid suddenly received a confusing whisper. It was a whisper from Euphemina.


    -Your Majesty, why are you in Juden?


    No, what was this? Where was Juden?


    ¡°Ah...!¡±Grid had been feeling confused by Euphemina¡¯s words when he suddenly shouted at Lauel, ¡°Where is Juden?¡±


    ¡°It is the capital of the Murray Kingdom. The Murray Kingdom is a sea kingdom connected to the beginning of the Red Sea.¡±


    ¡°I think the clone has shown up there.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    All of a sudden...? Everyone felt surprised by the sudden development. Yura regained her cool and exined, ¡°It is one of the paths between the ground and hell.¡±


    Grid was already sending a whisper to Euphemina, -That isn¡¯t me!It is the enemy!Get out of there right now!


    The answer that he got in return was: -Sir Asmophel is already...


    -Euphemina?Euphemina!


    ***


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    It was a series of unexpected appearances. Asmophel had shown up and caused her to miss the timing of a deal with Agnus, and now there was this. She couldn¡¯t understand why Grid had personallye to this faraway country.


    ¡®Sir Asmophel is on a mission to find and persuade the old Red Knights members.¡¯


    It was hard to see Grid working with Asmophel when he was busy as a high ranker and king. Grid¡¯s appearance was likely to be separate from Asmophel¡¯s mission. In fact, Asmophel was also shocked. ¡°Y-Your Majesty? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t reply to the confused Asmophel. He didn¡¯t even look at Asmophel. In fact, Grid ignored all the attention focused on himself.


    -What are you doing here?Your Majesty, why are you in Juden?She sent a whisper, but there was no answer.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Euphemina started to feel suspicious as Grid walked alone without speaking. The armor, boots, and weapons that Grid was armed with were both familiar and strange.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t they the items he used in the old days?¡¯


    They were even rusty like years of weathering had passed. It was strange that the cksmith Grid would wear such shabby items and not repair them. Then she received a whisper, -That isn¡¯t me!It is the enemy!Get out of there right now!


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    This Grid wasn¡¯t Grid...? Euphemina¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. It was because Asmophel had suddenly gotten up and stabbed Grid in the back.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± That¡¯s right. Asmophel had detected it. He knew that this Grid wasn¡¯t the real Grid. ¡°An evil great demon who dares to copy His Majesty¡¯s appearance... Ugh!¡± Asmophel¡ªwho was stabbing the clone in the back¡ªwas blown away, and he copsed on the side of the street. The fist that flew at his face came from golden hands, the God Hands.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    This Grid had old equipment and the God Hands? Euphemina¡¯s confusion deepened, while Haster was intrigued after seeing Asmophel attack Grid. ¡°It is highly likely this is a fake... but can¡¯t I use it to measure Grid¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Kik... kikik... I am busy...¡± Agnus left this ce during the confusion.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Drop your weapon now!¡±


    The Murray knights and soldiers were on the move, unable to tolerate an unidentified person causing turmoil in their kingdom. They lined up in ce of the already exhausted Singuled and pointed their spears and swords at Grid.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The clone used the sword dance that symbolized the Overgeared King and massacred the soldiers. No, he tried to kill them. The sword energy that flowed out in all directions was blocked by dozens of golden shields. The identity of these shields was a spell, and the person who cast the spell was a young girl standing on the roof.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act up. I can¡¯t allow you to damage Grid¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°...Judgment. Dangerous.¡±


    The clone¡¯s aggro was attracted by Euphemina. He jumped up and aimed his sword at her, while she blocked him with skills she duplicated. A spectacr confrontation beyond the battle between Singuled and Asmophel began to unfold.

 Chapter 903

    Three years ago in Satisfy time, the confrontation between Euphemina and Agnus was decided when Euphemina received the hidden quest ¡®Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation.¡¯ Euphemina had acknowledged Agnus¡¯ strength andmitted herself to increasing her specs. Then four months ago, she set up a full Agnus hunting n and mobilized her contacts and money to gather Agnus¡¯ information and neutralize his strength. She went on to duplicate multiple skills all over the continent.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    ¡°Blood Rain!¡±


    Euphemina created a magic shield as dozens of dark energy des flew through the air toward her. After ying its part, she exchanged nces with the clone over the shattered fragments of the shield which scattered and disappeared. The clone was still expressionless. He showed no signs of agitation or irritation despite the fact that his attack skills had been neutralized a few times. Was he rxed?


    ¡®No, he just doesn¡¯t have any emotions.¡¯


    During the unexpected battle, Euphemina was receiving Grid¡¯s whispers in real time. He exined the background and characteristics of the clone, and Euphemina measured the clone¡¯s level based on Grid¡¯s exnation and the clone¡¯s actions. Then she came to a conclusion, ¡®The clone is several times weaker than Grid.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the clone had grown over the years, just like how Grid had grown. Yes, as Grid had expected, his power was simr to the clone¡¯s. The problem was the equipment that the clone was wearing. The rusty sword and defensive items were equipment which Grid used previously years ago. The equipment was extremely inferior to Grid¡¯s current items and didn¡¯t pose a big threat to Euphemina.


    ¡°The items before Triple Layers... You can¡¯t beat me with old items.¡±


    There was a saying about a has-been. Wasn¡¯t this the Holy Light Set? Euphemina could easily break the clone who was wearing armor that lost most of its power. This time, Euphemina started the offensive first. She had duplicated arge number of skills to fight Agnus who could summon undead, so her attacks were brilliant and effective.


    Dozens of rocks were formed, and they fell from the sky toward the clone. The diameter of one rock was over one meter. So whenever a rock fell, the earth shook and thousands of spectators stumbled.


    ¡°H-Hik! Avoid it!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaack!¡±


    ¡®Use this gap.¡¯


    In the confusion caused by the massive spell aftermath, Euphemina attempted to strike the clone trapped in the rocks. She used Absolute Zero which she had duplicated from Bondre¡ªthe first ranked ice mystic currently in Valha. The clone¡¯s body froze as he crawled out from the gap in the rocks. He looked like a statue built in the Arctic.


    ¡®Now the finishing blow!¡¯


    Lightning struck this time. The ultimate technique hit the frozen clone. Euphemina judged that the clone would lose all his health since he had simr stats to Grid. She thought that she would win without any problems. However, she was mistaken.


    [You have dealt 29,000 damage to the target!]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    It did less damage than expected...? Shouldn¡¯t it be two or three times the damage? This was the same for the damage from the rockfall and Absolute Zero. As a result of being thrown back by the lightning and escaping from the ice, the clone¡¯s health gauge which had been hidden by the rocks was now exposed. Euphemina saw that 9/10th of the clone¡¯s health gauge still remained.


    It was then that Euphemina realized two facts. The Holy Light Armor, which she had thought to be obsolete now, was still a fraudulent item. Additionally, the clone was a named boss. The Holy Light Armor reduced magic damage, and the clone had at least 10 million health.


    ¡®A Grid with millions of health?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it a scam?


    ¡®I can¡¯t beat him.¡¯


    Euphemina was shaken. The clone rushed toward her and swung his sword. It was a basic attack, a basic attack, a basic attack...


    ¡°...?¡± Euphemina¡¯s eyes widened as she summoned a magic shield and defended. It was because she caught the subtle changes in the clone¡¯s movements. His feet were moving.


    ¡®A sword dance...!¡¯


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    It was a skill that ignored defense. This was one of the strongest fusion skills that Grid possessed. Being hit by it was deadly.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Euphemina was unable to escape because her physical abilities were lower than her magic. Therefore, she had to take out the trump card that she had been saving¡ªTeleport. She used magic to avoid death, and Pinnacle Kill cut through the air. Euphemina¡¯s small body was swallowed up by light, then she appeared behind the clone.


    ¡°ck Winds!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The ultimate technique of Zednos, the first ranked wind magician, emerged from Euphemina¡¯s fingertips and cut at the clone¡¯s back. Blood sttered out, and the clone¡¯s eyes shifted to Euphemina. He ignored the Murray magicians, who were using magic to calm the turmoil, and only stared at Euphemina. Euphemina gulped.She was aware that she was one of the strongest yers, so it was rare for her to feel so nervous.


    ¡°Wicked monster! Pull off your mask right now!¡± Finally, a savior appeared. Asmophel had escaped from the containment of the four God Hands. As soon as he seeded in causing the four God Hands to freeze simultaneously, he leaped across the roofs of several broken houses and swung his fire sword.


    ¡°Sir Asmophel!¡±Euphemina¡¯s cute face turned rosy. She felt relieved that the greatest power of the Overgeared Kingdom, after Piaro and Mercedes, was with her. However, this onlysted for a second. Asmophel wasn¡¯t in perfect condition after struggling with the former Red Knight Singuled, and he wasn¡¯t a match for the clone. He was still faster than the clone, but his movements were restricted due to the obstruction of the God Hands.


    ¡°Kuoh...!¡±


    ¡°No...!¡± Euphemina cried out as the clone grabbed Asmophel¡¯s neck. Asmophel was an NPC. Unlike yers, he only had one life. His death would be a big blow to the entire Overgeared Kingdom, and Grid and the Overgeared members would feel deep sorrow. Euphemina remembered what Khan¡¯s death had caused and felt fearful. She tried to shift the aggro of the clone back to herself.


    Then a magic bombardment began. Euphemina went on the offensive to prevent the enemy from harming Asmophel. The clone¡¯s gaze shifted from Asmophel to Euphemina again.¡°Question. Do you think you can avoid death?¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The clone used the Holy Light Armor and prated through the magic bombardment, aiming his sword at Euphemina¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Asmophel was devastated by the sight.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Euphemina answered the clone¡¯s questions and stopped using her duplicated skills.She used her unique strength that she hadn¡¯t wanted the world to know yet. ¡°Flowing River.¡±


    Ssh! The clone¡¯s sword was surrounded by water. Euphemina¡¯s Flowing River was a spell that showed the strength of Mumud¡¯s water magic, which had the characteristic of ¡®magic power can be converted to water and ice and used for the desired purpose.¡¯ The clone¡¯s rusty sword couldn¡¯t prate the water that surrounded Euphemina. The physical abnormalities of ¡®weakening the power¡¯ and ¡®slowing down¡¯ which urred every time the sword was submerged caused it to be a truly rusty sword.


    ¡°Is that an elemental?¡±The yers watching the battle were unable to close their mouths. The blond woman who had suddenly appeared to save them seemed like a hero. Every time Grid hit the girl, the water flowed smoothly in all directions to prevent Grid from attacking. This led them to misunderstand that she was a water elemental.


    ¡°Heok! T-That woman...!¡±


    The clone¡¯s attack from above was blocked by the water while he kicked the girl¡¯s ankle. Euphemina was hit, and she fell from the roof. As she descended to the ground, she became close enough for the yers to see the ID above her head.


    ¡°Euphemina!¡±The yers who were impressed by the battle became shocked. It was because they knew Euphemina.Wasn¡¯t she an ally who had been supporting Grid since the Reinhardt golem invasion a few years ago? It was difficult for them to understand why she was fighting against Grid.


    Euphemina was well aware that people were recording this scene and shouted, ¡°That person isn¡¯t Grid! It is a fake!¡±


    Grid was her benefactor and the person she envied. Euphemina didn¡¯t want people to misunderstand and criticize her colleague and friend. Euphemina¡¯s shout reminded the public of something.


    ¡°...NPC?¡±


    Yes, the public was now aware of it.


    Gridnded on the ground after Euphemina, and his name was shining gold, symbolizing that he was a named NPC. The breaking news headlines of ¡®Overgeared King Grid invaded the Murray Kingdom¡¯ started to be modified. It had a huge impact on the Inte. The current Murray Kingdom battle was being recorded and ryed by thousands of yers in real time while reporters wrote stories about it. It was a situation where the live video of Euphemina and Grid dominated the video rankings. The live video was being watched by millions of people.


    ¡°I feel naked.¡±Euphemina showed Mumud¡¯s no attribute magic that boasted the effect of ¡®ignores 30% of magic resistance¡¯ and followed up with Mumud¡¯s water magic. This was the moment when Euphemina, who hadn¡¯t participated in the National Competition because she hadn¡¯t wanted to reveal her power, was exposed to the world. She knew that she would now have a disadvantage against potential enemies including Agnus, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. She wanted to protect Grid¡¯s reputation.


    Her magic power exploded and obstructed the clone¡¯s advance. Euphemina stood with the Murray knights and soldiers behind her and warned the clone, ¡°You can¡¯t hurt anyone as long as you look like Grid. I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°...Judgment. Maintenance required.¡± In the midst of the magic explosion, a small anvil and cksmithing hammer appeared, and the clone started hammering to repair his rusty sword. It didn¡¯t take long for the rusty sword to regain its original appearance of the blue greatsword, which initially had the name of Failure. This was an unfortunate situation for Euphemina, who had lost approximately 3/10ths of her health. The giant sword resembling a shark pierced through the water and cut at Euphemina¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was a deep wound that hurt her. Like the Holy Light Armor, the sword called Failure still contained a powerful force. Euphemina coughed up blood and stopped casting magic.


    ¡°Result. Victory.¡±


    Failure descended, and Euphemina sensed her death.


    ¡°...?¡±


    However, Failure was blocked, and Euphemina didn¡¯t die. The clone¡¯s gaze shifted away from Euphemina. He turned his head and looked at the other side of the sky.


    ¡°Kill. Grid.¡±


    A bird¡¯s cry rang out. Then a huge red phoenix appeared in the sky, and fire arrows fell down. The fire arrows damaged the clone while simultaneously healing Euphemina and Asmophel.


    ¡°I amte every time.¡±


    The people who appeared using Sticks¡¯ Mass Teleport were Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers.

 Chapter 904

    The sea shook, and the waves shot up higher and higher. The force seemed enough to cover the sun.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    After the sudden appearance of the red phoenix, the sea became boiling hot due to the rain of fire and explosions caused by the high tides. The people who witnessed these threats in session were overwhelmed, then they sighed because of the people who appeared against the backdrop of the sun.


    ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not toote.¡±A woman let out a short breath to cool the leftover heat of her bow. Her bewitching figure excited many men, and she was the one who summoned the red phoenix.The woman was Godly archer Jishuka¡ªthe best archer among the two billion yers.


    ¡°There are many spectators. If I use them as a blood offering, I can easily subdue that monster,¡±an Asian man said as he looked at the Murray soldiers and yers. He was Blood Warrior Katz. Along with Agnus and Euphemina, he had been one of the first three people to obtain a hidden ss.


    ¡°Euphemina lost in a one-on-one match? I guess she wasn¡¯t prepared.¡± The man holding a spear was White Knight Pon.


    ¡°It is as Grid said~~ Doesn¡¯t this mean his clone is strong? I¡¯m so excited!¡± The blond-haired man, who had sparkling eyes and wore gauntlets, was Regas. He had the normal ss asura which was ssified as having a SSS-grade acquisition difficulty.


    ¡°I can further improve South Korea¡¯s status if I fight here. Huhuhut.¡±The man who stroked his sheath whileughing was Peak Sword, who had broken the Hero in just two moves.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t take off My Liege¡¯s mask right now, your parents...¡±There was Huroi who mentioned the opponent¡¯s parents without blinking.


    ¡°First, I want a one-on-one fight.¡± The man who raised his greatsword with enthusiasm was the 1st ranked yer, Chris.


    ¡°We need to be vignt.¡±There was the unique beauty who turned the surroundings into grey¡ªDemon yer Yura.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Failure? Can it hurt me with that?¡± The confident man was the bald Vantner.


    ¡°Kuk... kukukuk! I can already feel your despair. Your fleeting life, which is imbued with a purpose that can never be fulfilled, will end today. I will provide you with rest.¡± The young man speaking cringey words that made the fingers and toes of others curl up was Lauel.


    Their appearances were all splendid as they appeared on a red wyvern. They were the best yers who had won gold medals while representing their country at the National Competition.


    ¡°Euphemina and Asmophel, you¡¯ve both struggled.Leave it to us now.¡±Finally, there was a ck-haired man with a white light sphere and golden de floating around him.


    ¡°O-Overgeared King...¡±


    ¡°It is Grid! It is the real Grid!¡±


    The public cheered after recognizing him. He was the most well-known yer who exerted a greater influence than the 10 people mentioned abovebined. It was the emergence of Grid. Unlike his friends who relied on the wyvern, Grid flew in alone like a magician andnded on the ground. A sharp sound suddenly entered the ears of those present.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s clone was trapped by a thread so thin that it was invisible to the human eye. It was the silver thread¡ªthe thread which was produced in Pangea on the East Continent and never broke!


    ¡°Is there any need for conversation between us?¡±


    Targets above a certain level or with high resistance could quickly escape from the binding of the silver thread. Grid knew that from experience and wasn¡¯t overly greedy. He immediately pressed the button of the pulling device, loosening the silver thread tied tightly around the clone. Then he pressed the button on the pulling device again. The +1 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires attached to the end of the silver thread pierced the clone¡¯s chest.


    [You have dealt 2,900 damage.]


    ¡®What is this defense?¡¯


    It seemed that the enemy¡¯s defense was superior to the sword¡¯s attack power since only the minimum damage was dealt. Considering the fact that the clone was armed with the Holy Light Armor, it meant that the clone¡¯s stamina stat was at least 3,000 points. After confirming that the clone was frozen, Grid formed the Enlightenment Sword using the silver thread.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±Grid attacked without giving the clone time to rest. It was a n that Grid had set up ahead of the confrontation with the clone. Based on his own experiences and Yura¡¯s testimony, Grid knew the clone could use more sword dances than Grid and his level of swordsmanship was higher.


    However, what was the fatal weakness of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship? It required a process to activate. That¡¯s right. Grid constantly attacked the clone so that the clone wouldn¡¯t get a chance to activate Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Noe! Randy! C-Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    First, Grid shot Magic Missile at the clone to block the clone¡¯s vision, then he summoned various pets.


    ¡°Nyaaong!¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ck!ck ck ck!


    It was a strange situation where there were three Grids. Randy copied Grid and immediatelyunched Kill at the enemy who was being bombarded with Magic Missiles. Meanwhile, the white-furred Noe moved his limbs while firing lightning.


    [Your pet, Randy, has dealt 4,100 damage to the target.]


    [Your pet, Noe, has dealt 6,300 damage to the target.]


    [The target has resisted the electric shock.]


    ck!ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons upied the left and right sides of the clone. Overgeared Skeleton One triggered the power of a skeleton destroyer and stabbed the clone¡¯s wrist with the Grid Rapier for Beginners, trying to trigger Bone Cracking. Meanwhile, Overgeared Skeletons Two¡¯s basic attack was low, but it managed to disperse the clone¡¯s concentration.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has failed to use the skill ¡®Bone Cracking¡¯.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has dealt 190 damage to the target.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has dealt 23 damage to the target.]


    Bone Cracking relied on chance and failed to activate. However, there was the creepy sound of bones breaking through the Magic Missiles which Grid continued to shoot. It was the sound of Overgeared Skeleton One being blown away by the clone.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has used the Bone Sticking skill.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has been restored.]


    [Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have received fatal damage and returned to the earth.]


    ¡°Skeletons...!¡±


    The levels of the Overgeared Skeletons were still too low. They were no match for the clone who had a level equivalent to or higher than Grid¡¯s. The Overgeared Skeletons died in vain because of the clone.


    ¡°1,000-ton Sword!¡± Chris jumped down from the wyvern and used his ultimate skill. The greatsword made from Belial¡¯s bones struck the head of the clone. The clone couldn¡¯t endure the weight and was pushed down, creating a pit that was more than 50 centimeters deep. The clone was like a stake in the ground.


    [You have dealt 251,500 damage to the target!]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a fatal injury. Chris¡¯ ultimate technique wasn¡¯t able to do much more than make a serious scratch on the clone. The clone saw blood flow down Chris¡¯ eyes and prepared to counterattack.


    ¡°Are you ashamed of the face that your parents gave you? Is that why you have to use the face of another person? Aren¡¯t you sorry towards your parents? Ah! You don¡¯t have parents?¡±Huroi borrowed the power of his wind elemental to trigger a fast-paced Taunt skill, shifting the clone¡¯s aggro to him.


    The clone stared up at Huroi on the wyvern and missed the chance to counterattack against Chris.


    ¡°Stop making such noise and get lost.¡±Pon¡¯s spear pierced the clone.


    ¡°Insane Dragon Wave!¡± Regas¡¯ feet kicked the chest of the clone.


    ¡°...!¡± The shock of the simultaneous back and forth movements was quiterge, causing the clone to swallow back a scream.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡± Grid was able toplete his strongest skill while his colleagues bought time. ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    The powerful Kill continuously stabbed the body while a storm of energy des was released, trapping the clone inside. As a red lightning bolt fell, blood emerged from the clone¡¯s mouth and chest.


    [You have dealt 2,395,700 damage to the target.]


    It was an overwhelming attack! Grid¡¯s attack shocked Chris, Pon, and Regas, who had measured the clone¡¯s defense.


    ¡°Not enough...!¡± Grid felt that it was a pity. He criticized God¡¯s Command for not activating at such a crucial moment. However, he was currently with his colleagues. There was no need to fret because anything hecked would be made up by his colleagues.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±Peak Sword had descended to the ground from the moment Noe and Randy appeared, and now he took a posture to draw his sword. His eyes shone sharply as the Iyarugt in Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath gathered energy.


    [Iyarugt, who is 100% changed with magic power, is in an intoxicated state. He has lost his ego and is running wild.]


    [The conditions of use for Iyarugt has been changed to ¡®person to be sacrificed¡¯.]


    [It is impossible to summon Iyarugt.]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s damage has increased by 500%.]


    ¡°Annihte.¡±


    Draw Sword, which had the best attack power and speed among all the skills in Satisfy, emerged with a red light. The sword of light reached Grid¡¯s clone.


    ¡°...!!¡±The clone had been determined to endure Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, but now he was shaken. His shoulder was cut so badly that he lost one arm, and he stumbled.


    ¡°Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Storm Dragon¡¯s Fury.¡±


    Jishuka and Lauel joined forces. Lauel triggered the ability of a flow master and twisted the direction of the wind, while Jishuka¡¯s fire arrows flew in the strong winds and urately pierced the clone. The blood of the clone flowed from the sessive strikes. Then Katz took control of the blood. ¡°Blood Tornado.¡±


    He steadily gathered all the blood that had permeated the ground and used it as a resource, gathering all the blood into a bloody storm.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Noe and his colleagues sent a signal to Grid. They didn¡¯t need to rush as Grid was already using Linked Kill Wave. He intended to finish off the clone trapped in the bloody storm.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! There was the sound of hammering from within the storm of mes. Grid hurried, but he was toote. The clone confirmed the information of the equipment that Grid was wearing with cksmith¡¯s Eyes, then he used the production skill and seeded in copying Grid¡¯s equipment.


    He used the Moving Fortress skill of Valha of Infinite Affection¡ªthe armor that contained Grid and Khan¡¯s story¡ªand neutralized the blood storm and Linked Kill Wave.

 Chapter 905

    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The clone hammered at the Holy Light Armor, and the shape of the armor changed rapidly. In just a few seconds, it evolved into Valha of Infinite Affection.


    ¡®This...?¡¯ Grid was horrified when the clone armed himself with Valha.


    Of course, he had expected it to some extent. From the first time Grid met his clone in the Behen Archipgo, he had known that the clone could copy all of his abilities and items. In the process of losing to the clone again and again, Grid had found he could learn things from the clone and also gained cksmith¡¯s Eyes after defeating the clone. Yes, he understood it was a rtionship where they both took things from each other and had predicted this variable. However, this was serious.


    ¡®XX...? Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡¯


    In just a few seconds, the clone managed to copy the items Grid was wearing...? Moreover, it was done without a production method and materials? This was the precious work that Khan had left behind!


    ¡°Die...!¡±Grid couldn¡¯t ept it. He couldn¡¯t understand it. He couldn¡¯t forgive the clone for undermining the legacy that Khan had left behind.Yet Grid, who was furious and had bloodshot eyes, stopped in the middle of his shouting. ¡°...Eh?¡±


    It was like ck paint.The clone¡¯s Valha was melting like a liquid. The molten armor soaked into the clone¡¯s body and then it hardened again.


    ¡°Recognition. I am you.¡±


    Valha of Infinite Affection became the skin of the clone, and the clone was now Valha of Infinite Affection itself. The clone had instantly assimted with the armor.


    ¡®This...?¡¯ Grid, who had been blinded with anger, barely grabbed onto a rope of reason. He noticed what the Valha clone was doing right now. ¡°Moving Fortress! Avoid it!¡±


    [Moving Fortress]


    [It can be activated if the wearer¡¯s health drops by more than one tenth (Enable/Disable can be selected).


    -Converts the durability of Valha of Infinite Affection to defense (one durability= two defense).


    -Immune to all conditions (including physical statuses).


    -It willst for one minute and the current durability of Valha of Infinite Affection will be set to 30 points (at the end of Moving Fortress, the current durability will be restored by a third of the maximum durability).


    * Please note that if the durability falls to zero, the item will be permanently destroyed.


    The wide range skill ¡®Impregnable¡¯, which deals half of all damage received in thest five minutes in a 50-meter radius, can be activated.


    Skill Resources Consumption: Valha of Infinite Affection¡¯s maximum endurance will drop permanently by 200.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.]


    Moving Fortress was an ultimate skill with high utilization. However, the result was a reduction in Valha¡¯s durability, and Valha could be lost. It was a skill that Grid could never use as he vowed to be with Khan¡¯s legacy forever. However, the clone was different. He had Grid¡¯s appearance, abilities, items, and potential, but he didn¡¯t share Grid¡¯s memories. The meaning contained in Valha meant nothing to the clone.


    ¡°Question. Why do I exist if you exist?¡± The clone¡¯s ego was developing. He had been born as something to harm Grid, and now he wanted to rece Grid. sh! The clone¡¯s body glowed red as it approached Grid and his colleagues. No, to be precise, it was the Valha on the clone¡¯s skin that was heating up.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Grid shouted to everyone to avoid it while the 10 meritorious retainers were already taking evasive action. Jishuka was constantly shooting arrows from the sky, keeping the clone in check while her teammates took cover. However, the clone used Quick Movements attached to the Ideal Dagger and showed a speed which surpassed that of the 10 meritorious retainers. Additionally, Jishuka¡¯s arrows couldn¡¯t destroy the defense of Moving Fortress.


    ¡°What is needed? Your death. Perish.¡±


    Grid, Chris, Pon, Regas, Katz and Peak Sword were still within a 50-meter radius, and they were hit by half the damage that the clone had umted in thest five minutes. The dust from the impact of the consecutive battles started to disperse. All the objects affected by Impregnable¡ªlike the tiles, houses and people¡ªwere unable to withstand the powerful damage. Yet Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers were fine.


    ¡°...?¡± A question mark emerged over the clone¡¯s head. A bald head was shining.¡°Did you think I was a folding screeeeen?!¡±


    It was a great sess for Vantner, who had only invested all his stats into staminate in the game. Shields rose from the ground and protected the 10 meritorious retainers. It was the Sacrifice Shield which consumed 90% of Vantner¡¯s mana to summon a shield to protect all party members.


    [Party leader Grid has suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [The effect of ¡®Transfer Damage¡¯ has shifted the damage to the Sacrifice Shield.]


    [Serious damage was dealt.]


    [The user of this shield will die the moment the duration is over.]


    [Party member Chris has suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [The effect of ¡®Transfer Damage¡¯ has shifted the damage to the Sacrifice Shield.]


    [Party member Regas...]


    [Party member Pon...]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    [The duration of Sacrifice Shield is over.]


    [Your flesh, which has crossed the limit to protect your colleagues, will copse.]


    ¡°That bastard... Get revenge... for me...¡±


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 36.1% experience.]


    [The item ¡®White Pauldrons¡¯ has been lost.]


    [Two batches of the item ¡®Super Limited Resource Recovery Potion¡¯ has been lost.]


    [The durability of the ¡®Taldran Mace¡¯ has dropped by 103.]


    [The durability of ¡®Belial¡¯s Shield¡¯ has dropped by 209.]


    [The durability...]


    [......]


    [......]


    ¡°Vantner!¡± The 10 meritorious retainers screamed as they witnessed Vantner¡¯s death.


    Surprisingly, Pon was angrier than anyone else. ¡°You dare...! You dare!¡±


    Pon was Vantner¡¯s colleague and rival who had been ying all types of games with Vantner for 10 years before the release of Satisfy. They always argued because they couldn¡¯t determine who was a better gamer, but they had a precious friendship with many memories.


    ¡°The poor guy who worked day and night for a few months to gain one level...! His effort was in vain...! Gail!¡±


    Hihihing! The white horse responded to Pon¡¯s call and jumped off the wyvern. Pon quickly got on the horse, received all types ofpensation effects, and threw the spear at the clone. The spear flew so quickly that the clone couldn¡¯t react to it even with Quick Movements, and his heart was pierced. Pon had rushed forward from the moment he threw the spear, and he pointed another spear at the clone¡¯s heart. Then he tried to use the ultimate technique ¡®Take the Throne¡¯ that connected with Mach Spear.


    However, the clone¡¯s counterattack was quick. He resisted the physical injuries of being hit by the spear and avoided the ¡®stiffness¡¯ state thanks to Valha. Then he unleashed Pinnacle at Pon.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 36.8% experience.]


    [The item ¡®Prototype Lantier¡¯s Cloak¡¯ has been lost.]


    [The item ¡®White Rose Gloves¡¯...]


    [......]


    [......]


    ¡°Pon!¡± The 10 meritorious retainers were shaken by the back-to-back loss of their colleagues. The Murray Kingdom yers watching the battle felt great panic. They couldn¡¯t ept this scene where the strongest rankers were being overwhelmed by a single enemy and dying. It didn¡¯t seem real.


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±Asmophel was saddened while still being kept in check by the God Hands. The helplessness of the 10 meritorious retainers, who had gone through all types of adversities with Grid, was a sight that made Asmophel nervous. He wanted to quickly shake off the God Hands and help his king.


    Singuled approached Asmophel at this moment and asked, ¡°That is your king?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...The king who Piaro also serves.¡±Singuled watched Grid. Singuled didn¡¯t know him, but he wondered what actions Grid would take after losing hispanions to the monster who resembled him.


    Haster was the same. ¡®If he is a wise king, he would realize that the 10 meritorious retainers have been defeated and pull out Knights Summoning.¡¯


    Haster evaluated that the clone was several times more threatening than Grid. The clone had a health that far surpassed Grid¡¯s, and his power was difficult to gauge because he could copy Grid¡¯s items instantly. Could Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers deal with this monster? There was no chance of that. It had been proven several times in the past National Competitions that the 10 meritorious retainers were no match for Grid. Consequently, it was impossible for them to fight the clone who was much stronger than Grid.


    ¡®A victory can¡¯t be guaranteed. In the end, you have to rely on Piaro.¡¯


    Great Swordsman Piaro was the person whom Master Winfred had missed all his life and the strongest subordinate of Overgeared King Grid. Haster judged that this was the only way to beat Grid¡¯s clone and expected Grid to summon Piaro as quickly as possible. He also hoped that encountering Piaro would give him a hidden quest which would help him be a Red Sage.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t meet his expectations.


    ¡°Vantner, Pon...¡± Grid walked on the ground of ashes made by the clone. Dark red and purple fighting energy surrounded his body. It was the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy that the clone hadn¡¯t copied yet, or maybe couldn¡¯t copy.


    ¡°...¡±Broken pauldrons and a torn cloak¡ªGrid carefully picked up the items Vantner and Pon had dropped. Then Grid told his colleagues, ¡°Buy me some time.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Haster doubted his ears as he watched the situation. Rather than summon Piaro, Grid depended on his colleagues.


    ¡®He is willing to sacrifice his colleagues when there are other options...?¡¯


    Was he worried about losing Piaro?


    ¡®I understand how he feels, but... He is a shockingly selfish person.¡¯


    Grid chose to sacrifice his colleagues rather than risk losing his best knight. Haster scoffed. ¡®He won¡¯t keep his position for long.¡¯


    Grid had been able to be the first yer king because he was the leader of the Overgeared Guild. By relying on his colleagues, he had managed to overthrow the Eternal Kingdom and set up a new kingdom. Yet he was now sacrificing his colleagues at this crucial moment. Haster thought a crack would form between Grid and his colleagues. Then Grid would lose his colleagues, and his position would weaken.


    ¡°...$#[email protected]#!!¡±


    Jishuka and Lauel attacked continuously from the wyvern, while Huroi was verbally abusive. The colleagues on the ground took cover and hindered the clone. At this time, Grid was in the rear. He supported his colleagues using the white light sword and golden de, as well as Noe and Randy, but he wasn¡¯t acting himself. Haster analyzed his actions,¡®Is he waiting for the altered armor to return to its original state so that the extreme defense will be lost?¡¯


    While Grid¡¯s colleagues were buying time, Grid was preparing a deadly blow. It was a simple n.


    ¡®The clone is a named boss. It is intelligent enough to prepare for the gap that will appear when the armor returns to normal.¡¯


    It was futile. Grid was forcing his colleagues to sacrifice themselves for nothing. By the time Grid attacked the clone, most of his colleagues would be on the verge of death and the clone would still be able to cope with Grid¡¯s strike. This was what Haster thought.


    Lauel, who was on the wyvern, was thinking the same thing. ¡®There is a high chance that the clone is prepared for the timing His Majesty is aiming for.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Still, Haster and Lauel didn¡¯t know the details of Moving Fortress. Grid was the only one who knew the effect of the absolute armor that the clone was currently showing.


    [Fighting energy has reached the maximum.]


    [Strength, stamina, and agility has increased by 50%.]


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡± Lauel in the sky...


    ¡°Using that now?¡± ...and Haster on the ground¡ªthe two men watching Grid became shocked at the same time. Grid was moving much faster than they had expected as he attacked the clone. Regas¡¯ kicks and Chris¡¯ greatsword...


    Tatang!


    Jishuka¡¯s arrows and Yura¡¯s magic power bullets... Katz¡¯ blood magic and Peak Sword¡¯s Draw Sword...


    The clone performed a sword dance as he endured the onught of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    ----


    -----!!


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Energy des, which contained a fierce momentum, poured out. Why did Grid attack the enemy while Moving Fortress was still active? It was to destroy Valha as its durability had fallen to 30 in the aftermath of Moving Fortress.


    ¡°Judgment. Dangerous,¡±the clone responded when the armor couldn¡¯t endure the enemy des and cracked. He judged that he wouldn¡¯t be able to endure the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, which posted a higher speed than Transcended Link, and called the God Hands to his side while using Flower. The clone had learned from Grid and Randy to not use Revolve first.


    A beautiful and fierce sight unfolded. Energy which resembled flowers formed and started to shatter the energy des of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. However, it was toote and wascking. Valha had already endured the onught of the meritorious retainers, and now it was being crushed by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. The cracks in the armor grew bigger, and its shape was soon lost.


    Grid immediately used Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage and rushed to the clone. ¡°Son of a bitch! Be prepared!¡±


    Grid had thought about it. Why had the clone been able to copy the armor that Grid was wearing in seconds? First, it was a unique skill possessed by the clone. The clone had a fraudulent skill that analyzed and copied the item in a matter of seconds. Still, something didn¡¯t fit. If the clone had such a perfect copying skill, then Grid would never win.


    Was this really right? He wouldn¡¯t able to beat the clone who had a grasp of his location and could track him at any time...? Then wasn¡¯t his life in the gamepletely over? The S.A Group might be swindlers, but would they do something so unreasonable? What would happen if Grid went to the media and exposed this absurdity?


    As such, Grid came to a conclusion.


    ¡°Overgeared jerk! Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    It was the power of items. Yes, it was the items. Grid remembered the armor, sword, and God Hands that the clone had first appeared with. Were these items the source of the clone¡¯s power? Wasn¡¯t the clone¡¯s fraudulent copying skill possible because of a power contained in the clone¡¯s armor? He didn¡¯t know if this spection was correct or not.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The Vital Spot Detection of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch has activated!]


    [The weak spot has been attacked! Further damage will be dealt!!]


    [You have dealt 9,195,700 damage to the target.]


    However, he ascertained this through seeing the damage that the clone suffered after his armor was destroyed. The clone didn¡¯t make a new armor or copy one. He just lost health helplessly. Gridughed at the clone,¡°Yes, this is the power of items.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Then what about you?¡¯


    The onlookers were stunned as they watched Grid using ¡®the power of items¡¯ in a derisive manner to mock the clone. On the other hand, the people who were more freaked out than anyone else were the employees of the S.A Group.


    ¡°Did Grid understand the structure of the clone from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°The reason he unleashed an offensive at the start was to make the clone copy Valha and use Moving Fortress?¡±


    ¡°The moment he realized he would be reunited with the clone, he must¡¯ve figured out how to take advantage of Valha.¡±


    ¡°He truly is one of the Five Miracles...¡±


    ¡°God Grid...¡±


    This was the moment that the S.A Group called an ordinary (?) yer a ¡®GOD¡¯.

 Chapter 906

    ¡®...Danger.¡¯


    The moment that Valha of Infinite Affection was shattered, the clone felt a dark emotion for the first time since his birth. Feelings of insecurity and fear dominated him.


    ¡®Lost armor. Can¡¯t be repaired.¡¯


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Activating the protection sequence based on your birth. For the next five seconds, health is fixed to a minimum and you can¡¯t die.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sword pierced him again, and the clone groaned. ¡°Ah...¡±


    The terrible pain made his mind and body tremble.


    ¡®Destruction?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want that. He didn¡¯t want to disappear.


    ¡°ckening!¡± The clone barely managed to cry out, with blood pouring out from his mouth. He had to destroy Grid and take Grid¡¯s ce. Surrounding by demonic magic, the clone¡¯s skin started to whiten andhis ck hair grew longer.


    [Your physical abilities have increased greatly.]


    [The fusion skill Linked Revolve has been opened.]


    [The fusion skill Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle has been opened.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Splendor has been opened.]


    The clone had copied Grid¡¯s physical abilities when he entered the Behen Archipgo. Then while living in hell, the clone had hunted and raised his level, exceeding level 400. His stats experienced the fourth awakening, but it wasn¡¯t an overwhelming developmentpared to the stats that Grid enjoyed from making items.


    However, the proficiency of his swordsmanship was different. The clone only relied on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, unlike Grid who obtained the power of the Hero King and the sword technique of the Undefeated King. His swordsmanship was developed to a higher level than Grid¡¯s, and he was able to use a variety of sword dances. It was only possible when he used ckening to enhance his physical abilities.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡± That¡¯s right. In order to acquire new fusion skills and sword dances, Grid had to raise his stats. This showed that leveling up was more important than he thought. ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±Grid felt that the clone was finallying. The clone used ckening and sublimated his movements before using the five fusion sword dance. Dozens of energy des appeared continuously.


    ¡°Transcended Link!¡±Grid tried to intercept them, but it was impossible. It was because the dozens of energy des flying toward Grid scattered all over the ce.


    ¡°...!?¡± Grid was confused as the dozens of energy des disappeared from sight.


    ¡°Master!¡± Noe¡¯s desperate shout rang out. The de Aiming at the Gods suddenly changed its course and flew over Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®This...!¡¯ The frightened Grid raised his head toward the sky. He saw the energy des filling the sky. It was an amazing sight, much like an aurora was unfolding.


    ¡°Revolve!¡±It was in the realm of instinct. Grid was surprised because the power of the five fusion sword technique was greater than he had imagined. The dozens of energy des spread out in the sky fell toward Grid¡¯s head as the Pinnacle part of the sword dance.


    ¡°Lephel¡¯s Embrace!¡±Euphemina used a skill that she had saved. Lephel was an indigenous god that monks served, and she asked him to protect Grid from the energy des.


    ¡°Arrow Rail!¡± Jishuka fired dozens of arrows over Grid¡¯s head. This was also a defense skill. Jishuka wanted the barrier of arrows to guard Grid.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Lauel unfolded wind magic to alter the trajectory of the sword, attempting to weaken the power. Meanwhile, Peak Sword tried to intercept the energy des. However, it was wishful thinking. The attack power of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle transcended the power of the skills used by the 10 meritorious retainers. It seemed to scorn the 10 meritorious retainers as the heavy rain of energy des poured toward Grid¡¯s head. Grid was already using Revolve, and the rotating sword swallowed up the energy des pouring from the sky. Still, it was only partially effective. It was impossible to counterattack against the dozens of falling energy des with a single move.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Covered in blood, Grid fell to his knees. Some energy des that entered the area around him were shot back toward the clone.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± The spectators let out cheers. They knew that Grid was aiming for mutual destruction with the clone.


    However, the clone wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.¡°Revolve.¡±


    It was using the same counterattack as Grid to return the attacks to Grid...? The viewers thought that Grid was going to die alone.


    ¡°Revolve!¡±Then another Grid besides the real Grid and the clone appeared. It was Randy. Randy used the counterattack against the counterattack, threatening the clone. In the past, the clone had summoned another Randy, just like Grid.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡± The clone¡¯s Randy had died the day that the clone fell into hell. Right now, the clone was alone. ¡°Linked Revolve.¡±


    Counterattacks were activated continuously! The energy des that were strengthened by the consecutive counterattacks flew toward Grid.


    [You have lost more than 70% of your maximum health.]


    [The First King title effect is activated.]


    [A protective shield containing the health that was lost in thest minute has been created. For the duration of the shield, terrain adaptability will increase by 100% while movement speed and defense will increase by 10%.]


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±Grid stood at the crossroads of life and death.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Of course, it was still too early to give up. Five seconds was great. Grid had just entered the immortal state while the clone¡¯s immortality wasing to an end.


    ¡°ckening!¡± Grid felt hope and raised all his power.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡± The clone unleashed a menacing attack.


    ¡°Freely Move!¡±Grid used the skill that avoided all non-targeted skills and approached the clone.¡°Drop!¡±


    The attack that was triggered instantly threatened the clone. Grid saw a chance to win until the God Hands interfered!


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Drop didn¡¯t get triggered because the God Hands flew over and restrained both of Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡°You...!¡± Grid waspletely captured by the four God Hands andpletely lost his freedom. His arms were spread open like he was nailed to a cross. The clone¡¯s ability to control the God Hands was several times higher than Grid¡¯s ability.


    ¡°I am you,¡± the clone¡¯s creepy voice entered the ears of the captured Grid. Grid realized that the clone wanted topletely usurp his existence. He was absolutely horrified that the clone had evolved like this and was threatening now him.


    ¡°You...¡± Grid was certain. ¡°You must die!¡±


    Only the clone¡¯splete disappearance would guarantee his safety.Grid determined this with murderous eyes. Simultaneously, a smile appeared on the clone¡¯s face. Yes, it was an obvious smile.¡°You are the one who will die.¡±


    The clone was evolving even at this moment. In the process of feeling fearful toward death and feeling the joy of being liberated from death, the clone could experience various emotions. Now he was truly dreaming.


    ¡°I am Grid.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Failure pierced Grid¡¯s heart.


    Ttang! Ttang!


    Then the clone took out the hammer and hit Failure several times, transforming Failure into the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°Four seconds,¡± he stated as he pressed the Enlightenment Sword deeper into Grid¡¯s heart. ¡°Three seconds.¡±


    It was the remaining time of Grid¡¯s immortality. The clone knew that Grid would die very soon. He believed that if he held onto until the end of Grid¡¯s immortality, he would surely win. Of course, variables existed.


    ¡°Take your hands off him right now!¡±Asmophel and the 10 meritorious retainers cried out. All of them bombarded the clone to get him away from Grid.


    However, the clone still had a trump card.¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Splendor.¡±


    sh! A brilliant white light emerged from the sword piercing Grid¡¯s heart, causing the 10 meritorious retainers and Asmophel to be ¡®blinded.¡¯


    ¡°One second.¡±


    This was the end. The clone predicted Grid¡¯s death. He nced at the future that he would rece. The God Hands tightened their grip on Grid¡¯s arms, forcing him to be still.


    ¡°Result. Your death.¡±


    The clone used Kill.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    There was another sh of light that disturbed their vision as the sound of skin, flesh, and bones being pierced was heard. The sh was from the linked attacks of the light elemental and the de Aiming at the Gods. Yes...


    ¡°Cough!¡± The one coughing up the blood was the clone, not Grid. Unlike the predictions of the onlookers, the clone was the one falling down.


    ¡°Do you also have the Rune of Darkness?¡±Grid freed himself from the God Hands that were confused after their master fell.


    ¡°...¡± The clone didn¡¯t answer. He just knelt down and coughed up blood.


    Grid asked again, ¡°Had I used the power of the rune, would you have copied this power like you did with the armor and sword?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wily guy.¡±


    It would be a lie to say that Grid felt no sympathy for the clone. Grid felt ufortable as he thought of the loneliness and confusion that the clone, who had been born to kill Grid, would¡¯ve felt. However, the clone was a threat to Grid and his kingdom. Settingpassion aside, the clone was an opponent that must be killed. Grid struck the clone¡¯s throat. After losing his armor, the clone was infinitely weakened, and Grid determined that this was the end.


    ...At least, until the Guardian¡¯s Ne and Guardian¡¯s Bracelet that the clone wore luckily activated the Indomitable effect.

 Chapter 907

    A small tongue licked Grid¡¯s cheek. Gentleness was conveyed to him from a furry white cat. Well, no, it was the tongue of the best demonic beast of hell¡ªthe memphis called Noe.


    ¡°Master... Are you hurt, nyong?¡±Noe¡¯s speckled eyes showed he was worried about Grid.Deep concern was disyed in Noe¡¯s bright eyes.


    Feeling thankful, Grid touched Noe¡¯s small, round forehead.¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want Noe to be more anxious, so he barely swallowed his curses. Due to the effect of Indomitable, Grid had failed to deal the final blow to the clone. Grid was concerned about a counterattack and moved away, making him very ufortable with this situation.


    ¡®What is this damn timing?¡¯


    [Indomitable]


    [-Has a certain probability of invalidating a portion of the iing damage. The lower the health, the higher the probability.


    * The higher the number, the higher the effect.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.]


    The special stat, indomitable, had a good effect. yers or NPCs with the stat could invalidate a portion of the enemy¡¯s attack. However, the probability of it activating was between 0.01 to 0.001%. Grid wondered if the Satisfy makers had forgotten about the indomitable stat and how it could be implemented. Why? Grid had made many items and his indomitable stat was close to 2,000 points... ¡®However, I can count the number of times I experienced this effect on less than five fingers! That damn, bastard clone. He is too lucky.¡¯


    The indomitable effect had activated the moment the clone had been about to die. Grid felt deprived since he hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy the effects of indomitable. He was dissatisfied in many ways, so it was no wonder why he wanted to curse.


    ¡®Items and luck... He is a real dirty bastard.¡¯


    Grid felt the emotions that his enemies had been feeling about him until now!


    ¡°...!¡±Then he suddenly noticed the clone¡¯s subtle shoulder movements and hurriedly leaped away. The energy de of Linked Kill pierced the ce where Grid had been standing.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve died if my reaction was slower.¡¯


    Grid had used this move hundreds of times, so he could detect it and prepare for it in advance. Just as he was feeling relieved while flying into the air, he heard apuse.p p p!


    ¡°As expected from King Grid!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who was it? Grid shifted his gaze at the apuse and saw Lauel. Lauel, who had been worried about Grid a little while ago, was now smiling.


    ¡®Did he eat something bad?¡¯


    Why was heughing in the midst of this dire situation? Grid frowned at Lauel who eximed, ¡°Your Majesty deliberately spared the clone!¡±


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    ¡°You know that today¡¯s incident will happen again if you kill the clone in the ckening state!¡±


    ¡°...Ah, right.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, you are using this opportunity to learn!¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± The confused Grid touched his forehead upon realizing that Lauel was misunderstanding the situation.


    ¡°The first day Your Majesty met Randy, you used it as an opportunity to learn. Using that small brain of yours to learn... It was very virtuous and looked good.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s right. Back when Grid met Randy who copied the image of Pagma and when he met his clone on the Behen Archipgo, Grid had fought and gotten defeated repeatedly. He had tried to learn from Randy and his clone. However, he overlooked learning this time.Grid didn¡¯t even think about trying to learn Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle from the clone. It was because he couldn¡¯t afford to think about it. His colleagues were currently at risk. How could he take the time to study the clone when his colleagues, who were fighting with him, were at the crossroads of life and death? It wasn¡¯t right. These were Grid¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°It is well thought out! Fight as long as possible so that Vantner¡¯s and Pon¡¯s sacrifices aren¡¯t in vain! Use the clone as a nutrient for growth!¡±Lauel yelled out.He misunderstood that Grid had deliberately spared the clone.


    ¡°What? He let it live on purpose?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, but it¡¯s great. He isn¡¯t nervous fighting against a stronger opponent...¡±


    ¡°This is why he is the best. How can anyone top that?¡±


    ¡°Catching the opportunity at the expense of his colleagues... I see.¡±


    ¡°His colleagues sacrificed themselves to support Grid.¡±


    ¡°This is the strongest Overgeared Guild!¡±


    Buzz buzz!


    Lauel¡¯s shouts caused the spectators, including Haster, to misunderstand.


    ¡®Earlier, Grid saw the clone¡¯s preliminary movements and correctly captured the timing to attack. This is why he saved the clone. Grid intends to fight as long as possible to understand the pros and cons of his skills and to raise his strength to another level.¡¯


    The misunderstanding deepened! The eyes of the public shone likenterns!


    ¡°Grid, have strength!¡±


    ¡°We might be citizens of the Murray Kingdom, but we will support you!¡±


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid!! God Grid!!¡±


    Cheers for Grid rang out throughout the capital of the Murray Kingdom.


    ¡°No... That wasn¡¯t my purpose...¡±


    Why did people always misunderstand his actions? Grid sweated tensely and took a deep breath.¡®Yes, this is an opportunity.¡¯


    No one said that an opportunity couldn¡¯t be found in a crisis. The clone was the worst enemy that threatened Grid, but there were many things to learn from him. Moreover, Grid was currently in an advantageous position. The clone weakened after losing his armor and could be killed at any time. Meanwhile, Grid was still healthy. The immortality variable had already been exhausted on both sides.


    ¡®Still, is it really okay?¡¯


    Could Grid afford to observe the clone during the confrontation when the clone had his attack power strengthened by copying the Enlightenment Sword? Would his colleagues be safe? Grid looked at his colleagues. The 10 meritorious retainers had persuaded Asmophel and distanced themselves from the battle.


    ¡°G-Grid, have strength!¡±


    ¡°God Grid, fighting! Show your greatness!¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk! Your Majesty can do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were pushing him to fight while they stepped back? Was it because they had no loyalty? No, not at all! The clone had lost his original majesty. His colleagues had done their part, so now they were being considerate of Grid. They were giving away the prey to Grid.


    ¡°Okay.¡±Grid controlled his mind and waited for the duration of the clone¡¯s ckening to end. ¡°Bring it on. Show me all the sword dances that you havepleted. Let¡¯s fight for as long as possible. I¡¯ll face you fair and square,¡± he spoke in a cool manner.


    ¡°Gulp.¡± Grid drank a health potion manufactured by the alchemy facility.


    ¡°...¡±


    Was drinking a potion considered as ying fair? The spectators, whose blood were boiling, became stunned.


    ¡®He should¡¯ve drunk it 1.3 seconds earlier,¡¯ Haster thought regretfully as he counted Grid¡¯s potion cooldown time.He realized that the clone had a high health recovery rate. ¡®Based on the change in the health gauge... If the clone doesn¡¯t get hit in the next 5 seconds, his health will go up by 10,000 per second.¡¯


    This was a boss monster... a top boss monster. Grid didn¡¯t have an advantage just because he could drink potions. Haster¡¯s interest grew.¡®Will Grid be able to fight as long as he intended?¡¯


    It would be tough. The more Grid dragged out the time, the more health the clone would recover. Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to depend on potions alone.


    ¡®Will the vampire ring and recovery ring that he showed in the National Competition be sufficient?¡¯


    Well, that wasn¡¯t the end. Haster was aware that Grid one of the greatest yers at the moment. He doubted Grid¡¯s judgment during the initial confrontation with the clone, but that was all. Grid¡¯sbat power was evaluated as the best. Yes, Haster believed in Grid¡¯s power and thought that Grid would show a great fight against the clone.


    He just had a personal wish.¡®I hope he ends up in a crisis and summons Piaro.¡¯


    ¡°...¡± The exciting atmosphere was sinking heavily. People held their breaths as they watched Grid and the clone. Grid and the clone both took one step forward... before stepping back.


    ¡°Nyaaoong!¡±


    There were the God Hands, Noe, Randy, the sword of light, and the de Aiming at the Gods floating above Grid¡¯s and the clone¡¯s heads. Grid¡¯s pets and swords were moving on their own to block the clone¡¯s God Hands. Thanks to this, it became a one-on-one fight. The tension heightened, and the sound of gulping could be heard from all over the ce. It didn¡¯t have any effect on Grid and the clone. They were busy concentrating and didn¡¯t react to the sound.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    The person who used the sword dance first was Grid. He moved forward and stabbed with his sword, while the clone rotated to the left.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The attack power of Kill was overwhelmingly higher than Wave. However, Grid noticed the clone¡¯s intentions behind using Wave. The actions of Wavepletely counteracted the movements of Kill. The clone avoided Kill and unleashed a wave of energy. Grid was defenseless for a moment after using Kill and was hit by the energy.


    ¡°Starting...!¡± The clone gave the signal after Grid was hit by Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave. The clone saw a loophole in Grid¡¯s defenses andunched the full-scale offensive. He was unconcerned about the Link that Grid used and threatened him with Pinnacle. Pinnacle was hard to avoid.


    The clone had copied the Enlightenment Sword and exerted an attack power that was just as good as Grid¡¯s. If Grid were hit by Pinnacle, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a serious injury despite his items. Even Lantier¡¯s Cloak and Valha of Infinite Affection were unable to take all the damage of the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°...Keuk!¡± Grid fell down. He was hit by an attack that should¡¯ve never been allowed and lost a massive amount of health. The clone saw Grid¡¯s stumbling and grasped his status.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The linked skill struck at Grid¡¯s heart. Thanks to having the best artificial intelligence, the clone could do perfect calctions, and he decided that the strike would kill Grid. This was if the blow hit its mark.


    ¡°Wave!¡±Grid evaded Kill and fought back. It was the exact trick that the clone used!


    ¡°...!¡± Rather than Kill hitting its mark, the clone was hit by Wave and staggered back. Wave¡¯s attack power was a big threat to the clone who had lost his armor. The clone was confused. ¡®Grid¡¯s skill. He should¡¯ve failed the counterattack. Changed?¡¯


    Grid cried out to it, ¡°Link!¡±


    The clone couldn¡¯t cope with the sessive cuts that followed.


    ¡°Pinnacle!¡±


    The clone failed to avoid Pinnacle that Grid used out of nowhere. Grid¡¯s sword cut the clone¡¯s chest, and blood spurted out. Then two red tails appeared behind Grid. This was the moment he used Cray¡¯s Strength attached to the Rune of Darkness. Grid converted 100% of the damage done to the clone into his own health. Two blood tails were created because the volume exceeded Grid¡¯s maximum health.


    ¡°What? If you don¡¯t want to die like this, thene on!¡±The two-tailed Grid provoked the clone.


    [The target was destroyed!]


    ¡°...?¡±


    [You have won the fight against yourself!]


    Unintentional notification windows started to rise in front of Grid. The clone who had lost his armor was just a meat shield. He couldn¡¯t bear Grid¡¯s attack power and was killed!


    ¡°N-No...! Show me anger!¡±Grid reached out toward the clone.


    ¡°...End.¡± The body that resembled Grid was already dispersing into gray ashes.


    [You have seeded in beating the 41st ind!]


    [You have acquired one skill level point from the mission clear reward.]


    [You have ovee your limitations and have taken one step closer to being a legend.]


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°...??¡± Grid felt a sense of deja vu. The contents of the notification windows were the same as what he had witnessed on the Behen Archipgo a few years ago...


    ¡°...Will it be the same?¡±


    [The passive skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Eyes¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The passive skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Eyes¡¯ has already been acquired.]


    [.....]


    [Analyzing...]


    [Please wait for a moment...]


    [The rewards have been deemed insufficient, and cksmith¡¯s Eyes will change to ¡®Code Name 214098 Eyes.¡¯ It is believed that the yer should have an intuitive sense of the skill. ording to Satisfy¡¯s history and lore, the name of the skill ¡®Code Name 214098 Eyes¡¯ will change to ¡®Eyes of Pagma-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version¡¯.]


    ¡°I¡¯m stupid...¡± Grid found it impossible to understand the situation. He checked the notification windows several times and was still confused. On the other hand, the S.A Group¡¯s operations team was thrown into chaos.

 Chapter 908

    The Behen Archipgo was an instance dungeon. It wasn¡¯t a concept where arge number of users entered one dungeon. Rather, the map of the archipgo was copied and newly generated whenever a user entered. In other words, users entering the Behen Archipgo would have the same structure as other yers but their progress would be separate.


    [Code name 214098 has disappeared.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Codename 214098 was an existence that urred in the Behen Archipgo. It was the result of the 41st ind where Grid¡¯s ss, stats, titles, items, and pets were copied and created. Originally, it was an existence that should¡¯ve been trapped in the Behen Archipgo forever.


    [Code name 214098 has been destroyed and yer Grid will be rewarded.]


    The clone died while ckening was still activated, ended up in hell and died in the open world, not the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    Could the clone be this easily raided? The members of the operation team watched with fascination as Grid discovered the name of the enemy, destroyed the clone¡¯s armor and won smoothly.


    ¡°The reward?¡±


    ¡°What about the reward?¡±


    The employees were agitated. Wasn¡¯t Grid already givenpensation when he had killed the clone in the past? Would he be given rewards again?


    [yer Grid has cleared the 41st ind.]


    [yer Grid has acquired one skill level point from the mission clear reward.]


    [yer Grid has acquired the skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Eyes.¡¯]


    ¡°What is this? How did it end up like this?¡±


    ¡°Did the system judge code name 214098 as being on the Behen Archipgo? And so, it gave thepensation for beating the 41st ind?¡±


    "Hasn¡¯t Grid already received the rewards for clearing the 41st ind? Isn¡¯t this an error?¡±


    This was bad. It was clear that a system error had urred ever since the existence, that was supposed to only exist in the Behen Archipgo, had entered the open world. The reputation of the supeputer Morpheus would decrease.


    ¡°No, Morpheus will make amends to the rewards under the ¡®user motivation¡¯ use.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho appeared at this time to exin. "Satisfy is a world created by people to achieve dreams that they can¡¯t achieve in reality. Efforts must be rewarded. It is unlike irrational reality.¡±


    Killing monsters would give items. This was simple. Grid had to be rewarded because he seeded in raiding the clone and the rewards given by the clone were limited. As a result, Grid would be rewarded again.


    ¡°In any case, it is great...¡± Lim Cheolho smiled as he watched the heavily wounded young man on the monitor. Several of his aplishments (even if they were unintended) had saved humanity, making Gridparable to the Hero King. ¡°A hero falls from the heavens...¡±


    If he continued to grow then wouldn¡¯t he y an active role on the East Continent? The yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom grew at a rate several times faster than Grid. Some corrupted royalty were dominated by them and the yangbans ruled the continent. They would give yers a big crisis and wouldn¡¯t they deal a bitter cup of hardships to Grid?


    The reason why Chairman Lim Cheolho was so excited about Grid was due to Grid¡¯s tendencies. He was a person who became stronger every day but never copsed. He wasn¡¯t shaken by the temptation that apanied enormous power because he cared for his family andpanions. Thus, Chairman Lim Cheolho thought that Grid was very reliable.


    ¡®You are more than you seem.¡¯ Did he know?


    Yoon Nahee watched with an interested expression as Lim Cheolho watched Grid on the monitor with gratitude in his eyes.


    [Thepensation for yer Grid has been deemed insufficient. Thepensation¡¯s contents are changed from cksmith¡¯s Eyes to ¡®Code Name 214098¡¯ Eyes.]


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Both the team members and Chairman Lim Cheolho freaked out. The eyes of code name 214098, which meant the eyes of Grid¡¯s clone...


    [The yer needs to be given an intuitive sense of the skill. Changing the name ¡®Code Name 214098¡¯ Eyes to Eyes of Pagma-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version.]


    It was Baal¡¯s gift. The 1st Great Demon Baal was the one who boasted the best artificial intelligence in Satisfy. He sent the clone to Earth purely for his own amusement, presenting the clone with a power that he had given to Pagma in the past. They were Pagma¡¯s Eyes, otherwise known as the cksmithing vision skill that the clone possessed!


    "Did you predict this?¡± Team Leader Yoon Nahee carefully asked him.


    ¡°It would be terribly arrogant if I said yes. How can I predict what will happen in Satisfy?¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho shook his head.


    Team Leader Yoon Nahee was concerned. ¡°Is it okay if Grid gets Pagma¡¯s Eyes, one of the most powerful skills in the whole world?¡±


    Lim Cheolho retorted with another question. "What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    "It¡¯s a power that yers should¡¯ve been able to obtain in the first ce.¡±


    This was, of course, ignoring the fact that it was seven years ahead of schedule. Chairman Lim Cheolho swallowed down these words while the doubtful Yoon Nahee asked another question,


    ¡°What about the gap between yers? Kraugel has concluded the seven malignant saints quest, gained Qualification of a Blood King, and possesses the power of the great demons. This allowed him to narrow the gap with Grid. However, now Grid has Pagma¡¯s Eyes. The gap between Kraugel and Grid has once again widened, while Agnus is unable to proceed with the seven malignant saints quest topletion. Haster, who was supposed to be tied with Grid, is now likely to be below Grid after Grid obtained Pagma¡¯s eyes. In the end, it is hard to find a user who can fight against Grid.¡±


    "Won¡¯t the gap just narrow again? Grid¡¯s growth is already moving towards the final stages while the other yers haven¡¯t entered the intermediate stages yet.¡±


    In the end, Grid would be stagnant and people would catch up to him. These were the thoughts of the Kim Gun, second inmand in the operations team. He saw the matter of the gap between yers as a problem that would be solved with time.


    However, Yoon Nahee gave a different opinion. "On what basis do you think that Grid¡¯s growth is in the final stages? Is it because he doesn¡¯t have many ss quests remaining? Is it because he received most of Pagma¡¯s hidden pieces? No... As long as Grid continues to make new and powerful items, his growth will never end.¡±


    Even if Kim Gun¡¯s thoughts were correct...


    ¡°The problem now is the uing 4th National Competition. Without a single opponent to stop Grid in the National Competition, there will be an adverse effect.¡±


    "Ah, yes...¡±


    That¡¯s right. If this continued, at least three events would be considered Grid¡¯s win and would reduce the public¡¯s interest. Kim Gun made an embarrassed expression and Yoon Nahee sighed.


    "We can¡¯t restore the bnce like we can with the NPCs.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just games but novels and movies. It was inevitable that too strong beings would be suppressed in the interest of drama. However, the person involved was a yer. There would be a big problem if the management suppressed those who built up their strength through individual efforts.


    ¡°The next National Competition.¡± The silently listening Lim Cheolho finally gave his opinion, "The new event, ¡®Demon King¡¯s Subjugation,¡¯ will be added. How about we ask Grid to take the role of the adversary?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    It was an unexpected remark! Lim Cheolhoughed at the baffled Yoon Nahee and Kim Gun. "Piaro, Mercedes, Asmophel, and the true blood vampire Noll... Doesn¡¯t Grid have many powerful, demon-like subordinates?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What? How did he evene up with this idea? Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s bright smile made Yoon Nahee uneasy.


    "We will add the ¡®Defeat the Demon King¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings¡¯ mission to the event. On the National Competition¡¯s server, make Grid the demon king, his subordinates the four heavenly kings, and have the yers defeat them. In addition, the viewers and participants shouldn¡¯t be aware of the identity of the demon king and the four heavenly kings. It will be a surprise event.¡±


    "It¡¯s an interesting idea, but you¡¯re only thinking about it from the view of the management. Will Grid even ept the suggestion when he is a yer? It doesn¡¯t make much sense for him to participate when he won¡¯t win medals...¡±


    "Why can¡¯t he win medals? Every time the demon king and four heavenly kings win, Grid will get a medal.¡±


    ¡°U...Umm...¡±


    Yoon Nahee and Kim Gun couldn¡¯t refute Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s absurd idea. Was it because they were afraid of losing their jobs? No. The chairman¡¯s idea would contribute greatly to the sess of thepetition. In particr, it was good to hide that Grid was the demon king.


    ¡°If we change the name and effects of the skills that Grid uses, there won¡¯t be much trouble concealing his identity. How about it? Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    ¡°U...Umm...¡±


    Yoon Nahee and Kim Gun couldn¡¯t deny it. Yes, the present Grid was such an unparalleled presence that he could be called the demon king. Of course, this was just among yers.


    ¡®It is a good bnce since the other Five Miracles, apart from Kraugel, won¡¯t participate in thepetition.¡¯


    The smile on Lim Cheolho¡¯s mouth widened. The Satisfy National Competition paved the way for yers to evolve from participating in thepetition to actually being in thepetition!


    ***


    "Waaaaaaaah!"


    ¡°God Grid! God Grid!! God Grid!!¡±


    Shouts filled the city that had been partly destroyed by the splendid and fierce battle. People were fascinated by Grid¡¯s power that knocked down his clone, who had threatened high rankers alone. Grid¡¯s irises turned blue. His once ck eyes, reminiscent of obsidian, now contained the deep sea.


    ¡°Ah...ahhh...!¡±


    Flop! While the Murray Kingdom soldiers, knights and yers were cheering, Lauel alone fell to his knees. It felt like he lost all strength in his legs once he saw that Grid had pupils simr to characters in cartoons.


    ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m envious...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid ignored the crying Lauel and checked the information of the newly acquired skill.


    [Eyes of Pagma-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version Lv. 1]


    You can check and copy the stats, options and production method just by looking at the target item.


    However, in order to copy the item, you must use an item that you have created yourself. In addition, the difference in rating of the target item and the item used as the material must be within one grade. The item used as the material can¡¯t be recovered.


    * Skills that belong to the target item might not be copied.


    * The duration of the duplication is one day. The copied item that has reached the end of this duration will be permanently destroyed.


    Skill Resource Consumption: One item.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * Pagma¡¯s Eyes, which were able to check the information of the target item just by looking at it, evolved as soon as Pagma contracted with 1st Great Demon Baal.


    Under the contract, Baal could intervene with Pagma¡¯s soul and give Pagma more power. This power waster transmitted to Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid wanted to secure pavranium. However, the God Hands didn¡¯t drop and he failed to secure pavranium. He got something much bigger than pavranium.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heartbeat elerated after discovering that the new skill had endless versatility.


    ¡°Eyes... I also...¡±


    Lauel looked like a child as he cried in the corner.

 Chapter 909

    The first legendary ss, Pagma¡¯s Descendant, was the most well-known hidden ss to the public. People believed that Pagma¡¯s Descendant was the best ss. They were jealous of Grid because they evaluated it as an all-powerful ss, providing him with abat power that rivaled a Sword Saint while allowing him to make legendary items randomly.


    This was a misunderstanding though. Pagma¡¯s Descendant wasn¡¯t perfect. It had disadvantages and advantages, just like every ss. It had the strong penalty of only being able to make items ¡®manually¡¯, and the utility of thebat skills was lowpared tobat sses.


    Yes, the reason for the bias about Pagma¡¯s Descendant being the strongest ss was purely due to Grid. It was a bias created by Grid¡¯s tenacity as he had spent many hours doing ¡®manual work¡¯ to create one item, and he had repeated this more than a thousand times.


    Honestly, the S.A Group had a high appreciation of Grid. The S.A Group employees believed that if an ordinary person had obtained Pagma¡¯s Descendant, it was unlikely that Pagma¡¯s Descendant would be recognized as the strongest ss. It was natural. How many people could repeat the same hard cksmithing work for hours, days, and years? It was something that had to be done hundreds or thousands of times. Who could do it?


    ¡°At the very least, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. I would be under great stress every time I made an item if I had to work like this. My mental state wouldn¡¯tst. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean it is impossible. I could devote my heart and concentrate if it was for the sake of making money or making my equipment. However, I would only be able to do this asionally,¡± the 1st ranked cksmith Panmir asserted this in front of thousands of yers in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    ¡°Grid is worthy of respect.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it...¡±


    ¡°It is never easy."


    ¡°Is this true? All production sses enjoy the advantage of the automatic production system yet the person who is called the legendary cksmith doesn¡¯t have it?¡±


    ¡°Panmir wouldn¡¯t lie. He is the one who suffered the biggest damage because of Grid. Would he lie to defend Grid?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s abilities are real. The skills he showed in the National Competition prove that he has done manual work more than once or twice.¡±


    These yers were all cksmiths.They were the thousands of cksmiths who had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom since Grid received the blessing of the cksmith god, Hexetia.


    ¡°You might not be convinced right now, but you will know once you watch from the sidelines. You will surely learn a lot from Grid. However, you also need to be helpful to Grid.¡±Panmir gave this speech and praised Grid as a ¡®greeting¡¯ every time new cksmiths came.There was only one thing he demanded from new cksmiths. ¡°Work hard! Grow as much as possible, and you will be rewarded at the end! Under Grid¡¯s teachings, you will someday be a craftsman!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    Rewards would surely follow. The faith that Panmir instilled in them stimted the enthusiasm of the new cksmiths. Their motivation was...


    ¡°cksmiths, please don¡¯t register the items you make on the exchange. Sell them to the Overgeared Kingdom. Not only will we buy your work at a more expensive price but I will also pay you a separate national contribution.¡± Lauel thoroughly took advantage of this.


    He noted that most of the cksmith yers had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®This incident has led to a cksmith famine in all kingdoms except for our Overgeared Kingdom. If the Overgeared Kingdom owns the bulk of items that are produced...¡¯


    The result was obvious. They would be able to take control of the market. There was a foundation for excessive profits.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukukuk! Very soon, all yers will be wearing Overgeared Kingdom products.¡±


    Good. In the future, their umtion of wealth would be far beyond that of other powers. Lauel had only one regret.


    ¡°...The absence of the eyes.¡±


    It was a terrible shame that his eyes didn¡¯t shine when bathed in the moonlight even while his demon brain worked on squeezing the world. Lauel was frustrated. He couldn¡¯t forget the blue eyes Grid had obtained just a few hours ago.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t that special when he looked in the mirror. His dark eyes had a ring of pale blue.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    The moment the skill was used, the ring of blue thickened and gave off a subtle glow. The mysterious harmony with the silver crown on the ck hair gave him an unusual appearance. He was overflowing with a charm that made men and women admire him. However, Grid himself wasn¡¯t excited. It was because Grid didn¡¯t love his own appearance. He didn¡¯t care about how his eyes changed and only considered the realistic parts.


    ¡®Can I use the effect of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch in this state?¡¯


    [The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch is being worn.]


    ¡®It is possible.¡¯


    Grid turned off the eyes and was deep in thought again.


    ¡®Using the goddess¡¯ blessing on cksmithing will activate the production button.¡¯


    It was stated that the item production speed would increase significantly when automatically making an item. Grid¡¯s existing efficiency could evolve in scale from a family business to a factory.


    ¡®I am worried about depending on the production button because the probability of making high rated items will fall.¡¯


    Now, he could rx.


    ¡®If I have the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods, I will be able to make items with a higher rating than epic, and I can cope a higher rated item using Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡¯


    Theoretically, Grid could have a small elite unit armed with legendary items.


    ¡®I can temporarily create the greatest power that can raid a great demon...¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!Grid¡¯s heart beating like crazy since he knew the power of legendary rated items. The goddess¡¯ blessing, Pagma¡¯s Eyes, and cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods were like fantastic magic that excited Grid. A splendor simr to the legendary great magician Braham and Undefeated King Madra surrounded his body.


    ¡®...It is a different form of power, but am I notying the foundation to be on the same level as them?¡¯


    A strengthparable to that of the powerful legends of the past... His heart thumped. ¡®I¡¯m really scared.¡¯


    Grid had been working for many years without giving up. He was thankful to the heavens that gave him good luck. In particr, he was thankful to the colleagues who trusted him and joined him.


    ¡°Everybody... Thank you.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid, who evolved further and saw new heights, was reminded of his colleagues. He believed that he had been able to grow because of his colleagues.


    ¡®It¡¯s true. I would¡¯ve never been able to reach this far alone.¡¯


    Grid had found stability in his heart and gained honor with Yura¡¯s heart, and he had founded the Overgeared Guild with Jishuka¡¯s help. Additionally, he had raised his power and intelligence with Lauel¡¯s help and realized that he should refrain from cursing thanks to Huroi. There were also the many colleagues that made Grid who he was now. Grid felt responsible to them.


    ¡®I will surely return the favor to all of you.¡¯


    Other people would think it was an absurd vow. The help Grid had given his colleagues was much greater than the help he had received from them. Yet he wanted to repay them? This was due to the difference in status.Grid believed that he had received much more than what he had given to his colleagues.


    ¡®If the Tzedakah hadn¡¯t contacted me...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he still be a vige cksmith, squatting in the corner of a smithy? Then notification windows shed in front of Grid.


    [The daily ess time is over.]


    [Excessive gaming can adversely affect health. You will be logged out of the game for your protection.]


    Grid was Shin Youngwoo. Until a few years ago, Shin Youngwoo had been small and insignificant whenpared to Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wash up.¡±


    Now, Shin Youngwoo was Grid. He had a body that was hardened by exercise, a spirit that wasn¡¯t easily shaken, and a pce-like house that greeted him.


    ¡°You worked hard today.¡±


    He also had his precious family.


    Beep.


    ¡°I cooked, so you should eat,¡± his sister, Sehee, said while pressing the disinfection and deodorization button that came with the Comet Group¡¯s diamond capsule. She knew her brother¡¯s schedule and was ready with towels and a change of clothes.


    ¡°Thank you..?¡±Youngwoo¡¯s face stiffened as he received the clothes from his sister. It was due to Sehee¡¯s angry eyes. Her eyes were as fierce as a heated furnace. ¡°W-What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you need to ask? I hate people like you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Youngwoo made a really confused expression.


    Then Sehee exined to him, ¡°I saw on TV. The enemy was so strong that all the 10 meritorious retainers fought. Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡±


    Sehee¡¯s ID in Satisfy was Ruby. She was the Saintess¡ªa powerful presence that supported her allies by exerting divine power different from ordinary priests. Sehee was very sad. ¡°You should¡¯ve taken me as well. I would¡¯ve been helpful.¡±


    ¡°The opponent was too strong. You would¡¯ve been in danger... Hmm, what... you? Why are you so confident? Your level is low.¡±


    ¡°Hah? Don¡¯t you know that I am level 270? I can clear a vampire city with just me and Yerim.¡±


    ¡°The two of you can clear a vampire city? Pffft! Puhahat!! You should bluff less exaggeratedly!¡±


    ¡°I-It is real. Of course, it isn¡¯t a city with a true blood vampire. It is one that you have already cleared...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m going to wash up now.¡± Gridughed hard enough to tear up. He clearly didn¡¯t believe Sehee¡¯s words. It was nonsense that two yers who weren¡¯t even level 300 could clear a vampire city, even if the true blood vampires were gone. Apart from Chris and Yura, most of the 10 meritorious retainers had to clear the vampire cities in a party.


    ¡®Nobody has unlimited resources, even a Saintess. It might be enough of a damage dealer and tanker supports her, but it is impossible with Yerim alone.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! You idiot!¡±


    ¡°An idiot is calling someone else an idiot~?¡± Grid stuck out his tongue to tease his sister and headed to the bathroom.


    Ttiring~


    Then on the TV hanging on the living room wall, the notification of a new email was disyed.The sender was the S.A Group. The title of the message was the ¡®Demon King Project.¡¯


    ¡°That idiot... Huh? What is this?¡±


    The TV¡¯s Inte was linked to Youngwoo¡¯s email address. Since all types of broadcasting requests arrived and it was hard for him to manage alone, he often asked Sehee to handle them. Thus, Sehee didn¡¯t feel any hesitation in reading the Demon King¡¯s Project email and was shocked.


    ¡°...Being the demon king without people knowing? Hmm, it is fun. This is great. The rewards are enormous...¡±


    It was an exciting project with the concept of making Piaro, Asmophel, Mercedes, and Noll as the demon king¡¯s four heavenly kings. Sehee reviewed the email positively and checked the date.¡°It is only three months away.¡±


    The 4th National Competition was arriving sooner than she expected. Of course, Youngwoo thought the same. ¡°This suggestion, I will ept it.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo stood under the stream of water in the shower. There was a dark smile on his face as he checked his email using the TV in his bathroom.


    ¡®It is on the condition that the demon king¡¯s four heavenly kings equip the items that I make.¡¯


    He could use the ¡®creation¡¯ skill freely since the National Competition¡¯s server was now separate from the main server. In return for the harsh condition of facing hundreds of yers alone, Youngwoo nned to demand the strongest minerals such as pavranium and divine stone. He thought this would be a great opportunity for him.

 Chapter 910

    After the battle between Grid and the clone was over, former Red Knight Singuled talked to the Murray King. "Thank you for your help in the meantime. I won¡¯t forget the grace that Your Majesty has shown me until the day I die.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The young king was sorry that Singuled was leaving now. Singuled was a guest of more than 10 years; someone the king didn¡¯t want to leave. He wanted Singuled to stay in the kingdom to fight for him and his people.


    ¡°Yes.


    ¡°Take care.¡±


    The Murray king didn¡¯t speak his thoughts. He recalled the day when he first met Singuled, who was injured at the time, and tried to smile as gently as possible. As the king of a small nation, he knew he wasn¡¯t qualified to keep Singuled forever.


    ¡°...¡±


    Singuled¡¯s heart warmed as he looked at the king. He was abandoned by the nation that he devoted his life to. He suffered damage to his mind and body and wandered the continent until the Murray king rescued him. The king was a virtuous man. Once he learned that Singuled was one of the Red Knights that had persecuted the Murray Kingdom, the king didn¡¯t me him and imed that, ¡°it was in the past.¡±


    Singuled vividly remembered a conversation he had with the king,


    "Your Majesty, I will leave once my wounds recover.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I am staying here will be known to the empire and you and your people will suffer.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything to be discovered. All we have to do is keep our mouths shut.¡±


    "The empire has bribed nobles from nations all over with their tremendous power and vast resources in the past. The empire will surely find me in the Murray Kingdom...¡±


    ¡°No. My subordinates don¡¯t cling to money and power. We are united in trust.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Singuled thought this person was a young king who wasn¡¯t familiar with the cruel world. How could hundreds of nobles, each with different ideals and ambitions,e together in trust? Singuled thought that the empire would soon discover his location, and thought it would be better to leave before the Murray Kingdom was damaged. However, 11 years passed, and the empire was still unable to discover his location. Surprisingly, no one came forward with information on Singuled.


    The Murray Kingdom was truly united. No matter their status, the people were loyal to the king and loved their country. This truly was a wonderful country. It was entirely unlike the empire, where treachery was familiar and conspiracies frequent.


    ¡°...Your Majesty.¡± Before he left, Singuled made a promise to the king, "If I am alive after finishing my matters, I will return again. The Murray Kingdom is now my home.¡±


    He needed to understand the process behind his abandonment and seek retribution. It was either the fall of the empire or Singuled¡¯s death. These were the only possible endings. Nevertheless, the decline of the empire that had dominated the continent for hundreds of years was impossible to imagine.


    The king wanted to hold onto Singuled, but he knew Singuled¡¯s wishes and had to cheer for him. He recalled the ck-haired king he watched from the pce walls and prayed.


    ¡®Overgeared King. Please protect Singuled with your valor.¡¯


    In fact, the Murray King hadn¡¯t been happy about the birth of the new Overgeared Kingdom. The existence of the Overgeared Kingdom would overturn the existing power structure and provide the empire with an excuse for war. The continent would be swept up in a wave of war because of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Yet what was the reality? The Overgeared Kingdom was stronger than everyone expected and built a more robust power structure. The momentum of the empire decreased and the continent weed the Overgeared Kingdom. The small countries who suffocated under the tyranny of the empire were given room to breathe.


    ¡°Send an envoy to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    "Do you n to im losses caused by this battle?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The king conveyed his thoughts to his subordinates after Singuled left. ¡°The Murray Kingdom will stop being a tributary of the empire and be a friend of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Baron Cudan, who went to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s founding ceremony in the past, had made this argument:


    A single soldier of the Overgeared Kingdom was stronger than the many knights of other kingdoms. Their strength was simply unimaginable. The Overgeared Kingdom would surely grow into a great power and they should thus consider maintaining a good rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom.


    However, Baron Cudan¡¯s ims were so absurd that the king and nobles couldn¡¯t make a decision at the time. Now the story was different. This time, the Murray king heard about the Overgeared soldier, who fought with Singuled, and personally witnessed the fighting power of the Overgeared King and nobles who turned the capital into a mess.


    The Overgeared Kingdom was a new hope.


    ***


    ¡®The atmosphere is worse than expected.¡¯


    Haster was apanying Asmophel. He followed Asmophel and was informed of the locations of the former Red Knights. This was a task Asmophel was doing for Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom, but Haster wasn¡¯t a volunteer. There was no reason for Haster to help the Overgeared Kingdom. He didn¡¯t feel any obligation. Haster was helping Asmophel for his own reasons.


    He had to meet a former Red Knight and win in order to clear his ss quest. Haster had to clear this quest to open all the skills of a Red Sage. The difficulty was grasping the talents of the former Red Knights since there were so many variables. That¡¯s why he used Asmophel. He would induce Asmophel and the former Red Knight to face each other first, allowing him to identify the opponent¡¯s skills. Eventually, he would challenge Asmophel.


    Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t easy to face a former Red Knight.


    ¡°...¡±


    Asmophel, Haster, and Singuled. The atmosphere of the three people walking along the road was awkward. Asmophel walked facing forward while Singuled looked at Asmophel like he was dirt. The atmosphere was so gloomy and forbidding that Haster would be rejected if he asked for a duel with Singuled.


    ¡®We can fight if I just attack him, but... I don¡¯t want to force Master¡¯s colleagues to hate me. I will take it slowly. By the way, the Overgeared Kingdom...¡¯


    Asmophel said he would take Singuled to the Overgeared Kingdom and then look for the rest of the knights. This forced Haster toply with him.


    The Overgeared Kingdom. What did the first kingdom built by a yer look like? Was it as vibrant as he saw in the media? Or had the press been exaggerating? Haster had spent seven years in Satisfy in the mountains, so he was curious. He felt excited like a child. It was natural.


    Haster was going on his ¡®first adventure¡¯ with Asmophel. Yes, Haster had only been training for the past few years. He never experienced different things unlike the other Five Miracles such as Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus.


    Thus, it was painful. Think about it. It was a terrible hell to repeat the same thing every day, 365 days a year for seven years. The other Five Miracles were exposed to all types of stimuli and excitement while Haster endured training every day. He repeated the same routine every day without any stimtion.


    The pleasure of ying the game... He didn¡¯t feel it. In fact, the past few years were so hard that he wanted to give up a few times. Nevertheless, Haster was patient and could be a Red Sage.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think my efforts were particrly difficultpared to Grid and Kraugel. They just wouldn¡¯t have been as happy. Hardships apany effort and everyone had their own difficulties.¡¯


    Haster didn¡¯t belittle others to build himself up, despite his pride. In fact, he was impressed with Grid¡¯s skills. He watched Grid fighting against the clone and acknowledged him as a top yer.


    ¡®Grid ispletely different fromst year¡¯s National Competition. His growth rate is unmatched.¡¯


    30%, no, 20%.


    ¡®That isn¡¯t it either. It is 10%.¡¯


    This was the probability of Haster winning if he fought Grid. Haster judged that it was difficult for him to beat the current Grid.


    ¡¯Of course, this is if he showed everything he was capable of during the fight against the clone.¡¯


    Haster got a sneak peed and knew that Grid hadn¡¯t used all his power against the clone. Yes, it was like the PvP finals of the 3rd National Competition...


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Haster, who was walking thoughtfully, immediately replied. Singuled was looking suspiciously at him. ¡°What are youughing about alone?¡±


    ¡°...Ah, was Iughing?¡± He had be too excited from the long-awaited stimulus. Haster calmed down and replied, "I think I¡¯ve found a new rival.¡±


    There were numerous pro gamers in history and those with great achievements became legends. The old Korean pro gamer who was one of the greatest legends was admired by the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s god of killing. However, there was no eternal winner among the legends. The respected and loved legends had tasted frustration and defeat.


    Haster was different. During his career, Haster never experienced defeat, hardships or frustration. His reign was only victorious. In FPS games, he was a myth beyond the legends.


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    The presence of Kraugel, who was situated on one side of Haster¡¯s mind, gradually faded before being reced with Grid.


    ¡®I will continue the myth in Satisfy.¡¯


    Haster vowed to be stronger and, one day, surpass Grid. His purpose wasn¡¯t to disrupt Grid¡¯s authority. He just wanted to challenge his record. He didn¡¯t realize after defeating Kraugel rtively easily. Contrary to popr belief, Kraugel was a person familiar with defeat and he knew that defeat was a nutrient for growth.


    Why? Haster misunderstood Kraugel as a genius of the same type as himself.


    ***


    The grave of the three-eyed monsters. Kraugel wiped out hundreds of monsters and opened his eyes after a short moment of meditation.


    ¡°10%.¡±


    Red Sage Haster. The giant barrier that had blocked Kraugel for the past few months had beenpletely broken. The respawned three-eyed monsters couldn¡¯t handle the stone des that rose from the ground and died. It was an instant annihtion.


    The fallen sky was slowly but surely recovering.

 Chapter 911

    ¡°Knight of Destruction Singuled, I greet you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    This person knew his name, which had be a taboo and was forgotten? Singuled was bewildered when he arrived at the Overgeared Kingdom with Asmophel and Asmophel¡¯s friend. The person who came forward was somehow familiar. The deep eyes that seemed like they could see through him... They were unusual.


    ¡°...Mercedes?¡± It seemed to fit. She had long be ady, but the more he looked, the more vivid the memories became. The girl who was Captain Piaro¡¯s aide¡ªwasn¡¯t she a person of loyalty? Why was she in the Overgeared Kingdom? Confused, Singuled doubted his memories.


    ¡°I am honored that you remember.¡±The white-haired beauty didn¡¯t deny it; she acknowledged that she was Mercedes.


    Singuled was furious. ¡°Dammit, that Asmophel...! It is a trap!¡±


    His eyes became as sharp like a wolf¡¯s, and he pulled out his sword. He had consistently been gathering information on the empire while staying in the Murray Kingdom. So, he naturally knew that Mercedes, Piaro¡¯s aide, had be the First Knight of the Red Knights. Singuled misunderstood that Mercedes hade to arrest him and even doubted the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°The empire asked for a truce with the Overgeared Kingdom? A truce?! Hah! It is just an act, and the Overgeared Kingdom is actually a tributary of the empire!¡±Singuled gave off killing intent as he shouted.


    ¡°For your reference, I am currently serving the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ ridiculous exnation restrained Singuled¡¯s killing intent. Asmophel stated to the confused and hesitant Singuled, ¡°It is the truth. She is no longer a Red Knight.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?¡±


    There were numerous stories of Mercedes fighting for the empire. Singuled had heard these stories from within the Murray Kingdom. Yet the best hound of the empire left it to serve the Overgeared Kingdom?It was impossible.


    ¡°It is true.¡±


    ¡°C-Captain!¡±


    Great Swordsman Piaro, who Singuled trusted the most, appeared to give weight to Mercedes¡¯ ims.


    ¡°Singuled, you are pretty old now.¡±


    ¡°...Captain!¡±


    Singuled no longer felt any doubts. He couldn¡¯t control his tears as he embraced Piaro. The previous Knight of Destruction, who ughtered every enemy of the empire and was an object of terror, became a mild sheep in front of Piaro.


    ¡°You have experienced many hardships. You really had a hard time.¡±


    They were both middle-aged colleagues now, and Piaro knew how badly Singuled had suffered as he had been in the same situation.


    ¡°Captain! Captain!! Sob!Sob sob sob!¡±


    Piaro watched the sunset with red eyes while Singuled cried in his arms. Asmophel looked at the ground and couldn¡¯t raise his head. Mercedes¡¯ heart ached as she witnessed the sadness of the old heroes.


    ***


    [The goddess¡¯s blessing has been used.]


    [(Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has been enhanced.]


    [(Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has evolved into (Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill.


    [Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill]


    [The production button has been enabled, and the time it takes to make an item is now greatly reduced.


    A minimum of epic rated items will be produced.


    There is a somewhat high probability of producing unique rated items.


    There is a certain probability of producing legendary rated items.


    If certain conditions are met, there is a rare probability of making a myth reproduction or myth rated item.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 30%.


    * When myth rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +20 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    * Something special will ur with every three myth rated items created.


    * The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.]


    Ttang!


    Grid shook off the temptation of the seven malignant saints and cleansed the First Holy Sword. He didn¡¯t hesitate after receiving two goddess¡¯ blessings and proceeded to enhance his cksmithing skill as scheduled. Now, he held the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods in his hand.


    ¡®Auto production!¡¯


    Grid was full of excitement. Finally, he could produce items automatically like everyone else.


    ¡®First, select the production method and prepare the materials for production. Then press the production button.¡¯


    Grid read the novice cksmith¡¯s guide and chose to make one of the Grid mass-produced items. He prepared the necessary materials and clicked the button floating on one side of his field of view.


    Then...!


    [The item production has started.]


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Something amazing happened. Grid¡¯s body moved by itself to raise the temperature of the furnace, smelt the iron, and then carry out the hammering. He didn¡¯t have to think as his body took care of everything.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this really easy?¡¯


    Grid admired it. So far, he had been making items manually and had too many things to worry about¡ªstarting from controlling the temperature of the fire and the quality of the hammering to the timing of the quenching and trying to maintain the specifications of the items. He had spent hours or days making an item, exhausting his body and his mind.


    This all changed now that he could automatically make an item. Grid didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. He saved a lot of mental power because his body made the items for him.


    ¡®Wow, shit. The other cksmiths live such a sweet life...?¡¯


    He was rxed. This method was too easy.His body was moving hard, but it felt like he was cking.


    ¡®Can this help me?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s only talent was hard work. He believed that other people would catch up with him as soon as he stopped trying.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had some room for rxation and decided to use this. He entered an areapletely separated from his body that was making an item.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to practice triple casting.¡¯


    Triple casting!


    It was an option attached to the myth rated Belial¡¯s Staff¡ªan overpowered option which allowed him to cast three spells at the same time. He could cast three spells in the time it took other people to cast one.


    ¡®It is aplete scam.¡¯


    Still, there was one problem. For triple casting, he had to think of three magic spells at the same time. For instance, if he wanted to triple cast Magic Missile, Wind Cutter, and Fireball, he had to remember the three names of ¡®Magic Missile, Wind Cutter, and Fireball¡¯ in his mind at the same time. It was a naturally difficult task.


    ¡®I was fortunate enough to seed with double casting, but triple isn¡¯t an area where I can seed with luck.¡¯


    Grab a random person and have them try it. No, if people were asked to recall three names of their favorite celebrities in their heads at the same time, how many would seed? Grid bet that 100 out of 100 would fail. As such, Grid judged that triple casting was an area he had to train. He wouldn¡¯t be proficient unless he practiced it over and over.


    ¡®Magic Missile, Fireball, Bean Cup... Magic Missile, Bireee, Wind... Magic Missile, Pire...! Damn!¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    His body moved by itself to make items while he constantly repeated these names in his head. His thoughts kept on getting ruined, making Grid totally frustrated. Sweat flowed down his body, and he was annoyed and nervous to the point of tears.


    ¡®Magic Missile, Fireball, Wind...Magic... Fire... Wind...¡¯


    However, he continued to practice without giving up. No matter what he felt, he repeated it again and again. It was something he knew he couldn¡¯t achieve overnight, so he tried to persevere without bing nervous.


    ***


    ¡°Yes, the Murray Kingdom¡¯s king...¡±


    In the vast agriculture fields, Piaro and Singuled sat beside each other and had a conversation. Piaro was deeply grateful to the Murray king for helping Singuled, while Singuled had mixed feelings after learning the truth behind Asmophel¡¯s betrayal of the Red Knights.


    ¡°Still... I can¡¯t forgive Asmophel.¡± Singuled still remembered that time vividly. The families being captured and executed... The traitor Asmophel who pointed a sword at Singuled and his colleagues... The hellish scenes never left his mind. It was a nightmare that repeated every night.


    ¡°I... I...¡±


    He would stab a de into the hearts of Asmophel and the emperor. This had been Singuled¡¯s desire for thest 12 years. Despite finding out the truth, Singuled couldn¡¯t forgive Asmophel.


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to forgive him.¡± Piaro ced his hand on the shoulder of the angry, confused, agitated, and pained Singuled. ¡°Asmophel doesn¡¯t want to be forgiven either. However, you need to know. The fact is that the empress was behind Asmophel. She is our true enemy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Asmophel¡¯s fate will be decided after getting revenge on the empress.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I understand.¡±


    The wind blew. The golden wheat fields swayed like a wave while the leaves of the rainbow potato nts fluttered, luring the birds in. A hawk descended from the sky and grabbed a leaf of a rainbow potato before flying up again.


    ¡®Piaro...¡¯ Red Sage Haster was watching Piaro. The great swordsman who boasted one of the best swordsmanship, the pir who was loved and respected by the emperor and people of the empire...


    Piaro¡ªthe greatest person whom his master Winfred kept praising¡ªmade Haster nervous.


    ¡®He was more active in the Belial raid than Grid.¡¯


    As an NPC who grew steadily, wouldn¡¯t he be stronger than Grid¡¯s clone? Haster¡¯s mind and body heated up. Haster was looking forward to the learning opportunities and rewards he could gain from having a confrontation with a powerhouse.


    ¡®I will experience a breakthrough if I confront the Red Knights. I can grow to a levelparable to Grid¡¯s before the National Competition.¡¯


    If he lost, he could just challenge Piaro again.


    ¡®Thus, let¡¯s get started.¡¯


    Haster stepped forward in order to ask Piaro for a duel. The moment Haster was about to reach where Piaro was sitting...


    ¡°Hey, why are you stepping on a bud?¡±A farmer sitting in a corner of the field grabbed Haster¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°...?¡± Haster stopped walking and looked down. He realized that he was about to step on a blue leaf.¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Haster was a professional gamer and believed there was no status distinction between different upations. Additionally, he wasn¡¯t biased against NPCs because he had been with his mentor Winfred for so long. He apologized politely even though the other person was an NPC farmer.Haster bowed and stepped back.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re stepping on it again?¡± The farmer spoke once again. Haster quickly moved his feet.


    The farmer was already angry though. ¡°No, why are you here in the first ce? Why is an outsider hiding in these fields? Are you a mole sent by the empire?¡±


    The farmer who growled and removed his straw hat wasn¡¯t an NPC but a yer.His ID was Hurent. Haster knew this person.¡®Aura Master?¡¯


    Why was Hurent¡ªthe one digit ranker who suddenly disappeared many years ago¡ªworking in the fields here? Hurent red suspiciously at the baffled Haster.¡°You are a spy, right? You were approaching Piaro like a rat. Are you an assassin sent to hurt Piaro?¡±


    ¡°No, why are you making unreasonable assumptions? I am trying to request for a duel, not assassinate him...¡±


    ¡°What? A duel? Who are you? Haster? Do you think Piaro is free enough to deal with trash like you?¡±


    ¡°...Trash? Haven¡¯t you heard my name before?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to listen to this a second time?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Haster was one of the best pro gamers in history.This was Haster¡¯s pride.He believed that anyone who liked ying games should know his face and name. However, Hurent didn¡¯t know Haster, and this caused Haster¡¯s pride to crack like broken ss. Hurent swallowed the potato and attacked Haster, firmly mistaking Haster for an enemy.


    Haster didn¡¯t feel the need to clear up the misunderstanding.¡°First, I have to teach you manners.¡±


    ¡°An assassin who sneaks onto other people¡¯s fields wants to talk about manners?¡±The person saying this was Hurent, who had led an army to invade the Overgeared Kingdom. Haster¡¯s patience reached its limit. The vein on his temple pulsed as he pulled out his sword. This was the moment when one of the Five Miracles and the person with the power to defeat Kraugel emerged in the world in earnest.


    However, his opponent wasn¡¯t simple. Hurent had been a Sword Saint candidate, could freely manipte aura, and had been trained by Piaro over the years. He was someone who had been chosen by Piaro.


    ¡°...?!¡± Haster was hit by a sokuri and felt a dizzying pain. (TL: Sokuri = Woven basket used to strain washed grains, dry vegetables or drain fried food in Korea)


    The sokuri was too light and flew off without a sound. A chill went down Haster¡¯s spine at the unpredictable trajectories and unexpected destructive force.


    ¡°You are the same as us....!¡±


    ¡°Who is us? Aura Snake!¡±


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    The fields shook. Far away, Piaro wasughing heartily. ¡°That Hurent, he wants to increase his workload tomorrow. He is a model farmer.¡±

 Chapter 912

    The growth type hidden ss, Aura Master, brought the potential of aura to the extreme.


    Hurent¡¯s aura exceeded the level of merely strengthening weapons or amplifying the power of a skill. He could freely convert aura into a certain weapon or release it as a dragon¡¯s breath. In fact, he could even leave an aura marker on all living creatures and summon aura at that point, causing all types of variables inbat. Yes, there was no limit to an Aura Master. Hurent was strong.


    Several years before during the Reidan invasion, he had already been beyond the category of a yer. At the time, the S.A Group had assessed Hurent¡¯s strength as the same level as Kraugel¡¯s, which had been several times higher than the Grid of that time. That¡¯s right. Hurent was one of the five people that Lim Cheolho called the Five Miracles.


    However, Hurentter met Grid who had achieved rapid growth in the 1st National Competition. Hurent¡¯s Aura Master ss hadn¡¯t beenpleted yet, and he was defeated in a futile manner. After that, his reputation was lowpared to his skills.


    In fact, Hurent¡¯s poprity had only been during the early days of Satisfy, and now he was no different from junk. There were few people who remembered Hurent after he left the rankings a few years ago. If they did remember him, it was often as the ¡®five seconds¡¯ person.


    ¡°You are the same as us....!¡±


    Hurent¡¯s strength remained intact. No, he was a few times stronger than before. Haster¡¯s ¡®us¡¯ referred to himself, Grid, Kraugel, Agnus, and the other top yers.


    ¡°Who is ¡®us¡¯? Aura Snake!¡±


    Years ago, Hurent fought Piaro and was forced to join the field work. Now, he carried grain and worked the hoe under the scorching sun, causing him to go through an extreme growth. His muscle strength was like Grid¡¯s, his improvisation was like Kraugel¡¯s, and the ability to control his aura like it was a living creature was like Agnus¡¯.


    Hurent¡¯s aura took the form of a snake, flew from his fingertips, and moved through the fields. The path that the aura snake took in the abundant wheat field was difficult to see and predict. It was a form of attack which couldn¡¯t be evaded or defended against. However, Haster¡¯s great hearing ability led him to using Ice Curtain and urately blocking the snake.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t trash.¡±


    Hurent didn¡¯t just do field work. As soon as the day¡¯s work ended, he ran to the hunting grounds and steadily raised the level of his aura skills. He marveled at the solidity of the ice barrier when faced with the aura that dealt 9,900 fixed damage and ignored the target¡¯s defense.


    Now Hurent paid attention to Haster¡¯s name and face.¡°You were a professional golfer?¡±


    ¡°Gamer!¡±It was a lowly provocation, but Haster couldn¡¯t help falling for it.His excessively high pride was the problem. Haster, the idol of many youngsters and the myth who had never lost, couldn¡¯t help falling for the cheap taunts. He was unfamiliar with the rough handling and couldn¡¯t overlook this. Thus, he used Dance of Redemption and missed something. It was the ck mark on the ice barrier that was still being maintained!


    ¡°...?!¡±Haster was trying to create a stone pir with Dance of Redemption when his face wrinkled like a piece of paper. There was a slight cracking sound from the ice barrier on his side. Aura that was as sharp as a knife protruded from it.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±Haster managed to avoid it but had to stop Dance of Redemption. It was a missed opportunity to take the lead in this fight. Haster was urgently moving when new aura entered his vision.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to warn you in advance. My aura leaves a mark, so you should be careful. The entirend that you are stepping on is filled with my marks.¡±


    Dozens of threads of aura spread out from Hurent like a spider web. The grey-haired man had a pleasant expression that didn¡¯t match his age. Of course, it wasn¡¯t pleasant for Haster who was trapped in the spider web.


    ¡°Why are you under Grid?¡±


    From Haster¡¯s point of view, Hurent was an unexpected variable. He never dreamed that there would be a monster like Hurent under Grid, who already had many famous people. Haster also couldn¡¯t understand why Hurent was interfering with him.


    ¡°No way...!¡± Haster¡¯s movements became increasingly agile as he blocked the aura threads with a shield and struck with his sword. His response speed was bing faster as he heard the unique sounds of aura in his ears. ¡°This is Grid¡¯s will!¡±


    Haster was reminded that there were some things he shouldn¡¯t overlook. It was that Asmophel was Grid¡¯s subordinate and Kraugel was Grid¡¯s friend.


    ¡®Grid knows about me!¡¯


    It was for certain. Grid had found out about Haster¡¯s existence through Asmophel and Kraugel.


    ¡®He judged that in order to maintain his top spot, he needs to keep me in check! That¡¯s why he ordered Hurent to interfere with me!¡¯


    Haster smiled as he grasped the situation.He felt proud that the Overgeared King was worried about him and acted to keep him in check.


    ¡°It feels good! I finally feel that I am in the right ce!¡±


    Rivals were needed. The greater the rival, the more his desires and talents would be stimted. Haster was burning with motivation when an aura spear aimed toward his side. It was a spear that emerged from a mark on the ground. Hurent looked at Haster, who heard the sound and blocked the aura with his shield.


    Then Hurent asked, ¡°What are you saying alone? You believe that I am under Grid? That isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°I already know the situation! You don¡¯t have to deny it!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not! A young person like you is already losing his hearing!¡±Hurent was furious due to Haster¡¯s misunderstanding. He still remembered the humiliation of dying in five seconds. From the standpoint of Hurent who was nning to repay his grudge against Grid someday, being called Grid¡¯s subordinate was a huge shame. ¡°I just want to repay Piaro for his kindness!¡±


    Snake, spear, sword, thread¡ªthe rtively simple forms of Hurent¡¯s aura started to make a special change. They gathered together like mes.


    [Aura Impact is being used.]


    [urately imagine the shape of the aura within 2 seconds. If there is even a small error in the image, the skill will fail.]


    Hurent never neglected image training in order to bring out the true power of an aura master! He shouted loudly, ¡°Super! Dragon¡¯s Roar!¡±


    [You have pictured a dragon¡¯s breath! By reproducing the power of a transcendent being, the power of your aura is greatly increased!]


    [There is a limit to the power that a unique rated aura can exert.]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    There was a big difference due to the restrictions of the aura rating, but it was a dragon¡¯s breath. The emission of aura mes was fast and widespread. It was a form of attack that made Haster¡¯s sharp ears and agility obsolete.


    ¡®He can stop it once or twice, but it is impossible for him to endure the pouring pressure forever.¡¯


    The dragon¡¯s breath had been upgraded from when Hurent used it in the past. It was a multi-stage fire skill which could be maintained for five seconds. There was a fixed minimum damage of 9,900, and the maximum damage could go as high as 306,900.


    It didn¡¯t matter if the target¡¯s defense was 10,000 or 100 million. For yers with an average health of 100,000, they would die as soon as they were hit by a dragon¡¯s breath.


    [You have dealt 9,900 damage to the target!]


    However, Haster didn¡¯t defend and allowed the breath to hit him. Then an orange shield surrounded his body. This was Heroic Story, one of the strongest passive defense skills which activated once all conditions were met.


    [All resources have been restored by the effect of the passive skill, ¡®Heroic Story.¡¯ For one minute, your defense will increase in proportion to the amount of resources used within the past two minutes. Additionally, a shield that negates all types of skills and magic damage will be maintained for 10 seconds.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Hurent had used the mid to long range of the aura topletely constrain Haster¡¯s movements and dominate the battle. Yet, for the first time, Hurent was now losing hisposure. The dragon¡¯s breath that he poured out was blocked by the original shield, and it felt like he was possessed by a ghost.


    ¡®A skill that invalidates damage?¡¯


    No, such skills normally had a limit on how much they could defend against. That alone was powerful enough to be a scam. It couldpletely overturn the battle by blocking the enemy¡¯s ultimate move in a timely manner.


    ¡®However, his shield has no limit...!¡¯


    A chill went down Hurent¡¯s spine as he determined that Haster¡¯s orange shield was still standing against the dragon¡¯s breath.


    ¡®Is this an OP shield that invalidates all skill damage for a certain period of time?¡¯


    It was an unreasonable strength. This was certainly...


    ¡°The seven malignant...!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You haven¡¯t got one yet? You arete.¡±


    Satisfy was terribly fair. yers had to give up one thing to gain another. Haster saw that Hurent had met Piaro and missed the timing to obtain the seven malignant saints quest.


    ¡°The gap will widen in the future.¡±


    Now was the time for payback. Haster taunted Hurent before raising his shield and rushing to Hurent.


    ¡°Too shallow!¡±Hurent avoided Haster¡¯s shield by tilting his upper body and prepared to insert an aura thorn. Still, the aura thorn developed with Aura Impact failed to prate Haster¡¯s orange shield.


    ¡°It is the end,¡± Piaro muttered while watching the fight with Singuled. He saw Haster moving through Hurent¡¯s aura thorn and swinging his sword.


    At that moment...


    ¡°The reason why Hurent used farming tools was for the development of his swordsmanship,¡± Piaro said meaningful words.


    Hurent dropped the sokuri and pulled out a sword to block.


    ¡°...!?¡±Haster was baffled by the move. ¡®What is this defensive posture?¡¯


    Such movements weren¡¯t possible with just reflexes and control. It was clear that there was apensation effect from a high-level Sword Mastery skill.


    ¡®How high is his Sword Mastery level?¡¯


    Haster was confused by this Hurent, who had turned into someone else, and forgot... Hurent had been a candidate for bing a Sword Saint!


    ¡°Super sensitivity!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ***


    Simultaneously, Grid was working in the smithy...


    ¡®...Wait? Is it possible to use the goddess¡¯ blessing on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship itself instead of a specific sword dance?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s blood pressure was rising from the triple casting, and he took a break. Then he got a new idea. His ears felt ticklish as he had the thought. Swallowing down his curses was nothing new.

 Chapter 913

    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4]


    [-When the skill is deactivated-


    You can be one with the sword at any time.


    * Increases physical attack by 34%, critical hit rate by 25%, and critical damage by 20%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The skill consumes no mana.


    -When the skill is activated-


    Be one with the sword. You will be able to perform sword dances like Wave, Restraint, Link, and Kill.


    * The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.


    * 20 mana is required to activate the skill.


    * Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.]


    This was the reason why Grid¡¯s basic attacks and 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was so powerful. All active skills belonging to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had the disadvantage of a long dyed activation time or cooldown time, but the function of the passive skill was the best. It was superior to other weapon mastery skills. Of course, the other mastery skills had the advantage of ¡®always applied¡¯, but Grid had Weapons Mastery in addition to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Thus, he didn¡¯t feel any big regret.


    ¡®What if I enhance this?¡¯


    Grid had originally nned to enhance Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. He hadn¡¯t thought of enhancing Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship itself. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, which served as a conditional passive skill and intermediary to the active skills, was the most important skill for Grid. It was essential to him like air, so Grid usually forgot about it.


    Then he had questions as he used the goddess¡¯ blessing to enhance his legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill. He wondered what it would be like if he had enhanced certain production-rted skills like the cksmith¡¯s Breath. It was a trigger that made Grid think about enhancing Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡®It could be a really good attempt.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t want to use the goddess¡¯ blessing to enhance skills like Link, Kill, and Transcend. The power of the skills was better than before, but the cooldown time was fixed at 30 minutes. Waiting 30 minutes for abat skill was too inefficient. It could be interpreted as decreasing rather than increasing attack power.


    ¡®In the case of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, the cooldown is reduced from three hours to 30 minutes but...¡¯


    30 minutes still wasn¡¯t a short amount of time. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was used to hit powerful bosses instead of hunting or PvP, but it still could only be used once or twice in one raid, regardless of whether the cooldown was three hours or 30 minutes.


    ¡®However, this is basically strengthening the passive skill Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship itself.¡¯


    It would strengthen his various swords dances as well as Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, and the penalties rted to the cooldown times might disappear.


    ¡®It might also be an opportunity to gain more fusion skills.¡¯


    Of course, there was no certainty regarding this. He could be wishing for too much.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    The bigger the expectations, the more disappointed he would be! Grid took a deep breath to calm his excitement and checked if the goddess¡¯ blessing could be used on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Fearing the worst situation, Grid prayed desperately, ¡®Please! I hope it can be enhanced! Don¡¯t say nonsense like the target skill can¡¯t be enhanced using the goddess¡¯ blessing!¡¯


    Ttiring~


    A new skill information window rose.


    [Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship]


    [* Increases physical attack by 40%, critical hit rate by 50%, and critical damage by 80%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The necessary footwork required for the sword dances will be reduced by half.


    * You will be able to perform sword dances like Wave, Restraint, Link, and Kill.


    * The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid blinked as he checked the information of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, which had changed after the goddess¡¯ blessing was used. He instantly felt a sense of rejection.


    ¡°What is this short skill description?¡± He read it again. The description didn¡¯t even distinguish between activated and deactivated states. ¡°No, what? What is this? It ispletely ruined...¡±


    For Grid, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was a skill was various constraints. It was powerful in terms of being a legendary skill, but his past experiences gave him an understanding that nonbat sses had clear limits to their skills. Thus, he was mistaken for a moment. His face distorted when he saw the evolved Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Of course, it was only for a moment.


    ¡°Ruined... Wait, isn¡¯t this a jackpot?¡±


    Once Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship evolved, the effects of the increase in physical attack power, critical hit probability, and critical hit damage were applied all the time!


    ¡®The attack power has increased by 40%!¡¯


    Was that all...? No, the critical damage had also risen sharply. Grid enjoyed the effects of the ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ title, and his critical hit damage could now reach 400%. Normal yers normally had 150~210% critical damage, so it was twice the damage value.


    ¡®If God¡¯s Command also activates... Maybe...?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t there be a day when he would be able to kill a boss with one skill? Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t be a normal field boss but a named boss monster!


    ¡°...C-Crazy! This is crazy!¡±


    This was a rare jackpot. His mind went nk, and hisnguage skills degraded significantly. Grid could only repeat the same exmations like a parrot. However, he couldn¡¯t act stupidly forever. Grid barely regained his mind and shouted, ¡°Hey! Is anyone there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± a woman answered immediately.


    It was the legendary knight Mercedes who stood at the entrance of the smithy to protect Grid.


    ¡°Was his name Singuled? The former Red Knight that Asmophel brought with him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What number knight was he?¡±


    ¡°The Third Knight.¡±


    ¡°How are his skills?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they were the best. I haven¡¯t seen him for 12 years, but I¡¯m sure he has kept on training.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Shall I check out the skills of the former Red Knight?¡±Grid smiled and used goddess¡¯ blessing without hesitation.


    [The skill, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, has been enhanced.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship has changed to Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    That¡¯s right. This was a good chance for Grid to check out the talents of a former Red Knights and test the power of the evolved Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. In fact, Grid had big expectations for Singuled. It was natural since he knew the talents of Piaro, who was the captain of the former Red Knights, and Asmophel.


    ¡®He is clearly an S-grade card.¡¯


    Singuled would obviously becking whenpared to the SSS-grade Piaro and Asmophel, but Grid didn¡¯t doubt that Singuled was strong.


    ¡°Take me to Singuled.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Mercedes said. Seeing through Grid¡¯s thoughts, she added, ¡°For reference, Sir Singuled was stronger than Sir Asmophel during their active days. However, he wascking in many areas such as leadership and background, forcing him to stay as the Third Knight.¡±


    ¡°...I-Is that so? T-That, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°...I will support Your Majesty.¡± Mercedes smiled.


    She was sincere about this since she truly admired Grid¡¯s growth. It felt like there was no limit to Grid¡¯s growth, which increased by leaps and bounds every time he went on an adventure.


    ***


    Haster¡¯s orange shield was blocking all attacks ssified as a skill. It was a particrly deadly shield for Aura Master Hurent, who used aura as his primary weapon. However, there was no difort on Hurent¡¯s face. He was still confident.¡°My earlier actions were just a test.¡±


    Hurent used Super Sensitivity. His attack speed with his sword reached its peak. Strikes poured down like rain through Haster¡¯s shield and wounded Haster all over. While shing and chopping with his sword, Hurent kept talking, ¡°I was like everyone else at first. I leveled up with the aim of being a warrior or a knight. Then one day, I became aware of the hidden ss called Sword Saint.¡±


    The strongestbat ss, Sword Saint¡ªHurent had be instantly fascinated by it. He made every effort to be a Sword Saint. Thinking that the path to bing a Sword Saint was to train Sword Mastery to the pinnacle, Hurent had sealed all the sword-rted skills except Sword Mastery. He then took on all types of penalties and hunted monsters using just his basic attacks.


    ¡°I did this for a few months. Perhaps I was ahead of Kraugel. That¡¯s why I was the first yer to receive the intermediate level Sword Mastery skill.¡±


    At that time, he received the aura resource. The system had rewarded Hurent, who fought only with the sword and didn¡¯t consume the resource called ¡®mana.¡¯ The result of his hard work, as well as the crossing of talent and luck, was the growth type hidden ss, Aura Master.


    Haster¡¯s orange shield faded as he was cut by a sword. It wasn¡¯t a skill that ended after it received a certain amount of damage. Hurent had simply noticed that the duration was almost up and waited for it. Hurent¡¯s sword shed at Haster¡¯s chest, and he used his ultimate technique.¡°Aura Swallowing.¡±


    It was like a serpent monster.The aura that rose from Hurent¡¯s shoulders swallowed Haster simultaneously from the left and right. This was the strongest PvP technique which inflicted 9,900 x2 damage to the target, physically restrained the target, and applied an additional 9,900 damage after the restraint effect. The wounded Haster allowed the technique to hit him, and Hurent smiled.


    ¡®There is no response.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s Super Sensitivity was an active skill. It had a big restriction of consuming 100% mana in six seconds, but it increased agility by 20% for this duration and had the absolute effect of ¡®predicting¡¯ every action within 10 meters. Hurent with Super Sensitivity was like Kraugel during his peak. The performance was weakened for a Sword Saint because Super Sensitivity became a passive skill. However, even Kraugel¡¯s lower level Super Sensitivity boasted an excellent power.


    [You have suffered 9,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,900...]


    [You have suffered 9,900...]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Haster was swallowed up by aura. He was in a confused state as he suffered continuous damage. It was surprising that Hurent was much stronger than Kraugel, who Haster had met and fought several months ago.


    ¡®Kraugel became a Sword Saint and developed a sword technique that cuts the world. Yet Hurent is much stronger than him?¡¯


    Kraugel had reset to level 1 after bing a Sword Saint, so the levels of his newly acquired skills were still low, making it difficult to fully understand Kraugel¡¯s current status. In the confusion, most of Haster¡¯s health was exhausted.


    [The ¡®Knowledge of the Red Sage¡¯ has given you Aura Resistance.]


    [Any damage dealt by aura will be reduced by 30%.]


    These notification windows popped up.


    ¡®It is great.¡¯


    He was Haster, the undefeated pro gamer.In the first ce, he had no intention of losing. The reason for allowing himself to be hit by aura had been to gain the power for growth, not to be defeated. Haster took a potion. Then he once again activated the orange shield and escaped from the aura. Thanks to his mentor, he knew about Super Sensitivity and calcted that Hurent would be in an exhausted state.


    Well, Super Sensitivity was a rtively ordinary skill. A few modern Red Knights used it. For example, the 19th Knight Fulito, who had been defeated by Grid, was one of them.


    ¡°Wait a minute, stop.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Haster, who broke through the Aura Swallowing, and Hurent, who was exhausted, were both shocked. It was because a ck-haired man had suddenly appeared in the middle of their battle. He had sharp eyes reminiscent of a bird of prey... This person was...


    ¡°Hello? I am Grid. I¡¯m sorry to interrupt in the middle of your fight, but please stop for a moment.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    Yes, it was Grid, but wasn¡¯t his tone strange?


    ¡®What is wrong with this?¡¯Hurent got goosebumps.


    This was because Grid, who had possessed no manners since the 1st National Competition, was acting too politely. It felt as if he was acting like a stranger. Hurent had a feeling of rejection to this Grid. Grid smile brightly and spoke politely, ¡°The fields have been badly damaged because of the two of you. Who should I im damagepensation from? Can you decide this before continuing the fight?¡±


    After his confrontation with the cksmith god Hexetia, Grid¡¯s confidence had developed rapidly. He now knew that respecting others and having manners wasn¡¯t shameful. It was just another way to be respected. He was different from the previous Grid, who had a distorted view of confidence. Grid had shown a rough attitude previously because he hadn¡¯t wanted to look funny to other people.


    ¡°Hum... Hum hum.¡±He had misunderstood that people who acted politely were cowards.


    ¡°H-Hello. E-Excuse me...?¡± Hurent responded awkwardly to the politeint.


    ¡°I... Excuse me as well...¡± Haster was also affected by the atmosphere.


    Everything seemed to calm, but this ended quickly.


    ¡®...What am I doing now?¡¯ In this awkward atmosphere, Haster suddenly returned to his senses. He ignored Grid as he remembered that he had to act before Hurent overcame his exhaustion. Haster tried to attack Hurent again, but his sword didn¡¯t reach its target.


    [The durability of the Winfred¡¯s Sword has decreased by 43.]


    It was because Grid used Drop to block the attack. Grid hadn¡¯t shown this skill when he fought the clone.


    ¡®An instant skill?¡¯Haster¡¯s eyes shook as he wrapped a hand around his twitching wrist. Grid was still smiling, but a bit of irritation filled his voice as he asked, ¡°Are you acting like this because I am smiling?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I will calm down.¡±


    What was this situation? Why were they bowing? Both Hurent and Haster were stunned. They werepletely overwhelmed by this mature Grid.

 Chapter 914

    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    ¡®He actually appeared at this critical timing?¡¯


    Haster and Hurent each had a usible n. Haster was nning to deal the final blow to the exhausted Hurent, while Hurent nned to fight back using the ¡®Developing into a Legend¡¯ title. Yes, both of them were aiming for victory. They had no doubt that they were in a position to win. At this time, the uninvited guest named Grid appeared, rendering their ns useless.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help thinking that he aimed for this.¡¯Haster missed his chance to win because of Grid and started to feel doubtful. How could Grid emerge at this exquisite timing? There was only one truth.


    ¡®He emerged on purpose. That¡¯s for sure,¡¯ Haster thought this.


    He was the strongest talent who could see through other people and felt a sense of rm from Grid.


    ¡®Grid was guarding against me. He must¡¯ve received my location from Asmophel and has been monitoring me.¡¯


    It seemed that Grid was worried that Haster would go one step further by defeating Aura Master Hurent, which was why he had appeared when Haster was on the verge of victory.


    ¡®This is a method of someone who keeps the highest position. It is truly scary...¡¯


    Haster got a grasp of the situation thanks to his reasonable (?) line of thought. Meanwhile, Hurent was disturbed by the situation.¡®Grid knew about me?¡¯


    Hurent was reminded that Piaro served Grid.It was likely that Piaro reported many things to Grid.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Grid must¡¯ve known that I¡¯ve been a farmer in the Overgeared Kingdom for many years.¡¯


    In the first ce, the Overgeared Kingdom belonged to Grid.There was little chance that Grid didn¡¯t know what was happening in his country.He had even known that Haster and Hurent were fighting right now. Hurent got a strange feeling.


    ¡®Grid, are you angry at your fields being ruined?¡¯


    In other words...


    ¡®It means that he respects my hard work in the fields under Piaro... This polite attitude is a means of showing respect.¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s heart thumped. Originally, Hurent had possessed no good feelings toward Grid. It was natural.He was an American, yet Grid had knocked him down in only five seconds. Due to Grid, Hurent¡ªone of the strongest rankers in the world¡ªhad lost his reputation and went on wandering around for a long time. There had been times when he became depressed as he thought about how his life had been ruined by Grid. Hurent held a grudge against Grid and wanted to beat him someday.


    Yet, at this moment, Hurent realized that those emotions were useless. Why?


    ¡®Grid clearly knows that I am working in the Overgeared Kingdom... He knew that I would mature and look for him... Rather than kick me out, he has been watching me silently. Then when I experienced a crisis, he rushed to help...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t dwell on the past.


    ¡®The current Grid... How wide is your heart?¡¯


    Grid was definitely a person with a big heart.After all, there was a reason why Piaro served Grid. Enlightened, Hurent became ashamed of himself for being obsessed with the past. He wanted to beat Grid? Was this why Grid hadn¡¯t appeared in front of him for the past few years?


    Yes, Grid knew the truth. He had to know that Hurent had led the soldiers of the Eternal Kingdom to invade Reidan. Grid knew everything, yet he forgave Hurent. He just watched silently because he forgave Hurent. Then the moment when the fields got damaged like this, Grid ran over on his behalf. Despite this, Hurent was still obsessed with the past and wanted to get revenge on Grid...?


    ¡®Pathetic.¡¯ Hurent felt he was egotistic and selfish. ¡®If Grid¡¯s heart is like the sea, my heart is like a well. I am truly a small person.¡¯


    Hurent saw the entire truth. He was ashamed of himself and respected Grid. In the meantime, it had been silent for a while.


    ¡°So, who will pay thepensation?¡±Grid asked another question. His fields had been damaged due to a personal fight between outsiders! Grid couldn¡¯t overlook it as the king of the Overgeared Kingdom.He knew the value of the blood and sweat that the farmers had shed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know why Hurent is here or who Haster is.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t wonder why they were fighting in his territory or why Piaro didn¡¯t stop their fight despite being nearby. These were also secondary problems. There was an order to everything. Grid decided that the first thing to handle was thepensation issue.


    ¡°Of course, he will reimburse you.¡± Hurent pointed at Haster. ¡°He is the one who damaged your field.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±Grid was slightly upset after hearing Hurent¡¯s words. Grid definitely remembered Hurent. They had met in the past during the 1st National Competition.Hurent was the best American yer who made him taste bitterness during the target processing event.


    Despite having defeated Hurent in five seconds, Grid never belittled him. Grid was well aware of Hurent¡¯s strength. What if Hurent had known about Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Restraint? Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to win so easily. At present, Grid vividly remembered Hurent¡¯s insight. It had blocked Grid¡¯s swordsmanship and the power of his aura, which dealt fixed damage regardless of target¡¯s defense. The first time they met, Hurent had treated Grid like he was a child.


    ¡®Now he is acting politely to me...¡¯ Grid noticed that this was the power of etiquette.He acted politely first, so the older person had to be polite back. Grid felt proud.


    Haster blushed.¡°I ruined the fields? Just because I stepped on two buds?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Hurent was the reason why the fields were damaged. He had misunderstood Haster and started a duel. Yet he was now holding Haster responsible? Haster felt wronged. He strongly rejected Hurent¡¯s im, ¡°Hey Grid. Try acting like a man. I¡¯ve already noticed your intentions. Didn¡¯t you create this situation intentionally?¡±


    Grid frowned at Haster¡¯s shout. ¡®This man continues to talk down to me.¡¯


    Haster was the opposite of the polite Hurent! Grid¡¯s first impression of Haster was the worst. Hurent bowed and spoke using polite speech while Haster spoke nonsense. At this point, Hurent seemed like a great gentleman.


    ¡°Sigh... Yes... I¡¯ll get thepensation from you,¡± Grid said. It was an extremely personal decision! Grid saw that Haster was the cause of the destruction and demanded an apology andpensation from him. ¡°Haster? Be sure to reimburse me for invading the kingdom, making a disturbance, and causing material damage. Apologize to the farmers who have been working hard.¡±


    ¡°...You are still keeping up the pretense.¡± Haster¡¯s convictions deepened. Now he was sure that he had fallen into a trap.


    ¡®Yes, this was his n from the beginning.¡¯


    Why else would the Aura Master be pretending to be a farmer? Wasn¡¯t this the Overgeared Kingdom? There were no coincidences in this world. Haster believed that Hurent disguising as a farmer and then fighting him had all been nned out thoroughly. He thought that Hurent was a member of the Overgeared Guild who acted upon Grid¡¯s orders.


    ¡®It is to keep me in check and examine my skills...¡¯


    Grid tested Haster without even raising a hand. Was this the so-called power of a king?


    Haster was shocked by the power of Overgeared King Grid and took a step back.¡°Okay. Grid, I understand you now. I have learned that apanying Asmophel is poisonous, so I will do my ss quests on my own in the future.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was Haster saying? Why did he mention Asmophel¡¯s name all of a sudden? Grid was bewildered. Haster jumped as hard as he could and kicked the air several times. It was close to acrobatics. Every time Haster kicked the air, his body propelled one meter forward.


    ¡°What?¡± Was Haster trying to escape payingpensation? Grid frowned and shouted, ¡°Arrest him!¡±


    Who was he giving the order to? Haster let out a ridiculing scoff in the air.He had already escaped the range of Grid and Hurent, and there were only farmers in the fields. The knights and soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom weren¡¯t present. Who could capture him?


    ¡®Grid, I have been hit by you many times. I won¡¯t lose my wariness again.¡¯


    He would show Grid thathe wouldn¡¯t bow down no matter what means and methods were used to contain him. Instead, he would grow and see the throne. Haster vowed this.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Then two pirs of fire rose and caused an explosion. It was the continuous manifestation of top fire magic. This was deadly for Haster, who had already received great damage from his battle with Hurent.


    ¡®Kuk...! Who is it?¡¯


    There was a slight time difference between the two Fire Walls. Thanks to this, he got the chance to use Heroic Story. If he had been hit by the two Fire Walls at the same time, he would¡¯ve died. Haster turned his eyes toward the direction the Fire Walls came from.


    ¡°Gulp. Huh, he¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°I am stillcking. My magic power is weak.¡±


    The people speaking were farmers who were eating boiled potatoes.


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯ Haster denied reality. The two high-level magic spells that threatened to kill him were cast by them? He couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡®In the end, they are like Hurent...¡¯


    Grid had disguised the powerhouses of his guild as farmers. Haster¡¯s heart thumped as he ran away.


    ¡®Grid, how far ahead did you look? What do you want to do after grabbing me like this?¡¯


    Grid was definitely a different existence from Kraugel. Thebination of power, status, and insanity made Grid a difficult opponent. Fear settled deep in Haster¡¯s mind.


    ¡°...¡± Grid felt a heavy sense of burden. It was due to Hurent, not Haster escaping. The man, who was at least 40 years old, was staring at Grid with sparkling eyes. Grid found it difficult to understand and felt ufortable.

 Chapter 915

    ¡®What are you up to?¡¯


    Grid was the person who previously beat Hurent in just five seconds. Consequently, Grid was able to anticipate that Hurent resented him for the aftermath of the ¡®five seconds¡¯ incident. Yet...


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    What was this loving attention?


    ¡®I feel very ufortable.¡¯


    Seeing Hurent¡¯s shining gaze, Grid felt burdened and turned away. It was an effort to wake himself up.


    ¡®I have to think about it first.¡¯


    Grid judged this and opened his mouth to say, ¡°Did you take the wrong medicine? Why are you looking at me with such eyes?¡±


    He was wary. However, Hurent was trying to appeal to him with his eyes, so Grid couldn¡¯t make any rash moves.


    ¡®I have to grasp the intent behind his ways to understand what he is interested in.¡¯


    It was fine. He could do it. Grid had spent thest year trying to use his head! He encouraged himself, thinking he no longer had a stone brain.


    ¡°Huhuhut. There is no need to act. Oh, I am older than you. Can I speak in a more rxed manner?¡±


    As Hurent¡¯s nonsense began, Grid fell into confusion.


    ¡°Act?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if Hurent spoke less politely, and it was strange to listen to an old man talk in a polite way the whole time anyway. Why did he suddenly say that Grid was acting though?


    ¡®How am I acting?¡¯


    It felt like he was in front of a sphinx!


    Hurent bowed to the baffled Grid. It wasn¡¯t a perfunctory bow that would make others want to p him. He bowed with deep respect. ¡°Thank you for your care over the past few years. I am amazed and honored that despite knowing the intentions behind why I came to the Overgeared Kingdom, you observed me instead of disturbing me. I feel embarrassed thinking about the days when I was obsessed with getting revenge on you.¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to watch apetitor who can be a threat without being prejudiced about the past while also giving them new opportunities. Grid, I am fascinated by your boldness.¡±


    ¡°...????¡±Question marks continued to appear over Grid¡¯s head. Grid was still feeling lost when Hurent showed a bitter smile and said, ¡°You kept watching... I also thank you for being concerned about me fighting in the fields. Still, I feel it is somewhat bittersweet. I¡¯m so weak that you defeated me in five seconds, and I can¡¯t beat the farmers in this kingdom... It must¡¯ve been difficult to see such a thrilling battle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was crazy. Hurent wasn¡¯t sane. It was obvious that this human was crazy.


    Grid was watching Hurent...? He was considerate enough to give Hurent new opportunities... and he protected Hurent in the fight...?


    ¡®Since when? Ah!¡¯Grid stared at Hurent like he was a madman before btedly realizing that Hurent was wearing dirt-covered clothes and there was a straw hat at his feet. ¡®...Is he the second Kraugel?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s head was definitely working better than before. As soon as he heard Hurent¡¯s story and confirmed the pattern, he gained a rough grasp of the situation. ¡®This guy has been a farmer in the Overgeared Kingdom for the past few years and mistakenly thought I knew about it. He misunderstood my intrusion in the fight as an act to protect him.¡¯


    Did Grid have a constitution prone to causing misunderstandings? Why did people misunderstand his actions every time? Grid had a headache, but he also felt relieved.


    ¡®Most of the misunderstandings went in a positive direction.¡¯


    If he had been misunderstood in the negative direction, how ufortable and frustrating would it be? That road was too dark to imagine.


    ¡°I will exin, Your Majesty.¡± Piaro quietly approached them at this moment.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Grid gave permission.


    Then Piaro started the long story. After Hurent led the Eternal army and invaded Reidan, Piaro saw his potential and took him in as a farmer. Since then, Hurent had been contributing to the agriculture of the kingdom... Piaro didn¡¯t hide a single truth and exined everything to Grid, ¡°Hurent¡¯s aura is truly great. It is at a level that can cause an agricultural revolution. Since he became a naturalized farmer, the crop production has increased by 20%...¡±


    ¡°Naturalization? He isn¡¯t an illegal?¡±Grid frowned as he listened. He was feeling more angry than disappointed with Piaro.¡°Does it make sense to take an enemy, who might hurt me, and make him work in the fields? Do you want me to be assassinated?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t doubt Piaro¡¯s loyalty. At the time of the Belial raid, Piaro had fought for Grid and risked dying without achieving his purpose of getting revenge on the empress. In particr, Piaro had given all the loot he acquired from Belial to Grid. Yes, Grid found it difficult to doubt Piaro¡¯s loyalty. However, this time, it was hard to understand. Taking an enemy who wanted to harm Grid and cing him in the fields...? In the end, Piaro was raising his enemy. This was the part Grid couldn¡¯t understand. It was a reprehensible action.


    ¡°...¡±Piaro shook his head. He couldn¡¯t say anything because he knew why Grid was angry. Grid grew angrier because Piaro didn¡¯t give an excuse. He had to interpret the silence as agreement. Fortunately, the misunderstanding didn¡¯t deepen. It was thanks to the emergence of the potato lover¡ªno, nd who was more famous for being a farmer than a magic swordsman these days.


    ¡°King Grid, the person called Hurent was always under my supervision.¡±


    ¡°nd.¡±


    It had been several months since theyst met, but nd had a potato in his mouth like usual. nd swallowed and exined to Grid in detail,¡°It was Piaro¡¯smand. He told me to kill Hurent if I ever saw him take any actions with a different heart. It was a thorough preparation for Your Majesty¡¯s safety.¡±


    Piaro added, ¡°It was also my personal judgment. Hurent is someone without the capacity to ambush a person. I am convinced that even if he did point his sword at Your Majesty, it would be in a fair fight. If that day came, I would run to Your Majesty and exin all the circumstances.¡±


    At first, Piaro had only coveted the aura ability. Hurent¡¯s ability to plow dozens of targets on the ground had room to grow to a level simr to Piaro¡¯s. Piaro had no doubt that Hurent would grow into a person who would contribute to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s agriculture, and Hurent met these expectations. Additionally, Piaro had been aware of the danger, so he stationed people around Hurent.


    ¡°I see... It was like this.¡±Grid was relieved after finding out the entire truth. The disappointment and anger that sprouted in him at the thought of his most trusted loyalist betraying him gradually disappeared. However, Grid still felt sad. Thus, he gave a warning, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t keep secrets from me. I want you to report everything that happens to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand. In the future, I will report to Your Majesty whenever I recruit a new farmer,¡± Piaro answered energetically. His still solid loyalty could be seen. No, it had grown from before. He was grateful that Grid had helped him reunited with Singuled, his old friend. It was a harmonious atmosphere.


    ¡®...I¡¯m ashamed.¡¯ Hurent stood alone and blushed. It was because he realized the reality of the situation through the conversation that went on between Grid, Piaro, and nd. He was ashamed because he had misinterpreted Grid¡¯s actions and even admired Grid.


    ¡®I will be a fool for the rest of my life.¡¯ Hurent became uneasy because he thought that Grid wouldugh at him. He wanted to hide in a mouse hole.


    ¡°Do you have a grudge against me?¡±Grid suddenly asked Hurent.


    Hurent nced at Piaro and nd before answering honestly, ¡°It would be a lie if I said I didn¡¯t have those emotions. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t hate you. I was defeated purely because I was weak. It is funny if I keep thinking it is unfair.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...? Your lost your honor because of me, but there are no hard feelings?¡±Grid was full of doubts as it was hard to believe.


    Yet Hurent¡¯s eyes were shining brightly.¡°Secluding myself from the world was the path I chose. I didn¡¯t lose my ce because I was defeated.¡±


    ¡°Did you seclude yourself to train?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I wanted to beat you.¡±


    ¡°You said there was no grudge?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is just the matter of a man¡¯s pride.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid was a special person. He had experienced both the lows and highs of life. He had lived the life of the weak, the poor, and the debtor as well as the life of the rich, the life of those envied by others, the life of a challenger, and the challenged. In the process, he had met all types of humans and had been treated differently by them. Sometimes, he had been downtrodden and stepped on, while other times, he had stepped on them or they had given him joy.


    That¡¯s right. Grid had a varied history. Setting aside his intelligence, he had a good eye for people. Grid could see that Hurent was an upright person. He could sympathize with Hurent since there had been a time when he also aimed for Kraugel. Thus, Grid made a suggestion, ¡°I will give you a chance to get revenge. Let¡¯s fight. Come on.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The opportunity Hurent desired had suddenly arrived? Hurent thought he would be deported, so this was a good chance for him.


    ¡°...No, I still can¡¯t fight you,¡±Hurent rejected the opportunity. Why...? Hurent continued saying, ¡°Do you know the person called Haster?¡±


    ¡°The one here before? It is the first time I¡¯ve seen him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He is someone unheard of in Satisfy. Yet I struggled to win against him.¡±


    Haster had the power of the seven malignant saints, and he couldn¡¯t be called weak. It was enough to make Hurent feel rather weak.After all, he was someone who had suffered several defeats to the farmer called nd.


    ¡°I am shamefully weak despite all my efforts over the past few years.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is absurd for a weak person like me to fight someone like you. I realized it today.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will give up on this desire. I will humbly ept the defeat of that day. I should¡¯ve done it earlier but enlightenment was toote. Hut! Just think of it as this uncle¡¯s stubbornness.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid still vividly remembered Hurent¡¯s powerful aura attacks and his control that wasparable to Hao¡¯s. Looking back at it now, Hurent¡¯s strength had been amazing. If Hurent had grown steadily over the years, he was probably still one of the strongest yers in the game. In particr, he was one of the few yers who could threaten Grid. Yet this powerhouse called himself weak and gave up his desire to defeat Grid, wasting his efforts of the past few years?


    ¡®This is wrong.¡¯Grid felt very regretful, especially because he liked Hurent¡¯s personality. So, he suggested once again, ¡°You have been working for so many years, and now you want to avoid a confrontation with me? Won¡¯t it be a lifelong regret? You will want to turn back the clock one day. Come on, let¡¯s fight.¡±


    ¡°You are a really decent person.¡±Hurent¡¯s nose wrinkled. Feeling deeply grateful for Grid¡¯s care, Hurent didn¡¯t stay stubborn. He released his fighting spirit in return for Grid¡¯s consideration. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s fight! I will challenge you!¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯vee out like this sooner.¡±


    [Aura Impact is being used.]


    [urately imagine the shape of the aura within 2 seconds. If there is even a small error in the image, the skill will fail.]


    ¡°Aura Thunder!¡±


    [You have visualized lightning falling from the sly! By reproducing the power of nature, the power of your aura has been increased greatly!]


    [There is a limit to the power that a unique rated aura can exert.]


    Red lightning bolts fell from the sky several times. It happened in a sh. This wasn¡¯t something that ordinary humans without Super Sensitivity could react to.


    [You have suffered 9,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 9,900 damage.]


    [You have received an electric shock.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid was filled with a thrilling feeling as he was struck by the lightning. It was a power that rendered his defense and resistance useless.


    ¡®The fixed damage has grown close to 10,000!¡¯


    It was too strong. Hurent was one of the best yers.Grid could see this himself. He felt respect for Hurent who had been trying hard for so long.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    This was the result.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A person who is bing a legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 2.5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    ¡°...Hah.¡±It was the first time Hurent had suffered like this in a long time. His shoulders sagged, just like the day of the ¡®five seconds incident¡¯. ¡°Look... I am weak...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t youst 20 seconds this time?¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you in bad shape because you just had a battle?¡±


    ¡°Haaaah...¡±


    ¡°...¡±Grid felt a sense of guilt for some reason. He felt it was a pity for Hurent¡¯s shoulders to sag with useless regret. Maybe this was why he reached out. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a ce to go, join the Overgeared Guild. Be a scout.¡±


    ¡°A scout? I already have a job as a farmer.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to learn more from Piaro.¡±


    ¡°How much stronger...?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I have to escape from being a weakling. What is the point if I can only defeat mobs? I can¡¯t keep losing when fighting against other people.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Then just apply to the guild.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t miss out on Hurent. Grid took the opportunity to recruit the best talent, and Hurent joined the Overgeared Guild. It was a great event that would make several people fall from amazement.

 Chapter 916

    [Name: Singuled


    Age: 39 Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Title: Sessor of a Half Killing Energy Method


    *When attacking, there is a 22% chance that the opponent can¡¯t resist the ¡®internal injury¡¯ state.


    *When dealing a counterattack, there is a 9% chance that the opponent can¡¯t resist the ¡®internal injury¡¯ state.


    The enemy will suffer terrible pain, and all stats will fall dramatically. It is apanied by bleeding (severe) and reduced resources recovery.


    Title: Knight of Destruction


    *Increases physical attack by 20% and attack power of wide area skills by 40%. The lower the health, the greater the attack power increase.


    When attacking an enemy with internal injuries, 2,400¨C4,400 additional fixed damage will be inflicted.


    Level: 455


    Strength: 4,001 Stamina: 1,760


    Agility: 1,008 Intelligence: 209


    Skill: Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (B), Penance (A), Frenzy (SS), Half Killing Energy Destruction Method (SS)


    -The Third Knight of the former Red Knights.


    He inherited his family¡¯s vision and sometimes feels sad about his power, which kills the enemy in a terrible manner.]


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Grid felt in awe of Singuled as he confirmed Singuled¡¯s information through Character Observation. It was the first time he had met a named NPC with these biased stats.


    ¡®Most knights have evenly developed their stats, while this...¡¯


    Killing energy destruction method¡ªdid Singuled have to develop strength in order to unleash the power of this skill that had a frightening name?


    ¡®I think I can understand why Mercedes¡¯ evaluated him as being stronger than Asmophel.¡¯


    Killing Energy Destruction Method and Frenzy were both top-rated skills. As the user¡¯s health decreased, attack power and agility increased greatly. A high percentage of their blood would also be restored through the blood-sucking method. There was the disadvantage of being weak to magic attacks, but Asmophel wasn¡¯t a magician.


    ¡®Apart from Piaro, there will be few Red Knights who can fight one on one with Singuled. However, he will be a meal for a magician.¡¯


    Grid smiled gently as he saw Singuled bowing in front of him. ¡°Wee to the Overgeared Kingdom. I know about your situation. I will help you get revenge along with Piaro and Asmophel. Until then, I hope that you will support me together with Piaro.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± There was no enthusiasm in Singuled¡¯s answer.


    It was unavoidable. Singuled had onlye to the Overgeared Kingdom for revenge and had no reason to be loyal to Grid.


    ¡®The spar shall be postponed until next time.¡¯


    There was a high possibility that his affinity with Singuled would decline if he asked for a duel. Grid had to be careful until he gained a certain amount of loyalty from Singuled. Grid whispered into Piaro¡¯s ears,¡°I want to know more about the killing energy. Find a clue to open up Singuled¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    ***


    ¡®We need talent.¡¯


    Lauel had been obsessed with building up the workforce ever since he decided to help Grid build the kingdom.This obsession hadn¡¯t changed despite transcendent NPCs like Piaro, Asmophel, and Mercedes serving Grid. The Saharan Empire, the Hwan Kingdom on the East Continent, hell, and so on¡ªthe opponents who would be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom in the future were several times stronger. As such, Lauel was nervous.He thought he should gather more people and develop the kingdom quickly. Lauel saw that there would be no future for the Overgeared Kingdom if they couldn¡¯t break down the empire in front of them.


    The reality of the situation wasn¡¯t that easy.


    ¡®So far, there is no talent.¡¯


    After the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom, Lauel had used the authority of the prime ministers to gather talented people using all sorts of methods.He offered the Grid set, gave tax exemptions, and created extensive quests that jeopardized the treasury. Lauel used all types of benefits and temptations to lure people to the Overgeared Kingdom and then tried to screen them strictly. However, there were few talents who caught his eyes.It was difficult to meet anyone better than the existing Overgeared members.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want geniuses. I just want to detect people with the appropriate potential for their field.¡¯


    Lauel sighed as his anxiety deepened day by day. He felt more desperate because he knew why it was hard to gather talents.


    ¡®It is a phenomenon created by a bacsh.¡¯


    There was still arge number of yers¡ªespecially those who believed themselves to be superior to others¡ªwho were hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom.They chose to take a different path from the Overgeared Kingdom, thinking it was enough to get them ahead. This path was naturally to side with the empire.Many rankers¡ªapart from some top rankers¡ªknocked on the door of the empire due to the offered benefits and fame. They wanted to keep the Overgeared Kingdom in check under the illusion of justice.


    ¡®Stupid humans... It is about time that this false sense of pride of fairness is ended.¡¯


    Satisfy offered an open field simr to Earth and had an infinite degree of freedom. At this very moment, numerous yers were making or experiencing their own stories. Thus, many people overlooked Satisfy¡¯s main storyline. Why? At this moment, there was no connection between the main story and their gamey content.


    ¡®Satisfy is huge. The Saharan Empire is a prime example.¡¯


    The starting point for all yers was the West Continent. Right now, the West Continent was under the control of the Saharan Empire. The Saharan Empire dreamed of aplete conquest over the West Continent, and all kingdoms were afraid of the empire. It meant that war was approaching inevitably.


    ¡®The Saharan Empire will unleash a unification war on the continent.¡¯


    Lauel interpreted this war as the first main story of Satisfy. The lives of the two billion yers could change depending on the oue of the war.


    ¡®Once the Saharan Empire seeds in the unification of the continent, it is natural for certain NPC forces¡ªsuch as the empire¡¯s nobles¡ªto increase their status... yers are likely to receive fewer benefits than they do now.¡¯


    Discrimination would arise. The NPCs had different mindsets from modern people and would infringe on the ¡®freedom¡¯ that yers currently enjoyed.


    ¡®Then they will cross over to the East Continent, and the yers caught up in the empire¡¯s ambitions will suffer.¡¯


    This might be an extreme idea, but Lauel was convinced that it would be better in many ways if the ruler of the West Continent was a yer rather than an NPC. This fact had already been proven by the Overgeared Kingdom. Most of the infrastructure built by the Overgeared Kingdom was for the convenience of the yers. However, many people thought that Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom weren¡¯t good because the empire was their public enemy.


    ¡°...King Grid is too great.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he a person who could recruit monsters as subordinates every time he went on an adventure? It was difficult to list each one, such as Piaro, Asmophel, Mercedes, Sticks, Sua, and so on.


    ¡°Of course, I am the smart one... It would be better if I had the insight to read what the other person wanted... What is this? Is it the difference in charm? Am I so perfect that people can¡¯t easily get close to me?¡±Lauel deliberately made a foolish expression in front of the mirror.


    ¡°What are you doing? Is there a game like this in the United States?¡±Someone opened the office door without knocking.


    Lauel looked back with surprise and saw Grid, but his gaze was focused on the person behind Grid.¡°This is...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know him? He is Hurent. He joined the Overgeared Guild today.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The person had a roughly grown beard and grayish hair. Lauel confirmed the face and ID of the middle-aged man that Grid had brought with him several times. It was definitely Hurent, the Aura Master. He was the hero who had the expectations of the American people during the 1st National Competition. Hurent was apetitor that Lauel acknowledged and a monster-level talent that Lauel had been so eager for.


    ¡°I thought you would be happy? Why are you just standing there absentmindedly?¡±Grid wondered.


    ¡°...Now you¡¯re just picking people up in the front yard?¡± Lauel flopped down like he had lost all strength.


    ***


    ¡°Huh? You aren¡¯t joining the National Competition?¡±Lauel asked, feeling startled. He was baffled that Grid would be absent even though he had already yed a major role and benefited greatly from the previous National Competitions. ¡°Why are you refusing when this is chance to get definite rewards? You can rest assured if you¡¯re worried about the empty house being hit likest year. Didn¡¯t I tell you that I have made thorough preparations this time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, be sure to prepare for the empty house. But I¡¯m not refusing topete because of the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±Lauel calmed down his agitation. Grid was the best. He could win three gold medals when he participated in the National Competition, and this was a chance that came once a year. Wasn¡¯t he the king of greed? There must be a reason why Grid wasn¡¯t joining.


    Lauel thought about it and shrugged.¡°I see. Your Majesty has your own n.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Grid nned to have fun secretly ying the demon king. He wanted to tell Lauel the truth and boast about his role in this year¡¯s National Competition. However, the S.A.Group had issued a contract use stating that the demon king project couldn¡¯t be leaked outside, and Grid had signed it. So, he couldn¡¯t boast about it.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Lauel saw Grid¡¯s expression and was relieved.¡°Well, Your Majesty isn¡¯t a person who likes receiving damages... I believe that you will do well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure you will do well in the National Competition. Shouldn¡¯t the United States win at least once while the immigration is dyed?¡±


    ¡°If Your Majesty doesn¡¯t join, the champion is already the United States.¡±


    ¡°You sure seem confident. Doesn¡¯t South Korea have Yura and Peak Sword?¡±


    ¡°They are certainly remarkable. There is also Jokbal. Still, can those three afford to go against the power of the United States?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±Grid frowned. He recalled the talents of the US representatives and felt that only three people werecking.


    ¡®I don¡¯t mean to ignore Yura and Peak Sword but...¡¯


    The yers from the United States were too great. Just Kraugel and Lauel were big threats, let alone the other powerhouses. Hurent was also American.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if Zibal will be present.¡¯


    Then what about South Korea?


    ¡®The difference is too big.¡¯


    Grid was strong enough to guarantee at least two gold medals, but what about Yura and Peak Sword?


    ¡®They will lose the gold medal if they are in the same event as Kraugel...¡¯Grid noticed his mistake.


    What if South Korea¡¯s ranking fell because he epted the position of demon king for his own profit and fun?


    ¡®There might be a sudden surge in the number of anti-fan cafe members...?¡¯


    It was likely given the propensity of the Koreanizens. The fact that Grid refused to represent the Korean team due to personal greed would arouse public indignation once it was revealed. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he were regarded as a person who sold out his country.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t an individual. He was the king of the Overgeared Kingdom. If he were criticized, the prestige of the kingdom would also naturally fall.


    ¡®Do I have to refuse the demon king project?¡¯


    Did Lauel read Grid¡¯s look of concern? Lauel reassured Grid,¡°Your Majesty can do what you want. I asked you to be king for our benefit, not to put shackles on you. Don¡¯t be afraid of criticism, and just do what you want.¡±


    ¡°This person...¡±


    Sometimes he was annoying, yet he was encouraging at other times. Giving Lauel a warm smile, Grid rose from his seat.¡°I know you have been concerned about your eyes these days, so look forward to it. I think I can make convincing sunsses at the end of the National Competition.¡±


    ¡°Sunsses?¡±


    ¡°It is a pair of sunsses that the evil eyes¡¯ king can use.¡±

 Chapter 917

    -Grid: How are you?


    -Kraugel: Are you worried?


    -Grid: No way.Who will dare worry about the person in the sky?I was just saying amon greeting.


    -Kraugel: Things are good.I will get straight to the point.Why did you send me a whisper?


    -Grid: Hehe...Can you let me know one thing?Are there any minerals in Satisfy that can be used as a material for sunsses?


    -Kraugel: Sunsses?I see.The person who made the first contact with the evil eyes¡¯ king was you.Are you nning to appease the evil eyes¡¯ king?


    -Grid: Amazing...Don¡¯t you know this is really creepy now?How can you guess that from one question?


    -Kraugel: ...Isn¡¯t it funny that you are asking me about minerals?


    -Grid: Pagma¡¯s knowledge isn¡¯t universal.I don¡¯t know what materials are required to make the item until the recipe is acquired.


    -Kraugel: I heard you recently got an essories maker?Won¡¯t it be better to ask her?


    -Grid: Unfortunately, she stillcks experience.On the other hand, you have umted the most experience and knowledge in Satisfy.Please do me a favor.If you help me this time...


    -Kraugel: The grandmaster¡¯s experiments wear ck sses.They wear sses made by processing ether diamonds.


    -Grid: Grandmaster?Experiments?Diamond?


    -Kraugel: Once again, it is an ether diamond.I¡¯m told it can be mined from the Elliter Mine in Talima.


    Grid: The dwarf city...Do the dwarves grant ess to the mine?


    -Kraugel: The Elliter Mine has long been abandoned.


    -Grid: Why?


    -Kraugel: Elliter mine has a gap in the dimension.Muller sealed it, but the seal has weakened recently.


    -Grid: A gap in the dimension?


    -Kraugel: It is also known as a hell gate.Sometimes the 12th great demon¡¯s ¡®hand¡¯ will pop out.


    -Grid: Hand...?


    -Kraugel: A hand that can grab hundreds of dwarves at once and turns them into dirt.


    -Grid: Is it impossible to go there right now?


    -Kraugel: That¡¯s right.The dwarves won¡¯t open the mine.


    -Grid: So, that means there is only one way to get the ether diamond right now?


    -Kraugel: That¡¯s right.


    -Grid: The National Competition¡¯spensation.


    -Kraugel: I wish you luck.


    -Grid: Same. I hope you aren¡¯t disturbed.


    -Kraugel: Are you mocking me now?You are a few steps ahead of me this year.


    -Grid: Next year?


    -Kraugel: We will stand side by side.


    ¡°Side by side instead of surpassing me again? He is a humble person.¡±


    Grid finished whispering and stood up. He sensed the resurgence of apetitor with SSS-ss talent who was different from the ordinary Grid in many ways. Grid¡¯s expectations were greater than his fear. He was stimted rather than daunted.


    ***


    The S.A Group¡¯s headquarters¡ªhow was a building permit given for this? Did they give bribes? The building was so tall that it raised questions.


    A car that was rarely seen stopped at the entrance of the lobby. This was a limited edition sports sedan which only a few people around the world had. It had been three years since the release of this model, but the unchanging value and sophisticated design still captivated people¡¯s attention. The staff of the S.A Group in the lobby stopped their work and paid attention to the car.There were few people in South Korea who didn¡¯t know of the car¡¯s owner.


    Click.


    There were many exmations when the young man descended from the car. Shin Youngwoo¡ªhe was famous for being the first king among two billion yers around the world. He received star treatment even among the employees of the S.A Group.


    ¡°Wee. I was surprised when I heard you wanted a direct visit.¡± Yoon Nahee, the manager of the operations team, came to meet him.


    ¡°It is nice to experience the fresh breeze. This is the bestpany in the world.¡±


    ¡°It is thanks to Youngwoo-ssi and the other users who enjoy ying the game.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re grateful to the users? I have a feeling that today¡¯s contract will be sessful.¡±


    Yoon Nahee was very surprised by Youngwoo¡¯s attitude. The silly young man she metst year was now gone.


    ¡®He is a man who grew up with Satisfy...¡¯


    She shouldn¡¯t forget that the man in front of her was more special than anyone else. Yoon Nahee smiled brightly. ¡°We put our heart and soul into the contract with Youngwoo-ssi. You can look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°You put your heart and soul into it? Did thepany¡¯s position on pavranium and divine stone change?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but... as we mentioned in advance, we can¡¯t include pavranium and divine stone in the rewards. Pavranium is a ss-specific item, so the acquisition path and quantity are limited. Divine stone is ssified as a ¡®divine¡¯ item above adamantium and bloodstone, meaning yers can¡¯t acquire it yet. Didn¡¯t you check the copy of the contract this morning?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask. I understand. I can¡¯t argue about this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding. The director will exin in more detail but Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s rewards are limited to tier one production materials likest year... You¡ª?¡± Yoon Nahee felt disturbed as she took Youngwoo to the elevator. It was due to the particrly dark smile that spread across Youngwoo¡¯s face. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Ether diamond. It is the reward I want.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡± Yoon Nahee fell silent as she heard the name of the unexpected item. It was fortunate that she didn¡¯t fall down. The ether diamonds¡ªthey were diamonds encased in the dark matter called ¡®ether¡¯ that absorbed light and magic power. The mineral inherited the characteristics of ether and diamonds, showing exceptional power under certain conditions. It was worth more than adamantium and bloodstone which were the representatives of different worlds.


    ¡®However, the mineral rating is below adamantium and bloodstone.¡¯


    It was naturally one of the best minerals that existed in the human world. Still, there was a problem.


    ¡°...You know about it? The acquisition path of the ether diamond hasn¡¯t opened yet.¡±


    The special power of the ether diamond gave it a certain kind of usefulness, and it had the potential to make the ¡®rating¡¯ obsolete. It was something that a yer shouldn¡¯t have yet.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, the bnce is important. At this point in time, yers shouldn¡¯t have an ether diamond either.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo knew the bnce that she was concerned about. For example...


    ¡°Do you think I will free the evil eyes¡¯ king?¡±


    ¡°...!!"¡±


    Ding!


    The elevator door stopped where Yoon Nahee was heading. It was the 51st floor. She stood behind Shin Youngwoo like a statue as he knocked on the door of Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s office. He stated, ¡°You promised me. You will give me up to seven items under a certain rating for the demon king project.¡±


    Yes, the rating... The S.A Group focused on the rating of the rewards. That was a mistake.


    ¡°N-No.¡± Yoon Nahee looked at the office door that closed and hurriedly pulled out her phone. She tried to call Yoon Sangmin.


    (What¡¯s going on?)Fortunately, Director Yoon Sangmin picked up just after greeting Shin Youngwoo. She was in his emergency contactwork, so Yoon Sangmin couldn¡¯t ignore her.


    Yoon Nahee shouted, ¡°We have to change the contract!¡±


    (What are you saying? You want to suddenly change the contents of a contract that has already been thoroughly reviewed? Do you think thispany is a yground?)


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi wants ether diamonds!¡±


    (What? A yer knows about the ether diamond? Already?)


    ¡°Modify the contents of the rewards before Youngwoo-ssi signs it!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t toote. Shin Youngwoo had just entered the office. He would¡¯ve shared a handshake with Yoon Sangmin and just received the contract. By now, he should¡¯ve just read the first part of the contract. Yoon Nahee felt hopeful. However, Yoon Sangmin¡¯s murmur over the phone took away her hopes, (...He has already signed it.)


    ¡°...!!¡±


    He signed the contract without reading it...?


    ¡°...Ah.¡±The nervous Yoon Nahee btedly realized that this wasn¡¯t the first contract Shin Youngwoo had signed with the S.A Group. Before the 2nd National Competition, he signed a contract with the S.A Group and experienced the ¡®reliability¡¯ of the S.A Group.


    ¡®Then the reason he asked for a copy of the contract this morning...¡¯


    Yoon Nahee hung up the phone and shook her head.


    ¡°As the years pass, he is bing harder and harder to deal with. The woman who gets him will suffer.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It has been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you. I have been watching and cheering you on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Please give me the contract. I assume it hasn¡¯t changed from the copy sent to me this morning?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Check it once again and then sign... Excuse me, I have to pick up a call.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve signed.¡±


    ¡°...????¡±


    It happened in less than a minute. Shin Youngwooughed as he ced the fountain pen he received from his father back into his pocket. Meanwhile, Yoon Sangmin struggled to keep calm as he put away his phone.¡°You signed without reading it?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the contents are the same?¡±


    ¡°You never know...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I already signed it.¡±


    ¡°We can resign the contract if we both agree... Sigh, okay. I understand. There is no point feeling regretful since it has already happened. I have one question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why did you take the risk?¡±


    ¡°The risk?"


    ¡°You could¡¯ve pretended not to know about the ether diamond and then signed the contract after carefully checking its contents. Why did you dare to tell Yoon Nahee about the ether diamond and create such an urgent situation?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I should choose the ether diamond instead of a divine creature byproduct.¡±


    ¡°...Yoon Nahee¡¯s reaction gave you confidence.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Her honest reaction gave me the answer. That¡¯s why I signed this.¡±


    ¡°I see. You made the correct judgment. The ether diamond... To be precise, the value of the evil eyes¡¯ king that can be exploited with the ether diamond is great.¡± The evil eyes were an advanced species.They were different from the inferior water n. The king of the evil eyes would give Shin Youngwoo a power that couldn¡¯t bepared to the water n. ¡°With this, Youngwoo-ssi can build a foundation to fight against the empire. However, don¡¯t forget. It is just a possibility. The rewards will only be given based on Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s and the four heavenly kings¡¯ actions.¡±


    The contract clearly stated:


    1. Shin Youngwoo must participate in the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Subjugation¡¯ event during the National Competition and y the role of the demon king.


    2. The demon king¡¯s role is to be hostile and overpower the yers participating in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event.


    3. The S.A Group will support Shin Youngwoo.


    4. The four heavenly kings are referring to the NPCs Piaro, Asmophel, Mercedes, and Noll. The range of the duplication is limited to their stats, skills, and items. Duplication of their personalities, memories, and emotions are strictly forbidden.


    ......


    ......


    12. The S.A Group is obliged to pay Shin Youngwoopensation whenever the number of kills umted at the gateways of the four heavenly kings increases by 100. Compensation payout will be given at the end of the contract.


    13. If Shin Youngwoo survives until the end of the Demon King subjugation event, the S.A Group will give himpensation. Compensation payout will be given at the end of the contract.


    14. This agreement is valid until the end of the 4th Satisfy National Competition.


    Unlike Shin Youngwoo¡¯s wishes, there were no special privileges. The S.A Group didn¡¯t give Shin Youngwoo any special skills or items when he was the demon king. Shin Youngwoo had to fight against all those participating in the National Competition with his own abilities and the abilities of the four heavenly kings who cloned the stats of his subordinates.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy. In particr, once the representatives of each country recognized the essence of the event and formed an ¡®alliance¡¯, the odds of the king being defeated would rise exponentially. Grid could gain up to seven rewards.Youngwoo would be able to monopolize more rewards than others could, but he was in a disadvantageous situation.


    ¡°Please y an active role and get the rewards you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your support,¡± Youngwoo said goodbye to Director Yoon Sangmin and headed home. For the remainder of the time he had left, he was nning to build up his specs, make new items for his subordinates, and raise his level. In particr, he had to refine Noll who had been left unattended for a long time.


    ¡®The National Competition now has a separate server. I can consume the creation slots at will.¡¯


    There was a chance of victory.


    ¡®I will do whatever it takes to win.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Apart from the ether diamond, the list of rewards includes the Stone of Life, the prophet¡¯s skull, the kd cloth, and the yangban¡¯s mask. Get rid of them¡±


    Yoon Sangmin gave an order after Shin Youngwoo left. It wasn¡¯t possible to change thepensation for Shin Youngwoo who had a separate contract, but the gold medal rewards were different.


    ¡®We figured out the blind spots of thepensation thanks to Youngwoo-ssi. We¡¯ve received his help.¡¯ He tried to think positively, but a sigh emerged. Yoon Sangmin was already worried about the demon king project.

 Chapter 918

    [You have entered the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (7).]


    [The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]


    [The dungeon boss smells an intruder.]


    [The dungeon boss has discovered your identity and hurriedly retracts his magic power.]


    [The entrance of the dungeon is opened. The external barriers are removed.]


    [The dungeon boss ¡®Noll¡¯ cries out to the city¡¯s vampires.]


    ¡°He is my master.¡±


    [The dungeon vampires are astonished.]


    [They ask if he is stronger than the farmer.]


    [The dungeon boss ¡®Noll¡¯ hits them.]


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    [The dungeon vampires close their mouths.]


    [You control the Vampire¡¯s Underground City (7).]


    [This is the first time you have visited the dungeon after conquering it.]


    [The dungeon information will be updated.]


    [Vampire¡¯s Underground City (7)]


    [Rating: S (Temporarily Downgraded)


    Boss: Noll


    Monsters: Vampire familiars. Low-grade vampires, intermediate vampires, true blood vampires.


    Monster Respawn Standby Time: 1 minute ¨C 59 minutes.


    eptable Monster Number: 10,890


    -A dungeon where agriculture is actively developing thanks to the intervention of a legendary person. The dungeon is bing a ¡®vige¡¯ due to the agriculture phenomenon.


    The vampires¡¯ hunger is at a low level due to eating the ¡®blood potatoes¡¯ that are being grown. The vampires in the city feel a faint appeal toward humans due to the influence of the boss ¡®Noll.¡¯ Once the dungeon¡¯s vige ispleted, the already spawned monsters will change to ¡®NPCs.¡¯ They will be your precious people.


    * There are 159 days until the vige ispleted.


    * Pray that as many monsters as possible are alive when the vige ispleted.


    * The type of dungeon monsters might vary if the boss is changed.]


    ¡°What type of wind did you bring with you?¡±The boy who approached Grid had a beauty that went beyond human standards. Human modifiers could never describe the beauty of this boy. The vampire earl, Noll¡ªhe had been born directly from Shizo Beriache¡¯s body, and now he served Grid thanks to the effect of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.


    [Name: Noll


    Age: 221 Gender: Male


    Species: Direct Descendant Vampire


    Title: Fourth Child of Shizo Beriache


    * Has inherited Beriache¡¯s attribute ofpassion.


    * Can use blood magic that has a beneficial effect on his allies.


    Title: Vampire who has Ovee the Curse of Idleness.


    * Has a strong desire for life. If his health falls below 10%, he will be a coward. He will lose his purpose and only strive to survive.


    * Has a strong desire to broaden his horizons. He will actively want to learn.


    Title: A Predator


    * Once hungry, his true power will be exerted. The higher the fighting energy, the higher the abilities. The current hunger level is 4/10.


    Level: 433


    Strength: 3,621 (¨‹) Stamina: 2,567 (¨‹)


    Agility: 2,310 (¨‹) Intelligence: 3,580 (¨‹)


    Skills: Blood Farming (A), Direct Suppression (SS), Blood Transfusion (S), Blood Donation (SS), Blood Magic (S+), Run Wild (SSS)


    * A child who Shizo Beriache especially loved.


    Beriache was excited about the attribute ofpassion sleeping deep in Noll¡¯s heart. She hoped he would give great strength to his brethren and ovee trials with his brethren.


    Despite this, by now, most of his brothers have left the world. Noll considers Grid, who took off the Curse of Idleness and protected his life, as a recement for his brothers.]


    [Run Wild]


    [The cooldown of all magic will be 3 seconds. However, mana consumption will double.]


    Noll was the most special vampire that Grid knew. Perhaps he was even more special than his brother, Braham Beriache. He could heal and strengthen his colleagues, and he also had a wide area skill. Noll was stronger in a group than when he was alone. He was distinctly different from the other direct descendants who threatened humans alone. This ¡®difference¡¯ was sometimes a great strength. Grid relied on Noll. He didn¡¯t doubt that Noll was necessary for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®His specs are still crazy.¡¯Grid couldn¡¯t help smiling when he saw the Blood Farming skill that wasn¡¯t there before. He asked, ¡°Why are you giving the cold shoulder to someone you haven¡¯t seen for a long time?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that you didn¡¯te for a long time! You...! Do you know how much shame and humiliation I¡¯ve experienced in thest two years?¡±


    Noll¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. He had been 219 years old when Grid first met him, and now he was 221 years old. However, Noll still had the appearance of a 13-year-old boy, and a vampire¡¯s ego was influenced by their appearance. As such, Noll was a child. ¡°You didn¡¯te to see me...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Considering I had to throw away my pride and serve a human, you should be visiting me often...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I said I would serve you, not that crazy farmer! So why...?! Why did you let that crazy bastard...?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±Grid grinned and stroked Noll¡¯s head.


    ¡®Piaro isn¡¯t a bad person, so don¡¯t hate him. He is teaching you to farm because he wants us to coexist.¡¯Grid didn¡¯t say these words.


    It was a fact that Noll already knew. Yes, this was just Noll acting spoiled. He wanted his ¡®brother¡¯ to protect him. So, he was venting about the ¡®brother¡¯ who neglected him.


    ¡°...Bad person.¡± Noll was no longer shouting. He blushed as he was reminded of his mother¡¯s hand. It was the kind, soft, and warm touch of his mother who watched anxiously as he slept in his coffin. Grid¡¯s hand was different from Noll¡¯s mother, but it wasn¡¯t bad.


    ***


    ¡°What? What crazy nonsense are you talking now?¡±


    It was a castle where hundreds of coffins were disyed as ornaments. Noll sat at a long table opposite Grid and faced him. Red juice flowed like blood flowed from the potato Noll was eating. No matter how much he ate, it was fake blood that didn¡¯t make him feel full. Still, it was precious food for vampires in the seventh city.


    ¡°Are you a fool?¡±Noll¡¯s face distorted as he wiped the juices off his mouth with a handkerchief. ¡°We are vampires. Among them, we¡ªdirect descendants¡ªare perfect creatures. We can¡¯t be described using the standards of a human. Yet you dare...¡±


    ¡°You are perfect despite sleeping all the time?¡±


    ¡°...It is true that the Curse of Idleness made us iplete, but I overcame the Curse of Idleness. One day, I will destroy the great demons and God Yatan who dared insult my mother.¡±Noll¡¯s anger was real. ¡°I amplete. It is an insult for me to use these trivial tools!¡±


    Grid said he would make a weapon and armor for Noll, who then felt insulted by the suggestion. Tools were things that weak humans relied on.This was what Noll thought. It was also why the vampires that Grid met previously hadn¡¯t been armed. Some vampires might use tools like a ¡®sword¡¯, but that was just for their amusement. Vampires were beasts who preyed on other creatures using their natural physical abilities and magic power.


    However, Grid thought it was mistaken idea.¡°Tools are trivial? A person who almost lost his life to a trivial tool is saying this?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±Noll closed his mouth, remembering how he had almost died from Grid¡¯s sword and the crazy farmer¡¯s equipment. ¡°T-That...¡± Noll tried to defend himself with a red face, but it was impossible.He realized he wasn¡¯t perfect and that tools weren¡¯t trivial.


    ¡°What if you had armor at that time? Do you think Piaro¡¯s hand plow, my sword, and Jishuka¡¯s arrows could have beaten you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Being overgeared is important. It is a concept that makes the strong stronger, not just the weak.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Noll, don¡¯t be stubborn. The world where vampires can rely on their natural abilities is over. Do you like heavy armor or light armor? Think about which armor is morefortable for you to use and answer me.¡±


    All the legends had fallen asleep, and 200 years had passed. The world weed new legends, and those who reigned during the gap between legends became weak again. The rtionship between Grid and Noll represented this change. In the end, Noll lost his stubbornness and epted reality.¡°...I would prefer armor like what you wear. Oh, I don¡¯t want to look at you or something like that.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Your weapon will be a shield.¡± Grid¡¯s voice was gentle and careful as he spoke to Noll. Grid¡¯s feelings toward Noll were veryplicated. After all, he was the person who killed Noll¡¯s brothers. A vampire and human¡¯s thoughts were different, so Noll didn¡¯t resent Grid. Still, Grid felt sorry toward Noll.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a strong armor.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, do whatever you want.¡±


    The first preparations were beginning. Grid would set up a new smithy here and produce items for Noll. Then the ¡®armed¡¯ Noll would be copied and be the 4th heavenly king of the National Competition.


    ***


    ¡°The protagonist is a blessed person.¡±


    They got overwhelming support from the audiences and readers.


    ¡°As long as the wishes of many people support the protagonist, the protagonist is bound to be strong.¡±


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t universal. The protagonist was sometimes weaker than everyone else. Why?


    ¡°The protagonist also suffers through trials. It is a fate that can¡¯t be avoided. Then the protagonist will be stronger after the trials.


    At the S.A Group¡¯s New York branch, a man who was participating in the US representatives selection was talking to the other candidates. His name was Zibal.


    ¡°I have ovee the pain of myst trial.¡±


    He was the strong ranker who had once represented the United States, but he received the stigma of a punching bag after losing to Kraugel and Grid. Zibal dered, ¡°I am the protagonist.¡±


    He had fallen to hell from the best ce. Zibal was like a monk walking the path of penance. He endured the ridicule and contempt of the people and endeavored to ovee his limitations. Nobody could ignore him. People might not want to acknowledge him, but they had to respect him.


    However, one person downyed ZIbal.


    ¡°No, I will be the new protagonist.¡± It was Haster.


    The appearance of an unexpected character shocked many people.


    ¡°Get out of the way, Zibal. I have to experiment with my strength.¡±


    Haster thought it was natural that he couldn¡¯t beat Grid at the present time. However, Hurent...?


    Haster was someone who had beaten Kraugel. So, Haster felt there was something wrong. He needed to figure out what was wrong and fix it immediately. Then this person interfered, ¡°Haster? Weren¡¯t you a pro golfer?¡±


    ¡°Pro gamer!!¡±


    It was the punching bag Zibal.


    [The selection will start soon. All candidates please enter.]


    Unlike in other countries, this was a rare scene where many high rankers could be seen. Hundreds of strong yers, including Zibal and Haster, were entering the preliminary elimination rounds.

 Chapter 919

    ¡°What made you decide to naturalize?¡±


    When Jair arrived in Australia, he answered questions from reporters. ¡°I wanted to participate in the National Competition.¡±


    Jair was ranked 1,071 on the overall rankings. He took pride in his skills and wanted to be a star like the high rankers. However, the United States was too big. The country was overloaded with strong and capable individuals, and Jair became weak inparison. He didn¡¯t even get elected as a representative. The ¡®abundance¡¯ of the United States had taken away Jair¡¯s chance.


    ***


    ¡°Zibal? It has been a while.¡±


    At the New York area selection round, hundreds of participants on stage were focused on Zibal. There were a variety of responses from the people. Those who recalled that Zibal had led the United States in the 1st and 2nd National Competitions weed him. Meanwhile, those who were disappointed that Zibal took the path of a hermit after facing several defeats frowned. Some peopleughed or mocked him openly.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you retire after being called a punching bag? Why did you crawl back?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take away other people¡¯s opportunities.¡±


    There were even those who seemed hostile. Zibal humbly epted all of it. He knew their hostility came from affection and expectations.


    ¡®They are those who waited for me.¡¯


    Yes, the United States had been waiting. Zibal had been defeated by Russia¡¯s Kraugel and South Korea¡¯s Grid, but it hadn¡¯t changed the fact that he was still one of the best talents in the United States. The American people had hoped he would y an active role again. They had wished the United States would once again be honored as the number one country in the 3rd National Competition. However, Zibal hadn¡¯t responded to the people¡¯s expectations. He had disappeared without a trace and turned away from the 3rd National Competition. Consequently, the United States lost its first ce ranking.


    The people felt as much betrayal as they had felt hope. As such, Zibal understood that they felt betrayed by him.


    ¡°In any case, we have Kraugel. We don¡¯t need you!¡±A young ranker, who looked in his teens, cried out desperately. He was a boy who once dreamt of seeing America¡¯s ¡®captain¡¯, Zibal. Yet the boy¡¯s expectations had been betrayed, and he resented the monster from the east, Grid, for trampling on the United States.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±Zibal had already made a speech in the waiting room. He wasn¡¯t kind enough to repeat the words to the candidates who used the other waiting rooms.After all, he just had to show his strength.


    The first selection event was PvE. Zibal summoned the ¡®Two-Headed Steel Chariot¡¯ and smiled at the boy after trampling on the small creatures.


    ¡°The protagonist bes stronger after oveing ordeals. Kid, haven¡¯t you seen it many times in movies?¡±


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡± The forgotten light of envy filled the boy¡¯s eyes as he looked up at the chariot. All those whoughed or mocked Zibal were silent. Then the second monster wave appeared. The high-speed flying monsters surrounded Zibal. Their sharp ws aimed at Zibal, who seemed to be in a crisis because the chariot only showed its power on the ground.


    Zibal justughed at the monsters and summoned his second ride, ¡°White elerator.¡±


    It was a white lion withrge wings. Zibal abandoned the chariot and flew into the sky. He used a huge trident and was able to prate through all the monsters. It happened in an instant. Zibal shouted,¡°The United States will win. I will make it so. I am different from the other losers who abandoned their country! I have ovee my ordeal and returned! I am the true protagonist!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s cry was enough to stimte the ck me dragon Lauel, who was watching in the distance. Certainly, Zibal was much stronger than he had been two years ago. He was unique even in the United States, which had humbled numerous strong people. Zibal wasparable to Kraugel ofst year.


    ¡®Maybe this year...¡¯


    ¡®Thebined power of Kraugel and Zibal can beat Grid...!¡¯


    The American rankers, who still shrank back from the Grid they witnessedst year, started to feel hopeful.


    ¡°Victory will be made by me, not you. If you¡¯re done then get out of the way.¡±


    Step, step.A man pushed his way onto the stage. The young rankers didn¡¯t recognize him, but those older than 20 were amazed and shocked.


    ¡°Haster!! It¡¯s Haster?¡±


    The emperor of FPS games¡ªHaster was the mythical pro gamer who created the golden age for America. He wasparable to the Korean FaXer and Lim Xhan. The person who retired from the game world with the release of Satisfy was appearing here...? The emergence of the unexpected figure shocked people.


    ¡®What is with all the fuss?¡¯ The younger generation who didn¡¯t know him felt doubts. Then Haster showed off the power of his unique ss, Red Sage. The 1st and 2nd wave monsters were blocked by ice barriers and burned by mes. It wasn¡¯t as exciting as Zibal¡¯s disy, but it was neat workmanship without any ws.


    ¡®Pretty good.¡¯


    Skull and Zephyr watched Zibal and Haster quietly.


    ¡®However, that is all.¡¯


    Skull, 10th on the overall rankings, and Zephyr, 20th on the overall rankings¡ªthey had yed for the United States in every nationalpetition and knew the harsh reality.


    ¡®They shouldn¡¯t feel ted just by catching a few monsters.¡¯


    ¡®They can never beat that monster.¡¯


    The monster was Grid. They had met Grid or seen him for three consecutive years and knew how steep Grid¡¯s growth curve was. It was a strength that extended beyond the concept of stats and skills. Rather, it felt like an evolution of a species itself.


    ¡®Grid has already surpassed the limits of a yer a long time ago.¡¯


    ¡®He is someone who has faced a dragon, not just these petty monsters. In order for us to win against South Korea, the United States needs a transcendent who is beyond the limits like Grid.¡¯


    Did they believe this transcendent person was Kraugel? Well, let¡¯s see? Most people didn¡¯t know it, but Skull and Zephyr clearly saw the difference between Grid and Kraugel. Atst year¡¯s PvP finals, Grid hadn¡¯t used all his power, but he had broken Kraugel. The person who people had called the ¡®sky above the sky¡¯ for several years had been like a child in front of Grid.


    ¡®We should give up on the 1st ce spot.¡¯


    Nothing would change even if Zibal and Haster came back. The presence of Grid meant the United States would forever remain in second ce. Skull and Zephyr smiled bitterly as the gloomy reality filled their minds.


    [The second test will begin.]


    A new system message popped up, and a boss monster appeared. It was an earl grade direct descendant vampire¡ªa monster known to be monopolized by the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°I want food.¡±The pale vampire revealed his sharp fangs as a bloody magic power swirled around him and took control of the stage. It was the manifestation of Blood Field, which weakened all yers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±Skull and Zephyr rushed forward. In order to get a high score in a boss raid, they had to umte damage on the boss or pull the boss¡¯ aggro to survive. Skull and Zephyr had no ns to be eliminated in the selection rounds. However, they couldn¡¯t help freezing in ce, while the other contestants stepped back or ran into them. The sky was suddenly filled with darkness and thunder. The thunder in the sky split apart.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The participants were confused by this turn of events and cried out.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    A giant descended through a gap in the sky. It was close to five meters tall, and its white coating was reminiscent of a white dragon¡¯s scales. Someone muttered,¡°Gundam...?¡±


    The emergence of something beyond the vampire earl wasn¡¯t in the participants¡¯ event information. The confused people scattered everywhere, including Haster.


    ¡®What is that monster?¡¯


    Mental Protection, the passive skill of the Red Sage, was being threatened by the descent of this giant enemy. Haster¡¯s legs were shaking, and he couldn¡¯t move. Haster bet that most participants were likely to be in a ¡®fear¡¯ or ¡®confused¡¯ state. What was the identity of the giant that threatened hundreds of rankers just by appearing? Except for one person, all of those present were overwhelmed.


    ¡°Come on, Raiders.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The pressure was lifted the moment the giant appeared on the stage. Haster¡¯s legs stopped trembling while the other participants regained their freedom from the abnormal conditions. Zibal was boarding the giant.


    [Synchronizing with Raiders.]


    ...


    ...


    [Synchronization sessful!]


    [Raiders is operating!]


    [The maximum mana is low!]


    [The maximum time you can activate Raiders is 21 seconds.]


    ¡°I...¡±


    [Blue Sky Rider]


    It was the growth type unique ss that Zibal managed to obtain after meeting the 4th imperial prince Edan and carrying out the ss quest.


    ¡°I am the protagonist.¡±


    The presence of an artifact ss item, Raiders, was enough to ce Zibal as the protagonist as he imed. The parthenon pirs fired and blew away one of the vampire earl¡¯s arms.


    ¡®Maybe...!¡¯ Delight filled the faces of Skull and Zephyr.


    ¡®Is this the Zibal that I knew?¡¯Haster¡¯s eyes shook.


    Additionally...


    ¡®The Saharan Empire...?¡¯Lauel witnessed the symbol of the empire engraved on one side of Raiders¡¯ chest.


    Now, they had amon idea, regardless of individual circumstances. The winner of this year¡¯s PvP event would be Zibal, and the United States would rise to the top again.


    Simultaneously, in South Korea...


    [Overgeared King Grid deres his non-participation in the 4th Satisfy National Competition.]


    The breaking news from various media outlets caused a buzz among the people. The real-time search queries of the portal sites became filled with Grid, Shin Youngwoo, Overgeared King, and so on in less than one minute.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid ignored the flood of requests for interviews and hammered an armor that closely resembled Valha of Infinite Affection. He was mentally and physically tired from working for a long time, but Grid forgot his fatigue once he confirmed the results.


    [You have created a myth rated item!]


    [* When myth rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +20 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.]


    [Your reputation points has exceeded 200,000. It is rmended that you use the Reputation Store.]


    [The cksmith god Hexetia has praised you.]


    [God Hexetia has given you a benefit.]


    [Your dexterity has risen by 100.]


    ¡°cing armor on this noble body... I don¡¯t like it but I will try it on now.¡±Noll couldn¡¯t hide the joy of being with Grid for three days. His eyes lit up and he immediately wore the armor.


    Grid nodded as he confirmed that Noll wearing the armor looked exactly like him. ¡°It is like watching my childhood self.¡±


    Noll was like the star in a night sky while Grid was a pig¡¯s poop. The gap in appearance between the two people was this huge. Grid had no conscience when he said Noll reminded him of his childhood. However, Noll was pleased instead of offended.

 Chapter 920

    ¡®It works better than I thought.¡¯


    Grid had the Minerals Strengthening skill. As the name suggested, it was a skill that could enhance the performance of minerals. It was a good skill just based on the description. However, its actual utility was low.


    The weight of the materials which could be put into the ¡®strengthening frame¡¯ was limited to 30 grams, and it took 30 days toplete the strengthening. Grid had been strengthening blue orichalcum for the past seven years, but the weight of the strengthened blue orichalcum that he had secured was only around 2.5 kilograms. He needed 4 kilograms to make an average one-handed sword. Therefore, Grid couldn¡¯t get enough minerals to make a sword despite his seven years of investment. It was a skill that was virtually obsolete.


    This was from before he met God Hexetia.


    [Legendary Minerals Strengthening]


    [-Strengthens the performance and durability of minerals by using the strengthening frame.


    Mineral weight that can be ced into the strengthening frame: up to 1 kilogram.


    Time needed for the strengthening: 3 days.]


    The ¡®special event¡¯ that urred when Grid produced the sixth myth rated item during his confrontation with God Hexetia was an upgrade to the Minerals Strengthening skill.


    In fact, Grid hadn¡¯t been very happy. It was a skill that had unnecessarily upied his skills window for seven years. He still didn¡¯t feel any appreciation for it now that the skill had been upgraded. However, Grid changed his mind after securing arge amount of strengthening minerals and using them in a set of armor for Noll.


    ¡®Good. I did well by strengthening the blue orichalcum and ck iron.¡¯


    ck iron was one of the mostmonly avable minerals.There was a lot of demand for it, but it was a mineral that could be bought if there was money. On the other hand, the supply of blue orichalcum was so small that it couldn¡¯t be bought even with money. It had a better performance than ck iron, and the Overgeared Kingdom had been monopolizing the blue orichalcum that was dropped from the Guardian of the Forest. The first result of the strengthened ck iron and blue orichalcum was Noll¡¯s armor:


    [Valha of Strong Trust]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,745/1,745 Defense: 1,322


    * 30% increase in health recovery.


    * 20% reduction in damage from physical attacks and magic attacks.


    * Adds defense when dealing with multiple enemies (100 defense per five people)


    * 20% increase in physical defense and magic resistance in dark ces.


    * The passive skill ¡®Immobile Fortress¡¯ will be generated.


    -The armor that Grid, the legendary cksmith who went against a god, made based off Khan¡¯s work.


    The strengthened ck iron covers the entire body while the steel tes made of blue orichalcum cover the shoulders, chest, and waist.


    The owner of this armor will shine brilliantly in the darkness and will be the god of the battlefield spoken about for a long time.


    Weight: 4,770


    User Restriction: Level 400 or higher. 3,200 strength. 2,200 stamina.]


    ¡®Unlike Khan¡¯s Valha of Infinite Affection, thiscks the ¡®birth background¡¯ but it is myth rated. It is extremely durable and has high defense thanks to the strengthened minerals.¡¯


    It reflected the intentions of the maker, Grid.


    Grid used the blue orichalcum in hopes of enhancing the racial traits of vampires, who ruled over the night. He also used some characteristics of Valha of Infinite Affection in hopes of strengthening Noll¡¯s recovery ability. Additionally, he didn¡¯t forget Noll¡¯s potential to be stronger against arge number of prey and referred to the options attached to Dainsleif. The results were a boost to his blood absorption, increased defense in the dark, and increased defense when dealing with multiple enemies.


    It was a new enlightenment for Grid.


    ¡®Having a variety of production methods gives me a better understanding of various types of options and how to elicit them.¡¯


    In this sense, the benefit of having the Overgeared Guild was huge.They ran to Grid every time they got a new production method.


    ¡®Come to think of it, I have been able to concentrate on various quests thanks to my colleagues... Unlike other cksmiths, I don¡¯t have to waste time finding production methods.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a one-sided benefit. Grid steadily produced items for his colleagues, and the value was no less than the benefits that he obtained. Noll was hopping around. ¡°Grid! Look at this! Hahat! This armor is brilliant! It has a blue shine!¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is great.¡±


    [Affinity with ¡®Noll¡¯ has risen by 20.]


    The Valha of Strong Trust was worth billions of won. No, it was an item that could be sold for tens of billions of won. However, nowadays, Grid didn¡¯t move for mere wealth. He was just happy to see his colleagues and subordinates rejoicing. Grid knew from experience that his colleagues and subordinates bing stronger was worth more than money.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry that the shield is only unique rated but...¡¯


    It was too unrealistic to make a legendary shield. Grid could be stuck here for several months if he clung to the ¡®rating¡¯ upon which luck had an effect but Grid was a busy person.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡± Grid cleaned up his various tools and rose from his spot. Noll¡¯s expression hardened as he spun around with the triangr shield in one hand. ¡°You¡¯re going already?¡±


    ¡°The shield took three days, and the body armor another three days. I¡¯ve been here for almost a week already. I have to go back now.¡±


    ¡°I have lived for over 200 years."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°One week... is short.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Noll¡¯s small fingers grabbed Grid¡¯s cor in a pathetic manner.It made Grid ufortable about leaving a young boy alone in this dark and deste city. Still, he couldn¡¯t afford to be sentimental. He had to check the statuses of Piaro, Asmophel, and Mercedes.


    ¡°Noll, you have to protect this ce.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is it due to the fields? How muchrger should I expand the fields?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. Just continue farming for the next 153 days. Once the fields expand to a certain size, it can be recognized as a territory and will belong to my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°153 days? I have to farm for 153 more days? I have to keep chewing on these potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you have lived for over 200 years? Isn¡¯t one week short? Then 153 days will go by fast.¡±


    ¡°One week and 153 days are different! This... After 153 days, can I follow you?¡±Noll stopped shouting and asked carefully. He seemed to want to be with Grid. In fact, Grid also wanted this. A strong NPC like Noll would be a great power for Grid. Lord would also be d to have a male friend around his age...


    There was one problem though. ¡°Unfortunately, you are the only person who can rule this ce. Most of my colleagues and subordinates are human and can¡¯t live in an underground city. It¡¯s getting hard for me to breathe just living here for a week.¡±


    ¡°Then what? I have to stay here all my life?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. In any case, you can¡¯t see the sun, right?¡±


    ¡°Bah, this body is made of pure blood. Sunlight somewhat restrains me, but... Wait. How about asking someone else to rule this ce on my behalf?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A vampire like me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... don¡¯t the other vampires sleep differently from you? I will tell you in advance, but someone who always sleeps can¡¯t be the lord.¡±


    For someone to be a lord, they had to exercise the minimum of operating skills. They had to develop the city and collect taxes. A lord with low intelligence or no ability to operate a city would ruin it rather than develop it. It was one of the reasons why Lauel was searching for talent every day. Noll made an angry expression.¡°Damn Yatan jerk...¡±


    He hated the Curse of Idleness. However, it was still cursing a god, and Grid was relieved when he once again realized that Noll wasn¡¯t normal. The fact that he and Noll were on the same side was reassuring.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m really going. Watch over the city well for 153 days. I want to ept your people as soon as possible.¡±


    The vampire cities were a rare hunting ground where vampire rings and elixirs dropped. While the Overgeared Guild controlled the vampire cities, the control wasn¡¯t perfect. Forces frequently invaded the cities without permission. They even hurt the Overgeared soldiers stationed at the city¡¯s entrance. As such, they were included in the main enemies that the Overgeared Kingdom had to deal with.


    ¡°Bah, you are the only human who can step onto mynd.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡±Grid smiled and waved.


    Noll watched Grid¡¯s retreating back and muttered in a small voice, ¡°The armor and shield... Thank you.¡±


    It was the first time he had received a gift since he was born. He couldn¡¯t be ungrateful.


    ***


    Sparks appeared on a straight path that had nothing left. They were the remnants of Draw Sword.


    ¡°Cough...¡± Blood flowed from Peak Sword¡¯s right arm as the sword returned to its sheath. It was due to the gauntlets he was wearing on his right hand.


    [Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet]


    This was a gauntlet made from the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath that Peak Sword obtained from the National Competitionst year. It was an item which maximized the power of Draw Sword by greatly increasing attack power and attack speed, but the penalty was too much. The ¡®Lightning Speed¡¯ effect that had a certain chance of triggering doubled the power of Draw Sword in exchange for consuming 12% of the user¡¯s health and causing a ¡®one-arm fracture¡¯ for five seconds. A fracture was directly linked to a decline inbat power, so the activation of Lightning Speed was a double-edged sword.


    ¡®I wanted to increase the rating before the National Competition started...¡¯


    Last year, the gold medalists of the Overgeared Guild like Peak Sword and Yura received the sacred creatures¡¯ byproducts as Grid had advised. They had asked Grid to make items, but the results were all ranged from unique to legendary. Among them, Peak Sword¡¯s Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet had a unique rating.


    However, Peak Sword didn¡¯t feel too much regret. In the first ce, he hadn¡¯t hoped for a myth rated item, and the rating of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet was preceded with ¡®growth-type.¡¯


    Yes, the Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet was an item that could grow to a minimum of the legendary level. If the rating increased, then it was likely that the penalty, which was the sole disadvantage of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet, would be mitigated. Inparison to simr items, there was a lot more room to boost the Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet performance, and Peak Sword was looking forward to it.


    The problem was that the umtion of item experience was going far slower than Peak Sword¡¯s expectations. Peak Sword had spent eight months raising the Blue Dragon¡¯s Gauntlet, and it was only at 20%. He had stuck to hunting grounds except for when he was doing quests.


    ¡®There is a reason why God Grid couldn¡¯t summon Elfin Stone despite a few years passing...¡¯


    Peak Sword recalled that God Grid had often said that a ¡®growth type item is truly X¡¯. Then he recalled the news articles about Grid not participating in the National Competition that emerged today.


    ¡®By now, those scum will be swearing at God Grid, right?¡¯


    Peak Sword¡¯s affection toward Grid was close to infinite. The hero who had elevated his country¡¯s honor and helped him countless times... Peak Sword felt extreme admiration toward Grid and was disgusted with the people who swore at him. Every time he read an article criticizing Grid, he logged in with the Inte ID called ¡®Peak Dislike.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll go and make a cleanment.¡±


    In any case, it was time to have lunch. He logged out without regret and turned into the head of the Patriotic Association, Kang Daehan. The real-time search queries were all about Grid. There were endless articles about Grid¡¯s deration of non-participation in the National Competition.


    Kang Daehan logged into the Peak Dislike ount and clicked onto an article at the top of the rankings. He was ready to ¡®rmend¡¯ everyment sympathetic to Grid and ¡®report¡¯ everyment condemning Grid. However...


    ¡°These scum talking about things they don¡¯t know about... Huh?¡±


    He sorted by rmendations and didn¡¯t find any badments about Grid.


    -Being absent from thergest event held once a year...Perhaps God Grid has a problem with his health?I¡¯m really worried.


    Rmendations: 21,034 Dislikes: 509


    -I¡¯m praying for God Grid¡¯s recovery.


    Rmendations: 18,110 Dislikes: 288


    -Grid should take a break once in a while...The spotlight and expectations of the people are on him every year, he must be burdened...I think it is good for him to rest for a year.It is a shame about the gold medal rewards, but rest is important.


    Rmendations: 14,500 Dislikes: 1,209


    -In my opinion,st year¡¯s Reinhardt invasion has a great influence.Immortal or other groups might invade Reinhardt if there are no Overgeared members there.Grid¡¯s idea is probably to prevent the same thing from repeating...Why isn¡¯t the S.A Group improving the system?Themunication isn¡¯t good.


    Rmendations: 13,990 Dislikes: 102


    -I¡¯m cheering on the Korean representatives!Please work harder for Grid who is watching from a distance!


    Rmendations: 12,010 Dislikes: 93


    ¡°Wow...¡±Kang Daehan realized that he wasn¡¯t the only person who loved Grid. All Korean people cherished Grid. Of course...


    [(Column) Grid is full.]


    [We don¡¯t know the exactpensation that Grid gained from each of the past National Competitions. They were certainly a big help for Grid at the time, but they aren¡¯t items that will give a boost to the current Grid.


    Grid is full.


    The National Competition is only a waste of time for the present Grid. He has built up his own strength and isn¡¯t afraid to ignore the wishes of the people


    He has abandoned his country and his people.]


    This was the attitude of the experts. They needed stimting material to attract the public¡¯s attention, and it was rare for Grid to have such inmmatory materials.


    ¡°These scum...¡±


    Kang Daehan picked up his phone. He nned to exercise the power of the Patriotic Association.

 Chapter 921

    There would be a fresh attempt.


    This was ament made by Lim Cheolho.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho said that the 4th National Competition to be held in 50 days would be a ce for new innovation, which was a meaningful extension of the Satisfy world ¡®created by yers.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡± Shin Youngwoo rxed as he emerged from the capsule. He loosened up the tense muscles. ¡°I want to get some air...¡±


    After visiting the S.A headquarters 10 days ago, Shin Youngwoo didn¡¯t waste a moment checking on his four heavenly kings. Every time he connected to the game, he devised better items and worked on producing them, which gave him mental fatigue and stress.


    Shin Youngwoo needed mental and physical stability. However, he was scared to go out on his own. It was the reason why he hadn¡¯t connected to the Inte during the past few days. He didn¡¯t have the courage to face the criticism and anger of the people that would be pouring in after he dered that he wouldn¡¯t attend the National Competition. Youngwoo had suffered from neglect and contempt since he was a child and should be used to it, but that was not the case anymore. It was natural. People should be respected. There was no obligation for him to get used to criticism.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    This was what happened when he became lost in thoughts for a moment. The terrible memories rose, stabbing at his lungs and strangling his neck.


    The hero who had be an object of respect and envy was defenseless in the face of past trauma. This was why people should respect others. It wasn¡¯t easy to heal the wounds engraved on the heart. Shin Youngwoo knew this, so he treated his precious people with respect while being cruel to his enemies.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡± Shin Youngwoo could no longer endure his depressed feelings and proceeded to change his clothes. He finally put on a mask and left home.


    ¡°Ha. Good,¡±Shin Youngwoo sighed loudly as he enjoyed the clean air and sunshine. The dirty old memories were blown away, and Youngwoo saw the street spread out in front of him. Themercial buildings lined the street and faced each other. There were many people wandering about, and there was a number of cars parked in the public parking lots built on low ground.


    Thend, which had been deste just two years ago when Youngwoo picked this spot to construct his building, was now lively. It was a new downtown area where people flocked to see Youngwoo¡¯s face, and merchants aimed for these people. This was a small achievement set by the person called Shin Youngwoo, not Grid.


    ¡°Here is a warm cup of tea.¡±


    The sentimental Shin Youngwoo turned at the sudden words. An employee of a cafe in Youngwoo¡¯s building had run out and handed him a drink.


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, you¡¯re wearing a mask. I¡¯m afraid you might have a cold.¡±


    Youngwoo had thought he would be able to hide his appearance with a mask, but he was mistaken. The mask made Youngwoo¡¯s sharp eyes and high nose stand out. In the first ce, many people around here could instantly recognize Youngwoo¡¯s tall and muscr physique with one nce.


    ¡°Thank you,¡±Youngwoo said, unable to refuse the act of kindness. He received the cup of tea and added awkwardly,¡°However, please tell your boss that the monthly rent won¡¯t decrease.¡±


    ¡°Huhut. Yes. In any case, this is on my sry.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Shin Youngwoo called out to the employee just as she was returning to work again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the article about how I won¡¯t attend the National Competition?¡±


    Ah, this person... It was why he wore a mask and looked around anxiously. The employee made a sad expression and shook her head. ¡°I feel sorry. I have been cheering happily for you every year. Don¡¯t you know? I live in an apartment. It shook with the voices of the residents every time you did something in the National Competition. My parents and grandparents are unfamiliar with Satisfy, but they always make sure to watch the National Competition. They might not know the rules, but they will sometimesugh and sometimes feel pained. However, they will always cheer you on. My family members are all your fans.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you, Youngwoo-ssi. It is because you are the hero who made my family happy.¡±The employee stared straight into Youngwoo¡¯s shaky eyes. She was telling the truth. ¡°My friends, the families of my friends, and the families of my friend¡¯s friends are also your fans. Youngwoo-ssi, you don¡¯t have to participate in the National Competition. Even if South Korea doesn¡¯t get a good result, there isn¡¯t one person who will me you. In the first ce, you aren¡¯t obliged to participate in the National Competition.¡±


    The employee took out her smartphone since it was better to show proof instead of saying it 100 times. She entered her SNS and searched the grid rted tags.¡°Look. People are feeling concerned about you, Youngwoo-ssi. They are worried if you are sick, if you will be damaged from not getting the gold medal rewards, and if you will suffer from a great hit.¡±


    It was true. Many people were worried about Grid.


    ¡®Grid caused South Korea to suffer.¡¯


    ¡®The Korean yers would no longer be eligible for thepensation buff.¡¯


    It was hard to find anyone saying these words. On the other hand, Shin Youngwoo became more ufortable.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo had epted the role of the demon king for individual gain. He hadn¡¯t paid attention to the fact that South Korea would miss out on several gold medals due to this absence and that the Korean yers wouldn¡¯t enjoy the benefits of ranking highly in the National Competition. It was someone else¡¯s business anyway. Shin Youngwoo just fought for himself and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Yes, Youngwoo wasn¡¯t a hero. Despite this, the woman in front of Shin Youngwoo and the people on SNS were currently praising Shin Youngwoo as a hero. Naturally, Shin Youngwoo enjoyed being liked and praised.


    ¡®I¡¯m not qualified.¡¯ Shin Youngwoo¡¯s face filled with unexpected guilt though.


    The employee sensed something and said,¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. We call you a hero because we have beenforted by your existence. It is a type of thanks, not an intention to ce more burden on you. Don¡¯t make such a pained expression. Do what you want to do. Nobody has the right to me or resent you. If someone points a finger at you, then someone else will criticize them.¡±


    The employee was a very ordinary person. She was a neighbor who could be met anywhere, and she represented the hearts of most people. What she said sounded like something Lauel would say. Shin Youngwoo¡¯s shaky eyes gradually firmed up. ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    The essence of ¡®patriotism¡¯ that Shin Youngwoo felt in the meantime was formed by the army. He vaguely thought that he should be loyal to the country and fight for its people. However, that changed at this moment. Shin Youngwoo realized the importance of his neighbors. He realized how important it was to have the ¡®country¡¯ where his family and neighbors lived. Then one thing was for certain.


    ¡®First, I have to protect the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    He would giveplete peace to his kingdom and its people.


    ¡®Be the hero of my kingdom.¡¯


    As a hero, he had to be essential in the game and make the people feel proud. This was the level of work he needed to do. If someone else discovered Shin Youngwoo¡¯smitment, they were likely tough at him, calling it ¡®small and insignificant.¡¯


    Still, that was just a story at the present time. Just as the emergence of virtual reality changed the world, the world could be changed at any time. Youngwoo¡¯s ridiculousmitment might be the spirit that would protect South Korea in a world which would someday change.


    ***


    The Chiyou test was one of the few trials and games for the yangbans who were born absolute. The yangbans took the test every 100 years when they were engulfed with a strange mncholy. Every time they overcame the frustration, their talents would blossom. The yangbans themselves were what people would call ¡®power.¡¯


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡± The man who barely managed to pass the test was bloody. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with intense killing intent. The five seniors didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°The yangban exist to correct everything in the world.¡±


    ¡°Garam, if you have chosen the path of killing, it means you need to kill all of the world.¡±


    ¡°Help the cycle of birth by killing. It is for the well-being of the world.¡±


    ¡°Once your killing intent calms down, peace will fall all over the world.¡±


    Four of the five seniors gave advice to Garam. There was only one person who remained silent. Garam asked him,¡°Hanul. Do you remember Pagma?¡±


    The five seniors frowned at the unexpected name. Pagma was the heretic who questioned the existence of the Hwan Kingdom that had ruled the East Continent since the beginning. The thought of the mutation who had shouted that yangbans and humans should be equal to each other was an unpleasant memory for the five seniors.


    On the other hand, Hanul of the five seniors didn¡¯t reveal the same hostility.¡°I remember. Isn¡¯t that smoking pipe of yours Pagma¡¯s work?¡±


    It happened at this moment. Garam pulled out the smoking pipe hanging from his waist and broke it with one hand. The smoking pipe, which had previously blocked Grid¡¯s sword, turned into powder and scattered in the air.


    ¡°He is dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The five seniors¡¯ reactions were nonchnt. They knew that any yangbans who left the Hwan Kingdom for a long time would lose their eternal life. Pagma¡¯s death had just been a scheduled procedure. It was Garam¡¯s next words that were surprising.


    ¡°Before he died, he handed his trivial techniques to the ignorant masses.¡±


    ¡°Power to the masses...?¡±


    Passing on techniques was a taboo in the Hwan Kingdom. The blossoming of talent should only rely on the effort of the yangban. For a yangban, his power was his symbol. The act of transferring it or letting another person borrow it was no more than a denial of their existence.


    ¡°Who has inherited Pagma¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°We should find him and destroy him. We can¡¯t tolerate any contact between the yangbans and the ignorant masses.¡±


    Garam confirmed the angry faces of the five seniors and said to Hanul, ¡°That person... He is a king in the west. Hanul, please divide the Red Sea. I will punish the beasts of the west and the kings who abandoned us thousands of years ago.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± One of the five seniors shouted.¡°The westernnds are polluted by all types of wicked gods! Once you step on thatnd, you will be hit by them and lose some of your power! You might lose your eternal life just stepping onto the westernnds!¡±


    ¡°...¡±Garam was shocked. He didn¡¯t know that the westernnds, which the five seniors had abandoned a long time ago, were this polluted. Garam might even lose his eternal life...


    The unexpected warning incited a vague fear in Garam¡¯s heart, but his anger swallowed up the fear. Garam was reminded of the small wound that the ignorant person who used Pagma¡¯s techniques had dealt him.


    ¡°I am willing to sacrifice my body if it will fix the world. Please part the Red Sea...¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be the one crossing the Red Sea.¡± Hanul cut off Garam¡¯s words.


    Hanul¡¯s ¡®vision¡¯ crossed Pangea and faced the Red Sea. The city was empty.


    ¡°The enemy will be the one to cross the Red Sea.¡±Hanul¡¯s power was manifested.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Call of Heaven¡¯ has been created.]


    The same notification window appeared in front of tens of millions of yers. Many of the Overgeared members were included. The thing they had inmon was that they were cksmiths.


    There were 50 days until the 4th National Competition, which meant 150 days in Satisfy. And more brutal than hell opened its mouth.

 Chapter 922

    ¡°The operator has moved.¡±


    The S.A Group gave codenames to NPCs. It was for convenience. The arrangement of the code intuitively told them the function and role of the NPC. Only a very small number of NPCs was given nicknames instead of codenames. It was because they had special personalities, so the nicknames could be remembered even after hearing it once. Among them, the ¡®operator¡¯ was different.


    Codename S-001¡ªhis name was Hanul. Like the great demon Baal and archangel Raphael, he was at the top when it came to ¡®creating quests.¡¯ He was different from Baal whose ¡®episodes¡¯ were limited by his contractor (Agnus). Hanul was able to create more diverse episodes by giving roles and situations to a number of unspecified yers.


    Five years after Satisfy was released, the S.A Group was pleased to see that Hanul was finally moving. It was predicted that Hanul would rekindle stories that had be stagnant due to yers like Grid and Kraugel or that he would writepletely new stories, invigorating Satisfy.


    ***


    [Call of the Heavens]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Some transcendental beings need your help.


    Go to Pangea, the starting city in the East Continent. Meet the troubled inhabitants of Pangea and listen to their stories.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Arrive in Pangea within 3 days.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2. Unique rated weapon production method (one-time consumable item)


    Quest Failure Condition: None.]


    ¡°Heok. What is this?¡±


    Levels, skills, stats¡ªnone of these things mattered.Every yer who was a cksmith received the same quest. It was a sudden phenomenon that came without any warning signs. All over the continent, the cksmiths danced with joy.


    ¡°The rewards are enormous! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but this is a huge jackpot! Puhaha!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve received a hidden quest... What is this?¡±


    ¡°Every other cksmith has received the quest as well? A specific ss quest... Will other sses get this type of quest one day?¡±


    ¡°No, it is a perk only given to cksmiths. This is probably because of Grid.¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring up Grid¡¯s name all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°You idiot, have you forgotten? Grid was blessed by the cksmith god, and all cksmiths received a buff. This quest might be an extension of that.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Grid, Grid, Grid¡ªthe name of the Overgeared King popped out from the mouths of the happy cksmiths who weren¡¯t thinking. They benefited from having the same ss as someone else. It was very gratifying. After all, it was a free bus.


    ¡°It is great that Grid is a cksmith... Really great.¡±


    A production method based on the ¡®rating¡¯, rather than the ¡®item name¡¯, was special. Items of the specified rating would be produced unconditionally. The reward for this hidden quest was definitely a ¡®unique rated weapon.¡¯ There was no one who wouldn¡¯t covet a one-time consumable production method.


    The value of unique rated equipment was in the tens to hundreds of millions of won depending on the options. The value was simr regardless of whether it was a level-100, level-200, or level-300 limited weapon. It was a game with arge number of users, so people overflowed in every level segment and the supply of high-grade items was insufficient.


    ¡®I must clear the quest!¡¯All the cksmiths shared amon purpose. It was the same for yers who hadn¡¯t reached level 100 because they had started the gameter or for the yers registered in the rankings. There was one problem though.


    How would they get to the East Continent? In recent years, many people had traveled between the West Continent and East Continent, but the number was still less than 10,000.It was in the thousands. This number was tiny considering there were over 2 billion yers. It was virtually impossible for ordinary cksmiths to cross to the East Continent, and curses started to spread throughout the continent as the cksmiths realized this.


    ¡°Damn. What are they doing, giving a quest that can¡¯t be cleared?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was good... Are people teasing me?¡±


    On the variousmunity sites, posts titled ¡®Purchasing method to move to the East Continent¡¯ were frequently registered. However, none of them were able to step on the East Continent. No one was stupid enough to sell an opportunity to dominate the stage they hadn¡¯t experienced yet.


    ***


    ¡®A hidden quest is literally a hidden quest...¡¯The 1st ranked Panmir couldn¡¯t help questioning it. All cksmiths had been given a hidden quest. This easy-to-ess quest was a hidden quest...? It felt like a trap.


    ¡®The quest can¡¯t be cleared anyway. There is no need to think about it.¡¯


    Panmir closed the quest window. Then he resumed his work while the other cksmiths were still agitated.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! The hammering sound rang out from the Reinhardt smithies, the pride of the Overgeared Kingdom. Due to therge number of cksmiths in the Overgeared Kingdom, the production of battle gear was now the best in the continent and the ¡®mass-produced Grid set¡¯ was spreading to the soldiers. The smithies were the heart of the Overgeared Kingdom, and it was hot there.


    ¡°Everyone seems to be doing well.¡±Overgeared King Grid appeared in this ce.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±The cksmiths cheered. The legendary cksmith who was acknowledged by a god... They weed the emergence of the hero who made a great profit for them.


    ¡°Grid! Please show me how to make an item!¡±


    ¡°I really wanted to see you!¡±


    ¡°You actually look very handsome!¡±


    Grid asked one of the cksmiths, who were making a disturbance, ¡°Did you receive the hidden quest?¡±


    Panmir acted as their representative and replied,¡°Of course, we have received it.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here? Aren¡¯t you going to clear the quest?¡±


    The cksmiths were agitated.


    ¡°We gave up because we can¡¯t get there.¡±


    ¡°Grid, do you know how to get to the East Continent?¡±


    As the questions poured in, Grid nodded. ¡°It is ominous.¡±


    Panmir quietly whispered into Grid¡¯s ears, ¡°I have lived a short life, but I have rarely been given favors with no conditions. This quest doesn¡¯t have any specific conditions, and it attracts people with great rewards. I feel that it is a trap.¡±


    This deduction was from his years of experience. Panmir advised Grid based on what he had seen and experienced in his old age. Grid nodded again. ¡°I understand why you are concerned. It is right to be wary when a hidden quest suddenly pops up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you know.¡±


    ¡°However, is it really a quest without any conditions? This quest also has a condition. It is the cksmith ss.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I have been to Pangea. More of the residents are now people of the Overgeared Kingdom. Still, not everyone followed me here. Some people stayed in Pangea and protected the lonely city.¡± This was Grid¡¯s reasoning. ¡°This quest is a divine revtion to help them. The transcendental being spoken of in the quest is God Hexetia who is favorable to me. God Hexetia is giving an opportunity to the cksmiths who serve him¡ªhelp the suffering people of Pangea and receive big rewards. It is a type of prize.¡±


    ¡°It is a usible interpretation. The Reba Church members who serve Goddess Reba often receive this type of quest. However, why Pangea? Is there a rtionship between Pangea and Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°Eh... I don¡¯t know...¡±Grid thought about it, but he didn¡¯t know why the stage of the quest was Pangea. Was there anyone in Pangea who served Hexetia? No. If there were such a person, Hexetia wouldn¡¯t have be so crooked.


    ¡°...Well. I will know when I get there.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t shake off the belief that the transcendental being in the quest was God Hexetia, so he epted it as a positive situation. With this, Panmir no longer questioned it as Grid¡¯s reasoning was moderately usible. There were some aspects which made him feel uneasy, but he thought it would be good to go to the East Continent.


    Panmir asked, "By the way, aren¡¯t unique rated production methods useless to you? You don¡¯t need this.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Still, it is necessary for other cksmiths.¡±Grid looked at the cksmiths who were gathered in the smithy district. Their country and gender were all different, but they all believed in him and had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid wanted to help them. There was also the expectation that if they produced more unique rated items and circted them around the Overgeared Kingdom, the power of the kingdom would develop further.


    ¡°There is also the linked quest...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. More quests will give better rewards.¡±


    ¡°Panmir, will you go?¡±


    ¡°No. I will stay here.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want the rewards?¡±


    ¡°Somebody has to lead them.¡± Panmir¡¯s gaze was aimed at the cksmiths lined up in the square. There were cksmiths eager to work in every smithy. The number was very high. They didn¡¯t seem interested in the crowd gathered in the square. ¡°There are those striving to reach a certain level. They dream of bing the third or fourth legend after Khan. In particr, that person named Latz... He only logs out twice a day and spends the rest of the time at the anvil.¡±


    ¡°They are talents who will carry the future of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they are alsopetitors threatening my ranking. I will remain here and work with them. There are also many jobs that have umted. Lauel will scold us if too many people leave their positions.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t n to move everyone over all at once. I will split them into teams and move sequentially. Then our work won¡¯t be hindered. Panmir, this quest only requires us to arrive in Pangea. We can go there in minutes with Sticks¡¯ help. You can¡¯t spare that much time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if a linked quest will ur the moment I arrive in Pangea. Then I might not be able toe back quickly. It would be a shame.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... I must prove with the first team that it is quick and safe. Okay.¡±Grid ended his conversation with Panmir and shifted his gaze. There were thousands of cksmiths filled with expectations.


    ¡°The 100 cksmiths with the highest level, you will be the first to go with me to Pangea.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy and called out the names on the list which he had the soldiers prepare beforehand. He grabbed an East Continent Movement Scroll from Sticks and made a signal. Then...


    Paaaat!


    Grid and 100 cksmiths disappeared in a sh of light.


    ***


    [You have sessfully moved to the East Continent.]


    [You have arrived in Pangea.]


    ¡°This...¡±


    The cksmiths were fascinated by the scroll that they hadn¡¯t seen before, and when they came to their senses, thendscape had changed. The cksmiths looked around the city with curious eyes. The city was silent. The patterned tiles andrge symbols gave a glimpse of old prosperity, but the city hadn¡¯t received the touch of humans for a long time and was damaged. The weeds that emerged from gaps in the tiles were dense, and the roofs of the lined houses were quite damaged. It used to be a city where many people lived.There had been children ying in the alleys and merchants yelling with lively voices. There had been carriages carrying goods and impatient-looking warriors.


    Now, that was a story of the past. The threat of the yangban drove people away from this ce. The unbearable external pressure caused the city to be abandoned.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Call of Heaven¡¯ has been cleared.]


    The notification windows were being updated.


    [A unique rated weapon production method has been acquired as a quest reward.]


    [A linked quest will ur as a quest reward.]


    ¡°Ohh!¡± The cksmiths were delighted. However, the good atmosphere didn¡¯tst long.


    [East Continent Experience (1)]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Creatures called ¡®steel jiangshi¡¯ are roaming the city. Prove that you can survive the jiangshi and adapt to the environment of the East Continent.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Survive for 1 hour.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2. Two unique rated armor production methods (one-time consumable items)


    Quest Failure: Level -1. The highest stat will permanently decrease by 10 points.]


    ¡°Use the scroll right now!¡±


    Something was wrong. Grid was reminded of Panmir¡¯s advice and quickly pulled out his sword. The puzzled cksmiths didn¡¯t know what jiangshi were, but they quickly followed Grid¡¯s orders. They pulled out the West Continent Movement Scroll they had received previously and tried to use it. However...


    [This can¡¯t be used during the quest.]


    A notification window popped up, and the scroll didn¡¯t work. At this time, some shadows leaped between the roofs of the houses.Their leaps were great like those of a giant flea.


    ¡°W-What is this...?¡±


    ¡°Hiik...! Aaaagh!¡±


    The cksmiths screamed as they witnessed the approaching shadows. They had pale skin with blue blood vessels bulging, red bloodshot eyes, and a drooping tongue. These were jiangshi. The concept of ¡®moving corpses¡¯ was like zombies, but jiangshi were faster and stronger than zombies. The jiangshi flew toward the cksmiths.


    ¡°Wave.¡± Thanks to the enhanced Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid¡¯s attack boasted unparalleled power and turned the jiangshi to ashes. The lowest rated jiangshi couldn¡¯t withstand Grid¡¯s strike. This was just the beginning. Randy, Noe, the light elemental, the de Aiming at the Gods, and the Overgeared Skeletons protected the 100 cksmiths. They fended off the jiangshi for one hour, and there wasn¡¯t a single casualty.


    ¡°...¡± The cksmiths couldn¡¯t close their mouths. Before this, they were already fascinated by the Grid who was acknowledged by a god, and they had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom for this reason. Now, they were falling for him again, with him as a warrior this time. In the midst of the silence...


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®East Continent Experience (1)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Two unique rated armor production methods have been acquired as a quest reward.]


    These notification windows popped up. The cksmiths were relieved. Meanwhile, Grid was shocked.¡®Isn¡¯t this too much honey?¡¯


    The forced quest had high penalties and was threatening, but the rewards were significant. In just one hour, they had received three unique rated production methods. The rewards were less significant for Grid, but he was looking forward to the rewards for theter linked quests. Grid was thrilled.


    On the other hand, the cksmiths were shaking. ¡°S-Scroll...¡±


    They wondered if they could use the scroll before the next quest popped up, but they were toote. A new quest was created.


    [East Continent Experience (2)]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The few remaining inhabitants of Pangea are being surrounded by the ¡®poison jiangshi.¡¯ Find and rescue them. Beware of the attacks of the steel jiangshi.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Rescue 30 people within 1 hour.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2. 10 Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones.


    Quest Failure: Level -1. The highest stat will permanently decrease by 15 points.]


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The price of the blessed enhancement stones was still rising. It was an item which was difficult to secure because only a small amount was dropped when bosses were raided. Yet, the Overgeared Kingdom now had a chance to obtain 1,000 blessed weapon enhancement stones.


    Simultaneously, the headquarters of the S.A Group.


    ¡°Hanul¡¯s trials give high rewards as the difficulty is multiplied...¡±


    It was reasonablepensation. After all, this was the world of Satisfy. Lim Cheolho¡¯s heart thumped as he watched the monitor. ¡°This might be the birth of the strongest demon king...¡±


    The Demon King¡¯s Subjugation was an event designed to force the demon king to lose. Even if only one participant broke through the gates of the four heavenly kings and entered the demon king¡¯s castle, all dead participants would be resurrected. The demon king had to face approximately 400 National Competition participants. It was intended to stimte the audience¡¯s nerves, but it was almost physically impossible for the demon king to win.


    The S.A Group analyzed that Grid would only be able to get three to four medals from this National Competition. However, now...


    ¡°Seven...¡± Lim Cheolho¡¯s thoughts changed.

 Chapter 923

    ¡°Protect the people well.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Master just has to believe in me, nyang.¡±


    A cat was sitting on Grid¡¯s shoulder. He had shining white fur, a plump belly, and pink jelly-like soles. The cksmiths knew the identity of this cat. He was the best demonic beast of hell, a memphis. Noe had inherited some of the characteristics of a dragon, boasting a high level of intelligence and flying ability. He was a monster that overwhelmed the wyvern in all ways, even the crude breath. Only one out of two billion yers had a memphis. The strongest pet was known to be tamed by Grid.


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    Noe was licking his fur. He seemed to have a very clean personality. asionally, he would rub against Grid¡¯s cheek in an adorable manner. However, the cksmiths didn¡¯t rush toward Noe.


    ¡°Kyaong!¡±


    It was because Noe revealed his predatory nature to everyone except for Grid. Over half the steel jiangshi who jumped over the walls were beaten by Noe¡¯s front paws.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Noe broke rocks and knocked down the steel jiangshi with one blow. The Overgeared Skeletons also broke the bones of the steel jiangshi, while Randy dealt the final blow to the jiangshi who couldn¡¯t get up. There was also the light elemental and the golden de that protected the cksmiths.


    Grid¡¯s pets and items could be considered as a perfect party. Grid didn¡¯t have to lift one finger, and the safety of the cksmiths was secured.


    The cksmiths looked hopeful, feeling optimistic that they could clear the forced linked quests. This was when the cksmiths realized why the Overgeared members trusted and praised Grid so much. However, Grid was feeling frustrated. ¡®Where should I go?¡¯


    He had to find and rescue 30 residents surrounded by the poison jiangshi. These were the contents of Grid¡¯s ongoing quest. The time limit was only one hour while the ruined city was huge, and it was hard to find people. The range of Magic Detection was limitedpared to the size of the city. Moreover, the moment the quest started, the dense fog blocked his sight, which meant he couldn¡¯t find them using Fly.


    ¡®This...¡¯ Grid noticed there was only one way to clear this quest.


    They had to scatter. He and the 100 cksmiths had to move through the fog directly to find the residents. Otherwise, it would be impossible to clear the quest.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the good rewards...¡¯


    The jiangshi appeared constantly. The cksmiths couldn¡¯t fight and win against the jiangshi. It was a quest which led to the cksmiths being scattered... It was for certain. This wasn¡¯t a quest to be cleared. The rewards were so great because the quest was unreasonable.


    ¡®It is ruined.¡¯


    Feeling frustrated, Grid turned to look at the faces of the cksmiths who followed him. They were people that Grid had brought here. Failing the quest was a betrayal of their trust. This wasn¡¯t the result Grid wanted.


    ¡°...¡±


    How could he ovee this situation? While struggling with the fog, Grid thought of with a skill.


    ¡°Everybody stay here.¡±


    He jumped across several roofs. Once he reached the highest point, Grid freed a power imprinted on the Rune of Darkness.


    ¡°Ruson¡¯s Power.¡±


    It was an earl grade vampire Grid had killed when he raided the 7th vampire city. Ruson¡¯s excellent blood sniffing ability was limited to ¡®wounded targets¡¯, but itpletely neutralized an assassin¡¯s hiding ability. Grid¡¯s olfactory senses were enhanced, and he breathed as hard as he could. He could no longer smell the fishy water and stench of the jiangshi that had stimted his nose. Now, Grid¡¯s nose could only smell human blood. In the end...


    ¡°There.¡±


    Like a sniffing dog, Grid seeded in detecting a faint glimmer of blood. It was blood from the residents who were besieged by the poison jiangshi. The location was around 3 kilometers away to the east.


    ¡®It¡¯s weak whenpared to the other powers, so I thought it was a useless skill. I never thought it could help me now.¡¯ Grid smiled and shifted his gaze toward Noe. Noe was rolling around on the ground, licking his soles. He looked like he was intoxicated with cleaning. A creature that was born strong would feel a different type of tension.


    ¡°Noe, I¡¯ll be gone for a while, so protect the people well.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm. I understand, nyang!¡±His answer was a yawn. Noe sure was easygoing.


    The cksmiths, who were relying on Noe, became uneasy upon seeing this attitude. However, Grid trusted Noe. He had eaten the power of the great demon Astaroth along with the thunder stone and evolved one step further than the usual memphis. Grid entered the ¡®hunger¡¯ state in exchange for an increase in his agility and instantly disappeared into the fog.


    ***


    The physical ability of poison jiangshi was simr to that of the steel jiangshi, but they released poison every time they were hurt. The deeper the wound, the stronger the poison would be. The people addicted to the poison would tremble with the pain of death.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... We are finished.¡±


    Lord Han Seokbong¡ªhe was a person who had been captured by the king and then escaped. After he was kidnapped by the creator of the Red Phoenix Bow, Pangea was abandoned. The king didn¡¯t dispatch a new lord, and the few remaining residents had to survive on their own. It was expected. Protecting the city was no different from rebelling against the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. The remaining residents knew that the Cho King would abandon Pangea.


    Still, waiting for hell was enough to make their determination fade. The jiangshi easily crossed the barriers of the city that had lost its troops. Due to the attacks of the jiangshi, the residents didn¡¯t have a chance to recover the copsed Pangea economy. They were busy every day.


    Now, this was the limit. The residents were starving, and theycked the power to resist the jiangshi. The heavens didn¡¯t take pity on them. Every time the jiangshi jumped, the distance to the residents narrowed sharply, and the dense fog became poisoned. The residents gave up their resistance in front of the poison jiangshi that were a great threat.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve followed the lord that day... Thisnd has lost all hope...¡± Someone muttered.


    No one rebuked him. They were all exhausted. Although they had wanted to survive to defend their home and persuade the Cho King to allow the lord toe back, this noble spirit was long gone. The residents gasped, and the old weapons started to drop from their hands. Surrounded by the poison jiangshi, theypletely gave up hope. They closed their eyes, ming this deformed world for dividing the people between the yangbans and the ignorant masses.


    There was the sound of skulls cracking and flesh being torn. The residents¡¯ family and friends¡ªthe residents knew they were all going to die. However, time passed, and there were no pained screams.


    ¡°...?¡±The wide-eyed residents saw something shing in the fog. Every time the light shed, the heads of the poison jiangshi flew away. Someone was ughtering the jiangshi.


    ¡°W-Who?¡±


    Someone was helping them, whom even the heavens abandoned? The residents wanted to see the face of the person wiping out the jiangshi in the fog. On the other hand, they would be terribly poisoned if they took one step forward. So, no one was able to move.


    Someone sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know what person it is, but they will die...¡±


    ¡°We need to stop him right away. The wrath of the heavens will fall on him if he helps us.¡±


    The problem was the poison. The residents were worried that the person in the fog didn¡¯t know the characteristics of the poison jiangshi. He would die as soon as he was affected by this poison. However, the powerful poison of the jiangshi couldn¡¯t threaten a legend, especially not the legend who produced miracles.


    ¡°Are you safe?¡±


    Step. Step.It was a stately gait. The man moved through the fog, and his face was revealed to the residents. To their amazement, the poison jiangshi behind him were dying of poison themselves. The shocked residents wept when the recognized the face of the man. ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    It was the man who had suddenly appeared when Pangea fell into a crisis after losing the Red Phoenix Bow. He had saved Pangea by recreating the Red Phoenix Bow and rescued the lord who had been about to be executed. Then he abducted Han Seokbong and the people of Pangea, who had triggered the rage of the yangbans, and left for the West Continent. The man was a person of virtue. So, inmemoration of Pangea, he was called Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue.


    The return of Pangea¡¯s hero ignited hope in the residents remaining in Pangea.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®East Continent Experience (2)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [10 blessed weapon enhancement stones have been acquired as a quest reward.]


    [The number of residents rescued exceeds 30. There will be one additional reward per person. 107 weapon enhancement stones have been acquired.]


    [A linked quest will ur as a quest reward.]


    [East Continent Experience (3)]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Pangea¡¯s cksmiths have left a long time ago, and there aren¡¯t many weapons remaining. Help the residents of Pangea fight the jiangshi by producing weapons. Please pay attention to the attacks of the steel jiangshi and the poison jiangshi.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Produce weapons and armor equal or higher than the epic rating for Pangea¡¯s residents. The user restriction should be level 250 and higher. The deadline is 3 days.


    * The number of residents rescued is 137.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2. 20 Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones.


    Quest Failure: Level -1. The highest stat will permanently decrease by 20 points.]


    The difficulty of this quest was also unusually high. They had to produce weapons and armor equal or higher than epic rating for all the rescued residents...? Moreover, it had to be within three days?


    ¡°G-Grid!!¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with this?¡±


    The cksmiths were going crazy.


    ¡°It is impossible to produce 274 epic items in three days!¡±


    Normal, rare, epic, unique, and legendary¡ªthis was the rating system for items in Satisfy. Epic rated items with a good performance weren¡¯t easy to produce.An ordinary person would produce one epic item for every 20 items made. In order to create an item, the average time taken was two to three hours. It was impossible for 101 cksmiths to make 274 epic items in three days.


    The cksmiths were in despair. There were a few people ming Grid for rescuing 137 people when the quest only required 30. However, without Grid, the cksmiths would¡¯ve already died. Additionally, they couldn¡¯t say anything to Grid when they saw the wounded residents.


    Grid asked the cksmiths who were in a turmoil, ¡°Do any of you have cksmithing hammers of the unique rating?¡±


    The better the hammer, the higher the chance of producing high rated items would be. A high rated hammer was the dream of all cksmiths. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to make, and only five of the 100 cksmiths raised their hands. Grid verified the information of their hammers and smiled.¡°Then let¡¯s go to the smithy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Several cksmiths with good eyesight doubted their eyes. Grid¡¯s obsidian eyes seemed to be glowing blue.

 Chapter 924

    The time required for item auto production was affected by the level of the cksmithing skill and dexterity. The 100 cksmiths who came to the East Continent had over 3,000 dexterity, and they spent an average of 2 hours and 9 minutes to make an item. Grid had selected a truly elite group. However, the speed at which items were created wasn¡¯t proportional with the item rating.


    ¡°Urgh. It is rare.¡±


    ¡°I have a normal rating...¡±


    ¡°Only five people made epic items? We are all going to die.¡±


    Agitated voices emerged from the smithy. The result of the first item production was a crushing defeat for the unlucky humans gathered.


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    The shaky eyes of the cksmiths turned toward Grid. Ttang!Ttang!Grid was working silently in the corner.


    ¡°Can we really rely on Grid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No one denied the words. They couldn¡¯t count on Grid this time. Grid was someone who produced items manually. It was rumored that the penalty of Pagma¡¯s Descendant was that he couldn¡¯t make items automatically. Ttang!Ttang!Ttang! The rumors seemed to be true. The cksmiths had alreadypleted one item and entered the second production while Grid was still hammering. He had yet to finish his first item.


    ¡°No matter how much I think about it, there is only one way.¡±


    A few cksmiths pulled out the unique rated weapon production method.It was thepensation they had obtained in exchange for arriving in Pangea. The cksmith¡¯s hammer was ssified as a weapon, making it possible to make unique rated hammers. A unique rated hammer would greatly elevate the chances of making epic rated items.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t want to do this. In Pangea¡¯s smithy, steel was the only material for making items. A unique rated hammer made of ordinary steel would just produce ¡®low¡¯ quality items. There might not be a big difference with the current epic rated hammers the cksmiths were using.


    ¡®I wish I could use the exchange.¡¯


    In Satisfy, the intercontinental auction house was still mostly blocked. The exchange system wasn¡¯t activated on the East Continent because the yers¡¯ market was on the West Continent. It meant there was no separate way to gain materials unless they collected it themselves. However, they couldn¡¯t go mining because of time issues. The cksmiths sighed and made up their minds.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Unfortunately, we¡¯ll have to make steel hammers. Isn¡¯t it funny toe all the way here only to give up the quest?¡±


    20 blessed armor enhancement stones¡ªthese were naturally a coveted reward, but the cksmiths wanted to work for Grid rather than for the immediatepensation in front of them. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, they wouldn¡¯t have been able toe to Pangea in the first ce. They also wouldn¡¯t have been able to knock down the jiangshi or rescue the residents. They had earned all types of rewards thanks to Grid, and now they didn¡¯t want him to receive damages. It was a matter of conscience before faith.


    ¡°This time, we will help Grid.¡±


    The cksmiths settled their resolve. A small number of cksmiths seemed to hesitate, but the atmosphere didn¡¯t allow them to refuse.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Using a unique rated weapon production method to make a steel hammer... It was a waste no matter how they thought about it. Still, what could they do? The cksmiths, who had made up their minds, felt anguished about using the unique rated weapon production method.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Grid shouted at them. The attention of the cksmiths was now focused on him. There were two hammers in Grid¡¯s hands that he had supposedly just made.


    ¡°Two...?¡±


    The cksmiths hadpleted one item in two hours while Grid was still hammering. Yet he had two finished products...?


    ¡®One item was already finished, and he was working on a second item?¡¯


    ¡®Is it possible he is doing it automatically, not manually?¡¯


    ¡®No, even if auto production is possible, can he make two items in two hours? Is his dexterity over 6,000?¡¯


    The True (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill reduced the amount of time it took to make an item. However, ordinary cksmiths didn¡¯t know about it.


    ¡°Jin Haecheong, nta, Cedar, ¡± Grid called out the names of three people.


    ¡°Huh? Yes.¡±


    nta and Cedar were the highest ranked people among the 100 cksmiths. On the other hand, Jin Haecheong was the owner of a unique rated hammer despite his ranking only being in the middle. Grid said to Jin Haecheong, ¡°Show me your hammer again.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Jin Haecheong didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s intentions, and he trembled as he pulled out his hammer. Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with a blue light.


    [Eyes of Pagma-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version Lv. 1]


    [You can check and copy the stats, options, and production method just by looking at the target item.


    However, in order to copy the item, you must use an item that you have created yourself as the material. Additionally, the difference in rating of the target item and the item used as the material must be within one grade. The item used as the material can¡¯t be recovered.


    * Skills that belong to the target item may not be copied.


    * The duration of the duplication is one day. The copied item that has reached the end of this duration will be permanently destroyed.


    Skill Resource Consumption: One item.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    This was the power he had gotten from defeating the clone. Grid sacrificed the epic rated hammer he had just made and copied Jin Haecheong¡¯s hammer.


    [You have seeded in duplicating the item!]


    [Great Hammer]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 486/520 Attack Power: 193~240


    Odds of Making a Rare Rated Item: +3%


    Odds of Making an Epic Rated Item: +34%


    It is the work created by the cksmith Rolloman, who wasted his fortune to gambling. Rolloman decided it would be more profitable to make in demand items than to attempt high rated with extremely low production odds.


    He made this hammer and could be rich with the power of the hammer.


    User Restriction: Level 210 or higher. 603 or more strength. The Intermediate cksmithing skill.


    * It is a duplicated item. It will be destroyed after 23 hours.]


    Despite being a unique rated hammer, there wasn¡¯t an option to increase the chances of making unique rated items. On the other hand, the probability of making epic rated items was greatly increased. This was why Grid copied Jin Haecheong¡¯s hammer. For this quest, Jin Haecheong¡¯s hammer was the best weapon. Then Grid used Divinity.


    [Show off the virtues of a cksmith who deserves to be praised as a god. The casting time and cooldown time of all cksmithing skills will be removed. It can be used up to two times whenever the skill is activated.]


    [The cooldown time of Pagma¡¯s Eyes has been reset.]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡± Grid¡¯s eyes, which had returned to normal as soon as he copied the hammer, turned blue again.


    The cksmiths were momentarily distracted by this sight that was hard for them to understand. By the time they came to their senses, there were two Great Hammers in Grid¡¯s hands. Of course, the original hammer was still in Jin Haecheong¡¯s hands. Grid shared the information of the copied items to the cksmiths and handed the two hammers to nta and Cedar.


    ¡°From now on, I will give you the same hammer every hour. Good luck.¡±


    Of course, he could make the Great Hammer from the beginning instead of copying it. However, it was doubtful if he could reproduce the Great Hammer in one hour using the auto production. It was a unique item after all.


    ¡°...¡±None of the cksmiths answered. All the cksmiths¡¯ mouths were open, unaware of the flies going in.


    ***


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    It was six hours before the end of the quest.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    ¡°We did it! We did it!¡±


    The cksmiths cheered.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®East Continent Experience (3)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [20 blessed armor enhancement stones have been acquired as a quest reward.]


    The quest wasn¡¯t hopeless. They managed to clear the quest they thought they wouldn¡¯t seed in. It was thanks to Grid continuously copying the hammer. The cksmiths were able to experience being overgeared and looked enviously at Grid. Grid shrugged inwardly. He was proud of all the events he had experienced and solved over thest few years that resulted in miracles.


    Still, now was the time to keep hisposure. Grid suppressed his excited mind and waited for the notification window with a stiff expression.


    [A linked quest will ur as a quest reward.]


    It was as he had expected. A new quest emerged immediately without a break.


    [Hunt the Daoist]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    There is an unusual number of jiangshi filling Pangea. It is believed that there is a daoist producing and controlling jiangshi near Pangea. Find the daoist and defeat him. Armed with their new weapons, the Pangea residents will help you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill the daoist within three days.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2 Three random elixirs.


    Quest Failure: Level -2. The highest stat will permanently decrease by 30 points.]


    The loss of two levels and 30 points from his highest stat¡ªthe penalties for failing the quest had increased greatly. However, Grid wasn¡¯t afraid. Grid¡¯s highest stat was dexterity, and from Grid¡¯s point of view, it was very easy to raise dexterity. So, losing a bit of dexterity wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡®I can also restore my levels by hunting.¡¯


    The remarkable part was the reward. Elixirs¡ªthey were the ultimate remedy that permanently increased a stat by 10 points. This was an opportunity to get three of them. The other cksmiths were also eager for the rewards, but their fear was greater.


    ¡°What is a daoist?¡±


    ¡°We have to fight against the jiangshi...¡±


    The cksmiths were different from Grid. They had nobat ability. The quest difficulty and penalties were a huge burden for those who couldn¡¯te here on their own. They desired the elixirs, but they didn¡¯t feel that elixirs were worth more than their levels because it was hard for them to raise their level as members of a nonbat ss.


    Yet what could they do? The water had already been spilled, and it was impossible to get off this road. So, the cksmiths just tried to raise their morale.


    Grid looked at them with regret before turning his eyes toward the residents. The residents were in high spirits thanks to their new armor and weapons. They felt several times stronger than before and were filled with hope that they could protect Pangea. Grid asked them, ¡°What direction did the jiangshie from?¡±


    ¡°Most of the jiangshi came from the west.¡±


    ¡°The west...¡±Grid grasped the location of the daoist. Meanwhile, the residents murmured with serious expressions:


    ¡°Are you going to fight for us again?¡±


    ¡°Please allow us to add our strength.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t disturb you! Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue, please let us follow you!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±Grid didn¡¯t refuse them. He checked the information of the residents through Character Observation, and he found that most of the residents were over level 300 and could fight a bit. They might be helpful in fighting the daoist who could summon jiangshi inrge quantities.


    Thereafter, Grid¡¯s party moved west. The residents¡¯ report was correct. The jiangshi were entering Pangea from the crumbling western wall. Grid and the residents advanced while cutting through the jiangshi. Simultaneously, they tracked down the daoist in the direction of the jiangshi. Then the party was able to arrive at a deep cave under a cliff. The jianshi were jumping out of it.


    ¡°Kill them...!¡± The residents were filled with killing intent. They didn¡¯t intend to forgive the daoist who was making the jiangshi and attacking Pangea. Due to him, they didn¡¯t have a chance to restore the city and had even lost several family members and friends. Grid stood at the forefront of the group, and the light elemental above Grid¡¯s head revealed the dark cave.


    ...How far had they ventured into the cave? In the depths of the cave, threerge jiangshi popped out. They were blood jiangshi. Blood jiangshi weren¡¯t made from the same materials as the steel and poison jiangshi. They had the blood of virgins mixed with all types of drugs, making them three times faster and stronger. They also had some intelligence, so they were difficult to deal with.


    ¡°Heok!¡± The residents were greatly impacted when they saw the blood jiangshi. They felt great despair at the sight of the blood jiangshi who were stronger than their warriors. On the other hand, Grid maintained his calm.


    ¡°Link.¡± He unleashed a sword dance that made him look as dazzling as a butterfly. Three blood jiangshi, that could even threaten an army, were cut into dozens of pieces in a matter of seconds. Grid¡¯s cold gaze fell on the shaking body of a middle-aged man, who was the daoist hiding deep inside the cave. The middle-aged man was pale with fright after seeing Grid take care of the three blood jiangshi in an instant.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve at least prepared the ck horse jiangshi if you want to deal with me...¡±As Grid spoke, a chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was due to the direction of the frightened daoist¡¯s gaze. He was not looking at Grid but behind Grid.


    ¡®Who...?¡¯ Grid hurriedly turned his head. There was a gust of wind, and the bodies of some of the cksmiths and residents standing behind Grid exploded like firecrackers. Grid¡¯s chest was crushed by a strong pressure.


    [You have suffered 29,590 damage.]


    It felt like he was hit by a debuff that decreased his defense. Grid panted while staring at the man in the full dopo. (Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopo_(clothing))


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy has started to boil!]


    The man stood there, surrounded by the corpses of the cksmiths and residents. The yangban Garam had a distorted smile on his face. ¡°I was trying to catch you, but there is a bunch of junk here.¡±

 Chapter 925

    With Garam¡¯s words, the scattered puzzle pieces joined together in Grid¡¯s mind.


    The sudden urrence of the East Continent quest... The reason why only cksmiths could participate even though the cksmiths could never clear the contents of the quest... The questions about the abnormalities were now resolved.


    ¡®Yes... It is a quest that only I could reach.¡¯


    Grid was being aimed at. He was surprisingly calm after realizing this. After all, he had found Pagma¡¯s Rare Book because of a quest NPC, so it wasn¡¯t systematically impossible. In the first ce, the majority of yers¡¯ quests were given by NPCs.


    Grid pulled out a health potion, but Garam didn¡¯t stop him from drinking it. Instead, Garam snorted and spoke like it was ridiculous, ¡°Trivial and ignorant person. You havemitted three sins.


    ¡°First of all, an ignorant person seeded a yangban¡¯s skills. It might be Pagma¡¯s skills, but your presence alone undermines the quality of all yangbans. Your presence deserves to be erased.¡±


    Tong, tong, tong.


    There was a chain of small explosions around Garam. An invisible wind was hitting the space. The interval was shortened, and it urred more frequently.


    ¡°Second, you dared reject my proposal. You rejected the glory of being my ve. An ignorant person like you is supposed to obey the yangbans. Do you deserve to enjoy yourself? No.¡±


    Tong!


    [You have suffered 5,800 damage.]


    Tetong!


    [You have suffered 5,800 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,800 damage...]


    By the end of Garam¡¯s second statement, Grid had be bloody. He was swept away by the power of the invisible wind and bounced around like a billiard ball. Every time there was a sound, his body was injured and he groaned. Grid looked like a doll being bounced around, and Garam found it ridiculous.


    ¡°Third, you hurt me. The ordinary people are livestock. You are raised ording to the taste of us yangbans and then ughtered. Yet you dared to extend your ws and hurt me.¡±


    It was Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.Grid had linked four of Pagma¡¯s sword dances and dealt a shallow cut to Garam¡¯s skin. The pain that Garam felt at the time had been unfamiliar and ufortable. It became a nightmare for him every night.


    ¡°Verdict, you are sentenced to death.¡±


    The power of the wind hitting Grid grew stronger and faster, bing like a storm.It swept Grid¡¯s body away, and he mmed into the cave ceiling. The storm moved around Grid like an angry beast. He was hit and sliced at repeatedly. 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm...


    Every time the storm moved, Grid¡¯s body was pushed deeper into the ceiling. In the shaking cave, Grid¡¯s vision spun around and around. Blood gushed from Grid¡¯s body, and the smile on Garam¡¯s face grew wider.


    ¡°Trivial thing.¡±


    It felt like a 100-year-old blockage had been relieved. His pride that had fallen to hell because of this bug had finally been recovered. Garam hummed as he saw Grid¡¯s dying appearance.


    ¡°...Transcended Link.¡±Grid, whose health had fallen to a breathtaking level, had been waiting for his fighting energy to reach 100% before beginning to fight back. Despite being deeply embedded into the ceiling, he unleashed dozens of energy des.


    ¡°...?¡±The red and purple aura around Grid¡¯s body warned Garam of something. He was surprised and moved the storm pressure that was around Grid. The storm became a mild warm wind and surrounded Garam like a shield. The energy des of Transcended Link were all canceled out by the shield. However, Grid¡¯s situation had improved. He gained freedom andnded on the ground. Then he took out a new potion and drank it.


    ¡°XX, this sucks,¡± Grid cursed in a trembling voice before looking at the frightened cksmiths and residents who were remaining. They felt helpless after seeing theirpanions explode like watermelons. The absolute gesture of a transcendent had deprived their unfortunatepanions of their lives. This made those who survived feel doubtful and sink into despair.


    Grid gritted his teeth.¡°Did you have to kill them?¡±


    ¡°Them? Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The cksmiths and the residents. The people you just killed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you mean these bugs. They were interfering in my line of sight, so I killed them. Nobody stops walking when they are about to step on ants.¡±


    ¡°Bugs... Ants...¡±


    Were they this insignificant? The cksmiths, who came to the East Continent because of him, and the residents, who couldn¡¯t bear to leave and protected their home¡ªGrid wasn¡¯t very familiar with them. It was too short of a rtionship for him to be confident and say that he knew them. However, Grid vividly remembered dreaming of a better life and trying to achieve it. He knew that these people tried hard, just like he did. They couldn¡¯t be denied by being called bugs.


    ¡°...¡± Grid¡¯s fists clenched from uncontroble anger, and his gaze shifted toward Tiramet¡¯s Belt. Tiramet¡¯s Belt was an item that had remained at the unique rating for many years. Its experience had been stuck at 96% just a while ago, and now it exceeded 97%. The yangban, Garam, had lightly attacked dozens of times, and 1% of experience was umted.


    ¡®It is impossible to win.¡¯Grid hated Garam till his dying breath. From the first day they met, Garam was a person Grid didn¡¯t like at all. Still, he had to acknowledge Garam¡¯s skills. Garam¡¯s level must be close to 600, and he had overwhelming stats.


    ¡®There is no chance in a fight. I will lose. Still...¡¯


    Grid, who was covered with a purple red energy, turned his head. The trembling cksmiths and residents were staring at him.


    ¡®I can buy time for them to flee.¡¯


    At the present time, Garam was an overwhelming powerhouse. His fighting energy and the speed at which his item umted experience proved this fact. Garam was less likely to be wary of Grid. For example, it was clear that he had once again been careless just now. Grid believed there would be an opportunity and sent a whisper to the cksmith Jin Haecheong.


    -I will buy time, so escape with the residents.


    -I-I can¡¯t understand the current situation...


    -The quest is up to here.It is because of me that you came to the East Continent and lost your level and stats.I¡¯m sorry.


    -D-Don¡¯t say that!The help we got from Grid is much greater!Coming here is worth losing some levels and stats!


    -...Thank you.


    -Please...!I wish you all the best!


    Jin Haecheong finished whispering to Grid and sent a message with his eyes to the other cksmiths. They had to save the residents. The cksmiths understood Grid¡¯s feelings. Unlike the yers, the residents only had one life. Thinking about thest three days they had spent making items, the cksmiths felt the desire to protect the residents.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are clinging to a meaningless life,¡± Garam said in a ridiculing tone once the people started to move. He seemed to have no intention of letting them go.


    Tong, tong, tong.The chain of explosions began around Garam.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±Grid immediately came forward. One step, two steps... The dance strides were shorter than before as the Enlightenment Sword roared.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    It was as Grid expected, and Garam¡¯s face distorted for the first time. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡ªthe strongest technique that had hurt Garam previously¡ªwas being used by Grid to provoke Garam. Seeing this, he no longer paid attention to the residents.


    Instead of his smoking pipe, Garam now held a short spear and started responding to Grid¡¯s bombardment. Garam shed his short spear and defeated the iing energy des, raising the spear above his head to block the final blow that was like a lightning bolt. This was the moment when the whole process of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle waspletely disrupted.


    Grid had expected this, so he wasn¡¯t shaken. On the other hand, Garam hated it as Grid¡¯s sword was emitting ck mes.


    ¡°What?¡± The mes surrounding Garam devastated the area. The cave shook and Garam stepped back. The cksmiths didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. They ran as hard as they could with the residents.


    ¡°Kuk...! Kuaaaaah!¡±Garam screamed as he was surrounded by mes. It wasn¡¯t because of pain though. Rather, Garam was fine. Only the tip of his hair was slightly burned. However...


    ¡°Is your pride hurt?¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was a matter of pride. Originally, Garam had been nning to trample on Grid like he was an insect. He had wanted tough as Grid died without resisting. Yet Grid had once again resisted and even damaged Garam¡¯s body. It might just be his hair burning slightly, but...


    ¡°You...! Youuuu!¡±Garam suffered great damage to his pride, and he could never recover from this wound in a lifetime. He was using a weapon instead of a smoking pipe and had opened up the power of wind, which was one of his abilities. Yet he still allowed this insect to counterattack.


    Garam swung the spear angrily, cutting one of Grid¡¯s arms and causing him to m into the cave wall. The reach and speed of the attack was much greater than before. Garam¡¯s spear kept stabbing at Grid and he moved backward. Despite summoning the light elemental and de Aiming at the Gods, Grid was unable to cope with Garam¡¯s offensive. In the end, Grid was pushed into the depths of the cave.


    ¡°Cowardly bastard!¡±Garam shouted and his short spear aimed precisely at Grid¡¯s heart when he no longer had room to escape. It had an attack power which had dealt 10,000 damage just by scratching his arm. Grid would die if a vital spot were hit.


    So, Grid made a decision and used ckening and Quick Movements. ¡°Revolve!¡±


    He didn¡¯t step back and unfolded a counterattack. It was almost instantaneously. The tip of the spear, which aimed at Grid¡¯s heart, was swept up in Grid¡¯s sword and changed its trajectory. The tip of the spear pierced Garam instead of Grid. No, it seemed to pierce him.


    ¡°You.¡±


    Garam used the ultimate footwork that leaped through space itself¡ªShunpo. The moment Grid deployed the counterattack, Garam used Shunpo and appeared by Grid¡¯s side. The spear only pierced the afterimage that was left behind by Garam. Grid¡¯s face was caught by Garam¡¯s hand, and it was like hard granite mmed into it. One, twice, three times, four times...


    [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,150 damage...]


    [One eye has been severely injured. Your field of view isn¡¯t properly secured. Your body has be dull.]


    Grid¡¯s face literally became a mess. The bloody Grid couldn¡¯t even groan as he was held by Garam. Garam¡¯s face was like the devil¡¯s.


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand it. You are just an ignorant person. Why do you want to anger me every time? What the hell do you believe in?¡±


    Garam transferred all responsibility for this situation onto Grid. He treated Grid as a sinner. However, Grid wasn¡¯t a sinner. He was a king.


    ¡°Once again...¡± Grid¡¯s tingling lips opened. Grid was angrily staring straight into Garam¡¯s eyes. ¡°I... won¡¯t... sumb... your... strength.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Garam thought he would hear begging, but his ears were contaminated. Using the power of the wind, Garam blew away the light sword and the de Aiming at the Gods and then mmed Grid¡¯s face into the ground. It happened at this moment.


    [The First King title effect has been activated.]


    [A protective shield containing the health that was lost in thest minute has been created.]


    [All terrain adaptability has increased by 100% while movement speed and defense has increased by 10%.]


    A bright orange shield formed around Grid. He fully adapted to the terrain of the cave and opened up Ruson¡¯s Power, further amplifying his speed and gaining the ability to smell blood. Grid suddenly moved, and Garam hurriedly stabbed at him with the spear. He felt irritated when he couldn¡¯t keep up with Grid¡¯s speed and hit the protruding limestone instead.


    ¡°You rat bastard!¡±


    At this moment, Garam decided he had no more pride left to be crushed and opened up his second power, which was the holy attribute. Meanwhile, Grid discovered the daoist hiding in a corner and stabbed him. The daoist couldn¡¯t cope with the destructive power and turned to ash.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to die anyway, shouldn¡¯t I get more rewards?¡±


    Garam¡¯s response was surprisingly intense.¡°Y-You! You snake!¡±


    Was Garam angry about Grid gaining more rewards? Garam emitted a killing intent that had never been seen before. Grid opened Belial¡¯s Power and used Item Combination to join together the Enlightenment Sword and the de Aiming at the Gods.


    ¡°Youuuuu!¡±Garam seemed like he was being chased by something. His eyes were manic as he stabbed the spear at Grid. However, the spear didn¡¯t reach Grid. It was due to the vampire who popped out of Tiramet¡¯s Belt¡¯s, which had just reached the legendary rating. Tiramet reached out and caught the spear with both hands.


    ¡°Nyaaong!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Noe released lightning from his mouth, and Randy¡ªwho copied Grid¡¯s appearance¡ªstood by Garam¡¯s side. The three monsters aimed at Garam¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    Long energy des were fired continuously. Grid¡¯s level and stats were much inferior to Garam¡¯s, but the power of his super myth rated weapon and the power of the rune prated Garam¡¯s skin without much difficulty.


    ¡°Cough!¡±Garam coughed up blood. Then Grid discovered why Garam had be nervous and exposed a gap.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï ¡®Hunt the Daoist¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [You have acquired three elixirs from the quest clear reward.]


    [A linked quest will ur as a quest reward.]


    [Back to the West Continent...]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Thanks to your efforts, the people of Pangea have regained peace. Now, Pangea will be able to stand on its own.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Return to the West Continent within 24 hours.


    Quest Reward: A Pangea¡¯s Secret Dungeon Pass.]


    [Moving between continents is now possible again.]


    ¡°...Aha.¡±


    ¡°Griiiid!¡± Garam¡¯s power started to run wild. Noe, Randy, and Tiramet were swept away by the magic power and turned to gray. Garam leaped toward Grid, but it was pointless.


    ¡°Goodbye, you stupid jerk.¡±Grid had already disappeared in a sh of light.

 Chapter 926

    The ultimate calligraphy filled the hanji (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees). There was a stroke that stretched out without a hitch, and the trajectory of life in one stroke was infinite.


    ¡¸The Cho Kingdom should take care of Pangea. ¡¹


    Once Hanul finished thest point, the ¡®word¡¯ was finished. The Cho King would be thrilled when he received this ¡®word.¡¯ He would be able to look after the city and people he had turned away from due to fearing the Hwan Kingdom. Garam stood next to Hanul, unable to understand Hanul¡¯s actions. ¡°Why are you giving an opportunity to those nasty people?¡±


    ¡°An opportunity? This isn¡¯t an opportunity but a reward.¡± Hanul put down the brush and looked at Garam. There waspassion in Hanul¡¯s eyes. ¡°The opportunity was yours, and the people of Pangea were sacrificed to give you that chance.¡±


    Rain also fell in the desert. The sky never abandoned the earth.


    ¡°I have to reward them as much as I forced them to sacrifice. This is the duty I have to uphold.¡±


    The sky (Hanul) was in a position that couldn¡¯t be one-sided. The intolerance of heaven would make too many lives wither. The world could copse as soon as the sky lost sight of its duty. This was the reason why Grid was rewarded for answering Hanul¡¯s call.


    ¡°...¡±


    A person with no desires didn¡¯t existpletely. Garam had feelings of admiration and rejection toward Hanul, a man who was like him but alsopletely different from him.


    ***


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t very good when he returned to the West Continent. He was unbelievably depressed for a person who had just gained astronomical rewards.


    ¡°This game is really... hard.¡±


    A quest had appeared in a form where he had to bite the bait. There was an enemy that was too hard to deal with. Then there was the gaming system which required higher talent. Grid sighed as he looked at the skills and magic windows. ¡°Hah. The skills and magic are too much.¡±


    With Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Braham¡¯s enhanced spells, the Rune of Darkness, and items and skills attached to various titles...Grid now had close to 30bat skills avable. If he counted those attached to all the items he¡¯d made, he would have over 50.


    It was too much for Grid. Hecked the wits and sensitivity to take advantage of the skills he possessed. In particr, the stronger the opponent and the more intense the situation, the worse Grid¡¯s thinking became. It was difficult for Grid to use his skills in the right ce. After all, it was hard for effort alone to ovee pure talent. The so-called geniuses could handle 50 or 60 skills instead of just 30.


    ¡°I can afford to try different things when dealing with weak enemies, but it has been a long time since I¡¯ve faced such a strong person.¡±


    Grid reyed his fight with Garam. First, there was the intangible wind. Grid hadn¡¯t been able to figure out the path of the wind with just ¡®sound.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been visible, and he had looked ugly while getting severely beaten by the wind that wasing from all sides. If Grid had the minimum of ¡®sound sensitivity¡¯, then he wouldn¡¯t have been so defenseless.


    ¡®Well, yes. I was fine using the pieces of falling stone as footholds when I was stuck in the ceiling. It was really good that I thought about it.¡¯


    He recalled the good parts as well as the bad parts. This wasn¡¯t arrogance but necessity. Grid reyed the battle because he wanted to develop. It was important to think about what he was good at and what he wasn¡¯t good at. This meant he could reduce his mistakes and highlight his strengths.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The more he reyed the battle, the better he did. Waiting for his fighting energy to reach 100%, counterattacking, using buffs such as ckening, using Doran¡¯s Ring, using the effect of the First King title, opening Ruson¡¯s Power, and using the cave terrain, and so on...


    ¡®Of course, I could do more...¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t used any magic, and he hadn¡¯t been able to give detailedmands to the Light Sword and the de Aiming at the Gods. He hadn¡¯t been able to control Cray¡¯s Powerpletely, and he had totally forgotten about Dark Bus¡¯ Ring, which had the ability to delete a skill. Dark Bus¡¯ Ring reminded Grid of how Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle waspletely neutralized by Garam. The spear had the ¡®energy¡¯ to delete a skill and Garam destroyed all the stages of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle by swinging the spear faster than Grid¡¯s skill casting speed.


    ¡°Oh! How rotten! There are too many skills and items! Additionally, Noe, why do you fail to use Soul Ingestion whenever it is important?¡±


    ¡°No, his attack prated through Fluidization, nyong... Too strong, nyang... I was hurt...¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid thought about it a few more times and concluded the difficulty of the game was too high. How many yers were there in the world who could take advantage of their many skills and items like Kraugel?


    ¡®Increasing the power while reducing the number of skills and magic will make it much morefortable to y.¡¯


    He would make a suggestion to the customer center for the first time after a long time. It would be a very ¡®polite¡¯ message. The seriously distressed Grid brought up the details of Tiramet¡¯s Belt. His studying and grumbling were over, and it was time to face reality again.


    [Tiramet¡¯s Belt]


    [Rating: Legendary


    * Reduce damage received by 15%.


    * Stamina +250.


    * Health +10,000


    * The skill ¡®Wind of Regeneration¡¯ is generated.


    -A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet.


    ¡ï The final evolution of the item isplete.


    You can summon vampire viscount Tiramet by consuming 1,500 mana. If Tiramet is killed in battle, he can only be summoned again after 24 hours.]


    [Wind of Regeneration]


    [Passive.


    Tiramet¡¯s magic power boasts excellent regeneration power and makes the wearer¡¯s body healthy. The speed of health recovery is greatly increased, and 500 health per second will be restored.


    This effect will disappear when hit. A 10-second wait is required before the effect will be reapplied.]


    ¡°Ku...¡±Grid¡¯s body trembled. Had he been raising the experience for four years? Five years? No, maybe the item¡ªwhich had been stuck at the unique rating¡ªwould¡¯ve required much longer before finishing its final evolution. Now, it happened at a critical point just before the uing demon king event.


    ¡®The damage reduction rate has increased by 15%, and health has increased to 10,000. This is why I was able to endure more of Garam¡¯s attacks.¡¯


    It waspletely different from when it was of the unique rating. The rumor about the true power of a growth item not being shown until its final evolution was the truth. Grid red at Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring, whose experience still hadn¡¯t risen, and brought up the information for Tiramet.


    [Name: Tiramet


    Age: 295 Gender: Male


    Species: Vampire


    Level: 300


    Title: Immortal Noble


    * Immediately recovers 30% of the damage. This skill is charged once per hour and can be charged up to 12 times.However, if the amount of damage received from one strike exceeds 60% of his maximum health, it won¡¯t recover. Additionally, recovery isn¡¯t possible with divine attacks.


    * Resurrected with 100% health in the case of death. All stats are increased by 20% for one hour after the resurrection. It is an effect that will activate after reaching level 360.


    Title: Depressed


    * He feels ashamed for being bound to a human despite being a child of Shizo Beriache. His self-esteem is so low that it is negatively affecting his morale. All stats are degraded.


    Physical Attack Power: 2,150 Magic Attack Power: 100


    Health: 100,000 Mana: 3,000


    Defense: 2,500 Magic Resistance: 500


    Possessed Skills: Block One Blow! (A), I Wonder Why I¡¯m Alive... (C), Headbutt (C)


    Status: Depressed (Resurrected after a long time and died soon after. Why am I alive... I¡¯d rather die...)]


    ¡°...Being depressed at this time...¡±


    Tiramet¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t very good. The strength of the vampire viscount Tiramet, who couldn¡¯t be raided without the help of the Demon yer, was gone.


    ¡°Well, he was ssified as a boss monster at the time. It doesn¡¯t make sense topare a summoned pet to his self from that time.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was fairly bright. Tiramet wasn¡¯t as good as before, but it was too much to describe him as weak. Wasn¡¯t it thanks to the ¡®Block One Blow!¡¯ skill that Tiramet managed to block one of Garam¡¯s skills? His basic stats were also excellent. It was the attack power of a unique rated weaponbined with the defense of unique rated armor. The notable part was the equipment system. Unlike Noe, Tiramet was a humanoid monster, so it was possible for him to wear equipment. Additionally, unlike Randy, who copied a weaker version of Grid¡¯s items, Tiramet was able to receive pure items.


    ¡®If I set him up as a tanker, I¡¯ll be able to attack a dungeon alone.¡¯


    Tiramet would even serve as a strong shield in the demon king subjugation event. Grid nned to make items for Tiramet starting from tomorrow. He also confirmed the rewards from the East Continent: one unique rated weapon production method, two unique rated armor production methods, 10 blessed weapon enhancement stones and 107 weapon enhancement stones, 20 blessed armor enhancement stones, and three random elixirs.


    ¡°I really cleaned up everything...¡±


    The quest rewards were so good that he wondered if it was a scam. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a scam. His inventory was full of the rewards.


    ¡°The unique rated production methods will be used for Tiramet¡¯s items.¡±


    Grid produced items that were at least of the epic rating. This didn¡¯t mean that he could easily make unique rated items. He still had to rely heavily on luck to create items rated unique or higher. As such, a definite unique rated production method was solid insurance for Grid.


    ¡°I will use the enhancement stones to immediately strengthen my items.¡±


    The probability of enhancing myth rated items was low enough to be around 0.00001%. However, it was impossible to sell the precious enhancement stones. Grid wasn¡¯t stupid enough to sell them for a bit of money.


    ¡°Maybe I can get it to +3... No, +2. I just want +2,¡±Grid prayed as he finally looked at the elixirs.


    Three random elixirs¡ªthey raised his stats by 30 points. It was equivalent to gaining three levels. Grid checked his main stats.


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 364


    ....


    ....


    Strength: 3,220 (+360)


    Stamina: 2,047 (+580)


    Agility: 2,750 (+330)


    Intelligence: 1,898 (+405)


    ....


    ....]


    ¡°I lost some intelligence after changing the crown. Still, it isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    The world recognized Grid as being overgeared, and Grid didn¡¯t deny it. However, Grid¡¯s greatest strength was his stats. Thanks to more than 26 items and the production of high rated items, Grid¡¯s main stats were twice as high as the stats of users of the same level. He could fight with named NPCs and bosses because of his stats. Grid recalled that general elixirs were divided into four types: strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence.


    ¡°The random elixir will raise one of the four major stats...¡±


    The stat that Grid desired was agility. He wanted to finish the golden ratio of 1:1 agility to strength and gain the higher attack power correction. Would it really go Grid¡¯s way? Grid didn¡¯t expect much because he was well aware of his bad luck.


    ¡°Stamina is also okay. My maximum possible blood is already over 150,000, and I will aim for 200,000.¡±


    Thanks to the First King title, Grid would see a big gain if his maximum health increased. It was definitely good for his stamina to increase.


    ¡°Strength... Well, it isn¡¯t bad. Intelligence...¡±


    Since Braham¡¯s enhanced magic spells were opened as his intelligence increased, the intelligence stat might be the next most important one after agility. Still, Grid didn¡¯t have a big desire for intelligence. What was the point of more magic? He couldn¡¯t even use them properly.


    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha. I... hope... I... won¡¯t... get... it.¡±


    Grid took a deep breath as he grabbed a random elixir. No matter what he thought, it seemed a bit tricky because he would probably get the opposite result of what he wanted. Grid hesitated for a while before finally drinking the elixir.Gulp. The effect of the random elixir was amazing. It was different from the usual elixirs that only raised the main stats.


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    ¡°Ah, XX.¡±


    He wanted to stop swearing, but why did this keep happening? Tears fell from Grid¡¯s eyes. This was because he hadn¡¯t noticed it yet. The fact that the random elixir raised his dexterity meant he could raise other special stats. Additionally, there weren¡¯t just the three elixirs given to Grid as dozens of cksmiths came to visit Gridter.

 Chapter 927

    ¡°Why is it dexterity?¡±


    The number of stats that points could be invested in was limited to the four main stats. Strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence. It was the same with the elixirs. The elixirs only raised four stats. Then why did dexterity go up?


    The random elixirs were different from normal elixirs. Grid took around two minutes to realize this.


    ¡°I can think of it as an elixir to raise special stats.¡±


    The special stats Grid currently had were dexterity, persistence,posure, indomitable, dignity, insight, courage, political power, demonic power, luck, and deity.


    ¡®Of course, the probability of the deity stat rising is 0%.¡¯


    Deity was a myth grade stat that only grew when a certain person or force deified Grid and gave him room to be a myth. It wasn¡¯t logical to expect that the random elixir would raise the deity stat.


    ¡®Then this means the remaining 10 stats can rise.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t good though. The probability of a special condition of the stat being activated was low. The resistance to status conditions given by theposure stat was lowpared to theplete status resistance of a legendary ss. An unreliable stat like indomitable that had a chance of invalidating damage wasn¡¯t something the unlucky Grid should lean on.


    The dignity stat was already sufficient thanks to the Overgeared King¡¯s crown, and the effect of the insight stat to detect the behavior of the target had long been known to have a definite upper limit. What about dexterity? It was a stat that naturally went up during the item making process. From Grid¡¯s point of view, it was the easiest stat to raise, since his current dexterity was 3,967+880. It was close to 5,000. There was nothing he desired.


    ¡®I can easily raise persistence, not to mention demonic power. Demonic power ispletely ridiculous. Additionally, the stats like political power, courage and...¡¯


    Political power was an indispensable stat for the king of a kingdom because it sped up domestic development. If the king¡¯s political power was high, the nation¡¯s overall domestic development rate would increase. There was also courage. Courage was better than nothing. Every one point in courage raised attack power and defense by 0.1. It was very shabbypared to the third awakening strength stat, which increased attack power by 0.6 or stamina which increased defense by 0.9.


    Finally...


    ¡®...Good luck.¡¯


    Good luck was the statistic that increased the probability of a beneficial effect. It was useful in all fields such as item making, enhancement, hunting, and raids. For the unlucky Grid, good luck was the stat that he was most desperate for. Good luck was a special stat that didn¡¯t increase with the title effects, so he was confident that its value would shine as it increased.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Grid held the remaining two elixirs and prayed earnestly, ¡®Please raise good luck. If it isn¡¯t good luck, political power or courage will be fine. Please don¡¯t let it be demonic power or dexterity.¡¯


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Had there ever been another day when he was so nervous? Grid gulped before swallowing an elixir. The result was amazing.


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    ¡°...¡± It was cruel and irrational to expect anything from his luck. Grid couldn¡¯t cope with the result and hugged his knees. ¡°...Should I quit the game?¡±


    ¡°Nyang?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t even joke about this.¡± Grid stroked the fur of Noe who was lying on his shoulders. The sky was exceptionally clear today like it was making fun of him. It was a pleasant experience for Noe who was lying down next to Grid. He leaned over and rubbed his face against Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Sometimes, this isn¡¯t too bad.¡±


    How long had Grid been resting? Then it happened while Grid was enjoying his spare time with Noe.


    ¡°Grid!¡± A group of people approached Grid. They were the cksmiths who had just returned from Pangea.


    ¡°You came back safely.¡±


    ¡°Grid, didn¡¯t you clear the quest? You should¡¯ve noticed the notification window.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid had a bittersweet smile on his face as he looked at the cksmiths. There were 77 people. With the exception of the 23 people who died, these cksmiths had returned to the West Continent one step ahead of being killed by Garam. Grid felt responsible for what happened. It was due to his unreasonable judgment that the cksmiths had experienced a crisis and felt fearful throughout their quests. In the end, some people were sacrificed.


    ¡®They got caught up in the quest because of me...¡¯


    Did they see Grid¡¯s regretful expression?


    ¡°All the cksmiths who arrived in the West Continent one step faster than us are in a festive atmosphere. Didn¡¯t we gain many rewards thanks to Grid?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the time to worry about the dead. What is wrong with losing a level and a bit of dexterity? We get to sit on a cushion of money.¡±


    ¡°We have discussed it together. We think it is better to sell the blessed enhancement stones to the Overgeared members. It is ufortable to sell the precious items outside the kingdom. Since it is a reward we got from Grid in the first ce, we should sell it to the Overgeared members at a cheap price.¡±


    It was great news to hear. Grid appreciated the hearts of the cksmiths, but there was still something he had to handle before that.


    ¡°Please sell it to me before handing it over to the members.¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, of course. Actually, no, I won¡¯t ept any money from Grid for it. Just take half of it,¡± the cksmiths suggested. However, Grid politely declined. He didn¡¯t want to monopolize the items. Instead, he wanted the development of the entire kingdom. Grid wanted to maintain the cksmiths¡¯ motivation by paying a fair price for purchased goods. He also wanted them to like him even more.


    As expected, the cksmiths were thrilled. They gained even more respect for Grid as he maintained his humble attitude until the end.


    ¡®It is like he isn¡¯t a king.¡¯


    ¡®This is the reason why so many rankers serve Grid.¡¯


    ¡®Even Katz acts politely to Grid...¡¯


    The cksmiths¡¯ respect and liking toward Grid started to boil over like water in a pot. They shouted at Grid, ¡°Please take these elixirs!¡±


    ¡°Elixirs?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you know, we are ordinary cksmiths. The only necessary stats for us are stamina, dexterity, and persistence. Isn¡¯t this elixir random? It is highly unlikely to get the stats we want, so this is just like a luxury.¡±


    Grid replied honestly, ¡°This is a random elixir and can actually raise dexterity. I just drank it and raised dexterity.¡±


    ¡°Haha... Saying that to us...¡±


    ¡°No, it really raises dexterity.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to concede this much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Grid. No matter how I think about it, the elixirs are a luxury. I think it is better for Grid to use the elixirs, no matter how much we can gain.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In fact, their words were true. It was an extravagant luxury for ordinary cksmiths, who only had a small amount of stamina and strength, to take the random elixirs. However, elixirs usually sold for more than 200 million won. Katz was a chaebol, and it was rumored that he steadily purchased dozens of elixirs over the past three years for 300 million won per elixir. It was a burden to buy 231 elixirs, even for Grid. If he calcted it at the cheap price of 200 million won, it was 46.2 billion. It was impossible for anyone except a chaebol to cope with that much expenditure.


    For an elixir that might raise dexterity...? It was doubtful if it was worth 200 million won. While Grid was hesitating, the cksmiths said some unexpected words, ¡°We¡¯re saying for you to literally take them. We aren¡¯t trying to sell them. We will give you the elixirs, so please use them.¡±


    ¡°What does that...¡±


    Grid knew better than anyone as to the value of this material. Yet they were just giving him items that were worth billions? Grid couldn¡¯t understand the attitude of the cksmiths. However, the cksmiths thought differently. ¡°They are items that we wouldn¡¯t have received without Grid. We have already made a lot of money thanks to the unique item production method and enhancement stones. It is really burdensome for us to be greedier.¡±


    ¡°It is also a type of bribe. Who knows what we will receive from giving the elixirs to Grid today? Later, Grid will take care of us again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Grid, if you have a production method that you don¡¯t need... Huhu! It is better for us.¡±


    It was true. The high rated production methods that Grid held could be of great value to them. Grid struggled for a while before epting the favor, ¡°Okay. I am grateful and will surely repay you.¡±


    ¡°We are the grateful ones. We will make sure we can be of help to Grid someday.¡±


    The 100 cksmiths who had gone on a short adventure with Grid¡ªthey were new loyalists who admired Grid¡¯s ability. Grid¡¯s reputation spread through the smithy district.


    ***


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    He left the cksmiths. After returning to the castle, he whispered his love to Irene, received a job report from Lauel, kissed the sleeping Lord¡¯s forehead and then sat alone in his office. There were a huge 231 elixirs on the desk. The iridescent liquid in the transparent bottles was more fearful than beautiful. Grid¡¯s body shook. His back was drenched with sweat.


    ¡®Imagine if I drink all of it and only dexterity and demonic power rise.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t avoid feeling afraid. In any case, he had gotten the elixirs for free, so any increase in stats was a win. Grid controlled his heart and barely let go of his expectations. He vowed to humbly ept it even if the 231 elixirs raised his dexterity. Then...


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased courage by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased agility by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased indomitable by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased courage by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased good luck by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased political power by 10 points.]


    [....]


    [....]


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened every time he took a bitter elixir. There was a fortunate thing. The elixirs didn¡¯t affect demonic power. On the other hand, the agility and good luck Grid desperately wanted went up many times.


    Gulp.


    ¡°Kuuock!¡±


    It happened when he drank over 150 elixir bottles. Grid grabbed his bloated stomach as an unexpected notification window appeared.


    [Your courage stat has reached 1,200 points. The effect of the courage stat has increased. Every one point in courage raised attack power and defense by 0.2.]


    [Your good luck stat has reached 400 points. The chances of a beneficial effect will greatly increase.]


    Courage and good luck were enhanced! Grid felt stronger and quickly drank the remaining elixirs. He wanted to determine if the enhanced effect of good luck was just a false perception.


    [The random elixir effect has increased strength by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased intelligence by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased dexterity by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased good luck by 10 points.]


    [The random elixir effect has increased good luck by 10 points.]


    ¡°Good!¡±Grid cheered after drinking 50 elixirs in a row. He felt a tremendous increase in the beneficial effects. Once he drank all the remaining elixirs, his good luck stat had reached as high as 631 points. Feeling thatdy luck was smiling on him, Grid didn¡¯t want to miss this chance.


    He pulled out the hundreds of blessed enhancement stones from his inventory. Grid wished he could take out the two remaining Ancient Weapon Enhancement Scrolls and four Ancient Armor Enhancement Scrolls and use them on the +1 Enlightenment Sword and Valha of Infinite Affection.


    ¡°Reach +2! +2! +2! +2! I just want +2!¡±


    The excited Grid used the blessed enhancement stones on the +1 Enlightenment Sword.


    [The item enhancement has failed.]


    This notification window shed 30 times, but Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. It would be hrious if he were shaken by 30 enhancement failures when he was aware that the enhancement rate of myth rated items was extremely bad.


    [The item enhancement has failed.]


    [The item enhancement has failed.]


    Still, wasn¡¯t 50 consecutive failures too much? Grid¡¯s face gradually turned gray. However,dy luck was still smiling at him.


    [The item enhancement has failed.]


    [The item enhancement has seeded.]


    [The +1 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been sessfully enhanced, and the enhancement level has increased to +2!]


    [The item enhancement has seeded.]


    [The +2 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been sessfully enhanced, and the enhancement level has increased to +3!]


    [The +3 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been sessfully enhanced, and the enhancement level has increased to +4!]


    [The item enhancement has failed.]


    ¡°Uh...? Three in a row...?¡±


    This was really an X probability game. Content that was based on luck gave deep despair to most people. They clung to these contents because the joy and value of sess were great.


    [You are the first yer to seed in enhancing a myth rated item to +3!]


    [The perk has increased the damage of the target item by 1%.]


    [You are the first yer to seed in enhancing a myth rated item to +4!]


    [The perk has increased the damage of the target item by 2%, resulting in a ¡®setting sun¡¯ effect.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It looked like it was glowing. The +4 Enlightenment Sword glowed orange, and it was enough to make Grid lose his soul. Grid stared nkly at the sword for a while before using his remaining weapon and armor enhancement stones. The Enlightenment Sword stopped at +4 while Valha of Infinite Affection became +3.


    [+4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires


    Attack: 4,611]


    [+3 Valha of Infinite Affection


    Defense: 1,622]


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    Grid felt several times stronger. He could feel power boiling inside him.

 Chapter 928

    Grid gained a total of 2,340 stat points from the 234 elixirs. Only one-tenth of them went into the four major stats, but that was still more than 200 points. If calcted simply, it was like gaining 20 levels. Furthermore, Grid managed to secure arge number of good luck stats and sessfully enhanced his item. He couldn¡¯t calm his excited mind. By visiting the East Continent, he jumped several steps at once. It was the feeling of receiving a windfall.


    ¡®Pangea¡¯s secret dungeon should also be a great ce.¡¯


    Grid wanted to use the admission ticket that he earned from thest quest reward. However...


    ¡°...Garam.¡±


    It could also be a damn trap. Compared to Garam, Grid was still a helpless little boy. Jumping a few stairs at once...? It was futile. He had to climb hundreds of steps just to be at eye-level with Garam. It wasn¡¯t just Garam. There were many strong enemies on the West Continent, and Garam was just one of the few trials Grid would have to face.


    ¡®I¡¯m stillcking.¡¯


    The afterglow of joy was brief. Rather, it made Grid extremely thirsty.


    ¡®I am still missing a lot. It is insufficient.¡¯


    He needed to be stronger. Grid thought about a few colleagues¡ªEuphemina, Faker, Regas, Yura, Jishuka, Chris...


    He hadn¡¯t forgotten what he had seen from them. They didn¡¯t repeat mistakes, their learning speed was unthinkable, and the way they applied what they learned was inspiring. Grid sometimes got goosebumps when he went hunting with them. The difference in interpretation was like the difference between an adult and a child. Yes, they were in the realm of geniuses, and he was the one who had gathered these geniuses. Although, the real genius was actually Kraugel.


    ¡°I won¡¯t catch up next year. The next year, or the year after that, I will suppress them with my stats and items.¡±


    They were his respectedpetitors. As long as they didn¡¯t disappear, Grid¡¯s passion and development wouldn¡¯t stop.


    ***


    Lauel didn¡¯t just take care of the internal affairs of the Overgeared Kingdom. He also managed the Overgeared Guild. One of Lauel¡¯s tasks was to ensure that the Overgeared members enjoyed better benefits and developed further. The Galgunos Temple¡ªLauel invested a lot of time and effort into finding this new hunting ground. It didn¡¯t drop rare items such as elixirs or vampire rings like the vampire cities, but it gave arge amount of experience.


    The problem was the level of difficulty. Considering the number, type, and level of the monsters that appeared, the Galgunos Temple was twice as difficult as the vampire cities.


    [You have entered the Galgunos Temple.]


    [You can feel the source of the demonic energy.]


    [All stats have decreased by 10%, and health recovery has decreased by 50%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°The atmosphere here...¡±


    It was a temple with aplex structure like abyrinth. Grid shook off the curses and remembered Lauel¡¯s words.


    ¡°Pon, Regas, and Chris are hunting here these days... They can¡¯t resist the curse, but it isn¡¯t hard...¡±


    Based on their personalities, the three people were unlikely to have formed a party. They probably scattered and were hunting alone all over thebyrinth. In any case, they weren¡¯t ordinary people.


    ¡°An intruder.¡± Galgunos¡¯ messenger¡ªa humanoid monster roaming thebyrinth¡ªfound Grid and rushed over. It was at an extremely fast speed that meant the messenger had at least 2,000 agility. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to pressure Grid who had over 3,000 agility. Compared to Garam¡¯s speed, it was slow enough to make Grid yawn. He avoided the messenger¡¯s attack and struck back.


    [You have attacked the weak point!]


    [The target has received 16,940 damage.]


    [ck mes have exploded!]


    It was overwhelming damage! The Galgunos¡¯ messenger wore sheet metal armor and seemed to have high defense, but it was useless in front of Grid. Grid¡¯s basic attack alone reduced the messenger¡¯s health by one-tenth. Thanks to the increase in the good luck state, his targeting of the weak points, his critical attacks, the ck mes and red thunderbolts emerged more often than usual. It took only five seconds for the messenger to turn to grey.


    ¡°Jackpot.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an elite monster, but it dropped an amount of experience that was simr to that of a direct vampire? The messenger was an ungrateful monster who didn¡¯t drop any items, but it was still lovable.


    ¡°I should stay here until the National Competition. There is a reason why the kids didn¡¯t leave here...¡±


    Grid needed to get stronger. As such, he decided to go hunting. Grid nned to raise his stats and resources by focusing on leveling up, which he had been neglecting for a while.


    ¡°Summon Tiramet!¡± Grid shouted, and a vampire emerged from a dark-colored belt. Tiramet was manly, unlike the usual neutral appearance and long hair of the vampires. His sharp eyes and ruffled hair gave a fierce impression.


    ¡°Um...¡± Unlike his impression, Tiramet was timid. He prepared for an attack as soon as he was summoned. It was due to the incident where he hade to the outside world after a long time, only to be killed by the yangban Garam.


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be scared. There are no enemies.¡± Grid patted the shoulder of Tiramet, who flinched like he was a scared cat. Then he and gave Tiramet several items.


    [+7 Duliani¡¯s Sword]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 1,250/1,250


    Attack Power: 1,890 Defense: 340


    * Creates a shield when attacked. The amount of the shield is proportional to the maximum health. It can umte up to five times.]


    [+7 Emous¡¯ Armor]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 785/785 Defense: 930


    * Reduce damage by 12%.


    * 50% increase in health recovery.


    * Two set effect: 10,000 additional health.]


    [+7 Emous¡¯ Helmet]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 566/566 Defense: 675


    * 20% reduction in the probability of a hit in a vital spot.


    * Two set effect: Addition 50 defense.]


    There was a total of 23 items to choose from in the unique rated production methods. Grid chose items that would strengthen Tiramet¡¯s advantages and even enhanced them using the remaining enhancement stones.


    ¡°The shoes and gloves are epic rated, but please use them for now. I will recreate them when I get Emous¡¯ gloves and shoes.


    ¡°I understand...¡±Tiramet was different from Iyarugt. He equipped the items and stood upright beside Grid. It was apliant attitude.


    ¡®Indeed. I¡¯ve known this since seeing the status window.¡¯Grid smiled.


    As Grid had expected, Tiramet was the perfect pet. In the case of Iyarugt, he had the stats and the nature of an NPC, while Tiramet hadpletely changed to the nature of a pet. Like pets, his summoning time was indefinite. This was why Grid greatly appreciated Tiramet. Right now, it was difficult because of Tiramet¡¯s depression and low level. Still, if he hunted with Grid, then his growth potential was high. There was plenty of room for him to be the best partner after Noe.


    ¡°Please serve me actively.¡±


    ¡°...I understand. I am honored to serve the master who has the Qualification of a Blood King.¡±


    ¡®Oh, this is great.¡¯


    Grid discovered why Tiramet¡¯s attitude waspliant. It wasn¡¯t just because Tiramet was a pet. He was also attracted to Grid¡¯s title. It was very positive news. Earl Elfin Stone was the most powerful noble that Grid had dealt with. Grid felt excited at the thought that he would one day summon Elfin Stone and have that guy be loyal to him.


    ¡®Iyarugt isn¡¯t a problem.¡¯


    In the meantime, Grid had entrusted Iyarugt to Peak Sword. Iyarugt¡¯s poor speech was somewhat annoying, but the main reason was that Iyarugt¡¯s sheath maximized Peak Sword¡¯s power. Grid had asked Peak Sword to raise Iyarugt by using it until Peak Sword obtained a better weapon. This was a win-win situation for Grid and Peak Sword.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid summoned the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, and Randy and started the full-scale exploration. As Grid, Tiramet, the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, and Randy headed deeper in thebyrinth, more and more messengers attacked the party.


    Galgunos¡ªhe was only the servant of a great demon, but he was a powerful lich. The statues in this temple released endless amounts of demonic energy, and Galgunos¡¯ messengers exerted an explosive attack power. They used the demonic energy of the temple as a resource and unleashed attack skills. However, the firepower wasn¡¯t enough to neutralize Tiramet who had be overgeared.


    [Your pet ¡®Tiramet¡¯ has recovered from some of the damage received.]


    [Your pet ¡®Tiramet¡¯ has recovered from some of the damage received.]


    [Your pet ¡®Tiramet¡¯ has recovered from some of the damag...]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Wave!¡±


    Tiramet was tanking while Grid and Randy attacked the messengers. The messengers were hit hard, but they were fearless and tried to counterattack. However, they were interrupted by the Overgeared Skeletons who shot the silver thread from a distance. Additionally, when there was a chance, they approached and broke bones, restricting the messengers¡¯ actions.


    ¡°Punish the intruders!¡±


    The monsters¡¯ fast recovery speed exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations. While Grid¡¯s party were busy dealing with 20 messengers, new enemies appeared in the rear. They were messengers wearing robes, not sheet armor.


    ¡°This is really...¡±Grid detected danger. It was as he had expected. The messengers in robes were magicians. They chanted spells, and red magic spheres were formed everywhere with the attack spells aiming at Grid¡¯s party. It wasn¡¯t a big threat to Grid, but it was different for Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons. Grid thought that Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons would have their summoning canceled.


    ¡®I wanted to raise their levels as much as possible...¡¯


    Then dozens of huge fireballs came flying. Grid wanted to intercept them with Transcended Link, but he soon realized it was pointless. An explosion would ur as soon as the fireballs and Transcended Link hit each other. Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons would have no defense against the ssh damage which would ur at that time. Lauel had said that in order to deal with the ¡®intermediate bosses¡¯, Grid shouldn¡¯t waste ckening or Quick Movements.


    This was the moment when Grid gave up on Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons.


    [Your pet ¡®Noe¡¯ has leveled up.]


    [Noe has reached level 100 and acquired a new skill.]


    This notification popped up the moment one of the messengers being attacked by Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons died.


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±At the rear of the party, Noe faced the flying magic and suddenly raised his paws. A lightning curtain appeared in front of Noe.It was a powerful shield that blocked all the spells shot by the messengers.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Itpletely destroyed dozens of spells...? Grid was more confused than the messengers. Laughter rang out in the midst of the silence, ¡°Nyahahahat! This is a memphis, the best demonic beast of hell... Nyang...¡±


    The situation was reversed again by Noe¡¯s actions. Grid entrusted the messengers in front to Tiramet and shot to the rear, using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Link, to quickly neutralize the magicians. After that, Grid took care of all the messengers attached to Tiramet before confirming Noe¡¯s status window. Grid was curious about Noe¡¯s new skill.


    [Be Majestic (SSS)]


    [Hell¡¯s best demonic beast, a memphis, has pushed the power of the thunder stone to the limit. A shield of lightning that blocks all attacks will be created for two seconds.


    Cooldown Time: 30 minutes


    * The user will be drained for one minute after using the skill.]


    ¡°I love you, Noe.¡± Grid¡¯s words were sincere. There was love in Grid¡¯s actions as he hugged Noe tightly and rubbed his face against the fur. Noe purred like he was happy. After that...


    ¡°Grid, I also raised my level. You should hug me as well.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Randy. I¡¯ll do it once the transformation is released.¡±


    ck!ck ck ck!


    ¡°Overgeared Skeletons, I also congratte you.¡±


    Grid moved through the templebyrinth rapidly. His speed was at least four times faster than Pon, Regas, and Chris who were soloing at different locations in thebyrinth. The experience gauge of Noe, who had evolved and had his level reset, and Tiramet rose quickly in just half an hour. Grid¡¯s experience gauge was the same.


    It was a moment of regret for the experts who had been talking about the fact that Grid had fallen to the 80th rank in the past year.

 Chapter 929

    Lim Cheolho was the first to build a concert hall. The world¡¯srgest concert hall withplete acoustics was born in Seoul. Why bother to build a concert hall? In the interviews, he dismissed it as being a ssical music enthusiast, but...


    ¡°I think differently. Lim Cheolho is revealing his ambition.¡±


    Two men were sitting side by side in the S.A Concert Hall where Mozart¡¯s Magic Flute was being yed. The middle-aged man was the director of OGC, Lee Gookrae, and the white-haired gentleman was the president of OGC, Kim Jaeshik.


    ¡°In the past 300 years, Mozart¡¯s music has been ying nonstop. It is yed every single day all over the world.¡±


    There were often people who misunderstood ssical music as an antiquated culture. Many people mistook it for the culture of a certain ss, which rich people used as a means to fill their vanity. They didn¡¯t know that it was a fact that people unconsciously hummed ssical music.


    ¡°Over 1,000 albums containing Mozart¡¯s music have been released, and hundreds of millions of copies have been sold worldwide.¡±Kim Jaeshik had the wisdom of someone over 60 years old. That¡¯s why he was the president of OGC, a leading gaming station in modern society. After a short introduction, he got to the main point. ¡°Lim Cheolho is dreaming that Satisfy will be a ssic. He hopes that the orchestra (yers) will y the song (game) he made for eternity. Is the best maestro of this time Grid? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Lee Gookrae thought it was an appropriate analogy. Whenever he appeared in public, Lim Cheolho never referred to Satisfy as a game. Instead, he expressed it as another world. He wanted Satisfy to be like music thatsted forever. He wanted it to go down in history. Satisfy¡¯s history was currently being created by a master called Grid. Chairman Lim Cheolho couldn¡¯t be too happy that Grid wasn¡¯t participating in the best stage called the National Competition.


    ¡°Even if Grid doesn¡¯t participate in the National Competition, don¡¯t you think that Chairman Lim Cheolho would somehow ce Grid on stage?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The yer Grid might refuse, but he will be ced on stage in a different role. Of course, he will sprinkle a better reward than a gold medal as bait.¡±


    ¡°A role other than a yer?¡±


    ¡°It is our job to find out what that role is. I¡¯m personally anticipating the Breaking the Hero event.¡±


    Breaking the Herost year, the hero had copied 100% of the specs of thest PvP winner while the other participants challenged the hero. It was an intuitive reminder of how far the yers had progressed during the year. There were elements that excited the audience.


    ¡°The hero this year is Grid... What if it isn¡¯t the artificial intelligence controlling it but Grid himself?¡±


    Last year¡¯s hero had been Kraugel. However, it couldn¡¯t really be called Kraugel. It was because the artificial intelligence, not Kraugel, had been controlling it. This was poison. The artificial intelligence might¡¯ve reproduced Kraugel¡¯s control skills, but it had failed to copy his senses. The result was that itsbat power fell far below the original¡¯s.


    On the other hand, it was spected that this year¡¯s hero would be better. The hero Grid waspletely different from the hero Kraugel. Grid didn¡¯t have awe-inspiring control or senses; his skills were rtively normal (?) for a high ranker. It was why many experts and enthusiasts were looking forward to the 4th National Competition¡¯s Breaking the Hero.


    They all wanted to see an AI y Grid¡¯s character. They wondered how much better Grid would be if he had more talent. Yet what if the hero was controlled by Grid this year, unlike what people expected? Lee Gookrae and Kim Jaeshik got goosebumps at the thought.


    They seemed to see the reactions of the audience members in front of them. The audience would be confused when the artificial intelligence Grid¡¯sbat power turned out to be far less than expected. However, they wouldn¡¯t boo him. Grid was still strong, and all the other participants would kneel before him.


    In the silence, Grid would open his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m Grid!¡±


    The difference of one year was meaningless before him. The ¡®Grid¡¯ fromst year could overwhelm them now. There was no need for artificial intelligence. Grid¡¯s words filled with provocation and arrogance would enthrall the audience.


    ¡°It would be the best topic of the National Competition.¡±


    ¡°Right? Grid is the best device to excite the audience. I can¡¯t imagine a National Competition without him. In this National Competition, our station will focus on the ¡®enemies¡¯ that the yers will face, not the yers. Then we will find Grid faster than anyone else and catch the scoop.¡±


    It was a gamble, but it was a gamble with enough odds. Lee Gookrae recalled the updated rankings from yesterday. Grid¡¯s ranking, which had been falling for the past year, had been rising steeply for several days.


    ¡®The reason he started hunting again is to train his control before the National Competition... In order to make the most of the National Competition...¡¯


    Grid was trying to deceive the whole world. He was indeed a natural born star. Director Lee Gookrae couldn¡¯t control his quickly beating heart.


    ***


    [Tiramet¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Randy¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Noe¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Noe¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton 1¡¯s and Overgeared Skeleton 2¡¯s levels have risen.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton 1¡¯s and Overgeared Skeleton 2¡¯s levels have risen.]


    ¡°Control is nonsense. The game is about pets.¡±


    Grid distributed experience points to his pets every time a monster was hunted. However, he didn¡¯t feel bitter about this. His hunting speed increased noticeably as his pets¡¯ levels rose. The Galgunos Temple, which had forced him to maintain his tension four days ago, now felt asfortable as his home. Of course, the appearance of the ¡®intermediate boss¡¯ would still cause pressure.


    ¡°Um... Is it still too unreasonable to challenge downstairs?¡±


    The Galgunos Temple was abyrinth withplex straight pathways crossing each other as well as spiral staircases all over the ce. There were stairs leading to the basement, and the intermediate boss appeared at every ce close to the staircases, causing the difficulty of thebyrinth to rise sharply. Grid expected that hell would unfold as soon as he went down the stairs.


    The Overgeared Skeletons started cking when they saw Grid shrink back. They wereughing at him. It was like they were mocking Grid for being a coward. Noe hit the skulls of the Overgeared Skeletons with his paws and said,¡°The moment you go down, the skeletons will be enemies, nyang.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared Skeletons will be enemies?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, nyang. There is the nasty smell of a lich. Skeletons can¡¯t oppose a lich¡¯s orders and will be ves, nyang. Not Noe, a ve!¡± (Remember, Noe sounds close to the Korean word for ve.)


    ¡°Really?¡± Grid had already known that Galgunos was a lich. He had believed that the Overgeared Skeletons would someday be a great help if he had to raid the Galgunos... yet they would be enemies instead? ¡°Then I can¡¯t use the Overgeared Skeletons when facing Agnus¡¯ lich... Kuk?¡± Grid suddenly stepped back in horror.


    It was because the intermediate boss had appeared. A dagger was embedded in the ground where Grid had just been standing.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t near the stairs...?¡¯


    Was the range of the intermediate bosses expanding? Grid was filled with an ominous feeling, and he raised his head. The ¡®follower of the war god¡¯ who escaped from its grave was looking at Grid. The followers of the war god were undead monsters Grid hadn¡¯t encountered yet.


    It was actually amazing. The monster was very fast despite being undead. The headless rider, that was like a duhan, rushed at a fast speed. Unlike a duhan, its head was fully attached.


    [You have suffered 8,940 damage.]


    Grid groaned as he was pierced with a rusty sword. Tiramet and Randy btedly responded and tried to keep the follower away from Grid.


    ¡°...Battle gear... mountain... where...¡±


    ¡°Where is that? I don¡¯t know! You crazy bastard!¡± Grid swung the Enlightenment Sword, and a red lightning bolt fell.


    The war god follower was struck by the lightning and flinched. It resisted the electric shock and cut at Tiramet and Randy with the rusty de. Tiramet had an excellent recovery rate and survived while Randy luckily fought back with Revolve. Grid didn¡¯t miss this gap. His level of control was already far beyond an ordinary ranker¡¯s. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship pierced the gap precisely and struck the war god follower. However...


    ¡°...Battle gear... mountain... where...¡± The undead follower didn¡¯t feel any pain or fear and repeated the same words. Instead of shrinking back every time it was attacked, the undead follower fired back immediately. This was not a technique but an inherent ability of the followers.


    Whenever it was hit, the undead follower would counterattack to return the damage. It was a fraudulent ability. For melee sses, the war god followers were perfect counters.


    ¡®Counterattacking with the amount that it is hit... It is also a boss with millions of health. Who can catch this one-on-one?¡¯


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t fighting one-on-one right now. It was five to one. No, it was seven to one. Of course, Grid was the one with seven people. The counterattack was easily blocked by the de Aiming at the Gods. Grid started a sword dance right away while shouting to the light elemental, ¡°sh!¡±


    It happened the moment themand was given. The light elemental shot a strong burst of light at the follower. It was a spell that caused blindness for 0.3 seconds. The effect of blindness meant it was impossible for the follower to attack.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    Grid, who was already using cksmith¡¯s Rage and ckening, released the ultimate sword dance while the follower moved its sword through the air blindly with blood pouring down. Thendy luck smiled on Grid.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    He used the ultimate sword dance two times consecutively thanks to God¡¯s Command. The follower screamed as it turned to ashes.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The Spectre¡¯s Equipment Fragment has been acquired.]


    [The Sword Grave¡¯s Map Fragment (6) has been acquired.]


    Experience had been expected due to the nature of the hunting grounds, but Grid also gained an unexpected benefit. The Sword Grave¡ªit was the ce where Pagma had spent hisst years and Braham¡¯s body was known to be buried there.


    ¡°Is this the mountain of battle gear?¡± Grid¡¯s shaking fingers spread open the map fragment. What had happened between Galgunos¡¯ followers, and why did the followers of the war god want to find the Sword Grave even after death? Such questions were unnecessary.


    Grid was only thinking about one thing.


    ¡°If Iplete the map...¡±


    Braham¡ªthe precious name that Grid didn¡¯t want to forget revolved around his mind. His expectations for the hidden pieces became greater.

 Chapter 930

    The Sword Grave was an open ins area with 4,179 swords stabbed into the ground. Of these swords, 3,580 were insignificant while 599 were significant. The 599 swords rotated to the left or right, changing the orientation and slope of the ins depending on how they were turned. Think of it as a lock with tens of thousands of patterns. As the puzzle progressed, the ins turned into a hill which was the appropriate form for a so-called ¡®grave.¡¯


    ¡°Dammit. The pattern has changed again.¡±


    They turned the 423rd sword to the left, and the positions of the 1st¨C422nd swords were reset. The hill, which had emerged, sank again and became a ins. Skunk pped and tried to reassure his colleagues, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break before trying again. Don¡¯t be nervous because there are only a few more left.¡±


    ¡°Okay~ Let¡¯s log out and eat.¡±


    The Skunk Expedition Group had been investigating the Sword Grave for one year and four months. They had been trying to find the location of the Sword Grave for a year, then they spent four months figuring out the pattern of opening the grave. Despite having repeated the same thing thousands of times, made mistakes, and failed, the Skunk Expedition Group was still full of motivation.


    Digging up hidden histories and mysteries was the ultimate fun that they pursued. Yes, concepts such as level and rankings were stories they had no interest in.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit strange?¡± Someone questioned Skunk as he sat in the barracks and looked at the pattern of the swords. She was the second person in charge of the Skunk Expedition Group and 9th ranked explorer, Dog Woman.¡°This ce is associated with Pagma. It is a ce that Pagma¡¯s Descendant should¡¯ve visited.¡±


    There was no one in the world who didn¡¯t know who Pagma¡¯s Descendant was. It was Grid.


    ¡°Can Grid solve thisplex pattern? It took us a few months with 80 experts like us. It is strange no matter how I think about it. The Sword Grave was originally a trial for an individual, but the difficulty is too high.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have any skills rted to exploration. Could he alone grasp the tens of thousands of patterns and reveal the secret of the grave? It was physically impossible.


    ¡°Of course, Grid is a king and can mobilize many people... But what if Pagma¡¯s Descendant is someone other than Grid? What is they weren¡¯t a king? Does it make sense that Pagma¡¯s Descendant would have to solve this problem alone?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± The curious Skunk turned his gaze toward Dog Woman.


    Dog Woman looked anxious.¡°There must be an easier way to open the grave. We are currently using the hardest way.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± It was a usible argument. In fact, Skunk had the same thought as Dog Woman, but he had realized it toote. Skunk shook his head.¡°It is toote even if your thoughts are true. We have already figured out some rules of the pattern and the key up to the 422nd sword. We can¡¯t waste time and manpower searching for a new method.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t long to go. The Skunk Expedition Group was expected to open the grave within the next two months. It was extremely inefficient to find a new method and study it. Additionally, it would adversely affect the morale of the members. Dog Woman nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not telling you toe up with a new way. I¡¯m just saying that it would be better to explore in more diverse ways when exploring new ces in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. We will think of this exploration as a study.¡±


    ¡°Yes. By the way, I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing what is hidden inside the grave. If there are any items or quests rted to Pagma¡¯s Descendant, we may be able to sell them to Grid at a high price...¡±


    ¡°The negotiations should be leisurely. After all, Grid is the one in a disadvantageous position.¡±


    A few months or a few yearster,Grid would also find this ce. Then he would be nervous when he saw the empty tomb. Once his nervousness reached the peak, it would be the most appropriate timing for trading. Skunk believed that the treasures inside the Sword Grave already belonged to him.


    ***


    A white horse ran through thebyrinth, and the man on the horse looked behind him. A zombie wearing rotten clothes was chasing the horse.


    ¡°Dammit. Why did this bastarde out here?¡±The man on the horse, Pon, trembled. It was the ¡®war god follower who escaped from the grave¡¯¡ªthe worst monster for a party without tankers or magicians to deal with. Pon had never dealt with them one-on-one. He had been hunting in ces away from the stairs so that he wouldn¡¯t meet the followers. However, the range of the followers¡¯ activities expanded, and Pon became a chased rat.


    ¡®That Regas bastard, did he do something?¡¯


    Pon remembered his colleagues who were hunting in the Galgunos Temple and was forced to suspect Regas. Based on Regas¡¯ nature of pursuing a difficult fight rather than a winning one, it was highly likely that he had provoked the war god¡¯s followers.


    ¡®He is the enemy!¡¯


    Almost at the end of the straight passage, Pon realized he could no longer escape. The moment the horse changed its direction, Pon judged that the war god follower would catch up.


    ¡®Push through them with a charging skill.¡¯


    Confronting the followers head-on was foolish. Fighting monsters that counterattacked with 100% of the melee damage would just be a loss. Was Pon stupid enough to dig his own grave? As the white horse reached the end of the passage, it faced the wall and turned to the passage to the left.


    The war god follower didn¡¯t miss this gap. It crossed the distance and stabbed its sword. However, Pon had predicted this situation and responded calmly. He twisted his waist to avoid the de and wielded his spear. The body of the war god follower was hit hard in the chest, and it flew through the air.


    The white horse turned to the left, Pon swung the spear, and the follower flew through the air¡ªthese three scenes unfolded at the same time, giving the illusion that time had stopped. Then the war god follower rolled along the ground. The white horse entered the passage to the left and started to run at full speed again.


    ¡°Phew.¡±Pon managed to slip away. At this point, he just needed to open the distance as much as possible and he could escape safely. Yet the moment Pon thought this...


    ¡°Aaaaaaack!¡±


    He heard a scream from the other side of the dark passage, and a new war god follower appeared. Pon frowned.¡°It came...¡±


    The new war god follower was chasing Regas, who was running toward Pon.


    ¡°Hey, hey! Shit! Don¡¯te my way!¡± Pon freaked out and shouted curses. However, it didn¡¯t discourage Regas. After all, his head would fly away if he stopped now.


    ¡°S-Save me...! Uwah!¡± In fact, Regas felt like he had found a line of rescue. He felt hopeful that afterbining strength with Pon, they could fight against the war god followers. Then he noticed the war god follower behind Pon. Regas¡¯ vision became blurry when he learned that, just like him, Pon was being chased. Tears blurred Regas¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to pull yourself together?¡±Pon¡¯s voice entered his ears and woke up Regas¡¯ spirit. Pon¡¯s spear stabbed the face of the war god follower chasing Regas.


    ¡°Cough!¡±Pon coughed up blood from the counterattack. Meanwhile, Regas was hitting the chest of the follower chasing Pon. The war god follower was kicked far away due to the feature of the kick. Regas didn¡¯t keep fighting. Instead, he climbed behind Pon on the white horse and shouted, ¡°Pon, what are you going? You should¡¯ve used a pushing skill like me! Don¡¯t you know you will be hit back?¡±


    ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t want to be hit.¡± Pon found it troublesome to exin that his pushing skill was on cooldown. He barely contained his boiling killing intent and nned to escape thisbyrinth. At this time...


    Kuaaaaaaah-!


    ¡°....!?¡±


    Another new war god follower appeared in front of them, blocking the way. The startled white horse suddenly stopped, and Regas fell down.


    ¡°Ouch...¡±


    [Your left arm has been fractured.]


    It was a severe fracture, which wouldst for maybe 20 seconds. Regas grabbed his left arm and looked around.He was surrounded by three war god followers.¡°What a surprise...¡±


    Pon responded to Regas with a shocked expression, ¡°It wasn¡¯t your work? I thought this was due to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I couldn¡¯t beat them, so I stayed away from the stairs...¡±


    ¡°Then who did this? Is this Chris¡¯ work?¡±


    What damn bastard angered the war god¡¯s followers? Pon wanted to know the truth. It was too unfair to die without knowing why. It would seem less unfair if there was someone to curse. The war god followers no longer ran. They weren¡¯t in a hurry because their prey was surrounded in a one-way passage. Now, they just had to eat.


    ¡°Battle gear... mountain... where...¡±


    ¡°...Battle gear... mountain... where...¡±


    The followers around Pon and Regas raised their knives.


    ¡°No. If you have a question, you should wait for an answer before attacking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Followers of the war god! Put down your des until we hear the answer!¡±


    It didn¡¯t work.The followers of the war god moved their swords. Then it was at this moment that...


    ¡°Way of the Tyrant.¡±


    The wholebyrinth shook with a sound so loud it gave the illusion of water buffalos charging forth. Pon, Regas, and the followers turned their heads in the direction of the sound and witnessed a person holding a greatsword. It was the emergence of the 1st ce ranker, Chris.


    ¡°1,000 Ton Sword!¡±


    This was pure physical force. The heavy greatsword mmed into the skull of a follower, and the follower was deeply embedded into the ground. The follower of the war god was crushed by the strong weight and screamed without showing the ¡®counterattack¡¯ characteristic. Chris used the buff of a tyrant and didn¡¯t allow the enemy to resist.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°Chris is...¡±


    Pon and Regas were captivated as the follower of the war god lost half its health from one blow. Not many people in the world could bear Chris¡¯ incredible power. Chris shouted at them, ¡°What are you doing? Run away!¡±


    ¡°Run? Aren¡¯t we going to fight?¡±


    ¡°What fighting? They are monsters who counterattack up to the 10 Ton Sword! There is no dealing with them while 100 Ton Sword and 1,000 Ton Sword are on cooldown!¡±


    New colleagues continued to join, but the situation wasn¡¯t getting better. Then it happened while Pon and Regas were running through the opening that Chris had created.


    ¡°Give me a map,¡± a new voice rang out from behind them. The voice was scarier than the cracked voices of the war god followers. Dozens of white lights bombarded the followers of the war god. It was a powerful magic bombardment that made the war god followers feel distressed, despite them being known for their physical and magic resistance.


    Had an army of magicians appeared? The surprised Chris, Pon, and Regas turned their eyes in the direction of the magic. At that ce...


    ¡°Spit out the map.¡±


    There was only one person. It was Grid who was surrounded by mes. He held a staff instead of a sword in his hands.


    ¡°Queen¡¯s mes of Hell.¡±


    The ultimate magic of Belial¡¯s Power was opened. It consumed 90% of the maximum mana and dealt catastrophic damage to the targets. The damage was determined in proportion to the user¡¯s magic power and the maximum health of the target. Grid made the war god followers unable to fight with a single blow. A war god follower rolled across the ground as his legs and arms started to melt.


    ¡°...¡±


    Had he be stronger? The absent-minded Chris and Pon came to their senses when they heard Regas¡¯ voice ring out, ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s help Grid!¡±


    ¡°Eh. Uh, huh...?¡±


    Help...? Who?


    Chris, Pon, and Regas stopped in ce. Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, the light elemental, and summoned vampires were forcing the war god followers onto the defensive. The followers of the war god couldn¡¯t easily break through the defenses of the vampires and pets due to the interference of the light sword. Grid also constantly summoned magic by utilizing the effects of Belial¡¯s Staff.


    ¡°...That is a cksmith, you know.¡±


    Grid destroyed the war god followers without wielding a sword... At this point, it was believable to call him a necromancer+magician. The three of them wondered what the necromancer rankers who imed to be a ¡®one-man army¡¯ would say if they saw the current Grid.


    Grid shouted at the three people who lost their souls, ¡°Hiik! Hey! What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you going to help me? Uwaahh!¡±


    Belial¡¯s Power was a fraudulent skill, but it onlysted for two minutes. Grid lost his mes and ran away with Noe. His other swordsmanship skills were on cooldown because he had just dealt with other followers of the war god.

 Chapter 931

    ¡°Luck¡¯s ss is rted to the war god.¡±Chris whistled after killing thest war god follower. It was a type of sigh.


    Luck¡¯s name was also familiar to Grid. ¡°Ares¡¯ subordinate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Among Ares¡¯ three men, he is one of the strongest three. Like the war god¡¯s followers, he has the passive skill to unconditionally counterattack. He is a headache to fight. I can¡¯t count how many times the Giant Guild was beaten by him.¡±


    ¡°Luck is very strong. I fought with him frequently in my beginner days and lost.¡±


    ¡°Regas, you lost? Is the unconditional counterattack skill that fraudulent?¡±


    ¡°Haha. At that time, Luck didn¡¯t have the counterattack skill. He was an ordinary martial artist like me. I was beaten with pure talent. Well, my level was lower at the time.¡±


    Regas was a genius. He couldn¡¯t lose just because his level was inferior. It was correct to say that the other person was also a genius.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid became tense as he was reminded of the fact that the world was wide and there were many strong people. If the Ares Army were to participate in this year¡¯s National Competition, it would be much harder for Grid to y the role of the adversary.


    ¡®Now that Kraugel is over level 300...¡¯


    Kraugel had gone to the final stages of the PvP after bing a Sword Saint and having his level reset. How strong would he be this year after recovering his level? Could Grid glimpse the true power of a Sword Saint, the ultimatebat ss? Pon saw the sinister smile that appeared on Grid¡¯s face and asked, ¡°What is so good? Did you get what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Good? Me?¡±


    ¡°Eh. You keep smiling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m smiling?¡±


    ¡°Hoh? Based on this expression, are you thinking about your lover? Yura? Jishuka? Or both?¡±


    Grid felt tense yet he was smiling. It was proof that Grid was enjoying the tension. Getting rid of his smile, Grid shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I didn¡¯t get the things I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then what is it that you are looking for? You keep talking about a map. What is the map?¡±


    ¡°There is a ce called the Sword Grave that is rted to Pagma and Braham. The location is indicated on the map. The war god followers drop the map pieces.¡±


    ¡°What do the war god followers have to do with them?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know. I will discover it gradually.¡±


    It was a ce involving two former legends. The group easily noticed it was a very important ce for Grid, and they wanted to help him.


    ¡°You need to hunt the war god followers in earnest. Let¡¯s group up and fight.¡±


    Grid asked them, ¡°Aren¡¯t all of you busy preparing for the National Competition? You have to raise your level while hunting.¡±


    If the goal was simply leveling up, then ying solo was better. The main way to raise their level was to hunt normal monsters as quickly as possible. There would be too little experience to gain if they joined a party with a person who had several pets. What about a raid party? The speed of hunting was slow, which meant leveling up was slow. Grid felt burdened from the excessive favor.


    However, Pon didn¡¯t allow him to refuse.¡°You shouldn¡¯t be too moderate. I sometimes miss the Grid who was more selfish than anyone else.¡±


    The more things that people had, the more they desired. People¡¯s greed would grow even greater. Grid was the opposite, so it felt both fresh and worrying. When people were about to die, they would change, and Pon was worried Grid might be the same. Chris and Regas felt the same way.


    ¡°Yes, Grid. Let¡¯s fight together until you collect all the maps.¡±


    ¡°We are happy to help.¡±


    Grid muttered, ¡°Really. Why do you want to help me when the National Competition isn¡¯t far away? You have to take care of your own rice bowl.¡±


    ¡°The National Competition is important, but you are more important.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m getting goosebumps!¡±


    ¡°Goosebumps? I learned it from you. Stop nagging and form a party.¡±


    ***


    In the end, he formed a party with Pon¡¯s group.


    Grid alone was able to target the war god followers just with Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, the ck mes, and when ckening was activated, but it was different in Pon¡¯s party. With them, he could raid the followers even when his skills were on cooldown. Chris¡¯ heavy sword neutralized the followers for a second, and Regas was able to strike at all the joints of the followers thanks to the Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment that Grid had given him. Meanwhile, Pon¡¯s sharp attacks dealt serious blows to the followers.


    [A war god follower who has escaped from the grave has been destroyed.]


    [21,506,070 experience will be divided.]


    [Party leader Grid has acquired the Sword Grave¡¯s Map Fragment (2).]


    ¡°The experience gained is more than I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°It is because they are too strong.¡±


    A week after forming the party...


    The expressions of the party members were bright after Grid finished half the map. They had teamed up purely for the sake of helping Grid, but the experience that umted wasn¡¯t bad. At this pace, they would be able to achieve their goal of gaining one level before the National Competition.


    It was thanks to Grid¡¯s unrealistic attack power. Every time Grid swung the glowing Enlightenment Sword, the war god followers lost a significant amount of health. The party members could then concentrate on their role as supporters without worry. They focused solely on neutralizing the followers so that counterattacks couldn¡¯t be used.


    Kuwaaaang!Another war god follower was swept away by an explosion. The mes that the Enlightenment Sword emitted seemed to swallow up the war god followers. Chris carefully asked a question, ¡°Grid, speaking of your sword... It isn¡¯t due to the ¡®coolness¡¯ option from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility but the sessful enhancement?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is only +4, but this is a myth rated weapon. So, the appearance changed.


    ¡°What? +4? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be almost impossible to raise the enhancement level of a myth rated item?¡±


    Considering the base damage of myth rated weapons, the increase in attack power after being enhanced would be enormous.Yet it was +4...? Gridughed at the astonished party members. ¡°I am a lucky person.¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    This was Grid who failed repeatedly. In particr, the early members of the Overgeared Guild knew just how unlucky Grid was. The party found it funny when Grid said he was lucky, but they had to acknowledge that it wasn¡¯t a joke because the Enlightenment Sword had obviously gotten stronger.


    Then Pon asked a question he had buried in his heart, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you participating in this year¡¯s National Competition if you are so strong?¡±


    Chris and Regas were curious too. Why would Grid skip the National Competition when he could definitely get some gold medal rewards? Everyone was focused on Grid¡¯s answer. Grid was reminded of the terms of the contract with the S.A Group, which stated he shouldn¡¯t leak information about the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event to the outside world.


    ¡°Just know that it isn¡¯t in my nature to lose.¡± He couldn¡¯t add anything else. There were no more words to say, and the situation suddenly changed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Was there a volcano erupting nearby? As Grid¡¯s party moved forward, the hugebyrinth started to shake like it would copse right away. They prepared skills and potions in preparation for the uing shock.


    [A change has been detected in the underground of the Galgunos Temple.]


    [After confirming that his army has been reduced, Galgunos warns the intruders upstairs.]


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die... Get out now...¡±


    [A voice filled with strong magic power affects your heart and mind.]


    [The chaos, fear, and mental breakdown states have ovee you.]


    [The effect of the mental breakdown has quickly depleted your mana. 1,000 mana will be lost per second for one minute. Mana potions can¡¯t be taken for 10 minutes.]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±The party members grunted with pain. They leaned against a wall and sweat dripped down Grid was the only one who was fine.


    ¡®We didn¡¯t enter the boss room, but the boss came out?¡¯


    Grid got a chill. The intermediate bosses of the Galgunos Temple¡ªthe ¡®war god followers who escaped from the grave¡¯¡ªwere on the level of elite monsters. The Galgunos Temple was more dangerous than the Overgeared Guild¡¯s previous investigation, and the boss was likely to overwhelm the noble-grade vampires. It was as he expected.


    ¡°This is unpleasant...¡± [Tiramet has returned to his coffin.]


    ¡°I¡¯m scared...¡±[Randy has run away.]


    ¡°Hanyaaang... Sleepy, ong...¡± [Noe feels sleepy. All of Noe¡¯s mana has been depleted.]


    Galgunos was a terrifying boss. Without appearing, he had already neutralized the elite party with just a ¡®warning.¡¯ The members would slowly recover after a minute, but it would take 24 hours before Grid could summon his pets again. What if the war god followers attacked during this time?


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous...¡¯


    It was a dungeon that made numerical superiority obsolete. The Overgeared members wouldn¡¯t be able to conquer this ce until they learned how to deal with ¡®mental breakdown.¡¯ Grid was preparing for a raid on his own when his eyes widened. His shaky gaze was on the two skeletons.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One is dancing.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two is using ¡®Ridicule.¡¯]


    The contents of the notification window were the same. Overgeared Skeleton One was shaking his shoulders and corbones to an excited rhythm, while Overgeared Skeleton Two moved his jaw. They weren¡¯t affected by Galgunos¡¯ mental breakdown.


    ¡®Is it because they are skeletons?¡¯


    Skeletons had no brains. They had no mental state to be weakened in the first ce. Grid was trying to dismiss the matter as insignificant when he recalled Noe¡¯s words.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t Noe say that the lich exerts power over the undead?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t make sense for the Overgeared Skeletons to resist mental breakdown just because they didn¡¯t have brains. Rather, the Overgeared Skeletons should¡¯ve been more affected by Galgunos¡¯ warning. At least, that would be the case if the Overgeared Skeletons were normal undead.


    Yet, how were the Overgeared Skeletons normal undead? These guys weren¡¯t ordinary skeletons. They were a legacy left by the vampire Latina, and even Braham wasn¡¯t able to measure their strength. They were skeletons equipped with intelligence and capable of learning and emotions. A new notification window popped up.


    [A change has been detected in the underground of the Galgunos Temple.]


    [After confirming that he was mocked, Galgunos warns the upstairs intruders.]¡±


    ¡°Beriache¡¯s experiments dare...! I will kill you if you don¡¯t stopughing right now!!


    [A voice filled with strong magic power affects your heart and mind.]


    [The chaos, fear, and mental breakdown states have ovee you.]


    [Mental breakdown is stacked on, and the mana depletion speed has increased. The time required for recovery has doubled.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two is using ¡®Ridicule.¡¯]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One has learned ¡®Ridicule.¡¯]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One is using ¡®Ridicule.¡¯]


    ¡°These guys!! I will turn you into powder!¡±


    [The angered Galgunos is calling for his experimental bodies.]


    [A war god follower, who learned two secret techniques, has discovered your position.]


    There were continuous explosions from far away. The walls seemed to be breaking in order for the true ¡®intermediate boss¡¯ to get here quickly.


    ¡°G-Guys? Quickly get up.¡± Grid tried hitting the cheeks of hispanions, but it was useless. None of them regained their spirits. This meant Grid had to fight alone for one minute. ¡°This really sucks.¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    No matter what Grid felt, the Overgeared Skeletons were stillughing.

 Chapter 932

    ¡°I am nning to increase the number of subordinate guilds under the Overgeared Guild. The leader of the guild should be one of Grid¡¯s close aides.¡±


    They werecking talents.


    Lauel habitually grumbled about this, but it was from the blind perspective of someone at the top. The Overgeared Guild was full of people. It was no longer possible to maintain only two guilds because they had reached the maximum capacity of each guild. Just asrgepanies had affiliates, it was time for them to separate their guilds.


    ¡°It is a prudent matter, and I n to implement it gradually. But I need to set up the Shadows group as soon as possible. Today would be good. As you know, it is the busiest organization, and it is urgent to recruit people...¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to take care of it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Can you do it?¡±Lauel¡¯s attitude was cautious.


    Currently, the members of Overgeared Guild One were treated as ¡®knights¡¯ under Piaro, and they received apensation effect to their stats. Their stats would drop the moment they left Overgeared Guild One. Now, Lauel was forced to sacrifice Faker, who had been with them since the time of the Tzedakah Guild. Lauel felt sorry about this, and his heart was heavy.


    Faker nodded with a calm expression. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t present any conditions or show that he was upset. In fact, he would do anything for Grid and the guild. This was Faker. Faker¡¯s cool answer made Lauel feel more like a sinner.¡°I¡¯d rather you be angry.¡±


    Guilds had levels. The Overgeared Guild One, where Grid was the leader, had reached the max level. In addition to the knight buffs, all sorts of conveniences were provided. On the other hand, the Overgeared Shadows Guild would start at level one and wouldn¡¯t have any conveniences. The disadvantages Faker would face weren¡¯t just to do with the loss of stats.


    Yet he responded like this? Lauel had expected it, but once it actually happened, he couldn¡¯t help scratching his head. Faker kept speaking with his nk expression, ¡°I was prepared to do this one day. Additionally...¡±


    Was Lauel mistaken about Faker¡¯s lips curving upward? Lauel rubbed his eyes as he heard Faker¡¯s words.


    ¡°In my grandfather¡¯s country, there is a saying that a dog who attends Seodang (private schools for teaching Chinese ssics) for three years will be able to recite Chinese scrolls. I am confident that I can develop and run a guild. Believe in me.¡±


    As the shadow of the Overgeared Guild, Faker had been working with Lauel for many years. He had observed Lauel more closely than anyone else had done and naturally learned many things.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    On this day, Faker left Overgeared Guild One and established the Overgeared Shadows Guild. All the assassin yers belonging to Overgeared Guild One moved to the Overgeared Shadows, while some of those on the waiting list started with the Overgeared Shadows.


    Thergest ever assassin guild was created. They were a knife just for Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    ¡°Damn these guys. Kids, stop aggravating him,¡±Grid begged, but the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ Ridicule didn¡¯t stop.


    Grid felt like a nasty viin.


    ¡®If I think of the person called Galgunos...¡¯


    Galgunos was just trying to send away the people invading his house, only for the crazy robbers to keep mocking him without knowing how to be grateful. It was enough to cause a discussion on morality.


    ¡°...Well, people are viins. There is no need to think about the monster. Yes, this is it. Overgeared Skeletons,ugh to your hearts¡¯ content. Keep going. His name is Galgunos. I will give him the nickname of Galgu.¡±


    The sound of the walls breaking apart got nearer. It meant that the ¡®war god follower who learned two secret techniques¡¯ was narrowing the distance. Now, it was unavoidable. Grid was filled with an eerie sense of excitement as he held the Enlightenment Sword with the de Aiming at the Gods and light elemental floating beside him.


    ¡®What is the level of the real intermediate boss?¡¯


    ording to Lauel¡¯s report, the Overgeared members had explored the Temple of Shadows and Galgunos¡¯ Temple. They found that the ¡®intermediate boss¡¯ who appeared on the first floor of the temple was ¡®war god follower who escaped from the grave.¡¯


    This ¡®intermediate boss¡¯ was dangerous. Their attack power and agility wereparable to Grid¡¯s, their defense was simr to Vantner¡¯s, and they had a health of at least nine million. They even possessed the skill of unconditional counterattack. It was one skill, but the skill was too fraudulent. The basic specs were also high, so it was advised to avoid a one-on-one fight.


    Yes, Lauel and the Overgeared members misunderstood that the war god followers who escaped from the grave were the intermediate bosses because of how strong they were. In fact, they were also a threat to Grid.


    Then what was the truth? This powerful boss monster wasn¡¯t the intermediate boss. Based on the number that appeared, they were elite monsters. They were below the second-grade war god follower who was called by Galgunos. In other words, it was unknown how powerful the true intermediate boss was.


    ¡®I can get a hint from the name.¡¯Grid¡¯s thoughts elerated.¡®They can use two skills. The followers who escaped from the grave only have the counterattack, but the one approaching right now has another difficulty.


    ¡®In normal dungeons, the difference between elite monsters and the intermediate boss is at least 30¨C60 levels. A monster¡¯s stats scale up by level, meaning the difference with the yer¡¯s stats will be significant.


    ¡®Now, the most important thing is health. It will be really hard if they have twice the health. If thebo of ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, sh, and Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle doesn¡¯t kill it, I have to be prepared to die.¡¯


    His elerated thoughts didn¡¯t lead him to an answer. If everything could be solved by thinking, there would be no war or hunger in the world.


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯ll find out soon.¡±


    Grid currently didn¡¯t have any information. He didn¡¯t know if the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques was undead or alive like the war god followers who escaped from the grave. Its secret techniques were also unknown. Basically, Grid didn¡¯t know anything, and it was meaningless to think.


    In this sort of situation, he knew from experience that it was better to just empty his head. Grid wasn¡¯t prideful or arrogant. He was a veteran who hadn¡¯t stopped ying Satisfy since the day he started Satisfy.


    ¡°ckening. Quick Movements. cksmith¡¯s Rage.¡±


    The wall in front of Grid copsed, and a zombie in an old cloak appeared over the wall. The war god follower who had learned two secret techniques was also an undead. Grid responded calmly. He struck the war god follower with a basic attack from his sword. After doing so, he didn¡¯t get a notice that the durability of the sword was reduced, that his health was lost, or that a fracture had urred. Fortunately, it meant that the attack power of the intermediate boss was equal or lower than Grid¡¯s attack power.


    However, he couldn¡¯t be relieved for long. Grid swung his sword at the war god followers continuously. As a result...


    [You have suffered 7,930 damage.]


    [The target has received 9,950 damage.]


    [You have been counterattacked by a mysterious technique. You have suffered 9,950 damage.]


    In two seconds, Grid dealt one attack and was hit by one. He was able to get a glimpse of the attack power and speed of the war god follower. The problem was the counterattack skill possessed by the war god followers. The war god followers responded to Grid at a transcendent speed once they registered that they were hit. They returned the same amount of damage that Grid had dealt.


    ¡®Up to here is like the war god follower who escaped from the grave.¡¯


    The health was still difficult to gauge. Only 10,000 damage was dealt, so the health gauge of the war god follower didn¡¯t go down. Grid¡¯s brain worked more fiercely.¡®What will be the other skill?¡¯


    He would be at a disadvantage if this went on longer. It was the same with dealing with the war god follower who escaped from the grave. The damn followers of the war god were monsters who boasted the same specs as Grid¡¯s buff state. This meant the fight had to be decided while his buffs were still maintained.


    ¡®No, I have a bit more time to spare.¡¯


    Grid unleashed fierce blows toward the war god follower while turning his gaze toward his still dazedpanions. These people who would wake up after 45 seconds were solid insurance for Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m not alone.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes shed fiercely. He had many questions. The lich Galgunos was a servant of a great demon. Who was the great demon that he served? Where did he get the bodies of the war god followers from, and why was he using the war god followers as experimental bodies? The followers of the war god were looking for the Sword Grave. What was waiting in the Sword Grave?


    Grid had to pursue victory if he wanted to find the answer to all these questions.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid, who longed for victory and had a passion forbat, noticed that it was time for a new challenge. He used the ¡®illusion¡¯ ability of Belial¡¯s Power that he had ignored so far. Grid hadn¡¯t used it because he thought it was out of the range of his ability. Now seemed like the right time.


    A new resolution and a spirit of challenge were required in order to reach a higher ce. Grid didn¡¯t want to stagnate. He had to challenge it, especially when thinking of the demon king subjugation. Grid suffered every time the war god follower counterattacked. The war god follower¡¯s health gauge was fine, while Grid¡¯s health had fallen by half. Grid even started feeling gratitude for the +8 defense that his inner underwear gave him. He was that desperate.


    ¡°Belial¡¯s Power.¡±


    Thus, he used the power he had been ignoring. No, he ¡®challenged¡¯ the power.


    [The power of the great demon Belial summoned in the Rune of Darkness has been opened!]


    [It is impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers.]


    [You are in a half-demon state. Your body has endured the pressure of immense power. However, it is still impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers at the same time.]


    [You can use one of Belial¡¯s three powers of: Darkness, fire, or illusion.]


    [You have chosen the power of illusion!]


    [The passive skill ¡®Queen of Mocking and Vition¡¯ will be maintained for 2 minutes, and Queen¡¯s Distortion is now activated. Another magic will be activated if your intelligence exceeds 4,000.]


    [Your intelligence is low. It is difficult to control Queen¡¯s Distortion.]


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    One minute had passed since Grid alone endured the attacks of the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques. It was time for Chris, Pon, and Regas to regain their minds. However, the three of them weren¡¯t fully aware that the negative states had been lifted.


    It was because they saw five Grids, not one. They were confused like they had been drugged.

 Chapter 933

    [Queen of Mocking and Vition]


    [Once health falls below 50%, an illusion will be summoned with every further 10% dncrease in health.


    The health, defense, and agility of the clone are affected by your body¡¯s current health, defense, and agility. However, its attack power is fixed at 10% of the body. Additionally, the skills of the clone are limited to basic skills.


    Every time you summon an illusion, it will show hallucinations to all the surrounding people. They won¡¯t be able to distinguish between your body and the illusion.


    A target who attacks the clone will have 30% of the damage the target dealt reflected. However, it won¡¯t lead to death.]


    The third of Belial¡¯s powers was a near perfect illusion magic. It summoned a clone every time the caster lost health. All targets in the area couldn¡¯t distinguish between the two of them. The target that attacked the illusion would receive reflected damage. Additionally, the clones copied most of the stats of the main body.


    All the effects were as good as gold. He would be a pushover if he used such a skill and couldn¡¯t devastate the enemy. However, Grid never used this skill in actualbat. Was it because he was a pushover? No, it was because the skill was extremely difficult to control.


    The disadvantage of this versatile skill was simple and clear. It was difficult.


    [You have suffered 8,190 damage.]


    [The target has received 12,200 damage.]


    [You have been counterattacked by a mysterious technique.]


    [You have suffered 12,200 damage.]


    [An illusion has been summoned with the effect of Queen of Mocking and Vition.]


    The body, which was wounded from exchanging blows with the war god follower, divided into two.


    ¡°...?¡± The war god follower stopped. It lost his aggro since Grid was split into two, and it became hard to tell which of the two Grids were real. The situation was good up to here. Grid was like the main character in a movie. It seemed as if the two Grids would work together to blow away the follower of the war god.


    However, Grid stood still and couldn¡¯t move. Of course, it was hard to move. His ¡®vision¡¯ was divided into two.


    ¡®...Um.¡¯


    This was why Grid never used the power of lies. Every time an illusion was summoned, Grid had not only his own vision but the vision of the illusion as well. The really fortunate thing was that there was no crazy demand of ¡®I have to control the illusion.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid watched in real time what the illusion was doing through the illusion¡¯s eyes, thinking and deciding how to cooperate with the illusion. This was a difficult problem.


    ¡°Urgh...!¡± Grid¡¯s illusion got hit, and the vision of one of the two Grids changed as he was blown through the air. One side of Grid saw the war god follower in front of him, while the other saw the crown of the follower¡¯s head. He got motion sickness. This wasn¡¯t a problem solved by closing one eye. His divided vision remained the same even if he closed one eye. The split screen was just smaller.


    The follower of the war god was blocking the illusion¡¯s attacks. The illusion had attracted its aggro. It was a natural result as Grid was standing still while the illusion moved swiftly. Now the follower of the war god was ignoring him as a fake. The more blows that the follower and the clone exchanged, the more nervous Grid felt. It was hard to adapt because the shared vision with the illusion was shaky and made him dizzy.


    Still, Grid had to concentrate. He shared the vision of the illusion, and once the war god follower revealed a clear gap, he would enter the battle and change the flow.


    ¡®Steady yourself. Steady yourself, Grid! I have to hit it as much as possible before the buff ends!¡¯


    Grid started to raise his concentration. The clone used Link, and the war god follower was hit continuously. The war god follower couldn¡¯t defend against each one and allowed seven consecutive attacks. It wasn¡¯t a good thing from Grid¡¯s standpoint. If the illusion who had 10% of Grid¡¯s attack power could kill the war god follower, Grid wouldn¡¯t have suffered such damage from it.


    On the other hand...


    The clone couldn¡¯t cope with the war god follower¡¯s immediate counterattack and subsequent strikes. The bloody clone turned to ashes. In the process, the war god follower also suffered tens of thousands of reflected damage. At that moment...


    ¡°sh!¡± Grid overcame the war god follower and activated the light elemental while rushing forward. The light elemental flew to the war god follower and released a bright light that blinded it.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±Grid used his ultimate attack, and his continuous strikes pierced the war god follower.


    [The target has received 490,580 damage.]


    [The target has received 511,900 damage...]


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡± The blind follower received a lot of damage, failed to counterattack, and struggled with the pain. Grid followed up with the movements of Wave. The dozens of energy des tore at the war god follower and then gathered in the air.


    ¡°...Battle gear mountain...!¡±


    The war god follower wasn¡¯t aware of the intense aura that had gathered above its head. The war god follower recovered from the blindness and roared, ¡°Where?!¡±


    Then Pinnacle fell like a lightning bolt.


    [The target has received 3,040,580 damage.]


    The war god follower was hit by the blow and sent stumbling. The follower¡¯s posture was so bad it was surprising the follower didn¡¯t drop its sword. Ignoring the rules of physics, the war god follower triggered the counterattack skill despite the apparently unstable posture of the sword. It reflected the damage of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle! Then Grid followed up with his next y.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    It was too close to Grid. Grid had dealt with many war god followers using Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and had a perfect grasp of the timing for Revolve.


    [The target has received 3,040,580 damage.]


    The war god follower suffered even more damage because of Grid¡¯s counterattack. In fact, the war god follower suffered damage it shouldn¡¯t have had to bear originally and once again stumbled. If it had been a war god follower who escaped from the grave, it would¡¯ve died by now.


    ¡®Crazy. It is as I expected.¡¯


    Grid was currently facing the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques. The intermediate boss of this dungeon probably had twice as much health as the follower who escaped from the grave. Grid hit it with the ultimate skill and the reflected counterattack damage, but the follower still had half its health remaining.


    The war god follower once again roared angrily, ¡°I... Battle gear mountain...! Guide me!!¡±


    The act of its counterattack being returned was a situation beyond themon sense of the war god follower. The war god follower felt a big threate from Grid and showed its second skill.


    ¡°?!¡±


    This was after the Linked Kill Wave Pinnaclebo. Grid had secured a safe distance from the war god follower and was restoring his breathing. Now his eyes widened. The sword had increased in size. The war god follower took only one step, yet the rusty sword it wielded stretched out over the three-meter distance.


    Was this a magic trick? Grid got a chill, but it was toote for him to take evasive action. The sufficient distance that Grid had secured caught his ankle instead. He was rxed, so his response to the unexpected situation was one step toote.


    [You have suffered 19,250 damage.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±Grid groaned as his chest was cut by the sword as the war god follower showed three times more attack power than usual. The war god follower took one more step, and the sword once again increased in size.


    [An illusion has been summoned with the effect of Queen of Mocking and Vition.]


    Grid¡¯s body shook and split in two, causing the war god follower to once again lose its focus. The second skill of the war god follower couldn¡¯t reach Grid and struck the ground between Grid and his illusion. Grid observed the sword stuck in the ground and discovered its identity.¡®Aura.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a growing sword. An aura that was dozens of centimeters stretched out from the tip of the sword, making the sword stretch. This was a sword that could change its length in real time. It was obviously a tricky technique. The attack power had tripled, so Grid would die after being hit several times. An ordinary yer wouldn¡¯t be able to go against the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques.


    However, Grid was ustomed to aura. He knew its potential better than anyone else. This was due to what Piaro had told him. Why had Piaro ced Hurent near him, and what was the extent of Hurent¡¯s abilities? Piaro had described the characteristics of aura to Grid in the process of making sure that Grid fully understood.


    Thus, Grid wasn¡¯t confused when the sword embedded in the ground suddenly changed to the form of a mace and sharp thorns stretched out from the mace. He easily avoided the thorns as if he had predicted it, even pulling his own illusion away. If the war god follower were alive, it would be panicked about how its secret technique was avoided.


    This wasn¡¯t the case though as the war god follower Grid was fighting was an undead. It had no thoughts and wasn¡¯t upset by Grid dodging its blow. The war god follower just kept wielding its sword. The aura at the end of the sword changed every time. Sometimes it was a mace, a spear, or even a whip. Grid¡¯s body became more and more wounded as he moved tirelessly.


    [An illusion has been summoned with the effect of Queen of Mocking and Vition.]


    [An illusion has been summoned with the effect of Queen of Mocking and Vition.]


    [An illusion has been summoned with the effect of Queen of Mocking....]


    Grid¡¯s vision was split into five. It meant he had summoned four illusions. In the process, the war god follower missed its target several times, attacking an illusion and suffering from reflection damage.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±Grid had a headache. His mental power was exhausted from dealing with five fields of view.


    ¡®It would be hard for Kraugel¡¯s grandfather, not Kraugel, to adapt,¡¯Grid thought sincerely.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid¡¯s illusions surrounded the war god follower and started a sword dance. The visions of the illusions were shared by Grid, and he barely gulped. One illusion used Link, another used Kill, one more used Wave, and thest one used Pinnacle. Their fates were determined as they could only exercise one-tenth of Grid¡¯s attack power. This meant they would only deal slight damage to the war god followed before being hit by the counterattack and disappearing. They were just like flies from the perspective of the war god follower.


    Yet what if the flies were actually wasps? The illusions couldn¡¯t avoid dying from the counterattacks, but what if their damage to the war god follower could exceed the predicted levels? The illusions¡¯ deaths wouldn¡¯t be in vain.


    ¡®Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. Let¡¯s go. I can do it.¡¯


    Out of the five fields of views that Grid was currently seeing, the ¡®main body¡¯ was at the center. He watched his illusions use skills on the war god follower. At this moment, Grid cast a spell, ¡°Distortion.¡±


    Then Grid focused on another point of view. It was the scene where he was using Link on the war god follower.


    [Queen¡¯s Distortion]


    [Rece the body of the virtual image. The target can only be reced once.


    Cooldown Time: None.


    Mana consumption: 2,300]


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Grid became the illusion who was using Link. He only focused on the central vision and aimed energy des at the war god follower.


    [The target has received 23,500 damage.]


    [The target has received 21,430 damage.]


    [The target has received 22,990 damage...]


    [The target has received 22,800 damage...]


    100% of Grid¡¯s attack power was applied. The war god follower suffered damage that couldn¡¯t be ignored and then counterattacked. Simultaneously,Grid swallowed his nausea and used a spell again, ¡°Distortion...!¡±


    This time, the scene that appeared in front of him was of an illusion stabbing the war god follower with Kill.


    [Critical!]


    [The target has received 1,010,590 damage.]


    The body of the clone Grid had just upied was blown away. Grid¡¯s field of views decreased from five to four, and he once again used Queen¡¯s Distortion. It was just in the nick of time. The illusion who used Kill was stabbed by the war god follower and turned to ashes. Additionally, the illusions who used Pinnacle and Wave died at the same time.


    Now, Grid only had one field of view left. It was the view of his original body. Grid stared at the war god follower in the distance. There had been five Grids on the battlefield, and now there was only one.


    ¡°Kieeek! KIeeeek...!¡± The war god follower was creaking like a toy that would soon be broken. The damage Grid had dealt as he moved and upied the bodies of the different illusions was considerable. There was also the damage reflection every time Grid¡¯s illusions were killed.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡±Grid couldn¡¯t move. His mental power had been consumed by sharing the vision of five clones and using three consecutive distortions. It felt like his brain was burning.


    ¡®If my reflexes were a bit faster, I could¡¯ve connected an attack from my main body with the attacks of the illusions.¡¯


    He could barely stand on his trembling legs.


    ¡°Leave it to us.¡± The 1st ranked Chris, White Knight Pon, and Asura Regas stood side by side. The 1,000 Ton Sword and 100 Ton Sword caused the war god follower to fall down. Then Mach Spear pierced its heart, and lightning-fast kicks hit its head. At the end of the struggle...


    [The war god follower who learned two secret techniques has been destroyed.]


    [129,990,250 experience will be divided.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s level has risen.]


    [Party leader Grid has acquired ¡®Burnt and Unreadable Secret Technique of the War God Follower.¡¯]


    [Party leader Grid has acquired the Sword Grave¡¯s Map Fragment (7).]


    [Party leader Grid has acquired the Sword Grave¡¯s Map Fragment (3).]


    [Party leader Grid has acquired the Sword Grave¡¯s Map (1).]


    [You havepleted the map of the Sword Grave!]


    Grid seeded in the new challenge.

 Chapter 934

    [You havepleted the map of the Sword Grave!]


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Grid had expected to take at least a fortnight toplete the map, but the schedule quickened thanks to the emergence of the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques. An unexpected crisis turned out to be good luck.


    ¡°It is thanks to the increase in my good luck stat. Huhu. I should be renamed as the king of luck.¡±


    Grid smiled as he was reminded of his good luck stat soaring thanks to the elixirs. He ignored the Overgeared Skeletons who were making wistful expressions on the side.


    ¡®Additionally, I was also lucky when falling into Garam¡¯s trap. If this luck keeps up, I can reach the Sword Grave and clear the hidden quest before the National Competition.¡¯


    The excited Grid forgot something for a moment. This ce was the Galgunos Temple. It wasn¡¯t a safe zone.


    ¡°You destroyed my created soldiers! It is hateful!¡±Galgunos¡¯ roar came from underground, and it shook the whole temple. Grid¡¯s group was alert since they had consumed all their resources while facing the war god follower. Judging that another war god follower was going to appear, they prepared to run.


    Grid¡¯s party gulped and took potions while checking the status of their items and skills. Nevertheless, they were meaningless actions. The party didn¡¯t need to be so vignt. That was because this time, Galgunos¡¯ action...


    [Your rtionship with Lich Galgunos, subordinate of a great demon, has be hostile.]


    [¡®Galgunos Imprint¡¯ is engraved on your heart.]


    [The first imprint effect has urred. The imprint is filled with the essence of magic power. You have failed to resist the imprint effect.]


    [The first imprint effect has caused death. The imprint has disappeared.]


    [Resistance to the first imprint effect has increased.]


    [36.7% experience has been lost.]


    [The +8 Ideal Dagger has been lost.]


    He used his power instead of dispatching soldiers, and Grid¡¯s party died. They were inevitable deaths. Grid¡¯s party gained new information that raiding the intermediate boss of the first floor of the temple would mean ¡®unconditional death.¡¯


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    In the garden of Reinhardt Castle, Grid opened his eyes at the resurrection point and worried about his colleagues first. Death was fatal to Grid, but it wasn¡¯t big enough to cause him despair. Grid¡¯s hunting speed was several times faster than that of other people, so he didn¡¯t need to work as hard to recover the lost experience. The lost item was also easily recoverable unless it was legendary or above.


    The Ideal Dagger¡ªit was the item he had made when he first met Euphemina. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for Grid to lose it because he had been using it for 10 years already in Satisfy time, and the +8 enhancement wasn¡¯t that huge. He still had many enhancement scrolls from various rewards on the East Continent. It would be easy for him to enhance an item to +8 as long as it wasn¡¯t a myth item.


    However, Chris, Pon, and Regas were different.After dying, they felt desperate.From their experience, the lost experience and items would be difficult to recover. Grid was worried about them.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Why are you making a fuss? There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Dying is natural while hunting.¡±


    The three men spoke like it was just a trivial thing. Of course, their actual thoughts were different. ¡®It will be difficult to reach our goal of gaining one level before the National Competition.¡¯


    ¡®I dropped Lensia. Dammit. I need a new secondary weapon.¡¯


    ¡®Death... My pride...¡¯


    However, they didn¡¯t express it. They didn¡¯t want to burden Grid.


    In the first ce, it was funny toin after losing items and experience. It had already happened, and wasn¡¯t it caused by their negligence?


    Pon patted Grid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you gain good results? Youpleted the dungeon map, and we confirmed the dungeon characteristics. We didn¡¯t die in vain. Grid, you might be upset but don¡¯t worry too much. It isn¡¯t good to be shaken.¡±


    Chris nodded in agreement. ¡°I should go report to Lauel. I have to tell him that we will receive great damage if we intend to attack the Galgunos Temple.¡±


    Those who killed the intermediate boss would receive an imprint, and the first imprint effect was to cause death unconditionally. Apart from Grid¡¯s group who already developed resistance to the imprint, everyone else who attacked the Galgunos Temple must be prepared to die.


    ¡°Lauel will hold his tongue. His nature means he will never suggest attacking the Galgunos Temple.¡±


    ¡°I have the same thought. Instruct the guild members not to raid the intermediate boss and only hunt the mobs on the first floor.¡±


    The reason yers sought dungeons was to level up and gain a profit. It was enough to grab the respawned mobs in the dungeon to level up. Raiding the boss would give bigger rewards, but they was no need to risk it if the difficulty was too high. They would only receive harm while seeking uncertain rewards.


    Chris, Pon, and Regas judged that the Galgunos Temple was a dungeon that shouldn¡¯t be attacked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s attack the temple after the National Competition,¡±the silent Grid spoke ridiculous words and then grinned at his baffled colleagues. ¡°At the very least, we won¡¯t die from the imprint.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. However, the imprint is secondary. The Galgunos Temple itself is very difficult. Grid, it will be difficult to challenge the dungeon with just the four of us.¡±


    ¡°If you get two or three gold medals in the National Competition, won¡¯t it be easier than you think? Won¡¯t you be stronger from the gold medalpensation?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Right. There is such a simple method.¡±


    Grid was the only person in the world who would speak so easily about the gold medals. The party members could onlyugh.


    ***


    The video started from the sky above the clouds¡ªa sky that humans couldn¡¯t reach. The camera angle stayed there for two seconds before starting to fall rapidly. It fell from above the clouds through the clouds and toward thend. There was an explosion, and the camera angle shook. Then silence followed. After a few seconds, the trembling returned again. A broken sword appeared.


    -It seems to be Kraugel.


    -Right.It is expressing the fallen sky.


    -It is rough... We are being hit with the former sky above the sky from the opening video? ;;;


    -The S.A Group is cruel.Killing a person twice.


    -I feel sorry for Kraugel oppa. ?? I don¡¯t want his pretty face to wrinkle. ???


    The pre-opening video for the 4th National Competition was short and intense. The video depicted the fall of Kraugel, who had kept his status untilst year. Some people cheered, some were displeased, and others were sympathetic. Themon feeling they all shared was ¡®regret¡¯.


    A hand grabbed the broken sword (from Kraugel¡¯s point of view) and then tried to climb back onto the throne. The rusty throne was abandoned by its master. It was an empty throne. This symbolized Grid¡¯s absence. People couldn¡¯t help feeling regretful.


    -Ha... The video shows that Grid won¡¯t appear in this National Competition.


    -It is empty, empty.There is no fun watching this National Competition.


    -Honestly, this year¡¯s National Competition is meaningless.It is a fight between foxes in a forest free of a tiger.


    -Tiger?Bullshit.Don¡¯t you know that Grid ran away?He didn¡¯t y this year because Kraugel will win. What type of tiger is that?He is just a piece of junk.


    -You must be American.


    -Is it wrong?What other reason is there for Grid giving up the gold medalpensation?Grid ran away because he was afraid of losing his title.


    -You must be American.


    -There is no Grid, so South Korea won¡¯t be able to win many medals this year.They will be edged out of the rankings.??


    -You must be Japanese.


    -The Chinese?


    -Taiwan number one!


    -The foreigners are scared.Somebody go and get Peak Sword.


    Themunities all over the world were talking about the National Competition. In particr, the atmosphere of the Koreanmunities was boiling over. The foreignizens, who wanted to ridicule South Korea in Grid¡¯s absence, flocked together like a tsunami every day. It meant there were many foreigners who were jealous of the Koreans, who had enjoyed the honey every time thanks to Grid.


    Regardless of Grid¡¯s absence, the public¡¯s interest in the National Competition was still hot. After all, it was an event that only urred once a year. Then a full version of the opening video was released a few dayster, making people all over the world more excited.


    Kraugel was staring at the empty throne. Then yers from the US team gathered around him. One of them approached the empty throne. He sat on it andughed wildly. His identity...


    -Punching bag!


    -Amazing ? ? Zibal ising back at this time.


    Before removing himself from the rankings, Zibal had maintained the second ce in the overall rankings and had a rivalry with Kraugel. After two years, Zibal finally showed himself again. In particr, the Americans were excited about this. In the US team, there were more people to pay attention to.


    -Doesn¡¯t that look like Haster standing beside Lauel?


    -The FPS Emperor?Aish, it can¡¯t be.Why is the Emperor in Satisfy?


    -Doesn¡¯t that look like Haster?


    -It is real.He is Haster.


    -Isn¡¯t this crazy?Haster is returning in Satisfy?


    -He is going to be the emperor again.


    -A legend is returning...This year¡¯s National Competition will be full of legends...


    -Kraugel, Zibal, Haster, Lauel, Skull, Zephyr...It will be abnormal if the United States doesn¡¯t take first ce this year.


    There were 125 countries participating in the 4th National Competition. The five minute opening video didn¡¯t introduce all the countries. It only introduced the 13 countries that were treated as superpowers in Satisfy and yed significant roles. The high rankers from weaker countries also appeared for a short time in the video. A typical example was Jishuka.


    The spectacr sight made many people look forward to the National Competition. The most talked about scene...


    There was a single hand gesture. In the darkness, against the background of a castle, one hand beckoned toward the camera. This was an obvious provocation. It was telling people toe.


    ¡®Come and face me,¡¯ it seemed to say.


    -Who is that?Why aren¡¯t they showing his face?


    -Is it a ranker participating for the first time in the National Competition?


    -The person is arrogant.Who is one of the top rankers who haven¡¯t appeared in the National Competition??


    -Russia¡¯s Knight?Is it North Korea¡¯s Jang Mihwan?Israel¡¯s Jacob?


    -I don¡¯t know about Knight, but Jang Mihwan and Jacob aren¡¯t verified.


    -Isn¡¯t it Jacob?Starting from the ID, his arrogance matches well with the video ??


    -I don¡¯t think it is him...It looks like someone from Europe.Isn¡¯t it GZ?


    -How is it GZ? In my opinion, it seems like Faker.


    -Faker...?Faker!Right, that¡¯s right!


    -Wow.The force of the flow seems right.


    -It is really Faker.


    -Indeed.There is no one with a higher profile than Faker. Faker is decorating the video.


    People started to be convinced that the main character of the video was Faker. The Death God Faker was one of the most aplished high rankers who had never been in the public eye. He was also one of the strongest in the world and part of the strongest guild. There was a rumor that he was the person Grid trusted the most.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh~ It came out quite nicely? Is it because your face didn¡¯te out?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo and Shin Sehee¡ªthe two siblings sat next to each other on the couch and watched the opening video midnight. They had conflicting reactions. Sehee was excited about her brother¡¯s appearance while Youngwoo had a regretful expression.


    ¡®My lines were cut.¡¯


    There is no time, so bring it on all at once.


    This was the line Youngwoo had spoken to the camera during the filming of the opening video. However, it had been edited out. He was angry and sad.


    ¡®They erased it?¡¯


    Was the line too childish and bad? Youngwoo sighed and nced at his sister Sehee. He let out another sigh at the sight of her old and fluffy sweatshirt.


    ¡°Last time it was the school uniform, and now it¡¯s the school¡¯s gym clothes? You have already graduated from high school. Why are you still wearing the school uniform and gym clothes?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I wear the clothes I used in high school so that I can concentrate more when studying.¡±


    ¡°Why is a S University student studying at home? Shouldn¡¯t you only study at school?¡±


    ¡°I have to study to graduate.¡±


    ¡°You are still a freshman. You should take it easy. Join school clubs like Yerim. Find a boyfriend. Although you will get a curfew.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too busy studying and ying the game.¡±


    Sehee had received too much from her brother and enjoyed too much thanks to him. She also wanted to seed. At least economically, she wanted to be independent from her brother and relieve her brother¡¯s burden. Now she wanted to help her brother. Thus, she became more and more immersed in the game. She knew the potential of a Saintess.


    Youngwoo had no idea of Sehee¡¯s feelings and rose from his spot.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    ¡®I need enough sleep to get a new start tomorrow.What is waiting for me at the Sword Grave?¡¯


    It was a ce which contained the works from Pagma¡¯sst years and where Braham¡¯s body was buried. Youngwoo was looking forward to it for a number of reasons.

 Chapter 935

    It was rare for high rankers to think they were inferior. They were normally confident in their great talent and believed that the gap between their ranking and that of others was a cmity caused by various variables which took ce over time. The gap between the rankers was as thin as a piece of paper, and even that was caused by various variables and ¡®luck¡¯. This assertion of the high rankers came from true faith.


    However, that was untilst year. The high rankers¡¯ beliefs were shaken during the three nationalpetitions. They realized just how arrogant their ims were. The rumored sky above the sky¡ªKraugel¡ªshowed off his skills to the world, and Grid¡ªwho was thought to be a lucky person¡ªshowed great progress year after year. The high rankers didn¡¯t have the same level of talent, and they had to admit there was a clear difference between them.


    ¡°Thus, I willpletely abandon the PvP this year.¡±


    There was a man who carried a name that ¡®promised victory.¡¯ He was Bubat. Bubat had been defeated by Grid multiple times and recognized Grid¡¯s ability more quickly than anyone else. This year, he became Turkey¡¯s representative and once again sought the PvP event.


    ¡°Grid isn¡¯t appearing this year? Then there is no reason to give up. This year, the gold medal in PvP is mine.¡±


    The Yak Guild members asked:


    ¡°Why are you so fixated on PvP?¡±


    ¡°I agree. You will drop out in the round of 16 again.¡±


    ¡°The round of 16? If you meant Kraugel in the qualifiers, then you will be eliminated in the qualifiers. Kilkil.¡±


    If Grid didn¡¯t exist, would Bubat be 1st in the PvP event? The Yak Guild knew about Bubat¡¯s strength, but even they couldn¡¯t guarantee it. PvP was an event where a ranker¡¯s pride was at stake. Kraugel, Seuron, Regas, and other strong yers participated in the event. The others in the Yak Guild were frustrated with Bubat, who thought Grid¡¯s absence would be a chance to challenge PvP.


    ¡°Last year, you lost to Zhang Zheng... It might be different if PvP is a team event, but it is a solo show. It is too disadvantageous for Captain...¡±


    Bubat¡¯s Crusher ss had high levels of defense and various CCs. In particr, the two skills he had learned upon reaching level 360 could ¡®ignore status resistance¡¯ and show an absolute effect. However, what was the point of CC? Bubat didn¡¯t have the power to defeat the enemy.


    The PvP of the National Competition was too disadvantageous to Bubat. Yet he was confident. It was thanks to a gift given by a Turkish person who imed to be a big fan of Bubat.


    [Artina¡¯s Natural Disposition Gloves]


    It was a legendary item. It was a great item that boosted the wearer¡¯s attack power in proportion to the wearer¡¯s defense. The fan who presented it to Bubat was eager for him to raise Turkey¡¯s status this year.


    ¡°Huhu. Look forward to it. This year will be different.¡±


    Kraugel was no longer the supreme. Grid had proven itst year. Bubat was confident in his strategy against Kraugel. Although Bubat¡¯s chances of sess might be slim, Kraugel was judged to be an opponent that could be defeated even if it wasn¡¯t by Grid.


    It wasn¡¯t just Bubat. Two years ago andst year, the rankers¡ªwho were stunned by the growing Grid and had vowed not to participate in PvP¡ªfelt new hope. After Grid dered that he would be absent, many people decided to participate in this year¡¯s PvP.


    It was as expected. There was a flood of provocative articles all over the world. The rankers from different countries announced their intentions to y in PvP, shouting that they weren¡¯t afraid of Kraugel. The focus of attention was naturally on Kraugel.


    ¡°Kraugel, many rankers have announced that they are confident against you. What do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°I think they can be confident if they are on the same level as Grid.¡±


    Camera shes started going off at the press conference. The reporters¡¯ expressions were thrilled at Kraugel¡¯s answer.


    Don¡¯t be confident unless you are on the same level as Grid.I won¡¯t lose unless it is Grid.


    Kraugel¡¯s words had this meaning. It was an answer filled with enough confidence and provocation to make a stimting article.


    Then a reporter asked a new question. It was a question that many people around the world were interested in. ¡°There is a public consensus that Grid is running away from the National Competition. Kraugel, what do you think about Grid¡¯s absence from the National Competition?¡±


    Grid fled because he was afraid he would lose his title of champion.This was one of the public opinions regarding Grid. What did Kraugel think? Kraugel stared indifferently at the reporters and replied briefly, ¡°It is mercy, not running away.¡±


    ¡°Mercy?¡±


    The reporters couldn¡¯t understand what Kraugel meant right away. He cocked his head to one side. On the other hand, the smart reporters quickly started to write their articles. As Kraugel watched the bustling scene silently, a question popped into his mind.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    Kraugel was aware of the fact that Grid needed ether diamonds. At the present time, the only way to get ether diamonds was to participate in the National Competition. Thus, Kraugel knew the news that Grid wouldn¡¯t participate in the National Competition was false.


    ¡®Are you the demon king?¡¯


    ***


    ¡®It is harder than I thought.¡¯


    There were seven new additions to the National Competition, one of which was the demon king subjugation event. Grid got a thorough understanding of the rules for the demon subjugation and felt disgruntled. The castle had north, south, east, and west gates, and each of the four heavenly kings protected one gate.


    The yers would be split into groups of 120, and they had to break through the gates. During this time, the demon king would wait in the castle and receive 200,000 bonus health for every 10 minutes that passed. The waiting time would end when all four gates were broken.


    The most troubling part for Grid was the bonus 200,000 health per 10 minutes that he would receive. He had to maintain his spot while the four heavenly kings fought, and he would get 200,000 health every 10 minutes...?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too much?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s defense and magic resistance were beyond the category of a yer. He wouldn¡¯t suffer much damage unless the skills used were proportional to health or defense. Yet his health was going to increase by 200,000 health every 10 minutes...?


    ¡®The gates that the four heavenly kings are guarding can¡¯t be broken through easily.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s health might actually exceed one million in the demon king subjugation. However, Grid was uneasy because the S.A Group created such a system despite knowing his specs.


    ¡®It seems that the National Competition participants are stronger than I thought...¡¯


    He was already prepared for a tough fight, but this might be tougher than expected. It wasforting that his sister, Sehee, wasn¡¯t participating in the National Competition. Grid shook his head at the scary thought. Still, there was something he didn¡¯t know.


    Originally, the S.A Group had set it as the demon king¡¯s health increasing by 500,000 per 10 minutes. Grid was so strong that the health increase was lowered from 500,000 to 200,000.


    What was the reason for this? It was known only to the S.A Group.


    ¡°By the way, is this the right road?¡±


    Grid stopped and opened up a map. It was the map of the Sword Grave.


    ¡°It should be right...¡±


    Grid was stupid, but he wasn¡¯t stupid when it came to directions. That¡¯s how he managed to find the North End Cave that contained Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. There was no problem with Grid¡¯s ability to read a map. Currently, Grid was following the map precisely.


    However, the road was strange. This was the correct road, but it disappeared in the middle.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    There was a sheer cliff in front of where Grid stopped. It was a cliff that wasn¡¯t marked on the map which showed a in mountain path instead.


    ¡®Is the map wrong?¡¯


    Was the map a fake? Was all his struggling in vain? Then it happened as a chill was going down Grid¡¯s spine... The cliff in front of Grid suddenly started to split apart. The crack began to widen, and the cliff split into two cliffs. It was as if they had been separated in the first ce.


    Grid saw the path between the cliffs and moved without dy. From the moment the cliff split in two, the terrain was the same as what was shown on the map.


    ***


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Sighs and curses came from all over the ce. It happened when Skunk turned the 594th sword three times to the left and four times to the right. The hill sank down and became a ins again.


    The 594th sword was the problem. It was hard to figure out how to turn this sword, which could rotate 27 times to the left or the right. He needed to figure out in what order and direction the right ¡®key¡¯ was.


    ¡°It is already the 28th failure. It will take a few hours to start again from scratch.¡±


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s morale has fallen. I think it is better to stop for today,¡± a subordinate spoke carefully to the frowning Skunk.


    Skunk¡¯s response was sharp, ¡°Now we only need to figure out five swords. It isn¡¯t long before the Sword Grave will be opened.¡±


    ¡°I know your heart, but do we need to hurry? It has been several months already. There are only a few days left, so we should be calmer and careful. The work can be ruined if we rush,¡± Dog Woman¡¯s persuasion calmed Skunk.


    Skunk took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Yes. There is no need to rush.¡±


    Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group had been investigating the Sword Grave for the past five months, and no one had ever visited it. Considering the fact that Skunk¡¯s Expedition had taken six months to find the Sword Grave, it wasn¡¯t possible for someone to appear here and steal their results. There was no need to fret about a loss.


    Skunk controlled his heart and told his subordinates, ¡°Everyone has worked hard. Let¡¯s end it here today. Have a good night¡¯s sleep and rest for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡±


    Phew, it was finally over. Hearing Skunk¡¯s words, his subordinates were relieved and opened their system windows. They wanted to log out and rx their exhausted minds and bodies. Even so, they couldn¡¯t go and rest.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    In the Sword Grave, the unidentified fragments that never moved suddenly started to sh with a blue light.


    ¡°Why stars...?¡±


    Of course, they knew that they weren¡¯t really stars. The blue lights were floating too close to be stars, and they were emitting a bright blue light during the day. Still, they shone as beautifully as stars and the people couldn¡¯t grasp it with their hands. Thus, the people were forced to call them stars.


    ¡°Maintain your ce!¡±Skunk shouted at his subordinates who were shaking at the phenomenon that had never happened before.


    Skunk¡¯s explorer¡¯s intuition and umted experience were telling him something. At this moment, the Sword Grave was going to change due to a new external factor.


    ¡®All of a sudden...? What...?¡¯


    This didn¡¯t feel good. Skunk swallowed his saliva.


    ¡°Ugh. I¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± An uninvited guest appeared.


    Skunk and his subordinates paled as they confirmed the man¡¯s appearance.

 Chapter 936

    At the Sword Grave, the word ¡®grave¡¯ had two meanings. It contained the works which Pagma had produced in hister years, and it was also Braham¡¯s grave. The Sword Grave was a ce with a deep connection to two former legends. It was likely to be one of the most significant ces for Satisfy¡¯s worldview, and therefore, Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group were obsessed with the Sword Grave.


    The moment they uncovered the mystery of the Sword Grave would be equivalent to when they uncovered the main Yatan Temple. No, maybe they could get even greater fame and riches for the Sword Grave. Skunk wanted to buy his own ne to travel around the world, Dog Woman wanted medical facilities that could prolong her terminally ill brother¡¯s life, and Crocodile wanted to disy more than 10 supercars in her garage.


    Yes. Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group had invested a year in the Sword Grave.


    ...And this would have continued until an uninvited guest appeared.


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    The person wore a crown on ck hair and had a high nose.He had eyes as fierce as a bird of prey, and he had a muscr body that couldn¡¯t be hidden with armor and a cloak. The Skunk Expedition Group felt hatred for him when they saw the uninvited guest and confirmed the ID above his head. Meanwhile, Grid cocked his head.¡°You are...?¡±


    yers unrted to Pagma¡¯s Descendant shouldn¡¯t know about the existence of the Sword Grave, let alone its location. Grid felt suspicious about the group of people who had arrived at the Sword Grave one step ahead of him.


    ¡°Were you chasing after me?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed with suspicion.


    ¡°No. Isn¡¯t that impossible? Our encounter should be a coincidence,¡± Skunk responded quickly. He didn¡¯t want the past year to be wasted, so Skunk didn¡¯t have a stupid idea in mind like blocking Grid. If Skunk were a fool, he wouldn¡¯t have be the leader of a group or the representative of his ss.


    Skunk sighed because of his heavy thoughts and struggled to rx his stiff facial muscles. He had a really bright smile as he faced Grid. It was a smile that might make someone misunderstand that he was Grid¡¯s fan.


    ¡°Grid, it is an honor to coincidentally meet you here. I am the 1st ranked explorer, Skunk. It is a humble name, but... perhaps you¡¯ve heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Skunk? Ah.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t forget this name. It was a name that reminded him of farts, so it wasn¡¯t easy to forget. He remembered that he had met Skunk at the Yatan Temple the first time Braham used Assimtion.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. You found the location of the main Yatan Church and made the news for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored that you know me.¡± Skunk smiled, but he was inwardly surprised. Wasn¡¯t Grid someone who talked nonsense and acted arrogantly in public? Why was he showing a polite attitude in a private ce where he didn¡¯t need to be aware of the eyes of others?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be because he is good-natured...¡¯Skunk was analyzing the situation from a negative perspective. Grid was the ruler of a kingdom. The level of his intelligencework was different from that of ordinary yers. Depending on his choice and selection, it was possible for Grid to grasp the current status of the Skunk Expedition Group.


    Thus, Skunk concluded that Grid must¡¯ve been watching the Skunk Expedition Group for a long time and waited for them to dig out the secrets of the Sword Grave on his behalf. The Sword Grave was a special ce to Grid. Naturally, he would have been paying attention to it. So, he took advantage of thempletely...


    ¡®He is using honorifics because he feels sorry for me.¡¯


    Skunk was stupid. He was aiming for a ce rted to Pagma, so he should¡¯ve been alert to Grid. Yet he had been thinking about doing business with Grid without knowing the reality. This cost him.


    ¡°...Um.¡±Skunk found it harder to manage his facial expressions. He felt sorry for his colleagues, but he was also afraid of the wicked eyes in front of him. There was no ce for Skunk to look. However, Skunk gathered his strength. He knew what he had to do. The eyes that had been flitting about in all directions calmed down, and he bowed deeply to Grid.¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It was an apology filled with various meanings. One meaning was that Skunk was sorry for trying to preempt Grid¡¯s quest. He also felt sorry for pretending it was a coincidental meeting. The other people were upset by Skunk¡¯s actions though. Skunk¡¯s colleagues and even Grid didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°Skunk! What are you going all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Why randomly apologize?¡±


    The Skunk Expedition Group started to cry out. Then Dog Woman quickly realized what Skunk was doing and told herpanions to be quiet. On the other hand, Grid was alone. It was very difficult for him to judge the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are apologizing to me.¡±


    Upon hearing Grid¡¯s words, Skunk¡¯s heart sank.¡®He isn¡¯t willing to forgive me.¡¯


    Skunk once again redefined the Grid that he knew. Grid was the ambitious person who married a high-ranking noble of the Eternal Kingdom in the West Continent, building up enough personal and political power to swallow the kingdom as a whole. He had set up his follower, Damian, as the pope and then manipted him. After obtaining many NPCs using his power as a king, Grid had been cold-blooded enough to use an NPC as a shield in the Great Demon Belial raid. He was also the opportunist who had used the death of an NPC as an excuse to wipe out Immortal. Additionally, he had been the first to try using ¡®diplomacy¡¯ with the empire, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with making Yura and Jishuka his women. It was hard to measure him.


    Grid was vicious, sneaky, oppressive, and clever. From the beginning, it had been unreasonable to hope for mercy from such a fearsome man.


    ¡°I see. Is this your will?¡±


    This was frustrating. It seemed impossible to be forgiven for the act of daring to break into Pagma¡¯s Grave.


    ¡®I don¡¯t mind being punished. It is just that my colleagues are different.¡¯ Skunk nced at his colleagues who had nervous expressions. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if they get injured because of my carelessness.¡¯


    His colleagues had wasted a year, and now they had to lose their lives as well? He couldn¡¯t allow it to happen. Skunk had been biting his lips anxiously, and now he raised his head.


    Grid still wasn¡¯t saying anything. It was an attitude that forced them to decide the punishment themselves. In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t think much of the Skunk Expedition. They probably seemed like a group that was just ying around. It would be unproductive for Grid to directly choose the punishment for the Skunk Expedition Group.


    Skunk spoke with a bitter smile, ¡°I would like to speak honestly. My colleagues have figured out how to unlock the secrets here. They will all be a great help to you. Please, Grid. Please direct your anger only at me. Please show them mercy...¡±


    ¡°Skunk! Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Captain, why are you trying to take the responsibility alone? Have you forgotten there is only one Skunk Expedition Group?¡±


    After Skunk¡¯s words to Grid, the expedition members btedly noticed the situation and screamed. They didn¡¯t want their captain to sacrifice himself alone.


    ¡°If Grid is going to kill us, then it is better to die together!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Shit! I don¡¯t know why we have to die in the first ce!¡±


    ¡°Captain! Don¡¯t try to take on everything alone!¡±


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    They yelled in an agitated manner at Skunk and without knowing it, they all turned toward Grid. Skunk was the same. Grid turned away from the Skunk Expedition Group without saying anything. It seemed to be an attitude that meant forgiveness.


    I didn¡¯t see you today.


    I¡¯m not seeing you right now.


    So leave.


    It will be as if nothing happened.


    I will forget today.


    Grid seemed to be saying this as he stared at the stars floating in the sky. Skunk was overwhelmed with feelings.¡®I misunderstood him.¡¯


    From Grid¡¯s position, it was inevitable for him to dislike the Skunk Expedition Group. The Skunk Expedition Group had wanted to preempt the Sword Grave and then sell the treasure obtained inside it to Grid at an expensive price. Grid had obviously been watching, which was why Skunk discussed sin and punishment. However, Grid was showing them mercy. From Skunk¡¯s perspective, Grid should be barely controlling the anger in his heart.


    ¡®He has a heart as wide as the sea.¡¯Skunk was greatly shocked because he had analyzed Grid as a wicked person. With the benefit of hindsight, he realize that perhaps it was this meek and generous Grid who was the real Grid. Weren¡¯t Chris, Faker, Pon, Regas, Damian, Yura, and Jishuka powerhouses? Would they have followed Grid for years if he were really a wicked person?


    ¡®All of them know the real Grid.¡¯


    After realizing this, Skunk shivered and bowed deeply to Grid.¡°Thank you. I will never forget today¡¯s grace.¡±


    Skunk nced at his party members. The Skunk Expedition Group nced at Grid, who was staring at the stars, and moved to Skunk¡¯s side. Then Skunk sent a friend request to Grid.


    ¡°With regard to the Sword Grave... No, please send me a whisper if you ever need my help in the future. I will surely help,¡± Skunk said these final words before departing with his colleagues. Even until the end, Grid didn¡¯t look at them. Skunk looked back a few times, but Grid was silently staring at the stars.


    ¡®He is a great person.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to hold a grudge against the Skunk Expedition Group if he were anyone else. For Grid, the Skunk Expedition Group would be no different from robbers who tried to break into the grave of a teacher he admired. Yet he forgave them for everything.


    ¡°Overgeared King. The Overgeared Kingdom...¡±Skunk started to think of a new home.


    Meanwhile, Grid had forgotten about the existence of the Skunk Expedition Group. He hadn¡¯t heard Skunk¡¯s voice in front of him. Right now, his five senses were focused on the stars.


    [An unknown light was approaching you but stopped.]


    [The unknown light ims to have never missed you.]


    [The unknown light insists he has forgotten the days he spent with you. He says those days were insignificant and poor.]


    [The unknown light doubts your quality as you are still weak.]


    [The unknown light wanted to ask if you have been eating well but stopped.]


    [The unknown light can¡¯t endure it.]


    -You¡¯re still ugly. The voice that was transmitted to his brain was familiar to Grid, and he felt great to hear it. He had never forgotten this voice. Grid, who felt that the attitude of the unknown light was familiar, eventually shed tears.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a transcendent great magician? You are more like a dog magician,¡± Grid spat out with a frowning face.


    He had noticed something. Why had Braham left him earlier than nned? How long had Braham been suffering after leaving Grid¡¯s body? Grid could see everything from the soul fragments. Thus, his voice trembled because of his rising emotions as he said,¡°Really... I really wanted to see you, Braham.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if he wasughing or crying. Grid smiled through his tears. Surrounding him, the soul fragments of Braham just shone quietly.

 Chapter 937

    <h4>Chapter 937</h4>


    At the Sword Grave, the word ¡®grave¡¯ had two meanings.It contained the works which Pagma had produced in hister years, and it was also Braham¡¯s grave.The Sword Grave was a ce with a deep connection to two former legends.It was likely to be one of the most significant ces for Satisfy¡¯s worldview, and therefore, Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group were obsessed with the Sword Grave.


    The moment they uncovered the mystery of the Sword Grave would be equivalent to when they uncovered the main Yatan Temple. No, maybe they could get even greater fame and riches for the Sword Grave.Skunk wanted to buy his own ne to travel around the world, Dog Woman wanted medical facilities that could prolong her terminally ill brother¡¯s life, and Crocodile wanted to disy more than 10 supercars in her garage.


    Yes.Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group had invested a year in the Sword Grave.


    ...And this would have continued until an uninvited guest appeared.


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    The person wore a crown on ck hair and had a high nose.He had eyes as fierce as a bird of prey, and he had a muscr body that couldn¡¯t be hidden with armor and a cloak.The Skunk Expedition Group felt hatred for him when they saw the uninvited guest and confirmed the ID above his head.Meanwhile, Grid cocked his head.¡°You are...?¡±


    yers unrted to Pagma''s Sessor shouldn¡¯t know about the existence of the Sword Grave, let alone its location.Grid felt suspicious about the group of people who had arrived at the Sword Grave one step ahead of him.


    ¡°Were you chasing after me?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes narrowed with suspicion.


    ¡°No. Isn¡¯t that impossible? Our encounter should be a coincidence,¡± Skunk responded quickly.He didn¡¯t want the past year to be wasted, so Skunk didn¡¯t have a stupid idea in mind like blocking Grid.If Skunk were a fool, he wouldn¡¯t have be the leader of a group or the representative of his ss.


    Skunk sighed because of his heavy thoughts and struggled to rx his stiff facial muscles.He had a really bright smile as he faced Grid. It was a smile that might make someone misunderstand that he was Grid¡¯s fan.


    ¡°Grid, it is an honor to coincidentally meet you here. I am the 1st ranked explorer, Skunk. It is a humble name, but... perhaps you¡¯ve heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Skunk?Ah.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t forget this name.It was a name that reminded him of farts, so it wasn¡¯t easy to forget.He remembered that he had met Skunk at the Yatan Temple the first time Braham used Assimtion.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. You found the location of the main Yatan Church and made the news for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored that you know me.¡± Skunk smiled, but he was inwardly surprised.Wasn¡¯t Grid someone who talked nonsense and acted arrogantly in public?Why was he showing a polite attitude in a private ce where he didn¡¯t need to be aware of the eyes of others?


    ¡®It can¡¯t be because he is good-natured...¡¯Skunk was analyzing the situation from a negative perspective.Grid was the ruler of a kingdom.The level of his intelligencework was different from that of ordinary yers.Depending on his choice and selection, it was possible for Grid to grasp the current status of the Skunk Expedition Group.


    Thus, Skunk concluded that Grid must¡¯ve been watching the Skunk Expedition Group for a long time and waited for them to dig out the secrets of the Sword Grave on his behalf.The Sword Grave was a special ce to Grid. Naturally, he would have been paying attention to it. So, he took advantage of thempletely...


    ¡®He is using honorifics because he feels sorry for me.¡¯


    Skunk was stupid.He was aiming for a ce rted to Pagma, so he should¡¯ve been alert to Grid. Yet he had been thinking about doing business with Grid without knowing the reality.This cost him.


    ¡°...Um.¡±Skunk found it harder to manage his facial expressions. He felt sorry for his colleagues, but he was also afraid of the wicked eyes in front of him. There was no ce for Skunk to look.However, Skunk gathered his strength. He knew what he had to do.The eyes that had been flitting about in all directions calmed down, and he bowed deeply to Grid.¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It was an apology filled with various meanings. One meaning was that Skunk was sorry for trying to preempt Grid¡¯s quest. He also felt sorry for pretending it was a coincidental meeting.The other people were upset by Skunk¡¯s actions though.Skunk¡¯s colleagues and even Grid didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°Skunk! What are you going all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Why randomly apologize?¡±


    The Skunk Expedition Group started to cry out. Then Dog Woman quickly realized what Skunk was doing and told herpanions to be quiet.On the other hand, Grid was alone. It was very difficult for him to judge the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are apologizing to me.¡±


    Upon hearing Grid¡¯s words, Skunk¡¯s heart sank.¡®He isn¡¯t willing to forgive me.¡¯


    Skunk once again redefined the Grid that he knew.Grid was the ambitious person who married a high-ranking noble of the Eternal Kingdom in the West Continent, building up enough personal and political power to swallow the kingdom as a whole.He had set up his follower, Damian, as the pope and then manipted him.After obtaining many NPCs using his power as a king, Grid had been cold-blooded enough to use an NPC as a shield in the Great Demon Belial raid.He was also the opportunist who had used the death of an NPC as an excuse to wipe out Immortal.Additionally, he had been the first to try using ¡®diplomacy¡¯ with the empire, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with making Yura and Jishuka his women. It was hard to measure him.


    Grid was vicious, sneaky, oppressive, and clever.From the beginning, it had been unreasonable to hope for mercy from such a fearsome man.


    ¡°I see. Is this your will?¡±


    This was frustrating.It seemed impossible to be forgiven for the act of daring to break into Pagma¡¯s Grave.


    ¡®I don¡¯t mind being punished. It is just that my colleagues are different.¡¯ Skunk nced at his colleagues who had nervous expressions. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if they get injured because of my carelessness.¡¯


    His colleagues had wasted a year, and now they had to lose their lives as well?He couldn¡¯t allow it to happen.Skunk had been biting his lips anxiously, and now he raised his head.


    Grid still wasn¡¯t saying anything. It was an attitude that forced them to decide the punishment themselves.In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t think much of the Skunk Expedition. They probably seemed like a group that was just ying around. It would be unproductive for Grid to directly choose the punishment for the Skunk Expedition Group.


    Skunk spoke with a bitter smile, ¡°I would like to speak honestly. My colleagues have figured out how to unlock the secrets here. They will all be a great help to you. Please, Grid. Please direct your anger only at me. Please show them mercy...¡±


    ¡°Skunk! Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Captain, why are you trying to take the responsibility alone? Have you forgotten there is only one Skunk Expedition Group?¡±


    After Skunk¡¯s words to Grid, the expedition members btedly noticed the situation and screamed.They didn¡¯t want their captain to sacrifice himself alone.


    ¡°If Grid is going to kill us, then it is better to die together!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Shit! I don¡¯t know why we have to die in the first ce!¡±


    ¡°Captain! Don¡¯t try to take on everything alone!¡±


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    They yelled in an agitated manner at Skunk and without knowing it, they all turned toward Grid.Skunk was the same.Grid turned away from the Skunk Expedition Group without saying anything.It seemed to be an attitude that meant forgiveness.


    I didn¡¯t see you today.


    I¡¯m not seeing you right now.


    So leave.


    It will be as if nothing happened.


    I will forget today.


    Grid seemed to be saying this as he stared at the stars floating in the sky.Skunk was overwhelmed with feelings.¡®I misunderstood him.¡¯


    From Grid¡¯s position, it was inevitable for him to dislike the Skunk Expedition Group.The Skunk Expedition Group had wanted to preempt the Sword Grave and then sell the treasure obtained inside it to Grid at an expensive price.Grid had obviously been watching, which was why Skunk discussed sin and punishment.However, Grid was showing them mercy. From Skunk¡¯s perspective, Grid should be barely controlling the anger in his heart.


    ¡®He has a heart as wide as the sea.¡¯Skunk was greatly shocked because he had analyzed Grid as a wicked person.With the benefit of hindsight, he realize that perhaps it was this meek and generous Grid who was the real Grid.Weren¡¯t Chris, Faker, Pon, Regas, Damian, Yura, and Jishuka powerhouses?Would they have followed Grid for years if he were really a wicked person?


    ¡®All of them know the real Grid.¡¯


    After realizing this, Skunk shivered and bowed deeply to Grid.¡°Thank you. I will never forget today¡¯s grace.¡±


    Skunk nced at his party members.The Skunk Expedition Group nced at Grid, who was staring at the stars, and moved to Skunk¡¯s side.Then Skunk sent a friend request to Grid.


    ¡°With regard to the Sword Grave... No, please send me a whisper if you ever need my help in the future. I will surely help,¡± Skunk said these final words before departing with his colleagues.Even until the end, Grid didn¡¯t look at them.Skunk looked back a few times, but Grid was silently staring at the stars.


    ¡®He is a great person.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to hold a grudge against the Skunk Expedition Group if he were anyone else.For Grid, the Skunk Expedition Group would be no different from robbers who tried to break into the grave of a teacher he admired.Yet he forgave them for everything.


    ¡°Overgeared King. The Overgeared Kingdom...¡±Skunk started to think of a new home.


    Meanwhile, Grid had forgotten about the existence of the Skunk Expedition Group. He hadn¡¯t heard Skunk¡¯s voice in front of him.Right now, his five senses were focused on the stars.


    [An unknown light was approaching you but stopped.]


    [The unknown light ims to have never missed you.]


    [The unknown light insists he has forgotten the days he spent with you. He says those days were insignificant and poor.]


    [The unknown light doubts your quality as you are still weak.]


    [The unknown light wanted to ask if you have been eating well but stopped.]


    [The unknown light can¡¯t endure it.]


    -You¡¯re still ugly.The voice that was transmitted to his brain was familiar to Grid, and he felt great to hear it.He had never forgotten this voice.Grid, who felt that the attitude of the unknown light was familiar, eventually shed tears.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a transcendent great magician? You are more like a dog magician,¡± Grid spat out with a frowning face.


    He had noticed something.Why had Braham left him earlier than nned?How long had Braham been suffering after leaving Grid¡¯s body?Grid could see everything from the soul fragments.Thus, his voice trembled because of his rising emotions as he said,¡°Really... I really wanted to see you, Braham.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if he wasughing or crying.Grid smiled through his tears.Surrounding him, the soul fragments of Braham just shone quietly.

 Chapter 938

    <h4>Chapter 938</h4>


    From the first time Grid met him, Braham had already been in an iplete state.He had lost his life and his physical body, with only his soul still surviving.Braham hated the god who had cursed his mother, and he cursed the friend who had betrayed him. His fragmented soul burned with the fire of rage.


    Nevertheless, Braham wasn¡¯t insignificant.He was a me that could never be put out.His soul fragments had endless power and courage, all of which evoked Grid¡¯s reverence.Braham had been able to exist in this world despite his imperfect form.This absolute figure was the legendary great magician, Braham.


    Now, a few years had passed, and the Braham whom Grid met was different.Braham¡¯s soul fragments were weak and shabby.They seemed like mes that were about to go out.Braham didn¡¯t burn anymore.His smaller soul pieces looked like ashes left behind after death.


    He had forced Grid to submit, seen the whole world, and dominated the Red Sea with one spell.Yet the dignity of this legendary great magician had disappeared for no reason.Why¡ª


    ¡°...Why did you leave me?¡± Grid¡¯s smiling and crying face crumpled.Now he was only crying. He even felt angry. ¡°You look so shabby.¡±


    Braham¡¯s strength was weak.


    ¡°If you were going to wander like this...¡±


    He should¡¯ve at least regained his body.


    ¡°Why did you leave?¡±Grid repeated the same question as he suppressed his rising anger.He couldn¡¯t forget the day he had separated from Braham.


    I have gathered all my strength and will leave.


    You were just a vessel I needed temporarily while gathering my strength.


    It is easy to part because we merely had a contractual rtionship.


    Braham had left after saying these words.


    ¡°It was bullshit that you had gathered all your strength.¡±


    Braham had actually be weaker.


    ¡°What damn vessel?¡±


    He loved Grid.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy, my ass.¡±


    Now that they had met again, Grid discovered Braham had missed him after parting.In the end, Grid was unable to repress his emotions and shouted, ¡°You what? Why did you lie to me and leave me? Why did you suffer alone? Tell me! Tell me!!!¡±


    [The unknown light is expressing doubt.]


    -What¡¯s wrong with you?Why did your mind be so strange?


    ¡°Is that all you have to say to me?¡±Grid was the idiot who was angry and cried alone.He was upset that Braham trivialized him instead of answering the question.Funnily enough, it was this that made him regain his calm and suppress his surging emotions.


    Braham spoke lightly,-There is no need for a long exnation.Things were different from what I expected.That¡¯s all.


    It was a lie.Braham had known from the outset that he would fail.The amount of magic power he had recovered while staying inside Grid hadn¡¯t met the amount required for resurrection.Braham had known his soul would copse the moment he left Grid.


    Yet he still left.It was because he had known Grid would suffer greatly if he stayed on with Grid.Of course, Braham didn¡¯t speak the truth. He didn¡¯t want to ce a rock in Grid¡¯s heart.Instead, Braham changed the topic,-By the way, why haven¡¯t you changed in three years?You are still so weak.It¡¯s pathetic.


    During the separation from Braham, Grid had made rapid progress.He had absorbed the power of the direct vampire descendants, gained the great demon Astaroth¡¯s strength, acquired the light elemental, and improved his cksmithing skill to the limit.Grid was confident that he had grown significantly.


    However, Braham ridiculed him.After all, Braham saw all vampires as insignificant beings, except for his mother and Marie Rose. He also knew that Astaroth had lost his body to Muller hundreds of years ago and that his power had been halved.As for the light elemental...?Putting aside the rating, it was a young being that had just been born. It wasn¡¯t worth evaluating yet.


    -The magic forms I gave you are still sealed.How stupid are you to not unseal a single form in three years?


    ¡°Braham,¡±Grid called out to Braham, who kept speaking harsh words.


    Grid was able topletely calm down after watching Braham pretend to be cold.The soul fragments in the sky looked at Grid.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I am weak.¡±


    It was true.Grid was confident in his strength, but this was only against other yers.


    The ¡®world¡¯ that Grid saw was far beyond the other yers. That¡¯s why...


    ¡°I need you. Come back to me.¡±


    Grid waspletely honest.This was his desperate wish.


    [The unknown light is silent.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s be together again. There are many things I want to learn from you.¡±


    [The unknown light is silent.]


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Okay, I¡¯ll concede. You don¡¯t need to teach me anything. Don¡¯t do anything. Just stay with me.¡±


    Grid showed no signs of pretenses.He didn¡¯t covet Braham¡¯s knowledge and magic or the hidden quests the great magician might generate.Grid just didn¡¯t want a second Khan.He didn¡¯t want Braham to die in solitude and pain.Instead, he wanted to support the weakened Braham.


    ¡°Use me as a vessel. I will lend you my body until the time you restore your strength. You can leave again the moment your strength is fully recovered.¡±


    -...


    [The unknown light is shaking.]


    [The unknown light tries to stop his shaking.]


    [The unknown light doesn¡¯t want to get caught up in your emotions.]


    [The unknown light is shaking strongly.]


    [The unknown light can¡¯t endure it.]


    -...I will bother you.


    -Lich Mumud is strong, and some of his restraints will be lifted when he meets me.


    -The master of Mumud is under the protection of Great Demon Baal.He may be young right now but someday the world will revolve around him.


    -You will continue experiencing a crisis if you are with me and eventually, you won¡¯t be able to resist the crisis.


    These were the words which had been buried deeply in Braham¡¯s heart when he decided to leave Grid a few years ago.Braham released these desperate words.Yet Grid wasn¡¯t unsettled at all.


    ¡°I will be stronger.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shake.


    ¡°I will be strong enough to defend you.¡±


    He had no intention of hiding his feelings.


    ¡°A crisis that I can¡¯t resist? There won¡¯t be one.¡±


    This was the reason Grid had been working so hard.The reason why he kept wanting to work in the future.


    ¡°I will protect my family and friends.¡±


    His wish was to protect his precious ones.Grid¡ªwho used to only pursue individual profits¡ªchanged, changed, and changed again after going through many incidents.He wasn¡¯t satisfied with bing rich, a celebrity, or a hero. Instead, he was constantly working.


    This was why Grid could say it clearly,¡°I have been happy for a long time. I¡¯ve been happy since the moment I left the life where I wascking, weak, and despised. It started from the moment I could eat the food I wanted... I felt happiness from the moment I made friends who liked me.¡±


    This happiness...


    ¡°I want to share this happiness with my precious people. I want to share the happiness I am feeling with the people who are important to me.¡±


    Grid looked at the stars.They were small lights the size of pebbles.The dozens of dim lights all stared at Grid.


    ¡°You are one of them.¡±


    Grid knew Braham. He knew about the curse Braham had received and the pain he had suffered.Braham actually felt deeply distressed at turning his back on his brothers and betraying his disciple.Grid knew all of this.Braham hadn¡¯t had a chance to rectify his regrets as he had been betrayed by a friend and killed.


    Consequently, Grid wanted to offer Braham a new life¡ªa blessed life.He wanted to pay back the countless things he had received from Braham.


    ¡°Braham, trust me and be with me,¡±Grid reached out.


    [The unknown light is silent.]


    [The unknown light tells the truth.]


    Braham hesitated.


    -I am weak.


    -I can¡¯t give you any help.


    -I am a burden and poison to you.


    [Yet the unknown light still wants to be with you.]


    -...Is it still okay for me to be with you?


    Grid lit up. ¡°It¡¯s great.¡±


    The dozens of light fragments started to enter Grid¡¯s body, and a thread of fate tied Grid¡¯s and Braham¡¯s souls together.Then a notification window popped up.


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power has been acquired.]


    [The second ss ¡®Great Magician¡¯ will be changed to ¡®Duke of Wisdom¡¯.]


    [You have obtained a legendary rated second ss twice in a row!]


    [The number of additional stat points you gain for each level has increased from 2 to 4.]


    [Every time your level rises, half of the stat points acquired will be invested in intelligence.]


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power is currently in a ¡®disabled¡¯ state.]


    [You can¡¯t learn any new spells in the current state.]


    [You can¡¯t use Assimtion in the current state.]


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power will recover with every year that passes or whenever your intelligence rises by 1,000.]


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power is divided into the five states of ¡®disabled¡¯, ¡®weakened¡¯, ¡®improved¡¯, ¡®recovering¡¯, and plete.¡¯ It is important to note that something special will happen in the ¡®recovering¡¯ and plete¡¯ states.]


    [The skill Magic Contemtion is created.]


    [Magic Contemtion Lv. 1]


    [-Passive.


    The knowledge and wisdom of the Duke of Wisdom will prate through the providence of all magic.


    * Deciphers the magic used by the enemy. There is a 50% chance of breaking down the magic and a 4% chance of replicating the magic.


    * Deciphers the magic used by an ally, and there is a 30% chance of strengthening it.


    * This effect is applied to magic of all attributes.


    * It isn¡¯t yet possible to contemte multiple spells at once.


    Magic Resource Consumption: None.


    Cooldown Time: 3 seconds.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    This wasn¡¯t what Grid wanted.He wanted to be helpful to Braham, not receive something from him.However, Grid was honestly happy with the new power. In fact, he was filled with admiration.


    ¡®How strong was Braham during his active days?¡¯


    Then Braham¡¯s voice entered the ears of the open-mouthed Grid.It was a precursor for a quest.


    -Pagma was wary of me to thest minute.


    [A hidden quest has urred!]


    -He ced my body in ice and hid it somewhere here so that I can¡¯t even approach without the password.Grid, I must reim my body one day.I want to make sure it is safe.


    [Braham¡¯s Request]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Braham is frustrated that Pagma is tormenting him even after death.


    Braham is dreaming of resurrection and wants to make sure his body is intact.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Find Braham¡¯s body.


    Quest Clear Reward: Braham¡¯s affinity +30.]


    [Your affinity with Braham has already surpassed the maximum.]


    [The quest clear reward has changed.]


    [Quest Clear Reward: Intelligence +50. A linked hidden quest.]


    Should Grid talk about it?It might be better to tell Braham in advance.Grid agonized over the contents of the quest before carefully opening his mouth, ¡°Braham, Pagma regretted betraying you.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°After realizing that the one who incited the great demons to invade the world was a god, he realized the act of distinguishing between good and evil was meaningless and regretted what he had done to you. He felt sick to the extent of shedding tears. The reason he ced your body in ice and hid it wasn¡¯t because he was wary of you and wanted to torment you. Rather, it was to protect your body...¡±


    -Shut up.I¡¯m not using you as a vessel to listen to such bullshit.


    Braham¡¯s voice shook Grid.The huge confusion that Braham felt was passed on to Grid.Grid sensed it.A new story would start the moment he broke through the traps of regret and hatred that bound the two legends.There was only one person in this world who could start the story, and it was Pagma''s Sessor and Braham¡¯s friend.It was Grid.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    Grid decided to take it step by step rather than acting hastily. Then his eyes shone with a blue light.The Sword Grave entered his field of view, and the 4,179 swords started to dig into his eyes.Pagma...? No, was it someone else?


    There was only one among the 4,179 swords that responded to Grid.It was an ego sword.The sword was highly reminiscent to the Reba Church¡¯s treasure, the First Holy Sword.


    Grid got goosebumps.The ego embedded in the holy sword must surely be a saint, and among Pagma¡¯s old friends, one of them was a pope.At this point, Grid was afraid of Pagma.

 Chapter 939

    <h4>Chapter 939</h4>


    ¡®Is it the 5th pope...? No, it can¡¯t be. That¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    5th Pope Franz¡ªhe was said to be close to Pagma and the true master of the Holy Light set.It wasn¡¯t a false history.Pagma was the maker of the Holy Light set.Furthermore, Pagma had sealed the Reba Church¡¯s three artifacts as a favor to Franz.The rtionship between the two men was likely to be deeper than what was known.


    ¡®I can¡¯t seal the soul of a close friend into a sword unless I am crazy...¡¯


    Grid shook his head to dispel such absurd suspicions.Pagma had a history of killing a friend called Braham.It didn¡¯t make sense to ce him in the category of an ordinary person.


    ¡°Are you Pope Franz?¡±Grid questioned.He was hoping for an answer, no matter how unlikely it was.Grid hoped that Pagma wasn¡¯t as bad as he imagined.Unfortunately, the holy sword¡¯s answer was ¡®YES.¡¯


    -I¡¯m surprised that you can guess who I am.You are truly a person associated with Pagma.You must be very familiar with Pagma.You can use Pagma¡¯s power, right?


    The voice of the holy sword was clear and bright. The expression ¡®youthful¡¯ was appropriate to describe it.Grid got goosebumps for many reasons.Pagma was cruel enough to imprison his friend¡¯s soul in a cold sword. Meanwhile, Pope Franz retained his bright personality despite having been trapped in a sword for hundreds of years.


    ¡®It seems to be the area of personality rather than mental power.¡¯


    Was he an infinitely positive person?


    The holy sword questioned the stiff Grid,-Did you visit here because of Braham¡¯s soul that you are harboring?


    ¡°Can you feel Braham¡¯s soul?¡±


    -At first, I couldn¡¯t detect his magic power. I didn¡¯t think that a soul could radiate such arrogant energy.


    The holy sword seemed to be smiling.The present situation was pleasant.


    ¡°Is that why you are guarding this ce?¡±


    -You guessed correctly.I am guarding Braham¡¯s body, which is preserved in the cier dungeon under the Sword Grave.


    At this moment, Braham¡¯s thunderous voice rang through Grid¡¯s mind, -The dog of Reba is trying to control my body, which is in his hands!


    ¡®Calm down, Braham. Didn¡¯t he say he was guarding it?¡¯


    -Guarding it from me!It is to prevent me from getting back my body!That Pagma who is eviler than a great demon¡ªhe is bothering me even after death!


    ¡°...¡±


    Braham¡¯s anger and anxiety were too strong.His soul fragment was small and weak and couldn¡¯t afford the pressure from his emotions. It was dangerous.Grid decided to speed up with the quest in order to calm Braham down. He moved closer to the sword.The information of the holy sword was analyzed using Pagma¡¯s Eyes.


    [Sword Guarding the Grave]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: ??? Attack Power: 8,395


    Divine Power: ??? Defense: 2,029


    * A legendary-grade ego is nestled inside.


    *???


    *???


    * The passive skill ¡®Pope Who Lost Faith¡¯ has been generated.


    ......


    ......


    It is a work left by the legendary cksmith Pagma in hisst years. It is a treasure that will be remembered in hundreds, even thousands, of years.


    The Sword Guarding the Grave is imprinted with the ego of 5th Pope Franz and exercises his own will.


    * Unavable item.]


    ¡®Pagma¡¯sst years...¡¯


    The pieces left behind by Pagma varied depending on the time of production.Pagma¡¯s earlier works were lessplete than Grid¡¯s works while Pagma¡¯s works from his middle years were more or less equal to Grid¡¯s, and the works of the Pagma¡¯stter years were far beyond Grid¡¯s.It was the power of experience and age.The works were at a height that Grid would reach eventually since he was acknowledged by God Hexetia.


    ¡°Please guide me to Braham¡¯s body,¡± Grid asked politely.He didn¡¯t know when Franz had be a sword¡ªif he was forced by Pagma and how many years he had been like this.Grid had many things he wanted to ask, but he first had to find Braham¡¯s body.


    Unexpectedly, the holy sword was uncooperative.-Isn¡¯t my role guarding the cier dungeon from invaders?How can I just let you in?


    ¡°Invader?¡±Grid was upset.


    Didn¡¯t the holy sword know that Grid was rted to Pagma and that he had Braham¡¯s soul?Why was he treating Grid as an invader and stopping him from entering?Grid frowned and proudly introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m the one who inherited Pagma¡¯s skill, and I¡¯m protecting Braham¡¯s soul. Why are you treating me as an invader? Aren¡¯t I the only one eligible to enter the cier dungeon?¡±


    -You have inherited Pagma¡¯s skill, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have his will.It is also unknown if you are protecting Braham¡¯s soul or holding it captive.


    [A new hidden quest has urred!]


    [Proof]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Pass the test of the Sword Guarding the Grave!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Pass the test.


    Quest Reward: Qualification to enter the cier dungeon.]


    ¡®A test?¡¯


    It was a sword with over 8,000 attack power¡ªa work that was produced by Pagma in hister years and had the soul of a former pope imprinted in it.Was it possible to fight against this fearsome sword when the fraudulent effects couldn¡¯t even be seen?


    ¡®Still, I have to fight.¡¯Grid gulped and pulled out the Enlightenment Sword.


    -Now I will give the first question!What was Pagma¡¯s cause?


    ¡°...Eh?W-World peace?¡±


    -Ding dong daeng!That is the correct answer!


    ¡°...¡±


    -The second question!What idea did Pagma consider most important?


    ¡°H-Humanitarian ideal of using cksmithing to benefit other people?¡±


    -Ding dong daeng!That is the correct answer!Then this is the third question.What is Braham¡¯s identity?


    ¡®Braham¡¯s identity¡­¡¯Grid¡¯s dumbfounded eyes calmed down at this question.He replied in a voice that was as deep as the look in his eyes, ¡°He was a vampire, a human, and a legendary great magician. He was a man who was praised as the Duke of Wisdom despite not reaching the truth.¡±


    Additionally...


    ¡°He was a man who hated Yatan, the god who expelled and cursed his mother. He was also a person who was betrayed by his only friend.¡±


    -You¡­Braham¡¯s soul shook.He could feel it as Grid spoke in a clear voice.This wasn¡¯t the trivial emotion calledpassion.At this moment, Grid had aplete understanding of Braham. Perhaps he was the only one in the world who did.


    -Great.It is the right answer.The voice of the holy sword, which was bright and excited enough to feel frivolous, calmed down.-Finally, thest question.Do you sympathize with Pagma?


    Was it because he felt that the mood of the holy sword had be strange...?Grid was wary and answered truthfully, ¡°I understand him, but I don¡¯t think his actions are right. I will never betray a friend.¡±


    -I see.


    Was he mistaken about the sword¡¯s mood?The attitude of the holy sword was gentle.The sword rotated twice from the left to right, and the de embedded more deeply in the ground.The terrain of the Sword Grave started to change.The center of the ins rose like a hill and turned into a form suitable to be called a grave, revealing a firmly closed iron door hidden at the bottom of the hill.The true appearance of the Sword Grave, which the Skunk Expedition Group hadn¡¯t been able to uncover for half a month, was revealed in just a few moments.


    -Braham, I can¡¯t hear your voice, but can you hear me?


    The iron door slowly opened.A chill emerged from the open iron gate and descended the hill, freezing the ground.


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Proof¡¯ has been cleared.]


    The holy sword conveyed the truth,-Braham, Pagma sincerely regretted betraying you and hurting you.After protecting the Behen Archipgo from the great demons, the first ce he came was to the cier dungeon where he buried your body.Pagma anticipated that one day you would regain your body and be resurrected. He made this Sword Grave in the hope that your body would be safe.Then he summoned my soul and asked me to protect you.


    -Shut up, shut up, shut up!


    -It wasn¡¯t an act to ask for your forgiveness.Pagma knew that the sins against you could never be forgiven.He might¡¯ve just wanted to reduce his loathing toward himself.


    -Shut up!


    -Check your body.I hope that someday you will be resurrected.Hell and Marie Rose, the Hwan Kingdom and the gods...The problems that Pagma couldn¡¯t solve, maybe you...


    -Shut up!


    ¡°Braham...¡±Grid held his chest. Braham¡¯s soul was iplete and in disorder. Grid was afraid that he might vanish.


    -Pagma''s Sessor.The holy sword was saying goodbye.-Based on your attitude toward Braham right now, you are the opposite of Pagma.I personally want to cheer you on.Now, enter the dungeon.The door will soon close.


    ¡°I will see you next time.¡±


    -Yes.I will guard this ce until Braham is resurrected. Pleasee back whenever you need to.


    This was karma¡ªthe karma of the foolish pope who weakened the church instead of regarding Reba¡¯s Daughters as disposable tools.Franz, who had been a cold sword for hundreds of years, had never once regretted his choice of having Pagma seal the three artifacts.


    The iron door closed once Grid entered the cier dungeon.The hill once again became a ins and 4,179 swords stood silently.


    ***


    Was the humannguage that lousy?Grid had this thought when he witnessed the man with white hair trapped in the ice.He quickly realized that it was impossible to express the beauty of the man in the ice with his heart and intellect.


    Braham¡¯s soul was stabilizing.


    -It is safe.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    -You look even more like a squid after I can see myself again.


    ¡°...¡± Grid couldn¡¯t refute these words. He even felt grateful.Based on Braham¡¯s body in the ice, Grid wasn¡¯t a squid. Calling him a squid would be overrating himself. (TL: squid is often used to call someone ugly in South Korea)


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Braham¡¯s Request¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Intelligence has increased by 50 as a quest clear reward.]


    [You can¡¯t learn any new spells in your current state.]


    [The quest clear reward has given a new hidden quest.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Arrangement]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The reason why Pagma left his book in this world is for the sake of his old friend, Braham. Braham knows the value of pavranium. Pagma knew that Braham would seek out Pagma''s Sessor and ask them to make the Vessel of the Soul.


    He is deeply grateful for you bringing Braham here and will give you a gift.]


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Pagma¡¯s Arrangement¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [The hidden piece skill ¡®Mineral Creation¡¯ has been acquired as a quest clear reward.]


    -Grid.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -I don¡¯t intend to forgive Pagma.I will hate him forever.If we ever meet again in hell, I will kill him with my own hands.


    ¡°You do that.¡±


    ¡®Perhaps this was what Pagma wanted,¡¯Grid swallowed back these words.

 Chapter 940

    <h4>Chapter 940</h4>


    [A thousand-year-old chill has prated deep into your bones.]


    [Your heart is frozen.]


    The space itself was thest safeguard.The cier dungeon, which resealed as soon as Grid entered, didn¡¯t tolerate any living thing.


    ¡®There is a reason why Pagma selected this ce.¡¯


    The possibility was infinitely small, but if the Sword Grave were discovered by robbers, Braham¡¯s body would still be safe.


    [You have resisted.]


    [Your body temperature is maintained due to the effect of Valha of Infinite Affection.]


    ¡®Pagma...¡¯ Grid felt a sense ofpassion as he watched the notification window.The feelings that Pagma had when he constructed the Sword Grave would¡¯ve been simr to Khan¡¯s when he made Valha.However, Pagma¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t conveyed to Braham due to the great sin Pagma hadmitted. After Braham confirmed that his body was safe, he only felt relieved and still hated Pagma.


    Of course, Pagma would¡¯ve known it would be like this.He must have known that he would never be forgiven by his friend whom he had killed with his own hands.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve been lonely.¡¯


    Pagma had died with pain and regrets.Grid had no intention of defending or understanding Pagma, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit bitter.However, these thoughts onlysted a short time.Grid wanted to quickly check the information of his newly acquired skill.


    [Mineral Creation]


    [-Create new minerals by mixing multiple minerals. The cooperation of a magician is required for the skill.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Sign a research contract with a magician.


    Duration required for the skill research: ?


    Number of minerals that can be created: 1.]


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Grid thought of pavranium when he heard the name ¡®Mineral Creation.¡¯Pavranium was the strongest mineral that Pagma and Braham had created after studying together for a long time. It had infinite durability and its own will.


    ¡®The mineral I create may have other characteristics.¡¯


    The skill stated that a new mineral would be created by mixing together several minerals.It was highly likely that the characteristics of the mineral would vary depending on which minerals were mixed.


    ¡®By the way, isn¡¯t the description pretty ambiguous?¡¯


    It was disconcerting that the period of the skill research was unknown. It was possible to mix several minerals, but the exact number of minerals wasn¡¯t specified.Braham sensed Grid¡¯s questions and exined,-The number of minerals mixed in and the duration of the research will be determined by the level of the magician.It is impossible to guess urately.


    One thing was for sure.


    -Signing a contract with this legendary body will allow you to create new minerals by mixing many types of minerals.It will also be fairly quick.


    Braham had experience creating pavranium with Pagma. It wasn¡¯t difficult to create a new mineral once a person involved had gained some experience.


    ¡°You sure are dependable.¡±Grid smiled. The chill that froze his bones and heart didn¡¯t interfere with his smile.


    Then Braham spoke unexpected words, -However, I¡¯m not a legendary great magician right now. I¡¯m just a hollow shell with little knowledge.I can¡¯t help with your research.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine with just knowledge?¡±


    -I am a magician.My knowledge is based on magic, so I need magic to implement my knowledge.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    This meant Grid couldn¡¯t create a second pavranium with Braham until Braham¡¯s soul was restored.Braham told the disappointed Grid, -I remember there was a magician among your subordinates?


    How was there only one person?Grid had thousands of magicians as his subordinates.However, Grid knew the person Braham was referring to¡ªGreat Magician Ashur.He was the only person who met the ¡®minimum¡¯ qualifications to be considered a magician by Braham.


    -If you cooperate with him, you can start your research right now.


    Grid scoffed at Braham¡¯s words and said decisively, ¡°I will definitely do my research with you.¡±


    -How annoying.I¡¯m already trembling at the thought of doing research with an idiot like you...Well, it can¡¯t be helped if that is what you want.Later, kiss my feet and say thank you.Braham¡¯s soul shook. It seemed that he was happy.


    ¡°I understand. It is easy to kiss your instep.¡±


    -H-Hey, look at this crazy guy!I don¡¯t need your kiss!


    ¡°What are you saying...?¡±


    Either way, it was useless to talk about it now.Braham had to restore his soul to be a legendary magician again, and the time period required wasn¡¯t short.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s stop talking. Let¡¯s concentrate on your recovery until the day we make the gravurnium that surpasses pavranium.¡±


    -Gravurnium?


    ¡°It is the name of the new mineral we will create. Gravurnium, named after Grid and Braham.¡±


    -Then where does the ¡®vur¡¯e from?


    ¡°That...¡±Grid¡¯s mind was stuck.He felt a sense of shame because he had subconsciously thought of ¡®gravure¡¯.


    ¡®Am I sexually frustrated these days?¡¯


    Would it be better to name the new mineral something simple and nice like Overgeared Stone?No, he couldn¡¯t. He wanted to add Braham¡¯s name to the mineral because he would be making it with Braham.


    -??Braham¡¯s face reddened as he couldn¡¯t understand the scene of Grid shaking his head alone.


    [The return scroll has been used.]


    Grid¡¯s field of view blinked.


    ***


    -It¡¯s okay.Braham was slightly impressed as he returned to Reinhardt Castle after a long time.Then he found the portrait of Grid decorating the castle lobby. -It is a good picture.It is 100 times better than the real thing.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    -Why are you blushing?It is natural to have a portrait of the king in the castle.Do you need to feel ashamed?


    ¡°I¡¯m just ashamed to have my squid-like face on disy.¡±


    -Hah?Compared to me, you¡¯re a squid alright. As for human males...


    Just as Grid was feeling embarrassed about therge portrait, Lord returned from training and discovered him. ¡°Father!¡±


    Lord was ready to literally dive into Grid¡¯s arms, but wasn¡¯t he too big for that now?So, he paused, conscious of the surrounding gazes, and then bowed politely.¡°Did your trip turn out well? I was very worried.¡±


    Grid fell to his knees and hugged Lord.¡°Thank you for your concern. I returned safely.¡±


    ¡°Ah...My clothes are dirty.¡±


    ¡°It is natural to have dirt on your clothing.¡±


    Certainly, Grid and Lord were different from ordinary royal families.Their clothes were always stained with dirt and sweat.Grid was a cksmith and hunted, while Lord trained in many things. It was unavoidable.


    -Your son is correct.


    After taking a bath with Lord and spending time with Irene in the bedroom... omitted¡­ Grid returned to his office.Braham, who had remained silent during Grid¡¯s time with his family, finally opened his mouth.He was somewhat excited.-I felt he was a bit unusual from the first time I saw him, but your son is a thousand times more talented than you.


    ¡°Huhu.My son is a genius above geniuses.¡±


    Even hedgehogs had beautiful babies.Grid was naturally proud of Lord, who was beautiful and had a talent that represented the continent.Braham spoke meaningful words to the grinning Grid, -Don¡¯t teach him magic yet.


    ¡°Huh?Why? My Lord is so great and good at everything that I think he will soon learn magic.¡±


    -Don¡¯t teach him anyway.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    -I don¡¯t want to say it.It is frustrating and annoying to exin until you understand it.


    ¡°Ah,is that so?¡±


    Just as Braham trusted Grid, besides the intelligence part, Grid also trusted Braham.Grid thought Braham had a deeper meaning behind this and immediately told Lord to stop studying magic.


    ¡°Then, the next thing...¡±


    The only thing left was for Grid to be the demon king.Grid ced the things he had prepared in advance on the desk.He started to think about what to create using Item Creation, which could be used freely on the National Competition¡¯s server.


    ***


    The host of the 4th National Competition was China.As the National Competition on the 3rd of August approached, one column was making big waves in China.It was a column written by an old reporter who had been engaged in the e-sports industry for 63 years.


    [Koreans will learn humility.]


    [We know that South Korea is one of the smaller countries in Northeast Asia. Until the release of Satisfy, South Korea hadn¡¯t been an important country for the majority of Chinese yers, and some had not even known it existed.


    However, for e-sports fans, South Korea is a historic country. South Korea was not only the birthce of e-sports, but the majority of pro gamers called ¡®legends¡¯ from decades ago were Koreans.Yes, they were legends decades ago.In the end, what happened to South Korea?Now South Korea is just a part of history.There aren¡¯t many people wondering about the e-sports nation, and the time when Koreans yed an active role in the e-sports world was already decades ago.


    60 years ago¡­


    I still vividly remember the first time I visited South Korea.I can¡¯t forget the imposing sight of the Korean pro gamers who swept the trophies in all game genres.For my youthful self, they were heavenly gods I couldn¡¯t forget.


    What about now?South Korea has fallen.Theirst heroes were Faker, Wolf, and Bang.The Korean professional gamers being active in e-sports is just the distant past.


    However, the South Koreans are still proud.They believe they are still a nation of e-sports and believe that the hero Grid will support the country alone forever.


    I want to ask them.How many heroes do we have in China?How many heroes are there in the United States?Don¡¯t they know that the Grid they praise as a hero is only an individual?South Korea has a limit.I have to admit that they are a nation that gives birth to heroes every few decades, and I can¡¯t deny that Grid is supporting South Korea in the present day. But can the age of Gridst forever?


    E-sports countries like China and the United States have built up infrastructure based on enormous capital. This infrastructure produces dozens of new heroes every year.But South Korea?They are in a different situation.


    In a time when e-sports started to revive, the South Korean government was ipetent (at least in this area) enough to define games as a ¡®drug.¡¯ South Korea is an insr and outdated country. They hurriedly built infrastructure after Satisfy was released, but they don¡¯t have the know-how and they have to go through all types of trials and errors.


    Unlike us, South Korea can¡¯t continue raising heroes and has to rely on one ¡®genius¡¯ hero, just as they did in the past.They are unaware of reality.South Korea believes they will once again reach the peak of e-sports.


    This reporter thinks that Grid dered he won¡¯t attend the National Competition this year as a wake-up call to the people.Grid will learn humility when South Korea loses this year.]


    China¡¯s public opinion was boiling over because of Grid.They started to praise Grid as the hero of the ¡®small country¡¯ they had ignored so much.Their superficial reason for praising Grid was the awe they had for the ¡®thoughtful hero¡¯, but what was the reality of the situation?


    China was joyful because they thought that they could get first or second at the National Competition in Grid¡¯s absence.As the host country, the billions of Chinese people were hoping that China would do as well as they expected.


    Then a change happened.In the Battlefield mini-game that was held before the National Competition, there were no Chinese survivors. Yet one of the survivors was Korean.It was Coke¡ªthe young blood who had the 10 meritorious retainers as his mentors.

 Chapter 941

    <h4>Chapter 941</h4>


    ¡°Has the South Korean DNA been resurrected?¡±


    There was an upset in the 4th National Competition, even thoughGrid wasn¡¯t ying for South Korea.Despite predictions that South Korea wouldn¡¯t perform well, the small country of the east had already won two gold medals.South Korea¡¯s first gold medal was won by Yura in ¡®Drawing the Saint Sword¡¯, while Coke won the second gold medal in ¡®Recapture the Mine.¡¯


    ¡°Coke is a monster. From a new rookie to a survivor of Battlefield and the gold medal winner in Recapture the Mine? He is a different person on the gic level. He is a super ultra genius.¡±


    Battlefield and Recapture the Mine werepletely different events.Battlefield was a game focused purely on individual skill while Recapture the Mine was amanding game where they had to deliver orders to 20 miners in real time and develop a strategy.


    Coke¡¯s debut in two different events was overly gorgeous.It might not be as spectacr as Grid¡¯s and Kraugel¡¯s debut, but it could be evaluated as the next best level.


    ¡°Yura, Grid, Peak Sword, Jokbal, and now Coke... Look at the skills of the South Korean rankers who have appeared in the past few years. The number of people with SSS-grade talent might only be enough to win a few gold medals, but isn¡¯t this the power of DNA? Kraugel is also a Korean person.¡±


    Many foreign yers were agitated.They had stated that this year¡¯s South Korea wasn¡¯t a threat. Thus, Coke¡¯s emergence was a headache.In every interview the foreign yers had with the media, they stated that they would get better results than the South Korea Grid had abandoned.Yet it ended up like this on the first day.


    The yers were already under pressure, but they were now criticized and ridiculed by their own people.In particr, China was in an uproar.


    China was the country where Sun Tzu had been born.It was one of the best military strategy books that Chinese rankers studied.The new ¡®Recapture the Mine¡¯ event, along with the siege war, was supposed to be a certainty for China. The gold medal in events about strategy would naturally belong to China.That¡¯s why the Chinese people were outraged.


    -A gold medal was expected yet only a bronze medal was received?


    -Are the Chinese rankers only skilled with using their mouths?It is because they are already full.They receive all sorts of sponsorships and funding frompanies.They are toocent.


    -Why else did they give another gold medal to the South Koreans?The number of people in China is 30 times that of their small country. Why are we robbed by them every time in the National Competition?It is normal for there to be more talented people in China, just based on the poption ratio!


    -It is due to ack of effort.The Chinese e-sports have been good for so long that the yers have be less vignt andzy.On the other hand, South Korea has been trying to catch up with China for decades.The difference is big.


    -How long do you think an excuse like that will be epted?It has been four years since the Satisfy National Competition began, and China has been struggling for four years because of ack of effort?The United States, which is the top e-sports country along with China, has won first or second for the past four years.The Chinese are ipetent.This is the difference in gics!Let¡¯s achieve a mental victory!


    ¡°It is too unfair. The bronze medal is also great.¡±


    In the Chinese waiting room, a girl was holding her knees and looking at the reactions on the Inte. Then she turned off her phone.The cute girl with her hair in double buns, like a panda, was Mei Xiao.She was one of the novices who, together with Zhang Jian and Liao Wei, were receiving the expectations of the Chinese people.


    Mei Xiaoforted Li Xuandu, who hade back from the Recapture the Mine event with a bronze medal.¡°Mister, you worked hard. Don¡¯t worry about what people are saying because they don¡¯t know anything. The yers know that you did your best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    However, her attempt to console him was useless.Results were all that mattered.At the age of 40, Li Xuandu was aware of the truths of society.He smiled bitterly at the girl and then apologized, ¡°I¡¯m also sorry.¡±


    Li Xuandu was ced in the category of ¡®ipetent Chinese yers¡¯ because he didn¡¯t win a gold medal.Furthermore, the nice and kind Mei Xiao came from the same generation of rookies as Coke. For her, the gold medal was taken away by one of her opponents who had made a sessful debut, making Li Xuandu¡¯s heart feel heavy.


    ¡°Mei Xiao, you nned a spectacr debut, but someone else achieved it first. How unfair must you feel? I can only say I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Mei Xiao shook her head and smiled like a flower in full bloom.Despite her young age, she knew that her dream was her own and that she couldn¡¯t rely on others.


    ¡®I will do well. Thetter stages are also more advantageous.¡¯


    At the 4th National Competition thatsted four days, Mei Xiao¡¯s events were crowded on the fourth day.They were breaking the hero, PvP, and the demon king subjugation.They were all major events.PvP was the most popr event in the world, and the hero of breaking the hero this year was Grid. Thus, interest in breaking the hero was as high as PvP.


    Finally, there was the big demon king subjugation event.It was a group event that only 3 to 4 yers of each country could participate in, but it was bigger than PvP due to its nature.Mei Xiao was convinced that even if someone else left a strong impression at the beginning of the National Competition, it would eventually fade from the public¡¯s memories. She just had to do well in the final stages.


    ¡®I will do well for Brother¡¯s sake.¡¯


    After defeating the hero andpeting with Kraugel in the finals of the PvP event, she would impress the world by defeating the demon king.Mei Xiao, who once again made a promise to herself, was the younger sister of Hao, who was absent from the National Competition this year.


    She nned to make a splendid debut for her parents, who had adopted her when she was an orphan and raised her as their own child, and her brother, who had grown up with her.The young girl wanted to be a Chinese hero and restore the fallen honor of her brother.


    Frankly, she was nervous.Mei Xiao wondered if she could even reach the PvP finals when there was the old legend Haster around. Her dream of being the first in the current generation to gain a gold medal had also been taken by Coke.She felt tense right from the beginning.


    ¡°Uwah!It¡¯s okay! I can do it!¡±Mei Xiao cheered herself up.There were smiles on the faces of Zhang Jian and Liao Wei as they watched her from one side of the waiting room.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let the sister of Hao, who became Kraugel¡¯s dog, do what she wants. I will kill her in one blow if we meet in PvP.¡¯


    ¡®I can defeat the hero faster than her and will monopolize the spotlight in the demon king subjugation.¡¯


    This year¡¯s rising stars from China differed in confidence. They were confident that they had the best skills among billions of people and were also full of money from the sponsors.As for South Korea¡¯s Coke...


    ¡°Eh?Am I participating in breaking the hero? Of course I¡¯m not. Is there any chance of me breaking the hero?¡±


    He was very humble.No, he had a precise grasp of the opponent.Coke looked at the reporters with pity as they asked questions that couldn¡¯t be answered.


    ***


    Unlike the first day, the second day of the National Competition proceeded smoothly.The United States, Canada, and China won two gold medals each, while therge powers of the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Russia securedrge numbers of silver medals.


    On the other hand, Brazil won a precious gold medal.It was naturally in the target processing event.The winner was Jishuka.Many people spected that her noticeably evolved Bow Mastery skill was close to a master level. It was evaluated that few people could threaten Jishuka in target processing when she had the Red Phoenix Bow.


    -Jishuka¡¯s senses are crazy.Shooting such arrows at low angles.


    -Look at her covering ability...


    -How does she know which direction the attacks are flying from?Did she predict them?


    -Jishuka is so pretty.


    -Isn¡¯t she particrly sexy when pulling the bowstring?


    -Isn¡¯t Jishuka always beautiful and sexy?


    -Hah!That dog Grid.


    -Grid should die.


    ¡°Okay!!¡±


    From South Korea, Peak Sword and Toon won silver medals.Peak Sword could¡¯ve won a gold medal until Iyarugt went berserk, so he was unhappy about the silver medal. Meanwhile, Toon was pleased getting a peek at his own potential.Certainly, Toon¡¯s ability in the obstacles race was verymendable. His ability to judge the form and characteristics of the obstacles and transform into various animals to cope with them was to be praised. He would probably y a bigger role next year.


    -Peak Sword is really... Why is he cutting through the air alone?


    -The silver medal is great enough. I¡¯m proud but it is a pity??;;


    -I can¡¯t tell if Peak Sword is a troll or a bigshot.


    -Didn¡¯t you see Toon¡¯s extreme gum chewing?


    -The person above... you should improve your Korean pronunciation.


    -Yes, this is sincere advice.


    -By the way, Toon is really good.I am grateful he moved to South Korea.


    -That''s right.I also want to thank the government for letting him immigrate and giving him a military exemption.


    -...??It was originally like that.


    -Please distinguish between jokes.


    -Toon ?? He uploaded a photo of him eating jjampong on SNS ??


    -Grid likes jjampong and eats it almost every day.????


    -Isn¡¯t Grid the reason why Toon immigrated to South Korea?Then can other Overgeared members move to South Korea like Toon?


    -Please let Jishukae.


    -I will suggest that Eupheminae here.


    -Faker moving would be the real jackpot.


    -What if the Baldyes?


    -Vantner isn¡¯t bald.He shaved his hair.


    -You say he is bald, I say he is Vantner.


    -I think that is our Vantner.


    This was the best festival that surpassed the Olympics, World Cup, and Super Bowl.The 4th National Competition was a world-ss show, regardless of Grid¡¯s absence.New issues urred every year, and new heroes were born. Some people were frustrated, while others shed tears.


    On the third day of the National Competition, the big shots that people were anxiously waiting for finally appeared.They were Zibal, who made the boss raid a ridiculous spectacle by riding on the back of a boss monster to hunt, and Haster, who made his debut in ¡®cliff flower¡¯ and used the ¡®sound¡¯ of the wind to capture the emerging monsters.


    Neither of them were normal; they surpassedmon sense.Their attitudes were detached like it was natural for them to win the gold medal.The Americans felt regretful.Kraugel, Haster, and Zibal¡ªthese three people had to beat each other to win a gold medal in PvP.The representatives knew that PvP was a source of pride, but two of the three yers would be forced to miss out on the gold medal.


    ¡ºAh!It hase! Five yers have been hit by the US¡¯ Kraugel! ¡»


    ¡ºAh!The yers have be stars and disappeared. It almost seems like this energy can break through the atmosphere? What type of technique is this? ¡»


    ¡º It seems like a skill to remove the enemies from the battlefield. It seems to be a very useful skill for Kraugel, who likes to y solo. ¡»


    A person who was called the strongest¡ªKraugel was still unrivaled.He participated in the siege war with Lauel and didn¡¯t even bring out the sword technique that cut the world.His overwhelming force that made tactics meaningless thrilled the world. People couldn¡¯t understand how this monster had fallen to Grid.Even Lauel, the person closest to Grid, was nervous.


    ¡°Kukukuk!You managed topletely control your sword in just one year? You have developed so much that you can¡¯t bepared tost year. You really are the sky... The only people who can excite me are Grid and you.¡±


    ¡°Did you hurt your face?¡±


    ¡°Huh?No...¡±Lauel lowered the one hand covering his face with embarrassment. It was rare for people to respond as seriously as Kraugel did when they saw Lauel¡¯s ¡®ck dragon attitude¡¯, and his chuuni atmosphere died down.Lauel coughed and pointed to the north on the map. ¡°The representatives from South Korea in the siege are Yura and Coke. With their tactical ability, they will conquer the seven castles in the north and ally with Japan in the west. We need to move the barracks to the center, even if we give up some camps. Kraugel, your role at this time is...¡±


    ¡°Wait, South Korea and Japan will be allies?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh,I understand your question. You are wondering why Japan might form an alliance with South Korea when the representative of the siege is the master of the Sakura Guild and not Katz or Damian? They will team up naturally. There are a number of reasons. First of all...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel felt that Grid was great.How had Grid tamed this talkative and lonely genius for so many years?Kraugel preferred ying solo, and hispatibility with Lauel was bad.However, this was just a matter of personalitypatibility.The best brains and most powerful strength¡ªtheir chemistry was perfect.


    In the siege war, the United States won a gold medal, China won the silver medal, and Canada won the bronze medal.The alliance between South Korea and Japan thoroughly copsed in front of Lauel¡¯s evil tactics.They didn¡¯t expect China to ept the United States¡¯ alliance proposal.


    The next few events for the day progressed normally.Finally, the fourth day of the National Competition wasunched.Breaking through thebyrinth, building blocks, breaking the hero, PvP, and the demon king subjugation events¡ªonly the best stages remained on thest day of the festival.


    The overall rankings fluctuated in real time.


    ¡°The demon king subjugation will have a big impact on the rankings.¡±


    Every time the four heavenly kings and the demon king were beaten, medals would be given to some of the participants.


    The score was based on the survival rate, the amount of damage dealt, the amount of damage defended against, the buffs ced on allies, the debuffs ced on enemies, the healing of enemies, and so on. Then the system would distribute a certain amount of gold, silver, and bronze medals ordingly.


    It was a benefit that showed the high level of difficulty.


    ¡°...Who were the ones who ran their mouths in the interviews?¡±


    There was a private waiting room for only one person.Sitting in the big room, Grid started to search for articles rted to himself. The main keywords were ¡®ran away¡¯, ¡®trash¡¯, ¡®hemorrhoids¡¯, and ¡®ugly.¡¯Grid remembered the foreign yers who spread all types of rumors about his absence from South Korea.In particr, he remembered the Argentinian person who said the bullshit that ¡®Grid has hemorrhoids, which is why he can¡¯t appear in the National Competition.¡¯

 Chapter 942

    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    There were doubts, amazement, silence and cheers. These were the reactions of the crowd filling Beijing Olympic Stadium. However, the American audience was still at the stage of doubt.


    ¡°What? Why is Kraugel here? Weren¡¯t articles released yesterday about how he was going to participate in PvP?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I read the article and naturally thought he would be in PvP...¡±


    "He won¡¯t appear in PvP and will instead participate in the Demon King Subjugation?¡±


    "Wouldn¡¯t he be crazy if he didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    The American audiences started to notice the circumstances. Third-rate media outlets wrote provocative articles that Kraugel, Zibal and Haster would participate in PvP. They wanted huge traffic and wrote random things instead of the ¡®truth¡¯ that other media outlets released. The responsibility would be poured toward the third-rate media outlets so otherpanies took the opportunity to raise their traffic. Thus, the Americans were hooked by therge number of false articles.


    "Aren¡¯t the reporters aplete disgrace? I didn¡¯t sleep yesterday because I was reading the report.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I couldn¡¯t sleep because it felt like two gold medals were flying away. Thanks to that, I got drunk and now I have a hangover. In any case, it turned out well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is well done.¡±


    It would be a crisis if the three strongest members of the US team participated in the same event. This was a good thing.


    ¡°Kraugel! Have strength! I¡¯m cheering for you!¡±


    The whole stadium seemed to shake as the American audience members started cheering.


    On stage, Mei Xiao felt a great deal of pressure. ¡°G-Great...¡±


    Mei Xiao had attended many events in China. She felt confident that she was familiar with the audience members. However, the National Competition was in a different dimension. She felt tense because of the crowd of 100,000 spectators. The other participants had a simr reaction. So far, there had never been such enthusiastic support in the events they had participated in. Everybody was petrified.


    However, the protagonist who made the crowd excited was calm. He approached his capsule with no expression, as if he wasn¡¯t feeling nervous or excited. Mei Xiao shouted toward him, ¡°E-Excuse me! Kraugel!¡±


    ¡°..?¡±


    "C-Can I get a signatureter on?¡±


    In fact, she had intended to ask after the event. Yet she felt that Kraugel was getting further away as he walked toward the capsule. Kraugel was so distant it felt like they would never get another chance to talk. The other participants had the same request as Mei Xiao. He might¡¯ve been defeated by Grid but Kraugel¡¯s achievements over the years were phenomenal. Among the high rankers, Kraugel was the target of admiration. They wanted to get his signature and take a photo with him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t reply and entered the capsule like it was annoying. Unfortunately, the other participants also had to enter their capsules after the host urged them. The next time they woke up, they were in the Satisfy National Competition¡¯s dedicated server.


    ¡®Did it get caught on camera?¡¯


    ¡®That damn Mei Xiao!¡¯


    Zhang Jian from China had asked Kraugel for a signature after being overwhelmed by the atmosphere. He was a popr star in China and got the nickname of ¡®Ice Prince¡¯ to match his cold appearance. Now this image could be ruined overnight.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve asked after getting off the stage. Dammit. Dammit!¡¯


    At any rate, Mei Xiao was a problem. He really didn¡¯t like that girl. She was Hao¡¯s youngest sister, more popr than Zhang Jian and also had a bright personality that drove the atmosphere.


    ¡®Be prepared, Mei Xiao! I will defeat the Hero faster than you and tten your high nose to the ground!¡¯


    The preparations were perfect. Zhang Jian had analyzed Grid¡¯s power inst year¡¯s PvP finals more than a thousand times. He also found the ideal game settings that fit him like a custom suit. He had been raising his level and equipped himself with legendary items dropped from bosses. He wouldn¡¯t be a match for the Grid of this year but he was confident that he could deal with the Grid ofst year.


    One year in reality was three years in the game and three years was never short. Hero Grid had his time stopped for three years. It was hard to believe the Hero Grid could defeat Zhang Jian who had been growing nonstop for three years. It was the normal way of thinking.


    ¡º The first challenger, China¡¯s Zhang Jian has appeared! ¡»


    The moment the host called out, Zhang Jian¡¯s body appeared online. The body covered in heavy armour fell to the ground and a loud sound was heard. Hero Grid was leaning against a tree and watched him with an interested look. It waspletely different from the nk expression onst year¡¯s Hero.


    This was a decisive hint. It was a hint that the AI of this year¡¯s Hero had an aggressive character. It was a big difference from the cool and calm personality ofst year¡¯s Hero. The nature of the artificial intelligence had a profound impact on the way ofbat. It might be the same name but the super artificial intelligence acted differently ording to personality. If Zhang Jian had enough experience, he would¡¯ve modified some of his ns the moment he saw the Hero¡¯s lively eyes.


    However, Zhang Jian¡¯s experience wascking. He couldn¡¯t see the difference between the artificial intelligence that controlledst year¡¯s Hero and the artificial intelligence in front of him. It was a defeat. Kraugel¡¯s artificial intelligence was cautious, and because of that, he gave up seizing the opportunity. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s artificial intelligence was aggressive and didn¡¯t intend to yield. He rotated like a spinning top and cut twice in session.


    ¡°....!?¡±


    The moment the game began, Zhang Jian crossed a river and couldn¡¯t go back.


    [You have blocked a powerful blow.]


    [The durability of Crying Warrior¡¯s Sword has dropped by 78!]


    [Your right wrist has been fractured!]


    [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]


    [You can¡¯t move your right hand for 15 seconds.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Of course, he was aware of it in advance. Grid¡¯s attack power was crazy. There would be serious damage even if it was a basic attack. Yes, he knew this when he permitted the attack. Yet his defense wasn¡¯t sufficient? He had even selected essories that increased his strength.


    Grid¡¯s next attack wasing. This time it was a stab. Zhang Jian moved his sword from his right hand to his left hand and used a skill.


    "Heavenly Body!¡±


    It was a status skill. It was an avatar based skill that made him immune to physical conditions and reduced the damage received. Originally, he nned to use it at the end of the battle but he realized the fight would end immediately if he saved it. He blocked Grid¡¯s sword and Zhang Jian¡¯s counterattack followed.


    Then Grid¡¯s cloak pped in an unusual manner and four golden hands could be seen. Zhang Jian was struck by a bombardment of white shes. It was magic that ignored magic resistance and the damage was overwhelming. Zhang Jian kept striking at Grid¡¯s chest.


    "Who will die first...!¡±


    It was a mud fight from now on. Zhang Jian used a strong attack buff and followed up with a cut.


    [The target has received 5,380 damage.]


    [The target has received 5,290 damage...]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    He used an attack buff and wielded a legendary weapon, yet he only dealt this much damage? Zhang Jian¡¯s eyes shook and a dark smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. It was a provocative smile, as if saying Zhang Jian was cute.


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    An artificial intelligence was taunting him? The anger of Zhang Jian, who had been crowned as a new hero candidate by billions of Chinese people, was boiling. However, this didn¡¯tst long. It was due to the mes around Grid¡¯s body. They were mes that burnt anyone who approached.


    ¡°Uwah!¡±


    Zhang Jian screamed and involuntarily stepped back. It was because the damage of the mes umted faster than the damage of the sword.


    ¡°W-What... Heok!¡±


    Zhang Jian retreated and used a sword technique to block Grid¡¯s path as much as possible. Then he paled as he tried to take a potion. It was because Grid easily broke through the technique and reached him in an instant.


    ¡°G-Get lost!¡±


    The frightened Zhang Jian started randomly using attack skills but it was useless. The strongest attacks of the famous ranker couldn¡¯t prate Grid¡¯s defense.


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    The Heroughed like it was fun. He grabbed Zhang Jian¡¯s face and Queen¡¯s mes of Hell exploded. It was only 1 minute and 13 seconds. This was the time it took for China¡¯s rising star to be destroyed by the Grid of one year ago. The problem was that Grid¡¯s health gauge remained almost unchanged. The people of China were silent from the big shock.


    ***


    ¡º Ahh! In the end, yer Mei Xiao was eliminated! ¡»


    ¡º It was a breathtaking tightrope until the end, but this is the result. It is a shame. Still, yer Mei Xiao fought well enough. ¡»


    Mei Xiao was different from the three yers before her. She used a sharp iron whip and her magic power to charge at Grid like an angry bull. In five minutes, Grid¡¯s health dropped by nearly 50%. Of course, it was a brilliant fight against Grid considering he had the recovery effect of Tiramet¡¯s Belt and the First King title. Mei Xiao was clearly superiorpared to the other participants who died within three minutes and couldn¡¯t even scratch Grid¡¯s health.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The 100,000 spectators and billions of viewers around the world cheered for Mei Xiao. However, Grid sitting in the waiting room wasn¡¯t inspired.


    ¡°It is a rough way of fighting.¡±


    The Grid of one year ago. This year¡¯s Hero seemed like a bulldozer under the control of the artificial intelligence. The only thing that pushed the opponents were Grid¡¯s specs itself. There were no skills to admire. Grid smacked his lips together. He had been thinking of using the artificial intelligence as a means of study to improve his control. However, that regret onlysted a moment.


    ¡°Kraugel...¡±


    Grid sat upright as soon as thest participant of Breaking the Hero appeared on the stage.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Just like he did to the other participants, the Hero flew toward Kraugel. Kraugel avoided it and stepped on the Hero¡¯s body in the air. At the same time, the White Tiger Sword rose. The Hero¡¯s stomach was pierced and blood sprayed into the air. The Hero who hadughed at the other participants now had his lips firmly closed. The God Hands fired Magic Missiles at Kraugel and then armed themselves with Mjolnir.


    ¡°Wave!¡±


    The Hero used a sword dance afternding on the ground and the energy rushed toward Kraugel. The Herobined his high insight stat and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch to predict Kraugel¡¯s escape path in an exquisite manner. On the other hand, Kraugel had the Control Sword skill. Four swords emerged from Kraugel¡¯s inventory and tangled together with the God Hands.


    "Perfect!"


    Grid jumped up from his seat. Control Sword was a difficult skill. Unlike the God Hands, Kraugel needed to mentally control the swords to make them move. Last year¡¯s Kraugel couldn¡¯t fully utilize this. He made a mistake by trying to control the swords and lost concentration. This year was different. He was inplete control of his body and the swords. It was the control of five bodies using one mind.


    Kraugel used White Light Steps and appeared behind the Hero. The Hero read this with insight and turned around, his sword moving. The two swords collided and ck mes covered Kraugel while sharp stony thorns prated the Hero. No, it seemed to prate him. The Hero swiftly moved Lantier¡¯s Cloak and bounced back most of the thorns, which were ssified as projectiles.


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone had their mouths shut. The billions of people were sweating as they focused on the screen. Then...


    "That¡¯s it."


    Grid was filled with joy. He stared with wide eyes, determined not to miss any moment of Kraugel¡¯s fight against the Hero.

 Chapter 943

    It was natural to defeat the Hero. One year in real time. In Satisfy time, the Hero had stagnated for three years while the contestants made steady progress. Indeed,st year¡¯s Hero was defeated by many challengers. His fall reminded the world of how great the power of time was.


    On the other hand, this year¡¯s Hero was different. He blocked the challenges of the famous powerhouses and cruelly ughtered those who didn¡¯t understand who they were up against. This was the Hero¡¯s true nature. How powerful was the Overgeared King Grid, who made even time meaningless? People deeply questioned this and shook. The huge presence of the monster called Grid was eroding the entire.


    However, Kraugel remained calm as hepeted against the Hero. His time, efforts and development were denied but he didn¡¯t show despair. It seemed like he had been prepared a long time ago.


    It was two years after bing a Sword Saint. Kraugel, who had lost a lot and got back up, was much stronger than he wasst year. He had a vast amount of knowledge and information umted during the process of bing the peak of two billion users. The transformed Kraugel was like a fictional character who returned to the past and was living a second life. He started again from the beginning and was the only hope against the monster called Grid.


    Kraugel neutralized the Hero¡¯s blow with Shedding and inserted his sheath into the ground.


    ¡°...?¡±


    At the same time, the Hero¡¯s sword dance stopped. The skill was cancelled because the path of the footwork was blocked by Kraugel¡¯s sheath. What happened next? The Hero naturally reacted. He started a new sword dance. Kraugel¡¯s sheath blocked the path again. The same thing was repeated many times.


    Kraugel was familiar with all of Grid¡¯s sword dances sincest year. Nevertheless, the Hero didn¡¯t panic. Once all his footwork started being read, he responded by mixing them with false information. He corrected the path of the footwork in real time, using footwork that wasn¡¯t rted to the sword dances in order to confuse Kraugel.


    The Enlightenment Sword and White Tiger Sword collided without stopping. There were asions where ck mes hit Kraugel and stone thorns created wounds on the Hero. In the midst of this continued fighting, Kraugel drew out an additional sword. He summoned two new swords from his inventory while cing sheaths in the ground to seal off the Hero¡¯s footwork. Kraugel¡¯s swords and sheaths kept hitting the Hero.


    ¡°Kuek...¡±


    Anger red in the eyes of the Hero. He was agitated enough to express his emotions, making an opportunity for Kraugel. The insight-induced predictions became dull the moment the Hero lost hisposure and the experienced Kraugel didn¡¯t miss it.


    ¡°Splitting the Sky.¡±


    It was the technique he learnt from Great Swordsman Piaro. The sword technique that dealt a deep wound to Great Demon Belial was released from Kraugel¡¯s sword after he avoided the Hero¡¯s attack.


    "Cough!"


    The Hero coughed up blood. Three bars disappeared from the health gauge, which was divided into 10 bars. The Hero had allowed a lot of hits throughout the battle. Thus, this sword technique was a considerable burden despite the Hero¡¯s high defense.


    "...Am I seeing correctly right now?¡±


    "What is this... Cutting off the sword dances with a sheath? How did hee up with that idea?¡±


    "It isn¡¯t just the idea. The body will follow.¡±


    The majority of people didn¡¯t understand the battle but there were some who felt admiration. In particr, the impact on Chris was great since he was pursuing the ultimate swordsmanship.


    ¡®The range of his thinking is different.¡¯


    At this point, he doubted the heavens. What was the reason for a monster called Grid after there was a genius called Kraugel? Then Lauel¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°If the two of them were born in different eras, they wouldn¡¯t be able to grow this far.¡±


    Going beyond the limits. Grid and Kraugel recognized each other as rivals and were able to drive themselves to the limit because they were conscious of each other. They reached their present state by oveing their limitations several times.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the wish of heaven that a transcendent beyond a human is born? It is advising us to prepare for the attack of some huge enemy. Kuk, kukukuk... Sooner orter, the door of a second dimension might open on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ah...? I see...¡±


    Why did Lauele to the waiting room of another country and talk nonsense? Chris got goosebumps.


    ¡º ckening...! The true power of the Hero is being shown! ¡»


    On the monitor, the Hero facing Kraugel turned ck. His ck hair rose as demonic energy appeared around him. It was the precursor to Transcend. The Hero moved away from Kraugel and started releasing sword energy. He subdued the enemy from the distance while opening up Cray¡¯s Power, which had a 100% blood-sucking effect. The blood from the wounds formed red tails that threatened Kraugel. It was a huge momentum that seemed like it would kill anyone who came near. The God Hands were trying to get rid of the swords in the air. Kraugel was busy trying to control the swords while avoiding the bombardment.


    ¡®Shedding doesn¡¯t work.¡¯


    The Sword Saint¡¯s passive skill Shedding was a technique where if he blocked the target¡¯s attack with a sword type object, it would deflect it without him receiving any damage and had a certain probability of destroying the enemy¡¯s stance. It was impossible for Shedding to cope with the energy des that exploded at the moment of contact.


    The duration of Transcend was approximately 30 seconds. Kraugel knew Grid and there was no way he could miss this. He nned to avoid the Hero, who increased his attack speed and attack power with ckening and was bombarding him with Transcend.


    Kraugel used True Clouds, his sword emitting a blue fog that erased his presence. Sparks of white magic power appeared in the sky above the blue fog. It was the rm spell. It was one of the abilities Grid could use when he had the mental power to afford it. The Hero had set thebination of rm + Magic Missile every time the cooldown ended since the battle started. This was an attack optimized to aim at the defenseless Kraugel.


    The light came pouring down. Dozens of energy des from Transcend came from the front while Magic Missiles poured from the sky.


    ¡®Did he match the timing of the spell¡¯s activation to Transcend?¡¯


    Kraugel was trapped between the magic and energy des. He activated Super Sensitivity and retreated. He moved faster than the energy des of Transcend. His appearance as he flew through the fog while blocking the Magic Missiles with Sword Curtain was fast andplex. The viewers found it hard to follow him.


    However, the Hero utilized insight and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch to the limit and never lost sight of the target. The fog created by True Clouds, which disturbed his view and blocked detection, didn¡¯t show much effect. The continuous movements directly rted to the consumption of stamina.


    After confirming that no more Magic Missiles poured from the sky, Kraugel stopped and adjusted his sword. It was due to the ¡®Reveal Sharp Teeth¡¯ effect attached to the +8 White Tiger Sword that had grown to the unique rating. The Hero didn¡¯t miss this opening. He sensed that the target had stopped and pulled out the Ideal Dagger. His right hand held the Enlightenment Sword and the left hand held the Ideal Dagger.


    ¡°Quick Movements.¡±


    The Hero¡¯s agility was maximized. Now that it was useless, the Ideal Dagger was thrown through the air like a dart as the Hero fired six continuous energy des at the frozen Kraugel. Kraugel twisted his back.


    ¡®Just a bit more.¡¯


    The attack speed was very fast. The energy des poured down with almost no break. Kraugel waited until a breathtaking moment. He waited until more than 12 energy des reached him. The number of energy des that reached his nose was exactly 12. Kraugel swung his sword along with six additional swords.


    Even so, the timing was a bit off. It was because one of the swords dealing with the God Hands was hit by the Ideal Dagger and flew away. The God Hand was temporarily freed and struck Kraugel¡¯s corbone with Failure.


    ¡°Kuek...! Tearing the Sky!¡±


    The storm of sword energy tore into the sky like a beast¡¯s ws. Four of the 18 energy des pouring toward Kraugel hit him and the remaining 14 returned to the Hero. The Hero didn¡¯t intercept or avoid them. The direction of the counterattack Tearing the Sky was limited to above. The 14 deflected energy des passed over the Hero¡¯s head and exploded.


    ¡º Ah! He failed with his aim? ¡»


    ¡º I think he lost his bnce after allowing the God Hand¡¯s attack. The damage done by the energy des seems quite big... ¡»


    Thementators watching the situation felt pity as Kraugel walked through the fog. Unlike what thementators thought, Kraugel aplished his intentions. The series of explosions over the head caused a massive shock wave in the vicinity and caused the Hero¡¯s body to shake.


    Kraugel stood in ce and swung his sword. The distance between Kraugel and the Hero was approximately 15 meters. It was a distance that the sword couldn¡¯t cross. Still, not one person thought that Kraugel was hitting the air. They knew about the sword that split apart the world. The neat cutting sound produced by Kraugel spread out into the distance.


    The clouds in the sky...


    Thend between Kraugel and the Hero..


    The things that made up thendscape were split in half, as if they were like that from the beginning. It was the effect of Space Sword, one of Kraugel¡¯s ultimate techniques.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The eyes of the Hero widened. This guy was learning.

 Chapter 944

    [Critical!!]


    [The target has received 44,099 damage.]


    [The target has suffered irreversible damage! All stats are reduced by 20% and all speeds are reduced by 50%!]


    [The target has resisted.]


    [The cutting has failed.]


    [The target has exposed his weakness! If you hit the target within 30 seconds, an unconditional critical hit will be applied! The critical damage applied will be 1.5 times higher!]


    [...!]


    [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]


    [Your powerful sword has separated the world!!!]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The Hero¡¯s stance copsed. He knelt down and a fountain of blood spurted from his chest and was absorbed into the red tail, as if the red tail was seeking more blood. This was an attack that ignored a certain amount of defense, dealt additional damage in proportion to the current health of the target, unconditionally applied a critical hit and had a high probability of activating the cutting effect.


    The destructive power of Space Sword decreased the Hero¡¯s health gauge by five bars. The Hero immediately recovered a considerable amount of health due to the First King title but it was obviously huge damage due to the consumption value.


    It happened when the gods were restoring the split apart world. Kraugel was used to the bitter taste of the potion that he had taken several times already and used White Light Steps. The Hero¡¯s red-purple aura was at its peak so Kraugel wanted to avoid a long battle.


    A fierce battle ensued. The Hero used the silver thread in cooperation with the two red tails to attack Kraugel, like a spider attacking the prey caught in his web. However, the prey didn¡¯t get caught in the web. He avoided the binding of the silver thread and the strikes of the red tails in one motion, linking it with a counterattack.


    The Hero gritted his teeth. It was hard for him to use his footwork because the swords that emerged from Kraugel¡¯s inventory were stabbed into the floor, blocking the path and making it difficult to use a skill. In the end, the Hero swapped weapons to Grid¡¯s Greatsword.


    Then instead of Cray¡¯s Power, he pulled out Yetima¡¯s Power. The Direct Descendant¡¯s Sword, which was activated when a greatsword was equipped, fell like a lightning bolt. The vibration of the atmosphere when the greatsword fell physically pressured Kraugel and forced him to put on the brakes.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    It was only a cut on the shoulder but Kraugel lost one-sixth of his health from the blow. Considering the inherent characteristic of a Sword Saint to decrease the damage of sword type weapons and the effect of Imprable Skin that he obtained after reaching level 300, it was a damage that couldn¡¯t be denied.


    The battle continued. The Direct Descendant¡¯s Sword was on cooldown so the Hero once again swapped to the Enlightenment Sword and opened Cray¡¯s Power. Kraugel took a potion from time to time and gradually showed resistance to the ck mes. The characteristic of a Sword Saint allowed him tomunicate with the Enlightenment Sword and he started to read the timing of when the Enlightenment Sword would release the mes.


    ¡°Belial¡¯s Power. Queen of Mocking and Vition.¡±


    The Hero turned off his safety device once his health fell below 40%. There were suddenly two heroes.


    ¡º What...! ¡»


    ¡º G-Grid is able to summon clones!! ¡»


    ¡º T-T-They might be illusions but... ¡»


    Having clones was simr to an assassin¡¯s skill. It was already unbelievable that the cksmith Grid could use swordsmanship and magic. Now the assassin¡¯s skills were added. The impact on thementators and the crowd was great. The disturbedmentators stuttered while some distracted audience members poured their drink on the person in front of them.


    Meanwhile, Kraugel was calm. His Super Sensitivity had reached a high level and this allowed him to tell which one was the main body. It was a lie to say he wasn¡¯t concerned about the existence of the clone but the sky who looked down on the earth from above wasn¡¯t easily shaken.


    "I understood it at the end of my admiration.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s body started to be covered with silver energy. It was the activation of his stage three buff skill. Kraugel, who became as sharp as a sword, cut through the Hero¡¯s clone and approached the main body. The Hero was using Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. There was a powerful stab, filled with enough strength to destroy all life in the space it hit.


    "I have be one after understanding.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s body was solid as he used ¡®Wear the Sword¡¯ and integrated with it. The attack was unable to pierce his body. Instead, the durability of the White Tiger Sword dropped sharply.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!¡±


    The Hero had God¡¯s Command activated. He used the ultimate attack twice in a row to continuously damage Kraugel¡¯s White Tiger Sword. Noticeable cracks appeared on the White Tiger Sword but Kraugel wasn¡¯t nervous. He was aiming to end the battle.


    "I am a sword and there is nothing I can¡¯t cut.¡±


    Thest verse was over and the ¡®Poem Praising the Sword¡¯ wasplete. It was a buff that when equipping a sword, 5~11 times the attack power was added to the next skill.


    "Transcend Storm Sword.¡±


    A storm of silver and green energy started to mangle the Hero. The Hero naturally responded with Revolve but Transcend Storm Sword was a multi-stage skill. Only the first stage was countered while the rest of the stages hit the Hero. The God Hands flew to block the Hero but they were once again blocked by the sword.


    ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡±


    The Hero screamed. He was struggling to cope with this pain when poison rose from his armor. It was an option attached to Valha of Infinite Affection. Nevertheless, Sword Saint Kraugel was over level 300 and could use Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons as well as the passive Imprable Skin. Poison was useless on him.


    Four bars, three bars, two bars, one bar. The effect of Transcend Storm Swordsted 1.5 seconds but the Hero¡¯s health gauge fell by a huge amount. Then once it fell to 10%, it was restored to 30% thanks to Tiramet¡¯s Power.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    "Is this real...?¡±


    The people predicted the Hero¡¯s victory. It was because every time the clone¡¯s health gauge fell by one bar, the Hero¡¯s clones increased. At this moment, Kraugel looked like someone who opened the Pandora¡¯s Box that shouldn¡¯t be opened, not a challenger about to win. The moment that Transcend Storm Sword ended, a smile appeared on the Hero¡¯s face.


    The four clones around Kraugel activated the skill attached to Valha, Moving Fortress. They used the wide area skill Impregnable, which would release half of all damage that the Hero suffered in thest 5 minutes in a radius of 50 metres. A total of five skills ovepped, resulting in a huge explosion. Pine trees disappeared instantly, cliffs flew away and no traces of Kraugel could be found.


    The hundreds of cameras shooting in real time shook like crazy, making the 100,000 spectators and billions of viewers feel nauseous.


    ¡°Crazy...¡±


    The first person to recover his spirit was Grid in the waiting room. He was impressed with the creativity of the Hero who linked Queen¡¯s Distortion and Impregnable. He felt the thrill of learning how to use skills and items in ways he would¡¯ve never thought of.


    At the same time.


    ¡°Kraugel?¡±


    He hurried to find hispetitor. Then he saw the appearance of Kraugel rising high into the sky. Wings of light stretched from his back. Sometimes they shed white and sometimes ck.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    Kraugel muttered with a distorted expression. It was remarkable when considering his personality, which avoided expressing emotions. Anger. It was anger toward himself.


    ¡°Ruson¡¯s Power!¡±


    The Hero on the ground perceived the risk. He entered the ¡®hunger¡¯ state due to Kraugel¡¯s blood and his movement speed greatly increased. Then he used Fly to reach Kraugel. He approached while moving to the left and right in unnatural trajectories at a speed that couldn¡¯t be followed with the naked eye. It was brilliant and intimidating.


    -Linked Kill.


    -Transcended Link.


    -Pinnacle Kill.


    -Wave.


    -Pinnacle.


    The voice of the Hero, which was recorded using the rm spell, rang from all directions. Kraugel had to be confused by the illusion that he was surrounded by dozens of heroes. It would be a big mess if he couldn¡¯t keep up with the Hero who was constantly changing positions.


    Nevertheless, Kraugel wasn¡¯t confused. The Hero couldn¡¯t deceive his senses.


    ¡°Falling Sword.¡±


    37 swords emerged from Kraugel¡¯s inventory. The swords spread out like a fan and poured down like rain towards the Hero. The Hero¡¯s judgment was quick. He immediately used Freely Move to avoid all 37 swords and approached Kraugel. Of course, he waspleting his footwork at the same time.


    "Grab the Adam¡¯s Apple.¡±


    ¡°...Cough!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s action was faster than the sword dance. The cracked White Tiger Sword pierced the heart of the Hero, who was caught in a tight grip. The Hero entered the immortal state while the winged Kraugel opened the distance. Six secondster. Kraugel recovered all four swords he had directed against the God Hands and aimed them at the Hero. The Hero was unable to withstand the bombardment and died.


    That was the moment when Kraugel won. The Grid of one year ago was defeated by today¡¯s Kraugel.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    There was thunderous apuse. The 100,000 spectators filling Beijing Olympic Stadium stood up to give a standing ovation. Not a single person was sitting and it was an unprecedented spectacr sight.


    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered.¡± Grid in the waiting room also stood up and pped. The awe and praise he gave Kraugel were sincere. There wasn¡¯t a single bit of pretenses. ¡°I knew you would win.¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen! Grid¡¯s heart seemed like it was about to burst. He wanted to run to the stage right now and apply for a duel with Kraugel.


    ¡°...Even so, I have to endure it.¡±


    Grid watched his trembling and sweating hands and eagerly hoped for the demon king¡¯s subjugation to start. In this day, Korea¡¯s Eat Spicy Jokbal won a gold medal in the escape thebyrinth event while Carrie of Australia and Richter of Canada won gold medals in block building and tree cutting respectively.


    From the United States and China¡¯s viewpoint, the medals situation was very messy. The 4th National Competition only had the PvP and demon king subjugation events remaining. The first ranked country was still unconfirmed. It was too much of a variable when a minimum of five gold medals could emerge in the demon king¡¯s subjugation. The PvP gold medal was also important.


    "The PvP medal is obviously mine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Zibal, who had the hidden card of his magic machine, was as strong as usual. However, Haster was mute. The zipper across his mouth was closed all day. He had realized that the confrontation he had a long time ago with Kraugel was fake.


    ¡®In the first ce, I wasn¡¯t worth dealing with?¡¯


    However, he couldn¡¯t deny it. The only one who mattered to Kraugel was Grid. Haster hadn¡¯t reached them yet. The world that he had been seeing was too narrow. Everything was ruined and Haster withdrew from PvP. It would be embarrassing and humiliating to expose himself to the world in his current state.


    On the other hand, Zibal¡¯s nose rose even higher. "Did he resign because he was scared? Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped since he knew my real strength.¡±


    If he knew this would happen, he would¡¯ve hidden his magic machine during the selection test.


    ¡°This year¡¯s PvP is going to be boring.¡±


    Zibal felt regret.

 Chapter 945

    Themunities around the world were boiling.


    -The way he used his skills made it hard for the Hero to react.


    --Wow ?? While fighting, it seemed that the distance between the Hero and the God Hands gradually increased ??? It is due to Control Sword.


    -Is Control Sword really controlled by Kraugel?


    -What?Are you nuts?Of course it is.


    -Wow!He moved to the left and did something to block the Hero¡¯s view.


    -Every time he uses the sheath, his body is so stic. ??;


    It was immediately after the Breaking the Hero event. The topic that revitalized themunities was naturally Kraugel and the Breaking the Hero event. People repeatedly watched Kraugel¡¯sbat video and tried to analyze his methods and intentions. They tried to learn by sharing opinions with each other.


    In the meantime, a new dispute arose.


    -Grid didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition because he was afraid of Kraugel.


    There were people who called Grid¡¯s absence from the National Competition as a ¡®cowardly¡¯ means of defending his title. It was reasonable to interpret it like this. Grid¡¯s level increase in the rankings in the past year had been small. This was the basis for the idea that this year¡¯s Grid was simr tost year¡¯s Grid. It encouraged the idea that Kraugel, who defeated the Hero, was stronger.


    -Grid can¡¯t help it.He has to rule over his country while doing cksmithing work. The amount of time he has to grow is small.


    ¡°I think your rage will burst if you look at the Inte?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo slowly looked up from his phone from where he was sitting in a spacious waiting room. The person who knocked and entered was the S.A Group¡¯s team leader, Yoon Nahee, who shook a lunch bag.


    ¡°Do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Yoon Nahee felt different from the time he met her at the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters. There was a smile on her face instead of a business-like expression and she wore blue jeans and a white t-shirt instead of her office attire. She seemed to be enjoying her trip to China. She was a considerable beauty. The problem was that Grid had adapted to the beauty of Yura, Jishuka, Sehee and Yerim. Youngwoo only vaguely felt that his vision had grown too big.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you frustrated by the people¡¯s reactions?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Despite Youngwoo-ssi showing something new every year, people continue to disparage you. In many cases, they distort the truth.¡±


    There were many strange people on the Inte. People who were anonymous sometimes showed a psychopathic temperament. They spoke nonsense just to relieve their stress. However, from a certain point in time, Youngwoo had stopped worrying about the Inte¡¯s response.


    ¡°It is like that. On the Inte, there are people who call Lim Cheolho a stone head.¡±


    ¡°Stone head? The chairman is a stone head?¡±


    Lim Cheolho was the founder of a virtual reality world. He wasn¡¯t recognized as just the world¡¯s best scientist but the best scientist ever. Of course, even Lim Cheolho knew it wasn¡¯t perfect. He was only exceptional in his own field. He had many ordinary parts. Even so, it was unexpected for him to be called stupid. This was quite fresh and funny.


    ¡°In fact, he is called a stone, not a stone head...¡±


    ¡°Stone... Pffft!¡± Yoon Nahee burst outughing. She grabbed her belly andughed loudly. The atmosphere of the two people was cheerful as they ate. Team Leader Yoon Nahee had watched Grid for a long time and knew Youngwoo very well. Youngwoo was also familiar with her. They got closer this year while preparing for the Demon King project.


    ¡°Have you been watching thest four days? Many rankers this year have passed level 330 and their skill levels have risen. Can you fight against them alone?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Youngwoo thought about it while enjoying the overflowing juices of the Beijing duck. Certainly, the level of the yers had increased sharply. In particr, the growth of normal sses and hidden sses had reduced. Unlike the hidden sses, who got good skills from the beginning, the normal sses got more skills and characteristics as they raised their level. This narrowed the gap between sses.


    The gap was closing. The words that Lim Cheolho said a long time ago were bing a reality.


    ¡°At first, I thought it would be easy. Now I am feeling a lot of tension.¡± Youngwoo replied honestly as he ate the fried rice. He looked at the growth of the other yers during this year¡¯s National Competition and was forced to acknowledge their skills.


    ¡°However.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, I don¡¯t think I will lose.¡±


    The gap was closing? There was no need to worry about that. Not all hidden sses were the same and few people could persistently try without giving up. Look around now. People gave up on quitting smoking, drinking or on their diets every day.


    Youngwoo¡¯s face was red as he spoke confidently and drank the jjampong soup. The soup that Youngwoo drank was Mtang, not jjampong. They were distinctively different foods. He started sweating as he spoke in a quivering voice.


    ¡°...W-Water. Hup!"


    ¡®He is like the chairman.¡¯


    They were confident because they were the best in their fields, but they had a bad side in everyday life. It was a personality that she couldn¡¯t hate. Yoon Nahee smiled and handed him a bottle of water.


    ¡°400 against 1. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    400 rankers from 125 countries against the lone Grid. The fact that the result was hard to predict was frightening.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s absence. This was the only reason why this year¡¯s PvP participation rate was so high.


    ¡®At least we won¡¯t die in one blow. I am also world-ss if I can show my skills.¡¯


    467 people had these thoughts and participated in PvP. Only 64 of them were selected to appear on stage. The 403 people eliminated in the preliminary round felt a big shock. The US yers, excluding Kraugel, the Overgeared members like Pon, Seuron of Argentina, Bubat of Turkey, Damian of Japan, Goshar of India, Everton of New Zend etc. They directly experienced the skills of those they had been watching from afar and realized there were insurmountable walls that could never be ovee.


    ¡°This is strange. Wasn¡¯t everyone below Grid and Kraugel supposed to be equal?¡±


    ¡°There is a ss division everywhere we go.¡±


    ¡°Shit! I can¡¯t admit it! I¡¯m not weak! It is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°...It is a shock. Experiencing it directly ispletely different from just watching.¡±


    The difference wasn¡¯t always the same. Goshar of India was a person who had been eliminated from the PvP qualifiers every year. His career was poorpared to the high evaluations that other rankers and experts gave him. Thus, he knew it was a bubble. Then what was this?


    ¡°Yohohoho! I am a giant!¡±


    The magic that Goshar summoned whileughing oddly was on a different level. He was almost a ughterer in the preliminaries.


    ¡°...¡±


    In fact, Goshar was strong. His opponent in the round of 64 was trapped in a sand castle and Goshar summed a golem to kill him. He was ranked first among the earth magicians for a reason. The yers who were eliminated from the preliminaries felt cheated. Goshar had deliberately been pretending to be weak for thest three years.


    Of course, this was a big mistake. The reason why Goshar was eliminated from the preliminaries every year was because he met a stronger opponent early on. Yes, his luck was bad. However, this year¡¯s Goshar had a good feeling. His luck was very good during the preliminaries. His opponent for the round of 64 was weak and his next opponent for the round of 32 was Bubat.


    ¡°Yohoho.¡±


    The round of 64 finished. Gosharughed as he went on stage for the round of 32 and faced his opponent Bubat. Bubat had been devastated by the Chinese rookie called Zhang Zheng in PvPst year. Goshar wasn¡¯t afraid of the person who had already lost the promise of victory.


    ¡°Why do you participate in the PvP event every time? If you participated in the team events then you would be able to win a medal. Aren¡¯t the Turkish people quite frustrated? Yohohoho.¡±


    Bubat had a hidden ss and was a strong yer with powerful tanking and CC abilities. However, he was weak in a one-on-one match due to ack of attack power. His clinging to PvP was truly poisonous. However, this year¡¯s Bubat was different.


    ¡°Yohoho... hik!¡±


    The most important virtue for Bubat¡¯s initiator ss was the ability to approach the enemy. The nature of the initiator was to open up the battlefield. The ability to tank was a basic and his resistance to abnormal conditions must be high. Gosharid all sorts of earth magic on the ground to block the enemy¡¯s advance but Bubat easily approached.


    In addition, this year¡¯s Bubat had Artina¡¯s Natural Disposition Gloves. It was a legendary item that boosted attack power in proportion of the wearer¡¯s defense. Thus, Bubat was able to make up for hiscking attack power.


    ¡°Hiyoouk...!Hik!¡±


    It was safe to say that the battle was over when Bubat approached the magician Goshar. As a magician, he suffered from ack of defense. Goshar was caught by Bubat¡¯s wicked hands and pushed to the ground. After a few minutes of being beaten up, Goshar died. Bubat scoffed as he easily advanced to the round of 16.


    ¡°A person who talks too much and can¡¯t back it up.¡±


    In that sense, Grid was a fearsome person. Every time he spat out some words, he swung his sword and killed the enemy instantly. Bubat gulped and shook his head as he recalled the time he was cut by Grid.


    ¡®This is really thest opportunity. I can aim for a medal in Grid¡¯s absence.¡¯


    Winning PvP was the dream of every high ranker. Bubat¡¯s motivation rose. This year, Kraugel wasn¡¯t participating in PvP. It was a heaven-sent opportunity.


    ***


    The PvP round of 16 ended.


    ¡¯It¡¯s nerve-wracking.¡¯


    Grid, who was monitoring thepetition, bit his lips as Yura emerged. It was because Yura seemed especially lonely and sad today. It felt like she was soaked in water. There was an illusion that it was only raining around her.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t express it but he usually cared a lot about Yura. He received her help in reality and in the game, so he thought about her more than once. Thus, he was worried. Today¡¯s Yura didn¡¯t look good.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    The contestants for the round of eight included Yura, Pon, Regas, Damian, Chris, Zibal, Seuron and Bubat. ording to Grid¡¯s observations, they were all great talents. In particr, Damian was the worst opponent for Yura. It was because the field magic, Hell Summoning, normally raised the power of a Demon yer while applying a debuff to other people. However, this debuff wouldn¡¯t have an effect on Damian.


    Yet Yura ended up meeting Damian in the round of eight. She was in an iplete condition and met an opponent she couldn¡¯t beat.


    ¡°Yura.¡±


    Grid¡¯s ass kept shaking. He wanted to run to the side of Yura, who was swinging her sword like she was being chased by something.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Grid hesitated. On the screen, Yura blocked Damian¡¯s sword with her sword and fired her pistol, causing Damian¡¯s head to go back.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Damian was very upset. It was natural to feel like this. A few months ago, Yura defeated Agnus and cleared the fourth ss quest ¡®Old Enemy¡¯ and acquired the ss mastery skill Swordsmanship of Light. It was the first time the pope saw her swordsmanship and the force of the bullets was also much higher.


    ¡°Divine Protection, Incarnation of Light, Light¡¯s Blessing, Goddess¡¯ Protection, Goddess¡¯ Blessing.¡±


    Damian used healing on himself and full-buffed without hesitation. It was the first time since facing Grid that he showed the ¡®true dignity of a pope¡¯ toward another yer.


    ¡°Yura-san, sumimasen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    The shining divine power was cut by a jade light sword and the bullets danced. She was a legend, just like Grid and Kraugel. She also had the right to be ustomed to victory.


    ¡°Nightmare Rumination.¡±


    The path of penance was especially long. The light came to her toote. However, it was already toote to go back.

 Chapter 946

    ¡°Wahhhh!¡± The shouting never ended. The crowd was excited about the feast of techniques as the jade light sword and the bullets eliminated the buffs. Yura¡¯s strange power that neutralized Damian¡¯s strength caused many people to feel astonished. Others were astonished by Damian¡¯s control as he responded to the rapid-fire bullets.


    ¡º yer Yura¡¯s fighting power is equal to Kraugel inst year¡¯s drawing the sword event. I felt it at the time but her one-on-one talent is remarkable. Why hasn¡¯t she been ying in PvP? ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t South Koreacking yers? It was particrly worse one or two years ago. Every medal is necessary so she needs to avoid appearing in the same events as Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Grid¡¯s absence is a chance for Yura. ¡»


    ¡º We must revise our evaluation of Yura and South Korea. Grid is absent but South Korea is still 6th in the medal rankings. The number of silver and bronze medals is low but they got six gold medals. ¡»


    ¡º Incredible. Now nobody can think of South Korea as a weak country. If Yura gets a gold in PvP and the others y a role in the demon king subjugation, won¡¯t they be able to take third ce? ¡»


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Damian eventually lost all buffs and was stabbed by the sword. Damian coughed up blood, blocked an iing bullet with the shield and swung the sword hidden behind the shield. It was a fast-paced battle. Damian had interlocked their swords when he saw Yura¡¯s heavy eyes. As he blocked the muzzle aimed at his abdomen with the shield, he asked with a worried expression.


    "You look agitated.¡±


    The probability of getting a gold medal was high if Damian and the other powerhouses entered events with lowpetition. However, the reason they participated in PvP was because they enjoyed it. It was a field where they could duel without fearing physical penalties. There was no reason not to be happy.


    Then why did Yura looked troubled? She seemed to feel anxiety and pain instead of enthusiasm and joy. This desperate appearance... it was hard to watch. She looked like a person standing on the edge of a cliff.


    "Please tell me if you are having a hard time.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s friend is my friend. If you need help then I am willing to offer it.¡±


    Damian was reluctant to use the skill Holy Sword Deployment that he acquired before the National Competition. He was reluctant to bring it out against Yura, whose state wasn¡¯t right. Of course, he wasn¡¯t looking down on her. Yura was so strong that he couldn¡¯t guarantee victory even if he used the skill. He just felt worried.


    For the first time, a smile appeared on Yura¡¯s face. The smile was beautiful enough to be fatal. It made everything in the surrounding scenery ck and white, apart from Yura herself.


    ¡°Thank you but I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Swordsmanship of Light. It had higher attack power, uracy rate and critical hit rate than the normal Weapons Mastery skill. It was the strongest mastery skill that removed a buff or even gave a debuff when consuming a ¡®great demon¡¯s sins¡¯. The jade light around Yura¡¯s sword symbolized the inherent magic power of a Demon yer and gave the ¡®weakness¡¯ debuff after striking Damian¡¯s sword.


    "Fight me with all your strength.¡±


    Yura had to win. She only needed results. Nevertheless, what was the point of a false victory? Could she confidently feel pride in it? Yura wanted Damian to stop hesitating and her heart wasmunicated to Damian.


    "I understand.¡±


    Damian¡¯s left hand held the shield and started to light up. It was a white light that was like zing mes.


    ¡°Holy Sword Deployment.¡±


    Damian overflowed with holy power as he shot toward Yura with full force.


    ***


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the confrontation between Yura and Damian. Damian had grown rapidly in the past few months while Yura was strong enough to be worrying. The confrontation between the two of them was as brilliant and fierce as the confrontation between Kraugel and the Hero. They weren¡¯t inferior to the candidates to win this year¡¯s PvP. Even Grid¡¯s blood was boiling. He had a desire to fight properly with them. It was unfortunate that Yura wasn¡¯t participating in the demon king subjugation.


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    The fightsted for 15 minutes before it ended. Damian was greatly weakened after the holy sword ended while Yura¡¯s concentration increased. She exquisitely used Hell Leap to make Damian¡¯s shield meaningless and seeded in piercing his weak spot.


    Yura was left alone on stage. It was victory after a fierce battle but she still looked bitter and lonely. Of course, it was an expression that only Grid noticed. Yura was smiling and most people interpreted that she was happy. Grid had been with Yura for a long time and could glimpse the shadows in her smile.


    ¡°What is going on?¡¯


    Should he call her? No, he couldn¡¯t. They might be colleagues but it was strange to call her just because he was worried...


    ¡¯Our rtionship isn¡¯t that special. She might feel ufortable that I can tell just by looking at her face.¡¯


    She mightugh at him like Ahyoung. Even so, he couldn¡¯t stop worrying...


    He hesitated while holding his phone.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, let¡¯s go!¡± Then Team Leader Yoon Nahee opened the door of the waiting room and prompted him. He had to make an appearance as the demon king. It was a sort of showcase for the demon king. Participation in the showcase was a use stipted in the contract signed by Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid had dyed it by saying he wanted to see the confrontation between Yura and Damian. Now he hurriedly rose from his seat.


    ***


    The S.A Group was cing great significance on the demon king subjugation.


    A world made by yers. The demon king subjugation event contained the ideal that Lim Cheolho was pursuing. In addition, the nature of the event meant it had highmercial value and was highly anticipated. It was no surprise that many investments were made before the demon king subjugation even started.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was after the round of 8 waspleted for PvP. The 100,000 excited spectators started to feel confused. The billions of viewers were embarrassed as well. The stage for PvP was suddenly swallowed up in darkness and a new stage appeared. It was a ins area with a towering castle.


    ¡°What is happening all of a sudden?¡±


    "Is the stage changing for the semi-finals?¡±


    People showed great interest. The spectators were unable to leave to go to the toilet and viewers couldn¡¯t turn the channel. Now there were only important games left so people¡¯s attention and concentration were at the maximum. That¡¯s why the S.A Group had the demon king appear at this time.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Music started to y. The grand, arrogant and provocative melody overwhelmed people, making them feel excited. There were people who noticed the identity of the musical instrument making the melody.


    "A pipe organ...¡±


    The final image of the National Competition¡¯s opening video rushed into people¡¯s mind. A young man leaned against a huge organ with thousands of pipes and arrogantly beckoned with a finger.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    The organ, an enigmatic figure, the one event left and the demon king. All types of puzzle pieces aligned in people¡¯s minds.


    ¡°Demon king...?¡±


    "Demon king!!¡±


    The correct answer popped out everywhere. Thunder appeared in the dark sky.


    ¡°Kukukuk.¡±


    Someone appeared on the ins. It was a man wearing a grey mask. His head had one big horn and two small horns. The eyes underneath the mask were red, there were two wings on his back, his two hands wererger than his face and de-like nails stretched out from his fingers.


    He was the demon king.


    ***


    Regas was an ace of the Overgeared members and one of the favorites to win PvP. He won against famous powerhouses and suffered a setback in the quarter-finals. The opponent who knocked him down was Zibal. Zibal made a brillianteback. He was happy to shake off the stigma of being a punching bag for two years but this joy was short-lived.


    ¡°Tsk. They are doing everything these days.¡±


    Zibal¡¯s dissatisfaction was huge at the moment. It was because the attention of the people was focused on the appearance of the demon king instead of him.


    "What is so great about the demon king?¡±


    Originally, Zibal¡¯s talent was in raids. He was proud of his unique ability to analyze the patterns of boss monsters and efficiently manage the party until he was pushed by Grid¡¯s items. Now he had a hidden ss and was confident in more than just raids. He was unhappy that the organizers were highlighting a ¡®fake¡¯ boss monster.


    The minds of the other yers were simr. The 400 participants of the demon king subjugation event. Many of those who joined the two minute show, the Demon King¡¯s Appearance, weren¡¯t pleased. In particr, those who were just eliminated from PvP were sensitive.


    ¡°Yoho! Do you want to y?¡± The 1st ranked earth magician, Goshar. After dropping out in the round of 32, he sat in the waiting room until he participated in the emergence of the demon king. Now he started casting spells. The participants were free to do whatever they wanted in the Demon King¡¯s Appearance. There was nothing wrong with attacking the demon king who stood alone.


    It happened when Goshar was about to cast spells at the man with the name ¡®Demon King¡¯ above his head.


    [From now on, the audience will start voting!]


    [If you make an impression and gain many votes in this event, you will receive a reward equal to a gold medal. However, the medals tally won¡¯t be affected.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    The yers in this event weren¡¯t aware of the voting beforehand. The annoyed yers were motivated as soon as they saw the notification window.


    Gosharughed. ¡°Yohohohut! The crowd¡¯s votes are mine!¡±


    The person who acted first would leave a strong impression on the audience! Goshar cast magic before the others and considered the group voting system to be a blessing.


    ¡°Giant¡¯s Haaaand! Yohohoho.¡±


    The moment that Goshar cast the spell, the ground turned to sand and the sand turned into a huge hand shape. At the same time.


    [The magic spell has been discovered by the Demon King. The magic spell has been cancelled.]


    [The demon king has duplicated your magic spell!]


    "...H-Hiik?¡±


    Goshar¡¯s eyes widened and he became as hard as stone. The giant hand disappeared and a new one was summoned, the new hand fell toward Goshar¡¯s head.


    ¡°...¡±


    Goshar was crushed like a worm. The spectators and yers couldn¡¯t understand the situation and their mouths dropped open. Silence fell.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t all of youe at once?¡± The demon king made a provocative remark. He waved his hand like the opening video.


    "...This guy doesn¡¯t know who he is facing.¡±


    ¡°He is a sad bastard.¡±


    Some aggressive yers acted. The magicians were forced to calm their temper but not the warriors. They pulled out their weapons and rushed at the demon king. He was an opponent they had to fight anyway. It was better to figure out the power of the demon king as much as possible during this short event.


    Rain poured down from the thick clouds. In the rain, the demon king lightly tapped his fingers. A storm blew and dozens of thunderbolts fell from the sky. Dozens of yers were hit and turned to rags.


    "K...Kuoock...¡±


    "F-Field magic...¡±


    It destroyed magic and didn¡¯t allow them ess. The demon king¡¯s dignity was beyond the expectations of the people. The tense yers started to feel fear while thementators were silent. The spectators and viewers were focused on the screen without leaving their seats.


    At this moment, the whole world was watching the demon king. The demon king was a person familiar with being watched by people. It was because he had experienced it dozens of times. He spoke calmly, "If you don¡¯te then I will go to you.¡±


    In the rain, the demon king pulled out a weapon that could either be a spear or a sword and flew toward the yers.


    [The Demon King¡¯s Appearance event has ended.]


    The message rose stating that the two minutes had ended and the demon king¡¯s body disappeared into the ck fog. The remaining yers were silent. Only a few rankers like Zibal, Seuron, Damian and the Overgeared members had shining eyes. However, one person was different.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯ The person who knew the identity of the demon king trembled. It was electrifying. The man noticed that the Demon King Grid was several times stronger than the Hero Grid.


    A new notification window popped up.


    [The audience voting has ended.]


    [The winner of the most votes is the Demon King.]

 Chapter 947

    [The audience voting has ended.]


    [The winner of the most votes is the Demon King.]


    ¡°What? What nonsense is this?¡±


    It was an absurd notification window. Some yers responded violently.


    ¡°A monster was included in the voting? Does this make sense? Why are they ying around with busy people?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the nature of those S.A people? They didn¡¯t want to pay thepensation so they included the Demon King in the voting. They yed us.¡±


    They were all elites who represented their country. No one cursed due to the weight of the stage called the National Competition. However, the atmosphere was terrible enough that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there was cursing. The Demon King wasn¡¯t a yer and it was right for him to be excluded from the voting. In the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t have let the Demon King have an active role if they knew he was included in the voting.


    It was the logic of the yers. They protested that they shouldn¡¯t recognize the Demon King¡¯s votes. However, the S.A Group¡¯s reply was, ¡°We never said the voting was limited to yers.¡±


    The S.A Group that moved ording to its own rules was famous for being a ¡®wall¡¯ and their logic couldn¡¯t be refuted. Furthermore, this situation was a positive for the majority of yers. It was better for none of them to benefit than for one outstanding yer to monopolize the rewards.


    The yers studied Kraugel. Kraugel was silent. He had an arrogant expression like he wasn¡¯t interested in the rewards from the beginning.


    ***


    ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± Yoon Nahee greeted Grid after he returned to the waiting room. She hadn¡¯t expected Grid to be this active.


    Breaking down magic and duplicating it. Grid suspected that the S.A Group might¡¯ve intervened in the probability of Magic Contemtion skill of the Duke of Wisdom, since the above aspects had a 50% and 4% chance of activating respectively.


    ¡®It is a game of luck.¡¯


    The perfect activation of Magic Contemtion was the good fortune due to the increase in his good luck stat. Grid prayed that he would walk a path of luck in the future and asked about something he doubted. ¡°By the way, won¡¯t there be doubts over the Demon King being included in the voting?¡±


    ¡°What doubts?¡±


    ¡°That the Demon King is actually a yer.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to doubt that a monster is actually a yer. Who would imagine that a yer would be a raid target for 400 people?¡±


    In the first ce, Grid was covered in the skin of the Demon King. Grid¡¯s appearance, his items and his pets all looked different. The skill names and descriptions had also changed. The lightning storm used in the Demon King¡¯s Appearance event was also different from usual. For example,va appeared on the ground and the sound from the sky was subtly different from usual. It was virtually impossible to doubt that the Demon King was a yer and then associate that yer with Grid.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid was reassured and sat in his spot with a light heart. The PvP semi-finals were about to begin.


    ***


    125 countries participated in the 4th National Competition. It was thergest scale so far. There were a total of 53 events that allowed yers to showcase a wide variety of talents and provide a spectacle to the viewers. The result...


    [Medals Status]


    1st - United States (9 gold, 17 silver, 11 bronze).


    2nd - China (7 gold, 5 silver, 7 bronze).


    3rd - Canada (7 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze).


    4th - Russia (6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).


    5th - United Kingdom (6 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze).


    6th - South Korea (6 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).


    7th - Japan (3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).


    8th - India (3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze).


    9th - Brazil (1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze).


    10th - Spain (1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze).


    ....


    ...


    The dignity of the United States, the world¡¯s most powerful country, was revealed to the world. The United States boasted a pool of talent that couldn¡¯t bepared to other countries and swept up the medals in many events. The shocking fact was that not all American powerhouses participated in the National Competition.


    The United States was the overwhelming first ce country despite people like Hurent, Box and Asuka not participating. It was a superpower that could carry out selection trials for the National Competition, something that South Korea couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡º At this point, I realize how great Overgeared King Grid is. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Grid has the history of oveing the terrible United States and cing South Korea in first ce. ¡»


    ¡º yers from all over the world must be watching the United States¡¯ solo y and missing Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Haha. Still, there is no guarantee that the United States will keep being first. Isn¡¯t there still the PvP and Demon King Subjugation left? ¡»


    ¡º In particr, up to 15 medals can be earned in the Demon King Subjugation. There are five gold medals so the US can¡¯t feel relieved. The rankings can change at any time... Ah, as I was speaking, the yers entered. ¡»


    ¡º After the shocking Demon King¡¯s Appearance event, it is the semi-finals of PvP! Now! It is starting! ¡»


    ***


    ¡°Strong.¡± This was Regas¡¯ impression after being eliminated from the quarter-finals. He didn¡¯t try to make any excuses. He knew that Zibal was stronger than him and admitted defeat.


    ¡®The person must be at least Faker-level to make Regas admit defeat without hesitation,¡¯ Chris thought.


    Zibal. He was a monster who stood at 2nd in the rankings for more than three years after Satisfy opened. He was skilled enough to be elected as the leader of the seven guilds and in the field of PvE, he was a superior figurepared to Kraugel when Kraugel was the sky above the sky. He was evaluated to be rtively weak in PvP but this proved to be a misunderstanding.


    In the 2nd National Competition, Zibal disyed outstanding skills in PvP. However, he couldn¡¯t use his skills when he met Grid or Kraugel and eventually gained the stigma of being a punching bag.


    ¡°...You have seeded in a brillianteback.¡± Chris smiled on the stage. They might have a bad rtionship but they had a bond from living in the same era. Chris was deeply moved by Zibal¡¯s sessful return. A quiet excitement filled him. ¡°You must¡¯ve been trying to death for two years.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I tried until I almost died.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Chris was stunned when Zibal answered honestly. He didn¡¯t know that the highly prideful Zibal would admit to putting all that effort into this. Honestly, he thought Zibal would disagree.


    Zibal shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not a genius like Grid or Kraugel, so I had to try as hard as I could. For two years, I let go of my ego and started from the bottom again. I¡¯ve been through many dirty things but I¡¯ve endured it.¡±


    ¡°You have changed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve changed. I will continue to change in the future. Well, let¡¯s stop talking here. I want to fight with the Demon King.¡±


    Zibal summoned a ride. It wasn¡¯t the two-headed hippo shown in the round of 64 and 32 or the pegasus shown in the quarter-finals. It was inanimate, an artifact instead of a living thing.


    ¡°Robot...?¡±


    A crack appeared in the sky and a white robot with a seething aura descended. Its name was Raiders and the golden horns on both sides emitted light. An ancient relic, the magic machine. The 100,000 spectators, thementators and the billions of viewers in front of the TV andputers couldn¡¯t close their mouths. The intensity of the shock they received was equal to when the Demon King appeared.


    ¡°At the very least, I will be the strongest this year.¡±


    His attitude showed that it was natural to be the strongest in Grid¡¯s absence.


    ¡°Zibal! Zibal! Zibal!¡±


    The crowd of 100,000 people started to chant Zibal¡¯s name. The emergence of the humanoid weapon with a height of 5 meters was gorgeous and romantic enough to rece the strongest person who was absent.


    [Synchronizing with Raiders.]


    ...


    ...


    [Synchronization sess!]


    [Raiders is in operation!]


    [Your maximum mana is too low!]


    [The maximum time you can activate Raiders is 21 seconds.]


    ¡°I...¡± For the past two years. His hard work and patience were for this very moment. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±


    He boarded Raiders. He felt that the whole world was paying attention to him. Arge, thick spear fell toward Chris¡¯ head.


    [You have blocked a powerful blow.]


    [The durability of Yetima¡¯s Greatsword has dropped by 108!]


    [Both wrists have been fractured!]


    [Your lower body has lost strength!]


    [You have suffered 7,930 damage.]


    [You can¡¯t move for 15 seconds.]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Chris¡¯ knees bent as he raised his greatsword above his head to block the blow. He had to open up the Tyrant¡¯s strength in order to withstand the weight of the giant spear.


    [Tyrant¡¯s Strength has allowed you to withstand the status effects from the damage and increase attack power in exchange for defense.]


    "Ohhhhhh!"


    Wasn¡¯t it like David facing Goliath? Chris¡¯ appearance looked shabby against the giant spear but he was determined not to break. The 1st ranked yer, Chris. He was the mountain that stood under Grid. He had no intention of giving up the top spot to anyone unless it was Grid. However...


    [You have blocked a powerful blow.]


    [The durability of Yetima¡¯s Greatsword has dropped by 79!]


    [Your right wrist has been fractured!]


    [You have suffered 6,030 damage.]


    [You have blocked a powerful blow.]


    [The durability of Yetima¡¯s Greatsword has dropped...!]


    The mountain was eventually conquered.


    [Your defense has failed!]


    [You have suffered 28,090 damage.]


    [The durability of the Silver Ogre¡¯s Armor has dropped by 190!]


    [You have received internal injuries! All stats have fallen!]


    Chris couldn¡¯t withstand the constant bombardment as the PvP stage was destroyed. An artifact made by the ancient humans who wanted to endure the raids of the great demons and archangels. It was impossible to bear with a body that hadn¡¯t yet be transcendent.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t weak.¡± Zibal spoke as Chris struggled silently every time Raiders aimed at him. ¡°I... No, Raiders is strong.¡±


    The sharp edge of the spear pierced Chris and the first game of the semi-finals ended in an unexpected manner.


    ¡°Zibal! Zibal! Zibal!¡±


    The crowd was still chanting Zibal¡¯s name. The men¡¯s voices were particrly loud. A hero riding a robot. It was the romance of all men around the world, regardless of nationality and race.


    ***


    Pon, who just had the long reach of the spear to overpower his opponents, met Yura in the semi-finals and was defeated. The bullets shot at medium range were fatal. Pon¡¯s white horse was slowpared to Zibal. The white horse was sessfully shot and Pon suffered a deadly blow after it died.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Despite Yura entering the finals, South Korea had a funeral-like atmosphere. The citizens couldn¡¯t forget the white giant that broke the 1st ranked Chris like he was a toy. On the other hand, the dream where Yura won the gold medal in PvP and South Korea rose to 4th in the rankings had disappeared into bubbles.


    In the midst of the people¡¯s disappointment, Yura¡¯s grandfather Lee Jinmyung was relieved. ¡°That child¡¯s ce isn¡¯t Satisfy.¡±


    Chairman Lee was one of the beneficiaries of an internationalw to prevent the S.A Group¡¯s economic monopoly. The Daejin Group, which had originally focused on the automobile business, was able to produce and distribute 7.3% of the Satisfy capsules in Northeast Asia due to its technological prowess. It was expanding its business in this area. However, Chairman Lee Jinmyung was 77 years old this year. He always said that he will live to be 120 years old but he had to admit that it was hard to lead a bigpany in his old age. A sessor was required.


    That¡¯s why he clung to Yura. Chairman Lee Jinmyung was aware of his granddaughter¡¯s business talents. Yura was well-known for being a genius and the image that she built up over time with the shareholders was excellent.


    ¡°That child must sit in my position. I can¡¯t give thepany founded by my ancestors to those terrible people.¡±


    Only the leader of the Daejin Group could sit in this ce. Lee Jinmyung grabbed the armrest of the cowhide chair with his wrinkled hands.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    On the TV, he saw his granddaughter standing on the finals stage. His granddaughter fought and suffered. Her beautiful appearance was messed up as she was forced to one knee by the giant opponent and her blood poured down to the ground. Then she turned to ash.


    ¡°...Yes. Now it is all done.¡± The chairman uttered a deep sigh as he watched his granddaughter¡¯sst match. His eyes were red and bloodshot as he leaned against the chair. He wanted his granddaughter to be defeated but he was upset by the result. He didn¡¯t feel pleased to see his proud bloodline fail and feel frustration.


    Suddenly, he didn¡¯t want to be the chairman of the Daejin Group. He resented the responsibility he bore.


    ¡®...At this age, I have to bully my young granddaughter. Tsk.¡¯


    It was his son who left first. Truly a cruel person.


    ***


    ¡°It is strange.¡±


    After thepletion of the PvP event. Grid felt strange as he watched Yura wearing the silver medal. It was because Yura¡¯s expression was too detached. It looked like she had no regrets. Yura shouldn¡¯t show such a reaction based on her personality, which was hard on herself.


    ¡®Yura can¡¯t be satisfied with the silver medal...¡¯


    He was nervous. He was extremely nervous. His senses as man were telling him to contact her right away. However, how could a man who never had a rtionship or knew love talk about ¡®senses.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know. Why should I feel bad? Isn¡¯t it normal to say hello to a friend?¡±


    It was a problem because he couldn¡¯t do such ordinary things. Grid made up his mind and pressed the call button. It was the first time he called a woman simply because he was worried, without any clear purpose. He was nervous and his heart thumped whenever he heard a beeping sound.


    The fact that this one phone call was going to create the hottest issue of this year¡¯s National Competition...


    No one knew.

 Chapter 948

    TL Note: Please go back and read chapter 944 again. The author went back to edit up the mentions of Valha in the fight between Kraugel and the Hero, and there also seemed to be a big piece cut from my version of the raws. I¡¯ve fixed it and there are an extra 500 or so words added to chapter 944.


    ¡°Rides are normally ssified as pets but the magic machine seems different. Is it ssified as an item?¡±


    ¡°What resources does it require to move? Based on the size and output, the magic machine should be able to operate for a long time if it uses external resources.¡±


    ¡°I saw the symbol of the Saharan Empire on the magic machine. Doesn¡¯t this mean it is the possession of the empire? How big is Zibal¡¯s position in the empire that he can personally operate a magic machine? Is he attached to the royal family?¡±


    ¡°Does the empire have several magic machines?¡±


    It was the ceremony after the PvP event ended. Zibal¡¯s press conference seemed to be flowing smoothly. The questions and answers were within the expected range. However, it was rare for reporters to stick to being gentlemanly. Most reporters wanted stimting articles and the atmosphere deteriorated.


    ¡°yer Zibal! Why did you call the pegasus first during the finals? Did you determine that you could win against Yura without using the magic machine?¡±


    In the semi-finals, Zibal met Chris and instantly summoned the magic machine. Then in the important finals, he summoned the pegasus and magic machine in session, which led to many people specting. Zibal was poking fun at Yura. He intended to defeat Yura with the pegasus alone. It meant he thought that Yura was below Chris. Yura¡¯s legendary ss was a pig wearing a pearl ne, etc.


    This issue arose due to people, who liked to disparage and criticize others, calling into question Yura¡¯s qualifications and the reporters dug into this part.


    Zibalughed. It was filled with obvious ridicule. It was at the reporter who asked the question and the viewers watching on the monitor. ¡°Some of you might¡¯ve already noticed but the pegasus has the characteristic of quickly consuming the enemy¡¯s resources like mana. The help of the pegasus is indispensable when ites to suppressing Yura¡¯s utility.¡±


    In conclusion: ¡°I didn¡¯t summon the pegasus because she was an easy opponent. I was forced to use the pegasus because she was a hard opponent.¡±


    Zibal raised Yura up. No, it was a reasonable evaluation. He wouldn¡¯t underestimate or mock a strong person who climbed to the finals and fought hard.


    ***


    Everything was over. She was no longer yer Yura. The more than five years she spent in Satisfy ended today.


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura was swept away by her emotions and ran to the bathroom withoutpleting the interview. She didn¡¯t even have the energy to me her own ipetence.


    ¡®...In the end, I can¡¯t escape.¡¯


    Yura vividly remembered her father. He wasn¡¯t greedy and cherished time with his family the most. However, her grandfather forced him to be greedy. He ordered a sacrifice for the sake of thepany, not the family. Her father was driven to ept that responsibility and gradually lost his energy.


    Yura had felt sorry for her father despite being a young child. Of course, she didn¡¯t express it. She knew that her father wouldn¡¯t want sympathy from his young daughter. Yura yed innocent. She tried to relieve her father¡¯s fatigue by acting as a beautiful daughter.


    Thus, her father could be honest. ¡°Father is working hard because I want you to be free, not because I¡¯m afraid of your grandfather. Yura, you only have to do things that make you happy. Father will protect you.¡±


    It was a wish and promise to a young girl who knew nothing. This sincerity was deeply engraved in Yura¡¯s heart. It remained there even after years passed and she lost her parents in an ident. Yura longed for freedom and happiness while hoping to achieve her father¡¯s wish. That¡¯s why she felt it was fate when she encountered Satisfy. She sensed it was the only way to get away from her grandfather¡¯s obsession and find happiness.


    In the end, the result was terrible. Yura had be like her father rather than achieving her father¡¯s wish.


    How much time passed? Yura regained her mind when she felt her phone vibrating. The caller was obvious. It would be her grandfather. A person who didn¡¯t understanding caring and how to concede. He only knew how to enforce responsibility. He probably wanted her toe back to South Korea right away.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Yura¡¯s lonely eyes that lost their light turned to the LCD screen, only for her to freeze. The name of the caller disyed on the LCD was Shin Youngwoo, not her grandfather. It was someone she never had private contact with even though they knew each other for more than four years. A cold man who sometimes seemed full of affection but was usually heartless.


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura hesitated to ept the call. It was likely that her mood would be worse if she epted the call from Grid in such a difficult situation. There was only one reason why Grid would be calling. He called whenever he needed Yura¡¯s help.


    ¡®Now I¡¯m not in a position to help Youngwoo-ssi.¡¯


    A person to depend on. Just as she felt like this toward Grid, she wanted Grid to feel the same way toward her. Yura previously helped Grid with such a heart and nned to continue in the future. However, now she wasn¡¯t sure she could be any help.


    Two days, no, just one. She needed one day to organize her mind.


    ...This was what Yura thought.


    ¡°...Hello?¡± Nevertheless, she epted the call. It was purely because she wanted to hear Grid¡¯s voice. It was anguid but powerful voice. Once she heard this voice, she felt a bit more energetic. Then...


    -Are you okay?


    Grid¡¯s voice was heard again. It was gentle, unlike his usual self.


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura¡¯s cold voice started to heat up. She realized that her hand started to tremble the moment she felt this warmth. The only person she could depend on in this world was Grid.


    -Tell me what is going on.


    "What do you want me to say?¡±


    -You are having a hard time.Don¡¯t keep acting.You didn¡¯t look good today.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t look good?¡±


    Since she startedforting her father, Yura knew that she acted well. However, both Damian and Grid noticed something.


    ¡®Father...¡¯ Yura was filled with emotion. She felt sorry toward her father who passed away while knowing that his daughter was acting. How unhappy and sad was her father when he realized that his young daughter was worried about him?


    Grid¡¯s voice entered the ears of the crying Yura. It was a voice overflowing withtent power.


    -I want to help you.No, I will help you.Say something.What can I do?


    ¡°...Thank you.¡± Yura could feel it. Grid had the same heart as her. They had such a rtionship. They trusted each other and wanted to help each other. Yet there were some things that couldn¡¯t be helped. For example, right now.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi.¡±


    -Yes?


    "I will quit the game.¡±


    -...Huh?


    "Thank you for everything.¡±


    ***


    -I will quit the game!


    This was once voted the number one phrase that parents wanted to hear from their child. Excessive gaming could ruin a person¡¯s life. There was a time when family members and friends would wee it if someone said they were quitting the game. Now five years had passed since Satisfy was released and it was quite different.


    Satisfy meant wealth, honor and even power. It was a time when parents encouraged their children to y Satisfy and Grid was the one who helped this agee about. That¡¯s why it was a shock. Grid couldn¡¯t ept Yura quitting the game. Putting aside personal rtionships, Yura was a member of the Overgeared Guild and one of the greatest powers in the Overgeared Kingdom. It would be a big problem if she quit the game.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid¡¯s mind became nk as he remembered an article that caused an uproar in South Korea a few years back. Yura was the granddaughter of the Daejin Group¡¯s chairman. At the time, the chairman stated that he would bring his granddaughter into thepany soon.


    Grid remembered Lauel making a fuss about this news. He was worried that if Yura entered thepany, she would have less time to y the game.


    ¡°...It will be reality.¡±


    It was even in the worst form. Why? What should he do? Grid¡¯s overloaded brain suddenly stopped. He btedly recalled Yura¡¯s reassuring words to Lauel after the interview.


    ¡¯Didn¡¯t she say... she didn¡¯t want to enter thepany?¡¯


    First, it was necessary to confirm it. Grid called Yura back and asked two questions. ¡°Are you entering thepany? Is that what you want?¡±


    -.......


    There was no answer. This was enough for Grid. Grid pressed the end call button and typed something in the search bar. Once thest character finished, he found a message from Daejin Motors.


    (I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you so I am leaving a message. Please be a new luxury brand model for Daejin Motors. I would like to meet and have a talk with you. Please call me back.


    -Daejin Motors Public Rtions Team Manager Choi Jingoo)


    ¡°Hello? Is this Choi Jingoo? I am Grid. Yes, yes. I will review it positively. Instead, please give me the contact details of the chairman.¡±


    The king of a kingdom and a legendary cksmith. Grid held astronomical wealth and power. He was about to exert enormous influence in the real world¡¯s political and financial circles.


    ***


    ¡°What? Grid?¡± Chairman Lee Jinmyung of the Daejin Group was surprised. Grid had refrained from appearing on CFs and broadcasts for the past two years. He wasn¡¯t someone who would move for money anymore. Due to his status as a king, he was more obsessed with honor than money. Rather than expose himself to the media and consume his image, he focused on building up achievements in Satisfy.


    Now he contacted the chairman to be a model for Daejin Motors. It was an unexpected chance! This was a golden chance to promote Daejin Motor¡¯s luxury brand to the whole world.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    There was something that was on Lee Jinmyung¡¯s mind. Grid wouldn¡¯t want to talk to him for a one-sided reason. This was also shortly after Yura¡¯s loss in PvP.


    ¡°...I thought the rumour that my granddaughter is his lover was nonsense.¡± Lee Jinmyung had thoroughly investigated the scandal between Grid and Yura. He was greatly disappointed when he found out it was just groundless rumours. Now he thought it might be true. ¡°Let him know my contact details. No, no. It is better to contact him from my side. It would be good to have a rtionship with the Overgeared King.¡±


    Let¡¯s hear what was going on. Lee Jinmyung thought about it and called Grid. ¡°Is this Shin Youngwoo? I am Lee Jinmyung, the chairman of Daejin.¡±


    -Give me your granddaughter.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung jumped up from his seat at the words. His head was working at a tremendous pace that was worthy of the leader of argepany. He ced the value of Yura as his sessor against giving Yura to Grid and thoroughly calcted it. The calctions were done quickly. Grid¡¯s value and potential were too big.


    ¡°When should I set the date?¡±


    ***


    -When should I set the date?


    Grid clicked his tongue at the reply.


    ¡®He is an impatient old man.¡¯


    They hadn¡¯t even written the contract yet and he already wanted to set the date to shoot the CF? Well, it meant he was greedy. Yura would probably be allowed to continue ying the game.


    ¡°The date... I will leave that to you. Chairman-nim made the concession first so I will do my best.¡±


    -Haha!You are going to leave the wedding to me?As expected of a hero who leads the era!


    ¡°..Wedding?¡±


    Grid felt a chill because of the ridiculous word that emerged. Other people kept misunderstanding him as they pleased. Grid used his many experiences to realize that this situation was wrong.


    ¡°Wait a moment. You seem to have misunderstood something.¡±


    -Misunderstood?


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that I will marry her. I¡¯m just asking you not to take Yura.¡±


    -...That doesn¡¯t make any sense.


    ¡°I will sign a long-term contract with yourpany.¡±


    He felt Chairman Lee Jinmyung flinch over the receiver. The chairman hesitated for a moment. Unfortunately, that hesitation ended quickly.


    -...Aren¡¯t you being somewhat arrogant?Your value this year isn¡¯t as good as it isst year.This year you aren¡¯t attending the National Competition so your value has fallen.I don¡¯t know aboutst year but I¡¯m not willing to let go of my granddaughter for the you of this year.


    ¡°If¡ª¡±


    -...?


    ¡°If I raise my value one step further in this year¡¯s National Competition, will you positively think about it?¡±


    -I suppose.However, aren¡¯t you absent from this year¡¯s National Competition?It is already irreversible.


    ¡°Demon King.¡±


    -Demon King?


    ¡°I am the Demon King.¡±


    -...!!


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t breathe. Grid continued without being aware of the chairman¡¯s red face and suffering.


    ¡°I will win the Demon King Subjugation event and then reveal my identity.¡±


    -...!!


    He wasn¡¯t given a chance to breathe. Chairman Lee Jinmyung crossed halfway to the Jordan River.

 Chapter 949

    The Overgeared Kingdom¡ªit was still a small country in Satisfy, but whenpared to Earth, it wasrger than Japan. After the so-called ¡®Hexetia crisis¡¯, the poption increased sharply and the economy boomed as they monopolized the cksmithing market.


    By the way, the owner of this country was a single yer¡ªOvergeared King Grid. As a king, he could exert power over tens of millions of people with one word or monopolize the resources distributed throughout the kingdom. It was possible for him to convert all the proceeds of the kingdom into cash in reality. This was the wealth of a nation.


    The more time that passed, the more wealth Grid obtained.


    The Daejin Group, which was 7th in the South Korean business circles, might be a shining star thanks to Grid. It was unconditionally good to be in a partnership with Grid. If Grid became the face of Daejin, he would imprint the name into the minds of billions of people. He would also be able to solidify Daejin¡¯s position on the international stage. In the end, it was a huge opportunity from the standpoint of the Daejin Group.


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung barely recovered his dizzy spirit and replied to Grid, ¡°...Understood. I will ept your offer. If you win in the Demon King subjugation event, I will sign a long-term contract with you and let Yura go.¡±


    He calcted that he didn¡¯t need to be obsessed with Yura if he could establish a partnership between Grid and Daejin. If he needed a blood rtive, his second daughter¡¯s child still remained.He might be a person without the surname of Lee, but blood was still blood. Lee Jinmyung could make concessions about the surname if he had the halo called ¡®Grid.¡¯ Chairman Lee Jinmyung made a decision, and his heart became lighter.


    ¡°By the way...¡± He grinned at Daejin¡¯s bright future while asking Grid the most important question, ¡°What is your rtionship with Yura?¡±


    Grid wouldn¡¯t go this far if they were just friends or colleagues. Chairman Lee Jinmyung was convinced that Grid and Yura were lovers like the rumor imed or else Grid wouldn¡¯te this far. Well, he wasn¡¯t advocating his bloodline, but his granddaughter was the most beautiful person in the world. Additionally, she was smart and virtuous. Any man would definitely like her.


    The chairman was smiling like a snake when he heard Grid¡¯s reply.


    -Well.I rely a lot on Yuram, but I don¡¯t know if she feels the same toward me.


    ¡°Rely on her...?¡±


    -Once inside the game, Yura¡¯s strength is a great help. In reality, I don¡¯t have a good social life.I received a lot of advice from Yura about the media and tax matters.


    ¡°And?¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°Is that the end?¡±


    -Yes...


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a scandal between the two of you? I heard that my granddaughter stayed at your house for a while?¡±


    It was a fact he had learned from investigating both of them. During the 1st National Competition, his granddaughter had stayed overnight at Grid¡¯s house. Grid¡¯s confused voice rang out, -A-At the time, nothing happened.Yura was too drunk and I was forced to bring her home to sleep.My parents were at home. Nothing happened, really.


    ¡°....!!¡± Lee Jinmyung squeezed the phone in his hand. It was an obvious manifestation of his rage.


    Was Grid someone with bad eyes? It was a part the chairman wasn¡¯t satisfied with and hadn¡¯t included in his calctions. However, he had no thought of going back on his promise. Grid¡¯s value was too great, even if he had some defects.


    ¡°Sigh... Well, I understand. Then I wish you luck. The moment you reveal your identity as the Demon King, there will be a flood of articles about your contract with Daejin. However, please keep one thing in mind. You shouldn¡¯t expose your identity until the dramatic reveal.¡±


    -That¡¯s also what I want.


    The first step was done correctly. The details of the contract could be worked out after the Demon King subjugation.


    ***


    ¡°You have worked hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°What is with the terrible congrattions? What¡¯s wrong with a silver medal? This is second in the world, second. Wow~ you are really cool.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying a silver medal is bad. It is just disappointingpared to Yura¡¯s abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She could¡¯ve won the gold medal.¡±


    Inside the South Korean team¡¯s waiting room, her colleagues weed Yura¡¯s return after PvP ended. Getting second in PvP was a feat that only a few people among billions could achieve, yet the team members wereforting instead of congratting Yura. It showed how much they acknowledged her.


    ¡°You can aim for it next time,¡± Peak Sword told her. ¡°There will be another chance next year and the year after. Then you will get first ce. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    That was right. However, Yura didn¡¯t have the luxury to do so. She could no longer exist as a yer. Yura couldn¡¯t answer and only smiled bitterly.


    [The Demon King subjugation event will start in 20 minutes.]


    [All 400 participants, please move to the private waiting room.]


    [I will say it once again. The Demon King subjugation event will start in...]


    An announcement rang out. It was about the Demon King subjugation event¡ªthe biggest issue of this year¡¯s National Competition. This was a new event that required 400 rankers to cooperate instead ofpeting. It was clear that the degree of difficulty was frightening and the degree of attention it received from the world was extremely high, especially after the Demon King¡¯s appearance event. In fact, it could be said that everyone on this earth was waiting for the Demon King subjugation event.


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯ll be going!¡±


    ¡°Yura, get some rest. I can¡¯t be as outstanding as you, but I will try my best to show a good performance.¡±


    ¡°Can I win a gold medal?¡±


    Coke, Peak Sword, and Eat Spicy Jokbal¡ªthe Korean representatives participating in the Demon King subjugation left for the waiting room. When she saw the nervous Coke, Yura felt sorry toward him. In order to conclude the rematch with Kraugel, she had taken part in drawing the sword and the siege war. She had wanted to prove her potential to her grandfather by beating Kraugel.


    Yura was ufortable because she seemed to have ced a huge burden on Coke due to her own desires. While Yura was making a dark expression, someone ced a hand on her shoulder. It was a hanbok-d woman, Vi. ¡°You are really kind. Don¡¯t you care about everything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kind. I¡¯m selfish.¡±


    ¡°No, you are kind. You have been fighting alone since the 1st National Competition while other Korean rankers turned away. You¡¯ve done enough. There is no need to carry everything alone. Now, it is natural to be greedy. Why should you feel guilty? My Lady, how can you be pure and spotless?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura became a bit more rxed. She had done enough.


    These brief wordsforted her. Yes, she could take a break now. Yura soothed her mind. Then her phone rang. She thought it was her grandfather, but the name floating on the screen was once again ¡®Shin Youngwoo¡¯.


    ¡°...Hello?¡±


    -Keep watching until the end.


    ¡°What do you mean?"


    -The Demon King subjugation event.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -There will be someone fighting to protect you.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -Then I¡¯m going. See you next time.


    ¡°Hello? Hello! Youngwoo-ssi!¡±She shouted, but it was no use. He had already hung up. Yura¡¯s trembling eyes shifted toward the monitor.


    ***


    The stage of the Demon King subjugation was slowly revealed. It was a castle surrounded by a circr wall.


    ¡º There are four gates to the north, south, east, and west. The gatekeepers guarding each gate are the four heavenly kings. ¡»


    The castle wasrge, and the scale of the gates was also enormous. It was over 20 meters high and nearly 40 meters wide. The gates would never open until the four heavenly kings fell.


    ¡º The 400 participants must defeat the four heavenly kings in groups of 100. Once all four kings have fallen and the gates opened, they will have ess to the corridor leading to the Demon King¡¯s room. ¡»


    ¡º Must they split up? Can¡¯t the 400 people move in one group to defeat the four heavenly kings one by one? ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t possible. Each gate is ssified as an instant dungeon, and the dungeon is restricted to 100 people. ¡»


    ¡º Hmmm... What happens if one of the four gates fail to be attacked? ¡»


    ¡º Another party should take over instead. ¡»


    ¡º Then does that mean the party members who failed will be disqualified? ¡»


    ¡º No. They will be left as dead and resurrected once the gate is opened. ¡»


    ¡º So, there is no disqualification unless all four parties are wiped out? Then all 400 yers will fight against the Demon King? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it is designed to be 400 against one even if they fail at the four heavenly kings stage. ¡»


    It meant the Demon King was strong. Many people guessed that the level of his strength was at least between the strength of the great demons. In fact, the Demon King showed an intense force during his appearance. With the ability to destroy magic and then copy it...this was a power that could make magic useless.


    At least 80 of the 400 participants would be folding screens. The magicians started protesting fiercely.


    ¡°No, does it make sense to discriminate against certain sses in the most important event?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean the magicians won¡¯t get any rewards?¡±


    In the waiting room for the Demon King subjugation event, Goshar and 80 magicians protested to the organizers. However, the officials dismissed them with the statement that there was no discrimination. Their attitude was the same every time. It was enough to make people boil with anger.


    ¡°XX! When will a new virtual reality gamee out? This is really dirty!¡±


    Many people cursed in a ce out of sight. In this harsh atmosphere, some clever people started making guesses.


    ¡°Perhaps the four heavenly kings are weak against magic while the Demon King is highly resistant? We might not be able to break through the four heavenly kings without magicians.¡±


    ¡°The four heavenly kings also give medals. The magicians can be active against the four heavenly kings and gain medals.¡±


    ¡°Then what about against the Demon King?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the concept of phases? Most named bosses change their characteristics ording to their health. The same should be true for the Demon King. There is a high possibility of losing magic resistance or bing vulnerable to magic in certain phases.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    As expected from rankers, their conjectures were quite logical. The magicians were able to calm down and think rationally.


    ¡®Okay. We can be active in the early andte phases of the event, leaving a strong impression on people.¡¯


    ¡®I should take this opportunity to star in somemercials.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Yohohoho.¡± The 1st ranked earth magician, Goshar, belonged to Group B in charge of attacking the west gate andughed with delight. It was due to the state of the heavenly king standing alone under the huge gate. The woman had arge blindfold on her face that was covering her eyes, but the condition of her items was very poor. Despite being a woman, she was armed with a heavy armor set. There was a helmet with a neck protector, armor down to the thigh and steel shoes that went up to the knees.


    The only parts of her body that were exposed were the lips, jaw, and hands. It ignored the ridiculous form where a female character¡¯s defense was proportional to her exposure. Such a ridiculous appearance could only be seen in the novice viges.


    ¡°She looks too weak.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be careless. She is one of the four heavenly kings of the mad Demon King.¡±


    ¡°The four heavenly kings might be weakpared to the Demon King. Isn¡¯t that right? In the first ce, the Demon King is the main event, and the four heavenly kings are the bridesmaids.¡±


    Goshar was confident. He had gotten disgraced by the Demon King, and he believed this was the change to make up for it.


    ¡°Go! Giant¡¯s Haaaand!¡±


    A gigantic hand made of earth flew like a hydra¡¯s neck and covered the heavenly king. There was a violent sound!


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    ¡°Is it working?¡±


    The yers of Group B watched the dust expectantly. They saw the unmoving heavenly king holding a shield. The giant hand was obstructed by the shield, and only dust was scattered.


    ¡°...Aren¡¯t you the weak one?¡±


    The gazes of the participants focused on Goshar, who could only sweat nervously. It was because a notification window had popped up.


    [The target has blocked most of the spell!]


    [The target has received 12,090 damage.]


    It was just over 10,000 damage? Wasn¡¯t this one of the ultimate spells that could deal 500,000 damage to a monster?


    ¡®Aren¡¯t the four heavenly kings supposed to be weak to magic?¡¯


    Damn!


    ¡®Isn¡¯t defense proportional to the amount of exposure for a female?¡¯


    Goshar felt scammed in many ways. The heavily armed female. One of the four heavenly kings with the name ¡®Benz¡¯ above her head pulled out a sword. It was a long red sword that was as beautiful as her lips.

 Chapter 950

    The guardian, Benz, leaped forward. The ground that she stepped on formed a big dent and produced a loud explosion. It was an exaggerated phenomenon caused by the weight of her armor and shield, but it was right to interpret it as a transcendental strength.


    ¡°She¡¯sing!¡±


    The nervous Group B yers pulled out their weapons in unison. A sandy wind swirled around them as they watched the knight rise high into the sky. This was a wide-range protection spell used by the earth magician, Goshar. It seemed he wanted to make up for his failure at the beginning.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop her, so attack in that gap!¡± The German ranker, Weldon, came to the forefront. Benz¡¯ red sword fell onto his shield. It was a stab. There were no problems up to here. Weldon was ranked 6th on the guardian knight rankings. He was like steel as he set up his shield. The problem was the stab that came immediately afterward had the power to turn the steel into tofu. There was a heavy sound, and Weldon¡¯s shield was dented.


    ¡®The weight increased?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t mistaken. The damage rose while the weight of the sword also increased rapidly. Weldon¡¯s wrists were broken from the weight that he couldn¡¯t manage.


    ¡°Endure!¡±


    Arge number of people came forward. They released their skills, wielded swords and spears, fired arrows, or threw daggers. Half of them were blocked by Benz¡¯ side shield. The other half were blocked by the line of Benz¡¯ sword. Simultaneously, Benz¡¯ sword released dozens of red crystals in all directions. It was reminiscent of how Kraugel¡¯s sword released stone thorns.


    [You have suffered 4,390 damage.]


    [The crystals embedded in your body will interfere with the recovery effects.]


    ¡°What the hell...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy to block skills instead of general attacks with just high proficiency in swordsmanship and shieldsmanship. This was obviously a high level skill or an effect attached to the item. As the yers were analyzing this, Benz moved quickly. She knocked down a yer close to her with the shield, pushing the yer behind him as well. Then she leaped forward and fell to Goshar¡¯s side. Benz had noticed that the sandy wind reduced her attack power.


    ¡°Hiik...!¡± Goshar was casting the wide-range skill and couldn¡¯t protect his own body. As the monster¡¯s sword headed toward him, someone acted to protect the defenseless Goshar. It was Coke, the secret weapon raised by the Overgeared Guild¡¯s 10 meritorious retainers. He threw an axe at Benz¡¯ sword, interrupting her movements. Then he pulled out a spear and stabbed her.


    Benz was wounded for the first time. The spear pierced her shoulder and created a gap as she flinched back, allowing a sword to sh at her neck. It was Peak Sword¡¯s Draw Sword, executed from where he was standing next to Coke. Iyarugt was as ferocious as a beast after umting power in Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath.


    The neck protector that Benz wore shattered, and blood gushed out. The blood of the heavenly king was as red as a human¡¯s. Peak Sword confirmed Benz¡¯ health gauge after her neck was exposed and clicked his tongue. ¡°Isn¡¯t her defense terrifying?¡±


    The tone was light, but his expression was dark. It was difficult to conceal his irritation because the charged Iyarugt didn¡¯t deal much damage. It seemed that his irritation created a big gap.


    ¡°Avoid it!¡± Someone shouted, and Peak Sword reflexively moved back. However, it was toote to defend against the cut to his shoulders.


    [You have suffered 15,900 damage.]


    Peak Sword was a member of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s 10 meritorious retainers, and he was armed with the best items. The armor and helmet that Grid had produced personally protected Peak Sword. He was greatly wounded despite the protection of the sandstorm. Benz tried to attack the confused Peak Sword again.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    The Dungeon Maker¡ªEat Spicy Jokbal who showed as much power as a legendary ss in his dungeon¡ªattracted Benz¡¯ attention.


    ¡°...¡± Benz¡¯ momentum stopped.


    Coke, Peak Sword, and Eat Spicy Jokbal¡ªthe three Korean representatives¡ªwere leading Group B. Goshar and the other proud rankers had unknowingly started depending on them. They followed the instructions Peak Sword gave, assisted Coke whenever he went to the forefront, and protected Eat Spicy Jokbal when he made an advantageous change to the dungeon.


    The blood of the Korean viewers boiled. The Korean rankers, who were ignored by the world a few years ago, were now the world¡¯s leading stars... It was a new feeling. All Korean yers burned with the desire to join the Overgeared Guild. The anticipation and excitement of what it would be like to join the Overgeared Guild and serve Grid filled them.


    ***


    The guardian of the south gate didn¡¯t have a distinctive feature. He was armed with light chain armor and a sword, while his name was inly ¡®Vin.¡¯ He didn¡¯t seem to have the particr strength to be one of the Demon King¡¯s four heavenly kings.


    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t need to be that strong.¡±


    The four heavenly kings were a process. They needed to be defeated in order to reach the Demon King. Unless the S.A Group was crazy and wanted to throw away the Demon King subjugation event, the yers needed to be able to reach the Demon King.


    This meant the abilities of the four heavenly kings weren¡¯t as absolute as the Demon King. The Group C yers thought this and were as rxed as possible. Their source of confidence were the high rankers. Zibal who got first in PvP, Zhang Jian and Liao Wei who were China¡¯s rising stars, Bubat of Turkey, Seuron of Argentina, and other top ranked yers were also in Group C.


    The yers judged that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get a high score in the heavenly kings stage as long as these rankers were present. Of course, they were confident in their own abilities. In this rxed atmosphere, someone said, ¡°Using a one-handed sword without holding a shield means he is focused on swordsmanship. He will move quickly. Be careful.¡±


    It was Mei Xiao of China. She used the strange moving whip and cloth that had tormented the Hero Grid for five minutes. Mei Xiao had spoken in a tense voice, and the mood dropped sharply. Liao Wei scoffed at Mei Xiao, ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating the opponent? Will you directly kneel and surrender instead of fighting? Just like your brother?¡±


    Next was Zhang Jian. ¡°Why are you bragging aboutmon sense? Do you want to be an elitist or do you think everyone except for you are fools?¡±


    The atmosphere calmed down even more. This was an event with three medals at stake. Instead of relying on each other, three yers from the same country were arguing...?


    ¡°Scum.¡± Zibal tantlyughed at them. Zhang Jian and Liao Wei were upset, but they couldn¡¯t say anything. Zibal was a one-digit ranker. He had once been second ce and was a monster who had been close to the peak. The highly anticipated Chinese stars were reluctant to sh with him. It was better to pretend not to hear anything.


    Zibal said to Mei Xiao, ¡°That guy, he is wearing armor like a knight but he has leather shoes. Maybe he will be so fast that it is hard to see. Binding him is the key. Got it?¡±


    Mei Xiao¡¯s whip and cloth had moved like living things to constrain the Hero¡¯s behavior. They didn¡¯t move on their own like Grid¡¯s golden hands. Mei Xiao controlled them directly, but their movements were smooth and detailed. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Zibal had decided to rely on Mei Xiao.


    Feeling touched, Mei Xiao responded vigorously, ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll try my best to tie up his feet!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡®Tch!¡¯ Zhang Jian and Liao Wei were unhappy with the situation. Now Mei Xiao was acknowledged by the person who would be the hero next year while billions of Chinese people were watching. Zhang Jian and Liao Wei copsed when they realized that Mei Xiao¡¯s ability was above them. There was a rush of jealousy at the sight of the glowing Mei Xiao. While they were feeling anxious, someone approached. ¡°Are you going to keep whining like this or will you act as folding screens?¡±


    ¡°Folding screens! Ah!¡±


    Who would dare say this to them? Zhang Jian and Liao Wei frowned and turned around, only to hurriedly suppress the curses that were about to emerge. The person who came and whispered to them was Seuron of Argentina. Seuron set fire to their hearts. ¡°Do you know that the person who starts the fight will be praised for their bravery? Originally, I was going to do it, but I am willing to concede because I feel sorry for you. How about it?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zhang Jian and Liao Wei then turned to look at Vin standing silently before the gate. He was a very cocky guy, who was folding his arms despite facing 100 enemies.


    Seuron tempted the two men to attack the defenseless opponent. ¡°The viewers will be contemptuous about that guy¡¯s attitude. They will be enthusiastic about the person who hits him first.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then are you giving up? Okay, then I...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± As Seuron stepped forward, the nervous Zhang Jian and Liao Wei pulled out their weapons. ¡°Leave it to us!¡±


    They didn¡¯t wait for an answer. The two men were already flying forward. Zhang Jian¡¯s spear and Liao Wei¡¯s long sickle aimed at Vin. The attack range was so long that they struck from 2 meters way while Vin still had his arms folded. It was a sessful start to the battle.


    However, in less than one second, Zhang Jian and Liao Wei realized that they were mistaken. It was a swordsmanship that transcended Peak Sword¡¯s speed. Just before Zhang Jian¡¯s spear and Liao Wei¡¯s sickle cut at Vin, his sword emerged from the sheath and cut their hearts and neck.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    ¡°Oh~ this is a bit greater than expected?¡±


    Seuron¡¯s whistle entered the ears of Zhang Jian and Liao Wei. They realized they had been taken advantage of and quickly decided to escape from this crisis. Yet before they could move, Vin¡¯s sword cut at their body once again. There seemed to be cold mes burning at their wounds, worsening their injuries and killing them. Seuron smiled at the sight. It was an evil grin reminiscent of a great demon.


    ¡°I have received usable souls.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Oh, what the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a priest. Why does a Demon King¡¯s servant have healing abilities?¡±


    Group D that was responsible for the north gate. Just a moment ago, Group D had been full of confidence. It was because Jishuka, Damian, Katz, and Haster belonged to Group D.


    Jishuka had overwhelming physical attacks, long-range damage dealing skills, and wide-area healing. Damianbined his buffs and healing ability with the light attribute attacks and tanking power. Katz used blood to give powerful debuffs to the enemy while giving himself an endless blood-sucking ability. There was also Haster, who had once been considered as the emperor of the gaming world.


    On the raid stage, they were probably stronger than Group A, which contained Kraugel, Chris, Pon, and Regas. Furthermore, the name of the north gate¡¯s guardian was Kobold. It was a name reminiscent of the monsters ssified as the weakest mobs, along with the orcs, gnolls, and goblins.


    Thus, Group D thought they could easily break through the gate. However, once they opened the lid, they found that things werepletely different. The masked ¡®Kobold¡¯ was very strong, unlike his name. Not only did he bombard Group D with all types of wide-range spells, but he also boasted a high level of defense that meant he didn¡¯t receive much damage from Jishuka¡¯s arrows or Damian¡¯s attacks. The biggest problem was his healing ability. No matter how much damage Group D dealt with Damian¡¯s buff magic, Kobold recovered quickly. He looked like a zombie to Katz.


    ¡°This is funny...¡±


    How many times had he been stimted during the process of shing with Kobold? Katz¡¯ madness, which had been sealed for a long time after joining the Overgeared Kingdom, started to wriggle.


    ¡°Bloody Sky.¡±


    The blood that the members of Group D shed... It had soaked the ground like rainwater, and now it soared into the sky.


    ***


    ¡°He is a great guy.¡± Chris could onlyugh. It was a situation where yers from all countries gathered together, including Canada, Korea, Britain, Japan, and China. Meanwhile, the three American rankers had split into separate groups. This was an expression of their confidence. They would move individually and secure three medals each, aiming for gold instead of silver and bronze medals. The participants of other countries chose to work in groups of three because they could cooperate in order to win one medal.


    ¡°Grid would¡¯ve been like me,¡± Kraugel stated.


    This caused Chris to shrug. ¡°Well, there is no need to talk about him.¡±


    If Grid were here, everybody apart from his group might pray that he failed to attack the gate. He would probably monopolize all four gates alone.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s do well.¡± Chris extended his hand for a handshake with Kraugel, while the other yersforted themselves.


    How high was Kraugel¡¯s status? He was a person who ignored hundreds of yers asking for his autograph, let alone a handshake? It was impossible. Everyone thought this, but Kraugel unexpectedly responded to the handshake. Chris was Grid¡¯s colleague and a great person who deserved respect for his achievements and talents.


    ¡°Yes. We might¡¯ve chosen the worst enemy, so we should be nervous.¡±


    ¡°The worst enemy?¡±


    Was there a difference in strength even in the four heavenly kings? If so, how could Kraugel distinguish it? Feeling confused, Chris turned his attention toward the gate. The guardian, who looked somewhat easy-going, was wearing a hat that covered his face. It was a hat that elders liked to wear.


    ¡°...Is he really the worst enemy? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Kraugel confirmed as he looked at the environment spread around the gate. It was a mudt, and it looked good for farming and harvesting seafood.


    ***


    In the Demon King¡¯s castle beyond the gates, Grid was still free from the cameras and he devoted himself to smelting. The golden mineral pavranium was flowing from the portable furnace. He had melted the myth-rated item, de Aiming at the Gods.


    The National Competition¡¯s server was separate from the game. Thus, it wouldn¡¯t affect him if he destroyed an item here.


    ¡°This is enough.¡± Grid finished smelting the pavranium and used Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡°A cannon.¡±


    The basics of defending was wide area firepower. What if it was an automatic firing cannon? Every time the cooldown ended, Grid grinned viciously and used the rm spell. Even the evil smile Seuron wore as he sacrificed his group members couldn¡¯t bepared to Grid¡¯s smile.

 Chapter 951

    The National Competition¡¯s server was handled separately from the game server. The items and character information that were changed in the National Competition server didn¡¯t affect the main server. This was one of the newly applied rules for the 4th National Competition.


    Most yers weed this rule with open arms. They witnessed the pain and anger of yers who lost their items in thest National Competition and were severely hurt. It was natural to wee the new rule since it was a safeguard to prevent more victims.


    Then the Demon King¡¯s subjugation started. The yers realized why the new rule was applied.


    [The Durnehild Shield has lost all durability and has been destroyed!]


    [Destroyed items will automatically be restored once the gate is breached.]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    20 minutes after the start of the Demon King subjugation event, this sound resonated from the north, south, east. and west gates. The rankers. who were armed with unique or legendary items just 20 minutes ago, now looked like they were wearing rags.


    That¡¯s right. This was why the S.A Group separated the National Competition server from the game server. It was purely to protect the rights of the yers. This was to show consideration for the yers who would lose everything to the mighty four heavenly kings. It was an internal arrangement after deciding that Grid would y the Demon King.


    ¡°Cough, cough! No way...!¡±


    At the west gate, the German representative¡ªWeldon¡ªwas pale as he coughed up blood. He was a veteran who participated in numerous raids, but he hardly ever experienced his shield being destroyed. The only asions where his shield had been destroyed was when the raid hadsted for more than eight hours. Yet the knight called Benz broke Weldon¡¯s shield in just 20 minutes. Additionally, Weldon wasn¡¯t the only tanker present. Weldon was one of 20 tankers, and Benz¡¯ attacks had only hit him 15 times. This meant the Lv. 8 High-grade Shield skill and his unique shield had lost all their durability in only 15 hits.


    Weldon chose to be a defensive yer instead of an evasive yer. This fact meant that Benz¡¯ attack power was reminiscent of Overgeared King Grid ofst year. No, it was obviously above Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°There are the four heavenly kings and then the Demon King... How do we clear this?¡± Weldon lost his fighting spirit and expressed his despair. They were words that could reduce the entire team¡¯s morale, but no one med Weldon. It was because most of Group B understood Weldon¡¯s feelings or felt the same way.


    However, the other half was still calm. They weren¡¯t weak-minded enough to be swayed by Weldon¡¯s hasty remark or stupid enough to make this 20-minute battle meaningless. After analyzing Benz throughout the battle, they had a good understanding of her attack patterns and characteristics.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a style that spams many skills. First, she only uses a skill after creating a gap with a basic attack.¡¯


    ¡®The wide-area attacks aren¡¯t a big threat. It can unleash enough firepower to kill people, but it is strictly limited to a single group.¡¯


    ¡®Her defense is high, but she has no healing ability. The biggest problem...¡¯


    ¡®...The lower her health, the higher the attack power.¡¯


    ¡®She is a berserker.¡¯


    The west gate¡¯s guardian Benz...


    Her real name was Mercedes. As Grid¡¯s knight and a legendary knight, she was armed with the Hero King¡¯s Armor¡ªa myth-rated armor made by Grid. The greatest strength of the Hero King¡¯s Armor was the option of increasing attack power every time she was hit.


    However, the yers didn¡¯t know Benz¡¯ identity or her armor¡¯s options. The yers analyzed that Benz got stronger as her health declined due to her berserker ss.


    ¡°Berserkers have a fatal weakness. In exchange for increasing attack power, their defense is lowered. If we aim for the right timing, it can be a fatal wound.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, save your ultimate skills. Once the target¡¯s health falls below a certain level, we will unleash a full offensive.¡±


    Group B had 59 survivors. 41 yers had died in just 20 minutes. They were the strongest people representing their countries, and they didn¡¯t die easily. Every time they hit Benz, the damage umted, and her health was now far below 70%.


    ¡®Just a little bit more.¡¯


    ¡®Once her health is at 30%... No, it will be decided the moment it reaches 40%.¡¯


    Group B blocked Benz while gathering near Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was because Eat Spicy Jokbal could make an instant dungeon and change the structure to be advantageous to his allies. As they got closer to Eat Spicy Jokbal, the terrain became more favorable and they would receive a small number of buffs.


    Coke stood between the towering barriers and pulled out a shield and chains. He discarded attack power and focused on defense and CC. ¡°I will y the role of the tanker until the dungeon ispleted.¡±


    ¡°Can you handle it?¡±


    ¡°Everyone here is excellent... There is also Teacher Peak Sword. I can hold on.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will focus onpleting the dungeon.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal trusted Coke. Who could he trust if he didn¡¯t trust the talented person recognized by Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers? Eat Spicy Jokbal believed that Coke would endure well. It was as he expected. Coke used the chains and shield to neutralize Benz¡¯ attacks. He blocked Benz¡¯ sword and gave his teammates a chance to hit her.


    Five minutes passed by. For a whole five minutes, Coke endured Benz¡¯ aggro alone. Of course, it was due to the help of his teammates. The heals of the priests and the buffs of the pdins were concentrated on Coke, while the magicians bombarded Benz with spells. It seemed like two people fighting one-on-one in a narrow passage, but this was definitely a 59-against-1 fight.


    However, Coke quickly became nervous. Engaging with a higher level opponent brought about a sudden drop in stamina. It would be dangerous if he didn¡¯t manage it properly. Additionally, the shock that was transmitted every time Benz hit his shield was too great. As Benz¡¯ health decreased and attack power increased, the priests healing Coke couldn¡¯t keep up.


    ¡°Coke!¡±


    It was a breathtaking moment. Coke heard his name being called from behind and reflexively bent over. A red line was drawn above him. It was Iyarugt, which had been charged to 70% magic power in Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath and entered the Excited State. Benz¡¯ chest was stabbed, and she copsed for the first time since the battle began. Her health gauge fell to 40% as she staggered. At this moment...


    ¡°...Sweet.¡±


    Due to his excited state, Iyarugt appeared in reality. The elderly horned demonkin enjoyed the air in his lungs as he looked at Mercedes. He was the strongest swordsman of hell who fought with great demons. Despite his weakened state, his senses were still sharp and he judged that Benz was strong. Thus, he didn¡¯t have time to savor the sweet air and swung his sword.


    ¡°Great Mountain Lineage.¡± Mercedes used White Tiger¡¯s Attitude under a different name. This was a skill attached to the World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger. Benz unleashed all types of attacks.


    Coke swapped to his sword instead of the chains, and he used his ultimate skill along with the rest of Group B. They were aiming for the fact that a berserker¡¯s defense was reduced every time their health fell. This decision was a mistake. After all, Benz wasn¡¯t a berserker. It was due to an item that she increased her attack power every time she lost health, and she didn¡¯t receive the penalty of lower defense because she wasn¡¯t a berserker. No, she was now in a state with higher defense. White Tiger¡¯s Attitude was a skill that increased defense by 198% in exchange for an 80% drop in attack power.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous!¡±


    The result was far below Group B¡¯s expectations. Benz used Noble Valor and Knight¡¯s Resolution to raise her defense to the extreme and still had 20% health left, despite being hit by the ranker¡¯s ultimate skills. Benz¡¯ armor was surrounded by a purple and red aura. Everyone was overwhelmed by the energy that reminded them of Grid¡¯s fighting energy.


    The bandage covering Benz¡¯ eyes crumbled and waspletely peeled off. The deep eyes that seemed to contain the universe looked at the source of Group B¡¯s power, including Iyarugt.


    [The West Gate Guardian Benz¡¯ deep eyes are looking at you.]


    [Some of your stats and skills are forcibly revealed to the West Gate Guardian Benz.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    [The West Gate Guardian Benz¡¯ sharp sword energy threatens you. The strong pressure is causing your body and mind to shrink back. All speeds are reduced by 30%, and skill casting speed is reduced by 20%.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    The restriction that fell on them was too powerful. The yers were unable to lift the restrictions that appeared at the critical moment. Then a pair of wings emerged from Mercedes¡¯ back. The iplete fighting energy umted in Benz¡¯ armor, and she was able to demonstrate an ultimate attack power as she cut down Iyarugt first.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    ¡®Grid¡¯s....!¡¯


    Only two people... The Overgeared members¡ªCoke and Peak Sword¡ªwere familiar with Grid, and they realized Benz¡¯ identity. She was the legendary knight, Mercedes. Peak Sword and Coke realized the weight of this name and sensed something. It would be impossible to get through the four heavenly kings and the Demon King.


    Everyone started to turn to gray before Benz¡¯ bombardment as she emitted a ck (the original was silver) magic power. Two kills with one blow. 10 kills per seconds...


    This was a state when all the yers¡¯ ultimate techniques were on cooldown. They had just exhausted their strength and couldn¡¯t handle this. Even the dungeon that Eat Spicy Jokbal took time in creating couldn¡¯t survive for long and copsed.


    ***


    [Group B, that was in charge of attacking the west gate, has been wiped out.]


    [The West Gate Guardian has received a great deal of damage. It is rmended to attack her before shepletely recovers.]


    The same notification windows appeared in front of the yers of Group A, C, and D.


    ¡°...¡± Everyone¡¯s expressions distorted. Those yers of Group B... They were wiped out after 30 minutes of fighting? There was no one who criticized or med them. The still surviving members of Groups A, C, and D were all shocked by the strength of the four heavenly kings. They were forced to think that Group B was wiped out because the opponent was too strong, not because the yers were weak or made a mistake at a critical moment.


    However, the spectators and viewers saw it differently.


    ¡°Group B is too weak.¡±


    ¡°It is the only group without an American ranker. There aren¡¯t many Overgeared members or Damian present.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for the Koreans. This was a good chance to take away medals from other countries.¡±


    ¡°You feel sorry for them? How many more articles should there be about a small country?¡±


    ¡°Mei Xiao, have strength! If you win a gold medal, you will be a hero of the people... Huh?¡±


    The Chinese spectators who were shouting excitedly all fell silent. Mei Xiao belonged to Group C. Group C was believed to have iparable firepower because it contained Zibal who won PvP and Soul Predator Seuron.


    [Group C, that was in charge of attacking the south gate, has been wiped out.]


    [The South Gate Guardian has received a great deal of damage. It is rmended to attack him before hepletely recovers.]


    They were wiped out like Group B. It was the same for Damian, Katz, and Jishuka in Group D.


    [Group D, that was in charge of attacking the north gate, has been wiped out.]


    [The North Gate Guardian has received a great deal of damage. It is rmended to attack him before hepletely recovers.]


    ¡°No, what is this...!¡±


    The shocked spectators and viewers turned their attention to thest remaining group. Kraugel was being beaten by a rain of seafood. Small shells exploded simultaneously and fired sharp shell pieces, sealing Kraugel¡¯s movements. Then crab ws pinched Kraugel¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heels. The 1st ranked Chris was struggling while trapped in fiss, and Regas and Pon were rolling around on the mudt like it was a Mud Festival.


    ¡°...¡±


    Would they not be able to even see the Demon King? Everyone in the world was overwhelmed with anxiety. The only exception was Grid. He was merely hammering silently.

 Chapter 952

    [Benz (Mercedes), the foolish and loyal knight, has defeated all invaders. Thepensation will be paid after thepetition.]


    [Vin (Asmophel), the always-second viin who betrayed hispanions and gained a heart demon, has defeated all invaders. Thepensation will be paid after thepetition.]


    [Kobold (Noll), the vampire earl who craves praise and affection, has repelled all invaders. Thepensation will be paid after thepetition.]


    The features of the four heavenly kings described by the system made Gridugh. It was both interesting and bitter that their individual tendencies were expressed realistically.


    ¡®If I think about Asmophel, I need to resolve the matter with the empress soon...¡¯


    Thus, Grid needed to be stronger. He had gotten revenge previously by using Muto and the insane dragon iron, but that was only on the level of child¡¯s y. In order topletely get rid of past debts, he needed force. Grid hit the iron on the anvil with Item Auto Production while waiting for thest notification window.


    Although Grid couldn¡¯t say that Piaro was the strongest among the four heavenly kings, Piaro was the person he trusted the most. Piaro was thest remaining heavenly king. Perhaps thest remaining group that Grid was waiting to be destroyed was Kraugel¡¯s group.


    Did Grid hope that the yers wouldn¡¯t reach the Demon King? No, he didn¡¯t have that type of mindset. In fact, Grid was hoping for yers to break through the four heavenly kings. If he fought with them directly and defeated them, he could get more rewards and create the flow that the chairman of the Daejin Group wanted.


    ¡®The yers must suffer before breaking through the four heavenly kings.¡¯


    Grid was the only yer who knew all the hidden rules of the Demon King subjugation event. He knew that once every group was wiped out in the four heavenly kings stage, they would have the opportunity to resurrect and re-challenge. That¡¯s why he was calm.


    ¡®In the end, they wille all the way here.¡¯


    The Demon King subjugation event was this type of game from the beginning. There were legendary NPCs with an average level of 450. It was realistically difficult for yers to raid them at the current time. No, it might¡¯ve been easy originally, but it became difficult once Grid armed them.


    Grid made this happen. He didn¡¯t want to see his knights copse in front of so many people. He wanted to let people know that his knights were strong.


    Ttang!


    The cannon¡¯s barrel waspleted. It was 40 minutes after the start of the event.


    [The Demon King¡¯s perk has increased maximum health by 200,000. To date, the total amount of health added is 800,000.]


    [Cardin (Piaro), the explorer who was enlightened after glimpsing the universe in a small seed, has defeated all the invaders. Thepensation will be paid after thepetition.]


    ¡°Summoning the Reputation Store.¡±


    [A special service for only the best celebrities!]


    A golden carriage fell in front of Grid.


    ***


    ¡°Waterspout.¡±


    The seawater, mud, all types of fish, and shellfish flew up from the mudt and formed a giant vortex. It twisted like a rising dragon¡¯s waist and looked threatening. Containing an intensive hardness, the vortex was a purely man-made disaster. The moment he realized this, Kraugel was reminded of a nightmare of being crushed to death. It was from the farmer who had blown away one of Great Demon Belial¡¯s arms. The waterspout in front of him had a different sharp, but it contained a simr energy.


    ¡°This waterspout...!¡± The yers screamed as the waterspout rose into the sky and then fell. No, they swore. They were going crazy because they were harassed by bizarre skills such as Flying Pebbles, m Digging, Crab Fishing, Drawing Octopus, Calling Seagulls, and Water Sediment. Now they were going to be crushed by a vortex of mud and seafood?


    It was more dirty than frightening. As the world watched, they removed the octopus clinging to their faces. They were also pulled down into the mudt, scratched by scallops and crabs, and bitten by the beaks of the flying seagulls. It wasn¡¯t a glorious fight.


    ¡°This XX fisherman...! Uwaah!¡±


    The yers were so caught up in their rage that they forgot about the watching crowd as they released their defensive skills. The vortex that fell from the sky crushed the yers¡¯ bodies. The heavy weight of the vortex made all their defensive skills meaningless.


    ¡°...¡±


    There were only two people who survived on the silent mudt¡ªKraugel and Chris.


    ¡°...He is the person I know, right?¡±


    The heavenly king called Cardin...


    It happened when he used nkton Sprinkling to make all the shellfish in the area grow rapidly. Chris got a vague idea of Cardin¡¯s identity. Of course, he didn¡¯t admit it until the waterspout was used. Kraugel didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°...Then the Demon King?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guess?¡±


    ¡°...How can we win?¡± Chris became frustrated once he realized the identities of the four heavenly kings and the Demon King. It was an incredible attitude. He was more afraid of Grid than the fisherman in front of him.


    ¡°Retrieve Fishing Nets. Shoot Ink.¡±


    The fisherman grabbed two squids from the fishings flying through the mudt and shot them like guns. It was precisely aimed at the eyes, so Kraugel and Chris lost their vision.


    ¡°Threading Bait.¡±


    The fisherman flew like a ray of light, caught Chris, and pulled. Then he used the rebound to fly to Kraugel and stab him with a spade.


    ¡°Breaking the Shell.¡±


    Originally, it was a fraudulent skill with the name Fated to Perish. Kraugel was troubled during this 0.1-second gap. Should he pull out Quick Command?


    ¡®No, give up.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t an opponent he could win against even when mobilizing all the numbers. Group A was already wiped out. Kraugel looked at the circumstances and was convinced.


    ¡®We will be given a chance to re-challenge.¡¯


    After five seconds of immortality where he didn¡¯t resist, he died and soon realized that he was correct.


    [Group A, that was in charge of attacking the east gate, has been wiped out.]


    [The East Gate Guardian has received a great deal of damage. It is rmended to attack him before hepletely recovers.]


    [All challengers are tasting frustration before the mighty power of the four heavenly kings!]


    [The first challenge has failed.]


    [The second challenge will begin. All challengers are resurrected.]


    [The health of the four heavenly kings ispletely restored. However, their skill cooldown isn¡¯t restored, and their stats will drop by 30%.]


    [If the second challenge fails, the bronze medal rewards will be removed from the gold, silver, and bronze medal rewards.]


    ***


    7. If the participants fail to break through the gates, the S.A Group might give the right to challenge again to the participants. The method should be discussed with Shin Youngwoo.


    This was the 7th use of the agreement signed between the S.A Group and Grid. The use had been created due to insecurity and fear about the strength of the four heavenly kings.


    ¡°This is what ended up happening.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolhoughed after confirming that the rankers failed the first challenge. In fact, it was an unexpected result during the early nning stages of the Demon King project. The named NPCs that Grid had been collecting in thest few years were strong, but it wasn¡¯t possible for them to face 100 rankers alone. However, there were variables¡ªthe growth of the NPCs and Grid¡¯s ability to make items.


    Grid was truly unusual. Other yers would bind the named NPCs closer to them and treat them as pets. Meanwhile, Grid gave them freedom. The current situation was the result.


    Piaro could do as much field work as he wanted. Asmophel went looking for the remaining Red Knights to take responsibility for his sins. Mercedes was working individually and gaining insights every time Grid was gone. Noll managed the vampire city while controlling his hunger with Piaro¡¯s help.


    All of them had grown beyond their predicted ranges. Additionally, Grid had improved his cksmithing skills, so his legendary and myth rated items turned the four heavenly kings into monsters in just a few months. Wasn¡¯t it unbelievable that 400 rankers couldn¡¯t break through one of the four heavenly kings?


    ¡°Was it intentional?¡± Director Yoon Sangmin asked because he was baffled by the unexpected results. He had a very cautious attitude. ¡°Did Grid thoroughly analyze their tendencies and past, raising them as efficiently as possible in order to bring out the potential of the NPCs to the extreme?¡±


    If so, Grid absolutely wasn¡¯t a fool. He was a genius whose previous actions were all an act. Lim Cheolho shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t what he intended.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Yoon Sangmin also watched the Five Miracles like Chairman Lim Cheolho. The initial animosity toward Grid faded as he watched Grid. That¡¯s why he was well aware. Grid was a man who didn¡¯t calcte things. No, he only calcted after doing things. At least, untilst year.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s intellectual development is rising, but the way he fostered the four heavenly kings isn¡¯t something obtained from knowledge. It is possible because of his pure heart.¡±


    ¡°Heart...¡± It was a word that didn¡¯t seem to fit when talking about Grid. Yoon Sangmin leaned back in his chair andughed pleasantly. ¡°I think I know why you and the development team like Grid so much.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t dislike him. Grid is a person who respected our children (NPCs) from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°You must feel sorry.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Grid (Demon King) will be defeated.¡±


    The first challenge ended in 40 minutes. The second challenge against the weakened four heavenly kings was likely to end much sooner. The maximum amount of time given to Grid was one and a half hours, which meant his health couldn¡¯t exceed two million. Realistically, it would be difficult to make items.


    Chairman Lim Cheolhoughed at Yoon Sangmin¡¯s concern. ¡°You were the one who wrote the contract with Grid, but you haven¡¯t really felt his change. An hour and a half? That is enough time for the current Grid.¡±


    Then he asserted, ¡°A thoroughly prepared Grid is no weaker than the four heavenly kings. He won¡¯t be easily defeated.¡±


    Today, Grid would be the ideal of yers and a source of passion.

 Chapter 953

    Time was given to the participants of the Demon King subjugation event to have a meeting.


    They were given 20 minutes. This period of time was not allowed for the four heavenly kings. The cooldown time of the four heavenly kings was frozen in ce for 20 minutes. Of course, this time didn¡¯t apply to Grid either. Grid¡¯s umted health buff and cksmithing work also stopped.


    ¡°We should have yers from the top 20 countries like China, the United States, and Canada all in one team.¡± This was the opinion of China¡¯s Zhang Jian. ¡°We wanted to secure a few more medals, so the strong people of each country were divided between different teams. It is right to concentrate strength in one team instead of dispersing it.¡±


    ¡°You want to discard the other three teams?¡±


    ¡°Yes, one team can break through the four heavenly kings. Isn¡¯t that the surest way? The yers of the other three teams... They will have a chance to win a medal when meeting the Demon King.¡±


    This meeting scene was being broadcasted around the world in real time. The attention and focus of the world were still on the Demon King subjugation event, and many broadcasters were updating their ratings.


    Zhang Jian didn¡¯t seem to care. He expressed his cold opinion like he didn¡¯t care about people from other countries swearing at him. However, his opinion had a deadly blind spot.


    ¡°If we proceed using this n, shouldn¡¯t we exclude China from the top team? Aren¡¯t you guys really weak? The cute guys who dropped out first actually want a free bus ride?¡± That¡¯s right. In the words of Argentina¡¯s representative Seuron, China wasn¡¯t ¡®qualified.¡¯


    After all, two of the three Chinese representatives had been killed the moment the battle began.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of you...!¡± Zhang Jian¡¯s face was red hot, and he tried to refute it.


    However, Peak Sword interrupted, ¡°The bad Chinese person should stay quiet. I want to keep the existing teams.¡±


    ¡°What? Bad Chinese? What does that mean?¡± Zhang Jian was dimly aware of how foreigners divided between good and bad Chinese people.


    Zhang Jian trembled from the racial insult, but Peak Sword was a professional. The president of the Patriotic Association was familiar with how to deal with arrogant Chinese and Japanese people. Zhang Jian already lost public sentiment, so Peak Sword openly ignored him and asked for the opinions of the other rankers, ¡°What is your opinion?¡±


    People who liked intimidating the weak would just be cowards in front of a person better than himself. It was as expected.


    ¡°...¡± Zhang Jian shut his mouth the moment he gave the right to speak to strong people like Kraugel, Chris, and Zibal. He stepped back without further argument. Chris and Zibal agreed with Peak Sword¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°It should naturally be like this. We have already fought the opponent once, so next time will be easier.¡±


    All 400 yers gathered here had the stats and talent of a ranker. They would be able to double theirbat ability when fighting against an opponent they already collected data on. Kraugel was thinking the same thing. ¡°Go with your n.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t present, so Kraugel was the standard that everyone acknowledged. Once he agreed to the n, no one opposed him. The 400 members joined their original groups and gathered in front of the gates they already failed to capture once.


    ¡°Everybody should already know...? The opponent is weaker. Her stats have dropped by 30%, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that if certain skills are allowed, we will die in one blow.¡± At the west gate, Peak Sword led Group B and cautioned his team members. ¡°Think of the opponent as God Grid. Don¡¯t be hit by strong skills.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We fought her for 30 minutes. Don¡¯t you know most of the attack patterns? Everybody can do it. Use defense piercing skills once the opponent uses a skill... Ah, Magician Goshar.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about your form when fighting.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild had two top magicians. They were the wind magician Zednos and fire magician Lae. They always said to the magicians of the Overgeared Guild that ¡®magicians must fight ugly.¡¯ This meant they had to chant magic spells quickly. Believing in continuous spells like a shield and standing in ce to cast spells faster was tantamount to suicide.


    As a magician, Goshar naturally knew this. ¡°You are asking me to run around and sweat? Oh, that doesn¡¯t make me feel good.¡±


    The biggest advantage of a magician was ¡®coolness.¡¯ Unlike normalbat sses, magicians were the flower of the battlefield who stood in one ce and massacred the enemies with their spells. People who selected the magician ss in Satisfy were those who lived and died for their form. They were reluctant to show their sweating and ugly appearance when people all over the world were watching. Still, what could they do?


    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped if we want to win.¡±


    ¡°I have to win a medal.¡±


    The magicians muttered.


    Goshar had pride as a magician. It was foolish to hold onto his pride when the opponent was the strongest boss he encountered so far. At first, his judgment was blurred because he hadn¡¯t expected the opponent to be so strong, but not anymore.


    ¡°I will do it properly.¡± Goshar made up his mind.


    Then he reached out a hand to Peak Sword, who shook it. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s win.¡±


    They had to seed in the second challenge. Since the third challenge would remove the bronze medalpensation, the yers¡¯ motivation would drop, leading to a decrease in attack power. The determined yers rushed toward the four heavenly kings.


    ***


    Over at Group D, Jishuka burned with fighting spirit once she discovered the guardian of the north gate.


    ¡°This time, I won¡¯t be deceived by your appearance,¡± Jishuka growled with wild eyes, looking beautiful. The ferocious expressionbined with her intense impression exuded a fatal charm. She was like a poisonous apple. However, only one man could poison himself.


    ¡°Hey, Damian. Give a blessing to my arrows.¡±


    Kobold¡ªthe vampire earl Noll¡ªhad something inmon with Euphemina. He was a conditional powerhouse. If certain conditions like his satiety and number of allies were met, Noll would be much stronger than Piaro or Mercedes. However, Noll was currently alone. His survival ability was still the best, but in terms of firepower, he was weaker than the other heavenly kings.


    In other words, Group D had a chance to win even in the first challenge. They would¡¯ve won if Jishuka hadn¡¯t acted as a supporter and stayed faithful to the role of damage dealer. If only Damian hadn¡¯t focused on wide-area healing and buffed the attack power of Jishuka, Katz, and Haster, Noll¡¯s strength would¡¯ve copsed faster than expected and Group D alone would¡¯ve broken through the gate in the first challenge.


    In the first ce, Group D contained the most raid-focused people, so it was normal. However, Group D became passive against Noll¡¯s wide-area magic, and that was the result. Well, it was a normal thing. It was a rule that the original challenge was always the hardest part of a raid. The probability that a raid would be sessful when they didn¡¯t know the characteristics and patterns of the boss was very low.


    Groups A, B, and C also narrowly missed the boss raid. Group A discovered the method to neutralize the mudt that enhanced Piaro¡¯s power toote, Group B mistook Mercedes as a berserker, and Group C suffered too much from Asmophel¡¯s sword in the early stages.


    ¡°I understand. I will give you a buff every time you pull out an arrow.¡± Instead of the middle row where he was responsible for wide-area buffs and healing, Damian took a rear position this time.


    His buffs were concentrated on some of the high rankers like Jishuka, Katz, and Haster. In particr, Jishuka gained an attack buff on her arrows, which were ssified as an auxiliary weapon, and her bow. Jishuka aimed precisely at Noll, who was wearing the kobold mask, and fired five arrows. The arrows disappeared into the darkness of the night.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Noll. I don¡¯t think I can send you offfortably because you are too strong.¡±


    ----!


    Five arrows were fired silently. A person with the ability to read the trajectory didn¡¯t exist among the yers. Even Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity relied on things such as ¡®sight¡¯ and ¡®sound.¡¯ However, Jishuka¡¯s arrows didn¡¯t contain these things.


    One arrow hit Noll in the forehead, one in the foot, another in the other foot...


    A total of five arrows struck Noll with almost no time difference. Noll¡¯s head shot back, and blood sprinkled down like rain.


    ¡°The battle hasmenced.¡± Jishuka¡¯s alluring voice boosted Group D¡¯s morale.


    ***


    The second sh between the 400 yers and the four heavenly kings was greatly different from the first challenge. The attacks of the yers threatened the four heavenly kings while the hit rate of the four heavenly kings fell greatly. In particr, each group could immediately detect the signs of the wide-area skills.


    ¡°They really are rankers.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t know it could be like this.¡±


    The spectators and viewers were stunned. They had to admire the rankers¡¯ analytical skills and co-operation several times. The four heavenly kings weren¡¯t losing just because their stats had fallen by 30%. In the second challenge, their skills and characteristics were being targeted.


    Vin¡¯s quick sword, which seemed like a video ying at double speed, stopped due to the interference of Group C¡¯s cooperation.


    Kobold, who kept recovering his health like an endless spring, became tired from the bombardment of Jishuka¡¯s arrows.


    Benz¡¯ stamina was worn down by the magicians who ran around and cast spells at her.


    The four heavenly kings tried to use their secret techniques, but the yers could now read the timing. They used skills that ignored defense to quickly exhaust the health gauges of the four heavenly kings. In the first ce, it was a 100 against 1 fight. With 100 people aiming at one person, at least one in ten would hit even if most of them missed. The four heavenly kings had limited health and couldn¡¯t cope with the damage forever.


    In particr, the attack power of the representatives of each group like Kraugel, Chris, Zibal, Peak Sword, Jishuka, and Haster was a threat to the four heavenly kings. In the end...


    [Kobold of the North Gate has fallen.]


    [Group D has seeded in attacking the North Gate.]


    [The top contributor to the attack on the North Gate is Brazil¡¯s representative, Jishuka!]


    [The second ce contributor to the attack on the North Gate is Japan¡¯s representative, Damian!]


    [The third ce contributor to the attack on the North Gate is Japan¡¯s representative, Katz!]


    The first victory urred 37 minutes after the battlemenced.


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡± The excited spectators and viewers cheered enthusiastically at the performance. They witnessed the skills of the rankers in real time and naturally expected the end of the Demon King. It was hard to imagine that he could deal with 400 rankers alone, no matter how majestic he was in his two appearances.


    ¡°Go! Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°Kraugel! Kraugel! Kraugel!¡±


    ¡°Peak Sword is so cool!¡±


    ¡°I want a magic machine!¡±


    Forgetting about race and nationality, all the spectators and viewers united as one. It was the first time this urred in the National Competition. The Demon King had be the enemy of all humanity.

 Chapter 954

    [The North Gate Guardian has fallen.]


    [The scattered gray soul is saying sorry to you.]


    [The North Gate has been breached! The momentum of the invaders is soaring into the sky!]


    ¡°...This is unexpected.¡±Grid was surprised as he purchased the necessary materials from the Reputation Store. He wasn¡¯t surprised that the first gate was breached in 37 minutes. This timing was simr to Grid¡¯s expectations. Rather, he was surprised that the North Gate, which was protected by Noll, was the first to be broken.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know Noll would be the first to lose.¡¯


    Prior to the National Competition, Grid had made the Valha of Strong Trust for Noll. The myth rated armor based on Valha of Infinite Affection had the effect of increasing health recovery, reducing the damage received and acquiring additional defense (maximum of 100) when facing multiple opponents. He could be called the strongest tanker among the four heavenly kings, yet he was the first to fall.


    ¡®This is despite the title effect...¡¯


    Noll would unconditionally try to escape if health fell below 10%. Even Noll¡¯s powerful survival instinct wasn¡¯t enough. Honestly shocked that Noll was the first to be defeated, Grid was forced to think about a variety of cases.


    ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Once the cooldown of rm ended, Grid took out Belial¡¯s wand and set the time of the spell.


    ¡°...Immobile Fortress became a poison.¡±


    The passive skill attached to Valha of Strong Trust, Immobile Fortress. It reflected damage every time the armor durability fell by a certain amount and was a more useful skill than Moving Fortress in certain circumstances. That said, it did have a fatal weakness that made it impossible for the wearer to move when it was used. This was likely the part that caught Noll¡¯s ankle.


    ¡®Additionally, Jishuka and Damian are in the group that attacked the North Gate.¡¯


    Based on what Grid knew, there were few yers who had an attack power high enough to pose a deadly threat to Noll. Among them, Jishuka was the only one capable of dealing ¡®continuous¡¯ high damage. If Damian had given her wings, Noll wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on for long.


    ¡°rm. Magic Missile,¡±Grid once again set up the spells and then looked at an item from the Reputation Store. His heart wasn¡¯t affected by Noll¡¯s death. He didn¡¯t feel any interest in the words, ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    This was conclusive proof that this Noll was a fake.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry... The operating team doesn¡¯t know Noll¡¯s nature.¡¯


    Noll was still young and dependent. The real Noll would¡¯ve felt resentment at the moment of death. Why hadn¡¯t Gride to help while he was suffering such shame and humiliation? Yes, the four heavenly kings only inherited the powers of their bodies and not their appearances or personalities. It would be a waste of his emotions to think about their pain and humiliation.


    Grid kept thinking this as he controlled his heart.


    ¡°...¡±


    Still, it didn¡¯t work. The unbearable anger was boiling up. Like a sticky liquid, it was hard to remove. It was anger toward himself. Noll¡¯s death had arrived faster than expected. Grid got distracted when he thought that the cause of Noll¡¯s death was the item he had made.


    ¡®You jerk.¡¯


    Unlike the yers, a NPC¡¯s life was finite. Grid respected them and cared for them. He vowed to give more than 10 of his lives for them.


    ¡®I can¡¯t make only one item.¡¯


    The Noll he was worried about was currently guarding the vampire city. What if someone invaded the city? What if Noll trusted and relied on the armor that Grid made? If this was the poison that ended up hurting Noll...


    ¡°I also...¡± Grid trembled as he was reminded of Khan. His right hand, which was swinging the hammer, was white. Then a new notification window emerged.


    [The South Gate Guardian has fallen into the moat.]


    [The scattered gray soul melting in the water is saying sorry to you.]


    [The South Gate has been breached! The roar of the invaders has prated the battlefield!]


    It was exactly nine minutes after the North Gate was broken. The second victim was Asmophel¡¯s clone, Vin. Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. This was a sinmitted by the desire to be first. Asmophel¡¯s mind and body were tempered from confronting the sin he couldn¡¯t escape. These days, he practiced a swordsmanship that transcended the concept of time.


    ¡®It would be hard for him to deal with arge number of enemies alone.¡¯


    Compared to the other heavenly kings, Asmophel was iplete. Unlike Piaro and Mercedes, he wasn¡¯t a legend. Nor had he been born with the highest pedigree like Noll. Asmophel¡¯s mes of his swordsmanship were a double-edged sword that melted even his own body. He had yet to reach the threshold of transcendence, and it would be difficult for him to cope with 100 rankers when his stats had fallen by 30%.


    [The price of the selected item is 999 reputation points. Do you want to buy it?]


    The time between when he epted the Demon King project and when the National Competition started¡ªGrid had worked diligently in the three months given to him. He had spent time thinking around the clock as he worked hard to improve the odds. Not only had he carried out various quests and adventures while strengthening the equipment of the four heavenly kings, he had also studied how he could use his cards more efficiently.


    One of them was the use of the Reputation Store. There were various types of products in the Reputation Store such as food, elixirs, skill reinforcements, magic scrolls, boxes containing various items, boxes containing pets, minerals, jewelry, ingredient boxes, and so on. Expectations were very high. They were products that guaranteed a minimum of performance or ratings in exchange for high prices.


    First of all, Grid naturally nned to purchase the Sweet Candy, which raised all stats by 30%. The Sweet Candy onlysted five minutes, but he could buy up to five. Thus, he would be able to maintain this top condition for 25 minutes. However, after thinking about it a bit more, he felt that this wasn¡¯t the best way.


    The new product that Grid focused on was the cheapest item in the Reputation Store. It was the 999 reputation point random machine.


    [Draw! Draw! Draw it!]


    [The random drawing machine!


    If you spend 999 reputation points here, you can get a variety of items from the store at a random cheap price!


    * Limited edition items aren¡¯t included.


    * There is a certain probability of acquiring experience increase potions.


    Price: 999 reputation points.]


    The exnation that they could get various items sold at a random price was a trick. Grid was reminded of old memories. He had used the random machine to gain an experience buff potion, only to get the Pretty Hairpin and Most Delicious Skewers in the World.


    Of the two items, the skewers couldn¡¯t be found in the sales list on the Reputation Store. It hade from the random machine. The past Grid hadn¡¯t questioned it. He had only felt angry that he had gotten a useless item.


    ¡®Things are different now that I think about it again.¡¯


    Grid came to a conclusion after thinking about it. He concluded that the magical random machine could draw items sold in every shop in every corner of the world. Otherwise, the appearance of the skewers was nothing more than a bug, and there were no bugs in Satisfy. Only unkind tricks existed.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Even if his judgment was correct, wasn¡¯t the probability of drawing a good product extremely low? He thought it might be more stable to go with the candy and magic scrolls, but what was an adventure without risk? Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. He had a high good luck stat now. His good luck stat was a huge 631 points. It would be nice if he were renamed the King of Luck.


    ¡®The Challenger Store on Fog Ind sold a variety of elixirs, skills, and scrolls.¡¯


    Grid was convinced. There were many secret stores around the world that he didn¡¯t know about yet, and these stores might sell items beyond imagination.


    ¡®It will be a super jackpot even if I only gain a few of them.¡¯


    First, Grid needed confirmation. In the real game, reputation points weren¡¯t something that could be easily used. This was an opportunity to invest only in the random drawing machine. It would be a good experience. Even if the result of the drawing was ruined, all his other preparations wereplete, so he could perform the role of the Demon King sufficiently.


    Grid made up his mind and pressed the button.


    [999 reputation points have been consumed to buy the ¡®Draw! Draw! Draw it!¡¯ item. You have 219,540 reputation points remaining.]


    [...!!!]


    [Your high good luck stat has brought about a positive result!]


    [The Immediate Item Completion Scroll has been acquired!}


    ¡°...?¡±


    Um, what was this? Did he see wrong? Grid was absent-minded for a moment and doubled checked the result again.


    ¡°...Umm.¡±


    It might be better to stop the drawing and buy the candy and other items. Grid ignored his earlier decision and thought this sincerely.


    ***


    ¡º After a long struggle...! It was a really fierce struggle. Finally...!! ¡»


    ¡º The 400 yers have breached all four gates! ¡»


    ¡º The cooperation between yers that transcended nationality was very beautiful and inspiring. ¡»


    ¡º Thanks to Satisfy, humanity is one! So cool! ¡»


    Thementators of each country were excited, and people all over the world cheered. The 400 yers¡¯ first and second challenges which took a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes toplete had been fierce and beautiful. Their journey was an unforgettable sight that settled deep within the hearts of the world.


    ¡º Now, only the Demon King is left! ¡»


    ¡º Demon King... He is really strong. I couldn¡¯t imagine the Demon King falling after seeing him in his surprise appearance event. ¡»


    ¡º Same here. However, it is different now. ¡»


    ¡º Yes, our heroes now know how to work together. They are no longer rivals butpanions who trust and rely on each other. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right! The 400 heroes can defeat the mighty Demon King! ¡»


    Thementators couldn¡¯t suppress their excitement. In their eyes, the 400 yers on stage were real heroes. The crowd present and the audience watching in front of the screen were the same. The rankers¡ªthey were the handful of geniuses among the two billion yers who many people envied and aspired to be.


    People believed in the propaganda about the yers and prayed that they would win. The Demon King was an artificial intelligence. They didn¡¯t want to see the yers, who were representing their country, get defeated and were frustrated by the mere sight of monsters.


    [Breaking through all the gates has opened the way to the Demon King¡¯s castle.]


    Kraugel, Chris, Jishuka, Damian, Zibal, Haster, Peak Sword, and so on¡ªthe 400 yers followed the most active representatives of their group and moved along the passage. There was a wide open door at the end of the passage. They passed the door and entered a great hall.


    ¡°...¡±


    No one was able to rush into the great hall. A music box was being yed from deep inside the dark great hall. It was an instrumental song that greatly heightened the tension and anxiety.


    ¡°Everyone please cooperate. Maintain a close,pact formation. The tankers will ce shields in front of them and take the outskirts. The magicians will be inside and cast defense spells.¡±


    This was Chris¡¯ order. After recognizing the identity of the Demon King, he knew how important it was to be thoroughly prepared. He was one of the 10 meritorious retainers and well aware of Grid¡¯srge-scale bombardment attack using the spell ¡®rm¡¯.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do as Chris says.¡±


    Close,pact formation...? Someoneined, saying it wasn¡¯t a real war. However, most yers followed Chris¡¯ words. It was because they had gotten good results fighting the heavenly kings once they listened to his orders. Yes, now was the time for cooperation. They wouldn¡¯t be able to fight the Demon King by ying solo. The Demon King would naturally be stronger than the four heavenly kings.


    The magician Goshar encouraged them, ¡°He is an opponent that magic doesn¡¯t work against. Like Chris said, concentrate on defensive spells and build up your contribution. Don¡¯t you know? If you stay alive and protect people, you can win a gold medal.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it unconscionable to forgo the shield while aiming for a gold medal?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    The atmosphere gradually rxed, and the yers were no longer influenced by the disturbing music. Everyone had a determined expression. They took a deep breath and slowly entered the hall while maintaining their ranks. The magicians cast light spells, and the darkness retreated.


    ¡°You¡¯rete.¡±


    They saw a huge organ with the Demon King standing beside it. Simultaneously, a notification window rose.


    [The Demon King has appeared.]


    The contents were short, but there was a sense of weight.


    ¡°Shields!¡±Chris reminded the tankers that there was likely to be an early offensive, and they instantly set up their shields. Then a deafening sound entered their ears. Shells flew, prating through the magicians¡¯ shield and crushing the tankers¡¯ shields.


    ¡°A cannon?¡±


    ¡°Kuoock...! Keep the formations!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Get up quickly! Raise the shields!!¡±


    It was an unexpected form of attack, and it was too strong and heavy. Dust rose while the yers became dizzy. This onlysted for 2¨C3 seconds. However, this was enough time for the Demon King. The Demon King rushed through the attacks of the ranged damage dealers and reached Seuron of Argentina. Seuron¡ªhe was the person who said that ¡®Grid has hemorrhoids¡¯ in an interview.


    ¡®This guy?¡¯


    He was smiling? Seuron read the expression of the Demon King and felt a chill.


    ¡°Death Penalty,¡±the Demon King¡¯s dismal voice rang out.


    Seuron couldn¡¯t even tell if it was a sword or a spear that pierced his chest. ¡°...¡±


    Beyond the great pir of gray light, the red light around the Demon King shone. The yers didn¡¯t dare look at it.

 Chapter 955

    Grid knew the most efficient way to break a group. The Seven Guilds, the Immortal Guild, the Eternal Kingdom, the Saharan Empire, the vampires, the Red Knights, and so on¡ªhe had struggled against so many groups that it would be sad if he hadn¡¯t acquired some methods. Grid had been learning slowly but steadily. It wasn¡¯t umon.


    [You have put the Sweet Candy in your mouth.]


    [All stats will increase by 30% for 5 minutes until the candy is melted.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Rage has been used. Attack power has increased by 25%, and attack speed has increased by 40% for one minute.]


    The moment the yers entered through the door with a terrible sound¡ªas if recreating the screams of the four heavenly kings¡ªhe brought out all of his power. Fear...


    A group of people could easily copse when their most primitive emotions were provoked. This simple and dishonest emotion spread quickly.


    ¡®Pinnacle Kill.¡¯


    It was a skill that dealt 2,000% of his attack power.


    ¡°Death Penalty.¡±


    It had a different name though. This was an example of the greatness of the power ofnguage. Seuron hurriedly moved his sword when he saw the attack, but he couldn¡¯t stop it. The Demon King¡¯s sword turned in a direction that was impossible and pierced Seuron¡¯s chest.


    [Critical!]


    The death penalty became a reality. Seuron made a disbelieving expression as he turned to gray, and Grid calmly received the doubtful gazes. Although Seuron would never know, this was an act of forgiveness from Grid. He would forgive Seuron for spreading the rumor about hemorrhoids. Grid was truly generous.


    ¡°...¡±His eyes prated through the people to someone in the rear. He could see Kraugel standing there with folded arms. The gazes of the two people met in the air.


    ¡°Crazy...!¡±


    ¡°Everybody stay calm! Surround him!¡±


    The yers surrounded Grid. It was shocking that Seuron, one of the key yers, had died with a single blow. However, the yers weren¡¯t cowardly enough to fear a single death, nor were they loyal enough to feel angry. They just tried to be as impersonal as possible as they attacked the Demon King.


    The link between shield and spear was precise as they prepared for a counterattack by setting up the shield. The Demon King was hit by a few moves and attempted to counterattack, but he escaped into the air when he was interrupted by the shields.


    ¡®A fierce boss.¡¯


    ¡®This is the real deal...¡¯


    Gulp. It was a deadlock after a short engagement. The yers looked up at the Demon King in the air and couldn¡¯t help gulping. He had long ck hair, three horns on the forehead, red eyes shining behind the grey mask, two wings, hands that were bigger than his face, and nails as sharp as des. With an upright posture, the Demon King was both arrogant and intimidating. The mouth under his mask seemed to be smiling, and the yers felt like they were being treated as insects.


    ¡®The name ispletely different.¡¯


    Most of the named NPCs in Satisfy had gold names. However, the name ¡®Demon King¡¯ was a deep red color with gold framing. It felt extraordinary while giving off a sense of oppression.


    ¡°Scatter!¡±


    How many seconds passed by? The time it took to observe the Demon King wasn¡¯t long, but could it be called only a moment? Rain started falling from the sky.


    ¡°....!¡±Chris¡¯ shout unfroze the yers¡¯ stopped time. The astonished yers moved backward. However, their distance to the Demon King was very close. It was difficult to open up the distance since they had surrounded the Demon King when he jumped into the middle of the enemy camp.


    Suddenly, the Demon King descended and grabbed the face of a slow tanker. Then he whispered,¡°Storm of ughter.¡±


    It was originally the field magic called Storm Demonic Energy Field. The strong wind and rain caused yers to slow down, while lightning fell continuously toward the yers who couldn¡¯t escape from the area of the spell. The yers tried to block the lightning with their shields or weapons, but it wasn¡¯t easy because the lightning acted like a ma that pushed or pulled the items.


    ¡°...¡± The yers, who barely escaped from the area of the spell, stared at the battlefield with gaping mouths. The German representative, Weldon, was like a helpless herbivore as he was held by the Demon King. A series of lightning strikes whirled around the two of them, destroying dozens of yers. Gray pirs rose amidst the raging screams and streams of flowing blood. Theva flowing on the ground produced steam, making the atmosphere seem much more dangerous.


    ¡°Weldon! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Steady yourself!"


    The German yers desperately cried out, but Weldon couldn¡¯te to his senses. Was it because the Demon King¡¯s hand strength was so great that Weldon couldn¡¯t move? No, this wasn¡¯t the reason why. After all, Weldon was the 6th ranked guardian knight and had several skills to escape from physical strength.


    Then was he shrinking back because of fear? This was hard to deny. It was a lie to say that he wasn¡¯t afraid of the Demon King who had killed Seuron with one blow and lifted Weldon up with one hand. However, the basic character of a tanker was to ¡®confront fear.¡¯ If Weldon was a person who couldn¡¯t confront fear, he wouldn¡¯t have be a tanker. So, why couldn¡¯t Weldon shake off the hand of the Demon King?


    ¡°Huung...¡±


    It was because the fingers touching his forehead, cheeks, and neck conveyed a strange sensation to him. The sensation was close to pleasure, and Weldon didn¡¯t want to miss this pleasure. He couldn¡¯t escape from the hands of the Demon King. The rankers saw his heavy breathing and realized btedly...


    ¡®Is it bewitchment magic?¡¯


    ¡®An incubus type? He looked cool from the beginning.¡¯


    ¡®Shit, this is a headache.¡¯


    It was outside the field magic.


    ¡°Shit! Don¡¯t be absent-minded and use your shields!¡± Goshar shouted to the magicians as he protected Weldon by covering him with earth. Then the confused people started to move in the same direction. The melee used their ranged skills on the Demon King, while the magicians ovepped severalyers of shields on their allies being attacked by the field magic.


    Still, it was toote. This was a storm created by the Grid who had eaten the candy. The rankers who entered the field for even a few seconds were already walking the path of death.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    ¡°What damage...!¡±


    The number of gray pirs increased, and the magicians became impatient. They tried to find allies who were still alive, but their targets were burned to ashes every time. It was meaningless.


    ¡°Regas, stop.¡± Pon stopped Regas, who was about to fly into the Demon King¡¯s field to rescue his allies, and looked at Jishuka. There was a huge firebird behind Jishuka.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The red phoenix unleashed a rain of fire. The skill released from this myth rated Red Phoenix Bow was different from the skill of Grid¡¯s reproduced legendary rated Red Phoenix Bow. It was much more powerful and had the ability to heal all allies within range.


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    The yers and spectators had already witnessed the scene where Jishuka¡¯s red phoenix had killed the heavenly king and rescued her allies. They didn¡¯t doubt that Jishuka¡¯s red phoenix would save the yers who were trapped in the evil Demon King¡¯s field. Yet...


    ¡°Bah,¡±The Demon King scoffed and reached out toward the red phoenix. The huge red phoenix was sucked into the Demon King¡¯s hand, disappearing without a trace. This was the Skill Deletion effect attached to Dark Bus¡¯ Ring. Grid was prepared to bring out all his cards today. It wasn¡¯t just for thepensation but for Yura as well.


    ¡®You can¡¯t go anywhere.¡¯


    The surprised yers were frozen like stone statues after seeing the red phoenix disappear. Grid turned his gaze toward the camera, conveying his will to Yura who was watching the game.


    ***


    ¡º No, what is this? Isn¡¯t it a provocation? ¡»


    ¡º It is obvious, no matter how I look at it. ¡»


    Thementators were horrified when the camera zoomed in on the Demon King¡¯s face. It was as if the Demon King was saying, ¡®The heroes, whom you believe in and are cheering for, are just bugs to me.¡¯


    Grid would be sad if he knew this. Feeling conscious of Yura, he was disying a smile that was as gentle as he could make possible, but the world thought of it as a rotten smile.


    ¡º As soon as I spoke, the storm was lifted! ¡»


    ¡º The power of the skill is strong, but the duration seems short. It should also have a long cooldown time. The yers must aim for this time. ¡»


    ¡º yers Regas and Pon are taking the lead! Ah! After yer Pon¡¯s spear pierced the Demon King¡¯s feet, yer Regas¡¯ kick has raised his chin! What a pass! ¡»


    ¡º Damian¡¯s buff is concentrated on Chris and Jishuka! yer Chris¡¯ sword tried to cut down the Demon King, but the Demon King avoided it! ¡»


    ¡º The Demon King is very conscious of Chris¡¯ attack. You can see that he is never getting hit. Ah! Even the Demon King can¡¯t avoid Jishuka¡¯s arrow! ¡»


    ¡º yer Jishuka¡¯s arrow pierced the Demon King¡¯s chest, and he can¡¯t swing his sword! ¡»


    It was a really exquisite move. Jishuka was well aware of the fact that the Demon King had a higher defense and health than the four heavenly kings. Rather than attempting to hit a mortal wound, she attacked his right hand which held a weapon. It was to cause a physical constraint where he couldn¡¯t use weapons. The Demon King tried to swap the weapon to his other hand.


    ¡º Mei Xiao¡¯s cloth is binding the Demon King¡¯s left arm! ¡»


    ¡º Katz¡¯ bloody storm and Peak Sword are attacking the Demon King! ¡»


    The 400-against-1 fight had started. The yers, who had fought the four heavenly kings twice, joined forces to hit the Demon King thoroughly. The Demon King, who seemed like he would never copse in his first appearance, was now being hit one-sidedly.


    The yers and spectators cheered. However, the Overgeared members knew the identity of the Demon King and got shivers.


    ¡®It is a trap!¡¯


    There was a reason why the Demon King stood in ce and maintained the disadvantageous fight. He would definitely be aiming for something but they realized it toote.


    -Kuhahahaha! The sound of the Demon King¡¯sughter came from the other side. The yers¡¯ gazes naturally turned toward that direction. They were baffled. The thought that the Demon King who attacked them was just a clone and that the real Demon King was the oneughing filled the minds of the yers.


    Unfortunately, this was a false judgment. Theughter in the distance was just a trick that Grid set up with the rm spell.


    ¡°I will seal one eye.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The yers looked away from the direction of theughter back to the Demon King. Then they saw it. The Demon King had escaped from the encirclement.


    ¡°Kneel Down.¡±


    The skill was originally named 100,000 Army Blockade Sword. It dealt 20% damage to all visible enemies and had the ¡®blockage¡¯ effect for three seconds. Blocked targets couldn¡¯t move, and their skills or magic would also be sealed off. The disadvantage was that it consumed fighting energy, but the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship exerted great power when facing arge number of people and it now neutralized all yers. The melee fighters who were using skills and the magicians who were casting magic¡ªthey were forced to their knees simultaneously.


    ¡°...¡± Thementators, audience members, and viewers went silent. It was shocking to see hundreds of rankers kneeling before the Demon King.


    ¡°Kuek...! Kuoock...!¡±


    The battlefield became calm like the previous fierce atmosphere was a lie. Some people couldn¡¯t understand, some people trembled with fright, and some others were angry. Only one person...


    ¡°...¡± Only Sword Saint Kraugel was standing upright and watching the Demon King. Everyone¡¯s gaze was on him. They wanted Kraugel to protect his colleagues from the Demon King. However, Kraugel didn¡¯t meet their expectations. He just stood still.


    ¡°Let¡¯spete in the final showdown.¡±


    This was the promise he had made with Gridst year. Kraugel didn¡¯t want to ignore his promise with Grid, even if it led to defeat and criticism from the world.


    ¡®We will fight one on one.¡¯


    Grid read the message in Kraugel¡¯s eyes as he grabbed the neck of the Chinese representative Mei Xiao. His answer was, ¡®Yes.¡¯

 Chapter 956

    [The party member ¡®Mei Xiao¡¯ has died.]


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    The yers were either disgusted or furious as they witnessed Mei Xiao falling without being able to resist. It wasn¡¯t because they made friends with Mei Xiao during the short period of the National Competition though. Rather, it was because Mei Xiao had the power to persistently bind the opponent. She was one of the powers necessary to defeat the Demon King.


    This was why Grid had suppressed the yers¡¯ movements with 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and snatched Mei Xiao instead of harming as many yers as possible. Grid had recognized Mei Xiao as a threatening opponent and hit her as soon as possible to increase his chances of winning.


    ¡®I won¡¯t fall until I am left alone with you.¡¯


    Grid looked through the gray pir, which was created due to Mei Xiao¡¯s death, and gazed at Kraugel who was standing far away. A great number of sts was heard as he used Fly. Dozens of arrows, daggers, and spears flooded toward Grid. The fortunate thing was that in this urgent situation, there was no magic. None of the magicians aimed attack spells at Grid. It was thanks to the effect of Duke of Wisdom that was properly activated during the Demon King¡¯s Appearance, giving the distorted perception that ¡®using magic against the Demon King will be poisonous.¡¯


    Lantier¡¯s Cloak reduced the damage done by physical attacks such as stabbing, cutting, and throwing attacks by 20%, and it also had a 10% chance of blocking attacks. The Demon King version came in the form of wings that wrapped around Grid to minimize the damage.


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,990...]


    [The attack has been blocked!]


    [The attack has been blocked!]


    [You have suffered 7,540 damage.]


    [You have suffered 4,620...]


    Grid was able to withstand the intense bombardment of the yers who were ssified as ¡®world-ss.¡¯ The time that the four heavenly kings endured had been one hour and 38 minutes. For the current Grid whose total health exceeded 1.9 million, his high defense became a more powerful weapon than usual.


    ¡®I¡¯m really going crazy!¡¯


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t have any heals, right? If he can heal himself, this fight willst for more than half a day.¡¯


    The yers tried not to show it, but they were greatly agitated. Their skills were either blocked or dealt less than 10,000 damage. It was absurd. They used basic skills with a short activation time to track down the Demon King trying to escape. Even so, the monster didn¡¯t receive more than 100,000 damage...? Considering the fact that most yers participating in the Demon King subjugation were using high strength unique weapons or legendary weapons, the Demon King¡¯s defense was too high.


    ¡°Shit. What the hell? Is he covered in myth-rated things?¡±


    ¡°His stats are too high.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    The yers¡¯ momentum was dying down due to the high defense and fraudulent characteristics of the Demon King. At this moment, a white horse leaped across the rocks toward the Demon King in the sky. One of the 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom was sitting on the white horse. He had curly hair, a neatly arranged beard, and eyes deeply set in bronze skin. It was the emergence of Pon, who had been popr for a few years with his typical South European good looks.


    ¡°I will go with full force, so be careful.¡±


    The Overgeared members were aware of the identity of the Demon King, and Pon was the same. However, Pon didn¡¯t hesitate at all. Grid had be the Demon King behind his colleagues back and instantly turned into an enemy. This was the National Competition. There was no need to discuss friendship on a stage where those participating dreamed of honor and rewards.


    ¡°Rail Spear!¡±Pon gripped the spear tightly, and it became a white line.


    He wasn¡¯t the slightest bit shaken. The perfect white light stretched out beautifully and created a white boundary in the sky. It was like aet prating through the universe that was Demon King Grid.


    [You have suffered 41,300 damage!]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    The greatest advantage of Rail Spear was the damage achieved through its speed and the certain amount of defense that it ignored. Grid couldn¡¯t avoid it and felt a splitting pain in his back. The white horse staggered as it fell to the ground, and Pon grinned at the Demon King.


    ¡°Does it hurt? It is a spear made by our leader.¡±Pon touched a ck spear made from Belial¡¯s remains.


    His words told of how proud he was. The Overgeared members, including himself and Jishuka, were able to be strong like this because of Grid. Gridughed.


    ¡®I was able to make such items because of all of you.¡¯He couldn¡¯t say these words because he was currently the Demon King.


    Grid avoided some of the wyvern¡¯s breaths pouring from above and turned like a spinning top. He aimed his weapon at the eight yers who took the lead to jump off the ground after Pon.


    ¡°Tear Apart.¡± (Link)


    ¡°...!¡±


    Pon¡¯s Rail Spear only created one straight line while Grid¡¯s Link drew 30 lines. The attack power was lowpared to Pon¡¯s Rail Spear, and there wasn¡¯t the ¡®certain to hit the target¡¯ effect. The advantage was that it was difficult to avoid, and it became more powerful as the energy des ovepped. By default, Grid¡¯s stats and items significantly exceeded Pon¡¯s.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The eight yers had believed they could do it after seeing Pon¡¯s great leap against the Demon King. Nheless, they were hit by the Demon King¡¯s great blow and turned to gray. Arge amount of blood spilled out as they died and froze on the ground. Thementators were in a stupor.


    ¡º The yers couldn¡¯t respond to the Demon King¡¯s attack just now? ¡»


    ¡º No. The assassins reacted and tried to avoid it, but they failed. They don¡¯t have any flying ability, and it is difficult for them to operate in the air. ¡»


    ¡º A perfect tanking power and even higher attack power... I don¡¯t know who can knock him down. I¡¯m not a yer, but my headache is getting worse. ¡»


    ¡º The best way was for yer Jishuka and yer Mei Xiao to neutralize him. This is much more difficult now that Mei Xiao is dead. ¡»


    ¡º Um...? No, this...? ¡»


    ¡º... ¡»


    Thementators of each country fell silent at almost the same time. It was because while analyzing the Demon King, one person came to mind. He was durable, strong, could fly, and had field magic.


    ¡®...Grid?¡¯


    Yes, the Demon King resembled Grid. However, thementators didn¡¯t let the name Grid emerge from their mouths. It was because the Demon King didn¡¯t have golden hands that moved on their own. Moreover, the Demon King seemed much stronger than Grid. If they mentioned Grid, the absurd form of Grid > Demon King > fighting 400 yers would be made. Thus, they thought it was better to refrain from saying anything.


    Meanwhile, some spectators and viewers were rioting. Most of them were Chinese.


    ¡°Kraugel, what the hell are you doing? Why are you only watching?¡±


    ¡°Kraugel killed Mei Xiao! Kraugel dropped the Chinese star!¡±


    ¡°Is he waiting toe out until his colleagues are exhausted by the Demon King in order to win medals? What a small-minded guy!¡±


    ¡°He is a despicable bastard who moved countries many times!¡±


    The Chinese people imed that Mei Xiao was dead because of Kraugel. They felt desperate after the death of Mei Xiao, China¡¯s only hope, and were angry at Kraugel for ignoring Mei Xiao¡¯s death. The people from other countries saw this and thought it was an absurd case of finger-pointing. There was no obligation for the yers to help each other when the rewards for the event was based on contribution.


    ¡°Even so, it is a bit disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The other yers are cooperating with each other while he is being tantly greedy alone...¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to care about image anymore since he has already been pulled down from the top spot. Let¡¯s see if he can win the gold medal alone as he nned.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be able to hold up his head anymore if he doesn¡¯t win the gold medal.¡±


    In the end, many people started criticizing Kraugel. Kraugel had anticipated this situation, but he didn¡¯t care. In the first ce, he participated in the National Competition because of Grid, not honor.


    ¡º Ahh! The yers have started fighting back! ¡»


    In the midst of the tumultuous atmosphere, thementators started shouting loudly. The Japanese representative, Katz, was gathering the blood of his colleagues.


    ¡°Blood Spear.¡±


    Eight spears made of blood flew out and pierced the Demon King. Regas jumped up and hit the Demon King while Zibal rode the pegasus and pushed the Demon King with a mysterious magic power.


    [The pegasus¡¯ energy is slowly consuming your mana.]


    [The pegasus¡¯ energy is slowly consuming your stamina.]


    [The pegasus¡¯ energy is slowing down the umtion rate of fighting energy.]


    [The pegasus¡¯ energy is slowing down your mana regeneration rate.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    ¡®This is tricky. It isn¡¯t a coincidence that he won against Yura.¡¯


    The pegasus had the peculiar nature to consume the resources of all enemies within a certain range while hindering recovery. This was a big threat to Grid. The benefits that Grid gained as the Demon King were his health and stamina.There were no mana-rted benefits. The pegasus was a big threat to Grid, whose skills consumed arge amount of mana.


    Grid thought for a moment before deciding it was better to use Transcend and strike at the pegasus. The battlefield was wide and the pegasus was fast. The shields of the magicians also ovepped in severalyers, making it hard for him to prate through them. There wasn¡¯t even a chance to aim for a gap. The onught of Chris, Jishuka, Regas, Pon, Katz, and the Overgeared members made Grid¡¯s spirit rise.


    ¡°1,000 Ton Sword!¡±Chris¡¯ powerful blow struck Grid in the chest.


    [You have suffered 61,700 damage!]


    Jishuka¡¯s arrow pierced Grid¡¯s thigh and made him unable to trigger Revolve in time. This meant he suffered a severe blow. Chris swapped between Grid¡¯s Greatsword and Yetima¡¯s Greatsword while activating the power of a Tyrant. This made his strengthparable to Grid¡¯s. The yers confirmed that the Demon King¡¯s health gauge was reduced by one-tenth and felt hopeful.


    [The Sweet Candy has melted and disappeared from the tip of your tongue. All stats will return to normal figures.]


    Grid was weakened, but a smile spread across his face.


    Five minutes...


    Grid praised himself for surviving this long alone. The five minutes were long enough for the golden cannon set up next to the organ to get ready.


    [Cannon Aiming at the Battlefield]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 6,500¨C11,300


    * Takes 1¨C5 minutes to automatically generate, load and fire shells. The longer the time it takes to create a shell, the greater the attack power.


    * Additional 50% lightning damage.


    * Additional 10% divine damage.


    * Additional 50% damage to humans or humanoid monsters.


    * Additional 200% damage to facilities such as walls.


    * Ssh damage equivalent to half the damage will ur in a 10-meter radius around the firing point.


    * There is a certain probability of generating a maic field at the moment of firing.


    It is a cannon made by melting the de created by cksmith Grid to enlighten a god.


    Astaroth¡¯s Horn wasbined with the Enhanced Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath to act as shells while the pavranium operate the cannon itself.


    * The ego of the pavranium is focused on aiming and firing. The Cannon Aiming at the Battlefield will concentrating on firing at the target that the owner is aiming for, rather than protecting the owner.


    Conditions of Use: Grid, Pagma.


    Weight: 6,150]


    It had up to 11,300 attack power, a minimum cooldown of one minute, and a maximum cooldown of five minutes. Taking into consideration the characteristics of the siege weapon called a cannon, it was an item with a huge attack power. First, the golden cannon smashed through the shields built by the tankers and magicians. Now it was aiming at Zibal who was riding the pegasus in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    ¡°Shoot!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Who was he calling it toward? The yers were baffled by the Demon King¡¯s abrupt roar. However, there wasn¡¯t a single yer who turned to look curiously. They were already tricked once by the Demon King¡¯sughter. No one would repeat the same mistake unless they were an idiot.


    Zibal was the same. He ignored the roar in the sky and concentrated on maintaining the pegasus¡¯ health. Thus, his reaction was slow.


    ¡°Zibal!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    There was something round giving off a dim light. A watermelon-like object was flying with lightning around it. It was the shell that broke down the original formation, and Zibal had no choice after btedly realizing that it was aiming for him. A shell, that had broken down the shields of the magicians, was moving through the air in real time.


    Zibal clearly read that it was aimed for the pegasus and shouted, ¡°Raiders!¡±


    Then something fell from the sky. The white magic machine, which was over five meters tall, served as a barrier to protect Zibal and the pegasus. The world seemed to copse. Raiders was hit by the shell, and it leaned over, falling downpletely.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    As a weapon of war, Raiders greatly reduced the damage done by other war weapons. Yet it lost this much durability from one blow? Feeling astonished, Zibal released the summoning of the pegasus and hurriedly boarded Raiders.


    ¡°Scatter.¡±Then the Demon King sent out a dark wave of energy that caused all yers to retreat, and he focused his eyes on Raiders.¡°Baal¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    [Checking the target item¡¯s stats, options and production method.]


    [The Item Replication skill has been activated!]


    [Dismissing Triple Layers and equipping Valha of Infinite Affection.]


    [The legendary rated item ¡®Triple Layers¡¯ will be used as the material for the artifact-rated item ¡®Magic Machine: Raiders¡¯.]


    [The duration of the replication is one day! At the end of this period, the replicated item will be permanently destroyed!]


    Grid had dreamed of this scene from the first moment he saw the magic machine. He had a hunch that Zibal¡¯s brillianteback would be a good fortune for him.


    A mount... In order to use an item that was unfamiliar to him, Grid freed a power that he had never used before.


    ¡°Soul Redemption.¡±


    The exact name was ¡®Granting an Ego¡¯. It was a hidden piece that he had obtained from clearing the Behen Archipgo.


    [The soul of the legendary great magician, Braham, has been imnted into Magic Machine: Raiders.]


    A pitch ck giant opened its eyes under the feet of the Demon King.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    The world became distressed.

 Chapter 957

    The crowd and viewers cheered after seeing Raiders descend. Yura and Chris were the strong rankers who hadn¡¯t been able to cope against this white giant, and everyone believed that it would rise and smash the Demon King. It was the same with the other yers. The yers, who started to doubt victory after seeing a stronger than expected Demon King, once again felt hopeful.


    This was due to the presence of the magic machine, Raiders. It was a great presence that could dispel the frustration and despair of its allies.


    ¡°Go, Zibal!¡±


    ¡°Zibal! Please win!¡±


    ¡°Zibaaaal!¡±


    Humanity united with one heart as they chanted one person¡¯s name. At this moment, Zibal achieved his dream of bing the protagonist of the world. Raiders knelt like a knight making a pledge. Zibal stepped on its feet and knees, jumping toward the boarding seat in the middle of its chest and roared, ¡°Believe in me!!¡±


    21 seconds¡ªthis was the maximum amount of time that Zibal could activate Raiders. Nevertheless, Raiders¡¯ attack power was in the ten thousands. Its agility might be low, but its body and weapon were sorge that the attack uracy was high. Furthermore, Zibal¡¯s ss was ¡®Ancient Rider.¡¯ He had the unique ability to amplify the performance of his mounts.


    Zibal didn¡¯t doubt the damage he could inflict on the Demon King if he operated Raiders to the limit. It wasn¡¯t false confidence. This was a confidence he had gained after directly defeating Yura and Chris. It wouldn¡¯t be polite to them if he didn¡¯t trust Raiders¡¯ abilities after defeating the representatives of other countries. Zibal was determined to y well for Yura¡¯s and Chris¡¯ honor.


    ¡®I must win the gold medal!¡¯


    Then it happened when he was going to synchronize with Raiders.


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Eyes.¡± Was he bored? Thenguid voice of the Demon King rang out through the battlefield, and a mystery unfolded.


    The ck armor that rose in front of the Demon King was transforming. Hundreds of thousands of fragments scattered all over the ce and then rejoined. The armor repeatedly shortened, lengthened, and then increased in volume.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It happened in just a few seconds. The object that was an armor a short time ago changed into a giant. Light dragon scales were wrapped around it. It was a new magic machine, and it boasted a sleek ck armor.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The Demon King also had a magic machine? The astonished yers stepped back. Thementators were silent, the crowd screamed, and the viewers dropped the snacks they were holding.


    -Hello?


    All the Korean viewers trying to order chicken fell silent, and the owners of the chicken stores were puzzled when the phone suddenly stopped working. In a nutshell, the phenomenon caused them to even forget about the chicken...


    The Demon King drove the world into chaos.


    ***


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just like Zibal¡¯s magic machine?¡±


    ¡°It is the magic machine summoned by the Demon King. It won¡¯t be weak.¡±


    The quick high rankers tried to analyze the magic machine. On the other hand, all the Overgeared members were dumbfounded. It was hard to believe they were the ones who had been leading their colleagues so far during the Demon King event.


    ¡®Grid isn¡¯t the Demon King?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The ones who felt the most confusion right now were the Overgeared members. They knew the Demon King was Grid, yet he had summoned a magic machine?


    ¡®But Grid doesn¡¯t have a magic machine...?¡¯


    Yet the Demon King had summoned a magic machine. This meant that the Demon King wasn¡¯t Grid.


    ¡°...How embarrassing.¡± Pon covered his hot face with his hands. He was embarrassed at the memory of how he had shouted at the Demon King because he thought the Demon King was his close friend, Grid.


    ¡®Indeed, how can Grid fight as 1 against 400? It was a really ridiculous mistake thanks to the four heavenly kings. Huh?¡¯


    Pon was Grid¡¯s friend and colleague, not Grid himself. He didn¡¯t know all of Grid¡¯s abilities and naturally didn¡¯t know about Eyes of Pagma-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version. As such, he had never dreamt that Grid had copied the magic machine. Pon looked up when he detected the energy around him.


    Zibal¡¯s voice rang out from where he boarded Raiders, ¡°What? You, what is this? How does this person have Raiders...?¡±


    It was a shout toward the Demon King. He had two golden horns and eyes filled with emerald light, a five-meter-tall height, and a body structure reminiscent of a human¡¯s. Unlike the pure white Raiders summoned by Zibal, the Demon King¡¯s magic machine was ck. Otherwise, the appearance waspletely in line with Raiders. Starting from the magic power booster in the back to the tip of the head and down to the toes. Every structure was exactly the same as Raiders.


    Other people didn¡¯t notice it easily, but Zibal recognized it at first nce. He had no choice but to recognize it. It had been over a year since Zibal had been with Raiders, and every day started with cleaning Raiders. Thus, he couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°How do you have Raiders?!!¡±


    Over the past few years, the empire had mined a total of four magic machines. The magic machines had different appearances and characteristics, just like people. Corlei, a schr and archaeologist of Fourth Prince Edan, had said that he had looked at ancient literature and found there were no identical artifacts. Yet a magic machine that was exactly the same as Raiders had been summoned.


    Zibal was confused. Then he became offended. For Zibal, Raiders was his soulpanion. This thing dared to look exactly like his partner. Zibal flew into a rage just seeing it stand beside an AI. They dared to grant this ability to the Demon King...? Zibal thought the S.A Group didn¡¯t respect him. However...


    ¡°Hoo... Hoo...¡± Zibal tried to suppress his anger. He knew how dangerous it was to lose hisposure in a battle.


    ¡®If I be agitated and take the lead, it will only open up a meaningless consumption war.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to reach a conclusion if the ck magic machine had the same appearance and stats as Raiders. Moreover, the magic power of the Demon King was higher than Zibal¡¯s, so the operation time was likely to be longer.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have taken it out at the beginning.¡¯


    Zibal made a decision. In order to ovee the S.A Group who doomed him and Raiders, Zibal was filled with a sense of duty to defeat the Demon King.


    ¡°Everybody should¡¯ve already noticed, but the magic machine is a mount!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    While listening to Zibal¡¯s shout, the yers felt wary toward the ck giant. They had noticed that Zibal wanted to share the strategy to defeat the magic machine, but how could he reveal to the world the method to attack his absolute weapon? A yer should never do this. In a sense, Zibal was making a noble sacrifice.


    He conveyed his willingness to defeat the Demon King to his colleagues. The morale of the yers rose after reading Zibal¡¯s heart. Additionally, some high rankers and the Overgeared members were impressed with Zibal. The reason why Zibal could reveal the attack strategy was because he was confident. He was confident that the world wouldn¡¯t be able to harm him and Raiders even if they knew how to attack it.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a mere bluff. The magic machine still has hidden potential.¡¯


    ¡®Or he is confident that he can grow it even further.¡¯


    ¡®Zibal... He appeared after two years and has amazed people many times. He has changed a lot.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an overestimation. Zibal actually was confident. In fact, he was certain that the magic machine wouldn¡¯t be defeated, even if he revealed the strategy to the world. He was confident because there was still a lot of potential, and he also believed in the ss characteristics of the Ancient Rider.


    ¡°The magic machine can¡¯t operate unless the person boards it directly. Additionally, mana is rapidly consumed because it is a magic machine that runs on mana. Even the 10 great magicians on the continent can only run the magic machine for three minutes. Increasing the operating time with Mana Drain? It is possible. However, the passenger can¡¯t use any skills or magic when boarding the magic machine.¡±


    There was a flood of information. It was information that would be helpful someday, not just in the current situation. The yers focused as Zibal continued to exin. They didn¡¯t know when the Demon King would move. It was just a feeling, but it felt like the Demon King was listening to Zibal¡¯s exnation with an interested expression.


    ¡°In the end, the best way to defeat the magic machine is to buy time. All of you are good enough to buy time. The magic machine basically doesn¡¯t have ranged attacks. Do you remember when I fought Yura and Chris? It swung the spear. The length of the spear is four meters, so it might feel like a ranged attack.¡±


    Now was the key. Zibal decided to reveal only one of the magic machine¡¯s physical weaknesses to the world. ¡°Keep your distance as much as possible and attack the boosters in the back. You can¡¯t break it because of its high durability, but whenever a booster is attacked, the mana¡¯s trajectory will shift and the movements will be constrained. Relentlessly target the booster.¡±


    Hah... He would have to quickly get rid of the booster weakness by strengthening Raiders. At the end of the exnation, the 350 surviving yers had determined expressions.


    ¡®I praise you for revealing your weaknesses to everyone.¡¯


    ¡®We won¡¯t let your choice be stupid and will do our best to stop the Demon King.¡¯


    Every yer respected Zibal in their heart. Of course, this respect couldn¡¯tst long. They didn¡¯t know when they wouldpete with Zibal once the National Competition. Thus, they had to hold onto the weaknesses of the magic machine that they learned today. Then they would go and mock Zibal. He was a stupid fool.


    Zibal just grinned and shrugged.¡®I will be stronger by then.¡¯


    The magic machine was ssified as an item and could be enhanced. Of course, it had an artifact rating. It was probably as hard to enhance as myth rated items, but the options that urred with every enhancement were surprisingly great. The booster weakness revealed by Zibal today was something that could be ovee with just one enhancement level.


    ¡®The problem is that at least 20 enhancement stones are required to try enhancing it once...¡¯


    The sess rate was also in the decimals. However, Zibal believed that as long as he secured arge number of blessed enhancement scrolls from this year¡¯s rewards, his dream of enhancing Raiders could be achieved. After confirming the signals that would be used on the battlefield, Zibal descended from Raiders and recalled it. ¡°Recall, Raiders.¡±


    ¡®The moment I take Raiders out again is the moment I will inflict a fatal wound on him.¡¯


    Zibal summoned the two headed hippopotamus that raised his and his party members¡¯ defense. Then he red at the Demon King. At some point, the Demon King stopped using Fly and was standing on the magic machine¡¯s head.


    The yers¡¯ cries were heard all over the battlefield:


    ¡°The ranged damage dealers will attack once the Demon King sits on the boarding seat! umte as much damage as possible!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s finally time for the magicians to be active! Attack the booster the moment the magic machines move!¡±


    ¡°We will aim for the cannon in this interval. The swords and spears won¡¯t be able to reach the magic machine anyway.¡±


    ¡°A great magician can operate the magic machine for three minutes. Okay, please hold out that long.¡±


    ¡®Move, Demon King.¡¯


    The yers were extremely focused as they imagined all sorts of scenarios. The arrows would rush out the moment the Demon King entered the boarding seat. The Demon King would be embarrassed after leaving behind his threatening field magic and swordsmanship for the magic machine. The moment the Demon King abandoned the magic machine and revealed himself again, the spear of Raiders would pierce his chest. The yers would definitely win. At this time...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    It was different from what they imagined? The Demon King didn¡¯t board the magic machine. He stood on the head of the magic machine and crossed his arms arrogantly. Then why? Why was the magic machine moving? An unexpected variable appeared from the beginning, and the confused yers turned toward Zibal.


    ¡°...What the f**k?¡± Zibal wasn¡¯t in any state to give advice. He sat stiffly on the hippo with his mouth wide open.


    ¡°How is it? Have you adapted to it slightly now?¡±The Demon King whispered to the magic machine.


    He received an answer in his mind, -I waste because I had to fix some messy procedures.


    ¡°Can you use magic?¡±


    -It is theoretically possible if I modify it, but my soul is too weak.As it is, I can only use a few basic spells.


    -Mana Drain.


    It was the legendary great magician Braham¡ªa genius who made a massive golem army that forced the Eternal Kingdom to the brink of destruction.


    The mana wandering in the atmosphere and the mana permeated the earth was absorbed by the dark magic machine. It was an output that far surpassed Raiders¡¯. The amount of magic power in the boosters was three times that of Raiders. The result this produced was that the boosters became three times faster.


    A giant spear swept over the battlefield like it was a pir of Parthenon. It was like an eraser that was going to rub out the yers on the battlefield. However, it only had enthusiasm.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you hitting anyone?¡±


    -I have no experience in fighting physically with my own body.


    ¡°...Geez, this is great.¡±


    Well, Grid didn¡¯t need to worry since Braham could use ¡®basic magic.¡¯ Gridughed as a skill was triggered.


    ¡°Divinity. Baal¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    [Checking the target item¡¯s stats, options and production method.]


    [The Item Replication skill is activated!]


    [The legendary rated item ¡®Failure¡¯ will be used as the material for the myth rated ¡®Red Phoenix Bow.¡¯]


    He had to y as many enemies as possible while the magic machine was being maintained. It was a must for Grid. The magic machine kept moving. Without losing his bnce, Grid pulled back a bowstring, and a red phoenix appeared in the sky.


    ¡°No XX, what is this?¡±


    ¡°That jerk has no conscience!¡±


    Curses were spat out everywhere. Yes, even Zibal had a conscience. It meant he wasn¡¯t qualified to be the protagonist yet. Originally, the protagonist acted alone. The protagonist had no conscience.

 Chapter 958

    [Magic Machine: Raiders]


    [Rating: Artifact


    Durability: 12,540/15,888


    Attack Power: 13,888 Defense: 9,888


    * The skills of the passenger who is of a ss other than a ¡®rider¡¯ ss don¡¯t work with Raiders.


    ¡ï Knowledge that transcends the concept of eras has changed the imprint. The passenger¡¯s intelligence level is linked to Raiders.


    * Raiders consumes 988 mana per second. A rider ss passenger will have 588 mana consumed per second. Raiders will stop and be forcibly recalled the moment the passenger¡¯s mana is exhausted.


    ¡ï Knowledge that transcends the concept of eras has changed the imprint. The passenger will have 2,964 mana consumed per second, and Raiders¡¯ output will be three times higher than before.


    * The passenger¡¯s consciousness and mana are focused on maneuvering Raiders. As a result, the passenger can¡¯t use their own abilities such as magic or skills.


    ¡ï Knowledge that transcends the concept of eras has changed the imprint. The restriction on the use of unique abilities such as magic and skills has been lifted. However, there is a high risk of the connection with Raiders being interrupted when using a resource-intensive ability.


    * The upant can¡¯t be harmed until Raiders¡¯ durability reaches zero. Raiders will stop and be forcibly recalled the moment the passenger¡¯s mana is exhausted.


    * The number one weapon ¡®Spear Calling Out for Destruction¡¯ has a hard to quantify weight. After attacking, there is a 95% chance to cause a fracture or stiffen the target. Additionally, there is a 100% chance of greatly reducing the item durability of the target.


    * The number two weapon is only avable to riders who have acquired the highest grade riding skill.


    * The number three weapon information is only avable to passengers who can fully synchronize with Raiders.


    * Raiders is resistant to abnormal status conditions (apart from physical conditions).


    * There is a 40% reduction in damage from magic and siege weapons.


    * 150% additional damage to buildings such as walls.


    * 80% additional damage to all races apart from gods and dragons.


    The Saharan Empire has mined four magic machines. There is very little information about the ancient artifacts that are hard to find in history and mythology.


    Boarding Conditions: Level 300 or over.


    Weight: Measurement isn¡¯t possible.]


    It wasn¡¯t an item worn by yers but was an item with the concept of boarding. Anyone could board it, but a riding skill was essential to unleash even greater power. In particr, a passenger¡¯s abilities wouldn¡¯t work with the magic machine unless they were a rider. It meant that the stats of the passengers didn¡¯t apply at all to Raiders.


    Could Raiders be called a good item from the position of a non-rider? Yes, Raiders was a good item. Its basic damage and defense alone were sufficient to demonstrate a destructive performance.


    After level 300, one point in the strength stat increased attack power by 0.7. The attack power of the +4 Enlightenment Sword was 4,611. After level 300, one point in the stamina stat increased defense by 0.9. The +3 Valha had 1,622 defense. Even if hebined all of this with his helmet, gloves, shoes, and cloak, Raiders¡¯ attack and defense were twice as high as Grid¡¯s.


    The attacks also caused fractures, stiffness, and item destruction. It was no wonder why Chris couldn¡¯t win.


    ¡®The empire has four of these things?¡¯


    Through the item information, Grid got a peep at the power of the Saharan Empire. He licked his lips as he remembered that the strongest NPC mentioned by Lim Cheolho, ¡®Grandmaster Zikfrector¡¯, also belonged to the empire. His tension increased at the thought of fighting against the mighty empire. To be honest, he was afraid.


    ¡®Still...¡¯


    Grid pulled the bowstring of the newly copied myth rated Red Phoenix Bow to the limit and calmed his heart.


    ¡®I have to fight.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of choice. The Saharan Empire dreamed of unifying the West Continent and would definitely invade the Overgeared Kingdom. Even if this wasn¡¯t the case, Grid had a duty to resolve the grudges of Piaro and Asmophel. It was an inevitable fate.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    Grid aimed for the magicians first. The ice blossoms that slowed Raiders, the big hands made of sand that held onto Raiders¡¯ arms, and the constant explosions against the boosters were very threatening.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop it!¡±The South Korean representative Coke responded first. He used a dash skill and ran in front of the magicians who were the targets of the red phoenix.


    ¡®Please, just survive one blow.¡¯


    This was Coke¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°I will be a barrier to defend my allies!¡±


    He used the skill that Vantner, the 1st ranked guardian knight and one of the 10 meritorious retainers, had dered to be the ¡®strongest shield technique in the world.¡¯ The Wall of Protection, which Vantner had built up through his own difficulties, was manifested as a tall barrier around Coke¡¯s shield. Could it handle the red phoenix that looked stronger than Jishuka¡¯s red phoenix? This crowd and viewers questioned it.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± The Demon King frowned and clicked his tongue. He had predicted that his red phoenix would be blocked. Wall of Protection exerted a particrly strong power against projectiles. Additionally, Grid knew the power of Coke who was the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s secret weapon.


    The red phoenix hit the barrier, and there was a deafening noise. The remnants of the red phoenix covered the battlefield with a rain of fire. The yers¡¯ cheers came from all over the ce.


    ¡°Wow, he is the real thing.¡±


    ¡°I thought the best new yer this year would be Haster.¡±


    Coke¡¯s performance exceeded expectations every time, and it was great enough to impress the rankers of each country. He just had a long way to go inparison to Grid. Grid stood on the magic machine¡¯s head and ignored the bombardment of magic. Demon King Grid had already summoned a second red phoenix. This was the power of God¡¯s Command, which reset the cooldown of the skill.


    ¡°This...!¡± Coke¡¯s face paled as he tried to raise the shield again, but it was hard. His arms were badly damaged from his first collision with Fly Up! The rankers ran to his side btedly, but it was pointless. The red phoenix didn¡¯t only aim for Coke. As it flew toward Coke, the red phoenix changed its direction and flew over Coke¡¯s head instead.


    The red phoenix seemed like it was alive. It seemed to prove the fact that the Demon King¡¯s skill level was much higher than Jishuka¡¯s skill level. The red phoenix fell over the heads of the tankers and killed more than ten magicians. This was the power of being overgeared. Grid used the Elf Thimble which changed non-targeted attacks to a targeted attack.


    ¡°How can that son of a bitch shoot so well?¡±


    Had it been 10 minutes since the battle began...? The Demon King was like an onion, continuing to show new abilities in this short amount of time.


    ¡®What is the point of there being no Grid?¡¯


    The yers had been happy because they didn¡¯t have to face Grid in this year¡¯s National Competition. They had believed they could be more active because there was no Grid. Yet although there was no tiger, the fox reigned. Their anger erupted as they were brutally trampled on by the Demon King who appeared in Grid¡¯s absence. The moment that the yers thought this, the ck giant jumped high to escape the bondage of magicians.


    The giant¡¯s shing eyes were obviously staring at Jishuka. Grid held it back.¡°Start with the magicians.¡±


    Jishuka was clearly one of the most threatening enemies. She was one of the few damage dealers who could cause significant damage to Grid. In fact, Grid was being damaged by Jishuka¡¯s arrows, and his health was falling. Even so, Grid wasn¡¯t fazed by the loss of his health. He had many blood-sucking rted skills and items, as well as recovery-rted titles and items. Health was something that could be restored at any time. The moment he gained 1.9 million health, he became more rxed about his health.


    ¡°Our first priority is dealing with the magicians.¡±


    The problem was the magicians. Grid had just killed 10 of them, but there were still around 70 people remaining. Their spells to restrain Raiders were a threat. Raiders turned away from Jishuka and rushed forth. Once the giant with a leg length of three meters moved at triple the output, it crossed a distance of several hundred meters in an instant. The giant crossed the burning battlefield, and the magicians scattered in a frightened manner. Despite this, there were no casualties.


    ¡º The attack rate of the Demon King¡¯s magic machine is very low. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Since it was summoned, not a single attack hit until now. ¡»


    ¡º It is fastpared to Zibal¡¯s magic machine, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be very effective. The yers must¡¯ve weed it. ¡»


    Thementators and audience members were relieved. In contrast to Zibal¡¯s magic machine, the effectiveness of the Demon King¡¯s magic machine was too low. It was just a quick mount.


    ¡°Is it halfplete?¡±The yers quickly understood the atmosphere.


    They realized that the Demon King¡¯s magic machine didn¡¯t act as intended and was actually a useless lump of scrap metal. This enlightenment made the yers active. The yers used the magic machine as a foothold and climbed up to attack the Demon King.


    Grid was forced to put away the Red Phoenix Bow and pull out the Enlightenment Sword to respond. ck mes exploded in the form of ck magic, and it helped him ovee the crisis. As expected, items were the only thing he could believe in. Inside the mind of the grumbling Grid, Braham¡¯s trembling voice was hard, -These insignificant things dare...!


    Braham felt ashamed of being treated as a folding screen. The shame became anger, and that anger was expressed as magic.


    -Fireball!


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    Manyrge fireballs were created over the head of the magic machine, and the doubtful yers once again turned their eyes toward Zibal.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you say the magic machine can only swing the spear?¡¯


    ¡®You said that the magic machine can¡¯t use spells?¡¯


    All types of questions were burning in their eyes, but Zibal couldn¡¯t answer them. He was more surprised than anyone else. Wasn¡¯t this exactly like the legendary spell, Meteor? The magicians were unable to protect themselves from the baptism of fire. Severalyers of shields melted down, and dozens of magicians turned to ashes.


    ¡º Hup...! ¡»


    The spell was aimed perfectly,pletely different from when it was swinging the spear. The destructive power was also above that of the red phoenix. The legendary magic was revealed to the world, and thementators came up with a new hypothesis.


    ¡º Is the magic machine actually the main body of the Demon King? ¡»


    The magic damage that the magic machine showed was too great.


    -Wind Cutter!


    The magic machine summoned a tornado this time. Unlike an ordinary tornado, dozens of sharp de-like tornadoes were created simultaneously, quickly sweeping over the battlefield. Thementators didn¡¯t know much about magic, so a specialist called Dr. Magic jumped forward.


    ¡º T-That is the legendary magic, Chaos Tornado...! ¡»


    ¡º Chaos Tornado...? What type of magic is that? ¡»


    ¡º It is arge-scale tornado magic that uses the spell Wind Cutter as a basis. It is the most powerful spell known to turn an area into a wastnd in no time! Hundreds of years ago, the legendary great magician Braham used it to destroy the Etel tribe...! ¡»


    Dr. Magic¡¯s extremely excited words made the crowd and viewers nervous. Chaos Tornado... The legendary magic would turn the battlefield into a hell. The initial number of 80 magicians had already been reduced by more than half, and the tankers¡¯ shields had turned to crude garbage. However, Braham¡¯s anger still didn¡¯t calm down.


    -Chain Lightning!


    Braham kept using low-grade spells in order to make this battlefield disappear. This spell was one grade above the basic spells. It caused the magic machine to overload, but Braham didn¡¯t care. Waves of lightning enveloped the battlefield. It was four times wider than the range of Grid¡¯s field magic, Storm Demonic Energy Field. Such a scene unfolded.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    It was really dangerous. With the exception of one yer, all the yers instinctively started to scatter in all directions. That yer was the emperor of the FPS game world. He was one of the Five Miracles praised by Lim Cheolho, the disciple of Red Sage Winfred and the master of Heroic Story.


    Haster approached the magic machine instead of running away. The waves of lightning hit like a tsunami. A translucent orange shield was created, and it defeated the waves of lightning. This was the effect of the skill ¡®Heroic Story¡¯, which nullified all types of skill and magic damage during the time limit. It was the power of one of the seven malignant saints, just like Grid¡¯s God¡¯s Command.


    Even the legendary great magic (?) was defeated by the orange shield around Haster. He pierced through the continuous spells and arrived at the magic machine that was emitting ck smoke from being overloaded. This National Competition would be his brilliant debut. He would use the National Competition as a foothold to regain his former glory. The Demon King event was a great opportunity for what Haster nned. If he managed to deal a big blow the Demon King, his presence would be deeply ingrained in the world.


    As he poured out what he had learned from Winfred, Haster didn¡¯t doubt this.He believed in the power of Heroic Story. Haster was counting on dealing a one-sided blow to the Demon King during these 10 seconds and then escaping unharmed. However, Heroic Story was a power that prevented ¡®magic and skills.¡¯ It didn¡¯t block the basic attacks. Haster was defenseless against the Demon King¡¯s basic attacks.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    The debut of an old legend while the whole world watched... It ended in only five seconds.


    Simultaneously, in the United States, Hurent burst outughing as he watched the National Competition.


    ¡°You are on the same train as me, and you aren¡¯t a match for him.¡±


    ¡®Pine caterpirs should live eating pine needles,¡¯ Hurent thought this once again.


    Just like the other members of the Five Miracles, Hurent didn¡¯t know that he was called one of the Five Miracles. His self-awareness was terrible. It was a defect created by Grid.

 Chapter 959

    -The American trio is trolling. ??;


    This was the overall reaction. Kraugel was watching the situation from the sidelines. Zibal had spread wrong information, which caused the situation to deteriorate. Haster had flown toward the Demon King head-on and gotten killed, contributing to the lowered morale.


    ...Their actions just seemed pathetic. Their enthusiastic fans couldn¡¯t even defend them, and the Americans felt ashamed.


    ¡°Are we going to lose?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How can anyone beat that?¡±


    Haster¡¯s useless death was the breaking point for the hopes of the viewers. Now, the people had reached a stage where they thought it was impossible to beat the Demon King. Hundreds of millions of viewers watched and sympathized with the yers who were like clowns against the ¡®undefeatable¡¯ enemy.


    Just as the Demon King was driving in the wedge, the huge giant fell to one knee. Perhaps there was a problem in the process of using magic. The Demon King stood on top of its head in a steady manner and dered in a dismal voice, ¡°All of you will die.¡±


    A skill that dealt 60% of his attack power 30 times in total to all targets within 10 meters (not targeted) and had a cooldown time of 10 minutes¡ªit was 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Originally, it should be a purple-red, but now a silver energy exploded toward the remaining magicians.


    At present, there were 300 yers left. People expected the yers to give up, but they were mistaken. The yers¡¯ willpower wasn¡¯t broken yet. Was it easy for rankers to be frustrated?


    ¡°The cannon bombardment interval is exactly five minutes.¡±


    ¡°The bombardment heads in the direction of the Demon King¡¯s gaze. If we read the Demon King¡¯s gaze, we will be prepared for the bombardment.¡±


    ¡°The moment he abandoned the bow and raised the sword, his health recovery rate slowed considerably. He lost the effect of the Red Phoenix Bow that Jishuka mentioned. The Demon King¡¯s natural recovery rate is slow for a boss monster.¡±


    ¡°The Demon King spins like a spinning top every time he uses a skill. It is a threat that only cuts you when he gets close. This is simply a skill activation motion. If we use physical constraints to stop his spinning, it is likely the skill will be canceled.¡±


    ¡°The poison from the armor is difficult to get rid of, but the deployment speed is slow. Pay attention to keeping a safe distance and we can avoid it.¡±


    During the 10 minute battle, the Demon King had a one-sided advantage. 100 yers had already died. However, the yers didn¡¯t feel sad. They analyzed the Demon King throughout the battle and devised a strategy. Information gathering and analyzing were the basis for raids.


    ¡°He adds a spinning motion to the footwork... Damian, please be prepared to act. I will start the counterattack the moment the Demon King¡¯s magic machine recovers,¡± Jishuka gave out instructions. Her gaze focused on the increasing amount of smoke that was pouring from the Demon King¡¯s body. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it exploded immediately. She didn¡¯t know why, but the user of the magic seemed angry.


    Damian expressed some doubts, ¡°The Demon King¡¯s health is still almost at the maximum. Isn¡¯t it too soon to make yourself a target?¡±


    ¡°There are 300 of us, 300. If we all umte thousands of damage per person, we can consume the two million health.¡±


    ¡°He is floating in the air, and not many people can get close to him at the same time.¡±


    ¡°He will eventuallye down to the ground. There will be no mass ughter for the time being.¡±


    Grid¡¯s weaknesses were his cooldown time and resources. His skills were powerful, but they consumed a lot of resources and had long cooldowns. He had been using skills for 10 minutes continuously and was clearly weakened. Fly wouldn¡¯t be avable for him to use forever. It was Jishuka¡¯s judgment that they shouldn¡¯t give Grid any more time.


    ¡®Now, the only wide-area skill left is Transcended Link. We need to block that footwork.¡¯


    Jishuka had been Grid¡¯s colleague since the days when he was unknown. The skill effect might¡¯ve changed, but she was able to grasp the status of Grid¡¯s skills through the final result.


    ¡®100 people in 10 minutes. The damage is greater than expected, but it was worth it.¡¯


    They should spread out through the battlefield as much as possible. This was the order that Jishuka and Chris gave to the yers. It was to minimize the damage from Grid¡¯s wide-area skills. However, some yers didn¡¯t trust the order and crowded together. This meant that Grid¡¯s skills were showed to have a great effect. In particr, the loss of the magicians was painful. Even so, it was within the eptable range. It was still a 300-against-1 battle, and the yers still had an overwhelming advantage.


    Pon whispered to Jishuka who was pulling out an arrow, ¡°Is that really Grid? How can he summon a magic machine?¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s clone copied Grid¡¯s items. He might¡¯ve gained a hidden piece to copy items after killing the clone.¡±


    ¡°Combination, transformation, and now copying?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it a fraudulent skill? Pon found it hard to believe. Still, Jishuka was adamant. ¡°Have you forgotten? Our leader isn¡¯t someonemon sense applies to.¡±


    In the old days, Jishuka had seen an inexplicable area after encountering the sky above the sky Kraugel. Now she felt it from Grid. It was difficult to understand him as a friend or an enemy. The difference was that Grid caused infinite fear now that he was an enemy. It felt like they had crossed a river they shouldn¡¯t have crossed.


    ¡®It has been a long time since my blood boiled like this.¡¯


    Jishuka was a predator. She ate instead of being eaten. Licking her red lips, Jishuka suppressed her anxiety and pulled back her bowstring. She aimed precisely for the moment when the Demon King jumped from the magic machine. The Demon King¡¯s chest was hit by the charged arrow, and he was thrown away from the magic machine. Simultaneously, the magic machine exploded like a signal.


    Damian used a wide-area buff and shouted, ¡°We will start the offensive!¡±


    [You have put the Sweet Candy in your mouth.]


    [The Hermes Shoes have been equipped.]


    [Skill Enhancement has been used.]


    [The Baby Dragon¡¯s Fire has been swallowed.]


    [The Valbun Sword has been equipped.]


    ...


    ...


    The rankers brought out items purchased from the Reputation Store. They were items which they had bought with the four heavenly kings and the Demon King in mind. The rankers¡¯ reputation points weren¡¯t as high as Grid¡¯s. They were limited inparison, so the rankers had to be more cautious about using them.


    Chris¡¯ greatsword struck the Demon King, who barely raised his body from the explosion. The damage was considerable. The Demon King tried to counterattack, but Regas¡¯ strike forced him back to the ground.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Pon¡¯s spear pierced the Demon King¡¯s chest, and Damian¡¯s sword linked to the attack, dealing the Demon King with a serious injury. Poison emerged from the Demon King¡¯s armor, but they ignored it and kept attacking. They weren¡¯t fragile enough to shrink back from this damage.


    ¡°Annihte!¡± Iyarugt charged up inside Iyarugt¡¯s Sheath and entered the ¡®intoxicated¡¯ state. His attack power increased by 500%, and he borrowed the power of Peak Sword¡¯s strongest skill. It was the deadly sword that defeated Hero Kraugel in only two blowsst year.


    [You have suffered 230,900 damage!]


    [The gap between the shoulder des and armor is weakened, exposing a weakness!]


    The Sweet Candy and Damian¡¯s buff caused Peak Sword¡¯s attack power to destroy the Demon King¡¯s armor. This was just the beginning. Hundreds of yers ran up to the Demon King who was still caught by Pon¡¯s spear.


    ¡°Blood Rain.¡±


    The Demon King¡¯s blood surged into the sky and then poured down like rain. It was a wide-area attack that showed a great effect against the heavenly king called Kobold. The magic dealt a severe blow to the Demon King and strengthened Katz,pletely changing the flow of the battlefield.


    The fallen Demon King couldn¡¯t stand up easily, and the yers¡¯ momentum skyrocketed. As they fought hard, the dungeon produced by Eat Spicy Jokbal was nearingpletion. In the middle of the battlefield, Eat Spicy Jokbal was setting up a small fortress which would increase his teammates¡¯ recovery while blocking the artillery shelling.


    ¡°Huhu, the flow has changedpletely.¡±


    In the Daejin Group¡¯s executive boardroom, the presidents of the various affiliatedpanies who received Lee Jinmyung¡¯s call were impressed. The Demon King, who had killed the yers one-sidedly for 10 minutes, could no longer fight back and was being beaten up.


    ¡°The three Korean yers are ying a big role. Maybe South Korea will get several gold medals.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we enter the top three with just two medals? I am looking forward to it. The effects of the event will be amplified if South Korea shows a better performance.¡±


    The executives who didn¡¯t know the identity of the Demon King were excited. In particr, the heads of the affiliatedpanies conducting events rted to the National Competition were excited.


    On the other hand, Chairman Lee Jinmyung, the president of Daejin Motors, and three public rtions directors were stiff. They had to know the identity of the Demon King. In fact, they were waiting for Grid to unveil his identity after winning. So, from their standpoint, this development was truly the worst.


    ¡®There is no meaning if he loses.¡¯


    Would the public be enthusiastic about the loser? No, absolutely not. The Demon King would be met with ridicule and criticism instead of cheers if he were defeated. Despite abandoning the country to be the Demon King, Grid only managed to get this result.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    A loser couldn¡¯t be raised as the group¡¯s signboard. There was a half-gray mask covering the Demon King¡¯s face, and Lee Jinmyung clicked his tongue as the cracks in it started to run red with blood. It was regrettable that he had missed the big fish called Grid, but Grid was too terrible.


    ¡®He made a promise he couldn¡¯t keep.¡¯


    Lee Jinmyung didn¡¯t like a guy who couldn¡¯t keep his calm. Grid wasn¡¯t good enough for his granddaughter. Feeling ashamed for having coveted such a person for a while, Lee Jinmyung shook his head and lit a cigarette. His gaze was still on the monitor, but the situation didn¡¯t enter his head. His head was only filled with the n to make Yura his sessor. It was at this moment that...


    ¡º ....!! ¡»


    ¡º No...!! What...!! ¡»


    ¡°....?¡± He was lost in his thoughts when he was interrupted by thementators¡¯ shouting. Chairman Lee Jinmyung couldn¡¯t fully understand what they were talking about or what was happening on the screen. He rubbed his cigarette onto the ashtray as the surprised cheer of Daejin Motors¡¯ president entered his ears.


    ¡°Yes!!¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    What was this? Why was the head of Daejin Motors showing such a frivolous attitude in front of the executives? Chairman Lee Jinmyung frowned as he btedly recognized the situation.


    On the screen, Demon King Grid was injured by several people, then he caused an explosion. It was a nuclear explosion. More than 200 out of the 300 yers remaining turned to gray. Among the 200 yers, there were famous members of Overgeared that Lee Jinmyung knew, including the 1st ranked Chris.


    Thementators made a fuss while the yers who barely survived had dumbfounded expressions.


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung was absentminded for a moment before jumping up and shouting, ¡°Yes!!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡± The executives were astonished. The owner of the Daejin Group, known as the ¡®dictator¡¯ and ¡®charismatic chairman¡¯ in the industry, was embarrassing himself in front of the executives...? Were they seeing wrongly? The executives made baffled expressions.


    ¡°Stingray!¡± The chairman even used a chuimsae. (TL: an exmation made during Korean traditional music that is used to connect the musician and the audience, creating a cheerful atmosphere. Stingray isn¡¯t amon exmation and the only note I found while googling is rted to the excited cries fisherman used to make when they caught something they desired.)


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung was just as happy as the president of Daejin Motors. He was proud that his eye for people was great.


    ¡®Yes, I can borrow the power of my outstanding grandson.¡¯


    There was uncontroble greed in Chairman Lee Jinmyung¡¯s eyes as he watched Grid.

 Chapter 960

    ¡°...!?¡± Grid got chills down his spine shortly after jumping off the magic machine. Jishuka¡¯s arrows, which appeared without leaving a trace, flooded toward his heart.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯ The arrows were the only things he hadn¡¯t blocked throughout the battle. He couldn¡¯t afford to concentrate on the arrows that arrived without any sound. Around two months ago, Jishuka had made the same expression after clearing a hidden quest and learning a new archery skill.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve noticed that she is a beast.¡¯


    Grid was certain. On this favorable terrain, Jishuka was strong enough to be the most revered person. She had been maintaining the best form for many years and had finally reached the realm of the sky above the sky. Jishuka was truly an amazing person. It was encouraging that she was his friend and colleague. On the other hand¡ª


    ¡®Yura.¡¯


    Yura¡ªwho only experienced a series of frustrations after bing a legend¡ªcame to his mind, and his heart grew heavy. Despite her talent and hard work, she had failed... Grid could only think that she had no luck. She had gone through a period of misfortune, and Grid could tell how much she had been suffering. He wanted to help her. He didn¡¯t want her to give up.


    In this moment, Grid was struck by the arrows in a defenseless state and was thrown from the magic machine. The magic machine exploded. Grid¡¯s field of view spun around and around as he was swept up by the st. The durability of his items dropped greatly. It might be confusing, but Grid coped with the situation calmly. He overcame his dizzy vision and got up while adjusting the posture of his sword.


    His insight stat and the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch gave him a warning. However, he couldn¡¯t prevent Chris¡¯ attack. It wasn¡¯t enough to cope with the attack of the 1st ranked yer and one of the 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was thrown by Regas, stabbed by Pon, and cut by Damian and Peak Sword...


    The bombardment of skills from 300 yers quickly reduced Grid¡¯s health. He was trampled on the ground, and Grid realized the greatness of the power of numbers. He fell to his knees and cursed as he thought of the people who coined the saying, ¡®There is no shame in a collective beating.¡¯


    From the moment he crashed onto the ground, Grid didn¡¯t have any time to raise his fingers. The attacks came from all directions without dy andpletely blocked his movements. Even a weak attack became a huge threat. Hundreds of thousands of health flowed out per second, and it seemed that he would die right away.


    ¡®I was too prideful.¡¯


    In fact, Grid had been filled with confidence ahead of this battle. He alone understood the system of the Demon King subjugation and was able to make all types of precautions ording to it. He could also use all his cksmithing skills without any burden because the National Competition¡¯s server waspletely separated from the main server.


    Grid was forced to judge that he was in a favorable position. Then he took one step further. He saw the yers as easy targets. With the exception of the Overgeared members and a few high-ranked yers, the rest could be dealt with using one skill or a few basic attacks.


    He thought it would be a 1-against-30 fight, instead of a 1-against-400 fight. It was a misjudgment. First, it was difficult to hit them itself. The participants thoroughly used their numbers advantage topletely neutralize Grid¡¯s attack power. Their defense was also excellent. The form of death wasn¡¯t easily established for the yers who were representatives of their countries.


    The biggest problem was the ¡®information¡¯ that the Overgeared members provided to the yers. After knowing that the Demon King was Grid, Jishuka and Chris were now in fullmand of the yers and most of Grid¡¯s wide-area skills were no longer effective. Grid didn¡¯t show it, but he was unbelievably embarrassed when he cloned the Red Phoenix Bow and used ¡®Fly Up!¡¯, only to find the number of enemies in his field of view to be unreasonably small.


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage!]


    [You have suffered 10,040 damage!]


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by 19.]


    [You have received the abnormal condition ¡®bleeding.¡¯]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Due to the title effect of First King, the Great King¡¯s Dignity has been activated.]


    [You have counterattacked and reflected the status condition.]


    [You have suffered 2,730 damage!]


    [You have suffered 5,800 damage!]


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by...]


    ...


    ...


    It felt like an eternity. Grid was beaten one-sidedly and recalled the school days when he was helpless. The difference from the past was that he wasn¡¯t shaken at the reminder of his trauma. It was a trauma he had already ovee. He had yet to ovee his rtionship trauma, but it wasn¡¯t an important issue now.


    [The effect of the ¡®First King¡¯ title has been activated!]


    [A shield that will block as much damage as the health lost in thest minute will be created. All terrain adaptation will increase by 100%, while movement speed and defense will increase by 10%.]


    He lost 70% of his health in just a few seconds. Grid gained some distance thanks to the shield and became aware of the passage of time. He remained calm as the yers entered his vision. Some people were gasping due to the poison from Valha while others were confused by Great King¡¯s Dignity. There were many people who seemed to be in a dangerous state, but all of them were absorbed in attacking without backing down. The desire to hit the Demon King a bit more and gain medals controlled thempletely.


    ¡°...¡±


    The shield had bought Grid some time. Grid calmly checked his condition while taking into ount Tiramet¡¯s power. He had enough mana to use Transcended Link after linking up Freely Move and Fly. Thebo of these three skills could save Grid from the immediate crisis and ughter dozens of yers.


    It was afterward that was the problem. His mana would fall to the bottom. He wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain Fly for long and would eventually crash to the ground. Then the same thing would happen again, and it would be really dangerous. At best, he would kill dozens of yers but have no way to win.


    ¡®Belial¡¯s power of fire can make a path of mes, but the result is the same.¡¯


    In the end, mana was a problem.


    ¡®rm isn¡¯t ready yet.¡¯


    Grid had roughly predicted when the four heavenly kings would be broken through, but he hadn¡¯t been able to grasp it perfectly. Thus, he had set the linked rm and Magic Missile aste as possible. He couldn¡¯t depend on them yet.


    Thoughts of Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, the light elemental, and Tiramet passed through Grid¡¯s brain. Should he summon them for this immediate crisis?


    ¡®It is too premature.¡¯


    Noe¡¯s defense skill and his skill to take away stats would be a big help, but this wouldn¡¯t guarantee victory. The pets and pet owner wouldn¡¯t be able tost for a long time against the nearly 300 yers. Grid¡¯s pets would be quickly recalled, and he would soon be alone again. Furthermore, the light elemental had a separate use.


    [You have suffered 23,000 damage!]


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by 37.]


    His distinct half-mask that was covered in red¡ªthe mask originally named Bizarre Mask was gaining more and more cracks in it. The blood leaked through the cracks and cooled Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®This...¡¯ Grid¡¯s heart started to thump.


    He fully realized that he was experiencing a great crisis. Defeat, failure¡ªhe was unustomed to them despite having experienced them countless times. Words that he didn¡¯t want to be familiar with ran through Grid¡¯s mind. There was something strange. He felt excited instead of frustrated and desperate.


    Grid sensed it intuitively. There was a solution that he hadn¡¯t thought about yet. This was the birth of the ¡®wisdom¡¯ created by his experiences and efforts which had umted over the years.


    ¡®The power of lies?¡¯


    Grid was reminded of a power he had been ignoring. The battle between Kraugel and the Hero spread like a panorama in Grid¡¯s mind, inspiring him deeply. The Hero had taken advantage of the power of lies and shown how to utilize a skill using multiple clones.


    ¡®However, I won¡¯t use it that way.¡¯


    Hecked the Hero¡¯s ability to react quickly to changing situations.


    ¡®Nevertheless, I have something better than the Hero.¡¯


    Overgeared. Right, it was being overgeared. The Hero didn¡¯t have Khan¡¯s legacy. Valha of Infinite Affection had a skill called Moving Fortress.


    [It can be activated if the wearer¡¯s health drops by more than one tenth (Enable/Disable can be selected).


    -Converts the durability of Valha of Infinite Affection to defense (one durability = two defense). -Immune to all conditions (including physical statuses). -It willst for one minute, and the current durability of Valha of Infinite Affection will be set to 30 points (at the end of Moving Fortress, the current durability will be restored by a third of the maximum durability).


    * Please note that if the durability falls to zero, the item will be permanently destroyed.


    The wide range skill ¡®Impregnable¡¯, which deals half of all damage received in thest five minutes in a 50-meter radius, can be activated.


    Skill Resources Consumption: Valha of Infinite Affection¡¯s maximum endurance will drop permanently by 200.


    Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.]


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    The puzzle pieces aligned in Grid¡¯s head. This was the moment wisdom blossomed. It was an ordinary level of wisdom, but it was a special power for Grid.


    ¡®ckening. Belial¡¯s Power.¡¯


    [The power of the great demon Belial summoned in the Rune of Darkness has been opened!]


    [It is impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers.]


    [You are in a half-demon state. Your body has endured the pressure of immense power. However, it is still impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers at the same time.]


    [You can use one of Belial¡¯s three powers of: Darkness, fire, or illusion.]


    [You have chosen the power of illusion!]


    Grid started quickly producing clones as his health was consumed. His field of view split and widened. The faces of the enemies surrounded him, the backs of the enemies surrounded him, and the feet and crowns of the enemies surrounded him. They entered Grid¡¯s vision at once.


    ¡°This?¡± The yers¡¯ face paled with terror. They could see the Hero¡¯s appearance in the Demon King.


    ¡°Spread out! Hurry!¡± Chris hurriedly shouted toward the yers.


    ¡º I-Isn¡¯t that the Hero¡¯s clones...? ¡»


    ¡º W-Why does the Demon King have the Hero¡¯s power...? ¡»


    The internationalmentators stuttered.


    -What?What is this?


    -Don¡¯t tell me...


    The crowd and viewers were in shock like hammers had mmed into their heads.


    ¡°Moving... Fortress,¡± the Demon King chanted while coughing up blood. He resisted all the physical and abnormal conditions caused by Jishuka¡¯s arrows.


    ¡°Huup!¡± Grid focused on controlling himself. The yers who had just been beating the Demon King up were now surrounded by clones. Grid narrowed the distance to Chris and grabbed him.


    ¡°Heok! Hey, let me go!¡±


    ¡®What if I don¡¯t want to?¡¯ Grid grinned as he whispered into Chris¡¯ ears in a frightening manner, ¡°Impregnable.¡±


    This was a wide-area skill that released half of all damage the hero suffered in thest five minutes in a radius of 50 meters. The stronger the opponent, the more powerful the explosion that swept over the battlefield would be. Hundreds of gray pirs soared into the sky, and a green light shone from beyond the soaring dust.


    Then a white giant that was shining came rushing over. It was Zibal¡¯s Raiders.


    ¡°Griddddd!¡±


    Unlike the others who were still doubting the Demon King¡¯s identity, Zibal was certain of it. It meant he acknowledged Grid¡¯s power. Other people thought that Grid couldn¡¯t fight in a 400-against-1 fight and were trying to ignore reality. However, Zibal was different. It was possible if it was Grid. Zibal thought simply and guessed the identity of the Demon King. A huge spear flew toward the ragged Grid.


    ¡°...sh.¡± Grid barely summoned the light elemental, and it let out a strong burst of light, blinding Zibal who was on the magic machine. Thanks to this, the spear hit empty air.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fight if you don¡¯t get off from there.¡± Gridughed evilly like a natural viin. Behind his broken mask, his dark eyes focused on Jishuka.


    Jishuka shivered. It wasn¡¯t out of fear though. She had an ecstatic expression on her face as she watched the Demon King. It was a reaction she had shown multiple times to one man.

 Chapter 961

    ¡®Did he intentionally design this situation?¡¯


    Since the moment Grid was hit by Charging Shot, Jishuka had been filled with an anxiety that was difficult to express clearly. The timing of the magic machine¡¯s explosion was perfect. Grid exposed arge gap in his defense, and the yers didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Hundreds of scattered yers gathered around Grid.


    They fell into the trap. From the moment that Charging Shot hit, Grid had this current development in mind.


    ¡°He is bing sexier.¡± Jishuka shivered as she recalled the scene of five Grids in red armor. Her beautiful face turned red, and a rough breath emerged from the gap in her lips. She wanted to try dissecting Grid¡¯s skull. Even the folds in his brain seemed sexy.


    Masquerading as the Demon King, Grid stared at Jishuka. Jishuka¡¯s blush thickened. She trembled from extreme excitement.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    Approximately 80 yers had survived. Most of the Overgeared members¡ªincluding Chris and Peak Sword¡ªmight¡¯ve been killed, but there were still many strong yers such as Damian and Zibal with his magic machine. Despite this, Grid was looking at her, concentrating solely on her. It meant she was the biggest threat to him. Jishuka felt great joy at monopolizing Grid¡¯s gaze.


    ---!!


    ck arrows were fired soundlessly. Jishuka was the only one who knew exactly how many there were. Grid was facing her head on and wasn¡¯t aware of the arrows flying from different trajectories. This wasn¡¯t an umon situation, but Grid was feeling rushed. He didn¡¯t dwell on impossible defenses or avoidance. Instead, he was like a bull. He was attracted by the charming red cloth called Jishuka.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ming!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s excitement was getting out of control. The arrows struck Grid¡¯s body. His philtrum, between his eyes, and in the middle of his forehead were hit. This was a terrible feast of skills. It was understandable why the people of Tzedakah used topare Jishuka¡¯s spirit to a wild beast and a hunter. She showed no concept of mercy toward her target. Logically, Grid should be shrinking back.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡¯


    Grid was currently under the protection of Moving Fortress and waspletely resistant to physical attacks. The arrows inserted between his eyes and the blood flowing down didn¡¯t disturb him.


    ¡®Link.¡¯


    Grid broke through the arrows, reached Jishuka, and unleashed dozens of energy des. Jishuka moved in a half turn to widen her distance from Grid while drawing back her bowstring. She dodged a few energy des and fought back.


    [You have suffered 8,930 damage!]


    [You have suffered 7,590 damage!]


    [You have suffered 13,580 damage!]


    Her aim was also perfect. Jishuka avoided the protective gear¡ªsuch as armor and shoulder guards¡ªthat Grid was wearing and damaged him. She often hit his weak points, but she couldn¡¯t evade his attacks forever. Jishuka¡¯s agility was high as the first ranked archer, but she wasn¡¯t faster than Grid. This was because the movements of the sword linked together faster than the firing of the arrow.


    [The target has received 29,300 damage.]


    [The target has received 25,760 damage.]


    Jishuka allowed only two blows yet she lost more than half her health. She used her quiver and bow to stop a few energy des, using the natural rebound to dodge a few more. The distance between Grid and Jishuka increased again while a trap was installed at Grid¡¯s feet.


    Then the trap activated and wrapped around Grid¡¯s ankles. The trapsted for five seconds, and anyone who tried to move from it might have their ankles torn. However, Grid ignored it and ran forward. Now Moving Fortress was activated. A trap couldn¡¯t break the fortress at all.


    ¡°Too cool,¡± Jishuka¡¯s voice thickened. She was bing more and more immersed in the dual charm of Grid¡¯s sexy brain and his toughness. Thus, she was sincerely sorry. If only it wasn¡¯t for the debt... If her rtionship with Grid wasn¡¯t that of creditor and debtor, she would be able tomunicate this boiling emotion.


    ¡®I will just seem like a snake if Imunicate my feelings.¡¯ Jishuka smiled bitterly and drew her bow with all her power. Grid was someone who couldn¡¯t be caught by traps. She couldn¡¯t win. Even so, she would cause some damage before she died. This was her distinct pride¡ªthest pride of a beast.


    Jishuka concentrated all her resources and fired herst arrow at Grid who was chasing her. Her point of aim was different from before. The arrow was aimed at the center of the armor, not the seams of the armor. She fired the arrow from a close range, and the arrow that touched his armor caused Grid to get the chills.


    Valha of Infinite Affection¡¯s current durability was 30, and it wouldst for one minute. This was the penalty of Moving Fortress. Wouldn¡¯t Valha of Infinite Affection turn into rags because of his arrow? It couldn¡¯tst.


    Grid decided that he should activate Freely Move, which had been left as a trump card. However, the arrow was fired right in front of his nose. Jishuka¡¯s arrow pierced through Valha, and it shattered into thousands of fragments. It was a result caused by Jishuka¡¯s ability to read, judge, and act the moment she fired the arrow.


    Unfortunately, Grid wasn¡¯t as fast-witted as her and didn¡¯t notice in time. He wasn¡¯t a chosen human being, a genius like Kraugel. The Enlightenment Sword, a weapon that was hard to determine if it was a spear or a sword, prated Jishuka¡¯s waist. It urred almost simultaneously with Grid¡¯s armor.


    [You have been struck with a serious blow!]


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a proud woman,¡± Jishuka apologized as she copsed like a broken doll into Grid¡¯s arms. This wasn¡¯t an apology for her actions. Although the armor might not be the real one, Jishuka apologized for destroying Khan¡¯s work. It was why she had hesitated and hadn¡¯t aimed for Valha the moment she saw its weakness.


    Grid read her mind and stroked her red hair. ¡°I apologize for everything.¡±


    ¡°Huut... Cough!¡± She slowly turned grey in Grid¡¯s arms and soon ascended as a pir. It was a sign announcing Jishuka¡¯s death.


    Shortly after she left, the white giant managed to beat the vampire and rushed toward Grid again. ¡°Griddddd!¡±


    While Grid had been fighting Jishuka, the other biggest threat¡ªZibal¡ªhad been facing Tiramet.


    ¡®Tiramet is already dead.¡¯


    The magic machine was truly a monster. Was it possible to obtain the materials to make a magic machine from the production rewards? Grid thought this and opened the inventory. The items he took out were the Dragon Harpoon and hammer. Now that he¡¯d lost Valha, he had no intention of fighting Zibal head on.


    ¡°Spear Shot.¡± The giant harpoon, which had been created to raid the drake during the 2nd National Competition, was thrown like a javelin. Raiders paused as the harpoon struck its chest.


    ¡°You don¡¯t intend to get out of there and fight?¡± Grid attached the chain of the harpoon to the ground using a peg and immediately disappeared. It was a spacious battlefield. The faces of the yers were still shocked from the aftermath of the huge explosion.


    Grid¡¯s next target was Pope Damian.


    ¡®Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡¯


    Rotating like a spinning top, Grid crossed the battlefield. The Enlightenment Sword in his hand let out a terrible roar. Damian used a healing skill to barely recover from the wounds he had sustained in the explosion and cast a shield. However, his shield failed, just like Grid¡¯s Valha.


    ¡°Scream,¡± the other name for Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle emerged from the mouth of the Demon King. Damian¡¯s shield couldn¡¯t even withstand the first strike and shattered. ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Damian summoned arge golden circle behind his back as ast-ditch attempt.


    [You have died.]


    He was already dead.


    ¡°Griddddd!¡± Raiders was released from the bondage of the Dragon Harpoon and started chasing Grid again. This time Grid didn¡¯t avoid Raiders. The wind blew his ebony hair as he stood in ce and stared at Raiders. Zibal¡¯s legs were soft from where he was sitting on the boarding seat.


    Behind the half-mask, Grid¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t strained at all. He was reminded that his explosion had destroyed Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s fortress. It was as he had expected. The golden cannon umted a shell made of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and fired.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    Then it happened just before Raiders reached the armorless Grid. Raiders¡¯ body was hit by the cannon and tilted heavily. There was a maic field, and the surging currents shook Raiders¡¯ movements, rendering it unable to move.


    ¡°Grid...!¡± Desperation filled Zibal¡¯s face. He screamed because he couldn¡¯t change the flow of the battlefield that was formed after he inadvertently distributed the wrong information.


    Grid¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°You have shown a wonderful performance this year.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Zibal was a simple person. Two years ago, he had been badly defeated by Grid. The person who looked down on Zibal like a bug was now expressing appreciation for him. He didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry as Raiders was recalled. Then he climbed onto the summoned pegasus and rushed toward Grid.


    The other yers followed behind Zibal. 80 surviving yers descended on Grid.


    The Demon King had lost his armor. The physical body that he had trained for many years was now just as injured as the bodies of the yers. The yers sensed that it was time to end this short yet long war. It was the same for Grid. He took a deep breath and quietly closed his eyes.


    ¡º S-Surely, he isn¡¯t giving up? ¡»


    ¡º He has no choice. His resources are at their limits, and he lost his armor. It won¡¯t be strange if he decides that he can¡¯t endure anymore. ¡»


    Thementators discussed the end of the Demon King, while the crowd and viewers cheered. Then hundreds of stars appeared in the sky. Underneath it were Demon King Grid and the yers heading toward him. Then there was a bombardment. The 200 Magic Missiles Grid set up using the rm spell prated the yers¡¯ heads and backs, shattering the ground. The yers screamed at the surprise attack.


    ¡®Noe, Randy, Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡¯


    Aplete copy of the Demon King, a tiger surrounded by ck mes, a lich, and a death knight appeared...


    ¡º Ah... Ahhh... ¡»


    In a few minutes, only two people remained on the battlefield. One was badly injured and couldn¡¯t breathe properly while the other person had no wounds. The person who opened his mouth first with aplicated expression was Sword Saint Kraugel.


    ¡°You have lost your immortality.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone was too strong.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a fair fight. Kraugel judged this and was about to take off his armor to stab himself in the heart.


    It was the Demon King who stopped him. ¡°Extremely honorable painting.¡±


    Grid returned to the image from the painting. The image of the Demon King blurred, and the figure of the most famous person in the world was revealed. It was the Overgeared King¡ªthe Hero King.


    ¡º G...rid? ¡»


    People who were still dubious over the identity of the Demon King were shocked. The ratings of the Demon King Subjugation ran wild. The 1st ranked real time search query for every portal site was reced with Grid¡¯s name.

 Chapter 962

    The extremely honorable painting was a product of chance. The best painter in the present day had been lucky enough to draw an extremely honorable painting. It was a great fortune for a painter.


    How easy was it to make an extremely honorable painting? Picasso created the first new extremely honorable painting in 177 years and gained a high reputation, high level, and hidden quest achievement. On the other hand, Grid...


    [Protagonist of the Extremely Honorable Painting]


    [*One time limited skill.


    When used, your information will return to what it was when the extremely honorable painting was made.


    However, it will only be the stats and skills information. Additional information such as titles, ss, status, race, age, and so on aren¡¯t affected.]


    ...He only received this intermediate skill. This was a skill with a save-point concept. It could be effective in the worst situation, but the possibility of actually using it was low. The moment he returned to the save point, Grid would lose all the stats he had built up. Grid was never going to use the extremely honorable painting. He had convinced himself he would never need it.


    However, the story was different on the National Competition¡¯s server.


    [You recalled yourself at the time the extremely honorable painting was drawn.]


    [The past memories, glories, and flesh will permeate the present you.]


    [You have returned to the point when the extremely honorable painting was drawn!]


    [Your level has fallen. All stats have fallen. Some skill information has changed.]


    The wind blew, and his long hair was gradually shortened. The fangs and ws that were like those of a beast became smaller. The muscr upper body became covered with ck armor, and the pair of wings turned into a red cloak. The three horns on the forehead became a beautiful and graceful silver crown. Grid removed the image of the Demon King and returned to his appearance from the time of the extremely honorable painting.


    He was clearly weakened. Grid had lost three levels. The cksmithing skill and Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship enhanced by the goddess¡¯ blessing returned to their pre-enhanced state, and Pagma¡¯s Eyes (Baal¡¯s Contractor Version) and the stats from the 234 random elixirs were all lost.


    The main changes that caught Grid¡¯s attention were how the enhancement value of the Enlightenment Sword fell back to +1, the broken Valha was restored, and the cannon on the battlefield had reverted to the form of the God Hands. It seemed that the extremely honorable painting didn¡¯t just affect stats.


    In other words, the stats level included the effect of items that were being worn or in use at the time of the painting. Fundamentally, it was a skill to integrate with the figure in the painting. Thus, it was natural to return to his armed state in the painting.


    ¡®It was just a few months ago.¡¯


    It felt like he had returned to a very long time ago. He was proud as he realized how hard he had lived. Grid first invested the remaining stat points he had saved and then used the goddess¡¯ blessing.


    [295 points have been invested in agility.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 4 has been enhanced to Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    [Mastering the swordsmanship has increased physical attack power by 40%, the chance of a critical hit by 50%, and critical damage by 80%.]


    [The time required for the footwork of the sword dances has decreased by half.]


    ¡°What is this?¡± This wasn¡¯t a question Kraugel wanted to answer. He didn¡¯t know how to answer it. It was rare for the alwaysposed Kraugel to be shaken like this. Grid¡¯s recovery of his items and his damaged body was an unknown area that couldn¡¯t be epted by Kraugel¡¯s knowledge and information.


    ¡°I will tell you one thing. There is no more bonus benefit I can get from continuing to y the Demon King.¡±


    From now on, ¡®Grid¡¯ would fight Kraugel without any lies. That¡¯s what Grid was saying. However, he didn¡¯t mention that he was actually weaker because he had returned to a few weeks ago. It was only two years ago that Kraugel had fallen to level one, so it would be embarrassing for Grid to make an excuse for his current state.


    First of all, he wasn¡¯t that greatly weakened. Most of the points from the elixirs had gone to dexterity.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    It felt like he had finally gotten the right clothes that fit. Grid felt lighter after being restored to his original shape and took one step closer to Kraugel.


    ¡°Drop.¡±


    The sky really fell. The swordsman used the authority of the sky to challenge Kraugel. As the Demon King, this was the skill that had made dozens of rankers fall into a crisis. Above all, the great advantage was that it was an instant skill. Kraugel defended against the sword. The White Tiger threw out thorns and resonated as it shed with the Enlightenment Sword.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!


    The present supreme person and the former supreme person¡ªin the midst of the mes and thorns, the sounds of both of their hearts intertwined as one. Grid felt deep gratitude along with extreme excitement. The reason why Kraugel participated in the 4th National Competition was due to Grid¡¯s request. It was his insistence that they y a final match. Grid was thankful to the Kraugel who had waited for this moment, even preparing to take on the world¡¯s criticisms so that this fight wasn¡¯t ruined.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It seemed like they had made a promise. The two men simultaneously shook off the interlocked swords and made a big turn. At first nce, they seemed to rotate equally, but the intentions of the two people werepletely different. Kraugel didn¡¯t deny the repulsive force and instead used it to strengthen his next attack. Meanwhile, Grid used the repulsion caused by the collision between swords to link the next sword movement.


    ¡°Transcend Storm Sword.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill.¡±


    The shock wave that urred at this time¡ªfrom a blow to smash someone and a blow to cancel the other attack¡ªrippled through the battlefield. On the slippery ground, the two men focused on each other without losing bnce. It was like they were the only two people who existed on this.


    The God Hands in the air fired Magic Missiles, while four swords spread out and guarded Kraugel. Suddenly, the weight of the White Tiger Sword increased, and Grid fell to one knee. Grid activated Fly from his kneeling position, and his pointy knee struck Kraugel¡¯s chin.


    Kraugel grabbed Grid¡¯s ankle as he ascended, throwing him to the ground. Valha vibrated and emitted a poison. Kraugel rotated his sword, and the wind caused the poison to go in the reverse direction. Grid activated Kill, and Kraugel used White Light Steps¡ªwhich boasted hundreds of different paths¡ªto dodge Kill by a narrow margin.


    It seemed like Kraugel¡¯s counterattack would be blocked by Lantier¡¯s Cloak and fail to hit.


    ¡°Crying Tiger.¡±


    Despite this, he moved beyond the cloak¡ªmaking the concept of defense useless¡ªand damaged Grid¡¯s body through Valha. Grid shook like someone trapped in a collided car.


    ¡°Full Moon.¡±


    The sword moved in a circle like a full moon and devoured Grid¡¯s chest. Blood flowed down as Grid lowered his head. The camera couldn¡¯t catch his face, but he was smiling. He was happy. It was the self-confidence he had been longing for. He could see that his friend andpetitor was back on track.


    The earth shook unceasingly. Kraugel didn¡¯t get a chance to breathe. Grid couldn¡¯t even wipe the spilled blood because he was busy avoiding and preventing sharp attacks. It was too soon to use the overgeared tactic of just hitting and hitting. The power of the White Tiger Sword that had grown to a unique rating was a threat to Grid. He couldn¡¯t face the sword head on because of the weight increase.


    ¡®I have to be careful. Let¡¯s aim for a clear gap.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s attacks stopped. It was because he was forced to defend against Grid¡¯s instant skill, Unbreakable Justice.


    ¡°Weapon Ascension.¡±


    The power was so great that Kraugel couldn¡¯t defendpletely and started bleeding. He twisted his body and attacked Grid from bottom up. Grid avoided the counterattack and stared up at the sky. The sword energy was soaring into the sky. The clouds were torn apart, and it interfered with the deployment of the Storm Demonic Energy Field. It was extremely creepy if this was what Kraugel intended.


    Feeling thrilled, Grid used Link. It was faster than the Hero, so Kraugel had yet to fully adapt to the speed of the sword dances. He failed to block it with Control Sword and chose to dodge.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was already short of breath due to the quick collisions. The two men stared at each other without trying to show their tiredness. Kraugel ced the White Tiger Sword back in its sheath and took the posture of drawing the sword. It was an attempt to take advantage of the distance.


    ¡°...¡±


    A dopo with a yellow dragon embroidery on it¡ªthe mboyant outfit fluttered in the wind, capturing the attention of people watching the National Competition. Two serene eyes stared at Grid through ck hair that was matted with sweat and blood.


    As Peak Sword had proven many times over the past few years, the posture of drawing the sword was no different from an archer pulling the bowstring. Grid would be a target even if he retreated back or rushed forward. He was already within Kraugel¡¯s range.


    Peak Sword watched the monitors with the eliminated yers and spoke quietly, ¡°...Time will flow again from the moment Grid moves.¡±


    Time passed and the fight would resume. Peak Sword couldn¡¯t bear to say that Grid was in a very disadvantageous position.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel and Grid were standing still. Only the four hands and sword floating over their heads proved that time hadn¡¯t stopped. They had been swept away by the explosion and had been fighting for a long time.


    ¡®...Item Creation.¡¯


    Without taking his eyes off Kraugel, who was preparing to draw his sword, Grid used a skill. The Immediate Item Completion Scroll that he had obtained from the Reputation Store was in his inventory.


    ***


    ¡º... ¡»


    ¡°...¡±


    Thementators and spectators had already stayed silent for a few minutes. In retrospect, there had been many hints. The S.A Group had always said ¡®it will be apetition created by yers¡¯ when they discussed the 4th National Competition. The yers who recognized the weaknesses of the four heavenly kings the earliest had been the Overgeared members. Additionally, Kraugel hadn¡¯t fought alongside the yers despite knowing that people would criticize him.


    ¡º ...The puzzle pieces are aligned. The person fighting against Kraugel now is the real Grid. ¡»


    Even after the Demon King used a skill simr to the Hero and even after Zibal shouted out the name ¡®Grid,¡¯ people still had not been able to admit that the Demon King was Grid. This was because their notion of mon sense¡¯ would havepletely copsed the moment they did.


    Now, they had to admit it. They could no longer deny the reality when the Demon King revealed his true appearance. It was now time to recognize and analyze him.


    ¡º Demon King Grid is much stronger than the current Grid. His health is 20 times higher than normal. He must¡¯ve received many benefits after bing the Demon King. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for Grid to deal with 400 yers alone. I think it is right to look at the current Grid as separate from the Demon King. ¡»


    They were thinking withmon sense rather than downying Grid.


    ¡°...¡±


    The crowd and viewers were silently focused on the game. They couldn¡¯t hear the trembling voices of thementators. Regardless of whether the situation was rational or irrational, the important thing was the direction of the game. Grid and Kraugel¡ªthis was the third match between the former supreme yer and the current supreme yer.


    Who would be the final winner among them?


    People from all over the world felt that this match was likely to be thest confrontation and couldn¡¯t help gulping.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who wins! I¡¯m cheering for both!!¡±


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Now, the people finally realized that this was why they had been so interested in the PvP event. They had wanted to see Kraugel and Grid fight again. Yes, they had been looking forward to the story that hadn¡¯t yet ended, not the PvP event. Countless people had been waiting a year just for this moment.


    ¡°Take the win, Grid!¡±


    ¡°Win this time, Kraugel!¡±


    ¡°Aish, both of you should win!¡±


    It was the moment that the biggest issue of this year, the Demon King Subjugation, became the opening stage for the confrontation between the two yers. This was an unexpected result even for the S.A Group.


    ¡°I am worried that the names of the two people will overshadow the National Competition.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yoon Sangmin was half joking, but no oneughed. The atmosphere of the executive boardroom of the S.A Group was somewhat ufortable.


    On the other hand, the executive boardroom of the Daejin Group executives was festive.


    ¡°Grid is our car. No, he will be the face of our group.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    ¡°Grid. No, God Grid will be my son-inw.¡±


    ¡°...Ohh!¡±


    Their reactions were surprisingly simr to thements on the Inte...? The executives were embarrassed when they heard Chairman Lee Jinmyung say ¡®God Grid¡¯, while the president of Daejin Motors raised both thumbs.


    ¡°God Grid will be your son-inw! As expected of the God Chairman!¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 963

    A person who was praised¡ªthere was no saying that was better used to describe Yura. She had a great background and talent that epassed all disciplines. Yura wasn¡¯t arrogant, and she had an upright character and an unparalleled beauty. Every innate element of hers made her shine.


    Her achievements in Satisfy became her wings, and the responsibility she had shown by participating in the 1st National Competition alone while other Korean rankers had been absent made her a role model for others. Praise poured toward her constantly, and Yura had also been proud of herself. She had believed that she was doing well enough.


    Yet these thoughts changed after she met Grid. Grid was apletely different type of person from Yura. He hadgged behind in luck and talent while suffering from countless adversities. He must¡¯ve fallen down countless times from setbacks and usations and fallen asleep with tears.


    However, he hadn¡¯t given up. Rather, he was tempered like steel. He had looked at the top of a hill when others were looking at the top of a mountain. While other people climbed 10 steps, he had taken one step. He hadn¡¯t stopped while others rested. Instead, he had gone up slowly but steadily.


    All types of misfortunes had grabbed at his ankle, but he had endured without giving up. He had achieved some good luck and continued working hard without beingcent about that luck. Ultimately, he had finally managed to reach the top.


    Yura had congratted him sincerely. Knowing how long and how hard the road that Grid took had been, Yura truly respected him. She couldn¡¯t be the best even with her natural talents and knew better than anyone in the world how great Grid was.


    On the other hand, she was ashamed of herself. She realized that no matter how hard she tried or how talented she was, she couldn¡¯t stand side by side with Grid. Yura¡¯s pride came crashing down. She couldn¡¯t ept that she wasn¡¯t the best, despite being born with better conditions than other people.


    Thus, she tried and tried again. She had to get rid of this shame by proving herself. Then she would be able to face Grid. Still, in the end, she didn¡¯t achieve it.


    ¡°...¡±


    During the 4th National Competition, she wasn¡¯t satisfied despite having won gold and silver medals. No, Yura¡¯s eyes were shaking with despair as she watched the monitor. She discovered that the Demon King on the screen was Grid. Furthermore, Grid was in hell. He was facing hundreds of weapons, as well as humanity¡¯s booing and anger, alone.


    ¡°Why...¡±


    Grid was stabbed by the spears and swords and quickly became bloody. Every time he screamed, Yura felt her heart ache.


    ¡°...Why are you going so far...¡±


    Yura didn¡¯t know why Grid became the Demon King. It might be for wealth or honor. She just vaguely felt that he became the Demon King because he wanted something. Nevertheless, was it necessary for Grid to win to get what he wanted? Probably not. It was absurd to discuss victory in a 400-against-1 fight. Grid could get what he wanted without necessarily winning. He would have a contract with the S.A Group in the first ce.


    Yet Grid was now fighting to win. He couldn¡¯t move his fingertips and was screaming through the blood, but he didn¡¯t lose his fighting spirit and persisted. Yura could see the reason for it.


    ¡®There will be someone fighting to protect you,¡¯Grid had clearly said so.


    Since then, her grandfather no longer contacted her. The shrewd Yura knew what had happened behind her back. ¡°Why...¡±


    Grid managed to pass the crisis. He created a huge explosion and ughtered hundreds of yers. After that, there was another struggle. There were 80 survivors left, and Grid squeezed out hisst remaining strength to fight them. In the process, he went through several crises and even lost his immortality.


    In the end, he managed to knock everyone down. Once thest enemy¡¯s health gauge emptied out, Grid stared into the camera before turning toward his old rival Kraugel. Beyond the broken mask, Grid¡¯s eyes were clearly gazing at Yura.


    ¡®Believe in me.¡¯ He looked exactly the same as when he said this to her in the past.


    Yura was very pained. She knew that it was an unusual thing for Grid to be fighting for her. Everyone else believed that she could do well on her own. It was because they thought she was a superwoman. However, Yura wasn¡¯t a superwoman. She could do better than others, but she couldn¡¯t solve everything by herself.


    Her vision blurred as she formed fists. Yura didn¡¯t know when Vi came over, but Vi patted her on the shoulder. Vi thought Yura was truly delicate.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two men faced each other silently. Above their heads, the four swords and golden hands shed tirelessly with each other. The people didn¡¯t know it, but both yers had extremely exhausted mental states. Kraugel had to concentrate on controlling the four swords. Simultaneously, Grid concentrated on reading Kraugel¡¯s attack timing while creating a new item in his head. Both people were unable to achieve their normal levels of concentration.


    The God Hands and the controlled swords collided exactly 89 times. One of the swords was hit by Magic Missile and fell toward Kraugel¡¯s feet. Grid noticed Kraugel¡¯s right shoulder lowering, and Kraugel pulled the sword out of the sheath. The moment the sh came in contact with Grid, he wore Doran¡¯s Ring. However, he waste by 0.1 seconds.


    [You have suffered 18,500 damage!]


    [Doran¡¯s Ring is equipped.]


    The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring wasn¡¯t applied because the ring was worn after being hit.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Grid¡¯s face distorted as he stepped back and raised the Enlightenment Sword. The sword was recovered, and Kraugel¡¯s next swing at Grid was blocked.


    [...The ck mes have exploded!]


    The mes struck Kraugel.


    [The target has received 3,200 damage.]


    Kraugel was already in the stage ofmuning with the Enlightenment Sword. The ss effect of the Sword Saint saw through the Enlightenment Sword and reduced the damage of the ck mes. He prated through the mes and kicked Grid. This was the moment when the effect of Doran¡¯s Ring was wasted. Doran¡¯s Ring only restored 900 damage from the kick.


    At this time, Kraugel rotated in a diagonal line, and the White Tiger Sword rose from the bottom and aimed for Grid¡¯s chin. Even so, Grid seeded in evading Weapons Ascension. He was able to read the exact timing using his high insight and the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. The most important thing to watch out for when attacking a boss was an attack from the bottom. Grid was very strong against attacks from the bottom. He lightly twisted his head and tried to fight back with the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A stone pir that followed the path of the White Tiger Sword had already risen and struck Grid¡¯s abdomen.


    [When attacked, there is a normal chance of ¡®Pir¡¯ being released. The giant stone pir has a sting effect of up to five meters. The damage applied is 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power.]


    This was the pir effect attached to the World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger. Grid was thrown back and smashed into the half-destroyed organ. He hurriedly shook his head and stood up, only to see the sharp tip of a sword. It was an attack aimed for between his eyes. It stimted an instinctive fear. It was an attack that a person had no choice but to respond to.


    The grim looking Grid tried to stop the de only to change his mind. He wasn¡¯t convinced that this was Kraugel¡¯s most threatening attack. Just as it was about to pierce Grid between his eyes, the White Tiger Sword twisted its trajectory like Pinnacle Kill, only to be blocked. Grid¡¯s Enlightenment Sword blocked the White Tiger Sword¡¯s path.


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel¡¯s gaze sank as his move was detected unexpectedly. He tried not to express it, but he had already been surprised a few times. Kraugel felt thrilled from the moment Grid used Fly whilst on his knees and when he avoided the attack from the bottom twice.


    The man in front of Kraugel was no different from himself. Grid was no longer the Overgeared King whopensated for hisck of sense, judgment, and ability with items. The Hero King had grown after winning against several heroes and continued to raise his experience. He had a different sense of pressure from the Hero, an artificial intelligence who could disy his abilities to an excellent level.


    Grid¡¯s current level threatened Kraugel¡¯s innate senses and talent.


    ¡°Pinnacle!¡± Grid used the strength that was clearly superior to Kraugel and pushed back the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡± Kraugel counterattacked.


    ¡°Revolve!¡± Grid also responded.


    However, Grid couldn¡¯t shake off his ufortable feelings. Assuming that both yers had one counterattack skill, the one who used it first would have the overwhelming disadvantage.


    ¡®Did Kraugel create a new counterattack skill?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he was reminded that Kraugel could create new sword techniques.


    ¡°Quick Command.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ck and white shing wings appeared on Kraugel¡¯s back, and he disappeared from Grid¡¯s vision. The force of Pinnacle that was strengthened to the extreme from the two counterattacks cut the ground, and Kraugel reappeared on the cracked ground.


    The White Tiger Sword was already cutting Grid¡¯s shoulders. Three times the damage ovepped. This was the power of Quick Command which was ssified as one of the three offensive passive skills. It was a skill that ignored physical concepts by evading ¡®definite¡¯ attacks. He would then return to his original position after four seconds, and his next attack would do triple the damage.


    As the name suggested, it was a very swift skill with excellent utility. However, depending on the situation, the restriction of returning to the original activation point could be a great poison. This restriction also allowed him to destroy a yer¡¯s maximum strength skill by definitely evading one attack.


    As a simple example, if he used Quick Command to avoid a wide range skill thatsted more than four seconds, he would return to the same spot after four seconds and wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. It was iplete, just like how Grid¡¯s God¡¯s Command had the fatal disadvantage of the ¡®probability.¡¯


    Of course, if Kraugel took the side of the seven malignant saints, the constraints would be lifted and the story would be different. Despite this, he avoided belonging to certain forces. He didn¡¯t stand on the side of the malignant saints or the gods. If he were to stand on one side, then he would¡¯ve already joined a guild. Of course, there was only one guild that he ever thought of joining.


    ¡®Mine is XXX.¡¯ Grid didn¡¯t know any of this and gritted his teeth. From his point of view, God¡¯s Command was the best garbage skill. Grid had lost more than one-third of his health while Kraugel still only had minor injuries.


    Everyone in the world held their breaths as the two men fought fiercely, not summoning any pets or drinking potions like they had made a promise. Even the bosses of the chicken stores focused on the TV without realizing that their phones had been ringing for a long time. The energy of Wave broke the ground while the force of Splitting the Sky swept into the sky.


    The battlefield gradually became narrower. The gap between Grid and Kraugel shortened while the number of collisions increased. Grid borrowed the power of the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch to cut at Kraugel¡¯s waist, while Kraugel relied on Super Sensitivity to save himself from a fatal injury and cut at Grid¡¯s thigh.


    Many people realized that Grid was in an unfavorable situation as the number of exchanges increased. Then Grid finished making the item and shouted like the protagonist of a cartoon, ¡°Item! Production!¡±


    ¡º ...? ¡»


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Making an item during the battle...? Thementators, spectators, and viewers watching the game were sweating. It was so absurd that they were speechless. Regardless, it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Blue Dragon Sword Breaker!¡± Grid shouted, and a bright light burst from his left hand. This was the moment that the dark blue sword with an electric current around it appeared in the world. The de part was made from the remnants of Great Demon Astaroth, and there was a deep groove in the de.


    Kraugel¡¯s shaky eyes were captured by the camera, and allmunities over the world were a mess.


    -A sword breaker against the Sword Saint ;;


    -Wow!A super cheap deadly move!


    -That light...

 Chapter 964

    The waiting room was crowded with yers who had been eliminated from the Demon King Subjugation event.


    ¡°...¡±


    Why was Grid the Demon King, and what did he gain in exchange for that? Perhaps he was monopolizing a lot of rewards? If it turned out to be preferential treatment, they would have a chance to raise some issues. The yers¡¯ minds were in a veryplicated state. There weren¡¯t only one or two problems to worry about.


    Despite this, they were silent for a few minutes without discussing anything with each other. All the yers were concentrating on Grid and Kraugel on the screen. They didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to see the power of the two people.


    ¡°....?¡±


    A few minutes passed by. After a fierce battle, Grid seemed to be in a somewhat unfavorable position, and he pulled out a sword breaker. He cried out absurd words about producing an item, but it was just a trick to shake Kraugel as he seemed to take it out of his inventory.


    A sword to break a sword...


    It was obviously an item to counter Sword Saint Kraugel. Still, it was doubtful if it would work.


    ¡°No one is currently using that.¡±


    ¡°Unless a person has the relevant passive skill, it has limitations and is difficult to control.¡±


    ¡°Grid used it for only a moment a few years ago, so I don¡¯t think he will handle it properly.¡±


    Among the yers, Jishuka asked Chris,¡°Isn¡¯t this a dangerous decision?¡±


    Jishuka was an archer, but she was well versed in swordsmanship. It was because she was a woman who dreamed of bing a supreme yer. In order to apply different concepts to archery and to supplement the weaknesses of archery, she studied all possible fields.


    ¡°I think there will be a mishap.¡±Jishuka was anxious. Based on her insight, Grid fought in a way that faithfully practiced what he experienced and learned. The total amount of experience he umted was so high that he could cope with many situations, but his creativity was insufficient.


    On the other hand, Kraugel¡¯s movements were creative from beginning to end. It was no less than the experience that Grid had umted. Additionally, Grid¡¯s stats and items had fallen a bit lower. This was already the fourth fight with Kraugel.


    ...Grid was likely to be on the defensive one-sidedly.


    Talent¡ªGrid needed to work hard to make up for his terrible talent. Grid¡¯s control might be better than that of other yers here, but it was definitely below the level of the genius Kraugel. Although Grid brought out the threatening weapon that was a sword breaker, it was unknown if he would be able to properly take advantage of it. Kraugel could deflect the sword breaker, and Grid might have to pay a hefty price for using an unfamiliar weapon.


    Jishuka bit her red nails.It was hard for her to shake off her anxiety because she didn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s decision. Chris nodded and opened his mouth,¡°Hrmm, well... It is risky. If Kraugel is a professional racer, the difference in the skills is enough to call Grid a normal person with two years of driving experience.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too harsh? What do you think about our Grid?¡±


    ¡°No, I have no intention of putting down Grid. It is just a proper analogy...¡±


    ¡°Three years. Let¡¯s go with three years of experience.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    What was the difference between two or three years of driving experience? Chris frowned, but he knew Jishuka¡¯s heart and that she wanted Grid to be treated even a bit better. Jishuka was a violent and scary woman, but she was clearly good bride material for ¡®Grid alone.¡¯ She would make an excellent wife. He shook his head.


    Jishuka urged him,¡°Keep talking. If Kraugel is a professional driver while Grid is a driver with four years of experience...?¡±


    ¡°Three years... Yes, a driver with four years of experience and a professional driver¡ªthe difference between the two of them is obvious. But that¡¯s it.¡± A smile spread across Chris¡¯ face.¡°Kraugel¡¯s car is a Chinese car while Grid¡¯s car is a Ferrari.¡±


    They were people who were the most familiar with Grid. Between having talent and being overgeared, which was the higher-level concept? It was being overgeared. Ultimately, it was a fact that being overgeared was the best.


    Grid proved this fact personally. Could he really take out an ordinary sword breaker after directly feeling that his skills were less than Kraugel¡¯s? It was certainly a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, and it wouldplement Grid¡¯s rtively poor technique. Chris was convinced of this.


    On the screen, Grid¡¯s sword breaker shed with Kraugel¡¯s sword. Then something magical happened. The sword breaker pulled at Kraugel¡¯s sword, and it slipped between the grooves in the de.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Hah... What is that effect?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that principle?¡±


    The yers trembled as they made a fuss. The scene was shocking. Jishuka sped her hands together and shouted. Meanwhile, Chris¡¯ eyes widened, and he clicked his tongue. ¡®Is it a Bugatti?¡¯


    ***


    [Blue Dragon Sword Breaker]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 350/350 Attack Power: 695


    * Attack speed increased by 40%.


    * Additional 50% lightning damage.


    * Additional 30% shadow damage.


    * Emits a maic field that has a high probability of attracting sword type weapons.


    * If a sword type weapon is pulled, there will be a decrease in the durability of the target weapon. If the target weapon is below the epic rating, there is a normal chance of the ¡®Weapon Destruction¡¯ skill activating. Weapon Destructionpletely destroys the target weapon regardless of the current durability.


    - A sword produced by the legendary cksmith Grid.


    There are several deep grooves on one side to form a saw de. The purpose is to block and destroy swords. All swordsmen in the world should be afraid.


    The ¡®Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¯ and ¡®Astaroth¡¯s Horn¡¯ has increased the lightning energy to the peak.


    User Restrictions: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery Level 1.


    Weight: 280]


    A sword breaker that shed with blue lightning¡ªits form was far from rigid or sharp. Its de was short and didn¡¯t seem suitable for attack purposes. Due to the fine grooves, the content of iron itself was lowered and the de¡¯s durability seemed poor.


    However, it was enough to be threatening. There was no swordsman who didn¡¯t fear a sword which was born to break swords. Kraugel would¡¯ve felt a great deal of pressure if he were an ordinary swordsman, but he was a Sword Saint. He was the master of swords and could handle thempletely.


    So, he wasn¡¯t shaken. Kraugel unleashed a torrent of swings and pressed Grid back. There was an explosion, and the White Tiger Sword headed toward the right side at the same time. Grid blocked with the Enlightenment Sword and attempted to grab the White Tiger Sword with the sword breaker. It was a quick and ruthless movement. Even so, there was a limit to how fast it could be.


    Kraugel slid down the White Tiger Sword and moved his body close to Grid, striking Grid¡¯s left wrist with his elbow. The sword breaker, which was aiming for the White Tiger Sword, headed toward the ground while Kraugel pushed Grid¡¯s chest with a hard shoulder. Then he raised the White Tiger Sword up again.


    Like a snake, the White Tiger Sword headed toward the Enlightenment Sword. He disturbed Grid¡¯s mental state and shed. Grid backed away. A close-range battle was considered disadvantageous due to the difference in technique. Nevertheless, Kraugel didn¡¯t miss. He clung to Grid fiercely and didn¡¯t give him a chance to wield the swords in both his hands. Kraugel even wielded his fists, and his storm-like swordsmanship at close range caused thementators to fall silent.


    Despite this, Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. He became calmer as Kraugel¡¯s offensive grew fiercer. Most of the experience Grid umted had been from difficultbat. Grid fought better as the situation worsened.


    ¡®Divinity. Item Combination.¡¯Grid gritted his teeth and triggered a skill. Hebined Valha of Infinite Affection that he was wearing with Triple Layers. That¡¯s right. This was thebination of armor and armor. It reduced the physical damage he received by 30%, and any damage from cuts or stabs were reduced by 50%. The passive skill Sword Breaker was also created. The critical features of Triple Layers were added to Valha.


    All of a sudden, Grid¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°...?!¡±Kraugel¡¯s eyes shook the moment he stabbed Grid with the sword.


    [The target has received 3,880 damage.]


    It wasn¡¯t just because the damage was greatly reduced.


    [The durability of the Domineering White Tiger Sword has decreased by 25!]


    The sword which Grid had made and given to Kraugel cried out painfully.


    ¡®The sword breaker option has been added to armor?¡¯


    This was a bit dirty... The momentarily strained Kraugel stepped back. The Blue Dragon Sword Breaker, which had a very short lengthpared to the Enlightenment Sword, struck him. Of course, Kraugel wasn¡¯t beaten easily. He tried to twist the sword breaker¡¯s trajectory by sliding the White Tiger Sword along the edge of the de to avoid the grooves.


    However, it didn¡¯t work the way he wanted. The sword that should be one with him didn¡¯t listen. The White Tiger Sword was pulled by an invisible force and stopped in ce. It engaged with the saw de part, seemingly attracted by a maic force.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Kraugel shivered. The sword breaker made swordsmanship unimportant. It was an absurdity that was even more deadly against those who were at the peak of swordsmanship. This was a predator that could destroy the concept of providence.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    The skill that contained a stifling killing intent fell toward Kraugel¡¯s chest. Kraugel was in a hurry and forcibly pulled the White Tiger Sword away from the sword breaker. However, the price of doing so was great.


    [The durability of the Domineering White Tiger Sword has decreased by 153!]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    How did he lose more than one-tenth durability at once? Kraugel¡¯s expression twisted, and he used Quick Command. The illusion of wings expanded, and he left the position intact. It was the development that Grid had been hoping for.


    ¡°Fly.¡±


    Grid recovered Pinnacle Kill and rose into the air. It wasn¡¯t to keep track of Kraugel. He was targeting the four swords that were fighting the God Hands.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯Kraugel paled as he read Grid¡¯s intentions. Quick Command finished, and he returned to his original spot. Meanwhile, Grid destroyed all four swords facing the God Hands. The newly liberated God Hands fired Magic Missiles at Kraugel. Kraugel triggered Sword Curtain and blocked it.


    Then Grid¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Do you have 30 swords? Take all of them out.¡±


    Grid floated in the sky. His arms were folded as the four golden hands protected him. It was a very familiar look to the public. They felt he had be even more overbearing and arrogant than when he was the Demon King.


    ¡°Transcended Link.¡±


    The storm of energy des swept the ground, and the God Hands holding Mjolnir flew toward Kraugel. Kraugel used True Clouds and Control Sword in an attempt to stop the God Hands, but Grid appeared like a ghost and destroyed all the swords. The fragments of the swords scattered about, reflecting Kraugel¡¯s face like it had been split into hundreds of fragments.


    Kraugel was making an expression he had never shown before. It was a confused expression.


    ¡°...It will soon end.¡±


    The yers sensed it. Their voices were clearly raised. They had seen the ideals they should pursue.

 Chapter 965

    Kraugel¡ªthe one with achievements and a reputation for being beyond humans in different areas¡ªwas running away. He gained as much distance from Grid as possible. From the moment the effectiveness of Control Sword failed, it became hard for Kraugel to handle the four moving golden hands.


    The God Hands wielded the hammer regardless of terrain ornd. In Kraugel¡¯s field of view, Grid moved closer while being covered with the 100% umted fighting energy. Grid now overwhelmed Kraugel in both strength and agility.


    A sword shot out from Kraugel¡¯s inventory. This was the deployment of Control Sword. It shot out and hit Grid. Then it got tangled up with the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker and shattered. Several swords had already disappeared. The battle was outrageously destructive. A more urate representation was that Grid was one-sidedly destroying things. He pushed Kraugel easily with the power of the God Hands while shattering Kraugel¡¯s sword with the sword breaker. Grid was like a god of destruction.


    -...This is being overgeared.


    -Isn¡¯t this a new work created by Grid?I wish he would mass produce it and sell it to me.


    -Then I would sell my house to buy it.


    -Do you live in a house worth 20 billion?


    -Will he even sell it for 20 billion?It is said that the items Grid makes are only distributed within the Overgeared Guild.


    -It is true that if you join the Overgeared Guild...


    -Well, they don¡¯t ept just anyone.


    The public¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t move from Grid¡¯s left hand, which held a sword breaker with blue lightning flowing around it. Today, the sword breaker was the best sword on Earth and the world¡¯s greatest treasure. The object, which had been created by an individual called Grid, was being treated as a masterpiece and coveted by every person who was watching around the world.


    In the waiting room, Peak Sword thought seriously,¡®Grid¡¯s works should be used as the national treasures of South Korea.¡¯ This was why Peak Sword was the chairman of the Patriotic Association of South Korea.


    Another sword was destroyed by the sword breaker. Kraugel suddenly stood still. He gathered strength in his toes and bounced up like a spring.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡®Fast.¡¯ Grid was very surprised as he btedly noticed the situation after breaking a sword. Kraugel used White Light Steps and was instantly in front of Grid. Grid got such a fright that he got goosebumps.


    ¡°Meteor Sword.¡±An intense wave of energy was ejected from the tip of Kraugel¡¯s sword.


    Grid dropped down and stepped onnd. ¡°Kill!¡±


    Under the pressure that was crushing his shoulders, Grid also used a skill. Naturally, it was done with the Enlightenment Sword. The basic damage of the sword breaker was slow, and the penalty it received meant that any skills released wouldn¡¯t show their power properly.


    The collision between Kill and Meteor Sword stirred up the battlefield. Shockwaves extended dozens of meters and knocked down the widely distributed marble columns. However, there was no ceiling here. The fallen pirs were merely ornaments supporting the air.


    ¡°Condemnation Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    That was a skill which Kraugel didn¡¯t abuse initially. It was a fight between skill and skill while mixing inmon attacks. This was the most effective means to utilize the effects of the skills while arranging the cooldowns. Yet, now, Kraugel was linking skills straight away?


    Grid was slightly puzzled but then responded with Drop. Soon afterward, he started the footwork of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. His intuition sent a warning that it was dangerous. In fact, the power of Condemnation Sword was different from Meteor Sword. It was on a level simr to Space Sword.


    The two intertwined sword techniques roared. ck mes and stone pirs appeared in full force. Two God Hands blocked the stone pir that was about to pierce Grid¡¯s side. Then the two God Hands tried to smash Kraugel¡¯s face, only to be blocked.


    After the aftermath of Condemnation Sword and Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle ended, Grid immediately swung the sword breaker to reduce the durability of the White Tiger Sword. Kraugel reversed the White Tiger Sword and removed it from the influence of the sword breaker. He had already found the range of the maic field. Control Sword wasn¡¯t wasted any more.


    The White Tiger Sword aimed at Grid¡¯s corbone. It was the ce where Valha and Triple Layers werebined, and there weren¡¯t as many barbs. The durability of the White Tiger Sword wasn¡¯t reduced. Kraugel raised his knees, pushed Grid away, recovered his White Tiger Sword, and used Space Sword.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯ It was only at this time that Grid could read Kraugel¡¯s intentions. Kraugel started using many skills in order to suppress the efficiency of the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. The sword breaker¡¯s attack power and durability couldn¡¯t afford to go against the skill.


    Even so, there was a limit to his resources. Was it possible to fight with only skills?


    ¡°Freely Move.¡±Grid used the skill attached to the Secret Hero title. Last year, Grid had escaped from Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword with this skill. This time, he nned to approach after avoiding Space Sword and then put an end to the fight using Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle that had its cooldown reset by God¡¯s Command.


    However, Grid failed to evade Space Sword. ¡°...?!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword had been enhanced into a targeting type skill. It was the same as a legendary cksmith reinforcing items by creating, disassembling, modifying,bining, and transforming items. Kraugel could configure his swordsmanship to change or enhance its performance. Last year, the ultimate sword technique that had lost to Freely Move was strengthened into a targeted skill.


    [You have suffered 32,090 damage!]


    [Your left arm has been cut off!]


    [Your agility and strength have drastically dropped due to the loss of one arm!]


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡± Between the earth and sky which were split apart, blood sshed as Grid grabbed his shoulder and fell down. The Blue Dragon Sword Breaker which had pressured Kraugel throughout the battle fell down along with the severed arm. Kraugel didn¡¯t miss this small chance. He rushed toward Grid and swung his sword mercilessly. Every stab or cut shaved at Grid¡¯s health.


    [The target has received 4,120 damage.]


    [The White Tiger Sword¡¯s durability has decreased by 21.]


    [The target has received 4,390...]


    [The White Tiger Sword¡¯s durability...]


    The fragments of the White Tiger Sword mixed together with the red blood that Grid dripped. Grid¡¯s health dropped to the limit, and the White Tiger Sword was also heading toward destruction. The God Hands were once again caught by Kraugel¡¯s Control Sword. The battlefield waspletely reversed.


    ¡º T-This is unbelievable...! ¡»


    ¡º Grid suffered a fatal injury and isn¡¯t even able to resist...! ¡»


    Thementators¡¯ consternation echoed incessantly. Some audience members cheered while others were stunned. In the midst of the chaos, Grid was reminded of Yura¡¯s face.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose.¡¯


    He still remembered how he had gone to his reunion with Yura. Grid had been in a tremendously insecure state. Without her help, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to let go of Ahyoung so easily. Grid remembered when he suffered from hair loss due to tax problems, the hair loss medicine Yura had given him had been as effective as the one Vantner rmended. He was grateful she had been there during his dark times. In fact, he felt that she had saved his youth, and he wanted to hug her.


    ¡®She ran to the broadcasters every time in order to help me.¡¯


    He sometimes dreamed about the pleasant experience of them going to a restaurant together. Grid thought Yura was beautiful and never imagined that she could make such a cute face. For the first time, he became aware that she was younger than him.


    ...He didn¡¯t want to lose her. She should continue being next to him.


    [You have lost 3,250 health.]


    The White Tiger Sword was weakened due to suffering sustained damage to its durability. However, Grid¡¯s status wasn¡¯t great either. The shield effect of the First King title, the healing effect of Tiramet¡¯s Power, and the blood-sucking effect of Cray¡¯s Power¡ªGrid had consumed all the cards he could rely on during the battle that had already run for dozens of minutes.


    Of course, Kraugel was the same. Kraugel had few cards remaining.


    While the chairman of the Daejin Group and president of Daejin Motors shouted, while Yura¡¯s eyes became clouded, and while Chris discussed the Ferrari and Bugatti...


    Both Grid and Kraugel had been fighting without stopping. They fought fiercely and mobilized all means in the process. The two of them didn¡¯t have any cards rted to survival left. Yes, in terms of survival...


    ¡°Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡¯


    The clouds that Kraugel tore through at the beginning of the battle had long been blown away by the wind. New clouds were now in ce and were quite dense. It was enough to gather rain and lightning. In fact, this was what Grid had just seen. This was thanks to the loss of his arm. It was only after this happened that he looked up at the sky.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid had less than 5,000 health remaining. Kraugel was dismayed as he was unable to strike the final blow. A lightning bolt struck the ce where he was standing. It didn¡¯t end with this one blow. Lightning bolts aimed at Kraugel¡¯s crown fell several times after that.


    Kraugel relied on Super Sensitivity to avoid them, allowing Grid to rise from his seat. Grid reimed the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker that was lying on the wet floor. He put the Enlightenment Sword in his mouth and held the sword breaker with the remaining arm.


    Divinity was a skill that removed the casting and cooldown time of cksmithing rted skills. It could only be used once a day, but it could be used up to two times in a single use. This meant he could use it twice.


    ¡®Item Combination.¡¯


    The Enlightenment Sword and Blue Dragon Sword Breaker became one.


    ¡®Item Enhancement.¡¯


    Grid attempted to use all the remaining enhancement scrolls in his inventory. However, he failed because hecked time. Kraugel was already unleashing a series of strikes again. It was virtually impossible to deal with Kraugel while using the weapons enhancement scrolls.


    ¡°Crushing Sword!¡±


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    The sword breaker had be one with the Enlightenment Sword. Now, it became a medium for great skills. Thepletely shattered White Tiger Sword scattered all over the ce, and Kraugel entered the Immortal State. The single-handed Grid might have his stats decreased, but the power of the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword and Item Combination that attacked a target 30 times was enormous.


    Of course, Grid wasn¡¯t safe either. Crushing Sword was a skill that fractured the enemy¡¯s wrist and damaged an item. Grid¡¯s one remaining wrist was hanging limp. His remaining health disappeared, and he entered the Immortal State.


    ¡°Kraugel!!¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Kraugel brought out a new sword to rece the shattered White Tiger Sword. Grid tried to attack him in his defenseless and weaponless state, but his attack speed was slowed due to the fracture. He failed to counterattack, and in that gap, Kraugel once again pulled out a new sword. Once again, a sword was broken.


    Another new sword...


    Then one more broken sword...


    This process repeated a few times, and the duration of Grid and Kraugel¡¯s immortality ended. Concurrently, all the swords that remained in Kraugel¡¯s inventory appeared simultaneously. There were only five swords, but this was threatening enough for Grid. The rain of swords poured toward Grid.


    It was followed by Kraugel. He chanted the ¡®Poem that Praises the Sword¡¯, bing one with the sword as he nned to stab Grid. However, he was blocked.


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    This was a skill that could be called trash if he had low luck. It was the variable called God¡¯s Command. The five swords were smashed by Linked Kill. Meanwhile, Pinnacle fell toward Kraugel¡¯s body that was as solid as steel after bing one with the sword. Kraugel¡¯s vision turned gray, and red letters popped up.


    [The Demon King Subjugation has failed.]


    Grid had won. A thrilled smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he spoke to himself, ¡°Daejin Motors.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±

 Chapter 966

    On the screen, the man left alone looked back at the battlefield. It was a battlefield without a ceiling. The ce, which was filled with marble and ornate carpets, had turned into ruins. The hundreds of pirs supporting the sky had shattered into dust, and the grandiose organ had long be a pile of firewood.


    ¡°...¡±


    Overgeared King Grid...


    Emotions crossed his wounded face as he looked at every corner of the empty battlefield. It was a strange expression like he wouldugh or cry right away. He felt the joy of winning the battle and regret over the contents of the battle, as well as a thrill. A wide variety of emotions crossed his ck eyes. There was a depth in his sunken eyes that caused a sensation among the public.


    There were exmations from all over the stands. Grid was only 30 years old this year. He was a young man who hadn¡¯t hidden his feelings when he first appeared in the world. In just four years, he stood alone after this show. The world held its breath.


    ¡°...Daejin Motors,¡± Grid finally dered.


    The hot chests of the people watching him cooled down.


    -What did he just say?Does he mean to promote apany?


    -...The second Comet Group.


    -I¡¯m tired.


    There was a reason why Grid was the ¡®No. 1 model desired by advertisers¡¯ for four years running despite closing down his advertising activities. It was because he couldpletely capture the advertising industry.


    ***


    The meeting of the Daejin Group employees was turned upside down. Reports were pouring in. It was reported that Daejin Motors upied the top of the real-time search terms on portal sites of the six continents of Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Australia. The entire world was showing interest in Daejin Motors and the Daejin Group.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t matter if it was overwhelmingly negative interest. The noise marketing wasn¡¯t for nothing. It was meaningful that the brand was known all around the world.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The president of Daejin Motors got up and cheered while the presidents of other affiliatedpanies watched him with envy. The excited president of Daejin Motors shouted at Chairman Lee Jinmyung, ¡°As expected of Grid! As your prospective grandson-inw, it is normal for him to do extraordinary things. Still, how did he manage to promote it at such a perfect time...?!¡±


    This was a state of excitement. It was apetition watched by billions of people, and theirpany was promoted at a time when the audience rating was the highest. They enjoyed a publicity effect that couldn¡¯t be bought even if they paid a million dors.


    Unexpectedly, Chairman Lee Jinmyung was calm. After all, he knew that he had to be careful when a big opportunity arrived. He leaned back in the chair and thought intently before saying to the head of the group¡¯s public rtions team, ¡°Don¡¯t release the promotional articles.¡±


    ¡°Huh? U-Understood."


    Right now, the world¡¯s attention was focused on Grid, so it was a perfect opportunity to promote themselves. Grid had refused to be models of globalpanies. Once word spread that he chose Daejin Group, the effect would be an astronomical promotional effect.


    Lee Jinmyung had also agreed only to suddenly change his mind. The head of the PR team was very confused, but he didn¡¯t dare ask for the reason as he got on his phone. The Daejin Motors president asked on behalf of everyone, ¡°It is difficult for me to understand your keen insight. Is it okay to ask what you are nning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to trust Grid. The words from his mouth are worth more than one thousand articles.¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung realized that Grid wasn¡¯t an inexperienced person.He was a talent who managed to ascend in a new society called Satisfy. The chairman thought Grid was a dragon who had been born in Kaechon under the god of luck, but that wasn¡¯t it at all.


    Grid had once described himself as stupid, but it was a terrible humility. Chairman Lee Jinmyung felt certain of it.


    ¡®Grid is a genius.¡¯


    They could take advantage of this situation dramatically. Looking back, the timing of the proposed deal over Yura was very subtle.


    ¡®Those deep eyes...¡¯


    This was a saying that couldn¡¯t be used easily in reality. It was a phrase that would appear in novels. In fact, Chairman Lee Jinmyung had met countless people over the past 70 years, but he had never met anyone with deep eyes. However, the Grid on the screen had deep eyes at the age of 30. The ascension of the dragon wasn¡¯t over yet. Chairman Lee Jinmyung noticed that Grid would reach a much higher level.


    ¡®Maybe he is dreaming of an emperor...¡¯


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung¡¯s old heart was beating quickly. He felt a desire to be Grid¡¯s wings. It wasn¡¯t just because Grid was his granddaughter¡¯s (prospective) husband. He was also attracted to the great individual named Grid.


    ***


    The atmosphere of the awards ceremony for the Demon King Subjugation was like a funeral. The Demon King Subjugation event had ended. The yers had won five gold, silver, and bronze medals. They were rewards for the sess of the four heavenly kings raid and their contribution in the battle against the Demon King. It was the ¡®minimum¡¯ reward guaranteed in the Demon King Subjugation. If they had seeded in the event, three more medals would¡¯ve been added and more yers would¡¯ve been on the podium. It was disappointing for the yers.


    Of course, not everyone felt that way. In the four heavenly kings and Demon King raid, Jishuka achieved the first contribution and won two gold medals. Thanks to her performance, Brazil was ranked ninth overall, so the Brazilians were in a festive mood.


    Canada took second in the overall rankings thanks to Chris, who won one gold medal and one silver medal. The United States secured first in the overall rankings due to the activities of Kraugel and Zibal, and the atmosphere became heated up.


    On the other hand, the people of China were overwhelmed with anger after losing their second ce ranking and falling to fourth ce. The Chinese participants hadn¡¯t won a single medal, so their ranking result was the opposite of Korea¡¯s, whose participants had won one gold medal. South Korea jumped from sixth to third ce.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even get in the top three this year? The continent¡¯s weather has plummeted.¡±


    ¡°Dammit... We were pushed by South Korea...¡±


    ¡°There is no need to me anyone. The yers were pushed by the S.A Group, not because of their abilities. In the first ce, does it make sense for a South Korean yer to y the role of the Demon King? Thepetition itself wasn¡¯t fair. Our China is the true third.¡±


    The doubts and anger of the Chinese were reasonable. Demon King Grid had killed China¡¯s rising star, Mei Xiao, at the beginning of the battle.


    A press conference was held amidst this turmoil. It was a press conference for Yoon Sangmin, the executive director of the S.A Group and a member of the National Competition¡¯smittee. He sat facing nearly one thousand reporters alone and picked up the microphone without the slightest bit of tension.


    A reporter from CMM, thergest US news channel, asked the first question, ¡°Many people are feeling doubts and haveints about giving special benefits to Grid, who yed the role of the Demon King. There is a consensus that the S.A Group is favorable to Korean yers because they are a Koreanpany. How is the S.A Group nning to put theirints to rest?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t ept theints. We didn¡¯t give any preferential treatment to Grid."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We have adopted the Demon King Subjugation as a regr event. It will be held every year in the future and the role of the Demon King will be assigned to a qualified top ranker, just like it was done with Grid this year. There is a use that says a yer who has been the Demon King once can¡¯t do it again. Thus, this is a rification of the misunderstanding that the Demon King Subjugation event was prepared only for Grid.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean next year¡¯s Demon King can get the same rewards as Grid this year?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If they achieve the same results, they will get the same reward. We have determined that the Demon King Subjugation event is suitable for the purpose of ¡®apetition that joins yers together¡¯ and will guarantee many rewards for both yers and the Demon King. We hope that all yers will enjoy it. The National Competition is a festival that promotes harmony in the world.¡±


    ¡°Will they receive the same stats correction?¡±


    ¡°Stats correction?¡±


    ¡°The stats correction Grid received when he took on the role of the Demon King. In fact, most people¡¯s doubts andints were about the stats, rather than the rewards. It is the unanimous reaction from people that an excessive stats correction was the cause of the 1-against-400 victory. Next year¡¯s Demon King will have the same correction effect as Grid¡¯s Demon King, and people willin once again. The Demon King Subjugation will be a festival for the few people ¡®lucky¡¯ enough to be the Demon King.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s funny but you¡¯re mistaken. The correction effect that we gave to the Demon King is the minimum qualification to be called a boss monster¡ªhealth.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± The CMM reporter was confused because of the unimaginable answer. While he was trying to interpret the question correctly, other media reporters quickly spoke up.¡°Does that mean you didn¡¯t give any benefits other than health?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Demon King gains 500,000 health every 10 minutes until the gates guarded by the fourth Demon King are broken through. That is the basic rule for a ¡®raid¡¯, and it is an inevitable benefit.¡±


    ¡°If it is 500,000 health per 10 minutes and the total progress of the raid on the four heavenly kings was one hour and 38 minutes, does that mean Grid had a total of 4.5 million health?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Grid only received 200,000 health per 10 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you just say 500,000?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the basic rule. Next year, the yer who bes the Demon King will get an additional 500,000 health every 10 minutes.¡±


    ¡°No, then why is Grid different with 200,000 health...?¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s subordinates who acted as the four heavenly kings were too strong. We were forced to put constraints on Grid.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    He was so strong that constraints were ced on him...? If the Demon King Subjugation was to be adopted as a regr event and held steadily every year... It meant that Grid alone had fought in a disadvantageous mannerpared to the yers who would be Demon King in the future. They thought Grid had received preferential treatment, but it was reverse discrimination.


    In this sizzling atmosphere, Yoon Sangmin released data rted to the Demon King Subjugation. Grid had only received 200,000 health every 10 minutes. The surprising thing was that the Grid on the screen didn¡¯tin at all. He had been silent throughout the four heavenly kings raid and hadn¡¯t shown any response to the penalty. It was a clear attitude.


    He wouldn¡¯t be the supreme yer if he couldn¡¯t tolerate this much. In fact, he would be ashamed if he didn¡¯t sacrifice this much. Grid seemed to endure it with his spirit.


    ¡°...¡± The press conference was silent. The people around the world watching the press conference were also quiet. All of them were impressed by Grid¡¯s attitude. The one who broke the silence was a Japanese reporter. As soon as he had Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s permission, he carefully asked a question, ¡°You said that the identity of the four heavenly kings are Grid¡¯s subordinates... Are you referring to NPCs owned by Grid?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Did they receive the S.A Group¡¯s support?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is stated in the application form for future ¡®Demon Kings¡¯ that the four heavenly kings must be the yer¡¯s NPCs or pets. They have to use their own power to truly be the Demon King.¡±


    ¡°What correction effect did you give to the four heavenly kings?¡±


    ¡°It is like the Demon King. We gave them extra health to make it a raid. However, the exact correction figure will vary ording to the level of the four heavenly kings. Thus, I can¡¯t tell you the exact amount.¡±


    ¡°The other stats?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing. For reference, the four heavenly kings this year didn¡¯t receive any health correction.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid and the four heavenly kings¡ªthe monsters that killed 100 rankers each had been in their genuine states...? It meant the NPCs owned by Grid were stronger than the 400 rankers. Moreover, wasn¡¯t Grid a king? He wouldn¡¯t only have four NPCs.


    ¡®How much power does Grid have?¡¯


    ¡®Perhaps he can fight the empire?¡¯


    Yoon Sangmin¡¯s press conference was meant to quell the confusion, but it ended up causing greater confusion. The reporters¡¯ minds were filled with Grid. Yoon Sangmin¡¯s press conference wasn¡¯t over yet, but the reporters¡¯ gazes kept shifting toward the clock. They were waiting for Grid to enter the venue after Director Yoon Sangmin.


    However, time flowed too slowly. Not long after the reporters felt like this...


    Yoon Sangmin rose from his seat. Then a handsome Asian man entered the conference. ¡°I am Grid.¡±


    The reporters¡¯ anticipation was heightened because of his determined expression which made him seem like he had something important to say.

 Chapter 967

    ¡°I am Grid,¡± Grid introduced himself in a simple manner and looked around the conference venue. There were maybe over one thousand people...? The reporters filled up the conference room like bean sprouts. Despite this, Grid wasn¡¯t nervous at all. He was ustomed to this kind of situation as the king of a nation.


    Grid leisurely examined the reporters¡¯ faces before pointing to a blonde reporter. ¡°Ask a question.¡±


    The lucky person who got to speak first was a reporter for Canada¡¯s national television station. She didn¡¯t have positive or negative intentions toward Grid. Instead, she just showed her genuine passion as a reporter. That¡¯s why Grid selected her. Grid read the reporters¡¯ different intentions with a quick look and led the press conference to begin smoothly.


    ¡°I am Caroline from the CBC Cultural Department of Canada. First of all, congrattions on your win. Please tell us how you feel about fighting against 400 rankers alone and winning.¡±


    ¡°I am naturally delighted.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect to win from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I was just lucky.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you calling luck?¡±


    First, the timing of Duke of Wisdom¡¯s Magic Contemtion was too good. The yers misunderstood that, so Grid managed to be safe from the magicians throughout the battle. The greater luck was that Kraugel didn¡¯t engage in the fight. However, Grid had no intention of disclosing these facts. He didn¡¯t want to expose his own limitations, and he also didn¡¯t want to raise a topic that would cause Kraugel to be criticized.


    ¡°Noment.¡±


    The question was passed onto the next reporter.¡°Director Yoon Sangmin said that you weren¡¯t given any preferential treatment. The ability to reflect magic and summon the magic machine should be interpreted as your unique ability. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Grid had revealed all of his powers in the Demon King Sjugation. It could be somewhat dangerous, so he started bluffing. He didn¡¯t exin the effect of Duke of Wisdom or that the magic machine was the result of copying rather than summoning. Instead, he just allowed people to keep misunderstanding.


    ¡®In the first ce, they don¡¯t know about the item duplication.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t possible for anyone other than Grid or his aides to understand the concept of duplicating an item.


    Then a sharp question emerged. ¡°The appearance of your magic machine is exactly the same as Zibal¡¯s magic machine. Not only that, the emblem of the empire was carved in the same ce. Doesn¡¯t this mean that Grid¡¯s magic machine was originally owned by the empire? How did you get an empire weapon?¡±


    It was a reasonable question, but he hadn¡¯t predicted it in advance. Grid was struggling to answer when a reporter made a guess.


    ¡°Did you receive a gift when you visited the empire with the emperor¡¯s invitation?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The emperor was crazy enough to give him a gift...? Moreover, it was an ancient artifact? It was absurd, but it wasn¡¯t unfounded. The Saharan Empire had been the first to propose the peace treaty, and Grid had visited the imperial pce at the emperor¡¯s invitation. Was the rtionship between the Saharan Empire and the Overgeared Kingdom more special than the world knew?


    The rtionship between Grid and the emperor couldn¡¯t be simple if the emperor gave Grid a gift. Grid was silent, and the reporters started typing because they interpreted it as a positive response. Articles such as ¡®Grid has the Saharan emperor¡¯s favor?¡¯ and ¡®The Saharan Empire and the Overgeared Kingdom are eternal allies?¡¯ appeared on the Inte.


    ¡®Well... I don¡¯t dislike him.¡¯


    Certainly, Emperor Juander was a person different inparison to what was known. He was a tyrant who dominated the continent in a violent way, but he had also given a great gift to Grid who would someday be his obstacle. The gift was Mercedes the legendary knight. She was much more valuable than the magic machine.


    ¡®To be exact, it wasn¡¯t a gift he gave me.¡¯


    The emperor had sent Mercedes to the Overgeared Kingdom for Piaro, not Grid. Tricked by Great Demon Astaroth, the emperor had dered his friend and loyal knight a traitor. Once he learned the truth, he sent Mercedes to Piaro¡¯s side in the hopes that Piaro could spend hisst yearsfortably.


    Of course, the emperor never imagined that Piaro would be a farmer and living well. Additionally, Piaro was still sharpening his sword of revenge toward the empress.


    ¡®Piaro¡¯s heart isplicated.¡¯


    The third question was from a Chinese reporter. It was a reporter who stared at Grid with grim eyes from beginning to end. ¡°In the early stages of the battle, you used a skill that brought hundreds of yers to their knees. In that short time, you killed yer Mei Xiao. What were your intentions behind this action?¡±


    The Chinese people hated Grid. Having defeated their hero Hao, Grid looked like an eyesore to them as he stood in the position of the greatest. Thus, the Chinese media couldn¡¯t be sympathetic to Grid. The Chinese media criticized Grid ording to public opinion. It was reported that Grid did a malicious act against China by assassinating Mei Xiao.


    Of course, Grid also knew these facts. That¡¯s why he behaved more carefully.¡°Mei Xiao is incredibly good as a new generation yer. Early in the battle, she was one of the most threatening yers, so she was the first target. If I failed to kill her, I definitely would¡¯ve been defeated in the Demon King Sjugation.¡±


    ¡°...Are you acknowledging Mei Xiao¡¯s abilities?¡±


    ¡°I think anyone would acknowledge her considering what she showed at the National Competition this year.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡± The Chinese reported blushed and sat down like he was embarrassed by asking such an obvious question. Then he started to write an article with an excited expression.


    The Chinese people watching the broadcast also softened their hearts. Grid showed a casual expression. He acted like praising Mei Xiao was as natural as flowing water. The Chinese people became aware of two facts. Mei Xiao was a true rising star from China, and Grid had no prejudice or malice toward China.


    -If he hated China, he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Mei Xiao.


    -Grid¡¯s favorite food is jjampong!Chinese noodles!


    -Grid is pro-China.


    -Simple fools.You are deceived by lip service.


    -It is lip service to acknowledge Mei Xiao¡¯s skills?He is telling the truth. Why is it lip service?Aren¡¯t you an offensive jerk?


    Looking at this, the offensive jerks were split up between China and Korea. The friendlier Grid was, the better the situation became. Since the loss of Khan, Grid became even more aware of this important fact. He should refrain from acting emotionally and making too many enemies. The effect was great.


    A reporter from Argentina asked gingerly, ¡°Did you kill Seuron first for the same reason as Mei Xiao?¡±


    ¡®No, it is because Seuron spread rumors about hemorrhoids.¡¯


    ...Grid suppressed the words rising in his throat and barely managed a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was wary of Seuron, who bes stronger as the casualties increase.¡±


    30 minutes passed by. The questions and answered continued for a short period of time.


    ¡°You used a skill two times in a row. What type of ability was involved?¡±


    ¡°I will only say it is a hidden card.¡±


    ¡°Did you promise a one on one match with Kraugel in advance?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It is rumored that there is criticism among a very small number of people in South Korea. They say the overall ranking of South Korea is lowered as a result of you participating in thepetition as an individual rather than as part of South Korea. What do you think about this reaction?¡±


    ¡°I fully understand their feelings.¡±


    ¡°How do you rate Zibal who has returned after a long time?¡±


    ¡°I am impressed with his rapid development. He is one of the yers to be most cautious about.¡±


    ¡°People are calling God of War Ares as the most likely candidate to be the next Demon King. What do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°I also expect Ares to be one of the candidates. The other one is Pope Damian. I think it is really scary if the gates are guarded by Reba¡¯s Daughters.¡±


    ¡°The power of the Overgeared Kingdom has grown over the years. Do you have any ns to expand the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Please only ask questions rted to the National Competition.¡±


    ...And so forth. Time flowed on very smoothly. Reporters asked questions that the audience might be curious about, and Grid responded to them with skill. The ¡®most viewed news¡¯ all over the world was filled with Grid¡¯s press conference.


    The press conference itself ended smoothly. The reporters showed expressions of slight disappointment, but most of them wanted to maintain their rtionship with Grid and didn¡¯t ask any inmmatory questions.


    At this moment, a reporter raised his courage and asked a question, ¡°It is known that Grid has received offers to be an advertising model for Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Maybach, and other luxurious car brands. Then shortly after the Demon King Subjugation ended, you made a remark that suggested you¡¯ve signed a contract with Daejin Motors. Is the reason why they were able to grab you over the world¡¯s best brands rted to yer Yura?¡±


    Daejin Motors had be famous because of Grid¡¯s words. Now, everyone in the world knew the brand Daejin Motors, and they also knew that Yura was the granddaughter of the chairman of the Daejin Group. It was easy to make the rtionship between Grid, Yura, and Daejin Motors. Still, the reporters hadn¡¯t asked tantly because it was a personal question. Indeed, the sharp-eyed staff members were trying to pull away the American reporter who asked the rude question.


    However, Grid stopped them. Surprisingly, Grid had been waiting for this question.


    He faced the dozens of cameras lined up like a wall and pulled out the answer he had prepared. ¡°I chose Daejin Motors because I personally like the new luxury King General Sys from Daejin Motors. Originally, I was going to sign with a supercar that you know well. Then I happened to walk past a Daejin Motors car dealership and saw the King General Sys on disy. I entered the sales office in a bewitched manner and tried it out with the rmendation of a friendly staff member. It was unbelievably beautiful and drove well. Of course, there was a part that was regrettable. It was released as a luxury brand, but the price was quite inexpensivepared to the world¡¯s top three cars. Thus, some of the specifications didn¡¯t satisfy me 100%. I wanted to have a King General Sys and put in an inquiry with Daejin Motors.¡±


    ¡°...What was the inquiry?¡±


    Grid was openly doing promotion. The reporters knew the truth but had to ask the question. This was why Grid stopped talking at that part. Grid looked somewhat excited as he said, ¡°Daejin Motors were willing to design the God General Sys just for me. I was impressed by the prompt customer service of Daejin Motors and decided to be their model.¡±


    ¡°...¡±The atmosphere of the press conference became awkward.


    ¡°What is the God General Sys? Did we decide to make it for Grid?¡±The Daejin Group employees doubted their memories. Grid was so earnest that it was confusing whether it was fiction or fact.


    The president of Daejin Motors started sweating. ¡°...We need to make it.¡±


    ¡°It is a car that the whole world will be interested in. It needs the best design and specs that aren¡¯tckingpared to the Rolls-Royce.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Along with protecting his valuable colleague, Grid got the advertising fees and a new car. Of course, the Daejin Group enjoyed astronomical advertising, so it wasn¡¯t a loss.


    ¡®This great guy is helping me?¡¯


    After the press conference, Grid came out of the conference room and found Yura waiting for him. Had she been crying? Her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Her appearance stimted his protective instincts.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±Grid couldn¡¯t help reaching out.


    ¡°Would you like to eat ramyun in my room?¡± Yura suggested.


    Click.Click click!


    The reporters who left the conference room one stepter than Grid let out a burst of camera shes.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Unlike the embarrassed Grid, Yura stood close to him. The reporters looked like they had gained a scoop.


    Peak Sword watched from a distance and asked Coke, ¡°If Yura and Jishuka fight, who will win?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even dare imagine such a thing...¡±

 Chapter 968

    ¡®Did shee directly?¡¯


    Grid naturally wanted to contact Yura first. However, after the Demon King Subjugation ended, he was confronted with the Overgeared members who hade to the waiting room. Spending time with friends he hadn¡¯t met for a year in reality was also important to Grid. Then there was the inevitable press conference.


    In the end, Grid had dyed making contact with Yura. He had meant to finish this press conference and go talk to her directly. There were many things he wanted to say. His heart was filled with a sincerity and warmth that had to be expressed.


    ¡®Don¡¯t quit the game...¡¯


    Yet Yura came here directly. In the midst of a jungle filled with beasts hungry for a scoop, their prey appeared on her own.


    ¡°Would you like to eat ramyun in my room?¡±


    Click!Click click!


    It was as expected. There was a baptism of camera shes as soon as Yura spoke. Grid frowned as he turned toward the shes. Yura had suffered tremendous psychological pressure throughout the National Competition, and now she was being bullied by reporters. Furthermore, the current Yura had red eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying. He didn¡¯t know what type of rumors would spread if this photo were published in the articles.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an official schedule right now. Isn¡¯t it necessary to get permission before taking photos?¡± Grid hid Yura behind his back and red at the reporters. He had lived as the Overgeared King and was ustomed to such things. The aura of a lion shot forward. The surprised reporters seemed to take a step back.


    Click!Click click!


    It onlysted for a moment though. The reporters weren¡¯t in their right minds at the moment. Yura¡¯s face was pale, and she seemed to exist alone in a world bathed in moonlight. It felt like the world was falling apart every time her eyes shook. The peerless beauty of South Korea had awakened. Yura was a universal beauty when she smiled, but she became more than that when she looked sad. Regardless of their gender, the reporters were fascinated by her and were ready to sell their country if she gave an order.


    ¡°Everyone, if you don¡¯t act in moderation... What...?¡±


    It was like seeing fanatics! The breathing of the reporters became rougher, and their eyes were bloodshot as they focused the camera on Yura. Grid felt like he had entered the world of a zombie movie.


    ¡°yer Yura! You put on a great performance in this year¡¯s National Competition but refused most interviews! Can I ask if there is a problem?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you will humiliate yourself when you encounter yer Zibal again at next year¡¯s PvP?¡±


    ¡°Why did youe here by yourself? Did youe to pick up yer Grid?¡±


    ¡°Is your beauty evolving every day because of love? It has been four years since the rumors of a love affair with yer Grid. Have you been dating steadily?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you break up?!!¡±


    ¡°When will you break up?¡±


    They asked questions rted to the National Competition, but then they brought up personal history. The reporters were going wild. They were halfway insane.


    ¡®No, how many times do I have to say that we aren¡¯t dating?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t dating anyone! Yura and Jishuka weren¡¯t his lovers! Grid had said this hundreds of times over the past four years, but nobody believed him. No matter how much Grid denied it, Yura was often spotted alone with him in reality while Jishuka was often with him in the game.


    Furthermore, Grid didn¡¯t know it but Yura and Jishuka had never denied the dating rumors with Grid. Grid thought that he had to nail in the point once again. He didn¡¯t want the number of anti-fans to grow. Dammit! He had never even held their hands...


    Well, no, he held their hands and supported them by the waist when they were drunk. In any case, it wasn¡¯t fair for Yura and Jishuka when they weren¡¯t actually in a rtionship. Grid prepared himself mentally and shouted, ¡°We aren¡¯t dating!¡±


    Click!Click click!


    ¡°Not dating!!¡±


    Click click!


    ¡°Yura and I aren¡¯t dating!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He shouted it as loudly as possible a few times. Then the camera shes finally stopped. Other people dreamed of having a scandal with Yura while Grid was stubborn about his rtionship with her. He even denied it. In retrospect, he had done this every time. The first few times, they thought he was just shy and embarrassed. Now that they saw Yura standing there like a stone statue without any light in her eyes...


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that Grid rejected Yura?¡¯


    A man rejected Yura...? This was nonsense. It was something that was impossible. The shocked reporters examined Yura¡¯splexion. She was already pale, but her face seemed to be even more transparent. It seemed to be proof of the reporters¡¯ doubts.


    ¡°...¡±


    The reporters¡¯ heads cooled, and they quietly lowered their cameras. The staff members also tried to turn off therge cameras for broadcast that were installed in the rear. They judged that it was dangerous to dig into this personal history. If Grid and Yura were lovers as rumored, there was some room to get away with things. However, if it was different from the rumors, it would be a nightmare for the reporters. In the midst of the awkward silence...


    ¡°You are correct. We are only colleagues, not lovers.¡± Yura started talking for the first time.Her voice was as beautiful as her face, and it made the reporters feel like they were sitting on a cloud. ¡°I know that Grid also has a simple rtionship of being colleagues with Jishuka. Am I right?¡±


    From beginning to end, Yura had only watched Grid even when the reporters appeared, and her eyes were still fixed on Grid now.


    Grid knew this was the golden opportunity to clear up all misunderstandings and smiled widely. ¡°That¡¯s right! It is correct! I¡¯m not dating Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°So¡ª¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I going to challenge it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to be your lover.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Eh?¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid never imagined he would receive this sudden confession. His cognitive ability couldn¡¯t follow the situation. The wide smile was still on his face. On the other hand, the reporters were once again raising their cameras. Yura didn¡¯t restrain them. It was because she was a coward. If she let this moment pass, she wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the same courage again.


    As the reporters watched, Yura took a deep breath and repeated, ¡°Please date me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her ears were red. The reporters btedly noticed that Yura¡¯s beautiful eyes and voice were shaking. Everyone knew how much courage it was taking her to say this. Without realizing it, they were cheering for her.


    ...Well, except for one person.


    ¡°A-Are you crazy?¡±


    It was Grid. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like Yura. He had a good feeling toward Yura from the day he first met her. Over the next five years, she became more and more likeable to him. To be clear, Grid had good feelings toward Yura. Putting aside her appearance, all her actions toward him had been excellent.


    Nevertheless, there were too many things he couldn¡¯t understand. She was a peerless beauty. Her personality, wealth, and education were all outstanding. Why would such a great woman confess to him? Additionally, why would she do it here where reporters from all over the world were gathered like dogs? Grid felt like this moment wasn¡¯t real. It seemed like a dream.


    Click click!


    The reporters started taking photos again. There were also many reporters shooting videos. The nk Grid suddenly came to his senses. Yura¡¯s face was beet red while her trembling eyes kept swiveling around. Her breathing was rough, and she was sweating. She was almost having a panic attack. Even so, she stared straight into Grid¡¯s eyes. Her eyes were eager but sad as she conveyed her sincerity.


    Grid could no longer turn away from reality. It wasn¡¯t easy to understand, but Grid had to be serious the moment he knew her heart.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the hotel first.¡±Grid grabbed Yura¡¯s small and soft hand before leading her away.


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Click!Click click!The speed of the shing elerated. How good did Grid feel now? Maybe ie was because he had no experience with holding the hand of the opposite sex.


    The reporters wanted to capture Yura¡¯s cute look as she turned redder after Grid held her hand.


    ¡°Chase them.¡±


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Peak Sword, Toon, Coke¡ªthe three men watching from one side of the hallway ran through the reporters. They nned to safely escort Grid and Yura back to the hotel. There was a wide smile on the faces of Peak Sword and Toon. Grid and Yura seemed like cute children, so they felt somewhat proud.


    ***


    Yura¡¯s room:


    It took over 20 minutes for Yura¡¯s breathing to stabilize.


    ¡°Are you calm now?¡±Grid smiled as he sat in front of Yura with warm tea.


    Yura nodded with a red face. ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I have a question. Why the hell do you like me?¡± Yura had formally requested to date him. Grid knew it meant she liked him, and it wasn¡¯t as a friend or colleague. ¡°An ugly, stupid, and bad-tempered person like me... Why would you like such a person?"


    Grid swallowed back the words ¡®a woman like you¡¯ as it might seem prejudiced against her. He tried to think as objectively as possible. It was hard to understand why this woman would like him. Of course, maybe it was due to his resources. There were many people fascinated by the character of Overgeared King Grid.


    Yet what about Shin Youngwoo himself? In Grid¡¯s experience, Shin Youngwoo had never been attractive. Shin Youngwoo was different from Grid.


    ...Shin Youngwoo was a man who had never been loved before. There were many women whoughed, cried, or even avoided him because his facial appearance was ugly and disgusting. The women who didn¡¯t avoid himughed and ridiculed him. Thinking about it now, it wasn¡¯t just a matter of appearance. His dark and selfish personality created a fundamental wall.


    At one time, he thought that such a negative personality was created by the world but not anymore. It was his nature. Look at Damian. He had liked anime and action figures since he was a kid and was bullied. Despite this, he was still so bright. Damian was loved by everyone.


    ¡°...¡±Grid¡¯s expression distorted as he recalled the past. There were still wounds deeply embedded in his heart. They kept aching despite being wounds which had healedpletely, apart from a few slight traces.


    Then Yura¡¯s voice came from her seat opposite Grid, ¡°At first, it was just curiosity. It was during the days when I believed I was the best. I was interested in the person who didn¡¯t fall in the end despite looking weaker than me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Doran and Irene rescue operation¡ªthis was back when Yura was still a Yatan Servant. ¡®Immortality¡¯ had been an unknown concept at the time, so it wasn¡¯t strange for Yura to be intrigued.


    ¡°Later on, I feltpassion and empathy for you. I came to know your past that was filled with misfortune and unhappiness. I wanted there to be someone else in the world who loved only ¡®themselves¡¯ and tried to help. I watched you asionally. Then I discovered it. You are fundamentally different.¡±


    Yura had lost her parents at a rtively early age and was alone in the world. She had witnessed how her grandfather had not shed a single tear at her parent¡¯s funeral, and she had felt a terrible loneliness while being forced into an unwanted future. All types of pain were rooted deep within her heart.


    ¡°I was busy healing my wounds. I only loved myself and trampled others to turn away from reality.¡± Yura had destroyed the lives of countless people as Yatan¡¯s Servant. Among them were Grid and Irene, and she was even afraid to mention the name ¡®Doran.¡¯ ¡°But you... You might¡¯ve been in greater pain and loneliness than me, yet you always fought to protect me.¡±


    ¡°That is a stretch. Now you¡¯re only talking about a part of me. The things that you like about me are illusions caused by misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°No,¡±Yura stated as she put down her cup. Her eyes were no longer shaking. It was because she glimpsed Grid¡¯s self-me. She said firmly to Grid, ¡°The things I said were just an instrument. The reason I like you is because you are Shin Youngwoo. Your tone, your smell, your personality, your habits, your facial expressions, and your face...¡±


    They were all the things he hated.


    ¡°I like all of them.¡±


    A five-year rtionship was not short, and Yura had seen many aspects of Grid in thest five years. Thus, she liked him.


    ¡°...¡± Grid¡¯s heart started to thump. Now, Yura was looking at himpletely. There was a bright smile on her face. Had she ever shown such a bright smile before? She looked more beautiful than ever, and Grid lost his soul momentarily.


    ¡°Do you know...? This is my first time saying it since finding out the truth... Well, you look really surprised.¡±


    The nonsense entered his ears. Grid shook his head and smiled. ¡°You are blinded.¡±


    ...He couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Irene¡¯s face crossed his mind. There was a sense of guilt.


    Yura saw his lost expression and got up.¡°I didn¡¯t mean to embarrass you. I just want you to know that I like you.¡±


    Her answer meant that it was okay to slow things down.


    ¡°By the way... why are you holding a pot in your hand?¡± Grid asked.


    ¡°I want to boil ramyun.¡±


    ¡°Ramyun? Can you boil it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a recipe in the packet. I just need to wash the noodles and follow them.¡±


    ¡°Wash? Hey, give me that! Don¡¯t squeeze the detergent and put it down!¡±


    ¡°The guest should sit quietly.¡±


    It felt like the around Grid¡¯s heart had disappeared. Yura¡¯s bright expression had been hard to see until now. Still, she should give him the ramyun packet first.

 Chapter 969

    Sigh...Sigh...


    Slurp.Haaah...


    ¡°This is really...¡± Yura¡¯s sweaty face was filled with pleasure. ¡°It is really too delicious.¡±


    Yura sucked up thest of the noodles. She didn¡¯t know that instant noodles could be so delicious. Yura had never gotten the chance to experience it previously, so she didn¡¯t know ramyun could be this delicious despite having read about it. Now that she tried it, she found itparable to the chewy noodles and cool broth made by the chef of a five-star hotel. The vor of the slightly unfamiliar seasoning stimted the tip of her tongue, and a chill went down her spine.


    ¡°Additionally, you don¡¯t need to wash ingredients and can cook it right away... It is simple...¡±


    Feeling impressed, Yura wiped at her mouth with a napkin. It was a graceful gesture. It didn¡¯t seem like she was eating Korean style Chinese food in a hotel but rather a fancy restaurant in France. On the other hand, Grid had the atmosphere of a local Korean restaurant. He buried his face in the bowl and was gulping down the soup.¡°Kyah~ good.¡±


    Grid truly admired the taste of the ramyun he made. The amount of water had been just right, the eggs had been ced 1 minute and 45 seconds before turning off the fire, and the scallions had been ced eight seconds before turning off the fire. The perfect trinity was fulfilled, and this was the ideal ramyun taste.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this steady progress?¡¯


    Certainly, he had grown. He was confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose in a ramyun cookingpetition against a Michelin three-star chef. Grid was seriously distressed.


    ¡®Once I go back to South Korea, shall I cook jjampong?¡¯


    Would it be more delicious than the jjampong ordered from a Chinese restaurant?


    ¡®Umm....¡¯


    Preparing food ingredients and investing time and energy in cooking¡ªthe original Grid would¡¯ve been reluctant to do that. Now, Grid watched Yura¡¯s face as she sat opposite him. He watched a person precious to him eat his cooking (?) and thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to take up cooking as a hobby in the future.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Yura grabbed a new napkin and wiped at Grid¡¯s mouth. A flowery scent struck the tip of Grid¡¯s nose.


    ¡°...¡± Grid was worried about blushing. He was unable to calm his wild heart and sprang up from his seat. ¡°Yura...!¡±


    ¡°Yes...? Yes!¡± Yura was startled because Grid suddenly got up and called her name. She saw the red-faced Grid breathe out from his nose.


    Gulp. Yura swallowed her saliva. This was the Ramyun Effect that she had often heard about in dating. She had been hoping for this moment, but she had no experience with dating. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help being afraid. The moment Yura was trying to make a determined effort¡ª


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid hurriedly left Yura alone and headed to the bathroom, then he checked the mirror right away. He was worried that he had chili powder on his teeth. However, Grid¡¯s teeth were healthy and had no gaps. Thus, it wasn¡¯t easy for foreign matter to get caught. His white teeth were glistening.


    ¡®Am I handsome?¡¯Grid rinsed his mouth and carefully examined himself in the mirror.


    It seemed there was no difference between his current appearance and his appearance in the extremely honorable painting. He had treated the painting as a post-processed photo while Lauel, the Overgeared members, Irene, and Lord had been amazed by it without showing any resistance.


    ¡®Certainly, I often think I look better than before.¡¯


    He had been exercising steadily for four years. Compared to the days when he didn¡¯t exercise, his facial features had filled out and he now looked good. The biggest change was his smooth skin that didn¡¯t show any signs of e. He had sweated for four years without missing a single day, and his skin had improved from excreting all the waste. Of course, sweating wasn¡¯t enough for everyone to have better skin.


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid tried all types of poses. He tried a pose that showed off his wide shoulders, waist, and side.


    ¡®...I look cool.¡¯ A wide smile spread over Grid¡¯s face. His self-esteem rose sharply as he gained confidence in his appearance.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Grid washed his hands and touched his hair roughly. Literally, he was being really rough. He swiped through his hair three or four times. Despite this, Grid¡¯s hairstyle was wonderful like the hairdressers of a Cheongdamdong beauty salon had touched it. It made his appearance even more brilliant. It was the same reason why he made ramyun well. This was the power of his dexterity. From the moment he connected to the game, he had worked without resting, and his delicate finger movements were engrained into his ¡®muscle memory¡¯. These habits were partly expressed in reality.


    Grid emerged from the bathroom and headed to the living room, only to let out an impressed sound, ¡°Wow...¡±


    This was because the sight of Yura sitting in the sunlight in the living room was as beautiful as a painting. It had been a few years already, but he still couldn¡¯t adapt to her beauty and lost his soul for a moment.


    ¡®She has be prettier.¡¯


    By the way... It seemed that she changed into a new attire? He remembered that she was originally wearing jeans and a sweater, but she was now wearing a one-piece dress. Looking like the main protagonist of a movie, Yura¡¯s long white legs caught Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Are you going out?¡±Grid asked as he sat across from her.


    Yura shook her head with a red face. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She probably just wanted to rx in afortable outfit. Grid thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal and checked her schedule, ¡°When are you going back to South Korea?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to match Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s schedule. Take my ne.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. A private ne is veryfortable.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me and I¡¯ll lend it to you at any time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    In fact, Grid had worried about whether he should buy a private ne or not. He thought it would be better to have one when considering the benefit of convenience for his family. However, the prices of the nes varied depending on the model, model year, and interior design. The one that Grid wanted was worth over 100 billion won. Of course, he could buy it if he wanted to, but it was psychologically burdensome to spend such arge amount of money at once.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m thankful. I don¡¯t need it often, but I¡¯ll ask if I have to send my parents overseas.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Yura¡¯s eyes brightened the moment Grid mentioned his parents.


    Grid looked at her strangely ambitious figure and carefully brought up a topic, ¡°Did your grandfather call?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. He promised to no longer discuss the issue of inheriting thepany. It is all thanks to you.¡±


    Yura had heard the details from her grandfather. Once she learned that Grid had tried so hard for her, she was happy and grateful enough to weep. Then a long conversation ensued. Yura confided in Grid about what had happened between her parents and her grandfather. She told him about how she wanted to fulfill her father¡¯s wish and that she would do it through Satisfy.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi protected my dream. I¡¯ll repay the favor, even if it takes the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Just stay by my side, and it will be enough.¡±


    ¡°By your side...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s work hard to grow the Overgeared Guild together.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As expected, it would be hard to hear an answer today. Yura knew his heart, but she still felt greatly disappointed upon hearing Grid¡¯s response. However, she couldn¡¯t rush people¡¯s hearts. She fully understood Grid¡¯s position and vowed to wait. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    There shouldn¡¯t be any guests, but Yura got up as the sound of the bell rang out. It was then that she made a mistake. Her grandfather had acknowledged her right to her own life, and she had confessed her heart to Grid. She hadn¡¯t done much today, so why had a great deal of her energy been consumed? The moment she got up from the couch, Yura felt dizzy and fell sideways.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Grid hurried over and helped her up. His big hands covered her waist and neck, and the expression in Yura¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°Youngwoo-ssi...¡±


    Gulp.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen! Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He felt like he was going crazy because Yura¡¯s face was right in front of him. Grid couldn¡¯t repress his boiling desire, and he felt like the tightly pulled line was breaking. Irene¡¯s appearance dimmed for a moment. Grid lost control, and his eyes focused on Yura¡¯s lips.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Then the front door suddenly opened. Feeling startled, Grid and Yura hurriedly pulled apart and turned toward the door. Grid immediately recognized the uninvited guest. His eyes were fixed on a certain part of the uninvited guest, and he hadn¡¯t even looked at the face yet. Grid was astonished as he btedly confirmed the identity of the uninvited guest. ¡°Jishuka?¡±


    ¡°Hello? What are the two of you doing?¡±


    ¡°Uh... T-That...¡± Grid tried to exin.


    Meanwhile, Yura¡ªwho was still breathing hard¡ªopened her mouth and asked, ¡°By the way, how did you get in here?¡±


    Jishuka smiled and pulled something out of her pocket. It was a knife.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Huh, this isn¡¯t it.¡± She put the knife away and pulled out a master key from her other side pocket. ¡°This hotel is part of a chain my father owns. I used some of my connections. Is there anybody who doesn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Yura and me? I was worried because I couldn¡¯t get in touch with my friend. Thus, he handed me the key.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, what were the two of you doing?¡±


    Was it possible to burn people with only a gaze? As he faced Jishuka¡¯s eagle eyes, Grid thought it was certainly possible. There was an awkward silence before Jishuka suddenly brought up some news, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to move to South Korea today. There is a rat who is an eyesore.¡±


    Jishuka stared at Yura like she was going to eat her. The leopard-like spirit stretched out, but Yura didn¡¯t shrink back at all. Instead, she said, ¡°Wee to South Korea. I¡¯m looking forward to the National Competition next year.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to expect. I will participate in the same events as you, so the total amount of medals won¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Are you being affected by personal feelings? It is an unprofessional attitude.¡±


    ¡°Unprofessional? I¡¯m not getting paid to y the game. Who is a pro? I just do whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°It is about basic responsibility. As the representative of our country, we have to distinguish between private and public matters.¡±


    ¡°You are talking about responsibility even though you acted so shamelessly.¡±


    Sparks flew as Yura and Jishuka red at each other. Grid was in the middle and couldn¡¯t regain his reason.


    ¡®When did their rtionship be so bad?¡¯


    ***


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    It was after the end of the 4th National Competition. Kraugel went straight to the best spearsman on the continent, Kirinus. He was a person Kraugel had met during the course of his ss quest. Kirinus, who had been chopping firewood, recognized Kraugel and said, ¡°It will be much easier and faster to be stronger if you chase Muller¡¯s shadow instead of taking this stubborn and slow path.¡±


    Kraugel fell to his knees. ¡°Sword Saint Muller said there were times when even he relied on a spear.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the sword, not the spear, is the strongest weapon.¡±


    ¡°I still want to learn the spear.¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t effective because of a single item¡ªBlue Dragon Sword Breaker. Now Kraugel realized that there wasn¡¯t only one road. Just as Grid used a variety of weapons depending on the situation, Kraugel believed that he should be able to handle a variety of weapons. He was also qualified.


    ¡°You have finally received enlightenment. Yes, the process of training is different, butbat eventually boils down to one thing. The process is just as important as the oue. I will honor the reputation of the Sword Saint and respect your will.¡±


    [A hidden quest has been created!]


    Three years... It was a quest that required him to stay in one ce for a whole three years. The quest meant his level was likely to stagnate. However, Kraugel epted the quest without hesitation.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t want to lose to his onlypetitor, Grid. He wanted to maintain his rtionship with Grid forever by constantly advancing and demonstrating his skills.

 Chapter 970

    One day passed after the end of the National Competition. In the meantime, all the media outlets in South Korea and elsewhere were focused on Yura¡¯s public confession. Public interest soared into the sky, and Grid and Yura¡¯s story spread on the Inte and SNS sites 24 hours a day.


    -Aren¡¯t Grid and Yura arriving today?


    -I guess they finally decided to go out.


    -Ah, I¡¯m envious.


    -We have to cheer for them.How much courage did it take Yura to confess...?


    -That¡¯s right.This is the true attitude of a fan.


    The news of Grid and Yura¡¯s arrival caused thousands of people to flock to Incheon International Airport. Broadcasters, reporters, and even ordinary people came to the airport to see the main characters. Unlike Grid¡¯s worries, the people didn¡¯t curse at him. Instead, they cheered for Yura¡¯s courage while epting that Grid was worthy of being confessed to.


    Once Grid¡¯s group actually appeared, the atmosphere cooled down sharply. The people calling Grid¡¯s and Yura¡¯s names shut up, and the reporters clicked their tongues. The reason was that Grid didn¡¯te with Yura alone; he was also with Jishuka. Jishuka¡¯s arms were tightly linked with Grid¡¯s arm.


    -...?.?


    -Grid, that XXX...


    The moment Grid¡¯s entry was ryed to the world in real time, and he got 10 million anti-fans. Grid got a chill down his spine as he faced the crowd with the two girls. He felt that the many people gathered at the airport were sending hostility and killing intent toward him.


    ¡®...This is a sign of friendship.¡¯


    Jishuka was a close friend and colleague, so she hugged his arm. Yes, this was friendship, not affection. Yet he was currently receiving killing intent because he was mistaken as having the affection of two girls...?


    ¡®It is unfair...¡¯


    Jishuka didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s feelings and smiled deeply as she attached herself more closely to Grid. Yura suspected that Jishuka was the one who released the information of when they were returning.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s Vige¡ªthis was the name that people given the area where the streets had evolved after Grid¡¯s building waspleted. There were six high-rise buildings finishing their construction next to Grid¡¯s building, and one of them belonged to Jishuka.


    ¡°It is a good ce.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s building was right next to Grid¡¯s building. Based on the structure, Jishuka also seemed to be using the penthouse as a home like Grid. It was too open though.


    ¡®The distance in between is short, and the exterior walls are in ss? If I turn on the lights at night, my ce can be seen.¡¯


    The garden and swimming pool werepletely exposed. The structure of Grid¡¯s ce meant people could peek in with one nce. Why did he ce a high wall on the other side but not this side? Grid cocked his head and asked, ¡°It will bepleted in a fortnight?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thus, I need to ask for a ce to stay during the fortnight. South Korea is still strange and a bit scary for a woman alone... I¡¯ll probably stay at a hotel.¡±


    ¡°Why bother with a hotel? Come to my ce. There is plenty of room.¡±


    This was a friend who had flown in from farawaynds. He was willing to offer his house to her as a courtesy. A bright smile emerged on Jishuka¡¯s beautiful face.


    ¡°Thank you, Grid!¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t hug me so suddenly!¡±


    ***


    Grid was very exhausted. He provided a room and meals to Jishuka but lost his energy after just one day.


    ¡®Do all South American women dress like this at home...?¡¯


    The absent-minded Grid sat in the capsule for a while before banishing his thoughts and logging in. It had been almost two days since he connected to the server. Grid first went to Irene. It was because Irene¡¯s image had blurred since Yura confessed to him.


    He was confused. Satisfy and reality were disconnected worlds. Should he feel guilty toward Irene because he liked Yura in reality? If he cheated on Irene because she only existed in Satisfy, could he really be confident that he loved her?


    ¡°...¡±


    Upon arriving at the pce, he saw Irene¡¯s beautiful side profile standing in the garden as she overlooked the pool. She was now older than him. Grid¡¯s heart hurt like his chest had been torn open.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±Irene discovered Grid and ran over.


    Grid smiled bitterly as he approached and hugged her tightly.¡°There are many things I want to tell you and stories that I want to hear. Let¡¯s chat all night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Irene buried her face in Grid¡¯s chest andughed like the happiest person in the world. Grid held her tightly and realized... He couldn¡¯t betray her.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty... There are too many eyes watching.¡±


    Irene used to like this a few years ago, but she was older now and had to be careful of her dignity. Out of nowhere, Grid shouted in a loud voice, ¡°I! Love! Irene!¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty.¡± Irene blushed as she smiled at him, and they exchanged nces. The king and queen who loved each other deeply always set an example. That evening...


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed since the first day we met.¡± Irene paused as she walked through the garden with Grid. She had seen the depths hidden in Grid¡¯s smile. The current Grid had a simr look to when he had been momentarily shaken by Sua. ¡°I am mortal. I can¡¯t stand by Your Majesty¡¯s side forever.¡±


    ¡°Irene, what are you saying all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I want Your Majesty to meet a woman who can be with you forever.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°I am sincerely saying this because I love Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Their times flowed differently. He was already prepared for it, but he felt frightened and resentful of her determination. Grid saw the sadness and determination in Irene¡¯s blue eyes and vowed to never love an NPC again. Then he wept without realizing it.


    ***


    Three days after the end of the National Competition, the world¡¯s messages appeared in front of Lauel¡¯s eyes as he was working.


    [The marine Media Kingdom was destroyed.]


    [The Saharan Empire has absorbed all the territories and rights of Media.]


    [The survivors of Media have a great grudge against the Saharan Empire. Their desire for vengeance willst forever.]


    [The Saharan Empire¡¯s momentum is rising sharply in a terrible manner! For the next 10 days, yers from the Saharan Empire will gain an extra 10% experience and an extra 5% chance to acquire items.]


    ¡®Media?¡¯


    Media was a kingdom that Lauel had visited because the Behen Archipgo was located there. It was a small and beautiful kingdom with a considerable amount of wealth umted. Despite having been predicted to possess a significant number of elite troops, it had been destroyed overnight.


    ¡®Did they use the magic machines?¡¯


    Lauel convened an emergency meeting. A whisper arrived as he was waiting for the 10 meritorious retainers. The person who sent the whisper was a big shot¡ªthe God of War, Ares.


    -You can rest assured because my yers have gained the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes first.


    ¡®What are the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes?¡¯


    It was the first time Lauel had heard of them, but there was nothing good about exposing the absence of information.


    -So?What is your purpose? Lauel inquired indifferently.


    Ares replied, -I¡¯m hoping forpensation.Reduce the price of the weapons that are traded with us by four times.


    Since Grid received Hexetia¡¯s blessing, many cksmiths had migrated to the Overgeared Kingdom, and Lauel had thoroughly taken advantage of this. He almost exclusively monopolized the items market and received profit by raising prices. Frankly, it was a huge blow to Valha. It led to a situation where Valha couldn¡¯t properly arm the soldiers they recruited because the value of the items had increased by three times. Even if they used all the kingdom¡¯s money to purchase weapons, it would be insufficient.


    Criticisms toward the Overgeared Kingdom and Lauel came from all over the continent. However, Ares never condemned the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid had helped him in the past. However, Ares was also the king of a kingdom and couldn¡¯t keep being held back...


    ¡®imingpensation?¡¯ Lauel¡¯s brain worked quickly. The destruction of Media, the empire that destroyed Media, and the White Dragon¡¯s eyes...


    ¡®The reason the empire invaded Media was to get the item called the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes. If the empire managed to get the eyes, it would¡¯ve harmed us...¡¯


    It was imperative to learn about the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes.


    -I will contact you after discussing it with King Grid.


    -I will be expecting a positive answer.


    Despite Lauel¡¯s reserved words, Ares withdrew without hesitation. It was an attitude that said his side held the cards. Lauel found it strange and immediately went to Sticks. The great sage Sticks was a cheat key. He naturally knew about the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes.


    ¡°The White Dragon¡¯s Eyes can reflect all types of powers.¡±


    ¡°All types of powers?¡±


    It was a hugely fraudulent item. Consequently, it was natural for the empire to covet it. So why did Valha intercept and take it? Why did Ares talk aboutpensation? Lauel returned to the conference room and consulted with the 10 meritorious retainers, but it was difficult to determine the answers.


    Two hourster, Faker reported to him, ¡°Media salvaged the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes 10 days ago and the empire immediately obtained the information. Media tried to conceal it, but it was impossible to avoid the empire¡¯s intelligencework.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Why did the empire covet it so much that they destroyed a kingdom with hundreds of years of history overnight? Lauel struggled for dozens of minutes before looking like he was hit by lightning.


    ¡°...The evil eyes¡¯ king!¡±


    ¡°...?¡± The 10 meritorious retainers were confused.


    Lauel exined to them, ¡°Species such as elves, dwarves, orcs, vampires, giants, the evil eyes, and the water n are eyesores to the empire who are seeking to unify the continent. Among them, the Saharan Empire is most wary of the evil eyes due to the power of the evil eyes¡¯ king.¡±


    Raising his hand, Lauel covered half of his face. He revealed one eye while thinking about how wonderful it would be if a shape shed in this eye. ¡°The White Dragon¡¯s Eyes reflects all types of powers. What if it reflects the eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king?¡±


    ¡°Will it be possible to destroy the evil eyes¡¯ king?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The White Dragon¡¯s Eyes can¡¯t enter the hands of the empire.¡±


    This was the most shocking fact.


    ¡°The God of War knows about the rtionship between King Grid and the evil eyes¡¯ king. He knows that the evil eyes¡¯ king has a favorable rtionship with King Grid, seized the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes halfway, and attempted to trade with us using it...¡±


    ¡°...¡± The room fell silent. They had all realized it. Lauel pushed in thest wedge, ¡°That¡¯s right. Valha has excellent strategists. They are genius enough to read the positions of the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom before acting one step ahead.¡±


    They werepletely hit by him. It was the result of participating in the National Competition.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to participate in the National Competition again,¡¯ Lauel pledged as he determined what happened.


    ¡°We are now in a position where we¡¯re being threatened by Valha. If we don¡¯t listen to the demands of the God of War, the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes will fall into the hands of the empire...¡±


    ¡°I roughly know the situation.¡±


    While Lauel was speaking with a serious expression, Grid entered the meeting room. He was wearing sses with lens as transparent as a jewel. The lens were also tinged a mysterious violet color.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the evil eyes¡¯ king.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    To think that Grid was showing up in sunsses and grinning when the situation was so serious...? Grid exined to the baffled 10 meritorious retainers, ¡°The evil eyes¡¯ king will be able to control his eyes. There will be no problems with the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    The continent unification episode of the Saharan Empire finally started, and the Overgeared Kingdom became the eye of the typhoon right from the very beginning.

 Chapter 971

    ¡°What is that?¡±


    The sses that Grid wore had an odd aspect. The transparent gleam made it seem like they were made from extraordinary gemstones, but the ck liquid that had a purple sheen was jarring.


    ¡®What type of liquid was injected separately?¡¯


    It seemed like a wrong choice if Grid wanted the feeling of sunsses. They weren¡¯t practical because they interfered with the wearer¡¯s vision.


    ¡°They will be the eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king.¡±


    Did he need to exin things in words? Grid shared the item information with those gathered in there.


    [Ether sses]


    [Rating: Epic


    Durability: 187/210


    * Iplete ether effect.


    * Charm +80.


    * Vision -2.


    * The abnormal ¡®blurred vision¡¯ state will ur once per second.


    The essories maker Elizabeth, whose reputation has risen sharply in recent years, made these sses by crafting ether diamonds.


    The beauty of the ether diamonds is gorgeously expressed. It would be great if someone who wanted attention wore them.


    The ether has a partial magical effect, and the field of view is disturbed because the ether is injected into the lens. There will be some difort.


    Weight: 5]


    sses were ssified as essories, and among all the essories, they were items that were easiest to wear.


    ¡°Try it.¡± Grid handed the sses to Lauel. That¡¯s right. Items called sses could be easily given to others by the owner. There was no transfer procedure. It was simple as long as the other party didn¡¯t resist, since it had to be worn on the ears and nose.


    [You have received the Ether sses.]


    [Your eyesight has fallen. Your vision is blurry.]


    ¡°...It¡¯s ufortable.¡± Lauel wore the sses and narrowed his eyes. The cloudy fog and ripples interfered with his vision. ¡°The ether effect is iplete.¡±


    Lauel took off the sses and tried casting magic against the lens. The condensed wind on his palms struck the lens. The lens didn¡¯t even crack, and there was no repulsion. The magic was extinguished like it was a lie. The word ¡®absorption¡¯ seemed correct.


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t this great?¡±


    Grid exined to Lauel and 10 meritorious retainers who were admiring the sses, ¡°Ether is a substance from another world that absorbs magic power. Once the evil eyes¡¯ king wears these sses, all the magic emitted from his eyes will be absorbed by the lens. Thus, the magic can¡¯t be reflected by the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes, and the possibility of destruction will be gone. The evil eyes¡¯ king will be able to see the world.¡±


    Grid described it casually, but this was actually the core point. The evil eyes king had his eyes sealed from the moment he was born. The power of the evil eyes, which destroyed all objects it touched, was an amazing and powerful curse. He wanted to see the world. The item that could fulfill the evil eyes king¡¯s earnest desire was the Ether sses.


    ¡°It is the best gift for the evil eyes¡¯ king. He will like you more than you think.¡±


    It was an item that could turn the evil eyes king that even the empire was wary of into a perfect ally. Lauel was convinced that the value of the Ether sses was astronomical. It was a treasure born from thebination of information from Kraugel, Elizabeth¡¯s techniques, and Grid¡¯s power in the Demon King Subjugation.


    ¡°Go to the evil eyes vige right now. We must secure the evil eyes¡¯ king before the empire acts.¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers were motivated. They had a feeling that the grace period given by Ares wasn¡¯t very long. The 10 meritorious retainers expected that Valha was likely to consider negotiations with the Overgeared Kingdom as the next best option. Negotiations with the empire could already be underway. Valha would gain a much bigger benefit from establishing a friendly rtionship with the empire in return for giving the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes to the empire.


    Lauel was immersed in his thoughts. ¡°Certainly, we have to hurry, but I¡¯m worried that the ether effect is iplete. Is it because the ether effect is iplete that the durability is quickly consumed?¡±


    The durability was at 187 when Lauel received the Ether sses. Once it absorbed basic magic, the durability was reduced to 186. Grid nodded with a dark expression. ¡°That¡¯s right. The durability is consumed every time it absorbs magic.¡±


    ¡°Is the amount of durability reduced dependent on the magic power?¡±


    ¡°No, fortunately it isn¡¯t. I have experimented with Zednos and Lae, and the durability decreases by the same amount regardless of magic power.¡±


    ¡°Then the amount of magic power emitted by the evil eyes king shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°No, there are many problems. The magic power that is emitted from the eyes of the king is close to infinite, meaning this level of durability will onlyst a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Infinite...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is limitless or infinite, but I¡¯m sure that it is inexhaustible. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided...¡± Grid opened his inventory and pulled out a new ether diamond¡ªa palm-sized diamond with a small amount of purple ck liquid inside. ¡°I will go through the process of disassembling and reassembling the sses made by Elizabeth in order to raise my understanding to 100% and gain the production method.¡±


    Grid received seven rewards from the Demon King Subjugation (8 when including the Demon King¡¯s Appearance event).


    For three of the rewards, he chose the ether diamonds.


    He chose only three for a few reasons. First, Elizabeth¡¯s help was needed to craft the ether diamonds and make the sses. Second, after learning how to make Elizabeth¡¯s sses, Grid could recreate the sses with a higher quality.


    Finally, the third reason was that Grid couldn¡¯t separate the ether from the ether diamonds, no matter what physical methods he used. It was a substance from another world, so even Sticks and Braham didn¡¯t precisely understand the ether. After some distress, Grid tried to separate the ether by destroying the diamond, but the ether that touched the air evaporated without a trace.


    It meant Grid wasted one of the three ether diamonds he had obtained.


    ¡®I would be ridiculously overgeared if I could get pure ether...¡¯


    For example, what if he mixed the ether with Valha of Infinite Affection? Grid could gain more magic protection than the Duke of Wisdom. The magicians wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt Grid easily.


    ¡°Then we will first go to the evil eyes¡¯ vige to protect the king. Your Majesty should join us after making new sses.¡±


    Although Grid had a portable furnace, it was better to make items in a smithy equipped with various facilities and tools. The better the working environment, the more likely it was that a higher-rated item would be created. Grid nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. There are some strong bastards in the empire.¡±


    The surest way to deal with the empire was to send strong people such as Piaro, Mercedes, Noll, Asmophel, and Singuled, but nobody wanted to do that. Those people only had one life.


    ¡°There is still time in our truce agreement with the empire, so it won¡¯t be a big deal. Don¡¯t worry.¡±The reliable Lauel snapped his fingers. A group of kids with chibi bodies poured in from outside the conference room.


    The Destiny Guardians. They were the 16 evil eyes that Grid had rescued from the dungeon in the past and given to Lauel as guards.


    ¡°You who wants to transcend and see into the past and future... We have responded to your noble soul ande to this ce.From this moment on, we will defend your destiny. This is the fate that is weighing on the Destiny Guardians¡¯ backs... Kukukuk!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The appearance of the evil eyes was chilling. It was because they spoke nonsense every time they appeared. The 10 meritorious retainers made embarrassed expressions while Lauel swept back his bangs. His silver hair reflected the moonlight and seemed to scatter stars.


    ¡°My soul, trapped in solitude, is in a turbulent state as it faces your destiny. I pay tribute to the eyes covered by a ck cloth and will ask you something in the name of Lauel. Destiny Guardians, do you have the courage to encounter a furious storm of fate?¡±


    ¡°Kukuk... courage? It is one of our ¡®sources¡¯ that will never fade... Kukukukuk!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel fear? Amazing! I can feel the power ofnguage from your answer! The ck dragon sealed in my arm is starting to move...!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... The master of the great evil eyes has never felt fear since being born. Even if the ck dragon sealed in your arm wakes up, we will never back down... Eh?¡± The evil eyes were talking excitedly for a while only to be shocked. It was because they discovered Grid standing behind Lauel.


    ¡°Y-You are the symbol of a past life reincarnation who has made a connection with our great king that deals with dark mes and white ice and sees the truth of the world!!¡±


    ¡°Grid!!¡±


    The astonished evil eyes started sweating nervously and looked away. They were afraid that they would be dragged into a cave and given pickaxes if they met Grid¡¯s eyes. When the evil eyes suddenly became mute, the 10 meritorious retainers couldn¡¯t help feeling in awe of Grid.


    ¡®What? Overwhelming the evil eyes species with his gaze...?¡¯


    ¡®He shut up the evil eyes who aren¡¯t afraid of the world!¡¯


    ¡®My Liege! I respect you!¡¯


    In fact, the evil eyes were a very strong species, unlike their pretty appearance. The moment they released the seal on their eyes, they could harm or restrain the target just by looking at them. Yet even the great evil eyes species would fall down before Grid. Anyone could see that Grid was amazing!


    ¡°...Then I¡¯m going to make sses. I¡¯ll meet you in the evil eyes¡¯ vige as soon as possible.¡±


    Grid left behind the silent evil eyes and ran to the smithy. He was resolved to make sturdy Ether sses.


    ¡®If I can control his power, it will be an opportunity to recruit someone who might be stronger than Piaro. I can¡¯t afford to miss this opportunity.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait for a response from the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    The God of War Ares¡ªthe second yer to build a kingdom after Grid¡ªvisited the empire with his military adviser, Sima Hui. He wore a deep helmet to hide his identity and was followed by the best yers of Valha. By the way, the person they were escorting was Sima Hui, not Ares. Of course, this was at Ares¡¯mand. He didn¡¯t want to lose a named NPC that he finally obtained after six visits to the East Continent.


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild will dy the answer as much as possible. The White Dragon¡¯s Eyes will lose their value if we wait for their answer.¡±


    The reason why Ares and Sima Hui visited Titan directly was to negotiate with the empire. They were going to hand the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes over to the empire and establish a friendship between Valha and the empire. Ares wanted a friendship with the Overgeared Kingdom over the empire, but Sima Hui¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°The Overgeared King is a highly skilled technician who restored the treasures of the reapers. Unless I am overestimating him, it is likely he already understands the substance of ether and it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll to use it to help the evil eyes king. He will be prepared for the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes and will have no intention of negotiating with us until he sees some damage.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that way of thinking too extreme? Like us, the Overgeared Kingdom thinks of the empire as the toughest challenge. They helped the founding of Valha to keep the empire in check. Why would they be so cold to us now?¡±


    ¡°They will be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Afraid?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s ability to conscript and nurture your soldiers¡¯ strength means it is inevitable that Valha¡¯s power will soar into the sky. Cooperating with Valha to ovee the empire is like riding a tiger¡¯s back to chase the lion. Thus, they will be worried even if the empire has been defeated.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ares had felt it. He was intrigued by Grid¡¯s ability to make items and had been trying to establish a friendship with the Overgeared Kingdom because of the grace he had received. However, Ares became bitter as soon as he realized this, ¡®The Overgeared Kingdom is very wary toward us.¡¯


    He was locked in thought for a while before speaking with half-closed eyes, ¡°Okay. I will actively agree with your n to strengthen our rtionships with the empire and to consume the resources of the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. I won¡¯t hesitate anymore.¡±


    ¡°You have decided well. There is no need to be directly hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom just because we are holding hands with the empire for a while.¡±


    ¡°Umm... By the way, are we really going to the imperial pce? We might be bringing the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes, but I am still the king of an enemy kingdom. Will the emperor truly meet us? I would be d if he didn¡¯t kill us...¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to meet the emperor. The grandmaster has already captured our movements. He will probably attempt a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster?¡±


    ¡°He is the most powerful person in the empire and has the authority to wield military power. His reputation from 100 years ago was so great that his name was heard even in my country.¡±


    ¡°Reputation on the East Continent...? 100 years ago? Huh, he seems to have a considerable degree of longevity.¡±


    ¡°He is a transcendent. Maybe you can think of it as a different form of immortality?¡±


    ¡°Transcendent...? Immortal? Do you mean a legend?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little different.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Ares sensed the grandmaster wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    When he was just about to ask for more details, Ares was interrupted by a knight who approached them. ¡°I came to meet you at the grandmaster¡¯smand. Are you the king of Valha?¡±


    Ares thought the knight was a Red Knight due to the red armor, but the shape of the armor was different. In the absence of light, the armor looked more ck than red.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it polite to introduce yourself before asking about the other person?¡±


    ¡°I am Susan of the Neo Red Knights. I¡¯ll ask you again. Are you the king of Valha?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sima Hui nodded on behalf of the wary Ares. ¡°That¡¯s correct. You are speaking to King Ares, father of Valha and distinguished God of War.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± Susan guided Ares and his men to a castle. She must have a considerable position in the empire as she led Ares¡¯ party toward a grand castle, which was toorge to measure with one¡¯s eyes, without passing through a single checkpoint.


    ¡°...!¡±Ares rose on the horse for dozens of minutes and was speechless when he saw the appearance of the pce. The pce, which had been built with mysterious timber and stone, was shining with brilliant hues. It was shining brightly enough to break the boundary between night and day.


    ¡°This is the celestial pce where the grandmaster resides.¡±


    The celestial pce! A pce where the emperor wasn¡¯t staying had such a grand name...? Ares found it hard to understand. He was filled with a greater vignce as Susan urged him, ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°My escorts...¡±


    ¡°They cane in as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Their weapons weren¡¯t even collected?


    ¡®Is it impossible to harm the grandmaster at our level?¡¯


    How great was this person? Feeling nervous, Ares entered the pce. The grandmaster was seated deep inside the pce. His eyes slowly examined Ares.


    ¡°I was thinking that Valha¡¯s actions were unusually fast. So, it turns out that a precious asset of the east is serving Valha. It is nice to meet you. I think we can maintain a good rtionship in the future.¡±

 Chapter 972

    Making essories was the realm of the essories maker. No matter how good Grid was at cksmithing, he couldn¡¯t make essories unless he gained the relevant skills first. However, Grid had a way out.


    ¡®Item Understanding.¡¯


    He only recently realized that item understanding was the most fundamental force and fraudulent concept of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. By observing, using, repairing, disassembling, and assembling the target item, he would achieve 100% understanding and gain the production method.


    That¡¯s right. Grid could learn how to make essories as long as he had the Item Understanding skill. Of course, he needed time and effort to increase the understanding of the item, but that wasn¡¯t a problem for Grid¡ªmaster ofbor. He was willing to invest days and months to gain the production method of necessary items.


    ¡®Nevertheless, I can¡¯t make all items just because I have the production method.¡¯


    The absence of the craftsmanship skill was a problem even if Grid gained the production method for the Ether sses. It was simply impossible for him to make the item without the relevant skills. However, Grid had a secret technique that could solve that issue. That¡¯s right.


    ¡®Item Modification!¡¯


    It reinterpreted items with a 100% understanding into a new form. Grid was nning to use this skill to integrate the Ether sses with a helmet or mask. By ssifying the Ether sses as a defense item rather than an essory, he would gain the ¡®reasonable right¡¯ to make the defense item.


    ¡®Then I will cooperate with Elizabeth.¡¯


    It was the same as the Overgeared King¡¯s Crown. The crafting of the Ether Diamond was left to Elizabeth while Grid nned to increase thepleteness of the item by adding it to a defense item. Item Modification was a skill with a limited number of uses, but this item was worth it.


    ¡®I am investing in the evil eyes king.¡¯


    Additionally, he was looking forward to the defense item which would be made with the Ether sses. If a defense item with a high amount of magic resistance were born, he might be able to mass-produce it one day and strengthen the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s try it properly.¡¯


    Feeling motivated, Grid became absorbed in his work. As he worked on the sses, his presence in the smithy for a few days was a great concern for Panmir¡ªthe first ranked cksmith and chief cksmith of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t he do something like hunting or questing?¡¯


    After the 4th National Competition, the levels of the yers were rising like crazy. The gap was closing. As yers levelled up, the gap between sses was reduced, and Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s words were bing a reality. The normal ss rankers¡ªwho made up the majority of yers¡ªfound hope at the 4th National Competition, and this hope became passion. The rankers, including the hidden sses, were dreaming of bing the second Grid. The long-term experience gain buff from the National Competition rewards meant it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say most yers were hung up on hunting.


    During this important period, Grid was spending all his time in the smithy while the 10 meritorious retainers were at the evil eyes vige carrying out a mission. Thus, Panmir realized that the weight on their shoulders was enormous.


    ¡®The more responsibilities there are, the more you have to lose. I can¡¯t help feeling that it is really amazing.¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom would be stronger and never copse easily. The confident Panmir also felt a sense of responsibility. He rushed through the dozens of smithies in the cksmith district and encouraged the cksmiths.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The hammering sound thatsted day and night was the symbol of Reinhardt and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    Lepio was a small estate with only rice fields and mountains on all sides. It was one of the most popr secluded sites in the Gauss Kingdom, and people were very enamored with it.


    ¡°I never thought the evil eyes¡¯ vige would be in a ce like this. It¡¯s properly hidden. Won¡¯t the empire have a hard time finding it?¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk... Headless man. It might be hard, but I will personally correct your words. This ce is the mysteriousnd where darkness and chaos co-exist, not the evil eyes vige. We also aren¡¯t hiding but have ¡®sealed¡¯ ourselves in. The world will perish if the power of the evil eyes goes on a rampage©¤¡±


    ¡°Am I a duhan? Why do you call a person with a head a ¡®Headless Man¡¯? I can¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The rest of the meritorious retainers looked sadly at Vantner, who was shaking his head and scoffing. The only person who couldn¡¯t understand the evil eyes¡¯ words was Vantner.


    Euphemina changed the topic, ¡°It is a beautiful ce.¡±


    A destend where darkness and chaos co-existed...


    The evil eyes vige boasted apletely differentndscape to what the 10 meritorious retainers had imagined. They had imagined a barrennd where demonkin lived, but it was a pretty ce with small, rounded houses.


    ¡°The roof colors would be prettier if the sunes up.¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk. The moon is better than the sun. When we wash our bodies under the cold moonlight, the blood flow in our bodies is stabilized and the roar of the monster called ¡®Me¡¯ stops.¡±


    ¡°You are underground, so you don¡¯t get the moonlight here, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Regas¡¯ pure question stung. The evil eyes¡ªwho had just been talking with great pride¡ªflinched, and their shoulders drooped. The 10 meritorious retainers watching this scene clicked their tongues.


    ¡®The evil eyes are weak against a tactless person.¡¯


    Then Jishuka brought things back to the point, ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to the evil eyes king. There is no time because the empire will likely attack in the near future.¡±


    Faker and the Overgeared Shadows were already scattered throughout the vige and searching. They were considering the paths the empire could use to invade the vige and searching for terrain and objects that could protect it. A few minutester, the 10 meritorious retainers¡ªwho were guided by the Destiny Guardians¡ªarrived at the castle.


    The castle was really small. The average height of the evil eyes was 1.2 meters, so all the buildings were small in size, including the king¡¯s castle. The castle was barely 1.5 cm taller than the gates, so it looked miniature. Then it happened when all of the 10 meritorious retainers apart from Euphemina crossed the gates.


    ¡°We have been waiting.¡±


    The highest ranking nobles of the evil eyes species¡ªthe so-called ¡®ministers¡¯ were waiting for the 10 meritorious retainers. All three of them were standing on the wall, sweeping their hair or cing a hand over their face.


    ¡°We know that you came here to defend our great king and that you are the subordinates of Grid, the only human who didn¡¯t sumb to us.¡±


    ¡°However, we can¡¯t just let you meet the king. We must make sure that you are qualified to meet our great king.¡±


    ¡°We know you aren¡¯t enemies. The evil eyes king is an absolute presence that takes away the life and destiny of a man with just his eyes. If an unqualified person meets him, they will fall into the hell of eternity and eventually reach death. We have to test you. Submit.¡±


    The three of them took off their eyepatches at the same time. Their exposed evil eyes turned round and round, disturbing the spirits of the 10 meritorious retainers.


    [You have made eye contact with an evil eye.]


    [Your spirit and soul is giving way before the mighty evil eye.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®submissive¡¯ state.]


    [For 3 seconds from now, you will behave differently from your will!]


    It was a three-second status skill. The time limit meant it was ssified as a low-level effect, but the function was fraudulent.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Vantner started rubbing his head with both hands and barking like a dog while Jishuka behavedpletely differently from her will as she measured her chest size. What if the evil eyesmanded the 10 meritorious retainers to attack each other?


    ¡®Crazy...! This tremendous ability!¡¯


    The 10 meritorious retainers were honestly impressed by the evil eyes ministers, who were on a different dimension. They thought that not even the empire could pass through the gates they guarded. The evil eyes ministers said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you aren¡¯t qualified. You can try to see our great king next time.¡±


    ¡°We are only doing this for your safety. Please don¡¯t be offended. We have no intention of letting you enter, but we are thankful and appreciative. We¡¯ll provide you with amodation, so please do well in the future.¡±


    ¡°Protect our king and our vige.¡±


    The attitude of the ministers was surprisingly pure and favorable. They had also anticipated the empire¡¯s invasion.


    ¡°The evil eyes people must have excellent books and intelligence...¡±Lauel shook his head whilst in awe of them. ¡°It is hard to imagine the evil eyes, who live in a closed off space with only a few thousand residences, having books or an intelligencework. This is probably the power of Future Sight. Huhuhut... It is a great species.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Everyone, as I¡¯ve already told you, the empire will invade here in the near future. Until then, our mission is to protect the king. It isn¡¯t easy to wait for the enemies, but please remain motivated and responsible. We must not lose the evil eyes king.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Following this, the 10 meritorious retainers and the Overgeared Shadows settled downpletely in the evil eyes vige. They alternated patrols and took precautions to ensure the safety of the evil eyes king.


    Three dayster...


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°From now on, we will join the mission.¡±


    Coke, Zednos, and Lae arrived at the evil eyes vige with 600 elite soldiers. The soldiers, who were armed with Grid¡¯s mass-produced set, guarded the evil eyes vige like steel bars.


    ¡®We can stop a Red Knight easily like this.¡¯


    It was spectacr to see the gathering of the 10 meritorious retainers, including Faker and Yura¡ªwho were normally hard to see¡ªas well as the elite forces. The Overgeared Guild wasn¡¯t afraid of the empire¡¯s invasion. They had the confidence to repel even a great demon.


    ¡®This time, we¡¯ll do our best without needing Grid.¡¯

 Chapter 973

    It was the sixth day since the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s troops were stationed in the evil eyes vige.


    ¡°It is rumored that at least 500 million yers belong to the empire,¡± Pon expressed concern over his colleagues¡¯ optimistic attitude about preventing the invasion of the empire.¡°Won¡¯t we be swept away if the empire issues quests to all the yers?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The atmosphere sharply cooled down. They imagined the scene of five million yers flocking together continuously. How long could they hold out against the waves of enemies that kepting?


    ¡°...I never thought of the yers.¡±


    Coke and some of the Overgeared members paled and shivered. Fear dominated them before Lauel reassured them, ¡°Quests must have rewards. In particr, the rewards for war quests are several times more than normal quest rewards. It is difficult for the empire to release quests to hundreds of millions of yers, no matter how much money they have.¡±


    ¡°Umm... Is it a problem for a nation to have too many yers?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it ispletely good since there are many yers who joined to army or were knighted. It is easy to move soldiers and knights who have to respond to a ¡®certain duty¡¯ without giving many rewards.¡±


    ¡°Soldiers... Why the hell do they want to enlist in the army in a game?¡± Peak Swordined. As a citizen of South Korea, he had experience with military service. He didn¡¯t want to go to the army again, no matter how patriotic he was. It was hard for him to understand the psychology of the yers who joined the army. However, the other Overgeared members understood it well.


    ¡°Joining the army isn¡¯t mandatory unless it is a special situation like South Korea. There are surprisingly many people who have fantasies about the army.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They don¡¯t want to join the army in reality, but they can at least do it in the game.¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Sometimes it is a disadvantage that so many of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s yers are Korean. They will never join the army even in the game.¡±


    ¡°Does it mean the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s ability to use the yer forces is less than other countries?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This phenomenon will continue in the future unless Korea is quickly unified.¡±


    ¡°It is strange...¡±


    To think the real world could affect the game this way...? The Overgeared members were very interested in it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to work.¡±


    It was time for their shift. The Overgeared members scattered all over the evil eyes vige.


    ***


    It was the 10th day after the Overgeared members were stationed in the evil eyes vige.


    ¡°This is boring.¡±


    ¡°I want to hunt. Why can¡¯t the empire arrive faster if they are going to attack?¡±


    Vantner and Peak Sword, famous for theirck of patience among the 10 meritorious retainers, finally reached their limit. The evil eyes vige was apletely secluded ce underground, and it destroyed the human spirit because it didn¡¯t have any entertainment or hunting grounds. The two men had been guarding the gate for 10 days, and they were bored and anxious.


    ¡°Everyone outside is probably hunting right now.¡±


    ¡°I guess. You will suffer if you don¡¯t hunt during the National Competition¡¯s buff period.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t hunting, so the damage...¡±


    ¡°If there was a hunting ground near here, I would¡¯ve hunted after every shift but there is no hunting ground...¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner checked the time habitually as they wanted their shift to end quickly. They wanted to log out, sit in front of the TV, and have a beer.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner, who were standing in front of the small castle where the evil eyes king lived, turned toward the entrance of an alley across the street. Three exceptionally short evil eyes were staring at them. The short evil eyes were less than one meter tall. Their faces were especially round, and there was a flush on the cheeks. One of them had a running nose with a long snot hanging from it.


    ¡°Little kids.¡±


    ¡°How cute.¡±


    The evil eyes boasted cute doll-like appearances. Sometimes they had scars on their face and some were unusually ferocious, but they were still cute. People couldn¡¯t help smiling at their appearance. Then what about the young evil eyes? Peak Sword and Vantner smiled like fathers and waved to the children. They were surprised by the shy nature of the evil eyes children hiding in the alley. Peak Sword and Vantner felt they were even cuter.


    ¡°It is really nice as long as they don¡¯t open their mouths.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as long as they don¡¯t open their mouths.¡±


    They recalled that first day when they arrived at the evil eyes vige. Thanks to the Destiny Guardians confirming their identities, they had entered the vige easily and had to face the enthusiasm of thousands of evil eyes. It had truly been hell. 1,000 people like Lauel hade up and talked to them. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say they had almost lost their minds.


    It was fortunate they had prepared earplugs in advance or they might¡¯ve fainted. The earplugs were developed to resist the curse. They hadn¡¯t known that an item that was normally ssified as a misceneous item would be so useful.


    ¡°The chuuni disease of the evil eyes king must be much greater. How much did God Grid suffer bing friends with the king? God Grid is truly great. He isn¡¯t a god for nothing. Ah, really... The first time I met God Grid...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Today, Peak Sword¡¯s cult worship of Grid began again. Vantner was taking out earplugs twisted from long use and stopped as he was going to put them in his ears. It was because the three evil eyes children were approaching.


    ¡°This point onwards is prohibited,¡± Vantner stated harshly despite the feelings in his heart. He couldn¡¯t rx his vignce no matter how cute the evil eyes children were.


    ¡°It will be dangerous if assassins from the empiree. Don¡¯t hang around here and y elsewhere. In fact, don¡¯t leave your house at all,¡± Vantner warned coldly. Still, the evil eyes children lingered. They exchanged looks a few times before extending their hands which they had kept hidden behind them. In their hands, there were many candies that looked like ferns.


    ¡°Eat. This is something that all three of us risked out limbs to obtain.¡±


    ¡°...Did you take candy that your mothers hid?¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk? What are you talking about? My mother can¡¯t treat me badly. The powertent inside me is a violent guy who ignores the flesh of kin. Kukukuk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about... In any case, thank you.¡±


    These were the children¡¯s snacks. Vantner and Peak Sword, who knew the evil eyes would be in great danger when obtaining goods from the outside world, only took one candy. Then they urged the children to return home. The children hesitated before bowing.¡°You are the first andst humans we have bowed to since we were born. You should be honored.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...Thank you for protecting our great king.¡±As if embarrassed, the evil eyes children blushed and fled as soon as they gave thanks. Peak Sword and Vantner stared at the children¡¯s backs in an upset manner.


    ¡°This is X.¡±


    ¡°...You nted a g.¡±


    Moreover, it was a death g! This was amon development in manhwa and movies. The main character helped someone, then person who was normally cold suddenly thanked them... This was a line that signalled the time of death was approaching.


    ¡°Quickly contact Lauel... Kuek?!¡± Peak Sword urgently took the posture of drawing the sword. Two dark human figures appeared out of the air and blocked the children¡¯s way. The startled children hesitated, and Peak Sword and Vantner flew toward the children.


    However, the two enemies who appeared were assassins with great skill. The daggers thrown by the assassins obstructed Peak Sword and Vantner. While the two of them fended off the daggers, the assassins grabbed the necks of the evil eyes children. They intended to use the children as hostages, but their intentions weren¡¯t easily achieved.


    Peak Sword and Vantner were strong.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±The assassins barely escaped from the sword that flew toward them. The reason they didn¡¯t use the caught evil eyes children as a shield was that their mission was to capture the children. Peak Sword took the posture of Draw Sword and once again questioned, ¡°What are you nning to do by catching these little kids?¡±


    Of course, the assassins didn¡¯t answer. They took out daggers with the ¡®explosion¡¯ option attached and threw them. Vantner raised his shield to block the daggers. Then a powerful explosion urred. The assassins believed that Vantner would be blown up along with the shield and were about to leave.


    ¡°These guys are truly X. Huhu.¡±


    Something spun among the thick dust. It was a circr shield. The assassins crossed their daggers and blocked the shield. However, the shield was so strong that they groaned involuntarily. The silent assassins let out sounds of pain, and Vantnerughed as the shield returned to him like a boomerang.


    ¡°It is good since I was bored. Put the children down and fight properly.¡±


    ¡°Che...!¡±


    The assassins couldn¡¯t fight properly. They were unlikely to win considering the power of the 1st ranked guardian knight Vantner and the 1st ranked quick draw swordsman Peak Sword. In any case, this ce was full of enemies. The longer the battle, the more disadvantaged they would be.


    The assassin cast a smoke screen. They intended to escape from the city while Peak Sword and Vantner were confused for a moment. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°Sob. Look,¡± the evil eyes kid with the runny nose asked as he was caught by the assassin, ¡°Touching my body, do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    There was a reason why the ¡®advance teams¡¯ had decided to kidnap the children of the evil eyes species. They thought the power of the evil eyes would becking because they were young. This wasn¡¯t the case. The little evil eyes took off his eyepatch, and the assassin holding him froze.


    ¡°Uh... Uwaaaah...!¡± The terrified assassin tried to throw away the evil eyes boy, but it was useless. The power of the evil eye acted just by ¡®seeing.¡¯ It was the most irrational force in the world.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The other assassin was surprised by his now dead colleague and turned to the two evil eyes he had captured. The rope tying them together was so tight that they couldn¡¯t move their fingers to take off their eyepatches.


    ¡®You idiot, you should¡¯ve captured him properly like me!¡¯ The assassin cursed his dead colleague and sneered. He was going to leave here before the smoke waspletely lifted. By the way...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Did the stealth skill not activate? The smokescreen that blocked the enemy¡¯s vision became thicker and started to disturb his view.


    ¡°...!¡±The flustered assassin looked like he had seen a ghost. The two evil eyes children who had been tied up just a moment ago were now standing in front of him.


    ¡®When did they escape?¡¯


    The smokescreen thickened like a fog over ake at dawn. The assassin stood alone in the middle of this, and his confusion was maximized. He heard theugh of the evil eyes children who had disappeared from view.


    ¡°Die wandering this fog forever. Kuk... Kukukuk! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaah!¡±


    It was useless to scream and struggle. The fog just became thicker.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Peak Sword couldn¡¯t close his mouth as he moved through the smokescreen. At first nce, the two assassins were obviously of high ranking. One had beenpletely frozen to death while the other screamed along as he fell into a hallucination.


    ¡®They even have the power to pull out the death g...!¡¯


    The evil eyes species was absolutely amazing. They nowpletely understood why Grid and Lauel were obsessed with the evil eyes.


    ¡°The duration of the illusion isn¡¯t eternal. I rmend taking them out in advance,¡± the evil eyes children said while pointing at the hallucinating assassin.


    Peak Sword nodded before approaching the assassin and tying him up. They took off the assassin¡¯s mask and revealed that he was an NPC. Even after finding out his identity, they could attack still him. In other words, these assassins weren¡¯t affiliated with the empire. If they were imperial NPCs, it would¡¯ve been impossible for them to be attacked due to the armistice agreement.


    ¡®External groups were contracted.¡¯


    Peak Sword and Vantner examined the city. Fierce battles were taking ce everywhere.


    ¡°Hrmm... What to do?¡±


    ¡°What can we do apart from staying here?¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner¡¯s mission was very important. Guarding the gate was equivalent to protecting the evil eyes king.


    ¡°It is dangerous. Don¡¯t go home and head into the castle.¡±


    It happened as Peak Sword and Vantner sent the children into the castle. Dozens of people appeared out of thin air. The invasion of the ¡®advance teams¡¯ wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of you first before protecting the evil eyes.¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner smiled as they faced the assassin group. Not a single bit of tension could be found in them.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be super fun from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s more interesting because we were about to die of boredom.¡±


    ¡°...Crazy bastards!¡±The leader of the assassins frowned and gestured. The assassins struck the two people at once. Iyarugt roared.

 Chapter 974

    Chapter 974


    Chris saw the odds of this mission seeding as over 90%.


    There were four months remaining on the truce agreement with the empire.


    The agreement between nations was protected by the system so the empire and Overgeared Kingdom were unable to attack each other. The Overgeared members were guarding the evil eyes vige and the empire couldn¡¯t attack wildly.


    Even if the empire invaded the vige, the Overgeared members just needed to guard the gates and they would be able to protect the evil eyes king until Grid arrived.


    ¡®These viins from my past life!¡¯


    However, the empire took different actions than expected.


    They indirectly invaded by using external forces.


    Chris¡¯ expression instantly darkened.


    ¡®Those viinous empire bastards, they intend to thoroughly consume our strength in this life, sealing the cycle of reincarnation and ending it all here!¡¯


    Chris quickly swung Grid¡¯s greatsword, the cross-shaped trajectory of the sword striking the upper body of the two assassins moving through the darkness and killing them.


    The assassins with low defense were easily killed by Chris, who had the most powerful attack power.


    ¡®Dammit, it is a mess.¡¯


    Chris jumped to the nearby roof of the mansion and shook as he watched the whole city. There were battles taking ce all over the vige and the assassins who appeared in pairs were powerful enough to dominate two elite military units.


    ¡®They easily cope with two elite units containing 100 high level yers...¡¯


    Was this truly rabble hired by the empire?


    Chris raised the power of the Tyrant and flew forward.


    The further he moved, the more his attack power increased.


    ¡°Viscount Chris!¡±


    The expressions of the Overgeared soldiers still looked threatened despite capturing the assassins. Chris appeared like the raging wind and saved them from the assassins.


    Chris ordered the unit leaders.


    "Assemble your troops at the castle of the great evil eyes king who deals with dark mes and white ice and sees the truth of the world. It should never be breached, even if you must risk your soul being casted out of the circle of reincarnation or even destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Among the 10 meritorious retainers, Chris was one of the twin leaders along with Jishuka. It wasn¡¯t a problem for him to operate the troops using his own judgment.


    The soldiers replied vigorously and saved another unit as they marched in the same direction.


    In the meantime, Chris moved along the roofs towards the vige centre while killing assassins.


    The heart of the vige was a small library. It was a ce where Lauel, Jishuka, Pon and Regas were guarding.


    The reason why the top rankers were gathered there was because it was one of the most important bases in the vige.


    ¡°I havee to keep the promise of our previous life.¡±


    Chris broke through the assassins surrounding the library and stood by Lauel. Jishuka was covering him by firing arrows while Lauel looked like he had aged 10 years.


    "As expected, the empire seems to covet the knowledge and information which was sealed deep within the library to keep the world safe.¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    In other ces, the assassins appeared in pairs while there were dozens of assassins here.


    Chris faced more than 100 assassins and wondered,


    ¡°What the hell are these guys? Are they slicing through the dimension itself, appearing from the dimensional gap out of thin air without going through the door? Not even Faker who has unsealed the right arm of the God of Death can do that.¡±


    ¡°They are borrowing the power of the akashic records.¡±


    ¡°The akashic records... magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes. An excellent magician who has gained enlightenment and hatched out of their egg by breaking it can make the space itself weak, allowing people to warp in.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like Mass Teleport since they are scattered all over the ce... Is it easy for a great magician to use this type of magic?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about ordinary magicians but it is easy for a transcendent.¡±


    ¡°A transcendent...!¡±


    One of the five pirs of the empire and the head of the Tower of Eternity.


    Chris recalled the infamous Goldhit and was convinced.


    ¡°It is a fraudulent magic that grasps at the long forgotten thing called fear within me... How long can west if troops keep being sent this way? Despite us being chosen ones born in the brightest day and the ckest night, blessed by both sun and moon, there is a limit to our stamina. We will run out of supplies and be exhausted, unable to unleash the full capabilities of our divine and sacred strength.¡±


    Chris confided the anxiety in his heart. He didn¡¯t feel suspicious about why Lauel hadn¡¯t anticipated the current situation.


    It was true that Lauel was intelligent enough to be called a genius but he wasn¡¯t always sessful. It wasn¡¯t possible for Lauel to cope with all the variables. He often failed and made mistakes.


    However, this time was different.


    Lauel didn¡¯t take this situation seriously.


    ¡°There is a limit to a transcendent¡¯s magic power, just as we have a limit to our stamina while being sealed in this weak vessel called a human body.¡±


    ¡°It is the same whether they are making a frontal charge or moving with magic. We can¡¯t stop it if troops pour in all at once.¡±


    ¡°Kukuku... There is no need to worry about a volume offensive. Hasn¡¯t this one shown his heaven-defying genius already when it was exined to youst time?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    "Our enemies from the past life, despite being reborn under a forbidden star which granted them unimaginable wealth and power that they used to form what is called the empire, do not have infinite money. They will have to givepensation so they won¡¯t be able to easily pour in a lot of troops.¡±


    "The empire will have to pay to move them? Can¡¯t the empire move them for free?¡±


    Nearly every kingdom or group on this continent had been offering tribute to the empire for hundreds of years. They wereplete ves of the empire. Chris wasn¡¯t convinced that the empire would paypensation for moving them.


    Lauel exined.


    ¡°Do you know why existing groups have lived like dead mice without resisting the empire despite it being the enemy of the world?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is because they think the empire¡¯s power is infinite. The empire isn¡¯t in a position to show weakness. The moment the empire offers no money, other countries will question the empire¡¯s power and the dominance will weaken.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they have to offer a reward every time they move outside forces?¡±


    "It¡¯s amonly used bluffing system. The empire shines like the brightest sun, blinding everyone with their light, making people unable to see their faults.¡±


    ¡°There is something I can¡¯t understand. Lauel, mypanion of eternity, why do you keep saying that the empire is poor?¡±


    It was strange.


    This was the empire that dominated the continent for hundreds of years. The empire monopolized all sorts of resources and invaded other kingdoms.


    Yet they were so poor that they couldn¡¯t move some outside forces?


    Creating quests for 500 million yers might be too much but the assumption that it was hard to move subordinate forces didn¡¯t make sense. It didn¡¯t make sense that the empire was poor.


    Lauel was quietly using magic while listening to Chris¡¯ questions.


    He changed the wind direction to maximize the power of Jishuka¡¯s arrows while also neutralizing the assassins¡¯ throwing techniques. He also created an earthquake every time they approaching, leading them directly to Chris.


    Lauel was fighting effectively despite having fewbat skills.


    It was abat method that made people realize whey there was the ¡®fight cleverly¡¯ saying when praising athletes and martial artists.


    Lauel¡¯s brilliant brain was creating a disaster for the enemies.


    "I thought of something while watching the magic machine in the National Competition. How much manpower and money did the empire invest in unearthing the ancient artifacts? How much techniques and money were poured in to restore and operate the ancient relics?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that the empire is poor because of the magic machines?¡±


    ¡°No. The magic machines are just one of the causes. I just came to a more fundamental question.¡±


    ¡°Fundamental question?¡±


    ¡°If the empire is truly as wealth as people widely think, it isn¡¯t normal for them to struggle to suppress the Overgeared Kingdom and Valha.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they step on the Overgeared Kingdom by constantly producing and dispatching infinite troops, just as you im now?¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Chris felt like he had been struck by lightning as he gained enlightenment.


    Lauel was a person who was concerned about the empire¡¯s tactics and he was also the first person to realize the limits of the empire¡¯s tactics.


    ¡°You... You really are the number 1 unequalled genius under both heaven and earth...¡±


    Lauelughed at Chris¡¯ heartfelt admiration.


    "Time is fair to everyone.¡±


    As Grid grew, Lauel was also growing. He studied, thought, umted knowledge and developed his vision.


    "I don¡¯t know what type of genius that God of War Ares recruited.¡±


    Lauel activated a pre-set trap to lure out the hiding assassins.


    Then heughed while covering half his face with his hand.


    "That person needs to be ready to deal with me now.¡±


    Lauel was convinced.


    Grid and Kraugel had grown rapidly over the years.


    They had an absolute force that made strategy and tactics obsolete and no one could be their opponent.


    At this moment, grey pirs rose continuously in the evil eyes vige.


    They were the pirs that symbolized the death of the invaders.


    ¡®That is...¡¯


    Chris and Lauel turned towards the south without speaking.


    It was the direction of the city entrance where the grey pirs were urring the fastest.


    It was the zone that Yura was protecting.


    Chris clicked his tongue.


    "Lauel, even if your expectations are wrong, I don¡¯t think the empire can break through if theye.¡±


    ¡°...I agree. Let¡¯s go inside the building. It is time to change shifts with our lifelong friends whose fate and destiny intertwined with ours through all eternity, the evil eyes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The magic power of the evil eyes wasn¡¯t infinite, just like a human¡¯s stamina isn¡¯t infinite. Unlike the king, ordinary evil eyes could only free the power of their eyes for two hours a day.


    Two hours was enough.


    ¡°H-Hiik!¡±


    ¡°S-Spare me!¡±


    The power of the evil eyes made even the coldest assassins kneel down and beg.


    The evil eyes took care of most of the assassin remnants in just half an hour and then switched back to the Overgeared members, who had enough rest.


    The empire¡¯s advance team was practically unable to do anything and copsed.


    ¡°Kukukuk... You are decent. It is a power that is hard to be confined to the ¡®framework¡¯ of humans.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha... You didn¡¯t buy people who are all talk.¡±


    ***


    It was the 19th day since the 10 meritorious retainers left for the evil eyes vige.


    [Your understanding of the Ether sses is now at 100%!]


    [The ¡®Ether sses¡¯ production method has been acquired.]


    ¡°Kukuku, it¡¯s finally over.¡±


    Grid, who was stuck in the smithy and wrestled with the sses for 19 days, finally achieved his first task.


    He had obtained the production method and could now convert the sses into the form of armor such as a helmet, or face shield.


    ¡¯Given that I can use it myself...¡¯


    A helmet was better than a face shield.


    It was because a face shield and mask couldn¡¯t be used together.


    Grid had no intention of throwing away the best treasure, the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch which had been a great help during the Demon King Subjugation.


    ¡®I need a helmet that is at least worth the value of Triple Layers. Okay, let¡¯sbine the sses and helmet.¡¯


    Grid decided to set the value to at least Triple Layers and used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction skill to change the Ether sses. Then he suddenly remembered the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®The White Tiger Sword summons stone pirs. Then can I make a helmet that is as hard as a rock if I used the White Tiger¡¯s Breath?¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t the saying as dumb as a rock for nothing.


    It was a great opportunity to increase his defense if he made a helmet that was as hard as a rock.


    ¡®...Um. Later, I¡¯ll get one more Ether Diamond and insert the White Tiger¡¯s Breath when making my own helmet.¡¯


    Four of the eight rewards that Grid obtained from the National Competition were the breaths of the sacred creatures.


    Thanks to this, he had a total of one Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath, one Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath, one White Tiger¡¯s Breath and two ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long until his weapons and armor contained the power of these sacred creatures.


    ¡®Kukuku... Once I obtain pure ether, I will be the ultimately overgeared tower that looms above everyone, engulfing them within the shadow that I cast.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be enough to fight against the empire?


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid felt a bit strange as he started modifying the item.


    It felt like just yesterday when he was shaken by the ¡®strong people of the era¡¯ he encountered when visiting the empire and now he didn¡¯t feel afraid.


    Was he too puffed up?


    No.


    His impression of himself had risen thanks to that bastard Garam. He also became confident after his experience as the Demon King.


    ¡°Huehuehue...¡±


    Grid thought about the power of the empire and checked the date.


    It seemed the empire hadn¡¯t invaded yet since there was no specialmunication from his colleagues in the evil eyes vige. Thanks to this, Grid could focus on modifying the item.

 Chapter 975

    It was the 20th day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°Stop the futile resistance!¡±


    ¡°You are the only ones who will lose if you keep fighting!¡±


    Today, the enemies hade. Like the enemies on the first day and the enemies yesterday, they appeared out of thin air. Based on their chatter, the invaders had amon characteristic. They mistakenly thought they were strong!


    ¡°Ahahahat! Bring it on! We¡¯re right here!¡±


    ¡°City guards! Overgeared Runman! Move!!¡±


    ¡°...Please don¡¯t call us that.¡±


    The Overgeared members were full of energy. The Vantner and Peak Sword duo were particrly excited. Compared to during the 10 days of boredom, they were now full of joy.


    Peak Sword used a new skill, Five Combined Strikes. Iyarugt shed five times, and five attackers died.


    [The experience of Iyarugt has increased by 0.1%!]


    ¡°Good!¡± Peak Sword snorted. The battles that urred every day not only improved his skill proficiency but also increased his item experience. As he made a satisfied expression, Vantner crushed the enemy¡¯s head with the mace hidden behind his shield and asked in an iprehensible manner, ¡°Why are you so obsessed with Iyarugt?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What are you suddenly saying?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the gold medal rewards? If you ask Grid to make you a new sword with those materials, you can get a much stronger weapon than Iyarugt. Why are you sticking with it?¡±


    In fact, Iyarugt had virtually been transferred to Peak Sword. It had been more than a year since he started using it as a gship weapon and umting experience with it. It was very inefficient when considering that the experience rate of a growth item was slower than a snail. Wasn¡¯t it possible to get a more powerful weapon? Even if Iyarugt reached its final rating, was there any guarantee it would be stronger than a weapon made from one of the four sacred creatures? It was a mystery as to why Peak Sword was so obsessed with Iyarugt.


    ¡°Um...¡± Peak Sword felt that Vantner¡¯s question was worthy and thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Setting aside the performance of the weapon, I expect the demonkin Iyarugt to be a great force. As you know, Grid has powerful NPCs, but he isn¡¯t actively utilizing them because their lives are finite. On the other hand, Iyarugt is ssified as a pet, so I don¡¯t need to worry about him dying. I want to give Grid a new power bypletely freeing Iyarugt.¡±


    ¡°Once you finish the final upgrade for Iyarugt, will you return it to Grid?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a type of item surrogate.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±Vantner was at a loss for words. Peak Sword¡¯s choices and actions were all for Grid. Still, Peak Sword had his own stance and life. How could he sacrifice a few years for others?


    Vantner smashed the shield against new invaders that appeared and asked a new question, ¡°What¡¯s the reason to sacrifice yourself for Grid? I feel a lot of gratitude to Grid, and I like him. I am prepared toy down my life for him many times. However, I can¡¯t sacrifice a few years of time like you¡¯re doing. I can probably never do that.¡±


    There was a more fundamental issue than the concept of righteousness. Sacrificing himself for others without hesitation? It was really hard work and not something that everyone could do.


    Peak Sword shrugged as Vantner gazed at him like he was a strange creature. ¡°Well, the biggest thing is that Grid is Korean. First, there is the tax problem. In South Korea, the job of a gamer isn¡¯t recognized for its costs, so they have to pay nearly 50% of the revenue and expenditure as tax. It is the same with the national pension and health insurance premium. In any case, Grid is dedicating half of his profits to the country every year when he has the ability to earn billions of won in foreign currency if he wants.¡±


    ¡°...Do you feel gratitude and respect because he is making your country stronger?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Crazy... Are you the president? Why do you feel appreciation for that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the heart of the Patriotic Association of South Korea?¡±


    ¡°Why is your patriotism so strong?¡±


    ¡°It is a patriotism that hassted for generations. I always feel gratitude toward Grid and realize that helping he is a patriotic blessing. I¡¯ll live for Grid forever.¡±


    ¡°In any case, you¡¯re not normal.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhuhu. I¡¯ve heard that a lot since childhood.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t praise... Well, I¡¯ve might¡¯ve felt like you if I had any homogeneity with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Grid won¡¯t be bald, so you will never be the same.¡±


    ¡°You rotten person!¡±


    It was the 22nd day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°Uhh... Again...¡±


    The Overgeared soldiers were bing visibly exhausted. The enemy had been invading for over 10 days, and every time it was a sudden surprise. Thus, the mental pressure was severe. The main problem was that the basic skills of the enemies overwhelmed the soldiers. How many times would they have lost their lives if they didn¡¯t have the best quality recovery potions from the Reidan Alchemy Facility and Grid¡¯s mass-produced set? The soldiers were pale as they stared at the scars under the armor.


    It was the 25th day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°The soldiers are at the limit.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the reinforcements here yet?¡±


    ¡°The imperial troops have taken over Lepio Vige. The road isn¡¯t open support troops can¡¯t enter.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    The 600 elite soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom werepletely exhausted. They had already run out of potions to restore stamina, and their armor and weapons had be rags from sessive battles. Furthermore, there were no cksmiths or smithies in the evil eyes vige to repair them.


    However, there was one point offort. No, it was a huge point. Since the levels of the enemies were high, the soldiers gained an average of 20 levels during the battle between the two sides. Some soldiers even reached level 300 and achieved their third advancement. The soldiers were bing the top elites of the Overgeared Kingdom. If they could all survive and return safely... The military force of the Overgeared Kingdom would rise greatly.


    It was now the 28th day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°Open the way.¡±


    ¡°This ce is currently being invaded by mysterious forces. We can¡¯t let anyone enter the war situation.¡±


    ¡°Anyone? The great army of the Saharan Empire is called just anyone?¡±


    The empire¡¯s regr troops arrived and tried to enter the evil eyes¡¯ vige. The Overgeared Kingdom was forced to gather troops at the entrance, so they couldn¡¯t enter. The soldiers of the empire couldn¡¯t enter the city as the Overgeared soldiers blocked it.


    This was the so-called roadblock. It was a strategy which took advantage of the fact that it would be impossible for them to fight each other. The first one to use this strategy was the empire. The imperial forces blocked all entrances to Lepio Vige to interfere with the entry of the Overgeared army. This meant there was no way for the Overgeared reinforcements to enter the evil eyes¡¯ vige below Lepio Vige.


    It was the 31st day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    The fighting spirits of the Overgeared soldiers had dimmed, but the imperial soldiers didn¡¯t allow them to leave. The intruders suddenly appeared and fought the Overgeared soldiers. The Overgeared soldiers¡¯ armor and weapons were broken, yet their reinforcements had yet to arrive...


    The continuous feeling of despair filled the Overgeared soldiers who had already begun to run out of physical and mental strength.


    ¡°...¡±


    The evil eyes people, who blocked the enemy from attacking the rear, had already been silent for two days. They were exhausted and had lost their ability to speak the dreaded words. On the other hand, the eyes of the imperial forces were rxed. The despair of the Overgeared soldiers became greater as they were mocked of the empire.


    Tatang! Jade magic bullets flew through the sky, and new invaders died as soon as they appeared. A beautiful ck-haired woman dered to the soldiers,¡°You are safe.¡±


    She would protect Grid¡¯s property, even if she had to die 100 times. Yura swore that to herself as she created new magic power bullets.


    It was the 33rd day of protecting the evil eyes.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Guild were losing strength. They were arranged in turns to allow for sufficient rest, but their items had a limit called ¡®durability.¡¯ As the small battles were repeated daily, their armor and weapons started to scream and their repair tool sets were used up. Theirbat force fell sharply the moment they switched to sub-items. The enemies felt a bit stronger, and arge number of them started to intrude. They hoped for it to end, and they wished for their allies toe. However, they couldn¡¯t show it in front of the soldiers, and their mental strength was quickly consumed.


    ¡°...¡±


    The most ambitious Peak Sword and Vantner no longer enjoyed the situation. The situation wasn¡¯t very good. In order to enter the evil eyes¡¯ vige, it was necessary to use space magic at the fountain in Lepio vige. This was virtually impossible because Lepio Vige was fully upied by the imperial army.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Tell us what to do.¡±


    The Overgeared members started to rely on Lauel. It was a scene that showed Lauel¡¯s position. Just like Grid, many of the Overgeared members believed in Lauel. No matter what the skeptics said, he was indisputably the one who had established the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Lauel shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve done our part.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They had done everything they could? Was there no solution left?


    Lauelughed at his frustrated colleagues. ¡°It is over now. In the first ce, our mission was tost until the time came. We did well enough.¡±


    ***


    In Lepio Vige...


    ¡°The cockroachessted for a long time.¡±


    Was it a 10 year old child? A little girl was smiling cynically. It was a smile that didn¡¯t fit her age.


    ¡°Now they have reached their limits.¡±


    A ck Knight standing by the girl¡¯s side said, ¡°There was a report that side the enemy¡¯s spirit ispletely broken.¡±


    ¡°I heard that a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I told you that the enemy¡¯s spirit had started to decline.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, now it ispletely broken?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is clear that they are at their limits. It is natural. Haven¡¯t they been fighting suddenly appearing enemies for over 20 days? I think it is incredible they¡¯vested this long.¡±


    The side of the ck Knight¡¯s helmet had five golden lines embossed on it. It was the symbol of the First ck Knight and showed that the middle-aged man was the leader of the ck Knights. Nevertheless, the captain was treating the little girl with great care.


    It was natural. The girl¡¯s identity was Magician King Goldhit. She was the continent¡¯s strongest magician, the master of the Tower of Eternity, and one of the five pirs of the empire. The ck Knights might be one of the representatives of the empire, but it was hard to act like that in front of Goldhit.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll take Captain¡¯s words for it. I will send people in for thest time.¡±


    Goldhit had sent nearly 10,000 troops to the evil eyes¡¯ vige over thest dozens of days. It was possible with the fountain that was a warp device, which gave a glimpse of the magical knowledge of the demonkin. Still, Goldhit wasn¡¯t all-powerful and was tired from using a great amount of magic power.


    After a moment, 50 knights stood in front of Goldhit.


    ¡°You called...¡±


    They were the Blue me Knights of the Gauss Kingdom. The swords of the Blue me Knights contained a blue me, and their skills were good enough topare to the ck Knights of the empire. Of course, the Blue me Knights had been pushed aside in terms of scale for the ck Knights, who had an enormous amount of resources poured into them and expanded to 1,000 people.


    Goldhit spoke to the leader of the Blue me Knights, ¡°Stand at the fountain. I will send you to the evil eyes¡¯ vige and sweep away the remnants of the Overgeared members.¡±


    ¡°...¡± The Blue me Knights leader gritted his teeth. The Overgeared Kingdom was the greatest enemy of the Gauss Kingdom. The Gauss Kingdom had been fighting with Grid since the days of the Eternal Kingdom and recognized the Overgeared Kingdom as a public enemy.


    The knights leader had lost many troops to the Overgeared Kingdom and wanted to get revenge, but not like this. He was a knight of the Gauss Kingdom, not a knight of the empire. Why did he need to bemanded by the empire?


    ¡°Well... do you have anything to say?¡±Goldhit frowned as the leader of the Blue me Knights didn¡¯t answer. Killing intent rose, and the Blue me Knights found it hard to breathe.¡°...¡±


    Goldhit and the ck Knight were stepping on them.This was their territory after all...


    The leader of the Blue me Knights stared at Goldhit¡¯s small feet for a while before dropping his head.¡°...No. I¡¯ll punish the enemy.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t resist the empire. They had to fight. The empire had paid 200 golden crowns in exchange for the right to use the Blue me Knights.The reason for obeying orders was clear.


    ¡®Yes, we¡¯re fighting for our country, not the empire.¡¯


    The leader of the Blue me Knights made a decision, and the grinning Goldhit sent them away with magic.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to die.¡±


    The Overgeared nobles and soldiers were staying in the evil eyes¡¯ vige. Soon, they would be crushed and copse. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the evil eyes¡¯ king was defeated and the massive knowledge of the evil eyes was obtained by the empire.


    ¡°Kukukuk...¡±


    This was an opportunity to study the eyes of a living evil eyes! Goldhit was feeling blissful. She thought it was worthwhile toe this far and suffer. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°The Overgeared King has arrived,¡± a ck Knight came to Goldhit¡¯s barracks and reported.


    The expression of the ck Knight was dull. He wasn¡¯t too tense at the appearance of the Overgeared King. There was naturally no reason for him to be nervous. The Overgeared King wasn¡¯t an enemy at present. Even if he tried something, there were two ck Knights and the magician king on this side.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Goldhit rose from her seat and headed to the entrance of the vige. A ck-haired man was standing there with folded arms. The silver crown on his head showed he was devoted to his status as king. It was a sorry sight.


    ¡°It has been a while,¡± Goldhit moved to the entrance and greeted Grid, who showed an obviously offended expression.


    ¡°I guess you are still kidnapping children and raising them like livestock.¡±


    ¡°What is the difference between livestock and a young child?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Both are powerless. They are raised to be eaten.¡±


    Goldhit nced toward the ground, looking underground where the Overgeared Kingdom was struggling. She was saying that they were also pigs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time and go back. As a king, how can your ass get up from the throne so often?¡±


    In fact, Goldhit had a lot of interest in Grid. She was interested in existing legends. It was a feeling that was close to liking but not anymore. Goldhit¡¯s grudge against Grid was huge after he took the thunder stone.


    ¡®...Hrmm?¡¯Goldhit, who had been turning around after ridiculing Grid, suddenly stopped. She sensed the magic power filling the sky. Looking up, Goldhit became nervous as she detected the thunderstorm.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there still close to three months left in the truce agreement between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom? Overgeared King. It is impossible for you to attack us. You know better than anyone that you can¡¯t resist causality. It isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    Grid was a yer and instantly understood the ¡®causality¡¯ that Goldhit spoke about. She was probably referring to the ¡®system¡¯. Still, Grid knew how to take advantage of the system.


    ¡°Is this called the struggle of the livestock?¡±


    Rain poured down.


    ¡°Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡±


    Thunder struck. It was a mighty force that didn¡¯t distinguish between enemies as it swept through the soldiers blocking the entrance.


    ¡°...Crazy!!¡± Goldhit shouted as she protected herself from thunder with 10yers of shields. This was the wrath of the magician king! It was a sight that couldn¡¯t be easily seen and was the precursor to a disaster. The number of people who had seen Goldhit¡¯s current state was small enough to be counted on one hand.


    One of those people was Grid. Grid raised the fighting energy of the Hero King and stared at Goldhit with fierce eyes.¡°You aren¡¯t entitled to stand in my way.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡®Oh, my god. There is somebody who doesn¡¯t fear the magician king?¡¯


    The expressions of the ck Knights stiffened. They didn¡¯t expect the Overgeared King to act like this, and the pressure he was giving off was stronger than they had imagined it would be.

 Chapter 976

    ¡®This guy must be crazy!¡¯


    The biggest disadvantage ofrge-scale attack magic was that it couldn¡¯t distinguish between targets. Of course, some spells were an exception but it was like that nine out of ten times. The Overgeared King¡¯s summoning of lightning within a 200-meter-radius was a tant deration of war. In fact, his magic was damaging the bodies of the imperial soldiers.


    The lightning magic was somehow familiar. It evoked a strange sense of deja vu as it generated maic force and caused her orb to shake. The sound of thunder in her ears confused her mind and disrupted the spell casting. Just before the lightning fell toward her head, Goldhit opened a shield that protected herself, only to feel confused.


    ¡®It¡¯s weak?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s magic clearly contained something strange. It generated a maism that slowed down the pace of spell casting, so it definitely transcended the category of usual spells. However, the attack power was too weak. There was no need to stack 10yers of shields. Twoyers seemed to be enough. Goldhit was confused since she had long known that Grid possessed Braham¡¯s soul.


    ¡®Hasn¡¯t he fully awakened the enhanced magic? No, he might be afraid of the empire and could be deliberately saving his strength. Once the soldiers died, he would cross a river he couldn¡¯t return from.


    She needed to test it a bit more.


    ¡°Overgeared King! You vited the agreement first!¡±


    Her opponent was a legend and a king. Goldhit shouldn¡¯t be condescending just because he was 100% an insidious person. In order to peek at a certain level of his strength, it was necessary to push him to the edge of a cliff. As she judged this, she started chanting a spell that caused the earth to shake. Goldhit thought that the big earthquake would hit the Overgeared soldiers and drop them into a pit.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid scoffed, and Goldhit¡¯s spell was neutralized. It was proof of a higher-level knowledge. Grid¡¯s magic knowledge delved into Goldhit¡¯s knowledge and denied it.


    Goldhit freaked out. ¡®T-This is unbelievable! This ability!¡¯


    The words of her teacher came to mind, ¡°My master was omnipotent because of his magic. He easily grasped the magic process of others and cut off the activation of the spell itself. Every magician, except for Mumud, was helpless in front of Master. Thus, everyone was afraid of the Duke of Wisdom.¡±


    Duke of Wisdom...


    Great knowledge was what blocked the magic from its source! It was an unrealistic force that exerted a power of 100 with one magic power. Goldhit hadn¡¯t believed it because it sounded like a story from the Age of Mythology. Sheughed because it was too exaggerated.


    However, Grid proved it at this moment. He was the omnipotent Duke of Wisdom that he had inherited from Braham!


    ¡®This power was real...!¡¯ Goldhit was shocked as the opponent¡¯s power surpassed her expectations. Lightning struck the crown of her head in this gap. This was lightning that inflicted 10,000 damage. It was an attribute that made magic resistance meaningless, but the strength itself was lousy. Still, even a small stake could break a rock if it kept hitting the same point.


    Goldhit was struck 12 times on the head and got a headache. The lightning that fell irregrly in a 200-meter-radius persistently hit Goldhit like it had an ego.


    ¡®He has full control over thisrge-scale magic!¡¯


    The reason whyrge-scale magic couldn¡¯t distinguish between targets was that it was hard to control. Grid was in full control of arge spell with a range of 200 meters!


    ¡®This is the strength of the Duke of Wisdom...!¡¯


    The storm started to wane. No more lightning fell, but Goldhit¡¯s body still shook from the electric shocks.


    ¡°Your talent is great. You are a genius that will emerge once in 100 years. You will surely be the greatest magician in the world.¡±Her master¡¯s praise scattered like dust.


    ¡°All magicians in the world have honored you as the magician king.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am the supreme existence of magicians.¡±


    She felt ashamed of herself for using the word ¡®supreme.¡¯ Her body was hot. The strange feelings overtook Goldhit. ¡°Eek...!¡±


    Why did she have to feel such petty emotions? Goldhit red at Grid...


    ¡°...¡±


    ...She gave up She was afraid. She wasn¡¯t confident enough to bear the insults that would be in the Overgeared King¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®It is better to back off here.¡¯


    The fact, ¡®Goldhit can¡¯t beat Grid¡¯, was added to the truth of the world. Goldhit stiffened like a rat in front of a snake and was covered in sweat. In order to gain the enhanced magic, she decided to revise her approach and attitude toward Grid for the future. There was plenty of hope. Since the first time they met, she hadid the foundation by expressing her favorability toward him.


    ¡°E-Enter.¡± Goldhit immediately opened the path.


    Grid¡¯s gaze was still watching the ground.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    The Overgeared members, who were isted in the evil eyes¡¯ vige, had concealed their situation thoroughly. They had been worried that Grid would lose concentration while working because of their misfortune. Of course, they were in control at first.


    For more than 20 days, Grid never noticed the situation in the evil eyes¡¯ vige. However, within a few days of the arrival of Reidan¡¯s reinforcements, the situation of the evil eyes¡¯ vige was delivered to Grid. Grid also had eyes and ears. The moment the army of Reidan moved, a report came from Piaro. Piaro had recognized what was going on in the evil eyes¡¯ vige, then Grid received further news from Mercedes.


    However, it hadn¡¯t shaken Grid. Instead, he had been immersed in his cksmithing work. This was the job he had to do right now, and it was the wish of his colleagues. He also believed in his colleagues. That¡¯s right. Grid hadn¡¯t doubted the skills of the 10 meritorious retainers and the Overgeared members.


    Then he arrived at Lepio Vige and realized the situation was serious, unlike what he had thought. The troops sent from Reidan 10 days ago were still unable to enter the vige. Grid was furious. He lost his temper the moment he saw Goldhit¡¯s disgusting face. His killing intent was strong enough to cut her neck right away.


    However, the system recognized Goldhit as an ¡®allied force¡¯, so Grid was only able to use Storm Demonic Energy Field. Perhaps it was due to his high luck stat, but he was able to vent some of his anger.


    [The target has received 10,000 damage.]


    [The target has received 10,000...]


    [The target has received 10,000...]


    [Your have discovered the effect of the target¡¯s spell with the effect of Duke of Wisdom! The target¡¯s spell has been destroyed!]


    The random lightning started to strike Goldhit. The power of Duke of Wisdom sealed Goldhit¡¯s magic. Perhaps there was a problem with the ¡®body¡¯ Goldhit was currently in and she was forced to step back.


    ¡°E-Enter.¡±


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to see her again, but he couldn¡¯t waste time. The imperial soldiers who had been struck by the lightning were rtively healthy thanks to their heavy armor and expensive items. Grid moved through the nervous people and nced at his allies.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The Overgeared soldiers responded and followed Grid. The imperial troops didn¡¯t block their way, and they entered the vige without a hitch. The knights and soldiers couldn¡¯t act when Commander Goldhit had opened the way.


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± The ck Knight asked.


    Hearing the ck Knight¡¯s concern, Goldhit nodded. ¡°The grandmaster will stop him.¡±


    He was watching the situation here. Soon, he woulde with the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes.


    The evil eyes¡¯ king was destined to die even with Grid¡¯s presence.


    ***


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    ¡°This is ournd! Don¡¯t forgive the demonkin who have been parasites under ournd and the Overgeared Kingdom that protects them! This is our cause!¡±


    The Blue me Knights were transferred to the evil eyes¡¯ vige. Like the previous invaders, they appeared suddenly out of thin air. They honestly wanted to discipline and expel the demonkin as well as the Overgeared Kingdom, the main enemy of their kingdom.


    This ce was their territory. It was a ce where enemies couldn¡¯t run wild.


    A blue me emerged from the tips of the swords wielded by the knights. The bare bodies of the Overgeared soldiers, whose armor were broken, were easily cut down. However, the Overgeared soldiers didn¡¯t lose their morale. Those who were cut in the chest coughed up blood and kept fighting, while those who were cut in one of their shoulders switched their weapon to the other hand, and those who had their legs cut crawled to advance. The Blue me Knights got a chill at this eerie sight.


    ¡°These guys... Keok!¡±


    The knights, who were about to swing their swords again at the Overgeared soldiers who clung to them like zombies, suddenly fell from the arrow that flew silently. It was a signal that the ranks had copsed. The arrows that assimted with the darkness kept flying without stopping. The leading troops of the Blue me Knights copsed, and the Overgeared soldiers climbed onto their chests and shoved their swords like beasts.


    ¡°Were they trained by Jude?¡±Someone clicked their tongues at the appearance of the Overgeared soldiers. It was Jishuka who was shooting arrows from behind the soldiers. Her zing red hair and silky tanned skin made her look beautiful in the darkness as she fired the arrows.


    ¡°Sigh. If you don¡¯t run away, I can¡¯t back down.¡±


    Now she had only 13 arrows remaining. She nned to use her few remaining arrows for self-defense until the reinforcements arrived. However, the Overgeared soldiers didn¡¯t flee and fought to the end. Thus, she couldn¡¯t run away alone.


    ¡°...We must go back together.¡±


    She took a breath and pulled back the bowstring. The arrow that disappeared from the world struck the enemy¡¯s heart and revealed its appearance. At the same time...


    [Critical!]


    [The weak spot has been sessfully attacked!]


    [The number of enemies you¡¯ve killed by shooting the weak spot has reached 10 million!]


    [It is a great achievement that will go down in history!]


    [The Advanced Bow Mastery skill has been upgraded to Sure Death Bow Mastery!]


    ¡°Eh?¡± Jishuka faced a new evolution.


    ¡®I¡¯ve killed only 10 million?¡¯


    It was fortunate other people couldn¡¯t know what she was thinking. Then an amazing situation urred.


    [A holy voice has entered your ears.]


    -You...World tree...Aura...


    [¡ï Hidden ss Change Quest ¡ï Povia¡¯s Descendant has urred!]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Povia¡ªit was the name of the former legendary archer. She was an elf and was known to be the best archer in the world. Bing her descendant meant being a legend...


    Jishuka achieved the conditions to get a legendary ss without even knowing it! By the way...


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    -...


    [Do you really want to reject the quest?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The quest was rejected.]


    Jishuka made a surprising choice. No, it was a natural choice. She had been called a godly archer for a long time.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to surpass Povia, so it is funny to be her descendant.¡±Jishuka easily passed up the situation with a single smile. An ordinary person would never understand this attitude. It was a confidence that she could have because she was a genius. Then her unexpected choice caused a new development.


    [The qualification for the hidden ss ¡®Bow Sage¡¯ has been obtained. A ss change quest will ur.]


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    As expected, warriors should fight. The over a month¡¯s worth of struggling was a stepping stone for her to grow. Jishuka grinned and contemted the battlefield with Hawk Eyes. Members of the Overgeared Guild were fighting all over the ce and all of them were breaking their limits due to the extreme circumstances.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to pay a proper price in the future.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild was no longer a Grid one-man team. An arrow formed from magic power struck the throat of a Blue me Knight. The knights were astonished at the god who shot a bow without any arrows.

 Chapter 977

    ¡°What is your rtionship with her?¡± Sticks asked. His gaze was focused on Magician King Goldhit.


    ¡°Rtionship? What rtionship? Isn¡¯t it a rtionship where we want to kill each other?¡± Grid answered hurriedly.


    Sticksughed. ¡°Then why is she looking at you like that?¡±


    ¡°Like what? Isn¡¯t she in a bad state?¡±


    ¡°The magician king¡¯s magic power recovery rate is faster than that of the elves who have the power of the world tree. She can easily adjust her condition. In fact, she was recovering in real time while confronting Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°There is no limit to her flesh...? Mercedes said that the magician king¡¯s body is generally less durable.¡±


    ¡°Nope. She looks fine.¡±


    ¡°Um... Sticks, are you feeling wary?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha... The magician king¡¯s ability is above mine. I¡¯m a knowledge seeker, not a magician.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you good at magic? You can even use elemental magic.¡±


    ¡°It is a basic skill I mastered in the process of exploring knowledge. It isn¡¯t a level to brag about in front of the continent¡¯s greatest magician.¡±


    ¡®...Don¡¯t tell me, is it luck again?¡¯


    Goldhit had failed to cast the spell because the effect of Duke of Wisdom had activated ¡®luckily¡¯. This caused her to overvalue his skills and lose her will. It was a misunderstanding that could be seen in third-tier manhwa and novels these days, but the possibility couldn¡¯t be ruled out. Grid had experienced this absurd development many times over the past few years. Even now, he was experiencing a lot of luck.


    ¡®It feels good.¡¯


    This was the great power of luck! He felt that he had finally ovee his bad luck!


    ¡®Decades ago, this development was a first-rate literary development!¡¯


    Of course, it was an unfounded im. In any case, he felt like the protagonist of a first-rate novel!


    Grid was filled with joy as he arrived in front of the fountain. The statue of a naked boy with aical expression was decorating the fountain, and water was pouring from his little ce. When Grid first visited this ce, the evil eyes had manipted certain parts of the statue to open the entrance to the vige.


    ¡°However, I can¡¯t remember a single maneuver. I¡¯ll ask Lauel...¡±


    ¡°Entrust it to me.¡±


    Sticks was used to having a deep conversation with the Destiny Guardians. He had a peculiar passion for learning. As such, he had learned a lot about the evil eyes species and how to enter their vige. Sage Sticks manipted the statue several times, and the space tore open, revealing a portal. It was a portal connected to the evil eyes vige.


    ¡°It has lost a lot of life.¡±


    ¡°Life?¡±


    What was wrong with whose life? Grid was reminded of the fact that Sticks was suffering from a curse. ¡°Sticks, are you going to die now?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Sticks closed his mouth and stared at Grid. As a high elf, he had lived a long life and wanted to live longer. He was sensitive to death because he felt like he was going to die every time his heart hurt. Still, he couldn¡¯t help feeling irritated when Grid mentioned it. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to die yet. I¡¯m talking about the life span of the portal.¡±


    ¡°A portal has a life expectancy?¡±


    ¡°It is the same with objects. A device made of magic power can¡¯t exist forever. Furthermore, this portal has a shorter life span due to the shock it received from outside.¡±


    ¡°What shock?¡±


    ¡°Goldhit seems to have ced an unusual spell on this portal. The portal¡¯s operation was changed so much that it was damaged and the life span greatly reduced. It will be destroyed by next year...¡±


    ¡°What happens when it is destroyed?¡±


    ¡°The passage connecting the evil eyes vige to the ground will disappear, and the evil eyes will be isted.¡±


    ¡°Can you recreate it?¡±


    ¡°It will probably be hard. A semi-permanent portal can only be made by the giants, but the whereabouts of the giants are unknown...¡±


    ¡°...Hmm, okay. In any case, the evil eyes have to leave this ce.¡±


    It was a natural thing. Now that the evil eyes vige was revealed to the public, the evil eyes had to move homes for their safety.


    ¡°Do you intend to move the evil eyes to the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I will help actively. I am interested in the knowledge of the evil eyes people that is sleeping in the library. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid, Sticks, the former Giant Guild members, and 2,000 soldiers moved through the portal. They panicked the moment they arrived at the vige entrance. The situation in the city waspletely different from what Grid¡¯s group had expected.


    ¡°...¡±


    The vige entrance was blocked by the Overgeared soldiers, and they were a wreck. It was hard to find any armor, and their bodies were covered with wounds. Grid got a glimpse of how bitter the fighting had been over thest month. It seemed like hell. They must be tired. Then what was this? The Overgeared soldiers were as tempered as a strong sword. They gazed at the enemies with unshakable eyes.


    On the other hand, the gazes of the opponents facing them werepletely dead. The enemy soldiers were wearing luxurious armor and still had physical strength left, but they shrank back like dogs who had lost the fight.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this situation? Grid¡¯s group turned their gazes to what was going on inside the city. Behind the Overgeared soldiers gazing at the enemy, there was a scene of blood and flesh scattering. A beautiful ck-haired woman stabbed her sword into a knight¡¯s stomach and pointed her gun at his head.


    ¡°S-Spare me...¡±The knight coughed up blood and pleaded, but it was useless. The beautiful ck-haired woman mercilessly pulled the trigger, and the knight¡¯s head burst like a watermelon.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±The Overgeared soldiers roared like beasts and stomped their feet. The soldiers were already in a state of despair and stepped back with surprise.


    ¡°Oh, you came?¡± The ck-haired beauty neatly handled the remaining enemies and smiled after finding Grid.Her smile was so brilliant it was hard to believe she had ughtered four knights.


    ¡°Y-Y-Yura, you went through a lot of trouble.¡±


    Was it the application of the Hell Leap skill? Yura¡¯s sword disappeared through a passage in the air and appeared again in apletely different direction, causing Grid to be stunned beyond being in awe of her. He thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to respond to her attacks.


    ¡®Incredibly strong...¡¯


    What if? If he really married Yura, wouldn¡¯t he receive a one-sided beating whenever they fought? He was afraid sincebat senses could be demonstrated in reality.


    ***


    The empire divided the evil eyes vige into 16 points¡ªthe east and west entrances, the central library, the eight roads leading from the entrances to the library, the castle of the evil eyes king, and the four roads leading from the library to the castle. Most of the outside forces that the empire sent to the vige came from these 16 points.


    The same was true for the Blue me Knights. The main members of the Blue me Knights appeared in front of the library and in particr the castle gates.


    ¡°...The raid is short-term.¡±


    It was the Peak Sword and Vantner duo. They stretched and slowly opened their eyes before standing up. 30 knights could be seen. They wore full te armor and yellow cloaks and held silver long swords with a cross handle. Just by looking at their armed state, one could tell they were unusual. It was obvious with one nce that expensive goods covered their bodies. They seemed to be knights of a senior noble or a royal family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they look exceptionally strong?¡±


    The enemies that they had been dealing with for the past month were also formidable. However, these knights were extremely unusual. Peak Sword and Vantner felt troubled. They noticed that their biggest crisis hade.


    ¡°We have to be tense. They will reach their goal if we¡¯re careless.¡±Vantner raised his shield and stared at the rear of the knights. There was a young knight who didn¡¯t wear a helmet in order to show off his good-looking face and the abundant hair he was proud of. He was called Apollo, and his name shone in silver. It meant he was a quasi-named NPC.


    ¡°He is at least level 400.¡±


    That was at least 20 levels higher than Peak Sword¡¯s. Additionally, quasi-named NPCs had higher stats than yers. It seemed hard to beat Apollo even if Peek and Vantner worked together. Moreover, Apollo had many subordinates. They were estimated to be at least level 330.


    ¡°You guys, enter the castle right now. There are evil eyes in the castle, so listen to their orders,¡± Peak Sword ordered.


    However, the soldiers refused. ¡°We can¡¯t leave the marquis!¡±


    ¡°We will stay and buy some time, so the marquis and earl should retreat!¡±


    The soldiers put up a loyal appearance! They sincerely respected Peak Sword and Vantner and were determined to sacrifice their lives for the two people. Yet Peak Sword frowned instead of feeling impressed. ¡°Get out of here quickly. That guy can¡¯t run wild with you here.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    This guy...? Run wild...? Who did he mean?


    Then it happened as the soldiers were tilting their heads to the side. The sword hanging from Peak Sword¡¯s waist started to shake wildly. Iyarugt in the sheath was snapping at Peak Sword, -You are a young fool.Why aren¡¯t you quickly summoning me?Shit, I will fall behind by following you.


    ¡°...¡±


    Thanks to Peak Sword using him for the past three years and two months, Iyarugt¡¯s soul had strengthened, and he could now speak without needing to be summoned. However, his tone was very harsh. He talked like a back-alley gangster. Was this the reality of hell¡¯s best swordsman?


    Some people might be shocked and disappointed, but in fact, this wasn¡¯t Iyarugt¡¯s nature. Iyarugt just adapted to the change in environment. He was like this because of Peak Sword, who was sensitive toments in articles, and Vantner, who was sensitive about his bald head. Iyarugt¡¯s tone had changed after being stuck with them for a month, bing tough.


    ¡®...I¡¯m d Huroi isn¡¯t here.¡¯


    If Huroi were here... It was horrible just imagining it. Iyarugt might¡¯ve fallen to the point of mentioning people¡¯s parents.


    Peak Sword twitched and pulled Iyarugt out of the sheath.


    It was a clear red sword.


    -Peak Sword, as you know, this sword is just a medium that seals my soul.I don¡¯t know what will happen to my soul the moment the sword breaks.I might be released or lose my body.Thus, be careful not to act stupidly. Iyarugt¡¯s tone was fierce, but his soul felt worried.


    Peak Sword smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be careful. I will never let you break.¡±


    On the other hand, the Blue me Knights were stunned. In particr, Apollo revealed a tant feeling of greed.


    ¡°It is a beautiful sword. It is a work of art that isn¡¯t fitting for a man like you. I will have it.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    The magic sword was a work of art...? Was there a hole in his eyes?


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Apollo red at Peak Sword witha terrifying killing intent that would crush a person. However, Peak Sword was fine. Apollo wasn¡¯t terrible from the standpoint of Peak Sword, who had defeated the Hero in the National Competition.


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯tugh at a dog? Do I have to exin why I amughing? Dog-like bastard. You don¡¯t know the value of this sword yet you dare covet it. Sit down.¡±


    ¡°...You will die soon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who is going to die. Come! Iyarugt!¡±


    Iyarugt stated to emit a bloody light. Apollo and the Blue me Knights were shocked by the unusual aura and pulled out their swords, while Vantner paled and retreated with the soldiers. The mist solidified into a bead, and the shape of a man eventually emerged. He was Hell¡¯s best swordsman, a Sword Demon, Great Demon Zepar¡¯s only rival, and so on. It didn¡¯t take long for Iyarugt to show up in the world with his tough words.


    ¡°Fucking brat, summon me quicker next time.¡±


    An elderly man bent over with bloody mes wrapped around his body. A horn rose from his forehead, proving he was a demonkin as he flew forward with his sword.


    ¡°...!?¡±Apollo¡¯s eyes shook while the other knights didn¡¯t respond. The sword drew a full moon.


    ¡°...?¡± The bodies of the knights who discovered it btedly were split in two, and blood streamed like a fountain.


    ¡°There are some decent guys mixed in.¡±Iyarugt licked the blood from the sword, and his gaze focused on Apollo.


    ¡°Sublime Sword.¡±


    Iyarugt had achieved ¡®breaking through his limits¡¯ a total of five times with Peak Sword. He had regained almost half his power. It could only be sustained for a very short time since it was formed by the soul, but it was sufficient to clean up these small fry.

 Chapter 978

    Just like how some pets such as elementals didn¡¯t have the concept of growth, Iyarugt didn¡¯t have the growth concept of ¡®level.¡¯ This didn¡¯t mean he was restricted or had limitations though. Rather, it meant that Iyarugt could grow through the process of restoring himself.


    [* By winning in a battle against the strong, he can regain a feeling of life. The more he wins, the more he will regain your skills. (5/10)]


    This was stated in Iyarugt¡¯s status window. Every time he raided a named boss monster, he could break his limits and restore his strength. The power of Iyarugt¡¯s current Sublime Sword was four times more powerful than Peak Sword¡¯s Annihte and wasparable to Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Apollo blocked the sword with a shield and couldn¡¯t help groaning from the shock. His left arm that was holding the shield spun through the air.


    ¡°Captain!¡± The knights¡¯ horrified cries rang out. A demonkin had suddenly appeared, and one of the knights¡¯ captain¡¯s arms was cut off. Apollo used the first aid skill Hit a Pressure Point avable for a fourth advancement knight and asked in a resentful voice, ¡°I don¡¯t understand... The evil eyes are a species banished from hell. Why are you helping the demonkin?¡±


    However, Iyarugt wasn¡¯t a conversationalist. He was only interested in pursuing fighting skills. Iyraugt had no interest in other people¡¯s positions, nor was he kind enough to exin his reasons.


    ¡°What a load of shit.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The moment the atmosphere became tense from Iyarugt¡¯s attitude, a voice rang out.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you look at your own actions before ming others?¡± It was Peak Sword who shouted from behind Iyarugt.¡°You are the invaders! Do you deserve to me other people when you have invaded this territory, harmed the people and took away their peace? You are barbarians!¡±


    ¡°...I omitted the introductions, so there was a misunderstanding. We are the Blue me Knights of the Gauss royal family. This is our territory, and we have the right and duty to defend ourselves. It is the evil eyes who are the invaders, not us.¡±


    ¡°G-Gauss Kingdom? Keuk! Still, the evil eyes haven¡¯t hurt your people!¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Can you guarantee that they haven¡¯t harmed anyone? They are demonkin. They must be ferocious to have been banished from hell.¡±


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    ¡°No... Before discussing race, it is a matter of basic national security... Think about it from our perspective. If you find out that a certain armed group is living underneath your Overgeared Kingdom... would you be able to overlook it?¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Peak Sword became more and more dumbfounded. It was because he couldn¡¯t refute any of Apollo¡¯s reasonable words. As an easy example, imagine if the Chinese army were living underneath South Korean territory. It was something that could never be tolerated for Koreans.


    ¡°I-I see... I fully understand your position. Technically, you guys are the victims...¡±Peak Sword admitted it honestly. However¡ª


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know! In any case, the Gauss Kingdom is our enemy! I¡¯ll get rid of everyone here!¡±


    It was enough to ignore the unfavorable truth. Peak Sword refused any further conversation. He pulled out a dark sword¡ªa long sword that Grid had made out of Belial¡¯s Horn. Just based on the performance alone, it was a weapon that was slightly more powerful than Iyarugt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Iyarugt! Exterminate them!¡±


    The new Iyarugt wasunched like a sh of light while Peak Sword stood in ce and bent over.


    ¡°Hell Moon Cut.¡±


    Simultaneously, Iyarugt had cut through the lead knights and was surrounded by the enemies.


    ¡°Annihte.¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s weapon swept through the enemies around Iyarugt. It was a ridiculously aggressive offensive. Apollo realized the opponents weren¡¯t willing to talk and raised a blue sword energy from the tip of his sword. It was a me-like sword.


    ¡°My fire will protect my country!¡±


    It was a powerful wave of energy! Peak Sword was pushed back during the gap created by using Draw Sword, and Vantner ran to his side to set up a shield. After that, Apollo¡¯s sword energy struck Vantner¡¯s shield. Vantner murmured to himself, ¡®It is a whole different level...!¡¯


    As expected, a fourth advancement opponent was too much at this point in time.


    A third advancement ss could overwhelm a second advancement ss. Then what about a fourth advancement?


    It was difficult to deal with Apollo¡¯s damage, despite his stats falling significantly because of his severed arm.


    While suffering an internal injury and coughing up blood, Peak Sword shouted, ¡°Hey! Iyarugt! Get rid of that guy quickly!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t my master so you should shut up.¡±


    The ferocious Iyarugt moved close to Apollo. He also knew that Peak Sword would be in danger if he didn¡¯t get rid of Apollo.


    The swordsmanship of a demonkin was different from that of human swordsmen.


    The dazzling sword strikes that depended on the innate power and vitality of a demonkin suppressed Apollo fiercely.


    Apollo was aware that Iyarugt exposed one or two gaps, but he didn¡¯t take advantage of them.


    They were a trap.


    Apollo had a hunch that he could suffer more damage if he was lured in by these gaps. It would¡¯ve been easy to fight back and defend if only he hadn¡¯t lost his arm. The biggest problem was that he failed to gauge the power of the first attack.


    ¡°Good! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Push him, Iyarugt!¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner didn¡¯t bother getting involved in the fight. It was because they weren¡¯t in a perfect state and would just be a hindrance. Now there were less than 10 Blue me Knights left, and they vented their anger with an energetic shout. ¡°These guys!¡±


    While they were fighting for their lives, these two people were hiding behind the crazy demonkin and cheering.


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with you!¡± The blue ming sword energy of the knights rose in unison. They had trained together for many years, and their cooperation was close to art.


    ¡°Aack!¡±Peak Sword screamed as two swords pierced his left side while he was busy blocking. Another two attacked from the right, and Peak Sword would be in danger of being killed if he didn¡¯t handle it right. Peak Sword forgot about his pride and rolled his body. He thought about Grid as he barely managed to avoid the crisis.


    It was hard to deal with four yers at once. Then what about Grid who won against 400 yers? It was really amazing. He was a truly great guy.


    ¡®Cool! Too good!¡¯ Peak Sword could only be described as crazy as he praised Grid while on the verge of dying, ¡°God Grid is the beeeeest!¡±


    ¡®He is sick again.¡¯ Vantner clicked his tongue while hiding behind a sword. His shield¡¯s durability was low and was on the verge of being destroyed. ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡®They are royal knights!¡¯


    The Blue me Knights were truly powerhouses. Their level of swordsmanship was so high that it was difficult to find a gap of opportunity, and their attack power was also high. Eventually, the four blue ming swords shattered Vantner¡¯s tattered shield.


    ¡°Eek! Hey! I¡¯m dead!¡±Vantner cried out as he was stabbed in the stomach, but Peak Sword couldn¡¯t afford to help him. Peak Sword was in the exact same situation was Vantner. He had already been stabbed in the stomach several times.


    ¡°Oh, shit! You are a tanker and should be protecting me! You should go before me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two of them were part of the 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared soldiers watched the legends of the Overgeared Kingdom struggle. They had been expecting a fierce and wonderful fight, but the situation was a mess.


    ¡°We will fight!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Go!¡±


    The soldiers, who had been staring nkly for a while, raised their weapons. They hadn¡¯t participated because Vantner had been urging them to stay away, but now they had hit a limit. The soldiers were prepared to die. They decided to sacrifice their lives to save Peak Sword and Vantner.


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Run away...¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner didn¡¯t wee the soldiers joining the fight. They might lose experience and items if they died, but they could resurrect again. On the other hand, the soldiers only had one life. Piaro, Asmophel, Jude, and the elite soldiers they worked hard to train... The two people didn¡¯t want the soldiers¡¯ to die after they had fought together for more than a month.


    Peak Sword escaped the immediate crisis due to the soldiers joining and shouted while coughing up blood, ¡°Shit...! Iyarugt! Protect the soldiers!¡±


    Unfortunately, Iyarugt wasn¡¯t in a position to respond to his call. Apollo was also a strong representative of his country. He was furious, and Iyarugt couldn¡¯t shake him off easily. Vantner pushed the knights with his shoulders and saved his allies. Then he red at the tightly closed gates.


    ¡°Shit! Those evil eyes to the end...!¡±


    If there was such turmoil, they should open the gates and help. However, the evil eyes didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡®These nasty bastards, who are we fighting for?¡¯


    The people they were sacrificing their lives for were ignoring them. Thus, Peak Sword and Vantner felt that all their efforts were in vain. It was called sage time in jargon. Their frustration was decreasing their morale. At this moment, a flower bloomed in the middle of the battlefield. The red flower was blooming from the heart of a Blue me Knight.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was it a hallucination? The knight was bewildered as he discovered the red flower at his heart. Blood started pouring from his nose.


    ¡°...!¡±He couldn¡¯t even scream as his body fell. The flower that blossomed at his heart was already dying as it scattered petals everywhere. The scattered petals became blood and soaked the ground. That¡¯s right. The red flower that had fallen from the heart of the copsed knight wasn¡¯t a flower but blood pouring from the heart.


    ¡°...What?!¡±


    Who killed the knight without a trace? Who showed up and helped? Both the Blue me Knights and the Overgeared soldiers were incredibly astonished.


    ¡°...Phew, I survived.¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner smiled with relief. They were aware of the identity of the person who had entered the battlefield. He was the shadow that protected the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªthe Death God Faker. Another Blue me Knight lost his life and copsed.


    ¡®Where the hell is he?¡¯


    The knights became tense as two of their colleagues died. They focused and desperately looked around. Nevertheless, it was useless. Faker invoked Lantier¡¯s technique and was in an extremely secretive and mobile state.


    Duguen.Duguen.Duguen...


    It was a battlefield where only the heartbeats of the frightened knights were heard. There wasplete silence. All the Blue me Knights died without knowing who killed them.


    ¡°...In any case, his form looks good.¡±


    ¡°He looks too cool in some ways. I¡¯m going to spew.¡±


    Peak and Vantner sat down and turned their gazes towardsIyarugt.


    Iyarugt and Apollo were moving all over the battlefield. They had already moved away from the gate and crossed the city as they exchanged blows. Then a ck sword fell between them. It was Faker. Apollo, who was maintaining a breathtaking bnce,pletely missed the opportunity to reverse the situation thanks to the sudden increase in enemies.


    The result was a great victory. The guards, including Peak Sword and Vantner, were able to defeat the Blue me Knights with less damage than expected.


    After a while, Grid arrived at the scene. He was relieved when he saw Peak Sword and Vantner, as well as the troops they led.


    ¡°You must be dying from the hard work. Leave the rest to us and go rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, rest. Everyone has gone through a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... Log out.¡±


    ¡°Wahhhh! King Grid!¡±


    The soldiers cheered. Grid who led therge army was their savior.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget your hard work.¡±


    The appearances of the survivors weren¡¯t great. Grid knew how hard they had been struggling and remembered their faces. He would give them big rewards in the future.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±Then Sticks approached Grid with a bad expression. ¡°A mighty magic power can be felt from the castle.¡±


    ¡°From the castle?¡±


    Grid turned his gaze toward the gates. The gates were firmly closed. There were no signs of outsiders having broken in.


    ¡°Are you referring to the magic power of the evil eyes¡¯ king?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can also feel the magic power of the evil eyes¡¯ king. However, this is as powerful as the evil eyes¡¯ king... No, it is several times more powerful than the other magic power.¡±


    Sage Sticks¡ªthe person who stayed calm when encountering Magician King Goldhit now had a shaky voice. ¡°It is clear that someone has breached the castle.¡±


    That someone was naturally...


    ¡°It is someone more powerful than the evil eyes¡¯ king.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me!¡± Grid immediately opened the gates and ran into the castle. Then he saw it. There were blood stains in the corridor leading to the king¡¯s great hall. This was the ce where the evil eyes ministers resided. It wasn¡¯t difficult to infer as to the owner of the blood marks.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    The evil eyes¡¯ king was in danger! Grid was filled with nervousness as he ran. He entered the great hall of the evil eyes¡¯ king and received a message.


    [You have encountered a strong person who has transcended the times.]


    The young man holding the evil eyes¡¯ king caught Grid¡¯s attention. He was a slender beauty who looked tired.


    ¡°You are the one who advances your destiny.¡±


    His identity was Zikfrector. He was famous as the grandmaster instead of his real name.


    ¡°Hmm, for the sake of convenience, I will kill you, Overgeared King.¡±


    [An unknown survival instinct has been activated! Your fighting energy is charged to the maximum!]


    ¡°Let go of that hand!¡± Gridbined the de Aiming at the Gods and the Enlightenment Sword before using 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Several dozen red energy des struck the grandmaster. However, the grandmaster used the evil eyes¡¯ king in his hand as a shield and was perfectly fine.


    ¡°The concept of death doesn¡¯t work with you, but this doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t receive any damage. You are going to die,¡± the grandmaster uttered nkly before pulling out a white mirror and untying the band covering both eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    Then it happened at this moment.


    ¡°Mass Teleport!¡±


    Grid instantly moved to the side of the evil eyes¡¯ king thanks to Stick¡¯s spell and ced the sses on the king. They were an easily transferable essory¡ªthe Ether sses made by Elizabeth.


    ¡°...?¡±The fatigue on the grandmaster¡¯s face deepened.

 Chapter 979

    ¡°...¡±


    The ministers had died. The ce where they barely built their lives had copsed.


    All the people who suffered because of their ipetent king, the Overgeared soldiers who struggled to help them, and those who died...


    The evil eyes¡¯ king clenched his hands into small fists as he sat on his throne. The only thing he could do was destroy. It was impossible for him to protect others. This power was useless because it was too powerful.


    ¡°Are you the king of the evil eyes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The intruder asked him a question. As he approached, the smell of blood thickened. The evil eyes¡¯ king wanted to open his eyes and inflict the pain of eternity. He wanted to kill this intruder and soothe the grudge of his people. However, he remained patient. His lips were tightly closed from anger, and blood flowed from where he had bitten his lower lip.


    He hadn¡¯t forgotten the Overgeared prime minister Lauel¡¯s words about how the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes were dangerous and that he should never open his eyes. The will of those who fought for them, who were forsaken by their homes... He couldn¡¯t break these things.


    If he did now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face the souls of the Overgeared soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for him. He had to live.


    ¡°Not even resisting,¡± the intruder said in a ridiculing manner. He approached, grabbed the king¡¯s cor, and pulled him off the throne. An ipetent person who couldn¡¯t protect or get revenge for his people didn¡¯t deserve to sit here. At this moment...


    ¡°Let go of that hand!¡±Someone appeared and shouted. The evil eyes¡¯ king remembered the owner of this voice. He recalled the first time he encountered it in his life. It belonged to a man who had exchanged nces with the king andughed without being exterminated.


    ¡®...Grid.¡¯


    He hade to help. Why did Grid want to be entangled with a useless person like the king? Regret preceded gratitude. Grid had chosen the wrong person. This was the moment when the evil eyes¡¯ king was crushed by guilt.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    A mighty energy flew over the evil eyes¡¯ king. The evil eyes¡¯ king bled from the blow and woke up.


    ¡®H-He is trying to kill me.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯te to help...? The evil eyes¡¯ king was shocked by the terrible pain. Then grandmaster released the band around the demon king¡¯s eyes. The red and blue eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king appeared in the world. His gaze was facing the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes. The evil eyes¡¯ king had a gut feeling that...


    He would die. The red mes that burned everything would burn his body to ashes, and the chill that froze even the mes would break his soul.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. The sacrifices of your people have been wasted,¡¯ the evil eyes¡¯ king apologized as he faced his death.It was an apology for the Overgeared soldiers who had died.


    ¡°Wear this!¡±Then Grid appeared using Mass Teleport and covered the king¡¯s eyes with sses. The magic power that rose from the eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king felt like a lie.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Behind the sunsses, the eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king were shaken. He saw a world that wasn¡¯t destroyed. This was the first time the evil eyes¡¯ king had seen the ordinaryndscapes of life since he was born.


    ¡°This... Why is this...?¡±


    He was a person who wasn¡¯t allowed to see. As such, the joy that this solitary being, who had been cut off from the world, felt after facing the world for the first time was incredibly huge. The evil eyes¡¯ king forgot the terrible reality and gazed at the marble pirs with trembling eyes.


    He saw a boy wearing a crown. It was the king of the evil eyes himself.


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡± The evil eyes¡¯ king touched his face. The boy on the marble confirmed that he was himself. Then he raised his head and looked around. He examined every corner of the world like a dragon who had just hatched.


    Grid said, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. The bigger world is awaiting you.¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±The evil eyes¡¯ king turned toward Grid. Grid was smiling as brightly as the day they first met.


    His big hand seemed to be saying, ¡®Your loneliness is at an end.¡¯


    ¡°I... I can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    The evil eyes¡¯ king was ipetent. Was he worthy of holding Grid¡¯s hand? Consequently, the evil eyes¡¯ king hesitated. Yet Grid grabbed the king¡¯s small hands that were like a child¡¯s.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do many things in the future? Now, let¡¯s go. Everyone is waiting. Your people and my soldiers are hoping that you are safe.¡±


    ¡°They... are alive...¡±


    He was d, really d. The evil eyes¡¯ king gave strength to the hand that Grid was holding. Then Grid nced at Sticks who nodded because he had already chanted the spell for Mass Teleport.


    sh!


    The spell was activated. Grid, Sticks, the evil eyes¡¯ king, and the grandmaster¡ªall four people were transferred out of the castle.


    ¡°...Eh? Four?¡±


    Why was there four?


    ¡°W-Why is he here?¡± Grid pointed to the grandmaster.


    Meanwhile, Sticks looked like he had seen a ghost.¡°I didn¡¯t bring him out. He just rode along with the spell.¡±


    ¡°What? This is possible?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Then what is with the current situation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Very interesting.¡±


    Grid was bewildered while Sticks was feeling inquisitive. As the two of them were making a fuss, the evil eyes¡¯ king was looking at the crowd gathered at the gate. People could be seen. They were just as beautiful as he had imagined thousands and tens of thousands of times.


    ¡°Surround him!¡±


    The Overgeared members and soldiers moved into action. Grid¡¯s group surrounded the uninvited guest and pointed swords and spears at him. The grandmaster stood silently despite being surrounded by thousands of soldiers.


    Grid threatened him, ¡°You should go back. Hasn¡¯t the n already failed?¡±


    The grandmaster nodded. ¡°Certainly. It¡¯s a failure.¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s aim was the death of the evil eyes¡¯ king. The problem could be solved cleanly by inducing the self-destruction of the evil eyes¡¯ king with the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes that King Valha had handed over. However, it failed when Grid appeared.


    ¡°How did you get the Ether Diamonds that a high-ranking demon is guarding? Hmm, it seems I was scammed by Sima Qian.¡±


    Simo Qian of the east¡ªas the subordinate of the Valha King, he had given many demands to the empire in exchange for the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes and the empire had agreed to most of them. It was because the value of the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes was too great.


    Now, the value of the White Dragon¡¯s Eyes had fallen due to the Ether sses. At the very least, it couldn¡¯t be used to destroy the evil eyes¡¯ king. In other words, the empire had been pushovers.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I have to withdraw.¡± The grandmaster gave up surprisingly easily. He moved back toward Goldhit and the ck Knight who were waiting for him.


    Jishuka came to Grid¡¯s side and told him,¡°Kill him.¡±


    She was aware of the dangers of the grandmaster and fully expected that he would one day be their greatest enemy. This was an opportunity. If the grandmaster¡¯s offensive power was neutralized due to the truce agreement, shouldn¡¯t they use the numerical advantage and pour attacks toward him? The militant Jishuka thought so, but Grid thought differently.¡°We will just be wiped out.¡±


    Goldhit would cast several wide-range spells, and the Overgeared soldiers would be swept away. There was no guarantee that the skill Magic Contemtion of Duke of Wisdom would activate, and there was also a cooldown problem. No, the biggest problem was the strength of the grandmaster.


    In the empire, there was Bain who was the emperor¡¯s shadow and his most powerful force, Goldhit who symbolized the ultimate magician and was the master of the Tower of Eternity, Kyle who was the genius that received the favor of the emperor, and finally, the Armored Cavalryman Chensler.


    Unlike the above four people, the grandmaster Zikfrector had a low reputation among the Five Pirs. That was natural. He had no heroic achievements. There was nothing on the surface, so his reputation was smaller. However, Grid had a vague grasp of the grandmaster¡¯s reality.


    ¡®The empire¡¯s strongest!¡¯


    Mercedes had mentioned that the other four pirs were afraid of or respected the grandmaster. He was a critical figure that Chairman Lim Cheolho had advised Grid to be careful of. Additionally, the Hero King system ssified the grandmaster as a ¡®power that transcended the time¡¯, not a ¡®powerhouse of the era.¡¯ Grid perceived the threat of the grandmaster to be no less than Garam. At this point, Grid couldn¡¯t fight him and win.


    ¡®I must be stronger quickly.¡¯


    There were too many mountains to transcend. Still, all these mountains could be surpassed eventually. He was convinced after seeing Kraguel¡¯s huge growth in just one year. The potential of a yer was limitless.


    ¡®I have to be stronger,¡¯Grid once again pledged before turning his gaze to the evil eyes¡¯ king. Thanks to the Ether sses, the king could see the faces of the people one by one. He held his beloved wife and son in his arms. It was a sight that warmed the heart... if only the Ether sses hadn¡¯t cracked.


    ¡°Eh? W-Wait! Hey! Close your eyes! Quickly!¡±


    Feeling frightened, Grid ran to the evil eyes¡¯ king and handed him a helmet. It was a helmet with Ether sses.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m now in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    There was a boom in the number of cksmiths flowing into the Overgeared Kingdom. There were more people gathered than usual, and reporters from various broadcasting stationspeted for coverage. It was due to an unfamiliar group of demonkin visiting the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªthe evil eyes species.


    ¡°I heard they are demonkin, but they look cute.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I imagined them as terrible hybrids.¡±


    ¡°I think of them as dolls walking around.¡±


    ¡°By the way, why are they wearing sses?¡±


    1,000 evil eyes were walking behind the 10 meritorious retainers. The proud chibi-like demonkin captivated the attention of the people. Grid and the evil eyes¡¯ king were at the head of the procession. Before them was the scenery of a big city drenched in golden sunshine. The evil eyes¡¯ king admired the magnificent and beautiful appearance. ¡°It is really wonderful... The sky, the sun, the city... Everything is grander and more beautiful than I ever imagined.¡±


    Gridughed. ¡°Get used to it. How long will you admire the scenery that you will see every day?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s like a dream.¡±


    Then the evil eyes¡¯ king stopped walking. Grid was also forced to stop, and the entire procession paused. Everyone on the streets stared at the evil eyes¡¯ king. The reporters around the world focused on the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    ¡°Thank you.Really... Thank you.¡±


    As everyone watched, the evil eyes¡¯ king bowed deeply to Grid. The same was true for the rest of the evil eyes¡¯ people. A few evil eyes lost their bnce when their big heads tilted, but this wasn¡¯t seen.


    ¡°Our evil eyes will repay your grace for the rest of our lives.¡±The evil eyes¡¯ king fell to his knees. Grid was at a loss and tried to pull him up, but the king refused Grid¡¯s touch. ¡°I will serve you. Grid, please ept us.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a natural step. The evil eyes were a race living in a vige. It wasn¡¯t proper to establish an exchange between them and the Overgeared Kingdom. Moreover, since they had lost their home and be dependent on the Overgeared Kingdom, it was predictable for them toe under the Overgeared Kingdom.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t expect this deration to be in a ce with so many people watching. After all, the demonkin perceived humans as a subspecies. Since the evil eyes¡¯ pride was as great as the vampires¡¯, their current actions were unconventional.


    ¡°You have uprooted our cursed fate. You saved me when I was sitting absentmindedly on my throne in despair while my soul became as cold as ice. You washed away the red blood that saddened the dark mes white ice castle. Grid, I will be loyal to you. This is my new fate and the ¡®way¡¯ that the evil eyes¡¯ people will walk eternally. I will rise from the seat of being an unqualified king and stand at your feet.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Something unbelievable had happened. The tens of thousands of people present were silent for a moment. It was so silent that they couldn¡¯t even hear a small breath. Lauel covered one side of his face with a hand and muttered,¡°Ahh, this is a scene where time has stopped.¡±


    In any case, articles were released:


    [Grid has be king of the demonkin]


    [Once again, Grid has achieved a feat that¡¯s a first for a yer!]


    [How far will the power of the Overgeared Kingdom rise?]


    [(Column) Let¡¯s learn about the evil eyes]


    [Pope Damian reveals that he wants to be apanion of the evil eyes...]


    (The Walt Disney Company, the world¡¯s best maker of animated films, wants to make a movie with the evil eyes as the main characters. Is there a guarantee for the Overgeared King?]


    Grid had gotten his hands on a valuable power. Of course, it had only been possible due to the sacrifice and activities of his colleagues. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the evil eyes that Grid had obtained. An encounter with a small dragon was waiting for Grid.

 Chapter 980

    [The Overgeared Kingdom haspletely absorbed the evil eyes species.]


    [The Overgeared Kingdom is the first one to achieve harmony with a demonkin species.]


    [The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s national inclination has been changed from ¡®ordinary¡¯ to ¡®no discrimination and prejudice¡¯.]


    [The name of the Overgeared Kingdom has started to be mentioned among the different species hiding all over the continent.]


    [Maxong, the king of the water n, is spreading the great aplishments of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [Some species are showing great interest in the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [King Grid of the Overgeared Kingdom has earned 100,000 reputation and title of ¡®Different Species¡¯ King¡¯.]


    [Special quests have been generated for yers belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom!]


    [Process of Understanding Each Other]


    [Difficulty: E


    Peaceful rtions between the people will help maintain security and develop national power. Share your greetings with the evil eyes species, who have be new residents of the Overgeared Kingdom, and raise your affinity.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Exchange more than 10 words with the evil eyes species. There are no level requirements.


    Quest Failure Conditions: If you make a question mark appear over the head of the evil eyes people during a conversation, the quest will start again from the beginning.


    Quest Clear Reward: Affinity with the evil eyes will rise marginally. Acquisition of Gauss Kingdom area information (adaption to terrain will rise when active in the Gauss Kingdom). The national contribution will rise.]


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The rewards were quite good. National contributions were needed to gain benefits such as the mass-produced Grid set. Meanwhile, terrain adaptation was an additional factor that greatly contributed tobat and movement. Moreover, ording to various media reports, the evil eyes were a species ssified as advanced among the demonkin. If they could get along with the evil eyes, it would be a great help to understand ¡®hell¡¯, a ce that was likely to be a stage for future activities. They might be able to obtain rted quests luckily.


    ¡°Hello? Wee to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    yers flocked to the ce where the evil eyes were located. The Overgeared Kingdom was nning to use the evil eyes as a valuable power, so the evil eyes were staying in territories all over the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Wee...? Kukukuk, interesting. Reaching out to us who have struggled with solitude in order to curb the beasts in our hearts... Ahh, are you the ¡®same kind.¡¯ Is there a monster sleeping in your heart?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Unlike what the yers had expected, the quest difficulty was very high. Most yers who walked with the evil eyes had their conversation blocked and question marks flooded over the evil eyes¡¯ head. The quest was failed repeatedly.


    ***


    [Insane Dragon Egg]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Like the vampires, the evil eyes were driven out of hell.


    The evil eyes are dreaming of working with the child of Nevartan to get revenge on the great demons.


    Secure the insane dragon egg guarded by the master of the dungeon and hand it over to the evil eyes.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Defeat the master of the dungeon and secure the insane dragon egg.


    Quest Clear Reward: Secure 17 evil eyes as subordinates, increase affinity with the evil eyes and start an exchange with the evil eyes.


    Quest Failure: Level -3.]


    Grid had secured such a quest when he visited the Beware Dogs dungeon created by Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was an unforgettable quest. Along with the visit to the evil eyes vige, it was a memorable experience. Yes, that¡¯s about it. Grid was very interested in the insane dragon¡¯s egg itself.


    ¡°What are you going to do with the insane dragon egg?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep it until it hatches.¡±


    ¡°The dragon will grasp the truth of the world the moment it hatches. It will repay its father¡¯s enemies by working with the evil eyes.¡±


    ¡°In a thousand years, the child of a dragon will be an adult and hell will be chaotic. Huhuhut...!¡±


    ...This was a conversation Grid had with the evil eyes. ording to Satisfy¡¯s story, there was no n for the insane dragon child to be active for at least 1,000 years. An adult dragon was more powerful than a great demon. The bond between a dragon and yer would break down the bnce, and Grid thought there wouldn¡¯t be a chance to get involved with the young insane dragon. By the way...


    ¡°My king. The precious destroyer of the future said it would meet you.¡±


    ¡°Destroyer of the future? Who?¡±


    ¡°The only flesh of Nevartan, the insane dragon who fell into darkness due to the evil dragon Bunhelier and the 1st Great Demon Baal. Their name is Nefelina, who willte destroy hell and Bunhelier for honor.¡±


    ¡°...The hatchling?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    A transcendent species that even a god couldn¡¯t treat lightly¡ªthey were the strongest presences in the world even when the world was destroyed periodically. Grid remembered this. Then now that the evil eyes king mentioned the word ¡®dragon¡¯, Grid was very confused by the unexpected situation.


    Suddenly, Sticks dropped a book on the floor from where he was organizing the collections from the evil eyes¡¯ library. He was shaking fiercely. A dragon was a frightening existence for the person who had been cursed by the gourmet dragon Reiders and suffered from an incurable disease.


    Grid didn¡¯t wee this situation. He predicted that the meeting with the hatchling would harm him. The reason for that was simple. It was because the dragon was too strong.


    ¡®I am likely to be a pushover.¡¯


    There was no framework where a yer could borrow a dragon¡¯s power. The bnce was likely to copse if a dragon lent power to an individual yer. There couldn¡¯t be a good rtionship between a dragon and a yer unless the S.A Group were fools.


    ¡®I am likely to be a victim like Sticks.¡¯


    The evil eyes king urged Grid, ¡°The destroyer of the future has no time. I rmend youe and see them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time? What are they busy doing?¡±


    ¡°They have to sleep. They sleep 23 hours a day.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It meant the hatchling was only awake for one hour a day! My god, it was Grid¡¯s first time seeing a creature who slept more than Noe. The evil eyes king looked at the amazed Grid and added an exnation, ¡°The dragon will grasp the truth of the world the moment it hatches. In order to digest that enormous amount of information, the physical and mental expenditure is so huge that rest is essential.¡±


    He seemed worried that Grid would look down on the hatchling. Grid thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s meet. Instead, give me a minute.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to meet the hatchling, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Grid was curious about the existence of a dragon.


    ¡®Let¡¯s talk with Lauel before meeting the dragon.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Is the hatchling really here?¡±


    Surprisingly, the ce where Grid went to with the evil eyes king was Reinhardt Castle. It was the castle where Grid normally lived. The dragon was living in his home? Yet the owner of the castle didn¡¯t even know about it? The evil eyes king spoke to the bewildered Grid, ¡°This is a great being. It is natural to make their will a reality...¡±


    ¡°It is great that they can live in someone else¡¯s house without permission...¡±


    No rent was being paid. Grid grumbled about it while moving to the top floor of the castle. It was a space containing the bedrooms of Grid, his family, and Mercedes. The evil eyes king opened the biggest door. It was Grid¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°...?¡± Grid¡¯s confusion grew. He entered the bedroom with a bewildered expression and became astonished. The scenery in the bedroom waspletely different from normal. It was decorated with gold treasures and the size was 10 timesrger.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Was it possible to do internal construction without him knowing? No, it was impossible. He had woken up here this morning. This space didn¡¯t look like this in the morning. This was the power of magic. Grid btedly noticed and turned to one side. There was a huge bed that was big enough for 20 adult men to lie on. A ck shadow was wriggling between thece being blown by the soft wind.


    ¡®Using my bed...¡¯


    Grid gained some knowledge that he wasn¡¯t curious about. While imagining a lizard several times bigger than a human crouching on the bed, Grid quietly approached it. Then thece was lifted.


    ¡°You came.¡±A girl with blue hair was lying on the bed, and she weed Grid.


    ¡°...Ah!¡± Grid couldn¡¯t help eximing. The girl was so beautiful that Grid was forced to lose his soul despite seeing beautiful people like Irene, Mercedes, Yura, Jishuka, and Sehee every day. Her facial features were as beautiful as a jewel, and the harmony between them was perfect. No, it was more than perfection. It was a transcendent beauty that humans couldn¡¯t even imagine. The girl¡¯snguid eyes made him lose his soul while he found her mouth cute. Simultaneously, valor could be felt from his thick eyebrows.


    Grid was suddenly reminded of a woman. ¡®...Marie Rose.¡¯


    She was a vampire duke with all types of charms. Yes, the girl in front of him was like a teenage version of Marie Rose.


    ¡°You are staring too obviously.¡±


    How bewitched was he? Grid stared at the girl¡¯s face for a long time before btedlying to his senses. She was a beautiful girl, but she wasn¡¯t a human and the name Nefelina above her head was blue. This girl was a hatchling who was less than two years old. A young insane dragon...


    [You have met the destroyer of the future¡ªNefelina.]


    [The magic power that is the root of the world turns your presence into dust. All types of actions are sealed due to the overwhelming inability to cope.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Nefelina is not yet an adult, but she is the only one with an intact spirit among the existing dragons.]


    [This encounter is very special!]


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m sorry. My magic power is ufortable for you.¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m fi...ne.¡±


    To think there would be a day when he would have to talk with honorifics to someone younger than Lord...? Grid was surprised, but it was something he had to do. On the one hand, he was very relieved. It was because a transcendent being who saw humans as ants had apologized to him. She illegally resided in a person¡¯s house, but this was from the viewpoint of a person. Yes, it was clear that Nefelina was showing him the utmost courtesy. In the first ce, the system confirmed that she was sane.


    ¡®No, this... Does this mean the other dragons aren¡¯t sane?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Human. Grid,¡± Nefelina called out Grid¡¯s name in a gentle voice. She wasughing with her eyes curved in the shape of a half moon. The difference between her and Marie Rose was clearly shown at this moment. Marie Rose¡¯s smile stimted primal lust while Nefelina¡¯s smile had a refreshing feeling that washed away those instincts.


    ¡°Yes, please say it,¡± Grid responded politely. He already forgot this opponent was an illegal resident and that she was a child who was just one year old. Nefelina spoke to him while smiling, ¡°I have to grow up strong and well. This requires many nutrients. You shall give me 100 cows and pigs every day from now on.¡±


    Ttiring~


    [A new quest has been created.]


    [Hatchling¡¯s Livestock]


    [Difficulty: SSS


    Nefelina is trying to make you her supplier. She hopes that as the king of a country, you will feed her and keep her warm.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Feed Nefelina 100 cows and pigs every day.


    Quest Clear Rewards: A very slight rise in affinity with Nefelina every 100 days.


    Quest Failure: A significant drop in affinity with Nefelina.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    Grid stared at the quest window for a while beforeing to his senses and gritting his teeth. ¡°...Do you see me as a pushover?¡±


    The evil eyes king paled at Grid¡¯s unexpected reaction. ¡°K-King! The destroyer of the future is someone we don¡¯t dare meet... Don¡¯t go against her will!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, you pushover.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is ¡®destroyer of the future¡¯, not ¡®destroyer of the present¡¯. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±Grid red at Nefelina lying on the bed.


    He woke up after having Nefelina see him as a pushover, and now he realistically analyzed the situation. Then he concluded that he didn¡¯t have to fear Nefelina. It was due to two reasons. First, shecked the presence of Vampire Duke Marie Rose. Marie Rose was so bewitching that she froze all actions of the target. This meant that the current Nefelina was below the ¡®sealed state¡¯ of Marie Rose.


    Second, he noticed itte because it was covered by the nket, but Nefelina¡¯s human transformation magic was unraveling. Her body on the bed was two times fatter then it was originally, and a tail had emerged from below the nket. The ability to maintain this polymorph for only a short amount of time showed her magic power was weak. Well, humans couldn¡¯t even use polymorph in the first ce.


    ¡®She might be a dragon, but she is a hatchling that¡¯s less than two years old. She isn¡¯t as absolute as I thought.¡¯


    As the evil eyes had said in the past, Nefelina couldn¡¯t exert the full power of the dragon until 1,000 years had passed. In 1,000 years, Grid would¡¯ve already died of old age. Thus, Grid might respect Nefelina, but there was no reason to be afraid of her. With Grid ring at her, Nefelina was so startled that she huped. ¡°...Hup!¡±


    Then she spoke in a hesitant voice, ¡°...Only 10. Then I will give you the dragon¡¯s blessing...¡±


    [The quest ¡®Hatchling¡¯s Livestock¡¯ has been changed to ¡®Hatchling¡¯s Request¡¯.]


    [Hatchling¡¯s Request.]


    [Difficulty: S


    Nefelina is a bit greedy. She hopes that you will feed her in moderation and keep her warm.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Feed Nefelina 10 cows and pigs every day.


    Quest eptance Reward: The dragon¡¯s blessing.


    Giving up the Quest: A significant drop in affinity with Nefelina. The dragon¡¯s blessing will be taken back. The dragon¡¯s curse will ur.]


    ¡°Um...¡±


    10 cows and pigs were 20 animals a day. This was a burden. It couldn¡¯t be resolved with an ordinary yer¡¯s power, and it was a considerable waste for Grid.


    ¡®However, if I refuse... Nefelina willmand the evil eyes to give her food.¡¯


    He might not be able to get the dragon¡¯s blessing, but he had to make a suitablepromise. After a moment of distress, Grid nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go with three.¡±


    ¡°...T-Then my stomach will growl!¡±


    ¡°In exchange for three every day, I won¡¯t ask for a monthly rent.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Nefelina¡¯s eyes shook. She was seriously distressed.

 Chapter 981

    ¡°What about five each?¡±


    ¡°Three each.¡±


    ¡°Then four each?¡±


    ¡°Three each.¡±


    ¡°Three is too few.¡±


    ¡°Three each!¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll think about it. Come back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Three each!¡±


    ¡°I told you toe back tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Surprisingly, Nefelina was very careful. During the negotiations, Nefelina didn¡¯t use the power of a transcendent species nor did she threaten him by referring to it. Instead, she tried to find a line that would satisfy both parties involved.


    ¡°I heard that dragons consider all things in this world as insignificant. They are supposed to be cruel, selfish, and capricious from a human¡¯s viewpoint, yet she is different from the story. Is she perhaps in a disadvantageous position? That she can¡¯t grow without being beholden to us...?¡±This was Lauel¡¯s guess.


    However, Sticks stubbornly shook his head.¡°A dragon awakens most of their magic at the moment of birth. In fact, the space reconstruction magic that Nefelina maintains is something that ordinary human magicians can¡¯t imitate. Additionally, to use it alone with polymorph... She is an existence that can live well enough without human help. 100 cows and pigs? She can ughter them in a matter of minutes if she wanted. She can also kill all the humans protecting the livestock.¡±


    ¡°Then why is Nefelina trying to negotiate?¡±


    ¡°She is crazy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°She is out of her mind. That hatchling is crazy.¡±


    Dragons weren¡¯t social animals. They were arrogant and selfish because they were the most outstanding race in the world. Just as humans didn¡¯t care about knocking down an ant nest when building a house, the dragon didn¡¯t care about other people. They acted as they wanted and made their own way. From the viewpoint of a human, Nefelina waspletely different from ordinary dragons.


    ¡°No, how is this crazy...? Isn¡¯t itmon sense?¡±


    ¡°It is crazy when considering a dragon¡¯smon sense. Originally, dragons can¡¯t be evaluated with ourmon sense. From our point of view, they are always selfish and and erratic.¡±


    ¡°Is it because she is still a hatchling?¡±


    ¡°It is meaningless to argue about age because the dragon¡¯s thoughts are formed the moment they are born.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°What should you do? A crazy dragon isn¡¯t easily seen, so we should study it.¡±


    The feelings of resentment and fear that Sticks had against the dragon species were tremendous. The curse had merely been a moment of fun for the gourmet dragon. Yet this curse caused Sticks to be afraid of dragons as he fought death for the rest of his life. Now, his curiosity toward Nefelina made him shake off his fear.


    ¡°Umm... Still, it isn¡¯t easy to dedicate three pigs and cows every day.¡±


    ording to Grid, the current price of one pig was two gold and the price of one cow was four gold. This meant that 18 gold were consumed every day. It would be 180 gold for 10 days and 1,800 gold for 100 days. What was 1,800 gold worth? It was worth a huge amount of 2.6 million won.


    Lauel nced at the hesitating Grid with dull eyes. ¡°I think it is cheap to buy the favor of a hatchling. To put it inly, how much money can you earn from making an item? Why are you dwelling on 18 gold a day?¡±


    ¡°If you think about the value of a hatchling, it is nothing to lose 700,000 won a month.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a lot less money than the minimum wage. You aren¡¯t being a pushover. Isn¡¯t she even giving you a blessing? It isn¡¯t a business where you will lose money. However, if you want to save money, then why don¡¯t you use the kingdom¡¯s money?¡±


    ¡°The kingdom¡¯s money?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Settle the price of the hatchling¡¯s food with the nation¡¯s finances.¡±


    ¡°How can I use the kingdom¡¯s finances for a personal quest?¡±


    ¡°What about it? You are the ruler of this kingdom. Haven¡¯t you forgotten whose money was used to form this kingdom? Why is the king still acting poor? You forgot that you spent your money making the kingdom. You even made up for the loss every time a national business lost money.¡±


    ¡°...Umm.¡±


    Of course, it was a tremendous leap to call Grid poor. It was because Grid had assets worth hundreds of billions of won. Despite this, he was still far from being a chaebol. If Grid were really rich, he would¡¯ve bought a private jet without worrying.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    As Sticks had said, Nefelina was already a ridiculously powerful entity. It was hard to get rid of her, so he had to negotiate. If he was going to negotiate as the king, then it was better to do it at the kingdom¡¯s expense.


    ¡®Let¡¯s use the nation¡¯s finances!¡¯ Feeling determined, Grid rose from his spot. ¡®I wonder what blessing I will receive.¡¯


    He was very excited. Grid looked for Irene and Lord while quickly hoping for tomorrow toe. Then he was caught by Lauel who pulled out a different topic. ¡°Your Majesty, it is about the chef you brought from the East Continent. The Poison Master.¡±


    ¡°Idan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. His cooking skill has been stagnant for more than a year.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No one will eat even if he cooks dishes. The skill level is increasing, but there seems to be a limit to the experience rise if no one eats it.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone eating?¡±


    ¡°So far, the Overgeared members have eaten Idan¡¯s dishes while preparing to die for the poison resistance...¡±


    ¡°Now their poison resistance is so high they don¡¯t need to eat?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, there is a limit to the level of poison resistance that can be increased by Idan¡¯s cooking.¡±


    ¡°What if we feed the dishes to the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°They will die.¡±


    ¡°...He still can¡¯t make normal dishes?¡±


    ¡°The higher his cooking skill level, the better. However, there is still a long way to go. So I¡¯m saying...¡±Lauel exined how he nned to use Idan.


    Then Grid nodded with delight. ¡°Lauel is truly a genius.¡±


    ¡°Hut... I am lonely but I enjoy this solitude.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes. Enjoy your loneliness. I¡¯m going.¡±


    ***


    ¡°W-What is that?¡±


    ¡°Cool...¡±


    Today, at an intermediate hunting ground near Reinhardt, the yers who were hunting hard and collecting items stopped their actions and watched one spot. There were 500 soldiers. They were armed with the mass-produced set and were evidently elite soldiers of Overgeared. Mercedes, the beautiful woman with her name in gold, was at the forefront.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the war?¡±


    Why were such elite forces visiting an intermediate hunting ground? The yers were bewildered.


    ¡°This should be good.¡±


    The procession of soldiers stopped, and a couple and a little boy appeared. It was Overgeared King Grid, Overgeared Queen Irene, and Prince Lord. The legendary knight Mercedes spread out a mat in the middle of the hunting ground.


    ¡°Now Irene, let¡¯s sit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid and Irene sat on the mat and pulled out tea and sweets. On the other hand, Lord held the sword and started to hunt monsters with Overgeared Skeletons One and Two.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Our son¡¯s swordsmanship is excellent.¡±


    ¡°He is simr to Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, it was a noisy pic... The Grid couple gazed lovingly at Lord who was fighting.


    The yers watched the unreal scene unfolding in the middle of the hunting grounds and suddenly realized that their surroundings had be very quiet. There were no monsters when they looked around. It was because the Overgeared soldiers threw stones at any monsters that were visible and lured them toward Lord. The 500 elite soldiers were acting as a mob mall for a single prince!


    ¡°That is the diamond spoon I¡¯ve heard about.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m envious...¡±


    They wanted to be Grid¡¯s son! The yers could only watch from the side, but they didn¡¯t resent Grid. No, they felt grateful to him. It was because Grid showed them full consideration.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± There was a beautiful woman with a golden name. Nobody knew it, but a legendary knight gave these yers a bus ride. She went to every ce where a boss monster appeared and attacked it before letting the yers finish the boss off. Of course, the items were also transferred. The yers experienced an unexpected windfall thanks to the Grid family pic.


    ¡°Hooray for the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°Long live the Overgeared King!¡±


    The excited cries of the yers echoed through the hunting ground. The more favorable they were toward Grid, the stronger the kingdom would be.


    ¡®Using the family gatherings like this...¡¯


    Grid made Irene happy while raising Lord and the Overgeared Skeletons, as well as gaining the favor of the people. This was a n that hade from Lauel¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve cleared all the boss monsters around here.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes.¡±Grid received the report from Mercedes and rose from his seat. ¡°Irene. The next hunting ground... No, let¡¯s go to the next pic spot.¡±


    ***


    The next day, Grid went to find Nefelina with the evil eyes king. Nefelina was in the form of a small dragon. Her body was around two feet long, and her scales were blue. She had a wriggling tail andrge, round eyes that were adorable.


    ¡°I will ept four each.¡±


    ¡°Three... Um,¡± Grid was about to shout ¡®three¡¯ when he shut up and asked, ¡°Is that the best concession you can make?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I must eat four each if I don¡¯t want a sound toe from my stomach.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±He felt that he couldn¡¯t be more stubborn. It was a type of intuition. The experience that Grid had stacked up over thest few years told him that acting more greedy here could ruin their future days. As such, Gridplied with Nefelina¡¯s request. It would be better to show a good image if he was going to establish a deal anyway.


    ¡°Since the great destroyer of the future is caring for me, I am willing to ept it. I will give you four cows and four pigs every day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. I would¡¯ve gotten upset if you kept arguing.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right...¡±


    What would happen if a hatchling became angry? Grid thought he did well of letting go of his greed and pped. Then the door opened, and a person with a pale face entered. Nefelina cocked her round head. ¡°Who is this human?¡±


    ¡°Your exclusive chef.¡±


    ¡°Exclusive chef? Is it a human who will only make my food?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It is the minimum of sincerity I should show to a great hatchling.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum. I like it.¡±Nefelina¡¯s tail moved side to side and hit the floor. She seemed quite pleased. However, this act seemed like a death notice to Chef Idan.¡°D-Dragon...¡±


    Was it easy to make food for a dragon? Was there a crazy case like this? Grid whispered to Idan who had lost his soul, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the dragons on the East Continent are like, but the dragons on the West Continent are a very evil existence. You should try to make delicious dishes so you don¡¯t get eaten.¡±


    ¡°Hiik...¡±


    A hatchling was fully resistant to poison. She wouldn¡¯t be poisoned no matter how many of Idan¡¯s dishes she ate. The evil eyes were also a group whose cooking culture hadn¡¯t developed. The hatchling who lived in the evil eyes vige wouldn¡¯t have tasted proper cooking and wouldn¡¯t feel that Idan¡¯s dishes were tasteless.


    This was Lauel¡¯s n. He had made a n to buy Nefelina¡¯s favor while increasing Idan¡¯s cooking skill. In fact, this method was very effective.


    ¡°Grid, your attitude is outstanding. I¡¯ll give you an excellent blessing.¡±


    [The quest ¡®Hatchling¡¯s Request¡¯ will proceed.]


    [You need to give Nefelina four cows and four pigs every day.]


    [You have received the dragon¡¯s blessing for epting the quest!]


    A golden magic power appeared around Grid¡¯s body. It was the first time for a yer. No, maybe Grid was the first human to receive the blessing of a dragon. His heart thumped at the thought.

 Chapter 982

    [Nefelina is checking your condition.]


    [Nefelina believes that your stats are insufficient.]


    ¡®Heok. Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    What was the dragon¡¯s blessing? Grid¡¯s expectations swelled even more. The dragon was observing him seriously, and Grid thought she would make up for what he wascking.


    ¡®Will she increase my agility or intelligence?¡¯


    In fact, it was wrong to say that Grid wascking power, especially among yers of the same ss. No, Grid¡¯s average stats were so high that there was almost no one among the two billion yers who had higher stats than him. Nevertheless, humans were animals who didn¡¯t know how to be satisfied. Grid coveted more for his rtively scarce stats and hoped Nefelina would know his earnest heart. He had faith it would be possible with a great dragon.


    However, the result was different from what he expected. Nefelina didn¡¯t raise Grid¡¯s stats.


    [Nefelina has given you a blessing so you can ovee your deficiencies!]


    [10% more experience will be gained when hunting monsters in the future!]


    [20% more experience will be gained when hunting boss monsters in the future!]


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s right. The blessing that Nefelina gave didn¡¯t mean immediate results, but it was a driving force to achieve better results. Grid¡¯s excitement was popped like a balloon.


    ¡°This is the blessing...?¡±


    He wanted to deny it but it was true. The effect of the dragon¡¯s blessing was already shown in Grid¡¯s status window, and it could be described as an experience buff. Nefelina looked at him with a grumpy expression. ¡°Is it a curse?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    Maybe it was because his expectations were too high. Grid had wanted a dramatic effect like the goddess¡¯ blessing that strengthened a skill. Thus, he felt greatly disappointed at the unexpected experience buff effect.


    ¡®Ha, I can¡¯t believe that a dragon¡¯s blessing only gave me an experience buff. Once the buff duration ends... Eh?¡¯


    Grid once again confirmed the effect of the blessing and looked like he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer. He was really shocked.


    [Dragon¡¯s Blessing]


    [¡ï Growth Blessing ¡ï


    Additional 10% experience gain when hunting monsters.


    Additional 20% experience gain when hunting boss monsters.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    No. There was no ¡®duration period¡¯ mentioned anywhere. Perhaps?


    ¡®Is it a buff thatsts indefinitely?¡¯


    Experience buffs were very rare and efficient. The general public had few chances to receive an experience buff apart from the reward of the National Competition. However, Grid had a huge amount of reputation points. He could obtained experience buff potions by using the drawing machine of the Reputation Store. This experience buff potion gave an extra 20% experience.


    Therefore, he saw the dragon¡¯s blessing and thought it was worthless. Now he realized it was different. The experience buff potion had a duration of three days while the dragon¡¯s blessing was a permanent buff. It meant Grid would always get more experience than others.


    ¡®It is even 20% against boss monsters!¡¯


    What if he hunted after taking experience buff potions in this state? He would be able to enjoy a buff effect simr to the first ce buff of the National Competition.


    ¡°...Gulp!¡± Grid gulped excitedly after realizing the value of the blessing. Nefelina¡¯s tail moved as she said, ¡°You finally realized that I have given you a great blessing.¡±


    He had to admit it. Grid was reminded of the structure of named NPCs. It was practically impossible for a yer to catch up with them since there was the yer¡¯s average level [email protected] correction effect, as well as their steady increase in level over time. At this moment, a possibility opened up before Grid. It was the possibility of catching up with the leveling speed of named NPCs.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The dukes of the empire, the Five Pirs, the grandmaster... And finally, the yangban Garam...


    Their backs, which seemed like they would always be ahead of him, were now right in front of his eyes. Grid was filled with joy and embraced Nefelina. Nefelina was currently in the form of a cute little dragon, so there was no reluctance for him to express his affection.


    ¡°Hup...!¡± Nefelina¡¯s wings soared up as she was suddenly hugged by the man. ¡°Y-You. This majestic body...! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Ah, s-sorry. You are so cute that I made a mistake...¡±


    ¡°C-Cute? I-I am an existence you will always look up to!¡±


    Nefelina pped her wings, and her body eventually rose into the air. The space reconstruction magic couldn¡¯t cope with the currents of magic power and became unstable. The surroundingndscape was distorting.


    ¡°Hiiik!¡± The chef Idan was terrified and fainted.


    The evil eyes king instantly knelt down and shouted,¡°Destroyer of the future! Please fix it using any means!¡±


    However, Nefelina couldn¡¯t hear the voice of the evil eyes king. She just growled as she red at Grid, ¡°You were only able to touch me in the past because I was in the egg! However, it is different now! You can¡¯t do it anymore! I¡¯m no longer a baby, so be careful in the future!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes...¡±


    Did she have memories of when she was in the egg? Now he knew why Nefelina was so good to him. Grid learned a new fact and vowed not to touch her again in the future.


    ***


    ¡°Thus, I n to focus on hunting for the time being.¡±


    This was after he gained the dragon¡¯s blessing. Grid visited Panmir, not Lauel. There was something he wanted to ask Panmir.


    ¡°What is the safest area in the volcanic zone near Talima?¡±


    Talima, the dwarf city¡ªit was surrounded by a volcanic area that contained the nest of a dragon Trauka and was a ce where yers and the empire couldn¡¯t ess. Panmir¡¯s expression hardened.¡°Are you going to hunt there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Once again, there was the nest of the dragon Trauka in the volcanic zone of Talima. One of the legends of the Legendary Great Magician Braham was that he ¡®survived the dragon Trauka¡¯, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to exin how strong and ferocious Trauka was.


    ¡°If you happen to meet Trauka...¡±


    ¡°I will die. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you for the safest area.¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir¡ªhe was superior to Grid in some ways. It was because he learned the dwarves¡¯ techniques. Grid knew that Panmir had visited Talima. He thought that Panmir would know a safe ce in the volcanic area. However, the response was terrible.


    ¡°Um...¡± Panmir¡¯s brow furrowed as he thought about it for a long time.


    Grid noticed his mistake. ¡°Oh, excuse me. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    In Satisfy, the value of information was higher than 1,000 gold. They might be colleagues but few people were willing to freely hand over the information they worked hard to collect. In that sense, it was great that Kraugel had provided information about the Behen Archipgo and the Ether Diamond despite not being part of the same guild. Panmir waved his hand. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that. The reason I thought for a while isn¡¯t that I am ufortable but because I truly don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was able to visit the dwarves and Talima thanks to the help of another force.¡±


    ¡°Another force...?¡¯


    ¡°Rothschild.¡±


    ¡°Is that a guild name?¡±


    ¡°It is the name of a guild and a real family name.¡±


    ¡°Rothschild is that Rothschild?¡±


    ¡°Right. Just as in reality, they have umted wealth and influence in Satisfy. They probably realized the value of Satisfy from the moment itunched and made a big investment. In any case, only the Rothschild Guild knows about the current Talima. I don¡¯t know which part of the volcanic zone is rtively safe.¡±


    Grid¡¯s interest wasn¡¯t just the volcanic zone.


    ¡°They have great influence...? But I¡¯ve never heard their name in all these years.¡±


    ¡°Rather than move directly, they act in a way that creates lower forces or supports other forces. It was an agent who first made contact with me.¡±


    ¡°Why do they bother moving in secret?¡±


    ¡°That family is originally like that. Well, I guess it is bothersome to deal with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Did they introduce you to the dwarves?"


    ¡°Right. At that time, the Rothschild family directly raised their power by dealing with the dwarves, and there were asional disagreements during the process. They figured it would be better for an easy-to-handle yer to obtain the dwarves¡¯ techniques.¡±


    ¡°What was the result?¡±


    ¡°As you can see, I was a free agent and moved to the Overgeared Kingdom. I didn¡¯t meet Rothschild¡¯s expectations.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying a cksmith like you were abandoned?¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Panmir scratched his head andughed bitterly. He was ranked first on the cksmith rankings. Unless there was someone great among the unofficial rankers... After Grid, he was the next best yer among the existing cksmith yers. The reason why the Rothschild family could easily discard him meant that the skills of the dwarf craftsmen were beyond imagination.


    ¡°Hrmm... Are they a threat to us?¡± Grid asked after a moment of thought.


    Panmir shook his head. ¡°No, that won¡¯t happen. They are aiming to quietly build up wealth. There is no reason for them to be hostile, and they might even be dreaming of a symbiotic rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... If they were dangerous, Lauel would¡¯ve already warned me about them.¡±


    Feeling convinced, Grid nodded and opened the Reputation Store. He used the drawing machine and secured a total of five experience potions. Grid was nning to hunt for at least one month.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the Galgunos Temple.¡¯


    The volcanic zone was the most ideal hunting ground, but he would die if he didn¡¯t reduce his chances of meeting Trauka. He could afford to die one or twice due to the experience buff, but more than three times would be too much. In the worst case, he could drop an item.


    ***


    [(Breaking News) Grid¡¯s level-climbing speed.]


    20 days had passed since Grid left for the hunting grounds. The royal pce was quiet because most of the Overgeared members were at the hunting grounds. Still, it was hard to say that it was peaceful. There were three months remaining in the truce agreement with the empire.


    The movements of the Overgeared Kingdom that wanted harmony with the different species was at odds with the empire¡¯s ideology. This was the calm before the storm, and it was an ufortable calm.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The cries of the soldiers rang out around the clock. Lauel was trying to find peace of mind watching Piaro, Mercedes, and Singuled train the soldiers only to be astonished. It was due to Faker¡¯s report.


    ¡°Agnus visited this ce?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems he came to meet Elizabeth.¡±


    Agnus was the most wanted man in seven kingdoms. It was alleged that he had murdered several essory makers. However, Lauel knew it was a lie.


    ¡°He is a dangerous guy. Shall I kick him out?¡±


    ¡°Umm... No. Let¡¯s just watch a bit.¡±


    At one time, Agnus was known as a madman and a purely evil person. Now, it was hard to see him as unconditionally evil after calmly analyzing his movements. He had actually protected Irene and Lord.


    ¡®He is more powerful than Grid in a massive war. It would be good to build up a connection with him.¡¯


    Lauel touched his chin and ran to the location of Prince Lord. Lord was in the middle of learning from Sticks.


    ¡°Lauel, what are you doing here?¡±Coke ran over and asked after discovering Lauel.


    Lauel chuckled.¡°I want to take a walk with the prince.¡±


    ¡°...? I understand.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t going to be an ordinary walk. Coke felt very tense when he saw Lauel and Faker standing side by side.

 Chapter 983

    ¡®Crazy!¡¯ This expression was one of the ultimate exmationsmonly used by modern Koreans. Grid had recently refrained from using it. It was a rather low-grade exmation for a king to use. Grid wasn¡¯t Huroi... So, he needed basic image management. He had no time to care about that right now though.


    ¡°Wow, this is really super amazing. My experience is rising at a crazy speed. Isn¡¯t thispletely crazy?? Eh? Right, Noe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, nyong...¡±


    [You have defeated a Galgunos Skeleton Soldier.]


    [You have defeated a Galgunos Skeleton...]


    [You have defeated a Galgunos...]


    [15,905,099 experience will be divided.]


    [15,905,099 experience will be...]


    [15...]


    [+4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    The reason why the word ¡®Enlightenment¡¯ was attached to the sword was simple. It was due to the presence of the Enlightenment skill.


    [Enlightenment Lv. 3]


    [-A persistent passive.


    -Increases character experience and skill experience acquisition by 10.9% and uracy and evasion by 20.3%.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    It increased the experience gained. That¡¯s right. The effect of Enlightenment was like the dragon¡¯s blessing. No, it was better than the dragon¡¯s blessing because the level could be increased. Grid had been using the Enlightenment Sword like it was his own body, but he had overlooked this effect so far. However, the effect of the dragon¡¯s blessing ovepping with Enlightenment was unmatched. The 20.9% increase in experience was applied at all times. This was 0.9% points higher than the experience buff potion which could only be drawn by Grid consuming arge amount of reputation points.


    On the first underground floor of the Galgunos Temple, the skeletons were dying, and Grid¡¯s experience gauge was filling up. In front, Grid was very disappointed when he first came down here. He had expected stronger monsters that gave more experience to appear, but the monsters here were weaker than the war god follower who had emerged from the grave and the experience given was also lesser.


    However, this disappointment was only temporary. Grid¡¯s disappointment soon changed to bliss. Unlike the war god followers, Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers could be killed quickly. There were five times more of them than the war god followers, and their speed of respawn was ridiculously fast.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t a good thing from a general standpoint. The durability of the skeleton-based undead might be weak, but Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers were extremely dangerous because they were advanced monsters over level 350. In particr, they had high attack power in exchange for low health. Their attacks were fast, simple, and urate. The skeleton soldiers used long spears as their weapon and had a high uracy and damage. They were threatening to the high rankers who probably had an average defense of 4,000 points.


    Unfortunately for them, Grid¡¯s defense power exceeded the average. His stamina stat had only reached 2,400 points, but the +3 Valha of Infinite Affection raised his defense by 1,600 points. Grid¡¯s total defense was close to 6,000. No matter how much the Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers tried, they were like eggs smashing against a rock. Moreover, it was a poisonous rock.


    [You have suffered 3,900 damage!]


    [The +3 Valha of Infinite Affection has emitted poison!]


    The skeleton soldiers surrounding Grid were affected by the monstrous poison that spread. Their bones turned green, and they lost their health.


    [The option effect ¡®ck mes¡¯ has exploded from the +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires!]


    Grid quickly struck with maximum speed, and the ck mes exploded continuously. ¡°Link!¡±


    ¡°Kyak kyak!Kyakyakyak!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The skeleton soldiers were helpless as the de Aiming at the Gods, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and Tiramet helped Grid. They were poisoned, burned by mes, shed by swords, beaten by fists, had their bones crushed, and were tied up by the silver thread. Dozens of skeleton soldiers were incapacitated at once. Therge number of monsters that would be disastrous for an ordinary person was a blessing to Grid.


    ¡°It is rude to be in front of the best demonic beast of hell!¡± The few surviving skeletons were killed by Noe, and the finish was perfect.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a break for a moment.¡±Grid even had some room to rx.


    The Unicorn¡¯s Blessing increased the recovery rate of all resources by 20%. Grid rode Overgeared Corn in the middle of the battle to restore his stamina.


    [Status: Annoyed.


    Depressed.]


    (I want a female rider, not male.)


    ...The Overgeared Corn seemed to be suffering, but Grid didn¡¯t care. It was better to summon Overgeared Corn as much as possible to raise the level of favorability. Summoning Overgeared Corn during a hunt meant he would receive some experience and his level would rise.


    ¡®Every time his level rises, he likes bringing up his favorite subject. By the way, what are they doing?¡¯


    Grid cocked his head from where he was sitting on Overgeared Corn. The Overgeared Skeletons were repeatedly picking up the bone fragments scattered throughout the battlefield. He felt uneasy because they resembled Yerim (Sexy Schoolgirl) whenever she showed up at a department store.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that they want to have those?¡¯


    No. Which yer in the world would share their misceneous items with their pets? The pet system didn¡¯t require it, and he wasn¡¯t Nyangmong. Grid wasn¡¯t such a pushover. Grid hurriedly got off Overgeared Corn, swept up the skeleton soldiers running from one corner with Transcended Link, and then started to pick up all the misceneous items. Of course, it included the bone fragments of the Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers that the Overgeared Skeletons had been carefully looking at.


    ¡®They are from high-level undead, so they will sell pretty well.¡¯


    They were thick and ugly pieces of bone. They were so hard that they could be used as material to make defense items. Of course, items made of bone had low durability and were difficult to repair, so Grid didn¡¯t mean to make them.


    ck!ck ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons stared at Grid. These normally insidious guys raised their ? ? shaped eyes and waved their fingers around. One of Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s fingers broke off when it hit their jaw, but it picked the finger up and stuck it back on. It healed immediately.


    ¡°You... Do you really want this?¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons nodded as if they had been waiting for Grid to ask that. Their excitement showed in the speed at which their jaws moved.


    ¡°Are you interested in the skeleton bones? Why didn¡¯t you want it before?¡±


    The probability of the Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers dropping bone fragments was around 3%. It was a very low probability for a misceneous item, which meant the value of the bone fragments might be more than expected. Grid wasn¡¯t willing to give them the fragments. The Overgeared Skeletons were pets that didn¡¯t have a separate affinity bar, and it wasn¡¯t necessary to give them precious gifts. However...


    ¡®Uhh.¡¯


    The Overgeared Skeletons couldn¡¯t speak, but they were high-grade summons that expressed clear emotions. They were pretty cute and listened well, which meant Grid was fond of them. He had great expectations for them in the future. Evolving skeletons... They had used the death knight and lich skins during the demon king¡¯s subjugation. Maybe that could actually be that...


    ¡°Okay.¡± Grid was troubled for a long time before pulling something out with trembling hands. They were two bone pieces.


    ¡°Take them. They¡¯re gifts.¡±


    ck!ck ck ck!


    How happy were they? The Overgeared Skeletons received the bones from Grid and hugged each other before starting to dance. Of course, Grid quickly stopped them. He was worried they would add a ¡®dancer¡¯ to their second list of sses. They couldn¡¯t dance, so the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ shoulders drooped. Then after a while, they checked the bone fragments in their hands and started to ce them in the rib cage.


    ¡°...Eh?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected behavior. The Overgeared Skeletons wereughing happily after adding one rib bone. The skeletons had be a bit bigger. He wasn¡¯t mistaken. It was a small but tangible change.


    ***


    At Elizabeth¡¯s workshop...


    ¡°He didn¡¯te.¡±


    Before Elizabeth joined the Overgeared Guild, Agnus had invaded her workshop. It was spected that the purpose of his visit to Reinhardt had been Elizabeth. Now, he was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel carried Lord while Coke escorted them. The two men were quiet for a while.


    ¡°We missed him.¡± Faker appeared out of the shadows and reported, ¡°Agnus disappeared after being pursued by the Overgeared Shadows.¡±


    ***


    Simultaneously, at a small inn in the market...


    ¡°You came,¡± Euphemina said to the bloody man who entered the room. His robe fell as he sat down, revealing his green hair. It was Agnus, a person who had caused many problems. He was a murderer currently used of killing many essory makers. However¡ª


    ¡°You have many injuries.¡±


    Euphemina wasn¡¯t wary of him. She had found out from their previous meeting that he was different from what the world knew.


    ¡®How many curses did he receive?¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s expression was bad as she examined Agnus¡¯ condition. Agnus was being subjected to all types of curses, such as weakness, poison, and the inability to recover. Yes, curses. Curses involving the ¡®story¡¯ or ¡®system¡¯ were different from those that naturally recovered over time.


    ¡®The only way to resolve the curse is to kill the cursed target or solve the rted story.¡¯


    It was useless to give him potions. Euphemina pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood stains off Agnus¡¯ pale face.¡°You are wanted in seven kingdoms. Do you think it is unfair?¡±


    Agnus nervously brushed off Euphemina¡¯s hand andughed, ¡°Kuku, who am I to feel it is unfair?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill those people.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Agnus¡¯ shoulders trembled. Then he quickly regained his smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak so much. You only came for one purpose.¡±


    There was a person Agnus loved¡ªthe only person in the world who loved him. He wanted to revive her, the woman who had gone through terrible things because of him and ultimately left this world. If only to save her...


    ¡°I will free Mumud.¡±


    The strength he had built up by not being a helpless victim... All the power had umted over thest few years. Agnus was ready to give up everything.


    ¡°Instead, be sure to keep your promise.¡± The smile disappeared from Agnus¡¯ face. The madness was gone, and his golden eyes stared straight at Euphemina.


    Euphemina didn¡¯t avoid his gaze. ¡°On my honor, I will keep my promise.¡±


    She was well aware of why the man in front of her had made this choice, and she didn¡¯t n to betray this man who had suffered all his life. Afterpleting the Mumud Liberation quest, she would be sure to keep the promise.


    ...Even if the oue of the promise made him more unhappy.


    Then the visit was interrupted by the hunters who pursued Agnus from other countries. They had monstrous abilities that wrecked Agnus¡¯ body and soul as they kept chasing him.


    ¡°...Kikik, we meet again.¡± Agnus stood up and pushed Euphemina out the window. It was his fight. He didn¡¯t want the kid to be pulled into a fight that was impossible to win.

 Chapter 984

    Murray, Ultina, Violet, Ark, Haken, Rotemon, and ucian¡ªthis was a list of seven kingdoms that had lost a essory maker craftsman to the mad killer. Since a production ss craftsman was very precious, the loss to the seven kingdoms was veryrge.


    The seven kingdoms had to punish the killer, and the people hoped for it too. Respected craftsmen had been killed. If the royal family didn¡¯t take responsibility for it, the trust of the people would be lost and prestige would fall.


    ¡°I finally caught you. Dirty and disgusting bastard.¡±


    The hunters from the seven kingdoms flocked into the room. Some were members of the royal knights, some were reputable mercenaries, and some were unknown names. The 15 positions and personalities were all different, but they had one thing inmon. They all had outstanding talents. In particr, the skills of the mercenaries Phildea and Johneman were amazing. They were named NPCs whose names shone brilliantly. It was difficult for Agnus to deal with both of them at the same time under normal circumstances, much less now that he was cursed and weakened.


    ¡°Look, Agnus. Stop the unnecessary resistance ande with me.¡±


    Naturally, there were yers among the hunters. One of them was Bubat. The role of the initiator was optimized, and he had given great pressure to Agnus during the chase throughout the past few months. If he hadn¡¯t left for a while due to the National Competition, Agnus would¡¯ve already been caught and taken to the guillotine.


    ¡°There is a of thousands of people around the inn. Even if you escape this ce by luck, you will be caught soon. Don¡¯t make a fuss and go easily.¡±


    The hunters received great support from the seven kingdoms. There were hundreds of troops operating secretly, and it wasn¡¯t a bluff to say there were 1,000 people around the inn. However, Agnus wasn¡¯t the least bit frightened. ¡°Why do you talk nonsense every day?¡±


    An awful madness seeped into him. Agnus looked at the enemies surrounding him and recalled his helpless past. It was a time when he had suffered one-sidedly and experienced all types of pain just because he had no power... At the time, he had sumbed to violence but not now. No matter how many times he was frustrated or how much he lost, he couldn¡¯t give in. He would rather fall behind. This was Agnus¡¯ conviction.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Bubat hurried to Agnus who was pulling out his sword without hesitation. ¡°How many times have you been through this already? If you die here after fighting, you won¡¯t get your name off the wanted list. We will continue to track you until we ce you in the guillotine. You will die every time and suffer damages.¡±


    Agnus had to be punished byw in order to escape being a criminal. Before he was sentenced to death by the guillotine, the curses on him wouldn¡¯t be resolved no matter how many times he died. It was better to go to the guillotine than to live as a wanted criminal until he was forced to quit the game. Of course, the penalty for being killed by the guillotine was greater than that of a normal death... It was neater to be punished byw rather than to be constantly chased and killed.


    ¡°This is the heart of the Overgeared Kingdom. We will be caught by Grid if we make a fuss here. Won¡¯t you be tired as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care. Kikik, do you think I¡¯m afraid of Grid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Bubat didn¡¯t answer. Agnus stopped for a moment. Grid¡ªa person who had a simr past to Agnus¡ªwas a pushover who fought for others despite suffering in a world filled with only perpetrators and bystanders. Had he forgotten his misfortunes and suffering?


    Agnus hated Grid. He felt disgusted with Grid¡¯s actions and thoughts. Thus, he naturally hated those who mentioned his name. It was enough to kill this person!


    ¡°Dyulebul!¡±


    The demon popped out at Agnus¡¯ insane cry. It was a demon with a lizard head on a human body. The demon¡¯s grotesque appearance stimted primordial terror. Bubat was well aware of how powerful this ray of light was and cursed, ¡°Dammit!¡±


    A ray of light that dealt 20,000 fixed damage was fired from Dyulebul¡¯s mouth. The problem was that an additional 8,000 explosive damage urred at the point where the rays hit. The small building couldn¡¯t handle the explosion. The wall of the inn was blown away from the explosion. The roof was torn down, and the sky was revealed. There were screams from people who were shocked by the suddenmotion.


    ¡°...Using any means!¡± Bubat gritted his teeth. The Overgeared soldiers would soone to inquire about what happened, then Grid would find out. Bubat was terribly afraid of him. What happened to the Immortal group that caused a turmoil by invading the smithies of the Overgeared Kingdom? They were ruined. The Immortal group had once been considered as one of the strongest guilds, only to be shattered and scattered like ashes.


    ¡®My personal quest can¡¯t damage the Yak Guild!¡¯Bubat¡¯s judgment was quick. He took advantage of the turmoil and withdrew. It was the same for the other hunters who were yers. For them, Grid was a target to be challenged, not an opponent to be hostile to.


    On the other hand, the NPC hunters were different. They were fully aware of Grid¡¯s power but didn¡¯t fear or admire him. It was natural. They were NPCs, not yers. Thus, they couldn¡¯t feel Grid¡¯s great existence. The current position of the Overgeared Kingdom was also risky.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    Dyulebul attacked in five second intervals. The fire of his spinning tail was maintained at all times, but the damage was so small that it didn¡¯t threaten the hunters. The hunters pulled out their weapons in unison and rushed at Agnus while ignoring Dyulebul. Agnus responded by summoning his death knights and liches.


    The hunters¡¯ pincer attacks subdued the death knight. Meanwhile, Lich Mumud failed to shoot his powerful spells. It was due to the location. This inn was in the middle of the marketce. He hesitated because the civilians could be swept away by the spells. This was obviously an act of rebellion against Agnus¡¯ orders. Still, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Agnus was weakened from all types of curses and couldn¡¯t exercise perfect control over Mumud. It was impossible for him to control the strong will of Mumud, a super named existence who he had only obtained because he was Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    After a few strikes, Agnus was driven to be on the defensive and quickly suppressed. The hunters restrained their limbs and pointed their swords against his neck while clicking their tongues.¡°The filthy murderer is going to suffer.¡±


    After a few months, the chase was finally over. The hunters stared at Agnus with hate-filled eyes and tied him up with rope.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss about in our kingdom?¡±A blonde girl asked as she burst into the scene.She saw the hunters¡¯ bewildered expressions and introduced herself, ¡°I am Earl Euphemina of the Overgeared Kingdom. I have to ask you to take responsibility for using force freely in a kingdom that¡¯s not your own, cing the people at risk.¡±


    The hunters immediately introduced themselves and bowed. Then they exined, ¡°This is a heinous criminal who escaped after murdering people in our seven kingdoms. The situation was urgent because we were trying not to avoid missing him, so we weren¡¯t able to obtain your consent in advance. We sincerely apologize and will repay any damage yournd has suffered today.¡±


    A heinous criminal whomitted murder in seven kingdoms...


    Usually, the disturbance that urred in the process of arresting him should be taken into ount by the kingdom. However, Euphemina didn¡¯t want to do this.


    ¡°Are you certain he is the murderer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What is the evidence?¡±


    ¡°He was seen at every murder scene.¡±


    ¡°Is that sufficient? What if he was framed?¡±


    ¡°...Are you trying to defend this guy? I doubt the intentions of the Overgeared Kingdom. It has been rumored recently that the Overgeared Kingdom has epted another species and the empire¡¯s anger is great. Do you intend to be hostile to our seven kingdoms as well because of a murderer?¡±


    ¡°That is a big leap. I just want to confirm the reason why you caused amotion in the middle of the Overgeared Kingdom. I am just asking a few questions in the process. It is suspicious that you are reacting so sensitively.¡±


    ¡°No, why are you being so strict about catching a criminal? Is there something between the two of you?¡±


    Only Johneman crossed his arms silently. He was a mercenary who didn¡¯t belong to a particr country and didn¡¯t care about international affairs. Then it happened when the atmosphere was bing bloody.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense,¡± the captured Agnus scoffed. He treated Euphemina like she was a stranger. ¡°Is that kid so great? Just take me away. How long do you think I¡¯ll be tied up? Eh? You stupid assholes, kukuk!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°If you want me to shut up, gag me and drag me away. Don¡¯t waste my time unnecessarily.¡±


    Agnus was refusing Euphemina¡¯s help. He expressed it so clearly that Euphemina couldn¡¯t go further. As he was dragged away like a dog, Agnus sent a whisper to her, -Don¡¯te out in the future.It¡¯s annoying.


    -But you...


    -Shut up.This is none of your business.Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep my promise.


    Agnus was unfamiliar with goodwill. So, he felt ufortable and displeased because it was unfamiliar. Euphemina caught the loneliness in Agnus¡¯ eyes and scolded the hunters who dragged him away, ¡°...The Overgeared Kingdom must be thoroughlypensated for the act of daring to use force here.¡±


    That was all she could do.


    ***


    [Your level has risen.]


    He gained five levels. Grid had achieved this feat in just one month. The achievement was made possible due to the National Competition¡¯s reward buff. However, it was still an unusually fast leveling speed considering the 1st ranked Chris took more than three months to gain one level.


    The outside world was heating up due to Grid¡¯s level-up speed. yers from all over the world paid attention as Grid caused an upheaval in the rankings. There was a lot of spection that it was the effect of the Different Species¡¯ King which Grid had newly acquired.


    Even so, the interest of the person involved was focused on something aside from his level. It was on the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t right?¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    The bone fragments had been dropped by Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers after they died. The name of the item was ¡®Bone Fragment of a Skeleton Soldier¡¯, but unfortunately, every piece was different. Some were rib bones, some were vicle pieces, and some were the left arm bones. Of course, the bone fragments looked the same to Grid, but it was a problem because the bone fragments were different from each other.


    The issue was that the Overgeared Skeletons needed bone fragments from the ¡®same area¡¯ to attach to their body. For example, if they wanted to strengthen their right arm, they needed a right arm bone fragment.


    ¡®This damn thing... The drop rate for it is too low.¡¯


    Why did it need to be the same area? He wondered how many skeleton soldiers he would have to kill in the future to strengthen all the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons. Since there was a chance that the same parts could drop, he might not be able to get all bone fragment parts after killing tens of thousands of them.


    ¡®The number of times that each area can be strengthened is only once. Thus, a duplicate bone is useless... Huh?¡¯


    Grid quickly realized that his worries were useless.


    [The Skeleton Soldier¡¯s Bone Fragment has been acquired.]


    ck!ck ck!


    Most of the bone fragments that Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers dropped were needed immediately. That¡¯s right. Unlike his worries, duplicate areas rarely appeared.


    ¡®It is crazy...¡¯


    Grid nced at the Overgeared Skeletons rejoicing at receiving a new bone fragment and once again realized how fraudulent the good luck stat was. His unlucky life from before he came across Satisfy had been unfair and meaningless. The Overgeared Skeletons were changing.


    [The Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have seeded in strengthening their bones in all areas!]


    [The primary awakening has beenpleted.]


    [The stats of the Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have increased significantly!]


    The Overgeared Skeletons were now 1.2 times taller than before. With the exception of their skull, all their dried up bones had be fatter. Their physiques were muchrger than before.


    ...Their skulls also grew, but the growth was smaller in proportion to the rest of their bones.


    ¡®I have a good feeling!¡¯


    Grid stepped up the hunting. The Overgeared Skeletons were level 198, and he nned to raise them to level 200 to get the second advancement ss. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. The Overgeared Skeletons were too weak inparison to Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers. Tiramet was summoned, but he onlysted a short time before dying. In the end, Grid hunted the enemies while protecting the Overgeared Skeletons.


    Then a few days passed.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s levels have increased.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two can change to their second advancement ss.]


    Grid achieved his goal, and the Overgeared Skeletons danced with joy. With his eyes fixed to one spot, Grid stood still unsteadily. He gulped and was filled with anticipation as he pulled up the list of potential sses for the Overgeared Skeletons.

 Chapter 985

    [Possible ss List for Overgeared Skeleton One]


    [1. Destroyer Skeleton Miner.


    Details: (Good at mining)


    2. Destroyer Skeleton Clown.


    Details: (Canugh well)


    3. Destroyer Skeleton Dancer.


    Details: (Can dance well)


    4. Destroyer Skeleton Swordsman.


    Details: (Increased proficiency in swordsmanship)


    5. Destroyer Skeleton Dancing Smith.


    Further information: (Good at dancing and cksmithing)]


    [Possible ss List for Overgeared Skeleton Two]


    [1. Restorer Skeleton Miner.


    2. Restorer Skeleton Clown.


    3. Restorer Skeleton Dancer.


    4. Restorer Skeleton Mage.


    Details: (Increased proficiency in magic)


    5. Restorer Skeleton Dancing Smith.]


    Were the details right?


    ¡°...¡± Grid¡¯s silencested a long while. He couldn¡¯t ept the second ss list of the Overgeared Skeletons in front of him. Was this a dream or reality? The boundaries were ambiguous and difficult to distinguish. Grid was nk like he had a lock on his mind, only to btedly regain his spirit. He tried to analyze the cause of this absurdity.


    ¡®I made the Overgeared Skeletons mine several times.¡¯


    In Grid¡¯s memories, he had only asionally used the Overgeared Skeletons for mining when he wasckingbor. The number of times was small enough to be counted on one hand. Following the first advancement ss list, he couldn¡¯t believe there was a miner option in the second advancement ss list.


    ...This was naturally Grid¡¯s subjective memory. At one time, the Overgeared Skeletons were forced to go mining when they were summoned. In particr, it had happened when their levels were low and they were too weak to be useful for hunting.


    ¡®Cough... Yes. Let¡¯s say they acquired the mining skill because I made them mine 100 times. And the clown and dancer options are due to their basic habits ofughing and dancing.¡¯


    Yes, the causes of these three sses were understandable. It was encouraging that the sses of swordsman and mage had also opened. Overgeared Skeleton One watched Grid¡¯s swordsmanship and Overgeared Skeleton Two watched Grid¡¯s magic, leaving room for increased strength.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine...¡±


    ...By the way, what was a dancing cksmith? He couldn¡¯tprehend this even if he conceded 100 times. It was purely absurd.


    ¡°Did you dance while I was doing cksmithing? Eh? How can I believe this?¡±


    It was natural for the Overgeared Skeletons to open the cksmithing path. Their master was a cksmith and they had observed him working many times. However, it wasn¡¯t just a cksmith. It was a cksmith with the word ¡®dancing¡¯ attached...?


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t worry if it was dancing swordsman or dancing mage.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The modifier being attached wasn¡¯t the problem. Rather, it was good. The problem was that the attached position was wrong.


    ¡®I want the properbat power for the second ss but...¡¯


    Grid originally wanted to pick the swordsman and mage for the Overgeared Skeletons. Unfortunately, Grid was well aware of the power of a modifier. The more modifiers an item had, the more powerful and useful it was. A dancing smith was likely to be a ss with high potential. Of course, thebat power was low.


    ¡®Giving up the ss with a modifier for the ordinary swordsman and magician might give me a feeling of loss...¡¯


    Grid was struggling with this and asked Braham, ¡°Braham, what do you think?¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect to get an answer though. Braham¡¯s soul was in a very weak state, so he was sleeping almost all the time. Grid thought he would be asleep once again, but Braham woke up at the right time.


    -It is better to make them a dancing smith.


    Braham¡¯s reasoning made sense.


    -The first sses of destroyer and restorer are applied as modifiers to the second advancement.It will be the same with the third advancement.As you know, the concept of modifiers is absolute. The more modifiers there are, the higher the ¡®status¡¯ will be.The merits of the ss called dancing smith might be small right now, but if you think about the future, it is wiser to choose a ss with many modifiers.


    Was it because they were the heritage of Shizo Beriache...?Braham was showed great interest in the Overgeared Skeletons. He actively advised Grid and was a big help to him.


    ¡°Okay... I will do so.¡±


    This was an investment for the future. It was in order to make the Overgeared Skeletons have the modifiers of ¡®destroyer¡¯, ¡®restorer¡¯, ¡®dancing¡¯, and ¡®cksmith¡¯ attached to the third advancement sses. Grid nodded and made a decision. ¡°It might feel like a loss right now, but it can¡¯t be helped. You will both be dancing smiths.¡±


    Kyaak!Kya kya kyak!


    The Overgeared Skeletons were pleased with Grid¡¯s choice.Theyughed and started to dance lightly.


    [You have selected the ¡®dancing smith¡¯ ss for Overgeared Skeleton One. Is this correct?]


    ¡°Co...rrect.¡±


    [You have selected the ¡®dancing smith¡¯ ss for Overgeared Skeleton Two. Is this correct?]


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    sh!


    Grid didn¡¯t change his decision, and a golden glow appeared around the bodies of the Overgeared Skeletons who were absorbed in their dancing. Meanwhile, Grid felt a bit regretful.He was gloomy because they were now two dancing smiths who would be of no use inbat.


    ¡®Sigh. I need to raise them to level 300 as soon as possible.¡¯


    The reason for the slow leveling of the Overgeared Skeletons was because the level difference with Grid was toorge. The penalty meant that the Overgeared Skeletons received lesser experience points. However, as the level gap gradually narrowed, the level-up speed of the Overgeared Skeletons would elerate.


    [The second ss advancements of Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two have beenpleted!]


    [The sspensation effect has increased Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s strength and stamina by 50. There is an additional 20,000 increase in health.]


    [The sspensation effect has increased Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s intelligence and stamina by 50. There is an additional 15,000 increase in health and 5,000 increase in mana.]


    [The appearances of Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have changed!]


    [The information on Overgeared Skeletons One and Two will be updated!]


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Once the ss advancement waspleted, the golden glow was absorbed by the Overgeared Skeletons. The Overgeared Skeletons now turned into shiny golden chibi skeletons instead of just chibi skeletons. If the previous Overgeared Skeletons were like chewed bones left behind by a dog, the current Overgeared Skeletons were fine skeletons made of gold.


    However, their eyes were still the same. The ? ? shaped eyes were still naughty.


    ¡®...I can¡¯t see it.¡¯


    It was subtle.


    ¡®Well... it¡¯s fine since they¡¯re cute.¡¯


    Grid opened the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ information.


    [Name: Overgeared Skeleton One


    ss: Destructive Skeleton Dancing Smith.


    Level: 200


    Health: 25,824 Mana: 160


    Strength: 1,015 Stamina: 450


    Agility: 420 Intelligence: 80]


    -ss Specific Skills-


    [Bone Cracking Lv. 4.]


    [There is a low probability of destroying materials made of bone (undead, items, structures, etc.).


    Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 seconds]


    [Destroyer Dancer¡¯s cksmithing Skill Lv. 1]


    [-Learn how to make a weapon that is made of 100% bone material.


    While making weapons, the skills ¡®Dancing¡¯ and Skeleton¡¯s Patience will always be activated. If a destroyer¡¯s skill is used with this weapon, the probability of Bone Cracking will increase by three times. The time it will take to make an item is 20 minutes.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Materials needed to make the item.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    ¡ï Due to the nature of the destroyer, there is a possibility that the item being produced will be destroyed. If the item being produced is destroyed, a wide-area explosion that deals 6 times the item damage specified in the production method will ur.


    If the damage range is within 10 meters of Overgeared Skeleton One, Overgeared Skeleton One will also suffer damage.]


    [Dancing Lv. 1]


    [-Dance to provoke any enemy within 30 meters.


    There is a 70% chance of the taunt being sessful.


    Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.


    The time required to activate the skill (time required to get into the rhythm): 5 seconds.]


    -Skills Learned-


    [Skeleton¡¯s Patience]


    [-A conditionally triggered passive.


    LA skill learned from the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience.


    Once activated, defense, strength, and health are doubled.


    Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 7]


    [Passive skill.


    A skill learned from a master¡¯s swordsmanship.]


    [Silver Thread...]


    [....


    ...


    Omitted.]


    [Name: Overgeared Skeleton Two


    ss: Restorer Skeleton Dancing Smith.


    Level: 200


    Health: 19,000 Mana: 5,000


    Strength: 50 Stamina: 650


    Agility: 220 Intelligence: 1,045]


    -ss Specific Skills-


    [Bone Sticking Lv. 4]


    [-Restores 20% of a skeleton-based undead¡¯s health. The damaged part of the target will be restored.


    Resources Consumed: 1,00 mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 26 seconds]


    [Restorer Dancer¡¯s cksmithing Skill Lv. 1]


    [-Learn how to make a helmet that is made of 100% bone material.


    While making the helmet, the skills ¡®Dancing¡¯ and Skeleton¡¯s Patience will always be activated.


    The helmet will gain the feature of ¡®restoration¡¯, and Overgeared Skeleton Two will show a high survival power if armed with this helmet.


    The time it will take to make an item is 20 minutes.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Materials needed to make the item.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    ¡ï Due to the nature of the restorer, it may be difficult to make items. It is because the bones used as the material will be intentionally restored and manufacturing processes such as smelting and forging will be reset.


    At this point, Overgeared Skeleton Two will have to start producing the item again from the beginning.]


    [Dancing Lv. 1]


    [Skeleton¡¯s Patience]


    [Intermediate Magic Mastery Lv. 7]


    [Omitted.]


    The Overgeared Skeletons gained six stat points every time they leveled up. Given that level 1 had a basic 10 points for each stat and yers gained a 20 point bonus for their first level, the total value of the level 200 Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ stats should be 1,224. However, the Overgeared Skeletons had a stats increase due to the second ss advancement bonus, the bone strengthening effect, and the various ¡®usable items¡¯ made by Grid.


    The total number of stat points was nearly 2,000, which wasparable to that of ordinary level 200 yers. It was almost miraculous considering the Overgeared Skeletons were less powerful than yers. They literally resembled their master by possessing fraudulent stats. Still, that wasn¡¯t the important issue right now.


    ¡°This...¡±


    In fact, Grid had great expectations for the potential of the Overgeared Skeletons until their first ss advancement. He had imagined that Overgeared Skeleton One would cause massive explosions to crush the bones of opponents while Overgeared Skeleton Two would use wide-area heals. The result was disappointing because they were terrible, unlike his imagination. The reality was that Overgeared Skeleton One could blow up the item while Overgeared Skeleton Two could reset the process...


    ¡®Something garbage like this...¡¯


    Grid was forced to bind all his hopes onto the third advancement. The Overgeared Skeletons would have the modifiers of ¡®destroyer (restorer) dancing cksmith¡¯ skeleton. He could still hope for abat ss for the third advancement. Then Braham¡¯s voice entered the ears of the frustrated Grid, -Maybe it is because you are an idiot, but your imagination is poor.Sharing your thoughts are a pain.If this continues, my soul is likely to burst to death before it can recover.


    ¡°...?¡±


    How could he be med when Braham was going to die anyway? Grid frowned while Braham scoffed.


    -Stupid guy.You should be focusing on the provocation skill, not the cksmithing.One has a wide-range provocation and damage ability while the other canunch an infinite provocation ability. What the hell are you regretting?


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    The Dancing skill didn¡¯t specify the ¡®category¡¯ of the enemy. It was even a wide-area skill.


    On the other hand, the Bloody Smell option of Mcus¡¯ Cloak didn¡¯t apply to creatures whose sense of smell had deteriorated like the undead. Additionally, Mcus¡¯ Cloak was very dangerous because Grid himself attracted the aggro. However, the Overgeared Skeletons were summons who didn¡¯t receive a penalty from dying.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t trash.¡¯


    Possibilities started to unfold in front of Grid. He anticipated that the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ third and fourth advancements woulde faster than he had thought.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    The defense of the evil eyes vige had ended.


    A month had passed, but Peak Sword¡¯s condition was still the worst. He felt ufortable and unmotivated. It was hard for him to concentrate on hunting, so even Vantner was worried about him.


    ¡°Are you still thinking about that knight?¡±


    The knight whom Vantner mentioned was the leader of the Blue mes Knights of the Gauss Kingdom. He was a young knight named Apollo. Peak Sword was traumatised from killing him. It was because Peak Sword saw himself in Apollo¡¯s image of fighting for his kingdom. A lonely struggle was the fate of a weak nation.


    To be honest, Peak Sword hadn¡¯t wanted to kill him. However, he had to fight for the sake of the evil eyes. It was a fair fight, and he had to knock down the enemy. The only thing he regretted now was deceiving the other party who had fought to the end for his kingdom.


    Yes, Peak Sword knew all of this. Yet he still felt regretful when the face of the young knight came up.


    ¡°...He had only one life.¡±


    Satisfy was only a game to yers, but it was reality for NPCs. They couldn¡¯t revive.


    ¡°Of course, I will kill him if the same thing happens again. I just regret that I didn¡¯t say a word to him before he died. He was too strong.¡±


    ¡°Then from now on, say goodbye before killing them.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°Say goodbye and kill. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be fighting NPCs. It was a nned future from the moment Grid set up his kingdom. Some of the enemies you will encounter will certainly be good people, and you¡¯ll have to kill them. What if you have a mental breakdown every time? Your mind will soon be exhausted. Will you quit the game?¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Yes, my resolve wascking. I was too short-sighted. I¡¯ll have to greet the enemy in advance before fighting.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s the right thing to do. Greet and kill them.¡±


    ¡°Hut... Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two men sped hands. Their conversation content was obviously missing the main point. The listening Overgeared members thought it was so absurd that they clicked their tongues. It was at this moment.


    &Zednos: An explosion has urred in the southern market.


    The guild members who were in Reinhardt were talking to each other in the guild chat.


    &Ibellin: What happened?


    &Zednos: Agnus is visiting. Maybe he is making amotion.


    &Toon: Agnus is here? Why? Isn¡¯t this crazy?


    &Jishuka: Yes! He¡¯s a crazy guy~


    &Ibellin: (/-_-) I¡¯m nearby, so I¡¯ll be right there.


    ¡®Agnus?¡¯


    In the Galgunos Temple, Bullet¡¯s face hardened as he ced pressure on the war god followers with his undead and jiangshi. Agnus was obviously crazy, but he wasn¡¯t a loose cannon. If a crisis that couldn¡¯t be ovee arrived, he would enjoy the situation but always try to avoid the worst situation. Yet he was visiting the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom where they were obviously enemies...? Agnus wouldn¡¯t have intended to cause a disturbance.


    ¡®He seems to be having a hard time these days... Maybe he came here because he wanted to rely on me?¡¯


    ¡®Damn.¡¯ Bullet couldn¡¯t even send Agnus a whisper because Agnus was removed from his friends list. He couldn¡¯t concentrate on the battle. Bullet worried about it before recalling the undead and jiangshi to his side.


    ¡°Eh? What happened?¡± The Overgeared members, who were hunting with him, asked.


    Bullet scratched his head.¡°I¡¯m sorry but I want to take a break. I¡¯ve been hunting for too long.¡±


    ¡°Are you sleeping at that level?¡±


    ¡°...You have dropped from second in the necromancer rankings.¡±


    It took a surprisingly long amount of time to produce the jiangshi, causing him to drop to fourth ce. Nevertheless, Bullet was still a high ranker who was far above the average level of the Overgeared members. This was because the necromancer ss was optimized for hunting.


    ¡°That was the past. You have to restore your ranking.¡±


    ¡°Today isn¡¯t the only day. I¡¯ll work hard next time. Then I¡¯m going.¡± Bullet didn¡¯t say anything else and used a return scroll.


    He left to help his old idol, feeling grateful and sorry toward the Overgeared members who hadn¡¯t done anything but treat him as an old friend. Still, once he gave his heart, he would never betray or easily abandon the person. This was the man called Bullet.

 Chapter 986

    By the time Bullet arrived at the scene, many people were already present. The Overgeared Shadows and Sticks analyzed the traces of the battle while dozens of soldiers controlled the onlookers. Lauel covered half his face and was in deep thought.¡®This...¡¯


    Bullet was able to enter the scene without the soldiers stopping him. Hisplexion darkened as he looked around the copsed inn. It was because he saw the traces of Dyulebul¡¯s light ray. Unlike his desperate wish, Agnus was apparently involved in the battle here.


    ¡®However, Agnus didn¡¯t fight because he wanted it,¡¯ Bullet believed this.


    Thus, he approached Lauel and insisted, ¡°It is clear that someone attacked Agnus first. He wouldn¡¯t intentionally make a disturbance in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Bullet hoped that Lauel would release Agnus from jail. Lauel made an interested expression.¡°What is the basis of your im? Agnus is an unpredictable madman. Furthermore, as the head of the former Immortal Guild, he must be holding a grudge against the Overgeared Kingdom. It wouldn¡¯t be unusual for him to intentionally cause damage to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Agnus isn¡¯t a fool. In addition, he doesn¡¯t feel any regrets about Immortal. In the first ce, the one who set up Immortal and chased Agnus was Veradin. Agnus himself doesn¡¯t have much interest in Immortal.¡±


    ¡°You should know the truth first before defending him.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a member of Overgeared? Why are you acting as Agnus¡¯ advocate?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡±Bullet realized his mistake and hurriedly bowed his head.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve figured out the truth first.¡¯


    It was simple.All he had to do was ask Lauel a single question, but he was worried about Agnus and skipped the most basic procedure.He was just distracted by Agnus¡¯ safety.


    ¡®I¡¯m disappointed.¡¯


    Bullet was in a greatly favored position due to Grid. Despite being from Immortal, he had received forgiveness and obtained the Jiangshi Production method. How reprehensible would his behavior be from the standpoint of Grid and his colleagues, who considered Agnus their enemy? Bullet couldn¡¯t lift his head.


    Then Lauel¡¯s hard voice was heard, ¡°Please be careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will be careful.¡±


    In fact, Lauel wasn¡¯t disappointed or angry with Bullet. He knew from the beginning that Bullet was soft-hearted. Grid liked this tendency of Bullet¡¯s and epted him as a colleague. It was hard for Bullet to turn away from his old colleagues. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t say this to Bullet because he wanted Bullet to know how to keep a level head.


    Lauel spoke to Bullet who was still looking at the ground, ¡°First of all, we have failed to secure Agnus.¡±


    ¡°He got away?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be. This was the heart of the Overgeared Kingdom. The ce waspletely guarded, and there were monsters lurking everywhere. It was impossible for Grid to escape with force, let alone Agnus. Lauel shook his head at the incredulous Bullet. ¡°He didn¡¯t run away. He was dragged away.¡±


    ¡°Dragged? No way!¡± Bullet was reminded that Agnus was wanted by seven kingdoms. ¡°T-This can¡¯t be...¡±


    Bullet was able to grasp the truth of the situation. Agnus had lost a ce to go and hid himself in the Overgeared Kingdom, an enemy kingdom. Then the pursuers of the seven kingdoms followed him and attacked him.


    ¡°A-Agnus...¡±


    Bullet shouldn¡¯t act like this in front of the Overgeared members, but he was worried about his old idol. When he realized his mistake, he hurriedly shut his mouth. Lauel saw this and smiled bitterly. ¡®Agnus has his own charm.¡¯


    Looking at the early days of the Overgeared Kingdom, Grid had been publicly known as trash. At the time, Grid was filled with poison and was fierce toward many people. Nevertheless, he received deep trust and affection from his colleagues. Agnus could have a simr aspect. He was a person who couldn¡¯t be understood without actually experiencing it.


    ¡°Lauel... Do you know where Agnus was taken?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Eh? J-Just...¡±


    ¡°You should give up if you n to rescue him. He will be guarded by the armies of the seven kingdoms, including some of the best talents.¡±


    As a necromancer and jiangshi maker, Bullet could exert great power inrge-scalebat. However, the opponent was the seven kingdoms. It was no different from an ant facing an elephant. Bullet also knew this fact. He never dreamed that he could rescue Agnus. However¡ª


    ¡°...I want to help Agnus.¡±


    Bullet wanted to show Agnus that there were people fighting for him. He might¡¯ve suffered and been betrayed in the past, but it would be different in the future.


    ¡°To him... I want to let him know that he isn¡¯t alone.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ lonely appearance caused great pain to others who were just watching him. Bullet couldn¡¯t imagine how much pain Agnus must be suffering. Bullet wanted to heal Agnus, even if it meant sacrificing himself. However, Lauel¡¯s reaction was cold. ¡°It isn¡¯t possible. Did you forget that you belong to the Overgeared Kingdom? If you step forward, the rtionship between the seven kingdoms and the Overgeared Kingdom will be irreparable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the guild for a while. I won¡¯t use the jiangshi. I will never expose a connection between myself and the Overgeared Kingdom, and I won¡¯t harm Grid.¡±


    Bullet liked both the Overgeared Guild and Agnus. He was sincerely grateful toward those who were willing to be his colleagues and friends. It meant there were no pretenses in his words. Bullet really intended to fight alone and risk everything by himself. Even so, Lauel¡¯s reaction was cold to the end. ¡°Do you think of the Overgeared Guild as a joke? Do you think you can leave and rejoin as you like?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lauel persuaded Bullet, ¡°I fully understand your feelings. Nevertheless, you have to realize that you are now a member of Overgeared. Do you know why Grid gave you the strong Jiangshi Production recipe? He wants you to grow quickly and be a boon to the Overgeared Guild. Yet you are going to die on your own now? Isn¡¯t that ignoring Grid¡¯s favor?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°From the moment you joined the Overgeared Guild and received the Jiangshi Production recipe, you gained the responsibility of being an Overgeared member. Don¡¯t neglect your responsibilities for your personal feelings.¡±


    Lauel also felt regretful. He pitied Agnus and thought it was a waste of Agnus¡¯ power. This didn¡¯t mean he was in a position to go forth for Agnus¡¯ sake. It was impossible, so it was better to throw away these lingering feelings.


    Bulletmented, ¡°It could be resolved if we can clear up Agnus¡¯ false usations...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he is being framed? How can you be sure Agnus didn¡¯t kill those people?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. Agnus might kill strong people, but I¡¯ve never seen abuse the weak. Look back at the incident with Elizabeth. Agnus needs an essory maker. Would he make himself the public enemy of essory makers by killing them?¡±


    Lauel had also thought about this part, but he was missing something important. ¡°Do you know who the real culprit is? At the very least, there should be a suspect you can point at.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is the Yatan Church.¡±


    ¡°The Yatan Church?¡±Something shed in Lauel¡¯s head. It was because he saw a new possibility.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he help Queen Irene and Prince Lord in attacking the Vatican? Agnus had a symbiotic rtionship with the Yatan Church yet he helped these two people. It is no different from an act of betrayal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have any idea about this, but the Yatan Church has been struggling for the past 10 years because of a certain enigmatic figure and they are sensitive due to Yura¡¯s betrayal from a few years ago. I think they made a n to punish the new traitor, Agnus, and set an example.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± A hopeful scheme came to Lauel¡¯s mind.


    It would make Agnus indebted to them while getting rid of a problem he had been concerned about. Lauel asked Faker, ¡°Do you know the whereabouts of Rose?¡±


    ¡°We are gradually approaching her. We¡¯ve found a few traces and will be able to locate her soon.¡±


    Rose was the number one ck magician after Yura, and she had be one of Yatan¡¯s Servants. She was one of the viins who summoned the 32nd Great Demon Belial. Additionally, she was one of the leaders of the raid on the Vaticanst year. From the position of the Overgeared Kingdom, Rose was someone who had to be punished. Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom had no intention of forgiving her for trying to harm Irene and Lord. They pursued her steadily.


    ¡°Wait a moment...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lauel had Bullet and Faker wait beside him while he focused on whispering to someone. How much time passed by...?


    Lauel swept back his silver hair andughed. ¡°Bullet, I¡¯ll give you a smarter way.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Bullet had been waiting for a while. He couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous when Lauel didn¡¯t answer him. Finally, a guild message popped up.


    [The guild master ¡®Grid¡¯ has attached a kill order on the yer ¡®Rose.¡¯]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    What was this all of a sudden? Lauel finally exined to the embarrassed Bullet, ¡°Threaten to trample on her.¡±


    What would happen if one of Yatan¡¯s Servants revealed that the true culprit was the Yatan Church? Agnus would be able to get rid of his false usations.


    ***


    ¡®I have to pay him back for helping Lord and Irene.¡¯


    On the first underground floor of the Galgunos Temple, Grid set the kill order on Rose and felt a blockage in his body be unblocked. He had felt disgusted at owing the bastard Agnus. Now he felt good at the chance of paying off his debt. It was a good situation because he wanted to punish Rose anyway.


    ¡®By the way, this isn¡¯t an easy decision.¡¯


    It was obvious, but in the future, the Overgeared Skeletons One and Two would use their own weapons and helmet. This would optimize their attributes and allow them to demonstrate their stats more efficiently.


    ¡®They naturally need the best production methods...¡¯


    There was one big problem. The Overgeared Skeletons could only learn one production method. Teaching the Overgeared Skeletons the best production method was difficult due to all the materials necessary for the item production.


    ¡®This means the Overgeared Skeletons won¡¯t be able to use cksmithing that often, and they can¡¯t fully utilize their skills.¡¯


    However, if he taught them a production method with materials that could be obtained easily, the performance of the weapon and helmet would be insignificant.


    ¡®I have to coordinate it well.¡¯


    He needed a production method with materials that were rtively easy to obtain, but the performance of the items produced also needed to be excellent.


    ¡°...Hmm?¡± Grid stared at the hard bones of the Overgeared Skeletons. His gaze was so strange that the dancing Overgeared Skeletons were startled.

 Chapter 987

    ¡®It would be good to make items with their bones.¡¯


    Grid tapped the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ golden bones. They were dense and hard enough to make no sound.


    ¡®Bones are crafting materials that can pursue extreme sharpness, but they are weak in durability. However, the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons aren¡¯t weak at all. It is fine to ssify them as a blue orichalcum ss material.¡¯


    The Overgeared Skeletons themselves were a special existence, and they were strengthened by absorbing the bones of skeletons that were over level 350. Moreover, there was room for further strengthening in the future. There were the bones of undead stronger than Galgunos¡¯ skeleton soldiers. This was under the premise that Grid should save the bones of humanoid undead.


    ¡®It is a problem that time will solve.¡¯


    In the end, the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons were a crafting material that would rise in grade over time and the supplies were easily obtainable. The Overgeared Skeletons could pull out their own bones whenever they made an item. The reason for this improbable idea was Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s restoration ability.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was dreaming of infinite power with advanced items. Theoretically, it was a perfect idea. There was one fatal problem though.


    ¡®I have to consume one of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation slots.¡¯


    The premise of this item used the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons as a material. Such an item didn¡¯t exist, so Grid had to create it himself. Moreover, the use of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill was limited, so he had to be careful.


    ¡®This is a good investment if I consider that the bones of the Overgeared Skeletons can be strengthened...¡¯


    It was important to think carefully. He rubbed the round skulls of the Overgeared Skeletons, who were making uneasy expressions. Then a notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [There are five minutes left in your daily ess time.]


    Over the past month, Grid had been raising his level at a speed different from others. It was possible because Grid¡¯s ability to hunt was exceptional, but it was also because of his efforts. Grid focused on hunting 16 hours a day. He reduced his sleeping time to focus on the game and thoroughly managed his eating and exercise schedule. Well, it wasn¡¯t just something he was doing now. He had been maintaining this schedule for thest few years.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Grid logged out and returned to Shin Youngwoo. His expression was exhausted as he got out of the capsule. Hey in bed and wanted to sleep until tomorrow morning. His mind was tired enough to rest for a day. The psychological factor had a huge impact on him.


    After the big event that was the demon king subjugation, a strange sense of inertia dominated him. Grid tried not to show it to others, but his mind and body were exhausted. He wanted to have a good rest as psychologicalpensation for the big event. Then he was reminded of his past and corrected his heart.


    ¡®I can¡¯t go back to the old days...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be careless. The otherpetitors were trying as hard as he was. He might be ahead right now, but there was a chance for them to catch up and for him to fall into hell.


    ¡®Wake up.¡¯


    Youngwoo pped his cheeks, washed his face with cold water, and did simple exercises. Then he took a shower and put on a coat. Today was the 1st anniversary of Khan¡¯s death. It was already the third cycle in Satisfy, and he had always visited Khan¡¯s grave to maintain it. However, there was only one way tomemorate it in reality. It might be a way to appease Youngwoo¡¯s heart.


    Ding dong~!


    He got into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor, but it stopped downstairs. Having received the signal that Youngwoo had activated the elevator, Toon immediately reacted to it.¡°Are you going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a drink.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Youngwoo waved his hand at Toon who was grabbing a coat.¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Toon was determined. Youngwoo might¡¯ve umted many rtionships in Satisfy, but he was still a lonely person.


    ¡°If you want to drink alone, I¡¯ll sit at another table and wait.¡± Toon had be quite skillful in Korean.


    Youngwoo smiled bitterly. ¡°Thank you, but today, I want to feel alone. Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t you know? I am very popr these days.¡±


    At the very least, he was safe in South Korea. To the people of South Korea, Youngwoo was a hero.


    ¡®Today is Khan¡¯s first death anniversary, and he¡¯s determined...¡¯


    It was as expected. Toon looked at the stubborn Youngwoo and nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s ride separate cars. I will stay at a distance so you can feel alone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is the maximum I can concede.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I understand.¡±


    Youngwoo went down to the underground parking lot with Toon. Then Youngwoo got in the car he had been driving for five years while Toon climbed into a separate one.


    Two rare and high-value vehicles appeared on the road, catching the eyes of the people.


    ***


    Rose¡¯s response was quick. She was the 1st ranked ck magician and an official of the Yatan Church. Moreover, she had a pretty good visual. Her ability, presence, and beauty meant she was quite popr among the rankers. Rose knew how to take advantage of this poprity. She made headlines when she appeared on a popr TV program and revealed that the Overgeared Guild had set a kill order on her.


    ¡°A group is suppressing an individual. One of the best guilds in the world, which should be an example for all, is driving one person to the brink. What should I do? Do I have to abandon my efforts over the past few years and quit Satisfy? Won¡¯t this indiscriminate violence of the Overgeared Guild continue in the future? People who are powerless individuals like me¡ªwon¡¯t you also be a victim in the future?¡±


    The world was overturned. Countless people med Grid and the Overgeared Guild. This was different from what had happened with Immortal. The effect was greater because Rose emphasized the ¡®group¡¯ going against the ¡®individual.¡¯


    In any case, the act of a group suppressing one person was bound to be seen as cruel and cowardly. The masses, who were mostly powerless individuals, didn¡¯t condone the actions of the Overgeared Guild. In the words of Rose, it made them feel like they could be victims as well. As such, they felt the need to hold the reins so the Overgeared Guild couldn¡¯t run wild.


    The Overgeared Guild responded immediately.


    The mouth of the Overgeared Guild¡ªno, the spokesman Huroi made an official statement, ¡°As one of Yatan¡¯s Servants, Rose has ughtered numerous yers and NPCs. Of course, it is her role in the game and her right to do so. Thus, I wouldn¡¯t usually me her for her actions. But the story is different when the Overgeared members and the Overgeared people are directly affected. Just as she has the right to act, we have the right as well. It is natural to assume responsibility if she has done something wrong. This isn¡¯t indiscriminate violence but revenge. The Overgeared Guild will get revenge on Rose. She will be held ountable for the sins she hasmitted against us.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a group oppressing a powerless individual. Huroi emphasized this, and there was a sufficient effect. In particr, many people hated Rose because of all the killings shemitted as one of Yatan¡¯s Servants. Groups advocating for the Overgeared Guild were formed. However, not everyone defended the Overgeared Guild.


    -Dogs?? The Overgeared ones are running around as usual.


    -Look at how they¡¯re controlling the vampire cities.


    -XX guys.It is really disgusting that their country is earning money by monopolizing the hunting grounds.


    -Even the National Competition rewards were almost all swept up by the Overgeared members.They¡¯re having a full meal.


    -What bullshit are you talking about?The Overgeared Guild got the rewards in the National Competition because they¡¯re strong. The hunting grounds are also in their territory, so they can exercise their rights.The dungeon size is limited. Why would you want to share it with everyone else?Even Overgeared Guild One is in a saturated condition.


    -It is funny to see the dogs insulting the Overgeared Guild.The Overgeared Guild is having a full meal?Why are you cursing at them when they¡¯re enjoying their own efforts?


    -The struggles of the Overgeared Guild are things we should enjoy together. ????


    -By the way, the Overgeared Guild is too harsh.Don¡¯t you remember how Katz used to act before joining the Overgeared Guild?Let¡¯s say someone wants to get revenge on Katz now.Won¡¯t they be hit by the Overgeared Guild¡¯s kill order?


    -Peak Sword overreacts every time to racial discrimination.Human garbage.


    -My group asked Pon to stop teasing Vantner about being bald and was ignored...


    -What group?


    -The National Baldness Association.


    -This...


    -The Overgeared Guild can¡¯t be allowed to continue like this.One day, the Overgeared Guild might dominate everything.


    Surprisingly, many people were anxious about this. It was a more primitive fear that came before envy or jealousy. It was an inevitable phenomenon, no matter how well the Overgeared Guild managed their image. However, the Overgeared Guild wasn¡¯t shaken. This was something they had experienced every time, and they were already prepared for it.


    Lauel advised Huroi, ¡°You don¡¯t have to respond to public opinion. Just strongly express our opinion to punish Rose, no matter what the public says.¡±


    Their intention was simple¡ªce psychological pressure on Rose. Rose noticed the Overgeared Guild¡¯s hard heart and immediately tried to negotiate. She sent a friend request to Lauel in the Overgeared Guild. Then as soon as he epted it, she sent a whisper,-Why are you doing this?Is it because of the Vatican invasion?


    -Yes.Our queen and prince were in danger at the time because of you.It is something we can¡¯t let you get away with.


    -...No, what is this?I never expected the prince and queen of the Overgeared Kingdom to be there!In the first ce, I was just performing a quest!I didn¡¯t lead the attack on the Vatican. Why are you holding me responsible?


    -You didn¡¯t know the royal family of the Overgeared Kingdom would attend the pope¡¯s reelection ceremony?Don¡¯t you know about the rtionship between the pope and the Overgeared Kingdom?


    Lauel interrupted Rose¡¯s excuses and gave her a choice, -Be hunted by us for the rest of your life or testify about how is Agnus being framed and neatly clear up the rtionship between us.Choose one or the other.


    -Agnus?Did Agnus join the Overgeared Guild?No, that is impossible.Are you paying off the debt for him helping the queen and the prince?


    -You just have to give an answer.


    Rose wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. She was a person who could see through even the smallest gap. Moreover, she was one of Yatan¡¯s Servants. It wouldn¡¯t be good to reveal a gap to a powerful enemy that could be ¡®named¡¯ if certain conditions were met. Rose refused, -I don¡¯t want to.


    What would happen if she betrayed the Yatan Church? She couldn¡¯t flee to hell like Yura had done.


    -You will regret it.


    -Hrmm, we¡¯ll see.How will public opinion change if I post a video every time youmit violence against me?Just watch.Be ready for the Overgeared Guild to get isted if you touch me.


    It was a tough response, but Lauel justughed.


    ***


    Youngwoo found a stall in a remote location. It had been a long time since he started avoiding crowded ces.


    ¡°Oh, my. a famous person is here.¡±


    When Youngwoo entered the stall, the owner immediately recognized his face and started ttering him. The world¡¯s top star was in such a humble ce. It was unknown if the food and drinks here would suit a special person like Youngwoo. Yet Youngwoo just sat down and smiled. ¡°Well, five years ago I didn¡¯t even have enough money to buy ramyun. Please give me a bottle of soju and a te of chicken feet.¡±


    ¡°Omo, really? Ah! That¡¯s right! I heard rumors that you are a self-made man. It is amazing for your young age.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    ¡°How could it only be luck? It is your ability and talent to grab onto the luck.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s heart eased as the stall ownerforted him. Shortly afterward, the soju came out, and Youngwoo filled up a cup. The smell of alcohol hit his nose, and he was reminded of the first day he met Khan. The man had lost his wife and son and lived in a drunken state. The smell of alcohol had been terrible just from standing beside him.


    ¡®How much pain was he in?¡¯


    Khan had been alone in the world. The weight of the solitude and despair that he had felt couldn¡¯t even be imagined. Nevertheless, Khan had endured the solitude and despair, even making up his mind and stopping his drinking. Thinking about that time, Youngwoo found it funny.


    ¡®His hands shook from the alcohol, and he couldn¡¯t even hold a hammer.¡¯


    How absurd was hisugh when he saw that a cksmith couldn¡¯t even hold a hammer? Then Khan stopped drinking and managed to hold a hammer. He taught many things to Youngwoo, who had been severelycking.


    ¡®Please be happy.¡¯


    Khan had been alone the first day they met, but he wasn¡¯t alone now. He must beughing every day after being reunited with his family in heaven. Youngwoo believed it. Every time he emptied his ss of alcohol, he prayed to God that his belief was real.


    ¡°...¡±


    How much time passed by...? The uneaten chicken feet and udon soup became cold. The surface of the raw cucumber that hade out as a basic snack had also dried up. Only the three bottles of soju were empty.


    ¡®It is already time...¡¯


    Youngwoo wanted to recall more memories of Khan, but he couldn¡¯t afford it. He had to go back to keep his schedule for tomorrow. After checking the time, the sad Youngwoo raised hisst cup of alcohol to the sky.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have another drink next year.¡¯


    Did humans have souls? There was no definite answer. Even so, people reminisced and mourned the dead again and again. Youngwoo did the same thing for Kham. Thest cup was emptied, and Youngwoo got up from his seat.


    ¡°Scumbag,¡± a voice suddenly entered his ears. He turned and saw four men in their mid-20s watching him with drunk expressions.


    ¡°Setting a kill order on people and giving them a hard time... You just want to wield your strength because you have it, right? Scumbag, a real scumbag.¡±


    Youngwoo ignored them. He took out cash and politely handed it to the stall auntie.¡°I¡¯m sorry, please pack up the leftovers.¡±


    ¡°Omo, of course. I¡¯ll pack them quickly.¡± Wanting to avoid a fight, the anxious auntie started to ce the remaining chicken feet into a takeaway container.


    New guests entered. Simultaneously, the four men got up and surrounded Youngwoo. ¡°This is a real tough guy. You are packing up leftovers when you make so much money? If it were me, I would give it to a passing dog as a gift. However, you¡¯re pretending to be such a great guy.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Grid!¡±


    The new guests nced over and were surprised to recognize Grid. Then they pulled out their phones without anyone saying anything. They pretended to be taking photos, but they were actually shooting a video. Satisfy¡¯s supreme person was arguing at a street stall! This was naturally a big issue.


    ¡°Hey. Are you ignoring me? If a person speaks, you ought to say something. Just once.¡±


    ¡°This jerk must be scared. If this were in the game, you would set a kill order on me, right? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it once. Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship! Yap! Yap! Like this!¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha! Crazy! How funny!¡±


    Youngwoo would be seen as a coward if he stayed still. The quarrel got more intense. The four men surrounding Youngwoo imitated Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, mocking and threatening him. Then one person was swept up by the atmosphere and crossed the line. He pretended to hit Youngwoo with a bottle of alcohol.


    ¡°Oh, my. Young man!¡±The stall owner, who was trying to stop the four men, was stunned. Meanwhile, the guests who were filming screamed.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Youngwoo grabbed the bottle of alcohol that was threatening him and quietly ced it on the table. Then he raised his hand toward the men surrounding him. His actions were natural and lightning fast, shocking the men. Yet Youngwoo didn¡¯t hit them. His raised hand slowly lowered and tapped their cheeks once. The result was amazing.


    ¡°Huung...¡±The sturdy bodies of the men flopped down.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The people filming and the owner trying to stop them had wide eyes, and they looked like they had seen a ghost. It wasn¡¯t a p. That was just a hand on their cheek yet their legs lost strength. This was something that people couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Thank you. Be prosperous.¡±


    In the silence, Youngwoo picked up the packed chicken feet and left the ce after saying goodbye to the auntie. He turned his gaze toward Toon who was waiting in front of the stall.


    ¡°Is this Lauel¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was easy to guess. The men who had been waiting in the background until Youngwoo finished and the onlookers who had appeared suddenly and started filming... In the first ce, those who started the argument emphasized the Rose incident. They also mocked his correct action of packing up the leftovers.


    ¡°It is an image-making n.¡±


    Three hourster, the video titled ¡®Grid Makes 4 Men Give Up in Reality¡¯ was ranked number one around the world. People praised Grid¡¯s character after suffering a one-sided insult. They questioned what Rose must¡¯ve done to make Grid set a kill order on her.


    -In the first ce, the Immortal Guild received the kill order because they killed the Overgeared cksmiths.Has there been another case where the Overgeared Guild issued a kill order?No.Rose is the first since then.


    -In the end, it means Rose made a terrible mistake.


    -Right.She must¡¯ve done something very dirty.


    -Look at Grid bowing 90 degrees to the stall aunty.


    -God Grid packed up the chicken feet...


    The staff of the Patriotic Society¡ªthe elite members who had mastered four basguages¡ªused the keyboard to manipte public opinion on the Inte around the world. Public opinion started to shift one-sidedly. Now there were few people defending Rose. Rose had good judgment skills and soon raised a white g.


    -...I¡¯ll try to clear Agnus¡¯ name.However, it must be done secretly so the Yatan Church doesn¡¯t know I have betrayed them.I believe that you will give me some reprieve.


    -Three days.No more than that.


    -That is too short...


    -Don¡¯t speak long words.


    -...Yes.I¡¯ll do my best.So please get rid of the kill order on me.


    It was true that there was nothing more foolish than being hostile to the Overgeared Guild right now. She was keenly aware of this, but after a long period as a high ranker, her pride had risen sharply. Inwardly, Rose sharpened her knife. Sooner orter, she would summon a new great demon with Prince Benoit and would get revenge on the Overgeared Kingdom.

 Chapter 988

    Youngwoo drank a lot the previous day, but the burden on his body was small. It was because he drank very slowly. This was the advantage of controlling his pace.


    ¡°This is a hangover soup that Mother cooked.¡± Jishuka came and handed Youngwoo a bottle of water as he woke up. She was dressedfortably, but it was a bit toofortable. Her alluring corbone and omitted were more alluring under her loose top.


    ¡°T-Thanks.¡±


    It was a happy thing to face the sexy features of one of the world¡¯s best beauties in the morning, but it was also a challenge. Jishuka watched as Youngwoo drank the bottle of water.¡°Aren¡¯t we like newlyweds eating together in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Youngwoo spat out the water and turned his gaze toward the window. It was toward Jishuka¡¯s building that waspleted a few days ago. ¡°When are you moving in?¡±


    ¡°Once the interior ispleted. The smell of ster isn¡¯t gone yet, and the furniture I ordered from Italy wille in 10 days. Are you unhappy because our time living together will soon be over? Shall I not go?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡®Please go quickly.¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s aggressive behavior of clinging to him every time she spoke was both enjoyable and burdensome. He knew that South American beauties were supposed to be enthusiastic, but it was a difficult stimulus every morning.


    ¡°Your body is getting better every year. Grid, you are really steady.¡±


    Youngwoo reflexively covered his body with the nket. Jishuka smiled brightly at his unexpectedly chaste behavior. Her long fingers poked Youngwoo¡¯s hard biceps and chest.


    ¡°...¡± Youngwoo couldn¡¯t stop Jishuka. He enjoyed the pleasant sensation while admiring her tan skin glistening under the sunlighting through the window.


    ¡°What are you doing in the morning?¡±Sehee suddenly appeared in an apron and red at Jishuka and Youngwoo. She showed a heartfelt disgust toward her brother.¡°Yura unni is pitiful. Shouldn¡¯t you give a clear answer to Yura unni before ying around?¡±


    ¡°No, you are misunderstanding...¡±


    ¡°Quickly get dressed and eat, yboy.¡±


    The door banged shut.


    ...He was a yboy who hadn¡¯t even kissed anyone yet.


    Youngwoo quietly rose from his bed while Jishuka was humming happily.


    ***


    ¡°I am honestly nervous.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s no longer cling to first in the overall rankings. Don¡¯t be obsessed with it.¡¯


    Chris became determined after seeing Grid¡¯s level-up speed and was happy for a while. He felt liberated from the pressure to maintain his first-ce ranking. It made hunting, which had seemed likebor, feel fun again. Now, a new worry made him uneasy. The problem was Rose, one of Yatan¡¯s Servants.


    ¡°Rose isn¡¯t an easy opponent. I think it¡¯s better not to provoke her more than necessary.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t talking about her individual power. No matter how strong Rose was, she couldn¡¯t overpower the top rankers of the Overgeared members. Of course, it would be a problem if she aimed for the nonbatants of the Overgeared Guild, but they would be thoroughly prepared for that.


    Then what about the Yatan Church behind her? There was no need to worry too much about the Yatan Church either. Since the Yatan invasion, the Reba Church had been stepping up efforts to punish the Yatan Church. Currently, the Yatan Church didn¡¯t have the capacity to deal with a country.


    Lauel had negotiated with Rose because she knew this fact and couldn¡¯t ask for cooperation with the Yatan Church in this incident. That¡¯s right, but there was a separate problem. It was the summoning of a great demon.


    ¡°Rose already has a history of summoning a great demon. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to summon a great demon again. She has a grudge against us, and the damage will be disastrous if she summons a great demon in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    The main project of the Yatan Church was summoning the great demons. The emergence of a new great demon was a scheduled thing.


    The listening Lauel shook his head.¡°It is impossible to summon a great demon in the Overgeared Kingdom. One of the conditions needed to summon a great demon is arge number of human lives, and it is practically impossible to pay with such arge number of human sacrifices in our kingdom. Our security isn¡¯tcking inparison to that of the empire.¡±


    After the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom, the guild had been more concerned about security than anything else. The Overgeared members took turns patrolling the territories of the kingdom because they were overly concerned about security. This was the result of Grid¡¯s strong tendencies to take care of the NPCs. This didn¡¯t give any room for summoning the great demon.


    ¡°The emergence of a new great demon is likely to be in the kingdom with the lowest security. Additionally, a great demon at the level of Belial can¡¯t be controlled by Yatan¡¯s Servants. Rose can¡¯t deliberately send the summoned great demon to invade the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Yes, the possibility of direct damage from a great demon was very low at this point. Lauel reached out to Rose because he had detected this.


    ¡°We have to wait for the great demon to be summoned. No matter where it is summoned on the continent, we will be the first to challenge and gain the rewards from the raid.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±Chris¡¯ expression brightened. His anxiety turned into anticipation, and he put on a subtle smile.


    Then Lauel asked something he had been wondering about, ¡°Did you see Grid¡¯s video?¡±


    ¡°The video shot in the tent stall? Of course, I saw it.¡±


    ¡°Chris, what do you think? Grid¡¯s ability has evolved noticeably since the Battlefield.¡±


    ¡°You saw it properly. It seems the demon king subjugation was a catalyst for growth.¡±


    The video had be a hot topic over the course of a day. Chris was very impressed when he saw Grid overpower four men easily. Grid had scanned the shoulders and feet of the four people while talking to the stall owner. He had predicted their movements through careful observations and looked for gaps in their breathing as they spoke. Thus, he managed to overpower four of them in an instant.


    ¡°The experience of fighting alone against a number of rankers has strengthened hisbat ability.¡±


    Chris and the other high rankers already knew from experience that umtedbat experience in Satisfy also affected reality. Now Grid was bing a master in reality. He had been polishing his techniques for more than 10 years, and the concept grew in reality.


    ¡°This is good news.¡±Lauel grew more rxed upon hearing Chris¡¯ reply.


    It was an optimistic thing that Grid had the power to defend himself.


    ***


    [Your execution day has been decided.]


    [Four days from now, you will be executed in the capital city of the ucian Kingdom.]


    [Your sins are the murders of seven craftsmen. After the execution, your level will be reduced by four and your highest level skill will be reduced by one level.]


    [After being executed, you will be freed from the identity of the sinner and liberated from all types of constraints. However, your affinity won¡¯t be restored with the seven kingdoms that are hostile to you.]


    [You must remain logged in for at least four hours a day while in jail. If this condition isn¡¯t met, the punishment will increase.]


    Agnus had already been trapped in the damp dungeon for three days. However, he had to stay here for four more days. Istion for one week¡ªthis alone was fatal damage to a ranker. Agnus would suffer a very great loss from the execution. It would be wasting a few months worth of effort.


    Nevertheless, Agnus didn¡¯t me anyone. This was nothingpared to the nightmarish life he had suffered. False usations? No. This was a deserved punishment. He was being punished for harming many people in the hopes of never being weak again. If he refused this, he was afraid that even his old lover woulde to hate him.


    That¡¯s right. Agnus conscience was based on his love for his old lover, Luina Caroline. For him, Luna was everything.


    [Someone has requested a visit, but the ucian Kingdom has rejected it.]


    Jail was a space where allmunications, including whispers and exchanges like mail, were blocked. There was no way to know who requested to visit him. Even so, Agnus was reminded of a girl. It was Euphemina. She was a funny little girl who had been meddling in his business since the Murray Kingdom. Euphemina was the only one who would ask to visit him...


    ¡°...No, it can¡¯t be. Kukukuk.¡±


    It was probably one of the high rankers who had been one of his victims. They came tough at his miserable self and would feel relieved when they saw him being punished.


    ¡°...¡±


    Agnus had no allies. It had been like this from the beginning. The time when Luna stood beside him had been short but very special. Yes, he was alone. It was nothing new.


    [There are three days left until your execution.]


    One day passed.


    [There are two days left until your execution.]


    A few dayster...


    [There is one day left until your execution.]


    Thest day passed.


    [The morning of your execution has dawned.]


    Finally, the day arrived. Agnuspleted the daily ess time restrictions, locking himself in the dark and cold jail. The pain was a gratifying means of forgetting his longing for his old lover.


    ¡°Come out.¡± The jailers dragged Agnus¡¯ skinny body roughly. Agnus¡¯ body was in chains and handcuffs, and he was unable to move properly. He was pushed by the guards¡¯ wicked hands, and his face was stuck in the dirt. The guards startedughing.


    ¡°KIkik.¡±Agnusughed along with them. It was funny because the things he experienced after bing a criminal were no different from his weak past. Weakness was sin. It was the greatest sin in the world.


    ¡°Agnus is being escorted!!¡±


    Agnus was trapped in a carriage with metal bars. He was pulled to the square and could see that many people were gathered¡ªthe best and the worst ranked yers. It would be strange if the execution of Agnus, one of the world¡¯s most famous rankers, wasn¡¯t a hot topic. Countless people visited the ucian Kingdom, including arge number of media reporters and private broadcasters. Through the thick iron bars, Agnus saw theughing faces of the people.


    Agnus, who had been maintaining his madness under the guise ofposure, started to tremble. The eyes of tens of thousands of people stimted the trauma in his deepest mind. At this moment, Agnus became weak. He stood alone among those whoughed and trampled on him.


    ¡°Oof...!¡± Feeling panicky, Agnus started retching. He wanted to escape from here. However, he couldn¡¯t escape. The handcuffs and chains holding him were taking away all his strength and courage.


    ¡®Agnus, remember. You aren¡¯t alone. I¡¯m there for you. Have courage,¡¯he thought about Luna¡¯s words.


    In the midst of the panic, he tried to feel Luna¡¯s presence. His trembling gaze was looking for Luna. However, as always, he didn¡¯t find her.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t forgive myself for getting dirtied in front of you. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry,¡¯ thest words she told him entered his mind.


    It was a testament he couldn¡¯t forget, no matter how much he wanted to. Agnus was soon ced on the guillotine. He was forced to kneel. His trembling gaze was filled with tangled green hair.


    ¡®I like your hair. It is a pretty green like the forest. Agnus, do you know? To these children, you are a forest. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, these children would¡¯ve died lonely by now. I like your kindness. Without the forest, neither humanity nor the world can exist, just as I can¡¯t exist without you.¡¯


    One morning that was no different from usual, Luna hade to his side and told him these words when he was feeding the abandoned dogs. Why did he remember that day? Agnus¡¯ eyes became red and his veins bulged.


    ¡°I...!¡±Agnus shouted. He barely managed to speak the truth that no one would believe. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them...!¡±


    It was a cry for Luna. He prayed that she wouldn¡¯t be disappointed in him. In the end, his cry reached the demon, not Luna who wasn¡¯t present in this world.


    [The 1st Great Demon Baal is speaking with a smile.]


    -Get rid of your resentment.


    [Baal wants to give you a chance. The quest you rejected will be regenerated.]


    [Massacre (1)]


    [Difficulty: ss quest.


    1st Great Demon Baal wants human souls. ughter humans and give their souls to Baal.


    ¡ï Quest eptance Reward: Freedom from all the curses you are currently under.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 1,000 yers (0/1000)


    Quest Clear Reward: 200,000 demonic power. Quest linked to Massacre (2).]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡°...¡±


    Before answering, Agnus once again looked at the people. They were stillughing. Some people enjoyed Agnus¡¯ misfortune while others ridiculed his words. Among them were those who hadn¡¯t been harmed by Agnus. They were the so-called underdogs. Agnus felt something breaking in his head. Uncontroble rage soared, and his sense of reason fell into a deep swamp. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡± A blonde girl shouted as she came forward. ¡°The Yatan Church framed him. I have a witness. The seven kingdoms should listen to the arguments first and make a fair judgment about his execution.¡±


    A young girl presented a Yatan Church member as a witness. She was Euphemina. Agnus¡¯ expression, which had been distorted like a demon¡¯s, instantly nked.

 Chapter 989

    ¡°Euphemina!¡±


    ¡°Why is Euphemina defending Agnus?¡±


    ¡°Agnus was framed? Really?¡±


    The tens of thousands of people gathered in the square, who were enjoying Agnus¡¯ appearance, turned their attention to Euphemina. Meanwhile, the observers of the seven kingdoms cocked their heads.


    ¡°The Yatan Church is the real culprit?¡±


    ¡°What is this girl¡¯s identity?¡±


    The hunter who met Euphemina the other day exined to the observers, ¡°She is Earl Euphemina of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom...?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The observers, who were sitting in a rxed manner on the podium behind the guillotine, showed a lukewarm response.Most of them were antagonistic to the Overgeared Kingdom. First of all, they found the birth of the Overgeared Kingdom uneptable. The Overgeared Kingdom had overthrown the existing royal family. They were a symbol of rebellion that had broken down the power system which all the nobles on the continent were desperately defending. Just like the royal family, the nobles had a sense of rejection directed toward the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Moreover, at the founding ceremony of the Overgeared Kingdom, most of the kingdoms had been defeated. In particr, a baron of the Violet Kingdom had been killed by a soldier of the Overgeared Kingdom, so Violet Kingdom was hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom. Moreover, it had been a long time since the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared Kingdom had be enemies. As expected, there was a strong response.


    ¡°It is rude to disturb an execution held by other nations! A kingdom of uncivilized birth that doesn¡¯t even know the basicws...!¡±


    ¡°Look at her standing up for a killer. I¡¯m getting goosebumps. The Overgeared Kingdom was built by a rebellion, so they are generous enough to forgive murder?¡±


    Earl Chuck and Earl Dolce had visited the ucian Kingdom as observers of the execution. They represented the Gauss and Violet Kingdoms and condemned the Overgeared Kingdom. They didn¡¯t care about the truth that Euphemina offered. The observers of the other kingdoms didn¡¯t speak up, but their reactions were simr. They didn¡¯t pay attention to the Yatan follower in Euphemina¡¯s hands and clicked their tongues.


    The important thing for them was tofort the anxiety and anger of the people, not reveal the truth. The criminal had to be punished. It was impossible to get rid of the people¡¯s anger and anxiety if the Yatan Church was the culprit. In other words, they didn¡¯t want to admit that Euphemina¡¯s im about the Yatan Church was the truth. It was annoying. They didn¡¯t feel the need to drag out the problem when it could be simply solved with the execution of Agnus who was already caught.


    ¡°I will say it once again,¡± Euphemina spoke up and received everyone¡¯s attention. She didn¡¯t show any agitation toward the usations and ridicule of the two earls. The conditional strongest... Her will was solid now that had she inherited Mumud¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Agnus is a wrongfully framed person. The real culprit who harmed the craftsmen of the seven kingdoms is the Yatan Church,¡± Euphemina asserted. Then she ordered the Yatan follower standing by her side,¡°Reveal the truth.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡±the Yatan memberplied passively. Euphemina didn¡¯t know it, but the nk-looking Yatan follower was obedient because he was possessed by Rose. ¡°Her words are right. We murdered the seven craftsmen and med it on Agnus.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Agnus betrayed the Yatan Church. We no longer tolerate traitors,¡± the unimpressed Rose borrowed the body of the Yatan follower and spoke the truth.


    She wanted to finish this job as soon as possible. Rose was anxious because her body was left in sleep mode after using the Possession skill. She might¡¯ve hidden it in a safe ce, but she didn¡¯t want to leave her body for long.


    ¡°How can I believe that?¡± Beoris, the most prominent figure among the observers of the seven kingdoms and the earl of the ucian Kingdom, asked.


    ¡®Tsk, they¡¯re too picky.¡¯ Euphemina clicked her tongue and presented the evidence. The evidence was the Yatan follower himself. Euphemina took off the follower¡¯s robe and clearly revealed the red horseshoe-shaped tattoo on the follower¡¯s forehead. This was a tattoo symbolizing a priest who served in the most notorious Yatan Church. It was impossible to reproduce falsely because it was engraved with the magic power of the priest.


    ¡°This...!¡±Earl Beoris and the observer of the Ark Kingdom covered their faces. They felt that things had beplicated at the presence of an undeniable witness. On the other hand, the remaining five observers covered the sky with their hands, not their faces.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t enough evidence. The Yatan Church can¡¯t be determined as the true criminal just because of one testimony. Thus, we will continue with this criminal¡¯s execution.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was an absurd verdict. The people gathered in the square were shocked. The funny thing was that most of them were delighted. They were obviously hoping for Agnus¡¯ execution. Were they people who suffered direct or indirect damage because of Agnus? No. Agnus was just one person. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to create tens of thousands of victims alone.


    The public just hoped for someone else¡¯s frustration. The breaking of someone better than themselves was a benefit to potentialpetitors, and even those who weren¡¯tpetitors enjoyed the sight. It might be different if Agnus was a good person, but they couldn¡¯t be bothered by the misfortunes of the wicked.


    ¡°Quickly cut off his head!¡±


    ¡°Agnus deserves to die!¡±


    Someone¡¯s shout became the spark. Many people started to cry out for Agnus¡¯ execution.


    ¡°Kill Agnus!¡±


    ¡°Kill Agnus!¡±


    ¡°Kill Agnus!¡±


    ¡°Kukuk.¡±


    As expected, humans never changed. The innate nature of humans was ¡®evil.¡¯ It was a terrible nature that couldn¡¯t be suppressed by learning.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I¡ª¡¯Agnus stared at the quest window still floating before him. ¡®I will be a greater evil.¡¯


    It was the only way to live in this crazy world. He had to be crazier than others.


    [The quest has been epted.]


    [All restrictions have been lifted with the power of Great Demon Baal.]


    [Your stats have been restored to the normal value.]


    [All skills are now avable.]


    ¡°Kukuk...! Kuhaha...hat?¡±


    The weight of the handcuffs and chains restraining his hands and feet felt light and weak. It was a level where he could break free right now. However, Agnus remained still. A man was reflected in his golden eyes¡ªBullet. The poor scapegoat who had been tricked by Veradin into joining Immortal and used for years¡ªthe idiot jumped out and stood beside Euphemina.


    He shouted toward the mad public, ¡°Do you have ears? Agnus isn¡¯t the killer!! You said it yourself earlier!¡±


    Bullet didn¡¯t mention the witness that Euphemina brought. Why did he need to mention it? Agnus himself said he wasn¡¯t the killer.


    ¡®A stupid fool to the end.¡¯Agnus read Bullet¡¯s trust and bit his lips. ¡®Why trust me?I don¡¯t understand.I am a wicked being. I¡¯m not entitled to receive anyone¡¯s trust.I am alone. I have to be alone. So why are they...¡¯


    Something rose in the depths of Agnus¡¯ heart. It was a certain emotion, and it was hard to exin. The feeling was so unfamiliar that he didn¡¯t even remember it anymore.


    ¡°You dumb bastard! Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a necromancer of the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Kingdom...! The Overgeared Kingdom must be determined to be hostile to our seven kingdoms! We won¡¯t overlook it anymore!¡±


    The observers could no longer suppress their anger. Killing intent filled their eyes as they ordered the hunters, ¡°They are the ones interfering with the execution! Capture them right now!¡±


    The hunters didn¡¯t dy it any longer. They jumped off the podium and ran toward Euphemina and Bullet. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°Kuuack! Kuaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a chaotic scene. The hundreds of thousands of yers recording the scene instantly turned their attention to Agnus. He was screaming despite still being restrained at the guillotine. His bloodshot eyes appeared on the monitors for the global viewers watching the situation.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Simultaneously, the audience got goosebumps. It was because they saw the madness in Agnus¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°What?!¡± The observers were astonished as the handcuffs and chains holding Agnus snapped. The excited masses shrank back. The executioner¡¯s head exploded. As soon as he fell down, he became a skeleton soldier and rose again.


    ¡°H-Hik...!¡± People trembled in fear as they felt the power of the world¡¯s strongest necromancer. On the other hand, the hunters didn¡¯t shake. They would deal with Agnus after first overpowering Euphemina and Bullet. They considered Agnus a prey that was easy to deal with. Augh rang out behind them as they rushed toward Euphemina and Bullet.


    ¡°Kahahahat! Get lost!¡± The death knight and Agnus stuck together and swung their swords. The confused hunters spread out, but Lich Mumud¡¯s magic hit them like their actions had been expected. They all felt at the same time.


    ¡°Keok...! Cough cough!¡±


    ¡°Was he this strong?¡±


    The number of hunters dispatched by the seven kingdoms to hunt Agnus had been immeasurable. The hunters currently present where those who captured Agnus in the Overgeared Kingdom, and they had dealt with Agnus who had weakened after killing numerous hunters. As such, they were unfamiliar with the Agnus who had fully regained his strength.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± The hunters copsed from the unexpected surprise and then rose immediately. They set their top priority as Agnus and stopped moving against Bullet and Euphemina. Agnus ignored the hunters and started attacking Euphemina and Bullet.¡°You guys, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°A-Agnus?¡±


    ¡°Dieeee!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Euphemina and Bullet hadn¡¯t expected to be attacked by Agnus and were hit. Their stomachs were stabbed and they staggered back. Bullet shouted,¡°We¡¯re here to help you!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Shut uppp! Kihat! Kuahahahat!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Conversation didn¡¯t work. Agnus, his death knight, and lich werepletely dominated by insanity, and they persistently went after Euphemina and Agnus. The sharp swordsmanship spread out like a spider web while destructive magic rained down. Dozens of yers in the vicinity of Euphemina and Bullet couldn¡¯t cope with the fierce bombardment and died. The only clue to clear Agnus¡¯ name fell down and was resurrected as a skeleton soldier.


    Agnus was relentless. He ignored the surroundings and sincerely tried to harm Euphemina and Bullet. Was Agnus really a madman?


    ¡°You...¡±The confused Euphemina defended against Agnus¡¯ offensive, only to stiffen like a stone statue. It was due to Agnus¡¯ expression that was distorted by pain. He made an expression like his heart was being torn apart every time he damaged Bullet and Euphemina.


    ¡®...He is a terrible actor.¡¯Euphemina noticed Agnus¡¯ intentions. Agnus was attempting to cut the connection between himself and the Overgeared Kingdom, to avoid them bing hostile to the seven kingdoms. That¡¯s right. This guy was trying to be alone again.


    Euphemina shouted to Bullet,¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about Agnus?¡±


    Lauel was mindful of the possibility that the seven kingdoms would ignore the testimony of the Yatan follower. So, he asked Pope Damian to cooperate as a means of changing the flow of judgment. In a moment, Damian would arrive here and clear Agnus of the charges.


    Then what on earth was this? Things hadpletely gone wrong. Agnus had descended from the guillotine himself and made his position more disadvantageous. Rather than helping himself, Agnus only made the situation worse. As Agnus¡¯ sword struck Bullet¡¯s chest, the death knight that Bullet automatically summoned protected him. Agnus¡¯ death knight blew away Bullet¡¯s death knight. Then Agnus¡¯ sword aimed at Bullet¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Agnus...¡±


    ¡°Die. Kukuk.¡±


    Agnus opened his mouth to say something when his sword stabbed Bullet. Of course, Agnus couldn¡¯t kill Bullet because his strength stat was rtively low. However, Bullet copsed in ce like a broken doll. It was from mental trauma, not physical pain. Like Immortal¡¯s downfall, he was once again ignored by Agnus, and his heart felt like it was being torn apart.


    ¡°...¡±


    Agnus looked away from Bullet.Heughed as he confronted the hunters and hundreds of soldiers alone. ¡°All of you... You have one life? Kik, kikik!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The hunters, the soldiers and even the observers on the tform shuddered. They felt the ridiculous intuition that they would surely be killed by Agnus one day. The square became a battleground. The insane killer and the skeleton army he led randomly ughtered people without caring if they were NPCs or yers. Now he had undeniably be a true murderer.


    -We have shown our favor to Agnus and have sufficiently achieved our purpose.Don¡¯t get involved anymore and return to the Overgeared Kingdom, Lauel¡¯s voice entered the ears of Euphemina and Bullet. Lauel was very pleased with this situation.

 Chapter 990

    ¡®Poor littlemb (Agnus).¡¯


    From a mansion near the square, Lauel took advantage of the chaos and quickly sneaked into the square to watch. Lauel was happy and pleasedbecause Agnus had shown the ideal response. He lost control over his reason and entrusted himself to madness, cutting off his connection with the Overgeared Kingdom by attacking Euphemina and Bullet. Agnus also dered that he would be hostile to the people (yers) in the square and the seven kingdoms. He would ughter all of them, even if he died a hundred times in the process. Refusing the hand of salvation held out by the Overgeared Kingdom, he was reborn as the strongest disaster to the potential enemies of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®His level of quality is next to Grid and Faker.¡¯


    Lauel smiled and sent a whisper of retreat to Euphemina and Bullet. Bullet wanted to convince Agnus a bit more, but Lauel pretended not to know. Everything he did was for the Overgeared Kingdom, and Lauel was willing to trample on the thoughts of others. To others, Lauel might be a viin. The concept of conscience was extravagant for him, who carried tens of millions of lives on his back.


    ¡°...It¡¯s a hard life,¡± Lauel said quietly as he became full of emotion. He mourned for the crushed Agnus and recalled the first time he met Grid.


    ¡®Leave everything to me.You just have to do what you want.¡¯


    Lauel didn¡¯t forget that Grid had reached this point because of Lauel¡¯s oath at the time. Even if someone pointed a finger at him... Even if someone shed tears of blood because of him...


    ¡®I¡¯m just doing my best for Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    ***


    ¡º Agnus¡¯ evil deed of indiscriminately ughtering yers is starting to emerge. Agnus will be more isted in the wake of yesterday¡¯s incident... ¡»This was ying on the TV.


    [(Column) The one-sided courtship of the Overgeared Guild.]


    [Were they nervous that the truce with the empire ising to an end?


    The Overgeared Guild tried to get Agnus to join them. The method they chose was the predictable andmon cliche of salvation. Just before Agnus was executed by the guillotine, Euphemina emerged like a hero and imed that Agnus was falsely used.


    It was a terrible failure. The observers ignored the witness testimony Euphemina presented. Then Agnus broke free of his shackles and attacked Euphemina. Like a toothless lion who is starving to death yet doesn¡¯t want to drink another animal¡¯s milk, Agnus poured out magic toward the Overgeared Guild¡¯s useless salvation. The raging beast ran wild for over an hour...]


    Stories about Agnus were everywhere in the newspaper.


    ¡°Crazy bastard!¡±


    It was early in the morning. Youngwoo returned from his jog and crumpled up the newspaper after reading it. He wasn¡¯t angry that the Overgeared Guild was embarrassed. Rather, he was furious that his colleagues¡¯ kindness and thoughts had been trampled on.


    ¡°That son of a bitch dares to attack Euphemina...! Bullet!¡±


    Euphemina had wandered all over the continent in order to copy skills. She was forced to waste time because of her ss characteristics. Still, Youngwoo had been considerate toward her and had not taken away her time even though she was one of the strongest powers of the guild. This precious power had gone to the distant ucian Kigndom to help Agnus. Yet Agnus refused her help and even attacked her. He even trampled on Bullet, his former colleague. Agnus¡¯ attacks and the baffled expressions on Euphemina¡¯s and Bullet¡¯s faces couldn¡¯t be erased from Youngwoo¡¯s mind. Youngwoo couldn¡¯t forgive Agnus for ignoring their favor.


    ¡°Why is he really living like that?¡±


    Youngwoo had hated Agnus since the first moment they met. Every time he heard and saw Agnus¡¯ speech and behavior which were distorted by ack of self-esteem, Youngwoo felt frustrated and angry.


    ¡®He is worse than the old me!¡¯


    It was a baseless confidence! Youngwoo showered in cold water to calm his mind and then immediately logged into Satisfy. He had a mountain of work to do today.


    ***


    The crazybat power of a madman...


    The video of Agnus fighting alone in the midst of enemy territory became a hot topic. First, the scene was impressive. Agnus blew away the executioner with magic and turned him into a skeleton soldier. Then he flew forward while blocking dozens of arrows with the skeleton soldiers. Everything was perfect, from the speed at which he summoned the undead to his insight and ability to control the undead.


    During the one hour battle, Agnus killed his enemies, made them into shields, and swung them as weapons, leading to his advantage. It was the ultimate area that necromancers pursued. Agnus had already reached it.


    ¡°Controlling dozens of undead like that. I wonder if it is possible for a human. Even Kraugel had a hard time controlling a few swords...¡±


    ¡°I agree. I couldn¡¯t believe it when I saw it. His concentration must be enormous since he maintained the best judgment throughout the battle.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it like the Savant Syndrome? You know, a genius who is born with impaired brain function.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That sounds quite usible?¡±


    ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t it known that the higher the dominance stat, the more undead that can be controlled? Then will Agnus be much stronger in the future?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he can grow on par with Grid...¡±


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were gathered and talking about Agnus in amon room on the first floor of the pce. They admired Agnus¡¯ skill that was different from ordinary people. Grid was very unhappy when he walked through the corridor and overheard their conversation.


    ¡®What¡¯s so great about him?¡¯


    Then Toban¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°No matter how great Agnus is, he can¡¯tpare to Grid. Grid can kill his enemies in one blow. It is frustrating to see Agnus fighting while summoning skeletons.¡±


    ¡°To tell the truth... Grid will sweep them up in one blow, no matter how many undead Agnus has.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut.¡±


    That¡¯s it. Grid was much better than Agnus.


    ...No matter what kingdom, it would be impossible to wipe out Agnus¡¯ undead army in one blow.


    ¡®Well, whatever.¡¯Grid was in a good mood after hearing his colleagues¡¯ conversation. He hummed as he moved toward the smithy.


    ***


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid hunted while asionally returning to Reinhardt. Normally, there was no need to exin why he returned from the hunt. Whenever he hunted, items such as potions would reduce in number or the durability of his items would fall. Thus, it was necessary to return to a vige.


    This time though, Grid returned for a special reason. Thanks to his blood-sucking ability and his pets, he could hunt without potions. He could also repair his items himself, meaning he had returned for another reason. It was to repair someone else¡¯s item. That item was naturally...the helmet with ether. It was the ¡®eye¡¯ of the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid hammered with all his heart while a little boy crouched beside him. The cute little boy spoke with closed eyes, ¡°My only king, who has captivated my heart with the generosity of the universe... I can¡¯t raise my head every time I trouble you.¡± Very few people could stay beside the Overgeared King while he was absorbed in his work. Grid wasn¡¯t aware of it himself, but even the Overgeared members didn¡¯te near him when he was concentrating.


    In other words, the little boy sitting next to Grid was either a very special person or an idiot who didn¡¯t notice such things. This time, it was the former.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be burdened. I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m not a greater help to you.¡±


    The identity of the child was the evil eyes¡¯ king. He was the owner of the evil eyes who only at least a legend can afford. No one could deal with the evil eyes¡¯ king easily, just like they couldn¡¯t deal with Grid easily. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t imagine that the world-ss talents would be sitting next to each other in a smithy.


    ¡°My king, do you remember?¡±The cute evil eyes¡¯ king tried to speak solemnly. When he heard the voice of the evil eyes¡¯ king which was more serious than usual, Grid raised his head. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have the ability to nt an evil eye in others.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It finally came! Grid thought of the first day he met the evil eyes¡¯ king. The king said he had the ability to imnt an evil eye in others. These words had aroused Grid¡¯s blind goodwill.


    That¡¯s right. It was why Grid did his best for the evil eyes¡¯ king. Grid sought the power of the evil eye, so he tried to attain maximum affinity with the evil eyes¡¯ king. Finally, the time hade.


    ¡°I-I remember. Why? Do you want to imnt an evil eye in me?¡±


    ¡°I have been thinking about it since the day I pledged to serve you. However, you know that the evil eye is also a curse.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was why Grid didn¡¯t cling to the evil eye heavily. A curse...


    Yes, the evil eye¡¯s power to exercise its ability by simply looking at the target could be dangerous.


    ¡°The faces of your loved ones can¡¯t be seen with both eyes. You might unintentionally harm your colleagues. One eye must always be sealed. I can¡¯t bear to nt an evil eye when it will give you loneliness and difort.¡±


    The king had been suffering his whole life because of his evil eyes. He didn¡¯t want to burden Grid with an evil eye. Even so, he brought up the story of the evil eyes because it was the only thing he could do for Grid. It was true that the evil eye was powerful even if it was a curse.


    ¡°Um...¡±Grid thought carefully. He didn¡¯t make a hasty decision, just like when he agonized over whether it was right to consume two slots of the creation skill for the Overgeared Skeletons. After a long time, Grid handed the repaired ether helmet to the evil eyes¡¯ king and asked, ¡°How many types of evil eyes are there? Can I choose the evil eye I want?¡±


    There were evil eyes that froze the target they looked at and those that didn¡¯t deal physical damage and caused obedience. If Grid could choose an evil eye, the risk of the transnt would be greatly reduced. The evil eyes¡¯ king replied, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how many types of evil eyes there are. Additionally, the evil eye is a force closely rted to the nature of the person it is imnted in. Thus, it is pointless to instill a certain evil eye in you. You will be reborn with a power suitable for you once the evil eye is assimted with you.¡±


    In other words¡ª


    ¡®It¡¯s random?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s headache became more painful. He thought it would be dangerous to have an evil eye when there wasn¡¯t any ether to be used.


    ¡°If I¡¯m unlucky, I might have to wear an eyepatch all the time...¡¯


    Grid had long favored the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. He was aware of the inconvenience of having one side of his vision covered...


    ¡®...Wait, there¡¯s none?¡¯


    [ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 7/7


    * The skill ¡®Vital Spot Detection¡¯ will be generated.


    The ughterer was tortured for a long time. He was also forced to watch the torture of countless people.


    As a result, he has a high grasp of the vital spots.


    This eyepatch has been used by the ughterer for a long time and gained this ability.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 0.1]


    The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch was a special artifact. There was nothing about ¡®interfering with vision¡¯ in the description and only had the hint of ¡®seeing the vital spots.¡¯ The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch didn¡¯t interfere with his vision. This meant there was no difort wearing it. There was no reason to hesitate to transnt the evil eye.


    Grabbing the evil eyes¡¯ king, Grid shouted, ¡°Give me the evil eye!¡±


    He believed in his good luck stat. Grid expected that he could get an evil eye without significant risk and the performance would be excellent.

 Chapter 991

    ¡°You chose your own destiny. Okay. If this is Your Majesty¡¯s will, I won¡¯t stop you. My king, I¡ªPoriorderporonopitonojiodebe¡ªwill imnt an evil eye in you.¡±


    Why was it that ¡®Evil Eyes¡¯ King¡¯ floating on top of the king¡¯s head instead of his real name? Grid had been secretly wondering, and now he knew why.


    ¡®Is there a character limit?¡¯


    It was also difficult to remember. Let¡¯s assume he didn¡¯t hear the real name. ¡°Please imnt it in my left eye.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t let the weight of your new destiny crush your soul.¡±


    It happened while Grid¡¯s hands and feet were curling up, cringing at the line. The evil eyes king covered Grid¡¯s left eye with his small hand.


    ¡®What type of evil eye will it be?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. Believing in his good luck, Grid was 80% expectant and 20% anxious. He hoped that the evil eye would be the best one for him.


    [The evil eyes king has used his power!]


    [The evil eyes king will try to transnt an evil eye into you!]


    [The system will analyze your game history and patterns. The current progress is 3%, 4%, 7%, 11%...]


    ¡®The evil eye¡¯s ability is closely rted to the nature of the person it is being transnted into...?¡¯


    The system seemed to grasp the yer¡¯s tendencies based on an analysis of their history and patterns before giving them the evil eye that best suited them.


    ¡®It is a very good sign.¡¯ Grid was a legendary cksmith who made more than 700 types of items and had a lot ofbat experience. The evil eye given to him couldn¡¯t be ordinary. ¡®I will obviously get the best one.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations grew even greater. However, it was only for a moment.


    [The current progress is 39%.]


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expectations, which had soared to 90%, fell to the depths of hell. Looking back at old memories, he realized there were too many wrongs rted to his ¡®deeds.¡¯ In particr, the early days before he became Pagma¡¯s Descendant were a problem. Eating, acting, fraud, arson, violence, deception, cursing, and so on¡ªthe evil deeds he hadmitted during his immature days almost exceeded the capacity of his brain.


    ¡®I havemitted too many wrongs...!¡¯


    The most disturbing part was the massive amount of swearing directed toward the operators. If he listed all the profanity in print, it could fill 1,000 pages. It seemed to go beyond two volumes of books.


    ¡®D-Don¡¯t tell me there is something like a swearing eye?¡¯


    Dammit! What if he had to swear every time he used a skill? Would he have to shout it out? Just imagining it was terrible.


    ¡®Still, the performance should be good.¡¯


    In his prime, Grid was a master of swearing who was even greater than Huroi. After all, Huroi used irony to ask about the parents of others, but Grid was different. It was possible for him to spit out a limitless amount of curses without being exhausted. If Grid had a swearing eye, the enemy¡¯s mentality would quickly be devastated.


    ¡®However, it is a bit wrong.¡¯


    No matter how good the performance, it was counterproductive if it ruined his image. It would have an adverse effect on the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom if he obtained this type of evil eye.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get the swearing eye.¡¯


    [The current progress is 54%...]


    Was it because his gamey duration was too long? Or were there too many incidents in the game? The system¡¯s analysis of Grid¡¯s history and patterns was slower than expected. Despite this, Grid thought it was a good thing. He was able to calm his mind during this time.


    ¡®As the saying goes, imagination can be reality. Let¡¯s think positively, think positively.¡¯


    Grid had a close rtionship with fire. He was always using fire when producing tens of thousands of items. It would be good if he got something like an ignition eye.


    ¡®Pagma was said to be the Duke of Fire, and I am qualified as his descendant... Ugh.¡¯ Grid stopped thinking and closed his eyes for a moment.


    As the progress of the analysis exceeded 80%, arge number of notification windows started to emerge.


    [Currently trying to grasp your essence based on your history and patterns but there are too many conflicting intentions.]


    [Since it is judged that your essence can¡¯t be determined with just history and patterns, an algorithm will guess your goals and desires.]


    [You have too many goals and desires!]


    [You aren¡¯t suitable for many evil eyes!]


    [The current progress is 95%... 100%.]


    [It is concluded that you can¡¯t be defined.]


    [Potential system error. Your achievements needed to be reviewed in detail for reconfirmation. Understanding the type, contents, and process of your achievements.]


    [You have too many achievements!]


    [Morpheus¡¯ main server needs to intervene to properly analyze you and decide what evil eye to imnt in you.]


    The evil eye was a force closely rted to ¡®essence.¡¯ Due to its nature, Grid had to face the contents of terribly realistic notification windows.


    ¡®What supeputer can¡¯t properly analyze the data of one yer?¡¯


    It was such a ridiculous development that he was speechless! A new notification popped up as Grid was clicking his tongue.


    [Completed the search for the evil eye closest to your essence.]


    ¡°...!¡± It was finally here. Grid was nervous. Then small sparks appeared around his left eye. The colour of the iris turned red. The shadows seemed to split in half around the small point of the pupil.


    ¡°Heok! T-This eye...!¡±


    As Grid¡¯s eye was changing, the evil eyes¡¯ king grasped the identity of the evil eye and was astonished. Grid was also astonished.


    [The evil eye transnt is sessful!]


    [You have obtained the castration eye due to your selfish greed!]


    ¡°Is this a joke?!¡±


    Castration? Was this a 19+ game? Grid felt an instinctive reluctance and fear. He was so upset that he forgot to wear an eyepatch. Grid wanted to be sick. The fact that he could castrate the evil eyes¡¯ king in front of him gave him goosebumps.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    Grid was hurriedly putting on the eyepatch only to harden like ice. He was greatly embarrassed about the phrase spoken when the evil eye was activated, only to realize the evil eye didn¡¯t affect the king.


    ¡®It is impossible to damage the king of the evil eyes with an evil eye?¡¯


    Or was it that ¡®castration¡¯ wasn¡¯t actually castration? As the evil eyes¡¯ king looked confused, Grid sighed with relief and checked the detailed information of the castration eye.


    [Castration Eye]


    [-A type of evil eye.


    Blocks some of the beneficial effects of the target watched.


    There is a high chance of blocking the beneficial effects of an atrocious target.


    However, the target must be within 12 metres.


    Resource Consumption: 500 Mana.]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Grid was astonished. It was because he was well aware of the meaning of ¡®beneficial effect.¡¯ Beneficial effects were all phenomena rted to ¡®luck.¡¯ In terms ofbat, there was the critical hit rate, the evasion rate, the uracy rate, the defense rate, resistance, and item acquisition rate. Nonbat rted effects were item enhancement sess rate, production sess rate, hidden piece acquisition rate, quest acquisition rate, and so on.


    Those were the only things that came to Grid¡¯s mind right now. All phenomena rted to beneficial effects were so diverse that it was difficult to manually mention them.


    ¡®The power to block positive odds...!¡¯


    This was a big hit, a great jackpot. It might not have an immediate dramatic effect like weakening or strengthening the target, but it blocked the variables. Additionally, it was possible to ruin a particr target. For example, if apetitor was raiding a boss monster, he just had to watch them to lower their odds of seeding.


    ¡®Wait. Then will I do a team kill?¡¯


    Grid imagined raiding with his teammates only to be called a troll. He thought about it for a long time before his expression distorted.


    ¡®I thought it was great, but the constraints during group activities are too big.¡¯


    It was too bad. He didn¡¯t seem to have received the highest-grade evil eye. Grid wasining when the trembling voice of the king entered his ears.


    ¡°I-If you can¡¯t see how great the c-castration eye is...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The evil eyes¡¯ king was someone who understood the principle of the evil eyes. Grid felt like he was naked in front of the king. He was worried that the evil eyes¡¯ king would see his lowly jealousy and be disappointed. However, there was no need to worry. The evil eyes¡¯ king was a demonkin who wasn¡¯t hostile to humans. He peeked at Grid¡¯s essence and felt great joy. ¡°The demon-like being whom I chose as my king! My king, who is only generous to me! I feel infinite respect and trust in your selfishness and greed!!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. It is great.¡± The praise caused Grid to sweat, and he went on to exit the smithy. He still had some things remaining on his schedule. Damian had tried to help Agnus at Lauel¡¯s request but lost his way. Then Grid heard from Lauel that Damian was visiting the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Regas applied for a duel with Damian, and the guild chat window was already in an uproar, causing Grid to rush to the training field. He couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to watch the duel between the top talents.


    By the time he arrived, the duel was in full swing. Damian was wrapped with all types of buffs as his sword cracked the ground. Meanwhile, Regas¡¯ splendidbos aimed at Damian¡¯s loopholes. The two people smashed against each other in the air before falling apart. Damian fell toward Grid¡¯s side.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    There was one part that Grid overlooked. The trigger of the evil eye was the ¡®owner of the evil eye looking at the target.¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t see the target¡¯s eyes, the opponent was seen by the owner of the evil eye. Trying to hide the evil eye with the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch meant that nothing was blocking the evil eye¡¯s view. Ether was also necessary for Grid.


    [The castration eye has been activated.]


    [Blocking all beneficial effects of the target!]


    [This effect is retained while watching the target.]


    ¡°...!?¡± Grid was embarrassed, and Damian was astounded. Grid realized that his evil eye had blocked Damian¡¯s ¡®possibilities¡¯ while Damian made a ghastly expression as he stiffened like a stone statue. Regas¡¯ kick struck the back of Damian¡¯s head like a thunderbolt. It was a rapid attack, but it couldn¡¯t hurt Damian in his full buff state. Regas¡¯ real damage came from thebo damage umting.


    Then Damian copsed from Regas¡¯ kicks. He stretched out on the floor like a dead frog.


    ¡°...!?¡± Regas¡¯ legs pierced the air at the unexpected reaction.


    ¡®Is there a trick at this timing?¡¯


    Damian just used his buffs, so how could he suddenly be weak? The intentions were obvious, but the acting was perfect. The kicking damage was actually three times greater than expected.


    ¡®Did he instantly release his equipment and lower his defenses? Did he pretend to release his buffs to lower my guard?¡¯Regas recovered his fist and thought about it as he rxed his shoulders. Damian was still lying on the floor. He was full of obvious loopholes. Regas could likely win right now if he rushed over and attacked. However, Pope Damian wouldn¡¯t reveal such obvious loopholes.


    ¡®He is inducing my carelessness. The damage will be reversed if I approach him.¡¯


    The acting was so tant that it made him think more deeply.Regas raised his concentration to the maximum while maintaining his distance from Damian. He checked the cooldown of his skills while trying to predict Damian¡¯s next move. This was called shadow boxing. Meanwhile, the Overgeared members didn¡¯t notice the situation and were still cheering for Regas and Damian. Of course, Grid was among them.


    ¡°Damian, what are you doing? Get up and fight!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was cheering for a person after turning him into this state? Damian was upset. He kept lying down like a dead frog and was convinced that he was hated by Grid. In a sense, the pope had greater authority than the king of a nation. He, who was respected by everyone, shed silent tears. Damian was very sad, like a five-year-old child whose mother refused to buy him a toy or a cow that had been castrated. Thinking he was hated by Grid, a huge sorrow and fear filled Damian, making him act as if he had lost the world.

 Chapter 992

    [All your beneficial effects are blocked!]


    [All buffs that are in effect have been turned off!]


    Grid emerged outside the battle while wearing an eyepatch. Damian fell into a sense of helplessness as their eyes met. It was a sense that his very existence was denied. Everything was empty. That¡¯s right. Buffs were a typical beneficial effect that weren¡¯t safe in front of the castration eye. There was the premise that it was subject to ¡®probability¡¯, but the castration eye was clearly one of the best evil eyes.


    Grid was shocked after finding out about Damian¡¯s situation. ¡®Wiping out buffs that have already been applied...?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t think of the corrtion between beneficial effects and buffs. He just didn¡¯t expect it to delete buffs that were already being applied.


    ¡®Great...¡¯


    500 mana was consumed when the evil eye was activated. The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch couldn¡¯t control the evil eye. In fact, Grid was very frustrated because of these two difficulties. Now, this was enough to ovee the disappointment. No, he was excited to realize how lucky he was. Grid shook as he was given a distinct sense of purpose.


    ¡®I should get more Ether Diamonds.¡¯


    It was originally a production material. In order to properly use the evil eye, it was better to acquire them. He already knew how to get the Ether Diamonds. The Elliter Mine of Talima was where the Ether Diamonds were sleeping. The reliability of the information was 100% since Kraugel had provided it personally. Grid could go there if he wanted to collect Ether Diamonds. The problem was the fact that it was a forbidden zone.


    ¡®Great demon¡¯s hand...¡¯


    It was also the hand of the 12th great demon. ording to Kraugel¡¯s report, one of the 12th great demon¡¯s hands was more powerful than the 33rd Great Demon Belial.


    ¡®I must raid it.¡¯


    There was a need to spur his growth. The dragon¡¯s blessing, the enlightenment effect, and experience buff potions meant that Grid had raised his level to 389 from hunting, but this was still insufficient. He had to achieve level 399 and gain the 200,000 Great Swordsmanship. Then he had to achieve level 400 and gain the fourth stats awakening. These were the minimum conditions needed for Grid to challenge the mine.


    ¡®I also have to increase the entire power of the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Grid looked at his colleagues gathered in the training field. One month had passed since the end of the 4th National Competition, but the armed status of his colleagues hadn¡¯t changed much.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to slowly make items one by one. I¡¯ll also get them the evil eye.¡¯


    The moment Damian gave up the duel halfway, Lauel¡¯s eyes were shining like a dog in front of a snack. If he had a tail, it would be wagging restlessly.


    ¡®Lauel has already noticed.¡¯


    He was truly a smart person. Grid smiled and took off the eyepatch. His red iris and his pupil, which resembled a ck sun, were revealed. He blushed as the line reflexively emerged from his mouth, ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    [The castration eye is activated.]


    [Blocking all beneficial effects of the target!]


    [There are too many targets in sight.]


    [You have insufficient mana. The evil eye will apply to only a certain few people.]


    ¡°Evil eye!¡±


    His colleagues finally became aware of Grid¡¯s new power and were shocked, while Lauel cheered. Lauel was even in tears.


    ¡°The evil eyes¡¯ king! He used the ability to transnt the evil eye?¡± Lauel questioned Grid as he held onto Grid¡¯s armor. He wanted to hear that he was right. His heart was desperate for it.


    Fortunately, Grid nodded. ¡°It¡¯s great that you noticed straight away. Yes, you are correct.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...!¡±


    Eyes...! He was finally getting his eyes!Lauel was thrilled at learning how to achieve his lifelong desires. He grasped both of Grid¡¯s hands and cried out, ¡°I am living because of you! It is because of your presence that I can be who I am right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overdoing it,¡± Grid said and put aside Lauel, who was shedding tears. Then he exined to his colleagues, ¡°Do your best to build up 100% affinity with the evil eyes¡¯ king. Then you will be able to get an evil eye. The concept of the evil eye is...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t conceal anything. He taught his colleagues about the personality of the evil eyes¡¯ king, his experience of attacking the king¡¯s mind, the process of acquiring the evil eye, and the strengths and weaknesses of the evil eye. There was no distortion at all. Grid¡¯s jealousy only applied to other people orpetitors. To his colleagues, Grid was just kind. He didn¡¯t mind even if his colleagues were more talented than him.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grid!¡±


    Lauel listened carefully to Grid¡¯s exnation and embraced him while the others ran to Grid and expressed their affection and gratitude. On the other hand...


    ¡°Damian?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Pope Damian just watched one with an awkward expression. Grid approached him, and Damian hurriedly waved both hands.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t intend to intercept Grid¡¯s achievements.¡±


    ¡°Intercept my achievements?¡±


    ¡°The method of how to get an evil eye. I¡¯m not a member of the Overgeared Guild and can¡¯t benefit from Grid¡¯s knowledge.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Why are you trying to be alone when you¡¯re our friend and colleague?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damian, I wish for you to also get an evil eye. However, as mentioned earlier, the Ether Diamond is absolutely necessary to use the evil eye without limitations. Thus, let¡¯s go together when we raid the great demon¡¯s hand. When you¡¯re absent, the difference is as big as the difference between the heavens and the earth.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re overpraising me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the smithy. Didn¡¯t you receive production materials as rewards for this year¡¯s National Competition? I¡¯ll make a new item for you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Weapons or armor, which do you like? I heard that the sword you¡¯ve been using these days is very special. Is your armor in a worse state than your weapon?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Yes, that¡¯s right. I think it is better not to rece my weapon.¡±


    Damian¡¯s left hand was covered with a bright light. It was a light that was like a me. He held the light with one hand and pulled at it with the other hand. Then a dazzling white sword with a beautiful appearance was revealed. It was the grandeur of Holy Sword Summoning.


    [yer Damian wishes to share the item information with you.]


    [Damian¡¯s Holy Sword]


    [Rating: Epic (Growth)


    Physical Attack Power: 1,450(+175) Magic Attack Power: 1,090(+81)


    * Applies 10% of the wearer¡¯s strength to the weapon¡¯s physical damage.


    * Applies 10% of the wearer¡¯s intelligence to the weapon¡¯s magic damage.


    * 30% reduction in cooldown time of divine attribute skills.


    * 40% reduction in the resource consumption of divine attribute skills.


    * 20% increase in the power of the wearer¡¯s swordsmanship skill.


    * 10% increase in attack speed.


    * 30% additional damage to evil beings.


    * There is a low probability of generating a random buff when attacking.


    ¡ïCan grow to the myth rating.


    ¡ï The growth rate is very slow.


    A sword offered by the heavens to Damian, who has outstanding achievements and has been recognized by the goddess of light. It is a symbol, which is used to punish evil, that will grow with Damian.


    Conditions of Use: Damian.


    Weight: 0]


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid was really impressed. With a weapon summoning skill, the holy sword made of light had infinite potential and contained a unique splendor. It was a weapon that even the legendary cksmith Grid coveted. No, to be precise, Grid coveted it because it was a weapon. There was the option to add some of the wearer¡¯s stats to the weapon¡¯s performance. It was fantastic for Grid who had a huge amount of stats.


    ¡°It starts from the epic rating?¡±


    ¡°No, the rare rating. It just grew to the epic rating yesterday. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t enhanced it yet.¡±


    ¡°At the rare rating, the stats addition rate was less than 10%?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It was 8%.¡±


    ¡°It will go up every time the rating increases... Unlike symbolic weapons like the First Holy Sword, these options are practical and it is a weapon that can be used for life.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m d. Since this is Grid¡¯s evaluation, I can use it with confidence.¡±Damianughed.


    It was the Overgeared King and not someone else who evaluated it as a ¡®lifelong weapon.¡¯ Thus, his affection for the sword grew bigger. Grid only felt sorry about one thing.


    ¡®It needs to be at least legendary great to be a lifelong weapon...¡¯


    Grid knew better than anyone else about the slow growth rate of growth type items. He couldn¡¯t imagine how slowly Damian¡¯s weapon would grow when it had the option of ¡®growth rate is very slow.¡¯ Grid shook his head and asked Damian, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you let me try wearing the sword once?¡±


    Damian¡¯s Holy Sword was summoned using a skill. It was also a sword imbued with Damian¡¯s own magic power and divine power. Would Grid be able to use it? It was the perfect opportunity to experience with his characteristic of being able to ¡®wear all items.¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was an item that couldn¡¯t be reced by any treasures in the world. Despite this, Damian didn¡¯t raise any objections or questions about the ridiculous request to borrow it. The holy sword was immediately transferred to Grid.


    [Damian¡¯s Holy Sword has been equipped.]


    [It is a summoned item based on a skill. If the original owner recovers the skill, you will lose ownership of the item.]


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid was astounded as he held the holy sword in his hand. He didn¡¯t think he would be able to equip this sword.


    ¡®Pagma was a huge monster.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t forget that the characteristics of Pagma¡¯s Descendant originated from Pagma. Grid¡¯s advantages and strengths were naturally from Pagma. As he returned the sword to Damian, Grid was able to keenly realize how great Pagma. He was feeling good because he could correctly identify the fraudulent nature of his ss with Damian¡¯s help.


    ¡°Tell me the list of required armor. Let¡¯s go straight to the smithy.¡±


    ¡°That... Is it okay? I thought you were busy hunting these days.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will hesitate to invest a few days in you? It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Just as Damian was always grateful to Grid, Grid also felt grateful toward Damian. He wasn¡¯t bothered at all about investing time in Damian.


    ¡®I¡¯m also sorry about the evil eye.¡¯


    Damian had felt a huge shock and horror when his buffs were removed by the castration eye. Consequently, Grid wanted tofort Damian after Damian was forced to give up on the duel because of him. The two people headed to the smithy.


    ¡°This and this.¡± The gold medal rewards that Damian handed over to Grid were the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath and White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    Defense was more important than attack power to Damian, so he chose the water and earth attributes.


    ¡®It is good.¡¯


    This was an opportunity to strengthen the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath in advance. Grid smiled as he pulled out the insane dragon hammer and anvil.


    ***


    ¡°Aaaaack! No affinity! It doesn¡¯t rise!¡±


    ¡°A gift doesn¡¯t work and a conversation doesn¡¯t work. This is a real disaster.¡±


    Raising affinity with the evil eyes¡¯ king...! It was a new challenge for the Overgeared members, and it was very tough. Grid had the characteristic of ¡®easily acknowledged¡¯ and he had a high reputation, making it easy for him tomunicate with named NPCs. However, in general, it wasn¡¯t actually easy to associate with named NPCs.


    Of course, the evil eyes¡¯ king was kind to the Overgeared members, but it was tricky because of his chuuni nature and the deep wound in his heart. The number of people who increased their affinity with the king in the past fortnight was small enough to be counted on one hand.


    ¡°Kukukuk... He is a symbol of rebirth, but he isn¡¯t an easy opponent...¡± Even Lauel was unable to gain the affinity of the evil eyes¡¯ king. He only gained one affinity point in the past fortnight. It was the level of a bud. Lauel wanted to get the evil eye and be reborn as his ¡®true me.¡¯ As he returned from conversing with the evil eyes¡¯ king, Lauel sighed deeply.


    Then the young knight called Royman came running in. ¡°P-Prime Minister.¡±


    Her real name was Karin. She was disguised as a man and still thought the fact that she was a woman had gone unnoticed. Royman had the title of ¡®Rising Star of the West¡¯ and had been reborn as a prospect of the Overgeared Kingdom after studying under Piaro for several years.


    ¡°What happened?¡±Lauel was nervous. It was because Royman¡¯s urgent attitude was unusual.


    As expected, an amazing report was given, ¡°I-It is a visit from the King of Valha.¡±


    ¡°God of War Ares?¡±


    Why was he in a hurry to end the exchange with the Overgeared Kingdom? Lauel immediately headed for the parlor. Ares, who was holding a cup in his hand, put it down and waved.¡°Hey, would you like to form an alliance?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already betray the Overgeared Kingdom and enter into a truce with the empire? Now you want an alliance with us?¡±


    ¡°Betrayed? What betrayal?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hand the White Dragon¡¯s Eye to the empire?¡±


    ¡°I indirectly told you that I was handing the White Dragon¡¯s Eye to the empire, allowing you to prepare in advance. Thus, you could resolve it well.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you are packaging it?¡±


    ¡°What packaging? It is the truth. If I really wanted to betray the Overgeared Kingdom, I wouldn¡¯t have let you know the White Dragon¡¯s Eye existed.¡±


    ¡°...It is an excellent speech. Did you learn this from your new strategist?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ares¡¯ new strategist was much better than Lauel had expected. The enlightened Lauel saw a bright future.

 Chapter 993

    Many things happened in the next two months.


    At the end of the truce agreement with the Saharan Empire, the Overgeared Kingdom quickly established an alliance with Valha. Without a truce agreement with the empire, Valha had gone on to invade their neighboring countries and expand their forces.


    The empire felt its back burn. Valha and the Overgeared Kingdom... It was presumed they had a hostile rtionship after the White Dragon¡¯s Eye incident. So how did they suddenly form an alliance? The empire had predicted that the Overgeared Kingdom would keep Valha in check while Valha would pressure the Overgeared Kingdom with them. Yet their predictions werepletely overturned.


    Consequently, the empire was forced to ignore Valha and concentrate on the Overgeared Kingdom. They relentlessly put pressure on the Overgeared Kingdom. Then the Overgeared Kingdom started tightening up their borders. The dozens of Overgeared members who received gold medalpensation in the 4th National Competition got new items thanks to Grid. They also exported a massive amount of equipment to Valha, strengthening their alliance and umting funds.


    Meanwhile, Demon yer Yura returned from hell and contracted with a king elemental. She was the first one to gain this achievement and became the protagonist of a world message, bing a topicparable to Grid during the demon king¡¯s subjugation.


    ¡°I¡¯m envious...¡±


    The Overgeared members, who mostly contracted with lesser elementals, admired the dignity of the king elemental. They congratted Yura sincerely, but they couldn¡¯t erase their envy. Yura also gained a big motivation.


    ¡®With this, I am a bit closer...¡¯


    She was also a little bit closer to the title of ¡®legend.¡¯ Yura was d that she would be useful in the war against the empire which would ur in the future. Additionally...


    ¡°I will erase the goddess of light, who is painted in falsehoods, from the world!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You evil people!¡±


    The war between the Reba Church and the Yatan Church deepened. In order to increase their influence, the Yatan Church dispersed forces across the continent while the Reba Church earnestly resisted them. Yatan¡¯s Servants and Reba¡¯s Daughters gathered in one ce and damaged several kingdoms.


    Interestingly, the Overgeared Kingdom didn¡¯t suffer any damage. It could be considered as due to luck from the heavens since the Vatican was based in the Overgeared Kingdom, but of course, it wasn¡¯t luck.The Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t affected by the war between the Reba Church and the Yatan Church purely because of Damian¡¯s efforts.


    Damian even went a step further and asked the empire for support, ¡°I believe that the empire can¡¯t ignore the Yatan Church and the fight for the peace of the continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The emperor had no justification to refuse sending support to the Reba Church and was tearfully forced to send his forces. Simultaneously, Kraugel was spotted in the empire. The ce he was seen at after the 4th National Competition was the gravestone of Empress Aria.


    It was an event that caused rampant spection. People guessed that Kraugel had joined the empire. However, the truth was different.


    ¡°A great evil lives there.¡±


    Kirinus, the best spearsman on the continent, started to open his heart to Kraugel as he pointed to the imperial pce and revealed the tangled truth around Empress Aria¡¯s death. The imperial pce boasted a tremendous scale dozens of timesrger than the Overgeared Kingdom. Among them, his finger pointed to the gorgeous pce where Empress Marie resided.


    ¡°This evil must be eliminated. If we don¡¯t get rid of her, there will be no future for this continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t help feeling in awe. Grid had mentioned a long time ago that one of his goals was to kill the empress.


    ¡®Grid, did you know the whole truth at the time?¡¯


    It seemed he had been fighting with a big burden on his shoulders for a long time.


    ***


    ¡º The next breaking news. The Fold Kingdom has been undergoing a rapid development in recent years. ¡»


    The Fold Kingdom was a tributary of the Overgeared Kingdom. 70% of the kingdom was mountainous and poor in soil quality. It was a weak country, but its state of mass poverty had improved and its agricultural and military facilities had expanded. This was the result of capital and manpower from the Overgeared Kingdom. The yers of the Fold Kingdom benefited from the infrastructure that was gradually evolving and naturally felt affectionate toward the Overgeared Kingdom. People felt a genuine gratitude to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    The royal family of the Fold Kingdom came forward to directly praise the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°We have to try hard so that King Grid¡¯s mercy isn¡¯t in vain! Don¡¯t bezy! Don¡¯t be satisfied! Our Fold Kingdom should be one of the pirs supporting the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    The Fold Kingdom became a type of multi-base. It was a really strong force capable of moving and developing industrial facilities and manpower that the Overgeared Kingdom could no longer amodate, as well as gather new resources based on this.


    ***


    The strongest Saharan Empire armies¡ªthe armies led by the seven dukes¡ªwere dispatched to port cities. It was because the water n started going crazy. The water n invaded the port cities of the empire and dealt an enormous blow to the empire. Whenever the empire dispatched a suppression force, they would flee to the sea.


    They were so hard to track that the empire was forced to ce the army at every port city.


    ***


    [Affinity with the evil eyes king has increased by 1.]


    ¡°Phew... It finally reached five points.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions. If you take it slowly, you will someday get 100 points.¡±


    ¡°Yes... I don¡¯t know how many years but...¡¯


    The ns of the Overgeared members to build up affinity with the evil eyes king were greatly revised. They recognized it as a long-term project instead of a short-term project and abandoned their impatience. Only one person was different.


    ¡°Kukukuk, you have to deal with me today.¡±


    Only Lauel didn¡¯t give up and went to the evil eyes¡¯ king every morning and evening. The evil eyes¡¯ king didn¡¯t seem to hate him very much. No, he seemed to have a liking toward the human race itself. It was a change that had urred from him watching the Overgeared members for the past two months. Compared to the days when he was isted and alone... the evil eyes¡¯ king felt that interactions with humans were very pleasant and informative.


    The heart of the king influenced all of the evil eyes. The evil eyes got more aggressive in their training, and the Destiny Guardians became more organized.


    Meanwhile, the number of invaders aiming at the vampire cities was increasing. They were dungeons that the Overgeared Kingdom had been using for many years. The yers believed they could make a breakthrough as long as they used the dungeons and headed for Reidan¡¯s desert.


    Some of them were able to prate through the tight guard of the Overgeared members and enter the vampire city. However, the problem was that it was always the ¡®seventh¡¯ city. The invaders experienced the worst hell instead of the best hunting ground.


    [The vampire earl ¡®Noll¡¯ has appeared!]


    ¡°What trivial bastards dare enter?¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    ¡°S-Spare us...!¡±


    The power of the noble ss vampires was more than rumored. The boy vampire wore armor that neutralized most of the invaders¡¯ attack power, and the invaders were helpless as they were killed. Noll grew rapidly from their sacrifices. It was just as the Overgeared Guild intended. The reason why the elite Overgeared troops guarding the entrances of the vampire cities created a gap in the boundary of the seventh city was to raise Noll.


    ***


    ¡°Lord Chris of Reidan! Today, I will gain your head!¡±


    There was a constant regional conflict in the desert of Reidan, the border between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. In the early days, the ck Knights¡¯ cavalrymitted a one-sided invasion of Reidan¡¯s territory, only to suffer greater damage as time passed. It was because the Reidan soldiers had been fully adapted to the desert terrain while the empire troops had found it strange. Whenever the two armies shed, the imperial army often suffered one-sided damage. It was painful since the empire had to upy Reidan to invade the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°You want to get my head with this type of skill?¡±


    Moreover, as the Lord of Reidan and duke of the Overgeared Kingdom, Chris¡¯ power was too great. The ck knights couldn¡¯t go up against Chris and the previous Giant Guild members who swept through the battlefield.


    ¡°Y-You are just the duke of a small kingdom...!¡± The ck Knights¡¯ anger and hatred reached the peak after losing hundreds of colleagues. They rushed toward Chris whenever he appeared on the battlefield. From Chris¡¯ point of view, they were good nutrients.


    ¡°Overgeared King Grid threatens humanity by colluding with different species. This can be called a disaster. I will put down the disaster for the sake of peace on the continent.¡±


    It was a rtionship stemming from the emperor¡¯s deration two months ago. The official rtionship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the Saharan Empire was now that of ¡®enemies.¡¯ The armed conflict between the two nations started to be recorded as formal wars, not temporary happenings. The ¡®war system¡¯ was activated, increasing the yers¡¯ experience gain rate.


    That¡¯s right. The Overgeared members could now grow through war. Every time they killed an enemy, they gained a high amount of experience, just like catching a monster. Of course, it was an enjoyable system. If it wasn¡¯t for the war system, the Overgeared members would have suffered from the war. The S.A Group had a good grasp of the position of the yers.


    ¡°Chriiiiis!¡± The deputy chief of the ck Knights, who lost an arm to Chris in the preceding war, roared and rushed forward. He was level 385. The ck Knights were a subordinate organization of the Red Knights, but their leaders wereparable to the Red Knights. However, this wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Chris. After all, he was first on the unified rankings. In order to suppress Chris¡¯ talents, effort, and experience, an enemy that was at least the fourth advancement shoulde out.


    [Themander ¡®Chris¡¯ has cut off the head of the enemy!]


    [The morale of the allies has risen!]


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡±


    Reidan...


    In the city that bordered the empire, the elite troops of the Overgeared Kingdom were growing every day.


    ***


    ¡º There are many cars in the world. However, the only car that satisfies me is from Daejin Motors. ¡»


    The Daejin car advertisements that used Shin Youngwoo¡ªGrid¡ªas a model started to dominate all media tforms. The Daejin Group had considered Grid¡¯s busy schedule and produced a CF starring him only three months after the end of the National Competition.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi has an aura that is different from ordinary models and actors. I mean... it is like the dignity of the royalty of European countries? Haha.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Your praise is too much.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. This isn¡¯t an exaggeration but pure sincerity...¡±


    The advertisement which waspleted with an exceptionally high perfection rate would be sent to a total of 198 countries. In a coffee shop in the lobby of Daejin Motors¡¯ headquarters, Youngwoo drank hot chocte as he watched the advertisement, which was being yed continuously on the screen.


    ¡°Ah, the development of the new car is expected to bepleted soon. The items were chosen well. You can look forward to it.¡±


    Thanks to Shin Youngwoo¡¯s ridiculous press conference, the president of Daejin Motors had to develop a new car unexpectedly. The identity of the man sitting next to Youngwoo was the president of Daejin Motors. He had originally nned to meet Youngwoo in his office, but he suddenly wanted to boast to his employees that he was in a coffee store with Grid.


    The effect was big. Numerous employees who were in the lobby stopped and stared at the coffee store.


    ¡°Wow, I never thought the day woulde when I would see God Grid sitting in our lobby.¡±


    ¡°It is a real jackpot. Didn¡¯t he use any correction effects when making his character in Satisfy? The ratio is almost model level.¡±


    ¡°Putting aside proportions and looks, there is a different force about him. He is unlike a normal person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our boss gives off an extraordinary impression, but he is like Extra Number One in front of Grid.¡±


    ¡°Ah, was that our boss?¡±


    ¡°...I only recognized him now.¡±


    The words of the employees in the lobby entered the ears of the president of Daejin Motors. He heard the words ¡®extra¡¯, ¡®squid¡¯, and ¡®folding screen¡¯, but he didn¡¯t care. The president was proud that he was recognized while sitting next to Youngwoo who wielded the highest influence.


    ¡®I should go home early today to boast to my son and grandchild.¡¯


    The president was excited and spoke to Youngwoo, ¡°So I was saying... It is the God General Sys.¡±


    ¡°God General Sys?¡±Youngwoo didn¡¯t understand for a moment. The name of the new fake car that he had thought up of roughly at the press conference wasn¡¯t important enough to remain in Youngwoo¡¯s memories. Youngwoo btedly pulled out the memory and nodded.¡°Ah, yes. The new car that I¡¯m looking forward to so much that I can¡¯t sleep at night? I didn¡¯t understand for a moment because I didn¡¯t know you would use the name of God General Sys.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is the name that Youngwoo yourself gave, so we have to use it. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve decided to produce only one for Youngwoo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°By the way, what if we made six cars?¡±


    ¡°Six?¡±


    ¡°Yes, two for Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s parents, one for Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s sister, one for Youngwoo, one for Yura, and one for the chairman.¡±


    ¡°Why bother...¡±


    It was an opportunity to get free cars for all his family members. Although it seemed remarkable listening to it the first time, it wasn¡¯t actually free. A tax would be incurred. The cost of production was close to 800 million won, and if he received four cars, the taxes he would have to pay was horrible to imagine. He would rather pay tax for a better-branded car for his parents and give his old car to Sehee.


    The president witnessed Youngwoo¡¯s confused expression and misunderstood his thoughts.


    ¡°Ah... It isn¡¯t intended to show off the rtionship between the two families... This... It is just a purememoration...¡±


    ¡®Ah...¡¯ Youngwoo btedly noticed the chairman¡¯s intentions. It was to give Grid and his granddaughter a couple car. Additionally, Grid¡¯s family and the chairman would ride the same car. The car proved they had a special rtionship. In other words, the chairman wanted to show off.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Well, wouldn¡¯t it be good to let this type of thing emerge? However, it was a story of when he would meet this request. Youngwoo let the president be nervous for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

 Chapter 994

    ¡°I understand the chairman¡¯s will. Instead, I have a requirement.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    This was a chance for him to show off a connection with a chaebol family. It might be a precious opportunity for someone else, but there were no merits for Youngwoo. The condition he gave waspletely unexpected.


    ¡°I heard that bigpanies and famous people are fostering rankers at a business or family level. Is it the same for Daejin?¡±


    The word ranker naturally meant a Satisfy ranker. The president of Daejin Motors looked around uneasily before responding in a low voice, ¡°Of course, we have also made some developments.¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung didn¡¯t appreciate his granddaughter¡¯s enthusiasm for Satisfy, but it was because he had always regarded Yura as his sessor. Lee Jinmyung recognized the importance of Satisfy ording to the trend of the times and secretly sponsored and fostered rankers at the corporate level. Once they were fully grown and participating in big events, Daejin¡¯s reputation would rise naturally. Well, now, Yura¡¯s name was sufficient.


    ¡°Have Daejin step up and encourage the rankers of the Koreanpanies and family members to join the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°...¡± The president of Daejin Motors made a distorted expression. The thought of Youngwoo eating up all the power that thepanies had invested in was absurd and somewhat unpleasant. He felt that he was being treated as a pushover.


    Youngwoo shook his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to have them permanently join the Overgeared Guild. That isn¡¯t possible. I just want to receive support from them in the form of temporary mercenaries. It will be good for both sides. We will provide at least unique-grade items made by the best cksmiths of the Overgeared Kingdom as well as top-quality hunting grounds.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is the hunting grounds on the border of Reidan which are much talked about these days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your level will rise quickly if you hunt imperial soldiers.¡±


    The war of attrition with the empire was gnawing at the power of the Overgeared Kingdom. Since the empire had an army that was hundreds of timesrger than the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s, the constant loss of soldiers would only damage the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Is your ultimate goal to fill the Overgeared army with yers instead of NPCs?¡±


    The president of Daejin Motors had little experience ying Satisfy. However, he was the president of argepany and was able to easily grasp the situation. Youngwoo nodded while secretly admiring the president. ¡°You saw it correctly.¡±


    ¡°Umm... Yes, I understand. I¡¯ll tell the chairman. Even so, I don¡¯t know if the otherpanies will move easily. Obviously, they will demand a lot.¡±


    ¡°I will coordinate it well. All you have to do is pass on my message to them.¡±


    Youngwoo anticipated what thepanies wanted. It was for Grid or the Overgeared members to be models for theirpanies, to receive items produced from the Overgeared Kingdom, or have corporate publicity signage in the Overgeared Kingdom. Youngwoo was willing to ept them all.


    ¡®In any case, I need a lot of money.¡¯


    He could sleep less. If he divided his time well, he could promote thepanies. There were many cksmiths, so he could produce as many items as they wanted.


    ¡®I will draw on the resources and assets of thepanies while thepanies will borrow my knowledge and skills.¡¯


    The deal was likely to be fully realized. Thepanies¡¯ evaluation of the Overgeared Kingdom was very high. However, tying himself up to arge number ofpanies from the outset would cut his value, so he only used domesticpanies.


    ¡®A funny picture wille out.¡¯


    The rankers were easy to control because they belonged to apany or a family. He would gather hundreds of thousands of them in Reidan to consume the imperial troops. Of course, this was Lauel¡¯s big picture.


    ***


    In Satisfy, darkness was the symbol of evil, and evil was the great demons. This form was applied to the elementals. It was a natural oue for the light elemental king to favor Yura, who had hunted the most number of demons among the yers.


    [Light Elemental King Contractor]


    [You can use the highest ranked light elemental.


    Current level of the highest-grade light elemental: 1


    -Avable Elemental Techniques-


    * The energy of the elemental king is infinite. The use of the elemental doesn¡¯t consume the resources of the contractor.]


    [Sword of Light]


    [Makes the elemental into a sword of light.


    The Sword of Light follows the contractor...]


    [sh]


    [The light elemental will ¡®instantaneously¡¯ move to the target pointed out by the contractor.


    If the target is strong, it will shine intensely...]


    [Elemental King Summoning Lv. 1]


    [Summons an elemental king to the present age through the light elemental.


    The ability of the light elemental king is affected by the ability of the contractor.


    The low skill level limits the abilities of the light elemental king.


    Summoning Duration Time: 10 minutes.


    Cooldown Time: 30 hours.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Yura hadn¡¯t been expecting much after she was forced to postpone her visit to the World Tree due to hunting in hell. Most of her colleagues had contracted with lower to intermediate elementals, and she thought she would be the same. Yet it ended up being an elemental king.


    She once again owed a great debt to Grid. Her current self wouldn¡¯t exist if she hadn¡¯t met him in the temple in the past. She would still be one of Yatan¡¯s Servants, struggling against the Reba Church and Overgeared Kingdom. Yura would have regreted it every day.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be someone you can count on.¡±


    Step.


    Today, Yura didn¡¯t open the gate to hell. The ce she came to was the city of Reidan surrounded by the desert.


    ¡°Yura?¡±


    On the walls, the faces of the Overgeared members¡ªwho were tired from the inexhaustible imperial army¡ªbrightened. Yura had been focused on hell hunting since the beginning of the 4th National Competition until the present. Consequently, they hadn¡¯t expected her to join the war so soon. The gold medalist in Drawing the Saint Sword and silver medalist in PvP¡ªshe was a strong representative of the Overgeared Guild. She was a power that could do the work of ~4¨C5 of the top Overgeared members alone. The Overgeared members were reassured that she would be with them in the future.


    After a while...


    ¡°Hell Leap.¡±


    The Overgeared members witnessed Yura¡¯s development and realized how much they had underestimated her. She jumped into space itself and moved to hell, leaving the gate that connected hell to the present world. Demons popped out of the gate and into the middle of the battlefield.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    There was the sudden appearance of the red dimensional door and the demons pouring from it. The imperial soldiers were stunned by the unrealistic sight and forgot to even scream as they became food for the demons.


    ¡°You can summon demons?¡± Chris asked with a surprised expression. A demon hunter could summon demons...? It was a bizarre contradiction.


    Yura shook her head. ¡°I simply opened a passage.¡±


    Hell Leap¡ªit was a skill that temporarily transferred her body to hell. The user didn¡¯t know where they would appear in hell, and the temporary transmission onlysted for one second. Yura took one second to identify the ce she appeared, recognized the presence of a sufficient number of demons in the vicinity and opened the gate while escaping from hell. She applied the escape technique as a summoning technique. For the imperial soldiers, it was literally a hell gate.


    ¡°Aaaack!¡±


    ¡°Hiik! S-Spare me...!¡±


    The duration of the gate was one minute. It was plenty of time. Demons with the instinct of eating humans utilized the gate actively. They flew forward with full power.


    ¡°W-Wow...¡±


    Thousands of demons popped out and massacred the imperial soldiers, causing the Overgeared members to feel overwhelmed. They worried that they would be next after the imperial army was destroyed. However, they had Yura. As the imperial soldiers were chewed up, the demons who turned their attention to the Overgeared members in a hungry manner were pierced by Yura¡¯s bullets.


    ***


    ¡°There haven¡¯t been too many prey these days.¡±


    ¡°The Vatican is closed, so it is natural to have no guests.¡±


    At a mountain vige near the Vatican, there was a unique vige withrge and small Reba statues in many ces. Originally it was filled with tourists wanting to visit the Vatican, but it had been dusty ofte. The Vatican was temporarily closed as the war between the Reba Church and Yatan Church intensified. As such, the Vatican wasn¡¯t epting outsiders, so no tourists were visiting the vige.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Thanks to this, Shay was bored. The assassins¡ªShay, Kerb, and Sniffer¡ªwere a vicious PK group that worked with Dong Pao¡ªa Reba priest¡ªin luring tourists to certain areas and stealing their money. However, they were also the benefactors who informed Grid about Marie Rose¡¯s presence and gave him Kasim. Of course, they hadn¡¯t meant to be benefactors.


    ¡°I want to release some stress, but it isn¡¯t working.¡±


    ¡°I should pick up an assassination request today.¡±


    ¡°I have done more than 100missions this month. I don¡¯t like it anymore. It is annoying. I need some healing.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Hey.¡±


    The trio sitting on the terrace of the restaurant turned their gaze toward the person at the entrance of the vige. Just by looking, it was obvious that the person had a lot of money. It was a man wearing unusual sunsses. They didn¡¯t see his face and ID because he was wearing a helmet. but based on the overall armed status, his level was in the low 200s.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he look like a character made by a man with some money?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All the level 200 items are enhanced.¡±


    ¡°He might be a gold spoon.¡±


    The items scattered a subtle glow. This was proper prey. Shay¡¯s group exchanged sly smiles with each other and got up. The three people came down from the terrace and were engaged in daily conversation as they passed by the unidentified man. Yes, they passed by the prey they had been waiting for.


    ¡®X! Leave quickly!¡¯


    The trio hastened their pace. They had an iron rule. This cardinal rule was that they didn¡¯t mix with a person who hid their face and ID. Why? In the past, they had a bad experience with Grid who concealed his identity. They didn¡¯t want to go through that terrible experience twice. Since then, Shay¡¯s group excluded unknown targets from their PK list. It was a type of phobia.


    ¡°Oh, it would be good if we could hunt pushovers like in the old days.¡±


    ¡°It was almost a windfall to meet those kids. Still, what can we do when it is a one in a million case?¡±


    They couldn¡¯t be discouraged. The reason why Shay¡¯s party could PK in one area for a long time was because they were cautious. In particr, the most important thing was their affinity with the vigers. The vigers didn¡¯t doubt Shay¡¯s party, who were friendly and kind, and never thought they were bandits. Sometimes, pdins from the Reba Church woulde down to the vige and ask about the bandits, but they never cared about Shay¡¯s party. This was the importance of image management.


    ¡°It is impossible today. Perhaps we should go to the guild and ask...?¡±


    The trio left the vige only to freeze like a stone statue. They noticed that the unidentified man was following closely behind them. The man took off the helmet and ck hair flowed down. The revealed name was...


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    Shay¡¯s party was full of hatred. They even wanted to kill Grid.


    ¡°This is great. Have you been doing this in the same ce for many years?¡±


    ¡°T-That, sometimes... Sometimes just...¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! These days, we mostly work in other ces. We sometimese here for healing!¡±


    ¡°I-It is like a heart that misses home... Hahaha...¡±


    Shay was a single digit ranker on the assassin¡¯s ranking. During recent times, he had fallen to the top 20, but he still had excellent skills. In particr, he had a lot of experience with PK and excelled in PK skills. Even so, he was modest in front of Grid. He had been beaten by Grid several times and was afraid of him. Grid suggested to them,¡°Go to Reidan. In that ce, you can cheat, kill, and steal from the empire¡¯s yers. Won¡¯t it be more fun to y on a bigger stage than in a vige like this?¡±


    ¡°...You want to use us as a tool of war?¡±


    ¡°D-Do you think we will cooperate with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t want to die. You will be killed by me and then have a kill order ced on you.¡±


    ¡°...Shall we leave right now?¡±


    ¡°Assassination is our specialty. Isn¡¯t that why you came to us? We¡¯ll definitely be a great help to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m looking forward to it. You will be rewarded if you y an active role.¡±


    Grid had to mobilize as many contacts as possible in order to deal with the empire. Thus, Grid was wandering in search of connections, but they were mostly evil ones. He was fortunate that he was stronger than those he had a bad rtionship with.


    ¡°Next is Bubat... Hmm...¡±


    After confirming the appearance of Shay¡¯s party, Grid was ready to use the return scroll, only to stop. Now that he was here, he became curious about ¡®that¡¯ ce. Grid failed to recall the old location and had to ask Shay, ¡°That dungeon, where was it?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon? Ah, the one with the vampire duke sealed? It is a forbidden area, so it isn¡¯t stored on the map.¡±


    It was a space where magic and skills were blocked because of a powerful evil influence. That was the space where Shay¡¯s party used to hunt the yers.


    ¡°It is approximately three kilometers northeast of here... Hey, forget it. Just follow me.¡±


    It wasplicated to exin in words. Instead, Shay just moved forward, and Grid followed behind him. Shay was making a smug smile.He was timid, but he wanted payback.


    ¡®No matter how great Grid is, he can¡¯t catch up with my speed when I¡¯m a master of swiftness.¡¯


    Grid would try to chase Shay and be humiliated. Shay imagined Grid¡¯s expression and hummed. Then he used a skill that increased his movement speed to the peak. However...


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid maintained the appropriate distance behind Shay without much difficulty. He was very agile and hd recently created a set of items that sped up his movements. Shay started crying.¡®Filthy bastard. Really filthy bastard. Eating everything alone.¡¯


    He would quickly finish this side of the world and cut off all connections with Grid forever. He would leave for the other side of the continent, so he wouldn¡¯t get involved with Grid again.


    ¡®No, let¡¯s go to the East Continent,¡¯ Shay vowed repeatedly.

 Chapter 995

    People weren¡¯t seriously concerned about the war situation in the Overgeared Kingdom. Was the empire¡¯s army hundreds of timesrger than the Overgeared Kingdom?


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Grid woulde forward and ughter the enemies as always. People took it for granted, and the experts didn¡¯t disagree. It was because Grid and the Overgeared members had shown too much. They always handled crises in ways and methods that transcendedmon sense.


    Then what was the truth? The situation of the Overgeared Kingdom was like a candle flickering in the wind. The armies of the seven dukes were tied down for a while as they defended the port cities, but there were still the magicians of the Tower of Eternity, the magic machines, the Red Knights, the Five Pirs, and so on. The empire hadn¡¯t pulled out their real power yet. On the other hand, the Overgeared Kingdom had already put a lot of effort into stopping the empire¡¯s troops.


    Grid was nervous. He was anxious because bad results kepting up. The reason why Grid used methods, such as dealing with thepanies and using hiswork of connections, was in effort to change the expected oue. He came here was the same reason.


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [You have resisted.]


    It was an ominous entrance that looked like the mouth of a monster. This was the cave Marie Rose was trapped in. The vampire duke sealed by the second pope Chreshler and Reba¡¯s Daughters¡ªthe ultimate vampire who transcended Shizo Beriache¡ªwas released from the seal by none other than Grid.


    ¡®It happened because of Mcus¡¯ Cloak.¡¯


    An unintentional ident had urred. Grid was looking forward to the effect of the Blood King Candidate.


    [Blood King Candidate]


    [You have be a candidate to be a blood king.


    You will give a sense of pressure to ordinary vampires. All ordinary vampires hostile toward you will have their stats decreased by 15%.


    You will give a sense of confusion to true blood vampires. All true blood vampires hostile toward you will have their stats decreased by 8%.


    Direct descendant vampires will be interested in you. Any direct descendant vampires facing you will temporally awaken from the Curse of Idleness.]


    Grid had sealed four direct descendants, so the title Qualification of a Blood King was promoted to Blood King Candidate. The alertness of the direct descendants rose, and this was enough to awaken them from the Curse of Idleness. This might work positively for Marie Rose.


    ¡®I am happy to y.¡¯


    Noll said that when he faced Blood King Candidate Grid, the thought that ¡®everything was annoying¡¯ had been erased from his head and he had been filled with motivation. He¡¯d felt ¡®emotions¡¯ for the first time since he was born, and he had been filled with a fearsome anger and killing intent toward Grid.


    Noll had described the event of the day like this,¡°I realized I was alive after feeling the emotion. Once the Curse of Idleness was broken, I felt sorry for the wasted time and even grateful to you for making me angry and forgetting the curse.¡±


    This was why Grid looked forward to the effect of Blood King Candidate.


    ¡®If Marie Rose is like Noll...¡¯


    Would she be thankful to him for freeing her from the seal and the Curse of Idleness? What emotions would she feel, and if she felt favorable toward him, would she take a cooperative attitude? Of course, it was an extremely optimistic idea. He could provoke Marie Rose and be in by her.


    However, the circumstances weren¡¯t clear, so Grid nned to grasp a straw and contact her. Marie Rose was one of the most powerful beings in the world. The benefits that came from having her as apanion were so huge that it couldn¡¯tpare with the value of Grid¡¯s life.


    ¡®It is a gamble I should challenge once.¡¯


    Grid came here to increase his chances of the gamble. He sent Shay back and entered the cave alone. Then he pulled out a pickaxe and held it.


    ¡®Braham said it previously. Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence was inherited from Shizo Beriache, and she has a very strong personality.¡¯


    He knew because he actually experienced it. It had been ~15¨C17 years since Marie Rose left here, but there were still remnants of her evil energy. Grid made a hypothesis, ¡®The cave that sealed Marie Rose for hundreds of years will have a thick evil influence...¡¯


    It was a natural form that caves had minerals. That¡¯s right. Grid thought it was likely that the minerals present in the cave were affected by Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. He wasn¡¯t expecting much from the performance of the minerals.


    ¡®The minerals affected by Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence will have a low rating. I only hope that they aren¡¯t corroded by the evil influence.¡¯


    Thend near the cave was barren. Thus, the minerals which were directly exposed to Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence might¡¯ve be dusty and corroded. Nevertheless, the reason why Grid needed the minerals was to buy Marie Rose¡¯s favor when they met someday.


    ¡®She¡¯s very sensitive to the smell of blood from Mcus¡¯ Cloak.¡¯


    It was enough to wake her up from the seal after hundreds of years!


    ¡®If I am wearing items that contain her evil influence, she will recognize them immediately.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help being impressed with his way of thinking. His thoughts were asionally extraordinary. Then Grid started looking closely at the cave. It was to observe the presence of minerals. However, there were only stones at the entrance, and he had to go deeper.


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The remnants of the evil influence is eating at your physical and mental strength. You have fallen into the ¡®weak¡¯ and ¡®confused¡¯ state.]


    [You have resisted.]


    The deeper he went, the thicker the concentration of evil influence and the higher the physical burden became. Grid was able to resist them, but it would¡¯ve been different for Shay¡¯s party.


    ¡®They can¡¯t even enter here.¡¯


    Marie Rose¡¯s seal wasn¡¯t defiled. Once he learned that, Grid¡¯s mind felt morefortable. He was once again impressed by the fraudulent nature of a ¡®legend¡¯ and felt thankful as he arrived at the innermost part of the cave.


    ¡®It is surprisingly big.¡¯


    He hasn¡¯t known it from the outside, but it was a huge cave. It took 40 minutes to reach this ce despite there being only one road.


    ¡®She has been sleeping here for hundreds of years.¡¯


    Grid looked at the coffin in the middle of the space. It was a pure white coffin. The beautiful figure of Marie Rose sleeping there naturally came to his mind.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    He had imagined it, but her real beauty was enough to make him feel in awe. It was mysterious. Grid emerged from his thoughts and carefully observed the wall of this space. It was in order to find minerals, but most of them were already corroded by the evil influence. This space was quite big, and it took time to search.


    ¡®Ah, the efficiency is too bad.¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t for the residual evil influence, he would¡¯ve called Minor over right away. The minerals detector hadn¡¯t found new minerals in a long time, and he was inactive these days.


    ¡®Still, he isn¡¯t ying around...¡¯


    For a few years already, Minor had been forced to work in the library without a break. He read books rted to minerals and geography and expanded his knowledge. Grid raised the building level of the library purple for Minor¡¯s sake. Increasing the level of the library widened the variety of books it handled.


    ¡®Minor¡¯s mineral detection capability is evolving steadily.¡¯


    In order for Minor to be more active, the territory of the Overgeared Kingdom had to expand. Therger the scope of Minor¡¯s activities, the greater the likelihood was of finding new minerals. Thus, he couldn¡¯t lose more in the war.


    ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t lose anynd. Absolutely not.¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom had been built by Grid and his colleagues. It contained all of their hard work and enthusiasm. Yet it was going to be taken away by others now? Grid couldn¡¯t ept it. He had no thoughts of letting it being taken away. Thus, he nned to depend on Marie Rose.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Grid searched for a while and finally found his goal. There were some minerals in the corner of the space which was so darkened by the evil influence that it was cker than darkness.


    ¡°This is it!¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid started mining. His skill handling the pickaxe wasn¡¯t rusty and was still amazing. Any miner who saw it would cry. By the way...


    [The mining has failed.]


    [The mining has failed.]


    [The mining...]


    [The continuous mining failure has increased the possibility of damage to the stones.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a mineral that endured Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. This was the first time Grid had seen such a stubborn mineral. The stones¡ªwhich were embedded deep into the ground¡ªweren¡¯t easy to mine, even with Grid¡¯s skills.


    ¡®Ah, what to do?¡¯


    Failing to mine a mineral one or two more times could damage the mineral and reduce its value. Grid pondered for a moment if he should bring Minor inside, even if it was dangerous. Then he shook his head.


    ¡®I need the residue of the evil influence, not the mineral itself.¡¯


    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t have any expectations for the performance of a weakened mineral. As mentioned earlier, the mineral itself might be useless. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if he kept failing in the mining and damaged it. Grid gave up on his idea and started mining again. Surprisingly, the mining seeded without failing once.


    [You have seeded in the mining.]


    [The Unidentified Iron Ore has been acquired.]


    ¡°Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡±


    [The information about the target item has been updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [Iron Ore with Evil Energy]


    [An iron ore that has been saturated with evil energy for many years.


    Care is required when handling it.


    There is a possibility of dying when touching it by hand.


    Weight: 5]


    [This item has a hidden function!]


    [Iron Ore with the Power of Transcendence]


    [An iron ore imbued with the power of an existence that isn¡¯t subject to death.


    Anyone who can cope with the evil influence of the iron ore can obtain the hidden strength behind it.


    * There is an option to add stats when using it as an item making material.


    However, there is a high possibility that all types of restrictions will arise due to the evil influence.


    Weight: 5]


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    From an ordinary person¡¯s standpoint, it didn¡¯t look very good because of the evil influence.


    ¡°...Hahahat.¡±


    Was there any more? Grid¡¯s eyes that were nk for a while lit up. He started to search the entire cave again. The coffin which had been watching Grid closely asked, -Did you wake up Marie Rose?


    ¡°...?¡± Feeling stunned, Grid was lost for words.


    The coffin introduced itself,-I am 2nd Pope Chreshler.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was this also Pagma¡¯s work?


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    No, he wasn¡¯t. Pagma had locked the soul of 5th Pope Franz into the sword despite Franz being his friend. As far as Grid knew, there was no contact between Pagma and the second pope.


    ¡®...Thus, he could do it without any burden.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression was awkward as the coffin inquired again, -You woke up Marie Rose, right?Why did you wake up the person sleeping inside me?


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me. It was empty when I came here, ¡± Grid denied it. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he revealed the truth. Grid overlooked one fact. The first pope and second pope¡ªthose who made the Reba Church transcended the category of ordinary humans. Grid couldn¡¯t deceive the ego of a transcendent.


    -You are lying to me right now.


    The coffin flew and hit Grid.


    ¡°Eek...?¡±


    Was he being beaten up by a coffin? Grid had suffered through a lot in his life, and he thought this was absurd and unfair. Then the coffin scoffed contemptuously at him, -Did you learn to lie from Pagma while inheriting his skills?


    ¡°...!?¡±

 Chapter 996

    The seven malignant saints had betrayed the gods and deceived the people. Faith had declined, and great demons had appeared on the ground. That was the age of grief. The people who suffered from war and hunger resented the gods while a poor saint went on the path of penance¡ªthis was the birth story of the Reba Church.


    The saint speaking here was the first pope. The holy sword of light had been given to the saint whopleted the path of penance. The saint had defeated the great demons with the power of the holy sword and sang the goddess¡¯ praises. Righteous heroes had been drawn to the song. They had built temples and statues for the goddess.


    The saint had been crowned by the heroes and had be pope. The pope was above the heroes. This was the final chapter of the story. As could be seen from the overall picture, the first pope had been a very special person. He had destroyed the great demons and built up faith. He was the great person who had saved all of humanity. It was highly-ratedpared to other legends.


    The Reba members revered him as a god-ss being. Would such a great person select just anyone as his sessor? Absolutely not. The first pope had searched for someone more talented than himself to be his sessor, and this was Chreshler. Hundreds of yearster, he became a person who couldn¡¯t leave a coffin but it wasn¡¯t good to look down on him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie? But I really wasn¡¯t lying.¡±Grid tried to resolve Chreshler¡¯s misunderstanding.¡°Your Holiness¡¯ coffin was already empty when I arrived here. Marie Rose was already gone. Really.¡±


    -You are a really bad guy.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -My ego was sealed in the coffin made of sacred wood and is designed to wake up when an intruder enters.This is the second time I woke up.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -The first time I woke up, Marie Rose was still sleeping in me.Now she isn¡¯t.


    ¡°...So?¡±


    -So?


    So? He didn¡¯t understand...? The pretend innocence of Pagma¡¯s sessor was abominable. If he didn¡¯t let Marie Rose go, who did it? The coffin jumped on its own. It was an absurd sight! Grid tried to avoid the attack of the coffin but failed. The coffin was as fast as Faker using Lantier¡¯s technique.


    [You have suffered 33,780 damage!]


    ¡°Keok! C-Crazy!¡±


    What the hell was going on? The unpleasant beating hurt too much. Grid would die with one or two more hits. Chreshler¡¯s voice entered the ears of the bewildered Grid, -You¡¯re still alive?I didn¡¯t know I had be so weak.Is there a limit even though I took over the sacred wood?


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, but it is a misunderstanding.


    -Misunderstanding?Misunderstanding~?


    ¡®I-Is this a human (?)?¡¯


    Grid sensed it. Chreshler had once been considered as the strongest pope ever, and he had been a great man who left his name in history. A conversation wasn¡¯t going to work with him.


    ¡®Let¡¯s run away.¡¯


    Grid judged that he really could die here. He wanted Chreshler¡¯s information about Pagma and the minerals, but he decided to give up. He didn¡¯t want to die because of a coffin!


    ¡°Quick Movements! ckening!¡±Grid used his skills to escape from this ce.


    -...Hmm, what?It does seem to be a misunderstanding.Chreshler calmed his agitation and stepped back.


    Grid wished Chreshler¡¯s attitude had changed one second faster.¡°...?!¡±


    It was a higher power and instinct that transcended skills and the concept of magic. The existence of Chreshler denied any evil energy. Grid¡¯s ckening was lifted, and the haze of demonic energy melted away like snow under the sun.


    [ckening has been forcibly released!]


    [The supreme divine power is denying your demonic energy!]


    [There is a severe recoil in your body!]


    [You have suffered 2,265,320 damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. Your health is fixed to a minimum...]


    ¡°Cough! Cough, cough!¡±


    What was this? Grid was astonished by the strong impact. Blood poured out from a hole in his body, and he trembled. Chreshler was stunned.


    -You emitted demonic energy in front of me?Were you going tomit suicide?I¡¯m surprised.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    What skill was this? Chreshler came up to Grid who was coughing up blood. He was appalled by the sight of the empty coffin floating in the air.


    -Well, you survived.This is why a legend is good.In any case, a cockroach is a cockroach.


    ¡°Kuoock... What did you just do?¡±


    -I didn¡¯t do anything.My presence as a pope detected and extinguished your evil energy.


    ¡°...¡±


    -There is no need to look at me like I¡¯m a monster.The pope¡¯s presence doesn¡¯t work on Marie Rose.Uh, I have to catch her and seal her...


    ¡°...¡±


    -I guess the lifespan of the sacred wood was shorter than I thought.I think you didn¡¯t release Marie Rose from the seal. It is that the divine power of the coffin weakened and Marie Rose woke up herself from the seal.


    It was true. Grid might¡¯ve stimted Marie Rose, but he wasn¡¯t the one to release Marie Rose¡¯s seal. She woke up by herself and left this ce by herself. Grid just gave her the smell of blood.


    ¡®...In the end, I am a contributor.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to exin it though. Grid took a potion and asked Chreshler,"Were you killed when you sealed Marie Rose?"


    -No?I sealed Marie Rose and lived well for decades, dying after a long time.I lived until I was 110.


    ¡°Then how did you seal Marie Rose before you became the coffin?¡±


    -I naturally sealed her with my holy power.However, the third pope was short-lived, and the fourth and fifth generations were so weak that they couldn¡¯t bear Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence.I felt that Marie Rose was going to awaken, so I was forced to die and be a coffin.I ced my ego into the coffin made of sacred wood.


    ¡°Was it Pagma who helped you at the time?¡±


    -Yes.That jerk...He cheated me.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -He told me that my senses would remain, so I could feel Marie Rose in me forever even when I¡¯m asleep. It was fucking bullshit.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -I lose all my senses when I fall asleep.Thus, I never felt her.Sigh.I was looking forward to waking up and feeling her again...


    ¡°...¡±


    It felt like Grid was having a conversation that was out of focus. Grid woke himself up by hitting his cheeks and corrected the direction of the conversation.


    ¡°Can you tell me about Pagma? Additionally, the first intruder...¡±


    -What are you going to do if I tell you?Are you going to bring Marie Rose back?


    ¡°...¡±


    He wanted Grid to catch Marie Rose? Grid thought it was ridiculous, and Chreshlerughed.


    -You have a cute part, unlike Pagma.Your reaction is straightforward and not bad.Okay.I¡¯ll answer your question.It seems you have been a great help to us since you have received the blessing of the goddess of light and the three churches.


    The second pope instantly discerned the goddess¡¯ blessing and the blessings of the Reba, Judar, and Dominion Churches.


    ¡®Indeed, people should live a good life.¡¯


    There was nothing wrong with the saying ¡®you reap what you sow.¡¯ Chreshler spoke to the expectant Grid, -Lie down in me.


    ¡°...In your coffin?¡±


    -Isn¡¯t it better to see it once than listen a hundred times?I¡¯m going to show you my old memories.


    Still, wasn¡¯t lying down in a coffin too much? Grid faced the wide open coffin and was forced to hesitate. As a living person, lying down in a ce where the dead stayed was ufortable. However, this onlysted for a moment. Grid nodded andy down in the coffin. Then...


    [The Sacred Wood Coffin has epted you.]


    [The divine power has permeated you in a very small amount.]


    [The advanced light elemental has responded pleasantly.]


    [The light of the advanced light elemental has be a bit brighter.]


    [Dark resistance has permanently increased by 5%.]


    [In the future, there is a very low chance of adding 5% holy attribute damage to basic attacks.]


    [Affinity with Chreshler has increased by three.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    He received an unexpected benefit! Grid was delighted as his vision turned dark. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a long-haired man standing in front of him. It was a beautiful man who looked like a painting of the Hwarang from the Si Dynasty hanging in an art gallery. (TL: Flower youths, an elite warrior group of Si know for their beauty.)


    ¡®Pagma!¡¯Grid cried out unknowingly, but vocalization was not possible.


    [You are in a frozen state in Chreshler¡¯s past.]


    [You are experiencing the past from Chreshler¡¯s perspective.]


    [You are in an observer state. You can¡¯t intervene in the past.]


    Chreshler opened his mouth on behalf of Grid, ¡°Can you make a coffin out of the sacred wood?¡±


    Chreshler¡¯s past voice was different from the one Grid heard in reality. It was a much older and cracked voice. These must be Chreshler¡¯sst years.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fear the sacred wood?¡±


    ¡°I know enough and have handled the branches of the world tree several times. I believe that experience will help.¡±Pagma¡¯s expression was confident as he answered.


    Chreshler nodded as he sat down and stared at Pagma. ¡°Okay. I will trust you since you are a person the fifth generation rmended.¡±


    Once permission was given, Pagma immediately started working. His movements to suppress the holy power of the sacred wood were careful and delicate but not too slow. Grid admired it.


    ¡®His workmanship is great.¡¯


    This was the person who developed skills in Grid with only knowledge. The process of turning a huge tree into a coffin seemed beautiful.


    [The Sacred Wood Coffin production method has been acquired.]


    [You have learned the techniques to handle the sacred wood.]


    ¡®...!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know if it was useful, but it was an unexpected gain. As Grid rejoiced, time in the past shed by, and Pagmapleted the beautiful white coffin. Chreshler admired it.¡°Beautiful. It will be a good match with Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Is that title a habit? I am a retired pope.¡±


    ¡°I have aplished Your Holiness¡¯ wish and would like to ask for two things.¡±


    ¡°You are a brave man. Okay. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Your Holiness held the funerals for the legends.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I want to know where they are buried.¡±


    ¡°Why?"


    ¡°I also want to honor their souls.¡±


    ¡®...!¡¯Grid¡¯s heart sank. He knew Pagma¡¯s intention behind finding the graves of the legends. The poor appearance of the Undefeated King and the legends who suffered for hundreds of years passed through Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡®...No, no. It is a leap.¡¯


    At this time, Pagma wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s Contractor. He didn¡¯t have the ability to make undead bodies. Pagma¡¯s intention might be as pure as he stated. A chill went over his skin as Grid tried to believe it. However, he felt ufortable because of Pagma¡¯s expression. Pagma had already predicted the future and was making preparations.


    ¡°Also...¡±


    Pagma pulled out a sword. The Orietal longsword gave off a beautiful appearance.


    ¡°Teach me how to be strong.¡±


    A resource that must be learned properly in order to utilize the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King. Sword energy was at the end of Pagma¡¯s sword.

 Chapter 997

    The seven malignant saints had betrayed the gods and deceived the people. Faith had declined, and great demons had appeared on the ground. That was the age of grief.The people who suffered from war and hunger resented the gods while a poor saint went on the path of penance¡ªthis was the birth story of the Reba Church.


    The saint speaking here was the first pope.The holy sword of light had been given to the saint whopleted the path of penance.The saint had defeated the great demons with the power of the holy sword and sang the goddess¡¯ praises.Righteous heroes had been drawn to the song.They had built temples and statues for the goddess.


    The saint had been crowned by the heroes and had be pope.The pope was above the heroes.This was the final chapter of the story.As could be seen from the overall picture, the first pope had been a very special person.He had destroyed the great demons and built up faith. He was the great person who had saved all of humanity.It was highly-ratedpared to other legends.


    The Reba members revered him as a god-ss being.Would such a great person select just anyone as his sessor?Absolutely not.The first pope had searched for someone more talented than himself to be his sessor, and this was Chreshler.Hundreds of yearster, he became a person who couldn¡¯t leave a coffin but it wasn¡¯t good to look down on him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie? But I really wasn¡¯t lying.¡±Grid tried to resolve Chreshler¡¯s misunderstanding.¡°Your Holiness¡¯ coffin was already empty when I arrived here. Marie Rose was already gone. Really.¡±


    -You are a really bad guy.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -My ego was sealed in the coffin made of sacred wood and is designed to wake up when an intruder enters.This is the second time I woke up.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -The first time I woke up, Marie Rose was still sleeping in me.Now she isn¡¯t.


    ¡°...So?¡±


    -So?


    So? He didn¡¯t understand¡­? The pretend innocence of Pagma¡¯s sessor was abominable. If he didn¡¯t let Marie Rose go, who did it?The coffin jumped on its own.It was an absurd sight!Grid tried to avoid the attack of the coffin but failed.The coffin was as fast as Faker using Lantier¡¯s technique.


    [You have suffered 33,780 damage!]


    ¡°Keok! C-Crazy!¡±


    What the hell was going on?The unpleasant beating hurt too much. Grid would die with one or two more hits.Chreshler¡¯s voice entered the ears of the bewildered Grid, -You¡¯re still alive?I didn¡¯t know I had be so weak.Is there a limit even though I took over the sacred wood?


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, but it is a misunderstanding.


    -Misunderstanding?Misunderstanding~?


    ¡®I-Is this a human (?)?¡¯


    Grid sensed it.Chreshler had once been considered as the strongest pope ever, and he had been a great man who left his name in history. A conversation wasn¡¯t going to work with him.


    ¡®Let¡¯s run away.¡¯


    Grid judged that he really could die here. He wanted Chreshler¡¯s information about Pagma and the minerals, but he decided to give up.He didn¡¯t want to die because of a coffin!


    ¡°Quick Movements! ckening!¡±Grid used his skills to escape from this ce.


    -...Hmm, what?It does seem to be a misunderstanding.Chreshler calmed his agitation and stepped back.


    Grid wished Chreshler¡¯s attitude had changed one second faster.¡°...?!¡±


    It was a higher power and instinct that transcended skills and the concept of magic.The existence of Chreshler denied any evil energy.Grid¡¯s ckening was lifted, and the haze of demonic energy melted away like snow under the sun.


    [ckening has been forcibly released!]


    [The supreme divine power is denying your demonic energy!]


    [There is a severe recoil in your body!]


    [You have suffered 2,265,320 damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. Your health is fixed to a minimum...]


    ¡°Cough! Cough, cough!¡±


    What was this?Grid was astonished by the strong impact. Blood poured out from a hole in his body, and he trembled.Chreshler was stunned.


    -You emitted demonic energy in front of me?Were you going tomit suicide?I¡¯m surprised.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    What skill was this?Chreshler came up to Grid who was coughing up blood.He was appalled by the sight of the empty coffin floating in the air.


    -Well, you survived.This is why a legend is good.In any case, a cockroach is a cockroach.


    ¡°Kuoock... What did you just do?¡±


    -I didn¡¯t do anything.My presence as a pope detected and extinguished your evil energy.


    ¡°...¡±


    -There is no need to look at me like I¡¯m a monster.The pope¡¯s presence doesn¡¯t work on Marie Rose.Uh, I have to catch her and seal her...


    ¡°...¡±


    -I guess the lifespan of the sacred wood was shorter than I thought.I think you didn¡¯t release Marie Rose from the seal. It is that the divine power of the coffin weakened and Marie Rose woke up herself from the seal.


    It was true.Grid might¡¯ve stimted Marie Rose, but he wasn¡¯t the one to release Marie Rose¡¯s seal.She woke up by herself and left this ce by herself.Grid just gave her the smell of blood.


    ¡®...In the end, I am a contributor.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to exin it though.Grid took a potion and asked Chreshler,"Were you killed when you sealed Marie Rose?"


    -No?I sealed Marie Rose and lived well for decades, dying after a long time.I lived until I was 110.


    ¡°Then how did you seal Marie Rose before you became the coffin?¡±


    -I naturally sealed her with my holy power.However, the third pope was short-lived, and the fourth and fifth generations were so weak that they couldn¡¯t bear Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence.I felt that Marie Rose was going to awaken, so I was forced to die and be a coffin.I ced my ego into the coffin made of sacred wood.


    ¡°Was it Pagma who helped you at the time?¡±


    -Yes.That jerk...He cheated me.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -He told me that my senses would remain, so I could feel Marie Rose in me forever even when I''m asleep. It was fucking bullshit.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -I lose all my senses when I fall asleep.Thus, I never felt her.Sigh.I was looking forward to waking up and feeling her again...


    ¡°...¡±


    It felt like Grid was having a conversation that was out of focus.Grid woke himself up by hitting his cheeks and corrected the direction of the conversation.


    ¡°Can you tell me about Pagma? Additionally, the first intruder...¡±


    -What are you going to do if I tell you?Are you going to bring Marie Rose back?


    ¡°...¡±


    He wanted Grid to catch Marie Rose?Grid thought it was ridiculous, and Chreshlerughed.


    -You have a cute part, unlike Pagma.Your reaction is straightforward and not bad.Okay.I¡¯ll answer your question.It seems you have been a great help to us since you have received the blessing of the goddess of light and the three churches.


    The second pope instantly discerned the goddess¡¯ blessing and the blessings of the Reba, Judar, and Dominion Churches.


    ¡®Indeed, people should live a good life.¡¯


    There was nothing wrong with the saying ¡®you reap what you sow.¡¯Chreshler spoke to the expectant Grid, -Lie down in me.


    ¡°...In your coffin?¡±


    -Isn¡¯t it better to see it once than listen a hundred times?I¡¯m going to show you my old memories.


    Still, wasn¡¯t lying down in a coffin too much?Grid faced the wide open coffin and was forced to hesitate. As a living person, lying down in a ce where the dead stayed was ufortable.However, this onlysted for a moment.Grid nodded andy down in the coffin.Then...


    [The Sacred Wood Coffin has epted you.]


    [The divine power has permeated you in a very small amount.]


    [The advanced light elemental has responded pleasantly.]


    [The light of the advanced light elemental has be a bit brighter.]


    [Dark resistance has permanently increased by 5%.]


    [In the future, there is a very low chance of adding 5% holy attribute damage to basic attacks.]


    [Affinity with Chreshler has increased by three.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    He received an unexpected benefit!Grid was delighted as his vision turned dark.When he opened his eyes again, he saw a long-haired man standing in front of him.It was a beautiful man who looked like a painting of the Hwarang from the Si Dynasty hanging in an art gallery. (TL: Flower youths, an elite warrior group of Si know for their beauty.)


    ¡®Pagma!¡¯Grid cried out unknowingly, but vocalization was not possible.


    [You are in a frozen state in Chreshler¡¯s past.]


    [You are experiencing the past from Chreshler¡¯s perspective.]


    [You are in an observer state. You can¡¯t intervene in the past.]


    Chreshler opened his mouth on behalf of Grid, ¡°Can you make a coffin out of the sacred wood?¡±


    Chreshler¡¯s past voice was different from the one Grid heard in reality. It was a much older and cracked voice.These must be Chreshler¡¯sst years.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fear the sacred wood?¡±


    ¡°I know enough and have handled the branches of the world tree several times. I believe that experience will help.¡±Pagma¡¯s expression was confident as he answered.


    Chreshler nodded as he sat down and stared at Pagma. ¡°Okay. I will trust you since you are a person the fifth generation rmended.¡±


    Once permission was given, Pagma immediately started working.His movements to suppress the holy power of the sacred wood were careful and delicate but not too slow.Grid admired it.


    ¡®His workmanship is great.¡¯


    This was the person who developed skills in Grid with only knowledge.The process of turning a huge tree into a coffin seemed beautiful.


    [The Sacred Wood Coffin production method has been acquired.]


    [You have learned the techniques to handle the sacred wood.]


    ¡®...!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know if it was useful, but it was an unexpected gain.As Grid rejoiced, time in the past shed by, and Pagmapleted the beautiful white coffin.Chreshler admired it.¡°Beautiful. It will be a good match with Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Is that title a habit? I am a retired pope.¡±


    ¡°I have aplished Your Holiness¡¯ wish and would like to ask for two things.¡±


    ¡°You are a brave man. Okay. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Your Holiness held the funerals for the legends.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I want to know where they are buried.¡±


    ¡°Why?"


    ¡°I also want to honor their souls.¡±


    ¡®...!¡¯Grid¡¯s heart sank.He knew Pagma¡¯s intention behind finding the graves of the legends.The poor appearance of the Undefeated King and the legends who suffered for hundreds of years passed through Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡®...No, no. It is a leap.¡¯


    At this time, Pagma wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s Contractor.He didn¡¯t have the ability to make undead bodies.Pagma¡¯s intention might be as pure as he stated.A chill went over his skin as Grid tried to believe it.However, he felt ufortable because of Pagma¡¯s expression.Pagma had already predicted the future and was making preparations.


    ¡°Also¡­¡±


    Pagma pulled out a sword. The Oriental longsword gave off a beautiful appearance.


    ¡°Teach me how to be strong.¡±


    A resource that must be learned properly in order to utilize the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King.Sword energy was at the end of Pagma¡¯s sword.

 Chapter 998

    <h4>Chapter 998</h4>


    Originally, fighting energy¡ªthe resource of the Hero King¡ªonly umted in battle.It was a great pressure for Grid to use the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship when it consumed fighting energy.Once his fighting energy dispersed and his stats fell, the danger was too great.Grid desperately wanted the ¡®sword energy¡¯ resource of a great swordsman.


    Now at this moment...


    ¡®Sword energy!¡¯


    This was an opportunity to look at how Pagma used sword energy in the past.Grid sensed it.


    ¡®Sword energy will be released!¡¯


    So far, Grid had taken every opportunity to learn Pagma¡¯s skills.He had gained them from hidden pieces, murals, quests, and the Hall of Fame.Grid had been able to acquire Pagma¡¯s skills whenever he followed the arrangements Pagma had left behind.Then what about Great Swordsman Pagma''s Sword Dance?


    It was a skill that had evolved using the goddess¡¯ blessing.Grid hadn¡¯t learned it through any knowledge or hints left behind by Pagma.This meant it was halfpleted.


    ¡®I can¡¯t miss this opportunity!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.He hoped that in witnessing Pagma fighting Chreshler and understanding the Great Swordsman Pagma, Grid would be reborn as a genuine ¡®great swordsman.¡¯


    ¡°Huhu, look at this guy who hasmitted unpardonable atrocities against humans.¡±


    Contrary to Grid¡¯s expectations, a battle didn¡¯t ur.It was because Chreshler stepped back.


    ¡°You want to point your sword at an old man who might die tomorrow? Hey, I¡¯m 110 years old this year, 110. My blood pressure will elevate just from swinging the sword and I can die.Eh,you are a bad guy. I didn¡¯t know that you would use such means.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Pagma, who had drawn his sword, showed no special reaction. He listened to Chreshler¡¯s unusual words and replied quietly, ¡°If you might die tomorrow anyway, does it matter if you die today?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness, please be prepared to die and teach me.¡±


    ¡°Hah!I have never seen such a shameless fellow! The cooked stew doesn¡¯t taste right, so you added some politeness and boiled it again? It is the first time in my life that I¡¯ve met someone like you!¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness, the current peace isn¡¯t eternal. If you die after the first pope, the power to suppress hell will disappear. The age of grief will ur again as the forces of the Yatan Church rise and the great demons run wild without fear.¡±


    ¡°You know that yet you still sealed our church¡¯s three treasures?¡±


    ¡°It was a friend¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°A friend¡¯s request?Huhu,what ludicrous words. An insane person like you has friends? You don¡¯t know what loyalty is.¡±


    ¡°I will be stronger.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I will be strong and defend the world without the need for the Reba Church and Franz. I was prepared for this, so I fulfilled my friend¡¯s request. Please cooperate with me.¡±Pagma raised his sword.


    Chreshler clicked his tongue. ¡°Protecting the peace of this world alone? As the descendant of a fallen god, you are arrogant.Tsk, you yangbans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ignorant about the history of the yangbans. I have never thought of myself as the descendant of a god. I just want to save humanity as a human.¡±


    ¡°Then are you going to kill this old man right now? Is that really the duty of a human?¡±


    ¡°...Your sacrifice will be an opportunity to save tens of millions of people, so it is righteous and justified.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, kukukuk!You are an arrogant and selfish man!¡±


    Chreshler¡¯s anger was transmitted to Grid who was assimted with him.Chreshler was disgusted with Pagma. ¡°From a human¡¯s perspective, you are out of line. You don¡¯t feel it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I am ready to take the me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Your thoughts aren¡¯t as sublime as you think they are! You don¡¯t know? You don¡¯t know because you are a yangban! You aren¡¯t in a position to speak for humans!¡±


    "What is the difference between a yangban and a human? A yangban lives longer and has gained greater power, but they are no different from humans. Our minds, our aversion to evil, and our appearances are the same as humans. We even bleed like humans. Every human is equal, so I will fight for humans.¡±


    ¡°Crazy bastard. You are crazy. A crazy maniac who doesn¡¯t know he is crazy. Oh, good. It is better for you to die here. It was too risky to keep you alive.¡±


    It was close to a miracle.Chreshler¡¯s faith was like a sea that created infinite holy power. This holy power was exercised ording to Chreshler¡¯s will.Hundreds of thousands of spears of light poured out.Pagma looked like his limbs were pierced, and it seemed like he would die instantly.


    However, the reverse happened.Pagma had alreadypleted two linked sword dances.It was a readable move because Grid currently shared Chreshler¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±


    ¡®...!¡¯Grid was astonished.Hundreds of petals containing sword energy bloomed as they revolved.All the spears of light that aimed at Pagma returned to Chreshler.Chreshler set up a barrier of light to absorb the spears and was honestly amazed. ¡°It is a curious swordsmanship. You are the best after Muller and the Undefeated King.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯tpare to them in swordsmanship. That¡¯s why I have to develop.¡±


    ¡°Even by selling your soul to a great demon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, you aren¡¯t denying it.¡±


    This man was dangerous.He shouldn¡¯t be kept alive.Chreshler¡¯s intuition told him this.He believed that hisst mission was to kill this distorted man in front of him.


    ¡°The pope said this. He wouldn¡¯t have chosen me as a sessor if it wasn¡¯t for the crisis. My martial arts were always too weak that he didn¡¯t ept it. However, you are worse than me. You don¡¯t sympathize with anyone. You are insensitive to the suffering of those who are sacrificed for your purposes. I don¡¯t know if you were like this from the beginning or that you¡¯ve changed but you are already evil.¡±


    Chreshler¡¯s body was covered with 12 colors of light.The sword and armor hanging on the wall were wrapped in five colors of light and flew to Chreshler.He applied over 17 types of buffs to himself and his battle gear.A too powerful force shattered the ground and shook the building.As Chreshler¡¯s power overflowed, Grid felt naked.He couldsee the ¡®world that transcendents saw.¡¯


    -!


    Time stopped.In a world where only light refraction urred, Chreshler advanced by breaking through the stopped fragments in the air.As the distance between him and Pagma narrowed, Pagma¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t blink once.A sword that followed the light¡ªit was only after it prated Pagma¡¯s shoulder three times that a sound was made btedly, and blood sshed out.Grid saw the gushing blood that consisted of numerous ¡®droplets¡¯.


    ¡®He avoided it?¡¯


    Grid gulped.Pagma clearly avoided the pope¡¯s sword that was fired like a sh of light. It was originally the heart that should be pierced, but the damage was minimized to one shoulder.


    ¡°...¡±Pagma¡¯s physical body started to strengthen.cksmith''s Rage was a buff that Grid knew, but the other four buffs were unfamiliar. They could be skills that belonged to Pagma¡¯s items or Pagma¡¯s own skills.


    -!


    The swords continued to collide in the air, but there was no sound.The present world was like a paused movie.The blood that flowed from Pagma¡¯s shoulder froze as thousands of droplets in the air.Against this backdrop, Pagma and Chreshler moved and exchanged blows.The sounds could only be heard after the collision.In that gap, Pagma and Chreshler had already exchanged dozens of blows.


    ¡°Transcend Kill Flower.¡±


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Revolve Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Revolve Pinnacle Chop.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower.¡±


    ¡°Transcended Pinnacle Kill Chop.¡±


    The sword dances continued constantly.


    ¡®Pagma admired the work of Dainsleif and Valha and gave an example. It is said that he showed off his swordsmanship while wearing Dainsleif, which has never been used by any hero. The beauty of it was unbelievable, and the swordsmanship seemed to pierce the sky, creating lightning.¡¯The description that Albatino, Khan¡¯s ancestor, used to describe Pagma''s Sword Dance came to Grid¡¯s mind.


    A swordsmanship that pierced the sky¡ªGrid had always thought it was an exaggeration.It was because there was a huge gap in the Pagma''s Sword Dance that he had learned and the description of Pagma''s Sword Dance.However, not now.This was the true Pagma''s Sword Dance.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Pagma, who was covered in wounds, struggled to stand up.Meanwhile, Chreshler had only allowed one blow, but he was staggering. He used heal to restore the wound, but the 17 buffs wereing to an end.


    ¡°Damn rotten thing,¡± the pope¡¯s disbelieving voice emerged from Chreshler¡¯s mouth.He grumbled like a child, ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know! No! I quit!¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡± Pagma didn¡¯t have the energy to even speak.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped because his magic and swordsmanship had reached the limit.Chreshler took off his armor. ¡°It is hard. My body is heavy.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    ¡°You really tried to kill me. Shit. It is sad to be old.¡±


    ¡°Pant... Pant...Thank... Thank you...¡± Pagma, who had been holding on, finally flopped down. His fingertips were trembling. ¡°Thank you for Your Holiness¡¯ teachings... More sword dances are avable...¡±


    ¡°Tsk,¡± Chreshler clicked his tongue.He was still worried.Chreshler thought that Pagma was dangerous and should be killed.However, he didn¡¯t want to be hurt by such a disaster.Eventually, Chreshler chose to flee.


    ¡®In any case, I¡¯ll die soon, so the fate should be borne by those left behind.¡¯


    Ah, he didn¡¯t know.He would just take a break.This was hisst thought.Chreshler¡¯s consciousness was cut off.He had died.Chreshler¡¯s bluff that he would die if he did too much hadn¡¯t been an exaggeration.In his darkening vision...


    ¡°Go peacefully. I will respectfully enshrine your soul in the Sacred Wood Coffin.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s figure could be seen bowing politely.Then Grid returned to reality.


    [The past experience is over!]


    [You have seen and understood the Great Swordsman Pagma''s Sword Dance!]


    [The title ¡®Great Swordsman¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The new resource ¡®Sword Energy¡¯ has opened because of the title effect.]


    [The effect of the Sword Mastery skill has slightly increased due to the title effect.]


    [The information of Great Swordsman Pagma''s Sword Dance has updated.]


    [The fusion of sword dances has be rtively free.]


    [When using a sword, the resource consumed will be changed from mana to sword energy.]


    [Instead of having an increase in level, the sword dances have been reset to level 1. The maximum level of all sword dances is three. However, the level of the fusion sword dances is fixed at one.]


    [The new sword dance Flower has been learned.]


    ¡°...¡± Grid opened his eyes quietly in the coffin.He was licking his lips when Chreshler¡¯s voice entered his ears, -There¡¯s nothing special, right?That¡¯s all I know about Pagma.He is a bit crazy¡ªa liar and the murderer of an old man.


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    There were too many parts to argue about that Grid turned away.He shook his head and rose from the coffin.Grid felt himself bing stronger.

 Chapter 999

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the identity of this person!¡±


    It was a ce where two giants that shook the foundations of the continent were asleep. There were few ces as special, even if the entire continent were searched. Thus, Grid was obsessed. A person who visited this ce ahead of himself¡ªGrid wanted to know their identity.


    ¡®An ordinary person can¡¯t endure Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. The first visitor must not be a normal person.¡¯


    It must be a presence simr to a legend. What was their identity, and why did theye here? Perhaps it would be profitable if the hidden story was heard. Information was power. This was the calction of a seasoned yer, and fortunately, Chreshler was cooperative.


    -It was Muller.


    ¡°Muller? Ah, Muller? Sword Saint Muller?¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°Right... Huh?¡± Grid had been nodding only to stiffen like he was hit by a lightning bolt. Sword Saint Muller, the strongest human being¡ªhe was rated as the strongest among all the legends, not just the past legends. Grid was moved at the thought of hearing his story.


    Then he had a question. ¡®Wait... Muller is a person from the era before Pagma. Yet he visited here? Isn¡¯t it right for Muller to have died before this ce existed?¡¯


    The precise birth date of Sword Saint Muller hadn¡¯t been recorded. However, Muller¡¯s period of activity recorded in official history coincided with the activities of the first pope. From approximately 320¨C400 years ago, he was the protagonist who sealed the great demons and ended the era of grief, dying around 250 years ago.


    ¡°How many years ago was it?¡±Grid asked the question.


    -It was around 160 years ago?Chreshler gave a shocking answer.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that the age when Pagma was active? Ah!¡¯Grid noticed.¡®Muller also lived for hundreds of years like Pagma!¡¯


    In retrospect, someone said that Muller died 150 years ago. Grid thought it was distorted information at the time. Then he recalled Pagma who had lived for hundreds of years and thought he had likely lived through some type of technique.


    ¡®Pagma didn¡¯t know that.¡¯


    Pagma had thought that Muller was dead. If he had known that Muller was alive, he would¡¯ve chosen to cooperate with Muller rather than contract with a great demon.


    -I¡¯ve told you, right?I¡¯m going to sleep.It feels lonely to wake up in a world without Marie Rose.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute! Why did Mullere here 160 years ago? Additionally, when did he die?¡±


    -You have a lot to say.Why do you want so much without giving anything in return?Pagma made this coffin but what did you do?Don¡¯t you have any shame?


    ¡°...!¡± Grid was stung.


    He was reminded that Chreshler had no reason to be favorable to him.


    -I¡¯m sleeping.Bye.


    ¡°W-Wait...!¡±


    Chreshler shouldn¡¯t leave this way. Grid had to hear the backstory. With this in mind, Grid shouted,¡°I know where Marie Rose is!¡±


    Chreshler¡¯s reaction was surprisingly lukewarm.-I know.She is somewhere in the vampire cities.So what?Will you bring her?Can you bring her?


    ¡°...¡±


    -Don¡¯t spit out words that you can¡¯t handle.You can suffer the wrath of a fierce anger.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    -Hmm...You have done enough good deeds to merit the blessings of the goddess of light and the three churches, so I will give you a bit more kindness.Okay.I¡¯ll tell you what you want to know.Do you know Amoract?


    ¡°The great demon? He is the First Servant of the Yatan Church.¡±


    -So, you already know.


    The demon of conflict, Amoract¡ªGrid had the experience of meeting his soul. The first time Grid lent his body to Braham, Braham visited Amoract and the pavranium received Yatan¡¯s Blessing. Grid couldn¡¯t forget the menacing presence that had emitted from just the fragment of a soul.


    -He was afraid of Marie Rose.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Marie Rose was strong enough to ignite fear in a great demon?


    -One of the nine great demons who deprived Beriache of her great demon status and deported the vampire n from hell was Amoract.Since he directly took over controlling the activities of the Yatan Church, Beriache was an obvious risk factor.


    ¡°...!¡±Grid recalled the contents of the conversation between Braham and Amoract. It had already been a few years, but he vaguely remembered the conversation because it had been an impressive meeting.


    ¡°You were aware that I would look for you.¡±


    [Of course. Braham needs the blessings of the gods to escape from his mortal body.]


    ¡°Will you give me Yatan¡¯s Blessing?¡±


    [That¡¯s right.]


    ¡°Kukukuk, the Yatan Church seems to be hostile to Marie Rose.¡±


    [God Yatan favors you, regardless of Marie Rose. Always remember this point.]


    God Yatan was against Marie Rose. Braham had clearly said so. An opponent that bothered even the god of evil...


    It wasn¡¯t strange that one great demon was afraid of her.


    ¡®Marie Rose is a much stronger presence than I expected. Amoract and Yatan gave Braham strength because they wanted Braham to keep her in check.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mind was elevated after realizing new facts. He felt he was getting closer to the world view, that he was bing a special existence. Chreshler¡¯s exnation continued.


    -So, Amoract used Muller.He¡¯s good at scheming.He spread the rumor that if Marie Rose wasn¡¯tpletely destroyed, she would work with the great demons to destroy humans. This reached the ears of Muller who was retired.The vampires were the main enemies of the school at the time. Muller didn¡¯t have a chance to deal with vampires and didn¡¯t understand the race called vampires.Thus, he believed the rumor and came to this ce.


    ¡°It was topletely destroy Marie Rose.¡±


    -Yes.Then he went back.I exined it well and sent him back.


    ¡°Excuse me... Your Holiness. How did Muller stay alive until then? Did he take away the lifespan of others or contract with a great demon?¡±


    -You really don¡¯t understand legends.A legend is an existence that became a legend due to the ¡®feats¡¯ that they built up.Legends don¡¯t die easily as long as they aren¡¯t forgotten by people.


    ¡°...!¡±


    A message window shed through Grid¡¯s mind.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    This was the moment he understood the background of the skill. Yet it raised another question. ¡°However... Khan... was a great cksmith that I knew couldn¡¯t ovee the limitations of life even if he became a legend. He died as soon as he became a legend. I also haven¡¯t heard that other legends have lived for hundreds of years except for Pagma.¡±


    -He didn¡¯t build up feats that people never stopped talking about.Moreover, production sses like cksmith are difficult to obtain the benefits of their feats.People focus on the works they create, not the person who created them.Should I give you an example that is easy to understand?The man called the Undefeated King.He was the owner of abat power that wasn¡¯t inferior to Sword Saint Muller and was never defeated in a solo battle.However, these activities were confined to his homnd.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -His feats were only spoken about by his people, not the whole continent.It means his fame was weak and his status as a legend fell.He died in the hands of the Saharan Empire, but if he didn¡¯t die, he wouldn¡¯t have lived for long.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid understood somewhat. As a yer, he was able to receive the benefits of immortality as soon as he became a legend, but the inhabitants of this world were different.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    The first people Grid thought about were Piaro and Mercedes. Grid had stopped them from participating inbat as much as possible because he was afraid they would be in danger. Now it turned out not to be a wise move.


    ¡®In order to keep them alive for a long time, it is necessary for them to engage in many battles and build up feats.¡¯


    In particr, Mercedes was the problem. Piaro¡¯s farming could build up a certain amount of feats, but Mercedes was a knight. She was supposed to be on the battlefield to build up her feats.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Pagma know about the concept of a legend? He believed that Muller was dead.¡±


    -Even though he understood the concept, he wouldn¡¯t have doubted Muller¡¯s death.No legend has as many feats as Muller, and there is no precedent for a legend who has lived as long as Muller.Who would¡¯ve imagined that Muller would be alive for hundreds of years?I didn¡¯t imagine it until I saw him myself.


    ¡°Is Muller still alive?¡±


    -No, Chreshler asserted, -He is dead.The world is constantly changing, and new things constantly ur.People are interested in new characters rather than praising a person who lived a long time ago. The number of times Muller was talked about decreased.


    ¡°...¡±Grid got goosebumps.


    The form of ¡®being forgotten is true death¡¯ was unusually cruel. He imagined Muller dying in solitude. Then Chreshlerughed. He was aware of what Grid was thinking. -Haha, it doesn¡¯t make sense to bepletely forgotten just because the number of times he is talked about has decreased.Aren¡¯t we talking about Muller now?How many times have you heard Muller¡¯s story while you¡¯ve been alive?


    Grid had heard it dozens or hundreds of times. Yes, Muller wasn¡¯tpletely forgotten nor did he die in solitude. It would be stranger if he couldn¡¯t die after being talked about for every minute and second. Muller had been lonelier and more bitter when he was alone. He would¡¯ve been the happiest at the end of his life.


    Chreshler¡¯s voice was mild throughout Muller¡¯s story. Even Chreshler sincerely respected Muller. Maybe it was because Muller¡¯s story made him feel better but Chreshlerforted Grid.


    -The great cksmith you mentioned.You called him ¡®Khan¡¯?


    ¡°Yes... That¡¯s right.¡±


    The name ¡®Khan¡¯ emerged from 2nd Pope Chreshler¡¯s mouth. Grid felt somewhat overwhelmed and excited as Chreshler kindly told him, -The fact that he couldn¡¯t ovee the limitations of life means that he enjoyed his natural life.It would¡¯ve been a great blessing for him to leave when he had to leave.Imagine if he was forced to live as long as Muller.How old and lonely would he be?


    ¡°...Your Holiness is right. Khan was happy at thest minute.¡±


    Khan had be a legend and fallen asleep in Grid¡¯s arms. He had also been reunited with his family. Yes, he would¡¯ve been satisfied. He would¡¯ve been happy.


    ¡®Khan. Are you watching? Chreshler is talking about you. You have reallye a long way. You must feel good.¡¯


    Grid gained constion thanks to Chreshler and smiled warmly. Simultaneously...


    [Affinity with Chreshler has increased by 10.]


    An unexpected notification window popped up.


    -You seem to have no concept, but your nature is good.I like it a bit.


    Chreshler gave him a good (?) evaluation. Grid was happy. Chreshler might be a coffin now, but he was still one of the greatest figures in history. Grid felt reassured about gaining affinity with him.


    -Now I really will go to sleep.


    Grid was about to bow to Chreshler when he suddenly had another question. ¡°He isn¡¯t a legend. Then what is a person who has lived for hundreds of years despite humans not speaking of his feats? Is he not human in the first ce?¡±


    -You are really annoying, Chreshler grumbled. Still, he exined, -He is either non-human or a transcendent.


    Transcendent...! Grandmaster Zikfrector was close to a transcendent.


    ¡°What exactly is a transcendent? How are they different from legends?¡±


    -The thing that both legends and transcendents have inmon is that they have talent that transcends the category of humans. However, legends build up a presence through their feats while transcendents only concentrate on their own discipline.They can get a long life depending on what they trained and studied.


    ¡°Is a legend better than a transcendent?¡±


    -If it is merely a discussion on their abilities, a transcendent is generally better than a legend.The legend wanders around here and there, wasting their time on solving problems. Meanwhile, transcendents only spend time on their own development.Of course, a legend¡¯s experience is a strength, so there are many legends that are overwhelmingly stronger than transcendents. A typical example is Muller.


    ¡°...Then that means transcendents are usually selfish?¡±


    -Who knows?Are they selfish because they don¡¯t fight for world peace or development?Don¡¯t you know?Sometimes it isn¡¯t good to be conspicuous?Well, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re missing some screws.


    ¡°Missing screws?¡±


    -Most things that aren¡¯t consistent with their purpose are ignored.From a general point of view, they might seem like a person who isn¡¯t motivated or gives up easily.If it wasn¡¯t for Marie Rose, I wouldn¡¯t have received the position of 2nd Pope.


    ¡°...¡±


    Why did the grandmaster simply retreat in the evil eyes¡¯ vige? One question was resolved, but Grid had a new question. Transcendent Zikfrector... Why did he serve the empire if he had no loyalty to the empire?


    ¡®What is his purpose?¡¯


    It was ufortable. Grid was locked in deep thought when he saw the guild chat window. An exmation point had popped up. It meant there was a notice.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he verified the contents of the notice.


    ***


    ¡°Whose statue is this?¡±


    Sky King Rigal upied Bairan in less than half a day. He stood in front of arge statue in the square and cocked his head. It was the statue of a kind old man. His eyes were zing like mes, but he had a friendly smile. The old man¡¯s hand was holding a hammer.


    ¡°My lord is asking you something!¡±


    When no one answered, Rigal¡¯s soldiersshed out and started beating the prisoners. The prisoners were the Overgeared soldiers who had been defeated and captured in battle. They had failed to fulfill their duty to protect Bairan and had to suffer the humiliation of being taken prisoner. Still, they felt determined not to answer the enemy¡¯s questions, even if they were beaten to death.


    Rigal scoffed, ¡°Isn¡¯t a statue meaningless? A country with no history is putting up a statue of a fictional person?¡±


    When Rigal touched the statue in a mocking manner, one of the prisoners roared, ¡°Hand. Put it away. Now!¡±


    It was an Overgeared knight bound by chains.His name was Jude.He was great in battle, and catching him had been one of the hardest challenges in this battle.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡± A smile emerged on Rigal¡¯s face. He looked gorgeous in the air force uniform with matted silver hair and blood-like red eyes. Rigal looked favorably at Jude. ¡°If I listen to your request, will you be my subordinate?¡±


    Rigal coveted Jude, who was a knight with excellent physical abilities, despite his low intelligence.


    Wasn¡¯t Jude a great person to have as a subordinate? An alpha dog who wouldn¡¯t bite his owner no matter what...


    Jude shook his head.¡°Jude. Only master. Overgeared King. One minute.¡±


    Look, just like this.


    ¡°I will give you better treatment. It will be much better than the Overgeared King.¡±


    It was impossible to give better treatment than the Overgeared King. Jude could be strong thanks to Grid¡¯s efforts and attention. It was Grid who had discovered and trained his talent. If Grid hadn¡¯t made items suitable for Jude¡¯s characteristics, the current Jude wouldn¡¯t exist.


    Jude existed because of Grid. Without Grid, Jude was like a t steamed bun, an ount without any bnce. However, Rigal didn¡¯t know the situation. After all, he was one of the strongest powers of the Saharan Empire. So, he believed that he had the best resources and power on the continent and was much better than the Overgeared King.


    One of the Overgeared membersughed. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the subject.¡±


    The youth shouting in a loud voice was Ibellin. He was in charge of Bairan on behalf of Jishuka, who was in Reidan. Ibellin had fought desperately throughout the battle but was eventually captured. He had sacrificed his life to cut down the enemies, died, resurrected, and fought again. However, Bairan was still upied.


    Ibellin couldn¡¯t forgive himself. He cursed Rigal for trampling on Bairan¡¯snd.


    ¡°You will give more than Grid? It is impossible even if you cut off your head and offer it...¡±


    Ibellin¡¯s words didn¡¯tst long. It was because Rigal approached and cut off Ibellin¡¯s head. Notification windows popped up as Ibellin¡¯s vision turned gray.


    [You have died.]


    [You have lost 35.6% experience.]


    [You have lost an additional 10% experience from the war penalty.]


    [The person who killed you has applied the ¡®Poison to Immortal¡¯ effect. You have lost 10% more experience.]


    [You have died twice in 24 hours, resulting in a restricted ess penalty.]


    The war penalty was expected and convincing. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to lose experience because they were able to gain experience in the war. However, Poison to Immortals was unexpected and the worst poison. A total loss of an extra 20% experience. It was like hell.


    ¡®It is dangerous. It is really dangerous. Everyone, be careful...¡¯


    Ibellin turned to gray. Anger appeared on the faces of the Overgeared members while the soldiers and residents were terrified. Jude roared, ¡°Kill you!¡±


    It was a meaningless struggle. Jude¡¯s struggle just caused the chains to be tighter. Rigal dismissed him and directly read the words on the statue.


    [Bronze Statue of Khan, Legendary cksmith]


    [A great cksmith who dedicated his life to creating countless weapons and armor for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    My teacher, friend, and family.


    -Overgeared King Grid-]


    ¡°Hoh? The rumored person...¡±


    The empire¡¯s intelligencework was excellent. It was impossible for them to not know about Khan, who had been closest to Grid.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if statues of him were ced all over the kingdom.¡¯


    The person called Khan had very great meaning for the Overgeared King and his people. Rigal knew this fact and ordered, ¡°Break the statue and throw it into the river.¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do it!¡± Jude was bing more and more berserk. His skin that was touching the chains was red, blood flowed onto the iron, and his hair became matted. Now even the soldiers and residents felt anger instead of fear. Someone begged him not to do this, but Rigal didn¡¯t take back themand.


    As the statue crumbled, Rigal dered,¡°The empire will thoroughly restructure this ce. All symbols of the Overgeared Kingdom will be burned, and your spirit will be trampled on. Resent being born into a powerless nation and conform to the will of power.¡±

 Chapter 1000

    Happy 1,000 chapters. Check out the link below for all the winners!


    Contest Winners


    * Urgent Notice *


    The imperial air forces have raided Bairan.


    The altitude of their air force is higher than the information we had stated.


    The anti-air surveince and defense facilities throughout the Overgeared Kingdom are useless.


    The imperial air forces have upied Bairan.


    The contents of the notice listed sequentially were short but contained the essence. The worst situation was clearly depicted to be currently happening in Bairan. There were currently approximately 1,000 Overgeared members. Most of the members scattered throughout the kingdom rushed to Bairan as soon as they confirmed the notice. They hoped to be of help.


    However, the result didn¡¯t change.


    ¡®It was captured in only half a day?¡¯


    Originally belonging to Winston, Bairan had developed into a cityrger than Winston and gained independence. Bairan had geographical advantages and was a special ce for Grid and the early Overgeared members. This meant it received a lot of investments. Piaro had stayed there for a while to develop the agriculture, making it the most important supply base for the Overgeared Kingdom apart from Reidan. It inevitably meant there were many troops stationed at Bairan.


    Although it could be ssified as the outskirts of the north, Lauel knew the importance of the supply base and had 8,000 troops stationed in Bairan as preparation for unforeseen situations. Additionally, he had deployed 25 mid-to-upper level Overgeared members led by Ibellin. Yet, Bairan had been upied in only half a day.


    ¡®The strength of the empire¡¯s air force exceeded expectations.¡¯


    Of course, they knew that one of the strongest armies in the empire was the air force. It was a terrible sight to see 5,000 griffons and 300 wyverns. How powerful would it be when the scary monsters were used as a systematic army? Lauel had identified the air force as one of their greatest challenges and carefully reviewed the performance of Sky King Rigal, who had been promoted over the years.


    He had concluded that only the elite members could go against the air force and proceeded to install anti-air facilities across the kingdom. For a long time, enormous capital was invested in anti-air surveince and defense facilities. The levels of facilities such as watchtowers, anti-air cannons, magic watchtowers, magic turrets, and so on were all level 10. Nevertheless, this was the result. Their money was spent in vain.


    ¡®Dammit, this is X.¡¯


    The maximum level of the facilities recognized by the administration system was 10. All facilities in the kingdom couldn¡¯t exceed level 10 unless the kingdom was upgraded to an empire. That¡¯s right. The anti-air facilities of the Overgeared Kingdom were the best possible, but they were useless against the imperial air force...? If Grid had known this, he wouldn¡¯t have spent money in the first ce.


    ¡®Was I feeding thepany money again?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t setting the imperial air force¡ªthe strongest air force on the continent¡ªagainst yers a scam? Grid cursed the S.A Group before soon rebuking himself.


    ¡®No, it is my fault in the end. Lauel emphasized the dangers of the air force. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I made my own cannons.¡¯


    Grid did not know how to make magic turrets, but he could produce anti-air cannons. The power of the cannons produced by Grid was naturally stronger than ordinary ones. Yet Grid had turned away under the pretext of being busy. He should¡¯ve expected that the empire¡¯s air force was called the strongest on the continent because they contained a power that overwhelmed existing air defense systems, but he hadn¡¯t felt that way. Instead, he had believed it was more efficient to strengthen the guild members¡¯ items than to construct facilities. His way of thinking was too narrow.


    ¡°There is an urgent matter, so I have to leave. I am grateful to you. I wish you all the best until the next time we meet.¡±


    -I am already dead. Bring Marie Rose or don¡¯te back.


    Grid respectfully said goodbye to Chreshler and used the return scroll. However, the scroll didn¡¯t work because of Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. In the end, he left the cave and moved to a ce that wasn¡¯t affected by Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. He was in a hurry. Then a person suddenly popped up in his mind. ¡®Jude!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s first knight¡ªhe wasn¡¯t a named NPC, which meant he had few unique stories. Born in Winston, Jude had strong bones but his intelligence was low. Jude¡¯s setting was summarized with this simple line. Therefore, Grid wasn¡¯t deeply involved in Jude¡¯s life unlike how he was with Piaro, Asmophel, and Mercedes. Jude¡¯s intelligence was too low, and a normal conversation couldn¡¯t be shared.


    However, they shared a lot of time and memories. There had few conversations with each other, but they had a deep spiritual connection and knew each other well enough to read their hearts with their eyes. Jude¡¯s power and potential were lowpared to the other knights¡¯, but Grid treasured and trusted him. It was proof of Grid¡¯s trust that he left the security of an important city like Bairan to Jude. That faith had be poison.


    ¡°Knights Summoning!¡±


    Jude was in danger. Maybe he was dying right now. Grid was on the verge of losing his reason at the thought. The days he had spent with Jude passed through his mind like a kaleidoscope.


    [Please select an article to summon.]


    ¡°Jude!¡± Grid¡¯s big shout rang out through the forest. Grid desperately wanted Jude to appear before him. However, it was impossible. Jude didn¡¯t respond to his summons.


    ¡°Jude?¡±


    Grid became more and more irritated as he quickly escaped from the scope of the evil influence. Immediately after using the return scroll, he went to see Sticks.


    ***


    The statue of Khan rolled across the ground as dozens of fragments, and Rigal stepped on them one by one. Rigal¡¯s ruthless violence crushed Khan¡¯s hammer, arms, feet, and legs in front of the people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! No!¡± Jude¡¯s shaking became worse. Every time Rigal erased part of Khan¡¯s image, Jude struggled, and more blood poured from his body tied by chains.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do this? No, I can do it. This is already the empire¡¯s territory. I have an obligation to cleanse this city prior to offering it to His Majesty the Emperor, and you¡ªthe loser¡ªhave no right to exercise your will.¡±


    Rigal¡¯s air force served as the vanguard of the empire. Just like in most battles, he captured the enemy and destroyed their will before the main force came forward. Rigal was a veteran. He knew how to break down the spirit of the enemies and adapt to change. The very first step was the destruction of a symbol. Mechanically, Rigal trampled on the shoulders of the statue as he turned his eyes toward the granary on the ridge far away.


    Rigal¡¯s next target was the life, sweat, treasure, and hope of the Bairan people.


    ¡®It is a shame, but burning it is better.¡¯


    During the war, it was ideal to take food from enemy camps to replenish their own supplies. However, Rigal¡¯s air force was few in number and had to carry prisoners. They couldn¡¯t afford to transport food as well. There was no guarantee that they could definitely defend this ce until the empire¡¯s main force arrived. He couldn¡¯t overlook the fact that this city was in the middle of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Therefore, Rigal chose destruction. The tied-up knight was shaking more fiercely as he tried to break the chains binding his hands and feet. Rigal looked at the scene. Then he raised his foot over thest remaining piece of the statue. It was the head¡ªthe head of the statue that represented a person called Khan.


    ¡°In the near future, your king¡¯s head will be at my feet like this. Discard your foolish expectations and surrender to the empire. The people who surrender right now won¡¯t be enved and will be epted as a person of the empire, receiving proper treatment from the soldiers. Don¡¯t miss the chance to enjoy the mercy and protection of His Majesty the Emperor.¡±


    Rigal increased the strength of his foot. Khan¡¯s face cracked slightly.


    ¡°No...!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Blood burst in Jude¡¯s eyes as he tried to break the chains. Since the time he was a soldier of Winston, Jude couldn¡¯t have dreamed of a better life than what he received after King Grid stretched out his hand to him. King Grid didn¡¯t care about Jude¡¯s stupidity and gave him many things. Grid was his benefactor. Rather than paying him back, Jude had to watch Grid¡¯s family be insulted?


    ¡°I don¡¯t like iiiiit!¡± Jude roared while shedding tears of blood. His intelligence was low, so his thoughts were simple. It was because his thoughts were simple that his will was more clearly pronounced. He had to destroy the enemy in front of him. In order to do that, he needed to break free of these restraints.


    The ultimate will was simple and clear, and it dominated Jude¡¯s mind and body. Ignoring the pressure of the hard shackles, Jude¡¯s wrist moved and finally broke in a strange direction. The eight bones sustaining his wrist and the bones of the hands were crushed without oveing the pressure of the chains. Jude¡¯spletely squashed left hand drooped and slipped through a small gap in the chains.


    ¡°What are you going to do with a hand that can¡¯t even hold a fork?¡± Rigal asked as he was surprised by Jude¡¯s ignorant behavior.


    ¡°Kuoong...¡± Jude slipped his left hand through a gap in the chains and gripped. He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to rip off the chains.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Most of the bones and nerves were damaged yet he still had strength in his hands? Wasn¡¯t it almost magical?


    ¡°Hat...! Kuhahahat! A great guy!¡± Rigal burst outughing. He coveted Jude even more. Rigal was convinced there were few people as strong in the empire.


    Jude finally stood up and shouted at Rigal, ¡°The feet. Remove it.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to join me?¡± Rigal asked.


    Jude shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t want. You. Bad.¡±


    ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Rigal increased the strength of his feet. The statue¡¯s face was crushed.


    Jude let out a sound that was close to a scream, then he rushed toward Rigal. Blood flowed all over his body, his hand hung down, and his hair was matted. He seemed no different from a giant running over.


    ¡°Crazy bastard!¡±


    Rigal¡¯s soldiers were instantly shaken. They didn¡¯t think of stopping Jude and hid themselves behind shields.


    ¡°Jude! Run away!¡± The Overgeared members shouted. However, Jude ignored them and ran straight forward. He just moved with his own ideals. His will couldn¡¯t be changed.


    [The king you made the pledge of loyalty to has called you.]


    [The miracle of the pledge is manifested as space movement.]


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    It had happened previously when he was taking a bath. Jude had responded to the king¡¯s call while naked. At that time, the king had told him to check his condition before responding to the summons. Thus, Jude didn¡¯t respond immediately to Grid¡¯s call this time. In fact, he wasn¡¯t thinking of anything. He just thought that he should destroy Rigal.


    Jude¡¯s big fist struck Rigal¡¯s face. No, it seemed to hit. Beyond the shockwave caused by the collision, Jude¡¯s fist was caught in Rigal¡¯s hand. It was almost impossible for the level 390 Jude to punch Rigal, who was already level 439 when Grid saw him a year and a half ago. Of course, this was for a normal situation.


    ¡°This time I¡¯ll have to lock you up.¡± Rigal stated while holding Jude¡¯s fist.


    ¡°...?!¡± Then Rigal suffered from an unexpected blow. Jude¡¯s left hand¡ªits bones were shattered yet the hand still flew at Rigal¡¯s mouth. It was apletely unexpected attack, and Rigal was forced to allow it. Of course, the damage was zero.


    ¡°Indeed... It isn¡¯t easy to tame a beast. A strict education is needed.¡±


    Rigal had treated Jude well, but his expression became ugly for the first time. A duke of the Saharan Empire¡ªit was hard for him to maintainpassion when he,a representative of the emperor and one of the top powers in the empire, was assaulted. This was the moment when he pulled out his whip.


    Jude was a man who had tasted despair a thousand times but didn¡¯t feel frustrated because he had no thoughts. Now, he wasn¡¯t frustrated because he had a single thought in his heart.


    ¡°...?¡±


    An unknown message seeped into Grid¡¯s ears as he was at Reinhardt.


    [The skill of your knight Jude ¡®I have no Idea (SS-) has evolved to ¡®Frustration Raises a Man (SS)!]


    [Your knight Jude has been enhanced by the skill effect of Frustration Raises a Man (SS)!]


    There was a series of alerts.


    ¡°W-What?¡± Grid was confused.


    In Bairan, Jude was swinging his left hand again. Jude¡¯s ragged left hand was restored and the power and speed were iparable to before. Rigal wasn¡¯t able to grab Jude¡¯s left hand using his hand and had to wield his whip.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Rigal, his soldiers, the Overgeared members, the residents, and the staff of the international broadcasters filming the scene were stunned. Only Jude swung his fists without thinking.


    1. Jude.


    2. Grid¡¯s first knight.


    3. Instant recovery ability.


    4. NPC worldly wisdom method.


    5. NPC¡¯s sudden strength.


    6. How to obtain a NPC subordinate.


    7. Where is Grid?


    The popr search queries for portal sites in different countries started to change.

 Chapter 1001

    Sky King Rigal¡¯s ss was a rider, and his main weapon was arge bow. His archery skills were like a reaper¡¯s scythe as he climbed onto his ancient wyvern Allentica and fired from an altitude of 800 meters. Anybody targeted by Rigal would die, but now the situation was different.


    Currently, Rigal was on the ground. He couldn¡¯t take advantage of the rider ss, and the whip in his hand was normally used to train his wyvern. Jude¡¯s fist fell like a rock, and thunder rose from the ground. Every time Jude wielded his fist, a shockwave would stir up the ground. It was as if Jude¡¯s fist contained the greatest disaster that humans could suffer. The imperial forces gulped, and the Overgeared members had hope.


    One hit... Jude¡¯s fist struck Rigal¡¯s face once, and it seemed the tide would turn.


    ¡°My Lord, I will cover you.¡± In the end, a subordinate couldn¡¯t hide his anxiety and immediately wanted to give the entire army a boarding order.


    Earl Baron, who was Rigal¡¯s right-hand man andmander of the air force, shook his head though. ¡°Let him enjoy it. He seems to want to peek at the potential of that wild boar.¡±


    The conversation of the two people continued. During this time, Rigal carefully avoided all the attacks and wielded his whip while being wary of Jude¡¯s left hand.


    ¡°Urgh!¡±


    A single whip tied up Jude¡¯s left right while he struck Jude¡¯s right hand at the same time. The small pendulum at the end of the whip contained more weight than expected, and Jude¡¯s hand instantly became swollen.


    ¡°This whip is an artifact that delivers shock through the scales and skin of a wyvern. If you are an ordinary person, you would¡¯ve felt a pain that was unbearable.¡±The corners of Rigal¡¯s lips curved up.¡°Yet you are enduring it. The more I look, the more I like you.¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± Jude was like a wounded beast. His flesh couldn¡¯t feel anything as he pulled the whip around his left hand toward him. Simultaneously, Jude swung his fist.


    ¡°Haha, where... Hup?!¡± Rigal was like a frightened child as the whip was pulled tight. It was because he couldn¡¯t handle the strength of Jude¡¯s left hand and was dragged over. In Rigal¡¯s field of view, thendscape of the world moved at a high speed. He was suddenly right before Jude¡¯s nose. Jude¡¯s right fist struck Rigal¡¯s face.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    It was an unreal sight! One of the Seven Dukes, the symbol of the authority and strength of the empire, was being overwhelmed by an obscure knight...? Rigal¡¯s soldiers were shocked by the unimaginable situation, but it was only temporary. The moment Jude¡¯s fist hit Rigal¡¯s face, it sounded like a rock being hit by a sledgehammer. Nevertheless, there wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood on Rigal¡¯s face, and he wasn¡¯t hurt. Rigal¡¯s body was hard enough to ovee Jude¡¯s offensive power.


    ¡°Ohhh...!¡±


    ¡°As expected from My Lord...!¡±


    The soldiers cheered, but the euphoria didn¡¯tst long. Suddenly, Jude¡¯s left hand¡ªwhich was bound by the whip¡ª Rigal¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Rigal groaned first. His face even twisted up with pain. The Gold Dragon Armor that symbolized the Sky King seemed colorless.


    ¡°You! Die!¡± Jude¡¯s killing intent rose further. His left hand, which was restored and strengthened by the will of his thoughts, darkened and was bing as hard as metal. One blow, two blows, three blows, four blows!


    ¡°Cough!¡± Dark blood finally flowed from Rigal¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± Earl Baron, who had been calm the whole time, was now embarrassed and ordered the entire army to board.


    The internationalmunity was in an uproar.


    -Wow... What is Jude¡¯s left hand?Just his left hand is terrifying.


    -It is really incredible.I heard that even the high rankers can¡¯t fight against the seven dukes of the empire, but Grid¡¯s subordinate is doing it.


    -It is being overgeared~


    -Was one of the NPCs in the four heavenly kings in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation named Jude?


    -It seems like it.


    -It seems like it? ??How does it seem like it? ?? Jude is a fighter while the four heavenly kings were a fisherman, a swordsman, a knight, and a tank.


    -Wow, really?Then Jude isn¡¯t one of the four heavenly kings?Yet he can hit one of the seven dukes?


    -It is the power of overgeared. What the hell is he wearing on his left hand?


    -I¡¯m going to apply to naturalize to the Overgeared Kingdom right now.If I help out in the war with the empire, can I join the Overgeared Kingdom?I¡¯ll sign up and ask Grid to make me items.


    -By the way, you guys...How can I get a NPC knight like that?What should I do to get him as a subordinate?I can¡¯t get a subordinate even when raising my affinity to the maximum.Do I have to feed him like a pet?


    -Give gifts, not food...However, in order to make the NPC your subordinate, you must have some degree of status and you need to meet the target NPC¡¯s situation.It is just luck.


    -What luck...The insight to correctly tell the situation is important.


    -The method to seduce a named NPC?


    -It is a real luck system.


    -Hah~ this is a real game of luck.


    -Overgeared King Grid...


    12 times¡ªthis was the number of times Jude¡¯s fist struck Rigal in a few seconds. Strengthened by Frustration Raises a Man (SS), Jude¡¯s left hand was currently above Jude¡¯s original stats. Its power threatened Rigal, who was one of the strongest NPCs on the continent.


    ¡°Cough, cough! Kuweek!¡±Rigalpletely lost the dignity of a duke who ruled over 13 kingdoms. Blood poured out from him. It didn¡¯t suit the dignity of the Sky King Rigal.


    ¡°You!¡±


    An army consisting of 5,000 griffons and 300 wyverns. Suddenly, the air force soldiers boarded their mounts and aimed at Jude. Their weapons, magic, and wyvern breaths wanted to render Jude into powder. However, Jude didn¡¯t shrink back. Jude¡¯s idea was only to kill Rigal. He didn¡¯t care about his own safety.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    All sensations from his left hand had disappeared a long time ago. His hand felt like it wasn¡¯t his hand, but he didn¡¯t think too much. Jude shouted as he used all his strength to aim at Rigal. However...


    ¡°...?¡± Something strange happened, and Jude cocked his head. The moment his fist was going to reach Rigal, something grabbed his neck and pulled him back. A normal person would turn his head and check the situation. Yet Jude wielded his fist at Rigal without thinking. Jude¡¯s strikes only hit air.


    The existence holding onto his neck was a wyvern. It was a wyvern so big that it could be mistaken as a dragon. The wyvern¡¯s name was a shining gold. It was the ancient wyvern Allentica who had been passed down through generations in the Gelder family. He had been disciplined for 200 years, and his magic abilities, flesh, and wisdom transcended those of ordinary wyverns.


    ¡°Jude! It is dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Look back, you idiot!¡±


    The Overgeared members¡¯ shouts were useless. Jude still red at Rigal and swung his fists through the air. Rigalughed as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.¡°You are brave and ignorant. The first person to wound me on the battlefield is such a fool.¡±


    As Jude¡¯s left hand struck the air, Rigal suggested,¡°Jude, I will give you onest chance. Serve me. I¡¯ll give you strength if you don¡¯t need wealth.¡±


    ¡°...Strength!¡±Jude stopped.He now verified the snout of the wyvern holding his neck. ¡°Jude. Strength. Is needed. I want to be. Strong.¡±


    Rigal¡¯s mouth curved upward. It was rewarding to go down to Jude¡¯s eye level. Rigal knew how to obtain this stupid guy who had muscles as a brain but he failed to anticipate the next reaction.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You. Die.¡±


    The ancient wyvern Allentica was thrown to the ground. It was the result of Jude grabbing the wyvern¡¯s snout with his left hand. The people affected by the artificial earthquake fell down. The 5,300 strong air force took off instantly to avoid the aftermath. The air force took control of the sky with furious screams.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± Rigal abandoned his lingering feelings. ¡°I¡¯ll give you up.¡±


    He would show mercy. ¡°If I can¡¯t have you, I will kill you.¡±


    Rigal wielded this whip.


    ¡°Allentica!¡± Rigal cried out, and the wyvern rose from the ground with a roar. His mes knocked over Jude who wasing at Rigal. Jude jumped to his feet in the mes. Rigal mounted Allentica and pulled the bow that was nearly two meters long.


    ¡°The only advantage is your ignorant power. I thought it was cute, but you don¡¯t know your limit.¡±


    He raised his aura. An incrediblyrge arrow the size of a small spear shot through the swirling currents and reached Jude. Jude had all his equipment taken when he was captured, so his bare body was pierced by the arrow. Against the backdrop of the sunset, the giant silhouette with an arrow in his chest copsing was like the ending of a movie.


    ¡°Ah...¡±The trapped Overgeared members were trapped and couldn¡¯t give any help as Jude struggled. They were suffering from guilt and difort as they sensed it intuitively. Jude would die. He was dying. However¡ª


    ¡º No one can help. ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared members guarding Bairan aren¡¯t Agnus. What can they do when they have no power? ¡»


    ¡º It is a pity. Thest fire of Bairan will be put out. ¡»


    Bairan was a city that had already been upied. Then Jude suddenly counterattacked, and the war was revived. It was a 5,301-against-1 war. The result was predictable, but many viewers around the world had predicted a reversal. Jude¡¯s momentum was so intense that they kept sweating anxiously as they watched the situation.


    However, there was no reversal. Jude seemed to be doing well, but he couldn¡¯t even cut Rigal¡¯s health by one-tenth. On the other hand, he fell into a critical condition after being hit by one arrow. Sure, Jude might be wearing no equipment, but one of the seven dukes was strong. ording to rumors, Rigal was one of the strongest people in existence¡ªan existence that yers didn¡¯t dare meet at the present time, the sky above the sky.


    ¡º Look. This is a rough estimate of the damages that the Overgeared Kingdom will face when Bairan is upied. ¡»


    ¡º Huh, it is the worst. Reidan¡¯s situation is also bad. The Overgeared Kingdom is in a great crisis. ¡»


    ¡º The power of the Saharan Empire is too strong. This proves why the empire is the master of the continent. ¡»


    ¡º The result of the war is obvious. The Overgeared Kingdom will be defeated and lose a lot of territories. ¡»


    Rigal¡¯s altitude increased, and he once again drew his bow. This time, he aimed exactly at Jude¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Watch this ce burn in hell.¡±


    There was no dy. Just like before, the arrow that was fired flew to Jude. The arrow hit. The location precisely matched the direction Rigal initially aimed at but Jude wasn¡¯t there. There was only bare ground in the ce where Jude¡¯s heart was supposed to be.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Rigal¡¯s eyes could miss the movement...?


    ...At this altitude? Rigal¡¯s expression changed in the sky. It was a much more serious expression than when he was unexpectedly pulled by Jude¡¯s fist earlier.


    ¡°...Overgeared King?¡±


    A bigshot appeared. There was a surge of magic power. Rigal moved his gaze and saw the Overgeared King appear through Mass Teleport. Jude disappearing like a lie was probably due to the king¡¯s call.


    Rigal smiled darkly as he aimed his bow at Grid. He was on a huge wyvern with 5,300 air force members behind him. In fact, they were all captured in Grid¡¯s vision.


    Rigal fired his bow. He couldn¡¯t pass up this opportunity to take the head of the enemy leader. The arrow flew across one kilometer and hit its target.


    [You have suffered 10,990 damage.]


    [You are currently in a war.]


    [In a war, the king¡¯s death can lead to the worst situation.]


    [Be careful. If killed during a war, the king and kingdom will receive arge penalty.]


    [There will be an increase in the experience loss rate, an increase in the item drop rate, the army morale will drop, the facilities level will drop, national security will decrease, reputation will decrease, the chance of a rebellion will increase, and so on.]


    All types of warnings rose when Grid failed to evade and the arrow pierced his shoulder. Yet Grid wasn¡¯t daunted by them. From the moment the war began, he was already walking on thin ice. He was determined enough. Grid didn¡¯t think he could win easily against the top power of the empire.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage. ckening.¡±


    Yes...


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Nevertheless, he would win.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    [Transcended Link Flower]


    [Three sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    Fire 40 swords with 200% physical attack power, leaving a mark on all visible enemies.


    Two additional sword energy will be generated per mark and the added sword energy will aim at their targets. Any marked target hit by the sword energy will receive 122 physical damage + 20% magic damage.


    Every two hits by the sword energy will create an additional mark. A maximum of five marks can be stacked up.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.]


    10,000 petals bloomed in the night sky. The appearance of the blue petals fluttering was beautiful enough to cause one to lose their soul. The viewers, as well as Rigal¡¯s air force, were briefly captivated. It was deadly. The 40 energy des that passed through the scattering petals became a signal when they hit Rigal. The petals in the sky started to reveal their nature. Like they were blown by a gust of wind, they made contact with the soldiers and exploded.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Rigal groaned, and the soldiers screamed. The griffons and wyverns who were also targets of the petals shuddered. The skill damage coefficient might be low, but it was meaningless when Grid¡¯s attack power was so high.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±Grid, who had narrowed the distance to Rigal while using Transcended Link Flower, retreated again. He ced them all in his field of view and wielded the sword.¡°Blockade Sword!¡±


    The reason why Grid created the three fused sword dance Transcended Link Flower was to maximize his skills linkage. 100,000 Army Blockade Sword gave a small blow to all targets in his sight and also gave the ¡®blocked¡¯ effect. Approximately one-third of the air force was unable to resist. They were prevented from moving or using skills and magic.


    Then new marks were ced on the air force members, including Rigal. Grid reached Rigal. Rigal¡¯s ability to fly 800 meters above sea level was useless in front of Grid who could use Braham¡¯s Boots to fly.


    ¡°You!¡±Rigal once again fired at Grid who had already been pierced with four arrows. The arrows which were fired this time were different. They were fired using Ultimatum, a blow that could kill anyone shot. The arrows contained the mana of Sky King Rigal and the essence of the techniques passed down through generations. Yet it was pointless if they didn¡¯t reach.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±Grid rotated and returned Ultimatum to Rigal. Another mark was ced on Rigal¡¯s body, and he was subjected to a shock powerful enough to damage his Gold Dragon Armor. Grid was still rushing toward Rigal.


    ¡°Kill.¡± It was a series of catastrophic damage. Rigal shot arrows with explosive properties in an attempt to shake off Grid. Nevertheless, Grid stood firm.He didn¡¯t care about the explosion and narrowed the distance toward Rigal.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Five markers were imprinted on Rigal¡¯s body, and the death penalty dropped. Grid didn¡¯t send an ultimatum. He just aimed to kill the opponent.

 Chapter 1002

    The Immortal King Grenhal, Beast King Morse, Drunk Duke Diworth, Golden Crown Basara¡ªthey led the army of their respective territories and drove the water n out of the port cities around the empire.


    There was no battle. The water n fled whenever the armies appeared. The dukes took it for granted. They thought there was no one in the world foolish enough to go against them.


    ¡°Is everybody healthy? We are gathering together for the first time in a few years.¡±


    The final destination of the four dukes was Galest. Galest was thergest port city responsible for the empire¡¯s economy. Just two days ago, the ships were paralyzed and unable to sail because of Maxong, the water n king. Maxong was like the god of the sea, and Galest¡¯s troops couldn¡¯t resist him. Yet even the fearsome Maxong fled as soon as he head the dukes had arrived.


    Beast King Morse licked his lips with regret. ¡°I thought it was a chance to tame the water n king, but he ran away. I knew the different species were uncivilized, but I didn¡¯t expect that even the king would have no honor.¡±


    ¡°A king of beasts is also a beast. There is no honor.¡±


    ¡°In any case, hasn¡¯t the sea path opened? We can move to the rear of Reidan.¡±


    ¡°There are no ships that can depart immediately. The water n king destroyed all the ships.¡±


    ¡°A beast used his head? This is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to hurry? Rigal has already taken over Bairan, so we can move at a leisurely pace.¡±


    ¡°Again? That Rigal is always fast.¡±


    ¡°The air force of the Gelder Family is the pride of the empire for a reason.¡±


    Rigal had inherited the position when his father passed away. He had fought a total of 39 wars over the past 17 years. The air force he led had always been the first to strike and unconditionally won. It even boasted a 100% survival rate. This meant there had been no casualties in the 39 wars. It was a record that showed the dignity of the air force that shot at the enemies one-sidedly from a high altitude, making the air defense facilities of other countries meaningless.


    ¡°Wait until the ships are ready. Rigal will finish it anyway.¡±


    The other dukes easily agreed to Drunk Duke Diworth¡¯s suggestion. For them, a war was merely a game. The victory of the empire was natural. Thus, there was no anxiety or nervousness for them, unlike Rigal who was obsessed with building up his achievements.


    ***


    The blue petals flew in the dark sky, and a subsequent ck heat emerged. It was more colorful and beautiful than the fireworks produced at modern festivals. People were stunned. They felt a sense of loss when they thought that this rare sight would soon disappear. The flowers and the heat wave were so beautiful that they thought, ¡®I wish time will stop.¡¯


    They were amazed that the cause of it was one yer.


    ¡º Grid...! ¡» Thementators conveying the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s desperate situation started shouting. This was the best they could do. It had been less than four months since the end of the 4th National Competition. Grid¡¯sbat power had reached a higher level. The current Grid couldn¡¯t be summed up by thementators¡¯ knowledge and skills. Their words were limited.


    ¡º T-The skill that Grid used in the sky...! ¡»


    ¡º C-Casualties have started to appear in the air force! ¡»


    ¡º The griffons who one-sidedly defeated the thousands of Bairan troops are falling! ¡»


    ¡º Sky King Rigal...! He is bleeding!! ¡»


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    It was only for one second. Seven blows were dealt per second and prated Rigal¡¯s chest in session. Simultaneously, 10 flowers with the energy of Pinnacle were automatically generated in the air and aimed at Rigal. Rigal suffered great damage after having Ultimatum returned to him, and he couldn¡¯t stop the series of attacks.


    [Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle]


    [Four sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    Fires seven energy des per second that deal 1,850% physical damage. Every time it attacks the target, ¡®Disarm¡¯ will be triggered. Additionally, there will be a bleeding and desperation effect.


    If there is a mark on the target, two energy des will be summoned that ignore 65% of the target¡¯s defense and deal 961% physical damage + 10% magic damage.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 400


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    This was a skill that proved why Grid still valued thebination of Link and Kill. It also proved why he was obsessed with Flower. The previous ultimate technique was Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Thanks to the goddess¡¯ blessing, it dealt seven blows per second with 300% physical damage while also activating the effects of Wave and Pinnacle. It was somewhat iplete, but the new Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle preserved all effects of Kill being fired seven times per second while maximizing the effect of the marks.


    The biggest advantage was the rtively fast cooldown time and casting speed. The cooldown of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was three hours while the cooldown of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle was one hour. Additionally, the sword energy was spontaneously ignited during the seven blows per second, making it possible to suppress the enemy much faster than Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Even the attack power was stronger.


    Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle was stronger than Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, even if five marks weren¡¯t left. Since the effect of Disarm was maintained throughout the attack, the target couldn¡¯t receive the effect of their items.


    [The target has received 1,250,900 damage.]


    [The target has received 1,199,320 damage.]


    [The target has received 1,301,010 damage.]


    [The ck mes option effect of the Enlightenment Sword...]


    [The target has received 699,000 damage.]


    [The target has received 678,300 damage.]


    [The target has received 730,950...]


    [The target has received 16,409,200 damage.]


    ¡°...!!¡± Kill struck Rigal seven times while 10 petals filled with sword energy struck Rigal, not letting him scream. It was all he could do to endure the terrible pain that was worse than when he was hit by Ultimatum. The fast and powerful attack was also a burden on the caster.


    ¡°Pant. Pant. Pant.¡±Grid breathed roughly as he felt a sharp drop in stamina the moment Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle finished. In front of his eyes, Rigal¡¯s health gauge was just over 20%.


    ¡®I thought this would kill him.It is damn hard.¡¯


    Grid never expected that Rigal would be fine despite being hit by his strongestbination. Moreover, Rigal had a low level inparison to the others in the Seven Dukes.He was always worse when confronting the other Seven Dukes. In particr, his level was several times lower than Spear Saint Rachel and Sword Duke Limit. Despite having the strongest air force that disregarded air defense facilities, it was obvious that his individualbat power was lower. Rigal was the weakest.


    ¡°Allentica!¡±Then the moment Rigal shouted the ancient wyvern¡¯s name, his health gauge turned purple and recovered to 60%. Upon a closer look, the health gauge over the wyvern had disappeared. It was synchronization. Rigal¡¯s health and Allentica¡¯s health hadbined.


    ¡®A boss mob!¡¯


    What was the biggest weakness of named NPCs? The ¡®humanoids¡¯ had a limit on their health. However, Rigal overcame this weakness through his interaction with the wyvern. It was a boss monster phase.


    ¡®This is a duke...¡¯


    It was greater than Grid had expected. Grid didn¡¯t know about the Five Pirs, but he initially thought he could win in a one-on-one match against a duke. This was a misjudgment. His gaze wavered. Then the appearance of a giant evil influence burst out with a loud roar.


    Rigal¡¯s archery was theplete opposite of Jishuka¡¯s archery. Unlike Jishuka¡¯s arrows which were invisible and couldn¡¯t be heard by the ears, Rigal¡¯s arrows overwhelmed the opponent with their energy.


    [You have suffered 14,500 damage.]


    [The strong impact has caused a stiffness effect.]


    [You have resisted.]


    The arrow, shot from a close range, hurt Grid. It was much more painful than when firing from a distance. Grid copsed with approximately 30% of his health left, and Rigal pulled the bowstring again. He intended to end Grid without giving him time to resist.


    It was awesome. Ignoring the fact that he was the king of a small nation, Grid was too strong to spare. Rigal fired another arrow, and it became a signal. The thousands of air force soldiers behind Rigal also aimed at Grid with their arrows and magic.


    ¡º Ah...! ¡» Thementators of the international broadcastingpanies were silent. A massive bombardment filled the sky. Grid¡¯s death seemed inevitable the moment it hit. Now, Grid would lose his immortality and slowly die without finding an escape route.


    Thementators didn¡¯t exin it, but the tens of millions of viewers watching the battle were able to predict the result. The same was true for the Overgeared soldiers and the people on the ground. Their captain¡ªthe king¡ªwould die. They screamed desperately at the undeniable reality. Only one person... Only Grid smiled as he flung himself back as hard as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    Sky King Rigal was a person who had earned a high rank as the leader of an army, rather than an individual. As such, Grid had been waiting for Rigal tomand the army. There were thousands of air forces. Grid wanted and hoped for the bastards, who had trampled on hisnd and people, to attack him in unison.


    ¡°Belial¡¯s Power. Queen of Mocking and Vition.¡±


    Grid divided into two people. On top of that, Rigal¡¯s arrow struck him. Then there were three and four of Grid. The effect of Tiramet¡¯s Power created an orange shield around his body, and his health was restored to 30% thanks to the First King title. Even so, it wasn¡¯t reassuring. Numerous arrows and spells filled the sky and then poured down toward Grid. Rigal once again fired his bow.


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±The four Grids did a short sword dance while observing as many arrows and spells as possible. Pagma had fought Chreshler and read the thousands of light spears with his eyes, recognizing them as targets and counterattacking all of them.


    This was impossible for Grid. The current Grid was dealing with arrows and spells that wereparatively slow to Chreshler¡¯s light spears. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t see all the attacks and recognize them as targets. Compared to the non-human Pagma, Grid¡¯s perception and wits werecking. It was why he opened up Belial¡¯s Power and shared his vision with the clones. He used four fields of view to target thousands of arrows and spells, summoning hundreds of petals in the air. If someone looked closely, a fine rotation could be seen.


    The hundreds of petals centered around Grid. They collided with the thousands of arrows and spells flying toward Grid and sent them back.


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was an unbelievable phenomenon! The air force stiffened at the sight of their arrows and spells returning to them. The sky and the world were in a state of turbulence. The returned arrows and magic turned hundreds of air force members to ash. Meanwhile, Grid was hit by some arrows and spells, and he fell to the ground. The tens of thousands of cameras simultaneously shook and caused the viewers to get headaches.


    -...


    The viewers became dumbfounded.


    Grid confronted thousands of enemies alone in the high sky. His appearance of returning some of the intense bombardment already caused him to go beyond the realm of a human being. People couldn¡¯t measure orprehend his strength. They were just admiring him while feeling astonished and thrilled.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. Your health is fixed to a minimum.]


    Five seconds of immortality... The final notification window rose in Grid¡¯s field of view as hey on the ground.


    ¡®Shit... I only managed to use Flower Revolve three times.¡¯


    The difficulty of using the skills with the clones was too high. Right when he had been about to use the fourth Flower Revolve, the enemies¡¯ attacks had already arrived. Thus, he couldn¡¯t deal as much damage as he expected. Grid was disappointed, but the position of another person waspletely different. Rigal, who was the symbol of imperial nobility, had a red-tinged face.¡°You...! You!!¡±


    The griffons and wyverns had been raised by the Gelder Family. Had Rigal ever experienced losing them? No. Yet for the first time today, Rigal saw his men screaming and dying. The number was almost 1,000.


    ¡°Your... Your head alone isn¡¯t enough! I will destroy everyone in this ce!¡±


    The extremely enraged Rigal fired five arrows at once. He poured all his magic power into the arrows. He was determined to annihte the Overgeared King lying on the ground as well as the residents of Bairan. At this moment, a voice emerged from the wounded Grid and entered Rigal¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Summon Knight.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The red disappeared from Rigal¡¯s face like it was a lie. He recovered the magic power that he had poured into the arrows. It was instinct. The presence of the two knights who appeared in response to the Overgeared King¡¯s call was so enormous that he judged he had to save his strength in order to survive them.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡± Rigal¡¯s eyes shook as he watched the two knights appear to the left and right of Grid. He knew that His Majesty the Emperor had sent away Mercedes and that she became Grid¡¯s knight. However, he hadn¡¯t imagined this. That person was the Overgeared King¡¯s knight? He was alive?


    ¡°S-Sir Piaro,¡± Rigal called out the name with a trembling voice.


    ¡°It has been a while. Since you are wearing the Gold Dragon Armor, your father must¡¯ve died,¡± a response was heard. It meant it wasn¡¯t an illusion. Rigal felt like he had seen a ghost.


    Piaro spoke to Rigal who hadpletely lost his soul, ¡°We can talkter. Let¡¯s meet in hell.¡±


    Rigal was floating 800 meters above the ground. There was a shadow over his head that swallowed even the moonlight. He looked up and saw a huge mortar.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    It was dangerous. The wound Grid had inflicted was serious. The fear of death won over confusion. Rigal regained hisposure and quickly pulled on Allentica¡¯s reins. It was necessary to escape the range of Pounding Mortar, and it was possible with Allentica¡¯s fast flying speed. However¡ª


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go.¡±Mercedes flew and blocked his way.


    ¡°You! Mercedes! You ugly traitor!¡±


    The Gelder air force that made the air defense facilities of a kingdom meaningless¡ªthey were the strongest but why didn¡¯t they act in the Lubana war in the past? The reason was simple¡ªthey were helpless against a transcendent¡¯s strength. Just like Grid, the powerhouses who upied the sky and the ground could hurt the air force with a single blow. Hundreds of years ago, the Gelder air force had been brutally trampled on by Undefeated King Madra. The advantages of flying were useless in front of Legendary Knight Mercedes.


    A whirling silver sword cut Allentica and Rigal at the same time. It was as destructive as Grid¡¯s swordsmanship, but it was faster and more sophisticated, managing to connect and hit a number of times. Rigal lost his bnce, and a mortar fell on his head. The thousands of air force members were swept away by the pressure and turned to ash.


    ¡°Lord Rigal!¡±


    The survivors, including Earl Baron, didn¡¯t run away. They headed toward Rigal, who had been crushed by the mortar and had fallen to the ground. A bitter smile shed on Grid¡¯s face. If only they had run away... Then he could¡¯ve ughtered the disloyal troops without any regrets.


    ¡°My Lord! My Lord!¡± Rigal¡¯s soldiers were a symbol of loyalty. They knew they would soon die, but they still helped and escorted Rigal. It was a meaningless sacrifice.


    ¡°Cough, cough...¡± Rigal had been hit by the legendary farmer and knight. He was in a seriously injured state that he couldn¡¯t recover from. The gray light symbolizing death rose from his body.


    ¡°S-Sir Piaro. Please. Please...¡±Rigal wanted to leave ast will, but he couldn¡¯t finish. The time given to him was too short. However, his eyes showed what he wanted to say. He was earnestly pleading for his men to be returned safely to their homnd and their families.


    ¡®Piaro, don¡¯t forget that you were their hero.¡¯


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Mercedes asked while Piaro was stiff-faced.


    Grid gazed at the remnants of the air force who stared at him with fear, confusion, anger, and killing intent. ¡°Kill them all. Catch as many griffons and wyverns as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    If he was going to spare them, then he wouldn¡¯t have used the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship or summoned Piaro. He couldn¡¯t leave anyone alive. In the first ce, war wasn¡¯t a game. He was risking his life and the lives of his precious people. Additionally...


    ¡°...¡± Grid saw the destroyed statue of Khan.


    A warning window appeared in his vision as he made a sad expression.


    [The Saharan Empire¡¯s duke ¡®Sky King Rigal¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [It is a great aplishment that no one has achieved.]


    [Your reputation throughout the continent has increased. You have acquired 2,000 reputation points.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The Duke Gelder Family¡¯s Gold Dragon Armor has been acquired.]


    [The Duke Gelder Family¡¯s Giant Greatbow has been acquired.]


    [Your knight ¡®Jude¡¯ has experienced a fight against the strong and has seeded in breaking through his limits. His stats limit has increased.]


    [You have gained a special opportunity and understood the concept of a legend, transcendent, and status.]


    [From now on, the achievement system¡ªwhich is the basis of the title system¡ªwill be applied to not only you but also to your knights.]


    [Your knight ¡®Jude¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Loyal Knight.¡¯]


    [Your knight ¡®Jude¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Unquenchable Fire¡¯]


    [Your knight ¡®Jude¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Battlefield Miracle.¡¯]


    [Your knight ¡®Mercedes¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Battlefield Miracle.¡¯]


    [Your knight ¡®Piaro¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Killing One of the Seven Dukes¡¯.]


    ¡°Piaro, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Piaro bowed politely. Mercedes was silent. Jude got up and looked for a meal. Along with the three knights who had started to build up their ¡®status¡¯, Grid examined the people of Bairan.

 Chapter 1003

    Ibellin and the Overgeared members hadn¡¯t killed a single enemy. They had found it hard to intercept the air force who attacked from a high altitude, and they had also failed to prate the defense of the griffon and wyvern¡¯s heavy armor. Yes, they hadn¡¯t protected Bairan. They had been seriously trampled on, but they hadn¡¯t run away.


    Instead, they had held on till the end and protected the people. They had taken on the arrows and spells pouring from the sky on behalf of the people, lost their lives, and resurrected while gathering information on the enemy. All of this information had been passed onto Lauel.


    Thanks to this, Lauel could determine the power of the air force. Yet the one he sent as reinforcement was only Grid. The Overgeared members in Bairan were furious. Even if Grid was strong, how could he handle the 5,000 air force members and Sky King Rigal? Why had Grid been sent alone without the best archers, magicians, and tankers to protect him?


    They felt that Lauel had failed to understand the seriousness of the situation. Additionally, it wasn¡¯t good that they were cing great burdens on Grid all the time. In the end, they realized it was all because of their ipetence and felt a sense of shame. If they were strong in the first ce, Bairan wouldn¡¯t have been captured and Grid wouldn¡¯t be burdened...


    The Overgeared members knew they should reproach themselves, not Lauel. Consequently, they couldn¡¯t make eye contact with Grid. In the meantime...


    ¡°...!¡± Grid smashed the air force with a single blow. He also beat up Rigal until thetter was bloody. Grid might¡¯ve crashed to the ground and failed to hide his pained expression, but he stood up for his colleagues and people. He dered to Rigal that he would protect all of them.


    ¡°...¡±


    Then Piaro and Mercedes arrived and destroyed all enemy forces.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The Overgeared members approached Grid and bowed. They still couldn¡¯t meet Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m never of any help.¡±Their words were full of bitterness.


    They shook as Grid nced at them. ¡°What are you saying? More people would be dead without you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been harder if you hadn¡¯t told me the information about the air force.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You did well enough. Thank you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a pretense. Grid was touched and thankful to his colleagues who had fought and died. He was relieved to see that the people were rtively well. To his colleagues who still couldn¡¯t raise their heads, Grid added some words, ¡°If it is annoying to take the bus now, you can pay me backter with a ne.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is possible.¡±


    Grid was now certain. The gap was closing. Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s words would surelye true, and the gap between hidden sses and normal sses would be narrowed.


    Transcendents...


    The more normal the ss, the more aplishments they could gain. The more levels they raised, the more powerful they would be.


    ¡®It must be.¡¯


    The 25 Overgeared members who fought to defend Bairan¡ªthey were ssified as the mid-to-upper range of power in the Overgeared Guild. Then what about among the two billion users?They were high rankers that would feel far beyond ordinary people. Nevertheless, they were treated like children by one unit of the empire.It wasn¡¯t a good bnce.


    If the yers were unable to do anything against increasingly stronger enemies like the empire, the great demons, and the yangban in the future, the willingness of the yers to continue ying would gradually decrease and the game would be ruined. The S.A Group couldn¡¯t be unaware of this.Chairman Lim Cheolho had predicted the situation and arranged the transcendence system.


    ¡®The people who deal with strong opponents and are frustrated will be transcendents faster.¡¯


    The first transcendent yer would surelye from the Overgeared Guild. Grid didn¡¯t doubt it and told his colleagues his thoughts. The Overgeared members were stunned for a moment before asking Grid, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is unfair?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You worked hard to be a legend and widened the gap with ordinary yers. If that gap narrows, won¡¯t it be unfair and frustrating?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Grid stared up at the sky. Many stars decorated the night sky, but there was only one moon.


    [Gold Dragon Armor]


    [* When attacked by the same target within 3 seconds, the damage is reduced by 5%. This can go up to 30%.]


    [Giant Greatbow]


    [* Every time the bowstring is pulled, the power of the giant race can be felt.


    The bow has special options because of the materials that make up the item.]


    Grid had great interest in the items and nned to stay in the smithy for a while. He wanted to dismantle the Gold Dragon Armor and Giant Greatbow and make a new item with their characteristics.


    Mercedes gave a somewhat disappointing report, ¡°We have seeded in capturing 957 griffons and 26 wyverns, but it won¡¯t be easy to tame them.¡±


    Their loyalty to their former master was too strong. Even named horses didn¡¯t easily change their masters, let alone griffons and wyverns. The Overgeared members were filled with regret.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Leave them with Nyangmong.¡± Grid was the only one smiling.


    ***


    Spear Saint Rachel was a descendant of Dehakel, a meritorious retainer at the founding of the empire and a legendary spearman. Among the Seven Dukes, her innate lineage and talents were excellent, and no one could treat her casually. Only one person was different.


    Rigal, her childhood friend, treated her in afortable and easy manner. Perhaps he was a special existence. That¡¯s why the shock wasrger.


    ¡°Rigal died?¡± Rachel couldn¡¯t believe the news that she received. Rigal had seeded the duchy because his more talented older brother had been short-lived. Rachel knew better than anyone else how much effort Rigal had put in. In order to be a man worthy of being one of the Seven Dukes, he had trained hard day and night, looking after the people while feeling sorry for his dead brother. Rigal had been rewarded for his efforts. Yet he had died. Moreover, it had urred in a war against a small country with less than 10 years of history.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a funny joke in the morning.¡±She felt nauseous. Her head was dizzy. Rachel, who looked unbelievably young and beautiful despite being 40 years old, swept back her signature long hair nervously. Her wavy blond hair shone in the sunshine while the expression of her adjutant was dark.


    Rachel was unable to bear the ufortable silence and asked again, ¡°...Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, unfortunately...¡± The adjutant once again expressed the reality.


    ¡°The air force?¡±


    ¡°They were annihted.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Rachel¡¯s face crumpled in a terrible manner. The first person she thought of was Rigal¡¯s only son.The small child was only 9 this year. The child who lost his mother at an early age was now truly alone. Would the little child be able to keep the air force, which was the basis of the Gelder Family, from the hands of the greedy people wanting it? It was impossible. One of the seven families representing the empire waspletely destroyed.


    ¡°Pathetic guy. I told you to quickly get married and give birth as soon as possible.¡±


    Rachel knew the young Rigal had dyed his marriage because he liked her. However, the nationalw prohibited marriage between duchies, and Rachel had been forced to ignore Rigal¡¯s heart. She remembered how the young Rigal had always looked at her with a burning gaze.


    ¡°Will you go out?¡± The adjutant carefully asked.


    The Twilight Spearmen¡ªthe elite army raised by Rachel was ready to go to war at any time. However, Rachel shook her head. She was a duke of the empire, and she couldn¡¯t be swayed by emotions.


    ¡°There is something I have to do first.¡±


    Rachel put on a cloak and left the barracks. Once she appeared, 30 knights split apart to create a path. One knight reported, ¡°ording to a report from the scouts, he returnedst night.¡±


    ¡°We must not forget who the opponent is. He isn¡¯t forced to be polite, so don¡¯t be offended by his words or actions.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The best spearsman on the continent, Kirinus¡ªit had taken her several years to find him. She came directly to this distant ce to meet him. Rachel wanted to know if he was better than her. Was she not a legend because she was inferior to him? She had to find out the answer.


    ***


    Inside Kirinus¡¯ cabin, Kirinus was interested in the development of the youth he had been teaching for nearly a year.


    ¡°You have improved with Control Sword.¡±


    Pushing forward, swirling, or stabbing¡ªthe motions that were the basis and essence of the spear were contained in eight swords floating in the air. They flew forward and cut the air. This was the moment when the fairly monotonous Control Sword evolved. After clearing a few hidden quests, the skill had evolved, and Kraugel was pleased.


    On the other hand, Kirinus was disappointed. ¡°You still haven¡¯t prated the essence.¡±


    ¡°The essence?¡±


    ¡°The one fighting the enemy is you, not the sword.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel understood immediately. Kirinus advised that there was no need for misceneous swords. Kraugel was reminded of the nature of the sword.


    Cutting the target... In order to cut, he had to be fast and urate. Kraugel took out a ¡®number¡¯ of swords when needed, but in fact, only one sword needed to be linked with Control Sword. The one sword flew at a speed much quicker than before and cut the rock. It was at a speed that humans couldn¡¯t avoid.


    [Sword Control Lv. 2]


    [You can control the sword with your will. The attack power of Control Sword is proportional to the weapon¡¯s attack power.


    Number of avable swords to be controlled: Up to 10.


    Current Swords: Genuine White Fang.]


    The moment he got the skill after bing a Sword Saint, Kraugel had thought of Grid¡¯s God Hands. Just like how Grid handled the God Hands, Kraugel expected that he could be more active in battle by operating more swords. That¡¯s why he always took out many swords at the same time.


    However, he was mistaken. It wasn¡¯t important to handle many swords. Instead, it was more important and powerful to wield a single sword. In the skill description, it didn¡¯t state that attack speed would increase depending on the number of swords. Rather, it was proportional to Kraugel¡¯s concentration.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The enlightened Kraugel looked back on his battle with Grid. The battle had been more favorable before he used Control Sword. He had tried to avoid Grid¡¯s God Hands and only fully wielded one sword. That was when Grid threatened Kraugel.


    ¡®Control Sword isn¡¯t a skill to assist inbat.¡¯


    It would be far more powerful to understand and apply it as a general attack skill. Kraugel realized that he had developed further. He felt that it was something he couldn¡¯t have obtained if he walked on the path that Muller hadid. As such, Kraugel thought it was a good idea to havee to Kirinus¡ªan opponent he could learn from and exchange feelings and thoughts. Kraugel realized the importance of a teacher as he thought about Khan and Grid.


    Then it happened when he was concentrating.


    ¡°Kirinus,e out!¡±A group of people appeared and shouted.


    ¡°...?¡± Kraugel turned his head and was amazed when he saw Rachel. Kraugel, who had more information than other yers, couldn¡¯t be ignorant about the empire¡¯s Seven Dukes. Unexpectedly, Rachel also knew Kraugel. The Sword Saint was also a celebrity in the empire.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Rachel inquired.


    ¡°It is a sign that I shouldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to a friend¡¯s crisis,¡±Kraugel gave an answer with an unknown meaning. The Sword Saint pressured Rachel¡¯s knights.

 Chapter 1004

    For a Sword Saint, the sword wasn¡¯t a simple tool. The expression ¡®part of the body¡¯ wascking. A Sword Saint couldn¡¯t distinguish between himself and the sword. He was a person who achieved mind and heart unification with the sword.


    ¡°The will to cut must be excellent in order to produce a result,¡± Rachel stated while watching the Sword Saint. ¡°Sword Saint Muller was said to have cut the enemy despite skipping the process of drawing the sword. However, you can¡¯t cut me even if you draw your sword.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel couldn¡¯t refute it. It was an urate representation without any distortion. Kraugel had recognized Rachel as an enemy as soon as she appeared and drew the sword to cut her. However, he didn¡¯t have a chance to attack. Kraugel¡¯s level 5 Super Sensitivity warned that he would be in danger the moment he cut her. It was a greater warning than when he faced the fully buffed Grid. Consequently, Kraugel couldn¡¯t cut her.


    ¡°A Sword Saint is worse than I am.¡± Rachel, who had been standing with folded arms, reached out to the empty space. A red spear with a curvature that resembled the mes of a dragon appeared in her hand. Simultaneously...


    [You have suffered 8,010 damage.]


    A hole was made in Kraugel¡¯s chest. Rachel¡¯s spear had pierced his chest. It was a stab which had urred at an unrecognisably fast speed. No, was it right to call it ¡®fast¡¯? Did Rachel really swing the spear? Kraugel didn¡¯t even feel the slightest wind pressure, let along the spear moving.


    He had cleared all types of hidden quests under Kirinus, and his agility had reached 2,600 points. Kraugel recalled there was no human power that couldn¡¯t be recognized with his vision and Super Sensitivity. The newly acquired ¡®One Who Peeked at the Peak of the Spear¡¯ title reduced the damage by 15%, but the attack of a super-named NPC with a level close to 500 meant the damage received wasn¡¯t small.


    This was another form of attack. Kraugel immediately noticed it and was shaken. He ignored the blood flowing from his chest and kept an eye on Rachel. Then he saw it. An intangible energy was swirling around Rachel. There was no color and sound, but it was obviously in the shape of a spear. One of them flew and punched Kraugel.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t avoid it. There was no reason to be afraid of something that wasn¡¯t real. The intangible spear that was stuck in Kraugel¡¯s chest disappeared with a loud sound. Kraugel wasn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°...!¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes were full of interest. There was a smile on Kirinus¡¯ face. Kraugel was facing a notification window.


    [A hidden piece!]


    [You have seeded in recognizing and neutralizing the ¡®Manifestation of Will¡¯ through the effect of the Sword Saint ss!]


    [The special stat ¡®Willpower¡¯ has opened.]


    [The name skill Manifestation of Will has been acquired.]


    [Willpower]


    [It is strong enough to distort reality.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.]


    [Manifestation of Will Lv. 1]


    [Only a saint can deal with the intangible.


    Distort reality with the manifestation of your solid will.


    * At the current level, the willpower can only be used to attack the enemies.


    * At the current level, the skill is only activated when a weapon is equipped. The shape of the will is the same as the appearance of the weapon being equipped.


    * The amount of damage done by Manifestation of Will is the same as the willpower statbined with the strength stat. Itpletely ignores the target¡¯s resistance and defense.


    * A target with the willpower stat will ignore this attack.


    Cooldown Time: 1 minute.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was an unexpected stat and skill. Kraugel cocked his head and tried to use Manifestation of Will. Four intangible swords resembling the currently equipped White Tiger appeared around Kraugel. The reason why there were only four swords was that the newly opened stat only had four points. Manifestation of Will wasn¡¯t a control-based skill but a recognition-based automatic skill.


    The moment Kraugel thought about attacking Rachel, four swords flew toward her. However, they were blocked by an invisible wall. The intangible swords didn¡¯t reach Rachel but collided with her willpower, scattering like pieces of ss.


    Rachel muttered,¡°Growing in real time?¡±


    After arriving here, Rachel had instantly noticed the rtionship between Kraugel and Kirinus and be furious. She recalled Piaro. Her yearning...


    Piaro walked the path of the sword to be a Sword Saint, but he was frustrated and suffered setbacks. Now the Sword Saint who reached the peak of the sword was learning how to use a spear. Rachel was furious with Kraugel¡¯s deception. She was displeased with his attitude of denying Piaro¡¯s life.


    However, now she realized it wasn¡¯t a deception. The Sword Saint was an unparalleled genius. He was unique and beyond Piaro, whom she and numerous nobles of the empire admired. Kraugel was the precursor of a future greater threat to the dukes of the empire.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be kept alive.¡±


    Yellow buds should be stepped on in advance. This was the way of the empire. Rachel started releasing killing intent.


    ¡°The real threat is the tyranny that has been left unchecked.¡± Kirinus stepped forward from behind Kraugel.


    ¡°The real threat?¡± Rachel didn¡¯t get it.


    Kirinus sighed. ¡°Experience it yourself. Karma will hit the empire.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. One thing is certain. No matter what threatens the empire, the empire hassted thousands of years and is eternal.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Kirinus frowned. It was pitiful and frustrating that she didn¡¯t know the person who had driven the empress to her death was currently eating at the empire.


    ¡°Sometimes, violence is a good way of solving the problem. Come on. I know why you came here, and I¡¯llply with you.¡±


    The descendant of Harken couldn¡¯t tolerate that the title of best spearman on the continent was taken by someone else. Kirinus knew Rachel and provoked her, causing her to respond immediately.


    ¡°It is good that this is moving fast. I was concerned that you would avoid the fight.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kirinus grabbed an unimpressive wooden spear while Rachel¡¯s fiery red spear stood upright. As the greatest fighting powers stared at each other, birds left the forest and filled the sky.They sensed the impending disaster. Then the two spears collided. There was a thunderous roar, and the ground of the area was blown away.


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel¡¯s field of view shook as he and Rachel¡¯s knights stared at each other. Rachel¡¯s knights wanted to kill Kraugel who aimed a sword at their master, while Kraugel was displeased with their attitude.


    ¡°You shoulde if you have time to bark.¡±


    ¡°Impertinent bastard!¡±


    Kraugel and 30 knights shed in mid-air. Rachel¡¯s knights¡ªthey had the same strength as the Red Knights in the 20s and led thousands of spearmen. The 30 of them were needed to demonstrate the power of the Twilight Spearmen. Kraugel¡¯s ability that took advantage of the intangible swords, Control Sword and Super Sensitivity, overwhelmed the 30 people for a while. Additionally, Kraugel was an excellent person with the insight to read the battlefield.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    Right at the beginning of the battle, hepletely cut through the bodies of the knights who hadn¡¯t yet shown their strength.


    ¡°You can¡¯t live,¡± Kraugel dered as he raised the White Tiger Sword. The sword made by Grid was practicing the will of the Sword Saint.


    ***


    Grid was in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    ¡°...?¡± He had returned here after recovering Bairan, only to stop walking. Raising his head, Grid gazed at the distant sky.


    Duguen, duguen, dugeun.


    He didn¡¯t know why but his heart was suddenly thumping.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡± The beautiful voice woke him up. He turned back and saw Mercedes¡¯ face. She was worried.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°...No, it is nothing.¡±


    Grid checked the time. There were only two minutes remaining in today¡¯s connection time. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see Irene¡¯s face.


    ¡°Mercedes, I will take a break. Look after the queen and prince while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tell the maids to feed Jude a good meal.¡±


    ¡°Huhut, I understand,¡± Mercedesughed as she saw Jude¡¯s face while he was carried on Grid¡¯s back. This was the hero who had struggled to defend Bairan while Grid was away. The moment the war ended, Jude had woken up, eaten a meal, and fallen asleep again. He was drooling while looking for food in his sleep. Did he know that he was now on his king¡¯s back? He wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine it.


    Mercedes¡¯s eyes were full of respect and affection toward Grid.


    ***


    ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Youngwoo logged out and wanted to stretch out in bed. The war with the empire was exhausting his physical strength and spirit. However, today was the second Friday. It was the day he would go on a date with Yura. This was a schedule that had started with Youngwoo¡¯s suggestion. As Youngwoo couldn¡¯t respond to Yura¡¯s confession, he had suggested that they should take time to learn more about each other.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go on a date every two weeks,¡¯ this was suggested by Yura. She might be mistaken about liking him, so Youngwoo intended to give her a chance to confirm her feelings. No matter how much Youngwoo thought about it, he couldn¡¯t believe that a beautiful, kind, smart, and lovely girl would like him. She could be mistaken. It would be a big problem if they got married because of a misunderstanding. Once the illusion was peeled off, Yura might get tired of him and have an affair. In the country of South Korea where adultery had long been abolished, the phenomenon of a spouse cheating couldn¡¯t be overlooked.


    ¡®No, I am thinking of marriage ahead of myself again.¡¯


    This was just like when he reunited with his first love Ahyoung after a long time. He had skipped through the romance and proposed to her in his mind. It was his vicious dark history.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!!!¡±


    The memory of that shame was painful! Youngwoo looked wretched as he screamed in the luxurious bathroom.


    ***


    ¡°Would you like to go watch a movie?¡±


    ¡°S-Shall we?¡±


    Yura was beautiful today. The appearance of Yura wearing armor in the game was beautiful and cool, but he thought that Yura looked the best wearing in clothes in real life. He wondered how the sky-blue one piece dress could suit her so well.


    ¡®The skirt seems a bit short... Hum hum.¡¯


    Youngwoo relied on the automatic driving function. He reached the car park of the cinema and got off the car. Then he got into the elevator with Yura, only to be taken aback.


    ¡®Damn?¡¯


    He searched through his memories and realized this was his first time at a movie theatre.


    ¡®How do I buy a movie ticket?¡¯


    How was he to order a drink with popcorn? What seat should he get? Was the front row a good ce to see the screen? What if he needed to pee while watching the movie? Since theunch of Satisfy, the movie business had been on a steady downturn. Who would watch a movie when Satisfy allowed them to experience a world that was more colourful, majestic, and sometimes brutal?


    Yes, the slump in the movie business had started after the release of Satisfy. Satisfy had been released back when Youngwoo was a university student, but the reason why he never went to the cinema had nothing to do with Satisfy.


    ¡°...¡± Youngwoo was depressed when he recalled the past and lowered his head.


    Ding dong~! The elevator stopped. Youngwoo nned to go the bathroom and search for ¡®how to attend a movie theatre.¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t have to do this.


    ¡°Greetings, Yura-nim, Youngwoo-nim.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was because Yura had rented the entire movie theatre. Youngwoo didn¡¯t have to buy tickets or popcorn in a normal manner. The cinema staff took care of the arrangements. The two people were escorted to a super luxurious hall that was empty and sat down in their desired spots.


    ¡°Do you feel ufortable?¡± Yura asked the dumbfounded Youngwoo.


    Youngwoo smiled and answered, ¡°No? I just think this is too good.¡±


    He was serious. Youngwoo thought that he and Yura had personalities that suited each other. Both of them didn¡¯t have an ordinary person¡¯smon sense.

 Chapter 1005

    Reidan, which faced the empire, could be called the gateway to the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom had never allowed the empire to advance into Reidan. The elite forces armed with Grid¡¯s mass-produced set and the top rankers blocked the empire.


    It was why the imperial army had been stuck in the desert for a month. The imperial army was exhausted from fighting every day in the deste and hot desert and was tired enough to think that the spires of Reidan Castle in the distance was actually a mirage.


    It happened one day when the imperial army¡¯s morale was low.


    ¡°The enemy in front has retreated!¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Good news came to them. The desert¡ªit was an unfamiliar terrain for the imperial soldiers. It was news that the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s troops fighting here had moved back.


    ¡°Now we can break through the desert without interference!¡±


    ¡°Start a rapid march to Reidan Castle!¡±


    In the imperial army¡¯s main barracks, the nobles were excited by the good news, but themander¡ªMarquis Fulbas¡ªignored their cries. He sought advice from his staff, ¡°The desert is a very favorable terrain for the Overgeared members who are familiar with the desert. Why did they discard the desert and move back? Will there be traps?¡±


    ¡°There will naturally be traps.¡±


    ¡°There is a high probability that they will lead us to terrain with many giant worms.¡±


    ¡°Every oasis will release poison.¡±


    ¡°There is also a need to be careful of ambushes using the curved slope.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, we must traverse the desert. If we don¡¯t cross the desert, we won¡¯t be able to reach Reidan.¡±


    ¡°If we march with sufficient care, we won¡¯t suffer much damage from the traps.¡±


    The opinions of the staff members all coincided. They knew there were traps, yet they had no choice but to march.


    ¡°We must advance as quickly as possible. I¡¯m sure the reason why the Overgeared army moved back is that they¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Now is the right time for red energy.¡±


    They had to take risks in order to win the opportunity. The staff members insisted, and Marquis Fulbas nodded. The imperial army was less tired because reinforcements kept arriving, but the Overgeared army was different. Their numbers were limited, and they couldn¡¯t help being tired from the ongoing battle. The time hade to glimpse victory.


    ¡°Send amand to march with full force.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After all, they had a great army of 250,000. Thousands of troops had been consumed in thesting war, but the size of the imperial army had grown. Before them, Reidan¡¯s 80,000 troops were no different from a candle in front of the wind.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    The leaders engaged in propaganda through the barracks, and the empire¡¯s momentum rose to the sky. They literally stepped foot in the desert. It was hot sand that their feet sank into. The Overgeared army that had been camped there just yesterday was gone.


    The imperial army marched in without a hitch. They continued to move forward, keeping the high spires of Reidan Castle in their vision. Of course, the march wasn¡¯t easy. Giant worms popped up all over the desert and destroyed the formation of the imperial army, eating hundreds of soldiers. Due to the poisoning of every oasis, they couldn¡¯t get an independent supply of water and were forced to wait for the supply unit. The marching rate gradually slowed down.


    ¡°I resent the Reba Church.¡± Marquis Fulbas clicked his tongue.


    Why had the empire sponsored and respected the Reba Church for hundreds of years? They felt deep respect for the supreme goddess, Reba, but they also coveted the divine power of the Reba Church. The divine power of the Reba priests who ¡®cleansed¡¯ curses and ¡®healed¡¯ wounds was the greatest strength in wartime. Look at this war. The casualties would be greatly diminished with the presence of priests.


    However, the Reba Church had denied the request for support by using the pretext of the war with the Yatan Church. It was a natural attitude for Pope Damian, the man who was seated beside Overgeared King Grid.


    ¡®Pascal¡¯s failure influenced this...¡¯


    It was regrettable. The worst mistake the empire had made was not taking over the Reba Church. His Majesty the Emperor was toofortable. The death of Empress Aria and the betrayal of Piaro robbed the emperor¡¯s willpower and weakened the empire.


    ¡°There is something strange.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Marquis Fulbas, who was marching at the head of the army, stopped in ce. The expressions of his deputy and staff didn¡¯t look good.


    ¡°All contact has been lost from the scouts.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Night hade. The hot sand of the desert cooled down. They had to speed up the march before the night got darker. Then why did he get an ominous feeling at this timing?


    ¡°Give the whole army a break and send new scouts.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    100 horsemen were swiftly selected by the deputy and rode away. They had an obligation to identify and report in advance the hazards of the main route. Yet a report didn¡¯te back. The newly dispatched 100 people also disappeared like ghosts.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    Marquis Fulbas read the situation as strange, and the 250,000 soldiers took their formations. During the cold desert night, the muscles of the soldiers contracted as their tension was heightened. Their nerves were sharpened as they gripped their weapons.


    However, the desert was calm. The enemy¡¯s approach wasn¡¯t detected at all. There weren¡¯t even the cries of beasts.


    ¡°...¡±


    The more tightly pulled the thread was, the sooner it would break. As time passed and nothing happened, the tension of the soldiers dispersed. At this moment, there was an explosion from the center of the formation. ¡°...?!¡±


    The earth shook, and the sand of the desert vibrated. The surprised Marquis Fulbas and the imperial forces turned their eyes toward the source. Then they were dumbfounded.


    ¡°A young child?¡±


    It was a 13-year-old child. The beautiful boy rose from the ground and looked at the crowd with arrogant eyes that weren¡¯t suitable for his age.


    ¡°Prey has arrived after a long time.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Marquis Fulbas witnessed the teeth protruding from the smiling boy¡¯s mouth and was astonished. With transcendent beauty, long pointy teeth, and eyes that looked at humans like they were cattle...this boy wasn¡¯t a human.


    ¡°Vampire!¡±


    Vampires were a species that had been expelled from hell. The empire knew that their home was underneath Reidan¡¯s desert, but the vampire species had been cursed strongly by God Yatan. It was the Curse of Idleness. They didn¡¯t wake up easily from their sleep. There were few cases in history of them rising aboveground. So, why was a vampire boy in the desert? How had he ovee the Curse of Idleness ande up from below the ground?


    Marquis Fulbas was filled with an ominous feeling and the leaders of each unit quicklymanded the soldiers. The heavy armored infantry raised their shields and surrounded the vampire boy, while bows and spears aimed at the boy. There was only one vampire. Even a true blood vampire was just an ant in front of the 250,000 imperial troops.


    ¡°Kill him! Punish the demonkin who don¡¯t know themselves and go stepping on humannd!¡±


    The leaders remained calm, and the courage of the soldiers increased by a hundredfold. They had no fear as they fired their bows and stabbed their spears. Hundreds of infantry rushed with their weapons. The vampire was destined to be stabbed to death like skewered meat. Even so, the boy didn¡¯t feel any fear. He just gave a smile that was full of ridicule. No, it was closer to augh. ¡°Piggish bastards.¡±


    Magic power exploded from the boy. It was a bloody magic power that cleared the darkness of the night. Stretching over the desert to the extent of swallowing it, the bloody magic power corroded all the arrows and spears before rushing at the imperial army.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    The soldiers¡¯ screams echoed. The massive bloody magic power ripped at the armor and flesh of the imperial soldiers, absorbed all their blood, and then expanded further.


    ¡°W-What?!¡±The faces of the dying soldiers were like mummies and the leaders paled. Filled with terror, the soldiers who had trained for many years died without swinging their weapons.


    Some of the nobles shouted, ¡°T-That isn¡¯t a true blood...!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What? It wasn¡¯t a true blood vampire but the strongest warrior directly created by Shizo Beriache...?


    ¡°...!¡±


    The people felt it didn¡¯t fit the description and were taken aback. A direct descendant... A long time ago, Marie Rose was described as the greatest disaster of humanity in the empire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...!¡± Cries of shock burst out everywhere.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Marquis Fulbas gave a small roar as he asked the question.


    ¡°Me?¡± The vampire boy swept away his silver hair and replied, ¡°An earl.¡±


    ¡°Earl!¡±


    There were fewer than 10 vampires who could be ssified, and they were the direct descendants. Yes, the boy in front of them was in the same ss as Marie Rose. He was a disaster of humanity. How had this monster ovee the Curse of Idleness?


    ...And why did he appear at this time to interrupt their march? Marquis Fulbas¡¯ body trembled as he was filled with all sorts of doubts, confusion and anger.


    ¡°An earl of the Overgeared Kingdom, Noll.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The vampire boy introduced himself, and Marquis Fulbas and the imperial army couldn¡¯t close their mouths. An earl of the Overgeared Kingdom...? It was difficult to interpret. The turmoil started to worsen.


    ¡°L-Lord Marquis!¡±


    Then an absurd report was heard.


    ¡°2nd Cavalry Captain Dellua was killed!¡±


    ¡°1st Chariot Captain Collina has was killed!¡±


    ¡°Three chief staff members of the 2nd army were killed!¡±


    ¡°A diversion?¡±


    ***


    The emergence of the direct vampire sent the imperial army into turmoil, and Shay¡¯s group didn¡¯t miss this gap. They had been lurking within the imperial soldiers for 10 days and finally assassinated the chief staff members. It was an assassination with a tremendously high difficulty.


    How hard was it to stay undetected for 10 days? They really did everything and suffered from major crises many times. Shay¡¯s group felt like they were going to pull their hairs out from trying to memorize the troop deployment n. Every day was full of tension and pain.


    ¡°Still, we did it in the end.¡±


    ¡°Phew, that¡¯s right. It has been a while since I¡¯ve felt such a rewarding assassination.¡±


    ¡°My skill experience has gone up tremendously.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Shay¡¯s group was still disguised as imperial soldiers. They were d to return to their original positions, only to feel emptiness. It was because of Grid that they were suffering like this. They swore at Grid every time they suffered a crisis. Then they disliked their actions because they thought it extended Grid¡¯s lifespan by 20 years.


    ¡°Viscount Dellua and Count Collina were assassinated!¡±


    Due to the extreme chaos, the empire¡¯s leaders couldn¡¯t properly handle the soldiers. The news that the nobles were assassinated spread like mes and agitated the soldiers.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Shay¡¯s group was also perplexed. It was because they didn¡¯t kill Viscount Dellua and Count Collina. In the first ce, they were targets that Shay¡¯s group couldn¡¯t assassinate with their abilities.


    ¡°...Is it Faker?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be anyone other than Faker.¡±


    ¡°How scary...¡±


    ¡°Look. The best monster of the Overgeared Guild was Faker, not Grid. If Faker were the enemy of the Overgeared Guild, wouldn¡¯t Grid have been assassinated several times?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Shay¡¯s group reached a point when they thought they had done well by epting Grid¡¯smission. After all, what if they had refused Grid¡¯s request and received the kill order? They really would quit the game.


    ***


    In Reinhardt¡¯s smithy,Grid used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill after a long time. Beside him were the cksmiths of the East Continent and Panmir. He intended to get their advice when creating a new item.


    [What item do you want to create?]


    ¡°A cannon.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Grid nned to create thergest siege weapon, mass-produce them, and then deploy them throughout the kingdom. He was determined to win the war with the empire unconditionally. The experience of making the Cannon Aiming at the Battlefield in the National Competition was a great help.

 Chapter 1006

    ¡°Wow, this is really scary.¡±


    ¡°He bought me 43 seconds more than I required.¡±


    2 minutes and 23 seconds¡ªthis was the amount of time it took Noll to break in and out of the middle of the enemy camp. There were at least tens of thousands of attacks that struck Noll at the same time, but he didn¡¯t die.


    He had an excellent tanking ability and recovery ability, while the Valha of Strong Trust that Grid had made for him increased his health, reduced the damage he received, gave him additional defense against multiple enemies, and strengthened his physical defense and magic defense in dark ces. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call him a zombie.


    ¡°He is almost immortal because of his blood-sucking and tanking ability.¡±


    Noll¡¯s defense and recovery were overwhelming and unique, beyond a fraudulent level. The attack power of ordinary soldiers who had yet to receive their third advancement couldn¡¯t damage him. Of course, among the 250,000 imperial troops, there were arge number of third advancement elites and fourth advancement nobles, but most of them were at the forefront. They couldn¡¯t immediately respond to Noll breaking into the center of the formation, allowing him to ughter the enemies without hesitation.


    Noll proved that the saying about direct descendants being a ¡®disaster¡¯ wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.


    Simultaneously, it proved the limitations on the concept of military force. He was active for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. It wasn¡¯t a short amount of time considering that he fought alone against 250,000 soldiers. However, from a general point of view...? It was shorter than the time it took to go in and out of the bathroom once.


    In other words, even such a strong Noll could only be active for that time. During that short time, Noll only fought 2,000 enemies, but those 2,000 out of the 250,000 soldiers turned to dust. That¡¯s right. There was a clear limit to the number of armed people that could be fought at once.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a y that made time for Faker and Kasim to assassinate enemy targets. Euphemina watched Noll¡¯s fierce and desperate battle from beginning to end and was greatly inspired. She once again realized the truth behind the power of her duplication. Although she had been focusing on ughtering as many enemies as possible by copying great magic, she decided this time should be different.


    ¡®This time, there are too many enemies.¡¯


    No matter how massive the high-level magic she copied was, the number of enemies she could kill by herself was limited. She wasn¡¯t able to demonstrate her full strength against hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were thoroughly prepared.


    ¡®I needed something other than force.¡¯


    Aside from military force, the most important strength in a war was having abilities. What was the power?How could she use it to gain the advantage in this war? Euphemina, who had gained full trust from Grid and her colleagues, thought and thought about it. She didn¡¯t want to disappoint her trusted colleague and worked hard to defend the Overgeared members and Overgeared Kingdom that were now the most precious things in her life. In the end...


    ¡°Huroi.¡±


    Euphemina recalled one man¡ªan orator who only looked at Grid¡¯s back, thinking and acting for Grid¡¯s sake. He was a loyal speaker who came forward every time a big scandal urred. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the reason why Reidan¡¯s soldiers had been able to fight against the imperial army without bing frustrated over the past month was due to Huroi¡¯s verbal skills. Indeed, it was easy for him¡ªthe first-ranked orator who could save and kill people with his words¡ªto boost the morale of the soldiers.


    ¡°Excuse me. Huroi?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    On one of the oasis trees, the person who was looking at the imperial army in the desert with a telescope turned his head. The hen sitting on his shoulder stiffened, but Euphemina ignored it. She just stared at Huroi.


    It was quite awkward. Unlike his colleagues, Huroi was only dedicated to Grid and didn¡¯t care about others. Euphemina didn¡¯t talk to him too often and didn¡¯t have much experience being alone together with him. In particr, his gaze toward her had be thornier and thornier ever since Euphemina started associating with Agnus. Euphemina barely managed to shake off the awkwardness and opened her mouth, ¡°Have you ever heard of the disguise ss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it. It is a hidden ss that disguises the subject with excellent makeup and molding skills.¡±


    ¡°I was interested since I first heard rumors about it two years ago. Thus, I checked its identity.¡±


    ¡°Just like you dug into Agnus¡¯ background and approached him?¡±


    ¡°...Huhut.¡±


    This man was too intolerable.Euphemina smiled awkwardly as her thin eyebrows wrinkled. The girl with twin ponytails only looked cute when she was angry. Euphemina was one of the few people Grid was afraid of, and that was precisely why Huroi didn¡¯t like her. She was a colleague that his liege¡ªGrid, the master of the Overgeared members and Overgeared Kingdom¡ªfelt fear toward. Consequently, Huroi could only see Euphemina as a less popr personality.


    ¡®In the past, shemitted sins against My Liege...¡¯


    Of course, it was a thing of the past. Euphemina had countless achievements since joining the Overgeared Guild. Still, Huroi didn¡¯t like Euphemina. He really hated her. It was particrly annoying that she had a rtionship with Agnus, whom Grid had an aversion to.


    Huroi clicked his tongue and urged Euphemina, ¡°So why did you bring up the disguise ss?¡±


    Euphemina had no intention of talking for a long time with Huroi. She quickly suppressed her irritation and exined, ¡°I¡¯ll copy the Disguise skill. Then I will disguise you as a member of the imperial army. I want you to infiltrate the enemy¡¯s camp, incite them, and destroy them.¡±


    ¡°Is this Lauel¡¯s n?¡±


    ¡°No. It is a n I thought of myself, and I need your cooperation in this n. If you say that you will cooperate, I will go back and exin it to Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Propaganda and fabrication, swearing and talking about people¡¯s parents, chaos and copse¡ªthese were all Huroi¡¯s specialties. However, the empire had already figured it out. During the war, Huroi wasn¡¯t given a chance to say anything. Huroi failed to y a significant role and had to be satisfied with encouraging the troops from the rear. It was a different story if there was a disguise skill. There would surely be a chance for him to use his mouth.


    ¡°It sounds like a good n.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? The problem is that Disguisests for up to three days. After three days, your original state is restored and Disguise will be released. If your makeup is erased within the three days, the details of the disguise will disappear and the chances of it being discovered will increase.¡±


    ¡°Three days...¡±


    Was it possible to spread lies, incite the enemy, and cause trouble in three days? Moreover, in an army of 250,000...? Wasn¡¯t it impossible even for the 1st ranked orator? Huroi made an upset look. Meanwhile, Eupheminaughed, ¡°You can¡¯t do it? Then give up. What can I do if you don¡¯t have the ability?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    It was annoying. He was so angry that he almost asked about her parents. The ¡®Swearing¡¯ and ¡®Spiteful Tongue¡¯ skills of the orator were all expressed asnguage. He had already talked too much about people¡¯s parents that the words naturally fell from his mouth. It was a habit. This was truly a dangerous phenomenon. If he talked about other people¡¯s parents in his daily life in reality, he could be sued...


    ¡°...Umm.¡±


    If this continued, it might be a hobby to write maliciousments on the Inte like Peak Sword. Huroi had a great deal of respect for Grid. Grid controlled his strength and dexterity while walking in the middle. He was a good man who would never appear again in history.


    ¡°...¡± Huroi thought about his liege and controlled his thoughts.


    ¡®Let¡¯s aim to resemble his liege,¡¯ Huroi vowed and regained hisposure. Then he responded to Euphemina with clear eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but the premise is that your disguise is perfect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good answer. Then I¡¯ll try to copy the Disguise skill as soon as possible. In the meantime, you should ask Faker to collect as many characteristics and information of the targets as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two of them teamed up for the first time in ages. A great crisis was brewing because of the new camaraderie.


    ***


    The white garment symbolizing the pope was torn. The holy sword, which should be shining brilliantly, had lost its light and was worn out. Surrounded by the Yatan Servants, Pope Damian was dying. He was a helpless figurepared to the first pope who destroyed all evil.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±It was the 1st ranked ck magician, Rose. As one of Yatan¡¯s Servants, she participated in the Fourth Religious War and mocked Damian. No, it was more of an absurd reaction than a mockery. ¡°The church that doesn¡¯t have much fighting power apart from Reba¡¯s Daughters is fighting head on against our Yatan Church? Why risk your own life when you can use Reba¡¯s Daughters for guerri warfare? Won¡¯t you be stripped of your pope¡¯s position because you are responsible for this defeat?¡±


    Rose poked at the core of the matter. From the very beginning, the Reba Church had no chance in the war against the Yatan Church. It was natural that the responsibility for the defeat would be borne by Pope Damian. This war was obviously foolish to everyone. Nevertheless, Damian didn¡¯t regret it.


    ¡°Even if I could go back to a month ago, I would still dere war on you again.¡±


    He wanted to help Grid. In any case, his position as pope had been handed to him by Grid. He could put it down at any time for Grid.


    ¡°Great. I guess the rumor that you started this war on the pretext of rejecting the empire¡¯s support request is true.¡± Rose recalled the war of the past month.


    From the beginning, Damian had no intention of winning. He focused on minimizing the damage to his allies andmitted to leading this war for a long time. Damian had thrown his life away at least 20 times for the NPC priests and pdins.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you died at least 10 times in this war? Isn¡¯t it strange to sacrifice so much for others?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡± Damian restored his holy sword.He used a small amount of magic power to heal himself and got up. His ripped clothing pped and interfered with his vision. He took off his robe and stared at the holy sword that was emitting a feeble light. ¡°It isn¡¯t strange at all.¡±


    Damian couldn¡¯t forget the days when he first met Grid. He had been an extra, one-sidedly marginalized in a vast world. Then he rose to a leading role through his meeting with Grid. Thendscape of the newly changed world was beautiful and brilliant. The emotions he had felt when the dying Isabel was restored to good health still remained deep in his heart.


    The glory and happiness he received in the past were only thanks to Grid. It wasn¡¯t too bad to put them all down for Grid. There was only one regrettable thing.


    ¡®I can¡¯t see Isabel-chan closely anymore.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to meet Reba¡¯s Daughters if he were driven out of the church. It was sad and scary. Still, he had no regrets. Damian couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to the empire trampling on the Overgeared Kingdom that Grid and his colleagues had been building for years.


    ¡°I see. I can¡¯t understand why you would abandon the pope¡¯s position or why Yura would give up on being one of Yatan¡¯s Servants.¡±


    What the hell was that person called Grid? Rose shook her head and gathered magic power at the end of Belial¡¯s Staff. She was looking forward to achieving the aplishment of killing Pope Damian and felt blissful. Yet she failed to kill Damian. It was due to the intrusion of an uninvited guest.


    There were lightning fast moves. The monster, who just entered the religious war, quickly ughtered the Yatan ck magicians and reached Rose¡¯s side. The heavy blow damaged Rose¡¯s waist. ¡°Keeok! Cough, cough!¡±


    Her spell casting was canceled. Rose¡¯s eyes were red with anger and pain.


    ¡°This bastard!¡±The other Yatan¡¯s Servants, who had been nning to watch the pope¡¯s end with folded arms, shouted in anger.


    After going through them, the uninvited guest arrived at Damian¡¯s side and said, ¡°I am called Oasis.¡±


    Then drumming sounds rang out on the battlefield. The surprised Yatan¡¯s Servants turned their heads and saw tens of thousands of people on the hill. The middle-aged man sat on a red horse that wasrger than normal horses.He had a bushy beard and gave off a fresh impression. Damian and Yatan¡¯s Servants instantly recognized the identity of the person.


    ¡°King of Valha!¡±


    It was the God of War, Ares. He waved to Damian. ¡°Hey, we want to get along with the Reba Church.¡±


    ¡°Ha... Hahaha...¡± Damian startedughing. In fact, he had been feeling sad. He didn¡¯t want to say goodbye to Isabel, and he was afraid. It would be terrible to lose everything he built up and be alienated from the world again.


    Then he heard the voice of the young man who introduced himself as Oasis, ¡°I have read your articles thoroughly, Damian. I deeply sympathize and respect your past life.¡±


    He had been like Damian in the past. Oasis was only an ordinary person. However, the person who couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the Undefeated King¡¯s Descendant no longer existed. Oasis abandoned hesitation, trusted in himself, and overcame fear. He had been growing steadily with the help of War God Ares and was now also qualified to be a leading role in the world.


    ¡°10,000 Army Swordsmanship.¡±


    Simultaneously, in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡°The West Continent still hasn¡¯t developed breech-loading guns? Loading the bullets from the back will significantly improve the speed...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯sbine it with the shipbuilding technology of the East Continent. It will boast an iparable uracy rate to existing seand cannons.¡±


    ¡°It is good to standardize the calibre of the artillery. It will be difficult but we can manage if we make it with the insane dragon iron.¡±


    The cksmiths from the West Continent and East Continent were constantly exchanging opinions about the design of the new cannon. Things could be messy if there were were too many cooks, but there was no problem if the king was controlling the cooks.


    Grid had the blueprint in front of him as he asionally co-ordinated the opinions of the cksmiths or filtered them out, making his own food. The media outlets from various countries didn¡¯t know what was going on and expressed their opinion on Grid¡¯s absence.


    [Grid, the protagonist has retired.]


    [The Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s war without Grid.]


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1007

    It had been six years since Satisfy started, but it wasn¡¯t an official record. This was because the six years included the closed beta period most people didn¡¯t know about. Consequently, it only became a special meaning for a certain number of users selected for the closed beta.


    [We found the North End Cave!]


    Finally...


    [You have sessfully explored every part of the West Continent!]


    The 1st ranked explorer, Skunk, managed a great achievement. It was an aplishment that none of the challengers had achieved.


    [It is an achievement that will remain in history!]


    [The title ¡®More Than Anyone Has Seen¡¯ has been acquired as an achievement reward!]


    [You are the first yer to acquire a Complete Map!]


    [As a reward for the Complete Map, your ¡®Highest Grade Compass¡¯ is promoted to ¡®Compass of Truth¡¯!]


    [New mappletion rate has automatically increased by 10%!]


    [One ¡®Seedling¡¯ can be nted in every region in the future. If the seedlings grow and be trees, they will be your eyes and ears. Destroyed seedlings and trees can¡¯t be restored.]


    [¡ïA legend that has never appeared in history has started to quicken! ¡ï]


    [Skills experience, character experience, and quest acquisition rate will increase by 80% over the next 10 days!]


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡±


    His hard work came to mind. Tears filled Skunk¡¯s lightly wrinkled eyes. After walking on one path for a long time, he was able to achieve his goal and receive reasonablepensation.


    ¡°Congrattions. It is a reward that makes up for all the damage you suffered at the Sword Grave.¡±The congrattions came from Dog Woman.


    Skunk received the handkerchief she handed over and smiled.¡°I can¡¯t say that work was a loss. We umted enough experience and knowledge and received Grid¡¯s favor.


    ¡°Does Grid really have good feelings toward us? Commonbat sses make fun of us while Grid is a production ss and a warrior who fights on the front line. He might wonder why we can¡¯t do it as well.¡±


    ¡°No, I think differently. Grid understands the position of people like us because he is a production ss. In fact, it is rumored that cksmiths are the ss that receives the best treatment in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is no point discussing it. Who will dare abuse our Skunk, who has obtained the qualification to be a legend and the Compass of Truth? In the future, won¡¯t every yer be crawling in front of you? Of course, Grid is the same.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Certainly, it was true. After grasping all the terrain of the West Continent and the location of hidden pieces, Skunk¡¯s value was now astronomical. Any ambitious person would be tempted to turn Skunk into a colleague. Skunk himself was also aware of this. However¡ª


    ¡°We¡¯ll see... I don¡¯t think it would be nice to see people¡¯s attitudes changing.¡±


    Skunk hadn¡¯t started ying Satisfy to rule. He wanted to dig out all the secrets hidden in therger wall. Earning money at the same time was the icing on the cake. It was up to there. Skunk loved freedom and had no intention of belonging to anyone. He had only one n in the future¡ªa new expedition.


    Skunk opened the Complete Map. It was a map with the terrain of the entire West Continent. Was it a perfect map? No. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t perfect. The world wasn¡¯t only the West Continent. There was the Red Sea and the East Continent. They were shrouded in veils and were still unchartednd for Skunk.


    Of course, he had visited the East Continent several times, but it was only at the beginning. Even now, the soldiers of the Cho Kingdom rejected those from the West Continent, making it virtually impossible to explore the East Continent. He didn¡¯t know exactly when it had happened. Last year, he revisited the East Continent and found the starting city of Pangea empty, while the soldiers of the Cho Kingdom were extremely alert to people of the West Continent.


    ¡®The Red Sea.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t go to the East Continent right now. Thus, Skunk turned to the unknown sea that wasn¡¯t covered in books.


    ¡®Explore the Red Sea.¡¯


    The world¡¯s foremost explorer had bright eyes. His decision making speed was fast.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Galest.¡±


    ¡°Galest? The empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Galest was thergest port city in the empire. It was the only city that rented out the best ships on the West Continent, armed with state-of-the-art artillery. Consequently, it was necessary to go to Galest in order to reach the Red Sea. However, Dog Woman¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t good.¡°It is a battlefield right now. The water n king is ying around.¡±


    The water n king was ssified as a named NPC. Having visited several different ethnic groups throughout the West Continent before, Skunk¡¯s group were able to gauge the power of the water n king. It was highly likely they would be swept away by the war if they headed to Galest. Skunk spoke firmly to his concerned colleagues, ¡°Do you know the power of the empire? Even the water n king would be suppressed or escaped.¡±


    The war in Galest would be over. Skunk was convinced of it.¡°Let¡¯s depart for Galest immediately.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It is slightly different. We have to design it this way.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°No. The angle should be a bit further down...¡±


    ¡°Aha. I understand.¡±


    This was the first time since the creation of the White Tiger Sword that Grid was creating a new item with other people. Grid was surrounded by the best cksmiths of the Overgeared Kingdom as he carefully drew the blueprint for the new cannon. It was a cannon with wheels and a mechanism that pushed the artillery shells toward the back of the barrel (referred to from now on as the breech-loading cannon). The cannon was capable of firing at both low and high angles.


    This was the basic feature of the new weapon. The soldiers could drag around the cannon themselves, and it had good mobility. It had a much faster firing speed than other cannons, and the shooting position was flexible. The cksmiths of the East Continent exined the merits of the new weapon enthusiastically.


    ¡°The biggest advantage of the cannon is that the length of the barrel doesn¡¯t affect the reloading speed. Thus, we can maximize the strength, uracy, and range by making the barrel longer.¡±


    People kept speaking.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Then should we increase the length of the barrel?¡±


    ¡°No. If will increase it that much, the weight will be too heavy.¡±


    ¡°What about making it out of ck iron? ck iron is lighter than steel, and it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°The length is too long even if we¡¯re considering ck iron. To amodate this length, we need to increase the support and wheels area. This means we will have to deploy five people per cannon.¡±


    ¡°Should we use blue orichalcum instead of ck iron? Then the weight problem will be solved.¡±


    ¡°Blue orichalcum is a problem because the quantity is too limited, and it is rather light. Every time it is fired, the barrel will shake and we will have to strengthen the support barrel. Then the wheels will need to increase. Thus, this problem won¡¯t be solved by blue orichalcum.¡±


    ¡°...In the end, the barrel length can only be increased to this extent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid listened to the cksmiths¡¯ exnation while drawing on his experience and knowledge. He was drawing and nodding as he tried to understand the design intentions of the cksmiths. It was the limit of his efforts. Up to the present, Grid had been drawing his own designs, but he couldn¡¯t understand the scientific and technical principles behind them.


    The areas where Grid could intervene in the design were limited. The cksmiths talked all day, but Grid couldn¡¯t understand it. Of course, there were no problems. Nothing was wrong. What yer in the world could acquire and understand all knowledge?


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Creation skill was kind. The system understood and analyzed all the principles that confused Grid and described them in the blueprint. It was the same phenomenon as when Grid created Failure. However, the current situation couldn¡¯t bepared to the creation of Failure. This time, it wasn¡¯t just the system supporting Grid but the best cksmiths as well. The new cannon was likely to bepleted with a quality that couldn¡¯tpare to Failure.


    ¡°It is also necessary to guarantee the safety of the artillery. How about building a small wall on top of the turret?¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    ¡°Truly great!¡±


    The cksmiths assisting Grid were only focused on the performance of the cannon, but Grid cared about lives. Grid assumed that the soldiers shooting the cannon could die from arrows and magic, and so he ced a shield over the turret. The design of the cannon was spectacr.


    At first, it was a design where the barrel was ced between two wheels. Now, there was a square wall over the barrel, resulting in a stable and profound feeling. Of course, the disadvantage was the increased weight but it wasn¡¯t heavy enough to cause problems. Grid didn¡¯t care since it was the soldiers dragging the cannons around.


    ¡®It is good to save their lives in return for theirbor.¡¯


    ¡°Awesome. Compared to the cannons used in the empire, the speed and uracy rate will be greatly improved. As for the power and range... you¡¯ll know when you see it yourself.¡±


    Panmir was amazed when he read the details of the blueprint that Grid shared. The 1st ranked cksmith¡¯s discerning eye was great enough that he could a fairly urate estimate of the power of the new cannon. He asked, ¡°What is its name? The name of the new cannon that will shake the Overgeared Kingdom in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡± Panmir¡¯s anticipation was heightened. The cksmiths gulped.


    All eyes were gathered on him as Grid dered with a solemn expression, ¡°It is Overgeared Cannon.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡± Panmir was dumbfounded, but it wasn¡¯t because of the name Overgeared Cannon. It was because of his ears. Although it might be due to being a member of the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom, the name didn¡¯t feel strange to him.


    ¡°It is too in and nd,¡± Panmir couldn¡¯t help muttering after heughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s in? Should I add something like super ultra in front?¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t do that.¡± Panmir had a serious expression. It was a reaction that showed the name Super Ultra Overgeared Cannon could never be possible. Grid was satisfied with Overgeared Cannon.


    That evening...


    ¡°Is it done now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s perfect.¡±


    The blueprint was finallypleted. The initially nk blueprint was now filled with a cannon with a ck barrel. The forms and jargon listed on the design enhanced the value of it.


    ¡°Good.¡± Grid grinned and pressed the finished button at the bottom of the blueprint.


    [The item creation has beenpleted.]


    [This is a masterpiece created by the greatest craftsmen and legendary cksmith working together!]


    [The level of the created item will increase by one!]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The detailed information about the design along with the amazing notification windows emerged in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [Design: Overgeared Cannon]


    [Rating: Unique ¨C Legend]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The most important part that Grid and the Overgeared cksmiths focused on was mass production. It was standardized to be produced quickly and easily, and the materials used were rtively simple. That¡¯s why the rating of the Overgeared Cannon was judged to be lower. The maximum rating was legendary and the minimum rating should be rare to epic.


    One of the factors determining item rating was the quality of the materials used, making it a reasonable guess for Grid. Yet thepleted Overgeared Cannon was guaranteed to be at least unique. It was the best result he had never expected.


    ¡°Nice!!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions Your Majesty!¡±


    Grid and the cksmith¡¯s cheers filled the smithy. The unclothed men forgot their ages and identities and embraced each other. A bright future was drawn in their minds.

 Chapter 1008

    [Overgeared Cannon]


    [Rating: Unique ¨C Legendary


    Unique Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 45,000 fixed damage.


    * The damage will increase ording to the skill level of a marksman¡¯s Firearms Mastery.


    * The same damage will be applied to a radius of 4 meters around the target.


    Defense +200.


    * Neutralize one ranged attack (cooldown time of 1 minute).


    Attack Speed: Once every 19 seconds.


    Movement Speed: 2 meters per second.


    Attack Distance: 300 ¨C 880 meters.


    * Three people are required to operate the cannon.


    * If the attack target is a building or a weapon, three times the damage will be dealt.


    Legendary Rating Information:


    Attack Power: 60,000 fixed damage.


    * The damage will increase ording to the skill level of a marksman¡¯s Firearms Mastery.


    * The same damage will be applied to a radius of 6 meters around the target.


    Defense +350.


    * Neutralize one ranged attack (cooldown time of 45 seconds).


    Attack Speed: Once every 15 seconds.


    Movement Speed: 2 meters per second.


    Attack Distance: 150 ¨C 1,050 meters.


    * Three people are required to operate the cannon.


    * If the attack target is a building or a weapon, three times the damage will be dealt.


    -A cannon created by the legendary cksmith Grid, who has been recognized by a god, and the cksmith craftsmen of the West Continent and East Continent.


    It is a cannon made with borate calctions and can¡¯t work if it is made with a material other than ck iron with a different weight. The chassis designed for pulling and recoil suppression is designed to be agile enough to move the cannon forward or back. The knowledge and know-how of the craftsmen made a ¡®support¡¯ linking the wheels and barrel. This means a marksman can set the angles of the barrel more flexibly.


    The shield on top is filled with Grid¡¯s heart that prays for the safety of the soldiers. It will be responsible for the safety of the artillery. The structure is designed to be able to hold the shells behind the breech-loading cannon. The reload speed is much faster than a cannon that needs to be moved to the front of the barrel every time it is reloaded, and the aiming point isn¡¯t easily lost. The barrel¡¯s length is long, and its attack power and range are excellent.


    This is a revolution. The emergence of the Overgeared Cannon, which overturned the limitations of existing cannons, will give people a new perception.


    Usage Conditions: A marksman with the Firearms Mastery skill.


    Weight: 39,500]


    It was worthy of praise. There was even the word ¡®revolution¡¯ in the description. He was already looking forward to seeing how much more praise would be added if he got a legendary rating.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid looked at the faces of the sweaty men embracing and turned away. The best cksmiths of this era...


    Why did they take off their clothes to ovee the heat of the smithy? Why were they all men? His eyes would¡¯ve been wide open if they were women.


    ¡°...¡±


    No, he didn¡¯t mean to think about this. Grid shook his head and nced around at the cksmiths. These were the best people in their ss. The Overgeared Cannon contained the skills and knowledge they had umted throughout their lives. It was clear that the Overgeared Cannon, which had been made by them, was a masterpiece worthy of praise.


    Grid was burning with motivation.¡°Let¡¯s start the production of the Overgeared Cannon now.¡±


    Blueprints were categorized as consumables. There was only one blueprint of the Overgeared Cannon created by Grid, and only Grid could learn it. However, the cksmith craftsmen who participated in the design of the Overgeared Cannon weren¡¯t fools. There was no way they couldn¡¯t be aware of the Overgeared Cannon that they had designed.


    Those who participated in the creation of the item received an imperfect blueprint of the Overgeared Cannon. It wasn¡¯t a fraudulent blueprint that guaranteed a minimum unique rating like Grid¡¯s, but it was worthwhile because the basic performance of the Overgeared Cannon was so good.


    The heat of the smithy suddenly rose as eight hearths and the private furnace of Overgeared King Grid and the craftsmen who followed him were lit.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The hammering sound reverberated like chords in the hearts of the young cksmiths. The future of the Overgeared Kingdom was bing stronger.


    ***


    Sniping was an attack method aimed at maximum efficiency. The idea was to inflict a fatal wound on the other person so they couldn¡¯t fight back. It was impossible for Jishuka to be unaware of this.


    ¡°...¡±Jishuka gazed at the imperial army and pulled back her bowstring. Despite the optimal wind direction, she wasn¡¯t able to draw her bow carelessly. Sweat dripped down her chin.She was filled with extreme tension. The previous few failures had taken away her confidence.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± Toban asked carefully. The battle had already run for one hour in length. Jishuka normally yed an active role against the imperial army in her intermittent appearances, but now she couldn¡¯t fire a single arrow. Toban, who had been with Jishuka since the days of L.T.S, was unfamiliar with her current appearance. Jishuka was a genius among geniuses. He never imagined that Jishuka, who he believed to be the top gamer until Satisfy, could be so shaken.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Jishuka took a deep breath and pulled the bowstring.¡°I¡¯ll be struck back the moment I shoot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came with you. Trust me. Am I not one of the best tankers in the world?¡±


    ¡°The real problem is something else.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes were staring at an archer in a distant ce that the public couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°There is no point in shooting. We can¡¯t deal much damage to the enemy by shooting. Additionally, our location will be exposed.¡±


    The imperial army¡¯s formation was perfect. The troops were deployed in a fluid manner where they could avoid major damage, even if they were shot. No matter how much the monster called Noll one-sidedly harassed the imperial army. The ability of the leaders meant the damage to the army wasn¡¯t significant. Moreover, the biggest problem was the magic that blocked ranged attacks which came from ¡®beyond a certain distance.¡¯ Unlike Faker and Kasim who directly infiltrated the enemy camp, Jishuka couldn¡¯t assassinate the enemy leaders.


    Additionally, there was an archer who could instantly grasp Jishuka¡¯s sniping position. Every time Jishuka fired at the enemy, a counterattack always came back. Jishuka had already lost her life twice from this counterattack. This meant the opponent was more powerful than Jishuka.


    It was an environment where she couldn¡¯t be active. The extreme environment depleted Jishuka¡¯s mental power. The dignity of the Saharan Empire, the strongest nation on the continent, turned Jishuka into an infinitely weak existence.


    ¡°...¡±


    The day hade when the always confident Jishuka felt frustrated. Toban was frightened by Jishuka¡¯s appearance and didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡®Should I p her on the cheek to wake her up?¡¯


    No, he would be killed. He had to find another way to calm her, but he didn¡¯t know how. It had been almost 10 years since he had been with Jishuka, but this was the first time he had seen something like this. Toban didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t good,¡±a new voice was heard. Jishuka leaned forward, and her body trembled.


    ¡°You need to let me do it if you can¡¯t.¡± The newly heard voice belonged to Yura. She leaned on a rock and transformed Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay into sniper mode. It was the damn weapon that had knocked out Jishuka in the 3rd National Competition.


    However, Jishuka showed a ridiculing reaction.¡°You can do it when I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t. Still, isn¡¯t it better than nothing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic. The moment you shoot that gun, we¡¯re all at risk. It doesn¡¯t matter if you die, but my life and Toban¡¯s life is precious.¡±


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to fire, don¡¯t take the sniper position and get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Yes, do whatever you like.¡±Jishuka didn¡¯t have the physical strength to deal with her rival. Then it happened when the frowning Jishuka was about to leave.


    Tatang!Yura fired the gun. A jade magic power was fired from the muzzle and quickly aimed at the enemy.


    ¡°Crazy woman!¡±Jishuka¡¯s Hawk Eyes had achieved master level, and she examined the enemy. It was as expected. Yura¡¯s bullet, which aimed at the enemymander, was blocked by the magic barrier. Simultaneously...


    ----!


    An arrow faster than bullets seemed to flood over to their side. It was the archer who had killed Jishuka twice.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±Jishuka reflexively raised her bow and fired an arrow.


    ----!


    Two arrows collided in the air and fell to the ground. While panting, Jishuka shouted at Yura, ¡°Do you want to die? Why are you ignoring people¡¯s words?! If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would be dead!¡±


    Legends were naturally immortal, but the enemy¡¯s relentless arrows would¡¯ve followed her to the end. Yura grinned at the shouting Jishuka.¡°You are better than him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hit that arrow despite shootingter? Doesn¡¯t that mean your skills are better?¡±


    ¡°No, that....¡±Jishuka was about to refute it only to shut up. Yes, it was worth trying. Did she need to be scared by a person like that? No, why should she be scared in the first ce? Hadn¡¯t she already been through many disadvantageous fights? Then why now...


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    She had been living toofortably these days. After setting up the Overgeared Kingdom and bing a duke, she lived a life that was far from a ¡®challenge.¡¯ The stage of the National Competition might¡¯ve weakened her. Death and failure in the National Competition were fakes with no penalties. She had be ustomed to false deaths and failures and afraid of real death and failures.


    ¡°I have be a cow.¡±


    Jishuka was a predator. She shouldn¡¯t mistake herself as a grazing animal.


    ¡°Toban.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Tell me,¡± Toban answered vigorously after confirming that Jishuka¡¯s gaze had returned to normal.


    ¡°The world¡¯s best tanker? I should trust in you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Jishuka gave a meaningful smile and suddenly climbed on a camel. She started to move toward the distant imperial army.


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    Reidan¡¯s camels were an improved species. It was possible to run quickly in the desert. In an instant, Jishuka moved far away, and Toban quickly followed. Jishuka wasughing. ¡°I can¡¯t shoot from a distance?Then I can shoot from close up, right?¡±


    On the running camel, Jishuka pulled back her bowstring. The Red Phoenix Bow reacted to her magic power and emitted mes hotter than the desert.


    ¡°The enemy!¡±


    ¡°Only two? Crazy!¡±


    ¡°Intercept them!¡±


    The imperial army discovered the woman with a burning boy and the soldiers with a shield beside her. Toban¡¯s shield blocked the iing arrows and spells.¡°Ugh...! No more!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t approach any further. Toban wanted to stay this, but he had no time.


    Jishuka was already flying in front of Toban. ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    A huge ming bird appeared above the heads of the imperial forces. The soldiers didn¡¯t panic. A few days ago, they witnessed the destruction of the red phoenix, but none of them had died.


    ¡°At that time, I was shooting from a distance.¡± Jishukaughed. The desert exploded, and the formation of the imperial army was overturned. The price of Jishuka¡¯s attack was great. The enraged imperial army¡¯s counterattack quickly turned Jishuka into a rag. She was dying.


    ¡°I saw it well.¡± Yura helped her. She opened the hell gate and summoned the demons to secure their treat.


    ¡°You are unlucky.¡±


    ¡°I hear that a lot from women.¡±


    ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m jealous of you? Do you want to start bleeding?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°T-Take me too.¡±Toban chased desperately after the two bickering women.

 Chapter 1009

    The former emperors believed that the higher the level of the people, the stronger the nation. It was one of the reasons why the empire wasn¡¯t wealthy. The empire conferred more welfare and benefits to its people as it conquered and exploited others. They hoped the people would take pride in themselves as citizens of the empire and focus on self-development, which would also grow the empire. This was the empire¡¯s investment for thousands of years.


    ---!


    The archer Rainhud was one of the talents raised by the empire. The extremely developed archer perceived the breezeing from afar and recognized the wavelength of the air.


    ¡°...¡± Rainhud captured a glow in the sky and lowered his gaze. His eyes stared at the horizon and captured a blue stream of magic power. He instantly captured Yura in his gaze. The string of his bow was pulled back. He had no intention of letting go of an enemy who dared to shoot at the empire.


    Rainhud released the bowstring. The sparkling bullet that flew toward the allied formation exploded as it collided with the magic barrier. There was a ring light that obstructed Rainhud¡¯s visibility.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡± Rainhud lost his aiming point, and the arrow he fired was weaker than usual. Rainhud¡¯s arrow, which should¡¯ve prated Yura, was intercepted in the air. It was an arrow made of jaffa. Rainhud recognized it instantly. It was the arrow of the woman he killed twice.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The greatest shame of an archer wasn¡¯t when they failed to hit the target but when they were targeted. The disgrace he felt when the arrow he¡¯d shot became a target was too great. The excuse of losing his sight because of the sh didn¡¯t work. Rainhud had to make up for it. He once again drew back the bowstring.


    The magic bombardment of Noll in the sky intensified, causing Rainhud to lose his bnce for a moment. He hurriedly shifted his gaze back and saw an absurd scene. The crazy female archer of the Overgeared Kingdom was approaching on a camel.


    ¡°Why is shemitting suicide?¡±


    Rainhud tried to aim at the female archer only to thene to a stop. It was due to the phoenix rising from behind the archer. The hot heat emitted by the phoenix seemed to melt the entire desert.


    ¡°It is useless! Don¡¯t be deceived!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal!¡±


    The soldiers ignored the phoenix. A few days ago, the phoenix fired from a distance was blocked by the magic barrier. However, now the distance was too close. It was a distance where the magic barrier which worked against snipers couldn¡¯t take effect.


    Rainhud paled, and he quickly fired an arrow. He nned to assassinate the archer before the phoenix¡¯s attack hit.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Then a ck man came running with a shield and protected the archer. He was a very durable man and didn¡¯t fall down easily.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Rainhud med the monster in the sky. The firepower of Rainhud¡¯s allies wasn¡¯t concentrated because of Noll. The screams of the soldiers echoed as they were swallowed up by the fire. Grey pirs rose continuously, and Rainhud lost one eye. This was the moment when the quality of the archer weakened.


    ¡°Kuah...! Kuaaaaak!¡±Rainhud¡¯s scream of anger and resentment was directed at Jishuka. This was the beginning of a new growth.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Expert Archer¡¯s Grudge has urred!]


    [Expert Archer¡¯s Grudge]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The expert archer, whose name isn¡¯t known, has a big grudge against you and ns revenge. In the future, he will live to kill you.


    Survive the sniping!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Survive 10 sniping attempts that might ur in the future.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Every time you survive, your agility and sensing stats will increase.]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this good?¡±


    Jishuka retreated with Yura¡¯s help. She managed to soothe her pain of dying two times in the war. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t alone. There were numerous crises during the war, and the suffering Overgeared members were growing significantly in power.


    ***


    Satisfy had a hierarchy for the countless sses. Some sses were spotlighted by people at the pinnacle of the pyramid while others at the bottom of the pyramid were shunned. The artillery ss was a typical low-status ss. The expression ¡®underprivileged¡¯ was an exaggeration.


    Satisfy currently had no portable artillery such as bazookas. There were rumors that they could get portable artillery from the dwarf city or the East Continent, but it didn¡¯t matter... They weren¡¯t circted on the market. Thanks to this, the artillerymen had to use cannons as weapons, and at least three of them were required to operate one cannon. Moreover, most shells were purchased by the empire and kingdoms.


    That¡¯s right. For all sorts of reasons, the artillerymen were a half-rate ss that couldn¡¯t even use weapons. Proper hunting was impossible. The only way for artillerymen to progress was to enlist in the army.


    ¡°This garbage ss has nothing to do even during a war.¡±


    The 1st ce on the artillerymen rankings, ¡®Lost Justice¡¯¡ªshe didn¡¯t take pride in her number one ranking. Out of two billion users, there were only 10,000 artillerymen. In fact, she was only level 180, barely reaching the average level of most yers. It was a level she managed to gain thanks to joining the imperial army and receiving the daily cannon training quest. Her Firearms Mastery skill level had also been raised to the beginner master stage. Yes, beginner master...


    It was garbagepared to NPC artillerymen. In the imperial army where there were countless NPC artillerymen, Lost Justice¡¯s position was very low. The proof was that she didn¡¯t have a chance to enter the war one month after the war with the Overgeared Kingdom started.


    ¡°Hah...¡± She had to suck her fingers even after a big war started. Lost Justice regarded war as an opportunity, but the reality of it was hopeless. She had worried about it hundreds and thousands of times already, and she started thinking again, ¡®Should I change sses?¡¯


    It was now almost a habit. The reason she hadn¡¯t changed her ss so far was that she had pride. She was too proud to turn away from thest few years of frustration and hard work. The reason why she initially chose an artilleryman was simple. She thought it would be safe shooting a cannon from a distance.


    [A friend request from ¡®Lauel¡¯ has arrived.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Staring at a distant mountain, sighing, pulling her hair, and so on, Lost Justice was showing intense signs of depression when she suddenly doubted her eyes. She received a friend request. Someone was asking to be her friend? It was a big event she had never experienced ever since bing an artilleryman.


    ¡°U-Uhh?¡± Lost Justice btedly epted the friend request. She didn¡¯t care about the person asking to be her friend. She was just d, joyful and amazed.


    [The yer ¡®Lauel¡¯ has be a friend.]


    -Hello?Are you Lost Justice?I am Lauel of the Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared Guild.


    -Ah, yes.H-Hello.Huhu.


    She couldn¡¯t believe the day when she would use the whisper system hade! The experience of talking to a strange whose face she didn¡¯t know was really exciting. It felt very different from a phone call.


    -...Huh? Lost Justiceughing excitedly btedly made a nk expression. -O-Overgeared Guild?


    Beings in apletely alien world¡ªthe members of the Overgeared Guild were world ss stars who owned the Overgeared Kingdom and were currently in a war with the empire. Lost Justice recognized them as celebrities who could only be seen on TV. Now an Overgeared member, Grid¡¯s right arm, had sent her a whisper?


    ¡°Is this a scam?¡±


    It was an unbelievable situation. Lost Justice brought up her friends list. The information of her only friend, Lauel, was revealed.


    [Lauel]


    [Level: 335


    Guild: Overgeared Guild


    Kingdom: Overgeared Kingdom]


    ¡°Level 3-335!¡±


    The current average level of the high rankers was around 370. Compared to them, Lauel¡¯s level was rather low. In order to serve the country, he had no time to hunt because he was struggling with managing internal affairs. Yet from Lost Justice¡¯s point of view, Lauel¡¯s level was huge. The level felt like it was at another dimension.


    -Y-Y-You are real!


    -Haha, did you think I was an impostor?Well, I am a high-profile figures, so I¡¯m a good target to impersonate.Kukuk.


    -...Ah, yes.What is your business?


    Lost Justice didn¡¯t like Lauel originally. A man who lived on his high horse was tiring in many ways. Lauel was confused as Lost Justice¡¯s fervent reaction quickly cooled down, so he cut to the chase.-We are recruiting artillerymen for the Overgeared Guild.


    -Yes, I see.Huh? -You are recruiting artillerymen for the Overgeared Guild?Why?


    -It is necessary.


    -B-But the Overgeared Guild is the best guild in the world, and artillerymen are garbage.


    -Garbage...That isn¡¯t the case.Artillerymen are a must for the Overgeared Guild.


    -This isn¡¯t a scam?


    -No.


    -...


    Indeed, it couldn¡¯t be a scam. It would be a one-sided loss for a bigshot like Lauel to waste time tricking her. Lauel¡¯s voice continued, -There is a vige on the outskirts of the empire where the Ul n used to live.It is apletely ruined ce now.If you send a whisper there, I¡¯ll send a person to pick you up.


    ***


    The development of the Overgeared Cannon was definitely a great aplishment, but Lauel had a headache. Grid had overlooked one aspect, which was the scarcity of artillerymen. In particr, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army relied more on the mass-production Grid set than artillery and they neglected the training of artillerymen. The Overgeared Kingdom had only 100 artillerymen, and even those small numbers weren¡¯t trained properly. They had to consume shells to practice shooting cannons, and this all consumed money.


    ¡®It is ridiculously small.¡¯


    100 artillerymen could only operate 33 Overgeared Cannons. It might be different if only Grid could make the Overgeared Cannons, but the craftsmen were able to produce the Overgeared Cannons. Considering the volume of ck iron, hundreds of Overgeared Cannon could be produced in the future. More artillerymen were needed.


    Then Lauel was reminded of the yers. Lauel changed the rankings to the ss lists, went to the ¡®artillerymen¡¯ category and identified the first 100 ranked artillerymen yers. Then he became scared.


    ¡®The 1st ranked yer is level 180.¡¯


    The 100th ranked y was only level 113. It felt like he was seeing the rankings list five years ago.


    ¡®Did time stop for the artillerymen?¡¯


    It was an absurd idea. Lauel shook his head and sent a friends request to all 100 yers, starting with the 1st ranked Lost Justice and ending with the 100th ranked yer. Then he had an interesting experience. 100 people epted Lauel¡¯s friend request. Moreover, the response to his whisper was instantaneous. They seemed like hungry people.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Originally, Lauel was nning to present good conditions to the artillerymen. He thought he should appease them with the best terms since he was in the unfavorable position. Then he changed his mind after learning about the realities of artillerymen. Lauel just gave them the offer to join the Overgeared Guild, and the 100 artillerymen readily agreed.


    ¡®The time hase to create Overgeared Four.¡¯


    It was the guild name. The Overgeared Artillerymen group.


    ¡®The key is who to make the guild master...¡¯


    Who would be the person tomand the 100 artillerymen rankers? Lauel considered the role the artillerymen would y in the future. He wondered about the leader they needed.


    ¡®The main stage of the artillerymen is the battlefield, not the hunting ground. In order to control them, I need a leader who can read a battlefield well. Artillerymen have low mobility, their defense is weak and they shouldn¡¯t attract aggro...¡¯


    They needed to have quick judgment andposure to set the shooting point. It was good to have the ability to read wind direction. Who could be the leader who met all these conditions? After a while, Lauel came to a conclusion.


    ¡°There is no one.¡±


    The Overgeared members had strong and individual personalities. They were geniuses with strong self-esteem and selfishness. In the first guild, there was no one with the ability to lead the artillerymen.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    He would have to lead the artillerymen to Toban, who had been the former chief of staff for the Tzedakah Guild. Toban had experience with reading the field in the war and skills to protect his allies. He might not be perfect, but he would lead the artillerymen well until their ce was settled.


    ¡®I need to pay more attention to the guild members in the future.¡¯


    Overgeared One, Overgeared Workforce... No, Overgeared Two... and finally, there was the Overgeared Shadows. Currently, there were three guilds and 913 guild members. Lauel remembered all of their abilities and characteristics, but he didn¡¯t know the details of their background or personality.


    The excuse was that hecked time. He fully understood the early members but didn¡¯t have time to interact with the new recruits. The main problem was that Grid was the same. Lauel had the intelligence to memorize all the names, faces, and basic features of the members, but Grid was different. Grid didn¡¯t even know the names and faces of the guild members. Lauel had a hunch that this was the most important time.


    ¡®If we are being swept away by the outside, we need to firm up the inside.¡¯


    Lauel rushed to the smithy. Grid and the craftsmen were trying to produce something bigger than their height.


    ¡°You said you are going to invite artillerymen? You have suffered a lot.¡±


    How far ahead was his development? Lauel was impressed that Grid had noticed his approach despite the uproar.


    ¡°Kukuk, as expected of the man who received my recognition...¡± Lauelughed while covering his face with one hand, and Grid ignored him. He had learned from experience that it was better not to react when Lauel suddenly spoke bullshit. It was as expected.


    ¡°Hum hum. I think we need to establish Overgeared Four,¡± Lauel coughed with embarrassment and brought out the main point.


    ¡°Is it due to the artillerymen that will be recruited this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s create it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Additionally, let¡¯s have an event to celebrate the formation of the fourth group.¡±


    ¡°...An event?¡±


    Weren¡¯t they in a war right now?


    Lauelughed at Grid¡¯s absurd reaction.¡°I will call the Overgeared members to Reidan and set off fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Is it to show ourposure to the empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s amon bravado. The effect will be clear. The morale of the imperial soldiers will fall when they see us partying in a war.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then do it.¡±


    The event would end with a toast.


    Lauel¡¯s next words were like a bolt out of the blue for Grid who was trying to think simply.

 Chapter 1010

    ¡°Your Majesty, please give a word of encouragement to each of the guild members.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes. What?¡±


    It was ridiculous. The number of Overgeared members exceeded 900. This time, new artillerymen had joined, and the number went beyond 1,000 people. Did Grid have to give encouragement to all of them? How many hours of hardbor did he have to give in exchange?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a waste of time?¡± Grid responded in a confused manner.


    Yet Lauel added, ¡°Please promise to make an item that suits their needs.¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t even know all the guild members, but now I have to promise to make items by looking at them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Majesty doesn¡¯t know all the guild members.¡±


    ¡°...I-It was originally like that.¡± Grid noticed what Lauel was pointing out and temporarily closed his mouth. However, Grid had an excuse. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who is supposed to manage the guild in the first ce? That¡¯s why I agreed with your opinion to increase the guild members.¡±


    If Grid had to take care of the guild members, then he wouldn¡¯t have increased the number of guild members. Now Lauel was ming his indifference.


    ¡°I want to focus on increasing my level and making items. Now I have to care about the guild?¡±


    Grid was busy. It was troublesome. There was no time. He wasn¡¯t trying to make excuses.


    ¡°I¡¯m different from you and don¡¯t have your ability. I can¡¯t do several things at once. I can only focus on one thing...¡± The irritated Grid suddenly closed his mouth. Work...? Remembering his colleagues and sharing greetings with them was considered work? Grid got goosebumps. He realized how much he had neglected the new Overgeared members.


    ¡®I think of basic manners as work...¡¯


    On this subject, he hoped they would work hard for the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom.He shouted that they were his colleagues. Yet, from Grid¡¯s point of view, he used a pretext to give them cheap items. Grid¡¯s face turned red.He felt ashamed of himself and sorry to the guild members.


    Lauel¡¯s eyes trembled, and he waved his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take it seriously. Isn¡¯t it a hard time right now? I just thought it was an opportunity to give the guild members a sense of bonding and belonging. I didn¡¯t mean to condemn you...¡±


    ¡°No. I deserve to be condemned.¡±


    In the past few years, there were countless people who knocked on the door of the Overgeared Guild. Some had approached the Overgeared Guild to satisfy their desires while others had terrible intentions. Lauel had been the one who spent time and money to examine and select the current Overgeared members. Grid had epted the result of Lauel¡¯s blood, sweat, tears, and runny nose as a natural right. He hadn¡¯t respected Lauel¡¯s efforts to win over their colleagues.


    ¡°A person can¡¯t change easily.¡±


    He was still selfish. Grid smiled wanly as he realized this.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t raise his head, and Lauel didn¡¯t know what to do. Lauel was troubled that he was cing pressure on the busiest person. Grid was quite for a while before raising his head again.¡°Okay. Let¡¯s exchange greetings with everyone.¡±


    His eyes stopped shaking, and his gaze became clear. Until the foundation of the artillerymen group, he would remember all the faces of his dear colleagues who believed in him and followed him. Feeling determined, Grid was prepared to stay up all night for days. The roles of a king, a warrior, a cksmith, a tailor, and most of all, a guild master...


    It seemed he didn¡¯t have enough body parts for them, but he had to perform them. Grid believed in his tenacity and enthusiasm.


    ***


    At night, there were the direct descendant vampire and the assassins. During the day, there were the giant worms and top rankers of the Overgeared Guild. The imperial army was attacked by enemies in the desert. The pace of the march was very slow, and they couldn¡¯t rest their minds, so they were very tired. The horses couldn¡¯t easily adapt to the terrain, and the temperature of the desert was the worst. The cavalry lost their mobility and destructive power.


    ¡°The morale of the soldiers isn¡¯t great. Last night, 359 people tried to desert.¡±


    ¡°The enemy¡¯s condition won¡¯t be much different from ours. Whenever the enemy raided, didn¡¯t we respond well and kill many of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We might suffer the same damage, but we have the superiority of our troops. The psychological pressure on the Overgeared Kingdom is greater. There are 359 deserters in our army...? There must be 1,000 deserters in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It is an optimistic interpretation. They have strong walls and abundant food while we have thin barracks and not enough water to drink.¡±


    The imperial army¡¯s original goal was to cross the desert in two days. No matter how slow the pace of the march was, Reidan wasn¡¯t far away, so they thought it was possible. However, reality was different. Due to the emergence of sessive enemies, it took more than four days. No, it was likely they would die alone in the middle of the desert if they stuck to the march.


    Theck of drinking water was a problem. Every oasis in the desert was contaminated with poison. The imperial army had to rely on the supply unit for drinking water for hundreds of thousands of troops, but how could a convoy cross the desert easily? Would the Overgeared Kingdom passively let the convoy reach them?


    ¡°...¡± An awkward silence flowed in the barracks of the imperial army¡¯s leaders. There was a limit to their efforts to interpret the situation positively.


    There was a long silence before a young nobleman spoke on behalf of everyone, ¡°Why don¡¯t we retreat first?¡±


    ¡°...¡± No one disputed it. Neither was there a rebuke.


    The young noble¡¯s courage increased, and he kept talking, ¡°The hundreds of thousands of troops here are rtively inexperienced. They aren¡¯t used to the terrain of the desert and can¡¯t demonstrate their full abilities. The elite armies who have participated in all types of wars over the past decades will be different. The armies of the Seven Dukes would cross the desert like ducks meeting water.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting to hold the army outside the desert and wait for the arrival of the elite troops?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Dozens of imperial forces were gathered at Reidan¡¯s border. There had been 280,000, but now they were reduced to 230,000 in their mission to conquer the Overgeared Kingdom. They had nned to attract the enemy¡¯s attention and tie up the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s feet while the air force infiltrated the Overgeared Kingdom and seized their base. This was the role that had been given to them.


    Then they received news that Sky King Rigal and the air force had already been wiped out. Nevertheless, the reason for their advance to Reidan was to build up achievements. Consequently, they lost the troops due to greed. Now was the time to be cautious.


    ¡°Umm...¡±Commander Marquis Fulbas was deep in thought. He felt sick as he saw the eyes of the nobles who wanted to retreat. When had the empire be so weak? The empire, who had ruled over the continent¡¯s losers for hundreds of years without a suitable adversary, was now reduced to a predator who didn¡¯t know how to hunt.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need cowards in the empire.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It happened suddenly. The smell of alcohol filled their nose, and blood spread through the tent. The three heads that rolled to the ground belonged to the nobles who earlier insisted on retreating.


    ¡°S-Sir Diworth!¡± Marquis Fulbas rose to his feet. The nobles and knights who followed his actions were astonished. With an oil-covered head, loose-fitting clothing, and a wrinkled face that waspletely red, the identity of the noble drinking from a bottle of wine was Drunk Duke Diworth. It was one of the empire¡¯s Seven Dukes.


    ¡°W-We greet My Lord!¡± The nobles and knights bowed in unison. None of them condemned Diworth¡¯s killings. Who would dare speak harsh words to an existence above them? Even Marquis Fulbas couldn¡¯t speak.


    Diworthughed grimly as he checked the marquis¡¯ distorted expression.¡°Are you angry that I killed those trash?¡±


    ¡°They are also nobles of the Saharan Empire. They have territories, people, and soldiers... You can¡¯t escape a grudge even if you are Duke Diworth.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see? I think people will happily ept the death of an ipetent lord. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Diworth looked around at the several shocked nobles and knights who nodded hurriedly. Duke Diworth¡¯s brutality was so great that even some of the Seven Dukes were reluctant to deal with it. Thus, the lower nobles didn¡¯t even dare to face him. Diworth moved to the top seat alone. Then he took the baton from Marquis Fulbas and eximed, ¡°They dared to rebel against the dukes of the empire. For those who dared to talk about retreat, killing them and turning them into dog food isn¡¯t enough!¡±


    A powerful magic power of alcohol spread through the barracks, and the nobles and knights quickly became drunk. Only five people... Only Marquis Fulbas and four earls were able to stand up and drive away the alcohol.


    A smile of delight appeared on Diworth¡¯s face.


    ¡°T-The enemy!¡± At this time, a knight rushed in and shouted. ¡°The enemymander, Chris, ising!¡±


    ¡°One person? Only one?¡±Diworth¡¯s eyes were clear because he had just released his drunkenness.


    The knight became frightened after recognizing Diworth and hurriedly nodded. ¡°Y-Yes! However, the sun will soon be going down!¡±


    ¡°What about the sun setting?¡±


    What did the knight want to say? The moment Diworth cocked his head, some changes resolved his doubts. The ground was turbulent, and the tent rocked. The frightened soldiers screamed. There was an intense magic power that made one¡¯s skin go numb. There was the smell of blood.


    ¡°Vampire!¡± Diworth quickly figured out what happened and rushed out of the barracks.


    In the sky, a beautiful boy wasughing while revealing pointy mrs.¡°Hahahaha! I¡¯ll eat you!¡±


    A bloody magic power covered the desert. It was a magic power with the nature of exploitation.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡± The soldiers of the empire, who hadn¡¯t managed to spread out, screamed. Blood was drawn from their bodies and into the sky as they became mummies. The vampire earl, Noll¡ªhis stomach was bloated, and heughed with joy, ¡°Kuhahaha!¡±


    He felt the extreme happiness of having a full dinner. However, it was aw that happiness couldn¡¯tst forever.


    ¡°Oof!¡± Noll, who was happy with the rise in his magic power from the blood, suddenly stopped and grabbed his belly. His snow white face turned red. Then his trembling gaze captured one enemy to the side. It was the source where his magic power exploited something other than blood.


    A man was standing there in a rxed manner while holding a sk. It was the Drunk Duke Diworth. ¡°Are you drunk after drinking alcohol? Are you weak when ites to drinking because you¡¯re a child?¡±


    Diworth leaped forward. The speed at which he ran through the sky was so fast that the soldiers didn¡¯t realize what was happening. The soldiers just thought a thunderbolt appeared in the sky. They saw the vampire crashing into the ground and thought the monster had been punished. Diworth¡¯s rough hands were holding Noll¡¯s thin neck.


    Noll¡¯s feet kicked in the air as he was caught by a transcendent¡¯s grip. The boy was drunk and confused. Diworth hit him with the sk. A sharp piece of ss wounded Noll¡¯s face, and the heavy fragrance in the air made Noll lose his spirit even more.


    ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t lie when he said this is alcohol from the roots of the sacred tree.¡± Diworth pulled out a new bottle and gulped it all down at once. His face was flushed, just like when he first appeared.


    ¡°Let go of that hand!¡±Chris was attacking the enemy lines to draw attention away from Noll. He had been nning to retreat, but now he rushed deeper into enemy lines. Noticing what happened to Noll, Chris rushed to the center of the imperial army.


    ¡°1,000 Ton Sword!¡±


    He dropped down from on top of the camel. The ultimate attack used by the best greatsword user fell on Diworth¡¯s head. It seemed like it would smash Diworth¡¯s head, but that didn¡¯t happen. Diworth bent his upper body and easily avoided Chris¡¯ attack.Then he kicked from a strange angle. Chris was hit in the face and fell off the camel. ¡°Kuek...! Cough!¡±


    He thought he was going to die after being hit. Chris was scared by Diworth¡¯s fearsome power and regretted it. He thought he was crazy for running into the center of enemy lines to die. Then he soon changed his mind.


    ¡®Noll...!¡¯


    He saw Noll¡¯s miserable figure hanging from Diworth¡¯s hand and jumped up. Did he feel regretful? No. He could die as long as he saved Noll. Chris made a pledge and raised the power of his second ss, Tyrant.


    He btedly saw the golden name ¡®Drunk Duke Diworth¡¯, but he still raised his greatsword without hesitation. Diworthughed. ¡°You managed to get up right away. You are a tough guy.¡±


    Chris alsoughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have gotten up if I were hit by Grid. You are weak.¡±


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...The Overgeared King.¡± Diworth¡¯s face distorted in a terrible manner. He had no intention of sparing the crazy person in front of him whopared the great duke of the empire to the king of a small kingdom. Additionally...


    ¡°You dare to despise my master?¡±


    The man in the shadow didn¡¯t intend to keep Diworth alive. Hundreds of thousands of shadows scattered across the battlefield in an instant.


    ¡°I will fight for my new homnd and repay the grudge of my old homnd!¡±


    The shadow spears and swords shed through the entire battlefield.

 Chapter 1011

    The better the skill, the higher the potential. The higher the potential, the harder the application difficulty. It meant that a user¡¯spetence was important in pulling out all the potential of a skill. Nevertheless, there were skills that couldn¡¯t be solved with the problem ofpetence alone.


    Super Sensitivity was a representative example of this. It was a skill to predict uing crises and the behavioral patterns of targets. It predicted when someone became a target of a skill already used, when to target the opponent, when they would encounter the opponent, when to move to a specific ce, and so on.


    The skill functioned under all conditions and was given the ¡®system assistance.¡¯ The system alerted users to the predictions through a notification window or voice message. It was hard for even a genius to handle the flood of information that came in real time. How many people would tolerate the voice guidance or notification windows in a sober manner?


    As such, there were restrictions. A great swordsman¡¯s Super Sensitivity only had a duration of a few seconds while Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity had many functions limited. Every time the stat increased, the limits of the functions would gradually unlock, giving the yer time to adapt.


    The same was true for the Shadow Technique that belonged to Lantier¡¯s Methods. This top-rated skill that had to partially control the shadows and their weapons reduced the yer¡¯s burden by limiting the number of weapons and shadows that a yer could raise. Previously, Faker studied the skill from Kasim, and only six shadows could be raised when the skill was level 3.


    However, Kasim was different. Just as Mercedes could handle Keen Insight which was the higher version of Super Sensitivity, Kasim was able to control the shadows perfectly. It was the ability of the named-grade NPC with the setting of ¡®King of Shadows.¡¯


    Hundreds of thousands of shadow troops filled the battlefield. They emerged from the feet or from the back, stabbing the imperial soldiers¡¯ necks and backs. The basic characteristic of the Shadow Technique where the ¡®power is weakened when summoning arge number of soldiers¡¯ also applied to Kasim, and it was rare for an imperial soldier to be fatally wounded or killed by the shadows.


    ¡°Uh... Uwahh...¡± Still, the morale of the imperial forces sankpletely. The sudden appearance of hundreds of thousands of troops was more shocking than any natural disaster.


    Just one person... The center of the stage, which had been naturally created, contained the calm Drunk Duke Diworth. No, he was amused. He precisely captured Kasim¡¯s image hiding in the darkness.


    ¡°You were a ck cat survivor.¡±


    Diworth threw Noll, who was held in his hand, to the ground. Noll coughed up blood.He was unable to recover. The unidentified alcohol absorbed into his body prevented his magic power and organs from functioning.


    Tong! Diworth kicked Noll in the direction of the knights and shook his head.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t any duty officers at headquarters at the time, so it was my job. I used my brain. Unfortunately, I was too excited and made a mistake. You will die by my hands and won¡¯t be able to get revenge on the empire...¡±


    ¡°Take back those words,¡± Kasim interrupted Diworth in the middle of his speech. Kasim¡¯s stealth disappeared, and his eyes shone with killing intent.


    Diworth scratched his head. ¡°What words?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ck cat!¡±


    ¡®ck cat¡¯ was the name the empire used to refer to the Nero. The skin of the Nero was ck and their actions were ndestine, so they were nicknamed ¡®ck cat¡¯. There wasn¡¯t a ¡®demeaning¡¯ intention behind it. Why would they demean insignificant beings? It was just easy to call them by this name.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t ck cats but the Nero! We are humans, not beasts! Humans!¡±


    Then the empire trampled on the Nero, brutally murdering them regardless of whether they were adults or children. Only Kasim survived. Kasim¡¯s shout rocked the battlefield. In the midst of the imperial soldiers, the shadow soldiers poured toward Diworth.


    Diworth swung his hand.¡°Trivial things.¡±


    The magic shield destroyed all the shadow weapons that flew at it. The scattered shadows returned to their ces.


    ¡°In order to deal with a duke of the Saharan Empire, did you increase the number of shadows to this point?¡± Diworth didn¡¯t know Kasim, but he knew the King of Shadows. The empire¡¯s intelligencework which spanned the entire continent was well aware of the fact that the King of Shadows was Lantier¡¯s disciple and that he used shadows. ¡°The more shadows that are dispersed, the more cloudy they be. If you intend to kill a duke of the empire and get revenge on the empire, you should¡¯ve gathered all the shadows at one point and aimed for my heart. Like this.¡±


    Magic power condensed around Diworth¡¯s fingertip and aimed at Kasim. Goosebumps appeared on the skin of Noll, who got caught by the imperial knights.


    ¡°A human has such power...!¡±


    The desert split apart. A straight line of magic power pierced Kasim¡¯s heart and didn¡¯t stop as it disappeared beyond the desert horizon. No one knew where it flew to. There was no sound. Then Kasim fell to his knees. He looked like a broken doll.


    ¡°Kasim!!¡± Chris, who had been hopeful after Kasim appeared, shouted desperately. He btedly realized things had gone wrong and used the Tyrant¡¯s power. Chris hoped that Kasim would be alive and that Noll would escape while he attracted Diworth¡¯s attention. He rushed through the imperial forces toward Diworth. Then a hand protruded from a gap between the soldiers and stopped Chris.


    A voice rang out, ¡°Teacher didn¡¯t die.¡±


    Kasim lived due to his desire to get revenge on the empire. He had protected a baby¡¯s side for years while only thinking of revenge, and it wasn¡¯t easy for him to lose hisposure. Kasim¡¯s fury when creating the shadow army was an act. It was a sacrifice to announce that there was a Nero survivor. He attracted Diworth¡¯s attention and didn¡¯t reveal that this was a falsehood. It was all for one purpose.


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was to rescue Noll. Knights fell from a few shes of light as Kasim appeared among them to grab Noll.


    ¡°Catch him!¡±


    The great knights fought back against Kasim. The magicians also supported them. However, Kasim was the best assassin, and ordinary knights and magicians couldn¡¯t stop him. Kasim was faster than anyone else as he held Noll in his arms. The Shadow Techniquebined with the Nero characteristics meant it was more covert than normal shadow skills.


    ¡°Disappeared?¡±


    Kasim appeared and disappeared like a ghost. He rescued Noll and hid in the shadows, making it hard for even Duke Diworth of the Seven Dukes to detect him.


    ¡°I was tricked.¡± Diworth was less intoxicated after releasing his magic power.Once his drunkenness was gone, he lost interest and handed matters over to Marquis Fulbas. ¡°Catch the one you can grab.¡±


    He was going to do it anyway. Marquis Fulbas¡¯ gaze turned toward Chris.He didn¡¯t intend to miss capturing Chris.


    ¡°Commander Chris of Reidan, you are valuable as a hostage.¡± Marquis Fulbas swung his sword and so did the four earls by his side. Every one of them was more powerful than Chris. They were leaders who led hundreds of thousands of troops. In the first ce, there was no way for Chris to break through hundreds of thousands of troops.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be a hostage.¡¯


    If he was a hostage, he would grabbing at his teammates¡¯ ankles. The time wasted would also increase. It was better for him to die neatly. Kasim and Noll had escaped safely, so there was no need for regrets.


    Chris judged and released all of his armor. He intended to passively die from the enemies¡¯ next attacks without letting them capture him alive. The death of themander would greatly reduce morale, but it was better than being a hostage.


    At this moment, the wind blew. There was a gust of wind that made the imperial soldiers split apart like the Red Sea and form a barrier in front of the marquis and the earls. There was only one magician Chris knew who couldpletely control the wind.


    ¡°Zednos!¡±


    He was an early member of the Overgeared Guild. Zednos, former Tzedakah member and 1st ranked wind magician, sent a whisper to Chris.


    -I can only maintain it for three seconds!Use this gap to escape!


    A miracle didn¡¯t happen easily. Zednos squeezed out all his mana, but only managed to tie up the feet of a few of the troops. One of the earls was gathering aura at the end of his sword. The wind barriers were already losing momentum and were destined to shatter.


    -I understand!


    His colleague had risked himself toe help, so Chris couldn¡¯t passively die. Chris wore his armor again and rushed through the rain of arrows. The soldiers¡¯ gazes were dispersed as Chris saw hispanions everywhere. Jishuka and Yura covered him with arrows and bullets. Pon, Regas, and Peak Sword attacked the enemies while Vantner and Toban used wide-range taunt skills. His other colleagues like Zirkan and Lae were doing their best to secure the path of retreat.


    ¡°Chris! This way!¡±


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m foolish.¡±Chrisughed as he swung the greatsword to the side and sliced the enemies. The members of Overgeared were positioned in oasis around the desert. Those who pursued guerri warfare or physical strength and maximum efficient now entered the battlefield. They were trying to save Chris, just as Chris tried to save Noll. They didn¡¯t think life was worthless. They just believed that their colleagues¡¯ lives were more important than their own.


    This was all because of Grid. It was all learned from watching Grid.


    Magic rushed toward Chris¡¯ back as he rushed to escape. The imperial army didn¡¯t miss this gap when Chris¡¯ body was reeling from the powerful force. Spells quickly poured out and reduced Chris¡¯ health. If the marquis hadn¡¯t given the order to capture him, Chris would¡¯ve already died. Chris felt the earls approaching and shouted with all his might, ¡°Give up on me and run away together!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Then Chris¡¯ shadow moved. The shadow spoke,¡°Themander shouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    The shadow grew, and ck hair fluttered.


    ¡°Faker!¡±


    One of the earls reaching out to Chris fell down. Faker jumped out and inserted a dagger into the earl¡¯s side. It was a destructive technique linked to speed. The move was reminiscent of the living Doran who only Grid knew.


    ¡°Not a chance!¡± The fallen earl rose again. A total of four earls stabbed at Faker at the same time. Faker avoided one knife in exchange for thrusting a dagger into one person¡¯s abdomen. His body was torn apart. The sight of Faker¡¯s blood was unfamiliar to Chris. Faker was strong even to Chris.


    ¡°F-Faker!¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    However, Faker didn¡¯t look back. He summoned six shadow soldiers to protect Chris. Faker had to disperse his mental power in order to control the soldiers. This meant that his body was weakened, but he didn¡¯t care. He was the shadow that protected the Overgeared Kingdom. It was his duty to serve and sacrifice himself for the light while not letting others know him. His death wouldn¡¯t affect the war.


    ¡°Eclipse.¡± Fakerpletely assimted with the darkness, but he didn¡¯t have full control due to the six shadow soldiers. The earls didn¡¯t lose sight of Faker, and Faker continued to grab their ankles while being cut.


    ¡°Next time... Next time, I will protect you!¡± Chris was escorted by the shadow soldiers and barely escaped the enemy¡¯s encirclement. The members of Overgeared gathered in one ce and helped him.


    However, Marquis Fulbas was closely chasing Chris.¡°It isn¡¯t a bad situation.¡±


    It was the opportunity to strike down the enemymander. Marquis Fulbas weed the golden opportunity and was about to release his ultimate technique, only to stop. It was because Noll appeared with Kasim from the shadows and threatened him. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Marquis Fulbas realized that Noll had removed most of the alcohol and quietly lowered his sword. He had to give up the chase as the Overgeared people fled neatly. Then he resented Diworth.


    ¡®If Sir Diworth fought to the end, we could¡¯ve wiped out the enemies.¡¯


    Diworth waszy when he wasn¡¯t drunk. He didn¡¯t show passion toward any particr situation. Diworth wasn¡¯t in a position to condemn the young nobles for being cowards. The grim truth was that most of the Seven Dukes were like Diworth. The empire that had been prosperous for so long was decaying from the top.


    Marquis Fulbas sighed andmanded the entire army, ¡°Get sufficient rest.¡±


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡± It was an order to take a few days of rest. The soldiers cheered upon hearing themand of the marquis, who judged that the Overgeared members and Noll wouldn¡¯t attack again today.


    At dawn on that day, a strong wave of magic power was detected over Reidan Castle.


    ¡°Mass Teleport?¡± Marquis Fulbas rushed out of the barracks and felt a strange apprehension.


    Earl Baget approached him. ¡°I guess reinforcements have arrived.¡±


    The earl had been seriously wounded by the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s young assassin during the battle.


    ¡°I was worried, but I¡¯m d you are healing well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±


    The smell of chicken pooping came from the earl¡¯s body as he answered. He must¡¯ve sweated a lot on the battlefield.

 Chapter 1012

    ¡°What is this?¡± Grid was startled when he arrived at Reidan. He was heading to the ce where the guild members were gathered, only to see a huge hole in one wall. Several houses 500 meters away from the wall were also damaged. This wasn¡¯t a great sight considering how much of the kingdom¡¯s finances had been used to strengthen the wall. There was a neat hole in the 30-meter-thick wall. This was a result that the Overgeared Cannon couldn¡¯t make.


    Grid was nervous and asked Chris, ¡°Isn¡¯t Reidan at max level? Did the empire develop a new cannon?¡±


    ¡°It is a remnant of the magic power fired by Drunk Duke Diworth.¡±


    ¡°A duke! He is already marching this way?!¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. The imperial camp is roughly 11 kilometers away. Diworth fired his magic power from there.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Chris asserted that Diworth¡¯s magic power made the concept of distance meaningless. Grid found it strange, but he knew there was no exaggeration in Chris¡¯ words. It was because the sweat on Chris¡¯ face reminded Grid of the power of the Seven Dukes which he had experienced personally.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t defeat the weakest Rigal by myself.¡¯


    The skills of the other Seven Dukes must be powerful beyond imagination. Grid frowned and was about to speak, but...


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll fix it quickly.¡± Three middle-aged men then rushed to the damaged wall, grabbing heavy tools. The other people didn¡¯t care much about them. They were technical colleagues who belonged to Overgeared Two.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Grid called out to them. ¡°15th ranked builder Delleon, 29th ranked Shell, and 42nd ranked Delont.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You are older than me and don¡¯t need to use honorifics. Aren¡¯t we colleagues? Please feelfortable. I will treat youfortably like you¡¯re my uncle. Ah, I heard that Delont¡¯s granddaughter entered elementary school recently? Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°...¡± The hundreds of Overgeared members watching were surprised. Were the guild members surprised at Grid¡¯s personality? No. There were many guild masters who yearned for talent. It was also easy to find masters who treated the guild members like family.


    However, it was umon for a guild master to remember more than one hundred people. Not only did Grid know details such as the face, upation, and name, he also remembered details such as age and family information. The surroundings became quiet, and Grid scratched his cheeks.¡°I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned private matters...¡±


    It seemed that he had studied too much. No, the study itself wasn¡¯t a problem. The problem was that he spoke about personal information in front of others. It happened because he didn¡¯t pay attention. Grid was greedy and wanted to show off his studies. These were the woes of someone whocked social interaction. Grid was smiling bitterly when Delont grabbed his hand.


    ¡°T-Thank you! My granddaughter will jump with joy when I tell her about today. She is a fan of King Grid!¡± Delont¡¯s eyes shone brightly likenterns as he watched Grid. It was an unbelievably pure and passionate gaze for a 60-year-old man. The strained atmosphere in Reidan, which was caused by Duke Diworth¡¯s skill, was instantly ventted.


    ¡°Hey, Grid is really great. The busiest person in the world has always been paying attention to the guild members.¡±


    ¡°Truly God Grid! He is the man that I acknowledge! Hahahat! Come join the Korean Patriotic Association! I¡¯ll give you a 50% discount!¡±


    ¡°...¡±Grid was embarrassed. Without Lauel¡¯s advice, he still wouldn¡¯t know much about the guild members. He would¡¯ve kept thinking of them as people who moved ording to his wishes. Yes, he only studied the guild members out of necessity. Everyone misunderstood and looked at him warmly.


    ¡®My conscience is stabbed...¡¯


    He was sorry that he hadn¡¯t cared earlier. Lauel sent a whisper to the distressed Grid, -If your heart wasn¡¯t true, you wouldn¡¯t be able to remember the faces of 1,000 guild members in such a short time. Well, unless you are a genius like me.Huhut.


    -...


    -It is great.You deserve praise and respect.Be confident.


    ¡°Move quickly!¡±


    Just then, a group of people came running from the distance. They were also Overgeared Two members, and they were carrying many stones. This group had the miner ss. Before Grid arrived, Chris had given an order for them to obtain materials to repair the wall.


    ¡°Ah! G-Grid!¡±The man in his mid-20s, running at the forefront of the miners, was startled. He felt sorry for Chris since Grid arrived before they could repair the wall. The man imagined a subordinate being scolded by the boss andmented that his mining speed was too slow.


    ¡®I wanted to get slightly better stones and ruined things because of my greed... I should¡¯ve finished the wall repair before Grid arrived!¡¯


    The man shrank back as Grid approached. He observed the stones that the man was carrying and said, ¡°They are the best stones. You must¡¯ve had a hard time obtaining it, Lion.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is something I had to do!¡±


    The young miner¡¯s name was Dolce.He was called ¡®Lion¡¯ because of his ridiculous hair that resembled a lion¡¯s mane. The only people who knew Dolce¡¯s nickname were naturally Dolce¡¯s acquaintances. The nickname ¡®Lion¡¯ wasn¡¯t known because the miner ss didn¡¯t receive the light. Yet Grid knew Dolce¡¯s nickname. Dolce was thrilled.It meant that Grid had been watching him.


    ¡°I-I will work harder in the future!¡±


    The people who joined the Overgeared Guild were divided into two major types. First, there were those who wanted to piggyback on the massive guild or wanted the items that Grid made. The second type were those who aspired to be like Grid. Dolce was thetter. He was touched that the object of his admiration paid attention to him. The fact that he could stand next to Grid was like a dream, and he was happy.


    ¡°Grid, do you perhaps know me? I am a mere baker...¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I know you. The bread you make gives a small buff. Should I not know you?¡±


    ¡°No. I think that Grid knows all of us. You have always been paying attention to us.¡±


    ¡°Even though you are busy fighting or making items every day...¡±


    The atmosphere was warm. Lauel smiled at the satisfactory result and gazed at Grid in a warm manner. Grid looked at all his colleagues standing here, including Lauel. It was a blessing that they believed in him. Grid promised that he would do better for them in the future.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking and quickly repair the wall. We also need time to prepare for the wee of the fourth guild.¡±Toban pped his hands and blew away the excited atmosphere. He had a cool side, unlike the overall emotional Overgeared members. It was due to his presence that the projects of the Overgeared members could progress rapidly. Simultaneously, he was one of the best tankers, so Grid liked him. He had long forgotten the mistake Toban had made against him. After all, Grid had gotten payback for it at the time.


    ¡®Huroi was disgusted after learning that Toban pointed his sword at me...¡¯


    It was the same with Euphemina. Originally, Huroi liked Euphemina. Then as they spent more time together, he became aware of the mistakes she hadmitted against Grid and started to distance himself from her. Recently, he was told she had interacted with Agnus and went on to express his hostility. It was due to his excessive loyalty toward Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to talk to him.¡¯


    Grid was both happy yet troubled by Huroi¡¯s heart. It was necessary to maintain the bnce. The moment Grid thought this, there were shouts.


    ¡°Aura Master!¡±


    ¡°H-Hurent!¡±


    ¡°The rumor that Hurent joined our guild is true!¡±


    The cries burst out from everywhere. Gazes were directed at a man holding a hand plow. The appearance of his rolled up trousers and dirt on his boots made him look like a field worker.


    ¡°I¡¯m here because you called...¡±Hurent faced Grid and made an ufortable expression. Having retired from public view for three years, Hurent had gotten used to the quiet life and felt awkward in front of the people¡¯s interest. However, the other person was Grid. He was the one who willingly epted Hurent despite the fact that he had invaded the Overgeared city with the Eternal Kingdom. (Although, Grid didn¡¯t know.) Grid even had Hurent¡¯s lifelong benefactor, Piaro by his side. (Grid still didn¡¯t know this.)


    Hurent respected and acknowledged Grid as the leader, so he couldn¡¯t deny his request. The moment he heard Grid¡¯s request to attend the new guild creation ceremony in Reidan, he ran to this ce.


    ¡°...¡±


    He felt the attention of the Overgeared members who were famous for being strong¡ªJishuka, Pon, Regas, and so on¡ªfocused on himself, but he didn¡¯t feel particrly conscious. After all, Hurent wasn¡¯t weak-minded. There was no need to be conscious when he didn¡¯t have the right to respond to their good wishes.


    ¡°Thank you for enhancing the national prestige.¡±Grid held out his hand for a handshake.


    Then Hurent muttered, ¡°What enhancing? I am lucky that I didn¡¯t harm it.¡±


    In the meantime, Grid hadn¡¯t intervened in Hurent¡¯s matters at all. Hurent merely devoted himself to farming and training as ordered by Administration Rabbit and Piaro. Then he got an order to gather in Reidan today. It was ostensibly a celebration of the creation of Overgeared Four, but... the real reason was something else. There was no reason to celebrate a new guild in Reidan, a city caught in a war.


    ¡®Grid is nning a massive war. Eventually, I will fight.¡¯


    Hurent was worried. As he pointed out to Grid, he hadn¡¯t been active for several years. He wondered if a weak person like him would be of help in the war, particrly when the opponent was the empire¡ªthe strongest country in the West Continent. Hurent might be able to kill a few soldiers, but wouldn¡¯t he die if he met a knight?


    ¡®I will be disgraced again...¡¯Hurent sighed.


    The 100 yers gathered in the corner were staring at him with a little envy.


    ¡®Oh, my god. The Aura Master is an Overgeared member!¡¯


    ¡®Hurent was easily beaten by Grid, but before that, he was one of the strongest.¡¯


    ¡®The Americans are still waiting for Hurent.¡¯


    ¡®He has been training for several years and must surely be more powerful than before.¡¯


    The 100 yers were the protagonists of today¡¯s celebration. The artillerymen rankers, who had been personally invited by Lauel, were rtively ordinary people that couldn¡¯t bepared to the splendid Overgeared members. Finally, Grid¡¯s eyes turned to them.


    The 100 artillerymen didn¡¯t think Grid would greet them. He must¡¯ve created an artillerymen unit for a reason, but they didn¡¯t have high expectations. The artillerymen ss was so garbage that they hadn¡¯t even reached level 200. It was funny that he would greet them.


    ...That¡¯s what they thought until now. Grid came to the artillerymen and greeted them with a smile, ¡°It is nice to meet you.¡±


    The surprised artillerymen responded in various ways. Some people frozepletely while others didn¡¯t know where to look. Someone moved their feet, and someone else looked up with surprise. None of them were confident. Grid was sad as he was reminded of his past.


    He extended a handshake to a beautiful woman standing by idly. She was Lost Justice.


    ¡°It is a pleasure. I am honored to have the 1st ranked artilleryman join the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°N-No, what honor? I am the honored and grateful one!¡± Lost Justice grabbed Grid¡¯s hand with both hands.


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t like her very much. Lost Justice¡ªthe ID showed she was pessimistic about the world. Grid thought that she might have a past like himself and would be dark and sly. He would have to pay attention to her, but of course, he didn¡¯t express this outwardly. Instead, he would watch from behind and manage her. He hoped she would be a good colleague.


    ¡°You will realize that there are many good people in the world and that justice is still alive. I hope you¡¯ll find happiness with us in the future.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Gridughed at his own words, and the Overgeared members were puzzled. It was an expression that showed they didn¡¯t understand. Only the Korean members like Peak Sword seemed to know. The reason was simple.


    For Koreans, the ID of Lost Justice was marked as ¡®Lost Justice (Hangul)¡¯, but for yers of other nationalities, it wasbeled as ¡®Genuine Boutique¡¯. (TL Note: Basically, the ID is ???? in Korean. However, the author wrote it ? ??? for other nationalities, which has a space between the first and second characters and ??? means boutique.)


    Boutique. That¡¯s right. Lost Justice¡¯s ID wasn¡¯t Lost Justice but Genuine Boutique.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid saw the atmosphere bing cold and coughed btedly. ¡°It is a joke, a joke.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±Lost Justice, who had been stiff the whole time, burst outughing. She was Korean and knew that Grid had really misunderstood.


    ¡°You are cute,¡± Lost Justice involuntarily expressed her appreciation.


    ¡°...Heok?¡±


    It was because Yura, Jishuka and Ruby directed killing intent at her. Sexy SchoolgirlYerim, who was a high school student and now a university student, clicked her tongue. ¡°A popr man is more attractive.¡±


    Yerim had been aiming for Grid for several years already. She was like a beast waiting for her prey.


    Simultaneously,a disturbing air appeared on the battlefield where the Reba Church, Yatan Church, and Valha¡¯s army were fighting. Everyone who died during this war was being ¡®sacrificed.¡¯


    ¡°This time, I must do it at all costs.¡±


    Gamigin would descend. Looking up at the ckened sky, 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit prayed earnestly.

 Chapter 1013

    Prince Benoit¡ªone of the three sons of Empress Aria¡ªhad been different since his birth. He explored knowledge instead of harboring ambition, enjoyed mingling rather than exerting his status, and was more interested in talent than pedigree.


    The words he had spoken during his youth were famous. For him, politics wasn¡¯t something he had to do but something he had to watch, listen to,ment about, or p for. It was an irresponsible remark that abandoned his duty as an imperial prince. It stated he wasn¡¯t interested in the emperor¡¯s politics or the throne.


    Certainly, 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit didn¡¯t have the qualities of an emperor. He was closer to a schr or revolutionary. Emperor Juander was displeased with Benoit. However, Empress Aria loved Benoit.


    Prince Benoit loved and respected his mother. She was benevolent and wise, and Benoit tried to emte her. Thus, he received the greatest shock from his mother¡¯s death. Benoit had been suspicious since his healthy mother became sick, and he paid attention Empress Marie. In the end, he realized the person who assassinated his mother was the empress.


    However, he couldn¡¯t find any physical evidence. It was the first time Imperial Prince Benoit was filled with the desire to kill. He felt fury for the first time since he was born. He hated his father, who depended on the wicked woman who killed his wife. He also resented his siblings who were worried about their positions more than his mother¡¯s death.


    Prince Benoit dreamed of revenge. He desperately trained his swordsmanship. He stayed up all night learning magic. He became adept at controlling the ¡®red energy¡¯ talent of the royal family. Then he realized that trampling them with strength wouldn¡¯t be true vengeance. He hoped that his father would feel hatred and regret while his siblings would mourn.


    So, he started earnestly learning the fields of magic and rituals that he had originally been interested in. Rather than praise Goddess Reba, he explored the reasons behind the Seven Malignant Saints¡¯ betrayal and decided to use the great demons. He peeked at the truth of the world and didn¡¯t reject the existence of the great demons. Instead, he attempted to summon a great demon.


    It was the 4th Great Demon Gamigin, who could summon ghosts of the dead. He hoped that the truth flowing from his mother¡¯s lips would make his father and siblings cry.


    This was the story that the 1st ranked ck magician, Rose, knew well. It was the Yatan Church who used the ambition of the empress to confuse the imperial family and the Yatan Church who cooperated with the summoning of the great demons by using Prince Benoit¡¯s desire. As one of Yatan¡¯s Servants, she couldn¡¯t help knowing Benoit¡¯s position.


    ¡°...¡±Rose watched Benoit who was standing in front of the altar. He had offered the necessary tools and human sacrifices. Now he was chanting an unknown spell. He looked more desperate than anyone else in the world. He felt like a living human being, despite only being an NPC.


    ¡°...I understand Grid¡¯s mind a bit.¡±


    Rose¡¯s mouth twisted. However, understanding and empathy were different.


    ¡°I~diot.¡±


    It was pathetic. If she were Grid, she would¡¯ve fulfilled more desires and lived well. Why did he cling to fleeting rtionships?


    ¡°Is he a pushover?¡±


    As she cocked her head and touched her lips, Rose¡¯s image was beautiful. However, those who could see her empty eyes would feel creeped out. The ritual was in full swing on the cliff above the battlefield.


    ¡°I found you.¡±


    Then someone entered suddenly. It was Luck of Valha. He was one of the most influential members of Ares¡¯ army. Even Kraugel acknowledged Luck¡¯s skills and had been wary of Luck during his sky above the sky days.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but forget it.¡± Luck clenched his fists as he saw the unidentified NPC immersed in a ritual and his escort, Rose.


    Rose cried out desperately, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me! My sibling¡¯s life depends on it!¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°Do you know why I am active in the Yatan Church despite the criticisms of people? It is because the big rewards are worth the criticism! I need money! I¡¯m only ying Satisfy for money! I need to pay for my sick sibling¡¯s medical expenses! My sibling will die if I don¡¯t pay the medical fees!¡±


    ¡°..No, what is this?¡±Luck¡¯s eyes were shaken.


    Was there anybody in the world without a story? Rose might be an enemy, but she was arguing for the sake of a human¡¯s life. Luck revealed a gap when there was a st of magic. He staggered at the great power and looked up.


    ¡°Are you going to let me go?¡±Rose was pointing her staff at him. She had no sibling, butLuck had no way of knowing the truth.


    ¡°Why should I let you go? Tsk, just because I know about your circumstances?¡±Luck gave up his hesitation and punched Rose.


    In the midst of the loud explosions, Benoit just focused on the ritual.


    ***


    ¡º This is the end of the opening ceremony of Overgeared Four. .¡»


    ¡º It was a very grand opening. Tens of thousands of gold must¡¯ve been spent on the firecrackers alone. Huhu...¡»


    The world¡¯s best streamers, including Bunny Bunny, and the news reporters from all over the world were broadcasting live reports about Reidan. Honestly, they had found it ridiculous when they received the proposal from the Overgeared Guild a few days ago. They wanted to make an exhibition of a new guild creation while they were in the worst crisis...?


    Moreover, Reidan was the main stage of the war. How could a guild opening ceremony be held in the middle of the battlefield? The most iprehensible part was that the new guild consisted of artillerymen. Why organize arge artillerymen unit in Satisfy where cannons didn¡¯t y a big role? People couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s actions. Some people even guessed that Grid had gone crazy from fright.


    Surprisingly, the Overgeared Guild finished the opening ceremony safely. They set off all types of colorful fireworks and expanded their power. The result was surprising. The imperial army shrank back rather than attacking, and their morale deteriorated.


    ¡°I seem to feel a great strength from seeing the Overgeared Kingdom expand its power in the war. It is often called bluffing. It is a basic maneuver and the risk is high, but the effect was a sess. ¡»


    People btedly realized that this was why Grid had created the new guild in Reidan despite the circumstances. Of course, it was Lauel¡¯s n and one that could only be designed because of Noll¡¯s performance. However, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s king was Grid. Everything became Grid¡¯s intentions and achievements.


    -I am an artilleryman and should join the Overgeared Guild...


    Interest in the Overgeared Guild heated up. The artilleryman yers, in particr, expressed an active interest in the Overgeared Guild. However, people regarded it as a poison.


    -Does the Overgeared Kingdom really need artillerymen?The establishment of the artilleryman guild is mere propaganda.


    -That¡¯s right.The only reason to make an artilleryman unit is that are cannons which can threaten the empire.


    -In fact, there are no cannons that can threaten the empire. Cannons have a low hit rate and slow firing rate. They are powerful against buildings, but it is hard for them to be a threat against moving objects. They are generally worse than magic.


    -Why do artillerymen exist?


    -They are useless.


    -Stop it.The artillerymen will be hurt.


    Cannons were a weapon with few advantages. They had been used actively in the Demon King Subjugation, but that was a unique case. There was no practicality in establishing the artillerymen unit of the Overgeared Guild. This was a natural assessment made by people.


    ¡°Artillerymen, on the wall.¡±


    Now, Grid was preparing to breakmon sense like always. There were unique rated Overgeared Cannons made by him. Additionally, eight rare to epic rated cannons which had been made by the craftsmen were ced on the walls. He gave the order, and Lost Justice and the other artillerymen moved to the walls.


    Then they saw it. The imperial army was gathered under the wall. Numerous people were filling up the desert. The hundreds of thousands of troops gave a different sense of pressure. There were lieutenants bearing the empire¡¯s gs, hundreds of cannons, 20 catapults, and thousands of shield soldiers.


    ¡°Hiik...¡± The faces of the artillerymen paled. They had been stuck in the closet for all their lives, and now that they finally got a chance to fight, it was against tens of thousands of enemies. They were feeling terrified when Toban shouted at them,¡°Hurry! Load the shells and aim at the enemy¡¯s catapult!¡±


    Even now, thousands of soldiers were loading rocks on the catapults. The rocks were sorge that it took a long time. The moment they fired, the walls of Reidan would copse. Death woulde the moment they allowed the enemies to enter.


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    Lost Justice regained her senses first and loaded the cannon with shells. Then she was surprised. The structure meant the shells were loaded in the back of the barrel rather than the front.


    ¡®The loading speed is really fast!¡¯


    The artillerymen didn¡¯t have time to check the details of the Overgeared Cannon. In this harsh and urgent situation, they simply acted upon orders.


    ¡°Aim!¡±Toban cried out.


    30 artillerymen¡ªthe artillerymen rankers now called the Overgeared Artillerymen¡ªstarted to readjust their positions. It was an indirect aiming. They took advantage of the flexibility to direct the barrel toward the sky. The initial velocity of the shells was slow, but the impact was greater. It was because shells that fell from a higher altitude had more destructive power. They could inflict greater damage on targets.


    ¡®I have to do well.¡¯


    ¡®I have to unconditionally hit the target!¡¯


    The yers ranked 1¨C30 on the artilleryman rankings. In the past few years, they didn¡¯t have a chance to be active. No one used them, but this didn¡¯t mean they wasted those years. They joined armies and didn¡¯t neglect a single day of training. In order to not forget they were artillerymen, they trained enthusiastically and didn¡¯t miss an opportunity to fire the cannons. Their skill level might be low and they werecking experience, but they were full of enthusiasm and knew the theory.


    ¡°Launch!¡±Toban yelled as he raised a g.


    The artillerymen fired the Overgeared Cannons in unison. 10 cannons emitted ck smoke as they fired simultaneously, and a thunderous sound filled the battlefield.


    -It only sounds loud.


    -It is as you say.The power is nothing.


    The viewers scoffed at the weapon called a cannon. No, they weren¡¯t scoffing. They just told the truth they knew. Then at this moment, the truth changed.


    -...Wow.


    The shells fired from the Overgeared Cannons curved and fell down, piercing through the magicians¡¯ shields and hitting five catapults. It was ridiculous. The mountain-like catapults copsed due to just 10 shells. It was a spectacle that couldn¡¯t be exined theoretically.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±Thousands of soldiers who were loading rocks on the catapults screamed. The wreckage of the catapults fell and crashed into the soldiers and cannons. Casualties urred in the formation of the imperial army. Yet only 10 cannons triggered this disaster...? The viewers, broadcasters, and artillerymen who fired the Overgeared Cannons couldn¡¯t close their mouths.


    Notification windows appeared in front of the Overgeared artillerymen.


    [You have seeded in destroying the imperial army¡¯s 2nd catapult.]


    [You have defeated an imperial soldier.]


    [You have defeated an imperial...]


    ....


    ...


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has...]


    ....


    ...


    [The Firearms Mastery skill level has risen from beginner master to intermediate level 2.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    The notification windows conveyed good news that couldn¡¯t be imagined. The artillerymen were stunned, but they couldn¡¯t feel joy at the news. It was because Toban¡¯s roar entered their ears, ¡°Reload!¡±


    ¡°R-Reloading!¡± The artillerymen barely maintained a hold on their senses and moved. The secondary loading speed was also fast. It was several times faster than loading an existing cannon.


    ¡°Aim!¡± Toban raised his g.


    The artillerymen focused on four of the 15 catapults left in the imperial army. They were catapults already filled withrge rocks. The imperial soldiers, who had fallen, scrambled up to pull the ropes. They were preparing to fire, but the catapults were too big and the rocks were so heavy that it was slow.


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    In that gap, the 10 Overgeared Cannons fired again.The power of this bombardment was greater than the previous one. It was a natural phenomenon since the artillerymen¡¯s stats and skill levels had increased.


    -T-This is ridiculous.


    The viewers found it hard to distinguish between a dream and reality as they saw the big catapults crashing down. The Overgeared Cannon was an innovative and powerful weapon.


    ¡°Oh, very strong.¡±The Overgeared members were also surprised.


    Grid exined to them, ¡°It is stronger because the target is still. It won¡¯t have as much power against people.¡±


    It was a calm tone. The man who made such a monstrous cannon didn¡¯t seem fazed at all. The Overgeared members intuitively felt that the Overgeared Cannons ced on the walls weren¡¯t in their ultimate form.


    ¡®Can he make it with a higher rating?¡¯


    ¡®If I think about a legendary cannon...¡¯


    ¡°...!¡± On the walls, Grid had been staring down at the battlefield only to have his eyes widen. The smell of alcohol permeated his nose as someone emerged from the imperial army. Grid recognized him immediately. ¡°The Drunk Duke!¡±


    The Drunk Duke flew up. He reached the top of the wall in an instant and stretched out his hand toward an Overgeared Cannon. The Drunk Duke attacked, but Toban pulled out a shield and blocked it.


    ¡°Keook!¡± Toban¡¯s shield and skills were meaningless as he was injured severely and fell to his knees. Then it happened when the Drunk Duke was going to aim at the Overgeared Cannons again. Two shes of light flew toward him. The Drunk Duke perceived the danger and lowered his posture as a sword and hand plow grazed the top of his head.


    ¡°...What?¡± The Drunk Duke looked like he had seen a ghost as he made eye contact with the farmer holding a hand plow. He was so shocked that his drunkenness disappeared.

 Chapter 1014

    The Saharan Empire had a history of thousands of years and couldn¡¯t have produced only seven heroes. There were numerous heroes in the history of the empire, 12 of whom were awarded dukeships. It meant the original empire had 12 ducal families, but time was a scaryw.


    Families were corrupted or weakened as generations passed while others experienced misfortune. Five of the ducal families naturally disappeared or became traitors. It was the reason why only two of the seven ducal families currently in the empire contained the lineage of the founding dukes.


    ¡°Piaro?¡±


    He was the pir of the empire a few decades ago, the only great swordsman at the time, one of the most prestigious names, the emperor¡¯s ally... and finally, the traitor.


    ¡°I must be hallucinating.¡± Diworth loosened his clothing as he stared at the farmer in front of him. The farmer¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth¡ªthey were all like they had been in the old days. His strong physique was the same. Only the wrinkles around his eyes were different. Additionally, the huge pressure that was like a great mountain had disappeared.


    Diworth was able to glimpse the winds of time but not the energy. The farmer¡¯s aging aura was no different from the wind, sand, and trees. He looked different yet the same. Diworth, who was trying to distinguish the difference between Piaro in his memories and the farmer in front of him, soon epted reality.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    It was the same person. The farmer was Piaro.


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re not dead.¡±


    In the days when Piaro led the Red Knights, the Red Knights were the symbol of imperial power and all the people raised them up. Diworth was the same. He hated Piaro but was forced to acknowledge him. When the empire sent a team to capture Piaro, stating Piaro would be punished for betraying the empire, Diworth was one of the people who failed to catch him.


    ¡°I thought you had left this world because I hadn¡¯t heard about you for so long. I didn¡¯t know you would be in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Diworth thought the emperor might be pleased to know that Piaro was alive. His Majesty the Emperor still hated yet missed Piaro. Then there was a question.


    ¡®Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?¡¯


    The emperor had always been submerged in darkness after the death of the empress and Piaro¡¯s betrayal. However, he had be bright again one day. He regained his energy. It had been around the time when Legendary Knight Mercedes was exiled.


    ¡®Why did he banish Mercedes who became a legend?¡¯


    Did he know that Piaro was alive, and so he gave Mercedes a separatemand to protect him?


    ¡®It is possible.¡¯


    The emperor probably knew that Mercedes had gone to serve the Overgeared King. The emperor was more informed than the Seven Dukes. Despite this, the emperor hadn¡¯t ced any restraints on Mercedes and wasn¡¯t active in conquering the Overgeared Kingdom. He had only btedly dered war to quell theints of the angry nobles after the Overgeared King epted the evil eyes. The emperor didn¡¯t force the Seven Dukes to participate in the war. It was why Rachel didn¡¯t participate in the war.


    ¡®Yes, he already knows.¡¯


    Piaro was alive.


    ¡®Additionally, he has forgiven Piaro¡¯s betrayal.¡¯


    Or perhaps as Rachel, Grenhal, and Morse imed, Piaro¡¯s betrayal might¡¯ve been a falsehood. If this was assumed, then all circumstances were correct.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Diworth nced down from the wall. Hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers in the desert were looking up here. Thousands of artillerymen units were still struggling to reload the cannons and catapults.


    ¡®If they know about Piaro¡¯s survival...¡¯


    They would be greatly agitated. The confusion would weaken the army.


    ¡®Is it possible that the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom will improve because of Piaro?¡¯


    Of course not. It was an unrealistic story. In the first ce, Piaro would never forgive the empire. It was the empire that had killed his family.


    ¡®Additionally, if we leave the Overgeared Kingdom that doesn¡¯t recognize the empire as the master of the continent, it will harm the empire.¡¯


    Thus, Diworth made a decision. He should kill Piaro right now. It was the only way to thwart the chaos, win the war, and allow the empire to rise again as the master of the continent.


    ¡°Piaro, do you know? I hated you for a long time. Every time I saw you clearly being better than me, my self-esteem was damaged. Now they are all old memories. I have no evil feelings for you.¡±Diworth was serious.¡°I will consider the old days and kill you without any pain.¡±


    He would cut with a single move. Diworth made up his mind and drank from a bottle. He was in a hurry. Aside from Basara, the other dukes had tried to stop the execution of Piaro¡¯s family. They were clear on the fact that Piaro had been framed, and they petitioned to stop the execution. If Diworth didn¡¯t kill Piaro before they arrived, there would be plenty of room forplications.


    ¡®I am d that the other dukes are chasing Skunk who is doing something crazy.¡¯


    Skunk was an explorer they had met identally in Galest. He was a talent who was being watched by the empire. The dukes¡¯ eyes had shone when they heard Skunk say he would cross the Red Sea. It didn¡¯t mean they had forgotten they were in the middle of a war. They just looked down on the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Diworth¡¯s magic power boiled, and the alcohol scent vibrated. Diworth was prepared to eliminate Piaro in an instant.


    ¡®Please die without pain and be freed from the sufferings of life.¡¯


    Diworth would be merciful to the old hero¡ªa hated but respected man. He pulled out a bright and glowing weapon that didn¡¯t fit with his appearance and swung it at Piaro. Then Diworth was surprised. Piaro didn¡¯t give off the same strong atmosphere that he did in the past. So, he thought Piaro was weak. Yet the hand plow easily stopped his strike.


    ¡°You still have a personality where you judge and act one-sidedly. Do you still hurt the soldiers when you get drunk?¡± Piaro clicked his tongue as the air surrounding him started to disappear.


    The wind, the air, the ground, the sand, and the weeds¡ªall the surrounding nature lost their energy. The cause of that was Piaro. Nature gave him their energy.


    ¡°No way, this...¡±Diworth¡¯s fingers trembled as he hurriedly pulled back his sword. He had heard of Natural State before. ¡°It is a transcendent Natural State!¡±


    The weakened Piaro was actually stronger than before. The form of swordsmanship had transformed into farming, but it had evolved instead of degenerating.


    ¡°Free Farming.¡±


    The moment nature lost all its energy, the space became weightless and the floating Piaro raised the hand plow over his head.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Grid appeared and stopped Piaro. ¡°Piaro and Mercedes, destroy the catapults.¡±


    In Satisfy, there were often scenes where weapons and weapons or magic and skills collided and offset each other¡¯s power. It could be called the singrity of the virtual reality game. All weapons, skills, and magic had a shape, establishing a form they could respond to and counterattack. Of course, if one of the two forces colliding with each other were unterally strong, it couldn¡¯t be offset. In any case, a person could try defending by colliding with an iing attack. This was why in a fight between masters, they kept striking each other with their weapons.


    However, there were some exceptions. One was the attack of a superrge weapon. The size and dimension of the attack were different because it carried a heavy weight. It couldn¡¯t be offset by ordinary weapons, skills, or magic. The system judged an attack with a ¡®muchrger weight and area of attack¡¯ as a one-sidedly strong attack.


    That¡¯s right. The moment the catapults of the empire fired, Reidan would be in danger. The Overgeared Kingdom had no way to stop the flying rocks, and the walls had to be preserved. The most rational thing was to break the catapult itself like the Overgeared Cannons had attempted to do.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t have the ability to break the catapults ced in hundreds of thousands of troops. Long-ranged skills such as 100,000 Army Swordsmanship or Fly Up were virtually impossible. A general weapon exerted weaker strength to siege weapons, buildings, and facilities.


    ¡°Thus, I will leave it to the two of you.¡± Grid approached Piaro and Mercedes and gave them confidence. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t met Chreshler, Grid would¡¯ve never risked his knights dying. Now Grid had a sense of transcendence. He realized that wrapping the knights in his arms was detrimental to their growth.


    ¡°I believe that you willplete the mission ande back safely.¡±


    He would believe in and rely on them.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    His Majesty¡¯s trust in them deepened. Piaro and Mercedes were thrilled and jumped straight toward the enemy. Before that...


    ¡°Take this.¡± Grid handed the Enlightenment Sword to Mercedes and Lantier¡¯s Cloak to Piaro.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept this!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take it either.¡±


    Piaro was panicked, and Mercedes was also reluctant. They couldn¡¯t receive Grid¡¯s favorite sword and the cloak that protected him. There were Jude, Noll, Kasim, and the Overgeared members by Grid¡¯s side, but Duke Diworth was a tough opponent. Consequently, they couldn¡¯t help worrying.


    Grid smiled while attaching the de Aiming at the Gods to a sword using the Pulling Device. Then he patted Valha of Infinite Affection and dered, ¡°I have plenty of good weapons left.¡±


    Grid favored the Enlightenment Sword over the Sword Aiming at the Gods because of the explosions of the ck mes. He was able to umte damage to the enemies without interruption, causing the damage to be higher than that of the Sword Aiming at the Gods. It wasn¡¯t weaker than the Sword Aiming at the Gods because it had been sessfully enhanced to +4.


    That¡¯s right. At the present time, the Enlightenment Sword was better than the Sword Aiming at the Gods. The reason why Grid gave the Enlightenment Sword to Mercedes at this time was that the Enlightenment Sword was specialized for ¡®ughter.¡¯ The sight of Mercedes wielding the Enlightenment Sword against hundreds of thousands of troops... It was scary just imagining it.


    ¡®The Sword Aiming at the Gods is better when dealing with the duke.¡¯


    Additionally, Grid was looking forward to the options of the Sword Aiming at the Gods.


    [* 50% bonus damage to transcendent beings such as gods, angels, great demons, boss monsters, and named NPCs.]


    As noted, the system recognized boss monsters and named NPCs as transcendents. So, as long as it was a named NPC like Drunk Duke Diworth, the Sword Aiming at the Gods would be stronger than the Enlightenment Sword. This was despite the fact that the skill Contempt of the Weak, which reduced a non-transcendent¡¯s health by 80%, wasn¡¯t activated. As Grid and his knights were talking, Drunk Duke Diworth gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Overgeared King. The king of a small country dares to deal with a duke of the empire? Stop talking bullshit and get lost!¡± Diworth drank more alcohol. He could no longer control his body and staggered. ¡°Piaro! Mercedes! I can¡¯t let you go!¡±


    One was the hero of the former age, and the other was the hero of the new age. The moment Piaro and Mercedes appeared in the imperial camp, the imperial soldiers would feel great confusion. They wouldn¡¯t be able to fight properly. However, the moment Diworth flew toward Piaro, the orange gs signaling retreat rose from the imperial camp.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Calling a retreat...? When they just arrived in front of the enemy? Without even saying anything to him? The bewildered Diworth focused his eyes and heard Marquis Fulbas crying out with his magic power, ¡°Duke Diworth! I received an imperial order to retreatpletely!¡±


    ¡°An imperial order?!¡±


    ¡°An imperial order?¡±


    Drunk Duke Diworth, Grid, and the Overgeared members were all shocked. Why were they retreating now? Of course, everyone soon knew the reason. It was due to the world message that appeared.


    [A great explorer has found a new ind in the Red Sea.]


    [The name of the new ind is ¡®Ruins of the War God.¡¯]


    ¡°...!!¡± Diworth¡¯s eyes widened. He could understand the reason for the emperor¡¯s retreat order.


    ¡°A ruins exploration...!¡±


    Moreover, those were the ruins of a god. They had to upy it and collect the relics first. Diworth leaped down from the walls. Piaro and Mercedes tried to grab him, but Diworth¡¯s movements were too irregr and they missed him. Meanwhile, Grid didn¡¯t care about Diworth.


    It was due to Lauel¡¯s whisper, -The ruins are valuable.The value of the relics no one has obtained yet will exceed our imagination.We must immediately dispatch an expedition force.


    They couldn¡¯t just suck their fingers and let the emperor obtain them. Lauel¡¯s judgment was the same as Grid¡¯s.

 Chapter 1015

    The emperor had negative feelings about the war against the Overgeared Kingdom. Was it because he hoped that Piaro wouldn¡¯t be swept up in the war? No. The emperor wasn¡¯t foolish enough to allow private feelings to affect the nation. There were several reasonable factors that caused him to have a negative view of the war.


    Firstly, he appreciated the value of Overgeared King Grid, who was Pagma¡¯s Descendant and had received the title of Hero King. He was a means to help the emperor fulfill his ancestors¡¯ desires to enter the East Continent. Additionally, he found out that Grid had gained Piaro. The emperor acknowledged Grid¡¯s power in many ways and wanted to treat him magnanimously rather than be enemies.


    Secondly, there was the fact that 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit was a variable. He couldn¡¯t tell the Seven Dukes that he was worried about his son¡¯s well-being, but Prince Benoit was currently wandering the continent while conducting suspicious rituals. At first, the emperor didn¡¯t know what the rituals were. Then he realized that Belial¡¯s summoning had a direct connection with Benoit. Why was this child so obsessed with summoning the great demons? They were a big threat to the entire continent.


    The previously summoned Belial had been rtively low in rank and easily stopped by the Overgeared members. However, if Benoit summoned a high ranking great demon, then it was highly likely some parts of the continent would be destroyed and there was no guarantee the empire would be safe from the threat. He wanted to avoid a depletion of power just in case.


    Mercedes in the Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t easy to deal with either.


    ¡®Chensler needs to bring Benoit back quickly.¡¯


    Thirdly, he didn¡¯t want to provide an opportunity for 4th Imperial Prince Edan¡¯s magic machines army to be active. Thanks to sessfully mining the magic machines, Edan¡¯s faction was growing and the emperor couldn¡¯t leave him unchecked. It was a fact that Edan would make a great achievement if his magic machines army participated in the war. With his birth trauma, it would be the worst if Edan gained a higher position. There was room for him to start a revolt if he became the crown prince.


    Fourthly, there was the problem of finances. The empire had many borders because it had territories all over the continent. Manyrge nations were still loyal to the empire, but the ethnic minorities were rebelling across the continent. Just as the Nero had greatly damaged the empire in the past, the ethnic minorities that survived decades after the empire¡¯s subjugation policy have grown tough. They were like weeds that wouldn¡¯t die. Too many resources would be consumed to ignore them and concentrate on the war with the Overgeared Kingdom. In particr, the giants were a problem.


    ¡°...I have a headache.¡±


    The emperor wondered since when the dream of conquering the continent had be so distant. Was it due to the Overgeared Kingdom suddenly being founded one day? Or was it because the empire relied on the existing power structure and failed to respond to the sudden changes? No. Was it because of the indifferent grandmaster? Was it due to the flimsy Five Pirs? Was it because of the boredom of the Seven Dukes?


    That also wasn¡¯t it either. It wasn¡¯t something that could be med on anyone else.


    ¡®It is all my fault.¡¯


    The emperor had been shocked and disheartened by the death of Empress Aria and Piaro¡¯s betrayal urring in session, so he hid in the skirts of Empress Marie and turned away from the painful reality. He left behind all of the emperor¡¯s responsibilities. Thus, the empire lost decades.


    ¡°I¡¯m not qualified.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t emperor material. He was guilty of betraying the family members who had believed in him and made him the heir. How much would the first emperorment if he saw the present empire? The emperor rebuked himself and opened the map of the West Continent, which was supposed to be painted in one color by now.


    ¡°A carrier pigeon has arrived from Duke Grenhal.¡±


    ¡°A carrier pigeon?¡±


    It was an age wheremunication with magic was possible. What was the meaning of using a carrier pigeon? Was there an area on the battlefield where magic power was blocked? The emperor admired the magical skills and thorough readiness of the Overgeared Kingdom and confirmed the contents of the carrier pigeon.


    There was a brief description about the discovery of the war god¡¯s ruins in the Red Sea. The writer argued that the value of the site was highly appreciated and it was necessary to focus on exploration.


    ¡°Hah... Haha.¡±The emperor was delighted. He believed that the heavens had given him an opportunity to end the meaningless war with the Overgeared Kingdom. By the way, it was a bit absurd. Why was Duke Grenhal in the Red Sea instead of on the battlefield?


    ¡®...Even Duke Grenhal.¡¯


    Duke Grenhal was a person who had helped to reduce the excessive expansion of the empress¡¯ faction. Yet he wasn¡¯t aware of the power of the Overgeared Kingdom and fooled around.


    ¡°Aish.¡±


    It was disappointing because the emperor¡¯s trust in him was greater than the others. The emperor crumpled the letter in an annoyed manner and ordered Bain,¡°Bring back the advance troops who marched on the Overgeared Kingdom and prepare for the exploration of the Ruins of the War God.¡±


    There would be enormous treasures hidden in the historical site of the war god¡¯s ruins, as well as more dangers lurking. Yet there was no objection to the emperor stopping to war to concentrate on ruins exploration.


    ***


    It was a voyage that could be described with several words.


    ¡®Extremely lucky.¡¯


    Skunk knew the empire had a great interest in him, but he never imagined the dukes would personally participate in the voyage. Moreover, they willingly gave him the best ships. He read the route with the help of the Compass of Truth, got past the water n with the resourcefulness of Gold Crown Basara, and then handled the sea monsters with the help of Beast King Morse.


    [You have found the Ruins of the War God!]


    [It is an achievement that will remain in history!]


    [The achievement rewards...]


    Skunk achieved a new feat again. It was a great achievement gained a short time after fully exploring the West Continent. Skunk¡¯s heart was full. Thepanions who believed and followed him along with the Seven Dukes¡ªSkunk saw their faces and felt like the protagonist of his father¡¯s movie. He felt like this was how Grid always felt.


    ¡°First...¡± Skunk confirmed thepensation for discovering the Ruins of the War God and nted a seedling. It would grow into a tree in one year and be his eye. He was cautious.¡°I heard that are many dangerous traps and guardians in the ruins. How about waiting here until reinforcements arrive?¡±


    Skunk¡¯spanions were ready to set up barracks at a beach where beautiful white sand shone. They based it on the premise of exploring the ruins with the empire. Skunk¡¯s expedition group wasn¡¯t strong enough to explore the site, and it was likely that all types of yers woulde here after the world message. It was ideal to cooperate with the imperial forces to explore the site and obtain as muchpensation as possible before uninvited guests arrived.


    There was a woman with a small crown on her head. The mysterious beauty called Basara, who always had her eyes closed, nodded.¡°Sir Skunk is right. We should wait and avoid the guardians¡¯ eyes before reinforcements arrive.¡±


    It was a reasonable opinion, but Beast King Morse thought differently. ¡°Me, you, Duke Grenhal. The three of us together should be enough to go against the guardians. I would rather explore the ruins and monopolize the treasures.¡±


    Immortal King Grenhal nodded. ¡°Duke Morse is right. There is danger in the ruins of the war god, but we can ovee it if we join forces.¡±


    The reason why Morse and Grenhal were impatient was that these were relics of the war god, not an ordinary god. War God Zeratul, the sword and shield of Goddess Reba, was regarded as the only one capable of dealing with the absolute power of Evil God Yatan. His transcendent power which was given to his ¡®followers¡¯ was indirectly described in the war against the Seven Malignant Saints.


    [Those who were most active in the subjugation of the Seven Malignant Saints were the followers of the war god. Their martial arts were overwhelming, and the Seven Malignant Saints couldn¡¯t be idle.]


    The war god didn¡¯te personally, but his followers threatened the Seven Malignant Saints. Of course, there were many exaggerations in myths, but it was still great. Grenhal and Morse coveted the war god¡¯s secret techniques that were likely to be sleeping here. They didn¡¯t want to hand them over to anyone else. In particr, Grenhal¡¯s eagerness was great.


    ¡®I can keep the grandmaster in check if I can get a secret technique.¡¯


    A person whom even the Seven Dukes couldn¡¯t grasp¡ªthe grandmaster was believed to have lived for hundreds of years without dying and that he had stood by emperors of sessive generations, making him a threatening existence. The empire might exist now because of his many aplishments, but his recent activities were far from showing loyalty to the imperial family.


    ¡®It is a problem when a monster with other interests has greater authority than the Seven Dukes.¡¯


    The presence of the grandmaster was enough to trigger the bored dukes. No matter how hard they tried to figure it out, a monster whose identity was still unknown was by the emperor¡¯s side. There was no meaning in it if a monster was the one holding the national g. The existence of a vague risk factor caused them to feel anxious and chaotic, turning away from theircency. Now things would change.


    ¡®I will be stronger, drive out the grandmaster, and be a new stimulus for the dukes. I will protect the emperor fully.¡¯ Duke Grenhal was determined and vowed this. It was different from when he dealt with a small country called Overgeared.


    Basara sighed. She knew there was no way to stop Grenhal. ¡°Okay. We will explore it. Still, let¡¯s look slowly from the outskirts. It will be harder the deeper we enter.¡±


    ¡°That is a good idea. Understood.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The members of Skunk¡¯s expedition group were upset because the dukes only consulted each other and decided on their own. Dog Woman whispered to Skunk, who didn¡¯t dare intervene in the conversation, ¡°Isn¡¯t this good? They are the Seven Dukes. We can never get rid of them, and we will be able to go through this small ind quickly.¡±


    ¡°These are the ruins of the war god, not someone else.¡± Skunk¡¯s face was pale as he recalled the war god follower who had learned two secret techniques from the Galgunos Temple. ¡°If there are three or four... Perhaps even a duke won¡¯t be able to cope with a war god follower who has learned more secret techniques.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing we can do. Will we be able to cope with an overwhelming enemy that even three of the Seven Dukes can¡¯t handle?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you are correct.¡±


    In any case, there was no point in talking among themselves. The dukes were already moving into the jungle. Since the knights and soldiers were escorting Skunk, it seemed true that Skunk was important. They had only taken a few steps into the jungle when a fist suddenly flew toward Grenhal, and he defended with his shield. A single punch of the fist struck four times. Every time a strike ovepped, the power doubled. Eventually, the two-headed hippopotamus took a step backward.


    ¡°Hah.¡± Grenhal couldn¡¯t help admiring it. The two-headed hippopotamus was nearly 2.5 tons in weight and had a strength of two ogres. This was the first time Grenhal saw it being pushed back. Grenhal scattered some energy des. It was a swift counterattack. However, the targeted guardian climbed up the tree to escape and folded his arms. The name over his head was war god follower who had learned five secret techniques.


    ¡°Crazy...¡±Skunk murmured to himself. The two secret technique followers were stronger than high rankers, so it was unclear how strong those who had learned five secret techniques would be. To think that such a monster would appear at the beginning...?


    ¡®Even the name is white.¡¯


    This meant it was ssified as a regr monster. It showed how high the overall difficulty of the historical site would be.


    ¡°He is like a monkey!¡± Beast King Morse was growling. The sharvel tiger he always carried with him jumped forward and swung its paws at the follower. The moment the body of the sharvel tiger touched the branch, a unfolded and tied up the tiger.


    Gold Crown Basara, who still had her eyes closed, muttered,¡°There are traps in every corner.¡±


    It was a dense jungle. There were countless trees. The leaves and branches were crossed like a spiderweb. Basara sensed the traps installed all over them. As a few troops screamed because of the traps, Basara spoke to Grenhal and Morse, ¡°We have to retreat.¡±


    The traps were the problem. Grenhal decided to follow Basara¡¯s judgment. ¡°That would be good.¡±


    Morse was different. ¡°I¡¯m going to punish this guy!¡±


    He avoided the war god follower as he rescued the sharvel tiger before turning and kicking out. There was a burst of wind. The kick was sharp, but the war god follower seeded in defending his knees. Morse didn¡¯t stop. He used his feet like hooks and grabbed the follower¡¯s knees. The follower in the high tree was forcibly pulled by Morse and crashed to the ground. As his hard face touched the ground, the follower flinched.


    Skunk¡¯s group watched the process and couldn¡¯t close their mouths. They hadn¡¯t expected the dukes to be so great.


    ¡®I thought it was somewhat exaggerated because Rigal was hit by Grid.¡¯


    No. Grid was just too strong. Skunk deeply admired Grid and told Duke Basara, ¡°A few trees have a keyhole. They seem like devices to stop the jungle¡¯s traps... It is a priority to find keys that fit.¡±


    Skunk had thoroughly observed the surroundings during this short period of time. As an explorer who was bing a legend, he had all types of observation skills and quickly grasped how to escape the jungle traps. The problem was how they were going to get the keys.


    ¡®It will hurt to find clues.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy as long as there wasn¡¯t a ¡®master key¡¯ in the world. In fact, it seemed like this process would take a very long time.

 Chapter 1016

    At the port city of Galest, the imperial army was preparing to sail through the route in the Red Sea that Grenhal had left behind. Earl Baget was moving among the bustling soldiers.¡°Only three flour bags? You pathetic bastards! Can you call yourselves soldiers of the empire?! Can you defend your country with this much strength and passion? Stop talking nonsense! It must be hard for your parents!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Earl Baget had long been famous for his military discipline, but there were no cases when he had cursed at soldiers who were doing well. Now he even mentioned their parents? The soldiers suffered great shock and hurt. Those soldiers¡ªwho were working hard to prepare for the journey¡ªlost their motivation as Earl Baget¡¯s words continued, and their overall work efficiency was lowered. Marquis Fulbas ran after hearing the news and tried to stop Earl Baget. ¡°I understand that your heart is impatient, but do it moderately. Why are you cursing the soldiers who are doing well instead of praising them?¡±


    ¡°It is funny they are reacting like this from being yelled at! Do you think it makes sense that those who swore to sacrifice themselves for their country can¡¯t take a bit of cursing?! Marquis Fulbas, you are the problem! People are always talking behind the scenes that you are sensitive to public sentiment and don¡¯t have a backbone! There is a rumor that it is the aftereffects of a domestic violence incident when you were young!¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Marquis Fulbas¡¯ gaze sank. The fact that Earl Baget raised his voice to the marquis was a secondary issue. The family of Marquis Fulbas was famous for being kind and generous.There was no such thing as domestic violence. Yet there was a rumor going around that he was a victim of domestic violence...? It insulted his parents and his entire family.


    ¡°You dare...! You dare say that?!¡±Marquis Fulbas, who had always shown a gracious appearance in front of his men, was enraged. He shouted while stomping his feet, ¡°Who dares to spread such rumors?¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t tell you. I will never speak about who it is, even if there is a de against my neck. I¡¯m not an unscrupulous person who will sell out my colleagues. However, the act of insulting one¡¯s superiors and destroying your position is no different from treason. I will give you a hint out of loyalty. It was one of the earls.¡±


    ¡°Earl...? Earl!! I...! I have been doing so well that now they want to hit me in the back of the head?!¡±Marquis Fulbas¡¯ neck was red from anger as he stumbled away from his position.


    A soldier approached Earl Baget, who looked 10 years older. The man was called Serun, and he had the Disguise skill.¡°Howe you don¡¯t even miss a day? It is really great.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t feel toofortable. I have to do it because of my duty.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be enjoying it...¡±


    ¡°...¡±Earl Baget looked restlessly at Serun. In other words, Huroi wanted to say something, but he refrained from doing so. The duration of the Disguise skill was three days. Without Serun¡¯s active help, Huroi wouldn¡¯t have progressed so far in this infiltration mission.


    Serun was smiling.¡°In any case, it is thrilling and fun. I want this to be a real adventure. I¡¯m d I listened to Euphemina and followed you.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Huroi was dying of nervousness. He had dreamed of being captured and executed at least 10 times, but it was a risk he took for Grid¡¯s sake.


    ¡®I need to get the route as soon as possible... Marquis Fulbas isn¡¯t giving me a gap.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°It feels bad when I think about it.¡±


    Three days had passed since the imperial army retreated without looking back.


    The Overgeared members praised the soldiers who suffered during the war,forted the people, and devoted themselves to Reidan¡¯s restoration. They had to join in the exploration of the Ruins of the War God, but could they afford to intrude on the empire? They had to do it. The empire couldn¡¯t be allowed to monopolize the ruins. However, they didn¡¯t have the route. It wasn¡¯t simple to find the Ruins of the War God. They had to concentrate on saving their energy while the empire was in the process of exploring the ruins.


    The Overgeared members, who had been exchanging information while running around for three days, suddenly became enraged. They had risked their lives in the war against the empire. They put everything into the war. Yet for the empire, the war with them was just a game. The moment they discovered the ruins, they left without looking back.


    There was now an empty desert. The vacant spot left by the imperial army was a great disgrace.


    ¡°These XX dogs.¡±Blood Warrior Katz¡ªa Japanese yer¡ªcursed in a Korean style. None of the curse words he knew in Japanese fit better than the Korean word.


    ¡°I¡¯m really furious.¡±Katz mmed a fist against the table.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a ce where Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers were gathered. No one could stop Katz as he forgot his manners and recklessly expressed his anger. The number of enemies Katz had killed during the war was 4,891. He had fought the opponents advancing to Reidan and given his life three times. He was able to gain a bigger achievement than anyone else by demonstrating his strength inrge-scale battles.


    In the Overgeared Kingdom, he felt a sense of belonging for the first time, and it was the best organization in the world for him. He was also proud. He didn¡¯t want to make sacrifices.


    However...


    However...!


    ¡°The XX guys weren¡¯t serious? How ridiculous and insignificant would our desperate fighting seem? Eh? Kuso! Kuso! Kusoo!!!¡± (Shit)


    Katz punched the round table again and again. He couldn¡¯t control his anger until the round table half-copsed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The others in the 10 meritorious retainers felt the same as Katz. Thus, no one could stop Katz.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Grid stopped Katz. Then he deeply bowed to all hispanions. ¡°I was ipetent. I wascking, and the Overgeared Kingdom ended up like this. That¡¯s why the empire arbitrarily came and left. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    There were no pretenses. The 10 meritorious retainers knew everything about him. They were true friends he shared many memories and mental rapport with. They weren¡¯t people he needed pretenses with. Therefore, he apologized sincerely.


    ¡°On the day I was invited by the empire, I should¡¯ve shown a more powerful look to the empire. Maybe these things wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    The yers held Grid up as the peak, but he was actuallycking. He was toocking. He was weak. Grid was daunted by the spirit of the Seven Dukes. That¡¯s why he looked easy.


    ¡°The moment the empire dered war, I should¡¯ve discussed things with you and prepared for all the variables. If I did, we could¡¯ve avoided a lot of damage. But I didn¡¯t do that.¡±


    He should¡¯ve checked the soldiers¡¯ armed condition and made more weapons. However, he hadn¡¯t understood the concept of war and made only swords and armor, which was the worst mistake. Inrge-scalebat, the armed status of the soldiers wasn¡¯t the most important factor. It would¡¯ve been better to concentrate on strengthening the equipment of the 10 meritorious retainers, who had the ability to kill thousands of enemies.


    Yet Grid had been greedy. While he was at the smithy, he thought it would be better to make himself stronger and sometimes turned a blind eye to his colleagues. This was the result. His colleagues who believed in him and chose production materials as the reward for the National Competition¡ªmost of them had remained stagnant and made great sacrifices during the war with the empire.


    ¡°...It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden? Did you receive an arrow in the head?¡±


    It happened while everyone was confused by Grid, who couldn¡¯t lift his head.


    ¡°Why is it your fault? It¡¯s our fault we aren¡¯t as strong as you,¡± Jishuka sprang up and spat out coldly. ¡°The bastards who think Grid was wrong,e out. I¡¯ll kill them.¡±


    The words weren¡¯t based on her feelings.


    Jishuka was able to grasp the situation more soberly than anyone else and ept it.


    ¡°In particr, those from the Tzedakah Guild. You should apologize to Grid. I thought I gathered a group of geniuses. Ever since being with Grid, have we ever helped Grid? We¡¯ve always been helped!¡±


    ng!


    Jishuka was different from Katz. Rather than the table, she struck the more expensive and easily broken ss window. It wasn¡¯t just one. Every step she took, she broke a window and repeated this over and over. Finally, a wind swept through the meeting room.


    ¡°Look. No one can say a word. Grid, it isn¡¯t your fault. It is our problem that we are more ipetent than you expected.¡± Jishuka broke thest remaining window before smiling and sweeping back her hair.Her brilliant hair zed like the sun as it fell on her beautiful corbone and chest bone.


    ¡°...¡± Jishuka was more imposing than anyone else.


    Yura was envious of Jishuka, who could scold everyone andfort Grid. Unlike Jishuka, Yura waste in joining the Overgeared Guild. She couldn¡¯t actively defend Grid like Jishuka. The period of time in which Yura had been a member was too short for her to rebuke her colleagues. Yura clenched her hands into fists, and her eyes shook as she alternated before the proud Jishuka and the nk looking Grid.


    ¡®Did Youngwoo-ssi dy the answer to my confession because...¡¯


    ...He was more drawn to Jishuka than Yura? It wasn¡¯t because of the difference in breast size but the difference in heart. She was a woman, but she also thought Jishuka was cool. How radiant would Jishuka be in the eyes of Grid, who had been with her since the days of the Tzedakah Guild?


    Lauel, who had been silent throughout the meeting, suddenly muttered to himself, ¡°Kukukuk... This, this. Things are turning out very well.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on him, and he raised his chin to the fullest extent, revealing white teeth as he grinned. ¡°I got the route to the Ruins of the War God from Huroi. Since we are all here, let¡¯s set up an expedition.¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t care about the aftermath of the war or the empire¡¯s arrogant attitude. He was only interested in the historical ruins. If the 10 meritorious retainers¡¯ trust in Lauel hadn¡¯t been so deep, they would¡¯ve misunderstood that he didn¡¯t understand their position since he didn¡¯t fight directly in the war or make sacrifices.


    However, the 10 meritorious retainers trusted Lauel. They also knew that he struggled more than anyone else behind the scenes. Thus, everyone waited for Lauel¡¯s next words. What did the genius who raised and led the Overgeared Kingdom with Grid have in mind now?


    In the silence, Lauel brought out words that revived everyone¡¯s expectations, ¡°Once the ruins emerged, the empire withdrew the army without any hesitation. This suggests something big. In the first ce, the empire didn¡¯t want to fight against the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What...? The empire doesn¡¯t want to go to war against us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have to interpret that as the reason for the empire leaving without stationing any troops behind the moment a usible excuse popped up.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s gaze turned to Mercedes, who was guarding Grid.¡°Maybe... From the time the emperor sent Mercedes away...¡±


    The emperor¡¯s heart was projected into Lauel¡¯s violently spinning mind. ¡°The emperor probably wants to be allies rather than enemies with the Overgeared Kingdom. This war wasn¡¯t the result of the emperor¡¯s desire.¡±


    The listening Vantner scratched his bald head. ¡°So what? The emperor wants to be on the same side as us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to be precise, they covet Grid. The emperor seems to be looking at a bigger world rather than unifying the West Continent and being a frog in a well.¡±


    ¡°A bigger world? You mean advancing to the East Continent?¡±


    ¡°Probably. However, many nobles demanded that we be punished for the evil eyes incident, forcing the emperor to dere war.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The room was silent. The emperor¡¯s favor...


    This was good news. In fact, a war with the empire wasn¡¯t beneficial to the Overgeared Kingdom. Due to the huge power gap, the longer the warsted, the more likely it was that the Overgeared Kingdom would have its resources consumed first. There would be a loss, even if the Overgeared Kingdom won. If they took away the empire¡¯snd, it was unrealistic to ce troops to defend thend. Moreover, there was still the most important thing...


    ¡®Grid never said he wants to be emperor.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Grid didn¡¯t covet the emperor¡¯s throne. It was natural. How could he be emperor when he couldn¡¯t even digest the role of king properly? There was an order to everything, and the status of an emperor was currently something that Grid couldn¡¯t handle. There was no room for the desire to fight and win against the empire.


    ¡°The expedition should be a small number of elites. Due to the nature of the ruins, the level of the monsters will be very high and mid-ranked people won¡¯t be able to help,¡± Lauel kept talking. ¡°We also have to prepare for an empty house, so we need to leave enough power behind in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Then who are you going to send?¡±


    ¡°King Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers.¡±


    ¡°All of us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s respond with sending the best. Additionally, there will be Hurent.¡±


    Peak Sword, who had been absent-minded for three days after failing to adjust to the rapidly changing situation, suddenly rose.¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡±


    This was exciting. It had been a long time since Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers formed a party together, and the presence of the Aura Master was also reassuring.


    ¡°If we take this opportunity to get rid of the dukes and gain the treasures, it will be killing two birds with one stone,¡± Faker muttered.


    ¡°Imperial bastards, I will kill you,¡± Katz responded.


    Lauel calmed them down, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see the situation.¡±


    Simultaneously, in Reidan¡¯s fields...


    ¡°Why me...¡± Hurent, who had been called during the field work, sighed.


    Why did Grid want to take a weak person like himself to a historical site with a high difficulty? He guessed Lauel¡¯s intelligence had decreased.

 Chapter 1017

    Kirinus and Rachel¡ªtheir confrontation, as the best spearsmen of the continent, was as fierce as expected. Still, the dignity and majesty of the duel between the absolute best couldn¡¯t be seen. They fought for days and nights across two mountains, and it eventually turned into a dog fight. There were times when they grabbed each other by the cor and rolled across the ground.


    ¡®It is one month as of today.¡¯


    Both sides would fight until they were exhausted. Then after having a break, they would start again. Kirinus and Rachel had already done this for the seventh time. The confrontation between them had continued for a month.


    ¡®The result can¡¯t be concluded.¡¯


    Both of them were masters who had reached enlightenment with the spear. Since their attack and defense had reached unity, it wasn¡¯t easy toe to a conclusion. It was difficult for them to fatally injure each other because their attack and defense were linked by a single action.


    This was Kraugel¡¯s insight, but it was a meaningless interpretation. The game system recognized Kirinus and Rachel as the best in their ss and gave them great health and defense in recognition of the fact that ¡®the absolute person shouldn¡¯t die easily.¡¯ They could eliminate yers with a strike, but against each other, the damage was only enough to expose each other¡¯s gaps but note to a conclusion.


    If this were a world of fantasy or martial arts novels, the two people would receive all types of descriptions. Unfortunately, this was reality. It was a reality confined to the framework of the ¡®game¡¯, so they couldn¡¯t escape the absolute value of the system. Nevertheless...


    ¡®I can learn a lot.¡¯


    A month would be tedious and irritating for both parties involved, but for Kraugel, it was a time that couldn¡¯t be traded for any amount of gold. Kraugel¡¯s knowledge expanded after watching the two people fight for a month. Kraugel was watching the duel with full concentration.


    ¡°...¡±


    Behind him, Rachel¡¯s knights were kneeling down politely. The 30 of them, each with skills of a Red Knight in the 20s, had beenpletely overwhelmed by Kraugel. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning. On the first day, the 30 knights overpowered Kraugel and were on the verge of taking away his life. Then Kraugel did something and poured out blue clouds. The clouds covered the knights, and they failed to take his life.


    Kraugel recovered during this gap and fought the knights again. He did the same thing over and over for a fortnight, until the knights couldn¡¯t overpower Kraugel anymore. Finally, a week ago, the 30 knights were defeated by Kraugel and raised the white g. Kraugel didn¡¯t¡ªor couldn¡¯t¡ªtake away their lives because of two reasons. It was because the knights who held the spear specialized in protecting each other and because they were told that the imperial army invading Reidan had retreated several days ago.


    Kraugel received news about the war and was amazed and thrilled. Grid was truly amazing. He had caused the empire to retreat.


    ¡®The discovery of the ruins is a good opportunity for the empire.¡¯


    It was a justification to retreat from the situation where they would have been trampled on by the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®It is a pity. If the ruins hadn¡¯t shown up,the Overgeared Kingdom could¡¯ve fought the empire to the end.¡¯


    Kraugel watched all the war videos of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    There were the active yers¡ªKatz, Chris, Faker, and the other 10 meritorious retainers¡ªand the transcendent abilities of Noll, Piaro, and Mercedes. Additionally, there were the variables of the water n, evil eyes, and Ul n, as well as the Overgeared Cannon.


    Each one was awesome. The empire might have the advantage of troops, but Kraugel saw the endurance of the war-torn empire as poorpared to its physique. As time passed, the Overgeared Kingdom would gain the advantage and Grid would swallow up the empire. However, the discovery of the ruins ruined that scheduled process.


    ¡®Grid, don¡¯t be too discouraged. You still have the historical site.¡¯


    Kraugel would tie up the feet of Rachel and her knights so that they couldn¡¯t go to the ruins. He could help at least that much, and Grid would gain a new treasure in the meantime, getting closer to the dream of being an emperor. Kraugel supported Grid in the depths of his mind. It was a cheer that was possible because Kraugel appreciated his strong rival who continuously defeated him.


    Simultaneously, at Cork Ind...


    ¡°...Who is talking about me?¡±


    This was the ce where Grid had defeated Hell Gao and met Noe. Grid stood on the shore of the special ind, which previously belonged to the Overgeared Kingdom, and felt his ears prick up. Katz approached and told him,¡°I have obtained a ship. Let¡¯s depart.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid once again realized the greatness of financial power. There was arge-scale warship that couldn¡¯t be built yet with the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s shipbuilding technology. It cost an astronomical amount, and the average person couldn¡¯t afford to see it, let alone buy it. Grid clicked his tongue.


    Then Katz said casually, ¡°This is nothing. The items you make are treasures that no amount of money can buy.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... By the way, what did the captain say?¡±


    ¡°He read the route and thinks it will take at least 10 days to reach the historical site.¡±


    ¡°Even with a ship like this? I heard this ship is really fast?¡±


    ¡°The captain¡¯s opinion is that it can¡¯t be helped because the Red Sea is so dangerous. If we encounter sea monsters along the way, the journey¡¯s duration might increase exponentially or even fail.¡±


    The time would be greatly shortened if they departed from Galest, but unfortunately, Galest was an important point in the empire. They wouldn¡¯t be able to conceal their identity easily.


    ¡°In any case, isn¡¯t there still time?¡±


    Grid boarded the warship with the 10 meritorious retainers. He summoned Randy, Noe, Tiramet, and the Overgeared Skeletons, cing them all over the deck to be lookouts. Then he handed Katz a mineral.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    [Iron Ore with the Power of Transcendence]


    [-An iron ore imbued with the power of an existence that isn¡¯t subject to death.


    Anyone who can cope with the evil influence of the iron ore can obtain the hidden strength behind it.


    * There is an option to add stats when using it as an item-making material.


    However, there is a high possibility that all types of restrictions will arise due to the evil influence.


    Weight: 5 ]


    Grid exined to the confused Katz, ¡°You see, it is a very good production material. It is just that nobody can handle it because it is cursed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Katz noticed what Grid was trying to say.


    A Blood Warrior...


    A warrior who craved blood...


    In the Satisfy setting, the existence of this ss itself was a curse. In fact, Katz was immune to all types of curses, and he could convert them into a beneficial effect. A characteristic of the ss was transforming a curse into a beneficial effect. It was a power that even Grid didn¡¯t have. His title of First King had the effect of ¡®reflecting¡¯ debuffs when all conditions were met, but he couldn¡¯t turn them into an advantage for him. After agonizing over it for the past month, Grid determined that Katz was the right owner for this transcendental iron ore.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a sword with this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have the gold medal reward? Did you pick the White Tiger¡¯s Breath for your reward?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°It is worth so much...¡±


    ¡°This? It isn¡¯t worthwhile if I don¡¯t use it for you. Besides, it is something I can get againter.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Katz was an extremely arrogant person. Born into money, power, fame, and even appearance, Katz hade to believe that the world was under his feet. He lived life like he was the master of this world. Then through Satisfy, he realized there was a limit to his own strength. After joining the Overgeared Guild, he realized there were many people better than himself.


    A typical example was Grid. Others didn¡¯t know it, but Katz had learned humility from Grid. Grid was like a teacher to him. So, Katz was thrilled that Grid was giving him a big present.


    Katz bowed his head and blushed, with his body twisting on its own.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grid burst outughing. ¡°Quickly give me the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡±


    Grid pulled out his portable furnace, anvil, and hammer. There was also the white phosphorus wood. Now he only had a few pieces of wood left. In any case, it was possible to do cksmithing work on the ship.


    ¡®I have to go back to the East Continent soon.¡¯


    Piaro was struggling with growing the white phosphorus tree and golden walnuts. As expected, mass production would be difficult since they were items with a high value. Grid would eventually have to go back to the East Continent to replenish his white phosphorus wood.


    ¡®...It is scary.¡¯


    He shuddered as he thought about Yangban Garam before starting to make the item. Grid refined and strengthened the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and then smelted the transcendent iron ore. He tried to repeat this process many times to strengthen it like the White Tiger¡¯s Breath, but it didn¡¯t change. The strengthening of the transcendental iron ore wasn¡¯t systematically possible.


    ¡®As expected, the breaths of the sacred creatures are special.¡¯


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid had hundreds of item production methods. Among them, the method of making ¡®Muksabal (White Tiger Sword¡¯ he had created with Kraugel was at the top.


    ¡®If I rece the metal used in the White Tiger Sword with the transcendent iron ore...¡¯


    What would happen?


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid was full of anticipation as he kept hammering. His expectations were higher than those of the owner, Katz who was watching from the side. It was an expectation he could have because he precisely grasped the value of the materials.


    ¡®By the way, Katz is also very clever.¡¯


    The reason why Katz chose the White Tiger¡¯s Breath as the gold medal reward was that he knew its characteristics of resilience and defense were suitable for him. Katz, who had the ability to absorb blood like a vampire, was right to pursue tanking rather than damage. Thus, the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was a wise choice.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Three days passed since Grid started making the item.


    [You havepleted the item production!]


    [White Tiger Sword Full of Craving]


    [Rating: Normal (Growth)


    Durability: 390/390 Attack Power: 307 Defense: 65


    * Attack speed is reduced by 10%.


    * Physical attack power is increased by 3%.


    * Physical defense is increased by 3%.


    * Magic resistance is increased by 3%.


    * Maximum health is increased by 6%.


    * 8% bonus earth attribute damage.


    * There is a low chance of the sword¡¯s weight increasing when attacking. At this time, the physical attack power that ignores the target¡¯s defense will increase by 33%. However, the speed of retrieving the sword is increased by one second.


    * The wearer¡¯s three highest stats will increase by +30.


    * There is a corrosion effect caused by the evil influence.


    If the target is ssified as an ¡®item¡¯, ¡®building¡¯, or ¡®weapon¡¯, its durability will greatly reduce and the power temporarily reduced.


    * There is a curse effect caused by the evil influence.


    Causes a decrease in the stats of the target hit.


    * The skill ¡®Howl!¡¯ is still inactive.


    A sword that will be a myth beyond legends.


    ...Omitted...]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s and Katz¡¯ eyes widened after they checked the finished product. Katz was amazed by all the options for the normal item, even if it was a growth type. Meanwhile, Grid was impressed when hepared it to the Still Crouching White Tiger Sword. Its attack power was lowpared to the White Tiger Sword he had made for Kraugel, but it was highly defensive and had three more options.


    ¡®Furthermore, there is a new skill.¡¯


    This meant that the transcendent iron ore exerted a great effect. It was also a possible result because Grid¡¯s techniques had improved. Grid hadn¡¯t met Hexetia yet when he made Kraugel¡¯s sword. Knowing the items increased in value due to his improved cksmithing skills gave Grid confidence.


    ¡®As expected, it was better to leave the two skill points.¡¯


    It had happened when Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship was promoted to Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. Grid hadn¡¯t tried to use his skill level up points on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. This was because the cksmithing skills could be upgraded through certain opportunities, and there was room for the level to be reset. It was harder to raise the level of a production skill which umted experience value every time an item was made,pared tobat skills that umted experience in every battle.


    Grid¡¯s judgment was reasonable. He thought about the skill points while handing the new White Tiger Sword to Katz.


    ¡°Do you have anything you want?¡± Katz asked after epting the sword with a nk expression.


    ¡°What do I want? A private ne?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Grid had responded after a moment¡¯s thought. He didn¡¯t expect that Katz really would give him a private ne was a present. Meanwhile, on the deck...


    ¡°Kiyong!¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    ck ck ck ck ck ck!


    Noe and the Overgeared Skeletons, who had been watching the sea to the east, suddenly made a fuss. Noe¡¯s tail and fur were raised while the Overgeared Skeletons were dancing.


    ¡°That is a sea monster!¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers ran after hearing the fuss and were dismayed to see the monster blocking the route. It was an octopus that wasrger than a 30-floor-high building. They couldn¡¯t check the octopus¡¯ name because it was so huge that they couldn¡¯t see the top of its head. The situation was truly daunting.


    Suddenly, thunder and lightning hit the sea. It was such a violent storm that the huge warship shook.


    ¡°Gulp.¡± Vantner was tense as he took a defensive stance. He watched the octopus closely to make such the octopus¡¯ attacks didn¡¯t damage the ship. Meanwhile, Jishuka and Yura fired the Red Phoenix Bow and sniper rifle. The fire arrows and jade bullets flew through the storm and pierced the octopus¡¯ skin...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ...They bounced off. The octopus¡¯ skin was very thick and sticky, causing it to resist physical attacks.


    ¡°Start with cutting the sticky film.¡±


    Faker and Chris moved through the air while Peak Sword took the posture of drawing the sword. Three sharp swords started to cut at the octopus. However, the octopus¡¯ defense was incredible, and it was difficult to umte damage because the eight legs waved randomly, causing waves to shoot up. The interference of the storm was also tricky.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers failed to intercept the octopus and stepped back on the deck.


    ¡°The attack pattern is simple so the difficulty isn¡¯t high.¡±


    ¡°The defense is too fraudulent.¡±


    The eyes of the 10 meritorious retainers and the octopus intertwined in the air. The battle entered a lull.


    ¡°You were here?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    At this moment, Hurent appeared on one of the octopus legs. He alternated looking between the 10 meritorious retainers and octopus before muttering to himself, ¡°Indeed... Leaving the clean-up jobs to me...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Aura Festival.¡±


    Hurent used the skill Grid had presented to him inmemoration for joining the Overgeared Guild. Dozens of auras spread out in the air. They flew around the octopus and exploded like firecrackers. The pained octopus started floundering, and its sticky film was stripped off. The defensive power was meaningless before aura, which ignored the defense and resistance of the target and dealt fixed damage.


    ***


    It was a frenzied ritual thatsted dozens of days.


    ¡°No more... We can¡¯t stop the summoning from happening.¡±


    Reba¡¯ Daughters, who used the three treasures to interfere with the ritual, fell down out of exhaustion. Even Isabel, who stayed standing up to the end, finally fell to her knees. Numerous notification windows popped up in front of Damian¡¯s eyes.


    [The ritual of summoning a great demon is back on track.]


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    The masses dismissed the summoning of Belial as a small event. It was an event that was only for a few high rankers. Many people criticized the Overgeared Guild, Kraugel, and Damian for monopolizing Belial and the rewards. This was natural. It was because they hadn¡¯t tasted Belial¡¯s power. They were able to yell because they hadn¡¯t received any damage from Belial.


    On the other hand, Damian had participated in the Belial raid and was well aware of it. The advent of evil was a disaster, not an event. If a great demon were summoned here without Grid, the Overgeared Guild, Kraugel, and Piaro being present, it would be a huge disaster. Damian was reflecting on this when he heard someone¡¯sughter in his ears.


    It was God of War Ares.¡°Is the event finally starting?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Damian¡¯s apprehension grew. The current Ares Army was far more powerful than the Overgeared Guild had been in the past. Just like the general public, they weren¡¯t afraid of the great demon.


    [The door to hell has opened.]


    This world...


    [The 22nd great demon Berith has appeared.]


    It turned into hell.


    [A vast knowledge of the past, present, and future defines you as insignificant.]


    [All stats are reduced by 32%.]


    [All skills and magic power are reduced by half.]


    [All magic casting speed is reduced by 50%.]


    It happened while the Overgeared Guild and empire left the continent.


    [A cunning tongue that mixes a single truth in a thousand lies will ruin you.]


    [The resistance to the ¡®confusion¡¯ state is fixed at 0%.]


    [All skills and magic that deceive or mislead the target, such as hiding skills or cloning skills, are blocked.]


    Countless people would experience nightmares.

 Chapter 1018

    [Bare Octopus Head]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 120/120 Defense: 250


    * Lights up in a bright ce. Interferes with the enemy¡¯s vision.


    * The surface is slippery, reducing the damage of all physical attacks by 19%. There is an additional 20% reduction in the damage of stabbing and cutting attacks.


    * Once it touches water, it will swell and the defense will increase. The more water it absorbs, the greater the effect. It can increase up to 35%.


    The head of a light octopus that inhabits the Red Sea.


    A bald person will feel afortable sense of unity when wearing it.


    Condition of Use: No hair.


    Weight: 80]


    ¡°This is for Vantner.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I don¡¯t dislike it. I¡¯m not too sure. S-Sorry.¡±


    Grid and Katz btedly came running after hearing themotion. The octopus¡¯ sticky film was alreadypletely stripped. Hurent¡¯s aura des made the octopus¡¯ strength useless. Katz asked his colleagues if he could monopolize the monster. It was to build up experience with his newly acquired weapon.


    The attack power of the normal rated White Tiger Sword Full of Craving was very low and didn¡¯t deal much damage to the octopus, but this was good for Katz. He used the Blood Warrior¡¯s unique persistence and engaged the octopus as long as possible, greatly increasing the experience of the White Tiger Sword. The loot he obtained was the Bare Octopus Head and the Delicious Piece of Octopus Leg.


    [Delicious Piece of Octopus Leg]


    [-A part of the light octopus¡¯ legs that has a chewy texture.


    If consumed without being cooked, there is a low probability of food poisoning and an average probability of one stat rising by 0.5 points.


    However, this doesn¡¯t apply to special stats.]


    Katz and Hurent had secured two octopus legs. There were 12 servings per leg, so Grid, the 10 meritorious retainers, and Hurent were able to eat equally. Everyone sessfully gained a total of one stat point.


    [You have received food poisoning.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Everyone... except for Grid.


    ¡°No, this...¡±


    Where was his good luck stat? Did it go on strike?


    ¡°...¡±


    On the ship sailing on the Red Sea, Grid crouched in the corner and ignored the sympathetic looks of his colleagues. At this time, a giant pufferfish popped out of the sea. Katz gained the opportunity to increase the experience of his White Tiger Sword again, and his eyes shone.


    ¡°Transcended Link! Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle! 100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    Before Katz could move, the pufferfish had turned to ash. Unfortunately, it was the punching bag of Grid¡¯s anger. Hurent¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®It took me so long for one octopus...¡¯


    He was too weak. Hurent bowed his head and squatted in a corner. Thissted until they reached the Ruins of the War God.


    ***


    What type of karma was owed to souls? The ritual waspleted, and the gate consisted of numerous human faces. There were hundreds of thousands of faces that were different in sex, age, and race, but they all had one thing inmon. They wept with pain.


    ¡°Oof...!¡±


    People paled at the bizarre and creepy scene. Someone sat down and started to vomit. The Ares Army, who regarded the great demon summoning as a mere event, lost their momentum from the beginning.


    ¡°T-The great demon that the Overgeared Guild raided was ranked 32nd. The 22nd great demon is stronger than that. Can we deal with it?¡± Oasis asked while covered in mud and sweat.


    His trembling eyes caught something squeezing out of the door of wailing. It was an existence with a corroded gold crown on its head which proved its age. The man sat on a diseased horse and looked around with eyes that didn¡¯t have pupils. His skin was red like meat in a butcher¡¯s store. Then it became a rotten color, before bing blue again. His body was thin and dull, but his torso was long enough to have at least 50 rib bones. Even without the weight of the name of a great demon, the man¡¯s ghastly and strange features were enough to cause horror.


    ¡°You should step back. Leave before the raid starts.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    There was no room for rejection. Ares¡¯ hand pushed Oasis away. Then Sima Hui used a spell and left this ce with Oasis. Ares smiled bitterly and recalled his earlier conversation with Sima Hui.


    ¡°High morale and ignorance are part of a story of a different realm. Your army is very powerful, but it is still inferior to the empire and the Overgeared Guild. However, your soldiers are fearless and think they¡¯re the best. Thus, it is dangerous. They need a painful defeat.¡±


    ¡°We need defeat?¡±


    ¡°It is the foundation to emerge victorious in every battle. Defeat is an essential experience. The great demon summoning ritual can¡¯t be stopped forward, and a great demon will definitely descend. Your Majesty, lead your army against the great demon. Then train the army using this defeat.¡±


    ¡°You are telling me to sacrifice my people? You might be my military adviser, but I can¡¯t tolerate this. Valha won¡¯t engage in the great demon subjugation.¡±


    ¡°No. You have toe forward. It is a chance to gain insight into what you arecking. This is an opportunity for Valha to mature and spread the name of Valha throughout the world. You can gain the favor of the Reba Church by fighting against the great demon, and by sacrificing yourself for the continent, you can gain the hearts of the people of the continent.¡±


    ¡°...It is an act of betraying my people.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a betrayal but a teaching. Justice can sometimes be medicine or poison. Please trust me and make a cold choice this time.¡±


    ¡°...I understand. Still, I am telling you, my army will never lose easily. You might think our Valha is inferior to the Overgeared Kingdom and will be easily defeated by the great demon, but I don¡¯t think so. I will surely destroy the great demon and secure victory.¡±


    He was persuaded. Although he didn¡¯t agree with the idea that he should ¡®grasp the subject¡¯, he couldn¡¯t overlook the fact that he could raise recognition with the Reba Church and the awareness of Valha through the great demon raid. Ares stepped forward. He had to maintain morale against the evil influence.


    ¡°Enjoy the event.¡±


    So, he downyed the great demon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He trusted his troops.


    ¡°Let¡¯s show everyone that we can do the same as the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    They would challenge the great demon raid. God of War Ares¡¯ buffs fell down like rain. All of his allies¡¯ morale and stats rose, offsetting the debuffs caused by Berith¡¯s appearance. In addition to that...


    ¡°We will cooperate this once, although I don¡¯t know what will happen.¡±


    Pope Damian¡¯s buffs ovepped with God of War Ares¡¯, and the stats of the Ares Army and Reba priests increased significantly. It was a scene watched by hundreds of cameras. The Ares Army and Reba priests had determined expressions as they tookbat postures.


    It was a total offensive. They were the main yers in the Berith raid and were determined to go all-out while the buffs were maintained. Hundreds of ultimate abilities were loaded simultaneously and waiting to be re-used. No matter how strong the great demon was, it wouldn¡¯t be safe if hundreds of people in a buffed state released attacks at once.


    The viewers ate popcorn as they envied the Ares Army and Reba priests, who would monopolize the great demon raid. At this moment...


    ¡°Everyone. I am yourpanion, not an enemy of humanity.¡± Berith turned his gaze to the Ares Army and priests, before his eyes curved in a half moon. Then something amazing happened.


    [Great Demon Berith is an ally!]


    Berith¡¯s ck-gold name turned green, and he wasn¡¯t recognized as an enemy. It was the ally protection system that often applied to some quests.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The ultimate techniques of the Ares Army and Reba priests were canceled. The fierce energy disappeared without being able to be triggered. Only some skills that didn¡¯t distinguish between enemies and allies were barely maintained.


    ¡°Thepanion of humanity?¡±Damian asked on behalf of the dumbfounded people.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Berith, whose skin color was still changing, scratched his head and replied. In contrast to his first appearance, his voice was gentle and his expression was good. ¡°Not all of us are against humanity. We also have intelligence. Like humans, we have different values.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    It was exceedingly oundish. Berith¡¯s appearance caused the Yatan followers, who had been shivering with excitement, to be thrown into confusion. They sided with the great demons over the humans, hoping to create a foothold to fight against the gods. To the Yatan followers who believed in such a destiny, Berith¡¯s deration caused great shock and chaos.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Is a great demon not an enemy?¡±


    The Ares Army and Reba priests found it difficult to grasp the situation. Since the system recognized Berith as an ally, it was impossible to dismiss Berith¡¯s words as false. At the same moment, Berith became the color of rotten lungs and he lowered his head. ¡°It must be hard to believe. For a long time, ¡®we¡¯ have been a threat to humanity. My attitude must be unfamiliar and unbelievable. I fully understand your position. This is the karma we have to deal with. I apologize deeply for the old sins we havemitted.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Everyone was shocked. This was because Berith was bowing. It wasn¡¯t just those gathered at the scene. All the viewers were also surprised. A great demon dered he would stand on the side of humanity and then apologized to the humans. It was unthinkable. This was apletely new variant.


    In the middle of this strange atmosphere...


    ¡°...$#^~%#¡±A strange sound emerged from the mouth of the bowing Berith. It was a noise that stimted terror. This was clearly anguage, and Berith wasughing.¡°Humans are truly foolish.¡±


    Simultaneously, Berith¡¯s green name returned back to ck-gold.


    [Berith isn¡¯t an ally!]


    Berith was once again recognized as an ¡®enemy.¡¯


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The flustered Ares, Damian, and their colleagues deployed defense skills. The diseased horse carrying Berith raised one hoof up high. Then it mmed hard against the ground. The wavelength it created was huge. The earth was smashed, and stones and dust scattered randomly. They turned into gold and silver thanks to Berith¡¯s magic power.


    As for the Ares Army and Reba priests...


    The duration of the first buffs was over, and the Ares Army and Reba priests weren¡¯t able to cope with the gold and silver storm.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have received too much damage from one blow and have fallen into a ¡®confused¡¯ state.]


    [Your wound has started turning into metal.]


    [Your skin, flesh, muscles, bones, and blood are hardening.]


    ¡°U-Uwaaaack!¡±


    Someone¡¯s arms and someone else¡¯s legs, as well as the face or torso of some people, started turning into metal. The metal parts were heavy as lead and impossible to be controlled. A person whose eyes turned into metal became blind, a person whose nose and mouth turned into metal couldn¡¯t breathe, and a person whose heart turned into metal received instant death. Fear was greater than pain.


    The people looked on in an appalled manner.


    ¡°You look great in the shape of a worm.¡± Great Demon Berithughed.


    It was a lie that had deceived even the system. Berith overwhelmed humanity, unlike the 32nd great demon Belial. Only one person was different.


    ¡°Berith!¡± It was the imperial prince Benoit. ¡°I will ask you one thing, in ordance with the oath of summoning!¡±


    Despite seeing people dying from fear and suffering or even knowing the despair humanity would face in the future, Imperial Prince Benoit didn¡¯t care. He only wondered about one truth.


    ¡°Is my mother¡¯s murderer the current empress?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. She poisoned your mother,¡± Berith replied passively and picked up a piece of gravel, turning it into a sheet of paper. It was the ultimate alchemy that had already been shown. ¡°This lists the poison she received and those who cooperated with her to poison your mother. Every detail is described on this.¡±


    The sheet of paper flew into Imperial Prince Benoit¡¯s hands. Benoit was filled with a deep killing intent as he confirmed its contents. It was a prelude to the imperial family¡¯s blood-stained revenge drama. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem for the average yer.


    ¡º 22nd Great Demon Berith has started ughtering the Ares Army...! ¡»


    The people were captivated by the horrific scene that started to unfold in front of their eyes. Berith neutralized the enemy¡¯s ultimate weapons and buffs with a single lie and then used alchemy to create metal from nothing. After that, Berith¡¯s ughter began.


    It wasn¡¯t an event or a festival. Watching the copsed continent, the people started to despair as if their future hadpletely disappeared.

 Chapter 1019

    From the moment they entered the Red Sea, whispers and othermunication systems were prohibited and the use of teleport-type magic was also blocked. Still, the Overgeared members were aware of Berith¡¯s emergence.


    [22nd Great Demon Berith has appeared somewhere on the continent...!]


    It was thanks to the world message. Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers knew the strength of the great demon, so they were forced to feel nervous. Everything would be over if the great demon invaded the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the right move to return home now. There was a flurry of impatient and negative opinions.


    Lauel calmed them down, ¡°I have been talking to Damian since the ceremony started.¡±


    Damian had told Lauel that if he couldn¡¯t stop the great demon from ascending to the ground, he would lead the great demon as far away from the Overgeared Kingdom as possible. It was certainly possible. The battlefield between the Reba Church and Yatan Church was the furthest ce from the Overgeared Kingdom. Damian always acted with the Overgeared Kingdom in mind.He was a really strong ally.


    ¡®However, I didn¡¯t think he would fail to stop the ritual.¡¯


    This summoning ritual was different from the one with Belial. Belial¡¯s summoning ritual had been carried out in secret while Berith¡¯s ritual had gotten exposed in the middle. The Reba Church had converged on the scene of the ritual. When he first heard the news, Lauel thought that Damian and the Reba Church would be able to stop the appearance of the great demon. The Reba Church was a force that obstructed the ambitions of the Yatan Church. It was expected they would have many means to prevent the summoning ritual.


    ¡®Yet they failed...? Was it not possible to stop the great demon ritual once it started?¡¯Lauel was filled with doubts.


    In thest few decades, how had the Reba Church been able to suppress the Yatan Church? Comparing the powers of the two religions, the Yatan Church was far stronger, and the Reba Church didn¡¯t have the means to stop the great demon ritual. There was absolutely no reason for the Yatan Church to be suppressed by the Reba Church. However, in history, the Yatan Church had been consistently beaten by the Reba Church. They had worked secretly to avoid the eyes of the Reba Church.


    ¡®All nations on the continent support the Reba Church and are hostile to the Yatan Church...¡¯


    Yet it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡®It is likely there is a power hidden within the Reba Church.¡¯


    It was a reasonable guess. Only with that could the bnce be epted.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to discuss it with Damian in detail one day. By the way...¡¯Lauel sealed off theplicated thoughts for a while and turned toward the sea again. All types of monsters appeared in these magical waters and were beaten by Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡®The route to the historical ruins itself is quite rewarding.¡¯


    The rewards given by the sea monsters were quite good. The 10 meritorious retainers recovered the experience they had lost from dying several times in the war. They received all types of unusual items. It was hard to say if the items were good or bad, but they were estimated to be very valuable in terms of rarity.


    ¡®Grid has reached level 398... In the future, the Red Sea will be part of our hunting grounds.¡¯


    It was hard to believe the day woulde when the Red Sea was used as a hunting ground. This was possible thanks to Katz buying a warship. With a ship of this size, it wasn¡¯t impossible to sail through the disaster-ridden Red Sea.


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill the octopuses when I look at them. They are like Vantner¡¯s brothers.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Vantner was wearing the octopus head. It was a remark that would make him furious if he had his original personality. Now he couldn¡¯t say a word because the speaker was Jishuka.


    It was Yura as well.¡°Yes.¡±


    Considering Yura¡¯s personality, she didn¡¯t intend to make fun of him. She sincerely agreed with Jishuka¡¯s words.


    ¡°...¡± Therefore, Vantner couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡®Their rtionship is getting better.¡¯Grid had a warm expression on his face. The biggest harvest of this voyage was the rtionship between Yura and her colleagues. Yura, who had been awkward with everyone, developed a morefortable rtionship with them during the journey. In particr, she seemed to havee to a consensus with Jishuka.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this make you realize that Grid is older than you?¡±


    It happened after a tough hunt of a whale that was overwhelmingly bigger than the octopuses, pufferfish, and so on. Yura and Jishuka sat next to each other and chatted in a rxed manner. There was a consensus that they liked the same man, so the conversation didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi has a tendency to get angry, but he doesn¡¯t make fun of other people.¡±


    ¡°I agree. He just looks at me like I am cute whenever I tease Vantner. It is a reaction that is shown when kids y well together. Ah... This score must bepletely bad.¡±Jishuka was trying to be recognized as someone more than a friend, but instead she was like a child. This was a disaster. It was the end. She was afraid she would seem more like a sister and not a friend.


    ¡°Dammit, Vantner... Why are you so funny?¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°You and the octopus together is too funny.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Vantner was tearful because of Jishuka¡¯s words. Then the silent Yura spoke after agonizing over it. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to say it. It was disadvantageous to her to give courage to Jishuka. Nevertheless, Yura confessed, ¡°It is me, not you, who Youngwoo-ssi thinks of as a friend. Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s eyes toward you are very different from when he looks at me. So don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He only sees my chest.¡± Jishuka spoke so seriously that Vantner found it funny.


    Then the usually calm and gentle Yura gritted her teeth. ¡°Vantner, do you want to spar?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    If they fought, he would lose. After all, Yura was a National Competition PvP finalist. He still vividly remembered it. A white giant with a ssic name... Yura had fought fiercely against Zibal who boarded the magic machine, which had a different physical ability and vitality to yers. She went against the predictions that she would lose easily. Yura was strong. She was one of the top five in the Overgeared Guild andseveral times stronger than Vantner.


    Vantner coughed and changed the topic, ¡°By the way, what should we do if others catch the great demon?¡±


    There were many strong guilds beside the Overgeared Guild. Of course, they couldn¡¯tpare to the Overgeared Guild that had numerous named NPCs. There was the Ares Army, the former Seven Guilds, and the forces that had been expanding their power since the copse of the Seven Guilds. They might fail the great demon raid alone, but it might be different if they cooperated.


    ¡°Grid, Mercedes, and Piaro, the three of them could raid something like the cave cricket which is on the level of a great demon raid. What about when hundreds of people join together to raid one great demon? It is a pity that we are handing over the great demon to others for a long time.¡±


    Other members of the 10 meritorious retainers agreed with Vantner¡¯s statement. However, Grid was calm.¡°They won¡¯t raid it.¡±


    When it came to the cave cricket and great demon, the premise of multiplying numbers was wrong. It was true that the physical abilities of the cave cricket wereparable to the great demon, but the skill level and intelligence was inferior to the great demons. Furthermore...


    ¡°The high rankers can¡¯t bepared to Mercedes and Piaro.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Vantner scratched his head. The current Grid could kill hundreds of high rankers alone. Mercedes and Piaro were super-strong powers who could beat even Grid. Just because the three of them could raid the cave cricket didn¡¯t mean that hundreds of high rankers could catch the great demon.


    Lauel smiled. ¡°We should let the people know it...¡±


    The public had been envious of the Overgeared Guild for monopolizing the rewards of the Belial raid. They should know.


    ¡°...The fact that we have saved the world.¡±


    A great demon raid wasn¡¯t a blessing. They had won after oveing life and death. He couldn¡¯t forget that sight of Piaro¡¯s back as he prepared to die. A few dayster...


    ¡°We are arriving soon!¡±The captain shouted.


    Far away, they saw an ind that wasrger than expected. Surprisingly, the sky near the ind was sunny. It was the first clear sky they had encountered during their 10 days of sailing. The Red Sea always had bursts of magic power and thick fog and storms urring without a break.


    [You have found the Ruins of the War God!]


    ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived...¡±


    ¡°Apart from the coast, it¡¯s all a jungle...? There is less open space. It will be tricky to use a greatsword.¡±


    ¡°Based on my experience, the followers of the war god move lightly and quickly. Fighting in the jungle will be a disadvantage, so we should use the coast well.¡±


    Could they get some secret techniques here? The expectations of the 10 meritorious retainers swelled up.


    ¡®I think the rtionship with the empire can be improved depending on the situation...¡¯ Lauel considered the political part.


    Meanwhile, Grid was wondering about the sin of the war god. ¡®It is pride?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s quest about the Seven Malignant Saints wasn¡¯t rted to the war god, but it didn¡¯t prevent his curiosity. The war god was the strongest god, while pride was the ultimate sin among the seven sins.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ll be screwed if we meet... Well, I don¡¯t think it will happen.¡¯


    It was the war god. He wasn¡¯t a local neighbourhood dog that Grid could encounter wherever he went.


    ***


    ¡°I have been burning for a long time.¡±


    ¡°It is stimting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Grenhal, Morse, and Basara¡ªthey had been suffering for the past fortnight. They protected Skunk from the followers while Skunk¡¯s expedition group found stones and murals. Simultaneously, they encouraged the soldiers who were growing anxious and hunted sea monsters to secure food. The level of the ruins was too high, and they had to take care of all the important work and the chores.


    However, the dukes didn¡¯t feel regret. They were willing to suffer. The experience erased theziness caused from everyday life and provoked their enthusiasm.


    ¡°I am toocking... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The number of times their lives were saved by the dukes couldn¡¯t be counted. The dukes had suffered for a fortnight, and Skunk felt sorry for them. The level of his archaeological and decoding skills meant it was hard for him to solve the mystery of the ruins.


    On the first day, he knew that they needed a key for the exploration, but the method to obtain the key was still unknown. Skunk med himself for his ipetence, causing the dukes to suffer more.


    ¡®How much longer until I obtain a hint? I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡¯


    For a true exploration, they must break through the jungle. However, it was impossible to enter the jungle because there were tens of thousands of traps installed, as well as the war god followers. The keys to unlock the traps were absolutely necessary.They just didn¡¯t know where to get the keys.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. Many schrs and explorers have been sent from my country, and they will be a great strength to you.¡±


    ¡°It is reassuring to hear. I understand. I will work hard.¡± Skunk felt morefortable after hearing Grenhal¡¯s words and finally rxed. It meant the situation was so bad that Skunk weed the help of others despite enjoying the process of solving mysteries.


    Another day passed.


    Then the next day.


    ¡°Uh...?¡± Skunk observed the contents of the mural he found two days ago and felt like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. His gaze was fixed on the booklet depicted in the mural. The booklet existed in every mural he found so far. Skunk had interpreted it as the symbol of the war god¡¯s secret techniques. It was natural for it to be present in the murals of the Ruins of the War God. However, now it seemed more meaningful.


    ¡®I thought the reason for the booklets being drawn differently in every mural was that they depicted different types of secret techniques...¡¯


    The shape of the keyhole passed through Skunk¡¯s mind. He crossed it with the booklets drawn on the seven murals he had found so far. It fit perfectly with the shape of the keyhole.


    ¡®The key is divided into pieces.¡¯


    The murals were a hint telling him where the pieces of the key were.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Skunk clenched his fists. He knew the exact meaning of the murals and hoped the interpretation would make things easier.

 Chapter 1020

    The followers who protected the Ruins of the War God had apletely different way of fighting depending on what they learned, but there was something they had inmon. They were strong enough to escape themon sense of the imperial soldiers, no matter what secret techniques were learned.


    However, their range of activities was very narrow. They only focused on patrolling the inside of the jungle and didn¡¯te out to the outskirts or approach the coast. Thanks to this, the imperial soldiers were able to operate rtively freely. Then one day, a problem arose.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll run out of drinking water in three days...¡±


    The drinking water, which had been loaded on the warship, was starting to run out. This was natural since it was difficult to find drinking water on the coast. They had to go through the jungle to findkes or valleys.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grenhal, Morse, and Basara fell into distress for a moment. They might be able to get sufficient drinking water from the reinforcements, but their arrival was dyed. Given the dangers of the Red Sea, there was no guarantee the troops would arrive within three days. It was impossible to confirm sincemunication wasn¡¯t allowed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go and get drinking water directly.¡±


    They had to enter the jungle. It was a considerable burden on the dukes. If there were six followers who learned five secret techniquesing at them simultaneously, wouldn¡¯t they be able to pressure the dukes? It was naturally a big threat. The dukes would be eliminated if they were surrounded by dozens of followers.


    There was an even greater risk. It was the traps. There were all sorts of traps that the dukes couldn¡¯t bear. It would be hard to deal with the followers while paying attention to things that couldn¡¯t be bypassed without the keys. However¡ª


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They were responsible for 5,000 soldiers, the private soldiers brought from their respective families. They couldn¡¯t let the people who contributed to the revival of their families die of thirst. It was a duty and pride they felt as the noble and lord of an estate.


    ¡°M-My Lord.¡±The soldiers¡¯ eyes reddened. After all, they had eyes and brains. They knew the dukes were acting unreasonably because of them.


    Morse clicked his tongue as he watched the soldiers who felt guilty and anxious simultaneously.¡°Have we fallen to the point where you are worried about us? I¡¯ve demonstrated a few times that the followers aren¡¯t that strong, but you didn¡¯t show such a response.¡±


    ¡°We will correct it!¡± The soldiers¡¯ eyes shone brightly. Morse¡¯s confidence gave them an optimistic view of the situation. The dukes could still afford to act.


    ¡°...¡± Nevertheless, the expressions of the knights were dark. The knights had been trained by the dukes and were aware that the dukes were tense.


    It was a conflicted atmosphere.


    ¡°I¡¯m going. Protect Sir Skunk and the barracks well while we are absent.¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    The knights and soldiers responded mightily.


    ***


    [You have entered the Ruins of the War God.]


    [You can find traces of the war god.]


    [Warning! There is no resurrection spot in the Red Sea. If you get killed, you will be banished to outside the Red Sea.]


    ¡°Pretty.¡±


    The shiny gold caught their eyes. The sandy golden-white beach shone under the sunlight, blending beautifully with the crystal clear emerald-like sea. Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers jumped off the warship, which was 10 floors high, and appreciated the scenery in front of them.


    They felt all types of emotions from the beauty of nature that was hard to see in reality. This did not include Hurent though.


    ¡®I have butterflies in my stomach.¡¯


    The people he was with were too splendid. He still didn¡¯t understand. Why was he with them when he wasn¡¯t qualified?


    ¡®Am I supposed to learn from watching them?¡¯


    During the 10-day voyage, the Overgeared members had shown amazing images.


    Katz had defeated a sea monster with a normal rated weapon while Regas had made crazy noises to maintain his fighting spirits and asked to PK with his colleagues as he fought the sea monster. Hurent didn¡¯t know how many times he had clicked his tongue at the sight of Regas avoiding the attacks of his teammates while he damaged the sea monster.


    Lauel had created a few waves to disperse the swarms of fish while Chris had struck the octopus and other sea monsters with force. Grid had even made his cute cat and skeleton soldiers fight the sea monsters, saying they should level-up. Hurent seemed to have been watching the great demons train until they became half-dead. Euphemina had done nothing but suck her fingers, yet her colleagues had shared their experience with her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Looking back, it appeared even more absurd. Hurent didn¡¯t know what the hell he had seen. It was clear that no one would believe him if he told them about everything he witnessed during the voyage.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. I have to watch them and learn.¡¯


    The world-ss yers of the new era¡ªhe would learn by watching them. Grid¡¯s intentions were clear.He was looking forward to Hurent¡¯s potential as someone from the old era.


    ¡®He wants me to grow up and be his strength.¡¯


    However, Hurent felt sorry.He had just been ying and eating and wasn¡¯t in the right shape.


    ¡®...I have already done my best.¡¯


    He had achieved unprecedented growth through his meeting with Piaro yet he was still just like this. Hurent was evenly matched with Haster, who had been devastated by Grid in the 4th National Competition. Despite his efforts, Hurent hadn¡¯t improved at all since the old days.


    ¡®It is a mistake to expect anything from me.¡¯


    Just as Hurent was smiling bitterly, Lauel¡¯s voice entered his ears, ¡°The inside of the jungle is suspicious, but at least it is quiet around the coast. The followers of the war god use martial arts and care about footwork. They will be reluctant to fight on the sandy beach where their feet will sink. This ce is safe.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s primary ss was a qigong master. His senses were developed, and he was extremely talented at reading the monsters. He wouldn¡¯t be wrong if he dered the coast as a safe area.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s not enter the jungle and explore the coast. We need to find the right ce to build our camp. The empire¡¯s camp should be somewhere here, right? Let¡¯s scatter and scout the area. We¡¯ll meet here again in two hours.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid nodded obediently. As expected from the bold ruler, he seemed to entrust this trivial matter to Lauel.


    ¡°Should we kill if we meet people from the empire?¡± Katz wondered.


    Lauel shook his head. ¡°Please hide and try to avoid as much friction with the empire as possible. Our numbers are few, and it isn¡¯t good to be spotted by the empire.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I understand. We have to move stealthily.¡± Katz nodded passively. Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers scattered everywhere. Some people moved alone and others in pairs. It was extremely unlikely that monsters would appear on the beach. Their purpose was to search the area. It was inefficient to go around as a group.


    ¡°Would you like to go with me?¡±Lauel approached the lonely Hurent. The two people had been paired together in the 1st National Competition, so they were familiar with each other.


    Hurent shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Go alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll see you back here at the promised time.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Hurent started walking.


    How far did he walk? Hurent was moving along the waterfront and admiring the calm waves when he suddenly stopped. He saw something in the distance.


    ¡°W-Why is a follower here?¡±


    There was a group making a fuss. There were around 10 people who were yers. Based on their armed status, they were nonbat sses.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t the empire. They are a small expedition who sailed after seeing the world message like us.¡¯


    There were no signs of hostility, so the relieved Hurent hid and watched the situation. A woman with the funny ID of Dog Woman was leading her colleagues.


    ¡°Jaguar and I will buy time while you run away. You must tell the captain that the range of the followers¡¯ activities seems to have expanded.¡±


    ¡®There is a war god follower.¡¯


    It was a muscr man wearing old clothes. The name ¡®war god follower who has learned five secret techniques¡¯ was floating over the man¡¯s head. The name was white. This meant it was a normal monster.


    ¡®I heard the followers were elite monsters yet this is normal grade?¡¯


    A lot of information was shared with Hurent. There were very strong humanoid monsters called war god followers at the Galgunos Temple. Two of the 10 meritorious retainers had to work together to knock them down. They were really scary.


    ¡®By the way, this one is a normal monster. It will be different from the followers that Pon and Regas talked about.¡¯


    In the first ce, Lauel said the coast was safe. It meant this follower with five secret techniques wasn¡¯t a dangerous opponent.


    ¡®Hmm...¡¯Hurent was silent for now. He had no intention ofing forward because Lauel told him to act as stealthily as possible. It wasn¡¯t his business if this group was in danger or not.


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°D-Dog Woman!¡±


    ¡°Fools, I told you to run away!¡±


    It was great to see people wield wooden shields and sacrifice themselves to save their colleagues. They were in a critical condition from one kick. These people were really terribly weak.


    ¡®...Is it okay if I help out a bit?¡¯Hurent was also weak, so he now understood the feelings of the weak. He felt ufortable looking away when weak people like him were in pain. In the end, he made a decision after much struggling.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t find out who I am.¡± He pressed the straw hat he had received from Piaro deep over his head. Then he entered the battlefield. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Both the war god follower and Dog Woman cocked their heads. A mysterious figure wearing a straw hat who didn¡¯t show any tension had appeared. It was enough to attract everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    Have the empire¡¯s reinforcements already arrived at the Ruins of the War God?It was much faster than expected. Dog Woman was vignt and asked for the man¡¯s identity.


    ¡°A farmer,¡± Hurent gave a short reply before pulling out the sword at his waist. The follower of the war god responded immediately. He kicked off the ground and rushed to Hurent. Hurent barely managed to raise a shield and was stunned.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this stronger than I thought?¡¯


    He could only sigh. Now he was in a crisis from a normal mob.


    ¡®I heard that the level here would be high.¡¯


    Still, even normal grade monsters weren¡¯t easy?


    ¡®My pride is hurt.¡¯


    The follower¡¯s kicks and punches bombarded Hurent. It was a destructive power that the aura shield¡¯s damage absorption couldn¡¯t handle. Hurent operated aura around his body to amplify his movement speed, and he immediately left his position.


    ¡°...Wow.¡±Dog Woman and herpanions were impressed. Maybe it was the sandy beach that made the follower slightly weaker than the ones in the jungle, but it was literally only a little bit weaker.


    The followers of the war god were monsters. Even the Seven Dukes were helpless against their martial arts. Now, an unidentified man had appeared and was fighting convincingly well against the follower. It was particrly impressive to see the man move at a speedparable to the dukes¡¯. It was a tremendously fast speed. He was surely one of the highest ranked yers.


    Dog Woman¡¯s group gulped. The war god follower, who btedly caught up with Hurent, rotated and kicked at him. Hurent was hit in the chin and almost entered the ¡®stunned¡¯ state, but he was able to regain his mind due to his high resistance. Then he used his ultimate technique.


    [Aura Impact is being used.]


    [urately imagine the shape of the aura within 2 seconds. If there is even a small error in the image, the skill will fail.]


    A gap of two seconds¡ªit was too long against a war god follower. The follower¡¯s elbow struck Hurent¡¯s heart. Hurent coughed up blood. It was great that he maintained his concentration to the end.


    ¡°Rain.¡±Then a miraculous scene unfolded. Rain started to pour down over the head of the follower. The follower struggled with the pain. This was the limitation of a humanoid monster. The deadly limit of low health was the target of Hurent¡ªone of the Five Miracles, a Sword Saint candidate, and Aura Master.

 Chapter 1021

    It had been a journey which spanned over 10 years.


    ¡°...¡± Imperial Prince Benoit had finally achieved his purpose, and he felt a strange sense of power. The truth that he had known from the beginning... Maybe he had wanted it to be a lie. He felt all types of emotions when he saw the evidence that Great Demon Berith gave him.


    ¡°Imperial Prince! Imperial Prince!¡±There was a call for him during the long journey back to the empire. Benoit turned his head in the direction of the call, but he ignored it and kept walking. With a thin body, upright posture, an old attire, and a long beard, he looked like a pilgrim. The people passing by greeted him, unaware that he was the traitor to humanity. However, he couldn¡¯t fool everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± The running man caught up and overtook Benoit, blocking his way. He was the owner of a demon mark that attached to the target on the premise that the wearer never died. It was Chensler.


    ¡°Sir Chensler.¡±


    How did he recognize Benoit¡¯s current disguise? However, it was expected for the Five Pirs to recognize him. He couldn¡¯t hide his red energy in his present state and couldn¡¯t escape the senses of the Five Pirs.


    ¡°I came to this ce by following the trail of the priest that carried out the great demon summoning ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, the priest. Is that what the Reba followers are calling me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they don¡¯t know Your Highness¡¯ identity.¡±


    ¡°It is reasonable. Ah, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not hiding my identity for the empire. The Yatan Church already knows my identity. The world will know it at any time now... the fact that it is an imperial prince who summoned a great demon.¡±


    ¡°Why did you...¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you afraid that the Reba Church and the whole world will me the empire?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in political matters. It is just that His Majesty the Emperor will be troubled.¡±


    ¡°Sir, you are very unusual.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Unlike the other pirs, you are truly loyal to His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°The other pirs are the same. In particr, Sir Bain is more than me...¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Well, by the way, His Majesty knew what I was doing.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing His Majesty doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Prince Benoit looked like he was hit by a hammer. The blind man who believed his beloved wife died of illness knew everything?


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    Benoit was prepared. He hadmitted all types of crimes while risking me and criticism. The killing intent of the inwardly afraid Benoit amplified again. It became louder and fiercer, with a momentum that wouldn¡¯t die down again.


    ¡°Sir, do you really believe that? His Majesty knows everything? When it took me more than 10 years to find this truth?¡±


    ¡°Your search was carried out in secret, so it took a long time.¡±


    ¡°He will be embarrassed if it is known that his son is a lunatic who wants to summon the great demons. I was forced to keep it secret.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from speaking like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s return to the empire. I was on my way back.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Kuoong...¡± Hurent struggled with the war god follower. He consumed all his ultimate techniques and used all of his power. There was nothing to say.


    ¡®I heard the level of this ce is high, but it is really difficult. I can¡¯t believe this monster is so strong. No, I¡¯m too weak.¡¯


    There were too many great opponents who developed their skills by trying to die. The subconscious aspirations and desire to be at the top again troubled Hurent. Satisfy¡¯s worldview wasn¡¯t at a level he could handle. Seriously, he wanted to quit the game.


    Hurent smiled and dealt the final blow.


    ¡°...?¡± He was dazed for a moment as the follower turned to gray. The experience gained from killing the follower was almost as much as hunting a boss monster. It was more than twice the experience gained from killing the sea monsters.


    ¡®I¡¯m weak, but this guy is also strong.¡¯


    What the hell was he supposed to do in this scary ce? Hurent shook his head and picked up a fragment of a secret technique book dropped by the follower.


    Dog Woman and herpanions were ecstatic. They had watched the battle from beginning to end and were aware of Hurent¡¯ identity.


    ¡°Aura Master...¡±


    He was one of the strongest yers of the old era. They heard that he had retired from active duty after suffering the humiliation of losing to Grid in just five seconds. Yet he had appeared here, and his strength was iparable to what it had been in the past.


    ¡®You¡¯ve changed the sword.¡¯


    It seemed that the gaming industry¡¯s saying of ¡®frustration raises a man¡¯ was true. Dog Woman gulped and sent a look of envy to Hurent. Obviously, Hurent was much weaker than the Seven Dukes. In terms of attack, defense, health, irregrity and speed, the Seven Dukes overwhelmed their followers in all respects. The dukes won easily if they fought one-on-one against the followers.


    On the other hand, Hurent had narrowly knocked down the follower. He had almost lost. However, the surprising thing was that Hurent had taken less than two minutes to kill the follower. The dukes had taken more than three minutes. Hurent was almost twice as fast as them.


    ¡®This is the true power of aura...¡¯


    Hurent was a hermit. There was a very low possibility that he belonged to a group. It was clear that he hade here alone. Wasn¡¯t that why he was alone right now? There was only one conclusion.


    ¡®We must invite him to be a colleague!¡¯


    If Hurent joined them, it would be a great strength for both the Skunk Expedition Group and the dukes.


    ¡°Thank you for saving us. Without your help, we would all be outside the Red Sea right now.¡± Dog Woman approached Hurent and bowed politely. ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Hurent.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡± Hurent wasn¡¯t upset despite his identity being discovered. He had used all types of skills with fighting the strong follower. Since he was a celebrity in his old days, the possibility of people recognizing his skills was very high.


    Hurent sighed as he changed his guild affiliation to private and took off his straw hat. Short grey hair and a mature face was revealed. Dog Woman reconfirmed his identity and was excited.¡°We are explorers of the Skunk Expedition Group. We are currently exploring the Ruins of the War God along with the imperial army, including some of the Seven Dukes.¡±


    ¡®Along with the Seven Dukes?¡¯


    ¡°It seems that you are alone. Why don¡¯t you join us? We think that your fighting ability will be a great help to our exploration. It is also a chance to be acquaintances with the Seven Dukes. It isn¡¯t a bad suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Was he shy?


    Hurent scratched his cheeks for a moment before asking,¡°Is there a camp nearby?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t near. The camp is six kilometers to the east. We left for a moment to find some clues.¡±


    ¡°Without an escort?¡±


    ¡°Imperial soldiers escorted us. However, before you came, they were killed by the follower and turned to ash.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then what are the clues?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He kept on digging up information. Dog Woman was somewhat ufortable, but she soon realized the attitude was natural. Since she asked to be colleagues, he had an obligation to ask for information. It was to make sure that they could be helpful to him.


    ¡°They are clues to break through the traps in the jungle.¡±


    ¡°The traps in the jungle?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the jungle yet. It is a wise choice for an experienced person.¡±


    Dog Woman gave an exnation. There were all types of traps installed everywhere in the jungle, and they had to collect key pieces to release the traps.


    ¡®Lauel will be delighted when I tell him this information.¡¯


    Indeed, goodwill was a positive act. The identity of the great explorer who discovered the Ruins of the War God was Skunk. Skunk¡¯s Expedition Group was with the imperial army. There were traps in the jungle, and Hurent even learned how to disable them.He received a lot of information and felt good. Hurent had been worried he would be no help to Grid, so he was relieved.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me this, but I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t go with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? It is dangerous alone... Ah? Do you havepanions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Dog Woman reacted in an embarrassed manner.She regretted telling him so many things. Then she changed her mind. ¡®In any case, they are things he will discover over time.¡¯


    Hurent had saved her life. It was better to pay back some of that grace. Dog Woman cleared her mind and shook hands with Hurent. ¡°I hope you have a good adventure with yourpanions.¡±


    ¡°Companions...¡± Hurent made a subtle expression. After the first battle against Haster, he joined the Overgeared Guild but still had no sense of belonging. Hurent felt grateful to Grid but had never thought of himself as an Overgeared member. He had never considered Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers he came here with aspanions. However¡ª


    ¡®It¡¯s true that I don¡¯t hate it.¡¯


    Hurent had the experience of age and knew how hard it was to build true friendships and trust in this society. He had watched the Overgeared members over thest 10 days and felt the deep friendship and trust between them. They were people who were true to others. He could glimpse the personalities of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t bad.¡± This was the reason why he thought it was okay to bepanions.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking to myself.¡±Hurent shook Dog Woman¡¯s hand and gazed into her eyes. ¡°Stay healthy.¡±


    ¡°Ah...! Yes! Senior as well! I am honored!¡± Dog Woman replied, attracted by Hurent¡¯s deep gaze. Hurent was more of a big shot than he thought. He was truly admired by many people.


    ***


    On the west coast...


    ¡°It is too different from what I thought,¡± Grid¡¯s voice was troubled as he flew into the sky with Noe on his shoulder.


    The Ruins of the War God...


    He was both worried and looking forward to the danger. Unfortunately, it was so calm that he was disappointed.


    ¡°...They are lucky.¡±


    On the ground below Grid, the Overgeared Skeletons were attacking the rock shells. The rock shells were level 250. They weren¡¯t even monsters who attacked first. The rewards were small, and they weren¡¯t worth Grid even seeing them.


    However, the Overgeared Skeletons were different. A level 250 monster with weak attack power was like sweet honey for the Overgeared Skeletons. That¡¯s why they acted like they had met lifelong rivals and tried their best to hit the rock shells. The solid body of the opponents didn¡¯t move, but the skeletons wielded their weapons without giving up. It meant they were craving growth themselves.


    ¡®I need items for the kids. It is also essential to maximize their production capabilities.¡¯


    He had been worrying about it over the past few months, but he thought it was better to invest two item creation slots for the Overgeared Skeletons. In the long run, it wasn¡¯t a loss for him if the Overgeared Skeletons grew and evolved steadily.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    In a posture held naturally by people in an absolute position, Grid had his arms folded in the air, and he suddenly turned his gaze toward the jungle. He heard the resonant sound of iron and iron colliding.


    ¡®Is the imperial army fighting against the followers?¡¯


    Knowing the enemy meant victory. Identifying the power of the enemy was very important. Grid hid as much as possible while wondering if he should enter the jungle. His worries didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡®It is dangerous because there is a high possibility of the presence of the Seven Dukes.¡¯


    He might be attacked by both the dukes and the war god followers. Then he would unconditionally die and be banished outside the Red Sea. Grid was reminded of his battle with Sky King Rigal.


    ¡®It was impossible to fight him with one eye closed.¡¯


    At present, Grid was wearing the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch but one eye was closed because he didn¡¯t want to use the Castration Eye. It was a handicap. He might win against the sea monsters and other enemies with one eye closed, but the Seven Dukes were different.


    Grid had to fight them with all his vision. He needed both eyes open to fight, but then he wouldn¡¯t be able to use magic because his mana would be quickly depleted. Just like in the battle with Rigal, he had to depend only on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    ¡®Lauel has warned me many times to be careful.Let¡¯s not be interested in the jungle yet.¡¯


    Grid suppressed his curiosity and descended back to the ground. The Overgeared Skeletons finally finished off the rock shells and high-fived each other.


    ¡°We will go a bit further before heading back to the meeting ce. Huh?¡±


    Thanks to his stats, Grid had very good eyes. He might not have Hawk Eyes, but there wasn¡¯t a non-archer who had better eyes than Grid. Something strange caught his eyes. Some of the giant trees in the outskirts of the jungle had keyhole-like markings. No, it wasn¡¯t a marking. They really were keyholes.


    ¡°Why does the tree have a keyhole?¡±


    ¡°It is obvious from Noe¡¯s view, nyong.¡±


    ¡°Obvious? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it open something, nyong?¡±


    ¡°How simple...¡±


    Still, it was a correct answer.


    ¡®Will there be any presents?¡¯


    Grid pulled out the Master Key that he created before. It had been a long time since he used it on the Behen Archipgo.


    Meanwhile, the outskirts of the jungle.


    ¡°Crazy.¡±


    The dukes were only looking ahead and running. Their expensive armor was damaged in various ces, and their faces were covered with sweat and blood. Even Basara, who always maintained her dignity, was busy escaping without noticing her crooked gold crown. A huge number of 20 followers were chasing them.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Morse screamed as he once again fell into a trap, and his ankle was severely injured. He turned back with bloodshot eyes and saw the followers running wild without any restrictions from the traps.


    ¡°It is too absurd!¡±


    The traps were so perfectly installed that they couldn¡¯t be detected with the eyes, knowledge, or senses. They could be vines, leaves, orpletely integrated with the soil. Thus, it was difficult to tell if it was a trap or not. Sometimes they were lucky, but there were so many traps it was impossible to move freely. Additionally, many traps didn¡¯t respond to the war god followers. It was as if they recognized their masters. It was suicide to fight the followers in this ce.


    One arrow grazed Morse¡¯s earlobe. He felt a stinging pain and gritted his teeth. Although he wanted to turn back and smash the shooter, he endured it. He was carrying drinking water. The magic bag filled with water from a hard-to-findke¡ªit had to be delivered to the soldiers.


    ¡°This...¡±A few steps ahead, Grenhal suddenly stopped in ce. Basara and Morse also stopped moving and frowned at the sight unfolding in front of them. The barbed vines with rotating teeth were blocking the path ahead.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go around.¡±


    Then the followers caught up. He spoke to the faltering Basara and Morse, ¡°I¡¯ll buy time for you.¡±


    Grenhal handed them the magic bag and went to face the pursuers.


    ¡°Duke Grenhal! It is too early to give up!¡±


    ¡°Unlike you youngsters, I have raised my children enough. My family won¡¯t end even if I die here. His Majesty will care for them.¡± Grenhal was a person who didn¡¯t change his mind once a decision once it was made. It was a waste of time to persuade him, so Basara and Morse were about to leave. At this moment, the hundreds or thousands of rotating teeth suddenly stopped. The flowers that had turned intos faded away, and the leaves emitting poison fell to the ground.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The baffled dukes exchanged looks when the traps stopped, and they turned their eyes to one side simultaneously. In the distance, the shape of a person was seen between the vines.


    ¡°Nothing happened when I inserted the key??¡±


    The distance was so far that the voice was barely audible, even with the sharp hearing of the dukes. Additionally, the dukes knew the owner of this voice.


    ¡°Overgeared King?¡±


    Yesterday¡¯s enemy was today¡¯s friend. Their rtionship was changing.


    Yesterday¡¯s enemy became today¡¯s friend, causing repercussions that would change thendscape of the world. It was a truly valuable victory. This was a win without fighting.

 Chapter 1022

    [The key fits perfectly.]


    [An effect has urred.]


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    It was a small keyhole in a big tree. He put in and turned the universal key, then a notification window emerged with a cheerful sound effect. An effect had urred!


    Grid imagined it. The tree would split in half, and hidden treasures would appear. If Lauel had to guess, it would be a scene where he was likely to obtain a skill book that gave a ¡®war god¡¯s secret technique¡¯.


    ¡°...?¡±


    However, the tree didn¡¯t move. Unlike the notification window, nothing really happened.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Grid was confused for a moment and searched around. There were all types of nts and trees, and some of the trees had keyholes.


    ¡®Are there some losing tickets? Let¡¯s open some more.¡¯


    Grid moved to a big tree that was 20 meters away.


    [You have fallen into a trap!]


    It was an absurd thing. The ground sank the moment he stepped on a protruding tree root.


    [You have suffered 10,200 damage!]


    There was a 10-meter-deep tunnel. Grid fell into the terrible trap installed in the ground and spat out blood.


    ¡°...I would¡¯ve died if I had fallen into it during a fight.¡±


    Why was there a trap in this ce? Grid was thinking about it as he used Fly to escape the tunnel.


    ¡®Did the imperial army do it?¡¯


    The empire wanted to monopolize the ruins. Considering their abilities, it was certainly possible. It was highly likely that the imperial troops, who arrived here first, installed traps to interfere withters.


    ¡®The empire is the empire. They actually installed traps like this.¡¯


    As their stats and experience rose, yers wouldn¡¯t fall into traps so easily. In particr, Grid had a high insight stat and could easily distinguish between traps. However, the perfect traps that assimted with nature couldn¡¯t be distinguished and were a threat to Grid. Maybe there was another trap?


    ¡°Ack!¡± Grid screamed as he maintained Fly. The moment his shoulder came in contact with a leaf, the leaf turned into a de. The deeply wounded Grid pulled out a potion and swallowed it.


    ¡°What is the level of these traps?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a level that could be discovered by paying attention. Wasn¡¯t it too powerful at this point? Grid wanted to know the person who installed the traps. It would be a big jackpot if he obtained them. After suffering the wound, Grid arrived in front of the second big tree and once again inserted the Master Key. Once again, there was a sound effect and a notice of an effect urring, but no treasures emerged.


    ¡°Is it another failure?¡±


    His obstinate spirit was stimted. Grid confirmed he still had time to spare and moved to the next tree. It was naturally a tree with a keyhole, and the universal key was properly inserted and aligned. Once again, nothing happened. It was the same with the next tree and the tree after that. Grid got upset because he ran into several traps along the way and wasted potions.


    ¡°Nothing happened when I inserted the key?? What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me, nyong?¡± Noe seemed to be in a very good mood.


    Warm sunlight fell from the sky, and a cool breeze gently blew his fur. He puffed out his belly and rolled around. Gridined because the cat made his neck sore after using his head as a bed.


    ¡°In any case, you¡¯re no help.¡±


    Noe had evolved after eating the thunder stone. He had great skill, but his sense of presence wasn¡¯t the same as before. Noe¡¯s help was great when Grid was still weak. Now, he had be too strong that Noe¡¯s weight as a helper had fallen. In order for Noe to y a prominent role again, he must show a unique strength such as against the final evolutionary golem in the golem invasion. Was an enemy like thatmon?


    ¡®In the first ce, I hope there are no such strong enemies.¡¯


    Grid thought he would rather Noe not be active. Then he smiled.


    ¡®Why do I care about Noe? It isn¡¯t due to Noe¡¯sbat strength. I just like Noe.¡¯ He realized this truth all over again.


    ¡®Yes, he should just stay happy. Sometimes Noe will do chores.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t a memphis have a long life span...? Perhaps it was even longer than his. Recently, Noe¡¯s fur had turned ck again for some reason.


    Grid stroked his tail and moved to insert the key in the next tree. He hoped he would win a treasure this time, but it was also a bust.


    There was a notice about an effect, but Grid didn¡¯t know the effect...


    ¡°...Eh?¡±Grid looked around, and his eyes widened. He discovered that some of the traps guing him on the way had disappeared without a trace.


    ¡®Releasing the traps?¡¯


    Grid finally figured out the purpose of the keyholes. It was a feasible idea. He made reasonable inferences by identifying the ¡®key trees¡¯ that still existed in the jungle.


    ¡®It is impossible for the empire to have installed hundreds of traps during that short period of time.¡¯


    These traps were originally present already. Perhaps releasing the traps was one of the keys for exploring these ruins. Possessing the universal key meant he was in a much more favorable position than the empire.


    ¡®Wow... It really is present whenever I need it.¡¯


    The universal key he made in the old days was needed. The more he looked, the more fraudulent of an item it seemed. The Grid of the present time wouldn¡¯t be able to create it. Grid was now more cautious inparison to the old days and had many considerations to think about when creating an item. However, this process limited his imagination.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be possible for my current self to think about making such an item. I would think that such a fraudulent item couldn¡¯t be made, and it would naturally be blocked.¡¯


    Sometimes, it was necessary to be simple. It was a moment of small enlightenment.


    .¡¯..!¡¯He suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t hear all types of sounds in the jungle. Then there was the sound of someone sliding through the bushes and footsteps approaching.


    ¡°Overgeared King!¡± Two men and one woman popped out.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy has started to boil!]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    They were Grenhal, Morse, and Basara. Grid was wrapped in a zing fighting energy in an instant as he recognized the three of them. They were dukes who had attended the luncheon that urred back when he visited the empire at the emperor¡¯s call. Basara hadn¡¯t looked at Grid during the luncheon, but her beauty was memorable. Morse¡¯s form was different from the other dukes, and Grenhal boasted the highest level alongside Limit and Rachel. No, he would¡¯ve remembered them clearly even if they didn¡¯t have any special features. He couldn¡¯t forget the dukes of the empire.


    ¡®Damn XX!¡¯


    It was bad. Grid had vited Lauel¡¯s order not to enter the jungle. Sensing his death, Grid hurriedly pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t we show appreciation after receiving help from you?¡±Morse was talking nonsense.


    ¡°...?¡±


    They received help from him? Grid cocked his head and soon noticed it. They escaped some type of crisis because he released the traps.


    ¡®That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t attack me?¡¯


    It was a situation where three of the Seven Dukes were together. If they intended to kill Grid, they would¡¯ve attacked him the moment they appeared and Grid would¡¯ve already lost his immortality. However, Grid was fine and the dukes showed him no hostility. Grid identified the three people¡¯s personalities.


    ¡®They have personalities of people that don¡¯t want to owe debts.¡¯


    From the dukes¡¯ standpoint, Grid was an enemy king. It was right to kill or capture Grid as soon as he was seen. Their encounter with Grid was a chance to earn a huge achievement and end the war. Yet they kicked away this big opportunity just because they were helped.


    ¡®It seems to be a big help?¡¯


    This was a chance. He had to use an excuse to leave here. Grid judged this and tried to remain as calm as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to help. I pretended not to know out of humility.¡±


    He tried to pretend to be casual, but his voice was shaking. Honestly, it was scary. They were monsters who could kill him at any time. He would be killed and deported from the Red Sea. Grid was most afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect his remainingpanions.


    ¡°Such a person killed Rigal?¡±Morse snapped out after hearing Grid¡¯s words. There was no need for Grid to say anything.


    This was because Grenhal stepped in for him.¡°It was something that happened on the battlefield.¡±


    It meant for them not to me Grid.


    ¡°Bah.¡±Morse was convinced and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Grenhal descended from the giant two-headed hippo, approached Grid, and saluted slightly.


    Grid didn¡¯t know the meaning of the action, but Morse and Basara were very surprised. It was because Grenhal didn¡¯t show politeness to anyone by descending from his hippo apart from when he saw the emperor. Even Empress Marie couldn¡¯t make Grenhal get off his hippo.


    ¡°Thank you. We were able to pass the crisis thanks to Your Majesty. Of course, it wasn¡¯t pure benevolence, right? You definitely had a reason to help us. Isn¡¯t that correct?¡±


    ¡®No?¡¯


    An unknown situation was being created. Grid was devising words to reply when Grenhal struck a drum by himself.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s strength alone won¡¯t be able to endure the power of the war god followers. Thus, you nned to work with us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In conclusion, it is a very excellent n. Your Majesty has the key, so this suggestion of cooperation is very attractive for us who needs the key. This way you can coordinate the situation... You are a great man to make this bet. I have to acknowledge Your Majesty. I was pathetic to look down on you until now.¡±


    From Grid¡¯s standpoint, Grenhal was babbling absurd sophistry.


    ¡°Certainly. You have a forward-looking insight and bold determination,¡±Basara also agreed while Morse was busy thinking.


    Grenhal reached out a hand to Grid.¡°I will make a proposal with the authority of an imperial duke. Let¡¯s forget the war and make an alliance here. You will borrow our strength, and we will borrow your key. If webine forces, we can explore this ce safely.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Should he agree to the cooperation? Should he talk to Lauel first? Grid hesitated, but it was only for a moment. He had to hold this hand as it was too risky to explore this area while being hostile to the empire. It was possible to judge this much.


    ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Grid¡¯s and Grenhal¡¯s big hands shook vigorously.


    ¡°...Huung.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    Grenhal suddenly hummed, and Morse and Basara cocked their heads.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±Grid pulled back his hand and coughed hurriedly.


    ***


    At the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous. How did this happen?¡±


    The staff in the meeting room were shocked by the scene on the monitor. Originally, the empire was destined to be destroyed by the rampage of Insane Dragon Nevartan. This was one of the basic scenarios of Satisfy. The scenario hadpletely changed due to the finals of the 3rd National Competition.


    The empire had survived and started a war with the Overgeared Kingdom. Due to the numerous causal effects from this, Skunk had discovered the Ruins of the War God. If Skunk and the dukes hadn¡¯t met in Galest, Skunk would never have sailed through the Red Sea and he wouldn¡¯t have found the Ruins of the War God. The butterfly effect caused the Ruins of the War God to appear much earlier than nned, and the major powers of the Overgeared Kingdom departed the continent.


    Satisfy¡¯s management team was very frustrated.


    Great Demon Berith descended on and far from the Saharan Empire. In order to raid the great demon, the top yers needed to cooperate. It was the worst situation since Grid¡¯s party wasn¡¯t present. The employees thought that the yers would suffer irreparable damage because of Berith, who would kill countless people and open the gates of hell to summon an army. It was calcted that the yers who tried and lost everything were likely to quit the game.


    Grid¡¯s party would waste time in the Ruins of the War God and wouldn¡¯t be able to handle Berith who summoned the army. Yes, it was a waste of time. The current level of Grid¡¯s party made it impossible to properly explore the Ruins of the War God.


    Yet... Yet!!


    ¡°Where the hell did he get the key? It is ridiculous to have collected the key pieces in that short period of time.¡±


    Grid held a key and easily released the trap trees. Then he obtained a chance to ally with the dukes.


    ¡°...Is he going to clear the ruins?¡±Finally, one of the employees spoke nonsense, but no one raised a counterargument. It was possible based on the development.


    ¡°Hah... Hahat!¡±Chairman Lim Cheolho wasughing. Grid used the key he made previously to ally with the dukes. This was truly admirable. He was forced to praise Grid who surpassed predictions several times. The atmosphere was awkward.


    ¡°Chairman,¡± the director of operations Yoon Sangmin suddenly got up and asked Chairman Lim Cheolho a question,¡°Shall I order chicken and beer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is also half-and-half?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll order two right now.¡±Yoon Sangmin took out his phone and left the conference room for a while.


    ¡°Director Yoon, are you crazy right now?¡±


    The agitated employees pointed at him.


    ¡°How many people are here? Yet you¡¯re only ordering two portions?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s right. Now the other employees were also enjoying Grid¡¯s path. Grid, who had been solving most of his problems with force, faced a situation where force didn¡¯t work and broke through with wisdom. It was a wonderful sight.

 Chapter 1023

    The 10 meritorious retainers back at the meeting point were agitated.


    ¡°Why is he sote?¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get in touch with him.¡±


    It was 15 minutes past the promised meeting time yet Grid still hadn¡¯t returned. Of course, Grid was much stronger than them. A crisis for them would be a small problem for Grid. Still, as his friends, they couldn¡¯t help worrying.


    ¡°He will be fine. ording to Lauel, the waterfront is safe,¡± Jishuka tried to reassure her colleagues, but she was visibly anxious. The Ruins of the War God were still unknown. No one knew what dangers were lurking. The atmosphere became increasingly darker.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Then Lauel got a shock, and Faker raised his eyebrows. They detected three monstrous presences with their developed senses. It was a presence that emanated without any concealment. It seemed to be showing off, roaring at the world with no fear. These beings...


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jishuka¡¯s eyes caught sight of a huge rock and beast. No, they weren¡¯t rocks and beasts. Looking closely, they were both beasts.


    ¡°Prepare for battle,¡± Lauel ordered. Faker was already hiding in the shadows. The 10 meritorious retainers noticed the situation and pulled out their weapons in unison. Euphemina, who never fought throughout the sea voyage to preserve her duplicated skills, also activated her orb¡¯s magic.


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    [You are overwhelmed.]


    [You can¡¯t move, and all stats are reduced slightly.]


    They were terrible notification windows. Large footprints were left on the sandy beach. They were the footprints of a two-headed hippo and a sharvel tiger. The body of the two-headed hippo was tightly packed with muscles and looked like a mountain. Meanwhile, the canines of the tiger were long and sharp like knives. They seemed like they could kill a person by skewering them.


    ¡°...¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers froze like stone statues. They looked up at the beasts without even being able to gulp. Two men and a woman could be seen. The back of the tiger carried a man who gave off a rebellious impression and a beautiful woman with a golden crown, while the two-headed hippo had a middle-aged man with tranquil eyes. The names were marked as Beast King Morse, Gold Crown Basara, and Immortal King Grenhal, and they were shimmering with gold.


    Lauel muttered, ¡°Dukes...¡±


    This was the majesty of the true absolutes. Lauel and the 10 meritorious retainers were troubled just by making eye contact with Grenhal. Thetent power in his eyes reminded them of the night before a storm, making them afraid. They were enemies who had to be crossed one day. However, currently, it was so hopeless that Lauel and the 10 meritorious retainers didn¡¯t even dare to fight.


    ¡°The moment the status effect is over, get on the ship and run away.¡± The only one unaffected was Yura, who stepped forward. She was also a legend. Although she was still weakpared to the previous generation, she didn¡¯t shrink back in front of the powerful enemy.


    A white armor summoned by the jade magic power wrapped around Yura¡¯s thin body. It was a ss specific item, Demon Predator, which she had earned as a hidden piece from hell. The armor had a vicious name that was different from its beautiful appearance. It was only unique rated, but its performance exceeded legendary rated armor. Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Bay, which had been made by Pagma, turned into a sword. It was a perfect battle stance.


    Yura was upset because she judged that Grid had already been hit by the dukes, but she didn¡¯t forget to protect her colleagues. She tried to calm down and was determined to buy them time.


    Morse made an invidious remark, ¡°Where are you running away to?¡±


    It was a frivolous tone that was hard to believe came from a duke of the empire. Morse¡¯s gaze shifted to Grenhal. To be exact, it was to someone behind Grenhal. The 10 meritorious retainers followed his gaze and were astonished. It was because Grid was sitting behind Grenhal. Grid looked pale.


    ¡°Damn scum!¡± Jishuka raised her eyes and swore.


    She wanted to fire her bow, but she still couldn¡¯t lift her finger. Her overall status resistance was approaching 30%, but the rate of recovery from the abnormal status was slower than expected.


    ¡°Daring to hold my man captive?!¡±


    There was no time for Grid to shout about why he was her man. Beyond Jishuka, the angry Yura was already leaping forward. She jumped and stabbed her sword toward Grenhal on the two-headed hippo. Grenhal didn¡¯t even bother taking out a shield. He stopped Yura¡¯s attack using his gauntlets and rotated his wrist to grab Yura¡¯s de.


    ¡°...!¡±Yura bit her lips. By the time she felt the grip that she couldn¡¯t resist, her body was already flying through the air. Yura was thrown onto the sand. There was a despairing gap in power between them. Yura¡¯s obsidian eyes were shaking, but she quickly recovered from her confusion and got up again. Then it happened the moment she was going to use Hell Leap to save Grid...


    ¡°W-Wait a minute! Wait! Calm down!¡± Grid jumped down from the two-headed hippo. His body was free despite being a prisoner. His paleplexion was restored to its original state. No injuries could be seen.


    ¡°Ugh, I feel sick,¡± Grid grumbled. Riding on the hippo was the worst because he had felt like he had been on a roller coaster the entire time. He should¡¯ve stuck to walking instead of riding on this beast¡¯s back...


    Grid judged Grenhal inwardly while making introductions to his colleagues, ¡°As you know, they are dukes of the empire. They will be our colleagues while exploring the ruins.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers doubted their ears. There had been countless surprises during their time with Grid, but this had the biggest impact. In this short time, he managed to ally with the dukes who were their enemies...?


    Lauel¡¯s eyes widened and he muttered, ¡°A human ma...¡±


    From Piaro, Asmophel, nd, Sticks, the people of the East Continent to Mercedes, and the dukes¡ªGrid picked up people wherever he went. Lauel apuded silently.


    ***


    ¡°This type of thing...¡± Skunk¡¯s eyes shed as he heard the news from Dog Woman. The followers started to appear on the coast, and the dukes who went to get water hadn¡¯t returned. He¡¯d felt uneasy, but then the Aura Master appeared. Hurent had even helped Dog Woman¡¯s party.


    ¡®He is full of justice. In the worst case, we can depend on him.¡¯


    Without strength, they couldn¡¯t explore the Ruins of the War God or cross the Red Sea. If something went wrong with the dukes, Skunk¡¯s group would be trapped in the ruins and could only wait for death. However, there was hope if they could get help from the Aura Master. It wasn¡¯t bad for the Aura Master who needed their exploration skills.


    ¡®Still, that is in the worst case scenario. I should believe that the dukes would return safely.¡¯


    Skunk¡¯s thoughts wereplicated. There was no need to worry about things that hadn¡¯t urred yet when he should be focused on finding the location of the key pieces.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be long now.¡¯


    There were clues that couldn¡¯t be solved even with advanced archaeological and deciphering skills. Although there were too many unanswered questions about the ruins, things were gradually bing better. After consulting the old books in his inventory, Skunk eventually found some answers.


    A job that should¡¯ve taken decades was performed in a few days while losing sleep. The saying ¡®worked hard enough to shed blood¡¯ might be a bit exaggerated, but he was approaching the whereabouts of the key pieces. There was still a problem with the saying, but it was sufficient to use it. Then it happened while he was focused on deciphering.


    ¡°The dukes have returned!¡±Dog Woman shouted, smiling brightly as she rushed over. The inwardly worried Skunk jumped from his seat and ran out of the barracks. The soldiers¡¯ shouts were heard from everywhere. There was a pile of drinking water in front of them.


    Skunk approached the dukes and greeted them, ¡°I¡¯m d you returned safely.¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been worried.¡±


    ¡°I know your strength, but the jungle is extremely dangerous. I was worried the traps would grab your ankles.¡±


    ¡°The traps have already been solved.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Skunk couldn¡¯t react to the sudden words. He reflexively checked his ears.


    Grenhal¡¯s words continued, ¡°This person of distinction has already obtained the key.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± The words still couldn¡¯t be understood. Skunk couldn¡¯t figure it out and doubted that Grenhal¡¯s words about ¡®traps¡¯ and ¡®key¡¯ meant the ¡®traps¡¯ and ¡®key¡¯ he was thinking of. He didn¡¯t know how to react as Grenhal introduced a person to him,¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡± Skunk finally responded properly. After Grenhal¡¯s introduction, he saw a man with ck hair and a familiar face.


    ¡°P-Person of distinction?¡±


    ¡°G-Grid!¡±


    The traps were resolved. The key was obtained.


    Skunk finally started to ept Duke Grenhal¡¯s absurd words. Grabbing Grid¡¯s hand, Skunk honestly admired him. ¡°I arrived first and haven¡¯t obtained a single key piece. It is surprising that Grid has alreadypleted the key. It is truly amazing. I see you have great exploration skills.¡±


    He had learned from the Sword Grave that Grid¡¯s eyes and ears were likely to be scattered all over the continent. Grid¡¯s talents ording to the situation were unfathomable. Even the Aura Master, who was known for his retirement, wasn¡¯t near Grid at the moment.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think Hurent¡¯s party would be the Overgeared Guild... Many explorer rankers must¡¯ve already been hired by Grid.¡¯


    Skunk hadn¡¯t been able to find the key pieces himself, but it wasn¡¯t strange for Grid to havepleted it if several equally powerful people had joined forces. There were many talented people in the world.


    ¡®I wonder who they are.¡¯


    Skunk asked carefully, ¡°Are you able to introduce them to me?¡±


    ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°The other explorers who gathered the key pieces.¡±


    ¡°There are no other explorers...?¡±


    ¡°Then how did you get the key?¡±


    ¡°I had the key to begin with.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The conversation was a bit weird. Skunk was confused! He was shocked. Come to think of it, weren¡¯t the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire at war? Yes, Grid and the dukes were hostile to each other. Yet now they were now together so naturally. Additionally, Grid didn¡¯t seem to know what the key was exactly. If he knew, he wouldn¡¯t give the impossible answer that he had it to begin with.


    Skunk became heated up.¡®He used a trick to deceive and approach the dukes!¡¯


    What did he use topletely fool the dukes? There must¡¯ve been a battle that he couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡®Definitely... He is definitely a wise and careful person...!¡¯Skunk¡¯s eyes shone brightly likenterns as he watched Grid.


    He didn¡¯t think there would be a day when he sincerely respected someone younger than him. It was refreshing. It was shocking. It was exciting.


    On this day...


    ¡°Grid, what is your hobby? What do you generally enjoy when you¡¯re not ying the game? What is your birthday? Your blood type? Your family rtionships?¡±The highly inquisitive Skunk bombarded Grid with questions.


    Skunk felt a great liking toward the person called Grid.


    ¡®This guy is crazy about socializing.¡¯ Grid was feeling baffled.


    Meanwhile, Lauel was delighted. ¡®Human ma! Well done!!¡¯

 Chapter 1024

    The emergence of Great Demon Berith stimted many yers. They believed it was an opportunity to gain great wealth, and the unsuspecting rankers and guilds challenged the Berith raid. It wasn¡¯t just the existing powerhouses. The forces that had been secretly gathering power also appeared in the world.


    Then all of them failedpletely. Sometimes dozens, hundreds, or even thousands died before Berith¡¯s lies and alchemy. Berith¡¯s wrath didn¡¯t stop there, and thend he stepped on turned to ruin. In particr, two kingdoms in the eastern part of the continent suffered irreparable damage.


    [Sagaltina City in the Haken Kingdom has been destroyed.]


    [Agarna City in the Haken Kingdom has been destroyed.]


    [Germon City in the Rotemon Kingdom has been destroyed.]


    [The Rotemon Kingdom...]


    Dozens of towns and cities disappeared from the map. It meant that even the armies couldn¡¯t block Berith. The yers felt a sense of crisis. As more territories were destroyed by Berith, the number of facilities and hunting grounds avable to them decreased.


    The people shouted unanimously:


    -We need to get rid of Berith as soon as possible.


    -If this continues, we will disappear.


    -This is when the rankers should work together.


    Now, the Berith raid was promoted as an opportunity to win wealth and honor at the same time, not just wealth. More and more guilds challenged Berith to be heroes. The rankers forgot topete and worked together to fight Berith. Then they were all defeated again. Arge expedition, including the Ares Army who re-challenged the raid, managed to reduce Berith¡¯s health by 30%. Then Berith entered a new phase after losing health and caused the expedition to copse at an even greater speed.


    After this, the situation became worse. Berith secured enough souls from the battles and used them as sacrifices to summon his first army. He became more powerful with the presence of the army, and the devastation of the continent elerated.


    The Haken Kingdom and Rotemon Kingdom were on the brink of destruction. The yers who were active in these kingdoms almost lost their lives. The great demon¡¯s rampage caused the existing rule and order to copse, and numerous yers suffered great inconveniences. The Berith raid became amon problem that had to be resolved for yers as a whole, not for wealth or honor.


    The nervous people started to make a lot of noise. Why wasn¡¯t the Overgeared Guilding forward? Why did they turn away from this cmity? They were criticized for being irresponsible. How funny. People had used them of monopolizing the Belial raid, and now they condemned them for not participating. Of course, this wasn¡¯t everyone. However, many people ced one-sided standards on the Overgeared Guild.


    Lauel naturally didn¡¯t care about their usations. In the first ce, the Overgeared Guild was a private organization. They had no obligation to respond to other people¡¯s wishes while taking damage. Moreover, there was sufficient justification for it.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to challenge Berith yet. Our top priority is to recover from the war and explore the ruins. There is a low probability that Belial will be raided while we¡¯re away.¡±


    Lauel logged out of the game due to the connection time limit. These were the contents of an email he sent to all guild members after confirming the news articles and public opinion. No one disputed the contents of the email.


    ***


    In the imperial barracks, Grid, the 10 meritorious retainers, the dukes, and Skunk sat facing each other. Grenhal was seated in front of Grid, showing his authority was the highest among the dukes.


    ¡°Since we are now working together, we will be honest about our affairs and provide you with the information we have so far,¡± Grenhal said, shifting his gaze to Basara.


    Then Basara started exining, ¡°There are 4,959 soldiers and 300 knights. We have a total of 5,259 people, but the soldiers are useless in front of the followers while the knights are helpless against the traps. The three of us were the only ones who actually fought in the meantime.¡±


    The imperial army had suffered on his small ind. It was hard to believe the noble dukes were struggling.


    ¡°However, things have now changed. Your Majesty has the key. In the future, we will be able to include the knights in ourbat strength. The knights are skilled and will be a big help if they fight eight against one.¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers had experience fighting the followers who had learned two secret techniques. When they first met, two of the 10 meritorious retainers had to work together to knock down one follower. A long time had passed since then, and they should now be able to fight one-on-one.


    Yet the duke was stating that eight knights were needed to fight one follower. Peak Sword shrugged and couldn¡¯t stop his lips from curving up.


    ¡®The dukes¡¯ knights are worse than us.¡¯


    As expected, the 10 meritorious retainers were strong. Even if they were folding screens in front of the duke... That was because the dukes were too great. Peak Sword was trying to be confident when he doubted what he was hearing.


    ¡°Of course, this is only a story when dealing with a follower who had learned five secret techniques. However, most of the followers in the jungle have only learned five secret techniques. Based on our experience, we should be able to at least break through the jungle area.¡±


    Five secret techniques... The ssic short advertisements on the Inte shed through Peak Sword¡¯s mind. He clearly heard ¡®five.¡¯


    ¡®Crazy. Five techniques?¡¯


    They could barely fight one-on-one against the followers who had learned two secret techniques. Now there were followers who had learned five? Peak Sword closed his eyes. He was worried because the difficulty of the ruins was higher than expected, and the dukes¡¯ knights were also strong.


    Meanwhile, the others were fine. The former Tzedakah Guild members¡ªthey had easily predicted that the followers in these ruins would be stronger since they had yed all types of games before Satisfy. Yura, Chris, Euphemina, and Katz weren¡¯t shaken because they were confident in their skills.


    ¡®Am I the only one who feels ufortable?¡¯ Peak Sword felt somewhat alienated.


    Meanwhile, the conversation between Lauel and Basara continued.


    ¡°You might be wondering about what lies beyond the jungle, but we don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    Lauel asked her, ¡°More than that, the question is about the uncertainty that we can somehow break through. You don¡¯t have the confidence that we and 300 knights can break through the jungle easily?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why? Wasn¡¯t the problem about breaking through the jungle due to the traps? If King Grid resolves the trap, won¡¯t the problem disappear and it will be easy?¡±


    ¡°The traps were the biggest problem, but there are other problems.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±Lauel asked urgently. This was the first time that a noble of a small country was so talkative in front of a duke of the empire. Yet Basara showed no signs of difort at all. It was natural to respect the other person once they had a temporary partnership, and they were going to discuss everything anyway.


    ¡°The followers learn different things, and they use different weapons. Some have a strong defense to neutralize attacks while others use deceptive means to distract the mind.¡±


    The gist of the exnation was simple. The more followers that were gathered, the stronger their fighting power would be. Eight knights could defeat one follower, but this was a story when it was eight against one.


    ¡°If there are 10 followers and 80 knights, the knights would be defeated unconditionally. It will be hard for Duke Grenhal, Duke Morse, and I to deal with more than 10 followers at a time.¡±


    It was too much to deal with five followers when there were traps, but that had improved. Lauel had a troubled expression. ¡°This means we will be defeated if we encounter many followers during the march.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The followers basically roam alone, but when a battle urs, the nearby followers will arrive quickly. Thus, it is often necessary to retreat depending on the situation. Additionally, the followers are monsters and will respawn after a certain period of time.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    There was a high probability that the retreat would be repeated. That¡¯s why it was unknown as to when they could break through the jungle.


    ¡®I am worried about Berith if we drag out the time too much.¡¯


    Berith would summon new armies and raise his strength as time passed. After all, Lauel couldn¡¯t let the enemy that they were going to raid be stronger.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t good to drag out the time. Are there any reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°A total of five ships departed from Galest a fortnight ago.¡±


    ¡°A fortnight...?¡±


    ¡°There must¡¯ve been an ident.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eventually, reinforcements would arrive. Even if the first reinforcements had experienced an ident, the empire would dispatch second and third groups of reinforcements. However, this meant a dy in time.


    ¡®We might have to change the order of the historical site exploration and the Berith raid. Then the empire might monopolize the site rewards while we¡¯re gone. It is the worst.¡¯


    The genius Lauel wasn¡¯t able to make guesses easily. Why had the imperial troops failed to arrive?


    Nobody knew that ¡®he¡¯ was working so hard. (TL= Huroi)


    It was a problem because his activities could turn into trolling.


    ***


    Two hourster, the meeting led by Lauel and Basara ended. Sufficient information was exchanged, and future ns andmand systems werepleted. Grid rose from his seat. ¡°Let¡¯s start right away.¡±


    He had been bored to death during the meeting. As he couldn¡¯t even make underwear in front of the dukes, he had to just sit there and listen. Skunk gulped when he saw Grid¡¯s ambitious appearance.¡®Is now the time for the rebellion?¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t collected any key pieces. Skunk didn¡¯t know how the dukes were fooled, but Grid had no means of releasing the traps. Skunk became afraid as he imagined how Grid would attract them to the jungle and deal with them in some way. He wondered if he should help the dukes who treated him well. As Skunk hesitated, Grid¡¯s party and the dukes finished their preparations to move.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Naturally, Skunk also went with them. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to stay away from the exploration when he was the only person who could reveal the secrets of the ruins.


    ¡°...¡±Skunk¡¯s expression was dark as they arrived in front of the jungle. This was a jungle where animals couldn¡¯t live because of all types of traps. It was quiet and sinister.


    Duguen.Duguen.Duguen. Skunk¡¯s heart beat quickly.


    He was worried about how Grid¡¯s group would sh with the dukes and also felt pure curiosity. Grid reached out to the air. His hand sank into an invisible inventory in front of everyone.


    ¡®I have to stop it now.... No, Grid and the Overgeared members will be the ones to die. Ahh... Dukes, it is dangerous!¡¯


    Skunk was in a dilemma and eventually closed his eyes. He chose to ignore it and just imagined Grid drawing a sword from the inventory. However, the item that Grid pulled out of the inventory was a key, not a weapon. His universal key unlocked the tree. There was the sound of a lock opening, and the startled Skunk opened his eyes, only to look nk. ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was approaching every visible tree and inserting a key. The traps of the jungle started to be released one by one under his hand.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    In the previous conversation, Grid seemedpletely unaware of the key pieces. He gave the absurd answer that he originally had the key. That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s key waspletely different from those avable at the ruins.


    Was it effective? What the hell was this?


    ¡°Wait a minute! W-What the hell is that key?¡±


    ¡°This? A universal key.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±Skunk btedly recalled something. Grid was the Overgeared King. It was the reason he became king, not because of other exceptional talents.


    ¡°O-Overgeared...¡±


    Yes, overgeared. Grid was the most overgeared person in the world.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±Grid was curious about Skunk¡¯s reaction, only to suddenly pull out a sword.


    Then he started a sword dance.¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    There was a follower who approached Grid while hiding in the vines. Grid¡¯s high insight and ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch meant he saw the follower before the attack. The two fused sword dances didn¡¯t consume a lot of sword energy, and some of the sword energy was recovered by the subsequent basic attacks. It took only 10 seconds for the follower to turn to gray.


    ¡°Hey, you said they were basically wandering on their own? Don¡¯t we just have to kill them as soon as we see them?¡±


    The followers in the Galgunos Temple were ssified as elite monsters while the followers at the ruins were ssified as normal monsters. The followers might be stronger, but their health was low. Thus, it was easy to kill them in a few blows. This was Grid¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°...¡±There was an awkward silence.

 Chapter 1025

    The 300 knights were stunned. They were truly amazed by Grid killing the follower in a matter of seconds.


    ¡®There is a reason Lord Grenhal respected him.¡¯


    The knights had been thinking that Grenhal¡¯s attitude was too much. They might need his key, but Grid was the enemy king. He was a rebel who had killed Duke Rigal. However, Grenhal expressed a subtle liking toward Grid. Why did he do this? In the end, there was a reason. Overgeared King Grid was better than the rumors said. Grenhal might¡¯ve been fighting many followers, but Grid hunted a follower in a matter of seconds. He was faster than the dukes!


    The knights felt fearful of Grid and were unable to believe there was such a strong man outside the empire. They were already worried that he would be the seconding of the Undefeated King.


    The 10 meritorious retainers were also surprised. A humanoid normal monster might have the weakness of ¡®less health¡¯, but the follower was still level 400. Grid¡¯s fighting power, which knocked down such a monster with a skill and a few basic attacks, had risen significantlypared to just a few months ago. The 10 meritorious retainers respected Grid¡¯s constant development. The impact on Hurent was particrlyrge.


    ¡®I used all my skills just to catch one...¡¯


    Hurent hadn¡¯t participated in the meeting. Unlike the 10 meritorious retainers, he wasn¡¯t a noble and it was somewhat ufortable to take part in the meeting with the dukes.


    Thus, he had taken the time to look around the coast. Piaro, who had farmed in the underwater city of the water n, had said he¡¯d created a crop that grew in sand and ate seawater. After sufficient verification, Piaro had given some seeds to Hurent. How pleasant would it be to farm in such a beautiful coastal area...?


    Hurent looked around the coast with sentimental feelings. However, being sentimental was a luxury. He should¡¯ve used that time to train. Now, he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach Grid¡¯s toes in his lifetime.


    ¡°...¡± On the other hand, the dukes showed no reaction. They didn¡¯t feel admiration at all despite seeing Grid easily taking care of the followers.


    Grid was also feeling a bit suspicious. ¡®Isn¡¯t the experience too little?¡¯


    The amount of experience given was the same as the amount of experience received from killing a level 300 monster. The follower only gave this much experience and left. It was a strange thing.


    ¡°...!¡±Grid was cocking his head only to quickly raise his sword. A fist flew out and collided with the Sword Aiming at the Gods. There was an intense explosion. Grid¡¯s two feet left the ground. It was evident that the strength contained in the fist was superior to Grid¡¯s strength.


    Grid was pushed his sword against the punch and kicked out. The war god follower, that was attacking Grid, lowered his elbow. The follower¡¯s elbow headed toward Grid¡¯s knees. Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s leg couldn¡¯t go up and his kick was rendered useless.


    ¡°You...?¡± Grid identified the face of the follower and was astounded. The facial features of this follower werepletely in line with the follower he had just eliminated. The moment Grid felt some doubts, the follower split into two, three, four, or five followers. They were clones. The initial follower Grid killed was just this guy¡¯s clone.


    ¡°When they first emerge, the followers who mastered cloning will throw out their clones as bait to distract the opponent,¡± Grenhal murmured.


    The followers of the war god were the strongest enemies who threatened even the dukes. There was no need to mention those who had learned dozens of secret techniques, but even the followers who had learned five secret techniques weren¡¯t easy opponents. It was difficult to eliminate them in just a few seconds. That was impossible for the dukes unless they used their ultimate techniques.


    Grenhal remained alert as he silently watched how Grid would cope. Grid had be the Hero King through certain achievements. Grenhal had a pure curiosity about whether Grid desired to be called the hero among heroes.


    ¡®He will naturally have a hard time in the beginning.¡¯


    The cloning technique that the followers used was different from traditional cloning. The original cloning reproduced 30% of the user¡¯s abilities, showing a weaker presence. Meanwhile, the cloned followers boasted a powerful destructive power. It was due to the characteristic of ¡®momentarily exchanging stats with the main body¡¯.


    Of course, since it was an exchange, the power of the clone became stronger while the main body weakened. This weakness exposed them to danger, and the key was to capture the weakness. However, there was no difference between the appearance of the clones and the main body. It was impossible to find the main body and kill it.


    Grenhal wondered how Grid surrounded by five followers would break through the crisis. For reference, the first time they fought a follower with the cloning technique, Grenhal took four minutes while Morse took five minutes.


    ¡°Um?¡± Grenhal¡¯s eyes grew slightly wider. It was due to the blue sparks that appeared around Grid¡¯s left eye hidden by the eyepatch.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    At the same time, all the clones surrounding Grid exploded and disappeared.


    ¡°W-What? What is this ability?¡± The cries came from Morse, who had been repeatedly yawning out of boredom. He regarded Grid as weak and showed little interest in his battle. The follower who lost his clones was also baffled. The followers of the war god were truthseekers. In order to achieve ultimate nothingness, they detached themselves from their emotions even before death. Their confusion was an unfamiliar and surprising sight for the dukes.


    Basara eximed, ¡°Evil eye...!¡±


    ¡°What? An evil eye?¡±


    An eye that exercised power¡ªit was a privilege only for the evil eyes species. It didn¡¯t make sense that the human Grid was using an evil eye, but Grenhal and Morse couldn¡¯t deny Basara¡¯s interpretation. There was no error in her vast knowledge.


    Grid¡¯s struck the follower, who only had the main body left. However, the follower¡¯s skin hardened like steel and crossed his arms to block Grid¡¯s attack. The follower¡¯s defense was so strong that normal attacks couldn¡¯t hurt him.


    ¡°...?!¡± The follower¡¯s arm was cut off by Grid¡¯s sword, and blood spurted out. The face of the follower distorted with pain.


    [Contempt of the Weak]


    [Inflicts a fatal blow to a target who isn¡¯t in the realm of transcendence.


    Deals a blow that consumes 80% of the target¡¯s current health.


    Skill Mana Cost: 5,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    This was the skill attached to the de Aiming at the Gods. It was a skill that didn¡¯t apply when the opponent was named, but it was like a nuclear warhead against an ordinary monster. Grid dealt eight more basic attacks to the follower who was stunned from suffering great damage. Then the follower of the war god turned to ash.


    Grid was able to gain arge amount of experience, unlike when he killed the first clone. His experience gauge increased by 0.01% despite being level 398.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This time, the dukes were astonished and closed their mouths. This was the first time Grid fought a follower that possessed the cloning technique, yet he managed to easily eliminate the follower...? Honest admiration sprang up at the sight of Grid¡¯s skills.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t manage to kill Rigal because he was lucky.¡¯


    In the minds of the dukes, Grid¡¯s presence started to grow. Grid seeded in dominating the atmosphere. It was worth using Contempt of the Weak.


    [The Castration Eye is triggered. Mana is being constantly consumed.]


    [The Castration Eye has been closed.]


    Grid closed his left eye and approached hispanions.¡°The followers seem stronger than I thought. Everyone, be careful.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers were heartbroken. They had to be careful of monsters that Grid hunted in seconds... They realized how big the difference between them was and felt a far bigger gap than the one they used to feel with the sky above the sky¡ªKraugel.


    ¡®This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    ¡®We will end up being a burden if the gap keeps widening.¡¯


    The 10 meritorious retainers were burning with motivation. They would fight when they were afraid and be stronger by oveing it. They looked around with determination. They had the eyes of predators.


    ***


    The jungle wasn¡¯trge. Thanks to Grid releasing all the traps, the struggle of the 10 meritorious retainers who longed for growth, and the overwhelmingbat power of the dukes, the party reached the end of the jungle easily. A valley emerged before them, and the sound of the pouring waterfall entered their ears.


    ¡°How about camping here?¡±


    Lauel confirmed the topography of the valley and nodded.¡°This would be good.¡±


    They had started at dawn, and it was currently nighttime. It had taken them 14 hours to break through the jungle. Lauel, who set up the camp with his colleagues, approached Skunk and asked, ¡°There was nothing unusual on the way?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, no clues or treasures could be found. There were only a few murals telling me how to release the jungle traps.¡±


    The jungle was just the first gateway of the ruins. The jungle itself was low in importance. Lauel nodded and handed Skunk a piece of jerky. ¡°Aren¡¯t there many troublesome things running a guild by yourself?¡±


    ¡°It is a bit troublesome if there are more than 100 people. However, there are no big problems. In the first ce, our guild runs ording to the concept of conducting an expedition. We don¡¯t settle in one ce, and there isn¡¯t any political fighting. Of course, the difficulty means that many guild members often desert...¡±


    ¡°It seems time to settle down. You¡¯ve explored almost all the West Continent and crossed the Red Sea.¡±


    ¡°Um... That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Come to the Overgeared Kingdom. We will provide you with many conveniences. If you want to explore the Red Sea, you can borrow the warship at any time. If you want to explore the East Continent, we will help you cross the continent at any time.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I can cross to the East Continent at any time? That is an irresistible proposal,¡± Skunkughed.


    The remark about being able to go to the East Continent at will was absurd.


    Lauel spoke with a serious expression,¡°You might not know this, but Sage Sticks is serving Grid.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°We can create magic scrolls that enables intercontinental movement.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Skunk¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Is that really...?¡± Skunk was about to ask for confirmation, only to close his mouth. It was due to the waterfall behind where Lauel was sitting. He glimpsed the human lurking behind the massive waterfall falling in the distance. The person had his eyes closed like he was training, and he wasn¡¯t paying any attention to this side.


    However, the party was forced to feel worried. The name of the person seen through the waterfall was ¡®war god follower who has learned 10 secret techniques.¡¯


    Skunk sensed it. This was the guardian. It obviously existed to protect some treasures.

 Chapter 1026

    ¡®Just this?¡¯


    Grid was troubled as he walked through the jungle. The Ruins of the War God...


    It had been six years since Satisfy was released and a new area opened. Wasn¡¯t it normal for the difficulty level to be very high? To be honest, he had determined that the expedition itself wasn¡¯t possible. Yet once he actually embarked on the expedition, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. There was the universal key, and the work was too easy.


    ¡®Rather, the Galgunos Temple is harder.¡¯


    The followers at the ruins were 50 levels higher than the temple followers and had more skills. However, they weren¡¯t threats because they were normal monsters, and they appeared one by one. Rather, he perceived the difficulty of the undead-infested temple as higher.


    ¡®...Indeed. I heard that Galgunos was also revered as a god.¡¯


    It was impossible to establish a hypothesis that this ce was more difficult just because it was in the Red Sea. Before dividing the world into the West Continent, the Red Sea, and the East Continent, the settings were different from ce to ce. Dragons lived on the West Continent.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions.¡¯


    The jungle was only one gateway in the ruins. After that, the difficulty might rise significantly.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    In the private barracks, Grid was busy thinking as he patted Noe¡¯s fur, which was gradually bing darker. What item could the Overgeared Skeletons make using their bones? He thought about what to create. The system set up Overgeared Skeleton One to make a sword and Overgeared Skeleton Two to make a helmet, but it was purely Grid¡¯s responsibility to decide the type of sword and helmet. Grid wanted to present the best items for them since the Overgeared Skeletons would use the items for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°Ah, it is hard.¡±


    At present, the Overgeared Skeletons could only learn one production method each. This made it harder.


    ¡°Nyong.¡± Noe licked Grid¡¯s hand.


    He noticed that Grid¡¯s expression was distorted with worry.


    ¡®A cute guy.¡¯


    While Grid was smiling with a warm expression of affection, it happened.


    ¡°King Grid!¡± Lauel ran in and shouted, ¡°Come out for a second!¡±


    ***


    Their ears were ringing. At the valley that existed at the end of the jungle, there were 53rge and small waterfalls pouring down in the centre. In particr, there were two very big waterfalls. They were only 30 meters wide, and the water pressure was strong enough to drill a hole in the bottom of the valley.


    Therefore, no one noticed the existence of a follower hiding behind the waterfall. It was purely a coincidence that Skunk found him. The two waterfalls collided, and a crack was formed. Finally, the falling moonlight illuminated the follower.


    ¡°A follower who mastered 10 secret techniques.¡±


    Some of the 10 meritorious retainers couldn¡¯t gulp. It was hard enough to deal with a follower who had mastered five secret techniques. No one knew how strong one with 10 secret techniques would be. In particr, Vantner had received a great deal of damage from the followers who had acquired the ¡®Force Palm¡¯ technique that prated through defense. He prayed that the follower who had learned 10 secret techniques hadn¡¯t learned Force Palm.


    Grid btedly arrived at the scene. ¡°How long has he been hiding in there? Is he nning to ambush us when we are off guard?¡±


    To put it bluntly, the follower was an insidious person who was equipped with a named-grade level artificial intelligence. The color of the name couldn¡¯t be seen because of the disturbance of the waterfall and the distance, but it was likely to be a boss monster.


    ¡°Since he is still there, he doesn¡¯t know that he has been caught by us?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. From inside the waterfall, the sound of the waterfall will be louder, and he can¡¯t see this side very well.¡±


    The follower seemed to be in training. He stood as still as a statue with his eyes closed, as a waterfall cascaded over his body. Surely, he didn¡¯t know the situation.


    ¡°We should get rid of him quickly. Assist me.¡±


    Grid felt that the jungle was boring, but this was just an individual impression. He was hoping for some thrill, but he didn¡¯t want a crisis. Consequently, he judged it was better to handle the risk factors quickly. The Pulling Device was used on Sword Ghost. Grid attached the de Aiming at the Gods to it and then used Fly. The distance to the waterfall was around three kilometers long. He nned to fly over as quickly as possible, use the four fused sword dances to critically damage the follower, and then kill the follower using the assistance of his colleagues.


    However, Grenhal stopped him. ¡°It is dangerous.¡±


    Grid paused. ¡°Dangerous? Isn¡¯t it an opportunity to attack when he has yet to notice us?¡±


    ¡°He is watching us.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t his eyes closed? In the first ce, would he be so still if he has noticed us?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, do you know why he has detected us? It is because he has achieved Natural State. We can¡¯t capture him with our senses because we haven¡¯t unified with nature. Meanwhile, he shares the senses of nature and knows what we¡¯re doing and what we look like.¡±


    Natural State was something that Grid was familiar with. It was something Piaro had obtained a few years ago. Yet, so what?


    ¡°What should we do? Wait until he attacks first?¡± Grid asked with frustration.


    Grenhal nodded.¡°We are far enough away from him that we can read his movements. Furthermore, we have the numerical advantage. It is better for us to prepare our battle lines to intercept him.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Certainly, it was true. There was no need to run into the rough waterfall and fight. The convinced Grid nodded.


    ¡®By the way, the dukes are surprisingly cautious.¡¯


    The Seven Dukes were some of the most powerful people on the West Continent. Grid knew they would be terribly arrogant. He expected them to be emotional people who acted fearlessly in the world, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The dukes knew they had to hold hands with an enemy king to ovee the crisis and had a thorough n when they fought the strong. They were stronger and more cautious than Grid, who often only believed in his own power.


    ¡®I try to be careful every time, but it doesn¡¯t work when I¡¯m excited...¡¯


    Amazing...


    They definitely seemed like they were a cut above him. He thought it was necessary to be as wise as them if he wanted to be in the same ss as the dukes.


    ¡°...¡±


    After that, morning came.


    ¡°...¡±


    Another day passed.


    ¡°...¡±


    Two days passed by, but the follower in the waterfall continued to stand still. At this point, the dukes also became irritated.


    ¡°Why is he staying still?¡±


    Staying in ce for two days? The knights had been on edge for two days because they weren¡¯t sure when the follower would attack, and now they were exhausted. The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t hide their tiredness either. Beast King Morse insisted that it couldn¡¯t continue, ¡°I can¡¯t endure it anymore. We will attack first as the Overgeared King suggested.¡±


    Skunk gave a boost to Morse¡¯s argument, ¡°There is treasure beyond the waterfall. The follower isn¡¯t leaving the waterfall because he is protecting the treasure.¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡± Grenhal couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and turned his gaze to Grid.


    Grid nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t leave him like this. Who knows if he wille after us and hit our backs?¡±


    His decision wasn¡¯t due to being greedy for an uncertain treasure. They had to take down the follower in order to move forward. After Grid spoke, Grenhal finally nodded. ¡°I understand, but I can¡¯t send you alone.¡±


    They crossed the jungle together, and Grenhal was able to fully peek at Grid¡¯s skills. It was frankly hard to understand how Grid had beat Sky King Rigal, but it was clear that he was quite powerful.


    ...Grenhal also didn¡¯t feel so bad when he shook Grid¡¯s hand. He couldn¡¯t let Grid fight alone. This was a result of the synergy between Grid¡¯s charm stat and his ¡®easily recognized¡¯ ss characteristic.


    ¡°Come with us.¡±Grenhal, Morse, and Basara stood side to side behind Grid. The Overgeared members were thrilled by the sight. The empire was an enemy, yet these people¡ªwho were like beings in the sky that rankers couldn¡¯t meet¡ªseemed to follow Grid. Grid felt pretty good. The people who were the worst threats just a few days ago were now supporting his back in a wonderful and reliable manner.


    ¡®Garam is different.¡¯


    Still, maybe it was like what Lauel said¡ªthe empire could be reborn as an ally without needing to fight. If that¡¯s the case, the Overgeared Kingdom would be safe. Grid wouldn¡¯t have to worry about when the people who believed and followed him would die.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± The motivated Grid used Fly while the dukes followed behind him. Jishuka and Yura were at the pre-arranged sniping spots while Euphemina and Lauel cast magic. Faker, Chris, Pon, Regas, Peak Sword, Vantner, Katz, and Hurent followed Grid and the dukes into the valley. Additionally...


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡± Grid, in ckening mode, reached the waterfall first and fired 40 waves of sword energy.


    ¡°...¡± Simultaneously, the follower behind the waterfall slowly opened his eyes. There was a huge explosion, and the water falling down on the follower scattered in every direction. The follower¡¯s body was very strong as he used the power of nature.


    [The target has received 3,500 damage.]


    [The target has received 3,320 damage.]


    [The target has received...]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The follower who had learned 10 secret techniques boasted a tremendous defense. Transcended Link Flower dealt 122% physical and 20% magic damage, yet the follower only received 3,000 damage. It was a shocking result for Grid who had confidentlypared his attack power to that of the Seven Dukes.


    Grid¡¯s body crashed into the valley. He was thrown out by the waterfall.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Grid swam quickly and emerged from the water again. Combat was unfolding between the follower and the dukes. The colossal destruction was as spectacr as the four fused sword dances, and water columns rose in all directions. The attacks of the three dukes unfolded quickly, and the follower rushed to defend themselves. The follower might¡¯ve learned 10 secret techniques, but it was too much to fight against three of the strongest people of the West Continent at the same time.


    ¡®Why were they so worried about Natural State if they were going to win anyway?¡¯


    Why did the dukes shrink back? Grid clocked his tongue in a ridiculing manner and hurriedly started the sword dance for Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. He was nning to use the marks left behind by Transcended Link Flower to deal a bigger blow to the follower. Contribution was important in order to get as many items and experience as possible.


    At this moment, the 53rge and small waterfalls went against thews of nature. The water falling down turned into living dragons and changed angles, pouring toward the dukes.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The dukes were hit by thousands of rays of water, and they lost their health and copsed. They couldn¡¯t cope with the water pressure concentrated on them and started bleeding. It was the power of Natural State. Piaro was only at the beginning stages of Natural State and was able to rece some of his strength with the natural mana of the world. Meanwhile, the follower could control nature ording to his will. The follower turned his gaze to Grid and dered, ¡°You aren¡¯t qualified to challenge me.¡±


    Then he pointed to the dukes. ¡°Empty shells who have already consumed all their talents.¡±


    The follower¡¯s finger pointed somewhere else. It was to indicate the hiding Faker. ¡°Child who just started training.¡±


    Then the finger pointed to a distant ce.It was toward where Yura was in sniper mode. ¡°A half-grown person who has yet to fulfill her duty and whose strength has been suppressed.¡±


    Finally, the follower pointed to Grid who was standing right in front of him.¡°A cksmith who has already exceeded his limits.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°All of you are weak. You don¡¯t deserve to challenge me, a being who is walking on the path of true martial arts.¡±


    This follower was capable of talking, unlike all other followers who had emerged so far. His words sparked anxiety deep in Grid¡¯s heart. It was the anxiety created by the evaluation that he had already exceeded the limit. Grid noticed what the follower was saying and gritted his teeth to deny reality.¡°Exceeding my limits is bullshit. Do you think I¡¯m an ordinary cksmith? I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    In fact, Grid had been feeling uneasy since a while ago. Thebat skills of a Demon yer blossomed over time.


    ¡°I can be stronger in the future.¡±


    The Sword Saint was strong from the beginning.


    ¡°There is still a lot of potential left.¡±


    Grid often felt that the ss-specificbat power of Pagma¡¯s Descendant was really shabby. He had been through all types of incidents and gone beyond the limits. Perhaps it was impossible to be stronger. He often had this thought. The anxiety of whether he would eventuallye down from his hard-earned seat filled him, but Grid tried hard to ignore it. He remained hopeful that he could develop further. He tried hard to keep his hard-won present reality and to not fall into the past.


    Yet, right now, the follower was denying those efforts.


    ¡°A cksmith has no qualifications. Didn¡¯t Pagma eventually know his limits and sign a contract with the great demon?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The furious Grid fired Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. The follower had five marks on him thanks to Transcended Link Flower and received great damage from this fusion sword dance. However, the boss monster¡¯s defense and health were transcendent. The follower¡¯s health gauge remained intact.


    ¡°You will eventually abandon the sword.¡±


    At this moment...


    [Zeratul]


    ¡°...?¡±


    The name ¡®war god follower with 10 secret techniques¡¯ changed to a short word. It even resembled the name of the war god. The 53 waterfalls were in a frenzy. The screams of the dukes and the 10 meritorious retainers were heard as the confusion inside Grid soared to the extreme.


    [Braham¡¯s soul has woken up.]


    Grid heard the nostalgic voice.


    -Your tail is wagging all over the ce.Since when did you receive attention from the war god?He is the one who isn¡¯t worthy.


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a terrible indifference. The gaze of the follower watching Grid nkly changed. Braham calmed Grid down, -Let the trashy words flow out one ear.Don¡¯t think about going astray.You are strong.You can be stronger.


    Grid was different from Pagma. Unlike Pagma who had abandoned his friend and joined hands with the great demons, Grid had people he could rely on.


    -I am by your side.


    [A hidden piece has urred.]

 Chapter 1027

    The children of Shizo Beriache had inherited one desire from her. Among them, Braham had inherited her desire for knowledge, endured the Curse of Idleness, and reached the truth of the world. Like his mother Beriache, he had peeked at the true nature of the gods.


    That¡¯s why in the past, he felt uneasy when Pagma confessed that he had met the war god. War God Zeratul¡ªBraham had been convinced that this prideful and arrogant god wouldn¡¯t pay attention to humans out of goodwill. It had been as he¡¯d expected.


    Pagma said he had gotten rejected by the war god. Then he confessed that he realized his shorings thanks to the war god and vowed to be more determined to gain the power to protect the world. This vowter returned to Braham as a terrible betrayal. Pagma killed Braham and took away his life span under the name of destroying evil.


    -I still clearly remember Pagma¡¯s eyes as he pierced my heart.There was no affection, regret, or pain in his eyes as he looked down at my dying self.He was only filled with a desire for strength.


    -The followers aren¡¯t noble truthseekers.They are just cursed ves who will never reach the ultimate realm with their own talent, even if they are reborn several times.


    -Don¡¯t listen to the voice of the faithless.Those bullshit words will make a person crazy.Pagma who fought to destroy the great demons¡ªhe betrayed his friend using this pretext yet he ironically contracted with Great Demon Baal.


    Braham¡¯s voice continued ringing in Grid¡¯s mind. Meanwhile, the words of the followers were entering his ears. ¡°A demonkin is residing in your body. You have already gone beyond your limits, but you are still a weak cksmith. Don¡¯t be deceived by evil beings and face the truth.


    ¡°You are weak. You aren¡¯t qualified to use the sword. Don¡¯t becent and embrace a greater strength.


    ¡°Yes, how about absorbing the soul of the demonkin in your body? I will teach you how. I will give you a way to once again jump over your limits and be a master of absolute knowledge.¡±


    The name of the follower changed to Zeratul again. Zeratul¡¯s consciousness seemed to have temporarily descended by borrowing the body of his follower. It was called Receiving a Soul. However, Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. He didn¡¯t feel any more confusion. There was Braham by his side.


    [Your affinity with Braham has already surpassed the maximum.]


    [War God Zeratul is interested in you.]


    [Braham is with you.]


    [All conditions are met and the hidden piece has urred.]


    The name of the hidden piece was ¡®Don¡¯t Repeat the Mistake.¡¯ It was apletely different name from the hidden pieces of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. This was a hidden piece created purely through the rtionship Grid had built up.


    -I won¡¯t repeat the same mistake.I won¡¯t lose my only friend again.


    Along with Braham¡¯s deration, Grid¡¯s ck hair started to fade. His tanned skin turned white like milk, and his eyes became red. Once the change in color was over, his body frame became thin and beautiful. Grid had assimted with Braham. This was the event assimtion that he had experienced when he first met Braham, not the Assimtion skill. This wasplete assimtion.


    [Forced assimtion has been carried out under the influence of the hidden piece.]


    [Your ss will change.]


    [Name: Braham Eshwald (Grid)


    ss: Great Magician


    Title: Duke of Wisdom


    * The best intellectual of this time. The truth hasn¡¯t been learned yet, so he is still obstinate. This pursuit of knowledge is very strong, sometimes acting as a poison.


    * Intelligence has increased by 35%.


    * There is a low probability of running wild.


    Title: Title: One who Became a Legend


    * Abnormal conditions don¡¯t work well on you.


    * You won¡¯t die when health is at the minimum.


    * Easily acknowledged.


    Title: ???


    *???


    ....


    ...


    Level: 545


    Health: 858,310/858,310 (Correction)


    Mana: 13,964,000/13,965,000 (Correction)


    Strength: 258 Stamina: 3,400


    Agility: 1,009 Intelligence: 15,880+5,558


    * In this human flesh, Braham Eshwald¡¯s full strength can¡¯t be drawn out. Most of his stats are sealed.]


    A massive amount of magic power exploded.


    ¡°Mana Drain,¡± Braham said. Then the 53 frenzied waterfalls that were running wild as dragons, stopped in ce. They lost their form and poured down like rain.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The dukes, who were constantly beaten by the waterfalls, were lying on the ground in a bloody manner. The pain suddenly disappeared, and they slowly opened their eyes with wonder. Then they saw it. The arrogant war god follower was stepping back with a distorted expression.


    ¡°Bah, howme,¡±the Overgeared King snorted while his arms were folded.


    ¡°W-What?¡± The dukes were stunned. Grid was overpowering the follower they couldn¡¯t fight against. The dukes found it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality.


    ¡®Braham!¡¯ Grid was forcibly deprived of his physical body and cried out toward Braham. Rather, it was more like a scream. ¡®Don¡¯t overdo it! You are still weak!!¡¯


    He forgot to use honorifics as he expressed his worried heart. Braham justughed as if he liked it. ¡°Stupid. It is only this much because I am weak.¡±


    This was the Red Sea. It was the original of the world where an infinite amount of mana gathered. Braham¡¯s Mana Drain was like a cotton ball of infinite size. He continued to absorb mana, amplifying his strength and stimting the fear of the follower. The follower kept shrinking back as Braham said, ¡°Evaluate me once.¡±


    ¡°...¡± The follower was naturally silent. The opponent was a true legend. Braham was different from the still unfinished Grid and Yura. He wasn¡¯t a target to be evaluated by a mere follower.


    The follower wasn¡¯t possessed by Zeratul anymore. He couldn¡¯t stifle Braham if only part of his consciousness descended. In order to stop Braham, Zeratul had to descend directly, just as when he fooled Pagma.


    ¡°Grid, I was troubled for a long time.¡±


    Braham pulled out the sword hanging from his waist.


    [The conditions of use aren¡¯t met.]


    [This item can¡¯t be equipped.]


    [The characteristic inherent in the body¡¯s original owner will alleviate the wearing conditions.]


    The Sword Aiming at the Gods¡ªthe sword, which was able to produce an optimum efficiency, was reduced to a mere ornament in the white-haired man¡¯s hand. Braham¡¯s appearance was unrealistically beautiful as he raised the golden sword, making all thendscapes in the background look like a blur. Even the Gold Crown Basara, who always had her eyes closed, opened her eyes at the beauty.


    ¡°Is it right to give my magic to someone stupid like you?¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    ¡°Will you be able to use my spells properly before you die?¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    ¡°I admitted it in the end. Giving my magic to you won¡¯t help you. It is pointless.¡±


    ¡®What are you saying all of a sudden?¡¯ Grid gulped. It felt like Braham was going to take back his magic. Was this a hidden piece that would cause him damage? Putting aside the spells that hadn¡¯t been used yet because of his low intelligence, would he be deprived of Magic Missiles and the other spells that he had been using well?


    Grid was filled with anxiety.


    ¡°Look.¡± Braham took out the form of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. He held a perfect posture that was beyond greatness. It was easy for Braham who had watched the swordsmanship beside Pagma and Grid.


    ¡°I will refer to the pattern that Pagma used in each sword dance to imprint my magic forms on the sword dances. In the future, you won¡¯t need to use magic and swordsmanship separately. No matter how dumb you are, you can easily take advantage of my magic.¡±


    Step.Step. Braham took a few steps closer to the follower while performing a dance. mes reminiscent of the sun shed around him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me!¡± The follower noticed there was no more ce he could withdraw to and flew straight forward. The person pursuing the ultimate martial arts chose to challenge Braham rather than run away. Some of the matter gathered by Braham scattered in the air as the follower shot forward like a ray of light.


    The power of the follower was formidable. Grid couldn¡¯t deal with it even when armed with Valha. Yet Braham handled it easily. A transparent shield appeared in front of him as he finished the sword dance. He spoke to Grid, who was admiring him,¡°The new swordsmanship will destroy your enemies and protect your body.¡±


    Braham made a definite promise. He thrust the sword into the follower¡¯s chest. Grid expected the follower to turn to ash. The brilliant picture of Braham defeating the enemy was naturally drawn in his mind. However, imagination and reality were very different.


    ¡°...¡±


    Braham¡¯s strength stat was only 258. It was a very weak strength that couldn¡¯t be supplemented with items. Moreover, Braham wasn¡¯t using Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship at the moment. He was just following the form.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was an awkward silence! The follower became more uneasy after the sword didn¡¯t hurt him, and Braham coughed.


    ¡°Haaap!¡± The first one to deal with the shock was the follower. He thought this was an opportunity and broke the awkward silence. Moving like a lightning bolt, he grabbed Braham¡¯s arm. He threw Braham to the ground and was probably nning a rapid-fired bombardment, but Braham didn¡¯t allow it. The hand of the follower holding Braham¡¯s arm was cut off with Wind Cutter. The follower retreated with a groan. ¡°...?!¡±


    Meanwhile, Braham threatened, ¡°You can¡¯t touch my body without my permission.¡±


    ¡®My body?!¡¯ Grid cried out.


    However, Braham ignored him. He threw his hand forward in an irritated manner and omitted the casting as he released Tornado, tearing the follower apart. Braham¡¯s white hair slowly ckened again. He was returning the control back over to Grid.


    ¡°Keep this in mind. The war god reaches to the bottom of the target¡¯s self-esteem and then extends the hand of salvation. In the end, it is corruption rather than salvation. His pride is no different from a machine. It is worse than the empty instincts of Yatan, who only repeats the destruction of the world.¡±


    Braham had consumed a veryrge amount of power. He felt that he would fall into a deep sleep again.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t fall into the temptation of the war god. Don¡¯t forget that I am with you.¡±


    ¡®Braham, you...¡¯ Grid noticed something as Braham was talking. This person was saying goodbye for a while.


    ¡°I will repeat it if the war god approaches you again.¡±


    The color of his hair, skin, and eyespletely returned back to their original states. Control of the body had returned to Grid. Braham barely held onto his consciousness and finished hisst word with difficulty.


    ¡°...Fuck.¡±


    ¡®...¡¯


    [Braham¡¯s soul is in a deep sleep.]


    [However, Braham will be watching you.]


    [The information of Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship has been updated thanks to thepensation of the hidden piece.]


    [The reaction of the hidden piece has removed the possibility of Legendary Great Magician and opened the possibility of Braham¡¯s Descendant.]


    [(Braham¡¯s Favor) Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 1]


    [Increases physical attack by 40%, critical hit rate by 50%, and critical damage by 80%.


    * This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * Reduces the stride of the sword dance.


    * The number of fusion sword dances you can create is five.


    * Every time the skill level rises, the number of fusion sword dances that can be created will increase.


    * With this skill effect, you can only create up to four linked sword dances.


    ¡ï Whenever a sword dance is used, one of Braham¡¯s enhanced spells will be revealed.


    ¡ï The spells that are expressed are limited to basic spells, and each sword dance has a different spell.


    ¡ï In the case of a fusion sword dance, several spells are ovepped.


    ¡ï Mana is consumed, so you can activate/deactivate it.


    Currently active.]


    ¡°Braham...¡± Grid regained control of his body and grabbed his chest. The deep affection he received from Braham made himugh and cry.

 Chapter 1028

    ¡®It must be a series of pain.¡¯


    Pagma had fought against an army of hundreds of thousands of demons in the Behen Archipgo on his own. He had glimpsed the essence of Hexetia and realized that his distinction between good and evil had been wrong. Then he regretted the damage he¡¯d done to Braham. In retrospect, perhaps Pagma felt betrayed by the war god. Every time he discovered a new truth, he would¡¯ve been in shock and pain. In the end, he would¡¯ve felt skeptical about his own life.


    ¡®...He is pitiful.¡¯


    Braham and Pagma¡ªthey were both pitiful people. It was the same for Piaro and Asmophel. Grid thought seriously about friendship and trust.


    ¡®I won¡¯t betray a friend, even if I have a de at my neck.¡¯


    They were precious and hard-earned friends. He couldn¡¯t betray them. His heart touched Braham¡¯s sleeping soul. Feeling hopeful, Grid brought up the list of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. A new option had been added to every sword dance.


    [Wave Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Shield will wrap around the caster¡¯s body when Wave is deployed. The shield will absorb 10,000 damage + the intelligence numerical value, and the caster¡¯s defense will increase by 300 while the shield is maintained.


    Mana Consumption: 500]


    [Restraint Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Grease is activated when Restraint is deployed. The range of Grease is the same as Restraint and the deployment time is equal to the duration of Restraint. Since the friction coefficient of the ground in contact with Grease will disappear, the target must slip. However, this effect is limited to when the target is standing on the ground.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000]


    [Link Lv. 1]


    [¡ïBraham¡¯s Wind Cutter will be released when Link is deployed. Wind Cutter is created between the air currents that ur with every fourth strike of Link. The damage of Wind Cutter is fixed at 5,000. Wind Cutter will cut the target with a low probability. The probability of the cut is affected by Wind Cutter¡¯s hit rate and the target¡¯s defense.


    Mana Consumption: 1,800]


    [Kill Lv. 1]


    [¡ïBraham¡¯s Detect Force is activated when Kill is deployed. Detect Force has the nature of chasing the target. The hit rate of Kill will increase greatly.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    [Pinnacle Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Weapon Enchant will activate when Pinnacle is deployed. The weapon¡¯s attack power will increase by 50%. This effect will disappear with the end of the sword dance.


    Mana Consumption: 1,200]


    [Revolve Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Shield will wrap around the caster¡¯s body when deploying Revolve.


    Mana Consumption: 500]


    [Drop Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Fire will be released when Drop is deployed. All targets within range of Drop will receive 3,000 damage and three seconds of burn damage.


    Mana Consumption: 800]


    [Flower Lv. 1]


    [¡ïBraham¡¯s Lightning will ur when Flower is deployed. A target hit with Flower will have a low probability of being shocked and receiving 3,000 damage. During the electric shock, their body will be paralyzed.


    Mana Consumption: 800]


    [Transcend Lv. 1]


    [¡ï Braham¡¯s Detect Force is activated when Transcend is deployed. The hit rate of Transcend will greatly increase.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    [Flower Revolve]


    [¡ï The Lightning and Shield effect will be applied.


    Mana Consumption: 1,300]


    [Pinnacle Kill]


    [¡ï The Weapon Enchant and Detect Force will be applied.


    Mana Consumption: 2,200]


    [Transcended Link Flower]


    [¡ï The effect of Detect Force, Wind Cutter and Lightning will be applied.


    Mana Consumption: 3,600]


    [Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle]


    [¡ïThe effect of Wind Cutter, Detect Force, Lightning and Weapon Enchant is applied.


    Mana Consumption: 4,800


    * The magic spells have been greatly reduced in the process of simplifying the magic forms.]


    ¡°...¡±


    The power decreased due to simplifying the process. This was clearly stated, but Grid only felt admiration. What did it mean by having weakened spells? As a simple example, the Weapon Enchant used bymon magicians improved the power of the weapon by 20%. Of course, this was based on the skill being at level 1. However, each increase in level only increased the effect by 6%. It meant the level 5 Weapon Enchant increased the weapon¡¯s power by 50%, and the mana cost was also higher.


    ¡®Instead, the duration is three minutes.¡¯


    In any case, Grid was satisfied. It was a power gained by sheer virtue of Grid¡¯s favor. If he wasn¡¯t satisfied, then he would be shameless.


    ¡®One drawback is the mana consumption...¡¯


    Currently, Grid¡¯s total mana at level 398 was less than 18,000. This was due to the second ss Duke of Wisdom, which caused half his stat points to be forcibly invested in intelligence.


    ¡®Wait?¡¯


    Grid opened his status window and confirmed his second ss. Since the possibility of Legendary Great Magician was removed, he thought the second ss would change. The second ss was still Duke of Wisdom.


    ¡®Duke of Wisdom is one of Braham¡¯s powers. Duke of Wisdom was still present since the possibility of Braham¡¯s Descendant was avable. Huh? Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid got chills. The disadvantage of the newly changed swordsmanship was the mana consumption, and this could be controlled through activation and deactivation. Additionally, the help of the Ring of Absurdity meant there would be no shortage of mana.


    He thought it was simple, but he was mistaken. He thought a bit deeper and found there was a fatal problem. In the future, it would be impossible for him to temper minerals with magic. Grid had been hitting minerals with Magic Missile instead of the hammer depending on the situation. In the future, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the spells, and this would weaken his cksmithing skills as a result.


    ¡®Ah, this isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    ...No, was it really bad?


    The frustrated Grid looked back at the results of the hidden piece. Was there any phrase that said the spells he previously used would be deleted?


    ¡®There is nothing.¡¯


    Grid¡¯splexion improved as he called up the list of avable spells. Then...


    ....


    [Magic Missile]


    [rm]


    ....


    The previous spells that Grid favored were still in ce.


    ¡®Indeed. The genius Braham wouldn¡¯t have overlooked this.¡¯


    Good. There were no problems with the hidden piece he obtained this time. Once again, Grid was filled with joy. He clenched his fists in a delighted manner. Grid wanted to run around and cheer, but then he would lose his dignity in front of the dukes and the imperial knights. He tried to calm and soothe his excited mind.


    ¡°E-Excuse me. Overgeared King...?¡± The dukes approached him. Their recovery speed was extremely fast, and most of their wounds were restored. Despite this, their expressions weren¡¯t good. They looked half insane. They spoke with great care.


    ¡°Were you hiding your power?¡±Duke Morse asked with a polite attitude, speaking with honorifics. He normallycked manners and was a bit of a roguepared to the other dukes. Now he was so polite that Grid was embarrassed. Still, it was only for a moment. Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to hide it. You were so strong that I didn¡¯t have to reveal it.¡±


    Could he be this strong? Yes... No, Braham helped. However, they were nobles of an enemy nation, and he couldn¡¯t confess honestly. Grid decided to take advantage of the dukes¡¯ misunderstanding, and the method worked properly.


    ¡°You are the best cksmith of this age, a swordsman, and also someone who deals with magic... It is very respectable.¡±This came from Beast King Morse. He had a strong and rowdy temperament but he was polite to people he acknowledged. It was because he deeply appreciated and respected the strong.


    The knights of the empire were buzzing. This was natural. It was hard to remain calm when a duke of the empire was technically wagging his tail in front of the enemy king, Grid. In fact, it was almost treason. Even so, Grenhal and Basara didn¡¯t rebuke Morse¡¯s attitude. As they watched Grid, their shining eyes were simr to Morse¡¯s. In particr, Basara¡¯s face was red.


    ¡°Do you usually hide your beauty on purpose?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I understand. There must be many flies buzzing around you because of your beauty. You had to disguise yourself as if you are ugly.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he handsome? Grid had an aggrieved expression on his face as he nced at Yura, who avoided his gaze. Although Grid was clearly handsome, he was merely a squid whenpared to Braham. Theparison was too bad. The heartbroken Grid had a gloomy expression.


    ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± Grenhal bowed deeply in ce of the half-insane Morse and Basara. ¡°Thanks to your help, the three of us were able to preserve our lives. Additionally, the 300 knights and 5,000 soldiers could be safe. Your Majesty is a benefactor of the Saharan Empire.¡±


    Grid himself... No, he realized how big a deal it was that Braham had saved the dukes. Grid had saved the lives of three of the Seven Dukes who supported the empire, and as a result, he was now a benefactor of the empire. They were the dukes, and the empire couldn¡¯t turn away.


    ¡°Just a few days ago, Your Majesty¡¯s kingdom was one-sidedly invaded by the empire. Yet you saved us with a generous heart and reached out to the empire first. A small person like me doesn¡¯t dare to judge your scale.¡±


    The atmosphere of the imperial knights softened. They had been puzzled by Morse¡¯s attitude a moment ago, but now they bowed deeply to Grid.


    ¡°Once again, I am deeply grateful. I swear by the name of Grenhal, the empire will never forget the grace of today.¡±


    Following Grenhal¡¯s oath...


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty!¡±


    The 300 knights shouted. Morse and Basara were also courteous.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a scene where the king of a small country was praised by the dukes and knights of the great empire. This was a scene that would go down in history. If news of this were leaked outside, the world would be dominated with news of Grid rather than Great Demon Berith, and Grid¡¯s reputation would be many times greater than before.


    ¡®He is on a different dimension.¡¯


    Lauel, the 10 meritorious retainers, Hurent, and Skunk got goose bumps. In particr, Hurent and Skunk didn¡¯t know about Braham, so their shock was huge. They thought all of these situations were created by Grid.

 Chapter 1029

    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Grenhal¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached 50. Grenhal is willing to dine with you at any time.]


    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Morse¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached 30. Morse will respond to your light jokes with a smile.]


    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Basara¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached 62. Basara will positively review whatever you ask for.]


    ¡°...¡± Grid felt refreshed as he was surrounded by the dukes and knights of the empire. Those who didn¡¯t even look at him a few years ago were now giving him goodwill and praise. This was an unreal situation for Grid. It was a rewarding feeling that was hard to describe in words.


    He trembled with happiness. Then he suddenly felt doubts. ¡®Why does Basara have the highest affinity?¡¯


    Grid talked a lot with Grenhal, head of the Seven Dukes. There was even the dexterity effect that he couldn¡¯t suppress during the handshake. Additionally, affinity with Grenhal had increased exponentially after saving his life. However, Grid didn¡¯t understand why Basara¡¯s affinity was so elevated. She seemed to maintain a clear distinction between public and private matters and was somewhat indifferent, so he hadn¡¯t shared many words with her.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand...¡¯


    Then Grid turned his head to the waterfall. The 52 waterfalls lost their momentum and fell like streams in the aftermath of their mana being taken away by Braham. Beneath them was the war god follower. A follower who had mastered 10 secret techniques¡ªhe was a little weaker than the yangban, Garam.


    Still, an enemy who could be described as powerful was now half-dead. His trembling legs were torn, just hanging by the skin, while his left arm and ears were cut off altogether. Blood was flowing down from his neck. He looked shabbypared to the dignified appearance he¡¯d had when he overwhelmed the dukes and the 10 meritorious retainers just a short moment ago.


    ¡®I better finish it quickly.¡¯


    The remaining health of the war god follower was less than 10%. There was very little chance of him exerting his original ability because his physical condition was unstable.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Step.


    Grid ordered the knights and started to take steps. He wanted to deal a final blow to the followers as he was afraid the war god might descend again while Braham was asleep. More than anything else...


    ¡®He is mine!¡¯


    He had to worry that the dukes might kill the follower.


    Step.Step.


    Grid¡¯s eyes were zing with greed as he gradually narrowed the distance to the follower. He dreamed of a ¡®perfect secret technique¡¯ while looking forward to how much experience killing the follower would give him. The followers asionally dropped fragments of the secret techniques that were damaged and had no value as skillbooks. Grid narrowed the distance to the follower and performed a sword dance. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    He felt the sword energy and mana exit his body at almost the same time. Blue energy formed around the Sword Aiming at the Gods, and four types of spells appeared simultaneously. It was the precursor of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.


    [Swordsmanship and magic have achieved unity!]


    A notification window appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view as he aimed at the follower taking a defensive posture with only one arm.


    [The world calls you a magic swordsman.]


    [A new ss will be given to you to define you.]


    [The third ss ¡®Magic Swordsman of the Epics¡¯ has been acquired.] (TL: Epics = epic poetry)


    Ttiring~


    [Magic Swordsman of the Epics]


    [Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    A magic swordsman who was born after inheriting Pagma¡¯s power and Braham¡¯s blessing¡ªhis epic will begin with a legend and end with a myth.]


    [The ss effect of Magic Swordsman of the Epics has permanently increased sword energy and mana by 20%.]


    [The ss effect of Magic Swordsman of the Epics has integrated magic and swordsmanship and permanently reduced the cooldown of all skills by 10%.]


    [The ss effect of Magic Swordsman of the Epics has permanently increased the strength and intelligence stat by 100 points.]


    [The ss effect of Magic Swordsman of the Epics means you will gain two additional stat points with every future level up. The additional stat points will be automatically invested in strength.]


    [There will be more beneficial effects if the Magic Swordsman of the Epics ss grows to the myth rating.]


    [Your status has risen sharply. You are a special being. The special passive ¡®Origin True Energy¡¯ has been created due to the status increase.]


    [¡ïOrigin True Energy ¡ï


    Possessed: 3


    You can consume one Origin True Energy to double a specific stat. The duration is one minute.


    If you consume all the Origin True Energy, all your stats will be permanently reduced by two times.


    * The consumed Origin True Energy is impossible to be recovered.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Origin True Energy¡ªGrid knew about this concept a long time ago. It was the reason why Mercedes¡¯s hair turned white. In order to deal with the cave cricket, she had pulled out the Origin True Energy. She had been unable to cope with the aftermath and aged partially, losing her beautiful blue hair. Grid was filled with guilt when he was reminded of Mercedes. He bit his lips and shook off his thoughts.


    ¡®I won¡¯t use this even if I¡¯m dying.¡¯


    This energy could only be used three times. If he used it three times, all his stats would be permanently halved. It was a nuisance. He was afraid to touch it.


    Enchant Weapon, Detect Force, Lightning, and Wind Cutter... Linked Kill Flower Pinnaclebined with magic started to hit the follower. The follower resisted Grid by using a counterattack martial arts, but it was an unreasonable feat with only one arm. Grid continued to use the sword dances like Transcended Link Flower and Pinnacle Kill.


    ¡°Kuek...! Cough!¡± The follower lost all his health. Then he said something as he copsed in a pile of blood, ¡°Thank... you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± It was so unexpected that Grid unconsciously backed away. Thinking about it, all the followers he¡¯d met so far had been monsters who respawned in the same spot.


    ¡°My name is Merlin... I abandoned everything and trained for 50 years while pursuing the path the war god showed me...¡± The follower who had mastered 10 secret techniques was able to talk.¡°...I couldn¡¯t see the end and was blinded by despair. Now it is finally over. I... wee... the rest.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a monster and was instead closer to an NPC. The follower called Merlin started to turn to gray ash. Grid gritted his teeth. Rather than rejoice in getting a new ss, he felt great anger at War God Zeratul. He was raging because he saw Pagma¡¯s image in Merlin.


    ¡®How many people has he destroyed?¡¯


    Countless people must have suffered like Pagma and Braham. It was terrible. The moment Grid thought this...


    [War God Zeratul is looking at you.]


    -Are you baring your teeth at me?


    The voice in Grid¡¯s mind seemed emotionless. It didn¡¯t show any displeasure or bitterness toward Grid. This was natural as War God Zeratul was an arrogant existence. He didn¡¯t react seriously just because a mere mortal showed hostility toward him. Grid¡¯s expression became even more terribly distorted. The war god¡¯s leisurely behavior was hateful. A curse was already eating at Grid. It was a curse resulting from the killing of the war god follower.


    [You feel an uncontroble anger!]


    [You want to release your anger!]


    [It is impossible to distinguish between enemies and allies!]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Grid¡¯s vision turned red, and he spun around heavily. Grid was confused by the changes in the position of the sky and the ground, and he floundered. By the time he barely managed to regain his mind, the area around Grid was crawling with followers. There were more than 300 of them. The dukes, the knights, and his preciouspanions were gone without a trace.


    ¡°These jerks...!¡±


    They dared to hurt his colleagues...? Then it happened when the bloody Grid was about to start a sword dance.


    -Calm down.


    [The cksmith god Hexetia is keeping you in control.]


    ¡°Grid...! Grid! Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid¡¯s red and spinning vision was restored to normal. The hundreds of followers surrounding Grid were gone, and there were hispanions, the dukes, and the knights.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    ...The followers he just saw were actually them? He was about to hurt them with his own hands...? The god¡¯s curse¡ªa chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he grasped how terrifying the weight of this punishment was. His shoulders shook with fright.


    ¡°What is it? Did you see a ghost?¡±


    Yura, Jishuka, and his other colleagues supported him. They didn¡¯t say many words and just watched Grid with warm eyes. This alone was a great strength for Grid.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a ghost. I saw a monster.¡± Grid smiled and checked his condition. He calmly controlled the emotions that had run wild because of the unknown curse. Grid had gained a huge 20% increase in experience in exchange for killing the follower who had mastered 10 secret techniques. However, he still didn¡¯t get a perfect secret technique. Only a damaged version entered his inventory.


    ¡®Is this the right reward?¡¯


    Without hesitation, Grid left the ce where the follower had died and headed to the back of the waterfall. It was the ce the follower had been guarding. Skunk guessed that treasure was likely to be hidden in this ce. Once they entered, they found it was covered with murals. The mysterious and dreamlike murals, simr to those in Buddhism, covered the walls and simultaneously stimted primitive fears.


    ¡°I need a long time to interpret it,¡± Skunk muttered when he saw the scale of the murals. He didn¡¯t seem to expect an answer, but based on his sparkling eyes, he was obviously very pleased with what he saw. Skunk was looking forward to the story that would be told every time he unraveled a mural. Grid thought about it and used his insight stat to look around carefully. Then he found the entrance to a small cave.


    ¡°I will enter first.¡± Faker stopped Grid who was about to enter the cave and moved forward carefully. He used the assassin¡¯s ability to detect traps. Then he signaled to the party once he determined it was safe. The cave was around 100 meters deep and wasn¡¯t too big.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    They reached the end of the cave and saw arge mural. Humans as small as ants were bowing toward the sky. It wasn¡¯t clear what existence they were worshipping. There was only a red radiance in the sky. It wasn¡¯t the sun. The radiance was more brilliant andrger than the sun.


    ¡°Due to the nature of this ce, it must be the symbol of the warriors.¡±Skunk approached the mural. He took a closer look and cocked his head.¡°Still, the image of worshipping the god is a bit strange. Normally the humans depicted in these sorts of paintings would have longing or joyous expressions, but the humans in this painting are screaming.¡±


    At this moment, the cave started to shake and the ground surged. The bulging ground took the form of an altar with an old box on it.


    [Secret Technique Box]


    ¡°It is also locked...¡±Skunk didn¡¯t finish saying that they had to find a key. It was because Grid pulled out the master key and opened the lock.


    ¡®A scam.¡¯ Skunk clicked his tongue.


    ***


    Simultaneously, at the waterfront of the ruins...


    ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived.¡±


    An imperial ship anchored itself. It had taken two times as long than expected to get here, but the reinforcements finally arrived.


    ¡°This...?¡± Drunk Duke Diworth jumped from the ship andughed when he saw the ship flying the g of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡°The war will continue here.¡±


    Diworth had the previous track record of missing the enemy king right in front of his nose. It was the shame of his long life and a mistake he had to make up for.


    ¡°Just wait, Overgeared King. This time I¡¯ll cut off your head.¡±


    Please note that Diworth¡¯s power was one level inferior to that of Grenhal, Morse, and Basara.

 Chapter 1030

    At the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    Tok. Someone ate a chicken leg that had been leftover.


    Tutok. Someone else hadn¡¯t bitten the chicken wing yet.


    ¡°...¡± It dropped from their hands. Their souls were lost in the aftermath of the first yer to obtain a third ss.


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Director Yoon Sangmin btedly recovered his spirit and looked at the scattered pieces of chicken on the table. It was fortunate, really fortunate. He dropped the chicken breast. The relieved Yoon Sangmin gulped down bottled water instead of beer. He wiped the spicy sauce on his mouth and said, ¡°I thought the first one to obtain the third ss would be Agnus, but there was a reversal.¡±


    In fact, the concept of ¡®first¡¯ wasn¡¯t very important. There were no benefits from being the first to get a third ss. Instead, honor followed. There were currently 1,311 people with a second ss. Among them, there was only one person with the title of ¡®First to Obtain a Second ss¡¯, and it belonged to Huroi.


    This was something that couldn¡¯t be taken away¡ªan eternal record. It was impossible to predict how great Grid¡¯s pride would be after surpassing two billionpetitors. Moreover, the point to note was that Grid had obtained a ss that directly indicated the possibility of a myth rated ss.


    [Someone unknown has received a third ss for the first time.]


    [His epic will begin with a legend and end with a myth.]


    On the monitor, this world message emerged. The people who noticed this would surely recognize the existence of myth rated sses. Huge ramifications were expected.


    ¡°...The reaction of the person involved is really calm.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t show great joy. No, to be urate, he didn¡¯t show any reactions. Grid had to focus on the battle with the follower and then he had to ovee the war god¡¯s curse. The employees in this ce watched Grid and forgot to eat chicken. They wanted to see Grid rejoicing over finishing everything in order for them to wrap up the day with a warm heart. It was a type of surrogate satisfaction. The employees were aware of Grid¡¯s past and wanted to support him.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t show any reaction until he reached the Secret Technique Box in the waterfall. Some employees questioned the smaller-than-expected response. ¡°Is it possible to be so casual after getting a growth type legendary ss?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    The number of achievements Grid had built over the years was too numerous to count. He was the first to acquire a legendary ss and the first to produce the first legendary items. He also became the first king by establishing the Overgeared Kingdom and was the hero who saved the Eternal Kingdom.


    The one who won the most gold medals in the National Competition, the Hero King who cleansed the Behen Archipgo, the man who inherited some of the power of the legend Braham and the Undefeated King, and so on¡ªGrid had a number of unique titles. He was also the person who made diplomacy with the Saharan Empire possible and the person who went to Asgard to challenge a god.


    Grid¡¯s feats were so great that even a mediocre yer would be a world star or high ranker with just one of them. Even so, Grid¡¯s current achievement was particrly exceptional. It was normal to show a reaction of joy. Thus, the employees were confused when Grid didn¡¯t have a significant reaction.


    ¡°Is there less joy because it is an opportunity gained through sheer coincidence and luck?¡±


    They weren¡¯t being sarcastic. The employees really thought like this. Agnus was scheduled to get the third ss Demon World Noble in the next few months. The result was purely due to his efforts. Then what about the Magic Swordsman of the Epics that Grid obtained this time?


    It was the result of coincidences and luck ovepping. What if Skunk hadn¡¯t found the Ruins of the War God? If Grid hadn¡¯t stepped into the ruins, Braham wouldn¡¯t have woken up and the third ss would still be a distant concept for Grid.


    However, not all the executives thought the same.


    ¡°It is due to coincidence and luck that Grid could reach the Ruins of the War God...? Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Right. It was possible because Grid gained the sea route by nting Huroi in enemy territory in advance.¡±


    ¡°Katz¡¯ financial resources were also a great help.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Gridy the foundation by creating the master key and building affinity with Braham to the maximum? It is purely a result of his ability that Grid obtained the third ss.


    ¡°Right. A person who isn¡¯t prepared can¡¯t catch up no matter the coincidences and luck.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    That¡¯s right, it happened again. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol. The small number of people who regarded Grid¡¯s achievement as a result of luck and coincidences btedly reflected and fell silent. They apologized to Grid in their heart. The S.A. Group¡¯s executive meeting room¡ªit became a ce for Grid¡¯s fan meetings.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was sweating. ¡®These people, have you finished all your work?¡¯


    ***


    The Overgeared members and the dukes broke through the jungle and killed the follower who had learned 10 secret techniques. These aplishments were already great. It was natural that a reasonablepensation would be given.


    [Secret Technique Box]


    [Contains a secret technique of War God Zeratul.]


    The second technique of the war god...


    It was the ultimate skill book. Grid¡¯s expression brightened when he received it.


    The truth of the world... He was rxed despite the reminder that Satisfy¡¯s final boss might not be Evil God Yatan.


    ¡®Yes, what does it matter if Goddess Reba is the final boss? In the first ce, a yer can¡¯t fight against dragons.¡¯


    The final boss of this world wasn¡¯t a problem for yers to worry about. It would be dealt with by an entity other than yers. There was no need to worry or fear that his people and family might be harmed by the true darkness of the world.


    ¡®Let¡¯s just enjoy it for now.¡¯


    Just in case, he would try to be even stronger. Grid controlled his mind and opened the lock using the master key. However, he didn¡¯t open the box urgently. There was a part he had to make clear before opening the Secret Technique Box. Grid spoke to the dukes in a voice that maximized his dignity stat, ¡°I think I have the right to obtain this. What are your thoughts?¡±


    The knights were agitated. This was despite the fact that Grid had yed the main role in breaking through the jungle and oveing the follower who had mastered 10 secret techniques. Even if Grid wasn¡¯t present, the dukes would have eventually reached this point. It would¡¯ve just taken much more time and caused a bigger loss in power. Additionally, the achievements the dukes had achieved while breaking through the jungle were considerable. After all, the dukes had fought the followers more than anyone else.


    The secret technique of the war god... Honestly, it was impossible to concede to Grid a mythical treasure that might be kept in the imperial treasury.


    ...This was what the knights thought.


    ¡°Of course, it belongs to Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Your Majesty, we wouldn¡¯t be alive now. We don¡¯t have the right to covet the secret technique.¡±


    Meanwhile, Immortal King Grenha and Gold Crown Basara showed a polite attitude that respected Grid¡¯s position.


    ¡°Hmm, our achievements aren¡¯t small... His Majesty the Emperor might be angry if he finds outter. But well... the Overgeared King¡¯s merit is the biggest. We will aim for a greater achievement and gain the next reward...¡± Beast King Morse muttered to himself in a somewhat unwilling manner, but he didn¡¯t raise any objections.


    Putting aside his position and thoughts, Grid was clearly qualified to be the owner of the secret technique.


    ¡°Thank you for the concession.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a concession. He had the right to take it. Yet Grid outwardly thanked the dukes, and this raised their pride greatly. Thanks to Grid¡¯s care, the dukes¡¯ affinity increased by one.


    Then Grid turned to his colleagues. The Overgeared members were more curious about the world message that had just appeared in front of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the detailed storyter. Let¡¯s check the contents of the Secret Technique Box and decide on the owner.¡±


    There were at least hundreds of secret techniques. It was reasonable considering the number of techniques known by the followers they had met so far had reached 100. If the secret technique regarded the spear, then he would give it to Pon. If it regarded the shield, then he would give it to Vantner. Grid thought about how to share the secret techniques. He had no intention of monopolizing the secret technique. Rather, he wanted to use this opportunity to make up for some of the damage his colleagues suffered fighting the empire on his behalf.


    ¡°That is the right idea,¡±Lauel agreed with Grid, so the reluctant looking 10 meritorious retainers were forced to nod. They also had to be stronger. If they didn¡¯t be stronger, they would only grab at Grid¡¯s ankles.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be indebted to him forever. I have to be stronger and pay him back several times in the future,¡¯ the 10 meritorious retainers pledged.


    ¡®A truly great person.¡¯ Hurent and Skunk were greatly surprised. This was a situation where the secret technique belonged to Grid, yet he dered that he would share it fairly with his colleagues. A normal guild master wouldn¡¯t be able to do this easily. The most important thing about running an organization was the people, but most leaders were blinded by the benefits in front of them.


    ¡®An excellent leader.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be good to join Overgeared as Lauel rmended? Skunk thought that he could rmend Grid to his colleagues. The moment Skunk thought this, Grid finally opened the box. A light emerged from the box. All types of bright colors crossed sequentially and exploded. It was a gorgeous appearance that amplified the anticipation of the Overgeared members, Skunk, and the dukes.


    There was a bright smile on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®This is a random draw?¡¯


    It was clear from the fact that the different colors continued to cross each other. The Secret Technique Box was a drawing system. The secret technique was determined by sheer luck. There were many types of secret techniques, each with a different value and rating. It was natural for a drawing system to be adopted.


    ¡®I am lucky!¡¯


    Grid had the good luck stat. He was different from the past. The goddess of luck was on his side.


    ¡®I will receive the highest grade secret technique!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s confidence and anticipation were heightened.


    Ttiring~


    The light bursting from the box calmed down, and the contents of the box revealed itself.


    [The secret technique Light Footwork Technique: Empty Approach Path has been acquired!]


    [Light Footwork Technique: Empty Approach Path]


    [Category: Skill Book


    Rating: Legendary


    A legendary rated light footwork technique that allows you to walk in the sky.


    Learning Conditions: 8,000 agility.]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Overgeared members¡¯ faces turned to the color of poop when they confirmed the contents. They saw the learning conditions and understood the follower¡¯sment about ¡®not seeing the end of the path.¡¯ Even so, Grid¡¯s expression was bright.


    [The acquisition of the secret technique has activated the Secret Technique Mixture system.]


    [You can get a new technique bybining 10 damaged fragments and oneplete secret technique book.]


    [However, you can only get the same type of secret technique, and the rating of the secret technique might be lowered.]


    ¡°So, if we synthesize them together, a Light Footwork Technique is all that can be obtained?¡±Grid asked after informing his colleagues about the Secret Technique Mixture system.


    Lauel nodded. ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°Currently, isn¡¯t it better to lower the rating bybining them?¡±


    "Of course. Now we know why the followers have been dropping damaged books.


    8,000 agility was tough for yers to achieve. It might be possible, but it was unknown how many years it would take. In that case, it was better to have a lower rating if the learning condition of the secret technique was lowered. Grid was resolved and pulled out the damaged books from his inventory. He had nearly 50 fragments.


    [Attempting the secret techniques synthesis!]


    [The secret technique Light Footwork Technique: Walk on Snow with No Traces has been acquired as a result of the synthesis!]


    [Light Footwork Technique: Walk on Snow with No Traces]


    [Rating: Legendary


    It is light and agile enough not to leave any footprints in the snow.


    Learning Conditions: 6,000 agility.]


    ¡°...The person who is a piece of turd, raise your hand.¡±


    In the end...


    [The secret technique Light Footwork Technique: Fly on Top of Grass has been acquired as a result of the synthesis!]


    It happened after exactly nine attempts. Grid and the Overgeared members invested all the secret technique fragments they had umted.


    [Fly on Top of Grass]


    [Rating: Epic


    A Light Footwork Technique that can run on grass.


    Learning Conditions: 3,000 agility.]


    The party was able to get their hands on a normal rated technique, and Faker became its owner. The exnation of the secret technique might be simple, but the effect was different.


    [All speeds have increased by 20%.]


    [Movement speed is twice as fast in forests or on grasnd.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    It was a big jackpot. The party members¡¯ desire for secret techniques grew stronger.

 Chapter 1031

    Ranked yers had exceptional talent, passion, effort, and perseverance. They were highly proud of their own aplishments. Faker was the same. If he were the best among two billion yers, then at least he could feel proud that he didn¡¯t shame his grandfather.


    It¡¯s just that this changed with one person. This story changed in front of Grid.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve learned this.¡±


    Faker acquired Fly on Top of Grass through Grid, and he felt truly indignant. The effect of Fly on Top of Grass was much greater than expected. Faker judged that Grid should¡¯ve learned the skill, not him. He med himself for failing to refuse Grid¡¯s goodwill. Even Faker, who had the reputation of ¡®not losing in PvP¡¯, was modest in front of Grid.


    Grid sighed. ¡°No? It is great that you learned this.¡±


    He was serious. The effect of a 20% increase in all speeds would be a great help to Grid, but Grid already used buffs to maximize his speed. If he recalled the ¡®world that he saw through a transcendent gaze¡¯, this speed was probably the maximum possible for him right now... Still, it was doubtful.


    In any case, Grid didn¡¯t regret giving Faker the secret technique. The main reason was the effect of movement speed doubling in forests or on grasnd. Unlike Grid, Faker had to collect a lot of information across the continent. He had always felt sorry for Faker, who sacrificed his time by crossing the continent several times a month. Now Grid was happy that he could reduce Faker¡¯s burden. Moreover, Grid was far more dependent on Faker than other people thought.


    ¡®Faker must continue to grow stronger.¡¯


    Grid often sparred with his colleagues. He had sparred more than 500 times over the years and had experienced the crisis of losing his immortality dozens of times. The one who caused the most trouble to Grid was Faker. In the past, Faker¡¯s ability to kill a single guild alone was already unrivaled in the Overgeared Guild, and he had grown steadily since then. Grid thought that if there was a colleague who would go beyond him one day, it would be Faker.


    In fact, the war god had pointed to Faker. The war god expressed that Faker was only just bing stronger. Unlike Grid who had to break through his limits to be stronger in the future, Faker would grow stronger quicker and more easily. Grid wished for that day toe. He hoped that Faker would rece him in his frequent absences.


    ¡®Additionally, if...¡¯


    If he failed to ovee the limits of being Pagma¡¯s Descendant... If he lost his top spot to Kraugel and the Overgeared Kingdom was in danger...


    ¡®At that time, Faker must be the best and support everyone.¡¯


    Grid entrusted this wish to Faker. It was why he gave Fly on Top of Grass to Faker despite being able to learn it himself. Of course, this trust wasn¡¯t confined to Faker. All the colleagues here had Grid¡¯s trust and expectations. It was for their sake.


    ¡°The imperial soldiers and the Skunk Expedition Group have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes.¡±


    Grid was prepared to secure all the secret techniques in this historical site. There was a limit to being alone, no matter how strong a person was. People had to be strong together to respond to crises and valuables. Grid listened to Lauel¡¯s report and watched the faces of his peers and the dukes who were waiting for him outside the barracks.


    Duke Grenhal approached and told him,¡°I have instructed the soldiers to build a new camp here. We will challenge the next gateway while the Skunk Expedition Group will remain here and study the murals.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s start straight away.¡±


    Grid took the lead, and the dukes followed behind him. The dukes followed Grid naturally now.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    After passing the 53 waterfalls, they reached the end of the valley and saw a long river and a mountain in the distance. It was only around 1,000 meters above sea level and wasn¡¯t very high. The unusual thing was that the mountain didn¡¯t have a single de of grass on it. It was literally a barren mountain with gray rock.


    The sharp peak was covered with a thick fog, making it impossible for even Jishuka to see what was on there. It was too dark.


    ¡°Something is ominous...¡±Hurent muttered with a rapidly darkeningplexion. There would obviously be a greater trial waiting there. At present, Hurent¡¯s ability was only enough to hunt one follower. He honestly thought it was meaningless for him to join this march.


    Of course, hunting in these ruins would be impossible if Hurent was on an expedition by himself. However, he wasn¡¯t alone right now. They passed by the river and started climbing the rocks.


    ¡°What are these secret techniques?¡±


    The followers constantly challenged them.


    ¡°I¡¯ming out! They are my prey!¡±


    The Overgeared members became ustomed to the followers and hunted the followers with shining eyes. The thorough cooperation bypassed the followers¡¯ attacks and counterattacks and turned them to ashes. No matter how strong the followers were, they were still ssified as normal monsters and forced to be helpless in front of the high rankers. Thanks to this, Hurent didn¡¯t feel much fatigue and was pleased to see his umted damage and experience.


    ¡®This is a true party y.¡¯


    Hurent had little experience teaming up with talented yers. It was hard for him to meet a person stronger than himself, so he had felt that team y was painful and that he was morefortable alone. Now, that was beginning to change. He knew he could pursue a much more efficient hunting method by working together instead of being alone and that he could grow stronger more quickly this way. Hurent felt thrilled by the cooperation with powerful people. The thrill of the hunt, which he had forgotten after many years of working in the fields, gave him great pleasure.


    ¡®Shit. I can¡¯t go back to the old days.¡¯


    It was interesting. The more primal pleasure that was pursued in games was dominating Hurent¡¯s mind and body. Hurent sensed it. After being absorbed in this feeling, he would never be able to leave the Overgeared Guild. In fact, he would like to continue with them in the future.


    There was one decisive cause for this. Grid¡¯s presence at the forefront made it easier for his colleagues to hunt. One strong person made hunting several times faster and safer. That¡¯s right. In fact, Hurent was experiencing a bus. Moreover, it was a Grid bus. He couldn¡¯t help being attracted to the pleasure of the bus that resembled farming with Piaro.


    [You have found a War God Temple!]


    It was hard to find. The group easily climbed the rocks and soon reached the top of the mountain where they found a temple surrounded by dense fog. It was an old and shabby temple. Would this ce be guarded by a follower who had learned 10 secret techniques?


    The tense Grid, dukes, and Overgeared members held their breaths for a moment. They observed the surroundings without getting close to the temple. Then someone¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°I was wondering who else could¡¯ve reached this ce.¡±


    Step.Step.Step. Hundreds of footsteps came closer. The party members looked toward the entrance of the temple. Familiar faces were seen. Zhang Jian, Liao Wei, Mei Xiao, and so on¡ªthey were Chinese rankers who yed a major role in the National Competition in the past. There were around 200 people in total, and among them, there was a person with a deep rtionship with the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if you reached here this quickly.¡±


    It was China¡¯s strongest person. All the gathered rankers acknowledged him. The first yer to be a half draconian¡ªit was Hao.


    China was a country where the Communist Party¡¯s judgments and orders were given priority over individual rights. Once the Ruins of the War God emerged, the Chinese government gave orders to all Chinese rankers, including Hao. They were directed to immediately depart for the Ruins of the War God and secure as much of the war god¡¯s power as possible.


    China¡¯s greatest strength was its poption. There were many Chinese yers in each field. Hao¡¯s party took some time, but they seeded in securing the route to the Ruins of the War God. By the time they arrived at the ruins, that was when Grid¡¯s party was tied up in the valley for a few days. Since the jungle traps had already been cleared, the party had no difficulty oveing the jungle and came to the temple without passing through the valley. They were able to arrive at the temple ahead of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Grid, I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ll have to step back here,¡± Hao stated with a somber expression.


    The Chinese rankers, apart from his sister Mei Xiao, had already pulled out their weapons and were pointing them at the Overgeared members. Hao sighed and exined the situation, ¡°The leader became interested after the National Competition. It is rumored that he is angry about the fact that China didn¡¯t take first ce in the National Competition. This is the result. We have to secure the secret techniques and be stronger. We have to make good progress for next year¡¯s National Competition. This might be a shameless favor, but I hope you will yield it to us.¡±


    Originally, Hao had a bad rtionship with them. He was once the enemy of the Overgeared members. In the process of several repeated fights, Hao acknowledged Grid¡¯s abilities and became favorable to Grid and the Overgeared Guild. He then went to South Korea to give Grid news about Kraugel.


    It was painful. Hao didn¡¯t want to block Grid and the Overgeared Guild for ridiculous reasons, but he couldn¡¯t step back. Foreigners living in a modern society might not understand, but themand of the Communist Party in China was absolute.


    ¡°I roughly understand the situation...¡± Grid made an embarrassed expression, but before he could say anything¡ª


    ¡°Do you dare to stand in front of our way?¡±Beast King Morse interrupted. One of the empire¡¯s Seven Dukes jumped into the Chinese rankers¡¯ midst on the saber tiger. (TL: changed it to saber tiger from the previous name)


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Is this Grid¡¯s new subordinate?¡±


    The Chinese rankers didn¡¯t recognize Morse¡¯s identity. The empire¡¯s dukes were famous, but they never dreamed the dukes would be with Grid. It was natural. Just a few days ago, a great war was being fought between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. Grid and the empire¡¯s dukes becamepanions? The man with Grid was a duke of the empire...?


    A person with a normal mindset wouldn¡¯t have these thoughts. Morse¡¯s power was apanied by thunder-like explosions. He ignored the counterattacks of the Chinese rankers and punched them, causing dozens of Chinese rankers to be swept away by the explosion.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was sorry for the Chinese rankers who were stunned by the incredible destructive power. An awkward silence filled the area. Morse shouted,¡°It is a sin to stand in the way of a duke of the empire and king of the Overgeared Kingdom! I, Beast King Morse, will punish you!¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, what? What is this?¡±The Chinese rankers paled as they doubted their ears.


    ¡®It is really great.¡¯ A delighted smile spread across Hao¡¯s face.

 Chapter 1032

    They were many yers who opposed the Saharan Empire. No, most yers would feel negatively toward the Saharan Empire. How many modern people could be sympathetic to the image of the empire that discriminated and repressed other species and cultures, calling themselves the only right answer? There might be many yers who joined the empire to enjoy their infrastructure, but it was hard to find those who devoted themselves to the empire.


    There was just one strange thing. The poisonous Chinese yers often favored the Saharan Empire. The empire couldn¡¯t be seen negatively because the appearance of the Saharan Empire wasn¡¯t that different from China¡¯s, who put pressure on the surrounding countries. In their eyes, the ideals of the empire were worthy and the attitude of the empire was natural. Rather, they thought the empire was intrepid.


    Of course, not all Chinese were the same, but it was true that many Chinese supported the empire by describing the Saharan Empire as Satisfy¡¯s China. The same was true for the Chinese rankers gathered here now. For them, the empire was another version of China, and the nobles of the empire who exerted ¡®appropriate authority¡¯ were the objects of envy. The dukes were the best among the empire¡¯s nobles.


    ¡°Why Grid...¡±


    Yet they were defending Grid, the king of a small nation. No, it wasn¡¯t just at the level of defending.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you must be very upset that these puny bastards pointed their weapons at you. Govern your heart. We will take care of them.¡±


    Unlike the saber tiger that easily climbed the rocks, the two-headed hippo barely managed to climb the mountain because of itsck of agility. Duke Grenhal descended from it with rough breathing and treated Grid like a superior. His attitude made it out like Grid was the emperor.


    ¡°What? What the hell is this?¡±


    It was true that Grid dominated among the yers, but he was normal whenpared to NPCs. Additionally, academic circles stated that the Seven Dukes of the empire were some of the most powerful people on the West Continent. Compared to the Seven Dukes, Grid wascking in every aspect. Moreover, not long ago, the Overgeared Kingdom was fighting against the empire. Grid¡¯s knight had even killed Sky King Rigal. The rtionship between the empire and Grid could never be good. It was normal for the Seven Dukes to be hostile or to despise Grid.


    ¡®Then why are the dukes treating Grid so well? I can¡¯t understand it.¡¯


    The Chinese rankers who had been ordered to go to the historical site were all veterans. They could recall many cases, but no matter how many they looked through, it was impossible to guess how the rtionship between Grid and the Seven Dukes had formed.


    The dumbfounded Zhang Jian muttered, ¡°Perhaps he has a brainwashing skill...¡±


    It was rumored that there was someone among the hidden sses who could use brainwashing skills. This skill only applied to NPCs, and it was said that the person could acquire quests favorable to them by manipting the NPC. The most important thing was that the higher the level or quality of the NPC, the more the sess and effectiveness of the brainwashing skill would drop exponentially. It meant that brainwashing skills didn¡¯t work on named NPCs. In particr, it couldn¡¯t work on the dukes who were the best among the named NPCs.


    Additionally, the probability that Grid was the user with the brainwashing skill was remarkably low. The rtionship between Grid and the Seven Dukes couldn¡¯t be formed using such tricks. Consequently, the Chinese rankers were greatly confused.


    ¡°I will discipline you with the strictws of the Saharan Empire. It is an immediate death penalty for those who block the way of the empire¡¯s dukes,¡± Duke Grenhal said one-sided and harsh words casually and then drew his sword.


    They were Chinese rankers who supported the empire, but they thought the empire was unjust once they became its victims.


    ¡°What is this one-sided ruling?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You are going to kill a person just for blocking the way!¡±


    Being selfish just because they had strength¡ªit was unfair and unjust to those in a powerless position. The Chinese rankers realized the obvious and were filled with resentment, but the dukes didn¡¯t blink. Grenhal was about to kill the Chinese rankers when Lauel rushed in. ¡°Please calm down.¡±


    Of course, Lauel didn¡¯t like the Chinese rankers. They wanted to monopolize the ruins and were trying to kill Grid¡¯s party, making it hard for him to forgive them. On the other hand, Lauel learned about the difficulty of this ce after encountering the follower who had learned 10 secret techniques. He judged that it might be impossible to acquire all the secret techniques in the site with just their power and the power of the dukes.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to use their power instead of killing them?¡±Lauel tried to persuade the dukes. He was sure that the Chinese rankers would cooperate if their lives were spared here. Lauel had already calcted that they wouldn¡¯t dare to ask for the rights to the secret techniques which were foundter.


    Yet this happened before Lauel could persuade the duke.


    ¡°I have no intention of cooperating with you, even if I die,¡± Hao said. Holding a spear in one hand and a chain in the other, he shouted, ¡°We will fight to the death!¡±


    ¡°Crazy! What is this bullshit?¡±


    The Chinese rankers were thinking frantically.


    ¡°It is much better to cooperate with the Overgeared Guild to explore the ruins rather than die like this!¡±


    ¡°If we die, we will be banished outside the Red Sea! Have you forgotten how hard we worked to get here? We were lucky during the sea journey, but there is no guarantee that we can return!¡±


    The Chinese rankers were in an uproar. They were almost screaming, unable to believe that Hao¡¯s judgment was right. Nevertheless, Hao didn¡¯t reverse his stance. It was because he knew that if he cooperated with the Overgeared Guild to explore the ruins and secure the secret techniques, the Chinese rankers would demand the rights to the secret techniques. Right now, they were talking reasonably to preserve their lives, but they would change their attitude in a way that was favorable to them at any time. He had seen it happen many times.


    ¡®At that time, I will be forced to side with them.¡¯


    Hao¡¯s position in China was still precarious. He was called a traitor just because he had surrendered to Grid, and the Communist Party had warned him about it. The Communist Party told Hao to be the leader of the expedition to test his ideals. Once China and the Overgeared Guild started to contend over the rights of the secret techniques, Hao didn¡¯t know what punishment would be awaiting him if he didn¡¯t side with China.


    ¡®If I stand on the Chinese side, I will deepen the feelings of hostility with Grid.¡¯


    That couldn¡¯t happen. Grid was one of the few people he admired. He didn¡¯t want their rtionship to fall to pieces. This was the reason why.


    ¡®I will block things before they get out of control.¡¯


    The determined Hao shouted to the Chinese rankers, ¡°We came here was to be stronger! How can begging for our lives be a method of bing stronger? It is an insult. This is lowering ourselves! Do you want to incur the wrath of the leader?!!!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±The Chinese rankers had distorted expressions once they heard these words. To them, the leader was an object of respect and fear.


    ¡°Shit... It is better to die fighting.¡± Liao Wei clicked his tongue. No matter the reason, she believed that the Chinese rankers should never beg for their lives. The leader of the Overgeared Guild was none other than Grid. He was Korean.


    ¡®There is a rumor that the leader is angry we didn¡¯t perform better than South Korea in the National Competition. He will be furious if he hears that we begged a Korean for our lives.¡¯


    The efficiency was the worst, but there was only one choice¡ªfight to the death. The Chinese rankers made their decisions and prepared forbat.


    ¡°...¡± Grid and Peak Sword watched the situation and noticed Hao¡¯s intentions. They were Korean and familiar with the characteristics of China. Thus, they knew what Hao was concerned about and why he instigated this situation. Lauel also noticed it btedly. The gazes of the dukes turned to Lauel.


    ¡°Do you want to spare them?¡±


    ¡°...No. Please do it well.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grenhal and Morse nodded and stood side by side. Grenhal held a sword while Morse wore gauntlets on both hands. Both of them were staring at Hao. A pair of wings emerged from Hao¡¯s back. Thetent power of a dragon in his body started to run wild.


    ¡°Let¡¯s show China¡¯s power.¡±Hao seemed to emit a ming breath.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± The momentum of the Chinese rankers rose. They might criticize Hao as a traitor, but they valued his skills highly. A chain rushed toward Grenhal like an aggressive snake, only to be blocked by a shield. Simultaneously, Mei Xiao threw a cloth that tied up the vibrating shield.


    ¡°Um!¡± Surprised by the power of Hao¡¯s thrown chain, Grenhal was careless, allowing his shield to be pulled away by the moving cloth. The Hao siblings were excellent andparable to the followers who had learned five secret techniques. The Chinese yers unleashed an onught to break through Duke Grenhal.


    The scene where dozens of weapons and skills flooded toward one person like a tsunami was spectacr. This was the moment that proved why China was ssified as a Satisfy powerhouse after the United States. The Overgeared members expected Grenhal to receive arge amount of damage, no matter how strong he was. Dozens of yers had died from Morse¡¯s surprise attack, but the number of Chinese rankers still exceeded 150. It was a force that wasn¡¯t weak.


    In particr, the pressureing from Hao was overwhelming. The dragon¡¯s energy wrapped around the end of his spear and contained a destructive force that caused even Grid to flinch for a moment.


    However, the opponent was too strong. Grenhal disregarded the attacks pouring toward him and waved his sword, causing a moonlight energy de to pour out. All the skills of the Chinese rankers were crushed without reaching Grenhal.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Hao¡¯s left arm which was covered with dragon scales was cut off, and the bodies of the Chinese rankers started to turn to ashes. Grid felt electrified when he saw the overwhelming sight.


    ¡®They have been hiding their real skills.¡¯


    It was a counterattack with a range and power which far exceeded those of Revolve. This was the identity of the light that Grenhal released. Grid was convinced...


    If the location wasn¡¯t the 53 waterfalls, then Grenhal could¡¯ve killed the follower, who had learned 10 secret techniques, alone. Of course, there was no guarantee that Grid would win against them.


    ¡®Spear Sage Rachel and Sword Duke Limit have a slightly higher level than Grenhal. Will they be equal to the follower who learned 10 secret techniques?¡¯


    Grid got goosebumps and was convinced that even these strong Seven Dukes and followers would have to give up in front of Yangban Garam. He had to handle Garam somehow in order to be properly active on the East Continent, but he wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    ¡®I¡¯m bing stronger, but why do I still feel shabby?¡¯


    No matter how he thought about it, the NPC¡¯s natural growth system was a scam. It was too harsh for yers. Would a yer never be able to surpass NPCs? Grid formed fists and unknowingly started to cheer for Hao.


    The battle was intensifying. The army of Chinese rankers, that Grid wasn¡¯t sure he could win against, was dying before the destructive power of both Grenhal and Morse. There was only one person who stayed strong. Even so, he had lost his left arm, and the scales on his body were falling off.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Instead of the broken spear, Hao¡¯s fingernails extended like des and pierced Grenhal¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Kuek...?¡±Grenhal groaned, while Morse and Basara were greatly astonished. Grid was also shocked. When he saw Hao, the yers¡¯ despair about not being able to surpass the NPCs turned into hope that it could be done. Hao¡¯s satisfied smile about his performance was aimed at Grid. ¡¯I owe you a great deal,¡¯ Hao¡¯s eyes said.


    Grid nodded, silently replying, ¡¯It was a pleasure. Your heart, I received it.¡¯


    Grenhal¡¯s sword fell toward Hao¡¯s neck. At this moment...


    [The Different Species¡¯ King title effect is activated.]


    [The title effect of Different Species¡¯ King is limited to three uses. Are you sure you want to use it?]


    Grid used the title effect, that he gained from absorbing the evil eyes species, for the first time.

 Chapter 1033

    Now Grid¡¯s thinking ability wasn¡¯t easily buried. He didn¡¯t neglect the title of Different Species¡¯ King because he waszy orcking. Rather, it was because he concluded that he could be wasting energy if he cared about it and chose to be patient.


    He needed a reliable helper to utilize the Different Species¡¯ King title.


    [Different Species¡¯ King]


    [You have proved your king¡¯s qualification by embracing non-human species.


    ¡ï Permanent Effects


    * Difference species are very favorable to you.


    * If the target is a different species, the probability of increasing affinity will double.


    * However, some warlike species will want to test your abilities.


    ¡ï Limited Effects


    * The ¡®contract¡¯ system is activated with the title effect.


    * There are three contracts avable. (3/3)]


    [Contract]


    [If the target is another species, you can propose a contract.


    The target you contract with will ¡®awaken¡¯ strengthened racial characteristics. You will acquire some of the racial traits of the contracted target.


    You can¡¯t destroy a contract once it is made.


    However, the other person can destroy the contract at any time and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. Additionally, the contract will be canceled if the target permanently dies and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. In both cases, the contract count can¡¯t be recovered.]


    The effect of this contract was unconditionally positive. It was a tremendous benefit to acquire the characteristics of other species. For example, if Grid signed a contract with a member of the evil eyes species, he was likely to open an evil eye even without affinity with the king.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t propose a contract with the evil eyes king. He didn¡¯t even contract with his close confidant Sticks. This wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t trust them, nor was it because he was worried they would break the contract.


    It was painful, but he was concerned about the possibility of their death. Unlike yers, NPCs were mortal, and death was a fate that even a high elf with a life span of thousands of years couldn¡¯t avoid. What if an ident took away their lives? If he couldn¡¯t protect them, the contract could be wasted at any time. Thus, Grid concluded that the target of the contract should be a yer.


    It was clearly a reasonable conclusion. The problem was that the difficulty was very high. First, the fundamental problem was finding a yer who had a non-human race¡ªdwarves, orcs, elves, goblins, and so on. Unlike normal games where different species could be chosen when creating a character, there was no such option in Satisfy. yers could only change to a non-human species by performing a hidden quest. It was a quest simr to the quest that gave Grid a chance to be a half-god.


    So far, Grid had only met a small number of yers with a different species, and there were problems even if he found them. The problem was that the target must be a species with ¡®usable¡¯ characteristics. He also needed to determine if he could trust the yer. If the target one-sidedly destroyed the contract, Grid would waste a contract and lose the racial trait.


    Thus, he had to find someone he could trust. How could that be easy? His trust in his colleagues was umted over the years. Grid thought it needed a great deal of time to find new people and establish a trusting rtionship. However¡ª


    [The title effect of Different Species¡¯ King is limited to three uses. Are you sure you want to use it?]


    ¡°I will use it.¡±


    Today, Grid saw Hao¡¯s willpower, and he felt Hao¡¯s liking toward him. He was convinced he could trust Hao, who was a half draconian.


    ¡°I will contract with Hao.¡±


    [The yer ¡®Hao¡¯ is the target of the contract.]


    [......]


    [.....]


    [....]


    [The target has epted the contract!]


    [You will randomly acquire of the half draconian¡¯s characteristics as a contract reward!]


    [...Interacting with your amazing luck!]


    [Congrattions! You have received the top trait of the draconian ¡®Dragon Wings¡¯!]


    ¡°...!?¡± Both of Grid¡¯s eyes widened, and he trembled. Then he lost his dignity in a scene where hundreds of rankers had died. The Overgeared members and dukes were watching him as it happened. Grid spread his arms wide open and cheered loudly, ¡°Niceeeee!¡±


    Was it because the sound was too loud? The old door of the silent temple covered in fog started to open. The eyes of the dukes, who were stunned by Grid¡¯s action, naturally turned toward the temple.


    Step.Step.An old monk in a cotton robe walked through the fog.


    ¡°Huhu, it has been hundreds of years since someone visited,¡± he muttered with a kind smile while raising his long white eyebrows. ¡°Now,e in. You should visit the war god¡¯s shrine first.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The attitude of the monk guiding the party was very kind. However, the expressions of Grid and the Overgeared members were stiff. It was due to the name of the monk. The name of the monk wasn¡¯t a follower.


    ¡°What are you doing? Come on in.¡±


    [Bentao].


    The benevolent smile on the round face of the old monk didn¡¯t disappear, just like how a clown¡¯s thick makeup wasn¡¯t erased.


    ***


    In the capital of the Ark Kingdom, at the center of the Reba Temple...


    Pure white light started to gather at the ce called the resurrection point. The light gradually expanded and formed the shape of a human. Soon, the light faded.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± A man showed up. It was a man with long ck hair. The man was handsome with impressive eyes and a pointed nose. As a high ranker, the process of ¡®death¡¯ and ¡®resurrection¡¯ was a system he had long been used to. After opening the status window and inventory, he found that he lost 38% of his experience, the durability of his items was lowered, and his spear was destroyed. Death was a fatal loss. His expression was dark as he nned how to recover it.


    ¡°It was because of ack of training.¡±


    Hao didn¡¯t me others for the situation. Instead, he merely rebuked his weakness and vowed to work harder. He controlled his heart as a cute girl with double ponytailed hair approached.


    ¡°Brother, are you okay?¡± The identity of the girl with a somber voice was Mei Xiao.She was Hao¡¯s younger sister.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sorry for worrying you.¡±


    She was a poor girl who had lost her family early in life. The child who was always trying to be cheerful was also smiling today.


    ¡°My level is low. I can recover it soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, things have already passed. It is better not to dwell on it.¡±


    Hao had grown up in a martial arts school, and the spear had never left his hand since childhood. He patted his sister¡¯s head with a hand that was full of hard calluses.


    ¡®Grenhal is strong.¡¯


    Grenhal¡¯s strength and stamina were twice as high as Hao¡¯s, and the skills he possessed were truly powerful. The swordsmanship that had been strengthened by training for many years had pierced through Hao¡¯s dragon scales easily, and it was a state that couldn¡¯t be easily matched in Satisfy.


    ¡®Absolute supremacy.¡¯


    No matter how hard Hao tried, there was no way for him to go against Grenhal right now. A powerhouse who could never be surpassed¡ªhow did Grid be friendly with him? Grenhal was even an enemy noble.


    ¡®Did Grid make an item as others expected?¡¯


    No, that guess was too unreasonable. A named NPC wasn¡¯t someone who could be exploited by wealth. If that was possible, all the rich people in the world would have one named NPC as a subordinate.


    It happened when Hao¡¯s thoughts were deepening.


    [The Different Species¡¯ King, yer ¡®Grid¡¯ has proposed to share the ¡®oath that transcends species¡¯ with you who is a half draconian.]


    [The king who proved his qualifications as king to all different species can only contract with three people. Your status will rise if you contract with ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    [The increase in status will awaken and strengthen the half draconian traits.]


    [Some of the traits of a half draconian will awaken in ¡®Grid¡¯ who is the subject of the contract.]


    [You can destroy the contract at any time. Once the contract is destroyed, ¡®Grid¡¯ will lose the characteristics of a half draconian. However, the awakening effect you experienced will remain unchanged.]


    [Would you like to ept the contract?]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a one-sided disadvantageous contract for Grid. This was the first thought that came to mind. The person who could destroy the contract was Hao, not Grid. Additionally, Grid was the only one who would suffer from the loss of the contract. It was a contract that couldn¡¯t be offered unless Grid thoroughly trusted him.


    ¡®The contract is one-sided for a reason.¡¯


    Grid could contract with a total of three people. He would gain a lot if he maintained contracts with all three of them. Maybe the gains were too unreasonable. These constraints were to contain the minimum of fairness.


    ¡®Anyway...¡¯


    Hao vaguely noticed the reason why Grid could attract even the nobles of an enemy nation. Was it due to the trust he showed first? Seeing Grid¡¯s true heart gave an overwhelming impression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ept the contract.¡±


    ¡®I won¡¯t betray your favor,¡¯ Hao swore.


    [You have epted the contract of the Different Species¡¯ King, yer ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    [The increase in status will awaken the half draconian traits.]


    [The dragon scales, dragon¡¯s breath and dragon wings are strengthened.]


    [The dragon¡¯s blood has be thicker. The level of Draconian Transformation has increased from 2 to 3.]


    [Draconian Transformation¡¯s increase in strength, agility, health, and resistance has risen from 15% to 20%. The fire ability and regeneration ability has strengthened. Your flying ability is more stable.]


    [However, your skills are stillcking.]


    [You have be a bridge between ¡®Grid¡¯ and the half draconians. As long as the contract is maintained, the militancy of the half draconians will be somewhat tempered against Grid.]


    ¡°...!¡± Hao was filled with boiling power, only toe to his senses.


    He was surprised by thest notification window. The half draconian¡¯s militancy would be softened? In the past, Hao visited the towns of the half draconians for his racial quest and saw their madness. Their ferocious temperament was simr to that of the evil dragon, Bunhelier, who had given birth to them, and Hao thought they were a species that could never reconcile with humans.


    ¡®Their strength...¡¯


    No matter how strong Grenhal was, it was only in the human world. Hao was reminded of the half draconians after a long time, and his expression changed.

 Chapter 1034

    The moments of joy and crises¡ªwhich kind of moment would people remember longer? For Grid, he remembered the moments of crises longer. It was in the realm of instinct, a type of defense mechanism to avoid going through the same crisis. One of the biggest moments of crisis for Grid was...


    [You have heard Bentao¡¯s badughter. You can¡¯t stay calm after listening to it.]


    [You have lost yourposure. The deployment of all active skills will be canceled.]


    [You have heard the enticement of the half god, Insane Clown King Bentao. Resistance has failed.]


    [It will take over one minute to ovee the ¡®frenzy¡¯ state.]


    [During the frenzy, your base damage will increase slightly, but your defense will decrease slightly. Additionally, the casting speed and resource consumption of all skills will increase greatly.]


    [Bentao has stretched out his hand while you are losing your cool. Your health has changed with the owner of Bentao.]


    It was the first battle with Agnus. Grid remembered the contents of the notification windows that emerged the moment the situation flipped over. It had been too shocking. A half god... What kind of existence was Bentao who managed to hit the Seven Malignant Saints and how was Agnus able to use his power? It was a mystery that Grid couldn¡¯t solve.


    ¡°cksmith God Hexetia gave tools to humanity.¡±


    Now, Bentao was right in front of him. Was this Bentao the same Bentao? The phantom of the insane clown king that appeared when Agnus used Bentao¡¯s Mockery had let out an evil and cruelugh. On the other hand, the Bentao in front of Grid now had a kind and trusting smile. The only thing that could be seen from his deep gaze was a feeling of charity. The madness was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°It was War God Zeratul who taught humanity how to use those tools.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    They followed Bentao inside the temple, and Grid¡ªwho was closely watching Bentao¡ªfelt a sense of difort. Finally, Bentao stopped in front of a stone status with no face.


    ¡°Stab the beast with the sharp spear. Cook food to fill the stomachs of you and your family every day. If someone craves your food, cut off his hand with a sharp knife. If someone harms your safety, slice open his stomach. The sharper your sword and spear, the safer you will be.¡±


    p.


    Bentao pped loudly and bowed his head in front of the statue. Then he looked back at Grid¡¯s party. ¡°These tools, they exist for violence.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Violence is the way for you and your family to live peacefully.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is the greatest blessing of humanity that the war god gave martial arts to humanity.¡±


    Grid¡¯s party got goosebumps. Bentao was speaking with a benign expression and voice, but the contents were ruthless and fierce, giving him an even stranger feeling. That¡¯s right. Unlike his appearance, the presence of Bentao was far from charitable. This was Insane Clown King Bentao, who fought against the Seven Malignant Saints that hoped for the peace of humanity. Grid was filled with this conviction.


    ¡°You glorify violence. Is this Zeratul¡¯s doctrine?¡±Lauel asked on behalf of the agitated party.


    Bentao nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m sure you are sympathetic to the doctrines of our church?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you trampled on the followers with violence that you¡¯ve reached this ce? You are qualified.¡±


    At this moment...


    [A hidden piece has urred!]


    Amon notification window emerged in front of all the Overgeared members.


    [You can convert to the hidden ss ¡®War God Follower¡¯!]


    [As a war god follower, your strength, stamina, and agility will permanently increase by 15%, and you will randomly acquire four secret techniques!]


    [However, you will lose your existing ss and the ss specific skills.]


    [Do you want to be a war god follower?]


    This was one of the rewards that could be obtained from the Ruins of the War God. It was the hidden ss, ¡®War God Follower.¡¯ This was an opportunity only given to those who passed the trials, reached Zeratul¡¯s temple, and were qualified.


    ¡®This...!¡¯ Grid immediately refused the ss change and turned his gaze toward his colleagues. Hispanions dreamed about bing stronger than anyone else. For them, the ss ¡®war god follower¡¯ would be attractive. In particr, it was an irresistible charm for those with a normal ss.


    ¡°No...!¡±


    Grid had peeked at the reality of the war god followers. A war god follower was a ve to the goal that couldn¡¯t be reached in a lifetime. If a yer became a war god follower, the system would harass the yer by presenting them with a quest that could never be cleared. They must never be a follower. If they were blinded by the stats and secret techniques that could be obtained immediately, they would suffer forever.


    The concerned Grid reached out to stop his colleagues.


    [Do you want to be a war god follower?]


    It was toote. The Overgeared members saw the same message window at the same time as Grid. They made their choice before Grid could stop them. Their choice...


    ¡°Hoh...¡±Bentao¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°All of you refused to be war god followers?¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Grid was startled.


    They all refused the hidden ss...?


    In particr, Vantner and Pon often expressed dissatisfaction with their sses. Grid¡¯s colleagues grinned at his confusion.


    ¡°We can¡¯t change our sses now, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aiming to be the strongest guardian knight. I have no intention of following the war god.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Grid glimpsed the trust and enthusiasm in his colleagues¡¯ gaze. The Overgeared members had been with Grid for a long time, and they envied him¡ªfar beyond how much the normal yer envied him. For them, Grid was the goal and the dream, not the war god. The war god follower ss had no charm.


    ¡°Kukuk...! Kuhahaha! Kuhahahat!¡± Bentao grabbed his belly and startedughing. The frivolously cheerfulughter, rather than a warm one, resounded through the room. The Overgeared members, who were wary of him from the beginning, were filled with tension.


    Bentao formally introduced himself, ¡°I am the half god Bentao. After a lifetime of training, I came to the Peach Blossom Spring but didn¡¯t peek at the reality of a god.¡± (Peach Blossom Spring = Utopia where people live in harmony with nature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peach_Blossom_Spring)


    Energy slowly started rising around Bentao. A majestic white aura round from his round body. The spiritual aura emitted an icy chill but repeatedly warmed up like the sunshine of spring. Surprisingly, it contained the power to promote life. Flowers and trees started to grow from between the old tiles which had beenin on the temple grounds.


    ¡°A long time ago, I went down to the ground to carry out the god¡¯s will and punish the seven wicked people. In order to pick out those who were confused by the seven evils and find their tracks, I wandered the entire continent as a clown. The thing I saw at the end was the darkness hidden in the bright light... The seven evils weren¡¯t evil.¡±


    Bentao waved his hand, and thendscape of the temple disappeared. The ce where the party members stood turned into a paradise covered with beautiful flowers and trees. Rich rice fields were visible, and there wererge floating lotus leaves on theke. Far away, beyond a stone wall, there was a tree with white peaches. A sweet smell shook the earth and sky.


    [You are the first yer to discover the Peach Blossom Spring!]


    [You got a white peach aspensation for discovering the Peach Blossom Spring!]


    ¡°...?¡±


    Suddenly, a big and fat peach appeared in the Overgeared members¡¯ hands. Bentao stared at them briefly before turning around. ¡°I heard that the Ruins of the War God were opened, and I was worried that evil aroused by the aesthetics of violence would appear. Thus, I tried to deceive your eyes for a moment. Forgive me.¡±


    This was the end. The wind blew, and the scenery in front of them flipped around. Then Bentao vanished like mist.


    Grid shouted hurriedly,¡°There is a person using your power on the ground! How can he use your power?¡±


    ¡°It was Baal who killed Insane King Bentao...¡±A faint reply that got interrupted in the middle was heard. Then the vision of the party members were once again obscured.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±Grid¡¯s party recovered their minds and found they were standing at the top of the mountain.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The voices of the dukes rang out. Looking back, their appearance hadn¡¯t been seen since going into the temple. When had the party fallen into Bentao¡¯s illusion? This was unreal. It wasn¡¯t easy to distinguish if what they just experienced was reality or an illusion. It was like the group had fallen asleep, but it was clearly reality. There was a white peach to one side of the Overgeared members¡¯ inventory.


    [White Peach]


    [A mysterious peach that grows only in the Peach Blossom Spring.


    It has a heavenly vor and amazing potency.


    When eaten, all heath and status abnormalities will be recovered and character experience will increase by 30%, regardless of level.


    * Can only be taken once in a lifetime.


    Weight: None]


    ¡°...¡±


    If they chose to be a war god follower, they would be standing at the resurrection point right now. Basara urged the thinking Overgeared members, ¡°The temple is empty and doesn¡¯t contain anything. Let¡¯s go to the next ce before the day is over.¡±


    Below the mountain, there was a field of reeds that rose as high as a human¡¯s height. Three or four followers were gathered together and wandering around the field. In the future, it would be impossible to defeat the followers individually.


    Now it was starting for real. They would have to fight without any rest. The prepared Overgeared members descended the steep mountain, and the followers wandering in the field weed them. The Overgeared members and dukes crossed the field in search of secret techniques. The more wounded their bodies got, the stronger they became.


    ***


    There were no more humans in the ruins that had been the capital of the Rotemon Kingdom just a few days ago. Only the dead and demons roamed the ruins, while Great Demon Berith sat on the throne of the fallen kingdom.


    [The Rotemon Kingdom has been destroyed.]


    It was a shocking world message.


    [22nd Great Demon Berith willunch a new march with two armies.]


    [Berith¡¯s next destination is the Haken Kingdom.]


    There was the following warning. The camera showed Berith get up from the throne and start to walk.


    ¡º ording to a survey by the US Bureau of Statistics, this incident has left 42 million yers without any ce to go. It was estimated that approximately 280 million quests were permanently destroyed. The economic losses resulting from this will affect reality... ¡»


    -Ah, shit.What should I do if I belong to the Haken Kingdom?


    -There is a hidden quest to protect my hometown but how...


    -The king of Haken¡¯s brain seems to havee to a halt.There is no military gathering.


    -What about the Saharan Empire?They usually get involved in other countries¡¯ affairs, but they are wiping their mouths at a time like this.


    -What should the empire do?The empire would have to suffer great losses if they fight the great demon. Why would they do that for another country?


    -No, this is a nation-wide affair.The entire continent is in danger.


    -Even the Overgeared Guild isn¡¯t doing anything ??. The game is screwed.


    -S.A Group, what are you thinking sending out a boss that is so strong??


    -Sigh, it is a really messy operation...


    -When is the new virtual reality game Briton releasing?


    -It is dyed indefinitely due to the harsh criticism from the closed beta ??.


    -Ah, this really sucks.


    Experts in each field believed that this situation would destroy half the continent. yers from all over the world trembled with anxiety and fear. Some rankers argued that all yers should unite to block Berith, but it was extremely rare for people toe forward and take action. People just wanted the empire to stop Berith before he invaded their kingdom. Additionally...


    ¡°Hey! Zibal! Are you crazy?¡±


    In the capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan...


    The Magic Machines Unit of 4th Imperial Prince Edan was turned upside down. It was because one of the riders of the four magic machines, Zibal, moved his magic machine without permission.


    ¡°...Damn, I¡¯m from the Haken Kingdom.¡±


    Zibal, the former second ranked in the unified rankings, had risen to the rank of earl in the Haken Kingdom. Most of the ties he¡¯d made in the Haken Kingdom continued to this day, so he couldn¡¯t just watch as the Haken Kingdom fell. The destruction of the Haken would not only cause him substantial losses but it also sickened his mind. There was also a hidden quest to protect his hometown.


    ¡°Shit! I¡¯ll just take a look!¡± Zibal closed his eyes, shouted to his superiors, and left.


    4th Imperial Prince Eden, who btedly came running after hearing the news,ughed as he saw Raiders disappearing into the sky. ¡°It is a good excuse.¡±


    The emperor had used all types of reasons to block theunch of the Magic Machines Unit. It was to stop Eden from building up achievements. Eden was angry at the emperor¡¯s actions, so he weed this incident.


    ¡°What can I do if a soldier moves on his own? Isn¡¯t that right? Kukuk, the whole world will finally know the greatness of the magic machines.¡±


    Simultaneously, at Kirinus¡¯ hut...


    ¡°Stop.¡± Spear Saint Rachel threw her spear. The deration was too abrupt.


    Kirinus frowned. ¡°The winner hasn¡¯t been determined yet?¡±


    Rachel was suddenly angry. ¡°Dammit, we¡¯ve fought for close to two months? How can the winner be decided? Hit me. I will stop.¡±


    In fact, Rachel¡¯s motivation had disappeared from a month ago. However, Sword Saint Kraugel constantly provoked her and she couldn¡¯t retreat. Rachel had reached her limit. She would give up. She thought it was a waste of time to fight with Kirinus, who was equal to her. There was nothing to learn, and it was impossible topete with him.


    At this time, Kraugel interrupted, ¡°You have surrendered, so Sir Kirinus has won.¡±


    Rachel felt a momentary rage.


    ¡°Sigh. I won¡¯t fall for your taunts anymore.¡±She controlled her mind. Rachel wanted to go to the historical ruins soon. She failed to defeat Kirinus, and this increased her desire for the war god¡¯s secret techniques. This was what Kraugel tried to stop. Kraugel wanted Grid to monopolize the rewards of the ruins. He didn¡¯t want this monstrous woman to go to the ruins and take away Grid¡¯s rewards.


    Thus, he made a suggestion. ¡°Why not change your method of fighting?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°What about the one who deals more damage to Great Demon Berith?¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Both Kirinus and Rachel showed interest. Rachel¡¯s knights looked like they were going to cry.


    Meanwhile, Kraugel sighed with relief.


    ¡®If I can slow down the destruction of the Haken Kingdom...¡¯


    He could reduce the number of people suffering until Grid returned from the Ruins of the War God. Then once Grid returned, Berith would be raided by both him and Grid.

 Chapter 1035

    ¡°A Berith raiding strategy exists.¡±


    The ce where Berith was summoned was too far from the empire. The empire had little room to intervene, and the military power of ordinary kingdoms couldn¡¯t bear Berith¡¯s power. In order to minimize the damage, yers had to move and raid Berith.


    However, it was impossible. In this case, half the continent would really be destroyed. Hundreds of billions of quests would be permanently destroyed, and hundreds of millions of yers would lose what they had built up. Was this really what the S.A Group wanted?


    Some intellectuals weren¡¯t convinced. The S.A Group also hoped for Berith to be raided and analyzed that they should¡¯ve arranged a strategy.


    ¡°The 33 great demons are based on Solomon¡¯s 72 demons.¡±


    The fact that the 1st great demon was Baal and the existence of Belial and Berith were obvious proofs of this. Not all 33 great demons might have the same settings as the 72 demons of Solomon, but many of the great demons were created the same or had slightly modified configurations as Solomon¡¯s 72 demons. The Berith depicted in Solomon¡¯s 72 demons was a target that could be controlled by the ¡®Magic Ring.¡¯


    ¡°We will be able to drive Berith out with the Magic Ring. The bnce makes it impossible for a yer to control a great demon, so we can¡¯tpletely control Berith. Still, we should be able tomand him to return to hell.¡±


    ¡°How can we get that Magic Ring?¡±


    ¡°We should make it.¡±


    ¡°How can one yer make an item that drives away a great demon?¡±


    ¡°It will be easy to make if we cooperate.¡±


    At the boundaries between the ruined Rotemon Kingdom and the Haken Kingdom, the 1st ranked alchemist Zelgah had gathered the yers of the Haken Kingdom to defend their country. People were angry.


    ¡°Alchemy and lies. We know that Berith¡¯s power is consistent with the depiction of Solomon¡¯s 72 demons, but the ranks are different. Berith is 28th in the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon while he is 22nd in Satisfy. It means there is some variation in the setting.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t be sure if Berith still had the same weakness.


    ¡°What if the Magic Ring doesn¡¯t work? What do you intend to do then?¡±


    The 5,000 yers gathered here hadn¡¯te to y around. They were here so that they would not lose their home kingdom where they had been active for a long time. The yers were determined to sacrifice their lives in order not to lose their precious rtionships and assets.


    From their position, Zelgah was seen as a scammer. He was trying to take advantage of the desperate people who were on the edge of a cliff.


    ¡°Moreover, you need our cooperation to make the ring? What? Should we give you money?¡±


    The yers showed obvious hostility, but Zelgah wasn¡¯t shaken. Their suspicions were natural and their reactions were within the range of his expectations. Zelgah said calmly, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want your money. The material needed to make the Magic Ring is the Stone of Life. It is the ultimate alchemy stone that can¡¯t be valued.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Stone of Life¡ªthere were many people who had heard of it, even if they weren¡¯t alchemists.


    ¡°...Crazy guy.¡±


    The stunned people soon regained their senses. Then they sent even more explicit hostility toward Zelgah.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a scammer trying to fool us but a madman ying with us. The 1st ranked alchemist? You can only use low-grade alchemy. It¡¯s that why you don¡¯t have any pride as a ranker?¡±


    They didn¡¯t know what the Stone of Life was exactly. ording to what they had heard, it was a universal alchemy stone that was almost a fantasy. Yet the material of the Magic Ring was the Stone of Life...? It was like saying they couldn¡¯t make the Magic Ring. This meant Zelgah didn¡¯t know how to raid Berith to begin with. He was just making fun of them.


    Some of the yers started to grab their weapons. It was to condemn Zelgah. Still, Zelgah remained calm. ¡°Did you know that a few months ago, Mad Dog Agnus was going around murdering essory makers in each country? The Overgeared Guild revealed that he was framed, but it was obvious that Agnus was looking for them.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    How did the story that began with Berith lead to Agnus? It was a stupid way of talking. Zelgah threw decisive words at the frowning yers, ¡°It was to make the Stone of Life.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Agnus has the Stone of Life. ording to the information I¡¯ve obtained, Agnus is currently in the Haken Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would be impossible to take the Stone of Life from Agnus. However, there is a way to get him to do it himself.¡± Zelgah looked around at the 5,000 yers. ¡°We can use the justification that the world needs the Stone of Life. Berith is threatening 2 billion yers. All the yers in the world will start crying out to Agnus for the Stone of Life, and it won¡¯t be possible for him to endure the pressure.¡±


    Moving public opinion was simple. Zelgah¡¯s argument was reasonable. Agnus just had to give up one thing and they could raid Berith. The moment this news was announced, people would start pressuring Agnus. None of the 5,000 yers gathered here had to take any risks.


    It was a great way to do it. However, this was on the premise that the Magic Ring would really work.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say Agnus yields the Stone of Life. Then what if the Magic Ring doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°In that case, I will bear all the me and violence. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    It was a chance to blow their nose without touching it. Even if nothing was blown out, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±After thinking about it, they made a decision. ¡°Okay. We will tell the world about how to raid Berith and make the demand that Agnus yield the Stone of Life. On the other hand, you will bear all responsibility for subsequent problems.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You can rest assured about that part. I don¡¯t have the power to go against you anyway.¡±


    After that...


    (Haken Kingdom yers in crisis, find out how to get rid of Great Demon Berith!)


    (The strategy of the Great Demon Berith raid is the ¡®Magic Ring¡¯.)


    (The material needed to make the Magic Ring is the Stone of Life.)


    (The Stone of Life turns out to be possessed by Agnus.)


    (The campaign of thousands of yers have started... They are demanding for Agnus to yield the Stone of Life.)


    (Agnus hasn¡¯t expressed any stance.)


    (The usations toward Agnus are bing fiercer every day.)


    A huge 5,000 people contacted the media and used all means and methods to move public opinion. The media from countries all over the world started to mention the Berith strategy, the Stone of Life, and Agnus. It didn¡¯t matter if the Berith strategy was real.


    The yers were just looking forward to the possibility, and the media was happy to report it. The high-quality topic boosted the enthusiasm of the media. If the attack strategy turned out to be wrong, it wasn¡¯t the public or the media who would suffer. They cornered Agnus without hesitation. It would be natural for him to give up the Stone of Life.


    On the outskirts of Innsbruck, Austria...


    ¡°Uhhhh...¡± Agnus sat alone in a lonely ancient castle, with his trembling body wrapped in a nket. He was a sinner without knowing why. In the past and even now, he had to endure the contempt and reproach that people sent toward him.


    ¡°Kuweek!¡±


    Everyone hated him. There was no one he could rely on. He was alone. Reminded of this reality, Agnus trembled with fear and horror. He didn¡¯t understand why he had to go through this again and was terrified by the emptiness of his heart. Then suddenly...


    ¡°Why...¡±He questioned it. Why should he be a target? He wasn¡¯t going to be weak anymore. There was no reason for him to sumb to violence without reason.


    Stagger.


    Agnus raised his body and approached the capsule that he had been away from for a few days. His body was now trembling with rage, not terror. It was anger toward the entire world for persecuting him and trying to take away what was his.


    ***


    ¡°Wow, really... I sat down with a bunch of creeps.¡±


    Those who would sacrifice a minority under the name of the majority... He witnessed a herd that hid behind the name of the ¡®masses¡¯ and forced sacrifices on others. In this case, the theory that ¡®human nature is fundamentally evil¡¯ came to mind. It was disgusting to see the yers chanting Agnus¡¯ name due to the uncertain solution of the Stone of Life. The difort simmering inside him made him feel disgusted.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Zibal¡ªwho deserted his unit on the magic machine, Raiders¡ªarrived at his home, the Haken Kingdom, after a few days but lost his burning sense of duty. Tens of thousands of yers were gathered under the kingdom¡¯s walls. What right did they have to call for Agnus to sacrifice the Stone of Life for the sake of humanity? Why couldn¡¯t they think of raiding Berith directly with such enthusiasm?


    Zibal shook his head.


    ¡°Zibal! You really came!¡± An old friend came up and hugged him. It was Earl Flenitium¡ªa person who had fought together with Zibal when he was a noble of the Haken Kingdom, even though he was a NPC. At first, Earl Flenitium was just a target Zibal recognized as part of the quest, but heter became a valuable friend. The fact that the earl¡¯s life was finite caused Zibal to feel anxiety and sorrow.


    ¡°It is because of this great demon that my home is in crisis. Of course, I shoulde. Is everybody gathered?"


    ¡°Everyone is here apart from Marquis Yn, who is protecting the king. This ce is so raucous. We should head to my mansion.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Zibal walked with Earl Flenitium and felt the chaos of the kingdom. The people showed a variety of reactions to the fact that the fearsome great demon was approaching. Young parents learned to use spears to protect their children while young children dressed in military uniforms to protect their old parents. Then there were others who just sat down and sobbed. Could he really protect them?


    Frankly, Zibal had no confidence of that. The end of the already ruined Rotemon Kingdom was terrible. The great demon Berith was a formidable opponent. However, Zibal wanted to fight. If even he turned away from them, the people of the Haken Kingdom would die without a single bit of hope.


    ¡®...Crazy.¡¯


    Was it due to the desperate situation...? Zibal kept wanting to rely on someone. He wanted a person stronger than him to fight with him. The one who came to mind was Grid¡ªa person who had frustrated him many times. Why did the person Zibal usually hatede to mind now? It was because he acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills.


    ¡°I¡¯m past my prime now.¡±


    Zibal made a bittersweet smile. He was never weak. In fact, he was much stronger than when he was the leader of the Seven Guilds and had shouted that he would be the best. Nevertheless, Grid was a special existence.

 Chapter 1036

    The Berith crisis spread to Agnus. The masses urged him to yield the Stone of Life, and the media further encouraged them by convincing and defending the public¡¯s attitude. It was an abnormal flow. There was no certainty that the Stone of Life could drive Berith away, and the public had no right to demand that someone give up their private property. So, why was Agnus a target?


    The experts analyzed this.


    ¡º You reap what you sow. In the meantime, Agnus has been famous for his PK. In order to monopolize the hunting grounds and fulfill his own quests, Agnus ughtered yers for selfish reasons. There are many people who are afraid of him. He is a suitable target to be a scapegoat. The public¡¯s anxiety and fears¡ªwhich have been called unavoidable despair¡ªneed hope to be resolved, and Agnus was chosen as the subject of hope. ¡»


    ¡º It doesn¡¯t matter to people if the Stone of Life is effective or not. They just want to share their insecurities and fears with others. Agnus is a good fit for the target. ¡»


    Kraugel headed to the Haken Kingdom along with Kirinus and Spear Saint Rachel. As the night deepened, Kraugel logged out while the two people were sleeping, and he became unnerved. He felt disgusted when he heard the story of Agnus, which had been a hot topictely.


    Reap what you sow? It was nonsense. The PK was just a good excuse to buy people¡¯s hatred. PK was a system that used both the strong and weak as needed. It was the PK system that protected one¡¯s rights, interests, and self-esteem, making it loved by many people.


    Those who were talking on the news panels right now would be the same. PKing wasn¡¯t exclusive to Agnus, yet only Agnus was harshly criticized. Why? It was because he was easy to deal with. The Agnus of a few years ago had been the head of a huge organization called Immortal while the current Agnus was alone. He was easy prey because his position was weak, just like when he was falsely used and on the guillotine. The people who once envied him for running wild in the world without any fear were now trying to touch him.


    ¡®That person named Zelgah is counting on this and targeting Agnus.¡¯


    Zelgah was the essence behind it. He used the people¡¯s fear of Berith and turned Berith into a target to be avoided rather than raided. The yers of the ¡®absolute majority¡¯ weren¡¯t capable of raiding Berith and easily agreed with Zelgah, causing the enthusiasm of those dreaming of raiding Berith to cool down. In the end, Berith entered the vicinity of the Haken Kingdom, but no yers were willing to stop him.


    ¡®Based on what I see, the Stone of Life isn¡¯t what Zelgah wants.¡¯


    The destruction of the Haken Kingdom¡ªthis was Zelgah¡¯s wish. There was no other way to interpret the situation. Kraugel was convinced.


    ¡®There is the Yatan Church behind him.¡¯


    The purpose of the Yatan Church was to summon the 33 great demons and turn the world into hell. From their perspective, they didn¡¯t want Berith to be raided. However, if they openly helped Berith, then they would be pointed out as the enemy of the entire human race andpletely isted. Thus, they yed tricks by using Zelgah.


    ¡®In the first ce, Agnus was framed by the Yatan Church for killing the essory makers...¡¯


    The Yatan Church¡¯s n was to protect Berith and eradicate Agnus. The influence of the public and media could be maximized because they exerted influence in the background.


    ¡®Rose...¡¯


    She was first on the ck magician rankings and someone who possessed enormous wealth and power as one of Yatan¡¯s Servants. When Kraugel met her by chance, Rose¡¯ attitude had been kind and friendly.


    ¡®In fact, she might be a scary woman.¡¯


    In any case, it was a headache. Since people stoppeding to raid Berith, Kraugel had to fight Berith purely with Kirinus, Rachel, and Rachel¡¯s knights. It was a struggle without any helpers. Kirinus¡¯ life could be in danger.


    ¡®It might be presumptuous... but I have to ask Hao and Alexander to participate.¡¯


    Kraugel needed enough power to open up a chance to retreat at any time. Thinking this, Kraugel pressed the button of his smartwatch.


    ***


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    ¡°Che!¡±


    The imperial army barely reached the ruins after a few weeks of sailing. They came here in a hurry as reinforcements for the vanguard. After more than a month, they arrived at the historical site and had to quickly join the vanguard to support them. However, the procession of the soldiers wasn¡¯t smooth, and the marching rate was as slow as a tortoise.


    The 10,000 soldiers and dozens of nobles were busy looking at each other with distrustful eyes. At the centre was Huroi, who was disguised as Earl Baget.


    ¡°Huhuhut...¡± He was the onlyughing man in the procession of 10,000 troops who were filled with confusion and anger. Huroi was very pleased with the current situation that urred due to his high-level incitement.


    ¡®I have dyed the meeting of the empire¡¯s advance team and the reinforcements by three times the original length of time. I should be proud and consider it a great sess.¡¯


    His liege, King Grid, had already arrived at the site and must¡¯ve had a hard time exploring while avoiding the eyes of the empire. He might¡¯ve suffered hair loss because he was threatened by the powerful imperial army led by three dukes.


    ¡®If the empire¡¯s reinforcements arrive in such a crisis...¡¯


    His liege would suffer a greater crisis and would have to give up on his exploration of the ruins. However, Huroi had taken action. The supreme loyalist managed to use maneuvers to prevent the empire¡¯s reinforcements from arriving in a timely manner, helping King Grid to explore the ruins. Huroi was confident that he had been active enough. He shrugged as he was reminded that Grid was somewhere praising him.


    Marquis Fulbas approached Huroi and sighed, ¡°Hah.¡±


    The marquis¡¯ eyes, which used to be full of energy, were long dead now. The dark circles under his eyes had also deepened. He had been suffering too much during thest few months. Marquis Fulbas felt betrayed by the colleagues he trusted his whole life, and every day was like hell.


    Huroi got rid of his smile and faithfully yed the role of Earl Baget. He looked at Marquis Fulbas with a worried expression. ¡°You look very sad.¡±


    Marquis Fulbas said to him, ¡°There is a rumor that Earl Silva is talking nonsense again.¡±


    ¡°No, really? That dog again... No, why are you worried about his absurd insinuations?¡±


    ¡°He said that my daughter, who married two years ago, would be with her husband for 100 years.¡±


    ¡°N-No? Such shit...! That son of a bitch! He is truly a lowly human!¡±


    ¡°Haha... That¡¯s right. I never dreamed that I would hear such a terrible curse in my life.¡±


    Marquis Fulbas¡¯ daughter had married a 41-year-old man. It was an arranged marriage. Marquis Fulbas had always felt guilty for being forced to send his daughter to an older man. The marquis hoped that his white-haired son-inw, who recently started to suffer from dementia, would die as soon as possible. He prayed that his daughter would be able to enjoy freedom, even if it waste. Yet Earl Silva, who had been respectful to him for 20 years, was hoping that his daughter would spend 100 years with her husband. A great shock and sense of betrayal caused Marquis Fulbas¡¯ eyes to darken. He felt there was no one in this world he could believe in.


    ¡°This... It is disgraceful behavior.¡±


    Was he not supposed to treat people with charity and kindness? It meant he had been living wrong. This feeling of skepticism caused Marquis Fulbas to hurriedly wipe his wet eyes. He was ashamed and unable to raise his head.


    ¡°Please take this.¡± Huroi handed him a handkerchief. It was a handkerchief that smelled like chicken poop, but Marquis Fulbas felt thankful.


    ¡°Earl Baget. I only have you now.¡±


    ¡°I will never betray the marquis.¡±


    Then it happened while they were absorbed in the conversation.


    ¡°There is nothing in the temple.¡±


    ¡°I was able to find traces of a huge battle near the temple.¡±


    At the summit of the mountain that was past the jungle, the knights returned after searching the temple there and gave a report.


    ¡°A huge battle? I thought the followers only emerge one by one?¡± Drunk Duke Diworth responded immediately while drinking a bottle of alcohol and scratching his stomach.¡°That means it wasn¡¯t a fight against the followers?¡±


    Diworth¡¯s eyes glittered for the first time in awhile. He had been annoyed by the pathetic actions of the nobles fighting each other in the back. He focused his eyes, directly checked the signs of battle near the temple, and lowered his gaze down the mountain. Far away, a vast expanse of reeds could be seen. Blood stained the reeds that had been cut or crushed to pieces.


    ¡°The blood hasn¡¯t died yet. Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Diworth went in front of the nobles who were busy questioning and doubting each other. He decided that the advance team and Overgeared Kingdom had already met each other and were fighting. Diworth believed that the advance team were tracking the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let Grid talk about Piaro.¡¯


    He admired Piaro, but the other dukes who still missed him would be agitated. It was hard to tell how Grid would take advantage of their agitation. Before that, he should join the advance team and cut off Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Diworth started to descend the mountain quickly. It was a speed that didn¡¯t take the soldiers into consideration. In the first ce, Diworth seemed to think he was only apanied by nobles and knights.


    ¡®This¡ª!¡¯ Huroi anxiously chased after the procession as the marching speed elerated sharply.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s party...


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡±


    The difficulty of the ruins rose rapidly starting from the reeds. The Overgeared members, who barely managed to break through the reed field after a few days of struggle, faced a crisis without time for a break. It was because the followers who had learned six secret techniques started to appear in groups of four.


    There were even those who had learned the ¡®unconditional counterattack¡¯ and ¡®unconditional avoidance of skills seen more than twice.¡¯ Surrounded by 30 followers, the Overgeared members and dukes were exhausted. It was enough to make them think that this expedition was impossible.


    ¡®It is a pity to eat the White Peach here. If I link 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and open up Astaroth¡¯s Strength, it might be possible to open up the path of retreat.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s vision shed red. Vantner was in a dying state, and Grid¡¯s health was also falling to dangerous levels as he acted as a tank in front. He had a means to break through the immediate crisis, but there was the question of how much trust he could ce in the dukes.


    Yura came up to the hesitating Grid. Armed with shining armor as white as her skin, she spoke with a determined expression, ¡°I¡¯ll summon the elemental king.¡±


    In fact, she was also hesitant. She couldn¡¯t easily judge if she should let it be known that she had contracted with an elemental king. However, Grid and her colleagues were currently in a desperate situation. She couldn¡¯t ignore her colleagues because of political issues. A circle of light was drawn around Yura as she started the summoning.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Lauel stretched out his hand on behalf of Grid, who couldn¡¯t easily make a decision. An elemental was a power that most humans coveted. More than that, the empire¡¯s desire for the elementals would be great. Exposing the elemental king in a situation where they couldn¡¯t be sure of the rtionship between the empire and Overgeared Kingdom was going to be risky.


    Thus, Lauel tried to stop Yura, but the dukes were one step faster.


    ¡°There are very few people in the empire who know why I am called the Immortal King.¡±


    Trust...


    Grid didn¡¯t show it, but the dukes showed it first. Grenhal started taking off the armor he had been wearing the whole time. From his gauntlets and leggings to his helmet, shield, and even body armor¡ªevery time a heavy piece of equipment fell to the ground, a loud noise rang out due to the heavy weight.


    Grenhal revealed a scarred and muscr body. His eyes were stained with a red light. A berserker¡ªhe was an ultimate fighter who showed extreme attack power and blood-sucking ability as more of his health was consumed. This was Grenhal¡¯s reality.


    ¡°Not many people know why I am the Beast King. It is because they die the moment they figure out the reason.¡± Then Morse¡¯s body became covered with rough beast-like fear as his teeth and nails sharpened.


    Perhaps the reality that Beastman Toon would ultimately reach could be seen through Morse. At this point, the gazes of the party members focused on Basara. The embarrassed Basara blushed. ¡°I-I can¡¯t transform like that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1037

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Duke Grenhal stepped forward while loosening his neck. At this moment, he wasn¡¯t a noble duke. With a provocative expression andrge muscr body, he was like a soldier who came to the arena, throwing off his mask and revealing his true nature. His two eyes were coveting violence.


    ¡°This uncle will y for a bit.¡±


    Peak Sword gulped as he stared at Grenhal¡¯s fighting spirit and killing intent. Duke Grenhal leaped forward. He plunged into the followers like he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. Duke Grenhal¡¯s sword aimed at three followers. The three followers immediately fought back, hitting toward Duke Grenhal¡¯s chin and feet.


    Duke Grenhal naturally didn¡¯t fall down. The basic characteristic of a warrior was lower body training. He stepped firmly, grabbed the ankle of a follower aiming at his face, and swung it like a hammer. The heads of the followers hit each other. There was a shock to their skulls as Duke Grenhal pushed at them with his shoulders and struck them with a sword surrounded by a red aura.


    The 30 followers, that were blocking the Overgeared members like a barrier, split apart like the Red Sea. Duke Grenhal¡¯s aura was reminiscent ofs orbiting due to the gravitational force of the sun. It swirled around in the form of spheres and damaged the followers¡¯ bodies.


    However, most of the red blood that was scattered in the deste canyon belonged to Duke Grenhal. The injured followers immediately counterattacked, turning Duke Grenhal into rags. Duke Grenhal, who abandoned his armor, quickly lost health and was unable to cope with the followers¡¯ attack power. Under normal circumstances, Duke Grenhal would seem like he was at risk, but he was a berserker.


    ¡¸ They be stronger as they get hurt. ¡¹


    This was the backbone of a berserker.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±The eyes of the Overgeared members widened. One of the followers was hit by Duke Grenhal and burst like a watermelon. Once Duke Grenhal¡¯s health fell below 30%, his attack power would reach its limit. It was a tremendousbat power that was appalling even for Grid, who was confident that he boasted the best attack power among the yers.


    ¡®I would die in one blow.¡¯


    Of course, Grid would survive using the power of immortality, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the damage to his armor or parts of his body. Grenhal certainly was strong. If the duke who invaded had been Grenhal instead of Rigal...


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have protected anyone.¡¯


    Grenhal¡¯s rampage intensified. Once his health fell below 20%, a follower died every time he threw out aura and wielded his fist and sword.


    ¡®Is it dangerous?¡¯ Grid watched the battle for a while and was in a state of anxiety. The berserker¡¯s characteristic of bing stronger the more they were hurt was both a strength and a weakness. The berserker, which had various ¡®conditions¡¯ and ¡®constraints¡¯, was a job that could never be valued. The more they threatened the enemy, the more threatened they were.


    ¡°Stop! Wake up!¡±


    Duke Grenhal¡¯s health fell below 10%. At this rate, he would die. A berserker was the symbol of someone who got lost in their minds. They were trapped in the battle and risked their own limbs.


    Just a bit more... Just a few more wounds could make them stronger and allow them to eliminate the enemies in front of them. The berserker was easily upied by such thoughts and was the most frequently killed ss inbat.


    ¡°Shit!¡±Grid didn¡¯t want the strong helper who showed trust in him and his colleagues to die in such a manner. He stepped forward to help Grenhal, only to stop in ce. Would this person remain his help forever? Would he remain by Grid¡¯s side when the exploration of the ruins was over and they returned to their daily life?


    Grid couldn¡¯t be sure. Grenhal was a duke of the empire. As long as the empire regarded the Overgeared Kingdom as an enemy, the tip of Grenhal¡¯s sword would point at Grid and his colleagues. Maybe he should let Grenhal die...


    ¡®No, that isn¡¯t it!¡¯


    Theter work was for ater day. In order to safely explore this historical site, Duke Grenhal couldn¡¯t die. Aside from these calctions, he liked Grenhal. Grenhal was a true noble who knew how to respect and care for others despite his strong power. Grid liked his elegant style. He couldn¡¯t let this person die.


    Grid made up his mind and started collecting the resource of the Hero King, fighting energy. A spear wielded by one of the followers prated Grenhal¡¯s chest. Grenhal¡¯s health fell below 10%. Simultaneously, Grenhal¡¯s aura became redder. Grenhal cut down the follower with the spear and absorbed almost 5% of health back.


    ¡°What?¡± Grid stopped using 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and the Overgeared members, who followed Grid to help Grenhal, froze like stone statues. Grenhal regained health every time he attacked the follower. The ultimate attack power was still maintained, and the blood-sucking ability reminiscent of a direct descendant vampire was expressed.


    Duke Grenhal¡¯s body, which was so ragged it would be easier to find uninjured parts, was quickly restored. It was a sight contrary tomon sense. The characteristic of blood-sucking¡ªit wasmon to all berserkers, but the effect was minimal. Not even the prominent high ranker berserker Asuka showed such great blood-sucking ability. As a third generation chaebol, she maximized her resources using items and was assisted by ck Teddy during battle. Nevertheless, the limit to her ability was ¡®barely regaining enough health to survive infrequently.¡¯


    However, Duke Grenhal¡¯s blood-sucking ability was of a different dimension. He was a berserker, but he was different. HIs blood-sucking ability was beyond the level of the ss characteristic.


    The final blow killed the remaining four followers. As the bones of the followers were crushed and brain matter poured from their heads, Grenhal seemed as intact as he looked originally. The new wounds obtained during the battle disappeared without a trace, and only the old scars remained. It seemed like time was reverting.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The silence continued. Grid and the Overgeared members, who felt more frightened than in awe of Grenhal, were close-mouthed. One man broke the silence.


    ¡°...Cough.¡±


    It was Grenhal who was bleeding. He groaned as the wounds that had been erased were once again etched on his hard body.


    ¡®Duke Grenhal...?¡±


    Why all of a sudden? Grid made a worried expression as he btedly came to his senses. Morse, who tore apart the new followers that arrived while Grenhal was fighting, exined, ¡°The reason why Duke Grenhal doesn¡¯t use his abilities is due to the aftereffects.¡±


    Ever since he saw the power of the assimted Grid and Braham, Morse was deeply respectful and courteous to Grid. Yet he spoke a bit crudely at this moment, perhaps due to his wild state after turning into a beast. Still, Grid didn¡¯t dwell on Morse¡¯s tone. He thought of Morse like a puppy scratching his ears.


    ¡°Grenhal recovers from the damage during the battle, but he will suffer them again after the battle ends. Additionally, those wounds will never heal. They can¡¯t be healed through any means.¡±


    ¡°The scars on his body...¡±


    ¡°They are signs of the aftereffects. Well, Duke Grenhal fights for the nation and its people. In his position, the scars are like decorations. He must feel that he got a new medal today.¡±


    Grenhal fought for Grid and his colleagues. After these words, Morse ended his beast transformation. He took off his fur and returned to human form, once again acting politely to Grid. ¡°I think Duke Grenhal will need time to rest.¡±


    ¡°I will help.¡± Grid moved ahead of Morse and approached the fallen Grenhal. He lent his shoulder to the still bleeding Grenhal. Looking closer, there was a deep cut on Grenhal¡¯s chest that had never been there before. It was a mark from being prated by the spear.


    Grid opened his mouth, ¡°...You have worked hard, my friend.¡±


    Maybe someday they would be enemies again. Grenhal couldn¡¯t y a role in political matters as long as the emperor and grandmaster existed.It was a fact that both Grid and Grenhal knew. However, Grid epted Grenhal as a friend. What else could he call a person who fought for them while taking the risk of disclosing his weakness? It was Grid¡¯s way of repaying the same goodwill, friendship, trust, and favor.


    ¡°...Your Majesty.¡± Duke Grenhal was thrilled. Those who witnessed his insanity and violence so far had avoided or feared him. Yet Grid was different. His own interests didn¡¯t obscure his essence. He didn¡¯t forget the reason for Grenhal¡¯s insanity and violence andpletely epted Grenhal¡¯s heart. Duke Grenhal was d and grateful for it.


    In addition, Grid¡¯s favor didn¡¯t end with these words.


    ¡°Do you know?"


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°My sister is a Saintess.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My dear little sister.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze was focused on the duke¡¯s left shoulder as he boasted about his little sister. It was an unusually deep wound¡ªto the point of permanent disability. This couldn¡¯t be considered a medal even for Duke Grenhal. He would feel resentment toward the scar whenever his right arm moved better than his left arm. Grid thought that it was the reason Duke Grenhal¡¯s level was lower than that of Spear Saint Rachel and Sword Duke Limit.


    ¡°You can meet with my sister at any time. Her healing power can be of great help to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank... Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Grenhal¡¯s body trembled. He straightened himself using Grid¡¯s shoulder and expressed deep gratitude. At this moment...


    ¡°Gridddd!¡±


    A terrible smell drifted from somewhere.


    ¡°I finally found you!¡±


    Along with a gale, Drunk Duke Diworth appeared.


    ¡°Ohu?¡±


    Diworth glimpsed the scene and smiled significantly. He noted that Grenhal facing Grid had taken off his armor.


    ¡°It is just before death.¡±


    Grenhal was in a temporarily invincible state after opening the power of a berserker. The usual Grenhal might be different, but even Rachel and Limit didn¡¯t dare say they could defeat ¡®Immortal King Grenhal.¡¯ Diworth imagined that Grid would die from Grenhal¡¯s violence. By the way, why was the progress so slow?


    ¡®What? Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Diworth sensed that something had gone wrong and stared at Grid and the other dukes.


    ¡°This wicked guy! You sold Piaro¡¯s name!!¡±


    ¡°Piaro?¡±


    Why did that namee out here? Grenhal, Morse, and Basara doubted their ears. Huge questions swirled in their minds. Still, there was a problem to be addressed before resolving the questions.


    ¡°Duke Diworth, remove your gaze.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Duke Grenhal? Did I hear that correctly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the Overgeared King with your ring eyes.¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    As stated earlier, Diworth was the one with the weakest authority among the Seven Dukes. On the other hand, Grenhal was a powerful man among the Seven Dukes. The confused Diworth lowered his eyes for now.

 Chapter 1038

    Political strife wasmon. The nobles divided into factions for their own interests and kept each other in check. The Seven Dukes were the same. Apart from the Sword Duke, they were all loyal to the imperial family, but they kept a close eye on each other and were vignt. In the worst case scenario, there would be armed conflict.


    It was inevitable that the dukes would fight. The dukes led millions of people, so incidents and idents continued. Someone didn¡¯t want to lose the inheritance gained from their ancestors, and someone else became relentless for their own ambition. Irrespective of the position and tendencies of such individuals, there was amon feature among the Seven Dukes.


    It was that they had respect for each other. They might be afraid of or hostile to each other, but on the surface, they showed courtesy and goodwill to each other. It was because they didn¡¯t want to lose their honor. This was to let people know that the ¡®dukes of the empire¡¯ deserved respect from everyone.


    It was a type of image marketing. In other words¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the Overgeared King with your ring eyes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It meant this situation wasn¡¯t normal, even if Duke Grenhal¡¯s strength and authority was above that of Duke Diworth and even if their two families were fighting over themercial rights of Saileta.


    ¡®In front of others...¡¯


    It was far frommon sense for Grenhal to show such hostility to Diworth in front of an adversary. Diworth lowered his eyes while clenching his fists. He breathed deeply as his body and mind trembled with anger. ¡®I should be calmer.¡¯


    Defending the Overgeared King while undermining the value of the empire¡¯s dukes...? The present Grenhal must be out of his mind. Grenhal was crazy enough that Diworth suspected he had already be a berserker. Diworth was once again convinced that Grid had used the pretext of Piaro to mislead the dukes.


    ¡®Wicked person.¡¯


    Grid was the king who had betrayed the royal family he served and overthrown the kingdom. He was as cunning as a snake. Was it a coincidence that he took in Piaro? No, the likelihood of a coincidence was extremely low. This was calcted from the beginning.


    Piaro was a special presence in the empire. Grid could make a great profit by cing Piaro by his side. As a result, he seeded in dampening the empire¡¯s desire to unify the continent and sessfully obtained Mercedes. It was evident that the emperor sent Mercedes to the Overgeared Kingdom after learning about Piaro¡¯s survival and took a passive stance toward the war against the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®He is too dangerous.¡¯


    Grid was too smart. His existence alone was a threat to the empire. Perhaps he was a dangerous existence beyond the Undefeated King. Madra only believed in strength and stuck to halting the empire¡¯s advance. Meanwhile, this genius and cunning man would make the empire rot from within. In fact, the emperor and dukes were already ying in his hands.


    ¡®For the sake of the emperor and the empire, this person must be eliminated.¡¯


    However, now wasn¡¯t the time. Grenhal and Morse had already bitten the bait called Piaro. At the time of Piaro¡¯s treason, they had petitioned the emperor, stating it was clear that Piaro had been framed. They pleaded that his family shouldn¡¯t be put to the guillotine. Those who longed for Piaro would be delighted by news of Piaro¡¯s survival. They would haveplicated feelings toward Grid who misled them by saying he was caring for Piaro.


    ¡®Piaro¡¯s presence can¡¯t be hidden anymore. It is a priority to inform them that Grid is using Piaro for political reasons, not caring for him out of pure benevolence.


    ¡®Thus, let¡¯s bow down.Let¡¯s aim for an opportunity to ignite Grenhal¡¯s rationality.¡¯


    Diworth would cooperate with Basara. Unlike the other dukes, she had no personal feelings or rtionship with Piaro. She would be able to analyze the situation objectively. Diworth used a lot of effort to suppress his anger. He apologized to Grenhal and removed all the alcohol in his mana.


    ¡°I made a mistake. The opponent might be the leader of an enemy country, but he is also a king who leads the people. I was too excited that I lost my dignity as a duke of the empire and didn¡¯t show him the minimal courtesy.¡±


    Diworth¡¯s eloquent words were subtle. He clearly dered that Grid was an enemy of the empire and that Grenhal¡¯s act of protecting him was for noble reasons. It was also a veiled criticism of Grenhal, who was misled by Grid for personal reasons. Diworth felt that Grenhal would feel shame and regain his lost reason.


    However, the result was different from what he expected. Grenhal said even crazier nonsense, ¡°I told you to put away your hostility for your sake, not for those pretentious reasons.¡±


    ¡°For my sake?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡®This lord, you must¡¯ve suffered quite a bit during the exploration of these ruins.¡¯


    There were countless scars on Grenhal¡¯s body under the name of ¡®medals.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t as good as before. Grenhal had fought for the emperor and the people for 60 years, and his mind and body had be tired a long time ago. The Ruins of the War God would be a continuous suffering for him. It was hard for Diworth to guess what would be the most difficult part of exploring this ce for more than a month without troops. It seemed Grenhal had gone crazy at the end of the hardship. Diworth clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Drunk Duke, you would¡¯ve died if you continued using that impure attitude in front of King Grid,¡± Morse said out of nowhere and pretended to cut his neck.


    ¡°What? I will be dead? Am I hearing properly right now?¡± Diworth scowled.


    Morse nodded.¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Diworth¡¯s face was as red as a jujube. He seemed drunk despite burning off all the alcohol. ¡°Duke Morse, you might be a duke, but I can¡¯t let those words go.¡±


    It was Diworth¡¯s pride. He might be weaker than them, but he wasn¡¯t a fool to beughed at or have his life threatened.


    ¡°You would kill me? Why? Are you afraid you won¡¯t meet Piaro if I interfere? So you will kill me? I am a duke of the empire like you! You dare to kill His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s servant?¡±Diworth was misunderstanding their words.


    He epted that those who would kill him were ¡®Grenhal¡¯ and ¡®Morse.¡¯ It was naturally a misunderstanding. No matter the situation, a duke wouldn¡¯t harm a duke. They could only stay on the sidelines.


    Morse waved his hand.¡°Are you crazy? Why would we kill a fellow duke?¡±


    ¡°Then by whose hands will I die?!!¡±


    Morse¡¯s words, which weren¡¯t a rification, only further fueled Diworth¡¯s anger. Without knowing the seriousness of the situation, Diworth thought that Morse was a madman. He would surely tell His Majesty the Emperor the things that happened today. Then he would make them take responsibility.


    A jade-like voice entered Diworth¡¯s ears as he was making this pledge. It was the voice of Basara, who had remained silent the whole time. ¡°You would die by the hands of the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Diworth felt that he had been struck by lightning.


    He would die because of Grid...?


    ...To that small fellow? Was this a new type of nagging?


    ¡°...Duke Basara, I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    The circumstances right now weren¡¯t very important to Diworth. He realized that he was being ridiculed. Diworth realized how much the dukes usually ignored him and was filled with a shame that would traumatize him for life. He was gritting his teeth when Grenhal asked him, ¡°Why does the name Piaro keeping out?¡±


    Piaro was dead. Grenhal had long epted it and buried Piaro in his heart. Yet Diworth kept mentioning Piaro. Additionally, he kept tying Piaro to Grid. There must be something more to it. An unexpected feeling of anticipation started to wriggle from deep inside Grenhal¡¯s heart.


    However, it wasn¡¯t Diworth who responded to his expectations.


    ¡°The former captain of the Red Knights, Piaro. He is currently my knight.¡±It was Grid who spoke.


    ¡°W-What?¡±The startled Basara and Morse opened their eyes wide.


    Grenhal¡¯s face stiffened, and he demanded confirmation again, ¡°Your Majesty, are your words true?¡±


    His eyes sent the message that he wouldn¡¯t tolerate anyone fooling around with Piaro¡¯s name. Was Piaro a special person to Grenhal? Grid perceived this and paid attention to Grenhal. ¡°Yes. It was a very long time ago. I met him when I was an ordinary person, not a king.¡±


    It was a strange fate. Piaro was a fearsome madman, and Grid had almost died to him. Yet this strange fate led to a precious rtionship.


    ¡°Piaro has been with me since the moment I became a noble.¡±


    ¡°W-What...¡±


    Piaro was alive? He was even serving a foreign king...?


    Grenhal had a madness that descended from generation to generation in his family. The only person who smiled warmly when everyone was afraid and shunned Grenhal for the madness imprinted in his genes had been Piaro. He had told Grenhal:


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed or afraid to reveal your madness.


    ¡°You are revealing your madness for your homnd and for the people. Thus, don¡¯t be afraid or scared when other people point at you.¡±


    It was a time when they were called the Nine Dukes, not Seven Dukes. Piaro was the former pir of the Nine Dukes.


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡±


    ¡°Duke Grenhal!¡±


    Morse helped support Grenhal, who reeled from the shock. Grenhal¡¯s eyes were red. He was happy. It felt like he washed away some of the sadness that had been stuck in his heart like indelible burn marks. He thanked the goddess of light and was relieved that Piaro had survived safely and was serving someone worthy. Simultaneously, an enormous feeling of guilt swept over him. It was the sin of him failing to protect Piaro¡¯s family. All types ofplicated emotions swept over Grenhal and made him cry.


    ¡°...¡±


    Piaro was a greater person than Grid had thought. When Grid saw Grenhal¡¯s response, he thought of the time when he first heard Piaro¡¯s story. It was a story that began with ¡®Born in the best family in the empire...¡¯


    ¡®Maybe Piaro was also a duke.¡¯


    He would¡¯ve lost everything overnight. How much loss and pain had he felt? Thinking about Piaro¡¯s past, Grid felt it was such a pity. Piaro had forgiven Asmophel and was smiling every day, but he still couldn¡¯t surrender the heart that was dreaming of revenge against the empire.


    In this turbulent atmosphere, the smell of alcohol appeared. Grid shifted his gaze and saw Drunk Duke Diworth drinking from a bottle of alcohol. The liquid flowed down the clear neck of the bottle and into Diworth¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I have devoted my whole life to the empire and fulfilled my duties as a noble.¡±


    Diworth emptied the bottle instantly and started to speak.


    ¡°Yet you are treating me like this for a traitor who has already left a long time ago.¡±


    Diworth red at Grenhal with red, bloodshot eyes. The pressure he gave off was fierce.


    ¡°A small kingdom... Treating me less than the king of an enemy kingdom? I would be killed by the Overgeared King? Kuk! Kukuk! Duke Grenhal! Now I know how funny you have found me!¡±


    Diworth had spoken frankly when he reunited with Piaro, ¡°I am jealous of you and envy you.¡±


    He had a constitution that could only exercise strength when he relied on alcohol. Although he didn¡¯t usually express it, Diworth was a person with low self-esteem. He was ashamed of himself for being unable to give up alcohol. It was no wonder why he exploded when he was treated as weaker than Grid.


    ¡°I will prove it! I¡¯m not as ridiculous as you think!¡±Diworth roared and rushed toward Grid.


    Now it had nothing to do with Piaro. He had to kill Grid to prove himself. The mana that contained alcohol dramatically improved Diworth¡¯s physical abilities. Diworth was so fast that Grid couldn¡¯t properly capture the movement, even when he reflexively wore the ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±Grid opened his closed eye that was under the eyepatch.


    [The Castration Eye has been activated.]


    [Blocking all beneficial effects of the target!]


    [This effect is retained while watching the target.]


    The power of the Castration Eye not only blocked the ¡®possibility¡¯ of receiving buffs but also denied the buffs already applied. It was the ultimate debuff skill that had been proven against Damian.


    ¡°...!?¡±Diworth¡¯s drunk mind cooled down.


    His speed, which had made him like a bullet flying at Grid, fell to the speed of an arrow. The aroma of wine disappeared.


    ¡°LInked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Enchant Weapon has been triggered.]


    [Your weapon¡¯s damage is increased by 50% while the sword dance is in progress.]


    The Sword Aiming at the Gods resonated with the magic of a legend.


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Detect Force has been triggered.]


    [The target is being tracked, and the hit rate of the sword dance increased.]


    The end of Grid¡¯s sword aimed precisely at Diworth.


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Wind Cutter has been triggered.]


    The sword dance of Link was apanied by a sharp wind.


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Lightning has been triggered.]


    The rampant blue petals emitted lightning. Was there such a splendid and beautiful skill in the world? Diworth was fascinated by Grid¡¯s sword dance and was eventually stabbed in the chest.¡°Cough!¡±


    The situation seemed like a lie. To think that a king of a small nation forcibly removed Diworth¡¯s alcohol, exposed his weakness, and then dealt a critical blow? The seriously wounded Diworth pulled out a new bottle with shaking hands. There were still three bottles hanging from his waist.


    Gulp.He brought a new bottle to his mouth.


    ¡°Summon Knight.¡± Grid quickly made a decision.


    The effect of the Castration Eye was to randomly strip the buffs of the target, not to strip all of them. It might be all of them, but that might not be the case. Additionally, Diworth still had two-thirds of his health left despite being hit by Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. There was the possibility of raiding Diworth if Grid cooperated with his colleagues, but it would be a messy fight. The longer the fight, the more room there was for the other dukes to intervene. He had to act quickly. Additionally, it was worth trying to maximize his affinity with Grenhal, who had a rtionship with Piaro.


    Grid calcted all of this... and pulled out his strongest hand.


    ¡°Piaro.¡±


    Maybe this was Grid¡¯s real ultimate technique. By the way, this was the middle of the Red Sea. Allmunication methods and teleport magic were blocked here. Would Summon Knight work?


    Grid was worried but still attempted it. The reason thatmunication with the outside was blocked at the Ruins of the War God was to prevent the ¡®weak¡¯ from entering. On the other hand, the war god weed the strong. He weed the strong and didn¡¯t interfere with the summoning of the strong.


    [War God Zeratul will temporarily allow the application of teleportation magic.]


    [Your knight ¡®Piaro¡¯ has arrived by your side.]


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, Your Majesty.¡±


    It looked great. Piaro, who wore the armor of a knight and not dirty clothes, caught everyone¡¯s attention. The knight¡¯s armor was an outfit that showed the mind of Piaro, who had been waiting patiently since Grid left for the Ruins of the War God.


    ¡°S-Sir Piaro...¡±


    It was true. Their old hero was still alive. Grenhal and Morse trembled with excitement.

 Chapter 1039

    After Grid¡¯s party left for the Ruins of the War God, Piaro never sleptfortably. Being a farmer and warrior, he knew too many of the stories about the War God and his followers. Piaro estimated that the Ruins of the War God was a very dangerous ce and was worried about Grid.


    He didn¡¯t dare me Grid for not bringing him as he took off his clothes and put on his armor. That way, he could run at any time when Grid needed him. Yet he hoped that Grid wouldn¡¯t need to call him. During thest month, Piaro wasn¡¯t a farmer or a legend. He was just an ordinary knight waiting for news of his master. Finally, he was called by his master and arrived at the historical site.


    ¡°...You.¡± Piaro gazed at Drunk Duke Diworth who was confronting Grid. He immediately noticed that Diworth had chased Grid from Reidan to this location, cing Grid in danger.


    ¡°A person who dares to go against my king doesn¡¯t deserve to even be used as manure.¡±


    When Piaro became a legendary farmer, he was liberated from his obsession with bing a Sword Saint.The misunderstanding with Asmophel was lifted, and the pains of the past were relieved. Since then, Piaro had a rxed mind. He dyed his anger, and his peace of mind was slowly recovered.


    However, at this moment, he was a vicious demon. He wondered if he would look like this when he met Empress Marie. The anger he had been suppressing caused him to have a terrifying expression that waspletely unbearable. No, it channeled his anger.


    Dozens of sparks flew up into the sky that was red from the setting sun. The nature in the atmosphere was reacting to Piaro¡¯s life and anger. It was the manifestation of Natural State.


    ¡°I never dreamed about reliving the old days.¡±


    Air currents swept over Piaro, causing the hand plow, sickle, and hoe hanging from his waist to rub against his armor. The weight of the weapons (?) was so light that a loud and clear sound echoed like notes yed by a musical instrument. Piaro swung his hand once, throwing out something as small as a seed and hard to identify with the naked eye. Dozens or hundreds of the small seed-sized things were scattered across the empty space.


    The flustered Diworth moved back. He used his eyes and senses that transcended the human reality and immediately grasped the identity of the small things pouring toward him. They were fragments of a strong energy. It was in the form of fine particles, but the destructive power contained in each one was enough to stir up the heavens and the earth.


    No, was it really that? Something felt different. Strong energy... This power was often known as the upper echelons of sword energy and was thrilling to face, but Piaro¡¯s strong energy was very gentle. No destructive power was felt. It was as expected. The strong energy fragments, that failed to hit Diworth and fell to the ground, didn¡¯t exert any power. They melted like snow and were absorbed into the ground.


    ¡®A trick?¡¯


    It forced Diworth to evade. Would he encounter some type of storm after this? Diworth was prepared for the shock. Unable to easily guess how Piaro would link an attack, Diworth retreated. He wasn¡¯t confident about beating Piaro in a fight. Still, he wanted to believe in his wits. He would boost his alcohol intake and respond in real time to what was happening. Unfortunately, his determination was useless.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Piaro was still standing in ce. Unlike Diworth¡¯s expectations, Piaro didn¡¯t link to the next attack. Diworth was engulfed in doubts.


    ¡°Free Farming 2nd Style,¡±Piaro then recited quietly while pulling out his hand plow,¡°Super Growth.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±Diworth¡¯s eyes widened.


    Immense chaos surged like a wave, making him dizzy. They were in a deste canyon.Somehow, all types of grains and trees started to grow from this impoverishednd that was only sand and dust. It didn¡¯t take long for the barrennd to turn into an abundant field. In fact, it happened in the blink of an eye.


    Diworth felt like he was dreaming.


    ¡®Illusion magic?¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t. The sight of the fields and the sweet scenting from the hanging grapes could never be a fantasy. In the first ce, an illusion master wouldn¡¯t allow him to distinguish between fantasy and illusion.


    ¡°You¡¯ve learned a weird thing!¡±


    The fragments of energy that Piaro sowed contained life, and Piaro created the environment using techniques that promoted life. When Diworth quickly grasped this fact, he took a sip of alcohol and spat it out. The stream of alcohol emitted from his mouth contained powerful magic power. The lush nts and trees were unable to cope with the terrible alcohol and withered. At the end of the stream of magic power was Piaro.


    Diworth ran across the withered fields and reached out a hand. Piaro¡¯s hand plow and Diworth¡¯s attack collided, causing an explosion. Since the opponent was strong, Diworth didn¡¯t intend to contend with unnecessary skills. He took out the hidden weapon in his other hand and shot it. It was covered with an extremely poisonous substance made by an aging white bamboo spider. The needle, which was filled with a terrible poison that boasted no color or odor, flew silently and struck Piaro¡¯s thigh.


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t alert!¡¯A smile spread across Diworth¡¯s face.


    The Tiphon dukedom was famous for poison. Even those who had reached the top would be vulnerable in front of Duke Diworth¡¯s poison. At this moment, Diworth was convinced of his triumph. He was proud that Piaro, a former pir of the empire, failed to respond to his hidden weapon.


    However, Piaro was fine. ¡°It is insignificant.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Piaro didn¡¯t respond to Diworth¡¯s poison. Natural Statebined with the body of a legend made him unaffected by the poison needle. Piaro knew it as well. He let himself be hit to thoroughly shatter Diworth¡¯s self-esteem. It was to sentence him to the worst death.


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow flew toward Diworth¡¯s heart. However, Drunk Duke Diworth wasn¡¯t easily hit because he boasted unpredictable movement paths. Diworth¡¯s clothes were loosened as he used gentle movements to avoid the hand plow.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Piaro was fine after being poisoned with the hidden weapon...? Diworth was baffled by the appearance of Piaro, who didn¡¯t seem poisoned. He suffered greater confusion and shock from this than when he saw the fields. Even so, he didn¡¯t lose his concentration. He drank more alcohol and drove out the confusion and fear.


    ¡°You built up a bigger status...¡±Watching the confrontation, Duke Grenhal was thrilled. Piaro had lost everything apart from his life and lived as a hermit. Did he live in pain and anxiety every day? Honestly, Grenhal had been dubious about that. He had expected Piaro to be weaker, even if he was alive.


    Yet what was this? Piaro boasted an excellent shape after being called by Grid. It was a bit ambiguous to say he was stronger, but based on his resistance to poison, he had definitely built up a stronger status.


    ¡®Why is he sealing the sword?¡¯


    Grenhal and Morse became more doubtful. The Piaro they knew was a great swordsman aiming to be a Sword Saint. Yet the current Piaro didn¡¯t use a sword at all and was holding farming equipment. He had a knight¡¯s spirit and armor, but the things he showed throughout the battle were no different from those of a farmer. Why was he putting constraints on himself? At this rate, he might not be able to win against Diworth.


    Then it happened when Grenhal¡¯s and Morse¡¯s suspicions became stronger.


    ¡°Free Farming 4th Style.¡±


    The hand plow missed Diworth who dodged like a fish, then Piaro pulled out a trident attached to his back. No, he pulled out a rake.


    ¡°Plow the Field!¡±


    The soil in the field was turned over.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The ground suddenly turned upside down, and soil rose, causing Diworth¡¯s stance to copse. Somehow, seeds flew in his vision as he tried to keep his body upright. It was the effect of Free Farming 5th style, Harvest. Hundreds of thousands of seeds flooded toward Diworth.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    The retreat was blocked. Diworth became extremely tense as he was surrounded by seeds.


    ¡®They are just seeds,¡¯he calmed his mind.


    Yes, he was only surrounded by seeds. There was no problem. A person couldn¡¯t die because of seeds. Diworth judged and bent his waist. He nned to fight back and deal a blow while Piaro was harvesting, but that was a huge mistake.


    ¡°Free Farming 8th Style, Polishing Rice.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    There was a huge explosion that shook the entire canyon. The thousands of seeds harvested by Piaro exploded at once, swallowing up Diworth.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡± Diworth¡¯s scream echoed.


    He failed to respond to the unexpected attack and was seriously wounded. His body became dull as the alcohol flew away. Piaro took action without hesitation. He took out his sickle without dy and aimed at Diworth¡¯s heart. There was no time to avoid it.


    [The Saharan Empire¡¯s duke ¡®Drunk Duke Diworth¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [It is a great aplishment that no one has achieved.]


    [Your reputation throughout the continent has increased. You have acquired 2,000 reputation points.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The Duke Tiphon Family¡¯s Magic Gourd has been acquired.]


    [The Duke Tiphon Family¡¯s White Dragon Wine has been acquired.]


    [Your knight ¡®Piaro¡¯ has aplished the achievement of ¡®Overwhelming the Seven Dukes¡¯.]


    [Your article, ¡®Piaro¡¯, is progressing!]


    It was an unprecedented and vain end for a duke of the empire. There wereplicated emotions in Grenhal, Morse, and Basara¡¯s eyes as they watched Diworth turn to ash.


    ¡°No one helped,¡±Piaro then med them,¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡±


    That¡¯s right.Piaro had been aware of the three people¡¯s existence from the very beginning. However, only Diworth was threatening Grid at that moment, so Piaro had to kill Diworth first. He calcted that the dukes wouldn¡¯t help Diworth. The dukes had already turned away from Piaro and his family in the past.


    Piaro gritted his teeth. They were people who he had believed to be his friends. He couldn¡¯t me Basara because he had not had many moments of contact with her, but Grenhal and Morse were different. During his time as chief of the Red Knights, Piaro had a profound connection with the warriors, Grenhal and Morse. He had respected and trusted the people who served the same imperial family and fought for the same people.


    However, it had been a one-sided trust. They had turned away from him easily.


    ¡°Sir Piaro...¡±Grenhal and Morse felt Piaro¡¯s anger and sadness toward them and lowered their heads. They didn¡¯t have the courage to face him. This was despite them having fought for Piaro¡¯s family and prayed for Piaro¡¯s peace of mind. They had failed help Piaro¡¯s family in the end and hadn¡¯t expected to have a reunion with Piaro.


    Yet this situation was now suddenly urring before them. They understood Piaro¡¯s pain and sorrow, so they couldn¡¯t say anything. Grenhal and Morse could only let out a sinner¡¯s sigh.


    Piaro tried to control his resentment. ¡°...Now, I won¡¯t me you anymore.¡±


    He turned away from Grenhal¡¯s broad shoulders that didn¡¯t save his younger brother. ¡°The destruction of me and my family was the result of my carelessness. I don¡¯t deserve to me you.¡±


    He also turned away from Morse, who usually wasn¡¯t as proud in front of his parents. ¡°Now I am fighting to protect my king.¡±


    Piaro wiped his eyes and grabbed his farming equipment. Thinking that Grenhal, Morse, and Basara were naturally with Diworth, Piaro interpreted them as a threat to Grid. It was natural. The Saharan Empire was the enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®I can¡¯t drag out the fight for too long.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s Natural State was iplete. It couldn¡¯t exert infinite power. Piaro couldn¡¯t afford a long fight as he had gone all out in his battle with Diworth. Coldly analyzing the situation, he judged that he had to aim for a swift attack in order to protect Grid from them. He would use all his secret techniques from the beginning, including Origin True Energy.


    ¡®I must protect him.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s life wasn¡¯t important. The life saved by Grid would be used for Grid. Piaro had just vowed this when a reversal urred. Grid suddenly made an absurd promation, ¡°Piaro, put away your hand plow.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°They are my friends.¡±


    ¡°...Your Majesty?¡±Piaro doubted his ears.


    ¡°Additionally, these two people struggled to protect your family, although they didn¡¯t seed in protecting anyone. They have been in pain for almost 20 years,¡± Basara, who was famous for being wise and impartial, spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed...¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sorry. Really... I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Grenhal and Morse apologized to Piaro who was standing like a stone statue. Piaro flopped to the ground and felt something slip out of his body. He was dizzy and seemed to hear the humming of bees in his ears.

 Chapter 1040

    ¡°We analyzed the situation at the time and was convinced that Sir Piaro didn¡¯t betray us. It was just that evidence of treason was found, and we couldn¡¯t prove that you didn¡¯t want to betray the empire...¡±


    Piaro had received the charge of treason. It had been impossible for the dukes to defend him without any evidence.


    ¡°In the end, we filed an appeal to take care of Sir Piaro¡¯s family. You know the result of that...¡±


    It was a long distant past, but from the standpoint of the parties involved, it was the pain of yesterday that they wanted to undo. Duke Grenhal knew Piaro¡¯s heart and felt pained and heavy. He couldn¡¯t raise his head, and his vision was spinning as he barely controlled his burning emotions.


    ¡°...¡± Piaro was silent.


    They didn¡¯t turn away from his pain, but he med them. These two facts buzzed in Piaro¡¯s head and tormented him. Piaro looked up at the sky with a somber expression and suddenly asked,¡°Who do you mean by we?¡±


    ¡°Me, Duke Morse, Duke Rachel, and Duke Rigal.¡±


    ¡°...Rigal?¡±


    Grid stood to the side and bit his lips. Sky King Rigal... It was now clear why Rigal had been agitated when he discovered Piaro at thest minute. Grid reproached himself for having ordered Piaro to kill Rigal. Piaro grabbed Grid¡¯s trembling hand.¡°Your Majesty, Rigal was an unforgivable enemy for our Overgeared Kingdom. The guilt is what I have to bear.¡±


    ¡®That is the problem, you madman.¡¯


    There was a new weight on Piaro¡¯s rotting heart. Grid was sorry for that. His colleagues looked sadly at the grumbling Grid and sent him whispers:


    -Grid, you didn¡¯t know the past.It isn¡¯t something you should feel ufortable about.


    -In the first ce, Rigal broke the statue of Khan and hit the people.How can you care about the old days when fighting the enemy?


    -It happened in a war.


    ¡°...¡±


    Their words were true. Rigal had invaded Bairan and killed many people. He had destroyed Khan¡¯s statue. Finally, he had aimed a weapon at Grid. Punishing Rigal had been a natural thing to do. The problem was that Grid had borrowed Piaro¡¯s power to do it. Grid resented his own helplessness.


    ¡®If I was stronger... If I was strong enough, I would¡¯ve dealt with Rigal on my own without needing to call Piaro.¡¯


    Then Piaro wouldn¡¯t have to shoulder a new guilt. Grid grumbled and checked the logs.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [You have reached level 399 and acquired the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    [Swordsmanship Textbook: 200,000 Army Swordsmanship]


    [Rating: Legendary


    A textbook recording the basics of Madra¡¯s swordsmanship. However, it records the swordsmanship used after Madra became a death knight, so the contents are weakpared to the original.


    Only one swordsmanship technique, 200,000 Army Crushing Sword (Degraded) is recorded.


    Learning Conditions: Those who have been recognized by Madra. Level 399 or more.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Prior to summoning Piaro, Grid was able to gain a lot of experience and achieved level 399 because he had inflicted a serious injury on Diworth. Grid could be stronger. The confident Grid made a newmitment, ¡®I will bear all the pain in the future.¡¯


    Piaro, Asmophel, Braham, and Mercedes¡ªmost of Grid¡¯s friends had big wounds in their hearts. Even the wise sage Sticks was cursed by the gourmet dragon and had nightmares every night. It seemed impossible for his first knight Jude to get married, and Minerals Detector Minor studied while taking care of his ailing mother. They were all difficult and sad people. Grid wanted to be a strength for them. He wanted to be someone who could be relied upon and have them say ¡®I was happy¡¯ by serving him.


    ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t a great person. He didn¡¯t have the talent to awaken such heated feelings. To be honest, he didn¡¯t know how to do it. Still, he believed that if he kept trying, he would be stronger. Grid was firming up his heart while the conversation between the dukes and Piaro continued.


    ¡°The biggest reason I couldn¡¯t protect your family was Marie. She didn¡¯t act directly, but her family and the nobles who served her insisted that the traitors should be punished.¡±


    ¡°It is obvious that fucking woman yed tricks from behind the scenes.¡±


    It was ridiculous for a noble of the empire to talk badly about the empress. This was an act of insulting the imperial family and was no different from rebellion. Yet Grenhal referred to Marie as ¡®her¡¯, and Morse took it further by cursing. It was a scene that showed they didn¡¯t acknowledge Marie as empress.


    Piaro searched Basara¡¯s expression. Basara was a descendant of the third emperor and a close rtive of the current emperor. She had the blood of the imperial family, and her order in the line of session was very high at 5th ce. Grenhal and Morse insulting the imperial family in front of her was the same as insulting her.


    However, Basara didn¡¯t show any agitation. The way she shook her head and looked away showed that she was also suspicious of the empress. Putting aside the fact that she didn¡¯t have much contact with Piaro, the reason she didn¡¯t step forward for Piaro in the past was the restriction on the imperial bloodline.


    ¡°...I¡¯m also sorry to say this,¡± Grenhal opened his mouth with much difficulty, ¡°There is evidence that Earl Asmophel was involved with Marie.¡±


    Piaro and Asmophel¡ªthere was no one in the empire who didn¡¯t know that the two men were close friends since childhood. Thus, Grenhal felt ufortable saying this. He was worried that it would give Piaro too much shock and anger. On the other hand, Morse spoke without a hitch, ¡°It wasn¡¯t just allying with her. Hepletely followed that woman and stabbed in the knife. He was the one who was most active in chasing down the Red Knights.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro, it might be unbelievable, but Asmophel was the one who made the biggest contribution to you being called a traitor.¡±


    ¡°...I know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Piaro answered that he knew. Then Grenhal and Morse shut their mouths at Piaro¡¯s bitter words. They didn¡¯t dare to imagine the betrayal and resentment that Piaro was feeling. Basara interjected, ¡°A number of years ago, there was an incident where Earl Asmophel disappeared overnight. He is officially missing, but I¡¯m certain he was assassinated by someone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro, did you punish him?¡±


    Asmophel had been staying in his mansion. It was a mansion in the middle of the empire¡¯s capital, Titan. The intruder had to find Asmophel and hurt him without leaving a trace. There were few people in the world who could do so. Moreover, the one who had most cause to kill Asmophel was Piaro.


    Basara¡¯s reasoning was worthy of being right. Grenhal and Morse nodded in agreement. Yet Piaro¡¯s answer was unexpected, ¡°The person who visited Asmophel at that time was King Grid, not me.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡± Grenhal and Morse¡¯s eyes widened. Overgeared King Grid was strong enough to overwhelm the follower who had mastered 10 secret techniques and had already been operating through the empire¡¯s surveince without any constraints for years...?


    ¡®At the time, Asmophel was a wastepared to his old self and the Overgeared King could easily handle him...¡¯


    The dukes were easily convinced of it. The past Piaro and Asmophel were more influential than the dukes, but they were vulnerable to Grid. In fact, the strong Piaro was serving Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. The Overgeared King is a master on the same level as the grandmaster.¡¯


    The existence that connected Pagma¡¯s skills with the lineage of the Hero King... These two achievements were already more than amon legend. By the way, Grid could also use magic like a great magician.


    ¡®To build up such skills at this young age...¡¯


    ¡®A genius beyond this world.¡¯


    It happened when the dukes were gazing at Grid with admiration in their eyes.


    ¡°Additionally, Asmophel said this. Simultaneously, the empress joined hands with the Yatan Church and destroyed the Red Knights in order to increase her authority. In the process, Asmophel fell into the empress¡¯ trap and took the Yatan Essence. He lost his sense of reason and betrayed me and my colleagues,¡± Piaro said shocking words. ¡°...I¡¯ve forgiven Asmophel. He is currently serving King Grid with me.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡± The dukes¡¯ mouths dropped open.


    The dukes were so amazed that even Basara, who always had her eyes closed, opened them.


    ¡®Pretty.¡¯ The Overgeared members marveled at Basara¡¯s beauty once she opened her eyes. She looked to be in herte 20s, but Basara¡¯s actual age was estimated to be in the 40s. Basara was a beauty who gave off an extraordinary feeling. It was a dignified elegance that couldn¡¯t be measured. There was such nobility that even her husband didn¡¯t dare freely hold her hand.


    ¡°Forgiveness... Was it because of the Overgeared King¡¯s persuasion?¡±


    Asmophel had fallen into a trap and taken the Yatan Essence. That was all an excuse. No matter what, Asmophel was still the demon who had betrayed his friends and colleagues while killing their family. He was an unforgivable person, even for the dukes who prioritized political issues before humanity.


    Basara didn¡¯t think Piaro forgave Asmophel because he wanted to. She cleverly spected that Grid forced Piaro to make concessions in order to increase the strength of the Overgeared Kingdom. Still, she had no intention of criticizing him. She purely marveled at the talent of a king who was sometimes ruthless.


    Piaro shook his head at Basara¡¯s question.¡°No, it was my judgment. The object of my grudge isn¡¯t Asmophel but Empress Marie who used him. Additionally, Asmophel is obliged to clean up after his sins.¡±


    ¡°Then that means the former pirs of the empire are in the Overgeared Kingdom...¡±


    The views that the dukes held toward Grid and the Overgeared members changed. Those who already acknowledged Grid now admired the power of the Overgeared Kingdom itself. The Overgeared Kingdom was different from ordinary kingdoms. It could even threaten the empire. Indeed, it was a great fortune that the discovery of the Ruins of the War God brought a lull to the war between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. To the dukes who were misunderstanding...


    ¡°Do you know that Mercedes has be a legendary knight?¡±


    ¡°Of course. However, she left the empire as soon as she became a legendary knight.¡±


    ¡°She is also serving King Grid.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of Sage Sticks?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°He is also serving King Grid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A direct descendant vampire and the best demonic beast of hell also follow Grid faithfully.¡±


    Piaro started to boast. The dukes of the great empire saw Piaro¡¯s admiration for his master.


    ¡°You have been living well and eating well,¡±Morse grumbled about Piaro¡¯s constant chatter.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Grenhal burst outughing. The pain and sorrow that had been with him for many years were being healed little by little. The thing he needed to do in the future was correct the wrongs of the past by telling the emperor the truth and holding Empress Marie responsible. He needed to restore the fallen honor of the old Red Knights and ask forgiveness from their family members who were buried in the ground.


    ¡®In the end, we must have a friendly rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom,¡¯Grenhal and Morse made this judgment. It wasn¡¯t good to be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom. Then they got headaches as they wondered about how to convince the emperor.


    Would the emperor believe in their words?


    It was true that Piaro had been framed, and the one behind it was Empress Marie who conspired with the Yatan Church. Would the emperor fully ept the truth? He had lost the empress and gotten betrayed by a friend. The emperor had suffered a great wound in his heart and relied on Marie for many years. The emperor¡¯s confidence in her might be far deeper than they thought.


    ¡®No matter how much we shout the truth, His Majesty the Emperor might not forgive Piaro. If he knows that Asmophel and Mercedes left the empire to serve the Overgeared Kingdom, he might feel a bigger betrayal and won¡¯t tolerate the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    What should they do? Basara whispered to the frowning Grenhal and Morse, ¡°His Majesty the Emperor will be d.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you¡¯ll find out sooner orter.¡±


    Did the emperor truly not know that Mercedes was serving the Overgeared Kingdom? Why did His Majesty the Emperor banish the legendary knight? Basara was convinced that the party who sent Mercedes to the Overgeared Kingdom was likely to be the emperor.

 Chapter 1041

    It was a reunion that took ce after a long time. The dukes unraveled the years of misunderstandings and grudges and then returned to reality. They first mourned Duke Diworth. The mourning didn¡¯tst long, but the shortness didn¡¯t mean it was insincere.


    Despite having little affection for each other and having different ideologies and political stances, Diworth had been a colleague who served the same imperial family. Consequently, it was natural for the dukes to mourn his death. It was just that this was an attitude derived from a minimum of justification.


    The dukes didn¡¯t feel sorrow or regret. Wasn¡¯t it strange to feel sadness for the death of a person they didn¡¯t know very well? The dukes operated in different territories and didn¡¯t have much contact with each other unless they had a particrly close rtionship.


    It was rumored that Diworth had been addicted to alcohol every day since he was middle-aged and he was particrly violent. Additionally, it was said that it wasmon for him to abuse or kill his soldiers under the guise of military discipline. Diworth¡¯s death was rather cold. It wasn¡¯t a problem to feel regret about. They didn¡¯t know if they should look forward to the future of the Tiphon family, which would be led by his son now.


    ¡®It is right for those who lose their qualification to leave.¡¯


    Suddenly, Grenhal wondered what the assessment of him would be when he died. He was afraid to think about this. Morse spoke to Duke Grenhal who was making a bitter expression, ¡°At the very least, I will cry for your death.¡±


    ¡°Hahat, that is very kind of you.¡±


    The time for mourning was over. Duke Grenhal turned his gaze toward Grid.¡°The moment we return to the empire, we will hold a great funeral for Duke Diworth.¡±


    Diworth might¡¯ve threatened Grid¡¯s life, but the dukes couldn¡¯tpromise about this part. Since he was a duke of the empire, Diworth¡¯s death would be paved with heroism. Grenhal wanted Grid to understand that his words contained this meaning. Understanding what Grenhal meant, Grid nodded. ¡°The work of the empire isn¡¯t something I should interfere with. You don¡¯t have to tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    Now the situation was roughly over. It was time to discuss further exploration of the ruins. In fact, only a few hours ago, the dukes had suggested for the expedition to be discontinued. The followers who had learned six secret techniques were difficult to deal with and also appeared often. Thus, it was better to retreat before their physical strength and mental strength were exhausted. However, things had changed.


    ¡°Duke Grenhal!¡± 10,000 troops led by Marquis Fulbas were running toward them from afar.


    ¡°Hmm... There are too many nutrients in the soil, so the crops are rotting quickly...¡± Additionally, there was Piaro by their side now.


    That¡¯s right. The dukes relied on Piaro. It was a habit they had learned from the days when Piaro was the pir of the empire. Everywhere on the continent, there were powerful people threatening the empire, and the empire had suffered from several major wars. It had been Piaro who emerged and saved the empire. His presence had helped them ovee crises and allowed the people to enjoy peace of mind, including the dukes.


    In particr, Duke Grenhal had received great help and considered Piaro as a spiritual mentor. For the dukes, Piaro was such an existence. The belief that Piaro would prevent all future hardships encountered at the ruins gave courage to the dukes.


    Despite this, an unexpected figure spoke like he was rebuking their attitude, ¡°We will stop the expedition for a while.¡±


    It was Grid.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The dukes had seen Grid¡¯s greed from the beginning. Grid¡¯s desire for new strength and treasure was stronger than anyone else. They had realized it the moment they witnessed the greed that appeared in his eyes when he saw the Secret Technique Box. Yet he was going to abandon his greed and stop exploring...? At this moment, the empire¡¯s reinforcements had arrived and Piaro had been called. The exploration would be much easier than before, so it was hard to understand why the exploration should stop.


    Grid exined to the somewhat puzzled dukes, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the great demon running wild on the continent.¡±


    A little while ago, Grid med himself for causing Piaro to feel guilt. Then there was a sense of strangeness when he heard the whispers of his colleaguesforting him. Originally, wasn¡¯t this a ce where allmunication and teleportation magic was blocked?


    Since arriving at the Ruins of the War God, the whisper system hadn¡¯t worked. Once Piaro was summoned with the permission of the war god, this rule copsed. He didn¡¯t know if it was the war god¡¯s mistake or not but the whisper system was opened.


    Lauel quickly sent whispers to the Overgeared members and heard the news in real time. There was news that Berith had just entered Fort Taleren which was thest gateway to the capital of the Haken Kingdom, and a group of people had gathered to block him. It included Kraugel, Hao, and Alexander. The Overgeared members also reported that the continent¡¯s best spearmen, Kirinus and Rachel, were gathered at the fortress.


    Once Lauel received the news, Grid became nervous. There was Zibal and the magic machine Raiders, and Grid didn¡¯t know how much stronger Kraugel had be. Hao had taken a step forward by contracting with Grid, and while Grid didn¡¯t like Alexander, he acknowledged Alexander¡¯s skills. If they were joined by Rachel and Kirinus, who were at least on the level of Grenhal...


    ¡®They might raid Berith without us.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t happen. The reason the Overgeared Guild turned away from the Berith raid was to save as much power as possible, not to concede Berith to others. Even if the other person was Kraugel, Grid had no intention of giving up on Berith. It was an act of neglecting his colleagues.


    ¡®We have to take a share of it!¡¯


    Grid looked at the faces of his colleagues. As they crossed the Red Sea and explored the ruins, they had gained between two to six levels. In particr, Faker¡¯s development was remarkable after mastering the secret technique. Yura, who had been pointed out by the war god, seemed to gain a sense of enlightenment. Euphemina had copied skills that could be called fraudulent from the followers of the war god.


    The journey of the past month had not been in vain.


    ¡®It is enough for now.¡¯


    Grid and Lauel had been nning arge-scale raid on Berith. They intended to mobilize the core power of the Overgeared Kingdom, from the hundreds of Overgeared members to Piaro, Mercedes, Jude, Sticks, Noll, Kasim, and Maxong. In fact, they intended to rely on everyone¡¯s power and give them an opportunity to gain experience and levels. Now the proper growth that the key members needed to achieve in order to protect everyone wasplete.


    ¡®I achieved my first goal.¡¯


    Grid had reached level 399 and could acquire the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship. It was now the time to shift their attention. The priority of the historical site and Berith should be switched. Of course, they couldn¡¯t just leave like this. It would be painful if the dukes got something from the historical site while they were gone.


    ¡®Additionally, one of the Seven Dukes was killed.¡¯


    It would be sad. There shouldn¡¯t be any more deaths if a bridge between the empire and Overgeared Kingdom was to be created. The dukes¡¯ deaths weren¡¯t desired. Grid suggested to the dukes, ¡°Stop the exploration for a while and go with us to kill Berith.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± The dukes responded in an unconvinced manner. The ruins were where they could get the secret techniques of the war god. On the other hand, Berith was only a modest viin. Was it necessary to say which one should have a higher priority? Time was limited. It was much wiser to remain here and explore the ruins than return to the continent in order to defeat Berith. The value of the ruins was far higher than the rewards from killing Berith.


    ¡°I¡¯m also reluctant to say this but... For the empire, it is better to let Berith be more active. The more that other kingdoms receive damage from Berith, the more they will rely on the empire.¡± Duke Grenhal honestly stated their position.


    Grid no longer thought of a way to persuade them. Then Lauel came forward. ¡°The sense of crisis on the continent is already high enough. At this time, if the Overgeared Kingdomes and defeats Berith, all kingdoms on the continent will praise the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire¡¯s position will weaken.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know? The reason why King Grid proposed to fight Berith together is to protect the empire¡¯s status as our strong ally. Are you going to kick away His Majesty¡¯s favor?¡± Lauel deliberately went out hard.He was somewhat forceful.


    It was because he calcted that the dukes¡¯ affinity with Grid was high after encountering Piaro. Sure enough, it worked.


    ¡°...I hear what you are saying.¡± Grenhal and Morse nodded. Meanwhile, Basara only made a meaningful smile. She glimpsed the pretense in Lauel¡¯s remarks, but she didn¡¯t reveal it. Basara calcted that it was better to cooperate with the Overgeared Kingdom in this matter in order to achieve a full friendship. There was nothing to lose, and it would be difficult to explore the ruins without the Overgeared Kingdom.


    The atmosphere started to flow as intended, and Grid interjected,¡°Additionally, we can shorten the time it takes for us to cross the Red Sea. The great sage Sticks will arrive here in a moment and take all of us using Mass Teleport.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the great sage¡¯s reputation, but in principle, this is a space where teleportation magic is blocked. It is impossible even for a great sage.¡±


    ¡°No, not anymore. The environment has changed. Try and check usingmunication magic.¡±


    The story proceeded smoothly. The dukes usedmunication magic to talk with their family members and confirmed it was possible. Now the group hade to the point where they would unite to defeat Berith. Marquis Fulbas and his troops were stunned by the situation unfolding in front of them.


    ¡®Why are the dukes standing with the enemy king?¡¯


    ¡®The dukes seem too friendly to the Overgeared King...¡¯


    ¡®What the hell is going on... Heok?¡¯


    The puzzled Marquis Fulbas and the 10,000 troops looked shocked simultaneously. Grid and the dukes were in the middle of a serious conversation. Then the unidentified man squatting to the side and doing something to the soil approached Grid. They saw his identity.


    ¡°P-Piaro...!¡±


    It was the traitor Piaro. The responses from the 10,000 troops were varied. Those who believed Piaro wasn¡¯t a traitor shook with joy at the return of the old hero while those who regarded Piaro as a traitor were rmed. Of course, there were far more people in thetter group. The imperial family had dered a long time ago that Piaro was a traitor. They had charged him with the crime of rebellion and killed all of his family members. There was already such a result, so very few people believed that Piaro was actually framed.


    Marquis Fulbas was one of those extremely rare people. He was a great noble and had experience building up achievements with Piaro early on. The marquis froze like a stone statue for a moment before his eyes reddened. He noticed the truth when he saw Piaro standing alongside the dukes.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you in good health.¡±


    ¡°...Are your parents still well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve lost all their teeth, but they are healthy.¡±


    ¡°I believe they will live for a long time. They always opened the barn doors and took care of the people whenever there is a disaster, even if they went skinny from hunger... The people praised them as gods and believed they would be blessed and live a long and healthy life.¡±


    ¡°However, their bellies are fat now, unlike me who was so greedy that I sold my daughter instead of sacrificing myself.¡±


    ¡°If there is someone who opens the barn doors, there must be someone to fill the barn. Don¡¯t you know that? You must¡¯ve had a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro.¡±


    He was still the same. The short conversation purified the marquis. A hero wasn¡¯t a hero for nothing. However, the marquis was in a position of a servant who shouldn¡¯t doubt His Majesty the Emperor. Thus, Marquis Fulbas had believed the treason instead of doubting it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor... I¡¯m sorry.¡± Marquis Fulbas lost strength in his legs and shed tears. The nobles, who had recently be distant from him because of someone¡¯s work, also cried with him. The cracks that had just urred started to mend again.


    Huroi, disguised as Earl Baget, frowned. ¡®Piaro is trolling...¡¯


    How much had Huroi struggled? Then it happened the moment when Huroi banged on his stuffy chest.


    -I want to see it,the voice of War God Zeratul rang in Grid¡¯s ears. -Can you safely escape from here?


    ¡®What is he saying suddenly?¡¯ The frustrated Grid looked around.


    Just then, a group of people approached from afar. They were 100 knights armed with transparent white armor, and the atmosphere they gave off was unusual. Duke Grenhal recognized them and cried out, ¡°Kyle! Four units of reinforcements were supposed to arrive. One of them turned out to be Kyle¡¯s unit...!¡±


    ¡®Kyle?¡¯Grid had an expression like he was chewing shit. Kyle was one of the Five Pirs of the empire. In the past, Grid had fought against Kyle face-to-face. If Braham and Mumud hadn¡¯t opened up their power because of the quest at the time... Grid and Agnus would¡¯ve died without being able to cope with Kyle¡¯s overwhelming strength.


    Kyle might be the weakest of the Five Pirs, but he was still a threat. He was different from the Seven Dukes as he hadn¡¯t shared a past with Piaro, so he would be thoroughly hostile. The war god gave an even bigger threat to the nervous Grid.


    -He listened to me, unlike you.He acknowledged his shorings and climbed the path that I suggested.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    -In order to leave this ce, you have to beat my new follower.


    [A new quest has been created!]


    [Follower of the War God, Kyle]


    [Difficulty: SSS


    One of the Five Pirs, Kyle visited the ruins under themand of the emperor.


    Then he met the War God.


    He believed that the path of martial arts proposed by the war god was a blessing and became an ardent follower.


    Fight and win against him who came running to kill you under the order of the war god!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kyle¡¯s death or make him flee.


    Quest Clear Reward: Free ess to the Ruins of the War God.


    Quest Failure: Level -5. Remove the effect caused by the whim of the war god munication and teleportation magic allowed at the ruins). Interest in martial arts will increase.]


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    It was a level he had worked hard to raise over the past few months. He had finally reached level 399, and the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship was right in front of him. If he failed this quest, he would lose a lot of time and effort that couldn¡¯t be reced with money. The terrified Grid shouted at Piaro and his colleagues, ¡°We have to stop him!¡±


    Then...


    ¡°It is you!¡±


    Lightning was released. The gray-haired and one-armed Kyle quickly arrived in front of Grid. Kyle emitted a strong lightning that wasn¡¯tparable to the past. His presence itself seemed like a natural disaster.


    ¡°You dared to ignore the favor of the war god...! Eh?¡± Kyle was screaming with a scary expression when he suddenly looked amazed. He saw Grid¡¯s face and recalled an old memory. It was the face of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant peeking at him from under a straw hat. He could never forget the face of the absolute person who cut off his right arm with overwhelming force.


    ¡°...I think I got the wrong person.¡± Kyle suddenly stepped back.


    ¡°...?¡± Grid was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡± Kyle hurriedly left his position.


    [The quest ¡®Follower of the War God, Kyle¡¯ has beenpleted!]


    [In the future, you can freely ess the Ruins of the War God!]


    ¡°...???¡±


    -....???


    There was an awkward silence. Neither Grid or the War God could grasp the situation and were quiet for a while. It was silent for a long time when a magic circle was drawn in the air, and Great Sage Sticks appeared. Grid spoke politely to the war god who was watching him from somewhere, ¡°I-I¡¯m going.¡±


    -...


    ¡°Uh, let¡¯s go.¡±


    -...

 Chapter 1042

    Ellelua was one of the major cities representing the Haken Kingdom. Cultural prosperity was built, and it was called the sanctuary of artists as tourists visited it every day. Now, it was still. In the aftermath of Great Demon Berith, it turned into a wastnd. The buildings that inspired the artists and the works of high value were shattered.


    A huge magic circle was drawn in the sky where dust was blowing. Dozens of lights fell to the ground, and people could be seen inside the light. They were Grid¡¯s party and the dukes. The other imperial forces remained at the historical site to assist with Skunk¡¯s study.


    ¡°Is this Fort Taleren?¡±


    Thendscape was a city where everything had crumbled. The Overgeared members cocked their heads at the destendscape that showed no traces of people. Berith was said to be raiding Fort Taleren, so they naturally thought their destination was Taleren. Could this ce be called a fortress?


    Someone approached the puzzled group and exined, ¡°No, this is Ellelua. Fort Taleren is thest bastion of the Haken Kingdom. The moment the war started, they blocked teleportation magic, making it inessible by magic. That¡¯s why we chose the city closest to Fort Taleren as the gathering ce.¡±


    The exnation sounded like it was read from a script. The identity of this friendly man was the first ranked wind magician, Zednos. Toon, Lae, Ibellin, Zirkan, Coke, and so on¡ªthey ranged from the elites to the new members of the artillerymen unit. Hundreds of Overgeared members were gathered behind Zednos. They had gathered here first while Sticks brought Grid¡¯s party over. All of them would be involved in the Berith raid.


    ¡°I see. How long will it take to get to the fortress?¡±


    ¡°If the speed buffs are maintained, approximately 10 hours?¡±


    ¡°What? We aren¡¯t soldiers yet we have to march for so long? I don¡¯t want to feel like I¡¯m re-enlisting!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious that you went to the army.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re envious, you should get naturalized to South Korea and enlist.¡±


    ¡°That is a little...¡±


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t 10 hours too long? Won¡¯t the fortress be upied before we arrive?¡±


    Through ughter, Berith collected human souls and used it as a resource to open the gates of hell to summon an army. If he broke through the fortress and reached the capital, there would be plenty of resources for him to summon a new army and the difficulty of the raid would be even higher.


    Toban shook his head. ¡°Zibal gathered 30,000 elite soldiers with the nobles of the Haken Kingdom. The fortress is advantageous for defensive battles, and Berith won¡¯t be able to capture it quickly. Additionally, Kraugel, Hao, Alexander, Kraugel, and Rachel will arrive at the fortress one step ahead of us, so we¡¯ll have plenty of time.¡±


    ¡°Toban is correct. We aren¡¯t in a position to worry about the safety of the fortress. We should wish that Berith isn¡¯t raided before we arrive.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Others might not know it but Kraugel and Zibal were strong people who were of a totally different level. The rankers who could face them could be counted on one hand. There was even the continent¡¯s best spearmen with them... It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Berith was raided before they arrived.


    ¡°By the way, what did Kraugel do to get Kirinus and Rachel as colleagues? Didn¡¯t Grid only get named NPCs after he became a noble?¡±


    ¡°Kraugel is Kraugel. He is a monster who has been preempting quests since the beginning... Eh?¡±


    This was their first reunion since the creation of the artillerymen unit, but the gathered Overgeared members quickly shut their mouths. It was because they saw bright gold names. They btedly discovered the named NPCs with the names of Grenhal, Morse, and Basara around Lauel.


    ¡°Why are these people...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I waste to brag. No, the introduction waste. Please exchange greetings. They are the dukes of the Saharan Empire.¡±


    ¡°Dukes of the empire? Heok!¡±


    ¡°The Seven Dukes?!¡±


    The dukes were an absolute power that couldn¡¯t be touched by yers, and they were the most feared dangers of the Overgeared Kingdom. During the war against the empire, the Overgeared members had always been uneasy and frightened because of the dukes. The people who are the leaders of the enemy¡ªwhy were they here?


    Lauel¡¯s colleagues reacted dully.


    ¡°Huhuhut... It is thanks to Grid,¡± Lauelughed and spoke proudly.


    ¡°...¡± The Overgeared members were speechless. Those who had just praised Kraugelpletely erased Kraugel from their minds.


    ¡®Truly God Grid...¡¯


    ¡®Kraugel brought two people while Grid brought three people of the boss-ss...¡¯


    ¡®By the way, they look really strong.¡¯


    Grenhal and Morse, who were on top of the two-headed hippopotamus and the saber tiger, were impressive at first sight. In particr, Grenhal with his brilliant armor was the ultimate tanker. It was certain that he must be a zombie that a handful of rankers could never knock down.


    ¡®I heard he is called the Immortal King...¡¯


    Who would¡¯ve imagined that Grenhal took off his armor when fighting seriously? The Overgeared members misunderstood Grenhal as a tanker and greeted him politely, ¡°It is an honor to be with the dukes. I will entrust my back to you.¡±


    ¡°Thepanions of the Overgeared King are extraordinary. It is nice to meet you.¡±


    They were allies who would be on the same boat for a while. The dukes were strong allies who would protect them from the mighty enemy, Great Demon Berith. The Overgeared members treated the dukes with great care, and the dukes didn¡¯t lose their politeness. They greeted each other and measured their power. Toban wanted to increase his affinity with the evil eyes king and tried to use gifts, but it was very difficult to build up affinity with the best NPCs.


    No matter what means and methods Toban used, his affinity was fixed to zero and there was no progress. The same was true for the others. The dukes of the empire were harder than the evil eyes king. So, how did Grid win their hearts? The group looked at Grid like he was a monster.


    Meanwhile, Grid was thinking about something else,¡®The Five Pirs...¡¯


    Grid had cleared the SSS grade quest and was granted free ess to the Ruins of the War God. It was a tremendous benefit since he could return at any time to the ce that required 10 days of sailing. However, he didn¡¯t feelfortable. He was disheartened when he learned that the potential of the Five Pirs surpassed the dukes.


    ¡®An empty shell that has consumed all their talents.¡¯


    This was the expression used by the war god to describe the dukes. The war god wasn¡¯t interested in the dukes. He treated them like nothing. Yet Kyle was different. Kyle was believed to have arrived at the ruins at almost the same time as Marquis Fulbas. He was chosen by the war god after only a few days ofing to the ruins. This meant he was strong enough that the war god coveted him despite considering the dukes insignificant. It was a great pressure considering that Kyle was the weakest of the Five Pirs.


    ¡®The other pirs are more likely to be chosen by the war god.¡¯


    Kyle became a follower of the war god and looked stronger than ever. If the other four pirs also became followers, their power might be unbearable.


    ¡®Maybe a yangban level...¡¯


    Grid had a headache. He believed that his rtionship with the empire would improve after receiving the dukes¡¯ favor and that the dukes would y a big role in the process. However, there was now the war god¡¯s intervention to deal with. He wondered if the dukes could go against the stronger Five Pirs.


    ¡®By the way... why did Kyle pretend not to know me and run away?¡¯


    At first, Grid didn¡¯t think Kyle was actually running away. He thought Kyle didn¡¯t recognize him and went on another path. Once Grid regained hisposure and looked back, Kyle had clearly run away. The evidence was that the quest was cleared. What was the reason for that?


    ¡®Ah, perhaps...?¡¯


    Grid thought for a long time before recalling the old memories.


    ¡°What is this smallfry?¡±


    ¡°A foolish guy like you is showing a violent temper?Do you want to die?¡±


    It was a terrible indifference. In the past, Braham borrowed Grid¡¯s body to fight Mumud and treated Kyle as a rock by the roadside. Kyle, who had lost one arm at the time, seemed to pee in his pants before running off. It was a memory without any distortions.


    ¡®He panicked.¡¯


    It was for certain.


    ¡®He remembered my face and panicked.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s personality created this butterfly effect. Thanks to it, Grid easily overcame the crisis that was originally difficult to handle. Grid once again realized that Braham¡¯s existence was like light. He made a vow, ¡®Once I meet Kyle in the future, I have to go hard against him.¡¯


    Trauma was hard to ovee. He knew this terrible fact because he too suffered from trauma. Grid nned to take full advantage of Kyle¡¯s trauma toward Braham. This wasn¡¯t difficult. Grid was famous for being cheap and thoughtless in his past. He would reveal his old personality only in front of Kyle.


    ¡®Kyle might be the keyter...¡¯


    ¡°King Grid.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±Grid looked up from where he had been locked in thought for a long time.


    It was Lauel. He had used Basara¡¯s advice and Sticks¡¯ wisdom toplete the marching n. Then he politely told Grid,¡°Please give an order to depart.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±Grid regained his spirit and gazed at the faces of his colleagues. It ranged from the Overgeared members, the dukes of the empire, and Earl Baget. They were strong and dependable people...


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Earl Baget...?


    ¡°Who is that person?¡±


    The presence of a stranger was absurd for Grid. He didn¡¯t know why a noble of the empire was here.


    Huroi, disguised as Earl Baget, blinked.¡®He doesn¡¯t recognize me...¡¯


    The Berith raid meant that the Overgeared Guild summoned all guild members capable of fighting here. Huroi was naturally included. However, Huroi was currently disguised as Earl Baget. Huroi¡¯s appearance couldn¡¯t be seen, so he was reced by Earl Baget. Huroi thought that Grid would definitely notice his identity based on the circumstances. Yet Grid didn¡¯t know him at all. He didn¡¯t realize that Huroi wasn¡¯t present.


    ¡°...¡± Huroi gritted his teeth as he was filled with sadness. The moment he released his tension, tears of chicken poop flowed down. The suffering he experienced over the past few months passed through his mind.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Grid noticed Earl Baget¡¯s identity in hindsight and was embarrassed.


    ***


    The 70-meter-high canyon and its fully integrated walls were majestic. There was a story that even the empire abandoned its campaign against these walls in the past. It was Fort Taleren. The roars of the soldiers in the fortress echoed.


    ¡°Zibal, Zibal, Zibal...¡±


    The soldiers continued to cheer for and praise their former boss who came back with the magic machine.


    ¡º This raid will be different. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll do well. ¡»


    ¡º The influence of the former 2nd ranked yer is great. I never dreamed that he would rally the nobles of the Haken Kingdom and gather so many elite troops. ¡»


    ¡º In fact, the army doesn¡¯t mean much. The thing we need to focus on is if Zibal¡¯s own force, or Raiders, will y a role. ¡»


    Broadcasters from all over the world gathered to capture the appearance of the white giant¡ªthe 4th National Competition¡¯s PvP winner. The sight of the giant gazing at the horizon while holding a spear that seemed to support the sky was noble and magnificent.


    The horizon shook as an army containing thousands of demons appeared. At the forefront was Berith on a sickly horse.He was still bizarre and ugly. The appearance of Raiders became even more sacred. If Berith was a demon who climbed up from hell, then Raiders seemed like an angel descending from the heavenly clouds.


    ¡°A relic of the giants,¡± Berith muttered. The magic machine¡ªa product of recklessness and ignorance which was made to oppose the gods¡ªwas a weapon that threatened the great demons. Still, this was only when the giants manipted it directly. Berith was fully aware that a human¡¯s intelligence couldn¡¯t fully deal with the magic machine.


    ¡°It will stop working after a few seconds.¡±


    His army would devour the fortress. It would sink before Berith came forward. Berith¡¯s intelligence meant his guess was a foregone conclusion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡±Berithmanded the army of 3,000 demons. All types of demons who were at least level 360 started climbing up the canyon.


    ¡º The war will begin! ¡»


    The entire world was breathless. Would Great Demon Berith, who had been trampling on the continent for months, finally be defeated? Or would another kingdom be wiped out? Hundreds of millions of viewers gathered in front of the TV andputers to watch the broadcast, filled with anticipation and anxiety. Then...


    ¡®I don¡¯t need honor and glory this time.¡¯


    Zibal climbed onto Raiders¡¯ shoulder and observed the advance of the demon army. Raiders held the ego weapon that had been produced by Panmir a very long time ago, Golden Cudgel. Zibal had been strengthening it with the effects from all sorts of quests and hidden pieces. Now the Golden Cudgel had been enhanced to +8 and contained the ¡®amplification¡¯ and ¡®prating¡¯ effect.


    ¡®I will fight to protect.¡¯


    There had been countless conflicts and wars during the history of humanity.Most of the fighting stemmed from greed. Zibal, who had been second in the rankings and head of the Seven Guilds, never denied the history of humanity. Rather, he was deeply sympathetic and only fought for wealth and honor.


    However, he had been changing and developing steadily over the past few years, and he was fighting today for new reasons. He was enlightened about the nature of the honor he sought to achieve.


    ¡°Grow!¡±


    The demons climbed the walls in an instant and bared their sharp teeth at the soldiers. A huge club fell like a spear from Zibal¡¯s giant hand.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡± The soldiers and viewers cheered as the demons turned to grey ash. This was the moment when a new hero was born from frustration, despair, suffering, and adversity.

 Chapter 1043

    Debirion, the god of hunting, was one of the numerous indigenous gods born from the myths. His status was considerably inferior whenpared to Reba, Hexetia, and Zeratul. In the Saharan Empire, worshipping him was ssified as heresy. He was an existence that was only at this level. Yet for Zibal, Debirion was an object of absolute faith.


    ¡°Grow!¡±


    [Due to Debirion¡¯s favor, PvE damage has greatly increased and experience gained has increased slightly.]


    The passive effect was triggered as soon as he enteredbat. This was the driving force that allowed Zibal to stay in second ce in the past. Debirion¡¯s Envoy was a ss that specialized in hunting and growth, so Zibal was convinced he could surpass Kraugel the moment he got the ss. It was just that it had obvious limitations in PvP. Thus, Zibal had been forced to switch to Sky Rider tearfully. The loss of gold to Grid in the National Competition¡¯s raid event had also been decisive. The moment Zibal became a Sky Rider, he lost all ss traits of Debirion¡¯s Envoy.


    Still, Debirion was a loving god. Rather than punish one of his few believers for leaving him, Debirion gave a blessing and allowed Zibal to perform excellent hunting skills. Any target that was ssified as a monster, no matter the race, was forced to be helpless in front of Zibal.


    ¡°Increase!¡±


    The function of the Golden Cudgel could be easily described. Grow or be smaller¡ªthat was it. However, its difficulty of use exceeded the highest level, and the Golden Cudgel was ssified as the worst. The biggest problem was the recoil the moment the volume and weight increased.


    [The skill ¡®Lengthen¡¯ has been used to the maximum!]


    [The attack power of the +8 Golden Cudgel has increased significantly, and a critical hit will ur unconditionally. The critical damage is hit by three times.]


    [The target has been destroyed!]


    [The weapon you¡¯re using is very heavy. You can¡¯t endure the strength.]


    [The muscles in your right arm are torn, and the bones are broken!]


    [You can¡¯t move your right arm!]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±Zibal¡¯s eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth. His right arm, which was using the Golden Cudgel to smash the demons, turned ck and twisted in a strange direction. Strength was lost from his fingertips. At this rate, he would let go of the Golden Cudgel and lose ownership. Due to this powerful constraint, Debirion¡¯s Envoy couldn¡¯t bring out all of the Golden Cudgel¡¯s potential. However, it was different now.


    ¡°Pegasus!¡±


    A horse that appeared in fantasies like the unicorn¡ªit was one of the decisive things that led Zibal to be a Blue Sky Rider. The pegasus licked his right arm like it was familiar with this work from before. Then Zibal¡¯s limply hanging right arm recovered quickly. It took him only two seconds to go through this whole process. As one of the most powerful people among two billion users, Zibal had control over the realm of time and felt senses returning to his fingertips. He immediately shouted, ¡°Be smaller!¡±


    The Golden Cudgel rapidly shortened like an stic spring and returned to its original size.


    ¡°Kuhum...!¡±Zibal couldn¡¯t handle the rebound of the Golden Cudgel and took a few steps back. He stopped when his back hit Raiders¡¯ leg. Then he drank a potion and shouted to the soldiers on the wall, ¡°Keep your formations!¡±


    There were hundreds of demon species. They had a variety of races like monsters, and Berith¡¯s army was the same. Some demons resembled insects, and others resembled beasts. The insect-like demons were small but swift enough to climb the walls in an instant. Meanwhile, the beast-like demons wererge, massive and slow but they were durable. It wasn¡¯t easy for Zibal to harm them with the Golden Cudgel. The surviving demons climbed the walls and shot fire or poison from their mouths at the soldiers.


    ¡°Waaaah!¡±


    The soldiers, who had been in high spirits due to Zibal, were swallowed up by the mes and burned. Meanwhile, the soldiers hurling rocks below the walls were shocked when the guards escorting them disappeared without a trace. The ranks of the soldiers started to copse, and the demons¡¯ climbing speed increased. Even those who shrank back from Zibal¡¯s attacks chuckled and spread their wings.


    They were small demons that resembled flies. The flies shot out their saliva, andhundreds of thin needles that were hard to grasp with the naked eye flooded toward the soldiers.


    ¡°Protect the soldiers!¡±


    The nobles, including Earl Flenitium, jumped over the walls and used magic. Transparent barriers started to fend off the demon attacks on the soldiers. They were the pirs of the Haken Kingdom. The nobles who ignored the royal family that despaired at Berith¡¯s march were Zibal¡¯s former bosses and oldrades. They trusted Zibal when he was a beginner and gave him many quests that increased Zibal¡¯s confidence and allowed him to live up to their trust. Without them, the current Zibal wouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    Zibal looked at the nobles behind him and smiled. He felt the passage of time. The nobles who reigned over yers a few years ago now depended on yers... The times had changed.


    ¡°Pegasus, let¡¯s handle the pigs during this gap.¡±


    Pegasus carried Zibal on its back and soared into the sky. The demonsing over the walls entered Zibal¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®These guys.¡¯


    Zibal targeted therge monsters at the head of the demon army. The demons boasted a huge physique like a bear¡¯s, were covered in gray fur, and had four faces on one head. Their appearance was bizarre, but they were very durable. Most of the arrows and rocks shot by the soldiers on the walls were blocked by their bodies, and they helped the other demons. They were tankers of hell. Zibal determined he should handle them first and swung the Golden Cudgel.


    ¡°Grow!¡±


    The size and weight of the Golden Cudgel increased dramatically, and the blood vessels in his right arm rose and burst. Still, Zibal endured the pain. His right arm becamepletely ragged the moment the Golden Cudgel fell on the heads of the huge monsters.


    Pegasus cried out anxiously as Zibal trembled. The eyes of the huge monsters looked at Zibal simultaneously. The huge monsters didn¡¯t die when Zibal hit them with the Golden Cudgel. Only their health was shaved.


    ¡°These dirty guys are hard.¡±


    The huge monsters weren¡¯t elite monsters. They were ssified as normal. Yet they endured the most powerful attack of the Golden Cudgel. Zibal was frankly upset. He felt frustrated at the sight of the demon army crossing the ins and climbing the walls. Rather than stopping Berith¡¯s advance, he might be eaten by the demons before meeting Berith.


    ¡¯...I¡¯m really a used thing.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help smiling. Zibal hadn¡¯t been frustrated with any hardship or adversity in the days when he was aiming for first in the rankings. He had endured much more frustrating situations than his current circumstances. Of course, there were many things he had endured and failed to ovee. He had tasted failure so much that he realized reality and became the person he was now.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not push the limits today.¡¯


    There was no certainty that he could drive away this swarm of evil demons. Still, he shouldn¡¯t be frustrated. He had to keep fighting. It was time to go back to the days when he was a daredevil who knew nothing. His courage would invigorate the morale of his former colleagues and the soldiers.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡± A thunderous roar echoed in the battlefield. The earth was turbulent whenever Zibal wielded the Golden Cudgel. His right arm was broken many times, and Pegasus¡¯s aura was quickly exhausted as it healed him. In the end, the huge monsters at the forefront of the demon army copsed one by one. The arrows fired by the soldiers on the walls finally started to hit the demon army.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    ¡°Zibal, we believe in you!¡±


    The morale of the soldiers rose sharply. Theplexion of the nobles dealing with the flies brightened. They had hope that they could protect their country with their hands.


    On the other hand, Pegasus¡¯ expression was pained. The tongue licking its master¡¯s arm trembled. The white wings pping in the sky stopped.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡±


    Zibal was on the verge of exhaustion. His stamina window was shing red.


    ¡°Not yet... Not yet.¡±


    Just a bit more. At the very least, he wanted to stay strong until he got rid of the demon army¡¯s snipers. However, his vision kept blurring. This was the end. Eventually, Zibal¡¯s gaze returned to Raiders standing inside the fortress. Originally, he nned to operate Raiders when confronting Berith, but now that he was about to die, his n changed.


    ¡®Use Raiders to break through the demons and kill Berith.¡¯


    The determined Zibal stroked Pegasus¡¯s head. Pegasus read the will of its master and turned its head with sadness. The moment it descended toward Raiders.


    ¡°¡°Nasty, nasty. How long do you think I will let a trivial human have his way?¡±¡±


    There was a terrible stench as a voice entered Zibal¡¯s ears. It was a voice that he had heard over a hundred times through the broadcasts¡ªthe voice of Great Demon Berith.


    ¡°¡°You hurt my soldiers and will have to pay the price.¡±¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s eyes widened. It was absurd to hear Berith¡¯s voice when Berith was so far away. It was also absurd to see the dust rising from the battle solidify into metal.


    ¡°¡°Stop it and die.¡±¡±


    The sharp metal joined together and rotated, forming a storm. It tore through the hard flesh of the demons and flew to Zibal. Pegasus flew vigorously and tried to endure the metal storm, but it wasn¡¯t easy. Pegasus had already exhausted most of its strength andcked stamina.


    ¡°Pegasus, go back.¡±


    It was enough for Zibal to die alone. He would receive more damage if Pegasus died. Pegasus shook its head stubbornly and ignored Zibal. Zibal canceled the summoning and started to fall to the ground.


    ¡®I¡¯m dying sooner than nned, but there is still one more chance.¡¯


    Zibal had already set Fort Taleren as a revival point. Even if he died, he could be resurrected immediately. His stamina wouldpletely recover.


    ¡®I will fight again.¡¯


    Of course, a second death meant he would experience the penalty where he couldn¡¯t connect. While he was away, the Haken Kingdom would have a harder fight, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The metal storm approached as Zibal neared the ground. Would he die from being swallowed by the storm or by falling to the ground? The moment Zibal had this trivial thought, someone grabbed Zibal¡¯s hand and pulled him up.


    Then a low and cold voice was heard, ¡°Take a break.¡±


    It was an unforgettable voice. Zibal had felt envy and jealousy. Then he felt envy and longing. It was the first of the former supreme one.


    ¡°Kraugel...!¡±


    A silver robe with arge golden dragon embroidery on it pped in the wind. Soft silk wrapped around Zibal¡¯s injured body.


    ¡°Tearing the Sky.¡±


    The w of a mighty beast was carved into the sky. The metal storm stiffened in ce. This was something that would¡¯ve torn Zibal apart. Now it reversed its route. It returned to where it came from, sweeping through the demon army and engulfing Berith. Just before it reached Berith, the metals that formed the storm changed back to dust and scattered.


    ¡°¡°Sword...¡±¡±


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    ¡°¡°...Saint.¡±¡±


    The world was split into two. The earth, the sky, the thousands of demons, and Berith¡ªall of them were cut.

 Chapter 1044

    ¡º Hup...! ¡»


    What was this spectacr skill? It reminded most people of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. In particr, when Grid sword danced using Iyarugt with the ¡®coolness¡¯ option attached, it was as beautiful as a painting. However, when it came to scale, there was no skill more gorgeous than Space Sword.


    It was one of Kraugel¡¯s ultimate skills. The super skill maximized the basic characteristic ¡®there is nothing you can¡¯t cut¡¯ of a Sword Saint to cut the world itself.


    [Critical!!]


    [The target has received 15,300,599 damage.]


    [The target has received 17,900,143...]


    [The target has received...]


    ....


    ...


    [The target has suffered irreversible damage! All stats are reduced by 20%, and all speeds are reduced by 50%!]


    [The target has exposed his weakness! If you hit the target within 30 seconds, an unconditional critical hit will be applied! The critical damage applied will be 1.5 times higher!]


    [...!]


    [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]


    [Your powerful sword has separated the world!!!]


    The massive walls that made up the canyon were split in half. A line was drawn through everything in the world, including the demons that resembled flies infesting the sky and the winding earth of the canyon. Many of the demons advancing along the narrow path, those climbing the walls, and those in the sky had their bodies cut and turned to gray ash. If Zibal rode on Pegasus and killed more than 100 demons, then Kraugel produced a miracle that devastated thousands of demons with a single blow. Space Sword was fatal to the advancing army because it had the effect of ¡®cutting all enemies that exist in the path.¡¯


    [The earth god Garion has exerted his power. All things split in half are restored like the split was a lie.]


    The canyon walls and earth, that had been split apart, reattached into their original state. The demons fell into the gaps formed in the walls and the earth and disappeared. Additionally...


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±


    Berith¡¯s left arm was precisely struck by the Space Sword and cut off. White blood rose like a fountain from the cut surface, shocking the world. The demons¡¯ eyes widened, and they stiffened.


    ¡º U-Unbelievable...! The demon army¡¯s advance has stopped instantly! ¡»


    ¡º Oh, my god! The moment he appeared, he cut off the great demon¡¯s arm! Tens of thousands of people and rankers struggled to achieve this...! ¡»


    ¡º Really! This is amazing! Great, Kraguel!! ¡»


    Commentators around the world shouted with excitement, and all of the world¡¯s viewers cheered. However, Kraugel¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any excitement. Kraugel evaluated the space as an ¡®empty cart.¡¯ Unlike the shy performance that made the world loud, it didn¡¯t kill the target in one blow.


    Although it boasted the highest damage coefficient among wide-area skills, it didn¡¯tpletely deviate beyond the limits of a wide-area skill. This was the somewhat weak partpared to other ultimate skills. It was just that the special nature of war highlighted the merits of Space Sword. The topographical advantage of the canyon also yed a big part. The demons were vulnerable to Space Sword as they marched on the narrow road.


    ¡®His physical defense is twice as high as Belial¡¯s. Is it around three times the health?¡¯


    Kraugelpared his current specs with his specs during the Belial raid. He checked the damage that had been inflicted on Belial and the health gauge of Berith, and he came to a conclusion. Once again, Kraugel concluded that Berith couldn¡¯t be raided with his current power.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible without Grid, Damian, and Ruby.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings that had appeared during the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation were Piaro, Asmophel, Noll who yed a big role in Reidan recently, and the woman whose exact reality still wasn¡¯t known. Kraugel couldn¡¯t help thinking of those four people. Grid had almost lost Piaro in the Belial raid, so it was unlikely he would let NPCs join this raid.


    ¡®Let¡¯s slowly buy time.¡¯


    Normally, Kraugel linked Space Sword with another skill. This was due to the 30-second period when critical damage was increased. It meant attacking Berith could cause significant damage. Still, Kraugel didn¡¯t overdo it. He knew that he didn¡¯t need to overdo it because the Overgeared Guild was currently on the way here.


    How did he know? It was naturally thanks to Hao and Alexander. China¡¯s top ranker and Russia¡¯s top ranker were Kraugel¡¯s limbs. Kraugel¡¯s informationwork went beyond the days of when he was alone. Well, in this case, he didn¡¯t need his informationwork.


    -I¡¯m going to kill him.Leave a share for me, Grid sent him this whisper.


    Kraugel turned his attention to Zibal. Zibal, who was saved just before death, looked very ufortable. The moment Kraugel¡¯s gaze fell on him, Zibal grumbled, ¡°Dammit, I still can¡¯t tell who the main character is.¡±


    ¡°It has been a long time since I was pushed into the supporting role.¡±


    ¡°You have thick skin.¡±


    Zibal descended to the ground alongside Kraugel and captured the scene of the battlefield. Hundreds of demons had perished, and hundreds more moaned due to their wounds. Thousands of demons stiffened like statues when they saw their master had lost his arm. Only one presencepletely changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.


    It was overwhelming, and it was certain thatKraugel was definitely stronger than the days when he was the sky above the sky. This was quite different from the weak self he showed in the two years after bing a Sword Saint. It seemed that he could finally use the power of a Sword Saint properly.


    ¡°...Thepetition for the top will soon be fierce again.¡±


    ¡°No, I still have a long way to go.¡±


    As much as he grew, Grid would¡¯ve grown beyond that. Grid had built up thergest yer-based power on the continent, and his growth environment wasn¡¯tparable to a single yer¡¯s. It was fundamental that he monopolized all types of information and riches while his utilization of talent was unmatched.


    One example was Great Sage Sticks. Thanks to Stick¡¯s Mass Teleport, Grid could move anywhere at any time. It waspletely different from the activity radius of one yer.


    ¡®Truly amazing.¡¯


    Who would¡¯ve imagined that Grid could grow the Overgeared Kingdom to this point? Most people thought it was lucky if he could keep it. However, Grid was very resourceful, and the kingdom developed rapidly. They advanced ahead of kingdoms hundreds of years old and were able topete with the empire. Grid was a great person.


    ¡°By the way, I couldn¡¯t even help damage the great demon,¡± Zibal muttered as he gazed at Berith in the distance. The cut-off limb was like rotten meat on the ground, and blood was still flowing down from the severed shoulder. The bleeding from the amputation was something that even a great demon couldn¡¯t avoid. Berith¡¯s slightly consumed health gauge gave Zibal some hope of winning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join forces this time. I¡¯ll use Raiders, so let¡¯s work together to wound Berith through a gap.¡±


    ¡°The ultimate goal of alchemy.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just about making gold, it is about creating life. The existence of the Stone of Life is the evidence.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zibal wanted to cooperate, only for Kraugel to suddenly speak nonsense...? Kraugel pointed at something while responding to the confused Zibal, ¡°It is easy for Berith to recover his flesh.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±Zibal¡¯s eyes widened.


    The blood flowing from Berith¡¯s shoulder was as hard as metal. It soon became bones, flesh, and skin. The sight of Berith instantly restoring his left arm stunned the viewers watching as well as Zibal.


    ¡°This damn monster.¡± Zibal clicked his tongue. Was it useless to cut the body? It was the first time he realized that alchemy was so great. Even the alchemy of the best nation of the continent, the Saharan Empire, was at a level that was little better than making potions and metals. Toward the stiff Zibal¡ªno, it was toward Kraugel standing beside Zibal, Berith spoke.


    ¡°¡°The Sword Saint of this time is weak,¡±¡±he said quietly from a distance of several kilometers, but his voice entered their ears clearly. ¡°¡°Sword Saint Muller sealed many great demons. I think it¡¯s impossible for you.¡±¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t deny it.¡°That¡¯s right. It will be hard for me with my current strength.¡±


    Muller was the strongest human in history. If the potential of a named NPC could be ssified from 1 to 10, Muller¡¯s potential would be 100. It wasimpossible for the yer Kraugel to be as strong as Muller. However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡±


    ¡°It took me a while to collect the kids.¡±


    Hao, Alexander, and dozens of Russian rankers rushed to Kraugel¡¯s side. It was a much more splendid party than any other Berith raiding party, including Zibal¡¯s party. The audience¡¯s hearts pounded. Yet from Berith¡¯s perspective, it was just a group of small fries.


    Berith scoffed, and 10 magic circles appeared in the air around him. They quickly transformed all the elements around them. From dust, dirt, stones, rocks, water, and the air, they turned into metal harder than steel as they formed 10rge and threatening spears that shot at Kraugel.


    ¡°¡°Die.¡±¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±Kraugel¡¯s group swallowed their saliva. They were full of fighting spirit, but once they directly met Berith, the power felt from him was beyond imagination. Could they hold on until the Overgeared Guild arrived? To be honest, they didn¡¯t feel confident.


    The 10 spears crossed the battlefield. They flew past all the obstacles in front of them and struck Kraugel¡¯s group. The 10 spears were of a totally different dimension. The viewers thought this as they watched the canyon copse more every time a spear grazed it. Then the flying 10 spears suddenly slowed down, gradually losing their shape and scattering.


    ¡º What? ¡»


    Thementators and viewers couldn¡¯t understand the sudden phenomenon. The same was true for Hao, Alexander, and Zibal. Only two beings knew. Only Kraugel and Berith could see why the alchemy lost its momentum.


    ¡°...Intangible will?¡±


    A power with no form¡ªit was a realm for the absolute masters who could knock down objects with just their willpower. Two powerful wills were extinguishing Berith¡¯s alchemy. Berith looked rather surprised and moved his focus from Kraugel¡¯s group to the back wall of the fortress. Hundreds of cameras followed his gaze.


    ¡°It is an ugly horse.¡±


    ¡°This great demon has an arrogant tone.¡±


    A man and woman who held spears were standing there. The somewhat short middle-aged man had the name Kirinus, and the beautiful blond woman whose age couldn¡¯t be determined had the name of Rachel. Both their names shone a bright gold color. Thementators and viewers doubted their eyes.


    ¡ºThe best spearsman on the continent, Kirinus! ¡»


    ¡º Spear Saint Rachel!! ¡»


    ¡º H-How are they here? ¡»


    The powerhouses of the continent that the average yers would never have a chance to meet¡ªwhy had they appeared beside each other in this ce? In particr, Rachel was one of the empire¡¯s Seven Dukes. The empire was ignoring the crisis of the Haken Kingdom, so no one could easily guess why she was visiting the Haken Kingdom. Kraugel greeted the two of them, ¡°You came.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kirinus and Rachel responded lightly. Kraugel seemed close to the two of them.


    ¡º D-Don¡¯t tell me... .¡»


    Kraugel was the one who brought the powerhouses here? An inflexible general¡ªthis was what the world had evaluated Kraugel as. Most people believed that Kraugel had fallen once and would never be able to catch up with Grid. After all, what could Kraugel do on his own?


    Grid had hundreds of rankers and the monstrous Four Heavenly Kings. In the end, Grid would stand as an eternal presence. The people had to think like this, but their minds changed at this moment. A duke and the best spearman of the continent....


    Those who witnessed Kraugel appear with two super-grade NPCs saw that Kraugel had the potential to surpass Grid. They might not know the best spearman of the continent, but the Saharan Empire was the greatest power on the continent. Even Grid¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings would just be babies in front of the Seven Dukes...


    The people thought like this.

 Chapter 1045

    The war situation changed greatly after Kraugel emerged. First of all, the gates of the fortress were wide open. The soldiers of the Haken Kingdom stopped waiting for the demons on the walls and emerged from the fortress. They stood in the winding paths of the canyon and helped Kraugel¡¯s group fight the demons. No longer crouching like a tortoise, the soldiers swarmed bravely toward the demons like beasts.


    ¡°Die! Damn demons!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    ¡°Disappear from ournd!!¡±


    It was a fierce counterattack. The advance of the demon army started to be pushed back little by little. Now the demons weren¡¯t close to the walls. The durability of the walls, which decreased every time the acid and fire demons climbed the walls, slowly started to recover. It was just like Zibal¡¯s stamina.


    ¡°Artillerymen, cover!¡±


    Above the walls, Zibal briefly withdrew from the battlefield while his stamina was recovering and directed the soldiers. He used to be a noble of the Haken Kingdom, was the former leader of the Seven Guilds, and was now a soldier of the empire. Consequently, hismanding ability was excellent. Every time the guards and artillerymen fired at Zibal¡¯s orders, allies on the battlefield were saved. Of course, not everyone could be protected.


    ¡°Cover! Cover fire!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m still loading!¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    The weapon called the bow was too heavily influenced by the archer¡¯s skill and the wind direction. The cannon also had a fatal weakness, which was that they couldn¡¯t be fired immediately. Zibal and his soldiers were forced to watch as the demons grabbed the soldiers. Every time this happened, they felt great anger and hatred. They held a terrible killing intent toward the main culprit, Berith.


    ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯Zibal¡¯s gaze turned to a small battlefield on the horizon.


    Far from the battlefield beneath the walls, a fierce battle was urring between Berith, Kirinus, and Rachel. Kirinus¡¯ spear moved like flowing water, while Rachel¡¯s spear boasted explosive energy that was like a dragon¡¯s breath. At first nce, the two spears pressured Berith.


    Berith tried to counter their attacks, defending against their tactics with alchemy. Kirinus¡¯ and Rachel¡¯s intangible wills didn¡¯t allow Berith¡¯s alchemy to form. Berith¡¯s alchemy was shattered every time it was cast.


    The dance of alchemy...


    The helpless Berith reached a point where he had to pull out the sword hanging from his waist. Berith blocked Rachel¡¯s red spear with a crude sword and rolled his pupil-free white eyes. It was as if he wasughing.


    ¡°¡°The power of thought isn¡¯t infinite.¡±¡±


    There was a limit to mental power. Kirinus and Rachel might be two of the strongest beings on the continent, but it was still a burden for them to use their intangible wills in session. In fact, the speed at which their intangible wills dispersed Berith¡¯s alchemy was slowing down. If this continued, Berith¡¯s alchemy creation speed would surpass the speed at which they formed their intangible wills. No, they were both likely to self-destruct before they could catch up with the speed.


    Kirinus¡¯ and Rachel¡¯s foreheads were already covered with sweat. Even so, Kirinus and Rachel didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Our purpose¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªisn¡¯t to knock you down.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it appropriately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°¡°....?¡±¡±


    The two of them had spent almost three months together. Kirinus and Rachel had met each other on a daily basis and acknowledged the other as a rival. They didn¡¯t forget why they were standing in front of Berith now. This was only a game. It was important to know who dealt more damage to Berith, but they had no ns toy down their lives for Berith. They would act moderately in this situation. Kirinus and Rachel had no intention of dying in this ce. Still, if possible...


    ¡®I will stay as long as I can.¡¯


    This race was far from the concept of training and performance. The two people used their innate strength to deflect Berith¡¯s clumsy sword and stabbed their spears. Then they nced back. Far away, Kraugel was struggling with the demons along with hispanions.


    Kirinus and Rachel wanted to buy as much time as possible for Kraugel. They nned to hold on to the great demon until Kraugel defeated the demon army. For Kirinus, Kraugel was his only disciple and friend. For Rachel, Kraugel was fairly interesting to observe and he captivated the hearts of her knights.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let him die in a ce like this.¡¯


    Kirinus and Rachel nodded. The two peoplepeted with perfectly equal skills. Those who acknowledged and respected each other let their backs face each other¡¯s.


    ¡°Moonrise Spear Secret Technique."


    "Dehakel 5th style."


    "Eclipse.¡±Kirinus¡¯s spear moved in a circle and swallowed up the light around it.The path couldn¡¯t be read.


    ¡°Smander!¡± Rachel¡¯s spear moved in a straight line and emitted a yellow me. It obviously couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    ¡°¡°....!¡±¡±Berith¡¯s eyes widened.


    Without knowing it, his heart started to burn, and he screamed.


    ¡º B-Berith¡¯s health has been greatly reduced! ¡» Thementators from each country gulped as they ryed the situation, and all the chat rooms were boiling over.


    Emoticons such as surprise, thumbs up, and apuse bombarded the chat. The skill of Kirinus and Rachel were greater than the rumors imed. The two people broke the concept of the ¡®strongest¡¯ in the minds of the public. The people realized that even the farmer of Overgeared, who had been active in the Belial raid a few years ago, was merely trash in front of them. This was natural because the people couldn¡¯t properly predict how much Piaro had grown over the years.


    ¡°I think I hit him harder.¡±


    ¡°It was only possible because I exposed his weakness.¡±


    ¡°In any case, didn¡¯t I do more damage?¡±


    ¡°It is possible because of me so my contribution was higher.¡±


    ¡°Do you have such thick skin?¡±


    ¡°That is you.¡±


    Kirinus and Rachel bickered while pushing back the bleeding Berith. It was a childish argument, but it was important for them. This was because the direction of the battle could determine the problem that hadn¡¯t been resolved for more than two months.


    Two spears hit Berith¡¯s chin and side. The shocked Berith fell from the horse, and his face mmed into the ground. Berith¡¯s dry and elongated body twitched from the pain. The great demon was like this in front of only two humans. Kirinus and Rachel were easily able to achieve meaningful results when tens of thousands of challengers had died because of Berith.


    It was due to a difference in level. Just as it was pointless for hundreds of level 100 yers to go against a level 300 yer, the thing that mattered in Satisfy was strength, not numbers. Both Kirinus and Rachel were better than the thousands of rankers who faced the top boss. It would be hard if the thousands of rankers had to fight against both Kirinus and Rachel.


    Well, in any case. Kirinus and Rachel weren¡¯t too nervous about Great Demon Berith. It was the reason why the Saharan Empire hadn¡¯t acted when the Overgeared Kingdom raided Belial. For an empire that had arge number of powerful people, there was no need to fear the great demons.


    Of course, this was just arrogance. Hadn¡¯t the empire already suffered a crushing defeat because of Astaroth? The great demons were the nemesis of humanity. They were never easy opponents.


    ¡°¡°...You guys,¡±¡± Berith said, chewing the soil in his mouth as he slowly raised his elongated body.He asked Kirinus and Rachel, who were standing side by side, ¡°¡°Aren¡¯t you mistaken about something? You are just my prey.¡±¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡± Rachel frowned. Naturally, she knew this. She knew that she and Kirinus had a very short time to gain an advantage over Berith. Once a little more time passed, they would run out of skills and stamina, and the situation would gradually reverse. However, not yet. After all, they still had an overwhelming advantage. They could take the lead in the battle because they sealed the alchemy that was Berith¡¯s main force. That¡¯s what Rachel thought.


    ¡°¡°The two of you, aren¡¯t you already dying?¡±¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Berith¡¯s power wasn¡¯t only alchemy. His true power was the ability to lie, and his lies deceived the entire world.


    ¡°Cough!?¡±Rachel cocked her head at the absurd remark, only to cough up blood. Her clear skin was covered in blood. Her entire body was full of wounds that she had suffered without her knowledge. Kirinus was the same. When had his legs gotten cut? Kirinus sat on the ground and gazed at the wounds on his legs. The sight of the blood soaking into the earth was imprinted in his mind. The soil that Berith was chewing on turned into metal in his mouth. Dozens of sharp nails filled his mouth.


    ¡°¡°I told you. Mental power isn¡¯t infinite. The mental power of lower-minded humans is quickly drained.¡±¡±


    At this moment...


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Rachel¡¯s wounds disappeared without a trace. The various pains that apanied the wounds disappeared like they were a lie. The same was true for the deep wounds on Kirinus¡¯ legs. Kirinus rose from his position, and the blood staining the earth was erased as if they had never been there. The world itself had been deceived. Berith¡¯s lies lost their effect.


    Rachel and Kirinus realized that what they just experienced was an illusion and hurriedly adjusted their spears. However, it was toote. Berith spat out the dozens of nails filling his mouth and turned the bodies of the two people into rags. This was reality, not a lie.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Blood flowed from their bodies, and the nailed Kirinus and Rachel stiffened briefly. They temporarily lost their senses. Berith didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    ¡°¡°Hahaha, humans are really simple.¡±¡±


    He grinned as he transformed everything around him into metal. Dozens of sharp des were quickly created and aimed at Kirinus and Rachel.


    ¡°¡°Die.¡±¡±


    Berith didn¡¯t waste time. He neatly dealt with all obstacles in front of him at a quick speed. The great demon didn¡¯t dy as he moved his sword and tore at Rachel¡¯s and Kirinus¡¯ bodies.


    ¡º T-This is ridiculous... ¡»


    Thementators around the world confirmed Kirinus¡¯ and Rachel¡¯s rapidly decreasing health gauges. The viewers lost the small hope they had just obtained and sat own with a sense of helplessness.


    ¡®Berith won¡¯t be defeated until the Saharan Empirees out.¡¯


    The experts made a prediction. Kirinus and Rachel lost theirposure and were now busy protecting their lives. Those who were watching the two people struggle to avoid Berith¡¯s rain of des abandoned their vain dreams.

 Chapter 1046

    ¡°Wait a minute. Let¡¯s wait. We have to wait and observe a bit more.¡±


    Kraugel appeared with Rachel and Kirinus and caused a worldwide stir. Most people had predicted the raid¡¯s sess and headed for Fort Taleren. It was to benefit from the raid that would seed anyway. The opponent was a great demon. They would get a great reward even if they made a small contribution. That¡¯s right. If it wasn¡¯t for Fort Taleren blocking teleportation magic, all the rankers scattered throughout the continent would already be gathered at Fort Taleren.


    ¡®By the way, why is there such a stupid sight?¡¯


    Box, a ranker of the Haken Kingdom, was the first ranked Linker¡ªa ss that was ssified as the most difficult to grow after the Asura.He was the closest aide to Zibal during Zibal¡¯s prime and became the leader after Zibal abandoned the Snake Guild and left Haken.


    Presently, he came to Fort Taleren in order to gain a free ride from the Berith raid. He had been staying near Fort Taleren, so he could arrive at the scene on time. Box imagined a dying Berith surrounded by tens of thousands of rankers. Yet once he arrived at the scene, the sight in front of him waspletely different. He couldn¡¯t see the rankers who should be defeating Berith.


    In fact, he only saw a few people like himself hiding in corners of the canyon. It was due to the magic barrier. The other rankers didn¡¯t arrive on time because of this magic barrier.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    The situation was bad. The continent¡¯s best spearmen, who were considered the strongest NPCs by the media around the world, started to struggle against Berith. Kraugel¡¯s group was still struggling against the demons. Among the demons, there was a distinction between ¡®normal¡¯ and ¡®elite¡¯, and the elite demons weren¡¯t easily struck by Kraugel¡¯s sword.


    In particr, the nt-type demons that had multiple tubesing from their bodies seemed tricky. Once smoke emerged from the tubes, the battlefield was covered with fog. Then when sounds emerged from the tubes, the soldiers of the Haken Kingdom were brainwashed and attacked each other. Meanwhile, the insect-like demons consumed the honey flowing from the tubes and were temporarily strengthened as they focused on attacking Kraugel.


    Theirbat power and intelligence were better than all field boss monsters in all respects. They were the core power of Berith¡¯s army. Box, who thought the raid would fail, clicked his tongue and stared at the nobles on the wall.


    ¡®They are fools. I can¡¯t believe they raised a barrier against teleportation magic in a situation where they have to borrow other people¡¯s hands.¡¯


    Still, Box knew the reason for their decision. The danger was too great if outsiders were allowed ess. The raid difficulty would rise due to the appearance of hostile forces like the Yatan believers or those hoping for the copse of the Haken Kingdom.


    However, weren¡¯t they just going to die like this? Box felt that the Haken royal family was pathetic for blocking hope in order to prevent some risks. Well, they were one of the smallest countries on the continent because they were so timid and stupid.


    ¡°This is a failure.¡±


    The ultimate alchemy...


    Kirinus and Rachel were caught in the crossfire of a sharp metal rain. Kraugel, the Hao siblings, Alexander, and the Russian rankers changed their formation as if they had already given up. He ignored the demons in front of him and gazed at the retreating Kirinus and Rachel.


    ¡®We can¡¯t enter this battle.¡¯


    Apart from dying and losing experience, they would have the disgrace of being added to the list of raid losers. The reputation of the Snake Guild would be lost.


    ...Box almost drove his guild members to their deaths. He sighed and ordered the guild members, ¡°Let¡¯s leave. There is no hope here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to help Zibal?¡±


    The Snake Guild¡ªZibal founded it, but the prestigious guild was now led by Box. The members had a glimpse of Box¡¯s heart. He had shouted about a free ride on the surface, but the reason Box came to this ce was because of Zibal. It was because of the old emotions Box held toward the only person he had served. However, Box was someone who led 300 guild members. He wasn¡¯t stubborn enough to drive his guild members to death because of personal feelings.


    ¡°Zibal? I don¡¯t care about that retired person.¡± Box pretended to be casual and started moving. The direction he headed in was outside the canyon, which was the opposite direction of the city he originally stayed in. He was about to leave the Haken Kingdom.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to lose the fame and achievements I¡¯ve umted in Haken, but I have to let it go. I will change to the Saharan Empire.¡¯


    A small country had its own advantages. There were rtively few active yers, and there were many opportunities to monopolize the high-level quests and hunting areas. Compared to the more populous countries,petition in all sectors of Haken was low. This was a particrly beneficial environment for rankers like Box. It was being the head of a snake, rather than the tail of a dragon. Box wanted to live like that in the Haken Kingdom, rather than being at the bottom in the empire.


    However, the recent situation with Berith dramatically changed his idea. He realized it when he saw the fall of the Rotemon Kingdom. It was foolish to live in a nation that couldn¡¯t protect its people. A person had the right to choose a better country.


    ¡®It is different from knocking while sitting on the streets and knocking while the door of your house is still open.¡¯


    He had to go to the empire before the Haken Kingdom was destroyed, and he had to negotiate while his value was still high. Box was moving along the river when his nostrils red. Everywhere he looked, he spotted people heading to the canyon. They wanted an easy ride on the Berith raid. They never dreamed that the raid would fail.


    ¡®They will go back soon with regret. Huh?¡¯


    Box was d. He found a procession of people moving in the same direction as himself. They were refugees. They foresaw the destruction of the Haken Kingdom and were leaving their homnd. Box was relieved when he saw them. It wasn¡¯t just him who abandoned the country. They were many people like him who gave up. His choice was wise, and he wasn¡¯t a traitor...


    These thoughts revolved around Box¡¯s mind.


    ¡°...¡± Box was leading the guild members when he stopped in ce. Perhaps it was because he found himself in the procession of refugees that he felt guilty about his choice. This question soured Box¡¯s heart. It reminded Box of the past.


    At the beginning of Satisfy, Haken was the first country he chose. He had grown up interacting with the people of Haken. At the time, he met Zibal and the Snake Guild. He could be what he was now because of Haken. Did he really want Haken¡¯s destruction?


    ¡°...¡±


    Why was he being foolishly nostalgic? Why did he keep looking back even when he knew it was useless? The guild members spoke to Box who had frozen like a stone statue, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If we leave this way, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    In the end...


    ¡°Yes, we should go back.¡±


    If he ran away every time there was a crisis, he would eventually lose a ce to flee to. Then it happened the moment Box turned to go back the way he came.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was a huge shadow cast over him, and he heard someone¡¯s voice. By the way, this voice was somewhat familiar.


    ¡°...!!¡± Box¡¯s eyes slowly widened.


    A ck-haired man on the back of a mountain-sized hippopotamus was looking down at him.¡°Did youe from the fortress? What is the situation there?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Old memories came to Box¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t forget the man in front of him who was the cause of one of his few failures.


    ¡°...They will all die if this continues.¡±Box felt like he was grasping a straw as he spoke to this man¡ªthe man who became the new supreme one.


    ¡°I guess I better hurry,¡± the man who had Box¡¯s attention said. Then he urged his colleagues, ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead. Catch up as soon as possible. Faker, Piaro. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Quick Movements,¡±the man shouted the name of the skill and quickly disappeared. The surprising thing was that there were five people who kept up with his crazy speed. There were four big NPCs with shing golden names. By the way, the names of the NPCs were a bit strange. They were familiar names. He had heard them before.


    A woman approached Box with a smile. The world¡¯s most morous beauty emanated an irresistible force. ¡°You, follow us. You are the number one Linker and should be useful.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense ande with us.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes sharpened, and Box nodded.


    ***


    ¡º This raid has also failed. Still, I want to apud them. ¡»


    ¡º Yes. They fought well enough. ¡»


    Unlike the gorgeous appearance, the result was rather futile. Even so, there were few people in the world who would deny Kraugel¡¯s performance. They stopped the advance of the demon army, which no one had ever stopped, and dealt a terrible wound to Berith who ridiculed the people.


    It deserved respect. They were heroes who stood up for the suffering people even though they knew it would be a tough fight. In other countries, the broadcasters praised Kraugel¡¯s party. Hundreds of millions of viewers apuded them, but there were no cheers.


    ¡°¡°There are many souls.¡±¡±


    Berith gathered the bodies of the Haken soldiers and summoned a fourth army. The people were gloomy as they saw Berith build up an even greater force.


    ¡°Avoid it!¡± Kraugel was blocking Berith¡¯s path.


    He had yet to surpass Kirinus and Rachel, but he still stepped forward. Kraugel hid the two people behind his back and confronted Berith alone. Kirinus shouted, ¡°Are you making fun of me? I will open the retreat, so you avoid it!¡±


    Since his only love, Aria, became empress, Kirinus lost his purpose in life. On the day she died, Kirinus¡¯ life became meaningless. He was the only one who could die. Kirinus had no intention of sacrificing the proud disciple he had eptedte, the Sword Saint who was thest hope of humanity.


    Kraugel shook his head. ¡°You know that I am an immortal. For me, death is a concept I can afford.¡±


    ¡®However, you are different.Death is the end for you,¡¯ Kraugel sent this message to Kirinus with his eyes.


    ¡°You might be immortal, but I know that death is still a loss. It might not be the end, but you will weaken.¡±


    ¡°I can afford it.¡±


    ¡°No, the Sword Saint shouldn¡¯t crumble.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Sword Saint is thentern of humanity. They shouldn¡¯t see you being beaten.¡±


    Rachel also stood alongside Kirinus. ¡°The game isn¡¯t over yet. I will have the title of the continent¡¯s best spearman.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel frowned. He sighed at the mortal who wanted to sacrifice himself for a yer. In the end...


    ¡°I¡¯m asking the both of you,¡± Kraugel asked Hao and Alexander. Hao and Alexander nodded and grabbed Kirinus and Rachel¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. You must not die for Kraugel¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Survive so that you can train Kraugel even further.


    ¡°¡°You are all fooling around.¡±¡±


    The rain of des finished. Berith watched the humans talking in front of him and shook his head as if it was absurd.


    ¡®¡°I will kill all of you. It¡¯s pointless to discuss it among yourself.¡±¡±


    Hundreds of magic circles appeared around Berith. It was the precursor to a massive attack.


    ¡°¡°The other world exists as a pasture for us.¡±¡±


    The hundreds of magic circles started to transform the entire canyon into metal. Tens of thousands of des emerged from all types of topographic formations.


    ¡°¡°Humans are livestock for us.¡±¡±


    Berith¡¯s white eyes formed a half moon shape.


    ¡°¡°All you have to do is be food. That is what destiny means.¡±¡±


    The alchemy wasplete. Tens of thousands of des aimed at Kraugel¡¯s group. This was the first time the ultimate attack of 22nd Great Demon Berith was revealed. It happened months after Berith appeared in the world.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Zibal swore and hurriedly boarded Raiders. He wanted to deal at least one blow to this damn guy, even if he died.


    ¡º Ah... Ahh... ¡»


    It was a sight that was bound to be rming. The broadcasters were dumbfounded when they witnessed the tens of thousands of des floating in the air. They couldn¡¯t say anything. In the face of Berith¡¯s overwhelming force, their knowledge and words became meaningless.


    -It is really turning around in circles.


    -Yes, the next ruined game.


    The viewers were already disengaged. Seeing that Berith easily overpowered a duke of the prestigious empire, they abandoned their dreams and hopes. Who could stop Berith after he summoned a fourth army? They thought that even the Saharan Empire wouldn¡¯t be useful now.


    ¡°¡°Go to Heaven.¡±¡±


    It was Berith¡¯s worst curse. The moment that the tens of thousands of des were going to hit Kraugel¡¯s group.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    A massive explosion urred. The tens of thousands of des scattered in ash.


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡± Berith was more surprised than when he witnessed the emergence of the Sword Saint. Kraugel¡¯s gaze shifted to one side, and hundreds of cameras followed him. On all the broadcast screens around the world:


    [Grid].


    The name of the man with fluttering ck hair was captured. There were four named NPCs by their side. Were they Grid¡¯s famous Four Heavenly Kings? The spellbound people concentrated on observing the names of the NPCs. Then they doubted their eyes. They rubbed their eyes a few times and double checked the names of the NPCs.


    Then they soon realized it was real. The Immortal King Grenhal, Beast King Morse, and Golden Crown Basara¡ªthe dukes of the Saharan Empire were standing alongside Grid. The funny thing was that they were all looking at Grid like he was a monster.


    -...A great game.


    The supreme person was the object of envy and a target. The viewers saw their future through Grid and no longer shouted about the game. The hearts of people all over the world pounded.


    ¡°I have been waiting.¡± Then Kraugel opened up all the power he had stored. Hundreds of swords appeared around Kraugel. It was the execution of Control Sword, which had been strengthenedpared to the National Competition.

 Chapter 1047

    ¡º It isn¡¯t fake. They are some of the Seven Dukes. ¡»


    Johannes, a German, was a young genius who was noted as a once in a century pianist. Then he suffered from a terrible ident. He was involved in a terrorist incident in Britain and lost one arm and both legs. Of course, modern medicine gave him good prosthetics. Johannes got a new arm and legs that were almost no different from the real thing.


    Yes, the problem was that there was a slight difference. Johannes seeded in restoring 99% of the function but not 100%. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with his own performance. It was a terrible pain for a young genius. The frustrated Johannes announced his retirement. However...


    ¡º I saw them in the imperial ballroom. ¡»


    Johannes resurrected in a brilliant manner. He gained aplete body in Satisfy, chose the ss of musician, and showed off his infinite talent. As he dreamed of music, he was recognized for his skills and joined the Saharan Imperial Orchestra through which he saw the empire¡¯s social circles up close and personal. He was an ordinary yer who remembered the tone and habits of the grand nobles who he didn¡¯t have a chance to see in real life. Additionally, he helped viewers by appearing as a panelist on a German broadcastingpany rying the Berith raid.


    ¡º Duke Grenhal and Duke Basara are among the Seven Dukes vying to be the most powerful. I heard that Duke Grenhal¡¯s territory is thergest while Duke Basara is a close rtive of the emperor. I heard that all three of them, including Duke Morse, are undefeated. They are all very prideful. ¡» Johannes paused.


    The camera zoomed in on Duke Grenhal. Then Johannes¡¯ additional exnation continued, ¡º Duke Grenhal only bows to the emperor. This means that he only recognizes the empire. ¡»


    ¡º Huh, this... Do the other royal family members dislike them? ¡»


    ¡º No. Duke Grenhal is a descendant of the founders and has a number of achievements. Moreover, the imperial princes don¡¯t dare to disapprove of him because his actual force is greater than anyone apart from the emperor. There are rumors that the imperial princes are eager to be acknowledged by Duke Grenhal. ¡»


    The camera captured Duke Morse¡¯s image at this time.


    ¡º As for Duke Morse... he is a hooligan. He iscking in dignity and is rowdy. He is different from the other nobles. Every time he enters the pce, the people of the imperial pce can¡¯t hide their difort. He acts like he has nothing to fear in the world. He seems to be someone who only lives for today. ¡»


    Finally, the camera captured Duke Basara¡¯s image. Her eyes were so beautiful that the camera stopped on her for an unusually long time.


    ¡º She is the most elegant person. Her every action is prudent and gentle to her subordinates. Everyone in the imperial pce admires her. There is a rumor that she is blind because she always has her eyes closed... ¡»


    ¡º Huh? Isn¡¯t she opening her eyes now? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s why it is weird. Considering the nature of the three dukes, it is unthinkable that they would be so amazed at others. ¡»


    ¡º... ¡»


    By this time, thementators had grasped the situation. The viewers also sensed something strange. Why did Grid arrive at the scene with the dukes when he was hostile to the empire? Everyone was paying attention to the superficial situation, but Johannes knew the nature of the Seven Dukes and was paying attention to a deeper aspect.


    ¡º We¡¯ve always admired Grid. It is because Grid always shows us things beyond our imagination. Now I think Grid has surpassed the dukes¡¯ imagination. ¡»


    ¡º No, what... ¡»


    In what way did he surpass the imagination of the dukes? 200,000 Army Crushing Sword¡ªbased on the name, the skill was obviously very powerful. He literally smashed the tens of thousands of des aiming at Kraugel¡¯s party. Despite this, the concept of ¡®neutralizing¡¯ a skill had already been seen.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t amon skill, but the other people were part of the Seven Dukes. For those who had seen much more than yers, would the 200,000 Army Crushing Sword be a special skill? To think it was enough to make Basara open her eyes when there was always the misconception that she was blind...? Honestly, it was hard to understand.


    ¡º The form to neutralize a skill with another skill isn¡¯t surprising. Berith¡¯s skill might be on a great scale that hasn¡¯t been seen before, but isn¡¯t it theoretically possible to neutralize it with one skill? If Kirinus and Rachel were in full condition, they would be able to use their intangible will to get rid of all the des. ¡»


    ¡º Um... I don¡¯t think it is as simple as that since Rachel has been stiff since Grid appeared. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t Rachel¡¯s reaction particrly strange? That is apletely haunted look. ¡»


    ¡º ...Let¡¯s just watch. ¡»


    The experts couldn¡¯t form spections. This was none other than Grid. There was a time when people talked about him using their knowledge and information, but they were scolded for being wrong. This was the power of repetitive learning. The viewers¡¯ chat window was stered with criticisms for the panelists, but it was better than having their pride shattered when they were wrong.


    ***


    [You have been injured by the recoil from 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    [You have lost 50% of your health!]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    [200,000 Army Crushing Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    [Fires a wave of energy des that inflicts 200% attack power to all enemies in sight and crushes the enemy¡¯s attack skills. The crushed skills will lose their effectiveness and disappear.


    However, if there are many types of skills that are crushed, then the greater the power, the greater the recoil.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 8,000 mana, 50 sword energy or fighting energy.


    Skill Recoil: Decreased health (a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 50%)


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    200,000 Army Crushing Sword...


    Grid thought it would be different based on the number, but the skill¡¯s power was beyond imagination. Just like 100,000 Army Blockade Sword, it damaged all targets within his field of view, but the damage was 10 timesrger. Of course, it didn¡¯t cause the ¡®blocked¡¯ state, but it had the effect of ¡®crushing¡¯ the enemy¡¯s attack skills. It wasn¡¯t even a probability. It was a definitive effect.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    There hadn¡¯t been such a skill up to now. It was a real fraudulent skill. He thought this as he hurriedly pulled out a potion and roughly wiped at the blood that was flowing from his mouth. It consumed a lot of health... The burden was huge.


    ¡®I also don¡¯t like the cooldown time.¡¯


    30 minutes was a long time. Battles thatsted for more than 30 minutes were extremely rare, and it was safe to say he couldn¡¯t use it more than twice in one battle. However, the cooldown of 100,000 Army Blockade Sword was also 30 minutes. It wasforting to know that the cooldown of the higher ranked skill¡ª200,000 Army Swordsmanship¡ªwas only 30 minutes.


    ¡®I am used to skills with a long cooldown time.¡¯


    Transcend had a cooldown time of 40 minutes. To others, Grid might be invincible, but in reality, he was suffering from all types of troubles and weaknesses. This didn¡¯t mean he needed to wait around for the cooldown time to end.


    ¡®I have God¡¯s Command.¡¯


    It was a passive skill that could reset the cooldown of a skill. The probability of triggering it was 50%, but it was still a type of insurance.


    ¡®By the way...¡¯


    Grid looked back with a heated gaze. All of the dukes were making awed expressions. It was shocking to see the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. They must be confused by the misunderstanding that the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant who had troubled the empire for a long time was the Overgeared King.


    Grid told them,¡°I¡¯m not the descendant of the Undefeated King who rebelled in Lubana.¡±


    Even so, he was the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant who killed the Red Knight Lorex and cut off Kyle¡¯s arm. Grid didn¡¯t dare say these words. There was no need to reveal it.


    ¡°...Certainly. I didn¡¯t think so,¡± the wise Basara immediately announced that Grid¡¯s words weren¡¯t false. What should she do if the Overgeared King was the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant who had been causing a stir for a while? She would¡¯ve tracked the movements in reverse to determine the authenticity of his words. Of course, if her affinity with Grid wasn¡¯t so high, she might not even confirm the authenticity of his statement.


    That¡¯s right. Grid was able to show off the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship in front of the dukes because he believed in the trust he had built up with them.


    In the months after the National Competition, Grid was swept away by many events and gained a lot of achievements. He achieved the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship and aplishments such as creating the Overgeared Cannon, acquiring a hidden ss, and strengthening his sword dances. It was noticeably rapid growthpared to the past.


    However, Grid¡¯s most significant development was the expansion of personal connections rather than personal growth. He gained affinity with the dukes and nned to actively utilize his rtionship with them.


    ¡®It is the right timing to show the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship now.¡¯


    The Undefeated King whom the empire was afraid of and felt hostile toward... Originally, the moment it was revealed that Grid was a descendant of the Undefeated King, the empire would bemitted to killing Grid. Yet it was different now. The dukes drew a future with Grid and willingly epted that Grid had a power they were afraid of. It was like he had expected.


    ¡°The Undefeated King¡¯s descendant... There isn¡¯t just one person qualified but two.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that one of them is King Grid.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Luckily, it worked. A grotesque voice entered the ears of Grid who was smiling with relief, ¡°¡°A hybrid.¡±¡±


    ¡°Hybrid?¡± Grid turned to Berith.


    Berith¡¯s skin was a pale blue that was the color of his rotten lungs before turning bright red again. Clearly, the stinking odor that was filling the canyon rose from a small hole in his waist. It was disgusting. Yes, disgusting. Grid¡¯s observation of the great demon was over. Unlike most people, he didn¡¯t feel fear. This was immediately after meeting War God Zeratul, so the great demon didn¡¯t give Grid any special feelings.


    Berith¡¯s mouth twisted as he read Grid¡¯s emotions. ¡°¡°Pagma, Braham, Madra, Muller... The power of all these existences is inside you... It is truly arrogant.¡±¡±


    The names of four legends were mentioned. Everyone on the battlefield and the viewers around the world doubted their ears.


    ¡°¡°But is that power really yours? No, absolutely not. You have only borrowed their power for a while and haven¡¯t built it up yourself. The moment you lose your qualifications, you will end up losing. Just like right now.¡±¡±


    [A million lies have distorted the truth.]


    [The first ss Pagma¡¯s Descendant has been temporarily lost.]


    [All effects and skills rted to Pagma¡¯s Descendant will disappear.]


    [The second ss Duke of Wisdom has been temporarily lost.]


    [All effects and skills rted to Duke of Wisdom will disappear.]


    [The title Hero King will be temporarily lost.]


    [All effects and skills rted to Hero King will disappear.]


    [The skills 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and 200,000 Army Swordsmanship have been temporarily lost.]


    ¡°...!?¡±Grid looked like he has been struck by lightning and stiffened like a statue. It was ambiguous to ssify it as an abnormal status. Therefore, even his resistance to it was blocked. Grid was confused in the face of Berith¡¯s power to even distort the system.


    Berith was smiling with satisfaction.¡°¡°Die.¡±¡±


    Pagma, who had blocked the invasion of the Behen Archipgo, was the most famous human known to the great demons. With Pagma¡¯s power, Grid couldn¡¯t be ignored, even by Berith. In fact, Grid had the power of Belial and Astaroth. This was proof that he had already killed two great demons. Berith¡¯s top priority was to get rid of him, and that was very easy for Berith.


    The ¡®falsehood¡¯, which could only be applied once to a target, was a winning tool that couldpletely destroy the target. However, there was a variable. It was a variable caused by the fact that Berith didn¡¯t properly define the person called Grid.


    [The third ss Magic Swordsman of the Epics has reced the first ss!]


    [(Braham¡¯s Favor) Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship has been activated!]


    Grid was the protagonist of the mythological story and the heir of both Pagma and Braham. Thus, he had a status that transcended Pagma¡¯s Descendant. At this moment...


    [An unknown person is writing down the first epic.]


    [The beginning of the storyes from the Taleren Canyon.]


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid wasplete.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    ¡°¡°Why?¡±¡±


    [He sprinkled blue petals on the canyon dyed with red blood.]


    The world messages that emerged in real-time described Grid. A melodic theme appeared in Johannes¡¯ mind. It was the prelude to a great epic.

 Chapter 1048

    [Fires 40 swords with 200% physical attack power, leaving a mark on all visible enemies. An additional two sword energy will be generated per mark, and the added sword energy will aim at their targets.]


    As it was described in the exnation, Transcended Link Flower was a skill where the size of the enemy didn¡¯t matter. It was also a skill that maximized the power of the blood-sucking items Grid possessed. Grid had no sense of irrationality and helplessness when he dealt with arge number of enemies alone.


    A mark appeared on the heads of Berith and the demon army within Grid¡¯s field of view. Thousands of blue petals filled the canyon. The war-devastated canyon was transformed into a beautiful ce.


    [He sprinkled blue petals on the canyon dyed with red blood.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    With the sentence marking the beginning of the epic, there was resilience everywhere. Everyone looked up at Grid, and his chest became hot when he felt their gazes. Did he feel that he was superior to them? No. It was a pure sense of fullness that came from being acknowledged by others.


    Grid had suffered many things in his life, and the enthusiasm and support he had received during the past few years were still new and exciting. Maybe it was something he would never get used to.


    [He was an underdog who was used to insults and contempt.]


    [A loser who was exploited and couldn¡¯t stand alone...]


    ¡®...No, why is it bringing out these old things and telling the people?¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been nice if it wasn¡¯t for the world messages. Grid blushed as he was shamed in front of the people of the world. Then the petals from the sky struck the demons on the ground. The more beautiful the petals, the more dangerous they were. The demons screamed sharply from getting hit by the petals.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Against an army, this was an overwhelming power. The shouts of the Haken Kingdom¡¯s soldiers pierced the sky. and Grid¡¯s sense of fulfillment grew even greater. Despite this, the epic denied Grid.


    [He was still weak.]


    [It was because his ughtering of the demons in the canyon wasn¡¯t his own feat.]


    [He woke up using the strength of others, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he fell down at any moment.]


    40 ck energy des emerged and struck Berith.


    [The target has received 33,250 damage.]


    [The target has received 32,999 damage.]


    Transcended Link Flower dealt 200% damage per energy de. An ordinary monster couldn¡¯t handle even one of the 40 strikes. Yet Berith was hit by two in session. The first moment that Kraugel appeared caused Berith to increase his defense and he nowpletely neutralized the power of Grid¡¯s strikes. However...


    ¡°¡°Why?¡±¡±


    Berith¡¯s face was covered with shock. He was confused because he couldn¡¯t fathom how Grid was fine in spite of his distorted reality. A human denied his power...? Anxiety sprang up in Berith¡¯s mind. He had glimpsed Pagma and Muller from Grid. It was the appearance of a non-standard human who had destroyed a great demon with transcendent power.


    [The great demon of the canyon dismissed him.]


    ¡°¡°As expected, I really should get rid of you.¡±¡±


    Berith decided to be vignt. He disappeared like smoke from his position. The sickly horse that carried him was much faster than a unicorn or pegasus and seemed to easily escape from Transcended Link Flower.


    [Braham¡¯s Detect Force has been triggered.]


    [Transcend¡¯s sword energy has read and kept track of the target.]


    At least, until Braham¡¯s magic was triggered.


    ¡°¡°What?¡±¡±


    [He was finallyplete.]


    [His body was tempered by hammering and remembered the sword dances that he performed daily.]


    [The magic at the end of his sword was evidence of him pioneering his own path.]


    [He was overshadowed by the shade of certain names, but he had already umted enough.]


    A bizarre and unrealistic scene was being directed. Dozens of energy des plummeted to the ground and turned as they tracked Berith.


    ¡°¡°Disgraceful!¡±¡±


    His movements were being read by a human...? Berith¡¯s ego was shattered along with his injured face, and he triggered his alchemy. An iron wall that offset physical attacks circled his body. He was determined that the petty human attacks would have no effect against a lord of hell. However, theining of an unqualified person had no meaning.


    ¡°¡°...?!¡±¡±


    The wind damage that came from every four strikes was severe. Braham¡¯s Wind Cutter magic attacked to Link split the iron wall in half and tore at Berith¡¯s skin. The petals cutting the bodies of the demons exploded and generated electricity. It was the emergence of Braham¡¯s Lightning magic.


    The demons were shaken. Some of the insect-type demons with rtively low health were bombarded severely while the beast-like demons roared. Hundreds of blind demons stared at Grid in unison because the impact was too great. It was a terrible sight, but Grid wasn¡¯t daunted. He watched Berith without worrying about the mobs that had been electrocuted and stuck in ce.


    [He was the first human to taste the invibility of the great demon in the canyon.]


    [He was the one who built up the legends with his own strength.]


    ....


    ...


    [An unknown person haspleted the first page of the epic!]


    The world messages ended. The viewers became solemn as they took a nce at the life of the famous Grid with a few short sentences.


    A talentless supreme person... A person who deserved more respect than anyone else... His ¡®beginning¡¯ was like the many stars in the sky, and he was cheered on by many people.


    [Someone is paying homage to the Hero King¡¯s Stone Statue.]


    [Someone is paying homage to the Hero King¡¯s Stone...]


    [Someone is...]


    ....


    ...


    [There is a rumor that the procession to your stone statue is endless!]


    ....


    ...


    [The Hero King¡¯s Stone Statue has reached the maximum level of 15!]


    [The current ration of respectful bows to the stone statue has reached the maximum! Over the next month, your dexterity stat will rise by 30%, and the probability of making a high rated item has increased slightly! Additionally, the speed of sword-type attack skills is 20% faster!]


    Following the good news, the contents of Gird¡¯s notification window was updated.


    [The first page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [The effect of the epic has changed (Braham¡¯s Favor) Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship to Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    [You have witnessed Braham¡¯s magic many times. Your swords dances are designed to optimize Braham¡¯s magic forms. The magic power of the sword dances is greatly enhanced.]


    [You are the first yer to gain a skill derived from yourself.]


    [You have acquired one Skill Creation Right as a reward for the amazing achievement.]


    [Skill Creation Right]


    [You can create one active skill.]


    [Your status has risen by one level with thepletion of that epic.]


    [The maximum speed limitations, vision limitations, and senses limitations will be partially lifted.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    [Based on the contents of the epic, you have gained the new title ¡®Legend of the Canyon.¡¯]


    [Legend of the Canyon]


    [All stats will increase by 10%, and the power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in a canyon terrain.


    You have instilled fear in 22nd Great Demon Berith. Berith¡¯s defense and magic resistance will decrease by 10% when encountering Berith.


    The same effect will apply to demons ranked lower than Berith.]


    [Your vision and body¡¯s senses are better than the effect of the current item, ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch. The ughterer¡¯s Eye Patch is just an obstacle to your vision.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Dust fluttered in the sky. Despite floating fairly high in the sky above the battlefield, the smell of blood entered his nose. Grid exchanged gazes with Berith.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. The world had changed. It was the minimum preparation needed to adapt to these changes.


    ¡°It is worth a try at this point...¡± Grid murmured and took off the eyepatch he always wore. Hundreds of cameras focused on his left eye. The shadows seemed to split in half around the small point of the red pupil. It was an evil eye.


    [Your delicate senses are controlling the rampant magic power of the Castration Eye.]


    ¡°Hat.¡±


    He could see the wind sweeping over his skin. His extended vision gave the impression of contemting the existence of ¡®I¡¯ from the sky. The passage of time split in increments of sub-seconds. He felt like a superhero appearing in a movie. His species itself seemed to have evolved.


    Grid wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with this sensation. It was the sense of transcendence he had felt when he experienced Chreshler¡¯s past. Of course, this fell far short of Chreshler¡¯s senses, but Grid was certain of it. Grid was now reborn on the same level as the Seven Dukes.


    ¡°¡°What is this? That rxed mug.¡±¡±


    It was just before Grid arrived in front of Berith. The great demon had already fought a long battle. He had only dealt with two humans, but they could be called his fiercest opponents so far. Berith had consumed a lot of health. In this state, he was hit by Braham¡¯s magic and Transcended Link Flower. It meant he was ready for a new phase.


    ¡°¡°Disgusting... It is really disgusting. I¡¯ll teach you a good lesson.¡±¡±


    The greatest power that copsed thergest expedition, including Ares¡¯ army, appeared. The entire canyon was shaken by the wave of energy, and the morale of the wounded demons skyrocketed.


    ¡°¡°There is no presence in this world that can harm me.¡±¡±


    It was a distortion of the truth.


    ¡°¡°My breath will destroy the forest, and the mountains will copse with my steps.¡±¡±


    Berith ovey himself with the lie of being ¡®invincible.¡¯ For the next minute, he would be immune to all sorts of damages and have his damage amplified by several times. It was the strongest buff skill that frustrated Ares¡¯ army. This was the moment when the viewers were reminded of Berith¡¯s ultimate power.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort,¡±Grid dered these words with a red face.


    ¡º ...? ¡»


    -...?


    Why all of a sudden? The moment when the broadcasters and viewers around the world were cringing, the false buff that surrounded Berith¡¯s body shattered like ss and disappeared.


    ¡º ....!! ¡»


    -....!!


    ¡°¡°....!!¡±¡±


    People were choked by the opening of heaven and earth. Of course, the most shocked one was Berith. Something emerged in front of him as he was feeling astonished. It was Grid. Grid used ckening in his evolved state, and his speed was literally transcendent.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.¡±


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The absolute technique pierced Berith¡¯s heart.


    ¡°¡±Y-You...¡±¡±


    The dirty mouth that insulted humanity was smashed. As he linked the sword dances, Grid appeared on Berith¡¯s left side, above him, or behind his back every time lightning burst out.

 Chapter 1049

    ¡°¡°This guy!¡±¡±


    ¡°¡°Disgraceful!¡±¡±


    ¡°¡°Kuaaah!¡±¡±


    The relentless connection of the sword dances caused Berith to feel the greatest humiliation since his birth. He moved his long waist and roared as he was stabbed. However, it failed this time. He missed Grid¡¯s movements. The wind turned into a storm. This was a wavelength generated by Grid¡¯s swiftness.


    It had been a long time since Grid disappeared from view. He reappeared with the sound of thunder andpleted the final move of his sword dance.


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±Grid cut Berith¡¯s head.


    Grid¡¯s skin was white, and his mouth was twisted wickedly as demonic energy rose from him like a haze. ckening¡ªthe power that Grid had umted over the years had be a powerful force that strengthened him. The limits of the human species didn¡¯t bind him.


    ¡®Amoract!¡¯Berith gritted his teeth when he noticed the Dark Bus¡¯ Earrings on Grid¡¯s ears. The great demon of conflict, Amoract¡ªthis scumbag, who imed to be a faithful servant of Yatan, gave various powers to humans in the name of it being ¡®for all demons.¡¯ He handed out tools to the Yatan Church to gain control of the human race, and these earrings were one of them.


    ¡®You stupid fool!¡¯


    It was definitely stupid. This situation urred because power had been given to humans. Berith was now suffering this humiliation because some fucking human couldn¡¯t properly keep the tools he had obtained.


    ¡®Amoract, Amoract! Amoract!! This came from you. The hell tools that you left behind became a variable, giving birth to the current variant in front of me! If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would never be humiliated like this!¡¯


    That¡¯s right. Berith saw that the reason for Grid¡¯s evolution was purely ckening. He didn¡¯t know about Grid¡¯s awakening. It was misleading since Grid triggered ckening the moment hepleted the epic.


    Then Grid reappeared. Immediately afterward, he executed the final moves of Pinnacle Kill.


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Enchant Weapon has been triggered.]


    [The attack power of the weapon currently equipped is increased by 60% for 5 seconds, and there is an extra 20% armor pration power.]


    Originally, the Enchant Weapon spell attached to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship increased the attack power by 50% while the sword dance was maintained. Now Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship was enhanced by the effect of the epic, and it increased the effectiveness of Enchant Weapon, making it much more lethal. Enchant Weapon surrounded the Enlightenment Sword and glowed incandescently.


    Grid¡¯s swordsmanship left behind a trail that glowed like the Milky Way. Many people were fascinated by the beautiful sight. On the other hand, it was a threatening sight to Berith.


    ¡°¡°What the hell is that magic?!!¡±¡±


    Every time Grid used a sword dance, magic spells¡ªwhich contained a rare mystery hard to see in humans¡ªwere invoked. It was just basic magic, so the power itself wasn¡¯t great. Still, itpletely defeated the concepts of defense and resistance from Berith¡¯s alchemy. Berith had never experienced as much pain as he did today. His body was like a piece of meat at a butcher¡¯s shop as he was cut and stabbed.


    Blood flowed, and his health fell below 45%. At the time of Grid¡¯s appearance, Berith had a bit more than 50% of his health left. This meant that Grid had inflicted billions of damage on his own.


    There was no one who wasn¡¯t impressed. People were overwhelmed with anticipation. They imagined the great demon, who had made yers tremble in thest few months, was returning to hell, and they were prepared to wee the return of peace.


    Grid activated cksmith¡¯s Rage and further pushed Berith. However, Berith¡¯s resistance was formidable. He used alchemy to surround himself with hundreds of metal thorns. The moment that Grid cut Berith, the thorns sprang up and pieced Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    [You have suffered 19,500 damage.]


    The unavoidable reflected damaged turned Grid into a rag at once. However, Grid didn¡¯t stop and attacked Berith again. He swung his sword as he was divided into two people. Grid received new damage from the reflected attack that urred again. He divided into four bodies as his sword pierced Berith¡¯s heart.


    It was Belial¡¯s Power attached to the Rune of Darkness. Grid had four fields of view, but he wasn¡¯t confused. He contemted every view and controlled his bodies and the bodies of the clones.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    The light elemental invoked sh while the four Grids unfolded a sword dance simultaneously.


    [The effect of Braham¡¯s Enchant Weapon has been triggered.]


    Four incandescent swords struck Berith¡¯s body a total of 28 times.


    ¡°¡°....!¡±¡± Berith was unable to scream from the pain that was iparable to the previous one. An endless affliction was waiting for him.


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    Dozens of Wind Cutters ripped through the metal barrier. The blossoming petals descended in the gap between the barbed wall and prated Berith¡¯s wounds. A huge explosion urred. If Grid and Berith were fighting on the ground instead of in the sky, the explosion would¡¯ve copsed the ground and buried the canyon.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 40% critical damage!]


    [The target has received 8,990,600 damage.]


    [The target has received 899,060 damage.]


    [The target has received 899,060 damage.]


    [The target has received 899,060 damage.]


    [The effect of God¡¯s Command has reset the skill¡¯s cooldown time!]


    It was immediately after the development of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. The four Grids, who took a step back to retrieve their swords, swiftly started a sword dance again. Then soon...


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    He showed the same strides as he did before.


    ¡°¡±...A legend.¡±¡±


    Berith gazed at the four rushing swords and realized. The human in front of him hadn¡¯t evolved by borrowing the power of the demonkin.


    ***


    ¡º Wow... Wooow... ¡»


    The broadcasters all over the world had already forgotten about their job for a few minutes. Rather thenmentating on the battlefield for the viewers, they repeated their exmations. It was the attitude of a viewer. The PDs had dark expressions because they thought the viewers would criticize them, but there were few viewers who criticized the media. After all, the viewers were just as mesmerized as the broadcasters. The viewers were fully engaged in Grid¡¯s battle and weren¡¯t even aware that the broadcasters were silent. If the broadcasters had madements, then the viewers would feel it was noisy and mute them.


    -The game chat window?


    After two consecutive explosions, Berith fell to the ground and the battle entered a temporary lull. Then this line appeared in the chat window of a broadcasting station. This was the signal.


    -Crazy.


    -God God!


    -I don¡¯t like Grid but this time I have to admit it...


    The viewers btedly recovered their minds and started to bombard the chat window. Even the world¡¯s best streaming sites failed to cope with the flood of text that appeared, and ag urred. Thousands of broadcast stations fell into chaos at once.


    On the screen...


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡±Color returned to the skin of the roughly breathing Grid as the white appearance faded. ckening was over. Grid recovered his clones, looking exhausted. The white horse with the strange name Overgeared Corn was licking Grid with its tongue.


    The viewers weren¡¯t particrly anxious. They couldn¡¯t even imagine Grid copsing. There were still the dukes by Grid¡¯s side, and people believed that Grid would raid Berith at this rate.


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±Berith, who had been trapped on the ground, slowly rose up. The existence that had always been regarded as absolute, who had brought despair for countless people, lookedpletely shabby. His health gauge was still around 40%, but he was shabby.


    On the other hand, there were four dukes, the continent¡¯s best spearman Kirinus, Kraugel, and Zibal. The battle would be over soon. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the great demon died. The moment that people¡¯s beliefs deepened.


    ¡°¡°...I can¡¯t use this body anymore,¡±¡±Berith murmured meaningfully. Yes, it was definitely Berith¡¯s voice. Yet Berith¡¯s mouth was shut.


    ¡°...?¡± The viewers and Grid naturally wondered about it. Then they noticed in hindsight. The owner of this voice they were hearing was ¡®that.¡¯


    ¡°...!¡± The viewers were stunned, and Grid was on alert. The sickly horse¡ªthe guy who was always carrying Berith on his back from the moment Berith first appeared was opening his mouth.


    ¡°¡°This was my favourite piece of clothing.¡±¡±


    It made sense. Berith opened his snout widely. The mouth stretched like it was rubber and became over two meters wide, swallowing the existence that had been known as ¡®Berith.¡¯ The flesh was crushed, and the bones were broken. Inside Berith¡¯s mouth, the Berith clone was chewed up and swallowed.


    ¡°Keeok,¡± Berith burped. White blood ran down the long snout. Berith¡¯s skeleton started to twist at a bizarre angle. His shoulders and pelvis spread out to the left and right, with small muscles forming all over the body. Three fingers protruded from the horse¡¯s front hooves, and his hind legs became thick enough for bipedal walking.


    Soon, he was more than four meters tall. Arge shadow engulfed Grid. The horse looked down at Grid.


    ¡°¡°You can take pride in the fact that you made me use my original body. I heard that all the legends of the present age are unfinished.¡±¡±


    It was the trigger of the third phase. Contrary to his previous appearance, Berith¡¯s true appearance of a human body with a horse¡¯s head gave off an enormous pressure.


    -...Looks really strong.


    The hopeful viewers once again felt troubled. Berith proved it¡ªthe fact that a person was powerful when they were wearing the right clothes. The alchemy, that was previously carried out through the steps of ¡®collecting materials¡¯ and ¡®reconstructing materials¡¯, waspleted without any precursors andunched at Grid. The metal spear had already arrived in front of Grid¡¯s nose.


    The speed of Berith¡¯s alchemy wasparable to what Grid had shown in his ckening State. Grid was trying to evade it using the dragon¡¯s wings, only to stop. It was because dozens of swords flew around him and protected him.


    ¡°¡°...Hah,¡±¡±Berith snorted. A human whose gender was ambiguous was standing next to Grid. Berith knew the identity of this person. It was the Sword Saint. Berith was alert to the weight of this name, but the Sword Saint was only one person.


    ¡°¡°You aren¡¯t my opponent...¡±¡±Berith shrugged as he spoke, only for his eyes to widen.


    Since when...? When had the dozens of swords surrounding Grid be embedded in Berith¡¯s body? The baffled Berith was ignored by Kraugel. His eyes, as deep as a gxy that couldn¡¯t be measured, were only looking at Grid.


    ¡°Leave it to us and take a break.¡±


    As Kraugel spoke, Piaro, Kirinus, and three dukes stepped beside him. Only one person was different. Only Rachel was still standing far away, staring nkly at Piaro.


    ¡°I will protect Your Majesty, even if Your Majesty is stronger than me,¡±Piaro dered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid nodded with a pleased smile and punched Kraugel. ¡°Please.¡±


    The other person was Kraugel. Unlike Grid, Kraugel was smart, so he wouldn¡¯t need a long exnation. He would know that the ¡®Summon Hell¡¯ phase remained and would be aware that he had to consume Berith¡¯s health as much as possible before the Overgeared members with Yura and Ruby arrived. More than anything else...


    ¡°Yes, he is also precious to me.¡±Kraugel was also willing to defend Piaro.


    Kraugel¡¯s and Grid¡¯s fists met.


    ¡°Heart Sword.¡±


    Then the imperfect swordsmanship of ¡®the highest realm¡¯ was embodied by Kraugel in his current capacity as a Sword Saint. Berith¡¯s shoulder flew away.

 Chapter 1050

    It was after the end of the 4th National Competition that Kraugel ced the constraint of ¡®not being able to leave Kirinus¡¯ side for three years¡¯ on himself. This drastically reduced the range of his activities.It was an unimaginable penalty that ced shackles on Kraugel. Even if the weather was clear or cloudy, even if it was snowing or raining... Kraugel merely continued guarding by Kirinus¡¯ side.


    A small mountain with a shabby hut became his world. During the time when other yers were exploring hunting grounds across the continent and growing with all sorts of achievements, Kraugel stayed in the mountain and his level remained unchanged.


    Still, this didn¡¯t mean he stayed stagnant. The entire process of studying with Kirinus were nutrients that developed Kraugel. Hepleted a quest and his ss of Sword Saint blossomed. Kraugel obtained Heart Sword. Heart Sword wasn¡¯t as shy was Space Sword. However, it was the ultimate sword technique that proved why a Sword Saint was the strongest.


    [Heart Sword - First Entrance]


    [Strike the target with the sword of will.


    Deals damage equivalent to 10% of the target¡¯s current health and causes critical damage.


    *It isn¡¯t affected by the user¡¯s attack power or the target¡¯s defense.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Half of the maximum sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    Skill Health Consumption: 10% is consumed.]


    This was an absurdly low amount of damage considering the cost and cooldown. No ss¡¯ ultimate attack was this weak. Kraugel had been very upset when he first got Heart Sword. He had been disappointed with the performance of Heart Sword and wondered if it was a bug.


    Then he peeked at the potential of Heart Sword. He learned why Muller became able to fight the great demons alone by confirming a few facts in the testing process.


    First of all, it was a must-hit. The moment Kraugel decided to ¡®cut¡¯ the target, the target was cut. There were no precursors to Heart Sword, giving the target no chance of avoiding or defending against it. This effect was also applied to Kirinus, a transcendent named NPC. This was clear evidence, proof that the power of Heart Sword could also be used against boss monsters. The power of Heart Sword would someday surpass the initial stage andpete for first ce among all skills in Satisfy.


    ¡®Since you showed off your power, it is my turn to show it.¡¯


    The power was originally hidden for the eventual re-confrontation with Grid or the moment when danger struck.


    ¡°Heart Sword,¡±Kraugel revealed it when the attention of everyone around the world was focused on him. This was Kraugel¡¯sw. First, it was a courtesy toward Grid who had exposed his power.


    [The sword of will is aiming at the target.]


    ¡°¡°....?¡±¡±


    [The target has received 290,654,000 damage.]


    [The damage from a percentage skill doesn¡¯t affect the achievements.]


    Berith¡¯s shoulder flew away. Berith was filled with an indescribable shock and stared nkly without any response.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of Grid and the dukes widened. In particr, Grid looked at Kraugel like he was a ghost. Grid couldn¡¯t believe that the damage Kraugel inflicted in one strike was simr to the damage he had dealt in a few minutes. The viewers were also shocked.


    Cutting the target with just a few words...? He inflicted hundreds of millions of damage on Great Demon Berith who destroyed tens of thousands of rankers! It was a chaotic atmosphere.


    ¡°I only had a good opponent. It is far less than the power of your sword dances,¡± Kraugel spoke bullshit with a casual expression.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    What was he saying? Grid clicked his tongue. Wasn¡¯t this humility almost a tease at this point? Grid thought about it andughed unknowingly. His fingers were trembling. A tremendous joy was overwhelming him. His rival was healthy. Kraugel was returning to the days when he was at the top...


    These thoughts filled Grid¡¯s mind and he was happy. He could rx and get stronger.


    ¡®Let¡¯s keep bing stronger.¡¯


    There was the pride of reaching the peak and the roar of pure aspiration.


    ¡°...I like that reaction.¡±Kraugel smiled as he read the emotions in Grid¡¯s gaze. At this moment, the two people shared the fact that they needed each other. The moment one of them disappeared, the remaining one would suffer from a terrible solitude.


    ¡®You.¡¯


    ¡®You.¡¯


    ¡®You are my guide.¡¯


    ¡®You are my goal.¡¯


    Super Sensitivity was overflowing. Grid¡¯s transcendent power could be called a ¡®process¡¯ that gave Kraugel speed. Kraugel appeared right before Berith.¡°Crying Tiger.¡±


    The technique of a Sword Saint prated through the walls of metal that extended reflexively.


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±Berith¡¯s torso was crushed, but he didn¡¯t vomit blood. The health gauge didn¡¯t even decrease noticeably. Kraugel¡¯s damage was in the category ofmon sense, unlike Grid¡¯s. A normal skill couldn¡¯t deal a blow to Berith. Still, it was enough to break Berith¡¯s posture. Kraugel was strong in a different way from Grid. His power came not from his stats but his insight and control.


    ¡°Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension.¡±


    Berith¡¯s posture copsed as the sword struck his chin, causing him to be slightly detached from the metal barrier. Berith was stabbed by the attack that entered through a one centimeter gap, but he didn¡¯t suffer much damage. Rather, his ws dragged against Kraugel¡¯s chest in a counterattack.


    [You have suffered 31,500 damage.]


    ¡°¡°Die!¡±¡±


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s and Berith¡¯s offense and defense continued fiercely. Berith was weakened in exchange for escaping from hell. The reason why he failed to respond to Grid¡¯s movements was because Grid ovepped ckening with his transcendent senses. He might be weakened, but he wasn¡¯t ipetent enough not to react to Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity.


    The White Tiger Sword interlocked with Berith¡¯s ws, causing sparks. He seemed to lose momentum, but it was actually the opposite.


    ¡°¡°....!¡±¡±


    The weight of the White Tiger Sword increased rapidly, causing Berith¡¯s posture to copse. Simultaneously, a chain and cloth flew out, binding Berith¡¯s only remaining arm. It was the intervention of the Hao siblings. The ultimate techniques of the Russian rankers bombarded Berith.


    ¡°¡°These little pieces of garbage!¡±¡±Berith snorted and swung his arm as hard as possible, causing the bodies of the siblings to fly through the air. The Hao siblings responded calmly. Mei Xiao discarded the cloth and swung her whip while Hao transformed into a half draconian and shot out a breath.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t miss this precious time that his teammates had bought. In this short period of time, he captured Berith¡¯s gap and used his skill. Among them was a sword technique that caused the enemy to lose defense. Kraugel had done enough for his role, which was toy the groundwork for the strong.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style!¡± A huge shadow appeared above the head of Berith, who was distracted by Kraugel¡¯s party.


    ¡°True Clouds!¡±Kraugel fell off Berith and summoned blue clouds in the area. The clouds spread out like dense fog, interfering with Berith¡¯s vision and senses.


    ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±


    ¡°¡°...This!¡±¡±Berith, who was starting to feel annoyed by Kraugel¡¯s unseemly tricks, looked up. The veins on the horse¡¯s head bulged. One of the strongest weapons of the present human race was falling from the sky. It was a power that even a great demon couldn¡¯t endure easily.


    ¡°¡°Don¡¯t take me lightly anymore!¡±¡±Berith dered. The blue clouds in the area instantly hardened into metal. Kraugel¡¯s technique, which should¡¯ve weakened Berith, was instantly transformed into a metal umbre that protected Berith.


    ¡®Cough!¡¯


    The huge metal umbre stretching into the sky made Piaro¡¯s face freeze. He instantly noticed that the power of this defense would greatly weaken Pounding Mortar. However, Piaro currently wasn¡¯t alone. During the Belial raid, Piaro had to protect the weaker Grid and Overgeared members alone, but things were different now. There were people he could rely on. Grid had reunited him with his old colleagues.


    ¡°Sir Piaro! We will help!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the novice of the past either!¡±


    Grenhal and Morse joined the battle. They didn¡¯t bring out the power of the berserker and the beast because of their personal circumstances, but even if they didn¡¯t do their best, they could still destroy Berith¡¯s alchemy. The giant umbre casting a shadow on the ground was separated by Grenhal¡¯s flying sword and Morse¡¯s phantom. The sun once again shone in the world of darkness.


    ¡®¡°I said, don¡¯t take me lightly!¡±¡±Berith turned to ¡®her¡¯. He rebuilt the fragments of shattered metal in real time. The world quickly became dark again, but there was a variable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll break it.¡± Basara opened her eyes.


    Her eyes were glowing with a mysterious red light. It was the red energy that symbolized the lineage of the imperial royal family. The power of Haicyen Saharan, the strongest emperor in history. It had the property of prating into matter. This was why the armor of the Red Knights was red. The red energy strengthened or weakened the target material. As if thousands of years had passed, therge metal umbre quickly rusted and weathered.


    Something fell over Berith¡¯s head. It was clear that this was precisely timed. After this, Berith opened the umbre again but it was toote. The umbre unfolded only after arge mortal crushed Berith¡¯s torso. On the shaded ground under the umbre, Berith¡¯s body was crushed by the blow and crumpled into a strange angle.


    White blood flowed like a river. Thenrge metal vines sprang up, tying up the bodies of Piaro, Kraugel, and the dukes.


    ¡°Kuek...!?¡±


    The damage was weak, but the problem was that it had the property of physical bondage.


    ¡®The more I know, the stronger he seems?¡¯


    The center of the world was the Saharan Empire. The great demon might destroy all of humanity, but the empire was the exception. Just as Astaroth was defeated in the imperial pce, the great demon wasn¡¯t the empire¡¯s opponent. However, Morse¡¯s conviction changed. He got nervous when he felt the magic of the metal vines that were constraining his limbs.


    ¡®It will be hard to get rid of this unless I transform...¡¯


    Chill.


    Suddenly, Morse imagined Berith invading Titan. If all the substances in the capital turned into metal and attacked the people and soldiers... Could the empire really withstand this? The grandmaster, whose thinking was unknown, would turn his back and ignore the dying people. He was only looking for interesting experimental tools. It was the same for Magician King Goldhit.


    ¡®Bain will only protect the emperor¡¯s side. At most, only Kyle and Chensler will go out.¡¯


    Was it possible if they both fought? It was possible. Kyle, who they recently met at the ruins, was stronger than ever and Chensler ¡®never died.¡¯ If they joined forces, they would be able to defeat Berith after a few days of fighting. Then once the fighting was over, the people of the capital would be dead. Unless the remaining five dukes all protected the capital, the damage that would ur if Berith invaded the capital would be beyond imagination.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯Morse finally realized how foolish he had been in the past when he heard of the emergence of the great demon and ignored it. The great demon must be killed here.


    ¡®King Grid, it is thanks to you!¡¯


    Morse nned to transform. It wasn¡¯t a situation where he should be concerned that disclosing his strength could expose a weakness and weaken the position of the empire¡¯s dukes. Morse turned and turned his gaze to Grid¡ªthe hero who wasn¡¯t bound by the concept of a nation but who fought for the sake of all humanity. Thanks to Grid, they could preemptively get rid of the demon who could be a disaster for the empire.


    Morse¡¯s muscles started to swell as he grabbed the metal vines around his neck with both hands. It was the moment when silvery hairs started to rise. Yellow mes rushed like waves and melted the metal binding Morse. Everyone, including Morse, escaped from the bondage and regained their freedom.


    ¡°Duke Basara, you must guard the rear during the battle. Only then can the red energy deal with these sudden situations. What will you do if you are swept up in it?¡±It was Spear Saint Rachel¡ªone of the strongest among the dukes who retained the same power as the beast form Morse. The person who had remained silent so far finally came forward and saved everyone from the crisis.


    ¡°It is a mistake that isn¡¯t like you. What excited you so much that you would hurt yourself?¡± She pointed out Basara¡¯s mistake and then chastised Morse. ¡°Additionally, Duke Morse, what were you thinking when you were about to use that power?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to spread the weakness that you are less intelligent than a dog?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a wolf, not a dog.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s gaze turned toward Piaro. After being dull since Grid¡¯s appearance, she finally returned to the public¡¯s attention. She spoke while unaware that billions of eyes were watching her,¡°The former captain of the Red Knights, Piaro. I didn¡¯t know you were serving the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡º ...! ¡»


    -...!


    ¡°Well... I knew you were alive. Who would¡¯ve been able to harm you, my hero and the greatest of the empire?¡±


    ¡º...!? ¡»


    -...!?


    Grid¡¯s knight, the crazy farmer of the Overgeared Kingdom, was actually the greatest in the empire? He was so great that Spear Saint Rachel called him her hero...? The viewers around the world were shocked to find out the amazing truth and spat out the beer or coke they were drinking. A Korean viewer eating chicken was in tears. Indeed, eating chicken with kimchi was dangerous...


    ¡º Grid, who had been at war with the empire not long ago, arrived with the empire¡¯s dukes... The mystery seems to have finally been solved... ¡»


    The audience got goosebumps. Grid¡¯s subordinate was formerly the greatest person of the empire. When did he use Piaro to improve his rtionship with the empire? Maybe this was something that Grid had intentionally nned when the emperor invited Grid a few years ago? It wasn¡¯t at the level of looking ahead by one or two things. Grid¡¯s insight had already reached the point of observing the future.


    Gulp.


    The sound of thementators swallowing their saliva permeated the audience¡¯s ears through the speakers and headsets. People couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off Grid, who was just sitting still and resting. Meanwhile, Grid was inwardly crying out with delight.


    [The duration of the truth distortion is over.]


    [The lost sses, titles, and skills have been restored.]


    [However, since the status of Magic Swordsman of the Epics is higher than Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship is kept active.]

 Chapter 1051

    ¡®When will it recover?¡¯


    Grid became impatient over time. He thought the sses, titles, and skills that Berith¡¯s distorted reality had taken away would be restored soon because the word ¡®temporarily¡¯ was mentioned, but it had been over 20 minutes. Maybe he was wrong...


    The concept of time was different for each individual, so Grid was filled with tremendous anxiety.


    ¡®For a great demon with eternal life, a human¡¯s lifetime is a short moment.


    The system was rubbish... There was a possibility that the distorted state wouldn¡¯t be resolved. Everything he lost might not be restored. Grid had been hit in the back of the head more often than others and seriously considered it.


    ¡®It might be better not to go back.¡¯


    The Magic Swordsman of the Epics was a ss that was just growing. Nevertheless, it surpassed Pagma¡¯s Descendant, and itsbat power overwhelmed that of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Returning to Pagma¡¯s Descendant was technically going backward. The moment that Magic Swordsman of the Epics was judged as a third ss again, it was possible that Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship and the transcendent senses he gained would be sealed.


    ¡®Still, I...¡¯


    Grid was Pagma¡¯s Descendant. No, he saw himself as a cksmith. Hundreds of thousands¡ªno, he made countless items. Sometimes, he sold items for just a few coins. Other times, he got tangled up in hard events. Additionally, he built up many rtionships. The reason he could meet Khan was that he was a cksmith.


    This one line was a shortened description of all that: the cksmith ss was Grid¡¯s backbone. For Grid, the cksmithing ss was the most precious thing that couldn¡¯t be taken away.


    ¡°Give it back to me...¡±


    It was okay even if he was weakened again. He wanted it back.


    ¡°Stop ying and give it back.¡±


    The canyon was destroyed. Surrounded by Piaro, Kraugel, Kirinus, and the dukes, the bloody Berith roared loudly and the battle intensified.


    ¡°Niyooong!¡±Noe cried out anxiously from where he sat on Grid¡¯s shoulder. Overgeared Corn kept licking Grid¡¯s cheeks with a small ck tongue. While doing so, Overgeared Corn snorted with an annoyed expression. His noble and beautiful self was licking the cheeks of a male... It was a dissatisfied attitude, but he still licked Grid¡¯s cheeks carefully. It was because Grid looked pained and lonely.


    [The duration of the truth distortion is over.]


    [The lost sses, titles, and skills have been restored.]


    [However, since the status of Magic Swordsman of the Epics is higher than Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship is kept active.]


    Grid came to his senses upon seeing these messages. He had anticipated the worst, so he was filled with relief and joy. The lost powers and blessings started to rekindle in his body again. The forces he had thought he would lose were still in his body. Grid was aware of the transcendence that still remained. Magic Swordsman of the Epics returned to being the third ss, but it still gave Grid a powerful force.


    It was natural. His epic was what he wrote personally. It purely belonged to Grid. No one could deny it, and no one could take it away.


    [You have discovered a mighty person of this era, and fighting energy has started to umte!]


    [Every time fighting energy increases by one point, your strength, stamina, and agility will by 0.5%.]


    The red-purple aura started to rise. It was the symbol of the Hero King. The former Hero King was Sword Saint Muller.


    ¡°¡°You!¡±¡±


    Berith¡¯s gaze was focused on Grid through the seeds, hand plow, spears, and swords striking him. With 30% of his health left, Berith no longer looked at Piaro, the dukes, or Sword Saint Kraugel surrounding him. He appreciated the potential of Grid, who pioneered his own path while carrying the ability of the two humans that even great demons couldn¡¯t take lightly¡ªPagma and Muller.


    Now Grid himself was a person who attracted the aggro of a great demon. For Grid, it was bad luck. Berith emitted metal spines in every direction to shake off the people around him and formed a long de. The de was three kilometers long. It was enough to bridge the gap between Grid and Berith, immediately prating Grid¡¯s heart. No, it was about to prate him.


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    The man who was the Master of Swiftness before he became the sessor of Lantier¡¯s techniques...


    Faker, who was given a favorable assessment in ¡®speed¡¯ due to his ss-specific characteristic, had evolved a notch after gaining Fly on Top of Grass. He responded to the de that Berith fired and stepped in front of Grid, who had yet to recover enough to avoid the attack.


    Berith¡¯s de and Faker¡¯s dagger collided. The tip of the de had its direction twisted subtly, and it rose into the sky instead of Grid¡¯s heart. Faker¡¯s body flew far away to a cliff in the canyon.


    ¡°Faker!¡±Grid¡¯s astonished cry echoed through the canyon. The downside of an assassin was poor durability. In particr, it was questionable for them to fight elite monsters with high health and attack power. Additionally, Berith was a great demon. Grid saw that Faker would find it hard to survive when facing Berith¡¯s attack.


    However, Faker was surprisingly fine. The moment he struck Berith¡¯s de, he used Lantier¡¯s technique. Then when he collided with the cliff, he summoned shadow soldiers to help him. Faker emerged from the dust with a calm expression and spoke to the dumbfounded Grid.


    ¡°The person who is supposed to protect you shouldn¡¯t be weak.¡±


    After all, Faker was someone who was acknowledged by War God Zeratul.


    ¡°Grid, I will also join the front line.¡±


    He was only a normal ss at the time when he wiped out the Ice Flower Guild.


    ¡°You focus on recovery.¡±


    Now...


    ¡°Kill Gate Opening.¡±


    Faker, who studied Lantier¡¯s techniques and the shadow techniques from Kasim, was pursuing the throne of assassins.


    ¡°God Killer.¡±


    He became a sh of light itself. Faker passed through the canyon, and Berith¡¯s red eyes lost their focus. His spirit was dizzy, and Berith instinctively felt something. This was a crisis. It was a situation where he was on the edge of the cliff. So...


    ¡°¡°22nd Hell Summoning.¡±¡±


    Berith freed all his strength. He broke the rules that the world had imposed on him. In return, the goddess of light would gnaw at his soul. It didn¡¯t matter if the other great demonsughed at him. The humiliation of losing his body to human hands should be avoided.


    [The 22nd Hell has manifested sessfully.]


    [The earth and the atmosphere are filled with demonic energy.]


    [22nd Great Demon Berith¡¯s stats will increase by 20%.]


    [All debuffs currently applied to 22nd Great Demon Berith will be released.]


    [Humans cannot adapt to the environment of hell.]


    [The power of skills and magic have decreased by 30%, and casting speed has decreased by 60%.]


    [Magic resistance and physical defense are reduced by 20%.]


    [The natural recovery of health, mana, and stamina has be impossible.]


    [Stamina will fall more quickly.]


    [Potions can¡¯t be used.]


    [Creatures of the 22nd Hell will emerge!]


    ¡º Ah, this is what happened. .¡»


    The broadcasters and viewers who were excited about Grid stopped feeling excited. They sobered up as they watched Berith being pushed on the defensive. Berith¡¯s health kept decreasing. The more Berith entered a new phase, the clearer the reality became. Thest phase of hell summoning was imminent. It was the start of the despair they had learned from 32nd Great Demon Belial. This was the end of humanity.


    Lightning struck in the sky as ck ash started to spread. Between the canyons, hellfire hotter thanva poured out, and the barrennd started to split apart. The ecosystem changed. The flowers on the cliff became cannibals, and the moles in the ground became as big as walls. Bizarre and ugly horses emerged through gaps in the cracked earth. At the heart of all this was Berith.


    ¡°¡°Kukuk...! Kuhahahahat!¡±¡± Berith burst outughing. He thought of humans as livestock and couldn¡¯t help delighting in their fear.


    ¡º He is very happy. ¡»


    ¡º This means he can¡¯t handle it. ¡»


    The broadcasters and viewers were thankful to Grid, Kraugel¡¯s group, and the dukes. Without them, Great Demon Berith would¡¯ve trampled on humanity with a dull expression like they were ants. Yes, they had done well enough to push the great demon up to here. They were relieved when they saw Berith so happy.


    The broadcasters and viewers expressed their gratitude to Grid and Kraugel. There were reports that the Overgeared Guild was at least 30 minutes away from the canyon, so they couldn¡¯t expect a dramatic appearance of help like during the Belial raid. The audience and viewers were forced to judge that the Berith raid would end in failure. They simply wanted Grid and Kraugel¡¯s party to minimize the damage. However, there was a reversal.


    ¡°So what if you summon hell?¡±


    ¡°How boring.¡±


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    There had never been such a Berith raiding party before. No, the problem was that their power was at an all-time high, and this party could never form again. Kraugel, Piaro, Kirinus, and the dukes of the empire¡ªthey were legendary or super named NPCs and were equipped with transcendent resistance. Hell¡¯s debuff effect wasn¡¯t fully applied.


    On the other hand, Grid... His stamina was still recovering thanks to Overgeared Corn licking him.


    ¡°¡°T-These guys...!¡±¡±Berith showed an upset expression and formed hundreds of weapons. His stats had increased by 20%. and he showed a more dangerous atmosphere than before.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate it.¡±


    Basara¡¯s red energy weakened Berith¡¯s alchemy.


    ¡°Hahaha! It has be so hard that my hands feel better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too excited.¡±


    Grenhal and Morse¡¯s attacks shattered Berith¡¯s weakened alchemy.


    ¡°Let me check if your skills have died out in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°...You have grown a lot.¡±


    The long-lost connection between Piaro and Rachel left a new injury on Berith¡¯s body.


    ¡°Meteor Sword.¡±


    ¡°Shadow Legion.¡±


    Kraugel and Faker ughtered the beasts together and opened the path. Kirinus formed a blue light at the end of the spear and threatened Berith. All those in Kraugel¡¯s party had the Sword Saint¡¯s Aura buff applied to them and could be called defenders of humanity.


    Berith was ovee with a strange emotion they surrounded him. This was fear. It was a feeling of weakness that a supreme predator shouldn¡¯t feel.


    ¡°¡°You cowards...!¡±¡±


    The g was finally nted. Cowards... The words that could be considered the final will of a viin popped out. Berith peeked at his approaching end, and Grid and Kraugel¡¯s party knew the raid was a sess. Then an uninvited guest appeared. He stood on a cliff, and his green hair fluttered in the strong wind.


    ¡°Lich Summon, Mumud.¡±


    A victim who had been subjected to malice throughout his life¡ªthe losers chose to exploit him. He was once again disappointed by humans and finally becameplete. The world in his vision was a stark ash gray. There were no expectations or regret.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Lich Mumud¡¯s iridescent magic struck the raid party.


    ¡°Agnus!¡± Grid¡¯s furious cry pierced the sky.

 Chapter 1052

    A battle was about speed. There was nothing good about dragging it out for too long. This was amon idea for raid party members.


    The hell environment that prohibited natural restoration was a big burden for both yers and NPCs. Therefore, the raid party¡ªled by Piaro and Rachel¡ªgritted their teeth and fought hard. The party rushed through the canyon in order to speed up Berith¡¯s death. They strengthened each other¡¯s skills by linking their skills together and releasing the bombardment with no breaks.


    The effect of the pincer attack was great. Berith¡¯s defense and health were boosted once all his stats increased, but it was hard to hold out against the talents representing humanity. The biggest problem was that he couldn¡¯t catch the timing for a counterattack.


    Berith was a great demon.He was inherently strong and trampled on others with innate power. He didn¡¯t learn or hone anybat skills, nor did he have the power to reverse the adverse situation.


    ¡°¡°You cowards...!¡±¡±


    This was how it happened. For the first time since his birth, Berith let out a fear-filled cry. Then new magic power exploded from a cliff. The magic power was so intense that it captured the nerves of Berith, Piaro, Kirinus, and the dukes. The special magic power became a brilliant light that fell to the ground.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    ¡°This power...?!¡±


    Kraugel and Faker were seriously wounded, and the dukes groaned. Only three people... Only Piaro, Kirinus, and Rachel seeded in defending against the rainbow colored magic power.


    ¡°It is a very strong magic power...¡± Piaro confirmed with his trembling fingertips and turned his gaze to the cliff. He saw a man with green hair. The man stood on the edge of the cliff. It was as if the blowing wind would push him to his death.


    ¡°Agnus...¡± Kraugel muttered when he confirmed the identity of the man. Agnus was the contractor of 1st Great Demon Baal. His original role was the enemy of humanity. He had justification to help the great demon who had descended. It was his duty to put humanity at risk. However, he had been silent so far, and Kraugel faintly guessed why. The fact that he would be hostile to everyone alone would be a great burden and pressure...


    Yet at this moment, Agnus showed up and helped Berith.


    ¡®It means he has abandoned his hesitation.¡¯


    Kraugel thought he knew the cause. What did the public do when Berith started to go crazy? They demanded a one-sided sacrifice from Agnus. Once Agnus refused toply with their requests, they poured out criticisms and threats toward him. It was already a domain of violence. This was shameful behavior from the perspective of a third party. Kraugel knew the anger and loneliness Agnus would¡¯ve felt.


    ¡°...I would¡¯ve acted the same as Agnus if it were me.¡±Suddenly, Faker¡¯s voice rang out. He held his wound that didn¡¯t recover due to the effects of the hell and stared at Agnus withpassionate eyes instead of a grudging expression. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be easy to tolerate the people who have been harassing me for days.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Kraugel also agreed. If Berith was raided, the public would bepletely free from the pain and anxiety they had been suffering. They would be busy cheering happily and not even think about the pain they had brought to Agnus. From Agnus¡¯ point of view, anger would soar to the top of his head.


    Yes, Kraugel and Faker understood Agnus. This didn¡¯t mean they intended to defend him. Regardless of Agnus¡¯ circumstances, the tip of his sword shouldn¡¯t be aimed toward them. Grid seemed to think the same way.


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    Was the rising status directly rted to a rise in sense of presence...? Grid¡¯s voice was much clearer than it used to be. The emotion in his cry was conveyed to all.


    ¡°This X bastard!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ...No, it seemed to have nothing to do with the rise in status. The anger was so intense that it couldn¡¯t not be conveyed to others.


    ¡°...Act moderately and get out of here!¡±


    Many things were omitted in the cry. It was a scene where the terminology of ¡®moderately¡¯ came to mind. That¡¯s right. Grid also knew what Agnus had been through. He knew Agnus¡¯ position better than anyone else because he had gone through simr things to Agnus. He fully understood and was sympathetic to why Agnus would want the Berith raid to fail.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of you if you don¡¯t quit now.¡± That¡¯s why Grid didn¡¯t draw his sword. He already confirmed the damage that Agnus dealt to Kraugel and Faker but ignored it.


    ¡°...¡± Agnus¡¯ face stiffened. Cracks started to ur in his frozen chest.Then heat spilled out of the cracks.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t sympathize with me.¡±Agnus¡¯ face became severely distorted.


    ¡°¡°Kuhahahahat! Very well done! Baal¡¯s Contractor! You aren¡¯t useless, unlike the former contractor!¡±¡± Berith was excited. Thanks to the brief amount of time that Agnus bought him, Berith seeded in setting the stage for reality distortion.


    ¡°¡°Humans are a savage species. They can¡¯t handle tools.¡±¡±


    [A million lies have distorted the truth.]


    Berith no longer disparaged Piaro, Kirinus, and the dukes. He didn¡¯t deny the power they built but used the distortion as a way of denying the human race. The effect was great.


    ¡°...!¡±


    All the raid party members lost the weapons in their hands. The spears, swords, and various agricultural tools fell to the ground. Weapons couldn¡¯t be used. It was the effect of Berith¡¯s distortion. Those who were bare-handed were struck by the creatures of hell.


    ¡°Agnus!!¡±The anxious Grid shouted as the canyon fell into chaos. He wanted Agnus to step down. They had to hold on for 20 minutes until the Overgeared army arrived. Agnus had grown significantly in the past few years, and his intervention was too dangerous. Additionally...


    ¡®I can¡¯t let Braham wake up.¡¯


    The hidden quest ¡®Braham and Mumud¡¯ had a devastating impact on Braham. Whenever the quest was activated, Braham¡¯s soul fragments were consumed, and Braham would be greatly affected. Braham had already lost too much power and was in hibernation. There could be irreversible consequences if he woke up in response to Mumud¡¯s soul.


    ¡°...¡± Agnus on the cliff stared at Grid on the ground. There was a familiar feeling from Grid¡¯s eyes. Agnus had made that expression when he reached out to ¡®her¡¯ through the window.


    ¡°...Kikik,¡± the quiet Agnus suddenly shrugged andughed. The situation had reversed, and Berith responded with a cheerfulugh, ¡°¡°Hahaha!!¡±¡±


    The raid party was in a crisis, and Grid was frustrated.


    ¡°Kihahahahat!!¡±


    ¡°¡°Kuhahahat!¡±¡±


    The madness of a human and a great demon mixed and echoed in the canyon. The viewers got a horrified chill down their spines, and Grid¡¯s jitters grew. Then it happened.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±Agnus stoppedughing. He nced slowly at the cameras of the broadcasting stations that were filming him. ¡°Once the next great demones to this earth, I will smash all of you by its side.¡±


    ¡®However, not right now...¡¯Agnus swallowed thest of his words and turned to leave the canyon.


    ¡°Agnus...¡±Grid looked at Agnus¡¯ increasingly distant back with aplicated expression. The two men were emotional as they broke the shackles of mutual debt. The next time they met, they would be aiming their swords at each other.


    ***


    ¡°Sowing Seeds! Harvest!¡±


    Among the people who lost their weapons and were in a crisis, only Piaro and Kraugel were still struggling. Even Berith¡¯s distortion of reality couldn¡¯t take the sword from a Sword Saint, and Piaro repelled the beasts by farming without any tools. However, the battlefield wasn¡¯t very good. Kirinus, Faker, and the dukes lost their weapons and couldn¡¯t attack. They were quickly isted because they couldn¡¯t kill the swarming creatures fast enough.


    ¡°¡°Die! Hahahahat!¡±¡±Berith was still excited. He gained some time and started to show off his dignity again.


    ¡®This can¡¯t continue.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t hold up in this state. They would be wiped out before the army arrived. Agnus¡¯ intervention was only for a moment, but the repercussions were too great. The battlefield waspletely turned upside down. A new wind was needed. Yet who would help them?


    Grid was biting his lips when a white giant was captured in his field of view. It was Raiders. Zibal¡¯s magic machine rose from the fortress and rushed toward Berith.


    ¡°Zombie bastard! Now you will die!¡± Zibal¡¯s cry echoed through the battlefield. A huge spear pierced Berith¡¯s body.


    ¡°¡°Cough...!¡±¡±


    Finally, Berith stoppedughing. White blood poured out, and his health gauge noticeably decreased.


    ¡°¡°A human can¡¯t handle this artifact properly...¡±¡±


    However, Berith quickly regained hisposure. He already knew...


    The magic machines were a relic of the giants. They weren¡¯t things that could be handled by the trivial human race. It was as he had expected. Raiders swung the spear several times with a strong force that Berith couldn¡¯t react to. Berith shook and soon fell to one knee. Thissted for the 21 seconds that Zibal could control Raiders.


    ¡°¡°It was a very cute trick.¡±¡±


    Berith confirmed the falling Raiders, and his eyes curved in a half moon shape. He was delighted despite his body being turned into rags by Raiders. Now all the risks were gone.


    ¡°¡°This is the end of the boring show.¡±¡±


    Tens of thousands of des started to form around Berith. He was going to put an end to it. Berith nned to kill all the humans who dared fight him here and then take a rest after upying the fortress. Zibal emerged from Raiders and scoffed at the guy who was already convinced of victory.¡°You¡¯re right. Will you cry soon?¡±


    ¡°¡°What nonsense is this?¡±¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Grid.¡±


    ¡°¡°....?¡±¡±


    Zibal¡¯s gaze was directed behind Berith¡¯s back. Berith followed his gaze and was terrified.¡°¡°Don¡¯t tell me? Those eyes?!¡±¡±


    ¡®Ahhh, these are Baal¡¯s eyes.¡¯ ...If it were Lauel, he would¡¯ve answered like this. The smiling Grid triggered a skill that sacrificed an item he no longer used.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    [Checking the target item¡¯s stats, options, and production method.]


    [The Item Replication skill has been activated!]


    [The legendary rated item ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Hammer¡¯ will be used as the material for the artifact-rated item ¡®Magic Machine: Raiders¡¯.]


    [The duration of the replication is one day! At the end of this period, the replicated item will be permanently destroyed!]


    A shadow was cast over Berith¡¯s face. In front of him, a new giant armed with steel gloves rose like a mountain, and something huge crumpled Berith¡¯s head. The canyon shook because it couldn¡¯t bear the great weight. The bodies of the creatures attacking the dukes scattered in all directions, and the tens of thousands of des in the air dispersed like ss.


    ¡°¡°K...Kuock...¡±¡± Berith groaned. His health gauge was now at 20%.


    ¡°It is up to us to decide when to end the fight,¡± Grid dered. His transcendent senses felt something familiar. Then the space distorted like it was swallowed by a ck hole. The woman who appeared on the stage was able to arrive at the 22nd Hell after several Hell Leaps. It was Demon yer Yura.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡±


    [The Demon yer has exerted influence on the 22nd Hell.]


    [The debuffs of the 22nd Hell are temporarily turned off!]


    [The power of the 22nd Great Demon Berith has sharply fallen!]


    The habit of passing on responsibility for failure onto others and cursing wasn¡¯t only in humans.


    ¡°¡°B-Baal, you son of a bitch...¡±¡±Berith cursed and resented the crazy Baal who gave power to two humans.


    ¡°Light of Destruction.¡±


    The Demon yer¡¯s ultimate weapon¡ªwhich boasted more than 2000% physical damage, 4000% magic damage, and the effect of ¡®getting rid of the target¡¯s magic¡¯¡ªstruck Berith¡¯s head. Berith was greatly weakened, and the effect of the reality distortion ended. Kirinus, Faker, and the dukes regained possession of their weapons and pushed Berith violently along with the ck giant.


    ¡°¡°U...Uhhh...¡±¡±


    ¡®Once again...Once again, give me another chance...¡¯ Berith prayed earnestly. He wanted someone toe and save him, just as Baal¡¯s Contractor suddenly showed up.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t toote?¡±


    As if to grant his wish, new people appeared from everywhere. Berith checked their faces and felt despair. In particr, he fixed his gaze on Saintess Ruby and realized that the first defeat didn¡¯t just signify the loss of his body. Today, he wouldpletely cease to exist.


    ¡°Who...! Who the hell are you? Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Hero King! Great magician! Baal¡¯s Contractor! Why the hell are you monopolizing so much power?!¡±¡±


    This question transcended even his emotions of a violent killing intent and resentment.


    ¡°Me?¡± Grid stood on Raiders¡¯ shoulders and replied quietly, ¡°Grid. I... I am Grid.¡±


    After that, Berith resisted with thest of his strength, but he was helpless before the oppression of Demon yer Yura and Saintess Ruby. The raid party buffed by Pope Damian pressured Berith with an unprecedented firepower, and the Overgeared members thoroughly assisted them. Every time the Overgeared Cannon fired, the progress of the monsters stopped, and the Snake Guild seeded in helping Zibal.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±The soldiers of Fort Taleren confirmed the fallen Berith and cheered. The hell creatures hurried to escape while the hell gradually disappeared. After a long struggle...


    [You have seeded in raiding 22nd Great Demon Berith, who has terrorized the continent!]


    [The soul of the 22nd Great Demon Berith has been destroyed and won¡¯t be able to reincarnate!]


    [The position of 22nd monarch has temporarily be vacant.]


    [Among the yers in the Berith raid, only those who have performed to a certain level will receive the title ¡®Savior of the World.¡¯]


    [yer who already holds the title will have the title effect enhanced.]


    [All yers who participated in the Berith raid will receive differentpensation based on their performance!]


    [The first ce in the raid...]


    Kraugel, Zibal, and the Overgeared members¡¯ gazes headed to one ce. The cameras from all over the world were also focused on one ce. All of them knew the identity of the person with first ce.


    [...yer Grid!]


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡±Viewers all over the world cheered enthusiastically. Nationality and gender were irrelevant. Everyone praised Grid.

 Chapter 1053

    [Grid has obtained the raid¡¯s 1st ce prize.]


    [Rachel and Kirinus have gained the raid¡¯s 2nd ce prize.]


    [Piaro has obtained the raid¡¯s 3rd ce prize.]


    [Kraugel and Yura have obtained the raid¡¯s 4th ce prize.]


    [Basara has obtained the raid¡¯s 5th ce prize.]


    [Grenhal has obtained the raid¡¯s 6th ce prize.]


    [Morse has obtained the raid¡¯s 7th ce prize.]


    [Zibal has obtained the raid¡¯s 8th ce prize.]


    [Faker has obtained the raid¡¯s 9th ce prize.]


    [Chris and Jishuka have obtained the raid¡¯s 10th ce prize.]


    [¡ï Saintess Ruby has obtained extraordinary rewards in exchange for annihting the soul of the great demon!¡ï]


    [Other personnel will be rewarded for participating in the raid.]


    The viewers who saw the world messages were buzzing with activity. Kirinus and Rachel had shaved off the most health from Berith, but that was only during phase one. It wasn¡¯t strange that their contribution was less than Grid. Piaro¡¯s contribution was also convincing because he had yed steadily, no matter the phase.


    The thing they honestly wondered about was Yura¡¯s fourth ce ranking. Of course, Yura had joined more quickly than the rest of the Overgeared Guild. She had also neutralized the hell summoned by the great demon. Additionally, she utilized Hell Leap and arrived at the canyon ahead of schedule, serving as a great help in the raid.


    However, it was too much to say that her contribution was the same as Kraugel¡¯s, who had strengthened the party members with Sword Saint Aura and reduced Berith¡¯s health at a level simr to Grid. The audience weren¡¯t convinced of Yura¡¯s contribution, but Kraugel and the Overgeared members took it for granted. In the first ce, they had the premise that ¡®it is impossible to fight a great demon without Yura.¡¯


    In the somewhat raucous atmosphere, Grid read his personal notification window.


    [The title Savior of the World has been strengthened, increasing the 200 points stats increase to 300 points!]


    [You have acquired Berith¡¯s Human Skin Mask for being first in the raid!]


    [You have acquired Berith¡¯s Hoof for being first in the raid!]


    [You have acquired two vials of Berith¡¯s Blood for being first in the raid!]


    [You have acquired five pieces of Berith¡¯s Mane for being first in the raid!]


    [You have acquired 30 blessed weapon enhancement stones for being first in the raid!]


    [You have acquired 60 blessed armor enhancement stones for being first in the raid!]


    [Berith¡¯s strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness.]


    [...!!!]


    [Three great demons have been sealed in the Rune of Darkness! This is the evidence that you have killed at least three great demons and proof that you are following the great demon achievements of Muller and Pagma! If you someday achieve the same level of achievement as them, your status will rise greatly!]


    It was good so far. Of course, it was all good news. Grid was pleased that seven guild members had earned the top 10 rewards. Additionally, his rtionship with the dukes had be more solid, his understanding of the magic machine Raiders had increased, and all the rewards given by Berith were satisfactory.


    One of the most disappointing aspects was the absence of Mercedes. It was a shame that he missed the chance to raise Mercedes¡¯ status. However, it wasn¡¯t a big problem when he recalled why she wasn¡¯t present. She had gone on a business trip at Asmophel¡¯s request. Since Asmophel was in charge of exploring and tracking down the whereabouts of the former Red Knights, Mercedes¡¯ business trip meant a new alliance.


    ¡®The items are unusual...¡¯


    The hoof, blood, and mane were made of metal. Grid checked the items that Berith had dropped. Suddenly, something strange happened to him.


    [...!!!]


    [Too much of the great demons¡¯ power is contained in the Rune of Darkness. The capacity of the rune has been exceeded, and the rune is running wild!]


    ¡®What? Hey, this!¡¯


    The Rune of Darkness¡ªthe item that belonged to the inventory¡ªstarted to shake and scream. Grid had been enjoying the attention and cheers of many people, as well as sharing the joy of his colleagues. Then a chill suddenly ran down his spine. The Rune of Darkness exploded. Surprised by the sudden shock, Grid groaned and flopped down.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Ruby, Sexy Schoolgirl, Jishuka, and Yura turned pale and rushed toward Grid. The frowning Grid was gasping while grabbing at his chest. In his inventory, the shattered fragments of the rune were slowly melting.


    ¡°W-What? What is this? Don¡¯t mess around! It¡¯s scary!¡±


    ¡°Get your spirit together, Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    What was happening all of a sudden? One, two... More people rushed to Grid¡¯s side. They were Piaro, Kraugel, and the Overgeared members. Each of the expressions contained a different intensity, but they were equally concerned about Grid. Meanwhile, Grid was in a great deal of confusion.


    Thump thump thump thump.


    His heartbeat was so loud that it rang in his brains. Cold sweat flowed like rain and ate away at his field of view. He couldn¡¯t regain his senses at all. The Rune of Darkness had shattered. Itpletely melted and lost its shape, turning into ck demonic energy that permeated Grid¡¯s body. The ck demonic energy entered his skin, blood, bones, and heart. The bizarre sensation was unfamiliar and frightening.


    ...Duguen.


    Duguen.Duguen.


    His heart, which had been beating like it was going to explode, regained itsposure.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡± Grid barely regained his mind and breathed in deeply. A new notification window appeared in front of his trembling eyes.


    [Your high demonic power has guided the Rune of Darkness to you.]


    [The Rune of Darkness, which was in danger from being unable to cope with the excess capacity, has joined with you, saving it from extinction.]


    [In the future, the Rune of Darkness will be part of you.]


    [The activation of the Rune of Darkness will cause the demonic power stat to rise by 200.]


    [Your demonic power is currently over 30,000...]


    Demonic power¡ªit was a stat that Grid had obtained when he raided Hell Gao, simultaneously gaining Noe and the title of ¡®Man who has Touched Hell¡¯. So far, demonic power had benefited Grid. It was thanks to demonic power that Grid could tame Noe, use ckening, and have the function of ckening upgraded.


    However, from Grid¡¯s point of view, demonic power was an unstable element. It was a force to be vignt about, rather than trust fully. As the name suggested, the essence of demonic power was to demonize humans. Grid¡¯s conjecture was that increased demonic power allowing free ess to hell was the process of demonization.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t good if it is too high.¡¯


    Anything else was good. If he were forced to be a demon then the aftermath of the mutation... then it was best to just avoid it in advance. Thus, Grid had tried not to kill as much as possible. During the Eternal War, the sh with the Red Knights, the battle against Kir, and so on, he had ughtered arge number of people in unavoidable circumstances. However, he had always tried to avoid killing humans. It was a means of suppressing the demonic power.


    Now all his efforts were wasted. His demonic power would rise by 200 when the Rune of Darkness was activated. This was a little too much. The frowning Grid quickly controlled his mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. It isn¡¯t a skill I use often.¡¯


    The only time when he used the Rune of Darkness was when he faced a situation or enemy he couldn¡¯t handle with his own strength. So far, it was nothing new.


    ¡®Well, the increase in demonic power will increase the power of ckening.¡¯


    Due to his status increase, Grid was liberated from the top speed limit. Precise experimentation was needed, but it seemed possible for him to do 10 basic attacks per second when he fought Berith. The value of ckening¡ªwhich increased his attack power, magic power, and agility by 50%¡ªhad risen even further. It meant that he wasn¡¯t in a position to take demonic power as the worst.


    Grid tried to think as positively as possible. He was also thankful that the Rune of Darkness hadn¡¯t been destroyed.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Grid grasped the situation btedly. His colleagues were standing around him with a worried expression. In particr, Ruby and Jishuka were cute as they looked like they were going to burst into tears at any moment. Yura looked like she was trying to stay calm.


    ¡°Your Majestyyy!!¡± Piaro let out a big wail.


    ¡°...¡±Grid calmed the mood and checked the rewards earned by his colleagues. The participants received a small number of blessed weapon and armor enhancement stones, but his colleagues who receivedpensation for their contribution were able to secure at least one mane. The stretched out mane looked like fur on the surface, but once it was touched directly, it would feel like a hard and sharp metal.


    ¡®If it¡¯s applied as a neck armor, both fashion and defense are possible.¡¯


    Maybe they could get the reflect damage option. Then it would be the best. The power of a set of reflective items made by the by-products of a great demon was terrible just imagining it. Grid was sitting with his colleagues and checking their items when the dukes approached him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going back.¡±


    Aside from Rachel, the dukes looked happy as they nced between Grid and the still tearful Piaro. Rachel, however, was staring at Piaro with a surreal expression. Grenhal bowed politely on behalf of the dukes. ¡°Overgeared King, we have been indebted to you since the historical ruins. We will never forget our journey with Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to the ruins? Don¡¯t you have to go back to the ruins as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°I think it is a priority to report to His Majesty the Emperor about the great demon subjugation. We¡¯re going to seriously discuss our rtionship with the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°I see. I look forward to the changing rtionship between the empire and Overgeared Kingdom in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, look forward to it.¡±Grenhal bowed politely and turned around with the dukes.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Rachel approached Grid with a rather distasteful expression. The blonde in the red dress shone under the sunlight. Her beauty was greater than that of the Reba¡¯s Daughters, and her innate dignity gave her an aura that wasparable to that of Marie Rose, the vampire duke. She hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth, ¡°Rigal¡¯s death happened during the war. I won¡¯t let my personal feelings affect how I deal with you. Rest assured.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid had already heard that Rigal and Rachel were friends. Honestly, he was afraid of her resentment. However, she was a duke of the Saharan Empire. As a duke, she was a powerful person who knew how to control her emotions. She was aware that her misjudgment could cause huge wavelengths and clearly distinguished between public and private matters.


    ¡®By the way, Rigal was killed by Piaro.¡¯


    He felt a bit of displeasure, but Grid decided to ept Rachel¡¯s heart. Rachel turned around.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from my disciple. You are a man with great potential.¡±This time, Kirinus approached Grid to shake his hand. His deep eyes observed Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll meet you again someday. Huhu, then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Stay well, Grid.¡±


    ¡°The dragon wings... I believe they will be shown in a more wonderful scene next time.¡±


    Kirinus, Kraugel, the Hao siblings, and the Russian rankers also left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s postpone our game for next time.¡±


    ¡°What? I won.¡±


    Kirinus and Rachel were bickering, but Grid didn¡¯t know why. Kirinus, Kraugel, and the dukes gradually disappeared from Grid¡¯s sight. The somewhat unhappy Zibal and Box approached Grid.


    ¡°Honestly, the raid seeded thanks to my magic machine, right? Do you admit it? Thus, I¡¯m not very grateful,¡± Zibal snapped this out with a sulky expression and disappeared.


    ¡°...Thank you. In addition, I¡¯m sorry. Someday I will clean up my mistakes.¡±Box bowed politely and led the Snake Guild members to the south. Now, only the Overgeared members remained at the scene. After a few minutes of silence...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± Lauel smiled and said.


    Simultaneously, at the end of the canyon...


    ¡°I have captured the scene of a rebellion.¡± 4th Imperial Prince Edan smiled on a ck magic machine that looked ominous and wicked, unlike the pure white Raiders. He clearly witnessed the dukes bowing and greeting an enemy king instead of executing him. Edan also confirmed the appearance of the living Piaro. He could predict the conversation that had urred between them. One of the main causes behind Piaro being dered a traitor was Edan himself.


    ¡°I must first hit them before they hit my mother.¡± Edan looked behind him with a smile. ¡°My mother must be present if I want to be emperor. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Edan¡¯s legion of magic machines bowed their heads with firm expressions.

 Chapter 1054

    [(Breaking News) 22nd Great Demon Berith has been destroyed!


    After a bloody 81-day march, Berith¡ªthe one who terrorized people¡ªwas killed. At the heart of the raid were Grid, Kraugel, and the Seven Dukes.]


    [(Column) Satisfy rted organizations should give an award to Grid and Kraugel.


    We must not forget that the destruction of the Rotemon Kingdom has caused millions of yers to be without a home. If Grid and Kraugel hadn¡¯t brought the empire¡¯s dukes together, the Haken Kingdom would¡¯ve been destroyed by now and many people would¡¯ve lost their ce. If their activity were converted into economic value...]


    [(Analysis) The Resilience of the Great Demon


    During the raid, Berith¡¯s left arm was cut a total of 13 times, and his right arm and leg were cut off 9 times each. He suffered fractures 51 times and the number of critical injuries was 21, but Berith immediately recovered from all injuries. Omitted. It is assumed that high-ranking great demons who will emerge in the future won¡¯t be affected by wounds of the flesh...]


    [The ¡®Hidden First ce Merit¡¯ chosen by the yers is Saintess Ruby


    Who could forget the brilliant effect of the wide-area heal that Ruby used the moment she appeared? Ruby gave new power to the team already at their limits. Thanks to her presence, the raid could be finished neatly. The Saintess, who is famous for her usual good deeds, can be described as a blessing for the entire human race...]


    [What rewards did the raid participants obtain?


    It is unknown. The Overgeared Guild is well known for its tight securitypared to the size of the group, and information isn¡¯t leaked. However, I can dare to guess that the value of the top 10 rewards will exceed the value of a legendary rated item. It is clear that the Overgeared members, the empire¡¯s dukes, Kraugel, Zibal, and those who received rewards in this raid will develop more rapidly than before. Still, no one is jealous of them. Rather, it is a phenomenon where many people are congratting and blessing them...]


    [What was Grid¡¯s epic?


    We peeked into Grid¡¯s life through the epic. It was well known that Grid has experienced difficult times. Omitted. This reporter has a foreboding feeling. The more he writes his epic, the stronger Grid will be.]


    [The teenage boys and girls, the one we admire most is Grid.


    The survey shows that boys and girls in their 10s voted on Grid as the one they want to imitate the most. The same is true for surveys of those in their 20s and 30s. Grid, who shows a new growth every year, has received the respect of the younger generation inbination with the image of ¡®person who has ovee adversity. In the publishing world, there is a growing demand topile Grid¡¯s works...]


    [I want to be Korean too.


    Recently, the number of foreigners trying to migrate to South Korea has increased. It is believed that the Overgeared members who have already moved to South Korea have influenced people...]


    No matter what newspaper or TV channel was opened, there were hot stories about Youngwoo and Sehee all over the world.


    ¡°Haha. Hohoho.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t stop smiling. How much of a joy was it to have the world praise their children?


    ¡°Honey, did you see this article? We need to make a great love exhibition for Youngwoo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already framed it. I bought 20 magazines. Huhu. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°Did you only buy 20 copies of the same magazine?¡±


    ¡°...I-I bought it with my secret stash, so it isn¡¯t too much.¡±


    ¡°No, why did you buy only 20 copies? You should¡¯ve bought 100 copies, distributed them to our friends and rtives and left some behind as heirlooms! It is disappointing that Grid¡¯s father is so cheap!¡±


    ¡°...I actually ordered 200 copies, but I heard they were already out of stock. I already booked it so it should be delivered when production is increased. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Omo, I didn¡¯t know that... Sure enough, you are really bold. You are the father of Youngwoo and Sehee.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you are wise as the mother of two great kids. It is really good that I married you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Honey...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were going to make a younger sibling. Sehee was pleased as she watched her parents.


    They had rebuked themselves for not believing in their son during his wandering days and engaged themselves more faithfully to their business, stating that they couldn¡¯t make trouble for their son. This caused their skin to darken. They were doing field work in the sun every day and seemed to grow old.


    However, Sehee knew that they were healthier than anyone else. They were proud of their son and lived happily every day. This positive mind sublimated their main job, which should¡¯ve beenbor, into exercise. In both body and mind, they were healthier than they had ever been before. They donated on behalf of their son, who was too busy, and did volunteer activities, seeming happier and healthier by the day.


    Yes, the reason they couldugh like this was because of her brother. He was a proud and respectable brother. These days, Sehee often thought that she wanted to resemble her brother.


    ¡®He is a great man.¡¯


    It had already urred many times in artistic and physical fields. There were often cases where a person was uniquely sessful in their fields and became a protagonist. In South Korea, there had already been a greatedian. Even so, this wasn¡¯tmon. It was a big event that might ur once in decades. In particr, this was the first time a gamer was called a great man. Just five years after Satisfy was released, people¡¯s perception of the game changed dramatically.


    ¡®The game... Ho... nor... Parents... Game...¡¯


    Sehee¡¯s thoughts becameplicated. Sehee¡¯s generation had grown up with the saying, ¡®In order to be a sessful person, education is important.¡¯ Then what about now? With Satisfy controlling the world, was the only answer to study? That wasn¡¯t the case. Her brother was living proof of that.


    The life she had dreamed about since she was a kid¡ªto have a decent job and be rich enough to support her parents and brother¡ªcould be achieved through Satisfy. Sehee seriously considered the future and came to a surprisingly quick conclusion.


    Dok dok.Dok.Sehee turned on her smartwatch and started to tap on the hologram keyboard floating in the air. The recipient was her best friend Yerim. The contents were shown below:


    -Will you take a leave of absence to level up?


    The answer came back straight away. It seemed like she had been waiting for a long time.


    -???/ Okay.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sehee was the only one who was out of date. Was she an inflexible person? Was that why she didn¡¯t like Jishuka who was too open?


    ¡®Am I an old person?¡¯


    A new text message arrived as Sehee was feeling shocked.


    -Let¡¯s get those aunties away from Oppa! >_<


    ¡®Aunties¡¯ was referring to Yura and Jishuka. Yura who had confessed to Youngwoo publicly while Jishuka, who had moved in next door,unched a daily offensive. This caused Yerim to feel very alert and disgusted. Sehee sighed as she read the message. She was really sorry for Yerim, but out of the three, the one she wanted to be her new sister-inw was Yura. Yerim was a really good friend, but as her brother¡¯s wife... Well, her brother would have it too hard.


    -Oh, I¡¯m going to be a bitte today.I have a date with my new boyfriend.Teehee ¡ï


    Look at this...Yerim wasn¡¯t possible. She was free to love, but she changed her man three times a month. Yerim was a free spirit. It wasn¡¯t something her brother could endure.


    ¡®Yerim... eliminated,¡¯Sehee wrote a new note in her mind.


    ***


    In the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    After a long time, Grid returned to the castle and spent a happy time with Irene and Lord. Irene was now older than him, but she was still beautiful and would be beautiful all her life. They took a stroll through the garden, ate, and drank tea. Grid enjoyed a daily routine that he hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time.


    ¡®This is the best time.¡¯


    He should take time off from all responsibilities and just stay with Irene. Grid wondered if he should retire and live like this for the rest of his life. His heart sank when he saw Irene rejoicing. He felt sorry for not being with her all the time. Irene¡¯s white fingers poked Grid¡¯s cheeks as he made a sickly expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think like this. No matter where you are, I can feel you. I¡¯m not lonely.¡±


    ¡°Irene...¡±


    She read his heart just by looking at his face. This was a woman who looked at Grid before herself. Her presence itself was a great blessing to him. This was a moment when Grid felt gratitude and hugged Irene tightly.


    ¡°Since ancient times, it is fine if a husband doesn¡¯te home often as long as he made money...¡±Ireneughed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Grid doubted his ears and asked with a nk expression.¡°Who said that to you?¡±


    Irene replied with a pure smile. ¡°Sexy Schoolgirl.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I heard the words of Sexy Schoolgirl and observed the wives around me. The wives who are with their husbands every day often quarrel with their husbands. Isn¡¯t that sad? I think it is better to maintain a proper sense of distance between a couple.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yerim was the person who made the pure Irene...


    Grid felt like crying, but he quickly let out a faint smile. He also realized that Irene was thinking about him.


    ¡°If our rtionship with the empire has improved recently and the situation is stable, let¡¯s go on a trip. We can spend a few days at the beautiful waterfront that you like.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already looking forward to it.¡±Irene quietly kissed Grid on the cheek. She admired her husband. Her husband was amoner who became a noble of a kingdom, established a new kingdom, and then tried to make friends with the empire. How blessed was she to meet a man like this? Irene recalled the day she first met Grid and expressed her deep gratitude to the gods.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°Heheh.¡± Lord happily watched his parents hugging each other from a distance. The Overgeared prince grew up watching a great couple and realized that love was the most beautiful rapport in the world. Kiss.Even today, Lord kissed the Reba¡¯s Daughter who was always with him.


    Coke, Lord¡¯s knight, shook his head.


    ¡®His lips are fine despite doing that every day.¡¯


    Frankly, Coke was envious of the young prince¡¯s harem. On the other hand, his expectations were also high. Since Grid¡¯s grandchildren could be born from dozens or hundreds of people, the future of the kingdom was very strong.


    ¡®If there are 100 or 200 third generation Grids...¡¯


    The future of the kingdom seemed enormous in many ways.


    ***


    There was a refreshing breezete at night. Grid came out to the terrace after confirming Irene¡¯s sleeping figure. He spoke to the empty air, ¡°Well?¡±


    Surprisingly, there was an answer. ¡°We can¡¯t be one-sided forward. Once the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire have a friendly rtionship, I will go and receive the favor.¡±


    ¡°He is a stubborn man.¡±


    On the way back to the Overgeared Kingdom, Grid suddenly remembered something. He had forgotten his promise to heal Grenhal¡¯s wound. Grid had been so excited about finishing the raid safely that he overlooked it. As such, Grid btedly asked Faker to bring Grenhal to him.


    However, the result was like this. Grenhal said that he would seek treatment in a better future. He was an inflexible man, but he was also trustworthy.


    ¡®I was really lucky.¡¯


    Grenhal, Morse, and Basara¡ªGrid was lucky to have a rtionship with these three people. It was important that he listened to Lauel and made the Ruins of the War God a top priority. As expected, listening to Lauel¡¯s words meant he would get bread while sleeping. Grid smiled and returned to his bedroom.


    Simultaneously, in the capital of the empire, Titan...


    ¡®His Majesty the Emperor went out personally? This is a rare asion.¡¯


    It was after the Berith raid that Duke Grenhal returned to the empire and asked to see the emperor, only to be told to wait 10 days. The reason for this was that the emperor was absent due to a sudden schedule. It was quite unusual, so Duke Grenhal felt a bit puzzled. He felt d that the emperor was personally looking into state affairs and headed to his vi in Titan.


    Then he was confronted with someone. Magic machines were controlling his vi.


    ¡°Grenhal, I will detain you for treason.¡±It was 4th Prince Edan.


    ¡°Can you please exin about the context of rebellion?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you in prison.¡±


    ¡°An imperial prince doesn¡¯t have the authority to detain me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the authority, but I have the strength.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The prince had thoroughly made up his mind. Grenhal determined it was dangerous and stepped back. The power of the magic machine seen in the canyon surpassed his imagination, so Grenhal was cautious. It was just that Edan didn¡¯t give him a break.


    ¡°Take it seriously,¡± Edanmanded the riders. The magic machines boarded by the riders shed with colorful lights.


    Grenhal unleashed the power of a berserker.

 Chapter 1055

    The empire¡¯srgest port city, Galest, had been invaded by the water n during the war. Thanks to the dukes¡¯ quick support, there were fewer casualties, but it was clear that Galest had suffered significant economic losses. Emperor Juander personally went to Galest in the name offorting the people.


    ¡°His Majesty the Emperor, hooray!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty the Emperor, hooray!


    ¡°The empire will be eternal!¡±


    Galest¡¯s people were thrilled by the emperor¡¯s visit and cheered with tears streaming down their faces. The people¡¯s trust in the Saharan emperor was as absolute as faith. The emperor was embraced as a god, and Juander took it for granted.


    A god...This was one of the decisive reasons why the emperors of the past were able to control the continent.


    In the Galest Castle, the emperor ordered the lord to step down and asked with a sigh, ¡°Why did you want to meet in this ce?¡±


    Standing by the emperor¡¯s side, Bain stared at a shadow behind a pir, and something emerged from the shadow. It was the third imperial prince, Benoit. He had been born with the greatest talent among his brothers, but he had been interested in useless things since childhood, causing the emperor to have a rotten impression of him. Since his mother¡¯s death, Benoit had been wandering about, and the emperor had already given up on him. Yet Benoit asked for a meeting, stating that he had something to say.


    ¡°I greet the great emperor¡ªthe legitimate master of Saharen, the owner of the continent, and the one who deserves the blessing of eternal life,¡±Benoit politely greeted the emperor who had a displeased gaze. This was the bow of a servant. It was a far cry from the attitude of a son reuniting with his father after years.


    ¡°The imperial pce has many eyes and ears. Thus, I broke etiquette to meet you here.¡±


    Galest was the stage of a battle. No one would doubt the emperor¡¯s intentions for his visit, making it a good meeting ce. Benoit shrugged when he saw how displeased the emperor looked upon hearing his answer. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it also good for you to win the hearts and minds of the people? The story of Your Majesty personallying tofort the people will spread, and people throughout the empire will praise your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic and get to the point. Why should we meet secretly? Did you want me to stop the great demon you summoned before he causes further misfortune on the continent?¡±


    ¡°I can already feel that Berith has been beaten.¡±


    The basic sacrifice required for the summoning of a great demon was the soul of the summoner. Prince Benoit had mortgaged his soul to the great demons he summoned. Then not long ago, his soul was liberated. It was the same as when he summoned Belial. This was evidence that Berith had been killed.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the great demon was killed. If it is known that you are the one who summoned a great demon, the world will me and hate you. It will be hard for you to handle.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just me but the entire imperial royal family. The whole world will doubt Your Majesty as well as the empire.¡±


    ¡°Does the Yatan Church know that you have summoned the great demon?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your Majesty knows about this.¡±


    ¡°This person... If you intend to threaten me by colluding with the Yatan Church, it is useless. The mouth of the Yatan Church has already been sealed thoroughly. Do you have another problem? Then I will return now. I can¡¯t control my boiling anger when I look at you.¡±


    ¡°By the way...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The lord of Galest had hurriedly prepared a throne after hearing about the emperor¡¯s visit. The emperor was raising himself from that gorgeous chair which didn¡¯t fit the practical interior of Galest Castle, only to stop suddenly. He saw terrible resentment and anger in the eyes of Prince Benoit gazing up at him. Prince Benoit¡¯s face twisted, and he growled out, ¡°Why don¡¯t you know the truth about my mother¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was nothing in the world that the emperor didn¡¯t know. The will of the emperor was realized even in the emperor¡¯s absence. No one would dare to deceive the emperor...


    This was a fact which was well known to the world. Benoit had also believed this. Yet what was the truth? The emperor hadn¡¯t noticed what had happened right next to him. He had never dreamed that Marie was the one behind Empress Aria¡¯s death, and he had even reced Aria¡¯s empty seat with Marie. The love that should¡¯ve been directed at Benoit¡¯s mother was directed toward the viin who murdered his mother.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You! You!!¡±


    Once he learned the truth, Benoit vowed to unleash all the abusivenguage in the world toward the emperor. However, he couldn¡¯t speak because the emperor was his father. The only man in the world whom his mother loved was the man in front of him. At the very least, he shouldn¡¯t make his mother in the ground feel sad alone.


    Benoit had these thoughts. This was the only filial piety he could achieve. Therefore...


    ¡°Your Majesty has the duty to know the truth behind Empress Aria¡¯s death,¡± Benoit said calmly, suppressing his resentment and anger toward the emperor.


    ¡°...!¡± The emperor¡¯s body trembled as Benoit¡¯s story progressed.


    ¡°I...¡± Benoit honestly told the deeply shocked and dazed emperor about how he felt, ¡°I feel terrible resentment toward Your Majesty. I wanted to make you feel the pain and anger that my mother had suffered. However, I think that isn¡¯t possible when thinking about my mother¡¯s feelings. I... I¡¯d rather leave. I will watch Your Majesty kill Empress Marie from a distance and then say goodbye to this sick country.¡±


    A country where discrimination was treated as normal...


    A country full of arrogance and self-righteousness...


    It was a country where conspiracy and danger couldn¡¯t be removed. Even if it hadn¡¯t been for Empress Marie, his mother would¡¯ve been threatened for the rest of her life. His mother¡¯s death was caused by this cursed nation. Benoit didn¡¯t want to be involved with such a nation anymore. In any case, he also had to pay the price for summoning the great demon.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    3rd Imperial Prince Benoit held his left arm, which had started to rot in exchange for opening the gates of hell with his human body, and left quietly. The emperor couldn¡¯t stop him.


    ***


    On the outskirts of Titan, Duke Grenhal¡¯s huge vi¡ªwhich was made entirely out of a small mountain¡ªhad be a battlefield. Dozens of buildings copsed due to the heavy winds, the horse-riding grounds disappeared without a trace, and the observation tform that gave a panoramic view of Titan copsed. At the center, one man was standing alone.


    ¡°Cough! Cough, cough!¡± There were many wounds on his muscr body, and he coughed up blood every time he breathed. These marks were a medal of when he protected the empire and its people, but they were currently an object of ridicule.


    ¡°How long do you n to resist with such a broken body? You should¡¯ve stepped back as soon as you saw me. Why dig your own grave? Tsk tsk.¡±It was the 4th Imperial Prince Edan. He seeded in excavating six magic machines, but only five were actually operating. This was because it was extremely rare for a rider to be able to control a magic machine. It was still impossible for a human to fully control the relics of the giants.


    However, there was nothing wrong with this. Edan had no reason to rush forplete control. Even if the magic machines could only be operated for an average of 30 seconds, they were able to beat the strongest people in the empire. There was Trauka that wasn¡¯t operational at the moment, Nevartan that resembled a human, and Raiders being operated by Zibal.


    Edan leaned on a ck giant and asked his question in a ridiculing tone, ¡°What were you going to tell His Majesty the Emperor when you met him?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to announce Marie¡¯s sins,¡± Grenhal replied honestly. The sharp ws of the lion-shaped and leopard-shaped magic machines were aimed at his neck, but his eyes weren¡¯t shaken. It was an imposing attitude that made Edan ufortable.


    ¡°Do you want to lower your gaze? Otherwise, if you say something wrong, I will pull your eyes out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you kill me. As long as I am alive, your mother¡¯s sins will be revealed to the entire world.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill you.¡±


    For Edan, the worst thing was his position weakening when his mother¡¯s sins were revealed. However, he had to worry about the worst if he killed Grenhal. He would be a criminal like his mother and lose his right to session. So, he had to calm his agitation. Edan took a deep breath and murmured, ¡°Calm down. Be patient, even if you want to act ording to your personality. It is enough to start acting after I be the emperor. At that time, I can enjoy it...¡±


    ¡°Pffft! Puhahaha!¡± Grenhal burst outughing after he heard Edan¡¯s words.He sincerely found it funny. ¡°4th Imperial Prince, do you believe you can be emperor?¡±


    ¡°Then who?¡± Edan asked seriously. ¡°1st Prince Rnd is too submissive, and 2nd Prince Dndal is ipetent because of his impatience. Even his red energy isn¡¯t up to par. Do I even need to mention the 3rd Prince? Perhaps a princess? Basara? Can she sit on the throne of emperor?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about gender.¡±


    ¡°There is definitely a gender limitation. Look at my mother now. She was stupid and didn¡¯t do it properly, leaving a tail behind. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this right now. I never dreamed that Piaro would still be alive. Tsk, females are really ipetent.¡±


    ¡°...Your personality is broken.¡±


    ¡°Is personality part of the qualifications to be an emperor? Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Prince!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    One knight ran to Edan and whispered something. A smile spread on Edan¡¯s face.¡°The Sword Duke has secured Morse and Basara. Now I have to go after Rachel. Let¡¯s finish our conversation here.¡±


    Edan made a gesture, and the knights started to surround Grenhal. Grenhal was able to identify the short operating time of the magic machines because of Zibal¡¯s past demonstration and focused on escaping during the battle, but he waspletely exhausted. Edan enjoyed watching Grenhal being tied up, and his nostrils red. ¡°Trying to use a human body to drive away a magic machine... Raiders must¡¯ve seemed ridiculous. Well, it was easy to capture you thanks to it. Should I at least reward the deserter?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think you can detain us? If His Majesty returns, he will give an order for our release. Then the truth will be revealed. What is the point of this for you?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a n. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of you guys and use you well. Oh, before that.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The darkness came apanied by a sharp pain. Edan devoured Grenhal¡¯s screams as he lost both his eyes to a sword. Prince Edan was smiling. ¡°I told you to lower your eyes.¡±

 Chapter 1056

    ¡°This is thest ind.¡±


    He revealed himself as the 10th great demon.


    ¡°My name is Leraje. I am one of the 33 rulers who control hell.¡±


    Leraje covered half of his face with a deep hat. The red lips made a sharp contrast to the pale skin.


    ¡°I am a great ruler whobines power and strategy. The proof is that I easily made it to the 66th ind. Huhut.¡±


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±


    It had been a long time since I met with others. Maybe it had been a few decades. However, I wasn¡¯t happy. I was already bored andzy.


    The great demon was constantly talking. ¡°My specialty is to struggle. I have a habit of winning against anyone Ipete with. The evidence is that I easily took care of all the previous legends guarding the other inds. Demon yer Alex who made great demons tremble? Even he couldn¡¯t be my opponent. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... It is unreasonable to try and talk to a death knight who doesn¡¯t have an ego. It is no fun. Still, I am looking forward to it. Based on the sword hanging from your waist, you must be Sword Saint Muller. Didn¡¯t you seal several great demons, including Hell Gao? I have always wanted to meet you. I will use this opportunity to prove that I am better than Hell Gao.¡±


    ¡°¡°I¡¯m not Muller.¡±¡±


    Who would dare to mistake my identity?


    As I opened my mouth, Leraje said, ¡°Hoh, a death knight is talking? Yes, you aren¡¯t Muller? What are you called?¡±


    ¡°¡°Madra. I was king of Lubana.¡±¡±


    ¡°Madra...? I have heard it a few times. How disappointing. I was hoping to meet Muller on thest ind... The final battle will be worthless as well.¡±


    ¡°¡°...¡±¡±


    My anger rose. Pagma, you resurrected me because you are afraid of this guy?


    ¡°¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t find any meaning in this second life. I had no motivation and couldn¡¯t move since I was trapped alone on the ind. I stood in ce and looked up at the sky, but my skills weren¡¯t rusty. Fear filled the eyes of the arrogant Leraje.


    ***


    It had happened before Grid learned 200,000 Army Swordsmanship. The past that he viewed in Madra¡¯s diary stopped here in the middle of the seventh chapter.


    However, things were different now. Grid, who had achieved level 399 and acquired 200,000 Army Swordsmanship, was able to read the back pages.


    ***


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Death... I am going to die from a death knight...!¡±


    ¡°¡°A person who can¡¯t stop this much is a loser.¡±¡±


    ¡°You said you were the king of Lubana? You...! You aren¡¯t Muller. How are you capable of this swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°¡°I am the Undefeated King. I haven¡¯t experienced defeat, be it in life or death.¡±¡±


    ¡°A bluff!¡±


    Leraje tried to resist but it was useless.


    My sword struck his flesh and bones.


    ¡®...¡¯


    ***


    In the contents of the diary that followed, Grid saw the true power of 200,000 Army Swordsmanship. In the face of the true 200,000 Army Crushing Sword that couldn¡¯t bepared to the degraded version, Leraje was literally crushed. He desperately unfolded his magic, but everything was cut equally in front of Madra¡¯s sword.


    ¡®Looking again, the difference is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.¡¯


    It was on a totally different level. The glimpses that Grid got of Pagma, Braham, and the yangban Garam weren¡¯tparable to Madra. Undefeated King Madra was the strongest. Duguen!Duguen!Duguen!Grid¡¯s heartbeat started to elerate. His admiration for Madra spurred his assimtion with Madra.


    I didn¡¯t know a single defeat.


    I...I am Undefeated King Madra.


    [¡ï Warning ¡ï You have assimted with Madra in the diary and shared his memories and feelings. You need to be careful because you are psychologically feeling a great amount of anxiety and pain.]


    [You are in extreme confusion.]


    [The system is checking your brain waves and pulse. If it is determined to be dangerous, Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary will be sealed.]


    [Danger! Danger! Madra¡¯s diary will be sealed!]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The seventh chapter ended. Grid, who hadpletely assimted with Madra, opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat as he gritted his teeth. It was to distinguish between virtual and reality. He was Grid, not Madra. He tried his best to realize that he was Shin Youngwoo before he was Grid.


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen...


    His frantic heartbeat started to stabilize.


    [You are free from the confusion.]


    [Your vitals have returned to normal. The eighth chapter of Death Knight Madra¡¯s diary is unfolding.]


    [Do you want to read it?]


    ¡°Heok, heok... Yes, I¡¯ll read it.¡±


    @%$P)@!#$~$X##!!!!!!!


    ¡°...¡±


    This challenge also failed. After learning 200,000 Army Swordsmanship, Grid re-read the seventh chapter several times to confirm the back of the diary. He experienced Madra¡¯s great pain and despair, but he endured it. Grid wanted to read the eighth chapter. He wanted to understand Madra and Pagma more, and he wanted to get a glimpse of the 300,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    However, the eighth chapter waspletely unreadable. It was in anguage that wasn¡¯t human. Why? At first, he couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Then Grid was soon able to guess the reason.


    ¡®It was the chaotic period.¡¯


    Madra defeated all the great demons that invaded the Behen Archipgo and was then alone for hundreds of years. He would¡¯ve gradually lost the need fornguage because he had no one to talk to. The thoughts he wrote in the diary were likely transformed into something that only he could recognize. It was somethingpletely different that couldn¡¯t be defined by the concept ofnguage. It meant that only Madra himself could read the eighth chapter of the diary.


    ¡®Is this the end of the diary¡¯s role?¡¯


    Grid had expected it. Death Knight Madra whom Grid had met on the Behen Archipgo hadn¡¯t used 300,000 Army Swordsmanship. The weak body of the undead, that had undergone hundreds of years of storms, couldn¡¯t withstand the destructive power of 300,000 Army Swordsmanship. Considering the time, it was highly likely that 300,000 Army Swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t be written in the diary.


    ¡®Even if there is 300,000 Army Swordsmanship, will I need to be level 499 to learn it?¡¯


    Level 499... At this point, it would take at least 5¨C6 years to reach that level.


    ¡®There is no real answer.¡¯


    Grid opened his own status window. He was level 399. It was at 97% experience. He hadn¡¯t leveled up despite beating Berith. Of course, there were many high-level NPCs among the raid party members. He had to consider that most of the experience had been distributed to the NPCs. It wasmon sense that the greater the level gap was between party members, the more disadvantages the lower leveled members received. Even so, the opponent had been a great demon. The amount of experience he dropped would¡¯ve been beyond imagination. Frankly, this was too much.


    ¡®I never dreamed that I couldn¡¯t go up by even one level.¡¯


    From level 399 onward, the amount of experience required to level up seemed to double.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a point where I can¡¯t level up through hunting?¡¯


    Grid suddenly realized this and stopped making the underwear that he was doing out of habit. His steady growth in the Tailoring Technique meant he was able to produce women¡¯s underwear as well as men¡¯s underwear. It was a sight where those who didn¡¯t know about it would mistake him for an underwear thief or pervert, but it was an ordinary and familiar sight to the Overgeared members.


    ¡®It¡¯s too big.¡¯


    ¡®It is Jishuka¡¯s underwear.¡¯


    ¡®How do you know the size?¡¯


    ¡®Well, that... we lived together.¡¯


    ¡®I envy Jishuka.¡¯


    ¡®...?¡¯


    In the midst of the Overgeared members¡¯ murmurs, Grid brought up his list of ongoing quests.


    [Tailoring Technique Training]


    [ss Quest


    The possibilities for your development have be greater after learning the Tailoring Technique.


    If you get to the point where you canbine cksmithing and tailoring, your foundation as a cksmith will expand exponentially.


    However, it is still difficult to utilize the Tailoring technique.


    The gap between the intermediate Tailoring skill and legendary cksmith skill is toorge.


    The intermediate Tailoring technique is likely to degrade the quality of the legendary cksmith¡¯s work.


    Raise the level of your Tailoring skill to the point where it can bebined with cksmithing.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Master the Advanced Tailoring Technique.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +6 The opening of craftsman level Tailoring Technique.]


    This was the reason why Grid made underwear whenever he had time. It was an inevitable ss quest, and it also gave a huge reward. When he first received the quest, Grid was merely eager to see the craftsmanship. Now his thoughts had changed.


    ¡®I have to stop making men¡¯s underwear.¡¯


    He no longer coveted the craftsman level Tailoring Technique. If he received the craftsman level skill, he nned to apply it to cksmithing and didn¡¯t want to make underwear. Rather than the skill, Grid focused on the reward of six levels.


    ¡®This is a real jackpot.¡¯


    Now it was hard to gain a level when fighting against a great demon. The quest gave six levels as a reward, so the value was astronomical. Grid made a judgment, ¡®Don¡¯t try to clear it too quickly.¡¯


    The higher his level, the higher the value would be. It wasn¡¯t good to dy it too much, but he wasn¡¯t in a hurry for the reward. Grid realized that he needed to be more rxed.


    ¡®The thing I need to focus on right now...¡¯


    It was to gain the remaining 3% experience and reach level 400. The right thing to do would be to reach the fourth stats awakening and then make items using Berith¡¯s by-products.


    ¡°Okay. Ah, before that...¡±Grid made a n and shouted,¡°Sticks!¡±


    Was this the feeling when Jin X Gu called Dorae X Mon? Grid was excited every time he called Stick¡¯s name. He had the confidence that Sticks would surely live up to his expectations.


    ¡°Ha... Why are you calling during ss?¡±


    Sticks was the principal and teacher at the Overgeared Academy. A few days ago, he gave Grid the ¡®long-distancemunication earphones¡¯ which had been developed at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility, and this allowed him to hear Grid¡¯s voice within the range of a certain distance. Grid got to the point straight away,¡°Take me to Reidan.¡±


    ¡°No, think about it. You can use the city¡¯s warp facility...¡±


    ¡°It will waste Reinhardt¡¯s magic power. That is money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I charge Reinhardt¡¯s magic power core anyway?¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so? As expected, isn¡¯t Sticks really great?¡±


    ¡°Haha... Mass Teleport.¡±


    Sticks was a busy person. It was his job to educate the children of the Overgeared Kingdom. He didn¡¯t want to waste time, so he immediately used magic and sent Grid to Reidan. It was a waste of magic that ordinary yers would never experience in their lives.


    ¡°W-We greet Your Majesty!!¡±


    In the desert city of Reidan, the knights ran over after detecting the flow of magic power and recognized Grid. Chris, who was in the castle, immediately frowned upon arriving at the scene.¡°You have to send a whisper in advance if you aren¡¯t going to use the warp facility. I was surprised at the thought of the enemy intruding.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll definitely do it next time,¡± Grid apologized with a smile before stepping forward. He moved in the direction of the alchemy facility.


    Chris¡¯ eyes shone as he followed Grid. ¡°Has Berith¡¯s Power finally been recharged?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grid answered with a confident smile on his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see the real power of alchemy.¡±

 Chapter 1057

    [Alchemy Research Institute]


    [Facility Level: Advanced level 2.


    *List of Products that can be Produced*


    Intermediate~ Super Health Recovery Potion. Intermediate~ Super Mana Recovery Potion. Low~ Super Buff Potions. Weapon and Armor Enhancement Stones. Low-grade Sunsses. Low~ Intermediate Orbs. Adjusted videomunication. Magic power detection tower. Seven magic traps. Telmunication earphones, etc.


    *List of Metals that can be Transformed*


    Steel. Silver. ck iron. Orichalcum *metal¡¯s performance is enhanced*.


    *List of Options that can be attached to Items*


    Increased strength (small). Increased agility (small). Increased stamina (small). Increased intelligence (small). Increased movement speed (small). Reduced resource consumption (minimal). Skill enhancement effect (small). Coolness ¡ïAdded skill¡ï ¡ïAdded attribute¡ï]


    This was the current state of Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. It was a very good facility just looking at the basic functions. The super-grade recovery potions and buff potions were goods that boss monsters didn¡¯t drop easily. They were expensive enough to be called ¡®chaebol exclusive items¡¯ and boasted excellent performance. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the best source of Grid and the Overgeared members¡¯ performance during the Berith raid was the potions made by the alchemy facility.


    Additionally, it was worth noting that orichalcum was a high-value metal, and there was a variety of options that could be attached to items. It was clear that there would be a big social impact if Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility were released to the media. Indeed, many people were willing to make deals with the Overgeared Kingdom, that could exclusively produce high-end goods and attach options to items.


    ¡®They don¡¯t know it is an empty strength.¡¯


    All facilities had something called the ¡®maintenance fee¡¯. If the maintenance fee wasn¡¯t paid on time, the level of the facility would drop and the operations would stop. It wasmon sense that ¡®maintenance of military facilities¡¯ was the most expensive, but it was actually the alchemy facility which boasted a unique maintenance cost. The cost of maintaining one alchemy facility was higher than the cost of maintaining 30 advanced barracks which could raise and sustain 1,000 soldiers.


    Of course, the maintenance cost was the minimum cost. The investment cost was even higher. Over the past few years, more than half the revenue of the Overgeared Kingdom had been invested in the single alchemy facility, and it was able to achieve this high level thanks to the investment. Still, there was a bigger problem.


    [-List of Materials needed to Produce Health Potions-


    3gui. 3 long tea herbs. 2 red lotus flowers. 0.5 litres of purified water. One ss bottle.


    There is a 40% of the potion production failure.


    40% chance of producing an intermediate health potion.


    15% chance of producing an advanced health potion.


    4% chance of producing a super health potion.


    1% chance of producing an ultimate health potion.]


    All alchemy products had a probability section. Money was constantly wasted when producing items, transforming metals, or giving an option to items, but the final results were uncertain. Money and luck were needed in order to get the desired result. The option attaching function even had a cooldown time. This was why more kingdoms, apart from the empire, neglected alchemy and why Grid scorned the alchemy facility.


    ¡®It is a money-eating hippopotamus.¡¯


    The alchemy facility boasted an exceptionally mysterious and beautiful appearancepared to other buildings. Grid arrived at the entrance of the money-eating facility and started cursing. It was almost a reflexive behavior. Grid still couldn¡¯t forget the ¡®coolness¡¯ option attached to Iyarugt.


    ¡®It was really bad for the value.¡¯


    He wanted to close the alchemy facility many times. The reason he didn¡¯t do it was because of the possibility for magic engineering. The field of magic engineering was presumed to exist in an area that couldn¡¯t be achieved by individual cksmiths. Thus, Grid needed help from alchemy.


    ¡°We deeply wee Your Majesty!¡±


    The alchemists rushed out to greet Grid. Alchemy was disparaged in all other kingdoms. For alchemists, the Overgeared Kingdom was one of the few stages where they could prove their worth. They didn¡¯t want to lose this stage and struggled to look good to Grid.


    ¡°A while ago, I seeded in transforming orichalcum! I got one orichalcum with 100 steel!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be praised for one orichalcum. The report showed that you invested a total of 13,000 steel pieces in a month and only one orichalcum was obtained,¡± Chris, lord of Reidan, replied on Grid¡¯s behalf.


    Chris¡¯ blunt and negative reaction represented Grid¡¯s mind, and he intended to save Grid¡¯s dignity. Wouldn¡¯t the king lose his dignity if he questioned his subordinates one by one? Chris had operated arge guild and was good at this area.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ashamed. However, things will surely change once the facility reaches advanced level 3,¡± the facility chief said while bowing his sweating head.


    Then Chris raised his voice, ¡°Next time it will be different, next time. You say the same thing every time. How much more money should we invest?¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Grid restrained Chris.


    ¡®Why is he talking loudly when it is my money being invested?¡¯


    This was what he thought. Grid was smart, but he was stillcking when it came to interpersonal rtionships. Grid asked the chief, ¡°How long will it take to achieve advanced level 3?¡±


    ¡°.... So far, we¡¯ve been able to umte experience and raise the level every time the alchemy seeds. Therefore, I was able to roughly guess the time when the facility level would rise. However, this time is different. I can¡¯t guess.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is there a separate condition for umting experience?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± The facility chief wiped away his sweat.He couldn¡¯t make eye contact with Grid. His attitude made Grid feel uneasy.


    ¡°Speak quickly.¡± Grid frowned.


    The facility chief exined in a trembling voice,¡°Since the facility level reached advanced level two, it has changed so that experience is only umted when the ultimate performance is achieved...¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid looked horrified while Chris¡¯ eyes became bloodshot. Chris stepped out on behalf of Grid.¡°So, what...? In the past, the experience value of the facility rose even when you only made low-grade potions. Now in the future, experience will only increase with the ultimate grade potions? Am I understanding correctly?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    The cost of producing a single health recovery potion was simr to the trading price of a super health recovery potion. This was extremely inefficient. It was much better to buy potions directly than to manufacture them from the alchemy facility. Nevertheless, the reason all Overgeared members used potions from the alchemy facility was to gain ultimate health recovery potions and improve the level of the alchemy facility. Once the alchemy facility was up and running, they were forced to keep using it to umte experience and increase the level.


    Now the investment itself had be meaningless. Only the ultimate result would umte experience...? It really would be the beginning of ¡®pouring water into a bottomless pit¡¯ from now on.


    ¡°They are crazy.¡± Grid finally lost his temper.He forgot that the alchemists were watching and expressed his thoughts. The alchemists looked like the sky had fallen.


    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t say that! We aren¡¯t crazy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We are sane! We are just exining it!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about you.¡±


    It was the S.A Group. The majority of alchemists were NPCs, so Grid swallowed the rest of his words. His stomach was burning. Alchemy! Ah, alchemy! It was the culprit that emptied his pockets, and it always hit him in the back of the head, making the stars visible!


    ¡®XX... Even the CEO of the Sasung Group can¡¯t reach advanced level 3 unless he is lucky.¡¯


    Grid was convinced of this. Alchemy¡ªits efficiency was terriblepared to its potential. It wasn¡¯t content that existed for yers. Rather, it was merely a fantasy responsible for vague expectations.


    Chris seemed to think the same way, ¡°This isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved by being impatient. If we invest money in order to raise the level quickly, our finances will be ruined. Let¡¯s not hurry and just utilize the facility while maintaining the current operating policy. Then the level will rise slowly.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to reach advanced master level in 20¨C30 years?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It might not be possible in 20 or 30 years. The alchemy facility couldn¡¯t reach the advanced master level until their children¡¯s generation. Chris became miserable when he thought seriously about it.¡°Fantasy content... Well, okay. I like it. It is worth it.¡±


    A wide smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. Chris found it absurd that Grid was so happy.


    Step, step. Grid walked forward. He stood in front of the nucleus at the center of the institute and opened the Rune of Darkness. A ck and ominous demonic energy rose around Grid¡¯s body.


    [The activation of the Rune of Darkness has increased demonic power by 200!]


    Grid ignored the rising notification window and ced a pale hand on the magic power nucleus.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    The magic power nucleus of Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility¡ªthe giant amethyst breathing like the heart of a living being¡ªstarted to react to the force inside Grid. The wide smile on Grid¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be erased.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    ¡°Chris, have I told you exactly what Berith¡¯s Power is?¡±


    The 22nd Great Demon Berith¡¯s power to produce every material that existed in the world at will was born at Grid¡¯s fingertips. Berith¡¯s Hoof emerged from Grid¡¯s inventory and floated around the magic power nucleus. It was the activation of the Transformation system.


    ¡°Wait! Grid!!¡± Chris was shocked. Transformation was a system where a specific materials was used to enhance the inherent performance or transform it to steel, silver, ck iron, or orichalcum. In other words, if the value of the materials used exceeded orichalcum, the system was likely to cause a loss. Enhancing the performance of Berith¡¯s Hoof would fail. Berith¡¯s Hoof would be changed to either steel, silver, ck iron, or orichalcum.


    ¡°Hey! Stop!¡±


    It was too big a gamble. The best metal that Berith dropped would be lost. Chris reached out to stop Grid.


    ¡°Transformation.¡±


    He was one step toote. Grid had already activated the Transformation system using Berith¡¯s Hoof as a material. Simultaneously, a brilliant golden light surrounded the entireboratory and emerged through all the windows of theboratory. The entire city of Reidan, which had a poption of one million, had turned golden. After the light was cleared, Chris and the alchemists made the same sound, ¡°Ah...¡±


    They saw it. Berith¡¯s Hoof emitted a mystical brilliance.


    ¡°This is Berith¡¯s Power.¡±


    Grid ced the hoof in his inventory and shared some of the Rune of Darkness¡¯ information with Chris.


    [¡ïSpecial¡ï


    *22nd Great Demon Berith¡¯s Power.


    The ultimate falsehood distorts reality.


    The ultimate alchemy maniptes all things.


    -When activating the ultimate alchemy-


    Activate the Automatic Transformation and Ultimate Transformation skills.]


    [Automatic Transformation]


    [Passive skill.


    If you are targeted by a projectile, a metal shield made of defensive metal will be automatically generated in real time.


    10,000 damage will be absorbed per shield.


    * The duration is one minute.]


    [Ultimate Transformation]


    [Active skill.


    The best result will be obtained when using alchemy.


    * 10 days of charging time is needed after use.]


    ¡°I was angry at first.¡±


    It was due to the preconditions attached to Ultimate Transformation. What was the prerequisite to use alchemy when Grid was a cksmith?


    ¡°At first, I thought of it was a skill to be used in conjunction with the Automatic Transformation passive skill and that it would be possible to defend myself temporarily.¡±


    Then Grid noticed that he could take advantage of the alchemy system. It was a matter that could be simply resolved by using the alchemy facility.


    ¡°However, as you can see, there is a separate method of use.¡±


    Fantasy? It couldn¡¯t exist before Berith¡¯s Power. He had the power to make fantasy into a reality.


    [The sess of Ultimate Transformation has increased the alchemy facility¡¯s experience by 1%!]


    ¡°...!¡± Chris saw the lord-only notification window in front of him and raised his fists.


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡± The alchemists embraced each other and cheered enthusiastically. They thought that Grid¡¯s presence itself was a blessing.

 Chapter 1058

    -Really?As expected, the value of the options is the greatest.


    For thest week, Grid had devoted himself to hunting in the jungle, the first gateway of the Ruins of the War God. The followers in the jungle couldn¡¯t easily stop him, Noe, Randy, Tiramet, the light elemental, and the Overgeared Skeletons. Randy was particrly active. The ¡®doppelganger of the Mysterious Forest¡¯, who could copy skills as well as the appearance of the target, evolved further with the development of Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡±


    Once his stamina gauge shed, Grid sat down and summoned Overgeared Corn. Overgeared Corn confirmed that there were no women and ushered in Sage Time. He started to lick Grid¡¯s cheek in a humiliated manner like he was a prisoner kissing the feet of an enemy leader.


    Noeughed. ¡°Overgeared Corn is swearing about how his master doesn¡¯t have a lover. A man who walks alone without a woman is the most pathetic and unsightly person in the world.¡±


    Overgeared Corn responded like it was refreshing for his words to be heard.


    Grid snorted. ¡°I¡¯m a married man. You are the solo one.¡±


    Overgeared Corn gave up.He bowed his head and cried. Grid stoked Overgeared Corn¡¯s mane, pulled out his portable furnace and anvil, and focused on the whisper. He was contacting Chris.


    -So, who is the lucky protagonist?


    -Vantner.


    During Grid¡¯s absence, Chris had carried out a campaign. It was a campaign that said ¡®make things for yourself.¡¯ The campaign was to keep the alchemy facility running non-stop while not putting the burden on the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s finances. The Overgeared members participated in it actively. Hundreds of Overgeared members came to Reidan every day. They provided the materials and used the Production system.


    Sometimes, they used the Transformation system. Other times, they used the Option system. Of course, the Option system could only be used by a limited number of Overgeared members as there was a 48-hour countdown. Well, the utilization wouldn¡¯t be high even if there was no cooldown time. There was a limit to the number of options that could be attached to each item, and there was a great risk that the value of the item would be shed entirely if they ended up with the ¡®coolness¡¯ option like Iyarugt.


    However, one lucky person had been born. It was Vantner. He was fortunate to have the best ¡®Add Skill¡¯ option added to his main weapon. There was a celebration throughout the entire Overgeared Guild.


    The ultimate result in normal alchemy led to the facility¡¯s experience rising by 0.01% percent. The best result in transformation increased experience by 1% while the best result in the field of adding options increased experience by 5%.


    -A skill was added...I¡¯m jealous.


    -I thought I was going to die from a stomach ache watching him.


    Vantner was the lucky one. Thanks to Vantner¡¯s personality, he would probably boast about it for the next few years, making their ears sore. Grid grumbled for a moment before smiling.


    -Well, I¡¯m d that the experience of the alchemy facility has increased dramatically.


    -Yes.Grid, you guarantee 1% experience every 10 days.If this luck keeps up, the facility will level up faster than we think.


    The situation was optimistic, and the campaign had greatly reduced the financial burden. The problem was the members who failed appeared one after another. In the worst case, the number of members using the alchemy facility could plummet and the rate of experience gain would slow.


    -It is too much of a strain on the guild members.I will instruct them to increase the investment in alchemy at the national level, so distribute alchemy products to the members.


    -Yes, I understand.


    Chris was a top ranker. Among the two billion yers, his power was at the top, and he had great experience running arge guild. Since he had many faithful subordinates and was a tycoon in the pursuit of founding a country, his actual pride was very high. Yet he was like this in front of Grid. He faithfully followed Grid no matter the circumstances.


    Was it because Grid¡¯s power transcended Chris¡¯? No, humans weren¡¯t animals. They didn¡¯t simply give into power. The biggest reason Chris followed Grid was his absolute trust in Grid¡¯s nature. As Grid gew up, Chris genuinely came to respect Grid¡¯s attitude that abandoned his arrogance and looked around. Chris always felt the desire to stand at the top with this man.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start again.¡±


    Grid intended to be the first yer to reach level 400. He recalled Overgeared Corn and got up. Then a follower from a bush came upon him. The follower used a bull-like rush simr to Bubat and instantly narrowed the distance to Grid. The bushes and branches shook in response to the wind that blew btedly. By this time, the follower¡¯s sword was already drawing a frightening arc. The sharp end of the weapon headed toward Grid¡¯s neck.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t have to go out on his own.


    Kyak kyak!Kyakyakyak!


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The Overgeared Skeletons dancing andughter attracted the eyes of the follower, and the follower¡¯s weapon naturally transferred from Grid¡¯s neck to the Overgeared Skeletons. The weapon ended up hitting Tiramet¡¯s chest, not the Overgeared Skeletons. Blood gushed out, but Tiramet didn¡¯t blink. Rather, he scoffed and hugged the follower tightly around the waist.


    ¡°Nyahahahat!¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance! Link!¡±


    Noe¡¯s ws and Randy¡¯s swordsmanship turned the followers into rags. The furious follower shook Tiramet off and tried to fight back.


    sh!


    The light elemental temporarily destroyed the follower¡¯s vision. Grid¡¯s basic attack mmed into its back. One time, two times, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times, eight times, nine times... Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves, which increased general attack speed by three times, worked well with his transcendent status.


    Previously, Grid was limited to the maximum speed and could only achieve six basic attacks per second. Now it was possible to go up to nine. He was even in a no-buff state. The follower kneeled down with a moan. Grid didn¡¯t even look at the follower who was swept away by the ck mes and turned to ashes. There was a smile on his face as he praised Noe, Randy, Tiramet, the light elemental, and the Overgeared Skeletons, ¡°It was a great teamy. Well done.¡±


    ¡°Heh, this is no big deal. These low-level guys are ordinary food for the best demonic beast of hell.¡±


    ¡°Grid bing stronger means Randy is stronger. I¡¯m happy...¡±


    Kyak kyak!Kya kya kyak!


    ck!ck ck!


    sh sh!


    Noe, Randy, the light elemental, and the Overgeared Skeletons clearly expressed their delight at Grid¡¯s praise. Only Tiramet was unresponsive. The true blood vampire was still unable to understand the reality of being a human¡¯s pet. All the true blood vampires that Grid met so far had their noses in the air, so he thought it was right to give Tiramet time to adjust.


    ¡®It will be different if we keep staying together.¡¯


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    ¡°Stop dancing,¡± Grid scolded the Overgeared Skeletons and moved deeper into the forest. He nned to keep on hunting until the cooldown time of Ultimate Transformation ended.


    ***


    The vampire cities and the Galgunos Temple were the exclusive hunting grounds of the Overgeared Guild. Both hunting grounds had distinct advantages. In the vampire cities, arge number of vampires appeared, and it was good for raising the Overgeared members¡¯ skill proficiency. It was also possible for them to obtain jackpots like the vampire items and elixirs.


    On the other hand, the Galgunos Temple guaranteed overwhelming experience instead of fewer monsters and dropped items. The high-levelled Overgeared members were using the Galgunos Temple while the low to mid Overgeared members were using the vampire cities as hunting grounds.


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going to die. It is so hard here. What about the Ruins of the War God?¡±


    In the Galgunos Temple, Peak Sword returned the beautiful Iyarugt to his sheath and sat down. He was still stunned. Considering how Grid could y solo at the terrible Ruins of the War God... he felt more and more like a distant existence in the world.


    Vantner replied with a grin,¡°The ruins aren¡¯t a big deal for Grid. Well, I¡¯m also going to move my hunting grounds to the ruins.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too strong because of the new skill attached to my weapon. It is boring here. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drink a potion and tell me that. You will die.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    It was hard. In the Galgunos Temple, the frequency of the followers was too high. Peak Sword, Vantner, Pon, Regas, Jishuka, and others of the 10 meritorious retainers hunted together, but the Overgeared members faced new crises every time. Ibellin and Zednos, the strongest members after the 10 meritorious retainers, had died three times in the past 10 days. Losing concentration for even a short period of time caused death, so the 10 meritorious retainers encouraged guild members to hunt in the vampire cities.


    ¡°Sigh. It is hard because we don¡¯t have enough buffers and healers.¡±


    The healers were particrly problematic. Due to the nature of Satisfy, they were forced to hire NPC priests of the Reba Church if they wanted healers. However, the Galgunos Temple was too dangerous for the Reba priests. The priests became reluctant to go to the Galgunos Temple, and the healing drought in the Overgeared Guild became more severe. At this moment, the drought was over.


    ¡°Please let us into the party.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers were helping the guild members hunt while blocking the paths of other followers. They were tired from the ongoing battle, but their eyes looked back. Only one person had the title of Saintess. Grid¡¯s sister Ruby appeared in the temple with her friend and escort knight, Sexy Schoolgirl. The moment they entered the party, the Overgeared members were perfectly restored thanks to Ruby¡¯s wide-area heals, and the members were happy and surprised.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl had joined the Overgeared Guild since high school and were two of the few light users in the Overgeared Guild. They were studying, so their gamey time was very low. Due to their low level, they were generally active in low level hunting grounds. Sometimes they were spotted in the vampire cities, but it was only sometimes. Why were they in the Galgunos Temple, which had a great level of difficulty? Had they gained so many levels after not being seen for a while?


    Sexy Schoolgirl raised a V sign to the nk Overgeared members. ¡°I¡¯m a former university student who has transitioned to being a professional gamer.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The power of the Overgeared Guild... The yers they hoped would be their greatest power in the next few years were finally...


    ¡°Yes!¡±Vantner¡¯s cry represented the joy of the Overgeared members. All guild members weed Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl, and the party¡¯s hunting speed increased by four times.


    ***


    ¡°Look. That¡¯s him, that person.¡±


    ¡°The farmer of the Overgeared Guild!¡±


    ¡°The Seven Dukes... No, the one who made the Five Dukes of the empire bow their heads!¡±


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    A group of people flocked to Reinhardt¡¯s granaries. There was only one reason why tens of thousands of tourists came here every day. It was to see the legendary farmer Piaro. People didn¡¯t forget the absolute supreme person who caused the proud dukes of the empire to bow. The sight of the farming tools he used to smash Berith...


    ¡°Wow! Look at that! Piaro has started to dig up potatoes!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ahhh! His hand plow is sexy...¡±


    The bright-eyed people gazed at Piaro with envy and respect. Now Piaro was the hero and idol of all yers, not just Grid and the Overgeared members.


    Some people argued that Piaro should be Satisfy¡¯s mascot and some of the Korean markets famous for rice created characters in Satisfy to meet with Piaro. It was said that Vietnam¡¯s prime minister, a country famous for its rice noodles, also started Satisfy through a back door, but it was impossible to confirm this.


    Piaro, who was responsible for the army and food, was one of the greatest powers of the Overgeared Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t easy for newbies to meet him.


    ¡°Huhuhut,¡±Aura Master Hurentughed as he worked with Piaro on the fields. He was thrilled to know that so many people admired his master.


    Administrator Rabbit approached Hurent as he was humming.¡°Look over here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?Ah, yes. What did you need?¡±


    ¡°Please take this.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the rainbow potato?¡± Hurent cocked his head. Hurent couldn¡¯t understand why the administrator was showing him a cart with dozens of bags of potatoes.


    Rabbit exined to the puzzled Hurent, ¡°Take it to the people and sell it. We shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity to sell to tourists.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Sell the potatoes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We can get five times the price for potatoes grown by the legendary farmer Piaro... No, it can be sold at 10 times the price. What are you doing? Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On this day...


    [Title: Today, I went to the Overgeared Kingdom and encountered Aura Master Hurent]


    [He is selling potatoes...


    ?afsij**¡¯sment: Then Huroi is reading a morals book.]


    There were posts inmunities all over the world about sightings of Aura Master Hurent but few people believed them.


    ***


    In the capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan...


    ¡°Don¡¯t resist and ept it. It will be morefortable for you.¡±


    Edan sat in front of the captured dukes and pulled out the Yatan Essence. The irresistible demonic energy started to harass and manipte the minds of the dukes.


    Dark clouds hung over the empire.

 Chapter 1059

    Tellius ins¡ªas the name suggested, it was a ce with no obstacles. A yer was guaranteed a wide field of view and could intercept monsters all over the map from a distance. This was why the Tellius ins was called a magician¡¯s paradise. The monsters of the ins were helplessly killed in front of the magical bombardment of the magicians who were in a party with each other.


    ¡°It is reallyfortable. I wish I had known about this sooner.¡±


    ¡°Before level 320, you can¡¯t learn magic resistance skills. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch these silver armored cavalry if you came before level 320.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is timely. Huhu, watch the experience rise. We will dominate the top rankings if we continue like this.¡±


    ¡°It is apletely possible goal. The existing high rankers have challenged the Berith raid and died many times. Now is our time.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared members died many times during the war.¡±


    Generally, a party was organized with various sses. This was because there were too many vulnerabilities that would arise when only one ss was gathered in a party. However, the Tellius ins were a hunting ground for magicians.


    Many monsters in the mid-300s popped up, and most of them were less resistant to magic apart from the silver armored cavalry. Instead, they had a higher level of physical defense and health. However, third advancement magicians acquired magic that dealt damage proportional to health, and the ins¡¯ monsters were easy prey for magicians.


    On the ins where it was hard to find cover, the monsters had no means to fight against ranged spells. This was the power of unity. The number of high-level magicians¡ªwho came to the ins after hearing the rumors¡ªgrew, and their hunting speed gradually increased. Their level rose sharply enough to upset the rankings.


    These days felt like a dream. The Tellius ins¡ªwhich were originally part of the Rotemon Kingdom¡ªlost its master due to Berith, and the emptynd was flooded with magicians. ¡®The descent of Berith was a great blessing¡¯ had started as a joke, but it became the mantra of the magicians.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The magicians witnessed monsters that they hadn¡¯t been able to meet on the ins so far. There were three death knights with a purple aura around their bodies.


    ¡°Boss mobs? Is there a boss here?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about this... Based on the force, they seem to be boss mobs. The appearance cycle is just so slow that we haven¡¯t discovered them yet.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Boss monsters with a slow appearance cycle were stronger. The stronger the boss monsters were, the greater the rewards would be. The monsters started moving closer from a distance. The magicians gazed at the approaching death knights and knew they had found the perfect opportunity. Their eyes burned with enthusiasm. The more than 100 magicians scattered around the ins gathered in the center and set the ranks for each party.


    ¡°Start with your ultimate skill the moment they enter into range.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spare your mana potions and buff potions! Hit as hard as possible! Our party will gain the first-ce reward!¡±


    ¡°Focus on using explosive magic. After all, a death knight is an undead and has weak durability.¡±


    Resting was sometimes poisonous. There was no sense of crisis for the magicians who had experienced easy fights on the ins. They believed in their victory and didn¡¯t suspect the fraudulent opponent.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Then it happened the moment the death knights were bombarded with magic. Suddenly, a rainbow curtain neutralized their magic, and they failed to respond quickly to the crisis.


    ¡°Heok!¡±


    A curtain of iridescent light scattered and disintegrated over 100 magic spells. The magicians faced the three death knights and sucked in a breath. They realized that things were going wrong. The names of the death knights seen at close range were Cao, Doom, and Amy. Their names were as gold as boss monsters, but there was a modifier in front of them. It was a modifier called ¡®Agnus¡¯s death knights.¡¯


    ¡°Crazy...!¡±


    The name of a lich passed through the minds of the magicians. It was ¡®Mumud¡¯. Mumud was the best lich who used rainbow-colored mana and drove the Overgeared King to a crisis.


    ¡°Kyahahahahahat!¡±


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    It was as expected. There was no reversal. As the swords and axes of the death knights started to ughter the magicians, Agnus appeared from the air above. He stood on Lich Mumud¡¯s shoulders, causing the magicians to shudder.


    ¡°Why? Why us?¡±


    This was overwhelming power...


    The magicians fell down in front of the senseless violence and gazed at Agnus with anger and doubt. Agnus scoffed at the furious magicians and ignored the question. He just smiled and kept killing.


    ***


    Peace was as short as spring. It had been three weeks since Berith was killed. People came face to face with new fears.


    ¡º There is news that Agnus hasmitted another massacre!! ¡»


    The one-man army, Agnus. He had been quiet for a while after losing Immortal¡¯s power, and now he was causing a storm. Every time he appeared at a hunting ground, the yers lost their lives. It was a random massacre. This was a madness that wasn¡¯t shown even in the days when he was called Mad Dog.


    ¡º It is really unpleasant every time I analyze the video. Agnus¡¯ violence has gone too far. He is the worst PK criminal of all time. He is a living witness to the fact that the wicked shouldn¡¯t have power... ¡»


    ¡º It is rumored that an ¡®Agnus warning¡¯ had been issued between rankers. Thanks to Agnus, there are empty hunting grounds all over the kingdoms and the level of the rankers are stagnating... ¡»


    ¡º He should be held ountable for his crimes. We must fight the viin who ismitted to the massacre without a reason. ¡»


    ¡º A massacre without a reason? Isn¡¯t it reasonable revenge for Agnus? ¡»


    ¡º What is reasonable revenge? ¡»


    ¡º Just a month ago, we pressured Agnus to make a one-sided sacrifice and criticized him when he didn¡¯tply with our demands. Consider it from Agnus¡¯ position. How angry and frightened would you be? ¡»


    ¡º Paying back some usations with murder? Is that a normal mindset? Agnus is a psychopath. Don¡¯t even think about defending his behavior. ¡»


    ¡º Before we ce me, we should try to analyze and understand the cause. ¡»


    ¡º No, isn¡¯t he a psychopath? Do we have to understand that type of person? Are you a psychopath? ¡»


    ¡º Those words are serious! ¡»


    Agnus, Agnus, Agnus! The story of Berith was over and the world was buzzing about Agnus. The world¡¯s media spotlighted Agnus¡¯ massacres. Some criticized Agnus while others defended him. Of course, only a few people defended him. Defending Agnus meant admitting their mistakes in the past.


    People were tolerant of themselves but strict with others. How many people would defend Agnus, who carried out random massacres, if it meant acknowledging their mistakes?


    ¡°Lauel, what will happen?¡±


    In the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Jishuka visited Lauel¡¯s office with a piece of paper in her hand. It was an Agnus suppression written appeal stamped with the names of famous guild masters from all over the continent. The 26 guild members asked the Overgeared Guild to participate. After all, they had paid attention to the incident during which Agnus betrayed the Overgeared Guild. They knew the Overgeared Guild would have negative feelings toward Agnus and feel threatened by him running wild. As such, they were undoubtedly convinced that the Overgeared Guild would take part in the Agnus battle.


    ¡°The 26rge guilds issued a kill order on Agnus... There will be pretty big restrictions on Agnus¡¯ movements.¡±


    ¡°Even so, they can¡¯tpletely restrain his actions. Agnus is acting while knowing this.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t touched the NPCs at all, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he knows from experience that he can¡¯t handle being a criminal if he touches NPCs. It is different from the allegations. Agnus isn¡¯t in a berserk state. He is working on a thoroughly nned revenge drama.¡±


    ¡°Revenge drama...¡±


    Was that all? From the time of Immortal¡¯s attack, Lauel had already seen Agnus as a surprisingly clever person. It wasn¡¯t right that Agnus would carry out random killings in the name of revenge. ¡®There must be something he believes in. For example, the more he kills, the stronger he bes.¡¯ They shouldn¡¯t overlook the peculiarities of the Baal¡¯s Contractor ss. Baal¡¯s Contractor was the enemy of humanity. They needed to think of his potential and how he could awaken it.


    Jishuka handed the letter to the carefully thinking Lauel. ¡°Just say no.¡±


    ¡°A rejection?¡± Lauel showed a surprised expression. Jishuka was from the Tzedakah Guild. The Tzedakah Guild had been dreaming of supremacy since the past. They were people who lived and ate with pride. Self-esteem was the biggest basis for their actions. Due to their personalities, he thought they would insist on participating in the Agnus subjugation, even taking into ount the concerns of the world. Yet Jishuka didn¡¯t want to join?


    ¡°Agnus attacked us in the canyon, despite epting our help in the past. Everyone in the world witnessed the scene. If we don¡¯t punish him, the world mightugh at us for being scared of him. Will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°Grid beat Berith. How many people in the world can say that we are frightened by the yer called Agnus? A person who says that would have less intelligence than a monkey. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°...You know it very well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer the small leader of an alley. The Tzedakah Guild is like a municipal authority, and the Overgeared Guild is currently on a different level. We will no longer be caught up in the standards of others. We know that few people will dare to dictate our will and choices.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why but you are also unwilling to participate in the Agnus subjugation, right? Then do it. Don¡¯t participate.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I can tell by your expression. I¡¯m an old friend. How can I not notice this much?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Lauel¡¯s face instantly turned red. Wasn¡¯t she a friend interested in profit before friendship and trust? Lauel was frankly very embarrassed because he never thought someone would treat him this way.


    ¡°You are shy~¡± Jishuka teased as she ruffled Lauel¡¯s silver hair.


    Lauelughed because the attitude resembled Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, I understand. Let me be honest. After this incident, I saw the possibility of Agnus¡¯s armed force developing dramatically.¡±


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t want to be hostile to him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I personally expect Baal¡¯s Contractor to be the strongest ss in Satisfy...¡±


    ¡°What if Agnus hits us first, even if we aren¡¯t hostile to him?¡±


    ¡°Jishuka, as you predicted, Agnus isn¡¯t currently in a berserk state. I think it is unlikely that he will hit us first. It would be a different story if we announce that we will work with other guilds to participate in the fight.¡±


    ¡°Right. I had the same thought. To add one morement, Agnus¡¯ personality might change one day.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ protection of Irene and Lord was well-known within the Overgeared Guild. Jishuka decided it was wiser to keep an appropriate distance from Agnus rather than be hostile to him.Lauel¡¯s opinion was the same.


    ¡°Then I will refuse this.¡±Lauel dumped the Agnus subjugation invitation into the trash.


    Jishuka confirmed his expression and rxed. She was always worried about Lauel who struggled alone.


    This was calledradeship. The solidarity of the Overgeared Guild was strengthening over time.

 Chapter 1060

    The high ranker Resh was level 363. The release of the virtual reality game called Satisfy was a great blessing for him who had been obsessed with fantasy novels and movies since he was young.


    A knight... He was able to experience the fantastic profession that he had been dreaming of for many years. After thorough preparation and nning, Resh started Satisfy to be a knight and finally achieved his dream. He became the exclusive knight of Dndal, the 2nd imperial prince.


    His level was lowpared to NPCs, but he gained trust by studying under a senior and was able to perform the daily quest of ¡®guard Dndal¡¯s side for four hours a day¡¯. A knight of an imperial prince...


    It was a noble status, and every day was fulfilling. Resh acted like the knights he envied. He was only loyal to his master, would sacrifice himself for his master, and felt proud of himself.


    ¡°Impertinent guy! How dare you treat me like I¡¯m your brother in front of my subordinates?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Prince Dndal had an unusual expression as he returned. Resh heard he had visited the pce of the fourth imperial prince this morning, and something seemed to have urred. A senior knight bowed politely and sighed after Dndal closed the door loudly and entered the bedroom.


    ¡°It smells of blood.¡±


    ¡°Blood?¡±


    The Saharan Empire was currently in a wartime state. No, it was always in a wartime state. They were at war with minorities all over the country. However, that story had nothing to do with the knights under the imperial princes. It was very rare for the imperial princes to directly go to the battlefield.


    Resh was far from the battlefields of war. Yet there was a bloody smell...? The senior knight whispered to the puzzled Resh, ¡°Strange things are happening all over the country. The dukes have quietly disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Are you speaking of the three dukes?¡±


    Not long ago, Grenhal, Morse, and Basara hade to the capital to see the emperor. However, the emperor had been absent, and they decided to wait at their vis. Then they disappeared...?


    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t they go hunting somewhere?¡± Reshughed unknowingly. The dukes were the most powerful people in the empire. In the first ce, it was impossible for someone to harm them. Resh¡¯s idea that they were missing was inappropriate, but the senior knight had a different opinion.


    ¡°The fourth imperial prince is suspicious. I received some intelligence a few days ago that the fourth imperial prince ordered the Abyss to be opened.¡±


    ¡°Abyss...?¡± Resh¡¯s expression stiffened. The Abyss was the worst dungeon in the history of the empire. It was a very bloody ce that held only the top political leaders who rebelled against the imperial family or tried to overthrow the empire. There was a rumor that something inside there drove the inmates crazy.


    ¡°Being imprisoned in the Abyss is a punishment worse than death. There are no records of it opening in the past few decades. Yet the moment the dukes disappeared, the fourth imperial prince opened it. Isn¡¯t it strange in many ways?¡±


    ¡®This...¡¯ Resh sensed it. This was the intuition of a high ranker with a lot of experience. It was as expected.


    [Hidden Quest ¡ï Abyss Exploration ¡ï has urred!]


    ¡°The nobles and royalty above the rank of marquis have the authority to confine prisoners in the Abyss. However, only the emperor has the authority to view the list of prisoners.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Prince Dndal is curious about the prisoners in the Abyss. If the prisoners trapped in the Abyss are the dukes... I don¡¯t know what kind of severe suffering they will experience before the emperor returns. It is Prince Dndal¡¯s conjecture that the fourth prince will use them to create an uproar.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait a minute.¡±


    The scale of the case was toorge. He didn¡¯t think it was something that a knight like him could handle. In the first ce, there were too many things he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too exaggerated? The fourth imperial prince doesn¡¯t have the authority to arrest the dukes.¡±


    ¡°There is no authority, but there is power.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The second imperial prince officially denies it, but the ancient weapons called the magic machines are actually an enormous force. Additionally, the fourth prince¡¯s innate ¡®red energy¡¯ isparable to the level of the first imperial prince. Even the dukes can¡¯t let down their guards against him.¡±


    ¡°N-No. Still, it is strange. Isn¡¯t Duke Basara the sixth cousin of the fourth imperial prince? Yet he ced his sixth cousin in the Abyss?¡±


    ¡°What is strange about that? Prince Dndal and the fourth imperial prince are half brothers, but haven¡¯t they been pointing their swords at each other for a long time?¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Medieval times... Factions, power, empire... Now Resh realized that the world of knights that he had long dreamed about wasn¡¯t a beautiful and noble world. The senior knight patted Resh¡¯s stiff and tense shoulders.¡°I don¡¯t know why, but there is news that the emperor¡¯s return has been dyed by four days. There is enough time. Within the next six days, secure a list of prisoners in the Abyss. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°H-How can I do that myself?¡±


    Resh had properly stepped in shit. Although he was ready to sacrifice his life at any time for his lord, wasn¡¯t this going to him dying a dog¡¯s death? He was in big trouble.


    ¡°Who told you to go by yourself?¡±


    At this moment...


    Ttiring~


    There was a loud noise as the details of the hidden question emerged in front of Resh.


    [Abyss Exploration]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Senior Knight Bell has high hopes for your connections as a wanderer knight.


    Use your connections to explore the Abyss and secure a list of prisoners.


    *Two yers can join you on the quest! Quest members will earn the same rewards!


    Quest Clear Conditions:


    1. Activate at least 15% of the Abyss Dungeon map.


    2. Secure a list of prisoners.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +3 Affinity. with Dndal will open. One unique rated skill book. The title ¡¯Peek at the End of the Underground¡¯ will be obtained.


    Quest Failure: Level -5.]


    ¡°...¡±


    The rewards were tremendous. The difficulty was high, and there was a considerable penalty if the quest failed. Could he refuse the quest? Of course not. That was because a knight¡¯s obedience was more absolute than that of a soldier. After a moment of contemtion, Resh was forced to respond, ¡°...I¡¯ll try it.¡±


    ¡®A knight doesn¡¯t always walk along afortable road.¡¯


    Trials and adversities would naturally follow. Resh was fascinated by the knights who overcame trials and adversities to be heroes.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do it. I have no choice but to do it.¡¯


    The only question was where to find two helpers. In the real world, Resh boasted great interpersonal rtionships and had many connections. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have any high rankers among his connections. He was already lost from thinking about where to find a colleague who could carry out such challenging quests with him.


    ¡®Shall I look there?¡¯ Resh was reminded of amunity called ¡®Chivalry.¡¯


    It was a smallmunity of people who envied knights. Although it was small in scale, themunity¡¯s history was deep, and many of its members had started Satisfy as soon as it was released. In particr, Resh had noticed a new member with the strange ID of ¡®Pepsi is an Insurgent.¡¯


    ¡®Based on his posts andments, he has a high level. Let¡¯s ask him for cooperation.¡¯


    Resh immediately logged out and essed the site.


    ***


    [Rash Guard has left you a note.]


    ¡°Huh? What is going on?¡±


    Lee Seonung, the young man called Coke in Satisfy, was delighted to see the alert on his smartwatch. Chivalry was amunity he had joined after bing Lord¡¯s knight. Rash Guard was the knight he got along with the best among the members he met there. Coke enjoyed his conversations with Rash Guard, who had been very helpful in sharing information.


    [Title: To Pepsi is an Insurgent.


    Good morning, Pepsi-nim.


    This time, I received a very big assignment from my superior.It is about exploring a country¡¯s dungeon and getting a list of prisoners. There is a huge conspiracy involved.It is a quest that can be done by a total of three yers, including me. The difficulty is very high, but the rewards are great.If Pepsi-nim is over level 340 and you are ready to take risks, I would like to ask you to participate in the quest. Please reply.]


    ¡°Hrmm... A quest that requires at least level 340...¡±


    No wonder why this person knew a lot of information. His level was quite high. Coke thought for a moment before replying to Rash Guard.


    [Title: Rash Guard-nim.


    Hello, Rash Guard-nim!


    Fortunately, my level is a bit over 340.However, I¡¯m a bit nervous because you said that the difficulty is high.I can¡¯t give you a definitive answer until I know more information! ?.?]


    The reply arrived immediately.


    [Title: Quest Contents.


    [Abyss Exploration]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Senior Knight Bell has high hopes for your connections as a wanderer knight.


    Use your connections to explore the Abyss and secure a list of prisoners.


    *Two yers can join you on the quest! Quest members will earn the same rewards!


    Quest Clear Conditions:


    1. Activate at least 15% of the Abyss Dungeon map.


    2. Secure a list of prisoners.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +3. Affinity with XXX will open. One unique rated skill book. The title ¡¯Peek at the End of the Underground¡¯ will be obtained.


    Quest Failure: Level -5.]


    I don¡¯t doubt Pepsi-nim but I have removed the names of some people to prevent information leakage.The rest of the information is true.


    As you can see, the rewards are very great.It is a quest with a minimum difficulty level of SS.


    I don¡¯t want to force you to participate to the point of sacrificing yourself.


    I¡¯m just asking for help.]


    ¡°Wow...¡± Coke read the contents of the quest and unwittingly expressed his admiration. A unique rated skill book, a title, and three levels...? There would be unconditional benefits if he could participate in the quest. Since Rash Guard had been in the Chivalrymunity for several years and hismunity history was quite clean, he was reliable.


    The excited Coke sent a message straight away. The reply arrived immediately. The conversation between the two people proceeded like a live chat.


    [Pepsi is an Insurgent: Have you already found the other party member?


    Rash Guard: No.I haven¡¯t found anyone yet.


    Pepsi is an Insurgent: Can I rmend someone?


    Rash Guard: Um...Then is Pepsi-nim willing to participate?


    Pepsi is an Insurgent: Yes.


    Rash Guard: Then let¡¯s meet in Satisfy.After I meet with Pepsi-nim, I will confirm our power and decided whether to ept the rmended person or not.


    Pepsi is an Insurgent: Yes, I understand.Still, you will naturally ept it.


    Rash Guard: ?


    Pepsi is an Insurgent: The person I¡¯m rmending is Grid ??


    Rash Guard: ?]


    ¡®He is a frivolous person.¡¯


    Resh frowned at Pepsi is an Insurgent¡¯s attitude. It was unexpected to mention the ID of a supreme person here. It was too much to joke about this. It wasn¡¯t funny or touching. Resh thought that Pepsi was a young student or an immature adult. He was anxious that he was being deceived by someone on the Inte.


    Still, he shook his head and connected to Satisfy again. He told Pepsi to send a friend request, but he didn¡¯t hold any more expectations. The feeling that he should find someone else had already risen steadily. Then he logged into Satisfy.


    [The yer ¡®Coke¡¯ has requested to be your friend.]


    [The yer ¡®Grid¡¯ has requested to be your friend.]


    Unexpected notification windows popped up. Resh burst outughing.


    ¡°He really knows a Grid.¡±


    Satisfy was a game enjoyed by two billion yers. Duplicate IDs were allowed. The possibility that this Grid was ¡®Overgeared King Grid¡¯ was close to zero.


    [You have epted the other person¡¯s friend request.]


    [Bringing up the updated list of friends.]


    [Name: Coke


    Level: 367


    Guild: Overgeared Guild]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 399


    Guild: Overgeared Guild]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was real...? Resh lost his soul.

 Chapter 1061

    ¡°These jerks.¡±


    Between level 398 and 399, it might only be a one-level difference, but the experience required to level up was at least twice as much. Grid had spected this. However, he was mistaken as it wasn¡¯t twice as much, but 10 times as much. It had been a fortnight since he had gotten stuck in the Ruins of the War God. Apart from when he visited Reidan for the Ultimate Transformation, Grid had hunted continuously, yet he had only gained 0.09% experience. Since the Ruins of the War God was currently the most difficult hunting site, this wasn¡¯t a natural phenomenon.


    ¡®It is because it is like this that I couldn¡¯t level up by hunting Berith. Shouldn¡¯t I level up at this point?¡¯


    Grid was well aware of his own strength. He knew he was much stronger if his level was equal to that of an ordinary ranker. Could other people fulfill the demanding experience requirement when they didn¡¯t have overwhelming hunting abilities? Grid thought it was hard.


    ¡®In a year or so, there might be a perception that level 399 is an interval level.¡¯


    There would be a period when most users were stuck at level 399. Thinking about it, Grid realized how precious a quest which gave levels truly was. At this time, the minus levels he experienced when he just became Pagma¡¯s Descendant was more precious.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard, it¡¯s hard...¡±


    Grid was suddenly overwhelmed. He thought the operators would be giggling while watching him be in pain, and they would do it while ripping at fried chicken.


    ¡®...No, even they aren¡¯t perverted enough to watch while ripping at friend chicken.¡¯


    While Grid was shivering, a whisper came. The whim of the war god was still maintained, so the ruins didn¡¯t restrictmunication or magic transfers.


    -Grid, Grid!I¡¯ve received a request for a quest that looks good!


    -Oh, really?Congrattions.


    -I can do this with Grid!


    -With me?Is it a cooperative quest?


    Grid was intrigued by Coke¡¯s whisper. He wasn¡¯t curious about the contents of the quest but the rewards. If it was an experience quest, then he wanted to participate in any way.


    -What are the quest rewards?


    -One unique rated skillbook!Coke shouted confidently.


    It was a chance to earn a unique rated skill! For Coke, it was a dreame true, and he thought Grid would be happy. However, Grid didn¡¯t have a very excited response.


    -Is that all?


    -Ah, no!It also gives a title!We can obtain an affinity with someone!


    -...


    During the time he investigated the Overgeared Guild, the high ranking yers had an average of 12 titles. On the other hand, Grid had ovee all types of trials and had more than 30 titles. Additionally, most of his titles were superb. He didn¡¯t have much expectation for a new title. The thing that interested him was affinity with someone.


    -Affinity with who?


    -I want to know that too...


    -Our Coke has grown a lot~ He can joke around now~


    -I-It also increases the level!!


    -Where¡¯s our pretty one?


    ***


    In the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    ¡°It is suspicious in many ways,¡± Lauel responded in an uncertain manner.¡°Who would share a hidden quest with someone whose face they don¡¯t know? I think there is more than a 99% chance of it being a trap or a prank.¡±


    ¡°Rash Guard is a senior member who has been active on the Chivalry site for over 15 years, and he usually behaves very well. I don¡¯t think his credibility is low.¡±


    ¡°Look, Coke. Do you think the Inte is a good space? Additionally, how great is the website called Chivalry that 15 years of activity can be an indicator of trust?¡±


    ¡°Chivalry is amunity site where knight enthusiastse together to discuss knights. There is a 20-year tradition...¡±


    ¡°It is a ce where you just gather. Half of the medieval knights were ruffians who plundered the people to live or bragged whenever they opened their mouths.¡±


    ¡°Prime Minister Lauel!! Those words are overkill!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about Satisfy¡¯s knight yers but medieval knights.¡±


    ¡°Do you know Jude? You are mocking knights right now!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t fight. Just calm down,¡±Grid, who was listening quietly, calmed the situation. He had a slightly different idea from Lauel, who did not trust the unidentified informant.


    ¡°Lauel, you are talking curtly because I know that you¡¯re worried about us. However, your suspicion is a bit wrong. Is there anyone in the world who would share a hidden quest with a person whose face they don¡¯t know? It is possible if you don¡¯t have any friends.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a cheap and low sensibility. Grid once had no friends and fully understood the position of Rash Guard.


    ¡°There is a quest that requires two more people to clear, but you don¡¯t have any friends. What do you do then? You have to find people on the Inte.¡±


    ¡°...It is a possibility.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. It is better to get together first to find out if the quest is true or not.¡±


    ¡°In any case, it could be a trap so be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll block him if I feel it is fishy.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Request to be that person¡¯s friend and set your level and affiliation to open mode. I think it is better to naturally encourage them to reveal their level and affiliation.¡±


    It was a process to determine if they were a trustworthy person. The convinced Grid nodded and sent a friend request to ¡®Resh##3.¡¯


    ##3 meant he was the third person to create that username. Out of two billion yers, there would be thousands or tens of thousands of Resh. Being third meant he was an early yer. It was as expected.


    Name: Resh


    Level: 363


    Affiliation: None


    ¡°High ranker Resh!¡±


    Coke was stunned when he saw Resh¡¯s information on his friend¡¯s list. Lauel watched from the side and was somewhat surprised. Only Grid was bewildered.


    ¡°Why? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°He has been in the top 1,000 rankings for five years. He has never appeared in public and hasn¡¯t done any guild activities. Thus, everything is veiled, but his name is one of the best.


    ¡°Five years?¡±


    Everyone would suffer twists and turns. As long as they weren¡¯t a genius like Kraugel or the Overgeared members, even the most outstanding person would suffer a drop in the rankings. It was great to maintain a steady top ranking for five years despite all thepetitors.


    ¡°Wow, Resh is Korean.¡± Coke was a bit excited. It seemed he had been interested in Resh for a while.


    Lauel¡¯s doubtful and distrusting attitude softened further. ¡°I think you can make contact. He is someone with a lot to lose and is less likely to set a trap for Your Majesty.¡±


    ***


    The capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan¡ªGrid and Coke met Resh here and were amazed. They never dreamed that Resh would be a knight of the second imperial prince. The yer must¡¯ve umted a lot of achievements to be promoted to a position directly under an imperial prince.


    ¡°I was actually a bit hesitant... Then I remembered that Grid has a close rtionship with the dukes, and this gave me courage,¡± Resh said everything honestly.


    This quest was inside the empire. He was very concerned if he should cooperate with the Overgeared King¡ªthe king of a kingdom they were at war with. However, his worries onlysted a short time. During the Berith raid, Grid had shown off his friendship with the empire¡¯s dukes.


    ¡°This... The situation is serious.¡±Grid felt uneasy after he received the quest information and grasped the full story. The dukes he thought would improve the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom were currently in crisis. In the worst case, the emperor might persecute the dukes without wanting to improve rtions with the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Reshforted him, ¡°A few days before the dukes arrived, the emperor had already left the capital. It is extremely unlikely that the emperor is behind this. There is only one suspect, 4th Imperial Prince Edan.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Edan¡ªhe was the son of Empress Marie, who brainwashed Asmophel and demonized Piaro as a traitor. Grid gritted his teeth.¡®They are in a crisis because of me.¡¯


    It seemed to be due to Piaro¡¯s exposure. Edan must have felt a sense of crisis and handled the dukes in the emperor¡¯s absence.


    ¡®I think it will be serious if the Yatan Essencees out here.¡¯


    One of the most fraudulent items in Satisfy was the Yatan Essence. The Yatan Essence showed the ability to destroy personality using the power of the evil god. Grid had already seen the power of the Yatan Essence through the Asmophel and elf episodes.


    ¡®Empress Marie is in partnership with the Yatan Church. It isn¡¯t strange if Prince Edan also has the Yatan Essence.¡¯


    He needed to hurry. If the dukes were brainwashed by the Yatan Essence like Asmophel in the past, the situation would be twisted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter the Abyss straight away.¡±


    Now Grid didn¡¯t care about the quest rewards. As king of the Overgeared Kingdom and friend of the dukes, he felt a sense of obligation.


    ¡°We have to rescue the dukes before it is toote.¡±


    ¡°Our mission isn¡¯t to rescue the dukes but to secure a list of prisoners.¡±


    ¡°If we rescue the dukes, we¡¯ll get the list.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Resh¡¯s eyes looked shaken. The fact that Grid¡¯s greatest potential was his ¡®humanwork¡¯ was already famous, but Resh had thought there were many exaggerated parts. Most celebrities were less than what was portrayed in the media, and he thought Grid would be the same.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the case. Grid was helping NPCs out of personal friendship. He was going into danger for enemy nobles. For Grid, the value of friendship was the beautiful concept that was seen in movies.


    ¡®There is a reason why those talents trust and follow him absolutely.¡¯


    Resh saw Coke, the young ranker who was serving respectfully behind Grid, and his forgotten passion was ignited.


    ¡°I understand. My lord will also be delighted if the dukes are rescued. I will cooperate actively.¡±


    ***


    The empire¡¯s worst dungeon, the Abyss, was so deep and huge that it couldn¡¯t be measured. The reason why the continent was split in half was that a huge meteorite had fallen down here. There were such doubts, and the dark tunnel stimted human fear to the limit. Perhaps that was why there were no signs of life around it.


    ¡°A tunnel that exists in the wilderness. There are no outside guards because no one bothers to visit this ce.¡±


    ¡°There is a reason why no one is here. I shiver just getting close.¡±Coke trembled.He wasn¡¯t joking around. He was really scared.


    Grid pped him on the back.¡°Straighten your spirit. It isn¡¯t a ce to let down your guard.¡±


    In fact, his transcendent status was making itself known.


    [Your intuition senses danger.]


    [Caution is required when acting.]


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to summon colleagues now? It was a notification window that caused him to worry. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t act rashly. The quest was limited to three people. There might be system constraints if the number of people was exceeded.


    ¡°There is a story that the bottom of the Abyss is another world. It is a ce that is in contact with hell and infested with demonic energy. I heard that non-human existences are guarding the inside, and there is a high possibility of a difficult battle. I wish you good luck and will take the lead.¡±


    Resh didn¡¯t dy any further. He didn¡¯t forget that he was the subject of the quest and took the lead to enter. Darkness encroached on the group¡¯s vision.


    ***


    In the evening, the celestial pce made of mysterious timber and stone started to emit brilliant colors. It was shining brightly enough to break the boundary between night and day. This was the pce of the grandmaster, and it was splendid and magnificent.


    ¡°Is this an opportunity to get a peek at the answer?¡±


    There was a subtle interest in the eyes of Grandmaster Zikfrector as he observed the magic crystal. In the crystal ball, the image of Overgeared King Grid in the Abyss spread out like a video.

 Chapter 1062

    ¡°It is a very borate map...¡±


    This was Resh¡¯s impression. Grid and Coke also agreed.


    Satisfy was a world that boasted a sizeparable to Earth¡¯s. There were many borate ces in Satisfy, but the quality of the Abyss was special. Unlike other existing ces where the geological and physical phenomena were expressed by the line, ¡®99.9% realistic while the atmosphere and phenomenon were somewhat exaggerated¡¯, the Abyss was 100% consistent with reality. The smell, shape, color, texture, physical phenomena, and climate changes, and so on...


    Everything was extremely realistic. It was so realistic that it was hard to distinguish between the virtual world and reality, making it feel creepy. Unlike normal maps, there was no BGM, and this enhanced the feeling even further.


    ¡®I always had this thought, but isn¡¯t Chairman Lim Cheolho an alien as rumored?¡¯


    Water droplets flowed down the cracked stone walls, and dripping sounds echoed throughout the ce. It was inconvenient to move in the Abyss because the rocks were carved in all forms and bulged out everywhere, representing the traces of time. The Abyss wasn¡¯t a straight line underground. As they descended, the inside became asplicated as abyrinth, and the ceiling seemed to cover the sunlight.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous,¡± Coke¡¯s voice shook as his pupils reflected the darkness that didn¡¯t allow him to see beyond a meter¡¯s distance.His feelings of nervousness didn¡¯t seem exaggerated.


    Grid scolded him,¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the army? Front-line troops like me were fighting each other every day in the tunnel, and I had to get used to this atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°Were you on the front lines? Sure enough, Grid was great since the army...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie.¡±


    Talking about the army in the game¡ªthis conversation was possible because they were South Korean men. yers from other countries wouldn¡¯t talk about the army so naturally. They had been to a dungeon more than once or twice and would¡¯ve brought up a dialogue suitable for game y. The problem was that the three people gathered here were Koreans.


    Resh felt a strange sense of belonging and started to participate in the conversation, ¡°Just because you weren¡¯t on the front lines doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be proud. I was from the XX division. We had many things to be vignt about and received less training than rear troops.¡±


    ¡°Instead, you take on risks.¡±


    ¡°There are pros and cons to each, but we should all be proud.¡±


    Was this a game or reality? Was it the Abyss or the army? In the midst of the stories about reserve forces and civil defense forces, Grid¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly. The average person was more afraid of people than ghosts, but Grid was different. He could beat people with force, but he had no solutions when it came to encountering ghosts.


    Grid had peeked at Khan¡¯s ancestral ghosts in the past and was still afraid of ghosts. He couldn¡¯t show it because of his constitution, but from his point of view, the atmosphere of the Abyss was so creepy that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for ghosts to pop out straight away.


    Of course, Coke and Resh didn¡¯t notice that Grid was scared. They knew that Grid was the strongest person in the world.He was the majestic Overgeared King. They couldn¡¯t imagine that he was a coward.


    ¡°Our light stone is working well.¡±Grid sought to dispel his fear, so he released his tension by talking about the light elemental that revolved around him and illuminated his way.


    Resh stared at the light elemental.¡°The majority of Overgeared members are in possession of an elemental. Did you get help from Great Sage Sticks?¡±


    ¡°No. He might be great but it isn¡¯t enough to give the guild members elementals.¡±


    ¡°Then you have been blessed by the world tree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, do you know about the elementals?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t strange for the intelligencework of a high ranker to know about Sage Sticks. After all, Great Sage Sticks was a famous person. However, shouldn¡¯t there only be a few high rankers who knew about the blessing of the world tree? Resh¡¯s intelligencework was amazing considering the fact that the forest of the world tree was inessible to humans. Resh replied humbly, ¡°I¡¯m well informed. Since I am in the pce, I often hear rumors and gained a bit of superficial knowledge.¡±


    Grid nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Um...¡± However, Coke was different. He wondered if this was an opportunity to get some information out of Resh. ¡°What is Prince Dndal¡¯s character like?¡±


    ¡°He is a bit selfish, and he is hot-blooded because hecks patience. At the same time, he knows how to take care of the people below him.¡±


    ¡°I guess the level of the prince should be extremely high?¡±


    ¡°Um... It is a simr level to the dukes.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so strong?¡±


    ¡°Having the same level doesn¡¯t mean the skills are the same. In fact, I¡¯ve never seen him fight before, but he doesn¡¯t look that strong. However, it is said that 1st Prince Rnd and 4th Prince Edan are so strong it is hard to find adversaries for them in the empire.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Coke was greatly startled.


    This meant at least two of the imperial princes wereparable to the dukes...? They had been born with a golden spoon in their mouths and had grown upfortably, so he thought they would bezy and wouldn¡¯t have good personal skills. Resh smiled. ¡°The princes live a life filled withpetition. In particr, the eldest prince has brothers who want to ascend the throne, and it is unknown what his future will be like...¡±


    ¡°Why are you so surprised? The more special the NPCs, the stronger their armed forces are. It is no wonder that they are strong. The emperor is probably greater,¡± Grid told the briefly surprised Coke.


    Coke repeated his habitual, ¡°As expected of Grid.¡±


    Then he continued to ask questions, ¡°What do Dndal and the imperial family think of our Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    Now, he had cut to the chase, butthe moment that Coke¡¯s eyes shone...


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk about that,¡± Resh interrupted the questions. ¡°I¡¯m deeply grateful to be helped by the two of you and I¡¯m willing to do my best since I¡¯m a fan of Grid, but I don¡¯t want to do something that will cause problems. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I naturally understand. I was too excited that I forgot about Resh¡¯s position. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize,¡± Resh responded to Coke with a smile.


    Grid watched the two of them and grasped the situation in hindsight, ¡®Coke was trying to extract information.¡¯


    He could acquire a monster¡¯s skill by ingesting the corpse of a monster he hunted. This was one of Coke¡¯s basic characteristics. It was the source that allowed him to grow rapidly under the training of the 10 meritorious retainers. His existence itself was that of a carnivore. In fact, he was very strong. By the way, he also seemed to have a wise side.


    ¡®He is a versatile talent.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart felt full. It felt like he had picked out the highest rated card when ying a mobile game. He was filled with joy and happiness.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    He realized that the shaking of his body had disappeared. He was no longer afraid of the atmosphere of the Abyss where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if ghosts popped up. This was the power of a human. Grid patted the shoulder of Coke, who was greatly embarrassed and apologetic. ¡°Cute guy. It seems to be starting from now on, so raise your spirits.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yep!¡±


    Certainly, when walking deeper underground, some foreign objects started to stand out. It was an artificial trail. There were old steel bars.They had been installed in the small spaces that urred naturally throughout the stone walls, turning them into ¡®prisons.¡¯


    ¡°From here on out is the real Abyss,¡±Grid confirmed from the warning windows which kept appearing more frequently as he held the Sword Aiming at the Gods in his hands. The reason he didn¡¯t bring out the Enlightenment Sword was that the ce was narrow. The chain explosion of the ck mes could copse the inner walls of the tunnel and crush them to death.


    Suddenly, there was an ufortable friction sound ringing out from beyond the darkness that wasn¡¯t touched by the elemental¡¯s light. There was a noise like a thick chain being dragged across the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯sing,¡±Grid¡¯s words caused Coke to shake off his tension and pull out his sword and shield. Around the time he became Prince Lord¡¯s knight, Grid had made him battle gear. Unfortunately, the sword¡¯s rating stayed at unique, but the shield¡¯s rating was legendary. Coke didn¡¯t care about the rating. The essence was that it contained Grid¡¯s skill and effort. The enhancement figure was even +8. Coke had used all his assets to enhance it with the determination that he would use it for years and years.


    ¡®It is truly the Overgeared Guild.¡¯Resh glimpsed the value of Coke¡¯s items and realized the power of the Overgeared Guild.


    The Overgeared Guild controlled high-level hunting grounds, raided all types of boss monsters, and secured valuable production materials. Then the legendary cksmith Grid designed and produced items using the materials they supplied. The result that was produced transcendedmon sense. The armed state of the Overgeared Guild was close to the ideals of the high rankers including Resh, so the Overgeared Guild was naturally strong.


    ¡®Still...¡¯


    Step. Resh stepped in front of Grid. Grid might be stronger than Resh, but he was still only a helper. Since Resh was the subject of the quest, it was right for him to stand in front. It was a risk he had to take. Resh thought like this.


    ¡°Let me first assess the difficulty.¡±


    Then it happened the moment that Resh spoke. The sound of the chains being pulled elerated, and two human figures appeared in the darkness. They were imperial soldiers named ¡®polluted guards.¡¯ No, they were monsters. Although they were armed with armor and swords etched with the symbol of the empire, they couldn¡¯t be considered human. Their skin was melting like mucus, and poison spewed from their mouths. The sound of nking chains was actuallying from cracks in their necks.


    Resh blocked the swords of two prisoners while simultaneously prating the abdomen of one of the guards by aiming his sword under the shield. Grid was amazed by the single motion that defended and counterattacked.¡°A skill?¡±


    ¡°No, it is a basic technique,¡± Coke exined. ¡°The biggest strength of sses that use shields is that as long as the damage received doesn¡¯t exceed the level of the shield, we can defend and counterattack at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Then why does Vantner only defend?¡±


    ¡°Ah... It is a very difficult technique. Depending on the strength of the opponent, the probability of a sessful counterattack will be reduced.¡±


    ¡°Ohu.¡±


    It was almost always a raid when Grid fought in a party with Vantner. Boss monsters were generally transcendent, so the sess rate of Vantner¡¯s counterattack sess was low.


    ¡°There is a 40% counterattack sess rate against same-level monsters. Of course, this is a story based on me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    40% sess against the same level monsters...? Then what about that person? Grid was at a loss for words. Resh blocked the attacks of the guards and seeded in counterattacking at the same time. His sess rate was as high as 70%. Most surprisingly, the levels of the guards would be higher than Resh¡¯s level.


    ¡°His control isn¡¯t normal. I¡¯m confident in my skills, but I can¡¯t even give a business card to him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Coke¡¯s skill was good, and Grid knew it well. They weren¡¯t as precise as Faker¡¯s, but Coke clearly had high-level control skills. Thus, Resh¡¯s control skill, which amazed even Coke, was tremendous.


    ¡°Based on the control alone, is he like Faker?¡±


    ¡°It is better to evaluate him as on the same level as Hao, who is one stage below Faker.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    There were really many masters in the world. Grid admired Resh.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±Then Resh allowed one blow through as the two guards kept attacking. He lost strength in one arm, and his shield slid down to the bottom, allowing the guard to strike his exposed chest.


    ¡°Heart of Steel!¡± Then Resh used a skill. He instantly boosted his defense and reduced the amount of damage he recieved. The reduced damage would be moved to the end of his sword and then amplify the attack power of his next blow. One of the guards received a thorough hit and screamed. Resh didn¡¯t miss this gap.


    He evaded the attack of the other guarding from the side and added attack power to the shield by using a charge, striking the head of the stumbling guard. Then there were the following movements of attacking and defending. After a fairly fierce duel, one of the guards turned to ash while Resh¡¯s health and mana were 10% and 15% respectively. It happened when Resh broke through the poisonous liquid, which the surviving guard had thrown, and grabbed the sword.


    ¡°Thanks to Resh, the enemy¡¯s performance has been well measured. Then I will now join in.¡± Coke came forward. He didn¡¯t delicately neutralize the guard¡¯s attacks like Resh had done. The sess rate of his counterattacks was also low. Still, he was twice as fast as Resh and found it easier to kill the guard.


    The one-on-one fight was a big reason, but the difference in basic stats was muchrger. When Coke¡¯s sword pierced the guard, the guard¡¯s health was drained out. Yet when the guard cut Coke, he didn¡¯t lose that much health. It wasn¡¯t just the influence of being overgeared. Coke¡¯s collection of passive and active skills from monsters boosted his stats. The actual difference in levels between Coke and Resh was only four levels, but it was actually more like 10. No, it was more like 20 or 30. Just like how Grid overwhelmed other yers of the same level due to the stats he gained from crafting, Coke was a second Grid who overwhelmed other users of the same level by raising his skills through hunting.


    ¡°...¡±Resh¡¯s expression was nk. He knew he was behind Coke in both level and gear, but he didn¡¯t expect the gap to be so big.


    Coke yelled at Resh who was staring nkly, ¡°Raise your spirits! It isn¡¯t good to be like this so early!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was he saying? Resh was feeling stunned when two new guards emerged from the darkness. Then they died immediately. Grid killed them.


    He shook off the blood from his sword and muttered indifferently, ¡°It is only level 380. This ce is just the beginning.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    That¡¯s why Resh was told to raise his spirits. Btedly convinced of this, he wiped the poisonous liquid on his shield. He was ashamed of his fierce struggle and didn¡¯t know where to look. Grid¡¯s and Coke¡¯s eyes were filled with respect and liking toward Resh as they watched him.


    ¡®He will be very strong if he is raised properly...¡¯


    ¡®I want to learn his control skills while fighting together.¡¯


    ¡®I want to go home...¡¯


    Each of them had different thoughts as the party moved deeper into the Abyss.

 Chapter 1063

    ¡°Huh...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous...¡±


    Grid and his party had been acting for two hours. As the exploration of the Abyss progressed, Resh felt admiration, astonishment, and thrill. There was a limit for yers. No matter how they raised their stats or applied magic and buffs, there were still system limitations that couldn¡¯t be ovee.


    A typical example was attack speed and movement speed. Unless it was an attack or mobile device implemented with a skill or magic, a yer¡¯s basic attacks were limited to ¡®six times per second¡¯ and general movement speed was limited to ¡®18 meters per second.¡¯


    Once Resh learned about this, he felt it was impractical and was frustrated. Even if he continued to work hard to grow and achieve great results, he would eventually be bound by the limitations. This caused him to feel great frustration. His frustration that he would never be his best as a yer somewhat dampened his enthusiasm. Yet at this moment, Grid was proving otherwise.


    Limits? They could be ovee. Grid swung his sword nine times in one second. At first, Resh thought Grid was using a skill, but he wasn¡¯t. Even Grid couldn¡¯t avoid the constraints of resources.


    ¡°Transcendent...¡±


    The sight of Grid transcending his limits eradicated the frustration and disillusionment rooted deep in Resh¡¯s heart. Resh felt hopeful. He realized there was no need to feel despair and shrink back in front of the limitations he had yet to encounter.


    ¡°Ha! Hahahahat!¡±


    It felt like the fog in front of him had disappeared. Resh threw off his vague worries andughed with joy as he cut at the guards. Hisughter echoed through the Abyss, making Grid confused.


    ¡®What? Is he the party leader?¡¯


    Why was Reshughing by himself all of a sudden? Grid wondered if Resh had secretly done something by himself. The suspicious Grid checked the party¡¯s status.


    [Party Name: Abyss Exploration


    Party Leader: Grid


    Party Members: Coke, Resh.


    Item Distribution Method: Party Leader Acquisition]


    ¡®Phew.¡¯


    The method of acquiring items was normal. It was impossible for Resh to secretly gain things alone. Then why was heughing all of a sudden? Coke whispered to Grid, who shook his head and cut at the guard in front of him, ¡°He is d to see his skill proficiency go up.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    At the beginning of the Abyss, the guards were only level 380, so the level 399 Grid¡¯s character experience and skill experience were unaffected. Nheless, it was different for Coke and Resh. For those who were still only level 360, level 380 monsters were good prey. The difference in level with party leader Grid meant not a lot of character experience was acquired, but the skill experience was rising sharply.


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    Was this what being a volunteer felt like? Grid felt somewhat gratified and seemed to understand why people served others. He thought that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to serve others sometimes.


    ¡®Once I log out, I¡¯ll send a donation to the flood victims...¡¯


    It was a tremendous change. Grid¡¯s perception that serving others was being a pushover was changing. It started with the conversation with the cafe employee whose name was unknown. Grid realized that many people supported him because of the conversation he¡¯d had on that day and felt deeply grateful to people. He had experienced a mental change and wanted to repay them. This would eventually be a change that would benefit Grid himself.


    sh!sh!


    The light elemental, revolving around Grid and illuminating his way, suddenly started to emit a brighter light. It meant that the surroundings were darker.


    ¡°It is bing very narrow.¡±


    Grid stopped in ce as he was searching for the dukes who must be trapped somewhere. He was facing a very narrow cave. This was the only entrance to go further. It was cramped enough for only one adult male to pass through.


    ¡°It is narrow to swing a fist, let alone a knife.¡±


    The obvious danger was foreseen.


    ¡®If we move through this ce, we will encounter monsters, and we won¡¯t be able to fight back.¡¯


    Resh knew the difficulty of the exploration would rise dramatically from here and stepped forward. ¡°I will take the lead. If I set up a shield and move forward, I will be able to withstand the monster¡¯s attacks and reach the exit.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how long the cave is? If you receive attacks for more than a few minutes, you will die.¡±


    ¡°I have plenty of potions. I can endure the attack power of the guards for any length of time.¡±


    ¡°What if a monster stronger than the guards appear?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll endure as much as possible. There is no other way to do it.¡±


    ¡°There are many ways.¡±


    During the conversation, Grid suddenly reached into the air and held a staff. At first nce, it was a big staff used by magicians. Grid separated the de Aiming at the Gods from the handle and allowed it to float around him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Grid didn¡¯t give Resh time to speak any further. He stepped forward and entered the cave first. They walked for approximately five minutes down this narrow road where their shoulders scratched the wall. How long was this frustrating path...? The patience of the group started to run out.


    ¡°Stop.¡±Grid stopped and gave a signal to Coke and Resh.


    ¡°Heok...!¡± Resh sucked in a breath as he peeked over Grid¡¯s shoulder. It was because the atmosphere of the new monster blocking the road was too powerful.


    [Contaminated Hunchback Guard]


    It had a slim body bent over at the waist. The guard¡¯s physique was very small, but this small physique was his strength. It meant the guard could move his body without restrictions in this narrow cave.


    ¡®It is an elite mob.¡¯


    Resh felt anxious since this was a crisis. At this rate, Grid would suffer. Resh was fidgety and Grid was calm. He aimed at the guard with the staff and fired magic.


    ¡°Magic Missile.¡±


    ¡®Ah! That¡¯s it!¡¯


    Resh¡¯s expression brightened, but it was only for a moment. Magic Missile was basic magic, and the guard¡¯s health gauge didn¡¯t change. It was impossible to hunt an elite monster with high health with Magic Missiles.


    ¡°Magic Missile. Magic Missile. rm. Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile.¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    It was an overwhelming volume offensive. Grid thoroughly utilized the short cooldown of basic magic. He fired Magic Missiles without interruption and also used rm every time the cooldown was over to store Magic Missiles. The guard was beaten constantly and pushed back for a while, before gritting his teeth and rushing over. He was no longer afraid of Magic Missile. Rather than being beaten to death, he would rather die from facing the intruder.


    The distance between him and Grid narrowed. Grid watched with bored eyes and scoffed. Then dozens of Magic Missiles poured from the ceiling of the cave. The guard¡¯s waist bent further because he couldn¡¯t withstand the force, and his hideous face mmed against the ground. Grid¡¯s feet stepped on the back of the screaming guard.


    ¡°It is a difficult ce.¡±


    He didn¡¯t feel troubled. Coke and Resh became aware of this and gulped from behind Grid. The de Aiming at the Gods dealt the finishing blow to the guard. Once the guard died, the information saying that it was level 392 was revealed.


    Since the Abyss map was only 3% cleared, the difficulty of the Abyss was obviously high. The level of the monsters were 380 and 390, and there were many inconvenient factors in the terrain, making itparable to the Ruins of the War God. How many yers would be able to explore the Abyss with only three yers?


    In the process of breaking through the narrow cave, Grid met four guards and defeated them with the de Aiming at the Gods. Whenever he ran out of mana along the way, he summoned Overgeared Corn to take a break. In the end...


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    The group was able to escape the narrow cave and entered a huge, circr space. It was a ce of which its end couldn¡¯t be seen. Thousands of prisoners were located around the circr wall, and some had hidden figures inside.


    ¡°Surprisingly, there are many prisoners who have been captured...? I was told it hadn¡¯t been opened in decades.¡±


    ¡°I think the people who were captured a long time ago are still alive.¡±


    Every time they spoke, their voices echoed. A big rock was thrown down the cliff, but there was no sound.


    ¡°The scale is huge...¡±


    ¡°The map was only 3% after travelling for two hours, and it opened up to 16% as soon as we entered.¡±


    ¡°There is a good chance that there is a list of prisoners somewhere here.¡±


    The first clear condition was to disy more than 15% of the map, and the second condition was to secure a list of prisoners. The group¡¯s exploration was likely to end here. However, Grid¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t only to clear the quest but to rescue the dukes.


    ¡°I hope the dukes are somewhere here.¡±


    It was a space with a circumference of thousands of meters. However, there was only one path to step on. It was a floor that rose slightly in front of the circr wall, and it was only one meter wide. This was a structure where they would fall below the cliff if even one step was wrong.


    ¡°People with a fear of heights won¡¯t be able to move a step.¡± Coke became pale at the sight.


    Meanwhile, Grid was focused. He observed the thousands of prisoners one by one, hoping the dukes were somewhere in the area. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°Over here! Look over here!¡±A voice called out to the group from a rtively close prison. Grid shifted his gaze and found an old man with half his face covered by bushy hair and a beard. His limbs were as short as a dwarf. Despite having been trapped here for decades, he still had many muscles on his body.


    He met Grid¡¯s eyes and cried out desperately, ¡°I am called Ke ong! I don¡¯t know who you are, but please save me! I¡¯ll definitely pay you back if you take me out of this ce!!¡±


    Ong was a term used for elderly men. It was rare for someone to call themselves ¡®ong¡¯, and it was the wrong expression in the first ce. This was a very unusual self-introduction.


    ¡°The dwarves never forget the grace they are given! I swear that I won¡¯t forget your grace!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Dwarf? A dwarf...? However, the moment that Grid¡¯s eyes widened...


    ¡°Are you an intruder?¡±A new person¡¯s voice rang out from another prison. The prison door opened. The person who emerged from the inside was a young man with thousands of keys hanging around his waist.


    ¡°You came here empty-handed without sacrificing anything? This is interesting. I¡¯ve never seen an intruder reaching here on their own feet.¡±


    Biplonz was the name of the man who walked out of the prison. Unlike the guards Grid had met previously, Biplonz¡¯s skin wasn¡¯t melted, and his use of the humannguage was fluent. However, he wasn¡¯t a human. He had white skin, sharp teeth, and ck eyes without any whites. It was reminiscent of Grid in ckening mode. The only difference was that his ears were pointed like an elf, and there was a tailing from his ass.


    In the past, Grid had encountered such beings. It was in a vige in hell. Grid¡¯s eyes were wide as he muttered, ¡°Demonkin?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±Biplonz unfolded a pair of wings. The wings¡ªwhich were simr to a bat¡¯s¡ªfluttered, and Biplonz¡¯ body flew through the air. ¡°I was born here in the ¡®rift¡¯ and have never met any other demonkin. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m a pure demonkin. This is the first time I¡¯ve fought an invader. Can I fight well?¡±The man who spoke strange nonsense clenched his fists.


    The ground where Grid¡¯s group stood copsed, and the path leading to the cave shattered. Coke and Resh lost their footing and started to fall. Those who fell helplessly were forced to close their eyes. Grid shouted at them, ¡°Maintain your spirit!¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Coke and Resh opened their eyes at Grid¡¯s shout and witnessed an amazing sight. Grid approached through the pile of rocks falling in the aftermath of the explosion and summoned dozens of metal tes around him. It was the application of the Automatic Transformation skill that automatically generated a metal shield to defend against projectiles in real time. Grid used Berith¡¯s Power to rescue Coke and Resh, deliberately descending below the rocks so that Automatic Transformation would kick in.


    ¡°Step on them!¡± Grid cried out. Coke and Resh twisted in the air and climbed onto the iron tes revolving around Grid. Simultaneously, wings spread out from Grid. They seemed to be dragon wings. There was a style and elegance that was different from Biplonz¡¯ wings that resembled a bat.


    ¡°Hiik! D-Draconian!¡±The dwarf Ke screamed.He started cheering for Biplonz, ¡°Look, Guard Bip! Please help defeat that evil intruder!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a bit annoying. The frowning Grid assembled the Sword Aiming at the Gods, causing Ke to be amazed. ¡°...A sword so great that those better than it can be counted on 10 fingers!¡±

 Chapter 1064

    ¡®Let¡¯s ignore that person.¡¯


    Perhaps it was because he had been imprisoned for a long time, but Dwarf Ke¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t good. His inconsistent attitude made others suspect he was suffering from dementia. If Grid were focused on conversing with Ke right now, his fantasies about the dwarf species would probably copse. Even so, he was very interested in Ke¡¯s remark which expressed the sword¡ªthe Sword Aiming at the Gods¡ªas not the best masterpiece but one of the best, with those better than it being countable on 10 fingers.


    Then he handed a pair of shoes to Coke who was standing precariously on an iron te. It was Braham¡¯s Boots that had the Fly spell attached.


    ¡°Wear this.¡±


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    Braham¡¯s Boots were a symbol of Grid. They were always present when Grid did a sword dance. Yet he was lending them to Coke?


    ¡®Do you trust me that much?¡¯Coke¡¯s eyes trembled.


    Grid stared straight at him and spoke decisively, ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t die. If you die and drop these shoes, I will nag at you for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°...Yes! I will definitely survive!¡±Coke responded vigorously and acted in a tactful manner. He immediately put on the shoes and activated Fly, grabbing Resh and finding a safe ce tond. ¡°I will assist Grid. Resh, get the list of prisoners and find the dukes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Due to the nature of the space, the requisite of fighting Biplonz was being able to fly. Resh was unable to fight, so he embarked on a prison search while Coke prepared for battle.


    In the thick darkness of the air, Biplonz asked Grid, ¡°Hrmm? Are you perhaps my kind?¡±


    Grid was somewhat surprised. ¡®Is it possible to have a meaningful conversation?¡¯


    Biplonz called the Abyss the ¡®rift¡¯ and said he had been born in it. He didn¡¯t know anything beyond this dark world, and his childish way of speaking gave off a sense of innocence. Grid didn¡¯t hesitate to question Biplonz. He peeked at the possibility of conversation and asked a question in return, ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m your kind?¡±


    ¡°We smell simr.¡±


    ¡®Is it because of the demonic power?¡¯


    Demonic power created demonic energy. This was why Grid could use ckening. Grid carefully thought about it before asking again, ¡°If we are the same kind, are you willing to cooperate with me?¡±


    At present, Biplonz was judged to be a NPC, not a monster. In retrospect, it was the same as the demonkin vigers Grid had met in hell. The system ssified some demonkin as NPCs, just like other species such as the water n, the elves, and dwarves. It was a different treatment from how the great demons or demonic creatures were unconditionally ssified as monsters.


    ¡°Huh? No? I cooperate with humans.¡±


    ¡°I am a human.¡±


    Biplonz had a surprisingly quick switch in attitude, just like Ke! The moment Grid revealed his identity, Biplonz shook his head. ¡°You are a human, but you are an intruder. You are an enemy despite being a human because you didn¡¯t bring any offerings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually your kind.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re the enemy. I wanted to fight against my own people.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Once again, the target being a monster or an NPC wasn¡¯t a significant factor. In Satisfy, the story went ording to the settings which had already been prepared. Grid sighed as he noticed he had to fight. Still, he tried to talk a bit more. He had too many questions for Biplonz.


    -The seven of us sealed between the ground and hell...


    These were the words of the seventh evil, Corruption.


    ¡°There is a story that the bottom of the Abyss is another world.It is a ce that is in contact with hell and infested with demonic energy.¡±


    Those were Resh¡¯s words. Up until this moment, Grid hadn¡¯t noticed. He was too stupid that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Grid only btedly noticed it when Biplonz called the Abyss a ¡®rift.¡¯ It was likely to be the seal of the seven malignant saints. ¡°You called this ce the rift. Is that the rift between earth and hell? Why were you born here? Are there many other demonkin born there apart from you? When did you start interacting with the empire? You... Do you know about the seven malignant saints?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know any of that. I was just born here and cooperated with the human who gave me food.¡±


    Biplonz was rtively friendly. He even showed a willingness to answer questions. The problem was that he didn¡¯t know anything.


    ¡®Tsk,¡¯ Grid clicked his tongue.


    [The information of the seven malignant saints and the information of the Abyss that you gathered have joined together!]


    It was then that the system responded to Grid¡¯s questions. The notification window was updated randomly when Grid mentioned the Abyss and the seven malignant saints together.


    [The Seventh Evil, ¡®Corruption¡¯, said he was sealed between hell and the ground.]


    [The enigmatic demonkin ¡®Biplonz¡¯ indirectly revealed that the Abyss is the rift between hell and earth.]


    [There seems to be a clear link between the Abyss and the seal of the seven malignant saints.]


    [The hidden linked quest ¡ïce to Reach the Answer (1) ¡ï will proceed!]


    [ce to Reach the Answer (1)]


    [¡ï Hidden Linked Quest ¡ï


    Defeat the enigmatic demonkin Biplonz and get the key¡¯ to move to the heart of the Abyss!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Biplonz¡¯ capture.


    Quest Failure Conditions: Be defeated in the battle against Biplonz or Biplonz¡¯s death.


    Quest Clear Reward: ce to Reach the Answer (1) linked quest.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The sensation of electricity flowed over the skin of the startled Grid. It was a sense of pleasure. After the Belial raid, Grid was deprived of the raw pleasure of ying the game.


    He hadn¡¯t been able to feel the fun of leveling up because of the surge in the required experience. There had been no gains in general hunting, and there had been no raids. It had been a daily routine for the unlucky Grid, and there had been no storyline going on after the improvement of his rtionship with the empire. He had started feeling bored.


    The only time he felt ¡®I am ying a game right now¡¯ was when he asionally did the king¡¯s quest. Now, he was close to the main story which hadn¡¯t been essible for a while. Grid started to rejoice and be motivated.


    ¡®The reason why I couldn¡¯t ess the seven malignant saints¡¯ storyline in the meantime is because the story was hidden deep in the empire.¡¯


    Since he was hostile to the empire, it was forced to be inessible to him. There was a reason why he hadn¡¯t found a clue in the past few months. Grid trembled with joy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight quickly. I have to kill the intruder or else I won¡¯t be able to eat,¡± Biplonz suddenly spoke to Grid as he approached quickly and swung his sharp ws.


    The duration of Berith¡¯s Power was over. Grid was no longer supported by Automatic Transformation and was fully exposed to Biplonz¡¯ attack. Nevertheless, Grid responded calmly without panicking. He believed in his high agility and statusbined with Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves as he confronted Biplonz with a sword.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    It was a one-second offense and defense. In the wave of 11 attacksmitted by Biplonz, Grid barely defended against nine of them. Still, he couldn¡¯t respond to the remaining two and retreated while coughing up blood.


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 6,130 damage.]


    ¡®Why is he so strong?¡¯


    To think that there were 11 attacks per second and they prated through Valha of Infinite Affection...? The confused Grid used sh instead of trying to activate ckening. He calcted that the light elemental would be even deadlier for Biplonz, a demonkin ustomed to darkness. Unexpectedly, Biplonz wasn¡¯t significantly affected by the light. He had lost his vision and was blinded for a while, but that was all. Biplonz didn¡¯t suffer like the vampires who saw the sun. During the time when he was blinded, Grid dealt five strikes and his expression stiffened.


    ¡®What is this bastard?¡¯


    He attacked five times with the Sword Aiming at the Gods, but only 30,000 damage was done. Since the Sword Aiming at the Gods added 20% divine damage and 50% additional damage to boss monsters and named NPCs, Biplonz defense must be really high. Biplonz was a demonkin who was vulnerable to divine attacks, and his name was shining, indicating he was a named NPC.


    ¡°Indeed, humans are strong...¡±


    Biplonz was staring down at the blood flowing from the wound on his chest. He felt more interest than anger.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a weak person while I was born and raised here. I don¡¯t think that person is false about his assertion that humans will rule the world.¡±


    Due to the nature of the Abyss, the visitors and prisoners were likely to have a unique strength. Biplonz¡¯ idea was understandable. By the way, who was ¡®that person¡¯?


    ¡°That person? Are you talking about the imperial princes or the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, no. It is somebody who doesn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Somebody who doesn¡¯t die? Grid cocked his head for a while before his eyes widened. ¡°The grandmaster?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he is called. He always came alone.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about a person who always looks impatient?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Was he called grandmaster?¡±


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    Grid realized that there wasn¡¯t only one or two secrets hidden here. This was a ce that had to be explored, and in order to do that, Biplonz must be captured.


    ¡°ckening, cksmith¡¯s Rage, and Quick Movements.¡± Grid used his buffs. He measured Biplonz¡¯ strength to be equivalent to one of the Seven Dukes¡¯. No, he was at least equivalent to the best among the Five Dukes.


    ¡°Divinity. Item Combination.¡±


    It was right to use all his power. The Sword Aiming at the Gods wasid over the Enlightenment Sword. The battle began. Biplonz fought instinctively without any weapons, and his attack motions were extremely small. The quick and irregr attack patterns were linked to maximize Biplonz¡¯ powerful damage. There was no need to describe Grid¡¯s attack power, which was just strong through thebination of myth-rated transcendent items.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    ¡°Devouring Curtain!¡±


    The explosions that urred in session caused the space to shake, and it seemed that it was going to copse. Biplonz started using skills to avoid critical injuries, and the pressure on Grid gradually grew. Biplonz¡¯ attack power was very burdensome for Grid who had consumed half his health in exchange for using ckening.


    ¡®If I knew this, I would¡¯ve joined armor together!¡¯


    In the end, Grid believed his immortality would be consumed and summoned Noe. He didn¡¯t summon Randy, Tiramet, and the Overgeared Skeletons because they didn¡¯t have the capability of airbat.


    ¡°Nyahahat! It is the best demonic beast of hell... huh?¡±Noe appeared with his usual attitude.He was just rushing toward Biplonz when he jumped back with shock. ¡°S-Scary.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Noe was scared? So far, Noe only feared dragons and great demons. Yet he was scared of Biplonz? Grid was perplexed, but he still started his sword dance. He didn¡¯t miss the chance when Biplonz was looking at Noe.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡±


    No matter how high Biplonz¡¯s strength was, he was ssified as an NPC, not a monster. Biplonz¡¯s health was limited, so Grid was afraid Biplonz would die if he were hit by a four fusion sword dance. That¡¯s why Grid used a three fusion sword dance, but it was a very arrogant judgment.


    Biplonz¡¯ ws, which were harder than steel, broke one of the energy des of Transcended Link Flower. Biplonz¡¯ hand broke through the gap from the broken energy de and grabbed at Grid¡¯s neck. In the process, the arms and chest exposed to Transcended Link Flower were turned to rags, but the strength to break the human neck remained. If Grid were an ordinary human, he would¡¯ve died of a broken neck. However¡ª


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Grid¡¯s neck wasn¡¯t broken. Biplonz¡¯ strength might be equal or greater than one of the dukes¡¯, but it couldn¡¯t prate Grid¡¯s defense simply by trying to break his neck.


    ¡°This... Kek! Try to stop it!¡±


    It was an instant attack skill that was triggered without any preparatory action. Unbreakable Justice was used, and it destroyed Biplonz¡¯ posture. Unbreakable Justice Lv. 8 inflicted damage equal to 900% physical damage. Combined with Grid¡¯s items and buffs, Unbreakable Justice wasn¡¯t at a level that Biplonz could ignore. In the first ce, he suffered too much damage while breaking through Transcended Link Flower.


    [The target has received 159,000 damage.]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±Biplonz released Grid and fought back with clenched fists.


    ¡°Leap of Trust!¡± Coke used the skill attached to the legendary rated shield ¡®Luminary Guardian¡¯ and jumped between Grid and Biplonz. The wide-area damage of the skill struck Biplonz while Grid¡¯s defense rose sharply. Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. He chose the sword dance that was sublimated under his name, and Kill struck Biplonz¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Cough!¡± As Biplonz experienced a critical injury, an unidentified character appeared on Biplonz¡¯ forehead before disappearing. Grid and Coke didn¡¯t see it because it happened in an instant. Then Grid suddenly pulled out a silver thread and captured the body of the falling Biplonz.

 Chapter 1065

    [You have seeded in capturing the enigmatic demonkin ¡®Biplonz.¡¯]


    [Biplonz is relieved about his survival.]


    [From now on, Biplonz will be more active in his conversation with you.]


    [You have acquired the ¡®Magic Key Pack.]


    [The weight of the key package is very heavy!]


    [Your weight limit has exceeded by 150%, significantly reducing all speeds and stats.]


    [Biplonz¡¯ stats have been released from the shackles of the keys and have been restored to normal values.]


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Was it necessary to mention it again? Grid¡¯s power included all types of titles and items and was out of the category of a yer. In particr, the title Savior of the World was upgraded after the sess of the Berith raid, and Grid¡¯s strength stat was now close to 4,000.


    Then what about the item weight limit? To exaggerate, he could hunt all week long and not need to go to town even if he had many misceneous items. This was despite the dozens of auxiliary equipment and hundreds of potions he often carried out in the field. Yet one key package caused him to go over his weight limit? It was seriously suspicious.


    Grid added strength to the arm holding the key package and checked the details.


    [Magic Key Pack]


    [Contains a total of 521 keys used in the Abyss.


    Grandmaster Zikfrector has ced the ¡®Weight Propagation¡¯ spell on it.


    Weight: 120% of the carrying weight limit.]


    ¡®The shackles of the keys...¡¯


    It was for certain. The intention of the magic in this key package was to suppress Biplonz.


    ¡®The grandmaster didn¡¯t trust Biplonz.¡¯


    Biplonz also seemed unfamiliar with the grandmaster, so Grid was certain that they weren¡¯t allies.


    ¡®I can¡¯t use the Castration Eye on this.¡¯


    Castration was an evil eye that eliminated ¡®beneficial effects.¡¯ However, the weight increase was ssified as harmful. Of course, it might be beneficial depending on the user, but the current weight-boosting magic attached to the key package had the intention of harming the holder. Still, Grid tried to use the Castration Eye.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Biplonz was embarrassed as he looked at Grid like a madman. Moreover, the effect of the Castration Eye wasn¡¯t applied, and the intensity of the embarrassment increased. Grid coughed and changed the subject, ¡°How interesting. The grandmaster used you as the manager of this ce despite doubting you? How could he leave the keys to someone he didn¡¯t trust in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°The person who entrusted me with the keys wasn¡¯t the grandmaster but the emperor of one hundred years ago. The reason he could leave the keys with me was because he knew for certain I couldn¡¯t leave here. In order not to starve to death, I have to protect the keys faithfully.¡±


    This meant that at least 100 years had passed since Biplonz was born and began staying here. He had been living with these prisoners for over a hundred years in such a dark ce. It must not have been a good life.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you get out of here? Couldn¡¯t you go down a bit further or go up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid because the humans upstairs are too strong, and there is a monster downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Monster?¡±


    ¡°A hydra.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid knew the hydra. The cry of Sword Demon Iyarugt still lingered in his mind.


    ¡°Fearless person...!Do you have 10 lives?Even a hydra failed tond an attack on me!¡±These words had been directed towards Jude.


    At the time, Iyarugt was really trying to kill Jude. The stupid Jude had mistaken Iyarugt as an enemy, causing Iyarugt¡¯s anger to soar to the top of his head. In any case, Iyarugt was the number one swordsman of hell and not even a hydra couldnd a blow on him. Considering that Iyarugt wasparable to a great demon in his prime, Grid could specte that a hydra was on the same level as a great demon.


    ¡°I thought a hydra lived in hell. Why is it here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Only one thing is certain. It is incredibly strong. It has nine heads, and no matter how many times I cut them off, the heads regenerate. Meanwhile, the poison it spits out is powerful enough to melt my flesh and bones.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±Grid found it troublesome.


    In order topletely clear the ¡ï ce to Reach the Answer (1) ¡ï hidden quest, did he have to fight off the hydra to reach the heart of the Abyss? Moreover, he would have to do it with just Coke and Resh...?


    ¡®It is impossible.¡¯


    The hydra was a monster that was at least at the level of the lowest-rated great demon. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be easily confronted in his full condition, let alone when he had already used Berith¡¯s Power and ckening. He still had one use of Divinity and Belial¡¯s Power remember, but this wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t an environment where I can use Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡¯


    Storm Demonic Energy Field required rain clouds. It was difficult to cast inside the Abyss. Even if it could be used, it had little utility against super-named boss monsters.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Grid pondered for a moment before grabbing Noe who was hanging on his back like a cicada, ¡°Why are you so scared?¡±


    Noe, the best demonic beast of hell¡ªthis wasn¡¯t Noe¡¯s self-assertion. The memphis was indeed the best demonic beast of hell. Presently, Noe was only a fat cat, but one day, he would be an adult and show off a presence beyond that of a hydra. The only things he feared were dragons and great demons. Grid couldn¡¯t understand why Noe was intimidated by the demonkin Biplonz.


    The drooping Noe held onto Grid¡¯s neck in a frightened and flustered manner.His big ck eyes were trembling. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just scared.¡±


    ¡°Um... Is my face really ugly?¡± Biplonz was a handsome person. There were no blemishes on his white skin, he had fine features and glossy ck hair. Despite the fact that his eyes were ck without any whites, he was definitely handsome. Still, this was a story from a human perspective. From a demonkin¡¯s point of view, he might have a horrifying appearance.


    Grid glimpsed his past self from Biplonz.¡°Have strength...¡±


    Noe¡¯s weak answer caused Biplonz¡¯ shoulders to sag. ¡°...Yes, thank you.¡±


    Was his face ugly enough to scare a little beast? Having never met any other demonkin, Biplonz was shocked to learn how ugly he was today.


    Coke stared nkly at the three people (?) talking harmoniously. ¡®Why did he suddenly be friends with the demonkin he was just fighting?¡¯


    It was a flow that couldn¡¯t be understood even though Coke had been watching the entire time.


    ¡®This is Grid¡¯s affinity...¡¯


    He had captured the hearts of the empire¡¯s dukes and even started to seduce a demonkin... Coke was feeling a great sense of admiration toward Grid.


    ¡°L-Look, Guard Bip! Wake up! Don¡¯t be twisted by the evil draconian! Stop talking and beat him up straight away!!¡±A dwarf was screaming in the distance. It was Ke. He was shocked when he saw Grid and shouted again, ¡°L-Look, this draconian gentleman! Let me see your sword!! If I can examine your sword, I can die right now!¡±


    ¡°He seems to be mentally abnormal. Are all dwarves like this?¡±This was Coke¡¯s impression.


    Grid felt disgusted. ¡°Those are serious words. It isn¡¯t all dwarves. It¡¯s just that guy. How can his mind be fine when he has been locked in this ce for decades?¡±


    It was terrible to think that this was the personality of the dwarf species itself. His goal was to learn cksmithing techniques from the dwarves and use them to strengthen the Overgeared Kingdom. The dwarves must be a normal race...


    Grid thought this and flew in front of the imprisoned Ke with his dragon wings. ¡°Do you have bad memories associated with the draconians?¡±


    ¡°T-There can¡¯t be any good memories with an evil draconian... Huh?¡± Ke was shouting only to close his mouth with a flinch, his eyes widening. Then he pointed at Grid with trembling fingers.¡°W-Were you talking to me just now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°H-Hik! Has there ever been such a crazy draconian? How dare a draconian speak with no honorifics to an honorable person like me! Are you a crazy draconian?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Heok! Don¡¯t look at me! I¡¯m scared! A crazy dragon is scarier! Go away!! Please disappear from in front of my eyes!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was better to calm this dwarf down. Grid sighed and pulled out the keys package. It was to open the prison door where Ke was trapped. However, there was a problem. There were 521 keys, so it was hard to find the right prison key. Grid was cing the keys in the lock in turn, and he finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He pulled out the Master Key. The Master Key engaged with the old lock and opened the door of the prison where Ke was locked.


    Ke¡¯s eyes glowed likenterns at the sight.¡°I-Is that the universal key made by Pagma? Where did you get that? Please let me look at it!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ke was afraid just a moment ago...


    Grid found Ke¡¯s attitude toward the Master Key absurd. He stared at Ke for a moment before handing the keys pack to Coke. ¡°It is hard to keep because it is heavy. In any case, I can¡¯t throw it away, so you keep it for me.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Thanks to Coke, Grid¡¯s body was now much lighter. He introduced himself to Ke, ¡°Ke ong, I am King Grid of the Overgeared Kingdom. I¡¯m a human, not draconian, and I am Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Let¡¯s clear up the misunderstanding and have a conversation.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Kingdom? King? Human? Pagma¡¯s Descendant?¡±Ke¡¯s expression was nk.


    He stared at Grid for a long time before starting to step back. Ke quickly entered the prison again and closed the prison door himself.¡°Please leave me and just go... I don¡¯t have the confidence to associate with a crazy person like you.¡±


    At the time when Ke was trapped in the Abyss, a country called the Overgeared Kingdom didn¡¯t exist. This was also a ce where only high-ranking members of the Saharan Empire could enter. It meant that the king of another country, as Grid imed he was, would never be able to enter here. It didn¡¯t make sense for a human to have dragon wings, and as for the bullshit of being Pagma¡¯s Descendant...


    Then it happened when Ke was squatting quietly in a corner of the prison.


    ¡°I found it!¡±Resh¡¯s cry was heard in the distance. ¡°I¡¯ve found the dukes, Grid!!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡± Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he hurriedly moved his body. In a state of great anxiety, he took a potion that increased his speed and arrived by Resh¡¯s side in an instant. Then he saw it. The three dukes were trapped inside the prison. Fortunately, all of them were alive. The problem was...


    ¡°Why? Why is this...¡± Grid¡¯s body trembled. Grenhal had lost both his eyes, Morse had his limbs shattered, and Basara was staring into the air with eyes devoid of focus. The gruesome appearance of the three people caused Grid¡¯s wrath to boil. ¡°Which bastard...?!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were spinning, and he felt dizzy. As Grid¡¯s anger transcended his sense of reason, he wobbled for an instant. Coke was handed the Master Key and opened the prison door.


    Grenhal btedly sensed Grid and barely spoke in a hoarse voice,¡°Run away... Run away...¡±


    ¡°It is toote.¡± Thest voice belonged to Biplonz.


    The fierce-eyed Grid stared at Biplonz, who had recovered considerably and unraveled the silver thread tying him up.


    ¡°The Sword Duke ising.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    [Your intuition senses danger.]


    [You have discovered a strong person of this era!]


    A sword fell toward Grid¡¯s head. This wasn¡¯t a substantive sword. It was a concentrated object powerful enough to remind him of Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar.


    ¡°Cough!¡±Grid was unable to cope with the sudden attack and started bleeding. His body hit the steel bars as three swords poured toward him.


    ¡°Grid!¡±Coke, who was supporting the dukes, btedly took out of his shield and ran to Grid, but it was toote. He was as slow as a turtle due to the key package. All three swords were on the verge of prating Grid¡¯s chest, and Grid had to prepare for the pain to continue. Then it happened just as Noe flew forward and prepared to use a skill...


    Biplonz moved in advance and protected Grid. His ws deflected the trajectory of the three swords. ¡°I have repaid your grace.¡±


    ¡°I am so thankful that I am on the verge of tears.¡±Grid smiled as he assembled the Sword Aiming at the Gods.


    He could see a middle-aged man descending.

 Chapter 1066

    The Saharan Empire is the supreme nation on the West Continent. With arge amount of resources, as many talents as there are stars, and advancing technology, it bes stronger every day.


    This was the introductory statement that appeared when creating a new character. It was why the majority of yers chose the empire as their country. The emperor produced outstanding talents every era, fitting of their size. Coincidentally, those who saw the peak of the sword were always born outside the empire. This was the reason why Piaro, who rose to the rank of great swordsman at an early age, was highly anticipated in the empire.


    ¡°It has been a while, around four years.¡±


    Sword Duke Limit... As he descended from the ceiling, his appearance was impressive. He had a strong gaze and rough and masculine eyebrows. His finelybed hair and shaved chin reflected his meticulous personality, and he seemed to be a person who controlled himself well.


    ¡°...¡±


    Limit¡¯s arrival cooled Grid¡¯s wrath. Grid, who had lost his grip on the strings of reason after seeing the state of the three dukes, quickly tied the strings firmly together again. The Sword Duke was such a bigshot that Grid was forced to cool down. He was the same as Rachel, one of the strongest dukes.


    During Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s era, Limit had been obscured by their shadows but not anymore. Piaro and Asmophel had wasted years hiding from the world while Limit was steadily advancing in the emperor¡¯s faction and then the empress¡¯ faction as well. He was in a position to describe himself as the strongest person in the empire, and Grid was feeling it in real time.


    [Your fighting energy is rising.]


    [Your fighting energy is rising.]


    The Hero King¡¯s reaction was unusual. The rate at which the thick red aura of fighting energy surrounded Grid¡¯s body was the fastest ever. Limit descended and stopped at a higher position than Grid.


    ¡°Overgeared King Grid. I often hear your stories these days. Why is the king of another country interfering in the affairs of the empire? Given that your country is currently at war with the empire, your actions seem to be intent on harming the empire. How can the representative of a nation be so frivolous and unscrupulous?¡±


    The people of the empire had a habit of calling all countries other than the empire a small country. However, Limit was different. He referred to the Overgeared Kingdom in the polite way of ¡®home country.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t something good. It meant that Limit didn¡¯t look down on the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Grid¡¯s tension was heightened.¡®Damn. I¡¯d rather he ignore me than be vignt.¡¯


    His chest was still throbbing despite taking potions to restore his health. The damage that Grid suffered from Limit¡¯s attack was a huge 32,000. Ever since Grid became Overgeared King, there had only been two cases when he suffered such arge amount of damage at once.


    ¡®He is the real deal.¡¯


    Morse, in his beast form, exerted a strength simr to or slightly superior to Grid in a fully buffed state. Spear Saint Rachel¡¯s peacetime state was at least equal to Morse¡¯s beast state. Sword Duke Limit was at least an equal of Rachel. It was right to consider him as more difficult than Kyle, who was ssified as the weakest of the Five Pirs.


    ¡®Then what if he isn¡¯t vignt?¡¯


    What if he was careless like the Yangban Garam? Garam was superior in every way ,but he had the ¡®careless¡¯ attitude which had allowed Grid to find a gap. Grid observed Limit¡¯s sword seriously as he waited for the cooldown time of the potion to end. Even in the darkness, the sword gave off a blue glow. It seemed to be a weapon with a minimum of the legendary rating, and there seemed to be many hidden options. Grid felt regretful.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Eyes are the problem.¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Eyes were the evolved version of the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eyes. The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Eyes merely confirmed the information of the target item while Pagma¡¯s Eyes had the function of enhancing understanding of the target item and copying it. It was overwhelmingly better but the resulting recoil was a cooldown of one hour.


    ¡®I can¡¯t use it because of the damn cooldown.¡¯


    In order to win a fight, he needed to know the enemy. Checking the item information of the equipment of a yer or NPC in advance had a great impact on the winning percentage.


    ¡®I have to use it properly.¡¯


    Grid was bing a gamer. He was now clearly aware of the importance of having information in advance and didn¡¯t overlook it. That¡¯s why he felt even more regretful. It was very fast. Grid¡¯s thoughts reduced the potion cooldown time by only one second. Thinking quickly, Grid focused on the conversation with Limit. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I intended to harm the empire. I just wanted to finish the war with the empire. On the way, I noticed that the dukes were being treated unfairly and came to help them.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to end the war, so you killed Sky King Rigal, Drunk Duke Diworth, and tens of thousands of imperial soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Those were unavoidable acts of self-defense. How can I overlook those who invaded my territory and harmed my people?¡±


    ¡°The fact that the three dukes are trapped here is also a fair punishment. There was a situation where they colluded with you, the enemy king, and betrayed their country. They are like this because of you. You showing up here will make their position even worse.¡±


    ¡°My interaction with them was to improve the rtionship between my home country and the empire, restoring peace. I have no intention of harming the empire!¡±


    ¡°How can I believe that? It is a crime itself to have colluded with the enemy king, no matter the intention.¡±


    Limit¡¯s argument was reasonable. Of course, this was a story for when hidden secrets didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°X...!¡± Grid¡¯s patience quickly ran out.He realized there was no progress in the conversation and reflexively spat out swear words. ¡°Speak less nonsense and be honest, you X! You are afraid the dukes will tell the emperor the truth after they figured out that Piaro was wronged, you XX!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Was it you? You and 4th Imperial Prince Edan made them this way?¡±


    Grid lost the strings of reason that he had grabbed again in fear, but Limit wasn¡¯t shaken. Despite this being the first scolding he had heard in his life, he remained polite as he said, ¡°So crass. The higher a person¡¯s status is elevated, the more careful they should be about their words and deeds. Yet you don¡¯t even have dignity when saying something. Your birth status can¡¯t be covered up.¡±


    ¡°Dignity is bullshit! I asked if you made them this way!¡±


    ¡°You have no right to know.¡±


    ¡°Ick...!¡±


    Grid should¡¯ve brought Huroi here. Only then could he deal a good beating with his mouth. Grid was deeply disappointed and suddenly recalled Knight Summoning.


    ¡®Will it work?¡¯


    It was a life or death crisis. He couldn¡¯t ovee this with skill alone. Let¡¯s borrow strength.


    ¡°Knight Summoning!¡±Grid immediately used the skill. Still, it was as he had expected.


    [There is a ce where the number of people entering is restricted due to the quest.]


    [Knight Summoning doesn¡¯t work.]


    The system rejected it. This was something that was already expected.


    ¡°Did you try to call Piaro? I¡¯m sorry you couldn¡¯t call him. It was a great opportunity to defeat him.¡± Limit twisted his waist slightly. ¡°I have received intelligence that the knights of the three dukes are gathering in the capital. They have started to doubt the situation, so I have a lot of work to do.¡±


    He was busy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste more time on you.¡±


    Bright particles of light started to gather on Limit¡¯s sword like stars.


    ¡°I will punish you in the name of a duke of Saharan. First, there is the sin of killing the imperial nobles and armies.¡±


    The distance between Grid and Limit was approximately 5 meters. However, Limit swung his sword without narrowing the distance, and the bright sword energy reached Grid.


    ¡®Is it a skill?¡¯


    The attack motion was very short, but it was an attack in the form of light particles. It couldn¡¯t be a normal attack. The effect of the skill itself wasn¡¯t very morous, but it was clearly powerful.


    ¡°Noe, don¡¯te out rashly. Only assist me when you see a gap,¡±Grid judged quickly and chose to evade rather than confront Limit¡¯s attack. He took two quick steps to the side, and Limit¡¯s light attack mmed into the bars he had just been leaning against.


    ¡°...!¡± The moment the sound rang in his ears, Grid¡¯s eyes widened. Limit was approaching right above his head.


    ¡°There is the sin of subverting the nobles of the empire in order to overthrow the empire.¡±


    The steel boots around Limit¡¯s feet kicked at Grid¡¯s temple like a ball. It was so powerful that Grid¡¯s head might¡¯ve been crushed if he hadn¡¯t been wearing the crown and helmet together.


    [You have suffered 6,750 damage.]


    ¡°There is the sin of illegally breaking into the empire.¡±


    His physical condition was abnormal. Grid¡¯s brain was shaking, and he was temporarily unable to control his body, allowing himself to be mangled by Limit¡¯s particles of light. Limit¡¯s attack speed was six strikes per second, but it was difficult for Grid to cope with since each attack wasplex.


    ¡°There is the sin of protecting Piaro who was charged with the major crime of treason.¡±


    Limit¡¯s sword cut Grid¡¯s entire body and only stopped after piercing his heart.


    ¡°The death penalty.¡±


    Grid¡¯s chest was soaked in red blood. Blood flowed like a river from the gaps in Valha. Grid¡¯s body slipped forward, and at the same time, Limit moved sideways to dodge.


    ¡°Hey, do you think I will die from that much?¡±


    After being helplessly beaten, Grid barely stood up and fought back. The soaring golden de contained speed that transcended Limit¡¯s attack speed. The difference in speed filled in the difference in skill. Limit¡¯s serene eyes which were without any panic and Grid¡¯s bloodshot eyes stared at each other. The remnants of an orange shield spilled over the bloody Grid. It was the shield created by the First King title.


    ¡°Do you think you can beat anyone by holding a sword? I guess you¡¯ve been using that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Limit¡¯s high insight captured Grid¡¯s hand, which wore a ring that hadn¡¯t been seen since a while ago. It was red and transparent and contained the powerful aura of a vampire.


    As his sword interlocked with Limit¡¯s sword, Grid took a step forward. It was the first stride of a sword dance that contained anger and hatred. Grid pushed at Limit¡¯s sword while moving forward again. Limit recovered his sword, and light particles started to gather again on the horizontally ced sword. Grid¡¯s sword aimed at Limit contained a terrible killing intent.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Cutting Stars.¡±


    Limit¡¯s expression was calm as the two swords collided. He was convinced that his swordsmanship was far superior to Grid¡¯s swordsmanship and that he wouldn¡¯t lose when it came to technique. This wasn¡¯t arrogance or carelessness. It was a conclusion that was reached after several collisions and could be called insight. However, Limit overlooked one part.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s individual skill. The essence of two legendary skills and knowledge was contained in Grid¡¯s sword dance. In the aftermath of the powerful sh, both Grid¡¯s and Limit¡¯s bodies were thrown away. Grid was pushed back into prison bars and stopped there while Limit barely stopped after flying thousands of meters into the center of the space.


    Limit¡¯s bloody eyes shook. His always calm face was filled with confusion and frustration. Grid felt refreshed and raised his hand. ¡°Come on. Bring it on.¡±


    Limit gritted his teeth and broke through the air. He narrowed the distance to Grid again and drew an arc with his sword. Coke and Resh ambushed him from behind while Grid was alreadypleting a new sword dance. The fierce battle between the four people shook the space.

 Chapter 1067

    The battle was surprisingly intense at the beginning, but tension was only felt by Grid¡¯s party. The more he grasped the skills of Grid¡¯s party, the better that Limit became. Limit¡¯s swordsmanship was like a torrent. It was difficult to cope with because the flow continued and then changed steeply. The moment they closed one eye, they would be swept away.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    After dozens of blows, Coke and Resh were hiding behind a shield like turtles hiding in their shells. Grid¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t much different. Unlike Coke and Resh, he wielded his sword against Limit. Still, he was only defending, and it wasn¡¯t even a perfect defense. Grid rarely found a chance to fight back. The swordsmanship he had never seen before waspletely disabling him. Grid felt like his arms and legs were tied tightly. He felt like he was in a sandbag.


    ¡®Wielding a sword against three of us at the same time...¡¯


    Sword Duke, the higher stage of a great swordsman¡ªit was one level below a Sword Saint but not at the present time. Sword Saint Kraugel was still iplete while Sword Duke Limit was alreadyplete. At this point, the Sword Duke was at a higher level than the Sword Saint.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The one-sided loss of health was repeated. Red blood once again filled Grid¡¯s field of view as he failed to fight back. Most of the blood was from Grid, but he didn¡¯t despair. He stayed calm as he was peeking at hope. It was hope caused by his insight stat surpassing 2,000 points.


    [Insight]


    [Discover the target. Predict risks.


    * The higher the number, the higher the probability.]


    It was a short description that seemed scarce, but Grid knew the power of insight thanks to his past experiences. The longer he observed the target, the more likely it was that the insight stat¡¯s perception effect was maximized. How much time passed by? Perhaps it was only a few minutes.


    However, Grid felt like this hellish time was longer than an hour or two. He started to see it. For the first time, Grid responded to Limit¡¯s sword that he wasn¡¯t able to cope with previously. The element of luck didn¡¯t interfere at all. He used his excellent insight and agility to block Limit and fight back.


    ¡°...?¡±Limit found it somewhat strange.


    The pattern of the battle changed dramatically. Grid started to detect more of Limit¡¯s strikes and released more counterattacks. Thanks to this, Coke and Resh managed to assist Grid. The battle was no longer one-sided. The three high rankers, whobined experienced and talent, stood up against Limit and cooperated like they were old colleagues.


    Limit, who was finally on the defensive, stepped back after using a sword curtain. Blood was flowing from his left arm.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already seen through my swordsmanship, which boasts hundreds of turns... You are a genius. No wonder why Rigal and Diworth were hit.¡±


    Throughout the battle, Limit was conscious of the ¡®sword dance.¡¯ By desperately blocking Grid¡¯s sword dances, he maximized the advantage of his swordsmanship. Yet it was pointless now. Since Grid had adapted to his swordsmanship, Limit couldn¡¯t afford to suppress Coke and Resh while blocking Grid¡¯s sword dances.


    ¡°One.¡± Limit changed his stance. Unlike his old grip where he held the sword in the middle of the handle with the tip pointed downward, this time he grasped the innermost part of the handle and straightened the tip. ¡°I will be wary of this talent and deal with it using a new swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± A re shed into Grid¡¯s eyes as he doubted his ears.


    It was a stab at superspeed.


    ***


    [The target has received 24,500 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,800 damage.]


    [The target has defended against your attack.]


    [You have been struck with a serious blow!]


    [Half of the damage suffered has been received by party member ¡®Resh¡¯ instead. You have suffered 6,950 damage.]


    [Party member ¡®Coke¡¯ has blocked the attack!]


    ¡°Very... good!¡±


    [You have suffered 6,330 damage!]


    ¡°Shit, how rotten!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how many times he had fallen down and then gotten up again. Limit¡ªwho had been using swordsmanship that flowed like water¡ªhad changed his style, and Grid was suffering greatly. The new style consisted of short stabs like a boxer¡¯s jab. Limit¡¯s quick stabs were apanied by the physical phenomenon of ¡®knockback¡¯ while a lower stab often triggered the physical phenomenon of ¡®knock down.¡¯ It was a swordsmanship that really drove people crazy.


    Grid was pushed back, and he fell down.His body struck the ground whenever he allowed a blow to get through, and he was now covered in dirt and blood, making him look like a beggar.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting mad.¡¯


    He had finally adapted to the sword style only for it to change. It was almost like a boss entering a new phase. Was there a dog like this? Gulp.Grid, who didn¡¯t want to show any signs of shaking, took a potion with an expressionless face. His current health was 53,097. Thanks to the help of Coke and Resh as well as using Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and Doran¡¯s Ring, Grid maintained his health at over 50,000.


    It meant there wasn¡¯t a risk of dying considering Limit¡¯s attack power and Grid¡¯s defense. Of course, he didn¡¯t know what would happen if Limit used an ultimate technique, but at least, the motion before using the skill would be big. In that gap, he could also use a sword dance. Yes, it was still okay. They hadn¡¯t lost yet.


    How long would this bnce be maintained? Stamina was the biggest problem.


    ¡®We will be overwhelmingly disadvantaged if we continue like this.¡¯


    However, it was impossible to speed up the process. He might have the help of insight, but it would take a long time to adapt to Limit¡¯s new fighting style. The frustrating thing was that if he seeded in holding on again and defeating Limit¡¯s swordsmanship, he might have to face another new style.


    ¡®It is unlikely that he has shown all his swordsmanship here.¡¯


    Grid wanted to seize an opportunity to use a four fusion sword dance. He knew that Limit¡¯s total health was less than 50 million. So if he could hit this person properly with a four fusion sword dance, there was a possibility of reversing the situation.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s train of thought didn¡¯tst long. It was because he noticed that Limit¡¯s shoulders were moving slightly. Grid stopped thinking and swiftly raised his sword. Limit¡¯s sword stabbed it, causing a shockwave. In terms of speed, Grid was superior to Limit. If he could detect the attack ahead of time like he did just now, the defense probability was very high. The problem was that it was hard to detect.


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Grid felt it through his fingertips and frowned. Limit¡¯s attack power was increasing. It would¡¯ve been impossible for Grid to withstand Limit¡¯s attack power if he hadn¡¯t swapped his armor to Triple Layers, which greatly weakened the power of Limit¡¯s stabbing and shing attacks, and if he hadn¡¯t equipped Lantier¡¯s Cloak. The bnce would¡¯ve been broken, even with Coke and Resh¡¯s help.


    ¡®In the end, the answer is items.¡¯


    Limit was a swordsman who didn¡¯t only rely on techniques. He hadn¡¯t reached the threshold of transcendence and hadn¡¯t exceeded the limits of the human species. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t faster than Grid, but all his other stats were superior to Grid. Grid was only better than Limit in speed and items. Among them, his speed was being hampered by Limit¡¯s swordsmanship, and the benefits couldn¡¯t be fully realized. All that remained was the items. At this point, Grid regretted giving away Iyarugt.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been possible if I had Iyarugt.¡¯


    Iyarugt was a strong weapon. In addition to the effect of summoning Sword Demon Iyarugt, it reduced the opponent¡¯s healing ability, maximizedbo power, and even allowed him to know the best ¡®sword path.¡¯ Iyarugt was the best sword in many ways. In particr, Iyarugt¡¯s ability to detect the best sword path would be a great help in this situation.


    So what if Sword Duke Limit¡¯s swordsmanship was great? It was surely nothing in front of Iyarugt, who used a sword against great demons. Iyarugt would surely break Limit¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mind started spinning quickly. He thought of his Item Transformation skill. It was the skill to transform pavranium into a particr item. The premise was that he must have the production method for the target item, but there was no way Grid didn¡¯t know how to make Iyarugt after using it for several years. Grid¡¯s understanding of Iyarugt was already at 100% a long time ago.


    ¡®Turn the de Aiming at the Gods into Iyarugt and then join it with the Enlightenment Sword...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t the damage be guaranteed? Moreover, wouldn¡¯t he also be able to find the best sword path? Grid was currently losing, so worrying about it any longer was meaningless. He had to implement the solution as soon as he thought about it. Grid, who had fallen because of Limit¡¯s low attack, jumped up and shouted, ¡°Item!!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Trans¡ª! Formation!¡±


    [What item do you want to turn the pavranium into?]


    The moment the notification window appeared.


    ¡°What are you trying to do??¡± Limit sensed something suspicious and pushed Grid even harder. He had been conscious of Coke and Resh throughout the battle, but for the first time, he ignored the two of them and only rushed toward Grid. A bombardment of stabs emerged from heavy rain.


    Grid¡¯s vision shed red. Grid coughed up blood as he tried to avoid Limit¡¯s attacks and manipte the Pulling Device. The de Aiming at the Gods was separated from the handle of the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    ¡°Nyoong! Be Majestic!¡±


    [Be Majestic (SSS)]


    [Hell¡¯s best demonic beast, a memphis has pushed the power of the thunder stone to the limit. A shield of lightning that blocks all attacks will be created for two seconds.


    Cooldown Time: 30 minutes


    * The user will be drained for one minute after using the skill.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The startled Limit quickly twisted around as Noe deployed a protective shield in front of Grid. As a seasoned person, he immediately recognized the attributes of the shield and started using his ultimate technique. He knew that the shield wouldn¡¯tst long and decided it was time to end the battle after the shield disappeared.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore us!¡±


    Coke and Resh rushed to interrupt Limit¡¯s casting, but they couldn¡¯t break through Limit¡¯s sword curtain with their offensive power. Arge amount of light particles started to gather at the end of Limit¡¯s sword, and Noe¡¯s shield faded away. It was an increasingly urgent situation. Grid pointed the de Aiming at the Gods and shouted, ¡°Iyarugt!¡±


    In other words, he was stating what item he wanted to turn the pavranium into. The pavranium glowed and started changing its shape. It took the form of a golden and transparent sword. Grid consumed the remaining number of usage for Divinity and used Item Combination.


    [The Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has sessfullybined with Iyarugt (Transformed)!]


    It was a ck-gold transparent de surrounded by ck mes and blue lightning. The power of nature was condensed in it.


    ¡°Huup!¡± Dwarf Ke cried out with astonishment at the sight of Grid¡¯s new sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired nyang... Hyaang...¡± Noe fell listlessly to the cold ground. Simultaneously, the lightning shield defending Grid disappeared.


    ¡°There is no chance.¡± Limit, who had been prepared in advance, swung his sword. Hundreds of thousands of light particles spilled out like the Milky Way and struck Grid. Grid hoped thatbining Iyarugt with the Enlightenment Sword was give the best sword path...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Iyarugt was silent. He didn¡¯t tell Grid the path of the sword.


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯ A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He realized that he had overlooked one principle regarding Iyarugt. The best sword Iyarugt wasn¡¯t the weapon called Iyarugt but the ego of Iyarugt that dwelled in the weapon. Item Transformation alone didn¡¯t embody Iyarugt¡¯s ego.


    A huge explosion struck Grid. Grid¡¯s health was greatly reduced during the process of Item Transformation, and it had now run out.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]


    Immortality... It was the sign of a crisis. This was the moment when Grid¡¯sst card was exhausted. Was it possible to decide the oue in five seconds when he hadn¡¯t fully seen through Limit¡¯s swordsmanship yet? It was impossible. He had to give up. Grid bowed his head with despair and frustration.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    His brain was spinning quickly. ustomed to a crisis, he finally showed his true value in the midst of this crisis. It was his potential. Limit kept attacking. Grid powerlessly fell to the ground, and his blood-stained hands headed toward his sword.


    ¡°Granting... an Ego...¡±


    It was a hidden piece that he obtained from clearing the Behen Archipgo. An unavoidable force was triggered.


    [The soul of Sword Demon Iyarugt has entered your weapon.]


    ¡°...?!¡± Limit became as solid as a stone statue. His heart that had been convinced of victory was pierced by Grid¡¯s sword.

 Chapter 1068

    Duguen! A rough pulse and hot blood flowed through the cold metal. Iyarugt had craved this sensation during the time when he was only a soul wandering with his body sealed. It was because he felt alive by destroying life. This was the only time he realized that he was alive.


    However, not anymore. Iyarugt was in the process of reiming his body. He said goodbye to the sick and miserable days when he felt relief through killing.


    -Avoid it, a familiar voice echoed from the transparent ck-gold sword.It was the voice of Sword Demon Iyarugt. He spoke to the Grid who was showing a slightly emotional expression, -The target¡¯s heart wasn¡¯tpletely destroyed.It was the best surprise attack, but the skilled guy coped well.


    ¡°Iyarugt, I didn¡¯t know if you were going to answer my call.¡±


    [Granting an Ego]


    [You can give the target item an ego.


    It will be ssified as an ego item, and the value will be astronomical.


    Genuine - (Fighting Against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill has been masters and the number of times an ego can be granted is 10.


    Current number of egos that can be given: 9/10]


    The exnation of Granting an Ego was poor. Additionally, there were strict limitations on the number of uses, and Grid hadn¡¯t been able to experiment with it. Then the virtual stage of the National Competition gave Grid a chance. During the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event, Grid had ced Braham¡¯s ego inside the magic machine and managed to determine four pieces of information.


    First, in order to use Granting an Ego, Grid and the target ego must know each other. Second, Granting an Ego was only triggered when the target ego responded to Grid¡¯s call. Third, no matter what form the ego existed in, it would forcibly belong to the item the moment it responded to the call. Fourth, if the item that the ego belonged to was destroyed, the target ego would return to its original ce.


    That¡¯s right. Granting an Ego was a system where the will and rights of the target ego were given priority over the user. If the target ego didn¡¯t respond to Grid¡¯s call, it wouldn¡¯t be activated.


    Grid was honestly impressed. Iyarugt wasn¡¯t loyal to Grid, and he was a demonkin with little affinity with Grid. Grid was only half confident that Iyarugt would answer the call, but he was surprised that it was immediate. He was even happier since he was in an urgent crisis.


    -You called out for me so desperately.Hum hum.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The tone was awkward.It was different from his usual cynical tone.


    ¡°What? Did you start to like me after not seeing me for a while?¡±Grid asked.


    Iyarugt snapped, -Shut up and step back.


    ¡°...!¡± Grid responded immediately.


    His high level of concentration quickly transmitted Iyarugt¡¯s cry to his brain, and his high agility allowed his body to move the moment his brainmanded it. The particles of light swirled and passed by Grid¡¯s nose. If he had been a bitter, his face would¡¯ve been cut.


    ¡°Cough, cough... It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    The so-called rating system wasn¡¯t without critical points. Almost all creatures in Satisfy had a key point that could be ssified as a so-called weakness. It might be the same attack method, but the difference in damage that the user suffered depended on whether the target was hit or not.


    ¡°It has been a long time... Cough... really...! Cough, cough!¡± Blood poured from Limit¡¯s mouth and nose as he coughed repeatedly. His eyes were red and congested, and his legs were trembling. This was an opportunity now that Limit was suffering from the physical condition of bleeding, and his weakness was at the peak.


    -Don¡¯t give him a break.


    Hundreds of lines were disyed in Grid¡¯s field of view as he faced Limit. Most of the solid lines were ck or broken, but two solid lines were glowing red and they continued to the end. This was the ¡®best sword path¡¯ that Iyarugt was showing him.


    The particles of light were seeping into Limit¡¯s body. It was a scene where Limit was using sword energy to restore his wounds. Grid had no intention of wasting time. Blue petals emerged as he started the steps of a sword dance.


    ¡°No... chance!¡± Limit cried out with wide eyes. He had no intention of dying in this ce. ¡°For me... I have a heart¡¯s desire!¡±


    Everyone had a problem. The poor weren¡¯t the only ones who suffered. Limit had been born as the heir to one of the greatest families in the empire and had a significant duty. It was his duty to prove his talent and skills and to capture the envy of his people and the trust of the emperor. Yet as a young man, he had failed to fulfill his duty.


    A heavenly genius had ruined his path. Piaro¡ªhis talent had always surpassed Limit¡¯s, and the enthusiasm of the people and the emperor¡¯s trust had only been directed toward him. Limit, who should¡¯ve been in the brightest ce, had been obscured by dark shadows. He had felt humiliated and pained.


    Limit¡¯s life was gued by wounds. Unlike Asmophel who could proudly dere that his goal was to go beyond Piaro, Limit had been a coward who didn¡¯t even dare put the name of Piaro in his mouth. Thus, he worked harder and practiced his swordsmanship. He worked solely to master techniques instead of being dazzled by the ¡®senses¡¯ or ¡®enlightenment¡¯ that the two geniuses spoke about.


    ¡°I... I have to prove that I¡¯ve surpassed Piaro!¡±


    He had vaguely spected that Piaro was still alive. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t chase Piaro in order to regain the qualifications that he had lost as a young man. He couldn¡¯t die in this ce. Once again, he couldn¡¯t sumb to the barrier of a genius. He would surely survive and break the shackles of his heart by confronting and winning against Piaro. Limit, who was called a ¡®genius¡¯ by the people of the emperor, pledged and resisted the pangs in his heart to control his sword energy. He quickly restored his damaged body.


    -He is a great guy.Focus.


    ¡°Flower.¡± Grid¡¯s sword dance waspleted and followed the best sword path. Simultaneously, the blue petals covered Limit while Braham¡¯s Lightning was triggered. The goal was to imprint as many marks on Limit as possible. However, Limit didn¡¯t back down. He crushed the petals falling like thunderbolts in the darkness. Concurrently, he deployed evasive movements. He captured the tip of Grid¡¯s sword that prated like a snake.


    Then Iyarugt predicted the direction Limit evaded in. Iyarugt, who had been overworked every day he was with that crazy human Peak Sword, had managed to break through six times in total and had recovered more than half of his past strength. This meant that he wasn¡¯t the same as when he lost to Piaro.


    ¡°...Keuk?¡±Limit wondered why the exceptionally simple swordsmanship that was only fast previously had suddenly be magical. Had this person been hiding his skills? No, his eyes couldn¡¯t be deceived. This person had suddenly developed during the battle.


    ¡®Genius...¡¯ Limit glimpsed Piaro in Grid. Why did Grid ept Piaro and why did Piaro end up serving him? Limit knew the inside story.


    ¡®They fit together. The two of them recognized each other¡¯s talent at first sight...¡¯


    Then it happened the moment Limit misunderstood. Grid¡¯s sword cut Limit again.


    [The target has received 14,900 damage.]


    [...The ck mes have exploded!]


    [...A red thunderbolt has been summoned!]


    Good. Luck followed Grid. There were only two sessful attacks, but the weapon¡¯s options were already popping out.


    ¡®I can win.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tcent of Grid to increase his odds of winning because Iyarugt had joined him.


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    ¡®Finish it while Item Combination is maintained.¡¯


    Grid took a potion and wielded his sword again after confirming that the blood-sucking option of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring was avable once more. Iyarugt showed the three best sword paths, and Grid used Transcended Link Flower along one of them. Limit¡¯s body was covered in new wounds. Red blood scattered all over him, and Grid¡¯s health was rapidly restored. This was the power of the blood-sucking option.


    Every time Limit received a new wound, the number of best sword paths that Iyarugt gave increased. As Limit weakened, Iyarugt saw more gaps. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the current Limit was in the palm of Iyarugt¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Die!¡± Grid cried out with two thoughts. It wasn¡¯t enough that Limit was the leader of the empress¡¯ faction which had brought Piaro and Asmophel profound pain in the past. He was now threatening the three dukes. Grid would never forgive Sword Duke Limit.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill!¡±


    It was the end. Hundreds of red lines wrapped around Limit, who staggered from the critical injury. Iyarugt told Grid that he could knock Limit down no matter where he attacked. Grid was still gaining momentum. He took a big step toward Limit. It was the precursor of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. The power of the four fusion sword dance that made even a yangban shrink back wasn¡¯t something that the strongest of the empire could bear. Grid was confident of victory as he started a storm of sword energy.


    -Stop! Iyarugt hurriedly eximed.-It is a trap!Even if he will die soon, he is still a master. The more he is on the verge of dying, the more damage he will attempt to leave behind.It is impossible to reveal aplete gap.


    It was as expected.


    ¡°Kukuk.¡± Facing Grid¡¯s sword, Limit wasughing. The light particles, which had wrapped around Limit to heal him, were vibrating. It was the sign of an explosion. Driven to the edge of a cliff, Limit was aiming for mutual destruction. However, Grid wasn¡¯t someone who would be hit by such means.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    A woven cloth appeared in front of Grid.

 Chapter 1069

    ¡°...?¡±


    There was a saying about formality. Yet the king of a country pulling out a cloth and spreading it out around himself...?This was a sight that Limit had never imagined in his lifetime. p. In a moment of desperation, Grid unfolded the cloth. The explosion of light, that should¡¯ve swallowed up Grid and Limit, was sucked into the cloth.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence flowed. From Limit, who had maintained a serious expression since he first appeared, to Biplonz who was watching the situation, Ke ong who was dozing off from boredom as the battle lengthened, the dukes, and the unidentified prisoners all over the ce...Everyone in the Abyss briefly lost their wits.


    It meant that the legacy of the legendary tailor was so great. Was there an unbelievable modifier in front of the name?


    [Mysterious Cloth]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: None


    A four-dimensional cloth that neutralizes damage of the ¡®explosion¡¯ type.


    Once the cloth is unfolded at the explosion point, all the explosive energy is absorbed into the cloth.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.]


    ¡°...It was an explosion caused by consuming Origin True Energy. It had the power to blow up even the gates of the imperial pce which is covered by all types of protective spells. Yet you blocked it?¡±The visibly shocked Limit murmured. Limit¡¯s gaze was fixed on the cloth that Grid was holding, and he finally asked a question, ¡°What is the identity of that artifact? Is it a treasure of a dragon?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Grid dered coldly while recovering the cloth. He had no intention of kindly exining it.


    Duguen, duguen.Grid didn¡¯t show it outwardly, but his heart was beating fast enough to explode. His fingertips, obscured by the darkness of the Abyss, were shaking. He was still dazed. After all, he would be dead if he had pulled it out even 0.1 secondste. Coke would¡¯ve also died, and Grid would¡¯ve missed the opportunity to rescue the dukes. It would¡¯ve been the worst.


    ¡®It would be better to have one more talent.¡¯


    Grid also had a surprisingly modest side to him. It was the side which involved talent. Talent¡ªit was something that couldn¡¯t be obtained with effort. Grid knew this fact bitterly because he knew geniuses. A typical example of a genius was Kraugel. Grid knew the many ways that Kraugel was superior to himself, and he humbly epted it. He admired and envied Kraugel.


    However, there was only one area. Grid was proud that this ¡®item swap rate¡¯ was faster than Kraugel¡¯s. It was natural for Grid to be proud. He had ovee all types of crises and used more items than anyone else. Out of two billion yers, the one who swapped items the most often was probably Grid. The speed at which items were swapped was bound to be tempered. The speed at which Grid identified, reced, and wore items from the inventory was so fast that even Kraugel couldn¡¯t surpass him.


    ¡®Huhuhut... ¡¯


    He was the only person in the world who could survive this situation. If Kraugel were in the same situation, he would die before managing to pull out the Mysterious Cloth. Grid was proud for a moment only to suddenly fall into reflection time. The only thing he could be proud of was the speed at which he swapped his items... Grid was thinking too modestly.


    He clicked his tongue and pointed his sword at Limit again. Grid and Limit both knew it. This long fight wasing to an end. Limit had difficulty using his sword because of the consumption of Origin True Energy, and he barely managed to open his white lips.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at me like you want to consume me. Yes, people like you won¡¯t understand me for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I was born with the fate to be the best and I tried hard my whole life, but I had no talent. I was covered by the shade of the genius Piaro and was treated as the shame of my family.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget my father¡¯s dying gaze on me, even on my deathbed.¡±


    They had been eyes filled with disappointment and resentment, yet they still pierced Limit¡¯s chest like a dagger.


    ¡°I wanted to be the best. I wanted to share my loyalty to the empire and the emperor as well as the friendship with my colleagues after bing the best.¡±


    Things had progressed too far to postpone it. Limit just wanted to pull out the beast stuck in his chest. He had be an unfaithful traitor, an ignorant evil. It was irreversible. In the end, he was forced to hold the hand of the empress.


    ¡°If only I had been born a genius who saw reason instead of a criminal who didn¡¯te to his senses... If I...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Limit was a very important figure in the empire. He would surely have a special story. Grid frowned once he heard what Limit was saying. It was strange to hear these words. A criminal who didn¡¯te to his senses...? Just listening to them caused Grid to be in a bad mood. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to say. Stop with the sophistry. Even a dumb idiot knows that he shouldn¡¯t betray his colleagues. They don¡¯t stab people in the back. You pushed Piaro and Asmophel into the abyss of despair and hurt the three dukes. You are corrupted in mind and spirit.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Limit¡¯s eyes, which had lost their light, suddenly grew bigger. He realized it. Everything was an excuse. Yes, he was just a warped human being. It was only a petty jealousy that made him deceive the royal family and rob Piaro and Asmophel of their lives. His expectations, disappointments, and resentments didn¡¯t exempt him from his sins.


    Limit returned his sword to the sheath hanging from his waist. He became empty-handed and spoke in a lonely tone, ¡°Kill me as painfully as possible. I don¡¯t deserve to find rest. Additionally, I hope you pass this onto Piaro and Asmophel if you get a chance in the future. I am sorry.¡±


    Limit¡¯s gaze was directed toward the prison behind Grid. This apology was for them as well. Limit was telling this to the dukes.


    Grid was very surprised. Limit¡¯s eyes, which used to be self-righteous and arrogant, were as deep and clear as Stick¡¯s eyes. A man like Limit was epting death on his own¡ªthis was a development Grid had never dreamed of. He wondered if Limit had also been affected by the Yatan Essence. However, the truth was unknown.


    ¡°...Overgeared King,¡±Grenhal¡¯s voice rang out from the rear, ¡°Your Majesty, please finish him off. If he survives here and is punished by His Majesty the Emperor, he isn¡¯t the only one who will be killed. His family will also be wiped out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±Grid didn¡¯t have to ask which option was better. Grenhal had suffered lifelong distress for his failure to protect Piaro¡¯s family. Grid was at odds with Limit, but he didn¡¯t want to repeat the history of suffering. Grid spoke as casually as possible, ¡°I intended to do so in the first ce. I have to deal payback onto the enemies of my knights.¡±


    His mind felt a bit heavy. Originally, he should¡¯ve shed Limit¡¯s throat with a cheerful heart, but the conversation became poisonous. Grid took a deep breath and slowly approached Limit. It was a precursor of a sword dance. Limit faced the sword dance and seemed to hear music.


    The ground around Grid started cracking. The transcendent energy that appeared in myths stirred the earth and the atmosphere. Some of the swirling air currents changed sharply and formed a vortex. It was the expression of Braham¡¯s Wind Cutter. The ck-gold sword started to glow white as Weapon Enchant attached to Pinnacle was activated. The killing intent that couldn¡¯t be measured caused the skin of everyone present to be numb.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    It was the fifth sword dance that Grid had fused together. As far as single-target destructive skills were concerned, the ultimate technique that transcended Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle cut at Limit. It was a courtesy to Limit, not the ¡®Sword Duke.¡¯ Grid released it into the world for the first time as a courtesy for the opponent who at least respected his ability. He was thankful.


    ¡°...¡± Limit, who was suffering in pain since the very beginning, was liberated from his pain. His death was instantaneous and calm. The empire¡¯s greatest talent turned to ash. Only one yer defeated the Sword Duke.


    ¡°What?¡±Resh couldn¡¯t say anything. This death was unrealistic for him, who had experienced Limit¡¯s strength just a short time ago.


    On the other hand, Coke formed two tight fists and epted reality. ¡°As expected of Grid... I knew he could do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He knew Grid could do it? He believed that one yer would defeat one of the strongest NPCs? Resh was frankly unconvinced. This was like a dream. However, it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    [The Saharan Empire¡¯s duke ¡®Sword Duke Limit¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [It is a great aplishment that no one has achieved.]


    [Your reputation throughout the continent has increased. You have acquired 3,000 reputation points.]


    [The level of party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has risen!]


    [The ¡®?¡¯ of party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has risen! It is a concept that you don¡¯t understand yet.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has acquired the Star Sword.]


    [The party leader ¡®Grid¡¯ has achieved the ¡®First Step in Revenge.¡¯]


    [An unknown person has achieved level 400 for the first time.]


    The world message rose after several notification windows. Resh could finally recognize the reality.


    ¡®The best...!¡¯ Resh¡¯s eyes trembled as he gazed at Grid. He even got a strange sensation. What type of scenery was the world that Grid was looking at? Resh was curious.


    ***


    [Your status has risen after a struggle with the strong. Your skin feels a bit harder.]


    [The increase in status has created the passive skill ¡®Skin of Transcendence.¡¯]


    [Congrattions! You are the first yer to achieve level 400!]


    [You have taken the title ¡®Pioneer¡¯ from someone unknown!]


    [Pioneer]


    [A 10% increase in character experience acquisition.


    10% increase in rewards for discovering new ces.


    ess to the Tower of Wisdom.


    * This is a title that only the foremost person can have. Keep in mind that it can be taken away by others at any time.]


    ¡®Ah.¡¯Grid noticed it after reading the description of the Pioneer title. This originally belonged to Kraugel.


    ¡®...It¡¯s big.¡¯


    Despite feeling a bit regretful...


    ¡®Has he been sucking up this honey since the game started?¡¯


    It was both scandalous and thrilling. The notification windows were updated continuously.


    [You have reached level 400 and achieved the fourth stats awakening!]


    [For every point of stamina, health will increase by 30 and defense will increase by 1.2.]


    [For every point of strength, health will increase by 9 and attack will increase by 0.8.]


    [For every point of intelligence...]


    ......


    ......


    [One of Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s hidden pieces ¡®Sealed Ability¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The effect of the skill ¡®Mineral Creation¡¯ will change.]


    [Mineral Creation]


    [Create new minerals by mixing multiple minerals. You can now choose pavranium as a mineral to mix.


    Pavranium itself is the essence of a great magician¡¯s knowledge, and you can now create new minerals on your own.


    Time required to create minerals: Immediate.


    Materials needed to create minerals: Five types of minerals, including pavranium.


    Number of times that Mineral Creation can be used: 1.


    * The weight of the mineral created is the same as the weight of the pavranium you currently have.


    * After creating a new mineral, you can improve the mineral more effectively if you have the help of a great magician.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Item Combination was the skill that Grid gained upon reaching level 300. He didn¡¯t know what type of skill he would get this time, but it was better than he could¡¯ve imagined.


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    Three years? No, was it four years? After reaching level 300, Grid took a really long time to reach level 400. Then it happened while he was smiling brightly and feeling so moved that think of a proper way to express his pleasure.


    [The duration of Item Combination is over.]


    The sword was separated. As Iyarugt started to return to his original position, his soul whispered, -You should beware of him.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    -That demonkin.I don¡¯t know for sure, but I smell it.By the way, how long will I be with Peak Sword...


    Iyarugt¡¯s words didn¡¯tst long. He was pulled by an irresistible force and returned.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Based on the tone, Iyarugt seemed to have a good rtionship with Peak Sword. In the end, Grid turned to Biplonz, who was still leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed. Hell¡¯s beast demonic beast was afraid of him, and Sword Demon Iyarugt was wary of him.


    ¡®But he¡¯s not a bad person, so let¡¯s keep an eye on him.¡¯


    The immediate problem wasn¡¯t Biplonz but the three dukes. He was also curious about the other prisoners present, but he had to leave quickly in case Edan discovered Limit¡¯s death and came. ¡°Biplonz, I¡¯lle back next time. Please be safe until then. I¡¯ll give these keys back to you just in case.¡±


    ¡°I am embarrassed but thank you.¡±


    Grid exchanged short goodbyes and escaped the Abyss with the dukes and Ke. Resh had already secured a list of prisoners, so the quest was a sess. Simultaneously in the celestial pce, Grandmaster Zikfrector put aside the magic crystal ball he had been watching for a long time.


    ¡°It was interrupted by Limit.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected Grid to win against a duke after bing transcendent.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve handled Limit in advance.¡±


    No, no. It was unlikely Grid would break through the hydra considering how he struggled with Limit.


    ¡°I can only keep the promise next time.¡±


    He had been waiting for hundreds of years. Waiting a bit longer wasn¡¯t a problem. A faint smile appeared on the grandmaster¡¯s face as he turned his gaze outside the window. It was a hundred-year-old smile.

 Chapter 1070

    ¡°Hold fast!¡±


    Grid¡¯s movement speed reached the maximum as he escaped from the Abyss. The dukes¡¯ condition was severe, and he used all types of means and methods to escape. Grid wanted to return to Reinhardt and ask Ruby to treat them.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Grid killed the guards who blocked the way. His fourth stats awakening meant his attack power had increased by leaps and bounds. Every time the cooldown time ended, he used Quick Movements to overwhelm the guards while holding Basara in his arms.


    ¡°Truly a great sword!¡± Ke shouted while following Grid aboard Overgeared Corn. Saliva sshed from his mouth every time, causing Overgeared Corn¡¯s annoyance to reach the peak. He had to carry a male on his back, and this male was even sshing dirty saliva? Eventually, Overgeared Corn was unable to endure his anger and sped up, causing Ke¡¯s face to turn white.


    ¡°H-Hik! I¡¯m dead! I¡¯m going to die because of this horny thing!¡±


    The stctites hanging like icicles from the ceiling started to break. It was the aftermath of a collision with Ke¡¯s wide face.


    ¡°A-Aigoo, this guy...¡±


    The ¡®dead¡¯ Ke finally fell t. His face was swollen as he clung to Overgeared Corn¡¯s back and held his breath. Only then did the disheveled Overgeared Corn follow Grid along the safe path. It was a breathless advance.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Then the group finally seeded in leaving the Abyss.


    ¡°You must have suffered a lot. I will go to find my senior knight and finish the quest. Please don¡¯t worry about the rewards and hurry to leave.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this work in many ways.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m the grateful one. Thanks to Grid, I cleared the quest. I am greatly indebted to you.¡± There was no exaggeration in Resh¡¯s words.


    This was a quest he shared with Grid and Coke, but he never would¡¯ve been able to clear it without them. The demonkin Biplonz guarded the prison, and Sword Duke Limit had emerged after Biplonz was defeated. It would have been impossible to defeat them with the power of three high rankers. No, he wouldn¡¯t have even reached the prison. It would have been hard to break through the guards when there was a narrow path that only one person could pass through at a time. This had been really good luck. The rtionship that he developed with Coke through the Chivalrymunity...


    ¡°I will surely repay your grace.¡±


    ¡°First, buy us a meal. In any case, it is easy to meet people living in the same country.¡±Coke smiled at Resh.


    He wanted to get closer to Resh. Being in the samemunity meant they had the same interests. After all, Resh also had great strength, so it would be good if they became closer. Resh epted it happily. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you several times. It is an honor to be able to meet you.¡±


    ¡°If you meet us and get caught by Peak Sword, there will be a big mess. He will swear at you the moment he knows you are Korean.¡±


    ¡°Haha... I¡¯ll have to bear it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    Grid also liked Resh. He was a good yer who gave off a great impression and had a humble personality. Grid wanted to continue the rtionship with Resh and invite him to the Overgeared Guild. However, it wasn¡¯t possible right now. Resh also had his own path.


    Grid left these regrets behind and urged Coke, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry, Coke.¡±


    The situation would be even harder if Edan¡¯s army came forward. They couldn¡¯t waste any more time. Yet at the moment that Grid turned his back to Resh... There was suddenly a harsh noise, and the ground shook violently. Soon after, a formation of horses appeared, covering the horizon. It wasn¡¯t thousands but tens of thousands of horses.


    They were cavalry. Considering that the cost of raising one cavalryman was equal to the cost of raising 30 infantry, it was an unbelievable sight. The ranks of cavalry, that were so tight not even a needle could pass through, approached Grid¡¯s group.


    ¡°An army of the empire!¡±


    ¡°I knew it would be like this.¡±


    Coke was dazed while Ke showed a scathing reaction. Ke reached out to the tight-faced Grid.¡°Don¡¯t you know that the empire is an empire for a reason? The atrocities of the empire stemmed from its thoroughness. It is impossible to escape from the Abyss in the first ce. Now let me see your sword. I want to see the sword before I am caught again.¡±


    ¡°Break through,¡±Grid just ignored Ke and gave Coke an order. Yet he stopped as he was about to summon Noe and his other pets.


    ¡°Lord Grenhal!¡±


    ¡°Lady Basara!¡±


    ¡°Morse, this idiot!¡±


    The tens of thousands of cavalrymen approaching Grid¡¯s party were the soldiers of the three dukes. In other words, armed forces of a noble entered the capital where the emperor lived. It was a taboo. This alone was a sin. That¡¯s why they werete. The retainers of Grenhal, Basara, and Morse rushed forward and knelt down tearfully in front of the dukes.


    ¡°I sensed something, but I couldn¡¯t run over right away!¡±


    ¡°Forgive our ipetence!¡±


    ¡°The imperial guards are chasing us! We need to escape straight away!¡±


    ¡°Morse, this asshole! I told you toe back to the estate first! You went through this mess because you didn¡¯t listen to me!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Who was this woman who kept swearing at Morse? Could a retainer show such an attitude to a duke of the empire? Grid turned away from the seemingly angry woman and carefullyid Basara down.


    ¡°I am Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± An old man called Lanford came forward. Armed with old armor, he represented the army of the Basara family, and his name shed with a gold color. Not only that, there seemed to be a named NPC in each duke¡¯s household. ¡°On the day that Duke Basara returned from the Ruins of the War God, she told me about Your Majesty thorough magicmunication.¡±


    The other dukes¡¯ retainers were also aware of Grid. All of them respectfully bowed to Grid.


    ¡°This time, Your Majesty rescued everyone. We are deeply grateful.¡±


    They weren¡¯t stupid, so it was easy for them to guess the situation. Various circumstances exined the situation.


    ¡°Thank you very much! The Grenhal Duchy will never forget today¡¯s grace!¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much! The Basara Duchy will never forget today¡¯s grace!¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. The same is true for the Morse Duchy.


    Tens of thousands of soldiers cried out as the dukes¡¯ retainers bowed in front of King Grid. They were cries filled with various emotions. The ins shook, and sounds echoed through the entrance of the Abyss.


    ¡°I just helped my friends,¡± Grid responded as modestly as possible. In fact, he wanted to express his heart, but it wasn¡¯t the right time. He should be patient for a more dramatic production.


    ¡°King Grid...¡± Grenhal was touched by Grid¡¯s words without knowing the situation and trembled. Edan had blinded him, but Grenhal could imagine Grid¡¯s dignified appearance in his head. This was a king of great character. It was obvious how much the people of the Overgeared Kingdom would love Grid.


    ¡°Sh... Shit...¡± Morse was unable to bear with the pain from his cut off limbs, and his eyes were red. This wasn¡¯t the emperor their families had loyally served for generations. A person whom they had only known for a few days had saved them... Morse¡¯s thoughts wereplicated and confused in many ways.


    Meanwhile, Basara was still dazed. Just like in the prison, she stared at the distant sky with her mouth open. In this midst of this atmosphere, the knights urged them, ¡°We have to hurry back to the estate.¡±


    They had to leave here quickly. They couldn¡¯t fathom how things would turn out if there were a sh with imperial forces.


    ¡°Send a letter to the Reba Church right away. If the elders of the church take action, the dukes¡¯ bodies might be restored a bit.¡±


    Then it happened when the retainers were urging the soldiers to take care of the dukes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Reinhardt,¡± Grid spoke up.


    ¡°Why Reinhardt?¡±


    Reinhardt was the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. Why should they go there? In front of the confused retainers, Grid unwittingly made a proud expression as he exined,¡°My sister is the Saintess.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°My sister will be able to heal them.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will be very hard for my sister, but she will definitely make the sacrifice for my friends. It will be very hard, but she will surely do it.¡±


    It was finally time to show off.


    Grid prompted an answer from the astonished retainers,¡°Will you believe in me?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course!¡±


    It was a situation where every straw needed to be grasped.Additionally, Overgeared King Grid could be trusted. So, the retainers nodded immediately.


    Coke clicked his tongue inwardly. ¡®People will be freaked out again...¡¯


    Resh and Ke were terrified.


    ¡®The dukes¡¯ soldiers, who might be charged with treason, are willing to go to the Overgeared Kingdom... The flow is unusual.¡¯


    ¡®Are the nobles of the empire so easily swayed by the king of another nation? Has the world gone crazy after decades?¡¯


    ***


    ¡°It is really annoying,¡± 4th Imperial Prince Edan murmured. His face had long been distorted.¡°Why are you involved in imperial affairs?¡±


    In the downstream of the Ballua River, Edan¡ªwho had been tracking Rachel back to her estate¡ªhad been very happy. If he seeded in capturing Rachel, all his factors of anxiety would be eliminated. However, the n failed because of the interference of a third party.


    The Sword Saint¡ªthe ck-haired man who wasn¡¯t even on the same level as Piaro¡ªhad appeared to help Rachel. He knew the weaknesses of the magic machine and spread out his sword energy likes clouds, interrupting them and dragging out the time. It had been a long time since the magic machines reached the limit of their operating duration and stopped working.


    Edan had to pull out a sword and deal with Rachel himself. He was confident in winning a one-on-one match, but Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship¡ªwhich contained a mystery ¡®power despite being weak¡¯¡ªkept Edan at a disadvantage.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have sent Limit.¡¯


    Just before arriving here, the detection magic identifying intruders in the Abyss was activated. Edan was forced to send the fastest moving Limit. That was the problem. It would¡¯ve been better to go back after taking care of Rachel together. In any case, the Abyss was guarded by Biplonz, and he thought that was enough.


    ¡®I think this matter has be severely twisted.¡¯ Edan clicked his tongue andunched his red energy.


    The target was Kraugel. Kraugel stepped back, but that was it. He didn¡¯t release the sword in his hand.


    Edan¡¯s judgment was quick. ¡°I have to go and clean up the shit.¡±


    Right now, Rachel¡¯s life wasn¡¯t important. Every minute was precious, so it would be a waste of time to punish the Sword Saint hindering him. Edan recovered his sword and said goodbye to Rachel, ¡°You were lucky. Let¡¯s meet again next time.¡±


    ¡°The next time we meet, you will be a traitor, not a prince.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Since when had things be so twisted? Who was behind him?


    ¡®What type of jerk...¡¯Edan barely suppressed his anger and left. He first nned to meet the grandmaster.


    Soon there were only two people left. Rachel asked Kraugel,¡°How did you know toe and help me?¡±


    ¡°Master gave me a hint on the way back from beating Berith.¡±


    He stated that he felt a strong red energy. It was unknown why, but Kirinus was very sensitive to the blood of the imperial family and knew the situation urring inside the royal court. In the worst case, the dukes might suffer because someone had witnessed the dukes and Piaro together. Thus, he was to go to the capital and help them. This was the content of the hidden quest Kraugel had received. He wasn¡¯t able to protect the other three dukes, but he was d that he could protect Rachel.


    ¡®...The rest.¡¯


    Kraugel didn¡¯t know why he had this idea thatGrid would¡¯ve rescued the remaining dukes. The reason for this feeling was Grid¡¯s increase in level, which didn¡¯t rise even after the Berith raid.


    ¡®I will reach level 500 and 600 faster.¡¯


    Kraugel had been the first yer to reach level 100, and he obtained the Pioneer title. He had also been the first to achieve level 200 and 300. Now things had changed. He lost the benefits he¡¯d had for a long time. Even so, why...?


    Kraugel felt more pleased than deprived. It was more appropriate to say that his passion was ignited.


    [Hidden Quest ¡ïSupport the Dukes ¡ï has been cleared.]


    [You have helped one duke.]


    [You have gained one level from the quest reward.]


    [The quest rewards...]


    ....


    ...

 Chapter 1071

    ¡°...?¡±The dukes¡¯ retainers were confused after arriving at Reinhardt through Mass Teleport. It was because they had teleported to the king¡¯s pce, not the middle of the city. They thought they would have to wait until after the king¡¯s big ceremony, yet he returned so quietly...?


    ¡®Why not hold an event?¡¯


    The ruler of all countries, including the emperor of the empire. No, even a lord would make a big move. Every time they left the castle, they brought people together to carry out an event and praise them. It was propaganda to capture public sentiment. The ruler¡¯s reason for going out might be trivial and personal, but it was easy to package it as a service and sacrifice for the people.


    Yet Grid didn¡¯t take advantage of this great propaganda opportunity. This was despite the fact that he had returned with nobles of the empire.


    ¡®I thought he would use bringing us back for propaganda, but he didn¡¯t even hold a simple return ceremony...? Was he not interested in managing public sentiment?¡¯


    Our king returned with dozens of imperial nobles.The nobles of the empire respect our king.


    It was a great way to spread positive thoughts among the people. This was a situation where it would be possible to produce a good performance. Yet Grid didn¡¯t take advantage of it. Was it because he was short-sighted? No, he had established a kingdom alone. It was said that he was a traitor who defied thews of the heavens, but his abilities couldn¡¯t be doubted or denied. This wasn¡¯t about being ignorant.


    Then a crazy thought made their eyes widen.


    ¡®It is consideration for us!¡¯


    The dukes¡¯ retainers hadmitted a great sin. They dared to lead an army to invade the emperor¡¯s territory and took out the dukes that the imperial family had locked up in the Abyss. It was an act of loyalty toward their owner, but this excuse was insufficient to make up for their sin as their master was the imperial family.


    ¡®If it is known that we visited the Overgeared Kingdom as well...¡¯


    ¡®Regardless of the circumstances, there would be allegations that we conspired with the Overgeared Kingdom to betray the empire.¡¯


    ¡®The dukes¡¯ position would be even worse. The Overgeared King secretly returned with this in mind.¡¯


    ¡®How many times have we received his grace...¡¯


    Admiration and gratitude intersected. There was a strange excitement in the eyes of the retainers following Grid.


    ***


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid led the dukes to their rooms and returned to his office. His mental fatigue was due to the events after the battle that required a high degree of concentration. He took off his armor and cloak, ced them in his inventory, and smiled at Lauel. ¡°Thank you. You advised me that it was better not to publicize their visit to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be negligent.¡±Lauel hadn¡¯t been excited when he heard that Grid would return with 40,000 imperial cavalrymen and dozens of imperial nobles.


    It was likely that the position of the Overgeared Kingdom would greatly increase even if a small amount of this information was leaked. The dukes led tens of thousands of soldiers to visit the Overgeared Kingdom...? This little rumor would spark all types of spections and cause the neighboring nations to fear the Overgeared Kingdom.


    However, Lauel was patient. It was because the empire had a high probability of dering the dukes as traitors.


    ¡®The dukes shouldn¡¯t be expelled. The dukes must preserve their power in order to be our strength.¡¯


    It was a rtionship that Grid had worked hard to build up. Thus, it should be used more thoroughly. Lauel thought so. Unlike Grid who was purely concerned about the dukes, Lauel perceived them as useful cards. Of course, Grid also knew this. Even so, he had no intention of criticizing Lauel. After all, this was Lauel¡¯s role.


    Grid asked with a bitter smile, ¡°Then Sehee... When will Ruby arrive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent the Overgeared Shadows to escort them, and they should arrive in two hours.¡±


    ¡°The Saintess ss is a scam. I never dreamed she would be hunting at the Galgunos Temple.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the ss is great, but she also has excellent senses. I analyzed her movements during this period and found that she yed the game very effectively. Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl both have talent in the game.¡±


    ¡°Really? She isn¡¯t like me at all...¡±


    Unlike her stupid brother, Sehee was smart. With a good personality and beautiful face, she was different from her brother. Sometimes he wondered if they were siblings since they were different in every way. Therefore, it was reassuring. How many times had he been d that she didn¡¯t resemble him? The moment that Grid thought this...


    ¡°She looks just like you when she is angry.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°The two of you. When you are angry, your eyes and mouth look exactly the same. The rough tone is also the same.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a good thing,¡± Grid said. Then he quickly asked with a serious expression, ¡°Can the dukes be fixed?¡±


    Sadness could be felt from his tone and expression. Grid was sincerely concerned about the dukes. They had only been together for a short time. However, they shared many experiences and stories, so they quickly became friendly. The shock he had experienced when he saw the dukes still remained.


    ¡°Grenhal¡¯s eyes were destroyed, and Morse¡¯s limbs were shattered. That wise woman Basara has be aplete idiot.¡±


    They suffered too many wounds. A Saintess might be defined as a ¡®person who creates miracles¡¯, but was it possible to heal such major wounds? Grid had boasted in front of the dukes, but he was actually anxious. His promise that the Saintess could fix the dukes was probably to calm his own anxiety.


    Lauel spoke with steady eyes, ¡°The Saintess is someone who threatens even the authority of the goddess of light.¡±


    The biggest penalty of the Saintess ss was the necessity to do dozens of good deeds every day. Lauel had already heard hundreds of times that Ruby had healed people with disabilities. It was a divine force that destroyed even the soul of a great demon. The system exined that it wasn¡¯t the goddess of light¡¯s power but a Saintess¡¯ own aura.


    ¡°The power of the Saintess is real. I think it is good to believe in her.¡±


    One day, somebody would pull down the fallen god. The new goddess of light would be born from this fall. This was Lauel¡¯s guess. It meant the ss of Saintess was extremely special, and it wasn¡¯t difficult to estimate that it had the potential of a myth because its abilities could directly influence the worldview.


    ***


    In front of the room where the dukes were lying, each retainer expressed their opinions.


    ¡°The empress must be behind this event.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. It doesn¡¯t make sense that Edan would do these things to the dukes just to cover up the truth. How could he do these extreme things without beingpletely insane? It is hard to see that Edan did this on his own.¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has been giving power to the Five Pirs. Maybe he is using this opportunity to oust the dukes and increase the power of the imperial family...¡±


    ¡°This is an unreasonable assumption. How will he handle the resistance of the nobles after touching the families of the founders? The emperor has been somewhat depressed since the empress died, but it is impossible for him to do this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Now is the time to worry about His Majesty. Maybe Prince Edan has already sinned against His Majesty. That¡¯s why he could do this without any fear.¡±


    ¡°What can Edan do to His Majesty? Edan¡¯s talent is excellent but His Majesty is alreadyplete, and he has the protection of the Five Pirs.


    ¡°The pirs might¡¯ve betrayed the empire. The problem is the grandmaster. We need to know if he has given any strength to Edan.¡±


    Whisper whisper.


    The retainers were speaking in low voices, but the dukes¡¯ hearing capabilities had reached the highest limit. Morsey in bed, listening to the voices outside and not missing a single word of the discussion.¡°Kukuk, it¡¯s funny. No one knows that Edan is apletely crazy guy.¡± Their exnation was alsocking. It was too hard to give aborious exnation. Honestly, it was hard to stay sane.


    ¡°...Shit.¡±Morse looked down at his trembling limbs. No matter how hard he tried, there was no strength in his fingertips or his toes. It was natural since all the tendons were destroyed.


    ¡°...Hat.¡± He could onlyugh. He didn¡¯t want to think about anything. He hadn¡¯t expected to lose the use of his limbs one day. How could he have imagined that he would end up like this?


    ¡°Shit... Shit...¡±


    The most disturbing point was that he was too helpless. Despite having fully grasped the weakness of the magic machine in the Berith raid, Morse hadn¡¯t been able to cope with their ambush. The genes of the dukes who had served the royal family for hundreds of years were imprinted with the nature to submit at the right time.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Morse, who could only move his neck, hit the pillow with the back of his head. He honestly wanted to bury his head somewhere and die. Did he have to live as a vegetative person for the rest of his life? It was better to die. He had heard several rumors about the Saintess, but he wasn¡¯t expecting anything. Even divine power that had risen to the highest level couldn¡¯t cure permanent disabilities.


    While Morse was cursing, Grenhal lying on the opposite bed was just silent. ¡°...¡±


    He was also feelingplicated.


    ¡®It is shameful.¡¯


    Why had he been loyal to his country and the imperial family? Was it true that he was loyal? If he were a true loyalist, he should¡¯ve seen that the bloodline of the royal family was moving on the wrong path and held him to the right one. Yet that didn¡¯t happen. He had been ipetent from the time he couldn¡¯t protect Piaro. The wounds on his body weren¡¯t as noble as heroic medals.


    ¡°Shit! Shit! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Morse¡¯s craziness gradually grew worse, and Grenhal¡¯s expression steadily darkened. For both of them, reality was hell. Then just as they were going crazy... in this terrible despair...


    ¡°Purification.¡±


    A bright light that was warmer than the sun surrounded the two people, and a calm feeling came over them. The spirits of the two men¡ªintertwined with anger, resentment, pain, and futility¡ªwere instantly refreshed. Morse came to his senses and turned to the side with wide eyes.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    A beautiful girl with ck hair was smiling.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Would there ever be another intense encounter like this in the world again? Morse glimpsed a halo from the girl. The darkness restraining his body melted in front of the light. However, this impression was short-lived.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The girl waved her wooden staff. Her staff started to beat Morse¡¯s limbs like a scarecrow at a training camp.


    ¡°S-Saintess?¡± The retainers were shocked by the unexpected development and didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Huup! Uh! Uhit!¡± Then as he let out reflexive groans, one of Morse¡¯s fingers moved. It was real and not an illusion. Everyone saw it. Grenhal¡¯s retainers witnessed the miracle and sucked in a breath.


    ¡®W-What will happen?¡¯


    ¡®Will the duke¡¯s eyes have to be hit with that staff?¡¯


    Why the eyes...?


    Their hatred for Edan grew even bigger. Grenhal¡¯s retainers shed tears of blood. Additionally...


    ¡°...Gulp!¡± Grenhal trembled with fear. He might¡¯ve lost his eyes, but he could guess what was happening thanks to his developed senses. Grenhal fidgeted and eventually started snoring. He intended to buy time until he was ready by pretending to be asleep.


    Then another girl, who appeared to be the Saintess¡¯panion, poked his cheek with her finger. ¡°This uncle is cute.¡±


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1072

    ¡°This uncle is cute.¡±


    ¡°T-This disrespect!¡±


    Even if the mantle of duke were stripped away, Grenhal¡¯s power had umted over generations and was great. He was one of the best in the West Continent. If the imperial family abandoned Grenhal, he still had the power to build a nation if he could safely return to his territory. Yet this girl dared to poke their respected master¡¯s cheek with her finger? It was a sphemy that they had never imagined.


    ¡°Daring to poke Duke Grenhal in the cheek...!¡±


    ¡°Get your hands away immediately! You might be in the Saintess¡¯ party but you should show the basic manners!¡±


    Some of the retainers roared. It felt like they would draw their sword at any moment, and all types of notification windows appeared in front of Sexy Schoolgirl.


    [You have fallen into the ¡®fear¡¯ state.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®oppressed¡¯ state.]


    [You have fallen into the ¡®chaotic¡¯ state.]


    [The passive skill ¡®Defender of the Miracle¡¯ has allowed you to resist the ¡®fear¡¯ and ¡®chaotic¡¯ states.]


    [The effect of the passive skill ¡®Person Who Put a Foot in the Miracle¡¯ has reduced the duration of the ¡®oppression¡¯ state. Transfers the ¡®oppression¡¯ to the target for as long as the reduced time.]


    [The target has resisted.]


    [The target has resisted...]


    ¡°...!¡± Grenhal¡¯s retainers were stunned. She didn¡¯t shrink back and even confronted their momentum...? This weak-looking girl actually contained a powerful force.


    ¡®She is a great talent. There is a reason she is apanying the Saintess at this early age!¡¯


    This was a country that hadn¡¯t sumbed in the war with the empire. The Overgeared Kingdom was small but powerful. The retainers admired her, but it was only for a moment. They were still furious as they looked at Sexy Schoolgirl. Sexy Schoolgirl stuck out her tongue andughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This uncle is just too cute. Please excuse my rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Eek...! You keep saying he is cute, cute! You know who he is yet you keep talking nonsense!¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She didn¡¯t know...? The retainers didn¡¯t know what to say and were at a loss for words. It didn¡¯t matter. Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim stroked the hand of Grenhal who was lying asleep. It was a hand full of deep wounds.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been through a lot. It must be hard. Get some rest.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Grenhal¡¯s eyebrows trembled. Maybe it was because of this extremely harsh situation, but a few words offort from an unnamed girl stimted Grenhal¡¯s weakened heart. The imperial family, whom he had devoted his entire life to, had threatened him and turned a blind eye to him. Yet the king of a distant country protected him while its peopleforted him. This was...


    ¡°...¡± Grenhal¡¯s eyes twitched slightly as he bit his lips.


    An existence who reigned at the top... It was only after being protected that he realized he was also an ordinary person.


    All sorts of thoughts shook his mind.


    ***


    ¡®They¡¯ve be friends.¡¯


    At first nce, Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim was surrounded by imperial nobles. Ruby had felt anxious when she heard why she suddenly had to return to Reinhardt from hunting, but that mood had dissipated.


    ¡®They will soon be closer.¡¯


    Saintess Ruby had a bit of a shy personality. She didn¡¯t get close quickly to new acquaintances, so she was still unfamiliar with many Overgeared members. On the other hand, Sexy Schoolgirl was different. She always faced people with curiosity and was straightforward and bright. Thus, she quickly became friends with others. WIthout her, Ruby might still have yet to adapt to Satisfy.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve been hiding behind my brother¡¯s back and not be interested in the game.¡¯


    Although Ruby didn¡¯t want her as a sister-inw, her friend was really great. Ruby smiled while thinking this.


    ¡°Uh...! Uit...!¡±


    She was still hitting Morse and continued to do so with the wooden staff in her hand.


    ¡°M-Morse...¡±Morse¡¯ retainers were restless. They thought they should stop the Saintess from assaulting their master but couldn¡¯t because the Saintess wouldn¡¯tmit senseless violence. A Saintess...


    It was the empire who interpreted the Saintess as the ¡®agent of the goddess of light¡¯ in the famous legend. For the empire, the Saintess was an incarnation of a god and an existence to be worshipped. There had long been rumors among the nobles of the empire about the Saintess who carried out many good deeds and miracles in the Overgeared Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t yet clear if she was a legendary Saintess or heretic, but the person who rmended her was the Overgeared King. They had more trust than doubts.


    ¡°...¡± In the tumultuous room, Ruby was quietly focused. In her vision, she saw a ¡®red dot¡¯ attached to Morse¡¯s body. It showed the damaged body parts and was an effect derived from the skill ¡®Regenerative Healing¡¯ that Ruby gained when she reached level 180.


    [Regenerative Healing Lv. 3]


    [Activates the ¡®Hand of Kindness¡¯ to promote the regeneration of wounds with abnormal physical conditions.


    * If the target is a yer:


    The moment the Hand of Kindness touches the wound area, the wound is restored. If the physical injury is a ¡®cut¡¯, the Hand of Kindness must touch the body for at least 10 seconds.


    *If the target is a pet or a yer¡¯s pet:


    The Hand of Kindness must touch the wound for 3 seconds for the wound to recover. If the physical injury is a ¡®cut¡¯, the Hand of Kindness must be in contact with the body for 20 seconds. The health of the target will be restored while the Hand of Kindness is in contact with the target.


    * If the target is a NPC:


    The Hand of Kindness must touch the wound several times for the wound to recover. The number of touches depends on the severity of the injury. If the physical injury is a ¡®cut¡¯, it can¡¯t be healed with the current skill level.


    Skill Mana Cost: 3,000 per second. Or 3,000 per use.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    A skill that could only be activated through touch was a bit difficult to use inbat. Furthermore, the mana cost was veryrge, especially for yers who used a number of skills. Therefore, Ruby wasn¡¯t able to take advantage of the skill. It was a skill that could only be used during her daily quest ¡®Good Deeds.¡¯


    However, that story changed after the Berith raid. The extraordinary reward obtained for annihting Berith¡¯s soul was to evolve the Wooden Staff one step further.


    [+7 Wooden Staff]


    [Rating: Unique (Transcendent)


    Durability: 830/830 Attack Power/Defense: 733


    * All stats apart from intelligence increased by 200.


    * Intelligence increased by 300.


    A staff made of unidentified wood. It is very hard and can¡¯t be cut by a sword.


    *All healing effects +7%.


    * Grants a random buff to two party members every 5 minutes.


    * Deletes a party member¡¯s debuff every minute.


    * 10% reduction in the resource consumption of all skills.


    * Hand of Kindness can be given. Damage can be eliminated when Hand of Kindness is used.


    * 10% increase in the effect of Hand of Kindness.


    Conditions of Use: Saintess.


    Weight: 180]


    It had a very ordinary name and appearance, but it was the only weapon of the Saintess. Grid had enhanced it to +9, but this was lost after Ruby tried enhancing it further. After learning that the enhancement value was reset every time the rating evolved, she became satisfied with a +7 enhancement.


    This staff originally only had one option, ¡®increase all stats.¡¯ However, like other yers, Ruby had grown. She had gained many achievements from the repetition of her daily good deeds, and she had gained hidden pieces from doing hidden quests and leveling up. She had also destroyed the souls of the great demons Belial and Berith.


    Every time Ruby grew, so did the staff. The staff now had seven options including the stats upgrade, all of which seemed like treasures. If anybody who knew the game saw these fraudulent options, they would suspect that Chairman Lim Cheolho was the grandfather of the Grid siblings.


    In particr, Ruby liked the Hand of Kindness option. In addition to Regenerative Healing, Hand of Kindness was activated with the skills ¡®Strengthening Healing¡¯ and ¡®Waves of Punishment.¡¯ When using Hand of Kindness directly, it was difficult to actually utilize it because the premise was that she should approach the target. Now that the staff could be used as a mediator, a distance of 2 meters was secured, and it was rtively easier to use.


    ¡®Who did this...¡¯


    Despite using Hand of Kindness with the staff to touch his wounds dozens of times, the red dots imprinted on Morse¡¯s body didn¡¯t fade away. This meant that Morse¡¯s wounds were deep, and Ruby¡¯s heart grew heavier. Just imagining how much pain Morse might have suffered caused her to be in distress. If she didn¡¯t restrain herself, she would be crying tears of fear.


    ¡°...¡±Morse was staring at Ruby.


    Why was she making a face like she was going to cry? He was just a stranger. Why was she grieving for him?


    ¡®This is... a Saintess...¡¯


    ...A person who gave lifelong service and devotion to others. Morse hadn¡¯t liked the legendary Saintess very much. She seemed like a so-called pushover. Life was short, and one should live for themselves and their family. Why should they take care of others? He evenughed at those who admired the Saintess, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Her kindness was healing the scars of his heart.


    ¡°...¡±


    He felt like he had fallen to the hell of despair and was then pulled up. Her goodwill was saving his life.


    ¡®Now... I understand...¡¯


    This was why so many people admired the Saintess. A smile appeared on Morse¡¯s face at the realization. His eyes that were as sharp as a beast¡¯s became gentle. He dered,¡°If I recover, I will surely¡ª¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I want to protect you by your side.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was going on all of a sudden? The confused Ruby¡¯s hands fell. The staff missed the red dot it should¡¯ve hit.


    ¡°Eek!¡±Morse¡¯s piercing scream rang through the room.


    ¡°Drung...¡± Grenhal, who woke up from his thoughts, started snoring again.


    ¡°...¡± For a moment, an awkward silence swirled around the room.


    ***


    [Regenerative Healing was sessful!]


    [The target¡¯s wound has been fully recovered!]


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Ruby eximed with joy. Her thin neck, corbone, and face were covered with sweat. It had taken six long hours. She had repeatedly rested and healed the two dukes, so it was natural to be exhausted.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions on your recovery!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you, Saintess!¡±


    The retainers cheered. Grenhal¡¯s eyes, which had been covered with dark scars and lost their light, reopened while Morse¡¯s limbs were restored to normal. Everyone present had witnessed a miracle. Even though their masters might not recoverpletely, the retainers were happy as long as their masters could see and walk on their feet. They felt so grateful to Ruby that they had an urge to pull out their galldders and everything else to give to her.


    Ruby felt just as much joy as them. It was an indescribable happiness to be able to correct the misfortune of others.


    ¡®If my brother had met someone like that in the past...¡¯


    Notification windows were rising continuously in Ruby¡¯s vision.


    [You have healed the great noblemen of the empire, strong representatives of the current age. It is an achievement that will remain in history!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by 8,000.]


    [You have be a very important person. You won¡¯t fall down easily. The special reward has increased your maximum health by 10,000.]


    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Morse¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached the maximum.]


    [Morse is willing to live for you.]


    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Grenhal¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached the maximum.]


    [Grenhal wants to give you many things.]


    She didn¡¯t know about anything else, but it was really good to improve her health. It seemed that she wouldn¡¯t die easily now. Then someone stroked Ruby¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Thanks for the hard work.¡±It was Grid. He was smiling as he watched his sister from afar, not wanting to disturb her. ¡°What do you think about healing Duke Basara?¡±


    ¡°Her wounds are different, so I think I need to look a bit more closely.¡±


    Facing the gazes of those filled with anticipation, Ruby approached Basara who was lying down, staring silently at the ceiling. Then Grenhal and Morse approached Grid and bowed to him.


    ¡°I promise that our family will always repay the grace of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°More than that... I¡¯m d you have recovered.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    ¡°Take a break. Won¡¯t you return to the empire as soon as Duke Basara is restored?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to be near Duke Basara, but time is pressing. We need to go to the empire right now. I¡¯m afraid His Majesty might be hit.¡±


    Edan was runningpletely wild. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to harm the emperor since there was a hidden card Edan seemed to believe in. They were particrly concerned about the grandmaster.


    ¡°It is our duty to protect the imperial family. First, we should try to fix the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Take care. I will cheer for you from afar because I can¡¯t get involved... Huh?¡±


    What was he worried about? The dukes exchanged meaningful nces at Grid¡¯s words and bowed low to their waist. Then they promised to meet Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl again before urging their subordinates.


    ¡°Go to the capital. If you detect even the slightest thing suspicious, immediately return to our territory and raise the entire army.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    This was right before the storm. Many things would change. At the center of the changes were the Grid brother and sister.


    ¡°Hihit! Hi, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°G-Get off.¡±


    ...Oh, Sexy Schoolgirl as well.

 Chapter 1073

    ¡°Fourth Prince Edan captured Dukes Grenhal, Morse, and Basara and imprisoned them in the Abyss. The soldiers of the three dukes ignored the warnings and advanced to the capital, but they disappeared immediately upon arrival. The Tower of Eternity reported sensing arge-scale Mass Teleport.¡±


    In the imperial capital, Titan...


    Emperor Juander returned only to receive ridiculous news. When he found out the situation, he immediately ordered, ¡°Release the dukes and deem Edan a traitor.¡±


    Long sentences weren¡¯t necessary. The moment he was proimed a traitor, Edan was deprived of all rights. All the troops in Titan moved in unison. Thousands of soldiers entered Edan¡¯s pce and confiscated all of his property. The property naturally included his army. All of his forces, including the magic machines unit, was under the emperor¡¯s control. However, the four operable magic machines had already disappeared.


    ¡°Damn bastard! Get out of here! I am the empress of the empire! I am the mother of the future emperor! How dare you, soldiers of the empire, block my way?¡±


    The pce of Empress Marie was also besieged by thousands of soldiers. The empress had immediately rushed to find the emperor when she heard her son had been dered a traitor, but the knights stopped her.


    ¡°Are you saying a traitor will be the emperor? Hemitted treason. Treason. Please be careful with your words.¡±


    ¡°W-What? A mere guard dares to...!¡±


    ¡°The empress seems to be very agitated. Please take her inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    The knights didn¡¯t blink no matter how loudly the empress raised her voice. Did they know she was the real murderer of Empress Aria? No, they didn¡¯t know. The emperor had yet to announce the truth. Nevertheless, the attitude of the knights was apathetic because they were imperial knights. The imperial knights were the emperor¡¯s knights. The other person wasn¡¯t important when carrying out the emperor¡¯s orders. No matter who it was, they only carried out the emperor¡¯s will.


    ¡°Marquis Aileen?¡±


    ¡°There is news that he immediately left the capital after Edan was dered a traitor. We¡¯ve already dispatched 5,000 people to chase him.¡±


    ¡°5,000 aren¡¯t enough. Send an additional 10,000 troops and contact the generals of each army to march to Marquis Aileen¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Armored Cavalryman Chensler was the only imperial knight among the Five Pirs, and he actively started eradicating the traitors. He thoroughly used the military power entrusted to him by the emperor to pressure the faction of Edan and the empress. It was his judgment that the forces who helped Edan had to be thoroughly trampled in advance. The handling of the Red Knights was in the same vein. There were doubts about them because Sword Duke Limit was part of the empress¡¯ faction.


    ¡°What about the Sword Duke and the Red Knights?¡±


    ¡°The whereabouts of the Sword Duke are unknown. However, the rest of the knights are gathered in the barracks. I have sent an official letter to the Neo Red Knights to punish them, and news should be forting.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Obviously, the Red Knights were also loyal to the empire and the imperial family. The problem was that Limit, the leader of the Red Knights, was a traitor. Since Limit had contaminated the Red Knights¡¯ thoughts, it was better to handle all of them so they didn¡¯t be a variableter on. The Red Knights¡¯ skills were outstanding, but they weren¡¯t a match for the Neo Red Knights that the grandmaster had been involved in training.


    ¡°Did the Sword Duke escape with Edan?¡±


    In fact, the empress¡¯s pce and the Red Knights were all additional factors. The greatest sinners were Empress Marie, Edan, and Sword Duke Limit. Additionally, the magic machines had to be obtained unconditionally. They couldn¡¯t be missed.


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Chensler urged the soldiers.


    ***


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    Bain, the emperor¡¯s shadow and one of the Five Pirs, hade to visit the Abyss. It was to carry out the order to release the dukes. Yet there were no dukes in the Abyss. Remnants of sword energy floated in the darkness like stars. It was the Sword Duke¡¯s sword energy.


    ¡°Limit is dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he ran over after noticing the intruder wanted to escape with the dukes and died.¡±


    This was the answer from the chief guard, Biplonz¡ªa mysterious demonkin whose identity was unknown even to Bain. Only the emperor and the grandmaster knew Biplonz¡¯s identity. Even Biplonz himself didn¡¯t know, but Bain wasn¡¯t interested.


    ¡°Who was the intruder?¡±


    Only the Five Pirs in the empire could break through the Abyss and kill Limit. However, none of the Five Pirs would do such a thing. First, Kyle and Chensler were dogs who only moved ording to the emperor¡¯s orders. They couldn¡¯t have recognized and resolved a problem the emperor didn¡¯t know about. Magician King Goldhit was stuck in the Tower of Eternity, and Grandmaster Zikfrector wasn¡¯t someone who would engage in this trivial matter.


    ¡°Outsiders.¡±


    Bain guessed easily, ¡°The continent¡¯s best spearman, the descendant of the Undefeated King, the recluse of Grenier, the childless specter, Mercedes...¡±


    He listed the strong people outside the empire one by one, and there were 13 people. Surprisingly, among them was...


    ¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    Grid was also included. In Satisfy¡¯s world view, Grid was now perceived as a ¡®powerhouse of the continent.¡¯


    Biplonz shrugged.¡°Who knows? He never told me his name. I didn¡¯t share personal information with the intruder, so how should I know his identity? In the first ce, I fell down as soon as I started fighting to protect the keys. Limit was dead when I got up.¡±


    ¡°You have a long tongue because you keep lying. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you answer or not. Someone already knows the answer.¡± Bain turned his attention to various parts of the Abyss covered in darkness. He nced at exactly 14 ces. They were the locations of the surveince spells that the grandmaster had secretly installed.


    Bain sniffed. ¡®Smelly guy.¡¯


    From the very first day Bain saw the grandmaster, he had smelled a terrible stench. Well, it didn¡¯t matter to him what the grandmaster was up to. He just had to protect the emperor¡¯s back until he got what he wanted. He would always protect the emperor in order to achieve his will, even if the grandmaster suddenly revealed his true colors and threatened the emperor.


    It was a leap. Bain disappeared from Biplonz¡¯ vision in an instant and left the tunnel. Biplonz was left behind and clicked his tongue. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it. Humans are truly scary...¡±


    Then... Bain escaped from the Abyss and gave an order to empty air, ¡°Look for traces of the dukes.¡±


    ¡®Eclipse¡¯ started moving.


    ***


    It happened when Bain was going to report to the emperor what happened in the Abyss.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡±


    Two of the missing dukes returned. They were Grenhal and Morse, who looked well. The emperor stood up and greeted them, only to feel a sense of alienation. The wounds that could be seen on Grenhal¡¯s body were gone. Was this someone else disguised as Grenhal? No, it truly was Grenhal.


    The emperor operated his red energy and was able to gain some insight.


    ¡°I think many things have happened.¡±


    The wounds on Grenhal¡¯s body weren¡¯t simply scars. They were badges of loyalty to the emperor and the empire. The way that they were erased wasn¡¯t important. However, the fact that they were erased was important.It was proof that Grenhal¡¯s loyalty to the empire had weakened.


    ¡°Who helped you?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°There is a truth I have to tell you before exining our rtionship with the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°If it is about Marie, I now know that she worked with the Yatan Church to murder the empress.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Some time ago, Benoit told me.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed. Without knowing her true identity, I hid in the empress¡¯ skirt as she made the country sick and eventually endangered the nobles.¡±


    The emperor didn¡¯t bother with the matter of the dukes¡¯ soldiers marching to the capital. It was natural. The emperor didn¡¯t want to lose the few remaining dukes. Now that the imperial family was in great turmoil, he needed the power of the dukes to rally the wandering nobles. Grenhal and Morse knew this as well.


    ¡®Your hair has bepletely white...¡¯


    The emperor, who he hadn¡¯t met for a long time, now hadpletely white hair. The blood of the founding emperor, Saharan, ran deep in him. Yet the only ¡®natural born transcendent¡¯ was bing helpless before time like ordinary humans. Grenhal¡¯s heart was heavy when he saw how great a mental pain the emperor must¡¯ve suffered after learning the truth.


    ¡®I have to support His Majesty. I can¡¯t let the country that my ancestors built¡ªthat my father and previous family generations guarded¡ªto copse.¡¯


    In fact, Grenhal had been feeling troubled whilst on the way here. Maybe it would be right to leave the empire. This was the aftermath of being captivated by Grid.


    However, he changed his mind at this moment. As Grenhal faced the cold reality, his shaking heart stabilized. He stared at the emperor and knelt down. ¡°Your Majesty, please reveal Marie¡¯s sins and impose the greatest penalty on both Marie and Edan. Only then will the nobles feel reassured that the imperial family¡¯s discipline is sufficient.¡±


    The biggest penalty was not to kill them. The greatest punishment of the Saharan Empire was to ce sinners in the Abyss and make them die after a long time in despair. Moreover, in the present era, Emperor Juander hadn¡¯t locked a single prisoner in the Abyss. He didn¡¯t think of it even when Piaro betrayed him, and he ended up executing all of Piaro¡¯s family members.


    The Abyss wasn¡¯t that easy to approach. That¡¯s why Edan was immediately dered a traitor. Edan¡¯s action of locking the dukes in the Abyss was unforgivable to any noble, and the emperor abandoned his son without hesitation. If he showed a bit of hesitation, then he would¡¯ve brought the distrust and resistance of the nobles on him.


    The current situation was the same. It was time to show his courage. The woman he loved, who was the mother of his child, and his child...


    ¡°Justice is right. I will reveal the sins of both people and then lock them up in the Abyss.¡±


    Emperor Juander would send them to the ce his father had proimed as the ¡®hell of another world¡¯ before Juander actually became emperor. This way the nobles, including the dukes, would support the emperor, and the broken reign of the royal family would rise again. This was the moment when the emperor controlled his bitterness.


    ¡°Your Majesty! There is news that the armies advancing to Aileen are being defeated in various ces!¡±Chancellor Velmont rushed in to report.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The dukes¡¯ eyes widened. The imperial family was currently operating the troops at a very rapid pace. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the moment the emperor returned, troops from all over the country marched to Marquis Aileen. Yet Marquis Aileen, who was being chased, read their movements and destroyed the army before even arriving at home...?


    Vermont told the shocked emperor and dukes a shocking fact, ¡°It is the work of the Valha Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    That¡¯s right. For Sima Qian of the East Continent whom even the grandmaster was interested in, the chaos of the empire was a great opportunity. As such, he didn¡¯t miss this great opportunity. He nned to shatter the empire and take some of thend for Valha.


    A truce between the empire and Valha...? Valha¡¯s agreement was with the grandmaster, not the empire. In the past, the grandmaster met Ares and Sima Qian in the Celestial Pce and told them, ¡°We will be good partners.¡±


    ***


    [You have detected the evil aura eating away at the spirit of the target!]


    [Your power has seeded in denying the gods!]


    [The spirit of the target has been fully restored!]


    [You have healed a legitimate bloodline of the great empire. Your reputation will rise greatly every time the healing target ¡®Basara¡¯ makes a great achievement in the future.]


    [There is a close bond between you and the Saharan imperial family. Some of the imperial family will show a great liking toward you while others might hate you.]


    [Affinity with Duke ¡®Basara¡¯ of the Saharan Empire has reached the maximum.]


    In the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Duke Basara opened her eyes. It was thanks to Lady Ruby who spent all day by her side treating her.


    ¡°Worse than dogs,¡±Grid swore when Ruby confirmed that God Yatan¡¯s energy was eating at Basara¡¯s spirit.


    The empress had already poisoned Asmophel with the Yatan Essence and made many people, including Piaro, unhappy. Edan had known this and tried to do the same thing again. Thus, he didn¡¯t seem to be human at all.


    ¡®I have to start.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t been able to focus on anything because he had been worried about the dukes. Now that thest remaining duke¡ªBasara¡ªwas healed, Grid could feel relieved and finally decided to do what he had been putting off.


    ¡®Create a new mineral.¡¯


    Pavranium¡ªit was the symbol of Pagma and a ss-only item. Now it was time for Grid¡¯s symbol.


    ¡°Sigh,¡± Grid breathed deeply and focused as he pulled out all his materials and equipment from the inventory and ced them on the table. What would be the best four minerals tobine with pavranium? For the best result, Grid needed to think carefully.


    ¡®First of all, there must be the insane dragon iron.¡¯


    This was a mineral that naturally urred in the nest of the insane dragon Nevartan. It had the nature of proliferating once every ten days. Currently, the total amount of pavranium was only enough to make one sword, but the total amount of the new mineral that Grid would create would grow over time. While most hidden sses only had a single item, Grid could theoretically have dozens or hundreds of exclusive items.

 Chapter 1074

    Care was necessary when choosing a production material. The excellent options attributed to minerals meant that if the basic properties of hardness, strength, ductility, brittleness, and so on were overlooked, the work would be lessplete. It was like seeing a diamond described as ¡®very hard¡¯ and using it as a sword material. No matter how powerful the sword was, what was the point if it would shatter after swinging it once or twice?


    ¡®It is different this time. I don¡¯t have to think too much and can choose to focus on performance.¡¯


    The essential material for the newly evolved Mineral Creation skill was pavranium. Pavranium¡¯s durability wasn¡¯t infinite, but this problem had already been solved. Grid chose the insane dragon iron as one of the four minerals to bebined with pavranium and nned to consider the remaining three minerals which had no great restrictions. He didn¡¯t need everything and would use something good without fail.


    The medium and top minerals that could be obtained easily were excluded from the candidates. Minerals that couldn¡¯t be obtained with money, time, and force. He had to use the extremely high-grade minerals that could only be obtained when luck followed.


    ¡®The insane dragon bead and insane dragon stone are exceptions. I must be vignt about the characteristics of suppression and rampage.¡¯


    Like the insane dragon iron, the insane dragon stone and insane dragon bead were minerals affected by Nevartan¡¯s madness. The insane dragon stone could suppress the mineral¡¯s inherent properties when mixed with other minerals while the insane dragon bed had the ability to multiply the mineral¡¯s properties when mixed with other minerals. Suppression threatened to undermine the peculiarity of pavranium, and there was a danger that rampage would be hard to control.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what will happen if pavranium¡¯s ego is amplified... Wait? Ah, this sucks.¡¯


    Grid became more troubled. It was because he sensed that the mineral sorting would be much more difficult than expected.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just suppression and rampage. I have to avoid any big bias of the properties themselves.¡¯


    The new mineral to be created was different from pavranium. It would be better than pavranium, and the quantity wasn¡¯t limited. Instead, it would increase gradually. This meant it could be used actively. Grid would be using it as a material for all the items he would produce in the future, so distinct properties were likely to be poisonous.


    ¡®Oh, it¡¯s rotten...¡¯


    Grid examined the minerals and various weapons on the table. There were so many varieties that there wasn¡¯t enough room on the table where 20 people could sit at side by side. Several items lying on the ground were at least of the unique rating. It was a scene that would stun anyone who saw it.


    ¡®Originally, I nned to disassemble the Holy Light set to get adamantium and use it as a material for Mineral Creation...¡¯


    As mentioned earlier, the properties wouldn¡¯t be too strong. Minerals with the ultimate divine power were difficult to use as materials for items with unclean attributes. Even if the production process was sessful, there was a possibility that conflicts would ur in the process of imprinting options. The basic performance woulde out as expected, but the options would be garbage.


    ¡®In the same vein, I need to exclude the by-products of the great demons. Let¡¯s aim for getting no properties as much as possible.¡¯


    Simply put, the newly created mineral should be like dough. The color of the dough itself was white and light, but different dishes could be made depending on what ingredients were put in and the recipe used. The created mineral would be a framework for making different types of items. It would be used as a material for all types of items, and it was ideal to give it a property appropriate to the situation at the time. Therefore, the created mineral itself should have no property. If the quantity was limited, like pavranium, it could maximize the power by attaching as many attributes as possible.


    ¡°Kuoong...¡± Wrinkles appeared on Grid¡¯s face.


    The higher the level of the mineral, the more pronounced the properties would be.


    ¡®The best mineral with no attribute is blue orichalcum.¡¯


    Blue orichalcum was a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the magic power of the Guardian of the Forest. Additional features like ¡®strengthened in dark ces¡¯, ¡®lightning¡¯, and ¡®cutting power¡¯ resulted from this, but it didn¡¯t have properties such as the four elements, divine power, or demonic power.


    Additionally, blue orichalcum was the strongest mineral. It might be less impactful than adamantium¡ªwhich contained the ultimate divine power¡ªor blood stone which was the mineral of hell, but there were no problemspared to other minerals of its ss.


    Great demons and fallen gods...


    It was hard to say if this world was worse than the divine realm or hell. Blue orichalcum was hard to find in the first ce. They had to defeat the Guardian of the Forest of the Forest. It was a boss monster that spawned in the Overgeared territory, so it was monopolized by the Overgeared Guild. For the general public, blue orichalcum was as hard to find as a star in the sky.


    ¡®Yes, there is nothing wrong with the value and performance of the blue orichalcum. Just...¡¯


    [Blue Orichalcum]


    [Orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest.


    It is impossible to erode the Guardian of the Forest¡¯s magic power, but it has the best hardness and strength among all minerals.


    It is lightweight and bes much stronger in darkness.


    Weight: 3]


    The reason why the blue orichalcum had no properties was that the nature of the magic power was unable to be eroded.


    ¡®I will be ruined if I use this as a material for Mineral Creation.¡¯


    The reason for granting properties was to increase the utilization of the minerals. It would be the end if he used blue orichalcum where other magic power couldn¡¯t be given to it.


    ¡®Sometimes I will need to give magic to the items I make with the new mineral.¡¯


    He fell into a swamp. The longer he thought about it, the deeper his distress and confusion became. The moment Grid started to get a headache and the phrase ¡®long-term use of Satisfy could be harmful to health¡¯ passed through his mind...


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid was reminded of a talent that would¡¯vepletely ripened. Minor¡ªhe was a minerals detector who had helped Grid find special materials such as pavranium and the insane dragon iron. His minerals knowledge came from Grid forcing him to study minerals for 10 years, and he was now almost at the sage level.


    ***


    In the meeting room...


    ¡°What is the best mineral with no properties?¡±


    The savior ran over at Grid¡¯s call. Well, no, Minor walked over and gave the answer, ¡°It is naturally ck mithril.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The years had gone by really quickly. The 13-year-old when Grid first met was now in his mid-20s with a handsome beard. Grid, who met Minor for the first time in ages after the exploration of the insane dragon iron, was deeply moved. On the other hand, Minor wasn¡¯t very happy.


    [Talent will Reveal Itself (SS)]


    [A talent that one person per 10 million people will have.


    No matter how you try to hide, your talent will reveal itself to others. It is your destiny to live a life being scouted by others. You will inevitably receive a lot of temptations.


    Your stats will grow very quickly, and you will be arrogant.]


    Minor believed that all the riches he enjoyed today were due to his own ability. He thought the only monarch who could rule over him was the emperor. To him, Grid was alwayscking. It wasn¡¯t enough for a genius like himself to be forced to study minerals. He was also ced as the general manager of a weird organization called the Minerals Detection Department.


    Yet Minor didn¡¯t betray Grid. He always grumbled, but he faithfully followed Grid¡¯s orders. The reason was that his respect overshadowed the ¡®Talent will Reveal Itself¡¯ trait. Minor tried not to show it, but he had a lot of respect for Grid. Amoner like himself established and led the country. He had to feel respectful toward Grid.


    This was why Minor had ignored all scouting proposals from other countries that came to him over the years. If the empire¡ªnot another country¡ªhad tried to recruit him, he would¡¯ve turned his back on the Overgeared Kingdom. Unfortunately for him, that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°ck mithril?¡±


    Minor, who had fallen to distraction after seeing Grid, regained his senses.


    He nodded at Grid¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, ck mithril is as strong as ordinary mithril, but its hardness isparable to that of blue orichalcum. It is called ¡®ck¡¯ because it doesn¡¯t have divine power like normal mithril, not because its color is ck. ck mithril doesn¡¯t have any divine power. It is empty.¡±


    Minor raised his lips after speaking. It was a very good smile. ¡°Well, ayman like Your Majesty wouldn¡¯t know, but this is a hidden secret. The imperial family has been using ck mithril for generations.¡±


    ¡°I know. ck mithril is like white paper and absorbs any property well. Isn¡¯t that why it is noticed by the empire?¡±


    ¡°How do you...?¡±


    ¡°The material of the armor worn by the Red Knights is made of ck mithril that contains red energy.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I know by killing a Red Knight.¡±


    ¡°Truly, Your Majesty... As the king of a small country, you run around every day and gain a lot of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic and continue with what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ll teach you a lesson afterward.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m praising you.¡±


    ¡®Cute guy.¡¯Grid smiled mischievously every time he met Minor. It was cute to see how this person worked well, despite all his grumbling. In fact, he became very fond of Minor during the insane dragon iron expedition. At the time, he saw the feeling of ¡®respect¡¯ on Minor¡¯s status window after discovering the insane dragon iron. It was nice to see a talent respect him. This was to the point that the impoliteness was attractive.


    ¡°The reason why ck mithril is the best no properties mineral is that nkness you just mentioned. It has less natural power than blue orichalcum which is stronger in the darkness and can cut anything, but it can transcend the mineral adamantium depending on how it is harmonized.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±Grid, who had peeked at the true nature of the gods, couldn¡¯t deny Minor¡¯s words. It was wrong to say that minerals of human descent were unconditionally inferior to a mineral of the gods.


    ¡®Okay. Then the second one is ck mithril.¡¯


    Considering that the concept of the created mineral was to be the ¡®framework¡¯ of all future items, ck mithril was a truly ideal mineral. Grid¡¯s creative mineral would y a role in maximizing the properties whenever new properties were added to future items.


    There was just one problem. He had no ck mithril. Grid only owned one piece of ck mithril, and it had been a long time since he used it as a material for Mercedes¡¯ armor. Regardless of the usefulness for Mineral Creation, he was unwilling to break down a myth rated item.


    ¡®Can Minor obtain it?¡¯ Grid thought.


    Then he exined his question in detail, ¡°I¡¯m going to create a new mineral by mixing two more minerals together with pavranium, insane dragon iron, and ck mithril. What type of minerals do you feel will fit it? What about the other two minerals?¡±


    ¡°You are nning to multiply it indefinitely and use it for a variety of battle gear. That¡¯s why you are looking for a mineral with no attributes,¡± Minor said with an interested expression. ¡°Of course, they are adamantium and blood stone. They are the best minerals that represent the realm of the gods and hell. I can¡¯t think of alternatives. Adamantium can be obtained by melting the shining armor that Your Majesty wore before, and blood stone is obtained by melting the transparent red sword.¡±


    ¡°...Then remove their properties with the insane dragon stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are such great minerals that they will be superior to blue orichalcum even if their properties are removed. Ask me again what are the best minerals with no attributes. I¡¯ll answer that it isn¡¯t ck mithril but adamantium and blood stone with their properties removed.


    Grid had the hammer and anvil made of the insane dragon stone. It was possible to use them to remove the properties of adamantium and blood stone. However, there was another problem. Adamantium only required disassembling the unused Holy Light Armor, but in order to obtain blood stone, he had to disassemble the World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger. That was the sword Mercedes was using. It was even a myth rated item, so he didn¡¯t want to break it down.


    Grid pointed out Berith¡¯s by-products to Minor.¡°Is there anything among them that could rece blood stone?¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Minor picked up Berith¡¯s Hoof and looked bewildered.


    ¡°Does this look harder than blood stone?¡±


    ¡°...I think so.¡±


    Then there was only one thing left to do.


    ¡°Okay, go and get ck mithril,¡± Grid said.


    ¡°Huh? What did you say just now?¡±


    ¡°Obtain ck mithril.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that the empire is using ck mithril with red energy injected? Think about it. The route to securing ck mithril should be monopolized by the empire. How can I obtain it when it is managed by a huge workforce or, at worst, directly controlled by the imperial family? Yet I have to go and obtain it?¡±


    ¡°Certainly... It could be hard for you. Then I¡¯ll obtain it.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear me just now? It means death!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I wouldn¡¯t send you and will obtain it myself?¡±


    ¡°Then Your Majesty will die!!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die. I might be able to find a solution if I ask a duke of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Did you eat something wrong today? Who will you ask?¡±


    Minor wasn¡¯t a senior noble. He was acquainted with Grid and yed arge role rting to minerals, but he wasn¡¯t in an important position from a nation perspective. So, he didn¡¯t know much. Minor didn¡¯t know that Grid had established a great friendship with the imperial dukes at the Ruins of the War God and then defeated the great demon together. Neither did he know that Grid had rescued and treated the dukes of the empire.


    The most recent news he heard about Grid was that he had killed Sky King Rigal. Minor wondered if Grid had gone crazy.¡°Damn, I¡¯ll just infiltrate the empire. I am a talent, so I¡¯ll be weed by them. I¡¯ll go and get some work, collect information, and find out the location of ck mithril. It will take 10 or 20 years, so just wait until then.¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at this guy. You are trying to go to the empire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll still obtain ck mithril for you.¡±


    ¡°Please stop. I¡¯ll obtain it.¡±


    ¡°No, what is this?¡±


    Minor felt like he was talking to Jude. Then it happened when Minor was going crazy.


    Knock knock.


    A polite knock, then Prime Minister Lauel¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Duke Basara is asking for an audience.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡®Basara?¡¯


    The only monarch Minor could serve was the emperor of the Saharan Empire. Minor had always spoken like this, and he was quite interested in the trends of the empire. In the course of studying minerals, he naturally studied the empire. So, the name Basara was familiar to him. The only person who could be called Duke Basara on the continent was Basara with royal blood.


    Grid smiled when he saw the stiff Minor and called out, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Then...


    ¡°I greet the Overgeared King.¡±


    It was a beautiful woman wearing a gorgeous golden crown. The person who looked exactly like the Duke Basara in rumors entered the meeting room and politely greeted Grid. She bowed her head as much as possible. This was someone with imperial blood.


    ¡°I waste to see you because I was focused on recovery. I owe you a great deal.¡±


    ¡°There is no need. What is the rtionship between us? It is right to help each other if possible.¡±


    ¡°...Basara E von Saharan, duke of the Saharan Empire and legitimate sessor of the throne, vows in the eyes of the goddess of light. I will repay three great favors to the Overgeared King for the rest of my life. It is a grace that must be repaid even if I give up the session to the throne. Please don¡¯t forget it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Minor replied on behalf of Grid.His nk expression no longer saw Grid as a king but a god.


    Grid spoke immediately, ¡°I want to obtain ck mithril.¡±

 Chapter 1075

    ¡°I want to obtain ck mithril.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Basara replied immediately with a slightly perplexed expression crossing her face.


    It was only a moment, but Grid didn¡¯t miss it.¡°Is it a tough request?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Please be honest. It will be hard for me if your position is risked by my request.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to consider my position. Your Majesty only needs to tell me what you want.¡±


    Was it because she just swore she would pay back three favors? Basara¡¯s attitude was very strong.


    As a result, Grid became frustrated. ¡°You are the one responsible for the harmony between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. Until then, your position shouldn¡¯t be weakened.¡±


    Basara spoke honestly, ¡°In fact, you have to take a big risk if you want to obtain ck mithril. The ck mithril mine is managed by His Majesty the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the empire but the emperor himself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ck mithril is an important resource for the imperial family. The ck mithril mine has been managed by the emperor or the crown prince for generations. However, the crown prince hasn¡¯t been decided yet, so His Majesty has to manage it himself.¡±


    ¡°Are they going so far just because ck mithril can ept the red energy?¡±


    ¡°That one reason is enough. Red energy has the effect of strengthening, restoring, and awakening the body¡¯s physical abilities. The ultimate goal of the Saharan Empire is to acquire as much ck mithril as possible to equip as many soldiers as possible. The founding emperor was able to establish an empire due to the power of the Red Legion. It is no wonder that his descendants are obsessed with ck mithril. Titan was chosen as the capital because it contains the only ck mithril mine on the continent.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a story that told of the emperor¡¯s obsession with ck mithril since he chose the location of the capital based on the mine. Grid realized that securing ck mithril would be much more difficult than expected.¡°Yet it doesn¡¯t seem to be a big deal to have ck mithril outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is very difficult to obtain. The only practical way is to subdue a Red Knight and rob them of their armor, but that would be hard now. The moment Edan was dered a traitor, the Red Knights would¡¯ve been purged.¡±


    ¡°The Red Knights would be purged?¡±


    Grid had witnessed firsthand the loyalty of the Red Knights to the emperor. Mercedes was a prime example. The emperor would purge them despite knowing their loyalty...? Even if themander Limit was a member of the empress¡¯ faction, why purge the knights under him? It wasn¡¯t easy to understand. Grid was baffled.


    Basara smiled. ¡°It is an easy and sure way of governing. The vast majority of Red Knights would still be loyal to the royal family, but if a handful of them are tainted by Sword Duke Limit¡¯s ideas, they would be a big risk in the future.¡±


    ¡°It is too harsh. Purging knights who have been devoted to the nation just because of the possibility that they could be dangerous...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t anything new. The Red Knights, including Sir Piaro, have been purged once already.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is a problem if they aren¡¯t purged. There would be a big bacsh. There are no nobles who can ept an organization contaminated by traitors.¡±


    ¡°Then the nobles would rmend to the emperor new knights to rece the Red Knights. Their rtives,¡±Lauel interrupted. He spoke on Grid¡¯s behalf because he thought there would be no progress in the conversation, ¡°Is it impossible to infiltrate the mine and secretly mine ck mithril? There is a great sage here capable of using Mass Teleport.¡±


    ¡°There are all sorts of enchantments in the mine, so teleportation andmunication magic are impossible. Additionally, ck mithril can only be mined once a year.¡±


    ¡°Once a year?¡±


    ¡°Yes. On that day, His Majesty leads the guards and heads to the mine. In order to mine ck mithril, you have to visit the mine on the same day as His Majesty the Emperor. Even if you seed in infiltrating the mine, you¡¯ll have to face the guards. You will immediately be hostile to the imperial family, and the harmony between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire will never be achieved.¡±


    ¡°Then there is no way after all?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one. Infiltrate the emperor¡¯s royal treasure house where the ck mithril mined for generations is kept. If you aim for the day when His Majesty goes to the mine, it is worth trying because many of the guards will be away.¡±


    ¡°The emperor¡¯s treasure house...¡±


    It was the treasure house of the emperors who dominated the West Continent. Many of the guards might be away, but it would almost certainly boast more guards than anywhere else. It might be much more difficult than approaching a dragonir. Still, everything was rtive. It was certainly better than heading for the ck mithril mine and encountering the emperor.


    ¡®In any case, the most superior materials are always a problem.¡¯


    Their whereabouts were unknown, and the difficulty of obtaining them was also high. Grid clicked his tongue and asked Basara, ¡°What is the day that the emperor will leave for the mine?¡±


    Would it be a few monthster? Would his patience run out if he waited while sucking on his fingers? While Grid was worried, he received an unexpected answer.


    ¡°In the next eight days.¡±


    ¡°Eight days?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is just a short time away. It might be easier than you think to infiltrate the emperor¡¯s treasure house because of the confusion Edan caused. Even so, I can¡¯t guarantee sess.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Edan running wild really helped in this situation. The moment that a smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face...


    ¡°By the way, why aren¡¯t you paying attention to the meteorite?¡±A familiar voice rang out. Grid looked back and saw a small shadow under therge table lined with wood. It was the dwarf Ke. The visitor hade without permission.


    ¡®How did he get in?¡¯


    The entrance of the meeting room was naturally guarded by knights. Then the assassins of the Overgeared Shadows were waiting inside. Yet Dwarf Ke managed toe here without being stopped. The baffled Grid suddenly looked at Ke¡¯s feet. A small yellow golem was sticking its head out of a tunnel. It seemed to resemble an elemental, but it was different. The light elemental didn¡¯t respond at all.


    Keughed.¡°It is an artificial elemental. The golem¡ªmade of earth and metal¡ªwas imbued with an ego by processing an earth elemental, but it is pretty useless. As you can see, its digging ability is excellent, and it can smell minerals and guide me there.¡±


    ¡°Then can¡¯t you easily infiltrate the emperor¡¯s castle?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a big deal. I did it over 100 years ago and got stuck in that cage. I¡¯m not going to repeat the same mistake.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why was he trapped in the Abyss? It turned out he was a thief. Grid frowned as he stared at Ke. ¡°You destroyed my castle at will and invaded this ce illegally. Thus, you¡¯ll have to go to jail again.¡±


    ¡°W-What... Do you need to do that? A broken castle can be fixed in a few days. Just fill the hole again. Additionally, I broke in, but... it wasn¡¯t intentional. This artificial elemental smelled minerals and did it at will!¡±


    ¡°How will you take responsibility for the inconveniences that people will experience while a broken castle is repaired? Additionally, whether you did it intentionally or not, is it right to intrude without permission?¡±


    Grid treated Ke as a guest. This was the first dwarf he¡¯d met and he wanted to make a good connection, which was why he saved Ke. However, this concept was too much. Grid wanted to establish a good rtionship, but he was going to explode. The first thing to teach such a person was courtesy. Manners must be established. The moment that Grid decided to ce Ke in prison...


    ¡°I won¡¯t just repair the castle, I¡¯ll expand it! I was originally a castle-building craftsman! Even the King of Lubana once asked me to build him a fortress!¡±


    ¡°...King of Lubana?¡±


    ¡°It was Madra. He was a very old man and the king of a failed country, so he didn¡¯t leave a proper name in history. You won¡¯t know him.¡±


    He had met someone who knew Madra. Grid¡¯s mood became strange. Ke kept talking, ¡°The reason why I broke into your castle was due to my desire to see your great works. It was never an act of malice. Please let me off just once! I¡¯ll be careful not to do it again!¡±


    ¡°...It is hard if I want to set a standard of discipline.¡±


    ¡°I identally overheard your conversation. Are you nning to create a new mineral? Using blood stone and adamantium? I don¡¯t know about blood stone, but you don¡¯t have to remove the unique properties of adamantium. The fragment of the meteorite that fell from space and lost its light is adamantium. This sword is made of a meteorite.¡±


    Dwarf Ke was pointed to the Star Sword. It was an item left behind by Sword Duke Limit. The item information described it as a sword made from a ¡®star fragment¡¯, but Grid hadn¡¯t known it meant a meteorite. He never imagined that a meteorite¡¯s identity would be adamantium that had lost its properties.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this good?¡¯


    Adamantium¡¯s properties didn¡¯t only consist of its powerful divine power. Adamantium also had the strength, hardness, and brittleness that producers wanted. Of course, there were limits, but it was a mineral that could be utilized actively. It was a pity that those properties had to be deleted, but Dwarf Ke provided him with a new solution.


    Grid barely restrained the corners of his mouth from curving upward as he spoke with a bold expression, ¡°Okay. If you rebuild the castle as promised and cooperate in the creation of this mineral, I will forget about putting you in prison.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Thank you! Really, thank... you?¡±


    Was this a situation where he should feel thankful? Ke suddenly felt doubtful, but he let it go. He was just relieved that he wouldn¡¯t have to go to prison.


    ***


    The Saharan imperial household¡¯s army was strong. The level of the soldiers was high andparable to the imperial army. They had many skills and excellent equipment. It was as if the Ares Army and Overgeared Army werebined. However, Valha¡¯s yers defeated the imperial household¡¯s army rtively easily.


    It was thanks to the active role of their military adviser, Sima Qian. Sima Qian noted that a civil war was currently urring. He used the imperial household¡¯s mentality to arrive at the marquis¡¯ territory one step ahead of Marquis Aileen. He ced troops along the shortest route avable to each army and ambushed the imperial household army, defeating them all over the capital. Only messages of victory could be heard.


    ¡°Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.¡± Ares burst outughing as he received good news about the level of the guild members and soldiers soaring.


    Sima Qian was humble. ¡°It was possible due to the information from the grandmaster. Without his information, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to put the soldiers in the right ce.¡±


    ¡°He just gave a small hint. It was purely your talent. Then are you now going to save Marquis Aileen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    He would save Marquis Aileen and escort the marquis to safety, then they would stay in the marquis¡¯ territory and wait for Edan¡¯s arrival. Prince Edan would rally the Red Knights, allowing him to endure the offensive of the imperial army for the time being. It was for a maximum of 10 days. This was enough.


    ¡°Prince Edan is rtively young and has less exposure to outside forces than the other princes. If he raises the banner of independence from the imperial royal family to protect the rights of the minorities, he will win support from ethnic minorities all over the nation.¡±


    ¡°Many minorities will rally to Marquis Aileen and the empire¡¯s civil war will be lengthened. At that time, we will move the main army to the border and conquer the outskirts of the empire.¡±


    The Saharan Empire, which reigned over the West Continent, was treated as something insurmountable that yers couldn¡¯t surpass. He would be the first to break down the mighty empire that even Grid never crossed. Ares¡¯ blood was boiling.

 Chapter 1076

    ¡°It is a report from the scouts.¡±


    ¡°Viscount Donut¡¯s engineering unit has been tied up in Elkas swamp. It is believed that the Thallen Dam copsed and flooded the river, affecting the swamp.¡±


    ¡°The dam suddenly copsed? It is Valha¡¯s handiwork.¡±


    ¡°Due to the dyed arrival of the engineers, the army of the five eastern nobles¡ªincluding the viscount¡ªcan¡¯t cross Gran Canyon. The bridges connecting the canyons are too old for us to march over.¡±


    ¡°ording to a report submitted by Lord Cran, the canyon¡¯s bridges were repaired three months ago. Yet they are already too old? Is this the work of Valha?¡±


    ¡°It appears that the report was fabricated.¡±


    ¡°He made a false report. Immediately put him to death.¡±


    ¡°The 2nd and 3rd armies, who were tracking Marquis Aileen, split into 23 units. It seems that they n to spread out after determining that the traces of Marquis Aileen ended at Mount Teri.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have to hold onto Aileen. If he escapes, he can be a focal point of the empress¡¯ nobles.¡±


    ¡°It is said that the spread out 2nd and 3rd armies are being attacked by Valha!¡±


    ¡°A battle has begun in Delpito Forest! It is that damn Valha again!¡±


    ¡°Those bastards!¡±


    Chensler, who had been responding calmly to the incessant reports, finally jumped up. Originally, his mission was to search for the traitor Edan and neutralize Edan¡¯s forces, but Valha¡¯s malicious intervention twisted things.


    ¡°These despicable guys decided to break the agreement by using the chaos in the imperial family. Why did Vermonth make a peace treaty with these lowly guys?¡±


    Bang! Chensler mmed his hand on the ck iron table, and it cracked, quickly splitting in half. Amazed by the ridiculous power, the lieutenant gulped and reported carefully, ¡°I found out a little while ago... The person who led the agreement with Valha was the grandmaster, not Vermont.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Chensler looked like he had been struck by a lightning bolt. Grandmaster Zikfrector had already served several emperors. He was the transcendent being who acted as the imperial guardian for so long that it was impossible to measure his age. Of course, he never acted as a guardian. He always moved privately and showed disrespect to the emperor. Yet the emperor relied on him.


    No, it was more urate to say that the emperor was forced to rely on him. The grandmaster knew more about the secrets of the imperial family than the emperor, and his armed force exceededmon sense. The emperor replied on him, and as a loyalist, Chensler also respected him.


    At this moment, suspicion started to grow. The grandmaster, who had never been involved in external activities, negotiated with Valha directly? Now, Valha was disturbing the imperial army as if he could see through the army¡¯s movements...?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    A turncoat? No, it was still too early to tell. It wasn¡¯t convincing that someone who had been staying in the imperial pce for hundreds of years would suddenly be a turncoat. Then it happened when Chensler was at a loss.


    ¡°Breaking news! The remnants of the Red Knights are attacking soldiers searching the capital!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the Red Knights defeated by the Neo Red Knights?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t figure out what is going on! We can¡¯tmunicate with the Neo Red Knights!¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    His Majesty was in danger. A chill went down Chensler¡¯s spine as he ran out of the barracks.


    ¡°Go to the imperial pce right away!¡±


    ***


    ¡°Please give permission for the forces of our two families to enter the capital. Together, we will search for Edan,¡± Duke Grenhal and Morse requested the emperor. Once they learned of Valha¡¯s intervention, they realized that the situation was much more serious than they had thought.


    Prince Edan wasn¡¯t running wild. This urring situation was a thorough n. It was dangerous. There would surely be someone big hiding behind the scenes. The dukes became nervous once they calcted up to this point. They feltpelled to arrest Edan as soon as possible to calm the situation.


    ¡°Okay.¡±The emperor didn¡¯t think about it for too long. He was also fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. Furthermore, he was in a situation where he had to show trust in the dukes. He needed to regain their loyalty after they had been greatly angered by the imperial family.


    ¡°Call your army to the capital right now...¡±At the moment when the emperor was giving amand...


    The jade door of the audience hall,rger than a house, opened slowly and an unexpected figure appeared. ¡°Please take back the mandate. A noble¡¯s soldiers aren¡¯t suitable to enter the capital.¡±


    It was the traitor who the soldiers had been searching the capital for¡ª4th Prince Edan.


    ¡°Y-You!¡± The emperor eximed, standing up with a red face. He raised his bloodshot eyes and shouted, ¡°Stupid guy...! In order to cover up the sins of your mother, you threatened the nobles supporting the nation and worsened the situation here...! You became drunk on power, and your eyes darkened!¡±


    The moment he learned the truth from Benoit, the emperor vowed to punish Empress Marie, but he had no intention of punishing Edan. It was natural since there was no evidence of Edan¡¯s involvement in the Piaro situation. That¡¯s right. Edan would¡¯ve been able to survive the waves that came. His position might¡¯ve been weakened, but he could¡¯ve avoided a disastrous end. He could have enjoyed the pride of having the great Saharan¡¯s blood and lived his life quietly.


    Yet the foolish man did something stupid. He was guilty of the crimes of covering up the truth, pleading for his mother, and imprisoning the innocent dukes. The emperor was also a father. Juander felt heartbroken. He resented the terrible reality of having to kill his child with his own hands.


    Edan smiled as he gazed at the red-faced emperor.¡°Then I should do nothing? My stupid mother fell into a bucket of shit, and I should just suck my fingers?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°What sphemous words!¡± Surprised by the harsh tone, Duke Grenhal shouted on behalf of the emperor.


    Still, his shout couldn¡¯t stop Edan. Edan¡¯s nostrils red, and he continued to speak nonsense, ¡°This is the fault of my father for not doing his job. Why didn¡¯t you let go of your expectations for my weak first brother, my unqualified second brother, and my third brother who left home to wander? You should¡¯ve appointed me as crown prince after I worked hard, proving my qualities and gaining the achievement of discovering the ancient weapon¡ªthe machine machines."


    ¡°...Shut that mouth.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make me the crown prince? Is it because I was the offspring of a concubine? No, that can¡¯t be. Wasn¡¯t your father the child of a concubine as well? Then why? Is it because I¡¯m not the blood of Aria who you loved?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°You should shut up! Emperor! Don¡¯t you know that you have always been the problem?! If your arrogance hasn¡¯t pierced the sky...! If your gaze had been directed to your side instead of the East Continent, my mother wouldn¡¯t have dared tomit the sin! Empress Aria wouldn¡¯t have died, Piaro wouldn¡¯t bebeled a traitor, and today¡¯s events wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡± The emperor read the poison and killing intent in Edan¡¯s eyes. Now, there was no turning back. There was no point in any conversation beyond this. He made a sorrowful expression and ordered Bain behind him, ¡°Grab him right away and lock him in prison.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bain showed no hesitation. His loyalty to the emperor, which hid the fact that he was a Lantier, was false. He had no respect for the royal family, so he had no hesitation to kill the imperial princes. Duke Grenhal felt wind pass by his ears. Then Edan, who was 30 meters away, was seen flying.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±Edan rolled on the floor covered with red carpet and wiped the blood flowing from his lips. He stood up, unaware that he had fallen at the emperor¡¯s feet, but it was useless. Bain appeared behind him and grabbed Edan¡¯s back with his hand, making Edan unable to move.


    ¡°Get rid of your dirty hands! I am the future of the empire! I am the only person qualified to be emperor!¡± Edan shouted andunched his red energy. The de-like red energy emanated from Edan and threatened Bain, causing him to jump away. Edan finally regained his freedom and pulled a sword from his waistband. It was a ck sword surrounded by a dark red energy.


    ¡°That sword!¡± The emperor¡¯s eyes widened. The sword that Edan pulled out was made from smelted ck mithril, but the level of red energy injected into it was unusual.


    ¡®Is it above my level of red energy?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t enough to say that he was inferior. This was an altogether different dimension. Who did this red energy belong to? The moment the emperor felt doubts.


    ¡®What?¡¯Bain stopped in ce as he tried to subdue Edan again. He was convinced that he would be cut the moment he approached Edan.


    Edan smiled as silence fell.¡°Didn¡¯t you wonder why His Majesty¡¯s army couldn¡¯t find me?¡±


    Step.Step.Step. The sound of someone¡¯s footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside. They were unhurried footsteps, moving without the slightest hesitation. The footsteps were familiar to everyone.


    Edan¡¯s words continued, ¡°There is only one ce that His Majesty¡¯s army can¡¯t reach.¡± It was the Celestial Pce¡ªthe pce where Grandmaster Zikfrector lived. ¡°It was because I was hiding there.¡±


    At the same time as Edan¡¯s shocking words...


    Step.The footsteps from the corridor stopped in front of the audience hall. The emperor, the two dukes, and even Bain couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the owner of the footsteps.


    ¡°I will now install 4th Prince Edan as the new emperor. The proof of qualification for the recement is the sword of the founding emperor, Saharan,¡± the master of the footsteps, Grandmaster Zikfrector, dered with a polite expression.


    Simultaneously, in Marquis Aileen¡¯s territory...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it past the scheduled time that Prince Edan should arrive?¡± Ares, who faced the increasingly fierce imperial army, felt that things were going wrong. The current situation seemed abnormal. Didn¡¯t the military adviser Sima Qian guess all of the imperial army¡¯s paths and hinder their advance? Why were there so many imperial forces surrounding the castle? There was at least three times the number that Sima Qian expected. It would be hard to hold out against the offensive unless the imperial prince, the magic machines, and the Red Knights joined quickly. Yet they weren¡¯t present.


    Ares¡¯ anxiety grew.


    ¡°...It seems we have been used,¡±Sima Qian said desperate words.¡°It seems that the grandmaster has been using us. Prince Edan won¡¯t be here. I¡¯m sorry. It is my fault. Please cut my throat now.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Ares¡¯ mind was nk. After a moment of self-doubt, he quickly came to his senses and ordered Luck and Scott, ¡°Take away the military adviser. We have no future if the military adviser dies here.¡±


    On this day, most of the yers in the Ares Army¡ªincluding Ares¡ªdied. Valha lost the bulk of their food and troops that they had been stockpiling for years. It was a big blow for the entire country.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°Okay.¡± Grid seeded in melting the Star Sword and gaining adamantium. He was going to act with Basara from now on. In order to infiltrate the emperor¡¯s treasure house, it was necessary to enter the imperial pce. It was virtually impossible for Grid, the king of another country, to enter the imperial pce without the invitation of the emperor. Thus, he nned to enter the imperial pce in advance, disguised as Basara¡¯s subordinate.


    ¡®It is an opportunity to try out a face mask.¡¯


    He was excited. He wanted to create the new mineral soon. Grid¡¯s spirit was raised as he shouted,¡°Sticks! Send me and Basara to the outskirts of the capital of the empire!¡±

 Chapter 1077

    Most incidents in Satisfy had witnesses. The operators? No, they were yers. There were more than two billion yers, and they existed everywhere in Satisfy. They were connected to Satisfy¡¯s vast worldview by directly or indirectly experiencing various stories that unfolded throughout the continent.


    This time was the same as well. The emperor¡¯s pce was regarded as one of thergest buildings on the West Continent. There were yers among the thousands of workers. Among them were a few with the skills to deceive the royal guards. Some of them were interested in the imperial upheaval and wandered around the audience hall.


    Then they witnessed it. It was the emergence of 4th Prince Edan. The traitor, the source of the current chaos, wandered the pce and indiscriminately ughtered the royal guards. He opened the door of the audience hall while covered with red blood.


    An uproar followed. The yers approached the audience hall with great curiosity while holding their breaths. The probability of being expelled from the imperial pce or killed was close to 99.9%, but they couldn¡¯t retreat from the ¡®jackpot scandal.¡¯ They had to be the best in each field to work in the pce. As so-called rankers, they knew how powerful information was. They wanted to listen to the emperor¡¯s conversation even at the risk of their lives.


    ¡®The imperial concubine was the one who killed the empress?¡¯


    ¡®This happened because Edan tried to kill the dukes who learned about it.¡¯


    ¡®It is a household drama...¡¯


    It was pretty good information. Selling this to gossip media would be a good source of ie, and they could build up good rtionships by notifying the yers who were still the empress¡¯ knights without knowing the situation. Someone cut open a potted nt. Someone else wiped the dust on a window frame. Then someone¡¯s footsteps were heard in the ears of the yers who were trying to listen in on the audience hall.


    Step.Step.Step.


    They were creepy footsteps. Was it possible to walk slowly in the bloody corridor? They were even approaching the turbulent audience hall. The yers felt a sense of alienation and became alert. They felt the owner of the footsteps wasn¡¯t a normal person and tried to hide as much as possible.


    However, it was useless. This was Grandmaster Zikfrector. Some people heard it, and others identally witnessed it. The moment the super-named NPC whose exact identity was unknown appeared, the yers who used their skills were amazed.


    [You can¡¯t deceive the senses of the target!]


    [The ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill has been turned off.]


    [The target has grasped your intentions!]


    [The ¡®Irrelevant Person¡¯ skill has been turned off.]


    [The target has noticed your magic power!]


    [The unique magic ¡®Chameleon¡¯ has been released.]


    The yers... The skills and magic that the rankers were so proud of were easily neutralized just by the presence of the grandmaster.


    ¡°Uh... Uwahh...¡±The unexpectedly exposed yers stepped back with fright. Like ants on the roadside, they felt an endless feeling of helplessness in front of the grandmaster who didn¡¯t give them a single nce. Then...


    Step.


    However, the grandmaster had no interest in them. He ignored them as he entered the audience hall.


    ¡°What... A great demon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In any case, they survived. The yers touched their chest with relief and sank down. How would the grandmaster intervene in the epic family fight? It happened with the yers, whose curiosity increased, listened to the inside of the audience hall.


    ¡°Run away now!¡±Someone¡¯s sudden cry rang out from a distant hallway. The surprised yers shifted their gaze, and they saw a familiar face. It was Zibal¡ªone of the strongest yers and Edan¡¯s subordinate. Behind him were dozens of knights in red armor.


    ¡°The Red Knights!¡±


    The surprised yers jumped up. They didn¡¯t know what disaster they had encountered and used all types of skills to escape. Still, they were too slow. The single digit knights stepped out to stop them, binding them.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Zibal cursed and pulled out his sword. Amazingly, he was trying to kill the yers. One of the knights pulled out a swordter than Zibal yet managed to block his sword. Her name was Susan. She was the cousin of the legendary knight Mercedes and a member of the Neo Red Knights, who had been created by the emperor and trained by the grandmaster himself.


    ¡°They will resurrect if you kill them. It is better to put them in prison. It will be hard if the things they saw and heard here get out.¡±


    Susan had a beautiful face that resembled Mercedes¡¯, but her expression and tone were ice cold. Her transparent eyes nced at Zibal. ¡°Sir Zibal. Did you know that and intentionally tried to kill them?¡±


    ¡®What eyes...¡¯


    Her cold eyes were like ice. His heart would be cold when facing those eyes. Zibal gulped and smiled awkwardly.¡°No way. I was just short-sighted.¡±


    His gaze was directed at the yers. The people kneeling on the icy marble floor might be imprisoned for longer than they imagined. They would waste time and fall behind others. Some might have to put down the business card called a ¡®ranker.¡¯


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    When did he be someone who was worried about others? Anxiety grew in Zibal¡¯s heart as he clicked his tongue.¡®This ruined everything.¡¯


    Edan was dered a traitor and was in danger of losing everything. Zibal had plenty of opportunities to leave his side. Yet Zibal didn¡¯t leave. He faced a great crisis by choosing to remain with the traitor. Why? It wasn¡¯t just out of the expectation that the ownership of Raiders would be transferred to him if he maximized his affinity with Edan.


    Zibal had served Edan for a few years and received a lot of favors. As a Blue Sky Rider to an ancient rider, Zibal was a special presence for Edan. When Zibal fled to help the Haken Kingdom, Edan had told him, ¡°Thank you for telling the world about the power of the magic machine.¡±


    Zibal wasn¡¯t punished. He also had many memories together with the members of the magic machines unit. For him to abandon them and run away alone...? It was impossible for the current Zibal. He had once lost everything and be alone, so he desperately knew the preciousness of colleagues.


    ¡®Tsk. I hope this will go well.¡¯Ziball looked anxiously at Edan¡¯s back through the half open audience hall. Edan had the support of the grandmaster, but that was precisely the problem. The grandmaster was a man who couldn¡¯t be trusted. He couldn¡¯t be trusted after betraying the emperor right now.


    ¡®What is he trying to do by cing Edan as emperor?¡¯


    Edan and the grandmaster were in a rtionship of necessity. Edan wanted to be emperor, and the grandmaster decided to help Edan because he could get something. There was no guarantee the grandmaster would be on Edan¡¯s side after the grandmaster got what he wanted.


    ¡®Sigh, I have to be involved with that bastard.¡¯


    In fact, Zibal knew that there was only one end waiting for Edan. It was an unfortunate one. This was natural. Edan lost sight of himself a long time ago. The reason he decided to be emperor a long time ago might¡¯ve been for his mother, but now he had be a scoundrel who insulted his mother in front of others and pointed his sword at his father. His evil deeds had brought suffering upon many people, and he eventually became someone who couldn¡¯t be saved.


    ¡®No, I still don¡¯t know. Things can work out,¡¯Zibal prayed. He hoped that Edan got what he wanted. From then on, he would live and atone for his sins.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget my grace and give me the magic machine. Make me a duke as well.¡¯


    ***


    While the outside of the audience hall was in turmoil...


    ¡°I will now install 4th Prince Edan as the new emperor. The proof of qualification for the recement is the sword of the founding emperor, Saharan.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was silence inside the audience hall. Everyone was stunned by the grandmaster¡¯s absurd deration. Suddenly, Duke Grenhal came to his senses and shouted with a red face, ¡°Zikfrector! It is up to the emperor to decide who will be the next emperor! How dare you try and ce a new emperor?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have enough understanding. I presented the founding emperor¡¯s sword as proof of qualification. Don¡¯t you know that this qualification is enough to establish a new emperor?¡±It was still a careless expression.The grandmaster looked like he was going to yawn.


    Morse¡¯s anger soared, and he interjected, ¡°How can we believe that? I have never heard of the founding emperor¡¯s sword having such authority?! How can you prove it is the founding emperor¡¯s sword in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know it but one person knows.¡± The grandmaster¡¯s gaze was on the emperor.¡°Have you heard the meaning of Saharan¡¯s sword?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The emperor was silent, and the dukes¡¯ expressions becameplicated. The silence was agreement.


    ¡°If my descendants don¡¯t keep the promise, you can take away the throne at any time.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Those are the words that Saharan left behind before he died. It was conveyed to all the emperors after Saharan.¡±


    ¡°Why... Why is that?¡±


    The dukes were shocked, and Bain closed his mouth in amazement. They were confused. Why did the founding emperor leave such words? What was the promise? Since when did the grandmaster exist? Grandmaster Zikfrector didn¡¯t care about their confusion. He just looked at the emperor and said, ¡°Juander, you have forgotten.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You ignored my warnings several times and turned away from the Abyss.¡±


    At this moment...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the silent emperor finally opened his mouth. ¡°You didn¡¯t exin anything to me. You didn¡¯t give a proper warning either. You only rmended exploring the Abyss and were idle every time I put it off. Wouldn¡¯t it have been nice if you urged me to notice it was a warning? I didn¡¯t know the promise between you and my ancestor was intertwined with the Abyss. Many things have been lost and forgotten over the years!¡±


    ¡°You are certainly an ignorant dreamer.¡± The grandmaster¡¯s gaze changed for the first time.It was now a sympathetic gaze like he was looking at a pathetic creature. ¡°The moment you became emperor, you turned away from the space you should be responsible for.¡±


    Step.


    The grandmaster took a step forward.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even try to figure out what the promise was.¡±


    Step.


    Two steps.


    ¡°Instead of ming yourself for turning away from my voice, you¡¯re transferring the responsibility to others.¡±


    Step.


    Three steps. Yes, the grandmaster only took three steps, but he ended up right in front of the emperor. The space itself had folded. Bain felt that way.


    ¡°You are the most ipetent and selfish of all the emperors. You used the excuse of losing your beloved woman, but you have been ipetent and dull from the beginning. On the other hand...¡± The grandmaster finished his ruthless assessment of the emperor and turned his attention to Edan.¡°Your son has a very good side. He noticed what I wanted after visiting the Abyss once and suggested a deal. It was like the seconding of Saharan. I even felt joy.¡±


    The grandmaster tapped Saharan¡¯s sword with his finger. Then arge amount of red energy emerged from the sword, and the audience hall was dyed red. It was a light powerful enough to be seen by Grid¡¯s group that had just arrived at the outskirts of Titan.

 Chapter 1078

    Red energy was an innate force. It was difficult to train or grow, just like the blood-sucking ability of the vampires or the evil eyes. This was why the empire in the past simply established a person with superior red energy as the emperor. Those were the days when the strongest person was the emperor. The empire of that time was truly supreme and reigned over everyone.


    Then what about now? Years passed by, and the royal family became intoxicated with power. It wasn¡¯t the strongest but those who were good at machinations that repeatedly became emperor. At some point, the emperor was reduced to a word meaning those who were more insidious or were lucky. They merely habitually advocated the wishes of their ancestors to unify the West Continent and spread to the East Continent. They were busy enjoying a rich life. It was one of the reasons why the imperial family forgot about themitment to the grandmaster.


    The Abyss...


    The end of the world...


    It was the origin. It was presumed to be a passage connecting this world and hell and was a very important ce to fulfill the wishes of both Emperor Saharan and the grandmaster. Now, the grandmaster found it ridiculous because it was only treated as a prison.


    ¡°On the other hand, your son has a good side. He noticed what I wanted after visiting the Abyss once and suggested a deal. It was like the seconding of Saharan. I even felt joy.¡±


    ¡°What do you want in the Abyss?¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s meaningful words caused Emperor Juander¡¯s eyes to widen. The emperor knew that the Abyss was the end of the world. As a person went deeper, the concept of dimension and time disappeared, and it became an ominous ce that touched hell.


    ¡°Is your purpose to break down the boundaries between this world and hell, bringing about chaos?¡±


    ¡°That is a poor guess. Saharan, who joined hands with me, would swear at you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The grandmaster tapped Saharan¡¯s sword with his finger, and arge amount of red energy started to emerge. The blood red scenery changed into an ominous and terrible ce. Edan was engulfed in great power and barely suppressed his boiling instincts. ¡°Emperor! Make me the emperor right now! Then you won¡¯t lose your life!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that! No emperor has ever been usurped by his son!¡±It meant Juander alone couldn¡¯t be humiliated.


    ¡°Do you care about that despiteing to this point?¡±


    Saharan¡¯s red energy and the emperor¡¯s red energy shed in the air. The emperor gritted his teeth. He might be used of being ipetent and selfish by the grandmaster and Edan, but Juander was still the reigning emperor.


    Juander might¡¯ve overlooked the grandmaster¡ªwho had existed since the time of his father and grandfather¡ªand made the mistake of not looking after his family properly, but during Juander¡¯s reign, the empire abolished many ethnic minorities and made a stable economic development. From an external point of view, he was a ferocious viin who created a livable world for his people.


    What about now? The grandmaster¡ªwho turned away from state affairs¡ªand his son¡ªa high profile criminal whose sins couldn¡¯t be covered up¡ªwere criticizing him? The emperor felt resentful. He felt great hatred for both Edan and the grandmaster who were standing side by side in front of him.


    Juander¡¯s red energy was exceptional. Saharan¡¯s red energy didn¡¯t lose momentum and stayed strong. Yet it was only for a moment. Saharan¡¯s red energy¡ªthe tsunami-like power and sun-like heat that bound to matter and had dominance over life¡ªfar surpassed Juander¡¯s red energy. Saharan¡¯s red energy devoured all of Juander¡¯s red energy, and Edan¡¯s red energy became stronger. It happened in an instant. The force was absorbed.


    ¡°What?¡± The emperor was astonished by the strange phenomenon.


    Then the grandmaster murmured, ¡°The source is irresistible.¡±


    ¡°You...! Zikfrector!!¡± The emperor¡¯s bloody gaze returned to the grandmaster.His resentment was concentrated on the grandmaster.


    Looking back, didn¡¯t this person know everything? He had known the fact that it had been Empress Marie who killed Empress Aria and condemned Piaro. (TL Note: For those wondering, different Korean words are used for empress in regards to Marie and Aria. Aria is the official empress while Marie is like the imperial concubine and the Korean empress word used for her is one level below Empress Aria.)


    If the grandmaster had given him a small hint, then he might not have lost Aria and Piaro. Yet the grandmaster hadn¡¯t told him anything. He hadn¡¯t warned Juander that the promise between the grandmaster and the imperial family shouldn¡¯t be forgotten and never ended up telling him about the promise.


    ¡°You! You pushed me to this point!!¡± The red energy in the emperor¡¯s sword shot at the grandmaster¡¯s chest. The power was far beyond that of the dukes, and Zibal¡ªwho was watching from afar¡ªwas amazed.


    ¡®As expected, the emperor¡¯s level is above 500?¡¯


    It wasmon sense that an NPC in an important position would have a higher level and stats. He predicted that the emperor¡¯s level might be the best on the continent, but it was great to actually see it. Zibal thought that the grandmaster wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a big injury.


    Then what was this? The grandmaster stood still and blocked the emperor¡¯s attack. The pull of gravity suddenly increased, crushing the emperor¡¯s body and pushing the emperor¡¯s sword to the ground. The grandmaster¡¯s and emperor¡¯s eyes met.


    ¡°...¡±The grandmaster was silent. He didn¡¯t have to exin. His silence was a positive answer.


    ¡°...!¡± Crushed by gravity, the emperor, who had been distracted by the grandmaster, stepped back in amazement. Saharan¡¯s sword flew at the ce where he had just been standing. It was a narrow escape.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± The dukes watched with a sense of urgency as the emperor¡¯s shoulder was cut. They were forced to watch. Saharan¡¯s red energy, the origin of all the red energy, controlled the dukes who had served the imperial family for generations. The dukes couldn¡¯t deal a single blow. They could only kneel down and watch the situation with despair. It was the crisis of the emperor they served all their lives. A berserk maniac was trying to be the new emperor.


    ¡®Is there no one who can break through that line?¡¯


    The dukes¡¯ eyes were aimed at the corridor beyond the audience hall. Dozens of Red Knights and magic machine riders could be seen. They were a power that could be described as the most elite of the empire. Even if the imperial guards and the dukes¡¯ people joined forces, it would take a great deal of time to break through. The moment that the dukes began to despair...


    ¡°How long will you stay there? Escape quickly and call the army!¡± Bain blocked Edan¡¯s sword. As expected of the emperor¡¯s shadow.His attitude of defending the emperor was very desperate. They were confident he could be trusted.


    ¡°I know...! Please hold on a bit!¡± The dukes tried to move their heavy legs and raise their bodies.


    ¡°You have to stay here. I need someone to support the new emperor who will soon be born.¡±The grandmaster flicked his fingers and changed the gravity around the dukes.


    The dukes, who just stood up, were forced toy t again.¡°S-Shit!¡±


    It was a mighty magic power that went beyond that of the great demon Berith. This wasn¡¯t in the realm of a human. Grenhal opened the power of a berserker while Morse drew on the power of a beast. In order to stand up to the transcendent, they also approached transcendence.


    ¡°Annoying,¡± the grandmaster muttered at the sight of the dukes oveing gravity and took out two transparent orbs, letting them float around him. The orb was a tool that amplified magic power. It was the first time the grandmaster used magic, and the aftermath was severe.


    ¡°Kuooock...¡± Grenhal and Morse barely managed to stand up before being forced to sit down again. Those who opened up all their power couldn¡¯t beat the grandmaster because the dimension of their skills was different. Then there was a disturbance in the corridor.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    There was the sound of sts from the corridor, and the Red Knights¡¯ bodies started to float in the air. The Red Knights coughed up blood as they were thrown into the wall and became blood puddings. Grenhal and Morse¡¯s eyes shone brilliantly. ¡°Sir Chensler...!¡±


    It was Armored Cavalryman Chensler¡ªthe most loyal of the Five Pirs. His arrival changed the situation dramatically. The Red Knights¡ªapart from the single digit numbers¡ªfell like autumn leaves, and even the single digit knights were pushed to the entrance of the audience hall.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Chensler roared as he saw the situation inside the audience hall. Behind his back, hundreds of imperial guards could be seen.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Zibal and the riders tried to summon their magic machines.


    ¡°There is nothing good about a bigger turmoil.¡± The grandmaster stepped in and restrained the riders.


    The two orbs still floated around him as he held a sword in his hand. A magician using a sword? Zibal and the riders thought it was absurd, but those who knew the reality of the grandmaster became more nervous. In the beginning, the title of grandmaster was given to those who reached the peak in all fields.


    Chensler held a halberd and controlled his distance from the grandmaster. It was an attempt to create an area that was favorable to him, but he failed. The grandmaster¡¯s Earthquake forced Chensler to dodge. Chensler avoided it by leaping into the air, and this allowed the grandmaster to break through easily.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±Chensler would¡¯ve been fatally wounded if it wasn¡¯t for his armor. A chill went down Chensler¡¯s spine, but he kept fighting back. During this time in the air, he drew a half-moon with the halberd and pressed the grandmaster. In the meantime, the imperial guards tried to enter the audience hall.


    However, the Red Knights barred their way. The guards cried out,¡°Why are knights loyal to the emperor on the side of the rebels?¡±


    ¡°I realized how vain this loyalty was after learning of Zikfrector¡¯s greatness.¡±Susan fought against the guards. Her lineage couldn¡¯t be deceived. Like her cousin Mercedes, she had great skills. She wasn¡¯t an easy opponent for the guards. Blood and flesh were scattered throughout the corridor, and cruel screams filled the imperial pce.


    The situation inside the audience hall was reaching the worst. Bain was defeated by Edan. Edan, armed with Saharan¡¯s sword, was stronger than anyone else here.


    Edan pointed his sword at the emperor¡¯s neck and said,¡°Over the past few generations, the empire has be stagnant but it will be different in my generation. I want to know. Why did our ancestors want to advance to the East Continent? I will surely cross the Red Sea.¡±


    ¡°You will regret it one day. A sword will be pointed to you, just like the grandmaster did to me.¡±


    ¡°That is possible... Still, isn¡¯t it a hundred times better to die as the emperor than to die now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father, I will inherit the throne.¡±Edan no longer hesitated. He gave strength to his hand to insert his sword into the emperor¡¯s neck.


    Simultaneously...


    ¡°Knight Summoning!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A strange voice was heard from the corridor filled with metal colliding and screams.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Apletely unexpected name popped up. The emperor who was waiting for death, the two dukes who were looking on with sorrow, the watching Bain, and Edan who had the throne in front of him... Everyone was baffled and turned their attention outside the audience room. There...


    ¡°...¡±


    The pir who once sustained the empire...


    The hero of the past was looking around the audience hall with disinterested eyes.


    The eyes of the imperial guards and the Red Knights were bloodshot. It was a reflexive reaction. All of the people here respected Piaro.


    ¡°Piaro, I¡¯m sorry, but let¡¯s save the emperor,¡± the voice of someone standing behind Piaro echoed in the silent hallway. Everyone could see the ck-haired man. It was Overgeared King Grid. His authority was astounding.


    Piaro, who showed killing intent when he saw the emperor, quickly became a gentle sheep.¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    The peerless Piaro, one of the greatest heroes in the history of the empire, was politely receiving the Overgeared King¡¯s order.


    ¡°Why is the traitor here?¡± Susan btedly blocked the path in front of Piaro. Piaro was a great swordsman in the past, but Susan had also recently be a great swordsman. She even learned magic from the grandmaster and was confident in her skills. Her ambition was to be better than Mercedes, and she wasn¡¯t afraid of Piaro.


    ¡°Torrent of Protection!¡±


    A pir of transparent light fell around Susan¡¯s body. It was the grandmaster¡¯s personal best buff that greatly increased all stats. The moment she tried to swing her sword at Piaro...


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort,¡± the Overgeared King quietly dered. The light that surrounded Susan¡¯s body was extinguished without a trace.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    A hand plow struck the forehead of the baffled Susan. No one in the corridor was able to stop Piaro. All the agricultural tools in his hands caused everyone to harden like stone statues.

 Chapter 1079

    The red light from the imperial pce covered the entire capital, Titan. This meant that Grid could witness the sight from the outskirts.


    ¡°A veryrge butcher¡¯s store...!¡± This was Grid¡¯s impression.


    Grid shouted it unknowingly, but fortunately, Basara¡¯s group didn¡¯t hear it. No, they heard it, but they couldn¡¯t afford to worry about it. It was because they were busy worrying about the change in the capital that was now unfolding in front of them.


    ¡°The sky and the earth are red... Why is this...?¡±


    ¡°A fearful omen. The 4th imperial prince is crazy, and the empire will be destroyed.¡±


    Basara¡¯s retainersmented. They felt a great ominous feeling from this iprehensible supernatural phenomena. This was when Basara¡¯s clear voice awakened everyone¡¯s spirit, ¡°That is red energy.¡±


    ¡°Red energy?¡±


    Anxiety was washed away from the faces of those who learnt the identity of the red light shrouding the capital. The red energy was a symbol of the imperial family. From the standpoint of those who served the royal Basara, the red energy was an auspicious power.


    ¡°The red energy could be this widespread? His Majesty¡¯s power is much greater than I thought.¡±


    People believed that the owner of this red energy was naturally the emperor. The emperor¡¯s red energy was the strongest in this era. However, Basara knew...


    The emperor¡¯s red energy wasn¡¯t this great. This was at a level that broke even themon sense of the imperial family.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    The main characteristic of red energy was the ¡®influence on matter.¡¯ In normal cases, the royalty raised their power by infusing red energy into certain substances and distributing it to their subordinates. The emperor¡¯s power was also unique due to his monopoly of red energy and the ck mithril.


    Yet there was a fact that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. The red energy could strengthen the material it was injected into, but it could also absorb the strength of the material. It was very inefficient to absorb the strength of the material while consuming red energy, so the existing royalty didn¡¯t operate the red energy this way.


    ¡®A person with so much red energy can absorb the strength of all things and exert transcendental power.¡¯


    Basara¡¯s expression turned cold. She sensed that the emperor was in a great crisis. Her retainers were also agitated.


    ¡°Why is His Majesty personally using the red energy? Don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    ¡°Is the 4th imperial prince attacking His Majesty?¡±


    The spection of the retainers shocked the 10,000 cavalrymen. Everyone looked at Basara nervously. Basara was forced to make a bold decision, ¡°Enter the capital in an armed state. We must immediately march to the imperial pce to help His Majesty.¡±


    Some of her retainers made objections once Basara gave the order. They were all opinions that came from their loyalty.


    ¡°The soldiers of the imperial family will block the gates. No matter our intentions, we can be regarded as traitors the moment there is an armed conflict. We can save His Majesty and lose everything.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, this is now an opportunity from Heaven. You can¡¯t help His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! First, contact the estate and ask for the army! The moment we hear that His Majesty is in trouble, we can march and upy the capital!¡±


    Basara was fifth in the line of session. She was ranked second highest after the princes, and as long as she maintained her duke rank and territory, her actual force went beyond the princes¡¯. Basara was the right person to be next to the throne. Of course, Basara herself didn¡¯t intend to refuse the throne. However, she judged that it was too premature.


    ¡®It is too dangerous until I know what the grandmaster is doing.¡¯


    Unlike the other emperors through the ages, Basara had no intention of ruling by force. It wasn¡¯t because she was a nonviolent person or that she was weak. She was just an extremely reasonable person. By coexisting with non-imperial countries and ethnic minorities, it would enrich them, and she would receive more tributes that would help the empire¡¯s future. Her ancestors had already demonstrated how inefficient it was to trample and dominate with unconditional force. It was doubtful if the grandmaster, who had been with the emperors of the past, would agree with Basara¡¯s ideas.


    ¡®The grandmaster is also a person who pursues hegemony, which is why he is on the empire¡¯s side.¡¯


    It was clear that her position would be troubling if she opposed the grandmaster. The power of the grandmaster, who had been with the imperial family for a long time, would easily surpass the new emperor. Unless she wanted to live as the grandmaster¡¯s puppet, Basara believed it would be better not to aim at the throne until she read his intentions. Therefore...


    ¡°No. We have to help His Majesty. His Majesty still needs to be in ce.¡±


    Basara ignored the opinions of her loyalists, and the 10,000 horsemen started their march. Thend became turbulent when 10,000 horses started running at once. The birds staying in the small mountains all over the ce were startled and flew into the sky.


    During the raucous march, Basara called out to Grid, ¡°Overgeared King!¡±


    Having witnessed the white-haired Grid at the Ruins of the War God, she interpreted that Grid was a masterparable to the grandmaster and made a request.


    ¡°It will take a while for our army to reach the imperial pce. Can you help His Majesty by going to the imperial pce first?¡±Basara¡¯s request had sufficient grounds.


    Grid¡¯s wish was the unity of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. Grid running over first and helping the emperor was a shortcut to achieve Grid¡¯s wish. It was as expected.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Grid happily epted Basara¡¯s request. It seemed as if he had been waiting for it.


    A somewhat bitter smile spread on Basara¡¯s face.¡°You have to go alone to a ce where the enemies are unknown... Yet you don¡¯t even hesitate.¡±


    Basara¡¯s affinity with Grid was already reaching the peak. The moment she received a proposal from Grid, she had enough affinity to n their honeymoon.


    She gave genuine advice to Grid, who started to manipte something, ¡°I am well aware of your strength. Still, be careful. There are many strong people in the imperial pce who can threaten you. When you arrive, read the situation first and only act when you can ensure your safety, rather than unconditionally help His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Grid answered while putting on a skin mask.


    [Berith¡¯s Skin Mask]


    [Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    Durability: 10/10 (can¡¯t be repaired)


    A mask made by Berith processing human skin.


    It boasts a perfect degree ofpletion because it contains Berith¡¯s magic of lies and distortion. It isn¡¯t only the face that is disguised but the body shape and voice as well. Thus, it transcends a simple mask.


    * You can disguise yourself as anyone you have a reasonable understanding of.


    * You must¡¯vemunicated at least 100 words with the target in order to gain the understanding needed for the disguise.


    * The higher the affinity of the target, the better the understanding.


    * The duration of the disguise depends on your understanding of the target.


    ¡ï You can only copy the appearance and voice of the target. Be extra careful about your words and actions after the disguise.


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    User Restriction: Level 380 or higher.


    Weight: 2]


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going,¡± Grid said through the skin mask. His tone was exactly like Basara¡¯s. That¡¯s right. In order to freely move through the imperial pce, he disguised himself as Basara, a member of the imperial family and a duke.


    Basara¡¯s face reddened.¡°This...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°M-My chest has swelled. Did you put cotton in? Surely the magic of a great demon isn¡¯t omnipotent enough to replicate all parts of the human body?¡±


    The embarrassed Grid forgot to act as he replied, ¡°O-Of course.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t answer honestly.


    ***


    The capital Titan was the heart of the empire. It was a magnificent and splendid city that gave a glimpse into the wealth and power of the empire. However, the red-colored Titan was apletely different city from what Grid had seen before. Knights riding horses raced down the roads, and soldiers with swords were seen in every alley. Signs of battle were found, and some aristocratic mansions were burning. The people, who lost their ce in this turmoil, crouched in a corner and cried.


    It was simply pandemonium.


    ¡®It¡¯s like a war.¡¯


    As Basara feared, this was an unusual situation. Grid had to hurry. This was a great opportunity to help the emperor and raise affinity. He was also worried about the dukes who had left to meet the emperor first.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Duke Basara?¡±The knights carefully searching the area found Grid disguised as Basara and got off their horses.


    Grid asked them, ¡°Are you searching for the rebel Edan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what is going on right now in the imperial pce?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in the imperial pce. We are worried because a red light suddenly burst out but two duke and the Five Pirs are there. We dare not question or worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Continue with what you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The knights hurriedly opened the way and Grid ran past them to the imperial pce. Grid thought about it,¡®No matter how I look, that son of a bitch Edan is fooling around.¡¯


    Edan shook off the soldiers¡¯ search and infiltrated the imperial pce to attack the emperor. The emperor exploded his red energy during the confrontation, and this influence turned the capital red. Grid could guess up to here.


    The one question was if Edan could do any harm to the emperor. As the knights said a while ago, the emperor was protected by the Five Pirs while Grenhal and Morse were visiting the emperor. Above all, the emperor himself was the strongest. Even if Edan was buffed by the obvious cliche in his role as a viin, it seemed impossible for him to break through these forces and harm the emperor.


    ¡®Thus, I need to hurry up.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think the situation would already be finished, but he had to go quickly or he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the emperor¡¯s favor. Grid increased his speed. Unfortunately, this female body was unfamiliar and ufortable. His limbs were long, but his hips were too big and his chest shook when he ran. He couldn¡¯t maintain his bnce. Grid could grab them every time he jumped, but he was worried about eyes and felt guilty toward Basara.


    ¡®Eh.¡¯


    Should he care about these small problems in such a desperate situation? Grid just grabbed his chest and started to run. The texture that was conveyed was... Omitted.


    ***


    ¡®How terrible.¡¯


    The scenery of the imperial pce was more serious than the capital¡¯s. Every corridor and pir was sprayed with red blood, and the groans of the dying soldiers echoed like a long song.


    ¡°D-Duke Basara...¡±


    ¡°The Red Knights... The Red Knights betrayed...¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is in danger...¡±


    The soldiers who discovered Grid coughed up blood. Grid, who learned of the situation, equipped the Ideal Dagger and used Quick Movements.


    ¡®The emperor failed to kill the Red Knights and was hit.¡¯


    The skills of the Red Knights weren¡¯t ordinary. Once the single digit knights joined forces, they couldpete with the dukes. Additionally, the Red Knights themselves had many people. Edan also had the magic machines unit, so the Five Pirs and the dukes couldn¡¯t easily stop his momentum.


    This was an opportunity for Grid. Grid elerated through the corridors. His transcendent senses were guiding him. As he got closer to the audience hall, he could hear the sound of friction, explosions, and metal colliding. Grid checked his condition after confirming that the duration of Quick Movements had ended.


    ¡®It is perfect.¡¯


    The only skill on cooldown was Quick Movements. All skills were avable, his health and mana were maintained at the maximum, and only a small amount of stamina was consumed.


    ¡®Before the Five Pirs wipe out the Red Knights, I will break through the Red Knights and give the emperor a vivid impression.¡¯


    Grid made a n and took off the skin mask. There was no need to expose the skin mask to the emperor or the Five Pirs. Moreover, it was necessary to reveal his identity. If they asked how he came to the imperial pce, he would have to speak with the dukes and answer in the most positive way possible. He finally got closer to the scene ofbat.


    At the end of the long corridor, knights in red armor could be seen. So far, it was as Grid had expected. Then he saw Grandmaster Zikfrector and Chensler fighting each other. The members of the Five Pirs that Grid were familiar with were fighting each other.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    One of them was on Edan¡¯s side? Or was there some type of disagreement and they were just fighting for a moment? Grid¡¯s confused gaze turned reflexively into the audience hall. Then he saw it. It was the sight of Edan¡¯s sword being pointed to the emperor. Grenhal and Morse were on the ground in a mess while Bain, another of the Five Pirs, was wounded.


    ¡®Did Edan do this?¡¯


    What mattered now wasn¡¯t grasping the situation. He had to save the emperor as soon as possible. In order to achieve harmony with the empire, the emperor who favored the dukes had to survive. How should he do this? Grid was daunted by the battle between the grandmaster and Chensler. The two monsters, who he didn¡¯t think he could win against even if he used ckening, were fighting in the middle of the corridor. Grid couldn¡¯t break through them to reach the audience hall.


    ¡®Braham, do you intend to wake up?¡¯He anxiously called out to Braham, but there was no answer. Braham, who had fallen asleep, seemed like he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a long time.


    -Grid!Don¡¯t interfere!A whisper flew toward Grid.


    The sender was Zibal. Grid turned his gaze and saw Zibal standing with the riders. Then Grid¡¯s face filled with frustration. He felt desperate because even if he broke through the Five Pirs and the Red Knights, there were still the magic machines.


    ¡°Knight Summoning!¡±


    That¡¯s why he summoned Piaro. He was convinced that he had to pull out the strongest hand. He also remembered that Piaro was one of the people rted to the empire.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    [Your knight ¡®Piaro¡¯ has arrived by your side.]


    It was a notification that came up without a pause. Grid affirmed it as he stared at the back of Piaro, who responded immediately to his call.


    ¡®Piaro won¡¯t die.¡¯


    He would make sure of it. The determined Grid gave an order in front of everyone. ¡°Piaro, I¡¯m sorry but let¡¯s save the emperor.¡±


    He surely wouldn¡¯t be willing. He would surely be hesitant. This was what Grid thought.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    To Grid¡¯s surprise, Piaro immediately agreed to the order. He pulled out a hand plow from among various farming equipment hanging from his waist and broke through the corridor.


    ¡°Piaro...!¡± The Red Knights cried out. None of them dared to block the path ahead of Piaro. Only one person was different.


    ¡°Damn! Don¡¯t interfere!¡±Only the yer Zibal summoned his magic machine and stood in front of the entrance to the audience hall. A giant and majestic magic machine came in contact with the high ceiling of the imperial pce as it stabbed at Piaro with a pir-like spear.


    ¡°Free Farming 2nd Style.Super Growth.¡±


    A soybean tree grew through the ground in an instant and blocked it. Not only did it block Raiders¡¯ spear, but it also grew vines that bound Raiders¡¯ arms and legs. Zibal became contemtive at the sight of Raiders who stopped moving for a while.


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    In the past, Zibal had already been beaten by Piaro. For Zibal, ¡®Reidan¡¯s crazy farmer¡¯ was imprinted in him as the strongest. However, he had forgotten. It was caused by witnessing the battle between the grandmaster and Chensler. Shortly after witnessing their battle, Zibal became rtively rxed and fearless as he faced Piaro for their long reunion.


    This was the result. The operating time was so short that even one second was precious. Raiders was tied up for three seconds, and this allowed Piaro to break through. Moreover, Piaro had already entered the audience hall and stopped Edan from killing the emperor.


    Saharan¡¯s sword and a sickle collided. Piaro¡¯s appearance, which hadn¡¯t changed since he left the empire, shocked Edan and the dukes.


    ¡°You have be a legend and broken the shackles...¡± A bitter voice filled withplex emotions¡ªEmperor Juander¡¯s voice echoed in the hall.


    On the other hand, Grid...


    ¡°Amazing. You infiltrated here so easily with your skills?¡±


    He was confronted by the grandmaster. Unlike the tense Grid, the grandmaster was smiling.¡°There is a lot of talent. I¡¯m bing more and more excited.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect from me?¡± Grid was in a position where he couldn¡¯t act.


    Asmophel, Mercedes, Noll, Jude, and the 10 meritorious retainers were avable, but he had to be cautious because he wasn¡¯t in a position to bring them all out. First of all, Asmophel and Mercedes were escorting the previous generation of Red Knights and weren¡¯t suitable to be called. Noll was another species, and Grid was afraid this would antagonize the emperor. Meanwhile, Jude was too weak. Most of all, Grid could only guarantee the life of one person. He only had one White Peach.


    Grid decided to talk to the grandmaster, who was interested in him, and further explore the situation.


    ¡°Tell me. What are you expecting from me?¡±Grid asked again.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you be the emperor?¡± The grandmaster returned with a question.


    Grid suddenly knew that all of today¡¯s events were caused by the grandmaster.

 Chapter 1080

    ¡°Won¡¯t you be the emperor?¡±


    Cats became tigers after three years of military life. They could read the timing just looking at the movement of the soldiers. It wasn¡¯t hard to know what was going on after Grid had been with Lauel for a few years.


    ¡°Grandmaster, you betrayed the emperor and stood on Edan¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°The expression ¡®betrayal¡¯ isn¡¯t appropriate. I¡¯m just exercising my right.¡±


    ¡°Your right?¡±


    The grandmaster was very kind to Grid. He told his story in great detail, ¡°A long time ago, a man came to me and offered me a deal. He asked me to make him the emperor. He said that if he became emperor, he would surely fulfill my heart¡¯s desire.¡±


    ¡°That person...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was Saharan. I made him emperor, but coincidentally, he failed to keep his promise to me. The promise he failed to keep was to be fulfilled by his descendants. However, time passed, and the imperial family forgot about their promise to me, reaching the present point.¡±The grandmaster¡¯s gaze turned to inside the audience hall.


    In the aftermath of the free farming, the audience hall was gradually bing farnd. Edan and Piaro could be seen fighting among the ripened rice.


    The grandmaster pointed to Edan¡¯s sword. ¡°That sword is a token of the promise. Saharan gave me a sword that contained his red energy, which elerated his death. Saharan told me. If the imperial family breaks their agreement with me, I will prove my qualifications with this sword and ascend to the throne myself. Then he made policies to fulfill my desire in the long term.¡±


    Grid listened to the friendly exnation and stabbed at the core, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    At this moment...


    ¡°...!¡± Everyone in the audience hall had wide eyes. All of them wondered about the grandmaster¡¯s desire. Based on that desire, they could infer the grandmaster¡¯s identity. However, Grid asked about the identity of the grandmaster. Asking for this person¡¯s identity without even mentioning the contents of the desire...? It wasn¡¯t prudent. The grandmaster wouldn¡¯t answer. People expected Grid¡¯s question to be ignored.


    It was as expected.


    ¡°...¡± The grandmaster was also a bit baffled. The question of his desire was expected, but the question of his identity was unexpected.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°Won¡¯t you ask me to fulfill your desire if I be the emperor? I can¡¯t make a deal with someone I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk...¡± The grandmaster burst outughing. It was extremely rare for him to express his emotions, and this was the first time the emperor had ever seen the grandmasterughing, despite having spent decades with him. ¡°...The only sinner of the seven.¡± Sorrow permeated his bored eyes. The grandmaster¡¯s clear eyes stared straight at Grid. ¡°The incarnation of the betrayer, who was blinded by the light and turned a blind eye to the crisis of hispanions who couldn¡¯t see the darkness. That is who I am.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was like lightning striking Grid¡¯s head. Grid knew the identity of those who were ¡®blinded by the light and couldn¡¯t see the darkness¡¯.


    ¡®The seven malignant saints...!¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be... The grandmaster¡¯s identity was the incarnation of the seven malignant saints? It was unimaginable for Grid, who had long known that they were sealed between the ¡®ground and hell.¡¯ Grid had stiffenedpletely while the other people were scrambling. It was the sound of their thoughts trying to catch up. It was rare for anyone to know the truth of the seven malignant saints, even if they searched the entire world. None of the people in the room could understand the conversation between Grid and the grandmaster.


    In the midst of the turmoil, the grandmaster said, ¡°I wanted to remove my guilt, so I did a great deal of work. In an attempt to ovee the terrible boredom, I gained time by pushing this present body into the ranks of a transcendent. I studied how to save the incarnations of my colleagues who confronted the gods and lost the ¡®past life qualifications,¡¯ unlike me. The reason why so many other races on the continent were captured and experimented with, why I needed by-products of a great demon and my desire for the evil eye... It was all part of this research. No matter how long I spent on it, I couldn¡¯t make a difference. It was impossible to fully ovee the boredom, so I made mistakes at every critical moment. However, I know the cause of my colleagues¡¯ failure. The biggest reason for the failure was that they didn¡¯t rely on the ¡®expelled¡¯ gods.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who were the expelled gods? The chaos inside Grid increased. The other people¡¯s unrest was also growing. No one directly linked the grandmaster to the seven malignant saints, but an increasing number of people noticed that the grandmaster had been ¡®something other than human from the beginning.¡¯


    The grandmaster read the situation and lowered his voice. As he whispered into Grid¡¯s ears, his voice contained a deep annoyance. It was troublesome. The grandmaster wanted to beat everything. These desires started to dominate him.


    ¡°I felt great hope when I found out that you have the power of Taren.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The answer lies in the Abyss. Be the emperor. Be the emperor, explore the Abyss, and trace the whereabouts of the expelled gods. The Second Seven Evils War will save the world from the fallen gods.¡±


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï The Sixth Evil¡¯s Proposal has urred!]


    [The Sixth Evil¡¯s Proposal]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The sixth evil Zik, who has the sin of sloth, is suggesting that you be the emperor.


    If you ept the offer, you will be the new master of the Saharan Empire!


    Quest Clear Condition: ept Zikfrector¡¯s offer.


    Quest Clear Rewards: The Saharan Empire.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    Grid had experienced countless hidden quests, but he had never seen a hidden quest on such a scale. This was a quest to devour the whole empire. Grid naturally...


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±He refused it.


    ¡°...?¡± The grandmaster was shocked. He had spoken honestly and hadn¡¯t expected Grid to reject the offer.


    Grid exined, ¡°If I be the emperor, won¡¯t there be rebellions all over the empire? How can I handle it? In the first ce, I can¡¯t lead such a big country, and I don¡¯t have the manpower.¡±


    If Grid¡ªwho wasn¡¯t of Saharan¡¯s blood¡ªwas crowned the emperor, many nobles would revolt and an era of war would begin. Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom would be swept up in the war on a daily basis. By the end, the empire would be divided into dozens of pieces, and the security of the Overgeared Kingdom couldn¡¯t be guaranteed. It meant that he was more likely to lose everything and suffer.


    The grandmaster shook his head. ¡°The thing you should pay attention to is the exploration of the Abyss, not the management of the empire. The empire isn¡¯t a matter of concern at all.¡±


    ¡°What on earth are you saying? Rather, it is none of my business what you do.¡±


    It was true that Grid respected the seven malignant saints who fought the gods for humanity. This didn¡¯t mean he intended to sacrifice himself for them. In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t want to be tied to the seven malignant saints. He could lose everything overnight if he drew the anger of the gods to himself. Grid had already resolved to be neutral after going through the Crossroad of Good and Evil quest and the Hexetia incident.


    ¡°Your Majesty the Emperor! I¡¯m on your side!¡±Grid shouted.


    ¡°...Turning away even after knowing the truth.¡± The grandmaster was furious.


    Grid hurriedly cried out as the grandmaster¡¯s face distorted like a demon, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to be hostile to you. I¡¯m just going to stop Edan¡¯s treason.¡±


    ¡°It is just sophistry. Edan is my agent unless you ept my offer. Don¡¯t you know that going against him is going against me?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    This was really upsetting. Harmony with the empire was really important, but was it right to be hostile to an incarnation of the seven malignant saints? He might just be an incarnation, but the seven malignant saints were the seven malignant saints. The grandmaster¡¯s power was likely to be far beyond what Grid expected. It was terrible to imagine what would happen if they fought.


    Then it happened while Grid was feeling restless.


    ¡°Shut up, Zikfrector!¡± Edan yelled after easily defeating Piaro.The prince stared at the grandmaster with red eyes. ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to throw me away as soon as an opportunity came? I¡¯m your agent...? Then you should consult me! I¡¯m not a pushover!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    In response to Edan¡¯s wrath, Saharan¡¯s sword started to exert a stronger force than before. The power was so great that it cracked Piaro¡¯s sickle which was made from Belial¡¯s by-products. The strength that had been absorbed from materials all over the capital finally started to manifest. It was great enough to overwhelm Piaro, who had yet to achieve a new ground in Natural State. At this moment, Edan was strong enough to threaten the grandmaster with his extreme temper.


    ¡°Zikfrector! I¡¯ll kill you first!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was an unexpected development. Grid¡¯s eyes lit up when he witnessed Edan rushing to the grandmaster, and he hurriedly left his position. The grandmaster¡¯s sword and Saharan¡¯s sword collided, blowing up the imperial pce. The imperial guards and Red Knights were thrown into confusion by the powerful shockwave.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    This luck was truly dirty. The moment that Grid was going to spit out the shards of a stone that had flown through the corridor...


    ¡°Grab on!¡± Chensler rushed to the emperor in the turmoil and reached out to Grid. Grid hurriedly grabbed his hand. He was distracted by Edan going crazy in the area and couldn¡¯t control his dexterity.


    ¡°Huuung,¡±Chensler groaned, but he didn¡¯t blush. He barely resisted the rush of pleasure.¡°People have different orientations... I will respect it...¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Grid was wronged by Chensler who misunderstood, but now wasn¡¯t the time to pay attention to such trivial (?) things.


    Grid, who entered the side chamber with Chensler, immediately supported Piaro and stood by the emperor. The emperor bowed to Grid, causing doubts if this was really the emperor.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty?!¡±


    The emperor of the Saharan Empire, the ruler of the West Continent, was bowing to the king of a small country? It wasn¡¯t only Chensler. Even the dukes who had maximum affinity with Grid were astonished. Of course, Grid was also surprised.


    The emperor¡¯s gaze was directed at Piaro, who was right behind Grid.¡°Overgeared King, you wouldn¡¯t know it, but I have been thankful to you for a long time. I felt guilty every day for not stopping the war against the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Being in harmony with the empire wasn¡¯t a vain wish. Grid¡¯s heart becamefortable once he learned this.


    Grenhal shouted,¡°We don¡¯t know how long Edan will run wild! If he wakes up, then the first thing he will do is aim at Your Majesty. Your Majesty should leave!¡±


    It was a great opportunity to do so while Edan was tying up the grandmaster¡¯s feet. Grenhal insisted on it, but the emperor was hesitant.


    ¡°Throwing away my throne and running away... The entire world willugh at me.¡±


    There was no point in dying, but even now, he cared about his image. While Grid burned with frustration, Chensler persuaded the emperor,¡°Edan won¡¯t be able to handle that power forever, and he will soon copse. Before that, we need to suppress the grandmaster as much as possible. If our eyes are scattered, we won¡¯t be able to save up our physical strength.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless...¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t miss this chance to wipe out the traitors.¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    In the end, the emperor¡¯s stubbornness was defeated. The emperor, the two dukes, Bain, Chensler, and finally Grid and Piaro began their journey in a secret passage that had only been passed down through generations of emperors.

 Chapter 1081

    [You are the first yer to discover the ¡®Imperial Pce¡¯s Secret Passage¡¯!]


    [Your achievement of discovering thest retreat of the emperor is truly remarkable!]


    [You have received the ¡®Imperial Pce¡¯s Blueprint¡¯ as a first discovery reward!]


    [The Great Robber of the Red Night is interested in you. Watch out for red nights.]


    [Imperial Pce¡¯s Blueprint (Central Section)]


    [Rating: Legendary


    The imperial pce of the Saharan Empire is one of the finest buildings in history, designed by the best architects and dwarves.


    There are a total of 19 blueprints of the imperial pce, among which the highest technical strength is concentrated in the central blueprint.


    These are also the basics for imparting the best architectural skills.


    Acquisition Effect: Open the craftsman great Architecture skill. Understanding of the imperial pce¡¯s structure will rise by 10%. The probability of making a historic building will permanently increase.


    Learning Conditions: Architect.


    Weight: 0.1]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    The seven malignant saints...


    Saharan...


    The expelled gods...


    After learning about the grandmaster¡¯s identity and desires, Grid was confused and couldn¡¯t handle the amount of information flooding in. The interior of the huge passage, where night stones were installed in one-meter intervals and scattering a soft light, caught his eyes. Yes, this was a ce that only the emperors should know. It was the most secret ce in the world.


    The emperor brought him here... It was very meaningful.


    ¡®Trust...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a level of trust that could be built up just by saving a single life. The emperor, who had known for a long time that Piaro was alive, probably treated Grid as a benefactor and had been deeply grateful to him from then on. It was a gratitude for slightly easing some of the emperor¡¯s sins. If Piaro hadn¡¯t met Grid, he would still be wandering around or perhaps be dead. The emperor thought Piaro had died or that he had gotten crippled in the first ce.


    ¡®...I¡¯ve also received help from Piaro.¡¯Grid became bitter after reading the emperor¡¯s heart. Just as Piaro wouldn¡¯t be human if he hadn¡¯t met Grid, Grid wouldn¡¯t be a human either if he hadn¡¯t met Piaro. He would still dismiss control and wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee all types of crises. Yes, he wasn¡¯t a one-sided benefactor of Piaro.


    Piaro was also his benefactor. They were greatly encouraged and inspired by each other. They were friends who were together naturally. This was the reason why.


    ¡®Piaro, you followed my unjustmand without a single protest.¡¯


    The emperor¡¯s heart toward Piaro didn¡¯t matter. From Piaro¡¯s perspective, the emperor was a firm enemy who couldn¡¯t be forgiven even if he were killed a hundred times. It was the emperor who harmed Piaro¡¯s family and associates, taking away Piaro¡¯s life.


    Yet Piaro had swallowed his anger. He had wanted to run and hurt the emperor, but he saved the emperor at Grid¡¯smand. How pained and bitter would he feel despite not expressing it? Grid weighed Piaro¡¯s feelings and felt great sorrow and guilt.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry to Kasim.¡¯


    A disciple of Lantier, a friend of Doran and the teacher of Faker and Lord... Kasim, thest survivor of the Nero people, was also deprived of everything because of the empire. The empire had wiped out his family, friends, and colleagues, as well as his nation and culture.


    Piaro¡¯s grudge was limited to the foolish emperor and evil empress while Asmophel resented the empress and the Yatan Church, but Kasim hated the empire itself. In the past, Grid had taken advantage of Kasim¡¯s position and vowed to take revenge on the empire in order to fully utilize Kasim.


    However, things changed. The current Grid was aiming for unity, rather than hostility with the empire. Right now, Kasim understood Grid¡¯s position and was persevering, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if his patience ran out. Maybe...


    The biggest obstacle to harmony with the empire might be Kasim.


    ¡®This problem won¡¯t be solved just because the emperor apologizes.¡¯


    If the empire itself didn¡¯t change, Kasim would never forgive the empire. If the empire doesn¡¯t change...


    If Kasim¡¯s hatred was maintained...


    What choice would Grid make then?


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    The moment Grid was feeling depressed by his thoughts...


    Saharan¡¯s sword absorbed power from all the materials that made up the capital. Piaro, who had been stunned after experiencing Edan wielding this explosive power, finally came to his senses.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro!¡±


    Grid and the dukes supported Piaro. On the other hand, the emperor was still. He didn¡¯t have the qualifications or courage to help Piaro.


    ¡°Your Majesty... Are you safe...¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The moment he regained his spirit, Piaro looked at Grid. This image choked the emperor¡¯s heart. Those eyes, filled with loyalty and infinite affection, were originally directed at him. Now they had be directed at someone else entirely. Although he was thankful that Piaro lived, he now felt sad and really shameless. He wondered how selfish he had be since he sat on the throne and enjoyed everything. The emperor was disillusioned with himself and turned away from Piaro.


    The man who lost everything because of his ignorance...


    The emperor couldn¡¯t look at him. He didn¡¯t want to see Piaro be someone else¡¯s. The emperor dropped his head without any strength.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this subordinate dares risk his life to make a request,¡±Chensler¡¯s voice rang out suddenly. The wounds he had received from the grandmaster were quiterge, but he knelt down on the cold floor anyway. ¡°Apologize to Sir Piaro.¡±


    Chensler was thest loyalist. Even if Juander wasn¡¯t the emperor, Chensler would sacrifice everything for him. Therefore, he could dare to advise Juander, ¡°Your Majesty is supreme. No one dares to punish Your Majesty so your Majesty must be strict on yourself. Take responsibility for the sins you havemitted. Ask Sir Piaro for forgiveness.¡±


    How shocked had the emperor been when he heard of Piaro¡¯s betrayal? How many nights had the emperor spent awake before ordering Piaro¡¯s family to be killed? How had the emperor felt when he found out the truth? Chensler had always been watching. As a result, he pushed the emperor even more. He knew the emperor could only move forward if he asked Piaro for forgiveness.


    ¡°...¡±The emperor hesitated. His heart naturally wanted to run immediately to Piaro and fall to his knees. However, could he obtain Piaro¡¯s forgiveness with just a few words of apology? Piaro wouldn¡¯t forgive him. He wouldn¡¯t forgive himself if he were Piaro.


    The shock of losing Empress Aria... In the end, it was just an excuse like the grandmaster said. No excuse could be given for betraying a trusted friend.


    ¡°...¡±


    Since he wouldn¡¯t be forgiven, the act of apologizing meant his rtionship with Piaro would be severed. The emperor thought too much and didn¡¯t move toward Piaro in the end. He realized this terrible reality and wanted to ignore his irreversible sins.


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Chensler sighed. He had been hoping...


    The emperor might not be forgiven by Piaro, but Chensler hoped the emperor would show the courage to stand up to his mistakes, even if he would be cursed at. It was only then that the emperor could be a better ruler, which was a shortcut to ending the confusion that the royal family faced. Yet the emperor didn¡¯t have the courage to do so.


    Chensler was sad. Of course, he didn¡¯t me or criticize the emperor despite that. The greater the size of the sinsmitted, the harder it was to face the person. Chensler fully understood the emperor¡¯s position.


    Meanwhile, Piaro also turned away from the emperor. The familiar appearance of the emperor who was a bit further away and holding his breath...


    Piaro turned a blind eye to the betrayer he hated every moment since that day¡¯s incident. He thought he would burst into tears when he saw the emperor¡¯s eyes. In order to get revenge, he must not even exchange looks...


    Piaro thought hard and only stared at Grid. Piaro¡¯s shaky gaze broke Grid¡¯s heart. However, Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to say any words of constion.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The heavy silence caused everyone¡¯s breath to tighten. They waited for the noises stilling from the audience hall above the secret passage to stop. Suddenly, Grid yelled,¡°Ah...! Duke Basara!¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Everyone looked bewildered.


    Then Grid hurriedly exined, ¡°Duke Basara is leading soldiers to the imperial pce!¡±


    ¡°Basara?¡± The first person to react was the emperor. He noticed something. In order to save him, Basara was now advancing to the imperial pce without waiting.


    ¡®She is better than my children...¡¯


    Basara was truly very talented. Her red energy had a weaker influence on matter, but it gave vitality to life. There was no fear in the troops she led, and the other nobles became gentle sheep in front of her. Her red energy, which saw the essence and condition of matter and guided it in a beneficial direction, was simr to Mercedes¡¯s insight.


    Her father had surrendered the throne to Juander¡¯s father who was prepared to purge all of his blood rtives, allowing Juander to inherit the throne. If she had been the one to inherit the throne instead of him...


    ¡®Aria and Piaro wouldn¡¯t have experienced the misfortune, and the empire would¡¯ve enjoyed a peaceful reign.¡¯ The enlightened emperor¡¯s gaze shifted toward Grid. Grid was going crazy, and the dukes and Piaro were trying to stop him.


    ¡°Let me go! I have to go and save Duke Basara!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Your Majesty! That ce is dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Duke Basara doesn¡¯t know what is going on at the imperial pce right now! She will surely die if she is caught up in the grandmaster and Edan¡¯s fight!


    ¡°Duke Basara is a wise person. She won¡¯t get hit easily and will be fine on her own!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t you know that you might die if you go out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, these guys! I will revive even if I die!!¡±


    Grid struck the dukes¡¯ hands. However, he couldn¡¯t remove Piaro¡¯s hand. The power and will in Piaro¡¯s hands wasn¡¯t something that could be ovee by Grid¡¯s power and will.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±Piaro¡¯s deep eyes stared straight at Grid.¡°I know that Your Majesty is an immortal blessed by the gods. Even if you lose your life, you will smile and live again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so this hand...¡±


    ¡°However.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°My heart is torn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that Your Majesty receives great damage in return for the resurrection? Additionally, the pain...? Aren¡¯t you a human who feels the same pain as me? Don¡¯t get used to dying.¡±


    ¡°P-Piaro...¡±


    ¡°As long as my eyes are still open, Your Majesty can¡¯t die. I would rather die. I will save Duke Basara.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    No, this was a troll. Grid barely grabbed Piaro, who was trying to leave on his behalf. Then apletely unexpected figure stepped forward.


    ¡°I will go.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    It was Emperor Juander. For the first time, he looked at Piaro. The emperor¡¯s eyes met Piaro¡¯s, and the emperor calmly epted the gaze that was full of hatred.


    ¡°A knight who met the wrong master and lost everything.¡±


    ¡°...Shut up.¡±


    ¡°A friend betrayed by a friend you shouldn¡¯t have believed in.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!¡±


    ¡°I deeply apologize.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Piaro seemed feverish as he blocked his eyes and shouted. Tears poured from his red eyes, and his hand that held the hand plow trembled. The emperor bowed deeply to him before ncing at Chensler and Bain.¡°Don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°My ce is by Your Majesty¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t let Your Majesty the Emperor die.¡±


    Chensler and Bain vited the imperial order. It was a very disrespectful attitude, but the emperorughed.


    Step, step.


    The emperor passed by Piaro, who couldn¡¯t wield the hand plow, and stood before the dukes. ¡°I name Basara as my sessor. You must survive and be the witnesses. Help her well.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The emperor said no more. He passed by the dukes and stood in front of Grid.¡°Overgeared King. I know it now. The epitome of all of this is me. I am the one who made everyone unhappy.¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°I have four children. Like his parents, the youngest Edan has made an irreversible mistake. I will take him with me, but the other three can¡¯t be held responsible.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The first is like his mother, weak but clever. The second resembles his father, ipetent and greedy. The third is trying to walk the wrong path in rebellion against his father.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please, Overgeared King. Please guide my children correctly. If the new emperor tries to purge them... I hope you can help a little bit.¡±


    The emperor believed that he had the right to ask this. Grid naturally agreed to it. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the emperor¡¯s grace in sending him Mercedes.


    ¡°...I understand,¡±Grid answered.


    Then the emperor left the secret passage in a peaceful mood. There was no more emperor in the space made for the emperor.


    Then the world message emerged.


    [An unknown person is writing the second epic.]


    [The beginning of the epices from the underground passage that is dyed with the light of the night stones.]


    Grid felt a rush of intense emotions.


    [He silently watched the back of the Absolute for thest time.]

 Chapter 1082

    [An unknown person is writing the second epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrativees from the underground passage that was dyed with the light of the night stones.]


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    There was no one who didn¡¯t know the identity of this unknown person. The incident of Grid¡¯s epic was so famous that even those who didn¡¯t y Satisfy knew about it.


    [He silently watched the back of the Absolute for thest time.]


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers saw the world messages rise in session. They were scattered all over the kingdom but instantly became rigid. The retainers understood that Grid¡¯s epic was only triggered when experiencing an event which was a major milestone in human history.


    The world message which popped up shortly after Grid left for the imperial pce with Basara suggested that Grid had been involved in a major event. The Absolute must be the emperor, and the emperor¡¯s life was in danger. The 10 meritorious retainers judged that Grid would be in a major crisis if the imperial family was in danger.


    Lauel¡¯s message entered the guild window, [&All yers who were registered as Grid¡¯s knight, please prepare for a summoning.]


    Grid appointed only a few yers as his knights, and they were mostly the 10 meritorious retainers. Lauel¡¯s advice was aimed at the 10 meritorious retainers, [&Regardless of your current position, please respond to Grid¡¯s call immediately. The most important thing for us is Grid¡¯s security.]


    Lauel¡¯s warning was pointless. Everyone intended to do so in the first ce. It was natural for them to run when their most cherished friend was in a big crisis. Those who arrived at their destination after a long journey, those who were raiding bosses that only appeared once a month, and those who were going through hidden quests that would nevere again...


    ¡®Grid, quickly summon us!¡¯


    They all waited for Grid¡¯s call with the same emotions.


    ***


    Watching the back of the Absolute for thest time...


    The narrative of the system was implying the emperor¡¯s end. It couldn¡¯t be certain that the st¡¯ mentioned here meant death. However, Grid had a gut feeling that the emperor would die. Someone equal to or better than Garam... No, the grandmaster was an incarnation of the seven malignant saints, so he would naturally be stronger than Garam. Meanwhile, Edan got his hands on the sword of the founding emperor Saharan, who had been deified by the imperial people for hundreds of years.


    It was nothing more than a suicide act if the emperor, who was their first target, came before their eyes. Yet Grid didn¡¯t stop the emperor. They were two people who shared a subtle connection through an agent called Mercedes, but they had virtually no rtionship.


    Yes, Grid and the emperor only had a distant rtionship. There was also the intense rtionship called ¡®Piaro¡¯ between the two, but that was it. Their births, environments, and positions were different, and there was no personal rtionship at all. Rather, this rtionship was closer to a bad rtionship. The emperor was an object of fear for Grid while for the emperor, Grid was just an individual.


    It was a rtionship where they tried to eliminate each other¡¯s existence. Grid didn¡¯t have the right or any reason to stop the emperor. So why? Grid felt a seed of sorrow.


    It was better for the emperor to die. Then he and Basara would live, and Basara could be the emperor. Basara must be the emperor, and everything would work out. There would be more harmony than he hoped for. Grid¡¯s sense of reason clearly knew this.


    Then why? Why was he so sad? Since when had he started liking the emperor? Grid felt confused and quickly realized why.


    Emperor Juander¡ªhe was literally absolute power. He was able to get everything he wanted, and he could cover up his shorings easily. Yet he didn¡¯t. He turned away all the beauties of the world and loved only one woman in his life. He was always worried about the old friend who lost everything because of his sins. He repaid the grace of the king of another country by sending over his most loyal knight, and he worried about his children in the moment when he would lose everything.


    The emperor was a person who valued connections more than anything else in the world. It was just like the grandmaster mocked. Maybe he was an ipetent emperor like Edan and Benoit denounced. He might¡¯vemitted sins from his ignorance. However, the emperor was never a wicked person. He was a fool who couldn¡¯t even be corrupted.


    That¡¯s why Grid unconsciously felt fond of him. Perhaps Grid felt something simr from him.


    [Thest of the Absolute, a pilgrim walking on the path of atonement¡ªhe sacrificed himself to take responsibility for his sins without hiding from his sins.]


    ¡°My choice today will be a model for the next generation.¡±


    Did he ever imagine a day woulde when he was threatened with the throne? The emperor, who had fled from his son¡¯s attack, corrected his crooked crown and brushed off the dust from the cloak stained with blood that was caused by his son. He held a sword in the hand that had covered his beloved Aria¡¯s cheek and held the shield in the hand that had stroked Marie¡¯s head. His face that had smiled as his children grew up was now deeply shaded, but his eyes were filled with the will to take away the darkness.


    The emperor stood in front of the exit that led to the audience hall and turned his attention to Grid. ¡°Those who willter be emperors of Saharan won¡¯t repeat the same mistakes as me.¡±


    They would learn from him. Of course, he didn¡¯t protect the throne. He had be distant the moment his vision was buried and an irreversible sin wasmitted. Theter emperors who learned about the foolish Emperor Juander would always be alert and wise.


    The emperor believed this as he opened the door. Simultaneously, Saharan¡¯s red energy poured in and revealed the interior of the secret passage.


    ¡°Emperor!¡± Edan¡¯s voice roared like a beast. Loud sounds followed. Someone groaned, but there was no sound of falling. The emperor, two pirs, Edan, the magic machines, the grandmaster, and the Red Knights¡ªall of them stood firm because they knew this was the most important moment.


    [The Absolute knew. His blood won¡¯t wash away his sins.]


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Then Basara¡¯s voice was heard. Damn, things were moving too quickly. She would be in danger. Grid became anxious and was about to rush out to the audience hall.


    ¡°Basara! You must survive and lead the empire to power!¡±


    Was the source of the vibration the origin true energy? The emperor¡¯s red energy exploded to a level that had never been seen before, and this was followed by Edan¡¯s groans. Concurrently, Basara¡¯s delicate body flew into the passage that contained Grid¡¯s group.


    [However, the Absolute sacrificed himself at the end. His blood might not wash away his sins, but he hoped to cause a ripple in the history of the decaying empire for generations.]


    [It was in the hope that no sinner like him would ever be born again...]


    [A fool who was aware that one Absolute could put countless people into misery.]


    ¡°Duke Basara!¡±


    Grid and the dukes hurried to Basara who was lying on the ground. The exit was closing. Basara jumped up from the hands of the people and rushed over, but it was toote. She grabbed a tightly closed door.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Basara¡¯s mind returned to memories of decades ago. The young Juander¡¯s bright smile. Basara found it good to see the sunny smile of her cousin, who was once condemned as being insincere. She used to think of him as a white paper that would never be dyed red. Then at some point, he lost his smile and became filled with sorrow and anger.


    Why didn¡¯t she take care of him? What was she doing when his son pointed a sword at his heart?


    [The Absolute¡¯s desire ends an era of history.]


    [He has witnessed it through the Absolute.]


    [He saw the responsibility of the highest-ranked person to guide a new millennium of history.]


    [He has seen the end of an age.]


    [At the center of thest and the new era, he felt the great narrative that couldn¡¯t be achieved with personal power be a party of him.]


    .......


    ....


    [An unknown person haspleted the second page of the epic!]


    The world messages ended. A creepy sound wasing from beyond the exit. The constant screams, metallic sounds, and explosions gradually subsided, and an ominous silence came.


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    The dukes guessed the situation outside and closed their eyes. Basara choked on her sobs while Piaro struck the wall with his fists. In Grid¡¯s field of view, a notification window appeared.


    [The second page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [The history that will never be forgotten, ¡®The Birth of a New Millennium of the Empire¡¯, has be part of you. You are part of the history of the millennium empire.]


    [The effect of thepletion of the epic has made your rtionship with the Saharan imperial family special.]


    [The Saharan imperial family will consider you special from generation to generation.]


    [The effect of thepletion of the epic has made you a witness of a new era.]


    [You have achieved a feat that can never be aplished in a human¡¯s short lifespan. The new title ¡®Protagonist of Two Eras¡¯ has been acquired for the remarkable achievement.]


    [Protagonist of Two Eras]


    [If you were someone who died easily, then you couldn¡¯t have witnessed two eras. You will never die easily.]


    [The effect of Indomitable is enhanced.]


    [Your status has risen to the next level with thepletion of that epic.]


    [Your status has risen an addition level due to therge-scale reward from thepletion of the epic.]


    [Some of the upper-grade species are considered to be lower than you. Species that are a lower grade than you will deal less damage and receive additional damage.]


    [You feel less attached to the concept of space. Yet it is still looming.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 2.]


    ¡°...¡±Grid closed his eyes before opening them again. The dukes who seemed scarily strong only a few months ago now felt a bitfortable. This wasn¡¯t ridiculing the dukes. Grid didn¡¯t evaluate a target just by a difference in strength. Just... It was literally afortable feeling. Now he wouldn¡¯t shrink back so much when meeting Garam. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean his strength had grown as much as his courage.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±Piaro was startled.


    The dukes turned their heads btedly and looked nk for a moment. They had an indescribable feeling as they faced Grid¡¯s serene gaze. It was just like the first time they saw the grandmaster.


    Grid¡¯s hearing and sixth sense captured the situation outside.¡°The army ising. Edan¡¯s strength is also weak, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment...¡±Grenhal tried to stop Grid. The grandmaster should still be alive. His death was unimaginable. He was hiding at best, but it was unknown what type of disaster would be encountered if they went outside. They had to wait for the troops to arrive.


    Grenhal thought this, but Grid ignored him and was already opening the exit. Originally, the stone wall only opened in response to the emperor¡¯s red energy. Perhaps it was due to the emperor¡¯s death or the shock, but it was now easy to open.


    ¡°...¡±


    The audience hall, stained with blood, was empty. The grandmaster, the Red Knights, and the magic machines had disappeared without a trace. The emperor, Chensler, and Bain were no longer visible.


    ¡°You came just in time...¡± Somebody¡¯s voice rang out.


    Did Saharan¡¯s sword get taken back by the grandmaster? Rather than the sword, Edan held the crown as he sat on the throne. It was the aftermath of using too much power.He was dying like he was poisoned.


    ¡°An imperial... order.¡± Cough, cough. The bloodied Edanmanded the dukes with nk eyes. ¡°My mother... Mother...¡±


    Edan¡¯sst wish wasn¡¯t conveyed. He failed to ce the crown on his head with his shaking hands and eventually turned to gray ash.


    Btedly...


    ¡°Father! Father!!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    1st imperial prince Rnd and 2nd imperial prince Dndal entered the audience hall. The moment they noticed the change, they had gathered their troops and led many soldiers. However, it was toote.


    ¡°My stupid and slow self...! I killed you! Kill me!¡±


    In the empty throne, Rnd found the crown rolling in blood and ran over, holding it in his hands. Dndal just stood nkly.


    The aftermath was handled by Basara and the dukes. Grid nced at Piaro before standing in front of Basara.


    ¡°The princes... He asked for you not to treat them too harshly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good enough to care for them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She had an attitude like this after what happened with Edan. The first impression seemed cold and serious, but the more they knew her, the more warmer and affectionate she became.


    The smiling Grid left the audience hall.


    ¡°I¡¯ll soon arrive with a big gift!¡±


    ¡°Please stay strong until the day we meet again, Your Majesty!¡±


    Basara and the dukes bid goodbye to Grid. The reaction of the princes was ignored.


    Had Basara rallied them?The 30,000 cavalrymen of the dukes who entered the pce saluted Grid and Piaro in unison.The sound of the salute raised by 30,000 people echoed to the blue sky.


    It was the day when the supreme existence of the West Continent, which had existed since the opening of Satisfy, disappeared.

 Chapter 1083

    [Juander, 19th emperor of the Saharan Empire, has died.]


    [Duke Basara has ascended to the throne as the new empress.]


    [All yers part of the Basara Duchy will receive the ¡®New Emperor¡¯s Blessing¡¯ buff. For the next month, experience acquisition will increase by 5% and penalties for deaths will be reduced by 50%.]


    Basara¡¯s session to the throne was surprisingly easy. Since Duke Grenhal and Morse proved the emperor¡¯s will, could the princes easily ept it...? 1st Prince Rnd did. He followed the emperor so passively that he had little desire for power. Consequently, he respected his father¡¯s will and supported Basara as the new empress.


    The nobles who invested heavily in making Rnd the next emperor were upset, but their bacsh was small. Not only was there ack of justification for viting the will of the previous emperor but the power of the three dukes was too great. Basara¡¯s character was very good and wise, so they weren¡¯t afraid she would harm them as empress.


    On the other hand, 2nd Prince Dndal and his faction were very opposed. They shouted that they couldn¡¯t be convinced of Basara as the empress when the emperor¡¯s sons were still alive, and Basara was pushed out of the ranks of session. Of course, their cries quickly faded away. The 30,000 cavalrymen of the three dukes had already taken control of the capital, and it was too much for Dndal¡¯s forces alone to sh with them. The story would¡¯ve been different if 1st Prince Rnd cooperated, but Rnd was already supporting Basara.


    ¡®My only brother is a pushover.¡¯Thinking this, Dndal sought contact with the remaining powers. However...


    ¡°There is no disagreement with her as the new ruler.¡±Spear Saint Rachel, who witnessed Edan¡¯s wildness and anticipated upheaval, led arge army from her estate. Unlike Dndal¡¯s hopes, she supported Basara.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Dndal hurriedly visited the Tower of Eternity. However...


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who is the emperor,¡± Magician King Goldhit replied cynically when Dndal asked her to cooperate. Goldhit¡¯s decision to serve the empire had been because the emperor vowed to actively support the Tower of Eternity. She was only interested in the grand dream of reproducing the ¡®enhanced magic¡¯, not in the trivial matter of the throne.


    The story would be different if the new emperor intervened in the work of the tower or cut off support. In the event of such a situation, it would be enough to move to another country. Most kingdoms needed the power and skill of the Tower of Eternity, so she wasn¡¯tcking any ces to go.


    ¡°Have you ever seen such pathetic bastards? Ahh! There is no loyalty to the imperial family!¡±Dndalmented. As the son of the emperor and the empress, he was a legitimate heir to the throne, but he was beaten because people supported Basara or watched the situation.


    ¡°Ah! Isn¡¯t it time for him to return?¡± Dndal had onest hope. Grandmaster Zikfrector was a traitor. Magician King Goldhit was a bystander. ¡®Unable to die¡¯ Chensler went missing in the final battle. Bain, the shadow of the sun, was believed to have died in the final battle. Out of the five fallen pirs, there was only one who had nothing to do with the current situation.


    It was Kyle. He had left to explore the Ruins of the War God and was now thest light for Dndal. Wasn¡¯t he the weakest of the Five Pirs? It was likely he would have high growth or great loyalty like Chensler. He would surely support Dndal and be his rock in the future.


    Dndal made a decision.


    Basara who led soldiers and took control of the capital like she expected the death of the emperor...


    Dndal, who was usurped of the throne by force, would surely pull her down from the throne. He nned for the future together with Kyle. It was a vain n.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t heing back...?¡±


    What had happened at the Ruins of the War God? There was no news of Kyle. He didn¡¯t return to the capital, despite it being long past his scheduled return date. Dndal became nervous. He felt the throne was moving further away from him.


    ***


    The appearance of the epic stirred the world. People debated on the identity of the ¡®Absolute¡¯ and what the history of the new millennium would be. The broadcasters of every country hastily prepared rted programs, and all types of intellectuals with the title of an ¡®expert¡¯ were able to participate in the panels.


    ¡º Grid wrote his first epic when facing a great demon. The epic system only activates when intertwined with arge incident that affects the world view. We can assume that the ¡®Absolute¡¯ in this epic must at least be a great demon. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. I¡¯m analyzing that the identity of the Absolute in the epic is probably a yangban. As many of you might already know, a yangban refers to the dominant ss of the ¡®Hwan Kingdom¡¯ who dominate the East Continent. They have close to an eternal life and an absolute force. ¡»


    ¡º The expression of Grid being at the center of a new era means he witnessed the end of a yangban and this will have a profound impact on Satisfy¡¯s worldview. It suggests that the East Continent will surface in earnest in the future. ¡»


    ¡º I see. Then what is the sin powerful enough to bring an end to a man who has almost eternal life and an absolute force? ¡»


    ¡º At this moment, only Grid knows. Well... won¡¯t we naturally find out when going through several episodes? ¡»


    The talking experts suddenly closed their mouths. It was because the staff outside the studio told them something.


    Subtitles appeared on the screen:


    (Breaking News) Juander, emperor of the Saharan Empire, has died.It is believed that the rebellion of 4th Prince Edan was the main cause.


    (Breaking News) Duke Basara has ascended to the throne as the new empress.


    ¡º Hum hum... ¡»


    Based on the circumstances revealed, the identity of the Absolute was the emperor, not a yangban. The embarrassed panel members coughed once their spection was proven wrong. Somebody¡¯s ears reddened. The moment the analysis came out, it turned out to be the wrong answer. Thus, it was natural for them to be embarrassed unless they had very thick skin.


    -Why are they always wrong?


    -They aren¡¯t the problem. It is the broadcasters who hired them. ??Why do they keep asking people who don¡¯t know anything?


    -The experts are only like they when analyzing a Grid incident. Usually, they are good at analyzing.


    -God Grid...


    -No, so what is the conclusion?The new millennium of history is going to be written by the empire?


    -That¡¯s right.The existing imperial family is regarded as ipetent, and the future imperial family will be frightened by this and bepetent. It seems to be flowing toward the development of the empire¡¯s power.


    -Then what does that have to do with Grid?


    -Seriously, why is Grid always around?Not long ago, he was at war with the empire. Then he wasfortable with the dukes when catching a great demon, and now he is hooked up with the imperial family.


    -To be honest, I don¡¯t understand Grid.It was only a few months ago that the empire arbitrarily invaded the Overgeared Kingdom, causing a lot of damage.Why did he go to the empire?


    -He is sucking up to them because he is scared.Even Grid can¡¯t handle the empire.Did you see the dukes fighting Berith?The dukes were very friendly and helpful to Grid.It seems that Grid is ttering the empire behind the scenes.


    -Then he was lucky enough to see the emperor die and created an epic?


    -This was originally an X luck game~


    The panelists on the screen were awkwardly silent while the viewers were chatting actively.


    (Breaking News) New Empress Basara confirms yer Grid as the empire¡¯s benefactor.The Saharan imperial family proimed that it will be apanion to the Overgeared royal family forever in the future.At the inauguration ceremony where the nobles and royalty of the empire gathered, she proimed that, ¡°All enemies of the Overgeared Kingdom are enemies of the empire.¡±


    -...


    New breaking news appeared on the screen and the chat window became quiet. Someone¡¯s previous message came btedly to their minds.


    -Just shut up.


    ***


    ¡°The Yatan Church used Empress Marie and 4th Prince Edan.They used evil and deceptive tricks to deceive them, nning to seize the empire and overthrow the West Continent.


    However, the greatte Emperor Juander and Overgeared King Grid saw this and thwarted their ns.¡±


    This was the content of Basara¡¯s announcement as the new empress. By making the source of the rebellion originating from the Yatan Church, the sins of Marie and Edan were reduced, and this suppressed public confusion. The grandmaster wasn¡¯t mentioned because the majority of people didn¡¯t know the existence of the grandmaster. The Saharan imperial family would never announce the existence of the grandmaster. To exin the grandmaster, they had to reveal the disloyalty of the founding emperor Saharan, who prioritized hismitment to the grandmaster over the empire.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The Celestial Pce¡ªthe ce where the grandmaster stayed¡ªwas arrogant and impure just by its name. It seemed to be dering that he was the highest person, not the emperor. The servants argued that the masterless ce should be demolished and erased it from imperial history.


    ¡°Leave it as it is,¡± Empress Basara ordered for the preservation of the Celestial Pce.


    ¡®Why?¡¯The servants were baffled. They couldn¡¯t fathom the reason for the empress to not remove the Celestial Pce, which could be called a blemish of the empire. However, the three dukes¡ªGrenhal, Morse and Rachel¡ªsmiled like they guessed the reason.


    The smiling empress nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m going to leave it for Grid.¡±


    In any case, the grandmaster was the helper of the empire. She had no intention of defending him, but she couldn¡¯t deny that he had established the empire. It was the same for Grid. The new empire wouldn¡¯t have been born with Overgeared King Grid. He was the new imperial helper. The Celestial Pce¡ªthis ce built for the imperial guardian¡ªwould exist as a resting ce for its new master.


    ¡°Chancellor Vermont.¡±


    ¡° Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Send a gift to the Overgeared King right now.¡±


    ¡°I understand. We will prepare sufficient riches...¡±


    ¡°Send half of the ck mithril in the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Vermont and the other nobles were dumbfounded. Even the dukes¡¯ mouths dropped open. The ck mithril was directly rted to the power of the emperor. Yet Basara was giving half of the ck mithril that the imperial family had umted for hundreds of years as a gift? This wasn¡¯t the level of reciprocity but a sacrifice. Maybe the foundation of the empire would be shaken.


    All the nobles apart from the dukes shouted, ¡°T-That isn¡¯t possible! Your Majesty, please change your mind!¡±


    However, Basara didn¡¯t bend to their wishes.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough to repay him. Start right away. No, don¡¯t,¡± Basara ordered, only to suddenly shake her head.


    People were relieved since they thought she btedly regained her mind. They were wrong. Her mind was awake. She opened her mouth once more, ¡°I¡¯ll have to visit him.¡±


    ¡°I will go,¡±Grenhal and Morse interrupted Basara. It was a big problem for Basara to leave the country within a few days of the start of her reign, and they wanted to meet with Grid.


    In the end, Basara was forced to bend her will.¡°...¡±


    Since bing empress, Basara¡¯s beauty was truly remarkable since she always opened her eyes, perhaps because she was determined not to miss any of the surroundings. Herrge, clear eyes made her fine face shine. When her cheeks swelled as she pouted with her pretty face, she was cute and lovely enough to make people forget her identity and age.


    The nobles felt they would work harder in the future.

 Chapter 1084

    Grid returned to the Overgeared Kingdom with Piaro. The reason he chose to walk instead of using the return scroll or warp facilities was out of consideration for Piaro. The end of the emperor, which came in an unexpected form, made Piaro feel lost.


    ¡®Piaro...¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s face was gloomy and haggard as he walked silently for a few days. Often, he would rush forward and roar when he couldn¡¯t contain his anger. Grid felt more troubled as he chased after Piaro. He didn¡¯t think Piaro would be able to smile again...


    Grid felt anxious. Ironically, Piaro had been able to endure up to now because of the emperor. That¡¯s right. He was the reason why Piaro managed to keep himself sane after losing his colleagues, family, and entire life. It was due to his hatred and desire for vengeance against the emperor. He must¡¯ve dreamt of shing the emperor¡¯s throat every night.


    Yet he couldn¡¯t get revenge on the emperor whom he¡¯d met. Piaro couldn¡¯t fulfil his dreams or even let out curses. The emperor had died willingly... by the hands of someone that wasn¡¯t Piaro.


    ¡°Kuek...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The seizure began again. Piaro, who was eating the beef jerky Grid handed to him, shook wildly and held an axe. He charged like an angry bull and roared. The steep ridges, the rivers as big as a sea, the heavy rains, and the ferocious hordes of monsters didn¡¯t dare restrain him. Piaro¡¯s eyes turned white as he continued to yell and climb over several mountains without rest. Grid gradually became exhausted as he followed behind Piaro. His stamina was depleted, and his legs were shaking.


    ¡®Natural State...¡¯


    There was a reason why the imperial dukes regarded Natural State as special. The characteristic of absorbing energy from nature meant Piaro¡¯s stamina didn¡¯t deplete easily. It was just like it was the beginning...


    ¡°Pant, pant! Pant...¡±


    The stamina gauge shed red. Grid¡¯s body seems to bepletely submerged in the depths. His breathing was hard, and his heart seemed like it was going to burst. Even his vision was blurred. The hardest part was that he couldn¡¯t share the despair and anger that Piaro was feeling.


    If only he was as thoughtful as Lauel...


    If only he was as eloquent as Huroi...


    If only he had Peak Sword¡¯s wit or Regas¡¯ pureness...


    If only he couldfort Piaro a little bit...


    Yet Grid couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Overgeared... Cor...n...¡±


    He was calling the unicorn in this mood and making it lick his cheeks...? Grid had refrained from summoning Overgeared Corn because of this, but he was now afraid he was going to die. If he died here, he was afraid that the emotionally unstable Piaro would make an extreme choice. It happened the moment Grid judged he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and was about to start the summoning.


    [Your knight Piaro has reached new heights in extreme conditions!]


    [Your knight Piaro¡¯s Natural State skill has gone beyond the beginner level and reached intermediate level!]


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was like a blessing from everything. The rivers and seas, mountains and forest, sky and earth¡ªall of nature extended their energy to the sweaty Piaro. Subsequently...


    [Your sixth sense transcends the concept of space.]


    ¡°...?¡± Grid, who was far behind Piaro, realized that Piaro¡¯s back that was looming far away was also right in front of him.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...?¡¯


    [You feel less attached to the concept of space. Yet it is still looming.]


    Grid was reminded of the memory when his transcendence rose. As if the space itself folded, the ¡®absolute beings¡¯ reached their goal in no time. The yangban Garam called it Shunpo. It was a type of method of contracting space, and Grid used it at this moment. He didn¡¯t use it intentionally, but the important thing was that it was possible.


    ¡®Will it be a skill if it keeps umting?¡¯


    Grid got a glimpse of new possibilities, but his feeling of joy was faint. Now, his mind was only on Piaro. He sat down hesitantly.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Piaro turned his head. His passionate voice and his violently shaking eyes had all subsided into calm. The deep darkness on his face receded slowly. ¡°It is very regrettable that I couldn¡¯t execute the emperor with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I wanted to cut out the eyes of the emperor who looked at me as he bowed and cut off the ears that heard that shameless apology.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In any case, the emperor is dead.¡±


    Dawn was breaking. The sun rising beyond the deep ridges brightened Piaro¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°My past is over.¡±


    ¡°...Piaro.¡±


    Was that why...? Piaro¡¯s face looked bright and warm.


    ¡°In the future, I will live with Your Majesty.¡±


    [You feel a deep bond beyond liking with your knight ¡®Piaro.¡¯]


    [A new system is opened!]


    [Bond]


    [A list of targets you currently have deep bonds with.


    ¡ï Piaro ¡ï


    Bond Lv. 1.


    All stats will increase by 1% when you are together.


    -Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.]


    How many people in the world would silently stay around a troubled man for days? No matter how they felt about that, it would be hard to do because of practical problems. Yet Grid put everything aside and stayed by Piaro¡¯s side. His responsibilities as king, his economic activities, and his efforts to maintain his position were erased from his mind. He didn¡¯t do it based on some calction. It was just because he wanted to do it. He was worried about Piaro.


    Although he didn¡¯t speak any words offort, Grid did his best, and his heart was conveyed to Piaro.


    ¡°Thank you. Really... I really thank you.¡±Grid was finally able to let go of his worries and smile with relief. He cried at the same time.


    Grid wished he had valued Khan more. If he had shared more time with Khan, would he have been able to share a bond with Khan? At the very least, there wouldn¡¯t have been as much pain on Khan¡¯s final journey.


    ¡®Damn, I have to do well this time.¡¯This was the first thought that came to Grid¡¯s mind.


    The faces of Irene, Lord, Sehee, and his friends emerged in turn. He also missed Braham, Asmophel, and Mercedes.


    ¡®Are you all doing well?¡¯


    Asmophel and Mercedes were steadily sending letters. Someone was found and persuaded while someone else couldn¡¯t be persuaded, but they were safe at their current location. They passed as much information as they could to Grid, but he was worried because he couldn¡¯t see them. It felt like they were hiding the hard situations.


    Meanwhile, Braham was still asleep. There were no signs that the faded presence was recovering in the aftermath of his soul¡¯s destruction.


    ¡°Sleep well and be sure to recover.¡±


    It was now a habit for Grid to talk to himself. After speaking to Braham, Grid barely recovered with the help of Overgeared Corn and Piaro and used the return scroll.


    ***


    ¡°Despite going through a pretty big crisis, you handled things a-lo-ne. I¡¯m so d you came back safely.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I feel so relieved that we were just fools worrying.¡±


    Returning to Reinhardt after a long time, Grid wanted to meet Irene and Lord. However, waiting for him were the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°Have strength,¡± Irene¡¯s voice entered Grid¡¯s ears as he was surrounded by the growling 10 meritorious retainers. Standing at a corner of the corridor with a big Lord, she cheered for Grid with clenched fists. She seemed to guess the wrath of the 10 meritorious retainers.


    Jishuka, who had seen the epic just as she had been about to engage in an archerypetition with the legendary archer Povia¡¯s ghost and ultimately gave up the hidden quest, smiled brightly.¡°Do you have an earthworm in your ear? Did your brain move at a strange angle for a moment, causing you to forget the skill to summon your knights?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The brightugh sounded terrible. The panicked Grid stepped back. Then Yura approached.


    The 32nd Hell lost its master after Belial¡¯s death. After years of sessfully exploring and extinguishing it, Yura moved to the 33rd Hell and confronted the four heavenly kings of the 33rd great demon. They were as strong as the fourth stats awakening Grid, and she had witnessed the epic shortly after killing three of them and immediately returned before killing the fourth one.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, we¡¯re going to an amusement park for our date this week.¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t go on an amusement park ride even with a knife to his neck. When he was in elementary school, he rode on the Viking and pissed his pants. He already told her this before...


    Grid was about to argue only to close his mouth. It was because he witnessed Yura¡¯s mouth twitching.


    ¡°The reason you don¡¯t trust me is because I¡¯m weak! I will apologize with my death!¡± Huroi tried to disembowel himself after taking out his sword.


    ¡°Hey dude! Are you Japanese?¡± The grumbling Peak Sword suddenly shifted his target of anger to Huroi.


    The bitterly smiling Regas seemed to ept something alone.¡°That¡¯s it. We¡¯re so weak that you have reached the point where you can¡¯t trust and rely on us...¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Indeed, the only one Grid relies on is me, the second ranked yer.¡±


    Pon snorted. ¡°Did Grid call you? You or us would be there.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Faker was silent as usual while Vantner asked if he had a shield or wig.


    In the midst of this turmoil...


    ¡°You must¡¯ve brought the goods?¡±Lauel came forward.He looked colder than anyone else. ¡°Did you obtain the ck mithril?¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡±Grid started a long story.He exined the events that happened in the imperial pce and why he came back empty-handed. ¡°In that atmosphere, I couldn¡¯t mention the ck mithril...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone imagined the atmosphere of the scene where the emperor sacrificed himself and opened a new era. During a time when the princes were grieving and everyone was solemn, if Grid held out his hand for something...


    ¡°...It would¡¯ve been a problem.¡± In the end, Lauel had to convince himself. He was worried. ¡°Does this mean a huge dy in the schedule?¡±


    Basara had be the busiest person in the world. The empire¡ªwhich was entering a new era as recognized by the system¡ªwould undergo many changes, and Basara would lead the entire process. She might forget about hermitment to Grid for a while. It meant that the time for Grid¡¯s new mineral creation would be postponed.


    ¡°You want to create a new mineral right now. Can you bear it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to endure it. If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll send a letter.¡±


    At this moment...


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±Royman, who was now a senior knight, was still dressed in men¡¯s clothes as she ran in to report, ¡°I¡¯ve received contact from the gate just now! Duke Grenhal of the Saharan Empire has sent a request to enter!¡±


    Grenhal wasing here when it was such a busy time...? The surprised Grid nodded. ¡°Take him to the audience hall right now.¡±


    After a while, Duke Grenhal politely bowed to Grid sitting on the throne and pulled out a bundle.¡°This is the sincerity of Her Majesty the Empress.¡±


    [102 ck mithril have been acquired.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The mouths of Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers dropped open.


    Grenhal was once again bowing deeply. ¡°Her Majesty says that the imperial family of Saharan will never forget the grace of the Overgeared King. She says that any enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom is an enemy of the empire and that the empire will be a dam protecting the Overgeared Kingdom from all types of winds. We have a separate pce for the Overgeared King in the imperial pce, and we would be happy to have you visit at any time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Overgeared King, will you ept the empire¡¯s alliance request? The right to destroy the alliance will be given to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Grenhal¡¯s words shook everyone. Naturally, Grid was happy. The result was more ideal than what he dreamed of, so his heart was overwhelmed. However, there was one thing he had to consider.


    Grid looked up at the ceiling with a pained expression. He could feel Kasim. Of course, Duke Grenhal also noticed Kasim¡¯s presence from the beginning. The killing intent would be read by the duke of the empire... As Kasim had already stated a long time ago, the skills of the dukes were one level above Kasim¡¯s.


    Grenhal continued, ¡°The empire will change. Our armed forces will only be used as a means of defending our rights, and we will seek ways to coexist with all species on the continent. There will be no more trampling on, rejection, or exploitation of others because they are different or just because of the simplicity of governance. The new empire will repent forever for the numerous people the old empire destroyed.¡±


    His words didn¡¯t make a difference to Kasim. Kasim jumped down from the ceiling. His red eyes looked like they were devouring Grenhal.

 Chapter 1085

    ¡°Repent? Bullshit!¡±


    There was no utopia. There might be situations that satisfied the majority, but it was difficult for a situation to satisfy everyone. Now Kasim was proving it. As Grid and the 10 had great expectations for their future with the new empire, Kasim¡¯s anger reached its peak. Even Regas, who believed that Asura had the scariest face in the world, was frightened by Kasim¡¯s distorted face.


    ¡°Your empire considered us ominous just because of our dark skin.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We were used of listening to the movements of the empire because of our big ears and called beasts, instead of humans, because of our long arms.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Our women were insulted by the soldiers of your empire who invaded thend. All of our men were killed and dismembered by the knights of your empire. Your imperial nobles kept our royal family in cages and watched them for amusement.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only Kasim¡¯s family and friends. Everyone had been killed after suffering terrible humiliation. Their country disappeared entirely. Kasim¡¯s eyes shed tears as he recalled those final days while Grenhal was just silent. The ones who inflicted wounds couldn¡¯t mourn for the wounded. He knew that no words couldfort the present Kasim. The Nero massacre¡ªled by 2nd Imperial Prince Dndal¡ªwas one of the worst crimes in the history of the empire, and it had been strongly opposed.


    Kasim¡¯s dagger pointed at Grenhal¡¯s neck.¡°The imperial family you serve.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The prince who didn¡¯t even give us his name.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I saw him holding my king¡¯s head as a torch while he drank from his ss of wine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Repent? Repent?! The dead will nevere back! The dignity that has already been lost can¡¯t be regained! Now you want to relieve your guilt by offering apologies to those who are already dead?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Blood flowed from the neck of the silent Grenhal. Kasim¡¯s poisonous dagger was digging into Grenhal¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Even if you really mean it...! You can¡¯t soothe the souls of those who have already died, even if you reflect on your past mistakes and repent for 10,000 years! Those who have already died will never forgive you!!¡±


    The Overgeared King¡¯s audience hall was very small and shabbypared to the emperor¡¯s. Nevertheless, it was a space that boasted hundreds of square meters. There were countless shadows created by the dozens of pirs, and this was well-suited for Kasim¡¯s power.


    Dozens of shadow soldiers surrounded Grenhal, whose face was blue due to the poison. The soldiers held spears in their hands. Kasim roared,¡°I am thest survivor of the Nero people, Kasim! The empire¡¯s enemy! I am requesting for a duel to the death!¡±


    Was it because of his loyalty to Lord, who he had affectionately served for a long time? Surprisingly, Kasim wasposed. Unbelievably, this person who lived to get revenge on the empire maintained his sense of reason in front of one of the heads of the empire¡ªthe envoy of the empire.


    Kasim requested for a fair duel as he knew that if he hurt Grenhal one-sidedly, the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom could copse miserably. That¡¯s why Kasim hadn¡¯t harmed them when the wounded dukes were escorted to the Overgeared Kingdom not long ago. Kasim himself was unaware of it, but after guarding Lord for more than 10 years, he was already a member of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Kasim...¡± That¡¯s why Kasim¡¯s attitude made Grid even sadder.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Grenhal epted Kasim¡¯s duel request.¡°Our duel was caused by the empire¡¯s sin against the Nero people. My subordinates will prove that the Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t involved.¡±


    ¡°My Lord!!¡±Grenhal¡¯s subordinates cried out. They knew that King of Shadows Kasim was the best assassin of this time. They didn¡¯t doubt Grenhal¡¯s ability. However, the opponent wasn¡¯t easy, and it could lead to a big ident. Grenhal¡¯s men wanted Grenhal to avoid a showdown.


    ¡°The Nero grudge is a matter for the 2nd Imperial Prince to take responsibility for! You don¡¯t have to be responsible for it!¡± An impatient subordinate screamed.


    Yet Grenhal stood his ground. ¡°Shut up! I am no different from the prince!¡±


    The empire¡¯s policy of genocide had been carried out in the name of the imperial order. Grenhal had joined in many times. He hadn¡¯tmited genocide, but he had seized their territory and taken them captive. After all, he couldn¡¯t refuse an imperial order. The Nero incident was so unusual that it was criticized within the empire and 2nd Prince Dndal wasbeled bad...


    Still, those were all excuses. Grenhal was also an object of resentment for someone. Did he have to keep making excuses every time he met a second or third Kasim? It wasn¡¯t possible. Those who sinned deserved to be held ountable. It was only then that the empire could move forward. Didn¡¯t the emperor show them that already?


    ¡°I¡¯m Duke Grenhal of the empire.¡± Grenhal used mana to drive out the poison and took off his armor. ¡°I will glimpse the Nero¡¯s resentment through your sword. I will realize how dreadful and arduous the path of repentance that the empire will walk in the future and suggest to the empire the correct path of repentance.¡±


    ¡°You sure talk very well! If you have any shame, die willingly!¡±Kasim shouted, and dozens of shadow soldiers stabbed their spears in unison.


    Grenhal dodged most of the attacks, but he couldn¡¯t manage all of them and his upper body was wounded. The wounds made Grenhal faster and stronger. As he rushed through the shadow soldiers like a tsunami and reached Kasim, Grenhal shouted, ¡°My death isn¡¯t repentance! If the person who reces me doesn¡¯t join the path of repentance, then it will be unfortunate as well!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°I will live and take responsibility!¡±


    The audience hall quickly became a mess. The battle between Kasim, who hid and moved in the darkness, and Grenhal, who had speed and destructive power, was so fierce that they feared the building would copse. Administration Rabbit was knocking on his abacus. He was preparing in advance the repair fee he would give to Kasim and Grenhal.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    The faces of the 10 meritorious retainers distorted as they witnessed the battle unfolding. Jishuka and Peak Sword even let out swear words. They witnessed the full power of an imperial duke as he quickly started to overpower Kasim and realized how insignificant their skills were. So far, the gap between yers and named NPCs had been epted under the excuse of ¡®a yer¡¯s limitations.¡¯


    ¡®Grid is as strong as the dukes.¡¯


    Grid had proved it again and again. The fact was that yers had no limits. Their weakness was merely ack of effort.


    ¡®We are currently too weak to help Grid.¡¯


    ¡®Grid didn¡¯t summon us because of this.¡¯


    ¡®We are shameless.¡¯


    The 10 meritorious retainers realized it. They weren¡¯t in a position to worry about Grid. Their concerns were meaningless due to their current gap with Grid¡¯s strength. The time wasted worrying about Grid should be invested in themselves to close the gap.


    Lauel had given up on his personal strength since the day the Overgeared Kingdom was founded. Apart from him, the 10 meritorious retainers clenched their fists tightly. All of them were filled with a desire to be stronger quickly.


    The result of the duel was decided. The moment his health dropped below 30%, Grenhal had unparalleled strength and smashed through dozens of shadow soldiers. The scattered shadow soldiers returned to their ce, and the ragged Kasim slumped down.


    Kasim coughed up blood while sitting on the ground and dering angrily, ¡°Kill me.¡±


    He wanted to take revenge on the empire ruling the world...? It really was an illusory dream. His heart was weak enough to be fascinated by the Overgeared Kingdom that he had been trying to use as a tool of revenge, and his strength was so weak that he couldn¡¯t beat one duke, let alone the empire. It was better to die in peace. Kasim closed his eyes with a wretched heart.


    Yet Grenhal said to him, ¡°Survive.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sympathize with me.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t sympathy. I just want to make sure that the empire will walk the right path of repentance.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, you are frustrating. Didn¡¯t I tell you that it would be useless even if you repent for tens of thousands of years?¡±


    ¡°I also know that the empire can¡¯t be forgiven. This isn¡¯t an act to relieve my guilt.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The empire just wishes to not repeat the same mistakes. I hope that a second or third Nero won¡¯t ur.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Survive to the end and watch the empire. Warn us not to lose our vignce. Additionally, regarding the evil deeds that the empiremitted against the Nero people... Really... I¡¯m really, deeply sorry,¡±Grenhal apologised on his knees while bowing deeply to Kasim.


    Would some of his feelings be delivered now?


    ¡°I...¡± Kasim¡¯srge ck eyes shook. He glimpsed the empire¡¯s sincerity through Grenhal¡¯s attitude and was devastated. Losing all of his motivation instantly, the desire to live slipped out of Kasim¡¯s body. Kasim sensed it. He wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up again. His body, mind, and soul were sinking into the dark depths. Kasim¡¯s eyes became dazed as he looked up at the ceiling.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Lord had been waiting outside the audience hall, hoping that his father¡¯s work would end quickly. The young prince, Kasim¡¯s first disciple and only friend, rushed in. He hugged Kasim¡¯s body that had copsed like a withered nt.


    ¡°Master, live with me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you happy!¡±


    It was the intuition of the most talented person in the world. Or was it just because he had been watching Kasim for a long time? Lord noticed Kasim¡¯s crisis and cried out, raising Kasim¡¯s soul that had sunk deeply. Lord¡¯s clear eyes that were like his mother¡¯s captured Kasim¡¯s face.


    ¡°Master is thest survivor of the Nero! Once Master dies, the Nero people will disappear!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll live with you for a long time! I¡¯ll work with you until the Nero people are revived again!¡±


    ¡°...Prince.¡±


    Lord¡¯s body temperature cooled down and revived Kasim¡¯s heart. Kasim, who believed that revenge was the only reason for his existence, now discovered something. His life wasn¡¯t in vain. If his life was in vain, then he wouldn¡¯t have such a good friend by his side.


    When he saw Kasim nod, Grid sighed and sank back against his throne with relief. A new era was healing the ghosts of the old era.

 Chapter 1086

    After Grenhal left, Yura asked him with a cheerful expression, ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, you said you didn¡¯t want to go out with me?¡±


    Noticing that the gazes of the people around him weren¡¯t good, he hastily said,¡°I don¡¯t like it because I have to go around everywhere. I never said I didn¡¯t want to date Yura.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same thing?¡±The unsuspecting Vantner questioned, and the other members of the 10 meritorious retainers poked him in the side.


    Yura was staring at Grid. Her slightly wavy hair was tied up, reminiscent of an idol taking a photo with a beach backdrop. There was a refreshing feeling. It was good enough to make him forget the hot water.


    ¡°W-What is it?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t adapt to this beauty at all. She was like someone from apletely different world. Yura stared for a few seconds, and the blushing Grid avoided her gaze first.


    ¡°I understand now.¡± Yura also blushed and nodded. ¡°This is why I¡¯ve always been behind.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The dating¡ªlet¡¯s stop for a while.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be stronger.¡±


    Yura was a single digit ranker. She ¡®naturally¡¯ exhausted her daily gamey time limit. Her passion for Satisfy was so enormous that she spent her spare time maintaining an optimal condition and gathering information. Of course, she wasn¡¯t special. The rankers, those who made money through Satisfy, and those who just enjoyed Satisfy invested most of their day into Satisfy. However, just because they spent the same amount of time in the game didn¡¯t mean they all did the same thing. Otherwise, the concept of a ranker itself wouldn¡¯t have existed.


    Yura thought that to be like Grid, she had to focus on Satisfy the entire time her brain was awake. She realized how much of a luxury it was to think about what to do with her favorite person today. Yura was making a determined expression and opening a gate to hell when Grid shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand! I¡¯m just lucky!¡±


    Luck followed him.


    Up tost year, Grid hadn¡¯t wanted to hear this. They thought he had grown to this stage just because of luck...? Where was there a person in this world more unlucky than him? His current position was purely a result of his effort. Grid believed so. Every time he saw himself, he felt disgusted by theizens and experts who said he was just lucky. He thought they were degrading his efforts and aplishments.


    That wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Grid only recognized it after achieving so much. It was true that he was lucky. Being born with the strength to not give up, the fact that Satisfy was released, obtaining Pagma¡¯s book, and meeting good people... All of this was luck that he enjoyed.


    Now Grid acknowledged it easily. He wasn¡¯t offended by the assessment that he was lucky. It was true.


    His gap with Yura? It wasn¡¯t a difference in effort. The difference was the number of times luck came to him. Grid insisted on it.


    ¡°Is there a person who doesn¡¯t have luck?¡± Yura denied it. ¡°Luck follows everyone. However, few people are able to capture and take advantage of the luck thates to them.¡± Yura called Grid¡¯s luck an ability or skill. ¡°I saw you and got to know you. I probably missed a lot of luck. It is because I¡¯m not as focused. I probably would¡¯ve given up, unlike you.¡±


    The expression promise¡¯ was more appropriate than ¡®giving up.¡¯ Even so, Yura didn¡¯t use it. It was shameful to bring out the word promise¡¯ in front of Grid who faced all types of hardships and adversities. Yura¡¯s body started to pass through the gate to hell.¡°At the very least, I¡¯lle back as a person who doesn¡¯t burden you.¡±


    This was the signal.


    ¡°I¡¯m going as well.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Grid, please don¡¯t get into trouble?¡±


    All of the 10 meritorious retainers apart from Lauel said goodbye to Grid. Their eyes were filled with a deep desire. Rather than looking at Grid¡¯s back forever, they were eager to see the world that Grid was looking at together.


    ¡°Everyone...¡±


    It would be a long separation. Grid intuitively sensed this and showed a sad expression. He wondered if his development had alienated his colleagues.


    Chris scoffed at him, ¡°Have you forgotten? Our goal was once to be the supreme.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are we has-been just because we didn¡¯t meet our goal? We have our own pride and have to prove our qualifications. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Chris...¡±


    ¡°Be stronger until Ie back. The moment I return, I¡¯ll be applying for a duel so be nervous.¡±


    Apart from Yura and Faker, everyone owned territory. Yet on this day, all of them gave up their territories, returning the rights of a lord. They broke the shackles holding them. The 10 meritorious retainers, who had many responsibilities, were now able to focus on their personal growth.


    Lauel spoke to Grid, who was left alone in the office, ¡°Grid, they aren¡¯t weak enough for you to worry about. Why don¡¯t you focus on your work?¡±


    ¡°My work?¡±


    ¡°Of course, as a cksmith. Additionally...¡± Lauel¡¯s gaze turned outside the office. A small shadow was visible. It was the road that Lord used to take Kasim back.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to spend time with your family?¡±Lauel asked. ¡°The years pass very quickly. Prince Lord will be turning 15 in less than four years. Until then, please spend a lot of time with him.¡±


    Once he turned 15, Lord would have all types of constraints ced on him. As a genius of the continent, Lord was system certified as a super-named talent. However, would Lord remain a power of the Overgeared Kingdom until the end? Maybe he would want to go on a trip or be crooked like the imperial princes. The role of a parent was great.


    ***


    ¡°Aigoo, my Lord! Chuu! Chuuu!¡±


    Lauel wanted Grid to be cautious about Lord, but Grid didn¡¯t care. Lord¡¯s future? Lord would decide for himself. Grid just wanted to love his child.


    ¡°Have you been doing well?¡±


    The white skin that didn¡¯t burn even when rolling in the sun every day was soft. Lord¡¯s fluffy cheeks and soft hair rubbed against Grid¡¯s face. It soothed the emptiness that was caused by the 10 meritorious retainers leaving.


    Lord didn¡¯t hate it either. Now he was 11 years old, and Grid had been worried that puberty woulde. The little boy was understanding and felt admiration rather than resenting his father who was always away.


    ¡°I tried to listen to Mother¡¯s words. I eat well and study hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did very well. And...¡±


    With ck hair, blue eyes, high noise, and slightly raised mouth, Lord had an ideal mixture of his parent¡¯s looks. Grid hugged the pretty Lord and kissed his cheeks.¡°It was a big achievement to heal Kasim. You saved Kasim.¡±


    ¡°Master is my friend and teacher. Don¡¯t praise me for doing what I had to,¡± Lord said with a resolute expression.


    Grid nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, you have to cherish your bonds.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Ruby told me to treat everyone with care.¡±


    ¡°That is true. Everyone is precious to someone so they are all precious people. Help if you see someone who is going through difficulties.¡±


    Grid was saying this?


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±


    The early members of the Overgeared Guild, including Zednos and Lae. Those, who had been appointed as new lords after the 10 meritorious retainers left, came to Grid¡¯s office and were surprised. In any case, Grid ignored them and held up Lord to the window. The view of the city unfolded, and countless people could be seen.


    ¡°However, don¡¯t be nice to everyone. Then you will be a pushover... No, if you give out too much one-sided help then the other person can bezy or you might find yourself tired.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father. I understand.¡±


    He could understand even if Grid talked like a dog. Grid could see why the teachers in every field praised Lord. The thrilled Grid was excited.¡°I will be in the smithy from now on. Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡±


    He naturally thought that Lord woulde along. Yet...


    ¡°I want to watch Father work, but unfortunately, I have a previous engagement."


    ¡°Previous engagement? With who?¡±


    ¡°A girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was he talking about the group of Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates? It must be busy dealing with hundreds of girlfriends with one body. He admired Lord, who received all types of education yet didn¡¯t forget to date his girlfriends. Grid nodded while feeling a bit sad. ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped. Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Yep. I will cherish my bonds like Father has taught.¡±


    ¡°...Y-Yes. By the way, who are you dating today?¡±


    Grid remembered several names and faces among Lord¡¯s girlfriends. Among them, there were around 10 who were the prettiest, and Grid wondered if it was one of them. While Grid was still trying to figure out who might be his future daughter-inw, Lord brought out an unexpected name.


    ¡°Sister Sua.¡±


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    In Grid¡¯s mind, all types of imaginary things unfolded. Then it happened the moment he couldn¡¯t endure his anger and opened his mouth again.


    ¡°Hurry! Leave now!¡±Zednos created a wind barrier to separate Grid and Lord before pushing at Lord¡¯s back. Zednos didn¡¯t want the harsh words that would soon pop out of Grid¡¯s mouth to contaminate the young boy¡¯s ears and spirit.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be going,¡± Lord politely said goodbye and left the office.


    The moment Zednos lowered the wind, Grid¡¯s swearing turned the office upside down.¡°XX!! How could this happen?!!¡±


    Grid grabbed Zednos by the cor and shook him.¡°I know how beautiful, kind, and wonderful Sua is! However, she is a pervert!¡±


    ¡°Kek... Kekek!¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why the pervert had been silent for a while. It turns out she was reaching out for my son? Eh?¡±


    ¡°Kek...! Kekek!¡±


    ¡°What the hell did she do to such a young and pure child?!¡±


    ¡°O... Oh...¡±


    ¡°What? Dishonor? It is a dishonor!¡±


    ¡°Mis... understanding...¡± (TL: They both start with the same character in Korean)


    He was suffocating. Zednos, who almost experienced the worst death, was barely released. He clicked his tongue at Grid¡¯s strength that he had never seen before and exined, ¡°She cares for Lord like a child, like a nephew. Faker said that when Lord was mentally tired from all his lessons, she took care of him and this brought them closer.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Satisfy had many behind-the-scenes stories. The opening was reminiscent of the contents in morning dramas and ancient myths. Thus, he had been worried. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t the case. It was too much to tell the story of a perverted adult woman. The relieved Grid got rid of all his dirty imaginations. He asked his colleagues who had been appointed as the new lords of the eight territories to work hard before heading to the smithy.


    Finally, the moment to create the mineral was here.

 Chapter 1087

    [Adamantium that Lost its Light]


    [-Debris from a crashed meteorite.


    It has the hardness and strength of adamantium but has lost its divine power.


    Weight: 10]


    At Reinhardt¡¯s smithy...


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Adamantium was a ¡®mineral¡¯ that naturally grew in the god realm. Yet the meteorite was called adamantium. Why was this?


    Grid held the grey matter in his hand and pondered on it. Then Dwarf Ke approached. ¡°It was said that Goddess Reba split the high mountains in the distant heavens and formed the sun, moon, and stars from the fragments,¡± he exined the connection between adamantium and the meteorite using mythological content. ¡°The fragment of that giant mountain is the first adamantium.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The endowment of probability. This was the moment when the fundamental role of NPCs and quests was revealed. Grid nodded at the answer.


    Ke threw him a new question, ¡°So what do you think blood stone is?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The background that our cksmiths use to create new objects on the basis of minerals are the teachings of the goddess of light. We know about the role of minerals in creation because the material that the goddess of light used to make all things was adamantium.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it due to the aftermath of being trapped in the Abyss for over a hundred years thatDwarf Ke was often distracted? Sometimes he was more of a nuisance than a kid. It was different right now. He was speaking perfectly. The dignity of a craftsman could be felt. It was the ¡®dwarf image¡¯ that Grid dreamed of.


    ¡°It means there must be no minerals in hell. Don¡¯t the myths only describe Yatan as an evil god who destroys? Of course, he isn¡¯t always active, but he is always thinking about destroying the world. Then what about the existence of a mineral, a tool of creation, in his world known as hell? Fart?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The tone truly mattered. The serious looking Ke was asking deep questions. His knowledge of myths was so great that he asked a question which was hard for anyone other than a small number of yers to understand. Yet hisst word ¡®fart¡¯ broke this image.


    As Grid listened seriously, his focus was broken in an instant. Did others feel this way when they talked to him? The newly self-aware Grid made a vow.


    ¡®I have to read many real books in the future.¡¯


    In retrospect, people who read many books would be conspicuous from an early age. In particr, people who read many FreeWebNovels would have an intellectual attractiveness and good interpersonal rtionships. There were many cases where they met a wonderful and capable wife or a handsome and good husband and went straight to marriage.


    The moment that Grid¡¯s consciousness briefly wandered down a side road...


    ¡°I feel there is a huge twist,¡± Ke said an astonishing remark.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Did he notice there were many distortions to the mythology just based on the concept of minerals? If so, Ke would be special among the dwarves. Grid was feeling admiration when an old memory suddenly rose.


    ¡°In the end, don¡¯t the demonkin need a living environment? I have visited hell, and there were fences, a vige, houses and castles. Of course, there was a cksmith. It might not be unusual for them to have minerals in hell because resources are needed in their lives. In the first ce, Yatan is a god of periodic destruction. Would he care about what life creates before his time of activityes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amon sense response. Still, isn¡¯t it strange? Yatan is opposed to the goddess of light, and hell is a world in conflict with the world of the gods. So why did a concept created by the goddess of light permeate hell? I¡¯m not convinced.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid sensed it. Ke was currently trying to raise questions that were uneptable in this world. Reba and Yatan might not actually be opposed to each other... Well, it was an obvious question.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...?¡¯


    ¡°Oof! Oof oof!!¡±


    Grid blocked Ke¡¯s mouth when the dwarf tried to keep the conversation going. He was reminded of the existence of the ¡®gods¡¯ who appeared whenever he approached the seven malignant saints. The moment Ke raised this question, Grid felt it might not be forgiven by the gods and blocked him reflexively.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Ke threw Grid¡¯s hand away and got upset. ¡°You¡¯re the same! Are you telling me to stop talking nonsense and shut up? You are treating me as a foolish old man! Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ke seemed to have suffered many unjust experiences. Had he left Talima and Lubana for the empire because he had lost his ce? Was it the curse of the gods?


    ¡®Then as a result, he was trapped in the Abyss? No, this is too much.¡¯


    In any case, these were small gods. Could they be called almighty and generous gods when they always monitored the earth?


    Grid had peeked at the truth of the world through the seven malignant saints and peeked at the inferiority of the gods through Hexetia. At this point, he was curious about the ¡®expelled gods.¡¯ They were first mentioned by the grandmaster. Did the grandmaster think of them as true gods who were expelled by the gods of today?


    ¡®I wish we could¡¯ve conversed a bit more.¡¯


    An incarnation of the seven malignant saints...


    The grandmaster was more important than Emperor Juander. A conversation with him would¡¯ve provided Grid with a lot of information. It was just that the situation meant Grid couldn¡¯t focus on the conversation. Grid felt that it was a pity.


    ¡®I¡¯ll get a chance again someday.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t too worried. Grid was convinced that the grandmaster was alive and knew they eventually meet again. He just didn¡¯t know if it would be good for him.


    ¡°Did you calm down?¡± Grid removed the hand that was blocking Ke¡¯s mouth. The agitated Ke soon felt exhausted and calmed down.


    Grid tried to appease the dwarf who was acting as a child, ¡°I have no intention of ignoring or denying you. I just restrained you because the words you would¡¯ve spoken could¡¯ve ced you in danger.¡±


    Ke was surprised. His words would endanger him? There was some truth in it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right... I received misfortune every time I told this story. Perhaps it is the curse of the gods?¡±


    For the dwarves, the ¡®curse of a transcendent existence¡¯ wasn¡¯t a strange concept. It was the dwarves who had been gued by the dragon Trauka for hundreds of years. Ke shuddered and looked around. A chill went down his spine at the thought that someone was watching him from somewhere.


    Grid reassured him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so anxious. You are safe as long as you are by my side.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s dignity and charm stats were very high. He also excelled at utilizing stats through his items. Grid, who greatly raised his dignity and charm with the king¡¯s sword and crown, asserted Ke of his safety confidently, and Ke felt a deep sense of trust and relief.


    [Affinity with the dwarf ¡®Ke¡¯ has increased by 3.]


    ¡°...I will leave you now. The castle will be repaired and erged like I promised the other day. Rest assured and focus on creating the new mineral,¡±Ke¡¯s tone became a bit more polite.


    It was very encouraging for Grid that he managed to slightly raise his affinity with Ke, who had lived for hundreds of years and witnessed the legends of the past. Grid thought for a while, but he thought it was too early to pull out the imperial pce¡¯s blueprint. In the first ce, he had the blueprint in mind for Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal still hadn¡¯t joined the Overgeared Guild, but he had unknowingly given a lot of help to the Overgeared Guild. The dungeons he built around Reinhardt attracted monsters and protected small viges while providing hunting grounds to beginner, intermediate, and high level yers.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a fool. I will never build a dungeon for the Overgeared Guild¡¯ was something he was still saying despite several years of actions showing otherwise.


    He used the excuse of helping his niece Elizabeth, but the members of the Overgeared Guild knew better. Eat Spicy Jokbal had been cooking with Poison Master Edan and provided meals to the Overgeared members, so he was now well-liked. It was just that a shackle was holding back his decision. Eat Spicy Jokbal wanted to join the Overgeared Guild but hesitated for some reason.


    Grid didn¡¯t know the exact reason. At first, it seemed to be because he was deprived of the dragon egg, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case anymore.


    ¡®Every person has their own circumstances...¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was the deep figure who founded and ran the dark organization called Blood Carnival. It would take a lot of time to open his mind and know his story.


    Grid suppressed his thoughts and started to use the bellows. The temperature of the furnace quickly reached the level that Grid wanted. The smelting process had to be carried out separately because adamantium, the insane dragon iron, ck mithril, and Berith¡¯s Hoof all had different melting points. It was a task that couldn¡¯t be done quickly in a short period of time.


    ¡®Concentrate.¡¯


    The metal melted in the mes. All four minerals had different shapes and colors, but they all glowed red after being smelted. The heat rose quickly, causing Grid¡¯s body to be drenched in sweat. If Grid wasn¡¯t a cksmith or a legend, he might¡¯ve retreated or fallen down in great pain from the heat. It was because of this that Grid could be as calm as someone in a sauna. Of course, he didn¡¯t rx. In order to smelt and mix the five minerals including pavranium, it was necessary to not rx for even 0.1 second.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again with a new appearance.¡±


    A golden de...


    The pavranium floating around Grid threw itself into the furnace. This was the moment when the de Aiming at the Gods¡ªwhich had the characteristics of summoning the ¡®golden clouds¡¯ and the ¡®god hands¡¯ with a low probability after being attacked but was unable to y arge role due to Grid¡¯s bad luck¡ªdisappeared from the world. The newly reborn pavranium would be more active than the pavranium in the God Hands era.


    He vowed again and again. Grid seeded in smelting the pavranium and finally tried to mix it.


    [Pavranium, created with the skills and knowledge of the legends, has been reborn at your fingertips.]


    [A very high dexterity has been detected.]


    [The legendary cksmith¡¯s techniques has led to the creation of a new mineral.]


    [Potential knowledge has been detected.]


    [The characteristics of Duke of Wisdom are helping in the progression of the mineral creation.]


    [Several epics have been detected.]


    [The stories you are made of are soaking into the new minerals.]


    A bright light filled the smithy and extended to the outside. It might be shabbypared to Saharan¡¯s red energy which covered all of the imperial capital, but the golden glow in the centre of Reinhardt was a magnificent sight that caught everyone¡¯s eyes.


    [Congrattions! You have seeded in creating a new mineral!]


    [Please name the new mineral!]


    A substance that had never existed was born at Grid¡¯s fingertips. It was a ¡®Grid-only item¡¯ that went beyond the concept of ¡®ss-specific items¡¯ held by hidden sses.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    How much adversity and hardships had he ovee to reach this moment? The sentimental Grid opened his mouth, ¡°The name of the new mineral is...¡±

 Chapter 1088

    ¡°The name of the new mineral is...¡±


    Of course, it had to be Overgeared Stone.


    ¡®...I don¡¯t think so.¡¯


    Then Overgearanium?


    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯


    The growth couldn¡¯t be limited to one thing. If side A developed, the synergy effect of side B developing together was human growth. Grid realized that his naming sense was lousy thanks to his improved intellectual ability, and he hesitated.


    ¡®Both are too bad.¡¯


    Now he understood Lauel¡¯s reaction when he named the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom. Lauel had adapted, but he surely wouldn¡¯t have fallen asleep too easily when he first heard the names ¡®Overgeared Guild¡¯ and ¡®Overgeared Kingdom¡¯. Of course, the feeling might be a bit different if Grid were watched from a third party¡¯s perspective.


    Grid scratched his cheeks and his chin. Every item he created couldn¡¯t be called Overgeared something. It was too monotonous and not fun. He had even tried to name the White Tiger Sword as the Stone Sword. No, did he try to name the Stone Sword as the White Tiger Sword...? In any case, Grid had be seriously concerned about naming since that time and was troubled.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be Grivurnum.¡¯


    Grid had already promised Braham. The name of the new mineral he would create with Braham was Grivurnum. Yes, that was a story for when he made it together with Braham. The origin of this ck-gold mineral was pavranium. Even if the Duke of Wisdom contributed to the creation, Braham would be unhappy if it had his name. There was no Braham in the process of creation. Not even his will existed.


    ¡°Ok, Grivurnum is a pass. Don¡¯t worry and sleep well,¡± Grid muttered toward Braham while cleaning up his inventory.


    It was his habit of talking to himself.He recovered the white light mithril, Astaroth¡¯s Horn, the Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath, and the shell of the cave cricket that had been dposed in the process of smelting the de Aiming at the Gods. The white light mithril¡¯s durability was badly damaged, but the rest of the materials were almost intact.


    ¡®...Okay, I¡¯ve decided.¡¯


    Grid finished sorting his inventory and faced the notification window that was floating in his field of view.


    [Please name the new mineral.]


    The answer...


    ¡°Greed.¡±


    The new mineral had infinite desire. It would never be consumed and would multiply constantly. This was the right name since it resembled the creator who wasn¡¯t satisfied with the peak he climbed to and was looking at a far greater mountain.


    ¡°I have decided on ¡®Greed¡¯.¡±


    It was also a device to raise his awareness. Grid also knew that too much greed would be poisonous. After all, he didn¡¯t know the problems that would be caused by Greed¡¯s proliferation in the future. Braham was the only one who could solve it. A being who possessed ¡®satisfactory¡¯ wisdom and the knowledge to realize it...


    On the day of Braham¡¯s return, Grid would beplete. Grid believed this as he clutched the small melon-sized ck-gold mineral in his hand. He wanted to quickly check the details of the mineral.


    [You havepleted your naming.]


    [The information about the new mineral will be updated.]


    Ttiring~


    [Greed]


    [Durability: Infinite


    The legendary cksmith Pagma and the legendary great magician Braham¡¯s coborative work, pavranium has been reborn by Grid using his skills and epics.


    Many characteristics have been addedpared to the previous one.


    * Acquired healing skills due to Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing. Increases the owner¡¯s health recovery rate by 300%.


    * Acquired an attack buff skill due to God Dominion¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s attack power will increase by 15%.


    * Acquired a defense buff skill due to God Judar¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s defense will increase by 15%.


    * Acquired a magic power buff skill due to God Yatan¡¯s blessing. The owner¡¯s magic power will increase by 15%.


    * Judge and move on its own, executing its master¡¯s orders as the top priority. Every movement doesn¡¯t require power.


    * The hardness, strength and brittleness can¡¯t be changed. However, there is a limit.


    * Completely absorbs all properties. However, be careful not to grant conflicting properties at the same time.


    * The proliferation will double the volume and weight every 10 days. However, this effect is only applied when it is in the ¡®pure form.¡¯


    * There is a high chance of activating the ¡®crushing¡¯ and ¡®reconstruction¡¯ effects when hitting.


    ¡ï The passive skill ¡®Always Together¡¯ is applied.


    ¡ï The titles ¡®Legend of the Canyon¡¯ and ¡®Protagonist of Two Eras¡¯ are also shared by Greed.]


    ¡°Crazy...¡±


    The unique characteristics of pavranium the ultimate mineral, adamantium that had lost its holy power, and the ck mithril given by Empress Basara...


    A stone with its demonic power removed, the unique characteristics of Berith¡¯s Hoof which Grid had enhanced with the Ultimate Transformation, and the title acquired from his epics...


    They were all in Greed. It was a result that went far beyond Grid¡¯s expectations and imagination. Could he have imagined that his epics would affect the creation of a new mineral? Additionally, the proliferation effect was too ideal. It was really calibrated properly.


    Correction was an advantage that every yer in Satisfy enjoyed. For example, the system corrected it every time he crafted an item or created a blueprint. It was due to the system correction that Grid was able to draw the perfect blueprint and perform tasks in all types of fields without having the necessary knowledge.


    That¡¯s right. It was the system correction which implemented solutions for problems that couldn¡¯t be solved with the yer¡¯s level of knowledge based on the ¡®probability¡¯ of the skill. This was what happened with the mineral creation.


    In fact, Grid had been worried. The proliferation of the insane dragon iron wasn¡¯t to increase one to two but to increase it by one volume. For example, how painful would it be if the sword made from Greed became big and heavy every 10 days because of the proliferation effect?


    Once it grew to an uneptable level, it would have to be disassembled and a new sword would need to be created. Otherwise, he would need to solve the problem by using the Insane Dragon Hammer to delete this characteristic. Still, the quantity of created minerals would increase, so it was a problem that he could afford.


    Now all his problems had been resolved. Greed would only multiply in its pure form.


    ¡®Once it has multiplied enough, I can take some off and make an item.¡¯


    The item would remain in perfect shape for the rest of its life...


    Grid¡¯s heart pounded with excitement when he thought of this. A great joy that was hard to express in words filled him.


    ¡°Okay... Let¡¯s stay in this state for a while.¡±


    The mysterious round mineral was ck and gold. Grid stroked the light elemental on his shoulder and started to involve himself in the cksmithing work. He nned to experiment with the remaining 101 ck mithril. What was the effect of the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy on it? Could he grant this characteristic to other minerals or items? Could he transfer the power of his pets and summons? He had many questions.


    Grid¡¯s inquisitive nature was excited. Grid was confident about experimenting since his Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill allowed him to make at least epic rated items, and the cksmith Hammer to go against the Gods amplified his cksmithing skill.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The clear metal sounds that hadn¡¯t been heard in a while started to reverberate in the smithy zone. Hundreds and thousands of cksmiths flocked to watch Grid¡¯s work, and the Overgeared smithies were full of energy again. For at least one month, Grid nned to focus on experimenting until Greed had proliferated three times.


    ¡®Then I will create two new items with the multiplied Greed.¡¯


    There was a feeling of fullness that could only be felt when working as a cksmith. The smile on Grid¡¯s face didn¡¯t disappear.


    ***


    Time passed quickly. It soon became time for the next National Competition to be a topic of discussion. All of the world¡¯s media was keen to analyze who had been chosen as the ¡®devil¡¯ for the next National Competition. However, most of the rankers¡¯ attention was focused on the Overgeared Kingdom rather than the National Competition.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the pace of economic growth in the Overgeared Kingdom is crazy these days?¡±


    ¡°They have aplete alliance with the empire, so they can grow without any fear.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t at the level of an alliance. It is like the empire is going to take over the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that the emperor ispletely obsessed with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Crazy. Although it is now empress...¡±


    ¡°It is because Grid was the one who made Basara empress in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°That is too much. How could he make her an empress, even if he is Grid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a rumor when analyzing the contents of the epic.¡±


    ¡°It can be interpreted in many ways. It¡¯s a coincidence, a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Then is it luck in the end? That¡¯s bullshit. If luck continues then it isn¡¯t luck, it is a skill. Isn¡¯t it right that Grid intended to make Basara the empress?¡±


    ¡°So what will you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to move to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What? You too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as things stand now, I can¡¯t see a future in this country. Once the Overgeared Kingdom is full of ambitions, it will be the first country to perish. I will go to the Overgeared Kingdom before that.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The forces were now being divided. Was it the safe and sure empire or the Overgeared Kingdom whose future was full of expectations? The empire had grown steadily since Empress Basara implemented the unity policies, but the possibility of territory expansion was almost lost. Meanwhile, the Overgeared Kingdom was bing saturated and was likely to devour nearby kingdoms.


    Apart from these two nations, the rest of the world seemed to have little hope, so the yers needed to make a decision. It was best to change boats in advance. There were three reasons for this.


    First, there was the possibility of the Overgeared Kingdom expanding its power. Second, the importance of national power was revealed in the Great Demon Berith incident. Third, there was the variable of the East Continent.


    As more information about the East Continent spread to many yers, people started to be afraid of the Hwan Kingdom and the yangbans. A vicious force that dominated the East Continent...


    If the transcendents of the East Continent¡ªwho had a great sense of civility than the Saharan Empire in the past¡ªmade their way to the West, then weak countries would be destroyed overnight and the yers of the destroyed countries would receive too much damage.


    The only countries who could protect themselves were the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. That¡¯s right. The protagonist of the new era was the Overgeared Kingdom. This new era was apanied by many changes.


    ¡°Grruk. Kurruk.¡±


    The orcs...


    ¡°...¡±


    The elves...


    ¡°Kuhahat!¡±


    The half draconians and so on...


    The many species that had been hiding in various parts of the continent to escape the tyranny of the empire started to emerge.


    (TL Note: Small exnation, MC¡¯s name in Korean is ???, which is pronounced Geu-ri-d.¡¯ It could be both Grid or Greed but I chose to go with Grid because I thought Grid was a better name and this isn¡¯t themon Korean word used for Greed. It wasn¡¯t until a few hundred chapterster where the author wrote the name in English that I discovered it was ¡®Greed.¡¯ Still, I kept the name Grid because readers are used to it and I prefer it better. Some names sound weird when tranted to English and used in an English sentence, such as Lord and Greed. But the essence of Grid¡¯s name means ¡®greed.¡¯)

 Chapter 1089

    ¡°Unconditional double proliferation? Isn¡¯t this too fraudulent?¡±


    ¡°To think that Morpheus allowed such abnormal results... Did it get a virus?¡±


    ¡°This is an obvious bnce breakdown! We need to act now!¡±


    In the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters, a bacsh urred among all the board members who witnessed Grid create the new mineral. Even Director Yoon Sangmin, known for being pro-Grid, tried to persuade Chairman Lim Cheolho, ¡°I think it is right to patch it.¡±


    The volume doubled every 10 days. Among the options attached to Grid¡¯s Greed, this was the most dangerous. In theory, Greed could grow to the size of Earth in a few years, and this was equivalent to the size of the world in Satisfy.


    Yet it was moving at Grid¡¯s will? This meant that if Grid was willing, he could destroy Satisfy.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense that one yer will control Satisfy¡¯s fate in the future.¡±


    ¡°The moment the presence of Greed is revealed to the world, the stock price will plummet. We have to act right now.¡±


    ¡°I think Morpheus¡¯ condition is strange. Let¡¯s check the status of Morpheus and close the server for a while for a patch.¡±


    The directors tried to persuade Lim Cheolho. Their personal liking of Grid wasn¡¯t important at this moment. It was an objective approach, and the key thing was to modify the proliferation effect. They had to put restrictions on it.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho was somber. Satisfy was a world that yers created. No matter what direction the yers led Satisfy in, the S.A Group would just watch and not intervene. Their intervention would dampen the immersion and motivation, and it would be a vicious cycle.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho adhered to this position, but even he was uneasy at this time. His tone was shaken for the first time since he created Satisfy with the help of Morpheus and numerous scientists. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t trust Grid. Grid was the representative figure who improved his quality of life through Satisfy. He wouldn¡¯t dare destroy Satisfy.


    However, there was a number of variables. What if something unavoidable happened to Grid or he encountered an ident and left Greed alone for a long time? Or what if the calctions were wrong and Grid¡¯s item making speed couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of Greed¡¯s growth?


    Concerns would arise. Yes, the proliferation option was the only major problem. Greed had many other fraudulent effects, but there weren¡¯t any big problems considering it was a special item that could only be handled by Grid. It was unlikely that the world view would be twisted because Grid was immensely strong, leading the new era with his strength. No, it was right for him to be stronger. The different species, the grandmaster, the yangbans, the immortals, the great demons, the angels and the gods...


    Satisfy still had many strong yers, and there were yers with potential beyond Grid¡¯s, such as Baal¡¯s Contractor and the Sword Saint.


    ¡°Chairman!¡±The directors urged Chairman Lim Cheolho. The proliferation effect should be resolved quickly, and they urged him to make a decision. Their attitude was reasonable to anyone, but Chairman Lim Cheolho was hesitant right till the end.


    The chairman was struggling with this problem when he suddenly raised a question, ¡°The proliferation effect already exists. It was inherited from the insane dragon iron, and Grid already secured the insane dragon iron years ago. Has there ever been a problem with the insane dragon iron?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just because they were a developer or operator didn¡¯t mean they knew all of Satisfy¡¯s settings. How could they know and remember the myriad settings of a world as vast as Earth? They only remembered some of the most important settings created by Morpheus or created and changed by the yers. If proliferation was a really serious problem, then Morpheus would¡¯ve warned them. Yet Morpheus didn¡¯t give a warning.


    ¡°It means there is no big problem with the proliferation setup.¡±Chairman Lim Cheolho was convinced of this.


    However, the directors denied it.


    ¡°Chairman, there are many ways in which Greed is different from the insane dragon iron. The insane dragon iron can be handled by cksmiths above a certain level, and the mass can be controlled with the insane dragon stone. However, Greed is a material that can only be handled by Grid. It¡¯s unlikely that Grid will use the insane dragon stone for Greed, so it is impossible for Grid alone to control the mass forever.¡±


    ¡°What if something happens to Grid and he can¡¯t log into Satisfy for a long time...? It is terrible just imagining it.¡±


    ¡°There is no problem because the mass can be controlled...? I think differently. Some of the items made by the insane dragon iron were exposed outside the Overgeared Kingdom, but none of them caused any special problems. As the Chairman says, there might not be a big problem with proliferation.¡±


    ¡°Are there limits to the proliferation?¡±


    ¡°I heard what all of you are saying. Then Kentaro, you should study more. Greed is a Grid-only item. So when Grid is logged out, it moves to his personal space and stops all activities. It means that it can¡¯t multiply by itself without Grid. Have you ever seen the pavranium moving alone when Grid is logged out?¡±


    There was no need for controversy. They should check with Morpheus. As the directors were arguing, Chairman Lim Cheolho raised his hand and called for Morpheus.¡°Morpheus, what is the percentage that Grid¡¯s newly created mineral will pose a danger to the world view?¡±


    The answer of the supeputer Morpheus, the presence that presided over Satisfy, was immediately heard, [Zero.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    In addition to the board of directors, Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes also widened. 0% was a figure that Morpheus rarely mentioned. It was aplete exclusion of that possibility. What was the rationale?


    ¡°Is there a limit to the proliferation after all?¡±


    [No. However, if it multiplies to beyond a certain size, the codename Z-003 will have a stronger energy. Therefore, there is a setting that all Z objects apart from Z-003 will appear and suppress or destroy it. Unless the Z objects be extinct, the probability of the proliferation bing dangerous is zero. Of course, the probability of the Z objects bing extinct is equally zero.]


    ¡°Codename Z...? Dragon?¡±


    The directors were agitated. Some didn¡¯t understand, but most directors, including Chairman Lim Cheolho, understood at once.


    ¡°I see. Proliferation is a property derived from the power of Insane Dragon Nevartan. Thus, it will gain the hostility of dragons who are hostile or alert to Nevartan.¡±


    ¡°Whenever Greed grows above a certain size, dragons will appear to hit Grid and control the size of Greed.¡±


    ¡°In such a setting, the concept of ¡®durability¡¯ won¡¯t be good enough. Thus, it is possible.¡±


    ¡°Wait... What is this? Does it mean that items created from the insane dragon iron in thest few years have already been destroyed by dragons or will soon be destroyed? Isn¡¯t it a big disaster if dragonse in droves?¡±


    [The Tower of Wisdom will move first before the dragons appear. It is also designed to raise a warning window with the owner of the item before the Tower of Wisdom moves. So far, the insane dragon iron without the insane dragon stone¡¯s repression property has no answers. Thus, they have already been recovered and discarded by the Tower of Wisdom.]


    Most of the insane dragon iron without repressive properties were in the empire. They consisted of the chandelier Grid had sent to Empress Marie and the stakes which had been driven into the walls of Titan. Naturally, they had no owners.


    ¡°In the end, it is an adjustable property.¡±


    The board of directors were relieved. They were d that it wouldn¡¯t ruin the game. However, it was unfortunate from Grid¡¯s standpoint. It would be impossible to multiply Greed as much as possible. The directors watched the monitor withplicated hearts and soon realized how much they had underestimated Grid.


    Contrary to everyone¡¯s concerns, Grid already prevented excessive proliferation by separating Greed once it multiplied, making it a separate item. Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. ¡°Grid knows better than anyone.¡±


    The dangers of proliferation...


    Grid knew he had to be alert and manage himself because he could always put Satisfy in jeopardy.


    ***


    ¡°Guruk. Gruruk. Thank you. Human. Guruk! You are the savior of our tribe! You deserve to be a part of the tribe! Kuruk!!¡±


    [Hidden Quest ¡ïSupport the Twilight Orcs ¡ï has been cleared.]


    [Affinity with the twilight species has increased by 20 from the quest reward.]


    [Your have gained one level from the quest reward.]


    [It is now possible to change your race from a human to a twilight orc.]


    [Changing your race to a twilight orc will allow you tomunicate with all orcs and you will have the authority to control some orcs.]


    [The rise in strength and stamina will increase attack power and health by 1.8 times while the magic attack power and mana increased by the intelligence stat will be reduced by 2 times. Depending on the intelligence level, the ¡®shaman¡¯ talent might be given.]


    [You will be able to choose a new ss.]


    [Once you change race, you can¡¯t change it twice.]


    [Do you want to change your race?]


    Orcs were one of the mostmon monsters on the West Continent. There were many tribes and many of them were low-level tribes, so they were recognized as low-level monsters. However, was this true? They hadnguage skills, excellent physical skills, could make and use tools in a crude way, knew necromancy, and so on.


    In fact, orcs were more intelligent, capable, and talented than many monsters. In particr, the superior orc tribes showed surprising strength. Didn¡¯t Baal¡¯s Contractor Agnus make a death knight from an orc warrior?


    ¡°Attack power and health increased by 1.8 times?¡±


    The twilight orcs were the strongest and most honorable tribes among the countless orc tribes. Not only did they have high intelligence and skills, but their physical abilitiespletely surpassed those of the human species. They could understand humannguage and had their own cksmiths.


    The only downside was that their magic power was weak. A double reduction in magic attack power and mana meant it was hard to rely on skills or magic. Still, there were many types of yers in Satisfy. Many preferred sses that used basic attacks rather than skills while others were interested in shamanism. There were also many who were attracted to the orc¡¯s vicious appearance. Of course, there were people who just refused mediocrity.


    ¡°Me, I¡¯ll be an orc.¡±


    ¡°I want to be an orc!¡±


    ¡°Guruk. Gruruk. An excellent choice.¡±


    The twilight orcs were one of the original different species that weakened the power of the Saharan Empire, causing the empire to establish barriers to prevent this ferocious species from entering the continent. The vicious n, that had killed countless soldiers and knights of the empire, started to move beyond the fallen barriers when Basara rose to the throne. One of their desires was to absorb yers and quickly expand their power.


    It was the construction of a country. Naturally, a sacrificialmb was needed.


    ¡°Guruk! Gruruk. Forward! Advance! Fertile territory and the hot sun don¡¯t only belong to humans! Guruk! We! Tell the humans! Gruruk!¡±


    The territory of the Violet Kingdom started to be captured by the green monsters.


    ***


    ¡°Reconciliation? Kukuk, why?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The reason why the single digit Red Knights often left the capital was due to confronting the half draconians. They were a rare hunting nation. The half draconian militants who lived in the mountains without huts were incredible. They hunted monsters and beasts for fun and not just for survival. There were only a few hundred of them, but in thest hundred years, the empire invested a lot of power to stop them. Fighting one half draconian consumed twice as much power as fighting 100 minorities.


    Basara was forced to pay great attention to them. The moment she was crowned, one of the first things she did was to send an envoy to the half draconians. Basara sent a marquis and offered reconciliation. She presented a brilliant future to the half draconians, even at the risk of losing money.


    This was the half draconians¡¯ reaction, ¡°We fight you is because it is fun. Why should we reconcile? I¡¯m not an idiot who would get rid of entertainment myself.¡±


    ¡°How rude...!¡±


    Marquis Borell was one of the 10 great magicians on the continent and a representative of the empire along with five great swordsman knights. As a marquis of the great empire and a great magician, he was angered by the attitude of the half draconians. He wanted to summon a me and blow away the head of the young man in front of him.


    However, he refrained from doing so. He knew the will of the new empress and endured it. That was the problem.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    Concentration was required to control his runaway magic power. The half draconian didn¡¯t miss this chance to cut his neck.


    ¡°Disgraceful bastard!¡±


    ¡°How dare you do that to the marquis?!¡±


    The knights pulled out their swords with bloodshot eyes but couldn¡¯t wield them. They suddenly realized that they were surrounded by dozens of half draconians. It was a dog¡¯s death. The head of Marquis Borell flew over to the knights who quickly lost the battle.


    ¡°Go home and deliver this message. You¡¯re going to have to keep ying with us. Kukuk! Kuhahahat!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The new empire¡¯s desire for unity with everyone would never be easy. All sorts of problems struck the empire. It was the karma of ruling by force.

 Chapter 1090

    ¡°Umm...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo, a great existence of the world, had fallen into a lifelong agony. He wanted to eat lettuce wraps in the morning, but as soon as it was time to eat, he opened the lid of a can of tuna because it was troublesome to wash the important lettuce.


    ¡®Don¡¯t wash it and just eat it.¡¯


    The development of science and technology had made humanity indolent.


    ¡°Thanks to organic pesticides developed by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, academia made a thesis that vegetables don¡¯t need to be washed before being eaten these days. Even so, there is the possibility of chewing some soil. However, for convenience, it is a modern person¡¯s attitude that it is necessary to chew a bit of dirt. Shin Youngwoo, a modern man who has never been out of fashion, doesn¡¯t need to wash lettuce before eating...¡±


    Mutter mutter.


    Shin Youngwoo, who was trying to hypnotize himself to eat a meal of unwashed lettuce, suddenly stopped acting. He ran straight to the sink and cleaned dozens of lettuce leaves.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do this.¡¯


    Maybe it was because he was putting all his energy into Satisfy, but he had been wishing for a normal life ever since.


    ¡®I will get used to the convenience of postponing everything and bezy. Let¡¯s clean them once and eat.¡¯


    ¡°Yum yum. Lick lick.¡±


    The legendary cksmith, master of the Overgeared Guild, and king of the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªShin Youngwoo was a person who could target a global conglomerate. Why did he eat a simple meal every time and do the housework in a 10,000-won shirt? He did so because it was naturally nice andfortable.


    The meal? Youngwoo had grown up in a difficult environment, so his tastes were very ordinary. He preferred to eat canned tuna wrapped in lettuce than the best tuna sashimi.


    A desire to show off? There was no reason to put on airs because he already had enough experience. In the first ce, everyone in the world knew Youngwoo. Youngwoo himself was a luxury, so he didn¡¯t have to be covered with luxurious items.


    A housekeeper? They were just household chores, so he could do them himself. His sister Sehee also helped most of the time.


    ¡°Okay, it is perfect.¡± Youngwoo¡¯s face was refreshed after finishing the meal. He organized his mind during the process of washing dishes and cleaning up. ¡°I have decided.¡±


    What was the first item to be crafted with the multiplied Greed? He thought about it and came to the conclusion of ¡®shoes.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s Boots¡ªhe had been wearing them for a long time. It was more than 10 years in Satisfy time. Of course, he had made and used Grid¡¯s Boots in the middle of that period of time, but the utility of the ¡®Fly¡¯ magic belonging to Braham¡¯s Boots was so good that Grid¡¯s Boots lost their priority.


    ¡®Braham¡¯s Boots are obviously the best item, but the basic performance and level limit are too low. I actually should¡¯ve changed them earlier.¡¯


    He knew this but couldn¡¯t change them because of Fly. Being able to fly in the sky meant being free from the constraints of terrain, so it was very attractive. Only a handful of great magicians could make a recement for Youngwoo.


    Things were different now. He could make it with Greed. It was because the default option of Greed was ¡®flying.¡¯ Of course, it would be different from using Fly, but it would satisfy most of his regret tobine ¡®flying¡¯ with his Dragon Wings.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been nice if I could¡¯ve attached a spell or skill to the ck mithril.¡¯


    He gained arge quantity of ck mithril thanks to Basara¡¯s support. In the process of experimenting, Youngwoo had grasped one thing that was a disappointment. ck mithril had the nature of absorbing all types of properties, but it didn¡¯t absorb spells or skills. Well, he had few expectations in the first ce. Properties and magic were separate concepts. In any case, it was only a bit disappointing.


    ¡®That¡¯s it. It is enough just to absorb all properties. It would be too greedy to want more.¡¯


    Greedy was right. It was unconscionable to want Greed to have more fraudulent options when it was already on the level of destroying the bnce. He was almost like a crook.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    After 200 push-ups and a shower in cold water, Youngwooy down in the capsule. It was time for him to be Overgeared King Grid.


    ***


    Shortly after Grid connected to Satisfy...


    ¡°The Violet Kingdom has sent an envoy to all nations, including ours. They are proposing the formation of an allied army,¡± Lauel came to the smithy and reported.


    Grid cocked his head. ¡°Allied? Is it because of the orcs?¡±


    Grid naturally knew about the recentlyunched different species episode. The twilight orcs¡¯ invasion of the Violet Kingdom was ongoing, and he heard that the Violet Kingdom was in great trouble.


    ¡°What is this allied army that they are asking for? They just don¡¯t want to receive any damage in the meantime, right?¡± Grid said.


    Asking for reinforcements from another country was a major loss. Not only did it mean paying a reasonable price, but it also meant they would one day have to repay the grace.


    The Violet Kingdom didn¡¯t want to pay the price even in this moment of crisis, so they tried their luck with an allied army.


    ¡°This is what the Violet Kingdom ims: the orcs won¡¯t be satisfied with conquering the Violet Kingdom, and they are likely to invade other kingdoms. The orcs¡¯ breeding power is so great that as soon as they have the boundaries of a nation, the poption will skyrocket and they will covet more territory. Before the orcs are reborn as the biggest enemy of humanity, we must join forces to confront them.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense. Didn¡¯t you say there is a growing number of yers changing to the orc race? It¡¯s definitely dangerous. Still, I don¡¯t know,¡± Grid said. Then he had a question, ¡°If the orcs are such a belligerent and menacing race, why did the empire liberate them?¡±


    There might be the policy of unity, but there was still a degree of moderation.


    If the orcs were violent enough to threaten all of humanity as the Violet Kingdom imed, Basara wouldn¡¯t have liberated them. The empire must have a good understanding of the orc species.


    Lauel showed a happy expression. He was impressed by Grid¡¯s development and nodded.¡°You are correct. The empire¡¯s liberation of the orcs proves there is a loophole in the Violet Kingdom¡¯s ims. Other countries also know this, so there will be no alliance.¡±


    ¡°Instead, a few kingdoms will send troops in return for payment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a good chance.¡±


    ¡°So, this is the reason you came to me. Will the cornered Violet Kingdom abandon its pride and ask for reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°Did you take the wrong medicine today? Why are you so quick to understand the conversation today when normally I need to tell you two or three times?¡±


    ¡°I washed the lettuce and ate it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Hum hum. In any case, I am against it.¡±


    ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t forget what the Violet envoy said at the founding ceremony. Birum? He was killed by Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been Baron Biz.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that guy. The Violet Kingdom didn¡¯t apologize for his rudeness after the incident but rather demanded an apology and reparations. A few months ago, Euphemina proved Agnus¡¯ innocence and asked them to release him, but they didn¡¯t admit it. They¡¯re really bad guys.¡±


    ¡°Is it a type of retaliation to not send troops?¡±


    ¡°Of course. To add another reason, I think we shouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to exhaust the military power of other countries.¡±


    The twilight orcs weren¡¯t easy opponents, especially with yers joining. All nations sending forces to the Violet Kingdom would suffer great damage. This was a very good opportunity for the Overgeared Kingdom, which had to consider expanding its territory to cope with the growing poption.


    Lauelughed.¡°You added a much more reasonable reason.¡±


    A conquest war...


    In this regard, Lauel was worried that Grid might harbor negative thoughts. Fortunately, Grid had ambitions. The reason why Grid didn¡¯t cross the empire was that it was a huge force they couldn¡¯t afford to absorb. Expanding the Overgeared Kingdom to a manageable level was what Grid desired as well.


    ¡°Are you finally creating a new item?¡± Lauel relieved the burden in his heart and showed interest in what Grid was doing. This was because Grid pulled out a Greed that was roughly in the form of a sword to suppress its proliferation property.


    ¡°Yes, I need something new in order to walk on a flower path.¡±


    ¡°I want to watch from the side as you work...¡±Lauel meant it with all his heart.


    Grid¡¯s essence was his immersion in cksmithing work. He gave off a huge magic power when he sweated in front of a furnace. Grid¡¯s challenging atmosphere and enthusiasm inspired the watchers, and his patience and concentration motivated them. There was a reason the smithy was always packed when Grid was working. Those who saw Grid fight acknowledged him, but those who saw him as a cksmith admired him.


    ¡°You are so busy. Do you have time to watch? I¡¯m really sorry and thankful to you all the time. I¡¯ll share the information with you first when Iplete the item.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will look forward to the time when we roam the gxy until our fate is decided. Kukukuk.¡±


    Grid shook off the goosebumps and gave an order, ¡°Go quickly.¡±


    On the way back to the pce after being kicked out of the smithy, Lauel had an exhrated expression on his face. ¡®I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡¯


    The mineral was so full of fraudulent options that there was bound to be some side effects. What items would Grid create with Greed?


    ¡®It will be great. Even so, no matter how good the performance, it can¡¯tpletely rece Braham¡¯s Boots.¡¯


    Fly was really special magic. There were few drawbacks other than the fact that it continued to consume mana when cast. The advantages were enormous in many ways. For Grid who had ridiculously high mana and defense, there were no shoes as good as Braham¡¯s Boots. Lauel predicted that no matter how fraudulent Grid¡¯s item, the value of Braham¡¯s Boots would still be preserved.


    Three dayster...


    ¡°Kuooh.¡±


    As usual, Lauel was buried in a pile of papers in the morning, and he stretched out.


    -It is finished.


    The tired Grid¡¯s whisper flew in, and Lauel¡¯s prediction was shattered.


    [yer ¡®Grid¡¯ wishes to share the information of Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots.]


    ¡°...?¡± Lauel¡¯s mouth dropped open as he saw the details of the boots.


    [Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Defense: 1,030


    * Movement speed +10%.


    * Evasion +15%.


    * Lightning attribute resistance +40%.


    * Dark attribute resistance +40%.


    * Attack speed +30% when attacking with the lower body.


    * When attacking with the lower body, there is a high chance of triggering ¡®Crush.¡¯


    * When hit in the lower body, there is a low chance of ignoring damage.


    * When hit in the lower body, there is a high chance of triggering ¡®Reconstruction¡¯.


    * Height +3 centimeters.


    * The skill ¡®Come Down!¡¯ is generated.


    * The passive skill ¡®Lightning Incarnation¡¯ is generated.


    * Defense will increase by 10% in canyon terrains.


    * The power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in canyon terrain.


    * Decreases the target¡¯s defense and magic resistance by 10% when encountering great demons weaker than the 22nd rank.


    * If damage to the extent of destroying the boots is received, the durability is fixed for a minimum of 5 seconds. There is a 10% durability recovery after this effect is over (24 hours cooldown).


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Lightning Speed¡¯ is generated.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Lightning God¡¯ is generated.


    Boots made by the cksmith Grid, who gained enlightenment when fighting against a god.


    They are long boots that rise up to the knee, but the sticity of Greed¡ªwhich was used as the material¡ªis flexible and doesn¡¯t interfere with movements at all.


    The guard is made from Strengthened Astaroth¡¯s Horn while the soles are made from Strengthened Astaroth¡¯s Bone, adding a higher defense and a handsome appearance. The maic force generated from the guard, and the soles creates a repulsion against the metal. Ordinary weapons can¡¯t reach these boots.


    The Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath further enhances the lightning properties of Astaroth¡¯s horns and bones. In the process of Greedpletely absorbing it, some of the abilities of the blue dragon have been inadvertently implemented.


    The Strengthened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath grants the wearer a mythical protection.


    Grid¡¯s epics are contained in it.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 600]


    [Crush]


    [Significantly reduces the durability of the target¡¯s armor.]


    [Reconstruction]


    [Restores it to its original state in case of reduced durability or damage to form.]


    [Come Down! Lv. 1]


    [Summons the descending blue dragon¡¯s clone.


    The thunderbolt apanying the blue dragon¡¯s descent inflicts 30,000 fixed damage to each target at the summoner¡¯s feet and has a high chance of causing electric shock. Electrocuted targets are paralyzed for a minimum of 0.5 seconds and a maximum of 5 seconds.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.]


    [Lightning Incarnation Lv. 1]


    [A sustainable passive.


    The blue dragon¡¯s protection will give you a body close to lightning.


    Stamina won¡¯t be consumed when flying. Magic power and skill resources consumed when flying are reduced by 20%. In cloudy or rainy weather, resource consumption is reduced by an additional 10% and in thunderstorms, an additional 20%.


    Attacks with the lightning property will usually have a beneficial effect (a small stamina recovery, a significant mana recovery or a small increase in one stat will be randomly applied. 10 seconds cooldown time).


    Your attacks have a chance to burn the target¡¯s mana (5% of the target¡¯s total mana).


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [Lightning Speed Lv. 1]


    [Your body is covered with the energy of a blue dragon.


    During the flight state, you will breathe at altitudes high enough to reach a new world.


    * Movement speed increased by 20%.


    * The maximum speed limit can be exceeded.


    * Full immunity to lightning-based attacks.


    Mana Cost: 3,00 per second.


    Cooldown Time: 3 seconds.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [Lightning God Lv. 1]


    [A conditional passive.


    Assimte with the breath of the blue dragon.


    Once you reach the maximum speed, there is a low chance that your body will turn into lightning. At this point, all attacks are converted to lightning. Every time you hit the target, a lot of mana is burned (10% of the total mana).


    You are immune to all physical attacks, but you will take twice the damage from magic attacks without any defense or resistance. It also leaves a current that deals 10 times the damage in your movement path. The duration of the electric current is 2 seconds.


    It won¡¯t be released until the speed drops and will be released immediately once you deviate from the maximum speed.


    * If you die in the Lightning God then the wrath of the blue dragon will ur.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ck long boots with golden lining¡ªthe mysterious metals boots had such an overwhelming appearance that it disregarded sex, age, and taste. They would look cool and ssy in anyone¡¯s eyes. It was one of the best items out of the thousands of items that Grid had ever produced.


    However, the thing that caught Lauel¡¯s eye was the performance, not the appearance. Originally, shoes along with gloves were the types of items with the lowest protection. Yet the defense of Grid¡¯s newly produced boots surpassed ordinary legendary rated armor. It wasn¡¯t umon for the durability to be infinite. Still, it was astounding that there were 10 amazing options when just one would cause him to click his tongue. Thebination of Greed, the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath, and the by-products of the great demon along with Grid¡¯s epics created a result beyond Lauel¡¯s expectations.


    -Congrattions.By the way...How many more are you going to make?


    -How many?At least one thousand.


    -Don¡¯t you know the word conscience?


    -It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m trying to harm others.


    Grid¡¯s goal was to create a Greed Army. The condition of only Grid being able to use Greed wasn¡¯t a problem. The reason why the condition of use was limited to Grid was the influence of pavranium. He could use the insane dragon hammer and anvil to remove the unique traits of Greed. Of course, Greed¡¯s performance would be greatly reduced, but it was easier to control the conditions of use. Thus, it was theoretically possible to equip all Overgeared members with Greed.


    ¡®It is harder than adamantium even if the options are deleted, so it is worth it. It is better to see when the time is right.¡¯


    Grid was certain of it. The Overgeared Kingdom would be healthy regardless of the tsunamis and strong storms which would be caused by the emergence of the different species.


    -I think there is a risk of bing a troll due to the Lightning God skill, but I don¡¯t think it is something to worry about unless you are really unlucky.The more I look at it, the more wonderful it is.Congrattions once again.


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 1091

    ¡®Why would he say something so useless?¡¯


    The Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots¡ªGrid felt that the newly created boots were perfect. He was confident that he hadpleted the best item with impable features. The only regret was the existence of the reconstruction option.


    What was the point of the boots having a destruction recovery ability and fixed durability after damage when the durability was infinite? It was a useless option because there was nothing that could damage the durability or destroy the form in the first ce.


    However, Reconstruction was a function of Berith¡¯s Hoof, and the fixed durability post-invincibility option was a function created by the title Protagonist of Two Eras. The item was made from Greed, making these two options a natural urrence. The existence of these two options didn¡¯t cause any harm, so Grid wasn¡¯t bothered.


    However...


    -I think there is a risk of bing a troll due to the Lightning God skill, but I don¡¯t think it is something to worry about unless you are really unlucky.


    Lauel¡¯s words struck a chord with Grid.


    Lightning God¡ªit was a probability skill that gave himplete physical resistance but made him vulnerable to magic. He could be ruined if it were triggered against an enemy strong in magic. Of course, the probability of triggering Lightning God was low, and the advantages were greater than the disadvantages. The probability of receiving damage from Lightning God was extremely low.


    ¡°...It is rotten.¡±


    Grid was generally unlucky. He once believed that an act of great luck was the result of the umtion of bad luck.


    ¡®I think there will be a situation where I¡¯m ruined by Lightning God...¡¯


    Grid was gued with great worries. He felt nervous and anxious as he continued to focus on Lauel¡¯s concern.


    ¡®Hut... I won¡¯t be hit by such an obvious development again.¡¯


    He trusted that he could meet the development with his strength. After all, he had already gone through things like these many times. A typical example was Braham¡¯s Assimtion. It happened during the 2nd National Competition¡¯s PvP event. Grid had pulled out hisst card Braham, only to lose to Kraugel because of Braham¡¯s trolling.


    It was an unexpected development at the time, but now it was an obvious development. Unless the storytelling ability of the god of his destiny was at the level of a third-rate writer, the same story development wouldn¡¯te out again.


    ¡®Of course, I can get through the crisis.¡¯


    It would be disadvantageous if Lightning God were activated when fighting a magician. However, Lightning God had a mana burn effect. In the worst crisis, the mana burn could be used to turn the crisis into an opportunity.


    ¡®In the end, I can do well.¡¯


    He had the ability to take full advantage of the uing good luck and use the bad luck in reverse. Grid controlled his mind and wore the boots. The long boots, which went up to the knees, made Grid look even better. Grid stood in front of the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡®I did a good job making these long boots.¡¯


    Naturally, more materials were consumed, but he had no regrets. Therger the area that the boots covered, the greater the area of protection and the higher the defense. The long boots¡ªoriginally made of metal¡ªwere inconvenient to move in and had the effect of slowing down movement. Now adamantium¡¯s ability to freely change the hardness, strength, and brittleness blocked the side effects.


    ¡°Quick Movements, ckening.¡±


    Grid pulled out the Ideal Sword and entered his peak speed. The yer¡¯s maximum movement speed was 100 meters in five seconds, but Grid transcended this and was capable of four seconds. Thanks to Greed, his speed wasparable to Noe¡¯s. Every time Grid crossed the training field, a loud sound rang out. Piercing through the dust, the flying demonic energy created dozens of afterimages.


    ¡°Wahh...¡±


    It was the early morning when even birds don¡¯t chirp. As they led their heavy bodies out, the grumbling soldiers were shocked.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    The knights, who were swallowing back yawns in front of the spirits, had their spirits awakened. The man running at full speed through the training ground again and again and again was their king.


    All the soldiers, who were sick of suffering every morning despite having enlisted to defend their family and country, and all the knights, who worried about giving up every night despite vowing to make a name for themselves and to have unbreakable loyalty, had hot faces.


    They couldn¡¯t not know. Grid had been working all night in the smithy for the past month.


    ¡®His Majesty is the one who is most tired...¡¯


    ¡®Yet he is running around the training ground early in the morning to be a role model...¡¯


    [The soldiers¡¯ motivation and morale are soaring into the sky!]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Soldier¡ªa former naval member of the Eternal Kingdom¡ªwas defeated by Peak Sword during the Cork Ind War and joined the Overgeared Guild¡¯s army after that.


    He yed a role in the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom and was subsequently promoted to be Asmophel¡¯s lieutenant in recognition of his skills and diligence. Recently, he had been eager to fill in the gap caused by Asmophel¡¯s absence. He was busy every day with his colleagues, training soldiers on behalf of Asmophel, and performing assignments. This wasn¡¯t an easy task.


    That was natural. It was impossible for a yer to show charisma and leadership equivalent to Asmophel. No matter how strong his colleagues were, Soldier didn¡¯t haveplete control over the tens of thousands of soldiers. The morale of the soldiers fell every day, and the training efficiency deteriorated. Reinhardt¡¯s troops wereing to a standstill. However, at this moment...


    ¡°Ready to go!¡±


    ¡°Full force! Shout forward!¡±


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The recently unmotivated soldiers suddenly had bright eyes as they trained actively. Their fallen morale soared into the sky. This happened just because Grid showed himself on the training ground.


    ¡®It is truly special.¡¯Soldier smiled as he watched the soldiers and knights train with powerful shouts.


    The Overgeared Kingdom...


    He felt it was truly amazing that a great kingdom, which was growing to represent the continent, was still under the influence of the lone Grid.


    ¡°Soldier.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Soldier, who was filled with admiration, responded vigorously to Grid¡¯s call. In reality, he was a soldier, and his sense of discipline was very strict. In the middle of the training ground, Grid called out to him, ¡°Come here. Let¡¯s spar once.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor!¡±Soldier didn¡¯t hesitate.


    Was there any fool in the world who would refuse the opportunity to spar with the Overgeared King? It was a great learning opportunity even if he didn¡¯t win.


    ¡°Haap!¡±Soldier pulled out his weapon and quickly narrowed the distance to Grid. It was a great momentum worthy of one of the top 5,000 yers in the unified rankings. He attacked.


    Grid didn¡¯t even draw a weapon and swung his lower legs to block.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The confused Soldier stepped back as the repulsion generated by the ck boots pushed his sword back. He wanted to find out the identity of this repulsion, but it wasn¡¯t possible in such a short amount of time. Soldier decided to avoid any conflict with these unidentified boots and aim for the upper body.


    However, he couldn¡¯t take any action.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Suddenly, Grid was engulfed in lightning and floated into the sky. This was aplete flight, not a leap. It was without equipping Braham¡¯s Boots.


    ¡®Are they new magic boots made with the tears of the water n king?¡¯


    The moment Soldier had this thought...


    ¡°Come Down.¡±


    Grid spun in the air and a lightning bolt fell and struck Soldier. This was literally lightning. It was not an attack that human beings could react to and avoid. Soldier was pierced.


    [You have suffered 30,000 damage.]


    [You have been affected by the ¡®electric shock¡¯ state!]


    ¡°...!?¡± He became defenseless.


    Grid had alreadye down behind Soldier¡¯s back. ¡°Thanks for the hard work.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    It was a victory without even taking out a weapon. Grid overwhelmed a top 5,000 ranker with just a pair of shoes. If there were any witnesses, they would say this was a bug. Nevertheless, the two parties involved didn¡¯t make a fuss. They both knew it. This power was only the beginning. Grid could¡¯ve dealt with dozens of rankers with just the pair of boots, not just one.


    The utility of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots was as good as possible. He flew with Lightning Speed and secured a safe distance before linking the next attack, not allowing the opponent to react.


    ¡®It is exciting.¡¯


    This game was truly about items. Grid felt a surging emotion for the first time in a while andughed happily.


    Meanwhile, Soldier was praising himself. Heplimented his past self for deciding to join the Overgeared Guild.


    ***


    There wasn¡¯t a single kingdom that responded to the Violet Kingdom¡¯s request. The formation of the allied army was in vain. The isted Violet Kingdom was forced to stop the invasion of the twilight orcs on its own, and most of its territory was seized. As the strength of the twilight orcs spread through various media, the number of yers who changed races to an orc increased rapidly. The Violet Kingdom was driven to the brink and requested troops from all over the continent.


    An official letter also arrived at the Overgeared Kingdom, asking for help in return for a reasonable price. Of course, the Overgeared Kingdom refused the request. The Gauss Kingdom and other kingdoms near the Overgeared Kingdom also rejected the request. They couldn¡¯t afford to help another kingdom when they didn¡¯t know if the Overgeared Kingdom would invade their territory.


    On the other hand, most of the countries far away from the Overgeared Kingdom sent troops to the Violet Kingdom. Their desire to grow their power made them covet the price presented by the Violet Kingdom.


    It was the same for the Fold Kingdom. Thend was barren and resources were scarce, so the poor Fold Kingdom only had 300,000 hard-working soldiers to deal with monsters. The chance to send troops and make money was a great opportunity for them. However¡ª


    ¡°We won¡¯t send an army.¡±


    The Fold Kingdom also rejected the Violet Kingdom¡¯s request. The Fold Kingdom had served the Overgeared Kingdom for a long time. The will of the Overgeared Kingdom was their will.


    ¡°Is that what you came here to ask?¡±


    Grid informally scolded the person who personally came to the Overgeared Kingdom to answer the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s will¡ª1st Prince Shining of the Fold Kingdom. Even so, Grid¡¯s expression was warm. He had been very fond of Prince Shining since the first day they met, and this attitude hadn¡¯t changed. Above all, Prince Shining was the man who protected Irene and Lord at the risk to his own life during the Yatan Church¡¯s attack on the Vatican.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to see Your Majesty with this excuse? I am relieved and pleased to see that you have remained strong.¡± Prince Shining was a bit excited.


    The man who changed the empire¡ªthe Overgeared King was Shining¡¯s idol.


    Gridughed.¡°You speak pretty well. You should meet the queen and prince while you are here. They will be pleased to see you.¡±


    ¡°I am honored.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Grid called out to Shining who was about to leave.


    The Fold Kingdom might be the poorest kingdom, but it was a kingdom with a set of ¡®strong soldiers.¡¯ Prince Shining, who had already been appointed as the next king, was also a named NPC. This meant there were endless possibilities for his development.


    ¡°This is a gift.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    It was a transparent blue sword, which looked like a shark that couldn¡¯t be seen in the barren Fold Kingdom¡ªa kingdom without ess to the sea. Prince Shining was dumbstruck as Failure was handed to him.


    ¡°This is a sword I¡¯ve been using for over 10 years.¡±


    It was unreasonable to present it to his colleagues because of the extreme conditions of use. Grid had enough blue orichalcum, so he could rebuild it at any time. His cksmithing technique had greatly improvedpared to the past, and he could now produce a result that was far superior to the existing Failure.


    ...There was no need to exin the facts. Grid omitted as much as possible when he spoke to Prince Shining.


    ¡°It will be hard for you to use this sword right now. Still, you will be very strong if you can handle it. For the foreseeable future, train with the goal of being strong enough to handle the sword.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty...¡±


    ¡°It is a reward for risking your life for the queen and prince.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to. Why give me such a gift...?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense and ept it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A subordinate nation was one that was exploited by the nation it was obedient to. This was the existing concept. Then what about the rtionship between the Fold Kingdom and the Overgeared Kingdom? Since the time it started serving the Overgeared Kingdom, the Fold Kingdom had always been receiving benefits. Thanks to the Overgeared Kingdom, they were protected from the empire, their people didn¡¯t starve, and the royal family regained peace.


    At this moment, he received another gift. It was a sword that could be passed down as a royal heirloom for generations. One of the emblems of the Overgeared Kingdom was held in Prince Shining¡¯s hand. Prince Shining, who was unable to speak for a while, barely suppressed his feeling of being blessed. ¡°...I will never forget Your Majesty¡¯s grace and will repay it forever.¡±


    A favor that was small for Grid created another eternal ally.

 Chapter 1092

    It was an opening. The world changed overnight. Those visiting the forest heard the singing of elves while armored men wrestled and yed on the beach. On one mountain, people with dog ears appeared to y tricks on merchants while orcs hung around viges.


    How many people imagined that they would spend their daily lives with these species? Intelligent yers who had been eagerly reading web novels and manhwa adapted easily, but most people were confused by the strange changes. They were frightened or anxious by the emergence of these difference species they had never heard about.


    Still, weren¡¯t humans adaptive creatures? The confusion was only for a moment before the people quickly adapted to the change. Some people cooperated with the different species to see new opportunities while others chose to be part of the species, and some others took advantage of the species¡¯ innocence to hit them in the back of the head. There were also people who hunted and traded these species like they were monsters.


    The conclusion was that this world was the same, regardless of whether they were a different species or human. Meanwhile, the Overgeared Kingdom presented the direction of the new era.


    ¡°Hey, you over there! Ask the orcs to carry the heavy loads!¡±


    ¡°Leave it to the wildlings! Their sense of smell goes far beyond the vision of our eyes!¡±


    It was a society without prejudice. The only thing that mattered was if they had the ability, regardless of origin, status, or race. Otherwise, as long as they had passion, the society proposed by the Overgeared Kingdom gave opportunities and reasonablepensation. In fact, many achievements were made.


    The Overgeared King had suffered irrationality, so his ideas set the kingdom free... Some said this, but the truth was far from this. The Grid from the time of discrimination and ridicule was too different from the current Grid. The old Grid was like this, the old Grid did that...


    People couldn¡¯t really realize it from listening to other people¡¯s words. Those who discussed Grid of the past were confused about whether they were telling the truth or a lie.


    ¡°Are the elves still in the news?¡±


    The Overgeared Pce¡¯s meeting room was where the 10 meritorious retainers gathered to discuss each agenda. It was a ce that had always been buzzing, but now it was empty. There were only two people who sat at the round table, Grid and Lauel.


    ¡°Yes, they still don¡¯t trust humans. They exercise their autonomy in every forest and only create friction with humans. They aren¡¯t inclined to cooperate with humans.¡±


    ¡°It is a shame they can¡¯t feel trust...¡±


    Grid knew the pain that the elves had suffered. They had been branded as coveted and became prey for humans just because they loved peace rather than violence. They had made countless sacrifices throughout their long history. yers had even attempted to enve them. For example, Kir who was once hailed as the merchant king. It was Grid who saved the elves from him.


    Lauel smiled bitterly at Grid who couldn¡¯t hide his sadness. ¡°The elves are a wounded race. It is hard for them to trust people, even if they trust Your Majesty. It is out of their own sense of loyalty that they aren¡¯t even looking at the forests of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I just hope time will be a medicine... By the way, I remember that the poption of elves is fairly small. Is it even physically possible for them to control forests across the continent?¡±


    ¡°The elves themselves are an upper species, and the ¡®Te¡¯ leading each tribe are amazing. Additionally, the beasts of the forests are friendly to them. At the behest of the elves, hundreds of thousands of beasts attack humans who invade the forests. Therefore, armies and yers all over the world can¡¯t recapture the forests.¡±


    ¡°The elves were only captured by Kir because of the Yatan Essence. Otherwise, they are very strong. There are also the elementals.¡±


    Even the top rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the 12 Te. The Te were powerful enough that even Grid would need to be careful if the battle environment were a forest. Despite the elves having a small poption, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to upy forests and exercise their autonomy. Of course, the story would change if the empire acted.


    ¡°What is the empire¡¯s position?¡±


    ¡°Even the elves can¡¯t invade the empire. There is no justification for the empire to invade the forests, so there is no conflict between the empire and the elves. It is only us and the empire.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Most countries apart from the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire have no ess to forests. The mines in the forests have been shut down, and all economic activity has been disrupted, including logging, hunting, and gathering.¡±


    ¡°That means...?¡±


    ¡°Prices for minerals, wood, herbs, leather, and othermodities are skyrocketing. The yers who already noticed are rumored to have stocked the items since the beginning of the elves¡¯ activities, but as you know, there is a limit to the economic power of an individual. What¡¯s more, I moved one step faster than them and stocked up on all the items.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom and empire¡¯s forests are all in operation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Crazy.¡±


    It meant the Overgeared Kingdom and empire would divide the battle gear market. The empire had nurtured tens of thousands of NPC cksmiths, thousands of cksmith yers, and arge number of craftsman level NPCs. The two countries were currently supplying most of the items on the market, and in particr, the market price of high-end items was set by the Overgeared Kingdom. It was safe to say that the economic market itself had fallen into the hands of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire because they monopolized the resources.


    Given the power of money, perhaps the world would change faster than people perceived. It might not be long before the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire divided the entire West Continent.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡±Lauel asked when he saw that Grid¡¯s expression was stiff rather than rejoicing.


    ¡°Do you know? I still haven¡¯t looked around my country.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told the location of Yorel City that governs it as well as how many people there are and their specialties, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. There are hundreds of such cities and viges. What about when I have territory that is dozens of times bigger than it is now? What if the number of people serving me increased by hundreds of times? I can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°There is a way to be crowned as emperor¡ªset up many kings and share the responsibilities with them. The Saharan Empire also acknowledges Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s even scarier.¡±


    His colleagues¡¯ trust...


    He was worried that many flies would twist his colleagues. For example, what if the 10 meritorious retainers became kings? They would have many people by their side to manage their own territory, and there would always be those with their own agenda. The Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared Guild would gradually be contaminated. In the worse case scenario, a civil war might take ce out of Grid¡¯s control.


    When Grid confessed this, Lauel smiled. ¡°Sure, it isn¡¯t easy to be emperor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for all your help. If I had the ability, I wouldn¡¯t have all these small worries. However, you know what type of person I am. I can¡¯t handle the position of emperor.¡±


    He was too modest. Grid was able to notice many things beforehand. For example, when he gave Failure to Prince Shining a short time ago. However, Lauel conceded Grid¡¯s position. Forcing someone to be emperor when they didn¡¯t want to could cause all types of side effects. It was also true that the current Grid wasn¡¯t good enough to rule a country many times bigger than it was now.


    ¡°Then what is Your Majesty¡¯s goal? Do you aim to maintain your position while steadily developing the Overgeared Kingdom to a level you can manage?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... That was it not long ago, but I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I think supremacy is just a process and a means.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°The reality of the gods, the seven malignant saints, the expelled gods, the yangbans and the Hwan Kingdom, Pagma and the great demons...¡± Grid paused. These episodes were the backbone of Satisfy. Then he continued, ¡°I want to know everything about them. I need strength to ess the truth.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Lauel¡¯s heart suddenly jumped. Wealth, honor, and power¡ªthe ultimate goals for most people were nothing but two-dimensional concepts for the current Grid. Lauel realized that Grid¡¯s thinking might have reached a very high level.


    ¡°After I discover the entire truth, I think it would be nice to retire and run a small smithy. I have to do a small amount of work to prevent dementia.¡±


    ¡°Haha... That is great. You will feelfortable and satisfied every day after retiring.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Where do you intend the smithy to be?¡±Lauel wasn¡¯t asking about the location but the dimension. yers were living in reality and Satisfy, two different dimensions.


    Gridughed. ¡°It will obviously be in both.¡±


    ***


    [The Violet Kingdom has been destroyed.]


    [yers who were once members of the Violet Kingdom will be ¡®refugees.¡¯ Refugees will suffer from increased stamina consumption and increased damage...]


    [The Twilight Orc Kingdom has been born!]


    [The roar of Great Orc Lord ¡®Uruchan¡¯ is shaking the continent!]


    The scheduled history waspleted. The Violet Kingdomsted less than three months before the invasion of the orc army, which boasted a terrifying recovery and breeding power. This meant that the troops sent by various countries didn¡¯t help much.


    This was the birth of a new kingdom. After hundreds of years, a nation of a different species emerged. yers who turned into orcs and made contributions in the war against the Violet Kingdom earned rewards such as receiving the new ¡®champion¡¯ ss or greatly increasing their stats.


    ¡°In the face of the orcs¡¯ volume offensive, wouldn¡¯t even the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom be embarrassed?¡±


    Public opinion changed. They analyzed that the twilight orcs could threaten the supremacy of the West Continent, which was known to be divided between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. Surprisingly...


    ¡°It is quiet...¡±


    The orcs weren¡¯t greedy about expanding their power. They lived a peaceful life, as if they were satisfied with the territory they had. This was until an ident broke out.


    [Orc Lord Uruchan was defeated and killed in a showdown!]


    [Teruchan, who won the showdown, has been crowned the new orc lord!]


    [Teruchan deres!]


    ¡°We! Orcs! Want a bigger territory!! Guruk! Gruruk!¡±


    The orcs began their march ording to the will of their new leader. Many kingdoms started to suffer from the constant invasion and looting, including the Fold Kingdom.

 Chapter 1093

    (Are you satisfied with being an orc?)


    A survey was conducted on yers who changed races. The response rate was 68%, which was very good. Of those, 80% answered positively. It must be positive. Most of the yers who switched race to an orc were melee damage dealers. In the first ce, they chose the orc race because of the orc¡¯s physical power. Stamina that didn¡¯t wear out easily, high health, destructive power, a broad vision, and so on¡ªthe orcs¡¯ superior physical abilities greatly satisfied them.


    -It is a race optimized for battle.Survival is guaranteed, and there are fewer blind spots in your vision.You can¡¯t lose if you¡¯re fighting a yer of the same level.


    -The problem is that mana is reduced by two times, so you can¡¯t use many skills.


    -I agree.The mana itself iscking, and mana recovery is so slow that it is vulnerable in long fights.When ites to intelligence, buffs are essential.


    -The intelligence coefficient should really be buffed.I lose every time I meet a magician.I can¡¯t resist the abnormal statuses caused by spells, and my health drops every time I¡¯m hit by magic.


    -Don¡¯t you want too much?I¡¯m in a position to wish for a buff. But to be honest, if I receive an intelligence buff in my current state, it will be too much.


    -That¡¯s right. ?? There are more advantages than disadvantages right now, but if we receive a buff here, who would stay human?Everyone would be orcs ??


    The conversations and reviews between orcs in variousmunities attracted thousands of people. The orcs¡¯ strengths were clear enough to attract those who were reluctant to be non-human. Of course, there were many drawbacks. Apart from the intelligence issue, there were the irregr teeth, rolling eyeballs, and jutting chin.


    First, it was a fatal problem that their appearance didn¡¯t meet the usual aesthetic standards. Additionally, the quest contents were generally simple and disregarded level because the intelligence of orc NPCs was generally lower than that of humans, resulting in significantly higher difficulty. They often made yers do crazy things. There was even a joke that orcs had no quests.


    Either way...


    ¡®I¡¯m going to change my race to an orc.¡¯


    ¡®Me too!¡¯


    Many people raised their hands based on the merits, instead of the disadvantages of the orcs. In particr, yers who had a ss with low dependence on skills attempted to change race to be an orc. Meanwhile, the Chinese media¡¯s attitude was noticeable.


    ¡º Chinese martial arts are one of the most popr in the world. As a result, most Chinese people are interested in and proud of martial arts. In Satisfy, they often choose the martial artist ss. Just imagine how many Chinese martial artists changed to the orc race to maximize their strengths? What do you think? Yes, your imagination wille true. Not only will the proud Chinese people dominate the various PvPpetitions, but they will also rise to the top of the rankings. ¡»


    ¡º Chinese yers are pure. While Grid has his items and Kraugel relies on skills, Hao only trained in control and is aplete version of a Chinese yer. The Chinese attitude of focusing on training yourself rather than relying on external factors... It is misleading to argue if it is right or wrong, but it is undeniable that such an attitude has alienated Chinese yers. In order for China to regain its title as a gaming powerhouse, yers need to change their attitudes. Now the orcs are a means to ovee the weaknesses of the Chinese yers. Thus, the future of China is very bright. ¡»


    ¡º If China¡¯s top rankers change their race to an orc and adapt well, China¡¯s overall ranking in this year¡¯s National Competition will be at least second. Then in the next one or two years, we willpletely surpass the United States and South Korea. ¡»


    This was fanatical praise. The ambitions of the Communist Party were lurking in the background of the various media outlets praising the orcs. It was intended to make their yers be orcs and increase their national status. It was media y that was almost to the extent of brainwashing. The media even took out the card called Hao toplete the picture that the Communist Party wanted.


    ¡º Hao, the world is hot about orcs these days. Recently, you are bing a topic of discussion because the half draconians receive no separate stat benefits. There is spection that you will be a supreme yer if you change your race to an orc and strengthen your physical abilities. What do you think about this? ¡»


    ¡º It is true that the stats benefits of a half draconian are the same as those of a human. Just like in the orc¡¯s case, it is assumed that the stats coefficient will be adjusted only when yers have a chance to choose to be half draconian. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s a shame. Then right now, are you considering changing your race to orc? ¡»


    ¡º No. There are only two opportunities per ount to change races, and once you change your race, you have to be cautious because you won¡¯t be able to change it again for at least two years. Additionally, I am benefiting from the half draconian¡¯s skills. Therefore, I don¡¯t want to give up the existing benefits to change race to an ugly orc. ¡»


    ¡º I-I see. ¡»


    The Chinese media had long isted and used Hao as a scapegoat. Now they started to mention Hao again and asked for an interview to take advantage of Hao¡¯s reputation. The fact that Hao was China¡¯s top ranker hadn¡¯t changed. The media wanted Hao to empower the press by acknowledging the value of the orcs.


    However, Hao sprinkled ashes on them.


    ¡º Don¡¯t be too blind about the orcs. The coefficient of health and stamina is obviously 1.8 times higher than that of humans, but as the second half progresses, skills will be more important than stats. A double drop in intelligence will grab at your ankles. Also, don¡¯t forget that the power-loving thoughts of the orcs will provoke great upset sooner orter. ¡»


    ¡º Ah, yes. I¡¯ll finish the interview here. ¡»


    Once again, Hao became a target of the media. They attacked Hao with the conspiracy theory that his master Grid was behind the reason why he opposed China¡¯s experts. In amunist country where public opinion could easily be manipted and controlled, it was simple to act against a single person. Hao¡¯s ims were lost in the criticism.


    ¡°...It is tiring every time.¡± Hao found himself increasingly exhausted. Memories of the South Korea he visited a few years ago lingered before him. The streets were lined with the buildings belonging to Grid and the Overgeared members. He missed that free atmosphere.


    ¡°...¡±


    Hao remembered the faces of his ancestors who had been respected from generation to generation and had to shake off his thoughts. He knew. In order to loosen the shackles of a mind that oppressed others and to start anew, he had to honor his country. As for the surest way to honor his country? It was to beat Grid.


    ¡®Just once.¡¯


    ...At least once. He would soar into the clouds if he could beat Grid once. The Chinese trend of treating Grid as a viin while painting Hao as Grid¡¯s minion would be fixed.


    ¡®I must win once.¡¯


    For his new beginning and for Grid¡¯s honor, Hao longed for victory.


    ***


    ¡°Orc warriors! You! Worship Teruchan! Guruk! Gruruk! I will give you the glory of going to war with me! We! Take away the territory of humans! Guruk! Kruruk! We will build our empire!!"


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    The yers who had changed to the orc species trembled. Their goal was to be a ranker or to y on the stage of the National Competition, but this was ruined once the long war appeared. To be honest, the yers didn¡¯t care about the orc¡¯s country. It didn¡¯t matter to them. After all, it had been less than a few months since they became orcs, so they didn¡¯t feel any sense of belonging yet.


    There weren¡¯t even any quests. The new lord, who had taken the throne by force, was so ignorant that he didn¡¯t know how to deal with people. He emphasized that it was an honor to follow him and didn¡¯t intend to give any carrots. It was a madness that the yers didn¡¯t swallow.


    ¡°I want to leave this war!¡±


    The yers attempted to leave. In the first ce, yers were enjoying the game. They had the right to freedom and no reason to surrender to the orc lord¡¯s orders. This was what they believed. Then what was this?


    [If you leave the ranks now, you will be considered a deserter. All kinds of punishments and constraints will follow!]


    ¡°XX!!¡±


    ¡°No, what is this?¡±


    Orcs were a militant species that worshipped power. All its people were treated as soldiers, and the yers were no exception. They couldn¡¯t be freed from the militaryws which were made one-sidedly by the orc lord. Of course, the people didn¡¯t ept it easily.


    yers ignored this and left the ranks. Then they were all killed. Their necks were cut by the other orcs next to them, behind them, or in front of them. Even if they died, resurrected, logged out, and then logged in again, they couldn¡¯t escape from the orc army that had already begun its march.


    In the orc society that valued instincts, the orc lord¡¯s will was absolutely binding. The subordinate orcs couldn¡¯t go against the senior orcs. It was the reason why some yers had the ¡®right to control some orcs¡¯ after changing to a twilight orc.


    [The great lord Teruchan has dered war!]


    [You will join his army at Teruchan¡¯s will!]


    ¡°What the hell is this X game?!!¡±


    The biggest difference between Satisfy and existing games was the degree of freedom. Unless theymitted a crime or were bound by specific quests, they could always y Satisfy ording to their own will. At this moment,mon sense was broken. Orc yers encountered an ignorant leader and were forced to experience the barracks.


    ¡®Someone kill that damn bastard!¡¯


    The twilight orcsunched a conquest war. Humans, as well as orc yers, wanted their march to stop. However, it was hard to find the forces to stop Teruchan and his fanatical elites, who were strong enough to be treated as ¡®magicless great demons.¡¯ Everyone was in pain.


    ***


    ¡°Why is the development different than expected?¡±


    In Reinhardt¡¯s smithy, Grid clicked his tongue after receiving Lauel¡¯s report. In many ways, the expressions in his and Lauel¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t good since they analyzed that the orcs were unlikely to expand.


    Lauel replied, ¡°The twilight orc lord is the king who rules over all orcs. I guessed before that he had great intelligence, and in fact, the previous orc lord was cautious. For hundreds of years, he pretended to be humane in order to not stimte the empire, while not forgetting the helplessness his people had experienced under the oppression of the empire. So my analysis wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°In any case, you didn¡¯t expect it. You didn¡¯t say that another orc could kill the old orc lord and be the new orc lord, waging a war.¡±


    ¡°It was so obvious that I didn¡¯t say it. However, I did expect it. Since the orcs are a species that relies on strength, I analyzed that the path of session to the throne would take ce through strength and calcted that the orc lord could change at any time.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s biggest weakness was his weak mentality. His mind often stopped working when he faced unexpected variables. Of course, he had the wisdom to block 99 out of 100 variables.


    ¡°Do you have a contingency n that is within the expected range?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hey, this person was crazy.


    Lauel shrugged at the anxious Grid. ¡°The orc¡¯s march has provided justification to the empire. The empire gave them freedom in order to achieve unity, but they can¡¯t stand by and watch the orcs continue to wage war. The empire will once again fight the orcs.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The orcs, who met the wrong master, would be sent to their graves.


    ¡°I see. It isn¡¯t a problem for us. No, it isn¡¯t a problem to care about.¡±


    Right when Grid was nodding, it happened.


    ¡°There is news that the orc army has invaded the Fold Kingdom! It is the main army that Orc Lord Teruchan is leading!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. He rose from his seat as he recalled the loyalty shown by the Fold Kingdom and Prince Shining. ¡°I will go. I have to sort this out.¡±


    Lightning bounced around the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots. Additionally, four ck hands floated in the air. They were the resurrected God Hands.

 Chapter 1094

    -The possibility of suffering direct damage seems very low....


    -Yes.


    Those who were anxious about the orcs¡¯ march, calling it the ¡®worst disaster since the great demon¡¯, gradually regained stability.


    -It is quite different from the great demon.


    The great demons treated humans as cattle. They one-sidedly abused, ughtered, and ridiculed humans. The orcs were different. They were also intelligent beings who could be ssified alongside humans. Unlike the great demons, they weremon-sense opponents and not as cruel as the great demons. They didn¡¯t impose their ideas of justice on humans. However, they argued that they needed territory to live.


    ¡°I, the lord who leads the great warriors, Teruchan! Our great warriors don¡¯t have the hobby of torturing the weak! Guruk! Gruruk! I will guarantee your safety if you raise the white g and surrender yournd!¡±


    Howl City Fortress¡ªit was the gateway to the Fold Kingdom, and there were always 30,000 elite troops stationed there. The soldiers weremanded by veterans who went through all sorts of hardships, and the knights led the way in defeating the invaders.


    Yes, Howl¡¯s army was valiant. They would stand up, even if the empire invaded. The reason why the Fold Kingdom wasn¡¯t afraid of the empire¡¯s retaliation after going under the Overgeared Kingdom was that they trusted Howl¡¯s army. However...


    ¡°These sons of a bitches. Why covet our kingdom? They are many countries richer than us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There is no use for this barrennd.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they aren¡¯t aware of the state of our country? They are surprisingly good conversationalists. Perhaps they will step back if we exin it well?¡±


    Even Howl¡¯s army was shrank back in front of the orcs. The sight of 100,000 dark-skinned orcs, with a height of at least two meters, under the walls ced a great pressure on them. In particr, the orc lord in the lead was terrifying. The mere sight of his eyes made them feel nauseous. A few soldiers¡¯ pants were already wet.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Marquis Veze¡ªthe lord of Howl and the symbol of the Fold Kingdom¡¯s armed forces who was famous for being the idol of tens of millions of guardian knight yers¡ªcame to a decision after agonizing over the matter.¡°A conversation. That is a good way. Open the gates. I will go out and talk to them.¡±


    ¡°That is impossible!¡± The marquis¡¯ men were shocked.


    Sure, the orcs were unexpectedly gentleman. They were like knights worshipping chivalry. When they heard that the small viges the orcs passed on the way were safe, they thought that orcs were better than some humans. However, this could be an act. In the first ce, orcs were the enemy. There was no fool who would tell theirmander to step into the middle of enemy territory.


    ¡°The fortress is doomed the moment they harm you or take you hostage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Please be cautious! Please send out the warden!¡±


    ¡°The captain is hiding while asking for a conversation? The orcs will respond well. They wouldugh at us.¡±


    ¡°Just fight! It is too dangerous for you to go out in person!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! They are orcs! Monsters! There is nothing to talk about!¡±


    ¡°Then shall we fight blindly?¡±


    ¡°We have 30,000 strong soldiers! We¡¯ll be able to hold on if we stay in the castle!¡±


    ¡°There is hope because an army has been dispatched from the capital!¡±


    ¡°Is it really possible?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Everyone shut their mouths at the marquis¡¯ question. The marquis¡¯ gaze was aimed at arge spear stuck in the city gates. It was a spear that Orc Lord Teruchan had thrown from ¡®an invisible ce.¡¯ The spear caused cracks in the walls, and even dozens of knightsbined couldn¡¯t pull it out. It was as if it had been there since the beginning.


    ¡°We will only be able to hold on for two days. The moment they start the offensive, the walls will copse, and the fortress will be thoroughly trampled on. Rather than increasing the number of victims with meaningless resistance, it is better to try and talk to them first.¡±


    ¡°However, if the marquis suffers a disaster, we won¡¯t be able tost for even two days.¡±


    ¡°The moment they strike at my neck, throw away the fortress and retreat to the capital. Prince Shining will immediately grasp the situation and take you in.¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to be cowards who run away without even fighting?¡±


    ¡°Of course, some people will point fingers at you. Still, don¡¯t worry. Everyone will know that today¡¯s choice was the only way to protect the country. Endure the humiliation for our country.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    The people couldn¡¯t persuade Marquis Veze any longer. He broke through the barriers made by his subordinates with his body and left the castle.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The pale nobles and knights urgently rushed to the walls. They saw Marquis Vezee face to face with Orc Lord Teruchan. The Marquis was a guardian knight who specialized in defending. Among the other nobles and knights, Marquis Veze¡¯ body wasrge like that of a giant yet he felt dwarfed among the orcs. In particr, he looked like a little kidpared to Teruchan.


    ¡°I am Veze, the leader of this fortress and a marquis of the Fold Kingdom. Orc Lord Teruchan, I will tell you something despite the shame.¡±


    ¡°Grruk. Kruruk! Go ahead,¡± Teruchan responded in an interested manner. He was very pleased with the courage of the slender man who jumped into the middle of the enemy alone.


    ¡°The territory of our Fold Kingdom is famous for being the most barren on the continent. The mountains aremon, and we don¡¯t have the strength of the sea. It has no value even if the orcs conquer it.¡±


    ¡°Then we should invade other kingdoms? Grruk.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m asking you to step down.¡±


    The number and types of monsters that appeared in the Fold Kingdom were much higher than other kingdoms. Marquis Veze, who always fought in the vanguard, had cut off the breaths of tens of thousands of monsters. It was a strange and difficult thing for Marquis Veze to bow his head to orcs whom he had always regarded as monsters.


    Even so, he didn¡¯t hesitate at all. He bowed his head politely.¡°The Fold Kingdom isn¡¯t worth conquering. Please withdraw.¡±


    Disparaging the country¡ªit was a crime that couldn¡¯t be forgiven, even if it was for the sake of the country. In particr, Marquis Veze felt more shame and guilt since he had been fighting for his country all his life. However, he was forced to speak honestly since he wanted the orcs to step down. The Fold Kingdom was a country that wasn¡¯t even worth conquering...


    This was also a popr assessment in the world. Teruchan listened to him andughed.¡°For our warriors, the territory of the Fold Kingdom is the best ce.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Marquis Veze had been looking forward to the orcs¡¯ ¡®ignorance.¡¯ He thought they invaded the Fold Kingdom because they didn¡¯t know anything. That¡¯s why he believed a conversation would work. The orcs would leave easily once they realized they had nothing to gain from conquering this ce. Yet he received apletely unexpected response. The territory of the Fold Kingdom was the best?


    Teruchan smiled at the baffled marquis. Hisrge teeth were more intimidating than any beast¡¯s.


    ¡°Grruk. We train and fill our hunger by hunting monsters.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°More than any other country. Grruk. Kurruk. The Fold Kingdom is the right ce for us.¡±


    This was a failure. Marquis Veze took in a shocked breath as he realized the hope he sought was a vain dream. Simultaneously, he made a quick decision. He had to go back to lead the soldiers to retreat. In order to fight against the orcs, it was most efficient to rally all the armies throughout the Fold Kingdom to the capital. However, this idea was soon dampened.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    Retreat wasn¡¯t possible. The red-spotted leopard¡ªthousands of these beasts were domesticated by the orcs. They were powerful enough to hunt monsters and were several times faster than horses. Teruchan saw Marquis Veze¡¯s trembling gaze directed at the leopards and was merciful.


    ¡°Human with courage.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You can speak with dignity in front of me. Grruk. Based on your manner, you are also a warrior. Kurruk. Out of a warrior¡¯s honor, I want to give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡®A chance!¡¯ The lost hope was once again illuminated in the marquis¡¯ eyes. The orc lord directly gave his country a chance, so there was no reason to resist.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Teruchan suggested to Marquis Veze, ¡°Fight me.¡±


    It was a duel. Moreover, it was a duel that was advantageous to Marquis Veze.


    ¡°If youpete with me, Orc Lord Teruchan, for more than 10 blows. Grruk. Kurruk. I will respect you as a warrior and withdraw. Grruk.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Marquis Veze was incredulous.


    He didn¡¯t need to fight and win. He just needed to endure 10 blows and the orc army would retreat...? Marquis Veze doubted it because it was too favorable. Teruchan thought the wary looking Marquis Veze was cute.


    ¡°The warriors who follow me and your men are watching. Guruk. Here. Kurruk. If I¡¯m lying, grruk, I will be expelled from the seat of a lord.¡±


    It meant he could be trusted. Marquis Veze nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll ept the suggestion. Please don¡¯t forget your promise.¡±


    He was forced to grab onto this line, even if it was rotten. If he didn¡¯t grab onto this line, the only thing they would be waiting for was doom. With this resolve, the marquis pulled out his shield and his sword. He was a knight with a firm resolve. Not only was he revered by the knights of other nations, he was also the idol of tens of millions of guardian knight yers. The orcs let out excited sounds. It was because he covered his entire body with a shield while he held his sword, causing him to exert a great pressure. There was no room to attack. Any attack seemed like it would be blocked and counterattacked.


    Teruchan burst outughing. ¡°Indeed! An outstanding warrior as I expected! Kuhahahaha!¡±


    He had dark skin reminiscent of evening, and it was thicker than sheet metal. The twitching muscles were as majestic as rocks. The calluses on the hands, which were huge enough to hold a watermelon in one hand, proved that he was a trained warrior and not just a beast who relied on natural strength.


    All the elements that made up Orc Lord Teruchan pressed on Marquis Veze. Even so, Marquis Veze didn¡¯t shrink back. He was also a champion of reversal. Born in the weakest country, he had always fought against disadvantages. He knew better than anyone how to stand up to fight and defeat a strong enemy.


    ¡®Come!¡¯


    Marquis Veze used all types of defensive skills. There were seven skills that could each stand up to a yer¡¯s ultimate attack.


    ¡®Being able to learn one of the will make you the strongest tanker.¡¯ This was the guardian knights¡¯ beloved statement that made Marquis Veze seem like a giant tree rooted for hundreds of years.


    His shield went up. Teruchan¡¯s broadsword was inserted. Then...


    ¡°Cough!¡± Marquis Veze¡¯s body flew over 100 meters and rolled across the ground.


    ¡°S-Sir!¡±The 30,000 soldiers at Howl Fortress were astonished.


    -Oh my god...


    The viewers andizens all over the world were dumbfounded. It was shocking to see the ultimate goal of the guardian knights, Marquis Veze, be knocked down with a single blow. Teruchan stood in ce and waited for Marquis Veze.


    ¡°Now it is only one blow. Grruk.¡±


    ¡°K... Kuock...¡±


    Marquis Veze, who barely raised his body, stumbled like he was going to fall. Nevertheless, he persisted. He stood using the support of the shield and pointed his sword at Teruchan. An opponent with such a strong attack power that it made defense meaningless.


    After a single blow, Marquis Veze realized that the only way to win the 10 blows exchanged game was to attack. Of course, this method didn¡¯t work. Before Marquis Veze¡¯s sword could touch Teruchan, the broadsword had already struck Marquis Veze.


    One blow, two blow, three blows...


    Up to that point, Marquis Veze barely shielded himself, but he soon became distracted and missed the shield. Tankers from all over the world felt skeptical as they watched the broadcast. There was an attack power that even the ultimate tanker couldn¡¯t withstand.


    Who would¡¯ve be a tanker if they had known this? That¡¯s right. The power of Orc Lord Teruchan was denying the notion of a tanker itself, destroyingmon sense. Teruchan¡¯s presence began to surpass that of a great demon.


    On the other hand.


    "Kkuk... Kuoock...¡± Marquis Veze fell down and groaned, unable topete with Teruchan after the fifth blow. Before the pinnacle of a different species, he felt the first sense of helplessness since he was born. He realized how insignificant he was and despaired at the power that the Fold Kingdom couldn¡¯t stand up to.


    Then Teruchan¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°A chance. Grruk. You missed it. Great human warrior. Kurruk. Return. Then wait with your subordinates in fear. Guruk. We will march.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Marquis Veze¡¯s expression darkened. There was no profit. He was afraid to return with his wounded body and to face his soldiers. How could he soothe the morale that had plummeted with his defeat? How could he call on the soldiers to fight together? With his heavily wounded body, Marquis Veze¡¯s steps were so heavy that they didn¡¯t fall easily.


    It was at this moment that a ray of light fell from the sky, and a man appeared. He had ck hair with a crown on his head. All eyes on the scene, including Marquis Veze and Orc Lord Teruchan, were drawn to him.


    ¡°You. Who?¡± Teruchan asked.


    Hundreds of millions of viewers could anticipate the answer they would hear.


    ¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°...King?¡± Teruchan¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement. He didn¡¯t wonder why the Overgeared King had appeared here. He just wanted to know how much strength the human king had.


    Grid smiled as he glimpsed Teruchan¡¯s desire to fight right away. ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    There was no answer. Teruchan¡¯s shoulders moved, and simultaneously, an over-two-meter-long broadsword flew toward Grid¡¯s chest.


    -Ah...


    The chat windows of various countries were flooded with the viewers¡¯mentations. It was an attack that even the best tanker couldn¡¯t block. The people analyzed that even Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it. If only Grid had arrived one step earlier...


    If he had seen the power of the orc lord, he wouldn¡¯t have allowed such a sudden attack, and victory wouldn¡¯t have been decided so easily. The viewers who were feeling regretful btedly saw a shocking scene. Four ck-gold hands¡ªGrid¡¯s old symbol which hadn¡¯t emerged for a long time¡ªblocked the path of Teruchan¡¯s broadsword.


    ¡°How interesting. Grruk. A toy!¡± Teruchan threw off the God Hands and attacked Grid again. This time, it was apletely different orbit that aimed at Grid¡¯s lower half. However...


    ¡°...!?¡± The one who withdrew was Teruchan, not Grid. It was because an unknown repulsion caused Teruchan¡¯s broadsword to bounce off.


    ¡°Magician?¡±


    ¡°A cksmith.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Lightning wrapped around Grid. Grid floated into the air so that his eyes were in line with Teruchan, who was two heads taller than him. ¡°10 blows. If you can endure 10 blows, I¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Were human kings crazy? Teruchan seriously questioned it as he used a skill for the first time. He rotated his broadsword like a windmill and threw it to pierce his target¡¯s armor. It was the strongest attack skill that had the effect of ¡®Ignore 100% of the defense.¡¯ Yet... the broadsword returned and pierced Teruchan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°...Gruruk.¡±


    Why? Teruchan was more angry than amused. He met a long-awaited rival, but rather than being happy, he was annoyed.

 Chapter 1095

    ¡®The odds of victory are sufficient.¡¯


    Most people rated the orc lord in the same ss as the great demon. The orc lord was vulnerable to magic but his overallbat power wasparable to a great demon. Why? For a typical yer, both the great demons and the orc lord were untouchable targets.


    By normal standards, the orc lord and great demons were eventually perceived to be on the same level. However, Grid was different. Based on his experience of raiding two great demons and his level of knowledge of Satisfy¡¯s worldview, the orc lord was far below the great demons.


    It was impossible to know the story if the species wasparable to the lord of hell or had a special parent, such as the vampires. It was easy to understand when thinking of King Maxong of the water n. The pinnacle of his species, he was a powerful being but he was eventually overwhelmed by Grid, Grid¡¯s knights, and Iyarugt¡¯s ingenuity.


    What if he raided a great demon with the same amount of power he used when fighting Maxong at that time? It would¡¯ve been impossible. That¡¯s right. The orc lord might be difficult for high rankers and named NPCs but he was a childpared to the great demons. He couldn¡¯t guarantee victory even if he fought one-on-one with Piaro or Mercedes.


    ¡®Even if he fights with me.¡¯


    The epic sagas of transcendence. The new God Hands and the Blue Dragon Boots. Grid had grown rapidly in recent years but he still wasn¡¯t confident about winning against Piaro or Mercedes. He might be catching up in terms of stats but he was still far behind them in overall skills. Grid was unable to cope with Piaro¡¯s miraculous farming that changed the environment around him or Mercedes¡¯ ability to see everything.


    Still, the orc lord was different. Beforeing here, Grid analyzed footage of the orc lord and was convinced he could win. Everyone knew that the orc lord was susceptible to magic, had no items, and used very limited type of skills. Therefore, it was easy to analyze his patterns.


    Of course, the power of each skill was reminiscent of the great demon¡¯s magic (the decisive reason why people ced the orc lord in the same level as the great demons), but Grid was capable of evading and he had the God Hands and the Blue Dragon Boots. In other words, not only could he defend, he could also fight back. From the orc lord¡¯s first blow, to the next attack, and finally the throwing skill. During the first part, Grid never allowed an attack from the orc lord thanks to the reasons listed above.


    ¡®I can win.¡¯


    He had to win. Grid once again vowed. He ced a lot of meaning on this confrontation. He was determined to win against the orc lord and be perceived as a strong man by the orcs. It was hard to see the effect of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue and Different Species¡¯ King if he lost to the orcs who valued power.


    ¡®Win and make them submit.¡¯


    It might be child¡¯s ypared to the great demons but Teruchan was still the peak of a species. At least on this West Continent, the peak of a species was one of the strongest beings. It was better for Grid to obtain as many strong people as possible to fight against the great demons, the yangbans of the East Continent, and perhaps the gods. Therefore, he coveted the orc lord. He especially liked the hot-tempered but moderate personality.


    ¡°10 blows. If you can endure 10 blows then I¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were filled with greed as he dered to the orc lord. The moment Grid exposed his essence, some animosity aroused inside Teruchan.


    ¡®I, the lord of great warriors. Being looked at like prey.¡¯


    It was disgraceful. Humans and orcs were different species and they each had a different talent. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t impose strength¡ªwhat the orcs valued¡ªupon the humans orugh at their weakness... With such a mindset, Teruchan respected but pitied humans. He would understand and be merciful.


    In other words, he recognized them as weak and poor beings. By Teruchan¡¯s standards, Grid attitude was crossing the line.


    ¡°Your eyes. Gruruk. They are arrogant.¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s eyes became ugly as he looked at the human¡ªwho identified himself as the Overgeared King¡ªin front of him. Teruchan might be an honor-conscious warrior but he was an orc. Compared to humans, the orcs had poor patience because they prioritized their instincts. There was a degree of respect and mercy but he couldn¡¯t tolerate a single strand of strength from a weak species.


    ¡°Get your head straight. Then. Gruruk. I will spare your life. Kurruk.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand the situation?¡± Grid smiled calmly at Teruchan. ¡°The one showing mercy isn¡¯t you but me.¡±


    ¡°Gruruk!! Rude!!¡±


    Teruchan exploded in anger and threw off the mask of a gentleman. He nakedly expressed an orc warrior¡¯s fervor and mettle. It meant the shackles had been released. Teruchan became stronger. No, he wasplete. A ckish-gray aura that was around 1.5 meters wide started to rise around Teruchan.


    [Fighting energy is at the maximum.]


    [Strength, stamina and agility have increased by 50%.]


    Grid¡¯s fighting energy, which had already responded from the moment he faced Teruchan, reached the peak in an instant. Teruchan¡¯s eyes widened as a purple-red light appeared around Grid.


    ¡°Gruruk!! The legend I¡¯ve heard of...!¡±


    The Hero King. The human known to be the strongest in history. Wasn¡¯t it too much like the aura of Sword Saint Muller whom even the orc lord of that time worshipped? Teruchan was btedly nervous. It was toote to realize that the person in front of him shouldn¡¯t be regarded as weak just because he was a human.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    Grid aimed for this gap that Teruchan revealed and alreadypleted his sword dance. Tens of thousands of blue petals floated over the ins filled with 100,000 twilight orcs. The darkness caused by the orcs¡¯ thick skin lifted and the entire battlefield was brightened.


    -Ah...


    Was this the fragrance of the Peach Blossom Spring? The viewers were captivated by the mysterious and beautiful scene shown on the bleak battlefield. Every single orc in the army of 100,000 orcs watched with their mouths wide open. Meanwhile, Teruchan was extremely focused.


    He grasped the situation and shouted to the orcs, ¡°Gruruk!! Grit your teeth!!¡±


    At the same time, 40 energy des flew through the rain of petals and struck Teruchan. Tens of thousands of petals bombarded the orc army. Sharp winds swept through the orc army as they were cut by the petals. In between, there were lightning that seemed to be infinitely linked.


    [Transcended Link Flower]


    Three sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    Fire 40 swords with 200% physical attack power, ¡®marking¡¯ all enemies in sight as a target.


    An additional two sword energy will be generated per mark and the added sword energy will aim at the targets. Any marked target hit by the sword energy will receive 122% physical damage + 20% magic damage.


    Every two hits by the sword energy will create an additional mark. A maximum of five marks can be stacked up.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 300


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.


    ¡ï The effect of Detect Force, Wind Cutter and Lightning will be applied.


    Mana Consumption: 3,600


    This was the greatness of the ¡®field of view¡¯ wide-area skill. Gridunched upwards with Lightning Speed ahead of time and his vision covered the majority of the battlefield, allowing him to wound tens of thousands of orcs at the same time.


    Teruchan shouted at Grid who was rising higher in the sky, ¡°Gruruk!! Focus on the battle against me!¡±


    They were in a one-on-one battle with their honor and pride on the line. Now it seemed like this person was dealing with his army without focusing on him? Grid¡¯s arrogant attitude seeded in greatly irritating Teruchan. His cool head heated up as he smashed his feet against the ground and jumped up. Unbelievably, he was hit by 40 energy des and the sword energy yet his thick skin was almost intact.


    ¡®It is definitely great.¡¯


    The orc army, which clenched their teeth in response to the orc lord¡¯s call, didn¡¯t utter a moan despite being cut by the petals and struck by lightning. The orc lord himself handled most of the impact of Transcended Link Flower without wearing armor.


    Orcs. Honestly, he hadn¡¯t expected there to be such great warriors among the species he treated as monsters. Grid inwardly felt admiration as he floated in the air and started the steps for his next sword dance.


    ¡°Flower.¡±


    From the time Grid received Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, he had a form for dealing with the enemy. First, stack as many marks as possible through the linkage of Flower.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    It was the strongest four fusion sword dance that could extract the maximum theoretical damage. Additionally, the weapon Grid was currently using was Belial¡¯s Staff + the Enlightenment Sword.


    [Belial¡¯s Staff + Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires]


    Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    Omitted.


    * 30% increase in intelligence.


    * 40% increase in magic attack power.


    * 30% bonus fire attribute damage.


    * 30% bonus dark attribute damage.


    * 15% bonus lightning attribute damage.


    * There is a certain probability of mes rge) being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of illusions being released when attacking.


    * There is a low probability of summoning a red lightning bolt when attacking.


    ¡ï There is a certain probability of a ck mes explosion when attacking.


    * 30% increase in magic casting speed.


    * You can cast three types of magic at the same time. However, proficiency is required.


    When fire and dark magic are cast simultaneously, the magic power of each one was increased by 200%.


    * Every time a spell is cast, a shield that absorbs 5,000 damage is automatically created. Targets that strike the shield are subjected to the fear and slowed states.


    ¡ï The options such as fire emission, hallucinations, red lightning summoning, ck mes explosion, and so on are considered as casting a spell.


    * 20% increase in magic critical chance.


    * 150% increase in magic critical damage.


    The attack power and magic attack power were slightly lower than when they were individual items. It was the negative effect of the sword and staff losing their form during thebination.


    There was also no significant change in the option values. However, there was only one area.


    * Every time a spell is cast, a shield that absorbs 5,000 damage is automatically created. Targets that strike the shield are subjected to the fear and slowed states.


    ¡ï When triggered, the options such as fire emission, hallucinations, red lightning summoning, ck mes explosion, and so on are considered as casting a spell.


    This crazy fraudulent option made Grid semi-invincible. The effect was greater against the orcs who were vulnerable to magic.


    ¡°Gruruk...?!¡±


    Teruchan suffered a serious injury from Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle as he leapt through the air. For the first time since his confrontation with the previous orc lord, his skin was peeled off and cut. His eyes burned with a greater fighting spirit as he fought back.


    A translucent shield enveloped the Overgeared King. It was only a short time before Teruchan ripped it apart. Yet whenever the Overgeared King danced with his sword or ck mes exploded, it regenerated and protected its master along with the four moving hands. The hard armor and strange boots meant this person¡¯s body was perfectly protected.


    ¡°A shell! Guruk! Hiding! Kurruk! Like a turtle!!¡±


    He ridiculed loudly but Teruchan¡¯s heart was ufortable. Every time he destroyed a shield, his body became heavier and his fear increased. Of course, Teruchan was the peak of his species and was ¡®immune to many abnormal conditions or recovers quickly from them.¡¯ He waspletely resistant to the ¡®fear¡¯ abnormal condition. Additionally, only a small part of the ¡®slow¡¯ effect was applied.


    However¡ª


    ¡°You...! Indeed...! Magician...!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s attack speed as he swung the broadsword through the air was only a bit slower but it was definitely slowed. It was such a light slowdown that the viewers didn¡¯t easily notice but it was a big hit for Grid who had grown to such a high level. Weapons appeared in the God Hands which were struck by Teruchan¡¯s attacks, whether they were spears, staffs or a sword. Teruchan was struck by them but didn¡¯t even budge.


    ¡°Tickles...!¡±


    There was no disturbance in his natural body. Teruchan believed that his skin and muscles were harder than armor. He was confident that none of the swords could breach the skin and muscles he had trained to another level. The orcs, who used crude toolspared to humans, couldn¡¯t understand the concept of being overgeared.


    ¡°...Cough?!¡±


    Blood filled Teruchan¡¯s mouth. He looked down with surprise and saw Grid¡¯s weapon piercing his chest. The astonished Teruchan swung the broadsword in vain. Grid reflexively used a skill and overcame Teruchan¡¯s slow speed with his lightning speed.


    ¡°ckening.¡±


    He reached maximum speed. Grid¡¯s body was gradually engulfed in lightning. He carried out the steps of the sword dance while avoiding Teruchan¡¯s attacks that fell like heavy rain.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...Keok!¡±


    The warrior screamed. There was no more shame. The rock-like giant, Teruchan copsed to the ground. Grid didn¡¯t pursue him. In his incandescent state, he stood in the air and moved one foot.


    ¡°Come Down.¡±


    The sky split apart with lightning. A huge blue dragon descended behind Grid. It looked very different from a normal dragon. The lightning apanied by an unidentified monster swept through the battlefield at Grid¡¯s feet. Then.


    ¡®One time, two times, three times...¡¯


    Teruchan hurriedly began to count. It was to calcte how many times Grid had struck.

 Chapter 1096

    Gravity stiffened the hard skin and crushed the entire body. The scenery that entered his field of view passed quickly. The screams of the wind echoed endlessly.


    ¡®Nine...¡¯


    Orc Lord Teruchan fell down from the clouds high above him. He was going to collide with the cold and hard ground but he only focused on counting. The thing that made him afraid wasn¡¯t the destruction and suffering of his fallen flesh but the loss of honor.


    The Overgeared King. The human being who provoked him to endure 10 blows...


    He was indeed strong. His skills, amazing swordsmanship, tricky magic, powerful lightning, and self-moving artifacts made him greater than the previous orc lord. Surprised by this person¡¯s ability to summon a dragon, Teruchan realized that he had to be mindful of defeat.


    Lightning apanied the blue dragon that struck Teruchan. As he felt the exhrating pain of all the cells in his body stiffening, Teruchan admitted it. The opponent was strong. The title Hero King was never false. Yes... He might lose. Even so, no matter how strong the opponent was, there shouldn¡¯t be a vain defeat.


    He was the king of warriors. If he was to be swallowed by the dragon then he would bite off the dragon¡¯s tongue. He was the pinnacle of all orcs and the leader of the twilight orcs yet he couldn¡¯t withstand 10 blows? It was an act that insulted all the orcs in the world. All orcs would lose their prestige because of him. Just like the old days. He had to hold on, endure.


    ¡®10...!¡¯


    Just before colliding with the ground, Teruchan¡¯s eyes widened. This sum referred to the number of times they attacked and defended. During his brief stay in the sky, Teruchan had wielded his broadsword over 20 times. Teruchan¡¯s sword and roar had torn up nearly 30 of Grid¡¯s shields.


    He had endured. The human¡¯s expression was so imposing he had been worried about losing in less than 10 blows, but it was a pointless worry.


    ¡°Guruk!¡±


    ¡®I can overpower you in 10 blows.¡¯


    He met the deration of the Overgeared King and kept the minimum of his honor. Teruchan¡¯s eyes burned again. His muscles, nerves, and cells, which had been stiffened by the lightning, woke up in response to his strong ¡®mental strength.¡¯ It was a movement reminiscent of a predator. Just before colliding with the ground, Teruchan was released from his paralysis and regained his motor nerves. He gritted his teeth and twisted his back, ttening his posture. Teruchan¡¯s giant body fell to the ground.


    A deafening roar shook their ears as the 100,000 orc army screamed.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    Marquis Veze and the soldiers of Howl Fortress felt admiration. They imagined the orc lord dying beyond the cloud of dust. The orc lord had hard skin and muscles that couldn¡¯t be invaded with a sword but they believed he couldn¡¯t be safe after falling from such a high altitude. Yet...


    ¡°Kuoooooooh!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s appearance was rtively fine as the dust cleared away. The orc stood with his hands and feet on the ground like a beast and roared madly, enthralling his fellow orcs. The bodies of the orcs, which had been paralyzed by the lightning, woke up simultaneously.


    ¡°Teru©¤©¤chan!! Guruk!¡±


    ¡°Teru©¤©¤chan!! Guruk!¡±


    Kung kung! Kung! Kung kung! Kung!


    The orcs¡¯ habit of submitting to a strong existence was based on survival instincts. It was considered a challenge the moment they chose to disobey so they were forced to obey if they didn¡¯t want to die. Yet at this moment, all the orcs stomping their feet and chanting Teruchan¡¯s name were acting rationally, not instinctively. They were fascinated by the sight of the bloody Teruchan, who had fallen from the high sky. They were enthusiastic as they shouted for the seconding of a legendary human. The propaganda called ¡®Grid¡¯ united the orc species.


    In the sky, Grid started sweating.


    ¡®He is still fine after being hit like that. The damage from Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle was less than I thought.¡¯


    Grid did his best to end the battle in less than 10 blows. His fighting energy reached the maximum and he fought with all his items, sword dances and magic. The sessive use of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle and Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle showed how serious Grid was about this battle.


    [Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle]


    Four sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    Fires seven energy des per second that deal 3,700% physical damage. Every time it attacks the target, ¡®Disarm¡¯ will be triggered. In addition, there will be a bleeding and desperation effect.


    This skill will ignore 65% of the target¡¯s defense.


    ¡ï The effect of Detect Force, Wind Cutter and Lightning will be applied.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 400


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 hours.


    In ordance with the principle that Transcend doubled the attack power, the power of Kill should also have double the attack power. When used on a target with the maximum number of ¡®marks¡¯, the 22,560 physical attack + 100% magic attack power meant that Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle had a higher damage coefficient.


    There was a disadvantage of course. It had a longer cooldown due to its stable power and it was less powerful than Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle against opponents with an overwhelmingly high physical defense. Against Orc Lord Teruchan, it was worse than Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. His magic resistance was low but his physical defense was high. Teruchan¡¯s defense meant the effect of Pinnacle would surpass Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. The initial damage from Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle was also less than Grid expected. It was deadly that Teruchan was an opponent without ¡®items.¡¯ The Disarm effect was useless because he wasn¡¯t wearing any armor.


    ¡®His stats are killing me.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue as he stared at the distant Teruchan. Teruchan¡¯s health was now less than one-fifth but Grid was deste. Teruchan¡¯s recovery speed was too fast but the bigger problem was that Grid had depleted his sword energy. That¡¯s why Grid couldn¡¯t connect any additional sword dances when Teruchan was hit and paralyzed by Come Down! In order to recover his sword energy, he had to keep swinging his sword. However, he couldn¡¯t do this because he dered that he would beat Teruchan in 10 blows.


    ¡®Flower, Transcended Link Flower, Link, Kill...¡¯


    Facing the orc lord looking up into the sky, Grid counted how many sword dances he had used. It was seven. He only had three out of 10 blows left. Was it possible to overpower the orc lord with three blows when all his ultimates were already consumed?


    It was impossible. Grid trembled.


    ¡®Fucking God¡¯s Command.¡¯


    If it had activated even once then the orc lord would¡¯ve surrendered by now. The 50% probability was no different from the lottery. He really had bad luck... A strong rage was soaring.


    It happened when Grid was gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Human king! Guruk!¡± Teruchan called out to Grid. Teruchan¡¯s right arm and left leg were drooping from when they broke as hended. ¡°I... Guruk! I¡¯ve endured more than 50 blows!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s expression was full of cheer. A hint of pride even peeked through. He acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills and was pleased to have survived Grid¡¯s offensive.


    Grid frowned. ¡°What do you mean? Haven¡¯t I only used seven?¡±


    ¡°Guruk? You swung your sword. Guruk! Many times! It is 40 times! It¡¯s weird!¡±


    What was he saying in front of so many eyes? Grid saw the absurd reaction from Teruchan among the orcs and snorted. ¡°That is an absurd argument. I might¡¯ve swung my sword dozens of times but I only used seven sword dances. So it is seven blows.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was he a hooligan? Grid¡¯s logic made the battlefield as still as death. Teruchan, the orcs and the soldiers of the Fold Kingdom shut their mouths. Even the ferocious orc lord had kept his promise to Marquis Veze and honored him. Then what about the Overgeared King who was equal to the empress? Some people were disappointed while others pointed fingers.


    Meanwhile, Teruchan looked excited. ¡°Guruk...! I see! It is still only seven!¡±


    It was scary. The Overgeared King was a strong human. This was Teruchan¡¯s honest feeling. This was the reason why.


    ¡°Good! Guruk! I wanted to fight more!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s desire to win burned in reverse. Teruchan wanted to know his limitations. He longed for an extreme battle he could pour all his energy into. He had no regrets, even if it meant dying. If he was afraid then he wouldn¡¯t have be a warrior in the first ce.


    ¡°Gruruk!! Let¡¯s fight! Until one of us falls! Continue!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great suggestion.¡±


    A duel with no restrictions. It was a proposal that was naturally tempting for Grid, whose sword energy was depleted. Grid smiled like a great demon.


    ¡°I am looking forward to it.¡±


    Grid descended. He intended to draw out the time as much as possible while the duration of ckening was maintained. Grid was unaware of it but as he descended, his body was gradually bing incandescent. It was the conditional passive that belonged to the Blue Dragon Boots. Once he reached the maximum speed, there was a low chance that his body would turn into lightning.


    ¡°Kurruk...!¡±


    Was this the will of the world itself? Teruchan¡¯s heart beat faster as he blocked Grid¡¯s sword. Grid¡¯s strike that contained the eleration from descending was enough to push Teruchan back.


    ¡°Human...! Your name! Guruk! Tell me!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s burning gaze and Grid¡¯s greed-filled gaze intertwined in the air.


    ¡°Grid.¡± Lightning swelled. The moment the duration of Item Combination ended, the Enlightenment Sword returned to itsplete form and connected with Teruchan¡¯s broadsword. ¡°I am greedy for you.¡±


    His skin became hotter with every blow exchanged. As expected, Grid was affected by Teruchan¡¯s skill and let out blunt words.


    ¡°Kuahahahat! Guruk! A warrior! Doesn¡¯t obey humans!¡±


    Teruchan burst outughing. It wasn¡¯t ridicule. There were no signs of displeasure. He was thinking about the long history of a lord worshipping humans.


    The sound of friction between the sword and broadsword became louder. Grid and Teruchan¡¯s concentration reached the peak and they attacked and defended along all sorts of trajectories. The cameras of broadcasters from all over the world started to miss their movements. It reached the point where they had to give up on any melee shots.


    The Lightning God invaded Grid¡¯s body. The power of the broadsword didn¡¯t touch his body.

 Chapter 1097

    For the two billion Satisfy yers, there was one memorymonly engraved in their minds¡ªGrid¡¯s strength. Among them, it was his ¡®attack power.¡¯ People didn¡¯t forget the day when this Asian person appeared on the world stage for the first time. He defeated great demons and annihted the rankers in the National Competition. Grid¡¯s unparalleled damage set new standards and targets for the two billion yers.


    Now the orc lord Teruchan.


    ¡°I! Guruk! Want to! Win!¡±


    He remained steadfast despite allowing Grid¡¯s sword dances that even the great demons shrank back against. He fought against Grid with a ragged body that didn¡¯t fall and he didn¡¯t know how to give up. Still, it was funny. He had 100,000 elite troops yet he insisted on a one-on-one match to the very end. He was foolish and stupid.


    Even so, few peopleughed at Teruchan. His attitude of respect for manners and honor attracted people.


    Shortly after Grid summoned the blue dragon, the breaking news reports called it one of the ¡®four sacred creatures¡¯ of the East Continent. In response to Teruchan¡¯s call, Grid descended to the ground and used speed and movements never seen before. Unlike the previous days when he faced his opponent with his attack power and defense, he moved lightly and took the upper hand with his body.


    In particr, his footwork was dominating. He countlessly did the steps of the sword dances and was unusually proficient in using his lower body.


    ¡°Guruk...!¡±


    Teruchn¡¯s broadsword was blocked by Grid¡¯s use of his legs. Grid¡¯s speed as he chased after Teruchan was like an arrow that already left the bowstring.


    Kick the enemy, chase, strike, and step back.


    During this process, Grid¡¯sbat methods as he was protected by the God Hands were lethal. It was hell for his opponent. In a word, he was fighting well. Whoughed at his control? The times when Grid was stillcking faded from the viewers¡¯ memories. They gradually fell for Grid. Teruchan might¡¯ve attracted the public¡¯s favor with his charming personality but Grid dominated the masses with his irresistible power.


    -Holy shit!Show me a bit closer!!


    The viewers concentrating on the battle started to spit out harsh profanities. Grid and Teruchan¡¯s movements were too fast to capture and their collisions so destructive that it caused the cameras to shake or fly away. It was why the cameras of the broadcasters chose to shoot from a distance despite not delivering enough of the situation to the viewers.


    As a result, Grid and Teruchan¡¯s appearance became smaller until they were like dots. They could read the overall battle better but the two people¡¯s expressions and breathing couldn¡¯t be seen, causing the liveliness to drop significantly.


    -The cameramen are too ipetent.If the problem is the camera shaking, go close enough to see with your eyes and send that video.Tsk.


    -Don¡¯t you know that streamers died doing that?


    -They have to challenge it even if its dangerous.They can hit the jackpot if they take the video correctly.


    -More cameramen already seem to be challenging it.99.9% are unable to ess due to the orcs or are killed in the explosions.


    -In any case, if they record in this state, you can zoom inter.Look here.


    If a broadcaster or private broadcaster requested certification, the S.A Group would contract with them and provide various broadcasting items. It was why there were so many broadcasts rted to Satisfy. A typical example was a drone camera. In a form that NPCs couldn¡¯t recognize, they flew quickly and broadcasted the situation of Satisfy.


    However, the small size meant it was vulnerable to shock and the functions were limited in an extreme environment like now. Therefore, popr broadcasters such as Bunny Bunny rushed to the scene. They broadcast the scene directly with their own eyes, providing viewers with a high level of realism and solid information. Compared with the cameras, getting closer to the subject was ovee by choosing the assassin ss.


    -Uh...?


    The disgruntled viewers watching the broadcast felt their eyes widen. From the time since Grid used the Fly magic. No, the electric currents that started to hover around Grid from the time he rose in the sky in a different way from the Fly magic were now burningpletely white.


    Lightning. There was a ridiculous optical illusion that Grid himself had be lightning...


    ©¤©¤!


    ¡º...!? ¡»


    Themunity, including the audience chat windows, were quiet. It was as if the Inte around the world had been disconnected at the same time. All the posts and chat windows stopped updating. Even the broadcastmentators and experts were silent.


    Grid disappeared with a sh and prated through Teruchan¡¯s defenses. There was a sound like thunder and a fountain of blood spurted from Teruchan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Keok...! Cough!¡±


    The giant, standing there like a great mountain, shook. Experts said ¡®I think he has exceeded the yer¡¯s maximum speed¡¯ as their eyes kept losing their ce despite persistently tracking Grid¡¯s speed. However¡ª


    ¡°I...! Warrior! Guruk! I¡¯m a warrior before I¡¯m a lord! Kurruk! I! Fight!¡±


    His hands didn¡¯t let go of his broadsword. Teruchan roared and swung the broadsword randomly through the air. Then suddenly, he rushed back to catch Grid, rotating and kicking. Grid¡¯s speed seemed lightning fast but it was only an illusion created from the perception.


    [Lightning God Lv. 1]


    A conditional passive.


    Assimte with the breath of the blue dragon.


    Once you reach the maximum speed, there is a low chance that your body will turn into lightning. At this point, all attacks are converted to lightning. Every time you hit the target, a lot of mana is burned (10% of the total mana).


    You are immune to all physical attacks, but you will take twice the damage from magic attacks without any defense or resistance. It also leaves a current that deals 10 times the damage in your movement path. The duration of the electric current is 2 seconds.


    It won¡¯t be released until the speed drops and will be released immediately once you deviate from the maximum speed.


    * If you die while the Lightning God is active, the wrath of the blue dragon will ur.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.


    There was no speed buff involved with the Lightning God skill. It was just possible to deceive the target¡¯s senses due to the bright appearance and loud sound effects from the ¡®lightning¡¯ setting. Teruchan and the viewers were forced to be under the mistaken impression that Grid was really lightning fast.


    However, this onlysted for a moment. Teruchan saw through its essence and his intense counterattack poured out. The incandescent Grid was cut by the broadsword and repeatedly stabbed.


    -Wow.


    -Is it dangerous?


    The stopped chat windows quickly updated. The viewers who had been watching Grid for years had grown attached to him without realizing it. Meanwhile, Teruchan was an opponent they had just met. He wasn¡¯t a yer. Despite Teruchan¡¯s great charm, few people wanted Grid to lose to him.


    -Yes, Grid will die.


    -It is cool.


    Of course, not everyone was the same. Some people were jealous of Grid and felt delighted.


    -....??


    Their smiles didn¡¯tst long. Teruchan¡¯s broadsword might be slicing at Grid but Grid didn¡¯t shed a single drop of blood.


    ¡°Guruk?¡±


    Was it an illusion? What type of magic had he already suffered? Teruchan panicked when he cut Grid several times but couldn¡¯t feel it. He nervously swung the broadsword faster but Grid was like the moon in the pond. He couldn¡¯t be cut.


    ¡°Kung!Kung kung!¡±


    Teruchan swung his broadsword while snorting. He was eager to find Grid¡¯s real body.


    ¡°...!¡±


    A chill went down Teruchan¡¯s spine. It was because Grid¡¯s smell came from the illusion in front of him. That¡¯s right. This wasn¡¯t an illusion. It was real.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    Utilizing the Lightning God¡¯s ability to nullify physical attacks, Grid used Item Combination, which had cooled down during Teruchan¡¯s onught, and joined Belial¡¯s Staff and the Enlightenment Sword again.


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    The swordsmanship of Undefeated King Madra. The 30 shes amplified by lightning struck Teruchan. It was a timeless cut, like 30 swordsmen were wielding their swords at the same time. The 100,000 Army Swordsmanship contained a mystery that even Teruchan, who pursued extreme physical strength, couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    He felt pure admiration and decided it was better to defend than confront it. He hastily activated a skill to harden his skin.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The skill wasn¡¯t activated. It was because his mana had been burned by the Lightning Incarnation passive during his fight with Grid.


    Teruchan destroyed exactly eight of the 30 shes. It was a great achievement done with only his physical strength. There were no skills. He neutralized the Undefeated King¡¯s skill with basic attacks? Grid was convinced by his opponent.


    Name: Grid


    Level: 403


    Health: 152,540 Mana: 41,844 Sword Energy: 1,200


    Strength: 3,590(+480) Stamina: 2,197(+800)


    Agility: 3,190(+430) Intelligence: 2,657(+830)


    Dexterity: 5,167(+980) Persistence: 1,632(+430)


    Composure: 1,188(+430) Indomitable: 1,423(+540)


    Dignity: 2,096(+430) Insight: 1,986(+430)


    Courage: 1,242(+430) Political Power: 181(+430)


    Demonic power: 31,590


    Good luck: 631


    Deity: 7


    Remaining Stat Points: 590


    As could be seen from the status window, Grid¡¯s total strength exceeded 4,000 with the help of various titles. His strength coefficient had also increased since level 400. Additionally, Grid enjoyed increased stats thanks to his fighting energy umting as well as the extra damage from the courage stat. There was also the +4 enhancement of the Enlightenment Sword.


    In conclusion, Grid¡¯s overall damage was equivalent to a very good field boss. He was able to use legendary skills so it was urate to say he was more powerful than a boss monster.


    However, Teruchanpeted against Grid without any skills. It was also with an old broadsword. Since Teruchan was calibrated by the system as the peak of his species and his physical ability surpassed Grid, it wasn¡¯t impossible for Teruchan to neutralize the skill with basic attacks.


    ¡°I like you more and more.¡±


    He seemed to be facing the limits. Teruchan¡¯s breathing was very rough after 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. The end of the fight wasing.


    [The duration of ckening is over.]


    [All stats will return to normal figures.]


    [The maximum speed has fallen and the Lightning God has been released.]


    The collected demonic energy and lightning dissipated. Grid returned to his original form and pushed back his sweat and blood soaked hair. He soared up with a handsome forehead and sharp eyes.


    ¡®Grid should¡¯ve appeared in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation with his original appearance. That would¡¯ve made him an even darker great demon.¡¯


    This was what a famous Hollywood actress wrote on social media. There was a story that she was rushed to the hospital after getting a billion likes and bing too happy, but let¡¯s skip that because it wasn¡¯t important. The most important thing was...


    ¡°A warrior¡¯s spirit...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s ferocious appearance was liked by Teruchan.


    [The title ¡®Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue¡¯ is activated!]


    ¡°...??¡±


    It was a title that had a certain probability of sparing a monster when hunting. In other words, the target had to be pushed to the brink of death. Why did Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue appear at this timing? Grid was startled. He btedly noticed that Teruchan had fainted with eyes wide open. No matter what Grid tried, the remaining two-tenths of Teruchan¡¯s health were running out fast.


    ¡°Look! Open your eyes! Don¡¯t die!¡±


    -...Just let him go.


    -Grid seems to have a new hobby.


    -Not letting him die after all that?


    The viewers clicked their tongues as Grid clutched and shook the dying orc lord.

 Chapter 1098

    Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue had a terrible chance of triggering once every few years. Grid only kept Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue and didn¡¯t expect it to actually burst out.


    After fighting and winning, he nned to try and obtain Teruchan using the ¡®Different Species¡¯ King¡¯ title, which had the effect of ¡®gaining great affinity with different species¡¯ and ¡®two times the probability of creating a good impression if the target is a different species.¡¯


    Now the effect of Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue was triggered.


    ¡®It is honey. Did the odds increase after activating against Noll?¡¯


    The fire that soared due to God¡¯s Command stopped. However¡ª


    ¡°Look! Open your eyes!¡±


    The joy was fleeting. Teruchan was dying. The orc lord who had endured Grid¡¯s onught was trembling.


    ¡°Wake up! Get up!¡±


    Teruchan looked confused as Grid pulled out a potion. He raised Teruchan and forcefully poured potions into his mouth. However, it didn¡¯t work at all.


    ¡®He can¡¯t be healed?¡¯


    Why wasn¡¯t he recovering? Was this trolling? Grid brought up Teruchan¡¯s status window since they were now colleagues.


    Name: Teruchan


    Age: 19 Gender: Male


    Race: Twilight Orc


    Title: Strongest Warrior


    * Strength and health stats increase in proportion to the duration of the battle (up to 30%).


    Title: Usurper


    * Increases attack power, defense, health and resilience when fighting ¡®leaders¡¯ (up to 20%).


    Title: Indomitable Warrior


    * Nullifies damage over a certain amount up to 10 times. Once these 10 times are exhausted, you will use up Origin True Energy (cumtive reset once every 30 days).


    Level: 500


    Strength: 4,003 Stamina: 6,130


    Agility: 2,280 Intelligence: 320


    Skills: Iron Arm (A), Roar of Strength (S), Instinct (S), Belief (S)


    Like most twilight orcs, Teruchan was abandoned by his parents at the age of 5.


    After fleeing deep into the mountains to escape the empire¡¯s surveince and oppression, the twilight orcs¡¯ home was ridiculously small. Teruchan survived alone and the twilight orcs were liberated from the oppression of the empire.


    ¡°We must not let our children experience our misfortunes.¡±


    Teruchan imed as he defeated the former orc lord who opposed the war. His desire to seize the lord¡¯s position was due to the happiness of the newly born children.


    ¡°...¡±


    The Ultimate Warrior, Usurper and Indomitable Warrior. These were the titles that made Teruchan¡¯s stats shine. It was why Teruchan could withstand most of Grid¡¯s attacks. Even so, Grid was paying attention to another part.


    ¡®He is 19 years old? This terrifying giant who looks like a vicious criminal? Even though he looks 20 years older than me?¡¯


    ¡°No, shit!¡±


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that. Origin True Energy was the energy that was the source of life. Once it was depleted, a transcendent person would die. Teruchan¡¯s life was at stake.


    ¡®Right! Ask Sehee...!¡¯


    Grid was reminded of his sister, only to freeze like a statue. He was reminded of Khan¡¯s end. Ruby hadn¡¯t been able to save Khan. Death that urred naturally was something that not even the Saintess could prevent.


    ¡°...Dammit!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t call Ruby. The weak-hearted child would suffer from guilt after being unable to save Teruchan. Putting a stone in his sister¡¯s heart just to hold onto this rotten line... He couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®I wish he was a bad guy.¡¯


    Grid nced at the dying Teruchan. If only Teruchan was simply a ferocious invader and predator, then his heart wouldn¡¯t have been so heavy. At best, he would¡¯ve been unhappy with and resented Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue. However, Teruchan wasn¡¯t evil. He was determined to fight for the children, not himself, and didn¡¯t force humans to worship his power. If only Grid didn¡¯t know this. Grid was very distressed about the information he learnt about Teruchan through Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue. He felt sorry for Teruchan, who had to die before being able to fulfill his dream. He was sad to know he had lost such a person.


    ¡°Shit... Damn...¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s trembling voice was heard in Grid¡¯s ears as he cursed.


    ¡°Grid. Guruk... In your hands... I will die... Spirit...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Grid shouted.


    He didn¡¯t want to feel even more pained. Of course, he knew of a possibility that could save Teruchan. It was the White Peach, an item that restored all health and vitality when eaten. A super-special hidden item that could only be taken once in a lifetime considering the absurd effects, the White Peach was likely to restore even the exhausted Origin True Energy, yet Grid couldn¡¯t extend his hand.


    Was it because Teruchan¡¯s value was low? No. His value alone exceeded expectations. It was thrilling just imagining him at the forefront of the battlefield with Noll. He knew that Teruchan¡¯s performance would be greater when dealing with strong opponents like the grandmaster and yangbans.


    However¡ª


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible. I can¡¯t give it to him.¡¯


    Grid already had too many precious people. Irene, Lord, Piaro, and Braham¡ªfrom the time he summoned Piaro to the perilous imperial pce, Grid had already vowed to save the White Peach for them. He felt really sorry for Teruchan who was dying in front of him but the weight of the lives of those already precious to him was different.


    ¡°Glory... Guruk...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    It was rotten. He never imagined that things would be so unpleasant. He hade to the Fold Kingdom with the mindset of saving them from the orc lord. He didn¡¯t expect to go through something like this. It happened as Grid made a pained expression and grabbed his chest.


    ¡°Overgeared King!¡± Someone appeared and shouted. It was Marquis Veze. He pointed to the 100,000 orc army rushing over from a distance. ¡°Those who have lost their king will run wild! You have to avoid it!!¡±


    Grid had broken the ¡®10 blows¡¯ promise with ridiculous logic and crushed Teruchan.


    Marquis Veze had been suspicious of Grid for a while. He was concerned that the reason why Prince Shining praised Grid like a god was because he had been brainwashed by Grid, but then he soon realized¡ªthe reason why Grid wasn¡¯t afraid of his reputation being lost was to share a ¡®sword conversation¡¯ with Teruchan, which was why he pushed for a confrontation with Teruchan.


    Throughout the battle, Teruchan was uplifted and expressed joy and respect towards Grid. It was the atmosphere of bing friends with Grid. That¡¯s right. Grid respected Teruchan in his own way. He sympathized with the twilight orcs, who glorifiedbat, without scoffing at their ruthlessness. As expected, he was a great person. His intention was to persuade Teruchan to end the war but things went wrong. Teruchan was dying and the furious orcs would never forgive Grid.


    ¡°Hurry while I buy some time!¡±


    Marquis Veze held his shattered shield and faced the 100,000 army of orcs alone.


    ¡°Marquis Veze!¡±


    ¡°My Lord! What are you doing not running away?¡±


    The knights of Howl Fortress were in a hurry. Someone gave the order to open the gates while someone else had already jumped off the walls and was crossing the ins. All of them wanted to save Marquis Veze. Marquis Veze¡¯s lion-like roar echoed through the battlefield.


    ¡°Everyone, retreat! Be sure to take refuge in the capital along with the Overgeared King!¡±


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    ¡°It is amand!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The knights rushing at Marquis Veze stopped at once. It was thestmand of their esteemed superior and they couldn¡¯t break it. An old knight met Grid¡¯s eyes and shouted at him desperately, ¡°Your Majesty! Come quickly! Don¡¯t let Marquis Veze¡¯s sacrifice be in vain!¡±


    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and ignored the knights¡¯ cries. Then...


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    The four God Hands flying around Grid grabbed the marquis¡¯ limbs in unison.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    The perplexed marquis alternated looking between Grid and the orc army in front of him. The distance to the front of the orc army was now less than 200 meters away.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help you, not to sacrifice your life.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...!¡±


    Marquis Veze didn¡¯t finish his shout. It was because Grid threw him in the direction of the knights. Grid stood next to the gradually fading Teruchan and faced the orc army. The sight of the 100,000 dark-skinned orcs charging was reminiscent of a massive wave of rocks.


    ¡®It¡¯s garbage.¡¯


    Appearing before the orcs was a failure. He spent almost all his skills and resources fighting Teruchan so his condition was a mess. It was right to run away like this. Grid knew this but he couldn¡¯t step away. It was due to the red-spotted leopards at the forefront of the orc army. Thousands of leopards were running with orcs on their backs and their speed exceeded that of horses. If Grid left, the soldiers of Howl Fortress wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the leopards¡¯ pursuit and would be destroyed. At best, the rewards from running into the army would be lost.


    Grid reminded himself¡ªhis first purpose was to be the guardian of the Fold Kingdom.


    ¡°Shit... Come!¡±


    He also needed a means to relieve his boiling anger. Grid shouted at the enemies rushing like a tsunami and aimed the Enlightenment Sword. He was conscious of the cameras and let out curse words with a mutter. A one against 100,000 confrontation. If it was anyone other than Grid, the people would¡¯ve snorted with ridicule. It was because it was Grid that the viewers didn¡¯tugh and kept focused.


    Noe, Randy, Tiramet and the Overgeared Skeletons appeared beside Grid, the God Hands held the Red Phoenix Box and the sky was cloudy. It was the moment when he was going to use Storm Demonic Energy Field on the front leopard. The leopards stopped running and the orcs jumped off the leopards. Thousands of orc warriors rushed to Grid without pulling out their weapons.


    ¡°Gruruk!! Great warrior!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°We! Lord¡¯s body! Guruk! Want it!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid btedly grasped the situation. The only one who determined the orc¡¯s policy was the lord. Once the lord died, the orcs had no reason to go to war. They had to go back home, elect a new orc lord and follow the new policy. In addition, from the perspective of a ¡®warrior¡¯, Grid and Teruchan¡¯s fight was legitimate and they didn¡¯t intend to take revenge on Grid.


    ¡®...Basara.¡¯


    Her idea of liberating them was right. They weren¡¯t beasts. Grid nodded and opened the way for the orcs.


    ¡°Take him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Grruk.¡±


    The orcs beat their chests with their fists and bowed, then they carried Teruchan onto a leopard. Teruchan looked almost like a corpse with his blue skin and closed mouth. At this moment.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    An intense light shed in the sky. It was caused by Mass Teleport. Both Grid and the orcs were amazed as they turned their attention to the sky. Great Sage Sticks and Lauel came into view.


    Lauel hurried to the ground and pulled out a fruit. It was a white fruit¡ªthe White Peach.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The surprised Grid tried to stop Lauel but it was toote. Lauel forcibly opened Teruchan¡¯s mouth and shoved the White Peach into it.


    ¡°I know the entire situation. I think this is the only way to save him.¡±


    ¡°No, are you crazy? That is...!¡±


    ¡°I know the value of the White Peach. That¡¯s why I¡¯m investing it here.¡±


    ¡°You have to eat...!¡±


    ¡°It is too big a luxury for me to eat it. Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m retired now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re busy! Once youe back...!¡±


    ¡°No. I chose this path because I like it and I don¡¯t want to leave this path. I will continue to assist Your Majesty with ruling the Overgeared Kingdom so I don¡¯t need this luxury.¡±


    The effect of the White Peach was to increase the experience, regardless of level, and thus, the higher was the level of the yer, the more astronomical was the value of the item. It was given up by Lauel. Grid knew that it had required a great decision. Lauel was obviously sacrificing himself. Thanks to that sacrifice...


    ¡°Guruk...!¡±


    Teruchan took a breath and opened his eyes. The viewers and the orcs were wide-eyed. It was as if the entire world was watching.


    ¡°Great warrior...! Life saver! I! Teruchan! Guruk! You! I will serve you!¡± Teruchan swore.


    Was Grid really his life saver...? There were many questions but in any case, Grid had gained a new subordinate.

 Chapter 1099

    ¡°I! Teruchan! Guruk! You! I will serve you!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s oath once again caused a great stir. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the orc lord serving Grid meant the species itself had fallen under Grid.


    ¡º It¡¯s unfair! A typical yer will get a small pet while Grid will be the master of tens of millions of orcs? Who willpensate for the deprivation other yers will feel? ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it more difficult to fight the orc lord than it is to tame a pet....? Who could do it apart from Grid? ¡»


    ¡º Don¡¯t joke around! That isn¡¯t the point! I¡¯m pointing out the problems that will arise if a single yer has too much power! ¡»


    ¡º Why do you think that? Grid is already the king of tens of millions of people. Does it matter if he has more people now? ¡»


    ¡ºIt is unlikely that the orcs will be incorporated into the Overgeared Kingdom in the first ce. They are already a huge country and can¡¯t amodate the orcs. It will end up as an alliance, just like the water n. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right! However, the water n isn¡¯t the same! Don¡¯t overlook the fact that tens of millions of yers have already changed their race to an orc! What if Grid uses his rtionship with the orc lord to infringe on the yers¡¯ sovereignty? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. The orc lord gives absolute orders. The orc yers couldn¡¯t resist the orc lord¡¯smand to go to war. The moment the orc lord gives the order ¡®fight for Grid,¡¯ tens of millions of orc yers will be Grid¡¯s puppets. Grid can give the yers unfair orders through the orc lord. ¡»


    ¡º Will one yer infringe on the rights of tens of millions of yers? It is an amazing leap. If this happens, will the S.A Group stay still? What type of neighborhood store do you see the S.A Group as? ¡»


    ¡º Yes. You are worrying too much. Aren¡¯t the orc lord¡¯smands ssified as quests and yers are given a reasonable reward? Why don¡¯t you take the lead in talking about issues that can be discussed rather than taking a hard stance... Ah,e to think of it, General Zhang and Li Tai, aren¡¯t you Chinese? I understand why you are agitated. ¡»


    ¡º Why does it matter where Ie from? ¡»


    ¡º Who in the world doesn¡¯t know that tens of millions of Chinese yers have changed their race to an orc due to the incitement of the Chinese government? The ultimate goal was to control the orcs by making their yers into the orc lord. How bad would things have been if something went wrong? What about now? Won¡¯t it be decades until a talent that can beat Grid appears in China? ¡»


    ¡º Bullshit! Shut up!! ¡»


    The atmosphere of many broadcasts became heavy. The panelists often raised their voices at each other. The viewers awakened to how many Chinese people had infiltrated the world and expressed concern over what was happening.


    -Isn¡¯t the rule among orcs that the person who defeats the orc lord is the new lord?Won¡¯t Grid be promoted to orc lord and the orcs willpletely be his arms and legs?


    -The people who turned into an orc seem to be ruined by Grid. If he forces a quest with a strange reward, it will be a huge waste of time.


    There were all sorts of disturbances but they calmed down quickly. Contrary to some people¡¯s concerns, Grid wasn¡¯t the orc lord. It was natural. Grid wasn¡¯t an orc so he couldn¡¯t be the orc lord. The orc lord selection rule ¡®the one who beats the lord bes the lord¡¯ only applied among orcs. Furthermore.


    ¡°I, Teruchan! Guruk! Will forever be loyal to the great warrior Grid! Guruk! This isn¡¯t as a lord but as an individual! Noints are allowed!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the ¡®twilight orcs¡¯ who submitted to Grid but ¡®Teruchan.¡¯ He dismissed people¡¯s concerns by rifying this. Teruchan¡¯s intention was to calm the bacsh inside the orcs but it also suppressed the yers¡¯ anxiety and repulsion.


    ¡®I¡¯m d.¡¯


    Lauel was relieved. Orcs had a terrifying breeding power. The Overgeared Kingdom wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid a serious financial crisis if they had been incorporated into the Overgeared Kingdom. The best farmers, including Piaro and Hurent, wouldn¡¯t be able to fill the orcs¡¯ stomachs because they only enjoyed meat. In addition, the territory of the Overgeared Kingdom was limited so it would be difficult to amodate the orc poption. Furthermore, due to the strength-loving nature of the orcs, there would be conflicts with the existing people. This way, the Overgeared Kingdom could avoid all responsibilities and problems while calling on Teruchan when necessary.


    This was an ideal result. However, Grid didn¡¯t think of this and was disappointed.


    ¡®Did he want to swallow up the orcs?¡¯


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Lauel spoke to the floating Grid.


    ¡°The orc lord isn¡¯t a hereditary position. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the orc lord changes tomorrow. This means the rtionship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the orcs will change dramatically every time the lord changes. The new lords can rebel against Your Majesty so epting the orcs as your people carries a lot of danger.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... You don¡¯t regret it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is much better for now. You can avoid the jealousy and vignce from other yers.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±


    Grid nodded as he felt more at ease. He suggested to Teruchan, ¡°If you are sincerely loyal to me, sign a contract with me.¡±


    ¡°Grruk. Contract? Loyalty is blind. A contract is strange.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean... Um.¡±


    It was really difficult to exin. Grid thought for a moment before triggering the Different Species¡¯ King title. The ¡®contract¡¯ system was activated.


    [Contract]


    [If the target is another species, you can propose a contract.


    The target you contract with will ¡®awaken¡¯ strengthened racial characteristics. You will acquire some of the racial traits of the contracted target.


    You can¡¯t destroy a contract once it is made.


    However, the other person can destroy the contract at any time and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. Additionally, the contract will be canceled if the target permanently dies and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. In both cases, the contract count can¡¯t be recovered.]


    Grid, who had contracted with Hao, now had only two contracts remaining. This meant that he couldn¡¯t misuse them. Having thought carefully, Grid decided to sign a contract with Teruchan. Grid coveted the orc¡¯s racial characteristic of increased strength and stamina.


    [The orc lord ¡®Teruchan¡¯ has been designated as the target of the contract. It is suggested that the ¡®Oath of Affection that Transcends Race¡¯ is shared with the target.]


    [If the target epts the contract, the status of the target is increased and all characteristics are strengthened. You will also gain some of the characteristics of the twilight orcs.]


    [The target can terminate the contract at any time. If the target breaks the contract, the twilight orc characteristics you gained will be lost.]


    Numerous notification windows popped up in front of Grid.


    ¡°Kururuk...¡±


    Teruchan was speechless after confirming the contents of the contract. No matter how stupid he was, he could tell that the terms of the agreement were unterally advantageous to him.


    ¡°Grruk. Great warrior. So much. Trust in me?¡±


    Grid told Teruchan, who couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me? Then I have to trust you too.¡±


    ¡°...Good! Grruk!¡±


    [The target has epted the contract!]


    [You will randomly acquire one of the twilight orc¡¯s characteristics as a contract reward!]


    [...Interacting with your amazing luck!]


    [Congrattions! Your ¡®stamina¡¯ stat coefficient is increased by 1.8 times!]


    [The health growth increase per one point of stamina has increased from 30 to 54!]


    [The defense bonus per one point of stamina has increased from 1.2 to 2.1!]


    [Affinity with Orc Lord Teruchan has risen by 20.]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    yers who changed their race to an orc had to make all sorts of sacrifices. From the aesthetic perspective of a human, they had to live with the somewhat ugly appearance and take a huge loss in intelligence. However, Grid enjoyed some of the orc benefits without any penalties. In particr, the increased stamina coefficient was a tremendous gain for Grid who had higher health due to the First King title.


    ¡°Teruchan! Impressed! Guruk! Great warrior! When you need me! Call me! Guruk! I will run over at anytime!!¡±


    ¡°Stay in the Overgeared Kingdom for a few days. I will make you a new weapon and armor.¡±


    ¡°Gruruk!! Okay! Thank you! Warriors! You guys go home first! Grruk!¡±


    ¡°Gruruk!! Gruruk!¡±


    The 100,000 orcs on the ins surrounding Howl Fortress all withdrew. It happened in an instant, reminiscent of a tide escaping. Marquis Veze and his soldiers were stunned. The orc army that could destroy their kingdom in a few days had withdrawn like they were a lie. They witnessed the miracle created by Grid from beginning to end but there was no sense of reality.


    Grid said goodbye to them. ¡°If there is a chance next time, let¡¯s meet again. Greet Prince Shining for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! I look forward to seeing you again!!¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    Marquis Veze and the 30,000 troops saluted. Their eyes were only filled with respect for Grid.


    ***


    (Shocking! Tens of millions of Chinese yers have fallen under Grid!)


    (Twilight orcs, it is hard to bepletely free from Grid¡¯s influence...)


    The Chinese media was upset. They found it absurd and dismal that in a single battle, Grid had poured cold water on China¡¯s momentum. The People¡¯s Liberation Army of China vited South Korea¡¯s airspace in the name of a ¡®mistake.¡¯ Two Chinese fighter jets ignored South Korea¡¯s Air Force¡¯s warnings and travelled through the East Sea at will.


    It was an obvious demonstration of force. It was a warning for the people of a small country to stop pretending to be bigger. It was also intended to iste Grid by creating anxiety in the people of South Korea.


    Then,ter that day, China was thoroughly criticized by dozens of countries, including the United States. In particr, the United States, the European Union, and India discussed all types of regtions, stating that China threatened peace and shouldn¡¯t be at the heart of the global economy.


    This was the power of the S.A Group. The power of the S.A Group, which developed and serviced Satisfy, had reached the level of a country, not apany. It had all types of trades with developed countries and established good cooperative rtionships with them. Lim Cheolho had no intention of forgiving China for their disrespect to South Korea and the threat to the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters. He started to retaliate against China using all types of methods as well as his cooperation with various countries.


    Once the capsule production nt set up in China was shut down, the Chinese government realized the seriousness of the situation and issued a statement. They acknowledged and apologized for their disrespect to the people of South Korea, and swore that this would never happen again.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was watching Grid¡¯s progress while eating chicken and drinking soju, was actually the world¡¯s biggest tycoon. He was someone Grid recognized as a ¡®grandfather¡¯ and who wore a party hat when attending Grid¡¯s birthday party.

 Chapter 1100

    ¡°Armor. Gruruk. Don¡¯t want it. It¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wear it normally and take it off when I¡¯m fighting.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Then why wear it? As he watched Teruchan, Grid was convincedthat Teruchan was much smarter than Jude. Grid cleared his throat and added, ¡°You must be ready for any unexpected attacks.¡±


    ¡°No need. Gruruk. Warriors won¡¯t be subjected to cowardly ambushes.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me. Are you loyal?¡±


    ¡°That is something separate! Gruruk!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s muscles seemed to be carved out of thick rocks. Grid had witnessed their expansion. In particr, every time Teruchan used the Iron Arm skill to throw his weapons, Teruchan¡¯s shoulders and forearms more than doubled in size.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I made cloth and leather armor.¡¯


    Grid obviously failed. The cloth and leather armor Grid made wasn¡¯t able to keep up with Teruchan¡¯s muscles¡¯ expansion. The cloth stretched by a certain amount and was torn to the limit of its sticity while the leather squeezed Teruchan¡¯s muscles.


    ¡®I understand why he doesn¡¯t like it. It is ufortable.¡¯


    No, Teruchan must¡¯ve felt a fear beyond difort. He would¡¯ve realized that his armor would be shackles that would harm.


    ¡®I can¡¯t force him to wear armor until I have enough Greed.¡¯


    Greed had very free sticity. This was a characteristic it inherited from adamantium. Grid was convinced that armor made of Greed would withstand Teruchan¡¯s muscles¡¯ expansion. However, it was too much to make armor with Greed right away.


    If he removed the pavranium-rted traits from Greed, the ¡®Grid¡¯ condition of use would disappear. However, there was no guarantee that the insane dragon hammer and anvil would delete only the traits he wanted to remove. If even the properties of adamantium were removed, the whole point of using Greed to make the armor would disappear.


    ¡®My experience has shown that the properties of the metals are likely to be eliminated. I can¡¯t try it yet as I might consume a few pieces of Greed.¡¯


    First, it was necessary to improve the insane dragon hammer and anvil. He had to make it easier to choose his desired properties.


    ¡°Then take this.¡± Grid threw arge cloth at Teruchan. ¡°It is underwear. Wear this even if you don¡¯t wear underwear.¡±


    The only thing Teruchan was currently wearing was a piece of yellow, discolored cloth. It barely covered his important areas, and from behind, his hard buttocks were exposed. It was sensational enough that some male groups protested, stating that the male body was more sexually objectified than necessary. In any case, the value of the defense wasn¡¯t as good as the appearance.


    On the other hand, the Grid-made underwear boasted double-digit defense. It was a huge defense of 10. 10 was definitely better than nothing. It could be particrly helpful for Teruchan, whose defense surged on a percentage.


    ¡°It is bigger than you¡¯re used to, so it might be frustrating at first, but you¡¯ll get used to it. It is as close to the skin as possible, so there won¡¯t be any difort or interference to your behavior.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry that it will pop out. I put an extra piece of cloth in front.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The dense stitching was maintained at regr intervals. The underwear that Grid handed over not only looked nice, but it also contained the effort and care of the creator. Looking at the underwear with a nk expression, Teruchan asked carefully, ¡°Great warrior. I like this armor. Gruruk. Is the underwear made by you?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of talent.¡±


    ¡°...Gruruk...¡± Teruchan¡¯s eyes reddened. Like many orcs, he was abandoned by his parents at a young age, so he was unfamiliar with receiving gifts. It was the first time someone had carefully made him precious underwear that should be worn every day. ¡°Until the cloth is destroyed. Gruruk. Without changing it every day. Gruruk. I will wear it carefully.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you saying? I will make a lot, so change them every day.¡±


    "No! I won¡¯t take it off once! Guruk! Your sincerity! Won¡¯t be forgotten!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t hear Grid¡¯s words. If Teruchan¡¯s skin was green like normal orcs, he would¡¯ve been nicknamed Tree Frog. Grid smiled and brought up the recipe for Failure. The reason why he didn¡¯t take out the production method for the White Tiger Sword or Enlightenment Sword was that Failure was a ¡®greatsword.¡¯


    However, Teruchan was good at using the broadsword, so Grid thought Teruchan¡¯s synergy with Failure would be much better. In the beginning, Grid regarded Failure highly.


    ¡®The damage estimate of Failure is iparable to that of other swords.¡¯


    Looking at the blueprint of the White Tiger Sword that Grid created with Kraugel, the damage for the unique rated White Tiger Sword ranged from 493 to 817. Then there was the production method for the Enlightenment Sword. The damage of the unique rated version ranged from 930 to 1,050.


    On the other hand, the default damage for the unique rated Failure was ranged from 733 to 1,621. Of course, the White Tiger Sword and the Enlightenment Sword were one-handed swords. They were fundamentally different from Failure which was a two-handed sword that maximized aggression.


    Moreover, Failure was made of low-value materials instead of adamantium, blood stone, the sacred creature¡¯s breaths, and the by-products of a great demon. Despite the premise of being made using rtively low-grade materials, the damage estimate of Failure wasparable to a divine sword¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t just at a scary level. This was a scam. As a result, the penalty of excessive ¡®conditions of use¡¯ urred, and this was the reason for the name ¡®Failure¡¯. Nevertheless, Teruchan was the strongest warrior.


    Teruchan was able to meet the conditions for using Failure.


    ¡®30% of 4,000 is 1,200, so Teruchan¡¯s strength inbat rises up to 5,200. Right?¡¯


    Grid knocked on the calctor again, just in case, before telling Teruchan, ¡°Teruchan, I¡¯m going to make you two weapons. One is a more usable broadsword, and the other is a very good greatsword.¡±


    ¡°Guruk?¡±


    ¡°Instead, you will have to make full use your strength to swing the greatsword. You usually use a broadsword. Carry the greatsword on your back and use it in battle. Always practice to be good at changing weapons.


    ¡°Why is it hard?¡±


    Teruchan really didn¡¯t understand. As the strongest warrior, why wouldn¡¯t he be able to swing a sword easily? Understanding it was impossible for him.


    ¡°I. Gruruk. A giant tree can be uprooted and wielded. A sword. Gruruk. It is easy to swing.¡±


    ¡°I think it is due to the poor structure... Well, you¡¯ll know once you use it yourself.¡±


    Grid poured all the Greed that had been gathered into the roaring furnace. Of course, one was left for proliferation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start production.¡±


    Grid pulled out the insane dragon hammer and anvil. Unlike armor, there was no problem if the properties of the minerals are deleted. Therefore, there was no hesitation in his actions.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Smelting, forging, tempering, quenching, and so on...


    Surprisingly, Grid¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t fast as he underwent a series of processes. No, he was slower than average cksmiths. It was because he formed the shape of the sword with the hammer without using the casting method. Grid might be able to mass-produce items within a few hours using the auto-production method, but he still stuck to manual work for important items. He didn¡¯t care about straining his body or mind if he could increase the chances of getting a better result.


    ¡®I need more strong colleagues.¡¯


    In Satisfy, peace was a timely concept. The 2 billion yers were working hard, and there were countless new episodes starting or ending. It could be a small story about the evacuation of the house next door or a serious story involving the Yatan Church and the great demons.


    However, one thing was certain. Some episodes would surely be apanied by a new crisis. There was also a possibility that the stage of the game, currently confined to the West Continent, would be extended overnight to the East Continent. Grid needed to prepare for when the time came. So, he wanted more colleagues, and he wanted his colleagues to be strong. This was why he understood and endured the long absences of Asmophel, Mercedes, and the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be ashamed when meeting everyone again.¡¯


    Ttang! Ttang!


    ¡®I hone my environment.¡¯


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath and Legendary cksmith¡¯s Patience had been changed to passive skills during hispetition against the cksmithing god Hexetia. Based on that power, Grid¡¯s concentration reached the limit.


    ***


    [The Failure Honoring the Strongest Warrior has beenpleted!]


    ¡°...?¡± Grid woke up from the trance that he had fallen into when working. Of course, Grid had hoped for a great result. Most of the properties might¡¯ve been deleted, but he used Greed as a material. Still, he didn¡¯t dare wish for a modifier to be attached.


    Failure itself was a defective item, so the system had a low probability of a high degree ofpletion. Yet a modifier was attached. It was perfect for Teruchan.


    [Failure Honoring the Strongest Warrior]


    [Rating: Unique (Growth)


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power: 1,190~2,005 Defense: 80


    * Agility +60


    * There is a low probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a chance of activating ¡®5 Joint Attacks.¡¯


    * There is a chance of activating ¡®Cutting.¡¯


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be generated.


    * There is a high probability of triggering ¡®Crush.¡¯


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 10 levels lower than the user.


    * +20% damage when used by Teruchan.


    After reaching enlightenment against the god, cksmith Grid reinterpreted the failed work that he made during the days when he wascking.


    It is a greatsword, but its cutting ability is excellent because of its unique shape. The greatsword resembles a shark¡ªthe predator of the sea¡ªand incites fear in the enemies. The small des spiking out from the sword will increase the defense.


    Additionally, all elements are in consideration for Teruchan.


    Teruchan will feel a sense of unity with this weapon.


    Conditions of Use: Teruchan. Grid.


    Weight: 860]


    ¡°I brushed my teeth as much as possible...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t expect the conditions of use to change this way. He looked like a liar. It was a state where he couldn¡¯t be an example for a 19-year-old kid...


    Grid shook his head and looked out the window. It was a deep night. He started working in the early evening, so it hadn¡¯t been long since he started.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    His eyes were watery, and his legs were shaking. There was no sensation in both of his hands. The sweat all over his body had cooled down. Grid confirmed that his stamina gauge was running out and nced to the side. He saw Teruchan. Teruchan¡¯s eyes were hollow, and his thin cheeks made him seem like he was sick.


    ¡°What? Why are you like that?¡± Grid asked with worry.


    ¡°Grruk. You are not a great warrior.¡± Teruchan¡¯s big hands wrapped around him. ¡°You. Gruruk. You aren¡¯t a great cksmith.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    In front of the baffled Grid...


    ¡°You.¡± Teruchan felt to his knees. ¡°You are Great Grid. Grruk.¡±


    Teruchan was ignorant of cksmithing. Therefore, he observed Grid¡¯s attitude. Then he was thrilled many times. Grid had been working two and a half days for him, who was an enemy only a few days ago. His true heart toward Teruchan would never be forgotten.


    ¡°Armor. Gruruk. I¡¯ll wear it. I will wear it even if I feel ufortable.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Grid was startled.


    Was it due to the title effect of Different Species¡¯ King? His affinity with Teruchan was reaching the maximum. It was the best record ever. Grid smiled and stroked Teruchan¡¯s forehead, which was bigger than his.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wear it if it is ufortable. You could be upset.¡±


    ¡°No. Gruruk. I¡¯ll wear it.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll make new armor for youter.¡±


    ¡°Until then. Gruruk. The armor you made today. Gruruk. I¡¯ll wear it.¡±


    ¡°No, dammit! Listen to me!¡±


    ¡°Hup! I understand.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry for getting angry.¡±


    ¡°Grruk...¡±


    Damn, he swore in front of Teruchan and made Teruchan feel like he got scolded. Grid hated himself.


    Simultaneously, in a forest in the Gauss Kingdom...


    ¡°Human, get lost. This is the territory that we elves are defending.¡±


    ¡°Tell me where that ck thing is before you die.¡±


    Another species was meeting a man with green hair.


    ¡°ck thing...?¡±


    ¡°Your old colleague. I need the flesh of the fallen.¡±


    One step...


    After acquiring the third ss¡ªDemon World Noble¡ªand gaining more authority, he was only one step away from the resurrection of his old lover.

 Chapter 1101

    The elves suffered from a severe gender imbnce. Despite their long lifespans, theycked breeding power and had a very small poption. They were one of the smallest poptions on the. However...


    ¡°ck thing...?¡±


    ¡°Your old colleague. I need the flesh of the fallen.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Today, the elves were upying forests across the continent despite their small numbers. Why was this possible? That was simple. It was because they were supreme predators. As it had been revealed a long time ago, the elves were an upper species beyond the vampires and evil eyes. What if they didn¡¯t seek harmony but wielded full strength? What if they retaliated every time they were exploited and betrayed by humans?


    ¡°Human, this is the final warning. Get out of the forest right now.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and tell me where the ck thing is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    If so, the would¡¯ve been divided between humans and elves. Five elves hid in a giant tree while watching the intruder. They shot at the intruder who had repeatedly disregarded the warning. There was no hesitation. After being betrayed once again by the human Kir and after one of the 12 Te fell, the elves awakened. They concluded that it was impossible to be in harmony with humans. The elves¡¯ new policy was that they would rather reign over humans and defend their rights and nature.


    ¡°Human beings will have to realize this. We will no longer be swayed by you,¡± the voices of the elves echoed through the forest. Dozens of arrows turned the man into a hedgehog. The elves¡¯ arrows were extremely fast because they had the blessing of the wind elementals.


    ¡°Cough...¡±The man coughed up blood. The name ¡®Agnus¡¯ floating above his head shook as he fell down. He was hit by dozens of beasts that emerged from the bushes. They gnashed, ripped, and wed at the man, breaking his bones and destroying his insides. Blood poured out and stained the forest red.


    ¡°Go back.¡±The elves killed the invaders and came down from the tree to gather the predators. They looked back as they attempted to return to their original positions.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±The intruder, who they thought was dead, raised himself up. His mouth twisted as he turned his neck in a bizarre direction toward the elves. ¡°It is annoying if you hide in the trees.¡±


    ¡°You... aren¡¯t a human.¡±


    Every life had an end. The notion of creating opportunities from death was contrary to providence. The elves got a chill down their spine and started to step back. As beings beyond death, they felt a strong rejection to it. The elves¡¯ white skin contrasted with the dark hands that emerged from the ground. The hands grabbed all the elves and beasts in Agnus¡¯ sight and absorbed their health, swelling and bing more powerful.


    ¡°Uh... Kuoock...¡±


    The elves with eternal youth started to age rapidly. The beasts had all their health drained, and they died. Meanwhile, Agnus was recovering from all his wounds. This was due to the transfer of vitality from the elves and beasts to Agnus.


    ¡°You persevered for a long time because of your long life.¡± The elves, who didn¡¯t die immediately like the beasts, delighted Agnus. He approached the elves who were nowpletely old and grabbed the wrinkled neck of a white-haired elf. ¡°Looking at the color of your hair, it is the same lineage as that ck thing. I truly came to the right ce.¡±


    ¡°K... Kuock...¡±


    ¡°Tell me the whereabouts of the ck thing. Then I¡¯ll kill you painlessly.¡±


    ¡°...Shut up. I... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll have to set the forest on fire to find her.¡±


    There was no madness in Agnus¡¯ gold eyes as he literally strangled the elf to death. With only one step left to achieve his dream, he was cautious and calm, unlike before. This meant he was even more brutal. He ughtered all the remaining elves and turned his attention to the center of the bizarrely tranquil forest.


    ¡°Come out, Beniyaru.¡±


    A dark elf, the first elf to ept demonic energy¡ªher special body would be a wonderful vessel whenbined with the Stone of Life...


    Agnus walked into the deep forest while feeling convinced by the information he had received. His dry hands held a portrait of his former lover.


    ***


    [You have been defeated in a spar.]


    [You have been defeated in a spar.]


    [You have been defeated...]


    Thanks to Grid, Teruchan was able to improve his characteristics and obtain new weapons. Not only did his attack power, defense, and health co-efficient rise, but he also gained the skills ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯, Bisect, and Crush which didn¡¯t consume mana.


    ¡°Wow, it is hard to win.¡±


    Grid had requested for a duel against Teruchan while waiting for Greed to proliferate, and he suffered a series of defeats. Did he find it unpleasant? Of course not. Grid was so happy that he wanted to cry. The damn game form of ¡®the strongest enemy will weaken the moment they be an ally¡¯ was broken. Grid was pleased and grateful for his new colleague Teruchan¡¯s outstanding performance.


    ¡®The people who can beat him can be counted on one hand, regardless of whether they are yers or NPCs.¡¯


    As King Maxong had demonstrated, the ¡®peak of the species¡¯ was better than the usual nameless NPCS. In fact, Teruchan was a huge level 500 NPC. There were few people in the world who could stand up to Teruchan wielding Failure, which weakened enemies more than 10 levels lower than the user.


    ¡®I think Piaro and Mercedes can easily beat Teruchan.¡¯


    They were immune to fear and could see through all of Teruchan¡¯s skills. The two of them also had high stats, so they wouldn¡¯t be too affected by Teruchan¡¯s stats. Of course, the racial characteristics of the ¡®orc¡¯ would put Teruchan ahead in strength and stamina.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop. I¡¯m so tired that I can¡¯t move a finger.¡±Grid reached out in order to dere his surrender.


    On the other hand, Teruchan was robust. As expected of the orc lord, he didn¡¯t seem tired. ¡°Grid. Gruruk. I would¡¯ve lost if you had fought seriously.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have tofort me. I¡¯m d to have lost to you.¡±


    Teruchan was very caring despite only being 19 years old. Grid smiled and brought up the information of the God Hands.


    [God Hand]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite


    Dexterity: 2,583 Strength: 1,795


    An artifact created out of ¡®Greed¡¯ by Grid, who is bing a myth.


    Since it reproduces Grid¡¯s hands, all items can be used without restrictions, and it can also act as a cksmith.


    Hexetia, the god of cksmiths, is amazed by the phenomenal performance and covets it.


    * 50% of the owner¡¯s strength and dexterity are applied.


    * Can reproduce the owner¡¯s unique skills. However, the power of the skills is limited to 30% and the owner¡¯s mana is consumed when using the skill.


    On the other hand, skills belonging to equipped items can be fully disyed without consuming resources. Buff skills will affect the owner.


    * Has the Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill.


    * Has Advanced Weapons Mastery and Shield Mastery.


    * There is a high probability of triggering ¡®Crush¡¯ when attacking.


    * There is a chance to trigger ¡®Reconstruction¡¯ when hit.


    * Defense will increase by 10% in canyon terrains.


    * The power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in canyon terrain.


    * Decreases the target¡¯s defense and magic resistance by 10% when encountering great demons weaker than rank 22.


    * If damage to the extent of destroying it is received, the durability is fixed for a minimum of 5 seconds. There is a 10% durability recovery after this effect is over (24 hours cooldown).


    * There is currently no magic attached to it.


    * Depending on the usage, it is easy to raise affinity.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 21]


    The new God Hands had a significantly improved performancepared to the old God Hands. Yes, it was only improved. There were no special changes. It was natural. The God Hands were items modeled after Grid¡¯s hands. The essence of the God Hands was to reproduce Grid¡¯s hands, so there was no reason for any special changes. The moment a change was made, they wouldn¡¯t be the God Hands anymore.


    ¡®Don¡¯t blur the essence.¡¯


    Grid reiterated again and again that Hexetia coveted the God Hands. He was very pleased that even a god coveted an item that reproduced his hands. Myth...


    He couldn¡¯t help realizing that he was reaching the realm of the gods.


    ¡®Will I really be a god when I reach the myth rating?¡¯


    In the past, he didn¡¯t seriously consider this type of question. Now that he knew the reality of the gods, he was seriously curious. In Satisfy, the gods weren¡¯t almighty beings. That¡¯s why yers could be gods as well...


    Grid was troubled by the thought.


    ¡®I want to increase the quantity of the God Hands.¡¯


    There had been limits to controlling the four God Hands. However, the new God Hands were items that made judgments and moved on their own. It was helpful enough to leave them unattended without controlling them.


    ¡®I will be invincible if I make 100... Of course, that isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    The bnce...


    It was clear that some penalties would ur using the excuse of the game bnce. He had to check how many God Hands he could hold.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s make a helmet and then some God Hands for a while.¡¯


    Grid was still using the degraded item, the Cone Helmet. It was ufortable, and he wanted to quickly change the helmet. Of course, it was a n that could only be implemented after Greed proliferated.


    ¡®Until then, I¡¯ll decide where to use the Water n King¡¯s Tear. No, it would be better to keep it for now.¡¯


    The Water n King¡¯s Tears...


    Previously, it was used to assign Magic Missile to the God Hands, but Grid¡¯s current intelligence exceeded 3,000. Even though the second ss ¡®Great Magician¡¯ was changed to ¡®Duke of Wisdom¡¯, Grid still hoped to learn Fireball.


    ¡®Once Braham wakes up, he¡¯ll see my increased power and teach me new magic. I¡¯ll keep it in preparation for then...¡¯


    The tears of the water n¡¯s king were rare. He used to get one lot every five months, but recently, it was only once a year. It was because the number of times Maxong cried had reduced. He missed his dead daughter, but as a king, he dered that he should take care of his people.


    ¡®It is unfortunate but also a good thing. Well, I¡¯ll leave the tears for now. If I use and disassemble then, I can¡¯t overlook the possibility of them being damaged during the dposition process.¡¯


    Learning new magic...


    It was on the premise that Braham woke up, but Grid decided to feel hopeful. He believed that the more his intelligence rose, the more Braham¡¯s soul would be restored and that Braham would someday wake up.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s hunt during this time. I have to work hard for Braham.¡¯


    It was at this moment when the determined Grid stood up that...


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A girl appeared without warning. It was a girl whose presence made even Teruchan freeze. The dragon child¡ªit was the appearance of Nefelina, who was a hatchling.


    ¡°W-Why did you a shabby person like youe to this precious ce?¡±Grid was so panicked that he twisted his words.


    Nefelina frowned and brought up the main story.¡°The movements of the different species and the attitude of the great evil¡¯s agents have provoked her.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±Grid was bewildered by Nefelina¡¯s words.


    ¡°The being who was deeply asleep.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The woman who can be the vampire king.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°It seems that she is interested in the world.¡±


    What a bolt from the blue? Once the absolute being of a different dimension was suddenly mentioned, Grid became speechless.


    Nefelina warned, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my current home. You have to soothe her well.¡±


    This was the end. Nefelina left without any further exnation while Grid, who was left behind, became as stiff as a stone statue.

 Chapter 1102

    The types of people were very diverse. The more people that were gathered, the more likely it was that there would be conflicts and events. That¡¯s why it was difficult to managerge cities.


    For small cities with small poptions, increasing the facilities made the people satisfied, which in turn maintained public sentiment and policies. However,rge cities already had everything, often causing public sentiment and public security to worsen for odd reasons. The lords ofrge cities had to constantly devise policies which could satisfy more people, and the implementation of policies consumed taxes. Consequently, the expenditure of taxes caused a decline in public sentiment and security.


    ¡°This is a headache. There are a group of people who are constantly instigating trouble.¡±


    ¡°There is no policy that satisfies everyone. Even if the majority is satisfied, the minority will lose money. This means it is virtually impossible to maintain public sentiment and security perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Chris manage it well when he was a lord?¡±


    ¡°Chris had many helpers. His colleagues have been with him since the days of the Giant Guild.¡±


    ¡°His skills must be superior to mine.¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Chris¡ªhe was a real monster.¡±


    In Reidan, the second capital of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    Zednos, who became Chris¡¯ sessor, found this task very hard. He found it daunting just to maintain the current status, let alone develop the city. The city¡¯s economy was in crisis due to falling public sentiment and the resulting process. Every time he sat down with the nobles to read and discuss documents, he wondered if he was ying a game or going to work. It was also hard to maintain his ranking as his time for hunting decreased.


    He was tired. It was hard, and it wasn¡¯t fun. These were Zednos¡¯ honest feelings. He realized how great Chris was for having maintained his number one ranking for several years while leading Reidan¡¯s progress.


    ¡®He is a man of great skill who is much better than me. Grid, who made such a monster look shabby, is almost like a god.¡¯


    Chris¡ªthe incredible genius Zednos admired¡ªcouldn¡¯t narrow the growing gap with Grid. At the very least, if he didn¡¯t want to just grab onto Grid¡¯s ankles, he would have to invest all of his time, leaving his work and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know it when he was here. It is regretful.¡¯


    Zednos was greatly affected by the absence of Chris and the other members of the 10 meritorious retainers. At least dozens of people were needed to fill in the gap of the 10 meritorious retainers, making him feel there was a shortage of manpower in various fields.


    The good news was that the city was peaceful. He would¡¯ve felt the absence of the 10 meritorious retainers even more desperately if there was foreign aggression. Fortunately, no foreign powers threatened the Overgeared Kingdom. It was no wonder since the empire was behind them.


    Didn¡¯t even the elves, who were upying the forests all over the continent, hide in the forest of the world tree when they were suppressed by the empire? The imperial power was still absolute, and the Overgeared Kingdom was the greatest beneficiary.


    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m going to get some air.¡±


    Zednos left behind the nobles in the office and took to the streets. These days, his only pleasure was food. His goal was to sample all the famous dishes on the streets of Reidan, where there was a lot of delicious food.


    ¡®It is great because I don¡¯t gain weight here no matter how much I eat.¡¯


    For those who were fond of food, Satisfy¡¯s release would¡¯ve been a blessing. Satisfy provided the perfect taste for yers.


    ¡°Yum yum.¡±


    Zednos headed to the nearest street stall and chose Noe Bread as an appetizer. As the name suggested, it was bread made in the shape of Noe. Noe was popr as the mascot of the Overgeared Kingdom. The surface was crisp, the bread was moist, and the inside was filled with sweet and soft corn.


    ¡®In Reinhardt, I was eating Idan¡¯s food and didn¡¯t want to eat at all.¡¯


    Zednos was happy to eat delicious food. It felt like the stress of work was relieved instantly.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Noe¡¯s front paw... No, Zednos¡ªwho had been eating the front paws of the Noe Bread¡ªsuddenly became as stiff as a statue. It was because a woman was approaching him. The funny thing was that the woman had a turban wrapped around her face, covering it.


    That¡¯s right. The only part of the woman that was exposed were her eyes and part of her nose. Nevertheless, Zednos felt she was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen. This was despite the fact that he saw world-ss beauties like Yura, Jishuka, Irene, Sua, and Mercedes every day.


    The woman said to him, ¡°You are the strongest human in this city.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Zednos¡¯ face reddened. His heart thumped like he had sprinted hundreds of meters. He was fascinated by the woman¡¯s morous voice. It was the first time in Zednos¡¯ life that he had heard such a voice. Zednos¡¯ dazed face was projected on the woman¡¯srge red eyes, which seemed to contain the sun-filled universe.


    ¡°Are you in charge of this city due to your strength?¡± The unidentified woman¡ªshe was having a lot of fun. ¡°Use your authority to give me a carriage. It is good to have a carriage with curtains that block out the sun. Then lead me to the nearest forest.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Zednos was unaware that he was in a ¡®bewitched¡¯ state. He didn¡¯t realize that it was dangerous. The bewitchment was a powerful condition that clouded the spirit of the target and caused them to lose their sense of reason. Once bewitched, it was impossible to be sober.


    Zednos nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Zednos was eager...


    He wanted to know the name of the woman. He wanted to see her face. He wanted to serve her. Had he not been born into this world just to meet her at this moment? Zednos earnestly returned to the castle with the woman and instructed the soldiers to prepare a carriage.


    Then he woke up after hearing a cry.


    ¡°Virtuous Light!¡±


    It was a recovery skill that could only be used by the senior priests of the Reba Church. This was what surrounded Zednos¡¯ body.


    ¡°Zednos, wake up!¡±


    A while ago, the Overgeared members of Reidan¡¯s security unit obtained a sudden quest.


    [An unidentified woman has appeared and deceived the people. Work with the priests of the Reba Church to calm the confusion.]


    Had Zednos stumbled onto the quest and ended up apanying the main culprit of the turmoil?


    ¡°Hey! Steady your mind!¡± The Overgeared members once again shouted at Zednos, who was dazed for a while after being surrounded by a clean light.


    ¡°Fly!¡±Zednos rose into the sky first, deciding that he should distance himself from the unidentified woman. He was confused.


    ¡®What is this woman¡¯s identity?¡¯


    Creating an abnormal state without giving a person time to be aware of it...? He hadn¡¯t heard of such a thing before. She could not be an ordinary woman. The actions of Zednos and the Overgeared members were swift. He urgently called out to the soldiers, who surrounded the woman along with the priests.


    At this moment, a bombardment came from high above. The entire Reidan Castle shook like it had been hit by a meteorite, and Zednos¡¯ and the Overgeared members¡¯ vision became dizzy.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Everyone turned their attention to the site of the bombardment that caused a cloud of dust to rise. There was a man standing there, not a meteorite. The name above his head was Fenrir. It was a name that the Overgeared members were familiar with.


    ¡°A direct descendant...?¡±


    Among the children of Shizo Beriache, Fenrir was a marquise and second in the vampire ranks. Unlike the other family members who inherited only one power from Beriache, he was said to have inherited three.


    ¡°You were here,¡± Fenrir said to the beauty, showing no interest in the Overgeared members. His blond hair fell to his shoulders as he gazed at the unidentified woman in a turban.¡°I was waiting for you to wake up. Now, let¡¯s go to my city. There is a lot of work to discuss.¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    The eyes of the Overgeared members were also focused on the woman. They could infer the woman¡¯s identity through Fenrir¡¯s attitude. They couldn¡¯t believe it but her identity was...


    ¡°...Marie Rose?¡±


    ording to Braham, Shizo Beriache was originally a great demon. She was even one of the highest ranking demons in the ¡®single-digit¡¯ sequence. Thest person she gave birth to was Marie Rose, the vampire duke.


    ¡°Fenrir, you¡¯re still not afraid of the sun.¡±


    ¡°Only weak vampires are afraid of the sun. It just stings a bit. Marie Rose, you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°I also experience stinging. I hate this feeling.¡±


    The red-painted nails at the ends of her white and delicate hands were impressive. The woman took off her turban in one motion, revealing her perfect face and her name. At the same time...


    [You have encountered Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. You will lose your willpower and control over your body.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s attraction is absolute. Her charm is so high that there are even high odds of both genders being attracted.]


    The priests of the Reba Church who were strong against evil beings, as well as Zednos and the Overgeared members, all stiffened in ce like statues.


    ck hair that waved like silk... Marie Rose swept back her hair that fell to her buttocks and stared at Zednos. It was a coexistence of purity and decadence. Marie Rose¡¯s face that had a variety of charms arrowed straight at Zednos¡¯ heart.


    ¡°You, the strongest human in this city.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I had a separate reason for speaking to you. I smelled something nostalgic from you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Smelled? Zednos sniffed his body. It was covered with the smell of the sweet Noe Bread.


    Marie Rose ordered Fenrir, ¡°As I said, I hate the sun. Drive the carriage. First, let¡¯s go to the nearest forest. I¡¯ve always wanted to see the elves.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±Fenrir grabbed the neck of a terrified priest and ced him in the driver¡¯s seat of the carriage. He said he would leave it to a human because he couldn¡¯t drive a wagon. Fenrir had an angry attitude.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Suddenly, Blood Thorn¡ªthe special move shown by Vampire Earl Elfin Stone in the past¡ªwas used. Blood thorns of an overwhelming size were created in the air like spider webs, turning Fenrir into a hedgehog. Fenrir coughed up blood with swollen eyes while Marie Rose warned him with a casual expression, ¡°Don¡¯t disobey me.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Fenrir nodded, not daring to do so. He suddenly remembered that Marie Rose¡¯s power transcended their mother¡¯s. Marie Rose could also give birth to a new direct line. She could always create someone who could rece him. Unlike her mother who was a great demon, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for Marie Rose on her own since she had been given a ¡®gender.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Marie Rose climbed onto the carriage, and Fenrir¡ªwho recovered from his wounds in an instant¡ªsat in the driver¡¯s seat. The priest, already in the driver¡¯s seat, trembled without knowing what to do. However, Fenrir didn¡¯t care about him and hit the horse¡¯s butt with a whip. It was at this moment that...


    ¡°Stop!¡±A group of people appeared and blocked the way of the carriage.


    ¡°Marie Rose! I rushed over as soon as I received the divine message that you woke up!¡±A man shouted from the front of the group. He was dressed in the greatest symbol of the continent¡ªa white garment with a sacred pattern in gold thread.It was the pope¡¯s outfit.


    Three women appeared beside Pope Damian and shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t allow you to make your appearance!¡±


    Lifael¡¯s Spear, Michael¡¯s Sword, and Everiel¡¯s Shield¡ªthe women were armed with the three divine artifacts that helped seal Marie Rose a long time ago. The ultimate divine power that shone more brilliantly than the sun dominated the area, healing the status of the Overgeared members and causing Fenrir to frown. Damian was already in full-buff state.


    ¡°Go back to your coffin for the peace of humanity!¡±He shouted again.


    Having received the hidden quest ¡®Seal Marie Rose¡¯ from the divine message, Damian thought this quest had a high sess rate. The divine artifacts of the church had been given to the church directly by Goddess Reba and had a history of sealing Marie Rose once before. Marie Rose might be the strongest vampire, but he believed she had no chance against them.


    ¡°Keok!¡± However, Damian stood on the threshold of death before even confronting Marie Rose. Fenrir alone overpowered the Reba¡¯s Daughters and threw a blood spear, critically damaging Damian.


    ¡°Pope, you are crazy. Don¡¯t you know that Chreshler was exceptionally special?¡±Fenrir said this, but he was wary of the Reba Church¡¯s power which had sealed Marie Rose previously. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t careless and targeted the pope, the head of the Reba Church.


    After several blows, he smashed through Isabel, blocked Rin¡¯s sword, and broke through Luna¡¯s shield to grab Damian by the neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him,¡± Marie Rose¡¯s voice could be heard from the carriage. It had a rather amused tone.¡°A nostalgic smell ising from him. Huhut, I don¡¯t want to be hated, so keep him alive.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Not a single person could interpret Marie Rose¡¯s words. Even Fenrir found it hard to understand. Still, he didn¡¯t ask any questions and left Damian alone. The Reba¡¯s Daughters couldn¡¯t restrain Fenrir as he returned to the driver¡¯s seat. It was because of the horror created by the terribly beautiful Marie Rose¡¯s voice. Her strength exceeded the predictions of Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    tter. tter.


    The carriage carrying Marie Rose passed by. Damian, Reba¡¯s Daughters, Zednos, and the Overgeared members¡ªall of them simply watched the carriage leave.


    ***


    [(Breaking News) Vampire Duke¡¯s appearance!]


    [The pope and Reba¡¯s Daughters were overwhelmed...]


    There were witnesses of the incident. Footage of Fenrir and Damian¡¯s battle at Reidan Castle quickly spread on the Inte. The strong power of Vampire Marquis Fenrir rmed people. However, unlike with the appearance of the great demon or the orc lord, people didn¡¯t express much anxiety.


    Since it was an event in the Overgeared Kingdom, they thought that Grid would resolve the problem again. Rather, they had a good feeling from Fenrir¡¯s appearance and Marie Rose¡¯s tone. Marie Rose¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s fan cafes were already booming. As a society that was biased toward appearance, people argued that unity should be achieved between vampires and humans.


    Additionally, all two billion yers wondered what Marie Rose meant by the ¡®nostalgic smell.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff sniff.¡± Grid developed the habit of smelling his armpits.

 Chapter 1103

    Shay, Sniffer, and Kerb¡ªthe notorious group of three PKers¡ªhad attempted to hurt Grid several times. Interestingly enough, Grid had a subtle liking toward them. Thanks to them, he managed to seize items that were helping in the fight against Pope Drevigo, gain the ultimate assassin Kasim, and receive direct help from them in the war against the empire.


    They were like bluebirds bringing good luck. It was a story of extreme consequences, but the actions of Shay¡¯s party always benefited Grid. There was only one exception. It was the meeting with Marie Rose. Grid, who had fallen into the trap of Shay¡¯s group and entered Marie Rose¡¯s seal, inadvertently unsealed Marie Rose and formed a connection with Marie Rose. Moreover, Grid considered it a ¡®bad connection.¡¯


    A demonkin with absolute power... How much of a viin must she have been for the members of the Reba Church to have risked their lives to seal her? The encounter with her would surely be harmful someday...


    Grid believed so. Now that idea had changed. Not all demonkin were evil. He could be friends with vampires. Not to mention, the Reba Church wasn¡¯t unconditionally just and divine, let alone Goddess Reba. Grid had learned this through various rtionships and events.


    ¡°Sniff sniff.Sniff sniff sniff.¡±


    The nostalgic smell that Marie Rose mentioned was his body odor. Grid was unaware of it as he smelled his armpits.


    ¡®Marie Rose favors me. Does she want to repay my grace for releasing her from the seal?¡¯


    He had met with several of her immediate rtives, including Braham and Noll, and found they were surprisingly pure. They had a cruel aspect since they treated the blood of humans as a staple food, but this was a physiological aspect. It was hard to see their nature itself as evil.


    Additionally, they hated Evil God Yatan and the great demons. Their founder¡ªShizo Beriache¡ªhad been expelled due to them, and all vampires received the Curse of Idleness.


    Grid was convinced. ¡®Contrary to Nefelina¡¯s concerns, there won¡¯t be a situation where I will be hostile to Marie Rose. Rather, it is more likely for her to have a sense of goodwill toward me.¡¯


    This fitted with the probability. The moment the Overgeared Kingdom became hostile to Marie Rose, they would be destroyed within a few days. Marie Rose¡¯s strength wasparable to that of an upper great demon. Undoubtedly, he would rather be her friend.


    Grid returned to the office after a day of cksmithing.


    ¡°The smell of sweat is too bad. Haven¡¯t you washed?¡±


    He was sniffing his armpits when a voice woke him up from his thoughts. Lauel was blocking his nose.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Marie Rose won¡¯t recognize me if I wash off the smell.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... Does Marie Rose really like Your Majesty¡¯s smell?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you wearing Mcus¡¯ Cloak when you met Marie Rose? The reason she woke up was the bloody smelling from the cloak.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is far-fetched to think she would miss Your Majesty¡¯s smell that was obscured by the heavy smell of blood. The smell that she misses isn¡¯t Your Majesty¡¯s body odor but the blood that is ingrained in Mcus¡¯ Cloak.¡±


    It made sense. Then Marie Rose liked Mcus¡¯ Cloak, not him? Grid was panicking when Lauelughed.¡°It¡¯s a joke. Don¡¯t you only wear Mcus¡¯ Cloak when you want to gather mobs at the hunting grounds? The nostalgic smelling from Damian and Zednos is naturally Your Majesty¡¯s body odor."


    ¡°Shit. You scared me. Why did you make such a joke?¡±


    ¡°It was to raise your awareness. Don¡¯t think too positively about Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Her presence is too big. You can¡¯t afford it. Your Majesty shouldn¡¯t be involved with her.¡±


    It was surprising. Grid thought Lauel would be more excited about Marie Rose¡¯s appearance than anyone else.


    ¡°Why are you thinking so negatively? Even Braham and Noll, who were our enemies at first, are now our colleagues. Meanwhile, Marie Rose has had a fondness for me since the beginning. I think it will be easy to get her as a colleague.¡±


    ¡°Braham and Noll werecking.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°They were strong but emotionally anxious. Therefore, they unconsciously looked for someone to rely on. They were affected by Your Majesty¡¯s care and affection. Then what about Marie Rose? Braham¡¯s testimony states that she is perfect.¡±


    Being perfect meant there was nothing to regret. It meant she didn¡¯t have to seek someone¡¯s help or affection.


    ¡°My guess is that what she feels toward Your Majesty is more of a curiosity than affection. Not only did you unseal her but you weren¡¯t fascinated by her. She must be aware of Your Majesty because she considers you a strange human.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The moment she encounters Your Majesty and resolves her curiosity, her goodwill might disappear. Then she will change straight away. She could eat Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s too extreme...¡±


    ¡°It is based on Zednos¡¯ testimony about the violence shemitted against Fenrir. She doesn¡¯t care or respect others. She is a cruel and violent woman.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be obsessed with her beauty. Think objectively. She is different from the other descendants you have met. She isn¡¯t someone you should hope for luck against.¡±


    Luck...


    Grid was very aware of it. He couldn¡¯t deny that he had been able to make friends with Braham and his colleagues due to luck.


    ¡°I know it very well.¡±Grid nodded, rose from his seat, and headed to the bathroom. Then he rubbed his entire body with soap and rinsed it several times until the smell of sweat on his body disappeared. It was an effort to clear up his body odor.


    Lauel¡¯s expression was still dark.¡®Marie Rose¡¯s intention behind going to the forest must be to meet the elves.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think she would be meeting the elves just to y house. Originally, the demonkin¡¯s and elves¡¯ aversion to each other was great, so Marie Rose was likely to sh with the elves.


    ¡®It is frustrating.¡¯


    Lauel recognized the elves as a useful political tool. He wanted to support the elves¡¯ activities since their movements were causing losses to all nations apart from the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. However, Marie Rose would strike at the elves¡¯ movements.


    Lauel earnestly prayed,¡®Let a great demon fall from the sky. Please let there be a big event that attracts Marie Rose¡¯s attention.¡¯


    ***


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    [You are qualified to be a ruler of hell, and you transcend the concept of death.]


    [Your health is fixed at a minimum, and you won¡¯t die. Your race has changed into an undead.]


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Your right arm has been broken!]


    ¡°Damn...!¡±


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Your left ankle is broken!]


    ¡°Dammit!!¡±


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Your neck is broken!]


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [Your skull is shattered!]


    The undead was a race that transcended death and suffering, but it had a deadly weakness. It was theck of durability of the body itself. The immunity to breakage was very poor.


    [Your body ispletely damaged and has stopped functioning.]


    [Your soul has been sent to a new body in Baal¡¯s sanctuary.]


    [Your soul has suffered a devastating blow during the transfer.]


    [You have lost 38.1% experience.]


    [The item ¡®Soul Absorption Cloak¡¯ has been dropped.]


    ¡°Dammit!!¡±


    It was the fourth day already, and he had died every day. He even died twice yesterday and received the penalty of having his game ess limited. It would be the same today. Agnus knew this, but he didn¡¯t give up. He resurrected in a new body and ran out of the incubator, heading toward the portal again.


    ¡°Pathetic. You can¡¯t handle an elf despite gaining so much strength from the great Baal. A human¡¯s weak nature doesn¡¯t go anywhere,¡±someone¡¯s mocking voice rang out.


    Agnus turned his head and saw a big frog with a crown on his head. It was aical appearance. However, the name ¡®Cepardea¡¯ above his head was dyed in ck.


    ¡°I was given a lot of strength? He only gave me necromancy andmands.¡±


    Cepardea was one of Baal¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings. He was one of the strongest existences in hell who could kill Agnus with a single swipe of his tongue. However, Agnus feared nothing in the world and growled at Cepardea.


    Cepardea, who threw up in an exaggerated manner like in a hrious skit, inted his chin.¡°You are ipetent. Originally, those who contracted with Baal gained absolute swordsmanship, magic and wisdom to see through all things. You aren¡¯t able to fully receive them because you aren¡¯tpetent enough.¡±


    ¡°Shut your stinky mouth.¡±


    Agnus didn¡¯t have time to waste dealing with the frog. He had to go back and challenge the dark elf again. It would be hard to find her if she hid her tracks. Agnus ignored Cepardea and reached for the portal. Cepardea¡¯s long tongue flew and stopped in front of Agnus. The end of his rolled tongue contained an old book.


    ¡°Stand in idleness.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The descendants of the exile wille close to you. Once you open the book, they will be forced to go back to their coffins.¡±


    ¡°Descendant of the exile?¡±


    ¡°The vampires. It doesn¡¯t matter if you are trampled on by the elves, but you can¡¯t disgrace Baal and show any gaps in front of the vampires. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Agnus snorted and took the Book of Idleness. He hated the frog, but he had no reason to refuse.


    ***


    A new quest was created for all yers part of the Yatan Church. This was a quest to reseal the vampire duke Marie Rose, who had just woken up. It was an absurd quest with a rating of SSS+, but there was a huge number of five million yers who had joined the Yatan Church. There were no shadows on the faces of the Yatan members who were on the way to the quest destination. No matter how high the difficulty of the quest was, they were convinced they wouldn¡¯t fail as long as they had arge group of this magnitude.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t vampires demonkin? In fact, they are hostile to Reba. Then aren¡¯t we on the same side? Why should we seal her?¡± Rose, the 1st ranked ck magician and Yatan¡¯s Eighth Servant, remarked.


    Having participated every time a great demon was summoned and then made a big profit from it, Rose was now one of the strongest yers in the world. She was confident that she wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone apart from the five best yers, including Overgeared King Grid.


    The person who asked Rose¡¯s question was Yatan¡¯s Fourth Servant Frodo, who was walking beside her. He was the sessor of Silvenas, who died during the Vatican raid, and was much stronger than Silvenas who had been beaten by Agnus. ¡°Vampires are descendants of the exiled Beriache. They are a n that harbors hostility toward the Evil God Yatan. It is absolutely right to punish their leader.¡±


    ¡°However, won¡¯t the Reba Church act even if we don¡¯t? Isn¡¯t it better to encourage the Reba Church to seal her?¡±


    ¡°The current pope isn¡¯t worth a penny despite receiving the support of the temrs. He doesn¡¯t have the power to seal Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Weren¡¯t they beaten by the pope? Then perhaps this was a quest that couldn¡¯t be cleared? Rose noticed it and questioned inwardly, ¡®Does the great change in the world include the destruction of the Yatan Church?¡¯


    She decided that she should break away from the front lines, but unfortunately, it was toote. By then, she was already in front of arge forest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Frodo urged Rose and the Yatan Church yers. Then...


    ¡°It is up to here.¡±


    Knights armed with red armor appeared and blocked the path of the Yatan followers. There wasn¡¯t a single person who didn¡¯t know their identity.


    ¡°The Red Knights?¡±


    Why were the knights of the empire here in the Gauss Kingdom? The Yatan followers were baffled by the sight.


    ¡°You will be considered an enemy as soon as you step into the forest, and you will be executed.¡±


    Apletely unexpected figure emerged. The man at the center of the Red Knights was a yer, and his ID was ¡®Zibal.¡¯ He was one of the top five yers Rose considered to be above her. This was the majesty of the magic machines.


    ¡°Why are you...?¡±


    ¡°My new master is weing a precious guest.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mention that his new master was the grandmaster. From the Reba Church to the Yatan Church, the Four Heavenly Kings of Baal, and the grandmaster,the emergence of Marie Rose had a profound effect on the world.


    Of course, to Grid...


    ¡°Husband, didn¡¯t you spray too much perfume today? It is like you are trying to erase the smell of another woman.¡±


    ¡°Irene, don¡¯t misunderstand. There is a reason for this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I will respect and support you even if you have thousands of concubines.¡±


    ¡°No, I can only do it once a month anyway. What are thousands... Huh? Irene? Where are you going? Irene!!¡±

 Chapter 1104

    Zibal had served Prince Edan¡ªthe traitor who killed former Emperor Juander and then got killed. People naturally thought that Zibal had been driven out of the empire. Yet he was working with the Red Knights...? It was surprising that a traitor was still present in the empire.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you in a position where you would be executed for guilt by association...? It seems that even the great empire appreciates your ability.¡±


    The imperial family hadn¡¯t told the world about the grandmaster. The people only knew that Imperial Prince Edan had rebelled, and the emperor had been reced in the process. It was the same for the Yatan Church. The damn Edan stopped their deal in the middle, so the Yatan Church couldn¡¯t figure out the details. Consequently, the Yatan followers naturally thought the Red Knights in front of them were part of the empire.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the new empress dere that she would aim for world unity? I know there was a promation of no more one-sided military intervention. Yet it seems the empire hasn¡¯t changed since the days when it upied other countries¡¯ territory with force. Rather, it just became more insidious. Is it different for our church? How about using this chance to establish a rtionship with our church?¡±


    Rose still had room to act. Yatan¡¯s followers were gathering here from all over the continent. It was Rose¡¯s judgment that with the ever-increasing troops, she could easily break through the Red Knights andplete her mission.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you curse the emperor or the empire. You have to step back here.¡±A knight pointed her sword at Rose. Her name was Susan. She was a great beauty, but unfortunately, there was a terrible wound on her forehead.


    ¡°Oh...? Isn¡¯t this reaction strange? Is the rumor false that the loyalty of the Red Knights to the emperor and the empire is as deep as the sea?¡±


    ¡°Filthy Yatan¡¯s Servant, do you intend to mix my words forever? Turn away or die.¡±


    ¡°Your tone is as ugly as the scar on your forehead. It is clear you haven¡¯t learned anything.¡±


    ¡°Did you choose death?¡± Susan¡¯s sword stretched out in a straight line.


    Other rankers couldn¡¯t respond to the sword that was as fast as light, but Rose responded fully by opening the Diamond Shield. Rose was a top-rated ranker and had been thoroughly prepared from the moment she saw that Susan¡¯s name was gold. However, Susan¡¯s skills were better than Rose expected.


    ¡®Destroying the Diamond Shield in one strike?¡¯


    Susan¡¯s sword shattered the shield. Rose recovered it and fired it up again at a much faster speed than before. This time, Rose determined it would be hard to block and gritted her teeth in preparation for the pain. Frodo, who was standing by Rose¡¯s side, swung a spear and blocked Susan¡¯s sword.


    ¡°She is a bad opponent for you. Step back and provide cover.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°This filth can¡¯t stop me!¡±Susan swung her sword more vigorously. Her n was to wipe out the Yatan followers in front of her, but it was surprisingly difficult. Frodo had a very high level of creativity. ¡°A Servant?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are a single-digit knight.¡±


    The battle started to expand to the scale of a war. Thousands of Yatan followers, including Rose, cast ck magic to cover Frodo while the Red Knights rushed into the Yatan followers and started wiping them out. There were only 20 against thousands, but the knights were worthy of their high reputation.


    ¡®No, isn¡¯t this more than what I¡¯ve heard?¡¯Rose¡¯s expression darkened. It was because the Red Knights weren¡¯t only masters of swordsmanship but also magic. They easily blocked the ck magic because they were casting protective magic and buff magic extremely quickly.


    ¡®Why do the Red Knights know magic? Furthermore, it is the first time I¡¯ve seen these spells.¡¯


    Rose stepped back a bit further. Her judgment was excellent for someone who reached this position.


    ¡®The average skill difference is too big. I will lose half my troops before reinforcements even arrive.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know the identity of the ¡®master¡¯ of Zibal and the Red Knights. If their master was above the level of the empire¡¯s dukes, then the odds of sess were low for the Yatan followers even if the reinforcements arrived. There was also something she couldn¡¯t overlook.


    ¡®What if their master is Marie Rose?¡¯


    What if they had a cooperative rtionship? The Yatan Church would be destroyed by the Red Knights and Marie Rose. Rose thought up to here and used Fly magic. She was going to flee. The quest? She would give it up for now. Since she was armed with items obtained in exchange for summoning the great demon, death was the worst variable that must be avoided.


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel good. Tsk, I just lost time.¡¯


    Rose¡¯s body rose in the air. She was confident that she could retreat while Frodo and the other followers were focused on the enemies. It was a misjudgment.


    ¡°Keok...!¡±


    What was this? Had a meteorite fallen from the sky? Rose, trapped on the ground, was thrown into confusion by the shock that she couldn¡¯t handle. Her vision shed red as her face was buried deep in the ground.


    ¡®This... What is it?¡¯


    A huge shadow covered her. It was like a mountain.


    ¡°...What...¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what happened to her. Rose was unable to control her chaotic spirit and barely turned her head. Then she saw it. A giant pir had prated her body and the ground at the same time, and a white giant was now pulling it out very slowly.


    ¡°Do you know who I hate the most?¡±Zibal¡¯s voice rang out from behind her.He leaned on the shoulder of the magic machine retrieving the spear and pointed a finger at Rose. ¡°People as selfish as you.¡±


    ¡°Kkuk... Cough...¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many people suffered every time you helped Benoit summon a great demon?¡±


    ¡°It... is sophistry. I¡¯m just doing a quest... Cough, cough. I just did it. The emergence of the great demons are an inevitable story. Cough. If it wasn¡¯t me, then someone else... Cough, cough. You would¡¯ve done the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Right. I would¡¯ve done so. Even so, would someone else be as shameless as you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The time when the Overgeared Kingdom dered they would kill you... I got goosebumps when I saw you appear on TV while crying.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    ¡°A rat should die. You shouldn¡¯t haveined about your pain if you harbored the slightest bit of guilt for the millions of people who died because of you.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? I was just doing a quest. Why should I feel guilty? Moreover, I¡¯m a person. I have the right toin if I¡¯m offended.¡±


    Rose secretly took a potion and started casting magic. She was counting the time in her heart, waiting for the moment when Zibal¡¯s magic machine stopped working. Zibal shook his head. ¡°Your quest caused people to die. Did you take their position into ount at all?¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see. This is really heartbreaking. What¡¯s up with you? The pain of the dead? I have goosebumps. Aren¡¯t you overly immersed in the game? Are you an otaku?¡±


    Rose, who had been making an unfair expression, suddenly smiled. She appreciated Zibal due to the magic machine. Without it, she wasn¡¯t afraid of Zibal. Furthermore, the operating time of Zibal¡¯s magic machine had now been reached.


    ¡°ck Hole!¡±


    This was Rose¡¯s ultimate magic. It was the ultimate ck magic that dealt powerful damage to all targets in range and also dealt five or more debuffs. The entire space designated by Rose started to distort. At the heart of it was Zibal. Rose imagined Zibal screaming in pain...


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The white giant¡ªthe magic machine¡ªswung its spear and knocked the ck hole back. Zibalughed at the shocked Rose.¡°Isn¡¯t your thinking still premature?¡±


    The day that Edan died, Zibal escaped from the imperial pce with the grandmaster and epted the grandmaster¡¯s offer of cooperation. Zibal couldn¡¯t miss out on the biggest performance in this changing world. This was the result. He had developed further with the help of the grandmaster.


    ¡°W-Wait a minute. I¡¯m actually sad. I always feel sorry toward those who have been harmed by me. I just couldn¡¯t speak honestly because I was ashamed!¡±Rose yelled, looking really sad as she wept like a chicken pooping. She seemed to be speaking the truth.


    Nevertheless, it was useless. Raider¡¯s spear pierced Rose¡¯s body once again, and she turned to gray ash. It was the end. Suddenly, a huge explosion urred in the direction of the forest. The explosion was a mixture of fire and demonic energy, and it blew away more than half of the forest.


    Zibal¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡®The conversation didn¡¯t go well?¡¯


    Grandmaster Zikfrector, who identified himself as an incarnation of the seven malignant saints, told Zibal many truths. He said his purpose was to meet the ¡®expelled gods¡¯ and deprive the ¡®fallen gods¡¯ of their authority. This meant he was disliked by both the fallen gods and the great demons. He insisted that he should gather strength to fight against them.


    Then Marie Rose, the vampire duke, woke up. Zikfrector had high hopes for Marie Rose. Since she hated the great demons, if she lent him her strength, it was likely he would achieve his goals. That¡¯s why he followed her whereabouts. However, would Marie Rose, who was fundamentally a demonkin, work with Zikfrector? Zibal had doubts about it, but he still came here.


    Then Susan cried out behind him, ¡°Zibal! Leave this ce to us and go help Master!¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡±


    Why was she sending the weakest one? Zibal clicked his tongue and rushed into the forest as a high difficulty quest emerged.


    ***


    Roaring mes destroyed the forest. There were three people at the center of the shockwave. They were Vampire Duke Marie Rose, Vampire Marquis Fenrir, and Grandmaster Zikfrector. Marie Rose¡¯s red eyes stared at Zikfrector. ¡°You¡¯re very strong. I¡¯m reminded of Chreshler when I look at you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit different from him. My body might be human, but my soul isn¡¯t human.¡±


    ¡°You talk in a roundabout manner. It is a nasty habit.¡±


    ¡°I am the incarnation of the seven malignant saints.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I am the soul of the sixth evil Zik, who was filled with the sin of sloth and reached the end of his reincarnation cycle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I dream of revenge against not only the fallen gods but the great demons who joined them. My long-cherished wish is to pull down the gods who sinned against the seven of us and to tell the truth to the world.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡±Fenrir interrupted. He thought Zikfrector¡¯s words were so ridiculous they were a lie. It was a very normal reaction.


    Zikfrector ignored him and stared only at Marie Rose. ¡°In order to achieve my cherished dream, I must find the whereabouts of the expelled gods. Finally, I found a ce that is closely rted to their whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Then investigate that ce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Still, it isn¡¯t easy on my own. I need a man who could win the favor of the gods and avoid their doubts. Or the cooperation of people with overwhelming power against a great demon.¡±


    ¡°So, thetter is me,¡±Marie Rose said, feeling intrigued. She spoke on the assumption that Zikfrector was telling the truth, ¡°Then does a person who belongs to the former category exist?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Zikfrector shut his mouth as he was about to answer. Marie Rose¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s gazes were already headed toward a different ce.


    A ck portal was opening in the sky. This was a portal with the smell of hell. It was the appearance of a hell gate connecting hell and this world.


    Fenrir reacted furiously. Those who could freely open a hell gate were umon even in hell. Who would be able to do something that a single-digit great demon couldn¡¯t do easily? Only one person came to mind.


    ¡°Baal...!!¡±


    The absolute monarch of hell...


    Both Marie Rose and Zikfrector had hard expressions while Fenrir expressed the name with extreme hatred. They started gathering magic power as they focused their gazes on the hell gate.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    A man with green hair emerged from the gate of hell. It was Agnus. He growled out when he saw Marie Rose, Fenrir, and Zikfrector, ¡°Where did the ck thing go? Tell me before I tear off your limbs and kill you.¡±


    ¡°...Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡± Marie Rose¡¯s eyes sparkled. One of the biggest reasons why she woke up was her annoyance at Baal¡¯s Contractor. ¡°Fenrir, remove that bastard¡¯s heart and erase Baal¡¯s imprint.¡±


    At the same time, in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Great Sage Sticks came to Grid and dered, ¡°Mother is looking for you.¡±


    Grid knew Sticks¡¯ age and was surprised. ¡°Your mother is still alive?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The world tree. He is talking about the world tree,¡± Lauel exined on behalf of the speechless Sticks.

 Chapter 1105

    ¡°...!?¡± Agnus was startled as he faced Fenrir. He sensed Fenrir¡¯s strength andthought it would be dangerous if even a bit of Fenrir¡¯s blood and vital breath wrapped around his body.


    ¡®Vampire?¡¯


    A death knight appeared and confronted Fenrir. Agnus¡¯ death knights were those who dominated their respective eras.They suppressed the high-ranked yers and yed a sufficient role against a number of boss monsters. Yet this death knight was helpless in front of Fenrir.


    Fenrir caught the death knight¡¯s skull and cracked it with just his grip. The sword wielded by the death knight shed at Fenrir¡¯s chest, but Fenrir¡¯s attack pierced the death knight¡¯s ribs one step ahead. The death knight lost its power and did little harm to Fenrir.


    A pir of blood surged andpletely destroyed the death knight¡¯s skull. The death knight resisted Fenrir despite losing its head, but Fenrir wasn¡¯t someone who could be hit by a blindly wielded sword. Fenrir destroyed the death knight easily and leaped at Agnus once again. Then a new death knight appeared and blocked Fenrir¡¯s path.


    ¡°Resistance is meaningless so don¡¯t bother,¡±Fenrir stated.


    Agnus ignored him and looked at the notification window.


    [You have encountered Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]


    [You have encountered Vampire Marquis Fenrir.]


    ....


    ...


    ¡°...¡±


    Agnus now realized the frog¡¯s foresight. He never dreamed that he would meet the descendants of the exile so soon.


    ¡®Damn, why now...¡¯


    Agnus red at Marie Rose like he was going to kill her. ¡°Has the ck thing already been hunted by you?¡±


    The ck thing¡ªthe dark elf Beniyaru¡ªwas very strong. She was close to level 500 and had mastered all types of archery, elementalism, and ck magic. In particr, she showed a much greater attack power than a typical elf. There was a reason why Agnus had lost to her seven times. Yet even she couldn¡¯t handle these people.


    Fenrir alone felt simr to her, and Marie Rose was several times stronger than Fenrir. Additionally, the person called ¡®Zikfrector¡¯ seemed unusual.


    ¡°Answer me. I asked if you have killed the ck thing.¡±Agnus¡¯ eyes were filled with confusion and anger. This was the final piece of the puzzle to revive his lover. He struggled to maintain his sense of reason when he thought it might be gone. His eyes filled with tears. He wanted to smash the entire world to pieces and scream until his throat was torn apart.


    ¡°Why...! Why...! Kuaaaaaah!!!¡± Agnus lost his temper and summoned all his death knights before rushing at Marie Rose. He wasn¡¯t afraid despite knowing there was no chance of sess at all. He wasn¡¯t brave. He just had nothing to lose.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!!¡±


    He didn¡¯t arrange his power. Agnus used all his skills tounch a barrage of attacks at Marie Rose. However, his body didn¡¯t listen to him.


    ¡°...?¡±Agnus suddenly realized that his limbs were bound. Thorns spread through Agnus¡¯ blood like a spiderweb and also bound his death knights.


    ¡°This is the full extent of Baal¡¯s Contractor...? By the way, the current pope is also at this low level.¡±


    Marie Rose, the one who caused the bloody thorns, stared at Agnus with an expressionless face. Would she get revenge on Baal if she tried to hurt such a trivial guy? It felt like Baal wouldn¡¯t blink at all. The question arose, but Marie Rose still nced at Fenrir. ¡°Finish it. This will be a slight blow to Baal.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have a tremendously big desire to destroy the Yatan Church and the great demons, but by doing so, she would at least be loyal to her mother. Marie Rose had no intention of seeking revenge by searching for those who expelled her mother from hell, but she had no reason to resist the opportunity for revenge.


    At Marie Rose¡¯smand, Fenrir shoved his hand into Agnus¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Agnus bent over as he coughed up ck-red blood. As he felt the pain of his flesh being dug into and his intestines and bones being pulled out, he looked back on himself.


    In the past, he had just cried while being unable to help his lover who was being abused by the powerful. He was now unable to resist the violence that was being ruthlessly wielded by the powerful. It was the same. Agnus was terribly helpless. He had vowed to change, but he hadn¡¯t changed.


    ¡°K... Kukuk! Kik! Kikikik!¡± He learned how to resurrect his lover. Now, he only needed to hunt one elf. Agnus regained the madness that he had recently lost.¡°Kahahat! Kek!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡± Fenrir flinched with surprise while pulling out Agnus¡¯ heart. It was because Agnus seemed like he was going crazy as he bit his tongue, seemingly tomit suicide. Simultaneously, Agnus¡¯ body quickly weathered. His blood evaporated, and his skin and flesh rotted and disappeared into dust. It was the same for his heart. Only a bit of flesh and bones remained as his body rattled due to the thorns in his bloodstream.


    ¡°A foolish move!¡±


    Agnus was so determined to protect his heart that he became an undead...? It was amazing that he could make such a judgment in the midst of the pain and fear of his heart being torn out when he was alive. Fenrir couldn¡¯t handle the soaring anger, and his elbow knocked against Agnus¡¯ skull, which only had half its skin remaining.


    ¡°...Kikik.¡±Agnusughed. Lich Mumud floated above his head.


    ¡°Buy me some time,¡±Agnusmanded, and Mumud cast a spell again. What was the use of this lich? Fenrir ignored Mumud, but Marie Rose¡¯s expression was firm.


    The light of Mumud¡¯s magic power exploded. For the first time, Fenrir was significantly wounded and coughed up blood, scattering the thorns in the bloodstream that bound Agnus and the death knights.


    ¡°Amazing magic power.¡± Grandmaster Zikfrector¡¯s admiration permeated the chaos of the forest.


    As Fenrir¡¯s screams echoed, Marie Rose¡¯s gaze was fixed on Mumud.


    ¡°What did you do in your lifetime?¡± Even Marie Rose was amazed by Mumud¡¯s magic power.


    It was said that he was the genius magician who transcended Braham in his life. The one who was already dead¡ªhe was helpless in front of Marie Rose. Marie Rose flicked her finger. A mass of blood flew and blew up Mumud and the death knights. It was the end.


    ¡°Zikfrector!¡± Zibal arrived inside the forest and found Zikfrector standing amidst the fire. He was agitated because he misunderstood that Zikfrector had angered Marie Rose. ¡°Are you oka...?¡±


    Zikfrector was about to reply to Zibal, only to suddenly be like a statue. His always expressionless face was filled with dismay and fatigue. Marie Rose and Fenrir, who was gritting his teeth in shame, showed simr reactions.


    They were all staring at the book in Agnus¡¯ hand. It was a book that described the original sin of a god. The book was written by the culprit who gave Shizo Beriache and Sixth Evil Zik the sin.


    ¡°Sloth...!¡±


    Fenrir and Zikfrector hurriedly reached out, but they were toote. Agnus was already opening the book.


    ¡°Kihahahahat!¡±


    Madness raged through the forest. Marie Rose, Fenrir, and Zikfrector¡ªwho barely turned away from theziness due to his disciplined mentality¡ªcopsed at the same time.


    ¡°Everything is annoying. Sleep... Snore.¡±Fenrir gave up and already started snoring.


    ¡°Baal¡¯s readiness is great...¡± Zikfrector inserted a dagger into each of his thighs to prevent his eyes from closing.


    Marie Rose shook her head and started casting a spell. ¡°I will postpone the story for the next time.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s magic was cast, and she and Fenrir disappeared from the forest. It was a teleportation that was fast enough to vitemon sense. Agnus¡¯ blood-red eyes turned to the leftover Zikfrector.¡°Kik, kikik... I¡¯ll tear off his limbs and kill him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a deration that originally couldn¡¯t be made. The Curse of Idleness was frightening. In the distant past, Zikmitted the sin of neglecting his colleagues because he couldn¡¯t ovee the Curse of Idleness. In the war against the gods, he had fallen asleep alone without helping his dying colleagues.


    Step, step, step. Agnus stepped slowly toward Zikfrector who was falling asleep. The sight of Agnus holding a sword while only bones remained was reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie. In front of him...


    ¡°Stop.¡± The sweat-soaked Zibal blocked his way. Zibal, who had checked on Zikfrector the moment he fell asleep, said to Agnus, ¡°This person shouldn¡¯t die now. I don¡¯t know what mistakes he made against you, but let it pass this once.¡±


    His eyes were full ofpassion as he gazed at Agnus. He already knew about Agnus¡¯ past and the wound that Agnus held.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukuk...¡±Agnus¡¯ expression distorted.The gaze that Zibal sent him¡ªAgnus hated that gaze the most in the world.¡°Go and die.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ sword and Zibal¡¯s sword collided in the air. Agnus was tired, and Zibal had exhausted his magic machine summoning skill. Both were fighting in the serene forest with no witnesses.


    ¡°Agnus! What is the point of this fight? You know that we can¡¯tpete in our current states!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Shit! Calm down, you crazy asshole!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hiiik!¡±


    To be honest, Zibal was scared of Agnus. The deranged person came at Zibal like a zombie, making him shudder with the creeps. He just hoped the Red Knights woulde after cleaning up the situation outside. At this moment...


    ¡°Tornado.¡±


    A powerful storm struck. It wasn¡¯t intended to hurt Agnus or Zibal. The magic only made Agnus and Zibal separate.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Agnus and Zibal¡¯s eyes turned to the source of the magic. A blonde girl could be seen.


    ¡°Stop... Stop it.¡± It was a girl with a sad expression. Her name was Euphemina.


    ¡°You, why do you keep following me?¡±Agnus¡¯ face twisted like a demon as he shouted, only to close his mouth. It was because an arrow was suddenly fired. The arrow pierced Euphemina¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Agnus felt something inside him snap.

 Chapter 1106

    A slow and sluggish tone...


    Lean flesh without muscles...


    Only walking a short amount before needing to gasp...


    A fragile heart that couldn¡¯t even trample on a single ant...


    People hated every aspect of me. Between those who ignored me and those who mocked me for being pathetic, I always felt guilty. I thought I was wrong. I thought my existence was a nuisance.


    Then I met her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    She told me.


    You are cautious, not slow. You aren¡¯t weak. You¡¯re just different from others. The reason you can¡¯t hurt an ant is that you know how to be considerate and respectful.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t guilty. It is the other people around you who are mean.¡±


    She was my lighthouse. She was my only home. I relied on her arms, and she protected me. Even when those beasts humiliated her, she smiled and assured me that she was fine. A hundred times, a thousand times...


    No, she would¡¯ve been a million times more scared and pained, but she...


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t reach again. His arms and legs were too slow, unable to stop her from flying from the window. His dull mouth couldn¡¯t speak, and he couldn¡¯t apologize to her¡ªthe one who was sad. Like his heart, the arrow was already piercing Euphemina¡¯s heart. Her appearance resembled that of his former lover falling from the window.


    ¡°Ahh...!¡±


    He already knew. Reality and the game were different. Death in a game was trivial and different from death in reality. In the first ce, they were different. Even so¡ª


    Even so, why was he...


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡± Agnus¡¯ scream echoed in the burning forest. He recalled the end of his former lover through the copsing Euphemina andpletely lost his mind.


    ¡°Human... I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± It was the person who fired the arrow at Euphemina.The voice of the dark elf Beniyaru, whom Agnus had been searching so desperately for, permeated Agnus¡¯ ears.


    ¡°You...! You!!¡± Agnus¡¯ eyes filled with hatred was drawn to Beniyaru. At this moment, Agnus was ming himself, not someone else. Why did he keep repeating the same mistake? Why did he give her leeway? Even though he knew there shouldn¡¯t be anybody sacrificing for a trash like him, why?


    He was a gue. No one shoulde close to him.


    ¡°Die!¡± Agnus roared like a beast as he flew to Beniyaru. However, Agnus¡¯ current status was less than that of a normal yer because he had reached his limits facing Marie Rose and Zibal in session. Beniyaru escaped from his slow attack and fired an arrow that shattered Agnus¡¯ ribs.


    Stagger. Agnus¡¯ unseemly body bent forward. Beniyaru¡¯s dagger aimed at his face.


    ¡°Agnus!!¡±


    Agnus pulled out the dagger stuck in his forehead and growled at Zibal, ¡°Get lost!¡±


    He wanted to be alone. There was no need for a new rtionship. He just wanted to resurrect his old lover and atone for her life. As his vision shed red, he recalled a skill he had always ignored.


    [Assimtion]


    [Part of the ego of the 1st great demon, Baal will descend to your body.


    At this time, your ss will be converted to Great Demon¡¯ and control of the flesh will be transferred to Baal.


    Skill Trigger Conditions: Enter a new contract.


    Skill Duration: 2 minutes


    Skill Cooldown: Reset every time 3,000 human lives are taken.]


    Agnus had to turn away from it. He felt a great reluctance to give others control of his body. Who in the world would transfer their body to someone else? It was only a very stupid or crazy person. Furthermore, there was a bigger problem. The real problem was the contents of the ¡®contract¡¯ needed to activate the skill.


    (ughter 100 humans every day for the rest of your life. Your level will drop by one every time the contract is vited.)


    Harming 100 humans every day wasn¡¯t an easy task. In particr, the stronger the opponent, the easier it was to harm him. Therefore, he didn¡¯t have time to run and hunt humans every day. Of course, a solution existed. He could ughter the rtively weak. Visit a small vige and destroy it or drop a spell at a hunting ground where novice yers gathered. He would take 100 lives in an instant.


    However, Agnus didn¡¯t have the hobby of bullying the weak. In particr, he was extremely reluctant to harm innocent children. It wasn¡¯t because he was particrly kind, but it was the nature of humans. This was the decisive reason why Agnus turned away from the Assimtion skill.


    Now things had changed. Agnus lost his temper and was no longer bound by his previous conscience. He had lost everything because he was weak. Even thest dignity had been trampled on. He had the right to pay back the same thing to the world.


    Agnus awakened in a negative manner and shouted, ¡°Baal!¡±


    [Assimtion has been used.]


    [Baal, the absolute ruler of hell, isughing cheerfully.]


    -Eung~?Agnus, what is this?I didn¡¯t know you would make this choice?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic!¡±


    -Kukukuk, I¡¯m not being sarcastic.I¡¯m trying topliment you.Very well done.In rare cases, you make the right decision.


    [Part of Baal¡¯s ego has entered your body.]


    Clouds filled the sky. They were red clouds like blood. All the nts in the forest quickly rotted, and the area was ckened. The nasty air not only harmed the hurt and copsed Euphemina but also Zibal and Beniyaru. Every breath of poison they took in caused blood to flow out.


    ¡°What...¡±


    What was happening all of a sudden? The confused gazes of Euphemina and Zibal turned to Agnus. They could see that Agnus¡¯ entire body was covered in demonic energy. The ckened whites of his eyes made his cold, gold pupils stand out even more.


    ¡°Kukuk, kuhahahat!¡± Agnusughed loudly. The piece of Baal¡¯s ego that had descended to Agnus¡¯ body pulled out a horn rising from his forehead and held it like a sword. At the same time, Beniyaru fell. There was a big hole in her chest. The horn that Baal pulled out and held had suddenly pierced her chest.


    ¡°Fallen? Can this be called fallen when you are hiding like a rat in the forest?¡±Baal ridiculed Beniyaru as he narrowed the distance to her. He held Beniyaru¡¯s hair in a vicious grip and whispered in her ear, ¡°Keep this in mind, elf who is as timid as an adolescent boy. The only duty that the fallen mustmit is revenge, destruction, and chaos.¡±


    Bang!


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t have a chance to do that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Beniyaru was beaten by Baal¡¯s fists, and she flinched. Her bloodied and bulging eyes were so horrendous that Zibal couldn¡¯t bear to look. Euphemina, who had been stunned because of the critical hit to her heart, finally shouted, ¡°Agnus, calm down! I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Baal¡¯s gaze turned to Euphemina.¡°You are her.¡± Step. Step.Baal smiled as he approached Euphemina. It was a really refreshing smile, but his fingertips were turning into daggers. ¡°The one who often showed ridiculous goodwill to my toy.¡±


    ¡°Agnus...?¡±


    The dagger was inserted into Euphemina¡¯s delicate neck. Her blue eyes lost their light, and her small body copsed like a broken doll in Baal¡¯s arms.


    ¡°My head is ringing. Stop shouting. Now, now. Calm down. I¡¯m going to make your dreame true from now on,¡±Baal said to himself as he threw away Euphemina who was beginning to turn to gray. Then he inserted the dagger drenched with Euphemina¡¯s blood into Beniyaru, who was still lying against a huge tree.


    Suddenly, a ck-gold hand covered his face. The dagger struck the hand, but there were still three more hands remaining. Every one of them unleashed a sword technique. Link, Kill, Pinnacle¡ªit was a familiar swordsmanship to Baal¡¯s. It was from his previous contractor.


    ¡°Kuhahat! This is fun!¡±Baal noticed who appeared and was excited. He turned his head to the sky as he blocked the three sword techniques from the God Hands with a dagger. Lightning was falling.


    ¡°Agnus!!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant!¡±


    The Enlightenment Sword and Baal¡¯s dagger collided and caused a shockwave. Grid¡¯s eyes that peeked through the gaps in his hair were full of anger and hatred.¡°Son of a bitch! What did you...! What did you do to Euphemina?¡±


    The reason that Grid flew here was due to the world tree¡¯s request. He was asked to save Beniyaru. The first sight that Grid saw after arriving here was Euphemina¡¯s death. His colleague faced a lonely death while he was caring about others.


    ¡°XX!¡± Grid swung the Enlightenment Sword again. He was a transcendent¡ªa yer. Grid judged that Agnus, who was rtively weak in melee, could easily be overpowered. Agnus easily blocked Grid¡¯s attacks with a small dagger. The ck mes and red lightning that exploded were easily extinguished by the demon energy.


    ¡®So strong?¡¯


    Time was fair to everyone. As he grew and developed, other people would also grow and develop. Grid was naturally aware of this. Still, wasn¡¯t there something called a gap? Grid wasn¡¯t convinced this was due to Agnus¡¯ growth, considering he had yet to even summon his death knights and lich.


    ¡°ckening!¡±


    Did he get a special skill like Bentao¡¯s Mockery? Grid thought as he gathered his demonic energy. Although he was filled with great anger, he was surprisingly sober. He decided to rescue the seriously injured Beniyaru and end the fight there.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The demonic energy created by ckening was destroyed like it was a lie. ckening stopped, and the skill effect didn¡¯t ur. Baal grinned at the baffled Grid. ¡°It is stupid to rely on demonic energy in front of me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Hahat! You haven¡¯t even noticed? Unlike Pagma, you have a stupid side.¡±


    What was this nonsense? The frowning Grid, who didn¡¯t understand Agnus¡¯ ridiculous babble, btedly realized something. With white skin and long fangs as well as eyes which had ckened whites, Agnus¡¯ appearance was different from usual. It was reminiscent of Grid in his ckening state...


    [Fighting energy has reached the maximum!]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    His fighting energy was already full...? This was the fastest speed ever.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Grid got goosebumps. The feeling of cold sweat flowing down his back was unpleasant.


    Baal replied to the trembling Grid¡¯s question, ¡°I sit on the throne of hell."


    ¡°It is fun to watch the pretensions of the gods and the humans."


    ¡°Ah~ I¡¯m a very free person.¡±


    This would be enough for an exnation. What would Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯s look like when he learned Baal¡¯s identity?


    ¡°Kukuk...?¡± Baal was expecting to see despair fill Grid¡¯s face, but he ended up stiffening. There was no change in Grid¡¯s expression. He didn¡¯t look too surprised in the first ce.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t afraid of me...?¡¯


    Grid urged Baal, who was in a state of difort for an unknown reason, ¡°So who are you?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Baal was someone huge. He was like the final boss who protagonists always dreamed about fighting. Baal had met many heroes and saw something inmon among all the heroes he had seen. They were wise, regardless of their ability. The heroes of Baal¡¯s time were as intelligent as him. It was possible to exchange 10 meanings with a single conversation, so sometimes there was even a rapport.


    ¡®Yet why this person...?¡¯


    Baffled by the unexpected reaction, Baal was stiff for a moment before shouting,¡°You are truly Pagma¡¯s Descendant! More intelligent and despicable than any hero I¡¯ve ever seen. It is exactly like Pagma.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You immediately noticed that I have no time and decided to waste time... Huhu, it is a bit disappointing. I will have to postpone seeing your skills until the next time.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What did this person keep saying? It happened when Grid was cocking his head with confusion. Baal moved at a speed that was hard to catch even with Grid¡¯s transcendent senses and reached Beniyaru¡¯s side in an instant.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I still have time to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±Grid hurriedly rushed through a sword dance.The four fusion sword dance waspleted in an instant, threatening Baal.


    However, Baal was already reaping Beniyaru¡¯s breath. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll see you again next time.¡±


    The moment that Grid¡¯s sword was inserted into Baal¡¯s torso...


    [The duration of Assimtion is over.]


    Baal¡¯s ego returned to hell, and Agnus regained control of his physical body. Death was in front of him. Agnus, who reflexively attempted to use Bentao¡¯s Mockery, quickly stopped and gathered Beniyaru¡¯s body into his corpse inventory. Then Agnus turned to ash.


    ¡°I was told Beniyaru had to die anyway. So what was the point of the rescue attempt...? Huh?¡±Grid remained in the rotten forest and suddenly closed his mouth. He btedly found Zibal.


    Zibal was admiring him in many ways. ¡°You are truly great.¡±


    ¡°What? No, wait.¡± Grid was surprised. ¡°The grandmaster? Why is he here?¡±


    Was he a sleeping prince in the woods? Why was he sleeping here? Grid clicked his tongue and tried to reach for Zikfrector, but he was blocked by Zibal.


    ¡°It is no use trying to wake him up because it doesn¡¯t work. Shouldn¡¯t your priority be avoiding him? The Neo Red Knights will being soon, and it will be hard for you to deal with them alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will call Piaro.¡±


    ¡°That unlucky person... In any case, the grandmaster wille to visit you when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Are you acting with the grandmaster?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°It is a good side to stand on.¡±Grid grinned. The Red Knights finished up and wereing. Since they were exhausted, the battle against the Yatan Church must¡¯ve been hard. ¡°Since you said so, I will step back today. I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Grid pulled out a return scroll and ripped it without hesitation. Before meeting the world tree again, he wanted to look at Euphemina¡¯s status.


    As Grid disappeared, Zibal shook his head. ¡°What a scary guy...¡±


    It might not be the main body, but he was amazed that Grid could be so calm despite meeting 1st Great Demon Baal.

 Chapter 1107

    In the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Lauel¡¯s eyes widened as Grid informed him about what happened in the forest.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Baal? No, there is no doubt that it is Baal?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible.¡± Grid denied Lauel¡¯s spection. ¡°Baal is almost like a final boss. The timing is too early for him to appear and there was no strength.¡±


    The basis for Grid¡¯s thoughts wasn¡¯t poor. The great demons Belial and Berith boasted a fearsome strength. Putting aside other yers, even Grid had seen the ease at which they caused despair. If the identity of the great demon he encountered in the forest was Baal, the absolute monarch of hell, Grid would experience a sense of fear that would be hard to endure.


    However, Grid hadn¡¯t been afraid.


    ¡°It makes no sense for a final boss to appear in the body of one user. It is too unbnced if a specific yer can borrow the power of a final boss. The S.A Group shouts about bnce all the time and wouldn¡¯t allow such a situation.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you allowed to borrow Braham¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Braham isn¡¯t a final boss.¡±


    ¡°I think that for an average person, Braham or Baal are just as fraudulent.¡±


    ¡°In any case, it is different. That must not be Baal,¡± Grid reiterated, ¡°He was even less powerful than the grandmaster.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t talking casually. The demonic energy that was emitted from Agnus¡¯ possessed body was lower than Great Demon Berith. No, it wasn¡¯t much better than Belial. If the grandmaster hadn¡¯t been asleep then it would¡¯ve likely been forced on the defensive by the grandmaster. It was too weak to be 1st Great Demon Baal, even if Baal was subjected to a number of penalties by possessing a yer¡¯s body.


    Of course, the fact that Grid¡¯s fighting energy filled up so quickly, the great demon freely using shunpo, and the great demon destroying Grid¡¯s demonic energy meant it was likely to be a higher ranked great demon. However, this didn¡¯t mean it was Baal.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he say he was the master of hell¡¯s throne?¡±


    ¡°Is there only one throne in hell? Hell has 33 territories and 33 great demons that each rule a territory. There are naturally 33 thrones.¡±


    ¡°Agnus is Baal¡¯s Contractor.¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to assume that Agnus is involved with Baal just because he is Baal¡¯s Contractor. I¡¯m not contracted with Belial or Berith but I can use their power. It isn¡¯t strange if Agnus can borrow the power of other great demons through some method, such as runes.¡±


    ¡°Still, didn¡¯t the great demon know Pagma very well? Shouldn¡¯t Baal know Pagma the best among the great demons since Pagma was the previous Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡±


    Pagma¡ªthis was the core point. The demon who descended into Agnus¡¯ body had a high understanding of Pagma andpared Grd to Pagma. That¡¯s why Lauel saw that Baal was the identity of the great demon.


    However, this was also denied by Grid. ¡°Pagma was someone who single-handedly prevented the hell army¡¯s invasion of the Behen Archipgo. There would be more than one great demon who fought against Pagma. Most of the great demons who participated in the war, not just Baal, would know about Pagma.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... indeed." Lauel conceded. Grid was the Hero King who purified the Behen Archipgo and he went directly to Asgard to meet the gods. His understanding of the great demons and gods transcended Lauel¡¯s knowledge. Lauel¡¯s guess was less likely to be correct than Grid¡¯s guess. ¡°Then who do you think descended into Agnus¡¯ body?¡±


    ¡°Is it Amoract?¡±


    ¡°You mean Yatan¡¯s First Servant that Braham talked about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is the one most likely and willing to intervene.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, he seemed to be hard-working if he is running the Yatan Church behind the scenes...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is a bit unreasonable to say he is a very free person who has fun watching the pretensions of the gods and humans every day...¡±


    ¡°Then it must be someone else. In the first ce, what is the importance of his identity?¡±


    After all, it was a great demon who could only be expressed through the medium of items or skills. The power of the great demon attached to the rune wasn¡¯t a match to the power of the living great demons and the assimtion with Braham had obvious limitations. The same was true of the great demon who borrowed Agnus¡¯ body. He could just think of it as part of Agnus¡¯ power. Did he need to waste time being stuck on this issue?


    Grid didn¡¯t want to discuss it any longer. Just thinking about Agnus was disgusting.


    ¡°There is a separate problem to worry about right now.¡±


    Grid shared the quest information. It was the quest from the world tree.


    [Early Death]


    [Difficulty Level: SS


    The world tree wants the death of the dark elf, Beniyaru.


    Help the world tree by killing Beniyaru.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Beniyaru¡¯s death.


    Quest Reward: Slight increase in affinity with the world tree. The linked quest ¡®Search¡¯ will ur.


    Quest Failure Penalty: None.


    *This is a quest that has already been cleared.]


    ¡°...??¡±


    Lauel was also perplexed. The world tree had existed since the beginning and embraced all things like a mother. The sentence that he or she wanted to kill an elf was strange.


    Grid exined, ¡°The world tree has determined that Beniyaru is the cause of the darkness outside.¡±


    The elves were pure but more stubborn than necessary. Their self-determination meant it wasn¡¯t easy for them to be corrupted. If Grid hadn¡¯t rescued the elves...


    The world tree imed that in the situation where Grid rescued the elves from Kir, Beniyaru had willingly assimted with the darkness.


    ¡°Look at the next quest.¡±


    Early Death was a quest that ended the moment that Beniyaru died. Grid brought up the information of the new linked quest.


    [Search]


    [Difficulty: S


    The world tree determined that the Beniyaru active in the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s forest is a fake. The world tree suspects that the ancient species ¡®rafflesia¡¯ is responsible for this. The rafflesia have been a major threat to the forest visitors and tribes since ancient times since they nourished the darkness in the heart.


    Please search for the location of the rafflesia, who hold Beniyaru¡¯s main body.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Find the rafflesia.


    Quest Reward: Slight increase in affinity with the world tree. The maximum affinity with Beniyaru.


    Quest Failure Penalty: None. Beniyaru¡¯s death.]


    ¡°Ah... the world tree is aware that Beniyaru is nothing more than a fake clone. It has unique insight from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, don¡¯t the ancient species only inhabit the forest of the world tree? That¡¯s why it is exceptionally knowledgeable about the ancient species. In any case, is there anyone with good searching skills among Overgeared Two or the Overgeared Shadows? You know that I don¡¯t have search-rted skills, so I want to be supported by explorers or assassins.¡±


    It was just a quest to find the rafflesia, not fight them. In fact, it was easy for a quest with an S-grade difficulty. Grid had no reason to refuse when it was an opportunity to rescue Beniyaru without taking a great risk. Why did he want to rescue Beniyaru?


    One of the strongest of the ¡®12 Te¡¯, Grid calcted that it was important to build a favorable rtionship with her and enter into a contract with her. He had also fought together with Beniyaru and shared her grief and anger. Grid¡¯s desire to help her blossomed like a spring flower.


    Lauel clearly knew this and smiled, ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to search the forest of the world tree. Unfortunately, the Overgeared Guild iscking a talent that specializes in searching.¡±


    ¡°Shit. Is that right? It is no wonder why no one came to mind.¡±


    ¡°There is only one outsider who is just right for this job.¡±


    ¡°Outsider?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lauel¡¯s finger pointed at Grid¡¯s chest, ¡°A man who is fascinated by Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is the first ranked explorer, Skunk. He will help Your Majesty.¡±


    ***


    ¡®He has acted terribly since obtaining Kyle.¡¯


    Sighing had be a habit. Resh, the knight who served 2nd Imperial Prince Dndal, felt like he was walking on thin ice every day. Dndal had failed to give up on his ambition for the throne and conducted secret negotiations.


    ¡°I will liberate the forests of your nation.¡±


    Dndal sent letters to many kingdoms. It was a letter stating that with the power and authority of an imperial prince, he would reim the forests stolen by the elves. Then they would have to work closely with him in the future. Ity the groundwork for a supply of armed forces to take away the throne.


    It was a very obvious proposal but surprisingly, many royals agreed. No, all the royal families who received Dndal¡¯s offer epted it and asked for salvation. They wanted to reim the forests as soon as possible and were very dissatisfied with the current power situation.


    They were forced to feel increasing dissatisfaction and anxiety because they were being destroyed while the empire and Overgeared Kingdom were sucking up honey. They hated the empire that only favored the Overgeared Kingdom. They hated the empire that released the different species in the name of unity while neglecting them. There was even a suspicion that the empire was using the excuse of unity in order to destroy them.


    Then Dndal made his proposal. He was just as disgruntled with the new empire and had the power to save them.


    ¡®The position of the other kingdoms makes sense. However, Dndal¡¯s greed is too much.¡¯


    Dndal still had many supporters. No, it was more than ever before. The corrupt nobles threatened by Basara willingness to intervene in politics and the economy, unlike the former emperor, gathered around Prince Dndal. Furthermore, Kyle¡¯s recent return from the Ruins of the War God meant Dndal¡¯s force was no longer inferior to the dukes. If he had the power of the other kingdoms then he would be a force that the empress could no longer ignore. The empire might undergo a huge conflict.


    ¡®There is no way Empress Basara doesn¡¯t know about this...¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been ideal if Basara stepped in and cut off the buds. Yet strangely, Basara neglected Dndal. It was rumored that this was the will of the former emperor, who asked her to take care of his children. Still, what was the point if she was killed while trying to protect the will of the deceased?


    ¡®No, from the empress¡¯ point of view, Dndal must be an eyesore. Maybe she is deliberately leaving Dndal alone to obtain the justification to break the will.¡¯


    It was time to decide. Should he remain with Dndal, who would surely be a traitor, and suffer all types of dangers and damages? Or should he think of the benefits if Dndal¡¯s rebellion seeded and take the risk?


    ¡®Shit, the penalty I will receive when breaking the oath of loyalty is so big. Am I forced to stay?¡¯


    A knight¡¯s loyalty was an obligation. Knights who broke their vows would suffer a great loss. It was why yer knights might be abandoned by their masters but they couldn¡¯t easily betray their masters. Resh was struggling with a heavy heart when a notification window rose in his vision.


    [Your master Dndal has given a newmand to all knights.]


    [A quest will ur.]


    [Reim the Forests]


    [Difficulty: S


    I can¡¯t help butment the illegal upation of the forests by the dirty different species.


    Now is the time to fight for human peace, rights, and dignity.


    We will work with the innocent victims to liberate forests across the continent.


    Quest Clear Condition: Liberate three forests.


    Quest Clear Reward: A medal of military merit. The linked quest ¡®Reim the Forests II¡¯ will ur.


    Quest Failure: Durandal¡¯s confidence in you will drop.]


    ¡°Kuoong...¡±


    He should wait and observe a bit more. Under the guidance of a senior knight, Resh left the empire with a heavy heart.

 Chapter 1108

    ¡°Ah, it is really dirty.¡±


    Was it because the weather was too hot? Grid quickly stopped this line of thought. The Comet Group¡¯s diamond capsule, which was favored by Grid, helped maintain the ideal body temperature. South Korea might be experiencing a heat wave of 36 degrees Celsius but Grid¡¯s temperature was perfect as he connected to Satisfy and his difort index was zero.


    Still, Grid continued to be annoyed and felt unpleasant. Swear words kepting out from his mouth involuntarily. He had been in this state since he went to the Gauss Kingdom. He felt like there was a constant ringing in his ears. Why? What was this? Grid thought about it and realized the cause of his anger was Euphemina.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t concentrate. Grid, who had wanted to make an item while waiting for Skunk, finally left the smithy. Then he sent a whisper to Euphemina.


    -Hey.


    Two hours ago¡ªit had been before he met Lauel.


    Grid returned to Reinhardt and contacted Euphemina first. It was to check if she was okay. Grid had asked anxiously several times and Euphemina had smiled and replied that she was fine.


    -Are you still worried?I¡¯m really fine.


    As usual, Euphemina responded with a voice that was as bright as possible.


    -I didn¡¯t drop any items and the experience can be recovered quickly.Compared to you, I¡¯m still at a low level so the experience is good...


    -I heard earlier that you are fine.


    Grid interrupted Euphemina. His voice was slightly shaking. It was a shaking that came from anger.


    -I can¡¯t stand it so I have a small bone to pick.


    -...?


    -You, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to be stronger to help me?


    -...


    -Was that a lie?In fact, you just needed time to chase Agnus andy down your life for him, rather than bing stronger.


    -Grid.


    Euphemina was very surprised. Grid always cared about his colleagues. He unconditionally respected and understood his colleagues¡¯ choices and actions, yet he suddenly became sarcastic and annoyed.


    -Is Agnus so good?Are you fascinated by him?


    -It isn¡¯t like that.I just...


    -You can only use the excuse of pity once or twice!


    -...


    -Is he your pet dog that can¡¯t live without you?Is it normal to remove your galldder for a stranger out ofpassion?You¡¯ve already helped him many times!That jerk helped Irene and Lord so I tried to understand him many times and repaid him!Yet what is the result?That son of a bitch killed you!You died!


    -It wasn¡¯t Agnus who killed me but the different being who possessed him...


    -Shut up!Why do you always try to understand him when you are betrayed every time?Are you his family?His lover?Or do you want to be his lover?


    -...


    -...!


    The angrily shouting Grid was stunned and shut his mouth. His colleagues, friends, and family. He always felt gratitude and affection for those who led him to who he was today. One of them was Euphemina. Without her, he wouldn¡¯t have obtained the water n or gained so many victories in the process of founding the Overgeared Kingdom. He had subconsciously appreciated and cared for Euphemina.


    Then why was he acting so angry and bitter toward her? Was he crazy?


    ...No, he wasn¡¯t crazy. This was a very lowly feeling. It was jealousy. He didn¡¯t like that his colleague was caring about others more than him. It was enough to overshadow his gratitude andmitment.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Grid was filled with self-loathing when Euphemina¡¯s voice was heard in his ears.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    -No, no.I¡¯m the one who is sorry.


    -No, it¡¯s my fault.I couldn¡¯t fathom your heart.I was obsessed with Agnus because he was poor and pitiful, not because I didn¡¯t care about you.I was aware that Agnus is your enemy and has damaged you on several asions, yet you care so deeply that I thought you would understand my selfishness.


    -...


    -How many times have you been disappointed and angry with my selfishness?I¡¯m sorry.You can be angry.No, you have to be angry.Really...I¡¯m really sorry.


    Euphemina¡¯s voice trembled. It was a tremor that came from sorrow, not anger. She was really apologetic to Grid. He had silently indulged her behavior over the past several years and tried to understand her. It wasn¡¯t because he was strong. It was because he had a wide heart. She believed he would understand her forever.


    ¡®How angry must he have been every time he saw my selfishness...¡¯


    Euphemina¡¯s heart shook. She had been unaware of how harsh and selfish she had been to Grid. Now she realized how much patience Grid had endured and how much he sacrificed.


    -I¡¯m sorry...In addition, thank you.


    -...


    -Thank you for sacrificing your feelings, hiding your wounds, and always smiling at me instead of showing anger.


    Expressing honest emotions wasn¡¯t something that anyone could do. Euphemina was happy after knowing this fact.


    -Now I think that I am recognized as your friend.


    -...You know that I¡¯ve always thought of you as a friend.However, thank you for telling me this.


    -Kukuk...Do you know?


    -What?


    -When I talk to you, my heart is warm.I¡¯m happy because you¡¯re so supportive and warm.


    -I don¡¯t think so.I just be angry or confused every time I encounter something I don¡¯t like.


    -Okay.Please carry a whip around.I¡¯ll stick out my butt at any time.


    -What the hell?Who do you think is a barbarian?


    It felt like his old age was peeling off. Without his knowledge, the sadness deep in his heart was washed away and his heart and mind became refreshed. Sometimes he needed to be honest...


    If he cherished the other person, took care of them unconditionally and only said good words, it would make him tired. A refreshing smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he learnt a new fact. At this moment...


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    Grid was stunned. Once his displeasure and stuffy mind were released, he realized that he had overlooked something. He whispered to Lauel.


    -Lauel!!


    -...Kukuku, I answer in the name of the demon king.Red blood flows through my eardrums to my throat...


    -Agnus has taken the body of the dark elf.


    -...Hmm.Agnus¡¯ purpose must¡¯ve been the dark elf from the beginning.


    -Yes. What do you think is the reason?


    -The reason is obvious.


    It was revealed during the Stone of Life incident. There was only one purpose behind Agnus¡¯ actions. It was the resurrection of his old lover. In other words...


    -He is trying to use the body of the dark elf as a ¡®crafting material¡¯ to make a doll resembling his old lover.


    -Damn...!


    The dark elf taken by Agnus wasn¡¯t real. It was just a fake. It couldn¡¯t produce the result that Agnus wanted. A different being would definitely be born. What if the resurrected lover was a monster he hadn¡¯t expected?


    ¡®He will go berserk.¡¯


    Grid had seen Agnus¡¯ madness over and over. Agnus was often rational enough to make people wonder if it was real or acting, but in any case, he wasn¡¯t normal. If the berserk Agnus recalled that Grid and Euphemina were at the scene when Agnus acquired the ¡®fake dark elf¡¯, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for him to fire the meaningless arrows of resentment at the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Grid felt it was urgent.


    -Lauel, I think you have to figure out the exact identity of the great demon who possessed Agnus.


    -Wasn¡¯t it Amoract?


    -I just mentioned a name I knew.Don¡¯t you know?


    -Yes, I noticed that you found it annoying and unpleasant to talk about Agnus so you didn¡¯t think much.


    -Am I too pathetic?


    -No.You sometimes get agitated when talking about people you don¡¯t like.It is like the cat next door that often loses its temper.


    -Cat next door...?


    -Every time hees out for a walk, he always poops in my garden.Initially, the smell varied but it was so plentiful and the smell so severe that I was stressed out.Despite spraying a bottle of perfume, it was useless.


    -I-I see.


    -Ah, the great demon who possessed Agnus is indeed Baal.


    -Eh?


    -I went to talk to Sticks because Your Majesty seemed to be in a bad condition.Sticks is convinced that the great demon¡¯s identity is Baal.


    -Convinced?


    -Yes, it isn¡¯t spection based on circumstantial evidence but a conviction based on clear evidence.In Genesis, Baal is the only one among the great demons who can proim himself as the ruler of hell.


    -...Amazing.Baal had no force...


    -The next time you meet, Baal might be different.The Baal that descended into the human body was nothing more than a piece of his ego.


    -A piece of his ego?


    -Yes, the Baal who descended into Agnus didn¡¯t have his strength limited. He was just a small section of Baal.Depending on the next part of Baal that descends, his tone and personality mightpletely change.


    -...


    -In any case, Agnus has a terrifying power.Maybe we¡¯ll have to help him make the right doll.


    Lauel had already reached the conclusion that he had to stop Agnus from running wild. He reassured Grid.


    -I¡¯ll take care of it so you don¡¯t have to worry.Your Majesty should focus on Your Majesty. The promised meeting time is approaching.


    Grid nodded as he saw a familiar face in the distance.


    -Thank you, Lauel.


    ***


    Everyone knew the ck Knights and the Red Knights were the strongest knight divisions of the empire. However, not everything was revealed to the world. Out of the hundreds of knights that existed in the empire, 99% might be arranged in the line of the ck Knights but there were rare exceptions. One exception was Dndal¡¯s ck Knights.


    They were the best knights division raised with a tremendous amount of money and effort. It was an organization that Dndal, who liked to brag, called the ¡®royal guards.¡¯ Among them, the high ranker Resh was just the rank and file.


    ¡®...It is easy to get a medal.¡¯


    Resh and the ck Knights had already explored seven forests. He gained a medal every time he cleared the ¡®Reim the Forests¡¯ quest and he was already on the third linked one. This meant the process of reiming the forests was extremely easy. Only approximately 10 elves and hundreds of beasts guarded each forest, so they weren¡¯t the opponents of the ck Knights.


    ¡°...¡±


    Resh tracked down the elves with his senior knights and sighed deeply as they turned to ash. He wasn¡¯t happy at all that he gained two medals which increased all stats by +2. He couldn¡¯t be happy. The elves had believed in the empire¡¯s deration of liberation and entered the forests of various kingdoms.


    After hundreds of years of suffering due to humans and finally being able to defend the rights of nature, they were ughtered by the imperial knights without knowing why. For them, they were betrayed again. Resh was pained since he knew the history of the elves through his many quests. He felt like a terrible viin and that his hands were dirty with filth.


    ¡°It is a holy war for humanity.¡±


    A senior knight saw Resh¡¯s dark face and patted him on the shoulder, yet Resh didn¡¯t feel anyfort. This massacre wasn¡¯t a holy war. He knew it was a tragedy just to satisfy Dndal¡¯s ambition.


    ¡®Of course, the actions of the elves when taking over the forests were wrong. Still, can¡¯t there be a conversation?¡¯


    If they wanted to know why the elves upied the forests. If they wanted to know how to liberate the forests, ask the elves for a conversation. The elves weren¡¯t idiots and their actions obviously contained this meaning. However, the kingdoms that had been deprived of their forests didn¡¯t attempt tomunicate with the elves. Wasn¡¯t it enough that they were deprived of their forests by a different species? Now they had to have a conversation to reim it? They thought it was shameful.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Resh was gulping water in this self-destructive mood when he doubted his ears.


    One of the Five Pirs, Kyle. He was dubbed as the ¡®lightning god¡¯ by Dndal because he kept emitting lightning after visiting the Ruins of the War God. ¡°This war of attrition won¡¯t end. In any case, the elves are scattered throughout the continent. It is better to take over the forest of the world tree, which will currently be empty.¡±


    ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯


    The senior knight protested on behalf of Resh, who was so shocked that he forgot to swallow the water. ¡°Sir Kyle, the forest of the world tree is the sanctuary of the world tree. Entering there with weapons can be considered an act of sphemy... Keok.¡±


    The senior knight that Resh had longed to be like. He was a very loyal knight despite his frustration. That¡¯s why Resh had been drawn to him and thought of him as an ideal. He died of a slit throat.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Just like that? In Resh¡¯s dazed field of view, he saw Kyle holding the senior knight¡¯s head. Kyle¡¯s current appearance¡ªwhere lightning, instead of red blood, flowed through the blood vessels of his eyes¡ªmade him look inhuman. To put it nicely, it was like a celestial god had descended. To put it badly, it was like the devil had climbed up from hell.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a heretic among the prince¡¯s knights.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The only gods recognized by the empire are the gods of Asgard, such as Goddess of Light Reba and War God Zeratul. The world tree? What type of heretic sanctifies a tree?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Prince Dndal has given me the authority to lead you. Don¡¯t say anything and just follow me. Let¡¯s go. I know the location of the world tree.¡±


    At this moment, Resh was convinced. This couldn¡¯t be allowed. If Dndal rose to the throne, no one could handle the tyranny of his right arm, Kyle.


    ¡®I have to film this to make sure that no yer supports Dndal...¡¯


    Resh¡¯s vision was blurry with tears as he started to record the video.

 Chapter 1109

    Tak...Tak tak tak.


    His hands were trembling because of excitement. It was hard to press the capsule operation button, which he had been pressing every day for years.


    Ttalkak.


    After a minute of wandering, his fingers settled down. The lid of the capsule opened with a mechanical sound reminiscent of the sound effects in sci-fi movies. This was his haven, the unique space where he could be freed from the reality that was worse than hell.


    ¡°Luna...¡±


    Agnus staggered as he sat in the capsule.


    ¡®Soon... It ising soon...¡¯


    Agnus had been forced to stay logged out after the two consecutive deaths from the day before. He couldn¡¯t sleep all night due to intense exhration and emotions. His reunion with his lover...


    His only heart¡¯s desire would soon be fulfilled.


    ¡®..In this world, I will see you.¡¯


    Along with the hollow promise, Agnus¡¯ consciousness was transmitted to Satisfy. Waiting for him to wake up in the depths of hell was...


    -Are you finally starting?


    It was Baal leaning against the throne. His face was obscured by a dark shadow, and Agnus couldn¡¯t see it. Even so, he seemed to know. This person was smiling. He wasughing at Agnus. Baal was present, ready to ridicule and taunt Agnus. Despite knowing this...


    ¡°Deceased Creation.¡±Agnus used a skill.


    It was an ultimate skill, like Grid¡¯s item creation and Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship creation. Agnus went through the process of several system inquiries. Finally...


    ¡°I... Luna Caroline...¡±


    Strength entered Agnus¡¯ dry hands that were holding the portrait of his lover. His vision was blurry, and he was unable to speak. The answer the system required wasn¡¯t ¡®resurrection¡¯ but ¡®creation.¡¯


    Yes, the system kept informing him, ¡®You aren¡¯t resurrecting your old lover. You are just creating a body that borrows the image of your former lover. They arepletely different.There will be no memories in the body. Her body and mind will be cold.It will be rotten filth¡ªnot hot blood¡ªthat flows through the body. It will be hatred¡ªnot affection for you¡ªthat circtes through the heart.¡¯


    ¡®Keep this in mind.The two are different.¡¯


    The warning struck Agnus¡¯ heart.


    ¡°I... Luna Caroline......I will make her,¡±Agnus struggled before linking the words.


    At his words, a miracle urred. On the altar, the Stone of Life, the body of the dark elves, and the blood and bones he had collected were swirling together. A ck light exploded. Death was born.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±Agnus¡¯ mind went nk for a moment. His rationality changed. He only hugged the dead body that looked like the lover from his memories.


    ¡°Luna...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [There was a degraded item among the materials used for the creation of the dead.]


    [The deceased you created will be rated lower than the usual standard.]


    [The deceased you created, ¡®Luna Caroline¡¯, has a rare rating.]


    [The low rating has resulted in ¡®Luna Caroline¡¯ having poor intelligence.]


    [The low rating has resulted in ¡®Luna Caroline¡¯ having a body that is easily damaged.]


    All types of notification windows popped up. They all had unpleasant contents. Still, Agnus didn¡¯t care.


    ¡®His Luna¡¯ was the most precious thing in the world.


    How could her worth be discussed?


    -Humans really run away easily.


    Baalughed bleakly on the throne.


    ***


    Creepy and bizarre tentacles soared from the ground. The autumn leaves fell out of season and exploded. The flowers emitted a terrible stench that numbed many senses.


    ¡°Disperse if you don¡¯t want to be dragged by the tentacles! Spread out!¡±


    ¡°However, we have to stick together if we want to block the arrows!¡±


    The Sword Knights invaded the forest of the world tree at Lightning God Kyle¡¯smand. They suffered a crisis from the beginning of the forest. Hundreds of hiding elves didn¡¯t stop shooting arrows, so they had to wield their shields and swords without a break.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Resh, who was only the rank and file, was already seriously injured. The distinction of ¡®high ranker¡¯ wasmon among yers. He had cleared the hidden quests thanks to Grid and Coke, and his level rose rapidly. Resh reached level 367, but he was still just sewage in this ce. The elves, who were hiding in the giant tree while shooting a rain of arrows dense enough to cover the sky, mostly had a level simr to or higher than Resh.


    ¡®The standard of the main army is different. At this point, Kyle must be panicking.¡¯


    Resh barely blocked an arrow that flew at his eyes and looked around him. He could see his colleagues being forced on the defensive. Even the talented knights of Dndal were helpless in front of the world tree¡¯s forest, which formed an ideal fortress.


    ¡®We can¡¯t break through.¡¯


    Thorny vines surrounded the forest area while bushes blocked the march. There were also the towering giant walls which were created after thousands of years. The beasts crawling from the walls wererger than monsters, and the elves perched on the walls were marksmen. Who could break through here with force?


    ¡®The former emperor didn¡¯t lock up the elves in here.¡¯


    It was more appropriate to say the empire hadn¡¯t invaded this ce. Even the Red Knights knew that invading here was an act of suicide. Resh¡¯s mouth curled up.


    ¡®You¡¯re in trouble, Kyle.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s judgment that the elves should be trampled on with force was a foolish misjudgment. They were much stronger and more demanding opponents than the senior knight he had killed. He would be punished for ignoring the conventions. Dndal would learn about his failure and...


    Yes, everything would flow in the right direction. The moment Kyle failed, the elves¡¯ power would be revealed to the world. The other kingdoms would no longer try to subjugate the elves. Instead, they wouldmunicate with the elves and achieve true unity.


    Resh, who became a knight to defend justice, believed and hoped for this. He hoped that the enemy he had to cut down in the future would only be evil. He honestly didn¡¯t want to fight these beautiful elves any longer. However¡ª


    Resh didn¡¯t give his life to the elves¡¯ arrows. He wielded his sword and shield with all his might. Although he might not want to fight, he was determined to survive to the end. He had to film Kyle using brute force and the knights who were victimized by him as much as possible.


    Then it was only for a moment. A stream of electricity swept past Resh¡¯s cheeks and caused a giant tree to explode.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Three elves died in an instant.


    ¡°...?!¡± Resh looked back and was stunned. Kyle stood behind him with no signs of agitation. He had anticipated the strength of the forest that was like a solid fortress.


    ¡°I want to save my strength, but I¡¯ll help you out a little bit.¡±


    A current was emitted from Kyle¡¯s entire body. The waves of electricity, reminiscent of Magician King Goldhit¡¯s great magic, stretched out in all directions and prated the entire forest instantly. The beasts fighting with the knights, the nts wielding bizarre tentacles, and the elves firing arrows from the giant trees were all electrocuted and fell to the ground. Therge-scale skill cased mass paralysis. It was reminiscent of the blue dragon summoned by Grid. No, it was much faster and more efficient than the lightning that struck down from the sky.


    ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯re watching the sunset?¡±Kyle urged the nkly staring knights as hundreds of elves fell from the tree. ¡°Isn¡¯t it easier to kill them while they are paralyzed?¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡± The knights hesitated as they approached the fallen elves. As knights, they were reluctant to aim their swords at those who couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡®They are enemies.¡¯


    ¡®If we don¡¯t kill them, we will die.¡¯


    It was ridiculous to talk about reason in a war. The knights had no choice. They grasped their sword while avoiding the poisonous gazes of the fallen elves. It was the prelude to a massacre. At this moment...


    ¡°A knight must act fairly!¡± Someone shouted a verse from an old chivalry vow. ¡°Knights, you must not kill those who can¡¯t resist! It is the same on the battlefield!¡±


    These were the shouts of Knight Resh.


    ¡°...¡±


    Many of the passages in the chivalry vows weren¡¯t realistic. Chivalry was an ideal created by knights who died and lived by it, so it was safe to say that it contained the extremes of inefficiency and was unrealistic. That¡¯s why peopleughed at the chivalric code. However, most knights became knights because they were fascinated by the chivalric code.


    ¡°...¡±


    Resh¡¯s shouts stopped the hundreds of knights from acting. However, it was only for a moment. Itsted for less than a second.


    ¡°Kyaack!¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The knights hesitated for a moment before starting the ughter. They stabbed, cut, and killed the elves who couldn¡¯t resist.


    A long period of time had passed since they became knights. Reality was more precious than their ideals. They had experienced not eating and had gone through dozens of experiences, and they had families to protect. More than anything else...


    ¡°The master¡¯smand is higher than the chivalric code.¡±


    Thest verse of the chivalric code gave them an excuse topromise with reality.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The death throes...


    Red blood soaked thend and the trees. Tears and hatred encroached on this mighty forest.


    Resh stared nkly at the horrific carnage.


    ¡°Resh! Wake up! We will die if we don¡¯t kill them!¡± The knights forcibly pushed a sword into Resh¡¯s hand.


    Resh was an upright person. They didn¡¯t hate the youngest knight who still shouted about justice, just like them on the first day. Rather, they often wanted him to stay the same. However, the knights had topromise with reality. They had to force Resh to ughter the elves. If Resh didn¡¯t change his attitude, he would be executed by the furious Kyle.


    ¡°Resh! Hurry!¡±


    Kyle was getting closer and closer. His zing gaze was staring straight at Resh¡¯s back. The anxious knights urged Resh, but he was still in a daze. He felt a deep sense of skepticism.


    Shit, he couldn¡¯t understand why he was here doing something wrong. He started Satisfy because he wanted to experience the lives of the knights in the movies he had longed for since he was a kid. Additionally, Satisfy was a game. Games were a means of entertaining people. So why? Why did he have to go through this X thing every time?


    ¡®Should I just quit?¡¯ Resh gritted his teeth as Kyle came up behind him.


    Kyle¡¯s hand, covered with an electric current, was pointed at Resh¡¯s neck.


    ¡°After a heretic, it¡¯s a traitor? This is an organization that needs reform.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±Resh¡¯s fury exploded as he recalled Kyle¡¯s senseless murder of Geon, the senior knight who had taken care of him for many years. He cried out with all his might, squeezing out his power and swinging his sword back. Of course, it was useless. It was clear that Kyle, who was beyond the dukes, wouldn¡¯t allow the attack of one yer to reach him. Kyle lightly avoided Resh¡¯s sword and released an electric current.


    ¡°Weakness is sin.¡±


    It was a fact that no one knew about, but Kyle was a follower of the war god. Kyle took the logic of strength for granted, and Resh felt it.


    ¡®Grid might¡¯ve been able to expose this guy¡¯s weak side...¡¯


    Originally, it was a thought that couldn¡¯t continue to the end. Kyle would shoot the electric current, and Resh should¡¯ve died.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Yet he was still alive? Resh was perplexed.


    Then he saw a strange and unfamiliar back. It was a woman with white hair down to her waist. She wore full te armor, carried arge shield, and held a sword in a solemn posture. The woman was also a knight¡ªa knight more virtuous than anyone in this ce.


    ¡°Mercedes...?¡±


    ¡°Your conviction¡ªit is wonderful,¡± her beautiful voice echoed through the forest dyed with a red film. The electric current flowed through the shield while the legendary knight wielded the White Tiger Sword, cutting off Kyle¡¯s hair.


    ¡°You...!¡±Kyle was about to counterattack when he suddenly stopped at the sight of the red armor from two generations ago which was now an antique. Three armed knights and a blond man in a blue cloak fell to the left and right of Mercedes.


    ¡°What, what? Did you want to say hello to the world tree while passing by? Then what are these enemies?¡±


    ¡°Little Mercedes. Did you do this deliberately?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence.¡±


    The knights in red armor had a normal conversation in the middle of the battlefield. There was no fear or nervousness. Rather, Kyle was the one who was a bit nervous. It was because of one thing.


    ¡°Electric Eel Kyle. You¡¯ve grown a lot since thest time I¡¯ve seen you.¡±


    ¡°Asmophel...!¡±


    They were the former Red Knights who led the empire¡¯s golden age¡ªthe single-digit knights.

 Chapter 1110

    After being crowned the empress, Basara¡¯s first task was to admit and apologize for the empire¡¯s past mistakes. That¡¯s how they could move forward. They weren¡¯t the empire of the past. All the misdeeds, wrongs, and mistakes of the past empire hadn¡¯t beenmitted by her. For her, it was just history that had passed...


    If she used these excuses to ignore the mistakes of the past generations and not take responsibility, who wouldfort and appease the victims of the empire? Who could erase the wounds that had been rooted in them and their descendants? Could she discuss a future with them?


    For the continent¡¯s unity and peace, Basara knew she had to take full responsibility.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    The eyes of the Sword Knights shook. There was a woman with three sword scars in the center of her face, a short man without a left ear, and an elderly man with different colored eyes. The knights knew these people who were armed with the old red armor.


    Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante¡ªthey were the single digit knights who led the empire¡¯s golden age along with Piaro. They were the idols of the Sword Knights.


    ¡°Thank you... Thank you, Goddess of Light.¡±


    The knights suddenly started to pray. They were trembling. Thanks to the truth Empress Basara had revealed, the knights knew thatPiaro and the Red Knights weren¡¯t traitors. No, they were still heroes. The knights knelt and shouted in unison, ¡°Sir Amelda! Sir Kentrick! Sir Dante! It is an honor to see you again!¡±


    Their eyes were red and wet. The heroes, who had been unfairly used of being traitors, had gotten betrayed by the country they had devoted their lives to and even lost their families. The knights didn¡¯t dare imagine the anger, hatred, and grief the heroes would¡¯ve felt over the years. However, the knights were grateful for their survival and would honor their wounded hearts, hoping they could recover even a small bit.


    Ameldaughed. ¡°What, what? Is this real? Have we been clearedpletely?


    Kentrick spoke in a somber voice, ¡°Those who were chasing us a few years ago to kill us are now honoring us...¡±


    ¡°...¡± Dante was silent.


    All three of them didn¡¯t wee this. Rather, it was absurd and unpleasant. That was a natural reaction. What was the point of their names being restored when they had already lost everything? There were no family members or colleagues left for them to rejoice with. All that was left was revenge. Their honest feeling was that they wanted to point their swords at the soldiers and knights of the empires who had harmed their families.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Mercedes restrained Amelda¡¯s killing intent. She had already figured out the situation.


    ¡®Empress Basara apologized and made reparations to all nations and people who were damaged by the empire. The empire¡¯s treasury is empty. The moderates used her and stuck to Dndal. In the process, Dndal had Kyle punish the elves in order to negotiate with other kingdoms.¡¯


    Mercedes guessed this perfectly because she was aware of Dndal¡¯s nature. During the time when she was the first knight, she often encountered the imperial family, and her knowledge of Basara and Dndal made it easy to gain insight into the situation.


    ¡®A fight can¡¯t be avoided.¡¯


    In the past, Grid¡ªher liege¡ªhad fought to protect the elves. It was her duty to protect them for her liege.


    Mercedes¡¯s gaze turned to Kyle. Among the Five Pirs, he was unusually favored by Juander. He might¡¯ve been regarded as the weakest of the pirs, but his potential was great.


    ¡®He must be a lot stronger than he was before. I will have to deal with him carefully.¡¯


    The empire and the Overgeared Kingdom were building an alliance. It meant they shouldn¡¯t fight one another. However, the Overgeared Kingdom had signed the alliance with Empress Basara, and Dndal wanted to take the throne from Basara. Even if she fought Dndal¡¯s minions, there was little concern that it would be an international incident. The moment that Mercedes finished her calctions...


    ¡°Stop with that tone which is looking down on me,¡±Kyle, who had been watching the situation like Mercedes, opened his mouth to say. He had also grasped the situation.¡°You are still treating me as a child when you have been wasting away for more than 10 years.¡±


    Kyle¡¯s expression was stiff. He let out electric currents as he faced Asmophel with a stern expression and tone.


    Asmophel smiled bitterly. ¡°I have never looked down on you or treated you as a child. I¡¯m just admiring you because you¡¯ve really grown up.¡±


    Amelda interrupted, ¡°Hehe, heh. That¡¯s right. Kyle was dwarfed by his peers. Now he is totally grown up. By the way, it doesn¡¯t match. Wasn¡¯t Kyle a model student? You were always polite and respectful to everyone. Then what is with this tone and expression? Huh, huh? Have you be an imposing person?¡±


    ¡°This is treating me as a child. Amelda, you haven¡¯t changed at all. Aren¡¯t you ashamed of using that childish tone when you¡¯re so old? Or did you get a head injury while living as a fugitive?¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m still in my 30s, my 30s! I¡¯m not a grandmother!¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk!¡±Kyle suddenly burst outughing. He wasughing at himself for being nervous a while ago. Kyle had been remembering the past.


    Asmophel who had been the deputy head of the Red Knights led by Piaro and a pir of the empire, the Fifth Knight Amelda, the Seventh Knight Kentrick, and the Ninth Knight Dante... In the past, they were dazzlingly strong.They would stand beside the emperor while Kyle didn¡¯t dare to even set eyes on them.


    However, that was more than 15 years ago. Over the years, Asmophel had been enchanted and drugged while the other three were mentally and physically exhausted as they fled the empire. It wasn¡¯t strange that they had lost their skills from their prime.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a problem even if they regained the skills from their prime or developed beyond that. At present, Kyle was overwhelmingly strong. He worked under the former emperor to be a ¡®pir¡¯ beyond the Red Knights, and he was recently chosen by the war god.


    Kyle stepped into the realm of transcendence. The way he saw it, Legendary Knight Mercedes was the only one to be wary of among the uninvited guests. Even she had yet to fully mature in the years since she became a legend. There was no need to be nervous against them.


    ¡°Asmophel,¡± Kyleughed for a long time before saying, ¡°I think your personality is the worst ever. Not only do you call me ¡®Electric Eel¡¯, but you also betrayed your friend Piaro out of a sense of inferiority and framed him. Still, I didn¡¯t know you could be so shameless. You are now calling upon your old colleagues who were branded as traitors and lost their family members because of you. I would¡¯ve never dreamed of being reunited with them, even if I were sorry.¡±


    Kyle hated Asmophel in the past. At that time, he hadn¡¯t been familiar with life in the imperial pce. Feeling afraid, Kyle would choke and wave his hands every time he met someone¡¯s eyes, causing him to be called Electric Eel. Kyle still had vivid memories of when the people around himughed at him. He wanted revenge.


    Therefore, at this moment, he mocked the man blocking his way, rather than killing him straight away. Asmophel¡¯s response was different from expected. He wasn¡¯t angry or ashamed. Instead, he just smiled bitterly.


    ¡°I reunited with them to take responsibility for my sins. I was obliged to meet them. Additionally, the way I treated you in the old days...¡± Asmophel couldn¡¯t finish his exnation. Lightning struck the spot where Asmophel stood. Asmophel¡¯s gaze sunk as he jumped to the side to escape.


    Kyle spoke from the ground,¡°It was sour. Now choose. Are you going to leave here or will you die by my hands?¡±


    The answer came straight away. ¡°This is and King Grid protects. I won¡¯t leave, nor will I die.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then try living.¡± Kyle released a surge of electric currents. It was therge-scale magic that paralyzed the elves. Electricity was the unique attribute that Kyle was born with. In his childhood and adolescence, Kyle had been afraid of this attribute but not anymore. He was able to fully control and use his power. It was thanks to Juander, his own effects, and War God Zeratul.


    [Physical defense isn¡¯t possible.]


    [You have suffered 15,900 damage.]


    [You are paralyzed for 5 seconds.]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The current had a terrifying effect on those whom Kyle perceived as enemies¡ªMercedes, Asmophel, Amelda, Kentrick, Dante, Resh, and the elves. Resh was electrocuted despite raising his shield, and he sat down, convulsing. His trembling gaze turned to Mercedes.


    Then he saw it. The electric current fired at Mercedes¡¯s group was deflected by sword energy.


    Kentrick was furious.¡°To use such a weak attack against us, he must really see us as obsolete.¡±


    Amelda also inted her cheeks. ¡°Right, right! How much have we done in order to survive!¡±


    Dante spoke for the first time, ¡°Don¡¯t mock the adversity we have experienced.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Resh¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    The three knights moved quickly and approached Kyle, attacking him. One of them had speed and sharpness and was called ¡®a genius who appears once in 100 years¡¯ by themander of the Sword Knights. Amelda¡¯s two swords stabbed at Kyle, but Kyle¡¯s electric current blocked the attack. Kentrick dashed and aimed at Kyle. Then Kyle kicked at a rock on the ground to block the path of the broadsword. Dante¡¯s mace smashed into Kyle¡¯s chest at the same time.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Resh and all the Sword Knights lost their souls. The number of blows that Kyle and the single digit knights exchanged in a second was beyond theirmon sense, so it was hard not to be amazed. The booms continued without a break. Kyle continued to use the currents as a weapon while retreating, and he was pursued by the three knights.


    ¡®It is ignorantly strong.¡¯


    ¡®It is abat method that relies solely on his innate attributes.¡¯


    ¡®He can¡¯t beat our experience of oveing life and death struggles for decades.¡¯


    The three knights estimated the odds. Kyle used the electric currents to deal with every situation and didn¡¯t use any martial arts or swordsmanship. If the electric currents were like his limbs, then it would be sufficient to cut them. The three knights cut apart the currents like they were a monster with nine heads.


    Three sharp sword energies filled the air and tore the currents to shreds. Kyle was exposed, and the three knights didn¡¯t miss this gap. The weapons of different shapes and trajectories pierced Kyle. No, they seemed to pierce him.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Kyle¡¯s upper body receded sharply and soon touched the ground. All of the knights¡¯ attacks reached nothing. Then Kyle¡¯s fist sprung up like a spring and struck Dante¡¯s chest precisely. At this time, the scattered currents once again concentrated on Kyle¡¯s fist.


    There was a balloon popping sound. Dante coughed up a handful of blood, lost his momentum, and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Fairly good...!¡± Amelda cried out as she stabbed at Kyle¡¯s thighs. The currents swirled, and his tiny body was blown into the air. Kentrick¡¯s broadsword rushed in through the gap! However, it was caught by Kyle¡¯s hands and stopped.


    This wasn¡¯t what the three knights had expected. Kyle hadn¡¯t only trained and strengthened his attribute. He had also acquired an amazing level of physical skill. It was no wonder that he was a follower of the war god.


    ¡°Such a monster...¡±


    He was more skilled than the dukes. His ultimate talent was so atrocious it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it were given the modifier of ¡®strongest on the continent.¡¯


    ¡®Nothing has changed.¡¯


    The Sword Knights would ughter the elves as scheduled...


    Resh felt despair.


    ¡°Bloom,¡±Asmophel¡¯s clear voice echoed through the forest right then. Arge flower bud rose above Kyle¡¯s body. It was transparent and red, and it consisted of sword energy.


    ¡°...!¡± Kyle¡¯s face turned white. Blood was pouring out from his nose and ears.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you,¡± Asmophel dered before moving his sword again. Beautiful flowers blossomed from Kyle¡¯s body as his blood soaked the forest.

 Chapter 1111

    ¡®Did Grid learn his swordsmanship from Asmophel?¡¯


    Resh¡¯s misunderstanding was natural. Asmophel¡¯s swordsmanship, which depicted the birth and death of a flower, looked like the final evolution of the Flower sword dance that Grid introduced recently.


    Fire Sword Asmophel...


    The skills of a person hailed as the pir of the empire along with the current legend Piaro were as great as imed by the rumors Resh had heard. The bud that blossomed in Kyle exploded. The destructive power that didn¡¯t allow any screams stirred the forest.


    In the midst of the explosion, the ragged Kyle popped out. He didn¡¯t lose any momentum despite his body being covered with blood.


    The eyes of Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante shook.


    ¡°W-What? Why is he fine?¡±


    ¡°Well... he seems to have pushed the exploding force away with his own power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three knights knew. In the past, Asmophel had remained as number two because of the limitations of his swordsmanship. Asmophel¡¯s swordsmanship produced a powerful explosive force using sword energy and had a strong wide-area destructive power, but it was rtively weak against single targets and consumed a lot of health.


    It was why Asmophel lost every time he faced Piaro. Yes, Asmophel had never won against Piaro. However, with the exception of Piaro, he didn¡¯t lose to anyone. Why? Piaro had the unique ability to disperse the explosive force of Asmophel¡¯s swordsmanship.


    That¡¯s right. In the memories of the three knights, Asmophel was the ¡®man who couldn¡¯t cross Piaro but who put the world at his feet.¡¯ Now, Kyle was a monster if he could deal directly with the sword energy of a great swordsman.


    ¡®Piaro-grade...¡¯


    The former emperor, Juander¡ªthe ipetent and foolish man who sent all of them away had actually chosen Kyle with an urate perspective...? The three knights were engulfed in displeasure and bit their lips.


    Meanwhile, Kyle was tangled up with Asmophel. He used his superior form that overwhelmed the single digit knights. Swinging his entire body, he did not show Asmophel any gaps. A diagonal elbow struck Asmophel in the shoulder. Asmophel¡¯s sword stabbed at Kyle¡¯s abdomen while he aimed his fist to the other side of the sword. Kyle raised his knee to block Asmophel¡¯s sword as he concentrated the electric currents in the elbow that was crushing Asmophel¡¯s shoulder. Asmophel¡¯s body was briefly electrocuted.


    With an appearance that was obviously from a noble lineage, Asmophel¡¯s fine face was punched and crushed while his blue cloak was covered with dirt. Kyle caught up with Asmophel and pulled the fluttering blue cloak. Then Asmophel¡¯s body was trapped on the ground, and he was mmed, mmed, mmed against it! Kyle¡¯s fists started to fall in session.


    ¡°Hahat! Hahahahat!¡± Kyle was in a frenzy, and he recalled the moment when he received the divine message of the war god. The great god had presented Kyle, who had been shabby inparison to the other pirs, with the ultimate martial arts after he lost one arm to a monster andpletely lost his confidence.


    Kyle had learned seven secret techniques as he wandered around the ruins in the past few months and experienced the miracle of a god. Not only did he recover his lost arm, but he was also able to further strengthen the currents flowing through his body and control them freely.


    This was the power of a great god. In the long run, Kyle would jump over the grandmaster and no longer feel afraid of the monster who took away his arm. The moment he received the ultimate martial arts, he would go to the heavens...


    Kyle believed this and became convinced of it at this moment. He was certain that he could realize his faith. The fact that he alone was overpowering the single digit knights, who had led the empire¡¯s golden age, caused him to feel ecstasy.


    ¡°Hat...?¡±Kyle, who had been swinging his fists excitedly, stoppedughing. He suddenly felt a sense of alienation. It was because Asmophel¡¯s condition was rtively fine. Asmophel continued to be hit by Kyle¡¯s fists, but his nose wasn¡¯t even sunken in, let alone his skull.


    ¡®The skin of transcendence?¡¯


    Had Asmophel risen to the point of transcendence with pure talent? No, it was impossible. He wasn¡¯t that great. Kyle¡¯s sharp gaze turned to the blue cloak that covered part of Asmophel¡¯s face.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...?¡¯


    Was that cloak absorbing his attack power? This mere piece of cloth? Despite his denials, Kyle grabbed Asmophel¡¯s cloak and stripped it off. A de rose through the gap in the swirling cloak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. It is a treasure that my king gave me,¡± Asmophel¡¯s voice only continued after Kyle¡¯s chest was pierced with the sword.


    Asmophel rose as he pushed at Kyle¡¯s shaky upper body, drawing a half moon with his sword and throwing his sheath. The moment Kyle was cut, he released an electric current that blocked the sword energy released. The sheath that was thrown two meters into the air never fell back to the ground.


    The shockwave and maism generated by the two men caused the sheath to continue dancing in the air. Several flowers bloomed during the dozens of collisions. Asmophel¡¯s biting sword energy was quickly drained.


    On the other hand, Kyle was currently emitting a turbulent electric current, and he didn¡¯t lose momentum. For Kyle, the electric current was a constantly circting force. It wasn¡¯t consumed. It was an infinite power. Asmophel¡¯s sword energy bloomed, obstructing Kyle¡¯s vision and sweeping at Kyle¡¯s corbone. It was deflected and Asmophel hurriedly moved back. Kyle¡¯s Force Palm was persistent and struck Asmophel¡¯s chest. The sheath that danced in the air finally fell.


    ¡°Cough!¡± The shaking Asmophel swallowed his screams, but he was bloody. He felt the pain of his intestine being torn and realized something. This wasn¡¯t the young man who used to be daunted. Kyle was stronger than Juander had hoped he would be.


    There wasn¡¯t the number two person who kept following the back of the number one person. Asmophel was no longer number two. He wasted a lot of time regretting everything and became stagnant.


    ¡®If only I had met King Grid a bit earlier...¡¯


    No, if only he had awakened before King Grid came to him. No, if he hadn¡¯t fallen for Marie¡¯s tricks. No, if he hadn¡¯t been jealous of Piaro in the first ce...


    It was a life marked only with regrets. The shameful past went by him like a kaleidoscope. At this moment...


    ¡°...¡±Asmophel¡¯s eyes lost their light.


    Resh turned pale when he saw Asmophel fall, and he urged Mercedes and the three knights, ¡°You should help him!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re his colleague!¡±


    There was no imperial knight who didn¡¯t know Asmophel¡ªthe corrupted hero and the jealous traitor who sold his friends and colleagues. Asmophel¡¯s reputation had been turned upside down after the new empress, Basara, revealed the entire truth. He was no longer hailed as a hero.


    Still, the knights in this ce had started to admire Asmophel again. Being with the colleagues he betrayed meant he had been forgiven for most of his past sins. Resh and the Sword Knights were vaguely aware of how much courage he needed to seek forgiveness and how much sacrifice and pain he had suffered. The knights felt that Asmophel was truly great and cheered for him to wash away the mistakes he made through the hard-earned opportunity.


    However, Asmophel was going to die.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already forgiven him?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Then why...?! Why are you turning away without helping?¡±Resh shouted as he denounced them.


    He had no affinity with Asmophel, so he shouldn¡¯t have felt great emotion when Asmophel was struck. Nevertheless, there was a reason why he felt resentment toward Mercedes and the former single digit knights who were just watching the battle.


    Resh¡¯s gaze was aimed at Mercedes as he shouted, ¡°No matter how much you hate him...! A knight shouldn¡¯t abandon their colleagues!¡±


    Mercedes was the only knight that had been trusted by the emperor who distrusted knights, and she has been sent to the Overgeared Kingdom after bing a legendary knight. Resh admired Mercedes, which meant he couldn¡¯t tolerate her cowardly behavior even more.


    Mercedes, who had been staring silently, finally opened her mouth, ¡°You...¡±


    There was a dazzling smile on her face.¡°You don¡¯t know.¡±


    The three knights continued the conversation like they had been waiting to do so.


    ¡°Do you think the deputy chief would be beaten so easily?¡±


    ¡°He is the most insidious person I have ever known. That¡¯s why he betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°Killing the deputy chief... It will be us.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡± Resh was bewildered by the hard to understand words when his eyes widened. Asmophel, who allowed Kyle¡¯s attacks in session, rolled a fewps on the dirt floor and lost his sword. For a knight to lose his sword¡ªit meant death.


    ¡°This is the end!¡±


    Convinced of his victory, Kyle continued to release the current. He collected it at the end of his hands and shot it at Asmophel. No, he groaned before he shot it. It was because Asmophel threw the sheath at Kyle¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Kuack! Y-You cowardly bastard!¡±


    Asmophel acted like a dog begging for life just to reim the sheath that he had thrown away earlier...? He lost his sword just to lower Kyle¡¯s vignce and to grab the sheath...? The reason he constantly exposed his belt during the battle was for this moment...? He was a terrible guy.


    Kyle lost his sight and stepped back.


    ¡°You wished for fairness from garbage like me?¡±Asmophel¡¯s indifferent voice rang out. All emotions had left the moment his eyes lost their light. He abandoned his morals just like the day he betrayed Piaro and his associates. The difference was that today he was acting for Grid, not himself.


    ¡°My king hasmanded me toe back alive. Therefore, I can¡¯t die yet.¡±


    Honestly, he wanted to die. He felt ashamed, sorry and pained. The moment he made eye contact with his old colleagues, he felt the desire to bite his tongue and kill himself. However, the words of his king were still with him. King Grid had told him not to die. Thus, Asmophel had to put up with it. He had to live. He had to win.


    [Your knight Asmophel has exhibited the unique characteristic ¡®Power of the Number Two!¡¯]


    ¡°...Asmophel?¡± Grid had just arrived at the World Tree¡¯s Forest when the notification window popped up.


    Far away from Grid, Asmophel was asking Kyle a question, ¡°Do you have the intention of withdrawing? The empire and the Overgeared Kingdom have formed an alliance. I don¡¯t think we need to fight for our lives.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking? You have hindered my way and tarnished my honor. Above all, you are weaker than me. It makes sense to die ording to the providence of power.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry. You are stronger than me, so it will be hard for me to subdue you without killing you.¡±


    In his prime, Asmophel had never lost to anyone except for Piaro. It was because his ¡®standard¡¯ was Piaro. He might be weaker than Piaro, but Asmophel was confident that he could beat his opponent if he could only follow half of Piaro¡¯s skills.


    [Your knight ¡®Asmophel¡¯ is thinking of the back of the number one goal.]


    ¡°Free Farming Altered Style.¡±


    Arge shadow devoured the area, and a pir asrge as the branches of the world tree could be seen falling from the sky. It was a concentrated body of suppression energy, not sword energy.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    The shadow engulfed Kyle.

 Chapter 1112

    ¡®I will kill you because you are stronger than me.¡¯


    Asmophel¡¯s serious deration contained a misuse of words. It was the right of the strong to kill or spare someone. If the weak talked about life and death, then it was likely that anger would rise beyond the absurdity.


    ¡®Daring to deny the providence of power¡ªthis is a sphemy against the war god!¡¯


    It happened from the time he experienced the miracle of the war god. No, Kyle had already be a fanatic the moment he peeked at the ultimate technique presented by the war god. Dignity and rule ofw were all created by strength. He was fully educated in this type of belief and only revered strength.


    ¡¯I will teach you providence. You will learn with your death.¡¯


    Kyle gritted his teeth. He was certain there were no variables to worry about as he knew the meaning of Asmophel¡¯s ¡®Fire Sword¡¯ title and his Flower technique.


    ¡®I just need to watch carefully.¡¯


    Most people didn¡¯t know it, but Asmophel¡¯s swordsmanship didn¡¯t only exert power when it blossomed. It also exerted power when it gave out a sparky glow. Kyle needed to be careful, but if he paid attention, there was nothing Asmophel could do to make up for their difference in skill.


    After being hit by the sheath, Kyle¡¯s eyes started to recover quickly. The electric current became his blood, his flesh, and then his bone. It was the result of using the best regeneration technique, just like when he restored the arm that he had lost a long time ago. This was a power he had learned because of the war god. It was literally a miracle.


    ¡®The method consumes so much stamina that it is hidden in a number of secret techniques.¡¯


    There was no chance. Nothing would work against him...


    ¡°Free Farming.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Kyle, who was wary of Asmophel, doubted his ears as he checked his recovered vision. Supreme Swordsmanship, the swordsmanship that was passed through Piaro¡¯s family for generations¡ªit was the power that symbolized Piaro. Kyle never dreamed that Asmophel would use Supreme Swordsmanship.


    ¡®...No, did I hear it wrong?¡¯


    He was so perplexed that he was mistaken for a moment. It seemed to have been a different name from Supreme Swordsmanship. (TL: Supreme Swordsmanship and Free Farming are only different in one character, so they sound simr)


    Still, it was only for a moment. Kyle¡¯s thoughts wereplicated.


    ¡°Altered Style.¡±Asmophel seeded in reproducing the power of the number of Piaro.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s currents, which had been spread out like a spider web in all directions in preparation for Mercedes¡¯ intervention, started to vibrate simultaneously. It was a warning of danger.


    ¡°...!?¡± Kyle btedly noticed the forest was covered by darkness and looked up reflexively. Then he witnessed it. A huge pir was falling from the sky.


    ¡®A tree trunk?¡¯


    It had the form of a trunk that had been increased by thousands or tens of thousands in size. The falling pir was covered by thousands of thorns. They were big and sharp thorns that would pierce the body with a slight touch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve mastered a weird trick!¡±


    The Power of the Number Two¡ªAsmophel¡¯s unique characteristic that developed out of his desire to surpass the number one was a power that Kyle didn¡¯t know about. He never imagined that the basis of the farming method reproduced by Asmophel was Piaro.


    That¡¯s right. Asmophel wasn¡¯t using Piaro¡¯s Supreme Swordsmanship. Where did he learn a strange skill with a name so simr that it made him sound cool?


    Kyle became incandescent. It was the first time he showed off his power, which had previously only been used for attack and propulsion. He became an electric current itself. One footte, a pir fell over Kyle¡¯s head. It devoured Kyle without a trace and crushed the entire forest within a 20-meter-radius.


    ¡°Uh... Uhhh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes was able to see Asmophel¡¯s abilities with Keen Insight. Everyone except for her was speechless. She knew Asmophel was strong, but she hadn¡¯t known it was to this extent. Asmophel¡¯s power, which caused a disaster to fall onto a single human, shocked the Sword Knights and the former single digit knights.


    yer Resh was also surprised in a different sense.


    ¡®Is he also a farmer?¡¯


    Free Farming¡ªthe dramatic y of the legendary farmer Piaro against Great Demon Belial was a video that received billions of views. Resh never thought Asmophel could use it as well...


    Was the Overgeared Kingdom a training center for farmers? Were the former single digit knights gathered together because they wanted to be farmers? Then it happened when Resh was thinking seriously.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Grab the elves and flee.¡± In the silence, Asmophel barely opened his mouth while gasping roughly. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Simultaneously, a sh of lightning flew toward Asmophel¡¯s chest. It wasn¡¯t just one. The lightning struck again and again, turning Asmophel¡¯s body into rags. Finally, Asmophel sat down like a broken doll. Then the bombardment stopped. The white light stopped by Asmophel and gradually took a human form. It was Kyle¡¯s hand that viciously grabbed Asmophel¡¯s golden hair.


    ¡°You have humiliated me in all sorts of ways. This weak thing... This weak thing!¡±Kyle gritted his teeth.


    His body, which had shaken off the electric current and returned to human form, was almost half crushed. It was an unexpected result for Kyle. In the electric current state, his body didn¡¯t involve any physical force, and his resistance to all properties was significantly increased. With such a form, it meant that he was expected to be fine, even if he was hit by the pir.


    However, the pir was a concentration of energy superior to sword energy, and it was powerful enough to seriously injure the electrified Kyle. It was natural. Asmophel recreated Piaro¡¯s suppression energy that was the power of nature itself. It was impossible for Kyle to fully handle the power that destroyed even the body of a great demon.


    ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡± Kyle roared as he almost died to an opponent weaker than him. He had sinned against the war god by denying the providence of power. It was clear the war god would be disappointed in him. He might not be able to learn the ultimate technique.


    ¡°You...! You!!¡± All sorts of anxiety and anger shook Kyle¡¯s sense of reason. He was unrelenting in his desire to kill Asmophel. A spear of electricity aimed at Asmophel¡¯s neck. Of course, his attack was in vain. It was because Mercedes came out. A shield surrounded by sword energy changed the trajectory of the electric spear, and simultaneously, Kyle¡¯s jaw was hit. The ensuing attack was a kick with rotational power.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kyle¡¯s appearance of being sessively struck in the chin and back like a frog confused many people. Would it be so easy for her to beat the person who defeated three single digit knights and Asmophel alone?


    ¡®...No, it won¡¯t be easy,¡¯ the Sword Knights denied it. Even Resh, who wanted Kyle to die, had this thought, ¡®Is he so hurt and agitated that he let down his vignce for a while?¡¯


    It was as expected.


    ¡°Kuoock...! Shit! Dammit! Like one! Like one...!¡±Kyle rose up again.


    There was blood in his eyes as he electrified his left arm and swung it like a whip. It all happened in an instant. Resh and the Sword Knights simple saw it as ¡®a lightning bolt struck Mercedes¡¯ head.¡¯ However, Mercedes stood up and blocked that lightning bolt with her shield.


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    Every time Kyle wielded the whip, the Sword Knights saw shes of lightning. Eventually, dozens of lightning bolts were created at the same time, and they flew to enter Mercedes¡¯ defense. Even so...


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes was fine without a single scratch. Her white hair wasn¡¯t in disarray, as if not even static electricity was allowed to touch her. Kyle was speechless. Mercedes¡¯ sheer speed and agility prevented all closebat while his electric currents were nullified by a single shield. It wasn¡¯t even an iron shield.


    ¡®Even if the electric currents are offset by sword energy, it is normal for the residuals to remain.¡¯


    It was a natural phenomenon for the residual energy to seep into the shield, transfer to the armor, and electrocute Mercedes. So, how did she manage to block it? In the iprehensible chaos that deepened, Kyle continued to wield his whip as he suddenly realized something. His vision was blurring.


    ¡°Ah...¡±Kyle looked down at his body. His ribs were all crushed, and his back was half torn. White bones were exposed below his rattling left shoulder. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died soon. Out of instinct, most of the electric currents were invested into wound recovery, which would weaken his damage. Since the opponent was a knight with Keen Insight, his weak spots would¡¯ve been attacked without his knowledge.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    There were no odds of victory. He hadn¡¯t calcted that he would suffer so much damage from Asmophel.


    Stagger. One step.


    Stagger. Two steps.


    Kyle slowly stepped back from Mercedes. He was making calctions.


    ¡®At this point, even the arrogant 12 Te would be running over.¡¯


    The 12 Te had heavy buttocks. They thoroughly maintained their position unless it was a very special case. Now that the World Tree¡¯s Forest was so badly damaged, it should count as one of the special cases.


    ¡®I have to leave here.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t toote. If the Sword Knights shielded him, he would be able to avoid Mercedes¡¯ pursuit. However, even his Origin True Energy would be exhausted if he got surrounded by the 12 Te. He needed to hurry.


    ¡°Retreat. Buy me some time,¡±Kylemanded.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t want to,¡± the Sword Knights refused the order.


    ¡°...??¡± The perplexed Kyle shouted,¡°I am an agent of Prince Dndal! Here, I am your master! You dare to reject the orders of your master despite being knights?¡±


    Kyle was ugly in his fury. The Sword Knights squirmed, but it was Resh who stepped forward.


    ¡°We have already broken the knight¡¯s chivalric code once. It was at yourmand. It isn¡¯t hard to break the chivalric code once more.¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t about the chivalric code. It is treason! Do you think Dndal will keep you alive?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I will die if I fight here. If I¡¯m going to die anyway, I will choose to avoid killing meaninglessly.¡±


    Resh and the Sword Knights looked around. The elves were holding their bows. They had surrounded the knights from the moment that Mercedes¡¯ group arrived. There was no way for them to survive anyway.


    ¡°Disgraceful... I¡¯ll tear you apart and kill you...¡±


    Kyle wouldn¡¯t die. He might take a lot of damage without the knights as his shield, but he would eventually be able to escape. Kyle started to raise his Origin True Energy, and the currents that surrounded him grew to an unprecedented strength. At this moment, unidentified figures in gray clothing fell around Kyle. One of them bizarrely had his eyes covered.


    ¡°Kyle. We received a divine message and havee to save you.¡±


    It was the appearance of the followers of the war god active on the West Continent. They tried to use the Light Footwork Technique to take Kyle away.


    ¡°All of you can¡¯t run away.¡± Mercedes blocked the path of the followers with a white transparent sword.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The cries of a tiger filled the forest. Arrows poured down like rain, bushes hindered their vision, and there were sharp thorns and bumpy rocks. The war god followers, who had been leisurely breaking through all the obstacles, lost their bnce and started to fall down.

 Chapter 1113

    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was the sword which was created by Sword Saint Kraugel and Overgeared King Grid and used by the legendary knight Mercedes. There were exmations all over the ce when the World Crushing Sword of the Noble White Tiger revealed its form. The de was white and transparent like Mercedes¡¯ skin while the crown-shaped knuckle bow grip seemed like a significant work of art, a symbol of power and prestige. Yes, art. It was likely to decorate an emperor¡¯s wall.


    Then what was the reality? The White Tiger Sword wasn¡¯t an ornament. It was a war weapon where all the elements that made up the sword specialized inbat. The swordbined with Mercedes¡¯ unstoppable movements to be an ideal state.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The White Tiger Sword roared, the ground shook, and the forest swelled. Arrows poured down like rain, and bushes hindered their vision. There were also sharp thorns and bumpy rocks. The war god followers, who had been leisurely breaking through all the obstacles, lost their bnce and started to fall down.


    Only one person was different. One man, who had his eyes blindfolded, used his restrained hands to maintain his bnce in the air.


    Mercedes stared at the cloudy dust that was falling over her head. The White Tiger Sword and the follower¡¯s restraints collided. The earth once again trembled from the shockwave that followed. A mighty storm sprang up and shook the surrounding bushes. It was a sight that made it seem like the wrath of a god had struck the world.


    ¡®Is this the strength of a legend?¡¯


    Resh and the Sword Knights murmured to themselves. At this moment, they had new thoughts. Even Kyle, who had previously believed he was the supreme, escaped the well he was in and realized he was actually inferior to Mercedes. They all tried to understand Mercedes¡¯ movements and the intent contained in them. They had faith that their status would rise rapidly as soon as they understood.


    Mercedes wasn¡¯t as fast as Kyle, but it was clear that she transcended a human being. She moved at a normal speed that Resh¡¯s eyes should be able to follow, but it was strange. Resh clearly saw Mercedes¡¯ movements. They were so sophisticated that they were obvious. Of course, this was one in 100 moves. Furthermore...


    ¡°Hup...?¡±


    After Mercedes¡¯ attacks, a follower with a steel te tied to his hands let out a faint moan. It was easy to see Mercedes¡¯ attacks that flowed along an honest trajectory, but the follower was baffled. Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship was like the world tree. The huge pirs stretched out straight, but there were hundreds or thousands of branches at the end, making it transformative. The simplicity of the moves was something they should never be dazzled by.


    The follower¡¯s body flew far away and struck a tree with a circumference of more than five meters, Then the follower pierced another giant tree behind it. It only stopped after four additional trees. The knights clearly witnessed him coughing up red blood. Yet the follower came back in an instant and kicked at Mercedes.


    Mercedes, who was on the verge of breaking through Kyle¡¯s guardians and cutting his throat, failed to do so and had to step back. The follower who came back with an incredible speed opened his mouth to speak for the first time, ¡°I see. You are the strongest on this continent.¡±


    It was a statement, not a question.


    ¡°No. There is a person stronger than me,¡±Mercedes denied it. She was implying that the West Continent was wide.


    The follower¡¯s mouth curved upward. ¡°Indeed... There is no meaningless divine message.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The battle briefly entered a lull.


    The followers wondered how to keep in check the ¡®sword¡¯ and the ever-changing swordsmanship, which specialized in both offense and defense and created an earthquake. Meanwhile, Mercedes was wary after noting that the beings in front of her were ¡®followers of the war god.¡¯


    ¡®They are simr in many ways to the followers of the war god found in the Galgunos Temple. Looking at the techniques they use, they must also be followers of the war god.¡¯


    Based on Kyle¡¯sments about the providence of power and the statements that people came to help him due to a divine message, the possibility of it was 99.9%. Still, one thing was clear.


    ¡®The temple followers had no sense of reason.¡¯


    There were distinct limitations to the followers of the war god roaming the Galgunos Temple, but it wasn¡¯t because the number of secret techniques acquired was small. The absence of reason meant they followed instincts. The temple followers were obsessed only with secret techniques and were weak in all areas where they had to use their heads, including the ability to apply the techniques and identify and control the emotions of the opponents to create variables.


    However, these followers had a sense of reason. It was clear that they had mastered even more secret techniques than the temple followers.


    ¡®They don¡¯t seem easy.¡¯


    In particr, the follower wearing restraints was stronger than Kyle, despite not being able to use his hands fully because of his blindfold. The other followers who had endured the White Tiger¡¯s Cry couldn¡¯t be taken lightly either. They were only careless at first, but the attitude and physical ability they showed since then were of a high level. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say they were in the same ss as Amelda.


    ¡®Maybe this could be dangerous.¡¯


    Mercedes was rmed. It wasn¡¯t just because the opponents were strong. She was mindful of the peculiarity of the ce. This ce¡ªMercedes had experienced how dangerous the World Tree¡¯s Forest was. A ce filled with ancient species... Lurking here somewhere was an enemy that caused her to consume her Origin True Energy.


    ¡®Being careless here will soon lead to death...¡¯ Mercedes thought this and took up a certain posture.¡®I have to finish the fight as soon as possible.¡¯


    Kyle, who was supporting Dndal, and the attitude of the followers with him would surely be detrimental to His Majesty. Mercedes was convinced of her role at this moment. She would handle Kyle and all the followers. It was for her liege. Her life didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Amelda, please leave with the other two and Asmophel.¡±


    Mercedes stretched out her left arm and spun around. At this point, she was holding a ck sword in her right hand. The White Tiger Sword attacked the blindfolded follower. The follower blocked it, but he became aware of Mercedes¡¯ left handing for his neck and hurriedly bent down.


    Meanwhile, he raised his legs backward like a crane to strike Mercedes¡¯ neck. The weight of the White Tiger Sword pressing against the restraints suddenly increased rapidly, causing his posture to copse. Two pirs struck the follower¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡®This...?¡¯ The follower was slightly shaken by the ensuing hit.¡®Is it the spirit of the white tiger that dwells in it?¡¯


    A weapon created with the breath of a sacred creature was rare in the East Continent. How was it in the West Continent?


    The fierce battle continued. Mercedes didn¡¯t give the follower time to think. This follower wouldn¡¯t be beaten easily. The reason he was blindfolded was to awaken his senses. He quickly adapted to Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship and heeded the variable of the White Tiger Sword.


    Their techniques struck each other, causing a shockwave to break out. The sh swept up the both of them.


    The follower took one step back and shouted, ¡°My name is Lee Jeong! I once worshipped the expelled gods, but now I am one of the Triad who serves War God Zeratul!¡±


    Like the follower, Mercedes took a step back and wiped the blood flowing from her mouth. ¡°I am Mercedes. I serve King Grid.¡±


    Lee Jeong¡¯s restraints and Mercedes¡¯ White Tiger Sword collided several times. Then they were soon interlocked. The two people were close enough to feel each other¡¯s breathing, and the conversation continued.


    ¡°The war god cares for people with abilities like yours. You must¡¯ve seen the foundation of the war god. You would¡¯ve seen the ultimate technique presented by the war god. Why do you serve a human, not a god? Is it because of the pride of a so-called knight?¡±


    ¡°The ultimate item is greater than the ultimate technique.¡±


    ¡°Item?¡±


    ¡°I already have the power of my liege, who has a god-like status.¡±


    ¡°A god-like status? Hahat! What a funny joke!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a joke. King Grid will transcend the god you serve.¡±


    ¡°Your arrogance has reached a level of madness!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the god you serve at the height of arrogance? The ultimate technique? Would a farmer dare call himself the ultimate when looking at fields?¡±


    ¡°You are definitely crazy.¡±


    Lee Jeong refused to talk any further. He couldn¡¯t see because he was blindfolded as part of his training, but he seemed to know. Mercedes, the knight whopeted with him, must have very good eyes. She was a true warrior who possessed the idea that she should train herself without relying on a god to reach the peak.


    ¡®You are still young and narrow-minded.¡¯


    A human couldn¡¯t surpass a god. He had experienced it and gotten frustrated.


    Consequently, he decided he would rather follow the war god.


    ¡°ck Death Light.¡±


    ©¤©¤!


    A rare talent...


    If he showed Mercedes the greatness of the war god, could they bepanions? Lee Jeong was filled with some expectations as he used a skill, and Mercedes¡¯ vision darkened. In a world that was only dark, Lee Jeong¡¯s fist prated her sr plexus.


    ...At least, it should¡¯ve.


    ¡°...?!¡±A frightened Lee Jeong recovered his fist and leaped back. However, it was one step toote. A sharp sword light cut one of his ankles.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Keen Insight...! You have Keen Insight?¡±


    He covered his eyes because his ultimate goal was to develop a mind¡¯s eye. Yet someone who possessed something higher than the mind¡¯s eye appeared in front of him. The agitated Lee Jeong yelled, ¡°Melsede! You deserve to pioneer the ultimate technique! You shouldn¡¯t be under a human! Join us...!¡±


    ¡°My name is Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°I know! My pronunciation isn¡¯t good! No, don¡¯t change the point!¡±


    ¡°And¡ª¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    From the beginning to the end, Mercedes¡¯s expression, which hadn¡¯t changed at the height of Kyle¡¯s grandeur, when Asmophel showed Piaro¡¯s power, when the war god¡¯s followers intervened, or even when she was prepared to die, changed for the first time. Anger appeared on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t demean my liege.¡±


    [Legendary Knight Mercedes has created a new chivalric code.]


    ¡°My liege is much better than the gods you serve. In the end, it is about being overgeared.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The ultimate is martial arts, martial arts.¡±


    In the end...


    ¡°Everything is equal under items.¡±


    [Your knight Mercedes can wear all types of items without any restrictions and will improve the performance of all items worn by 15%.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to persuade me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What? What type of sophistry was this? Lee Jeong was dumbfounded. By this time, he realized the meaning of ¡®overgeared¡¯.


    Meanwhile, in the midst of the followers, Kyle was recovering. Believing this was the only way to shake off today¡¯s humiliation, he consumed an Origin True Energy.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look down on the providence of strength.¡¯


    The elves who were weak but pretentious...


    The knights who shouted about a pride they didn¡¯t have...


    Asmophel who humiliated him...


    The haughty Mercedes...


    Kyle didn¡¯t like everyone here.


    ¡°All of you will die!!¡±


    Kyle recovered and released an electric current with all his power, sweeping everyone in the area away. The elves¡¯ and knights¡¯ bodies were torn apart, and the single digit knights supporting Asmophel sensed a crisis. Even Mercedes didn¡¯t find it easy to endure despite wrapping her shield with sword energy.


    Resh was already dying.¡®Sh...it...¡¯


    yers had different tendencies. Most yers wanted an easy,fortable, and enjoyable gaming environment. Would any of them read Resh¡¯s intentions? He was in a dying state and would be forced to log out after a certain period of time. Resh, who had been recording the situation, turned the video into a live format rather than a recording.


    The YouXube private broadcasting station linked to his ount was activated, and the grayndscape he was watching spread to the world in real time. Viewers would flock to it. Someone woulde here to this forest and broadcast the next situation.


    ¡®Let them warn the world of the dangers of Dndal and Kyle.¡¯


    The moment that Resh started praying that, Mercedes rushed forward. Kyle¡¯s followers pressed her at the same time, and even Mercedes couldn¡¯t handle it. Her white hair and skin gradually turned red with blood.


    ¡®No... It can¡¯t...¡¯


    Mercedes was the one who helped him. She was also a legendary knight and Grid¡¯s knight. He couldn¡¯t let her die. He had toe back and help. He should do this, even if he couldn¡¯t help.


    ¡®Log out..¡¯


    Then it happened the moment that Resh shouted voluntarily, trying to hold out against the forced logout time. A lightning bolt mmed into the scene. It made Kyle¡¯s electric current pointless. The true power of the lightning god prated Kyle, who had just recovered, and made him vomit.


    The supreme...


    The ck-haired man, who broke through a yer¡¯s limits and rose to the point of transcendence, was finally witnessed by Resh.

 Chapter 1114

    With a body that generated electricity, Kyle was a mutant who gave off electric shocks when a person got near him, and he hadn¡¯t been loved by anyone. It had been Emperor Juander who wanted him, even when his parents were reluctant to get close.


    Kyle still remembered the bright faces of his parents as they willingly gave their child away. Having been reviled all his life, Kyle tried to shake off the sorrow and solitude caused by his parents and tried to be acknowledged by the teacher the emperor introduced him to.


    After being abandoned by his teacher, he tried to raise his self-esteem that had fallen to the bottom. He worked alone to control his own power, and once he was finally able to control his power, he tried to live up to the emperor¡¯s expectations. Kyle was ovee with great frustration and fear when he lost an arm to the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant, but he tried to ovee it.


    He thought his efforts were finally being repaid when he met the war god at the ruins in the Red Sea. The power gained in the midst of really great adversity¡ªKyle was intoxicated with it. He believed that bing stronger was the only way to prove his value to the emperor, so he overcame his fear of the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.


    Then he returned to the empire. Waiting for him was the news that the emperor had died. Kyle felt a moment of solitude that he believed he had shaken off a long time ago. The only thing that could sustain Kyle now was power. All he had left was the pride of the strong. Even so...


    Even that was lost. He had lost in a ce like this and received help from unknown people. If he died like this, it would really be the end. There would be no value in his birth. He would prove that his parent¡¯s choice to abandon him had been right.


    ¡°All of you will die!!¡±


    This time, he had to ovee himself. Only then could he move forward. Kyle believed this and consumed his Origin True Energy to recover, releasing all the electric currents in his body at once.


    Following a massive explosion, lighting strikes dropped all over the ce. Lightning fell to the ground and caused damage. It was a phenomenon that generated electrical discharge. In the end, it all came from electricity, and at this moment, Kyle was the source of dozens of lightning strikes.


    It was like a god. Everyone at the scene was overwhelmed and terrified by Kyle.


    ¡®It is a great talent. There is a reason for the war god¡¯s love.¡¯Even Lee Jeong marveled at Kyle¡¯s potential.


    Kyle might still be immature at the moment, but in the very distant future, he would be rubbing shoulders with the Triad...


    Lee Jeong was thinking this in the midst of the continuous lightning strikes and screams. Then an unusually loud sound of thunder was heard. The others didn¡¯t care, but Lee Jeong who had long reached transcendence sensed some danger.


    ¡°...!?¡±Lee Jeong turned his head to the source of the sound. An incandescent man had dropped to the ground and grabbed Kyle¡¯s neck. It was a miracle that he managed to tear through the storm of currents which made physical intervention impossible and pulled Kyle out.


    ¡°K-Keok!¡±


    When did he get hit? Kyle struggled as he was held by the neck. The remnants of the currents, which had been torn apart, turned into a spear and returned to guard Kyle. Dozens of electric spears prated the unidentified monster. However, Kyle still couldn¡¯t breathe. The force in the hand holding his neck didn¡¯t loosen at all.


    ¡®He¡¯s fine?¡¯


    Why? No, even an attempt to figure out what was going on was a luxury right now. He had to survive first. Kyle transformed his body into electricity. He intended to escape from the hand that was holding his neck. Even so...


    ¡°...!!!¡±Kyle felt himself get extinguished the moment he turned into electricity. He was in pain like all the electricity he was made of was burning, and he had to stop his power hurriedly. Even the same electricity had a different voltage.


    Kyle¡¯s electricity generation was based on his innate constitution. In the past, he encountered a strange fate and went to the East Continent to receive the blue dragon¡¯s favor. However, this electricity was ultimately generated through the medium of a human body, and the blue dragon only enhanced his natural strength.


    In contrast, Grid processed and enhanced the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and assimted the power of the blue dragon itself into the Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots. If Kyle¡¯s electricity was 10,000 volts or 100,000 volts, then Grid¡¯s electricity¡ªwhich drew on the power of the blue dragon who oversaw lightning and rain¡ªwas one million volts or 10 million volts.


    If he had to make an analogy, it was easy to see it as the difference between Pikachu and Raichu. Kyle couldn¡¯t do any harm to Grid when he wore the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots. A heavy and cold voice entered the ears of the confused Kyle, ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    The shocked Kyle bit his tongue. His struggling body became limp, and an unidentified liquid dripped down. He had pissed himself. The god-like Kyle from a little while ago was gone. Kyle trembled. His newly regrown left arm was engulfed in a burning pain.


    ¡°...¡±


    Could Grid handle all of the war god¡¯s followers and this person with half his health remaining during the duration of Lightning God? An unusual notification window appeared in the vision of the troubled Grid.


    [The target haspletely lost his will to fight.]


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    His expectations from several experiences were confirmed at this moment. Kyle¡ªhe had been treated like a bug by Braham who borrowed Grid¡¯s body in the past. So, he equated Grid with Braham and still feared Grid. There was no resistance, and he didn¡¯t dare to even look at Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lookter.¡±


    There was no time to spare for an opponent who wasn¡¯t resisting. In many cases, it was virtually impossible to kill a durable named NPC. Grid let go of Kyle and turned his attention to the silent follower who was blindfolded and restrained. After observing the scene, Grid roughly grasped the situation and was furious with the follower above all else. Most of the wounds on Mercedes¡¯ body were bruises.


    ¡°You dared to harm my knight.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Lee Jeong¡¯s eyes widened under the blindfold. The identity of the person who quickly beat Kyle with overwhelming force was Mercedes¡¯ master?


    ¡®There is a reason why she worshipped her master like a god.¡¯


    His skin was bing numb. This was the power of the blue dragon. Why did he witness a power, which he had seen while serving the expelled gods, in this ce?


    ¡°...I see.¡± Lee Jeong came up with a hypothesis.¡°You are allied with the expelled gods?¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    ¡°It is ridiculous. They aren¡¯t thenterns of humanity.¡±


    The expelled gods...


    The beings that Grandmaster Zikfrector mentioned were emerging here? Grid moved. He couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity to get great information, so he acted quickly. Lightning God onlysted as long as the maximum speed was maintained. Grid had already reached the maximum speed, and he was fast enough to threaten the perfect transcendence.


    The panicked Kyle gathered his electric currents and thunder echoed in the forest again. Lee Jeong allowed nine attacks to get through while Grid managed toplete his sword dance.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this swordsmanship...?¡¯


    Was this man someone who rode in the same boat as the expelled gods?


    ©¤©¤!


    In the new quiet that fell, dozens of sword energy des descended on the iron binding Lee Jeong¡¯s hands. Grid didn¡¯t aim at the restraints. Rather, his attack was blocked by Lee Jeong raising the restraints. However, defense was pointless. This was followed by a thunderous sound again.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s body shook. The lightning property of the sword energy had electrocuted him. Yet, surprisingly, Lee Jeong counterattacked perfectly. His kick struck Grid¡¯s temple. It was the moment when the willpower of a transcendent overcame the notion of a status condition and the senses of a transcendent overcame speed.


    There was just one problem. It was pointless to take a lot of damage and fight back. Lee Jeong¡¯s kick clearly hit Grid, but Grid didn¡¯t receive any damage. Instead, Lee Jeong¡¯s feet passed through Grid.


    ¡®It is different.¡¯


    There were no imperfections. This was a lightning god. Lee Jeong was thinking this when he was struck by Pinnacle Kill. The bleeding Lee Jeong tried to escape, but his escape route had already been blocked by Grid.


    ¡°Really great!¡± Lee Jeong honestly felt admiration for Grid as he once again avoided Grid¡¯s attacks. He counterattacked, but it was once again pointless.


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.¡± Grid triggered all types of magic and sword energy as four sword dances were sublimated into one. It was a finishing blow.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s intuition warned him of danger.¡®I have to release my restraints...!¡¯


    He had made the wrong judgment. After all, he wasn¡¯t the only one with experience. Lee Jeong realized in hindsight and resented the restraints he wore for training.


    [The duration of ckening is over.]


    Grid slowed down dramatically.


    [Lightning God has been turned off.]


    The white light winding around Grid¡¯s body disappeared. However, Grid wasn¡¯t upset. He had been calcting the duration of the skill. Grid had already taken control of Lee Jeong andpleted Transcended Link Pinnacle Kill. The skill would hit. Victory or defeat in this fight had already been decided.


    Grid judged this and calmly swung the Enlightenment Sword.


    ¡°ck Death Light!¡± Lee Jeong was someone who fought evenly with Mercedes while wearing restraints. He wasn¡¯t someone Grid could handle without the Lightning God state.


    ¡°...?!¡±Grid¡¯s vision darkened. His body was baffled.


    sh!


    A sharp light prated.


    [You have suffered 145,900 damage!]


    [The First King title effect is activated.]


    [A protective shield containing the health that was lost in thest minute has been created. As the shield continues, terrain adaptability will increase by 100% while movement speed and defense will increase by 10%.]


    [Tiramet¡¯s Power belonging to the Rune of Darkness is activated.]


    [If your health drops below 10%, 30% health will be restored in an instant.]


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    It was the worst. Due to the loss of vision, Transcended Link Pinnacle Kill was canceled in the middle.


    ¡®It took too much time toe here.¡¯


    He had arrived at the World Tree¡¯s Forest through Mass Teleport. Then Grid witnessed the explosion that urred in the distance and noticed that Asmophel had triggered the Power of the Number Two. He had been running since then. However, the forest was so wide that he had felt like he wouldn¡¯t arrive on time. Then Mercedes set up a new chivalric code, and an explosion urred. Grid used ckening out of anxiety.


    He had used this power because he couldn¡¯t summon his knights without knowing the exact situation. This was the result. Defeat?


    ¡°You are fine after being hit with ck Kill Light?¡±


    No. Asmophel and Mercedes did as Grid expected and recovered sufficiently while he was buying time.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Grid was surprised as he stood on his two feet. He saw two people running beside him. The red-hot Asmophel and the cold Mercedes were a perfect contrast. Grid moved with them.


    ¡°Tell me about the expelled gods!¡±


    ¡°K-Kuaaaack!¡±


    The three different swordsmen flowed like a wave and mmed toward Lee Jeong.

 Chapter 1115

    ¡®The seven malignant saints failed because they didn¡¯t rely on the expelled gods.¡¯


    This was the confession of Grandmaster Zikfrector. He was insistent. In order to bring down the gods of the present, he had to meet the expelled gods. The way to meet them hid in the Abyss. What were the expelled gods? Grid was filled with intense curiosity. He vowed to explore the Abyss as soon as he had the power to raid the hydra.


    ¡°Tell me about the expelled gods!¡±


    Then a war god follower he met by chance referred to the expelled gods. He even acted like he knew them well. Unlike the grandmaster, this person viewed them in a negative fashion.


    Grid released Link with as much strength as possible. Dozens of energy des struck but Lee Jeong used a mysterious way of protecting himself and blocked them all. No, he thought he blocked all of it.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Lee Jeong was surprised. A knife cut into a corner of his eyes hidden by the blindfold. There were a few additional scratches scattered around his body, causing him to bleed. It was the effect of every blow activating Braham¡¯s Wind Cutter. Of course, the improved Wind Cutter was still weak in power. It couldn¡¯t cause him to suffer at all. However, Lee Jeong was surprisingly shaken.


    ¡®It is something I¡¯ve never imagined.¡¯


    To think that swordsmanship and magic could be so harmonious...? It was something that no great martial artist or supreme magician could reproduce.


    ¡®Is this the power of being overgeared?¡¯


    He had to admit it. This would surely be one of the ultimatebat techniques. He would¡¯ve suffered a major loss if the power had been greater.


    ¡®Catching a glimpse of the ultimate technique without the help of the war god...¡¯


    Lee Jeong became serious when he recalled Mercedes stating that her king was already like a god.


    ¡®He is a harmful man.¡¯


    Grid must be killed here. If Lee Jeong didn¡¯tpletely cut down the bud here, it would be a huge threat one day. This was the moment when the confident Lee Jeong tried to counterattack after a series of strikes. He felt the heat. Then a great pain struck Lee Jeong¡¯s back. Asmophel revealed his blooming swordsmanship, and his surprise attack was a sess.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    [You have joined forces with people you absolutely trust!]


    Caught in the heat that burned his intestines and evaporated his blood, Lee Jeong gritted his teeth and unleashed a new technique. He reached Grid in an instant and dug his fingers into Grid¡¯s neck. The shield created by the First King title shattered in one blow.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Where did such a person suddenly pop out from? Grid got goosebumps as he once again confirmed Lee Jeong¡¯s strength. Even so, he wasn¡¯t afraid. After all, he wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡± Lee Jeong screamed as he tried to subdue Grid. It was because Mercedes¡¯ White Tiger Sword pierced his side.


    [The yermon hidden piece, ¡®Cooperative Skill¡¯ has activated!]


    ¡®Now!¡¯ Grid didn¡¯t miss the time that Mercedes earned for him.


    He barely controlled his shaky vision and released a sword dance.¡°LInked Kill Flower Pinnacle!¡±


    [The power of all skills have increased by 240% thanks to the Cooperative Skill!]


    The Cooperative Skill was a hidden piece that urred when linking skills with people he trusted. Grid had experienced this effect in the past with Piaro, Asmophel, and Maxong. Additionally, there was the achievement of being the first yer to find it.


    [You are the first person to uncover the existence of the Cooperative Skill.]


    [The achievement has increased the power of your skill by 260%!]


    The basic effect of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle dealt 1,850% physical damage. It was an attack power that couldn¡¯t be ignored, even by great demons possessing high defense and health. Now it soared by several times due to the effect of the Cooperative Skill, and it was a damage that Lee Jeong couldn¡¯t afford when he was ssified as an NPC, not a boss monster.


    ¡°...!¡± Lee Jeong couldn¡¯t even scream. He mmed to the ground, and his health gauge quickly fell to the bottom. He had already suffered critical injuries from dealing with Mercedes.


    ¡°Cough, cough...!¡± Lee Jeong coughed up blood. He dodged Mercedes¡¯ next linked attack and then shook off Asmophel. His eyes were fixed on Grid as he drank a potion with trembling hands. ¡°Do you really know?¡±


    ¡°The expelled gods? I don¡¯t know. I wouldn¡¯t be asking if I knew.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! Kukukuk...!¡± Lee Jeong burst outughing. He wasn¡¯tughing at his situation. He wasughing at Grid. The heir to Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship didn¡¯t know the identity of the expelled gods. What was funnier than that in this world?


    Anyway, he was d. This person didn¡¯t seem to be the minion of the expelled gods. Lee Jeongughed and opened his mouth to continue speaking just before Grid¡¯s patience ran out, ¡°Do you know that there is another continent beyond the Red Sea?¡±


    Grid nodded. ¡°If it is the East Continent, I¡¯ve already been there.¡±


    ¡°There is a ce called the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°....?¡±Grid jumped with surprise.


    ¡°It is a nation ruled by immortal humans.¡±


    The yangbans. Perhaps...?


    Lee Jeong smiled as he stared into Grid¡¯s wide eyes. ¡°Yes, they are the expelled gods.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡± Grid had already experienced how the yangbans regarded humans as insignificant. Thus, he denied it. ¡°There is no way. It isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    The reason why the seven malignant saints denied the gods and rebelled was the gods¡¯ original sins¡ªjealousy, betrayal, deception, and so on. It was because the sins of the gods harmed humanity that the seven malignant saints fought. They were ultimately fighting to protect humanity. Was their hope the yangbans?


    ...The yangbans who enved and killed humans easily, unlike today¡¯s gods who gave the illusion of blessing and caring for humans? There was a constant ringing sound in Grid¡¯s ears. He was caught in extreme confusion and stared nkly at Lee Jeong.¡°That... Are you lying?¡±


    ¡°Hat...! Kuhahaha!¡± Lee Jeongughed again. Mercedes witnessed Grid¡¯s red face and flew forward. Lee Jeong, who had released his restraints, blocked her attack.Both of his hands were freed now, making him much stronger.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it? The expelled gods aren¡¯t thenterns of humanity.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They were just banished and deprived of their rights because they were weak. They aren¡¯t cast out noble beings who will defend humanity from the present gods.¡±


    ¡°Then why are the seven malignant... The seven malignant saints are seeking their help...¡±


    ¡°Of course, they are seeking help. The seven malignant saints might¡¯ve won the past war against the gods if they borrowed the expelled gods¡¯ power.¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    ¡°Did you say your name was Guldu?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call My Liege¡¯s name so casually. First and foremost, his name is Grid, not Guldu.¡±


    ¡°My pronunciation isn¡¯t good,¡± Lee Jeong said, parrying the annoyed Mercedes¡¯ attack. Then he spoke again, ¡°Guldu, I don¡¯t know who among the seven malignant saints you have met, but don¡¯t lose sight of the main point.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Did they say that the expelled gods were good?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    There was no such thing. The grandmaster had merely stated that he could bring down the present gods by borrowing the power of the expelled gods. He never spoke about the tendencies of the expelled gods.


    ¡°The gods are all evil. This is just from the perspective of a human. If you raise a flower in a small pot and sometimes envy the peace of the flower or the beauty of the flower, are you evil? Are humans evil when using nts as fertilizer? The history of this world and the events we will go through in the future are all just providence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°However, one thing is certain.¡±


    Lee Jeong was born in the East Continent. Like everyone else there, he had worshipped the yangbans as gods. He recalled the daily life he went through hundreds of years ago. The emotions he felt after reaching the end had only been anger and resentment.


    ¡°...The present gods are better than the expelled gods. It is easy to think of it as the difference between an owner who treats the growing nts well from time to time and an owner who constantly abuses the flower he is raising.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was an unpleasant metaphor. Still, it was so appropriate that it was a problem.


    Lee Jeong stared at Grid, who had no answer.¡°You¡¯re definitely... You aren¡¯t the minion of the expelled gods. Then there is no reason for us to be enemies.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My name is Lee Jeong. I am one of the Triad who explored the mysteries presented by the war god. I will surely defeat the expelled gods with the ultimate martial arts. Definitely...¡±


    What did he suffer because of the yangbans? A deep grudge could be felt from Lee Jeong. Well, it made sense when Grid thought of Garam¡¯s personality.


    The silent Grid finally asked, ¡°The seven malignant saints¡ªare they good?¡±


    The grandmaster must know the tendencies of the yangbans. Nevertheless, he wanted to cooperate with them. His only reason was to bring down the present gods. Was it really an act for humanity? Rather, wasn¡¯t it an act that endangered humanity?


    Lee Jeong snorted at Grid¡¯s question. ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to everything I¡¯ve said? In any case, it is a matter of your own judgment.


    The distinction between good and evil varied depending on the position. Grid agreed. In the first ce, the tendencies of the seven malignant saints had nothing to do with him. He had already chosen once. It was his choice to not be hostile with the gods.


    ¡°...Yes, I understand. Go on your way.¡± He wouldn¡¯t take the time to chase Lee Jeong. After all, Grid had no confidence he could fight Lee Jeong and win without any sacrifices. ¡°Oh, leave Kyle behind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lee Jeong hesitated as he was going to take Kyle away. This person was going to stand in his way despite confirming through the conversation that they didn¡¯t need to be enemies...?


    ¡°You are surprisingly unwise.¡±


    Grid smiled at the hostile Lee Jeong.


    ¡°Our positions are different, right?¡±


    Grid was reading the eyes of the surviving elves. There were a handful of survivors. They had once again been trampled on by humans and focused their anger on Kyle, not the followers of the war god. The culprit of this event was Kyle, so Grid had to hold Kyle ountable.


    Lee Jeong determined he couldn¡¯t speak to Grid and nced at Mercedes.¡°Tell your master. I don¡¯t know about the distant future, but you can¡¯t beat me right now.¡±


    His restraints were released. Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight would¡¯ve been able to gauge his level. This fight was pointless. Lee Jeong was certain of this.


    ¡°Summon Knights. Piaro, Noll, Teruchan.¡±


    ¡°I have responded to My Liege¡¯s call.¡±A farmer holding a hand plow...


    ¡°Ah! I was asleep! Asleep!¡± A vampire with red potatoes in his mouth like a squirrel...


    ¡°Grruk. Underwear. Didn¡¯t take off. Grruk.¡± An orc wearing yellow underwear...


    ¡°...¡± The sudden appearance of these new figures forced Lee Jeong to change his attitude.In particr, he was wary of the farmer. ¡°I understand... I will leave Kyle to you.¡±


    ¡°Good decision.¡±


    ¡°Che.¡± Had he ever experienced such humiliation since leaving the Hwan Kingdom? Lee Jeong clicked his tongue and was about to leave without Kyle when Grid stopped him.


    ¡°Finally, I want to ask you two more things.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the Abyss?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the end of the world? I naturally know it. You have to go through there if you want to ess the Hwan Kingdom without permission.¡±


    ¡®So that was it.¡¯ Grid nodded and asked thest question, ¡°Are you nning to be active on the West Continent?¡±


    It was the most important question. The followers of the war god were too strong. In particr, Lee Jeong was at least on the level of the grandmaster. There was a risk that the Overgeared Kingdom would be swept up in the aftermath if Lee Jeong were active on the West Continent.


    Lee Jeong shook his head at the wary Grid.¡°I don¡¯t have time to y here. If we meet again, it will probably be in the East Continent beyond the Red Sea.¡±


    There was no further conversation. Lee Jeong¡¯s consideration for Grid went up to here. He stepped on the air and quickly disappeared from Grid¡¯s field of view.


    Meanwhile, Noll and Teruchan were fighting.


    ¡°Y-You¡ªthis orc dared to take away my food?¡±


    ¡°Raw liver. Gruruk. It tastes like that. Gruruk. Delicious!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m going to feed on your blood today!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was tired. He grabbed his head while Piaro reunited with his former colleagues. Then Skunk¡¯s exhausted group btedly arrived at the scene.


    Kyle gave up on life and stood still. It was meaningless if he tried to flee because he was caught by Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight.

 Chapter 1116

    ¡°What? An orc is fine after my blood magic?¡±


    ¡°Grruk. It hurts. Vampire. Bad! Grruk!¡±


    ¡°A kid who hasn¡¯t lost his baby fat shouldn¡¯t talk back to me! I have lived hundreds of years longer than you!¡±


    ¡°A strong person. Gruruk. Adult!¡±


    ¡°This rude little bastard! Ack! My potatoes! Give me my potatoes!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The potato battle between Teruchan, who looked like an uncle in his mid-30s, and Noll, a beautiful teenager who seemed to be in his teens, intensified while Skunk¡¯s party watched with bemused expressions. It was a confusing conversation where a vampire and carnivorous orc argued over a potato, so they thought it was a bug.


    ¡®Is the red potato special...?¡¯ Skunk¡¯s group started to pay attention to the blood potatoes.


    ¡®The Five Seniors and the Chiyou.¡¯ Meanwhile, Grid was thinking about the organizational chart of the Hwan Kingdom. Garam and Pagma were yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. On top of them were the Chiyou who passed the test and the Five Seniors they served.


    ¡®First... I don¡¯t think the average yangban are gods.¡¯


    Grid knew Garam and Pagma well. Theirbat power was unique, especially when Pagma overwhelmed the great demons, but it wasn¡¯t enough to be considered as a god. In Garam¡¯s case, his specialty was ¡®blindness¡¯, and he had been caught off guard by Grid several times. A god wouldn¡¯t be so clumsy. Additionally, Hexetia¡¯s jealousy of Pagma was due to a ¡®human¡¯ threatening a god¡¯s specialty. It was clear evidence that Pagma wasn¡¯t a god.


    ¡®The Five Seniors and the Chiyou are gods while those beneath them are the descendants of gods...?¡¯


    It was a reasonable guess. Grid got a chill down his spine as he thought about the two categories of yangban and the possibility that there was a king-like presence among the Five Seniors.


    ¡®It was a god¡¯s power.¡¯


    In the past, there was the sudden event of a hidden quest ¡®Call of the Heavens.¡¯ It was a massive quest for all cksmith yers, and Grid led 100 cksmiths to the East Continent. He met Garam there and got in a predicament. At the time, Garam had said it was to catch him.


    That¡¯s right. The quest that had attracted hundreds of thousands of cksmiths had actually been a trap for Grid. Grid had been seduced by NPCs using quests. He had been going through it since bing Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so it wasn¡¯t insignificant.


    ¡®It gives me goosebumps when I think about it now.¡¯


    It was impossible to create a quest of such magnitude unless they were a god. So, it was likely that Garam got the help of one of the Five Seniors to set the trap. The expelled gods already knew him, and they weren¡¯t favorable to him.


    Grid felt a vague fear as he had a thought. If he didn¡¯t know the identity of the Abyss, he might¡¯ve explored it sessfully and entered the Hwan Kingdom. What would he have suffered? Just imagining it was horrible. He wanted to thank Lee Jeong.


    ¡®It is a strange fate.¡¯


    No matter how he thought about it, his rtionship with the yangbans seemed to be negative. Garam wasn¡¯t the problem. Grid needed more strength. He needed information. One day, he might fall into a trap and face a crisis.


    ¡®I need to work harder.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the time to be relieved that he had passed level 400, and it wasn¡¯t the time to be satisfied that he had be transcendent.


    ¡®Can I make something like a mobile smithy?¡¯


    Due to the nature of his profession, Grid had to spend a lot of time stuck in a smithy. It meant he couldn¡¯t hunt often, leading to a low growth rate.


    ¡®I want to hunt and do cksmithing at the same time.¡¯


    Of course, Grid had a portable furnace. It was just that one furnace couldn¡¯t create theplete environment of a smithy. There were obvious limitations to the type of items and the materials that could be used with the portable furnace. Therefore, it was less efficient to hunt and cksmith at the same time. Then what if he had a portable smithy?


    ¡®What if I work in a smithy in the middle of the hunting ground while Noe and the God Hands sweep away the mobs?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart was pounding with excitement as he considered it. He thought it was quite feasible.


    ¡®Would it be enough to build a barrack in a big wagon?¡¯


    It would be just like a motorhome. As it happened, Grid knew a dexterous dwarf. Dwarf Ke had been caught by Grid after breaking into the castle and couldn¡¯t refuse Grid¡¯s request easily.


    ¡®It is a race that loves making things, so if I give a reasonable reward, he will work on it actively.¡¯


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid turned when he heard someone calling for him.


    How long had they been waiting? There were three knights in uniform.


    Piaro introduced them, ¡°In order, they are called Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante. During the time when Asmophel and I led the Red Knights, they were called the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Knights. Each one has a high reputation. They have lived rough lives and so might not know formalities well, but they are highly skilled and loyal.¡±


    ¡°H-Hello, Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I¡¯ve heard a lot about you!¡±


    ¡°I heard that you took care of Captain Piaro and cleared our names. I am deeply grateful for your grace.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor. This body of mine might be an old one, but if you give me a chance, I¡¯d like to serve Your Majesty with all my heart.¡±


    ¡°It is nice to meet you.¡±


    There was nothing happier in the world than getting new colleagues. These were former single digit knights. Still, Grid wasn¡¯t excited. He turned his gaze behind the three knights. Asmophel and Mercedes were visible. Mercedes had been helping Asmophel for months while he had wandered alone for years to collect old colleagues. Grid¡¯s heart throbbed at the sight of them in rags.


    ¡°Everyone has suffered.¡±


    Grid strode past the three knights toward Asmophel and Mercedes, hugging them tightly. He had trained hard over the years, so his chest was wide enough to amodate two people at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you foring back safely.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m d to see you.¡±


    The embrace of the three people continued for a long time. Grid couldn¡¯t release strength from the arms hugging the two people, seemingly not wanting to let them go again. The emotions in his heart were felt by the two people.


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes smiled as happily as a girl while Asmophel grimaced. Sinners didn¡¯t deserve to be happy. Amelda bowed her head as she watched from a distance. ¡°A-Asmophel. How pitiful.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ***


    Grid pulled out the King¡¯s Sword and observed the knights in turn.


    [Name: Amelda


    Age: 37 Gender: Female


    Race: Human


    Title: Geographer


    * Finds terrain that¡¯s favorable to your allies in any location.


    * Increases the terrain adaptability of your party by 100%.


    * Greatly increases the marching speed of the army.


    Title: Chatterbox


    * Loves having conversations. Be sure to stutter the first word to demoralize the enemy and reduce their stats slightly.


    * There is a low probability of providing buffs when talking to allies.


    Level: 435


    Strength: 2,673 Stamina: 1,960


    Agility: 2,300 Intelligence: 2,105


    Skills: Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (B), Genius in Swordsmanship (S), Geography (SS)


    The Third Knight of the former Red Knights¡ªshe was the only daughter of a family that had produced the most renowned schrs for generations. She joined the Red Knights after showing exceptional talent in swordsmanship. Since then, she has achieved countless achievements in wars.]


    In Amelda¡¯s case, her level was very lowpared to Singuled. Considering that Singuled was the Second Knight and Mercedes¡¯ assessment that he was stronger than Asmophel, the level difference was too great. Singuled¡¯s level was already 455 when they first met a few years ago.


    Additionally, Singuled possessed arge number of titles and skills specialized inbat, while Amelda was more unusual. She wasn¡¯t like a knight. In fact, she didn¡¯t look very strong. However, her total stats were extraordinarily high, and her ability to use geography as amander seemed to be outstanding. Above all, the skill Genius in Swordsmanship was amazing.


    [Genius in Swordsmanship]


    [Skills that are ssified as ¡®swordsmanship¡¯ can be learned without a skill book.


    It is limited to a total of five types.


    Currently learned swordsmanship (1/5): Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship.]


    ¡®What does it mean to learn skills without a skill book?¡¯


    Grid cocked his head as he realized something.


    ¡®Is teaching possible?¡¯


    Perhaps.


    ¡®Will she learn it if I teach her my sword dances?¡¯


    No, it was unlikely. It might be possible if Genius in Swordsmanship was an SS-grade skill, but it was only S-grade. She wouldn¡¯t be able to learn legendary skills.


    Grid was reminded of Kraugel. ¡®Kraugel must¡¯ve learned many sword techniques even before bing a Sword Saint.¡¯


    What would happen if Kraugel taught Amelda?


    ¡®I heard there is even a swordsmanship that increases strength. If Amelda acquires that type of swordsmanship, she will ovee her shorings and be very strong.¡¯


    The question was whether Kraugel would help her.


    ¡®I¡¯ll ask next time.¡¯


    [Name: Kentrick


    Age: 41 Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Title: Knight of Annihtion


    * Increases physical attack by 15% and the attack power of single target skills by 50%. Deals more damage to enemies with greater health.


    Title: Vanguard


    * Can wear all types of armor and the defense of equipped armor will increase by 10%.


    * Once you stand at the vanguard of the battle, you will gain a shield that is proportional to your maximum health.


    * In battle, the first target to be attacked will be hit unconditionally, and there will be a high chance of instantly killing them.


    Level: 440


    Strength: 3,820 Stamina: 2,190


    Agility: 1,215 Intelligence: 503


    Skills: Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (B), Charge (A), Charge Command (S), Decapitation Cut (SS).


    The Seventh Knight of the former Red Knights¡ªhis ability to sweep through the battlefield is unparalleled. Even Piaro gave up the vanguard when he was with him.]


    [Name: Dante


    Age: 73 Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Title: Veteran


    * All attacks will deal a critical hit, and there is a high probability of triggering a weakness attack.


    * When attacking, 30% of the target¡¯s armor is ignored, and there is a low chance of disarming them.


    Title: Vigorous Old Age


    * Always immune to critical hits and receives damage on behalf of nearby allies. Relieves 80% of the damage done to teammates.


    Level: 480


    Strength: 1,820 (¨‹) Stamina: 650 (¨‹)


    Agility: 715 (¨‹) Intelligence: 1,503


    ¡ï This person¡¯s life ising to an end.


    Skills: Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (S), Dotage Swordsmanship, Bodyguard (S), Reserve Strength (SS)]


    The Ninth Knight of the former Red Knights¡ªhe is a power who mastered the foundations of the Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship and is a mentor to all the Red Knights.


    He is a lot weaker now that he is old, but he often exhibits a surprising strength.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was good up to Kentrick. He thought he really got a jackpot. Then Grid¡¯s heart cooled down when he confirmed Dante¡¯s information. The phrase ¡®life ising to an end¡¯ pierced Grid. He was forced to think of Khan. Grid took a deep breath and smiled as widely as possible to the three knights.¡°I amcking but I will try not to shame you as your king.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor, Your Majesty,¡± the three knights answered vigorously as they fell to one knee. In the huge forest, the knight¡¯s pledge ceremony that was carried out under the golden sunlight wasn¡¯t shabby but rather solemn and sacred. The knights¡ªwho had been abandoned by their masters once already¡ªpledged allegiance to a new master, and the new master pledged allegiance to them.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±The Sword Knights cheered from their position.


    ¡®Crazy bastards.¡¯ Kyle clicked his tongue in a bewildered manner.

 Chapter 1117

    Sunlight seeped into white hair and eyshes, causing them to shine transparently like a snowfield. The pupils below it were a clear blue, like the sea under the clouds. There were no blemishes on the skin that seemed to be sprayed by white paint. The thick nose and pink lips were also in harmony, making people wonder if there was a more beautiful woman in the world.


    -So pretty.


    The viewers flocked to Resh¡¯s video the moment it went live. They were captivated by the sight of the white Mercedes on the screen. Both men and women were fascinated by her beauty and unaware of the situation in the video. Then suddenly...


    -It is real...


    The viewers were shocked. The battle between Mercedes and Lee Jeong was so high-level they could only see that it was ¡®over Grid¡¯. Then Kyle suddenly awakened in a manner reminiscent of a final boss. Kyle¡¯s momentary presence was so fearsome that it gave the impression that even the famous legendary farmer was no match for Kyle.


    -Ah, it is the end.


    The audience groaned. Surrounded by Kyle and the followers, Mercedes quickly received serious injuries and became bloody. At this moment...


    -Waaahhhhhhhh!


    Demon King Grid appeared. His appearance of wielding lightning and pulling ¡®Final Boss Kyle¡¯ out of the current threatening Mercedes was more ferocious than any other predator. Then...


    [email protected]!%#


    Resh¡¯s livestream was over. Disconnecting at the most important moment? Did he want to record the video for himself and sell themter at a higher fee? Resh, who they thought was a chivalrous knight, had already be a broadcaster.


    The reporters who heard the rumors rushed to the Forest of the World Tree.


    ***


    For a few minutes, Kyle had showed the grandeur of a final boss. Now he was reduced to a folding screen.


    ¡®Crazy bastards.¡¯


    The empire and Overgeared Kingdom were allies. However, the Sword Knights were direct knights under Dndal and Dndal was the traitor wanting to overthrow the current empire. The monstrous Grid was believed to have a deep rtionship with Empress Basara. Overgeared King Grid was likely to be their enemy and the Sword Knights had to keep this in mind.


    Yet they were cheering for Grid. They shouted at and thanked Grid for being cool when Amelda said she wouldn¡¯t betray her liege. They knew the identity of the person who cleared the former Red Knights was Grid. It was impossible for them to not know the circumstances now that Piaro and Asmophel served Grid.


    ¡°Hooray King Grid!¡±


    ¡°King Grid, please lead the seniors well...!¡±


    The Sword Knights became knights because they admired the Red Knights of Piaro¡¯s era. In fact, they hadn¡¯t aimed their swords at Asmophel¡¯s party. They cheered on Asmophel¡¯s party, leaving the tyrant Kyle to struggle to the very end.


    ¡®Stupid, stupid. The extras in a third-rate y won¡¯t be as simple and t as you.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s ridicule increased. In his eyes, the Sword Knights were pathetic. It wasn¡¯t normal to support those who would be hostile to them. No, was there any need to discuss the distant future? Kyle had pushed Asmophel and Mercedes to the brink of death. By the way, Kyle was themander-in-chief of the Sword Knights. Both Kyle and the Sword Knights were in a position to be executed by Grid right away.


    ¡®These idiots don¡¯t have a sense of reality...¡¯


    ...No, wait. Kyle currently wasn¡¯t in a position tough at them.


    ¡°...¡±


    The smirking Kyle soon bowed his head. His eyes were suddenly cold.


    ¡®I¡¯m pathetic.¡¯


    It was a meaningless life. After losing one arm to Grid, he tried to be stronger but failed to achieve it. Rather than getting revenge, he couldn¡¯t even make eye contact properly and sumbed. Was there any other human in the world more pathetic than him? Certainly not. There were none worse than him among the ¡®significantly weak¡¯ he had previously dealt with. Even the elves and that knight called Resh had kept their convictions as they were killed.


    On the other hand, he couldn¡¯t even get vengeance, let alone maintain his conviction. The power he umted had sumbed to fear. He even wanted to pee.


    ¡®At this age...¡¯


    He wanted to die. He wanted to clear the rumors even if he died.


    ¡°...¡±


    The hands made of hard, cold metal. Kyle, who was restrained by self-moving golden hands, started to emit an electric current. His condition was the best since he recovered by consuming Origin True Energy. He had remained due to his fear of Grid but things had changed.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to die.¡¯


    He became determined and was no longer afraid. Kyle shook off the God Hands by exploding the electric currents in his body and held a dagger in his hand. He tried to m it into his neck.


    There were ripples in the puddles of blood from the battle. They transformed into a pir of blood and struck Kyle, restraining him from acting. It was an expression of blood magic that transcendedmon sense in all aspects of power and speed. A silver-haired boy growled as he bared his teeth to the flustered Kyle. ¡°A prisoner shouldn¡¯t move arbitrarily.¡±


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t even die at will? No, Grid had too many subordinates. From Asmophel, Mercedes, Piaro, the direct descendant vampire, and the orc lord...


    Each one was an opponent that Kyle couldn¡¯t easily beat. In particr, that human Piaro... he wasn¡¯t human. His demonic talent had been seen since he was young.


    Kyle was certain. ¡®I¡¯m certain... Grid is truly the Undefeated King¡¯s descendant.¡¯


    Not only did this monster have the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King, he also used magic and the power of the blue dragon. He wasn¡¯t alone, unlike the Undefeated King. He had a number of minions, each of them powerful enough to single-handedly devastate a fortress. Revenge on Grid was impossible from the very beginning. It was a difference in force.


    ¡°...Yes, do whatever you want to me, whether it is to boil me or bake me.¡±


    He would ept it, no matter how terrible the torture. The moment Kyle realized this, he put everything down. He was determined to experience the miserable state of the weak.


    ¡°...¡±


    Step.Step.


    Grid was approaching. Kyle flinched and the current hovering around his body disappeared.


    Step.Step.


    Kyle¡¯s entire body trembled as Grid drew closer. The dder and sphincter became loosened.


    Grid asked thepletely pale Kyle, ¡°Is the war god hostile to me?¡±


    Grid remembered the sudden quest that urred at the Ruins of the War God.


    [Follower of the War God, Kyle]


    [Difficulty: SSS


    One of the Five Pirs, Kyle visited the ruins under themand of the emperor.


    Then he met the War God.


    He believed that the path of martial arts proposed by the war god was a blessing and became an ardent follower.


    Fight and win against him who came running to kill you under the order of the war god!]


    These were the contents. It had a difficulty of SSS so Grid couldn¡¯t easily forget it. Grid noted that Kyle had been manded by the war god.¡¯ There were many sections that pricked him. Grid had done many things that might¡¯ve offended the war god. Kyle grasped the intentions behind the question and shook his head.


    ¡°The war god, to you...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kyle was so shaken that he bit his tongue. His pained and sweaty appearance as he bled from his mouth caused Grid to think, ¡®Braham is truly great.¡¯ Kyle was obviously a monster. The effect of the King¡¯s Sword was to observe his people and soldiers. In other words, it was impossible to see Kyle¡¯s details because it only worked on allies. Even so, Grid was certain.


    This person was at least equal to Mercedes and Piaro. Yet this monster became a gentle sheep in front of Grid. No, it went beyond gentleness. Grid wasn¡¯t the great one. This was the butterfly effect caused by Braham. Grid would¡¯ve died at least twice if Braham hadn¡¯t instilled trauma in Kyle. Grid was in thought when the still bleeding Kyle spoke, ¡°T-The war god isn¡¯t hostile to you. He is interested...¡±


    ¡°Yet you tried to kill me because of the war god¡¯s order?¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    Kyle seemed to want to hide something. He kept mumbling as he kept avoiding Grid¡¯s gaze. Grid frowned with frustration. Then Kyle once again bit his tongue and barely maintained his grip on his dder.


    ¡°I-I said I wanted to get revenge on you and that I would like to give it a try... that¡¯s it...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Grid was relieved after finding out the truth of the quest. He had no intention of bing hostile to the gods. It was annoying and dangerous to have the hatred of Garam, who was only a ¡®descendant of a god¡¯. What if he actually had the hatred of a god? It should never happen.


    ¡®Additionally, Kyle is special among the followers of the war god.¡¯


    Most war god followers had no sense of reason and were ssified as monsters. On the other hand, Kyle was a super-named NPC and a follower. Lee Jeong, who was believed to have an important position among the war god followers, tried to protect Kyle to the very end. It could be seen from this that the war god had a pretty big liking towards Kyle. Of course, it was a type of liking when seeing a funny toy.


    ¡®In any case, I can be seen as being hostile to the war god if I kill this guy.¡¯


    He should avoid killing Kyle with his own hands as much as possible. Moreover, there was the most important fact.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to kill him.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s alignment was close to evil. He also threatened Asmophel and Mercedes. Yet Grid needed to maintain hisposure. This wasn¡¯t an opponent to be emotional toward. Kyle¡¯s usefulness value was too high.


    ¡°Kyle.¡± Grid thought about it a moment before speaking to Kyle, ¡°You are a pir of Saharan. I have no intention of harming you, despite the argument through a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Kyle and the Sword Knights had shaky eyes. Meanwhile, all the knights on Grid¡¯s side were calm. Asmophel, who was about to die because of Kyle, was quiet and showed no signs of agitation. He has served Grid for a long time, and he has neither been dissatisfied with nor questioned Grid¡¯s decision.


    In the end, Kyle was forced to ask a question, ¡°What does that mean? It wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding. It was a conflict and you... Your Majesty, shouldn¡¯t you know better than anyone else? I tried to hurt Your Majesty¡¯s knights and even showed hostility to Your Majesty...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all safe?¡±


    Kyle was afraid of Grid. It was because of this deep-rooted fear that he couldn¡¯t disobey Grid. In fact, Grid had experienced it many times. Grid was convinced that he could control Kyle. Grid smiled as widely as possible. He reproduced Braham¡¯s arrogant personality.


    ¡°You can forget about the past and do well in the future. If another misunderstanding causes you to make the same mistake... I¡¯ll cut off all your limbs and then cut off the ones that grow back. Therefore, keep your head straight.¡±


    ¡°H-Heok! U-Understood! I will keep that in mind!!¡±


    The terrified Kyle hurriedly bowed. The pride of the person who coveted the ultimate martial arts? There was no need for that. Kyle was faithful to the providence of power. What pride was needed against the strongest person he couldn¡¯t fight?


    Thus, War God Follower Kyle virtually became Grid¡¯s minion. It was a snowball effect created by Braham.

 Chapter 1118

    ¡°Pant. Pant.¡±


    Resh was swept away by the explosion. The moment he resurrected, he started running back to the World Tree¡¯s Forest. Naturally, he knew that he couldn¡¯t help even if he went there. It might even be toote by the time he arrived.


    ¡®However.¡¯


    Resh didn¡¯t worry about his stamina. Arriving at the forest was his task so he ran constantly.


    ¡®I have to catch Kyle¡¯s eye for a moment to create a gap.¡¯


    It would be a very small gap. Still, that variable could be a strength for someone. Of course, it was too optimistic. Nevertheless, it was the right thing to do even if there was only a 0.01% chance. This was a knight.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Resh shouted once he finally arrived at the World Tree¡¯s Forest.


    ¡°Mercedes!¡±


    His voice grew louder as he followed the traces of destruction and approached the scene of the battle.


    ¡°Asmophel!¡±


    Resh was desperate. Lee Jeong and Kyle were monsters. It might be different if the battle was with Lee Jeong and Mercedes alone, but Kyle was resurrected. They would never be easy opponents for Grid.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Resh prayed. He prayed and prayed for them to be safe. Then suddenly...


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    He arrived at the scene, and then he saw it.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind!!¡±


    Kyle was bowing in front of Grid.


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°Eh? It is Resh.¡±


    What was this? Grid¡¯s group was intact, the war god followers had disappeared without a trace, and Kyle was lying t on his face. Grid waved to Resh, who was stunned by the unexpected sight. ¡°Resh, were you acting with them?¡±


    Grid knew that Resh was Dndal¡¯s knight. He had heard the story in person and after exploring the Abyss with Resh and Coke, Grid knew that Resh had opened up affinity with Dndal as part of the quest reward.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I, also, the elves...¡±


    Resh didn¡¯t say many words. It was Dndal¡¯smand and Kyle¡¯s coercion that forced him to invade the forest. He couldn¡¯t bear to hurt the elves. Resh didn¡¯t make these excuses. He had chosen to be Dndal¡¯s knight and it was true that he killed the elves in the other small forests before arriving here at the World Tree¡¯s Forest.


    ¡°...¡±


    Resh lowered his head. He was heartbroken when he saw the miserable faces of the elf survivors, who had no more than 10 people left. Then an unexpected person came to Resh¡¯s side. It was one of the surviving elves. Once again, she had lost precious friends and family to humans. She hated and cursed humans yet she held Resh¡¯s trembling hands.


    ¡°Thank you, Human.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Resh¡¯s mind was nk. Why was she thanking him?


    ¡°I... I hurt your kin beforeing here.¡± Resh confessed. He was prepared to be med and resented, yet the elf only held his hand tighter.


    "You must be in emotional pain. You are sad. You helped us because you didn¡¯t want to repeat the same regret.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was an unexpectedfort.


    Mercedes spoke to the very flustered Resh, ¡°I heard your shout from a distance. That¡¯s how we were able to notice and run here. In the end, the one who saved them is you."


    The 12 Te didn¡¯t show up to the scene until the end. The World Tree¡¯s Forest might be wide and the number of elves was small, meaning they couldn¡¯t react quickly to certain situations. However, it reached a stage where excuses could no longer be given. The benefactors of the surviving elves were humans, not their fellow elves. It was Resh as well.


    ¡°...¡±


    Resh¡¯s eyes were red and he was unable to open his mouth. He was grateful that he was able to slightly help the elves and was moved by Mercedes returning the achievement to him.


    ¡°You have suffered, Knight.¡±


    Grid smiled as he roughly grasped what happened and shook Resh¡¯s hand. Resh felt all types of emotions surging in his heart. He clutched Grid¡¯s big hand tightly and started to sob.


    ¡°Thank you... Thank you...¡±


    He was able to keep his conviction as a knight. His beliefs had helped someone. Resh wasforted by this fact and his heart gradually healed.


    ¡°Excuse me...¡±


    A new person approached Resh¡¯s side. Resh was terrified after seeing him. A murderer who was deeply intoxicated with the providence of power. Even so, his fearsome skills were undeniable. Kyle, the lightning god, was approaching Resh¡¯s side.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Resh reflexively pulled out his sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kyle was one step ahead and bowed his head. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know you were King Grid¡¯s friend and dared to be rude...¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude towards Resh was very friendly. At first nce, Grid liked Resh. For Kyle, who had killed Resh like a bug, he had to quickly deal with this matter.


    ¡®What horrible things did he experience...¡¯


    Resh was shocked. Kyle¡¯s attitude and tone hadpletely changed in a short period of time. Kyle nced at Grid. ¡°That... King Grid, do I just go back?¡¯


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid briefly looked around at the elves. He felt a bit sorry for the elves if he sent Kyle away like this. Still, what could he do? The elves¡¯ grudge against Kyle would have to be repaid by themselves. Grid nodded after a moment of distress. He was conscious of the Sword Knights and whispered secretly into Kyle¡¯s ear, ¡°Observe the dynamics of the Abyss and Dndal. If they ever want to harm the Overgeared Kingdom... you understand?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course. I will immediately rush out and report to Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid nodded and Kyle left without looking back. It was almost like he was running away. Grid ordered the Sword Knights to return and finally faced Resh. ¡°Resh, I¡¯m ready to wee you to the Overgeared Guild at any time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m stillcking a lot.¡±


    Resh politely refused. He was very grateful and honored by Grid¡¯s proposal but hadn¡¯t he experienced it today and in the Abyss? He was too weak. He didn¡¯t deserve to be at the ce where the strong roared.


    ¡°More than anything else...¡± A bitter smile spread on Resh¡¯s face. ¡°...I already have a master.¡±


    Prince Dndal was a personcking in character. Nevertheless, he was dangerous because of his strong power. He would certainly create a big disturbance. He might even send Resh on such a terrible mission again. Nevertheless, Resh couldn¡¯t betray his master. It was because he was a knight.


    ¡°I will focus on my growth from today onward.¡± Resh was determined. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be stronger and qualify to speak to Dndal. I think that If I stay near Prince Dndal, it would definitely benefit the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I will look forward to it.¡±


    ¡®You will surely do it because your talent and will are great.¡¯


    Grid swallowed back these words. He thought it might put a strain on Resh.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡± Resh finally left.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone help?¡±


    Mercedes got straight to the point. She knew the elves¡¯ circumstances. Their poption was small, they were faithful to their duties and didn¡¯t easily get involved in the business of others. In particr, the 12 Te were supposed to defend their kin. They didn¡¯t intervene in the events that urred at the edges of the forest, yet they still didn¡¯te despite how severe the case was this time. The battle hadsted for a long time and there were all types of damages and sacrificed guards, but the 12 Te didn¡¯t appear.


    Mercedes¡¯ expression was dark. ¡°Did something happen to them?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the case.¡± Grid could infer the cause. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re afraid.¡±


    ¡°Afraid?¡±


    It might not look like it since they were trampled every time but the elves were a strong race. In particr, the 12 Te were outstanding enough that even Mercedes couldn¡¯t take them lightly. Why did they hide deep in the forest and ignore their kin?


    It happened when Mercedes was questioning it...


    ¡°The 12 Te aren¡¯t cowards,¡± the elves stepped forward and rified. ¡°They just stayed away at themand of Mother World Tree.¡±


    ¡°I see. It was the order of the world tree.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty... if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to know the details.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has to do with why I came here. Among the ancient species, there is a guy called the rafflesia who ate Beniyaru.¡±


    ¡°Is Beniyaru one of the 12 Te?¡±


    She was eaten? Then the others of the 12 Te were also in danger?


    ¡®It means they can¡¯t fight even if the 12 Te are united...¡¯


    It meant the rafflesia was stronger than the cave cricket. Mercedes gulped. She had barely fought the cave cricket by exhausting her Origin True Energy. How much sacrifice would she have to make to face the rafflesia. She was honestly nervous and afraid.


    ¡°Your Majesty, did the world tree ask you to fight the rafflesia? Please refuse the request. I don¡¯t want Your Majesty to die.¡±


    Mercedes expressed her anger. She resented and med the world tree for asking Grid to fight against a monster even the 12 Te couldn¡¯t kill. Grid hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°I was simply asked to search for it, not to fight. That¡¯s why I brought those people.¡±


    Grid introduced Skunk¡¯s group. It was a group of hundreds of explorers, centered around the number one explorer, Skunk. They were dazzled by the beauty of Mercedes but quickly came to their senses to greet her.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Mercedes.¡±


    Grid exined, ¡°The rafflesia is a race that seduces people who harbor darkness in their hearts. Mercedes, you know that there is a deep darkness in the hearts of the elves.¡±


    Skunk added, ¡°In an ancient botanical book that we discovered during a past exploration, the rafflesia is called a ¡®flower that blooms in the ground.¡¯ It whispers secretly to its prey, manipting them and luring them before swallowing them.¡±


    This was why the 12 Te were shut up?¡ªthe rafflesia is the perfect counter for elves as it could hide its appearance and devour them.


    ¡°That¡¯s why...¡± Grid turned his attention to Asmophel and Amelda. They were just like the elves. They were hurt and had as much darkness in their hearts as the elves, meaning they were inevitably vulnerable to the rafflesia. ¡°Asmophel, I¡¯m sorry but you must go back to the capital first.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I understand.¡± Asmophel barely managed to answer. It wasn¡¯t enough that he lost to Kyle. This time, he wasn¡¯t helpful to his liege at all and this made him feel sorry.


    ¡°Noll, you too.¡±


    ¡°...Che, I know.¡±


    Noll also followed orders.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    Grid looked for Piarost. Piaro was wounded more than anyone else and couldn¡¯t apany Grid in the rafflesia search. Mercedes and Orc Lord Teruchan were the only ones who could be used in the search. Grid was trying to find Piaro when he became rmed.


    ¡°What? Where is he?¡±


    Piaro couldn¡¯t be seen. It seemed he had been absent for a long time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    The people started to shake. It was shortly after they had learned about the rafflesia¡¯s terrifying power so they imagined the worst.


    ¡°N-No way, Captain was beaten?¡±


    ¡°N-No! Piaro! Piaro!¡±


    Amelda¡¯s group panicked. Their captain, who they had just reunited with, was beaten? They hadn¡¯t even untangled theirplicated thoughts yet. It happened as Amelda¡¯s party almost started crying...


    ¡°My Liege! My Liege!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s cry was heard in the distance.


    ¡°Heok!¡±


    Fortunately, he was still safe? A short timeter, the running Grid and the others found Piaro. Piaro had be dirty and was carrying a huge and strange flower on his shoulder that measured five meters in size.


    ¡°My Liege! I found a strange nt!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was speechless.


    The rafflesia. It was the name of the nt that Piaro carried. That¡¯s right. After Emperor Juander¡¯s death, Piaro¡¯s heart was no longer dark.


    ¡°There was something strange about the ground and dug at it with a hand plow. Then I found this guy sleeping. Isn¡¯t it really cute?¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°W-Why is Captain holding a hand plow?¡±


    Amelda¡¯s question made the atmosphere be even more awkward.

 Chapter 1119

    ¡°W-Why is Captain holding a hand plow?¡±


    ¡°Piaro is a farmer.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re retired...¡±


    Amelda had experienced firsthand over the past decades about how terrible and precarious the life of a fugitive was. Broken limbs were amon urrence, and she had crossed the road of death many times. Piaro was the main traitor, so his life must¡¯ve been more terrible than theirs...


    ¡®He would¡¯ve been seriously injured. He can¡¯t hold a sword again...¡¯


    Tears welled up in Amelda¡¯s eyes. She resented Mercedes¡¯s good-will lies in which she had said Piaro was well. Mercedes should have been honest, no matter how harsh the truth was. Then she would¡¯ve been mentally prepared.


    Flinch.


    Amelda temporarily lost her mind in the midst of this absurd situation. She was shedding tears like chicken poop when the rafflesia on Piaro¡¯s shoulder moved. It started to struggle frantically.


    -Puraaaaaaaah!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The rafflesia glowed as it screamed, and Grid¡¯s face paled. The scream tore at his ears, and the horrible stench caused all sorts of status abnormalities.


    ¡°He woke up surrounded by ugly people, so it is natural for it to be frightened.¡±Noll clicked his tongue like he understood the rafflesia¡¯s reaction.


    By then, Noll had already fled far away. The vampires were a race with well-developed olfactory senses, and he simply couldn¡¯t stand the stench of the rafflesia. Grid and Mercedes were at the forefront of the group. A ck-haired man with fierce eyes and a white-haired woman with calm eyes pulled out their swords at the same time, looking strangely well-matched.


    ¡°Devote yourself to recovery. Teruchan, you retreat as far as Noll.¡±


    ¡°Grruk. A warrior doesn¡¯t run away... Kweek.¡±


    ¡°Teruchan has fainted!¡±


    ¡°My Liege, leave him to me and concentrate on the enemy in front of you.¡±


    ¡°I will trust you, Asmophel.¡±


    Grid stared at the rafflesia and left his confused colleagues behind.


    ¡®This is our chance.¡¯


    Piaro had said it. He had dug at the ground while the rafflesia was sleeping. Noll had spoken about how flustered it would be to see the handsome Grid after waking up. That¡¯s right. The rafflesia was rtively unprotected. Now was the time to decide the winner and loser.


    Mercedes nodded when she read Grid¡¯s gaze. They recalled their fighting sense and were about to jump forward at the same time.


    ¡°Huhu, you are surprised.¡±Piaro smiled graciously and stroked the head (?) of the rafflesia. Then something amazing happened.


    -Purah...? The rafflesia stopped screaming. The mouth full of sharp teeth dropped open, and it cocked its head (?) in a puzzled manner as it was stroked by Piaro.


    ¡°Cute guy. Don¡¯t worry. No one will hurt you. Huh?¡±Piaro¡¯s expression stiffened. He found that the thickness of the rafflesia¡¯s stem wasn¡¯t uniform and that one part was swollen. ¡°Oh, did you eat something wrong?¡±


    -Pura? The rafflesia was baffled by the warm touch it felt for the first time and shook its head. This fellow couldn¡¯t understand the humannguage at all. Still, the rafflesia could feel it for some reason. This human being was worried about it... No, he was trying to kill it.


    -Kieeeek! The vignt rafflesia screamed. It was because Piaro suddenly squeezed its neck (?).


    ¡°Just put up with it a little bit. Kuoong!¡± Piaro whispered to the frantically struggling rafflesia while holding its stem, putting strength into his arms and back as he squeezed to the point of turning red. Piaro folded his waist backward and put the rafflesia upside down on the ground. It was an impable German suplex.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Piaro had treated the rafflesia kindly, so Grid and Mercedes stopped their attack in a baffled manner. Doing a German suplex after assuring it that no one would hurt it...?


    ¡®Is this a new monster-hunting strategy?¡¯


    Of course, this method worked because it was a nt-type monster. Piaro was a legendary farmer and could interact with nts, so he might¡¯ve used this ability.


    ¡®Is it efficient?¡¯


    Grid should also try it. The moment that he thought this...


    Cough, cough!


    Waves started to ur in the stem of the upside-down rafflesia. A foreign substance in the stem moved little by little and reached the petals of the rafflesia.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯ve endured it well,¡± Piaro praised the rafflesia and once again embraced the stem, pulling it out of the ground. Then the stem tightened and something amazing happened.


    -Purururururur!The rafflesia screamed and started to vomit. A foreign matter emerged from the stem and along with a rancid essence. The identity of the foreign matter was just as Grid expected.


    ¡°Beniyaru!¡±


    Beniyaru of the 12 Te had been eaten by the rafflesia. She was covered by a sticky white liquid as she woke up.


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    Piaro took off his clothes and covered the naked Beniyaru. He then ced the staggering rafflesia, who had lost its nutrients, onto his shoulder and supported Beniyaru at the same time.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    The smell of warm soil, a strong voice that was like the roots of a giant tree, and eyes as gentle as the sun in the sky...


    Beniyaru naturally knew this person¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Piaro...¡±


    A ¡®real man¡¯ who was unlike the weak and despicable elf men... A person who showed things through action, not words¡ªhe had saved her once again. Beniyaru was embraced by Piaro¡¯s wide chest and started to cry. She wasn¡¯t ashamed that a member of the 12 Te had been saved by a human. Rather, she just wanted to lean on someone at least once.


    ¡°...¡± Piaro silently patted Beniyaru¡¯s back. A woman who had repeatedly suffered pain over the years¡ªshe had been pretending to be strong, but today she was exceptionally pitiful to Piaro.


    Meanwhile, Grid was facing a notification window.


    [The quest ¡®Search¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Affinity with the world tree has risen slightly as a reward for clearing the quest. There is a feeling that it won¡¯t be long before you receive a new blessing from the world tree.]


    [You have reached the maximum affinity with Beniyaru as a reward for clearing the quest. Beniyaru will listen to anything all your requests. The only exception is a proposal.]


    ¡®Is this good?¡¯


    Who was the one proposing? Maybe she was overly conscious because of her looks. She was slightly less pretty than Mercedes. Grid inwardly grumbled due to his pride before bursting outughing.


    ¡®Why would I go after Piaro¡¯s girl in the first ce?¡¯


    Grid saw the way Piaro was holding Beniyaru tightly in his arms.


    ¡®Now it is really... It is good now.¡¯


    There was a warm smile on Grid¡¯s face as infinite emotions and happiness filled his heart. Piaro, who had been bound by vengeance in the past, wanted to start loving again. Grid would support Piaro as his king, friend, and disciple.


    ¡®Khan.¡¯


    Grid looked up at the blue sky. It was to hide his flowing tears.


    ¡®Are you watching?¡¯


    They were living with the warmth of the heart Khan had left behind.


    ***


    In the elf vige, the always barefoot elves hugged Beniyaru, who had returned safely. In particr, a female elf with a round face was crying with a runny nose. It was Deruyaru. Unlike the other members of the 12 Te, she didn¡¯t care about her dignity.


    ¡°The reason the rafflesia only appears in the world the moment it catches its prey is because it is dangerous to be exposed to the air for a long time. They are forced to live deep in the ground. Their hunting opportunities are few, so they spend as much time digesting the prey as possible. It is safe to say they are always in hibernation apart from when capturing prey.¡±


    Deruyaru exined why Beniyaru was able to survive despite being eaten by the rafflesia.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t gone extinct for a long time due to its caution and habit of hibernation.¡±


    ¡°Huh, poor child.¡±


    -Pura...


    Grid was convinced by the new facts while Piaro looked rxed. He stroked the rafflesia on his shoulder.


    ...No, was it going to die? Grid noticed that the leaves of the rafflesia were noticeably withered. A monster dropped experience and items after death. This was good for Grid but what about Piaro? The moment that Grid thought this...


    ¡°My Liege,¡± Piaro spoke with a serious expression,¡°I have a request.¡±


    ¡°A request?¡± Grid snorted like a bull. This was a request from Piaro, who was always sacrificing himself. Grid was happy and excited because he took it as proof that Piaro hadpletely opened his heart.¡°Just say it. I¡¯ll listen to all your requests.¡±


    Gulp. Beniyaru didn¡¯t know why, but she swallowed her saliva. It seemed she was expecting something.


    Piaro hesitated for a long time before saying, ¡°I want to take this child to the Overgeared Kingdom and raise him.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Beniyaru¡¯s expression cooled down.


    Grid was flustered.¡°A man-eating nt?¡±


    ¡°He is a very intelligent child. He won¡¯t hurt people if I educate him well.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to raise it?¡±


    ¡°That... Hum hum, he is a tough child who lives in the ground. This child obviously has the ability to adapt to the soil he is rooted in, and the change will surely be positive. The fact that the World Tree¡¯s Forest is called thergest and most fertilend in the world is evidence of this.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t thend here fertile due to the world tree?¡±


    ¡°...Additionally, if I educate this child, it can act against intruders. It will be the protector of the farmers.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°Raise it.¡±


    ¡°C-Can Captain really raise a monster?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you educate it thoroughly? I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°My Liege...!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s real intentions had already been revealed. So cute. That¡¯s what he wanted to raise it. This was sufficient for Grid. To be honest, Grid couldn¡¯t understand this person¡¯s taste, but he wanted to listen to Piaro¡¯s wishes. He wished for Piaro to be happy from now on. Just then...


    -It might seem ugly from a human point of view, but the rafflesia is a good child, unlike his appearance.In the first ce, he guards the forest against evil-minded intruders, the world tree voice echoed.Her (?) warm voice restored the spirit and stamina of Grid¡¯s group that had gone through many incidents. -He has been lonely for a long time, but it is good that he has now met a kind master.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    This was why the world tree wanted to find the rafflesia rather than killing it. Grid was feeling enlightened when the world tree spoke.


    -Thank you.The Hero King saves my children every time.I have many expectations for you.


    ¡°...¡±


    The words that would¡¯ve been apliment in the past just added a burden on Grid¡¯s shoulders. The Goddess of Light had built thend above the roots of the world tree. How happy would he have been to be praised by the mother-like being involved in the creation of the world? However, today¡¯s Grid was calm.


    ¡°My dear colleagues almost died.¡± Grid had something he wanted to say. ¡°I know that you cherish the elves with a mother¡¯s heart. I am naturally grateful to be able to help Mother and the elves. Despite this, I refuse to be sacrificed by the elves¡¯ actions.¡±


    ¡°...¡± All the elves shouting about the disrespect to their mother fell silent.


    They noticed what Grid was trying to say.


    ¡°The elves upied all the forests in the continent, and the human forces started to fight back, sweeping us up in it. Of course, I know why the elves upied the forests. You wanted to defend the nature that has been exploited by humans for human years and to call out the rights of the elves. You wanted to create a ce for conversation with the humans. But what was the result?¡±


    Violence called for more violence. The elves¡¯ck of sociality was something that should never be overlooked.


    Remiyaru, one of the 12 Te, stepped forward. ¡°Our hero and benefactor, what is it that you want to say?¡±


    The question came from pure curiosity rather than antipathy. Grid¡¯s answer was simple. ¡°In the future, the elves should report to me before they do anything.¡±


    ¡°What...¡± The elves were agitated. This was no different from a subjugation. It was simr to the attitude of the Saharan Empire in the distant past.


    ¡°Are you going to set the policy of the elves?¡±


    ¡°No, I just want to give you some advice. There are many smart people around me. They will be able to give you a better direction.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The elves had experienced working with Grid once and knew it instantly. The current Grid wasn¡¯t speaking falsehoods. There were no pretensions. He was doing this for the elves. Furthermore, he was just giving them a suggestion.


    Deruyaru nodded in response. ¡°I think it is good!¡±


    Beniyaru agreed. ¡°We can¡¯t act like this anymore.¡±


    The other elves had simr reactions.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know humans.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to establish formal diplomatic rtions?¡±


    ¡°I wish to reside in the Overgeared Kingdom for a mutual exchange.¡±


    ¡°Beniyaru yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is what I wish for.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had a hunch that he would gain new colleagues.

 Chapter 1120

    ¡°I heard that the 12 Te are the heads of the family. Can you leave your position?¡±


    Piaro was different from Grid. They naturally had to be different. Grid was born as a single person while Piaro was a hero who had been loved by beautiful women. He had gotten married after a long rtionship and had a family.


    ¡°I have been wandering about during the past few years, so my family was well-maintained even after I went into the rafflesia¡¯s stomach. My family won¡¯t be harmed in my absence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve nurtured your sessor.¡±


    ¡°Huhut, that¡¯s right.¡±


    The 12 Te each had a sessor, with the exception of the young Deruyaru. Additionally, the capabilities of their sessors were superior to Deruyaru¡¯s. Apart from Deruyaru, the rest of the Te had been educated by the ¡®male elves.¡¯ Meanwhile, Deruyaru and their sessors had been educated by the ¡®female elves.¡¯


    ¡°Then I can take you away with peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Beniyaru had been bitterly smiling as she thought of those despicable men who sold their kin because they were weak andzy. Then her ears pricked up.


    Piaro¡¯s deep gaze was focused on her.¡°I like you. I will surely take away your heart so that you canpletely settle in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Piaro knew that Beniyaru liked him. It was just difficult for her to confess her heart first when considering the nature of the elves. That¡¯s why he pretended not to know Beniyaru¡¯s heart and said he would take her away.


    ¡°Y-You...¡± Beniyaru blushed. Her pointed ears pped like butterfly wings. It seemed to be a habit for them toe out when flustered. ¡°Are you serious? Even though I¡¯m an elf and you are a human?¡±


    ¡°What is the rtionship between races when ites to love? I like you. I may have a shorter life than you, but I will cherish you more because of the short amount of time I have. I will love you and be happy with you.¡±


    Piaro had seen Beniyaru¡¯s pitiful eyes and peeped into the darkness lying deep in her heart. He learned that her wounds were as deep as the ones he once had. Piaro wanted to teach her that even the deepest wounds could be erased. They could be happy again. They deserved to be happy. This wasn¡¯t an emotion derived from cheappassion.


    ¡°My heart is so dark that you have be deluded. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Beniyaru had been eaten by the rafflesia. She didn¡¯t me the rafflesia for eating her. It was natural. What would it mean if she condemned and resented instinctive behavior? Moreover, her face was beautiful, and her habit of trying to look strong was cute.


    Piaro really liked Beniyaru. He wanted to know her more and be happy together.


    ¡°You will fall in love with me,¡±Piaro said with a warm and quiet voice. However, the strength in his voice shook Beniyaru¡¯s heart.


    Beniyaru¡¯s ears reddened as she lowered her head without looking at Piaro. ¡°O-Okay. Let¡¯s see what will happen.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯Grid shook his head as he watched Piaro and Beniyaru. So did the Overgeared Kingdom and the elves form an alliance or not? They were in the middle of an alliance formation, but it progressed to a proposal?


    Ah, really...


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too cool?¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s faithfulness to love, regardless of time and ce, inspired Grid. Grid thought that Piaro was really cool. In particr, he liked Piaro¡¯s courage to not be afraid despite knowing he and Beniyaru had different lifespans.


    ¡®It is a short time, so he cherishes it even more...¡¯


    Grid was filled with regret. His lifespan was different from Irene, so he regretted that he sometimes showed a sad expression in front of her. He felt sorry for Irene because he felt he hurt her more than reassured her.


    ¡®From now on, I will be like Piaro...¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t resent the different lifespans. Rather, he should cherish every moment and send her away faithfully. He should reassure Irene with a bright expression and love her so that she couldn¡¯t even feel grief.


    Grid nced at Mercedes. ¡°...¡±


    Surprisingly, Mercedes had a girlish expression on her face. She wasn¡¯t a legendary knight when she watched Piaro and Beniyaru. Instead, she was also a girl who dreamed of love. Additionally, the person she had in mind was none other than Grid. Grid also liked her. Mercedes was everyone¡¯s role model and a strong knight. He couldn¡¯t hate this beautiful woman who was loyal to her ideals. Putting all that aside, Grid had liked Mercedes at first sight.


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Liege,¡± the startled Mercedes replied with a serious expression.


    ¡°That...¡± Grid blushed. He wanted to say something, but his mouth didn¡¯t open easily.


    ¡°...¡±Mercedes waited for the hesitating Grid. As always, her eyes were gentle.


    ¡°I...¡± Grid was encouraged by Mercedes¡¯ eyes and broke through his hesitation.He learned from Piaro and became honest, being faithful to the moment. ¡°I want to love Irene and have no regrets.¡±


    ¡°You are cool, Your Majesty.¡±


    To cherish and love one¡¯spanion was the right thing to do. Mercedes nodded with a pleased smile. Then she doubted her ears as she blushed.


    ¡°I also want to do the same with you.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°However, how can I share love with two people at the same time? I¡¯m not sure yet. So give me a bit more time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mercedes had a personality different from Sua. She had gone through a number of events with Grid and loved Grid, but she didn¡¯t dare confess her heart to her liege.


    ¡°T-That...¡± Mercedes stuttered for a moment before stepping back. Her eyes spun.


    ¡®He knows that I like him?¡¯


    Was she so obvious about it?


    ¡®I-I¡¯m embarrassed.¡¯


    Duguen duguen!


    Her heart seemed like it was going to burst. Mercedes didn¡¯t know what to do for a long time and stared straight at Grid. It was just that the position of her left eye and right eye were slightly different. Her face was looking at Grid, but her eyes were turned away from Grid. She was so nervous and embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes.


    ¡°...I-I¡¯ll wait. I¡¯ll wait until I die!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So cute. Mercedes looked very cute as she clenched her fists and closed her eyes. Hot steam rose above the red faces of Grid and Mercedes.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°I-It is a country with loose morals.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a free ethos.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A knight and a king were exchanging confessions while negotiating with another nation...? Amelda¡¯s group were shocked because they had never seen it before and never imagined it either. It was to the point where they had nothing to say.


    Meanwhile, Skunk¡¯s group was smiling. It was a warm and pleasant smile, not filled with frivolous ridicule.


    ¡°Grid is surprisingly pure.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Power seduced people. People had been moring that Grid, as the first king among yers, would naturally use his power and enjoy many concubines. There was no reason not to when he could do anything he wanted. Yet this wasn¡¯t the case. Grid pursued a true rtionship without indulging in pleasure. He was so pure that it was hard to see him as a devil who caused great ughter every time he was angry.


    ¡®He has many people following him because of such a personality.¡¯


    People who knew the value of rtionships...


    Skunk¡¯s liking toward Grid rose dramatically.


    ***


    The negotiations with Grid ended, and the elves held a grand feast for Grid¡¯s group. Bonfires were lit all over the vige, and fruit, fruit wine, and vegetables were served. Grid was treated with so much gratitude that he lost his appetite.


    ¡°Excuse me, Mother.¡± Grid, who had been sitting beside Mercedes and drinking, quietly approached the world tree. His tone toward the world tree was bing increasingly casual. He knew there was a close rtionship between the world tree and the gods, but he judged that the world tree was reliable. The gods looked down on humanity from Heaven while the world tree had always been with humanity and cared for humanity.


    ording to Lauel, famine was a divine punishment, and abundance was a blessing from the world tree. In fact, Grid had experienced the favor of the world tree, so he trusted the world tree.


    -Yes, say it.


    ¡°Can you arrange an elemental contract for my knights?¡±


    The world tree already favored Grid. In addition to Grid, all the existing Overgeared members were blessed and were able to contract with the elementals. Yet Mercedes and his other knights hadn¡¯t been given a blessing. At the time, Grid hadn¡¯t dared to ask for more, but now his position had changed.


    Asmophel, Mercedes, and Amelda had fought to protect the elves while Piaro had saved Beniyaru and the rafflesia. Grid thought they deserved to be blessed by the world tree. Yet the world tree unexpectedly declined, -It seems a bit hard.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    One of the branches of the world tree moved. The branch pointed to Piaro.


    -He is sympathetic to nature itself.The elementals that are a part of nature are meaningless in front of him.


    ¡°What about the elemental kings?¡±


    -The elemental kings are still a party of nature.They might be able to give support right now, but it will eventually be meaningless. They know this and will reject the contract.


    The world tree¡¯s branch continued to point, but now it was pointing at Asmophel.


    -He has the qualities of the ¡®King of Solitude¡¯ and can¡¯tmunicate with the elementals.The basic premise for contracting with the elementals is to feel their presence, yet he can¡¯t even recognize them.


    ¡°What is the King of Solitude? Is it because he has been single all his life?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t convinced. Asmophel wasn¡¯t lonely because he already had a connection with Grid. Asmophel was slowly recovering from the scars in his heart. Sometimes, he would show a bright expression. Grid insisted this, but the world tree was silent.


    Grid asked again, ¡°Then Asmophel... Is he ready to leave at any time?¡±


    -...


    Silence followed again and again. It was a positive answer, and Grid was desperate.


    ¡°I... If I try it, will Asmophel change?¡±


    -That isn¡¯t something I can answer.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid believed it. Asmophel would surely ovee his wounds. Grid would make sure of it.


    ¡°Then what exactly does it mean by not being able to recognize the elementals? Does it mean Asmophel can¡¯t see them?¡±


    Grid pointed to the light elemental revolving around him.


    The world tree confirmed it, -Yes.


    ¡°I thought he could see it...¡±


    -You told him ¡®there is an elemental here¡¯, so he believes it.


    That¡¯s it. Asmophel would believe it if Grid said that fermented soybeans were red beans. It was simr to this.


    Mercedes was the next target of the world tree¡¯s branch.


    -It is also impossible for her to contract with the elementals.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    -It is because she has a power the gods are wary of.The elementals that are the gods¡¯ creation will instinctively reject her.


    ¡°Power the gods are vignt of?¡± There was only one thing that came to mind. ¡°Do you mean Keen Insight?¡±


    -Yes, it is a power that humans shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    It made sense. The power to see through all things was close to almighty, and it was more suitable for a god than a human.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t take Mercedes if I meet another god.¡¯


    It would be a big deal if he offended them. Grid was still thinking as the world tree¡¯s branch pointed to Amelda¡¯s group at the end.


    -They aren¡¯t qualified yet.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    They needed to build up more contributions. Well, there was nothing to regret since the contributions could be slowly built up.


    ¡®The problem is Asmophel.¡¯


    Grid turned away from the world tree. His gaze swept over the vige and soon found Asmophel. He was looking up at the night sky without mingling with his old colleagues or the elves.


    ¡®King of Solitude...¡¯


    Somehow, he thought Lauel would like it. At this moment, a whisper came from Lauel, -Ke ong said it is impossible.


    This was the answer to Grid¡¯s question about whether the portable smithy could be made.


    -Why is it impossible?


    -The weight is the problem.It needs at least hundreds of horses to move in a carriage, but you don¡¯t always use main roads.The horses will have to be ced in rows of twos or threes, but it isn¡¯t possible for them to run.It is hard to make wheels that can withstand the weight of the building in the first ce.


    -What if the smithy itself is smaller?It is enough if the space is approximately 3 square meters.


    -To avoid damaging the carriage when the furnace heats up, the outer wall must be ridiculously thick.The ceiling should be high due to the chimney instation and venttion issues.Shouldn¡¯t Your Majesty know best how many tons of water is needed?


    -You¡¯re saying the weight will increase no matter how small it is.


    -Yes, that¡¯s why.This is my opinion, but what if Your Majesty makes it yourself?


    -What can I do when even Ke ong can¡¯t make it?How am I capable of architecture in the first ce?


    -Is Ke ong a cksmith?


    -...!


    -Ke ong is easily carrying out the expansion of the castle.If dexterity is high, a cksmith can learn architecture as well.The dwarf¡¯s racial characteristics aren¡¯t bad, so it might be good to acquire them with the Different Species¡¯ King title.


    The characteristic obtained from the Different Species¡¯ King title was random and couldn¡¯t be directly selected by Grid. It was better to give up if the reason why Ke ong could master architecture was because of his racial characteristics. However, Grid held hope.


    ¡®I¡¯ve learned the Tailoring technique. Who says I can¡¯t learn architecture?¡¯


    Of course, new techniques couldn¡¯t be learned just because he had high dexterity. He had to learn the foundation skills through quests. What if he could get the quest from Ke ong?


    ¡®No, wait a minute.¡¯


    -Even if I learn construction skills, isn¡¯t it impossible to make a portable smithy when Ke ong can¡¯t?


    -What if Your Majesty makes it with Greed?


    -Eh?


    -Let¡¯s make a portable flying smithy.Then all the problems raised by Ke ong will be solved instantly.


    Hey, this person was a genius. Grid prepared to return immediately.

 Chapter 1121

    [The Overgeared Kingdom and the elf species have signed an alliance.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening?¡±


    The numerous yers and reporters. They all stiffened like statues as they searched the World Tree¡¯s Forest for the site of Resh¡¯s broadcast, which cut off at the critical moment. The sight of tens of thousands of humans across the continent stopping at the same time were scenes that would be talked about for a long time in the future between the S.A Group¡¯s staff. The title of the scene was ¡®Statues of Fools.¡¯


    ¡°L-Logout!¡±


    The reporters hurried out of the game. Those who were judged to be in bat¡¯ and couldn¡¯t log out still forced the logout, even if it meant dying. Didn¡¯t everyone know the nature of the elves? The news about the Overgeared Kingdom allying with the elves was something that couldn¡¯t be missed.


    ***


    ¡°Wow, the Overgeared Kingdom is doing as well as always.¡±


    Pearl Ind. It was a ce where only the traces of a country lost a long time ago remained. This was the stage of the 1st National Competition¡¯s PvP event and one man and one woman were fighting side-by-side. The female¡¯s ID was Jishuka and the male¡¯s ID was Bondre. They didn¡¯t seem to have a good rtionship.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t an alliance with the elves beyond the standard? Is there a genius in diplomacy in the Overgeared Kingdom? Or...¡±


    The air froze. The transparent particles gathered together in a sh toplete the shape. The moment the barrier of ice was erected, a rusty iron sword stuck into it.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Bondre¡¯s expression stiffened. A chill went down his spine at the thought that it would¡¯ve pierced his face if his reaction had been a bit slower. The iron de unleashed a storm of energy des. The magic that Bondre used to confront this contained ¡®ice¡¯ as the basis.


    Bondre repeatedly used magic that was merely an act of ¡®making ice¡¯ and struck the iron sword¡¯s energy des, which was very effective. The iron de¡¯s urate trajectory was twisted slightly. Bondre avoided a serious injury several times, sipped a potion, and continued.


    ¡°Or is Grid simply just good at picking people? He had cated the orc lord so the naive elves would simply be easy for him. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    By now, Grid would be enjoying the elves. This was the meaning. Bondre was clearly taunting Jishuka. It was to vent his anger. It was Jishuka who put him in the current crisis.


    ¡°...¡±


    Jishuka was silent. Her arms trembled as she concentrated to the limit. It was a charging process to maximize the power of her arrow.


    ¡°Che.¡±


    He wanted to resolve his anger but she didn¡¯t give him any room. Annoyed by Jishuka¡¯s unshakable appearance, Bondre clicked his tongue. He was stabbed in the shoulder and pointed his hand at the death knight rushing in front of him.


    ¡°Absolute Zero.¡±


    Pearl Ind entered an ice age. The environment changed. Everything around Bondre was frozen and he stood on the back of a gigantic mountain of ice.


    ¡°Pant pant.¡±


    In front of the breathless Bondre, the death knight stopped as it was about to wield its sword. However, this wasn¡¯t a phenomenon thatsted forever. Bondre gritted his teeth.


    ¡®Dammit, I have no luck.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t heard of any boss monsters here on Pearl Ind. It had been an hour of struggling and all his resources were consumed. There seemed to be no hope. He would soon be killed. It was because that wicked woman Jishuka pushed the enemy to his side.


    It happened as Bondre was thinking this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. We can catch it if we join forces.¡±


    Tatang!


    In the world that had turned to ice, Jishuka was able to escape the ice due to being in a party with Bondre and she finally fired her bow. Then the fiercely rotating red arrow started to copse the icy world. The arrow pierced through the ice in the way, reached the death knight, and instantly smashed the death knight¡¯s skull.


    [The specter of Lion Castle, Deodore has been destroyed.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired Specter Knight¡¯s Gaiters.]


    [The party member ¡®Bondre¡¯ has acquired Specter Knight¡¯s Headgear.]


    [The party member ¡®Bondre¡¯ has acquired Skillbook: Mana Arrow]


    [The party leader ¡®Jishuka¡¯ has acquired Magic Book: Ice Tray.]


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Bondre cheered wildly. He was so excited that he pped hands with Jishuka, who he had been hostile to until now. He thought he was going to die so he was ecstatic about seeding in the raid.


    ¡°Kuek...¡±


    Bondre quickly regained his rationality and took an awkward step back. He frowned and grumbled, ¡°Dammit. I am the magician. Why did the magic book go to you?¡±


    ¡°We can swap. I will give you the magic book so give me the skill book.¡±


    ¡°I think the price of Mana Arrow is much higher.¡±


    ¡°Are you obsessed with materialistic values? We fought for our lives together so we should get along.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk, you should live in South Korea.¡±


    ¡°South Korea? Hat, I¡¯ll never visit Grid¡¯s country again in the future.¡±


    Bondre was once France¡¯s top ranked yer. However, he had been on a downward trend after losing to Grid in four seconds at the 1st National Competition. His guild was disbanded after Faker killed all the guild members, he lost to Grid again at the 2nd National Competition, and he was PKed by Agnus...


    It would be a lie to say that Bondre didn¡¯t have a grudge against Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom. Bondre was reluctant to be friendly with Jishuka. Even so, he knew. His defeat to Grid was purely due to hisck of skill and he had been arrogant regarding Faker. It was shameful to forever hold a grudge against them. Rather, the incident where he raided the Overgeared Kingdom as part of the Seven Guilds was an act that could be condemned by them.


    ¡°Sigh... That¡¯s it. Just take it and get out of here. Let¡¯s not get tangled up twice over this.¡±


    Bondre pressed the ¡®ept¡¯ button of the trading window that Jishuka created.


    The trade of the Ice Tray and Mana Arrow, which had a market value difference of at least three times, had beenpleted.


    Jishuka grinned at her good fortune.


    ¡°I¡¯m in your debt. I¡¯ll pay you backter.¡±


    ¡°No need. Didn¡¯t I say not to get tangled up in this?¡±


    ¡°You show a cold shoulder to kindness.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t kindness, it is an apology. In the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t have been sessful without you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t have seeded without you either. So thank you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They met here by chance. They had naturally hunted separately without cooperating with each other. Then the death knight appeared and Jishuka brought the death knight to Bondre¡¯s location. Naturally, Bondre started swearing. Naturally, he had refused Jishuka¡¯s offer of a party. However, he was forced to ept after they both died several times. Then the memories weren¡¯t so bad once a good result came out.


    ¡°Bondre, you¡¯ve really be strong.¡±


    It was safe to describe him as the ¡®Faker of magicians.¡¯ Bondre¡¯s control far exceeded the realm ofmon sense. In particr, his control when creating ice to shift the trajectory of the iing attack was unbelievable even when she saw it with her own eyes. It was almost a miracle.


    ¡°It is the same for you.¡±


    Bondre also acknowledged Jishuka¡¯s skills. They had umted enough damage in the one hour battle but Deodore was still a death knight over level 400. Yet she blew his skull away...


    He didn¡¯t know the exact nature of that charging archery but once it was charged for more than 10 seconds, it even exceeded Grid¡¯s attack power. It was a correct assessment since he had watched Grid¡¯s battle with the orc lord many times.


    ¡®Is it possible to charge for minutes? I can¡¯t imagine how high the destructive power will rise...¡¯


    ¡°By the way, why did youe here to hunt?¡±


    Just before Bondre left the party, he stopped and asked a question. He was curious. The biggest advantage of the Overgeared Guild was that they could hunt in the vampire cities around Reidan. It was easy to hunt so he couldn¡¯t understand why she was alone in this remote ce. It was hard to believe that she was aiming for the boss raid from the start.


    Jishuka was an archer. She could never raid a boss on her own. If she had been aiming for a raid then she would¡¯vee here with her colleagues, not alone.


    Jishuka shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m training.¡±


    ¡°Training... that¡¯s good."


    Bondreughed. He felt a sense of kinship since he was in the same position as her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for saying bullshit earlier. I know that you like Grid so I said it to anger you.¡±


    Yes, in a word, it was bullshit. It was impossible to transform an alliance between nations into a pure male thing. Jishuka¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°What if your guess is right? It is highly likely that Grid is attracted to the elves.¡±


    ¡°...Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. You should know how popr Grid is.¡±


    ¡°If this is true, isn¡¯t it bad for you? Grid might be having some fun with the elves right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a game.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who Grid meets in the game. Rather, I wee the umted experience.¡±


    Satisfy was different from reality. In reality, Jishuka had no intention of conceding Grid to anyone but she didn¡¯t want to restrain Grid in Satisfy.


    "...You are an open South American.¡±


    ¡°I liked Grid when he was already a married man. I¡¯m not in a position to argue.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Bondre was strangely convinced and left. Jishuka was left alone and looked at the notification window.


    [You are eligible to surpass the legendary archer Povia.]


    [It is rmended to visit the World Tree¡¯s Forest.]


    [The 12 Te or the ruler of the elves will give you an important hint.]


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    Jishuka had long been qualified to be Povia¡¯s Descendant. She had refused because Povia wasn¡¯t the strongest. Povia was only in the middle ording to the rating of the previous legends. Jishuka wanted to carve out a better path than Povia¡¯s Descendant.


    On this starry night, the 10 meritorious retainers scattered across the continent were developing. They met powerful enemies, felt frustration, overcame them, and developed their skills while developing many rtionships.


    ***


    ¡°Irene!¡±


    Grid embraced Irene after returning with the knights and Beniyaru. He was generally good at expressing affection but it was seriously too much today. He kissed Irene without any awareness of the ordinary yers still wandering around the city gates.


    ¡°Ke ong is waiting for you.¡±


    Lauel finally spoke and Grid nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Would you like toe with me?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to interfere with your public affairs.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t interfering at all. Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Grid held Irene¡¯s hand and led her into the castle. Grid noticed the wrinkles around Irene¡¯s eyes were a bit deeper but didn¡¯t show any reaction. He was afraid and resented the approaching time but he would do his best to love her every moment.


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    Grid marveled as he returned to the castle after a long time. The Overgeared Pce was bingrger and more gorgeous than before. It was amazing that the interior was both focused on aesthetics and efficiency.


    ¡¯It is scary how much easier things have be.¡¯


    This was architecture. Grid looked over every inch and was seriously troubled.


    ¡®If I learn the architecture skill... will I be able to use the imperial pce¡¯s blueprint?¡¯


    A blueprint of the imperial pce that he obtained thanks to former Emperor Juander. It was a huge hidden item that could bepared to the deteriorated version of Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. The condition of use for the blueprint was being an architect and opening it gave craftsmanship level architecture. This meant that if Grid learnt Beginner Architecture then he could quickly be a craftsman.


    Still, Grid had to be cautious. He couldn¡¯t jump to rash conclusions. It was like a deteriorated version of Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. It had astronomical value. He couldn¡¯t be blinded by his greed of the moment. The value was too high for him to master. He had to use it as a carrot when recruiting a person he needed.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t normal for me to construct a building.¡¯


    A cksmith took several days to create an item while an architect took weeks to months. How could Grid act as an architect when he alreadycked time to make items and hunt? It was a pointless luxury.


    ¡®I just need to learn enough to be able to build a small smithy.¡¯


    Could he learn it?


    Grid gulped nervously and approached Ke ong, who was trimming a stone in the distance. He then asked in a blunt manner, ¡°Is it possible for me to learn architecture?¡±


    ¡°It seems Your Majesty has thought of a way.¡±


    Ke ong had a strange personality but he was clever. He had stated that a portable smithy was impossible. The moment he heard Grid speak about learning architecture, he saw that Grid had an idea.


    ¡°Do you want to build a smithy with the mineral you created?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    Greed could move on its own and had infinite power. There were no flight requirements or advancements needed when building a smithy out of Greed. Ke ong shook his head. "Unfortunately, it¡¯s not possible. A cksmith can¡¯t learn architecture quickly because the work ispletely different.¡±


    ¡°I have confidence in my dexterity. Is there any possibility based on that?¡±


    "Building doesn¡¯t only need dexterity. It is a very mathematical approach that requires different talents.¡±


    Eventually, the truth was revealed. The reason why Ke ong was able to do this construction work was because he was a dwarf and it had nothing to do with cksmithing.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid was greatly disappointed. A moving, flying fortress... no, smithy. He thought he would be able to ride it around the world without needing extra control or power but his imagination was ended. Grid was feeling a deep sense of loss when Ke ong spoke meaningful words, ¡°By the way, do you know? I don¡¯t think the architecture technique is needed to make a smithy out of Greed.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid pricked his ears.

 Chapter 1122

    He could make a smithy without any building skills...?


    Ke ong smiled at the startled Grid. ¡°It is a simple problem. Don¡¯t you need mathematical calctions for cksmithing? cksmiths must consider bnce even when making the sword hilt, and the bncees from standards. The closer it is to the ideal standard, the more qualified the sword. Yet does Your Majesty think about numbers when making a sword?¡±


    He didn¡¯t. Of course, he tried to strike an ideal bnce. It was because he knew from experience that items created without considering the bnce would ultimately be failures. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t use aplex form every time he created an item. The same was true when creating a blueprint, which was a feast of numbers.


    It was the power of the system. All the parts rted to numbers were solved using the system correction effect. This was one of the privileges of being a yer. It was just that NPCs didn¡¯t understand the concept of a system and interpreted it as talent or experience.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Architecture is the same. There are many things to consider in architecture, but in fact, a small building is something where you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about numbers. Of course, this is if you have the right talent and dexterity. However, Your Majesty is a legendary cksmith, and your talent and dexterity will definitely be enough.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was sophistry. The NPC Ke might not understand, but a yer was limited by the system. A building created by a yer who wasn¡¯t a professional wouldn¡¯t function as a building. Grid had been working in a smithy for more than 10 years and knew all the structures and principles of a smithy, but the smithy he built would be an empty shell with only the ¡®shape.¡¯


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he was feeling negative. He recalled the premise that Keid down before he started the story. It was based on ¡®Greed.¡¯


    ¡®Ah!¡¯ Grid realized the fundamental nature of Greed. It was based on the characteristic ¡®think and act by itself.¡¯ For example, the God Hands¡ªwhich were made from Greed¡ªperfectly fulfilled their role as a hand without any scientific or medical basis. This was just because Grid had created the ¡®shape.¡¯ Ke paid attention to this fact.


    ¡®The moment I create the form of a smithy with Greed, the mineral Greed will reproduce the function of a smithy.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a building created by an architect, so the function of a building couldn¡¯t be used. Nheless, the system constraints would be ovee by the nature of Greed. This suggested a number of possibilities.


    ¡®I can also produce golems with Greed.¡¯


    The creation of a golem was in the realm of a great magician. It requiredplex magic forms and a mana core, but Greed made the story different.


    ¡®This is a real scam.¡¯


    In fact, this was something he should¡¯ve noticed earlier. Grid had been using the Item Transformation skill since the days when Greed was still pavranium. Pavranium had the power to perfectly reproduce the power of the item it copied. However, Grid only recognized it as the power of the Item Transformation skill. Additionally, the name of the skill itself meant the things that could be reproduced with Item Transformation were limited to ¡®items.¡¯ Yet what was the truth?


    [Item Transformation]


    [-A skill that can be triggered if the legendary mineral ¡®pavranium¡¯ or ¡®Greed¡¯ is possessed.


    It transforms the pavranium or Greed into the shape and performance of a specific item.


    * It can only transform into items you have learned how to make.


    * The duration of the transformation is 3 minutes. After the transformation is released, the pavranium or Greed will return to its original form.


    Skill Mana Cost: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.]


    In the first ce, Item Transformation was a skill that could only be used with pavranium. The Item Transformation skill meant the pavranium not only copied the specific item but also the skills attached to the item. Additionally, the ¡®item¡¯ mentioned here had to be approached in a moreprehensive sense. It was a thing, and could almost be considered as everything. Pavranium was a mineral that could even reproduce Grid¡¯s hands.


    ¡®Can I make ¡®myself¡¯ with Greed?¡¯


    Umm, this was too much. No matter how fraudulent Greed was, it couldn¡¯t reproduce a yer. There would always be restrictions.


    ¡®It is still worth a try.¡¯


    Even if it failed, he could create a ¡®golem.¡¯ A golem had infinite power and durability. Of course, the golem was likely to have a low rating due to the bnce, but it could be useful enough. A golem with all its limbs had many functions such as using tools or holding the target to restrict them.


    ¡°Thank you, Ke ong. You have enlightened me today.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no problem.¡±


    Grid was filled with great anticipation as he said goodbye to Ke ong. Then he hugged Irene¡¯s waist and said, ¡°The weather is good. Let¡¯s go on a date.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you are building a smithy?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t create what I want to at the moment.¡±


    Greed must be fully multiplied in order to build a smithy. Right now, he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡®By the way, I think it is too ugly to make a normal smithy.¡¯


    A smithy floating in the sky... It would be funny if it was just a small building with a chimney. He wanted it to be cool since he was a king.


    ¡®What if it is in the form of an aircraft carrier?


    Why not gradually turn it into a fortress? If he used a huge aircraft carrier as a base and built all types of necessary buildings and weapons from the smithy, it would give birth to an air fortress that never existed before.


    ¡®It should be very cool...¡¯


    The fortress floating like a guardian over the castle that Ke expanded. Grid thought of the future and asked Lauel in an excited manner, ¡°Lauel, can you tell Picasso to paint an image of an aircraft carrier floating in the sky?¡±


    The reason why Picasso could be first in the painter¡¯s rankings was due to her excellent aesthetics. She had greatly developed after painting Grid and could design a handsome aircraft carrier as a basis for a fortress.


    ¡°The scale is getting bigger. I understand.¡± Lauel noticed Grid¡¯s intentions and snorted. In fact, Lauel had been worried about how unsightly a small building floating would be. Then what about an aircraft carrier?


    ¡®...That¡¯s cool. I¡¯m sure that all men will be immersed in the appearance. Kukukuk.¡¯


    Lauel shivered as he imagined himself standing at the forefront of the aerial fortress.


    ***


    One month passed.


    In the meantime, Grid was always with his family. He enjoyed a pic with Irene and Lord on all types of hunting grounds. In the Galgunos Temple, Lord¡ªwho killed the skeleton soldier along with Noe and Randy¡ªwiped at his sweat while Grid hunted the war god followers.


    ¡°I feel like my swordsmanship is gradually growing.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is natural. You are a genius of the continent, so you will naturally grow quickly.¡± Grid grinned and stroked Lord¡¯s head in a pleased manner.


    ¡°Whose son am I?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Husband, I think he¡¯ll be stronger than you as soon as he bes an adult.¡±


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be. Father is as great as the heavens, so I will never catch up.¡±


    ¡®...Not at all.¡¯


    The longing eyes were burdensome. A hand of salvation was extended to the troubled Grid.


    ¡°Take a break and have a cup of tea.¡±


    It was Irene. Sheid down a carpet in the middle of the temple and had all types of snacks. The skeleton soldiers kepting, but they weren¡¯t able to break through the line created by Lord¡¯s girlfriends and turned to ash. Irene¡¯s side was guarded by the legendary knight Mercedes. It was already a natural fortress.


    Forget the skeleton soldiers, not even the war god followers could break through. Lord sipped the milk his mother handed him and cried out excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s really fun to have a family pic!¡±


    He wanted the ordinary life of a child spending time with his parents.


    ¡°...¡± The Overgeared members hunting a short distance away clicked their tongues. They were in a tense state where they could die at any time when hunting, only to feel a sense of alienation from the actions of Grid¡¯s family.


    ¡°I¡¯m d it¡¯s fun. Let¡¯s go to another hunting ground in a few days.¡±Grid touched Lord¡¯s cheeks and then caught Mercedes¡¯ eye. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down? I don¡¯t think you need to be on the lookout.¡±


    ¡°No. I need to be prepared for unknown situations.¡±


    ¡°We have people everywhere, and even Noe and Randy have set up boundaries. It is fine to have a cup of tea together.¡±


    ¡°No. I am a knight. How dare I be with the royal family?¡±


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡± Mercedes failed to ovee the pressure from Grid and eventually sat down.


    Grid gazed at her blushing cheeks while Irene smiled softly. As the queen of a nation, she was quick to notice but thought it was fortunate that Grid had someone in his heart. Lord saw the atmosphere and eximed excitedly, ¡°Father! Next time, let¡¯s bring Aunt Sua with us!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Grid firmly declined. He dismissed his son¡¯s disappointed gaze and opened his inventory. Over the past month, the mass of Greed had increased.


    ¡®This is enough to make the hearthstone for the furnace.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t intend to make the hearthstone too big. The purpose of the portable smithy wasn¡¯t to produce arge number of items but to create them in his spare them.


    ¡®An existing anvil can be used... Channels can¡¯t be installed, so I have to make a huge water tank.¡¯


    It needed to be multiplied for at least two more months. 10 days passed after Grid determined this.


    [Greed has increased due to the proliferation nature of the insane dragon iron.]


    A familiar notification window appeared in front of him.


    [The members of the Tower of Wisdom have sensed the magic of the insane dragon iron and have started tracking the location.]


    [The moment Greed proliferates one more time, your position will be exposed to the Tower of Wisdom.]


    [The Tower of Wisdom will destroy Greed.]


    Unexpected news followed.


    ¡®The Tower of Wisdom? Location tracking? Destroy Greed?¡¯


    What was this? The insane dragon iron held the magic of Insane Dragon Nevartan. As the insane dragon iron multiplied, the volume of magic power would increase, and this was detected by other dragons. The movement of the dragons would threaten the peace of the world, so the Tower of Wisdom collected the insane dragon iron and destroyed it to prevent this from happening.


    Grid still didn¡¯t know there was a world background like this. Still, there was a sinister feeling.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Grid sent a whisper to Lauel and exined the situation. Lauel consulted with Great Sage Sticks before responding, -There seems to be a limit on the proliferation of Greed.


    ¡°How rotten.¡±


    Grid had wanted to walk on a flower road. Yet he was once again struck by the game¡¯s ¡®bnce.¡¯ Grid was disappointed, but it was only for a moment.


    ¡®The aircraft carrier isn¡¯t possible, but the smithy is different.¡¯


    Then should he not let it proliferate anymore...? It would be enough if he consumed it from now on. He returned to Reinhardt with his family, and Grid headed straight to the smithy. First, he started to make thick,rge tes. They would be one of the outer walls of the smithy.


    That¡¯s right. Grid nned to separate Greed every time it multiplied by a certain amount and create portions of the smithy at a time.


    ¡®Then I will assemble it all at once.¡¯


    The means that the Tower of Wisdom used to trace Greed¡¯s position was the energy of the insane dragon iron. Meanwhile, Greed only retained the properties of the insane dragon iron when in ¡®pure form.¡¯ The moment it was separated, the proliferation effect of the insane dragon iron was removed. It meant that Grid was controlling it, and there was no more need to worry about the location being exposed to the Tower of Wisdom.


    ¡®I have to determine what exactly the Tower of Wisdom is.¡¯


    Even Great Sage Sticks didn¡¯t know the exact identity of the Tower of Wisdom. However, Grid gained the right to enter the Tower of Wisdom after acquiring the Pioneer title.


    ¡®If I can get in touch with them...¡¯


    It was convenient if they came to him due to the proliferation of Greed, but there was the warning that they could destroy Greed.


    ¡®I have to ask Kraugel.¡¯


    Gridpleted a single te that would be the outer wall of the smithy and tried to calm his confusion.


    ***


    The Tower of Wisdom...


    ¡°It is a big deal.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom was a secret society that fought to protect the world for hundreds of years. They worked hard to prevent ¡®disasters that couldn¡¯t be handled with human strength¡¯ from happening. They were the ones who drew the dragons¡¯ attention whenever a great demon descended.


    Dragons, a transcendent species that couldn¡¯t bepared to great demons¡ªwatching them was the mission of the Tower of Wisdom.


    ¡°Someone is intentionally using the insane dragon iron.¡±


    They were informed of various situations. There was a presence in the world that fully understood and controlled the nature of the insane dragon iron. It was a big deal if they were evil, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the world was already ying in that person¡¯s grasp. All the dragons hostile to Insane Dragon Nevartan could wake up the moment this person wanted and destroy the world.


    ¡°I have to find them.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to ask other kingdoms for cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    The members of the association were sitting around a round table. Every one of them had great strength, but their numbers were limited. They had to consider outside help because it took an astronomical manpower to search for the ¡®unidentified¡¯ person who cut off the energy of the insane dragon iron and their pursuit at every close moment.


    ¡°Umm...¡± The leader of the tower was troubled. He shook his head as he reminded himself of why the tower had been secretly acting for hundreds of years. ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that.


    The moment the Tower of Wisdom revealed its existence, the nations and organizations in the world¡ªincluding the empire¡ªwould either covet or be vignt against them. They would try to approach the tower through all means and methods. The mission of the Tower of Wisdom was too great to handle the variables which would arise at that time.


    After a long struggle, the leader decided, ¡°Ask the Pioneer for help.¡±


    ¡°Ohh... You mean Kraugel?¡±


    Approximately six years ago, the Pioneer Kraugel visited the tower. Kraugel was a great talent with an excellent character, so they had a deep trust in him. In the first ce, the Pioneer was the only bridgehead connecting the Tower of Wisdom to the world. This was the time when they had to rely on him, just like he relied on them.


    ¡°Let me meet him.¡±The man sitting at the lowest seat of the round table rose.The person with the lowest position in the Tower of Wisdom was a transcendent who would shake the world the moment he emerged. ¡°My words will work better since he is a child who loves the sword.¡±

 Chapter 1123

    ¡°The realization of breathing is slower than the Heart Sword...¡±


    Kraugel had reached the point where he could read and exploit the breathing of the target. The basic technique of the Sword Saint was acquired only now.


    ¡°It is amazing. You learned to run before walking so you didn¡¯t know what was possible.¡±


    NPCs weren¡¯t aware of the existence of the system and couldn¡¯t understand yers who benefited from the system. Kraugel was forced to smile bitterly at his master who was clicking his tongue. It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡®Grid.¡¯


    The deeper his rtionship with Kirinus became, the more he thought of Grid.


    ¡®Has he been fighting this type of gap for a long time?¡¯


    The NPCs were an artificial intelligence, not living human beings. Nevertheless, Kraugel respected the NPCs. It was a type of role y, a way to increase his concentration and endurance by maximizing his immersion in this world. Yet from the time he met Piaro and after studying under Kirinus for more than two years, Kraugel¡¯s perception underwent a major change.


    At the very least, in this world, the NPCs were epted as real humans. They felt precious. He now fully understood Grid¡¯s wrath that resonated throughout the world after losing the cksmith called Khan.


    ¡®At that time, he must¡¯ve been having a really hard time?¡¯


    Kraugel was lost in thought for a while before his expression stiffened. An unidentified, suspicious person was suddenly standing right behind him.


    ¡°It is a shame.¡±


    ¡®This person?¡¯


    Kraugel was unable to turn his head as the voice entered his ears. It was a voice that remained in Kraugel¡¯s memory from six years ago. Kraugel used his genius memory to immediately identity this opponent.


    ¡®The underground association of the tower!¡¯


    ¡°I had expectations when you became a Sword Saint but you haven¡¯t even achieved the basic training, let alone transcendence. Isn¡¯t it an embarrassment to call yourself a Sword Saint in this state?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The surprised Kirinus stepped forward. Even the best spearman on the continent waste to realize the presence of the suspicious man. The man holding the spear emitted hostility and Kraugel tried to say, ¡®He isn¡¯t the enemy.¡¯ However, he was unsessful.


    ¡°Hoh, you have a great foundation.¡±


    The mysterious man showed interest in Kirinus and pointed his finger at a specific part of Kraugel¡¯s body. Then...


    [You have been affected by the ¡®silence¡¯ state!]


    [Resistance has failed. This willst for 3 minutes.]


    ¡°?!¡±


    Kraugel was unable to speak. At the same time, most skills were forbidden. Kraugel was surprised at encountering this for the first time but he soon recovered hisposure. He was the supreme person because he didn¡¯t be confused by the various situations he encountered.


    ¡®Master, I¡¯m fine.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s strong willpower was contained in his eyes. He intended to convey his will to reassure Kirinus but it wasn¡¯t delivered. Kirinus couldn¡¯t afford to look at Kraugel. His feet sank deep into the stone floor as he blocked the suspicious man¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense and focus on the fight. I want to measure the level of this era.¡±


    The man ignored Kirinus¡¯ question and warned in a rather excited voice. His mouth revealed below the hood of his robe was clearly smiling.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a chance!¡±


    Kirinus¡¯ anger reached its limits. It was natural to be angry when this person suddenly appeared, inflicted harm on his disciple, and treated him like a child. Unlike his anger, his spear didn¡¯t show any emotions. Kirinus¡¯s spear contained the same extreme flexibility as always. The spear handle encircled the mysterious man dozens of times.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The mysterious man was startled. He wasn¡¯t surprised by Kirinus¡¯ spear techniques. The mysterious man stepped back from Kirinus, blocked the swording from behind him, and uttered an exmation of admiration. His sword was trembling madly from the shock.


    ¡°Heart Sword?¡±


    The eyes of the mysterious man were focused on Kraugel.


    ¡°You opened the heart before thepletion of the skill and body?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s blood was clogged from his pressure point being hit and he couldn¡¯t answer. The mysterious man had intended for him to not use any skills, let alone speak.


    ¡°How interesting. You aren¡¯t following Muller¡¯s path but you are self-studying. Therefore, it is impossible toplete the ¡®skill¡¯ and the ¡®body,¡¯ but you reached the ¡®heart¡¯ with your talent.¡±


    The interest of the mysterious man returned to Kraugel from Kirinus.


    He thought this person had be a Sword Saint too early because he thought Kraugel was following Muller¡¯s progress, but what was this? This was perhaps a talent equal to Muller.


    ¡®A talent that emerges once in a thousand years.¡¯


    He would confirm if it was true.


    ¡°Stop! Your opponent is me!¡±


    Kirinus stretched out his spear as the mysterious man approached Kraugel. His spear swayed like bamboo in the wind and was fast and unpredictable. However, it didn¡¯t work against the mysterious man. The mysterious man twisted his sword and the tip of the spear was buried in the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    The mysterious man¡¯s interest in Kirinus had cooled down in a short period of time. He was a capricious person.


    ¡®What is this power?¡¯


    Kirinus was surprised by the swordsmanship and hurriedly pulled the tip of his spear out of the ground. He used the repulsive force to swing it like a whip, aiming the spear at the mysterious man¡¯s lower half. The mysterious man¡¯s actions were faster.


    ¡°It has been confirmed.¡±


    The man stepped on Kirinus¡¯ spear and reached for Kraugel¡¯s head. He grinned and stabbed at Kraugel¡¯s pressure point with his finger.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡± Kirinus screamed because he misunderstood that this monster had inflicted harm on his disciple.


    Surprisingly, the one who reassured him was the normal Kraugel. ¡°I¡¯m fine. He isn¡¯t an enemy.¡±


    Kraugel could finally open his mouth and he politely greeted the mysterious man. ¡°Master, I greet you.¡±


    ¡°You know who I am?¡±


    ¡°I remember you from six years ago.¡±


    Kraugel deliberately avoided the words ¡®tower¡¯ and ¡®underground association¡¯ since he knew that the Tower of Wisdom was extremely reluctant to be associated with the world.


    ¡°You are really clever and quick to notice.¡± The mysterious man was pleased while Kirinus shouted, ¡°Kraugel! Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this disciple is indebted to him.¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The red-faced Kirinus snorted. He didn¡¯t like that a mysterious man he didn¡¯t know was Kraugel¡¯s benefactor. The mysterious man frowned. ¡°Disciple? You became the disciple of a spearman?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hah! A Sword Saint has be the disciple of a spearman?¡±


    It was absurd. Who should be angry now?


    Kirinus¡¯ face reddened. Now he seemed to be a ripe date. Nevertheless, Kirinus couldn¡¯t me the mysterious man.


    ¡®He is a master of the previous generation.¡¯


    The mysterious man was at the level of transcendence. Moreover, Kirinus remembered something about transcendents.


    ¡®A transcendent can live for hundreds of years. Despite his appearance, he must be an old man.¡¯


    This meant he wasn¡¯t someone Kirinus could be prideful towards. This person seemed to have a rtionship with Kraugel so it was wiser to observe silently first. Kirinus tried to soothe his heart while Kraugel spoke politely to the mysterious man.


    ¡°As Master noticed, I was self-taught and came here. There are many skills I haven¡¯t awakened so I asked to be his disciple. Thankfully, he epted me.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to follow Muller¡¯s progress?¡±


    The death of a hero was directly rted to the world¡¯s crisis. That¡¯s why the hero left behind their secret techniques before leaving. They wanted someone to defend the world on their behalf. It was the same with the mysterious man. The secret technique he left behind was passed down to Muller and developed further by Muller, protecting the world.


    ¡°My goal is to surpass Muller so I can¡¯t follow his progress.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    His talent wasparable to Muller but he had apletely different personality. Well, the environment was different so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Muller had quickly realized he was the strongest of all eras and didn¡¯tpete with others. This child was obscured by the shadow of Muller and was destined to spend a long time proving himself.


    ¡°Even so, for a Sword Saint to ask a spearman for help...¡±


    This was a major event that would crush a swordman¡¯s pride. All the swordsmen in the world would be distressed. Still, the mysterious man didn¡¯t say anything more. It was because the Tower of Wisdom didn¡¯t get involved with the world. From the moment he entered the Tower of Wisdom, he had vowed that he would no longer intervene in the world. He had been a bit excited and showed an abnormal attitude when he thought Kraugel was his descendant but it turned out that this wasn¡¯t the case. Therefore, he needed to draw the line clearly.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. It is none of my business what you do.¡±


    The mysterious man sent a strange look toward Kirinus, like he was going to eat Kirinus. Kirinus slightly shrank back and wasn¡¯t aware that at this time, the mysterious man was sending a sound transmission to Kraugel.


    [Pioneer. The Tower of Wisdom seeks your cooperation.]


    Now the mysterious man didn¡¯t treat Kraugel in a personal manner. He called Kraugel ¡®Pioneer¡¯, not ¡®Sword Saint¡¯, and conveyed the tower¡¯s position to him, the only bridge that connected the Tower of Wisdom to the world.


    [It is something called the insane dragon iron. It is a mine born from the influence of Insane Dragon Nevartan and is likely to be a target for all dragons targeting Nevartan.]


    ¡®As expected, it is the Tower of Wisdom.¡¯


    The force only watched dragons and werecking when it came to other news. No, it was more urate to say that they had no interest. The Tower of Wisdom had no interest in the world and didn¡¯t know the Pioneer had changed.


    ¡°Excuse me, Master.¡±


    Kraugel hadn¡¯t yet learned how to send a sound transmission to NPCs. He wanted to say he was no longer the Pioneer and the mysterious man had gone to the wrong ce, so he should go back.


    [Uhh! Have you forgotten that the tower¡¯s chief is the only one who can leak the tower¡¯s affairs to outsiders? Watch your mouth, even if this person is your teacher!!]


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it... oof oof!¡±


    [Just listen in silence! Your teacher has already noticed something suspicious! You can¡¯t avoid punishment if you misrepresent the situation of the tower to the outside!]


    ¡°Oof oof!¡±


    [Quiet!]


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, this person... He had the same temperament when Kraugel saw him at the tower six years ago. The man had been so excited that Kraugel was a Sword Saint that he attacked despite the discouragement of the other association members. He was a person with a hotheaded temperament, unlike the other association members.


    ¡®The tower sent the wrong person.¡¯


    It was obvious how these circumstances came about. This person would¡¯ve imed that he could speak well through the sword. Kraugel closed his mouth and looked like he had lost his soul. He couldn¡¯t resist even if he wanted to, so he would let this person have his way for now. Kraugel calmed down and the satisfied man continued.


    [In any case, the dangerous insane dragon iron has been discovered and is being used recklessly by a human. Pioneer, I hope you can use your position in the world to search for him. All costs will naturally be handled by the tower and sufficientpensation will be provided.]


    Finally, the mysterious man pulled back the hand blocking Kraugel¡¯s mouth. He looked solemn and determined, like a man on a mission to protect the world from the scourge of dragons.


    ¡°Um...¡± Kraugel looked at Kirinus with a troubled expression. Kirinus guessed there was something between the two of them and stepped back. Kraugel received the right to speak and revealed the truth. ¡°Master, I am no longer the Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I lost in apetition against others and was disqualified from the title of Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°...This is a serious situation where you don¡¯t know what the world will be like. Don¡¯t joke around.¡±


    "It is true.¡±


    ¡°...¡± The silence continued for a long time. The strange man stood nkly for a few minutes before a vein on his neck bulged. ¡°Why are you only saying that now?!¡±

 Chapter 1124

    ¡°Why are you only saying that now?!¡±


    ¡°Master didn¡¯t give me a chance to speak.¡±


    ¡°A chance should be won by yourself! How can a Sword Saint be easily overthrown and lose his chance?¡±


    ¡°As Master evaluated earlier, I am stillcking. On the other hand, Master is a member of the noble tower. I couldn¡¯t resist.¡±


    ¡°Aish, kids these days are weak. I used to beat a dragon with one hand when I was the Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a legend like that.¡±


    "Hum hum, you are brave and fearless. You shouldn¡¯t have said anything. Do you know how to respect your elders?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...Cough.¡±


    The unidentified man felt something called shame. He might be irresponsible by nature but he couldn¡¯t hold Kraugel ountable. Kraugel¡¯s polite attitude to the end despite the unjust situation made the mysterious man feel ashamed.


    ¡®There are no true wise men.¡¯


    The mysterious man had lived hundreds of years and knew that the personality of a person was innate and not easily corrected. He wasn¡¯t an elder just because he lived a long time and being young didn¡¯t necessarily mean being ignorant. If a person who lived for a long time was unconditionally wise, would the world be like this? It would be peaceful because it was overflowing with wise men.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything else but this child¡¯s personality is real.¡¯


    The mysterious man let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Sigh, what does it matter? I will die soon.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you leaked the circumstances of the tower to me?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t avoid punishment.¡±


    ¡°Is it punishable by death?¡±


    ¡°Those are serious words! Don¡¯t you know the words metaphor and exaggeration? I¡¯m so afraid that I can¡¯t even joke around!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    ¡®Is he afraid?¡¯


    Kraugel was quite surprised when he saw the mysterious man¡¯s slumped shoulders. A person who thought he was the best in heaven and earth. He thought that the weight of the punishment must be unusual for the mysterious man with a strong self-esteem to show such a frightened expression. Kraugel confirmed that he didn¡¯t have to pretend not to know about the tower¡¯s underground association.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will never tell the outside world what I heard today.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know why the tower is called the Tower of Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°How can a person like me dare to discern the association¡¯s deep meaning?¡±


    There were many reasons why Kraugel had been ranked number one for several years. One of them was the way he treated people. The mysterious man had a great liking for Kraugel.


    ¡°It is because the Tower of Wisdom is a tower of wise people. It is impossible to cover up my mistake because they¡¯ll look at my whereabouts and figure out most of what happened here. It is a sense that you can¡¯t cover the sky with your palms.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡±


    Of course, Kraugel also knew it. He had visited the tower six years ago and witnessed that most of the tower members had a creepy perception. However, there were exceptions, such as the mysterious man in front of him. At this point, Kraugel felt envy beyond absurdity because the mysterious man was implying that he was the same as the other association members.


    ¡®He is a great guy in many ways... he seems to live without any particr worries.¡¯


    It might be the secret to longevity. Kraugel was thinking seriously while the mysterious man talked to himself.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll try my best to stop you from being punished.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel just listened. If it was another association member present today, they would offer an apology rather than punishing him It was because the Tower of Wisdom was a very rational organization. Kraugel was so dumbfounded that he closed his mouth.


    The arrogant man asked proudly, ¡°Then who is the new Pioneer?¡±


    Answering that he didn¡¯t know wouldn¡¯t work. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to not know thepetitor who pulled him down from his position. In the first ce, there was no reason to avoid answering. The Tower of Wisdom and the Pioneer had a rtionship of cooperation. An exchange with the tower was unconditionally beneficial to the Pioneer. The story that the mysterious man told meant Grid would get a hidden quest and a huge reward.


    ¡°The ruler of a nation called the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared? That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°It is a word that means to borrow the power of items.¡±


    ¡°Borrow the power of items?¡±


    The mysterious man¡¯s face wrinkled like he was eating shit. The sword shone because of swordsmanship. In other words, it was natural for technique to be greater than tools. The ruler of the Overgeared Kingdom seemed to have an opposite idea, making the mysterious man already dislike him. He even thought that he had left the tower for no reason.


    However, this onlysted for a moment. He consoled himself by saying that he was happy to be reunited with Kraugel, who wasparable to Muller and had good manners, and then he shook hands with Kraugel.


    ¡°It was nice to see you. The next time we meet, you will be the Pioneer again.¡±


    ¡°I will try.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The mysterious man¡¯s eyes slightly widened. He felt enthusiasm from Kraugel but no confidence. How good was the ruler of the Overgeared Kingdom that Kraugel lost confidence?


    ¡®Ruler... Ruler... Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    The mysterious man got goosebumps. He was reminded of someone who had superior talent than Muller and was also the ruler of a nation.


    ¡®Is he Madra¡¯s descendant?¡¯


    Undefeated King Madra. The miserable genius who spent his life locked up in a cage and whose life ended before he could spread his wings. If Muller was a genius that appeared once in a thousand years, Madra was a genius who would never appear again. If Madra was alive, the Tower of Wisdom wouldn¡¯t exist now. This was the evaluation of the tower¡¯s chief. Why? The dragons would¡¯ve been sealed and the need for the tower¡¯s existence gone.


    ¡®Heh, I¡¯m going too far.¡¯


    The mysterious man shook his head. Madra¡¯s descendant couldn¡¯t exist because no secret techniques were left behind. In addition, he wasn¡¯t someone obsessed with items. He was a great man who ughtered tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands with a paltry weapon.


    ¡®The Overgeared kingdom¡¯s ruler is probably a resourceful person.¡¯


    It was correct to assume that he was a person who overcame his limitations by relying on a ruler¡¯s power and tools. He would be a big barrier for Kraugel, who was only an individual. The mysterious man judged and turned away. He knew the identity of the other person so visiting would be a piece of cake.


    Kraugel asked the mysterious man who was about to leave, "Can I ask Master for Master¡¯s name?¡±


    Kraugel had provided the mysterious man with the information he needed. Therefore, he thought he had the right to ask for this man¡¯s name. As expected, the mysterious man willingly answered, ¡°Biban.¡±


    ".... It was an honor to meet you."


    The identity of the mysterious man was as Kraugel expected. He was the second generation Sword Saint.


    ***


    -What are you doing?


    [The target can¡¯t receive a whisper.]


    -Sir~?


    [The target can¡¯t receive a whisper.]


    ¡°Wow, really great.¡±


    Grid needed information about the Tower of Wisdom and had been trying to contact Kraugel for a fortnight. Yet for thest fortnight, Kraugel was in an area where it was impossible to send whispers. Areas where whispers were blocked were mostly special areas such as instance dungeons or forbidden ces. Therefore, Grid had to marvel at Kraugel¡¯s concentration and endurance.


    ¡®He has been training or hunting for at least a fortnight...¡¯


    He must¡¯ve prepared a bag of jerky. He didn¡¯t pick up misceneous items or threw them away. He must¡¯ve minimized his consumption of potions. The repair kit was heavy so he couldn¡¯t have brought too many. Then how did he handle the durability of his items? Could he keep hunting while using secondary weapons?


    ¡®I feel sorry when thinking about it.¡¯


    Grid was able to repair items without a repair kit, his strength stat was abnormally high and he could hold a muchrger weight than Kraugel. He was also advantageous in terms of maintaining stamina thanks to Overgeared Corn that he obtained from Kir.


    In the first ce, he had Sticks¡¯ Mass Teleport so he didn¡¯t need to worry about the time spent travelling to and from hunting grounds. He was advantageous in all respectspared to Kraugel. Grid felt sympathy for Kraugel. Of course, Kraugel wasn¡¯t aware of this difference between the two of them. Kraugel¡¯s situation was the same as others. Yes, Kraugel¡¯s situation was ordinary. He took for granted the circumstances that he had to ovee.


    Grid¡ªfeeling sorry for Kraugel¡ªwas the abnormal and fraudulent one.


    ¡°Hmm, what is the Tower of Wisdom?¡±


    The tower was essible only to the Pioneer. Was it an organization engaged in the destruction of the insane dragon iron? He was somewhat wary. It might be an insidious ce like Goldhit¡¯s Tower of Eternity.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    It was an unknown area even for Great Sage Sticks, so Grid wasn¡¯tfortable as he made items using the portable furnace while his pets hunted.


    [You havepleted the production of Sword Breaker.]


    ¡°It is another failure.¡±


    Grid had invested thest fortnight in himself. He focused on the growth of the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, Randy, and Tiramet, while trying to recreate the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker used during the National Competition. The reproduction here naturally referred to the ¡®form¡¯, not the ¡®performance.¡¯


    Grid had already consumed the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and Astaroth¡¯s Horn while crafting the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots. Of the two materials, Astaroth¡¯s Horn was out of stock so it was impossible to reproduce the performance of the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker. Still, he judged that it would be useful to reproduce the form since the Blue Dragon Sword Breaker was ideal from the beginning.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    After all, there were limitations to the items made using the portable furnace and anvil. However, he didn¡¯t want to be stuck in the smithy for two days for an item that would be used in the next National Competition.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work. I have to briefly return home.¡±


    Grid summoned his pets scattered everywhere and returned to Reinhardt. He put nine of the 10 Sword Breakers he made in thest fortnight into the guild¡¯s warehouse. He set it up so that those who had the right to take it out were the top swordsmen of the Overgeared Guild such as Peak Sword and Ibellin. They would take it when they saw it in the warehouseter. They would pay a fee ording to their conscience.


    ¡®The problem is that their conscience is too great.¡¯


    It was often more than the market price. They were always more grateful than necessary.


    ¡®This type of item can be taken for free...¡¯


    The items were produced from materials Grid obtained from his colleagues. Grid always felt beholden to his colleagues.


    ¡°Are you going to the smithy without a break?¡±


    Mercedes followed Grid, who took off his armor and changed into cloth upon his return. On top of her head was a circlet with blue jewels. It was made by Elizabeth, the only essories maker of the Overgeared Guild, out of the tears of the water n¡¯s king. The magic stored in it was the 1st ranked fire magician Lae¡¯s passive magic ¡®Blessing of Fire¡¯ which helped with recovery. The tough Mercedes was no longer weary.


    "Yes, I think I need to focus a bit more.¡± Grid answered with a smile.


    He was naturally happy walking alongside Mercedes, who was as beautiful as a magnolia. He was like a caterpir crawling on the petals. After all, appearance was rtive.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    After exiting the castle, Grid was heading for the smithy using a shortcut when Mercedes stopped him.


    ¡°...?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until Mercedes pulled out the White Tiger Sword and stood in front of Grid that Grid could see the reason. A suspicious figure in a robe turned upside down was approaching. The atmosphere around them was unusual.


    ¡¯I¡¯m still not good enough.¡¯


    Despite having reached transcendence, hecked Mercedes¡¯ ability to detect danger. Grid clicked his tongue and asked the man who was 10 meters away from him.


    "Who are you?"


    ¡°This is no ce for the public.¡±


    ¡°Nyahahahat!¡± Noe, who had been pping his wings around Grid,ughed. ¡°Master is dressed like a beggar so you are mistaken for a ve, ong~¡±


    ¡°Cough... be quiet, Noe.¡±


    Grid pinched Noe¡¯s chubby belly and studied the situation. The unidentified man was showing interest in Mercedes.


    ¡°You rely on items. I don¡¯t think there is anything that isn¡¯t luxurious from head to toe.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯s tone was surprisingly polite. This was strange because this person dared to block the king¡¯s road and mistook the king as an ordinary person.


    ¡®It is hard to gauge his skills.¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight wasn¡¯tplete. Still, it was growing steadily and she could easily figure out the target¡¯s skills. Yet Keen Insight didn¡¯t work well against this mysterious man. It was proof that his skills surpassed Mercedes¡¯.


    ¡°I came from the tower to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Tower?¡±


    Mercedes was confused. It was hard to understand because only the tower was mentioned. Meanwhile, Grid was astonished.


    ¡®Does he mean the Tower of Wisdom?¡¯


    Greed was already consumed and the nature of the insane dragon iron suppressed yet the location was detected? Grid didn¡¯t know exactly what the Tower of Wisdom was doing so he opened his inventory to take out his equipment.


    ¡°Just once! Let me see the skills of the new Pioneer!¡±


    The mysterious man screamed. As expected, he was the killer (?) sent from the Tower of Wisdom. Mercedes and the sword of the mysterious man collided five times in a row. It was all Mercedes defending. The mysterious man¡¯s sword rotated smoothly and Mercedes¡¯ sword couldn¡¯t easily maintain its center, slipping steadily.


    The mysterious man felt admiration.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you held out for a second! Great! There are two geniuses under the sky!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The mysterious man spoke nonsense and slipped past Mercedes to fly at Grid. Mercedes followed but the mysterious man was a bit faster. His finger was aimed at Grid¡¯s pressure point. However...


    [The +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been equipped.]


    [The +3 Valha of Infinite Affection has been equipped.]


    [The +4 Lantier¡¯s Cloak has been equipped.]


    [The +7 Cone Helmet has been equipped.]


    [The +7 Overgeared Crown has been equipped.]


    [The +4 Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves (Produced by Pagma) have been equipped.]


    [The +1 The Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots have been equipped.]


    Grid rapidly pulled out all his equipment from his inventory. For reference, Kraugel¡¯s armor was a cloth ¡®dopo¡¯. (Google search)


    It facilitated agility but was vulnerable to physical shock. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s armor was very high in physical strength.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The mysterious man, the second generation Sword Saint Biban, was obstructed by Valha. Then Mercedes¡¯ sword cut Biban¡¯s back. To be exact, she cut Biban¡¯s robe. The baffled Biban still managed to respond to and dodge Mercedes¡¯ attack. It was the power of the repetitive training and experience that he built up for hundreds of years.


    ¡°Indeed...! A ruler wouldn¡¯t have an ordinary servant!¡±


    Biban stood quietly for a while before shouting. He warned Mercedes.


    ¡°The existence of the tower should never be leaked to outsiders. Send your knight away for a while.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I said I was from the tower.¡±


    ¡°The Tower of Eternity?¡±


    ¡°Hah, how can the Tower of Wisdom bepared to such an insignificant tower?¡±


    ¡°Tower of Wisdom...? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A moment of silence followed. Once again, it was a long silence. Biban¡¯s eyes trembled for a long time before he barely managed to settle himself. He spoke slowly, ¡°I saw youing out of the pce. I have confirmed that all the soldiers and knights in the pce are polite to you and found that your prowess is the best in the city.¡±


    So, please say it. Biban eagerly prayed as he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the ruler of this country?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why are you only saying that now?!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡®Is this person crazy?¡¯


    ¡®Crazy, nyong.¡¯


    Grid and Noe had the same thought at the same time.

 Chapter 1125

    The meeting with Kraugel three days ago was an obvious mistake and failure. Biban acted cautiously because he couldn¡¯t tolerate the two failures himself, let alone seek forgiveness from the tower.


    ¡®Control my temper...¡¯ Biban told himself repeatedly as he roamed around Overgeared City for the past three days. He barely suppressed his nature while searching thoroughly for someone stronger than Kraugel. In the end, Mercedes was the one he found. Biban measured Mercedes¡¯ capabilities and was truly impressed. He was convinced about why Kraugel lost. Mercedes showed a ruler¡¯s dignity with every action, and the small circle on her head proved her identity.


    ¡®She is the ruler of this country,¡¯ Biban came to this conclusion after watching Mercedes. He tried to make contact with her, but she never came out of the castle.


    ¡®What is the identity of the person who made this barrier?¡¯


    It was unexpectedly difficult to approach Mercedes quietly. In fact, it was virtually impossible to infiltrate the castle undetected. It wasn¡¯t just because of the magic but also the protection of the elementals. Biban had only trained in the sword, so he was weak in magic and stealth.


    ¡®It is simple to break through with strength.¡¯


    With Biban¡¯s power, the barrier around the Overgeared Castle wasn¡¯t a threat at all to him. If he desired to do so, he could easily break through and defeat the soldiers and knights guarding the castle. However, there was a rule that the members of the tower couldn¡¯t kill or leave traces behind in this world. So, Biban had no choice but to wait.


    Then today, Mercedes finally came out of the pce. Her clear eyes were captured by Biban, who had eyesight better than a hawk.


    ¡®Hah.¡¯Biban peered into Mercedes¡¯ deep eyes and felt an eerie feeling in his body. Despite erasing his spirit, he felt like her eyes were piercing through him.


    ¡®Keen Insight...¡¯


    It was an aplishment that couldn¡¯t be achieved through discipline. This was an innate ability. Her eyes were filled with a certain power from the moment she was born. Even hundreds of years of training couldn¡¯t catch up with this.


    ¡®How much can this person grow?¡¯


    Biban¡¯s heart thumped. He no longer had any regrets, but he once again became interested in the world he left. At this moment, all his attention was focused on Mercedes. The person following Mercedes and the memphis hovering around her were insignificant. Hell was just a part of this world, so even hell¡¯s best demonic beast was nothing special to Biban.


    Biban took action the moment Mercedes entered a deserted street.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°This is no ce for the public.¡±


    ¡°Nyahahat!¡±


    Biban was still uninterested in the nearby man and memphis, and he focusedpletely on Mercedes, observing her thoroughly. A legendary sword and the dignity of a ruler... Immeasurable eyes and thoroughly disciplined breathing...


    Mercedes hadn¡¯t built up her transcendent status due to ack of experience, but she didn¡¯t seemcking. She would¡¯ve surely made a name for herself if she had been born in the same era as Muller or Madra. Perhaps, she could even have been stronger than the two of them... Well, probably not.


    ¡°You rely on items. I don¡¯t think there is anything that isn¡¯t luxurious from head to toe.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡®Ahh.¡¯ A chill went down Biban¡¯s spine. Mercedes¡¯s gaze was different from what he saw at a distance. He felt the magic trying to peek inside him.


    ¡°...I came from the tower to meet you.¡±


    Duguen, duguen, dugeun.


    Biban didn¡¯t doubt Mercedes. He was convinced she was the new Pioneer and that she would climb the tower with talent beyond his imagination.


    ¡°Just once! Let me see the skills of the new Pioneer!¡±


    He felt an emotional high for the first time in hundreds of years when he peeked at Muller from afar. The excited Biban couldn¡¯t control himself.


    A one-way street, always forcing a breakthrough, ignorant¡ªthese were the evaluations about himself that he had heard since the days of when he was cheated, and Biban was immediately caught up in his soaring emotions. In other words, he lost his temper.


    The third party¡¯s gaze was ignored. It wasn¡¯t long before Biban opened his mouth, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you held out for a second! Great! There are two geniuses under the sky!¡±


    The deep eyes that read his sword¡ªthey were amazing. Once his swordsmanship was blocked, Biban became cautious and regained his temper. He flew toward the attendant, intending to stun the ¡®witness.¡¯


    ¡°...?!¡±


    However, the attendant quickly armed himself with a sword, armor, cloak, and headwear. The attendant did it with a speed so amazing that Biban wondered if he practiced changing clothes while eating.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯ Biban¡¯s eyes widened at his failure to hit the pressure point, and he stepped back. ¡®Why am I only noticing him now?¡¯


    A legend and transcendent...


    The dignity of a ruler...


    A way of breathing that suggested he seemed to have pushed beyond his limits several times while training...


    Even the faint fighting energy...


    The squid Biban had thought was just an attendant¡ªno, Biban btedly stared straight at this man. He realized that, like Mercedes, the man was an unusual person.


    ¡®I¡¯m ruined.¡¯


    Emotions were pulled up continuously, and negative thoughts such as ¡®disappointment¡¯ and ¡®madness¡¯ emerged constantly. Biban stood quietly for a while before shouting, ¡°Indeed...! A king wouldn¡¯t have an ordinary servant!¡±


    First, it was denial. He hoped that all his assumptions were wrong and clutched at thest straw.


    ¡°The existence of the tower should never be leaked to outsiders. Send your knight away for a while.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I said I was from the tower.¡±


    ¡°The Tower of Eternity?¡±


    ¡°Hah, how can the Tower of Wisdom bepared to such an insignificant tower?¡±


    ¡°Tower of Wisdom...? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The straw he was holding was cut off. The reality of the situation was grim. He was ruined. It was another mistake, another failure. Biban realized it, but he denied it once more. ¡°I saw youing out of the pce. I have confirmed that all the soldiers and knights in the pce are polite to you, and I¡¯ve found that your prowess is the best in the city. Aren¡¯t you the ruler of this country?¡±


    ¡®So, please say it.¡¯ Biban¡¯s eyes were full of desperation.


    ¡°No,¡± Mercedes¡¯ answer was decisive.


    Biban cried out, ¡°Why are you only saying that now?!¡±


    Two consecutive mistakes and failures¡ªit was really serious. The punishment would certainly be harsh...


    Biban was feeling frustrated when the voice of the man he misunderstood entered his ears, ¡°If you grabbed anyone on the street and questioned them, you would¡¯ve known the identity of the king.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, he had been away from the world for too long. He had forgotten how tomunicate. Biban eventually admitted it, ¡°It was my mistake. You aren¡¯t at fault, so I will bear all responsibility.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying...¡±


    ¡°Crazy human ong.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The man and the memphis thought it was absurd and clicked their tongues. The two of them were well suited to each other. However, Biban showed a bright smile instead of being angry. Regardless, he had finally found the Pioneer.


    ¡°You are the king,¡± he said with a voice full of conviction.


    Biban¡¯s gaze was locked on Grid. Grid denied it for now, ¡°Why do you think it is me?¡±


    ¡°Who in the world can be the king if you aren¡¯t the king?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it anymore. I have already seen your majesty.¡±


    ¡®I never hid it.¡¯


    ¡°Also...¡±The expression in Biban¡¯s eyes deepened. The traces carved on Grid¡¯s body proved that he had pushed the limits again and again. The status carved into Grid¡¯s soul proved the difficult path he had walked. ¡°The heroic path you are on proves that you are the Pioneer of this era.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Heroic path¡¯¡ªit sounded pleasant. Grid felt a strange trembling and wanted to hold the mysterious man¡¯s hand. Then he regained his spirit and hesitated. ¡®I have to be vignt. It is clear that he came because of Greed.¡¯ One thing he could be sure of was that the Pioneer and Tower of Wisdom weren¡¯t enemies.


    The Pioneer had the authority to ¡®enter¡¯ the Tower of Wisdom. This meant the Tower of Wisdom was likely to favor the Pioneer. In fact, the man in front of them had the ability to make Mercedes extremely nervous, but he didn¡¯t show any hostility or killing intent. He only challenged them to a spar. Even so, Grid couldn¡¯t be relieved. The rtionship between the Tower of Wisdom and the PIoneer might be good, but the insane dragon iron was a separate concept.


    ¡®The system definitely warned me.¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom recognized the aura of the insane dragon iron from Greed and started to explore it. The moment they found the insane dragon iron, they would destroy it.


    ¡®I will likely be robbed of Greed the moment I reveal my identity.¡¯


    However, could he avoid the crisis by not revealing his identity now? No.This person was already convinced of his identity. He managed to find Grid the moment he investigated on the street.


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯The nervous Grid regained hisposure.


    He noted that the mysterious man didn¡¯t react to the Blue Dragon Boots.


    ¡®Is it because the aura of the insane dragon iron is removed? He can¡¯t recognize Greed?¡¯


    Of course, it was possible this man hade because he sensed the plete form of Greed¡¯ in Grid¡¯s inventory. Even so, it was unlikely. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve known the owner of Greed was Grid.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t chasing Greed?¡¯ Grid came to this conclusion and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I am the ruler of this country and the Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...¡± Biban took off his robe.He smiled brightly while extending his hand for a handshake, proudly revealing his ck-gold name. ¡°It is nice to meet you.¡±


    Simultaneously, he sent a sound transmission to Grid as he was concerned about Mercedes overhearing.[Pioneer. First, I have to tell you a rule. The Tower of Wisdom should never be exposed to the outside world. There will be a grave punishment if you disclose information about the tower, so pay attention. This will be exined to you when you visit the tower in the future. Let¡¯s put out the emergency fire first.]


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you disclose information...?¡¯ Grid wanted to say this, but he held back. He had a hunch that there would be no progress in the conversation if he interrupted here.


    Biban officially made a request, [Pioneer. The Tower of Wisdom seeks your cooperation. It is about something called the insane dragon iron. It is a mineral born from the influence of Insane Dragon Nevartan and is likely to be a target for all dragons targeting Nevartan. However, there is evidence that a human has obtained the insane dragon iron and started to deal with it. The world may be destroyed by him.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    [This is a matter regarding the world¡¯s peace. Pioneer, I hope you can use your position in the world to search for him. All costs will naturally be handled by the tower, and sufficientpensation will be provided.]


    Ttiring~


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Tower¡¯s Mission¡¯ has been created!]


    [Tower¡¯s Mission]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The Tower of Wisdom is a hidden organization that fights for the peace of the world.


    Their main role is to curb the scourge of dragons.


    Please cooperate with the tower to find the owner of the insane dragon iron!


    Quest eptance Reward: 1,000 gold. 20 top-grade buff potions.


    Quest Clear Condition: Take away the insane dragon iron from its master or kill the master of the insane dragon iron.


    Quest Clear Reward: Dragon scale (random attribute)]


    ¡°...¡±Grid¡¯s mind was nk after he saw the contents of the quest. After a while, he came to his senses and cried out angrily, ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±

 Chapter 1126

    ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡±


    Did he think that good news was waiting for him? It was a waste of time and energy. There was only one moment of relief before the anger rose. Grid exploded while Biban asked in a bewildered manner, ¡°Why are you arguing with me? You aren¡¯t even giving me a chance to talk?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have plenty of time to talk?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know your identity, so I couldn¡¯t bring it up.¡±


    ¡°I think you spoke very well from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°It was a mistake I made because I was a bit excited.¡±


    ¡°Is there aw that you can¡¯tmit a mistake twice?¡±


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t know who I am. Do you think a great man like me would repeat the same mistake?¡±


    ¡°Such a great man didn¡¯t even know my identity?¡±


    ¡°Ah, young children shouldn¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡± Biban clicked his tongue. He was already annoyed from talking to Grid.¡®I¡¯m tired of dealing with unruly children.¡¯


    It was simr to being disgusted by someone simr to him.


    Grid¡¯s head was pounding as he shook his head. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to get this quest.¡¯


    Look for himself¡ªit was apletely easy quest. He could obtain the reward by creating Greed and then giving the remaining insane dragon iron to the tower. The reward was even a dragon scale.


    ¡®Huhuhu.¡¯


    The dragons were absolute creatures that reigned over all the species in this world, and they had powerparable to that of a god. A dragon scale was the ultimate production material that went beyond the breath of a sacred creature or the byproducts of the great demon. He had ignored it because there had been no way to obtain it, but now there was a new acquisition route. Grid was filled with joy when he imagined himself armed with a dragon set.


    ¡®By that time, I can beat Garam easily.¡¯


    In fact, Grid had felt despair when Biban first appeared. New strong people kept emerging endlessly. He wondered if raising his strength was really worth it when people as strong or stronger than Garam kept constantly appearing. If he worked every moment of his life to be stronger only to remain weak, why did he bother struggling?


    Then at this moment, Grid regained his motivation. He learned that he had a strange fate with Biban, and this despair turned to hope.


    ¡®Won¡¯t he be suspicious if I hand over the insane dragon iron right here?¡¯


    There was no time limit on the quest. It was wiser to clear it at the right time. Determination shed in Grid¡¯s eyes as he bowed politely. ¡°Thank you for the assignment. I will resolve the mission as soon as possible and live up to the tower¡¯s expectations.¡±


    ¡°The Tower of Wisdom and the Pioneer have a rtionship of cooperation. There is no need to act like you are below me. Well, thank you for being polite to your seniors.¡± Biban, who had just been showing a bad expression, was now smiling. He was a simple person, and staying angry wasn¡¯t part of his personality.


    ¡°I listened well. I will leave to do the mission, so I¡¯ll see you at the tower next time.¡±


    ¡°I am very satisfied with that active attitude. I can really feel a hero¡¯s spirit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Then I¡¯m going...¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Biban called out to Grid who was about to leave. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you hear the location of the tower before leaving? Take it.¡±


    [You have obtained the map to the Tower of Wisdom!]


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Also.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    [I have to measure the strength of the Pioneer ording to the tower¡¯s tradition. It is something the Pioneer will experience while climbing the tower, but now that the situation is like this, I will do an abbreviated version. You are a swordsman, so you are extremely lucky to spar with me.]


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know Biban¡¯s identity. It was because the second generation Sword Saint wasn¡¯t well-known among the people. He was a figure from far in the past, and few people were interested in the second generation Sword Saint when Sword Saint Muller was known as the ¡®strongest of all time.¡¯


    Nevertheless, Grid instinctively knew this was a big opportunity. It was because his transcendent status told him that Biban was also transcendent. In fact, Biban was stronger than Mercedes.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give up the opportunity to learn.¡¯


    ¡°Then I¡¯m starting.¡± Biban¡¯s sharp energy started to spread out like a tent. A small street in Reinhardt turned into a spherical shape. The nervously watching Mercedes and Noe disappeared from Grid¡¯s field of view.


    ¡®Barrier?¡¯


    This was a space that waspletely blocked from the outside. It was definitely a barrier. Some named boss monsters had this ability, and Biban definitely had it. Biban smiled as if he liked Grid¡¯s surprised response and exined, ¡°This is a space made of sword energy.¡±


    ¡°Wow. This is possible with sword energy?¡±


    ¡°It is easy for a great person like me.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Grid touched the outer wall of the space. It felt sharp. It felt like his wrist would be cut off the moment he touched it. It was clear that this huge tent consisted of thousands or tens of thousands of des.


    A person obsessed with swords...


    Swordsmanship that was superior than Mercedes¡¯...


    A flexible use of sword energy that ordinary people couldn¡¯t imagine...


    Grid vaguely inferred Biban¡¯s identity and asked this question, ¡°...Senior, who are you?¡±


    Biban easily replied, ¡°My name is Biban. I am the 2nd generation Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±Grid was shocked like he had been hit by a hammer. Sword Saint Muller had lived hundreds of years ago. How old was the second generation Sword Saint? ¡°Are you alive?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat a living person as a corpse.¡±


    ¡°Is the Tower of Wisdom a gathering of old legends and transcendents?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is an organization of elderly people who feet lonely and decided to leave the world. Well, that doesn¡¯t mean we are like old people. We are fighting to defend the world, so every day is fierce.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps... are the legends of the previous generation present? For example, Pagma.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t like Pagma very much. It was natural since Pagma betrayed his friend, Braham, for the sake of world peace and insulted the other legends by turning them into death knights. Even so, Grid was thankful to Pagma. The reason Grid¡¯s current self existed was Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. Additionally, Grid was sympathetic toward Pagma. His image of being betrayed by the gods and fighting for the world alone remained vivid in Grid¡¯s mind. Grid wanted to meet Pagma. He wanted to at least tell Pagma that he had done his job.


    Unfortunately, Biban shook his head. ¡°How can someone who is dead climb the tower?¡±


    ¡°...You are certain he is dead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why? Did you want revenge after he stabbed you in the back?¡±


    ¡°Kuek...¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom must know Pagma well to say he stabbed someone in the back.


    ¡°It is because he signed a contract with Baal. He couldn¡¯t climb the tower even if he was alive. Baal¡¯s Contractor isn¡¯t free from Baal¡¯s gaze, so the tower would stay away from him.¡± Biban¡¯s expression was bitter. ¡°Well, don¡¯t me him too much. He is already paying for it.¡±


    ¡°What is the price?¡±


    ¡°He is a torn soul that will wander through hell in eternity suffering. That is the fate of those who contract with Baal.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was karma generated from signing a contract with Baal. Did Pagma not know this before signing the contract with Baal? No, he had to know. He knew and contracted with Baal out of his own beliefs.


    ¡®Pagma was such a person...¡¯


    From the moment he betrayed his only friend Braham, Pagma was determined to take on all his sins and fight alone, even in life and death. The more Grid knew, the more pitiful Pagma seemed.


    ¡®I should trust my friends and rely on them.¡¯Grid gritted his teeth. He was trying to make sure his face didn¡¯t crumble.


    Biban misunderstood.¡°Being mad to the extent of gritting your teeth... Your grudge against him must be very deep. Still, what meaning is there in resenting the dead? Stay calm and restore yourposure.¡±


    ¡°...I understand,¡± Grid said, calming the expression in his eyes. Then he asked a question, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to measure my skills? If you feel that my skills are below par, will I be disqualified from the position of Pioneer?¡±


    ¡°No, a Pioneer doesn¡¯t need to demonstrate your skills because you have already proven yourself. The towerpletely trusts the Pioneer. We just want to help the Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°Help?¡±


    ¡°You already know that the Behen Archipgo is a ce of session for legends. You can think of the Tower of Wisdom as a ce of session for the Pioneer. In the future, the members of the tower will evaluate your abilities and give skills that match your abilities. However, don¡¯t be too disappointed. There is no one worthless.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Now, I will get started.¡±


    The quest began the moment Biban drew his sword.


    [The 9th¡¯s Test is urring!]


    [Sparring mode is activated!]


    [9th¡¯s Test]


    [Difficulty: ???


    The 9th seat of the Tower of Wisdom, Biban is assessing your skills.


    Do you best to get a good evaluation.


    Quest Clear Condition: Last one minute in the spar. It is considered to be an elimination when you enter the immortal state.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    No rewards if eliminated within 10 seconds.


    Acquisition of a ¡®Dragon Pill¡¯ if youst more than 10 seconds.


    Acquisition of ¡®Matchless Heart Technique ¡¯ if youst more than 30 seconds.]


    ¡°Do your best. The Dragon Pill is a miraculous medicine made from a dragon¡¯s heart. You just have to hold on for 10 seconds and you will obtain it.¡±


    Pagma, Braham, and Madra had all showed wild expressions when they met him. Yet Grid showed little interest in the Dragon Pill.


    ¡°What is the Matchless Heart Technique?¡±


    ¡°It is my technique. If you keep honing it, you will get a sword energy that never runs out.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Well, focus on getting the Dragon Pill. I¡¯ve never had a Pioneerst more than 10 seconds against me.¡±


    ¡°How many seconds did thest Pioneerst?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you are conscious of Kraugel. It is good to be young. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯tst more than two seconds.¡±


    ¡®I guess.¡¯


    At that time, Kraugel would¡¯ve been level 200 or 300. The current Grid was over level 400.


    ¡°What will I get if Ist a minute?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know because I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡±


    ¡°You are going to have to think about it now.¡±


    Hands emerged around Grid. Each of them held a sword or a hammer.


    ¡°...?¡±


    This person wasn¡¯t a simple swordsman...?


    ¡®He has hidden something. Who is he?¡¯


    A knight who could handle a variety of weapons? An assassin? A magician who could move objects without touching them? Well, it didn¡¯t matter. It would be hard tost 10 seconds against Biban, even if he had some skills.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you attack first,¡± Biban said while taking the posture of the Matchless Sword. Taking this posture meant he would fight in the spar with all of his power. It was justified. This was an official test that would remain on the tower¡¯s record. It wasn¡¯t a game, unlike the fight against Mercedes.


    ¡°cksmith¡¯s Rage. Quick Movements. ckening.¡± Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity to attack first. He wrapped himself in all his buffs from the beginning and activated the Blue Dragon Boots, triggering Lightning Speed. ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡±


    The distance between Grid and Biban narrowed as energy des flew and petals fluttered. Grid reached his maximum speed, and a bursting sound rang incessantly in Grid¡¯s ears. His vision was spinning. Grid continued to shift his position, swinging his sword while keeping Biban in the center of his field of view. It was to force Biban along a certain path and induce the baptism of fluttering petals.


    Biban sighed.¡°I see. You are Pagma¡¯s descendant. These hands are your artifacts.¡±


    Biban held a God Hand disturbing his vision with one hand while holding his sheath in the other. His sword was only slightly pulled out.


    ¡°Do you know why Pagma contracted with Baal? It was because he knew there were limits to his skills.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Biban¡¯s sword was pulled up in a diagonal line. The dozens of ck energy des and petals were scattered temporarily. Biban¡¯s sword energy destroyed Grid¡¯s sword dance by separating the energy des and petals.


    ¡°The sword dance is a means of staging the ceremony during a body ritual. It is a technique that a priest learns, not a swordsman.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°It might have a deep meaning spiritually, but it can¡¯t be called swordsmanship without a proper form. It can never ovee swordsmanship...?¡± Biban¡¯s eyes widened as he was regretfully exining Grid¡¯s sword dance.


    It was because the ck energy des, which had lost their path and scattered in all directions, suddenly changed their trajectory like they had been given a will and rushed toward Biban. This was a phenomenon that urred due to Braham¡¯s Detect Force, which contained a magic that chased the target.


    ¡°Magic?¡± Biban, who had drawn his sword to cut down the sword energy, was amazed once again when he saw the sharp winds that inhabited the sword.


    ¡®Is it a spell that ignores my magic resistance?¡¯


    Biban¡¯s eyes shook. Blood flowed from the cheek that was slightly cut by the wind. It was the first time he had bled in decades.


    ¡®A spell that ignores resistance... It can¡¯t be!¡¯


    Biban¡¯s gaze shifted to the air. Grid, who was engulfed in a white light, could be seen flying in the sky.


    ¡°Are you the descendant of both Pagma and Braham?¡±


    ¡°I just learned it in a rough manner.¡±


    The modest Grid twisted his hips. Biban once more determined that the magic sword energy would fly at him again, so he gathered sword energy at the tip of this sword. It was intended to cut Grid¡¯s energy des and magic at the same time.


    ¡®It has already been 10 seconds.¡¯


    The Dragon Pill could be given easily but not the Matchless Heart Technique. Biban was determined to end the spar here. Meanwhile, Grid was preparing a sword technique, not a sword dance. The sword dance was likely to be destroyed, so he had no choice.


    Grid used swordsmanship.¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    The swordsmanship of Undefeated King Madra¡ªits power was weak because it was a degraded version, but Grid was convinced that Madra¡¯s swordsmanship couldn¡¯t be crushed, even by a Sword Saint. The world might not know Madra, but Grid knew Madra¡¯s greatness.


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    There was a huge explosion, and Biban shook.


    Meanwhile, outside the isted space...


    ¡®Have strength, Your Majesty.¡¯


    Mercedes was cheering Grid on. Her Keen Insight allowed her to look through the enchantment and see the situation inside. That¡¯s right. Biban was constantly leaking information about the tower to outsiders.

 Chapter 1127

    ¡®I know there are many weaknesses in the sword dance.¡¯


    The sword dance was literally a dance. A dance while wielding the sword. There were some unnecessary and unhelpful movements inbat. There were many forced movements because each sword dance visualized a specific object or concept. A typical example was when he needed to take a stride¡ªthe gap was a deadly weakness and many talents had targeted it.


    However, the reason Grid was able to survive until now was that he sublimated his weaknesses into strengths. Grid had reached a point where he used most of the movements in the sword dance as defensive or evasive maneuvers. He also minimized the useless behavior by evolving the sword dance itself. It wouldn¡¯t have been possible without his bone-deep efforts.


    However, at this moment, the sword dance was once again attacked. Grid once again felt the limits of the sword dance and was in a great sense of disarray. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t be frustrated. It was just a part of Grid, not the whole Grid. The days when denying the sword dance meant denying Grid was long over.


    ¡®It will be different.¡¯


    Grid calmly looked at Biban¡¯s eyes. Biban¡¯s gaze was clearly scanning Grid¡¯s lower body. It was to read the direction of the stride and to block the sword dance. However, Madra¡¯s swordsmanship didn¡¯t use legs. Madra had annihted hundreds of thousands of empire soldiers while standing in ce like a rooted giant.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    Grid twisted his waist in the air.


    ¡°Massacre Sword!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The legacy of the Undefeated King was revealed. Beyond the baptism of the sword energy spreading out like hot wind, Grid identified that Biban¡¯s eyes were shaking. He was very flustered when facing a different swordsmanship than he expected.


    ¡®It will work!¡¯


    It was the moment Grid thought with confidence.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    An aura of death reached Grid¡¯s neck. His transcendent senses warned him to be careful. The surprised Grid pulled his neck back and a cutting noise was heard right in front of his face. The effect of intangible will appeared without leaving any traces and cut the space.


    ¡®Crazy!¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the Heart Sword. Kraugel had once showed the sword that ¡®always cut what he wanted to cut.¡¯ In other words, it could never fail to hit. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡®Is this intangible will?¡¯


    Intangible will¡ªit was the technique of the absolute masters who suppressed the target with the power of their pure will. It wasn¡¯t a fraudulent skill like the Heart Sword that cut a target ¡®without fail¡¯, but it was a useful way of exercising physical force without touching it directly. Of course, the power was greatly reducedpared to Heart Sword. Even so, the power of Biban¡¯s intangible will couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    The screams of the torn air made his skin numb. The idea that his neck would¡¯ve been cut if he was even a bit slower caused Grid¡¯s hairs to stand up.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Was it one second? Grid, who had been stiff for a short time, btedly came to his senses and turned his attention to the ground. The baptism of sword energy was pressuring Biban in all directions. As Grid expected, Biban failed to break it. He was forced to use Sword Curtain to defend himself. Biban hadn¡¯t taken more than two steps and his eyes were fixed on Grid.


    [It was great that you avoided it. Your senses are still dull but you have a body that ovees the dull senses.]


    ¡®Really a monster...¡¯


    Sending a sound transmission in the midst of this? Grid raised an index finger and pointed it at Biban.


    ¡°Magic Missile!¡±


    There was a white light at the tip of Grid¡¯s finger. Grid aimed at the Sword Curtain with a vision that overcame a yer¡¯s limitations and started to fire a rampage of light rays. He didn¡¯t care about conserving his mana. The sword energy blocked by the Sword Curtain scattered in all directions and collided with the ground, causing the entire area inside the barrier to shake. The Magic Missiles streamed down like rain while the God Hands threw Mjolnir. Biban raised his sword at an angle and blocked all of them.


    ¡°Pant...¡±


    Grid gulped. He was dumbfounded by the incredible sight.


    Biban muttered, "You have learned it through tinkering... Braham¡¯s magic and Madra¡¯s swordsmanship aren¡¯t perfectly reproduced.¡±


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Was it because he could onlymunicate with the Pioneer? There seemed to be no limit to Biban¡¯s strength because he was a person who had no direct influence on the worldview. It was clear that his strength was a few degrees above the grandmaster or the yangban Garam. Perhaps he was the only human who could deal with Marie Rose.


    ¡®Run away as much as possible.¡¯


    Striking first was useless. Rather, it only revealed the gaps. The determined Grid was prepared to use Queen¡¯s Distortion or Revolve at any time. In the first ce, this confrontation required persistence, not winning. It was even a simple game thatsted only one minute. It was still too early to give up and Grid had no doubts.


    Meanwhile, Biban¡¯s eyes were deep as he watched Grid.


    ¡®He is an uncontroble child.¡¯


    Biban was simple and his emotions honest. He wasn¡¯t wisepared to the other members of the underground association and due to this, he made mistakes. Still, he wasn¡¯t ipetent. He had the skills with a single sword to make up for a thousand mistakes. Hundreds of years ago, when thousands of demons invaded the Behen Archipgo, it was Biban who cut off one wing of Stone Dragon Gujel, who had tried to intervene.


    ¡®Inheriting the skills of Pagma, Braham, and Madra...¡¯


    Biban was a saint of the sword. He was able to connect with the sword. He was able to guess what path the other side would take based on their strength, skills, techniques, and purpose, yet even Biban didn¡¯t dare measure Grid¡ªit wasn¡¯t impossible but it wasn¡¯t polite.


    ¡®That kid... it isn¡¯t innate.¡¯


    Grid was clearly strong. The ¡®body¡¯ had already beenpleted and thecking ¡®skill¡¯ was met using various tools. Despite this, he was shabby in many ways. The finished body had scattered signs of overuse and there was no talent in the traces of his effort to make up for the weaknesses of the sword dance. He was apletely different type from the former Pioneers. That¡¯s why Biban thought it was even greater.


    ¡®How much effort did he put in?¡¯


    It was unimaginable and he couldn¡¯t make an estimate. Just like an ordinary person couldn¡¯t understand a genius, a genius couldn¡¯t understand an ordinary person.


    ¡°......¡±


    27 seconds had passed since the test began. Biban knew it exactly but he didn¡¯t try to overpower Grid. He stood silently and wondered why Braham and Madra had taught this person their techniques.


    ¡®Sympathy? No, it is respect.¡¯


    A man with no talent who became the Hero King. Braham and Madra might¡¯ve found it difficult to understand the ordinary person, who waspletely different from them. This impression would¡¯ve turned into interest and liking. That¡¯s how Biban felt now.


    ¡°Interesting...¡±


    30 seconds had passed and Biban smiled. Grid saw this and felt cold.


    ¡®Shit, what is he up to?¡¯


    Grid¡ªfloating in the air¡ªprepared for Biban¡¯s counterattack. He was prepared to use Queen¡¯s Distortion and Revolve at any time as he thoroughly observed Biban from top to bottom. He was so nervous that his body was soaked in sweat and his concentration was raised to the extremes.


    One second was as long as an hour for Grid. He felt like he had entered a world where time had stopped. Then Biban smiled in an unspeakable way and Grid was terrified. He felt like a trick was going to be yed.


    ¡®How much time has passed? Is it now 10 seconds?¡¯


    ¡°Throw away your distractions and focus on the opponent in front of you. Your deep thoughts will grab onto your ankles.¡±


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Biban¡¯s knees bent like he was going to jump straight away. Grid was floating high in the air but he still didn¡¯t feel safe. Biban finally flew up. Thend was smashed by the jump and the storm that ensued devoured everything around it. The ground swirled roughly and disrupted Grid¡¯s vision. The four God Hands protecting Grid were swept away by the vortex.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible. I can¡¯t stop it!¡¯


    Grid instinctively sensed as he watched the iing sword that was like a dragon¡¯s ws. His transcendent senses weren¡¯t a system help. Grid himself was aware of the situation based on his many years of experience. It was an urate judgment. Grid didn¡¯t understand the concept of ¡®breathing¡¯ but every strong person he faced so far had been aiming at Grid¡¯s breathing without knowing it. They targeted the gap between breathing to deal a blow to Grid. Grid instinctively knew that he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the timing of Biban¡¯s attack.


    In the midst of his despair.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword!¡±


    Grid pulled out a secret technique instead of Revolve. It was the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship that cut down the skill of all enemies in sight. The stronger the skill he wanted to cut, the more severe the bacsh that urred. Nevertheless, it was better than letting his head fly away. The Enlightenment Sword and Biban¡¯s sword collided. This caused a great roar to ring out.


    [You have been injured by the recoil from 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.]


    [You have lost 50% of your health!]


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Blood burst from Grid¡¯s eyes as he spewed out dark red blood. Grid felt the pain of all the muscles in his body tearing.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes widened. The strike that Grid blocked was the one that cut off one wing of the dragon Gujel. Then...


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Grid had realized the difference in strength from that engagement but he wasn¡¯t frustrated at all. The bloody Grid swung his sword as he divided into several people. Biban stood in the center of the sword dance unfolding from all directions and smiled deeply.


    ¡®I want to help this child.¡¯


    At the same time, Biban returned the sword to the sheath. Then hundreds of lines were btedly drawn around Biban and the multiple Grids were torn apart and destroyed. Only one Grid remained because his body was in the Lightning God state and not cut by Biban.


    ¡°I will stop taking a break now.¡±


    Once Biban decided to ¡®cut¡¯ it, he mmed toward the ground. It was the manifestation of Heart Sword.


    ¡°Keok...! Cough, cough!¡±


    [Your health has fallen to a minimum.]


    [The test has ended.]


    Grid sat on the cold floor in despair. Had he held on for 10 seconds? He was anxious because he couldn¡¯t be sure. He was sorry that he didn¡¯tst 30 seconds. The contents of the notification window were updated.


    [You havested exactly one minute.]


    ¡°Ugh...! Huh?¡±


    Grid was stunned. He sat like a stone statue on the floor while Biban approached him.


    ¡°Now, this is the Dragon Pill.¡±


    [The Dragon Pill has been acquired aspensation for the test.]


    ¡°Next I will pass on the Matchless Heart Technique.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban¡¯s exnation followed. Knowledge and wisdom in an iprehensiblenguage were forced into Grid¡¯s mind, making the flow of energy in his body smoother than before.


    [The Matchless Heart Technique has been acquired aspensation for the test.]


    [From now on, the natural recovery of the Sword Energy resource will increase dramatically!]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    From now on, he didn¡¯t have to swing his sword like a shovel in the air to recover sword energy? He was happy. Grid couldn¡¯t understand Biban¡¯s favor but he left his questions behind for a moment and just felt gratitude. It was at this time...


    [Your knight Mercedes has acquired the Matchless Heart Technique.]


    ¡°...??¡±


    A series of iprehensible things happened. Grid was shaking his head when Biban suggested, ¡°Would you like me to help repair Madra¡¯s swordsmanship as ast minute resort?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°You might already know this but the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and 200,000 Army Swordsmanship that you have acquired aren¡¯t the original. That doesn¡¯t mean it is fake. It is definitely good since it was made by Madra... it was like he changed it in consideration for being used by a weak person.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid was astonished. It was because Biban¡¯s point was correct. As expected of the second generation Sword Saint, he had great insight. Biban smiled at Grid, who was lost for words in his admiration.


    ¡°However, isn¡¯t your body very strong? You can learn Madra¡¯s swordsmanship that is closer to the original. Ah, don¡¯t expect too much. No matter how much of a genius I am, I can¡¯t fully reproduced the swordsmanship created by Madra.¡±


    ¡°Thank... thank you...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were red. He realized that it was purely due to Biban¡¯s favor that hested one minute. Grid was grateful that a great person like Biban was full of expectations for him and thrilled that Biban remembered Madra. He thought that even Madra would be pleased.

 Chapter 1128

    It was almost time for the rooster to cry. It would be better to hurry up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Biban raised himself and Grid¡ªwho had recovered thanks to Biban waiting¡ªfollowed by standing up.


    ¡°Madra¡¯s swordsmanship is extremely simple.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Up to now, Biban had kept praising Madra. The ultimatepliment was when he revealed that he couldn¡¯t fully reproduce Madra¡¯s Swordsmanship. Yet now he said that it was simple. Biban seemingly understood the question and added an exnation. ¡°It is simple andplete. It is much more efficient and exquisitepared to your sword dance, which has manyplex movements and trajectories.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid closed his mouth. He didn¡¯t know what type of confrontation he would face if he replied without knowing anything, so he thought silence was a good thing. It was the wisdom of an ordinary person.


    ¡°It is one crushing blow.¡±


    Biban held the sword with his fingers and took a posture. He stood tall and faced forward, twisted his back and lowering his arm. He tried to put strength into his waist in this position. The peculiar stance that caused people to feel doubts was the basic form of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword.


    ¡°A single blow is the essence of Madra¡¯s swordsmanship. This is the same for the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and One Million Army Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°One blow...?¡±


    Grid was puzzled. This was correct for 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. They might have the separate effect of ¡®restraining actions¡¯ and ¡®crushing skill¡¯ but they had something inmon¡ªthe sword cut all targets in view just once. The exception was 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was a sword technique that struck all targets within a 10 meter radius a total of 30 times. It was more powerful than the other two. This meant there was no way to define Madra¡¯s swordsmanship as a single blow.


    ¡°Would you like to argue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Teacher. As you saw, the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword isn¡¯t a single blow but dozens of flying sword energy.¡±


    ¡°It is altered. It is intentionally dispersing the power in order to reduce the burden on the user... no, why am I your teacher?¡±


    ¡°You are teaching me swordsmanship? Doesn¡¯t this mean you¡¯re my teacher?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. You are qualified to be taught after passing the test. I am merely teaching ording to the rules of the tower.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Biban drew a line and Grid was depressed.


    ¡®He must think it is disgraceful to have me as a student.¡¯


    Grid was forced to ept it. Naturally, Biban had peeked at his talent. It was absurd for Biban to ept him as a student. Then he listened to Biban¡¯s next words and realized he was mistaken.


    ¡°There are three teachers who had yed a hand in making the current you. Wouldn¡¯t it be rude to them? Compared to them, I¡¯m not a teacher just because I gave you a bit of help.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Grid¡¯s impression of Biban changed. The first impression might be absurd but he was actually a very deep figure. Of course, the truth was different. Biban merely respected the strong.


    Biban cut to the chase. ¡°As I said earlier, Madra¡¯s swordsmanship is indeed a single blow. However, as you know, the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword has been transformed into 30 energy des. I don¡¯t know why but I can only interpret it as an intention to minimize the burden on the user¡¯s body.¡±


    Biban¡¯s interpretation was correct. All of Madra¡¯s sword techniques learnt by Grid were used by Death Knight Madra. Death Knight Madra¡¯s bones were weak to shock and this was reflected in his weakened swordsmanship. It was clear that his body would¡¯ve shattered if he had implemented the full swordsmanship.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    Biban finished off his words and demonstrated the sword technique. 30 energy des flew just like when Grid used it and it looked like the perfect 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. 30 energy des were engraved on the walls of the barrier, which had remained intact despite Grid using his full power. This was a sword wielded with only his fingers, making the power of the ensuing swordsmanship even more shocking.


    ¡°Hup.¡±


    Biban took a breath in the same position as before and his muscles swelled slightly. It was just that when his sword was wielded, the wall of the barrier split apart with a huge roar. Part of the wall, which had been cut off by the barrier, was revealed.


    Biban restored the barrier to prevent anyone from peeking and stated, ¡°It uses the same power but the difference is dispersing it or collecting it at a single point. If you collect it at one point, the speed and power will naturally increase and this can be considered as perfect. Of course, it is too much on the user. In particr, Madra¡¯s swordsmanship contained a trick that maximizes the flow of air so the consumption of mental strength, physical strength, and sword energy is very big. Those who haven¡¯t trained above a certain level can¡¯t afford the bacsh.¡±


    This was why the deteriorated version of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was divided into 30 energy des. Grid definitely understood but new questions arose. ¡°Then why isn¡¯t there a bacsh despite 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and 200,000 Army Crushing Sword being one blow?¡±


    The reason for the health consumption when using 200,000 Army Crushing Sword was the recoil that urred when colliding with the target¡¯s skill. It wasn¡¯t a problem with the swordsmanship itself.


    ¡°The power itself of these two sword techniques are weak.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°The blockade sword and crushing sword are techniques with intangible will applied. Besides cutting down the enemy, there is an additional effect so there is no need to focus the power. On the other hand, 100,000 Army Massacre Sword is a technique that focuses on cutting down the enemy so it is important to preserve every bit of power.¡±


    Then he became curious about something. A question couldn¡¯t help emerging from Biban¡¯s mouth. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you learn Madra¡¯s swordsmanship? He died without leaving his secret technique behind.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Grid talked about what happened in the Behen Archipgo. He delivered the entire process of winning and gaining the diary from Madra, who had be a death knight thanks to Pagma. ¡°At that time, Madra had suffered from many years passing and was in a greatly weakened state. He fought the demon army and still had the wounds.¡±


    ¡°He would¡¯ve been mentally exhausted because he was forced to be an undead. The only thing his body could use was the deteriorated swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°In any case, Pagma doesn¡¯t do anything halfway. The sublime spirit that fought for the world deserves respect but there are many areas where he was too much.¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me, Elder.¡± Grid expressed the question that he had long buried in his heart. ¡°What was the Tower of Wisdom doing at the time?¡±


    Why didn¡¯t the Tower of Wisdom help Pagma, who was isted by the gods and fought the great demons alone? It was significant since the existence of the Tower of Wisdom was for the peace of the world.


    Biban smiled bitterly. ¡°Gujel woke up at the time.¡±


    ¡°Gujel?¡±


    ¡°A dragon. He was recovering from a major wound dealt by Insane Dragon Nevartan and aimed to absorb the magic of the great demons to recover. He was attempting to intrude on the battle in the Behen Archipgo.¡±


    The power of a dragon was too mighty. It was likely that the entire Behen Archipgo would¡¯ve been destroyed if he shot one breath at the demon army.


    ¡°Our association fought to stop him. The purpose of the tower is for disasters that humanity can¡¯t prevent. It is about stopping the dragons.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t feel the limit of Biban¡¯s strength. Unlike other NPCs, it was impossible to guess his level. Now the reason was revealed. It was the story of a world that yers couldn¡¯t intervene in. This was a powerful organization that handled dragons.


    ¡°I never imagined that a dragon could be hunted.¡±


    ¡°What hunt? There isn¡¯t a chance. Our main task is to protect the dragon¡¯s territory, keeping it satisfied and asleep as long as possible. It is a type of zookeeper. In that sense, the proliferation of the insane dragon iron can never be permitted. The insane dragon is the target of all dragons.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid clearly knew why the Tower of Wisdom was wary of the insane dragon iron. He got goosebumps at the thought of what would¡¯ve happened if he let Greed continue to multiply. At the same time, he noticed two sinister facts. ¡°Aren¡¯t the tower association members all as strong as Elder? It is impossible to hunt a dragon even if you work together?¡±


    ¡°We can hunt a wounded dragon like Gujel or a hatchling, who hasn¡¯t be an adult, but it is usually impossible.¡±


    ¡°You said you defend the territory of the dragons. Does this mean you prevent any invasions to the region? Even if they¡¯re humans?¡±


    The reason for this question was the dwarf city, Talima. Grid had to visit Talima, which was in the territory of the Fire Dragon Trauka. He could be a target for the tower.


    Fortunately, Biban shook his head. ¡°The dragon¡¯s magic power gives the monsters in the region increased strength and wisdom. There are many monsters in a dragon¡¯s territory. It bes a natural protection making it difficult for humans to exert influence, even if they are transcendent. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t need toe forward to stop intruders.¡±


    ¡°Then yourment about defending the territory of dragons...?¡±


    ¡°A guy called Baal sometimes ys pranks. There are times when he tries to awaken the dragon by opening a gate in its territory. We block it every time. Baal is a little bit weaker than a dragon thus ordinary people can¡¯t bear it, hence we are forced to go out.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    The 1st Great Demon Baal. Grid had once met one of the pieces of his ego. Definitely, this wasn¡¯t normal. Grid was worried about Pagma¡¯s soul in the grasp of Baal.


    ¡°Time is running out. Now stop chatting and concentrate.¡±


    Biban took a posture again. This time, it was the posture of 200,000 Army Crushing Sword.


    ***


    The street where Biban¡¯s barrier unfolded...


    It was a ce that connected the Overgeared Pce with the smithy district and was originally sparsely popted. There were no private homes and shopping areas in the vicinity, so few people came here. At most, only the cksmiths and soldiers travelling to and from the castle used the street.


    Nevertheless, Mercedes was prepared for unforeseen events. Knights and soldiers were called in to thoroughly block the area around the street. Not one ant would be able to see the barrier containing Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    A long time passed. In the barrier, Biban tried to teach Grid as much as possible and Grid worked hard to digest it. Then it was finished. The barrier of sharp swords that Mercedes didn¡¯t dare to approach was lifted. Biban looked tired while Grid had a satisfied expression.


    Mercedes knelt in front of Grid and requested, ¡°Kill me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What happened? Mercedes confessed to the honestly baffled Grid. ¡°I watched Your Majesty inside the barrier and dared to steal Your Majesty¡¯s technique. It wasn¡¯t intentional but I naturally understood it. I stole Your Majesty¡¯s technique and I deserve to be executed.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid understood what she was saying and rejoiced while Biban¡¯s face was white.


    ¡®This child¡¯s eyes can prate even through the barrier?¡¯


    Then a creepy voice entered Biban¡¯s ears. ¡°It is Keen Insight. It is a power that even the gods are vignt about.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Biban looked back and saw a woman with dark makeup concealing the wrinkles on her face. She was 190 centimeters tall, tall enough that Biban and Grid had to look up.


    ¡°Who is this distinguished person?¡±


    ¡®She managed to infiltrate through all the guards?¡¯


    Mercedes pulled out her sword and stepped out to protect Grid. Somehow, Biban also hid behind Mercedes.


    The woman grinned. ¡°Pretty child, you don¡¯t have to be so vignt. I just came to pick up that shameful person hiding there.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban almost clung to Mercedes¡¯ back as he held his breath. Even now, he believed he could hide if he erased his breathing. It was an almost cat-like thinking.


    ¡°Elder...¡± Grid gazed at Biban with pitying eyes. He had heard about the punishment so he felt sympathetic.


    Biban felt wronged. ¡°The fact that you could see through the barrier...! Why did you only say that now?¡±


    Biban left with this scream. The send-off was just as loud as when he appeared.


    ¡°......¡±


    [Let¡¯s meet at the tower soon.]


    The sound transmission of the woman¡¯s voice filled Grid¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 1129

    In the capital, Reinhardt..


    There were hundreds of elite soldiers stationed here. Armed with Grid¡¯s mass-produced set, they were thoroughly wary of anyone suspicious. Yet even they were unaware of the tower association members.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! Please release your hand¡¯s grip. Do I need to be dragged by the ear when I¡¯m this old?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet before I cut off your ears.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You werete to return, so I chased after your whereabouts. Didn¡¯t you create a big ident this time?¡±


    ¡°How could I have known that the Pioneer changed? Even the tower master didn¡¯t know the Pioneer had changed when I was assigned this task.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Jessica, the eighth seat of the Tower of Wisdom¡ªshe knew Biban very well. He wasn¡¯t a reliable man because he was ignorant and simple in his work outside of swordsmanship. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t protest when the tower master told Biban to go on the mission. The Pioneer of the modern age was Sword Saint Kraugel, and Biban was also a Sword Saint. She thought it would be easy for the two of them toe together.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it is unfair. Don¡¯t try toy all the responsibility on me now.¡±


    ¡°What is unfair? You are the one who leaked the tower¡¯s information to three outsiders when the Pioneer changed. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if you had acted with caution.¡±


    ¡°Why are you speaking so unkindly? Come on, please defend me in front of the second seat. I¡¯m sick at the thought of sitting on the wall for another 10 years.¡±


    ¡°Will it only be 10 years?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban and Jessica, who had been chatting for a while, shut their mouths at the same time. It was because a young man blocked their path despite the fact that they hadpletely concealed their existence. This wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The young man¡¯s gaze was precisely aimed at Biban and Jessica.


    Then...


    ¡°Was I mistaken?¡±


    He shook his head, took a bite of a potato, and passed by the two of them.


    Biban, who had been frozen stiff for a moment, muttered,¡°...This world is going crazy.¡±


    Jessica was a legendary great magician. Her stealth magic was so great that even Biban couldn¡¯t sense her. The young man, who was eating potatoes while walking, had faintly sensed her magic. This was a very shocking event. It was impossible based on themon sense of the tower.


    Biban, who had been isted from the world for nearly 100 years, could only think that the world had be abnormal. However, Jessica had visited the world 10 years ago, and her thoughts were different.


    ¡°No.¡± Jessica¡¯s gaze turned to the vast agricultural fields. She smiled meaningfully as she watched the farmers found everywhere for a while. ¡°This kingdom is crazy, not the world.¡±


    ***


    [Let¡¯s meet at the tower soon.]


    Grid was very quiet thanks to the message the tower member left.


    ¡®Why did she say it would be soon? Does she think I can quickly resolve the matter of the insane dragon iron? On what grounds?¡¯


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid examined the Blue Dragon Boots and the God Hands. Not a single bit of the insane dragon iron¡¯s energy could be sensed from them. They were entirely made of a new mineral, so even the tower association would find it hard to associate them with the insane dragon iron.


    ¡®I¡¯m being too sensitive.¡¯


    It seemed to be the aftermath of being overwhelmed by Biban¡¯s strength. He thought the tall woman was as great as Biban and seemed to have over-interpreted every word.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    Grid had been locked in his thoughts for a while when he heard Mercedes¡¯ voice. He had arrived at the training hall of the Overgeared Pce, and he needed time to check what he obtained today. First, there was the Matchless Heart Technique.


    [Matchless Heart Technique Lv. 1]


    [This is the method that Sword Saint Biban created at the end of his study. It circtes all over the body like a spring so that sword energy doesn¡¯t dry out.


    When the skill is deactivated: Natural recovery of 10 sword energy per second.


    When the skill is activated: Immediately regain half of your sword energy. However, sword energy recovery is fixed at one sword energy per second for 10 minutes after.


    Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    ¡°...!¡± Grid was shocked because the skill was better than he had expected. The enhancement of his sword dances meant the consumption of sword energy was greater. Therefore, the natural recovery of sword energy was great news. Originally, sword energy was a resource that recovered ¡®every time the sword is swung.¡¯ He used to have to swing it around like a madman but not anymore.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect 10 sword energy to recover per second!¡¯


    Grid wanted to cheer with joy, but he restrained himself. He didn¡¯t want to show such shameful conduct to Mercedes who was watching from right beside him. Barely calming his excitement, he asked Mercedes, ¡°Did you learn the Matchless Heart Technique perfectly without any errors?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Mercedes no longer asked to be killed because Grid became angry at those words.


    ¡°Good, well done. You should continue training. Strengthen yourself and protect me well.¡±


    ¡°...Definitely.¡±


    Mercedes was determined.She couldn¡¯t afford to stay at a standstill. Although she learned the Tower of Wisdom was an organization that dealt with dragons, she wasn¡¯tforted at all. She was a knight and couldn¡¯t use the excuse of the opponent being too strong as the reason why she didn¡¯t protect her liege.


    ¡®It is that look again.¡¯Grid saw Mercedes¡¯ determined eyes and handed her something. It was the Blue Dragon Boots. Fortunately, his feet didn¡¯t smell.


    ¡°Wear them once.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I want to test out something.¡±


    Mercedes had set up a new chivalric code during the fight against the war god followers. She imed to be overgeared and could wear all types of items without restrictions. It even increased the performance of the items she wore by 15%. This had a synergy with the second chivalric code that gave her a ¡®correction effect every time a high-level item is worn¡¯, allowing her to perhaps be overgeared beyond Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    Nevertheless, Grid was skeptical. Could Mercedes wear the exclusive items of other hidden sses? Could she wear quest items or special equipment rted to the world view such as the First Holy Sword? It was as expected.


    ¡°The shoes are rejecting me.¡±


    Mercedes couldn¡¯t wear the Blue Dragon Boots. She couldn¡¯t ovee the wearing condition of ¡®Grid.¡¯


    ¡®It is the minimum of bnce.¡¯


    The S.A Group created Pagma¡¯s Descendant, so they couldn¡¯tpletely deny the identity of Pagma¡¯s Descendant. It was the same reason why Grid had only learned a few spells despite harboring Braham¡¯s soul.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t because I¡¯m stupid that I can¡¯t learn Braham¡¯s magic.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because of his low intelligence stat. Braham¡¯s enhanced magic could only be mastered to the beginner level even if a yer had the maximum power. All of this was due to the bnce.


    ¡®However, the Magic Swordsman of the Epics seems to be less about the bnce.¡¯


    Magic Swordsman of the Epics was a ss that was based on three legends: Grid, Pagma, and Braham. Grid spected that the growth limit would be very high, and it could grow to the myth rating.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a better pair of shoester.¡±


    ¡°Shoes... No need.¡±


    ¡°Take it as a gift. In any case, I¡¯ll give you everything.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was puzzled by Mercedes¡¯ subtle reaction and brought up the information of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship and 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    [100,000 Army Blockade Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    [It is a single blow.


    Deals 100% attack damage to all visible enemies and gives the ¡®blockage¡¯ effect for three seconds. Blocked targets can¡¯t move, and their skills or magic will be sealed off.


    ¡ï Sword Saint Biban has partially lifted some of the restrictions on the swordsmanship.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 8,000 mana, 100 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    [It is a single blow.


    A skill that deals 3,000% attack power to all targets within 30 meters (not targeted). Each time a target dies, the damage applied to the next target increases by 100%. There is no limit on the increase.


    ¡ï Sword Saint Biban has partially lifted some of the restrictions on the swordsmanship.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 12,000 mana, 150 sword energy.


    Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.]


    [200,000 Army Crushing Sword (Degraded) Lv. 1]


    [It is a single blow.


    Deals 400% attack power to all enemies in sight and crushes the enemy¡¯s attack skills. The crushed skills will lose their effectiveness and disappear.


    However, the greater the number of skills crushed and the greater the power, the higher the recoil.


    ¡ï Sword Saint Biban has partially lifted some of the restrictions on the swordsmanship.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 12,000 mana, 200 sword energy.


    Skill Recoil: Decreased health (a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 50%)


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    First of all, they all had something inmon. There was a significant increase in the resource consumption. Nheless, this didn¡¯t matter at all as Grid had the Ring of Absurdity that decreased the consumption of resources by half. The power of the skills had increased dramatically, and he had acquired the Matchless Heart Technique. One of the most disappointing aspects was that the synergy between 100,000 Army Massacre Sword and the Enlightenment Sword had disappeared.


    ¡®The ck mes don¡¯t often explode, and the skill damage has been raised by several times. So it is much more stable and improved.¡¯


    It was hard to think of a downside. Grid naturally set two goals. The first was to create a new weapon that could amplify the power of the one blow. Apart from the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King, he needed weapons to maximize the skill power of the Kill series. In the future, it seemed right to use the Enlightenment Sword for multi-target skills and switch weapons for a single blow.


    The second was to obtain the original Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. How great was the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship that it was still a ¡®degraded version¡¯ despite Sword Saint Biban having touched it? Grid thought it would have something like ¡®Modified¡¯, so it was really surprising that it was still ¡®degraded.¡¯ He wanted to have the original.


    ¡®Can I get a hint on the original if I interpret Madra¡¯s diary?¡¯


    Grid was filled with vague expectations as he pulled out a small sphere. He thought the pill would have the herbal smell of Chinese medicine, but it actually had a sweet and refreshing scent like a flower.


    ¡®Is this a higher level than the elixir?¡¯


    [The cksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]


    [A hidden function doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [Dragon Pill]


    [Rating: Myth


    An elixir made bybining the heart of Stone Dragon Gujel and various elixirs.


    The members of the Tower of Wisdom have spent more than 100 years making this medicine.


    It is an elixir that even a heavenly god would covet, and it greatly expands the user¡¯s mana core.


    * The effect is reduced the more times it is taken. An effect will no longer be seen from the third dose.


    Weight: 0.1]


    ¡®Mana core?¡¯


    The mana core was a familiar system for magicians. The expansion of the mana core increased the total amount of mana, and the mana itself became purer, resulting in increased magic damage, magic casting speed, and rating of spells that could be learned. As a top concept of the intelligence state, the magicians grew their mana core little by little through hidden quests and ss quests.


    However, this concept was faint for non-magician yers. An average person would think of the mana core as an ingredient for the golem.


    ¡®I remember hearing that the mana core could be expanded, but that was only a story for magicians...¡¯


    It was regrettable. He thought it would¡¯ve been much better to raise stats like the usual elixirs.


    ¡®Well, it is a mythical elixir, so I should eat it once.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t bad if he thought that someday he would learn more of Braham¡¯s enhanced magic.


    ¡®Wait?¡¯ Grid paused as he was about to consume the Dragon Pill. ¡®I have to present this as proof.¡¯


    Grid had been concerned about a child throughout his conversation with Biban. Nefelina, the hatchling in the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªshe ate four pigs and four cows every day, which was harmful to the kingdom¡¯s finances, but Grid had a great liking for this child. Her blessing increased his experience gain rate when he went hunting, and he had been watching her since she was an egg. He also felt sympathy toward her fate of gaining revenge for her father and the evil eyes.


    Grid wanted Nefelina to be safe and wished she would grow up healthy. So, he wanted to help prevent her from bing a target of the Tower of Wisdom. He was worried that she would dismiss him when he exined the strength of the Tower of Wisdom, but she would be rmed if he showed her this Dragon Pill.


    ***


    In Nepelina¡¯s sleeping quarters...


    ¡°I had a question about why those fierce dragons weren¡¯t active. Now all my questions have been answered. It was the result of human effort.¡±


    The small dragon swung her tail in what was once Grid¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m still young and weak, so I¡¯ll watch out for them. I will strengthen my determination and take care not to let my energy leak out. So Grid, you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± It was a little girl speaking in this majestic tone.


    She was plump from being fattened and looked even cuter than before. In particr, her eyes were beautiful. It seemed like thergest gems in the world had been embedded. Grid barely suppressed his desire to stroke Nefelina¡¯s shiny scales and nodded.¡°It¡¯s a good choice. Then I¡¯m going...¡±


    If he stayed here for a long time, she might not be able to resist her desire to let out a breath.


    Nefelina¡¯s faint voice entered the ears of the hurriedly retreating Grid, ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Grid smiled widely. He happily returned to his training hall and swallowed the Dragon Pill.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Grid¡¯s face crumpled up like a piece of paper. It was due to the hot energy that swelled from below his belly button and swirled around his entire body. Grid was engulfed in a fiery, burning sensation and couldn¡¯t even scream.

 Chapter 1130

    [You have taken the Dragon Pill.]


    [Arge amount of mana is flowing throughout your body.]


    [The amount of mana is too much!]


    [Attempting to expand your mana core in order to amodate the mana!]


    It was good so far. It seemed the Dragon Pill was working properly. However...


    [Your mana core isn¡¯t trained at all. The expansion of the mana core is progressing very slowly.]


    [Mana has started to flood.]


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    It was a bit strange from here.


    [The mana flooding is causing cracks in the expanding mana core!]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hell had begun. There was a shock like being stabbed in the stomach and then all the blood vessels in his body twisted simultaneously. The maximum amount of pain that the system allowed spread from the top of Grid¡¯s head to the tip of his toes.


    ¡®This...! What?¡¯


    It was a pain that continued without any breaks, making him dizzy. It felt like his mind and body werepletely burning.


    [You have suffered a serious internal injury!]


    [The mana core has been damaged, making it harder to umte the mana.]


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    The system warned again. Grid almost epted, but then he gritted his teeth and ignored the notification windows. The Dragon Pill was a myth grade elixir. It was an elixir even the gods coveted and he would never obtain it again. Grid absolutely wasn¡¯t willing to give up the effects of the Dragon Pill.


    "Kkuk...!¡±


    The pain continued. Rather than adapting, he became more sensitive. All the life and death experiences he had been through passed through Grid¡¯s mind.


    Yura and the Yatan¡¯s Servants including Mcus, Pope Drevigo and Pope Candidate Pascal, Hell Gao, Braham¡¯s golem army, Randy who protected the mysterious forest in Pagma¡¯s form, Elfin Stone and the direct descendant vampires, the legends of the Behen Archipgo and his clone, Kraugel, Agnus, Mercedes, the Red Knights, the evil dragon Bunhelier, the yangban Garam...


    Grid was dominated by the worst pain and had the illusion that their alternating strikes were putting him to death. He couldn¡¯t even scream. However...


    ¡®Endure it!¡¯


    Grid was determined to hold on. The current him wouldn¡¯t have existed if he gave up all his opportunities.


    ¡°Your Majesty? My Liege!¡±


    Mercedes detected something while guarding the entrance of the training hall and ran in. She found Grid copsed in the centre and screamed.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Ugh?!¡±


    Mercedes let out a groan as she tried to help Grid. Grid¡¯s reddish skin was as hot asva. Even so, she was someone who would jump into a volcano to protect Grid. Mercedes swallowed back her screams and lifted Grid onto her back. Her hair, cloak, and armor were burning from the heat, causing a big burn on her back, but she didn¡¯t care. Grid barely managed to speak to her as she tried to find Sticks.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok...ay.¡±


    It sounded like scratching iron. Grid coughed up blood every time he breathed but he barely managed to squeeze out a few words.


    ¡°Let... go.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Mercedes obediently put Grid down. She sat down in front of the groaning Grid and cut off her burnt hair with a knife.


    ¡®I vowed twice that I can¡¯t be too careless.¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ deep eyes stared at Grid. Her Keen Insight was trying to figure out exactly what her liege was going through.


    ***


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    The same warning was repeated. He didn¡¯t know how many times it appeared. There was no time to count when he couldn¡¯t even breathe.


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    ¡°Kuweek!¡±


    His eyes closed as the shaking Grid vomited out ckish red blood. Mercedes closed her mouth. Her Keen Insight could see it. Arge amount of mana flooding in was expanding Grid¡¯s blood and veins to the limit, slowly permeating Grid¡¯s mana core.


    Grid was working hard. Rather, the situation might worsen if she put her hands on his body.


    ¡®Stay strong, Your Majesty.¡¯


    She wondered if her desperate support would reach him.


    [Your mana core has seeded in umting a small amount of mana.]


    [The cracks in your mana core have been restored.]


    [Your mana core has achieved the first step expansion.]


    [Your mana has permanently risen by 3,000.]


    [The expansion of the mana core has enhanced the Magic Swordsman of the Epics ss. The effects of the magic attached to Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship have be a bit stronger.]


    Grid initially weed the change, but then the intensity of the pain remained the same. It was natural. The amount of mana umted in the Dragon Pill was very high. It couldn¡¯t be handled by a single mana core expansion.


    "Kkuk...!¡±


    His mind was bing dizzier. Curse words automatically rose in his heart.


    ¡®Can I be satisfied with this much?¡¯


    It was hard for Grid¡¯s willpower to endure this terrible pain for a long time. Grid felt like it had been a few hours, even days. Now Grid was trapped in an eternity of hell. His will was broken. However...


    ¡®...No, just a bit more.¡¯


    Grid re-established his broken will. He endured knowing that the regret of missing out on this opportunity for the rest of his life would be much more painful than the pain he was experiencing right now.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid lost his spirit for a moment. It was the aftermath of the pain one felt when a fire urred. Every time it happened, Grid convulsed.


    ¡®Just a bit more... a little bit more...¡¯


    Both eyes were tightly closed as his floundering hand grabbed the hand of Mercedes sitting next to him. It was a coincidence. Nevertheless, Grid couldn¡¯t throw her hand away and Mercedes wrapped her trembling hands around his. Mercedes¡¯ hands were burning from the heat.


    [The mana flooding is causing cracks in the expanding mana core!]


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    The vicious cycle was repeated and Grid¡¯s heart crumbled. How long did he have to endure for the mana core to recover and pave the way for expansion? It was even more frustrating because it couldn¡¯t be measured at all.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid barely managed to open his eyes. He used a superhuman mentality to see how much time had passed. It was a mistake.


    ¡®10 minutes...?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart copsed as he saw the time at the top of his field of view. It had only been 10 minutes since he took the Dragon Pill? Didn¡¯t it feel like at least half a day?


    ¡®This... I can¡¯t endure it...¡¯


    It took 10 minutes to expand the first stage of the mana core and these 10 minutes were as long as a day. It was practically impossible to expand his mana core several more times in the future. He would go crazy before his mana core was expanded.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid shifted his gaze to the side. He could see Mercedes praying. Her hands¡ªwrapped around his¡ªwere burned red. This was the decisive factor.


    ¡®Give up... I have to...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s hesitation was over. He didn¡¯t ignore the system¡¯s warnings anymore.


    [It is rmended to discharge the uneptable mana from your body. Would you like to ept?]


    ¡®ept...?¡¯


    He would ept. The moment Grid tried to shout this word in his heart.


    -Don¡¯t do things that don¡¯t match with you.


    It was a blunt voice.


    -Isn¡¯t it your specialty to think irrationally and be foolish?Yet you will give up?How stupid.


    This absolutely arrogant tone. The person Grid longed for had finally woken up.


    ¡®Braham...!¡¯


    [The soul of Legendary Great Magician Braham has started to adjust the mana that is running wild throughout your body!]


    [The cracks in the mana core have beenpletely restored.]


    [The blood vessels and veins that have swelled to the limit are stable.]


    [Your mana core has seeded in umting arge amount of mana.]


    [Your mana core has achieved the second step expansion.]


    [Your mana has permanently risen by 3,000.]


    [The expansion of the mana core has enhanced the Magic Swordsman of the Epics ss. You can now learn the basic magic books.]


    -Bah.


    [The soul of Legendary Great Magician Braham has transformed your mana core. You can¡¯t learn from the basic magic books. Instead, the cooldown of Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship is reduced.]


    [Your mana core has achieved the third step expansion.]


    [Your mana has permanently risen by 3,000.]


    [The expansion of the mana core has enhanced the Magic Swordsman of the Epics ss. You can now learn the low-level magic books.]


    -Cut it out.


    [The soul of Legendary Great Magician Braham has transformed your mana core. You can¡¯t learn from the low-level magic books. Instead, the cooldown of Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship is reduced.]


    -The sword dance can never surpass swordsmanship?


    Braham¡¯s soul snorted.


    -Forget what that guy call Biban or whatever said.The potential of the sword dance is never trivial.


    [An unknown person is writing the third epic.]


    ¡°...I know.¡±


    The pain was over like it was a lie. Mercedes¡¯ burned hands stroked his as Grid focused on his conversation with Braham, not the world messages.


    ¡°The sword dance that I created with you can never be trivial, Braham.¡±


    [The beginning of the storyes from the reunion with an old friend.]


    -Bah.You should know.By the way, can you feel it?


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    -My soul has fully recovered.That damn Dragon Pill helped.


    [He swallowed the heart of a dragon.]


    ¡°Are you going to resurrect now?¡±


    -Right.It is the end of living as a parasite.


    [He was prepared for a farewell following the reunion.]


    ¡°What are you going to do in the future?¡±


    -Of course, I will recover my body first and end this love and hate rtionship.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    -You see?You are speaking like you are a stranger.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -Help me.I want to solve this tiring love and hate rtionship first. Then I want to live a new life.Can you give me a house in your kingdom to stay in?


    [He learned that there was another reunion following the farewell.]

 Chapter 1131

    ¡°No. That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Therge amount of mana ingested through the Dragon Pill¡ªGrid¡¯s vessel was insufficient and the ferocious overflowing energy was trying to smash him apart. All of this energy was sucked into Braham¡¯s soul. Braham devoured the Dragon Pill, which couldn¡¯t be fully digested even by the members of the tower. All of this could be seen as greedy.


    Grid¡¯s heart was full of excitement as he felt the fully restored soul of Braham.


    ¡°What is a house? Let¡¯s build a castle. Thergest castle in the world.¡±


    [He was a lost person who could only watch the death of a cksmith he loved.]


    -...I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    [¡¯He¡¯ was a victim of fate piercing his heart with the dagger of a trusted cksmith.]


    ¡°I.¡±


    -I.


    [His steel soul was tempered by the loss of a rtionship.]


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to betray your expectations.¡±


    [The soul of ¡®he¡¯ who had been betrayed and worn down by fate was strengthened.]


    -I believe in you.


    [He couldn¡¯t stand alone and craved for him.]


    -I believe in you as much as you do in me.


    [That¡¯s why he was able to be a savior.]


    ....


    ...


    [An unknown person haspleted the third page of the epic!]


    [The third page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen to the next level with thepletion of that epic.]


    [You have understood the concept of ¡®Heart.¡¯]


    [The skill ¡®Formless Will¡¯ has opened.]


    [The special stat ¡®Willpower¡¯ has opened.]


    [There is some resistance to the type of skills that expresses the willpower that doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You think you know a bit more about how to transcend the concept of space.]


    [The information of the ¡®Shunpo¡¯ skill is activated.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    [Based on the contents of the epic, you have gained the new title ¡®Soul Companions.¡¯]


    [Soul Companions]


    [You canmunicate with people you share a deep bond with beyond the heart to the soul.


    The Bond system has strengthened.]


    [You feel a deep bond beyond liking with Legendary Great Magician Braham.]


    [Bond]


    [A list of targets you currently have deep bonds with.


    ¡ï Piaro ¡ï


    ¡ï Braham ¡ï


    Bond Lv. 1.


    All stats will increase by 3% when you are together.


    Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.]


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power has been restored to Braham¡¯s Soul. Thus, something special will ur.]


    [The skill level of Magic Contemtion has risen!]


    [Braham¡¯s soul has entered a plete¡¯ state. Thus, something special will ur.]


    [Braham haspletely transferred his Duke of Wisdom title to you. Even if Braham¡¯s soul leaves you, the effect of Duke of Wisdom is maintained.]


    [....!]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The third epic was very special to Grid. Bond¡ªthe system certified the worth of the concept he valued most so Grid had been deeply moved. He was dominated by indescribable joy. Yet at this moment, all his emotions and joy cooled down.


    Braham would transfer his Duke of Wisdom title to him? It meant that the resurrected Braham would no longer be the Duke of Wisdom. It meant a loss of power. Braham read Grid¡¯s feelings and scoffed.


    -It¡¯s funny that you¡¯re worried.Knowledge is umted through memories and experience.It is different from a substantial thing and won¡¯t disappear just because I transfer it to others.


    ¡°Ah... I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid was relieved. He had been holding Mercedes¡¯ hand throughout the conversation with Braham. He demonstrated the skills of his hands with sincerity, hoping to reduce her pain by even a bit. Perhaps because of this, Mercedes bowed her head with a somewhat emotional expression. She recognized that Braham¡¯s soul hadpletely recovered just based on Grid¡¯s great growth.


    ¡°Congrattions. First, you¡¯ll have to go to the Sword Grave.¡±


    The Sword Grave. It was where Braham¡¯s body was enshrined. Trapped in the ice by Pagma, he had spent hundreds of years as a colorless existence.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go today.¡±


    Grid nodded and sent a whisper to his sister, Ruby.


    -Can youe to the pce¡¯s training hall right now?


    -If Oppa is calling then I have to go.By the way, why?


    -Mercedes is injured.


    -I¡¯ming right now.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked sadly at Mercedes¡¯ hands that had been damaged by burns and Mercedes hid them. The calluses and wounds on her hands were all evidence of hard work. Mercedes was proud of them and never felt ashamed, but she didn¡¯t want to show them to Grid.


    -I¡¯m tired of this.


    It happened the moment Braham clicked his tongue.


    [....!]


    The notification windows stopped with the exmation point. The system was silent for a while, seemingly needed more interpretation before finally delivering the information.


    [It has been confirmed that you fully embodied the Dragon Pill!]


    [It is a miraculous achievement!]


    [Imend your strength for enduring the pain that urred during the process of taking the Dragon Pill!]


    [Your persistence stat has risen by 20.]


    [Your willpower stat has risen by 100.]


    [You havepletely transcended the limits of your ss bypletely taking in the Dragon Pill. Your mana core is expanded to the fourth stage.]


    [Your mana has permanently risen by 3,000.]


    [Once your mana ispletely depleted, 5% of mana is instantly restored and any magic or skills used within the next two seconds won¡¯t consume mana.]


    -You¡¯re lucky. A fourth stage expansion of the mana core is an area only avable to great magicians.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The maximum amount of pain that was eptable to a yer. Grid had endured the level of pain that was equivalent to fists hitting his back for more than 10 minutes. The pain hadsted repeatedly without any break and had urred simultaneously from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He thought it had been too intense but these rewards were hidden.


    ¡®I thought I couldn¡¯t hold out for long.¡¯


    He never thought his persistence that developed from his school days would help in this way. Grid shook his head as he confirmed the information of the newly obtained stats and skills.


    [Willpower]


    [It is a willpower strong enough to distort reality.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.]


    [Formless Will - Entry]


    [Attack the target with a solid willpower.


    * The amount of damage done by Formless Will is the same as the willpower statbined with the strength stat. Itpletely ignores the target¡¯s resistance and defense.


    * Targets with the willpower stat will ignore this attack.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Half of the maximum sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.]


    Grid didn¡¯t know it but Sword Saint Kraugel had already opened up the Manifestation of Will skill a long time ago. In addition, Formless Will was only a part of Manifestation of Will. It was a hidden piece of the Sword Saint ss so it wasn¡¯t an area that Grid could cross. Grid was satisfied enough with Formless Will.


    ¡®There is a tremendous versatility.¡¯


    Grid had witnessed Formless Will being used by Kirinus and the imperial dukes several times. An attack that was triggered immediately and couldn¡¯t be avoided because it had no form¡ªit could be very useful when ambushing a yer or attacking an enemy casting magic or skills to cancel the casting.


    ¡®It is a shame that the cooldown is too long.¡¯


    Once he built it up, he would be able to use it in session like Kirinus and the dukes. No, considering that Kirinus and the dukes weren¡¯t transcendent yet, he might be more proficient in it than them.


    ¡®Shunpo... it is a crazy fraudulent skill as I expected.¡¯


    [Shunpo]


    [It transcends the concept of space.


    You can reach a ce within your ¡®field of view¡¯ in one step.


    * Not yet fully learned. It can¡¯t be used intentionally and has a terrible chance of activating.


    Resources Consumed: Unknown.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Unknown.]


    Teleporting to a desired location in his field of view. Garam and the grandmaster looked great because of the effect of this skill. Grid had been stunned and shrank back every time he saw them pop up in front of him. It was apletely unknown territory and he had been afraid because he couldn¡¯t understand it.


    That wasn¡¯t the case anymore. It was no longer unknown. Grid was bing like them. Grid felt incredibly proud. ¡®Just wait, Garam.¡¯


    He would return double the despair and humiliation he had experienced every time he met Garam. Definitely, by all means.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Grid was just vowing when Saintess Ruby arrived. Then there was a miracle. She healed not only the burns on Mercedes¡¯ hands and back but also the uneven calluses.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Mercedes looked dazed. How could she imagine that she would reim such white and beautiful hands after bing a sworn knight?


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mercedes politely thanked Ruby.


    ¡°I am the one who is always grateful to you. Please keep protecting Oppa,¡± Ruby replied with a smile.


    Her beauty was just as radiant as Mercedes. Grid was anxious about his beautiful sister as she became an adult.


    ¡®I hope the flies don¡¯t get twisted around her.¡¯


    ***


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He used Sticks¡¯ help to quickly move to the Sword Grave to capture the moment of resurrection that Braham had been waiting hundreds of years for. The interesting thing was that Ruby, Sexy Schoolgirl, and a number of Overgeared members apanied him. It was because they wanted to witness the historic moment when a legendary great magician was resurrected. However, he had mixed feelings when he saw the eyes of the female guild members shine in an unusual way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much. How much more handsome could he be? It will be the standard of an older Noll at most.¡±


    Zednos was upset and tried to dampen their expectations, but it was useless.


    ¡°If he is an adult version of Noll, won¡¯t he be the most handsome man in the world?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious.¡±


    The expectations of the Overgeared members soared into the sky. Their minds were focused on Braham¡¯s beauty that had been exposed when he assimted with Grid. It wasn¡¯t just them, but everyone in the world. The videos of ¡®White-haired Grid¡¯ boasted hundreds of millions of views on YouXV and was still visited daily by people to leavements.


    ¡°Looking forward to it...¡±


    Now even the men had shining eyes. An overwhelmingly beautiful person was the envy of all genders.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    In the midst of the turmoil, Grid activated the eyes as he looked at the Sword Grave. His eyes shone mysteriously and the 4,179 swords present at the Sword Grave moved. Inside...


    -It has been a while.


    Grid approached a sword and the sword greeted him. It was a sword with the ego of 5th Pope Franz. However, it was a little strange. Unlike a few months ago, there were traces of damage on the de.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    -There was an intruder.Ah, don¡¯t worry.Braham¡¯s body is safe.


    ¡°Intruder?¡±


    -The Temr of the Reba Church.They managed to find this ce.


    ¡°...!¡±

 Chapter 1132

    <h4>Chapter 1132</h4>


    ¡°No. That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Therge amount of mana ingested through the Dragon Pill¡ªGrid¡¯s vessel was insufficient and the ferocious overflowing energy was trying to smash him apart.All of this energy was sucked into Braham¡¯s soul.Braham devoured the Dragon Pill, which couldn¡¯t be fully digested even by the members of the tower. All of this could be seen as greedy.


    Grid¡¯s heart was full of excitement as he felt the fully restored soul of Braham.


    ¡°What is a house? Let¡¯s build a castle. Thergest castle in the world.¡±


    [He was a lost person who could only watch the death of a cksmith he loved.]


    -...I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    [¡¯He¡¯ was a victim of fate piercing his heart with the dagger of a trusted cksmith.]


    ¡°I.¡±


    -I.


    [His steel soul was tempered by the loss of a rtionship.]


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to betray your expectations.¡±


    [The soul of ¡®he¡¯ who had been betrayed and worn down by fate was strengthened.]


    -I believe in you.


    [He couldn¡¯t stand alone and craved for him.]


    -I believe in you as much as you do in me.


    [That¡¯s why he was able to be a savior.]


    ....


    ...


    [An unknown person haspleted the third page of the epic!]


    [The third page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen to the next level with thepletion of that epic.]


    [You have understood the concept of ¡®Heart.¡¯]


    [The skill ¡®Formless Will¡¯ has opened.]


    [The special stat ¡®Willpower¡¯ has opened.]


    [There is some resistance to the type of skills that expresses the willpower that doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [You think you know a bit more about how to transcend the concept of space.]


    [The information of the ¡®Shunpo¡¯ skill is activated.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    [Based on the contents of the epic, you have gained the new title ¡®Soul Companions.¡¯]


    [Soul Companions]


    [You canmunicate with people you share a deep bond with beyond the heart to the soul.


    The Bond system has strengthened.]


    [You feel a deep bond beyond liking with Legendary Great Magician Braham.]


    [Bond]


    [A list of targets you currently have deep bonds with.


    ¡ï Piaro ¡ï


    ¡ï Braham ¡ï


    Bond Lv. 1.


    All stats will increase by 3% when you are together.


    Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.]


    [The Soul of a Great Magician Who Lost his Power has been restored to Braham¡¯s Soul. Thus, something special will ur.]


    [The skill level of Magic Contemtion has risen!]


    [Braham¡¯s soul has entered a plete¡¯ state. Thus, something special will ur.]


    [Braham haspletely transferred his Duke of Wisdom title to you. Even if Braham¡¯s soul leaves you, the effect of Duke of Wisdom is maintained.]


    [....!]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The third epic was very special to Grid.Bond¡ªthe system certified the worth of the concept he valued most so Grid had been deeply moved. He was dominated by indescribable joy.Yet at this moment, all his emotions and joy cooled down.


    Braham would transfer his Duke of Wisdom title to him?It meant that the resurrected Braham would no longer be the Duke of Wisdom. It meant a loss of power.Braham read Grid¡¯s feelings and scoffed.


    -It¡¯s funny that you¡¯re worried.Knowledge is umted through memories and experience.It is different from a substantial thing and won¡¯t disappear just because I transfer it to others.


    ¡°Ah...I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid was relieved.He had been holding Mercedes¡¯ hand throughout the conversation with Braham. He demonstrated the skills of his hands with sincerity, hoping to reduce her pain by even a bit.Perhaps because of this, Mercedes bowed her head with a somewhat emotional expression.She recognized that Braham¡¯s soul hadpletely recovered just based on Grid¡¯s great growth.


    ¡°Congrattions. First, you¡¯ll have to go to the Sword Grave.¡±


    The Sword Grave.It was where Braham¡¯s body was enshrined.Trapped in the ice by Pagma, he had spent hundreds of years as a colorless existence.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go today.¡±


    Grid nodded and sent a whisper to his sister, Ruby.


    -Can youe to the pce¡¯s training hall right now?


    -If Oppa is calling then I have to go.By the way, why?


    -Mercedes is injured.


    -I¡¯ming right now.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked sadly at Mercedes¡¯ hands that had been damaged by burns and Mercedes hid them.The calluses and wounds on her hands were all evidence of hard work.Mercedes was proud of them and never felt ashamed, but she didn¡¯t want to show them to Grid.


    -I¡¯m tired of this.


    It happened the moment Braham clicked his tongue.


    [....!]


    The notification windows stopped with the exmation point.The system was silent for a while, seemingly needed more interpretation before finally delivering the information.


    [It has been confirmed that you fully embodied the Dragon Pill!]


    [It is a miraculous achievement!]


    [Imend your strength for enduring the pain that urred during the process of taking the Dragon Pill!]


    [Your persistence stat has risen by 20.]


    [Your willpower stat has risen by 100.]


    [You havepletely transcended the limits of your ss bypletely taking in the Dragon Pill. Your mana core is expanded to the fourth stage.]


    [Your mana has permanently risen by 3,000.]


    [Once your mana ispletely depleted, 5% of mana is instantly restored and any magic or skills used within the next two seconds won¡¯t consume mana.]


    -You¡¯re lucky. A fourth stage expansion of the mana core is an area only avable to great magicians.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The maximum amount of pain that was eptable to a yer.Grid had endured the level of pain that was equivalent to fists hitting his back for more than 10 minutes.The pain hadsted repeatedly without any break and had urred simultaneously from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.He thought it had been too intense but these rewards were hidden.


    ¡®I thought I couldn¡¯t hold out for long.¡¯


    He never thought his persistence that developed from his school days would help in this way.Grid shook his head as he confirmed the information of the newly obtained stats and skills.


    [Willpower]


    [It is a willpower strong enough to distort reality.


    * Stat points can¡¯t be distributed to this stat.]


    [Formless Will - Entry]


    [Attack the target with a solid willpower.


    * The amount of damage done by Formless Will is the same as the willpower statbined with the strength stat. Itpletely ignores the target¡¯s resistance and defense.


    * Targets with the willpower stat will ignore this attack.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Half of the maximum sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.]


    Grid didn¡¯t know it but Sword Saint Kraugel had already opened up the Manifestation of Will skill a long time ago. In addition, Formless Will was only a part of Manifestation of Will.It was a hidden piece of the Sword Saint ss so it wasn¡¯t an area that Grid could cross.Grid was satisfied enough with Formless Will.


    ¡®There is a tremendous versatility.¡¯


    Grid had witnessed Formless Will being used by Kirinus and the imperial dukes several times.An attack that was triggered immediately and couldn¡¯t be avoided because it had no form¡ªit could be very useful when ambushing a yer or attacking an enemy casting magic or skills to cancel the casting.


    ¡®It is a shame that the cooldown is too long.¡¯


    Once he built it up, he would be able to use it in session like Kirinus and the dukes.No, considering that Kirinus and the dukes weren¡¯t transcendent yet, he might be more proficient in it than them.


    ¡®Shunpo... it is a crazy fraudulent skill as I expected.¡¯


    [Shunpo]


    [It transcends the concept of space.


    You can reach a ce within your ¡®field of view¡¯ in one step.


    * Not yet fully learned. It can¡¯t be used intentionally and has a terrible chance of activating.


    Resources Consumed: Unknown.


    Skill Cooldown Time: Unknown.]


    Teleporting to a desired location in his field of view.Garam and the grandmaster looked great because of the effect of this skill.Grid had been stunned and shrank back every time he saw them pop up in front of him.It was apletely unknown territory and he had been afraid because he couldn¡¯t understand it.


    That wasn¡¯t the case anymore.It was no longer unknown.Grid was bing like them.Grid felt incredibly proud. ¡®Just wait, Garam.¡¯


    He would return double the despair and humiliation he had experienced every time he met Garam.Definitely, by all means.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Grid was just vowing when Saintess Ruby arrived.Then there was a miracle.She healed not only the burns on Mercedes¡¯ hands and back but also the uneven calluses.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Mercedes looked dazed.How could she imagine that she would reim such white and beautiful hands after bing a sworn knight?


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mercedes politely thanked Ruby.


    ¡°I am the one who is always grateful to you. Please keep protecting Oppa,¡± Ruby replied with a smile.


    Her beauty was just as radiant as Mercedes.Grid was anxious about his beautiful sister as she became an adult.


    ¡®I hope the flies don¡¯t get twisted around her.¡¯


    ***


    Grid didn¡¯t dy.He used Sticks¡¯ help to quickly move to the Sword Grave to capture the moment of resurrection that Braham had been waiting hundreds of years for.The interesting thing was that Ruby, Sexy Schoolgirl, and a number of Overgeared members apanied him.It was because they wanted to witness the historic moment when a legendary great magician was resurrected. However, he had mixed feelings when he saw the eyes of the female guild members shine in an unusual way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much. How much more handsome could he be? It will be the standard of an older Noll at most.¡±


    Zednos was upset and tried to dampen their expectations, but it was useless.


    ¡°If he is an adult version of Noll, won¡¯t he be the most handsome man in the world?¡±


    ¡°I''m more curious.¡±


    The expectations of the Overgeared members soared into the sky.Their minds were focused on Braham¡¯s beauty that had been exposed when he assimted with Grid.It wasn¡¯t just them, but everyone in the world.The videos of ¡®White-haired Grid¡¯ boasted hundreds of millions of views on YouXV and was still visited daily by people to leavements.


    ¡°Looking forward to it...¡±


    Now even the men had shining eyes.An overwhelmingly beautiful person was the envy of all genders.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡±


    In the midst of the turmoil, Grid activated the eyes as he looked at the Sword Grave. His eyes shone mysteriously and the 4,179 swords present at the Sword Grave moved.Inside...


    -It has been a while.


    Grid approached a sword and the sword greeted him.It was a sword with the ego of 5th Pope Franz.However, it was a little strange.Unlike a few months ago, there were traces of damage on the de.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    -There was an intruder.Ah, don¡¯t worry.Braham''s body is safe.


    ¡°Intruder?¡±


    -The Temr of the Reba Church.They managed to find this ce.


    ¡°...!¡±

 Chapter 1133

    ¡®Temr!¡¯


    Niberius, Yatan¡¯s Fourth Servant who was beaten by Grid and ced Grid on the edge of stardom¡ªhe was the original owner of Neberius¡¯ Flute, which Grid had avoided due to the need for luck. Additionally, Niberius had left behind a question before he died. ¡°I heard that there is a secret temr group in Reba¡¯s Church that is fostering Reba¡¯s Daughters and assassins... Were you raised by a temr there?¡±


    After that, the Temr was mentioned often. The Yatan Church seemed to be particrly wary of the Temr, but Grid had never met them before. Damian hadn¡¯t introduced him to the Temr despite it being a few years since he became the pope.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I thought it was a very important secret organization.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t been particrly vignt. That was natural. It wasn¡¯t strange that the Reba Church had a secret organization, so Grid hadn¡¯t felt the need to be wary of the Temr when the Reba Church was one of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s greatest allies.


    Now, he became suspicious. Braham was known to the world as a legendary great magician. Very few people knew Braham¡¯s identity as a demonkin or a true blood vampire. Of course, the head of the Reba Church might know Braham¡¯s identity, but it was unlikely that the head of the Reba Church would¡¯ve ordered Braham¡¯s body to be found and destroyed.


    Pope Damian had a strong rtionship with Grid. Damian was a person who would defend Braham¡¯s body, not harm it. In other words, the Temr¡¯s action ofing here to destroy Braham¡¯s body meant there was a high probability they were going against Reba¡¯s will.


    ¡®Is it an organization that can¡¯t be controlled by Damian? Or is there an internal conflict in the church?¡¯


    Grid organized his thoughts and asked a question, ¡°Does the Reba Church officially know that Braham is a vampire?¡±


    -It is likely they don¡¯t know. I purposely covered up Braham¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    -It was meaningless to reject him due to his identity as a demonkin when he spread magical knowledge that benefited people.


    The one who spread the magical knowledge was his disciple Mumud, but there was no need to mention this.


    Grid listened to the story in silence.


    -However, the temr seemed to have independently grasped Braham¡¯s true identity. Of course, Braham is already dead, so it was a meaningless fact. Then things changed recently. Thanks to some people, the Temr started to be wary of Braham again.


    ¡°Some people? Who?¡± Grid asked despite being convinced that he was the culprit of this incident. The Overgeared members, who had been watching the situation quietly, stared at Grid. Grid¡¯s expression twisted, and he started sweating. ¡°Do you mean me?¡±


    -Haha, yes.


    ¡°......¡±


    -The Temr noticed a long time ago that you are harboring Braham¡¯s soul. In the process of investigating your rtionship with Braham, they discovered that Braham¡¯s body was still intact and that it was stored here. Thus, they invaded. It was in order to stop Braham¡¯s resurrection.


    ¡°Then they discovered your identity as the former pope and withdrew obediently.¡±


    Currently, Franz was a sword with an attack power of 8,000. It was practically impossible for him to stop the members of the Temr, who wereparable to Reba¡¯s Daughters, by himself. It was right to interpret it as the Temr withdrawing after they found out Franz¡¯ true identity. However, the reality of the situation waspletely different.


    -Huh? That isn¡¯t true. I¡¯m a fallen sword guarding the corpse of a vampire. They let out all sorts of curses and usations as they said they were going to kill me. I almost died. Hahaha.


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere of the Overgeared Guild members cooled down. Based on Franz¡¯ughter at the mention that he was going to die, they realized that he wasn¡¯t a normal person.


    ¡®They will be stunned when they see Chreshler.¡¯


    2nd Pope Chreshler was the coffin designed to hold Marie Rose for eternity. Compared to him, Franz was quite normal.


    ¡°How did you ovee the crisis?¡±


    How did Franz survive and protect Braham¡¯s body...


    Franz responded to Grid¡¯s big question, -Haha, I lived on the condition that I cooperate with them.


    ¡°I see... Huh?¡±


    -I helped the Temr install enemy detection magic here. In a moment, the Temr wille.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t thispletely ridiculous? Grid turned his head. In the distance, a group of people were climbing the hill.


    There were around 20 people. This number was smaller than the Overgeared members gathered here, but the atmosphere around them was unusual. The Overgeared members took out their weapons and sent Grid a sympathetic look.


    ¡°All of Grid¡¯s episodes and quests are like this.¡±


    ¡°If I were Grid, I would¡¯ve been fooled by Ashur and quit the game while looking for Pagma¡¯s Rare Book.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He was sad because he couldn¡¯t deny it. While Grid was hit by the unexpected development, Franz was still talking.


    -All the popes recognized and respected the Temr as an independent organization. This allowed the Temr to walk their own line, regardless of the pope¡¯s power. What is the reason for it?


    ¡°How should I know?¡±


    -It was because they were strong. The head of the Temr is particrly special. He tests the pope¡¯s qualifications using a scale that can¡¯t be measured with human values. That¡¯s why most popes used to be at odds with the Temr.


    ¡°Special?¡±


    -It is assumed that he isn¡¯t human. His abilities are outside ofmon sense. Some say it is an angel.


    ¡°Angel? The angels that I know?¡±


    -Probably. Now his current goal is to destroy Braham¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Die!!¡±


    Franz¡¯ attitude of selling people to the end quickly caused Grid¡¯s wrath to explode. Franz was very puzzled as he used his sword body to block Grid¡¯s swinging attack.


    -Why are you attacking me?


    ¡°This traitor has a long tongue!¡±


    -Traitor? I chose the only option to protect Braham¡¯s body. Think carefully. If I had died resisting to the end, would Braham¡¯s body have been safe?


    ¡°...¡±


    -Don¡¯t be angry at me and focus on the enemies in front of you. If you knock them down, Braham will be safe. If you don¡¯t knock them down, even Braham¡¯s soul will be destroyed and he will perish forever.


    ¡°...Shit!¡±


    It made a lot of sense. Grid realized why Franz was forced to work with the Temr and shouted at his colleagues, ¡°Wait! I will first measure the level of the enemy!"


    Grid took two steps forward. His shoulders swayed like he was dancing.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The Overgeared members were astonished. They were surprised by the development of Grid, who was now able to unleash a three fusion sword dance with just two steps. Braham¡¯s magic, the sword energy, and the petals struck the Temr. Simultaneously, the Temr created transparent discs in all directions, and all the sword energy and petals were invalidated.


    Braham, who had been watching the situation quietly, spoke for the first time, -An angel seems correct.


    ¡°...!¡±


    -Distant attacks don¡¯t work on an army led by an angel. Is it ¡®there is no courage to harm God¡¯s protection?¡¯ They make a bullshit im that they can only be affected by melee attacks.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that aplete counter to magicians?¡¯


    -Right. A magician who fights against angels is a madman.


    ¡®But I...¡¯


    -Yes, you aren¡¯t a magician.


    Grid moved forward. Mercedes followed after him. The moment they approached, the Temr members who were armed with white masks and armor silently swung their swords. It was a swordsmanship with a lot of variation. They stretched out like a fan and then curved. The blue mes swirling at the end of the swords were a threat because they contained the ability to interfere with healing effects and caused debuffs.


    However, Grid and Mercedes handled the situation well. Mercedes¡¯ White Tiger struck a Temr member¡¯s sword, and an earthquake struck while pirs went soaring. The moment a Temr member copsed, Grid pierced through the gap. In an instant, three Temr members were wounded. and they withdrew. Nevertheless, Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t great.


    ¡®There isn¡¯t any blood...?¡¯


    Grid had the attack power of a transcendent. Even Sword Duke Limit, a super-named NPC, had been overwhelmed every time he allowed Grid to attack, and even the Great Demon Berith had fallen into Grid¡¯s hands. On the other hand, the Temrs suffered less than 10,000 damage when they were hit by Grid. Some sort of resilience maintained their health.


    Mercedes shielded the surprised Grid and pointed to the most powerful figure behind the Temr members. ¡°That person is healing them.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was real. An unidentified figure in a white robe was constantly radiating a green light. This enveloped the bodies of the Temrs, restoring their wounds and stamina in real-time. It seemed like Saintess Ruby¡¯s wide-area heal but at a sustained level.


    -He is an angel.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯ Grid¡¯s expression became distorted. A strange figure appeared on the verge of Braham¡¯s resurrection and interrupted it.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help!¡±


    Ruby and the Overgeared members joined in. Ruby¡¯s buffs were focused on Grid and Mercedes, while the other Overgeared members worked together to create a gap for Grid and Mercedes. Thanks to this, Grid regained hisposure and broke through the front lines with Mercedes. Even if the Temrs weren¡¯t killed, they would retreat and allow Grid and Mercedes to reach the man presumed to be an angel.


    ¡®Divinity!¡¯ Grid elevated his existence to a level that was close to a god. It removed the casting time and cooldown time of cksmith-rted skills, and Grid used Item Combination to fuse the Enlightenment Sword and Grid¡¯s Greatsword into one.


    Then...


    ¡°Amazing,¡± the man believed to be an angel expressed his admiration. He took off his robe and spread out his wings, floating into the sky.


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± The Overgeared members eximed.


    Pure white wings and a sacred halo...


    The divine being looking over the ground with a majestic appearance that was exactly the same as the angels the Overgeared members had imagined. They felt overwhelmed.


    On the other hand, Grid was feeling dull. He wasn¡¯t too impressed by a god¡¯s apostles when he had met a god in person and even had a match against one.


    ¡®Is it a great demon level?¡¯


    Grid was together with Mercedes, his colleagues, and Braham. Additionally, he had his knights who would answer his call at the same time...


    Grid was just raising his determination when the angel behind the Temrs said, ¡°You showed great skill and bravery. I thought you wanted to resurrect Braham because you were confused by the path of sin, but I was mistaken. Braham¡¯s soul isn¡¯t powerful enough to worry about, and you can control him.¡±


    -He knows that when I fought Mumud, part of my soul was permanently destroyed.


    ¡°One blessed by the Goddess of Light. I pray for you to have good luck on your path, and I will step back. We will meet again soon.¡±


    [You have been blessed by Archangel Sariel.]


    [In the event of a monster being hunted while the blessing is maintained, the drop rate of items is increased by 500% only once.]


    ¡°...!¡± Grid had thought the worst was going to happen, only for the development to change again. While Grid watched Sariel and the Temrs leaving with a puzzled expression, Franz spoke to him, -Ohu, it ended up like this.


    ¡°You have protected Braham¡¯s body, so ascend to Heaven.¡±


    ...!


    On this day...


    [Legendary Great Magician Braham has been resurrected!!]


    An unbelievable world message shocked the world. All the media outlets had the headline, ¡®Biggest Shock Since the Opening of Satisfy.¡¯

 Chapter 1134

    The millennium ice that had been frozen for years melted and became a river. The cier dungeon was flooded in an instant, and Grid escaped hurriedly. When he appeared all soaked, the expressions of the Overgeared members darkened.


    ¡°What is it? Did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±Grid smiled and turned his head.


    The sound of water dripping could be heard from the depths of the stairwell connecting the Sword Grave to the cier Dungeon. Someone was climbing the stairs with wet feet.


    ¡°There were no problems.¡±


    The moment that Grid replied...


    [Legendary Great Magician Braham has been resurrected!!]


    The world message emerged.


    ¡°Ah...!!¡± Exmations rang out from all over the ce. Finally, the man climbing the stairs showed up. He had long silvery eyshes that shone like fog, a nose and jawline that millions of artists couldn¡¯t obtain through stic surgery even if they coborated, and eyes in which mes seemed to have been trapped. Braham¡¯s true appearance was so beautiful that it was beyond the Overgeared members¡¯ imaginations. His appearance was enough to make people wonder if he was the ¡®source¡¯ of beauty.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Braham¡¯s breaths echoed in the silent Sword Grave. Every time he breathed, water dripped into his deep vicle. The transparent water flowed over his broad chest and smooth waist.


    ¡°Gulp,¡± Sexy Schoolgirl swallowed her saliva continuously and finally had a nosebleed. Ruby was blushing and fidgety, but she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off Braham right till the end. The same was true for the other Overgeared members. Both men and women were fascinated by Braham.


    ¡°Wear this.¡± The first thing Grid did was to take off his cloak and hand it to Braham.


    Braham put it on his shoulder and reached out quietly. His long white fingers touched Grid¡¯s cheeks. ¡°...This is how you feel.¡±


    It was only after losing it that he realized the value of something he had once taken for granted. Having been resurrected after hundreds of years, Braham felt a deep gratitude...


    Just being here...


    In this moment...


    ***


    [Name: Braham Eshwald


    Race: A true blood vampire who has lost his eternal life


    ss: Legendary Great Magician


    * Can learn all the magic that exists in the world and can wear all types of magic tools without restriction.


    * The ability to use magic is greatly increased.


    * Can create new magic spells. The number of times it can be created will increase every time the level of Braham¡¯s Enhanced Magic is raised.


    Title: Duke of Wisdom


    ....


    Title: Title: One who Became a Legend


    ....


    Title: Master of Mana


    * Fully understands and controls the concept of mana.


    * The mana increase rate, which is based on intelligence, is 20 times higher than normal.


    * When attacking a target, there is a chance of taking away mana.


    * Can umte mana that exceeds the maximum mana limit, up to three times the maximum mana value. Cooldown time of 24 hours.


    * Once the maximum mana is umted, casting time is removed when using attack magic. The power of the magic will double. Applies three times in total.


    * Once the maximum mana is umted, be ¡®invincible¡¯ when using defensive spells on yourself. Applies two times in total.


    Title: Resurrected


    * The magic of resurrection haspletely transcended the concept of death.


    * The vitality increase based on the strength and stamina stats is 10 times higher than normal.


    * There is a 100% chance of resurrecting upon death. However, this effect only applies the first time. The probability of resurrection will decrease significantly the more times you resurrect. Failure to resurrect will lead to eternal death.


    Level: 400 (¨‹)


    Strength: 108 Stamina: 1,690


    Agility: 507 Intelligence: 7,880


    Dignity: 2,511 Insight: 4,943


    Willpower: 5,800


    * It is a body that is recovering after hundreds of years, but Braham will adapt quickly. Up to level 600, the experience gained is increased by 2000%.


    Skills: Blood Magic (S+), Blood-sucking (SS), Magic Enchantment (SS), Knowledge Investigation (SS), Magic Contemtion (SSS), Berserk (SSS), First Boundary: Knowledge Room (SSS), Second Boundary: Exploration Room (???), Third Boundary: Experimentation Room (???), Braham¡¯s Enhanced Magic (???)


    A true blood vampire and legendary great magician who lost his eternal life for the crime of harming his kin¡ªhe holds a deep grudge toward Pagma and Marie Rose while feeling regretful toward his undead disciple, Mumud.


    * Currently considers everyone as insignificant apart from yer ¡®Grid¡¯ and his family. yers except for ¡®Grid¡¯ can¡¯t build up affinity with him.]


    ¡®This is how the bnce is adjusted?¡¯


    An enemy would weaken as soon as they became an ally. This was Satisfy¡¯s rule that had been applied for a while, so it was natural that Braham¡¯s soul would be weakened. His soul had wandered for hundreds of years, undergoing all types of hardships. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t as strong as before. He needed time to adapt to the flesh he had recovered after hundreds of years. The recoil caused Braham to drop to level 400, which was lower than Grid¡¯s level.


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t seem weak at all. First, his intelligence figure was high enough to be considered a level 600 figure, and the effects of his title wereparable to those of Grid¡¯s titles. Grid had witnessed the greatness of the synergy of Master of Mana and the ordinary (?) Mana Drain a long time ago in the Red Sea.


    ¡®Additionally, there are six SSS-grade or higher skills...¡¯


    If Braham¡¯s level were slightly higher...


    No, maybe he was already much stronger than Piaro and Mercedes? Grid remembered that sses were eternal. Unlike the still-growing legends of the present age, the power of the previous generations of legends was an absolute frontier that couldn¡¯t be restrained even with the bnce-adjustment system.


    As Braham experimented with a few spells, he muttered,¡°It is possible.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Hunting Fenrir.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cut off one of Marie Rose¡¯s arms ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡±


    Fenrir was a marquis. After Marie Rose, he was the person who inherited a lot of Beriache¡¯s power and was second-in-charge. It was Noll¡¯s assessment that he was several times stronger than the earl-grade vampires. Therefore, Grid hadn¡¯t intended to challenge him rashly. Grid believed that even if he led all his knights to challenge Fenrir, there would surely be sacrifices.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we challenge him after you first recover your strength?¡±


    Braham stared at Grid.¡°Because of you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It is better to elerate the schedule for your sake. Have you forgotten that you were blessed by Sariel?¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    [In the event of a monster being hunted while the blessing is maintained, the drop rate of items is increased by 500% only once.]


    Grid should avoid ordinary hunting as long as this blessing was present. It was right to hunt down a strong named boss before the blessing was over. Fenrir was the perfect prey for the current situation.


    ¡°To my knowledge, angels have almost no emotions. They are puppets who only think and work for Goddess Reba. They are like golems.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is hard to hope for the blessing of an angel. This is a chance you won¡¯t gain twice, so you should maximize the benefits as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Zednos interjected. ¡°Leave it to us to kill the mobs until you reach Fenrir.¡±


    Zednos had met Fenrir in person. He had been so overwhelmed by the other¡¯s presence that his entire body trembled despite only making eye contact. To be honest, he was afraid and didn¡¯t want to see Fenrir again. However, he wanted to be helpful to Grid, rather than just being fearful. The other Overgeared members felt the same way.


    ¡°Everyone... Thank you.¡± Grid didn¡¯t refuse. He nned to raid Fenrir, consume Sariel¡¯s blessing, and then create a hunting environment for Braham.


    ¡®Before that, I have to make the items.¡¯


    For a weapon, there was Belial¡¯s Staff. Its power and magic casting speed were increased by 30 percent. Three types of magic could be cast simultaneously, and when me magic and dark magic were cast simultaneously, it increased the power by 200 percent. Every time a spell was cast, a shield blocking abnormal states would be created. Additionally, the probability of the magic critical hit rate and critical hit damage had increased, and mana regeneration increased by 200%.


    Braham was the only one who could take full advantage of the options attached to Belial¡¯s staff. Braham himself knew this, so he had wanted it since a long time ago.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to Reinhardt first.¡± Grid made a n and sent a whisper to Lauel. It was to ask him to send Sticks over.


    Braham scoffed.¡°Mass Teleport.¡±


    Before Lauel¡¯s reply arrived, Grid and the Overgeared members had already been transferred to Reinhardt. Braham¡¯s Mass Teleport was much faster than Sticks¡¯ Mass Teleport, and its stability was high, which decreased the motion sickness side effects.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid and the Overgeared members were stunned by thendscape that changed in the blink of an eye.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    There was a question mark above Franz¡¯s head. Braham¡¯s resurrection meant Franz¡¯s mission was fulfilled, so he had been about to ascend. It was impossible for someone to deliberately harm him while he was entering Nirvana, and Pagma had arranged it so he could enter Nirvana at the Sword Grave. Now, this wasn¡¯t the Sword Grave.


    Braham said to the bewildered Franz hanging from his waist, ¡°We need a high divine power to kill Marie Rose.¡±


    That¡¯s right.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use you to kill Marie Rose in a few years.¡±


    -As expected of the Duke of Wisdom!Too thorough!


    ¡°......¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Franz supposed to feel anger instead of admiration? The Overgeared members gave up thinking at the sight of Franz, who had been kidnapped unannounced.


    ***


    ¡°This is the first time we are meeting.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    10 years after Damian was sworn in as the pope, this was the first time the Temr¡ªthe Reba Church¡¯s independent organization¡ªvisited the Vatican.


    ¡°You might¡¯ve been chosen as the Goddess¡¯ Agent, but I doubted your qualifications as pope because you only relied on others. Now I have slightly changed my mind. I will believe in your discerning eye.¡±


    p. Archangel Sariel took off his robe and spread out his wings. It was the first time since the first papal era that he formally announced his identity.


    ¡°I will acknowledge you as the pope. The divine powers that were lost as the times changed wille to you, and I¡¯ll release the restrictions on the Holy Sword.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Be stronger. On the day when thest vampires sh, you should wipe out the weakened ones and illuminate the world with light.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a huge temptation for the average person that could never be rejected. Yet Damian rejected it instantly. After all, Damian wasn¡¯t most people.


    ¡°You never showed your nose when we were having hard times. You are too shameless. Is it because you are an angel and not a person? Right, Isabel-chan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Reba Church had faced countless crises. The church was almost broken by the corrupt Pope Drevigo. Pascal had joined with the empire, and the church had been on the verge of being upied by foreign forces. There was also the massive attack from the Yatan Church...


    Every time, Damian and Reba¡¯s Daughters fought fiercely. It was Grid, not the Temr, who helped them when they were feeling frustrated and desperate. Damian wasn¡¯t pleased with the Temr¡¯s attitude of showing up and trying to take over.


    ¡°You have to think about it calmly. This is a great opportunity to gain strength,¡±Sariel tried to persuade Damien, but it was useless.


    ¡°Strength?¡± Damian¡¯s eyes, which had been smiling at Isabel, cooled down like his previous emotions were a lie. ¡°We aren¡¯t weak enough to beg for strength from you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bluff. After Marie Rose¡¯s seal failed, Damian and the Reba¡¯s Daughters received the approval of the elders and opened one of the Vatican¡¯s secret temples. He had been training there constantly, building up his strength. Damian was bing stronger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. If you want to help us, shouldn¡¯t you work hard to earn our trust?¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    It might¡¯ve beenpletely different from Sariel¡¯s expectations and intentions, but the Temr joined the church. The appearance of the angel turned the entire church upside down. Yet surprisingly, the elders had dull reactions. The angel didn¡¯t seem too great after seeing Lord¡¯s potential.


    ¡°He is the apostle of the great Goddess, nothing more...¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±

 Chapter 1135

    ¡º It¡¯s the most shocking event since the opening of Satisfy! ¡»


    CNV was the world¡¯s leading news brand that sent radio waves to 400 million households in 235 countries.


    As the leader of the 24 hour news channels, it had the excellent ability to read the trends, took the lead in starting professional programs for Satisfy, and dominated the market in South Korea along with OGC.


    ¡º What is a dragon heart, a dragon heart?! ¡»


    Satisfy World. It was a Satisfy discussion program that had established itself as one of CNV¡¯s most popr programs. It was a program where experts from various fields gathered together and focused on dissecting the biggest news that urred on that day in Satisfy. It was recognized for its professionalism and boasted high ratings. It was just that in recent years, the trend in viewership had be stagnant due to habitual behavior.


    PD Andersen¡¯s ambition to make Satisfy World a gship program for CNV was far away. Then today, he got good luck.


    ¡º Now Grid has swallowed the heart of that terrifying monster! ¡»


    The discussion topic of today¡¯s Satisfy World was the ¡®unknown person¡¯s¡¯, in other words, Grid¡¯s, third epic. Satisfy World¡¯s viewership was the highest ever since the sentence ¡®he swallowed the heart of a dragon¡¯ attracted the attention of the world. It was thanks to the fact that the broadcast started just before Grid¡¯s epic was written. Now the broadcast was breaking the news in real-time.


    ¡®We were lucky to get this.¡¯


    PD Andersen continued to signal to the panel. It was a signal to start the provocative analysis. However, most of the panelists showed a passive attitude.


    ¡º Hmmm... let¡¯s see. Isn¡¯t it likely to be a metaphorical expression? As you know, dragons are absolute in Satisfy¡¯s world view. Didn¡¯t we all witness the evil dragon killing Grid and Kraugel in the 3rd National Competition? It is physically impossible for Grid and the Overgeared Guild to be strong enough to raid a dragon and take its heart in just two years. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. They can barely raid a great demon yet they are already killing a dragon? It is almost impossible for the item Grid swallowed to be a real dragon heart or an item associated with a dragon heart. ¡»


    ¡º Um... ¡»


    There were many silent panelists. The experts couldn¡¯t speak recklessly in cases rted to Grid because there was a lot of room to be wrong. The panel¡¯s passive attitude made PD Andersen anxious.


    ¡®Nonsense is good so keep talking! The president is also watching!¡¯


    In the broadcast industry, Grid was treated as a guaranteed check. He didn¡¯t have to appear on air. The audience flocked even if only his name was mentioned. Not long ago, an entertainment program analyzed Grid¡¯s whereabouts and based on this, determined the fruits that Grid didn¡¯t like. This third-rate gossip program scored the highest viewership in that time period.


    ¡®The fruits he doesn¡¯t like...¡¯


    It was lukewarm watermelons and cold peaches. The moment the fruits that Grid disliked were revealed, social media heated up and all types of phenomena urred. The social media ounts of the third-rate gossip program increased by 100 times overnight.


    PD Andersen had watched this absurd situation and came to a conclusion. It was Grid. It was unconditionally Grid. Once the wave called ¡®Grid¡¯ came in, he had to paddle it to death. Today was the perfect opportunity. The epic series generated overwhelming buzz among the Grid-rted issues. Andersen didn¡¯t want to miss the chance created by the epic that urred every few months.


    However, most of the panelists were silent, making it hard to paddle.


    -Then what is the dragon heart?


    Andersen¡¯s worries grew as viewers expressed their dissatisfaction in the chat window.


    ¡º You don¡¯t have to hunt dragons to get a dragon heart. ¡»


    Jtan, the most popr gaming expert on the panel, opened his mouth for the first time. He had finished his own analysis while the other panelists had been talking.


    ¡º First, let¡¯s take a closer look at the dragons. Hasn¡¯t it been revealed through many old books that dragons are like gods? I¡¯m sure that no one can answer the question about how almighty a dragon is. Isn¡¯t that right? We¡¯ve already witnessed the imperfections of the dragons through the Insane Dragon. ¡»


    The exact reason was unknown but Insane Dragon Nevartan was literally an insane dragon. He was captivated by madness andpletely lost his sense of reason. It was proof that dragons couldn¡¯t avoid illnesses and curses.


    ¡º In the first ce, dragons might be like gods but they aren¡¯t gods themselves. We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of weakening or dying from a natural death or from fighting with each other. Somewhere on the continent, a dragon¡¯s corpse might be sleeping. ¡»


    ¡º Even if it is the heart of a dead dragon, the dragon heart swallowed by Grid should still be a dragon heart, right? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it is undeniable. The epic urately states the ¡®heart of a dragon.¡¯ This doesn¡¯t mean it is a perfect dragon heart. It makes more sense to assume that the power of the dragon heart was consumed through some type of elixir. ¡»


    ¡º What is the basis? ¡»


    ¡º The S.A Group is very conscious of the bnce of the game. Since the third advancement, normal ss yers had been quickly catching up to hidden sses and there are many hints that the gap will be significantly reduced from the fourth advancement. If the S.A Group already released dragon hearts into the game then it will be a situation where someone is overwhelmingly strong. ¡»


    ¡º In other words, it is correct that Grid has consumed a dragon heart but it is iplete and the effect will be minimal? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it would be right to guess that it is a few times more effective than an elixir. It should be approximately 10 times as effective. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t the effect of 10 elixirs equivalent to levelling up 10 times? It is really hard to level up after level 390 yet the elixir will have the effect of 10 levels? Is it a bnced item? ¡»


    ¡º Let¡¯s see. More of the top yers are obsessed with buying elixirs and in fact, elixir transactions are being made on various routes. Then there shouldn¡¯t be any discussion of the bnce copsing. ¡»


    ¡°It is too ordinary...¡±


    The director¡¯s face was rotten as he watched the broadcast from PD Andersen¡¯s side. He wanted the panel to be more provocative to cause a huge increase in viewership. However, the analysis was so cold that it wasn¡¯t as interesting as expected. He felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the Grid effect.


    Then the result ended up different from what he expected. The viewership was already a steep upward curve.


    ¡°What? Why is the viewership so high?¡±


    "It is a world where the fact that Grid doesn¡¯t like lukewarm watermelons will attract viewers. The epics naturally have a greater effect. The other stations are making such a fuss that viewers seem to appreciate the calm evaluation... what? Is that true?¡±


    PD Andersen was exining to the director when he became startled. It was because one of the staff members ran over and told him something.


    ¡°The legendary great magician has been resurrected?¡±


    At the same time, the panelists received the news and started scrambling.


    ¡º The legendary great magician has been resurrected? It isn¡¯t the descendant of the legendary great magician? ¡»


    ¡º An unprecedented situation...! ¡»


    ¡º It¡¯s the most shocking event since the opening of Satisfy! ¡»


    ¡º I agree. It is a shockparable to when Grid first appeared and defeated the Yatan¡¯s Servant. How on earth was the legendary great magician resurrected? ¡»


    ¡º Braham is believed to be the fifth strongest among the legends of the previous generation. ¡»


    Most of the big issues that had arisen in Satisfy were rted to Grid. This time was an exception. It was more shocking and fresh because it wasn¡¯t rted to Grid.


    The director gave instructions to PD Andersen. ¡°Let¡¯s increase the broadcast time today for a two hour special.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay?¡±


    ¡°This is what the president ordered. Grid¡¯s epic and the resurrection of the legendary great magician... isn¡¯t there a lot of stories to cover today? How can we jump away from it?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    Originally, it should¡¯ve been delivered as emergency news, not a special program. The situation was reversed thanks to the broadcast dealing with Grid¡¯s epic. In fact, most of the other broadcasting stations were starting the emergency news while only CNV was broadcasting Satisfy World.


    PD Andersen was really lucky.


    ¡®Hooray Grid!¡¯


    Another Grid follower was born in New York, far from South Korea.


    ***


    ¡°Braham...!¡±


    He was a foolish man. Even when all his kin were sleeping due to the curse, he resisted it fiercely. He said he had to think for one more second. He had to read one more letter. He foolishly extended the wounds on his body once he was about to fall asleep again.


    ¡°How did you...!¡±


    He was a fool. Despite being born with a power great enough to survive a short day, he wasn¡¯t satisfied and explored greater power. He dered he would be strong enough to break the curse. He was going to liberate their mother, who was trapped in a narrow coffin. For the vain dream that could never be achieved, he wandered for hundreds of years.


    ¡°How are you alive?¡±


    Noll hade to the Overgeared Pce in response to Grid¡¯s summoning. He doubted reality once he encountered Braham. Braham had so much of their mother¡¯s desire for exploration that hemitted a taboo and harmed his own kin. He was abandoned by their mother, lost his eternal life to Marie Rose, and exiled a long time ago. Hundreds of yearster, he reappeared in front of Noll.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Noll dropped his gaze with surprise when he met Braham¡¯s eyes. Deep disgust and sympathy¡ªthe feelings in Braham¡¯s eyes whenever he looked at his kin were very unpleasant. However...


    "You¡¯ve ovee the curse."


    ¡°...?¡±


    The eyes of the resurrected Braham had changed. There was no hatred or sympathy, only indifference. It was like he didn¡¯t care about them anymore. ¡°It is due to the constant exposure and stimtion of Qualification of a Blood King built up by Grid. You are a lucky guy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you too apathetic reuniting with your brother after a long time?¡± Grid tried to rx the cold atmosphere. It wouldn¡¯t have worked previously but now it was different.


    ¡°What brother...¡±


    ¡°It is unpleasant.¡±


    Both Braham and Noll grumbled but the atmosphere didn¡¯t deteriorate any further. Their fondness for Grid was too great for them to defy Grid¡¯s will due to their personal feelings. Once the situation calmed down, Grid gazed at his knights.


    Piaro, Mercedes, Asmophel, Jude, Noll, Teruchan, Singuled, Amelda, Kentrick, Dante, and Braham...


    There were sitting at the round table where the 10 meritorious retainers should¡¯ve originally been sitting, observing each other with different expressions. They were admiring or feeling intrigued about each other¡¯s capabilities. Ah, except for Jude. He looked up at the ceiling and seemed to have no thoughts.


    ¡®He has been training hard every day.¡¯


    Grid smiled as he confirmed Jude¡¯s level and then he dered, ¡°We will raid Fenrir¡¯s city.¡±


    ¡°Fenrir? We are going to hit Fenrir?¡± Noll started shaking. ¡°It¡¯s suicide! He has inherited two of Mother¡¯s powers!¡±


    Asmophel reacted with doubt. ¡°Isn¡¯t he much weaker than a great demon?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The knights who joined the Overgeared Kingdom rtivelyte, like Singuled and Amelda, were flustered. It was because Asmophel referred to a great demon that could destroy the world in a tone like it was too insignificant. Of course, they knew that the Overgeared Kingdom had already destroyed two great demons but they were difficult fights.


    Noll snorted. ¡°My mother was the 3rd Great Demon.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°The great demons outside the top 10 couldn¡¯t harm her. Fenrir has inherited two of her powers.¡±


    Noll stared straight at Grid.


    "You know that great demons summoned to the human world are much weaker than they are in hell, right? However, Fenrir was born here and receives no penalty from it. Fenrir is incredibly strong, especially when he is in his territory. One of his powers is ¡®domination.¡¯ Grid, think about it again. It is still too early to hit Fenrir. Really.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid knew Beriache was one of the top-ranking great demons but he hadn¡¯t expected her to be third. There was a reason why God Yatan had be personally wary of her, nted a curse, and expelled her from hell.


    ¡°...Is it okay?¡± Grid nced at Braham. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t want any sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Braham¡¯s nostrils red.


    "I was the strongest until Marie Rose showed up. Even then, I hadn¡¯t learned the essence of magic. In addition, the thing that we inherited from our mother wasn¡¯t power but ¡®personality.¡¯ It is true that the more personality traits that are inherited, the more superior we are. Still, keep in mind that I only inherited one personality trait from my mother.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Sloth is the greatest sin. That¡¯s why Yatan cursed our kin with the Curse of Idleness. Those affected by it don¡¯t develop and the representative example is Fenrir. The mother is great so the children would naturally be great? It is bullshit rattled off by pure and weak worms. There is only one great being, Marie Rose, and this is because she is our Mother¡¯s child.¡±


    ¡°Braham! That arrogant personality is still the same! You might¡¯ve been great in the old days but now you are just a fool who has lost his strength!!! Don¡¯t be cocky when you are weaker than me!¡±


    Noll was unable to stand being called a worm and got up. Grid tried to calm Noll down but Braham just waved his hand. It was a rather frivolous gesture but there was a strange dignity whenbined with thenguid eyes.


    ¡°I think it is better to have the hierarchy sorted out now. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was confused. It was because Braham was looking at Piaro, not Noll, when he spoke. Piaro took a sip of alcohol and replied, ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    Noll eventually couldn¡¯t stand it and used blood magic. In an instant, weapons made of blood were produced and flew toward Braham. Braham examined them and destroyed them. It was done by reversing the forms and principles of Noll¡¯s magic.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Noll was astounded. Braham¡¯s eyes were still indifferent as he looked at Noll.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t work hard to ovee the curse, you are just a worm.¡±


    Work hard¡ªthe words didn¡¯t seem to match Braham but Grid knew better. Braham had been working harder than anyone else. The first evidence was that he overcame his race¡¯s curse by himself and the second evidence was that he became a legend after being expelled from his n.


    Maybe he resembled Grid.

 Chapter 1136

    ¡°If you don¡¯t work hard to ovee the curse, you are just a worm.¡±


    ¡®Work hard... damn!¡¯


    Noll couldn¡¯t refute it. Magic Contemtion, which denied the power he inherited from their mother, was a result of Braham¡¯s own efforts. Noll, who relied on innate power, was ashamed of himself. He felt sorry for all the time he wasted while using the curse as an excuse.


    ¡°Braham, stop now."


    Noll¡¯s head dropped as Braham continued the mocking and ndering. Grid was worried the rtionship between them would deteriorate uncontrobly so he stepped forward to mediate.


    Then Noll puffed up his cheeks angrily and shouted at Braham, "I¡¯ll show you. I¡¯ll prove that I can be stronger than you if I try! At that time, I will treat you as a worm!¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Braham waved his hand like he was chasing away a fly. It was an attitude that he wasn¡¯t interested in anything. Noll was indignant but Grid saw it¡ªthere was a slight smile on Braham¡¯s face the moment he turned his head.


    ¡®Brother and brother...¡¯


    Grid wondered why Braham hated his kin and used them as an experimental tool. He was disappointed that his siblings, who were supposed to ovee the curse and help their mother, fell asleep every day and hated them in his despair. He believed there would be no future if this continued and took all responsibility, sacrificing his bloodline. He probably knew it was the wrong choice but he had only one option. However, things were different now¡ªBraham was no longer alone and there were more options for him.


    Grid thought about it and suddenly felt a sense of incongruity. He wondered if hunting Fenrir was the right thing to do.


    ¡°...Excuse me.¡±


    Grid called out to Braham. This made Braham frown. He looked at Grid¡¯s face and noticed what this person was thinking. It was possible because he lived inside Grid for ages and understood Grid¡¯s personality.


    Braham transmitted his voice to Grid¡¯s head.


    [It is different from what you are imagining. Have you forgotten that you personally sealed my sister Latina? There is no sibling affection between us.]


    ¡°Then why were you smiling?¡±


    [I was only delighted at getting a decent long-term pawn. The more useful the pawn, the better.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [First of all, Fenrir must be eliminated. Only then will Marie Rose... no, you can kill Marie Rose.]


    Braham no longer felt the need to exin and nced away from Grid. Piaro was staring at him with a bright expression. He was eager to fight.


    Braham¡¯s hand beckoned. ¡°Come on.¡±


    For Piaro, Braham was the seconding of a legend but Braham was also very fond of Piaro. He had been watching this person for a long time. Braham vividly remembered the appearance of Piaro struggling for Grid. He also felt a faint liking because Grid shared his feelings for Piaro.


    Asmophel didn¡¯t know what Braham was feeling and intervened. ¡°Why don¡¯t youpete with me before challenging Piaro?¡±


    It was a very provocative statement. He was very unhappy that Braham treated Piaro as a subordinate.


    ¡°Yes, then you shoulde.¡± Brahamughed. He knew Asmophel so he felt this person¡¯s behavior was cute.


    ¡°I won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Braham was a friend of his liege and a legend of the previous generation, so he should be respected. However, he couldn¡¯t stand the attitude of ignoring his liege¡¯s other knights, especially Piaro. Asmophel couldn¡¯t bear it and pulled out his sword. Brilliant sparks flew through the round table toward Braham. However, the ground where Asmophel was standing copsed before it could reach Braham.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s posture copsed and twisted the orbit of his flying sparks. He couldn¡¯t even take a step toward Braham before he was thrown back through a window, while Braham never took a step from his seat.


    ¡®Did he cast a spell ahead of time?¡¯


    Asmophel twisted his body as he fell and surged back into the meeting room. As expected, dozens of Magic Missiles were already aiming at him. A chill went down Asmophel¡¯s spine as he saw the shes in front of him.


    ¡°I have to move in ways the other person can¡¯t predict.¡±


    Braham flicked his finger and dozens of Magic Missiles flooded toward Asmophel. Asmophel, who was trying to ignore it, received a blow to his shoulder and rushed to defend himself. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t easy to defend. Every step on the ground was slippery like it was covered in oil while darknesspletely obscured his view.


    ¡®This isn¡¯tpleting a spell in advance...!¡¯


    Even Great Magician Ashur had a moment of casting time when using magic. Meanwhile, Braham had transcended that level and could use his magic immediately without casting. Asmophel suffered setbacks as four, five, and six spells were so quickly linked that they seemed simultaneous. He was determined that he couldn¡¯t keep defending and took the damage as he used a skill.


    ¡°Bl...!¡±


    His sword was raised over his head and Asmophel¡¯s exposed body was struck by a series of Magic Missiles.


    ¡°...oom!¡±


    Asmophel seeded in activating his skill. A transparent red flower made of sword energy unfolded around Braham¡¯s distant body. If it was a real battle then it would be described as ¡®mutual destruction.¡¯


    ¡®His willpower is great.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s eyes shone as he used Teleport. However...


    ¡®It is useless.¡¯


    Asmophel wasn¡¯t shaken. His skill was a targeted skill. It meant the skill couldn¡¯t be shaken off no matter what.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Braham appeared in a different location and showed an interested reaction. He might¡¯ve moved using Teleport but the flowers wrapped around his body were still shaking slightly. This made him use Teleport again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it is useless?!¡±


    Asmophel shouted and wielded his sword. It was a signal¡ªa sign for the flowers surrounding Braham¡¯s body to explode in full bloom.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Then in an instant, Braham appeared right in front of Asmophel. The location of the teleport waspletely different from Asmophel¡¯s expectations. The flustered Asmophel tried to withdraw his sword but the flowers around Braham¡¯s body were already exploding.


    Asmophel screamed as he was swept away by the explosion and copsed. It didn¡¯t end with one explosion. It was extremely intense and swallowed the entire meeting room. It wasn¡¯t a power where they could sit back and watch. Mercedes used her shield to protect Grid while the other knights used their own defense skills. Only one person¡ªJude¡ªwas swept away by the explosion and Grid hurriedly handed him a potion.


    ¡°Cough, cough...!¡±


    Once the explosion was over, Asmophel coughed up blood several times and made a disbelieving look. Braham was hovering beyond the open ceiling. Shortly after Asmophel¡¯s flowers exploded, he once again used Teleport to minimize the damage. If Teleport had been used just before the explosion, the flowers would¡¯ve kept chasing him. Thus, he arranged the situation while taking some damage.


    ¡°...I lost.¡±


    Asmophel was clear about the result. How could he beat a monster that continued to leap through space by using Teleport in session? He felt he couldn¡¯t beat Braham even if he died.


    ¡°......¡±


    Meanwhile, Braham was speechless. In fact, he was in great shock. It was the first time in his life that he had been wounded by an ordinary human being, not a transcendent or a legend. One arm was drooping. Braham stared at his wounded arm and muttered in a voice no one could hear, ¡°...He managed to gather together these people.¡±


    In fact, there were many powerful people here who could fight against him. There were at least four such people here. Braham scanned Asmophel, Piaro, Mercedes, and Teruchan in turn and descended to the ground.


    He wanted to shout, ¡®Who is the next opponent?¡¯ but his mana was consumed after using multiple teleports in a row. The Braham style enhanced Teleport, unlike normal Teleport, consumed dozens of times more mana in exchange for having no cooldown. In his prime, he would still have mana left after teleporting all day but not now.


    ¡°......¡±


    In this awkward moment, there was a powerful savior for Braham.


    ¡°What is this uproar?!¡± It was Administrator Rabbit. He rushed in after the uproar and was stunned when he saw the meeting room turned to ashes and the open ceiling. ¡°Who...? Who did this terrible thing?!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He looked like a great demon who climbed up from hell. Rabbit¡¯s distorted face and red eyes as he searched for the culprit was evil. Asmophel was forced to shrink back because he knew how scary Rabbit was when it came to money. The others were the same. Even Noll avoided Rabbit¡¯s gaze.


    Only Teruchan, the thoughtless Jude, and Braham, who just joined the Overgeared Guild, looked at Rabbit. Rabbit couldn¡¯t trifle with Braham so he yelled at Teruchan and Jude, ¡°I¡¯ll be iming damages in the future so be ready!¡±


    ¡°Jude. Understood.¡±


    ¡°I. Gruruk. Why?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The group moved locations. The knights who usually lived in Reinhardt, such as Piaro and Mercedes, naturally moved in the direction of the big military exercise hall but Braham pointed to another location.


    ¡°That is a good ce.¡± Braham was pointing to the agricultural fields outside the castle. He suggested it because he prated into Piaro¡¯s essence and Piaro didn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°I am grateful for your concession.¡±


    ¡°Bah, I just want some fresh air.¡±


    It was at this moment.


    ¡°Grruk. Me first. Fight.¡± Teruchan stepped in abruptly. He pulled out Failure Honoring the Strongest Warrior and growled at Braham. ¡°If I win. Surrender yourself to the administrator. Grruk.¡±


    It seemed he felt it was quite unfair. The reason he didn¡¯t tell the administrator the culprit was due to Teruchan¡¯s sense of loyalty. He became the orc lord for the young orcs and wouldn¡¯t sell his colleagues.


    ¡°Baby...¡±


    Braham¡¯s nostrils red and he was about to ept Teruchan¡¯s duel application.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. You have topete with me.¡± This time, Piaro intervened. Piaro had long enjoyed fighting the strong and actually wanted topete with everyone here. Furthermore, he wanted to postpone the fight with Braham because he cherished delicious food.


    Like a warrior, Teruchan didn¡¯t avoid the fight. Hepletely forgot about his grudge against Braham. "Okay! Grruk!¡±


    Braham alternated between looking at Jude and Teruchan before sending a sound transmission to Grid.


    [In fact, aren¡¯t you the smartest one among them?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid pretended not to hear. He thought it was necessary to organize the hierarchy for the sake of future discipline so he watched the situation silently.

 Chapter 1137

    ¡°Sir Piaro and the orc lord are fighting?¡±


    ¡°A legendary farmer and a pig are fighting!¡±


    Rumors quickly spread as Grid¡¯s group sat in the agricultural fields. In just a few minutes, the fields were full. From ordinary vigers, merchants, soldiers, nobles, and yers...


    Among the figures who flocked to the fields was Lauel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t allow yers who aren¡¯t part of the Overgeared Guild to enter.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lauel gave an order to Coke and the surroundings started to clear up quickly. Coke and the knights took control of the soldiers to drive out all outsiders from the fields. Heavily armed soldiers circled the outskirts and yers were unable to see inside the fields.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you showing it to us?¡±


    ¡°We want to see Piaro fighting!¡±


    ¡°We have the right to watch! The Overgeared Guild doesn¡¯t own thisnd...! Ah, it is theirnd...¡±


    ¡°Piaro, fighting!¡±


    The yers driven out of the fields made a fuss. Many of them were fans of Piaro and were filled with disappointment, but none dared to cause trouble or try to infiltrate. It was the skill of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s knights that they controlled tens of thousands of yers with only thousands of troops. In the first ce, there was no idiot who would cross the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°You can release your stealth now,¡± Lauel spoke to the air after Sticks cast an enchantment topletely block the view of the outside world. Braham, who had be invisible with magic, gradually emerged.


    The silently watching Grid finally opened his mouth. ¡°Why did you chase out the people? Are you afraid to expose the guild¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid was convinced.


    ¡°Well done. There is a saying that even a stone bridge should be tested by banging on it before crossing.¡±


    ¡°Banging... I don¡¯t like the feeling but it is correct.¡±


    For example, Piaro and Teruchan. Grid¡¯s knights were clearly strong but they weren¡¯t invincible. There were definitely weaknesses such as skills, stats, or personality. If this was exposed, it could be an opportunity for someone to target them. Of course, no one wanted to be a second Veradin but the world was always unknown. It was best to avoid exposing power as much as possible.


    The reason why Braham was hidden was to avoid attracting aggro. The second reason was that the media and public would be too annoying. Unpredictable beings such as Magician King Goldhit could be entangled with Braham so there was no reason to reveal Braham¡¯s identity and cause an ident.


    ¡°I think it would be good to give Berith¡¯s Skin Mask to Braham.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea?¡±


    Grid pulled out the skin mask.


    [Berith¡¯s Skin Mask]


    [Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    Durability: 10/10 (can¡¯t be repaired)


    A mask made by Berith processing human skin.


    It boasts a perfect degree ofpletion because it contains Berith¡¯s magic of lies and distortion. It isn¡¯t only the face that is disguised but the body shape and voice as well. Thus, it transcends a simple mask.]


    The skin mask was a very useful artifact. No one had noticed when Grid disguised himself as Empress Basara. The downside was that the cooldown was 12 hours. However, it wasn¡¯t a problem if it wasn¡¯t removed after wearing it. Fortunately, Braham was also intrigued. ¡°Good. My face is annoying in many ways.¡±


    ¡°Why is your face annoying?¡±


    ¡°Whenever females see me, they scream or lose their souls. The same is true for some males.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. That would be annoying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic. It isn¡¯t only humans but also other races as well, to a certain level. They all react equally to me and I have experienced many serious things.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    He thought about it. Even Grid had been flustered at the sight of Braham turning his head.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t good to be too handsome...¡¯


    He was d he didn¡¯t look that great. Feeling strangely relieved, Grid handed Braham the skin mask and Braham immediately put it on. Then the uniquely beautiful man turned into themon appearance of a viger. His name was Lux. This was the knight identity that Grid had Braham borrow. Braham adapted to his altered body and voice and spoke with satisfaction, ¡°It is better than I thought. It might be the 22nd ce but a great demon is a being who has personally been given power by Yatan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder... the falsehood that distorts reality is the power of a god. Yet a 22nd great demon can be ignored? Are the single digit great demonspletely different?¡±


    It was something he had been paying attention to since he heard Noll¡¯s words. Wasn¡¯t it too exaggerated that the 3rd ranked great demon, Beriache, could overpower the great demons outside the top 10 alone? The power bnce was too off for Grid who had to be afraid of even the 10th great demon.


    Braham nodded. ¡°They are strong. The gap between power isrge but their physical ability itself is unparalleledpared to the top 10 great demons.¡±


    ¡°Then how strong was Muller to seal Hell Gao by himself?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already told me about him. I have to admit that he was the strongest human being.¡±


    ¡°Stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°...Please tell me exactly how strong you are.¡±


    ¡°The more simple a person, the more they like to quantify things.¡± Brahamined. Still, it was a pretty interesting topic for him to ponder on. ¡°The sealed Hell Gao was 9th ranked. Hell Gao couldn¡¯t be hurt even if all the great demons outside the 15th rank came at him simultaneously... well, even if there were 10 guys like Berith, they would¡¯ve been beaten by Muller.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°There are too many variables in battle. I¡¯ve never seen Muller¡¯s real skills so it is hard to quantify him. I can only use a rough reference. It is also important to note that the Hell Gao who fought Muller is the summoned Hell Gao. He would¡¯ve never beaten Hell Gao if he met Hell Gao in hell.¡±


    ¡°It would be a suicide attack for humanity to invade hell.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Hell is a destend and there is no reason for humanity to go there. That¡¯s why the great demons are obsessed with taking over this world.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid was suddenly reminded of Yura. He felt she was bold for hunting alone in hell.


    Meanwhile, Piaro and Teruchan were ready for battle. Teruchan¡¯s muscles were swollen after doing 500 push-ups and he cried out, ¡°Great warrior! Guruk! I! Teruchan! Guruk! Let me enjoy it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a farmer, not a warrior.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow and Teruchan¡¯s Failure collided in the air, creating a deafening sound. Piaro was pushed back in strength. It was natural. Teruchan¡¯s growth as the peak of his species exceeded even the growth of named NPCs. Teruchan¡¯s level itself was far ahead of Piaro. This meant he needed to consider the stats difference.


    In addition, Teruchan was now equipped with items. Failure Honoring the Strongest Warrior had a high base attack power and it amplified Teruchan¡¯s damage by 20%. On the other hand, Piaro¡¯s hand plow was a tool focused on farming. It enhanced Free Farming in many ways but the damage itself was considerably lower. Piaro judged it was hard with just the hand plow and took out a sickle, crossing it with the hand plow to block Teruchan¡¯s attack.


    He used this chance to sow some seeds. The bean trees grew rapidly. A wooden column soared up and hit Teruchan¡¯s ass. Then Piaro grabbed Teruchan¡¯s cor and mmed him into the ground. It was an impactful attack but Teruchan had more stamina and strength and became stronger as the battle continued. The momentum was so intense that even Grid had to take a few steps back.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who will win...¡¯


    In fact, Grid thought that Piaro could easily win. Teruchan¡¯s physical abilities were superior to Piaro but Piaro was far ahead in experience. Teruchan might have high physical abilities but Grid predicted that Piaro would lead the fight because he had so many skills avable.


    ¡®The Indomitable Warrior passive that consumes Origin True Energy isn¡¯t activated in sparring mode so I thought Teruchan would be at an extreme disadvantage.¡¯


    However, the reality was that it was too fierce to guess. For NPCs, the concept of level wasn¡¯t just about stats. Teruchan, who had gained three more levels in a month, was more skilled than before. It felt like his beast instincts had be sharper. The wild beast was adapting to the turbulent changes in the field in real time and was strongly pressuring Piaro.


    ¡®It is a dream that I beat him...¡¯


    Of course, Grid could beat Teruchan because he was lucky. He fortunately made the Blue Dragon Boots and he fortunately was able to get the upper hand in the match against Teruchan. However, it was a different matter for Piaro. Now that the advantages of his experience had be obsolete, it was safe to say he had little advantage over Teruchan.


    ¡®Is Piaro losing?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart sank. Piaro and Teruchan were both preciouspanions but he became strangely anxious at the thought that Piaro might lose. Grid didn¡¯t want to see Piaro fall when he had always stood as a great mountain. Was his heart conveyed?


    ¡°Strong!¡± Piaro, who had been resisting Teruchan¡¯s onught, suddenly smiled and shouted. ¡°Free Farming Hidden Style.¡±


    ¡®Natural State?¡¯


    ¡°Sprinkling Pesticides!¡±


    A new technique was shown. It was a terrifying and deadly technique that had the will to eradicate all pests eating at a farmer¡¯s sanctuary.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The astonished Teruchan took a breath and swung his sword. The strong particles spread like fog and took control of all the fields. Any insects who inhaled it would die.


    ¡°That orc has too few skills,¡± Braham murmured.


    ¡°Free Farming 5th Style, Harvest.¡±


    Piaro harvested all the crops he had nted throughout the battle. The crops were cut off by a sharp suppression energy and their leaves were shaken. At this time, the scattered seeds...


    ¡°Free Farming 8th Style, Polishing Rice.¡±


    Piaro exploded the seeds and Teruchan couldn¡¯t even scream. Teruchan¡¯s great body fell feebly on the field where new buds started to sprout. Grid expected Teruchan, who grew stronger during battle and boasted troll-like regeneration, would soon rise again. Surprisingly, the copsed Teruchan didn¡¯t move. His mouth was foaming and his skin slowly turned ck. It was the aftermath of inhaling the pesticides.


    ¡°Sehee!¡±


    The surprised Grid shouted and Saintess Ruby, who had been waiting in advance, rushed over.


    ¡®This toxicity is very strong...!¡¯


    Ruby was startled. Usual poisons were instantly removed with Purification but the pesticides that poisoned Teruchan weren¡¯t easily detoxified. She barely managed it after using Purification several times in a row. It was a tremendous toxicity. Piaro murmured sadly as Grid and the knights stared at him, ¡°I wanted to stick to organic farming until the end... it turned out there were limits. Still, I believe this is also a farmer¡¯s path.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After that, Amelda¡¯s party¡ªunmotivated from the beginning¡ªquickly abstained. Singuled, who was a belligerent person and wanted to beat Piaro this time, also waved the white g and said that pesticides weren¡¯t allowed. Mercedes was the same. As the master of Keen Insight, she noticed that her skills were still rtively insufficient. She abstained, stating it was too early to challenge Piaro and Braham.


    Asmophel and Noll, who had already been defeated by Braham, also pledged to fight in the future. The only three remaining were Braham, Piaro, and Jude.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you some time to rest,¡± Braham spoke meaningfully to Piaro.


    He beckoned to Jude using Lux¡¯s appearance. Then he used illusion magic the moment Jude entered the stage. It was more effective the lower the target¡¯s intelligence so Braham was certain that Jude would be exhausted after running around uselessly for an hour.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Braham confirmed that Jude was standing there with a dazed expression and turned back calmly. He nned to gather as much mana as possible while Piaro was resting. The next moment, Jude¡¯s stony fist struck Braham¡¯s back.


    ¡°Kuek... what?¡±


    Braham¡¯s eyes widened. He looked back with a trembling gaze and could still see Jude¡¯s dazed expression.


    ¡°Jude. First. Knight.¡±


    ¡®What is this guy?¡¯


    Unknown. The Duke of Wisdom encountered something unknown he had never experienced before.

 Chapter 1138

    Braham wasn¡¯t favorable to humanity. He never thought or acted for humanity. Still, many of his aplishments helped develop civilization and as a result, helped humanity.


    The by-products formed in the process of making the resurrection magic increased the poprity of magic, the Magic Communication Sphere designed to effectively speak to his disciples was considered the greatest invention of human beings, and the specimens kidnapped in order to ovee the Curse of Idleness had been a threat to many kingdoms.


    There was a saying ¡®Braham¡¯s birth was a blessing to the world.¡¯ People didn¡¯t dare guess how many aplishments he had made. However, if someone were to ask Braham about his greatest achievements, Braham would answer without any hesitation¡ªthe first was meeting Grid, and the second was robbing a dragon¡¯sir.


    ¡®I¡¯ve seen people resist Belial¡¯s illusions, but...¡¯


    The magic Braham used on Jude was derived from the Book of Amon he had stolen from Trauka¡¯sir. 7th Great Demon Amon, who had been caught by Trauka after ascending, had the power to project the future and the past. Amon¡¯s Book documented how to see the past. Of course, non-transcendent races weren¡¯t able to decipher the book but this provoked Braham¡¯s desire for exploration.


    Braham was in a half-crazy state and infiltrated Trauka¡¯s nest. After almost dying several times, he was lucky enough to have seeded in stealing Amon¡¯s Book. More than half the book had been burned by the breath of the raging Trauka. That¡¯s why the past that Braham could see was only a glimpse of ¡®the most terrible memories of the target¡¯ but Braham transformed it into wonderful illusion magic.


    It was magic that instilled a terrible fear by showing the target a terrible memory. It was magic derived from the seventh ce demon so it was extremely powerfulpared to the 32nd Great Demon Belial¡¯s illusions. Therefore, Braham was upset when Jude resisted it. Then he soon regained hisposure and analyzed the situation.


    ¡®If Amon¡¯s power was almighty then he wouldn¡¯t have been eaten by Trauka.¡¯


    In addition, Amon¡¯s Book that Braham read was iplete because half of it was burned. Of course, it wasn¡¯t low-level magic but the target this time was too bad.


    ¡®He is so stupid that he doesn¡¯t know fear.¡¯


    In retrospect, Grid was reluctant to call Jude when the enemies were strong. It was because Jude was so simple and ignorant that he wouldn¡¯t save himself.


    ¡®...He is close to a single-celled organism.¡¯


    Braham had to suppress him with force. Braham used Teleport to widen the distance with Jude. He didn¡¯t want to waste mana but he had no other choice. It was impossible to get away from Jude without teleporting because his physical abilities were too low. Jude might not have anything else but his physical abilities were excellent.


    Braham swung his hand through the air and a blue current popped up. The basic characteristic of the lightning property was that the speed was fast. In addition, the Braham style enhanced magic maximized magic. Braham had to save mana so he nned to defeat Jude with the low-level Lightning Spear.


    ¡®I¡¯ll make a situation where he can¡¯t deal with an attack because he can¡¯t see it.¡¯


    A warrior¡¯s basic discipline was to predict the path of the attack. Jude would twist his body to the right the moment the lightning spear disappeared from view. It was because Braham would induce it.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Jude ran while Braham waited. The distance between the two of them narrowed and a thickly grown field was to the right of Jude. At the same time, Braham moved. He moved his fingers to the left side, exposing a loophole. Then the Braham style Enhanced Lightning Spear flew to Jude like a lightning bolt.


    ¡®This guy?¡¯


    Braham frowned. Unlike Braham¡¯s expectations, Jude dashed in a straight line and the magic was wasted. It was a case of psychological warfare bing poisonous.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t even have instincts?¡¯


    Tsk. Braham clicked his tongue, used Lightning Spear again, and shot it in a straight line this time. There was no reversal. Jude was hit straight on by the magic. The thing that was different from Braham¡¯s expectations was that Jude didn¡¯t fall from the strike. Jude¡¯s magic resistance was so weak that ording to Braham¡¯s calctions, he should be injured and fall down convulsing because he couldn¡¯t resist the electric shock. Yet surprisingly, Jude didn¡¯t copse and seeded in moving forward.


    Braham knew the identity of this unrealistic phenomenon.


    ¡®Willpower...¡¯


    The ability developed through enlightenment of the ¡®heart¡¯ that only transcendents or beings equivalent to them could attain. Even Grid only recently understood it yet the weakest Jude had acquired it. Grid also noticed this fact. This was due to the notification window.


    [Your knight Jude understood the concept of the ¡®heart.¡¯]


    The expected storm struck Braham. Jude couldn¡¯t wield his sword because he failed to narrow the distance to Braham but his desire to cut Braham took form. It was Formless Will. Coincidentally, Braham was hit and also became enlightened. Braham also used willpower to offset the Formless Will. Jude¡¯s Formless Will was extinguished without a trace. It returned to nothingness without reaching Braham.


    ¡°...You really managed to gather together these people,¡± Braham murmured. There was a slight smile on his face. Then mes exploded. Jude vomited up blood and sat down in ce. However, his gaze was still on Braham. His burned hand was holding on tightly to the sword Grid gave him. His will was still steadfast, unlike his crumbling flesh.


    ¡°Jude... First. Knight...¡±


    ¡°Jude!¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart sank. He noticed why Jude was trying to hold on. Braham was the same. He looked at Jude and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°I know you are Grid¡¯s first knight. I don¡¯t intend to take your ce so stop fighting.¡±


    ¡°Hap... py.¡±


    Jude lost consciousness and copsed. To people¡¯s surprise, Braham personally supported him and brought him to Ruby¡¯s side. Grid blinked with shock while Braham snorted. He didn¡¯t say anything. Still, Grid was able to read Braham¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    The smiling Grid firmly grasped Jude¡¯s callused hands. He was thrilled that his first knight had been acknowledged by the greatest man in history.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    The Overgeared members and knights watched Grid and Jude with warm expressions. There wasn¡¯t a single person here who could hate Grid and Jude.


    ***


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need this?¡±


    Piaro handed Braham a blue potion. It was the superior mana potion produced in Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    ¡®Do you think I should drink something after facing a guy like that?¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®You dare want a fair fight with this body?¡¯


    And so forth. The original Braham would¡¯ve said such things and then burned the potions.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Surprisingly, Braham epted the potion. The reason why he had such an arrogant personality was because he was convinced he was the strongest. For the current Braham, arrogance was a luxury since he was aware of his weakness and that Grid¡¯s knights were strong. In that sense...


    Braham drank the potion and restored his mana. Then he started to chant the spell for Meteor. Meteor was one of the great magics and the chant had to bepleted before it was triggered.


    ¡°Heok...!¡±


    An unusual air flowed, causing the astonished Overgeared members to look up at the sky and suck in their breaths. They could see a huge meteorite flying through the atmosphere. It was the same for the tens of thousands of yers that flocked outside the fields to watch.


    ¡°...What is that?¡±


    ¡°Is this real...¡±


    The sky was falling. The world was about to face ruin. The appearance of the meteorite gradually approaching the ground caused all types of confusion.


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom... is it the end?¡± Lauel muttered with a nk expression.


    ¡°Braham, is this a joke?¡±


    Grid smiled awkwardly as he sent Braham an anxious look. Nevertheless, Braham didn¡¯t stop the magic spell. He stared at Piaro, who was alternating pointing to the agricultural tools in his hands and Braham¡¯s empty hands. It was a gesture that seemed to be saying Braham had no weapons yet.


    ¡°I will stop you.¡±


    Piaro responded to Braham with a provocative answer.


    ¡°I will beat you and deliver the glory of the next generation!¡±


    A previous generation legend. Piaro never dreamed that he would have a chance topete with those who had disappeared into history. For Piaro, his encounter with Braham was the luckiest thing after his encounter with Grid. He didn¡¯t want to miss this golden opportunity. He wanted to fight Braham with all his heart and measure his strength and potential.


    Piaro pushed off from the ground and flew forward. He analyzed that Braham¡¯s current physical condition was the worst. It was Piaro¡¯s judgment that Braham couldn¡¯t afford to keep chanting the Meteor spell and use Teleport at the same time. Even if double casting was possible, it would be useless if there was no mana. Piaro expected Braham to respond with defense magic or a single target magic. At that moment, he would sprinkle seeds in advance to catch Braham off guardter. At least, he believed he had enough odds against Braham today.


    However, the situation wasn¡¯t what he expected. The link between rm and Teleport¡ªBraham predicted the timing of the attack and used the help of the rm magic he activated whenpeting against Jude to easily evade using Teleport. Braham¡¯s mana was also filling up in real time. He was chanting the spell for Meteor while using Mana Drain to absorb energy from the crops.


    ¡®I will lose if I dy things!¡¯


    The admiring Piaro sent suppression energy toward Braham, who appeared far away. It was an operation to force Braham to use defensive magic while disrupting vision, creating a gap that would give him an edge in the duel. It was as expected. Braham was unable to just watch the fast-flying force and triggered defense magic, causing a dense dust cloud to swirl.


    In the midst of this, Piaro hid among the crops and triggered Natural State, absorbing the energy of the soil and crops as he began farming at a speed that defied nature. A giant sweet potato stalk that made humans look like a dwarf grew like a dragon tail, carrying Piaro. It wasn¡¯tparable to the technology of leaping through space like Teleport but it was certainly a tremendous speed.


    Piaro quickly reached Braham and swung the hoe. ¡°Harvest!¡±


    A wave swept through the field. The sweet potato stems dug into the soil as dozens ofrge sweet potatoes filled the air.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members were amazed by the overwhelming spectacle and were at a loss for words.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a potato?¡±


    Meanwhile, Magic Swordsman nd was greatly disappointed.


    ¡°Free Farming HIdden Style! Sweet Potato Battering!¡±


    Piaro, who held the sweet potato stems in his hand instead of agricultural tools, swung them like a whip. Then the sweet potatoes headed toward Braham¡¯s head like rocks.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    It was Piaro¡¯s new operation where he linked Natural State, Sowing Seeds, Rapid Growth, and Harvest. It was a terrifying skill despite the tricky conditions. The meteorite summoned by Braham burned the entire sky while Piaro summoned sweet potatoes. No, the sweet potatoes were smashing the entirend.


    Grid copied Mercedes¡¯ shield with Item Transformation and protected Ruby and Jude alongside Mercedes. The God Hands, Noe, and Randy protected the Overgeared members.


    ¡®It is Piaro¡¯s victory!¡¯


    Asmophel was certain. He had been rooting for Piaro throughout the battle and now his face was bright. Then a deep shadow appeared over his face.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Asmophel and the Overgeared members were surprised by the heat and looked up at the sky. The meteorite was still falling. It was almost on the verge of colliding with the ground. Even Piaro¡¯s hidden techniques hadn¡¯t stopped Braham¡¯s casting.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    What was this? Was it possible to keep chanting a magic spell after experiencing such a big shock? The confused Piaro tried to track Braham¡¯s movements. However, he couldn¡¯t find Braham even with the power of Natural State. It felt like Braham had disappeared from the world.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style!¡±


    It happened the moment when Piaro determined he needed to handle the meteorite and focused his suppression energy into a single point, forming a mortar. Suddenly, part of the space cracked open and Piaro was swallowed up. The meteorite, which was about to collide with the ground, and the mortar about to hit it disappeared without a trace.


    One of Braham¡¯s enchantments, which were divided into three systems, had worked. Piaro was the first human to make Braham use an enchanted barrier.

 Chapter 1139

    There were many different types of barriers. There was a simple barrier that was used to block outside eyes like a curtain while there were high-level barriers that embodied the mental world of the user. The thing that all had inmon was that they consumed an enormous amount of magic power.


    Therefore, Piaro shook. Brahampleted the highest-level magic, Meteor, which was known as the magic of great demons and dragons, while also making a magic barrier.


    ¡°......¡±


    Was it a library built in a desert? The sight of hundreds of thousands of books in an endless room exceeded the limits of nature. Even the legendary Piaro was degraded to the level of a needle in the desert.


    ¡°This is Sir Braham¡¯s mind room...¡¯


    Indeed, it was the world of the Duke of Wisdom. The countless books symbolized the knowledge he had umted so far. Piaro was dragged into Braham¡¯s magic barrier and marvelled. Then a square was cut out of a corner of the library and it opened like a door.


    Braham appeared and picked up a book while asking, ¡°Do you like reading?¡±


    "To be honest, I don¡¯t enjoy it much."


    ¡°Hmm, I see. Then let¡¯s move to the next ce.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What would happen if he said he liked it? Piaro got chills down his spine as he imagined something terrible. Piaro swallowed back his question with a gulp and chased after Braham through the door. Then his field of view was turned upside down as the library disappeared and a white room just over 100 square metres appeared.


    It was a room full of unidentified tools he had seen at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. He wondered about the purpose of therge transparent ss bead installed in the centre.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Piaro looked into the ss bead and was stunned. The image inside was stopped at just the moment before the red rock and bright mortar collided.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start straight away.¡±


    Braham snapped his fingers. The stopped rock and mortar in the ss bead started to move. At the same time, Piaro determined their identity from their momentum. One was Braham¡¯s Meteor while the other was the concentrated mortar of suppression energy. The principle was unknown but the mighty techniques that had taken control of Reinhardt¡¯s sky had been reduced by thousands of times and spread to the unidentified ss bead.


    The meteorite and mortar collided and smoke spread like ash,pletely ckening the ss bead. Half of the meteorite that survived Pounding Mortar crashed to the bottom of the ss bead, causing a major explosion. Ferocious mes soared to the ceiling of the bead. It was proof that the ultimate technique of Free Farming couldn¡¯t offset, let alone destroy Braham¡¯s Meteor.


    Piaro didn¡¯t take long before speaking. ¡°...I admit my defeat.¡±


    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t know how to get out of this barrier. He couldn¡¯t beat Braham with his current skills...


    Piaro¡¯s attitude was very polite as he bowed his head with conviction. There was no one he had bowed so deeply to except for the emperor and Grid.


    Braham watched him and flicked his fingers silently. The ss bead contaminated by the aftermath of the explosion was cleaned until it looked brand new. Then Braham¡¯s Meteor and Piaro¡¯s suppression energy were once again embodied. However, this Piaro¡¯s strength was different from the previous one. It was surrounded by a blue aura rather than a bright light. It was like being locked in a waterfall.


    Braham said, "The greatest strength of Natural State is the variability of energy. The natural energy of humans doesn¡¯t change easily and only strength can be tempered. Meanwhile, you can freely change the nature of energy due to the aura of nature that you absorb.¡±


    "You know better than me...¡±


    Piaro had only recently gained enlightenment. He used Natural State on thend where the rafflesia was nted and happened to absorb the properties of poison. After thinking about how to use it, he learned how to inject it with suppression energy and develop the hidden technique, Sprinkling Pesticides. Yet Braham instantly prated into the essence of Natural State. Piaro was able to realize that Braham¡¯s wisdom was far beyond his.


    ¡°Being able to change the nature of the energy is a blessing.¡±


    The meteorite and mortar in the ss bead once again collided. Surprisingly, this time the two auras were offset. Piaro¡¯s suppression energy wasn¡¯t inferior to Meteor and they were eliminated together. It was the result of the nature property.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    Piaro was feeling admiration when his vision gradually darkened.


    ***


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro!¡±


    The capital, Reinhardt.


    Piaro and the meteorite had suddenly disappeared, causing worry to fill the faces of the Overgeared Guild members. Then Piaro returned without a scratch on him. Meanwhile, Braham who tore the space behind Piaro was weary. His haggard face was obvious.


    People could predict the oue of the match that took ce in the barrier.


    ¡®Piaro won...!¡¯


    ¡®The man who woke up after hundreds of years can¡¯t beat Piaro who had been constantly training.¡¯


    It was at this moment.


    ¡°Sir Braham.¡± Piaro approached Braham and abruptly knelt down. ¡°Thank you for your great teachings. I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life and will serve Teacher.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Piaro. The former pir of the Saharan Empire and the current pir of the Overgeared Kingdom. The person closest to King Grid and the pinnacle of the military was kneeling on the ground? The stir created was huge. In particr, the former Red Knights knew that Piaro had only knelt for the emperor and Grid so they couldn¡¯t react.


    Braham waved his hand like it was annoying. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have absolutely no intention to ept a man like you as a disciple so forget it.¡±


    It was enough to experience being jealous once. Braham clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to the other side. It was to Grid. His friend was waiting for him.


    ¡°Is the hierarchy sorting over?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am naturally the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Grid had expected such a result. There was a huge gap between legends of the same era so the gap with former legends would be even greater. In addition, Braham was one of the greatest legends of his generation. Grid had got this person.


    "However, I¡¯ll give the first position to him.¡±


    The person who was still unconscious... No, he was sleeping.


    Braham sighed and reached out to Grid, who was staring at the snoring Jude. ¡°Give me my staff.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Grid handed the staff over. It was Belial¡¯s Staff. It was amazing that Braham had subdued Piaro without a weapon. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t too happy. It wasn¡¯t easy to ept the defeat of Piaro, the strongest knight of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Braham saw Grid¡¯splicated expression and whispered in his ear. ¡°Defeat and failure isn¡¯t the end. In the future, your four knights will improve beyond a snail¡¯s pace.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe in them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham frowned. He looked at Grid with a disgruntled expression and handed him a book. Millions of books were kept in his Knowledge Room. Different from the mental world, this was a book brought from the real world. It was a book he picked up while picking up Piaro.


    ¡°What is this... Heok.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened like they were going to pop out.


    [Braham¡¯s Hat Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Robe Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Gloves Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Boots Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Ring Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Bracelet Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Earrings Production Method]


    [Braham¡¯s Ne Production Method]


    These were the contents of Braham¡¯s book. It contained the production methods for Braham¡¯s gear and was written by Braham himself. In addition, the rating of all of them was confirmed as legendary.


    ¡°These are the clothes I will wear in the future. You should make them yourself. Only the essories are the exception. Even Pagma was weak in essories so you should be the same.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make you the best.¡±


    Grid was keenly aware of the resurrection of the legendary great magician.


    ***


    Buzz buzz.


    Outside Reinhardt¡¯s fields, tens of thousands of yers were still waiting. There was only one reason they stayed here to the end. They were curious about the oue of the match. Who won the battle between the legendary farmer and the orc lord? If the orc lord won then Grid would be stronger than Piaro. It was a match they had to wonder about in many ways.


    ¡°...I saw it in vain.¡±


    The yers gazed at the clear expanse.


    A little while ago, they thought they were going to die. Meteor. The legendary magic of Great Demon Belial.


    Someone had cried out when it appeared over Reinhardt. The resurrected Great Magician Braham was clearly in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Many people agreed. The public¡¯s opinion was that Grid was associated with Braham¡¯s resurrection since Grid has assimted with Braham a long time ago. It was recently revealed that the person who killed Braham was Pagma and although there were many interpretations that Braham approached Grid because of a grudge, there was the prevailing opinion that Braham was in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Once Meteor actually appeared, they were convinced of their opinion. There were people who imed that Braham was using Meteor to burn Grid, the descendant of Pagma, and the Overgeared Kingdom, and all types of broadcasters were filming it. Then Meteor vanished shortly before it reached the ground. The heat that seemed to burn the entire world disappeared without a trace, like it was a lie. It wasmon sense that magic that had already been cast couldn¡¯t be undone so people had to interpret it as a group hallucination.


    ¡°Who can use such an incredible thing?¡±


    ¡°Piaro and Teruchan are fighting so it must¡¯ve been one of them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much for a farmer or orc to use such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Is Piaro a normal farmer? He is a legendary farmer. Is Teruchan a normal orc? He is the orc lord.¡±


    ¡°Right. They could use an illusion technique that looks like Meteor.¡±


    ¡°This group of people are crazy...¡±


    The turmoil was about to be bigger. Sticks¡¯ enchantment around the entire agricultural field suddenly vanished and the soldiers opened the way. The showdown between Piaro and Teruchan seemed to be over. Who had won? The people gulped as the waited for the winner to appear. People believed it would be easy to guess the winner because in official confrontations, the rule was that usually the winner was in the lead.


    The people at the forefront were neither Piaro or Teruchan. It was a knight called Lux. The colour of the name and the appearance was very ordinary. He was an NPC that looked like passerby number one.


    The flustered people soon ignored him. They epted him as a type of security guard who went out to organize the traffic before the protagonist appeared. Then a short timeter, despite the appearance of famous figures such as Piaro, Teruchan, Grid and Mercedes, Lux still remained in the forefront. Rather, he walked forward like he was leading the group.


    ¡°...Wow, these bad people.¡±


    ¡°They knew that people were waiting.¡±


    The people clicked their tongues. They admired the Overgeared Kingdom who avoided leaking information by concealing the winner of the confrontation.


    At the same time, the desert of Reidan.


    "Let¡¯s go."


    Dozens of yers entered Fenrir¡¯s city after killing the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldiers. It was a surprisingly frequent event. All the other vampire cities were tightly controlled by the Overgeared members except for Fenrir¡¯s city. The Overgeared Guild were afraid of Fenrir and designated it as a forbidden zone. It was one of the few hunting grounds where non-Overgeared members could target valuables like the vampire rings so they flocked to the area. It was okay to die so they were determined to give it a try.


    However, this time the group that entered Fenrir¡¯s city was a group of high-ranking yers. There had never been so many high rankers gathered in a group in history.

 Chapter 1140

    Inside Elizabeth¡¯s workshop in Reinhardt, Grid and Elizabeth were focusing on their work. Grid was currently making Braham¡¯s Robes with the sewing technique he was barely ustomed to while Elizabeth was taking the utmost care to craft Braham¡¯s earrings.


    She did her best to reward Grid for handing over the legendary-rated design. Yet even her skills weren¡¯t enough to satisfy Braham.


    ¡°You newbie. Even zombies with rotten fingers are better than you.¡±


    ¡°Hiing....¡±Elizabeth was almost in tears because of Braham, who sat by her side and kept ndering her skills. She couldn¡¯t tolerate this treatment since she was normally treated like a princess as Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s rtive and the best essories maker.


    Grid wanted make progress on the work, so he shifted Braham¡¯s interest in another direction. ¡°I know that Fenrir is as strong as a great demon. Nevertheless, if you and I join forces and Piaro and the knights work together, shouldn¡¯t we seed without any sacrifices?¡±


    After the hierarchy determination, Braham greatly admired the power of Grid¡¯s knights. So, Grid thought Braham would have a positive reaction. Surprisingly, Braham was still skeptical. ¡°It is impossible to avoid sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°How strong is Fenrir...¡±


    ¡°It is more of a problem with that guy¡¯s dog.¡±


    ¡°Dog?¡±


    ¡°Rather than using magic, Fenrir honed his body. Moreover, magic doesn¡¯t work at all against him. Unlike our blood, he has no obvious weaknesses. You will have to hunt the dog while I tie up Fenrir¡¯s feet alone... It will be a tough fight.¡±


    ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t work at all? Then how did you fight and win against Fenrir in the old days?¡±


    ¡°I aged the hind legs of a hell dog for 100 days and then roasted them in a secret sauce before throwing the skewer of roasted hell dog meat away from the front line. Damn, if I hadn¡¯t wasted that skewer back then, I could¡¯ve run away a bit more easily.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Grid had heard a lot about this food somewhere.


    ***


    ¡®High rankers¡¯ was used to refer to the top 1,000 rankers. The top 1,000 among billions of yers were respected by the public because they needed talent, money, or good luck. However, evaluations were always rtive. Then rankers insisted that a real definition of high rankers should be established.


    Top 100...


    The top 100 yers were the only ones who could im to be high rankers. That¡¯s why the 36 rankers here were in the top 100. It was the first time in history that a party wasposed of such power. Not even the Overgeared Kingdom or Valha had dozens of people in the top 100. Some of the yers in this party were even healers. The healer ss was the most difficult ss in Satisfy..


    ¡°Did you really have to kill them? Wouldn¡¯t it be enough to capture them?¡±Light said. His ID was literally ¡®Light¡¯.He had long reigned as the number one monk and had risen to number 21 in the unified rankings. Light had many fans due to his beauty and manners. He wasining about killing the soldiers who guarded the entrance of Fenrir¡¯s city.


    ¡°I think it was right to kill them. This is the middle of the desert. It would¡¯ve been more horrific if they were left with their hands and feet tied up.¡±


    ¡°Is there any guarantee that the soldiers won¡¯t be able to solve it just because they are tied up with chains? They could get help from a patrol team. Why do you want to keep witnesses alive?¡¯


    A vampire city where the boss still survived had an unusual form. No one could enter the city until the previous party was wiped out or the boss was raided.


    Pastel Crayon, 29th on the unified rankings, was the reason why the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom were murdered. He judged that witnesses should be destroyed to avoid exposing the identities of those in their party, regardless of whether they seeded or failed in the Fenrir raid. In fact, it wasn¡¯t easy for the Overgeared Kingdom to identify the ¡®suicidemandos¡¯ who invaded the city of Fenrir over the years. Out of the hundreds of foolish people who gave their lives for vampire items or elixirs, less than 10 were identified.


    ¡°You talk too much. Are you here to make friends?¡±Asuka frowned as she moved from the rear of the group. She had consistently maintained her ranking in the top 10 despite her solo performance, and she was also a special presence in the party consisting of top 100 rankers.


    At the time when 22nd Great Demon Berith appeared, there had been a public opinion that the American representatives¡ªsuch as Asuka, Hurent, Zibal, and Kraugel¡ªwould¡¯ve seeded in raiding Berith if they cooperated. However, Asuka hadn¡¯t been able to participate in the Berith raid at the time.


    Madness¡ªit was a stat that berserkers should prioritize. She was on a hidden quest to raise it. Asuka knew that she wouldn¡¯t have seeded even if she had participated in the raid.


    ¡®It is the role of Grid or Kraugel to deal with such a ridiculous monster.¡¯


    In fact, it was the same for Fenrir. Asuka confirmed using various literature and testimonies that Fenrir was a powerful boss that was the same or stronger than Berith. Still, Fenrir had clear weaknesses, unlike the great demons. Vampires were vulnerable to the sun and desired to sleep. The group had enough means to exploit Fenrir¡¯s weaknesses.


    The sounds of watermelons exploding rang out continuously. It was the sound effect of vampires being ughtered by the 53rd ranked Asuka and the others in the group. This was still only the beginning, and they were regr vampires. The vampires who lived in Fenrir¡¯s city were over level 400, but they weren¡¯t a match for the rankers.


    ¡°Ohh, a vampire ring,¡± someone whistled excitedly and said, catching everyone¡¯s attention. The 95th ranker KIldes had a transparent red ring on his finger.


    ¡°Wow, shit. Getting a profit as soon as you entered...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you lucky?¡±


    Even the jealous voices sounded like cheers for the current Kildes.


    ¡°...!?¡±The smiling Kildes was startled. A red beam shot toward his chest, and he flew backward. It was blood magic¡ªmagic that belonged to a true blood vampire.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Kildes suffered burns to his chest and hurriedly tried to take a potion, but he was disturbed by hundreds of bats flying through the darkness. Still, Kildes was the second-ranked assassin and wouldn¡¯t go down easily. He quickly swung his dagger and shook off the bats.


    In the process, the swarm of bats took the image of a beautiful woman. She reached out for Kildes¡¯ neck, but it was actually a self-destruction doll that resembled Kildes. The number one assassin Faker overcame his enemies with speed while Kildes used various tools to y with the opponent.


    ¡°...!¡± The true blood vampire was swept away by the explosion.


    In the meantime, the rankers who killed the other vampires surrounded the woman along with Kildes.


    ¡°Huhut. How pathetic.¡± The true blood vampire was rxed. Her unique vampiric ability meant she recovered from her wounds quickly. Every bat that poured out of her body ingested human blood, and the wounds on her body disappeared. ¡°Prey has arrived after a long time.¡±


    All the humans the true blood vampire had dealt with so far were easy prey. She thought it would be the same again. However, this time was different. No, it was very different.


    ¡°Kuek...!Kuaaack!¡±


    The abilities of the humans were remarkable. Many people worked together so that those vampires created by Fenrir himself found it hard to fight back. In particr, the dancing teddy bears with an unknown consciousness restrained the innate ability of the vampire bat. The true blood vampire, who should¡¯ve led the battle by dispersing her bats and using blood magic, quickly lost momentum and copsed.


    ¡°You guys...! Only humans at most...!¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± someone interrupted the true blood vampire¡¯s words. It was Asuka who had been watching from the rear of the battle. She was a berserker and the owner of Weapons Mastery. Asuka opened her inventory and pulled out a sword.It was a long sword that burned hot and bright like the sun. The light melted the skin of the true blood vampire.


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    Asuka smiled when she saw the vampire scream and struggle. ¡°Yes, this is real.¡±


    Before Grid became a full-fledged celebrity, Asuka fought Grid along with her servant ck Teddy and got beaten up. She regarded that event as the luckiest experience of her life. It was because she got the opportunity to understand things better and develop strength faster than others.


    Over the years, she became obsessed with bing a force beyond what others could imagine. She wasn¡¯t satisfied no matter how strong she became. Asuka¡¯s status as a third-generation chaebol helped fulfill her desires. Her resources, talent, andmitment allowed her to stay in the rankings.


    The strength that was above her level came from her items. The reason why Asuka challenged the Fenrir raid was due to her confidence in her 45th legendary item collected, the Sun Sword. It had properties like the ability to deal additional damage to vampires, a probability of nullifying the vampires¡¯ blood magic, nullifying the vampires¡¯ regeneration and blood-sucking abilities, ignoring a certain amount of the vampires¡¯ defense, and so on.


    The Sun Sword was a conditional weapon that was a perfect counter to vampires.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    After ughtering hundreds of vampires and defeating five true blood vampires, the group arrived before a tightly closed door and checked theirskill cooldown time, resources, passive status, item durability, and potion cooldown time. The condition of the group was perfect.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Suddenly, Asuka became the leader of the party. Everyone in the group waited for Asuka¡¯smand with a determined expression.


    ¡®It is annoying.¡¯ The frowning Asuka nodded.¡°Open the door.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The party responded vigorously before opening the door. A thick darkness was waiting for them. It was such a perfect darkness that it was hard to see. However, Asuka¡¯s group were high rankers and quickly adapted to the darkness. They found a coffin in the center of the room. It was the biggest and most colorful coffin they had ever seen. Surely Fenrir would be sleeping in there...


    ck Teddy gulped and nced at Light. One of the decisive reasons for Asuka¡¯s participation in the raid was Light¡¯s ability. He had once been one of Reba¡¯s priests, but he got baptized by an indigenous god and changed sses to a monk.


    Light could use magic to temporarily strengthen the ¡®curse¡¯ on a target. Asuka nned to use the Sun Sword to suppress the regeneration while Light would strengthen the curse to prevent Fenrir from waking up. Then they would ughter Fenrir as a group.


    Light¡¯s magic enveloped the sleeping Fenrir in the tightly closed coffin, and he cried out with a cheerful face, ¡°It¡¯s a sess!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Convinced of the raid¡¯s sess, the group drew closer to the coffin. Simultaneously, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling was tilted subtly.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Something huge fell, and the 39th ranked Pastel Crayon died.


    ¡°...!¡± The faces of the group members were pale.


    Grrrung.Grrrr.


    A wolf that ate gods...


    A giant beast reminiscent of the Fenrir from Norse mythology stood confronting the group like it was guarding Fenrir¡¯s coffin. Every time it let out a rough breath, Asuka¡¯s skin got goosebumps.


    ¡°...This is interesting.¡± Asuka opened her inventory, put away the Sun Sword, and pulled out a hunter¡¯s bow and trap. Her item swap rate was reminiscent of the Overgeared King¡¯s. ¡°We must kill that damned dog even if we die.¡±

 Chapter 1141

    He had a long dream. As always, it was a nightmare. He wanted to wake up, but he couldn¡¯t wake up. The sleep of consciousness didn¡¯t permit free will. The Curse of Idleness imprinted on his soul had a terrible effect.


    ¡°......¡±


    Fenrir cursed Shizo Beriache, who had been driven out of hell. He hated his fate. Although he didn¡¯t show it in front of other family members, he resented his mother. Why did she give birth to him for him to suffer...? He hated her helplessness and irresponsibility...


    ¡°......¡±


    His consciousness pulled out of the nightmare. His eyelids¡ªcrushed by an immeasurable weight¡ªopened, and the contours of darkness entered his field of view. Cold swirled inside the coffin. Fenrir felt a sense of alienation as he opened his eyes in a ce where light couldn¡¯t enter. He felt like he had an exceptionally long and terrible nightmare today.


    Somehow, there was a bit of anxiety. He must be mistaken.


    Fenrir¡¯s expression stiffened as he sat up from the coffin. Standing before him was a person with a slender body covered in blood. Beneath her feet, the wolf that was Fenrir¡¯s alter ego was dying with its tongue sticking out.


    ¡°You... Human. What did you do?¡±


    A mother, who passed on a curse and revenge to her children, and siblings who blindly loved such a mother...


    Fenrir was furious at the death of a beast that had given him affection and loved only him, unlike those pathetic figures. He was angry. As the chill rose, the human woman¡¯s body trembled. Her arms had been bitten by the beast, and there was arge hole in her chest. Unfortunately, her eyes were still alive.


    ¡°It is as you can see. I hunted a dog that tried to protect its sleeping master.¡±


    The head of the beast that was panting painfully was then cut off with an axe. Before it died, the beast¡¯s eyes glistened fondly as it stared at Fenrir. It loved its owner instead of ming him, who had been sleeping even at the moment of its death.


    Fenrir gritted his teeth. His pointed fangs broke after being rubbed against his lower teeth, and he chewed and swallowed them. ¡°There is no need for dirty blood. I¡¯ll chew your flesh and bones.¡±


    ***


    The wolf, who had split Pastel Crayon in half upon its arrival, had been very strong and ferocious. However, it had shown the habit of guarding Fenrir¡¯s coffin whenever Asuka¡¯s party approached it. It had been obsessed with protecting the coffin, even if a sword stabbed its back. This was an obvious weakness. Thanks to this, Asuka¡¯s party managed to find a way to attack. The wolf¡¯s loyalty was a great tool of sess for Asuka¡¯s party.


    Of course, they hadn¡¯t been able to hunt the wolf with luck alone. Asuka¡¯s party made great sacrifices. From the beginning, the party aimed at challenging the dungeon with an exit for ¡®achievements¡¯, and they made generous investments.


    First, they risked their lives. Second, they took the Sweet Candy that could only be bought five times from the Reputation Store. Third, they generously used the consumables they had obtained from various hidden quests. The dozens of yers squeezed out all their capabilities.


    The wolf, that had been bound to the coffin, was then increasingly driven to the defensive. The weapons of the rankers, reinforced with all types of potions and skills, pierced the wolf¡¯s skin. Berserker Asuka armed herself with various weapons and split apart the wolf¡¯s muscles and bones. After hours of a long struggle...


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡± Asuka survived alone and seeded in killing the wolf at her feet.


    Grrrung.Grrr. The strongest beast, who had ripped apart 35 high rankers and swallowed them while still guarding the coffin, cried out in the midst of dying. Its eyes were only directed toward the coffin where Fenrir was sleeping. It was a dog that was concerned about its master even when its life was running out.


    ¡°......¡±


    Asuka was a berserker. Every time she fought, she entered a frenzy. As madness umted, she could only drool or blink, but she wasn¡¯t really crazy. She had enoughmunicative ability to read and sympathize with the emotions of the silent beast.


    ¡°Tsk...¡± Asuka clicked her tongue bitterly as she raised her axe high. It was an axe infused with the blessing of Hunting God Debirion and dealt massive additional damage to beasts and beast-type monsters. Then Fenrir woke up. The thick and heavy coffin was torn and shot up toward the ceiling.


    ¡°You... Human. What did you do?¡± The wrath of the vampire marquis provoked fear.


    However, Asuka was rxed since she was already prepared for death. ¡°It is as you can see. I hunted a dog that tried to protect its sleeping master.¡±


    It was an usation and mockery toward him. Eroded by the effect of the strengthened curse, he was unable to open his eyes in time to prevent his loyal beast from being killed. The axe struck the wolf.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll chew you up well.¡± Fenrir stepped out of the coffin and approached Asuka. He moved at a very slow pace. It was an attitude that wanted to create fear and deep regret for as long as possible.


    ¡®A monster is a monster.¡¯


    He was apanied by several status conditions. If Fenrir had woken up on time, Asuka¡¯s party would¡¯ve been wiped out. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to injure the wolf properly, let alone kill it. Asuka opened her inventory and threw the axe inside with trembling hands, pulling out two swords. One of the swords was stuck in a ck sheath, on which the symbol of the sun was engraved.


    ¡®I can¡¯t catch this monster.¡¯


    It was unlikely that the 36 high rankers would reunite to challenge the Fenrir raid again. Asuka¡¯s party had consumed too many resources against the wolf guarding his coffin, not Fenrir, and experienced too much despair. Asuka was certain that Grid and the Overgeared members were the only party that could raid Fenrir¡¯s city and reach Fenrir¡¯s room.


    Additionally, Asuka knew Grid¡¯s power. She believed that Grid would kill the vampire in a more brutal manner than he killed her. Asuka pulled the sword stuck in the sheath and threw it. She muttered as if talking to the party members watching as they became corpses, ¡°Didn¡¯t we get a lot of titles from hunting the wolf? We¡¯ll be happy with that.¡±


    Asuka was swallowed up alive. The most horrific form of death that traumatized many yers struck Asuka. Still, she didn¡¯t blink and epted the pain.


    ¡°Thest supper... Enjoy it well?¡±


    ¡°Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    As she left her will, the rxed smile on Asuka¡¯s face copsed. The Sun Sword, which she had thrown for the next challenger, was sucked into Fenrir¡¯s hand. Fenrir got an awful burn when he held the Sun Sword in his hand. Still, his expression didn¡¯t change as he threw the Sun Sword to the center of the high ceiling. It got stuck behind the chandelier and couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. The Sun Sword was sealed by itself. In front of the AI of a super-named monster, Asuka became the first yer to have an item stolen by a monster.


    [The title ¡®Fool¡¯ has been acquired for your stupid act that will go down in history.]


    ¡°XX!!¡± Asuka cursed harshly as she died.


    ***


    [The production of Braham¡¯s Robes has beenpleted.]


    [You have seeded in producing a legendary item, and your Tailoring skill will grow rapidly to advanced level 3.]


    [A legendary rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +25 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +1,000.]


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    One of the sources of Grid¡¯s power was his stats. However, since his cksmithing technique had grown to a certain level, the growth rate of his stats had slowed. Of course, that was a story limited to cksmithing. Tailoring was different. In the world of tailoring, Grid wasn¡¯t tainted water but a green sprout. Therefore, the stats synergy was applied ording to the grade of the produced item.


    That¡¯s why Grid was so pleased with Braham¡¯s gift. The hats, robes, and gloves could also be crafted with Tailoring, so for the time being, it was expected that Grid¡¯s stats would grow rapidly. The ¡®all stats +25¡¯ effect would be maintained for the five legendary items that were produced.


    ¡®In the future, I should grind my tailoring by manufacturing Braham¡¯s set.¡¯


    The problem was with the materials. The fabric needed to make Braham¡¯s set came from repardo thread, and this wasn¡¯t readily avable. The specialty product was produced only in a small frontier town of the Gauss Kingdom and at a low quantity. Additionally, the Overgeared Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom were in a hostile rtionship, so export restrictions applied.


    ¡®It will soon be time to fight.¡¯


    Historically, the Overgeared Kingdom had suffered too much aggression and hostility from the Gauss Kingdom. For the Overgeared Kingdom that had to expand their territory, going to war with the neighboring Gauss Kingdom was something unavoidable. The reason why Lauel increased military expenditure after the firm alliance with the empire was that he was mindful of the war against the Gauss Kingdom.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Beside him, Braham was wearing the robe. It was a light blue robe with silver embroidery on both shoulders. Dressed in the very gorgeous and luxurious outfit, Braham stood up. It was a design that didn¡¯t match with an extremely ordinary face, just like the current skin mask that Braham was wearing. Nevertheless, Braham didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°An empty appearance...¡± He expressed disappointment with the less delicate embroidery, but when it came to the robe¡¯s ability to enhance magic, he tested the performance several times and nodded like it was fine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll continue making the same clothes and will make them look better, so bear with it for now.¡±


    Once Grid achieved advanced master level for Tailoring, he would be able to make items bybining cksmithing and tailoring. Then he would make a real Braham set. Grid smiled at the reminder of the ss quest that hadn¡¯t beenpleted for years.


    A few days passed.


    ¡°I finally got my boots.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He was on the road to the smithy. Grid quickened his pace toward Braham, who was wearing gorgeous clothes and essories with his in face. It was an effort to not look like a fashion terrorist to other people. Honestly, it was embarrassing. Grid had to wonder if Ahyoung, who had dated him for one day when he was a fashion terrorist, was unexpectedly kind-hearted.


    Once Grid finally arrived at the smithy, new questions were raised. ¡°Ah, by the way... The skewer you mentioned. Is it something that normal dragons like, not just the Gourmet Dragon? Can they be bribed with it?¡±


    ¡°The food that the Gourmet Dragon enjoys is a delicacy for other dragons.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Valuable information was obtained. If he encountered a dragon in the future, he might be able to survive by bribing it with skewers. This time, the skewer had to be thrown at the dog that Fenrir was raising.


    ¡®I have a new ce to use reputation. Later, new skewers can be obtained.¡¯


    Grid made a n while starting the production of Braham¡¯s Boots. Then exactly three dayster, Grid¡¯s group arrived at the entrance of Fenrir¡¯s city.

 Chapter 1142

    ¡°If I had met him in a decent condition, I would¡¯ve had beaten him without even swinging my sword.¡±


    Terrible death and a massive loss of experience and items. It was okay up to here. Any yer would have to ept it. However, it was a big shock to have the Sun Sword taken away and to be treated as a fool.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, he was able to figure out a yer¡¯s intentions. Does this make sense? He¡¯s the worst monster ever. I¡¯ll live well until the day the game is broken!¡±


    It was Asuka¡¯s new drinking habit. She repeated the same words like a parrot.


    ck Teddy, who was watching her empty her ss with a helpless smile, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. ¡°Youngdy... I¡¯ve been watching you for over 20 years. Every time I saw you running around like a thunderbolt, I thought of a wild horse. Now that girl is like a sick pony. My heart aches at the weakness unbing of you.¡±


    ¡°Teddy...¡±


    ¡°Please wake up. Act as usual and kill all those bastards! You should shake off your unbing frustration with a cigarette and burn with vengeance! Rather than a sick pony, be a mad dog... no, a wild horse!¡±


    ¡°Teddy, there are many monsters in this world that I can¡¯t kill. I am just a pony who acted like a wild horse.¡±


    ¡°Y-Youngdy...! Sob sob!¡±


    ¡°...Those crazy humans are still at it again today.¡±


    ¡°Are they shooting a movie?"


    Hayakan Pub¡ªthe most famous pub in the southern part of the Saharan Empire¡ªwas a seven-story pavilion carved from a small mountain. It was as big and gorgeous as a pce. That¡¯s right. This wasn¡¯t reality, it was Satisfy. It was impossible for a yer to get drunk and cry with runny noses.


    Asuka and ck Teddy weren¡¯t drunk but they were drunk on the atmosphere. They were just crazy in other people¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°By the way, who are those people?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If they¡¯re like any other gang then I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    Asuka and ck Teddy were high rankers and had the burden of their position. They covered their faces and names when drinking in the pub. However, the essories like their earrings were obviously expensive and they became the target of many groups because of the loud noise they made every day. The PK criminals who yed in the area would attack the two people. The result was naturally an easy win for Asuka and ck Teddy. Since then, no one touched the noisy duo.


    ¡°Excuse me, Young Lady.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Should we contact Grid and pass on the information of the Sun Sword?¡±


    ¡°You want us to confess that we illegally intruded on the hunting grounds?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t catch the boss anyway. We didn¡¯t ruin the hunting ground so won¡¯t he forgive us if we give the information on the Sun Sword?¡±


    ¡°We killed the soldiers guarding the hunting ground.¡±


    ¡°Even if he values NPC, he might not care about some soldiers. It isn¡¯t us who killed the soldiers in the first ce, it was Pastel Crayon...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There is no need to act rashly.¡±


    Asuka wanted Fenrir¡¯s death. The first reason was the quest reward for Fenrir¡¯s death and the second was because of vengeance. That¡¯s why she left the Sun Sword behind. Still, in front of the crisis of survival, anypensation or revenge were secondary problems.


    Asuka remembered the Veradin incident. ¡®Veradin killed his NPC so Grid opened a press conference and gave an order for infinite killing.¡¯


    Asuka¡¯s personality wasn¡¯tmon either. As a third-generation chaebol, she often showed judgments or behavior hard to understand with the standards of ordinary people. It certainly wasn¡¯t normal to think of handing over a legendary item to someone who cameter, just to get revenge on a monster. Even so, she couldn¡¯t get a handle on Grid. She decided that it was better not to face him for the rest of her life than to approach him in a wrong manner.


    ¡®Well... I have to believe in him.¡¯


    Asuka stared at the ¡®Fool¡¯ title, which decreased the value of the rewards she got from hunting Fenrir¡¯s wolf. Then she emptied thest remaining bottle and rose from her seat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The one hour drunken y somewhat relieved her stress. She really wanted to drink a lot of alcohol in reality but she put up with it because it would interfere with the game if she was drunk. Asuka was a pro. Like other high rankers, she was constantly bing stronger.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s still here.¡±


    Grid smiled bitterly as he checked the faces of the soldiers guarding the entrance to Fenrir¡¯s city. The people who saluted awkwardly were prisoners, not official soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the idea of Reidan¡¯s former lord, Chris. Chris imed that standing guard in the desert itself was a punishment so he released them from prison to guard the vampire city. The penalty was reduced by three times so there were many volunteers. Among them were many prisoners of suitable strength, so they were able to be used as sentries in the desert.


    Zednos scratched his head. ¡°Precious soldiers shouldn¡¯t be treated as consumables. There is still hope, even if this is harsh for prisoners... that¡¯s why we¡¯re maintaining the policies that Chris set up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t bother thinking too deeply. A notification window emerged when he entered the city with hispanions.


    [The owner of the city, Marquis Fenrir, has woken up after feeling your presence.]


    [Fenrir has no intention of acknowledging you as the Blood King.]


    [Your blood has cooled down. Your body temperature is falling sharply and all stats will drop dramatically.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Blood King Candidate¡ªit was a title that intimidated ordinary vampires, confused true blood vampires, and alerted the direct descendant vampires. The system described the blood king as the ¡®king of all bloodlines¡¯ and in fact, Tiramet vowed to obediently serve Grid.


    It was a title that looked very good at first nce, yet it wasn¡¯t the case in reality. Any direct descendant vampires facing Grid would temporarily be freed from the Curse of Idleness. Marie Rose and Fenrir¡¯s strength would be unmatched when freed from the curse so Grid was caught by the ankle by his own title.


    ¡°By the way, why am I the Blood King Candidate?¡±


    Grid received the Blood King Candidate title because he fought and won against the direct descendant vampires. However, he was only a human, not a vampire, so why was he nominated as a Blood King Candidate?


    Braham answered the question Grid had been wondering for a long time, ¡°Before Marie Rose was born, my mother developed a technique. It was a technique designed to strengthen Fenrir, who was born stronger than the other direct descendants. His blood was strengthened every time he won against his siblings, giving him the power to be on par with our mother. It was the Blood King project. Her ultimate goal was to work with the strengthenedFenrir to unravel the curse and take revenge on Yatan and Baal.¡±


    ¡°Why bother...? Why didn¡¯t she make Fenrir strong from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°What happened to my mother after she gave birth to Marie Rose?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Beriache died in exchange for giving birth to Marie Rose. The act of giving birth to a child as strong as herself took her life. That¡¯s why she created the Blood King project.


    ¡°Yes, my mother had no intention of dying lonely in a distant ce. However, Fenrir didn¡¯t live up to our mother¡¯s expectations. He used the Curse of Idleness as an excuse to sleep in his coffin withoutpeting with his other siblings. I challenged him and even beat him.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°That useless Fenrir made Mother¡¯s borate Blood King project obsolete.¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    No, Fenrir was Fenrir but Braham was also wrong. Why did he win over Fenrir? If he hadn¡¯t won and just let it go...


    ¡®...Is trolling innate?¡¯


    Grid learned a new fact and stared at Braham with fresh eyes. Braham¡ªstill disguised as Lux¡ªdropped his head with a somber expression.


    ¡°My mother was frustrated by the failure of the Blood King project and eventually gave birth to Marie Rose. She gave up on getting revenge herself and instead created an existence stronger than herself, entrusting revenge to this existence.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sad story.¡±


    Grid¡¯s arms were burning from his lie. Grid didn¡¯t point out Braham¡¯s faults and listened silently. Still, there were some doubts that couldn¡¯t be erased.


    ¡°What does that have to do with why I¡¯m the Blood King Candidate now?¡±


    ¡°It seems that she made a change to the Blood King system before she passed away. She removed the Qualification of a Blood King from Fenrir and applied it to those who fought and won against the direct descendant vampires.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°On behalf of the fallen Fenrir, someone else could be the Blood King and work with Marie Rose. This was Mother¡¯s final arrangement. The variable that was applied to that arrangement was you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What was this absurd thing? Grid smiled awkwardly when he learned the truth. ¡°Will I be the Blood King today if I defeat Fenrir?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to get revenge for the vampires or something if I be the Blood King?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t a vampire. There was no obligation to get revenge for the vampires. It might be different if the vampire¡¯s revenge target was a passing slime but the target was the 1st Great Demon Baal and Evil God Yatan. Grid, who had vowed a long time ago not to be involved with absolute existences like a god or dragon, became anxious and Braham smiled at him.


    ¡°Of course not. Revenge is for our n, not humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. By the way, why are you avoiding my eyes?¡±


    ¡°When did I do that?¡±


    It was at this moment...


    ¡°The smell of human blood!¡±


    "Dinner! It¡¯s dinner! Yohohoho.¡±


    Vampires smelled the intruders and emerged from their coffins. Grid stepped back because he couldn¡¯t waste his buff while the Overgeared members stepped forward. The vampires of Fenrir¡¯s city were level 400, even if they were normal rated, but the Overgeared members saw a chance.


    ¡°Fight and win with our own strength as much as possible! We don¡¯t know when Fenrir will appear so don¡¯t let the strength of the knights be consumed!¡±


    "Yes!¡±


    ¡°It will be a tough fight! Everyone, maintain your spirit!¡±


    At the forefront, Zednos yelled and started to castrge-scale magic. He nned to slow down the momentum of the hundreds of vampires flocking in order to create a favorable battle for his allies, but before he could even reveal his magic, all the vampires burned and died.


    The Overgeared members, who were taking buff potions with nervous faces, turned to Braham. Braham looked satisfied as he stood within a sea of fire reminiscent of Hell Gao¡¯s hellfire.


    ¡°Delicious.¡±


    [Your knight ¡®Braham¡¯ has leveled up.]


    [Your knight ¡®Braham¡¯ has leveled up.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Piaro, Grid¡¯s other knights, and the Overgeared members were stunned. They couldn¡¯t believe Braham was so much stronger than he was just a few days ago.


    Grid scratched his head. ¡°He was naked at the time and now he is overgeared.¡±


    Braham agreed. ¡°Your words are correct. You saw it at that time and now it is less.¡±


    In fact, Braham was empty-handed. He hadn¡¯t yet taken out Belial¡¯s staff. The Overgeared members wanted to turn the clock back by two seconds.


    ¡®I drank buff potions for nothing.¡¯


    In the midst of this silence, someone took a step forward. It was Jude. He headed to the ce where the hundreds of vampires had been a moment ago and started to pick up something.


    ¡°Item. Pick up. For. Grid.¡±


    ¡°Jude...¡± Grid¡¯s heart stirred.

 Chapter 1143

    Out of the all normal ss yers, the amount of those who had never lost their number one spot in the rankings was small enough to be counted on one hand. One of them was Zednos. Few magician yers could match his unique understanding of magic and how to use it. Zednos was someone the magician rankers took as a role model.


    ¡®He is really... beyond my imagination.¡¯


    Zednos, like the other Overgeared members, dreamt of changing to a hidden ss. He had constantly collected and studied the history of magic and magicians in order to obtain clues. Braham¡¯s magical skills currently being shown were more than what was known. It was unparalleled.


    ¡®There were many interpretations that Braham¡¯s enhanced magic was developed from abination of Haksen¡¯s highest point magic and Jessica¡¯s echo magic, but that isn¡¯t it at all.¡¯


    Haksen¡¯s highest point magic maximized the consumption of mana to greatly amplify the magic power. Jessica¡¯s echo magic superimposed multiple spells together to enhance the magic. The context of increasing the magic damage was the same but it was different in many ways.


    Highest point magic was magic that turned one spell into the power of five whereas echo magic was magic that simultaneously cast five spells and stacked their powers as one. They hadpletely different power and function depending on the situation.


    Both magics had clear drawbacks. Highest point magic consumed so much mana that it led to exhaustion. In particr, there were cases when the user self-destructed because they often unwillingly used Origin True Energy. It was a self-destruct magic that killed the enemies and themselves at the same time. That¡¯s why highest point magic died out over the course of history.


    On the other hand, echo magic boasted an amazing stability. Even if five spells werepleted and deployed at the same time, the mana cost would only be equivalent to two spells. The downside was that it didn¡¯t apply to intermediate and senior magic. Echo magic was an unfinished study that only applied to 67 types of magic, ssified as the basic and low-grade magic.


    Of course, this alone was so powerful that Jessica made a name for herself as a legendary great magician of war.


    ¡®Braham¡¯s enhanced magic on the other hand...¡¯


    One spell had the power of 10 but the mana cost was at an eptable level. It improved the power without stacking multiple spells on top of each other. It waspletely different from echo magic and there was too much difference in power and safety to im it was based on highest point magic.


    ¡®It¡¯s an amazingly perfect spell. It is an area that is impossible with conventional magic andmon sense. Did Braham apply blood magic?¡¯


    It was said that the strength of blood magic was determined by the innate concentration of magic in one¡¯s blood. Perhaps Braham¡¯s enhanced magic should be a study where the parameter of ¡®strong blood¡¯ was added. It exined why Braham¡¯s disciples failed to master the enhanced magic.


    ¡®If this hypothesis is wrong then it just means Braham is an overwhelming genius...¡¯


    Braham¡¯s advance continued while Zednos was thinking. He was at the forefront of the group and didn¡¯t head straight to Fenrir¡¯s room. He toured every corner of the city and ughtered all the vampires that emerged from their coffins. It was strange to say but Braham¡¯s mes were very neat.


    There were no side effects to his allies. Only the vampires were burned and disappeared into ashes. He didn¡¯t create miracles, like the red phoenix¡¯s mes that gave his teammates a healing effect. However, Zednos recognized Braham¡¯s mes as simr to a divine ability.


    Many people noticed that Braham¡¯s mes burned depending on the situation. Braham seemed to be able to coordinate what the mes perceived as an enemy in real time. He was inplete control of his magic. The so-called great magicians were obsessed with the form while Braham¡¯s magic changed shape as needed.


    ¡®He is just a fraudulent character...¡¯


    Zednos was convinced. Braham¡¯s enhanced style magic wasn¡¯t based on blood magic. It wasn¡¯t an iplete concept dependent on the innate blood. Rather, it was a perfect form created purely through knowledge.


    ¡®Braham is definitely the best magical genius in the world...?¡¯


    Chill.


    Zednos got goosebumps as he grasped the reality of enhanced magic and realized Braham¡¯s greatness. That¡¯s why Mumud, who even Braham was jealous of, came to mind. A person who was even more outstanding than Braham.


    ¡®Will Euphemina one day be the strongest?¡¯


    Euphemina would inherit Mumud¡¯s magic. The moment she freed Lich Mumud from Agnus, she would have Mumud¡¯splete magic in her hands. Wouldn¡¯t Euphemina be the new supreme at that time?


    Zednos looked at Grid. Grid was watching with a yawn as Braham ughtered thousands of vampires. He wasn¡¯t a magician and couldn¡¯t realize Braham¡¯s greatness, so he wasn¡¯t very inspired.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Zednos¡¯ eyes widened. Hundreds of bats flew in the darkness and transformed into a beautiful woman who attacked Grid. It happened in an instant and seemed dangerous because she appeared behind Grid. However, Grid dodged without seeing the attack of the true blood vampire. He reached out lightly and pushed the chest of the true blood vampire. Then...


    ¡°...!¡±


    The true blood vampire with red cheeks was pushed back by force and took a few steps back. Braham stood right next to her.


    ¡°Toss~¡± Grid shouted lightly.


    Braham¡¯s mes spread up the true blood vampire¡¯s body like a snake, gathered together and then exploded.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Zednos couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off Grid. Up until a few years ago, hadn¡¯t Grid been nervous facing the true blood vampires? Of course, he wasparing the past Grid to the recent Grid who beat Orc Lord Teruchan and 22nd Great Demon Berith, but the true blood vampires were never easy opponents. He had heard that Blood King Candidate had the effect of weakening true blood vampires but the difference was too great. It was like seeing the difference between a child and an adult.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Zednos. The other Overgeared members also looked like they had seen a ghost. It was natural. Afterpeting against Teruchan, Grid had grown from meeting Biban, absorbed the Dragon Pill, wrote a third epic, and made Braham¡¯s set. All his stats increased by 75 points and Grid had experienced a historic growth.


    Grid was rapidly bing stronger even if he wasn¡¯t yet aware of it. It was much more than when he fought Teruchan. Anyone who wasn¡¯t surprised by the sudden development wouldn¡¯t havemon sense.


    ¡°Why are you like this? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The atmosphere was strange and Grid was puzzled. Now that he had grown to a level where he didn¡¯t know the difference between a true blood vampire and a regr vampire, he didn¡¯t understand the astonishment of the guild members.


    Zednos shook his head. ¡®The supreme person won¡¯t change.¡¯


    ***


    Braham reached level 406 in just half a day. It was the result of ughtering all the vampires and familiars in Fenrir¡¯s city. The true blood vampires and regr vampires were just trash derived from the direct descendants and weren¡¯t kin, so Braham¡¯s ughter was unstoppable. Noll unwittingly shed tears at the terrible sight since he inherited the ¡®kindness¡¯ characteristic from Beriache.


    ¡°Be prepared,¡± Braham spoke solemnly to Grid as they finally arrived before Fenrir¡¯s room. ¡°The moment I open the door, throw the skewer as far away as possible. The moment the doges out to chase it, we will close the door and go in, isting Fenrir.¡±


    "Yes," Grid responded with a determined expression.


    Braham¡¯s worry about Fenrir when he ughtered thousands of vampires so easily made Grid nervous. Even Piaro was a bit nervous.


    ¡°I¡¯ll open it on the count of three.¡±


    Braham nodded when he put his hand on the door handle and Grid pulled out the skewer.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    He didn¡¯t count from one? Braham opened the door the moment he shouted ¡®three¡¯ and the panicked Grid tried to throw the skewer.


    [Your blood has cooled down. Your body temperature is falling sharply and all stats will drop dramatically.]


    The notification window entered the view of Grid and the Overgeared members. Vast waves of blood rushed out of the room. Braham, who should¡¯ve cast attack magic, immediately deployed a wide area shield to protect Grid and the Overgeared members. The entire city was shaken when the waves of blood collided with the shield. Suddenly, screams filled the area and Braham frowned. ¡°Foxy guy... you were ready.¡±


    This huge city was no different from Fenrir¡¯s body. Fenrir couldn¡¯t not know the existence of intruders. Braham had expected that Fenrir would appear after being temporarily freed from the Curse of Idleness by Grid. That¡¯s why he hurried to kill Fenrir¡¯s subordinates before Fenrir could emerge and properly exert his power of ¡®domination.¡¯


    Yet Fenrir didn¡¯t show up and Braham noticed Fenrir¡¯s intentions. Fenrir would wait in the room and umte as much domination as possible over the wolves. Then the intruders would be ambushed the moment they opened the door, giving him the upper hand. That¡¯s why Braham deliberately said he was going to open on the count of three in a loud voice before opening the door. Braham nned to prevent the ambush rather than get hit by Fenrir.


    However, this n was in vain because Fenrir attacked the moment the door was open, as if he expected it. The waves of blood flowed like a tsunami and collided several times with Braham¡¯s shield. Then the inside of the room, dyed with sticky blood, entered Grid¡¯s field of view.


    A person was standing alone in the darkness. It was so dark that they couldn¡¯t see his face but people immediately knew his identity.


    [You have encountered Vampire Marquis Fenrir.]


    [A strong evil influence is making your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. You will lose your willpower and control over your body.]


    [Fenrir is dominating your spirit. All sorts of beneficial effects are reversed and will harm you.]


    ¡°What is this...¡±


    Some of the Overgeared members were baffled since this was their first time experiencing it. They tried to move their hands but their feet moved forward. They tried to turn their head but their impaired pelvic bone bothered them.


    Fenrir¡¯s low voice echoed magnificently, ¡°Braham, you are still immature. In the past when you attacked me, you said you would open the door on the count of three. Then you counted to two and ambushed me. This time, you didn¡¯t even count to one properly.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The group doubted their ears as they turned to look at Braham.


    Braham¡¯s expression was imposing. ¡°It isn¡¯t being immature, it is strategy.¡±

 Chapter 1144

    ¡®Where¡¯s the dog?¡¯


    Grid missed the timing to throw the skewer and hurriedly looked around. Was it because the room was too dark? The dog that Braham mentioned couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡®Why is it so quiet when the foaming dog should be running over?¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be a case where the dog didn¡¯t exist. Braham said that Fenrir¡¯s dog was always guarding Fenrir¡¯s room. Grid trusted Braham¡¯s information 100%.


    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t afford to fail because he wanted to save an item. Grid hesitated for a moment before preparing to throw the skewer.


    ¡°No,¡± Mercedes suddenly spoke. Her beautiful eyes were mysteriously shining. ¡°The dog that Braham mentioned isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Mercedes was the owner of Keen Insight. No matter how thick the darkness, it was all meaningless in front of her. On the other hand, Braham¡¯s information was hundreds of years old. If he had to choose between Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight and Braham¡¯s information, he would naturally choose the former.


    ¡®Is it nning to attack while waiting elsewhere?¡¯


    Grid faced an unexpected variable from the start and turned to Braham. Braham¡¯s expression was distorted. The moment he heard Mercedes¡¯ words, he used magic power detection and confirmed there were no dogs here. ¡°I thought he was your soulpanion yet you threw him away as the crisis approached?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon Hachika. Hachika... died.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened. The dog that Braham was wary of had died. This meant that the sess rate of the raid had increased significantly. It was something to cheer over and rejoice about. However, Braham showed a somewhat upset expression. He clicked his tongue and started to widen the distance with Fenrir. It was clearly a tense expression.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    It happened when Grid¡¯s group was feeling doubt.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Noll eximed. It was a reaction that showed he noticed something.


    Grid asked what was going on and Noll expressed his views. ¡°Braham¡¯s magic didn¡¯t work on Fenrir¡¯s dog because of the protection of dominance.¡±


    ¡°Protection of dominance?¡±


    ¡°It is the most extraordinary of Fenrir¡¯s innate abilities, the power of domination that he inherited from Mother. It is the power to control and neutralize the enemy¡¯s skills and magic. It was originally a power to defend Fenrir but Fenrir wished for Hachika¡¯s safety and lent it to him.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that as long as Hachika is dead, the power has returned to Fenrir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the only way I can interpret Braham¡¯s reaction.¡±


    ¡°...Then magic won¡¯t work on Fenrir?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. The death of Fenrir¡¯s dog was actually toxic and he couldn¡¯t help being upset.


    ¡®There are many trolls in the world.¡¯


    Grid frowned as he stared at the battle gear scattered throughout the room. They were items lost by their owners. It must¡¯ve been those who harmed the prisoners guarding the entrance of the city some time ago.


    ¡®Did they raid the dog?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an impossible spection. Time was fair to everyone. The other rankers were also getting stronger.


    Zednos asked Noll, ¡°Can¡¯t Braham¡¯s magic break through the protection of dominance?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t ack of power. The problem is the form. Higher-grade magic has moreplicated magic forms and the minimum of high-grade magic is needed to deal damage. You should know that high-grade magic has restrictions on casting.¡±


    ¡°Braham¡¯s advanced magic casting time averages around 10 seconds...¡±


    A yer¡¯s advanced magic casting speed was 20 seconds if they were fast or longer than a minute if they were slow. Braham¡¯s 10 seconds was a very short amount of time but it was a different story when the opponent was a vampire marquis. His physical ability was beyond that of a human. Fenrir wouldn¡¯t give Braham time to cast his advanced magic. If Braham was in perfect condition then he couldplete the casting while avoiding and blocking Fenrir¡¯s onught but it was difficult now that Braham was significantly weakened.


    ¡°In the end, our role is important. Braham can¡¯t afford to waste mana using Teleport to evade Fenrir¡¯s attacks while casting advanced magic.¡±


    This was Mercedes¡¯ opinion based on what she observed of Braham¡¯s condition in the hierarchy fights. The others agreed. There was only one way left.


    ¡°We will protect Braham.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Maintain your spirits. Never die.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The knights answered energetically and started to surround Fenrir. Jude tried to rush in but Grid grabbed him by the neck and he had to stop in ce.


    -I am asking all of you.


    Grid nced around at the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members stood beside the knight in groups and focused on using magic and skills at any time. Their role was to assist the knights.


    ¡°Stay strong!¡±


    Saintess Ruby¡¯s wide-area magic was activated. She purified the status conditions caused from meeting Fenrir from the knights and Overgeared members. The familiar lights spread out and Fenrir felt ridicule.


    ¡°It is a low-grade race.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Fenrir had dealt with intruders. Over the past hundreds of years, he had been challenged by many humans and fought many battles against the Reba Church. The purification used by the priests of the Reba Church failed to eliminate the ¡®beneficial effects reversal¡¯ created by Fenrir and just exacerbated the problem. Now the first thing this group used was Purification. People still couldn¡¯t analyze the causes of the many failures over the years and rushed in sloppily. Heughed at the low-grade race challenging him when they didn¡¯t even have the ability to learn.


    However, his ridicule didn¡¯tst long. It was because the light lifted the curse applied to all humans.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s rxed face stiffened for the first time. His cold gaze was stuck on Ruby.


    ¡°Are you the pope?¡±


    ¡°N-No,¡± the nervous Ruby stammered and denied it to the end. She had been active in every great demon raid but a boss monster was still scary. In particr, Fenrir¡¯s cold gaze chilled her blood and was more terrible than the great demons she had met so far.


    ¡°...This isn¡¯t the divinity of Reba.¡±


    Fenrir frowned as he grabbed a piece of the purification light floating in the air. Saintess. He immediately flew forward the moment he grasped Ruby¡¯s identity. His first target was naturally Ruby.


    A metallic sound was heard as something blocked Fenrir¡¯s blow that should¡¯ve shattered a human skull. Two solid shields stood firm against Fenrir¡¯s fists. Fenrir¡¯s eyes shifted toward the shields. He could see a young man throwing up blood and a white-haired person supporting him. The white-haired human looked at Fenrir without avoiding his gaze.


    Fenrir had many doubts about the situation. ¡°Braham, you worked tirelessly to repay the grudge from being expelled from the n. You obtained two useful humans.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± Braham wondered.


    mes were forming around his hands. It was the peak of fire magic. Once it clung to the target, it would keep burning until the target became ashes. The 1st ranked fire magician, Lae, was astonished by the sight. ¡°me that won¡¯t stop burning...!¡±


    The ck mes¡¯ momentum was growing. The target, Fenrir, flew forward to stop Braham¡¯s magic casting. However, Mercedes¡¯ shield limited his path and Piaro and Asmophel isted him in the ensuing narrow path.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just two.¡¯


    A brilliant color rose in Fenrir¡¯s eyes. As someone who relied on his innate power, he felt a bit threatened by the ability of humans who honed their ¡®technique¡¯ or became legends and built up equivalent skills. He suffered injuries after exchanging several blows and looked at the humans with displeasure.


    ¡®My physical ability is superior but I am being pushed in skills.¡¯


    It hurt his ego but he had to admit it. Fenrir used blood magic. He made the decision not to confront Mercedes, Piaro, and Asmophel.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Asmophel was swept away by the bloody whirlwind that appeared without any precursor and suffered a serious wound to his arm. Mercedes defended herself with the shield while Piaro shed at the magic with a sickle. They were unharmed but while they were briefly tied up, Fenrir flew like an arrow toward Braham.


    ¡°You can¡¯t pass!¡±


    Orc Lord Teruchan, Knight of Destruction Singuled, and dozens of Overgeared members moved systematically to block Fenrir¡¯s path. However, most of their skills and magic were lost in vain, unable to prate the protection of domination.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The world became momentarily silent. Fenrir broke through the skills and magic that scattered like a mirage and there was a moment of silence as the gazes of the Overgeared members tangled in the air. It was only for a mere moment.


    ¡°...Keuk!¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s moan shattered the silence. His heart was pierced by an ice thorn of killing intent. It was Singuled¡¯s killing intent. It might be a halfplete technique but Singuled¡¯s killing intent method was judged as SS-grade and it was a powerful force that prated even the protection of domination. It was the moment that proved the protection of domination wasn¡¯t aplete technique.


    ¡°Use your ultimate attacks!¡±


    Zednos shouted and the Overgeared members simultaneously used their ultimate skills. Most of the ultimate techniques were blocked by the protection of domination but some pierced through and dealt a series of blows to Fenrir. Then Braham¡¯s spell waspleted.


    At the same time, Fenrir demonstrated the true power of domination. It was a force that couldn¡¯t be digested with the intelligence of a beast. It was the ability to identify and control the nature of all concepts that threatened him.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Braham, the knights, and the Overgeared members all lost the weapons in their hands. The weapons were ced under Fenrir¡¯s control and judged as unavable. Braham¡¯s magic and the skills of the Overgeared members were greatly weakened because stats were lost. The disaster didn¡¯t end there.


    ¡°T-This...! My body isn¡¯t listening to me!¡±


    Some of the rtively low level Overgeared members were ced under Fenrir¡¯s control. Their role as Fenrir¡¯s puppets were to be meat shields. Fenrir descended to escape the ck mes created by Braham and hid behind the puppets. He could see a ck-haired man running through the gaps of the puppets. The man who emitted demonic energy was moving faster than the speed of the ck mes. Fenrir found he was skilled and exerted the power of dominance.


    [The power of Vampire Marquis ¡®Fenrir¡¯ is controlling you.]


    [The conditions of use for your weapons will be changed to ¡®Fenrir.¡¯]


    [The ss effect of ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ has allowed you to keep using the +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    ¡°...!?¡± Fenrir¡¯s eyes widened. He was perplexed that the ck-haired man didn¡¯t lose his weapon despite Fenrir using the power of domination. He could see the human reaching right in front of him.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes were staring straight at the puppets. His colleagues were nodding. Grid didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°100,000 Army...!¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    [The party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ has used the skill ¡®Holy Weapon¡¯ on your weapon.]


    [The party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ has used the skill ¡®Holy Impact¡¯ on your weapon.]


    ¡°Massacre Sword!¡±


    It was a single blow with the intent to cut the vampire. The bodies of his colleagues, who were turned into puppets, were cut by the single blow and this was followed by the explosion of unquenchable mes.


    ¡°Kkuk...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The attack blew away the defense he believed to be sufficient and caused Fenrir to feel pain, astonishment, and anger. Engulfed in the roaring mes, he screamed and reached out to Grid. However, Grid¡¯s turn wasn¡¯t over.


    [The effect of God¡¯s Command has reset the cooldown time of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword! Reuse of a reset skill within 3 seconds won¡¯t consume resources.]


    Grid¡¯s sword moved in a crescent arc once again and Fenrir¡¯s hand was cut off, causing a fountain of blood to spurt. In the midst of the first crisis in hundreds of years, Fenrir realized something.


    ¡®Blood King...!¡¯

 Chapter 1145

    There was one reason why Shizo Beriache chose Fenrir as the Blood King Candidate¡ªFenrir had inherited the personality traits ¡®struggle¡¯ and ¡®domination¡¯ from her. Beriache believed that the ¡®struggle¡¯ trait would develop Fenrir and his kin while the desire for dominance would make him unite his kin. She judged that Fenrir¡¯s talents were appropriate for the task of revenge.


    The result was disastrous and let down her expectations. An ident urred as the traits of struggle and domination conflicted.


    Fenrir was dissatisfied that there was a ruler called Beriache above him and he burned with fighting spirit against his mother, who wasn¡¯t the object of revenge. He also felt despair at the realization that even if he beat all his siblings and became the Blood King, he would never be able to surpass his mother and wouldn¡¯t escape her grasp for the rest of his life.


    This was the reason. It was a sense of rebellion that led him to turn away from revenge using the excuse of the Curse of Idleness, sleeping in the coffin for the rest of his life. However, it was too much to disparage or condemn him. The fundamental problem was that his character consisted of only two traits.


    It was the limit of creation. The direct descendant vampires who could create true blood vampires through the chain of blood undoubtedly believed they were a great creation but in reality, they were no different from true blood vampires. Only two people¡ªthe exceptions were theplete Marie Rose, who Beriache gave up her soul to create, and Braham, who had evolved on his own with an inquisitive spirit.


    ¡®...Blood King!¡¯


    Every time the ck-haired man wielded his sword, the wind pressure seemed to cross his face. There was no time to be caught up in the pain of his hand being cut off. Fenrir had to constantly move his eyes to track the human being who was moving at a speed where Fenrir would miss if he wasn¡¯t vignt.


    There was a sound. Was it the sound of water being sucked into a hole in the ground? Fenrir barely escaped from another one of Grid¡¯s attacks that tore apart the air and once again demonstrated his power of dominance. Then he was convinced.


    ¡®He is the Blood King.¡¯


    Fenrir only had two people he couldn¡¯t control with the power of domination. They were Beriache and Marie Rose. Only those with a higher status than him could be free of the power of domination. In other words, the human in front of him transcended his status. Such a being could only be the Blood King. The legends and transcendents that humans proudly supported weren¡¯t able to catch up with him.


    ¡®How did this happen?¡¯


    The flood of chaosplicated Fenrir¡¯s mind. The birth of the Blood King was designed toe from victory. Only those who won against all the direct descendants, except for Marie Rose, could be the Blood King. Until then, they were only a candidate.


    Fenrir hadn¡¯t been defeated yet. The human in front of him might be a Blood King Candidate but this meant it was physically impossible for him to go beyond Fenrir. Then what the hell was with this person...


    ¡°Link.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Fenrir missed Grid¡¯s movement for a moment. Grid, who wielded the sword with a momentum that could cut apart mountains and tsunamis, suddenly changed his sword and it moved delicately and reached the height of its speed.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s body, which was like a beautiful work of art, instantly became a rag. He received dozens of wounds and blood spilled around him. Meanwhile, the unquenchable mes were still burning. They quickly permeated Fenrir¡¯s wounds and started to burn Fenrir¡¯s internal organs.


    ¡®Wow...¡¯


    Grid, who had been concentrating on battle in a full buff state, was briefly distracted. The 100,000 Army Massacre Sword used twice, three single sword dances, and nine basic attacks had consumed less than a tenth of Fenrir¡¯s health. Fenrir¡¯s heart and toughness was terrifying and worthy of a super-named boss and a presence rted to the ¡®Blood King¡¯ hidden piece.


    Yet at this moment, Braham¡¯s magic was consuming Fenrir¡¯s health gauge in real time. Just like the name ¡®unquenchable mes¡¯, these mes would never go out until Fenrir was burned to ashes.


    ¡®Can¡¯t this magic catch a dragon?¡¯


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The admiring Grid hurriedly raised his sword. Fenrir¡¯s fists collided straight with the sword.


    [You have suffered 11,530 damage.]


    It was an attack power that overshadowed defense. Originally, defending an attack using a weapon other than a sword meant not all damage could be observed. Still, this hurt too much. Grid¡¯s body couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and floated slightly. Then Fenrir spun like a spinning top and sprang at him from the left.


    It wasn¡¯t an area of martial arts. It was simr to tigers hunting herbivores with their natural physical abilities and instincts. Fenrir just instinctively wielded his powerful body. Fenrir¡¯s left fist struck Grid in the thigh. His instinct was to shatter one of the human¡¯s legs with this blow and then grab at his neck.


    Unfortunately, the human¡¯s legs didn¡¯t budge. He was definitely hit by Fenrir, who was powerful enough to crush steel like tofu, yet he didn¡¯t fly back. Fenrir¡¯s face was stunned.


    ¡®Truly the Blood King...! It isn¡¯t only his status that transcends me... it is his flesh as well!¡¯


    How could the person who hadn¡¯t beaten him be Blood King? Fenrir barely resisted the rising questions and confusion as he withdrew. Meanwhile, Grid felt like he had lost 10 years.


    [The Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots have absorbed the damage!]


    * When hit in the lower body, there is a low chance of ignoring damage.


    There might be conditions attached but it exerted a crazy effect the moment it was activated. If not, it would¡¯ve been dangerous in his present state where his maximum health was reduced by ckening. Grid clicked his tongue as he watched the retreating Fenrir instead of linking another attack.


    ¡°Free Farming Peak Style! Sweet Potato Battering!¡±


    Piaro, who had built a field during the time that Grid bought, created a spectacr surprise. Fenrir was surprised as Piaro clutched a thick stem in both hands and wielded dozens of rock-like sweet potatoes. He tried to dodge but was unable to avoid the energy des suddenly flying at him from Grid. The sweet potato bombardment fell toward Fenrir¡¯s spine as he was being burned. Fenrir suffered a big blow while blocking Grid¡¯s energy des and he coughed up blood.


    Grid was attempting a four fusion sword dance when Mercedes¡¯s call entered his ears. ¡°Step back!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid reflexively stopped the sword dance and Fenrir¡¯s hand inserted into his neck. It was an exquisite threat to Grid who had inadvertently exposed a gap. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t feel the breath of death. Mercedes flew forward on silver wings and swung his sword at the back of Fenrir¡¯s hand, causing Fenrir to tilt forward. Both Grid and Fenrir were drenched with sweat and blood as they stared at each other. The difference between the two of them...


    ¡°Grid! Guruk! Great warrior I have acknowledged! I will protect you! Grruk!¡±


    ¡°Jude! Protect!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    It was the presence of colleagues. Teruchan and Jude were waiting for their turn behind Grid who could barely stand up. It was Teruchan and Jude¡¯s swords that waited for Fenrir, who stood up at almost the same time as Grid.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s sword boasted more strength than Grid and caused Fenrir¡¯s left shoulder to snap back. Jude, who had barely managed to raise his strength to match Grid, shed at Fenrir¡¯s waist. Fenrir raised his legs in a counterattack and seemed to hit the faces of the two men exactly. Noll¡¯s blood magic protected the two men.


    Grid witnessed the series of processes happening in an instant and was suddenly engulfed in a sense of strangeness. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he use magic?¡¯


    Grid had fought many direct descendant vampires. Apart from Elfin Stone, the master of Iyarugt, most of the direct descendants tended to rely on blood magic rather than swordsmanship or physical abilities. In fact, Fenrir used magic to clear a crisis when facing the cooperation between Mercedes, Piaro, and Asmophel. Now that he was in a bigger crisis, he didn¡¯t use magic.


    There was obviously something...


    It happened the moment Grid was feeling an unknown anxiety.


    ¡°Danger...!¡±


    Mercedes evoked the brilliance reminiscent of angel wings and flew in front of him with her shield. She was protecting Grid, Teruchan, Jude, and Noll by herself. At the same time, a creepy sound was heard from the wounds covering Fenrir¡¯s body. Like a cicada shedding its skin, Fenrir¡¯s body split in half and a new body emerged from within. Fenrir¡¯s new body was as smooth and clean as freshly made and painted porcin.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Grid¡¯s group was flustered by the removal of skin that defiedmon sense. All of them noticed something that didn¡¯t fit. The lighting from Grid¡¯s sword, which housed the light elemental and Holy Weapon, shone on Fenrir¡¯s new body. Strangely, only the center of Fenrir¡¯s chest was unaffected by the light and waspletely covered by darkness. It was like a condensed me.


    Mercedes¡¯ hands pushed at Grid. Her scream echoed, ¡°Everyone, spread out!¡±


    The darkness swirling like a me exploded. The identity of the mes scattering in all directions was the unquenchable mes. It was the magic Braham had used. This was an application of the power of domination. Fenrir reversed the mes that had stuck to his body. It was because of this that he couldn¡¯t afford to use magic. He offered it to use a hidden weapon Braham didn¡¯t know about but it was worth it. The mes spread out like water falling over rocks and would burn any bodies they reached.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Grid rushed out. The God Hands blocked some of the mes. Noe and Randy appeared out of the air and used Be Majestic and Revolve to protect as many knights and Overgeared members as possible.


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    Jude and Teruchan, who had thrown off Mercedes and chased after Grid, were caught by the ankle by the Overgeared Skeletons who climbed from the ground.


    ¡°Tiramet! Let go of me!¡± Noll struggled against the older brother who showed up and hugged him to stop him from going after Grid.


    ¡°Revolve.¡± Just before ckening ended, Grid arrived by Ruby and Sexy Schoolgirl and started a sword dance to protect them.


    ¡°Oppa...¡±


    It was a day when heavy rain was falling. Ruby¡¯s eyes were red as she recalled the old days when her brother would cover her with an umbre on rainy days. Grid felt the heat of the mes over his head and simply smiled as he stroked his sister¡¯s head.


    He wanted to protect her. That was it.


    Grid gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in preparation for the pain. However, he didn¡¯t feel any pain. Above his head... no, the veil of magic stretched above the heads of the Overgeared members and knights like a dome. Braham¡¯s annoyed voice was heard.


    ¡°You are still weaker than me. Don¡¯t try to carry it on your own.¡±


    ¡°Braham!¡± Grid¡¯s expression stiffened.


    The mes caused explosions. It was difficult to predict the trajectory. It wasn¡¯t just falling from the top. Grid stood until the veil and shouted as he saw the debris of the mes falling at Braham¡¯s feet, but Braham stood still. Protecting him were dozens of crops that had grown from thend that had been turned into agricultural fields. It wasn¡¯t only Braham. The crops also bloomed at the feet of the Overgeared members and blocked the mes. Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and Tiramet, who sacrificed themselves to protect the Overgeared members and knights, were also being embraced and protected by giant sweet potato leaves.


    ¡°Piaro...!¡±


    Grid was feeling thrilled when he heard an explosion. Singuled and Asmophel¡¯s swords were wounding Fenrir¡¯s reborn body. Grid realized it the moment he saw the two people overwhelming Fenrir, who wasparable to a great demon. How blessed was he?


    ¡°Grid, there is no reason to drag out the fight.¡±


    Braham¡¯s magic was freezing under Grid¡¯s feet. The power from beyond the ice was so strong that it shook the room.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    The ground splitting was Braham¡¯s signal. The head of the dragon, carved out of magical ice, soared up with Grid. The sight of Grid performing a sword dance on the roaring dragon caught the eyes of everyone in the room.

 Chapter 1146

    ¡°...!¡±


    The noisy appearance of the dragon made Grid nervous. The wavy scales, shimmering light, and overwhelming size¡ªit resembled the dragon he saw in the National Competition and Grid mistook it for a real dragon for a while. Then he quickly realized¡ªthis was magic.


    [The Iplete Dragon¡¯s cold breath has frozen all the harmful energy in the area.]


    [The Iplete Dragon¡¯s cold breath is permeating your sword.]


    Sharp ice crystals bloomed like cherry blossoms.


    [Braham¡¯s Enhanced Enchant Weapon has been applied to the +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [Your next attack will freeze the world and lead your target to destruction.]


    [However, the next attack will consume all of the mana you currently have.]


    It was a dragon made of Braham¡¯s magic power. As Grid surged toward Fenrir, the unquenchable mes spread throughout the battlefield froze faster and Grid¡¯s back became more frozen.


    [The +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires can¡¯t endure this sudden cooling phenomenon and has lost 1,290 durability.]


    [The rapidly falling body temperature has caused abnormalities in your body and mind.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The effect of +3 Valha of Infinite Affection is helping to maintain your body temperature.]


    The distance between Grid and Fenrir was narrowed. The melted ice dragon suddenly lost its form and became a tsunami. The light elemental used sh and created a rainbow tsunami as Fenrir vision disappeared. Fenrir¡¯s fists and kicks missed Grid after bing blind and smashed into the air.


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid leapt using thest piece of ice and flew up high, the ceiling at his back as hepleted the sword dance.


    [Braham¡¯s Enhanced Enchant Weapon has been applied to the +4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    If 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was an instant blow, Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle was a blow that required some preparation time. Considering the hit rate and range of damage, it was correct to say that 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was the strongest skill. However, Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle was the best in terms of attack power. It fired seven sword energy per second that dealt 3,700% physical damage while ignoring 65% of the target¡¯s defense.


    Immediately, the shorings were revealed. No matter how fast it was fired, it wasn¡¯t an instant blow, unlike 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. After the series of preparations, Fenrir had regained his sight and responded quickly. From Fenrir¡¯s point of view, it wasn¡¯t difficult to avoid the baptism of flying sword energy when he transcended Grid in terms of physical capability.


    As expected. The first sword energy failed to hit Fenrir and struck the ground. Fenrir avoided the first sword energy by twisting his body slightly. Then he moved his head to the right to evade the second one before rushing straight ahead and breaking through three sword energies simultaneously.


    All the sword energies had the option of ¡®guidance¡¯ due to Braham¡¯s Detect Force but it was too hard for them to handle Fenrir¡¯s speed. Fenrir knew about Detect Force and deliberately dodged at thest moment in a breathtaking moment in a limited space. It hit something and was forcefully extinguished.


    The biggest problem was Fenrir¡¯s ¡®struggle.¡¯ Fenrir¡¯s struggles sped up as he sought to beat the sword energy.


    ¡®Do you think this will trouble me?¡¯


    Fenrir floated up. He broke through thest two sword energies flying at different orbits and was about to hit Grid. However, he was forced to stop. The floor, walls, ceiling. It was due to the cold air caused by the scattered sword energy of Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. Everything in the area froze and Fenrir was included. If Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword split the world in half...


    [Legendary magic has been revealed.]


    [The peak magic is freezing the world.]


    Braham¡¯s magic brought an ice age to the world. If Garion, god of earth, had dealt with Space Sword...


    [Goddess of Light Reba has exerted her power. All frozen things are restored like it is a lie.]


    Braham¡¯s magic was dealt with by the goddess of light.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    It was a skill on a different dimension. All yers, NPCs, and monsters hunting or living scattered throughout the corridor stood at the border between fantasy and reality as they felt their body freeze for a moment before they could move again.


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    The Tower of the Sun. Goldhit felt the magic and was thrilled. (TL Note: Don¡¯t know if the author made a mistake or Goldhit changed towers.)


    ¡°This is the peak magic...¡±


    Kirinus¡¯ cabin.


    Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s gaze turned north to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Then...


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    Grid¡ªwhose waist was twisting¡ªleaned forward and stood in front of Fenrir. As the person who used the Frozen Tempest, he was one of the few beings able to move in this frozen world. Grid was already standing in front of Fenrir by the time Fenrir was released from the ice.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Fenrir hurriedly swung his arms but it was pointless. His arms couldn¡¯t move. In his post-frozen state, it was mutted by two sword energies.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The target has received 4,950,871 damage!]


    [The body of the target has beenpletely frozen by the effect of Frozen Tempest! The target¡¯s physical function shall cease and the target will lose resistance and defense. It is a curse that can¡¯t be healed.]


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 30% critical damage!]


    [The target has received 26,200,900 damage!]


    ¡°Kuruk...!¡±


    Fenrir screamed bizarrely. His body was frozen from the inside from Frozen Tempest and he couldn¡¯t even lift a finger as he was hit multiple times. Grid¡¯s sword stretched out from his waist and was moving in a half-curve.


    ¡°Blockade Sword!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The overwhelming resistance and phenomenal resilience were worthy of being the primal power of a vampire. However, after being hit by the unquenchable mes and Frozen Tempest, Fenrir quickly lost his resilience and resistance. He seeded in restoring his frozen organs by concentrating all his magic power but he hadn¡¯t recovered his resistance. Thus, he was hit by 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and his magic and skills were sealed off. He waspletely neutralized.


    During this time, Grid¡¯s knights, pets, and Overgeared members attacked. Fenrir¡¯s health was rapidly depleted.


    Gulp.


    Grid retreated and took a potion before looking back. Braham, whose mana waspletely depleted after using the unquenchable mes, magic veil, and iplete dragon summoning, was recovering using Mana Drain. He met Grid¡¯s eyes and spoke brusquely, ¡°You did a good job.¡±


    ¡°It is high praise.¡±


    ¡°...Bah.¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t deny it. The unquenchable mes and Frozen Tempest were essential spells to defeat Fenrir. However, Braham had to cancel the casting of Frozen Tempest and cast the magic veil to help Grid protect his subordinates at his own expense, missing the chance for victory. He couldn¡¯t afford to use Frozen Tempest again.


    He med himself for ruining things by helping Grid out of love and took hisst gamble. He imprinted Frozen Tempest¡¯s form on the unfinished dragon as a type of secondary energy concept and left it to Grid. If Grid and his weapon couldn¡¯t survive the cold of Frozen Tempest, and if Grid hadn¡¯t significantly increased his mana through ingesting the Dragon Pill, it wouldn¡¯t have seeded.


    ¡°The finishing... blow.¡±


    The price of using high-grade magic continuously was very high. Braham had arge mana core but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he lost consciousness right away. Still, he was concerned about Grid so he managed his expression to the end and barely swallowed the blood in his throat.


    Fenrir¡¯s momentum was rising again after recovering from the blockade. He exploded his blood magic and shook off Piaro, Mercedes, and Teruchan. Then he usedrge-scale vampiric magic, Transfusion Regeneration. It was magic a level above the Extreme Blood Transfusion that Elfin Stone was so proud of. It was magic that took away the health of all targets in sight, absorbed it, and restored 100% of the absorbed health.


    Nevertheless, Braham didn¡¯t fret. It was because he knew Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡°Open Rune of Darkness. Belial¡¯s Power, Queen of Mocking and Vition.¡±


    Grid split into two people. His field of view moved inpletely different directions as he observed Fenrir from various angles. Blood-like red magic power stretched out from the roaring Fenrir. The color was very gorgeouspared to the darkness that exploded earlier after assimting with the unquenchable mes. This meant that Grid could urately capture it.


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±


    Controlling the vision of two bodies and crossing consciousness was an easy task for the current Grid. Blue petals filled the area as he unfolded the sword dance with the main body and moved to the clone to use the sword dance in session. The petals blocked the dozens of paths for Transfusion Regeneration and it returned to Fenrir.


    ¡°Kuek...! You!!¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s gaze was fixed on Grid as the power that would¡¯ve taken away the life of the intruders was pointlessly returned. Just like in every raid, the boss monster¡¯s aggro was eventually directed to Grid.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    Until now, Fenrir had been passive. He fought with wide-area attacks to consume the intruders rather than directly attacking Grid. The reason was simple¡ªhe mistook Grid for the Blood King after Grid resisting the effect of item control with the Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss and then neutralizing the attack using the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots. It was a wise choice for Fenrir to prioritize Grid¡¯s subordinates since he couldn¡¯t guarantee he could consume Grid¡¯s health.


    However, it changed at his moment. Fenrir abandoned wisdom and gave in to his instincts. Regardless of whether he was the Blood King or not, Fenrir felt the need to kill this human straight away.


    ¡°Gruruk! Can¡¯t go!¡±


    Fenrir seeded in continuously deploying wide-area blood magic and killing a few Overgeared members, only for Teruchan to block his way to Grid. Teruchan¡¯s stats became stronger as he fought and they had risen significantlypared to the beginning of the battle, making his attack power unusual. However, Fenrir didn¡¯t shrink back and struggled with Teruchan.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Teruchan was pushed back in a power struggle. The power of ¡®struggle¡¯ gave Fenrir enough strength to not lose to Teruchan. Teruchan was blown away after Failure collided with Fenrir¡¯s kick and coughed up blood against the wall.


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    ¡°Yap!¡±


    ck ck!ck!


    Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons failed to stop Fenrir. He blew them away with one fist, counteracted Singuled¡¯s killing intent with arger killing intent, and escaped the offensive of Amelda¡¯s group by turning his flesh into bats.


    ¡°Stop him!"


    Asmophel used his Flower Sword and Jude inted his muscles as they stabbed at the bats. They urately captured the bodies of the bats and struck. Then Fenrir turned the bats into gases and neutralized even their attacks. The only ones left to stop him was Mercedes and Piaro.


    ¡°Nasty bastard....!¡±


    He knew that bing gas was useless in front of Mercedes¡¯ glowing eyes and turned it off. Fenrir returned to his original form and prated the gap in Mercedes¡¯ shield. It seemed pointless. In terms of technique, Fenrir was no match for Mercedes.


    ¡°...!¡±


    However, in a power struggle, he could overwhelm Mercedes¡¯s technique for a moment. It was as if he deliberately revealed a gap to Mercedes and anticipated the sword swinging in his vision. He seized Mercedes¡¯s shield with the power of dominance. Once Fenrir¡¯s knee mmed into Mercedes¡¯ face, Keen Insight was temporarily released.


    In the gap, the gas form Fenrir permeated into the ground and caused the mortar falling from the sky to lose its target. Nevertheless, Piaro was formidable. His seeds were scattered across the entire ground and Fenrir was forced to pop back above the ground, a hand plow aiming at his forehead. Fenrir barely blocked the hand plow with the shield he had stolen from Mercedes and frowned, creating his mind world.


    ¡°Realm of Domination.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s consciousness flew away. His consciousness fell into apletely different space that matched Fenrir¡¯s mind room.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Braham¡¯s absence yed a big role. Fenrir had no need to be aware of Braham and was a runaway lotive. The Overgeared members¡¯ defensive line was quickly broken. In the blink of an eye, Fenrir reached Grid and it was a Fenrir quite different from before. The strength to beat Teruchan, the will to beat Jude, the killing intent that beat Singuled, the spirit that beat Noll and Tiramet, and the skill that beat Mercedes.


    ¡°It is too bad, human.¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s fist struck Grid¡¯s face as hepressed the space and flew. It was an attack that retained the power of a deadly blow. Grid didn¡¯t avoid it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    He weed it with an attack.


    [You have suffered 39,500 damage!]


    [The target has received 29,300 damage.]


    [You have suffered 42,930 damage!]


    [The target has received 31,660 damage.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Fenrir was astonished when the umted power of struggle suddenly disappeared. He sensed danger but there was nowhere to retreat. Grid desperately gritted his teeth as he desperately exchanged blows.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily...!]


    [The target has received 29,670 damage...]


    Grid consumed all types of survival titles and skills, including the First King, as he suddenly entered a state of immortality. He only considered one thing¡ªthe current state of Fenrir¡¯s health. Fenrir, who suffered a series of major damages and failed to receive Transfusion Regeneration, had then struggled to break through the knights¡¯ defense line.


    ¡°Let¡¯s die together.¡±


    ¡°Damn crazy guy...!¡±


    Fenrir became contemtive. Even those who had lived for hundreds of years were forced to feel afraid of death. He was pushed back. He stopped attacking for a moment and stepped back. Grid unfolded Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle and Fenrir¡¯s eyes widened. Grid¡¯s God Hands were transforming into Lifael¡¯s Spear, a secret weapon deadly to demonkin.

 Chapter 1147

    ¡°......¡±


    Realm of Domination¡ªPiaro was drawn into Fenrir¡¯s unique world and was in a major crisis. However, there wasn¡¯t any danger in this enchantment. The serene desertndscape was deste and lonely.


    ¡°An immortal being...¡±


    There were countless humans who envied the eternal life of vampires. However, were vampires suitable for the times? Could they call their eternal life a blessing when they spent most of it alone in a coffin? Piaro recalled the thirsty-for-affection Noll and thought that vampires were a very needy race.


    The wolf cub on the ground approached Piaro¡¯s feet and rubbed his cheek against them. He seemed ustomed to being loved as he wagged his tail and pushed out his belly when he met Piaro¡¯s eyes.


    Piaro smiled and stroked the wolf¡¯s soft belly. ¡°You are Hachika.¡±


    Woof! His head nodded. Hachika responded by fiercely wagging his tail and a shadow was cast over Piaro¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°I see... your master was someone who could share affection with you despite never receiving affection.¡±


    The identity of the enchantment was to project the user¡¯s mental image. This mental image was based on the mind. The more dangerous the mind, the more threatening it would be. On the other hand, Fenrir¡¯s world expressed solitude and affection. Fenrir seemed to believe that the vision of Hachika in his mind symbolized dominance but this was rapport, not domination.


    ¡®...Maybe this is the essence of the trait of domination.¡¯


    Only then could he understand Beriache¡¯s expectations for Fenrir. Beriache, who wanted the unity and freedom of the n, wouldn¡¯t have wanted a tyrant to be the Blood King.


    Piaro took something out of his arms and nted it in the desert. It was one seed. The seed soon took root, potatoes opened, and blue stems grew upwards. It was one of three ways to escape a unique enchantment It was to cause a change in the foundation of the mind. Once a dainty potato flower bloomed in the deste desert, arge crack started to ur in the enchantment.


    Hachika clung to Piaro¡¯s ankle. He seemed to be shouting that he didn¡¯t want to stay here alone but he was just an image, not real. Piaro stroked his head once and left the enchantment. He soon opened his eyes in reality and was able to witness the swirling Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle m into Fenrir.


    ¡°Cough...! Cough!!¡±


    Fenrir sat down due to the golden spears piercing both legs. He looked at the faces of the intruders surrounding him and asked Noll and Tiramet, ¡°Did you turn that guy into the Blood King?¡±


    Tiramet didn¡¯t answer and Noll hurriedly asked, ¡°What are you saying? What type of talent do we have to make a Blood King at will?¡±


    ¡°Then how is he already the Blood King?¡±


    ¡°Grid isn¡¯t the Blood King. He is still a candidate.¡±


    ¡°What...? He ignored the power of domination despite not being a Blood King?¡±


    Grid was his name. Fenrir stared at the first human to defeat him and quickly burst into tears.


    ¡°He is just a monster.¡±


    Fenrir didn¡¯t know much about the human world. Fenrir had heard Pagma¡¯s name but he never met Pagma in person. Thus, he had no way of knowing that Grid resisted the power of domination because he was Pagma¡¯s Descendant. He misunderstood Grid as the strongest transcendent of this age with a status above him. This meant he was even more determined.


    ¡°...You must not be the Blood King.¡±


    Fenrir denied Grid.


    sh!


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Grid was flustered. The moment Fenrir reached into the air, light shed from the middle of the ceiling like a sun. It was shocking to know there was something like the sun deep underground in a city of vampires who feared the sun. Grid and the knights frowned at the bright light. The Sun Sword waspletely dominated by Fenrir¡¯s power and mmed into Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡°...Ugh.¡± Grid let out a groan and swayed.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    The astonished Ruby hurriedly tried to use Heal but like the Sun Sword, all the lost weapons scattered throughout the room rushed at her to stop her. It was the power of domination. Fenrir had all the weapons dropped by intruders in this ce under his control while leaving behind a secret weapon.


    Fenrir determined Grid to be dead when he saw this person copsing and looked at Braham. ¡°The Blood King shouldn¡¯t exist. Once the Blood King is born, Marie Rose will take revenge and the entire n will be used as a tool of revenge.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The n¡¯s grudge? Revenge for the prosperity of the n? Nonsense. It is my mother¡¯s grudge and revenge is to honor her. Do you think it is right that we are used as tools of revenge just because we were born as her children?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The birth of the Blood King will drive the n to hell. It will annihte all of the n except Marie Rose and the Blood King.¡± Fenrir¡¯s gaze swept over Noll and Tiramet. He hadn¡¯t reacted when he saw them on the side of the humans and now he spoke to them for the first time. ¡°All of you have already ovee the Curse of Idleness. You don¡¯t need a Blood King to take revenge. You must live normally in a world without the Blood King.¡±


    ¡°...Fenrir.¡±


    Noll¡¯s eyes filled with tears. He was thrilled to learn that the reason why Fenrir tried to prevent the birth of the Blood King was for his siblings. On the other hand, Braham scoffed. He showed his obvious scorn and opened his mouth. ¡°That is bullshit. You just don¡¯t want others to reign over you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    ¡°You just want to live that worthless life.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    ¡°No, it is true. Do you think I don¡¯t know your nature? You are a meaningless existence, a despicable coward who dreams of eternal existence. You are just a despicable coward whoy in your coffin as an excuse not to fight for her.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t youe in contact with Marie Rose not long ago? Didn¡¯t you rush out into the human world because you were afraid she would meet apanion and give birth to a new child, treating you as useless?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°In front of Marie Rose who can get rid of you at any time, you are just a terrified rat who can¡¯t even utter a word. Now you are portraying yourself differently? You are a really despicable fellow.¡±


    ¡°You are the madman who harmed his own people!¡±


    Fenrir reached out his hand. The Sun Sword, plugged into Grid, was sucked into his hand. Fenrir suffered severe burns to his hands. Still, he held the Sun Sword without hesitation as he shed it at Braham¡¯s neck. The only person who blocked him was Grid. Fenrir recoiled with shock when Grid, who he was certain had died, showed up alive. ¡°H-How are you alive?¡±


    Grid had been wounded more than Fenrir. It was impossible for him to be alive after being stabbed with the sword. Grid scratched his head and answered. ¡°I¡¯m overgeared.¡±


    It was an answer without any lies. Grid had a legendary ss and entered the immortal state for five seconds. The moment the immortal duration ended, he recovered 20% of his health using the Protagonist of Two Eras title and his life was spared. In addition, Valha and Lantier¡¯s cloak had defense in the realm of a legendary level and he couldn¡¯t be killed by a ¡®mere sword with 1,000 attack power¡¯ falling from the air. That¡¯s why the other knights apart from Ruby didn¡¯t make a fuss.


    ¡°G-Grid, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Noll was biting his nails with a tearful expression. He loved his siblings because of the trait of ¡®kindness,¡¯ which had grown stronger since oveing the Curse of Idleness. He didn¡¯t want Fenrir¡¯s death. Even if Fenrir was obsessed with his life out of simple selfishness as Braham said, Noll wanted to protect Fenrir because Fenrir was poor.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°What are you not sure about? I have to kill him.¡±


    A direct descendant vampire was an immortal being who could be resurrected unless the soul was extinguished. Tiramet was the representative example. He might not be resurrected as aplete being like a great demon but he could be an imperfect pet.


    Grid decided that Fenrir should be sealed once in order for Fenrir to get a new start. The limitation of monsters was that they couldn¡¯t take potions. Fenrir¡¯s health was still at the bottom unlike Grid who took a potion to recover from the sword falling from the ceiling. His incredible resilience meant his health would recover if he had a bit more time, but the time was too short.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Grid used cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements again after their cooldown ended and lightly dodged the Sun Sword. He linked the two fusion and three fusion sword dances, turning Fenrir to grey ash. However, like the other direct descendant vampires, Fenrir¡¯s soul didn¡¯t dissipate and instead permeated the cloak he had been wearing. Ruby tried to stop it but Grid restrained her.


    [You have sealed Vampire Marquis ¡®Fenrir¡¯!]


    [Fenrir¡¯s strength is engraved on the Rune of Darkness.]


    [Fenrir¡¯s Strength]


    [Type: Passive


    Show the undefeated spirit of struggle.


    If you are fighting an opponent who has a higher level than you for more than a minute, the damage and defense reduction effects caused by the level difference will be ignored.]


    [Your level has risen!]


    [Your level has risen!]


    [The blessing of Archangel Sariel has urred! The item drop rate will increase by 500%!]


    [¡¯Fenrir¡¯s Cloak¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [A ¡®High-grade Vampire Ring¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [¡¯Strange Magic Power Stone¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The ¡®Sun Sword¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [10 ¡®Elixirs¡¯ have been acquired.]


    [7 blessed weapon enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [15 blessed armor enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [The title ¡®Blood King Candidate¡¯ has been promoted to ¡®Blood King.¡¯]


    [All vampires except ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ will be submissive to you in the future!]


    [Blood King]


    [Type: Passive


    ¡ï Blood magic will bloom when conditions are met.


    The blood magic will be ording to your personality.


    ¡ï Can free direct descendant vampires if the conditions are met.


    * Liberated vampires are free from the Curse of Idleness.]


    ¡®All vampires will be submissive to me?¡¯


    Grid was lost for words by the unimaginable effect.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Tiramet knelt in front of Grid. Then an exmation point appeared over Tiramet¡¯s name and Grid clicked on it. The result was amazing.


    [Tiramet¡¯s soul has been freed from his constraints!]


    A light shed from Tiramet¡¯s Belt that Grid was wearing and a blue soul slipped out, permeating Tiramet¡¯s body. It was the moment when Tiramet¡¯s identity returned to being a NPC, not a pet.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid confirmed that Tiramet had recovered his strength and clicked his tongue.


    Noll didn¡¯t know the situation and was hugging Grid in a thrilled manner. ¡°You sealed Fenrir to save him afterwards!¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    In fact, he wanted to resurrect Fenrir as a pet. He never dreamed they could be fully resurrected as NPCs. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t bother exining and Noll jumped around while saying Grid¡¯s n was really great.


    Grid asked Braham, ¡°Did you know this when you asked me to be the Blood King?¡±


    Braham had told Grid that he had no intention of seeking revenge. Yet he insisted on hunting Fenrir using the angel¡¯s blessing as an excuse. This meant that Grid would be Blood King. It had been a bit questionable but at this moment, the question was resolved. Perhaps Braham wanted to give his brothers freedom from the start.


    Braham was cynical. ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence. I didn¡¯t care about them.¡±


    He was serious. Braham was only concerned about Grid. Braham was wary of Marie Rose¡¯s children in the future. If Grid was still a Blood King Candidate when Marie Rose gave birth to a child then Grid would be targeted by Marie Rose¡¯s children, who dreamed of bing the Blood King.


    However, as long as Grid became the Blood King, Marie Rose¡¯s children couldn¡¯t hurt Grid. Even Marie Rose was the same. That¡¯s right. Braham had no idea that Marie Rose was interested in Grid.


    At the same time, the S.A Group...


    ¡°I think it is better to create multiple PVE-focused events than PvP...¡±


    ¡°Definitely... there is no other way if we want to make the participants feel less deprived.¡±


    The executives, who were sitting in the conference room and watching Grid, exchanged views. They were blinded by the sight of Grid, who had been crowned Blood King.

 Chapter 1148

    ¡°Do you want to increase the number of events?¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin was in charge of nning the 5th National Competition.After flying directly to the United States, he was making his way to the stage when he received a phone call and frowned.


    President Janson¡¯s flustered voice continued, -That...Mr. Grid has be the Blood King.


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom has already raided Fenrir?¡±


    Fenrir, the highest ranked direct descendant vampire after Marie Rose, was simr in strength to the 19th great demon. The setting of the child¡ªwho received Shizo Beriache¡¯s expectations and the hidden piece, Blood King¡ªwas a key setting obtained as a result of several calibrations.


    Of course, the vampire race itself was inferior to a great demon, so their health was much lower. However, the power of struggle ¡®which increased when the enemy was stronger¡¯ and the power of domination ¡®which neutralized the enemy¡¯s weapons and skills¡¯ were abilities optimized to counteract Grid¡¯s knights.


    It was impossible for Grid to seed against Fenrir before Braham grew to level 500. Therefore, the management team determined that Grid wouldn¡¯t be the Blood King until after this year¡¯s National Competition or until next year¡¯s National Competition. Yet he was already the Blood King?


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    -Braham¡¯s magic ability turned several of Fenrir¡¯s strengths useless.Braham only used four spells in this raid, including Frozen Tempest. This was indirectly triggered using Grid¡¯s mana, and he blocked Fenrir¡¯s resilience throughout the raid.


    ¡°Duke of Wisdom...¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s artificial intelligence learned and evolved. Braham¡¯s power exceeded the expectations of the management team.


    -Not only has Grid grown rapidly after meeting Biban, but he is now the Blood King. Which yer canpare to him?The executives say that increasing PvE events and reducing the directpetition between Grid and the other participants will help better maintain Satisfy¡¯s value.Of course, the promotion ofpetition will be weakened at present, but for the sake of the future, isn¡¯t it better to reduce the yers¡¯ sense of deprivation?


    ¡°This has yet to be the board of directors¡¯ official position.¡±


    -Of course, but there are many people who are frantic about the current oue.Can the board of directors watch silently as the status of the National Competition lowers?However, you have been promoting the National Competition for years. If you stand on our side and empower us...


    ¡°Have you forgotten?¡± Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s interrupted President Janson¡¯s words and recalled the atmosphere of a year ago. ¡°Thousands of yers have been unlocking their potential, and they are filled with hopes and dreams at the appearance of the supreme one. It has been proven many times that the supreme one is the object of admiration, not envy. Even if Grid shows an overwhelming performance this year, the yers won¡¯t feel deprived.¡±


    -No, that is just once or twice.The vast majority of people who y Satisfy feel the greatest pleasure and satisfaction from experiencing their ¡®growth¡¯ in real time.They have been trying so hard over the past year to get a bit closer to Grid. Once they find out that the gap with Grid has widened even further, will they justugh and say that Grid is great?Don¡¯t you think they will lose their satisfaction at the growth they¡¯ve achieved in the past year and lose motivation?


    ¡°...It reminds me of a game that enjoyed unparalleled poprity before Satisfy was released.¡±


    -The game of the RTS genre created by an Americanpany?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was the most popr game in the world for over 30 years. Do you know that South Korea almost monopolized the championship for 10 years once the game started internationalpetitions?¡±


    -I wonder if there is anyone who doesn¡¯t know.


    ¡°In the first few years, the Western yers were jealous of the Korean team¡¯s monopoly on victory. They ridiculed Koreans and denounced our sess in e-sports because we are ¡®poor people born in a country where games aren¡¯t yed¡¯. However, that was only for the first few years. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn¡¯t keep up. What happened when this repeated again and again? They acknowledged and respected the Koreans. It means that the feelings people have toward Grid will flow in exactly the opposite direction of your expectations.¡±


    -Isn¡¯t this interpretation too optimistic?


    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain. In particr, the high rankers will hope that Grid¡¯s high reputation will continue. Only then will they feel a greater joy when they catch up one day.¡±


    -... Do you think Grid will lose his ce as the supreme one?


    ¡°It is hard to see a force beyond the Overgeared Kingdom, but there are plenty of yers who can potentially go beyond Grid¡¯s personal strength.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin would soon be meeting one of those candidates.


    ¡°It is time to shoot the opening video. I¡¯ll be going off.¡± Director Yoon Sangmin hung up the phone and entered the capsule.


    Inside the Valha Kingdom in Satisfy...


    ¡°You came, Director.¡±


    Dozens of staff members, who had connected first, weed Director Yoon Sangmin.


    ¡°Thank you for agreeing to shoot today.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin shook hands with all the staff and found a group approaching from a distance. The rankers from the Valha Kingdom were scheduled to participate in this year¡¯s National Competition. The members of Ares¡¯ Army were approaching.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to make youe here,¡± God of War Ares said. He had been an unofficial ranker for many years and was one of the famous bigshots who established a kingdom and made his name known. Thanks to the recent blossoming of his ss characteristics, he gained the passive skill ¡®the more subordinates you have, the more your stats will increase¡¯. Now he weed Director Yoon Sangmin and the staff.


    Director Yoon Sangmin shook his hand.¡°No. Thank you for giving your time to participate in the shooting of the opening video.¡±


    In fact, before the 1st National Competition, the S.A Group¡¯s production method for their opening video was outdated. Participants were brought into local studios, and the videos filmed. This resulted in a great loss of game time. In any case, the video shoot took ce after connecting to Satisfy. Thus, they were heavily criticized for making people attend in real life. Now the S.A Group found and filmed people in person inside the game.


    ¡°So what should we do? Should we stand in a group like the participantsst year?¡±Luck asked bluntly.


    He felt anxious leaving the hunting grounds for even a second, so he was in a hurry. Nevertheless, he was filming the National Competition¡¯s opening video was because it was somewhat cheesy but cool. Since this was the first time the majority of the Ares¡¯ Army was participating in the National Competition, they wanted to be heavily involved in the opening video.


    ¡°This year¡¯s opening video will be filmed in the form of an interview.¡±


    ¡°Interview?¡±


    ¡°It is intended to make the audience more engaged bymunicating your environment, goals, ideas, andmitment to thepetition.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not good at speaking...¡¯ Luck frowned and started murmuring.


    Unlike Luck, Scott responded positively, ¡°It is a great way to build awareness.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. That is our intention.¡±


    The power of the fans was strong. Grid, Kraugel, and Yura proved it in real time. The more famous and popr the rankers became, the more Satisfy¡¯s poprity increased. It was a win-win strategy for both the S.A Group and the rankers. In particr, from the perspective of a weak country, it was an opportunity to build awareness. For the Ares¡¯ Army, it was absolutely valuable.


    ¡°Ares, would you like to be interviewed first?¡± Director Yoon Sangmin gave the signal, and the staff became busy.


    The lights and reflectors scattered everyone made Ares¡¯ armor and crown shine. The makeup artist¡¯s skill also added shades to Ares¡¯ face. Ares¡¯ majestic figure was captured on camera.


    ¡°Ares, you¡¯ve been an unofficial ranker for many years. Despite bing the second yer king, you are still unfamiliar to the public. Why have you decided to abandon your mysticism and participate in the National Competition?¡±The host asked the question from the script.


    The host¡¯s voice and questions would be removed from the opening video. Yoon Sangmin nned to ask the participants as many questions as possible. Then he would select them, edit the essences, and form the video. The interviews of the participants, intersected with the beautiful and magnificent USndscape, would make the audience waiting for the National Competition be filled with excitement.


    ¡°I will remove the stigma of a third-ss yer.¡±Ares was smiling in a friendly manner. Yet the moment he started shooting, he transformed into a different person. His serious and clear voice had the power to draw the audience¡¯s focus, and his eyes had an intensity that overwhelmed people. He wasn¡¯t a king for nothing. Ares had enough force to stand on his own at the top.


    ¡°The public has oftenpared the work that I¡¯ve done after founding the Valha Kingdom to Grid¡¯s. Overall, it is a bad evaluation. Compared to Grid who developed the Overgeared Kingdom and formed a double-walled power with the empire, I have only had repeated failures.


    ¡°Of course, it is undeniable that I am a person who iscking inparison to Grid. The tant evidence is that Valha is still a weak kingdom.


    ¡°However, I want to prove my potential. I want to prove that while I might be third-rate inparison to Grid now, I will one day be a first-rate personparable to Grid.¡±


    ¡®As expected.¡¯ Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s conviction was strengthened.


    Ares¡¯ attitude waspletely different from Janson¡¯s concerns, and he gave a perfectly normal response. If it were human nature to feel jealous or deprived because a person was better than them, how could human society have developed to this point? It was absolutely impossible. Humans were able to develop more because they felt a greater sense ofpetitiveness and respect toward their rivals, instead of frustration and jealousy.


    Someizens expressed bad responses because they could hide in anonymity while some yersunched despicable propaganda out of jealousy, but they were a small number and not the majority.


    Director Yoon Sangmin made up his mind, ¡®No new events will be added.¡¯


    A few dayster, the opening video was released on the inte, shaking the whole world. People werepletely attracted to Grid, who appearedst in the video.

 Chapter 1149

    ¡°My goal for this year¡¯s National Competition? It is to naturally win three gold medals. Huh?Haha, no. I¡¯m still not good enough to challenge Grid. I¡¯ll have to try an event that Grid isn¡¯t participating in.


    ¡°My ultimate goal is to break Grid and be the new supreme one. However, the hurdle is too high this year. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to challenge Grid next year or the year after.¡±


    The interview contained familiar faces who had participated in the National Competition. Since public opinion around the world was conscious of Grid, the participants were also forced to mention Grid. Moreover, the more experienced the yer, the more likely they were to say ¡®not yet¡¯ and that they were aiming for Grid as a goal. It wasn¡¯t humility but an attitude close to conviction.


    On the other hand, the new participants were full of ambition. Most of them were young yers who had just be high rankers.


    ¡°The era of Kraugel, who was hailed the sky above the sky, ended in three years. This is the third year since Grid has be the supreme one. Just as Grid ended Kraugel¡¯s era, this year I will end Grid¡¯s era.¡±


    ¡°I started ying Satisfy because I admire Grid. It has only been three years since I started ying Satisfy, but I¡¯m lucky enough to participate in the National Competition. Yes, I¡¯m happy. I¡¯m so excited to see Grid that I haven¡¯t been able to sleep for a few days. My goal? It is to join PvP and fight against Grid. I want to leave an imprint on Grid this year and beat him next year.¡±


    The rtively inexperienced young high rankers weren¡¯t scared. They trusted their talent instead of shrinking back in front of Grid. These yers burned with a sense of challenge. Although they might not be convinced that they could go beyond Grid, they believed they had enough talent to make him nervous.


    Of course, the public didn¡¯tugh at them. They were still immature at the moment, but it was unknown as to whether they could really surpass Grid in the next few years.


    ¡°My goal is to regain France¡¯s honor...¡±


    The interviews continued.


    The public cheered on their participants and raised their expectations for the National Competition. In this year¡¯s National Competition, what would be the highlights and the dramatic stories? How many heroes would be created, and how many geniuses would appear? Who would be called a rising star, and how terribly would the final boss, Grid, destroy them?


    -Wow.


    -Amazing.


    The viewers were immersed in the opening video. They were filled with high expectations as it headed into the second half and were soon shocked. The War God Ares, the second yer king after Grid, filled the screen.


    ¡°I want to prove that I might be third-rate inparison to Grid now, but one day, I will be a first-rate personparable to Grid. Additionally, our Valha is the only rival of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Scott, Luck, Helil, Stima, and so on¡ªthe camera scanned the faces of Valha¡¯s representatives. This thrilled the audience in the chat. Many people interpreted that this year¡¯s National Competition would be different from the previous National Competitions that were swept clean by the Overgeared members.


    In the midst of the turmoil...


    ¡°I think they have to go beyond me first.¡±


    The video was dark, and the voice that spoke was low. The scene was then reced. The camera showed a hawk flying in the blue sky before reversing and focusing on top of an unnamed mountain. A dopo embroidered with a yellow dragon fluttered in the wind.


    -Ah...


    -His presence itself is wonderful.


    The viewers were excited. A man with long, ck hair stood on the cliff. It was none other than Sword Saint Kraugel.


    ¡°I want to tell you to challenge me before challenging Grid,¡± Kraugel gave this warning to all participants before drawing his sword, and the sword split the world in half.


    Then a huge royal castle appeared. The camera passed through a corridor lined with red carpet and showed Grid sitting on the throne. The legendary knight Mercedes and legendary farmer Piaro, who were familiar to viewers, stood on his left and right. Grid¡¯s presence was no less overwhelming than Kraugel¡¯s, and the viewers gulped unknowingly. As he gazed at the camera, Grid slowly opened his mouth and said, ¡°So boring.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The host¡¯s voice was heard for the first time. She was very flustered.


    Grid continued speaking,¡°What is the use of participating in apetition without an opponent? For me, the National Competition is a waste of time, nothing more and nothing less.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was an unbelievably shocking remark. An unprecedented situation that wasn¡¯t in the script had urred, and the flustered host asked urgently,¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t be participating in this year¡¯s National Competition?¡±


    Nod.


    Grid moved his head and stared at the camera, the corners of his mouth rising. It was a provocative smile.


    ¡°I will wait for the Sword Saint to ripen a bit more.¡±


    ***


    The opening video finished with Grid¡¯s interview.


    -(Fact) Last year, Grid said he wouldn¡¯t participate in the National Competition.


    -That¡¯s right.Then he joined as the demon king and hit people in the back.


    -How valuable are the gold medal rewards? How can he give them up?There is no chance. ??


    -Hrmm...He has been the demon king once. Doesn¡¯t that mean he can be the demon king again?


    -Yes.Aren¡¯t there any new events this year simr to the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation?


    -I think Grid is serious about not participating...


    -If I were Grid, I wouldn¡¯t participate if I was really bored.


    -Ah -_- Grid is the highlight of the National Competition.


    -A National Competition without Grid? ?? It is no fun.


    The public¡¯s response went through several stages¡ªdenial, eptance, and disappointment.


    Once the S.A Group officially acknowledged Grid¡¯s refusal, the media became upset. People gave opinions on what a National Competition without the supreme one meant, giving the example that Kraugel hadn¡¯t participated in the 1st National Competition. They shed with those who thought the move would make things bnced and create many points of view.


    The bottom line was:


    ¡º The main character of this year¡¯s National Competition is Kraugel. ¡»


    It was like this.


    ¡º The main character of the 1st National Competition was Grid. Then in the National Competition of the year that followed, Gridpeted with Kraugel, who was the supreme one at the time. This hinted at the emergence of a new sky. I feel that Kraugel will be the star of this year¡¯s National Competition andpete against Grid again starting from next year. ¡»


    The media took the lead in starting the fire, and the public¡¯s attention was focused on Kraugel. The public wondered if he could y against the Overgeared members and Ares¡¯ Army or defeat this year¡¯s demon king, who was believed to be Damian. They also wondered if he could crush the new participants like how Grid had done.


    The poprity of Sword Saint Kraugel was so great that it filled in the gaps Grid had created.


    ***


    [(Column) The water will rot. It is clear that Grid has given up his right to foster the younger generation.]


    [(Column) Grid has given up his position of the protagonist to Kraugel, who was once his rival. He is irritated by the position of the supreme one and wants a newpetitor.]


    [(Column) Can Kraugel revive ording to Grid¡¯s expectations?]


    The world started to pour out one-sided interpretations of Grid¡¯s refusal topete in the National Competition. People werepletely fascinated by Grid¡¯s choice of giving up his rights and giving the national stage to hispetitors. This made his poprity soar. He might not be participating in the National Competition, but Grid received more proposals frompanies to be their advertising model than any other person in history. Grid naturally rejected all offers.


    The reason why he didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition and gave up all the gold medal rewards was that he needed time.


    -I¡¯m sorry I spoke such cheap words in the interview.


    -No, you just told the truth, so you don¡¯t have to apologize.


    Since the end ofst year¡¯s National Competition, Kraugel had studied under Kirinus for nearly three years in game time. He became stronger rapidly by mastering the spear, applying it to his swordsmanship and training his willpower and Control Sword.


    There was just one problem¡ªhis level. Kraugel had been unable to hunt during his training under Kirinus, so his level wasn¡¯t much different fromst year. His training strengthened all types of special stats, and he acquired new skills, resulting in a significant increase inbat power. However, his level was far lower than Grid¡¯s.


    This year, he pledged to be Grid¡¯s enemy, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Kraugel needed more time, and Grid knew this.


    ¡®Next year is definitely...¡¯


    [Your level has risen.]


    There was less than a month until the 5th National Competition. Kraugel finally left Kirinus¡¯ hut and visited the hunting grounds after a long time. He pledged and entered leveling mode.


    ***


    [Fenrir¡¯s Cloak]


    [Rating: Epic (Growth)


    Durability: 285/285 Defense: 190


    * All damage is reduced by 15%.


    * All resistances are increased by 10%.


    * There is a low probability of part of the cloak turning into bats when hit. The cloak¡¯s durability and options will remain the same, and the bats will attack the targets perceived as enemies. The bats will deal 500 fixed damage to the target and disturb the target¡¯s vision. It will also restore the wearer¡¯s health by 100% of the damage dealt.


    * If this cloak grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summoned Vampire Marquis Fenrir. Once Fenrir is summoned, the Blood King effect canpletely liberate Fenrir.


    Conditions of Use: Blood King


    Weight: 510]


    Thanks to the angel¡¯s blessing, the items that Fenrir dropped were excellent in both quantity and quality. Fenrir¡¯s cloak was lined with rich fur and wasparable to Lantier¡¯s Cloak. The legendary rated Lantier¡¯s Cloak reduced the damage of stabs, cuts, and throwing attacks by 20%. Meanwhile, Fenrir¡¯s Cloak reduced the damage of all types of attacks by 15%, despite only being epic rated. Additionally, Lantier¡¯s Cloak would increase its resistance depending on the climate while Fenrir¡¯s Cloak always increased the resistance.


    Of course, Lantier¡¯s Cloak had the fraudulent effect of a 10% probability of blocking physical attacks. However, the bats of Fenrir¡¯s Cloak were also formidable. Tests showed that the cloak split into exactly 31 bats. This meant they could deal up to 15,000 fixed damage to the target and absorb that much health. Furthermore, the bats even disturbed the target¡¯s vision.


    Grid¡¯s assessment was that the higher the rating of Fenrir¡¯s Cloak, the higher the chances the probability of bing a bat, and the number and damage of the bats would increase. Thus, it was better than Lantier¡¯s Cloak.


    Additionally, the Strange Magic Power Stone was just as great as Fenrir¡¯s Cloak.


    [Strange Magic Power Stone]


    [Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    * Can increase the rating of the target item to the same rating as the stone.


    * Absorbs magic power when hunting transcendents, great demons, archangels, and half-gods (currently 0/5).


    * Once the magic power absorption reaches the maximum value, the rating of the stone will increase by one level.


    Weight: 1]


    Grid struggled for a moment. ¡®Should I use it on Fenrir¡¯s Cloak right now?¡¯


    No, no...


    It was very easy for the cloak to gain experience because it was easily exposed duringbat. It was also too luxurious to use on Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and Latina¡¯s Ne, which were too far from the legendary rating. Yetima¡¯s Greatsword and Cray¡¯s Bracelet were being raised by Chris and Euphemina respectively.


    In the end, there was only one candidate left. It was Ruson¡¯s Shoes. However, it didn¡¯t seem wise to summon Ruson straight away and consume the Strange Magic Power Stone. If he could increase the stone to a myth rating, he could raise an item to the maximum myth rating. Besides, the options of Ruson¡¯s Shoes were so ordinary that he was reluctant to use the stone on them.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯ll need to start grinding.¡¯


    The defense of Ruson¡¯s Shoes was too low due to the nature of leather boots, and the blood-sucking option shared a cooldown with the vampire ring. It was why Grid neglected the shoes. Grid had put Ruson¡¯s Shoes on the back burner because he was too vain to entrust it to someone else to raise.


    However, things were different now. Grid had be the Blood King, freeing all the direct descendant vampires and having them ept him. In order to increase his power, Ruson¡¯s Shoes had to grow to the legendary level. This was why Grid decided not to participate in the National Competition. Grid nned to increase the ranks of his vampire equipment instead of participating in the National Competition and having to fly to the United States, wasting time on all the official schedules.


    Of course, he also wanted to raise the rating of the Strange Magic Power Stone.


    ¡®Angels are targets that I can¡¯t recklessly be hostile to. The only transcendents or half-gods I know are in the Tower of Wisdom and the grandmaster...¡¯


    Hell was inessible to humans. It was virtually impossible to go directly to hell and raid the great demons, so he had to wait for the advent of the great demons. Grid was struggling when he suddenly thought of someone.


    ¡®The yangbans?¡¯


    Lee Jung, the follower of the war god, had said that the Hwan Kingdom consisted of gods who were cast out.


    Nevertheless, the only yangban Grid had met, Garam, didn¡¯t seemparable to a god.


    In the end, only a few of them were the expelled gods, such as the Five Seniors and the Chiyou. Those like Garam were just the descendants of the gods. (TL: Originally, I tranted Chiyou as the Chiyou Test because of a link I found. Now, it is more likely to be a rank below the Five Seniors, and Chiyou Test should actually be the Chiyou¡¯s test)


    Would they be ssified as half-gods?


    ¡°...Garam.¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze turned to the east as he sensed that the time of revenge was approaching.

 Chapter 1150

    ¡°Your subject, Han Seokbong, greets Your Majesty.¡±


    The former lord of Pangea, Han Seokbong. He was once one of the greatest loyalists of the Cho Kingdom and had been sentenced to death by its king. There was only one reason¡ªhe dared to know the whereabouts of the Red Phoenix Box, which was being searched for by the yangbans. Shortly before his execution, he was rescued by Grid and he and his family moved to the Overgeared Kingdom. He was now a member of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°It has been a long time, Viscount Han Seokbong. Raise your head.¡±


    Grid ran to the bowing Han Seokbong and tried to raise him up. He had said it dozens of times that there was no need to be so polite.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been contributing a lot to the development of the country. I¡¯m always grateful for your efforts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me. Every achievement I¡¯ve made is a reward for the grace I¡¯ve received.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was correct to say that Grid was Han Seokbong¡¯s benefactor. However, the reason why Han Seokbong received the death penalty was because he protected Grid. Thus, their rtionship could be called a ¡®same same (now we¡¯re even)¡¯ rtionship. Nevertheless, Han Seokbong regarded Grid as his lifelong benefactor and a person of distinction. Grid was both grateful and embarrassed.


    ¡°Hum hum, I will visit the East Continent soon. Before that, I want to get as much information as possible from you.¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Your Majesty faced Garam a few years ago... no, didn¡¯t Garam be very angry at you? Why do you want to take risks by going to the east?¡±


    ¡°It is because of Garam.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Garam is so insidious and dangerous that he made me fall into a trap despite being on a distantnd. I can¡¯t stretch out and sleepfortably as long as he is alive.¡±


    ¡°D-Do you mean to meet with Garam?¡±


    ¡°It will be a long fight.¡±


    Grid wore the skin mask that Braham had temporarily returned to him and touched his face a few times. He soon turned into apletely different person and asked, ¡°Do you think it will be hard to go to the East Continent in this state?¡±


    The East Continent was under the control of the Hwan Kingdom. It was to the extent where just one yangban of the Hwan Kingdom was powerful enough to dictate the fate of other kingdoms. Grid was cautious since it was likely hisplete appearance had been spread by Garam throughout the East Continent.


    Han Seokbong observed Grid and shook his head. ¡°It is more powerful than the rumors. You look like apletely different person. It isn¡¯t just your face but also your voice and body shape. Your Majesty, if you move like this in the East Continent then no one will know Your Majesty¡¯s true identity.¡±


    Of course, it was hard to hide his energy and habits. However, all the Eastern people with ties to Grid had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom. The only person who could identify Grid was the yangban Garam but it wasn¡¯t easy to meet a yangban.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    The relieved Grid took off the skin mask and asked, ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to know what I can get from the East Continent. There was an underground dungeon at Pangea Castle. Do you think there is anything else to get from there?¡±


    ¡°ording to records, the only thing that can be obtained from Pangea Castle¡¯s dungeon is the silver thread. Even so, Your Majesty has reached the depths of the dungeon that hasn¡¯t been recorded. I¡¯m not certain but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if something more was left in there.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve not hunting to level up now so I¡¯ll have to stop by.¡¯


    Grid nodded and proceeded to ask another question, ¡°Do you think it is possible for me to seize the Blue Dragon Dao in the eastern Kaya Kingdom, the White Tiger Spear in the western Pa Kingdom, and the ck Tortoise Jewel in the north?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Cho Kingdom lose the Red Phoenix Bow?¡±


    Han Seokbong, the one who lost the Red Phoenix Bow, answered guiltily, ¡°It will be hard but it isn¡¯t impossible. The weapons of the sacred creatures are a means to ¡®prevent cracks in the hell barrier.¡¯ Thus, they are kept in a ce with the strongest vein in the four directions. In the south, it was Pangea. As you know, Pangea isn¡¯t a geographically important city. There are fewer troops.¡±


    ¡°Will the situation of the east, west, and north be simr?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is because and with strong energy veins has many side-effects... however, if Your Majesty seizes the weapons of the sacred creatures...¡±


    Han Seokbong¡¯s expression darkened. Once the sacred creatures¡¯ weapons were removed, a crack in hell would open and demonkin woulde out. The East Continent would turn to hell.


    Grid reassured him, "Have you forgotten that I restored the Red Phoenix Bow? I won¡¯t sentence hundreds of millions of people to death out of greed. If I seed in gaining the original then I will make imitations to avoid the barrier breaking.¡±


    ¡°How wonderful. I will make you a map of the location of the sacred creatures¡¯ weapons and a list of folktales passed down through the people.¡±


    The dynamics of the East Continent that Grid wanted would be clearly organized. Indeed, Han Seokbong was an astute man. Grid nodded with a gratified expression and moved onto the next question.


    ¡°Is the identity of the big hero who killed the evil daoist and saved Pangea from the crisis a daoist immortal?¡±


    The identity of the little hero was Kraugel. It was just hard to know the identity of the big hero who defeated the evil daoist that Kraugel and Han Seokbong couldn¡¯t defeat. Even Idan, who had his frying pan stolen by the big hero, couldn¡¯t describe the characteristics of the big hero.


    This was what Idan had stated, ¡°The big hero... I often think of him these days, but my memories are blurry like there is a fog in front of me. I can¡¯t remember his appearance, voice, or even the short conversation I had with him.¡±


    It had to be assumed that the big hero used some mysterious technique. In the East, the mysterious atmosphere was one of the hallmarks of a daoist immortal.


    ¡°Yes, it makes sense to think of him as a daoist immortal.¡±


    ¡°What is the rtionship between a daoist immortal and a yangban?¡±


    ¡°For an ordinary person like me, a daoist immortal is hard to see even once in my lifetime. I don¡¯t know much about daoist immortals but I remember when the yangbans were discussing the daoist immortals. It felt like they were enemies.¡±


    ¡®Is there a confrontation between the yangbans and daoist immortals?¡¯


    Bentao, the daoist immortal who led Grid to the Peach Blossom Spring, had once said something. He was a fool who reached the Peach Blossom Spring but couldn¡¯t see the reality of the gods. He imed that he had descended to earth to fulfill the gods¡¯ will to destroy the seven malignant saints and he learned that the seven malignant saints actually weren¡¯t evil.


    ¡®I felt a sense of antipathy toward the gods.¡¯


    Moreover, the yangbans were the descendants of the expelled gods. It was expected that they wouldn¡¯t have a good rtionship with the daoist immortals, who had a deep ingrained sense of goodwill to themon people.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about being hostile to the daoist immortals if I hit the yangbans.¡¯


    Grid was able to ease his burden a bit and moved onto the next question. The most important part was from now on.


    ¡°What exactly do the people of the East Continent think of the Hwan Kingdom and the yangbans?¡±


    ¡°They are gods who protect the world from all types of cmities and great demons. The yangbans gave us the weapons of the sacred creatures that protect the world so all humans worship the yangban. However, the yangban are just the people of the Hwan Kingdom. The ones who establish and govern the Hwan Kingdom are the Five Seniors and the Chiyou. They are called the absolute gods.¡±


    ¡°Do you doubt them?¡±


    ¡°No. The Hwan Kingdom is a nation of gods and the king and the people of the kingdom are all gods. This is what the people of the East have been told and learned.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Lauel had made a guess. The reason why the yangbans blocked but didn¡¯t kill the great demons was to preserve their value. Grid agreed with this because of the existence of the ¡®deity¡¯ stat.


    ¡®Assuming that the Five Seniors and Chiyou were real gods and the yangban are just imitations they created, the original position of the yangbans should be at the level of the archangels of the West Continent. However, the yangbans have a muchrger presence and are more active than the archangels.¡¯


    Were the yangbans humans who built up the deity stat and became a real god after being worshipped by humans? If so, were the Five Seniors and Chiyou creating an army to retaliate against the gods.


    ¡°How many yangbans are there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain but they often use the phrase ¡®hands are precious.¡¯ In fact, not many yangbans have appeared in front of humans over thest hundreds of years. There were only seven of them, including Garam. Of course, this is just a guess.¡±


    ¡°Hands are precious... are they sayingpanionship is deep?¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Just look at Pagma. It was as expected.


    ¡°No. They often shed rather than acknowledging each other because their egos were so strong. I just noticed that they are absolutely obedient to the Five Seniors and the Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°They will rather act personally than in a crowd?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    Grid had only seen the yangban together once. Garam was always alone, except for when he visited Pangea as a group to investigate the disappearance of the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about fighting multiple yangbans at the same time.¡¯


    At least Grid was spared from facing the worst. Thest question remaining was whether it was possible to raid Garam.


    ¡®I have to secure all of the weapons of the sacred creatures from the East Continent,plete as many quests as possible to be stronger, and then fight them one by one.¡¯


    Grid was convinced that Garam was much stronger than Fenrir. Garam was at least level 600 and could use swordsmanship and the power of a sacred creature. Since he was ssified as a NPC rather than a monster, he had the weakness of rtively low health. However, the situation might be different if Garam umted a higher ¡®deity¡¯ stat since thest time Grid saw him. There was no guarantee that the raid would seed even if he challenged with all the power he used in the Fenrir raid. In any case, it would be noticeable if his knights started flocking to the East Continent, making his disguise useless. In the worst case scenario, he could lose his knights.


    ¡®I can die once.¡¯


    First, he would go to the East Continent alone and be strong enough. Then he would get a good grasp of Garam¡¯s power...


    Grid, who even nned for death, wasn¡¯t afraid and instead burned with motivation. For him, death was an experience¡ªit wasn¡¯t the end, it was the beginning.

 Chapter 1151

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it confusing?¡¯


    The reason why Grid decided not to participate in the National Competition was because he needed time. Unable to waste a single minute or second, he moved to the smithy as soon as his conversation with Han Seokbong was over.


    ¡®There are only seven?¡¯


    It was a sentence that felt strange. Han Seokbong said that only seven yangbans had been active over the past hundreds of years but the number of people Grid witnessed when he first encountered the yangbans was over 10. There were exactly 13 people. This wasn¡¯t a distortion of his memories. Grid recognized them as having a presence simr to the West Continent legends and clearly remembered his surprise that the number of yangbans was greater than the Western legends. Above all, there were witnesses.


    ¡°Braham, didn¡¯t you see 13 people at that time?¡±


    Deep in a secret passage...


    Braham frowned as he walked beside Grid in the newly created maze the dwarf Ke had created in the process of expanding the Overgeared Pce. He had taken off his skin mask after a long time and boasted a remarkable beauty that fascinated everyone.


    ¡°How many times have you asked me this?¡± Braham¡¯s soul was awake when Grid first visited the East Continent. At that time, he and Grid weren¡¯t friends. They were in the stage of gradually forming good feelings and Braham had indirectly witnessed and experienced the world through Grid¡¯s eyes. ¡°13 is correct.¡±


    ¡°However, Viscount Han Seokbong said there were only seven.¡±


    ¡°He must be lying. He is a worrisome guy who will hit you in the back sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±


    Grid knew that Han Seokbong wasn¡¯t a man who would deceive or betray him. There was no reason to do so. Braham read the conviction in Grid¡¯s eyes and thought for a moment. ¡°If Han Seokbong isn¡¯t lying then the Easterners might be caught up in a group suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Suggestion?¡±


    ¡°It is a suggestion to not recognize anyone apart from the seven as yangbans.¡±


    ¡°Why would such a suggestion be used?¡±


    ¡°I think they must be conscious of the monitors that the Western gods ced on the East Continent. The Five Seniors and Chiyou might be gods but they were dogs who lost and were driven out. It is normal for them to be wary and afraid of the Western gods. If it is as you think and they are building up their forces for revenge, they might need to hide their power.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It seemed very usible. A god had methods of deceiving millions or tens of millions of people.


    ¡°In that sense, the number seven is very valid. There are exactly seven archangels. If the number of yangbans is also seven then the Western gods won¡¯t feel any doubts.¡±


    Braham grabbed Grid¡¯s wrist and ced Grid behind him. The dwarf¡¯s yfulness was triggered and he made a uselesslyplex maze. Thus, Braham had to personally lead Grid through the maze.


    ¡°Excuse me, Braham.¡± Grid spoke as he was grabbed by the cor and followed Braham. ¡°If my guess is right, the more deity points the yangbans build up, the stronger they will be. So they should expose themselves to the public as much as possible to be worshipped. Apart from the seven, wouldn¡¯t the remaining six be unable to build up deity because they can¡¯t be recognized, let alone be worshipped?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°This means that with the exception of seven, the other yangbans are weaker than Garam?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Even if there are hundreds or thousands in the Hwan Kingdom, they won¡¯t be as strong as you think.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡± Grid sighed with relief. He was worried that all the yangbans would be as strong as Garam but now he could rest assured.


    Braham gave a warning. ¡°Don¡¯t be relieved. The moment the Five Seniors and the Chiyou shake off the scrutiny of the Western gods, all of the yangbans will appear before humanity and humanity will begin to deify them.¡±


    At that time, Grid who stomped on Garam wouldn¡¯t be safe. This meant that for the sake of his safety and the Overgeared Kingdom, he had to prevent the Hwan Kingdom from bing a kingdom of gods.


    ¡®The present gods who onlymitted one sin are better than the Five Seniors and Chiyou, who made the yangban...¡¯


    ...No, no. He couldn¡¯t jump to rash conclusions. As always, the truth might be different.


    "We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Braham arrived at the end of the maze while Grid was thinking and stood in front of a thick iron door. The iron door was engraved with a soul engraving, one of the dwarves¡¯ mechanisms. There was only one person who could open this door¡ªGrid using his soul.


    Grid raised his hand over the iron door and the thick iron door opened by itself, despite Grid not using any strength. The scenery revealed was the basement of a smithy. There was another stone door with a soul engraving. It was a space that only Grid could cross.


    ¡®This is very good.¡¯


    Grid was always swept up in a crowd every time he went back and forth between the castle and the smithy, inevitably wasting his time. Now thanks to Ke ong, the secret passage allowed him to move between the castle and the smithy, saving him time in the future. In the case of an unexpected crisis, it could also be used as an escape route or bunker so he was assured of Irene and Lord¡¯s safety.


    ¡®The dwarves are truly amazing. I now know how to use the skewer flexibly so after going to the East Continent, I will quickly visit Talima.¡¯


    It was time to get to work. It happened the moment Grid left the basement and dreamt of an item upgrade.


    -G-Grid!It is serious!


    ¡°...?¡±


    A message came from Zednos, lord of Reidan.


    -You need to visit the vampire city!


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid used Braham¡¯s Mass Teleport and arrived at the entrance of a vampire city.


    ***


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Kukukuk, the bunch of losers recognize the Blood King.¡±


    ¡°...Braham, please talk less. I¡¯m worried you will never be able to make friends.¡±


    Grid entered the vampire city and felt dizzy. It was because all the vampires were judged to be people of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was simr to what happened in Noll¡¯s vampire city a long time ago.


    Zednos looked perplexed. ¡°The vampires in all cities, not just here, are ssified as NPCs, not monsters.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t hostile to the Overgeared members or NPCs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is like the vampires of Noll¡¯s city. I tried attacking as an experience and received the crime of causing injury, activating the PK system in ordance to the nation¡¯sws.¡±


    This meant that hunting in the vampire cities was impossible. It was a painful loss of a hunting ground for the mid-level Overgeared members, who weren¡¯t strong enough to go to the Galgunos Temple. Grid confirmed the city¡¯s information.


    [Vampire¡¯s Underground City (6)]


    [Rating: B (Temporarily Downgraded)


    Lord: None


    Poption: 5,987


    Members: Vampire familiars, low-grade vampires, intermediate vampires, true blood vampires.


    The dungeon has been rebuilt under the control of the Blood King.


    Due to the absence of a permanent lord, the estate isn¡¯t managed at all.


    * There are no products or specialties.


    * You can¡¯t expect any revenue from the estate.


    * Low-grade and intermediate vampires have a low probability of producing familiars.


    * You can appoint a true blood vampire or a direct descendant vampire as the lord.


    * If a true blood vampire bes the lord, they will hunt intruders and gradually increase the number of vampires.


    * If a direct descendant vampire bes the lord, they will hunt intruders and quickly increase the number of vampires. There is a very slim chance of producing additional true blood vampires.


    ¡ï Food assistance is urgently needed to maintain the current poption.]


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°First of all, we asked Noll to provide us with blood potatoes. However, there are 12 cities and the supply of blood potatoes isn¡¯t enough. These vampires will starve to death.¡±


    Grid murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Piaro to travel to each city and establish a farming field.¡±


    ¡°Why not release the vampires into the desert every night?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to release the vampires?¡±


    ¡°The vampires can fill their hunger by ingesting the blood of monsters as well as humans. NPCs can grow, unlike monsters. The more hunting experience they gain, the higher the level of the vampires. This will increase the poption and they will develop into an army. At that point, we can encourage intruders to enter and then generate revenue from the loot the vampires will acquire from the intruders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea but...¡±


    The reason why the vampires were stuck in their cities was the Curse of Idleness. Noll had ovee the curse by spending a long time with Grid and Tiramet had been freed from the curse thanks to be liberated by Blood King Grid. However, the other vampires were still suffering from the curse. The almost 6,000 vampires in front of Grid would return to their coffins again a short time after Grid left.


    ¡°I think it would be possible if I make a nightly trip to the cities and temporarily weaken the curse...¡±


    Realistically, it was hard. The damage to Grid would be too great if he had to spend hours on the vampires every night.


    Zednos hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°No, cancel the words I just said. The vampires¡¯ eyes are so bright that I forgot they are suffering from a curse.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Grid looked around at the vampires. The red eyes of the vampires were all shining enthusiastically as they stared at Grid. What was the Curse of Idleness?


    ¡°For the time being, move the army to feed the vampires. Have them capture monsters and feed them to the cities.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zednos nodded and immediately followed themand.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham exited the city with Grid and stared into the distance. It was toward the city where Marie Rose was asleep.


    Grid felt something ominous and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the smithy as soon as possible.¡±


    There were the remaining breaths of the sacred creatures. Grid nned to create new items before heading to the East Continent.


    ***


    ¡°No. Next.¡±


    The Behen Archipgo, the Kelenian Underwater Cave, the Crumbling Tower, etc. The number of yers visiting the East Continent increased significantly as more methods of continental travel. On the East Continent, the yers were no longer strangers.


    ¡°No. Next.¡±


    Pangea¡ªthe beginner city of the East Continent weed the yers who came with high expectations, helping them achieve their dreams. The once lively ce now had a bleak atmosphere. It was the overbearing soldiers, not the friendly residents, who weed the anxiously lining up yers.


    ¡°No. Next.¡±


    The soldiers guided the nervous yers to a fat and hunchbacked person. His waist waspletely bent over and his fat belly touched the ground like a pig. The hunchback man closely examined the yers¡¯ faces. He peered up their nose and into their pores like he had OCD and then shook his head.


    ¡°No. Next.¡±


    Every time he shook his head, one yer regained their freedom.


    ¡°You are free now that the inspection is over.¡±


    The soldiers undid the handcuffs of the stunned yers and indicated to the ins outside the checkpoint with their chins. The yers who previously passed the checkpoint were fighting with jiangshi.


    ¡°E-Excuse me. I am a doctor. I don¡¯t know how to fight and will be eaten by the jiangshi out there. Is there any safer route?¡±


    The yer called Hera revealed her ss with a pitiful expression. Doctors were unable to perform miracles such as instant healing through magic but they were able to heal veryrge wounds through processes such as sutures or surgery. It was a highly prized ss on the West Continent and she believed it would be the same here, but there was no change in the soldier¡¯s apathetic attitude.


    ¡°To move to another area, you have to unconditionally go through those ins. You can decide if you want to work with other foreigners to break through the ins or go back to the West Continent.¡±


    The soldiers, no, the East Continent itself, didn¡¯t wee the foreigners. Why? Hera questioned the treatment that was different from what she expected and asked in a somewhat resentful voice, ¡°Why do you reject us?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    A soldier snorted as he pulled out a piece of paper and threw it at Hera. It was a wanted poster. sphemy, kidnapping a death row prisoner, attempting to overthrow the state, kidnapping Pangea¡¯s residents, etc. The figure on the wanted poster was charged with strange crimes. In particr, the kidnapping of tens of thousands of people was an absurd charge that wouldn¡¯t appear in sci-fi movies.


    ¡®Do they think of people as dogs or pigs? No one would believe this.¡¯

 Chapter 1152

    [Chewing gently, one can tell the meat and savory fat has been aged exquisitely. The sweet and salty seasoning blends with the subtle taste of the meat, so one won¡¯t get tired of eating it. The nutty vour lingering in the mouth adds interest.]


    This was from the Michelin Guide.


    The 60-year-old dish called ¡®Blue Ceramic Tile Seasoned Pork Ribs [1]¡¯ had long been praised by gourmets. Even before it received three stars in the Michelin Guide, it was considered as a must-visit ce for overseas political figures visiting South Korea.


    ¡°H-Hyesu.¡±


    Kim Wuseok was over 70 years old this year, and he was a living historian of the Blue Ceramic Tile Seasoned Pork Ribs. During the time when the Blue Ceramic Tile Seasoned Pork Ribs was still small and unknown, Kim Wuseok worked as a chef and developed the ribs¡¯ secret seasoning with his former president. He also found the ideal conditions for cooking meat and made a great contribution to the development of the seasoned ribs.


    Then once the former president passed away and his son became the new president, Kim Wuseok was reduced to being a cloth bag. It was because the new president was ufortable with Kim Wuseok in many ways and nned to kick him out.


    Originally, the secret seasoning recipe and aging conditions should only be shared between Kim Wuseok, the president, and his sessor. Yet the new president taught his wife and children and drove Kim Wuseok out of the kitchen, having him manage the charcoal fire and iron tes instead. Carrying hot charcoal to the guest tables and wiping heavy iron tes hundreds of times a day was hard even for young people in their 20s, so the new president thought Kim Wuseok would quit soon.


    However, unlike the new president¡¯s expectations, Kim Wuseok persevered. He was grateful for a role in the workce where he dedicated his youth and worked silently withoutining. Of course, it was an untold secret to his children. Once his children knew about it, their eyes would roll, and they woulde to the restaurant to make a point.


    Kim Wuseok¡ªwho wanted to retire quietly¡ªstayed silent, and this was the problem.


    ¡°Grandfather, why are you doing that?¡±


    Kim Wuseok was sitting at the back of the restaurant and wiping an iron te when he encountered his granddaughter Hyesu, who was hurt by the sight.


    ¡°Grandfather, why are you wiping the iron te instead of cooking?¡±


    Hyesu had entered high school not long ago and wanted to show off her grandfather to her new friends. Her grandfather was the one who made the present the Blue Ceramic Tile Seasoned Pork Ribs. She would walk through the hallway where he had taken photos with past presidents and then meet her grandfather cooking in the kitchen of the restaurant.


    Hyesu had bragged to her friends and secretly visited the restaurant to please her grandfather. Then she witnessed the present situation. It was the worst incident for Kim Wuseok and Hyesu.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was a chef?¡±


    ¡°I heard he was invited to the Blue House...¡±


    Kim Wuseok had a face ckened with charcoal and was dressed in shabby clothes. Hyesu¡¯s friends looked at Kim Wuseok who was sweating profusely while wiping the iron tes. Young children who had just entered high school didn¡¯t have the ability to glimpse the behind-the-scenes of the situation, so they treated Hyesu as a liar.


    Then it happened when Hyesu¡¯s eyes were turning red.


    ¡°Elder, I¡¯m sorry to visit without telling you. I would like you to start the charcoal fire yourself.¡± A strong-looking man appeared and greeted Kim Wuseok with a 90-degree bow. His face couldn¡¯t be seen, but his voice was strangely familiar. The eyes of the confused teenagers soon widened.


    ¡°Mister Youngwoo,¡± Kim Wuseok weed the man with a name that the teenagers knew well.


    ¡°You often wash the dishes because of your physical fitness, but it isn¡¯t good for your health.¡± The man who was still bowing shook hands with Kim Wuseok. Kim Wuseok smiled awkwardly as he shook hands with the man. He was grateful for the man¡¯s care.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°It really is Grid!¡±


    The boys and girls were excited when the man standing next to Kim Wuseok was illuminated. The disbelief that was in their eyes as they gazed at Hyesu hadpletely vanished.


    ¡°He knows Grid! To think that your grandfather is so great?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious~¡±


    Grid, or Shin Youngwoo, was one of the most famous and influential people in the world. In terms of fame, he was the idol of young people and had a status equal to the S.AGroup¡¯s Lim Cheolho or the president of the United States. Such a great man had personallye to pay his respects to Hyesu¡¯s grandfather, so her friends were happy and proud. They were proud to be Hyesu¡¯s friends.


    ¡°It is hard to go to Gangnam every time I want to eat your ribs. Can¡¯t you open your own restaurant in my building?¡±


    ¡°Huhu... This young friend is very resourceful, but I¡¯m sorry. This old man had to raise his children and help pay for their weddings, so I don¡¯t have enough money to open a store.¡±


    ¡°Elder, if you want to open a store, how can I ept money from you? I will pay for all the construction costs, so please consider it carefully.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Kim Wuseok¡¯s face was stiff.


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s favor in this shameful situation came across as pity. It was honestly very unpleasant when a young man the same age as his eldest grandson spoke such pitying words to him.


    However, Youngwoo was sincere. ¡°It is my parents¡¯ wish.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It had happened when Youngwoo was in elementary school. Youngwoo¡¯s parents, who grew and sold cabbages, had experienced a big crisis. Existing customers had shed the transaction price of the cabbages by using the excuse of a good harvest. Youngwoo¡¯s parents then became unable to avoid going into the red. Yet when there had been only darkness in front of them, Kim Wuseok held out a helping hand.


    ¡°Elder, didn¡¯t you bestow a great grace to our family once? Think of it as one more favor and consider it carefully.¡±


    Youngwoo indirectly nailed the main point. He wanted to distribute the profits fairly, rather than invest business funds. Therefore, he used the word ¡®favor.¡¯


    Kim Wuseok was troubled but eventually nodded. ¡°We will talk about itter. I have to cook some meat for my pretty granddaughter and her friends.¡±


    ¡°This beautiful friend is your granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°No, the child isn¡¯t really that pretty... Whoops.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I¡¯m sor...¡±


    ***


    ¡°You meddled.¡±


    It was after stopping Kim Wuseok¡¯s moment of disgrace. There was a woman waiting for Youngwoo as he paid for the meat that Kim Wuseok¡¯s granddaughter ate while the president stood ufortably by the checkout counter. The beautiful woman in a biker¡¯s jacket and jeans was Jishuka.


    Youngwoo shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t meddling. I was paying off a small kindness. It is also beneficial for me.¡±


    ¡°The meat was very tasty. I would be very happy to have a store like this in my neighborhood.¡±


    Jishuka wasn¡¯t wearing an interpreter. It had been a year since she moved to South Korea, so it was possible for her to have everyday conversations. The high rankers generally seemed to be geniuses.


    ¡®Of course, there are many idiots like me.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo remembered the faces of the other high rankers and shook his head before opening the passenger side door. Then he doubled-checked with Jishuka after she got on. ¡°By the way, were you serious?¡±


    ¡°Am I someone who speaks nonsense?¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    The moment that Shin Youngwoo sat in the driver¡¯s seat and turned on the ignition, his car Thirteen let out a roaring exhaust sound. He looked at the side mirror and saw Kim Wuseok¡¯s granddaughter and her friends rush out and cheer. Rather than being enthusiastic about the car, they were excited by the sight of Jishuka and Youngwoo eating together and then getting into the car.


    After allowing them to take a photo to show off on social media, the sweating Youngwoo started driving with a look of tiredness. His experience with controlling his clones and the God Hands in Satisfy meant that Youngwoo¡¯s driving skills were almost at the level of a professional race car driver¡¯s.


    ¡°Giving one of the gold medal rewards to me...¡±


    Today¡¯s date had been Jishuka¡¯s suggestion. Then during the meal, Jishuka brought up an unexpected story. She said that one of the gold medal rewards she would obtain from the National Competition would be given to Youngwoo. There was a justification for it. She said she would repay him for gracing her with the Red Phoenix Bow. Jishuka had already paid him enough money, so she wasn¡¯t in debt. Still, she was obsessed to the end.


    ¡°Okay. If you feelfortable with it, I have no reason to refuse,¡±Youngwoo said with a nod.


    Jishuka¡¯s face brightened.¡°Good decision.¡±


    ¡®Are you watching, Yura? This is what I¡¯m doing.¡¯


    Jishuka was shrugging and smiling when Youngwoo¡¯s words entered her ears. ¡°I¡¯m not even participating in the National Competition yet I will receive two rewards.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°Yura said she would give me a reward.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jishuka¡¯s eyes narrowed. The strong impression she gave off increased her appeal. ¡°Yura said she would give you a reward? That... Why? For what reason?¡±


    ¡°If she wins three gold medals, she will give me one reward, and I¡¯ll have to use the remaining two rewards to make items for her.¡±


    Of course, he had refused. Youngwoo was willing to make items for free at any time as long as his colleagues obtained the materials. In particr, the gold medal material rewards were superior, and it was an opportunity to gain valuable experience. Thus, it was a benefit to him to make the items free of charge. However, Yura said she didn¡¯t want the burden and offered to pay for them. Consequently, Youngwoo couldn¡¯t refuse anymore.


    ¡°In the end, I decided to get a reward in return for always making Yura¡¯s items free of charge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you all three.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to win three gold medals. I¡¯ll give you the rewards, so keep making my items in the future.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s enough to give me one...¡±


    ¡°It is a reward for the Red Phoenix Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°The Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Red Phoenix Kkuk!¡± [2]


    ¡®She still has some difficulty with the mispronunciation.¡¯Youngwoo thought Jishuka was cute when she blushed.


    Seeing her small fists tremble, he patted the back of one of her hands.¡°I¡¯m really fine. One is enough. I¡¯m very grateful. Thank you for your heart.¡±


    ¡°G-Grid...¡±


    ¡°If you really think of me as a friend, don¡¯t be burdened. Oof!¡±


    Shin Youngwoo hastily switched the driving mode to autonomous driving mode. He had to be careful with skinship and word choices. Thirteen let out loud rumbles as it drove along the road.


    Youngwoo returned home exhausted and connected to Satisfy, where he received whispers from his peers. Peak Sword, Chris, Vantner, Pon, and the rest of the 10 meritorious retainers, as well as Coke, Zednos, Lae, and Toon...


    All of the Overgeared members scheduled to participate in the National Competition expressed the same wishes as Yura and Jishuka. They didn¡¯t seem to have discussed this with each other. Everyone was just concerned about Grid in the same way. They found it a pity that Grid would be absent from the National Competition due to his busy schedule and miss out on the rewards. Thus, the Overgeared members wanted to be even a small help to Grid.


    It was useless no matter how much Grid refused. Everyone in the Overgeared Guild was stubborn. In the end, Grid put forward conditions. ¡°First, I will pick from those with three gold medals. Anyone with two or less gold medals will keep their rewards.¡±


    In fact, it was hard for even an Overgeared member to win three gold medals. The National Competition was growing every year, but only a few dozen people won a gold medal. How difficult would it be to break through hundreds ofpetitors? It wasn¡¯t umon for the Overgeared members topete with each other, and there were many strong people in the world who weren¡¯t part of the Overgeared Guild. Considering that gold medals could be won in team events, there would not be many Overgeared members who could obtain three gold medals.


    ¡®This condition is enough.¡¯


    Grid sighed. However, he overlooked one fact. The reason why the Overgeared members had a low winning rate for gold medals was theirpetitive spirit.


    That¡¯s right. So far, most of them had participated in so-called magic events such as PvP or target processing. They hadpeted against each other or met monsters like Kraugel and Zibal. Then what if they tantly only aimed for gold? The Overgeared members¡¯ winning rate for gold medals would soar to at least twice their previous rate.


    [1] Blue ceramic tiles have been a sign of wealth since the old days of South Korea. These tiles signified power and wealth, and became the traditional roof tiles that were used in Korean pces


    [2] Jishuka keeps mispronouncing ¡®Bow¡¯

 Chapter 1153

    The Twilight Kingdom was established after Orc Lord Teruchan conquered the Violet Kingdom.


    ¡°Grruk. Suwek!¡±


    ¡°Suwek suwek! Suwek~¡±


    The royal pce of the king was filled with magic power. Dozens of orc shamans recited different chants, and the swirling magic power merged into one, drawing a figure that symbolized thew.


    ¡°Suweg!¡±


    The gazes of the shamans gathered in one ce. Teruchan approached the altar and shouted loudly, ¡°My king! Guruk! Hemanded me! Gruruk!¡±


    The cry of the orc lord was thew of the orcs. Teruchan¡¯s voice emerged as notification windows in front of orc yers active all over the continent.


    [A race quest has been created by Orc Lord Teruchan.]


    ¡°Twilight Orcs! Proud! Guruk! Warriors! Go to Reidan! Guruk! Gather! We! Kurruk! ept the king¡¯smand! Guruk! Gauss Kingdom! Invade!!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What? Why did they have to do this?


    ¡®Is Grid our king?¡¯


    Someone had an expression of chewing shit.


    ¡°Ha... It¡¯s finallying.¡±


    Those who foresaw today¡¯s situation from the time Teruchan vowed to serve Grid were depressed. Then the quest information appeared in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.


    [Gauss Kingdom Invasion]


    [¡ï Race Quest ¡ï


    The king of the Twilight Kingdom, the great warrior, Orc Lord Teruchan has dered that he will punish the Gauss Kingdom ording to the will of Overgeared King Grid.


    Within 48 hours, gather at the city of Reidan and join the Overgeared Army.


    * There is nopulsion for this quest.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Capture the Gauss Kingdom.


    Quest Participation Reward: Increased affinity with the people of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Personal Compensation.


    ¡®Warrior Voucher¡¯pensation depending on the war contributions.


    2. Common Rewards.


    The number of ¡®Warrior Vouchers¡¯ will be rewarded depending on the size of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s viges, fortresses, and cities that are upied.


    Quest Failure Condition: Fail to capture the Gauss Kingdom.


    Quest Failure Penalty: None.


    ¡ïLauel, the general military adviser of this war, has ensured sufficient food and supply routes. As a result, there is no time limit for the war based on food limits.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The Warrior¡¯s Voucher was a reward that could only be earned from quests granted by the orc lord. Now, the orcs had a good understanding of how valuable the Warrior¡¯s Voucher was. The orc yers were mostly Chinese and didn¡¯t want to be soldiers fighting for the Overgeared Kingdom, but the temptation of the Warrior¡¯s Vouchers was intense.


    ¡°Shit, should I get involved?¡±


    ¡°Ummm.¡±


    The Chinese yers were flustered. They might covet the Warrior¡¯s Vouchers, but they would be ying into Grid¡¯s hands if they became a soldier of the Overgeared Kingdom and joined the war. Why on earth did they have to fight for Grid? It was deeply unpleasant and hurt their self-esteem. If the other person were a ranker other than Grid, they could¡¯ve abandoned their pride using the voucher as an excuse.


    ¡°We can¡¯t bend over for Grid. If we participate in this quest, we will instantly be a traitor and be buried by society.¡±


    Chinese sentiment was the problem. In thest four years of the National Competition, Grid had caused China a lot of frustration. China was pushed by the United States and South Korea every year purely because of Grid. The event of Hao kneeling down in front of Grid was a terrible humiliation that traumatized many Chinese people, and many of them were dissatisfied with Grid.


    ¡°That son of a bitch.¡±


    The Chinese orc yers grabbed their heads and suffered. They felt a great sense of regret and resentment that there was nopulsion in this quest. If it werepulsory, they could¡¯ve used this excuse to participate in the quest, avoiding the people¡¯s usations and gaining the Warrior¡¯s Vouchers... The useless freedom annoyed the yers.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve listened to Brother Hao.¡±


    ¡°Right. The Chinese government might be the greatest institution in the world, but they don¡¯t know much about Satisfy.¡±


    The Chinese yers med themselves for ignoring Hao¡¯s words warning them to be more cautious about changing races. They had yelled at Hao, questioning what good were the words from a shameful person who knelt in front of Grid. They were a bit dissatisfied with their government that encouraged the race change, but they couldn¡¯t express it. So they shifted the responsibility to Hao.


    However, in the end, the choice was up to them. Yes, the choice was up to them.


    ¡®...Should I hide my username?¡¯


    ¡®If I put on a mask and wear a helmet, they won¡¯t be able to tell if I¡¯m an NPC or a yer.¡¯


    ¡®In a war, tens of thousands will move, and I won¡¯t be found.¡¯


    The Chinese yers started to have simr ideas. The problem was that they numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There were exactly 430,000 of them.


    ***


    ¡°Phew, so the rumors were true.¡±


    Sooner orter, the Overgeared Kingdom would dere war. The dubious reporters clicked their tongues at the information that flowed from various ces. The procession of troops was constant and spread out like a river in the ce known as the second capital of the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªthe desert city of Reidan. This was the moment when the rumors turned out to be true.


    ¡°Why now?¡±


    Experts had long foreseen the conquest war of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom needed morend to handle the growing poption. Moreover, the moment the three western territories of the Gauss Kingdom were taken, the Overgeared Kingdom would be able to build a canal. Experts had spected that the Gauss Kingdom adjacent to the Overgeared Kingdom would be the first target of the conquest war, and this became a reality.


    So far, everything was as expected. However, the timing was strange. Wasn¡¯t it less than a month before the National Competition? It was time for the participants of the National Competition to make a final growth spurt. Additionally, 17 of the top ranked yers of the Overgeared Guild had already announced their intention to participate in the National Competition. This was the main focus of the Overgeared Guild, and it meant it would be difficult for them to participate in this war.


    In fact, the lord of Reidan had changed. In order to prepare for the National Competition, Zednos had temporarily withdrawn from the position of lord. It was clearly stated that Reidan¡¯s city information that Nyangmong was acting as the temporary lord.


    ¡°It is enough to dere war after the end of the National Competition. Why do they want to go to war without their main yers?¡±


    It was widely believed that the military power of the Overgeared Kingdom surpassed the Gauss Kingdom. However, the power of the Gauss Kingdom could never be ignored. Sandwiched between the Eternal Kingdom and the empire, the Gauss Kingdom had grown its national power for hundreds of years.


    This proved that they had both excellent resources and diplomatic ability. Their military strength was greater than what was known to the world. If the orc army of the Twilight Kingdom actively supported the Overgeared Kingdom, they would be able to easily overwhelm the military power of the Gauss Kingdom. However, this was a less likely story.


    It was because the Chinese government explicitly advised orc yers not to participate in this war. The Chinese orcs were forced to turn away from this war. There was fear underlying their loyalty to the Chinese government.


    ¡®In the first ce, the pride of the Chinese people is very strong.¡¯


    Would the haughty Chinese people with hundreds of years of history be blinded by the quest rewards and move ording to Grid¡¯s will? It was ridiculous.


    ¡°Wait?¡±


    Then there was a sh in the minds of some of the whispering reporters.


    ¡°I know why the Overgeared Kingdom has started the war now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are trying to suppress variables.¡±


    The National Competition was an event that didn¡¯t apply only to the Overgeared members. The rankers of the Gauss Kingdom would also participate in this National Competition. For them, the rewards of the National Competition were more important than the kingdom¡¯s crisis.


    ¡°The level of the Gauss army isughablepared to the quality of the soldiers armed with Grid¡¯s set. The Gauss Kingdom needs as many yers as possible to fight in the war against the Overgeared Kingdom. However, with the rankers missing, would ordinary yers dare to join the war? They will shrink back at the thought of dying a dog¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, the Overgeared Kingdom has Grid. As long as Grid is in the forefront, the yers of the Overgeared Kingdom will gather momentum rather than shrink back.¡±


    ¡°Ah... This is why Grid isn¡¯t participating in the National Competition.¡±


    ¡°This time, he is stabbing at the gap of the National Competition in reverse.¡±


    They didn¡¯t imagine he would take advantage of the circumstances that had given him emotional pain. Grid wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The reporters admiring Grid started to doubt their eyes. They looked to the left and right. Orcs, who hid their faces and wore helmets, were showing up everywhere in Reidan. They were trying to move secretly and carefully, but theirrge body size and high numbers made them stand out.


    ¡°This is crazy...¡±


    The reporters had climbed the rooftops of high-rise buildings or the bell tower to look over Reidan. Now their expressions stiffened. The ck-skinned orcs had appeared in the hundreds of thousands. There were at least twice as many orcs as the Overgeared troops that had already gathered in the army.


    ¡°Is this an orc army or Overgeared army...¡±


    The reporters were anxious to see the Chinese government get turned upside down.


    ***


    ¡®It is as Lauel expected.¡¯


    Grid used the king¡¯s authority tounch arge-scale national quest, Gauss Invasion. He didn¡¯t have the authority to make it apulsory quest. The only way to increase the quest participation rate was to use rewards, and this consumed an astronomical amount of resources.


    On the other hand, Teruchan ruled the orc world where power was strength and had different circumstances. Teruchan was able to force the quest under the rule, ¡®The order of the orc lord is thew.¡¯ Naturally, Grid ordered Teruchan to make itpulsory. He wanted as many orcs as possible to join the army to increase the chances of victory.


    However, Lauel disagreed. It would cost the orc lord to force the request. In order to maintain his current position, Teruchan had to restrain from cost-consumption.


    ¡°Even without thepulsion, the orc¡¯s participation rate will be very high. Many of the orc yers who are dissatisfied with Teruchan are nning to change their race again in two years. Yes, this psychological state will work. They will want to gain as much strength and stamina as possible in the two years before they change sses. Will they really miss out on the race quest they don¡¯t know will ur again?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s assertion was true. Based on the number of ck-skinned orcs that filled the desert outside Reidan, most orcs seemed to have joined the war. It was amazing to see them all shielding their IDs.


    ¡®They don¡¯t want to miss out on the rewards, even if people will swear at them.¡¯


    Piaro climbed over the wall and reported, ¡°Everyone has gathered.¡±


    He was wearing armor, just like when he invaded the Saharan Empire¡¯s imperial pce. His appearance was handsome enough to make even Grid look bad. After today¡¯s opening battle, he would be themander in charge of the war against the Gauss Kingdom while Grid left for the East Continent.


    Grid nodded and used the Lightning Speed skill. The Blue Dragon Boots emitted lightning, and Grid¡¯s body moved. He stood with the sky behind his back as he descended to the tform below the walls, gazing at the Gauss army gathered across the desert.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Che.¡±


    The 200,000 Overgeared soldiers screamed while the 400,000 orcs grumbled after discovering Grid.


    ¡°Quiet.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The orc yers staring at Grid with discontent were forced to close their mouths with amazement. This was because Grid¡¯s voice was clearly transmitted to their ears despite him speaking in a low voice. It was unbelievable. He was delivering his voice to all these people without a voice amplifier...?


    ¡®Is this what happens when Dignity reaches the extremes?¡¯


    The orc yers inferred that it was Grid¡¯s dignity stat that gave him an overwhelming presence as they stood upright, secretly in awe of him. It was actually due to an item given only to the first yer to establish a knights division. They didn¡¯t know the existence of the Ruler¡¯s Cloak and were swallowed up by Grid¡¯s presence.


    Simultaneously, in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡®Did you think we weren¡¯t prepared?¡¯


    The assassin group of the Gauss royal family was covertly moving through the shadows. They barely avoided the eyes of the rumored Overgeared farmers and nned to infiltrate the royal pce to kidnap Overgeared King Grid¡¯s family. The assassins confirmed that they had avoided the surveince and were climbing the walls when vines swirled around their legs.


    A man sitting in a reed field while watching the walls ate a potato and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s peaceful.¡±

 Chapter 1154

    ¡°It is over 500,000.¡±


    King Nemesis was sitting by the windowsill. The weather was good. The sunshine was warm, and the wind was refreshing. Reidan¡¯s desert was hot, but the trees that had been nted in the garden had fruit.


    ¡°As expected, the orcs have a high participation rate in the war.¡±


    The Gauss Kingdom had maintained its history and traditions even on the border of the empire. Their long history proved they weren¡¯t a kingdom to be bullied.


    At the heart of the kingdom, there was apetent royal family. King Nemesis was bright and had sensed a change from the moment the new empress started the reforms. He had foreseen and prepared for the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s conquest war. Once he heard that the orc lord had pledged allegiance to the Overgeared King, he already started preparing for the invasion of the orc army. This meant they had enough time to prepare for it.


    ¡°It will be very close.¡±


    King Nemesis waved his hand, causing a small shockwave that hit the branches of a cherry tree. He hurriedly caught the fallen cherries, roughly wiping them with his sleeve and then putting them in his mouth.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The taste and aroma of the cherries spread through his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste.


    ¡®Could the Gauss Kingdom also leave a lingering impression on someone?¡¯King Nemesis had this thought as he spoke to the prime minister standing beside him, ¡°They¡¯re sweet, fresh, and delicious. The people will like them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    For nobility and royalty, a garden was a symbol of authority.The size, magnificence, and beauty of the garden were used to unt their power and financial resources. However, King Nemesis was an exception. His garden wasrge and lush but not beautiful.It was full of fruit trees like an orchard. The empire¡¯s ambassador had sneered at the king for his taste.Nevertheless, the nobles of the Gauss Kingdom didn¡¯t shame King Nemesis as he had nted the fruit trees to give a bit more to the people.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve started.¡±


    Regardless of whether it was the west or the east, kingdoms that were geographically close always had bad rtions. The hostile rtionship between the Gauss Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom hadsted for hundreds of years, and the Overgeared Kingdom had inherited it.


    The Gauss Kingdom hadn¡¯t forgotten the tragedy of Borneo, where 3,000 young soldiers had been killed. From the time that Lauel¡ªwho killed the 3,000 surrendered soldiers¡ªbecame the reigning prime minister of the Overgeared Kingdom, the rtionship between the two kingdoms became irreversible.


    This war had been foreseen for a long time. The Gauss Kingdom had six ns for victory in this war.


    ***


    ¡°As expected, we can¡¯t let our guard down.¡±


    ¡®Detector¡¯ was the sum of alchemy, where magic and science werebined. For a variety of reasons, countries without alchemy coveted them. It was said that it was more advantageous to use the money it would cost to build an alchemy facility to buy a detector.


    However, the detector was one of the few items even the empire found hard to obtain. It was because this product could only be produced in high-grade alchemy facilities, and the sess rate was atrociously bad. The empire had exactly 23 detectors, most of which were distributed to themanders on the front lines.


    Yet in the capital, Reinhardt...


    ¡°Now, now. Look at the things clinging to the walls.¡±


    The soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom were hiding behind pirs of the outer walls and watching the intruders. They were extremely ordinary soldiers yet some of them possessed detectors. It was an absurd sight that couldn¡¯t be seen even in the empire.


    ¡°They are slower than a turtle.¡±


    ¡°Every step along the way, they have to slow down to take a breath and look around.¡±


    ¡°They are extremely careful. That¡¯s how they managed to get here while avoiding the eyes of the farmers.¡±


    The detector was a mix of alchemy products that could visually detect targets, multi-faceted crystals, the Magic Power Detection spell, and various telescopes. The structure itself was rtively simple because it wasn¡¯t much different from a telescope, but it couldn¡¯t be easily produced due to the crystal correction and the low probability of the magic spell being attached.


    However, Grid had recently dramatically raised the level of Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility and produced more than 50 detectors. The increase in the facility level temporarily raised the sess rate of the detectors, and they produced a batch of detectors, aiming for this exact timing.


    Most of the 50 detectors were first deployed at Reinhardt¡¯s gates. Some veteran soldiers were holding a detector.These soldiers had been watching the invaders from the beginning, waiting for the right timing to kill them. They nned to appear above and below the walls the moment that the intruders climbed halfway up and became incapable of escaping. Yet the soldiers didn¡¯t have to act.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    A stench pierced their noses. It resembled the stench of the rotten flowers that Piaro had buried deep below the walls a few months ago. Why did he bury the bizarre flowers that had withered and rotted under the walls? The soldiers hadn¡¯t known why, but they discovered the reason at this moment. The flowers they had thought to be dead and buried were actually alive. Vines dug out of the earth and moved secretly, winding around the ankles of the intruders in unison.


    -Puraaaaaaaah!Grotesque petals emerged from the ground with a bizarre scream.


    It was a daunting appearance not only for the intruders caught in the vines but also for the soldiers on the walls.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    ¡°M-Monster!¡±


    The intruders screamed. They tried to cut the vines clutching their ankles, but this resistance was pointless. Before they could even make a few moves, they were swallowed up by the rafflesia. Dozens of humans were swallowed at once, and the rafflesia¡¯s erged stem seemed like a devil¡¯s esophagus.


    The sight was so terrifying that the soldiers broke out in goosebumps, and their faces turned pale.


    The rafflesia gazed at the gulping soldiers and raised the corners of its mouth, shaking its vines. It was like it was smiling in greeting. Watching the flower disappear back into the ground, the soldiers murmured, ¡°What the hell are we supposed to do...?¡±


    ***


    ¡®By now, they should¡¯ve been discovered.¡¯


    Burang stood quietly at the north gate before starting to move. He was moving toward the south¡ªthe opposite direction of the soldiers.


    ¡®I have to act quickly while the assassins get the soldiers¡¯ attention.¡¯


    Burang was a refugee from the Rotemon Kingdom, which had been destroyed by Great Demon Berith. He acquired the nationality of the Overgeared Kingdom back when they were epting refugees on arge scale.During the past few months, he stayed in Reinhardt and lived among the ordinary people.


    However, Burang¡¯s daily life was over today.Now, he had to regain his original identity of ¡®Nemesis¡¯ Sword¡¯ or ¡®Gauss¡¯ First Sword¡¯ and carry out his final task.


    ¡®It has been a long time.¡¯


    Burang¡¯s infiltration mission had been designed from the time Berith attacked the Rotemon Kingdom. The Rotemon Kingdom had been in a state of confusion and chaos. After acquiring the identity of a Rotemon Kingdom resident with a few gold coins, Burang had waited quietly for the kingdom¡¯s destruction. Then he naturally became a refugee and was able to be a member of the Overgeared Kingdom without much suspicion.


    ¡®My great king.¡¯


    Step.Step. Step.As he walked silently along the lively boulevard, Burang¡ªKing Nemesis¡¯ Sword¡ªwas determined.


    ¡®I will surely live up to your expectations.¡¯


    Burang¡¯s gaze was directed at the artificial forest in the downtown area. There was a small reservoir in the forest. It was the ce where Overgeared Queen Irene often gathered orphans, handing out food and reading storybooks to them. Burang had been observing Irene¡¯s path for months and knew she was a respectable royalty. Even so, she was the enemy. He had to kidnap her and pass her onto the colleague waiting at the west gate. Eventually, he would die, but it didn¡¯t matter. He could sacrifice his life one hundred times for his family, his kingdom, and his king.


    Burang entered the forest and the withered leaves crumbled. The knights lurking all over the ce appeared in unison and surrounded him.


    ¡°Go back. This ce is closed today...¡±The knight couldn¡¯t finish his words.


    Burang¡¯s sword didn¡¯t give them time to speak.


    ¡°This skill...! Be careful!¡± The knights recognized Burang¡¯s prowess and fought back. Burang nned to destroy them in a sh, but...


    ¡®To think that the strength of the queen¡¯s guards is this good?¡¯


    The knights, who had been trained by Piaro and Asmophel and used Mercedes as a role model, far exceeded Burang¡¯s expectations. They were at least twice as strong as what Burang had observed for months. It meant the knights had been hiding their skills.


    ¡®Unbelievable!¡¯ Burang¡¯s eyes shook.


    He, one of the greatest talents of the Gauss Kingdom, was having difficulty with ordinary guard knights who weren¡¯t even representing the Overgeared Kingdom such as Piaro and Mercedes? He was feeling flustered when the voice of a child entered his ears, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±Burang looked back and saw a pretty young man with ck hair. It was Overgeared Prince Lord. He had just entered the forest, and there were no escorts by his side. Lord was just with a few of his girlfriends as always.


    ¡°Your Highness! It is dangerous!¡±The knights hurriedly cried out, but Burang was already rushing toward Lord.


    ¡®It is a chance from Heaven!¡¯


    ording to his usual schedule, Prince Lord was supposed to be at a different ce, yet he had appeared here. Burang saw it as a chance from Heaven and stabbed at the prince with his sword. He didn¡¯t intend to kill the prince though. A hostage needed to be alive to be valuable.


    ¡°You dare to act against the prince?!¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ Burang was stunned. The moment he attacked Lord, the women standing by Lord¡¯s side pulled out maces and swung them at him. Their momentum was even more superior than that of the swordsmanship of the knights he had just been dealing with. How was it that these thin bodies could contain such power?


    Burang retracted the sword he aimed at Lord and blocked the maces, barely managing to stop after taking a few steps back.


    ¡®I knew they were not ordinary women, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this.¡¯ Burang gritted his teeth.


    The knights were behind him while the women with maces were standing in front of him. Burang was surrounded.


    Lord gazed at Burang and ordered, ¡°Capture him, but don¡¯t kill him. We needed to determine from him how many enemies are in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Do you think it is possible to capture me without killing me?¡±Burang realized that the mission had failed and revealed his true power.He gave off a powerful air that was enough to make the knights and Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates nervous.


    Lord bowed his head slightly. ¡°You have worked hard, Master.¡±


    ¡®Master?What all of a sudden...¡¯


    ¡°...Eh?¡±Burang¡¯s vision tilted.


    He looked back with a trembling gaze when he felt an intense pain at his neck. A man with dark skin hadpletely assimted with the darkness of the forest and was staring down at him. King of Shadows, Kasim¡ªBurang¡¯s shadow had long been subdued by him.


    ¡°This... Why...¡±The fallen Burang fell into deep despair. He had a hunch...


    His country would soon perish.


    ***


    -You were born in a big country proud of its 4,000 years of history. Do you want to follow an unscrupulous small king?Don¡¯t you have any pride?


    -I¡¯m sure they¡¯re eyeing the rewards.Tsk, it is really shameful.


    -One China is a dream that is hard to achieve easily.China has arge poption, but there is such garbage.


    The Chinese viewers were divided over the 400,000 orc army gathered in Reidan. They went crazy upon seeing the orc yers, who should be the pride of China, stood on Grid¡¯s side. Even the anchors who needed to continue broadcasting expressed tant difort.


    ¡º The entire world is watching this scene now. How will the world react when they see a small giant of South Korea dominating 400,000 Chinese yers? They willugh. Yes, they will definitelyugh. How much will theyugh when they see the Chinese nation at the heart of the world being dominated by only one Korean? We can¡¯t raise our heads from the shame. It is really the worst day. Today¡¯s event will remain in China¡¯s long history. ¡»


    ¡°......¡±


    China was overturned, but Reidan was calm. The 600,000 troops and tens of thousands of spectators were silent at Grid¡¯s words. Thousands of cameras from broadcasters around the world were filming the scene. As China and the world watched, Grid first spoke to the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Piaro and Asmophel will be at the forefront of the army, and Mercedes¡¯ shield will protect you. Be fearless. Advance valiantly and annihte the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    Sounds filled the desert. Shouting alone caused the dust to swirl.


    Grid¡¯s gaze turned to the orc army.¡°You won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    These words were sufficient. Understanding what Grid meant, the orc yers nodded and made up their minds. Grid made a brief speech like the big war wasn¡¯t in front of him and then turned his attention to across the desert.


    The tens of thousands of Gauss soldiers freely entered the desert and stood in the middle of it. This was proof that the Gauss Kingdom was formidable. The leader of the Gauss Kingdom knew that the dark-skinned Twilight orcs were vulnerable to heat. Even now, the Gauss Kingdom would be sending troops here. They intended to make the desert the stage of the war to suppress the orcs¡¯ power as much as possible. The key to this war was to break through the desert before the enemy¡¯s forces arrived.


    Grid leaped through the desert and entered the flying state as the aura of the blue dragon surrounded his body. Then he used ckening and Quick Movements to maximize his movement speed. A sandstorm urred along the path that Grid moved. He looked like a giant dragon.


    ¡°Divinity. Item Combination.¡±


    Gridbined two swords into one within the enemy¡¯s field of vision. From the perspective of the Gauss army, Grid was still as small as a dot. Then...


    Grid appeared in front of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army. The concept of space didn¡¯t restrain him.


    ¡º Shunpo? ¡»


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡±


    Grid¡¯s waist bent over significantly.


    ¡°Massacre Sword.¡±


    A single blow took over the battlefield.

 Chapter 1155

    ¡°...!¡±


    The Overgeared Guild members, the orcs, the onlookers, the reporters, and the knights¡ªincluding Piaro¡ªwere all lost. After making a short speech, Grid flew through the desert alone...?


    ¡®T-This absurd person!¡¯


    ¡®Why are you leaving 600,000 troops to rush into the enemy camp alone?¡¯


    The orc yers were baffled by Grid¡¯s actions.


    ¡°E-Everyone! Chase His Majes¡ª!¡±Piaro tried to give an order but closed his mouth.


    It was because Braham appeared suddenly and raised an index finger to his lips.¡°You don¡¯t understand a legend.¡±


    From Braham¡¯s perspective, Piaro was nothing more than a child¡ªa child who had been a legend for less than 10 years. Apart from their birth narratives, the legends of the current era had few stories to be handed down to future generations. However, Grid was different.


    ¡°A legend isn¡¯t just a title that means a strong person.¡±


    Chaos broke out in the surroundings as Grid, who was gradually moving away while making the sandstorm dragon, suddenly disappeared from view. The viewers could see Grid¡¯s location through the camera, but the people at the scene missed Grid suddenly crossing the horizon in an instant.


    Braham, whose eyes were enhanced with magic, couldn¡¯t handle the storm caused by Shunpo. He checked the skin mask Grid gave him and clicked his tongue. ¡°A story passed through word of mouth that is never destroyed. Those who are called legends of this world are trying to write an immortal message.¡±


    A story that wouldn¡¯t be forgotten after hundreds of years? It couldn¡¯t be ordinary. A story based onmon sense couldn¡¯t be imprinted strongly.


    ¡°A legend is someone who ¡®goes beyond strength¡¯ and shows ¡®something that can¡¯t happen¡¯ or ¡®something that shouldn¡¯t happen.¡¯¡±


    A long time ago, Braham had told Grid that the notion of military force was pointless in front of a legend. The reason that legends didn¡¯t die easily was that conventional concepts didn¡¯t prevail in legends. The desert shook.The sand dunes in the desert rose and cascaded down, drawing the exmations of the 600,000 troops and spectators.


    Piaro barely caught sight of Grid beyond the horizon. Nearly 100,000 enemies were swept away by Grid alone. The tens of thousands of spears, swords, arrows, and magic were broken. In the face of a legend¡¯s unique presence, the ordinary soldiers faded away. Just as how countless legends shone light on only some heroes, Grid alone was the protagonist of the battlefield.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s achievements are no less than those of the previous generations. Due to ack of study and experience, he has been mainly fighting in one-on-one battles, but that will be solved with time. Look. The personification of a miracle is truly a legend.¡±


    Grid alone had swept away 100,000 troops.


    Braham smiled happily, and Piaro felt inspired as he watched Grid, who would be described in unbelievable legends.


    ***


    [You have transcended the concept of space!]


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    Shunpo, which had a terrible probability, was activated. Grid was flustered by the skill that moved the user to a ce within his ¡®field of view.¡¯


    ¡®My luck isn¡¯t good!¡¯


    In fact, there was no need for Grid to act in his war. His power was dominant, but how could he participate in a war when he was so busy? Grid nned tounch only one sword dance in order to raise the morale of his army. He would put as many enemies as possible into his field of view, activate 200,000 Army Crushing Sword for a magnificent opening ceremony, and then head directly to the East Continent.


    However, his n waspletely ruined.


    ¡°Heok!¡±


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    The soldiers of the Gauss Kingdom were terrified. Grid was close enough to see their pores, and he moved back hurriedly, swinging his sword.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    It was only one blow. Only one person swung his sword horizontally. Even so, the aftermath was great. The shields and armor of dozens of soldiers standing in the path of Grid¡¯s sword got sliced, and thousands of soldiers were killed. The wavelength caused by Grid¡¯s half-moon cut swept through a 30-meter radius.


    Some of the soldiers were horrified when they heard the cry ¡®100,000 Army Massacre Sword¡¯ and watched as their nearbyrades disappeared without a trace. It seemed that the sword would annihte them like the name suggested. Maybe they had already died. The soldiers lost their sense of reality and felt such doubts.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Following a wave that shook the desert, the headquarters of the Gauss Army was stunned to see part of the army disappear in a fan shape. Seated in tents on a hill behind the camp, they had been waiting for an enemy attack. However, the current situation was too absurd. They were clearly keeping their eyes open and watching the battlefield, yet they lost thousands of troops without being aware of it.


    [Your demonic power has increased.]


    [Your demonic power has...]


    [Your demonic power...]


    [You have defeated an enemy during the war. A small amount of experience has been acquired.]


    [You have defeated an enemy during the war. A small amount of...]


    [You have defeated an enemy...]


    In Grid¡¯s field of view, notification windows were being updated sequentially. Thousands of gray pirs symbolizing death rose up and scattered, and the battlefield seemed to be covered in fog. If Lauel had been present, he would¡¯ve said, ¡°Kukukuk, it is the fog of death.¡¯


    ¡°W-What? What is this?¡± Duke Ulbeos, themander of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army, shouted to get an understanding of the situation, but no one dared to step forward. The other people didn¡¯t understand the situation either. The army¡¯s headquarters was fully and utterly panicked when some soldiers and knights stepped up. The talents hade out.


    ¡°Surround the enemy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t respond with a skirmish. Lock the enemy in dust and fire magic and arrows!¡±


    ¡°Immediately identify and report the enemy¡¯s numbers and race!¡±


    ¡°Increase the escorts for themander! Hurry!¡±


    The knights on the battlefield gave orders based on the soldiers¡¯ gs and drumming signals. The Gauss Kingdom had long been preparing for a war with the Overgeared Kingdom and was truly an elite army. Most of the troops moved in an orderly formation, except for some panicked soldiers who witnessed the ¡®enemy¡¯ firsthand. The deep sands of the desert didn¡¯t disturb them either. This was due to the effectiveness of the ¡®shoes¡¯ that the Gauss Kingdom had been preparing and distributing for years. They wore basilisk leather soles and stood on the sand like it was t ground.


    ¡®Did they prepare really thoroughly?¡¯


    Grid, trapped in the encirclement, could see it. A chill went down his spine when he realized that the level of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army far exceeded the expectations of the leaders of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®I thought my army would overwhelm them, but it isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    The ce where the Gauss Kingdom spread out their troops was exquisite. It had a considerable slope and was surrounded by a barrier made of the nest of the giant worms. They hadpletely grasped the desert topography. Grid measured the efforts of the Gauss soldiers, who must¡¯ve inspected the desert hundreds of thousands of times in preparation for this day, and clutched his sword more tightly.


    His sword was a greatsword of a suitable standard that would befortable to swing with one hand. It was abination of Grid¡¯s Greatsword and the Enlightenment Sword, maximizing sh damage and skill damage.


    ¡®It worked out better.¡¯


    Grid, who had resented the activated Shunpo, now felt grateful. He determined that it wouldn¡¯t be possible for the 600,000 troops led by Piaro to break through here without any damage. The Twilight orcs were too vulnerable to the heat, and the speed at which the Gauss Kingdom set the desert as the battlefield was beyond expectations.


    ¡®I will do my best.¡¯


    Grid, who was surrounded by heavy infantry holding shields, sensed something and shifted his gaze. However, he couldn¡¯t see what he wanted to see. The soldiers had been trained thoroughly, and they blocked his vision. Before Grid reached transcendence, he would¡¯ve been helpless under the dust magic being used to control his vision.


    Now Grid¡¯s status had been built up several times, and he was able to identify the enemy¡¯s location and intentions without looking. He could feel the magician units to the west and north hignds. One was 1,500 meters away, and the other was more than 3,000 meters away.


    ¡°......¡±


    The flow of magic power caused the air to tremble. There was the sound of bowstrings being pulled, and the angle of the arrows refracted the sunlight. Finally, the wind blew toward him. The gs fluttered like they had been waiting for it, and the encirclement loosened.


    Grid used all his senses to contemte the battlefield and opened up Berith¡¯s Power. Then the world witnessed the seconding of a great demon.


    [Automatic Transformation]


    [Passive skill.


    If you are targeted by a projectile, a metal shield made of defensive metal will be automatically generated in real-time.


    10,000 damage will be absorbed per shield.


    * The duration is one minute.]


    The alchemy of 22nd Great Demon Berith, who terrorized the world¡ªGrid recreated this absolute power and created an infinitely smooth metal that couldn¡¯t be cut or pierced. The physical power of the arrows was different from the magical energy of spells. In the end, the projectiles were unable to deal a single scratch to Grid¡¯s body.


    Grid took one step forward. ¡°Restraint.¡±


    An indescribably overbearing energy filled with deterrence engulfed the battlefield. No one dared to get close to Grid, and the nature of the sand in the desert changed. Then soldiers started rushing in from all directions.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    This single sword dance led to Link, Kill, Pinnacle, Drop, Revolve, Flower, and Transcend. After quickly entering the center of the battlefield where tens of thousands of soldiers stood, he hit back with Flower Revolve and then devastated the area with two consecutive Transcended Link Flower due to God¡¯s Command. At this point, the light elemental blinded the magician group on the west side.


    Grid flew into the sky, going higher and higher¡ªas high as possible. Before long, he managed to see the mesmerized nobles, the soldiers under the gs, the knightsmanding the army, and the soldiers barely standing with trembling legs. The magic and arrows baptism poured down without any breaks. Thanks to the God hands, Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons, Grid somehow held up against the devastating bombardment.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    It had been a long time since the magicians unleashed devastating spells that would sacrifice their allies. In the process of breaking through the enemy lines, Grid had lost the effect of the First King. Therefore, 200,000 Army Crushing Sword was a risky skill since it consumed Grid¡¯s health.


    Still, he had no choice. He was a legend and transcendent, but in the end, he was a yer with restrictions in stamina. Grid believed it was better to cut down as many enemies as possible while he could still wield his sword, instead of lying down passively and waiting to self-destruct.


    The sword energy swallowed up the magic and imprinted itself onto the battlefield. It was a powerful strike that split the enemy in half.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s forces werepletely lost. The Chinese viewers watched the battle from beginning to end and were overwhelmed with excitement.


    ¡°C-Cool...!¡±


    ¡°Amazing! It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Jealousy, discrimination, and antagonism were indispensable parts of human nature. Even at this moment, there was a flood of malice and hostility on the Inte where they could chat without being face to face. The more a person was exposed to the public, the more vulnerable they were to the Inte. Grid was the same. He was the target of many Chinese people. No, he had been a target of malice and hostility for people all over the world, including South Korea.


    However, it changed at this moment. Grid¡¯s absolute force dominated the battlefield alone. His ability to overwhelm a nation overturned even the negative public opinion in China.


    -I would follow Grid if I were an orc.


    -Refreshing!Too cool!


    -The real person is in South Korea.


    -A god...!My new god!!


    -The Korean penins manages to exist independently without being absorbed into China¡¯s 4,000 years of history because the Korean penins produces new talents every time!


    -The pride of Asia!Grid!!


    ***


    ¡°Thank you. I would¡¯ve died if you had been one secondter.¡±


    He had just wanted to trigger a sword dance, but things became too big. Grid led the most important first battle of the war to victory and barely recovered with Ruby¡¯s help.The 600,000-strong army cleaned up the remnants of the enemies while the knights fought valiantly against the enemy¡¯s reinforcements that arrived.


    Despite the sessive battles, the morale of all soldiers remained at 100%. This meant that Grid¡¯s performance was too great.


    ¡°Stupid. You were unreasonable,¡± Ruby retorted with a sour expression. She was happy with her brother¡¯s performance but heartbroken by his struggle.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±Grid stroked his sister¡¯s head before rising from his spot.


    The durability of his items was a mess. Due to therge number of enemies, too many attacks had umted, and all his items were shing red. If he hadn¡¯t swapped items throughout the battle, some of his equipment would¡¯ve been destroyed.


    ¡®However, the experience of Fenrir¡¯s Cloak has increased.¡¯


    Moreover, it was by an incredible amount. It was higher than expected even considering the buff in item experience acquired. Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring activated the blood-sucking effect every time the cooldown time ended, and there was only 20% experience left until it reached the legendary rating. If he worked hard in the East Continent, he would be able to liberate Elfin Stone.


    ¡°The start is good. I will leave the rest to Piaro.¡± Grid recalled the list of quests on the East Continent prepared by Han Seokbong and was about to leave the battlefield with a light heart.


    ¡°Kukuk! Kuhahahaha! Arrogant Overgeared King! Soldiers who don¡¯t know the world! You never dreamed that you were digging your own grave!¡± Duke Ulbeos was a named NPC, and he was rtively fine after being hit by 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. Themander of the Gauss Army suddenly left the battlefield and burst outughing.


    Once he felt everyone¡¯s attention on him, he pointed to thend dyed red with the blood of the Gauss Kingdom¡¯s soldiers. ¡°Have you forgotten that vampires are sleeping below the desert?¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡± The orc yers became as stiff as statues. They despaired when they realized the decisive reason for the Gauss Kingdom setting the desert as the battleground.


    ¡°Haha! Kuhahahat! Today will be the grave for you and all of us!¡±


    Currently, it was still the early evening. It was a good thing that the schedule had been elerated because of that crazy king, but it was not in broad daylight. The sun¡¯s momentum had weakened, so it was possible for the vampires to be active.


    Duke Ulbeos¡¯ughter grew louder while the Overgeared army and orc forces stepped back. The red sand started to sway. The desert was filled with silence, and an eerie and horrifying atmosphere was created.


    ¡º Hup...! ¡»


    The anchor of a broadcast couldn¡¯t bear it and screamed. Tens of thousands of ces in the red sand surged, and ck figures popped out. They were vampires with pale skin and blood-red eyes. Inspired by the smell of the battlefield, they forgot the Curse of Idleness and woke up, leaping to the ground. They were excited by the multitude of prey and would soonmit indiscriminate ughter. The moment the people were convinced of this...


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±The vampires all turned in one direction and kneeled down.Their deeply lowered heads were pointed in Grid¡¯s direction.


    Duke Ulbeos, who hoped the Overgeared army would be destroyed, sat down and swore, ¡°...XX, this really isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    He was shocked and so exhausted that he was about to give up everything. Meanwhile, broadcasters all around the world ran ads at the same time. They had the gut feeling that now was the time to pull out the fee for quality broadcasting.


    -XXX is really XX X.XX XXX XX guys.


    The viewers¡¯ dissatisfaction was naturally rampant. All the curses that existed in the world flooded toward the national broadcasters. However, the broadcasters were proud. The ads they were showing was the official video of the S.A Group.


    It was the third opening video for the National Competition. Coincidentally, the now-talked-about Grid emerged in the first scene.


    ¡°Extremely Honorable Painting.¡±


    The shockwave¡ªthat urred as the swords of the revealed demon king and Kraugel interlocked¡ªcaused the wounded and copsed rankers to shake. An important scene fromst year¡¯s Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event marked the beginning of the new opening video.


    -I am seeing it again.


    The exchange between Grid and Kraugel caught the eyes of the viewers. The audience chat rooms filled with curses became quiet. The camera filming the battle soon moved away from the two men. Once the two people became as small as dots¡ª


    p. There was the sound of big wings unfolding, and white feathers appeared on the screen,pletely obscuring the two dots. Then this year¡¯s demon king appeared on the stage. He sat on a golden cloud and wore angelic wings. They were pure white wings.


    Then the wings soon became ck. It was the sign of the fall.


    -Who is this year¡¯s demon king?


    The viewers, who had been excited by Grid¡¯s performance, felt their emotions being amplified. Thanks to one virtual reality game called Satisfy, all humans were feeling happy.

 Chapter 1156

    The first battle of the war ended with the victory of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army was devastated by Grid and couldn¡¯t afford to stop the advances of the Overgeared army and the orcs. The defeat of the Gauss Kingdom was inevitable from the time when the vampire army turned out to be Grid¡¯s people.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    The cheers of the 600,000 allied troops filled the night sky. The dust storm caused by the war were raised by the roars and the stars were revealed. The brilliant starlight represented the hearts of the allied army.


    ¡°We won! We won!!¡±


    ¡°God Grid! I love you!¡±


    The orc yers were excited. Death lurked in a war.


    A bloody fight in an unfamiliar desert. They expected it to be difficult in many ways but they won thanks to Grid. It was also a victory without any damage. It was enough to wash away the unpleasant feeling of fighting for Grid. However, they were concerned about the usations that would be made by the people.


    ¡°...Cough.¡±


    The cheering orcs closed their mouths at the same time. They couldn¡¯t rejoice and their faces darkened. It was at this moment.


    ¡°Do you see it? The first engagement is over! The result is a great victory for the Overgeared allies! The Gauss army, who gathered in Reidan desert, were destroyed without a trace while the Overgeared allies suffered little casualties!¡±


    ¡°The military power of the Overgeared Kingdom allied with the orcs is reminiscent of the empire¡¯s power...¡±


    ¡°It is theoretically possible to fight against an army alone. The growth limits of a typical NPC are clear. Think of just a few years ago. Soldiers from all over the continent were a source of terror for yers. Then what about today? Countless yers are surpassing the soldiers¡¯ specs. Today, Grid once again demonstrated a yer¡¯s potential. This is what we will look like a few yearster.¡±


    Reporters from all over the world gathered and started to praise the allies. Of course, they included Chinese reporters. It was strange.


    ¡°Look at the dignified appearance of the orc yers! They are the protagonists who helped win this battle! They deserve apuse for their heroism!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was it favorable? The faces of the orc yers were rotten because they didn¡¯t know that the public opinion of China had reversed.


    ¡°It is clear that they are praising us to make us less vignt and then they will make our identity public.¡±


    ¡°Shit, the broadcasters are really sneaky. I can¡¯t live because I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    ¡°Cover my face well. I might be found dead tomorrow morning if my real face is discovered.¡±


    The reporters were being kicked out of the battlefield as the orc yers were whispering about the Chinese broadcasters. The soldiers couldn¡¯t stay still when outsiders rushed in and spoke words that couldn¡¯t be understood.


    However, the cameras were unaware of the soldiers and remained on the scene, focused on the vampire army. The group of vampires, who made the Gauss army feel despair, approached Grid and bowed their heads. The number of vampires might be less than 30,000 but they showed off the unique atmosphere of a top species. They showed off a prestige that didn¡¯t lose to the orc army. In particr, the presence of Noll and Tiramet at the forefront were unparalleled.


    ¡°Your Majesty, give themand.¡±


    This war was a great boon to the vampires. Their faces were glossy as they fed on the Gauss army and leveled up. However, Grid was ufortable. The fact that the vampires became NPCs belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom had to be kept a secret. Hister ns to lure yers and feed the vampires were thwarted.


    Grid¡¯s brow was furrowed with a headache when he received a whisper from Lauel.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Rather, it worked out well.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how many foolish humans there are in the world? There will be fools who will attack the vampire cities because they are jealous that the vampires have be part of our army. You don¡¯t have to worry about the food shortage of the vampires.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t this be a problem? The vampires haven¡¯t grown enough yet. Won¡¯t the vampires be killed in reverse if rankers break in?¡±


    ¡°What if we ce all the city¡¯s elite vampires, including the direct descendant vampires and the true blood vampires, at the entrance?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Dungeons were ces that were created to be attacked. As a result, weak monsters were found near the entrance while strong monsters appeared the deeper yers went. The challengers would first adapt to the environment of the dungeon by hunting weak monsters and be stronger as they reached the depths.


    Then what would happen if they encountered a boss at the beginning? What¡¯s more, the vampire city was a dungeon where time was needed to adjust to the darkness after entering. Even a ranker was likely to be caught by thebined attacks of the direct descendant vampires and true blood vampires who emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°It is a great method.¡±


    Grid admired Lauel¡¯s n and his worries were dispelled. He ordered the vampires who were staring at him with bright eyes, ¡°Hunt the monsters in the desert and then return. In the future, the masters and elites of each city will live at the entrance.¡±


    ¡°As Your Majesty wills!¡±


    The vampires answered vigorously before scattering in all directions. They were influenced by Grid¡¯s Blood King effect and were temporarily liberated from the Curse of Idleness. This meant they were filled with motivation.


    Grid saw the vampires leave and clutched Piaro¡¯s big hand tightly with both hands. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°I will dedicate the Gauss Kingdom to Your Majesty and prove my loyalty.¡±


    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t die. Your life is far more important than victory.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    The knights, including Piaro and Mercedes, responded with a smile. Themand that knights normally received was to ¡®win even if you give your life.¡¯ They were thrilled because Grid¡¯smand was always different. They couldn¡¯t help being happy, even if it was something they shouldn¡¯t be happy about.


    ¡°Braham, please take care of them.¡±


    ¡°I already know!¡± Grid once again made a request to Braham who replied bluntly. He was annoyed because Grid had repeated the same words over the past few days. ¡°You¡¯re not a parrot... tsk, has your brain hardened because you are scared of the East Continent?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    How could he not be nervous? The reunion with Garam was scary. Was he afraid of defeat and death? No. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the defeat and death that he had already experienced countless times. He was afraid that the difference in skill with Garam hadn¡¯t been narrowed down. Losing might be natural but he would feel despair if the skill difference was still overwhelming.


    Raiding Great Demon Berith, bing a Magic Swordsman of the Epics, creating Greed, meeting the Tower of Wisdom and gaining their teachings... Grid had grown significantly over the past year. Since Garam was a ¡®naturally growing¡¯ super-named NPC, Grid was afraid that if the skill difference hadn¡¯t been narrowed, the form that ¡®yers can¡¯t catch up to named NPCs¡¯ would be established.


    Braham stared at Grid¡¯s trembling ck eyes and spoke earnestly, ¡°I¡¯m certain that I¡¯m a strong person who can rank highly among the legends of the previous generation of legends.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah... Yes."


    As expected of Braham. He was still showing off in the middle of this situation. Grid¡¯s expression subtly changed but Braham¡¯s attitude was still serious.


    ¡°I was vignt yet I was stabbed in the back and killed by Pagma.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Additionally, it has been revealed recently that the Undefeated King was superior to Muller in terms of potential talent.¡±


    What did Braham want to say? Grid¡¯s expression became solemn.


    Braham scoffed. ¡°You are the sessor of these geniuses. Be nervous but don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡± Pagma was the person Braham hated most in the world. Yet in order to encourage Grid, he pulled out Pagma¡¯s name. Grid bowed politely to Braham. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    ¡°In any case, it won¡¯t change the fact that you will be caught up in that person called Garam.¡±


    Braham took off the skin mask and handed it to Grid. He was preparing Grid¡¯s heart. He warned Grid that Garam was still stronger in order to prepare him, so that Grid wouldn¡¯t feel frustrated even if he lost to Garam. It was true that the yangbans were strong. This was why Braham didn¡¯t follow Grid to the East Continent. If he apanied Grid and Grid was still beaten by the yangbans, Grid might really feel desperate.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going...¡±


    Grid ripped the intercontinental movement scroll he received from Sticks and disappeared in a sh of light. The knights and Overgeared members prayed for Grid.


    ***


    ¡°?¡±


    The East Continent¡¯s beginner vige, Pangea. Grid arrived in the deste ruins that were unlike the past and frowned. It was because hundreds of yers were handcuffed.


    ¡®Thest time I came here, the jiangshi popped out.¡¯


    Now yers were being treated as sinners. Grid was thinking this when a soldier came to his side.


    Click.


    He was handcuffed.


    [Both hands have been bound!]


    [The handcuffs are made of absorption magic stones. All skills and magic are prohibited.]


    [If you use your strength then the handcuffs will be broken.]


    ¡®...I can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    Grid roughly guessed the situation. He was certain that Garam would be searching for him after Garam lost his dignity twice. The Cho Kingdom was forced to follow Garam¡¯s will and started to station troops here at Pangea, the essential gateway for the West Continent.


    ¡®The standards of the East Continent are definitely very high.¡¯


    Grid, who had just ughtered the Gauss army, was clearly able topare them with the soldiers of the Cho Kingdom. The level and armed status of the Cho Kingdom soldiers were much more prominent. Of course, from Grid¡¯s standpoint, the Gauss army and Cho Kingdom soldiers were the same.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    He waited in the long line silently until it was finally Grid¡¯s turn. A hunchback used his bulging belly as support and closely observed Grid¡¯s face. However, he didn¡¯t realize that Grid was Grid. Grid wore Berith¡¯s Skin Mask and was disguised as Kentrick.


    There were many reasons why he changed to Kentrick. Kentrick had no history of visiting the East Continent and he was almost forgotten in the West Continent because he had lived as a fugitive for many years. Additionally, Grid was simr in shape to Kentrick so he was stillfortable in his clothes when disguised as Kentrick.


    ¡°...No. Next.¡±


    The hunchback Nobuldam shook his head and passed Grid. Then Grid was freed from the handcuffs and headed to the exit of the vige. Beyond the exit, yers could be seen fighting with the jiangshi on the ins.


    ¡®The steel jiangshi.¡¯


    The steel jiangshi was the mostmon among the five types of jianshi. However, they possessed a ¡®solid body¡¯ that was a basic characteristic of the jiangshi and was a tough opponent because of the powerful body. In particr, they were a counter to physical damage sses. Most people stumped by the jiangshi were warriors, not magicians.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid shifted his gaze from the ins and opened a map. This was a map of the East Continent that Han Seokbong took a few nights to draw. The geography of the Kaya Kingdom, Pa Kingdom, and Xing Kingdom were only roughly expressed but the map described the geography of the Cho Kingdom in great detail.


    ¡®First, start with thezy cowmunity.¡¯


    [Pangea¡¯s New Star 1st Stage]


    [Stage 1: It is rtively easy to obtain information from the residents of Pangea.


    * Every time you destroy a monstermunity formed in the north, the level and effectiveness of the title will increase.]


    It was one of the titles that Grid held. As the name suggested, it was a title from the East Continent and the growth expectations were very low. The first stage was gained from conquering the big poisonous ratmunity and the effect was very disappointing.


    ¡®It can be an even more useless title now that Pangea is gone.¡¯


    However, Grid had returned to the East Continent. He also nned toplete as many quests as possible before meeting Garam. Grid first nned to test it by attacking severalmunities. Who knows? It could be a surprisingly useful title.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid memorized the position of thezy cowmunity in his mind and put away the map, only to cock his head. There was a strange person near the entrance of the vige.


    [I am a doctor. I¡¯ll repay you one day so please escort me.] A woman was squatting down with this sign. She looked very exhausted. It seemed like she had spent a few days here.


    ¡®People are really cold.¡¯


    Grid shook his head and approached the woman. The woman¡¯s ID was Hera.


    ¡°If you want to cross the ins then follow me.¡±


    Grid, who had undergone enough events to fill 54 autobiographies, had grown into a figure who didn¡¯t turn away from hard-working people. Of course, he had an eye for people and wasn¡¯t easily caught.


    ¡®It would be nice to add more doctors to the city.¡¯


    What¡¯s more, the doctor ss was enough to attract Grid¡¯s attention. The doctor ss didn¡¯t have immediate recovery skills but it was a ss that could heal more wounds than a priest through ¡®time¡¯ and ¡®process.¡¯ The disadvantage was that the growth rate was slow because their hunting ability wasn¡¯t good and they couldn¡¯t find a party. However, there were countless bus drivers in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Oh, thank you... Ah.¡± Was there really someone who reached out to her? Hera was a bit bewildered by the unexpected suggestion. She soon came to her senses and observed Grid¡¯s behavior, showing an awkward reaction. ¡°K-Kentrick? I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your favor but you don¡¯t seem to have identified the level of the jiangshi...¡±


    Hera was genuinely worried only to close her mouth. Grid had left the vige and exchanged attacks with a jiangshi, destroying it rtively easily.


    ¡®Phew, it is hard to pretend when I am capable of killing it in one blow.¡¯


    Hera approached the frowning Grid. ¡°Thank you very much, ranker!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    This standard was enough to be called a ranker these days? No way.


    ¡®She must be a beginner.¡¯


    It was natural if she was a doctor. Grid felt sorry for Hera and started to walk ahead.

 Chapter 1157

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it a bit unclear?¡¯


    Grid smashed the jiangshi¡¯s head and looked at the blood-soaked golden hammer. The cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods¡ªit was a production item made whenpeting against Hexetia. The performance was so excellent so thest of the pavranium was left behind in it instead of being used as a material for Greed. The performance was naturally referring to the performance associated with producing items.


    The cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods wasn¡¯t abat weapon so he was vulnerable. The physical damage was only 870. It had a better attack power than an epic rated weapon but that was it. There was no separate option for enhancingbat power, except for the blessing of the four gods.


    It also wasn¡¯t a sword so the passive effect of Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t applied to it. Nevertheless...


    The jiangshi fell too easily. Grid was just too strong. Grid¡¯s superior stats, various titles, the Weapon Mastery skill that increased the damage of all types of weapons, and being level 405, allowed Grid to easily destroy the steel jiangshi with the hammer. It wasn¡¯t inconspicuous. In other words, Grid was breaking the basic rules he had to follow in this adventure.


    ¡®This won¡¯t work.¡¯


    Grid felt the attention of people and swapped items. Rather than the cksmith Hammer to Go Against the Gods, he pulled out the Dragon¡¯s Hammer that only had 290 damage.


    Peok peok!Peok peok peok!


    ¡®Um, this is just right.¡¯


    Grid looked gratified as he defeated the jiangshi at a simr pace to other people. Since the critical damage caused by the ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ title was too strong, he cheated people¡¯s eyes by adjusting his attack speed.


    ¡®Now there will be no more misunderstandings about being a ranker?¡¯


    Three attacks in two seconds¡ªGrid swung the hammer as slowly as possible at the steel jiangshi while ncing at Hera. She was gazing at Grid with envy. After realizing the reason, Grid quickly used a skill he had acquired in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°Hu, the jiangshi are so strong that I have to keep using my skills, consuming a lot of mana.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯re using a skill?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been using it all the time?¡±


    ¡°I-I see. I thought you were just swinging in a basic attack.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be. I am an ordinary person. I guess my skill impact is so ordinary that it is hard to distinguish it from a basic attack.¡±


    ¡®There is a story.¡¯


    Hera thought there must be a story when an unusual person continued to emphasize their mediocrity. She didn¡¯t want to embarrass the other person so she focused on exploring her surroundings.


    ¡®It is definitely near.¡¯


    Hera, a doctor, hade to the East Continent to seek medicine. There were a total of seven types of medicine she needed to obtain. Among them, the crystal dandelion roots and the white balloon were said to grow naturally near Pangea. However, she couldn¡¯t seem to find them no matter how she looked...


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    They had been moving for an hour but was still far away from the horizon. Hera was just beginning to get tired when her eyes shed. She found the dandelion petals shining like a transparent crystal. She was concerned about slowing down her benefactor¡¯s pace so she quickly took out tools to gather the dandelion roots. However, there was an unexpected problem...


    ¡®The difficulty of collection is too high!¡¯


    The crystal dandelion roots exerted a medicinal role only if it was collected intact. In order to gather the roots whole, the dandelion petals shouldn¡¯t be damaged. The petals of the crystal dandelion melted at even the slightest human touch due to the warmth.


    ¡®It will take a long time to get the root out without touching the petals.¡¯


    The crystal dandelion had no stems. The root was right underneath the petals. In other words, the petals were close to the ground. A space needed to be dug around the soil in order for the root to be collected entirely. However...


    ¡®I can¡¯t ask him to wait...¡¯


    Hera looked at Kentrick, who was fighting the steel jiangshi. Unlike his blunt appearance, this man was already providing Hera with enough convenience. Although he could break through the ins faster, he dyed his schedule in order to match Hera¡¯s pace. Hera wasn¡¯t shameless enough to ask him to wait while she collected medicine.


    ¡®The crystal dandelion roots are avable in Karas.¡¯


    Karas was the capital of the Cho Kingdom. It was a ce where products from various parts of the country were concentrated so there was also a way to obtain dandelion roots. Hera judged in a moment and got up from her spot with regret.


    ¡°Did youe to seek medicine?¡± Grid, who had just knocked down a steel jiangshi, approached Hera and sat down.


    Hera nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m looking for ingredients for a medicine that can cure my client¡¯s illness.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the medicine you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    Grid pointed to the crystal dandelion petals and Heraughed bitterly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. However, I think it will take too long to gather...? Eh?¡±


    Hera¡¯s eyes widened. Kentrick dug at the dirt with his bare hands and quickly extracted the crystal dandelion root.


    ¡°H-How?¡±


    Hera couldn¡¯t believe it. The dandelion petals and roots weren¡¯t damaged at all. The rating of the dandelion root required for the medicine was ¡®superior¡¯ or above. However, the dandelion root that Kentrick dug up was in such perfect condition it could be ssified as high ss-grade or special-grade.


    ¡°D-Do you collect herbs as a side job?¡±


    The crystal dandelion roots were so hard to collect even with full tools yet he collected it perfectly in seconds and it was with his bare hands? Grid handed the crystal dandelion roots to her as she made a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Please pay the market price.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course!¡±


    Typically, special-grade medicines were exclusive to the royal family. Hera nodded cheerfully because she was certain it would be difficult to find special-grade medicine in Karas.


    ***


    [The Advanced Herb Gathering skill has been opened.]


    [Increases the rate of herb gathering and increases the probability of gathering herbs with a higher rating.]


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    Just as the mining skill was opened when he dug up minerals, gathering was amon life skill activated through direct action. However, it usually activated at beginner level. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s gathering skill started at advanced. It was a natural result since he collected several crystal dandelion roots which had a high gathering difficulty.


    ¡®Doing a good job brings blessings.¡¯


    Grid finally crossed the horizon and checked the 12 dandelion roots piled up in a corner of the inventory with a pleased expression. The price Hera paid for one root was 53 gold. It was a little over 60,000 won.


    ¡®Digging up a few herbs is equivalent to enough nutritional meals for a month.¡¯


    Ah, it seemed he could even buy meat. Grid generated revenue outside of national taxes for the first time in ages and wanted to hum. It felt like the easiest money he had ever earned in his life. Hera looked at Grid like he was a monster.


    ¡®What the hell is this guy?¡¯


    Of course, the crystal dandelion root was a precious medicine. The rarity was reducedpared to other medicines of the same level because it was found near Pangea but it was still valuable. In fact, the first dandelion flower Hera found during the two hour journey across the ins was the only one. Meanwhile, in one hour, Kentrick had found 12 dandelions and collected all of them perfectly.


    Where did hee from and why did he have such ridiculous searching and gathering skills? Based on the blunt weapon he used, he probably wasn¡¯t an assassin. After leaving the deste ints filled with the jiangshi, a new field appeared.


    ¡°Do you need any more roots?¡±Grid asked as he was parting with Hera and she shook her head.


    ¡°The earlier purchase was enough.¡±


    In fact, she wanted to secure some more just in case but it was too expensive. She didn¡¯t have enough money. Hera was swallowing her regrets when Grid handed her two dandelion roots.


    ¡°Use it when you need it someday.¡±


    ¡°Eh...¡± Hera waved her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t receive this as a gift when you¡¯ve taken care of me so much. Ah, I¡¯m also a married woman...¡±


    ¡°It is an investment, not a gift.¡±


    Hera misunderstood in a strange direction and her words were cut off in the middle. Yes, it was a gift but also an investment. How could it bemon for a doctor to cross continents to obtain medicine for a difficult quest? Hera was likely to be a rare doctor and a very skilled person. After a moment of thought, Hera nodded and quickly epted the roots.


    ¡°You won¡¯t lose from today¡¯s investment. Thank you for the help."


    Hera said goodbye politely before heading south. She knew that the north had arge number of monsters and it was virtually impossible for her to go there. Even if it was hard, she would reach Karas safely after taking a detour.


    ¡®One day, we will see each other again, unofficial ranker.¡¯


    Hera¡¯s bandages reserves were the same as before she met Kentrick. Unlike others, Kentrick had never rested during the two hours he took to cross the ins and he wasn¡¯t even hurt. In many ways, he was an amazing person.


    ***


    ¡°Magic Detection.¡±


    Grid arrived at thezy cowmunity and used magic to find the enemy. It was a magic he hadn¡¯t felt the need to use after gaining transcendence but there were so many cows grazing on the green grasnd that he felt the need to collect urate information.


    ¡®I can be easily isted if there are any enemies hiding.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be careless. The difficulty of the big poisonous rats was significant even when he thought about it now. The queen rat and her husband had been over level 400 so the monsters here wouldn¡¯t be trivial. The proof was that the distantmunities still existed despite many yers visiting the East Continent over the past two years.


    ¡®There is no one hiding.¡¯


    The cows were grazing in the meadows¡ªin other words, all the cows were in sight. Grid finished using Magic Detection and pulled out the Enlightenment Sword. He summoned the God Hands and ordered them to lure the nearest bull.


    Mooo!


    The bull cried out as it was hit by a sword swung by the God Hand. It took one second for the bull¡¯s gaze to head to Grid. The ground shook every time the bull took a step. The closer he got, the more Grid realized how big he was.


    ¡®I should measure the level first.¡¯


    Grid nned to face the bulls with three horns with his basic attacks. He focused and waited for the distance to be narrowed to an appropriate level. However, Grid didn¡¯t get the timing of the attack. The running bull suddenly stopped in ce and returned the way he hade.


    Moo.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid realized that the bull¡¯s wounds had quickly disappeared. The bull had forgotten his anger and was grazing again. This was why they were called zy cows.¡¯ Was this why no one had ever attacked this ce?


    ¡®It is impossible to lure them one by one and kill one. I am forced to jump into the meadow and deal with the majority at once, or hunt them one by one from a distance.¡¯


    However, the health and resilience of the cows made them too difficult to hunt from a distance unless there was a really powerful ranged skill.


    ¡°Um... Transcend.¡±


    Grid thought for a while before starting a sword dance that doubled the power of his basic attacks and switched him to long-range attacks. Intense waves surged and Grid¡¯s ck hair soared upward.


    Moo.


    The bull stood in ce and stared at Grid. His chewing of the grass seemed to ridicule Grid. Grid smiled and started to wield his sword. He was wearing Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves. Nine energy des per second poured out toward the bull.


    Mooooooo!


    Hundreds of bulls repeatedly rushed to Grid and were turned to ash.

 Chapter 1158

    ¡°It is too bad. It¡¯s really disappointing.¡±


    The Koreans watching the videos of the war between the Overgeared Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom were sighing. The bigger Grid became, the more people expressed their regret. Their age group was also significantly higher. They were in the mid-50s to early 70s. This was the generation that witnessed and experienced the days when South Korea reigned as the pinnacle of e-sports.


    ¡°A gamer¡¯s best days are short...¡±


    There was a time when South Korea won games whenever apetition was held. The time when they were disgraced and condemned for being the runner-up atpetitions did exist. However, this golden age was short. The e-sports myth of South Korea ended in 15 years after sumbing to the power of capital of the United States, Europe, and China.


    As talented people born and raised in South Korea started pouring their passions and talents in overseas league matches, the level of overseas games quickly overtook South Korea. By the time Satisfy was released yearster, South Korea had already fallen into a position where it was considered a ¡®country weak in gaming.¡¯


    Then five years ago, aet called Grid appeared. Grid brought up memories for those in their 50s, 60s, and 70s who had to gradually move away from games to be someone¡¯s parents. He resurrected the glory of the past and restored the pride that the people lost.


    This was a virtual reality game yed by two billion people. Satisfy had developed into a market many timesrger than ser, baseball, basketball, and rugbybined and South Koreans were happy in the past few years thanks to Grid. Nevertheless, the generation that had already lost its glory once knew that someone¡¯s era couldn¡¯tst forever.


    ¡°He should be active when he is still in his prime...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    Compared to other sports, gaming had a very short heyday for yers. Usually, those who were in their mid-20s were considered to be old. Grid had already passed 30. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he lost his title of supreme one.


    People were disappointed when Grid dered that he wouldn¡¯t participate in the National Competition. It was unsettling that Grid¡¯s prime could end in the next year or so. The moment that Grid¡¯s prime ended, South Korea would never be first or second at the National Competition again.


    He showed an overwhelming strength this year and it was the year when he should participate in the National Competition...


    Many people were anxious. In addition to Grid, South Korea was packed with talents such as Yura, Peak Sword, Coke, and Eat Spicy Jokbal. However, the number of yers was very smallpared to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China, and other powers. Furthermore, Peak Sword and Eat Spicy Jokbal were older than Grid and they were likely to be less active in a few years. South Korea might miss one of the few opportunities to win the National Competition...


    As people¡¯s concerns deepened, news started pouring out.


    -(Breaking) South America¡¯s top ranker has be a Korean citizen?


    -(Breaking) The Ministry of Justice, under the Presidential Decree, will issue a special naturalization to Jishuka.


    -It is in ordance with Article 7, Paragraph 1, Measure 3 of the Nationality Act.


    -(Breaking) Godly Archer Jishuka is a genius...she already speaks Korean at a native level.Her amazing Korean proficiency seemed to have a significant impact on the review.


    -The Patriotic Association is thankful for the government¡¯s quick response.


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    ¡°Noona, I¡¯m dead.¡±


    The concerns of those who confirmed the news were swept away like they were lies. Despite being a normal ss, Jishuka was considered to be one of the strongest high rankers. The first that a high ranker had be a Korean citizen seemed to lift the gloom that had been hanging over South Korea. The Inte was also in an uproar.


    -A new South Korea. A country that holds the two top beauties in the world.


    -The country of beauty.


    -Even in this century, South Korea seems to have superior genes.


    -Control your mind.It is Grid¡¯s genes, not South Korea¡¯s genes, that are superior.


    -...


    -...


    ***


    ¡®I think my father was wrong.¡¯


    King Nemesis received the result of the Reidan desert battle and visited the tomb of King Cactus. The Overgeared King caused damage to the 90,000 vanguard alone and the vampire army that demanded blood were already the Overgeared King¡¯s subordinates. King Nemesis heard the incredible news and came to a conclusion. His father had promised that the Overgeared King would never be Gauss¡¯ opponent. He was wrong.


    ¡®My father told me that Grid was just a lucky king. The truth is that we are the lucky ones.¡¯


    Grid, an ordinary person, was able to be a king through all sorts of miracles. Since miracles were originally derived from luck, the king had lowered the concept of a miracle. In retrospect, they were destined to be kings from the moment they were born. Weren¡¯t they the greatest beneficiary of luck? Was he blinded by his natural fate?


    ¡®We should¡¯ve seen and learned from the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s destruction. Many things should¡¯ve been corrected when the Overgeared Kingdom was founded.¡¯


    However, it was toote. It was irreversible. All that remained was thest fight. King Nemesis returned to the pce and wore armor. It wasn¡¯t a ceremonial ornament but equipment for war.


    ¡°What is the situation of the reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°It is said that they are still tied up in the Fold Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What type of power does the Fold Kingdom have to prevent the march of four kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°Thebat ability of 1st Prince Shining is more than rumored...¡±


    ¡°The ones favored by the Overgeared King are amazing.¡±


    One of the measures he had prepared had be obsolete again. It once again proved that the miracle called the Overgeared Kingdom came from skill, not luck. In the end, the previous king¡¯s assessment was wrong. However, all the faulty with Nemesis, who couldn¡¯t persuade the previous king.


    King Nemesis had a hard expression as he nced at hisst hope. It was an eight year old child. A young girl with blonde hair was sitting down and drinking fruit wine with a rxed expression. She didn¡¯t seem at all agitated by the news of the defeat. Even the Overgeared army would be ridiculous to the monster of the tower that even the empire had no control over.


    ¡°Sir Goldhit, I apologize. Our war has be more disadvantageous then when we first made this request of you.¡±


    ¡°Yohoho... Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Goldhit, the magician king who was rumored to overwhelm 10 great magicians alone. She was satisfied with the new body prepared for this war andughed.


    ¡°It is a tough war but I will help the Gauss Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Goldhit...¡±


    King Nemesis bowed his head deeply, unaware of Goldhit¡¯s true intentions. King Nemesis believed that Goldhit hade to repay the old favor to Gauss. This was a misunderstanding. A monster who sacrificed tens of thousands of young children wouldn¡¯t care about favors.


    ¡®Braham...¡¯


    A dark smile appeared on Goldhit¡¯s face. She knew the rtionship between Grid and Braham and easily deduced that the resurrected Braham would be with Grid. That¡¯s right. Goldhit was dreaming of meeting Braham.


    The reason she had no direct contact with the Overgeared Kingdom was because she was worried that her bad rtionship with Grid would be a barrier. Secondly, she wanted to witness Braham¡¯s skills. Thirdly, she wanted to properly punish Grid who had turned her disciples and lightning god into wastes.


    ¡°Yoho! Yohohoho...!¡±


    Enhanced magic was something her teacher Lilis had never learned. Now Goldhit would be different.


    If Braham directly taught her then she would surely be enlightened. In addition, Braham wouldn¡¯t turn away from her, who was Lilis¡¯ disciple. The rtionship between Braham and Lilis was never trivial.


    ***


    ¡°Wow... the road is endless.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to move for another fortnight?¡±


    ¡°What? To that extent?¡±


    The yers, who barely escaped Pangea after defeating the jiangshi, encountered a new setback. They needed to stop by Karas first for a full-fledged East Continent adventure but the distance was far more than they expected and they felt despair.


    ¡°The horses are tired too quickly because the road isn¡¯t cleaned properly... I have to walk almost all day and I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    ¡°At this time, I¡¯m envious of billionaires. People like them can fly on a wyvern and arrive in no time.¡±


    ¡°Wyverns can¡¯t be taken out carelessly in the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Dragons who failed to ascend to the sky and became monsters be jealous when they see wyverns.¡±


    ¡°The sky... If I knew this then I would just go north.¡±


    ¡°That is suicide.¡±


    Hera¡¯s ears pricked up as the story of the north was heard from the group walking. North was the direction that Kentrick headed alone. She heard rumors that it was a ce full of monsters but she thought it wouldn¡¯t be a big challenge for Kentrick, who had killed the steel jiangshi. Still, she was a bit worried.


    ¡°The monstermunities in the north containmunity of monsters that are iparable to the steel jiangshi. In particr, the bosses of eachmunity are over level 400.¡±


    ¡°A field boss near the beginning town is over level 400...? Is that real? Isn¡¯t it too exaggerated, even if this is the East Continent?¡±


    It was a normal reaction. Boss monsters level 400 or high could only be met in the top dungeons of the West Continent. The man who exined it to the disbelieving group looked proud.


    ¡°Did I tell you about how I came to the East Continent before Pangea was destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that Grid seeded in capturing amunity at that time?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yet he stopped at one.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Grid couldn¡¯t even touch the othermunities afterwards. It has been a few years and allmunities are intact except for the big poisonous ratmunity cleared by Grid. It is the north that can¡¯t be explored at all. So don¡¯t say anything. Just look in front of you and walk.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hera¡¯s heart sank. Kentrick might be strong but wasn¡¯t he alone? She was worried about Kentrick challenging a monstermunity that even Grid couldn¡¯t challenge. She wanted to go back and help Kentrick but she didn¡¯t have the power to help anyone. If she was there, she would just disturb him.


    ¡®...I¡¯m not fighting monsters but an illness.¡¯


    Hera recalled her client¡¯s son. The little boy had only known pain from the moment he was born, yet he still had a beautiful heart. Hera wanted to show him a wide world. She wanted to tell him with a smile that he had endured well.


    ***


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Grid endured it for ages.


    [The ruler of thezy cowmunity, the ¡®Special ck Cow,¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [The Special ck Cow realized his foolishness only at thest moment.]


    [The second gateway in the north of Pangea has been dealt with!]


    [Foolish Gambler¡¯s Die has been acquired.]


    [The ck Cow¡¯s Horns have been acquired.]


    [7 blessed weapon enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [11 blessed armor enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]


    [The title ¡®Pangea¡¯s New Star¡¯ has been enhanced!]


    ¡°...The boss was a gambling addict.¡±


    The Special ck Cow was a type of monster difficult for ordinary yers to raid. It was only when they won a gamble against the ck cow that they could get an opportunity to attack. The ck cow¡¯s job of ¡®gambler¡¯ wasn¡¯t ordinary and it was difficult to win in a gamble. The bigger problem was that the challenger couldn¡¯t hurt the cow even when winning in the gamble.


    However, Grid was able to know the position of the die in the cup using his transcendent hearing and his attack power was enough to deal damage to the ck cow.


    ¡®If I wasn¡¯t a transcendent, I would¡¯ve been kicked out without getting a chance to attack and all my money would be gone.¡¯


    It was creepy just imagining it. Grid shook his head and moved to the ¡®toothless tiger¡¯munity. Grid judged that his level would probably rise there.


    ***


    In Pangea...


    ¡°...!¡±


    Nobuldam¡¯s eyes widened as he was inspecting the new people who came from the West. In contrast to his rather tacky appearance, the high-ranking noble of the Cho Kingdom sensed that the energy of the Special ck Cow had disappeared.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me... did hee?¡¯


    How the hell did he avoid the inspection?


    ¡®No... it isn¡¯t certain yet.¡¯


    Nobuldam sent strength to his belly. Then his belly bounced like a ball against the ground and Nobuldam flew high into the sky.


    ¡°A-Ambassador No!¡±


    The soldiers were shocked by the sudden situation but Nobuldam ignored them. He was a bit resentful toward the soldiers who failed to properly measure the Westerners¡¯ ability to break through the ins and those who weren¡¯t faithful to their duties.


    ¡®I have to hurry!¡¯


    He had to grasp the identity of the person who destroyed themunity. If he was right, he had to prevent this person from being hit. Nobuldam thought this as he moved north, his belly stretching like a ball. At the same time, in the Hwan Kingdom...


    ¡°...You?¡±


    A beautiful man stopped while training his swordsmanship. One of the plum petals falling toward the tip of his sword scattered into hundreds of pieces of dust.

 Chapter 1159

    ¡®The God Hands are the best.¡¯


    Grid had felt a bit at a loss when he broke through thezy cowmunity and entered the jungle. The jungle had been untouched by humans for a long time and was a mess. It was hard to see in the darkness. The bushes poked at his eyes and skin while poisonous insects entered his ears and mouth. There was the unpleasant moisture, scorching heat, swamp areas hidden by vines, etc. The difficulty of moving through the jungle itself was quite high. The difficulty level wasparable to an instance dungeon.


    However, Grid had the God Hands. The power of the God Hands, each one holding a sword, was iparable to the weed killers of the army. They cut the bushes much faster and move actively, providing Grid with visibility and a safe path.


    ¡°It¡¯s cool.¡±


    He just had to walk along the opened road so it was fun. For the current Grid, even the hot wind felt like a fresh spring breeze.


    ¡®It would be nice to make the God Hands in reality.¡¯ Grid thought this as he walked slowly.


    He was checking the loot he obtained from the ck cow.


    [Foolish Gambler¡¯s Die]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 5/5


    * The durability is reduced by one with every use.


    * Can¡¯t be repaired.


    A die obtained from the ck cow. You can roll the desired number.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 0.1]


    First, there was the die. The purpose wasn¡¯t exactly stated. It seemed like a simple entertainment item. However, the ability to ¡®always roll the desired number¡¯ was never simple.


    ¡®It is definitely something that will help in certain situations. In addition, the ck cow¡¯s horns are the perfect high-grade material superior to a minotaur¡¯s horns.¡¯


    Most of the famous bows currently in cirction were made of a minotaur¡¯s horns. A bow made of the higher rated material, the ck cow¡¯s horns, were more likely to have a ¡®minimum¡¯ legendary rating. The conclusion was that both the die and the ck cow¡¯s horns were a great luxury. Clearing thezy cowmunity was not a bad choice.


    Nevertheless, Grid felt more regret than aplishment. The cause was the title.


    [Pangea¡¯s New Star 2nd Stage]


    [Stage 1: It is rtively easy to obtain information from the residents of Pangea.


    Stage 2: The quest acquisition rate increases in the Pangea region.


    * Every time you destroy a monstermunity formed in the north, the level and effectiveness of the title will increase.]


    ¡®As expected... It might¡¯ve gone up one stage but it is still a title only usable in Pangea.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t strange since ¡®Pangea¡¯s New Star¡¯ was the name. It was fully understandable but he still felt regret. Now Pangea was aplete ghost town. Quest acquisition rate increase? There was no meaning. There were no residents to talk to so getting a quest was nonsense.


    Step, step.


    Grid hastened his pace. The foliage was constantly being cut. No, the God Hands were floating in the air in the distance while waiting for Grid. It seemed that they had reached the end of the jungle and judged their mission was over.


    ¡°Defensive stance.¡±


    Grid issued a new order and the God Hands raised their des. They spun unusually fast around Grid. It was a type of sword curtain. It wasn¡¯t a great technique that boasted absolute defense like Sword Saint Kraugel or Biban¡¯s sword curtain but it was good enough for Grid, who expanded the application of the God Hands. They were poised to tear all threats to Grid to shreds.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Grid eximed as he was guided by the God Hands and reached the end of the jungle. He admired the clear scenery. The red maple leaves turned yellow against the purple sky, creating a mysterious and dreamy harmony. A mountain towered in the center of thendscape, shining gold in symmetry with the sun. It was apletely different atmosphere from the scenery of the West Continent.


    ¡®This is themunity of toothless tigers...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have time to spare and leapt off the hill. Was it surprised by the arrival of a stranger after a long time? The red y-likend was shaking like it was wary of Grid.


    ¡®...I don¡¯t think there are any big problems.¡¯


    It happened while Grid was stepping on thend, touching it, and smelling it. The leaves of the area shook and 10 tigers appeared. Strangely, the tigers walked like humans. They were one head taller than Grid and their shoulders were wider than a bear¡¯s. The muscles on their bodies were developed. They had sharp ws and teeth and they were very intimidating.


    ¡®What? They are fine?¡¯


    Thezy cows were, as the name suggested,zy. However, these tigers had their teeth, unlike their name. No, it was beyond a decent level. The sharp teeth glowed white without any tartar and raised Grid¡¯s alertness.


    ¡®They¡¯re different. They could be tough opponents.¡¯


    Grid handed Mjolnirs to the God Hands and held the Enlightenment Sword. He adjusted the distance so that he couldn¡¯t be surrounded by tigers and prepared to perform the sword dance at any time.


    ¡°Ttak!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Ttack!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s concentration was boosted to the extreme, only for him to be flustered. He was surprised because the tigers shouted instead of attacking.


    ¡°Rice cake! Rice cake! Rice cake! Rice cake!!¡±


    The tigers were shouting as they repeatedly tried to surround Grid and failed. Grid kept moving strangely and escaping from their encirclement so they became angry and expressed their irritation.


    ¡°Your rude brat! Let me talk, talk! Hold still for me to talk!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°It is my time to talk! A human should be terrified when seeing a tiger!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Hold still! Don¡¯t squirm around and stay in ce!! Looking at your body, you¡¯re an adult. As an adult, you should know that your butt is heavy! What female would like a guy with a light butt? You won¡¯t be able to mate for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Weren¡¯t there monsters that spoke the humannguage in Satisfy? It wasn¡¯t unusual for tigers to speak the humannguage. Yet Grid was surprised and speechless. The tigers¡¯ tone was too realistic. It was reminiscent of the tone of the unemployed elderly people who lived in his neighborhood. Grid stared nkly at the tigers who kept yelling at him and they growled with satisfaction once they seeded in encircling him.


    ¡°Give me a piece of rice cake and I won¡¯t eat you.¡±


    ¡°Wave.¡± This was the best method with dealing with arge number of enemies. The wide-area sword dance was activated almost immediately and energy des wereunched in all directions around Grid. He nned to deal with the tigers immediately by linking it with a basic attack. However...


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s ambush was blocked in advance. The tiger blocked the sword that wanted to cut off its neck using its hard teeth. Its upper body strength was lower than Grid but there didn¡¯t seem to be a significant difference. However, its agility seemed to be boiling over. The stats of thezy cows he met earlier focused on specific skills rather than physical strength.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stand still and listen instead of swinging your sword? Youths these days...!¡±


    ¡®They are truly tigers.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t listen to the tigers¡¯ cries. He felt he would be distracted if he focused on their conversation.


    ¡®The king of beasts should have superior racial bonuses so I should think of them as elite monsters.¡¯


    Grid amplified his strength with cksmith¡¯s Rage and recovered the Enlightenment Sword from the toothless tiger. Then...


    ¡°Aheung!¡±


    The tiger biting the Enlightenment Sword uttered a scream. Grid could see tears in its eyes. Grid was surprised. ¡°Dentures?¡±


    It was the moment when the secrets of the teeth were revealed. Grid stared at the absurd sight of dentures embedded in the Enlightenment Sword and a toothless tiger spoke to him, ¡°Rice cake... we want to eat soft rice cakes.¡±


    [A quest has been created due to Pangea¡¯s New Star¡¯s effect!]


    [Give a Piece of Rice Cake]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The toothless tigers lost their instincts after losing their teeth.


    They stay away from hunting and eating meat and miss soft food like rice cakes.


    Even though the big hero felt sorry for the tigers and gave them dentures, they still miss rice cakes. They used to threaten the merchants passing by to take away the rice cakes.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Provide rice cakes to the toothless tigers.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Increased affinity with the toothless tigers.


    Quest Failure: Hostility with the toothless tigers.]


    ¡°......¡±


    An increase in the quest acquisition rate in the Pangea region. Grid was silent for a moment as he experienced the effect of the second stage of Pangea¡¯s New Star. There had been rumors that named bosses could give quests but perhaps he was the first person to receive a quest from a normal monster, not a boss.


    Grid scratched his head and pulled something out from his inventory. It was a snack made by Sherry, a chef of the Second Overgeared Guild. It was the moment her effort to make traditional snacks from various countries due to the diverse origins of the Overgeared Guild came to fruition.


    ¡°It is melting, heung.¡±


    ¡°It is more delicious than the rice cake I used to eat, heung.¡±


    ¡°It is good that my gums don¡¯t hurt, heung.¡±


    The tigers were intoxicated on the sweet yet savory bean vor andughed as they enjoyed the rice cakes.


    ¡®They are surprisingly cute...¡¯


    Maybe the tigers weren¡¯t simple monsters but were mythical creatures? Then they were corrupted by the evil daoist. Grid watched from far away.


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Give a Piece of Rice Cake¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Affinity with the toothless tigers has increased as a reward for the quest.]


    [The satisfaction of the toothless tigers are very high!¡± Affinity has increased further!]


    Now it was time to find their value. Grid started to question the tigers who were sucking the soybean flour on the tip of their ws. ¡°Why are your teeth missing?¡±


    ¡°One day, the king of Mount Bukdu came down to the forest and pulled out all our teeth. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°Mount Bukdu?¡±


    ¡°There.¡±


    The tigers pointed to the mountain towering in the distance. Was it because of the sun? The mountain, that had been illuminated in gold when he first saw it, was now covered with the shadow of deep darkness.


    ¡°Who is the king?¡±


    ¡°The blue tiger... his fur colour is blue, unlike us.¡±


    ¡°A blue tiger...¡±


    ¡°A blue tiger. He is the offspring of the white tiger, one of the four sacred creatures, and is a terrible monster, heung.¡±


    ¡°A descendant of the white tiger?¡±


    The bosses of themunities Grid had been to were clearly powerful. Yet a descendant of a sacred creature?


    ¡®Won¡¯t it be different from the others?¡¯


    Was this why the level of the toothless tigers was particrly highpared to the rats and cows? Grid became tense.


    ¡°Why did he pull out your teeth?¡±


    ¡°Aheung... I don¡¯t know. The king was captured by a yangban a long time ago and his personality became strange after he returned. I don¡¯t know what he is thinking because he stays in the mountains alone. In the past, he was very gentle and helpful...¡±


    ¡°Yangban!¡±


    Did they drag away a rare animal for a show? It was possible when considering Garam¡¯s personality. Maybe the blue tiger was ruined by the yangbans.


    ¡®I¡¯ll know if we meet.¡¯


    Grid frowned and moved onto the next question.


    ¡°Is the identity of the big hero a daoist immortal? He gave you dentures.¡±


    The hero who saved Pangea from a crisis¡ªhe left his mark here and on the colony of the big poisonous rats. After saving Pangea, he had kept moving north. This might suggest that the Peach Blossom Spring was somewhere in the north. However, the answer waspletely different from what Grid expected.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a daoist immortal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The person was so powerful despite not being a daoist immortal or a yangban?


    It happened as a chill was going down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Human! Get out of here!!¡±


    A thunderous roar came from the top of Bukdu Mountain and the entire forest shook.


    [You have discovered a strong presence of this era!]


    [The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy has started to boil!]


    [Your transcendent senses warn you of danger!]


    The junglendscape and Grid were assimted. Grid was surrounded by the red-purple fighting energy and his sense of existence became as huge as a forest.


    ¡°B-Blue tiger...!¡±


    The tigers¡¯ eyes widened and they turned deadly pale.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how strong he is.¡¯


    Grid noticed a small dot descending from the mountain and started a serious and beautiful sword dance. His long arms moved in a spiral and blue-ck petals scattered everywhere.


    ¡®I can¡¯t fall in a ce like this when I have to take down Garam...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. The blue tiger got close enough for his eyes to be visible and tears spilled like a waterfall¡ªhe obviously cried as he looked at Grid. ¡°Pagmaaaaaa!!!!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±

 Chapter 1160

    At close range, the physique of the blue tiger was much bigger than the toothless tiger. Grid, who was 183 centimeters tall, had to tilt his head backpletely to get a glimpse of the ¡®king¡¯ character on the blue tiger¡¯s forehead. Nevertheless, Grid wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by the blue tiger and was fascinated.


    The blue tiger was beautiful. The blue fur that shone with a white light seemed to make the jewels embedded in Grid¡¯s crown seem frivolous. The iconic ck tiger stripes, which gave off aplex sense of aesthetics that couldn¡¯t be reproduced with Grid¡¯s hand technique, blended with the blue fur.


    ¡°Pagma!¡±


    The blue tiger suddenly arrived in front of Grid and stretched out his arms. All the twitching majestic muscles and the blue fur was menacing. However, Grid didn¡¯t swing his sword. The blue petals of sword energy fluttering with the falling leaves lost their purpose and dispersed.


    Against the beautiful backdrop, Grid stared into the blue tiger¡¯s eyes. They were familiar eyes. Khan had always greeted him with such eyes when he reunited with Khan after a few months. There was longing and joy in the blue tiger¡¯s eyes, who had watched the mountain and rivers change dozens, hundreds, of times.


    ¡°Pagma!¡± The distance narrowed as the blue tiger jumped and hugged Grid. Grid almost copsed from the weight of the blue tiger but he used all his strength to keep standing. He waited until the blue tiger finishing rubbing against his cheeks.


    ¡°Pagma! You¡¯re alive!!¡± The blue tiger cried. The ck eyes, which usually held the depths of time, were teary and the pink nose was runny. The shoulders that were three times wider than Grid¡¯s shoulders were trembling.


    Then after a moment...


    ¡°Sniff sniff! Sniff sniff? Hyaaack!¡±


    The blue tiger that was crying, biting, breathing in, and rubbing against Grid suddenly became frightened. He had btedly noticed...


    ¡°Y-You! You aren¡¯t Pagma! Aheung!¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t threaten me with those eyes now.¡±


    Grid hurriedly stood back on his feet and stared at the now roaring blue tiger. Scars that couldn¡¯t be seen from up close covered the blue tiger¡¯s body. They were one-sided scars¡ªdeep wounds that wouldn¡¯t be erased for the rest of the blue tiger¡¯s life. The blue tiger¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Really... you really aren¡¯t Pagma.¡±


    It was natural to think this person was Pagma. Unlike the other yangbans who acted harshly and in a vulgar manner, Pagma showed a quiet dancing posture. This temporarily ovepped with the person in front of the blue tiger. However, this human in front of him wasn¡¯t Pagma. The blue tiger couldn¡¯t distinguish between human appearances but he quickly noticed it. He remembered it vividly¡ªPagma¡¯s sweet voice and the warm sunshine-like smell as Pagma reached out to him, who was crying in a cage. The blue tiger had been longing for it for hundreds of years.


    ¡°Human, why do you have Pagma¡¯s dances?¡± the snarling blue tiger finally asked a question.


    ¡°I inherited the skills that Pagma left behind after his death,¡± Grid answered honestly. Lies were a deception rather than a constion.


    ¡°Aheung... I see. Pagma is dead.¡±


    Surprisingly, the blue tiger didn¡¯t seem shocked. He reacted calmly like he heard news he already expected. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t conceal his rising sorrow. His round face that was unlike his burly physique trembled.


    ¡°S-Shall we return to our cave?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, aheung. We should go and eat garlic.¡±


    The atmosphere turned strange and the toothless tigers started to retreat. They were afraid of the blue tiger because of their experience of having their teeth removed.


    The blue tiger¡¯s ears pricked and he called out to them, ¡°Aheung! Garlic? How can you chew on garlic when you¡¯re missing teeth?¡±


    The blue tiger¡¯s eyes widened and the cuteness immediately disappeared from his face. The majesty of a king that he showed when he first appeared returned and even Grid was on edge. The tigers were deadly pale. ¡°H-Hup! D-Dentures! We chew with dentures!¡±


    ¡°Dentures?¡± The blue tiger was distracted by Grid and only btedly discovered the tigers¡¯ teeth. ¡°Aheung! Where did you get dentures from?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh, a human! He gave it to us out of pity, aheung!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The blue tiger was very surprised. He had full control of the Bukdu Mountain area and could easily detect any visitors. He had no idea someone had appeared and gave the tigers dentures. There was only one human who could deceive the blue tiger¡¯s senses.


    ¡°Aheung. Was the human perhaps in a bamboo hat?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s correct. He was carrying arge bundle but there was nothing inside, aheung.¡±


    ¡°That idiot Hwang Gildong...¡±


    ¡®Hwang Gildong!¡¯


    Years ago, Kraugel had revealed the identity of the big hero who saved Pangea from a crisis. Grid focused on the tigers¡¯ conversation.


    ¡°Take them out. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Dentures, confiscate. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The blue tiger took away the dentures of all 10 tigers. Thanks to this, the tigers became toothless tigers and scattered in a depressed manner. Grid watched this scene and asked, ¡°Why is removing the tiger¡¯s teeth rted to garlic?¡±


    Maybe it was because he was Pagma¡¯s Descendant, the blue tiger willingly answered Grid¡¯s question, ¡°To be exact, it is mugwort and garlic. Around 10 years ago, a wicked daoist sprinkled mugwort and garlic around Bukdu Mountain and ran away. I pulled out the tiger¡¯s teeth so they wouldn¡¯t eat them. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°Mugwort and garlic?¡± Grid asked as he recalled a story that every Korean would know. [1]


    ¡°Will they turn into humans if they eat it for 100 days?¡±


    ¡°Aheung. No. If they eat it for 10 years, they will be daoist immortals.¡±


    ¡°D-Daoist immortals? What? Daoist immortals are artificially made?¡±


    ¡°It is a story that applies only to spiritual beings. For humans to be daoist immortals, they have to train steadily and rise.¡±


    Grid¡¯s head became moreplicated with the new information. ¡°I heard that the evil daoist turned the animals around Pangea into ferocious monsters. Then why is he trying to make daoist immortals? Aren¡¯t daoist immortals good? Why would the evil daoist that harmed so many people be trying to make daoist immortals...?¡±


    There were two evil daoists. One was the unidentified figure who was beaten by the great hero, Hwang Gildong. He was the one who turned the wild animals around Pangea into monsters and sprinkled mugwort and garlic over Bukdu Mountain.


    The other person, Arube, was the one who hid in Pangea Castle¡¯s underground dungeon. Arube was an evil daoist who had the desire to take control of Pangea.


    Grid had believed the unknown daoist to be a mercenary hired by Arube. Now it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. The unidentified daoist was aiming for a bigger picture and Arube was likely to be the puppet used in the process.


    The blue tiger revealed a shocking fact. ¡°It is true that daoist immortals are good beings. However, daoist immortals will be dependent on the society of gods, regardless of whether they are human or spiritual creatures. They are always exposed to the gods¡¯ sight and find it hard to disobey the gods¡¯ will. Aheung. In particr, spiritual beings often have less intelligence than humans and can¡¯t disobey the gods.¡±


    ¡°...Then a daoist immortal being good is meaningless unless the god whomands them is also good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Aheung. Incidentally, it so happens that the gods aren¡¯t very good.¡±


    Grid knew this as well. In particr, the gods of the East Continent were yangbans who treated humans as dogs. At least, from a human point of view, they couldn¡¯t be considered good.


    ¡°Aheung. The identity of the evil daoist must be a minion of the Hwan Kingdom. There must¡¯ve been a n to turn wild animals into monsters to block people from essing this area, allowing the tigers to be daoist immortals under themand of the gods.¡±


    It was the right guess. The gods of the East Continent wanted revenge on the gods of the West Continent and had to grow their army. It seemed clear that they intended to cultivate daoist immortals and make an army. However, there was something strange...


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the evil daoist steal the Red Phoenix Bow...?¡±


    The weapons of the sacred creatures on the East Continent, including the Red Phoenix Bow, were a type of barrier that blocked the emergence of great demons. One of the reasons why the yangbans were revered as gods was due to this barrier. The loss of the Red Phoenix Bow was a severe blow to the deification of the yangbans. They should be obsessed with the weapons of the sacred creatures. Then why did the servant of the Hwan Kingdom steal the Red Phoenix Bow? It was misleading.


    The blue tiger shook his head. ¡°Aheung? I stole the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°It seems that after the Red Phoenix Bow suddenly disappeared, the panicked people thought an evil daoist did it.¡±


    The blue tiger rummaged around his voluminous belly and pulled out an orange bow that was like zing fire. It was arge longbow but it looked like nothing in the big hand of the blue tiger.


    ¡°T-The Red Phoenix Bow!¡±


    Grid was astonished when he peeked at the bow¡¯s information using Pagma¡¯s Eyes. The Red Phoenix Bow was found in this ce?


    The blue tiger stared at the dumbfounded Grid and asked, ¡°Human, Pagma rescued me when I was captured and abused by the yangban. Then he crossed the Red Sea. Aheung. Honestly, I thought Pagma would¡¯ve died in the Red Sea. Yet Pagma crossed the Red Sea and arrived on the West Continent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There... how did Pagma live? Was he ridiculed by people for melting iron in fire and hitting it with a hammer?¡±


    ¡°Pagma...¡± There was a lot to say about Pagma. He was a traitor to someone and a viin to someone else. However, he was also a hero. ¡°Pagma was revered by many. He also saved the world.¡±


    ¡°I... see.¡± The blue tiger¡¯s eyes filled with tears. His figure was so sad and adorable that Grid hurriedly summoned Noe. It was due to a strange anxiety that Noe¡¯s position as the cutest was likely to weaken.


    ¡°Nyahahat! Hell¡¯s best demonic beast is he... nyaaaang!¡± Noe, who appeared with his short limbs wide open, felt his hair rise and he hid behind Grid. Considering that the only ones Noe had been scared of so far were great demons and dragons, it meant that the descendant of a sacred creature, the blue tiger, was no less than them.


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so surprised.¡± Grid stroked the Noe¡¯s small head as Noe trembled in his arms.


    Then the blue tiger asked a new question, ¡°Why did you cross to the East Continent? Aheung.¡±


    His eyes were glued on Noe but Grid didn¡¯t know the reason. Grid answered honestly, ¡°In order to be stronger. Be strong enough to kill Garam.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t forget it¡ªthe wicked man who called all the cksmiths of the West Continent to Pangea just for the sake of catching Grid. Such a fellow was aiming for him. Grid had to get rid of Garam. He would be killed if he didn¡¯t get rid of Garam. He would really be crushed.


    ¡°...It looks simr.¡±


    The blue tiger was filled with emotions when he read the willpower in Grid¡¯s eyes. The blue tiger recalled the old image of Pagma, who had always remained strong and shouted that he would return to his country. He couldn¡¯t help wondering if it was Pagma who sent Grid.


    After some contemtion, he handed the Red Phoenix Bow to Grid. ¡°Humans think that making a barrier out of the weapons of the sacred creatures is to prevent the great demons from invading. The truth is that it is a barrier to block all sides. If you release the seal on the weapons of the four sacred creatures then they will give you the strength to confront the yangbans... Aheung!¡±


    [The myth grade ¡®Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides¡¯ has been acquired!]


    A mythical item with the power of the gods. Grid was feeling confused about receiving the Red Phoenix Bow with no strings attached when the blue tiger roared. Then there was an unforgettable voice.


    ¡°Hahahat, weed faces are gathered side by side.¡±


    Long ck hair and blue robes fluttered in the wind. The man who appeared in the sky exuded the energy of the blue dragon and shook the forest. He was a familiar face to Grid. ¡°Garam!¡±


    ¡°R-Run, Overgeared King...¡± There was a hunchback with a strange appearance. Nobuldam, who inspected yersing from the West Continent in Pangea, barely spoke before he turned to ash.


    Garam held Nobuldam¡¯s neck with one hand and broke his neck. Garam shook off the blood on his hand like it was dirty andughed. ¡°Grid, my eyes epass the sky and earth and there is no ce in the north, east, west, and north that they don¡¯t cover. Your death was inevitable the moment you crossed the Red Sea. Maybe it was due to his connection to Han Seokbong but he was trying to help you. The Cho Kingdom, who failed to guide him down the right path, will perish in the near future.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Grid activated Lightning Speed attached to the Blue Dragon Boots.


    ¡°The power of the blue dragon?¡±


    Garam frowned and Grid was about to use cksmith¡¯s Rage, ckening, and Quick Movements.


    However, the blue tiger was faster. ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant, unseal the Red Phoenix Bow first.¡±


    The blue tiger caught Grid¡¯s ankle and threw Grid into the middle of the forest.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    A terrifying strength. Unlike what he wanted, Grid flew hundreds of meters away into the middle of the forest. In the distance, the blue tiger and Garam were engaged in battle.


    The toothless tigers came and pushed him. ¡°I will repay you for the rice cake you gave!¡±


    ¡°W-What? Wait!¡±


    Grid was nowhere to be seen. The ce where the blue tiger had thrown Grid was reminiscent of a stone ruin. Then the moment the tigers pushed Grid to a certain ce there, Grid suddenly warped to a new location.


    [1] The story of Ungnyeo, a bear who transformed into a woman after eating only garlic and mugwort for 100 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungnyeo

 Chapter 1161

    It was dark. Night? No, this ce was somewhere underground. Grid used the light elemental.


    ¡®...It is a cave.¡¯


    It was a very narrow cave. If he didn¡¯t squeeze his body, his shoulders would be touching the walls. If he didn¡¯t bow, his head would be touching the ceiling. Grid started to move along the winding path with the light elemental and thought it was like a giant ant cave or a rabbit cave.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe, nyang. The great Noe has confirmed that there are no traps and monsters,¡± Noe, who returned after looking around, spoke. Hell¡¯s best demonic beast¡¯s senses became more advanced. The higher the level, the greater his ability to sense danger.


    Grid nodded with a rotten expression.


    [The third gateway in the north of Pangea has been broken through for the first time.]


    [It is thanks to the ruler of the toothless tigermunity, the ¡®Blue Tiger,¡¯ favoring you.]


    [The title ¡®Pangea¡¯s New Star¡¯ has been enhanced!]


    [A new quest granted by the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides has urred.]


    [Red Phoenix Guardian]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    From the moment humanity was born, the red phoenix has been the guardian deity protecting the south part of the East Continent.


    Due to being sealed by the expelled gods, it has been enved and exploited for years. The red phoenix is currently weak, like antern on the verge of going out.


    Protect the soul of the red phoenix sleeping in the bow so that it can recover.


    Quest Clear Condition: Keep the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides in your inventory for two years.


    Quest Clear Reward: Acquire the 1,000th heart of the red phoenix. Affinity with the red phoenix will rise significantly.


    Quest Failure Conditions: Three deaths within two years.


    In Case of Quest Failure: The Hwan Kingdom will reim the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides.]


    [¡ï Another Quest Clear Condition ¡ï


    Give 20 Red Phoenix Breaths to the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides.


    Quest will be instantly cleared and the red phoenix released.


    Quest Clear Reward: The red phoenix¡¯s breath is absorbed into your body. Acquire the 999th heart of the red phoenix. Affinity with the red phoenix will rise significantly.]


    The Easterners tended to use the names Four Auspicious Beasts or four sacred creatures mixed together. Sacred creature referred to a mystical animal and were different from gods, which meant the people¡¯s faith in the red phoenix, white tiger, ck tortoise, and blue dragon wasn¡¯t as deep.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I thought they were of a grade lower than the gods.¡¯


    Now he saw that the Four Auspicious Beasts were also gods. They had been defending the East Continent long before the Five Seniors were driven to the east.


    ¡®It is probably because of the Five Seniors and yangban that they aren¡¯t treated as gods.¡¯


    Grid frowned as he recalled the blue tiger¡¯s words. In fact, the weapons of the sacred creatures were actually seals locking up the Four Auspicious Beasts? Now he could understand why the yangbans had the breaths of the sacred creatures. The yangbans weren¡¯t helped by the Four Auspicious Beasts. They ruled the Four Auspicious Beasts and took away their power.


    ¡®They are deceiving people that the barrier they set up is to prevent the great demons from appearing... it¡¯s funny that they are the grandmaster¡¯sst hope.¡¯


    The more he knew, the worse they became. It made the Western gods, who were faithful to their emotions, seem pure. Of course, the Evil God Yatan and Goddess of Light Reba were questionable. It was difficult to judge them. It couldn¡¯t be understood with human beliefs alone.


    ¡®Stop thinking and focus on the situation in front of me.¡¯


    Grid brushed off hisplex thoughts and confirmed the effect of the upgraded title.


    [Pangea¡¯s New Star 3rd Stage]


    [Stage 1: It is rtively easy to obtain information from the residents of Pangea.


    Stage 2: The quest acquisition rate increases in the Pangea region.


    Stage 3: All spiritual beings in Pangea will favor you.


    * Every time you destroy a monstermunity formed in the north, the level and effectiveness of the title will increase.]


    In the end, the effect was still only applied to Pangea. Even so, the value was not low. Grid¡¯s heart grew heavy as he recalled what happened at the toothless tigermunity.


    ¡°Tiger... are you okay?¡±


    In fact, in retrospect, it was unlikely the blue tiger would¡¯ve been hostile to him even if he wasn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s Descendant. Exchange with the toothless tigers had been set from the moment he broke through thezy cowmunity. The blue tiger wouldn¡¯t randomly hurt humans.


    ¡®He is a good guy...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s worries deepened. The sight of Garam fighting the blue tiger and toothless tigers was depicted in his mind.


    ¡®...No, it will be fine.¡¯


    The blue tiger had enough strength to throw Grid hundreds of meters away with only one arm. As a descendant of one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, the white tiger, he wouldn¡¯t be easily defeated by the yangban. He couldn¡¯t be easily subdued, even if it was Garam...


    The disbelieving Grid touched his face. Then Berith¡¯s Skin Mask activated and his appearance and body shape started to change. This time, Grid¡¯s choice was the old man Dante.


    ¡®That jerk.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face was hideous as he recalled the smiling Garam. The man who usually referred to Grid as the ¡®ignorant masses¡¯ now called him by name. It was like he wasughing at Grid¡¯s disguise.


    ¡®He has a real dog-like personality.¡¯


    Would he have be simr to Garam if his former self had gained his present power? Grid shuddered at the creepy thoughts.


    ¡®Garam tracked me down with the conviction I would be here.¡¯


    From the beginning, Grid hadn¡¯t expected to deceive Garam¡¯s eyes with the skin mask. No matter how much Grid hid his energy, Garam was a transcendent with the blood of a god flowing through him and could easily see through the skin mask. However, this was a story when meeting face to face.


    This time, Garam knew and tracked Grid¡¯s location despite no direct encounter. The hunchback Nobuldam hadn¡¯t recognized Grid at the checkpoint but it was revealed he chased Grid and was captured by Garam.


    ¡®They must¡¯ve found me based on a certain situation...¡¯


    There was only one situation that he could think of. It was breaking through thezy cowmunity. Maybe there were watch towers spread throughout themunities. However, there was no reason to hesitate in destroying themunities when his location was already found.


    ¡®While the blue tiger buys time, break through the rest of themunities and go to the Cho Kingdom.¡¯


    It was necessary to confirm if the king of the Cho Kingdom was really protecting him. It was because the Cho Kingdom was a precious home for Han Seokbong and Sua.


    Step.


    Grid finally escaped the cramped,plex maze-like structure and saw vast agricultural fields. Large rabbits dressed like humans were working hard everywhere.


    Ttiring~


    [You have entered the hard-working rabbitmunity.]


    The cave that he passed through seemed to be a rabbit cave. Grid held the Enlightenment Sword in order to prepare for any rabbit attacks.


    ¡°The rat that was able to be a member of the 12 Zodiacs by riding on the cow¡¯s back was originallycking in qualifications but the ck cow was not an easy opponent.¡±


    A voice was ahead from above Grid¡¯s head. Grid, who was already ready, raised his gaze and saw a rabbit sitting on a tree. The rabbit stared at Grid and jumped from the tree. ¡°You have a good edge to your senses. You have remarkable insight to be able to see through the ck cow¡¯s trickery. You are qualified to receive the favor of the blue tiger.¡±


    ¡°Rats, cows, tigers, rabbits... The 12 Zodiacs... Ah!¡± Grid finally noticed¡ªthe monstermunities to the north of Pangea had a theme of the 12 Zodiacs.


    ¡°Originally, us 12 Zodiacs were the servants of the Four Auspicious Beasts. However, our power quickly weakened since the Four Auspicious Beasts were deceived and sealed by the gods. Most of the spiritual beings following us lost their intelligence and became monsters.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Only Blue Tiger, the descendant of White Tiger, Earth Dragon, the descendant of Blue Dragon, and I, the beautiful Tosun, who was particrly cherished by the Four Auspicious Beasts, barely managed to maintain our strength and reason, and keep the other 12 Zodiacs under control. Then even that became impossible after Blue Tiger was kidnapped one day.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful Tosun?¡±


    ¡°Tosun is my name.¡±


    ¡°Why Tosun...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a female.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    There seemed to be noints or questions about her name. Grid decided to let it go.


    Tosun¡¯s exnation continued, ¡°The moment Blue Tiger left his position, most of the tigers were turned into monsters or wild animals, attacking humans and being hunted in reverse. Even the 10 Tigers, who retained their qualifications, lost most of their past memories. Earth Dragon, who unreasonably wanted to stay alone, med himself for not guarding the tigers while Blue Tiger was away and hid underground. I barely managed to to protect half my herd.¡±


    Tosun shrugged and turned her gaze to the fields. There were around 50 rabbits in the fields but they didn¡¯t show any hostility when they saw Grid. Some of them smiled and waved. They seemed to be ssified as spiritual beings, not monsters.


    ¡°In this situation, we avoided the curse of the evil daoist. All of the 12 Zodiacs and their subordinates, apart from Earth Dragon, Blue Tiger, and my rabbit herd, couldn¡¯t avoid the curse and became monsters.¡±


    Tosun¡¯s request was simple. ¡°Human who has received Blue Tiger¡¯s favor. There is nothing but chaos beyond here. Nothing can be obtained from themunity of the sleeping Earth Dragon. After the Earth Dragonmunity, you will only face irrational monsters. So stop here and go back. Please. Please stay away from the eyes of the yangbans until Red Phoenix is restored.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid had felt strange from the moment he received the mythical item for free. He didn¡¯t know that he had taken on a huge role. Honestly, it was normal to be offended but Grid only felt a sense of responsibility and motivation. It was because the opponents were the yangbans.


    Grid wasn¡¯t willing to be intertwined with transcendents or gods, but the yangbans were an exception. He didn¡¯t like the existence of the yangbans and he wondered if it was inevitable that he would sh with them as Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think about it.¡¯


    Grid revisited the quest information. Keep the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides for two years but he couldn¡¯t be killed more than three times in that period. The quest difficulty of the Red Phoenix Guardian quest was absurdly high. He had to operate in a safe ce for two years. Even if he hid in a safe ce, he would continue to be exposed to the threat posed by the yangbans. It was virtually impossible to have less than three deaths in two years.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the only quest clear condition. He could clear it immediately as long as he got 20 Red Phoenix Breaths. For the average person, getting 20 Red Phoenix Breaths would seem much harder and impossible than not dying three times for two years but for Grid, it was the opposite. Grid¡¯s teammates were eager to give him the gold medal rewards for the National Competition. Furthermore, the method of obtaining the Red Phoenix Breath wasn¡¯t only the National Competition.


    ¡°If I kill a yangban, will they drop the breath of a sacred creature that they hold?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    "What?!¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me, you...! You are going to fight the gods by yourself!¡±


    Tosun was shocked. He might¡¯ve been chosen by Blue Tiger but a human thinking about fighting against the yangbans? It was absolutely absurd.


    Grid¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t waver. ¡°My n hasn¡¯t changed. I will break through all the remainingmunities, develop my strength, and hunt the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°S-Sophistry! Vain and full of pride!¡±


    The rabbit cave that Grid passed through exploded and a stalker appeared. It was a man wearing the same blue robe as Garam. Tosun¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Yangban...!¡±


    The yangban, Hangyeol,ughed. ¡°I followed Garam and found something funny. Ignorant human, what indignity did you bring to Garam? What did you do to make Garam so upset when he sees you? Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°Run away! We¡¯ll buy time for you!¡±


    Tosun and the rabbits came in front of Grid. They were ready for death but Hangyeol didn¡¯t even look at them. He treated them as insignificant.


    ¡°Come on, tell me. Tell me how stupid Garam was. Based on your words, I will be able to take Garam¡¯s ce.¡±


    Only the most talented of the yangban could show their faces to the public and be deified. It was the Five Seniors¡¯ n to raise gods quickly by focusing faith on a small number of people, but it was very regrettable and unfair for those who weren¡¯t selected.


    ¡°Haha! Go ahead!¡±


    By chance, he found Garam leaving the Hwan Kingdom. Hangyeol followed and was thrilled to see this. He smiled as he imagined recing Garam.


    Grid snorted. ¡°Newbie.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hangyeol and the rabbits doubted their ears. They had no time to wake up from their consternation. Grid was engulfed in Lightning Speed and had already moved behind Hangyeol.


    ¡°T-This technique...?! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    A yangban who hadn¡¯t been deified¡ªthis person allowed Grid to advance and was hit. He vomited blood while the rabbits raised their ears.

 Chapter 1162

    At the toothless tigermunity...


    The old rocks copsed. It was the work of the blue tiger.


    ¡°You are an absurd guy.¡±


    Garam swept his long hair¡ªsoaked with blood and sweat¡ªbehind his ears andughed. His eyebrows raised sharply as his eyes alternated between looking at the injured blue tiger and at the copsed old stones.


    ¡°There is no precedent for humans to survive in the face of a god¡¯s grudge. Even if you grab onto my ankles until I break down the few remaining of the 12 Zodiacs, Grid is doomed to die. He might resurrect a few times but he will always dance on the palm of my hand and suffer from tens of thousands of deaths.¡±


    There was no value in a foolish sacrifice...


    Mocking overflowed from Garam¡¯s leisurely face. He had no doubt that he would be able to find Grid again and kill him, even if he missed Grid now. Honestly, he was enjoying it by this point. He wanted to have fun, like a hunter setting a fire and waiting for the roon to crawl out of the cave. He was holding the Cho Kingdom as a hostage.


    The blue tiger shuddered. ¡°Aheung. I feel sorry for you, a god¡¯s creation who is pretending to be a god.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Garam¡¯s face was stiff. Humans and yangbans were no different, thus they should cherish each other and treat each other equally. A madman¡¯s sophistry revolved around Garam¡¯s head. He silently stared at the blue tiger for a moment before turning his attention to the 10 trembling toothless tigers.


    ¡°Since killing a god is impossible, I¡¯ll have to torture and kill them to ay my anger.¡±


    ¡°Why are you obsessed with pointless killing?¡±


    Garam snorted as the blue tiger blocked his way. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I was going to soothe my anger?¡±


    Garam started to wield the sword like a whip. He shivered with joy as he remembered the days when he tortured the blue tiger. The wounds on the blue tiger¡¯s body increased as he was forced on the defensive, only for the toothless tigers to cry out. ¡°Aheung! The other yangban chased the human!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Garam and the blue tiger¡¯s attention shifted at the same time. The tigers exined with an iprehensible expression.


    ¡°T-The two of them are fighting! A yangban suddenly appeared on the side of the sheepmunity and crossed using the stones, heung!¡±


    ¡°There was no time to stop him, heung!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Garam and the blue tiger¡¯s eyes were burning after they saw that the tigers weren¡¯t lying. The blue tiger was worried about Grid and the Red Phoenix Bow while Garam was anxious about his dirtyundry being discovered.


    ¡®The bitter candidates are the only one who can fool my senses.¡¯


    The bitter candidates¡ªit referred to the yangban who finished 8th ce and below in Chiyou¡¯s test. They were beaten in thepetition and weren¡¯t worthy to be objects of faith. They were much weaker than the Seven, including Garam, but they were still yangbans. It was easy for them to subdue a human. In particr, Hangyeol was skilled and it was possible for him to deceive Garam¡¯s senses. It would be easy for him to chase after Grid unnoticed.


    ¡°That son of a bitch...!¡±


    Grid would¡¯ve already been overpowered. That guy would cling to his cheap life as usual and tell Hangyeol all about Garam¡¯s dirtyundry. Garam went crazy at the thought and rushed forward. The blue tiger and the toothless tigers were no longer his concerns. The moment he was ridiculed by the other yangban, his position might be weakened and he might be disqualified from the Seven.


    Garam had to shut Hangyeol¡¯s mouth no matter what. Since the stones were broken, it would take time to get to the rabbitmunity. He was forced to leave straight away.


    The blue tiger sat down in ce. He didn¡¯t rush after the departing Garam. There was no reason to hold him with force. Grid would already be dead. It was too early to have given him the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®Pagma... I brought danger to your descendant...¡¯


    The guilt-ridden blue tiger was in tears.


    ***


    Grid didn¡¯t forget the thrill of seeing the yangban for the first time. The presence had been reminiscent of the legends of the West Continent and Grid had flinched back. Yes, the yangbans were strong. Those who had the blood of a god couldn¡¯t be weak. The fighting energy that boiled the moment Hangyeol appeared proved the reality. However...


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    Grid predicted the odds of winning. Unlike a few years ago, he didn¡¯t shrink back. Now he was stronger and had prated the weaknesses of the yangbans. It was as expected.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Hangyeol was hit twice in a row by Grid. The fatal weakness of a yangban¡ªit was that they made mistakes out of pride. Hangyeol was humiliated because he couldn¡¯t respond quickly to Grid¡¯s surprise attack. He never imagined that a human would dare to strike at a yangban.


    ¡°This swordsmanship... Kukuk! Was Garam caught off guard like this? I understand why his eyes are fiery now.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Following Kill and Pinnacle Kill, Grid tried to link it with Restraint only to reflexively fall back. There was a wave of air where Grid had been standing. It was caused by an invisible wind strike.


    ¡®This strength...¡¯


    It was a technique with the power to make Grid silent. Previously, Garam had lured Grid to the East Continent using a quest and he used this invisible wind to turn Grid to tatters. This was one of the decisive reasons why Grid was afraid of Garam. How could a yer beat a monster who won against the opponent using an attack with no form?


    It was a power that caused Grid to feel frustration. Yet at this moment, he glimpsed the truth. The strike of invisible wind. The identity of this ability that Garam called ¡®power¡¯ was actually Formless Will. The power of willpower, embodied by those who had already awakened the heart. The yangbans were able to embody the ability with their innate willpower and called it ¡®power.¡¯


    ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re pretty good,¡± Hangyeol muttered. Avoiding the intangible winds? This person wasn¡¯t a normal human. It was unknown how he mastered Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship but he must¡¯ve ovee human limitations in the process.


    Hangyeol¡¯s attitude became a bit more serious. He started using the power of the wind in earnest. The force of the wind that blew around Hangyeol gradually became faster and fiercer. He had no intention of pulling out the sword hanging from his waist at all. He looked at Grid in a rxed manner despite already being hit twice.


    It wasn¡¯t because he was stupid. The yangbans had ruled humans for at least hundreds of years. They were a disaster to humans or saved humans ording to their mood. It was fundamentally impossible for the yangbans to be concerned about humans.


    In fact, Hangyeol¡¯s wounds were already healing quickly. It was the power of the Red Phoenix Breath. No, there was no need to talk about the Red Phoenix Breath. The wounds he suffered weren¡¯t deep in the first ce. It was evidence that a human couldn¡¯t harm the yangbans.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll break your legs first.¡±


    Hangyeol gave a cheerfulugh and his personality was very different from Garam.


    Garam, who had been deified for a long time, was obsessed with every little wound Grid dealt him because it was a blow to his pride. Hangyeol, who wasn¡¯t chosen to be an object of faith, had endured for a long time and wasn¡¯t obsessed with petty wounds.


    He remained reasonable and calmly targeted Grid. An intangible wind swept over Grid. It wasn¡¯t easy to avoid invisible attacks. This was the power of one who would be a god. Before great power, humans were supposed to kneel...


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Hangyeol¡¯s smiling face stiffened. The intangible winds were torn away without reaching Grid.


    [The target¡¯s solid will has neutralized the Formless Will.]


    Formless Will was a power of willpower. It was a force that easily subdued targets with rtively weak or no willpower. It also meant that it wouldn¡¯t work against strong-willed targets at all. The expansion of his mana core allowed Grid to open the willpower stat and Grid obtained Formless Will, but it was impossible to control it directly.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Hangyeol stood with a baffled expression and hurriedly grasped his sword. It was because the man engulfed in a dark red-purple aura quickly started dancing amidst the storm of wind. This dance wasn¡¯t familiar to Hangyeol.


    ¡°Transcend!¡±


    It was a sword dance that created sword energy. If he didn¡¯t narrow the distance, the situation would be at a disadvantage for a while. Hangyeol rushed forward. He needed to approach Grid before the sword energy flew forward. However...


    ¡°Transcend¡ª¡±


    The time Grid took toplete the sword dance was faster than Hangyeol expected.


    ¡°¡ªLink Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    There were no gaps.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Four sword dances at the same time? No, not even Pagma...


    Hangyeol¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯tst long. The dozens of energy des that poured forward precisely aimed at his vital areas and contained killing intent to the extreme so there was no time to consider it.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Hangyeol nned to twist the trajectory of the dozens of energy des by drawing arge circle with his soft sword, but failed. Another weakness of the yangban was theirck of experience. Braham¡¯s magic was in Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. It was impossible for the yangban, who had beenzy all his life, to cope with thebined power of two legends.


    [Fenrir¡¯s Power is supporting the spirit of struggle that doesn¡¯t lose. You have ovee the gap with the target.]


    The damage of the fully buffed Grid was 100% applied, mangling Hangyeol¡¯s body. Grid¡¯s attack power prated even the defense of semi-god transcendent.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    His screams couldn¡¯t stop and red blood poured out as Hangyeol copsed. Grid was already in the process of using Transcended Link Flower.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Something was wrong. This person wasn¡¯t Pagma¡¯s sessor. He was a monster who had surpassed Pagma. A chill went down Hangyeol¡¯s spine as he used Lightning Speed and soared up into the sky. He had the idea of escaping from this ce right away but Grid didn¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    Hangyeol¡¯s face was white. He hadn¡¯t expected Grid to also use the power of the blue dragon. He was caught by the chasing Grid and Hangyeol pulled out the power of the white tiger. The Red Phoenix Breath was busy restoring his wound so he had simultaneously activated the power of three of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ck blood poured from Hangyeol¡¯s mouth. He couldn¡¯t die in the hands of a human and did his best. A shield of stone walls that wouldn¡¯t break appeared around him. Then the walls disappeared.


    "I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hangyeol crashed to the ground.

 Chapter 1163

    His wounds hurt and the sky was high above him. It was only after Hangyeol fell in a ragged state that he became aware of a fact he had taken for granted. Even so, he didn¡¯t want to admit it. It was because he was a god.


    ¡°...This is a foreign realm.¡±


    The Red Phoenix Breath was constantly emitting mes. The red phoenix was a god who governed over fire and life. The mes of life restored the seven fatal wounds engraved on Hangyeol¡¯s body. Hangyeol¡¯s body disappeared with a roar. The blue dragon was a god who governed over wind and lightning. Hangyeol was surrounded by lightning and gusts of winds and eliminated the notion of space.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be beaten by a human like you!!¡±


    Hangyeol¡¯s sword shrieked as it emitted thick smoke. The power of the ck tortoise, who governed water and death, revealed itself. Hangyeol, who hadn¡¯t built up faith, was unable topletely control the violent power of the ck tortoise. However, at this moment, he transcended his boundaries. He was trying to break the barrier with his willpower for the first time since he was born and he waited for the ck tortoise to surrender.


    Hangyeol had a gut feeling. The human in front of him was a trial that the gods had given to him. He would ovee this trial and face a turning point.


    The soft sword that soared behind Grid¡¯s back moved like a rope and twisted its trajectory. Like the tail of a scorpion, it struck at Grid¡¯s neck. Grid btedly turned his head and Hangyeol smiled as he met Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®Die. Your flesh and blood will be a soulful requiem...!¡¯


    Hangyeol¡¯s eyes widened. Four ck-gold hands suddenly blocked his attack. Hangyeol shook when the attack, aimed at the perfect human blind spot, was blocked. He raised his hands nervously, saving his face.


    ¡®He owns four treasures with such a powerful ego?¡¯


    Just like the strength of the ego varied from person to person, a treasure also had ratings. Treasures that could move on their own and fight for their owner was ssified as the best items, along with a treasure sharing their vision or experience with the owner.


    ¡®He is definitely a tricky guy.¡¯


    Hangyeol¡¯s vignce was amplified. He couldn¡¯t easily evaluate the man who used Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship more skillfully than Pagma, simultaneously cast magic while swinging his sword, and possessed the power of the sacred creatures, the evil eyes, and the treasures.


    Grid used Link and Hangyeol blocked the first blow. Dozens of energy des pressed steadily at his defenses but Hangyeol managed to avoid all attacks because he entrusted his body to the wind. The problem was the anomalous and powerful magic mixed in with the sword dances.


    However, Hangyeol¡¯s specialty wasn¡¯t swordsmanship or physique. Amulets spread around Hangyeol, blocking the magic. Braham¡¯s spells embedded in the sword dances couldn¡¯t easily prate Hangyeol¡¯s amulets. It was the limit of basic magic.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    However, the buff-magic, Enchant Weapon, worked well despite being basic magic. Braham¡¯s magic reinforced Grid¡¯s sword and Grid used the sword dances developed from Pagma. As a result, Hangyeol continued to be on the defensive and was hurt.


    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t see...¡± The rabbits on the ground blinked their eyes. Grid¡¯s offensive, with fighting energy at the maximum, and Hangyeol¡¯s steady movements to stop it, were so rapid that it wasn¡¯t visible to their eyes. They only recognized that colorful lights were colliding. Tosun was in a simr situation since she had continued to weaken since the Four Auspicious Beasts were sealed.


    ¡®I never thought there would be a human who could fight on an equal footing with a yangban...¡¯


    What type of life had this human lived? The moment Tosun questioned it, blue petals exploded and Grid and Hangyeol, who had been entangled for a long time, finally separated from each other.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    ckening had been released a long time ago and Grid was breathing roughly. His hands trembled as he took out potions.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Hangyeol vomited blood while maintaining his breathing. His belt was released so a hard upper body with ck marks was revealed between his loosened robes. However, he didn¡¯t use the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. No, he couldn¡¯t. It was the aftermath of using the Red Phoenix Breath during the process of attacking and defending against Grid.


    He needed a moment of mental recovery as he struggled to control his rough breathing. In short, his mana had fallen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sad to lose precious things.¡±


    Hangyeol wiped the blood from his mouth, looking rxed. The ck Tortoise Breath was a poison that corroded objects and withered life. It was impossible for Grid and his treasures to be safe when they exchanged hundreds of blows with Hangyeol inside the ck Tortoise Breath¡¯s fog.


    ¡®It will be advantageous to me as more time passes.¡¯


    Hangyeol was convinced. The world that was three seconds in the future unfolded in his mind. The four ck-gold hands wouldpletely weather and scatter like dust. The battle would soon be in his favor. Hangyeol was preparing for an airstrike when he soon became flustered. ¡°What?¡±


    The ck-gold hands, which had been constantly exposed to the ck Tortoise Breath, werepletely fine. This was different from Hangyeol¡¯s expectations. Rather than weathering, they didn¡¯t rust at all as they floated in front of the human to protect him.


    ¡®What is that material?¡¯


    It was outside the expected range. Anxiety rose. Hangyeol broke out of the airstrike position and retreated again. He checked to see if Shunpo was reusable. At this moment, the dark sword in the human¡¯s hands let out a loud noise. The sword, which had constantly emitted mes during the battle, started to crack with a scream. It was the same for the crown full of arrogance, the gloves filled with swiftness, and the cloak that let out a bloody smell...


    All the items worn on the human¡¯s body started rapidly weathering because they couldn¡¯t withstand the ck Tortoise Breath. Hangyeol was curious because the armor and shoes that should¡¯ve been broken first were fine, but he soon dismissed it as trivial. He was convinced that he had already won.


    ¡°Hat...! Kuhahahahahat!¡±


    Was it so sweet to triumph over a human? For the first time, Hangyeol felt joy in the rights he naturally enjoyed and burst outughing.


    ¡°Ignorant human! Get down on your knees and beg me! Tell me, how did you acquire the sword dances of the loser? What happened to the loser? Tell me everything that happened with Garam! I won¡¯t take your life as long as you speak! Hahahahat!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was silent. In fact, he couldn¡¯t afford to answer. This person used the Blue Dragon Breath to fly in the sky. No matter how he was hit, he recovered using the Red Phoenix Breath. Fatal injuries were blocked with the White Tiger Breath or avoided with Shunpo...


    Grid was exhausted as he faced the monster, Hangyeol. In particr, he felt a significant threat from the ck Tortoise Breath, which dealt a curse of corrosion. Grid¡¯s concentration was exhausted.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been much easier if the sess rate of the Castration Eye is 100%.¡¯


    The primary effect of the Castration Eye was to delete ¡®some¡¯ of the target¡¯s beneficial effects. This had a sess rate of 100%. However, the effect of ¡®deleting all of the target¡¯s beneficial effects¡¯ wasn¡¯t always helpful because it was a probability trigger.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a manhwa character.¡¯


    It was a really tough fight. Hangyeol was a truly fraudulent character. This guy was growing throughout the battle. He was oveing the weakness of hisck of skills and experience as he kept fighting. Grid¡¯s prediction¡ªthat the yangbans with no faith would surpass Piaro and Mercedes in terms of stats and skills, but the overall performance would be on par with the two¡ªwas shattered. His stats, level, and abilities, were simr to Teruchan, he had a powerparable to Mercedes, and he was now growing to Piaro¡¯s level in technique.


    ¡®If I drag this out longer then I¡¯ll lose.¡¯


    Growing in real time. It was like the hero of a manhwa fighting for a long time. The determined Grid pulled out a portable furnace and a cksmith¡¯s hammer. The legendary cksmith¡¯s ability instantly increased the firepower of the furnace and he quickly repaired the items that had been damaged.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hangyeol was dumbfounded for a moment. He didn¡¯t understand the behavior of the human who sat down and started hammering. Then suddenly...


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    He shuddered and swore as he confirmed that the human¡¯s battle gear were being repaired at a tremendous rate. He was blocked by the God Hands. Rather than the corroded swords, the God Hands pulled out Mjolnirs and tangled around Hangyeol in a dizzying manner. It was a meteor-like momentum but Hangyeol wasn¡¯t threatened. He was able to move faster than the God Hands and he had already be ustomed to the intentions of the God Hands.


    ¡°Stop this meaningless struggle!¡±


    He lightly broke through the God Hands¡¯ defense line and swung his sword at Grid¡¯s side. It wasn¡¯t just swinging the sword. It was a powerful swing based on the awareness he gained duringbat. The soft sword folded and unfolded. It was as fast as lightning as it aimed for the gap Grid revealed.


    ¡°Kyak kyak.¡±


    It greeted the Overgeared Skeletons rising from the ground instead of Grid.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯ve really mastered many things!¡±


    He made a funny expression as he recovered the sword and stabbed it again. The soft sword oscited and there seemed to be hundreds of them as he thrust his sword at Grid.


    ¡°How rude, nyang!¡± Noe appeared like a flying squirrel and used Lightning Discharge to nullify the attack. He was just attempting to use Soul Ingestion when Noe¡¯s face became like this (X?X) as it was hit.


    ¡°Hahahat!¡± Hangyeolughed despite the fact that several attacks had already failed. Every time Grid pulled out a new move, he trembled with joy, convinced that he had won. The next attack followed. Unlike the previous attacks, it was a powerful strike without any finesse. Hangyeol would cut Gridpletely, no matter what Grid did. Yet it failed.


    ¡°Revolve.¡± Randy appeared in Grid¡¯s form and hit back.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Hangyeol was cut by his own sword and shivered with shame. ¡°This human...! Damn human!¡±


    How many times had he been humiliated? The furious Hangyeol gritted his teeth and viciously cut Randy and Noe, killing them. Even in this dire situation, he aimed his sword at Grid who was focusing on hammering.


    [You have received catastrophic damage!]


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Blood flowed from Grid as he hammered at the anvil. Nevertheless, his hammering didn¡¯t stop and he didn¡¯t die. cksmith¡¯s Patience increased his defense and the shield of the First King title and the health recovery of Tiramet¡¯s Power allowed him to endure it.


    ¡°Tricky guy!¡±


    Hangyeol swung his sword again. Then...


    Ttang!


    Grid raised his hammer over his head and prevented the attack. As he held the repaired Enlightenment Sword in his hand, he gazed at the ck tortoise¡¯s fog around him and questioned, ¡°Why do you guys look down on humans every time?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Clearly, Grid looked terrible, like a dying man. However, Hangyeol shrank back. It was the impact of Divinity.


    [Show off the virtues of a cksmith who deserves to be praised as a god. The casting time and cooldown time of all cksmithing skills will be removed. It is applicable up to two times whenever the skill is used.]


    ¡®W-What is this?¡¯


    The shadow of the Five Seniors could be felt from in front of him. Deity¡ªa holy dignity that couldn¡¯t be touched. Hangyeol felt the power of a god from Grid at this moment. He couldn¡¯t acknowledge it.


    ¡°A mere mortal human... isn¡¯t it natural to regard weak humans as inferior?¡± Hangyeol wondered with a trembling voice.


    He was denying reality. The human being in front of him. He constantly denied that the trivial human in front of him who used the sword dance of a loser could have a god¡¯s qualifications. Grid¡¯s gaze on him was cold and heavy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you also mortal?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± The word ¡®mortal¡¯ touched on Hangyeol¡¯s pride. He overcame his fear with anger and attacked Grid. The sword looked like the gorgeous tail of a peacock as it swept across Grid¡¯s chest and finally prated his heart. It felt like the tiring battle gued with humiliation had finallye to an end.


    ...No, it wasn¡¯t over.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The human whose swordsmanship was handed down. Hangyeol didn¡¯t know what was going on. His heartbeat became louder and louder as he stepped back with a pale face.


    Step. Grid walked forward and pursued him. Grid had entered the enlightened state while repairing the items and witnessed this moment like it was eternity. It wasn¡¯t just himself who was tired. The proof was that the wounds on Hangyeol¡¯s body weren¡¯t recovering.


    ¡°Item Combination, Item Transformation.¡±


    The Enlightenment Sword wasbined with Grid¡¯s Greatsword. Greed emerged from the inventory and copied the exact form. Two swords, exactly like twins, were held side by side in both of Grid¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Storm Demonic Energy Field.¡±


    The dark clouds that emerged reced the fog of the ck tortoise. As lightning fell, the shadow of Grid moved through the fog and pierced Hangyeol¡¯s heart. It was like the prelude to a new myth being recorded in the world.


    ¡°Ah... Uwahh...¡±


    Tosun and the rabbits witnessed a scene they couldn¡¯t even imagine and their ears moved up and down repeatedly.


    [An unknown person has killed a half-god.]


    A short, powerful statement, emerged as a world message.

 Chapter 1164

    -It is Damian.


    -Right.It is Damian.


    -Yes.


    [Pope Damian dered that he won¡¯t participate in the National Competition]


    The media around the world were buzzing with the news but the people¡¯s reaction was calm. They had already foreseen the identity of the demon king this year. Damian¡¯s deration that he wouldn¡¯t attend the National Competition was simply admitting that he was the demon king.


    -Ah. ?? Who would be deceived? If it was me, I would just stay silent or be honest. ??


    -He is a Grid fan so he is going to follow Grid. ??


    -Damian is honestly cute.


    There was no reason for Damian to refuse to participate in the National Competition. In the world that was divided into the heavenly system and earth system, apart from Grid and Kraugel, Damian was a top predator belonging to the heavenly system. This year¡¯s National Competition without Grid was a great opportunity for him to y at his best.


    In the first ce, the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation was specialized for Damian. Damian had a variety of buff skills and percentage heals. He was more likely to be an immortal demon king if he gained the health boost.


    -Besides, Damian has many talented people.


    Reba¡¯s Daughters¡ªDamian¡¯s three strongest NPCs were equivalent to Grid¡¯s knights, and the senior Vatican members had healing abilities beyond Damian and were considered as Damian¡¯s subordinates. If they became the Four Heavenly Kings and guarded the gateways, it would be difficult for the yers to invade.


    -Additionally, the Temr have started to act recently.


    The Temr were the secret knights of the Reba Church and everything about them was veiled. ording to information leaked by yers in the Reba Church, the Temr stopped operating as a separate private organization and recently started supporting Damian. If the head of the Temr¡ªwho was likely to be a named NPC¡ªappeared as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, then this year¡¯s Demon King¡ªDamian¡ªwas likely to be invincible, just likest year¡¯s demon king.


    -There is no reason to refuse to attend the National Competition unless Damian is senile.


    This was the people¡¯s conclusion. No one doubted the identity of the demon king. Only Damian suffered.


    ¡®I was going to surprise people by appearing likest year¡¯s Grid!¡¯


    Yet the n failed. Strictly speaking, it was due to Ares. During the time when there was no news about Ares¡¯ participation in the National Competition, there was some spection that this year¡¯s demon king was Ares. Then he suddenly participated in the National Competition and this copsed.


    ¡®My surprise show...¡¯


    Damian turned his gaze from the TV talking about him to stare out the window. Reporters were surrounding the house. The situation was the same when he connected to Satisfy. There were a rush of whispers and shouts asking for interviews. Reporters disguised themselves as visitors and infiltrated the Vatican. By this time, even Damian was tired.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired because I attracted too much aggro.¡¯


    Damian insisted that the basic virtue of an otaku was to not lose his pace at any time or under any circumstances. No matter what others were saying, he didn¡¯t care at all. Even when Japan was in the midst of the anti-Grid sentiment, Damian openly praised Grid. However, this level of interest was burdensome even for Damian. Everyone in the world was watching his every move and things were more ufortable than he could¡¯ve imagined.


    ¡®As expected, Grid is sugoi...¡¯


    Grid was a person who received attention every day. Damian deeply respected the fact that Grid remained focused while in the center of attention.


    ¡®He is the one I acknowledge.¡¯


    Damian remembered the first time he met Grid and became determined. His goal was to grow into someone who could stand next to Grid. In order to do so, he needed achievements in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation.


    ¡®In order to do this, I need to find Orbis¡¯ Ring in the month remaining.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s concern for the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation was the healing reduction and no healing curses caused by burns, bleeding, and more.


    His unique ss Goddess¡¯ Agent had continued to grow and he was also the pope, so he had a resistance of more than 82%. Still, he wasn¡¯tpletely resistant, unlike Grid. He would be greatly weakened the moment he was hit with debuffs that lowered his resistance to abnormal states. Thus, he felt the need to block off this weak point.


    His only hope was Orbis¡¯ Ring. It had a terrible probability of dropping from the banshee queen, who respawned every 36 hours in the Land of the Cryers. It was a legendary essory that gave immunity to healing reduction and no healing skills. Damian had been aiming for the ring for three months now.


    However, he still didn¡¯t get it. It was shameful to use the authority of the pope to have the pdins block and monopolize the hunting ground under the pretext of ¡®purifying pollutednd.¡¯ However, if he didn¡¯t do so, it would be impossible to obtain Orbis¡¯ Ring. Likewise, he would have topete fiercely with the rankers looking for the banshee queen. The banshee queen respawned 36 hours after death ¡®somewhere in the field¡¯ and was originally a type of field boss that went to the first person who found her.


    ¡®If the reporters keep chasing me, they¡¯ll know that I¡¯m monopolizing a hunting ground.¡¯


    This was a serious problem. The news would be flooded and he would be inundated with public criticism. It was certain that arge number of people would appear to prevent Damian from monopolizing the banshee queen.


    ¡®When will there be a new article?¡¯


    He wanted news big enough to turn the reporters¡¯ attention away from himself.


    ¡®...Well, such huge news won¡¯t burst so easily.¡¯


    Perhaps if another great demon suddenly appeared... however, this was a wish that couldn¡¯t be achieved.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to be prudent for a few days. Let¡¯s take that opportunity to leave the Vatican.¡¯


    It happened as Damian was sighing and trying to ignore that the banshee queen would respawn in an hour...


    [An unknown person has killed a half-god.]


    ¡°...??¡±


    It was an absurd world message that was only one line.


    ¡°Heok! Big news!¡±


    ¡°G-God? What is it this time? Is it Grid again?¡±


    The reporters who had infiltrated the Vatican made a fuss and scrambled to leave. It was like seeing a procession of ants.


    ¡°......¡±


    Damian lost his soul. He was stupefied for a long time before kneeling down and shouting, ¡°God Grid! Ohh, God!¡±


    Pope Damian¡ªhe started to worship and pray to Grid when he should only be worshipping and praying to Goddess Reba. He truly deserved to be punished. It was a sin that should receive a stern warning from Reba¡¯s Daughters, who were the keepers of faith. Yet Isabel pretended to be asleep¡ªshe was the first person to deify Grid.


    ***


    In the East Continent, the rabbitmunity...


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡±


    Grid had overextended himself in the battle against Hangyeol that he had won. He ignored the notification windows floating on one side of his field of view. He was mentally and physically exhausted. His body sank down and his eyes blurred. He couldn¡¯t even read the text.


    ¡®This is the limit.¡¯


    Just because he needed to rest his body didn¡¯t mean he had to rest his mind. Grid focused as he checked himself and reviewed the battle.


    ¡®It seems it is time to use my saved stat points and skill creation rights.¡¯


    The total number of times that God¡¯s Command triggered in the battle against Hangyeol was three. In particr, the time when God¡¯s Command activated when Flower Revolve was used, and then againter on when 200,000 Army Crushing Sword was used, was enough to influence the battle. This meant that luck yed a significant role in Grid¡¯s victory.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been hard if I wasn¡¯t lucky.¡¯


    Originally, Grid had a good chance of winning against the yangbans who hadn¡¯t built up their divinity. They might have inherited the blood of a god but the reason for their birth and the significance of their existence was to be a ¡®consumable.¡¯ Yes, a consumable. Those who hadn¡¯t built up their divinity werepletely different from Garam. They were merely misceneous soldiers or extras in the war against the gods nned by the Five Seniors. There were clear limitations because they hadn¡¯t been given a special story or role, unlike the grandmaster on the West Continent.


    Grid only recently realized it but it was clear that Kraugel had been looking into it for a long time.


    ¡®Thus, I can fight the yangbans if I just reach level 500.¡¯


    True named NPCs boasted a growth that was beyond users. If Kraugel had thought of all yangbans as transcendents then Grid wouldn¡¯t have even thought of fighting them. Yet at the end of the 3rd National Competition, Kraugel had made it clear¡ªthe yangbans weren¡¯t as absolute as Bunhelier and the prerequisite for dealing with them was level 500.


    The current Grid was already enough to meet the conditions that Kraugel mentioned. Once Grid¡¯s fighting energy reached the maximum, he boasted stats that even level 500 yers would never dream of. There was also the Blood King title.


    ¡®However, it still isn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    There was a real difference. If God¡¯s Command had triggered one less time, he might¡¯ve lost the fight. This allowed Grid to understand his target.


    ¡®The enemies are too strong to leave this.¡¯


    Grid had 606 stat points remaining after raiding Fenrir and reaching level 405. An average yer gained 10 stat points with each level up. That¡¯s right¡ªGrid had been storing nearly 60 levels worth of stat points. He wasn¡¯t conscious of the cliche ¡®a master hides his strength.¡¯ Rather than hiding his power, Grid had been running around more than necessary and wasn¡¯t aware of the cliche.


    Grid was just cautious. If he wanted a 1:1 ratio of strength and agility, he would have to invest 400 points in agility. What if he regretted it? In a position where he already had enough damage and speed, wasn¡¯t it more stable to aim for increased health? Should he increase his intelligence to maximize Braham¡¯s magic stored in his sword dances? Etc, etc.


    Grid¡¯s troubles continued every day and this naturally led to him saving his extra points. The biggest problem was hisck of references. Most yers would look at higher leveled yers to find a more efficient way to train. However, Grid was in the leading position and had no noteworthy references.


    In the past, he thought Piaro and Mercedes were the best and would¡¯ve referenced their stats, but he couldn¡¯t do that anymore. Piaro¡¯s stats ratio after being a farmer for a long time waspletely different from the days when he was a great swordsman. Meanwhile, Mercedes actively handled various situations through the use of Keen Insight and was a bnced-type knight who raised almost all her stats. She was different from Grid.


    Grid had to judge and pioneer the way for himself. It was the grievance of the supreme one.


    ¡®It is best to use the premise of a 1:1 strength to agility ratio.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t forget Piaro in his great swordsman days. Thanks to the perfect 1:1 ratio of strength and agility, Piaro¡¯s swordsmanship was fast but heavy. He was ultimately powerful. It was a shame to invest 400 points in agility when his speed was already at the maximum but it was a good idea to use them rather than leaving them alone.


    ¡®It is better to put it in health.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s attack power was already sufficient after bing the Blood King. He was reminded of all the named NPCs he had fought. The reason it was hard to deal with them was more about their health than their damage or defense.


    ¡®My skills can be used as long as I¡¯m alive.¡¯


    The smell of Overgeared Corn¡¯s saliva, who licked Grid with his tongue to restore stamina and recovery, was starting to be terrible. Grid recovered moderately and checked the notification windows.


    [You have killed the yangban Hangyeol.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The White Tiger¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [The Yangban¡¯s Soft Sword has been acquired.]


    [The Yangban¡¯s Dopo has been acquired.]


    [The Yangban¡¯s Horsehair Hat has been acquired.] [1]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He thought the yangban would drop some breaths but he hadn¡¯t expected one of each type. He also dropped a weapon, cloth armor, and a hat? It was a real jackpot.


    Grid¡¯s heart was excited by the result beyond expectations and started to rampage like crazy. The notification windows were being updated.


    [¡¯Pungsa¡¯ has caught a glimpse of you as you stand over Hangyeol¡¯s corpse.]


    [¡ï Note ¡ï Your knight Dante has formed a hostile rtionship with the Hwan Kingdom.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    [You have achieved the ¡®Half-God Killer¡¯ achievement!]


    [The soul of a half-god has been absorbed into the Strange Magic Power Stone. The magic power of the Strange Magic Power Stone has risen.]


    [The Half-God Killer achievement has increased the deity stat by one point.]


    [The ¡®Hard-Working Rabbits¡¯ who witnessed your achievement are deifying you. Your deity stat has risen by one.]


    [Your deity stat has reached 10 points and something special will happen.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A light shone down over Grid¡¯s body¡ªit was a divine light that made the rabbits joyous.


    [1] Google Image Link

 Chapter 1165

    [Your deity stat has reached 10 points and something special will happen.]


    How long did it take to get here? Grid was thrilled when the deity stat, which had been opened thanks to Isabel, finally reached the target. Great excitement and anticipation rushed inside him, shaking his heart.


    ¡®Will I be a half-god?¡¯


    Grid already had a chance to be a half-god once. The quest ¡®Crossroad of Good and Evil¡¯ that urred during the Vatican raid had given him a chance to be a half-god. Additionally, if he evolved into a half-god then there was room for a significant increase in all stats. Yet Grid refused to be a half-god.


    At that time, Grid was qualified to be a half-god due to the First Holy Sword and 4th Evil Taren, not because of the status he built up himself. If Grid had chosen to be a half-god, he would¡¯ve gained the Holy Sword of the 4th Evil and be hostile to all the gods on the West Continent.


    Now it was different¡ªGrid was deified by many beings and was qualified to be a god on his own. If this achievement made him a half-god then the gods of the West Continent had no justification to be hostile to Grid.


    ¡®Please...! Please, a half-god!¡¯


    Hangyeol might be a consumable, unlike Garam, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that he had the blood of a god. A yangban¡¯s death was a major milestone in history and it wasn¡¯t unusual to be part of an epic. Then why wasn¡¯t an epic appearing? Additionally, what would happen to Dante in the future? The old knight had be hostile to the Hwan Kingdom just because Grid used his name and face for the skin mask.


    Despite the many questions, Grid decided to focus on the events ahead. He waited eagerly, hoping to be qualified to be a half-god. The light that surrounded him grew stronger, as if responding to Grid¡¯s expectations. It was a far cry from the light that urred when Reba, goddess of light, gave him a blessing. It was a hot and intense light, unlike Reba¡¯s unrelenting light. It was like a zing me. If the mes on Hexetia¡¯s nipples became bigger then it might feel like this.


    ¡®Wait?¡¯


    He was Pagma¡¯s Descendant. If he became a half-god then he should be a cksmith half-god. If so, wouldn¡¯t his rtionship with Hexetia be ufortable? He was the only one among the gods who could be considered a friend. Grid would feel sadness and awkwardness if Hexetia considered him as apetitor and harbored animosity. The moment that Grid was feeling anxiety...


    [Over the years, a total of 10,759 battle gears have been made.]


    [The battle gears you have created have be part of the world and are being used and spoken about.]


    [Most of the faith toward you is rooted in the battle gears you have created.]


    ¡°This...¡±


    Indeed, it was unfolding in this direction. New notification windows were appearing in the field of view of Grid, who couldn¡¯t hide his regret.


    [However, you don¡¯t deserve to be the god of cksmiths.]


    [Your cksmithing skills are inherited from others.]


    [Part of your aplishments as a cksmith is attributed to Pagma, which has led to the dispersion of faith.]


    [The battle gears you have created isn¡¯t a means of proving your divinity.]


    ¡°...!¡± No, wait. He was sorry to be the cksmith god but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want it. He didn¡¯t want to bepletely disqualified. The moment that Grid¡¯s anxiety was heightened...


    [The means to prove your divinityes from the epics you have written.]


    [Your mythes from a canyon dyed with red blood.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    [In the canyon, you saved the lives of many people, just as you have done before.]


    It was only for a moment. His experiences over the past decade unfolded like a kaleidoscope in front of Grid.


    In the kaleidoscope, Grid rescued Irene after she was kidnapped by the Yatan Church, fought against the golem army to save the people of the Eternal Kingdom, rescued the Ul n and other minorities who were on the verge of being destroyed by the empire, and feltpassion for the legends of the previous generation who suffered on the Behen Archipgo.


    Grid was the one who protected the Overgeared soldiers in the war, the one who defeated the great demons trying to turn this world into hell, and held out an outstretched hand to the people of Pangea who were afraid of the yangbans. However, there was a fact that Grid didn¡¯t know¡ªhe was the protagonist, who along with Kraugel, prevented the demise of the empire.


    [A total of 183,791,595 NPCs have been saved by you.]


    [The title of Hero King iscking.]


    [The people¡¯s gratitude toward you constitutes your divinity.]


    [Aspensation for your deity reaching the required amount, the title Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue has evolved to Duke of Virtue.]


    ¡°XX.¡±


    Things were going well so why this? He couldn¡¯t help swearing. The more the system spoke, the more uneasy Grid became and the more his anticipation chilled. Nevertheless, he hadn¡¯t given up hope.


    [Your fervent heart has saved and protected human lives and will be embodied as a reward for achieving divinity. The new title, Duke of Fire, has been acquired.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    This was the moment why Pagma was the Duke of Fire was revealed. Pagma was a hero who saved countless lives. He became the Duke of Fire after his hot heart, which was trying to protect people, was embodied as mes. The difference with Grid was that Pagma had sacrificed too many people for the cause. Perhaps this inclination led to his failure to get the Duke of Virtue title.


    ¡®Am I the first person to obtain two ¡®duke¡¯ titles?¡¯


    Braham had said it¡ª¡¯Just as some of the direct descendant vampires have the title of ¡®wise lord¡¯, human beings also have the title of ¡®duke.¡¯ Sword Saint Muller had the title of ¡®Duke of Pressure¡¯ and cksmith Pagma had the title of ¡®Duke of Fire.¡¯ The title of a duke is a symbol of legends and gives great power to legends.¡¯


    There had been no legend with two or more duke titles.


    ¡®I am the first to do so.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He had surpassed the previous generation legends in one aspect and was deeply impressed, the emotions surging over him like a tsunami. He felt like he had be a really incredible person. The good news wasn¡¯t over yet. There was still something left.


    [¡®Divinity¡¯ is enhanced as the main reward for achieving the required deity points.]


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid sighed. It was definitely a good skill. No, it was more than just a good skill, it was great. It was a skill that removed casting time and cooldown time up to two times...


    It was one of the best skills in Satisfy and no one could deny it. However, it wasn¡¯t universal. The Divinity skill was gained from creating three myth rated items. His skill in this field wasparable to a god. The Divinity skill made Grid a ¡®cksmith equal to a god¡¯ and was only applicable to cksmith rted skills. It was definitely a good thing to be able to use Item Combination or Item Transformation more than once in a row, but it was worse than evolving into a half-god where all stats would rise.


    Grid was disappointed. However, he overlooked one important fact. The current system didn¡¯t evaluate him as ¡®Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ but as a ¡®Magic Swordsman of the Epics.¡¯ Grid shouldn¡¯t have forgotten. The first time he gained Divinity, he might¡¯ve been Pagma¡¯s Descendant but he was now recognized as ¡®Grid.¡¯ Pagma¡¯s Descendant was now only a part of him.


    [From now on, Divinity will apply to all your skills.]


    [From now on, it is possible to raise Divinity. One of the special things that will ur every time Deity gains 10 points is directly rted to the rise in the level of Divinity. The maximum level of Divinity is 10. Whenever it levels up, the number of consecutive uses of Divinity will increase by one.]


    [Once Divinity reaches level 5, your race will revolve from human to half-god.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid was at a loss for words. Divinity had only applied to cksmith rted skills and despite the fact that it could only be used consecutively twice, it was evaluated as a great power. Now it would apply to all skills and the number of consecutive uses could be increased up to 12 times.


    ¡®If it reaches full level, I can perform a four fusion sword dance or the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship up to 12 times consecutively.¡¯


    It was crazy. Surprising! A scam! It was a much better reward than bing a half-god with room for all stats to rise.


    Grid didn¡¯t think for a long time. He opened the inventory with quivering hands and took out two scrolls he had valued and cherished so far. They were the scrolls to enhance skills that had been neglected for a long time. The target was naturally Divinity.


    [The level of Divinity has risen. The number of consecutive uses has increased by one.]


    [The level of Divinity has risen. The number of consecutive uses has increased by one and the cooldown time for reuse is reduced.]


    ¡°Uwaaaaaah!¡±


    Patience was bitter but the fruit was sweet. He had gained a skill that was hard to raise and Grid was delighted to use the skill enhancement scroll that he had saved. Then his face stiffened...


    [Duke of Fire is reacting to you.]


    [Your bad work of hurting people to save others has been embodied as demonic power.]


    [The attention of 1st Great Demon Baal can¡¯t be avoided.]


    [The voice of Baal, filled with pure interest and malice, is heard.]


    -Duke of Fire.Pagma¡¯s Descendant is following in his footsteps.


    [Great Demon Baal is attempting to corrupt you.]


    [The effect of Duke of Virtue if purifying your demonic power. Baal¡¯s curse has returned in vain.]


    [Demonic power is purified and ckening can¡¯t be used. Due to the effect of Duke of Virtue, a new skill will be created.]


    -...What?It is different from Pagma.Haha, how interesting.How long can you really hold on?


    [Baal is preparing a ritual so that you can¡¯t be liberated from demonic power.]


    [Baal¡¯s demons are beginning the ritual.]


    [It has failed.]


    [The Demon yer, wandering in a lonely manner through hell, has destroyed the foundation of Baal¡¯s ritual.]


    [Baal¡¯s gaze has missed you.]


    -....!!


    Baal¡¯s voice was suddenly no longer heard. Grid, who was liberated from demonic power and lost ckening, hastily brought up the skills list. He needed to check his condition yet he wasn¡¯t allowed time. A voice was heard. ¡°...Your face is changing frequently.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was a creepy voice. The surprised Grid turned his head in a hurry. The owner of the voice was standing in front of Grid, in apletely different direction from where the voice was heard. It was Garam.


    [An unknown person is writing the fourth epic.]


    Why did it have to happen back-to-back? Grid¡¯s expression distorted.

 Chapter 1166

    Demonic power was poison. If he died in ckening state, there was a possibility of being forced into hell. There was also the possibility of his race changing to a demon, bing a demon in Satisfy¡¯s world view, and many other possible side effects. A typical example was Baal¡¯s gaze.


    Grid had already experienced that the higher his demonic power, the greater the chances of being exposed to Baal¡¯s gaze. This made him feel scared. However, he never wanted demonic power to be extinguished, nor did heavoid the umtion of demonic power.


    ckening and the Rune of Darkness¡ªGrid¡¯s favored abilities were closely rted to demonic power. ckening was a skill that couldn¡¯t be used without demonic power. Additionally, certain skills attached to the Rune of Darkness would have fewer penalties in the ckening state. Even the prerequisite for having Noe as a pet was demonic power.


    Demonic power was a poison that could be deadly but it was also one of the forces that formed Grid¡¯s foundation. Grid was in a position to fully control it, rather than fearing and avoiding demonic power.


    ¡®Damn, what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    [The effect of Duke of Virtue is purifying your demonic power.]


    [Demonic power is purified and ckening can¡¯t be used.]


    [A new skill is created using the effect of Duke of Virtue.]


    Was he going to lose demonic power? Grid was greatly flustered. First, he wanted to check his condition. However, he wasn¡¯t allowed this time.


    ¡°Your face is changing frequently.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid, who was trying to bring up the skills list, hurriedly pulled out his sword and held it. A man of great beauty was right in front of him. It was Garam.


    [An unknown person is writing the fourth epic.]


    Lips that stretched out coldly and dark eyes. Garam, who he met again after a long time, still boasted a pleasing appearance. Even so, Grid knew¡ªthe man in front of him was one of the most arrogant, cunning, and cruel beings in the world. He couldn¡¯t be fooled by appearance. He couldn¡¯t forget the vicious ughter of the residents who remained in Pangea and the cksmiths...


    Grid swung his sword viciously. He used cksmith¡¯s Rage, Quick Movements, and ckening out of habit but the absence of demonic power prevented him from using ckening. At the same time, Garam¡¯s short spear moved quickly enough to cut apart the dozens of energy desing from Grid¡¯s sword. It was a stabbing attack that directly prated the center of Link, which had spread out like a, and Grid¡¯s sword stopped helplessly.


    ¡°Slow.¡± Garam¡¯s words were short. He had been training using his anger toward Grid as a springboard and he was much stronger than thest time they met.


    ¡°No matter who you are, you can¡¯t go against him! Run away!¡± Tosun shouted as she jumped and kicked at Garam with an amazing lower body power. Garam¡¯s short spear stabbed at Tosun but Tosun was nimble. She wasn¡¯t a normal existence. She was someone who once served the Four Auspicious Beasts but Garam was even greater.


    The sword hanging from Garam¡¯s waist was suddenly unfurled and wielded. It twisted its trajectory like a living creature and wrapped around Tosun¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Changing the direction of already released sword energy? Grid and Tosun were stunned by the incredible sight and Garam dered, ¡°All things in Heaven and Earth will move ording to God¡¯s will.¡±


    A god¡ªGaram called himself a holy being without any doubts. Did he build up even more divinity? His pride that soared into the sky seemed to have gotten even higher.


    ¡°Ugh! Run away! I¡¯ll buy you some time.¡± Tosun urged as she stood in front of Grid and took an unfamiliar martial arts stance. She had great strength in her lower body but she seemed unstable due to her injured ankle. Nevertheless, she seemed to have no intention of backing down. Like the blue tiger, she was determined to protect Grid at her own expense. She didn¡¯t want Grid¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow to return to the yangbans.


    ¡°Please! Please run away safely...!¡±


    [The beginning of the storyes from the desire of the fleeting people who have been forgotten.]


    ¡°Protect the red phoenix on our behalf!¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    [He saw an unchanging faith in the face of theing disaster.]


    [He revisited the meaning of a god through those who worship the gods, despite losing everything because of the failure of the gods they believed in and served.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    The emergence of Garam. A new epic. Tosun and the rabbits who were making sacrifices. In this dire situation, Grid got a strange feeling.


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Grid and Garam¡¯s eyes met in the air. Grid¡¯s eyes swirled with confusion and fear while Garam¡¯s eyes were still. Grid realized the identity of the strange feeling. ¡®Garam¡¯s attitude is different from usual.¡¯


    Garam¡¯s eyes always looked down on others. His disdain and disgust toward lower-ss people always offended Grid. It was Garam who hated Grid more than Grid hated Garam. Garam showed passion every time he faced Grid. He expressed extreme joy or anger. Sure enough, Garam¡¯s attitude was as usual when they met in the toothless tigermunity a few hours earlier.


    Now it was different. Grid didn¡¯t read any emotions from Garam. Garam was controlling his emotions.


    ¡®This jerk... he¡¯s serious now.¡¯


    The reason why Grid survived every time he met Garam was due to Garam¡¯s arrogance. It was the belief that humans wouldn¡¯t dare bare their teeth at him and the conviction that he wouldn¡¯t be defeated even if they did...


    Due to his life experience, Garam looked down on Grid and experienced bitterness twice as a result. However, this time was different. Garam had learned. He witnessed Hangyeol¡¯s death. Today, Garam wouldn¡¯t make any mistakes. Grid noticed that the dark shadow of death was covering him.


    Garam dered, ¡°I won¡¯t miss you this time.¡±


    p.


    Garam swung his arms out wide and his blue dopo pped. Dozens of talismans poured out from his wide sleeves.


    [A powerful enchantment has been installed.]


    [Space transition has be impossible.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of the disrupters.¡±


    ¡ª!


    Garam¡¯s soft sword silently drew a circle. As sword energy expanded along the circle, it stretched out to the chest of Tosun and the rabbits surrounding Garam.


    ¡°Avoid it!"


    Tosun hurriedly shouted as she jumped and all the other rabbits jumped as well. However, the sky became Garam¡¯s limbs once the sword energy expanded enough to amodate all of them and spun violently. The majority of the rabbits, except for Tosun, were devastated by the sword energy whirlwind they couldn¡¯t escape from and crashed down disastrously in a puddle of blood.


    ¡°Hahat, those who were insignificant have be even weaker.¡± Garamughed. No malice could be felt. It was the pureugh of a child enjoying it as he tore off the wings of a dragonfly.


    Was this a god...?


    Grid felt like he had been struck in the head with a hammer and was in shock. It was as if he had seen something that shouldn¡¯t be seen. Yatan and Reba¡ªit urred to him that the way that the two absolute gods destroyed and recreated the world wouldn¡¯t be much different from the current Garam.


    [He was reminded of the other side of the world that he had neglected.]


    [He faced a fate that couldn¡¯t be resisted despite knowing he would be sacrificed to providence.]


    [He knew that the screams of the fleeting people couldn¡¯t be the only future of those who served him.]


    An epic was written along with Grid¡¯s thoughts. The contents of the epic were likely to incite Grid¡¯s thinking. Still, one thing was clear. Grid¡¯s choice would¡¯ve been the same even without the epic. The epic was merely writing down Grid¡¯s story. Morpheus just made him aware of the future that woulde without even a 0.01% variable.


    The whirlwind of sword energy kept ughtering the rabbits. Garam painted a tranquil forest of death.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡± This was crushed by Grid¡¯s interference.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Tosun avoided the whirlwind of sword energy and gritted her teeth as she eximed. She resented Grid, who didn¡¯t use the short gap created by her sacrifice to escape.


    Grid spoke in a mysterious manner, ¡°If you are a god, shouldn¡¯t you at least live up to the expectations of those who believe in you?¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Tosun didn¡¯t have time to understand. Grid was charging toward Garam. Garam shook off 200,000 Army Crushing Sword after suppressing it and spoke while facing Grid, ¡°It¡¯s light.¡±


    It was an honest feeling. Compared to Garam¡¯s sword, Grid¡¯s sword was slow and weak. On the way to this ce, Garam had been greatly surprised when he sensed Hangyeol¡¯s death but now he was fully calm. He once again confirmed that Grid, who inherited Pagma¡¯s power, could hurt him but not defeat him. He was pleased with Grid¡¯s self-destructive attitude. He felt great joy that he could finally cut off this annoying guy¡¯s head.


    ¡°Now,e!¡± Garam¡¯s sword aimed at Grid¡¯s sword. He intended to blow away Grid and his sword. He identified Grid¡¯s power through a few exchanges and determined it was possible. ¡®I understand the target. Now I will trample on it slowly and thoroughly.¡¯


    Two sharp points were aimed at the same point. Just before Grid¡¯s sword and Garam¡¯s sword collided, Grid was undergoing a change.


    [400 points have been invested in agility.]


    [Your strength and agility stats are exactly the same.]


    [The golden ratio effect of the fourth stats awakening will strengthen your normal attacks.]


    [Normal attacks will deal 20% more damage and there is a normal probability of the ¡®high speed¡¯ and ¡®destruction¡¯ effect urring.]


    [The effect of Duke of Fire infuses your weapon with the mes of willpower.]


    ¡°...?!¡± The moment their swords collided, Garam¡¯s eyes widened. He was supposed to blow away Grid but instead, his right arm was rising in the air.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    mes travelled along Grid¡¯s sword and smashed into Garam¡¯s nose.


    ¡®You!¡¯


    Garam¡¯s eyebrows were scorched and he tried to suppress his boiling anger. He ignored the unidentified force that pushed back his right arm and sped forward, cutting at Grid¡¯s waist in the gap when Grid couldn¡¯t respond. At the same time, he attempted to use the intangible winds to smash Grid¡¯s head into a mess. The sharp energy that rose around Grid tore the wind apart.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Garam was continuously shamed and his face was red. Even so, there was no light in his eyes. He suppressed his feelings because he knew he would forever regret it if he was ovee by his anger. In order to avoid creating variables, he calmly started to target Grid.


    There were no more variables. The intangible winds kept disrupting the actions of the God Hands. Grid¡¯s sword dance was broken. The four fusion sword dance was neverpleted. Garam thoroughly destroyed Grid¡¯s strengths. It was as if he felt no more humiliation as he avoided a power struggle with Grid and made all of Grid¡¯s efforts useless.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    The only thing left was to wash away the shame.


    ¡®The end.¡¯


    It was the moment when Garam peeked at the tired Grid¡¯s face.


    sh!


    A light as brilliant as the stars filled the high expanse of the sky. A sword flew toward Garam. It didn¡¯t hit but Garam was nervous. It was because a person powerful enough to throw a sword from a distance that was hard to grasp couldn¡¯t be underestimated by even Garam.


    However, there wasn¡¯t only one. One weapon, two, ten... 100, 200...


    Hundreds of different types of weapons continued to descend from the sky, bombarding Garam¡¯s enchantment. Most of the weapons scattered into dust, unable to prate the enchantment, but some were exceptions. Arge greatsword that resembled a predator of the sea started to crack the enchantment. Then the enchantment copsed. Two swords with the breath of the white tiger and a bow with the breath of the red phoenix were particrly irritating to Garam.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t understand it. What type of iprehensible scene was this?


    ¡°What type of trick are you ying?¡± Garam roared angrily as he moved backwards to avoid the rain of battle gears falling toward him.


    Grid told him, ¡°Pant... Pant... You... you can¡¯t be a god.¡±


    Blood flowed from Grid¡¯s eyes and nose. It was the aftermath of using the Duke of Virtue skill that he checked during the rabbits¡¯ sacrifice. He was mentally exhausted but he continued in an upright voice, ¡°I will stop you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    [He soaked thend of the old gods with the rain of battle gears of those who believe in him and serve him.]


    ¡°I.¡±


    [He dered in the presence of the murderer dreaming of being a god and the fleeting people watching.]


    ¡°I will be a god.¡±


    [My myth will lead the world in the right direction.]


    [The rain that falls now proves my qualifications.]


    ¡°You...! What sophistry is this?¡±


    Garam couldn¡¯t bear it and showed his power. He opened the four powers of the sacred creatures simultaneously and mmed into Grid, fiercely breaking through the rain. It was the final blow and Grid died. Grid had lost his immortality before Garam arrived and had no way out.


    However, Grid hadn¡¯t be beaten in silence. Thanks to the help of the rain of battle gears, which was now beginning to die down, Grid fought against Garam with all his might. There was Noe, who stayed with him despite him losing demonic power, Randy who had always been with him, the Overgeared Skeletons still dancing in the midst of this, and the light elemental.


    ¡°Run away! The red phoenix... Kuk! Don¡¯t worry and run away!¡±


    ¡°H-Human...! N-No! God...! God...!!¡±


    ¡°Run aw...ay!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!Kuock...! You must...!¡±


    [He hopes to sustain the world that will perish.]


    [A tree that has grown up with the help of many.]


    ....


    ...


    [An unknown person haspleted the fourth page of the epic!]


    [Specialpensation will be paid to all yers who have contributed to thepletion of the epic.]


    ....


    ...

 Chapter 1167

    [He saw an unchanging faith in the face of theing disaster.]


    The most famous protagonist of the world messages was Kraugel. He had maintained his position of supreme one for three years after Satisfy opened. He was the first pioneer to explore many hidden fields and he uncovered the concept of hidden quests. He had made many achievements ahead of others and created the form of ¡®unknown person = Kraugel.¡¯


    Now Grid was catching up with Kraugel¡¯s record. Grid¡¯s record was astonishing considering that most of Kraugel¡¯s achievements were in the early days when many things weren¡¯t unveiled. Unlike the early days, it was now much more difficult to monopolize the world messages alone.


    Of course, no one disparaged Kraugel¡¯s aplishments. Many of Kraugel¡¯s aplishments seemed easy to get now but at that time, Kraugel was the only one who managed it among two billion people. In people¡¯s eyes, both Kraugel and Grid looked great.


    ¡°This time, Grid¡¯s epic is about religion.¡±


    ¡°I heard the Dominion Church is a mess. Is he involved in this?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he wiped out the Yatan Church.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. These days, the Yatan Church members are acting so wildly that I can¡¯t hunt properly.¡±


    Grid¡¯s fourth epic made the world buzz. Thousands of people were specting on Grid¡¯s current whereabouts. People didn¡¯t forget about Grid¡¯s first epic written in Taleren Canyon. People wanted to experience it again. They wanted to share their emotions and thrills with everyone who enjoyed Satisfy by witnessing the process of the epic in real time.


    Unfortunately, Grid¡¯s second, third, and fourth epics were written in a ce where people were absent. People had to infer Grid¡¯s situation based on the writing and could only imagine it. It had its own charm but it wasckingpared to the feeling of seeing the situation directly.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Charlesville, an ordinary level 193 that could be seen everywhere¡ªhe was dining with his friends when he suddenly dropped his fork with amazement.


    ¡°Why do you suddenly look so stupid?¡±


    ¡°Did you connect to the game without closing the gas valve again?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that isn¡¯t it...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°G-Grid... it is Grid.¡±


    ¡°What about Grid? Tell me properly.¡±


    Charlesville¡¯s friends wanted to focus on Grid¡¯s epic, which wasing slower than usual, and were annoyed. To them, Charlesville was babbling nonsense.


    ¡°He asked me to lend him my weapon?¡±


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t be fooled like this. Charlesville¡¯s friends looked at Charlesville with shit-eating expressions. Charlesville felt wronged.


    ¡°No, really! Look!¡± Charlesville stood up from his seat and released his sword from his waist, holding it in his hand. Called the Fairly Useful Longsword, it was a rare rated level 160 sword that had a casual name and no special appearance. However, the performance was not ordinary.


    It overwhelmed the other weapons of the same level in terms of pure damage and durability. In fact, it was one of Charlesville¡¯s biggest prides. It wasn¡¯t just the good performance. The creator of the longsword wasbeled ¡®unknown craftsman.¡¯ Everyone knew that the identity of the unknown craftsman was Grid from a few years ago. Charlesville was very proud that his weapon was Grid¡¯s work.


    ¡°Who put poison in Charles¡¯ soup... Eh?¡±


    Charlesville¡¯s friends, who were staring at the sword, suddenly be wide-eyed and stopped talking. It was because Charlesville¡¯s sword started vibrating before it disappeared. The furious Charlesville shouted, ¡°How about it? Did you see it? I lend my sword to Grid! Hahahat! Grid borrowed my weapon! Grid took my weapon!¡±


    Simr incidents were taking ce throughout Satisfy.


    ¡°Asking to borrow my weapon?¡±


    ¡°This is really...¡±


    [yer ¡¯Grid¡¯ wants to borrow your weapon ¡®+7 Mass Produced One-Handed Sword.¡¯ If you ept, ownership of the ¡®+7 Mass Produced One-Handed Sword¡¯ will be transferred to Grid for two minutes.]


    [yer ¡¯Grid¡¯ wants to borrow your weapon ¡®+8 Shooting Bow.¡¯ If you ept...]


    [yer ¡¯Grid¡¯ wants to borrow your weapon ¡®+8 Smashing Mace.¡¯...]


    Thousands of yers encountered the same notification window. Themon denominator was that they had a named weapon. No, it was that they were owners of weapons that Grid made himself. Some used them as their main weapon, like Charlesville, while others just stored them as collectibles. Yet they were all asked the same question.


    [Do you want to ept the request?]


    ¡®How can I ept in this situation?¡¯


    ¡®Does he want me to die?¡¯


    People¡¯s circumstances were different. Some people were eating like Charlesville while others were fighting monsters or PKing at the hunting grounds. Some people were experiencing a crisis of a lifetime. This meant that not everyone could respond to Grid¡¯s request. Of course, there were many people who didn¡¯t care even if their situation wasn¡¯t urgent.


    ¡®Did Grid really send me a request? No way.¡¯


    Grid might be the supreme yer but was itmon sense to use a strange system to ask for help by borrowing other people¡¯s weapons? People were suspicious and wary of such strange situations.


    Or...


    ¡®Why should I lend it?¡¯


    There were many people who turned away for no reason. It was a normal reaction. No matter the circumstances, how many people would lend their items to someone else for no payment? In the first ce, owning Grid¡¯s weapon didn¡¯t necessarily mean they had a connection to Grid. Among the works created by Grid, the best items were only distributed among the Overgeared members. Only the items that Grid had made a long time ago or were ssified as lower-grade items were circted in the market. Many of the yers currently receiving the request from Grid had never met Grid personally.


    Indeed, many people turned away from Grid¡¯s request. However, there were also many people who epted Grid¡¯s request. Those who epted Grid¡¯s request, even if they had no connection to him, were aware of the peculiarity of the situation.


    ¡°This is a request during the writing of the epic...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know~ I¡¯ll just lend it because it¡¯s fun.¡±


    Thousands of items left their master¡¯s hands and returned to the creator¡¯s arms.


    ***


    Lauel and Piaro¡¯s tactics, the abilities of the knights, including Mercedes and Asmophel, and the division of the soldiers and orcs. The Overgeared soldiers and orcs allied forces quickly advanced to the Gauss Kingdom. The only enemy remaining was the 50,000 Gauss royal troops, directly led by King Nemesis.


    ¡®Did Goldhit betray me?¡¯


    There was no news from Goldhit, who was left in thest fortress, and now the enemy was right in front of their noses. King Nemesis was already prepared but he felt great despair by the result that was more empty then he imagined. He just couldn¡¯t bear to express this in front of the soldiers and shouted at the soldiers with a determined expression, ¡°This is thest battle. Fight without leaving any regrets. The world will say that Gauss¡¯ soldiers were valiant until the end.¡±


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    Once King Nemesis took the lead, the morale of the soldiers pierced the sky. It didn¡¯t matter if the enemy had 10 times more troops than they did. They were already prepared for death and would fight bravely to defend thest honor of their home.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh... ah?¡±


    Gauss¡¯ soldiers were chasing after King Nemesis toward the enemy when they lost momentum and stopped. It was because the leading Nemesis ordered them to stop. What happened?


    The Gauss Kingdom¡¯s army was hesitating when King Nemesis¡¯s voice, filled with magic power, echoed through the battlefield, ¡°Are you rmending for me to surrender? Okay. I will be grateful if I can save the lives of my soldiers with my death. The entire army, listen! In the future, live as the people of the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    King Nemesis made a decision. The young king, who had be the ruler of a crumbling nation and only cared for his people, gave his neck for his soldiers in thest moment.


    ¡°...Hah.¡± Piaro was surprised by the sudden situation andmented. The hand plow and sickle returned to his hands and he silently paid tribute to the body of King Nemesis. The knights and elite soldiers behind him simrly armed themselves again with their returned weapons.


    That¡¯s right¡ªKing Nemesis had witnessed all the enemies at the forefront standing unarmed and interpreted it as a sign rmending him to surrender, but the reality was different. The knights and soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom merely lent their weapons to their king. King Nemesis and the Gauss army¡¯s surrender was just an absurd incident caused by King Nemesis¡¯ misunderstanding.


    Piaromanded the knights and soldiers, ¡°...For the sake of their pride, this matter must never be made known.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ***


    [He soaked thend of the old gods with the rain of battle gears of those who believe in him and serve him.]


    [He dered in the presence of the murderer dreaming of being a god and the fleeting people watching.]


    [My myth will lead the world in the right direction.]


    [The rain that falls now proves my qualifications.]


    The epic was at its peak.


    ¡°Myth? It is a myth?¡±


    The world was overturned.


    [An unknown person haspleted the fourth page of the epic!]


    [Specialpensation will be paid to all yers who have contributed to thepletion of the epic.]


    ¡°C-Crazy...¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Soon after the epic were over, people were feeling joy or sorrow. Those who loaned their weapons to Grid were filled with the ultimate joy while those who didn¡¯t lend their weapons were overwhelmed with the regrets of a lifetime. Charlesville belonged to the former. He trembled as he held the weapon that returned to him after the end of the epic.


    [Your weapon ¡®Fairly Useful Longsword¡¯ has returned aftermuning with its creator, ¡®Grid,¡¯ and its potential has been awakened. Attack power and durability has increased by 10%. This effect will only apply once per weapon.]


    [There is still more potential remaining in the Fairly Useful Longsword.]


    [You have be part of the fourth epic of an unknown person. Terrain adaptation in the Pangea region of the East Continent has risen by 50% and all stats are slightly increased.]


    [Once you encounter bards singing the fourth epic, you will get a special buff.]


    ***


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s resurrection point was set to Reinhardt. However, it wasn¡¯t Reinhardt that greeted him when he resurrected after being killed by Garam. Covered with dust, it was like a small, haunted house. It was an unfamiliar space.


    ¡®Where is this ce?¡¯


    If a yer died without setting a resurrection point, they would be resurrected at the nearest city or temple. However, Grid had set a resurrection point and this ce wasn¡¯t a city or a temple.


    Grid confirmed there was no movement in the bamboo forest outside the window and checked his condition first. He lost 40.6% of his experience from the death penalty, the durability of the skin mask had decreased by 1, and the Ideal Longsword was lost. The blow was great. The lost weapon could be reproduced at any time but the skin mask was an item that couldn¡¯t be repaired.


    ¡®If I¡¯m going to die in the future, I¡¯ll have to take off the skin mask first.¡¯


    At the very least, Grid didn¡¯t intend to die until he resurrected the red phoenix. Grid recalled the sensation of cutting off one of Garam¡¯s ears just before he died and muttered, ¡°Duke of Virtue...¡±


    It was an absurd skill that used the bonds engraved into every weapon he had ever made. This wasn¡¯t all. It was also a skill that used human rtionships. The effect of the duke title was so great that it surpassed Grid¡¯s imagination. He thought the function of the duke titles would be simr to his second ss, Duke of Wisdom.


    ¡®Well, Duke of Wisdom is probablyckingpared to the real one.¡¯


    Duke of Wisdom wasn¡¯t a power that Grid had built up. It was Braham¡¯s knowledge that was shared and it wasn¡¯t really in his mind. On the other hand, Duke of Virtue and Duke of Fire were different. They were powers that Grid built up himself and were based on Grid¡¯s foundation.


    ¡°Status Window.¡±


    Grid had reached level 406 from killing Hangyeol and his experience was at over 80%. This meant that his level didn¡¯t decrease despite losing around 40% experience from the death penalty. Grid had a strange idea when he saw that only the strength and agility stats had turned a gold color.


    ¡®If there is a golden ratio for strength and agility, will there also be a golden ratio between other stats?¡¯


    In the future, he should pay a bit more attention when observing the stats of NPCs. The moment Grid thought this...


    Swaaah!!


    ¡°...!?¡±


    There was an object pouring out light from the corner of the haunted house and as if in response, the Red Phoenix Breath and Red Phoenix Bow started to sh red.

 Chapter 1168

    [The rain of battle gears that appeared in Grid¡¯s fourth epic?]


    [TV broadcasters and streamers from all countries are desperately contacting owners of Grid¡¯s battle gears.]


    [Grid¡¯s epic mentions a myth... has a yer be a god?]


    [(Column) The difference between the legendary and myth ratings that can be discovered through quest items.]


    [¡¯Make the scene of writing Grid¡¯s epic public!¡¯ Hundreds of public organizations around the world are urging the S.A Group.]


    ¡º Grid¡¯s fourth epic is causing an unusual ripple. There is a fierce conflict between those who im that not disclosing Grid¡¯s epics, which have a direct influence on the world view, is viting a yer¡¯s right to know and those who im that Grid¡¯s epics are his private life. ¡»


    The world forgot about the National Competition. Even those who had been waiting for the National Competition throughout the year could only focus on Grid¡¯s epic. It meant the celebration of billions of people had been buried by Grid¡¯s one action.


    Hundreds ofpanies participating as sponsors of this year¡¯s National Competition cursed. If the poprity of the National Competition wasn¡¯t strong enough then the publicity effect of thepanies would also decrease. This led to a flurry of concerns among them. However, there was one exception...


    ¡°Huhu, thergestpanies in the world are going to lose money because of my son-inw.¡±


    It was the Daejin Group. Unlike otherpanies, Yura¡¯spany enjoyed the Grid special. Since Grid was the group¡¯s promotional model and there was the perception that Grid was a family member, there was an upward synergistic effect every time Grid was mentioned.


    ¡°Um, let¡¯s see...¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung logged into WikiXDia and gazed at Grid¡¯s image in a pleased manner. He searched for Grid, revisited the contents of the Daejin Group which was linked and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m riding on the coattails of my grandchild.¡±


    Now Chairman Lee Jinmyung was Yura¡¯s most ardent supporter. He didn¡¯t hesitate to provide all sorts of support to improve Yura¡¯s gaming environment so Yura¡¯s growth rate was at its highest level ever. Even without Grid, South Korea would y an active part in the National Competition this year...


    Lee Jinmyung didn¡¯t doubt it.


    ***


    The Eregia Underground Water Dungeon was one of the hardest instance dungeons. It wasn¡¯t possible for high ranking yers to target it unless there were at least three people in the party. There...


    [Your level has risen.]


    [You have defeated all the monsters in the dungeon by yourself.]


    [Something special will happen when you achieve the Sword Saint hidden piece ¡®Beginning of Endless Asceticism¡¯!]


    Kraugel alonepletely conquered it. He quietly closed his eyes as he blocked the bamboo spears fired from the stinking rats with foresight and Control Sword, easily killing the monsters who were called the king of the underground. He wasn¡¯t impressed by his aplishments. This level of achievement didn¡¯t give him any inspiration.


    ¡®...Duke of Virtue.¡¯


    Kraugel closed his eyes and recalled the epic scene. That¡¯s right¡ªKraugel witnessed the epic scene. No, he experienced it. He shared the vision of the White Tiger Sword he lent to Grid and became one of the rain of weapons from the sky. He saw the fear projected in the eyes of the one dreaming of bing a god.


    Chill. Kraugel got goosebumps. He persevered as he endured the pain engraved on his soul every time a weapon was broken and saw the appearance of Grid overwhelming the yangban. He felt something that was beyond a thrill. He saw the future of Grid, who became a god. He knew it was an immutable future.


    Kraugel realized the path he had to pursue. A sword that could cut a god.


    ¡®Make the ultimate technique.¡¯


    If a yer could be a god then a yer should also be able to cut a god. The picture in Kraugel¡¯s mind slowly changed. In the rain of battle gears, it was Kraugel fighting against Grid, not Garam.


    ***


    The light emitted from the Red Phoenix Breath and Red Phoenix Bow gradually resembled a me. It shook and then suddenly burned Grid¡¯s entire body. The startled Grid screamed reflexively but fortunately, he didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    ¡®What is this harmonizing with?¡¯


    Grid regained hisposure after confirming that the light wasn¡¯t harmful and approached the origin of this unknown phenomenon. On the small altar, there was an unidentified object covered with dust. It was a statue modeled after a small bird but it was still shining with a strong light and showed off its presence.


    ¡°This...?¡± The size of the statue was small enough to be held in one hand. He thought it was a statue modeled after a small bird but the reality was different. Grid shook off the dust and cobwebs and found a familiar form. ¡°The red phoenix?¡±


    At this moment, the beam of light released from the red phoenix statue exploded more strongly and was sucked into the Red Phoenix Bow. There was a vibration and the hot heat of the Red Phoenix Bow was felt.


    [The breath of the red phoenix nestled inside the ¡®Red Phoenix Statue Abandoned for a Long Time¡¯ has permeated the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides.]


    [19 more breaths are needed to restore the red phoenix.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The identity of this haunted house was revealed. This must¡¯ve been the original shrine where the red phoenix was worshipped. However, as the people¡¯s belief in the Four Auspicious Beasts turned to the yangbans, they were gradually forgotten and this shrine was abandoned. They didn¡¯t even know that the red phoenix had distributed its breath to people.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t a ridiculous quest.¡¯


    The difficulty of the Red Phoenix Guardian quest that Grid received was unrealistic. The moment it was known that he had the Red Phoenix Bow, he was surely be tracked back home. It was safe to say thatsting two years without dying more than two times or collecting 20 Red Phoenix Breaths would be impossible for ordinary people to achieve.


    Now there was a chance ofpleting it. He could clear the quest by finding shrines scattered throughout the East Continent.


    ¡®The red phoenix sent me here to give me this hint.¡¯


    Grid realized why he was resurrected in an unexpected ce andpletely cleaned up his head, which had beenplicated for a while. Then he pulled the Red Phoenix Breath out of his inventory.


    ¡®I¡¯m curious.¡¯


    He had been curious from the time he received the quest. What would happen if the Red Phoenix Bow absorbed an enhanced breath?


    ¡®It would be disgraceful if it is no different from a normal Red Phoenix Breath.¡¯


    In the worst case situation, he might not receive a judgment itself. This meant that the system regarded the Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath as apletely separate item from the Red Phoenix Breath.


    ¡®Still, let¡¯s try it.¡¯


    It would be foolish to ignore the possibility of a better result just because he was afraid of losing one of the Red Phoenix Breaths. Unlike others, Grid could secure arge number of Red Phoenix Breaths.


    ¡®This ce is safe.¡¯


    It was a ce the red phoenix directly led him to. It was also a ce that had been forgotten for many years. At least he didn¡¯t have to worry about being chased by Garam while he was here. Determined, Grid went outside the shrine and pulled out a portable furnace. In the process of taking out various tools such as a hammer and anvil, his eyes noticed the forest.


    ¡°This?¡±


    Currently, it was autumn in Pangea. Yet the scenery of winter was seen between the long stretches of bamboo. The leaves with white snow were spread out. Was there snow in this season? No. It was the white phosphorus tree. A mysterious tree that controlled fire perfectly despite being a tree. It was known to be impossible to cut because it was hard as dragon iron and as ferocious as an active volcano.


    [The Daoist Woodcutting Axe has been equipped.]


    ¡®I had wanted to obtain it so this is great.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s axe mmed into the white phosphorus tree. If the people of the East Continent had seen this sight, they would¡¯ve expected the axe to split in half and for Grid to be swept away by an explosion. However, Grid¡¯s axe was fine. Rather than causing an explosion, the white phosphorus tree was cut and became Grid¡¯s firewood.


    Grid¡¯s first cksmithing quest was to cut firewood. His axe was adept and the white phosphorus tree couldn¡¯t stand it. In an instant, Grid cut down all the white phosphorus trees in the area and looked satisfied.


    ¡®This is enough to make 2,000 items.¡¯


    It was a good start. He was at his peak condition and started to enhance the Red Phoenix Breath.


    [The effect of Duke of Fire infuses your hammer with the mes of willpower.]


    [All working speeds are doubled.]


    [Duke of Fire]


    [* The best master craftsman of this era.


    His hammer makes battle gears and his martial power makes peace.


    He is the owner of a passion that never turns off, which can sometimes be a poison.


    * Increases the willpower stat by 20%.


    * Stamina consumption will be reduced by 10%.


    * There is a low probability of ¡®excessive greed¡¯ urring.


    ¡ï If you experience excessive greed, you can be active for up to one minute even if you don¡¯t have stamina. However, the stamina stat will be permanently reduced in proportion to the time it was active. Please pay attention to the management of stamina.


    * The skill ¡®Fire of Willpower¡¯ will be generated.]


    [Fire of Willpower (Passive)]


    [* Effect when producing items:


    All working speeds will double. There is a chance of infusing the ¡®Breath of the Duke of Fire¡¯ in the item.


    * Effect inbat:


    The attack power of the weapon equipped will increase in proportion to the willpower stat. Additional ¡®heart¡¯ attribute and fire attribute damage will be dealt to the target in proportion to the willpower stat. The heart attribute attack willpletely prate the target¡¯s defense.]


    The description of Duke of Fire was very simr to Duke of Wisdom. Duke of Wisdom started as the ¡®greatest intellectual of the era¡¯ but it couldn¡¯t be denied that ¡®sometimes it is a poison.¡¯ They were titles that implied a certain degree of danger. On the other hand, Duke of Virtue was different.


    [Duke of Virtue]


    [* The most benevolent person of this era.


    People look up to you due to the generosity and good deeds bestowed with your whole heart.


    * Stamina is increased by 35%.]


    There were no negative descriptions regarding Duke of Virtue.


    The basic effect was as good as the Duke of Fire and Duke of Wisdom.


    It could even be asserted that the skill effect was the best.


    The only problem was the name of the skill.


    [* The skill ¡®Request to Stand With Me¡¯ has been created.]


    [Request to Stand With Me]


    [Ask for help from those who have been given virtue.


    You can ask for help from the battle gears you produced or the people associated with you.


    * Effect when asking the battle gears for help:


    Summon all the weapons you have produced so far.


    The weapons that respond to the call will attack the target you specify ording to the attack power when the weapon¡¯s owner uses the weapon. The number of attacks can go up to at least six times depending on item rating and it will be returned to its original owner once the number of attacks is consumed.


    The durability consumed will be reced by resources such as your health and mana.


    * Effect when asking a person for help:


    Ask for help from someone who is within your force or who has good will with you.


    You can borrow the target¡¯s skill or stats.]


    ¡°...¡± It seemed hard to use in front of people. Grid¡¯s expression twisted as the Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath was beingpleted at his fingertips.

 Chapter 1169

    [The Red Phoenix Breath has been strengthened!]


    The smelting difficulty was proportional to the rating of the material. Grid spent a considerable amount of time and stamina every time he strengthened the sacred creature¡¯s breath. However, it was different this time. Thanks to the sparks of willpower effect from Duke of Fire, Grid¡¯s fatigue was greatly reducedpared to before. At least, it should¡¯ve been so...


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was dark as he looked at the Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath. His current fatigue was higher than ever. It was due to the feeling of conflict sparked by the severe warning that struck at his sense of reason when he regained hisposure once he got the result he desired.


    ¡®This is a really crazy gamble.¡¯


    The breath of a sacred creature was an ingredient for a myth rated item. Discussing the value of this material itself was disrespectful. Was it right to throw it away on a gamble? He was afraid of the sense of loss he would feel if this failed.


    ¡®...It is nonsense to worry about this now.¡¯


    He decided to give it a try. Why was he wasting time worrying about this again? Grid knew it was just a waste of time. Once the conflict ended, he gave the Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath to the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides.


    To be honest, his heart was pounding. Sweat dripped down and the saliva in his mouth dried up. For the Red Phoenix Guardian quest, the objective stated in the quest information was to give 20 Red Phoenix Breaths to the Red Phoenix Bow. It was extremely unlikely that the system would permit the giving of the ¡®strengthened breath¡¯ to the Red Phoenix Bow. Yes, he was likely to suffer a great loss...


    It happened the moment Grid closed his eyes...


    The Red Phoenix Bow epted the strengthened breath and red surged, beating like the heart of a giant beast. It was hotter thanva but wasn¡¯t a life-destroying me. Sparks rose and numerous nts grew on the ground where Grid was standing.


    ¡°...!¡±


    A panorama unfolded in front of Grid. The chaos before the beginning¡ªYatan, Reba, and Hanul were there and they created the world. Reba nted the world tree to support the earth. Hanul, who created the gods that governed weather, injected new life into the earth. Yatan took Baal out of the abyss to prepare for destruction.


    They weren¡¯t actions or ns with any special significance. They were just moving ording to the rules.


    The first humans were terrified. They respected but didn¡¯t rely on the almighty gods. The more they served and knew the gods, the more anxious they felt. Humanity wanted new gods. Gods they could believe in and rely on. Gods to protect them. Then mes appeared on the greyndscape that expressed the despair felt by the first humans. They were mes that could germinate the sparks of life without the help of the gods that Reba and Hanul created. A guardian god born only from humanity, which originated from their heart¡¯s desire.


    ¡º... A call. ¡»


    mes swelled and a voice emerged. It was the first time he heard this voice and Grid noticed the voice¡¯s owner. It was the red phoenix.


    ¡º I... A call like this. ¡»


    The mes burned more strongly and gradually took the form of the red phoenix. It was hundreds of timesrger than the red phoenix called by the Fly Up! skill attached to Jishuka¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow. Both wings seemed like they could cover a great mountain and it exerted a presence that was above material size.


    Grid was overwhelmed. He honestly shrank back as the red phoenix stared at him. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t feel the extreme impression like he was a speck of dust. It wasn¡¯t because the majesty of the red phoenix wascking, it was just that Grid had grown.


    Thendscape surrounding Grid changed again. A red sky filled his vision.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid quickly adapted to the sudden change and lowered his gaze. He could see a burning royal pce. Hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded the royal pce. The identity of the army was the Overgeared soldiers and the allied orcs.


    ¡°Sir Piaro! Are you insane?¡±


    ¡®Lauel?¡¯


    Grid heard Lauel¡¯s voice and searched for him. Finding Lauel wasn¡¯t difficult. He stood next to Piaro at the forefront of the battlefield. He was clearly tired. His eyes trembled as he alternated between looking at Piaro next to him and the rushing enemy.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was stunned. He immediately realized why Lauel was agitated. Many of the knights and soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom were empty-handed. It was during a war. They abandoned their weapons in the face of the enemy. It was because they responded to Grid¡¯s Request to Stand With Me.


    ¡°My mind is fine. The thing that matters to me is the safety of His Majesty, not the war in front of me.¡±


    ¡°...I will do as themander-in-chief wishes.¡±


    Lauel shook his head and raised both hands, the weapon in them disappearing with a sh of light. In fact, he was the same as Piaro. He knew that death wasn¡¯t the end for Grid but he failed to ignore Grid¡¯s crisis.


    ¡®Lauel, are you going to follow rather than stop him?¡¯ Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Then thendscape surrounding Grid changed again.


    ¡°...Hup.¡± Grid frowned and held his breath. And dominated by a sweltering heat¡ªGrid knew the identity of this unpleasant space.


    ¡®Hell?¡¯


    From there...


    ¡°Daring to disturb the ritual! It is hateful!¡±


    Yura was running alone. Arge frog with a crown was jumping as it chased after her.


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    Grid immediately pulled out his sword and flew forward. He hid Yura behind his back and cut the frog. However, nothing happened. All the sights in front of Grid were the past and he couldn¡¯t intervene. The crown-wearing frog aimed its long tongue past Grid toward Yura¡¯s back.


    Did she decide that she could no longer run away? Yura stopped running and fired her gun. Then she pulled out a sword and set it up as a shield. Thanks to the buffs she received in hell, she could urately read the fast trajectory of the flying tongue, which was hard for even Grid to follow. No matter who looked, the defense was obviously sessful.


    Then just before the tongue and sword touched, Yura¡¯s sword disappeared from her hand. It was because her spare sword was Grid¡¯s work. Yura¡¯s heart was pierced by the tongue.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t as good as the old one,¡± the crown-wearing frog mocked her.


    The gun in Yura¡¯s hand converted into a green sword. For five seconds, she fought silently. The moment she turned to ash, there were no regrets on her face. Rather, she looked satisfied.


    ¡°Yura...¡±


    Grid flopped down. He felt some responsibility watching her sacrifice herself for him and hoped to stand side by side with her.


    Thendscape continued to change. During the one-sided ughter of hundreds of monsters, Jishuka lost her bow and was surrounded by monsters. Peak Sword lost his sheath and was unable to cope with Iyarugt running wild. He faced a disastrous end. Most of his colleagues¡¯ circumstances in the ever-changingndscapes were simr. All of them made great sacrifices in response to Grid¡¯s Request to Stand With Me.


    ¡°This... unbelievable...¡± Grid sighed.


    Once he learned that his power demanded the sacrifice of others, he rebuked himself and regretted it. In front of the copsed Grid, the huge red phoenix appeared again.


    ¡º Human with the desire to be a god. ¡»


    ¡º Your power isn¡¯t almighty and you will repeat many mistakes and failures. ¡»


    ¡º Don¡¯t be overconfident in not knowing this and be buried in despair and regret. ¡»


    ¡º Only a strong mentality and determination will give you an opportunity to change your providence, whether you can sustain it or not. ¡»


    Don¡¯t be like us.


    The red phoenix seemed to be giving advice. The despair and regret that the red phoenix felt over the years could be glimpsed from the red phoenix¡¯s eyes. Grid asked, ¡°Do you believe that I can only stand up to the gods if I ept the sacrifices of those who believe in me and follow me?¡±


    The red phoenix was silent¡ªit meant confirmation. Grid shook his head. ¡°No, that isn¡¯t necessarily the case.¡±


    It was the reason why Grid chose the path to be a god. He wanted to protect his people. The moment he turned away from them, the reason he had to walk on this path would disappear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sacrifice them.¡±


    The beak of the red phoenix twitched¡ªit looked like a smile.


    ¡º Noble one, I will give you my heart. This heart will grow with your willpower and it will be a small boon to your future. ¡»


    The appearance was holy but the exit was shabby. The red phoenix pulled out a heart and rapidly became smaller, quickly disappearing into sparks. The surroundingndscape of the dazed Grid returned to its original form. Then a notification window popped up.


    [A hidden story has arisen due to the effect of giving the Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath to the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides.]


    [The sealed power in the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides has been greatly restored. The red phoenix admires your ability and feels great favorability toward you.]


    [The ¡®Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart¡¯ has been acquired as hiddenpensation for the hidden quest ¡ï Red Phoenix Guardian ¡ï.]


    [Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart]


    [One of the 10 hearts that are the source of power for the red phoenix.


    It is one of the hearts that the red phoenix kept to the very end.


    The heart will respond to your willpower and grow with you.]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has permeated you.]


    [Your blood is running hot with the holy mes. You won¡¯t be tired easily in the future.]


    [Health recovery is increased by 20%.]


    [Stamina recovery rate will permanently double.]


    [The Rune of Darkness can¡¯t adapt to this hot heat and is running wild in your body.]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has noticed the Rune of Darkness.]


    [The Rune of Darkness is trying to hide itself.]


    ¡°...!?¡±


    An increased health recovery and a doubled stamina recovery rate, Grid got more benefits than imagined from the heart but he couldn¡¯t afford to feel joy. The Rune of Darkness¡ªthe hidden card that contained an explosive power seemed to be antagonistic to the red phoenix heart so he felt more frustration than joy. It was even more disturbing because the Rune of Darkness had been greatly diminished due to the disappeared demonic power.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As the heat in his body rapidly swelled, Grid felt the pain and sat down. The Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides was quietly sleeping without being aware of the disaster its power caused.


    ¡®This is a big mistake...¡¯


    In Satisfy, resistance was very important. It was natural that the Rune of Darkness, which was evil, would be countered by the red phoenix, one of the gods who could be defined as good. He shouldn¡¯t have epted the heart. Grid realized it was a serious situation and was trying to regain hisposure when it happened...


    [The sacred me circting from the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has seeded in capturing and purifying the Rune of Darkness.]


    [The circting fire of willpower from Duke of Fire has responded to the sacred mes and have dominated the Rune of Darkness.


    [The Rune of Darkness, which has harmed you even after bing a part of you, ispletely submissive to you.]


    [The ¡®demonic power increase¡¯ penalty that urred when Rune of Darkness is used will be deleted.]


    [The powers attached to the Rune of Darkness will demand the fire of willpower in the future. This will change the name, effect, and direction of some of the skills.]


    [Once the Rune of Darkness is opened, the dark attribute damage that was added to general attacks and skill attacks will be changed to the heart attribute damage.]


    [The unique passive effect of Rune of Darkness is enhanced. In the future, you will absorb the unique characteristics of the target, even if you kill angels, half-gods, and gods, as well as named great demons, demons, and demonic creatures.]


    [The name of the Rune of Darkness has changed to the Rune of Gluttony.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Runes were bound items where each ount could only hold one. In Satisfy, bound items couldn¡¯t be released or traded. ording to various documents, there were hundreds of runes in the world. Thus, a yer who obtained a rtively poorer rune than others would suffer irreversible damage for the rest of their lives.


    In that sense, Grid had benefited greatly. The Rune of Darkness, which absorbed even the power of the great demon, was certainly the highest-level rune. Now it had been upgraded to a rune that could even absorb the power of a god. The Rune of Gluttony¡ªthe new rune that seemed to have developed under the influence of Grid¡¯s inclination and purpose ignited Grid¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°...It worked properly.¡±


    After a long time, Grid gave a rxed smile and checked the status of the Red Phoenix Guardian quest. The quest stipted that 11 breaths had been given to the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides. This meant that one strengthened breath was equivalent to 10 breaths.


    On the East Continent, there were still a number of yangbans and forgotten shrines.


    ¡®One, I just need one more.¡¯


    Grid turned his gaze in the direction of Kars, the capital of the Cho Kingdom. There were people there who wanted to help him.

 Chapter 1170

    ¡°This microorganism...! You are inferior to beasts!¡±


    Garam¡¯s original n was simple¡ªhe was going to tear Grid apart, kill him, and then go to the Cho Kingdom for retribution. Nobuldam tried to protect Grid. As the king¡¯s servant, the Cho king should naturally be held responsible. Yet things had be twisted. He couldn¡¯t see other people in this state.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°G-Garam?¡± A path lined with white phosphorus trees that bloomed once in a thousand years¡ªa man and woman enjoying a walk near the entrance of the Hwan Kingdom were shocked to find the approaching Garam. Garam¡¯s appearance was different than usual. His long hair, which was usually twisted up with a hairpin orbed beautifully, was scattered in a mess. The dopo that should be clean without a crease was crushed, torn, and stained with blood. The most surprising thing was that it was Garam¡¯s own blood soaking his dopo. His ear was cut off.


    What was this? What type of disaster had urred to injure the body of a god?


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with treatment!¡±


    The man and woman rushed to Garam¡¯s side and made a fuss. They were also yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. They were genuinely concerned about their brother Garam, who was born and raised by the same parents. However, Garam thought they were insignificant. Rather than being irritated that they didn¡¯t qualify to be gods, they whispered garbage and loved him like a brother. Pagma, who condemned the yangbans, was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than these people...


    ¡°...!¡±


    Garam wielded his soft sword without making a sound and shed at the man and woman¡¯s necks. Garam¡¯s pride was too strong to leave them alive after they witnessed his ugly self.


    ¡°Shit... Shit!¡± Garam swore as he faced the resentful gazes of those who died without knowing why. He was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. It was different from his usual self. To be exact, due to Grid who had be qualified to be a god, there were dark clouds hovering over his future that couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Then a bell jingled over Garam¡¯s head.


    ¡°You have seen a real god,¡± a familiar voice followed. Garam¡¯s eyes widened as he looked up and saw a man floating above him. The man wore a mask and had on a ne made of leather withrge bells tied to them. His hair and visible eyes were fierce, causing Garam to freeze.


    ¡°Chiyou...¡±


    Garam¡¯s expression was stiff. He felt terrible dissatisfaction because an opponent he could never match was seeing him in a pathetic state.


    ¡®Pretend you haven¡¯t seen me.¡¯ Garam couldn¡¯t bear to bring up this request and changed the subject. ¡°A real god? Then there are fake gods? A god is a god. In the first ce, he is a human, not a god.¡±


    The myth of the guardian gods was known to Garam. Unlike the Three Gods that existed from chaos and the majority of gods who were created, the guardian gods were the purest beings born of the aspirations of humans. Chiyou in front of him belonged to that type¡ªthe crystallization of ¡®military arts¡¯, born from the aspirations of humans who wanted power. Even War God Zeratul, who Reba had created, was just a copy of Chiyou.


    ¡°You are afraid and anxious. It is pathetic to see you deny it.¡± The mask that Chiyou wore shook, the face behind it seemed to express ridicule.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± In fact, Garam knew¡ªit was true that he had limitations. A god that came from forced faith couldn¡¯t be omnipotent. However, were they so insignificant that they could bebelled as fake and ridiculed? No, a god was a god¡ªthe power might be different but the divinity was the same. ¡°Even if he bes a god, he will be on the level of the Four Auspicious Beasts at most. That person is just like the Four Auspicious Beasts, born for abstract reasons. I can afford to handle him. I will seal him, just like I sealed the Four Auspicious Beasts in the distant past!¡±


    Chiyou, who was born out of the specific will of ¡®the power to conquer the gods¡¯ or ¡®independence from the gods,¡¯ was a monster beyond the standards but the Four Auspicious Beasts were different. They had limitations, just like the yangbans, and it would be the same for Grid.


    Chiyou stared at Garam trying to believe this and pointed to a distant ce. ¡°Look.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A power equivalent to the Three Gods was invoked. Thanks to Chiyou¡¯s power, Garam¡¯s gaze moved over the Red Sea to the West Continent. He saw a ck-haired man. He was a man whomunicated with the sword. Chiyou¡¯s words were meaningful, ¡°Child who will cut a god.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The child you met today willpete with this child for a long time, gradually bing the object of a much stronger and distinct heart¡¯s desire.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn away. They are real gods and eventually, they will destroy you fake gods.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Garam could no longer leave Chiyou¡¯s false and insulting remarks alone. He forgot the modicum of respect for Chiyou and the fear of hell as he expressed his killing intent. At the same time...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Chiyou disappeared from all of Garam¡¯s senses. There was only the ringing of bells.


    ¡°Hup!¡± Garam btedly identified Chiyou¡¯s location through sound and twisted the trajectory of his sword. Yet before his sword could reach the target, Chiyou¡¯s finger touched Garam¡¯s forehead. Chiyou¡¯s mask once again shook.


    ¡°Struggle if you want to escape destruction.¡±


    Chiyou hit Garam¡¯s forehead with his finger and Garam¡¯s field of view split into several parts. The appearance of the absurd man who wanted to cut a god and the pathetic man who sold his soul to Baal intersected with Grid¡¯s appearance, stimting Garam. ¡°Do you know? If you confront them with the same feelings as a beast caught in a trap and struggling, you will be a real god and be qualified to cut me.¡±


    Once the sound of bells rang again, Chiyou was no longer present. Garam¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Grid, the Sword Saint, and Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªhe knew that they must be destroyed.


    ***


    Grid kept an eye on the horizon in his field of view. He prayed that thend he would soon arrive at was still standing.


    [You have transcended the concept of space!]


    ¡°...Keuk!¡±


    The wind blew against his face and Grid stood at the horizon which had been on the edge of his field of view just a while ago. It was the expression of the space movement skill, Shunpo. As a reward for his fourth epic, Grid had built up his transcendence and his chances of triggering Shunpo was now at almost 20%. It was a leap forwardpared to the time when it was described as having a terrible probability.


    ¡®...The further I leap, the more resources I consume.¡¯


    Pant, pant.


    Grid breathed roughly as his mana and stamina were reduced by half. This was the cost of leaping the ¡®maximum distance¡¯. The mana cost for leaping five meters was 2,000 and there was no decline in stamina. It was just a hop away but the amount of resources consumed increased dramatically like a taximeter after five meters. However, it seemed like this problem could be resolved after more transcendence was umted.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Was it due to his mood? The more tired he was, the happier he became about the red phoenix heart. He felt his stamina recovering whenever the red phoenix¡¯s heart beat. Then he saw gorgeously decorated buildings on the new horizon. He arrived in Kars. It took him only half a day. The virtues of Shunpo were high but the ¡®Guardian of the Land of Old Gods¡¯ title that he gained as a reward for his fourth epic was great.


    [Guardian of the Land of Old Gods]


    [When active in thend of old gods, ¡®willpower¡¯ will increase by 1.5 times and terrain adaptability is maintained at 100%.]


    Terrain adaptability was very important. Depending on the variation in the terrain, a person¡¯s behavior could be constrained and slowed down. However, if terrain adaptability was kept at 100% then the physical limitations would disappear.


    ¡®There are three more ces besides Pangea in thend of old gods?¡¯


    Like Pangea, the ces where the Blue Dragon Dao, White Tiger Spear, and ck Tortoise Jewel were sealed would also be ssified as thend of the old gods. Grid believed that his new title would be a great help in the process of gaining the other weapons of the sacred creatures.


    ¡°By the way...¡±


    Grid used Lightning Speed and rose high in the sky, putting Kars within his field of view. The scenery of Kars was peaceful, unlike what he expected. It was a good thing but he had doubts.


    ¡®Did that madman Garam go the wrong way?¡¯


    Garam had dered that he would find and punish all the forces friendly to Grid, including the Cho king. This was why Grid headed for Kars rather than searching for the hidden shrines. He had no intention of fighting Garam again and risking his life, but he couldn¡¯t turn away after knowing there were those who secretly helped him.


    ¡®Considering my dy at the shrine, it is very unlikely that Garam would arriveter than I did.¡¯


    Then why was Kars so calm? Grid frowned at the thought.


    ¡®It¡¯s obvious. It is a trap.¡¯


    The first reason Grid feared Garam was because Garam was insidious. His n to capture just Grid by luring all cksmiths from the West Continent to the East Continent was something Grid would never forget.


    ¡°...No.¡±


    Was it really a trap? Why set a trap when he could quickly capture Grid¡¯s location and lie in wait. Grid knew Garam¡¯s personality. The weaker the opponent, the more he raised his nose. Garam was a mass of pride who easily harmed humans but never allowed a human to aim a de at him.


    ¡®Such a person would never show up in a messy state in front of others.¡¯


    That guy must¡¯ve returned to the Hwan Kingdom first. He would head for Kars after sufficiently cleaning himself up.


    ¡®This is my only chance.¡¯


    Grid came to a conclusion and didn¡¯t dy. He sped up his pace. He flew to the royal pce standing in the center of Kars.


    ¡°What bastard?¡±


    ¡°An enemy!¡±


    A challenge came from the start. The talismans widely spread around the royal pce detected Grid¡¯s intrusion and started to cast various spells, while warriors and soldiers poured in.


    ¡®The level is high.¡¯


    This was one of the four countries representing the East Continent. Grid was greatly impressed with the defense of the Kars Pce, which was as good as the Overgeared Pce. However, it was just up to here. Grid didn¡¯t feel anything more than admiration as he escaped the chasing soldiers and seeded in entering the king¡¯s hall


    ¡°A daoist immortal?¡± a man with his hands behind his back greeted Grid¡ªit was the Cho king. His eyes under the gold crown were as deep as ake.


    Grid roughly counted the number and levels of the warriors escorting him, the killers hidden in the shadows, and the daoists behind a veil before opening his mouth, ¡°Send out the people.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear exactly what side the Cho king was on. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that there were yangban fanatics among the guards of the Cho king. There were a number of variables so Grid only wanted to take off the skin mask when he was alone with the king.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± The warriors expressed outrage at the intruder¡¯s absurd demands and rushed at Grid. The killers in the shadows threw daggers to support the warriors while the daoists behind the veil cast spells to dazzle Grid¡¯s spirit. Some spells raised the courage and power of the warriors.


    Certainly, they were the elite of the elite. It was clear that their average level was at least 400. In particr, there was one person that Grid found hard to read the exact location using his insight. He seemed to be a shadow warrior of the Cho king and had a quasi-legendary power.


    However, these people wouldn¡¯t even be a handful of prey for Garam. A bitter-looking Grid opened the Rune of Gluttony.


    ¡°Storm of the Fire God¡±


    [Storm Demonic Energy Field - Modified]


    The devastating storm emitted the mes circting from the red phoenix heart and was no longer subject to the weather. It was more destructive than ever before.


    ¡°...?!¡¯


    The warriors were surprised by the vortex of mes and lost their momentum. They were the greatest warriors of the Cho Kingdom but they didn¡¯t dare plunge into the mes. In the midst of their shock and confusion...


    ¡°The red phoenix¡¯s mes!¡±


    The Cho king¡¯s face became rosy. The intruder¡¯s identity was a person of distinction. The sound of bells could be heard from the distant walls. They were bells that told the time for the people of Kars. It was a signal indicating that the time, history, and fate of the East Continent, which had been suspended for the past hundreds of years, had started again.

 Chapter 1171

    Field magic made a specific range of environment advantageous to the caster. It was a magic that unfairly set abnormal conditions and was recognized as an absolute force and the sole possession of boss monsters.


    Storm Demonic Energy Field was a field magic. It was an absolute power that only blessed the caster, caused various debuffs, and attacked everyone but the caster. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the power gained from a great demon had the greatest potential among the skills attached to the Rune of Darkness.


    Yes, potential. The potential was the best. Nevertheless, there were drawbacks to the Storm Demonic Energy Field. The lightning bolts were uncontroble, allies couldn¡¯t be identified, there was only 10,000 fixed damage, and the weather must be cloudy for immediate use.


    The shorings might be highlighted because of the ipleteness of the skill but the conclusion was that there were many limitations to the Storm Demonic Energy Field. Therefore, the number of times Grid benefited from the Storm Demonic Energy Field in actualbat was low.


    Now the story has changed. Due to the effects of the red phoenix heart and Duke of Fire, Grid¡¯s rune experienced an upheaval and became a perfect force for Grid. The Storm Demonic Energy Field was reborn as the Storm of the Fire God and the utilization was endless.


    [Storm of the Fire God]


    [You have realized the dignity of the newly born fire god.


    -Field Effect 1-


    [Divine mes]


    Unleash thetent mes in the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart to form a storm of divine mes.


    The storm will control a 200 meters radius area around the caster, increasing the healing effect of all allies (except the undead or demonkin targets), including the caster, by 20%. It will also reduce the healing effect of all enemies by 50%. Can¡¯t be resisted.


    Once a target with a reduced healing effect attempts to heal, ¡®Rage of the Fire God¡¯ will cause 15,000 fixed damage and will potentially reverse the healing effect.


    If the race is an undead or demonkin, they will be subject to extreme damage in the storm¡¯s rage.


    -Field Effect 2-


    [Fire of Willpower]


    Strengthen the Storm of the Fire God with the formless will of Duke of Fire.


    All enemies in the storm¡¯s range will receive the ¡®heart¡¯ attribute damage proportional to the willpower and strength stat. Fire damage that is proportional to the willpower and intelligence stats will be added. The dual attribute damage will prate the defense and resistance of the target. However, it can¡¯t damage targets with the willpower stat. The target will suffer a high chance of being burned and will suffer from a fall in willpower.


    -Field Effect 3-


    Opens when the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart grows.


    -Field Effect 4-


    Opens when the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart grows.


    -Field Effect 5-


    Opens when the willpower stat reaches 2,000 points.


    -Field Effect 6-


    Opens when the race is changed to a half-god or god.


    Resources consumed when the field is activated: 1,000 mana per second.


    The time it takes to summon the field: Immediately.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.]


    It had taken 30 seconds to use Storm Demonic Energy Field when the weather wasn¡¯t cloudy. There was also the constraint that it could only be triggered with a ¡®storm,¡¯ leading to the fatal weakness that it couldn¡¯t be used indoors. However, Storm of the Fire God was different. It was possible to trigger it anytime and anywhere.


    Despite its fire attribute, there were no penalties for rain or water. Since the mes of the red phoenix and Duke of Fire weren¡¯tmon mes, they weren¡¯t vulnerable to the rule that fire was weak against water. If he had to choose one regretful thing, it was that the Storm Demonic Energy Field increased the caster¡¯s movement speed and gave the enemy more types of debuffs.


    ¡®It is easy to increase movement speed with Quick Movements and Storm of the Fire God has many types of fire-based debuffs, making it far superior in strength.¡¯


    The most important thing inbat was the management of health. It was absurd to say that a man who couldn¡¯t even manage his health would win the battle. Grid had watchedbat videos of yers praised for their control skills, such as Hao. The techniques and timing used to manage their health were exquisite. Yet in front of the Storm of the Fire God, everyone was equal.


    Forget Hao, even Kraugel would be unable to manage his health in the Storm of the Fire God. What if he could seize the timing of taking potions or when a recovery skill was used? They wouldn¡¯t be able to recover properly and if they were unlucky, they would lose even more health.


    Step.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Step.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid was d in the storm of intense mes and stepped forward, causing the warriors of the Cho Kingdom to suffer. They were clearly frightened based on their shaky eyes. They felt like they wanted to step back. However, they didn¡¯t back down anymore and their expressions were firmly set in ce. It was valor and loyalty reminiscent of the soldiers and knights of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it a bit like my kids who abandoned their weapons during a war?¡¯


    Grid was reminded of his ignorant colleagues and shook his head, suddenly stopping in ce. Most of the warriors and the king were already within the scope of the storm. Fortunately, all of them were still safe. It was because Grid had stopped the field effect at phase one.


    Several of the charms secretly fired at Grid exploded in the air. This was the application of Formless Will. The current Grid easily cut down the charms with Formless Will since it was an attack that could be followed with his vision.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    The astonished daoists looked like they saw ghosts when the attacks failed. Grid turned away from them and stared at the king. The virtues necessary to get the loyalty of the people in a lower status wasn¡¯t just power and force. Grid inferred the character of the king through the attitude of Han Seokbong in the past and the attitude of the current warriors. Thus, he gave the king a chance. Grid predicted how the Cho king would react. It was as expected...


    ¡°Everyone, withdraw!¡± the Cho kingmanded. It wasn¡¯t an act to make Grid lower his guard. The wavering of the assassins in the shadows and the daoists behind the veil was urately captured by Grid. There was resistance among the warriors by the king¡¯s side.


    ¡°You mean to meet the intruder who crossed the walls of the pce and doesn¡¯t even reveal his identity?¡±


    ¡°How can we withdraw? Your Majesty, please understand!¡±


    The Cho king sighed as he looked into the air and dered, ¡°Muyeong, you also go back.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Muyeong was the shadow warrior of the Cho king. For decades, he never left the king¡¯s side and ensured the king¡¯s safety. Muyeong appeared by the king¡¯s side. There were no experts in the hall right now and only Grid saw the ce where Muyeong appeared from.


    Muyeong silently stared at Grid before bowing his head to the king and leaving. The other warriors could no longer refuse. Even Muyeong, who had been by the king¡¯s side all his life, wasmanded to leave by the king. What rights and qualifications did they have to stay? The warriors resented the unidentified intruder and followed Muyeong along with the assassins and daoists.


    There were only two people left in the hall, Grid and the king.


    The Cho king opened his mouth first, ¡°The deep underground malice that desires the earth. The Five Seniors were concerned about this and gathered the yangbans together, telling them, ¡®Block the passage of hell with your bones and flesh. It is the way to bring peace to the earth.¡¯¡±


    It was the contents of one of the most famous myths of the East Continent. Yubo, the poet of the Cho Kingdom, had written this poem in honor of the benevolence of the Five Seniors and the devotion of the yangbans. It was due to this poem that humanity respected the Five Seniors and the yangbans.


    It was the same for the Cho king. He was born and raised in the East Continent before bing royalty. He had also been grateful to the Five Seniors and the yangbans, feeling a deep respect and affection for them. Then after he rose to the throne, he slowly started to feel doubts.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just Yubo¡¯s poem. All the myths on the continent describe the sacrifices of the yangbans. Moreover, this sacrifice was an act of benevolence. However, I don¡¯t know about that. The yangbans smile, wave, and practice many services for the faithful but... I have seen them up close and know they don¡¯t love or understand humans.¡±


    The mes surrounding the intruder waved in a beautiful manner. The Cho king was dazzled and held the mes in his hand, causing him to feel warm. It was a warmth that unknowingly caused him to tear up.


    ¡°I was taught that the Five Seniors gave birth to the Four Auspicious Beasts. I learned that the sacred creatures took on the will of the Five Seniors and helped the yangbans block the passage to hell. That¡¯s it.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a single myth that illuminated the achievements of the Four Auspicious Beasts. All myths praised the Five Seniors and the yangbans, while the Four Auspicious Beasts yed supporting roles. Yet what was the reality? All of the weapons of the sacred creatures, including the Red Phoenix Bow, contained the breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts. The main thing blocking the passage of hell wasn¡¯t the yangbans but the weapons of the sacred creatures.


    ¡°I saw the hypocritical yangbans obsessed with faith and started to have terrible thoughts. It was actually the Four Auspicious Beasts who sacrificed themselves, not the yangbans...¡±


    The Cho king hoped that this wasn¡¯t true. He was afraid that if his doubts were true, most myths would be distorted. He wondered if he could bear the sense of loss he would feel if he learned the world in which he and his ancestors were born and lived was false. Just then, the mes in the great hall were extinguished. The Cho king had relied on the warmth of these mes to speak with courage and was sighing with regret when the unidentified man touched his own face.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    The king¡¯s eyes widened. The strange intruder¡¯s face was reced by an appearance that was known to the Cho king. Intense eyes like a bird of prey and a tightly angled jaw¡ªit looked exactly like the description heard from the people of Pangea.


    ¡°...I was told that the king of the West, who took away my old friend and his people, gave the impression that he would never be defeated. It was true.¡±


    ¡°I am Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    The Cho king was confused but weing while Grid¡¯s attitude was blunt. It was natural. What was the impression that he would never be defeated? What was wrong with just saying that he was handsome?


    ¡®...This is a joke.¡¯


    The reason why Grid had an unclear impression of the Cho king was simple¡ªin the past, the Cho king had ordered the execution of Han Seokbong and put Sua in prison. Grid knew that it was because the king couldn¡¯t withstand the pressure of Garam and had tried hard to protect Han Seokbong and Sua from behind, but Grid still felt resentment. Now it was even worse. He doubted the yangbans yet didn¡¯t try to resist...


    ¡®Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    After all, the Cho king was weak. Unlike Grid, who could revive after dying, the king took care of others with only one life. Grid barely managed to control his mind and spoke in a softer voice, ¡°...I¡¯ll start with the bottom line. The Four Auspicious Beasts were guardians of thend before the Five Seniors came here. They are the real gods, not the Five Seniors and the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a dark shadow on the face of the Cho king. His eyes became dark when the doubts he felt became true. Grid asked, ¡°I heard there is a force in the Cho Kingdom protecting me. Did you know that?¡±


    "...Of course. I am the one who didn¡¯t want you to enter the hands of the yangbans after you protected and removed my friend and his people.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was a man who shouldn¡¯t be hated. No, he was a person who couldn¡¯t be hated. Grid warned the king, whose face seemed to have copsed, ¡°Garam will be heading for here soon. He will hunt down and execute all the people who protected me. You won¡¯t be safe either.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®I am prepared,¡¯ the Cho king wanted to say this but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. He actually hoped that such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen.


    The king was lowering his head with a somber expression when Grid suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s work together.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°If you and I join hands, we can ovee the crisis.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Cho king was astonished when he saw the bow that Grid pulled out. The long-lost Red Phoenix Bow had returned with a much greater strength than before.


    ¡°Let us resurrect the red phoenix and make it the guardian god of this ce.¡±


    Grid previously thought it would take a long time toplete the Red Phoenix Guardian quest. He thought it would only be possible at least after the National Competition. However, things had changed. The Strengthened Red Phoenix Breath was more than expected and the Cho king, one of the greatest powers on the East Continent, favored him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. You don¡¯t have to do any hard work, we just need to revert it to the way it was.¡±


    In fact, the person who was most afraid was Grid. He knew the reality of the Hwan Kingdom and was afraid of the suffering he would face in the future after bing hostile to them. He realized at this moment that he didn¡¯t need to be alone. He just needed to resurrect the red phoenix. The myth about the Five Seniors and the yangbans would be distorted and the world would find its own ce. Unlike Garam, the people here weren¡¯t stupid.


    ¡°The red phoenix will protect us and thisnd. So if you have the breath of the red phoenix,e and give it to me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Cho king¡¯s head was filled with excitement when he became puzzled. It was absurd because Grid suddenly demanded a national treasure. From his point of view, he didn¡¯t know what was going on and met a robber.

 Chapter 1172

    ¡°This is the key to resurrecting a real god...¡±


    The breath of the red phoenix adorned the center of the treasure house. The Cho king faced the mysterious bead with a spark that never goes out and looked sad.


    ¡°The breath of the sacred creatures has been known to be a blessing bestowed upon those who ascend to be a daoist immortal. However, reality is different.¡±


    The king had met one daoist Immortal. At that time, he was confrontational and didn¡¯t want to bend over to the yangbans, but he seemed unable to resist the will of the Five Seniors. This meant the daoist immortals were also likely to be subordinates of the Five Seniors. It was unlikely that the breaths of the sacred creatures would be a blessing bestowed upon them.


    ¡°This breath is the same as the three breaths we kept in Pangea but it is different.¡±


    ¡°It is the same but different?¡±


    ¡°The breaths kept in Pangea were given by the yangbans under the name of ¡®managing the Red Phoenix Bow.¡¯ This breath is a unique national treasure that has existed since the days of King Geonguk in the past. It has a deep meaning.¡±


    ¡°The days of King Geonguk?¡±


    ¡°It was such a long time ago that even the Red Phoenix Bow didn¡¯t exist yet.¡±


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been the days when the red phoenix was real... did the red phoenix give it directly to your forefathers?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. I didn¡¯t know this until now.¡±


    The records said:


    Thend enjoyed abundance due to the divine mes from the Red Phoenix Breath.


    How did the red phoenix share its breath in the distant past?How much did it love the people of thend it defended?


    ¡®It is really sad that the red phoenix was forgotten.¡¯ The Cho kingmented as he held the Red Phoenix Breath in his hands. The Red Phoenix Bow was actually a tool for sealing the red phoenix. The breath was required to unseal the bow so it was necessary to make a decision. ¡°Please... please resurrect God Red Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Grid stared silently at the breath that the Cho king was holding. It was a breath that had nothing special. It was just like every other Red Phoenix Breath that Grid had seen and touched. However, it was a special thing for the people of the Cho Kingdom. They believed that the present Cho Kingdom existed due to this breath. This was the reason why...


    ¡°I¡¯ll cherish it,¡± Grid vowed.


    ¡°Hah...¡± The Cho king felt admiration. He read the determination in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Seokbong... the people of Pangea will be happy.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    A king of the West and a king of the East smiled at each other. It was a story that shouldn¡¯t have existed. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, originally the empire would have crossed the Red Sea and waged war with the Cho Kingdom.


    ***


    [The Gauss Kingdom that boasts a long history has been destroyed.]


    [The Overgeared Kingdom has taken over the territory of the Gauss Kingdom.]


    These world messages emerged. The Overgeared army, led by Piaro, Lauel, and Teruchan, hadpletely conquered the Gauss Kingdom. People clicked their tongues.


    -Wow, it took less than two weeks to conquer one country? It was even without Grid?


    -Why was there no Grid?


    -He left the war to Lauel and wrote an epic on his own.


    -I think that¡¯s right. Crazy...


    -Is the Overgeared Kingdom now stronger than the empire?


    -No, it isn¡¯t. Even if they conquered Gauss, the territorial difference is more than 10 times.


    -What is the use of arge territory andrge poption? There¡¯s a lot of talent.


    -Yes, the empire has a lot more talent.


    -That¡¯s true right now but there are no legends in the empire. The Overgeared Kingdom will catch up.


    -??? The four legends of the Overgeared Kingdom ???


    -Wasn¡¯t it Grid, Yura, Piaro, and Mercedes?


    -?? The Overgeared Guild now has three legends.


    -Why? Are you leaving Yura out?


    -No? Grid is a myth so it is three legends.


    The dominance of a single force was likely to draw a lot of bacsh. Many people expressed their concerns after the Seven Guilds attacked Reidan and self-destructed, causing the Overgeared Guild to be the number one guild. Experts argued that many disadvantages would ur if there were no forces to restrain the Overgeared Guild.


    Now it was different. People didn¡¯t feel the need to bother to keep the increasingly growing Overgeared Kingdom in check. It was because the Overgeared Kingdom had shown excellent behavior over the years.


    First, the Overgeared Kingdom didn¡¯t show unscrupulous behavior. They enjoyed the rights given to them but there were no exploitations of the powerless people, which was ¡®typical behavior.¡¯


    In today¡¯s society, where streamers with arge number of subscribers would use all types of incitement and social media to bury those with rtively few subscribers, it wasn¡¯t too much to say that the actions of the Overgeared Kingdom were ¡®model behavior¡¯ and they gained more support over time.


    The power of public sentiment was huge.


    -Since the territory of the Overgeared Kingdom has increased, the restrictions on bing a resident will be loosened. I¡¯m going to move to the Overgeared Kingdom right away.


    -I¡¯m not sleeping right now. My login restriction will only be released after three hours ??


    -Won¡¯t these three hours be a thrill? I heard there are already peopleing to the Overgeared Kingdom to apply for immigration.


    -How many tens of millions of people will be recruited in three hours?


    -...It will be over in two hours. ? ?


    -Don¡¯t be too disappointed. In any case, Lauel will work to filter people out again. There will be some vacancies at that time.


    -What do you mean by filtering people out?


    -Lauel doesn¡¯t ept yers with a history of serious crimes.


    -God Lauel.


    -Sh...it... God Lauel is nonsense... A person who ys games mightmit some crimes by mistake... Driving people away just because of that? Garbage... crap...


    -Not even a king? How can they do this when Grid is still there?


    -Yes, the next criminal.


    The poption of the Overgeared Kingdom nearly doubled after acquiring new territory. The good news was quickly conveyed to the Saharan Empire.


    ¡°The power of the Overgeared Kingdom is great. I was so worried that I couldn¡¯t sleep for a few days. Today, I¡¯ll be able to sleep better.¡± Empress Basara smiled brightly. She had been exhausted since ascending the throne so the three dukes were relieved to see her smiling after a long time.


    Immortal King Grenhalughed. ¡°Overgeared King Grid is the one who beat the followers of the war god and a great demon. How can the Gauss Kingdom stop such a hero¡¯s advance? The triumph of the Overgeared Kingdom was already scheduled.¡±


    Rachel frowned. ¡°I heard that Grid was only temporarily in the vanguard before withdrawing? Duke Grenhal, you¡¯re a duke of the empire. How could you be so ignorant about the situation? Aren¡¯t you toozy these days?¡±


    ¡°You are picky about everything. Don¡¯t you know that Sir Grenhal has been busy monitoring Prince Dndal?¡± Beast King Morse scolded but Rachel¡¯s tough attitude wasn¡¯t broken.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true that he is duller than a year ago? I¡¯m happy that we have a strong ally in the Overgeared Kingdom but we have to be alert. We don¡¯t have only one or two enemies. The dead King Nemesis was a man of great talent. We were struck by him and our feet tied. Fortunately, the Overgeared Kingdom won. If things went wrong then it would¡¯ve been an indelible humiliation for the rest of our lives.¡±


    King Nemesis foresaw the war against the Overgeared Kingdom and sent an envoy to the empire.


    Since the new empress Basara cited the release of the various ethnic groups in the name of the ¡®Era of Peace,¡¯ he asked for her to mediate in the conflict between the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared Kingdom. He argued that a war would lead to a new war. In order to achieve the Era of Peace, the empire had to stop the advance of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    However, the empire was unable to grasp the ankles of the Overgeared Kingdom and refused to mediate using all types of excuses. The empire self-inflicted shackles on themselves. Some of the excuses that they used in their refusal to intervene led to the empire losing justification to support the Overgeared Kingdom.


    King Nemesis¡¯ n was brilliant. In retrospect, King Nemesis guided the empire from the beginning to force the empire to ce shackles on themselves. Hepletely stabbed the holes caused by the chaotic empire undergoing the process of a change.


    ¡°Nemesis was a great man. It really wasn¡¯t an ordinary talent. However, it can¡¯t be tolerated that the great Saharan Empire was yed by one man. Has there ever been a genius in history who dared to y tricks on the empire? Perhaps the empire is currently in the most precarious situation in history...?¡± Rachel was speaking with a serious expression only to close her mouth.


    It was because Grenhal and Morse¡¯s attitude when listening was too rxed. Digging at their ears while discussing the empire¡¯s crisis? It happened as Rachel was about to yell at them.


    ¡°Duke Rachel, look objectively.¡± Basara stepped in and restrained Rachel. Then she spoke with a somewhat embarrassed expression, ¡°It is our empire that lost Piaro and the Red Knights due to the tricks of one man. It is our empire who changed rules due to the intervention of one man. The empire has never been perfect yet it has always been arrogant and left behind many missteps.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rachel closed her mouth. Certainly, the empire had never been a perfect nation. Nevertheless, they were arrogant. Rachel was too ashamed to raise her head and Basara smiled at her.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it is as Duke Rachel says. We should all work hard. It is to build a new empire like never before.¡± The empire must be strong. Peace and prosperity like never before would be achieved. Basara reaffirmed hermitment.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Suddenly, a big earthquake urred. The chandelier on the ceiling fell as the great hall shook.


    ¡°What is this...?!¡±


    A natural disaster urred in the capital? This had never happened in the long history of the empire. It was the worst omen.


    The empress and dukes frowned.


    ¡°T-Tower of Eternity!¡± Suddenly, a knight rushed into the great hall with a pale face and shouted, ¡°A meteorite fell on the Tower of Eternity!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ***


    "W-Why... Why are you...¡±


    Magician King Goldhit¡ªshe secretly supported the Gauss Kingdom and was dying at the end of her encounter with Braham. No, she was already dead and only her head remained.


    ¡°Braham! Why me?!¡±


    The unwanted transcendence after death¡ªGoldhit was unable to ept that she was forcibly turned into a lich and shouted with all her strength. She expressed the hostility and malice she umted over the course of more than a hundred years of living at the expense of children¡¯s bodies.


    However, Braham held her head tightly and didn¡¯t even scoff. The insane man blew up the legendary magic tower that contained hundreds of years of knowledge and reacted with disgust.


    ¡°Why should I care about this garbage?¡±


    ¡°How many times have I said it? I...! I am Lilis¡¯ disciple! The disciple of your disciple!¡±


    The evidence was presented. Rather than delivering the secret of the enhanced magic to her, he killed her and turned her into an undead? He broke down the Tower of Eternity? She couldn¡¯t believe it. She didn¡¯t understand what was happening right now and why she had to go through it.


    Braham¡¯s fingers poked at Goldhit¡¯s temple as she was bing increasingly irrational and confused. Goldhit¡¯s reason came back and Braham dered, ¡°You have to die because you imed to be the Magician King. Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful instead of resentful? I made you a lich and gave you the eternal life you wanted. Why are you dissatisfied with being a lich?¡±


    ¡°T-This is crazy! Oof! Oof oof!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Goldhit¡¯s mouth was gagged with magic power while Braham looked down at the ground. He felt a great deal of magic power far below the ground.


    ¡°The Abyss... it is the gateway that connects two continents...¡±


    Curiosity was the power that caused Braham to act. His worries didn¡¯tst long. Light engulfed his position and Braham soon disappeared. Of course, Goldhit was also with him.

 Chapter 1173

    ¡°This is the feeling of being a novice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been since I felt this helpless.¡±


    The difficulty of the East Continent was more than rumored. They came here with thorough preparations and nning but there had never been a smooth day. Their determination to use the new stage as a springboard to leap forward was on the verge of dissipating.


    ¡°The difficulty of the quests is too high overall. I thought it would be something like a kobold when I was asked to hunt the monster harming the fields in front of the house, only for a cyclops to show up.¡±


    ¡°The quests involving monsters have a high difficulty. Here, the level of the monsters troubling the farmers is over 300.¡±


    ¡°Right. I think we need to sort between quests for the time being. Let¡¯s gradually adjust to the atmosphere while refraining from quests that could lead tobat. The more information we gather, the better it is to deal with monsters. This is wiser.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, a ranker said the same thing. Then he received the wood cutting quest and died shortly after.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°That person died chopping wood.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°The tree exploded.¡±


    ¡°...There is a reason Grid gave up.¡±


    There was no one who wasn¡¯t aware that Grid hade to the East Continent. Indeed, many situations proved the history of Grid¡¯s visit to the East Continent. The inhabitants who praised Grid¡¯s achievements were gone but they still knew that Grid was quite active here.


    Then Grid remained silent for a while. He went back to the West Continent and didn¡¯t return to the East Continent again in a few years¡ªas far as they knew. Although there were arguments that the stage of his epic a few days ago was the East Continent, Grid had abandoned it for years.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a few days of dying, the yers who were gathered together to discuss things became quiet. What could they do on thisnd where even Grid was forced to stay away from for several years? It seemed they hade too quickly. Deep regret struck the yers. However, the mood soon reversed itself.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s use strength.¡±


    ¡°I came all this way and can¡¯t give up. Let¡¯s hold on and make a small achievement.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s just stay for a few years and get it over with! We will do what Grid can¡¯t and catch up with Grid!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    People who came to the East Continent would exceed the normal level. yers who experienced the difficulty of the East Continent were more motivated than despairing. They were filled with the expectation that they would be enormously rewarded if they overcame the hardships that even Grid couldn¡¯t ovee. They had a great opportunity toy the groundwork for catching up with every yer¡¯s goal, Grid.


    ¡°Wash your clothes in the stream? Okay! I ept!¡±


    ¡°Harvest strawberries from the strawberry field for a day? Okay, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°Sending a letter to a friend... Huhuhu, how romantic. My role today is the cupid of love.¡±


    ¡°Y-You said to go to the back mountain and cut firewood? Hik! No! Pass!¡±


    Kars was the centre of the Cho Kingdom¡¯s economy and was alwayscking manpower. Hundreds of yers took care of all types of chores, helping the people of Kars.


    ¡°...What are they doing when theye all the way to the East Continent?¡±


    The doctor Hera¡ªshe was able to arrive unharmed in Kars thanks to Kentrick. She witnessed yers doing chores all over the ce but it wasn¡¯t a convincing sight.


    Gust Ranger, Enthusiastic Shot. Hound Hunter of the Dominion Kingdom. Casey, master of the round cross-stitch, etc. It was absurd that famous rankers and promising yers in themunity who weren¡¯t ranked were doing chores that even children could do.


    ¡®Why bothering to the East Continent and doing things like this...?¡¯


    Well, she guessed there were some connected quests. Once she thought about it deeply, her head becameplicated. Hera shook her head and stopped paying attention to others. She focused on her own purpose. She remembered the boy who didn¡¯t have a single ufortable day due to a congenital disease and a client who felt guilty for not giving birth to a child in good health.


    ¡®I¡¯m the only one who can help them.¡¯


    The identity of the child was really questionable. The man who wanted his son to recover didn¡¯t live in a city with shrines or doctor¡¯s clinics. Rather, he lived alone with his son in a ruin with no other humans. He couldn¡¯t be unaware of the Saintess¡¯ reputation to heal all diseases but he didn¡¯t think about contacting her. Maybe he couldn¡¯t show up in the world. She wondered if he was a person with a great deal of notoriety in the past. Even so, she knew the pain of losing a child and was unable to turn away from the client. She came to the distant East Continent for him.


    ¡°Kunlun Ginseng?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hera had toured Kars for four days. She visited all the herbalists in the city and asked how to buy or obtain the ingredients for the medicine he needed. Then she faced a challenge...


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re looking for Kunlun Ginseng? Do you want to save the dead?¡±


    Thest ingredient was the problem. In the recipe provided by the quest, the difficulty of obtaining it was ssified as ¡®atrocious.¡¯


    Hera replied, "Saving the dead... it doesn¡¯t seem incorrect. My client¡¯s physical condition is bad enough to be called dead.¡±


    ¡°Are you nning to revive him as a jiangshi?¡±


    ¡°Revive him as a jiangshi? Haha, a joke like this...¡±


    ¡°The yang energy in the Kunlun Ginseng is great enough to invigorate the body. It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the efficacy of the Kunlun Ginseng is enough to revive the dead. Of course, it is only possible with the appropriate knowledge and skills.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A chill went down Hera¡¯s spine. She recalled the strange feeling she felt when she met her client and was filled with various doubts. Then she was suddenly awakened from her thoughts.


    ¡°Puhaha, I¡¯m going to cry,¡± the herbalist burst outughing. He told Hera who was standing there with a stiff expression, ¡°Well, it is true that the Kunlun Ginseng can be used to save the dead. Some evil daoists used the Kunlun Ginseng to make jiangshi and disturb the hearts of the public. This led to the royal family banning the distribution of it as private goods. However, as I said earlier, reviving the dead requires the right magic knowledge and skills. It is also the highest level of knowledge and skills.¡±


    ¡°What does that...?¡±


    ¡°You are the one who will make the medicine with the Kunlun Ginseng? Your identity isn¡¯t an insidious daoist and the medicine you make can¡¯t revive the dead. So don¡¯t be so scared.¡±


    ¡°T-This bad person! How do you treat your guests?¡±


    The herbalist¡¯s smiling face changed at once. His sharp eyes pierced Hera sharply. ¡°I had to test you since you could be an evil daoist.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, it is hard to doubt you when you listen to the words of a man who sells herbs like me. Go to the pce. It can only be purchased at the pce. If the pce examines you and your herbal recipe and doesn¡¯t find anything wrong, they will give you the Kunlun Ginseng. Ah, you naturally have to make the medicine in front of their eyes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Thanks to the friendly herbalist, Hera got the information and regained herposure as she headed to the pce. The soldiers obediently opened the path for her when they heard she wasing to acquire the Kunlun Ginseng. They guided her to the annex opposite the king¡¯s hall.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    There were several experts active in the annex. In some buildings, cksmiths were gathered to make weapons. In other buildings, scientists gathered to test the performance of artillery. In another building, doctors like Hera gathered to observe the appearance of patients, and other professionals minding their own businesses.


    Gulp. Hera swallowed her saliva as she walked along an endless corridor with thick pirs. She noticed that the atmosphere of the soldiers and warriors patrolling was unusual. She seemed to know why the soldiers had guided her to this point without any special checks.


    ¡®They are confident that they can respond no matter what happens.¡¯


    She had heard and experienced that the level of the East Continent was generally high but the level of the pce was highest among them. Even the acimed rankers on the West Continent would shrink back here and be treated as rats. Hera was thinking this when she heard something.


    ¡°The level is too low.¡±


    It was someone¡¯s sighing voice. The voice was unforgettable. It was as expected...


    She turned her head and saw the unknown ranker called Kentrick who helped her a few days ago. A few cksmiths were gathered together and were being admonished by him, ¡°You haven¡¯t fully unlocked the potential of iron. In particr, tell the cksmiths making the sword to invest triple the time in smelting.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A ¡®warrior¡¯ from the West Continent was admonishing craftsmen? Hera stopped when she heard this and stared nkly at Kentrick. Kentrick¡¯s saw her and his words continued, ¡°...This is how my friend would¡¯ve advised you.¡±


    The pressure Kentrick gave off disappeared suddenly and ended with a polite attitude. He turned to Hera and looked very surprised.


    ¡°Hera, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Ah... T-that... This is the only ce where I can get thest ingredient for my medicine. I never thought I would be reunited with Kentrick here. Have you been well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°By the way... Kentrick, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal. I have a friend who asked me to give advice to the cksmiths of the Cho Kingdom, so I stopped by for a while.¡±


    Hera¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°A person who is good enough to give advice to craftsmen... is your friend Grid?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°A-Amazing! You are friends with Grid! I saw from the beginning that you¡¯re not an average person but you are more amazing than I thought!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I only know Grid a little bit... then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Kentrick¡ªto be precise, Grid disguised as Kentrick¡ªhurriedly left. In a situation where he had to work secretly, it would be very troublesome if Hera had doubts.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The cksmiths followed Grid. They already deeply respected Grid, who gave them advice during the short period of time waiting for the furnace to rise. They wanted to learn more.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The smithy was located in the innermost part of the annex. He checked the condition of the furnace that had been slowly heating up thanks to the God Hands and warned the cksmiths following him, ¡°If she looks for me, tell her I have already left.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid heard a satisfactory answer and slowly rxed. The Red Phoenix Breath was the crystallization of fire. In order to smelt it, a high temperature should be maintained. It was a task that required tremendous stamina and long patience. This was why he had been cooling his head for a bit.


    ¡°...He ising soon.¡±


    Grid had to finish everything before Garam came. Grid had to resurrect the red phoenix and the Cho king had to rally his forces to spread the truth. Only then could they resist Garam and the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±


    Groan.


    The cksmiths sat down in pain as heat was emitted from the giant furnace The average person couldn¡¯t withstand this high temperature that made it hard for them to even breathe. The basic condition of smelting the Red Phoenix Breath was a high temperature that wasn¡¯t essible to everyone. This was why only Grid could strengthen the breath.


    Grid ordered the God Hands to support the cksmiths out and approached the furnace. mes devoured the Red Phoenix Breath. The mes that flooded out of the furnace stretched in all directions, covering the entire smithy.


    Meanwhile, the Cho king had summoned all his ministers and officials and was preaching the truth. ¡°This is the reality of the Five Seniors and the yangbans.¡±


    The followers of the Five Seniors denied it and denounced the king. Then blood was sprayed. There was no time as the Cho king tearfully started the purge.


    ***


    At the Abyss...


    Shortly before reaching the depths, Braham met with Biplonz and asked, ¡°Are you the gatekeeper here?¡±


    Then Goldhit¡¯s head being held in his hand startedughing.


    ¡°Hahahat! Biplonz! He is a demonkin born here! He is much stronger than I am if he takes off his restraints! Braham! Even you will find it hard to deal with him... Kuock!¡±


    Braham¡¯s face was dark as he used a whip made of magic power to hit Goldhit¡¯s head. Grid would¡¯ve been shocked by the sight, let alone anyone else.


    ¡°You were born in a strange ce after your previous life.¡±


    ¡°Previous life...? Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He naturally wanted to know. No, he had to. Born in the Abyss, Biplonz knew nothing except for the fact that he was a demonkin. Who he was, why was he born here with nothing, and what type of scenery did the outside contain? He had so much he wanted to know. Then why? He felt afraid when he was about to face the truth. It was a much deeper fear than the abyss-like darkness encroaching on the gap here.


    Braham nodded.¡°If you¡¯re not ready yet, there¡¯s no reason to force it. Get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Biplonz got out of the way. He felt from the beginning that he couldn¡¯t win if he fought the opponent in front of him.


    Thanks to this, Goldhit was going crazy.


    ¡°T-This damn thing...! There is a hydra underneath!!!¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to die. She might only have a head left but she didn¡¯t want to die. Goldhit tried to convey her will but it didn¡¯t work. Braham entrusted himself to the darkness and was already falling over the edge.

 Chapter 1174

    ¡°The opponent is a hydra! A hydra!¡±


    The hydra wasn¡¯t just a monster, it was believed to be created by Evil God Yatan and had a level of regeneration that made it impossible to kill and poison that even a god feared. There were all types of legends and myths about it and it was beyond transcendent.


    ¡°Will you fight against a monster that has be a mythical being through the umtion of lore? You...! You!! Stop it and go back now!¡±


    The hydra¡¯s venom deals death to mortals but it brings eternal suffering to immortals. A long-forgotten god was poisoned by the hydra and it was so painful that he begged for death. He barely managed to die after thousands of years of hard work to be forgotten by humanity.


    This was why Goldhit was having seizures. The hydra was even more sinister for immortals.


    Braham whispered, ¡°Do you know why the hydra doesn¡¯t die?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It was because it hasn¡¯t met me.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Did he think he could get rid of a mythical being? It was an absurd delusion. Goldhit was looking at Braham with disbelief when she became shocked. A whirlwind of magic was rising around Braham. All the mana in here that had umted for eternity was responding to Braham¡¯s Mana Drain.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can blow up all nine heads at the same time.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like it but Braham had to admit it¡ªit was a fact that he had a high probability of losing if he confronted Sword Saint Muller. Braham¡¯s honest analysis was that it was hard to resist the Sword Saint¡¯s spirit with his image world, his infinite number of mana shields would be shredded by the Sword Saint¡¯s sword energy, and it would be difficult to fight back properly when there was a gap between spells.


    It was calledpatible natures. Their nature was very important. This was why Braham was convinced that he had a thorough advantage when confronting the hydra.


    ¡°Look at thisrge-scale magic that shows not a single gap.¡±


    The darkness behind Braham started to crack. The transcendent magic was breaking even something that couldn¡¯t be destroyed.


    ¡®I-Is this real?¡¯ Goldhit¡¯s eyes widened. Putting aside her wickedness, she was excited by the fact that she could actually see great magic. If she was honest, she had been more thrilled than angry when Braham¡¯s Meteor destroyed the Tower of Eternity.


    ¡®Legendary great magic that can destroy even a hydra!¡¯


    Ahh, she wanted to explore the pinnacle. Yes, this was a good thing. Since she became a lich and enjoyed eternal life, she should take this as an opportunity to pursue the pinnacle...


    It was the moment when Goldhit abandoned despair and felt aspiration. The scales shining like a noctilucence stone filled their vision and a tearing sound resonated in their ears.


    ¡°Destruction.¡±


    The legendary great magic was activated. The darkness was destroyed. Through the dark shards of ss, a monster with nine heads could be seen glowing red. A monster that led even a god to death... The nine heads were ripped off simultaneously and copsed with a roar.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The destructive power was more than the legend described. Goldhit was thrilled by the power of the great magic that was beyond her imagination while Brahamughed.


    ¡°Kukuk! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Hahahahahaha!


    Hahahahahat!


    Hisughter echoed in the turbulent Abyss. At this moment, Braham was filled with excitement beyond what Goldhit felt. It was natural. He had eliminated the mythical presence with his own hands. It wasn¡¯t something that the damn Pagma, Sword Saint Muller, the Undefeated King, and even Braham himself in his prime, was capable of.


    There was only one reason it was possible. It was because he borrowed the vast mana in the Abyss, which had umted over eternity. Braham was able to exert powers that were beyond his prime. It was even superior to when he drained the mana from the Red Sea. It was the greatest strike in his life and something he was never capable of again.


    ¡°A-Amazing...! It is amazing! Truly amazing!¡± Goldhit let out sincere exmations of admiration. She even reused the honorifics that she had omitted ever since she was unexpectedly killed by Braham.


    Braham stoppedughing and closed his eyes as hisughter echoed in his ears. He could clearly feel it. It was his own growth. No, it was evolution.


    ¡°...¡±


    How much time had passed? By the time Braham had fully checked his physical condition and opened his eyes again, the echoes hade to an end.


    ¡°It is a bit disappointing,¡± he muttered as he searched around him with mana. The mana that had filled this ce for eternity had vanished. It was the aftermath of Braham absorbing the darkness and using it as a magic resource. If he visited the Abyss again in the distant future, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use such powerful magic again.


    In honor of the ultimate strike that could never be aplished again, Braham flew close to the hydra¡¯s corpse. Poison was being emitted from the nine headless necks, causing more damage to the shattered ground.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Braham experimentally deployed mana shields over the scattered rocks and confirmed that the virulent poison had prated the shield to melt the rocks. Goldhit was interested in the poison that didn¡¯t lose potency even after the hydra died but Braham had no interest. ¡°It is the same piece of meat when dead.¡±


    Sure enough, it was best not to die. Braham reached an unusual conclusion and threw Goldhit¡¯s head high into the air.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Goldhit had been full of aspiration only to once again be filled with despair. She shuddered as she started to fall into a pool of deadly poison and Braham asked her, ¡°Do you know why I left your mana core in my image world?¡±


    ¡°P-Please...!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how full of aspirations you are, it doesn¡¯t matter how much you die.¡±


    ¡°Please!¡±


    ¡°Even if the world perishes, you won¡¯t be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Shiiiiit!¡±


    Goldhit¡¯s head fell into a puddle of poison. It was the world¡¯s most atrocious pain and indescribable in words. It spilled into Goldhit¡¯s skin, her nerves, blood, bones, and brain in no time. Even so, she didn¡¯t die. She couldn¡¯t even scream.


    Braham spoke bluntly as she stared at him with eyes full of resentment and begging, ¡°This is revenge for my disciple.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you eat Lilis?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°I noticed with one nce that Lilis¡¯ mana core, which had been captured alive, was attached to your mana core.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡°You are worse than a parasite. You haven¡¯t aplished anything with your magic power or body. You have only relied on taking things away from others.¡±


    Braham reached into the air and pulled something out. It was Goldhit¡¯s mana core. Goldhit¡¯s entire life, which had been locked in Braham¡¯s inner world, was revealed in front of Goldhit. This was Goldhit¡¯sst hope and Braham shattered that hope. Lilis¡¯ mana core attached to Goldhit¡¯s was separated and destroyed. Lilis¡¯ soul would¡¯ve found freedom.


    ¡®Stupid person.¡¯


    Braham threw Goldhit¡¯s mana core back into his image world and recalled the centuries old past. There was a child who became his fourth disciple due to his uselesspassion. He clearly knew this child wasn¡¯t talented enough to use enhanced magic but he still taught the child. Braham felt the hatred and sorrow in the child¡¯s eyes resembled himself.


    ¡®You pretended to be strong but you didn¡¯t change after all. You suffered in yourter years.¡¯


    It was a truly pathetic person.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough to treat a person like me as a teacher. You even took this son of a bitch as a disciple.¡¯


    Once you are reborn, be my disciple again. Your life will be different. I will surely find you and give you a better life.


    Braham murmured as he escaped the venom and collected the hydra¡¯s by-products. Finally, he didn¡¯t even nce at Goldhit as he approached the two doors. They were doors that had been covered by the hydra¡¯s giant body. He felt a terrible demonic power from the left door and hundreds of millions of thoughts from the right door. They were the thoughts of all those living on the East Continent.


    ¡°...Kuek.¡±


    As he approached the right door, the mass of thoughts finally exceeded the capacity of Braham¡¯s brain and emotions. It was greater than the pain of the hydra¡¯s venom but Braham endured it and opened the door. Grid was beyond this.


    ***


    Grid didn¡¯t make the habit of leaning on luck. Due to his good luck stat, his luck had improved but he would fall down at every important moment and break his nose. Thus, he was wondering if it would happen again this time. At the time when the crisis called Garam was approaching, Grid was worried that he would fail to enhance the Red Phoenix Breath. The result was...


    [The Red Phoenix Breath has been strengthened!]


    Fortunately, it was a sess.


    ¡°Hah...¡± The tension that had been maintained throughout his work was released at once and he lost the strength in his legs. Grid stumbled and was about to fall down when he recovered his spirit. He had no time to rest. He had to quickly resurrect the red phoenix and recreate the Ideal Longsword that he lost after being killed by Garam. The Quick Movements buff attached to it was a necessity. Furthermore, he had guests to meet.


    ¡°May Ie in?¡± The Cho king¡¯s voice was heard outside the smithy. Signs of human existence had been felt for a while. The Cho king and his ministers had already been gathered in front of the smithy for an hour, waiting for Grid. It was just that they couldn¡¯t approach due to the sound of hammering and the heat.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The moment Grid¡¯s answer was heard, the Cho king and his ministers poured in. Their appearance was miserable. Their faces were filled with anxiety and fear and they were covered with blood. Even the Cho king was in a disorderly state. It seemed the resistance of the Hwan Kingdom followers was very strong. ¡°Is the revival of the red phoenix ready now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is all over.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Finally, everything was ready but the king¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t bright. It might be for their future and time was running out, but his heart ached because he hurt his people with his own hands. Still, he couldn¡¯t afford to feel guilty now.


    The Cho king made a steadfast expression and followed Grid out of the smithy. A red carpet led to an altar in the garden with nothing around it. It was an altar that the Cho king had set up while Grid was working. Grid didn¡¯t dy. He took out the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides and infused the Red Phoenix¡¯s breath into it.


    Duguen!


    The heart of the forgotten god stirred. The Red Phoenix Bow started to pulsate as divine mes rose around it.


    ¡°O-Ohh...!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The ministers and officials, who had been dubious despite standing by the Cho king¡¯s side, were tearful. They were born and raised in the Cho Kingdom and instinctively knew¡ªthis warm aura was exactly like the aura that could be felt anywhere in the Cho Kingdom.


    The guardian god who protected them and their ancestors was the red phoenix. The Red Phoenix Bow beating on the altar roared and released a column of fire. It was a huge column of fire that could be seen throughout the Cho Kingdom. The sky glowed and vitality started to circte through the ground. All of the people of the Cho Kingdom were engulfed in unknown emotions as they were on the verge of a reunion with the forgotten god.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expression was rotten.


    [Most of the sealed power of the Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides has been restored. However, the red phoenix is so deeply asleep that it can¡¯t easily open its eyes.]


    [There is 1 hour and 29 minutes remaining before the red phoenix opens its eyes.]


    [Protect the Red Phoenix Bow so that the red phoenix can safely wake up.]


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    No one liked defense-style quests. This was because most defense quests pushed participants to the limit.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Suddenly, there was an explosion and the surprised Grid flew into the sky. He was concerned as he watched the explosion but he couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on because the distance was too far away. However, Grid wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    ¡°Nyang!¡±


    Noe appeared with spread out legs and became Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I-It is Garam! Garam is killing the soldiers!¡±


    The Cho king¡¯s desperate voice was heard from the ground.


    ¡°It is said that Garam is breaking in through the outer door! I will personally lead an army to face him so hurry with the resurrection of God Red Phoenix!¡±


    The divine mes were bing so grandiose that the Cho king and his ministers could feel it. They knew that time was needed for the red phoenix to be fully resurrected and was prepared to fight to the death for their kingdom. However, they weren¡¯t Garam¡¯s opponents. Garam would thoroughly annihte them.


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    Now it was 1 hour and 28 minutes remaining. Was it possible to hold on? It was naturally impossible. Even when he used Request to Stand With Me at the rabbitmunity, he hadsted less than 20 minutes. Nevertheless, he was the only one who could tie up Garam¡¯s feet.


    Grid worried for a moment before taking off the skin mask. He was prepared to die. If he hid or fled, there would be no way to escape the quest failure and destruction of the Cho Kingdom. Thus, he would sacrifice his life for even a small hope.


    ¡°I will lure Garam to another ce. Protect the Red Phoenix Bow in case of another attack.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait! Why are you going so far?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t turn his head when he heard the perplexed Cho king andmenting officials. He just turned in Garam¡¯s direction and answered, ¡°I promised to help you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid disappeared with a sh of lightning.


    The Cho king, his ministers, and all the warriors and soldiers, had red eyes as they bit their lips. The Cho king was the first one to restrain the warriors who wanted to chase after Grid. He was deeply angry at his ipetence and ordered with tears in his eyes, ¡°Bring all the daoists and schrs of Kars here while the king from the west buys some time. We will do our best to help God Red Phoenix wake up faster.¡±


    ¡°...Attention!¡±

 Chapter 1175

    A continent ruled by four kingdoms. The reason why the situation on the East Continent was unchanged for so long was simple. The resources and talents of the four kingdoms were too plentiful. It was no wonder since only four kingdoms shared and that was the same size as the West Continent. Since all four kingdoms made steady progress and were vignt against each other, it was difficult to change the structure of power.


    ¡°...!¡±


    At the Cho Kingdom¡¯s capital, Kars...


    The soldiers of the outer gates, who were thoroughly vignt as soldiers of the Cho Kingdom, knelt in amazement. Step. Step. The sound of a god¡¯s footsteps got closer. The soldiers bowed so their foreheads touched the ground and the people who btedly realized the situation also bowed.


    ¡°...¡±


    Once a god crossed the gates, a red curtain wasid around the area. There wasn¡¯t the smallest breath from the street that had been crowded just a moment ago. The yangban Garam¡ªas usual, he came unannounced and paralyzed the nation¡¯s capital. The soldiers and the people prayed.


    May God bless us and bring us luck in the future.


    It was just unfortunate.


    Step. Step. Step.


    Garam didn¡¯t respond to the public¡¯s prayers. No, he didn¡¯t even see them. Garam¡¯s transcendent vision only gazed at the entrance of the pce in the distance.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show you that you¡¯re just dogs.¡¯


    One of the Hwan Kingdom¡¯s unwritten rules was to not harm the royal family of the four kingdoms. They had considerable influence on the people and it was important to maintain their honor and fear toward the Five Seniors and the yangbans. However, today Garam was trying to break the unwritten rule. They were the ones who crossed the line first.


    ¡®Impertinent guys.¡¯


    Garam¡¯s finelybed hair fluttered. Today, he didn¡¯t have it in a topknot. He didn¡¯t reveal his left ear that had been cut off by Grid.


    ...Grid! Grid!! Grid!!!


    He knew the fact that this force that was protecting that bastard was insignificant but he couldn¡¯t forgive the Cho king. Garam¡¯s footsteps became faster and faster when his eyes lit up. A column of fire shot up from behind the walls that surrounded the pce. The momentum was so great that the clouds evaporated and the blue sky glowed.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Garam couldn¡¯t understand the situation. At first, he denied the precursor to the ¡®impossible.¡¯ However, it was only for a moment. He soon epted the situation.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go forward anymore.¡±


    It had never happened since he became a subject of faith. The soldiers and people of the Cho Kingdom, who had never stood in Garam¡¯s way, now gathered closely to block him. They even raised their heads and gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Garam watched the foolish people stepping on his shadow and burst outughing.


    ¡°The more inferior you are, the more faithful you are to your instincts.¡±


    Garam knew the source of the unpleasant warmth that started to spread throughout the Cho Kingdom once the column of fire soared. It was the aura of the red phoenix who originally defended thend. This guy who had been struggling for a long time was starting again.


    ¡°Stop walking!¡±


    As Garam continued to walk forward, the soldiers raised their voices and pulled out their weapons. The sword and spears that had been used as a tool for worshipping the yangbans were now aimed at Garam. This meant that the instincts engraved in the genes and souls of the Cho Kingdom¡¯s people had blossomed.


    The warmth that spread from the red phoenix reminded them of the forgotten god. The one their ancestors served. The people of the Cho Kingdom felt the existence of the guardian god who had protected them and realized that Garam was their enemy.


    ¡°Kukukuk, you are all the same...¡±


    Garam didn¡¯t hide his anger. He felt that some of the faith poured toward him had vanished. He dared to reveal his true self to the people of the Cho Kingdom who turned their backs to him.


    ¡°Now the reason for your existence has disappeared. I will punish you and you will perish.¡±


    The words of a god were final. Garam would soon be a god and he had no intention of going back on his words. Garam took immediate action and mes sparked in front of him. It was the application of the red phoenix aura.


    ¡®The power of the old god that you are thinking about will destroy you...¡¯


    Garam thought this as he made a brutal smile and shot the mes in front of him. All the soldiers and people in the path of the mes were pushed out like a tsunami and burned to death with horrific screams. Dozens of houses and buildings on the street were swept away by the explosion, causing more casualties.


    Kars transformed into hell. In the midst of the roaring mes, Garam shouted at the people of the Cho Kingdom, ¡°Humans! Trivial, little things! Do you know who the peace and happiness you have enjoyedes from? It is me! Me, Garam! You lived because I didn¡¯t destroy you despite having the power the entire time!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Some people choked while others couldn¡¯t stand it and started to vomit. The disgusting reality of the beings always believed to be gods couldn¡¯t be easily epted by the residents of the Cho Kingdom.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bastardpletely crazy?¡±


    The yers gritted their teeth. For the past few days, they had lived with the people of the Cho Kingdom and had been told stories of the yangbans. People smiled and said he could live because there were great gods called the FIve Seniors and the yangbans. Thus, they imagined a merciful god. However, reality waspletely different. It was an awful arrogance and self-righteousness. This wasn¡¯t a god, it was more simr to a great demon.


    ¡°The existence of a god is like this?¡± someone spoke from the middle of the crowd¡ªit was Hera. She had never witnessed a miracle that could be described as a god¡¯s mercy, thus she could speak with a slightly different perspective.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m talking about the gods of Satisfy.¡±


    Hera felt the stiff atmosphere andughed. Even so, there were dark shadows over the faces of the yers. She thought of the world message from a while ago. It was a message from an unknown person discussing a god¡¯s qualifications. It was an obvious deration of war toward the gods.


    ¡®Did Grid find out the reality of the gods?¡¯


    The gods of Satisfy. No, the gods here on the East Continent were likely to bepletely different from the gods they had believed in and relied on. Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate them. Explosions were urring non-stop. The beautiful and magnificent Kars was being destroyed by the gods they believed in.


    ¡°...¡±


    The eyes of the yers were frantically trembling as they became witnesses to the apocalypse. They were deeply anxious as they saw a dark future through Garam¡¯s presence. A number of people sat there feeling dizzy from the fact that the Cho Kingdom could be wiped out in the near future.


    ¡°Dammit... this fu*king game.¡±


    During the time when Great Demon Berith destroyed the Rotemon Kingdom, people could still feel hope because of the presence of the gods. They were able to endure because they believed that the gods would show up and help before the evil and malicious great demon destroyed humanity. Now they thought it might be a vain belief. Garam was proving that gods unconditionally couldn¡¯t be relied on in Satisfy.


    ¡°...The end. This is the end of the game.¡±


    Why? Why did Chairman Lim Cheolho create Satisfy if it wasn¡¯t to satisfy the yers¡¯ hopes and dreams?


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The confused yers suddenly had wide eyes. It was because a mother and daughter in the area were on the verge of being attacked by flying fireballs.


    ¡°No!¡± Hera was the first to rush over but other yers rescued them before her. This was the difference between a warrior ss and a doctor ss.


    ¡°Are you crazy? A doctor wants to face the mes?¡±


    ¡°Leave the rescue of the people to us and focus on healing them.¡±


    The yers gave Hera stern advice and scattered in all directions after entrusting the mother and daughter to her. The entire city might not be able to be saved but they wanted to help the people in front of them. They learned how beautiful and wonderful it was to help others after watching the videos of various rankers.


    ¡°This way! Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    It was just that every action came at a cost. They needed the ability to ovee the crisis when saving someone from a crisis. The yers failed several times. There were those who couldn¡¯t ovee the heat while trying to save a person covered in fire and some died from a stone falling while trying to save people from the rubble of a building. It was practically impossible for hundreds of yers to save tens of thousands of people in the midst of a disaster.


    Garam¡¯s creepy voice prated the ears of those who had fallen, ¡°Unworthy people, you will die here today.¡±


    The waves of mes centerd around Garam burned more violently and stretched out. The sea of fire that engulfed Kars started to swell. It was like the Red Sea had been turned into fire.


    ¡°Ah... Uwahh...¡±


    The yers and people of the Cho Kingdom were desperate. Not a single person felt hope. Hera was the same. She closed her eyes tightly as she hugged the injured mother and daughter she had given medicine to.


    ¡®They¡¯re all going to die.¡¯


    Even Kentrick would¡¯ve noticed it by now and escaped...


    Hera¡¯s skin gradually warmed up.


    ¡°Unworthy people? Why are you disregarding those who live with their faith?¡± someone¡¯s voice echoed from the sky.


    The voice was heavy enough to suppress the incessant roaring of the mes.


    ¡°P-Perhaps?¡±


    Hera and hundreds of yers turned their attention to the sky. The remnants of lightning could be seen. Subsequently...


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    A mighty willpower spread out and extinguished the sea of fire engulfing the city.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Hera¡¯s eyes shook. She saw the fragile human who vomited blood in exchange for the destruction of the sea of fire created by a god. He fell to the ground, ck-gold hands supporting his drooping shoulders.


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    He became a god to stand up against a god.


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Griddddd!¡±


    It was like a conflict between stars. The world became turbulent when Garam blocked a series of meteor-like attacks from Grid.


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    The yers screamed with regret. The moment that Grid finished the actions of his sword dance, he would be struck by Garam¡¯s soft sword and fall. However, their expectations were wrong. Grid¡¯s sword dance wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pin¡ªugh!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Garam, who wanted to hold out against Grid¡¯s onught, gradually fell into a defensive position and finally flew away. His bloodshot eyes were only chasing Grid as he pierced through a few burned houses and barely stopped.


    ¡°You! Yoou!¡±


    The energy of the blue dragon spread out and Garam shot forward toward Grid while covered in lightning. Once again, Hera and the yers realized what their role was.


    ¡°We have to evacuate the people!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go to the pce!¡±


    Their hopes and dreams could be achieved on their own. There was no need to rely on others from the beginning. The yers learned from Grid and lost their anxiety about the future. Satisfy¡¯s ending was set? No, they could change it. Chairman Lim Cheolho must¡¯ve known this.


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    Hera and the yers ced the injured people on their backs and ran with all their strength. Some of the forces following Garam blocked their way but the yers somehow cut them down. Like Grid, they were doing the best they could.

 Chapter 1176

    Among the single sword dances, Transcend required a very wide range of actions. Momentum and dignified behavior was required in order to depict a transcendent being, but this was hard to express while widening his strides. In addition, it needed to be apanied by exaggerated gestures.


    This was why Grid didn¡¯t favor Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. If it was Linked Kill Pinnacle, the sword dance was convenient to use because the sword dance naturally linked the stabs and shes of Link and Kill. However, Transcended Link Kill was designed to maximize the power of Transcend and it was apanied by an inevitable dy. The more pressing the battle, the more difficult it was to find the timing of use. However, the story was different if he borrowed the power of Divinity.


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle!¡±


    The four fused sword dances unfolded sequentially without any dy. Their power threatened Garam, who had already activated the power of the red phoenix and was pushing his resilience to the limit.


    ¡°You...! Cough!Cough!!¡±


    Garam easily blocked the first Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle, barely managed to escape the second Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle, and was blown away by the third Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. He immediately activated the blue dragon¡¯s power, hitting Grid again and coughing up red blood.


    Chill. Garam got goosebumps. He couldn¡¯t see why he waste to handle the second Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle when he so easily blocked the first one. His right hand holding the sword was trembling frantically. He felt a lot of pain in his abdomen and when he scanned his left hand, he saw a lot of blood.


    ¡®Can my recovery keep up?¡¯


    Everyone saw him being hurt deeply and driven on the defensive by a human. It was the biggest shame of his life. The history of this day should be erased.


    ¡°Cough, cough!Kuaaaaaah!!!¡± Garam roared like a wild beast as he nervously struck at the God Hands rotating around him in a dizzying manner. The currents around his body spread through the area as he dropped a move that would turn the area into a pile of ashes. It was intended to obliterate all humans who witnessed his humiliation.


    However, his intentions were for naught. It was because the yers did their best to protect the people of Kars. Dozens of people¡¯s lives were saved when battle gears and magic were used to prevent a single lightning strike. This caused Garam¡¯s face to distort like a demon.


    ¡°Trivial¡ªcough! You!!¡± In the midst of this extreme wrath, Garam was calm. He recalled the load that urred when the power of the sacred creatures was used simultaneously and first activated the energy of the blue dragon. Then he waited and raised the power of the red phoenix to the limit as Grid blew away the attack made of intangible winds.


    It was intended to maximize the recovery power of the red phoenix in his body. Grid maintained a constant distance from Garam and summoned the Storm of the Fire God. It was a storm of intense mes that engulfed the area. Garam sensed the aura of the red phoenix from the storm and burst outughing.


    ¡°Hahat! Kuhahahat! You¡¯re really ridiculously stupid!¡±


    The reason why the mes of the red phoenix never goes out was because they had a strong vitality.Yes, vitality. This meant that it was a beneficial power ording to its use. This was very tasty prey for Garam, who activated the aura of the red phoenix.


    ¡®I¡¯ll eat it!¡¯


    Garam took a deep breath. He nned to absorb all the red phoenix mes summoned by Grid and use them as his vitality. However...


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The nature of the mes sucked deep into his lungs was different. No, the purity was different. The pure red phoenix mes contained a strong willpower. The willpower showed a terrible killing intent toward Garam.


    ¡®Red phoenix...! Is it the red phoenix?!¡¯


    Garam stared at the pirs of fire and then nced back at Grid. The presence of the red phoenix preparing for resurrection was strengthening. Garam¡¯s Red Phoenix Breath was being assimted into its essence. Garam realized that the red phoenix was rejecting him. He could no longer fully use the aura of the red phoenix until the red phoenix was fully sealed.


    A painful burst of shock caused Garam¡¯s eyes to shake. Garam¡¯s lungs that swallowed the mes were torn apart.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Garam cursed and held his breath.


    The moment he exhaled, his blood burned and his heart felt like it was exploding. Finally...


    [The target is under the influence of the Storm of the Fire God and his recovery attempt has failed.]


    [The effect of Rage of the Fire God has cursed the target with 15,000 fixed damage and reversed the healing effect.]


    Grid¡¯s face became rosy as he checked the notification windows. Unlike Garam who failed in recovery, Grid saw hope as he recovered from his wounds by drinking a potion.


    ¡®Garam has noticed the effects of Storm of the Fire God. He won¡¯t be active during the storm.¡¯


    He could buy time by maintaining a distance from the storm while ensuring that Garam couldn¡¯t leave the storm. The mana consumed in exchange for maintaining the Storm of the Fire God wasn¡¯t a problem. Grid had the Ring of Absurdity and the inherent ability of Storm of the Fire God itself had the effect of increasing the healing effect of allies by 20%, including the ¡®caster.¡¯


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe effect of mana recovery potions also increased while maintaining the Storm of the Fire God. Based on the potion recovery, the cooldown, and the mana cost, Grid would be able to maintain the Storm of the Fire God for at least 40 minutes. Those 40 minutes would be hell for Garam.


    [The schrs and academics [1] of the Cho Kingdom are elerating the resurrection of the red phoenix.]


    [The time remaining to resurrect the red phoenix is significantly reduced.]


    [The time remaining to the resurrection of the red phoenix is 54 minutes.]


    ¡®I can do it. I can hold on.¡¯


    As always, Grid wasn¡¯t alone. All the people of the Cho Kingdom, including the Cho king, had the same aspirations as Grid and were doing their best to revive the red phoenix. Hundreds of yers were also helping him.


    ¡®Garam, the path you¡¯ve walked is wrong.¡¯


    This is the way I¡¯m walking. The difference between you and myself, who is helped by so many people, proves it.


    The moment that Grid gained courage...


    ¡°Daring to make that expression...¡± Garam¡¯s eyes widened as he nced between Grid blocking his path and the pirs of fire soaring behind Grid. Steam rose around Garam¡¯s body. The power of the ck tortoise, who presided over water and death, started to quench the heat of the Storm of the Fire God.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Grid saw the power of the ck tortoise and his expression stiffened. He quickly raised his sword as Garam appeared in front of his nose and attacked. The soft sword swept over Grid¡¯s cheek. ¡°I am a god. You can¡¯t restrain me with anything but death.¡±


    The mes split from side to side and looked like the wings of the red phoenix. Looking at Garam¡¯s appearance, who could deny that he wasn¡¯t a god? The soft sword passed by Grid¡¯s cheeks and prated his left corbone.


    ¡°Kkuk...!¡±


    The aura of the ck tortoise was a poison that corroded objects and withered life. The durability of all of Grid¡¯s armor, including Valha, was greatly damaged by Garam¡¯s blow. The dark energy ejected from the spinning Garam as he recovered his sword struck Grid and blew him away.


    Grid looked like a mess as he crashed into the ground and rolled several times. His pained face was covered with sweat and the blood flowing down from his mouth made him suspect he was poisoned. Garam¡¯s mouth curved up because he didn¡¯t know Khan¡¯s will made Gridpletely resistant to poison.


    ¡°Today, I will be perfect.¡±


    Grid was really qualified to be a god. If Garam seeded in getting rid of Grid and prevented the resurrection of the red phoenix, he would prove that he was a real god. Spit. Garam spat the blood in his mouth and raised his sword again. He denied that he felt a bit of fear a little while ago. He prepared to be perfect by shing the neck of Grid, who witnessed him in a terrible state.


    ¡°Come to think of it, you are a necessary existence for me, Grid.¡±


    Be the sacrifice to make meplete. That is who you are.


    Garam made a deep smile and lowered his sword. At the same time, Grid¡¯s body surrounded by mes split into several copies. It was Belial¡¯s power of Queen¡¯s Distortion activated inbination with the mes of willpower. It was a great technique that dazzled the eyes and minds of others.


    Garam¡¯s soft sword swung faster than the eye, drawing a circle to cut down all of Grid¡¯s clones. However, they weren¡¯t cut due to Berith¡¯s Automatic Transformation. Grid was spared a fatal blow thanks to the metal shield that was automatically generated in real time, reducing Garam¡¯s damage.


    ¡°You¡¯re really tenacious.¡± Garam had regained hisposure at the thought of victory. Now his expression once again changed. Grid¡¯s attitude of enduring to the end without giving up offended him. ¡°You can never beat me. Why don¡¯t you give up? Do you really think you can beat me?¡±


    ¡°...Not even once.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I never thought that I could beat you.¡±


    ¡°Then why...¡±


    Garam was intrigued by Grid¡¯s honest confession and paused for a moment to listen. He suddenly felt something strange. The blood flowing from Grid¡¯s mouth was red.


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t affected by the ck tortoise¡¯s poison?¡¯


    How could he resist the poison of a god who presided over death? He was truly sinister. Dragging this out longer wasn¡¯t good. This guy still had strength remaining. Garam felt anxiety.


    ¡°Keen Insight.¡± At this moment, Grid contemted Garam¡¯s state.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    There was an unpleasant feeling like every detail was being dug out. Garam felt like this for the first time in his life and instinctively changed the trajectory of his sword. However, the change was one of the future paths that Keen Insight had read. A move that integrated attack and defense¡ªone of Garam¡¯s secret techniques was smashed by Grid¡¯s blow that carried Mercedes¡¯ power.


    [1] Two different words are used, both mean schr but the first one is more referring to an educated person who doesn¡¯t covet riches and cherishes loyalty and principles. The second means those who learn and acquire knowledge from others, records, or experiences

 Chapter 1177

    ¡°I know that everything in the world was born in my will. All things exist only for me.¡±


    They were words that Garam heard as soon as he was born.


    ¡°The reason I created you is for you to help me, so that you may live for me just as all things do.¡±


    Hanul¡¯s words were clearly imprinted on Garam. Garam had never forgotten it, even if the weather was clear or cloudy, whether he opened his eyes or closed it. In the tens of thousands of seasonal changes, Garam recalled these words and worshipped them. Only then did he believe that his existence was meaningful. Then one day...


    ¡°It seems wrong.¡± Garam saw a brother who contradicted Hanul¡¯s words. ¡°Even the little birds and powerless deer know that their lives are precious. We work hard every day to survive from bigger birds and mighty beasts.¡±


    It was Pagma, the iprehensible person who made crude objects and gave them as gifts to his siblings. This stiff-necked person dared to talk to Hanul in such a manner. ¡°Hanul, you say that all things are born ording to your will and all things exist for you, but if that is the case, why do those little children take care of their own bodies? I think Hanul is misinformed. I think that all things exist not for Hanul but for themselves.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Hanul, if this beautiful feast is all for Hanul... rather than talking about how yangbans are better than beasts and humans, why not take care of everyone equally? Then won¡¯t all things naturally honor and love Hanul, living for Hanul?¡±


    ¡°Pagma! Shut up!¡±


    Garam felt a great anger toward Pagma. He established an eternal hostility toward Pagma. Why did he want to deny Pagma¡¯s words so much? Why did he hate Pagma so much? Garam realized it the moment he faced Grid.


    ¡®...I knew he was right.¡¯


    I am me.


    He was a being with his own will. He wanted to think for himself, choose for himself, and live for himself, rather than by someone¡¯s coercion. However, he didn¡¯t dare express this. Unlike Pagma, who left to correct what was wrong, and Grid in front of him, who came back to correct what was wrong, he only became obsessed with bing a god and ignored his own desires. A god¡ªhe felt that if he became one, he would be able to shake off his fears and be perfect.


    ¡®These guys...! What is so great about you?!¡¯


    How dare they resist providence when they weren¡¯t even gods?! The yangbans weren¡¯t going to change the way they did things!


    Garam advanced forward through the Storm of the Fire God. He cut Grid with the sword covered with the deadly poison of the ck tortoise, forcing Grid to the brink of death. Then Garam entered a realm he had never known before. He incorporated all the skills, experiences, and learning he had umted since his birth, into a single move.


    This was a glimpse of a god killer. It was the blow that Chiyou, who taught the yangbans out of a desire for his own extinction, had eagerly discussed.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was white. In a world separated by 0.1 seconds, he felt a strong threat from Garam¡¯s dark sword that waspletely unavoidable. He knew that the defense of the damaged Valha, the indomitable effect that still remained, and his immortal power, would be meaningless as soon as he was stabbed by Garam¡¯s sword that suddenly flew toward him.


    [Death ising.]


    His transcendent senses were warning him. It was the ultimate form of a god¡¯s will that had the power to make the concept of stats and the rules of the system meaningless.


    ¡®Request to Stand With Me!¡¯


    Grid had no time. He recalled the lives and futures of the millions of people he now carried on his back and instinctively thought of a knight. An absolute skill that wouldn¡¯t put the person into any danger if they lent it to him. The continent¡¯s greatest knight who had ¡®Keen Insight¡¯ that even the gods were wary of.


    A legend¡ªit was Mercedes.


    [The power of Duke of Virtue is requesting help from your knight, ¡®Mercedes.¡¯]


    [Mercedes is happy to respond to your request.]


    [Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight is imnted in your eyes.]


    Thendscape that Grid could see changed. He found a road he couldn¡¯t see before and shifted his stride to the side while lowering his upper body. At the same time, he swung the Enlightenment Sword. It was a move that integrated attack and defense. Garam¡¯s move, which could be considered as ¡®perfect,¡¯ copsed from Grid¡¯s blow that contained Mercedes¡¯ power. Garam¡¯s sword, which should¡¯ve pierced Grid¡¯s heart, was shattered and torn from Garam¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Kuek...?¡± Garam¡¯s eyes shook. It wasn¡¯t the pain that came from his tattered right arm that shocked him. Grid¡¯s deep eyes were bringing a pained confusion to him.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this unbelievable?¡¯


    Everything was dug up. His destiny and life were thoroughly analyzed. A mere mortal. He was being stripped bare by human eyes.


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t possible!¡±


    The stronger the red phoenix became, the more difficult it was to control the Red Phoenix Breath and it suddenly exploded. A hole was created in Garam¡¯s lungs and his blood started to evaporate. The pain transcended imagination but Garam didn¡¯t show any signs of it. He used the ck Tortoise Breath to restrain the Red Phoenix Breath and the White Tiger Breath was used to block the holes in his lungs.


    Meanwhile, Grid was indirectly peeking at Garam¡¯s state. It was the power of Keen Insight.


    [The effect of the ¡®Forgotten God¡¯s Curse¡¯ will disperse the target¡¯s concentration and action.]


    [All recovery effects are forbidden and all reaction speeds are reduced by 58%.]


    [All of your skills that are currently active, except for Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle, will be sure to hit the target and will result in a critical hit and weak spot attack.]


    Grid didn¡¯t move randomly once the notification window first popped up. Keen Insight gave Grid full information on the target¡¯s stats, skills, and condition and rmended behavior based on them. The term was ¡®auto.¡¯ It was simr to when cksmiths used auto production when making items, all his movements were taken care of.


    All of Grid¡¯s sword dances mmed sequentially into Garam who had been weakened by the interference of the red phoenix. Garam didn¡¯t dare to resist. It wasn¡¯t just because of Keen Insight.


    [Keen Insight has found your restrained power.]


    [The effect ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ has been awakened in the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [Your attack power will increase by three times for 20 seconds and evasion rate will reach 99%. However, defense is zero.]


    It was a conditional passive that had a low probability of activating when fighting an enemy with a higher level than himself, allowing him to enter a ¡®selfless¡¯ state if his health dropped below a certain point. It had been suppressed due to the danger. Now that it was activated by Keen Insight, Grid¡¯s attack power was far beyond Garam¡¯s attack power.


    Garam couldn¡¯t dodge Grid¡¯s attacks and his health gauge continued to fall, dropping to the bottom in an instant. He tried to resist somehow but his vicious counterattacks never hit Grid. The remnants of Braham¡¯s magic carved through the sky like a gxy as Grid¡¯s sword dances never stopped.


    All the people of the Cho Kingdom witnessed the scene and temporarily lost their senses.


    ¡°...Beautiful.¡± Hera, who was taking care of patients in the pce, heard the sudden explosion and murmured as she looked up at the sky.


    ¡°A god killer...¡± The schrs and academics who rushed over at the king¡¯s call to revive the red phoenix couldn¡¯t help gulping.


    ¡°Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡± The officials who were grateful to Grid since he rescued Han Seokbong¡¯s family and the people of Pangea and secretly helped him were stunned.


    Finally...


    ¡°Please... please give strength to Grid.¡± The king prayed earnestly. He wanted to rush out with his warriors to help Grid but he was obliged to defend the resurrecting red phoenix. He had to stand still in preparation for an attack from the Hwan Kingdom. Just like Grid who was tying up Garam¡¯s feet, the role of the Cho king was also important. The Cho king was forced to pray for Grid without leaving his spot.


    Then he was suddenly engulfed in doubts. ¡®Who am I praying to?¡¯


    Was it meaningful to pray to the gods who deceived humans? Could the red phoenix respond to prayers when it wasn¡¯t resurrected yet? It happened when the Cho king was filled with increasing confusion...


    One of the young men fighting in the distant sky flew toward the pce and crashed.


    ¡°P-Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue!¡±


    ¡°King Grid!¡±


    The people of the Cho Kingdom knew that Garam was a god. Since a human couldn¡¯t handle a god, all the people of the Cho Kingdom knew that the existence who had just fallen to the ground was naturally Grid. They thought the presence chasing him down from the high sky would be Garam. However, reality was different. The bloody figure revealed by the scattering smoke was Garam, not Grid.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡± The identity of the person who descended while surrounded by blue-ck petals was Grid.


    Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Grid was overwhelming Garam. It was only for a moment...


    ¡°Ah...!¡± The Cho king ced his hands together and started to pray again. He didn¡¯t pray to the Five Seniors and the yangbans, who had deceived humans, or the red phoenix who hadn¡¯t resurrected yet. The subject of the new prayer was Grid. He glimpsed the birth of a new god through the appearance of Grid who caused Garam to crash.


    On the other hand...


    ¡®Kuk...! Damn!¡¯ Grid¡¯s face was rapidly hardening as he rushed toward Garam on the ground.


    [The duration of Ecstasy of Desire is over.]


    [The duration of Request to Stand With Me is over.]


    [The effect of Keen Insight will be wiped out.]


    It was because he heard a series of bad news. Once the auto effect that originated from Keen Insight stopped, Grid subtly slowed down as he descended. This was a great opportunity for Garam.


    ¡°You!¡± Garam had experienced a one-sided humiliation from Grid for two minutes. He had been unable to find gaps in Grid. Now he quickly captured the changes in Grid and started to fight back. He maintained the effect of the ck Tortoise Breath on his breathing, and the White Tiger Breath suppressing his wounds, while opening the Blue Dragon Breath. He broke through the petals and flew toward Grid, stabbing his sword.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±


    First, the difference in stats was the decisive reason why Grid couldn¡¯t win over Garam. Even if Grid had higher stats than his level, it couldn¡¯t bepared to the stats of a named NPC who reached the realm of a half-god. Of course, it was possible to narrow the gap with all types of buff skills, Duke of Fire, and Fenrir¡¯s Strength. However, this was a story that was only possible when the buffs were maintained.


    The gap between the end of the buffs and the reuse of the buffs was a fatal weakness for Grid. Grid failed to hit Garam with Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle and allowed a counterattack, causing him to plunge to the ground. Garam immediately followed him down, trampling on Grid¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Those who are ignorant and weak always discuss hope. You seem to think that resurrecting the red phoenix will resolve the current situation but it is a big mistake.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s body twitched. Garam slowly removed his feet as Grid struggled like a worm to raise his head from the ground. Grid could finally raise his head and reflexively turned his gaze in a certain direction. Then he saw it...


    There were two men floating above the pce. They were dressed in a blue dopo and stood with their arms folded as they bit the smoking pipe in their mouths. They looked exactly like Garam.


    ¡°Yangbans...!¡±


    It was also clear that they had passed Chiyou¡¯s test. Like Garam, they were in the process of bing gods.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be...!¡¯


    There was no hope. Garam was merely one of the problems. Grid lost hope and a dark shadow crossed his face.


    Then a familiar voice was heard. ¡°If you are ignorant and weak and don¡¯t even feel hope, then you are just trash, just like these guys.¡±


    A huge spear of light fell from the sky and pierced the bodies of the two men standing with arms crossed.


    ¡°...!?¡± Garam¡¯s face was filled with amazement. He was more shocked than when he was overwhelmed by Grid.


    The spear pierced them and the yangbans fell while bleeding. A handsome silver-haired man appeared along with the wavelength of magic. The red phoenix who was being resurrected, the people of the Cho Kingdom, and the yangbans struggling to heal their wounds...


    Despite clearly knowing that all of them were focused on himself, the silver-haired beauty was merely watching Grid.


    ¡°Nasty worms are twisting.¡±


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t speak for a long time. He stared at the two yangbans struggling to heal and reached out to use poison. It was magic that poisoned the target. It was magic that couldn¡¯t be used against a half-god. However, Braham¡¯s poison now contained the hydra¡¯s venom.


    ¡°Cough!¡± The two yangbans fell down, bleeding and with foaming out of their mouths. Garam, all the people of the Cho Kingdom, and even Grid, looked at Braham with an expression of incredulity.

 Chapter 1178

    The child of Shizo Beriache who became a legend¡ªBraham Eshwald, the greatest magician of all time, had experienced a wide variety of things in his life. Along with his obsession with knowledge, he was able to be the Duke of Wisdom because he studied through experience.


    Yes, countless people praised Braham¡¯s knowledge. No one could deny that his level of knowledge was the best in the world. However, there was an interesting fact¡ªit was extremely rare for anyone to say that Duke of Wisdom Braham was wise. The arrogant and passionate Braham had a lot of knowledge and experience but he often let his emotions get ahead of his sense of reason.


    ¡®Doing something like this again!¡¯


    Grid was filled with worry, not joy, when Braham inserted the spears of light into the yangbans. Grid remembered¡ªthis time, Braham had promised to follow Grid¡¯s will. He would protect the house like a dog...


    Braham had said exactly that. It was dangerous for Braham to follow Grid to the East Continent when the power of the Hwan Kingdom and the condition of the East Continent couldn¡¯t be fully measured. He knew his death would hurt Grid and promised to remain on the West Continent.


    ¡®Then why did hee now?¡¯


    Grid viciously scowled at Braham. He resented Braham for not believing in him and breaking the promise. The fallen yangbans stood up and rushed toward Braham.


    ¡°N...!¡± Grid trembled and raised his ragged body. He attempted to use Shunpo to help Braham, regardless of his condition, but he failed.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Poison spread around Braham and the poisoned yangbans lost their momentum and fell, bleeding and with foaming out of their mouths


    ¡°...o?¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind was filled with confusion. Braham was one of the strongest legends but that was a story of when he was in his prime. The present Braham was greatly weakened while both yangbans were in the realm of a half-god. The fact that a half-god was poisoned wasn¡¯t convincing.


    ¡®Are they yangbans who haven¡¯t passed Chiyou¡¯s test yet?¡¯


    No, that wasn¡¯t it. His high insight stat told him that Garam¡¯s skills might be better but in terms of ¡®status,¡¯ they were equal to Garam. Nevertheless, they were poisoned.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid had a creepy hypothesis and confirmed Braham¡¯s details.


    [Name: Braham Eshwald


    Race: A true blood vampire who has lost his eternal life


    ss: Legendary Great Magician


    ....


    Title: Duke of Wisdom


    ....


    Title: One who Became a Legend


    ....


    Title: Master of Mana


    ....


    Title: Resurrected


    ....


    Title: Myth Usurper


    * You have defeated the hydra, who has taken part in many myths, and engraved your name onto every myth it appeared in. (the mythical hydra has the form ter beaten by Braham¡¯.)


    * You are qualified to upgrade your ss rating to ¡®myth.¡¯


    * The special stat ¡®Deity¡¯ is opened.


    * Attack power and magical attack power will significantly increase during battles with mythical monsters.


    * If you encounter a mythical presence, there is a normal probability of overwhelming them.


    Title: Embraced the Hydra¡¯s Poison


    * You have analyzed the hydra¡¯s deadly poison, which contains death for a mortal and eternal pain for immortals, and melted it into your mana. Although it isn¡¯tparable to the deadly poison of the hydra, it is unique to the world.


    * The power of all poison-based magic has greatly increased and there is a very high probability of ignoring the target¡¯s poison resistance.


    Level: 500 (¨‹)


    Strength: 178 Stamina: 2,190


    Agility: 607 Intelligence: 9,210


    Dignity: 3,511 Insight: 5,943


    Willpower: 7,800


    * It is a body that is recovering after hundreds of years but Braham will adapt quickly. Up to level 600, the experience gained is increased by 2000%.


    ....


    * Currently considers everyone as insignificant apart from yer ¡®Grid¡¯ and his family. yers outside of ¡®Grid¡¯ can¡¯t build up affinity with him.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Gaining 100 levels in such a short time?


    ¡®Did he annihte the Gauss army by himself? Eh?¡¯


    Grid, who suspected a bug after seeing Braham¡¯s unbelievable growth, checked the list of titles again.


    ¡®Hydra? He entered the Abyss?¡¯


    Myth Usurper was a higher-grade title than the Glimpsed the Myths title held by Grid. Grid noticed this fact and his heart jumped significantly. A deep emotion that other people couldn¡¯t understand swept over him.


    ¡®Alone... I¡¯m not alone.¡¯


    It had been since dering he would be a god¡ªGrid hadn¡¯t shown it but he had been worried he would be a solitary entity. He had a nightmare of being alone in a world where no one else was present. Then at this moment, all his anxiety was washed away. He had an eternalpanion in Braham. This person would remain by his side. Braham gained the title Myth Usurper and seemed to be telling him so.


    Grid was feeling emotional when Garam leapt forward. As if Grid wasn¡¯t present, he flew in Braham¡¯s direction, holding the short spear in a reverse hold against his chest. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because this was the operation of the sword used by Grid in the auto state created with Keen Insight.


    ¡°Braham! It is dang...!¡±


    It was before Grid¡¯s warning could bepleted. There was a sh of lightning as Garam appeared in front of Braham and wielded his short spear. It was a confusing blow from Braham¡¯s point of view. From his perspective, Garam looked empty-handed only to suddenly stab him. Thus, Braham¡¯s reaction was somewhat slow.


    Tricking the opponent by hiding the weapon¡ªthe move used just a few minutes earlier by Grid in Keen Insight mode was now used by Garam and it caught Braham¡¯s ankle. The basics of spearmanship followed. Stab at a straight line from the shortest distance, followed by a session of stabbings. This quickly forced Braham onto the defensive. He desperately tried to protect himself by casting shields but continued to be pushed back before he could chant spells that would cause a reversal.


    ¡°It is calledpatible natures. You are just like a scarecrow if your mouth and hands are sealed,¡± Garam arrogantly spoke like he was teaching. Then a smile appeared on the face of Braham, who had been deploying shields with a flustered expression. It was a smile that contained the height of arrogance that surpassed even Garam¡¯s.


    ¡°You are naive, unlike Pagma. The yangbans aren¡¯t cunning at all. No, aren¡¯t they stupid?¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Was this person associated with Pagma? Garam narrowed the gap.


    ¡°Grease.¡±


    ¡°Earth Break.¡±


    ¡°Ice Wall.¡±


    ¡°Giga Raiden.¡±


    Braham¡¯s voice echoed. Braham was indeed intertwined with Garam but it was actually an illusion. His voice came from all over the ce like he had dozens of bodies. It was the active use of rm magic.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Some areas of the ground became slippery while others turned upside down. Then a huge sh of lightning fell from the sky the moment Garam was trapped in an ice barrier. Originally, it was magic that should¡¯ve been absorbed by the Blue Dragon Breath.


    However, the atmosphere caused by the ice barrier raised Garam¡¯s suspicion. Garam used Shunpo to escape from the ice wall and stood in the sky. The entire view of the pce, which had been reduced to a stage of war, was captured in his vision. It was to find Braham¡¯s body. However, he couldn¡¯t sense Braham anywhere. He just detected a heat that seemed to burn his skin.


    ¡°...!¡± The startled Garam used Shunpo again but it was toote. A huge explosion struck Garam. Garam appeared almost simultaneously on the ground due to Shunpo. The majesty of a half-god could barely be found because all the skin torn open by Grid¡¯s preceding onught was now ckened or bruised. Garam realized that he had been misled and stared at Braham. ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re like a demonkin who relies on deception.¡±


    ¡°If it was Pagma, he would¡¯ve started to feel suspicion from the moment I showed a gap and would¡¯ve escaped the trap. Now that I see you, I think I understand why Pagma left the Hwan Kingdom. He fled to the West Continent because he was frustrated with living with ignorant and inferior people.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡± Garam¡¯s eyes rolled because of the words.


    ¡°In the end, it is all because of you guys!¡± However, it was Braham who was furious.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°You released that damn bastard Pagma onto the West Continent! Pathetic bastards! My life was ruined because of you!!¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    Garam was puzzled by the unexpected words but still moved. He had already fully prated Braham¡¯sbat style.


    ¡®He is someone who dominates the battlefield by predicting the enemy¡¯s path andying traps. I can¡¯t get caught up in his way.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have to be caught in the trap. It was a problem that would be resolved if he avoided the direction created by this opponent.


    ¡®I have to close in using Shunpo at an unpredictable moment and hit him.¡¯


    Duguen.Duguen.


    Garam heard the unfamiliar sound of his heart beating loudly. The awkward tension was unpleasant and he struggled to maintain hisposure. He didn¡¯t want to admit it but this silver-haired man was great. He didn¡¯t use the excuse that he had been too injured by Grid or that he was being held back by the red phoenix¡¯s curse. He would¡¯ve never been vignt even if he was in perfect condition.


    ¡®So how long are you going to stay still?¡¯


    Garam stood away from Braham and stared at his brothers, who were still trembling with blue faces. They were also half-gods. They were immortals who could drive out poison at any time, regardless of the curse of the red phoenix. Garam felt irritated because they continued to act pained instead of expelling the poison.


    He thought they were ying tricks to get out of a troublesome fight. His patience reached the limit and he finally directed killing intent toward his brothers. One of them cut off his poisoned right arm while the other cut off his poisoned ankle and shouted at Garam, ¡°Endure! Harang is traversing the Cho Kingdom just like us! She will notice this ande here soon!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Garam¡¯s expression was stiff. Through the scene of his brothers cutting off their arm or feet because they failed to drive out the poison, Garam realized that the silver-haired man¡¯s skills were higher than expected. However, there was someone who was even more nervous and anxious and it was Grid.


    ¡°Sigh...Sigh...¡±


    As Braham was buying time, Grid regained some of his stamina. He took deep breaths as he approached the center of the battlefield.


    ¡®There is no guarantee that Braham will win.¡¯


    Grid knew Braham¡¯s character. He enjoyed trampling one-sidedly against his enemy instead of fighting them and didn¡¯t use high grade magic. Braham was the one who used basic magic to destroy Tallos, who was Amoract¡¯s agent in the Yatan Church. Now it was different.


    He used great magic from the beginning and consumed two high grade spells while dealing with Garam. For Braham, who was qualified to be a myth, the yangbans weren¡¯t easy opponents. What if a new yangban joined this situation? Braham would die.


    [The time remaining to the resurrection of the red phoenix is 39 minutes.]


    ¡®I need to give Braham some time to run away.¡¯


    Braham wasn¡¯t the one who promised to resurrect the red phoenix and defend the Cho Kingdom. Braham had no obligation to sacrifice himself. Above all else, Grid regarded Braham¡¯s survival as more important than the resurrection of the red phoenix.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    Grid attracted the attention of the yangbans by summoning Noe, who he hadn¡¯t used so far, andmanded the light elemental to use sh.


    ¡°Grid,¡± Braham faced Grid with the yangbans between them and spoke meaningful words, ¡°your greatest strength is your virtue.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª!


    The moment Grid was feeling confused, a certain roar was heard beyond the outer walls of Kars. It was a familiar cry for both Grid and the yangbans.


    ¡°The red phoenix?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes shifted over the outer wall. Then they witnessed something with their transcendent vision. They saw a woman pulling a bow and summoning the image of the red phoenix while her colleagues helped her. They had just arrived at Kars and blocked the way of the yangban Harang.


    ¡°Your parents! They only have 50 more years to live!¡±


    Some lunatic was yelling bullshit at Harang. Hanul, who had existed since the chaos before the beginning, would only live for the next 50 years. How dare a mere human judge the lifespan of an absolute god?! It was clear that these words of profanity couldn¡¯t be forgiven, even if they wouldn¡¯t have an impact on Hanul.


    The furious Garam and the other yangbans gritted their teeth. Their aggro that was focused on Braham finally turned to the lunatic in the distance, Huroi. It was an ultra long-range wide-area aggro that crossed the scope ofmon sense.


    ¡°Looking away?¡± Braham cast magic toward Garam¡¯s party.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive... Ugh?¡± Harang, who should¡¯ve joined Garam¡¯s party, was blinded by Huroi¡¯s words and was chasing after him when she was shot by Jishuka¡¯s arrow.


    ¡°It hurts...? What? An attack from a human?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pretentious. All my friends here are at least stronger than me. You will be outstripped here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, Jishuka. She is still a god so you should be polite. What do you mean by outstripped?¡±


    ¡°You still have a tough mouth. Rather than getting married, can you even have a rtionship? Anyone with a tough mouth, regardless of whether they are a man or a woman, won¡¯t be popr with the opposite sex.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be toilet paper?¡±


    The meritorious retainers who had gone through a long period of training gathered around Jishuka. There was only one reason why they crossed the Red Sea when they should be busy preparing for the National Competition¡ªit was to help Grid. They couldn¡¯t turn away from Grid after witnessing the unusual epic.


    ¡°God Grid! We havee!!¡±


    The battlefield entered a new phase with Peak Sword¡¯s cry. Grid had a gut feeling...


    ¡®This is the end.¡¯


    The red phoenix would be resurrected and the Cho Kingdom would be protected.

 Chapter 1179

    ¡°Haha! Kuhahahahat!¡± Garam watched the situation and exploded withughter. It was because Grid¡¯s reinforcements who appeared and stood in Harang¡¯s way were ordinary humans.


    ¡°Hundreds of thousands of humans can gather and they will be as insignificant as dust. What is the point of relying on less than 10 people?¡± Garam mocked Grid, ¡°You¡¯ve lost any idea on basic concepts just because your momentum has increased a bit recently. There is nothing that you can expect by relying on humans. Humans might struggle but they can¡¯t block the path of a god. Harang will be here soon and you will die.¡±


    It was Braham, not Grid, who mocked Garam with a twisted smile, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t exist without humans.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Brahamughed. The most morous smile was derisive as he nced at the yangbans, who judged the value of living creatures. ¡°There is noedy when a parasitic man who relies on human faith regards humans as insignificant.¡±


    ¡°...It is the exact same provocation as before. It is Hanul who created us and Hanul who gave us the qualifications of a god. Human faith is just a means to make us moreplete.¡± Garam was refuting it sarcastically when he suddenly shut his mouth. He finally noticed that Braham¡¯s ims couldn¡¯t be denied.


    Braham shrugged. ¡°If, ording to your logic, humans are insignificant then you will also be insignificant. Well, you are just a trivial thing.¡±


    ¡°You! I am tired of being scolded by a human!¡± Garam blushed and shouted as he realized he undermined his own value while discussing humans. It was a silly reaction.


    Braham¡¯s expression became mischievous. ¡°There is no room for rebuttal. You are just a sick dog that can only bark at someone taller than it.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°It is funny that you people mistake yourselves as gods just because you are a little bit stronger than humans.¡± Braham¡¯s gaze was focused on the cut off ear peeking through Garam¡¯s matted hair. ¡°The image of a god is unchanging.¡±


    It was human habit to embody it the more they understood and remembered. It was because the abstract eventually faded. Humans remembered, preached, and prayed to thoroughly shape the object of faith. It was through them that the image of a god was immutable.


    ¡°If you were a real god¡ª¡± Braham watched the yangbans who cut off their arm and foot to get rid of the poison. ¡°If humans truly regarded you as gods, these insignificant wounds would already be gone.¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t that way. Human beings were obligated to follow because they were afraid or deceived by false myths, but they didn¡¯t serve with genuine faith. Why? Why didn¡¯t the yangbans foresee the situation? Could they be true objects of faith when they didn¡¯t respect and support humans? Braham didn¡¯t have any doubts.


    ¡®They would¡¯ve done it at first.¡¯ It was just that after many years, they forgot their position and made mistakes over and over again. Maybe the humans let them down first.


    ¡°...¡± Garam kept his mouth shut. He wasn¡¯t angry nor did he deny Braham¡¯s words. He merely looked at Braham with a serene gaze and analyzed the situation. He intuitively felt that the moment he intervened, he would fall apart.


    ¡°Gru, Naeun."


    ¡°Uh.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    They were the yangbans who cut off their arm and foot to avoid the poison. They often argued with Garam but now they were showing a rare docile attitude. They determined that Garam, who had achieved a high performance in all of Chiyou¡¯s test, would be able to ovee this crisis and acknowledged him as the leader.


    ¡°I will deal with the silver-haired man. You guys deal with the ck-haired man behind him while waiting for Harang to join.¡±


    Normally, he would¡¯ve changed the opponent. He would¡¯ve thrown the dangerous silver-haired man to Gru and Naeun while he dealt with Grid and gave Harang the finishing blow. However, this time he really had to be careful. He had to take the tough role. If Gru and Naeun were defeated before Harang joined, Garam would also be in danger.


    ¡°Um... I¡¯ll do so.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Gru and Naeun responded after a moment of worry. In fact, they thought that Garam and the three of them would join forces to deal with the silver-haired man. They saw him as someone who wasn¡¯t ordinary, unlike the ck-haired man who had been half-dead since the first time they saw him.


    ¡®...Grid. It is the name of the creator of the reproduced Red Phoenix Bow, which was a hot topicst time.¡¯


    ¡®Garam has been ying for a long time but he must be persistent to live until now.¡¯


    Gru and Naeun had arrived at the scene even before Braham showed up and saw Garam turning this man into a rag. The Cho king deceived the Hwan Kingdom thoroughly enough to prepare for the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection and he must¡¯ve prepared a trump card. Even if the red phoenix¡¯s curse grabbed Garam¡¯s ankle, it would be difficult for him to drive Garam to this extent if he was just an ordinary human being. Of course, this was a story for when he was in a perfect state.


    Gru and Naeun ced Garam behind them as they released the soft swords tied to their waist at Grid. Gru had lost his right arm and Naeun had lost his left foot, but they took a swordsmanship stance without losing bnce.


    ¡°You will die before Harang arrives.¡±


    ¡°This is better for you, maker of the reproduced Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    Gru leaned his upper body deeply forward to touch the ground while Naeun grabbed his shoulder and climbed onto his back. It was a swordsmanship that a human couldn¡¯t attain even if they trained all their lives. The moment Grid revealed a gap, Gru¡¯s soft sword moved in an arc.


    The rocks on the ground soared like a typhoon was urring. Grid¡¯s vision was disturbed and his heart was pierced by Gru¡¯s soft sword. He was already more dead than alive due to Garam and couldn¡¯t respond to the speed of the half-god.


    ¡°Hap!¡± Naeun used the reaction that urred when Gruunched his sword movement to fall toward Grid¡¯s head, stabbing his sword toward it. He thought this human waspletely settled. Of course, this thought ended with Gru¡¯s scream.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°...!?¡±


    Gru¡¯s scream happened just before Naeun¡¯s sword pierced Grid¡¯s head. Naeun was feeling doubts when Grid disappeared from Naeun¡¯s vision.


    ¡®Shunpo?¡¯


    A chill went down Naeun¡¯s spine as hended on the ground and turned his gaze in Gru¡¯s direction. Grid clutched Gru¡¯s sword piercing his chest with his left hand while acting in a wild manner.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Rather than allowing Gru to recover his sword, Grid thrust the sword deeper into his chest as he advanced and advanced. He recklessly approached Gru as he stabbed and swung his sword wildly like a wounded beast at the edge of a cliff.


    ¡°Get away now!¡±


    Naeun temporarily took back the White Tiger Breath that had been used to stop the bleeding at his ankle to operate the Blue Dragon Breath and ck Tortoise Breath to strengthen his speed and attack power. He immediately flew to Grid and stabbed his back.


    It entered properly¡ªthe sword dug into the gap of Grid¡¯s armor that was woven like dragon scales, ripping at Grid¡¯s internal organs. It might not be an instant death but the impact was sorge that the person would naturally be unable to move. However...


    ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t stop. He roared even louder as he chopped at Gru together with the ck and gold hands holding weapons. Gru couldn¡¯t bear it and abandoned his sword to try and move away, but he failed.


    ¡°Link!¡±


    ¡°Nyaang!¡±


    An identical copy of Grid and a cat-like monster risked their lives and Gru¡¯s retreat path didn¡¯t easily open.


    ¡°N-Nauen!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The shocked Naeun regained his senses. He faced Gru¡¯s eyes seeking help and realized that the situation was far more serious than he expected.


    ¡°Get lost!!¡± Naeun exerted his power. The wind moved as hundreds of attacks were thrown at Grid. Yet all the attacks were scattered by an invisible, intangible de.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Nauel was appalled by the incredible sight when Gru¡¯s groan filled his ears. The eerily silent de pierced his heart.


    ¡®T-This is impossible?¡¯


    How could the sword of a human pierce the body of a god that was harder than a great mountain since birth? Naeun was daunted when he realized that Gru didn¡¯t just falter under Grid¡¯s pressure, Gru fled with all his might. At the same time, Gru¡ªskewered by the Enlightenment Sword¡ªsank down like a broken doll. His pupils lost their light and were empty. No emotions could be seen in them.


    ¡°De...ad?¡±


    To a human? Naeun¡¯s two hands, which had been bold enough to cut off his limb in order to handle the poison, trembled like crazy. Fear¡ªthe first andst time this feeling struck him was when he watched the Five Seniors seal the old guardians. He took a few steps back from the blood-covered Grid gasping for breath and examined Garam¡¯s situation first.


    Garam had risen into the sunset-filled sky and was engaged in a fierce battle with the silver-haired man. He was so focused on his battle with the silver-haired man that he didn¡¯t even notice Gru¡¯s death. This time, Naeun¡¯s gaze turned to the distant walls.


    Like Garam, Harang had achieved excellent results in Chiyou¡¯s test yet she was still unable to cross the gates. There were less than 10 humans with different abilities but it was hard to find gaps in both their attack and defense. The biggest problem was the reproduced Red Phoenix Bow.


    Was it blessed by the red phoenix? Every time there was a roaring boom, arrows surrounded by divine mes appeared and raged. Each arrow fired contained a power reminiscent of a meteorite and it was absurd. The mes of the red phoenix, who sprinkled a rain of fire to defy the Five Seniors, was imbued in the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®What is this...?¡¯


    There was no hope if this continued. Yes, hope. This was the lowly word that ipetent humans used when trying to endure reality. He never thought he would use it. He felt shame and blushed.


    ¡®Garam, that bastard...! He gave us the bomb!¡¯


    It was certain. Grid was stronger than the silver-haired man. He was a transcendent and grew beyond the definitions of a human.


    The convinced Naeun raised the aura of the blue dragon to the extreme. He had to survive, even if it meant the deep sin of fleeing. ¡®Go to the Hwan Kingdom andmunicate the situation here...¡¯


    It happened the moment Naeun jumped forward. In the process of defeating Gru, Grid had consumed all his skills and resources, including immortality. Now he muttered with stiff shoulders, ¡°Skill...¡±


    A notification window filled his blood-stained vision.


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    [The effect of the title Protagonist of Two Eras has instantly restored health and mana by 20% each.]


    ¡°...Creation.¡±


    Things were bad. The 9th Red Phoenix Heart helped with stamina and recovery but he was on the verge of exhaustion. All his skills were disabled because he had poured everything he had at Gru. New skills were needed even if this skill was hisst blow.


    [Skill Creation has been used. Are you sure you want to use it?]


    It was a choice that required prudence. It happened just as Grid¡¯s mind was about to answer yes...


    ¡°Hell Summoning.¡±


    The space where Grid was located was cut off from the world. The sunset sky where Naeun was floating was dyed ck. The tens of thousands of eyes covering the red full moon blinked and weed Grid and Naeun.


    ¡°Condemnation Sword.¡±


    Hell¡ªin the cursed space that defied divinity, Naeun¡¯s weakened body was struck by a green sword of light. In the ck scenery, blood sshed over the silver armor and reminded people of red roses scattered on the snow.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    Was he so happy to be together? Yura¡¯s bright smile as she gently descended and held out her hand was like timely rain in Grid¡¯s impoverished heart.

 Chapter 1180

    [A target can¡¯t be specified. The skill isn¡¯t triggered.]


    [A target can¡¯t be specified. The skill isn¡¯t triggered.]


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Is this right? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth and focus!¡±


    ¡°Uwah!¡±


    [You have suffered 23,900 damage.]


    [You have recovered 11,450 health thanks to Guardian Knight¡¯s Nature!]


    [The aura of the ck tortoise is corroding your armor.]


    [The durability of the Felisman¡¯s Wisdom Armor has decreased by 219.]


    The advantages of targeting skills was the excellent hit rate. Compared to non-targeting skills of the same level, there was a disadvantage of being less powerful or having a longer cooldown time but it ensured stable damage dealing. Non-targeting skills were a disadvantage from the perspective where a skill was wasted if they missed or they had to act to defend, evade, or counterattack.


    Yes, the best way to induce a war of attrition was to use targeting skills. One of the absolute reasons why it was detrimental being alone in a one versus many battle was due to the number of targeting skillsing from the numerous opponents. It was possible to kill the lone side depending on the reserve of targeting skills, even though the specifications of the majority side might be more disadvantageous. Although there were exceptions such as Grid, who made them ¡®stuck if he attacks¡¯...


    [A target can¡¯t be specified. The skill isn¡¯t triggered.]


    Here, another exception appeared. The yangban Harang¡ªsince encountering the Red Phoenix¡¯s Blessing in Jishuka¡¯s Red Phoenix Bow, she started to overuse Shunpo to thoroughly neutralize all the targeting skills of the meritorious retainers. The process of triggering a targeting skill was simple¡ªput the target within the range required by the skill, target the opponent, and activate the skill. After that, perform the required action of the skill and hit the target. Then let¡¯s think about it in reverse...


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    It was impossible to trigger the skill if the opponent couldn¡¯t be targeted. This was the case now. Harang moved between the meritorious retainers using Shunpo and became an ¡®unhittable¡¯ target beyond someone with a high evasion. Of course, this was only a story when using targeting skills.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Vantner struck the wall after failing tounch the skill Shield Smash, which would¡¯ve caused the target to be stiff for 0.5 seconds and slow for 1 second. Harang was using this gap to restore her breathing only to hurriedly cross her arms. Steel wristlets collided with a greatsword. The weight of the 1,000 ton greatsword was so great that it blew Harang¡¯s body away hundreds of meters.


    ¡°Stay focused.¡± Chris, the strongest greatsword user in Satisfy¡ªhe reached out to Vantner who was coughing up blood.


    Harang, who had flown into the distance, reappeared and kicked him. As her toes neared Chris¡¯ temple, the wind pressure swept through Chris¡¯ hair. An explosion urred. It was a real explosion, not a metaphor, but Chris¡¯ head didn¡¯t explode. The arrow that Jishuka fired in advance hit Harang¡¯s side and caused an explosion.


    ¡°Hah... It¡¯s absurd.¡± She flew away due to the arrow just before Chris was hit by the kick. She was slowly feeling the limits of her patience when a red devil fell behind her. It was Regas, shrouded in the light of the Asura. Most yers leveled up by constantly hunting monsters weaker than themselves. It was necessary to hunt more monsters that gave the right experience value, making them level up faster.


    Meanwhile, Regas¡¯ growth methods were very special. He had always enjoyed great challenges since Satisfy opened and never caught a monster with a lower level than himself. He always fought opponents who were much stronger than himself, losing, losing, and losing. Once he finally knocked them down, he made a rapid development. Perhaps Regas was the only person more familiar than Grid when it came to fighting people stronger than himself.


    ¡°Kuk?¡± Trying closebat with this weak human flesh? Harang¡¯s face was stiff as she tried to dodge and counter Regas¡¯ strikes. However, her slender shoulders were exquisitely caught between Regas¡¯ hard thighs.


    ¡°Haap!¡± It was a skill he had trained in to beat opponents stronger than him. Regas moved his back and twisted Harang¡¯s shoulder in a bizarre direction. Then Pon¡¯s red spear flew like light and pierced Harang¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Stagger. The body of the person who was going to be a god was about to fall. Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s curse imbued in Pon¡¯s spear was something that couldn¡¯t be endured by a half-god, who wasn¡¯t even a god.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Pon, who bled more from the recoil than the copsed Harang, finally copsed under the pain.


    ¡°This idiot!¡± Vantner hurriedly flung himself forward and reflexively raised his shield, which encountered Harang¡¯s knee. She had risen after falling and tried to blow Pon¡¯s head away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s die together.¡±


    It happened the moment that Harang¡¯s knee passed through Vantner¡¯s shield with huge strength and fell in the direction of Vantner and Pon¡¯s heads. A sharp thorn rose from the pool of Pon¡¯s blood and stabbed Harang¡¯s knee.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The surprised Harang stepped back and was seized with a creepy feeling. She realized that the blood flowing from her chest, which had been pierced with a spear a little while ago, was wriggling like a living worm. It was ate awareness.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Harang¡¯s wriggling blood turned into a de, cutting from Harang¡¯s chest to her abdomen. She was attacked by her own blood? The out of the ordinary phenomenon strained Harang. She could no longer use Shunpo excessively. She was worried that the moment she used Shunpo, the aftereffect would cause the previous wounds to reopen and the blood from the wounds would attack her again. She couldn¡¯t help resenting the red phoenix¡¯s curse that took away her recovery.


    ¡®The red phoenix... I will definitely seal you today.¡¯


    It would be a deeper abyss than before so that the red phoenix could never open its eyes again. Harang decided and nced at the faces of the humans surrounding her. It was to find out the identity of the shaman who dealt with blood. Then she surprisingly determined the identity of the shaman.


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    Blood control¡ªit was the Blood Warrior¡¯s ultimate technique that controlled the target¡¯s blood or converted it into a weapon. If the target¡¯s level was lower than the user¡¯s level, it was a fraudulent skill with a 100% sess rate and stability. However, the story was different in the opposite case. Not only did the sess rate drop significantly, there were great side effects even if it seeded.


    Just like right now. In exchange for controlling the blood of Harang who had a much higher level than him, Katz started bleeding and faced the limit of his mental strength. Harang sensed that he was the blood shaman and didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. She used Shunpo and reached Katz¡¯ side.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jishuka and Chris predicted her behavior and attacked her to try and protect Katz. However, Harang had the Blue Dragon Breath. She elerated and dodged Jishuka and Chris¡¯ linked attacks. She fully appeared behind Katz and her sword descended.


    Nevertheless, her sword didn¡¯t cut Katz¡¯ back. It was a speed she never experienced before. Faker emerged from Katz¡¯ shadow and his daggers moved in a sh. The astonished Harang couldn¡¯t help panicking. She gave up attacking and focused on defense. Even so, Harang¡¯s clothes were cut open. The Master of Swiftness gained Lantier¡¯s skills and Faker¡¯s speed had grown enough to threaten the person using the Blue Dragon Breath.


    ¡®These people...?¡¯


    Why were they so strong? They were talented people that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they rose up. All this talent followed a single man. It was likely to grow into a force that even the Hwan Kingdom couldn¡¯t ignore.


    ¡°Gru, Naeun, you have to kill him.¡¯


    Harang nced inside the pce where the ck-haired man had started to suffer from the cooperation between Gru and Naeun. Then she moved as far away as possible from Faker. Then just like always, she acted to interrupt Euphemina¡¯s magic casting. Unlike her peers, Euphemina failed to y an active role and her cheeks bulged. ¡°Hey, you! Why do you keep trying to suppress me? Why did you attack me from beginning to end?¡±


    ¡°Your magic looks dangerous,¡± Harang gave a blunt answer to Euphemina who couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Ah... Hehe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Euphemina couldn¡¯t help giggling.


    Vantner shook his head and helped support Katz while Faker permeated back into the shadow. Pon, Regas, and Chris were on alert as they prepared to move to assist their colleagues at any time. It was a rather troublesome position for Harang. It was a formation that neutralized the strength of Shunpo.


    ¡®It is tricky because they are good at predicting my path.¡¯ Harang coldly analyzed the situation. ¡®It is true that I¡¯m far superior in every respect but there is a big gap in experience.¡¯


    Harang¡¯s practical experience was practically nonexistent. She had few quarrels because no one dared to attack her. Her personality was different from Garam and she didn¡¯t start any conflicts, so she never made any enemies. The onlybat she experienced was Chiyou¡¯s seven trials.


    ¡®Experience... it is experience.¡¯


    Harang suddenly burst outughing. A god was an almighty being. It was ridiculous to know that herck of experience was grabbing her ankle and that she was losing to humans.


    ¡®No.¡¯ Harang shook her head. She just sensed that Gru had died and was convinced. ¡®We can¡¯t be gods.¡¯


    It was a fact she had started to feel some time ago. She thought that the structure of the yangbans, who despised humans while seeking faith from humans, was fundamentally wrong. The reason she didn¡¯t dare to raise any questions was because she was afraid of Hanul. All of them were designed to act like this ording to Hanul¡¯s meaning.


    ¡®...You have a deep will but I think you¡¯ll pay the price for not believing in us or being vignt.¡¯


    Harang had this idea as the sky was divided into two. One side was glowing with the mes of the red phoenix while the other side was covered with the darkness of hell. Neither side weed the yangbans.


    ¡®There is no need for you.¡¯


    This was the yangbans. Harang was thinking this when a wounded person fell at her feet. ¡°H-Harang... S-Save me...¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± A person who wanted to be a god was begging for his life in front of insignificant humans? It was a really fleeting existence. Harang once againughed and shifted her gaze. She saw a man who carried true faith. He was much more deeply wounded than Harang yet there were no signs of anxiety or fear. He clearly knew who he was and what future he was going to create.


    ¡°A god.¡± Harang defined Grid.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡± Grid didn¡¯t deny it. His new god killer dominated the space and destroyed Harang.

 Chapter 1181

    ¡°A god.¡±


    Existences derived from the aspirations of human beings. Harang defined the man with ck hair and shook her head. She saw a certain meaning in the man¡¯s expressions, gestures, and even gait. It was a sword dance.


    ¡®Performing a ritual in the middle of the battlefield?¡¯


    Why? What was this ritual for? Harang was engulfed when she suddenly noticed something. Contempt was in the eyes of the man looking at her. It was to deny the yangbans.


    ¡®...The ritual of a god killer!¡¯


    The space was dominated. All the energy of nature was controlled by the man¡¯s ritual and expressed its displeasure toward Harang. It roared as if threatening her to disappear.


    ¡®Ahh, I see.¡¯


    Harang had a crisis in front of her and realized...


    Pagma, the brother who used sophistry to deny Hanul¡¯s words. Harang knew why Hanul didn¡¯t punish Pagma and who was behind it.


    ¡®Chiyou, you¡¯ve been supporting Pagma.¡¯


    Did Chiyou glimpse hope from Pagma? The hope that Pagma could kill him.


    Dozens of waves of sword energy poured toward Harang. The ferocity of the sword energy, which had enough momentum to eat even the gods, was amazing. It created the illusion that dozens of dragons were flying. It was a level that would make Harang nervous.


    ¡®Amazing. However, you can¡¯t destroy a god at this point.¡¯


    The yangban had intangible power from those who believed in them. Harang¡¯s willpower exploded the air around her, attempting to block the dragon-like sword energies. Yet it failed. The problem was that the entire space was under Grid¡¯s control. The ripple sparked by Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle that Grid used to eliminate Harangpletely controlled all the energy in the area, including Harang¡¯s willpower.


    Tremble tremble.


    Harang¡¯s body shook against her will. It was fear. Her willpower was soonpletely defeated and the formless will scattered. She was forced to wield her sword to confront the sword energy. She couldn¡¯t use the breaths of the sacred creatures and even the basic sword energy was unable to be created.


    She cut, blocked, and struggled against Grid with pure physical power. Her hands were torn with every sh between sword and sword energy and blood was scattered. An explosion urred every time a sword energy was extinguished, stripping off the clothes and essories she was wearing.


    ¡°...¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers held their breath. They were overwhelmed by Harang¡¯s divine aura, which cut through dozens of ck sword energies in a short period of time.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡± Harang finally let out a breath. She believed that she had destroyed the ritual for the iplete god killer. At least, until the scattered sword energies once again joined together in the air and descended.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Following Transcend, Link, Kill, and Wave, the energy of Pinnacle bombarded Harang. It was a finishing blow that urately targeted the gap when Harang took a breath.


    ¡°...¡±


    The silence was heavy. The ce where Harang stood was covered in dust as the sword dance of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle ended.


    ¡°Kuheok... Cough, cough!¡±


    Grid coughed several times as he finished thest movement of the sword dance and fell forward. Jishuka ran to him and reached out but Yura was already by his side. Even before Jishuka arrived, Yura held Grid in her arms. Jishuka bit her lip as the dust slowly cleared to reveal Harang¡¯s ragged appearance.


    Blood poured from her wounded body but she stood upright, denying Grid, or to be exact, denying Pagma.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough... it can¡¯t be seen as aplete god killer.¡±


    However...


    ¡°S...Save me...¡±


    It was enough to destroy them, who were nothing more than fake gods. This fact was proven by Gru, who had already died, and Naeun who was begging not to die.


    ¡°For us, pain is unfamiliar.¡±


    Harang smiled bitterly and broke Naeun¡¯s neck. It was the worst feeling to give rest to a brother who never imagined his end. It was so unpleasant that she felt nauseous. No, it seemed more appropriate to call it sadness. The tears of humans were flowing down her cheeks.


    ¡°There is something I want to ask you.¡± Harang wiped her tears with her fingers and asked Grid, ¡°Is everything you¡¯ve done here ording to Pagma¡¯s will?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± leaning against Yura and with the four God Hands in front of him, Grid responded, ¡°I have only been acting on my own thoughts and judgment.¡±


    Although their attempts to help people were simr, Grid and Pagma hadpletely different inclinations and thoughts. Grid was a little less selfish, a little less arrogant, and had greater empathy. Grid was certain... ¡°In the first ce, Pagma could never be like me.¡±


    Pagma was an extremely efficient person. He forced people to sacrifice themselves for the cause. Was it possible for him to gain the trust and support of the Cho king? If he was Grid, Pagma¡¯s personality meant he likely would¡¯ve failed to revive the red phoenix in such a short amount of time.


    This wasn¡¯t intended to demean Pagma. Grid had a deep appreciation and respect for Pagma.


    ¡°Yes... I see.¡± Harang smiled bitterly as she gazed at Grid, who had dered proudly. Pagma was different from the others but in the end, he was still a yangban. He would¡¯ve also failed to understand the ideal form of a god for humans and wouldn¡¯t have be a real god. She thought about it and the existence of a yangban became more and more ephemeral.


    ¡°Is Pagma dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. He lost his life since leaving the Hwan Kingdom. However, he left a great disciple behind and his life wouldn¡¯t have been as meaningless as ours.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was Pagma¡¯s disciple. Grid had never met Pagma, only inherited his techniques through his writings. However, Grid didn¡¯t deny it. He was nervous and prepared for Harang¡¯s counterattack with his dying body.


    Blood flowed from Grid¡¯s mouth and nose. A massive bacsh was raging inside him.


    [The attack power that has been doubled by consuming one origin true energy has returned to normal.]


    [The recovery of all resources and abnormal statuses are temporarily stopped in exchange for consuming the origin true energy.]


    [You are currently experiencing fractures and excessive bleeding in exchange for using Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle that became avable due to the skill Open Potential.]


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 5,900...]


    Before Yura appeared, Grid had already consumed the Skill Creation rights. Coincidentally, Grid recalled the Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle used by his clone. The five fused sword dances could be acquired naturally if he met the qualifications one day so he wasted the Skill Creation right on it. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Time was tight and the strongest skill Grid could think of immediately was the five fused sword dances.


    Fortunately, the system put the brakes on him.


    [You can¡¯t implement Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle with your stats at this time.]


    The system responded to Grid¡¯s idea like this.


    [To implement Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, you need to unlock your potential.]


    It suggested a solution. The word ¡®potential¡¯ gave Grid enlightenment.


    Open Potential¡ªa quasi-legendary skill that was said to be held by fewer than five yers in this world who hadpleted certain hidden quests. It was said to allow the person to use skills one grade higher in advance when certain conditions were achieved. In other words, Grid created the Open Potential skill and could temporarily open the locked skills tree. It was now possible to use Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The meritorious retainers were rushing to Grid¡¯s side. They learned that Grid¡¯s condition was more serious than they thought and guarded him while being alert to Harang.


    ¡°Are you going to create a new world?¡± Harang muttered in a voice that couldn¡¯t be heard by others as she alternated looking between the silver-haired man fighting Garam and Grid¡¯s group.


    They were inevitably weak. If Pungsa or Unsa sensed this and appeared, they would be wiped out. However, this was a story for only right now. Over the years, they would build up their strength and were more likely to grow into a force the Five Seniors couldn¡¯t leave alone.


    Chiyou would make time for them.


    ¡°Remember this. Not all yangbans are asx as we are.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°There are some yangbans who have studied and trained, unlike us who have wasted the years. They are much stronger and have moreprehension than me. They aren¡¯t as clumsy as Garam, whose ego was hurt and he started trainingte.¡±


    It was like giving advice. What was this? Grid knew the nature of the yangbans and doubted Harang. He was convinced that Harang was nning something behind his back. However, his condition was so messy that he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth.


    Harang smiled at him who was trying to endure the pain without reacting. ¡°I envy Pagma who left you behind before he died.¡±


    At this moment, someone fell from the sky and tore at Harang¡¯s weakened body. It was Garam.


    ¡°Pant... Pant...¡± The battle against Braham seemed to be a tough one. Garam¡¯s distorted face was covered with sweat and blood and his eyes were filled with disbelief. The constant heaving of his chest showed that he was so tired it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he copsed immediately.


    ¡°You can¡¯t handle a single human being? You are incredibly ipetent.¡±


    Garan spat out blood and denied the dead Gru, Naeun, and Harang as he started to recover rapidly. By killing Harang, he absorbed her strength, or to be precise, the faith she had built up.


    ¡°This time, I¡¯ll be enough by myself.¡±


    Garam¡¯s breathing was stable. He became moreplete as he focused entirely on the faith of Harang and the humans that had been gathered to him. He became much stronger. He was sure that he could beat all the humans in this ce, including the weary silver-haired guy and the dying Grid.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s change this disgusting space.¡±


    Garam¡¯s formless will became so powerful that it was different from before and it was able to cut the air. Then the thousands of eyes on the hell moon staring at the ground were split in half and the hell that Yura summoned was destroyed. It was the moment when the field magic that had been suppressing the divinity of the yangbans disappeared.


    ¡°Next.¡± Garam¡¯s gaze shifted to Jishuka. Garam couldn¡¯t ignore her potential when she held the Red Phoenix Bow and had the blessing of the red phoenix. Garam was one of the few yangbans who could simultaneously operate the four breaths of the red phoenix, ck tortoise, blue dragon, and white tiger. He was particrly talented among the yangbans and had a high fighting spirit. At this moment, hepletely awakened and the 10 meritorious retainers failed to respond properly.


    The Shunpo that was triggered during a gap in their breathing was a step higher than the Shunpo that Harang had used. It happened when Garam appeared by Jishuka¡¯s side and was stabbing her in the neck...


    Grid was a bit faster and rushed to Garam to block the attack. It was a more powerful strike than the previous attacks.


    ¡°You?¡± Subtle differences caused a huge ripple. Garam¡¯s body was slightly pushed by Grid¡¯s move. He slightly tilted and as a result, Garam¡¯s spear swept past Jishuka¡¯s neck without stabbing it. Garam¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief. His trembling eyes met Grid¡¯s ck eyes.


    ¡°The dying man has be stronger?¡±


    ¡°I leveled up, you damn XX.¡±


    He used the remaining points he saved as he couldn¡¯t afford to leave them be.


    ¡°?¡±


    Garam¡¯s doubts didn¡¯tst long. Braham, who seemed to be quiet for some reason, used multiple restraining magic and Garam had to endure the weight of this gravity. Grid¡¯s sword dance and the ultimate skills of the 10 meritorious retainers poured toward the dull Garam. Garam tried to stop it but he couldn¡¯t fight back.


    [The resurrection of the guardian god of the south, Red Phoenix, has seeded.]


    It was because someone intervened.


    ¡°Kuek...! Kaaaaaaaaaaaak!!¡±


    Garam¡¯s wounded body and soul were unable to withstand the heat of the sun and started to burn. It was the end of the evil who had long gued Grid.

 Chapter 1182

    It rained. It was a rain of fire that covered the entire south.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    mes appeared in the pupils of the people of the Cho Kingdom, who ran out of their homes and looked up at the sky. The animals in the heat-filled forest stopped their activities and looked up at the sky. The beasts made a ruckus.


    ¡°God...! Our god...!¡±


    The people cried. The rain of fire wasn¡¯t a disaster and they weren¡¯t crying out of fear. Both humans and beasts weed the rain of fire from the sky. Their arms widened as they embraced the rain. They instinctively felt that this was a blessing of the old god, who had been long forgotten.


    [The protection of the red phoenix will be imbued in all things in the south.]


    [The level and stats of all beings living in the south are greatly increased and recovery has risen.]


    [Some of the weakened sacred creatures have regained strength.]


    [The scattered traces of the false myths are burned.]


    [All those living in the south have be hostile to the Hwan Kingdom.]


    [The news isn¡¯t transmitted to the three kings of Pa, Xing, and Gaya due to the interference of the Hwan Kingdom.]


    ¡°...Grid!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    In the capital of the Cho Kingdom, Kars...


    Grid had been ovee with emotions after knocking down Garam only toe to his senses. He left behind the updated notification windows and looked back to see the Cho king and his ministers on their knees and bowing to him.


    ¡°Grid, thanks to you, the Cho Kingdom was protected and the red phoenix resurrected. I would like to thank you on behalf of all the people of the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    The Cho king was unreserved¡ªno matter how much grace he had received, the Cho king¡¯s attitude was beyond the attitude that should be shown to another king. The kneeling man was hurriedly pulled up by Grid.


    ¡°I was fighting for myself. Additionally, didn¡¯t you fight with me?¡± Grid¡¯s attitude was also polite. If he wasn¡¯t polite to the kneeling Cho king while his people were watching, he would¡¯ve insulted the entire Cho Kingdom.


    The people roared.


    ¡°He is so humble.¡±


    ¡°It ispletely different from the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°This is what a real god looks like.¡±


    Change wasing.


    [The Cho king and all the people of the Cho Kingdom are deifying you. Your deity stat has risen by one.] It was an achievement that exceeded expectations.


    Originally, the deity stat was one where it was hard to gain a point in half a year. Now within a few days ofing to the East Continent, three points had already been umted. Furthermore...


    [The Cho king and all the people of the Cho Kingdom are deifying Braham. Braham¡¯s deity stat has risen by one.]


    Braham¡¯s deity stat also rose. It was natural. Grid wouldn¡¯t have been safe without Braham¡¯s help and the red phoenix wouldn¡¯t have been resurrected. Braham¡¯s majesty that overwhelmed the yangbans would be talked about and praised by the Cho Kingdom forever.


    ¡°Hoh...?¡± Braham sensed his change and responded with interest. He had seen the possibility of regaining eternal life.


    ¡°In the future, you should treat others well for your own sake,¡± Grid rebuked him.


    ¡°Bah.¡± It was unpleasant but Braham didn¡¯t hate it. He remembered the joy and emotions he felt after being saved by Grid. He realized how those in power should act and was also changing.


    Divine mes sprang up. The red phoenix appeared in front of the people after opening its eyes. A guardian god born of the aspirations of humanity¡ªthe shockwave caused by the emergence of a real god was great. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Cho Kingdom felt infinitepassion from the warm mes and shed tears of emotion, bowing their heads.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t forgive those who dared to forget a god...!¡±


    The Cho king was sobbing.


    He couldn¡¯t raise his head. The 10 meritorious retainers silently gulped because they were overwhelmed by the presence of the red phoenix while Braham¡¯s pride was greatly wounded and he gritted his teeth. In the silence...


    ¡º Noble one. ¡»


    The red phoenix opened its mouth. It faced Grid, not anyone else.


    ¡º With your courage and sacrifice, you have defeated the fake gods and returned the south to its rightful ce. You have created a crack in the providence forced by Hanul. ¡»


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on Grid. In particr, Hera and the other yers were looking at Grid with respect.


    ¡º Thank you. You vowed to fight against the providence that even us sacred creatures couldn¡¯t change. ¡»


    ¡º I am a god who exists for the protection of the south... I can¡¯t walk with you but I¡¯ll watch you and cheer you on from afar. ¡»


    ¡º I admire you. ¡»


    The divine mes that made up the red phoenix scattered in all directions. The mes that will spread throughout the south will bless all things and burn out the unclean.


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Red Phoenix Guardian¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [The Red Phoenix Breath is absorbed into your body as a quest clear reward.]


    [The 999th Red Phoenix Heart has been acquired as a quest clear reward.]


    [The 999th Red Phoenix Heart has been absorbed by the 9th Red Phoenix Heart already in your body.]


    [The 9th Red Phoenix Heart has grown to the next level. Health recovery rate has increased from 20% to 30%.]


    [A new field effect has been added to Storm of the Fire God.]


    [Affinity with ¡®Blue Tiger¡¯ has increased by 50.]


    [Affinity with ¡¯Red Phoenix¡¯ has reached the maximum.]


    [The red phoenix will cherish your equally along with thend it defends.]


    [Red Phoenix Breath Lv. 1]


    [Once activated, health recovery rate is doubled and the skill ¡®Fire of Life¡¯ will be activated.


    * This skill can be stacked with Incarnation of Fire but not Incarnation of Lightning, Incarnation of Earth, and Incarnation of Death.


    Duration: 10 minutes.


    Cooldown Time: 3 hours.


    Resource Consumption: None.]


    [Fire of Life]


    [Burn the health of the target to restore your health.


    Cooldown Time: 3 hours.


    Resource Consumption: None.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Incarnation of Fire was a skill attached to the Red Phoenix Bow currently owned by Jishuka, increasing health recovery rate and stamina recovery by 90%. It also prevented stamina from falling below 5 points. Just like when Grid created the Blue Dragon Boots and gained Incarnation of Lightning, Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath caused his health recovery rate to exponentially rise.


    ¡®Incarnation of Fire is a persistent passive... as the level of Red Phoenix Breath increases, the longer the duration will be. Won¡¯t it be like I¡¯m in a state of always taking potions?¡¯


    Generally speaking, the health recovery rate per second was two points per 100 stamina points. Please note that the health recovery per second didn¡¯t increase with the stats awakening. Unlike the other additional effects, the health recovery per second growth rate wasn¡¯t affected by the effect of titles, skills, and items that yers gained as they grew.


    Grid alone could raise the health recovery per second rate many times through the blessings of the gods imbued in Greed, the Red Phoenix Breath, the Storm of the Fire God, and the Queen of Fire power embedded in the Rune of Gluttony. The effect of Duke of Virtue increased his stamina stat by 35% and there were a number of items that could raise the health recovery per second rate.


    It meant that if Grid intentionally focused on raising health recovery per second, he could temporarily restore thousands of health per second. This was why there was no health recovery per second growth in the stats awakening effect. If even health recovery could be increased like other factors, potions would gradually lose their value and this would cause all sorts of problems.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. Right now, I have to activate Storm of the Fire God and the Red Phoenix Breath to keep in top shape but I can always stay in great shape with Incarnation of Fire.¡¯


    Every second would be at the level of taking an advanced potion. If he activated the Storm of the Fire God as well, it would be like taking the highest quality potions The S.A Group¡¯s effort to keep the health recovery per second in check was ineffective and a yer possessing the health recovery per second of a boss monster was born.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid measured the possibilities and was speechless for a moment. He felt like he was increasingly bing a monster...


    He was scared of himself.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was shaking his head when he btedly sensed a strange atmosphere. The Cho king, the people of the Cho Kingdom, Hera and the yers, and even the 10 meritorious retainers, were staring at him silently. It was with a bemused expression.


    ¡°Why are their souls gone?¡± Grid asked Braham, who was standing beside him, in a whisper.


    ¡°It is amazing for a man to be revered by a god,¡± Braham replied.


    Then Grid¡¯s heart was overwhelmed as he recalled the words of the red phoenix again. Yes, he wasn¡¯t going to be a monster. He was on the right path.


    ***


    At the VIP room provided by the Cho king...


    Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers met after a long time and shared their stories. All of them had enjoyed adventures over the past few months and they naturally exchanged information.


    ¡°So how did you end up sabotaging Baal¡¯s ritual?¡±


    Grid was particrly interested in Yura¡¯s adventure in hell. The help he received from her at that time had been so intense. Yura replied like it was inconsequential, ¡°It was a coincidence. I was on a quest to wipe out the demonkin nearby and was disturbed by the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Baal rule the 1st Hell? Are you already on a quest to hunt in the top hell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was by chance.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. Grid stared at Yura but her expression was so consistent that Grid didn¡¯t dig deeper.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sacrifice yourself for me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She had answered too easily to be believed. However, it would be nagging if he said anything more.


    Grid confirmed that the cooldown of Red Phoenix Breath had returned and once again activated it. Vantner was intrigued. ¡°How is it? Did your skill experience rise this time?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t rise.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression wasplicated. He had already activated Red Phoenix Breath twice but the skill experience hadn¡¯t improved. It seemed that Jishuka¡¯s opinion was correct. It was agreed that in order to raise the skill level of Red Phoenix Breath, he needed to consume a Red Phoenix Breath.


    ¡°Damn... how can I chew on a lump of stone?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was weary. The Red Phoenix Breath might be a divine material but it was a mineral after all. There was even a burning fire inside it. The taste was unimaginable.


    ¡°Eat it once. Once it¡¯s confirmed, I¡¯ll ask for the Red Phoenix Breath aspensation for the gold medal.¡± Jishuka smiled and urged.


    Her yful smile made Grid feel even moreplicated. ¡°You are serious...¡±


    Should he really eat this? Grid had aplicated expression as he pulled out the Red Phoenix Breath dropped by Garam. Was it possible to directly eat it in this form? The atmosphere remained cordial as Grid hesitated.


    Time passed and the group separated. Now the 10 meritorious retainers had to return to the real world to participate in the National Competition while Grid had to n for his future adventures.


    Deep in the night...


    Grid turned his head and looked up at the sky, breathing in the air of the Cho Kingdom that seemed clearer, perhaps due to the red phoenix¡¯s blessing.


    ¡°Do you intend to resurrect the rest of the auspicious beasts?¡± Braham dressed in Eastern clothing was seen. The gorgeous purple robes entuated Braham¡¯s shining appearance. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t overdo it right now. You should return to the West Continent while trying to gauge the level of the other yangbans that Harang warned you about.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well. Sometimes rest is more helpful.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Rest was important. During the break, he could check and maintain himself in order to provide a springboard for a bigger leap forward. Above all, Grid wanted to see Irene.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think a new epic is likely to be written right now...¡¯


    As his level progressed, his growth seemed to slow and so did his epics. It was clear based on the fact that there wasn¡¯t an epic despite killing four yangbans and resurrecting the red phoenix.


    ¡°However, I have to meet those kids before leaving.¡±


    He was referring to Blue Tiger, Tosun, and the other sacred beasts. Grid had believed he needed to resurrect the red phoenix due to their memories and they believed he would be the one to do it.


    ¡°Would you like to apany me?¡±


    Grid reached out to Braham. He no longer worried about Braham¡¯s safety because Braham was much stronger than himself.


    ¡°Now you are relying on me, the strongest magician of all time?¡±


    Braham gave a rare smile and grabbed Grid¡¯s hand. The quiet scenery blessed the reunion of the two men.


    ***


    ¡º The yers of the 5th National Competition are entering! ¡»


    This year, the National Competition had suffered from a number of crises. It was because Grid took away all the attention from the National Competition. He killed a half-god, wrote a new epic, and resurrected an old god called the red phoenix. It was no wonder that attention was focused on Grid, who made a ridiculous feat every few days. The bacsh was that interest in the National Competition was reduced.


    Still, it was fortunate. Fortunately, the ratings for the opening ceremony of the 5th National Competition wasn¡¯t much different from the previous ones.


    -Where is Grid right now?


    -He still seems to be on the East Continent.


    -There should be a boycott of the National Competition without Grid.


    -Praise God Grid!


    The problem was that the audience chat window was bombarded with talk of Grid. In Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house...


    ¡°They keep talking about our son.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parents were watching the opening ceremony together andughed. The two of them chatted well as they watched it on thetest TV model released by Daejin Electronics.


    The Korean yers were entering the stage. Yura and Jishuka¡ªYoungwoo¡¯s mother pped and cheered as her beautiful daughter-inw candidates appeared. Then she soon became worried when Sehee and Yerim appeared.


    ¡°Their levels are still low. Will they be okay?¡±


    ¡°Low level...¡±


    Youngwoo heard his mother using game terminology andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, their levels aren¡¯t low. They are really strong.¡±


    Sehee and Yerim told him that they would onlypete in duo events. Who could stop thebination of the Saintess and Saintess¡¯ Knight who had grown hunting in the Galgunos Temple.


    His father asked Youngwoo, who was smiling and drinking Coke, ¡°So who do you think will win this year¡¯s National Competition?¡±


    ¡°Our country,¡± Youngwoo replied without any hesitation. The growth of the 10 meritorious retainers he had recently been reunited with was shocking. In particr, the development of Yura and Jishuka, who received the red phoenix¡¯s blessing, was remarkable.


    Youngwoo was convinced. ¡°There¡¯s no one who can stop Yura and Jishuka except for Kraugel and Chris.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s parentsughed. Youngwoo cocked his head at their reactions and his mother spoke through herughter, ¡°It is nice to see you already taking care of your wife. Hey, so who is it among the two of them?¡±


    ¡°...No, what?¡±


    Most professionals and viewers expected the United States to win. Many reporters argued that it would be strange if the United States didn¡¯t win. His parents were bound to misunderstand. They thought that Youngwoo was being protective of the person he was interested in and that it was a personal matter.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t be surprised in a few days.¡±


    Youngwoo blushed as he cleaned the table. It would soon be time for his ess restriction to end. He nned to wash the dishes and return to the capsule. He wanted to reduce the household burden of his mother, who often struggled every day.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s hire a housekeeper. Someone like Yang Fei...¡¯


    No, it would take a long time if he looked for someone like that in reality. Youngwoo decided to contact the domestic helppanies tomorrow and concentrated on washing the dishes.


    ***


    ¡°Are you sure Grid ising?¡±


    ¡°The information is definite.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Veradin, the necromancer who lost everything due to the Overgeared Guild¡¯s kill order¡ªhe stood with dozens of jiangshi at the entrance of the forest where a monster colony was located and burned with killing intent. After escaping to the East Continent, he met an evil daoist and developed his strength. He had no intention of missing out on this opportunity for revenge.

 Chapter 1183

    All yers in Satisfy had something inmon¡ªhealthy teeth. Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s consideration sparked the desire of all yers to enjoy the fully implemented taste system. However, in front of the Red Phoenix Breath, it was useless.


    ¡°Ah, ahhhh.¡±


    Grid bit on the Red Phoenix Breath and felt a pain that was like all his teeth breaking. He grabbed his cheeks as he tried to hold back tears.


    ¡®Damn, how the hell can I eat this?¡¯


    The reason why only Grid could smelt the Red Phoenix Breath was due to how hard it was. Apart from Grid, the cksmiths couldn¡¯t smelt the Red Phoenix Breath even when hammering them in a fire made from the white phosphorus wood¡ªat least at the present time. Chewing on such a hard Red Phoenix Breath? It was impossible even if he wore dentures made of steel.


    ¡®Only a snap will be heard.¡¯


    It was like the snap of the elderly...


    Grid recalled the unthinking behavior of today¡¯s generation and clicked his tongue. Then he seriously thought about it again. ¡®How about carving it into small pieces and swallowing it down like a pill? No, I can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    Carving meant shattering. It was distinctively different from smelting. The shattered material would be invalid and turn into a useless stone. Then what would be the point of eating it?


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid struggled with the fist-sized breath in his hand.


    He was currently moving to the north. It was to check the status of the sacred beasts such as Blue Tiger and Tosun and to see if there was anything he could get from them. Braham walked next to Grid and scolded him, ¡°Pathetic. Why do you keep acting foolish when you can¡¯t guarantee that eating a breath will strengthen the Red Phoenix Breath?¡±


    ¡°In the current situation, I don¡¯t think there is any other way except to eat it...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the idea of eating a mineral strange?¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°Ignorant guy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Jishuka, you¡¯re too ignorant.¡¯


    Grid wanted to protect Jishuka¡¯s dignity and didn¡¯t reveal that the one who thought of it was Jish. He walked silently and organized his thoughts.


    ¡®Yes, it doesn¡¯t make sense to raise the skill level by eating minerals. Who can do that? I¡¯ll just take some time to watch the progress.¡¯


    If things went well in the future, he would meet the blue dragon, the white tiger, and the ck tortoise. He might have an opportunity to ask questions about how to grow their breaths. There was no need to be impatient right now.


    ¡°Hmm... Braham,¡± Grid abandoned the foolish thoughts and asked a cautious question, ¡°how would youpare me to the legends of the past generation?¡±


    It was 10 days at best¡ªGrid had taken tremendous strides within a short period of time. It wasn¡¯t like other rankers who invested a lot of resources and tried to rush to gain new equipment. Rather, it was through quests and story making. Grid was currently wondering about his strength. He wanted topare himself to the legends of the previous generation that he felt was an ¡®insurmountable wall¡¯ not long ago.


    ¡°Braham?¡± Grid was puzzled when Braham didn¡¯t answer. In fact, Grid thought that Braham would scoff immediately.


    Unexpectedly, Braham responded after seriously considering it, ¡°Every legend has a different field so it would be unreasonable topare you to all of the previous generation legends. However,pared to Pagma, you aren¡¯tcking much.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid was surprised. He was currently level 407 after defeating the yangbans in the battle of Kars. It was definitely the best among yers but it was at least 200 levels lower than the legends of the past generation. Yet Braham estimated that Grid¡¯s strength was simr to that of Pagma. Since Grid was following his footsteps, Grid found that this was an unexpected answer.


    Grid was dumbfounded and Braham responded in a ridiculing manner, ¡°Have you forgotten that legends and transcendents are different?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°You are a legend but you have also built up transcendence and even became an object of faith. Your physical ability and technical aspects are still in the growth phase but nheless, you aren¡¯t badpared to Pagma¡¯s prime. It is both your skills as a cksmith as well as a swordsman.¡±


    ¡°...Is this only when opening my potential?¡±


    It was before the Divinity skill was strengthened. Grid had wanted to use Skill Creation to create a skill that could eliminate or reduce the cooldown of skills. He thought that if he created a much stronger skill than the ones he currently possessed, there would be side effects such as Failure. However, Divinity was enhanced and the situation changed. Grid¡¯s judgment was clouded by the dire circumstances and he attempted to create the five fused sword dance to avoid the immediate crisis.


    Of course, the results werepletely different. Open Potential¡ªthe power of this skill, created with the advice of the system, was explosive.


    [Open Potential]


    [Allows you to use a skill that is one grade above the ones you currently have.


    Does not apply to skills that have already reached the peak.


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    Resource Consumption: 10,000 mana. 20,000 health. Half of the current stamina.


    * Extreme penalties will ur after using this skill.]


    A skill that forcibly activated a skill tree that has yet to be opened¡ªfor ordinary yers with a normal or rare rated skill tree, they might evaluate the quasi-legendary skill as disappointing. However, it was obviously a legendary skill for Grid. Due to Open Potential, Grid was able to use the five fused sword dance, which was one grade higher than the four fused sword dances. He could also use 300,000 Army Swordsmanship, which was a grade above 200,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    The only downside was that it was hard to handle. The pain that urred immediately after the use of the five fused sword dance was unbearable, even for Grid who was already ustomed to suffering. He might¡¯ve cried if Yura hadn¡¯t been there.


    Grid estimated that his waist likely wouldn¡¯t be safe the moment he used 300,000 Army Swordsmanship. It meant he would be unable to fight afterward. It was just that the penalties were proportional to the power. Open Potential was now Grid¡¯s true ultimate technique. If he consumed origin true energy like he did in the previous battle, it would be an iparable killing skill.


    Braham frowned. ¡°You have a very high opinion of Pagma. You are overvaluing him.¡±


    His mood was very bad. He seemed to be jealous as he added, ¡°The Pagma I¡¯ve beenparing you to is the Pagma who had reached his limits. I¡¯m not talking about Pagma after he contracted with Baal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Pagma was rubbishpared to myself when he was just a great swordsman and cksmith. You can stand up to him with your current ability.¡±


    Was Pagma so weak before he signed with Baal? Grid was baffled. It was surprising that Pagma, who was considered the best swordsman apart from Muller, was evaluated as so weak.


    ¡°No, he was trashpared to me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Pagma was naturally the strongest among humans. It means you are strong enough to grow to a level simr to him. You don¡¯t have to overdo it trying to reach your potential.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Pagma wasn¡¯t weak, Grid was just strong¡ªGrid clearly recognized this and clenched his fists. If his fists weren¡¯t clenched, his fingers would be trembling.


    ¡°Time. All you need is time. In the future, you will definitely...¡± Braham closed his mouth.


    Just then, Grid detected a change...


    Thergemunity of poisonous rats that he had already cleared a long time ago¡ªhe felt an unpleasant sensation the moment he entered the small gorge that was just before themunity.


    ¡°A bad smell is lingering.¡±


    Braham made an absurd smile and was stepping forward when Grid restrained him. ¡°I¡¯ll sort it out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be faster if I go out?¡±


    ¡°I have to increase my experience.¡±


    ¡°...Do what you want.¡±


    The moment Braham gave permission, Grid used Lightning Speed. The passive effect of Incarnation of Lightning was activated as he entered the flying state. Grid suppressed the stamina decline and reduced the resource consumption of skills by 20%. Then he fully started the attack. ¡°Wave.¡±


    In the middle of the canyon, the group hiding behind a sloping pine tree were unable to resist the bombardment Grid aimed at them and fell to the ground. They fell from a huge height of 15 meters. No matter how much training they had gone through, one leg had to be broken. Normal people would never be fine. Yet they jumped up like a rabbit and one of them rushed toward Grid.


    ¡®A blood jiangshi?¡¯


    In fact, he knew from the beginning that those hiding were jiangshi due to the smell. However, it turned out to be a rare blood jiangshi? The Enlightenment Sword struck the neck of the blood jiangshi. However, the neck of the jiangshi was as hard as steel and wasn¡¯t easily cut.


    The recoil caused by the collision meant Grid failed to capitalize on a second attack and descended. Then he kicked the jiangshi upward and attacked again before using Magic Power Detection. It was due to the belief that the blood jiangshi would have a master. It was as expected...


    ¡®There.¡¯ Movement was captured at the top of the gorge to the left. There were 10 jiangshi but it was extremely unlikely that they would all be blood jiangshi. He heard that the recipe of the blood jiangshi was hard to mass produce because it was extremely difficult, unlike the steel jiangshi and the poisonous jiangshi. Still, Grid was capable of breaking through even if they were all blood jiangshi.


    ¡®I have to handle the shaman.¡¯


    Grid gained momentum after striking the face of another blood jiangshi and rushed in the direction of the group. The scenery that entered Grid¡¯s field of view changed as quickly as that outside a train¡¯s window. Grid was able to reach his destination in an instant.


    Grid saw it¡ªthere was a man with ck skin as hard as iron, especially dazzling white hair, and mes around both hands. ¡®A ck horse jiangshi!¡¯


    Grid was hurriedly taking the defensive when he saw the name of the white-haired jiangshi¡ªVeradin.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! Grid! I¡¯ve only dreamed of getting revenge on you!¡±


    Originally, Veradin was a yer who took the best elite path. He was considered one of the best talents of the first generation rookies along with Lauel and built his own guild. Later, he became a member of Immortal under the banner of Agnus and became the first yer to get a chance to be a yangban.


    Then everything was lost after he became hostile to Grid. The price of driving Khan to death was harsh. After a series of deaths to Grid and the Overgeared Guild, Veradin was disqualified from bing a yangban. Due to the killing order that spread throughout Satisfy, he was forced to take refuge on the East Continent and start all over again.


    However, he had experienced too many deaths and lost his levels and items. He was weakened and the East Continent wasn¡¯t easy. Veradin had been pushed to the edge of a cliff when the evil daoist extended his hand. He used the basic magic that was considered useless during his time as a necromancer. Now it contained great power.


    It was the basic premise that it became 10 times more powerful after changing his race to a ck horse jiangshi. That¡¯s right¡ªVeradin reappeared after a long time and was no longer human.


    ¡°Taste the pain I¡¯ve gone through, Grid!¡± Veradin¡¯s eyes shone red as he shouted in a terrible manner. His magic and the dozens of blood jiangshi that he constantly summoned struck at Grid. Veradin was assured of his victory. Of course, he knew about Grid¡¯s epics but he believed his sacrifice where he gave up being human to be a monster was far beyond Grid¡¯s epics.


    High risk and high returns was Satisfy¡¯s rule. He didn¡¯t know all the sacrifices and pain that Grid had endured. He didn¡¯t properly measure the weight of Grid¡¯s epics.


    The Storm of the Fire God appeared around Grid. The divine mes inflicted severe pain on the dozens of blood jiangshi and Grid moved beyond them to Veradin, who was leading them.


    ¡°Thebination of the pain you have felt and the pain you will feel in the future is insufficientpared to the pain I have felt.¡±


    The Enlightenment Sword pierced Veradin¡¯s back as he tried to escape from the mes that melted his blood and flesh. Even Veradin, who was many times stronger than when he was a human, wasn¡¯t a match for Grid.


    ¡°I have revived an old god after all...¡±


    Grid used Magic Power Detection. Meanwhile, the only ¡®living¡¯ daoist among the jiangshi, including Veradin, was watching Grid with interest.

 Chapter 1184

    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [The body that has be a living dead has been severely damaged.]


    [The blood of the victims trapped in your body is flowing backward, causing your body to copse.]


    There were three penalties that a yer who changed race to an undead type would experience¡ªtheir agility was significantly reduced, some skills were sealed, and the effects of recovery magic were reversed. However, the ck horse jiangshi didn¡¯t have the reduced agility and skills sealing penalties.


    This was why thebat power of the ck horse jiangshi was overwhelming. The flying horse jiangshi were regarded as legends but the ck horse jiangshi was actually the strongest. However, it wasn¡¯t universal. The ck horse jiangshi had frightening side effects.


    ¡°Uh...Uwaaaaack!¡±


    The cost of death was huge. This was because he lost a considerable amount of the blood of 300 people he was injected with during the 33 day ceremony. The amount of experience lost when a ck horse jiangshi died was nearly double that of a typical yer and it took as long as two days to revive. It was rare for him to die but this time, he met a bad opponent.


    ¡°Grid! Gridddd!¡± Veradin roared. He gave up his human dignity in the spirit of revenge on Grid but he suffered a great loss in reverse, rather than getting revenge. He was so furious that he felt like crying.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t even look at him. The sense of alienation that Veradin felt was indescribable.


    ¡®To him, I¡¯m nothing.¡¯


    There was a rush of futility. In the world that turned grey, Veradin pressed the log out button. It was his final logout¡ªVeradin didn¡¯t want to return to Satisfy again.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Grid broke through Veradin and the jiangshi and met the daoist. The daoist¡¯s name was Sabaek. [1] He wore a ck robe and hat and his face was painted white. He looked like a messenger of the underworld.


    ¡°Are you the daoist who turned that trash into a jiangshi?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m also the one who created the mark you have.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was the mark he had? Grid cocked his head to the side in a puzzled manner before recalling an item. He only had one mark.


    [Mark of Evolution]


    [Rating: Unique


    A functional marker developed by the alchemy facility.


    If this mark is attached to your body, one of your strength, agility, stamina, or intelligence stats will increase by 200.


    User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.


    Weight: 0]


    The Mark of Evolution was one of the reasons why Grid became obsessed with the alchemy facility. If he hadn¡¯t encountered this mark then Grid might¡¯ve stopped investing in Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    ¡°Did you make this?¡± Grid felt a strong distrust. It was puzzling that the daoist, who was associated with Veradin, would suddenly talk about the Mark of Evolution.


    ¡°I know that the mark was made by an alchemy facility in the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    The Hwan Kingdom was a kingdom of the Five Seniors and the yangbans. Humans weren¡¯t permitted to visit. The Cho king had clearly said so.


    Sabaek questioned the suspicious Grid, ¡°Do you see the yangbans as great men who will study and hone alchemy?¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Grid noticed his mistake. He was reminded of the scene where Garam mocked Pagma¡¯s sword dances and cksmithing.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. It is clear that the yangbans would think of alchemy as insignificant.¡¯


    However, they had high-quality technology. This meant they borrowed the power of humans. There was a high possibility that the daoist¡¯s argument was correct.


    Grid pointed a de at Sabaek¡¯s neck. ¡°Last time, the blue tiger told me that the wicked daoists are the minions of the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    Jiangshi were undead that could only be manufactured at the expense of people. It meant the daoists who made them were wicked daoists. The blue tiger said that 10 years ago, a wicked daoist scattered garlic and mugwort around the area of Bukdu Mountain to deceive the spiritual creatures.


    ¡°I was told that spirits who ascend will be subordinates to the society of gods and are forced to be minions of the Five Seniors. The reason you sprinkled mugwort and garlic around Bukdu Mountain is to eventually turn all spirits into the minions of the Five Seniors.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    ¡°The reason you create confusion is for the yangbans. Every time they calm down the confusion you have created, their faith will build up.¡±


    Grid was certain and cornered Sabaek. Grid recognized Sabaek as an assassin sent from the Hwan Kingdom. However, Sabaek responded in an unexpected manner, ¡°Your reasoning is very simplistic. I was looking forward to meeting you since you revived an old god but I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is true that those who belong to the society of the gods can¡¯t disobey the will of a god. It is just that the concept of a god doesn¡¯t only mean the Five Seniors. The red phoenix you have resurrected this time is also a god.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°The resurrection of the red phoenix gave a choice to those who ascended. I¡¯m sure the daoist immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring are currently considering if they should stand on the side of the Five Seniors or the red phoenix. In addition, most of the spirits who be daoist immortals will be on the side of the red phoenix. It makes sense for sacred creatures to follow the Four Gods.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to make the intelligent creatures ascend to empower the Four Gods who will be resurrected one day?¡± Braham stepped up on behalf of Grid who didn¡¯t understand. As he approached, he stood by Grid and observed Sabaek with an interested gaze. ¡°There are transcendents in the east.¡±


    ¡°Transcendents...?¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. If Sabaek was a transcendent then the problem was serious. Grid couldn¡¯t detect Sabaek¡¯s status. This meant that Sabaek¡¯s status was above Grid¡¯s. A smile spread on Sabaek¡¯s face. He seemed pleased that there was someone he could converse with. ¡°My name is Sabaek. To the world, I am known as the boss of the evil daoists.¡±


    ¡°Braham. I am a magician who serves Grid here.¡±


    ¡°...Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    Grid was discontent as he was forced to introduce himself. It was because there were many parts that were unconvincing. ¡°There is still something I need to ask. Why sacrifice people to make the jiangshi?¡±


    ¡°Human power alone can¡¯t stand against the Hwan Kingdom so I am gathering an army of immortals. It is for the peace of the world.¡±


    ¡°Can you seriously consider the peace of the world when damage is being done to civilians?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Most of the daoists who follow me are actually wicked. They make jiangshi and enjoy hurting people. I can¡¯t control them.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t openly say that I want to rebel against the Hwan Kingdom. None of the daoists who follow me know my reality and purpose. I am forced to match them on the surface.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is a necessary evil. In order to gather the strong, I need the cooperation of the wicked daoists. In order to gather the wicked daoists, I need to disguise myself as one... well, there is no need for anger. Once peace is restored to the world in the future, I will make the wicked daoists pay the price for their sins.¡±


    The short conversation allowed Grid to notice it¡ªSabaek was simr to Pagma.


    ¡°Are you on your way to meet the sacred creatures? Please let me apany you as well. I have to persuade them to let all the intelligent creatures ascend.¡± Sabaek politely requested. He told them that he had struggled for the world longer than anyone else and noticed a world that was wrong before anyone else.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sabaek¡¯s expression stiffened and his smiling eyes cooled. Grid flinched back somewhat but he didn¡¯t avoid eye contact. ¡°Your justice is wrong. Your way is wrong. I don¡¯t intend to cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Sabaek burst outughing. He shook his head with a ridiculing expression. ¡°My justice is wrong? I am wrong? Were my ears mistaken just now?¡±


    Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. His transcendent senses warned him of danger. Grid reflexively prepared for battle but Braham stepped forward and stared at Sabaek. ¡°What will you do if you are offended?¡±


    ¡°......¡± Sabaek shut his mouth. He took a step back like he had been living a lie. ¡°I will back down today. Think about it until we meet again. It would be good for you if you work with me.¡±


    Sabaek¡¯s body disappeared like he vanished into the ground. Braham stood still for a moment as he tracked Sabaek. Then he looked back at Grid. ¡°Rx your expression. He was already a transcendent when you were normal.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The second pope Chreshler was also a transcendent. Sabaek might be betterpared to Chreshler. Chreshler was a strange pervert while Sabaek was pursuing peace for the world. The problem was that Sabaek¡¯s method was wrong.


    ¡®Peace built up using people¡¯s misery isn¡¯t true peace.¡¯ Pagma had already proved it. Grid recalled Pagma, who felt regret in hisst moments, and urged Braham, ¡°Hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid used Shunpo while Braham teleported. They leapt through space again and again and soon arrived at themunity of toothless tigers.


    ***


    Zibal proved the great power of the magic machines inst year¡¯s National Competition and was one of the strong candidates to win this year¡¯s PvP. Many viewers were looking forward to Zibal¡¯s participation in PvP. Surprisingly, ZIbal was absent from PvP. It was because Kraugel had vowed to join PvP.


    ¡®Going to an event where Kraugel will win the gold medal will just be in vain.¡¯


    Zibal was a master among masters. He had already witnessed the explosive potential of Sword Saint Kraugel several times. Kraugel had the potential to someday catch up with Grid. It was Zibal¡¯s decision not topete against Kraugel, even if he had the magic machine. This year, Zibal would be really serious.


    ¡®I will give up my pride in this year¡¯s National Competition and win for the United States.¡¯


    There was no Grid in this year¡¯s National Competition. If the United States didn¡¯t win then the face of his people would be lost. He had to win. Therefore...


    ¡º The American yer Zibal is entering! ¡»


    This year, Zibal participated in the target processing event. High rankers from Canada and China, as well as Yura of South Korea, were the strong candidates. Zibal nned to eliminate the variables.


    ¡®If I win a gold medal here, it will deal a big blow to the other powers.¡¯


    Zibal looked at Yura, who was in a duo with a yer whose ranking was below 1,000. She wasn¡¯tpeting together with Jishuka, who had naturalized to South Korea this year. ¡°What is South Korea thinking?¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°Target processing is an event that can maximize the strengths of both you and Jishuka. If the two of you were to be sent out as a duo, South Korea would be more likely to win a gold medal. Why did they only send you?¡±


    If Yura and Jishukapeted together in the same event then he would¡¯ve been wary. However, he wasn¡¯t nervous of a South Korea without Grid. It was sad that they lost their possibility of winning just because they wanted to spread out their talents.


    The sound of bells announced the start of the event.


    ¡°Well... try and win a silver medal,¡± Zibal encouraged Yura as he boarded Raiders.


    ¡°Fire,¡± Zibalmanded.


    The eight guns installed on Raider¡¯s upper body and the six on its lower body opened fire at the same time, firing missiles at the targets floating in the sky. He imagined himself winning the gold medal while achieving the best record in the target processing history. However, he witnessed the explosion of dozens of missiles before they reached the target.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Zibal was shocked for a while because he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. Then he looked at the situation around him through Raiders¡¯ eyes. All the projectiles fired by the hundreds of yers were exploding in the air, just like the missiles Raiders fired. Hundreds of projectiles were scattered to ashes before they reached their targets.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    A ckened world¡ªthousands of bullets emerged from the ck hole rising under the Hell Moon and destroyed all the targets and projectiles in the area.


    ¡®Yura!¡¯


    Zibal¡¯s gaze shot toward Yura¡¯s position. She was still standing at the starting point. She stood in ce and inserted her gun¡¯s muzzle into the ck hole she had summoned, continuously shooting. It was utilizing the Hell Leap skill that wowed Kraugelst year to the absolute limits.


    ¡º South Korea¡¯s representative, Yura, has destroyed all targets! ¡»


    ¡º The record is 23 seconds...! It is the fastest record ever! ¡»


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal closed his mouth. He vowed that in the future, he wouldn¡¯t only be humble to Grid and Kraugel, but also to Yura.


    [1] Can mean 400/eldest brother/master poet

 Chapter 1185

    The white skin and pure silver armor were the only pure white presence in hell. In the hall of malice and killing intent, only she was virtuous and just.


    Tang tang! Tatatatang!


    Demon yer Yura¡ªshe recreated this hateful hell as she fired a barrage that covered the sky. It was the birth of a cage that locked onto all yers involved in target processing.


    -Wow...


    The event ended in just 23 seconds. Viewers reyed the event repeatedly from various angles and btedly eximed. The entire world was thrilled. The legendary greatness that Grid showed as soon as he participated in the National Competition... Yura only proved it properly after several years. It was the fruit of her long efforts.


    ¡°......¡±


    The cameras focused on Yura, who was breathing hard with her heart pounding. She remembered all the trials and anguish she had faced from the time she met Great Demon Amoract up to now.


    Zibal¡¯s hands were shaking as he stepped off Raiders. ¡°You have been suffering for a while now... Congrattions.¡±


    He was congratting her but the tone and words were more likefort. Why? Yura was feeling doubt when she suddenly realized that tears were flowing down her cheeks.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Why was she so desperate? Grid, Kraugel, Piaro, Mercedes...


    Was she relieved and crying because she followed themte, they who had been the same legends but were far ahead?


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Yura responded with an awkward smile.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Zibal frowned at the sight. ¡°Don¡¯t cry when you¡¯ve only won once. Next year, I¡¯ll win.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± She wasn¡¯t crying because she won. Yura wanted to exin but she closed her mouth. It was because she noticed that Zibal¡¯s shoulders were shaking. ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Yes, it wasn¡¯t only her. The other yers, including Zibal standing in front of her with a somber expression, had been working hard for the past year. All of them deserved respect.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to next year. Let¡¯s have a greatpetition at that time.¡±


    A close up shot of a rarely smiling Yura. The viewers around the world were stunned silent for a moment by her beauty.


    Subsequently, the second event, drawing the saint sword, started and mes sparked. She was different from Yura, who ckened the sky. Jishuka dominated the area with mes and heat.


    ¡°It is unexpected.¡± Kraugel touched his wrist that was feeling the recoil of deflecting an arrow and turned his gaze over the wall of fire. He could see the beautiful woman with a zing bow¡ªJishuka. It was unexpected for her topete in drawing the saint sword event since it had been announced a few days earlier that Kraugel would be participating. It was because the swordsmanship of a sword saint made the concept of distance meaningless. This was the worst thing for an archer.


    -Why participate in a losing event?


    The viewers were full of questions.


    ¡°Kraugel,¡± Jishuka¡¯s smile was refreshing enough to make people forget the heat and she spoke shocking remarks, ¡°I¡¯m going to beat you. I got a quest to be a bow saint.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was the moment when the reason for Jishuka picking the drawing the saint sword event was revealed. However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°To get beyond the top, you need an overwhelming difference in skills.¡±


    They were words that implied many things. Unless Jishuka¡¯s talent went beyond Kraugel, she couldn¡¯t beat Kraugel even after bing a bow saint. If the ss change condition of the bow saint was to fight and ovee a ¡®legend of the current era¡¯ like it was with the sword saint, Jishuka should¡¯ve challenged Yura, not Kraugel. It should¡¯ve also been before the National Competition.


    Jishuka pulled back her bowstring. The mes revolving around her formed arrows and her bowstring remained tense. ¡°I am challenging you because it is hard. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to knock you down and be a bow saint? Be prepared. You will die if you look down on me today.¡±


    Live for appearance, die for appearance¡ªit was one of the favorite sayings that Jishuka had learned sinceing to South Korea. Jishuka¡¯s shot became a signal. After she released the bowstring, the arrows created mes in the area while yers from other countries appeared in unison to attack Kraugel.


    Jishuka and the other yers hadn¡¯t nned this in advance. However, the absolute strongman called Kraugel made them naturally cooperate. It was as Jishuka expected. It was also a source of confidence for her.


    ¡®I will thoroughly push you here and make you pay the price.¡¯


    During her training after leaving the Overgeared Kingdom, Jishuka had made great strides. Not only had she gained multiple levels, she acquired new skills and stats in the process of achieving the bow saint pre-conditions. Furthermore, when she traveled to the East Continent to help Grid, she was unintentionally blessed by the red phoenix. The blessing increased her main stats by 10% and allowed her to create the ¡®intangible arrows.¡¯


    Jishuka looked at the possibilities. She calcted that the stage of the sword draw, which was dozens of timesrger than the PvP stage and had a variety of terrain features, was the only stage where she could beat Kraugel.


    ¡®I will identify your power today.¡¯


    In fact, there was also an easy path. It wasn¡¯t to challenge Kraugel. She just had to ask Yura or Grid to let her win once. Yet in the past, Kraugel was in the same situation and hadn¡¯t asked Grid. He beat Grid with pure skill and became a sword saint.


    It was pride. Jishuka also valued pride. Forcing her colleagues to throw the match just to change sses? It was a shame that would be a lifetime regret.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel closed his eyes. It was intended to seal the sight of the shimmering mes and to awaken a different sense. Kraugel slightly widened his stride and swung his sword, cutting down the fire arrow shot by Jishuka. There were two arrows. Viewers believed that Jishuka¡¯s attack was in vain.


    However, reality was different. Jishuka¡¯s real move still remained. It was the ¡®Intangible Arrow Enchanted with Divine Power¡¯ that couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. Kraugel was recovering his sword to use Sword Curtain, only to find himself blocked.


    ¡®Don¡¯t let Sword Curtain be used.¡¯ She had noticed it in the process of collecting and analyzing data. A sword saint¡¯s Sword Curtainpletely neutralized projectiles. An archer couldn¡¯t beat Kraugel when the Sword Curtain existed. It had to be blocked.


    Jishuka fired an arrow again. This time, she aimed for Kraugel¡¯s wrist. Rather than unfolding Sword Curtain, Kraugel was forced to avoid the arrow. It was as expected. Kraugel chose evasion. Jishuka¡¯s arrow swept past Kraugel¡¯s shoulder because he didn¡¯t open Sword Curtain and moved in time.


    ¡®He avoided it? A real monster... I¡¯m going to have to use an intangible arrow.¡¯


    The other yers were rushing through the mes toward Kraugel. Surrounded by dozens of people, Kraugel lowered his waist as much as possible and took the posture of drawing the sword.


    ¡°Split Open.¡±


    Sword energy rose around Kraugel. It was the sharpest and most powerful sword energy in the world. All of the surroundingndscape was split apart. All the yers who just arrived and attacked Kraugel were also included. The concept of numbers became meaningless.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    ¡°Kkuk...!¡±


    The participants were fatally wounded and coughed up blood.


    ¡°Perforate.¡± Kraugel¡¯s sword was once again drawn and pointed at Jishuka.


    ¡°A legend is someone who ¡®goes beyond strength¡¯ and shows ¡®something that can¡¯t happen¡¯ or ¡®something that shouldn¡¯t happen.¡¯¡±


    All the fallen yers were coughing up blood while Jishuka¡¯s heart had two holes perforated into it. Kraugel also proved Braham¡¯s words about a true legend.


    ¡°Cough, I screwed up.¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t die and recovered thanks to Incarnation of Fire but her heart felt empty.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know he would grow to this level.¡¯


    The rumors that he had been stuck in the mountains for three years weren¡¯t false. Thebination of overwhelming talent, persistence, and hard work was simply a scam. Jishuka continued to shoot. Her arrows flew in a spiral and blocked the ability to read their trajectory. Even Kraugel couldn¡¯t block them. There were quite a few wounds on his body. Yet in the process, he sessfully defended against the Intangible Arrow Enchanted with Divine Power and finally narrowed the distance to Jishuka.


    ¡°The protagonist of a manhwa has more of a conscience than you,¡± Jishuka scolded Kraugel as he appeared right before her nose. Just then, Kraugel¡¯s feet were caught in something. He hadn¡¯t discovered the trap because his senses had been focused on the intangible arrows.


    A session of arrows took ce. Against a shaky backdrop, Kraugel¡¯s sword created dozens of shes while Jishuka¡¯s arrows were spectacr. The power of the arrows that pierced the stone barriers created by the White Tiger Sword often caused Kraugel to feel cold.


    It was a fierce battle. However, it was safe to say that victory was decided from the moment when a swordsman seeded in narrowing the distance to an archer. By the time the fallen yers rose again and rushed to Kraugel, Jishuka was already running away from her position. There was a huge roar from the red phoenix and Kraugel couldn¡¯t rashly chase after her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kraugel was seriously wounded and couldn¡¯t face the yers approaching him. In any case, the main goal was to be the figure the holy sword wanted. He had a powerful mind and already grasped the sword¡¯s wish. He started to take advantage of the participants¡¯ skills to extinguish the surrounding fire.


    Some of the yers noticed and tried to light up the forest again, but it was toote. After fully extinguishing the mes and obtaining the first sword song, Kraugel followed the hints. At this point, Jishuka had moved as much as possible to avoid being close to Kraugel so no one could stop him anymore.


    In the end...


    ¡º Kraugel was one step faster! ¡»


    The first owner of the sword stuck in the rock was Kraugel and the second was Jishuka.


    ¡°Was I the only one to reveal everything?¡± Jishukamented as she stood on the silver medal podium.


    Still, the passion in her eyes was the same.


    ¡°Well, once we meet again in actual battle in the game, I would¡¯ve grown again. Isn¡¯t that right? Please ept my challenge next time.¡± Jishuka smiled as she gazed at Kraugel. She was proud and confident.


    Frankly, Kraugel was tired. This was the type of opponent he feared most. ¡®I need to ask Grid for mediation...¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Wait! Wait a minute!¡± Grid called out to Braham who was far ahead. It was maddening that if Shunpo failed once, the distance with Braham would be too wide. ¡°What if I be lost?¡±


    ¡°A fully grown man like you is whining.¡± Braham folded his arms and yawned while waiting.


    Thanks to this, Grid shook his head and narrowed the distance again.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The big poisonous ratmunity¡ªit had be awless zone since Grid killed the rat queen. The rats lost their queen and could only move using instincts, making thendscape of themunity be deste. This was what Grid had seen before he left for Kars.


    In just a few days, themunity of big poisonous rats had changed dramatically. It was well-organized and could even be described as a human vige.


    ¡®Did the ratse back as intelligent spirits?¡¯


    The rats who had fallen wild after the death of their master might¡¯ve been influenced by the resurrected red phoenix. It was very good news. This was something Grid had hoped for. Grid entered themunity and was filled with joy.


    ¡°Y-You?¡±


    The rat queen, who had apparently died, was resurrected. The rat queen rushed to Grid who reflexively stepped backwards. She was round like a hamster and rushed with tremendous speed. It was a different speed than before. Grid was unable to draw his sword before she arrived.


    The rat queen embraced him. ¡°Our benefactor! I have been waiting!¡±

 Chapter 1186

    ¡°H-How are you...?¡±


    Soft flesh and fluffy fur. Grid was in turmoil as he was held in the arms of arge hamster. The rat queen¡ªthe first time Grid saw her, she was wearing a crude crown, a ragged cloak, and had died. It was also by the hands of Grid. That person was now showing herself in front of him.


    The rat queen released the flustered Grid and smiled. The face that used to be full of venom was now looking at Grid with a round, gentle gaze.


    ¡°I was resurrected due to the resurrection of the red phoenix. It is because there is a myth that the Twelve Zodiacs serve God Red Phoenix.¡±


    Mythical beings couldn¡¯t be killed in ordinary ways. Just like the hydra, they were immortal unless a unique attack strategy was discovered or the people¡¯s belief in them was destroyed. Grid was reminded of this fact and felt a sh. Yet no matter how he looked, he didn¡¯t see ¡®him.¡¯ Only ordinary (?) hamsters could be seen.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid was constantly searching everywhere only to make eye contact with the rat queen. Then he avoided her eyes.


    The rat queen smiled bitterly. ¡°My husband is in my heart.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My husband was an ordinary spirit, unlike me. He can¡¯t be resurrected because he isn¡¯t a sacred creature.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The first time Grid discovered the rat queen, she wasn¡¯t alone. She had been with her husband, a strong male rat. Then her peace was broken. Grid murdered her husband. Of course, the rats at that time had fallen to mere monsters. They were monsters who harmed people. Grid killing them was a worthy achievement and actually benefited the people. Still, he was sorry. Grid felt guilty.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t mean I will ask for forgiveness.¡¯ The rat queen¡¯s heart would only be more ufortable. In any case, she wasn¡¯t in a position to me Grid. Apologizing to her would be nothing more than a selfish act to relieve Grid¡¯s own guilt.


    ¡®At that time, I had to fight them and it was the right thing to do. It is just to that causality that urred from that act that I managed to resurrect the red phoenix.¡¯


    The rat queen reached out to Grid, who was thinking deeply in a silent manner. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I, no, we don¡¯t me you. If you hadn¡¯t beaten us, we would¡¯ve killed more people and that would¡¯ve been a great sorrow for us. So let go of that expression. Please take care of us in the future, Benefactor.¡±


    ¡°I would like to ask you as well, Kyeongja.¡± (Name means year of the rat)


    The resurrected rat queen had a name added to her. He didn¡¯t know why the rat¡¯s name was Kyeongja. However, it was true that there was a sense of friendliness. It was simr to the name of a grandmother.


    ¡°Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, Her Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, human friend!¡±


    The rats stared at Grid and Kyeongja¡¯s figures emotionally and struck the ground with the trident in their hand, cheering. They were so short that their feet covered with fur were adorable. The image of the monsters who poisoned and attacked him disappeared from his memories. In the midst of the turmoil...


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham was silent. The person who killed the strong male rat was Braham, not Grid. Braham had used Assimtion to dominate Grid¡¯s body and demonstrated the power of rm magic against the strong male rat and that rat had died because of him. However, Kyeongja didn¡¯t know that. Grid was taking responsibility for Braham. There was no reason for Braham to go out and reveal it.


    ¡°Was the ck cow resurrected?¡±


    Grid questioned as the hamsters started dancing and Kyeongja nodded. ¡°Yes, he is part of the Twelve Zodiacs as well. The moment he was resurrected, he transformed into a human and left for the vige. He wants to y as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Suddenly, the rat queen fell down. She was twice as big as Grid but her feet were small, so it was hard to stand for long.


    ¡°Did youe here because you¡¯re curious about the blue tiger and Tosun?¡±


    She seemed to have met the blue tiger and Tosun after her resurrection. Grid nodded. ¡°Right. However, based on your condition, they must be safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Still, you should stop by. The kids are looking forward to their reunion with you...¡±


    It was at this moment that the voices of the blue tiger and Tosun could be heard from a distance.


    ¡°Grid!! Kuheong!¡±


    ¡°God! God!!¡±


    There was a cloud of dust in the distance and dozens of tigers rushed over. At the forefront was the blue tiger and Tosun was sitting on the blue tiger¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Everyone...!¡±


    Grid rejoiced. The blue tiger, Tosun, and the toothless tigers who sacrificed themselves to help him escape were still alive. He thought they died because of Hangyeol so he was very happy to see they were safe. The tigers approached Grid and spoke with their dentures.


    ¡°What is this reaction? Aheung. Human, were you worried about us?¡±


    ¡°Ahuheung, it is a useless worry. We are healthy enough to be alive. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°Grid! Thank you for resurrecting God Red Phoenix! I believed in you!¡±


    ¡°Eek.¡±


    The tigers scrambled out of the way while the blue tiger hugged Grid.


    [You have suffered 18,500 damage!]


    Indeed, a tiger was a tiger. Unlike the fluffy arms of the rat queen, the blue tiger¡¯s arms were hard and painful. Grid felt the pain of his spine bending.


    ¡°Uhuh! Too imprudent!¡±


    Tosun pulled the blue tiger away from Grid. As she stroked the back of Grid who was trembling in pain, she spoke, ¡°I will never forget that you sacrificed yourself for the rabbits to get away. We will honor your merits forever. A new god... God of Virtue...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The birds were chirping and he was surrounded by cozy animals, but he couldn¡¯t help frowning. He was d that everyone was safe and weing him but why call him the God of Virtue? Grid denied it. ¡°Don¡¯t call me a god. I¡¯m still a human.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t happened yet. However, your virtues will continue to build up and you will eventually be the God of Virtue.¡±


    ¡°What about the God of Rice Cakes, heung?¡±


    ¡°I want to eat rice cakes. Aheung.¡±


    ¡°...Please shut up.¡±


    Unlike the hydra, who became a mythical being by going against the gods, they became mythical beings by serving the gods. They were the sacred creatures. They were very nice, as they had been taking care of humans for the good gods, but they were tactless. There were limitations to beasts, such as being unable to read the expressions of human beings. This was why they kept calling him God of Virtue despite his terrible expression.


    ¡°Ohh... You have the heart of God Red Phoenix.¡±


    The blue tiger stared at Grid and turned pale. The rat queen and Tosun also observed Grid btedly and marveled. ¡°Amazing! You really have the heart of God Red Phoenix!¡±


    ¡°Ahem, it is natural. The God of Virtue resurrected God Red Phoenix and he would be rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid only realized it at this moment. He had the heart of a god. The reason why the Red Phoenix Heart had the ability to change the nature of the hidden item, the ¡®rune,¡¯ was because it had such a high level value and effect.


    ¡°Did God Red Phoenix give its 1,000th heart?¡±


    ¡°No, it must¡¯ve shared its 999th heart.¡±


    ¡°No matter what he did, it shouldn¡¯t be a triple digit heart. A triple digit heart is a power that God Red Phoenix has held for a very long time...¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s right. It is too much of a sacrifice for God Red Phoenix. I still remember crying when the Five Seniors snatched its hearts.¡±


    The hearts of the red phoenix builds up over time. Every year, a new heart was created and the heart contained the life and strength of the red phoenix. The older the heart, the greater its vitality and strength. The age of the removed heart was directly linked to the amount of pain and weakening experienced by the red phoenix.


    Nevertheless, the blue tiger guaranteed it. ¡°Grid is our benefactor. He would¡¯ve surely been given the 999th heart.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t foreseen this situation when he left the sealed bow to Grid. He thought it would take a really long time for Grid to resurrect the red phoenix or that he would fail to resurrect it. The blue tiger had realistically faced the situation. It was impossible for one human to fight against the Five Seniors and the yangbans who had sealed the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts. However, the result wasn¡¯t what he expected. Grid revived the red phoenix in just a few days. He believed it wouldn¡¯t be unusual if the red phoenix gave its 999th heart to Grid.


    The unsuspecting blue tiger was staring at Grid when Grid finally opened his mouth, ¡°I got the 9th heart...¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The eyes of the sacred creatures and spirits widened with surprise. It was almost like their eyes would pop out.


    ¡°Is this that great?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯tprehend the intense reaction. He admitted that the heart of the red phoenix had value in the world as long as it was the ¡®heart of a god.¡¯ It was obviously a great thing that the 9th heart had transformed the Rune of Darkness to the Rune of Gluttony but the main effect was ¡®increased health recovery rate¡¯ and ¡®doubled stamina recovery rate¡¯ In terms of practical performance, it was somewhatcking.


    Grid felt that the reaction of the sacred creatures was somewhat exaggerated.


    Tosun shouted, ¡°Of course it is great! A single digit heart is the real heart of a god that can¡¯t be regenerated!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    On behalf of the noisy Tosun, the blue tiger finally exined, ¡°I¡¯ll exin it easily. The only way to kill God Red Phoenix is to destroy the nine single digit hearts. Yet even the Five Seniors couldn¡¯t touch the nine hearts. They had so much strength and vitality that no one could intervene from the outside. If the nine hearts are perfect then God Red Phoenix can exist forever.¡±


    In other words...


    ¡°The nine hearts are the lives of God Red Phoenix. It is also the key to the fate of the southern part of the continent that God Red Phoenix is in charge of. You have one of those keys in your body.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid closed his mouth. He realized what the red phoenix was feeling when it shared its heart with him.


    ¡®You chose me as yourpanion.¡¯


    Grid touched his chest. He felt two heartbeats and thought of the fourth epic. He had vowed to be a god. He had dered that he would protect the world from destruction.


    ¡®Then...¡¯


    The red Phoenix supported him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were half open. HIs face, shaded by the sun, was quite different from usual. He stood still for a long time before opening his inventory. He pulled out the items obtained from killing Garam and a cksmithing hammer. He thought of the best he could do.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move step by step.¡±


    [Open Potential has been used.]


    [Choose a skill tree to open the one grade higher skill(s).]


    [Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill (Mastered) will change to cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God Lv. 1.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God is ssified as a production skill. The effect is maintained until one item ispleted.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with being overgeared.¡±


    [A verse of the first epic has responded to cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God.]


    [His body, tempered by hammering......]


    [The epic effect has increased all stats and skills that affect production by 20%!]

 Chapter 1187

    Grid didn¡¯t forget the cksmith he encountered in a world full of human ideals. Standing in front of the shining anvil and golden clouds, he used his burning nipples to smelt metal and a lightning hammer to temper the metal. The cksmith god, Hexetia¡ªhe was the ideal that every cksmith in the world, including Grid, had to pursue.


    ...Except for the nipples.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Grid temporarily put cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God to the side, closing his eyes as he took some breaths.


    ¡®I never thought I could beat you.¡¯


    He recalled thest conversations he had with Garam. He recognized his limitations when he failed to ovee Garam, who was only qualified as a fake god. As a yer, he had to bear these limits. Yes, he was a yer. Not only was it difficult to exceed the growth power of named NPCs, he was overwhelminglycking when it came to basic stats. No matter how high he raised his level or how much stats he built up, even if he became a god, it would still be an insurmountable limit.


    This was a realistic conjecture. Even if he became a god, Grid¡¯s value would drop as soon as an NPC appeared as an enemy.


    ¡®So don¡¯t try to be foolish.¡¯


    That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t say to Garam, ¡®One day, I will surely surpass you.¡¯


    He left his desperate wish as a hollow cry in his heart and simply relied on Braham and his colleagues who appeared. He felt like he would fall into the brink of suffering that could never be escaped the moment he expressed his vain wish of fighting and beating Garam. No matter how much time passed, it would be hard to beat Garam, even if he struggled insanely.


    However, now his thoughts have changed. It was because the heart of the red phoenix showed new possibilities. Recovery¡ªGrid had the overwhelming recovery of beings who were regarded as insurmountable walls. Right now, it was a recovery that could only be maintained for a few seconds at best but for a short period of time, hepletely transcended the limits of a yer. It wasn¡¯t a transcendence that would bemon among yers. It was real transcendence.


    ¡°......¡±


    The image in Grid¡¯s mind deepened. The image of the beautiful and transparent small sword that looked like it was carved of ice slowly floated in his mind.


    [Hexetia¡¯s Small Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Attack Power: 28,990


    ....


    ...]


    He didn¡¯t remember anything else but he precisely remembered the attack power. It was considered absurd the first time he saw it. He thought it was an attack power that he would never achieve in his life. This wasn¡¯t the case anymore. This time, his recovery suggested a new possibility¡ªyers could also have transcendent stats. Grid had the ability to experiment with the possibilities.


    [cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God Lv. 1]


    [The production button is enabled and the time it takes to make an item is greatly reduced.


    A minimum of unique rated items will be produced.


    There is a certain probability of producing legendary rated items.


    If certain conditions are met, there is a low probability of making a myth reproduction or myth rated item.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 40%.


    * When myth rated items are produced, the cksmiths¡¯ faith in you will increase all stats by 30.


    * The deity stat will increase by one for every three myth rated items produced.


    ¡ï A temporarily active skill. The myth rated items created won¡¯t umte.]


    Grid didn¡¯t even pay attention to the fact that ¡®a minimum of unique rated items will be produced.¡¯


    Since he pursued items above the legendary level, the epic rated and unique rated items had the same value to him. The cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God was a one-off skill that was activated by using Open Potential so Grid should aim for the best results.


    Grid noted the effect of ¡®40% increase in the stats of production items.¡¯ It was 10% higher than Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill. The higher the stats of the produced items, the more effective they would be.


    ¡®I have to unconditionally make a high-grade item.¡¯


    The most urgent item was armor. He needed defense to support his recovery. It didn¡¯t matter if he had a lot of recovery if his defense was weak.


    ¡®My items are too old now.¡¯


    There was the Holy Light set he swapped to when responding to magic attacks.


    Tiramet¡¯s Shoulderguards, the Shiny Leggings, and Lantier¡¯s Cloak. Alex¡¯s Quick Glove, the Cone Helmet, and the Overgeared Crown. All the armor currently used by Grid were things he had acquired long ago. Even the Cone Helmet and Overgeared Crown were created before the 4th National Competition and had been in use for four years of game time.


    ¡®The Holy Light set has been used for the longest time, since the 1st National Competition...¡¯


    He felt it was shameful to be called the Overgeared King in his current state. Ordinary yers were diligently gaining new equipment and improving their specs while Grid alone was treasuring antiques. The word ¡®overgeared¡¯ still had a negative meaning and if they spoke to Grid, they would insist, ¡®I am a person who ys with skill, not items.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t have the answer in my current state.¡¯


    Change. It should be changed. The old items might have low basic stats but he hadn¡¯t thrown them away because they had a field-specific performance. Now they should be reced with new ones. He was convinced from the moment he suffered 18,500 damage just by being hugged by the blue tiger.


    ¡®I have to harden up.¡¯


    Grid pulled out Khan¡¯s Valha and the loot he got from the yangbans. There were three White Tiger¡¯s Breaths, three ck Tortoise¡¯s Breaths, and two each of the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breaths and Blue Dragon¡¯s Breaths. The equipment used by the yangbans such as the smoking pipe, soft sword, and short spear were included in the loot but their performance were somewhat lower than the items made by Grid. They were unique rated items dropped by bosses over level 400. It was quite disappointing since the items dropped by half-gods were at an unsatisfactory level.


    Grid was convinced¡ªthe yangbans used the strong force they were born with and the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts that they had exploited. They didn¡¯t rely on equipment in the first ce so it would be strange if their items had a good performance. Inmon sense, it was a jackpot as long as they dropped one breath.


    In the aftermath of the National Competition, the breaths of the Four Gods seemedmon but that wasn¡¯t the case from Grid¡¯s viewpoint. There were few items with as much quality as the Four Gods¡¯ breaths.


    ck, blue, white, and red.


    Grid stared at the different colored breaths and returned all but the ck one into his inventory. The ck breath he chose was the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath.


    ¡°It was some time ago...¡±


    Beforeing to the East Continent, Grid had crafted items with the two breaths that were in his possession. One was a sword made from the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath, a growth weapon he designed to give as a gift to Lord. It was a gift meant for Lord to grow up with¡ªto protect his family and people¡ªwhile Grid was away.


    ¡°I failed to smelt the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath.¡±


    The other was a de made with the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. It was nned to be a new sword but unfortunately, the results were the worst. It was so rough that he didn¡¯t feel the need to use it. It was less powerful than the itemsmissioned by Damian a number of years ago.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a way to control the power of death inside it.¡±


    The reason why Grid dealt well with the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath from the beginning was due topatibility. The attributes contained in the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath were only fire and life. It was well-matched with a cksmith who created things using fire. On the other hand, the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath that contained the power of water and death was the worst for a cksmith. The aura of water calmed the cksmith¡¯s fire and the aura of death hindered the cksmith¡¯s creation. The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath possessed such a nature that it became rusty and weakened the more he smelted it.


    ¡°Thus, I want to get advice from you. Is there a way to suppress the aura of death in the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath for a while?¡±


    Once Grid asked this question, the sacred creatures listening started to open their mouths one by one. Their expressions didn¡¯t look good.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It will probably be tough. The role of the ck tortoise itself is the destruction of ¡®useless¡¯ things.¡±


    ¡°Useless things?¡±


    ¡°God ck Tortoise only tolerates life and materials born naturally. Artificially created life or objects are considered harmful to everything and are extinguished.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The attributes of the ck tortoise were water and death. Grid had felt confused the first time he learned this. Water was closely associated with the birth of life so he didn¡¯t understand why it presided over death. However, at this moment, he understood. The ck tortoise¡¯s desire to defend all things was so strong that it became inclined to destruction.


    ¡®Is that why not even the yangbans could use the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath easily?¡¯


    Strictly speaking, the yangbans were artificial beings. It would be virtually impossible for them, born for Hanul and by Hanul, to fully control the power of the ck tortoise.


    ¡®The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath is the most threatening one but they don¡¯t use it often. There is a reason for that.¡¯


    Grid smacked his lips together with regret. In fact, he had been envisioning a set of armor with the weapon breaker concept. He would create shoulderguards, leggings, and helmets with the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath, creating a structure that increased his defense while corroding and weakening the target¡¯s weapon.


    Now it seemed too hard. The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath wasn¡¯t suitable as an item crafting material. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean it was impossible. If he used materials with a strong water attribute, just like when he created Damian¡¯s item, it would be sufficient to produce an item using the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath.


    However, in this case, only the water attribute would be emphasized and the true power of the ck tortoise wouldn¡¯t be revealed. Thus, expectations weren¡¯t high.


    ¡®I will keep the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath for now. First, I will use the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡¯


    The White Tiger¡¯s Breathcked the ability to weaken the other side. If hepared the armor created with the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and the armor created with the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath, the potential to utilize the first one would be much greater. It was just that in terms of stability, the armor created using the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was overwhelmingly good. It was because the advantage of the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath was to weaken the opponent while the White Tiger¡¯s Breath¡¯s defense itself was extremely high.


    Hardening, increasing weight, releasing thorns, etc...


    The utility wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡®No, it exceeds the ¡®not bad¡¯ level.¡¯


    At the time of the red phoenix resurrection battle, the yangbans were unable to control the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath and lost their recovery. Nevertheless, they avoided the deterioration of their wounds.


    ¡®I must take advantage of the hardness of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.¡¯


    They hardened their wounded areas and this prevented the wounds from getting worse. After many thoughts, Grid lit up the portable furnace. It was to create new gaiters to rece the old ones, which could no longer be called ¡®shiny.¡¯


    [1] <strong>Slight change to Blue Tiger¡¯s information. Blue Tiger is now the name and will be capitalized. In addition, it has been revealed that Blue Tiger is a female. Previous chapters will eventually be changed.</strong>

 Chapter 1188

    There were various types of gaiters. There were simple ones that wrapped around the calves or ones that covered the pelvis, thigh, and calves. Naturally, the more each side was protected, the higher the defense but the lower the agility. They also required high strength and stamina to wear. If the material used was metal, not leather, the penalty was extreme enough that the wearer should be prepared to be slowed down at all times.


    This was because it wasn¡¯t easy to bear the weight on the lower body. This was why most yers, except for certain upations, preferred wearing short gaiters. The Mass Produced Grid¡¯s Gaiters distributed to the Overgeared Army were also short gaiters. Of course, this had nothing to do with Grid.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Greed was tempered on the anvil. He hammered at Greed mixed with the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and made several hinges first. He intended to create multiple joint parts so that even if they were worn on his legs, they wouldn¡¯t interfere with the movements.


    ¡°This is ridiculous...¡± Blue Tiger marveled as she bit one of the ck-gold metal pieces piled up beside Grid. ¡°How can you easily work these metals?¡±


    ¡°Aheung? How is this...¡±


    A toothless tiger cocked his head like he couldn¡¯t understand the Blue Tiger¡¯s response and came forward fearlessly. He grabbed a metal and bit it before Blue Tiger could stop him. The yellow fur rose and the pattern trembled. The tiger shook like he was hit by electricity. The broken dentures fell to the ground.


    The tigers saw this process and were astonished.


    ¡°A-Aheung! W-What?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Thanks to the sacrifice of theirpanions, the tigers learned how hard Greed was and their eyes grew wide. It was absurd. Greed changed shape every time Grid hammered. It had looked as soft as a rice cake so they had gulped. They hadn¡¯t expected it would be so hard.


    Tosun clicked her tongue like they were pathetic. ¡°Stupid tigers. You should¡¯ve noticed it from the time he turned the white phosphorus tree into firewood.¡±


    Even the sacred creatures flinched at the ferocity of the white phosphorus tree. The white phosphorus tree couldn¡¯t be cut easily and would explode as soon as it was touched. Yet Grid used the white phosphorus wood as firewood to ignite the furnace and tookplete control of the rough mes.


    ¡°The true essence of the God of Virtue isn¡¯t just armed force.¡±


    It was clear that his workmanship was also at the level of a god. Tosun had lived for many years and had interacted with arge number of people. Grid was far superior to the best cksmiths she had seen. Her analysis was that even the cksmith who made the items the Four Gods were sealed in wouldn¡¯t be able to reach Grid¡¯s skills.


    ¡®I had wondered about the many battle gear that came pouring down like rain. They were actually the battle gear that the God of Virtue created.¡¯


    The battle gear he created would be one of the triggers of his faith...


    Tosun discovered a new fact and focused.


    Grid tempered Greed and pulled out a bundle of leather. It was leather that was torn apart and seemed to have a bad quality. It was like someone had peeled off the skin of a dead beast with great wounds.


    Blue Tiger frowned. ¡°It is lousy leather.¡±


    Since it was said that tigers left their skin behind after they died, Blue Tiger took great pride in her skin. The quality of the leather that Grid pulled out was undoubtedly the worst.


    ¡°Are you going to use it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will put leather or cloth on the inside to make it feel better and it will be able to absorb the shock from the outside.¡±


    Grid nodded and Blue Tiger growled. ¡°Put that away. I would rather take off my skin.¡±


    A tiger leaves behind their skin after they die. In other words, taking off the skin was a story of death. However, Blue Tiger was a sacred creature. Even if her skin was peeled off, she wouldn¡¯t die and would recover. Of course, there would be so much pain that it might be better to die but she could endure it for Grid.


    ¡°Now! Take off my skin! Kuheong!¡± Blue Tiger cried out in a determined manner. She was willing to make sacrifices for the benefactor who resurrected the red phoenix, freed the Twelve Zodiacs, and brought about the ¡®future.¡¯


    ¡°Oh? Thank you.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t refuse. There was no reason to refuse when a sacred creature was offering her skin.


    ¡®It could be better than Berith¡¯s Leather.¡¯


    No, it would be better. The sacred creatures wereplete half-gods. Even the 22nd great demon who terrorized humanity was inferior to a sacred creature. Grid put down Berith¡¯s leather that was holding, pulled out a dagger and approached Blue Tiger. It was at this moment that he noticed that Blue Tiger was shaking like an aspen tree. He realized that the other tigers were pale and looking at Blue Tiger like she was a madman.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯ Grid thought it would be easy to remove the skin but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. He almost did a cruel act of stripping off an animal¡¯s skin while they were alive.


    Grid sighed and put away the dagger. ¡°Stop the insane words. You are also mistaking something. This leather is better than it looks.¡±


    The leather of 22nd Great Demon Berith¡ªthe damaged parts could be restored to some extent through tanning.


    Ttang!


    Grid removed Greed that had beenpleted in the shape of gaiters and ced Berith¡¯s skin on the anvil as he started to tan it. The torn and pierced parts were ttened and perfectly filled. It was something that could be done due to the cksmith skill that had risen because of Open Potential, the dexterity he had built up, and his epics.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The Twelve Zodiacs and the spirits were being amazed by Grid¡¯s skill in filling in the leather when they simultaneously blocked their noses. There was a terrible stench. The demonic energy rising from the leather made the Twelve Zodiacs and the spirits feel unpleasant.


    The rat queen, Kyeongja, couldn¡¯t hold back her disgust. ¡°Grid, that is something you should stay away from. It is nasty.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid once again realized the hostility of the sacred creatures toward the great demons. In fact, Grid had no aversion toward the demonic energy. Since he used ckening and the Rune of Darkness for a long time, he was familiar with demonic energy.


    ¡°However, in general, it is natural to be reluctant toward demonic energy.¡¯


    Demonic energy was a symbol of great demons and gods were usually hostile to great demons. Since the sacred creatures and the Twelve Zodiacs were born out of the desires of humanity and existed only for humanity, they would feel even more reluctant toward the great demons. The great demons were the greatest enemy of humanity.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    These were Grid¡¯sst words.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    No matter what the members of the Twelve Zodiacs said, Grid no longer spoke. From the time the tanned leather was ced inside the gaiters, he had entered an enlightened state. mes rose from Grid¡¯s hammer. They were the Fire of Willpower caused by the Duke of Fire title.


    [Fire of Willpower has doubled your working speed.]


    [The effect of Fire of Willpower will result in the Breath of Fire effect being added to the item produced.]


    [Duke of Fire¡¯s Breath]


    [* 20% increase in fire damage.


    * 50% increase in fire resistance.


    The willpower stat will rise by 5%.]


    The more the mes around Grid¡¯s hammer burned, the redder the gaiters turned. It was hardened over and over.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Braham, who had been standing silently the whole time, smiled faintly.


    A bright, warm white light enveloped the entire poisonous mousemunity. All the spirits, except for Braham and the members of the Twelve Zodiacs, couldn¡¯t handle the bright light and closed their eyes.


    [The production of the ¡®Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth¡¯ is sessful.]


    [A myth rated item is produced, permanently increasing all stats by 30!]


    [The cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God is a temporarily activated skill. The number of times a myth rated item is created won¡¯t umte.]


    [The energy of the white tiger has surged and blessed Blue Tiger. Blue Tiger, the descendant of the white tiger, is stronger than ever.]


    [Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth]


    [Rating: Myth


    Set Item (White Tiger Set)


    Durability: Infinite Defense: 1,200


    * Earth attribute resistance +60%.


    * Dark attribute resistance +40%.


    * Additional 30% defense when hit in the lower body.


    *There is a high chance of ignoring the damage when the lower body is attacked.


    *There is a high chance of releasing ¡®Thorn¡¯ when the lower body is attacked. The sharp stone thorns will reflect 50% of the damage received and reduce the recovery effect.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Attitude¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Cry¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Howling!¡¯ is generated.


    * The passive skill ¡®Incarnation of Earth¡¯ is generated.


    * Defense will increase by 10% in canyon terrain.


    * The power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in canyon terrain.


    * Decreases the target¡¯s defense and magic resistance by 10% when encountering great demons weaker than rank 22.


    * If damage to the extent of destroying it is received, the durability is fixed to the minimum for 5 seconds. There is a 10% durability recovery after this effect is over (24 hours cooldown).


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Rock¡¯ is generated.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Earth God¡¯ is generated.


    Gaiters made by Grid, a cksmithparable to a god.


    They are gaiters that cover the pelvis to the knees but it has no effect on movement due to the high level technique, the materials used, and the soft sticity of Greed.


    Lined with ¡®Enhanced Berith¡¯s Leather,¡¯ it has a high defense and dark attribute resistance.


    The Strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath further enhances the hardened properties of Berith¡¯s Leather. In the process of Greedpletely absorbing it, some of the abilities of the white tiger have been inadvertently implemented.


    The Strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath grants the wearer a mythical protection.


    Grid¡¯s epics are contained in it.


    ¡ïOnce three set items are equipped, defense and health will increase by 10%.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 600]


    [White Tiger¡¯s Attitude Lv. 1]


    [Acquire the attitude of the white tiger.


    Attack power and movement is reduced by 80% and defense is increased by 198%.


    Skill Mana Cost: 17 per second.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [White Tiger¡¯s Cry Lv. 1]


    [Create an earthquake with a radius of 5 meters.


    All objects within range are subjected to a ¡®loss of bnce¡¯ status and a 13% reduction in defense, evasion, and uracy. If the target is using a spell or skill, casting is forcibly cancelled.


    Mana Consumption: 1,500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [Howling! Lv. 1]


    [Summons the image of the howling white tiger.


    All enemies within range of the white tiger¡¯s howl will stiffen for at least one second to a maximum of seven seconds while allies will have their defense increased by 10%.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [Rock Lv. 1]


    [Make your body as solid as a rock.


    Release any abnormal states that you are experiencing.


    Immunity to all damage for two seconds. However, all speeds are reduced by 50%.


    If used inbination with White Tiger¡¯s Attitude, you will be immune to all damage for four seconds. However, all speeds are reduced by 70% and you can¡¯t move.


    Mana Cost: 1,000 per second.


    Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [Earth God]


    [A conditional passive.


    Assimte with the breath of the white tiger.


    While stepping on the ground, there is a very low probability of gaining control of the ground.


    You can change the shape of thend by consuming 2,000 mana. The changednd will be retained for 30 seconds.


    3,000 mana can be consumed to turn a target within a 10 meter radius into stone. The target who bes a stone won¡¯t be able to do anything. In addition, there will be immunity to all damage.


    Activates the ¡®Pir Release¡¯ skill when attacking. The giant stone pir has a sting effect of up to 5 meters. The damage applied is 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power.


    * If you die while in the Earth God state, the wrath of the white tiger will ur.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    ¡°Wow...¡± The members of the Twelve Zodiacs closed their mouths. From the standpoint of someone who lived for hundreds or thousands of years, Grid¡¯s gaiters were extraordinary. The gold border and white mineral that decorated the ck sheet metal...


    Due to the energy of the white tiger, it obviously boasted a tremendous performance at first nce.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Grid was restoring his breathing. He confirmed that there were still nine hours left for the cooldown of the Open Potential skill to end. Grid spoke to the speechless members of the Twelve Zodiacs, ¡°Let¡¯s make your items next. First, I¡¯ll make a new spear, crown, and cloak for Kyeongja.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Twelve Zodiacs wereparable to the yangbans in physical strength alone. They neglected tools like animals. In fact, apart from Kyeongja, Blue Tiger and Tosun only covered important parts with a single leaf. The faces of the Twelve Zodiacs turned blue. They realized the importance of items by looking at the gaiters made by Grid.

 Chapter 1189

    [Strange Magic Power Stone]


    [Rating: Myth


    Type: Consumable


    Can increase the rating of the target item to the same rating as the stone.


    Weight: 1]


    ¡®It is fortunate.¡¯


    Gru, Naeun, Hangyeol, Harang, and Garam¡ªGrid held the Strange Magic Power Stone that had grown with the death of five yangbans and was relieved. Thanks to the myth rating of the White Tiger Gaiters, the need to consume the stone had disappeared.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little less nervous now.¡¯


    After a long period of work and pleasant sweating, Grid¡¯s mind became lighter. His body and spirit that had been exhausted by the ongoing battle with the yangbans had finally regained the sense of everyday life. Yes, this was normal. Thest few weeks had been unusually difficult.


    Calm down. Enjoy things.


    Again and again, Grid smiled brightly.


    ¡°I will make you all stronger than you are now.¡± Grid approached the sacred creatures favorably. It was an act that stemmed from a deep liking.


    Kyeongja, Tosun, Blue Tiger, and the toothless tigers...


    All of them were friends he didn¡¯t hate. They were great beings andrades he would fight together with in the future. Grid guessed that the battle of the Twelve Zodiacs was starting now.


    ¡®Blue Tiger is a descendant of the white tiger.¡¯


    It was important to note that two of the Twelve Zodiacs were descendants of the Four Gods other than the red phoenix. The gods that the Twelve Zodiacs served weren¡¯t just the red phoenix, it was all of the Four Gods. In the old days, the Twelve Zodiacs would¡¯ve been scattered all over the north, east, south, and west. However, once all of the Four Gods were sealed, they gathered and hid here. They might be locked up by the Hwan Kingdom.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid started making a trident. He had interacted with the water n people for a long time and made quite a few tridents. Therefore, he had pretty good production methods. He also had experience in fighting and winning against Kyeongja. He knew herbat style and could infer what type of weapon she needed. It wasn¡¯t information given by a specific skill or stat. It was the power of experience and knowledge that Grid had umted.


    ¡®Kelov¡¯s Trident should be good.¡¯


    Kelov¡¯s Trident was somewhat strange because the end of the spear was bent It was designed to pull the target but was sometimes used as a support to create variables inbat. Kyeongja had a habit of pointing her tail at the ground. She used her fearsome tail as a substitute for her legs and to ovee the limitations of her short legs.


    ¡®If she can support herself with her weapon as well as her tail, she¡¯ll have a stronger fighting style.¡¯


    The cloak would undoubtedly be Lantier¡¯s Cloak. Since Kyeongja enjoyednd-basebat, the armor that could be equipped was limited to a helmet and cloak. Thus, it was necessary to maximize the defense.


    ¡®Humans are the best, at least in terms of items.¡¯


    Grid thanked the human body that could move freely when covered with armor and once again focused on his work.


    The mes of the white phosphorus wood hadn¡¯t disappeared after smelting the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and Greed. ck iron was melted in it and became the unique rated Kelov¡¯s Trident. The legendary rated Lantier¡¯s Cloak was sessfully made by tanning and cutting the Fury Minotaur¡¯s Leather and Camellia Lord¡¯s Leather.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Grid was about to make the Cone Helmet when he stopped.


    ¡®Is this okay?¡¯


    The helmet called the Cone Helmet had excellent defense. As long as the precondition of ¡®ck iron trained for several days and nights¡¯ was met, it showed a high defense even if Belial¡¯s Leather wasn¡¯t mixed in. There was just a fatal problem¡ªthe appearance was rubbish. It became a joke because it made the wearer look silly and gave room for a ¡®pathetic vilification.¡¯


    This was why the Cone Helmet was a degraded item. The rating of an item was usually fixed or was capable of growth but the Cone Helmet had the side effect of the rating dropping. It was just because of the appearance.


    ¡®...It does seem like it.¡¯


    Grid paused in trimming the tip of the helmet and frowned. He could put the crown on the helmet thanks to the First King title but it was different for Kyeongja. If she wore this on her head then he was afraid people would take her for a fool. There was even a possibility that the faith toward her would be weakened.


    ¡®Even if it is a bitcking in defense, I need to give the right helmet... I think Kyeongja likes a crown so I¡¯ll make a crown.¡¯


    The crown had a lot of additional stats in exchange for low defense. It wasn¡¯t bad as the next best thing.


    It happened when Grid¡¯s troubles were deepening...


    Kyeongja stood next to Grid and watched his work with shining eyes. ¡°Cool...! The crown is cool! The sharp points remind me of my dead husband¡¯s teeth! I want to wear it quickly!¡±


    ¡°......¡± It was a heart-breaking sentiment.


    Grid once again elerated his work. He spent nine hours trying toplete the spear, helmet, and cloak before the cooldown of Open Potential ended. It was a leap forwardpared to the days when he took more than one day to create unique or higher rated items. It was thanks to Duke of Fire. The passive skill Fire of Willpower that doubled his working speed made it feasible.


    ¡°The energy of the tiger is soaring!¡±


    How long had it been? Old equipment that had been gifted by humans a long time ago. In ce of those who had lost their seasons, the newly armed rat queen cheered with red cheeks. Her eyes were so shiny that she could firesers.


    ¡°Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, Her Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, human friend!¡±


    The rat queen¡¯s servants stomped their feet and shouted. Their cheers for Grid and the rat queen were loud but the birds in the forest didn¡¯t leave. Rather, than chirped together to form a chorus. It was a glimpse of the nature-friendly nature of the spirits.


    [Affinity with ¡®Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs¡¯ has increased by 50.]


    [The subordinates who follow Kyeongja have be your allies.]


    [All the rats in the world wille to know your name.]


    Then the spear stabbed by Kyeongja caused a stir in the atmosphere. It was an admirable blow in all aspects of speed and power. It seemed superior to Garam¡¯s spear.


    ¡®This is one of the Twelve Zodiacs...¡¯


    They were ssified as half-gods but they were born from true faith, unlike the yangbans. Since they were animals, their instincts were stronger than their sense of reason and there were many physical shorings, but they still looked great in Grid¡¯s eyes. Grid wanted to bepanions with the Twelve Zodiacs. He wanted to use their strength to ovee the challenges of the East Continent that still remained. Grid frankly expressed this wish, ¡°It is a gift so we can fight together in the future. Help me. I want to resurrect the remaining Four Gods.¡±


    It would¡¯ve been much more effective to add the words ¡®for the peace of the world.¡¯ However, Grid didn¡¯t add anything. The reason for Grid¡¯s attempt to revive the remaining Four Gods included private intentions for personal gain.


    Kyeongja hugged Grid again and again. ¡°Good human... You just have to ask and I will do it.¡±


    [Affinity with ¡®Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs¡¯ has increased by 20.]


    [You have built a full alliance with Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs.]


    [Even the rats in the sewers will help you and the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    ...


    ..


    !!


    [¡ï The gue that was supposed to break out in some small viges of the Overgeared Kingdom have disappeared. ¡ï]


    [¡ï Rats who live in the Overgeared Kingdom have started to care about cleanliness. ¡ï]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The result was more than expected. He became a truepanion to Kyeongja and the rat race itself entered an alliance with the Overgeared Kingdom. Some mightugh at the thought of being allies with rats but Grid thought differently. The gue that could¡¯ve happened disappeared with the cooperation of the rats. If he used it in reverse, he could cause gues in other kingdoms.


    ¡®Still, there will be a price to pay.¡¯


    Grid summoned Overgeared Corn to increase his stamina recovery and pulled out hard bread and lukewarm water to relieve his hunger. The Open Potential skill can now be used again so he nned to make the shoulder guards immediately. The material was naturally Greed and the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    Tosun stared as Grid once again ignited the furnace and asked, ¡°God of Virtue, why don¡¯t you join the breaths of different attributes together?¡±


    It was a good idea. If he joined two breaths into one then one item would have two attributes. Of course, Grid had tried it. However¡ª


    ¡°No, the auras of the breath aren¡¯t harmonious and conflict with each other.¡±


    The different attributes of the breaths collided with each other but this wasn¡¯t the real problem. The fundamental problem was that the melting point of the breaths was different. Even if Grid attempted to create two different temperatures in the furnace, it was impossible to fuse two breaths together.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    It was impossible at the time when he was a ¡®human¡¯ cksmith. What if he was a cksmithparable to a god for a while?


    Grid had wondered why humans had two nipples. He was reminded that human beings were modeled after a god so the appearance of the gods and humans was the same.


    The cksmith god, Hexetia, was also human in appearance. He had two nipples. Each of the nipples ignited mes of different colors. The left nipple had a blue fire while the right nipple had a red fire. They were mes with a different temperature.


    ¡¯Nipples... Two... Different temperature mes...¡¯


    The puzzle pieces joined together in Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®If I also light up my nipples... Bullshit.¡¯


    It was wrong. Grid shook his head and cleared his mind.


    ¡®The skill that isparable to a god, dexterity, the skill effects, and two different mes...¡¯


    There was no reason to ce mes on his nipples. He could do it in the furnace. He could light two furnaces at the same time and use the bellows at the same time.


    ¡®It is worth the challenge.¡¯


    The bottom line was that Grid started to create one more portable furnace. His face and body were quickly covered with sweat but he was smiling. On the other hand, the expressions of the Twelve Zodiacs and the tigers were stiff. It was because Grid¡¯s state seemed strange as he kept repeating ¡®nipples¡¯ to himself.


    ¡°Aheung. Maybe it is estrus.¡±


    The male tigers understood.

 Chapter 1190

    Kars had been heavily damaged by the invasion of the yangbans but the restoration waspleted in just a few days. This was due to the Cho Kingdom¡¯s excellent technology, the protection of the red phoenix, and the active help of the yers.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe yers didn¡¯t leave Kars. They stood by the people of Kars during their most difficult time. It was the same for Hera, the doctor. Despite already making the medicine she needed, she remained in Kars and did her best to treat the wounded. Sheforted those who had lost their families. In the minds of the yers, hostility toward the Hwan Kingdom was established.


    ¡°Never! You must never spread this and have to absolutely keep it a secret! Understood?" Before leaving Kars, Hera emphasized to the yers again and again.


    At this point, some wondered if she was a parrot. The yers looked tired as they patted Hera¡¯s back.


    ¡°I understand. Now that you know, go quickly.¡±


    Over the past few days, Hera and the yers had formed a close bond. They had joined forces to resist the yangbans and to help the people of Kars with one heart. They had stayed in Kars because they had the simr tendency of being unable to turn away from those who were struggling. Thus, it was natural to get close.


    ¡°Are you sure?!¡±


    ¡°Sigh, look. I don¡¯t like Grid but I don¡¯t have the guts to turn him into an enemy. Don¡¯t worry, we will never talk about what Grid is doing on the East Continent.¡±


    Grid was so strong that he couldn¡¯t bepared to the time of the Berith raid and he was also apanied by the legendary great magician Braham. The yers in Kars unintentionally learned a lot of information but they didn¡¯t want to talk about it. It was natural to be careful because their position was high. The people here were mostly rankers. There were many people with things to lose.


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll see you next time. If you experience anything hard then please contact me.¡±


    Hera finally left Kars. Once she learned that the man who helped her¡ªKentrick¡ªwas Grid, she wanted to help Grid in this way.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know he was so righteous.¡¯


    The general public thought that the supreme one was a lofty being. Before discussing good and evil, he was like a figure in a different world. She had thought the supreme one wouldn¡¯t be interested in the ordinary lives of ordinary people.


    However, the appearance of the supreme person she actually met waspletely different from her imagination. He was the first to reach out to the weak who even ordinary people ignored and embraced them while also not condemning those who ignored the weak. He was fighting for someone as best as he could, without revealing who he was, even in the face of few witnesses.


    ¡®How can he do that...¡¯


    She heard that he had lived an unhappy life. A psychologist she saw on TV analyzed that Grid would have a deep inferiority and desire forpensation. He was considered to be a person who couldn¡¯t empathize with others and only lived for himself. That person was a quack. The reality of Grid waspletely different. Such a person was really rare in the world and was worthy of great respect.


    ¡®May your path be full of blessings.¡¯ Hera¡¯s short prayer was just the beginning. In the future, more people would pray to Grid.


    ***


    Grid had been faithful to every moment. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he always did his best. The same was true in the days when he wasn¡¯t yet sessful. He just failed because hecked talent and didn¡¯t even have luck. However, now he had found his talent. He had a little bit of bad luck but it was enough to be ignored.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t try it back then.¡¯


    Grid created a new portable furnace and recalled thepetition with Hexetia. Despite the fact that his reliance on the God Hands was absolute at that time, Grid had sacrificed the God Hands. He gave up on the experience umted by the God Hands and melted it to make the materials of a sword. He judged that this was the only chance of winning.


    Grid was the best at that time. Yes, it was the best. He saw that there was nothing more. He had ruled out joining two breaths together. He judged that it was impossible. At that time, it had been technically impossible to fuse two breaths together.


    ¡®I thought it wouldn¡¯t be possible due to the system.¡¯


    The breaths of the Four Gods were the highest rated crafting materials. Items made with a single breath gave birth to a myth rating. Combining two breaths to make an item? It would make an item outside the range ofmon sense. Grid had been convinced that the S.A Group who liked bnce wouldn¡¯t just watch.


    Now things were different. Grid¡¯s technique had evolved and the strength of his enemies was beyondmon sense. Creating an item with two breaths seemed theoretically and systemically possible. Of course, it was just a possibility.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was tense as he took a deep breath. He firmly prepared himself in front of the portable furnaces, one to the left and one to the right.


    ¡®It will be a different level of difficulty simr to double casting.¡¯


    He had Belial¡¯s Staff that allowed triple casting. There was a time when Braham used it while possessing Grid. However, Grid didn¡¯t use it. Grid didn¡¯t have the talent to take advantage of Belial¡¯s Staff. Grid couldn¡¯t properly use the double casting, let alone the triple casting. In order to double cast, he had to chant one spell in his head while speaking the other one. It was difficult with Grid¡¯s brains.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to smelt two minerals at the same time. In order to adjust the temperatures of the two furnaces differently, it was necessary to move the bellows with his feet in a different manner. In order to melt the breaths in two furnaces at the same time, the movements of both hands couldn¡¯t be the same. Since each breath had a different tempering method, the movement required was different. In other words, he had to move his limbs separately. Every action had to be grounded.


    ¡®There is a bigger problem.¡¯


    The task of taking the two breaths out of the furnace and tempering them into one. This task should bepleted in 30 seconds. It was because even for minerals melted at high temperatures, the surface would quickly harden as long as it was exposed to room temperature for more than 20 seconds. It was necessary to fuse them into one perfect shape before the two breaths were fully hardened.


    ¡®If it fails then I¡¯ll have to throw away one of my breaths.¡¯


    In order to separate thebined breaths, it would have to be dissolved again. In the process, one breath would be damaged and lose its value.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t think about failure.¡¯


    Grid shook off the negative thoughts. He reminded himself that he had one advantage over Hexetia. It was the presence of the God Hands. Not only did the God Hands inherit some of Grid¡¯s stats, they had some cksmithing ability.


    ¡®I can use the God Hands¡¯ assistance in the tempering process.¡¯


    They could also help in the task of regting the temperature of the furnaces. Increasing the temperature to a certain level was only possible by Grid but maintaining the temperature for a while was enough for the God Hands.


    ¡®If the hands press the pedals instead, I can rest my legs in the middle. Then focus on the movements of both hands and extract the melted minerals at the same time...¡¯


    He was forced to focus on his subsequent work. Could he fuse two minerals into aplete one in 30 seconds...? Grid¡¯s calctions were breathtaking. Based on the dexterity and skills that were enhanced when cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God was activated, it was possible toplete it in 29~36 seconds.


    ¡®If I had six more seconds then I would be able to do it perfectly.¡¯


    A little bit more. He could focus on himself a bit more and do better. In the end, everything depended on himself.


    Grid threw firewood into the small stove of the portable furnace and it caught on fire. Since the firewood was the white phosphorus wood, there was an explosion and the surface of the furnace quickly turned red. Grid nned to fuse the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath into one. Although there was the synergy of the white tiger¡¯s defense and the red phoenix¡¯s recovery, he wanted to finish the set item effect.


    ¡®I already have the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots so if this item gains the set effect, I can aim for the blue dragon and white tiger sets at the same time.¡¯


    Grid decided and took out the two breaths, about to put them in different furnaces.


    ¡°Wait!¡± An unexpected voice stopped him.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t good.¡±


    It was Tosun.


    "What?" Grid was confused. It didn¡¯t make sense for Tosun to react like this when she was the one who suggested he fuse two breaths together.


    Tosun told Grid to stop acting and Grid asked for an exnation. ¡°The Four Gods are the guardian gods of humanity, born from the aspirations of humanity.¡±


    ¡°So? Why do we have to talk about something we already know?¡±


    ¡°The Four Gods are basically only kind to humans.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°They reveal their full personalities to non-human beings and the characters of the white tiger and blue dragon aren¡¯t normal. They both have a strong heart. As long as they meet, a fight will happen.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The two gods have personalities that can¡¯t be integrated. The same is true for the breaths of the two gods.¡±


    ¡°...Did the white tiger win thest time they fought?¡±


    ¡°How do you know...? This is a fact that only the Twelve Zodiacs who serve God White Tiger and God Blue Dragon know.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t important...¡±


    Grid had an ufortable look on his face.


    ¡°Based on this, is the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath okay? I think the ck tortoise¡¯s personality is the most ferocious.¡±


    The only god associated with death and extinction, it had a habit of denying artificial substances so cksmiths and created goods were considered bad. Grid was forced to feel negatively toward the ck tortoise. He thought the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath wouldn¡¯t be in harmony with the breath of the other gods.


    However, Tosun¡¯s answer was surprising. ¡°The personality of the ck tortoise is the most gentle.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, I see.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t very credible but it was useless to discuss it anymore. How could he aimed tobine it with other breaths when at the moment, he couldn¡¯t even properly manage the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®Then I will try thebination of the red phoenix and the white tiger.¡¯


    It was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t aim for the blue dragon set effect but in fact, thebination of the red phoenix and white tiger was better. Grid fully controlled the temperature of the two furnaces and put in the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath.


    Grid¡¯s two legs were busily working the two furnaces. Grid didn¡¯t rest and the breaths in the furnace started to melt.


    ¡°God Hands!¡± Before moving his own hand, Grid asked for help. He left one furnace to the God Hands and focused on the movements of his arms. At the end of the task, the breaths that had melted to liquid appeared in the world. The two breaths were ced on the anvil and at the same time, Grid swung his hammer.


    ¡®Please...!¡¯


    Grid was desperate. He wanted better items. A stronger power!

 Chapter 1191

    ***


    Grid only recently recognized the importance of breathing. It was the type of enlightenment based on the umted experience ofpeting with masters seeking a moment¡¯s gap between breathing in and breathing out.


    Grid took only 27 seconds to fuse the two smelted breaths into one. It was the fastest record ever. The time was two seconds faster than Grid¡¯s theoretical maximum speed. It was an achievement that was attained due to thebination of highly developed technology and concentration.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid, who had held his breath for the sake of smooth movements, finally breathed out. There were goosebumps all over his body and his swollen muscles twitched.


    ¡®This... It is normal to fail.¡¯


    In the process of tempering and fusing the two breaths, Grid realized it. The convergence of breath and breath was inherently ¡®impossible.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a matter of technique. It was clear that even God Hexetia would fail if he came out to attempt it. This wasn¡¯t a levelparable to a god.


    Every one of the breaths with conflicting attributes desperately rejected each other. All the reactions that urred at this time made the fusing itself impossible. The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath burned and destroyed itself while the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was firmly entrenched in the ground, so there was no way to try it. It was like a providence that would never change. However¡ª


    [The ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s¡¯ has beenpleted!]


    Grid seeded in fusing the two breaths. Was it because Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique surpassed Hexetia¡¯s technique? Not at all. As mentioned earlier, ¡®technique¡¯ didn¡¯t fuse the two breaths. It was impossible. There was only one reason why Grid was sessful.


    He had the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart.


    ¡®The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath sacrificed itself for me.¡¯


    The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath that refused to fuse with the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and tried to burn itself suddenly changed its attitude. it suppressed the mes and epted Grid¡¯s hammering. Then it gradually permeated the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath abandoned its pride only for Grid¡¯s sake and became submissive to the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. The White Tiger¡¯s Breath was satisfied with it and absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. This was why the name of the merged breath was ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s.¡¯ The brilliant white bead contained a me that wouldn¡¯t go out and was technically ssified as a White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t aplete fusion...¡¯


    The result that Grid wanted was simple. It was to create a whole new breath that had the full function of the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath and the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. However, the actual result was different from his wish. While the function of the White Tiger was more powerful than the whole, only around half the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath¡¯s function was implemented.


    [White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s]


    [It has absorbed the energy of the red phoenix and the power of the white tiger has been reborn in a stronger manner. Just by keeping it in the inventory, the earth attribute resistance will increase by 60%, fire resistance by 20%, and health recovery by 10%.


    It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the white tiger.]


    The results differed from his intentions but Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a failure.¡¯


    No, quite the opposite. The fire resistance of the Strengthened Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath was 40% while the earth resistance of the Strengthened White Tiger¡¯s Breath was 40%. The fire resistance of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s might be rtively low but it also improved the earth resistance and added the option of increasing health recovery.


    ¡®At this point, the defense option will be much higher than I intended.¡¯


    It was expected that since the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath could be absorbed, the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath could also absorb it.


    ¡®The red phoenix gave me so much.¡¯


    If he hadn¡¯t resurrected the red phoenix, he wouldn¡¯t have seeded fusing the breaths together in his lifetime. Grid was once again grateful to the red phoenix and smelted the White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s together with Greed in the furnace. From now on, it was a full-scale production.


    ¡®There are two forms of shoulder guards.¡¯


    It was divided into the wing-like shape and a rounded shape. The former felt like it covered the shoulders while thetter wrapped around the shoulders. Most of the shoulder guards circting the market had the former shape. It wasn¡¯t as functional. It was just because it was easier to make.


    On the other hand, the shoulder-wrapped shoulder guards weren¡¯t easy to make. Only craftsmen, the most skilled craftsmen, would be able to create the round shoulder guards that wrapped firmly around the shoulders. Naturally, Grid nned to produce the round shoulder guards.


    Mobility, toughness, durability, etc. Compared to the winged shoulder guards, the round ones had more advantages.


    ¡®The only downside is that it isn¡¯t morous.¡¯


    Most nobles and royalty loved the winged shoulder guards. They used it to show off their wealth by painting the shoulder guards that stretched from side to side a gold or silver color or put various gems on them. Even so, Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to be extravagant. He was in a position to be stronger by making more practical equipment rather than showy equipment. He was a king who spent more time on the front lines than in the pce.


    A powerful recoil urred as Grid hammered the mixture of Greed and the breath. The White Tiger¡¯s Breath, which threatened Grid by releasing thorns every time it was hit, started to emit even more ferocious thorns. The sharp stones protruded and aimed at Grid¡¯s neck, wrists, arms, and chest.


    Of course, Grid wouldn¡¯t be smoothly hit. In the past, when the White Tiger Sword was first made, he had been seriously hit by these thorns. Then the years passed and Grid grew.


    ¡°Hey hey. Rx.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t even blink as he avoided the sudden attack of the thorns. Every time the mineral was hammered, he responded to the thorns that soared at irregr points.


    ¡°...¡±


    The mineral subsided. It was hit by the hammer and no longer fired thorns. It wasn¡¯t for such a beautiful reason like it decided to submit to Grid when he kept avoiding the surprise attacks. It was because every time Grid hammered, Greed started to show its presence. It was an absolute mineral with infinite durability, suppressing the breath and blocking the release of the thorns.


    Grid¡¯s mouth curved upwards.


    ¡°You should be moderately mischievous.¡±


    The ¡®cksmith¡¯ Grid wasn¡¯t tired. It might be different after it was finished but he had never copsed in the middle of his work. As Grid¡¯s hammering increased, the breath resisted more violently but it was useless. In the face of the infinite siege of Grid and Greed, it gradually lost momentum and was encroached on by Greed.


    This was it.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Greed and the breath had beplete. The smiling Grid started to make the shoulder guards. His goal was a lifetime item. Grid wanted to make perfect shoulder guards with the specs of a king that would be used for the rest of his life.

 Chapter 1192

    The Five Seniors gathered in one ce.


    Pungsa sat on the left while Usa and Unsa were on the right. Hanul¡¯s absence was covered by his son, Sobyeol, who was also a member of the Five Seniors.


    ¡°The red phoenix has been resurrected... well, it can¡¯t be helped. These things had already happened.¡± Sobyeol¡¯s expression as he raised his chin was a bit sour. It differed from when he said it wasn¡¯t a big deal after hearing the news of the resurrection of the old god, who was the real owner of thend.


    Pungsa frowned. ¡°The resurrection of the red phoenix has resulted in the loss of the south¡¯s faith. The children will weaken after a long time of hard work building up their strength. How can you be so casual?¡±


    ¡°You mean the yangbans who died to humans despite building up the divinity of a god? Do you need to keep those useless beings in mind?¡±


    ¡°Sobyeol, be careful of your words. It isn¡¯t right to nder the children Hanul made with a deep meaning.¡±


    ¡°How is it nder when I¡¯m just telling the truth? Pungsa, look at things objectively. In the first ce, they were ipetent and killed by humans. Thus, they couldn¡¯t prevent the resurrection of the red phoenix. How can they be called yangbans?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that even Hanul and us have experienced failure and were expelled to thisnd. Everyone will suffer from failure and grow from the scars. We aren¡¯t here to disparage the children but to discuss the punishment of the red phoenix.¡±


    ¡°In this situation, how are we going to handle the red phoenix?¡±


    Just then, Sobyeol¡¯s gaze turned to the entrance of the great hall.


    Jingle, jingle...


    They saw Chiyou entering with the warm wind from the south. He sat downfortably in the great hall but the Five Seniors felt the pressure of being ¡®trapped¡¯ in the great hall. Pungsa¡¯s expression crumpled but Sobyeol still remained calm. ¡°No matter how long it has been, don¡¯t forget the deal. In return for your help, we promise you death.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Chiyou, you must be looking forward to this situation. You believe the man who killed Garam is qualified to kill a god. You will never tolerate our intervention. Isn¡¯t that right, Chiyou?¡±


    Jingle.


    Chiyou turned his head. ¡°That¡¯s right, I have no intention of sending you down to the human world.¡±


    His tone sounded like the Five Seniors werepletely beneath him. It was unpleasant to hear every time. Pungsa¡¯s face reddened while Unsa and Usa closed their eyes and ears. In the end, Pungsa couldn¡¯t bear it and raised his voice.


    ¡°Do you mean we should leave the human who harmed the children alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chiyou replied easily.


    Pungsa was speechless because of it. He gritted his teeth for a moment before replying, ¡°...I understand. I¡¯ll leave the human you speak of without retribution. It is just that the red phoenix should be resealed. We¡¯ll go down to the human world and seal the red phoenix.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that either.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Pungsa doubted his ears. He never dreamed that Chiyou¡¯s attitude wouldn¡¯t change despite Pungsa already giving in one step. Although he fully understood the intention behind protecting the human with the qualification of a god killer, he couldn¡¯t understand why Chiyou would hinder the sealing of the red phoenix. ¡°Reveal the reason for your rejection. I will refuse if it isn¡¯t a convincing reason.¡±


    ¡°The man who qualifies to be a god killer holds the red phoenix¡¯s 9th heart.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Was this the human they couldn¡¯t touch? It wasn¡¯t only Pungsa who was amazed. It was the same for Usa and Unsa, who had remained silent until now. Even the always expressionless Sobyeol had slightly wide eyes. Chiyou spoke again, ¡°Sealing the red phoenix will weaken the qualified human. I can¡¯t allow the sealing of the red phoenix.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Pungsa became speechless. However, the silence onlysted for a moment. He quickly asked Chiyou, who had an expression of triumph, ¡°Surely you don¡¯t mean to stop the yangbans from acting?¡±


    Humans who had the qualifications to be a god killer also meant they were eligible to be ¡®real gods.¡¯ It meant the human was one status higher than the yangbans, who were fake gods, so Chiyou had no right to stop the yangbans. The moment he blocked the yangbans, he would show that he questioned the human¡¯s qualifications. Since Chiyou had stopped the Five Seniors in order to protect the uncertain object, he should be held responsible for the corresponding cleanup.


    ¡°...I won¡¯t regte the yangbans,¡± Chiyou responded with the expected answer.


    Pungsa¡¯s lips curved upward. ¡°Then it is okay.¡±


    There was a hierarchy in every society. The same humans didn¡¯t have the same values. Some people were superior to others while some were inferior to others. It was also true for the gods. There were highs and lows among gods and naturally, there were highs and lows among the yangbans.


    The dead Garam killed by a human belonged to the high side. He was a particrly talented child and he stood out among the yangbans. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t the best. He couldn¡¯t keep calm and hone his skills. Garam had only recently started training in recent years.


    On the other hand, the remaining yangbans were different. They had been training steadily for many years even though they had a talent that wasparable to Garam. In particr, Mir stood out. It was natural since Mir was the special person who would fight against archangel Lifael in the future.


    ¡®The reason why Hanul made the yangbans is to raise them to fight against the seven archangels. Out of the seven archangels, Lifael is an enemy that even I can¡¯t deal with.¡¯


    Pungsa remembered the adversity of the distant past while feeling hope for the future in Mir. Then he stated, ¡°If the man who is qualified to be a god killer falls down without being able to surpass the yangbans, you can no longer stop us from acting.¡±


    ¡°Okay. If he is going to encounter setbacks here then it means there is no point expecting anything or being obsessed.¡±


    The bells hanging from Chiyou¡¯s neck made a clear sound. It was a lonely sound.


    ¡®I am here. Come and give me the end.¡¯


    Chiyou murmured like a song before leaving the great hall.


    ***


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid, who had been hammering while carefully envisioning the shape of the shoulder guards, suddenly stopped his actions. It was because of a certain voice from a far away ce. He couldn¡¯t hear what the voice said but he couldn¡¯t get over it due to the deep emotions it contained.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Grid was briefly puzzled and turned to Braham for help. Braham had keen senses from controlling the mana in the atmosphere and Grid expected him to have captured the words. Braham responded like he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that person talking?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    ¡®Did he doze off for a second?¡¯


    Grid wondered and turned his head to the sacred creatures. However, Blue Tiger, Kyeongja, and Tosun responded in a simr manner.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t hear it either.¡±


    ¡°Are you so tired that your hearing isn¡¯t right?¡±


    The sacred creatures were genuinely concerned about Grid. It was natural to be worried when he had been working non-stop for two days now. For two days, Grid kept sweating and often had troubled expressions. Grid shook his head. ¡°No, It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t hear it.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t hearing things. Obviously, someone had said something. Nevertheless, now was the time to focus. Grid gave up on his doubts and resumed the paused work.


    The passive skills such as cksmith¡¯s Patience, cksmith¡¯s Breath, and the title effect of Duke of Fire were applied at the same time, dramatically improving Grid¡¯s work efficiency. Lightning fell on the Greed that had absorbed two breaths. It was a hammer wielded by a cksmithparable to a god.


    Greed was divided into two exact parts. Grid first smelted one piece of Greed by cing it in the furnace. He pulled out the metal and tempered it again and again.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The number of hammerings increased and Greed¡¯s appearance changed. It turned into aplete octagonal te. It looked like dragon scales that had been separated entirely.


    ¡®It is the real thing from here on.¡¯


    Fold the iron te to make it look like it wrapped around his shoulders. It felt like something round. It wasn¡¯t paper or a steel te but Greed, the hardest metal on the. Grid¡¯s hammering became cautious. He tapped the edge of the iron te gently like he was stroking Irene.


    The God Hands were also busy. He spread out the piece of Berith¡¯s Leather that remained after making the gaiters on another anvil and started to tan them. 50% of Grid¡¯s dexterity and strength were applied to the God Hands and they had mastered Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship. Thus, they were just as skilled as a craftsman. Grid had a 20% increase in his dexterity stat thanks to the cksmith Skill Comparable to a God so they were even more remarkable.


    Bam!Ttang!Bam!Ttang!


    Every time the four hammers mmed down, the damaged parts of Berith¡¯s Leather were soon repaired. By the time Gridpletely created the shape of one shoulder guard, it had already been restored. Of course, it wasn¡¯t perfect. It was hard for a cksmith¡¯s craftsmanship to fully restore Berith¡¯s Leather. Still, this alone was enough.


    ¡°Okay. Well done.¡±


    Grid retrieved the leather from the God Hands and directly started tanning. He perfectly restored the leather that had almost beenpletely restored by the God Hands. It took only 10 minutes. This process was 10 times faster than when Grid was working alone. It meant the God Hands helped a lot.


    ¡°Greed...¡± Braham murmured.


    As one of the creators of pavranium, which was the originator of Greed, he felt regret every time he saw Greed. He was both d and disappointed that the pavranium he made together with that Pagma had disappeared from the world. It was good to see the traces of his time with Pagma cleared but it was bitter that his achievement had disappeared.


    As Braham was staring at the mineral, Grid¡¯s voice permeated his ears, ¡°I was going to name it Gravurnum.¡° [1]


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Then I thought about it and figured that it was ill-conceived to name it Gravurnum. Gravurnum, it will be the name of our new mineral, rebuilt with Greed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham¡¯s heart was pierced. It was a feeling that felt strange and still unfamiliar. However, it wasn¡¯t unpleasant just because it was strange.


    ¡°Is it supposed to be the ¡®G¡¯ in Grid and the ¡®Ra¡¯ in Braham?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Our¡¯ mineral...


    Braham shrugged as he barely held back his smile.


    ¡°Well, name it whatever you want. However, I will have to study it until it has a performance that is eptable to me. It could be a month or a year. No, it could be 10 or 100 years.¡±


    ¡°10 years? 100 years?¡±


    ¡°Yes... so don¡¯t die until then.¡±


    ¡°No, how can it be 100 years?¡±


    Grid frowned at Braham¡¯s absurd words and hit the metal with the hammer for thest time. The shoulder guards werepleted.


    [The production of the ¡®Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix¡¯ is sessful.]


    [A myth rated item is produced, permanently increasing all stats by 30!]


    [The cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God is a temporarily activated skill. The number of times a myth rated item is created won¡¯t umte.]


    [The energy of the white tiger has surged and blessed Blue Tiger. Blue Tiger, the descendant of the white tiger, is stronger than ever.]


    ¡°...Blue Tiger, haven¡¯t you benefited a lot today?¡±


    ¡°A-Aheung. I¡¯ll give you my skin as a token of my gratitude...¡±


    ¡°I was joking. Congrattions, truly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, heung...¡±


    The subsequent work continued. Unlike Kyeongja, who could equip a weapon, a helmet, and a cloak, Blue Tiger could only wear one equipment and Tosun only two. Grid made a durumagi [2] for Blue Tiger and a traditional bamboo hat and jeogori [3] for Tosun. Then he turned his gaze to the northern horizon.


    )()


    At the far north was the Xing Kingdom.


    The Xing Kingdom was a ce where the ck Tortoise Jewel was kept, which meant it was the kingdom where the ck tortoise was sealed.


    ¡®I will make the remaining helmet and gloves while moving. I should go slowly.¡¯


    It was rare to lose money because of his diligence.


    Grid packed up and asked Blue Tiger, ¡°Will you gather those of the Twelve Zodiacs who served the ck tortoise? I¡¯d like to ask some questions.¡±


    [1] Making a slight change from Grivurnum to Gravurnum


    [2] Durumagi: a type of traditional Korean overcoat. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durumagi


    [3] Jeogori: Basic upper garment for the hanbok, traditional Korean clothing. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeogori

 Chapter 1193

    [Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix]


    [Rating: Myth


    Set Item (White Tiger Set/Red Phoenix Set)


    Durability: Infinite Defense: 902


    * Earth attribute resistance +80%.


    * Fire attribute resistance +40%.


    * Dark attribute resistance +40%.


    * There is a 70% reduction in the chances of a shoulder injury.


    * Additional 15% defense when hit in the upper body.


    * When hit in the upper body, there is a low chance of ignoring damage.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The shoulder guards were after all, a shoulder protector. Due to the limited protection range itself, there was a limit to the performance. Grid had seen and made countless shoulder guards but he had rarely seen one with more than 300 defense.


    ¡®Yet this one is 902?¡¯


    Grid was astounded when he checked the details of the shoulder guards. He didn¡¯t know the White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s would produce such a great result.


    ¡®If I made it into armor, it would¡¯ve had at least 2,300 defense?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all. The armor ranks in order were armor, gaiters, helmet, boots, shoulder guards, and gloves. Of course, one couldn¡¯t just ssify it as ¡®armor is the most important thing.¡¯ There were unique effects for every area of armor and all of them were valid. The unique effect of the shoulder guards was to lower the possibility of a shoulder injury.


    Considering that the part of the body most frequently impacted duringbat was the shoulders, the shoulder guards¡¯ function was highly regarded. In fact, Grid¡¯s injuries were mostly concentrated on the shoulders. During the fight against the yangbans, he had barely supported his shoulders with the God Hands.


    Grid¡¯s heart filled with hope.


    ¡®Perhaps I might be able to survive the rebound of 300,000 Army Swordsmanship.¡¯


    There was a 70% reduction in the chance of a shoulder injury. This was really big. It was seven times higher than normal shoulder guards. Grid smiled before checking the following information.


    [*There is a high chance of releasing ¡®Thorn¡¯ when hit in the torso. The Thorn of Hot Stone will reflect 60 percent of the damage done to the target while preventing healing for at least one second up to three seconds.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes¡¯ has been generated.


    * The skill ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Cry Throwing Up mes¡¯ is generated.


    * The skill ¡®Howling!¡¯ is generated.


    * The passive skill ¡®Incarnation of Earth¡¯ is generated.


    * Defense will increase by 10% in canyon terrain.


    * The power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in canyon terrain.


    * Decreases the target¡¯s defense and magic resistance by 10% when encountering great demons weaker than rank 22.


    * If damage to the extent of destroying it is received, the durability is fixed to the minimum for 5 seconds. There is a 10% durability recovery after this effect is over (24 hours cooldown).


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Rock¡¯ is generated.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Earth God¡¯ is generated.


    ¡ï White Tiger Set Effect


    Once three set items are equipped, defense and health will increase by 10%.


    ¡ï Red Phoenix Set Effect


    Once two set items are equipped, health recovery rate will increase by 20%. Once four set items are equipped, health recovery rate will increase by 40%.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 450]


    ¡°...¡±


    Since the main item was the White Tiger¡¯s Breath, there were many options that ovepped with the Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth. The durability of Greed might be infinite but the effect of recovering durability was due to the effect of the epics. Howling! and Rock werepletely consistent with the same skills attached to the gaiters. Thus, the cooldown time was shared and they could be viewed as ¡®useless options.¡¯


    However, the story was different when it came to Earth God. In the case of Earth God which had a probability of activating while stepping on the ground, the probability of activation was raised due to the probability of the gaiters and shoulder guards ovepping. In addition, White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes and White Tiger¡¯s Cry Throwing Up mes were judged aspletely different skills from White Tiger¡¯s Attitude and White Tiger¡¯s Cry.


    [White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes Lv. 1]


    [Take the posture of the white tiger.


    The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath will create mes that inflict 6,000 fire damage per second (half the damage against yers). Attack power is reduced by 80% and you are unable to move, but defense will increase by 198% and health recovery increased by 50%.


    Skill Mana Cost when Activated : 50 per second.


    Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with White Tiger¡¯s Attitude.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    [White Tiger¡¯s Cry Throwing Up mes Lv. 1]


    [Creates an earthquake in a five meter radius and releases mes in front of it.


    All targets within range are subjected to a ¡®loss of bnce¡¯ status and there is a 15% reduction in defense, evasion, and uracy. If the target is using a spell or skill, casting is forcibly cancelled. Any targets hit by the fire will lose stamina.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with White Tiger¡¯s Cry.


    * Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Grid read the details of the shoulder guards over and over again. It was to make sure he hadn¡¯t read anything wrong and that there wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding. Yet no matter how many times he read it, the contents didn¡¯t change. There were no misunderstandings.


    Grid quietly wore the shoulder guards on both shoulders. Two sharp protrusions like the white tiger¡¯s fangs shot in the direction of the sky, putting a sense of pressure on the shoulder guards that could seem somewhat dull.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled. He could feel the protection of the Four Gods and the heart of Khan from the armor, gaiters, gloves, and boots enveloping him tightly and he felt his uneasiness being washed away. He vaguely felt protected.


    ¡°Human!¡±


    It happened while Grid was moving his body around.


    ¡°Did you want to meet us?¡±


    New members of the Twelve Zodiacs emerged. They were a horse, a chicken, a pig, and a snake. The snake was 2 meters long and she raised her waist to be eye level with Grid.


    ¡°If you wanted to see us, you should¡¯vee to us and politely asked for a meeting. What is with calling us to meet you?¡±


    The snake with no limbs wagged her tongue in a threatening manner.


    ¡°You are a very nasty human. Us Twelve Zodiacs might love humans but for ignorant humans like you, it is better to start with a beating. Now, stick out your butt. ept the punishment of love.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was an unexpected reaction. Grid expected a wee but they were surprisingly hostile. The bewildered Grid quickly frowned. Standing behind the snake, Blue Tiger could be seen smiling.


    ¡®She is a naughty person.¡¯


    No, considering the high affinity, it didn¡¯t seem to be a meaningless prank. There must be something. The snake¡¯s eyes were swirling. ¡°I told you to stick out your butt.¡±


    A powerful magic struck Grid. The snake¡¯s majestic voice rang out and powerful magic swept through Grid¡¯s mind.


    [¡®Banguli of the Twelve Zodiacs¡¯ is dazzling you to make you submit.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The First King title has reflected the abnormal condition.]


    [You have resisted all the abnormal conditions.]


    Originally, the First King¡¯s abnormal status reflection didn¡¯t apply to targets with a certain level of reputation, status, or level. The opponent was one of the Twelve Zodiacs. Grid took the reflection failure for granted. However, Banguli didn¡¯t easily ept her failure. She never imagined that a human could resist her magic. ¡°H-How is this human¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gul! Strange! Gul!¡±


    The vignt Banguli slowly stepped back and a small pink pig moved forward. Perhaps it was because she maintained her cleanliness every day but she ran forward with a refreshing flower scent and head-butted Grid.


    [You have suffered 3,960 damage.]


    [The Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix is releasing burning thorns.]


    [The target has received 2,376 damage. The target has been cursed and is unable to heal.]


    The aroma of roasted pig stimted Grid¡¯s appetite.


    ¡°Gul?¡± The pig was puzzled after she became half-cooked from banging her forehead against Grid¡¯s shoulder. Her head was stinging while she thought it was ridiculous that the human was like a mountain. Of course, she controlled her force so that the human wouldn¡¯t be seriously injured but she couldn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Chaos ensued. The horse ran and struck at Grid¡¯s thighs with her hind legs, only to squat down in pain by herself. The chicken pecked at Grid¡¯s ankle, only for her beak to be broken and she howled as if she became a rooster greeting the morning.


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence arrived. The four members of the Twelve Zodiacs were stunned after being brutally beaten by the human. They didn¡¯t know...


    Right now, the most surprised person was Grid.


    ¡°Why are they so weak...?¡±


    Were they just spirits that served the Twelve Zodiacs, not the actual members of the Twelve Zodiacs? Tosun poked the side of the seriously suspicious Grid. ¡°They aren¡¯t weak. You¡¯re just stronger.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid came to his senses at these words. He hadn¡¯t tasted it in a while so he had forgotten. Yes, this was being overheated. He had produced and equipped two myth rated armor so it was no wonder he was several times stronger than before.


    ¡°Hum hum, it is nice to meet you.¡± Grid reached out to the shocked members of the Twelve Zodiacs who were told they were weak. Then he formally introduced himself. ¡°I am Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    The legendary cksmith, magic swordsman of the epics, Duke of Fire, Duke of Virtue, Duke of Wisdom, etc...


    There were many titles but Grid¡¯s favorite one was Overgeared King.


    ¡°G-Grid?¡± Banguli¡¯s tongue shook violently. ¡°T-The person of distinction who resurrected the red phoenix?¡±


    Banguli and the others stared at Blue Tiger after finding out Grid¡¯s identity. They were fiery in nature among the Twelve Zodiacs and wanted to give Blue Tiger a good beating. However, they couldn¡¯t refuse the hand that Grid was holding out so they politely grabbed it first. Banguli had no hands and was forced to use her tongue.


    ¡°Benefactor, it is an honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You are a half-god. Shall I call you the Overgeared God in advance? Gul?¡±


    ¡°...Overgeared God?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this good? Grid was constantly suffering from being called God of Virtue so his face became rosy at this change. ¡°Yes, call me Overgeared God.¡±


    It was 10 times better than virtue. Grid smiled with satisfaction and asked Banguli, ¡°I wanted to meet you because I wanted to hear some stories. Tell me everything about the ck tortoise. I don¡¯t care if they are trivial.¡±


    The Four Gods were all those who benefited humanity. However, each one had a different personality. Grid took a more cautious approach because he had already resurrected the red phoenix. He listened to Banguli¡¯s group because he believed it would be easier to revive the ck tortoise if he understood the ck tortoise as much as possible.


    ***


    Up to a few years ago, Xing was an area inessible to yers.


    However, things had changed since thergemunity of poisonous rats was attacked by Grid. The yers were able to leave Pangea more easily and then figure out how to get to Xing via Kars. One of them was ¡®Old Sword Demon,¡¯ the first generation high ranker who was the first ranked assassin when Faker was still a rising star. He had already left the rankings leaderboard a long time ago and was now in Xing.


    ¡®The NPCs don¡¯t know about anything south of here.¡¯


    Once he heard about the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection from an acquaintance, Old Sword Demon quietly wandered the streets that had a Chinese vor. He flowed between the crowd like water and the ce he was headed for was a small inn.


    ¡°Master, do you have cuckoo meat here?¡±


    ¡°You mean the meat of those who make the cuckoo cuckoo sound?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to eat cuckoo meat that is cuckoo.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The owner¡¯s eyes changed. He stared at the stern-faced Old Sword Demon and gulped.


    ¡°Wanting to find new meat at a beef restaurant, you are a lunatic. Ey, I¡¯ve had bad luck since the opening! Get out of here!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Old Sword Demon was driven out by the owner and was stunned. He stared at the owner sprinkling salt in front of the store and turned away.


    ¡°...It was next door.¡±


    Old Sword Demon¡ªhe was one of the greatest talents but failed all sorts of quests due to his bad sense of direction. Finally, he could only stay away from the rankings.


    ¡°Hey, Old Sword Demon. You are four hourste today. You haven¡¯t changed over the years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hwang Gildong.¡±


    In fact, he was forced to switch to being a private ranker but he was still moving toward his goal, even if it was slower than others. The quest he was currently working on was the seizure of the ck Tortoise Jewel.

 Chapter 1194

    The National Competition¡¯s third day.


    The United States felt Lauel¡¯s absence. In the Siege event, they were devastated by the strategies of the Chinese dragon, Hao. Disturbances, fireballs, ambushes, sudden raids, etc.¡ªHao¡¯s operations worked together in an exquisite manner, pushing the United States to the defensive.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel, who had been isted from the main force in the enemy camp and barely managed to return to base camp alone, stopped in ce. Their castle where the star-spangled banner should be had turned into the enemy¡¯sir. The five-starred red g pped like it wasughing at Kraugel.


    ¡°Surviving that trap... I truly respect you.¡± Hao stood above the walls among the archers and advised Kraugel. ¡°However, it¡¯s already toote. Forget meaningless resistance and surrender obediently.¡±


    There were only two people Hao acknowledged as being superior to him¡ªGrid and Kraugel. In particr, he had long envied Kraugel and had been following Kraugel for many years. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he was a subordinate. Kraugel had no intention of creating a faction, nor did he think Hao was below himself.


    ¡°Kraugel, make a decision.¡±


    Once Kraugel refused to discard his sword, Hao once again advised him. All the Chinese yers, including him, were wearing barbed armor. It was armor with a sword breaker option. Hao had been truly impressed by Grid¡¯s Sword Breaker that defeated Kraugelst year.


    ¡°It has been three minutes since our g has been inserted. You have only two minutes left.¡±


    The Chinese yers started shouting. They were filled with a great momentum. There were 30 people upying the castle while Kraugel was alone. It was overwhelmingly advantageous for China, who only had to hold on for two minutes. The Chinese participants calcted that there could never be a chance and no one in the world denied it.


    Thementators and viewers, regardless of nationality, believed it was China¡¯s victory. Only one person was different. All except for Kraugel.


    ¡°Ugh?¡±


    The sword that Kraugel threw flew over the wall and the scared Chinese yers withdrew to the left and the right. The sword was inserted into a gap between the Chinese yers only to suddenly change positions with Kraugel who was below the walls.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The Chinese yers were flustered about allowing Kraugel to invade and failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage. However, they soon recovered their senses and poured out their skills onto Kraugel. At this point, Kraugel¡¯s ¡®spear¡¯ was spinning. The gentle spear flowed like water and mmed into the Chinese yers¡¯ barbed armor without being damaged.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The Chinese yers couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and flew into the air. Kraugel pulled out a new sword and threw it. The target was a tall spire 500 meters away. It was the location where the five-starred red g was inserted.


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    The Chinese yers who justnded threw their weapons as fast as they could. It was an attempt to not leave a gap for Kraugel but Kraugel was one beat faster than them. By the time theynded, Kraugel had already thrown the new weapon. By the time they threw their weapons, Kraugel¡¯s position had already been swapped with the sword.


    Kraugel¡¯s new position was in front of the spire. The fluttering five-starred red g was right in front of him. Kraugel was reaching for the red g when a powerful force struck his back. It was a Breath shot by Hao, who had spread his dragon wings and flew to the spire from the moment Kraugel ascended the walls.


    ¡°You have to give up like Lady Mi did for Zhao Yun!¡± [1]


    There were limits to being alone. Hao would use this opportunity to make Kraugel understand...


    Hao shouted with a sense of duty and Kraugel failed to respond to the attack. It was because the surprise attack came when he was bending over and reaching out to take the g. The timing of Hao¡¯s surprise attack was perfect. If Hao had opened the willpower stat, he would¡¯ve been the first person Kraugel lost to since Grid.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hao¡¯s spear stopped just before it pierced Kraugel¡¯s back. An invisible sword energy was cutting at Hao. The ¡®cuts¡¯ were intangible willpower created by a Sword Saint¡¯s Formless Will. In terms of sharpness, it was far more intimidating than Grid¡¯s Formless Will.


    ¡°Kuek...! Kuaaaaak!¡±


    The dragon scales on one side of Hao¡¯s wings couldn¡¯t withstand the shock as it was cut and blood spurted like a fountain. It was the moment when he lost his flying ability. In his falling vision, Kraugel¡¯s back as he pulled out the red g could be seen. The stars and stripes once again decorated the castle.


    ¡°Kraugel!!¡±


    Hao didn¡¯t give up. Rather than taking care of his falling body, he fired a Breath once more. Kraugel¡¯s immortality would¡¯ve been consumed before arriving here.n Hao was determined to make it mutual destruction. If he could take out Kraugel then his remaining colleagues meant China would win.


    That¡¯s right. Like the Overgeared members, Hao was distinguishing between achievements and death. The yellow ray of light emerged from Hao¡¯s mouth and cut through the sky. The Breath was the ultimate attack of the half-draconian. Not only did it consume the user¡¯s health, there was the critical disadvantage of the skill cooldown time being random. The advantages were that the hit rate and power wereparable to a legendary skill. It might be trivialpared to the Breath of a real dragon but at the very least, it did absolute damage to yers.


    However, the current opponent was the worst. It was because a Sword Saint could cut the world.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The yellow beam of light was split in half. Kraugel¡¯s sword had cut the beam of light. His newly created swordsmanship had ¡®strongest enemies¡¯ in mind and contained the power to delete skills.


    ¡°...Hat.¡±


    Haoughed as he crashed into the cold ground. His body lost the dragon wings and scales as his world became grey and silent. Standing below the star-spangled banner, Kraugel exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure that was higher than when he reigned as the supreme one.


    ***


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Upon arriving in Yangzhou, the capital of Xing, Grid¡¯s mouth dropped open. He was amazed by the size of Yangzhou, where 20 carriages could move side by side. He never dreamed there would be a metropolisrger than Titan, the capital of the empire.


    ¡°There is nothing small in this kingdom.¡±


    From the food to buildings, they were all really big. Even the chests of the women were big.


    Tosun poked Grid in the side as he watched the women on the street wearing cheongsams. ¡°Overgeared God, Overgeared God. Wake up. People are looking.¡±


    Looking?


    ¡®Am I the only one acting like a hillbilly among so many people?¡¯


    Grid shook his head and looked around. Then he was surprised. It was because the hundreds of thousands of people passing by on the street were watching Grid¡¯s party.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    Grid realized the reason.


    ¡°Where in the world did such a group of beautiese from?¡±


    Tosun and Kyeongja, as well as Blue Tiger, Banguli, and the others of the Twelve Zodiacs¡ªthey were currently apanying Grid in human form and were all peerless beauties.


    ¡®It must be eye-catching.¡¯


    Grid knew the identities of the Twelve Zodiacs and wasn¡¯t deceived by their appearance, but the situation was different for those who didn¡¯t know the truth. The men seemed to fall in love with the Twelve Zodiacs at first sight while the women had expressions of longing.


    Grid sighed.


    ¡®An obvious situation will ur.¡¯


    It was obvious. Now a young master woulde up to the Twelve Zodiacs. If things didn¡¯t work out well, he would provoke thedies¡¯ servant and this was naturally Grid.


    ¡®If an ordinary man is with these beauties then he will naturally be mistaken for thedies¡¯ servant.¡¯


    This time, it also included Braham. Today, Braham had a in face due to the skin mask. This meant he would be treated just like Grid.


    ¡°Can you excuse me for a moment?¡±


    It was as expected. Someone who was obviously a nobleman in luxurious clothing approached Grid. Grid watched and waited for this third-rate extra to say his lines. Surprisingly, the nobleman spoke to Grid, not the Twelve Zodiacs. It was even in a polite manner.


    ¡°I am Qi Jian, the eldest son of the Wolong Goods Office, the representative business group of Yangzhou. Based on your clothing, you seem to be a nobleman from the Cho Kingdom. Can I ask for your name?¡±


    ¡°Why are you wondering about my name?¡±


    ¡°I see that you have travelled with such beautiful people to a distant kingdom and you look like someone who knows romance. That¡¯s why I want to get closer to you. I¡¯m on my way to have a drink with my friends. Do you want to apany me?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was engulfed in great emotions. He was regarded as a nobleman rather than a servant, as well as one having a romantic affair with beauties. Grid couldn¡¯t help raising his shoulders. He had only recently been gaining confidence in his appearance and now his self-esteem rose sharply.


    In his heart, he wanted to shake hands with Qi Jian and go drink straight away. However, Grid refused. ¡°Thank you for the suggestion but I have work to do...¡±


    Just then, Grid shook his head and closed his mouth. It was because Braham was ring at him. Braham was very dissatisfied.


    ¡°No, what is it?¡± Grid whispered and Braham clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Do you want to miss out on a golden opportunity?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid recalled the challenges facing him. First, he had to collect information. He had to figure out the exact location of the ck Tortoise Jewel and find a way to ess it. The man in front of him introduced himself as the eldest son of the city¡¯s representative business group. There was no loss conversing with him. There was no room to worry. ¡°...Okay! Let¡¯s have a drink!¡±


    ¡°Ohh! You really are a man of refined tastes!¡±


    Once Grid answered vigorously, Qi Jian led Grid¡¯s party to arge inn. It was an expensive inn where a ss of wine would cost gold, not silver. Grid was guided to thergest innermost room and felt slightly strained. It was natural to have high expectations at the chance to taste delicacies from a kingdom he was visiting for the first time.


    ¡°Cuckoo meat and Gxy Wine.¡±


    Qi Jian sat down with Grid¡¯s group and ordered alcohol and food. The names seemed a bit strange but Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed or anxious. Once he saw the storekeeper smiling while leaving, it seemed like a very expensive meal had been ordered.


    ¡®Expensive food doesn¡¯t taste bad. How delicious will this kingdom¡¯s fine food be?¡¯


    In fact, Grid liked cheap and stimting foods such as jjampong, ramyun, pork belly, canned tuna, and sausages. However, he had stayed at the Cho Kingdom¡¯s pce for the past few days and became interested in fine dining food. The delicacies he ate at the Cho Pce had suited his taste.


    Qi Jian asked with a smile, ¡°Did you hear that God Red Phoenix has resurrected and blessed the south? Surely your living conditions have improved?¡±


    ¡°Of course..."


    Grid was trying to answer when he felt a strange sensation and shut his mouth. He stared at the smiling Qi Jian.


    ¡°How did you hear about the resurrection of the red phoenix?¡±


    The news of the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection was thoroughly blocked by the Hwan Kingdom. The news hadn¡¯t yet been delivered outside the south. If Qi Jian was an ordinary NPC then it was impossible for him to know about the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection. Qi Jian¡¯s smile changed sharply. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate the informationwork of the Chivalrous Robbers.¡±


    Snap!


    Dozens of masked people poured in through the door and windows. At the same time, Qi Jian got up from his seat and pointed a sword at Grid¡¯s neck. His movements were as fast as lightning. Qi Jian stated coolly, ¡°The south is isted due to the barrier installed by the Five Seniors and the people of the Cho Kingdom can¡¯t leave the south. If you were a normal person of the Cho Kingdom then it would¡¯ve been impossible toe here...¡±


    Qi Jian stopped before he finished speaking. It was because Grid used Earth God and the masked people, including Qi Jian, hardened like stone. No, they were turned into stone. Grid slowly drew his sword as he rose from his seat and pointed it at Qi Jian¡¯s neck. Once the effect of Earth God was over and Qi Jian could move again, the situation had already reversed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on quickly from this tedious sweet potato development [2]. I am Overgeared King Grid, who defeated the yangbans and resurrected the red phoenix. Are you on my side or are you an enemy?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m on your side!¡± Qi Jian replied immediately.


    He was stunned by Grid¡¯s presence that turned him and hispanions into stone.


    [1] In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lady Mi sacrificed her life to ensure that Zhao Yun and the infant Liu Shan were safe from their pursuers


    [2] ng used to describe a frustrating situation

 Chapter 1195

    The reason Braham stayed quiet throughout the incident was because he was wary of the level of Qi Jian¡¯s people. Until they were escorted to the inn, Braham thought they were really civilians.


    Qi Jian¡¯s people were ordinary. At least, until the cuckoo meat was ordered. Qi Jian¡¯s group showed their real strength the moment food was ordered and this brought a strong impact to Braham. In particr, the scene where the magicalunched by a pale-faced schr squeezed all the mana in the area was spectacr. The mana flowing in the air was broken down and sealed. If Braham was an ordinary magician then he would¡¯ve suffered a setback.


    ¡®There are no worms.¡¯


    It was worthy of praise that they hid their strength from the legendary great magician. Braham carefully observed and judged the strength of Qi Jian¡¯s group before quietly gesturing. Then the chaotic mana in the air gathered at his fingertips.


    ¡°...!¡±


    It happened when the face of the pale-faced schr turned blue...


    The masked men who stormed into the room, Qi Jian, and even the Twelve Zodiacs turned to stone.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Braham was flustered. There was no way to use magic power to suppress the aura of petrification rising from the tip of his toes. Earth God¡ªthe power of the white tiger that Grid used at this moment waspletely unreasonable. Brahan hurriedly opened his mental world. Likewise, he went against reason to resist the power of the white tiger.


    Step.


    Once everyone except for Grid and Braham became stone statues, Grid got up and approached Qi Jian. He slowly pulled out his sword and aimed it at Qi Jian¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m on your side!¡±


    After a while, Qi Jian was freed from petrification and shouted while raising his hands. It wasn¡¯t a lie to save his life. Knowing that Grid wasn¡¯t the enemy, he didn¡¯t feel the need to fight.


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, my name is Qi Jian! I¡¯m a member of the Chivalrous Robbers! It is an honor to meet the person of distinction who resurrected God Red Phoenix!¡±


    Qi Jian didn¡¯t doubt Grid. He believed that Grid had resurrected the red phoenix. It was natural to believe this. The power of the white tiger that Grid showed a while ago was different from the breaths used by the yangbans. It was proof that Grid had been acknowledged by the white tiger.


    Grid put away his sword, sat down and asked, ¡°What is the Chivalrous Robbers?¡±


    In fact, Grid was half excited. Qi Jian¡¯s people were skilled enough to admire Braham. Grid wouldn¡¯t have recognized the skills of Qi Jian¡¯s group. He was just deeply grateful that the effect of Earth God had been triggered.


    ¡®I really like the conditions.¡¯


    The prerequisite for activating Earth God was that he ¡®touch the ground.¡¯ There was a probability of the skill activating even if he was sitting or standing normally. He felt that the probability of activating it was much more frequent than Lightning God which had a probability of activating while flying. Of course, a big reason was the ovepping options of the shoulder guards and gaiters.


    Qi Jian beckoned for the masked people to step back and exined, ¡°The Chivalrous Robbers is a righteous group established by Hwang Gildong. The ultimate purpose is to take away the wealth of corrupt officials and giving it to benefit the people, while also punishing the yangbans who are misleading people with fake myths.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    This was the answer that Grid had expected. Grid often heard the story of Hwang Gildong and realized that Hwang Gildong was based on Hong Gildong.


    ¡®The person who gave the toothless tigers the dentures was also Hwang Gildong. I¡¯m sure he is good.¡¯


    It was great news that Hwang Gildong was hostile to the yangbans. He would be a strong supporter.


    ¡°How are you fighting against the yangbans?¡±


    Qi Jian¡¯s group was clearly strong. In particr, the pale-faced schr was close to a legend in strength so the overall level of the Chivalrous Robbers should be extremely high, ording to Grid. Nevertheless, it wascking. The yangbans were too strong. Hwang Gildong himself was a legend and even if his executives were quasi-legends, it was far from being able to confront the yangbans with force.


    ¡°We are informing people about the reality of the yangbans.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this smart?¡¯


    Hwang Gildong and the Chivalrous Robbers grasped the main point. They knew that the yangbans became stronger by bing objects of faith and were working to suppress this.


    ¡®Without their actions, Garam and the yangbans would¡¯ve been much stronger.¡¯


    He might not have won the battle against the yangbans. Grid really liked the Chivalrous Robbers. It was their first time meeting each other but he felt a sense ofradeship.


    ¡°By the way, how did you notice that the myths of thisnd were fake?¡±


    ¡°It was thanks to Hwang Gildong.¡±


    ¡®A legend or transcendent won¡¯t easily fall for the gods¡¯ deception.¡¯


    The daoist Sabaek also knew the myths of thisnd were fake and was preparing for a war with the Hwan Kingdom. The problem was that Sabaek¡¯s methods were wrong. However, Grid believed that Hwang Gildong was different. Since Hwang Gildong was based on Hong Gildong, an existence of justice, Grid thought Hwang Gildong would be the same.


    ¡°Can I meet with Hwang Gildong?¡±


    Just as Grid asked, the food came out. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a cuckoo dish. It was a roast duck and vegetable dish and the taste was great. The crispy duck skin was topped with vegetables and sauce, making him eager to eat it.


    ¡°We might serve Hwang Gildong but it is impossible to grasp his movements. Since he is someone who is hunted...¡±


    ¡°So how do you usually interact?¡±


    ¡°If Hwang Gildong gives us orders in a letter then we will act ordingly. All branches scattered throughout the continent operate the same way as us.¡±


    ¡°There is no way for you to get in touch with Hwang Gildong first?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    It seemed more cautious than necessary but it was natural. The enemies of the Chivalrous Robbers were so strong that they had to be secretive in order to not be discovered. Grid ate the meal with the Twelve Zodiacs and then got to the point.


    ¡°I want to know the exact whereabouts of the ck Tortoise Jewel.¡±


    The location of the ck Tortoise Jewel wasn an open secret. It is known to the public that the ck Tortoise Jewel is being held in a ce called Chaoxin Fortress. However, the reason why Grid came to Yeongzhou instead of Chaoxin was due to the advice of the Twelve Zodiacs.


    ¡®Banguli told me that the location of Chaoxin Fortress is in the east.¡¯


    The ck tortoise was the god of the north. It made sense that the ck Tortoise Jewel should be kept in the northernmost part of the Xing Kingdom. It was just like the Red Phoenix Bow was kept in Pangea, the southernmost part of the Cho Kingdom.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the ck Tortoise Jewel is being kept in one of three ces: Boguan, Huawu, Chiaotzu. Which of the three is it?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Qi Jian cocked his head. He was a bit puzzled. On the other hand, the pale-faced schr called ¡®Huo Jing¡¯ agreed.


    ¡°Person of Distinction, you are different. Contrary to what is known to the world, the ck Tortoise Jewel at Chaoxin was a fake. It is clear that the real ck Tortoise Jewel is at one of the three ces you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°So where is it?¡±


    ¡°I think it is highly likely to be Chiaotzu.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is because the troops at Chiaotzu were strengthened right after the Cho Kingdom lost the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    ¡°The loss of the Red Phoenix Bow would¡¯ve raised the rm of the Hwan Kingdom. I think they would¡¯ve ordered Xing and the other kingdoms to thoroughly tighten the security around the artifacts of the Four Gods.¡±


    ¡°At that time, only the troops at Chiaotzu were increased so there is a good chance Chiaotzu will contain the ck Tortoise Jewel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it could be a feint but I don¡¯t think so...¡±


    Braham interrupted. ¡°There is a good chance the ck Tortoise Jewel is at one of these three ces if a yangban is staying there.¡±


    Since the resurrection of the red phoenix, the wariness of the Hwan Kingdom would be much higher. It was more likely that the yangbans would be directly protecting the artifacts of the Four Gods. Huo Jin nodded at Braham¡¯s reasoning. "I also have the same idea. I will send a letter to my colleagues in those three areas to investigate right away.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It was a long conversation.


    ¡°By the way, why are you looking for the ck Tortoise Jewel?¡± Qi Jian suddenly raised his hand like he was a student and asked.


    Grid replied like it was obvious, ¡°I have to take it away and resurrect the ck tortoise.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    In the past, an unknown person¡ªBlue Tiger¡ªwas able to seize the Red Phoenix because security was negligent. However, now the Hwan Kingdom was aware there was a force that revealed its teeth and even allowed the resurrection of the red phoenix.


    Was it possible to steal the ck Tortoise Jewel that the yangbans were guarding?


    Qi Jian questioned but at the same time, he was full of expectations. It seemed possible if it was the man in front of him.


    ***


    ¡°It is a bad time.¡±


    ¡°It could have an adverse effect on the National Competition.¡±


    The S.A Group convened an emergency meeting. It was because they caught the fact that the ¡®operator¡¯ was trying to move. Codename S-001¡ªhis name was Hanul and he was the highest-ranked NPC who could grant quests to multiple yers. The biggest incident on the East Continent, the resurrection of the red phoenix, made him act again.


    ¡°Is the operator trying to get assistance?¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho hurried into the meeting room and asked as he sat down. Hanul, who grew through the ¡®level up cycle¡¯ that the gods experienced every year, was currently looking down at the ground. He had a dissatisfied expression as he gazed at the red-colored southern sky.


    ¡°Yes, the bnce set by Morpheus means the Five Seniors can¡¯t move, so he is quickly attracting yers.¡±


    ¡°This is bad... the timing of the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection was too soon.¡±


    This incident was surprising for Chairman Lim Cheolho, who valued Grid more than anyone else. He hadn¡¯t expected Grid to resurrect the red phoenix so easily.


    ¡®It is fun watching the unexpected but I can¡¯t enjoy it this time.¡¯


    Hanul closed his eyes and was slowly waving his arms. He was like a conductor against a backdrop of grand music. At the same time...


    [Call of the Heavens]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    A transcendental being needs your help.


    Go to Chiaotzu in the Xing Kingdom. Those who are in danger of their treasure being stolen by an unknown evil are eager for your help.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Arrive in Chiaotzu within a week.


    Quest Clear Rewards:


    1. Create a linked hidden quest.


    2. Gain two levels.


    Quest Failure Penalty: None.]


    The same quest window arrived in front of all yers in the top 1,000 of the unified rankings. The reward was gaining two levels. It was an irresistible quest to the high rankers.

 Chapter 1196

    ¡°Two levels? Wow, the rewards are crazy.¡±


    The reaction of the top 1,000 rankers who received the Call of the Heavens quest was hot. The so-called high rankers were at least level 370. It was hard to gain 4~5% experience after a whole day of hunting and quests that gave levels as rewards were hard to clear. The sudden quest that gave two levels was like timely rain in a drought.


    ¡°Is this an event?¡±


    ¡°The S.A Group has finally learned how to deal with public sentiment.¡±


    It was a surprise quest that made people suspect favoritism. Reinforcement, drawing, production, etc.¡ªevery time all types of probability content were conducted, the rankers were busy swearing at the S.A Group. Now they rarely praised the S.A Group and trembled with joy. It onlysted 10 seconds.


    ¡°...The time limit of the quest is a week.¡±


    ¡°What? This damn thing!¡±


    This was the period of the National Competition. There was still one day until the end of the National Competition and this was roughly three days in game time. Naturally, the majority of high-ranking yers were participating in the National Competition. It was virtually impossible to reach a certain part of the East Continent in just four days.


    ¡°This event is bullshit. It is just teasing us.¡±


    ¡°These S.A XXXX are too much. If such a quest is released at this timing, the fairness of those participating in thepetition and those absent from thepetition will be different.¡±


    ¡°This will hurt the growth of those participating in the National Competition. Who will participate in the National Competition if we are hit like this every time?¡±


    In the past, Grid had ced a killing order on Veradin. Rather than condemning him, the high rankers agreed or sympathized because they identified with Grid. High rankers with a high participation rate in the National Competition had to understand and defend Grid who had suffered losses during the National Competition. Only then could they avoid experiencing the same thing as Grid.


    At this moment, they were struck by a simr pattern. It wasn¡¯t due to yers but the tyranny of the gamepany. The S.A Group, who dominated the world, hadn¡¯t changed since the Veradin incident. They were still arrogant.


    ¡°Is it the S.A Group¡¯s proposition that those who participate in the National Competition should bear a penalty in exchange for the rewards they can receive? If they keep to this stance, don¡¯t they know that they¡¯ll be boycotted by the rankers sooner orter?¡±


    ¡°How many times has it been that the S.A Group failed to care about public sentiment? They are running the game ording to their tastes so they won¡¯t listen to us no matter what we say.¡±


    ¡°After a few years, only the low level yers will participate in the National Competition and they will regret it.¡¯


    ¡°The biggest problem right now is the attitude of the public. No one has a problem with how the S.A Group treats the participants of the National Competition. If people stand up and protest together, the treatment of participants might improve. It is a pity that they are staying silent.¡±


    ¡°For ordinary yers, the National Competition is like a celebration. Why would they pay attention to the welfare of the strong yers when they are monopolizing the rewards of participating in the National Competition?¡±


    ¡°There is no answer to this. The S.A Group will never change and in the future, we will lose every time we join the National Competition.¡±


    The problem was that the quest that rewards two levels urred during the National Competition. Theints of the yers participated in the National Competition boiled up and the arrow of condemnation aimed at the S.A Group. yers went to the operations office to demand their rights.


    ¡°Increase the deadline for the Call from the Heavens quest.¡±


    The answer they received was naturally as expected.


    ¡°it isn¡¯t possible. It isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t you know that the current situation is unfair?¡±


    ¡°Why is it unfair? Haven¡¯t you participated in the National Competition and earned rewards? Increasing the deadline for your convenience will increase the dissatisfaction of those who don¡¯t participate in the National Competition.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! In return for giving up the rewards, those who don¡¯t participate in the National Competition will grow and benefit in the game! Why do they say that we are the ones benefiting one-sidedly?¡±


    The S.A Group replied, ¡°This quest is part of the in-game growth for the non-participants.¡±


    ¡°Unseemly sophistry! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±


    ¡°Damn! The National Competition is too dirty!¡±


    The yers were disgruntled by the attitude of the S.A Group and dered they would abandon the National Competition while it was still ongoing.


    However, the S.A Group¡¯s officials didn¡¯t blink.


    ¡°The purpose of the National Competition is to bring the world together with Satisfy. Participants are obligated to help raise awareness of Satisfy. As a Satisfy yer, you have to be an example to the world. If you give up the National Competition without a sense of responsibility, you will be deprived of all the previous medals you won and the corresponding rewards. You will also be penalized in future National Competitions.¡±


    ¡°This XX...!¡±


    In the end, the swearing continued.


    A difference of 1% experience was enough to change the rankings every day. Therefore, the attitude of the S.A Group, who threatened them under the name of the rules rather than caring about the position of the rankers, caused the yers to let loose profanities.


    The tension of the situation reached the peak.


    ¡°XX! Do what you like! Penalized? Give it to me! Do as you please! I¡¯ll never participate again because the National Competition is too dirty!¡±


    Surprisingly, there were many yers. In particr, those who hadn¡¯t won any silver or gold medals in the past four days gave up the qualification to participate in the National Competition. On the other hand, the gold medal winning participants hesitated about withdrawing. Still, they left a warning to the S.A Group which was trying to keep the situation under control.


    ¡°...I understand their position.¡±


    The yers left. The gazes of all the remaining employees in the quiet office were drawn to Director Yoon Sangmin.


    Yoon Sangmin showed signs of weariness. He had flown to New York to run the National Competition and was struggling for months, so it was no wonder he was tired. He was full of anticipation that his hard work would be over in one more day but he felt terrible because such a ridiculous situation had suddenly urred. He resented the Grid he liked so much.


    "I don¡¯t understand it either. Still, what can I do? Changing it would give them too much benefitspared to the non-participants and it isn¡¯t fair. In the first ce...¡±


    The principle was that management didn¡¯t intervene in what happened in the game. They had no authority to intervene. All of Satisfy¡¯s history was written by the flow of the world and the yers swimming in it. Chairman Lim Cheolho had always insisted on this.


    ¡°...I¡¯m only following the instructions of the higher-ups.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin swallowed his long words and finished things. He expressed his disappointment that the current situation would have an adverse effect on the promotion of the National Competition in the future. The National Competition was only an incidental event. The value of Satisfy was within Satisfy. Director Yoon Sangmin thought that he would be satisfied as long as yers didn¡¯t abandon Satisfy.


    ¡®Of course, it is a shame...¡¯


    Yoon Sangmin turned on the monitor that had been turned off. A panoramic view of the demon king¡¯s castle filled the screen. The east, west, north, and south gates were guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings and the demon king was standing on the highest terrace of the castle.


    Damian¡ªhe was a new star behind Kraugel and Grid. He had an archangel as a member of the Four Heavenly Kings and had an overwhelmingly higher health thanst year¡¯s demon king. His buffs and recovery ability that were beyondmon sense would be a disaster for challengers. However, he wasn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re destined to be the protagonist yet.¡±


    It was at the time when Yoon Sangmin was feeling sorry for Damian.


    "Isabel-chan, please hold on.¡±


    The white-haired man wearing a helmet that seemed to be made out of a dragon¡¯s skull was praying earnestly. After monitoring all the events of the past four days, he waspletely overwhelmed by Kraugel and the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Please! Stop those horrible humans froming here!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Four Heavenly Kings looked at the demon king who appeared patheticpared to his majestic appearance.


    ***


    ¡°Would you like to quit?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t rmend it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The yers who came back from meeting Director Yoon Sangmin first visited yers belonging to the Overgeared Guild.


    It was to convey the seriousness of the situation to the Overgeared members, who were influential both in skill and fame. They believed that if the Overgeared members boycotted the National Competition, other yers would agree with them and the S.A Group would reluctantly change their attitude.


    It was twisted from the start. The reactions of the Overgeared Guild members werepletely different from expected.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this quest.¡±


    The Overgeared members were negative about the Call of the Heavens quest itself even if it gave two levels as a reward. The yers wondered, ¡°Why? Do you think you won¡¯t be able to reach the destination in time?¡±


    Then the Overgeared members replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry if it was that. There are some people who have been to Xing. If it is a week then the deadline can barely be met. This is just a really nasty quest.¡±


    "No, we¡¯re not worried about that. We have Skunk and we¡¯re not worried about finding the way.¡±


    The yer asked, ¡°Then what is the problem?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard the rumours of the cksmith ughter quest?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yes... I¡¯ve heard about it.¡±


    The yers nodded at Jishuka¡¯s question.


    A few years ago, a quest took ce that targeted all of Satisfy¡¯s cksmiths. At that time, it wasn¡¯t known how to get to the East Continent so only hundreds of cksmiths participated in the quest.


    ¡°There were rumors that the Overgeared cksmiths who crossed to the East Continent fell into a trap and died miserably. Is this what you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is a good chance that the person who gave that quest and the one who gave this quest are the same person.¡±


    ¡°...Who is it?¡±


    ¡°A yangban.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Overgeared members knew that Garam was the one who killed the cksmiths. It just wasn¡¯t known that Hanul was the one who created the quest. Of course, the weight of the name ¡®yangban¡¯ was sufficient.


    ¡°Hey, it was a yangban?¡± The yers¡¯ faces were white. They were high rankers and had information about the East Continent, so they knew the yangbans were gods. They were also gods who considered humans trivial.


    Jishuka smiled at the yers who were as stiff as statues. ¡°They won¡¯t be involved in anything good. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°......¡±


    No one denied it. Once the yers realized that this quest wasn¡¯t good, they stepped back and left. Soon, Lauel¡¯s voice echoed through the waiting room that contained only the Overgeared members.


    -Well done.


    The voice came from over the phone. Jishuka frowned. ¡°Is this really good enough?¡±


    It was Lauel¡¯s analysis that those who epted the quest were likely to be in a hostile position to Grid. If the quest creator was a yangban, the ¡®evil¡¯ mentioned in the quest was likely Grid who was hostile to the Hwan Kingdom. The Overgeared Guild were in a position to stop the rankers from participating in the quest.


    ¡°I think it would be better to honestly persuade them not to be hostile to Grid and to give up.¡±


    -That is a bit provocative.Jishuka, shouldn¡¯t you know better than anyone that the pride of the high rankers is as high as the sky?


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    -If you talk about Grid while implying that they shouldn¡¯t face him, it would spark the rankers¡¯ sense of challenge.It would also crush Grid¡¯s pride if you ask them to give up for Grid¡¯s convenience.


    Thus, proper coordination was needed.


    -It is a quest that the yangbans are intertwined in.If there is a possibility of falling into a trap like the cksmiths a few years ago...It is enough just to nt this level of awareness.This alone will cause arge number of people to give up on the quest.


    ¡°Then what about those who don¡¯t give up?¡± Jishuka trembled as she recalled the strength of the yangbans she had experienced first hand.


    ¡°It will be too difficult for Grid if even some of the high rankers join the yangbans. Even Braham couldn¡¯t knock down Garam by himself. That¡¯s why we need to help Grid right away.¡±


    -No.The moment you give up on the National Competition in the middle, all the rankers will participate in the quest.They will think you cheated them to monopolize the quest rewards.


    ¡°...¡±


    -In the first ce, you must earn the National Competition rewards.You need to obtain as many breaths as possible to help Grid in the long run.


    ¡°So what are you going to do? Will you send Mercedes and Piaro to Grid?¡±


    -No?<i>We can¡¯t force so many precious talents into a desperate situation.</i>We have already significantly reduced the power of the enemies. What else can we do?


    ¡°...?¡±


    -Jishuka, be calm.You might be blinded due to your love for Grid but everyone experiences failure.The person who has suffered more failures than anyone else is Grid.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    -Grid¡¯s winning streak is over.It is time for him to return to Reinhardt.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s face reddened. She felt disbelief that Lauel could speak about Grid¡¯s failure so easily.


    Lauel told her.


    -Now Grid is fighting the gods.Do you think Grid is going to win and conquer the world of the gods?


    ¡°...!¡±


    -You have to know that faith that is beyond reason is only a burden on Grid.Grid isn¡¯t a god.He can¡¯t always win and can¡¯t always live up to your expectations.


    ¡°......¡±


    Jishuka bowed her head. She realized how much her vague belief had put a strain on Grid.


    -Cool your head and focus on the National Competition.


    Lauel hung up. The atmosphere of the quiet waiting room became heavy. It wasn¡¯t just Jishuka. Yura and the Overgeared members had the same thought about Grid. When did it start? They had started taking Grid¡¯s victory and sess for granted...


    ¡°There are many gold medals in the remaining events. Once Grides back, we will give him the breaths to encourage him.¡±


    Chris broke the silence. All the Overgeared members nodded with resolve.


    At the same time...


    "This is funny."


    Grid was crossing mountains and rivers. No obstacles stopped him. This was the majesty of Earth God. Every time Grid activated it and changed the terrain of the area into a in, the intensity caused the rough mountains to be an equal height. Grid was leisurely walking with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°...Is this a person?¡±


    Qi Jiang¡¯s group following Grid clicked their tongues. In their eyes, Grid looked more like a god than the yangbans.

 Chapter 1197

    A sound could be heard in the distance. Was it the roar of the world¡¯srgest beast? Qi Jian¡¯s group were still surprised by this sound despite hearing it several times and their eyes were focused on the walking Grid. A white haze was rising above Grid¡¯s body. It was the scene of a god descending.


    [You have assimted with the breath of the white tiger. Enter the ¡®Earth God¡¯ state and gain control of the earth.]


    The world that Grid saw changed. The field, the rocks, the hills, the mountains, etc. Everything that was ssified as terrain shed with a fluorescent light. His eyes spun. Grid stared at the hills and hurriedly drew a in in his head. Grid¡¯s mana was immediately consumed and the hills sank. The area had been turned into a in.


    It was a miracle. This was the power of a god. Grid had the protection of the white tiger and could use some of its earth power, so he could change the nearby terrain ording to his own taste. The number of changes allowed was one and the duration was only 30 seconds, but this was already a significant and helpful effect.


    Grid was running on the in with pride when Braham struck a blow to his heart. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too shabby to be called the power of the earth god?¡±


    It was easy to do even if they weren¡¯t a god. Whether it was a hill or a mountain, he could magically smash it. Grid refuted Braham¡¯s words. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just an act of destroying nature?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The advantage of this skill was to preserve nature? Grid was so adamant that the rather flustered Braham thought about it before nodding.


    ¡°Indeed... the more that nature is preserved, the stronger the concentration of mana. So you can say that the ability of the gods to turn the area into a in without destroying the hills is great.¡±


    It was a good result for him. He was epting it and letting it go when Grid spoke to Braham.


    ¡°In fact, Earth God¡¯s real strength isn¡¯t turning the area into a in. The real power of Earth God is that the area can be made into abyrinth.¡±


    ¡°Then why turn it into a in? Just now when you were chased by a group of dokkaebi [1], wouldn¡¯t you have been able to get away much easier if you made abyrinth?¡±


    ¡°I have to draw the structure in my head but it is hard...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t just been a day or two when Grid¡¯s brain didn¡¯t work well. Braham didn¡¯t say anything else. Qi Jian¡¯s group and the Twelve Zodiacs didn¡¯t dare question it in order to protect Grid¡¯s dignity.


    ¡®It is hard to do it well from the beginning unless you¡¯re a genius.¡¯


    Until now, Grid had something inmon when forming the ins. They were all made in three seconds. It seemed that selecting the terrain to change and redesigning the structure of what it was to be changed into had to be done in three seconds. It was no wonder that Grid needed time to adapt.


    ¡®Among those who aren¡¯t geniuses, the only one who can make full use of the power of the Dungeon Master.¡¯


    The Dungeon Master that Braham was thinking of was Eat Spicy Jokbal. Eat Spicy Jokbal had built more than 30 dungeons and helped numerous yers in the Overgeared Kingdom so his prestige had reached Braham¡¯s ears.


    ¡®I should ask him to construct the basement of the magic tower that will be built soon.¡¯


    The moment Braham had this thought...


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Once the duration of Earth God finished and the area which was turned into a in reverted back into being hills, Grid slowed down and sighed with relief.


    ¡®This is originally a lotto-ss skill.¡¯


    Earth God could be activated once every three hours. It was a cooldown that wasn¡¯t significantly different from the so-called ultimate skills. However, there were things that shouldn¡¯t be forgotten. Earth God had ovepping chances of activating. If the odds hadn¡¯t been stacked, the chances of it being triggered would¡¯ve been significantly lower than they were now. It was terrible just thinking about it.


    ¡®It is the right thing to make the White Tiger set. In the future, once I¡¯ve made one more equipment out of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix¡¯s andpleted the White Tiger set, there will be a higher chance of Earth God activating.¡¯


    The ideal scenario was to revive the ck tortoise and receive the ck tortoise¡¯s blessing. Then the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath could also be fused with the breath of another of the Four Gods, just like the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®Finally, I will aim to resurrect all of the Four Gods.¡¯


    He would be able tobine the breaths ording to his liking. Grid was in the middle of depicting a brilliant future when his vision captured something. A cloud, reminiscent of the white eyebrows of an elderly person, hung on top of a lush mountain. The river surrounding the mountain was sparkling like the Milky Way on earth.


    ¡°That is Mount Baekmi.¡±


    ¡°It is the entrance to Chiaotzu.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It should¡¯ve taken two more days but it arrived quickly.¡±


    Qi Jian¡¯s group smiled.


    The mountains that should¡¯ve taken them a long time to climb were easily passed thanks to Grid so it was an amazing and enjoyable experience for them. They thought they would talk about this day for the rest of their lives. Suddenly, the river fluctuated violently.


    ¡°...!?¡±


    ¡°It is an army.¡±


    ¡°They must¡¯ve been expecting us toe.¡±


    The river and then the ground shook. A cloud of dust was rising from far away, far beyond the river.


    ¡°We must quickly cross the river because they upy the dock!¡±


    Qi Jian rushed to the river, climbed onto a boat and grabbed the oars. He beckoned for Grid to board the boat but Grid¡¯s group stayed in ce.


    Qi Jian urged, ¡°We have to hurry!¡±


    The Baekmi River might be small but it wasn¡¯t easy to cross. They originally nned to rent a big ship here but they were unfortunate enough to only see a ferry boat left. Huo Jin calmed the anxious Qi Jian. ¡°Get off the boat. They knew we wereing and sent an army. Do you think they wouldn¡¯t have prepared anything else?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Qi Jian btedly realized that water was filling up at an unnoticeable rate from the bottom of the boat¡ªa small hole had deliberately been drilled.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that there were no big ships!¡¯


    He almost became a water ghost due to his desire to hurriedly cross the river by boat. Qi Jian¡¯s people jumped out of the boat and nced respectfully at Grid. It was natural to feel respect for Grid, who not only had the power reminiscent of a god but also had the ability to recognize traps. In fact, even Grid hadn¡¯t known there was a trap.


    ¡®I can fly so why should I take a small boat like that?¡¯


    Grid focused his senses. His transcendent vision and hearing measured the number of troops approaching the river.


    ¡®There are over 1,000.¡¯


    It was too far to fathom clearly. There was a river between them so the resonance against the ground was irregr. Grid frowned and Braham dered, ¡°There are 4,000 people.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Aside from Huo Jin, the people of Qi Jian¡¯s group cocked their heads. Who was this man who looked ordinary at first nce yet could measure the number of troops by looking at the dust? He might not be an average person but they felt it crossed the line when they saw Grid treating him politely.


    ¡°ording to the investigation by the Chivalrous Robbers, there are less than 3,000 troops stationed at Chiaotzu. Yet you say there are 4,000... I don¡¯t think you should jump to conclusions.¡±


    Qi Jian was expressing his disbelief when Huo Jin blocked his mouth. ¡°He is a legend. Someone equivalent to Hwang Gildong.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    They were shocking words. At the same time, Braham used Fly magic and flew to the center of Baekmi River. He increased his magic power with Mana Drain and reached out across the river. ¡°Giga Raiden.¡±


    There was a golden sh and a storm was created. A column of water surged in the river due to the electric shock that roared through it and unconscious fish floated to the surface. The Chiaotzu forces at the front line were swept away by an explosion. Screams echoed through the dust and soon calmed down. The mountain of corpses was visible through the dust that cleared up before the fainted fish even woke up. Heavily armed soldiers were bleeding and foaming, unable to ovee the aftermath of Giga Raiden.


    ¡°One strike...!¡±


    Qi Jian¡¯s people were doubly surprised. It was unbelievable that the number of troops was the same as Braham¡¯s estimation and that they were all wiped out with a single spell. The one who was even more surprised was Grid.


    ¡®Did he use high level magic?¡¯


    Giga Raiden wasn¡¯t legendary magic but it was clearly the highest level magic that was the exclusive possession of great people called great magicians. Braham had destroyed Talos, Yatan¡¯s First Servant, with basic magic so it was shocking to learn that he defeated the army with high-level magic. Braham, who had just returned to Grid¡¯s side, spoke with displeasure, ¡°Every god has amon power. Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see...?¡±


    ¡°It is to call those who serve them. An easy example is the Reba priests and pdins. Those who are protected by Reba have the miracle of recovery and reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    He understood what Braham meant but he didn¡¯t know why that person was talking about it now. Grid nodded and Braham got straight to the point. ¡°It seems that the Five Seniors are protecting the soldiers here. Otherwise, the level of the soldiers is so high that it is difficult to understand.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    This meant that the Five Seniors, who seemed to have left the work to the yangbans and were observing the situation, actually indirectly intervened. It was like a bolt from the blue for Grid, who was overwhelmed by just the yangbans.


    Braham informed the flustered Grid, ¡°We came here with failure in mind. Don¡¯t forget that and don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I know what you mean.¡±


    Yes, he never expected to be able to seize the ck Tortoise Jewel straight away. For now, the goal was to gather information such as the exact location of the ck Tortoise Jewel and assessing the level of the enemy. There wasn¡¯t only one chance. They could cross continents at any time. Therefore, Grid ordered the Twelve Zodiacs and Qi Jian¡¯s group, "Everyone, go back. From here on, Braham and I will go alone.¡±


    ¡°What...?! What are you talking about?¡±


    The one who spoke was a blue-haired beautiful woman who was taller than Grid. It was Blue Tiger as a human.


    In the process of making the gaiters and shoulder guards, Blue Tiger had be much stronger than before. In fact, most of the Twelve Zodiacs were stronger than Grid. It was hard for Grid to convince them to go back when they believed Grid needed their power. Grid asked, ¡°Can you afford to face the Five Seniors if theye out?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Of course not. Forget the Twelve Zodiacs, even the Four Gods couldn¡¯t go against the Five Seniors. This was why they lost and were sealed.


    ¡°If any of you are captured and sealed by the Five Seniors and the yangbans, you might hinder the resurrection of the Four Gods. Thus, you have to stay back here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Twelve Zodiacs couldn¡¯t refute it but that didn¡¯t mean they would back down. They wondered what Braham and Grid could do alone. It was at a time when everyone couldn¡¯t back down easily.


    ¡°We have to believe in the Overgeared God.¡±


    A cute girl with slightly protruding front teeth stepped forward. It was Tosun.


    ¡°The Overgeared God has already done something impossible. It is right to believe in him and wait for him.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t force it.¡±


    Blue Tiger stared straight into Grid¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Grid, give up whenever it is hard. Don¡¯t sacrifice yourself for thisnd that has nothing to do with you. You have no obligation to take responsibility for us.¡±


    Grid smiled and shrugged.


    "Of course.¡±


    The Twelve Zodiacs and Qi Jian¡¯s group remained in ce until Grid and Brahampletely disappeared across the river. They sincerely prayed for the safety of the two people.


    At the same time, in Chiaotzu...


    ¡°Is he the one who killed Garam?¡±


    The yangban Maru hummed when he sensed that the troops with Pungsa¡¯s protection were killed in one blow. 20 handsome men and women were lined up behind him. They might have been eliminated in Chiyou¡¯s test but they were aiming to re-establish themselves. As a result, they were equivalent to Hangyeol.


    ¡°So many yangbans... are we going to die?¡±


    Old Sword Demon gulped as he waspletely concealed by the straw mat that Hwang Gildong gave him. Then Hwang Gildongforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you do die, I¡¯ll run away alone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    [1] Korean goblins

 Chapter 1198

    ¡°It¡¯s a mess out there right now.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It seems that migrants have filled the territory that General Piaro conquered.¡±


    ¡°The territories of the Gauss Kingdom...? Already? Ah, it can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Truly. All viges and cities are no longer receiving migrants and are sending them back.¡±


    ¡°Huh... The territory was conquered in less than a month and the people filled up in another month.¡±


    ¡°This means our country is good to live in.¡±


    Reinhardt¡¯s dungeon was the darkness of the Overgeared Kingdom. There were terrible things going on that couldn¡¯t be said and it was a ce to house high-profile criminals. After giving the inmates chicks to raise to chickens, they would then threaten to cook the chicken in front of the inmate who had be attached to it. Some fatal and cruel torture methods were still discussed among the guards. If good news wasn¡¯t heard steadily from outside then the spirits of the prison guards would¡¯ve been destroyed over time.


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡±


    The man who listened to the cheerful guards¡¯ conversation was devastated. His name was Burang. He was the best knight of the Gauss Kingdom, which had perished two months ago. He held his face and recalled thest mission he received from King Nemesis. It was to secure the Overgeared Queen so they could negotiate with the Overgeared Kingdom. This was probably the only way to stop the war.


    Burang had done his best to defend his kingdom. Half a year before the war, he left his homnd, disguised himself as a refugee and even seeded in infiltrating the Overgeared Kingdom. Yet he eventually failed. His failure elerated the destruction of his kingdom.


    ¡®All... it is all because of my ipetence.¡¯


    Burang was recalling his weakness at not even being able to defeat the young prince when a strange voice was heard. The prisoner, who had remained silent since the first day Burang was imprisoned, opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°Are you from the Gauss Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the guards. They are just trying to shake you by bluffing.¡±


    ¡°....?¡±


    ¡°Gauss might be a small kingdom but it has a history of hundreds of years. The Overgeared Kingdom isn¡¯t good enough to conquer it in a matter of weeks.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°What else? The territories are being filled up by a flood of new migrants? Do you think that makes sense? There are so many nations on thisnd, including the Saharan Empire. Who would migrate to the small nation that is the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The guards here are crazy. Around half a year ago, they said that the Overgeared Kingdom allied with the empire. The orc lord of the Twilight Orcs pledged allegiance to the Overgeared King? Kukuk, how about that? Isn¡¯t onlyughter possible? Those jerks... how ridiculous is it to tell a lie that wouldn¡¯t even work on a chicken?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The guilt of failing to live up to the king¡¯s expectations and the despair of losing his homnd. The frustrated Burang tried to ignore the prisoner¡¯s wails from behind the wall. It was just that after listening, he couldn¡¯t let it spill out the other ear. Did this person not know what was going on in the world? Where in the world was there anyone who would call the Overgeared Kingdom a small nation?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are but everything the guards said is true. The empire has imed itself as a blood ally to the Overgeared Kingdom and the Twilight Orcs¡¯ lord has be a faithful dog following Grid. Unfortunately, the destruction of the Gauss Kingdom would also be true.¡±


    ¡°...You are also with the guards.¡± The prisoner¡¯s voice from behind the wall cooled down. The strong killing intent that could be felt through the thick walls made Burang nervous.


    ¡®Is there such a big master?¡¯


    Was he a survivor from the Eternal Kingdom? ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The prisoner replied to Burang¡¯s question, ¡°My name is Reidorn. I am the 6th Knight who is considered to have surpassed Piaro, the pir of the empire.¡±


    ¡°...!¡± Burang¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®He is someone who can cross the fortress with just one step...!¡¯


    He was alive? One of the best talents of the era was living in such a dark and stuffy dungeon in this humiliating manner!


    ¡®All people are equal in front of the Overgeared Kingdom...!¡¯


    King Nemesis was right. From the beginning, the Overgeared Kingdom was someone they shouldn¡¯t have been enemies with. Burang only realized it at this time.


    ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    There was a lot of noise in the corridor through the iron bars and then it became quiet.


    Step. Step. Step.


    The footsteps of someone unknown got closer.


    ¡°Grrrung.¡±


    Next door, Reidorn breathed like a beast and released a stronger killing intent. Then suddenly...


    ¡°Y-You...?¡± The killing intent disappeared like it was a lie. At this moment, Reidorn sounded like a frightened dog, not a wounded predator. ¡°The grandmaster...!¡±


    ¡°Reidorn, Sixth Knight of the previous Red Knights. As expected, you haven¡¯t been returned to the empire.¡±


    ¡°Eh...? Why do you mean by the previous Red Knights?¡±


    ¡°The world has changed and the empire¡¯s new regime doesn¡¯t want your return. So Reidorn, grab my hand. This is the only way for you.¡±


    It was an iprehensible conversation. The thick walls blocked the view so Burang couldn¡¯t fathom the situation going on. The cutting sound was as clear as a bell and reverberated through the hall. The sound of metal falling on the ground continued. It was estimated that the bars holding Reidorn in the solitary cell were cut off.


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯


    Cutting ck iron like it was tofu? Burang trembled at the incredible situation and a shadow was cast over his eyes. The unidentified intruder approached the iron bars keeping Burang trapped. He was a young beauty. It wasn¡¯t in line with the desire in the old and tired eyes.


    He watched Burang with an expressionless face. ¡°The prime minister of the Overgeared Kingdom is a very silly person. He shouldn¡¯t have locked you up like this if he judged that you have a use.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Choose if you will die here forgotten or if you will challenge the opposite side of the world with me.¡±


    ¡°You... who are you?¡±


    ¡°Someone who will bring the expelled gods back to thisnd to punish the fallen gods. The incarnation of the seven malignant saints, Zikfrector.¡±


    ***


    The alchemy that caused Grid¡¯s blood pressure to rise every day and the knowledge of the Great Sage Sticks meant that the technology of the Overgeared Kingdom grew day by day. What was originally a rare magic was installed all over Reinhardt.


    ¡°It¡¯s fast.¡± Lauel muttered as he watched the situation of the dungeon through the magic crystals. He felt very good because this situation urred the moment the dungeon¡¯s location was leaked to lure Grandmaster Zikfrector.


    ¡®From the grandmaster¡¯s point of view, Reidorn is an irresistible bait.¡¯


    From the standpoint of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reidorn was a problem. When he was initially captured, the empire was the enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom and the Overgeared Kingdom could get a lot of information from Reidorn, but the situation had changed dramatically.


    Now Lauel knew the empire better than Reidorn. There was no longer a reason to be greedy for Reidorn¡¯s information that he protected with loyalty and pride. This didn¡¯t mean Lauel could send Reidorn back to the empire. Reidorn was the one who tried to kill Grid while all the major and minor officials of other kingdoms were watching. There would be an internal bacsh if he wasn¡¯t properly punished.


    Of course, the imperial side also didn¡¯t wee Reidorn. Reidorn had been missing for many years. There would be many doubts if he just suddenly returned to the empire. In particr, Reidorn had a history of being under Limit. His actual alignment was unknown but the present imperial regime wasn¡¯t pleased with his past. He even tried to kill the Overgeared King so it was just asking for trouble if the empire epted him back.


    ¡®I nned for him to grow old and die in prison.¡¯


    It was fortunate that he could be used as bait to lure Zikfrector.


    ¡°There were no casualties among the guards. Everyone just passed out for a moment.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s heart grewfortable when he heard the report from a soldier.


    ¡®He is closely aligned with good.¡¯


    The seven malignant saints were good, not evil. They united for humanity and fought against the gods for the peace of the world. They became evil because they were called so by the gods. Lauel had trusted the essence of Zikfrector, the incarnation of the seven malignant saints.


    ¡®So go to the East Continent as soon as possible. Witness the reality of the gods who have been cast out and stand by Grid¡¯s side. I can¡¯t sacrifice the power of the Overgeared Kingdom so I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s expression was bitter as he murmured. He was prepared to sacrifice the guards and his essence was probably evil. Lauel himself was aware of it but he wasn¡¯t ashamed. He wasn¡¯t afraid of people¡¯s usations. All his choices and actions were to help Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®There should be one person like me.¡¯


    A group of solely good people couldn¡¯tst long.


    Lauel had no doubts.


    ***


    One week after the Call of the Heavens quest.


    ¡°It is here.¡±


    The northernmost area of the East Continent¡ªthe rankers quickly arrived at Chiaotzu in Xing. Sure enough, the top 0.00005% yers were people with a huge informationwork and could take action.


    ¡°Have you been called by the heavens?¡±


    The quest receivers were weed by the soldiers. The rankers who arrived in Chiaotzu were met by soldiers and guided to the castle. The red walls and golden tiles formed a gorgeous and intense coordination. This magnificent sight slightly suppressed the spirits of the rankers.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the earth, I can¡¯t see the earth. The castle¡¯s lord has a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°It is a lot richer than the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Quiet.¡± A training ground that was decorated withrge marble¡ªthe rankers chattered together when an eye-catching beauty stood on the podium. She sighed as she looked around the people in the hall with a rather dissatisfied look. ¡°Wee those who responded to the Call of the Heavens."


    This was just it.


    The high rankers earned the promised reward just as they arrived at their destination.


    [The Call of the Heavens quest has beenpleted.]


    [You have gained two levels from the quest reward.]


    [Call of the Heavens has seeded and the quest rewards have been earned.]


    [Protect the Artifacts of the Four Gods]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    An unknown wicked man has already infiltrated Chiaotzu. The treasure can be targeted at any time so be vignt and protect it.


    Quest Clear Condition: Protect the target until the unknown wicked person dies.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +2.


    Quest Failure: Level -4.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The system was always fair. This caused the yers to be frustrated.


    ¡°Dammit! What is with the penalty of dropping four levels?!¡±


    Someone¡¯s shout mixed with a curse echoed through the heavy atmosphere. Now it was a life or death decision.

 Chapter 1199

    ¡°Is the treasure we need to protect here?¡±


    ¡°The treasure is an artifact of the Four Gods? It is the death god among the Four Gods so is there any care that needs to be taken when handling it? For example, should it stay away from fire?¡±


    ¡°Are there no enemies at all?¡±


    ¡°In the event of an enemy invasion, how long will it take for the troops to arrive? What and how many traps have been set up nearby to stop the enemy from invading?¡±


    A square building¡ªthe rankers were taken to the strange building that had no exits at all and released a bombardment of questions. All their confusion and fury were subdued. A penalty of losing four levels...


    They judged there was no need to be agitated when the penalty would only ur if the quest failed.


    ¡°Please answer me.¡±


    Knowing oneself before the enemy was the most basic form for victory. However, the client didn¡¯t answer the question and remained silent. It was a serious problem when the client who should be the most cooperative wasn¡¯t motivated. It was an attitude that would reduce the motivation of the rankers trying toplete the quest.


    ¡®What are you going to do?¡¯


    The client¡ªthe longer the beautiful ck-haired woman who guided the rankers to the training hall was silent, the more anxious the rankers became. A person with a ferocious personality even felt the desire to grab the beauty¡¯s cor and shake her. The reason he didn¡¯t do so was because the beauty¡¯s name was shining in gold.


    Most of the rankers had already noticed her true identity. A yangban¡ªa god of the East Continent. Someone with the power that a yer would never exceed. It was a far cry from the unidentified half-god who Grid had recently defeated.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± The blue robe pped as the beauty pulled out a smoking pipe. She seemed reluctant, just like when she first appeared. She seemed to be skeptical of the situation. ¡°It is embarrassing that mere humans are rushing to ask questions rather than prostrating themselves. I feel so ufortable.¡±


    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯


    The rankers¡¯ expressions distorted at the beauty¡¯s disrespectful words. They knew the customs of the East Continent people where they stopped what they were doing the moment the yangbans appeared and prostrated themselves. However, this was just a custom of the East Continent.


    In the beginning, the rankers knew the yangbans weren¡¯t worthy of being objects of faith. They had witnessed the yangbans treating humans as livestock several times. Even so, they were being polite in their own way yet the beauty was asking for more. It happened when a few rankers looked like they were chewing shit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We were ignorant andmitted great rudeness because we didn¡¯t know the culture of the East.¡± One man surrounded by a sharp, cold air stepped forward and bowed to the beauty. His identity after taking off his cloak was exactly what everyone expected. ¡°You might not be interested in humans but I would like to sincerely introduce myself to the god I¡¯ve heard about for a long time and envied. My name is Bondre. I¡¯m a magician who deals with ice magic.¡±


    ¡°It is ice magic...¡±


    Bondre calmed the atmosphere that could¡¯ve worsened. The beauty exhaled the smoke, put the smoking pipe away and showed interest in Bondre. ¡°There is a separate job for you so follow me.¡±


    ¡°What about us...?¡±


    ¡°You just have to protect this ce. This is the face of the intruder.¡±


    The rankers left behind were feeling flustered when the beauty threw a portrait at them. It was a portrait of a white-haired old man. His wrinkled face looked like a dry old tree but his eyes were sharp and full of vitality, making him look unusual at first nce.


    ¡®Who is this?¡¯


    It was a Westerner but this was the first time they had seen this face. The rankers were shaking their heads and the beauty added an exnation.


    ¡°He is a swordsman. Pungsa said that every time he swings his sword, lightning will explode and a storm will rage.¡±


    ¡®This skinny old man can use such destructive swordsmanship?¡¯


    One man among the rankers showed a somewhat unbelievable reaction.


    ¡°Sir Dante...!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on this man. It was the wanderer Rekflex, 12th on the swordsman ranking and 403rd on the unified rankings.


    ¡°Rekflex? Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°I know. I met him while I wandered around the ucian Kingdom. He was the single-digit knight of the golden era of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Golden era of the empire...!¡±


    ¡°I received a lot of help from him at the time but it is strange. At that time, Sir Dante was aging...¡±


    Danteined that his body was old and his senses were dull, making it difficult for him to extract the full power of the sword. He even used a mace that was easier to control than a sword since a small amount of force applied to the mace could exert great power.


    Yet a few yearster, he used swordsmanship that created a storm? A swordsmanship that was powerful enough to receive the attention of a god?


    ¡°Did he be a transcendent?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was the moment when the name Dante was engraved on the minds of hundreds of high rankers and the beautiful yangban...


    As they memorized Dante¡¯s name, the 73 year old knight Dante¡ªin the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªgained a healthier color.


    ¡°Sir Dante, how is it that you seem to be getting younger?¡± Piaro asked when he turned from field work to see Dante at the training ground. Dante justughed.


    ¡°Um... I don¡¯t know why but I¡¯ve been feeling lighter for some time. It feels like my existence itself has strengthened and my body is full of motivation and strength.¡±


    ¡°Huh...! This is the power of farming!¡±


    ¡°The power of farming?¡±


    ¡°I hope that the people who eat the rice and wheat we sweated to grow will always be happy and healthy. All the farmers working in the field have the same wish. The farmers in Reidan are particrly enthusiastic. Dante¡¯s great health is probably because he ate the crops of Reidan.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Right. Hahaha.¡±


    Piaro returned from conquering the Gauss Kingdom. After a long time, he returned to the life of a farmer and his heart was healed. He became even happier when he saw Dante was healthy.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe a day came when I canugh with my old colleagues and mentors again.¡¯


    All of this was a blessing due to King Grid. Piaro was filled with deep gratitude and prayed, ¡®Be well.¡¯


    ***


    [There is a rumor that the procession to your stone statue is endless!]


    [Currently, the worship of Hero King Grid¡¯s Statue is at the maximum. Over the next month, your dexterity stat will rise by 30%, and the probability of making a high rated item has increased slightly! Additionally, the speed of sword-type attack skills is 20% faster!]


    It was like this everyday. Grid witnessed this notification window every few days. This meant that the dexterity and speed buffs were effectively ¡®permanently¡¯ applied. Of course, Grid wasn¡¯tcent. He knew that the moment he let people down, the worship would stoping.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid bowed in thanks to the prayers of those unknown before slowly raising his head and opening his eyes. Far away, a rectangr white building was visible. Looking back, it was a building that seemed very strange. It didn¡¯t match the overall scenery of Chiaotzu, which had an ancient Chinese city feel.


    The security was also very tight. Every road leading to the building was full of heavily armed soldiers and the intricately arranged structures near the building gave off a suspicious amount of magic power.


    ¡°Did they nt daoists among the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°No, artifacts are installed on behalf of the people.¡±


    Braham pointed to the redmps hanging from the end of every tile of all the buildings and Grid realized that different colored papers were all stuck on the redmps.


    ¡®Amulets...¡¯


    In the battle against Hangyeol, Grid had experienced the power of the amulets. The amulets were excellent artifacts where the shorings were difficult to find apart from the fact that they were consumables. Depending on the color of the amulet and the characters written on them, the amulets had a variety of functions such as protection, attacking, and cursing. The configuration of the amulets would also maximize their power.


    ¡®Laying thousands of such amulets...¡¯


    It must be here. In this quaint square building, the ck Tortoise Jewel was held. The confident Grid soon felt doubts.


    ¡®No, isn¡¯t this too obvious? Is it a trap?¡¯


    It was a building that gave off a strange sense of difference to anyone who saw it. The tight security seemed to be screaming out to him, ¡®This is the location of the ck Tortoise Jewel.¡¯ It was so obvious that it was strange.


    ¡°...This is a trap.¡±


    Grid asked Braham for help. He couldn¡¯te to a conclusion when he thought about it himself so he relied on the advice of the Duke of Wisdom.


    ¡°In a normal situation, this would be a trap. However, the opponent is a yangban. It was hard to think that those arrogant enough to call themselves gods would¡¯ve hidden the ck Tortoise Jewel in a secret ce.¡±


    Braham was a timeless force, a legend. As a result, he was confident that he could better prate the psychology of a strong man than anyone else.


    ¡°This is more of a provocation than a trap.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sneering voice of the yangbans seemed to enter Grid¡¯s ears.


    ¡®This is where the ck Tortoise Jewel is located. If you can take it away then take it...¡¯


    ¡°It is a taunt that I can¡¯t pass by.¡±


    Grid¡¯s motivation boiled up. He wanted to fly into the building and smash everything. However, he remained calm. Grid was reminded of something. The purpose this time was to collect information, not to win. The goal was to understand the enemy¡¯s power as much as possible and make meaningful use of it in the future. For now, it was enough to grasp the reality of the square building.


    ¡°Braham.¡± Grid reached out to Braham.


    Braham took off the skin mask he was wearing and returned it to Grid while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll open the way for you.¡±


    Grid nodded. ¡°Then immediately return to the West Continent,¡± Grid ordered Braham before he put on the skin mask.


    Dante and Kentrick¡¯s faces had already been used so he decided on Asmophel¡¯s face. It was determined that no one would recognize Asmophel in the northernmost part of the East Continent, Chiaotzu.


    ¡®It is hard to recognize Asmophel easily, even if there is a yer.¡¯


    It was because Asmophel often dressed up as a soldier. In fact, he was less active than Piaro and Mercedes, making him the least popr of Grid¡¯s subordinates. Even so, Grid wore the ughterer¡¯s Mask as well and appeared in the air. His gaze was only on the square building. He was undaunted by the amulets installed on every building and the thousands of soldiers on each side of the road. The legendary great magician was with him.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    This was too excessive. This wasn¡¯t at the level of cleaning up the enemy¡¯s defensive forces and traps. Did he intend to destroy the city itself? Grid stared in fright at the meteorites ravaging the city when Braham urged him, ¡°Go now.¡±


    ¡°...You must leave! Understood?¡±


    There was no time to dy. Grid barely held back the words in his throat and flew toward the square building in the midst of the meteorite explosion.


    Subsequently...


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Sabaek.¡±


    Two yangbans appeared in the ce Grid had just vacated. The two yangbans nearby had found the magician who cast the magic.


    Braham spoke to those unfamiliar with himself, ¡°Who did you mistake me for? This body is the only one who can bring down the stars in the universe.¡±


    The winds that he summoned cut at the bodies of the yangbans.


    ***


    ¡°Huh? In the end, the ck Tortoise Jewel isn¡¯t here?¡± Old Sword Demon, who was running along the underground waterway following Hwang Gildong, was startled by the explosion from the ground.


    However, Hwang Gildong didn¡¯t stop running. ¡°Cold air blocks the flow of water so the ck Tortoise Jewel should be at the ce where the ice magician was taken. We shouldn¡¯t trust what we see because the yangbans are extremely insidious.¡±

 Chapter 1200

    Six years in real time¡ªthis was the amount of time the high rankers had devoted themselves to Satisfy. It was not a short amount of time. It was enough to have unforgettable memories and experience nightmares they would never forget.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The high rankers lost their voices when a shadow was cast and then devastating meteorites started to pour down on the city. They had seen countless disasters but they never saw a city destroyed in an instant.


    ¡ª¡ª!


    Was this the seconding of Belial? The high rankers recalled the appearance of a great demon who first appeared before humanity as the constant screams deafened their ears. The high rankers had been at the scene of her disaster when Belial dropped hundreds of meteorites. They thought they would never see a disaster like this again...


    At this moment, they were witnessing the same catastrophe.


    ¡°...No, it is more than Belial,¡± a magician ranker murmured.


    They saw it¡ªthe dozens of meteorites falling toward the city were ¡®real.¡¯ It was unlike the meteorites that Belial ¡®formed¡¯ using magic. No magic power could be felt. This was the extreme physical force that couldn¡¯t be offset by magic power.


    ¡°Stars pulled from the universe... this is the real Meteor.¡±


    Duguen!Duguen!Duguen! The hearts of dozens of magicians were pounding. Their eyes and detection magic searched everywhere. The greatest magician in history¡ªthey noticed that the legendary magician Braham, adored by all magicians in the world, was here in Chiaotzu.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of the magicians were wide as they tracked Braham with their magic power. They simultaneously shouted, ¡°Someone ising!¡±


    This was the signal. In the midst of the meteorite bombardment, the rankers took out their weapons and their shields, taking a fighting posture in front of the square building that was unharmed. They truly were experienced. The disaster didn¡¯t disperse their concentration and their judgments and actions were swift.


    ¡°Intercept!¡±


    Archers with ¡®Hawk¡¯s Eye¡¯ captured the location of the next intruder that appeared after the magician. They carefully pulled back the bowstring while assessing the distance of the rapidly approaching intruder. The bowstring was pulled back in an extreme manner. The pdins¡¯ buffs had increased the strength of the archers.


    Hundreds of arrows fired from dozens of archers pierced through the aftermath of the explosions that urred everywhere and flew toward the target. Some arrows flew in a curve while others were shot in a strong line or some moved along the ground.


    sh!


    The hundreds of arrows that already flew far away were filled with a variety of magic power. The magicians added secondary attribute damage to maximize the power of the arrow.¡±


    ¡°There!¡±


    The intruder got close enough for the tanks and close-ranged damage dealers to see with the naked eye. This meant they were close to the intruder. Hundreds of arrows pierced the intruder¡¯s body. They were perfect shots. Not a single one of them missed. The archers who fired the arrows once again drew back their bowstring while the spells of the magicians werepleted.


    ¡°Ohhh! Oh?¡±


    The tankers who used the charge skill to rush to the intruder came to a halt in a flustered manner. The intruder maintained his original momentum despite being turned into a hedgehog by the arrows.


    ¡°Are these toy bows?¡± The rankers clicked their tongues as they felt disappointed by the power of the archers and set up their shields.


    ¡°Chain Strike!¡±


    The sword singers behind the tankers used their capture skills. Dozens of stems of sword energy extended like chains to wrap around the intruder¡¯s arms, legs and neck. The intruder¡¯s body tilted forward. He was forcibly dragged into the tanker camp.


    ¡°A big fish!¡±


    The damage dealers had smiles on their faces as they prepared their stun skills. They would stun the intruder who would soon be dragged nearby and then beat him to death.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what transcendence is but it is nothing in front of us!¡±


    ¡°Keep calm! There have been reports that Braham is watching Dante¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°I am calm now! No matter what, we have to beat Dante first!¡±


    Many of the damage dealers were aggressive. They were like batters waiting for the ball and aimed their swords and spears at the approaching intruder.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®This bad....? Gasp!¡¯


    The sword singers felt a chill as the chain strikes pulled the intruder in. They noticed that the intruder hadn¡¯t been brought in but flew here himself. As the intruder turned, the chains around his neck and limbs were torn apart. The heavy blows of the damage dealers only hit empty air.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The eyes of the hundreds of rankers saw the face of the ranker they thought was Dante. The rankers expected the appearance of a white-haired old man.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    The intruder wasn¡¯t an old man. He was good-looking and it was hard to tell if he was young or middle-aged. The blond hair shining brightly with a lemon color gave off a beautiful feeling.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    The tankers raised their shields. It was intended to prepare for the attack of the blond intruder. It was pointless.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    What was the most powerful defensive equipment? Most people thought it was armor. There was no equipment that protected as many areas as armor. However, reality was different. The most powerful defensive equipment by far was a shield. The shield was a barrier that blocked an attack before it hit the human body. No matter how powerful the attack, it was possible to absorb the shock without any damage as long as the shield was raised.


    This was why the tankers imed ¡®there must be a shield, even if there isn¡¯t armor.¡¯


    The tankers¡¯ faith in the shield was absolute and it was almost like worship. At least, until now...


    ¡°Keeoook!¡±


    Pration¡ªthe tankers, who raised their shields to prevent the intruder¡¯s attack, had their bodies pierced along with their shields. The shield was small to ensure ease of movement but it couldn¡¯t handle the intruder¡¯s sharp sword.


    ¡°This is why the big and thick shields are the best!¡±


    These guys weren¡¯t tankers. Katan, fourth on the guardian knight rankings, clicked his tongue and came forward. His gaze was directed over his square shield toward the intruder¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Now!¡¯


    It was perfectly timed¡ªKatan aimed for the moment when the intruder swung his sword and he set up his shield precisely then, blocking the intruder¡¯s sword with his shield. Unlike the small shields of the tankers who were greedy for the role of damage dealer and tanker at the same time, Katan¡¯s thick square shieldpletely blocked the attack of the intruder.


    However, the weight that followed couldn¡¯t be handled.


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was like a flying cannonball. Stone thorns soared from the intruder¡¯s sword and Katan¡¯s thick square shield shook. Then Katan flew dozens of meters away.


    ¡®Is this a charge that defies defense and resistance?¡¯


    Kata¡¯s eyes shook as he flew into the square building but the light in them didn¡¯t go out.


    ¡®Not yet!¡¯


    The 300 people here weren¡¯t colleagues or friends but they were reliable. They represented the best power of two billion people.


    ¡°Endure well!¡±


    Magic exploded all over the ce in response to Katan¡¯s urging. The magic of different attributes took many forms and struck the intruder. The intruder was unprepared. Then there was a surge of sharp attacks from damage dealers who rushed forward ahead of the magic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are but...!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t pass through here!¡±


    The rankings were a measure of valuation. It was the world of rankers where one rise or fall in the rankings would change their value. All the rankers who participated in this quest were desperate. They didn¡¯t know where this familiar blond intruder came from but they wouldn¡¯t just stand still.


    ¡°Asmophel! It is Asmophel!¡± The rankers shouted after confirming the identity of the blond intruder. One of Grid¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings, Asmosphel had a low reputationpared to the other knights, but he wasn¡¯tcking in strength at all.


    ¡°Shit! Is this rted to Grid?¡±


    For the first time, the momentum of the rankers softened. They were even more afraid of bing hostile to Grid than the penalty of losing four levels. Grid¡¯s influence was enormous.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    The blond intruder, Asmophel¡ªto be precise, Grid borrowing Asmophel¡¯s appearance¡ªopened his mouth for the first time, ¡°I have no problem with you so get out of the way.¡±


    The reason why Grid took off the ughterer¡¯s Mask on the way here was because he discovered the existence of the rankers. There were no yers who didn¡¯t know the ughterer¡¯s Mask so Grid was forced to take it off since he wanted to hide his identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m only curious about one thing. What is in that building? I will step back as soon as I confirm this.¡±


    He was serious. Grid had no intention of confronting and harming the yers who came here due to some circumstances. If they insisted on staying then he would cut them without hesitation but he wanted to avoid a war as soon as possible. It was because today¡¯s Grid didn¡¯t have the bad taste of bothering the weak.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The faces of the rankers stiffened as they saw the square building that Grid pointed to. They found that the original white color of the building had be a dark grey color. It was a dismal and sinister color. Then the cries of a beast were heard. It was the piercing and deep cry.


    The third ranked pdin, Majo spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°The building... the building has absorbed the aura of death.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The gazes of Grid and the rankers moved in every direction. The moans of the soldiers dying in the aftermath of Meteor were rising. As the moans grew louder, the color of the building became darker. Grid¡¯s vision shed red.


    [Death ising!]


    The square buildingpletely ckened and released poison. Next was the appearance of a giant snake head and tail. The identity of the existence bigger than a mountain was none other than the ck tortoise.


    ¡°This is sick!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Grid and the rankers shouted with one heart.


    ***


    At the deepest part of Chiaotzu Castle...


    Bondre was stunned when he was ushered into a mysterious room filled with clear water. He found the ck Tortoise Jewel floating in the water.


    ¡°Was the building outside a trap?¡±


    ¡°No, there is a ck Tortoise Jewel there as well.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible to contain the duality of the ck tortoise who helps with the birth of life while also being the god in charge of death. Thus, they can¡¯t be ced in one vessel.¡± The beautiful woman sitting in the bathtub, Areum, ordered the stunned Bondre, ¡°Freeze the water here. You will give birth to theplete god of death.¡±

 Chapter 1201

    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Something huge and ugly was the method to create primitive fear. The ck tortoise merely cried out to the sky but the high rankers shuddered with fear. They felt threatened by the enormous size of the ck tortoise and disgusted by its appearance. Grid was the same. No, the confusion he felt was much greater. It was a side effect of knowing many things.


    ¡®Is this one of the Four Auspicious Beasts?¡¯


    Grid knew¡ªthe Four Auspicious Beasts were the guardian gods of humanity, born from the aspirations of humanity. It was their role to help with the stability and prosperity of humanity. Naturally, they were favorable to humanity and their existence itself was beneficial for humanity. This wasn¡¯t spection, it was real.


    Grid had witnessed the resurrection of the red phoenix enriching the south. Now the current ck tortoise waspletely different. The resurrection of the ck tortoise didn¡¯t help the north. A ck, sticky liquid oozed from the snake scales and eroded the civilization of the earth. The smoke that came from the fire spout protruding from the tortoise shell covered the sun in the sky.


    [Death ising!]


    [Death ising!]


    [Death...!]


    The transcendent senses that detected and warned of danger drove Grid to great confusion. The warning messages steadily rose and Grid was dizzy.


    ¡®...This isn¡¯t the guardian god.¡¯


    Grid watched the growing size of the ck liquid puddle and was convinced.


    ¡®A wounded god.¡¯


    It waspletely different from the red phoenix. The ck tortoise was a god that stifled human life and destiny just by its existence. Was it originally like this?


    ¡®No, it is impossible.¡¯


    The Twelve Zodiacs had told him that the ck tortoise was the gentlest of the Four Auspicious Beasts. They said the reason the ck tortoise denied and got rid of artificial substances was for humans.


    ¡®By preserving nature, it is protecting the human race.¡¯


    It was extreme logicparable to the im that there was no war without an army. In any case, most of the actions of the ck tortoise came from its heart or instincts for humanity.


    ¡®It is different now.¡¯


    Night came to the world because the poison that the ck tortoise emittedpletely covered the sun. Was this darkness that withered life, for humanity? Not at all.


    ¡®Something is wrong.¡¯


    It was strange from the beginning of the resurrection. It appeared that the yangbans had deliberately released the ck tortoise.


    ¡®Did they make this type of ck tortoise?¡¯


    It happened when Grid was constantly thinking.


    ¡°Dammit! They hid a monster instead of a treasure!¡±


    ¡°We were deceived by the yangbans! We have to run away!¡±


    ¡°However, if we fail the quest then we all...!¡±


    ¡°The quest was to protect the treasure but we don¡¯t even know where the treasure is! It is right to run away!¡±


    The high rankers shouted and moved. They were very skilled and avoided the ck liquid that fell from the ck tortoise¡¯s scales. Whenever the poison touched their skin, they quickly took out an antidote to drink it. However, the situation of some magicians wasn¡¯t good. They had rtively low physical abilities due to their investment in intelligence. They were overwhelmed by avoiding both the ck pool and the liquid falling from the sky.


    ¡°Hey! Come this way!¡±


    The tankers set out to help the magicians. They hid the magicians behind them while raising their shields to stop the ck liquid falling from the sky. They didn¡¯t know the power of the ck tortoise so it was a foolish mistake.


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    The shields of the tankers were corroded by the ck liquid and turned to scraps. The tankers found it unexpected that objects meant for self-defense would melt without defending them. The ck tortoise had no idea of the situation on the ground. It was still roaring at the sky without looking at the humans it needed to take care of. Every time it roared, new ck liquid oozed from the scales and scattered like rain.


    "Damn...!"


    The tankers who lost their shields and the magicians behind them all paled. A ck drop of water, the same size as a house, was falling over their heads.


    ¡°Shield!¡±


    ¡°Anti-magic!¡±


    The magicians used various spells but it was useless. Shield couldn¡¯t handle the mass of liquid and Anti-magic didn¡¯t work at all.


    ¡®We¡¯re going to die!¡¯


    The rankers had this thought. It was the blond intruder¡ªthe person someone imed was Grid¡¯s knight appeared between the ck drops and the rankers. For some reason, his armor and helmet were removed. He was only wearing a shirt, shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots. The water droplets that should¡¯ve soaked the rankers sshed all over the blond man. The blond knight¡¯s shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots melted away in an instant.


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    He would melt and die without a single bone left behind...


    Why did this person help them? The stunned rankers were screaming at the blond man¡¯s iprehensible sacrifice only to close their mouths. The blond knight¡¯s shoulder guards, boots, and gaiters recovered immediately after the ck liquid touched it. They repeatedly melted and regained their form. The process was quickly repeated dozens of times and the body of the blond knight wasn¡¯t damaged at all. Not even a single strand of hair was damaged.


    Only the shirt melted and disappeared. The half-naked blond man spoke, ¡°This liquid only extinguishes artificial substances and is harmless to organic things. So take everything off and run away.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Take it off? The female rankers were perplexed while the male rankers took off their items without hesitation. Then they yelled at the blond knight. ¡°You¡¯re our enemy! Why are you suddenly helping us?¡±


    The blond knight¡ªGrid shrugged with Asmophel¡¯s appearance. "I never thought of you as an enemy.¡±


    If he had considered them enemies then he would¡¯ve killed them the moment he saw them. He would¡¯ve gone beyond the level of piercing their shields and armor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense and get out of here,¡± Grid urged them. He had noticed why the rankers came here.


    ¡®They were drawn here by a call from the heavens, just like me in the past.¡¯


    They were only being used by the yangbans and the Five Seniors. Sooner orter, they would regret it. There was no need to inflict pain on them. Grid recalled the cksmiths who had been killed by Garam before looking up at the ck tortoise. In the ckened world, the roaring red glow was more demonic than a great demon.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    The rankers felt puzzled by the blond knight¡¯s attitude and were rushing to leave this spot when they suddenly stiffened like statues. They stared nkly at the blond knight without being able to close their mouths.


    [The durability of Berith¡¯s Skin Mask has decreased by 1.]


    None of the great demons wereparable to a god. Berith, who was only ranked 22nd, couldn¡¯t bepared to a god. It meant the skin mask made by Berith wouldn¡¯t be safe before the power of the ck tortoise. He took off the skin mask in order to avoid the drop in durability.


    The gorgeous blond hair turned into short ck hair and the cool eyes became sharp. The muscles that made up the chest and the thick waist was reminiscent of the statue of a god.


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    The rankers learned the truth of the blond knight and were astonished. Then their faces soon distorted. The emotion that struck them was anger. ¡°Grid!¡±


    A few rankers stopped moving. They stared at Grid who was standing in front of the ck tortoise. Bubat, Shane, Ronam, etc.¡ªthey were representatives of their countries. If they had something inmon, it was that they suffered due to Grid every time theypeted for their country.


    ¡°Grid! Why are you helping us?¡±


    For the rankers, Grid was special. They envied him and took him as their goal. Yes, their goal. No matter if they liked Grid or not, they had been struggling to catch up with him and learn from him. They secretly hoped that Grid would look back at them.


    ¡°You... we are really nothing to you...!¡±


    The reason Bubat didn¡¯t participate in this year¡¯s National Competition was due to Grid¡¯s deration that he wouldn¡¯t attend. Bubat became determined after seeing Grid¡¯s interview about how he wouldn¡¯t attend the event because it was boring. He was going to be stronger. He would be sure to be stronger so that Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to say the same thing again. Participating in this quest was just one way to strengthen himself.


    However, this quest became a crisis, not an opportunity, and Grid was the one trying to ovee it. Bubat didn¡¯t want to tolerate this situation.


    ¡°Helping us instead of hindering us...! Does it mean we¡¯re not even yourpetitors?¡± Bubat yelled with bloodshot eyes.


    The same was true for the eyes of the other rankers. They were angry. They were mortified by their pitiful selves, who could only be angry at Grid for doing them a favor. It was aplicated feeling that the rankers themselves couldn¡¯t understand. However, Grid understood¡ªhe knew the feelings of the weak. ¡°You have misunderstood something.¡±


    He heard a yangban say, ¡°The wrath of the ck tortoise is directed at the sky.¡±


    ¡°Stimte it and encourage it to burn the earth.¡±


    Grid flew up into the sky and saw the two yangbans talking to each other. Then he activated the Open Potential skill. ¡°I have nightmares every night. A nightmare of being brought down by you again.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°The reason I helped you isn¡¯t because I¡¯m ignoring you. I just did it.¡±


    The yangbans wondered, ¡°Who is that person?¡±


    ¡°Get rid of him.¡±


    The three yangbans btedly discovered Grid talking to the rankers and leaped through space. They made the concept of distance meaningless and reached Grid in an instant. Goosebumps rose on the skin of the rankers who shuddered at the feats of the ¡®gods.¡¯


    Three swords moved like living snakes, wrapping around Grid and stabbing at his vital points. It was a fast and dazzling pincer attack that was hard to follow even for the rankers watching from afar. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s attacks were neither fast nor dazzling. Not a single ranker was impressed by Grid¡¯s swordsmanship.


    It was invisible. The swords of the yangbans stopped just before stabbing Grid and shook.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was a moment of silence...


    Then the eyes of the yangbans lost their light. Blood sprayed like a fountain from the necks and chests of the yangbans. This was 300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword¡ªthe technique of Madra, the Undefeated King who killed 300,000 enemy soldiers without them realizing it, was recreated at Grid¡¯s fingertips.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of 300,000 Army Swordsmanship has increased the damage of critical hits by 2000%!]


    [The effect of 300,000 Army Swordsmanship has exposed the weaknesses of the opponent!]


    [Your body doesn¡¯t meet the standards required to use 300,000 Army Swordsmanship. There is a great burden on your body but the effect of the Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix has sessfully prevented an injury!]


    ¡°...Kkuek!¡±


    Without noticing it, the neck of the leading yangban was seriously injured. His eyes rolled and he swallowed down the blood. Then he immediately used the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath to try and recover. It was a reaction rate and mentality that far exceeded the level ofmon sense.


    However, the current opponent was the worst. Grid knew how to kill the yangbans.


    ¡°Divinity.¡± It was to hit them hard. ¡°Open Potential.¡±


    Don¡¯t give them a break.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    A ughter.


    Bubat and the rankers lost strength in their legs and sat down after witnessing the horrific killing of a god by a mere human.

 Chapter 1202

    [300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword (Degraded Version)]


    [Use a high level of concentration to release invisible cutting attacks.


    Deals 600% damage to all enemies in sight and expose the targets¡¯ weaknesses. Critical hit damage is increased by 2000%.


    * This attack is bound to hit.


    Resources Consumed: 10,000 mana. 200 sword energy.


    Skill Recoil: Impossible to recover sword energy for 3 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword¡ªthe upgraded version of 200,000 Army Swordsmanship that was opened when Open Potential was used¡ªwas a surprise attack but it had a fatal drawback. It was that it was impossible to recover sword energy for three seconds after use. However, the high damage, the ¡®expose weaknesses¡¯ effect, the critical hit damage, and the ¡®must hit¡¯ effect meant it could be called the ultimate technique.


    ¡°Divinity. Open Potential.¡±


    Stealth Sword meant he seeded in hitting the yangbans. The veins on his neck bulged as he leaned forward. It was the recoil caused by continuously using Open Potential. Since an extreme penalty was specified, the burden of Open Potential on the user was heavy. It consumed 10,000 mana, 20,000 health, and half his current stamina, as well as causing injuries by increasing the burden on the body. Once Open Potential and the five fused sword dances were used, Grid was in danger of losing his mind.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Grid gulped while enduring the pain. Fear struck him but there was no hesitation. His hair rose due to Transcend and his eyes were as strong as ever. ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    [Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle]


    [Five sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    An energy sword that deals 5000% physical attack damage will be fired seven times in one second, causing waves of sword energy to cover all enemies within a range of 10 meters.


    Targets hit by the sword energy are ¡®disarmed¡¯ and will suffer from the ¡®bleeding¡¯ and ¡®despair¡¯ abnormal conditions.


    All sword energies will ignore 70% of the target¡¯s defense.


    ¡ï The effect of Detect Force, Wind Cutter, Shield, and Weapon Enchant will be applied.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 500.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 hours.]


    The yangban ¡®Saul¡¯ was hit by Stealth Sword and after that, his body swayed indefinitely as he was hit by the merciless sword technique. Saul¡¯s mind was dazed. ¡®Now... what am I going through right now?¡¯


    As expected, the enemy invasion urred and half of the ego of the ck tortoise was resurrected. However, the yangbans felt the need to disperse the attention of the monster who kept roaring at the sky. Then they found a human who wasn¡¯t on the list. They struck at him because they didn¡¯t think he was necessary. It was like killing an annoying fly.


    The enemy¡¯s neck filled their field of view and they let their swords fly. They remembered up to there. However, it was impossible to recall what happened afterwards.


    ¡°Cough!¡± The pupils of Saul shook as he coughed up blood. He had no idea what he was going through. He instinctively operated the breaths of the Four Gods to ovee the pain that he was experiencing for the first time in his life.


    ¡°Saul!¡± Then he heard the voice of his brother behind him. It was desperate in an unseemly manner.


    ¡®We... are gods.¡¯


    They needed to remain calm in all circumstances. They had to walk leisurely even through heavy rains and snowstorms. So stop shouting so desperately.


    Saul¡¯s wish was in vain as the other yangbans desperately reached out to him. However, they couldn¡¯t protect Saul. It was because the sword energy that had prated Saul exploded in unison and stretched out like waves, striking the yangbans. It was a powerful attack that couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The two yangbans hurriedly protected themselves from the waves of sword energy but Saul was swept away unprotected. Saul¡¯s limbs started to be torn apart.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until he couldn¡¯t even feel pain that he finally realized the situation. Death. A concept that he felt was far away wasing over himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want...¡±


    Death didn¡¯t allow him to even protest. It snatched him ferociously and without mercy.


    ¡°......¡±


    After the waves of sword energy, silence came.


    The surviving yangbans needed time to ept the death of Saul. They remembered Saul¡¯s smile as he approached them, who were eliminated and feeling frustrated by the final stage of Chiyou¡¯s test, and reached out. Next, they were reminded of when the three of them shouted that they would pass Chiyou¡¯s test. They gained courage and overcame the setbacks.


    ¡°Now finally... finally, one of the seven spots are vacant and we have a chance...¡±


    They were on the verge of gaining divine qualifications. Yet they were going to die?


    ¡°You!¡±


    The eyes of the tired yangbans were drawn to the gasping Grid. For the first time since birth, the yangbans felt hatred and desperation. They activated the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and were engulfed in lightning as they rushed toward Grid. Grid couldn¡¯t respond. He stood with his back bent like a hunchback and his arms hung down in a dazed manner.


    Shake shake.


    To be honest, it was hard to hold his sword. Open Potential, 300,000 Army Swordsmanship, the five fused sword dances...


    It was the aftermath of sessively using techniques that the human body couldn¡¯t handle. Grid¡¯s muscles twitched and his stamina was on the verge of being fully depleted.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Was it because killing intent was projected? There was a red glow at the end of the yangban¡¯s swords. The color seemed to hint at the blood that Grid would soon shed.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t react even if he saw the attack with his eyes. Grid was upset but he tried to control his mind. It wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡®I can hold on.¡¯


    The recovery and shield skills generated by his titles and item effects remained. If he was lucky enough to trigger a skill to nullify the damage, the yangbans¡¯ attacks wouldst for 4~5 seconds.


    ¡®These guys aren¡¯t at the level of Garam but they¡¯re consistent with Hangyeol.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Grid¡¯s back and chest were pierced and he threw up blood. He gritted his teeth and moved his eyes in every direction. It was to find a path to retreat. He nned to immediately escape the moment his stamina recovered and he could move a bit more. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy. The yangbans were clearly aware of Grid¡¯s intentions. They had no intention of opening a path for the man who dared fight and kill a yangban.


    ¡°You can¡¯t live!¡±


    The offensive of the yangbans became more intense. They noticed that Grid¡¯s condition was different from before and pushed Grid with full force,unching dozens of attacks per second. It was a fast and tenacious attack that made any viewers tired. However, it was impossible for them to force Grid into the immortal state in five seconds.


    [You have suffered 6,599 damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,105 damage.]


    [The effect of Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth has ignored the damage.]


    [You have suffered 7,750 damage.]


    [You have suffered 8,300 damage.]


    [The effect of Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix has ignored the damage.]


    [The effect of Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots has ignored the damage.]


    It was because he was overgeared. The attacks of the yangbans became stronger because they were linked. They quickly got rid of Grid¡¯s shields and recovery skills and Grid was forced to endure using the armor made from the breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts. The shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots had a probability of nullifying damage and Grid was somehow able to endure.


    ¡°You?¡±


    The heads of the yangbans were boiling but Grid didn¡¯tugh. Grid¡¯s face was dark.


    ¡®Not yet?¡¯


    The burden on Grid¡¯s body was too great. Five seconds had passed and his body might¡¯ve recovered the minimum physical strength needed for activities but his body didn¡¯t move properly. All his joints creaked and his muscles twitched.


    ¡®It was crazy to use Open Potential continuously...¡¯


    He had expected it and tried to restrain himself as much as possible. However, this time he couldn¡¯t afford to hold back his strength.


    ¡®In this case, I will bet everything on my immortal state.¡¯


    Five seconds. He had to somehow survive in five seconds. Grid was determined as he silently watched the two soft swords wrapped around his neck. He epted the inevitable situation. Just then, the two swords around Grid¡¯s neck were suddenly released and returned in the direction of their masters. The master of the swords, the body of a yangban, was floating in the air.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Both Grid and the yangbans¡¯ eyes were wide. Grid¡¯s eyes met the eyes of the man holding the waists of the yangbans in the air. The identity of the man was Bubat. The strongest initiator of this era who was specialized in capturing the target. He boasted an irresistible crowd control and even managed to throw Grid to the ground in his prime. This time, he helped Grid by mming the yangbans to the ground. The legs of the yangbans aimed at the sky as their heads touched the ground.


    Bubat yelled at Grid who was staring at the scene. ¡°Damn! What are you doing? Quickly run!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid came to his senses. Sensation wasing back at his fingertips.


    ¡°Shunpo.¡±


    At this moment, Grid¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t looking for a retreat path. Grid nced at Bubat¡¯s side and appeared by Bubat¡¯s side.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The flustered Bubat was stunned when Grid suddenly appeared in front of him. Grid¡¯s mind recalled the conversation from two years ago.


    ¡°Grid, I won¡¯t challenge you again.¡±


    These were Bubat¡¯s words when he was defeated by the Chinese ranker whose name couldn¡¯t be remembered anymore. At that time, Bubat had realized his limitations. It was the limit of a one-on-one confrontation. That¡¯s right¡ªthe essence of an initiator came from party y. It made Bubat many times more powerful than when he was alone.


    ¡°...If we meet again in a war.¡±


    ¡°I told you that I hoped that we were no longer enemies at that time.¡±


    The two men recalled the same day. They smiled as they remembered the words they said to each other. Bubat¡¯s big hands clutched the ankles of the yangbans lying on the ground.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    Grid tried to do the best he could.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    In the dark world, the blue-ck petals illuminated Grid and Bubat. In the eyes of the rankers, they looked happy. They felt ashamed that they were so obsessed with this unknown quest.


    It was the unexpected emergence of the ck tortoise that had changed the situation.

 Chapter 1203

    ¡°If we meet again in a war, I hope that we are no longer enemies.¡±


    These words left a huge impression on Bubat. The joy that Bubat felt when he heard that the supreme one, whom he was aiming for, wanted to fight with him was indescribable. He thought of his future appearance with the supreme one and became more enthusiastic and worked harder. Thus, his disappointment was great.


    ¡®Boring.¡¯¡ªGrid¡¯s words when he announced that he wouldn¡¯t take part in the nationalpetition brought a sense of loss to Bubat.


    ¡°Helping us instead of hindering us...! Does it mean we¡¯re not even yourpetitors?¡±


    Once Grid didn¡¯t even look at him after they were reunited, Bubat couldn¡¯t control his anger. The words two years ago were just a pretense...


    Bubat stared at Grid with a resentful gaze and Grid stared back at him.


    ¡°The reason I helped you isn¡¯t because I¡¯m ignoring you. I just did it.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It dealt a reminder to Bubat¡¯s spirit. His sense of reason, which had been buried in anger, suddenly recovered. The result...


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    ¡°Hug the Cruciate Ligament!¡±


    Bubat had a dream of joining Grid. Resist the ¡®gods¡¯ of the East Continent along with Grid. He wasn¡¯t afraid. He was the strongest crowd controller and if he joined with Grid, who boasted the strongest attack, he was convinced he could win against any opponent.


    ¡°Drag the Arm!¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Irresistible crowd controller and a powerful attack. Thebination of Grid and Bubat was fantastic enough to be called the strongest of all time. It was such a perfect match that there were spections about whether they were a perfect couple in their previous life.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±


    ¡°You...! These people!!¡±


    How many times has it been already? The wrath of the yangbans soared into the sky as they were beaten to the ground by humans, stabbed, and covered in dirt and blood. Here, Bubat¡¯s weakness was exposed. He didn¡¯t have any taunting skills. In general, the moment when the duration of the crowd control was over, the gap would be filled with a provocateur who would act as an auxiliary tanker. However, this was impossible for Bubat. Like Grid, he was a victim of bnce.


    Crusher¡ªit had arge number of irresistible crowd control skills so it had no taunts for bnce reasons. This meant it failed to function properly as a tanker.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    The shocked Bubat shouted desperately as the yangbans rose from the ground and ran to Grid while ignoring Bubat. The aggro was inevitably focused on the damage dealers. Bubatmented his limitation in being unable to stop it and foresaw Grid¡¯s death. Bubat was oblivious. What led to Grid being called the Overgeared King?


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t just a damage dealer. He was someone who could perform all roles.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The faces of the yangbans were filled with amazement. They had already nned to punish the human, who was already a living corpse, before going to fight the human¡¯s colleague. Then their n went awry. Grid extended his stride and tilted his upper body to reproduce the predatory posture of a predator. Not only did he block the swords of the yangbans with a different firmness from before, he also summoned mes. They were mes provided by White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes.


    ¡®Is this the red phoenix?¡¯


    The yangbans were astonished by the unexpected mes and reflexively stepped back. It was a big mistake. It was a mistake made because they hadn¡¯t figured out that Grid¡¯s survivability was stronger than a cockroach.


    [The effect of White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes has increased health recovery by 50%.]


    [The power of the great demon Belial sealed in the Rune of Gluttony has been opened!]


    [It is impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers.]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart is empowering your body. You can withstand the pressure of a great demon. However, it is still impossible for a human to digest all three of Belial¡¯s powers at the same time.]


    [You can use one of Belial¡¯s three powers of: Darkness, fire, or illusion.]


    [You have chosen the power of fire!]


    [The passive skill Fire Queen is applied for two minutes while Belial¡¯s Power is maintained. You can also use the Queen¡¯s mes of Hell and mes of Hell Path.]


    [The effect of Fire Queen increases health recovery by 300%.]


    [There is no damage for 5 seconds. The Wind of Recovery skill of Tiramet¡¯s Belt¡¯s will be activated. Health recovery rate will double.]


    mes ovepped with mes. A violent wind blew the mes and it increased.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The yangbans and rankers stared at Grid surrounded by mes with wide eyes. It was because the various wounds on Grid¡¯s body were recovering at a tremendous rate. No matter how deep the wound, it soon scabbed and formed new flesh, making Grid¡¯s skin smooth. This was a miracle beyond the level of recovery. It was the miracle of rebirth.


    ¡°You... who are you?!¡±


    The reason why the yangbans weren¡¯t afraid of humans was simple. The yangbans were clear about the existence of humans. They didn¡¯t feel the need to be afraid of humans because they knew everything. Yet at this moment, Grid was entering an unknown state. The yangbans became afraid because they couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Grid recovered sufficient mana after drinking potions and turned his eyes to one of the two yangbans. His name was Nakil. Out of the two yangbans that Grid encountered, he was the one with the highest physical defense. It was right to say he had the highest defense after Garam.


    ¡°Queen¡¯s mes of Hell.¡±


    It was extremely powerful magic that consumed 90% of his maximum magic power. Grid halved the magic power consumption thanks to the Ring of Absurdity and the magic exploded toward Nakil¡¯s body.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Nakil¡¯s eyes rolled and he copsed helplessly. He might have high physical defense but this meant he had rtively low magic resistance.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Once another brother fell down, the enraged yangban Dodam opened the power of the ck tortoise. The deadly energy gathered at his sword and shot forward like a waterfall, splitting apart Grid¡¯s fire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart and throw your soul into hell!¡±


    The powerful water and fire collided and steam dominated the area. Bubat and the rankers were covered by the thick steam and couldn¡¯t see. They didn¡¯t notice that the ck tortoise shifted its gaze from the sky toward the ground. The ck tortoise¡¯s red eyes were shaking as he stared at Dodam¡¯s torrent.


    The shockwave generated when Grid and Dodam¡¯s swords collided and the reaction created by them trying to extinguish each other caused the steam to dissipate in all directions. Bubat and the rankers could clearly see Grid and Dodam fighting without a break.


    Then it soon happened once again. The moment Grid and Dodam¡¯s swords interlocked, thick steam rose again and obscured the view of Bubat and the rankers. The same thing was repeated. Every time a shockwave urred in the center of the steam, it would scatter and cover the entire city to reveal Grid and Dodam¡¯s appearance again. When the battle of the two people temporarily entered a lull, the steam would fill again and block people¡¯s vision.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    It happened when the rankers were trying to grasp the flow of the battle that was in a different dimension. An electric current appeared and the grey steam was turned yellow. Dodam shouted in a slightly trembling voice. He noticed something big.


    ¡°Die, human!¡±


    It might not reach the level of the original Meteor but there was a major explosion that was enough to turn the area to ashes. It was an explosion caused by the electricity burning all the steam and dust generated by the battle between Grid and Dodam.


    Dodam used the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. There was a deep smile on Dodam¡¯s face as he watched the continuous explosions where not even the screams of a dying human could be heard.


    ¡®He is the one who resurrected the red phoenix.¡¯


    Dodam had felt the aura of the red phoenix from the mes around the human. He was forced to admit that this human was a tough opponent.


    ¡®Still, he is a human in the end. He lost any chance from the time I operated two breaths simultaneously.¡¯


    There would be no way for the human to respond to the sudden electricity...


    Dodam swept away all the steam and kept turning around. He didn¡¯t find the human¡¯s body. The human must¡¯ve died without a trace.


    ¡°Get up, Nakil.¡±


    Dodam¡¯s eyes were cold as ice as they swept over Bubat and the rankers. Due to their concerted efforts, the rankers had managed to keep their lives but none of them were in a good state.


    ¡°You will soon be condemned.¡±


    The hearts of Bubat and the rankers sank. They had assisted rather than repelled the intruder so they bowed their heads without making any excuses. The reason why they bowed their heads wasn¡¯t out of shame. They just hid the direction of their gaze to prevent Dodam from noticing.


    Meanwhile, Nakil was making hisst death throes. Dodam heard the sounding from Nakil and took a step back to him. Dodam¡¯s hair blew in the wind. It was followed by an intense noise. Only then did Dodam be aware of it. His throat had been cut.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Dodam¡¯s body tilted against his will. A human figure was engulfed in lightning.


    ¡°Lightning... God!¡±


    [An unknown person is writing the fifth epic.]


    Dodam remembered the terrifying power of the blue dragon, who became lightning and pierced through the Five Seniors. All the Five Seniors in the path of the blue dragon lost their power and panicked. Just like himself now.


    [The beginning of the narrativees from the recollection of a forgotten myth.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Dodam had lost magic power and couldn¡¯t operate the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. All he could do to stop the blood flowing from his half-cut neck was to cover it by hand. Dodam held his neck with one hand and the sword in the other hand. He aimed at the human...


    [He recreated the forgotten god.]


    No, he aimed at the Lightning God. It was a meaningless struggle. The power of Lightning God meant Grid was immune to physical attacks. Interception was virtually impossible unless magic was used.


    Grid cut Dodam again and again. The blue current that trailed behind him drew a dizzying spiral and it was like the blue dragon had descended to the ground.


    [The stigma of truth was etched on the ground covered with false myths.]

 Chapter 1204

    A monster emerged from the space where the yangban¡¯s treasure should be? The monster¡¯s attitude was also strange in many ways. It wasn¡¯t hostile to Grid, nor did it help the two dying yangbans.


    ¡°My guess is that the monster is a third force. We don¡¯t have to worry about it...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. You might not know the myths of the East Continent but the Four Auspicious Beasts are gods who serve the yangbans. It is unconditionally on the side of the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°Based on the appearance, is this the ck tortoise?¡±


    ¡°There is the name ¡®ck Tortoise¡¯ above its head. Who will it be if it isn¡¯t the ck tortoise?¡±


    ¡°It looks different. In all the murals of the Four Gods, the ck tortoise had a white head with beautiful blue eyes. It had a mysterious and sacred feeling, not such a terrible look.¡±


    ¡°Then is this a fake?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is a fake. A god wouldn¡¯t try to destroy the world. In fact, it is turning a blind eye to the yangbans¡¯ crisis.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°That monster won¡¯t target us even if we be hostile to the yangbans. We have to choose.¡±


    From the time the monster emerged from the building that should contain the treasure, the high rankers lost their trust in the yangbans. They noticed that it was more likely they were used by the yangbans. It was an uneptable situation for the high rankers who had a strong self-esteem. They saw Grid suddenly appear and fight the yangbans so they were forced to feel confusion.


    ¡°We have to help Grid like Bubat.¡±


    ¡°Even if we lost four levels? What about loyalty?¡±


    The opinions of the rankers were divided into two categories. One side thought they should watch the situation develop a bit more. The other opinion was that they should betray the yangbans and stand on Grid¡¯s side. If this was a normal case then there would be no disagreement. There was no reason to stand by Grid¡¯s side unless a loss was inevitable. However, the current case was a bit special.


    ¡°Grid is getting a quest buff. The system is hoping for Grid¡¯s victory.¡±


    ¡°...Definitely.¡±


    The rankers recalled when the ¡®white-haired Grid¡¯ first appeared in the world. The white-haired Grid was enhanced with the quest buffs and easily ughtered Yatan¡¯s First Servant. Yatan¡¯s First Servant had to die so the system gave Grid a boost in power. It was called the care of the system.


    The high rankers had also experienced it at least once.


    ¡°A while ago, there was a world message implying that Grid had killed a half-god. It is clear that he has gained the power to confront a god for a limited time.¡±


    The exact reason wasn¡¯t known but the system determined that Grid had to fight the gods and win. It buffed Grid.


    ¡°It means that being hostile to Grid right now is a huge risk. If we stand on the side of the yangbans and Grid fails the quest, the world view that the system is drawing will copse and it might be angry at us.¡±


    ¡°Rather than simply losing four levels, there might be a painful loss.¡±


    The supreme Grid had left countless achievements that even the high rankers couldn¡¯t match in their lifetimes. His quests were seldom normal. Since he was given a task that could affect the entire world view, he was given the power to confront a god. The high rankers¡¯ thoughts easily reached this point but they couldn¡¯t easily make a decision. The penalty for standing on Grid¡¯s side was too great.


    Losing four levels...


    It was a penalty that would take too long to recover from. It was a time when the concerns of the high rankers were deepening. A huge explosion urred. The high rankers reflexively used protective skills and magic to save their lives, while Grid¡¯s appearance disappeared without a trace. In addition, Dodam stared at the high rankers who were dumbfounded by the sudden development.


    ¡°You will soon be condemned.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    They understood him ming Bubat for helping Grid but why feel hostile to them who did nothing? The high rankers were flustered. They lost the option of remaining on the yangban¡¯s side.


    ¡®It is so easy for them to abandon us that it seemed they were thinking of throwing us away from the beginning.¡¯


    ¡®It was meant to be a fight from the beginning.¡¯


    The high rankers thought about it only to be stunned. It was because they saw a sh of lightning beyond the thick dust. The high rankers who witnessed the battle between Grid and Orc Lord Teruchan knew the identity of that lightning bolt. In the blink of an eye, the lightning had prated the wall.


    Stagger.


    Dodam copsed. Blood spurted from his neck and he let out a sound of astonishment.


    ¡°Lightning... God!¡±


    [An unknown person is writing the fifth epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrativees from the recollection of a forgotten myth.]


    [He recreated the forgotten god.]


    [The stigma of truth was etched on the ground covered with false myths.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Goosebumps appeared on the skin of the high rankers. The epic that was written as Grid passed through the yangbans and created the shape of the blue dragon thrilled them. How breathtaking was it to really witness Grid¡¯s epics...


    It was the first time they had seen it since the first epic in Taleren Canyon. The high rankers were thrilled. They realized how envious they were of Grid. On the other hand, Grid wasn¡¯t impressed. He thought it was out of the blue.


    ¡®Why is it an epic?¡¯


    The epic hadn¡¯t responded even when the old enemy Garam was defeated and when one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, the red phoenix, was revived. As a result, Grid believed that the standards of the epic had changed. In the future, he would have to build a much bigger achievement before a new epic would be written. Yet a new epic was written when he hurt ordinary yangbans?


    ¡®What is the standard?¡¯


    [The yangban ¡®Dodam¡¯ has been killed.]


    [The yangban ¡®Nakil¡¯ has been killed.]


    [Two ck Tortoise¡¯s Breaths have been acquired.]


    [One White Tiger¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [One Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath has been acquired.]


    [Two Blue Dragon¡¯s Dopo have been acquired.]


    [Two Unbreakable Swords have been acquired.]


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Dodamn and Nakil turned to grey and his eyes widened as he recovered his sword. He looked up and saw two red suns. They were the giant eyes of the ck tortoise.


    ¡®Since when?¡¯


    After it appeared, the ck tortoise had kept roaring to the sky. It was like a monster without cognition. Now it was staring at him with distinctly clear eyes full of emotions.


    ¡°Kuock.¡±


    Grid stepped back. It was an instinctive act of fear. Among the thousands of emotions in the ck tortoise¡¯s huge pupils, the most obvious one was hatred and anger. Gridcked the courage to face them. It was the anger of a god. It seemed he would be cursed just by looking. It seemed that the ck tortoise¡¯s eyes were filled with a strong curse to the point where he was afraid that the probability of enhancing an item and gaining items would fall to the 0% range.


    ¡®It is dirty and bloody.¡¯


    The red phoenix was infinitely warm while the ck tortoise was infinitely cold. The pressure around it seemed like it would tear apart human beings. This was definitely one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, no matter how it didn¡¯t seem like it. It happened as Grid was thinking again.


    ¡º God killer. ¡»


    A dark, cold voice echoed through Grid¡¯s mind. It was the voice of the ck tortoise.


    ¡º You have eaten the red phoenix. ¡»


    ¡®Eating the red phoenix?¡¯


    Grid was dumbfounded when he heard this nonsense and quickly understood the meaning of the words.


    ¡®Did it misunderstand after seeing that I¡¯ve obtained the heart of the red phoenix?¡¯


    The Twelve Zodiacs had told him that the Red Phoenix¡¯s Ninth Heart was one of the sources of the red phoenix and the life of the red phoenix itself. Even the Five Seniors couldn¡¯t take them. A man with such an important heart had appeared so the ck tortoise had probably misunderstood.


    ¡°It is a misunderstanding...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t exin anything before the ck tortoise continued.


    ¡º I was reminded of it when I saw the mes and torrents intertwined on the ground. ¡»


    A new sentence was being added to the epic.


    ¡º Who am I? ¡»


    [The stigma of truth that he carved brought the memory of the old gods to the surface.]


    ¡º ¡®I¡¯ was a god that shouldn¡¯t exist. ¡»


    ¡º ¡®I¡¯ remember the scene where the status of ¡®us¡¯ made by the people who prayed for ¡®us¡¯ copsed at ¡®my¡¯ breath. ¡»


    ¡º Every time ¡®I¡¯ whispered blessings to the ground, humanity lost civilization and people became afraid of ¡®us.¡¯ ¡»


    ¡º ¡®I¡¯ was a god that shouldn¡¯t exist. ¡»


    ¡º ¡¯I¡¯ wanted to erase ¡®me¡¯ for ¡®us.¡¯ ¡»


    [The wish of the wounded old god touched him.]


    ¡º I wanted to close my eyes forever. ¡»


    ¡º Therefore, I entrusted my body to the bead that imprisoned my soul. ¡»


    ¡º Then the bead shattered and I was deeply ashamed of myself again. It was very painful. ¡»


    ¡º Human who has umted the business of killing. Swallow me, just as you have swallowed the red phoenix. ¡»


    [A new quest has urred!]


    [Kill the God of Destruction]


    [Quest Difficulty: ???


    Half the ego of the ck tortoise, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, hopes to perish.


    It hopes you will take its breath away.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill half the ego of the ck tortoise or seal it.


    Quest Reward: Acquire the God Killer title.]


    [God Killer]


    [You are the ¡®absolute¡¯ being who killed a god.


    Your transcendence will reach the maximum and all attack power is doubled.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    [The quest was refused.]


    ¡º ...? ¡»


    "I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying right now. I just know one thing. You were a god who loved and cared for humans more than anyone else. I¡¯m sure because the Twelve Zodiacs told me.¡±


    ¡º ...No, the ¡®I¡¯ that the Twelve Zodiacs refer to isn¡¯t ¡®me¡¯ but rather ¡®us.¡¯ ¡»


    Grid realized something through the attitude of the ck tortoise. Why did the epic trigger? The system who witnessed and turned both Grid¡¯s past and present into data knew that Grid was one of the few people who could lead the ck tortoise to the right path.


    ¡°It is useless to talk any longer. I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying at all and I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    ¡º If you kill me, you can gain absolute strength... ¡»


    ¡°Everyone in the world is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡º ...! ¡»


    [He turned away from the wish of the old god.]


    [The power gained at the expense of sacrificing someone wasn¡¯t the power he wanted, so he wasn¡¯t shaken by the temptation.]


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it then check it for yourself. I¡¯ll help you reunite with the people. So calm down first.¡±


    [He reached out his hand.]


    [It was the moment when the tree that grew upright with the help of various bonds stretched out a new branch.]


    [It was still a small branch.]


    ¡º ... ¡»


    The ck tortoise stared nkly at Grid¡¯s hand. It didn¡¯t understand what to do with this small hand that would break with just one touch from it. Gridughed as he read the ck tortoise¡¯s expression. ¡°It won¡¯t break. Grab it.¡±


    ¡º... ¡»


    The ck tortoise hesitated for a long time before kneeling down. It drew its face close to the small Grid and ced its cheek in Grid¡¯s hand.


    ¡º Please... please help me, human. My other half is sealed in a very deep and dangerous ce and it is being used as a puppet of the yangbans. ¡»


    [The wounded old god leaned against the small branch.]


    ¡°Believe in me.¡±


    [The branch wasn¡¯t broken.]


    [The hope that was sustaining the dying world may still be small, but it was firm.]


    ....


    ...


    [An unknown person haspleted the fifth page of the epic!]

 Chapter 1205

    [The fifth page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen to the next level with thepletion of that epic.]


    [You have checked your own ws based on the increased status.]


    [Identified that there are less frequently used skills in your possession.]


    [Recognize the need tobine less frequently used skills into one skill.]


    [The ¡®Skill Synthesis¡¯ system is activated.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    Every time he built up his transcendent senses, Grid earned rewards like developing his senses and strengthening his physical abilities. He naturally thought that perfect transcendence referred to a person with better senses and body. Now it seemed a bit misleading.


    ¡®Is the ultimate transcendence a wless existence beyond just level?¡¯


    Grid recalled the ¡®absolute¡¯ status mentioned in the God Killer title. In order to reach the absolute state through a typical route, the prerequisite was to acquire transcendence by exceeding his limits.


    ¡®Absolute being... based on the name, it seems obvious there should be no defects.¡¯


    [Skill Synthesis]


    [Select the skills that are least frequently used and they will be reborn as one new skill.


    Number of avable uses: 1/1


    The number of avable uses will increase with every three levels in transcendence.]


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Regarding his skills, he had been aware of the problem for a long time. No matter how strong the skills were, they often couldn¡¯t be utilized frequently due to ack of resources, cooldown time, and his perception limits. Therefore, he felt joy and burden every time he got a new skill. He was worried that some skills might turn into useless things that only wasted skill space.


    ¡®However, now I don¡¯t need to worry.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t use it lightly before understanding the effects of Skill Synthesis but in any case, the news of the Skill Synthesis was great. What was the end of transcendence...?


    As Grid was thinking, the world regained its original form. Once the crater on the ck tortoise¡¯s shell closed, the poison stopped and the darkness cleared. The sky was once again clear. It had been such a long nightmarish time yet it was still daytime.


    ¡°......¡±


    The ck tortoise¡¯s body leaning against Grid¡¯s hand was bing smaller. The ¡®old god,¡¯ who crushed the city with a bodyrger than the mountain, became smaller than Grid and became a real tortoise. The snake head stretched out in a long manner and looked ugly.


    ¡®Old god...¡¯


    The high rankers watched Grid and the ck tortoise and their hearts shook violently in a manner a third party would never understand. Having grasped the present state of affairs through Grid¡¯s epic, they recalled the truths they had just learned.


    First, the myths of the East Continent were mostly false. Second, the master of the false myths was the yangbans and the master of the real myths was the forgotten Four Auspicious Beasts. Third, the world that would perish that was mentioned in the fourth and fifth epics was likely referred to the East Continent and the main culprit of the destruction was the yangbans.


    ¡®We didn¡¯t know this and were going to be the dogs of the yangbans.¡¯


    ¡®Even if I knew the truth, I would¡¯ve never dreamed of antagonizing a god.¡¯


    ¡®Yet Grid fought alone.¡¯


    Just as all humans had different personalities, the characters of the high rankers were different. Even if the East Continent was to be destroyed, most people wouldn¡¯t feel concern or sympathy. Even if they knew the real identity of the yangbans, there were many who would stand on the side of the yangbans depending on the situation. Originally, it was like this. However...


    ¡°All I did was help you do the right thing.¡±


    The reason why the high rankers were feeling heavy was due to Grid¡¯s words. The high rankers reflected on the meaning.


    Do the right thing...


    Originally, this was a good way to be treated as a pushover. Doing the right thing, human feelings, and good deeds¡ªthese concepts had long been thought to be outdated. Modern society ridiculed those who sacrificed themselves for others without gaining anything.


    The same was true for the high rankers. Of course, there were exceptions but most high rankers were able to be high rankers because they thoroughly calcted the profit and losses. However, wasn¡¯t it okay to take a loss at least once in life?


    ¡°Hey, Grid.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Only one time.¡±


    ¡°We want to help you just this once.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If we receive grace, then we should pay it back. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was baffled by the high rankers¡¯ offer and shut his mouth for a moment. He knew that their qualities were naturally excellent. However, it wasn¡¯t yet enough to handle the yangbans. If they got caught up in the mood and joined him, they would definitely regret it.


    All types of words filled Grid¡¯s throat but he eventually smothered them. People like high rankers were level-headed. Yes, they already knew they would regret it. Nevertheless, they were going to help him. They were keen about the game and became the best people, but they also had their pure side.


    ¡°...Do whatever you want.¡± The smiling Grid stood next to the high rankers while suppressing his overwhelming emotions. He spoke to the ck tortoise looking up at him, ¡°Guide us to where your other half is.¡±


    Nod.


    The ck tortoise nodded in answer and walked in front.


    ***


    ¡°Usa will be pleased.¡±


    The steps which were as light as a feather and didn¡¯t damage any of the thin ice as they were walking on it were mysterious.


    ¡°Once the ck tortoise haspletely calmed down, we can control the birth of life alone.¡±


    The name of the yangban who didn¡¯t lose his bnce despite moving on the slippery ice was Maru. Unlike the other yangbans who were neatly and modestly dressed, he exposed his abs by unbuttoning his clothes. Maru smiled at Bondre, who was gathering mana after using Absolute Zero.


    ¡°It is amazing that a human can freeze the ck tortoise. You must¡¯ve worked tirelessly to achieve your skills.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    Bondre shook his head uneasily. The person talking to him was a god. He had a presence that was toorge to be perceived as just a block of graphics with artificial intelligence. They were in a position where the big yers who had frustrated him, such as Grid, Faker, and Agnus, would never reach for the rest of their lives.


    ¡®I understand the feelings of those who are emotional to NPCs...¡¯


    In recent years, the number of mentally ill people treating NPCs as real people had increased sharply. In Bondre¡¯s memories, it started happening after the news that Grid married a NPC became a topic. Bondre found it hard toprehend. He couldn¡¯t tell the difference between those who regarded NPCs as colleagues, friends, or lovers from the five year old children who yed with dolls.


    However, today he felt differently. Once he was suppressed by the yangbans, he understood the feelings of those mentally ill people who couldn¡¯t distinguish between reality and a game.


    ¡®This is a game... right?¡¯


    Perhaps the meteorite that people were making a fuss about possibly colliding with the Earth in the near future brought some cosmic power to break down the boundaries between reality and a game? It was a meteorite that appeared in an ¡®unusual¡¯ form. Bondre was thinking about the news of how it disappeared like a lie when he felt his mana fill up.


    Then the cooldown of Absolute Zero reset. It was thanks to the divine favor. Due to the effect of the yangban Areum¡¯s talisman, Bondre¡¯s magic recovery rate was three times higher than before. The moment his mana was full, he received the miraculous buff of ¡®the cooldown time of all magic is reset.¡¯


    The eyes of Maru, Areum, and the other yangbans were focused on Bondre. Bondre felt like a child at a school as he was once again suppressed by the yangbans¡¯ existence and cast two magic simultaneously¡ªFrozen Ice and Absolute Zero.


    Bondre was the fourth yer to enter the realm of double casting and was able to create a dramatic scene where the effect of Absolute Zero was applied to the entire range of Frozen Ice. This was why the king of Valha, God of War Ares, favored Bondre and Bondreter joined his army.


    Everything from the dampness of the marble to the shallow puddles werepletely frozen. Even the water in the bathtub was covered with a thinyer of ice. Bondre fell into an iprehensible fatigue while Areum¡¯s beautiful face was full of vitality.


    ¡°It is faster than I thought.¡±


    In the bathtub where she was sitting, dozens of corpsesy frozen. Like centuries old mummies, the withered bodies belonged to the daoists who were proficient with ice. They had been the ones suppressing the ck tortoise until Bondre came here...


    ***


    ¡°When will it start?¡±


    At the underground waterway filled with a cold that would chill the bones...


    Old Sword Demon looked up at the ceiling full of icicles and urged Hwang Gildong, ¡°Let¡¯s start. I will freeze and die before doing anything.¡±


    "You look terrible,¡± Hwang Gildong, the only one who was wearing a bear skin, spoke with a meaningful expression, ¡°Four times. We will step out once they freeze it four more times.¡±


    ¡°Why four more times?¡±


    The ice formed every three minutes. It was crazy to endure for another 15 minutes in this ce that was as cold as Antarctica.


    ¡°By that time, I think the current ck tortoise will sense the crisis and open its eyes once. The ck tortoise might be sealed in the bead but it will sense the crisis of extinction.¡± Hwang Gildong smiled while stealthily slipping his hands into the bear skin. ¡°We will use the chaos of the moment to sneak in and steal the ck Tortoise Jewel.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The more Old Sword Demon knew, the more annoying Hwang Gildong became. Old Sword Demon nced at the path he had been walking for a long time and red at Hwang Gildong who monopolized the bear skin the entire time.


    ¡®By now, the outside would bepletely devastated.¡¯


    Before infiltrating the underground waterway, Old Sword Demon had witnessed the high rankers gathering around the unknown white square building. They would¡¯ve been exploited by the yangbans and died soon after.


    ¡®Sorry, but I can¡¯t help you. Take this opportunity to realize how terrifying the yangbans are and I rmend for you to never step onto the East Continent again.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon was praying for the high rankers when Hwang Gildong let out a cry of admiration. ¡°Oh, are you looking for a way out in advance?¡±


    ¡°I was just looking back at the road we walked.¡±


    ¡°That is the exact opposite road we came from.¡±


    At the same time, at the outskirts of Chiaotzu...


    ¡°...It is a disgrace.¡±


    The wounded Braham sat down. He used magic to recover his right arm that had been cut off and coughed up blood as he stared at the cut surface with a frown. It was too hard to seal with magic because the cut surface was a mess.


    Spit.


    The problem was that he was too weak due to the blow to the soul that he suffered twice. Feeling disgusted by his own weakness, Braham spat out blood while around him, there were seven blue dragon dopos torn to pieces and scattered .

 Chapter 1206

    Toddle.


    ¡°......¡±


    Toddle.


    ¡®Slow!¡¯


    The movement speed of the ck tortoise, who had be smaller, was as slow as a tortoise. It was maddening for the high rankers who valued time more than gold but no one dared toin. It was because the ones leading them were not only a god, but also Grid, the first ranked yer.


    ¡®It is a god so it must have a deep meaning.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right. There¡¯s a reason why the ck tortoise is walking slower than anyone else, even though it should be anxious. Isn¡¯t there a saying that the more anxious you are, the more you crawl.¡¯


    ¡®Grid knows this as well so he¡¯s quiet.¡¯


    ¡®The longest way around is the shortest way home?¡¯


    The high rankers were trying to convince themselves while Grid was looking at the new system. He was looking at the list of avable skills that were less frequently used.


    [1. Unbreakable Justice - used in 15 out of thest 100 battles.


    2. Continuous Stab - used in 6 out of thest 100 battles.


    3. Spear Shot - used in 2 out of thest 100 battles.]


    ¡®My fights with ordinary monsters are also included in recent battles.¡¯


    Only in this way could the ratio on the list be correct.


    ¡®Passive skills are excluded.¡¯


    If passive skills were included then Bow Mastery should also be on the list. Grid hadn¡¯t shot a bow recently so Bow Mastery wasn¡¯t put to use.


    ¡®Unique skills are also excluded...¡¯


    What skills have he used the least? Grid asked himself this and the first skill that came to mind was Granting an Ego. It was Granting an Ego that Grid had never used before. It was used in the National Competition but that was on a separate server. The next one that came up was the Restraint skill. A powerful wide-area crowd control skill, it was once a favorite of Grid but recently, he only used it inrge-scalebat. It was because a number of opponents could be defeated without restraining them while the really powerful opponents had high resistance to abnormal states and the effectiveness of Restraint could be reduced.


    However, both skills weren¡¯t included in the list of skills that could be synthesized. Granting an Ego seemed to be excluded because it wasn¡¯t abat-rted skill and Restraint was excluded because it had an impact on or influenced various fused sword dances.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid looked back on his recent battles. Unbreakable Justice had the advantage of being immediately activated in a wide area but the frequency of use had been further reduced since he obtained Drop, which applied the abnormal state ¡®copse.¡¯


    The multi-hit Continuous Stab was used to break shields that ¡®unconditionally absorb a certain number of attacks, regardless of damage.¡¯ Spear Shot was used for making variables by throwing or picking up a spear that had fallen to the ground and utilizing them.


    ¡®They are used less often but except for Unbreakable Justice, everything had its ce to be used.¡¯


    Grid frowned. It was a w just because he didn¡¯t like to use it. This logic of a perfect transcendent was different from reality. Grid thought that his less frequently used skills weren¡¯t his shorings. Rather, they were a power.


    ¡®In fact, if I can connect Unbreakable Justice with Drop then I can aim for a momentary explosion.¡¯


    Drop dealt damage to all targets within range and induced a drop in defense. Then he could link Unbreakable Justice. Thisbo would boast a tremendous destructive power just looking at the coefficients. He simply refrained from using it because of the opportunity cost. Rather than linking Unbreakable Justice, it was better to connect the more powerful fused dances or the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. Unbreakable Justice was only used when resources were really tight or skill cooldowns ovepped, making things difficult.


    ¡®...Ah.¡¯


    Grid was crazily thinking up to this point, only to get enlightenment.


    Unbreakable Justice, Continuous Stab, and Spear Spot were all skills ¡®receable¡¯ with something else. Grid had a wide area skill that was much more powerful than Unbreakable Justice and the fusion sword dances that included Link were much more powerful than Continuous Stab.


    Spear Shot was throwing a spear? Grid could throw a spear without Spear Shot. No, he could pick up and throw all the weapons in the world, not just the spear. Of course, the attack power coefficient was that of a basic attack so the power would be reduced but the initial purpose of this technique was to create a variable, not for the power.


    Unbreakable Justice, Continuous Stab, and Spear Shot were all ¡®skills that weren¡¯t necessary¡¯ for the current Grid. In the past, it could be used as a secret technique when his resources limit was lower, there was a dy in the use of the sword dance, and there were fewer skills.


    ¡®It is a waste of a skill slot... the system did an objective evaluation.¡¯


    Grid never obtained anything easily. Unbreakable Justice, Continuous Stab, and Spear Shot were all skills he got after struggling so he was deeply attached to them. Now was the time to abandon his attachment to them.


    [* You can create one new skill by synthesizing three skills.]


    A system that urred during transcendence. The new skill described here that could be used by transcendents would boast a high level of utility.


    ¡®Let¡¯s ept but after this battle.¡¯


    It was a risk to throw away existing skills to get a new one in the current situation. Unless the new skill was very simple, it would be difficult for Grid to adapt immediately. Since the final battle was uing, it was much wiser to hone his original skills.


    ¡°Nyahahat! It is like hell, like hell!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid thought back. He thought about the battle with the yangbans not long ago. What did he do well, what did he do wrong, what were his shorings, and what were his advantages? This was a habit. If he skipped it even once then he would be anxious and his hands would tremble.


    ¡°It is like hell, nyang!¡±


    ¡°Please be quiet.¡±


    The excited Noe continued making noise and the Grid threw him a fish. It wasn¡¯t funny when the escort he summoned was hindering his concentration.


    ¡®I understand why he is excited.¡¯


    Grid, who had fixed his eyes on the gaze of the walking ck tortoise, finally looked around at the surroundingndscape. Now it was hell as Noe expressed. The brilliant scenery of the splendid civilization that showed off its wealth was now ruined. All the people had disappeared from the vibrant streets and it was horrifyingly cruel. Noe was a beast from hell so it was natural that he felt like he had returned home.


    ...Although it was funny that a demonic beast from hell loved fish from the sea.


    Grid stepped through the rubble of the copsed building and ash was scattered.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart ached. Many of the innocent civilians who died without escaping the sudden disaster were among them. There were even children.


    ¡®It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯


    The reason Braham devastated the city with a terrible disaster was for Grid. Braham only used the best magic because Grid asked him to open the way ahead. Yes, the person who created this hell was Grid himself.


    ¡®...I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Brush off his boiling guilt with an apology. Distinguish between games and reality. The selfish defensive mechanism worked.


    Usually, Grid respected and cared for NPCs like they were humans but he made exceptions in some cases. It was if the target was an ¡®enemy¡¯ or ¡®other.¡¯ In this case, Grid recognized NPCs as non-human chunks of graphics and didn¡¯t think deeply about their death. He tried to shake it off easily. It was why he had been able to kill so many enemies so far. Someone would say he was an insane, creepy guy, but Grid was confident.


    ¡®If I don¡¯t do this then I¡¯ll go crazy.¡¯


    From the beginning, he was a selfish person who only valued his people. Don¡¯t take on more of a burden than was necessary.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid, who was trying to harden his mind, stopped in ce. It was because he felt a lot of movement from within a safe building. Grid reflexively used Quick Movements and cksmith¡¯s Rage as he moved in the direction he felt it from. Then he found it. Women, men, children, adults, and the elderly¡ªthere were thousands of people.


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    ¡°...Who are you?¡±


    The dumbfounded Grid asked and one terrified person responded cautiously. ¡°W-We are inhabitants of Chiaotzu.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you look like you¡¯re from a foreign country. Do you know what is going on here?¡±


    ¡°We were just living as usual when our bodies suddenly floated up and our location changed.¡±


    ¡°Everyone was flustered and tried to exchange stories when stars fell from the sky and the city copsed. Then a monster appeared, night came and we were forced to hide here...¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart was pounding. He noticed Braham¡¯s favor.


    ¡®Braham, you... you knew I would feel guilt.¡¯


    Did he rescue the civilians using Mass Teleport? Even from the legendary great magic Meteor?


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Sticks of the Overgeared Kingdom had once exined it. Mass Teleport was divided into three main types. First, there was the Mass Teleport that moved the caster and the targets around the caster in a group. It was themonly known Mass Teleport. It was also the favorite of Sticks.


    Second, there was the Mass Teleport that moved targets within a range specified by the caster as a group. It was much more difficult than the typical Mass Teleport. It was said that the only man who couldplete this magic form was the legendary great magician.


    Third, there was the Mass Teleport where the caster moved specific targets in groups. It was the ultimate magic that embodied ideas. It was said to be habitually used by the top 10 great demons. They specified ¡®demons who follow me¡¯ and teleported them over to the target to be attacked. Among the mixed-race people, only Braham and Marie Rose could use this type of ultimate Mass Teleport and it was said to be an area that could never be reached by humans. Sticks had exined it when warning of the dangers of Marie Rose but Grid hadn¡¯t expected it would be a foreshadowing for this moment.


    ¡°You should get away from here. It will soon be swept up by a bigger disaster.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have to persuade them. Drops of ck liquid protruded from the ck tortoise¡¯s mouth and wrapped around the inhabitants¡¯ bodies.


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    The clothes and belongings of the residents in the ck droplets turned to ashes and disappeared. Fortunately, the droplets were ck so their nakedness couldn¡¯t be seen. The droplets carrying the residents floated in the sky.


    ¡°Uwah...¡±


    The residents weren¡¯t scared. Rather, they felt an unknown tranquility and leanedfortably against the droplet.


    ¡º I... Protect you... ¡»


    The vague voice of the ck tortoise echoed through the minds of the Chiaotzu residents. The memories of the old gods engraved into their genes loomed vaguely.


    ¡°B-ck tortoise...¡±


    The residents instinctively recognized the ck tortoise¡¯s identity and their eyes turned red. They reached out to the ck tortoise but it was toote. The droplets carrying them flew higher and transported them to the outskirts of Chiaotzu.


    ¡º Thank you... ¡»


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me. It was my friend.¡±


    Grid smiled proudly at the ck tortoise and started walking again. The ck tortoise guided Grid and the rankers to the pce. The scenery of the pce was no different from the city center. Much of it was crumbling. Blood from the dead soldiers dyed it red.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    The high rankers walking behind Grid shrank back. They were terrified when they recalled the indifference of the yangbans who fought Grid. Could they help? They wondered if they were doing something they would regret for the rest of their lives. They thought about it before soon stopping.


    The main reason they followed Grid was to repay his grace but it was also for their individual rights. From the time they received Dodam¡¯s hostility, they were judged to have failed the Call of the Heavens quest. This meant they would suffer a penalty of losing four levels.


    It was disgusting. They had to make up for it. They wanted revenge.


    ¡®You guys used us as victims first.¡¯


    ¡®They became hostile just because we were bystanders, those yangban bastards.¡¯


    The more they thought about it, the more hateful it became. It happened when the high rankers became resolved once again.


    ¡º Here. ¡»


    The only safe little pce in the ruins of the castle. The party arrived in front of the building made of an unknown material, just like the white building, and there was suddenly a cold air.


    Subsequently...


    ¡º I don¡¯t want to...! I don¡¯t want to!!! ¡»


    Another ck tortoise screamed. Then different notification windows appeared in front of Grid and the high rankers.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Protect the ck Tortoise has urred!]


    [The cooperative quest ¡®Revenge¡¯ will ur!]


    Something soared up through the ceiling of the pce that was still intact. A beautiful and mysterious bead¡ªit was the ck Tortoise Jewel that held the ck tortoise.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Grid used his buff skills and flew up when he saw the yangbans pursuing the ck Tortoise Jewel. He had already won against three yangbans and was full of confidence. At least, until he faced someone with the same presence as Garam.


    ¡°Haha, what? How are you all safe?¡±


    A cheerful voice was heard. Grid¡¯s body was mmed into the ground. Grid was struggling to shake off the shock of the strong impact to his head. He raised his head in aborious manner and saw a yangban called Maru standing with crossed arms.


    ¡°That silver-haired demonkin was protecting you? At the expense of himself?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes became demonic and the noisy Maru was startled. Grid stuck in the ground was pulling fire. No, it was a bow. A bow that burned with mes. The Red Phoenix Bow, which was reproduced with the item duplication skill, responded to the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart with a momentum greater than ever before.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    The yangbans guarding the ck Tortoise Jewel and facing Grid groaned, unable to bear the falling rain of fire.

 Chapter 1207

    His vision became cloudy. It felt like he was driving a car with frosted ss in an unusually cold winter.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There were no warning windows so why was he like this...


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Bondre, who continued to use magic at themand of Areum, couldn¡¯t hold on. His entire body trembled. Without noticing it, he was feelingpletely drained. An unknown voice echoed, adding to his confusion. The origin of the voice was the ck Tortoise Jewel that adorned the center of the great hall.


    ¡º It¡¯s cold... ¡»


    ¡º It hurts... ¡»


    ¡º Hurts... I¡¯m scared... ¡»


    ¡º Who am I? ¡»


    ¡º I don¡¯t think I know... ¡»


    ¡º When I¡¯m gone... .¡»


    ¡º People... people are in danger... ¡»


    ¡®Is this the voice of the ck tortoise?¡¯


    Bondre¡¯s eyes that were filled with a haze gradually changed. They glittered like the stars in the sky, just like the old days when he was struggling to reach the top.


    ¡®The rtionship between the ck tortoise and the yangbans is different from the rumors.¡¯


    Bondre¡¯s vision became clear when he realized a new fact. A notification window came up.


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Protect the Artifact of the Four Gods has failed.]


    [Your level has dropped by 4.]


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Real Myth has urred!]


    Bondre noticed. He realized that the smile on the face of the beautiful woman sitting in the bathtub was more smelly than the fishy smell of freshwater fish.


    ¡®I was caught by these dog-like guys.¡¯


    Bondre¡¯s brain was activated when he realized the situation. He was a smart man who surpassed two billion users to reach the single digit rankings.


    ¡®Think about it.¡¯


    From the time he received the Call of the Heavens quest to meeting Areum, he recalled everything that happened. He felt a bit more rity and retracted all the strangeness he experienced at the time. His trembling arms and legs calmed down. Thanks to the unknown talisman that Areum attached to him, all his magic power and strength had been restored.


    [One Origin True Energy has been consumed.]


    [The ¡®Origin True Energy¡¯ system is activated.]


    ¡°Kukuk.¡± Bondreughed and removed the talisman attached to his back.


    ¡º I don¡¯t want to...! I don¡¯t want to!!! ¡»


    The pained voice of the ck tortoise, who was a victim like Bondre, was still echoing clearly in Bondre¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Once Bondre¡¯s eyes changed and he took the talisman off, Areum finally showed a bit of interest. Bondre¡¯s thin neck was caught by her slender hand and turned ck.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe to your senses when dying. You are powerful in many ways for a human.¡±


    ¡°Ku...ock...¡±


    Breathing was hard. His restored field of view shed red. He would die if this continued.


    It happened as Bondre was struggling in the ¡®suffocation¡¯ condition. The ck Tortoise Jewel, which adorned the center of the frozen hall, soared through the ceiling. Bondre witnessed the sight of Maru and the yangbans chasing it and barely managed to open his mouth in the dizzying pain.


    ¡°You... what are you?¡±


    ¡°A god.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°We are to be gods.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk...¡±


    Dammit, he thought it was suspicious that a god would ask for help from humans but they weren¡¯t gods. Areum saw the hostility in Bondre¡¯s eyes and snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t raise your courage for nothing. We are better than you who aren¡¯t qualified to be gods.¡±


    They were better, which meant they were ahead of humans. Was this true? Bondre¡¯s sense of reason recognized Areum as a NPC, a mass of graphics. He was no longer overwhelmed. ¡°Just a mere creation...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The words that Bondre barely spat out touched Areum¡¯s heart. It happened the moment she inserted greater strength into the hand holding Bondre¡¯s neck. Heat was felt and mes soared behind Areum¡¯s back. He looked up at the sky through the open ceiling and saw the heavy rain of fire. This was a baptism of fire that made the White Tiger¡¯s Breath, that had been triggered when the ck tortoise started itsst struggle, obsolete.


    ¡°What?¡± Areum threw away the worthless human and used the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. The ck tortoise was weakened from the cold and Areum couldpletely control the breath. Just before the rain of pouring fire reached Areum, it turned into water vapor and disappeared. Standing in the water curtain, she stared up at the ceiling with the hole in it.


    She murmured as if Bondre was no longer there. ¡°I see... the man who resurrected the red phoenix came here...¡±


    Areum flew and Bondre followed. The water vapor froze like spider webs.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Areum detected the anomalies and looked back.


    Bondre hung onto the ice stem connected to her and smiled. ¡°My pride is too strong to be used and abandoned.¡±


    He had never surrendered. In the world of the strong, starting from the sky above the sky Kraugel and linking to Grid, Faker, and Agnus, Bondre had felt frustrated and desperate but he never gave up. He was sure that it would be the same for him one day. He didn¡¯t doubt that his talents would blossom like them.


    ¡°A son of a bitch like you...¡±


    If he was going to encounter such nothingness¡ª


    ¡®I will give up and quit the game, you XX.¡¯


    ¡°...!¡±


    Areum¡¯s body froze. It was more than a physical condition. The area around her turned into ice and she had no resistance. Areum crashed to the ground and was shocked. Her left foot shattered and disappeared.


    ¡°You...! You trivial human!¡±


    Her beautiful body was destroyed! Areum roared with bloodshot eyes and used the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath, which was the opposite of the cold. The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath was as weak as dying mes due to the aftermath of the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection but it still worked. The cold air around Bondre started to melt quickly. However, Bondre¡¯s speed at making ice surpassed Areum¡¯s speed of melting it.


    ¡°There is a snack called yeot [1] in the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    Step.


    Bondre recreated the ice that melted in the heat and used it as a shield to take one step. ¡°There you know there is a curse word that sounds like yeot?¡± [2]


    He took two steps and approached Areum. ¡°I feel like yeot right now.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Red blood flowed on Areum¡¯s transparent cheek covered in ice. She realized what she had overlooked. The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath that she held was too weak. The power of the fire couldn¡¯t be used properly against the ice. A huge, sharp awl of ice was shot at Areum. She hurriedly used the White Tiger¡¯s Breath to create a stone wall to block it. She muttered, ¡°It is shameful. I have to actually fight hand-to-hand against a trivial human.¡±


    Bondre¡¯s vision spun around and around. Suddenly, he felt like his jaw had disappeared. It was the aftermath of Areum¡¯s swinging kick that pierced through the barrier he summoned.


    [You have suffered 29,590 damage.]


    ¡®...Shit.¡¯


    One kick had this much power? She wasn¡¯t even a god yet. Nevertheless, she was in a position that was too high for yers to reach. Bondre¡¯s body jerked and convulsed from a single blow. He couldn¡¯t get up immediately and was filled with guilt.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    [Real Myth]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    You have seen the reality of the yangbans and glimpsed the real world.


    Guide the myth in the right direction!


    Quest Clear Conditions: Seize the ck Tortoise Jewel from the yangbans.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +6.


    Quest failure: Force repatriation to the West Continent.]


    Bondre noticed. This quest originated from himself. It was a quest that analyzed the achievements and character of the yer ¡®Bondre,¡¯ who was called a genius.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t meet expectations.¡¯ Bondre apologized to the system he admired and closed his eyes. He waited for death. However, it was salvation, not death, that came to him.


    ¡°Wake up.¡± It was a voice he had never forgotten.


    Bondre raised his head with an angry expression and saw the back of Grid, who was blocking Areum. ¡°You...!¡±


    Bondre¡¯s chin was bleeding.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Why did he...? Why did he show up at this moment?


    ¡°Do you know how disgusting you are every time you pretend to be an apostle of justice?¡±


    Bondre had witnessed Grid¡¯s sense of justice many times. He couldn¡¯t understand it. Everyone in the world was apetitor. A yer shouldn¡¯t reach out to another yer who needed help. They should be kept in check and trampled on. He always believed this. Then why? Why was Grid...?!


    Grid¡¯s sword cut at Areum. Grid restricted her behavior by firing Magic Missiles at her struggling hands and spoke to Bondre, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be an apostle of justice. Rather, I longed to be a viin.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I hated heroes wearing the masks of heroes just because they have power and talent. To be exact, I hated their pretenses.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted. He once again stopped Areum and continued speaking to Bondre, ¡°However, now I understand them.¡±


    It was too dangerous to wield this mighty power with self-interest. Thus, he was forced to establish justice. Maybe a hero was a hero. It was a pitiful existence that could only feel relieved after taking responsibility for their power.


    ¡°Bondre, please cooperate with me this one time.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Fight together. I need your strength.¡±


    ¡°Shit...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need my strength too?¡±


    ¡°...Fuck you.¡±


    Bondre gave up struggling as he leaned on Grid¡¯s body and raised his hand with difficulty. His trembling fingertips drew a magic circle in the air. There were two magic circles. Bondre was making perfect use of double casting that Grid could barely seed in even with Belial¡¯s Staff. ¡°Frozen Ice. Absolute Zero.¡±


    The surroundings were frozen. The bodies of Areum, rushing toward Grid, and the other yangbans in the sea of fire were trapped in ice.


    ¡°I... This is my limit...¡± Bondre spoke and shamefully copsed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid held Bondre tighter to stop him from falling and linked Drop, followed by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword to the people trapped in the ice.


    ¡°Kuaaaaack!¡±


    The screams of the yangbans reverberated as they bled through the rubble of the broken ice. The residents of Chiaotzu, sitting in the droplets, witnessed Grid¡¯s sess and the fall of the yangbans.


    ¡°Divinity. Open Potential. 300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. He watched the falling yangban and swung his sword, piercing the yangbans¡¯ vital points. In particr, Areum hadn¡¯t been able to adapt to the changed bnce from the loss of one foot and was seriously injured. Grid approached her using Shunpo as she tried to keep the bnce of her body and used Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    Areum was unable to hold on and turned to grey ash. The situation of the other yangbans also wasn¡¯t optimistic. They exposed their weaknesses and fell into a crisis as they were attacked by 300 high rankers.


    Only one person was different


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing!!" Maru still had a bright smile and hadn¡¯t lost hisposure. ¡°You must¡¯ve worked tirelessly to achieve your present state with your human body!¡±


    A vortex urred as Maru easily overpowered the rankers and infused magic into the ck Tortoise Jewel in his hand. Everything in the swirling castle started to be sucked into the ck Tortoise Jewel, including Grid, Bondre, and the high rankers. Right now, Maru was reproducing some of the powers of the ck tortoise.


    ¡°Nyaang!¡± Grid spun around as the high rankers were sucked into the ck Tortoise Jewel. He found Noe and released Noe¡¯s summoning.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    In order to ovee the crisis, he could only use 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. The vortex itself must be cut. However, it was impossible to use swordsmanship because he couldn¡¯t control his body swirling in the vortex. He was helpless. He felt like a bug that was being flushed down the toilet.


    ¡°Kuoock!¡± Bondre was struggling. He hadn¡¯t reacted immediately when he was caught in the vortex and seemed to be drinking a lot of water.


    ¡®This is annihtion.¡¯


    Thebination of a Garam-level yangban and the artifact of the Four Gods was too fraudulent. It happened the moment Grid made this judgment.


    ¡°Everyone is very busy so please excuse me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Someone appeared behind them. The voice sounded like that of a young man. Grid was being swept away in the vortex and found it hard to see the person¡¯s identity. On the other hand, Maru was different. He recognized the identity of the uninvited guest who appeared right next to him. ¡°Hwang Gildong!¡±


    The vortex sucking up all the rubble in the castle as well as Grid and the high rankers suddenly stopped. The ck Tortoise Jewel, which should¡¯ve been in Maru¡¯s hand, was now in Hwang Gildong¡¯s hand. It was an amazing pickpocketing ability to steal something from a yangban who had two eyes wide open.


    ¡°The Chivalrous Robbers will help protect this. Then I¡¯ll be going now. Go ahead and continue.¡±


    ¡°Hwang Gildong!¡± The smile disappeared from Maru¡¯s face for the first time. His furious fist hit Hwang Gildong¡¯s head and Hwang Gildong screamed. However, his body didn¡¯t turn to grey ash. There was a frivolous sound effect and he turned into a straw doll. The ck Tortoise Jewel also disappeared.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Both Grid and the high rankers were dumbfounded. They couldn¡¯t grasp the situation at all and were forced to deal with Maru¡¯s anger. ¡°Humans! You looked innocent but you were actually ying tricks with Hwang Gildong behind my back!¡±


    Maru picked up a short spear on the ground and threw it in the direction of the high rankers. It was like a missile. The targeted parties didn¡¯t respond. Only Grid tried to fly away but the distance was so close that it led to failure.


    [Shunpo has failed to trigger.]


    ¡®Toote!¡¯


    The moment that Grid was feeling despair, there was a loud explosion. It was the loud noise from the spear that flew at dozens of rankers being blocked by a thin, long sword.


    ¡°O-Old Sword Demon!¡±


    Grid and the high rankers shook. A senior swordsman who symbolized the ¡®strongest¡¯ of the old era. He had a terrible wanderlust so he went missing and there were no rumors about him...


    ¡°It is an honor to meet the supreme one.¡±


    He appeared in this far eastnd and smiled at Grid.


    [1] A type of Korean candy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeot


    [2] The word yeot can sound like fu*k you

 Chapter 1208

    In Satisfy¡¯s history, Old Sword Demon was a very interesting figure. First of all, he was a mystery because there was no record of his assassinations. The nature of an assassin¡¯s ss was to build up ¡®assassination achievements¡¯, raising their fame and gaining additional abilities. It meant that having an assassination record was more beneficial for them. Yet there was no record of Old Sword Demon¡¯s assassinations. In order to be a perfect killer, he gave up his reputation and didn¡¯t publish his assassination record, but he was still first in the rankings.


    There had been a rumor in the world. ¡°Old Sword Demon might not know that he was transferred to the assassin ss.¡±


    It was ridiculous considering how his ID was ¡®sword demon,¡¯ which was because of his skill inbat and use of a long sword as his main weapon. The assassin¡¯s signature mastery skill was with daggers, but Old Sword Demon used a long sword and enjoyed a fair match instead of attacking in the darkness. This gave rise to the joke that he should be a swordsman. Therefore, the new generation often knew Old Sword Demon as a ¡®good swordsman¡¯.


    ¡°Old Sword Demon...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were shining as he watched Old Sword Demon. Grid recognized Old Sword Demon as a special being, just as many people admired and honored the current Grid. It was from the days when Grid was still obscure. In a time when he was envious of good-looking people and felt a sense of inferiority, he had a subtle affinity for Old Sword Demon¡¯s ID. It was an ID that would make people doubt the person¡¯s nature as long as it was in Korean characters. Back in the days when Grid was dissatisfied with society, he thought it was a good ID. He felt that Old Sword Demon was swearing at the world on his behalf.


    ¡®I was young at that time.¡¯


    How twisted had he been? Grid smiled at the absurdity of his past self and concentrated on observing Old Sword Demon.


    In the past, Grid couldn¡¯t urately measure the skills of Old Sword Demon. Grid¡¯s level itself had been low, so he hadn¡¯t been able to feel any inspiration after seeing the skills of Old Sword Demon, who had been the best at the time. He had just vaguely thought that this person was great. Now it was different. Grid had be stronger through repeated life and death battles with powerful enemies and was now at the highest level in the world.


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s long sword tilted at an angle. Then an amazing sight unfolded. The short spear that was entangled around Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t handle the force and was thrown out. The sharp spear was thrown in the direction of Maru. The same short spear that Maru had thrown ended up attacking him.


    ¡®He is very skilled at using his wrist.¡¯


    It was almost like an attack from Kraugel, but the power was a bit weaker. If it had been Kraugel instead of Old Sword Demon, the spear rushing at Maru would¡¯ve been 1.2 times faster. If it were Grid, the spear would have flown twice as fast, but unfortunately, Grid didn¡¯t have this much technique.


    ¡°Bah!¡± Maru snorted and appeared in front of Old Sword Demon. He swung his feet while simultaneously hitting Old Sword Demon¡¯s abdomen with his shoulder.


    Three prerequisites were needed for Old Sword Demon to be able to respond to this. He had to understand the Shunpo skill, predict the timing at which Maru used it, and have at least 2,500 agility. Old Sword Demon met all three conditions. The moment he was hit in the abdomen, he responded immediately by tilting his upper body back, avoiding Maru¡¯s kick. He even hit back.


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword brushed past Maru¡¯s hair, creating a strong wind pressure. Maru recovered his feet, exposed his back to Old Sword Demon, and leaned back like he was leaning into Old Sword Demon¡¯s arms. Then he grabbed Old Sword Demon¡¯s neck with his arms, and it seemed as if Old Sword Demon¡¯s neck would be broken like this.


    It was really the worst position. Maru¡¯s technique was reminiscent of Bubat¡¯s, and Old Sword Demon looked like he was in a very disadvantageous position. It was fair to say that the harmony between Shunpo and Maru, who became stronger the closer he was to the target, was the best.


    ¡®He can¡¯t do it either.¡¯


    Grid hurriedly tried to use Shunpo.


    [Shunpo has failed to trigger.]


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    It seemed that Old Sword Demon¡¯s neck would be broken. Grid felt a chill down his spine and was about tounch Magic Missile. Then there was a small explosion, and Old Sword Demon¡¯s body was covered in smoke before disappearing. Maru¡¯s hands were floundering in the air instead of grasping Old Sword Demon¡¯s neck.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Both Grid and Bondre, who were watching the battle, were full of doubts. Maru looked around. Just then, the disappeared Old Sword Demon reappeared in his original position. His neck was clearly marked with red handprints. That¡¯s right. Old Sword Demon hadn¡¯t left Maru¡¯s grasp. He had justpletely concealed his presence from the world for a while. In fact, his neck had still been in Maru¡¯s hands, but Maru was simply unaware of this fact. If Maru hadn¡¯t immediately released his grip, then Old Sword Demon would¡¯ve died of a broken neck.


    Maru started a fierce exchange with Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Spit.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Spit spit!¡±


    Old Sword Demon avoided and blocked Maru¡¯s attacks and kept spitting. It wasn¡¯t a technique developed from spitting only once or twice. His saliva precisely struck Maru¡¯s pupils, so Maru had to be conscious of it. Thanks to this, the almost copsed Old Sword Demon was able to shake Maru off.


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Grid¡¯s and Bondre¡¯s eyes shook even more as they watched the confrontation between Old Sword Demon and Maru. Both of them were shocked by Old Sword Demon¡¯s dirtybat style. The good news was that the other high rankers weren¡¯t watching the battle between Old Sword Demon and Maru. The high rankers, who were scattered throughout the battlefield, were busy fighting the yangbans.


    Maru frowned as he wiped the sputum off his cheeks and criticized Old Sword Demon. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any pride?¡±


    ¡°You yangbans treat humans as bugs but ask us to uphold our pride every time. Even humans won¡¯t discuss the pride of an animal below them. How cowardly are you that you would talk about the pride of trivial bugs?¡±


    ¡°You... human...¡±


    ¡°Old Sword Demon.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°That is my name.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Grid was convinced that Old Sword Demon was another Huroi. His solemn expression and tone of speech when insulting a target was simr.


    ¡®No... Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid tried to deny it as he recalled Old Sword Demon¡¯s gentlemanly greeting, but he was undoubtedly certain of another fact.


    ¡®The yangbans have weakened.¡¯


    This was something he had felt when he engaged inbat with the three yangbans, including Dodam. Be it in attack power, defense, health, and speed, all the yangbans he met in Chiaotzu were clearly inferior to the yangbans that Grid had previously encountered. Maru, who had a presence equivalent to Garam, was no exception.


    ¡®Are the yangbans in the Cho Kingdom exceptionally good?¡¯


    It was easy for Grid to expand on this idea. He recalled the resurrection of the red phoenix.


    ¡®The yangbans are people who have strengthened their abilities by absorbing the breaths or hearts of the Four Auspicious Beasts.¡¯


    As a representative example, the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath gave great destructive power and recovery ability to the yangbans. However, the red phoenix had resurrected, and the yangbans were now unable to properly control the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath.


    ¡®The red phoenix has started to exercise control over the breaths that have been stolen by the yangbans.¡¯


    It was clear that the stats and skills of the yangbans who lost a single breath had dropped significantlypared to the previous yangbans. Indeed, it was correct to judge it like this. In other words¡ª


    ¡®There is hope as long as I join forces with Old Sword Demon.¡¯


    After taking potions, Grid turned away from Old Sword Demon and Maru, who had started exchanging blows again. He looked at the high rankers struggling against the yangbans on the battlefield and asked Bondre, ¡°Have you recovered somewhat?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The performance of the potion you gave is tremendous.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s take care of the other yangbans while Old Sword Demon is holding up Maru. I¡¯ll ask for some assistance.¡±


    Bondre told Grid, ¡°My quest is finished.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°My quest was cleared when the man called Hwang Gildong seized the ck Tortoise Jewel from the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°I was surprised too. In any case, I don¡¯t have a reason to fight anymore.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Was it the same with the others? Bondre smiled at Grid, who was anxious that he might have to fight alone. ¡°However, if you ask me to help, I can help.¡±


    As a proud Frenchman¡ªno, he shouldn¡¯t use this expression because it was full of prejudice. After all, it was just a disgusting smile. Bondre smiled in a disgusting manner and urged,¡°Now Grid. Please ask once. Ask me for help.¡±


    He was looking forward to seeing Grid¡¯s crying face, but Grid easily bowed his head without changing his expression. ¡°Help me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The strongest ice magician in the rankings, please help me.¡±


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    It was so easy for Grid to bow his head.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t even necessary for him to take pride in himself...¡¯


    Bondre alone seemed to have been conscious of their rtionship. The enlightened and discouraged Bondre grumbled and stood beside Grid. Bondre cleared the quest and recovered from the levels he lost. He was two levels higher, so his magic power had be more powerful than before. ¡°I owe you one. If I don¡¯t pay you back, then my dreams will be terrible. So I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Your personality has be better since being with Ares.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I am Bondre. I¡¯m not affected by anyone. Entering Valha was just a momentary diversion.¡±


    ¡°Contact me if your mood changes. The Overgeared Kingdom will wee people like you at any time.¡±


    ¡°Do you still want to talk nonsense?¡±


    Bondre spread webs of ice all over the ce. Grid admired it. It was because all the webs created by Bondre exquisitely interfered with the mobility of the yangbans. The yangbans had been seriously injured by Grid and then had to fight the high rankers without a break. They couldn¡¯t ovee the irritation surging in their hearts and broke the webs. Among them, one yangban who cut the web became Grid¡¯s target. ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was just for a moment. The yangban was distracted by the ice web and revealed a gap. Yet Grid precisely dug through that gap. The frightened yangban desperately tried to avoid the blue-ck petals, but it was useless. It was because Bubat had grabbed his cor and dropped him. The dopo fluttered. The yangban¡¯s unnecessarily loose clothes were a fatal weakness against Bubat.


    ¡°You...! Let go!¡±


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Thanks to the active cooperation of Bondre and Bubat, Grid started to dominate the battlefield. They traveled over the battlefield, and the injured yangbans were smashed one by one.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    This was the moment when the morale of the high rankers soared into the sky. Then a man fell between Grid and the high rankers. It was a ragged Old Sword Demon.


    ¡°O-Old Sword Demon!¡±


    The high rankers had forgotten about Old Sword Demon as they concentrated on the yangbans, so they supported him btedly. Old Sword Demon¡¯s red cheeks were swollen, and he spat out blood as he red at the high rankers. ¡°Cough, cough. Neglecting someone who came to help you...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Bad people...¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    The force with which Old Sword Demon first appeared was nowhere to be seen. However, Grid and the rankers fully understood his attitude. Having been left unattended for 10 minutes, Old Sword Demon was angry because he had to deal with Maru alone.


    Step.<i>Step. </i>Step...Maru was approaching. He looked fine, unlike Old Sword Demon who seemed like he was about to die. There was just no calm expression to be found on him. Maru had lost the ck Tortoise Jewel, gotten tied up by a human for 10 minutes, and lost all his siblings, so he was in a terrible mood.


    ¡°Chiyou... If it wasn¡¯t for Chiyou, I wouldn¡¯t need to go through all of this... It is the first time I¡¯ve felt this type of anger.¡±


    Once he heard that Garam had been killed by his target, he had expected a tough fight. As the days passed by, he felt a weakening of control over the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath and was anxious. However, he believed he would eventually win. He had 20 siblings around him. They were even all candidates for the new seats avable in the Seven. At this level of power, he was confident that he could handle two or three archangels. He never imagined that he would suffer a crushing defeat to humans.


    ¡®That silver-haired demonkin was the problem.¡¯


    How many siblings had he harmed by himself? Maru took off the dopo that he was wearing roughly. He was conscious of Bubat and felt it was better to give up his defense than get caught like his siblings. It was a possible judgment because Maru was convinced humans wouldn¡¯t be able to handle a body that would soon be a god¡¯s.


    ¡°I will trample on you one by one, killing you thoroughly before grabbing the neck of Hwang Gildong.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±Old Sword Demon smiled and looked bright.¡°I¡¯ll cheer you on! Grab the neck of Hwang Gildong!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The more they knew, the more Old Sword Demon¡¯s character was broken. Grid stared at him. Old Sword Demon felt the gaze and exined, ¡°Please understand. That guy Hwang Gildong is really rude. Furthermore...¡±


    Old Sword Demon looked at the state of the high rankers. The numbers remaining were half the original and most of the survivors were seriously injured. Bubat¡¯s thick legs, which had been at the heart of the battle, were shaking while Bondre¡¯s face was pale. Bubat was about to run out of stamina, and Bondre was running out of magic power. Grid was fine, but it was absolutely impossible for him to fight Maru and win.


    Old Sword Demon had fought Maru for 10 minutes and felt that this person¡¯s defense was amazing. Even Overgeared King Grid would find it hard to damage Maru¡¯s body which was harder than steel.


    ¡°Since we are all going to die anyway... I hope that he will grab Hwang Gildong¡¯s neck and make Hwang Gildong apanion for us down the path to the Underworld. Understand my feelings.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you help us?¡±


    ¡°I was lost because Hwang Gildong abandoned me and disappeared alone. Then I found you and joined because it was better off joining than being alone. Yet it is ruined. Shit.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Grid and the high rankers made awkward expressions and tried to ignore Old Sword Demon. They fixed their eyes on Maru. Maru started to operate the three breaths of the blue dragon, white tiger, and ck tortoise simultaneously. The pressure around him was on a different dimension from before. Heavy rain and lightning struck the ground.


    ¡°Can you win?¡±Bondre asked suddenly. He saw that Maru¡¯s power easily transcended the other yangbans, but he still had hope. It was because the man standing beside him was none other than Grid.


    Bondre gazed at Grid with expectant eyes, but Old Sword Demon dealt reality to him. ¡°Don¡¯t put too much pressure on the supreme one. This time, the opponent is too tough. Rather than fighting, it would be wiser to find a way to live.¡±


    The space seemed to be torn apart as Maru flew and aimed his fist at Grid. A wild storm shook Grid¡¯s vision. The turbulentnd broke Grid¡¯s posture, and lightning prated Grid¡¯s entire body. Maru only swung his fist once. However, the added effects drove Mother Nature, and it was like Heaven was beating Grid.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    Bubat, Bondre, and the other high rankers had a gut feeling.


    ¡®Hwang Gildong, that damn human.¡¯


    It happened as Old Sword Demon was clicking his tongue. Maru¡¯s fist that had just reached Grid¡¯s nose stopped and hardened like stone.


    ¡°...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Maru who had be a statue. Even the high rankers standing with Grid were all turned to stone. They couldn¡¯t even move a finger. In this world that had stopped¡ª


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    How high was his resistance to lightning? Despite being continuously struck by lightning, Grid continuedbining two swords into one. The God Hands each pulled out a Mjolnir and circled around Maru, preparing to hit him.


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    Grid raised his sword high. His heart¡¯s desire was simple. It was to crush the enemy in front of him. The strong waves of pure energy dispersed the heavy rain and lightning in the area. A huge shadow was cast from the open sky. ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±

 Chapter 1209

    Grid was intimidated by Maru. Maru¡¯s stats might be worse than Garam¡¯s, but his technical level was higher. So Grid felt a pressureparable to the first time he met Garam.


    He admired Old Sword Demonsting 10 minutes against Maru, but simultaneously, he felt frustrated.


    ¡®It will be hard if I¡¯m caught by him even once.¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t for the resurrection of the red phoenix, Maru would¡¯ve been stronger than Garam. There would be no chance of winning then. Grid had consumed so many skills in his previous fights that there was a high probability of losing even if his health was 100%.


    Due to thend that was fluctuating like waves, Grid struggled to regain his bnce. The harsh storm interfered with his senses, but he barely escaped by relying on his transcendent status. He ignored the thunderbolts that fell toward his body and quickly raised his concentration.


    ¡®It is best to borrow Mercedes¡¯ power to increase the chances of winning.¡¯


    The fraudulent nature of Keen Insight had already been proven. It was the power to contemte the target¡¯s thoughts and actions, forcing fate. Its absolute power had been fatal against Garam.


    ¡®If Keen Insight is imnted in my body, I¡¯ll be able to avoid the attacks while striking at Maru¡¯s weaknesses.¡¯


    First, Grid had to take the initiative. He had to deal as much damage as possible and buy time for Old Sword Demon and the high rankers to recover. This was the first step. Grid was nning for a long battle, only to be startled. Maru, who had been standing in the distance, bent his knees and narrowed the distance in an instant.


    ¡®A long fight is bullshit!¡¯


    Grid seemed to be falling behind right now.


    [You have suffered 190 damage.]


    [You have suffered 257 damage.]


    [You have suffered 231 damage.]


    [You have suffered 305...]


    The closer that Maru got, the more the ground shook. The storm became so intense that it was hard for Grid to regain his senses despite relying on his transcendence. The number of thunderbolts falling on his body increased rapidly, and the ovepping damage became a burden.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    This was it. It was the real prestige of the yangbans. Grid faced Maru, who used three breaths to improve his stats, and felt that the fierce battles against Garam where he had suffered were passing by like antern. Feeling nervous, Grid hurriedly attempted to use Request to Stand With Me. It was at this time that...


    [You have assimted with the breath of the White Tiger and entered the Earth God state.]


    ...a skill, which urred with a very low probability when stepping on the ground, was triggered in a timely manner. This was a timing that could only be interpreted as the help of the good luck stat.


    [Three skills are activated.]


    Grid had already be ustomed to the use of Earth God. He used a skill even before the notification window gave the exnation.


    [Earth¡¯s Embrace has been triggered.]


    [All targets in a radius of 10 meters will be petrified for 10 seconds. The petrified target will be immune to all damage.]


    Earth¡¯s Embrace¡ªit was a skill with a warm name that didn¡¯t match its terrifying effects. It seemed that the white tiger originally used this skill to protect humanity.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    Grid nced at Maru¡¯s fist that had stopped in front of him in a mocking manner and used his skills sequentially. Following cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements, hebined two swords together to gain the maximum attack power. Then his n changed. ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    [The power of Duke of Virtue is requesting help from your knight, ¡®Piaro.¡¯]


    [Piaro is happy to respond to your request.]


    [The Free Farming Style ultimate technique, ¡®Pounding Mortar,¡¯ is activated.]


    [The sword energy resource will be temporarily changed to pure energy.]


    [If the resource consumed when using a skill is sword energy, it will be reced by the consumption of pure energy.]


    [If using a skill that consumes pure energy, the attack power of the skill will increase by 20% and the hit rate will decrease by 30%.]


    The reason why Grid changed his n was simple. The petrification meant Maru would be unprepared and would allow the next attack. It was much more efficient tounch an ultimate blow than to engage in a long battle with Keen Insight.


    [Pounding Mortar]


    [Just as a mortar grinds the grain, the mortar made of pure energy will smash the target.


    Inflicts 6,200% attack power to a single target, and there is a probability of ignoring the target¡¯s defense. It will ignore a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 80%.


    Inflicts half the damage to enemies around the target, and there will be a probability of ignoring their defense. Ignores a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 60%.


    ¡ï There will be a three-stage hit if a critical hit urs.


    Resources Consumed: 1,000 pure energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    ¡®A three-stage hit?¡¯


    It meant the 6200% damage stacked three times. It was the moment when it was revealed why Piaro relied on Pounding Mortar instead of Fated to Perish during every important moment. The attack coefficient of Fated to Perish was higher than Pounding Mortar due to its nature of instant death, but Piaro liked to use Pounding Mortar even if the target wasn¡¯t immune to instant death. There was only one reason for that. It was because the maximum damage of Pounding Mortar went beyond that of Fated to Perish.


    ¡®He created such a powerful technique by himself...¡¯


    This was indeed Piaro. Compared to the legends of the previous generation, Piaro had yet to fully mature, but he would one day surely be reborn as the strongest existenceparable to Braham or the Undefeated King. It would happen alongside Mercedes.


    Then an unexpected notification window popped up in the vision of the unsuspecting Grid.


    [The Matchless Heart Technique that you have learned has improved the power of the Free Farming Style.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    The rare swordsmanship, Supreme Swordsmanship, had been handed down from generation to generation through Piaro¡¯s family, and Piaro had created his Free Farming Style based on it. Meanwhile, Biban¡¯s swordsmanship and his Matchless Heart Technique cut off one wing of the stone dragon Gujel.


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he synthesized the information. ¡®Is the Supreme Swordsmanship passed down in Piaro¡¯s family derived from Biban¡¯s swordsmanship?¡¯


    There was a theory that Supreme Swordsmanship originated from the East Continent, but it was just a theory. It could even be a rumor. Biban¡¯s Matchless Sword might have originated in the East Continent.


    [The effect of the Matchless Heart Technique has increased the attack power of Pounding Mortar by 1200%, and the effect of ignoring defense is strengthened. Resource consumption is halved.]


    The intensity of the pure energyunched by Grid was much greater than Piaro¡¯s pure energy. It was enough to scatter the storm in the area andpletely prate the sky, making it look impure in Maru¡¯s eyes. He believed it was a sphemy to damage the sky, which was Hanul himself.


    ¡®This guy... What is this guy...¡¯


    Maru had noticed it from the moment the cry of the white tiger was heard from a distant ce. The human in front of him was able to perfectly reproduce some of the power of the white tiger. He seemed to reproduce a power that Maru was only capable of reproducing by borrowing the power of the ck tortoise. Maru wondered if it was pure talent or a blessing. In fact, Grid actually recreated it using items.


    ¡®This guy has reached a level simr to Mir with his human body...?¡¯


    Comparing Grid to Mir was too great of an exaggeration. Mir was able to reproduce the power of all Four Auspicious Beasts one by one, but he was the most talented one among the yangbans. He was so perfect that rumors circted he was the most perfect yangban Hanul had created. Despite theck of faith, he had set foot into the realm of a god. Humans weren¡¯tparable to him. However, at this moment, a human was showing a greatness reminiscent of Mir.


    ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯Maru wanted to deny it. He couldn¡¯t admit that he was inferior to a human. It felt like he would forever move away from being a god if he acknowledged it. ¡®Will I be beaten?¡¯


    Maru controlled the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. The energy of destruction rose from him. It was designed to destroy the stone that caused his body to stiffen.


    ¡®A sess!¡¯


    The petrification around his joints started to loosen. Then it happened the moment that Maru felt joy. The turtle standing among the humans emitted a red glow. The energy of destruction that Maru operated disappeared like it was a lie, and the petrification that was about to be eliminated became powerful again.


    ¡®The ck tortoise!¡¯


    Was the ego of a god interfering with him?


    ¡°Yooou!¡± The screams recurring in his head finally emerged from his mouth. The war of nerves with the ck tortoise was meaningless because the petrification was naturally removed. Fortunately, the duration was short...


    ¡®What?¡¯


    A chill went down Maru¡¯s spine. Once the senses of his petrified body were revived, it was possible for him to measure the total amount of energy falling from the sky.


    ¡®Zeratul¡¯s spear?¡¯


    It was an attack with enormous power reminiscent of the War God. Maru reflexively chose to evade. He didn¡¯t even think of confronting that huge power head-on. However, he couldn¡¯t take a single step. It was because Grid coordinated the time at which Pounding Mortar hit the ground to match when the petrification was released.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    The arms Maru raised above his head were crushed. Unable to bear the weight, his waist twisted, and his knees were bent. Maru started bleeding all over and tried to endure with gritted teeth, but he was soon crushed by the mortar and buried deep in the ground.


    Pounding Mortar still wasn¡¯t over. The ground was crushed again by arger weight. It was the aftermath of the three-stage hit created by the critical hit.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated, adding 40% critical damage!]


    [The target has received 35,690,650 damage!]


    [The target has received 38,820,100 damage!]


    [The target has received 37,705,244 damage!]


    [The target¡¯s arms, shoulders, back, and legs have been fractured!]


    Was it the aftermath of the shock? Thend shook in all directions, and the high rankers got motion sickness. Meanwhile, Grid avoided the waves by floating in the air and saw traces of the disaster that the mortar had created. He saw a deep crater. The area was smallpared to the craters caused by Braham¡¯s meteorites, but it was twice as deep. There was a dot in the middle of the crater.


    Cough, cough!


    The identity of the dot was Maru who was coughing up blood. His arms and legs were angled at bizarre angles, and his shattered chest caused his breathing to be rough. A Garam-level yangban was incapacitated with a single blow.


    To be honest, Grid had goosebumps. Grid¡¯s Greatsword increased the critical hit rate, while Death in One Shot! increased the critical hit damage. Additionally, there was the increase in attack power from Item Combination and the Matchless Heart Technique...


    With all of thembined, Grid¡¯s Pounding Mortar was made far superior to Piaro¡¯s. There was even the interconnection with Earth God, so the hit rate was guaranteed to be close to 100%. It would be hard for a god to avoid it, let alone a yangban.


    ¡®No, a god can resist the petrification of Earth God.¡¯


    In any case...


    ¡®This is my ultimate technique now...¡¯


    Grid was overwhelmed when he urately measured his growth. It might be necessary to meet the harsh preconditions, but once all conditions were met, he could send a yangban to death in one shot. It was a huge differencepared to when he first arrived in the East Continent.


    Even so, Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. It was impossible for it to be seen as a perfect force when it was a strength that relied on luck. However, the high rankers watching Grid didn¡¯t know what was going on. All the high rankers, including Bondre and Bubat, fully epted Grid¡¯s power that destroyed the yangban and felt fear beyond admiration.


    Meanwhile, Old Sword Demon was showing his lost hope.¡®Grid... Perhaps if you go to Kaya...¡¯


    Step. Grid descended to the ground. He pointed his sword at Maru, who was trying to raise his trembling body. Maru was smiling despite death being around the corner. ¡°I am like this because of a human... It is more absurd and funnier than anyedy I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too depressed. ept your punishment as you are reminded of those you have deceived and sacrificed.


    ¡°Punish...? Kukuk, kuhahahat!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was nothing to be gained from talking to this type of guy. Grid made this judgment based on several of his past experiences and was silent. Then it happened the moment he was about to cut off Maru¡¯s head prior to Item Combination ending.


    ¡°Punishment is something that a god gives to humanity. That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Heat rose from Maru¡¯s body. Grid¡¯s senses noticed that the breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts in Maru¡¯s body were running wild. Maru stared at the bewildered Grid and made a sound with his mouth. Then Maru¡¯s body exploded with enough power to fill the huge crater, and Grid was swept away.


    ¡°Grid!¡± Bubat¡¯s and Bondre¡¯s faces paled, and they immediately ran forward. Bondre suppressed the heat caused by the explosion with cold air while Bubat ran through the smoke to find Grid.


    ¡°Dammit, dammit!¡±


    They fought together only for Grid to die alone...? Bondre didn¡¯t want to be in debt to Grid and couldn¡¯t ept this. Then while Bondre was chasing after Bubat in the smoke, he heard Grid¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Grid emerged, lookingpletely fine. He stood up with Bubat¡¯s help and was holding a cloth in his hand that had been seen once before.


    ¡°It is once again the power of items... Damn bastard.¡± Bondre couldn¡¯t hide his joy. At least for today, Grid was a colleague and friend, so Bondre weed his safe return with a smile. Bubat and the other rankers were the same. Just then, a blue light rose from the peak of Mount Baekmi in the distance.


    ¡°This...?¡±


    The rankers were puzzled, but Grid had an urate grasp of the situation.


    ¡®Hwang Gildong has resurrected the ck tortoise.¡¯


    This was as expected. Currently, it was raining. It was a clear rain that gave the protection of the ck tortoise to all things in the north. This was the same phenomenon as when the red phoenix was resurrected. By the way...


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±Grid asked the ck tortoise who looked like a turtle.


    The ck tortoise replied awkwardly, ¡ºDue to the involvement of the strange human, we are resurrected in a state where our egos are divided. We are two now.¡»


    ¡°...??¡±


    [The content of the ¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Protect the ck Tortoise has changed.]

 Chapter 1210

    [Protect the ck Tortoise]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Someone unknown haspleted the ritual of resurrection when the ck tortoise¡¯s ego is divided into two.


    Therefore, the ck tortoise has been divided into the ck tortoise of death and the ck tortoise of water.


    Help reunite the ck tortoise of death with the ck tortoise of water.


    Quest Clear Condition: Reunion of the ck tortoise of death and the ck tortoise of water.


    Quest Clear Rewards: ck tortoise¡¯s shell. Affinity with the ck tortoise will reach the maximum.


    Quest Failure: The weakening of the ck tortoise. The bnce of the Four Auspicious Beasts will copse. The new episode ¡®Descent of King Sobyeol¡¯.


    ¡ï Once the Descent of King Sobyeol urs, the myths of the East Continent will once again be covered with lies.]


    ¡®Who is King Sobyeol?¡¯ It was the first time he heard this name in the game. Based on the content, it was only possible to guess that it was one of the Five Seniors. On the other hand, the identity of the unknown person whopleted the resurrection ritual was obvious. It was Hwang Gildong, the man who stole the ck Tortoise Jewel.


    The clear rain falling was thickening.


    [The protection of the ck tortoise will cover all things in the north.]


    [The level and stats of all beings living in the south will rise slightly.]


    [Some of the weakened sacred creatures have regained a bit of their strength.]


    [Some of the scattered traces of the false myths will disappear.]


    [A small number of beings living in the north will be hostile to the Hwan Kingdom.]


    [The news isn¡¯t transmitted to the two kingdoms of Pa and Kaya due to the interference of the Hwan Kingdom.]


    [The people of the Cho Kingdom are happy to feel the resurrection of the ck tortoise.]


    It wasn¡¯t news to be pleased about. Once the red phoenix was resurrected, the level and stats of all beings living in the south were ¡®greatly¡¯ increased and recovery had improved. Some of the weakened sacred creatures had ¡®fully¡¯ regained their strength. The false myths that had been scattered were ¡®all¡¯ burned and ¡®all¡¯ the beings living in the south were hostile to the Hwan Kingdom. Compared to the beneficial effects created by the resurrection of the red phoenix, the beneficial effects created by the resurrection of the ck tortoise were reduced.


    ¡®Damn, is this true?¡¯


    Grid frowned as he realized the seriousness of the situation but he couldn¡¯t me Hwang Gildong. Grid and the rankers would¡¯ve already been wiped out if Hwang Gildong hadn¡¯t stolen the jewel and the resurrection of the ck tortoise itself would¡¯ve been impossible.


    Yes, strictly speaking, Hwang Gildong was a benefactor. He did well enough. It was regrettable that the timing of the ck tortoise¡¯s resurrection was wrong... no, could it truly be called a mistake?


    ¡®Did he intentionally aim for this?¡¯


    Grid recalled his meeting with Qi Jian¡¯s group. They belonged to the Chivalrous Robbers and not only knew the truth of the world but that the red phoenix had been resurrected. They even figured out the location of the ck Tortoise Jewel. The intelligencework of the Chivalrous Robbers was superior to Grid.


    ¡®It is extremely unlikely that Hwang Gildong, the leader of the Chivalrous Robbers, wouldn¡¯t have known this situation.¡¯


    In the first ce, Hwang Gildong himself had personally entered the battlefield. It would be impossible for him to not discover that the ck tortoise of death was with Grid on the battlefield.


    ¡®He knew the ck tortoise¡¯s ego is divided into two but still performed the resurrection ritual...¡¯


    This was terrible. Grid¡¯s purpose for theplete resurrection of the Four Auspicious Beasts might be different from Hwang Gildong¡¯s purpose. Grid had a headache and was frowning when Bubat approached him and asked, ¡°Grid, did you fail the quest? Why are you looking gloomy alone?¡±


    Obviously, the expressions of Bubat and the other high rankers were bright. They had no idea that the ck tortoise was resurrected in an iplete state and seemed d to get the rewards from clearing the quest.


    Grid didn¡¯t want to spoil the mood and smiled.


    ¡°What is your quest?¡±


    ¡°It was originally to protect the artifact of the Four Gods but then that turtle... No, the contents changed after the ck tortoise appeared. The goal was to get revenge on the yangbans who deceived us. Thanks to you, we¡¯ve achieved our purpose.¡±


    Bubat opened the ranking window. His ranking had shot up a huge 31 positions.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Bubat and the high rankers politely spoke to Grid. The top 00005% of pros, perhaps the world¡¯s proudest geniuses, were all bowing to Grid.


    ¡°...I also want to thank you.¡± Grid awkwardly scratched his cheek and replied with his head bowed. They were heartfelt words. Grid wouldn¡¯t have won without the high rankers.


    Unlike Bubat, the quick-witted Bondre urged Grid, ¡°Hey, Grid. Don¡¯t change the topic and exin the situation. What went so wrong that you¡¯re making an expression of chewing shit on your own?¡±


    The ck tortoise hadn¡¯t spoken and directly conveyed its thoughts to Grid¡¯s mind. The high rankers didn¡¯t know there was an incident with Hwang Gildong. Rather than rejoicing in the resurrection of the ck tortoise and the blessing of all beings in the north, Grid was thinking seriously about the situation alone.


    ¡°In fact...¡± Grid sighed and exined the situation. All the high rankers who listened intently were flustered.


    ¡°Hwang Gildong isn¡¯t a person who is easily met.¡±


    Hwang Gildong was so mysterious that it was said he shed in the east and appeared in the west. He was also the leader of the Chivalrous Robbers that was hostile to the Hwan Kingdom, so he wouldn¡¯t show up easily. At first nce, he seemed free-spirited but he wasn¡¯t an opponent who could be met just because one wanted to meet him. He acted strictly ording to his own ns.


    ¡°If it is as Grid guessed and Hwang Gildong intentionally caused this, won¡¯t it be a headache? It will be really difficult to reunite them if Hwang Gildong decides to hide the ck tortoise of water.¡±


    ¡°I think differently. I think Grid will be able to persuade him. The world will be in crisis again if the ck tortoise doesn¡¯t reunite. Hwang Gildong will decide to cooperate with Grid.¡±


    ¡°First, we need to be able to talk to him to persuade him... it means nothing if Hwang Gildong keeps hiding from Grid.¡±


    The eyes of the seriously discussing high rankers turned to Old Sword Demon. It was because he had been a colleague of Hwang Gildong just an hour ago so they thought he would be able to meet Hwang Gildong and persuade this person.


    ¡°...No, it isn¡¯t like that.¡±


    The people looking expectantly at Old Sword Demon shook their heads and sighed. Hwang Gildong¡¯s attitude of abandoning Old Sword Demon and running away alone made them think the two people weren¡¯t close. Grid also didn¡¯t have high expectations of Old Sword Demon.


    Old Sword Demonughed like he was embarrassed. ¡°Your thoughts are right. It isn¡¯t easy for me to meet Hwang Gildong. He is a suspicious man so I don¡¯t have the confidence to persuade him. However, there is something. I have worked with Hwang Gildong over 10 times. I know Hwang Gildong¡¯s personality very well.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Supreme one, Hwang Gildong will probably be waiting for you on Mount Baekmi.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s actions were swift. He immediately summoned Overgeared Corn and rode on top of it.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± Exmations burst out everywhere. They were amazed by the beauty of the rare unicorn. Just...


    ¡°Overgeared Corn, did you rest enough?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone looked like they woke up as they shut their gaping mouths after hearing Overgeared Corn¡¯s name. Grid¡¯s naming sense reduced the value of the noble unicorn.


    ¡°Grid, I¡¯ll go with you just in case.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Take me too.¡±


    The high rankers gathered by Grid¡¯s side. They expressed their desire to help Grid. Bubat¡¯s enthusiasm was particrly high. Grid shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think it is better to go alone than to bring a bunch of people to Hwang Gildong.¡±


    All the yangbans in the area had already been dealt with and Hwang Gildong wasn¡¯t an enemy. There was no need to worry about danger. Grid smiled as he faced the high rankers, including Bubat and Bondre. ¡°Thank you for your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going. You should leave as well. You must be busy.¡±


    It happened the moment when Grid carried the ck tortoise and ordered Overgeared Corn to leave.


    ¡°Grid! If you ever have any difficulties then feel free to contact me! It might not be as good as the Overgeared Guild but I still run a pretty powerful guild! We can be even a small help!¡±


    The high rankers shouted and Overgeared Corn started to run. Grid watched them waving until they disappeared from view and then murmured to himself, ¡°It is reassuring...¡±


    ¡°You are being cheered on by the world¡¯s best rankers in terms of ability, potential, and influence. I think it is great.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid was shocked by the sudden voice. He looked around and saw Old Sword Demon following him. He moved like he was walking with folded arms but his speed wasn¡¯t slow at allpared to Overgeared Corn.


    ¡®When did he start following?¡¯


    Grid had no idea. It was like Old Sword Demon had erased his presence again, just like when he fooled the yangbans.


    ¡°Did you change to a legendary ss?¡± Grid wondered.


    The emergence of new legendary sses was only known through the world messages but one shouldn¡¯t always believe in the world messages. In Grid¡¯s case, it had only been a long time after Grid changed to Pagma¡¯s Descendant that it was announced as a world message.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Not yet. The implications of this answer were significant.


    ¡®A growth type ss that can reach legendary!¡¯


    Yes, now it was understandable. Why had one of the best high rankers disappeared for several years? Where did the power that allowed him to fight 10 minutes with Marue from? This person was already forgotten by many but he would soon return in a splendid manner. It would be along with the world message announcing the emergence of a new legend.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for the good news.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, thank you. I am being cheered on by the supreme one so I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Please speakfortably. Senior, you are also famous...¡±


    Old Sword Demon smiled at Grid, who refrained from using the term ¡®grandfather¡¯s peer.¡¯ ¡°Does age matter in a game? The person with the higher level is the older brother.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t want to be called Brother by you.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, by the way, you are great. A few years ago, I had just arrived on the East Continent and was thrilled when I saw Kraugel¡¯s performance. Today, I got even more shivers. You truly deserve to be the supreme one.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if the position is stolen back. Kraugel is a great friend.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s eyes shone. He saw a passion that would never go out in Grid¡¯s eyes the moment Kraugel¡¯s name was spoken.


    ¡®The presence of Kraugel is increasing his interest.¡¯


    As the saying went, ¡®a perfect match made in heaven.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon smiled at himself but still didn¡¯t slow down. Despite running for dozens of minutes, he didn¡¯t breathe hard and maintained the same running speed as Overgeared Corn as they reached Baekmi River.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he an assassin?¡¯


    In general, assassins struggled over whether to put points in agility or strength. However, Old Sword Demon showed amazing physique even when he fought with Maru. Additionally, his strength and agility weren¡¯t low either.


    ¡®It might be a ss-specific effect... or did he consume a lot of elixirs?¡¯


    The East Continent was home to the golden walnuts. If Old Sword Demon had been active in the East Continent for many years then he might¡¯ve been steadily taking the golden walnuts.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    After passing the river, Grid arrived in front of Mount Baekmi and returned Overgeared Corn to the pet inventory. It was to recover Overgeared Corn¡¯s stamina in case of an emergency. Old Sword Demon approached Grid and spoke while looking up at the peak of Mount Baekmi, ¡°Supreme one, I¡¯m sure Hwang Gildong will try to test you.¡±


    ¡°Based on Hwang Gildong¡¯s informationwork, shouldn¡¯t he already know my inclination and disposition?¡±


    ¡°Reconfirming information is Hwang Gildong¡¯s habit. It is better for you to be nervous. If you let down your guard for even a moment then you will be following his pace. If you do well then you might exchange sword blows.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The pale-faced schr Huo Jin said that Hwang Gildong was on the same level as Braham. Of course, this was based on the evaluation of the nerfed Braham, but it was still superior to Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯


    Grid hugged the ck tortoise of death and started to run to the top of the mountain. There was no need to fly. He had been used to climbing mountains since the days of cutting wood.


    ¡°Old Sword Demon? Isn¡¯t that a cliff?¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    Grid was a bit dyed because Old Sword Demon headed in the wrong direction the entire time but he still quickly arrived at his destination.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Overgeared King Grid. No, should I call you Overgeared God Grid?¡±


    The peak of the mountain had an altar where the marks of the ritual still remained. There, ¡®hundreds¡¯ of young men weed Grid.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was surprised by the unexpected number of people. Then he saw their faces and was shocked. They all had different postures and expressions but they looked exactly the same. Their names were all Hwang Gildong.


    ¡®Clones!¡¯


    Even a great demon couldn¡¯t make hundreds of clones. At the same time, Hwang Gildong discovered the ck tortoise of death and spoke to the tense and vignt Grid.


    ¡°You also brought the former ck tortoise. Very good.¡±


    ¡°Former ck tortoise?¡±


    ¡°It is the former ck tortoise because it will disappear soon.¡±


    Disappear? Something was wrong...


    Grid got a chill down his spine and shouted urgently, ¡°Wait! The ck bortoise...!¡±


    Damn, he was in a hurry and twisted his words. Grid changed the name of the ck tortoise for convenience.


    ¡°The former ck tortoise must be one again with the ck tortoise of water! Otherwise, the bnce of the Four Auspicious Beasts will be broken and the world will be in a crisis!¡±


    ¡°Once the former ck tortoise disappears, the faith umted in the ck tortoise will be concentrated in the ck tortoise of water and the bnce won¡¯t copse.¡±


    ¡°I think that the ability of the former ck tortoise itself is necessary to maintain the bnce!¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re right. In any case, now is the time for humans to step up. The Four Auspicious Beasts have already failed once. Humanity should no longer rely on them.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you resurrect the ck tortoise?¡±


    ¡°It is obviously to weaken the yangbans.¡±


    The hundreds of Hwang Gildong flew in unison at Grid. The clubs in their hands were very big and imposing. ¡°Please hand over the former ck tortoise. The former ck tortoise who destroys civilization is humanity¡¯s greatest enemy. It must disappear.¡±

 Chapter 1211

    ¡®Are these real clones?¡¯


    The higher the number of clones, the lower the quality of the clones. Every time a separate body was created and maintained, it would consume a lot of the caster¡¯s magic power and concentration, so it was impossible tounch tactics with the separate body.


    At first nce, Hwang Gildong summoned nearly 200 clones. All the clones running toward Grid had the same appearance but their behaviors and expressions were different. At this point, it wasn¡¯t a clone but a second and third Hwang Gildong.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Grid was about tounch Storm of the Fire God, only to groan and fail. The clones that jumped out from the thick bushes behind him grabbed his cloak and limbs. This meant he missed the timing to draw a sword, let alone use a skill. Grid was disgusted as Hwang Gildong¡¯s hands came through the gaps in his armor and he shouted, ¡°Where are you touching?¡±


    ¡°Uhuh! Stay still!¡±


    ¡°Haha! If you don¡¯t like it then hand over the ck tortoise hidden in your arms!¡±


    ¡°My heart is wide and hard!¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s clones were even more ridiculous. They shouted different lines with different expressions. It was in real time. It was as if every clone had their own thinking ability. Grid felt more creeped out than admiration at the level of the clones he had never seen before but he tried not to show it. He snarled and pushed away the face of the clone touching his chest.


    ¡°Damn! I¡¯m not going to stay still!¡±


    ¡°Haha, what are you going to do with your whole body tied up?¡±


    The 200 Hwang Gildong who were smiling suddenly had stiff expressions. It was because they witnessed Grid¡¯s ck eye shining with a strange light.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The clones who grabbed at Grid stuttered or raised their clubs. However, they didn¡¯t wield them.


    "I won¡¯t allow yourfort!¡± Grid roared at the clones and triggered his evil eye. The only drawback to the ultimate evil eye, which blocked some of the target¡¯s beneficial effects and had a low probability of blocking all the beneficial effects, was that it was uncontroble. Still, Grid had ovee this for a long time.


    The clones could be called a collection of beneficial effects because the utilization was endless. They were also beneficial effects of a single user. This meant that no matter how many clones there were, all of them would disappear unless there were other ovepping buff skills. The concept of a clone itself meant it was a structure that couldn¡¯t cope with the evil eye. It was a mutual restraint.


    All the clones in Grid¡¯s view turned into straw dolls and fell down. The 200 Hwang Gildongs quickly became one.


    ¡°Huh...?¡± Hwang Gildong couldn¡¯t hide his surprise and let out an exmation. ¡°The evil eye who makes me follow providence. It is also one of the best evil eyes in the world!¡±


    ¡°Hey, let go!¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s main body was the one hanging from Grid¡¯s waist. Hwang Gildong smiled as Grid pushed him away. ¡°I heard that the evil eyes are a strange race that can¡¯t get along with anyone. Overgeared King Grid, how did you seduce the evil eyes¡¯ king?¡±


    ¡°Please try to guess it with your great intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Hwang Gildong¡¯s smile remained no matter how coldly he was treated. He dominated the conversation with no displeasure. ¡°You are definitely a great talent. You proved it by resurrecting the red phoenix and returning from Chiaotzu alive.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fighting to show off my skills but thank you for the praise.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to show off? Then why did you fight?¡±


    ¡°I naturally fought to resurrect the ck tortoise.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to when you¡¯re an outsider?¡±


    ¡°What does my country of origin matter when helping others?¡±


    ¡°...In any case, you were a great help in the resurrection of the red phoenix and the ck tortoise. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It is only half the ck tortoise.¡±


    ¡°The problem will be solved if you hand me that ck tortoise. By killing the former ck tortoise. the faith that is umted will create aplete ck tortoise again while focusing on the power of water.¡±


    ¡°The bnce of the Four Auspicious Beasts will be broken! The ck tortoise that has lost the power of destruction will no longer be the ck tortoise!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever wondered how many people have been harmed by that power of destruction?¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid¡¯s chest. Grid was holding the ck tortoise against his chest.


    ¡°The instinct of the former ck tortoise who preserves nature by destroying human civilization is too extreme. It isn¡¯t practical at all just looking at the distant future. Human civilization has been destroyed many times due to the power of destruction and became stagnant. They were unable to develop and had to rely on the gods. If there wasn¡¯t the ck tortoise then the yangbans wouldn¡¯t have be the object of faith.¡±


    ¡°Did the ck tortoise deliberately go out and destroy the city of humans?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It is just that the small events that urred due to the ck tortoise¡¯s existence weaved together, creating a new destiny and making humanity degenerate.¡±


    Hwang Gildong stopped talking and stared at the ck tortoise of death. It was an attitude that showed it would be faster for the ck tortoise to exin rather than Hwang Gildong talking.


    ¡º ...This is what happened. ¡»


    The somber-looking ck tortoise showed Grid one of its numerous pasts.


    It was a time when the Hwan Kingdom didn¡¯t exist. It was a time when there was a shrine dedicated to the ck tortoise on the peak of Mount Baekmi. The young king of Ancient Xing climbed Mount Baekmi to receive the blessing of the ck tortoise. It was to be blessed with the power of water and be energized.


    However, the ck tortoise breath not only had the power of water, it also had the power of destruction. The young king was affected by it and lost his armor. Then the assassins¡¯ arrows flew and killed the young king. The sudden death of the king sparked a war in the Xing Dynasty. The royalty of Xing killed each other in order to ascend to the vacant throne and civilization degenerated for 100 years.


    ¡º This isn¡¯t all. The young hunter who visited with his sick mother on his back lost his bow and became tiger¡¯s food after going down the mountain. The middle-aged general who protected Xing¡¯s people lost his sword and armor because of me and was killed by bandits while going down the mountain. ¡»


    The ck tortoise cherished and loved all humans equally but it didn¡¯t understand the propensity of humans to split into sides and fight. It never dreamed that its favor would lead humans to death.


    ¡º I once saw people praying for rain and went down to the ground. it was to moisten thend that had dried after a long drought. ¡»


    The breath of the ck tortoise restored the earth. The withered grains were rejuvenated again and the people were no longer hungry. However, all the human civilization on the ground was destroyed and the people had to rebuild the city.


    ¡º I... ¡»


    The ck tortoise, who had beenmunicating his thoughts directly to Grid¡¯s mind, spoke for the first time. The moment its small mouth opened, a sad voice resonated at the scene.


    ¡º I am useless. I shouldn¡¯t exist. It is right. ¡»


    The ck tortoise¡¯s voice sounded bleak. It was an emptiness that had lost its desire for life.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s cheerful expression darkened for the first time but it was only for a moment. Hwang Gildong quickly managed his expression and spoke to Grid, who was looking down at the ck tortoise of death, ¡°Do you see? Even the ck tortoise admits it.¡±


    At this moment...


    ¡°...No,¡± the silently bowing Grid opened his mouth, ¡°there is no reason to give up your right to life just because of others.¡±


    Strength entered Grid¡¯s arms that were holding the ck tortoise. The ck tortoise saw it. Tears fell from Grid¡¯s eyes and onto the ugly wounds carved on its back. ¡°Your existence itself is a waste?¡±


    Grid recalled it. He used to always walk with his head bowed. Grid recalled the past experiences where people were disgusted by him due to his inability to study, work, or do sports. Was that something he had to go through? After all, did they have the right to criticize and deny him?


    ¡°Who decides that?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is too much to me the people¡¯s deaths on the ck tortoise. Why me the ck tortoise when they were the ones not prepared enough? What did his guards do while the king was without his armor?¡±


    The others were also a problem. Why didn¡¯t they keep their weapons and clothes somewhere else while they were being blessed?


    ¡°How will you defend the destruction of the city?¡±


    ¡°You said it resolved a drought. At that time, people knew what type of existence the ck tortoise was and they called for the ck tortoise by praying for rain. They were determined to make sacrifices to get what they wanted.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the only time the ck tortoise destroyed a city.¡±


    ¡°One time, ten times, or one hundred times! The people at the time were prepared and prayed first!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Shit! What shameless idea is it to rely on someone else first and then drive them to death if expectations aren¡¯t met?¡±


    Grid stared at Hwang Gildong. Hwang Gildong was silent. His casual attitude made Grid even angrier. It felt like he was yelling at a wall.


    ¡°Once the Five Seniors invaded thend, the ck tortoise risked its life and fought! It fought to protect you, even though it meant gaining a wound that would never be erased!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Now the ck tortoise isn¡¯t needed so you¡¯re going to kill it? You are going to hurt its mind and body? Are you still a person?¡±


    Grid was really, really furious. He empathized with the heart of the ck tortoise, who fought to protect its loved ones. He could see the sadness of the ck tortoise who kept being denied by the people it protected. Hwang Gildong had been silent as he allowed Grid to yell to his heart¡¯s content. Now he finally wondered, ¡°Are you an old friend of the ck tortoise?¡±


    ¡°Today is the first time we met!¡±


    ¡°I think I know how you persuaded the evil eyes¡¯ king.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Hwang Gildong took off his bamboo hat. The hat was removed and a ck mark on his forehead was revealed. It was such a big wound that Hwang Gildong probably would¡¯ve died if it was one centimeter deeper.


    ¡°Overgeared King Grid, I know enough about who you are. Let¡¯s stop now.¡±


    ¡°...??"


    ¡°in the rich cities, find the biggest pavilion. In the poor viges, find the smallest inn. Then ask for the cuckoo meat. The Chivalrous Robbers will help you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was all acting? To test him? Grid felt displeased rather than relieved and Hwang Gildong shook his head.


    ¡°I was serious when I wanted to kill the ck tortoise but that was when it didn¡¯t have a strong helper like you. No matter how unruly, how can I turn my back on an old god?¡± Hwang Gildong sank to his knees. He bowed to the ck tortoise of death in Grid¡¯s arms. ¡°God ck Tortoise, please punish me for my disloyaltyter when the Five Seniors are expelled and peace is restored to the world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡º...... ¡»


    Hwang Gildong got up and once again put on his bamboo hat. He approached the altar behind him and took off the amulet he had secretly installed. Then a blue-shelled ck tortoise appeared on the altar. It nced between the ck tortoise of death and Grid and seemed to be deeply moved.


    Hwang Gildong said he would allow the ck tortoise of death and water to reunite. Then he warned Grid, ¡°Unlike Maru, who hasn¡¯t yet mastered the ck Tortoise Jewel, the yangban in the Pa Kingdom haspletely transformed the White Tiger Spear into its own belonging.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, the yangban staying in Kaya and defending the Blue Dragon Dao is a monster who can embody the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts without the artifacts of the Four Gods. For now, there is absolutely no chance you can win against them. I rmend that you take a good rest and prepare for it. There is no need to fret. Due to you, the red phoenix and ck tortoise have resurrected and the attitude of the Hwan Kingdom has be very careful.¡±


    [Affinity with the leader of the Chivalrous Robbers, Hwang Gildong has increased by 20.]


    [In the future, the Chivalrous Robbers will be favorable to you.]


    A development that flowed the way this person wanted!


    Grid was still in a perplexed state and Hwang Gildong whispered as he brushed past Grid, ¡°Old Sword Demon is part of Kaya¡¯s Mapae but he keeps going the wrong way if left unattended. It is rmended to keep him as close as possible. He is a human who bes stronger the more difficulties he encounters, so there is fun when training him.¡±


    Hwang Gildong took a big step and disappeared. It was different from the concept of Shunpo. His presence waspletely gone with no trace of him on the horizon.


    ¡°It is Shukuchiho,¡± Old Sword Demon approached the amazed Grid and exined. He gazed at the ck tortoise of death running its cheek against Grid¡¯s chest and urged him, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to reunite the ck tortoises?¡±


    ¡°Ah, t-that¡¯s right. Understood.¡±


    Grid approached the altar, ced the ck tortoise of death beside the ck tortoise of water, and a brilliant light burst out.

 Chapter 1212

    The shimmering streams of light seemed to hint at a wonderful future. They tangled together. The two ck tortoises approached each other with the light as the backdrop. They touched foreheads and gazed at each other with gentle looks.


    ¡º Thank you... ¡»


    The ck tortoises were originally one. It was natural for the ck tortoise of death and water to be united again. Yet Grid somehow felt like crying. Thest voice of the ck tortoise of death was deeply engraved in his heart. ¡°Remember! Don¡¯t forget that you are the most beloved and respected being in the world!¡±


    ¡º ...Thank you ¡»


    The ck tortoise of death just repeated its gratitude before scattering. The remnants of the warm voice melted into the sky and earth, the rivers and seas, bringing blessings to the world.


    [ck Tortoise of the Four Auspicious Beasts has seeded in aplete resurrection!]


    [¡ïHidden Quest ¡ï ¡®Protect the ck Tortoise¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [The ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell has been acquired as a quest clear reward.]


    [Affinity with the ck tortoise has reached the maximum.]


    Once again, the ck tortoise was beautiful and holy. The scenery of the north projected in the ck tortoise¡¯s blue eyes were full of abundance. The huge shell covering Mount Baekmi like a roof seemed to symbolize an umbre that would protect the north from all types of bad karma.


    ¡°True ck tortoise, don¡¯t forget...¡±


    Grid gazed up at the distant sky and was briefly soaked in sentiment. It was only for a short time.


    ¡º Why are you treating me like I¡¯m gone when I¡¯m still here? ¡»


    The ck tortoise tackled him and Grid¡¯s feelings ended. Grid coughed from embarrassment and bent over to look at the ground. The colorful flowers and trees growing to fill the ins below Mount Baekmi made him feel overwhelmed. The emotion of appreciating the better world created by his hard work was beyond description. The fact that he got a good reward was also one of the reasons for his happiness.


    Grid opened the inventory and pulled out the ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell. He expected it to be a shield due to the name but he was wrong. It was a type of item that was engraved on the body, just like the Mark of Evolution made by the transcendent Sabaek.


    [ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell]


    [Rating: Myth


    A sign inscribed with the protection of the ck tortoise, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    300 stat points will be gained when it is attached to the body.


    The user ispletely immune to poison and underwater breathing is possible.


    Water attribute magic and skills will gain an additional 50% damage.


    Poison attribute magic and skills will gain an additional 50% damage.]


    The reason why the yangbans tried to develop the mark even with the help of humans was revealed.


    ¡®They wanted to recreate it.¡¯


    It was a really unstoppable performance. Thanks to Khan¡¯s work, Valha, Grid was already enjoying the full effect of Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons but he didn¡¯t feel any disappointment. 300 stat points was no different from gaining 30 levels but it was surprising that even arge amount of attribute damage was added.


    ¡®It is also great to be able to breath underwater.¡¯


    It was safe to say that once the possibility of drowning was gone, his survival ability had increased. It would be much easier to act when water was the stage. The mark didn¡¯t even upy an item slot. It was carved directly onto the body like a tattoo and was always there.


    At this point, it might be the most valuable physical reward that he earned in the East Continent. Grid was looking at the shell happily only for his expression to darken. It was because stat points reminded him of the concept of level.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense no matter how I think about it.¡¯


    Grid had killed a total of 13 yangbans in Chiaotzu. He killed three yangbans almostpletely alone and his contribution to the death of the other 10 was great. Putting aside the fact that Maru had self-destructed, Grid predicted that he would gain at least two levels. However, he only gained one level. Grid was now level 408. His experience bar was also only 30% full.


    ¡®It feels like the experience required doubles every time I level up...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. This was his actual experience. It was a tough game but it took ages after level 403.


    ¡®In fact, does this make sense?¡¯


    Just as he obtained the ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell, Grid had been acquiring all types of hidden pieces. Thanks to this, he surpassed his level and reached the realm of fighting and winning against the yangbans. The average yer was different from Grid. The number of yers who got as many hidden pieces as Grid could be counted on one hand. Even if they achieved the same level as Grid in the future, they were unlikely to win against the yangban.


    ¡®So the average yer needs to improve their level to catch up with the NPCs.¡¯


    Was a yer¡¯s maximum level set at 400? Was this right?


    ¡®No, it is wrong. Something is wrong.¡¯


    Even if the yangbans weren¡¯t included because their level was too high, there were many potential enemies such as the great demons, archangels, and some different species. This meant that even if yers couldn¡¯t dominate the world outlook, they would need to grow to the extent where they could grasp the central position.


    What if the system set a level limit? It was simply taking away the yers¡¯ hopes. Countless people would feel weary and give up the game. The yers bing bottlenecked at a certain level likely wasn¡¯t the image that the S.A Group wanted.


    ¡®Perhaps I am overlooking something?¡¯


    There were two main ways to level up¡ªhunting and quests. Of course, it was possible to level up through production but this type of benefit was only avable to production ss users. As the level progressed, the effect became less effective. The reality was that most yers, as well as Grid, leveled up through hunting and quests.


    At this moment, Grid faced the limits. This suggested only one thing.


    ¡®From here on out, there is another way to increase the level. Another means to raise my level...¡¯


    Of course, it was possible that the high experience required was only for a certain level section. After level 409 and 410, the experience required could be lowered again. However, rather than waiting for that time, it makes sense to keep the possibilities open.


    ¡®...Kraugel should¡¯ve had this concern as well.¡¯


    Grid was once again burdened by being in the supreme position. As the person who was the most advanced, it was hard and lonely because he suffered difficulties that others hadn¡¯t experienced yet.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    What would be another way to level up? Grid was suddenly reminded of the Tower of Wisdom. Based on the name Tower of Wisdom, it should hold a lot of information and it could only be essed by the Pioneer.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to stop by the Tower of Wisdom.¡¯


    Of course, he needed a break before that. Aftering to the East Continent, Grid was mentally exhausted. He wanted to confirm Braham¡¯s safety with his own eyes and to convey the Matchless Heart Technique to Piaro. Most of all, he wanted to see Irene, Lord, and Mercedes. He wanted to share a reunion with his colleagues who came back from the National Competition.


    ¡°By the way, Old Sword Demon.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Old Sword Demon had been unable to take his eyes off the ck tortoise as if fascinated by the ck tortoise¡¯s appearance. Now he turned to Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t hesitate to get to the point. ¡°Pleasee to the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    Unfortunately, the answer was as expected.


    ¡°It is a great honor that the supreme one has invited me. Unfortunately, I already have a group.¡±


    ¡°Is it the Kaya Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°...That Hwang Gildong said something again.¡±


    ¡°What is Kaya¡¯s Mapae?


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you yet. It isn¡¯t because I don¡¯t trust you. It is part of the rules.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Grid nodded and pulled out a scroll to return to the West Continent. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again next time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other again. By any means. I¡¯ll exin what Mapae [1] is at that time.¡±


    As expected, Old Sword Demon was a gentleman. The strange interpretation of his ID was because Grid¡¯s personality was rotten. Grid said goodbye to Old Sword Demon and then waved to the ck tortoise.


    ¡°Take care. I was d to meet you.¡±


    ¡º G-Grid. ¡»


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡º ...I hope you cane to visit me from time to time. ¡»


    "Of course.¡±


    Grid answered with a smile and his body gradually faded. The faces of Old Sword Demon and the ck tortoise were full of regret as they looked at the vacant spot left by Grid. In particr, Old Sword Demon felt like a thorn was stuck in his neck. He felt ufortable due to the stigma that couldn¡¯t be denied.


    ¡®Mir... wait and see.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon said goodbye to the ck tortoise and descended Mount Baekmi. He regretted that he couldn¡¯t go back to Kaya and headed to the capital of Xing. Then after half a day, he realized he was heading to Kaya and had to turn back. Old Sword Demon hadn¡¯t reached level 380 yet because he often got lost and wasted time.


    ***


    At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Grid shook his head as he flew through the sky and passed over the walls. It was because the average level of the soldiers guarding the gates was nearly 20 levels higher than before.


    ¡®I¡¯ve only been away a bit over a month. They¡¯ve leveled up so fast?¡¯


    Grid looked at the name, level, and affiliation of the Overgeared soldiers. It was using the king¡¯s basic authority. In addition to the soldiers guarding the gates, he confirmed that the guards patrolling the streets and the soldiers gathering and training in the central army had improved their levels. Thus, Grid hurried to the pce.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    Grid confirmed that even the levels of the royal guards had risen and questioned Lauel who hade to meet him, ¡°You¡¯ve struggled a lot while I wasn¡¯t here. By the way, Lauel, what method did you use to raise the soldiers¡¯ levels so quickly?¡±


    Then Lauel had a strange expression.


    ¡°I actually wanted to consult with Your Majesty about this. Didn¡¯t you sayst time that Sir Dante¡¯s lifespan is short?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°However, he is bing more and more energetic.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°A few days after Your Majesty went to the East Continent, he suddenly felt the amount of energy increasing. Suddenly, his bowed back straightened. The age spots covering his skin disappeared like they had been washed away.¡±


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°Then he started to teach swordsmanship to the soldiers. Since then, the level of the soldiers rose at a ridiculous rate...¡±


    Lauel stopped exining. It was because Grid looked at the stairs behind Lauel¡¯s back and his eyes started shaking wildly. Looking back, Lauel saw Braham with a cast on his arm.


    ¡®Miss Ruby has healed him properly.¡¯


    It had been surprising when Braham came back with a severed arm. Grid had already died and Lauel was worried that Grid woulde back disappointed.


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    Grid ran past Lauel and jumped up to thending of the stairs before yelling at Braham, ¡°Dammit! Why did you stay and fight after using Meteor, breaking your arm?¡±


    It happened when he just entered Chiaotzu Castle. Maru had mentioned the sacrifice of the silver-haired demonkin and Grid had lost his mind. Maru¡¯s tone seemed to imply Braham¡¯s death so Grid¡¯s heart sank and he was distracted by his anger. Then he quickly regained hisposure. Grid had a bond with Braham.


    [Bond]


    [A list of targets you currently have deep bonds with.


    ¡ï Piaro ¡ï


    ¡ïBraham ¡ï


    Bond Lv. 1.


    All stats will increase by 3% when you are together.


    Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.]


    They were soulpanions. If Braham was in a real crisis then it would be impossible that Grid didn¡¯t know. Thus, Grid was able to shake off his worry about Braham.


    Shit, dammit. Now Grid saw that Braham was wearing a cast. The legendary great magician in a cast was a ridiculous sight.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t healed immediately then doesn¡¯t it mean the bones werepletely crushed? No, why did you foolishly remain and fight? Am I that unreliable?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know that Braham¡¯s arm had been horribly cut off. He hadn¡¯t heard that Saintess Ruby had healed the arm that had been damaged to a level that couldn¡¯t be recovered with magic power. No, he would never know this. It was because Braham had threatened them to keep quiet.


    Braham wondered, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re reliable?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense and get out of the way. I am busy.¡±


    Brahan snorted and went down the stairs. Perhaps it was due to the cast but he was ufortable wearing clothes, thus the sight of Braham¡¯s naked self covered by a cloak was sensational even for another man.


    ¡°Wearing a single piece of clothing and walking around...¡±


    The moment Grid muttered this...


    ¡°Huhuhu, it is very desirable.¡± At the bottom of the stairs, Lauel weed Braham. ¡°Just go around the city in this state. Many children will be conceived today and it will contribute to the endless development of the Overgeared Kingdom...¡±


    ¡°Crazy, crazy.¡±


    Grid shook his head and left.


    He moved to therge training ground to confirm Dante¡¯s condition and inform Piaro about his conclusion of Matchless Heart Technique.


    [1] In Korean history, Mapae was also called the ¡®horse requisition tablet¡¯. Horse requisition tablets were implemented to restrict the use of horses. The number of allowed horses engraved on the tablet varied ording to the ranks of those who received them and they would receive horses from stations set up by the government by showing the tablets

 Chapter 1213

    ¡º This is the end of the 5th National Competition. From the special program before the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the viewers who have been apanying our BBD Station for a long week. ¡»


    The quest Call of the Heavens didn¡¯t have much repercussions. Only 11 people ignored the warnings of the S.A Group and dropped out of the National Competition. Some of them weren¡¯t even medalists. It was difficult to make an issue about the absence of a few people when the world was shaken by the performance of Demon King Damian. Furthermore...


    South Korea came first. Even without Grid, South Korea¡¯s medals tally was far ahead of the United States and China. Most of the people in the world were busy talking about the results of the National Competition.


    ¡°This is all because of that Kraugel!¡±


    The Chinese people booed Kraugel, who had taken China¡¯s best gold medal chances several times.


    ¡°Lauel¡¯s absence was regrettable...¡±


    The Americans realized how much the person called Lauel had helped the United States. Some argued that it would be a big problem if Lauel naturalized to South Korea and the government should prevent Lauel from immigrating to South Korea. This meant that Jishuka¡¯s performance was too great.


    Incheon International Airport was paralyzed by crowds when she returned to South Korea after earning three gold medals and one silver medal, which included a team match. She had contributed greatly to South Korea¡¯s overall ranking.


    ¡°Jishuka! Jishuka! Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°yer Jishuka! You have be a national hero the moment you naturalized to South Korea! Can I ask about your feelings right now?¡±


    ¡°In the United States, Korean food has been exposed and it became a big topic among the people. Did you find that the food also suited your taste and this allowed you to quickly adapt to Korean life?¡±


    Most of the reporters who bombarded her with questions directly spoke Portuguese without using trantors. It was intended to score points with Jishuka, a native of Brazil.


    Jishuka smiled and responded in fluent Korean, ¡°I¡¯m happy to help Grid¡¯s homnd. Now it is my homnd. Oh, I love Korean food. It is because my parents-inw¡¯s cooking skills are very good. I think my perception of Korean food has improved since I first saw it.¡±


    ¡°Your parents-inw?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, yes. My parents-inw. Hehe, I¡¯m still clumsy in Korean.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s shy smile caused the reporters¡¯ faces to redden. The viewers were also enthusiastic. She was the representative of a strong woman yet she was showing a lovely face that was different from her usual image. A new charm was felt and they were once again fascinated.


    The interview was proceeding in a warm manner when another protagonist appeared. It was Yura, whose white skin like a snowke particrly stood out. The reporters weed her who appeared a bitter than Jishuka because it took a while to retrieve her belongings.


    ¡°Yura! You¡¯ve worked hard this year!¡±


    ¡°You yed alongside Jishuka and led South Korea to first ce! Please tell us how you feel!¡±


    ¡°I hope my parents-inw are happy.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. My parents-inw.¡±


    Yura was smiling brightly but her eyes weren¡¯t smiling. Her eyes seemed to be piercing the back of Jishuka¡¯s head. Jishuka made an expression like she didn¡¯t understand and looked around. ¡°Do you hear a dog barking?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The reporters sweated as the two women engaged in a war of nerves without worrying about the hundreds of cameras. The reporters knew both Yura and Jishuka weren¡¯t ordinary people and they were genuinely worried about Grid.


    ¡®What if he is kidnapped and imprisoned by one of themter?¡¯


    ¡®Are they going to cut Grid in half and split him between them?¡¯


    ¡®Honestly, Grid is cheap.¡¯


    ¡®Grid needs to make his attitude clear so Yura and Jishuka can be happy.¡¯


    ¡®That dog Grid.¡¯


    Grid should choose one person. It should be quick so the one who wasn¡¯t chosen would have time to heal her wounds. However, there was clearly a problem with Grid¡¯s attitude and he enjoyed both of them for years. Honestly, it didn¡¯t look good. The world¡¯s best beauties who had both wealth and fame had met the wrong man. They felt sorry for what these women would suffer.


    ***


    ¡®Someone is cursing me again.¡¯


    Grid was crossing Reinhardt¡¯s city center. On the way to the training ground, he intended topare Reinhardt¡¯s development with what he saw in the East Continent.


    ¡®Why do people keep swearing at me recently when I haven¡¯t done anything wrong? Tsk.¡¯


    Grid stopped in the center of the crowd and dug at his ears. Many people passed by him but didn¡¯t send him a single nce. It was due to the Hooded Zip Up. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t detect Grid¡¯s invisible state and he could freely roam the city center.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Sure enough, the Overgeared Kingdom was a great kingdom. In less than a decade, it boasted a civilization that was equivalent to the Saharan Empire, which had ruled the West Continent for hundreds of years. The scale of the economy built up based onrge arms exports made the Overgeared Kingdom stronger. Still, it wascking. The civilizations of the Cho and Xing kingdoms were superior to the Saharan Empire. They had made great progress while being dominated by the yangbans.


    ¡®Next time, it is better to ask the Cho king about construction techniques. Hmm, I wish I had a rtionship with Xing.¡¯


    He was walking with regret when he saw the scene at the big training ground. Thousands of soldiers were entering the training ground. Seeing that they were covered in dirt, they must be on their way back from farming under the guise of training.


    ¡®No, I think the effect of field work under the premise of training is very good.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s field work had a great effect. The Overgeared Kingdom was originally a new kingdom. Due to Piaro¡¯s presence, the soldiers were able to raise their level to one simr to the soldiers of existing kingdoms.


    ¡®However, as the level of the soldiers increased, Piaro¡¯s training effect decreased...¡¯


    There was a cap on the growth of ordinary NPCs. There was a limit to how their stats could grow. The closer the stat value was to the maximum. the more noticeably the level up speed slowed. This was why the efforts of both Piaro and Asmophel didn¡¯t increase the level of the soldiers.


    The soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom had already grown near the limit. Then Dante suddenly became healthy and the level of the soldiers grew rapidly? It was hard to understand. Grid was feeling doubts when Dante emerged.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He thought Lauel¡¯s words were a bit exaggerated but it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all. Dante was noticeably younger than he was a month ago. The wrinkles of the years still remained but the ck spots symbolizing aging had disappeared and his eyes werepletely clear. He looked at least 20 years younger.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The stunned Grid brought up Dante¡¯s details.


    [Name: Dante


    Age: 73 Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Title: Veteran


    * All attacks will deal a critical hit and there is a high probability of triggering a weakness attack.


    * When attacking, 30% of the target¡¯s armor is ignored and there is a low chance of disarming them.


    Title: Vigorous Old Age


    * Always immune to critical hits and receives damage on behalf of nearby allies. Relieves 80% of the damage done to teammates.


    Level: 482


    Strength: 3,490 Stamina: 1,760


    Agility: 2,515 Intelligence: 1,503


    Deity: 1


    Skills: Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship (S), Dotage Swordsmanship (S), Bodyguard (S), Reserve Strength (SS)


    The Ninth Knight of the former Red Knights¡ªhe is a power who mastered the foundations of the Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship and is a mentor to all the Red Knights.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid had felt great sadness when he first met Dante.


    [¡ï This person¡¯s life ising to an end.


    He is a lot weaker now that he is old, but he often exhibits a surprising strength.]


    These sentences that hinted at the end had filled Dante¡¯s status window. Now those sentences were nowhere to be found. Instead, the deity stat was added.


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯


    Grid noticed the reason for the incident.


    [You have achieved the ¡®Half-God Killer¡¯ achievement!]


    [The Half-God Killer achievement has increased your deity stat by one point.]


    It was the effect Grid got when killing the yangban Hangyeol.


    [¡¯Pungsa¡¯ has caught a glimpse of you as you stand over Hangyeol¡¯s corpse.]


    [¡ï Note ¡ï Your knight Dante has formed a hostile rtionship with the Hwan Kingdom.]


    It was clear that this was also applied to Dante.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Dante was judged to have achieved the Half-God Killer title because Pungsa misunderstood me as Dante.¡¯


    Deity referred to the dignity of a god, a divine dignity that couldn¡¯t be reached. It was extremely rare among the hidden stats and the value was overwhelmingly high. After reaching 10 points in deity, Grid became the Duke of Fire and Duke of Virtue.


    ¡®In my case, it was hard to see the effects until I had 10 points...¡¯


    Danta was a NPC. He was different from yers. It could be interpreted that the existence of a god¡¯s dignity couldn¡¯t be tied to a human life span so it led to an increase in lifespan.


    ¡®...Hah.¡¯


    The thrilled Grid looked at Dante with a smile. His mind was filled with the endless possibilities of how to use the human skin mask. Dante was rearranging the ranks of the soldiers who had just returned. He made them hold their swords without giving them a break and showed a swordsmanship demonstration.


    ¡®Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship?¡¯


    Grid had killed at least a few thousand imperial soldiers. It was impossible for him to not recognize the Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship. However, as Dante¡¯s sword demonstration became longer, Grid¡¯s confidence faded.


    ¡®It is much simpler than the Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship but it feels powerful...¡¯


    It had been simplified. In fact, the soldiers were easily following Dante¡¯s movements. The momentum of the sword was considerably high. The swordsmanship that Dante conveyed to the soldiers was one pursuing the best efficiency. It happened as Grid was focused on observing.


    ¡°Sir Dante was a legend among the Red Knights. It was said that none of those taught by Dante failed to develop.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A calm, clear voice entered his ears. The startled Grid turned his head and saw a beautiful, white-haired knight with her unique expressionless face. It was Mercedes. The invisibility of the Hooded Zip Up was useless in front of her Keen Insight.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t have a peeping hobby. It is just a matter of trying to movefortably...¡±


    Grid took off the Hooded Zip Up and added a useless exnation. He didn¡¯t want Mercedes to misunderstand. Of course, Mercedes didn¡¯t doubt Grid. No matter when, what, or where, she simply trusted and followed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning Your Majesty¡¯s conduct. I will remain silent by your side even if you peep at the women¡¯s baths.¡±


    ¡°Why would I peep at the women¡¯s baths...¡±


    ...He never had such an idea. Should he go thereter? Grid was seriously contemting it when Mercedes gently leaned her forehead on Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°The most useless thing in the world is worrying about me.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t avoid Mercedes¡¯ clumsy embrace. He ced his chin on her forehead and gently patted her back. Then he saw Piaroing over.


    Grid pulled out his sword. ¡°Piaro, Mercedes, I want to ask you guys for a duel.¡±


    Grid wanted to check the power of the Overgeared Kingdom.

 Chapter 1214

    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Piaro returned with the soldiers from digging potatoes and noticed that His Majesty had returned. His fighting energy soared like it was provoking the sky. Piaro could perceive the ferocious spirit that made even Mother Nature nervous.


    ¡°Mercedes must be sad. You just embraced her only to apply for a duel.¡±


    Piaro assimted with the wind through Natural State and ran to the training ground. He was happy to see Grid and Mercedes sharing a hug. Mercedes showed her love for the first time and rather than responding to her courage, Grid applied for a duel. Mercedes must be feeling hurt. Mercedes immediately removed the faint smile she showed to Grid and faced Piaro with an expressionless face. ¡°We never shared a hug.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already seen it.¡±


    ¡°I was just dizzy for a moment. His Majesty supported me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it is refreshing.¡±


    Mercedes didn¡¯t know that her cheeks were slightly red. Piaro smiled at the rare sight of her being distracted and knelt down in front of Grid. It was a tribute to Grid, who gave the Red Knights a second life. He was also thankful for Grid¡¯s safe return. ¡°This Piaro eagerly wees Your Majesty who has returned from your exploits that threatened the skies.¡±


    ¡°I heard you captured the Gauss Kingdom perfectly while I was away? You¡¯ve really worked hard.¡±


    ¡°This is the life Your Majesty has given me. If you hadn¡¯t taken me away, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am now. The only reason why I was able to win the war was due to Your Majesty¡¯s grace, so Your Majesty shouldn¡¯t praise me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Piaro was originallycking in thought. No matter the position of the people around him, he just smiled and went his own way. It was rare for him to be so excited. Grid smiled when he saw that Piaro¡¯s always wrinkled and dirt covered clothes were ironed today. ¡°Why does it feel like your spirit is soaring into the sky? Are you happy these days? Is it because of your wife?¡±


    ¡°...Hum hum, I won¡¯t deny it. How can I not be happy when Your Majesty made me a human again and Beniyaru gave me love?¡± Piaro frankly replied and then activated his pure energy.


    The mud stuck to the hand plow and sickle were burned away by the strong pure energy. The hoes and sickle showed a sword-like sharpness that was intimidating.


    ¡°I, Piaro, will ept Your Majesty¡¯s application for a duel.¡±


    ¡°It is good that you¡¯re so straightforward.¡±


    [The duel with ¡®Piaro¡¯ has started.]


    [In dueling mode, no one will die even if they reach the minimum health.]


    [The battle is decided the moment one side¡¯s health reaches the minimum.]


    Just as Grid had grown steadily, Piaro had also grown. In particr, his Natural State had reached a deeper stage since being taught by Braham.


    ¡°The greatest strength of Natural State is the variability of energy.¡±


    Piaro engraved Braham¡¯s teachings once again into his heart and entrusted his body to the wind. He closed his eyes and read the nature of the wind touching his skin. Then he reproduced it with pure energy.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and Mercedes¡¯ eyes widened. Piaro¡¯s pure energy, which was originally hard and sharp, changed so it was as soft as water and as flexible as the wind.


    ¡®It is a property that can¡¯t be broken with force.¡¯


    Mercedes looked anxiously at Grid. Piaro was entering a new phase she had never seen before. Mercedes was concerned that Grid would be frustrated.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Mercedes eximed. It was because Grid enhanced his power and speed and was rushing straight at Piaro. She obviously thought that he would be swept away by Piaro¡¯s pure energy, which was like the wind itself. The same was true for others.


    ¡°His Majesty is acting recklessly.¡±


    Dante, the white-haired knight¡ªhe didn¡¯t have Keen Insight like Mercedes but he had experience. Based on his many years of experience, he noticed that Piaro¡¯s pure energy contained a peak strength. He hade running after hearing amotion while training the soldiers and thought that Grid would soon fall.


    ¡®His Majesty will be swept away by Piaro¡¯s pure energy and his back will touch the ground.¡¯


    Dante clenched his fists. He could feel his heart boiling. He was overwhelmed with the desire to teach Grid, who had greater possibilities than anyone else. There would be no regrets if he could give even a bit of help to his benefactor and new master.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early for His Majesty topete against Piaro?¡±


    Singuled arrived at the scene after following Piaro, who had suddenly run off instead of digging for potatoes. Now he showed skepticism. He had witnessed Grid¡¯s skills many times but thought that Grid wasn¡¯t a match for Piaro. However, Hurent¡¯s thoughts were different. ¡°We¡¯ll see. You don¡¯t know Grid very well.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Singuled cocked his head. Didn¡¯t Hurent regard Piaro almost like a god? Yet he doubted Piaro¡¯s victory? Hurent shrugged as he put down the sack of rice and sat on it. ¡°Yes, he will be beaten by Grid.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Just then, there was an explosion.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The first one to be surprised was Mercedes. The moment when the airflow formed by Piaro¡¯s pure energy collided with Grid¡¯s sword, Grid¡¯s body should¡¯ve been swept up in the airflow. Instead, he unexpectedly held still in the midst of the airflow.


    ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Posture!¡¯


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid crouched like a tiger and was rooted in the ground, simr to a giant tree. The ¡®immobile¡¯ effect of White Tiger¡¯s Posture was supposed to be a restraint but now it was used to support the body that should¡¯ve been swept away by the air currents.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The next one to be surprised was Dante. He didn¡¯t miss Grid staring straight at Piaro¡¯s sickle that was heading straight at him.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t avoid it?¡¯


    Reading the attack in advance but not responding meant there were probably hidden intentions. It was as expected. Piaro also seemed to notice it. However, his sickle was already aiming at Grid¡¯s brow. There was a noise like metal colliding with stone. Piaro¡¯s wrists cramped like crazy while Grid was fine despite being struck in the forehead. He was immune because he linked White Tiger¡¯s Posture with the Rock skill.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Thest person to be surprised was Singuled. His sentiments were simple.


    ¡®A stone head...!¡¯


    A pointed sickle. Was Grid¡¯s skull hard enough to endure a sickle wielded by Piaro. Piaro kept wielding his sickle as Singuled clicked his tongue. He repeatedly stabbed at one spot as if to deny Grid¡¯s hardness. Once Grid didn¡¯t budge, he finally gave up and stepped back for a while.


    ¡®Is he immune to des?¡¯


    Piaro tried not to frown at his pained wrists. He finally showed his true skills. The First Style of Free Farming, Sowing Seeds, unfolded splendidly. Hundreds of small, round seeds were scattered around Grid. Previously, Piaro had linked it with Polishing to explode it or it was nted in the ground.


    Now he was able to grow nts without nting the seeds in the ground. It was due to entering the deepened phase of Natural State. The seeds he threw were already holding the pure energy of the earth. He could immediately sprout new buds even if he didn¡¯t borrow the power of thend.


    ¡°Free Farming 2nd Style! Super Growth!¡±


    Some of the hundreds of seeds in the air around Grid sprouted and erged. Dozens of sweet potatoesrger than an adult man released stems that tangled together and took control of the space around Grid. Piaro weaved the dozens of stems into one and started to wield it.


    ¡°Sweet Potato Battering!¡±


    Sweet Potato Battering was one of the techniques of Free Farming and it was originally a technique that could only be used by linking Sowing Seeds, Rapid Growth, and Harvest. It was a concept where seeds were nted in the ground, the sweet potatoes grown and then harvested. Naturally, it had to go through all these steps.


    Now Piaro was able to grow sweet potatoes just by scattering the seeds. It was possible to start Sweet Potato Battering immediately without going through all those processes. Dozens of sweet potatoes hanging from the stems struck and devastated thend. He swung the sweet potato stem like he was determined to crush all of Grid¡¯s bones. He knew he shouldn¡¯t control his strength.


    ¡°A-Aaaaack!¡±


    The soldiers gathered to watch the fight were flustered. Every time the stem of sweet potatoes struck the ground, the entire training ground shook and the soldiers felt dizzy.


    ¡°It might be a spar but this is too ruthless against His Majesty...¡±


    Singuled shuddered. He saw Piaro smashing the training ground and recalled memories of the past. For Piaro, who usually became a demon the moment he held the sword, a spar was no different from a real battle. He was eager to fight against the strong in order to reach the realm of Sword Saint. Singuled was someone dissatisfied with this aspect of Piaro¡¯s personality. What knight was there who would fight against his liege with all his strength?


    ¡®Did he lose his sense of chivalry after bing a farmer?¡¯


    Meanwhile, Hurent spoke some nonsense to Singuled, ¡°The sweet potatoes are being cooked.¡±


    ¡°...Are you hungry?¡±


    No, why did he suddenly talk about sweet potatoes being cooked in the middle of a serious battle? Singuled felt it was absurd only to be shocked and his nose shook. It really smelled delicious. It was the smell of delicious cooked sweet potatoes.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Singuled started to focus on the confrontation that he knew was about to end. He captured the moment when the sweet potatoes smashing the ground appeared through the dust. Then he saw it. Piaro¡¯s sweet potatoes were all golden-brown in a cooked manner. Once the cooked sweet potatoes mmed into the ground, they were only crushed and were no longer a threat. The dust cloud gradually died down. Then¡ª


    The outline of the veiled mes started to appear little by little.


    ¡°T-This is impossible!¡±


    How hard did Piaro wield the sweet potato that he created a huge dust cloud that managed to cover the storm of mes? The startled Singuled¡¯s vision shone red. There was a storm of mes in thendscape he was seeing. Grid stood in the center and was unscathed while Piaro hadrge and small burns all over his body. The confrontation that seemed to be led by Piaro was actually dominated by Grid.


    ¡°...I heard that you killed a half-god.¡±


    Piaro put down the stem of sweet potatoes he was holding and grew the seeds he nted earlier. They rapidly became watermelons. The hundreds of watermelons contained the moisture of the ground and calmed the heat of the fire storm. Grid felt admiration and spoke sincerely, ¡°A half-god isn¡¯t a god. Most of them were weaker than you, Piaro.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯m sure there was someone who was superior to me.¡±


    A huge shadow covered the sky. It was a shadow created by a strong pure energy.


    ¡°With my lowly skills, I can only handle Your Majesty if I¡¯m prepared for death.¡±


    A stone mortar appeared in the turbulent sky. The ultimate technique of Free Farming used to target Grid¡¯s enemies was now aimed at Grid.


    ¡°...I was looking forward to it.¡±


    Grid felt the eerie tension and used Opens Potential. Pounding Mortar had a variable where it would be a three-stage hit if a critical hit urred. It wasn¡¯t easy to fight back so he was determined to face it with strength.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid dominated the space.


    ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±


    The space dominated by Grid was crushed by Piaro.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Dante and Singuled was shocked. Mercedes clenched her hands hard and Hurent rose from his seat, once again carrying the rice sack on his shoulder.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was silently lying on the ground. He looked up at the clear sky and murmured, ¡°Um, it is much stronger than when I used it.¡±


    Over the past month, Piaro had grown so much. Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar that contained the energy of nature far exceeded the power of Pounding Mortar that Grid had reproduced. This really...


    ¡®...It feels good.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s voice was heard above the smiling Grid, ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of my past self who didn¡¯t recognize Your Majesty¡¯s capabilities.¡±


    Piaro was also lying on the ground, his head aimed in Grid¡¯s direction. It was a draw. If it was a real battle then both of them would¡¯ve entered the immortal state the moment their health reached the minimum. It was unclear what variables would¡¯ve urred after that but at least in a duel, it was a draw.


    Both of them were smiling brightly when someone came to shout at them. ¡°Lord Piaro! You won¡¯t receive your sry for the next seven months!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    It was Administrator Rabbit. The image of Piaro, who was as agitated as hearing bad news out of the blue, showed the weight of the head of a household.

 Chapter 1215

    ¡®It will be terrifying if Piaro gets the Matchless Heart Technique.¡¯


    The legends of the present generation weren¡¯tplete. Compared to the past legends, their experiences were too little and there were many shorings. However, if Piaro gained the Matchless Heart Technique then he would dominate the present legends. The confident and smiling Grid recalled the battle.


    ¡®Should I have tried to hit it back using Revolve?¡¯


    Even if the damage of Pounding Mortar came in three stages, wouldn¡¯t it be enough to counter with Revolve, Flower Revolve, and followed by Divinity to use Flower Revolve again? Grid thought about it before shaking his head.


    ¡®The motion can¡¯t handle it.¡¯


    Both Revolve and Flower Revolve were skills that needed the sword to be swung. It was physically impossible to counterattack Pounding Mortar that struck three times with no time difference. Of course, there was a prerequisite that a critical hit was required for it to hit three times and there was no guarantee that Piaro could deal a critical hit to Grid. If the goddess of luck was on Grid¡¯s side then Pounding Mortar would¡¯ve only hit Grid once and he could¡¯ve used a counterattack, making it easy to deal with Pounding Mortar.


    However, all this needed good luck. It was no different from gambling. Grid wanted to face Piaro with his true power so it was absurd to say that he relied on gambling.


    ¡®It is a good thing that I didn¡¯t use 200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡¯


    200,000 Army Crushing Sword crushed the target¡¯s skill. Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar might be one of the best techniques but it would be useless in front of 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. It was just that the risk of using 200,000 Army Crushing Sword was too great. The greater the power of the crushed skill, the greater the recoil. If Grid used it against Pounding Mortar then he would unconditionally lose 50% of his health. It was possible that he would break his arm or shoulder. It would¡¯ve been difficult to handle Piaro¡¯s follow-up. The choice he made when faced with this strength was correct.


    ¡®...In reality, it would be different.¡¯


    In his immortal state, Grid had a five seconds grace period even if his health was low. If the fight against Piaro was a real battle instead of a spar, Grid would¡¯ve believed in those five seconds and fought aggressively. However, Grid was more cautious than usual because sparring mode was a system that determined the oue the moment one¡¯s health reached the minimum. It turned out that dueling mode was more realistic than reality.


    ¡®I think it is great that people fight without immortality.¡¯


    Grid understood why people who didn¡¯t have immortality were more passive in battle. Unlike himself, who believed in his immortality and disyed the temperament of winning, they had only one life and had to restrain themselves in many ways.


    ¡®If the rankers have the immortal passive then their strength should be doubled...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mind had fallen into deep concentrating as he was recovering, only for his thoughts to be broken.


    ¡°Lord Piaro!¡±


    Piaro was a duke of the Overgeared Kingdom. Even Grid couldn¡¯t treat him carelessly (in fact, Grid wanted to use honorifics with Piaro but stopped because Piaro was upset) and there was only one person who could yell at him. The emergence of Administration Rabbit caught Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You won¡¯t receive your sry for the next seven months!¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom was a centralized one. King Grid monopolized all the resources of the kingdom. Grid had entrusted the heavy responsibility of managing the national treasury to Rabbit and his authority was truly powerful.


    ¡°Excuse me, Rabbit...¡±


    Grid was unable to turn a blind eye to Piaro and was about to earnestly ask Rabbit to withdraw his remarks when he was interrupted. He wanted to say that Rabbit was being too much. It was just that after hearing Rabbit¡¯s words, it became difficult to speak.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t defend Lord Piaro. As you can see, the training ground has been destroyed. The cost of constructing the buildings again and carrying out civil engineering is equivalent to the cost of training thousands of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°Topensate for the loss, it will be necessary to raise taxes for the next two months as well as confiscating seven months of Lord Piaro¡¯s sry. Please allow it.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Indeed, Rabbit was thoroughly prepared. He immediately pulled out the paperwork for the tax increase and a seal with Overgeared King Grid¡¯s name, handing it to Grid. The bloody and sweaty Grid met Piaro¡¯s eyes. Piaro¡¯s eyes were different from his usual confident look. The pitiful look was like a puppy hoping for food.


    Grid sighed and tore the documents. ¡°I am responsible for the training ground¡¯s destruction as well so I¡¯ll be responsible. Don¡¯t touch the taxes and Piaro¡¯s sry.¡±


    As Irene and Lord knew, Piaro was someone who Grid loved like family. Piaro was once a teacher and friend and was now a strong supporter after Khan¡¯s death. He was apanion Grid wanted to be with all his life. Piaro had just started his honeymoon so Grid didn¡¯t want him to lose his dignity and anger his wife.


    Lauel had also told him that there should be no tax increases for the time being. Currently, the Overgeared Kingdom imposed ie taxes of 5-12% and a consumption tax of 7%. It was 30% lower than the empire¡¯s tax rate and 30% higher than other kingdoms¡¯. It was equivalent to maintaining a reasonable level eptable to yers. If taxes were temporarily increased then arge-scale departure might ur. The yers were likely to be taken away by the empire again so the best option was for Grid to give back some of his assets to the kingdom.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty...¡± Piaro was thrilled with Grid¡¯s hard decision. It was almost equivalent to when he reconciled with Asmophel.


    ¡®For His Majesty to do this when he considers money as precious as friendship...¡¯


    Grid desperately felt the weight of being a breadwinner and firmly gripped Piaro on the shoulder.


    ¡°Piaro, I can jump into the pit of hell for you. Please understand my heart.¡±


    ¡°Your royal favor is immeasurable!¡±


    [The meaning of a bond has been recalled.]


    [Your rtionship with your knight ¡®Piaro¡¯ is strengthened.]


    [Bond]


    [A list of targets you currently have deep bonds with.


    Bond Lv. 2.


    ¡ï Piaro ¡ï


    All stats will increase by 5% when you are together.


    Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.


    All sound transmissions (including whispers) are possible within a range of 10 kilometers.


    Bond Lv. 1.


    ¡ïBraham ¡ï


    All stats will increase by 3% when you are together.


    Can detect if the health of the bond target is at a dangerous level.]


    ¡°.....¡±


    As Grid himself said, the responsible for the destruction of the training ground also fell on him. No, Grid was even more responsible because he applied for a duel in the first ce. However, Piaro didn¡¯t think so at all. Grid felt remorse when he saw Piaro¡¯s sincere gratitude and deeper sense of connection.


    ¡®The king should do this.¡¯


    Grid scratched his cheeks and looked around. Mercedes, Dante, the other knights, and thousands of soldiers were staring at Grid with bright expressions. Thebat power that was equal to Piaro, the symbol of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s armed forces, and a person who considered his own subjects and people...


    They were deeply moved by the real-time sight of Grid, who was a model ruler. They felt a deep affection for their king. The truth was...


    [Affinity with your knight ¡®Dante¡¯ has increased by 20.]


    [Affinity with your knight ¡®Singuled¡¯ has increased by 20.]


    Strictly speaking, Dante and Singuled came to Grid because of Piaro. They had less direct interactions with Grid and now their attitude changed dramatically. As knights, their loyalty was high from the beginning but affinity was another concept. Thus, this was a great benefit for Grid. Mercedes opened her mouth, ¡°Sir Rabbit, rather than asking for His Majesty¡¯s assets, confiscate my sry for the rest of my life. Won¡¯t that be enough for the recovery cost?¡±


    [You feel a deep bond beyond liking with your knight ¡®Mercedes.¡¯]


    [Mercedes has been added to the level 1 Bond list.]


    ¡°It is enough. Rather, it is better. Lady Mercedes¡¯ sry is one of the top five of the kingdom so it is enough just confiscating two years...¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Grid sighed as he separated the talking Mercedes and Rabbit. "Mercedes, I am the one paying you. Why worry about this? Additionally, you should consider your retirement fund. How can you spend your money so recklessly? What are you going to do if you have no money in your old age and are forced onto the streets?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Mercedes¡¯s serene eyes became somewhat cooler. Grid couldn¡¯t guess the reason but other people were different. Piaro and Rabbit made sad expressions and moved back. At the same time, Mercedes pulled out the White Tiger Sword and a shield. She dered, ¡°I will ept Your Majesty¡¯s sparring application.¡±


    Just like that...? Grid was exposed to Keen Insight and a chill went down his spine. His transcendent senses were warning him of danger. It was a warning that didn¡¯t happen when he sparred with Piaro. His transcendent senses were warning him that Mercedes was stronger than Piaro.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Was the difference due to the Matchless Heart Technique? Or were the expectations of Mercedes¡¯ growth higher? Mercedes was youngerpared to Piaro yet she was judged to be stronger? Grid was somewhat confused by the unexpected verdict only to soon realize the answer.


    It was because hisbat style wasn¡¯t verypatible with Mercedes. His attacks were blocked. The concept of speed was meaningless in front of Mercedes, who could read a person¡¯s attack using Keen Insight and the Iplete Predictions passive skill. In other words, it was useless even if he managed to find a gap and link sword dances. Mercedes raised her defense to the limit by activating Noble Valor and Knight¡¯s Resolution and she even had a passive skill called Shield Block. Grid¡¯s ruthless attack power wasn¡¯t effective against her.


    However, this was a good thing. Mercedes¡¯ attacks also didn¡¯t hit Grid. Mercedes had bnced stats and didn¡¯t have explosive power like Piaro. It was the limit of Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship that she had learned. The level of the Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship that was passed down from generation to generation in Mercedes¡¯ family fell far behind legendary skills.


    Unlike Grid, who learned Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship after bing a legend and Piaro, who created Free Farming after bing a legend, Mercedes was more stable than aggressive and she was somewhat powerless in front of Grid¡¯s battle endurance that defeated even a half-god.


    ¡®The fight won¡¯t end like this.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long for Grid and Mercedes to make a decision.¡±


    ¡°Silver Wings.¡±


    Silver sword energy spread like wings behind Mercedes.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t help sighing. He felt this image of Mercedes was far more beautiful and sublime than Archangel Sariel who he once saw. Then he quickly calmed down and controlled his heart. The winged Mercedes not only had increased stats but she was also capable of iplete flight. Additionally, she constantly released sword energy from the wings in order to deal damage to the target. If he became negligent from her beauty then he would never win.


    Grid had to take the fight seriously. ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    [The power of Duke of Virtue is requesting help from your knight, ¡®Mercedes.¡¯]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ transparent blue eyes shook. She hesitated for 0.5 seconds, not knowing how to respond to her king¡¯s request to borrow Keen Insight. Then she stopped hesitating. She rebuked herself for hesitating and epted Grid¡¯s request. Thendscape that Grid could see changed.


    [Mercedes is happy to respond to your request.]


    [Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight is imnted in your eyes.]


    [Keen Insight has found your restrained power.]


    [The effect ¡®Ecstasy of Desire¡¯ has been awakened in the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [Your attack power will increase by three times for 20 seconds and evasion rate will reach 99%. However, defense is zero.]


    Grid entrusted his body to Ecstasy of Desire and showed different movements from before. His attacks disappeared in a fast and gorgeous way and it was difficult to capture with her Iplete Predictions. He used Keen Insight to discover and dig into the gaps in Mercedes¡¯ defense. In the end...


    ¡°...I lost.¡±


    Mercedes suffered too much damage in 20 seconds and had to step back and concede defeat. It was a perfect victory for Grid who took advantage of the fact that Mercedes could never disobey hismand. Piaro¡¯s trembling voice permeated Grid¡¯s heart as he admired his resourcefulness, ¡°If this was the case, it would¡¯ve been better to order her to surrender...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    He had been too focused on Mercedes¡¯ strength and forgot about the nature of the spar. Grid realized his mistake and wanted to apologize.


    ¡°M-Mercedes, let¡¯s fight again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    "I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It seemed she misunderstood that she was being teased. As Mercedes held her sword with no motivation, Grid urgently apologized and changed the topic. ¡°Piaro and Sir Dante, I have something to say so let¡¯s go to the barracks...¡±


    Ah, everything was broken.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the castle.¡±

 Chapter 1216

    ¡°Sir Dante, I¡¯m d you look good.¡±


    The moment Grid sat on the throne, the atmosphere of the pce turned 180 degrees. The loneliness of the throne was lifted and the space was filled with an electrifying majesty.


    Dante gulped and replied politely, ¡°ording to the words of Great Sage Sticks, the atmosphere of the Overgeared Kingdom is well suited to my constitution. In particr, he diagnosed that Reinhardt¡¯s excellent water quality had a positive effect on me, who has good affinity with water.¡±


    ¡°Is that your secret to regaining health and youth?¡±


    Dante only met Grid at the end of his old age. He couldn¡¯t examine Grid properly because of his vision that was clouded by the years. There was a dignity contrary to his frivolous words and deed, the age hidden behind the youth, and the insight in the provocative eyes. Dante just vaguely felt that Grid was a great man without seeing anything for certain.


    ¡°To be exact, it was Your Majesty¡¯s grace. Thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s generous wee, I was able to be a citizen of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Dante felt great when he was able to face Grid straight on because of his improved health. He was more courteous to Grid than even the old emperor that he admired. Grid nodded. ¡°It is purely my virtue. Stick¡¯s diagnosis was wrong. If you can be rejuvenated by decades just by living in a suitable ce then who in the world would be old?¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± The flustered Piaro coughed when Grid came out in a more pretentious manner than usual, but Grid didn¡¯t care. He was imposing because he was just telling the truth.


    ¡°However, Sir Dante, the health and youth I¡¯ve given to you has a huge side effect.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Dante and Piaro had thought Grid was half joking and were confused. They realized that their liege was serious and listened.


    ¡°The gods of the East Continent have be hostile to you.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    They were absurd words. They couldn¡¯t react quickly while Grid pulled out the skin mask and tapped the armrest. He was waiting for someone. Shortly thereafter, Sticks arrived and Grid¡¯s story began.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    ¡°Such a thing!¡±


    It was the story of how Grid killed Hangyeol and was seen by Pungsa. Dante and Piaro¡¯s expressions became serious at the encounter with a myth.


    ¡°Do you think Sir Dante will receive divine punishment?¡±


    Sticks replied to the concerned Piaro, ¡°No.¡±


    Sticks was resolute. ¡°The gods who were cast out are forgotten beings of the West Continent. Few remember and worship their myths so it is hard for them to have influence in the West Continent. As they¡¯ve shown a few times, deceptively tempting humans to the East Continent is their limit.¡±


    ¡°So does that mean Sir Dante is safe if he stays in the West Continent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This incident is unconditionally beneficial to Sir Dante. You won¡¯t be a target of the Hwan Kingdom as long as you don¡¯t go to the East Continent. Meanwhile, you will live a long life without any disease due to the small divinity you¡¯ve built up.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s face became rosy. Mercedes next to Grid was also relieved. However, Dante himself had aplicated expression. Grid read his anxiety and asked Sticks, ¡°If Sir Dante became an object of faith, will he be a half-god like the yangbans?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. If you could be a half-god just by establishing a small amount of divinity and bing an object of faith then the world would be filled with half-gods. They will be gods of a pseudo sect.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it possible?¡±


    ¡°It is a matter of birth. Unlike the yangbans who were made by a god, Sir Dante is an ordinary human being and it is hard to gain the qualification of a god. Of course, it will be a different story if he has a great power like Your Majesty or bes the protagonist of a myth and continues to build up his status, but this is actually very difficult. Your Majesty should be very familiar with this, right?¡±


    Sticks¡¯ gaze on Grid was warm. His tone and honorifics were more polite than before and he seemed to have a great respect for Grid¡¯s aplishments. Grid nodded and turned his attention back to Dante. ¡°How is it? If you make achievements that be myths, you can be a half-god.¡±


    ¡°I am different, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t think it is possible to build mythical achievements. I just want to be a human being. If I can live longer and a bit healthier than others... that alone is enough. No, I¡¯m just grateful.¡±


    Dante rose from his position and bowed to Grid. ¡°Your Majesty, thank you. Thank you again and again... I don¡¯t know how to repay your grace for giving me a new life after I was branded as a traitor and was living miserably.¡±


    The Red Knights of Piaro¡¯s era had lost everything. It was naturally the same for Dante. The empire had proimed Dante a traitor but his two sons, his daughter-inws, and his grandchildren became guilty by association and were brought to the execution ground. Dante had a new life and he felt a sense of duty to live up to his share. He vowed that he would stay in this world and leave behind his name in the stead of his grandchildren who died before blossoming.


    [Affinity with your knight ¡®Dante¡¯ has reached the maximum.]


    [In the future, Dante will be loyal to you for the rest of his life. However, if you give the wrongmand then he will tell you, even if it means risking his life.]


    A veteran¡ªapart from the fact that his stats had fallen sharply due to the rtionship with lifespan, Dante had outstanding skills among the Red Knights, and he was now reborn as Grid¡¯s true knight.


    Grid couldn¡¯t control his joy and tried to stay calm. He held Dante¡¯s hand and cheered before asking carefully, ¡°Sir Dante, what is the secret behind the soldiers¡¯ fast growth? Reinhardt¡¯s soldiers have mostly grown to their limit so shouldn¡¯t they be blocked by a wall?¡±


    There was a limit to the stats of a normal NPC. The closer they got to the limit, the slower the growth rate. This was theplete opposite of a named NPC. They were normal NPCs who grew slower than yers.


    Of course, just because all their stats reached the limit didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t level up. They were able to level up slowly and enjoy the synergistic effect of gaining attack power, hit rate, and all types of resistances through leveling up. It was just as slow as emphasized. Yet in just one month, Dante raised the soldiers¡¯ level by an average of nearly 20.


    ¡°Limit... certainly, most of the soldiers havepleted their ¡®body.¡¯ However, there is still a lot of room for development because their ¡®skill¡¯ and ¡®heart¡¯ are immature.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Body, skill, heart¡ªthis was a concept that Biban emphasized. Grid thought it was a hidden system that would only be mentioned by beings who had reached a special level. Now it popped up when talking about the growth of ordinary soldiers?


    Dante exined to the perplexed Grid.


    ¡°There are definitely limits as most soldiers are ordinary young people. Even though they trained their bodies to the limit, they can¡¯t liftrge rocks. Additionally, they can¡¯t run for long periods of time. However, if they learn ¡®skill¡¯ then they can temporarily pick up a big stone and learn how to not get hurt. If they umte the ¡®heart¡¯ then they can run with all their strength for a longer period of time.¡±


    It was easy to understand. Skill literally meant technique and the heart referred to mentality.


    ¡°The thing I did was simple. I provided soldiers with a method to wield the sword with less power and taught them how to kill enemies more easily. If they are tired, I developed the tenacity to hold on for a while. It is the basics. For Reinhardt¡¯s soldiers who have alreadypleted the ¡®body,¡¯ these basics y a big role. In the process of bncing the body, skill, and heart, the soldiers are able to break the wall and grow rapidly.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Teaching better skills and training the heart...


    Dante said it easily but it was actually hard. Even Piaro and Asmophel hadn¡¯t been able to raise the soldiers so quickly. At least when it came to training soldiers, the veteran Dante¡¯s ability surpassed Piaro and Asmophel.


    ¡°Sir Dante, it is great to have you. Thanks to Sir Dante, I¡¯m sure the Overgeared Army will be the best on the continent.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t say anything about being the best in the world. The level of the East Continent soldiers was too high. Dante noticed this and his eyes became very passionate. ¡°I will try to show Your Majesty a performance that is better than you expect.¡±


    He was really stubborn. Grid nodded and turned his attention to Piaro. Piaro had been looking at Grid with joy from the moment he learned of Dante¡¯s youth and health. He started talking, ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ve taught how to identify and manage soil so that all of Reinhardt¡¯s soldiers can clear the fields anywhere...¡±


    ¡°Tell me once again about the origin of the Supreme Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°...It was swordsmanship that passed down from generation to generation in my family. I don¡¯t know exactly how the swordsmanship was passed onto the family but we¡¯ve spected that it originated on the East Continent due to the fact that it is based on a record that nonguage on the West Continent can interpret.¡±


    ¡°Then your family mastered it because you were somehow able to interpret it?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to be confident that I¡¯ve mastered Supreme Swordsmanship. It is a swordsmanship that has been developed by the family heads interpreting the form their own way and passing it onto future generations. It is a lot different from the original.¡±


    ¡°Are you from the same family as Sword Saint Biban?¡±


    ¡°Biban? He is apletely unrted person.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He was a figure from hundreds of years ago. Even if there was a deep connection between Piaro¡¯s family and Biban, it might not be recorded for reasons or the records might be destroyed so Piaro wouldn¡¯t know about it. Grid nodded and got to the main point. ¡°There is something called the Matchless Heart Technique. It is a technique that was created by Biban.¡±


    ¡°Huh, it is a powerful heart skill just based on the name.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned it.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Biban warned Grid that leaking the tower¡¯s information was a serious problem. However, Grid wasn¡¯t leaking the tower¡¯s information. He was merely leaking Biban¡¯s personal information. Even Biban himself had first leaked the information to a third party, Mercedes (although it wasn¡¯t intended by Biban).


    ¡°I will teach it to you from now on,¡± Grid spoke meaningfully as he alternated looking between Mercedes and Sticks.


    First of all, Great Sage Sticks had passive skills in learning and education. If he had enough information then he had the ability to learn and teach it easily. Mercedes had also used Keen Insight to uncover the secret of the Matchless Heart Technique. If the two people joined forces then it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Piaro to learn the Matchless Heart Technique.


    ¡®Additionally, if Supreme Swordsmanship is really derived from Biban¡¯s Matchless Heart Technique then it might serve as a hint toplete Supreme Swordsmanship.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t help gulping as he thought up to here. Biban was a Sword Saint and he was now active as a member of the Tower of Wisdom. How strong would Piaro be if he absorbed the power of one of the world¡¯s strongest people and sublimated it as his own. Grid got goosebumps just imagining it.


    ¡°Mercedes, from now on, cooperate with Sticks to teach Piaro the Matchless Heart Technique.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the act of leaking the tower¡¯s secrets. It was Biban himself who took the lead to hand it over to a third person, Mercedes. It would be a ¡®good deed¡¯ to distribute the Matchless Heart Technique to more qualified people. Biban would be delighted if he knew this.


    ¡®...Bullshit. Let¡¯s keep it a secret.¡¯


    Grid was well aware that it wasn¡¯t polite but he needed a stronger force. It was a powerful force that could be brought when he went back to the East Continent one day.


    ¡®Biban, I¡¯ll surely repay your graceter. Phew.¡¯


    Grid controlled his mind and suddenly rose from his seat. Then he withdrew the order he just gave. ¡°Let¡¯s put this on hold.¡±


    Grid was going to visit the Tower of Wisdom anyway. It was right to seek Biban¡¯s permission first. It was right to respect him and to prevent any danger in advance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s separate here.¡±


    Take a break. Meanwhile, he would visit the Tower of Wisdom in the capacity of the Pioneer. Grid made a n and left. His footsteps were lighter than ever as he went to visit Irene and Lord.

 Chapter 1217

    Reinhardt was creating thergest smithyplex on the continent. There were thousands of chimneys endlessly emitting smoke so thendscape of Reinhardt was reminiscent of Ennd during the Industrial Revolution. However, Reinhardt had Sticks. As an elementalist, he worked with the wind elementals to purify Reinhardt¡¯s air. Therefore, Reinhardt¡¯s air and sky were always clear.


    ¡°This is what Yang Fei said...¡±


    A golden wheat field stretching out under the blue sky.


    The smile didn¡¯t leave Irene¡¯s face as she walked with Grid along a picturesquendscape. She talked about what happened while Grid was away and seemed happier than anyone else in the world.


    ¡®How can she be so good?¡¯


    She must be lonely but Irene only talked about happy things. This nature once again touched Grid¡¯s heart. Lord being 13 years old now proved the passage of time. It was worrying that Irene carried this alone and tried hard not to express her anxiety and sadness to Grid.


    ¡®She is crying alone in ces I can¡¯t see.¡¯


    Irene was strong. She was a mother and a queen, after all. However, she had been kidnapped by the Yatan Church and she was particrly vulnerable to loneliness and anxiety.


    ¡°......¡±


    Irene suddenly turned her head toward Grid. She noticed that Grid¡¯s gaze was on the faint wrinkles around her eyes. She covered her eyes with an embarrassed expression only for Grid to hold her chin and turn her head. Then he caressed her wrinkles and pledged, ¡°We will live the same amount of years.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t make you lonely.¡±


    Berith¡¯s Skin Mask still had eight durability left. This meant that there were at least eight chances to give Irene divinity. Irene would surely build up her own divinity. The determined Grid shared a deep hug with Irene.


    ***


    ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t know whose son you are but you¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    It was after splitting up with Irene, who decided to participate in a Reba Church event. Grid came to the training center to meet Lord and clicked his tongue. Lord will be 14 years old in a few months¡¯ time and his status window wasn¡¯t normal.


    In addition to expanding his basicbat skills such as swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, and body skills, the proficiency of special skills such as Daluka¡¯s Methods, the elven racial skills, and Lantier¡¯s Methods had increased significantly. He even increased the levels of passive skills such as Insight and Wise Man¡¯s Wisdom, where experience yed an important role.


    The knowledge stat, Irene¡¯s excellent discipline, and Sticks¡¯ teachings seemed to have yed a big role.


    ¡®By the way, why did the rank of the Overwhelming Charm skill rise?¡¯


    Charm was a concept that could be acquired. People tried to raise their own charm by correcting their words, controlling their emotions, and dressing up their appearance. However, Lord¡¯s Overwhelming Charm wasn¡¯t ordinary. The basic rating was S rated and it was a skill, not a stat. The S rating meant that men, women, the old, and the young all had good feelings toward him, but it wasn¡¯t good news if it reached the SS rating.


    ¡°What if he gets kidnapped?¡±


    Grid was genuinely worried about this when someone emerged from Lord¡¯s shadow. It was the appearance of Faker, who now handled shadows as skillfully as Kasim.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lord¡¯s side is guarded by the Overgeared Shadows.¡±


    Faker had been solely focused on his training and the protection of the Overgeared Kingdom. He had mastered the essence of Lantier and was growing rapidly, making him the final weapon of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was the only one in the Overgeared Guild with better personal skills than Faker. Grid was relieved that Faker was by Lord¡¯s side and told him, ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°It is a role that I took on myself.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯d rather thank you for trusting me and leaving this to me...¡¯


    Faker wanted to add this but he was embarrassed. He remained silent and hid in the shadows again.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to quickly make Faker a Blue Dragon Set with the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breaths I gained from the East Continent.¡¯


    Grid promised and soon ran eagerly with Lord on his shoulders. He smiled as he headed to the dining room. Yet what was this strange feeling?


    ¡°Then Aunt Sua told me.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Sua said.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Sua...¡±


    ...It was always Sua.


    No way, right? Grid prayed this wasn¡¯t the case. Then after the meal, Grid visited the smithy with Lord for the first time in ages. He used Open Potential and showed off his god-like cksmithing skills, inspiring the cksmiths and making Lord proud. The owner of the Blue Dragon Set made on this day was Faker.


    ***


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As expected...¡±


    Grid¡¯s desire to own Berith¡¯s Skin Mask forever was erged after learning how to take advantage of it. He wanted to get rid of the ¡®not repairable¡¯ penalty of the skin mask. However, even Sticks and Braham couldn¡¯t give any suggestions to Grid. In the end, Grid pestered the leather craftsmen scattered all over the kingdom.


    The result was terrible. The conversation with the craftsmen that Lauel gathered wasn¡¯t helpful at all. They didn¡¯t dare do anything to the work of the great demon that was made of human skin.


    ¡®I have to use it with caution.¡¯


    Grid got up from his seat. Only five days after returning home, he was about to leave again. He had even been working for the past five days. He hadn¡¯t been able to rest at all because he had been making items for the Overgeared members using the breaths they gained from the National Competition.


    Thus, Lauel wanted to encourage Grid to rest a few days. He wanted to persuade Grid to take a tour of their newly conquered territories. It was impossible not to know that Lauel was taking care of him and Grid smiled.


    ¡°I will examine the new territories when Ie back. I¡¯m sorry this time. As you know, I¡¯m too busy.¡±


    The public sentiment of the old Gauss Kingdom hadn¡¯t reached the highest level. The Overgeared members and Asmophel tried but it was confusing because the new king had never shown his face. Of course, Grid knew the situation and intended to visit them. If a city¡¯s public sentiment was high then the resources and poption productivity would increase.


    ¡°I understand. I hope you will be able to solve your leveling up problem ande back.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve baked some sweets. Take them when you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°May you be iparably daring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid left the pce after saying goodbye to his family and friends. Then he saw unexpected figures waiting for him.


    ¡°You are going on an adventure again straight away?¡±


    The heroes of the National Competition, the ones who made Korean ranked first without Grid. They were Jishuka and Yura. They immediately ran over when they heard Grid was leaving.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    They had experienced firsthand the strength of the yangbans. They had witnessed that the level of the enemy had risen to the point where Grid alone couldn¡¯t handle and was unwilling to let him go alone. They were confident that they would no longer hold back Grid.


    However, Grid shook his head. He appreciated their hearts and their strength was also of great use but the destination this time was the Tower of Wisdom. It was a ce only the Pioneer was allowed to visit and he couldn¡¯t take any colleagues with him.


    Yura nodded while Jishuka trembled.


    ¡°It is a ce where only the first ranked yer can go? Ohh, I¡¯m envious.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s dream hadn¡¯t changed. Setting aside her love for Grid, she still had the ambition to be the best. The best ideal for her was to be the supreme one and make Grid depend on her. She wanted to keep Grid to sit on herp and...


    ¡°...Hum hum.¡±


    Jishuka blushed as her mind started flowing in the wrong direction. Then she dered with a polite smile. ¡°Sooner orter, I¡¯ll take the number one ranking and monopolize what¡¯s in the tower. Grid, you¡¯re only sucking up the honey until that time.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes...¡±


    The qualification to be the next Pioneer was to reach level 500 first, not to be first in the ranking. However, Grid didn¡¯t want to tackle the highly motivated Jishuka and left. Soon after, Yura was left alone with Jishuka and stared. ¡°You will be ranked number one before me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat soybean stew at Grid¡¯s house this evening.¡±


    ¡°...You are only living next door. Don¡¯t you go there too often?¡±


    ¡°Yes~ I had pork bellyst night...¡±


    Jishuka was no longer teasing. Yura loaded her gun with magic bullets and pointed it at Jishuka. Jishuka stuttered, ¡°W-What? If you feel it is unfair then move next door to Grid¡¯s house! Where in the world is there a crazy X who will start shooting straight away...? Kyaack!¡±


    "Wow, that runaway train is struck.¡±


    The Overgeared members clicked their tongue when they found the prideful Jishuka running away from the silently chasing Yura. Of course, the ones the previous Tzedakah members were calling a runaway train was Jishuka. The Jishuka they knew was someone who had no fear in the world. It was amazing to see her running away from Yura. Well, it didn¡¯t seem surprising considering that Yura¡¯s nickname was ¡®witch¡¯...


    ¡°Grid, don¡¯t die.¡±


    They felt sorry for Grid who was walking on a tightrope among the scariest women in the world.


    ***


    Hera hugged the medicine made from the Kunlun Ginseng in her arms and entered the quiet vige. The name of the vige was Lanteto. It was the ce where her client who asked her to save his son lived.


    ¡®Is there fog all year round?¡¯


    Just like when she visited half a year ago, the houses were covered by fog. There was still no sign of life. No one was present.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    Hera was surprised by the sound of a bat passing by and cried out. She felt like the main character in a horror movie. The scenery of this small vige was strange and scary. Even so, Hera didn¡¯t stop moving. The castle that existed beyond the fog entered her vision and she firmly stepped forward. There was a patient who needed her help.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Hera barely climbed the hill and arrived before the castle. Then she took in a breath and froze in shock. She didn¡¯t know how but the door automatically opened. The sound of the old hinges creeped Hera out even more and then the client appeared.


    ¡°Medicine... have you obtained it?¡±


    There was a white, pale face. It was so transparent that it was hard to read the emotions. The client didn¡¯t look like a human but a vampire depicted in movies. It seemed that pointed fangs would be revealed when he opened his mouth. If this ce was near the Overgeared Kingdom then she would be certain he was a vampire.


    Fortunately, it was more than 1,000 miles away from the Overgeared Kingdom and the client¡¯s teeth weren¡¯t sharp. Yes, this was a human. It was a father who became haggard to protect his dying son.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve acquired it. It will definitely work.¡±


    ¡°Ohh... Come on in.¡±


    Hera followed the client up to the second floor. The client¡¯s footsteps were very fast like he was happy to be able to save his son. It was almost a run. Hera opened her mouth, ¡°I wanted to prepare an amount that could be taken multiple times, just as you said. However, the Kunlun Ginseng is precious so I could only prepare two.¡±


    Hera didn¡¯t dy after arriving in the patient¡¯s room. She took out the medicine and poured it into the mouth of the sleeping boy. Then¡ª


    The boy¡¯s heart, which seemed stationary, started thumping and it echoed through the room. The client became fevered. ¡°Sob...!Sob sob sob! Finally...! I¡¯m finally free!!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Free? The word was somewhat strange. Hera was feeling a sense of strangeness when a dismal voice was heard in her ears. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to give life to a lich. The rumor that it could even save a jiangshi was real.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hera turned her head and was astonished. A skinny man with green hair...


    A person that any yer would know was approaching her. There was a sh of gold under his disheveled hair like he was annoyed by the client sobbing about his liberation.


    ¡°Give me the rest of the medicine.¡±


    ¡°Agnus!¡±

 Chapter 1218

    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    He was a person always mentioned when discussing the top 10 strongest people, not the top 100. It was Agnus. He was one of the strongest people in Satisfy who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the supreme Grid and Sword Saint Kraugel.


    ¡°Why are you stupidly staring? Don¡¯t bother me. Take out the medicine and get lost.¡±


    No, it was more appropriate to say he was the worst rather than the best. The doctor Hera couldn¡¯t fight and she had little interest in it, but Agnus was infamous. He was a viin who casually did hical events such as killing all yers he encountered at a hunting ground, monopolizing hunting grounds, or annihting NPCs to turn them into skeleton soldiers. Recently, she had rumors that he was involved with the great demons who were humanity¡¯s greatest evil. To be honest, he was a big character in the world and she only heard nasty rumors about him.


    Gulp.


    Hera swallowed her saliva and felt creeped out by Agnus¡¯ empty gold eyes. Her limbs trembled. This was real fear. It wasn¡¯t just caused by Agnus. Agnus was the contractor of the 1st Great Demon Baal and a noble of the demon world. He developed a skill that paralyzed those with a lower than him with fear.


    It happened as Agnus and Hera were facing each other.


    ¡°Hahat! Hahahat! Goodbye! Goodbye to this damn life!¡± The client who had been sobbing about his liberation suddenlyughed and rose from his seat. He didn¡¯t even look at Agnus who kicked him as he shouted at the boy in the bed. ¡°Pauld [1]! Come and release the shackles on me! Reward me for serving only you for 31 years with my freedom!¡±


    ¡®31 years?¡¯


    He was talking about 31 years to a boy who seemed to be less than 15 years old? It was bizarre in many ways. Hera felt something ominous and stepped back. The boy lying like the dead on his bed opened his eyes. Dark eyes stared at the ceiling out of pale skin that didn¡¯t seem to see the sun once in his life.


    ¡°...Good.¡±


    The boy spoke with a satisfied expression and slowly raised his body at a right angle. As he floated up and approached the chandelier, he looked around.


    ¡°Light. I can move just like I did in my human days. The energy of the Kunlun Ginseng reces blood and injects vitality into the exhausted organs.¡±


    ¡®Human days?¡¯


    Was this boy really a lich? Hera¡¯s trembling gaze turned to Agnus. It was a sign to resolve this question. However, Agnus thought of Hera as a rabbit who could be caught at any time. His dead eyes shone as he stared at the boy floating in the air. Then he asked, ¡°Is that true? You seem to have be a human?¡±


    ¡°Most of my senses have returned. It is just that I need to continue to consume the Kunlun Ginseng to maintain this state. By the way...¡± The boy exined kindly and slowly turned his head. His name, that was hidden in the shadows, was clearly revealed as ¡®Pauld.¡¯ ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m a doctor who made the medicine...¡± Hera was scared by the golden name and answered reflexively.


    ¡°Thene and vomit up the medicine you just took.¡± Agnus¡¯ expression never changed as he ordered with strange eyes.


    Pauld doubted his ears. ¡°Vomit up the medicine? Is my hearing function impaired? I don¡¯t think I made a mistake with the preservation magic.¡±


    ¡°P-Pauld! Release my shackles first...!¡±


    ¡°Maintain your dignity, Haltez. You might be a viin who ughtered thousands of people but your root is a magician. Reason and calmness are virtues and pride that magicians shouldn¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes... I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Pauld asked, ¡°So what is the identity of this man?¡±


    ¡°U-Um? I-I don¡¯t know either. What are you?¡±


    ¡®Brainwashing magic?¡¯


    Pauld found that his body wasn¡¯t in perfect condition and gazed at Agnus with profound eyes. At the same time, notification windows emerged in front of Agnus.


    [The magic of Great Magician Pauld is contemting you.]


    [Your intelligence and mana values will be revealed to Pauld.]


    [Pauld¡¯s artifact ¡®Eyes of Absurdity¡¯ is contemting you.]


    [Some of your stats and skills are forcibly revealed to Pauld.]


    Pauld¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡±


    Pauld was a great magician who was active in Braham¡¯s era. He was the eternal second person, the unfortunate genius who had never crossed the high wall that was the legendary genius Braham. He had been the object of sympathy for the people of his era. Now hundreds of yearster, he was considered one of the greatest magicians of all time. It was because the artifacts he created assisted in developing a brilliant civilization that benefited humanity. Many of the so-called peerless inventions were born from Pauld¡¯s hands.


    ¡°How surprising... I have been acting so carefully yet my trail was caught...¡±


    There was an essential step when magicians turned themselves into a lich. It decayed the body, leaving only the mana core and white bones behind. It was a type of ritual for abandoning the body. In order to be reborn as a mental form, there was no need to obsess over the body that would decay after some time. Preservation magic could prevent the body from decaying but why bother?


    In order to maintain the preservation magic, blood must be drained from the body and mana injected to maintain the form of the body. In addition to having to endure extreme pain, a huge amount of mana was consumed. This meant there were great limitations to the study of magic.


    They were giving up being human to pursue the ultimate magic so it was a penalty for no reason. For them, the body was a cumbersome obstacle and could be discarded without any regret.


    However, Pauld¡¯s case was a bit unusual.


    The reason he became a lich was because he wanted to see the future.


    How would his tools be used in the future? Would his descendants understand his intentions? Perhaps it would show a new interpretation that went beyond his intentions?


    Pauld prided himself on his inventions and just wanted to know this.


    Thus, he became a lich and used mana and mental strength to preserve his body. In the past hundreds of years, he didn¡¯t develop and just periodically opened his eyes to change his bed. In addition, whenever he changed his bed, he obtained a servant to manage himself. He put shackles on the servant and gave them the manufacturing method for the Kunlun Ginseng medicine.


    Then today, Pauld was finally freed from the preservation magic. In the future, there would be no constant consumption of mana and the need for sleep to slow down the mana consumption. The lich was now a human and could walk the world with confidence. It was time to rx and appreciate the future of his works. Yes, he finally achieved his goal. Then he saw Baal¡¯s Contractor right away?


    Pauld observed that Agnus had the Rune of Death that influenced the dead and spoke cautiously to Agnus, ¡°Tell me exactly what you want. Do you just want the Kunlun ginseng or is your ultimate goal to collect me?¡±


    ¡°Give me the Kunlun Ginseng. That¡¯s it.¡±


    [Baal¡¯s devoted retainer, ¡®Cepardea,¡¯ is furious.]


    -I¡¯m furious!Didn¡¯t I ask you to collect Pauld?


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡±


    Agnus flicked away the small frog sitting on his shoulder. Agnus currently has an ongoing quest called ¡®Collect Lich Pauld.¡¯ It was a quest he didn¡¯t even think about. Agnus didn¡¯t have enough time to spend with his lover Luna. Then he heard the story of the Kunlun Ginseng and couldn¡¯t stand by. Therefore, he visited this ce and faced this situation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you. Just give me the medicine!¡± Agnus felt impatient when Pauld didn¡¯t answer and raised his voice. Perhaps it was a habit when excited but he didn¡¯t like the way this person shook while his lips were curved up.


    Pauld exined, ¡°The medicine I¡¯ve taken has already beenpletely absorbed by me. I can only give you the medicine I haven¡¯t taken yet.¡±


    ¡°Klkik! If I split open your stomach and search through it, I can find the residual medicine! Just search!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡± Hera screamed as Agnus summoned a death knight.


    On the other hand, Pauld was calm. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to resurrect but even if you cut open my stomach and steal my medicine, it will be an inadequate amount. Both you and I need more medicine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How about it? I will hand over the medicine recipe. Then won¡¯t you go to the East Continent?¡±


    Iplete beings were easy to handle. His servant Haltez proved it. Pauld had confidence that he could control Agnus. It was a mistake that urred because he believed Agnus had a sense of reason.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you drop the recipe if I kill you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you and scour your corpse. Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°....!¡±


    Pauld¡¯s body was thrown out of the exploding castle wall. He hurriedly deployed a shield to block the death knight¡¯s attack only to be shocked. It was due to the rainbow magic power that was exploding from the castle.


    ¡°M-Mumud?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Um...¡±


    It was a dedicated hunting ground for the first ranked yer. This was how he exined it to Jishuka. Grid finally visited the Tower of Wisdom and checked his condition before entering the tower. Greed¡ªto be precise, he took off all the items made from the insane dragon iron. Today, Grid was wearing all the items in the pre Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots period. One side of his inventory contained several pieces of insane dragon iron.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    [Tower¡¯s Mission]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The Tower of Wisdom is a hidden organization that fights for the peace of the world.


    Their main role is to curb the scourge of dragons.


    Please cooperate with the tower to find the owner of the insane dragon iron!


    Quest eptance Reward: 1,000 gold. 20 top-grade buff potions.


    Quest Clear Condition: Take away the insane dragon iron from its master or kill the master of the insane dragon iron.


    Quest Clear Reward: Dragon Scale (random attribute)]


    The tower that protected the world from dragons. The insane dragon iron was something that made even these great transcendents express displeasure. From Grid¡¯s standpoint, this quest was as easy to clear as eating porridge. Grid himself was the owner of the insane dragon iron.


    ¡®Given the performance of a dragon scale, would it be better to add it as a material when creating a new mineral with Braham?¡¯


    Of course, there was the thrill he got from clearing a quest. The smiling Grid finally entered the tower.


    [You have visited the Tower of Wisdom in the capacity of the Pioneer.]


    [This is the first floor.]


    ¡®Why is it so dark?¡¯


    The size of the tower was enormous from the outside. In order to preserve the bodies of the hunted dragons, thend area wasrger than the imperial castle and the height was enough to prate the sky. Therefore, Grid expected the interior of the tower to be magnificent and spectacr. He also had the expectation that his Discerning Eye skill might receive enlightenment. Yet when he actually entered the tower, only darkness awaited him. He couldn¡¯t see anything in front of him despite his transcendent senses.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    After a while, Grid slowly adjusted to the darkness. A friendly woman¡¯s voice echoed and the interior unfolded in Grid¡¯s vision. He saw an immeasurably huge in.


    ¡°Prove your credentials as the Pioneer. First, let¡¯s test your body.¡±


    [All items, skills, and magic are prohibited.]


    ¡°Reach the second floor. The time limit is five hours.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    No, dammit. They didn¡¯t even show their faces when a guest came. They were going to test their benefactor (?) who entered after clearing their quest (?). Grid found it unpleasant but started running. He didn¡¯t have the guts to refuse the Tower of Wisdom¡¯s test.


    ¡®Damn, when did I be such an obedient person?¡¯


    By the way, why was the time limit five hours? Less than an hourter, Grid found the stairs leading to the second floor. He stood in front of the stairs and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the way to the second floor?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Is anybody there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [1] For those wondering if this name sounds familiar, it was mentioned once as the creator of the Ring of Absurdity, the ring that halves Grid¡¯s resource consumption

 Chapter 1219

    ¡°His mental strength is very high.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The members of the Tower of Wisdom were beings who lived in the past. They disappeared into history. If they interacted with the present then various problems would ur. First of all, they had to be objective beings and couldn¡¯t be bound by worldly concepts, such as the homnd and blood. This was why the Tower of Wisdom isted itself. The Tower of Wisdom must preserve perfect independence in order to achieve their sublime goal of maintaining the peace of the world. Thus, they never exposed themselves to people of the world.


    The sheer size of the Tower of Wisdom that Grid witnessed at the entrance was only an illusion. It was natural. How could such arge tower be a secret?


    The problem was that Grid recognized the size of the tower as rge.¡¯ The illusion that Grid witnessed was embedded in his mind. A dragon¡¯s heart that acted as the tower¡¯s energy source and the great magician¡¯s magic arrays materialized the idea, so that the scale of the tower that Grid felt was tens of thousands of timesrger than its actual size. It was only normal for Grid to feel fear after he realized the scale of the ¡®endless dark ins¡¯ and the ¡®infinitely rising staircase¡¯ bing a reality.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t afraid. He ran silently rather than shrinking back, even when he saw the endless ins in front of him. He seemed to be convinced that he could reach the end of the ins. His strong spirit slowly shattered the tower¡¯s wee. Rather than expanding the size of the ins and the stairs, they were scaled down to what they actually were.


    This was the secret that allowed him to break through the space that he could¡¯ve wandered in forever in just one hour, not five hours.


    ¡°It is the first time since Biban that the first floor has been broken through in such a way.¡±


    The illusion magic that covered the Tower of Wisdom used a dragon¡¯s heart as a resource. It was normal for Grid to not notice it since it had absolute power. However, if Grid¡¯s wisdom was excellent then he would¡¯ve doubted the scale of the tower. The question ¡®the Tower of Wisdom can¡¯t be so huge?¡¯ would shrink the scale of the tower he experienced. Yet Grid believed in the size of the tower that he saw and encountered the endless ins. It was the first time since Biban that there had been such a dumb visitor.


    ¡°Yes, everyone else easily broke through the first floor without any trouble. Even Kraugel, the former Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit disappointing. Still, thanks to it, I was able to see both the ¡®body¡¯ and the ¡®heart,¡¯ saving time. Skip the second floor and go directly to the third floor.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The woman nodded and activated themunicator.


    ¡°Congrattions on passing the first and second tests. Go to the third floor immediately. I will confirm your skill.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Congrattions on passing the first and second tests. Go to the third floor immediately. I will confirm your skill.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was so clear it was like she was next to Grid. Her voice repeatedly echoed in Grid¡¯s head once he reached the second floor and stopped. It was only one part.


    Congrattions on passing the first and second tests.Congrattions on passing the first and second tests.Congrattions on passing the first and second tests...


    ¡°...Heh.¡±


    Grid felt dazed for a while before sweeping back his hair. His head slightly cocked and there was a big smile on his face that was reminiscent of Lauel in his chuuni state.


    ¡°I must¡¯ve proven my skills properly without my knowledge.¡±


    There was only one thing Grid had done. It was breaking through the first floor. Yet the guide announced that Grid had already passed the second test. It was a good situation that Grid misunderstood. He got the illusion that his skills were so good that he made the second test meaningless. In fact, due to theck of wisdom, his ¡®heart¡¯ was proven in the first test so the necessity of the second test disappeared... it wasn¡¯t a big misunderstanding since he had proven himself capable.


    ¡°It was worth going to the East Continent. Huhut.¡±


    He didn¡¯t express it but Grid had actually been rather tense. Beings who fought dragons. The Tower of Wisdom was filled with powerful people like Biban, who was an absolute being to Grid. Therefore, he thought it was a very special ce and he thought the difficulty of the tests would be quite high. Now it was worth doing. Well, it wasn¡¯t to be a member of the tower. He just needed to prove his qualifications as the Pioneer. It would be better to rx.


    Grid reached the third floor and looked around at the surroundingndscape. It was amazing. The first floor was a huge space that was difficult to measure while the second and third floors were very ordinary. The area was only 50 square meters and the ceiling was high, making it feel like the attic of a castle.


    ¡®Are the second and third floors divided into severalpartments?¡¯


    In Grid¡¯s field of view, the notification windows were being updated sequentially.


    [The use of skills and magic is once again possible.]


    [All your items, such as equipment and consumables, are prohibited.]


    [Your stats are adjusted to prepare for idents.]


    [Strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence have been lowered to 300 points each.]


    [The golden ratio effect of strength and agility will be removed.]


    ¡®Indeed...¡¯


    Shortly after confirming the golden ratio of strength and agility, Grid had a strange suspicion. Why was the golden ratio of these stats unknown? Stats changed in real time due to various factors but it was easy to match the ratio of strength and agility to 1:1, especially in low level sections. Out of two billion users, there must¡¯ve been tens of millions of users who achieved a 1:1 ratio of strength and agility. Yet there were no rumors, let alone information about the golden ratio?


    Grid guessed there were two reasons for this. First, the golden ratio of the stats depended on the level interval. For example, even if the stats ratio was the same, the golden ratio wouldn¡¯t ur in the level 200 section. It would only ur in the level 300 or 400 section.


    Second, the golden ratio of the stats was affected by the numerical value of the stats. The golden ratio wouldn¡¯t ur below 1000 points. It would only ur when it was above 2000 or even 3000 points. It was hard to understand why the golden ratio wasn¡¯t known unless there was such a variable. Now it seemed the golden ratio was affected by the number of the stats. It was as expected.


    ¡®This means that when the stats be higher, I¡¯ll have to find a new golden ratio... well, it will work out somehow.¡¯


    It was a waste of energy to worry about the future ahead of time when he didn¡¯t know when it wasing. Grid emerged from his thoughts and looked at the shelves that appeared in front of him. There were dozens of weaponsid out on the shelves, including swords, knives, spears, bows and arrows, blunt weapons, nunchucks, etc.


    The guide¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Please choose the weapons you want to use.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    After a moment of contemtion, Grid picked up a sword, a spear, and a bow and some arrows. The guide didn¡¯t question him. It was because the tower was full of masters who handled dozens of weapons perfectly. Grid¡¯s three types of weapons weren¡¯t unusual or great.


    ¡°The third test will begin.¡±


    The ceiling opened with a signal from the guide and a man dropped down from the opening andnded before Grid. It was a middle-aged man with a beard that went down to his chest. He had straight eyebrows, clear eyes, modest attire and an upright posture. The overall impression was of a famous schr. He wasn¡¯t holding any weapons. ¡°Pioneer Grid, it is nice to see you. It is the first time I¡¯ve seen you but you don¡¯t seem like a stranger at all.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Not a stranger? What magic had he been using to observe Grid?


    ¡®They¡¯ve already figured out about the insane dragon iron?¡¯


    Would the insane dragon iron remation quest be for naught? What if Greed was reimed?


    ¡°For the past few months, I¡¯ve heard your name every time I¡¯ve gone to the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The toilet?¡±


    The man introduced himself to the baffled Grid. ¡°There was a good reason for it. Hmm, let¡¯s start the test. My name is Abellio. I am the seventh seat of the tower who painted the world with a brush.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Drawing the world with a brush? Grid inferred Abellio¡¯s job. Abellio spread out drawing paper, pulled out a brush and ced paint on it.


    ¡®A painter!¡¯


    There was no distinction between sses. Grid had grasped the power of a painter from Picasso and nervously raised his wooden sword. Abellio drew a dot on the paper and stroked his beard with augh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you so please rx. It is your prerogative to attack and I will only stop it. So rest assured and focus.¡±


    It was an extremely friendly tone. Certainly, the members of the tower respected Pioneer Grid. Grid nodded and rxed his tension.


    ¡°Then I will start.¡±


    Slow. Grid¡¯s perception exceeded the speed of his body because his stats were nearly 10 times lower. There was the feeling of shackles all over his body. Grid wanted to get away from this frustration quickly. ¡°Link!¡±


    It went from Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Great Swordsman Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, and then Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship. As the swordsmanship progressed, Link also changed. Link was no longer bound by the concept of speed. No matter Grid¡¯s agility, it unconditionally fired 20 energy des per second.


    Grid, who ran slowly, suddenly elerated and Abellio caught sight of his swinging sword.


    ¡°It is okay.¡±


    Abellio moved his brush. He covered the paper with paint and exactly 20 lines were drawn. At the same time, the 20 lines protruded from the drawing paper and blocked all of Grid¡¯s 20 energy des. Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was the ability to ce intent into a painting and materialize it. It was amazing that an artist¡¯s ability had unlimited possibilities, reminiscent of Aura Master Hurent.


    Abellio was also astonished. Grid didn¡¯t notice it but Abellio¡¯s head had moved around a centimeter. It was intended to avoid the wind des caused by Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just at a good level. It is very good. There was a reason Biban was happy every time he talked about this person.¡¯


    Abellio responded after reading with his eyes that Grid swung the sword exactly 20 times in one second. Then he realized that he didn¡¯t have a proper understanding of Grid. The fact that he could¡¯ve been cut on the cheeks by the wind des made him alert. Grid used Drop after that. He had no intention of missing out on the gap that had been dug using Link.


    Abellio hastily drew a ¡®line¡¯ on the paper to block Drop.


    ¡°......!¡±


    No matter how much lower Grid¡¯s agility had be, Abellio still shouldn¡¯t have been able to respond? The flustered Grid couldn¡¯t imagine what would¡¯ve happened if his sword dances didn¡¯t contain Braham¡¯s magic. In other words, if Wind Cutter hadn¡¯t urred due to Link then Abellio wouldn¡¯t have be serious and his reaction to Drop would¡¯ve been somewhat dyed. Then his hair could¡¯ve been cut.


    However, Abellio was wary after Wind Cutter. He appreciated Grid and did his best. ¡°This is also a good attack.¡±


    The ¡®good¡¯ rating was the best assessment Abellio could make. It was virtually impossible to praise a young junior who had been a legend for less than 20 years.


    ¡°Wave!¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°It is okay.¡±


    ¡°Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Flower!¡±


    ¡°This is disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower!¡±


    ¡°...Hum?¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle!¡±


    ¡°Fairly good...!¡±


    Abellio¡¯s eyes widened as he stoodfortably painting on the paper and evaluating Grid. For the first time, he couldn¡¯t hide his agitation. He was threatened by the beautiful backdrop created by countless petals and reflexively painted the world. The paint filling the buckets were thrown into the air and covered up thendscape created by Grid.


    [Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle has been extinguished.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The four fusion sword dance that was linked to Transcended Link Flower was neutralized without having any effect? Grid was astonished while Abellio gave a new assessment, ¡°Great...¡±


    It was praise. Abellio himself never imagined that he would make such an assessment. He gazed at Grid with anticipation but Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. Paint was thrown and his one of his ultimate attacks erased, but it was only great?


    ¡®Are you kidding me?!¡¯


    Grid used Open Potential. He wanted to hit Abellio who treated him as a child just once. However...


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Abellio gave his first negative rating. Then he painted a tsunami on the paper and it swept toward Grid.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The ability to make a painting real was a scam but the speed of his painting was too fast to handle. Grid couldn¡¯t feel the dy that urred when Hurent shaped his aura. Grid was swept away by the sudden tsunami and was overwhelmed with helplessness.


    Of course, if his stats hadn¡¯t dropped then Abellio wouldn¡¯t have been able to paint at such a leisurely pace. Still, this was a test under the condition where his stats had fallen. The purpose of the test was to prove that he could do something in this state so he was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    It didn¡¯t mean he was going to give up. In the midst of being swept away from the tsunami, Grid used Spear Shot and threw a spear toward Abellio. Then he attempted to use 300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword to make Abellio look away from his paper. However, Abellio kept using the brush without looking away from the paper. Dozens of cords were drawn and tied up Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡±Damn!¡± The trapped Grid was cursing when Abellio¡¯s deep voice was heard.


    ¡°There are so many physical and mental pressures on the body that your body and heart are being eaten away... correction is needed in order for you to develop... hmm, it won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid had a gut feeling. This was clearly a clue to raising his level.


    Then the guide¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Congrattions on passing the third test. Pioneer Grid, the Tower of Wisdom wees your visit.¡±

 Chapter 1220

    Were there any special expectations of the Pioneer? Or did he just miss interacting with others? Abellio¡¯s attitude toward Grid was very friendly.


    ¡°What does it mean that there are so many burdens on my body and heart that I can¡¯t develop?¡±


    ¡°It means exactly what it means. The skills that burden your body and your heart are inhibiting your growth.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Every time you use a skill, your body and heart need recovery and you can¡¯t afford the enlightenment you need for growth.¡±


    ¡°Enlighten...ment?¡±


    ¡°In essence, growthes from experience but experience will be full one day. At this time, the concept that reces experience is enlightenment.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid tried to interpret it as simply as possible. Based on Abellio¡¯s words, growth meant level and experience was, well, experience.


    Grid looked back and recalled¡ªin order to reach his current level, he had repeatedly leveled up via umting experience through quests and hunting, but then at some point, it became difficult. In particr, the amount of experience required for leveling up had risen too much since he reached a certain level and started raiding the yangbans.


    ¡®Perhaps by killing the transcendent existence that is a half god, the experience that a yer can umte has reached the limit?¡¯


    No, he should think about it in a simpler manner. This had nothing to do with the yangbans. Level 400 must be the maximum level a yer can reach via experience alone. To make it easier to level after reaching this point, they needed the concept of enlightenment. So what was enlightenment?


    He followed Abellio to the fourth floor and the structure was asplicated as a maze. Based on Abellio¡¯s careful steps, it seemed like it would take some time to reach the destination. This meant there was still time. Grid felt this opportunity shouldn¡¯t be missed and started a barrage of questions. ¡°What is enlightenment? What do I need to gain enlightenment? Do I need to close my eyes and meditate under a waterfall for a certain period of time?¡±


    Grid was troubled as he recalled the scene of the war god follower meditating under the waterfall. Enlightenment? Meditation? Did he really need to level up that way?


    ¡®Is this really a game? It will be the first virtual reality prayer center. Shit.¡¯


    Abellio smiled at Grid who was flustered by the absurdity. ¡°Enlightenment is obtained naturally. In fact, it isn¡¯t something to be conscious of.¡±


    ¡°Naturally...?¡±


    ¡°It is the realization of the skills umted in the body and heart in the process of filling the body with skills and reflecting on the heart.¡±


    ¡°Based on just your words, I don¡¯t think it is any different from experience?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s different. Experiencing is something that umtes when solving an incident or defeating an enemy. Meanwhile, enlightenment can be achieved without doing those things.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Clear quests or hunt to gain experience. This was the ¡®experience¡¯ that Abellio was talking about. Then what was enlightenment that could be obtained without clearing quests or hunting?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it is shoveling in the air alone... No, does it mean that if I practice by myself, I will gain enlightenment and develop?¡±


    ¡°Haha, it seems that training in the world is called shoveling in the air these days.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Training? During the time when he first got Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid had devoted himself to training to connect the footwork more quickly and smoothly. He had even been taught using Braham¡¯s experience with Pagma. To be honest, Grid was tired of training. He had even clicked his tongue when he heard that Kraugel had been training in the mountains for three years in game time.


    Did Abellio read Grid¡¯s feelings?


    ¡°However, as I said earlier, you already have experience. You don¡¯t have to waste time shoveling in the air and can integrate your training into your daily activities.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that if I engage in the processes of cksmithing and fighting, that itself is training?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have to do it in a way that doesn¡¯t break the harmony of the heart, body, and skill.¡±


    Finally, it returned to the origin.


    ¡°So far, you¡¯ve been pushing the limits of your heart and your body to the extreme. Going beyond the limits is a great experience, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªeven when cksmithing or fighting against strong opponents, Grid went beyond his boundaries, got results, and developed.


    ¡°However, your experience is full now and the experience of going beyond the limits is unnecessary. Look back on some of your toughest moments recently.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The toughest moments were naturally when he fought the yangbans. Abellio threw a surprising question that hit the key point to Grid. ¡°What did you get when you pushed your body and heart to the limit?¡±


    Unpleasant memories rose in Grid¡¯s mind. After 200,000 Army Crushing Sword, he would use Open Potential and follow up with 300,000 Army Swordsmanship or a five fusion sword dance. He couldn¡¯t even control his body properly and could only stare helplessly at the battlefield. It wasn¡¯t only when he was fighting the yangbans. He was always exhausted every time he had a hard fight and felt helpless and weak for a few seconds.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve gained an uncontroble body and a sense of powerlessness and despair. Your body and heart would be busy sending warnings to you in the extreme crisis and you can¡¯t afford to feel enlightenment.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Abellio precisely saw through this. He got a single glimpse of Grid using Open Potential during the test and this gave aplete insight into the recent hardships Grid had faced. Grid felt an indescribable shudder and remained silent for a moment before gritting his teeth. Heined without hiding his feelings, ¡°Then what should I do? Do I have to seal off my strongest skills if I want to improve?¡±


    He had long felt the danger. He wondered if it was really okay every time he broke an arm or shoulder or lost health and physical strength in exchange for using his skills. Damn, it hurt to y the game. How could he y the game when tears came out from the pain?


    Grid was certain¡ªthere were few people in the world who could keep using their skills while enduring the pain of their arms or shoulders breaking. He was confident that an ordinary person who wasn¡¯t ustomed to the pain would¡¯ve sealed the skills or quit the game.


    ¡°No, if you seal up the skills you¡¯ve worked hard to build up then all your efforts would¡¯ve been wasted. That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    In fact, an average person wouldn¡¯t experience what Grid went through. It was umon for a person to have a skill with a penalty of great pain. By the time an average person got that skill, they would¡¯vepleted a body that could handle it.


    ¡°You must first harmonize your body, mind, and skill.¡±


    Grid had grown so fast that he suffered side effects.


    ¡°Although your heart and body have beenpleted, the reason you can¡¯t bear it is because you¡¯ve umted too many types of skills. The fundamental problem is the fighting energy of the Hero King.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Fighting energy?¡±


    The fighting energy resource generated by the Hero King title was Grid¡¯s greatest power. As he kept fighting, he would umte more and more fighting energy, which would raise his stats higher and higher. It was the resource that helpedplete Grid¡¯s body.


    Fighting energy also didn¡¯t conflict with his other skills and stats. The unconvinced Grid was about to argue when Abellio pulled out his brushes and paint and started drawing something on a piece of paper It was a color that resembled the fighting energy wrapped around Grid¡¯s body. Abellio didn¡¯t stop moving the brush. He continued to paint with the same red-purple colour until the paper was wet and about to tear. ¡°Do you know that the former Sword Saint Muller used abination of fighting energy and sword energy that was joined together as one?¡±


    Abellio shook the paper and it started to tear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t used as a means to strengthen sword energy and fighting energy but to quell the ferocity of fighting energy.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Fighting energy is a mythical power. It is a great power that a human vessel couldn¡¯t endure. Even a legend or transcendent will be overwhelmed by the fighting energy. There is no room for enlightenment.¡±


    The stunned Grid brought up the details of the Hero King title.


    [Hero King]


    [A hero of heroes! You are a living myth.]


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    It was stated right there. A myth. In the past, Grid wasn¡¯t sure that the myth ss existed and interpreted this as a metaphorical expression, but not now. The myth rated ss was an obvious concept and Grid wasn¡¯t yet a myth.


    ¡°You must first fuse fighting energy and sword energy. You have to suppress the fighting energy that is invisibly eating at your body and turn it into aplete force. From then on, your energy will be stabilized and your heart, body, and skill will be harmonized.¡±


    [You have acquired new information.]


    [The fourth advancement (awakening) public system ¡®Enlightenment¡¯ is activated.]


    [Enlightenment]


    [Continuously gain experience during battles or ss-rted activities.]


    [You are unable to enjoy the effect of Enlightenment due to the ¡®fighting energy¡¯ resource.]


    ¡°Ah...! I understand what you mean. However, I can¡¯t follow Muller¡¯s progress. What am I supposed to do...¡±


    Step.


    Abellio stopped walking through the same section that kept repeating like he was stuck in a maze. Then he pushed at the solid wall to make a new space appear. There was a staircase leading up to the fifth floor. Abellio was already leading Grid upstairs. Grid noticed Abellio¡¯s consideration and was a bit moved.


    ¡°Ah! If it isn¡¯t Grid?!¡±


    A familiar voice was heard. Grid looked up and discovered Biban. It was a bit puzzling that a Sword Saint was holding a rag instead of a sword in his hand...


    Abellio smiled at the flustered Grid. ¡°He is Muller¡¯s teacher. He only passed on his techniques indirectly but no one can deny that he is the foundation of Muller. Pioneer Grid, I rmend that you learn how to fuse fighting energy and sword energy from Biban.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Biban didn¡¯t seem to know about fighting energy...¡±


    Biban had sparred with Grid but he never mentioned anything about fighting energy. Honestly, Grid didn¡¯t trust that he could get reliable help from him. Biban¡¯s appearance of being down on the floor in a cat pose while cleaning didn¡¯t show any majesty. However, Biban was confident. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is but I can help you. I can feel from the energy of the insane dragon iron in your hands that you havepleted the mission I entrusted to you. This will be a reward.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what it was but he was going to help? They were both tower members but why was there such a big difference? Grid looked between Abellio and Biban with aplicated gaze.


    TL: For those confused about ¡¯heart¡¯, the word used in Korean can mean heart/mind. After discussing it with some people, I decided to keep it as Heart instead of mind due to various reasons. Just consider it as something simr to mentality/mental state.

 Chapter 1221

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is but I can help you. I can feel from the energy of the insane dragon iron in your hands that you havepleted the mission I entrusted to you. This will be a reward.¡±


    Biban was Grid¡¯s benefactor. If it wasn¡¯t for the favor he showed during the 9th¡¯s Test, Grid wouldn¡¯t have gained the Matchless Heart Technique. Biban even corrected the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Grid liked Biban. It was a short rtionship but he felt absolute liking and gratitude. He just didn¡¯t trust Biban very much at the moment because this person didn¡¯t know what fighting energy was. In the first ce, Biban didn¡¯t recognize fighting energy. The proof was that he mistook Grid as Mercedes¡¯ servant on their first meeting.


    ¡®If Biban knew about the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy then he wouldn¡¯t have mistaken my identity.¡¯


    Could such a person help with the fusion of fighting energy and sword energy? Abellio stepped forward as Grid was feeling perplexed.


    ¡°The secret techniques that Biban left behind for an unknown genius fell into Muller¡¯s hands and Muller became the greatest legend of all time. It was a glimpse of the Matchless Heart Sword.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It can be said that Biban is the originator of the Matchless Heart Sword and the progenitor of Muller. He will be very helpful to you.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    Biban got up while squeezing the wet cloth and urged Abellio to get to the point. Abellio avoided the dirty water and pointed to Grid¡¯s fighting energy.


    ¡°The Pioneer of this era has gained the qualification of Hero King and broke the harmony of heart, body, and skill. It is up to you to help him. Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°...The Hero King?¡±


    Biban cocked his head and looked like he didn¡¯t know. His attitude made Grid feel even more uneasy. In the end, Grid asked directly, ¡°Biban, you didn¡¯t know I was the Hero King?¡±


    ¡°Huh, you are still daring. Are you trying to test me? Don¡¯t doubt people. I was just d to hear that you became the Hero King.¡±


    ¡°You just heard about it now? I became the Hero King a number of years ago...¡±


    ¡°For a transcendent like me who lives for eternity, time is gratuitous. Decades ago is the same as yesterday and a few years ago is the same as now. It is pointless to discuss the past and present.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you keep avoiding my eyes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been tasked with the great mission of purifying the tower and I¡¯m looking for dust that might be stuck somewhere.¡±


    ¡®He is really...¡¯


    Grid sent Abellio a look asking for help. Abellio smiled and reassured Grid, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. He is joking.¡±


    In fact, Abellio¡¯s innermost thoughts were different. He noticed that Biban really didn¡¯t know. It was understandable. The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy was a mythical force. He didn¡¯t know that the energy Grid wore was fighting energy when Grid had been a legend for less than 20 years. No, even if he knew it was fighting energy, he might not have associated it with the Hero King.


    In Biban¡¯s vision, the Hero King was an absolute strong person but Grid hadn¡¯t reached that level.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t very convinced but he had no choice but to nod. He didn¡¯t feel the need to fight for the truth. It wasn¡¯t important if Biban knew about fighting energy or not.


    Step.Step.


    Biban was descending the stairs. He held a bucket full of dirty water and a wet cloth but his eyes were deep and still, as if he was looking at the universe.


    ¡°In any case, we¡¯ve lost quite a bit of time.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°If ordinary people have experiences like yours, they will naturally gain insight and improve. However, your body has been swallowed up by fighting energy and this didn¡¯t work fully. You will barely take one step while others take ten steps. It is really unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s distrust toward Biban was washed away. Seeing that he gave the same exnation as Abellio, it seemed he truly was a tower member. It reminded Grid that Biban was the one responsible for the birth of Sword Saint Muller. At the same time, he felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.


    ¡®You will barely take one step while others take ten steps. It is really unfortunate?¡¯


    Grid recalled the information from the enlightenment system that had been activated a little while ago. It was a system that allowed yers to gain experience on an ongoing basis when doing ss-specific activities or battles. It was the fourth ss advancement (awakening) ¡®public¡¯ system. However, Grid had a warning message added.


    [You are unable to enjoy the effect of Enlightenment due to the ¡®fighting energy¡¯ resource.]


    ¡®...Ah.¡¯


    Grid felt dizzy. He realized it. If he didn¡¯t have fighting energy, the enlightenment system would¡¯ve activated naturally without going through the process of obtaining this information. This meant that a typical yer had no problem growing after reaching level 400. Rather, it seemed that the majority of people would be able to grow faster after level 400.


    The enlightenment system existed because the system itself took care of nonbat professional sses or sses where it was hard to get ¡®great results.¡¯


    ¡®The higher the level, the more the gap between yers will decrease. Is this one of the reasons?¡¯


    Grid let out a deep sigh. His red face was back to normal. His anger had quickly subsided. In fact, the enlightenment system was convincing when he looked at it. The traditional way to level up was to clear high difficulty quests or defeat high level monsters and NPCs. This was too cruel for the rtive underdogs who made up the absolute majority of the two billion yers.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think the experience required to level up was appropriate.¡¯


    It was definitely a tough game if it required leveling up in the usual manner. Grid sighed as he recalled all the hardships and adversities he experienced to reach level 408. ¡®I had fighting energy so I was able to defeat the yangbans and my level went up...¡¯


    Don¡¯t be too sorry. Don¡¯t think that he was the one who suffered disadvantages alone. From the time when he gained fighting energy, he gained a strength above his level. Due to fighting energy, he was able to reach this position very quickly...


    Grid organized his mind and politely asked Biban, ¡°Biban, please teach me how to curb fighting energy.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Biban didn¡¯t respond quickly. He didn¡¯t care about the dirty wet cloth touching his forearm and thought hard with crossed arms. Grid gulped. Biban¡¯s silence felt like itsted an exceptionally long time.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    What was bothering him? Biban was distressed by his inability toe up with an answer and blew his nose with the wet cloth. He wiped his nose and then spoke with aplicated expression, ¡°In my view, the only way to suppress fighting energy is to fuse it with sword energy and weaken the inherent effects of fighting energy. However, in order to umte a sword energy that can bear this mythical power, you need to master the Matchless Heart Technique...¡±


    Biban¡¯s face darkened as he peeked at Grid¡¯s sword energy. ¡°Your Matchless Heart Technique is still Level 1.¡±


    Level 1. This was the current state of the Matchless Heart Technique that Grid had learned. It only had 50% of the experience bar filled.


    ¡°How much time will it take for me to reach the mastered level in the Matchless Heart Technique?¡¯


    The good news was that the form for acquiring experience with the Matchless Heart Technique was the ¡®recovery of sword energy.¡¯ After Grid consumed sword energy, the experience would increase in proportion to the amount of sword energy restored with the Matchless Heart Technique. This meant that he could intentionally gain experience. However, as with most skills, the experience gain rate would decrease as it leveled up. It might take years to reach level 10.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Grid gave a deep sigh and eventually lowered his head. Unbearable despair struck him.


    Biban patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be too frustrated. This is the Tower of Wisdom. It is the ce where the geniuses of each era are gathered. It is also a mysterious ce that runs on a dragon¡¯s heart. There will surely be a good method.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go see the other tower members. I¡¯m sure that everyone will wee your arrival after finishing your first mission sessfully.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you, Biban.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t do anything special for Biban but he was very moved because Biban was kind to him. Thus, he couldn¡¯t say anything. Grid, who was following behind Biban up the stairs, stopped in ce and stood beside Abellio. He walked as far away from Biban as possible.


    Biban couldn¡¯t hide his sadness. ¡°What is it? Our rtionship is deeper. Why are you walking beside Abellio instead of me?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t speak candidly and Abellio replied on his behalf, ¡°It is because you smell.¡±


    ¡°Smell?¡±


    ¡°You rubbed your face with the wet cloth and the stench has spread.¡±


    ¡°Shit! Why are you only saying that now?¡±


    Biban threw the wet cloth away and rushed up the stairs. He was embarrassed to show off this ugly appearance.


    Abellio told the sorry Grid, ¡°Biban is a wonderful man. It is just thatpared to the rtively ordinary tower members, he has very good concentration. Once immersed in a situation, he often can¡¯t look around. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I already know it.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯m d you know. I was afraid you would be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    There was nothing to feel disappointed about. The first impression was already the worst. Grid shook his head and walked alongside Abellio to the top floor of the tower, the 10th floor.


    ¡°The seventh seat, Abellio, presents the Pioneer of this era.¡± Abellio guided Grid into the room and bowed politely to the people sitting at the round table.


    Everyone at the round table got up, bowed to Abellio, and then turned to Grid.


    ¡°I can feel Pagma¡¯s energy.¡±


    ¡°Is this Braham¡¯s magic power?¡±


    ¡°The Hero King¡¯s fighting energy! It¡¯s great!¡±


    The other tower masters werepletely different from Biban. From the first meeting, they saw many things about Grid and showed great interest. However, only one of them prated Gridpletely.


    ¡°The power of a god.¡±


    The 1st seat, Hayate¡ªonly he was paying attention to Grid¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 1222

    Just because King Arthur and his knights sat side by side at the round table didn¡¯t mean their positions were equal. The meaning of the round table was equality but this was sometimes symbolic. It was the case now. The seat where Hayate sat was the top seat.


    Once he opened his mouth, all the tower members listened politely.


    ¡°The righteous being of the east has been revived. It seems that you resurrected the red phoenix?¡± Hayate smiled as he gazed at Grid¡¯s heart, as if he was seeing through everything and looking directly at the heart of the red phoenix. ¡°I never thought that a human would share the most noble life of the red phoenix of the Four Auspicious Beasts. I¡¯m proud to be a fellow human being.¡±


    ¡°...Do you know the true myth of the East Continent?¡±


    For Grid, the encounter with Biban and Abellio was shocking. Both of them recognized the problem that Grid was experiencing and taught him, so Grid felt awe at the existence of the tower members. However, Hayate saw much more than they did. He knew more.


    ¡°The Tower of Wisdom doesn¡¯t distinguish the world between east to west. We always see it as the same world.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    The person who asked the question was Biban, not Grid.


    Hayate smiled graciously while 2nd Seat Fronzaltz stared at him with a grim look. Hayate spoke, ¡°Sir Biban might not know it. By the time Sir Biban joined the tower, the dragons¡¯ activity radius had been reduced to the west.¡±


    ¡°Hayate! There are records in the tower, a history! If Biban had the minimum level of consciousness then he wouldn¡¯t be unaware of our past activities!¡±


    The 2nd seat Fronzaltz simultaneously criticized Biban¡¯s ignorance and Hayate¡¯s soft attitude. He was dissatisfied with Biban who hadn¡¯t built up even the basic knowledge, causing him to ask silly questions. He also didn¡¯t like that Hayate defended him instead of punishing him.


    ¡®This has probably happened more than once or twice...¡¯


    As the atmosphere became worse, Grid shut his mouth and stepped back. Then he nced at the other tower members. Biban, who made Fronzaltz explode, rubbed his ears like he was mocking Fronzaltz. Meanwhile, the 8th seat, Jessica, mouthed a warning to him.


    The rest of the members were just smiling like Hayate. They seemed bold and generous like the apostles of justice devoted to defending the world from the mighty enemies, the dragons. Fronzaltz sighed and told Biban, ¡°From today on, read the records of the tower and learn about the history of the tower. Then I¡¯ll get rid of your 10 years cleaning punishment.¡±


    ¡°The books in the tower are all written in ancient runes. How do you want me to read them?¡±


    ¡°Study!¡±


    ¡°I would rather clean up. No, I will focus on purification and training.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Fronzaltz¡¯s face turned red as he gritted his teeth. In the rtively free association, he was the only one obsessed with rules and control.


    Grid understood his feelings. ¡®He is in Lauel¡¯s position.¡¯


    In particr, the more free-spirited the leader, the more likely it was for his subordinate to make things serious. Someone had to strictly maintain the rules in order to maintain the organization. Fronzaltz argued a bit more with Biban before sighing and bowing to Grid. He apologized for showing a bad attitude. Grid smiled awkwardly and nced at Biban. He was still digging at his ears like a naughty five year old child. In any case, the atmosphere calmed down. Hayate nced at the other tower members.


    Then the tower members started to introduce themselves to Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m the 8th seat, Jessica. I used to be a great magician in the same era as Biban.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It has been said many times, the history that yers could easily ess was just the previous generation of legends. The history of generations decades or hundreds of years earlier was difficult to ess because it was too long ago. There were too many documents that were lost or ssified in the process of winning or losing wars. Even so, Jessica¡¯s name was famous enough that Grid had heard of it.


    ¡®The founder of echo magic.¡¯


    He often heard the names Haksen and Jessica from magicians such as Zednos and Lae while doing quests together. Haksen¡¯s highest point magic and Jessica¡¯s echo magic... Among them, echo magic was still being studied.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡±


    Jessica held out a hand and Grid shook it seriously. The actual encounter with a historical being was a thrilling experience every time.


    ¡°I¡¯m the 6th seat, Ken. I¡¯m a martial artist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the 5th seat, Jurene. A monster tamer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Betty... the 4th seat.¡±


    All three were names he was hearing for the first time. Like Abellio, they must¡¯ve been active before Biban and Jessica. It was just that Ken and Jurene were young men and Betty was a young girl so he was once again struck by the existence of legends.


    ¡®Immortal beings...¡¯


    It was ironic that most legends of the previous generation disappeared after their deaths. Grid was engulfed in a strange mood when the 3rd seat rose. He was a man over two meters tall and his hand was so big that he could hold a watermelon in one hand. He didn¡¯t look like a human and instead seemed to be of another species.


    ¡°I¡¯m Radwolf. I¡¯m a scientist.¡±


    ¡®A scientist?¡¯


    Was there ever a legendary scientist? Grid found it a bit strange and Radwolf added an exnation, ¡°I¡¯m a giant.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Grid was reminded of the relics of the ancient giants. A war weapon that fueled Imperial Prince Edan¡¯s ambitions.


    ¡®The magic machines!¡¯


    How did the tower members fight against the dragons? Grid had been questioning this after his experience with Biban and his doubts were finally resolved. Grid once again realized that the standards of the tower members gathered here was more than he imagined.


    Fronzaltz shook hands with Grid who gulped. ¡°I¡¯m the 2nd seat. Radwolf¡¯s brother.¡±


    The giants still existed. However, they lost most of their intelligence and were treated almost as monsters. Meanwhile, Radwolf and Fronzaltz were ancient giants who were hailed as ¡®wise warriors.¡¯ Grid shook hands with Fronzaltz and finally shifted his gaze to Hayate, the top seat.


    Unlike Radwolf and Fronzaltz, who gave off an intimidating impression due to their well-developed bones, Hayate was a pure human. He had blond hair, blue eyes, a handsome beard, and an elegant expression. He was a man with all the aristocratic traits that peoplemonly thought of.


    He gave a brief but intense introduction. ¡°Dragon yer.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°I am the first legend of humanity.¡±


    ***


    Dragon yer¡ªit was a title that every gamer was envious of. Most games portrayed dragons as unique and the title ¡®Dragon yer¡¯ had its own unique style. In particr, Dragon yer in Satisfy was almost treated as an illusion.


    In Satisfy, dragons weren¡¯t the target of a raid but a disaster in itself. Who would dare to fight an enemy that couldn¡¯t be resisted? If a yer really existed with the Dragon yer title then it was just a fake half-title obtained from hunting a wyvern. In fact, the inhabitants and history of Satisfy didn¡¯t mention the word Dragon yer. Moreover, this was the first time Grid heard there was a Dragon yer among the legends. Yet right in front of him stood a man that imed to be a Dragon yer.


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    On the 10th floor of the tower...


    Hayate had invited Grid to the study and served tea. Then he started the conversation with a bitter look, ¡°I stumbled upon a dragon who was wounded in a power struggle. I was terrified by his pressure. I struggled desperately to survive and finally cut his throat.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid realized something when he saw Hayate speak as if the saga was a shameful thing. It was that Hayate¡¯s pride as a warrior was beyond imagination. Grid seemed to understand why this person liked Biban. Grid was thinking this when he suddenly made eye contact with Hayate. Hayate¡¯s gaze toward Grid went beyond liking and became envy. Why was the 1st seat of the tower looking at him like this?


    Hayate told the flustered Grid, ¡°The status you have built up... it isn¡¯t something you can do just because you¡¯re lucky.¡±


    Of course, Grid could¡¯ve been lucky once or twice. No, he could¡¯ve been lucky more than that. However, it was unreasonable that Grid solved all the incidents that built up his status with luck.


    ¡°I¡¯m in awe of all the hard work, tenacity, and skills you¡¯ve shown in order to ovee all the events you could or couldn¡¯t have avoided.¡±


    "You¡¯re overpraising me."


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. All the achievements you have built up alone are more wonderful and greater than the sum of achievements of the tower members. The other tower members knew this and invited you to the round table without conducting a test.¡±


    Originally, the tower had two types of tests. The first type was a basic set of tests to prove the qualifications of the Pioneer, while the second type was individual tests given personally by each tower member in order for the Pioneer to show off their skills to the tower members. In fact, before he traveled to the East Continent, Grid had been tested by Biban. Yet this time, Grid skipped the second test. It was a sign that his skills had improved dramatically after traveling to the East Continent and that he was acknowledged by the tower members.


    ¡°...No, it isn¡¯t a status I built up myself. I always had my colleagues.¡±


    It ranged from Noe and Randy to the 10 meritorious retainers and Braham. There was always someone by Grid¡¯s side. Even if Grid was alone, many people supported him so he could reach it. In the days when he had a low level, Grid wouldn¡¯t have easily taken on new challengers without the materials and crafting recipes acquired by the Overgeared members. If it wasn¡¯t for Lauel, Grid wouldn¡¯t have gained the throne. Grid¡¯s conscience meant he couldn¡¯t deny all their help and activities that helped him reach this point.


    Hayate¡¯s gaze deepened. ¡°That makes you even greater. You have already achieved the ideals that I seek.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this interpretation too good? Grid was so embarrassed that he coughed. Hayate smiled like Grid was cute and then looked over the wall of his study. The portraits of the tower members, including Hayate, were hanging there. Hayate continued speaking, ¡°The reason I built the tower was because I knew my own limits. I wanted to gather colleagues to fight together.¡±


    ¡°Your own limits...¡±


    Grid got a glimpse of the hardships and adversities that Hayate had experienced. How difficult would it have been for him to decide to fight to protect the world and build the tower? Grid took out that insane dragon iron he had prepared and handed it to Hayate. Then¡ª


    [The Tower¡¯s Mission quest has beenpleted.]


    [Dragon Scale Box has been acquired as a quest reward.]


    The quest waspleted and he was able to get the reward he wanted. However, the rewards that Grid would receive weren¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°The development of the Dragon Killing Sword requires infinite sword energy.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The thing you must seek to suppress fighting energy is infinite sword energy. I think I can help you. How about it?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±

 Chapter 1223

    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect for this to happen...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s visit to the Tower of Wisdom was because he wanted Biban¡¯s help. He had hoped he would find clues to his bottlenecked progress and to gain permission to spread the Matchless Heart Technique. Yes, meeting the other tower members andpleting the Tower¡¯s Mission quest were just secondary purposes. To be honest, he was reluctant to meet the tower members.


    Grid knew from experience so far how people who had built up their own beliefs for hundreds of years could devastate others. It was just like his first meeting with Braham and Biban. Meeting the new tower members seemed likely to cause a tiring event and he was therefore reluctant to do so. Yet what was the reality?


    ¡°How about it? Will you ept my teachings for a while?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The nature and attitude of the tower members were too different from Grid¡¯s expectations. They might take pride in themselves but they weren¡¯t arrogant. They knew how to respect others. They showed their wisdom by focusing on what was behind the story rather than the facts in front of them. They were good people. They were respectable people.


    Grid was convinced. ¡®Nothing good wille from deceiving them.¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom thought that the insane dragon iron was dangerous. They analyzed that the person who currently owned the insane dragon iron would destroy the world if it was misused. The one who owned the insane dragon iron was Grid.


    ¡®They are people I can talk to. I can trust them to listen to and consider my words if I tell them I can control the insane dragon iron.¡¯


    There was no eternal secret. He wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it if he waster caught by the tower members and they felt angry and disappointed. It was better to be honest from the beginning. As Grid was thinking, Hayate felt troubled.¡°It seems that my suggestion has flustered you. Excuse me.¡±


    The Dragon Killing Sword¡ªhe was a bit perplexed that Grid didn¡¯t respond even though he was trying to pass on the secret technique that had killed a dragon. Rather, he was concerned that he had made a mistake based on Grid¡¯s reaction. Grid looked at Hayate¡¯s expression that was as colorful as his years and quickly rose from his seat. Then he bowed politely and deeply.


    ¡°Hayate, in fact, I¡¯ve been deceiving the Tower of Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm?¡±


    ¡°The owner of the insane dragon iron... is me. I already had the insane dragon iron before I knew the tower existed.¡±


    Grid closed his eyes. It was to prepare for Hayate¡¯s anger. Surprisingly, Hayate was quiet. There was no response after a long time and the puzzled Grid slowly opened his eyes and raised his head. Hayate stared straight at Grid and opened his mouth, ¡°You must¡¯ve been anxious all the time after learning that the insane dragon iron could destroy the world.¡±


    ¡°No, I haveplete control over the insane dragon iron.¡±


    Grid was sincere. In the process of creating Greed using the insane dragon iron, he fully understood how to suppress the properties of the insane dragon iron. That¡¯s why he was confident.


    ¡°Why are you confessing this? It wouldn¡¯t matter if you hadplete control and kept it a secret forever.¡±


    ¡°The tower showed me trust first so I thought it was right to give back this trust.¡±


    ¡°It is a rash confession. From the standpoint of the tower, I can¡¯t ignore the owner of the insane dragon iron. I must recover the insane dragon iron.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you can¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°I trust you. If I don¡¯t believe in you who shares your life with the noble red phoenix, who in the world can I trust? The problem is that the world isn¡¯t easy. How could there be only one or two people aiming for the insane dragon iron in the world?¡±


    ¡°There are people aiming for the insane dragon iron?¡±


    ¡°You should know that if the insane dragon irons grows beyond a certain amount, the magic power of the insane dragon iron will be stronger and it will be a target of all dragons.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is natural for the world to perish once there is a conflict between dragons. There are countless existences who want the world to perish.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the great demons as an example?¡±


    ¡°It can also be a human or a god. They were born with a grudge against the world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There are so many who are going to deceive you or hurt you by targeting the insane dragon iron. Or do you think you can forever defend the insane dragon iron from them?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid failed to answer. Greed was a ss-specific item. Only Grid had the right to own and use it and there was no fear of it dropping upon death. However, the small amount of insane dragon iron remaining after producing Greed was different. Grid was confident he could protect Greed but he couldn¡¯t im to be able to protect the insane dragon iron, which was separate from him. If so, what about the tower?


    ¡°...What about the tower? Are you saying the tower can defend the insane dragon iron?¡± Grid hurriedly asked.


    The answer was once again unexpected. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°We will block the danger by destroying it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I will ask you bluntly. What is the quantity of insane dragon iron left that isn¡¯t fused with pavranium?¡±


    ¡°......! Did you know about pavranium?¡±


    ¡°Pagma, who pioneered his own path with a firm faith; Braham, who exceeded his limits with his hate-filled obsession; Muller, who was on the verge of turning all things in the world into a sword; and Madra, who had the strongest talent of all time in the east and west¡ªthe tower has paid attention to their activities. It is because their presence was so huge. It is impossible for us to not know that the Pagma and Braham created the great mineral pavranium.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate, whose expression had stiffened after Grid¡¯s confession, started smiling again. ¡°I knew it. I¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯ve been intentionally hiding pavranium since I¡¯ve never seen traces of pavranium anywhere in your armor. I wondered about the reason why you had to hide it and I thought about the insane dragon iron.¡±


    ¡°You saw it... I¡¯ve already fused the insane dragon iron and pavranium into one and there¡¯s only a small amount of insane dragon iron left.¡±


    This was bad. Grid never dreamt that Hayate would know about the fusion of pavranium and insane dragon iron. Greed was in danger. He might need to separate pavranium and the insane dragon to give it to the tower.


    ¡®I acted too rashy.¡¯


    Hayate bowed to Grid who was biting his nails nervously. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me honestly and trusting in the tower. Thanks to this, the tower was able to clear up even the smallest doubts about you. I¡¯m d to make a new friend.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I will leave the insane dragon iron to you. We don¡¯t have the authority to take it away, especially if you haveplete control over it. Aren¡¯t you the world¡¯s greatest authority when ites to minerals?¡±


    ¡°Is it really okay? What if someone takes away the insane dragon iron?¡±


    ¡°The insane dragon iron that has already been fused with pavranium isn¡¯t something that can easily be taken away by others. The problem is the amount of insane dragon iron left unfused... Didn¡¯t you say it was only a small amount? If you control it well, I have confidence that you won¡¯t let the insane dragon iron multiply to that point.¡±


    ¡°Why... why do you trust me so much?¡±


    At this point, it was almost a burden. Hayate checked and refilled the empty mug of the anxious Grid and spoke hurriedly, ¡°The reason I can trust you with a smile isn¡¯t because I¡¯m impressed by your power.¡±


    The teacup was filled. The tea leaves in the teacup stopped shaking and became centered as the hot water filled up.


    ¡°Your epics where you fought for others and the world made me respect and trust you. That¡¯s all. The reason I trust you is because you are you.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s doubts and confusion cleared. He awakened from hisplex thoughts and his wavering pupils became firm.


    ¡°I will reward your faith.¡±


    The reason why Grid left a small amount of insane dragon iron behind was simple. It was with the vague idea that it would one day be reused. In fact, he didn¡¯t have to leave it behind. Grid already had Greed. The role of the insane dragon iron could be reced by Greed. However, the insane dragon iron couldn¡¯t rece the role of Greed.


    ¡°Excuse me a moment.¡± Grid asked Hayate for his understanding and pulled out a portable furnace and white phosphorus wood. He took out all the insane dragon iron he had and melted it in the fire. ¡°There is no need for an object that is just harmful. Isn¡¯t that right?"


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    The words Grid spoke while working made Hayate realize that Grid was really serious. There were few normal people among legends and transcendents.


    ¡°Pant.Pant.Pant.¡±


    On the 10th floor of the Tower of Wisdom...


    In the sacred space where the Dragon yer lived, the sound of the bellows echoed constantly. It was a scene that no one could¡¯ve imagined.


    ***


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the Dragon Killing Sword itself that I¡¯m trying to teach you.¡±


    Infinite sword energy was the basis for the development of the Dragon Killing Sword. Hayate was only going to teach Grid this much.


    ¡°It is because your heart still isn¡¯t strong enough to bear the Dragon Killing Sword. You might be swallowed by the Dragon Killing Sword while trying to control fighting energy.¡±


    ¡°I understand. It is an honor to be taught anything.¡±


    The sparring field was dyed all white. In this different dimension of space where the beginning and end were unknown, Grid found it hard to suppress the pounding of his heart. Humanity¡¯s first legend¡ªthis was an opportunity to be taught by the Dragon yer, who was moving toward a myth... it felt like his heart would burst.


    Hayate pulled out the sword and gripped it. The sword energy that was released instantly formed a wave and dominated the space.


    ¡°The approach to energy varies from person to person. Some people umted it and some borrowed it. An easy example is the Matchless Heart Technique and Natural State. Matchless Heart Technique is a method of umtion while Natural State borrows it. On the other hand, the Dragon Killing Sword¡ª¡±


    The sword energy gradually grew stronger. Hayate¡¯s sword was dyed with a pure white brilliance.


    ¡°It is real visualization. That¡¯s why there are no restrictions.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    In Grid¡¯s mind, the tragedy that befell Berith¡¯s body came to mind. It was when he was cut by Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s Heart Sword.

 Chapter 1224

    ¡°It is real visualization... isn¡¯t this the realm of a Sword Saint?¡±


    The Dragon Killing Sword and Kraugel¡¯s Heart Sword contained the same concept. This meant that by learning the Dragon Killing Sword, he was qualified to be a Sword Saint. Grid wasn¡¯t happy. He felt ufortable. He was worried that he would take away Kraugel¡¯s pride and self-esteem.


    Hayateughed as he read theplex emotions on Grid¡¯s face. ¡°As expected. In the present era, you are filled with misunderstandings about the Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Heart Sword isn¡¯t the measure of a Sword Saint. It is just one of the numerous swordsmanship that a Sword Saint can create.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Even if Dragon Killing Sword contains the same concept as the Heart Sword, it doesn¡¯t mean you can enter the realm of a Sword Saint just by learning it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°In this day and age, the weight of the name Sword Saint is too light. Perhaps it is because Sword Saint Kraugel of the current era is still in the development stage.¡±


    Hayate smiled. It was because Grid¡¯s eyes had be a bit fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I don¡¯t intend to demean Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying... I¡¯m not misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡®Do you know what type of expression you¡¯re making?¡¯


    Hayate vaguely inferred the rtionship between Grid and Kraugel and smiled. ¡°Bluntly speaking, Dragon Killing Sword is different from Heart Sword. You are misunderstanding the concept of embodiment and willpower. Willpower is the heart trying to aplish something while visualization means expressing the state of the mind. It is about the image epassing the will.¡±


    ¡°If it epasses it... are you implying that the Dragon Killing Sword is a higher level of swordsmanship than the Heart Sword?¡±


    If Hayate was a normal person then he would absolutely say no. However, Hayate was a Dragon yer.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Pant...¡±


    ¡°Just, it is still iplete. Since it is affected by the user¡¯s state of mind, sometimes it can¡¯t exercise its power. Strictly speaking, it is a skill that requires a higher level of difficulty than the Heart Sword.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    It was like a bolt from the blue to Grid. It was more difficult than Heart Sword?


    ¡®How can I learn that?¡¯


    Grid was at least intelligent enough not to overestimate himself. He was convinced that his talent wouldn¡¯t allow him to learn the Dragon Killing Sword.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As I said, I¡¯m not trying to pass on the Dragon Killing Sword. I just want to teach you infinite sword energy.¡±


    Infinite sword energy was only one of the conditions for gaining the Dragon Killing Sword. Hayate¡¯s finger pointed at Grid¡¯s chest. ¡°There is a limit to the vessel of human beings. Even if they build up their energy for thousands of years, it can¡¯t be infinite.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s finger pointed to the air this time. The elegant hand gestures were impressive.


    ¡°On the other hand, the universe is infinite and the energy that exists in all of it is infinite. However, it is impossible to borrow all of them. It is because the size of a human is smaller than dustpared to all things and they are bound by the concept of space.¡±


    Grid recalled Piaro¡¯s Natural State and Braham¡¯s Mana Drain. Piaro drew the energy of nature from the surroundings while Braham took the mana of all things around him and made it his own. They didn¡¯t exert influence over the entire world.


    ¡°I understand. You¡¯re saying that it is impossible to achieve infinite sword energy in the usual way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is why even legends or transcendents can¡¯t cut the scales of a dragon. Well, the ordinary legends or transcendents, anyway.¡±


    Hayate recalled the distant past. It was a green dragon that simmered with rage. The appearance of the rtives who died from the one who devastated his hometown and turned it into scorched earth was now forgotten. Only the affection they gave him still remained.


    ¡°When I first met the dragon... I used all sorts of means to cut him. I stabbed, wielded all types of weapons, and bombarded him with the magic power I was proud of, but it was useless. The attacks I trained all my life in only left scratches on the hard scales.¡±


    There was hope. The scales of the ce where the enemy was bitten by another dragon was rotten and couldn¡¯t regenerate. The dragon was exhausted and most of his magic power was used to protect and recover his wounds. His struggle-filled attacks failed to put an end to Hayate. Hayate had a chance to fight back.


    ¡°Once I realized that I couldn¡¯t cut the dragon with the physical concepts I knew, I craved a stronger power. First, I discarded the mold of skill. I just had the idea of cutting him down so I acquired the Heart Sword.¡±


    ¡®Is this a true story...?¡¯


    The body of a superhuman, the magic power he was so proud of, and finally Heart Sword...


    Hayate was already the strongest before he became a Dragon yer. Grid gulped as in his mind, he saw Madra rather than Hayate. Undefeated King Madra¡ªeven Hayate had given him the evaluation of the one with the most talent from the east to the west... the more Grid discovered, the greater Madra became.


    ¡°My will was to cut him, cut him, and cut him again.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, it wascking. Just the willpower to cut him couldn¡¯t drive the mythical dragon to death. It was a frustrating situation. My already exhausted body and mind stopped working while the dragon was recovering in real time. I had to watch his scales recover and my emotion at that time was...¡±


    A pure white space¡ªthe unidentified space that had been stirred by Hayate¡¯s sword energy calmed down. The sword energy wasn¡¯t gone. It flowed quietly like a shallow river and Hayate¡¯s sword energy didn¡¯t dry up.


    "...It was interesting. I had already lost and wasn¡¯t aware of what I experienced or saw. I just moved like a machine. I took a step in order to reach something in front of me and ended up swinging my sword.¡±


    His body was already a mess but he didn¡¯t realize it because he felt no pain. He could move because there was no pain. It was apletely unconscious state.


    ¡°This was the image that dominated me at that time. All the wishes engraved in my heart¡ªthe desire for greater power, the obsession to cut him, and the hope to end this disaster¡ªthey awakened me to a new world.¡±


    That world was...


    ¡°This... ce?¡±


    The power needed to cut a dragon. The infinite sword energy existed in this pure white space. Grid got goosebumps.


    "Correct,¡± Hayate replied positively.


    The incandescent sword was imbued with immeasurable power.


    ¡°Biban¡¯s Matchless Heart Technique is to ¡®continuously recover¡¯ sword energy while the Dragon Killing Sword is to establish a sword technique that ¡®never dries up.¡¯¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The method Sword Saint Muller used to suppress fighting energy was to lock it in his mana core. He ced the water called fighting energy into the well called the mana core and covered it with sword energy.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a fusion, but merely a bnce created ording to the rules set by Muller.


    ¡°On the other hand, your fighting energy will be in your mental world. The infinite sword energy hovering in your mental world will eventually merge together with it, bing one. That is true fusion, a harmony.¡±


    Hayate was insistent that the direction he presented would produce better results than the direction Muller pursued.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s body trembled. Sword Saint Muller was always mentioned when discussing the greatest legends of all time. Grid couldn¡¯t help shivering when he saw the possibility of transcending Muller in some way. Of course, it was only a moment. Grid¡¯s face that was red with excitement soon cooled down. ¡°There is one more thing I hadn¡¯t confessed.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I... I amcking talent. Hayate, I won¡¯t be able to learn it even if you teach me.¡±


    Even the yangban Garam hadn¡¯t properly realized a mental world. If he had been able to embody such a mental world, he would¡¯vepletely isted Grid from the world without using shortcuts such as amulets to separate the space. As far as Grid knew, Braham and Hayate were the only two people able to create a perfect mental world. They were all geniuses of the century. He was a stupid person with no talent. How could he open up the mental world...?


    Hayate¡¯s fingers appeared in front of the frustrated Grid¡¯s eyes. Hayate¡¯s finger was pointed at Grid¡¯s heart. No, to be precise, he was pointing at the red phoenix¡¯s heart that ovepped with Grid¡¯s heart. ¡°You have more than talent.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It is the power of a god. Look back. You can create another space that is already isted from the world.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The red phoenix¡¯s heart. The power of a god. A space isted from the world.


    A skill shed in Grid¡¯s mind as he listened to Hayate¡¯s words. ¡®Storm of the Fire God!¡¯


    It was field magic that maximized the presence of the caster. It was clearly a space that waspletely different from ordinary space. Grid realized why field magic was rare. Field magic was also a type of mental world. No, to be exact, it was a mental world. In any case, there was a reason why not everyone could use it.


    ¡°B-But to call this my mental world...¡±


    ¡°To be exact, it is the mental world of the red phoenix.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    ¡°It is the mental world of a god. It might be just a piece but its function is certain.¡¯


    Hayate¡¯s finger pierced Grid¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Uh!¡± Grid groaned at the strange sensation.


    However, Hayate didn¡¯t care. Grid quickly turned red but Hayate ignored it and injected more magic power into his finger. Then the infinite sword energy that flowed inside Hayate¡¯s mental world started to be sucked into Grid¡¯s heart, no, the red phoenix¡¯s heart.


    Hayate was smiling. ¡°The easier it is to study, the better.¡±


    ¡°Ah...! Ack...!¡±


    The absorption of the sword energy was still progressing. Grid forgot to breathe as the peak experience he had never felt before flowed into his body. The heart of the red phoenix was making a difference.


    [The power of the Absolute is flowing into the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart.]


    [A new field effect, ¡®Infinite Sword Energy,¡¯ has been added to Storm of the Fire God.]


    ¡°...Absolute?¡±


    Grid¡¯s spirit awakened from the pleasure. His trembling pupils saw a golden light shining around Hayate¡¯s body. Hayate¡¯s expression was bitter like he had taken strong medicine.


    ¡°There are no records in the world about me killing a dragon. It is because all the witnesses are dead.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is the dragon race, not the human race, that keeps speaking of me. I am cursed due to the dragons¡¯ terrible words of contempt and hatred toward me. So put away your envy. It is you, not me, who deserves to receive that look.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Perhaps it was because they were connected by sword energy? Grid gritted his teeth as he felt Hayate¡¯s terrible pain and grief. His eyes became bloodshot.


    [An unknown person is writing the sixth epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrative begins with the confession of a lonely Absolute.]


    ¡°I... I got to know you.¡±


    [He dared tofort the one who stood higher than himself.]


    ¡°That lizard bastards who cursed you, I will surely destroy them someday.¡±

 Chapter 1225

    Grid didn¡¯t know the conditions for an epic to ur. He just vaguely thought that he had to make great achievements. However, the truth was different. The epics that Grid had written so far weren¡¯t only focused on achievements but also on rtionships. The fifth epic proved this. Therefore...


    ¡°I am cursed due to the dragons¡¯ terrible words of contempt and hatred toward me. So put away your envy. It is you, not me, who deserves to receive that look.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the process of his conversation and building up rapport with the special being called the Dragon yer, Grid felt expectant. He thought that a sixth epic would ur soon. Then his prediction came true.


    [The beginning of the narrative begins with the confession of a lonely Absolute.]


    ¡°I got to know you.¡±


    [He dared tofort the one who stood higher than himself.]


    ¡°The lizard bastards who cursed you, I will surely destroy them someday.¡±


    An epic urred and Grid expressed his feelings truthfully. He spoke candidly about Hayate¡¯s pain and sorrow and his desire to ovee it together. Grid knew it was enough. So far, the epics had responded to his feelings and he believed this time would be the same. However, this time was different.


    ¡°Shh.¡± Hayate blocked Grid¡¯s mouth. His expression hardened for the first time. ¡°Take back what you just said.¡±


    [His deration that he would #%content%amp;? *% was blocked by the Absolute.]


    ¡°...?¡±


    The text was broken. As a result, Grid¡¯s deration wasn¡¯t imprinted on the epic and disclosed. Grid was panicking about the situation when Hayate exined, ¡°The unqualified gods of the East have ruined your senses.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°The gods of the East wouldn¡¯t have been a great threat to you. Isn¡¯t that correct?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hayate saw it precisely. On the East Continent, the threat to Grid was the yangbans. The real gods who created or taught the yangbans didn¡¯t pose a direct threat to Grid. It was natural. In the first ce, the Five Seniors never appeared in front of Grid. Hayate responded to Grid¡¯s silent confirmation, ¡°The gods who now rule the East are the ones who were defeated in the war of the gods.¡±


    In other words¡ª


    ¡°They were wounded and lost their authority. Their influence is very smallpared to the impression that people usually have about omnipotent gods. That¡¯s why you¡¯re still safe.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, dragons are different from the gods of the East. They have good ears and no scruples about their actions. If they hear your epic then they can hurt you at any time.¡±


    The words that Hayate wanted to convey were simple. He was telling Grid to be careful not to be hostile to dragons.


    [The Absolute¡¯s anxious warning has covered your epic.]


    [The sixth page of the epic remains iplete.]


    [No one will ever be able to see the secret words hidden on the nk page.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was full of turmoil in many ways and closed his mouth. The epic would end just like this? It was the worst development for Grid, who got rewarded for every epic.


    ¡®It is a ss about the epics yet an epic was messed up...!¡¯


    The Duke of Wisdom and Magic Swordsman of the Epics sses that Grid possessed had few unique effects. Among them, the Magic Swordsman of the Epics increased the total amount of sword energy and mana by 20% as well as ¡®writing epics.¡¯ Nevertheless, Grid¡¯s satisfaction was high because of the rewards that came with each epic.


    Yes, after all, it was a ss about the epics. Now the epic had ended in an iplete state. It was the concept where the Magic Swordsman of the Epics became stronger by being ¡®known¡¯ through the epics. It also meant that the reward had gone away.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid was frowning with frustration when a new notification window emerged in his vision.


    [The story that isn¡¯t recorded will be passed down through word of mouth. However, it should be remembered that people with loose mouths will be hated.]


    [The ss specific skill of Magic Swordsman of the Epics, ¡®Oral Traditions,¡¯ has been activated.]


    [Oral Traditions]


    [Share the contents of the epics with others. The number of times it can be shared is once per secret story.


    Skill activation condition: Deliver a secret story to one target you have the maximum affinity with.


    Skill activation effect: The target¡¯s stats will increase or a new skill or title will awaken. The stat increase, new skills, and title effects are affected by the content of the secret story.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    He had always expected it. Just like Pagma¡¯s Descendant, he believed that the Magic Swordsman of the Epics and Duke of Wisdom sses would someday open up new ss specific effects. In particr, Magic Swordsman of the Epics was a growth type legendary ss so he had more expectations. These expectations didn¡¯t betray Grid.


    Oral Tradition¡ªsimply put, this skill that raised an NPC or pet was necessary for Grid who had a high dependence on his colleagues.


    ¡®Hayate is an Absolute yet even he feels his limits.¡¯


    No matter how strong he was alone, he needed colleagues to support him. Colleagues should be strong together...


    Grid¡¯s face brightened as he thought for a long time.


    He liked the new skill of Magic Swordsman of the Epics.


    ¡®It is a pity that it is only one oral tradition per story but time can solve this problem. I have to keep writing more secret stories.¡¯


    People who had loose mouths would be hated so the number of times it could be used was limited. This much waspelling. Grid¡¯s smile grew stronger as he analyzed it.


    ¡°I was worried you might be upset. I¡¯m d.¡±


    Hayate was relieved to see it. Grid replied politely, ¡°Aren¡¯t you giving me advice? I¡¯m happy to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for understanding. Remember one thing. Dragons aren¡¯t targets to be fought. They must be avoided.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind...¡±


    Even the great Tower of Wisdom didn¡¯t say that they would subdue the dragon. Their main task was to curb the emergence of the dragons.


    ¡®I was too presumptuous.¡¯


    He dered that he would smash a dragon in front of a Dragon yer...


    The ashamed Grid suddenly became worried.


    ¡°One of my colleagues has a hostile rtionship with a dragon.¡±


    It was none other than Pon. Before meeting Grid, Pon had be hostile to Fire Dragon Trauka and was suffering from Trauka¡¯s curse. What type of events had he experienced during training? Not long ago, Grid saw the power of curses on the East Continent and felt uneasy. Pon was on Trauka¡¯s hostile list and it was the same for the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom that he belonged to.


    ¡°Is there a possibility that the dragon might invade the Overgeared Kingdom one day?¡±


    ¡°It is safe to say that there is no such possibility. The dragons are obsessed with their ownirs. They think it is a loss to leave to hunt a human. No, they wouldn¡¯t consider it in the first ce.¡±


    It was the same as Sticks¡¯ opinion.


    Hayate once again warned Grid, ¡°However, there is a possibility their attitude will change once they learn that a ce contains many people they are hostile to. Then they might leave theirir even if it is troublesome. That¡¯s why there are dozens of cloaking spells on the Tower of Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°It would be a disaster if the dragon bes hostile to me as well.¡±


    There was also Braham in the Overgeared Kingdom. Braham had a history of stealing from Fire Dragon Trauka. If King Grid of the Overgeared Kingdom where Pon and Braham were located became hostile to Trauka then he would firmly stomp on them. Grid¡¯s thoughts were far away while Hayate snapped his fingers. Hayata¡¯s mental world was lifted and the night sky greeted Grid. Hayate checked the moon¡¯s position and lightly pushed Grid.


    ¡°It is time to go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Grid activated the red phoenix¡¯s heart. He took a deep breath to rx his tension and finally used the new Storm of the Fire God. The biggest advantage of Storm of the Fire God was that it was activated immediately. There was no dy, unlike the days of the Storm Demonic Energy Field.


    Huge mes suddenly covered the whole area. The divine mes and mes of willpower swirled quietly but strongly. Originally, this was the end of it but it was different now. There was a silver gxy present in the world of red mes. It was sword energy. It was also infinite sword energy.


    [Storm of the Fire God]


    [You have realized the dignity of the newly born fire god.


    -Field Effect 1-


    [Divine mes]


    Unleash thetent mes in the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart to form a storm of divine mes.


    The storm will control a 200 meters radius area around the caster, increasing the healing effect of all allies (except the undead or demonkin targets), including the caster, by 20%. It will also reduce the healing effect of all enemies by 50%. Can¡¯t be resisted.


    Once a target with a reduced healing effect attempts to heal, ¡®Rage of the Fire God¡¯ will cause 15,000 fixed damage and will potentially reverse the healing effect.


    If the race is an undead or demonkin, they will be subject to extreme damage in the storm¡¯s rage.


    -Field Effect 2-


    [Fire of Willpower]


    Strengthen the Storm of the Fire God with the formless will of Duke of Fire.


    All enemies in the storm¡¯s range will receive the ¡®heart¡¯ attribute damage proportional to the willpower and strength stat. Fire damage that is proportional to the willpower and intelligence stats will be added. The dual attribute damage will prate the defense and resistance of the target. However, it can¡¯t damage targets with the willpower stat. The target will suffer a high chance of being burned and will suffer from a fall in willpower.


    -Field Effect 3-


    [Flood of mes]


    The longer the field is activated, the greater the range of influence. The maximum is 300 meters.


    -Field Effect 4-


    Opens when the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart grows.


    -Field Effect 5-


    Opens when the willpower stat reaches 2,000 points.


    -Field Effect 6-


    Opens when the race is changed to a half-god or god.


    ¡ï Special Effects ¡ï


    [Infinite Sword Energy]


    You will get an infinite amount of sword energy when the field is active.


    The moment the field is activated, sword energy will be restored to the maximum and sword energy won¡¯t be consumed for any skills that require it.


    Resources consumed when the field is activated: 1,000 mana per second.


    The time it takes to summon the field: Immediately.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.]


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    It was full of power. Grid was swept away by the infinite sword energy within the Storm of the Fire God and felt like he was invincible. He was unable to control his excitement as the fighting energy around his body changed. It seemed to be swept away by the infinite sword energy and then went through the process of mixing and integrating. Grid had achieved his purpose.


    [The fighting energy of the Hero King is fused with the infinite sword energy.]


    [Due to fighting energy, the power of all skills that consume sword energy is increased by 20%.]


    [From now on, fighting energy will always remain at 50. This number will grow as your level rises.]


    [Your body has suppressed fighting energy and is in harmony.]


    [The Enlightenment effect is fully activated. The experience acquisition form has been revamped.]


    ¡°......¡±


    He would never let go of the number one ranking until he died. Grid vowed as he was surrounded by Storm of the Fire God and a deeper purple-red fighting energy than before.

 Chapter 1226

    ¡®Indeed... It is darker than Muller¡¯s color.¡¯


    Grid seeded in fusing fighting energy and sword energy. Hayate¡¯s mouth twitched at the sight. The joy he felt was so great that he wanted to cheer on Grid. The Hero King was someone to create peace in the world. Grid¡¯s growth would be a great help to the Tower of Wisdom. In fact, the former Hero King Muller had directly helped the tower by subduing the great demons. Thanks to Muller¡¯s presence, the tower members had been able to focus on containing Baal and the dragon.


    ¡®This person might be able to go beyond Muller¡¯s prime or even me.¡¯


    Where in the world would there be a person who could simultaneously make progress in the area of the three geniuses Pagma, Braham and Madra? It probably wouldn¡¯t show up twice. Grid was unique from birth and had already demonstrated his credentials by achieving several feats. The red phoenix¡¯s heart that he carried was the proof.


    ¡°Hayate!¡± Grid moved his energetic body around before bowing to Hayate. ¡°Thank you for your great teachings! I will never forget today¡¯s grace.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be grateful. You already have infinite potential and I just gave you a shortcut.¡±


    Hayate spoke humbly but in fact, it waspletely different. If it wasn¡¯t for his help, Grid wouldn¡¯t have enjoyed the enlightenment system for at least two years. That was how long it would take to grow the Matchless Heart Technique to the mastered level in a conventional manner. Furthermore, Hayate¡¯s gift to Grid wasn¡¯t only the infinite sword energy. The conversation with him had deepened Grid¡¯s knowledge.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down. I noticed that Biban seems to want to reunite and talk with you. He willin that I¡¯m a tactless old man for keeping you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes...¡±


    He also had business with Biban. He wanted permission to teach Piaro the Matchless Heart Technique and he was curious about the exact rtionship between Biban and Piaro. Now he had even more questions than that.


    ¡°By the way, I...¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Is an Absolute and a god in the same ss?¡±


    A legend is a realm reached by aplishing great feats while transcendence is a realm that a person focused on training arrives at. On the other hand, an Absolute was born only when they achieved the absolute feat of killing a god or a dragon while umting a high level of transcendence. It epassed both the concepts of a legend and transcendent. Grid had the information of a ¡®yer¡¯ title and knew this.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Seemingly a bit perplexed by the question, Hayate opened his mouth after a moment of thought, ¡°It should be simr in terms of force. There are very few gods who can overpower me unless they are an absolute god or the god of war.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    In a way, it was natural. The prerequisite to be an Absolute proved that an Absolute¡¯s strength couldpete with a dragon or a god. However, the weight felt different when he heard it directly from Hayate¡¯s mouth. Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He once again realized the greatness of the man he was facing. Then he suddenly wondered, ¡°Hayate, even you can¡¯t subdue a dragon... how strong is a dragon?¡±


    ¡°A dragon is a species that has existed since the chaos of the beginning and the species itself is the same as a god. They aren¡¯t objects of faith and their talent is limited, but their innate magic power and physical abilities are second only to the god of war. Of course, the children born from dragons are very weak at the beginning. They are just cautious and don¡¯t expose themselves to the world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid thought that Nefelina¡¯s fate was very rough. She was young enough to be treated as a ¡®child¡¯ by Hayate and Grid couldn¡¯t imagine how much hardship and adversity she would have to ovee before she avenged her parents.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take good care of her until she is independent.¡¯


    Nefelina wasn¡¯t a good-for-nothing unlike her appearance. He thought feeding her meals was worth it from the moment she blessed Grid. Additionally, Grid had promised to protect Nefelina. He still vividly remembered the voice of the person who thanked him. This was why he didn¡¯t say anything about Nefelina.


    ¡®In fact, he might¡¯ve seen the dragon¡¯s blessing.¡¯


    Grid shook his head as he looked at Hayate¡¯s serene eyes. A dragon¡¯s blessing was different from the heart of the red phoenix that was a physical object. He analyzed that there was no way for Hayate to detect it. In the first ce, Hayate said that he had cleared his doubts about Grid.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going. If you have anything then call me at any time. I¡¯lle running immediately.¡±


    "It is very reassuring. I wish you good luck even from a distance.¡±


    Grid finally said goodbye to Hayate. Thanks to Hayate¡¯s help, he urately grasped the power bnce of the world and felt that the fog in front of him had dissipated.


    ¡®I can reach the Five Seniors if I can reach the realm of an Absolute.¡¯


    Could he be an Absolute? He had no confidence. It would probably be tough but Grid was aiming to be an Absolute. He was prepared to work hard and struggle to achieve the dream, even if it was an illusory dream.


    ***


    ¡°Biban.¡±


    Biban¡¯s residence was on the second floor of the tower. The living spaces such as the bedroom and kitchen were very narrow while the training ground wasrge and impressive. It was ayout that revealed Biban¡¯s personality.


    ¡°You should¡¯vee sooner.¡±


    Biban was pouting. He was covered with sweat so it seemed he had been training hard while Grid was gone. It wasn¡¯t a passion that couldn¡¯t be overlooked whenpared to those in active service.


    ¡®Ah... He is on active duty.¡¯


    Biban was also a tower member. He had left the world but he was fighting dragons behind the scenes.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me that way?¡±


    Biban cocked his head as he wiped his sweat with a wet towel and Grid spoke honestly, ¡°It is because I respect you.¡±


    ¡°Hum, hum hum.¡±


    Biban¡¯s lips curved up in a smile. He couldn¡¯t helpughing and hit Grid¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯m a respectable, great person! Hahahat! You truly have a discerning eye!¡±


    [You have suffered 8,930 damage!]


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    He might¡¯ve taken off all his equipment made out of Greed but just one hit on his back made stars shine in front of his eyes. It was disgraceful since he was also a legend, transcendent, and Hero King. Biban didn¡¯t notice Grid¡¯s frustration and kept talking, ¡°I can tell you¡¯re a king...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban had also been chatty when they talked in the Overgeared Kingdom. He uttered the secrets of the tower on his own. So what about when he was in the tower? There was no need to pay attention to other people¡¯s eyes and ears, thus Biban chattered on and on for dozens of minutes with no break. It was just troublesome for Grid, who hade back after several hours of talking to Hayate. His ears were stinging.


    Biban¡¯s words weren¡¯t even important. Yet Grid just smiled and listened. It was because Biban was too pure. This might not be an appropriate description for an old man who was hundreds of years old but seeing his innocence, Grid naturally felt trust. Grid had the belief that this person would never betray him.


    ¡°Ah, one more thing.¡±


    Biban was chatting when he pped his hands like he btedly thought of something.


    ¡°I studied a method to suppress fighting energy without needing to master the Matchless Heart Technique and I¡¯ve done it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was unbelievable that he mentioned the most important thingst. Grid made an absurd expression but Biban didn¡¯t care. Rather, he raised his chin proudly and his momentum soared into the sky.


    ¡°ce fighting energy in the mana core and cover it with sword energy. If you don¡¯t consume the sword energy then you can keep restraining the fighting energy.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I have to seal the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and my swordsmanship if I don¡¯t want to consume sword energy?¡±


    Grid exploded and Biban was flustered.


    ¡°Then what can you do? Your sword energy recovery rate is very slow. Thus, you can¡¯t consume it if you want to cover up fighting energy.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do while I¡¯m fighting...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re strong enough then it won¡¯t matter if you seal off Madra¡¯s Swordsmanship or your swordsmanship. You aren¡¯t fighting dragons like us. You¡¯re only dealing with bad guys.¡±


    ¡°Biban, you might not know but there are many strong enemies in the world.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Then control fighting energy to keep your heart, body, and skill in harmony. Then grow and use your sword energy only when you feel it isn¡¯t possible. That way, you can grow faster than you can now.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t sophistry. Biban had thought of a method for Grid and provided appropriate countermeasures. There was just one problem.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Grid already achieved a harmony between the body, heart, and skill.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to Hayate¡¯s help, I seeded in fusing fighting energy and sword energy.¡±


    ¡°W-What?! Why are you only saying that now?¡±


    ¡°I thought you would notice that the color of my fighting energy has thickened...¡±


    ¡°Dammit! You aren¡¯t a pretty girl. Why would I look closely at you? How am I supposed to know if you don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°No, give me a chance to say something...¡±


    ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t talk candidly now! You are just good at talking back!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I was pathetic for spending all day thinking for you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Grid felt regret. He had to try and relieve Biban¡¯s feelings. It was only 10 minutester that Biban finally let it go.


    ¡°The Supreme Swordsmanship.¡±


    Biban shook his head when he heard Grid¡¯s story. ¡°The Saharan Empire didn¡¯t exist when I was a normal person. I have nothing to do with the family of your friend called Piaro. Still, Supreme Swordsmanship does seem to match the Matchless Heart Sword.¡±


    By the time Biban left the world, the techniques he left behind had passed through several hands. Muller was the only person who fully understood and learned the contents of the secret technique.


    ¡°The Supreme Swordsmanship that Piaro¡¯s ancestors learned must be a trantion of the Matchless Heart Sword.¡±


    One of the people who found the secret technique left by Biban was from the East Continent. They tranted it into thenguage of the East Continent to make it easier to understand. It passed around the world until it reached Piaro¡¯s ancestors.


    ¡°The origin of Supreme Swordsmanship is the Matchless Heart Sword but it is just a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A shadow was cast on Grid¡¯s face as he heard Biban¡¯s interpretation. He was hoping that Biban would be Piaro¡¯s ancestor or an acquaintance of his ancestor but they weren¡¯t rted at all. This made it even more embarrassing to ask if he could pass on the Matchless Heart Technique to Piaro.


    ¡®There is no justification.¡¯


    It was just as Grid was feeling frustrated.


    ¡°It is a pity. If I hadn¡¯t been banned from going out then I could¡¯vepeted with the friend called Piaro.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Why are you cocking your head? No matter if it was a coincidence or ident, he is still like my descendant. Isn¡¯t it normal to want to check his skills?¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m afraid he hasn¡¯t mastered it properly. He isn¡¯t going to disgrace the Matchless Heart Sword, right?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Rather, he built up a reputation by subduing great demons and umting achievements in war.¡±


    ¡°Hoh! As expected of my descendant! I was worried that he was a crazy person because he is farming with the Matchless Heart Sword. Fortunately, that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Unfortunately, he hasn¡¯t learned the Matchless Heart Technique...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Biban¡¯s eyes became fierce. ¡°The core of the Matchless Heart Sword is the Matchless Heart Technique, yet he hasn¡¯t learned it?¡±


    ¡°It is because Piaro¡¯s ancestors didn¡¯t understand the form of the Matchless Heart Sword and failed to pass it down to their descendants.¡±


    ¡°What?" Biban shouted angrily. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve taught him the Matchless Heart Technique! What is the use giving it to you if you don¡¯t use it?!¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Amazing. Grid had been worried about getting permission but it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    ¡®This tower...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart was overflowing with emotions.

 Chapter 1227

    Grid¡¯s gamey style was very unique. Unlike other people who liked to experience new content as soon as it appeared, Grid often left many situations alone. It was a type of habit. It was a habit sparked by too many failures when attempting to do new content. It was why Grid passively approached new quests and systems.


    The same was true for visiting the Tower of Wisdom. What type of privilege was it to be first in the unified rankings? Ordinary yers would have visited the Tower of Wisdom excitedly the moment they knew of its existence. In fact, Kraugel immediately visited the Tower of Wisdom.


    Meanwhile, Grid pushed the tower visit back. He didn¡¯t feel the need to approach content that he could do at any time. The attitude waspletely different from the average yer who tried to ess new content in order to grow quicker.


    ¡°......¡±


    At the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    Director Yoon Sangmin watched the situation at the Tower of Wisdom and clicked his tongue. The Tower of Wisdom was clearly meant to be favorable to the Pioneer. It was because if there was a problem in the world like the insane dragon iron, the tower must solve it through the Pioneer. It was the tower¡¯s inclination to cherish and teach the Pioneer. The former Pioneer, Kraugel, had increased hisbat power a lot through the process of taking the tower¡¯s tests.


    Yes, this was it. The Tower of Wisdom wasn¡¯t designed to just give and give. it was to give content that ¡®properly helped¡¯ the Pioneer. This time, the timing of Grid¡¯s visit to the tower was simply breathtaking. Just as he was being blocked from the enlightenment system, he visited the tower and transformed the help he got from ¡®appropriate¡¯ to ¡®something huge.¡¯ Additionally, he gained great affinity with Hayate due to the presence of the red phoenix¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Hayate¡¯s liking for Grid has increased the overall favorability of the tower members. In particr, Biban¡¯s fondness for Grid had increased dramatically.¡±


    ¡°It was due to the favorability that Biban was willing to allow the passing on of the Matchless Heart Technique.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was great luck that Grid dyed the visit to the Tower of Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin listened to the exnation and his expression was a bit subtle. Clearly, the content attack speed of Grid was much slower than average. Strangely, quests were often neglected and as a result, new systems were encounteredte. However, the Tower of Wisdom was an exclusive perk avable solely to the 1st ranked yer. Considering Grid¡¯s usual tendencies, it was hard to understand why he dyed the visit to the Tower of Wisdom for no reason, especially when Grid was in a position to clear the insane dragon iron quest at any time.


    ¡°Perhaps... did he intentionally dy the timing of his visit?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Grid? Did he predict all of this? Aish, you¡¯re too much.¡±


    ¡°No, it is credible enough. Focus on the fact that the Tower of Wisdom is an organization that fights for the protection of the world.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Grid already knew that if he visited the tower after saving the East Continent, he would get more favors from the members of the tower. Of course, Grid couldn¡¯t guess what the rewards would be but he must¡¯ve known it wouldn¡¯t be anything bad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? All of this luckes from Grid¡¯s intentions. He is a man that Chairman Lim Cheolho and I acknowledge.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin had a smile on his face.


    ***


    ¡®I should¡¯ve visited sooner.¡¯


    Grid was given permission to pass on the Matchless Heart Technique and fell into bted regrets. He wondered how good it would¡¯ve been if he had visited the tower a bit earlier.


    ¡®I should¡¯vee to the tower before going to the East Continent.¡¯


    Then it would¡¯ve been much easier to fight the yangbans. His level would be much higher than it was now.


    ¡°It is regrettable, regrettable.¡±


    Grid sighed as he said farewell to Biban and walked down the corridor of the silent tower. He was going to meet with the other tower members. Given the helpful nature of the tower members, he was certain that meeting with the other members would be beneficial.


    ¡®I will meet them one by one while I¡¯m at the tower.¡¯


    They might be different from Hayate and Biban. They might show him favor but they most likely wouldn¡¯t give him a gift. Still, Grid had to meet them. There was nothing to lose even if he just saw them.


    On the third floor of the Tower of Wisdom...


    Knock knock.


    Grid carefully knocked on the door of theboratory of the 8th Seat, Jessica.


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no response. She seemed to be absent. He thought it would be very helpful to Zednos and Lae if he gained some insight into echo magic.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    The disappointed Grid turned his gaze to the other side of the corridor. ording to Biban, the residences of the female tower members were on the third floor. The 4th Seat, Betty¡ªshe was surprisingly young and spoke very little. During their introduction, she didn¡¯t even give a polite greeting and only stated her name.


    ¡®What is her ss?¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t abat ss considering her delicate body without a single muscle. It seemed unlikely she would be a magician when there was already Jessica.


    ¡®As expected, she is likely to be a production ss.¡¯


    His cksmithing blood boiled. He was already excited to think about what he could learn from another craftsman.


    Knock knock.


    Grid stood in front of Betty¡¯s residence and cautiously knocked. Fortunately, Betty was present.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Betty¡¯s eyes were veryrge as she stuck her head out through the gap of the slightly opened door. He felt it the first time he saw her but her round, dark eyes were beautiful. They didn¡¯t sparkle so that looked a bit lonely, but this was what made them attractive. If she wasn¡¯t a grandmother that was hundreds of years old, he would¡¯ve wanted her to be his daughter-inw.


    ¡°I wanted to greet you before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Yes... bye.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The door closed.


    The 7th Seat, Abellio, came up from the second floor andughed at the sight of the embarrassed Grid in the corridor. ¡°Betty is a very shy person. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Yes...¡±


    An old person who lived for hundreds of years was shy? It was a story no one would believe.


    ¡®I guess Betty doesn¡¯t like me.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t done anything wrong but sometimes a person was just disliked for no reason. Grid was ustomed to hate and didn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡°By the way, Abellio, wasn¡¯t your amodation on the fourth floor?¡±


    ¡°I came here to meet you. The roads diverged.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°I want to give you a gift.¡±


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as Abellio handed him a painting. It was a portrait of Grid. The portrait depicted even his eyebrows delicately and it focused on Grid¡¯s expression. Grid¡¯s personality was perfectly expressed through his facial expression.


    ¡°Really... it is a great painting.¡±


    Grid had produced dozens of legendary items. His growing discerning eyes instantly recognized that this portrait was more outstanding than any other famous painting he had ever seen.


    ¡°It is much better than Tarkai¡¯s work.¡±


    Tarkai¡¯s work was a treasure coveted by all the royal families and nobles. Yet it was hard to own Tarkai¡¯s work unless you were the emperor of the Saharan Empire. It was because it was so precious. Over the passage of time, all of Tarkai¡¯s work had been owned by the imperial family and nobles of the empire. Grid had visited the imperial pce many times. He had seen and admired Tarkai¡¯s work every time but Abellio¡¯s work felt even better.


    Abellio shook his head. ¡°There is no superiority in art.¡±


    ¡°Your humility...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t humility. In the first ce, I am Tarkai.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t seen, art loses its meaning. Every now and then, I would use a fictional identity and release my works into the world. Haha, of course, it is something I did after getting permission from the other tower members.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He heard that just one of Tarkai¡¯s works could buy a castle. It would¡¯ve been nice to receive Tarkai¡¯s work instead of his portrait...


    However, Grid didn¡¯t express this. He smiled and thankfully received the portrait. Then his eyes widened.


    [A new extremely honorable painting has been acquired.]


    [The skill Protagonist of the Extremely Honorable Painting has been updated.]


    [Protagonist of the Extremely Honorable Painting]


    [*One time limited skill.


    When used, your information will return to what it was when the extremely honorable painting was made.


    However, it will only be the stats and skills information. Additional information such as titles, ss, status, race, age, and so on aren¡¯t affected.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    It was easy to say that Protagonist of the Extremely Honorable Painting was a save point. It could be described as a cheat system that vited the rules of online gaming. However, Grid had no intention of using the extremely honorable painting. It was because the save point of the extremely honorable painting was too old. It was a million times better to die than to use the extremely honorable painting.


    Now things have changed. Grid learned that the extremely honorable painting was a renewable system and he had to consider fostering it.


    ¡®Every time I level up, I should ask Picasso to draw a new one.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy. Picasso¡¯s extremely honorable painting was the first one born in 177 years. This meant the probability of sess was low. Still, there was nothing to lose by trying.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. The next time youe to the tower, feel free to visit me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Abellio.¡±


    Grid separated from Abellio and met the 5th Seat, Ken and the 6th Seat, Jurene. They didn¡¯t give Grid any gifts or instructions. Unlike Betty, Grid was satisfied because they showed enough goodwill.


    ¡°...Definitely, it is only this ce that is different.¡±


    Grid reached the seventh floor and checked the high ceilings. The height of the ceiling was a huge 12 meters. It was nearly three times higher than the other floors. At first, he couldn¡¯t figure out the reason and didn¡¯t think much about it. However, now it was different. Grid now knew why the seventh floor was exceptionally different.


    ¡®A magic machine.¡¯


    The seventh floor was used entirely by the 3rd Seat, Radwolf. This was where the magic machine workshop was located. The confident Grid approached the giant iron gate and gulped.


    Even the ancient magic machines named after dragons showed an overwhelming fighting capability. He wondered how well thetest magic machines would perform. (TL: Raiders and gourmet dragon Reiders were named before I knew that the magic machines were named after dragons. I named them separately to avoid confusion but since they¡¯re the same, I¡¯ve gone back to change the name of the dragon to Raiders.)


    He had the expectation of receiving a magic machine as a gift and was already wondering if he had the talent to control the magic machines. It was equivalent to drinking kimchi soup properly. [1]


    However, the value of the magic machine was so high that it was natural to drink kimchi soup.


    ¡°You cane in if you can open the door,¡± Radwolf¡¯s voice came from beyond the iron door. It was an iron door that was over three meters thick. Then¡ª


    ¡°Groan...!¡±


    Grid gritted his teeth as he eventually pushed open the door that gave off an evil feeling.


    Pant pant. As he panted breathlessly, a new world entered his vision. The sight of eight magic machines standing side by side overwhelmed him.


    [1] There¡¯s an idiom ¡®don¡¯t drink the kimchi soup before being offered rice cake¡¯ and it basically means to don¡¯t make assumptions/don¡¯t count your chickens before they are hatched

 Chapter 1228

    ¡®It¡¯s different!¡¯


    An ancient artifact¡ªit was abel that was attached to the magic machines. The magic machines were legacies from over a thousand years ago. Yet the eight magic machines in Radwolf¡¯s workshop were different. At this moment, it was the state-of-the-artbat weapon that was being manufactured and modified. It was just that the appearance had changed significantly. It reflected the changed era. Compared to Zibal¡¯s Raiders, these machines were almost twice as big.


    ¡®Is it to fight against the dragons?


    The ancient giants created the magic machines to face the great demons. Then the years passed and the world changed. Radwolf¡¯s target was now the dragons, not the great demons. It seemed he experienced that it wasn¡¯t suitable to face a dragon so he had increased the size and weight of the magic machines. It was because the power of bigger and heavier things was higher. Well, this was under the assumption that it could be controlled.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Eyes.¡¯


    Grid was frightened by the majesty of the huge magic machines. Finally, he btedly recovered and used a skill.


    [Pagma¡¯s Eyes-Baal¡¯s Contractor Version]


    Once he used Pagma¡¯s Eyes to check the target item, the understanding of the item will increase greatly. He can then confirm the stats value and options, and even copy the item.


    ....


    ...


    Grid nned to increase his understanding of the magic machines in the future. He was also purely curious about the details of the magic machines. However, he failed.


    [This item is in a domain that you can¡¯t understand.]


    ¡®As expected, it is formidable.¡¯


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid was surprised when he heard the voice. He was daunted, like a child being caught stealing, as Radwolf approached.


    ¡°Was there anything strange when you opened the door?¡±


    "?"


    Grid recalled the iron door he just opened to enter and cocked his head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... It was just dirty. No, I just thought it was heavy.¡±


    ¡°The door made of Moon Night Iron.¡±


    ¡°Moon Night Iron?¡±


    ¡°It is an iron that blocks status.¡±


    ¡°Status? Are you talking about the levels of transcendence?¡±


    ¡°All the things and titles you have built up so far are your status. All of that is blocked by the Moon Night Iron. You¡¯ve just opened a door that was as heavy as dozens of doors with pure strength.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid had felt a bit strange. No wonder why it felt like something was missing from his body. He wondered what it was. It turned out that the effects of his titles and the abilities created by his transcendent status had temporarily disappeared.


    ¡®Was there such a mineral in the world?¡¯


    Minerals with the ability to block magic power were rare. However, he never heard of a mineral that blocked status and he never imagined it. Radwolf read Grid¡¯s excited eyes and spoke proudly, ¡°The magic machines¡¯ armor is made from the Moon Night Iron. That¡¯s why the magic machines¡¯ fist can prate the dragon¡¯s magic power and smash their scales. How about it? Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Dragons were inherently strong. It was because they were a transcendent species. Their innate status itself was high so they weren¡¯t affected by the attacks of lower organisms. This also meant that a dragon¡¯s strength could be suppressed by blocking their status.


    ¡°Biban was able to cut off one of the wings of Stone Dragon Gujel because of the support of the magic machines.¡±


    ¡°I-I see...¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind was nk for a while because he was amazed by the new mineral called Moon Night Iron. Then he quickly calmed down and asked, ¡°Radwolf, is the Moon Night Iron a recently discovered mineral?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought with a magic machine but it didn¡¯t have anything to block my status.¡±


    Grid was a cksmith. He was more interested in minerals than anyone else and had to study them.


    ¡°Did you fight a magic machine? Ah, are you talking about one of those wastes outside? Their outer armor was originally made of Moon Night Iron. However, it was recovered hundreds of years ago when those magic machines were discarded.¡±


    ¡°You mean that the Moon Night Iron has existed since ancient times...¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t known. It was because it was so valuable it needed to be recovered. Grid¡¯s face changed as he was inwardly filled with the desire for the Moon Night Iron.


    ¡°Yes, it was a native mineral of the Giant Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Giant Kingdom was destroyed by a dragon over a thousand years ago. It was said that the ind had beenpletely buried in the sea due to a dragon¡¯s Breath.


    ¡°This is thest of the Moon Night Iron that is in the world. That¡¯s why I¡¯m taking care of it.¡±


    [You have obtained information on a new mineral!]


    [¡¯Moon Night Iron¡¯ will be added to the mineral information list.]


    [Moon Night Iron]


    [A native material that existed in the kingdom of ancient giants. Temporarily blocks a person¡¯s status.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze turned to the iron door that he had opened just a while ago. At the same time, Radwolf¡¯s words hit him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t covet it. I have to repair the magic machines that are destroyed every time we fight a dragon. The current Moon Night Iron that I have isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but covet it. I¡¯m also wondering why you made the door out of Moon Night Iron.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question. It is so no one cane in. There aren¡¯t many people with your level of pure strength in the world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Radwolf was a very cautious person, unlike his looks. What type of thief could invade the Tower of Wisdom? Radwolfughed as he read Grid¡¯s absurd expression.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the Great Robber of the Red Night?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªit was the name Grid heard when he got the imperial pce¡¯s blueprint. The system had warned him that the Great Robber of the Red Night was interested in him. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡°The Great Robber of the Red Night snuck into the Tower of Wisdom?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°No, this...¡±


    It was already amazing enough that this person discovered the tower that was concealed with all types of magic. How did the robber sneak in and deceive the members¡¯ senses? Grid¡¯s mouth was shut with surprise and he soon came up with a hypothesis.


    ¡°Is he a transcendent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He has been active for at least 600 years. His age rivals us.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°That damn guy stole Nevartan¡¯s Ne that was hidden here over 100 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Nevartan? The dragon¡¯s ne?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was a ne made from Nevartan¡¯s broken ws. It deceives those who view it and drives the wearer into madness.¡±


    ¡°Why did you make such a thing...?¡±


    Grid slowly noticed it. Radwolf¡¯s words and deeds were harsh but he was actually kind. The attitude with which he answered every question was the evidence.


    ¡°It is a type of loot. If you were me, would you toss away the dragon¡¯s ws that you earned?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    The answers were good but there seemed to be no value. It was virtually impossible to obtain the Moon Night Iron so this information was unnecessary... Grid thought like this but things turned out quite different.


    ¡°Does your cksmith¡¯s blood boil when looking at the Moon Night Iron?¡± Radwolf wondered.


    ¡°Of course. I would love to work with the Moon Night Iron if I have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Then reim Nevartan¡¯s Ne. I¡¯ll reward you with a piece of Moon Night Iron.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Radwolf was a tower member. He wasn¡¯t someone who would speak light words or meaningless chatter. He had nned on giving Grid a mission from the moment he brought up the Moon Night Iron.


    ¡°The 1st Seat thinks that the Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s reason for stealing it is to purely satisfy his desire to collect. It is unlikely that he will release Nevartan¡¯s Ne into the world. However, my thoughts are different. How can I trust a thief? Isn¡¯t that right?"


    [Do you want to ept the ¡®Nevartan¡¯s Ne¡¯ quest?]


    [Nevartan¡¯s Ne]


    [Difficulty: ???


    Recover Nevartan¡¯s Ne that was stolen by the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    Quest Clear Condition: Deliver Nevartan¡¯s Ne to the 3rd Seat, Radwolf.


    Quest Clear Reward: The Moon Night Iron. Affinity with Radwolf will increase.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was a coveted quest but it was hard to ept. He couldn¡¯t see any possibility of clearing it. The hesitant Grid asked directly, ¡°How can I get back the ne from the Great Robber of the Red Night?¡±


    ¡°If I knew, wouldn¡¯t I have visited him directly and got it back myself?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became noticeably darker and Radwolf coughed before exining, ¡°I¡¯m not giving you an impossible mission. I assure you that sooner orter, you will be the target of the Great Robber of the Red Night. That jerk has a sick interest.¡±


    ¡°Sick interest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He has made his name known by stealing objects from those who represent the times. It is a distinct ambition for collection and fame. Even if you don¡¯t have any riches, he would run over and steal an empty bowl from you.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    A new fact had been revealed. The reason why the Great Robber of the Red Night was intrigued by Grid was the imperial pce¡¯s blueprint but it was likely that the focus was Grid himself, not the blueprint.


    ¡°He will surely appear before you. At that time, one of your treasures will already be in his hand.¡±


    What had happened when he took away Nevartan¡¯s Ne? Radwolf was reminded of this incident and spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°It is a short window of opportunity, but you will get a chance to talk to him. At that time, try to negotiate with him. Then you can get Nevartan¡¯s Ne back.¡±


    From beginning to end, Radwolf never told Grid to suppress the thief using force. The reason was obvious. It meant he was an opponent that Grid couldn¡¯t suppress using force. Even Radwolf, a tower member, missed capturing him.


    ¡®He is either really strong or has an excellent escape method...¡¯


    Of course, it was likely to be both. A transcendent and a thief...


    It was a terrible hybrid. Somehow, he didn¡¯t want to get involved with this person. However, if it was a person he would get tangled up in anyway, he should take advantage of it.


    ¡°I understand, Radwolf. I will try.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, this guy. I will leave it to you.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    The Moon Night Iron¡ªa mineral that had the power to temporarily block someone¡¯s status. Great demons, archangels, legends, transcendents, and gods. It was a necessary mineral for Grid to face these monsters in the future.


    ¡°I like your spirit.¡± Radwolf smiled with satisfaction at Grid¡¯s willingness to ept the mission and extended his hand to Grid. ¡°I will be waiting for the good news.¡±


    ¡°I will work hard. By the way, I... There are eight magic machines in total. Does that mean that the tower members other than you and Fronzaltz can operate the magic machines?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It is designed to allow only giants to drive it.¡±


    The tower members were the peak of their own field. If they operated the magic machines then they had to seal their own skills.


    ¡°The reason for the eight magic machines is due to the attributes. Each dragon has its own attributes. I have to keep up with them as much as possible to fight them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    Grid had thought the magic machines had a different energy. It was due to the difference in attributes. Grid nodded and brought up a really important question, ¡°Excuse me, I would like to ask you one more question. It is possible to make a magic machine that can be driven by humans, not giants?¡±


    As expected, it wasn¡¯t possible? Grid didn¡¯t have much expectations. Even Zibal could only operate the magic machines for dozens of seconds. The human species itself wasn¡¯t suitable for driving a magic machine. However, the answer waspletely different from what Grid expected.


    ¡°It is only possible if multiple functions are reduced and the output is lowered.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Shall I teach you how to make it?¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    How could he get a recipe for a magic machine driven by humans with just a few words? The Tower of Wisdom was truly a ce that gave and gave. The excited Grid nodded and Radwolf approached the desk before rummaging through a pile of papers. He quickly took out a blueprint and handed it over to Grid.


    ¡°Here you are. However, you need pavranium to make this.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid stiffened as he was excitedly epting the blueprint.


    ¡°In order to reduce the output and allow it to move fully, you need the unique ¡®move on its own¡¯ characteristic that belongs to pavranium. You need at least two tons. So in fact, you actually can¡¯t make it. That¡¯s why there has been no magic machines for humans in over a thousand years. Well, take it anyway. This is my blueprint, not anyone else¡¯s. Make it a family treasure.¡±


    Radwolf didn¡¯t know it yet. The fact that pavranium had now evolved into Greed and could multiply infinitely. In Grid¡¯s mind, the majesty of the magic machines unit unfolded.

 Chapter 1229

    [The ¡¯Small Magic Machines Production Method¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Small Magic Machines Production Method]


    [Rating: Ancient


    A production method for a magic machine suitable for human control.


    Learning Condition: Five craftsman level production skills or one legendary production technique.


    Weight: 1]


    It was surprising. Grid originally thought that the production of the magic machines was left to the schrs and alchemists but his predictions werepletely wrong.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter what production field it is in as long as it reaches the peak...¡¯


    The blueprint created by the legendary scientist was so perfect that anyone with the skill to digest it could follow it. He thought he should take it as a matter of fact.


    ¡®The rating is ssified as ancient, just like Raiders.¡¯


    ¡®Ancient¡¯ was a special rating.


    It was treated separately from the normal-myth ratings and there were no stat bonuses when one was produced. Even so, the regret that Grid felt right now wasn¡¯t about theck of stats that were acquired.


    ¡®The problem is that I need two tons of Greed.¡¯


    Greed doubles every 10 days. It was only possible to acquire two tons of Greed after two months. Of course, this was a story of when he left it alone for two months. Unfortunately, Greed couldn¡¯t multiply more than a certain amount. It was necessary to suppress this attribute before the magic power of the insane dragon iron could be sensed. Therefore, it would take half a year to collect two tons of Greed. It meant that it would take at least half a year to make a magic machine. The power of this small magic machine might only be 1/5th, no, 1/10th of the power of Raiders, but it was worth waiting that long.


    However, Grid already had another n. He couldn¡¯t wait half a year, just like a child waiting for his birthday. It was because it was necessary to build a veryrge flying ship that moved on its own¡ªthe aerial fortress.


    ¡®It will take at least five years to gather the amount of Greed necessary to create an aerial fortress.¡¯


    This was the analysis of Great Sage Sticks. Sticks said that justying the foundation of the fortress required hundreds of tons of Greed and it would take five years to umte the amount. This was only the foundation. This meant it would take five years just to get the foundation of the fortress after constantly separating Greed.


    ¡®If I make the magic machines in the meantime...¡¯


    This would dy the time even longer. In other words, thepletion time of the fortress would be dyed by half a year every time one magic machine was made. Grid felt it was a very big blow. A tactical weapon that allowed him to freely carry and operaterge-scale troops and weapons¡ªthis was the nned role of Grid¡¯s aerial fortress. He hoped that an aerial fortress would be a great help in easily conquering all the kingdoms of the continent and fighting against invaders such as the great demons.


    Grid wanted to eliminate all types of dangers for his families, colleagues, and kingdom. Therefore, from his perspective, it wasn¡¯t pleasant for Grid to slow down the construction of the aerial fortress.


    ¡®...But.¡¯


    Grid rolled open the production method.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Radwolf was agitated by his actions. It was a useless production method that Radwolf had told Grid to keep as a family treasure, so he was flustered by Grid¡¯s unexpected behavior.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! You can¡¯t make the magic machine after learning that!¡±


    The small magic machine was the least valuable one of Radwolf¡¯s works. However, this was a story based on that premise that ¡®it is too impossible to be practical.¡¯ There was no defect in the production method of the small magic machine and the degree ofpletion was perfect. Like any other production method, it was a work that Radwolf cherished.


    Radwolf hoped his work would remain a family treasure of the Overgeared Dynasty forever. He wanted to feel proud as he watched his work being regarded as special from a distance. Yet at this moment...


    ¡°I¡¯ll see for myself if it is impossible or possible.¡±


    Grid opened and read the blueprint. Then all the knowledge and information in the blueprint was transferred to Grid.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Radwolf¡¯s face reddened. He red at Grid, who ignored his warnings and turned his work into something less than poop. A legendary scientist in history¡ªhe felt displeased with Grid, who ignored the advice that came from someone who had been researching for over a thousand years. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°God Hands.¡±


    Two ck-gold hands floated in front of Grid. They moved by themselves and started to fan Radwolf¡¯s red face.


    ¡°This...?!¡±


    Radwolf knew about pavranium. The production method for the small magic machine was inspired by the best mineral that Braham and Pagma had studied and produced together. That¡¯s why he noticed it immediately¡ªthe mineral Grid was using now was very different from the pavranium that he knew.


    ¡®Did it evolve?¡¯


    Radwolf observed every movement of the God Hands floating in front of him. His vast knowledge analyzed the characteristics of the minerals that made up the God Hands and his delicate senses read the energy of the God Hands.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Radwolf¡¯s expression twisted. His big and bright eyes rose and Grid flinched with fright.


    ¡°You mixed pavranium with the insane dragon iron...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    To the Tower of Wisdom, the insane dragon iron was a catastrophe. Their immediate task was to find and dispose of all the insane dragon iron that threatened the peace of the world.


    ¡®I¡¯m in trouble.¡¯


    Grid realized his mistake when he saw Radwolf¡¯s agitation. The 1st Seat, Hayate, might¡¯ve tolerated the existence of Greed but the positions of the other tower members could be different.


    ¡®Perhaps he hasn¡¯t heard it from the 1st seat yet.¡¯


    Either way, Grid had to convince Radwolf first. As Hayate had noted, Grid was in control of Greed. It happened the moment Grid was about to exin.


    ¡°Amazing! Very challenging!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Radwolf still had an angry expression but his mouth widened to the fullest as he grabbed the God Hands and started to examine them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve ovee the shoring of pavranium, which only exists in very small quantities! In the future, pavranium can multiply infinitely! Truly amazing! I¡¯vepletely lost my fear of it!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°What type of courage did you have to keep the nature of the insane dragon iron? You got all of the insane dragon stone, right? Whenever the insane dragon iron multiples beyond a certain amount, you have the means to suppress it using the insane dragon stone¡¯s power of suppression? That can¡¯t be it! The amount of insane dragon stone is limitedpared to the ever multiplying insane dragon iron. How are you nning to suppress the insane dragon ironter? Won¡¯t it be harder to handle as more time passes by?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid failed to respond quickly.


    Radwolf¡¯s harsh expression and tone made him feel anxious.


    ¡®It is obvious that he is angry just by looking at his expression and intonation... Why does he seem genuinely pleased?¡¯


    ¡°Hah! Wait? Did you make a hammer and anvil using the insane dragon stone? Could you control the proliferation of the insane dragon iron at any time?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°There was a meticulous calction behind the choice tomit a great crime? Kuhahahat! Indeed! It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Radwolf smiled and hugged a God Hand like it was his beloved grandchild. Then he stroked the God Hand who struggled like it disliked it.


    ¡°I thought that since you are the Hero King, you would be a noble and boring hero, yet that isn¡¯t the case at all. It isn¡¯t enough to deceive the tower by pretending that you don¡¯t know the owner of the insane dragon iron, you also wanted to take the insane dragon iron, which is a threat to world peace, and make itpletely your own. You are a surprisingly sneaky, greedy guy.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid tried to read Radwolf¡¯s inner thoughts and stiffened like a stone statue. It was a very long time ago. It reminded him of the time when he just discovered Pagma¡¯s Rare Book. Earl Ashur¡¯s condemnation as he confronted Grid who was trying to steal Pagma¡¯s Rare Book hovered in Grid¡¯s mind. Earl Ashur had called him a sneaky guy. Then at the end of Earl Ashur¡¯s disgusted gaze, death awaited.


    ¡°......¡±


    Earl Ashur¡¯s previous image ovepped with Radwolf and Grid gulped. It would definitely be a big blow if his affinity with the tower members dropped. Grid had to be cautious. He had to carefully choose his words.


    Step.


    Radwolf stepped up to the quiet man. Then he released the God Hand that had been bound by his ¡®strength¡¯ and reached out. Was he nning a punch? Grid was tense.


    Radwolf hugged Grid and then shouted with a burst ofughter, ¡°I like it! I really like it! You aren¡¯t a stupid fool unlike many of the Pioneers so far! Hahat! Hahahahat!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid reminded himself that this was the Tower of Wisdom. It was a ce where the tower members gave and gave because they weren¡¯tcking anything.


    ***


    ¡°Then I will be going.¡±


    After the meeting with Radwolf, Grid didn¡¯t go to see the 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz. It was because he was mentally exhausted from dealing with Radwolf. Grid wanted to log out a bit sooner. He needed a break.


    ¡°I enjoyed it.¡±


    Hayate shook hands with Grid on behalf of the tower members. Grid bowed politely and shook Hayate¡¯s hand with both hands.


    ¡°I also enjoyed it. I don¡¯t know how to thank you for your favor.¡±


    ¡°You can pay me back in the future.¡±


    Biban dug at his ears and hurriedly urged Grid, ¡°Don¡¯t worry and go back quickly. You have to teach my descendant the Matchless Heart Technique.¡±


    Radwolf added, ¡°I will watch the magic machine you make from the distance. Kukuk, an army of human magic machines... My blood is boiling just imagining it. I will watch and cheer you on.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you,¡± Grid simply reiterated the same words.


    There were no words he could say other than thanks. Grid said farewell to them once again and left the tower. Now his remaining task was to teach Piaro the Matchless Heart Technique and to manage Greed.


    ¡®Before that¡ª¡¯


    All the insane dragon iron supplied to the cksmiths of the Overgeared Kingdom must be recovered. This was the way to repay the trust that Hayate had shown him.


    ¡®What is a mineral that can rece the insane dragon iron?¡¯


    Grid was troubled the entire time it took for him to return to Reinhardt. Then he realized...


    ¡®Is the mineral important?¡¯


    The reason that the mass-produced Grid set had an excellent performance wasn¡¯t due to the material. Originally, the mass-produced Grid set was made with ordinary metal as the material. This was why it was called ¡®mass-produced.¡¯


    It was only after Grid learned how to use the insane dragon iron that it was put into use.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to be obsessed with the materials in the first ce.¡¯


    Reiming the insane dragon iron wouldn¡¯t damage the value of the mass-produced Grid set. Grid realized this and went to the smithyplex. He ordered the cksmiths to gather in front of him and then recovered all the insane dragon iron being used in the smithy.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?"


    ¡°That...¡±


    The cksmiths had worked while enjoying the benefits of the metal that doubled every 10 days. Now their eyes widened at the sight. It wasn¡¯t easy to glimpse the intentions of Overgeared King Grid who was recovering the insane dragon iron. Grid shouted an order at the thousands of cksmiths standing in a daze, ¡°From today onward, the use of the insane dragon iron is prohibited. In the future, all cksmiths will make the mass-produced Grid set using ordinary iron materials.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The cksmiths expressed their shock. They weren¡¯t convinced by Grid¡¯s suddenmand. Grid identified the skeptical eyes of some cksmiths and silently started to show his skills in the mass production methods that he made recently.

 Chapter 1230

    ¡°Prime Minister! Why didn¡¯t you stop His Majesty?¡±


    Administrator Rabbit visited Lauel¡¯s office and raised his voice. He was so furious that his entire face and neck were red.


    ¡°Why were you silent while His Majesty destroyed all of the kingdom¡¯s insane dragon iron?!¡±


    Over the past few years, the economic market of the Overgeared Kingdom had changed significantly. Agriculture used to be the center of the economy but now the armory business had be the industry that represented the Overgeared Kingdom. The reason behind this was the insane dragon iron. Thanks to the infinite multiplication of the insane dragon iron, the battle gears were produced almost free of charge. This meant enormous profits were made. The insane dragon iron was one of the treasures that promoted the profit of the battle gear industry of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Then Rabbit received the news that King Grid, after returning today, recovered and destroyed all the insane dragon iron. Rabbit was the administrator with the duty to make the kingdom rich and felt like he had been struck by lightning out of the blue.


    ¡°His Majesty should still have some of the insane dragon iron that he owns separately! You need to persuade His Majesty to re-supply the insane dragon iron to the cksmiths!¡±


    After Rabbit¡¯s insistence, a notification window popped up in Lauel¡¯s vision.


    [Administrator Rabbit has proposed the quest ¡®Persuade the King.¡¯]


    Rabbit was the top official who manages the Treasury. It was hard for yers of the Overgeared Kingdom to refuse the quests he gave because it was an ¡®order.¡¯ However, Lauel had a higher position than Rabbit. It was much higher. He easily rejected the quest and asked Rabbit a question, ¡°When did the insane dragon iron belong to the kingdom?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°The insane dragon iron has always belonged to King Grid. He just loaned it to the kingdom for a while. We have no right to intervene, no matter how His Majesty disposes of it.¡±


    ¡°That is true but... isn¡¯t your duty to admonish His Majesty when needed? If he disposes of the insane dragon iron, the economic growth rate of the Overgeared Kingdom will be many times lower than it is now. We can¡¯t stand idly by...¡±


    ¡°No, it is the duty of a true servant to trust His Majesty before admonishing him. Why did His Majesty make this decision?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Rabbit stared dumbly. He realized that he had lost his temper for a moment due to the pressure of calcting a profit and loss. Lauel¡¯s words were right. He was Grid¡¯s servant before he was the administrator. Rather than questioning Grid¡¯s choices, the right attitude was to trust him and try to understand.


    Rabbit thought silently for a moment before speaking, ¡°Is His Majesty burdened by the danger of the insane dragon iron?¡±


    "Yes, that is correct. I personally think that His Majesty did well.¡±


    Everyone made mistakes. One of the tens of thousands of cksmiths might forget to suppress the proliferation nature of the insane dragon iron. It was possible that the insane dragon iron would cause unforeseen idents. Looking back on the incident where the empire struggled to deal with the insane dragon iron needles embedded in the walls of the empire and the gift presented to the empress, the dangers of the insane dragon iron was too great.


    ¡®It can even bring dragons.¡¯


    Lauel shook his head as he recalled the information he received from Grid. Since he didn¡¯t want to get involved with dragons, the insane dragon iron gave him the creeps.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if we can meet one who can talk like Nefelina.¡¯


    The dragon¡¯s presence in the National Competition was huge. The impact that was imprinted on his brain hadn¡¯t disappeared. Rabbit spoke to Lauel, who had taken off his sses and pressed a hand to his forehead, ¡°I will respect and follow His Majesty¡¯s choices.¡±


    HIs agitation hadpletely subsided.


    ¡°Business has simrities to gambling so you take risks and put profits first. However, ruling is different.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    Lauel smiled as he turned to look outside the window. The scenery of the Overgeared Kingdom that had be a great power was both magnificent and dynamic. Grid, Lauel, Rabbit, and their colleagues had joined together to create it. No risk was tolerated. This ce must be protected. Just as Lauel was making a vow, there was a slight shaking. The pce had be more solid since Dwarf Ke¡¯s expansion, indicating that it had been greatly impacted. Yes, the ¡®minimum¡¯ impact required to create this shock...


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Rabbit¡¯s eyes trembled with agitation and his face was white.


    ¡°Administrator Rabbit! You were here!¡±


    A knight rushed in. He first saluted Lauel before reporting the situation to Rabbit, ¡°K-King Grid and Sir Piaro have started dueling in the fields!¡±


    ¡°Again?!¡±


    Piaro had a very high position in the Overgeared Kingdom Rabbit didn¡¯t want to scold him since he was the second most popr person after Grid. Yet Rabbit had to keep ying the viin.


    ¡°Dammit! If they¡¯re going to duel then go to the wastnd in the distance!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why the two people with the power to destroy a mountain kept fighting here. They could adjust their power but the problem was that both Grid and Piaro didn¡¯t want to lose.


    ¡°I have to go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I need His Majesty¡¯s seal here.¡±


    The flyer held in Lauel¡¯s hand as he chased after Rabbit attracted Rabbit¡¯s attention. It was a flyer specificallymissioned from Picasso to recruit new farmers. The main model was naturally the legendary farmer Piaro. The sub-model was Aura Master Hurent, who was known to be Piaro¡¯s sessor. Piaro was carrying a sack of rice on his shoulder and Hurent was holding a bunch of rainbow potatoes by their stem. They both showed white teeth as they smiled happily while eximing, ¡°Farming is so much fun!¡±


    ¡°What is that...?¡±


    The flyer in Lauel¡¯s hand caught Rabbit¡¯s attention.


    ¡ï Reidan¡¯s rice grown directly by the legendary farmer and the Aura Master ¡ï


    ¡ï Rainbow potatoes enjoyed by great magicians ¡ï


    As Duke Piaro said,


    ¡°I met King Grid and learned the true taste of farming!¡±


    Have you tasted it?Rainbow potatoes~


    Can you feel it?Your body bing healthy~


    All of this is a farmer¡¯s grace!It is the grace of farming!


    Let¡¯s be proud farmers together!


    The countryside!It is calling you!


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a flyer that was impossible to turn a blind eye to even in the midst of his rush. Rabbit was engrossed in the colorful and crude phrases and stopped walking for a moment. The effect of the flyer was verified through Rabbit¡¯s reaction and the satisfied Lauel exined, ¡°Weren¡¯t a lot of mines found in the previous Gauss Kingdom¡¯s territory? It seems many young people will be attracted over there so this flyer is designed to minimize this. Agriculture is the backbone of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°No... even so, using a noble duke as the model for recruiting farmers...¡±


    ¡°Can I hear this from the person who tried to confiscate the sry of that noble duke?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry. The people are familiar with Piaro¡¯s image.¡±


    Piaro was the highest ranking noble after the king and a general who led tens of thousands of troops but he was always spending time with the people. For the people, he was like the farmer next door. He was a slightly handsome and pleasant uncle.


    Lauel was confident that he was loved by the public and it would be a master stroke to use Piaro as a publicity model.


    ***


    It waspletely different from the duel just a few days ago. Grid and Piaro had reviewed their previous battle dozens or even hundreds of times. This meant they attacked their opponent more thoroughly, leading to a long-term battle. It wasrgely because Grid had be more cautious.


    In the previous duel, Grid had poured out all of his skills from the get-go. This time, his style hadpletely changed. He observed the situation, waited until Piaro attacked, then used evasion or defense as he bided his time for a chance to counterattack.


    ¡®Has he developed coping techniques after experiencing free farming several times?¡¯


    Certainly, Grid was responding well to Free Farming. He took full advantage of the fact that he was superior to Piaro in terms of speed and he turned most of Piaro¡¯s attacks to naught. However, the faces of the observers, including Dante and Singuled, weren¡¯t very bright.


    This was a rich farming field. It was an overwhelmingly favorable space for Piaro. All types of crops were restoring his strength and health in real time, so a long-term battle of attrition was a disadvantage for Grid. The bigger problem was the variable of sowing seeds among the free farming method. Dozens of seeds were already flying around Grid and it was unknown when they would sprout at any time and threaten Grid.


    ¡®How can he not know this?¡¯


    What was Grid¡¯s aim? Would the young king really have a strategy to target Pirao who was ustomed to fighting?


    ¡°...!¡±


    Among the dozens of questioning observers, Dante, Singuled, and Hurent¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. It was because Piaro¡¯s attack style suddenly changed drastically.


    ¡°Matchless Heart Farming 2nd Style!¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    It was matchless heart farming, not free farming?


    ¡°Super Growth!¡±


    The earth shook. All the seeds scattered around Grid sprouted simultaneously and became trees. The hardy trees blocked off all of Grid¡¯s retreat paths and pressured his entire body.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    All the observers were amazed by the momentum of the former Free Farming Style that was now much more powerful than ever before. Among them, Aura Master Hurent was astonished.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Piaro had learned Natural State. As an Aura Master, Hurent could read the concept of ¡®energy¡¯ and knew that Piaro always recovered and umted his strength through the process of gathering and soothing the surrounding magic power. At first nce, the resource was close to infinite but it wasn¡¯t aplete advantage. He had to gather and embody it. There were clear dys in this series of processes so Piaro sometimes exposed gaps.


    The Free Farming Style itself was a skill that consumed a lot of resources. The more times that Free Farming was used, the longer the cooldown was and the power would be lost little by little. Yet it changed at this very moment. Piaro¡¯s pure energy was restored several times faster than before. Additionally, the capacity of the energy that could be umted had increased. This resulted in a significant increase in the power and speed of Free Farming.


    ¡®What happened suddenly?¡¯


    Hurent¡¯s gaze suddenly shifted to Grid. The one who should be the most flustered actually looked so calm. Meanwhile, the battle was intensifying. The power of Sweet Potato Battering caused an impact that was second only to Pounding Mortar, causing the bodies of the observers to shake.


    ¡¯Piaro is overwhelming...!¡¯


    It waspletely different from the previous duel. In just a few days, Piaro¡¯s skills had surpassed Grid. The moment that Hurent had this thought, fire appeared around Grid. It was the usage of Storm of the Fire God that previously cooked Piaro¡¯s sweet potatoes. In the midst of the fire¡ª


    ¡°Flower, Link, Transcend, Kill, Wave, Drop, Pinnacle, Revolve...¡±


    Grid started to unleash every single sword dance and fused sword dance that he had. It was like his resources were infinite as he used it nonstop! The field was turned into aplete ruin. Once again, no exception had been made.


    ¡°Siiiiiiir Piaro!¡±


    Rabbit could be seen approaching. Grid and Piaro, who had been exchanging blows with smiles on their faces, became as stiff as statues and the observers slowly stepped back.

 Chapter 1231

    ¡°The two of you need to be more aware! How many times do I have to tell you?!¡±


    Rabbit stood beside Grid and Piaro and started his lengthy speech. There was nothing to refute among the rapid-fire words he poured out because his words were right. However, in Grid and Piaro¡¯s ears, Rabbit¡¯s words sounded like this¡ª¡°h h h! Order order order! Grumble grumble!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No matter how good the advice, repeating it was just nagging. At first, Grid and Piaro listened to Rabbit and admitted their faults. Then they slowly felt the limits of their patience. They exchanged nces and left the relentless Rabbit. Their movements were so secretive and fast that Rabbit only realized they were gone a few seconds after they left.


    ¡°King Griiiiid! Siiiiiiir Piaro!¡± Rabbit¡¯s screams echoed through the deste wheat field.


    The knights felt sorry at the sight of him clutching at his hair.


    ***


    ¡°What... Why does it feel like a propaganda flyer from North Korea?¡±


    On the road to the castle after leaving Rabbit...


    Grid was handed a flyer by Lauel and frowned. It was a flyer with rough phrases highlighted in red. Signs of cheapness were everywhere. It was a waste of the borate portraits that Picasso drew of Piaro and Hurent.


    Wait, Hurent?


    ¡°Why is Hurent on here?¡±


    ¡°There are rumors that Hurent will be the sessor to Piaro¡¯s farming techniques. It is marketing. He also looks good.¡±


    ¡°The sessor to farming techniques...¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He was genuinely afraid that Hurent would be a farmer.


    ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Piaro was smiling like he didn¡¯t know about Grid¡¯s worries. He was very pleased with thepleteness of the farmer recruitment flyer. Grid sighed and nced at Hurent. Hurent shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting? It is shy enough to make people feel that it is cheap but at the same time, it is also very eye-catching.¡±


    ¡°No, is it okay to be misunderstood as a farmer? You don¡¯t really want to be a farmer, do you?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if I could be like Piaro.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe that the Aura Master was considering bing a farmer. Grid had high expectations for Hurent so he couldn¡¯t helpmenting. Of course, he also understood Hurent¡¯s thoughts. The power of farming that Piaro showed was terrifying. However, the reason why Piaro was so strong wasn¡¯t because he was a farmer but because he was Piaro.


    Hurent wouldn¡¯t be like Piaro even if he became a legendary farmer. Hurent himself seemed to know this. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t be like Piaro.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I realized it for certain when I witnessed Piaro¡¯s rapid progress today. Piaro¡¯s reason for being strong isn¡¯t because he is a farmer.¡±


    Hurent saw it right away. Farmers were indispensable to the world. They were an excellent existence but they weren¡¯t a strong fighting profession. Piaro was just strong and from this morning onward, he started to grow even further.


    ¡®He feels twice as strong since learning the Matchless Heart Technique. It felt like the power of one sweet potato blow was equal to the original Pounding Mortar.¡¯


    Biban had said it¡ªthe Matchless Heart Sword without the Matchless Heart Technique was nothing more than a hollow crystal. It was natural. The Matchless Heart Technique wasn¡¯t born because of the Matchless Heart Sword. It was the Matchless Heart Sword that was born because of the Matchless Heart Technique. The Matchless Heart Sword without the Matchless Heart Technique couldn¡¯t show its true power. The Piaro before learning the Matchless Heart Technique and the Piaro after learning it were twopletely different people.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Before they knew it, they had arrived near therge training ground. Therge training ground was where work was underway to restore the copsed barracks from a few days ago. Dwarf Ke, the builders, and thousands of workers were working hard to build the barracks.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    This morning, Piaro had received the Matchless Heart Technique through Mercedes and invested a considerable amount of effort to learn it. He fought with Grid and was scolded by Rabbit so it was normal to feel tired. However, Piaro was fine. No, he was more energetic than before.


    ¡°It seems undeniable that this is the predecessor of Supreme Swordsmanship.¡±


    Piaro was thrilled. The Sword Saint Biban¡ªPiaro felt a certain fate when he learned he was connected with a character from hundreds of years ago.


    ¡°Biban... he must¡¯ve been a great, noble man.¡±


    An old legend who left behind the Matchless Heart Technique for future generations. Piaro¡¯s heart warmed as he imagined this person. He imagined that Biban was probably the coolest man in the world.


    ¡°...It must be so.¡±


    Grid was unable to break Piaro¡¯s fantasies and looked awkward. Well, he wasn¡¯t lying. Biban, the Sword Saint who became a tower member for the peace of the world, was a great person. The problem was that he was somewhat different from what Piaro imagined. Still, there was no need to exin it.


    ¡°It might sound ridiculous, but...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Grid looked at the restoration work of the barracks and understood Rabbit¡¯s grievances. He vowed to fight with Piaro on a remote ind or something simr in the future as he listened to Piaro¡¯s next words.


    ¡°I think I will meet Biban someday... I feel this way.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is just a feeling. I would like to see a dead man from a long time ago.¡±


    Biban¡¯s swordsmanship had been identally passed onto Piaro¡¯s family and then the full version came to Piaro by chance through Grid. It was unreasonable to consider this a mere coincidence. Piaro felt a deep fate. He thought his rtionship with Biban wouldn¡¯t end with this.


    ***


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The already expensive price of Grid¡¯s items soared. In particr, the price of weapons skyrocketed from as little as three to as high as dozens of times the original price. This was the same even for the low level weapons. The reason was simple. It was because it was proven that Grid¡¯s weapons were capable of ¡®growth.¡¯


    The moment it was revealed that the performance of the weapons would grow when Grid used Request to Stand with Me, people did their best to acquire Grid¡¯s weapons. They were looking forward to the potential that would explode when Grid¡¯s weapons continued to grow and achieve their maximum growth.


    The true gamers were eager to get a stronger weapon, the normal people were aiming to make money, and the rich people thought it was a stable investment. As a result, the Grid¡¯s weapons that were distributed to the market were nowhere to be found.


    One of the protagonists of this incident was Asuka. A third generation tycoon, she used her intelligence and money to hoard Grid¡¯s weapons. 32 weapons of seven different types filled her warehouse. Now all Asuka had to do was wait. She kept a close eye on the exchanges and auction houses every day. In anticipation of Grid releasing a mass amount of new weapons into the market, she exchangedrge amounts of cash into gold coins. Then...


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t weapons being sold?¡±


    No new Grid¡¯s weapons appeared on the market. She was familiar with the market as she was born a businessman¡¯s daughter and she couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    ¡°He will make money if he makes and sells weapons at this time. Why isn¡¯t he doing business?!¡±


    The market price of items made by Grid had risen. This wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Grid had the opportunity to be the world¡¯s richest man. Yet he didn¡¯t do business. He was turning away from the opportunity to be rich at a conglomerate level.


    ¡°Is he an idiot? Huh? Fool!¡±


    It had be a habit of hers to tap the refresh button of the exchanges and auction house. Asuka was exhausted after pressing the refresh button every minute. Rage soared to the top of her head and she started a series of angry refreshes. She stomped her feet and roared with wide open eyes, looking like a monster in a monster movie. It seemed like she would spit out fire from her mouth.


    ¡°Youngdy, don¡¯t do that. You look ugly.¡±


    ck Teddy tried to calm Asuka down but she didn¡¯t listen to him. She was obsessed with the refresh button while shouting that Grid was an idiot. Nevertheless, no new works of Grid were registered at the exchange or auction house. Seeing that the secretary outside the capsule didn¡¯t contact her, it seemed the situation of the item cash trading sites was no different. It had already been a month since it was like this. Asuka seemed like she was going to burst with frustration. ¡°Let¡¯s say I understand not selling a new product because he is stupid! Then why is there no summoning? Huh? Is this a joke?¡±


    Two of the Grid¡¯s weapons purchased by Asuka were top of the line unique items. The performance was excellent enough to beparable to the legendary items dropped by the boss. What would happen if they responded to Grid¡¯s call? They would be reborn as unique items that exceeded the performance of legendary items. At that time, Asuka nned to make them her favorites. However, there was no call from Grid. He hadn¡¯t called any battle gear for a month.


    ¡°He deliberately... Is he deliberately harassing me?¡±


    Was she being sniped? Was everything a conspiracy?


    ck Teddy calmed the anxious Asuka. ¡°Youngdy, perhaps Grid isn¡¯t greedy for money.¡±


    ¡°What? That is ridiculous. Is there anyone in the world who doesn¡¯t care about money?¡±


    Everyone who met Asuka wanted money. They all aimed at her money.


    ck Teddy exined to Asuka, who was making a disbelieving expression, ¡°Even before this incident, Grid had the ability to be rich enough. If he had only made and sold items in thest few years, he would be one of the world¡¯s top 100 richest men. Yet as you know, his movements...¡±


    For the longest period of time, he only went on adventures. He fought every day and recently, he even beat the half-gods. It was clear that he was satisfied with his assets of hundreds of billions of won and was only focused on adventuring.


    ¡°...So there is a high probability that Grid won¡¯t take advantage of this incident.¡±


    ¡°Putting the game ahead of money. He is a true gamer.¡± Asuka¡¯s expression rxed a bit. She felt a type of simrity with Grid. Most of the negative emotions toward Grid disappeared. Still, there was an unresolved question. ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he summoning the battle gears?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the cooldown is very long or it is a skill that consumes an extraordinary amount of resources?¡±


    A skill that called upon every weapon he had made and rained it down. It was impossible to fathom how great the power would be and how spectacr the sight. It would be very strange if such a skill could be used frequently.


    Asuka was convinced. ¡°Hrmm... I can see that.¡±


    The misunderstandings were unraveled. A new side of Grid¡¯s personality was also seen. Asuka took it seriously. ¡°How many times should I let Grid kill me?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    What thoughts were entering that little head? He had been watching the youngdy for the past 20 years but he still couldn¡¯t adapt. Asuka revealed her thoughts to the flustered ck Teddy. ¡°We killed a few Overgeared soldiers when challenging the Fenrir raid. I think we should confess it honestly and ept the punishment.¡±


    ¡°...Why all of a sudden? No, it wasn¡¯t you who killed the soldiers directly but Crayon...¡±


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m an aplice. I have to at least get rid of my remorse if I want to apply to join the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Golden Snake Guild was once considered the best among the Seven Guilds. Asuka, who had been a former executive there, announced she would never join a guild again. During the time when the guild developed well, she saw the members of the guild defeated by the Overgeared Guild one by one and then leaving one by one when the situation became difficult, causing her to feel dubious. Now she was going to join the Overgeared Guild?


    ¡°So... All of a sudden?¡± ck Teddy asked for confirmation and Asuka nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it is annoying to find a party every time I need to do a raid. We will start again in earnest.¡±


    ¡°What if you are refused entry? It might¡¯ve been years but we were once hostile to Grid.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    There was a fact she learned while approaching level 400. The monsters and named NPCs were rising exponentially in strength. Grid must¡¯ve been the first to notice it.


    ¡°Grid won¡¯t refuse us if he is a real gamer.¡±


    This game is about winning. Anyone with the mindset that an enemy was an eternal enemy would never win. In the first ce, they didn¡¯t do anything that bad for Grid toin about.


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re rejected then that¡¯s it.¡±

 Chapter 1232

    Grid¡¯s half-god killer achievement became a fuse. Many yers were stimted by his epic that dered he would be a god. They believed they could rise further and poured more time, enthusiasm, and money into Satisfy. The average yer¡¯s growth rate reached an all-time high.


    A virtuous cycle had begun.


    As the activities of yers in each region grew, the grievances of local residents were quickly resolved. Local residents were able to focus on business and the prices of essential consumables were stable. In particr, the prices of the buff potions became cheaper. They maintained their full doping status and didn¡¯t suffer while hunting.


    The yers¡¯ hunting efficiency increased, making it easier for all types of items to be released on the market. yers gained equipment easier and cheaper than ever before and advanced to the top hunting grounds. Some of the areas that were invaded by flooding monsters were settled.


    As the chaotic regions decreased, the scope of the Yatan Church¡¯s activities was reduced. The emergence of the Yatan Church decreased and the yers of the Reba Church had more time to rx. Their range of activities became freer and muchrger, causing the ¡®healer drought¡¯ pattern of Satisfy topletely change.


    It was nowmon to see healers in various parties. Parties with healers started to do boss raids and enter hunting grounds that they had never dared enter, maximizing the yers¡¯ overall growth.


    This was all due to one yer. It was the influence of the supreme one, Grid, who changed the world. The S.A Group was aware of all these changes through various statistics and was astonished. It was hard to believe that an average yer who started ying under the same conditions of others could make such a huge difference.


    Grid was unaware of the changes.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s long tour schedule had begun.


    Starting from the former Gauss Kingdom to the north that was ruled by Duke Steim, Grid nned to inspect the entire territory of the Overgeared Kingdom. The purpose was to examine his actualnd so instant movement magic such as teleportation was sealed. He walked with his own two feet and gained a small sense of what was going on in each area. He smiled as he interacted with people while doing the king¡¯s quest.


    ¡°Somehow, the atmosphere is very good.¡±


    Certainly, it had changed. It wasn¡¯t just therge cities. In fact, even the people in the small viges with little security were satisfied with their lives. Only a few years ago, the people of the small viges had a strong fear of bandits or monsters, but this was no longer the case.


    ¡°The yers in this vige seem to be very active. ording to the report of the Shadow Guild, the bandits in the vicinity have been wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Wiped out? The bandit bases are attacked every time they are respawned?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Bandit fighting quests usually urred in small viges. It was because it was difficult for bandits to live near a city with many troops. This was where the essential problem of bandit fighting quests appeared. The inhabitants of small viges were poor. The quest rewards they promised to the yers were lousy. This meant that yers were less motivated to participate.


    Most yers refused the bandit quests unless they found it hard to earn money or had a sense of justice. Even if they received the quest, they only aplished the clear condition of the quest and then it was over. It was safe to assume that few yers would attack the bandit bases.


    Yet...


    ¡°Here too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Here as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid heard that all the entire small viges were liberated from the bandits. The bandit bases in all areas were subjugated. At this point, Grid questioned it. Once or twice could¡¯ve been dismissed as a coincidence but it was unreasonable to encounter the same situation in every vige.


    He asked Jishuka, who came with him. ¡°Did Lauel hire a separate subjugation team?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for Lauel to care about such a remote area?¡±


    ¡°Then is it something the local lord did? Who is the lord of this area?¡±


    ¡°Toon.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think he can manage this type of meticulous policing.¡±


    ¡°Right. We can¡¯t afford to do so in the first ce. This is a limit to the number of troops that can be operated. It is just the result of the activities of ordinary yers.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This wasn¡¯t convincing. Was it necessary for ordinary yers to be so active in destroying the bandits? Grid was very grateful for the sake of his kingdom but...


    Upon hearing Jishuka¡¯s words, Grid thought about it and went directly to the vige chief. ¡°Chief, is there any job for me to do? For example, fighting the bandits.¡±


    Grid was currently wearing the skin mask. He would trouble the people if he showed his identity in the rural area for an inspection. This was his own consideration for them.


    ¡°Um, let¡¯s see. It has been rtively peaceful recently thanks to the adventurers subjugating the bases of the bandits.¡±


    It was the same even in this vige? It was difficult to check the quest contents. It happened when Grid was filled with regret...


    ¡°Vige chief! Woodcutter Dex saw new bandits gathering in the back mountain!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Suddenly, the chief¡¯s attitude changed.


    ¡°I think it would be a great help to the vige if you can wipe out the bandits.¡±


    [Fight the Bandits]


    [Difficulty: D


    Fight the bandits threatening the adventurers and vigers.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 50 bandits (Currently 0/50)


    Quest Clear Reward: 10 gold.]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was as he expected. The quest rewards were very lowpared to the amount of effort needed to be put in. It was a quest that had no merit for a lot of yers.


    ¡°Wow, the rewards have tripledpared to the past. It was around three gold coins in our time, right?¡±


    ¡°It is proof that the lives of the people have improved overall.¡±


    The hard part of the quest was searching for the bandits. Bandits were those who chose to only steal from the weak so they usually hid in secret. It took quite a bit of time and work to find them.


    ¡®Then why are yers so eager to wipe out the bandits?¡¯


    Grid had received the quest so it was faster to confirm it directly. Grid exchanged nces with Jishuka and looked at the mountain outside the vige.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Jishuka was amazed. It was because Grid, who was right next to her, disappeared, leaving only the wind behind.


    -Hey!Why use Shunpo?I wanted to stick with you so I followed. It is too much for you to throw me away!


    -S-Sorry,it is a habit.I¡¯ll be back soon so just wait.


    ¡°...He was a magician?¡± the wide-mouthed vige chief asked carefully. He lived in the countryside so he had never seen teleportation magic. He saw Grid disappearing quietly without any lights and misunderstood it as a type of spell.


    Under the hat she was wearing, Jishuka scratched her cheek. ¡°He is also a magician.¡±


    ***


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Grid arrived at his destination with the help of Shunpo and was startled.


    On a small mountain...


    Hundreds of people were running around a ce where yers were less likely to visit due to the low probability of monsters appearing.


    ¡°Here! The bandits are here!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Were they halfway to level 200? The faces of the yers running around with fancy equipment were full of enthusiasm. On the way to the top of the mountain, they hunted tigers and bears before attacking the bandits that appeared. The bandits were far outnumbered and quickly turned to grey ash.


    The yers hurriedly grabbed the small amount of money and misceneous items dropped by the bandits before rushing down the mountain. Then they climbed back to the top of the mountain again and hunted the wild animals they encountered on the way. If a monster was found by chance, they would rush over with wide eyes so it wasn¡¯t stolen by others. Then once they reached the top of the mountain, they hunted the respawned bandits again.


    ¡°Is this a true story?¡±


    There was ack of mobs. Grid finally grasped the situation and clicked his tongue.


    ***


    ¡°Why are you hunting here when there aren¡¯t many mobs?¡±


    ¡°The hunting grounds are full and there are no avable hunting grounds. Bandits are humanoid monsters and give a lot of experience, so we are hunting here instead.¡±


    ¡°What? Does this make sense?¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom had absorbed the Gauss Kingdom and now the territory was quiterge. From low level to high level hunting grounds, there were various types of hunting grounds all over the kingdom. Yet the hunting grounds were full? It was ridiculous unless most yers were at the hunting grounds.


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    A chill went down Jishuka¡¯s spine. She realized that the viges were as quiet as a dead rat. Only the residents were active on the streets. It was hard to see yers anywhere she looked around. Only the yers running to and from the general store to buy potions were noticeable.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Jishuka gulped. Grid had also noticed the identity of the strangeness.


    ¡°All the yers are out hunting.¡±


    Production ss users normally didn¡¯t flow into the countryside. They preferred the cities with active markets. Thus, she noticed it toote. She never carefully considered why there were fewer people in every vige and just took it for granted. It was a judgment that didn¡¯t take into ount the habits ofbat ss yers who went anywhere there was a hunting ground. Yes, no matter how rural the vige, it was normal to be crowded with a certain number of yers. The world had changed.


    ¡°There seems to be a level up boom.¡±


    People were eager to hunt, even in viges. It was just like the rankers. Such an era hade. After that...


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid traveled through the south and west of the Gauss Kingdom and once again realized the change in the times. No matter where he went, yers were crowding the hunting grounds. The ratio of yers who yed the game leisurely with the mentality of ¡®a game is fun¡¯ had dramatically decreased. It felt like the yers were full of passion.


    Duguen!


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. The great demons, yangbans, gods, dragons, etc. They were potential enemies that threatened humanity. Grid had felt that yers could never be their opponents. Now his heavy shoulders became lighter.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I will have more rivals.¡±


    There woulde a day when yers needed to cooperate with each other. Today¡¯s change would be a great strength at that time. Grid¡¯s smiling mouth was overflowing with joy. The high ranker Jishuka recognized other yers aspetitors and she couldn¡¯t understand the attitude of the supreme one.


    Just then, the castle gates came down and the moat was covered. Hundreds of knights rushed over the bridge that connected the castle and the snowy field. They surrounded Grid and Jishuka, pulled out their swords and saluted them.


    ¡°Wee to the Great Overgeared King Grid!¡±


    ¡°You have suffereding all this way, Your Majesty.¡±


    Duke Steim walked out from among the knights. He had been defending the Overgeared Kingdom from the invasion of barbarians and monsters in the north. Now he was old and haggard. Grid¡¯s heart became heavier once he realized this person didn¡¯t have much time left to live. However, he smiled and held Duke Steim¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You¡¯ve be stronger in the meantime.¡±


    Duke Steim was Irene¡¯s father and Grid¡¯s oldest guardian. Grid was still polite to him.


    Then the smiling Duke Steim whispered in a voice that could only be heard by Grid, ¡°Please go back straight away tonight. This ce is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±

 Chapter 1233

    ¡°Please go back straight away tonight. This ce is dangerous.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Duke Steim¡¯s whisper filled Grid with doubt.


    Frontier¡ªit was the very north and the end of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was surrounded by snowstorms and rugged mountains all year round somunication with the central government wasn¡¯t smooth. The basic problem was that it was too far away. The Frontier was a remote area where the anti-Grid forces operated in the dark.


    However, things had changed. In the wake of the anti-coalition incident, the alert Grid stationed some of the Overgeared members in the north. He asked them to let him know if anything unusual happened in the north. They empowered Duke Steim, who defended the north alone from the monsters and barbarians beyond the walls and from the internal enemies.


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid was able to see the Frontier¡¯s situation in near real-time. Until yesterday, there was no incident in Frontier.


    ¡®Then what is so dangerous?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go into the castle.¡±


    A bright smile spread across Duke Steim¡¯s face as he raised his head and guided Grid. The serious expression from just now disappeared like he was conscious of someone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You look cold.¡±


    Duke Steim took off his cloak and covered Jishuka. Jishuka was the owner of the Red Phoenix Bow and didn¡¯t feel very cold, but she didn¡¯t see the need to refuse the favor. Thus, she covered herself with the cloak.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you don¡¯t need it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Grid tapped Valha and was guided by Duke Steim. Then the moment he arrived at Duke Steim¡¯s office, he asked, ¡°Why did you say it was dangerous? Is it the remnants of the Eternal Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°No, they have already been rooted out.¡±


    ¡°Then...?¡±


    ¡°Some of the half-draconians have moved to the Chaos Mountains.¡±


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Beyond the walls, the Chaos Mountains was one of thergest and most rugged mountain ranges in the West Continent. There were eight mountains intertwined like a whirlpool. There was a legend that it was a ce where dragons once stayed.


    -I heard there were level 400 monsters near the entrance?If you go in a bit deeper, monsters with a level of 500 or higher will appear. What type of guts do the half-draconians have to set up a nest in such a ce?


    The surprised Jishuka sent him a whisper and Grid shook his head.


    -Level 400 or higher monsters will only appear a bit after the entrance.The level of monsters that inhabit the entrance area is an average of 200~300.


    -Ah~ the rumors were exaggerated.


    -No, not at all.


    -...?


    -Monsters above level 500 will appear if you only go in a bit deeper.Skunk told me.


    -...!


    The difficulty level of the Chaos Mountains rose sharply whenever a ridge was crossed. The first ridge was home to monsters ranging from level 200~300 and they were the enemies of the north. The northern army has been fighting with them for hundreds of years. In some cases, elite monsters who deviated from the second and third ridges appeared and were barely blocked by Duke Steim leading the knights. From the fourth ridge onward, the difficulty level waspletely different.


    Duke Steim had attempted to explore the fourth ridge several times but they always returned in vain. It was rumored that there were monsters twice as powerful as those on the third ridge.


    ¡°Is this information urate? There are many threatening monsters in the Chaos Mountains, even for the half-draconians.¡±


    ¡°This is why they moved to the Chaos Mountains. It is said to be a great ce to satisfy the aggressiveness of the half-draconians.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡±


    ¡°The half-draconians themselves.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The envoy from the half-draconians came early this morning.¡± Duke Steim started to tremble. He felt a sense of terror when he remembered the events from just a few hours ago. ¡°The envoy said that by tomorrow morning, we have to bring the most powerful human in this territory to him. He will not invade thisnd for the rest of his life if he can be happy for even a minute.¡±


    It was the butterfly effect from the Saharan Empire¡¯s policy for unity with other races. The half-draconians had originally been isted by the Saharan Empire. After regaining their freedom, they came to this faraway ce.


    ¡°...Since they are a race with high self-esteem, I believe they will abide by their promise.¡±


    The half-draconians were notorious. Even the empire, which once had an extermination policy, was unable to subdue the half-draconians and was wary. Half of the Red Knights, the anti-aircraft division, a great magician, and tens of thousands of troops were stationed there in order to prevent the enemies from crossing the border of the empire.


    This meant it was impossible to fight against the half-draconians with the power of the north. The entire Overgeared Kingdom might be able to fight them but great sacrifices would be inevitable.


    Duke Steim¡¯s white face suddenly turned to Laden standing next to him. Laden¡¯s expression was determined. ¡°I will bring a lot of happiness to the half-draconians. Your Majesty, My Lord, you don¡¯t have to worry.


    ¡°......¡±


    Finally, it was revealed why Duke Steim had asked Grid to leave. It was because Grid was stronger than Laden. If Grid stayed here until tomorrow morning, he would be the one who would be sacrificed to the half-draconians, not Laden. That¡¯s right¡ªit was already determined that Laden would be sacrificed. It was ironic that the young person who would lead the future of the north must be sacrificed for the north.


    ¡°These bastards...!¡± Jishuka turned red after grasping the situation and shot up from her seat. She seemed ready to fight the half-draconians all by herself.


    Grid grasped her wrist and stared straight into Laden¡¯s eyes. ¡°A knight... no, a human.¡±


    Grid recalled it. The days at school where he was treated as a toy by people whose faces he didn¡¯t even remember. He was dispensable to them. No, it shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t born to be someone else¡¯s ything.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°You are being yed by trash. Don¡¯t wrap it up with fancy words such as calling it a great sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Laden¡¯s expression quickly copsed. His face twisted with pain and he clenched his fists. The blood that flowed from his hands dripped onto the marble as he spoke, ¡°Then I... What should I do?¡±


    He was born on thisnd. His family had suffered from the harsh cold and monsters so he deeply respected Duke Steim for protecting his people. He dreamed of bing a knight. Fortunately, he found that he was talented. From then on, he vowed that he would defend thend and Duke Steim. That¡¯s why he was determined to make the sacrifice. Now the king came and shook his world with a few words, causing him to feel a bit resentful.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid rose from his seat while staring into Laden¡¯s shaky eyes. A teenager who was still baby-faced the first time they met had grown into a young man of simr age. Grid had heard that Laden already had three children.


    Grid was deeply moved and checked the condition of Laden¡¯s equipment. Helmet, armor, shoulder guards, gloves, belt, gaiters, shoes, cloak, sword, and shield¡ªGrid contemted everything using Pagma¡¯s Eyes. It was as expected. As a northern knight, his equipment was in excellent condition. Duke Steim didn¡¯t spare his support and Laden was armed with unique rated items. Unfortunately, since Laden had be a ¡®symbol¡¯ of the north, there was a lot of equipment that cared more about appearance than practicality. There was also an absence of set items. It was just fortunate that there were many factors involved in being strong.


    ¡°What should you do?¡±


    Grid patted Laden¡¯s shoulder and approached the window. As he opened the window as if trying to ventte the office, he dered, ¡°You just have to beat them and kill them.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Aren you going to bring them joy? Bullshit. Just get rid of them.¡±


    They needed to warn the arrogant invaders that the inhabitants of thisnd were strong. They weren¡¯t toys who could be yed with. Grid would make it that way. The determined Grid¡¯s gaze shifted toward the Chaos Mountains beyond the walls. He continued to stare at a ridge until Shunpo activated.


    ¡°What can I do...?¡±


    It was the moment when the absent-minded Laden muttered. Grid suddenly disappeared from his spot. Jishuka was left behind with the dumbfounded Duke Steim and Laden and grinned.


    ¡°It has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen him like this.¡±


    The reason why Jishuka liked Grid was his outspoken words and actions. She liked the imposing personality that expressed his feelings honestly without looking around him. She thought it was hundreds of times better than those who were a gentleman on the surface while having sinister ns behind the scenes.


    ¡°Beating them to a pulp... so cool.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Duke Steim and Laden were silent because they were embarrassed by Jishuka¡¯s sudden blush.


    ***


    ¡®Oh, I think this ce is okay for me?¡¯


    The Chaos Mountains were infested with high level monsters and weren¡¯t used as a hunting ground because of the terrible environment. There were blizzards that cut the flesh, poison in the frozen air, swamps that corroded equipment, and traps naturally formed by all types of poisonous nts and thorns. There were too many restrictions for yers.


    ording to Skunk¡¯s advice, the basic conditions to act here was at least 90% cold resistance, 80% poison resistance, and level 5 advanced trap searching skills. It was said that if a yer didn¡¯t want to lose an item the moment they fell into a swamp, they needed equipment with at least 800 durability.


    ¡®I¡¯m worried about the traps but I can detect them with my transcendent senses.¡¯


    For Grid, the cold and poison were no obstacles. Additionally, most of his equipment had infinite durability. Grid lightly avoided all sorts of traps and crossed the fourth ridge. The monsters here were close to level 450 but they weren¡¯t a threat to Grid at all. The monsters resembling an Archaeopteryx were difficult but they became rtively easy with the help of the God Hands.


    ¡®It could be a bit dangerous here.¡¯


    Grid quickly crossed the fifth ridge and stopped for a moment. Theva golems who created mes in the cold made him feel puzzled.


    ¡®480.¡¯


    Grid frowned when he saw the information of the monster that appeared on the snowy field covering the swamp. The enlightenment effect meant the experience he gained noticeably increased but he had no time to be happy. If the half-draconians¡¯ base was deeper than this, it meant their average level was over 500.


    It wasn¡¯t possible. Laden was a named NPC called the best genius of the north but he was still only level 380. Perhaps it was due to his youth but the growth rate was on the lower side.


    ¡®It will be difficult to narrow the 200 level difference, no matter how well equipped.¡¯


    The stats had an awakening effect every 100 levels. The difference between level 499 and 500 was asrge as the difference between heaven and earth. The prerequisite for Laden to fight a half-draconian and win was for the half-draconian to be level 400.


    ¡®As Teruchan proved, the level of other species was high but it is only for named NPCs.¡¯


    No matter how terrible the half-draconians were, the level of the ordinary ones should be in the 400s. The speed of Grid¡¯s thinking increased. The deeper he went into the mountains, the noisier he became. In order to attract the attention of the half-draconians, he deliberately used loud skills and killed monsters with shy skills. The effect was certain.


    ¡°A human? Hahat! You are too impatient! We said that we would see you tomorrow morning!¡±


    A half-draconian appeared. The surprising thing was that this guy attacked the moment he found Grid.


    ¡®The contract effect is useless.¡¯


    As the Different Species¡¯ King, Grid signed a contract with Hao and enjoyed the passive effect of somewhat reducing the aggressiveness of the half-draconians. That¡¯s why he thought it would be possible to have a conversation, but there was nothing like that.


    The half-draconian race itself was violent. This was good from Grid¡¯s point of view. Grid reflected the attack with Revolve and charged at the surprised half-draconian while smiling grimly.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see what their weaknesses are.¡¯


    Tomorrow morning...


    The half-draconians would be dumbfounded when they were countered by Laden¡¯s items. They wouldn¡¯t enjoy it. They would regret it. They would taste the horror.

 Chapter 1234

    ¡°A human? Hahat! You are too impatient! We said that we would see you tomorrow morning!¡±


    A half-draconian, Heltavon, came after discovering the unexpected guest. He was extremely excited. A human was ughtering monsters alone in the Chaos Mountains? It was natural to look forward to it.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect there to be a person soloing in such a remote ce! It is interesting!¡¯


    The world had changed a lot while they were trapped in the imperial walls. It was worthwhile to throw away the frogs in the well who wanted to y with the empire to wander through the mountains.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Heltavon¡¯s heartbeat sped up. The blood of the evil dragon Bunhelier that flowed through his veins boiled hot. The innate aggressiveness of the half-draconians poured out. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care if I fight tomorrow or not. I will start the fight straight away. Right?¡±


    It was well known that the half-draconians were mountain dwellers. However, it was still a problem for them to be fully self-sufficient when it came to food, clothing, housing, and transportation. This was why the half-draconians had prepared an event for Duke Steim.


    They nned to use Frontier as a supply base to stay in the Chaos Mountains for a while and engage in a frenzied struggle with the monsters. In front of the inhabitants of Frontier, they nned to ughter the most powerful talent in order to dominate Frontier¡¯s people and gain a tribute of food, clothing, and especially alcohol. The most important thing to Heltavon wasn¡¯t the n but the pleasure of the moment. He was just pushing forward the event that was scheduled for tomorrow.


    ¡°Hahahat! Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± Heltavon yelled with augh and fired a Breath.


    The dizzying blizzard was dispersed by the ck ray of light. The ck-haired man standing in the center of the openndscape was clearly captured in Heltavon¡¯s vision. At this moment...


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Heltavon¡¯s mood became strange. His excited heart calmed down a bit. It was the first time he had ever calmed down in front of an opponent.


    ¡®It was a mistake.¡¯


    Heltavon shook off his distracted thoughts. The Breath he shot was already reaching the chest of the ck-haired human. Then¡ª


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Grid hit it back easily. Heltavon was flying forward to attack only to be perplexed as the human reflected his Breath.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he quite good?¡¯


    Heltavon¡¯s body became stiff for a moment as he blocked the reflected Breath. However, his eyes didn¡¯t stop moving as he pursued the human¡¯s movements.


    ¡®Pretty fast?¡¯


    Heltavon didn¡¯t avoid the attack of the human who appeared from the side. The sharp cuts or stabs didn¡¯t threaten his scales. At least, it had been like that so far. The single-digit Red Knights learned that even a sword full of aura couldn¡¯t cut the scales of a half-draconian and switched to blunt weapons.


    ¡°...Kuock!¡±


    Heltavon wanted to grasp the human only to let out a scream when his back was cut.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was a strange pain. Heltavon examined his back with a shaky gaze. Blood spurted. The scales cut by the human¡¯s sword fell onto the snow field.


    ¡°I was cut?¡¯


    Heltavon hurriedly spread out his wings. There was a strong gust of wind that shook the human. Heltavon didn¡¯t miss this gap and raised his knee to hit the human¡¯s side. It was a fast and sharp attack that the 5th Red Knight had barely responded to, yet the ck-haired man grasped it with his hand. It was proof that he wasn¡¯t inferior to Heltavon when it came to both strength and speed.


    ¡®The level of the 2nd Knight?¡¯


    Heltavon fully grasped the ck-haired human¡¯s skills and wasn¡¯t panicked. He wasn¡¯t even excited. He had calmed down from the moment he encountered the human He was calm and sober, just like the festival (duel) between his kind to determine their ¡®rating.¡¯ That¡¯s right¡ªHeltavon¡¯s condition was the best when his aggressiveness was suppressed. It was the effect of Grid¡¯s contract with Hao.


    Heltavon¡¯s left knee was held in the hand of the human, causing him to spin backwards and throw a right kick. Grid pulled his head back to avoid it but something stretched out. Sharp and hard ws emerged from Heltavon¡¯s feet and brushed past Grid¡¯s neck. The attack was only two centimeters deep but it cut Grid¡¯s artery, dealing him the ¡®bleeding¡¯ and ¡®unable to recover¡¯ states.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Grid had to let go of Heltavon¡¯s knee to avoid the attack and took the opportunity to step back. Then he asked directly, ¡°What is your level?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you whether you¡¯re strong or weak among the half-draconians.¡±


    ording to the information Grid recently received from Hao, the half-draconians were a mixed-breed born from the evil dragon Bunhelier and a human. This meant that the blood of a real dragon flowed through the bodies of the half-draconians. However, Grid didn¡¯t shrink back. He had already experienced it with the Twilight Orcs. It was a race that could eventually be selected by yers so Grid¡¯s analyzed that the half-draconians weren¡¯t strong enough to vitemon sense. Hao had agreed with him.


    The blood of a dragon might be flowing through the veins of the half-draconians, but the blood was already weak. Grid thought there would be ordinary members of the half-draconians, unless they were ssified as named. Still, it was a bit surprising. Heltavon was quite strong but he wasn¡¯t named based on the color of his name. It could be considered mid-tier among the single-digit Red Knights.


    ¡®It would be a pain if he is an average half-draconian.¡¯


    Laden¡¯s potential was explosive but his current growth was low. Even if he became overgeared, the odds of defeat were high if he fought against half-draconians stronger than Heltavon.


    ¡®Do I need to change my n?¡¯


    The reason why Grid didn¡¯t want to directly fight against the half-draconians tomorrow was because he considered a number of situations.


    First of all, he didn¡¯t like that he had to personallye forward to deal with rude invaders. If he had to go out personally whenever something happened, it would give a bad impression to the outside and wouldn¡¯t be good for the morale of the people.


    The north was also one of the most important borders in the Overgeared Kingdom. The north had prevented the invasion of monsters for many years and were recognized as the elites of the Overgeared Kingdom. It had to be so. Grid wanted to use this chance to prove that the public awareness of the north was true by empowering Laden. He might not be confident but he wanted Laden to do his part.


    ¡®However, it will all be ruined if Laden is killed.¡¯


    Heltavon replied to the frustrated Grid, ¡°Huhut, don¡¯t you know when you see it? I am strong among my people. Of course, I¡¯m just a childpared to Helena.¡±


    ¡°...Really? The half-draconian who was sent as an envoy earlier in the day is called Helena?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot? It is enough to send a low-grade warrior to be an envoy to humans!¡±


    This was good news. Grid¡¯s expression rxed. ¡°Then the half-draconian who will fight Frontier¡¯s strongest tomorrow isn¡¯t Helena but a low-grade warrior?¡±


    ¡°Huhut, of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±


    ¡°What? Why are you d? Do you think you will win if you fight a low-grade warrior?¡±


    ¡°If you are a low-grade warrior then I will win...¡±


    ¡°Haha! What a funny little kid! I haven¡¯t revealed my skills yet!¡±


    ¡°Additionally, I¡¯m not the strongest person in Frontier.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Heltavon¡¯s face stiffened for the first time. The human being in front of him was surprisingly strong. He thought it would be hard for a low-grade warrior to win against the human so Heltavon wanted to get rid of him on the spot.


    ¡®Yet there is someone stronger than this guy?¡¯


    Were there two talented people equivalent to the Red Knights living in kingdoms other than the empire? The world had changed so much. It seemed that the empire had be a pushover without knowing it.


    ¡®If it was the empire of the past, they would¡¯ve cut off the talented buds of other kingdoms in advance. Now they can¡¯t even control this much?¡¯


    It tasted bad from the moment they started talking nonsense about unity.


    ¡®In any case, it is dangerous. I should suggest to Helena to change the list of envoys sent to Frontier tomorrow.¡¯


    Before that, naturally¡ª


    ¡®I have to get rid of this guy.¡¯


    Heltavonughed. Heltavon¡¯s bones grew rapidly. The clothes made of leather were all torn and the scales that had only covered the vital parts of the body extended to all over the body. Soon after Heltavon was covered with scales, he spread his wings and gave off a pressure that oppressed Grid.


    ¡®Is this a true half-draconian?¡¯


    Grid nced at Heltavon¡¯s hands and feet, which wererge enough to remind him of the giant, Radwolf. Then Grid fired a Magic Missile first. The gust that urred when Heltavon covered himself with his wings twisted the trajectory of Magic Missile.


    ¡®It is conditional anti-magic.¡¯


    There was no need for Laden to worry about this. Laden was a knight. He didn¡¯t use magic.


    ¡®Then what about this?¡¯


    Grid took out a spare spear from his inventory and fired it using Spear Shot. Once again, a gust came from Heltavon¡¯s wings and blew the spear off track.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t anti-magic but anti-projectiles.¡¯


    There seemed to be no cooldown. However, based on the way the waist lowered slightly after covering himself with the wings, it seemed to cause an ¡®immobile¡¯ state for a moment.


    ¡®If so?¡¯


    Grid fired a Magic Missile and then immediatelyunched himself into the air to use Kill. It was as expected. The attack speed of Kill was enough to respond to Heltavon¡¯s agility. Heltavon, who was unable to move due wrapping his body with wings, couldn¡¯t avoid it and had to block by raising his two arms.


    [The target has received 179,080 damage.]


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t this a bit bad?¡¯


    The attack power of Kill was the best out of single sword dances. The concept of defense itself was meaningless in front of it. Considering Grid¡¯s attack power and the damage factor of Kill, the fact that it only caused 180,000 damage meant that the defense of the half-draconian¡¯s scales had reached the highest level.


    ¡®It will be very difficult for Laden, whose attack power is four times lower than mine, to break through the defenses of the half-draconians... Huh?¡¯


    Grid frowned as he was recalling Laden¡¯s stats information and skills list.


    [The effect of Kill has disarmed the target for one second.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    Heltavon¡¯s scales that collided with Kill were temporarily falling off. It meant that the scales of a half-draconian were judged as armor. Grid immediately responded by using Link. He confirmed the damage done to Heltavon¡¯s arms that lost the scales and couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    ¡®The defense will be reduced by twice as much after losing the scales.¡¯


    He determined what weapon he would make for Laden.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Heltavon wasunching a counter-attack. He grasped Grid¡¯s shoulder and the shoulder guards made a loud noise. However, the durability was infinite so it wasn¡¯t damaged. The shape was distorted but it was immediately restored due to the recovery effect. Heltavon lifted Grid with Grid force before mming him into the ground. It was a skill reminiscent of Bubat¡¯s CC.


    ¡®It is dangerous. I should widen the distance.¡¯


    Grid was thinking when something mmed into his chest! Heltavon¡¯s feet fell. He had decided to kill Grid immediately and opened his mouth to fire a Breath.


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid this.¡¯


    The Breath¡¯s power was tremendous when fired from close range. It was physically impossible to avoid or counterattack when he was in this captured state. However, Grid used the God Hands to block it.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    The flustered Heltavon stomped his foot to trample on Grid¡¯s chest again. Then he used the recoil to jump up. Grid instantly raised himself to aim for this gap, only for the sharp tail to sweep by the tip of his nose.


    ¡®He purposely gave me an opportunity to stand up in order to sh my neck with his tail.¡¯


    After reading Heltavon¡¯s intentions, Grid widened the distance and watched Heltavon¡¯s tail closely. Then he used Shunpo to attack the tail. Heltavon¡¯s tail that collided with the Enlightenment Sword was as hard as a sword. It held out against the sword without being cut.


    ¡®Is the tail also ssified as equipment?¡¯


    Grid once again used Kill. It was possible because the cooldown was reset from the effect of God¡¯s Command. Once again, the target was the tail.


    ¡°<i>Bah!</i> Stupid fool! Does the tail look like a weakness?¡± Heltavon snorted. His tail was fine despite being hit with Kill. It wasn¡¯t affected by the disarming effect.


    Grid nodded. Subsequently, Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight was transnted into his eyes.


    ¡°I have to be most careful about the tail. It is hard, sharp and rotates 360 degrees so the range of application is very wide.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± At this time, Heltavon felt a sense of strangeness. It was like the human in front of him was dissecting him like a frog. It was an unpleasant sensation. ¡°What are you doing? Do you have no intention of fighting?¡±


    ¡°Tell me. Do you have anything more to show?¡± Grid asked Heltavon, who was gritting his teeth.


    ¡°This guy!¡±


    A lion wasn¡¯t afraid of a rabbit. It was because he knew he wouldn¡¯t be eaten by a rabbit. This was the difference in species. Yes, Heltavon couldn¡¯t properly recognize the danger of the human in front of him. It wasn¡¯t a matter of his vignce.


    ¡°<i>...Eh?</i>¡±


    Heltavon had been attacking Grid for a long time only to pause. The hot heat that he started to feel perplexed him. At the same time, the world changed. The mountains and unstoppable blizzard suddenly disappeared and only a world of mes existed. No, looking closely, there were also sharp, silver colored sword energies in his field of view.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The fear of the unknown was great. Grid¡¯s cold voice entered Heltavon¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ve learned enough about your standards. Let¡¯s end this.¡±


    Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. The image of ruin merged with the image of the infinite sword energy. Dozens of dragon-like des of sword energy poured out like raging waves, mming into the half-draconian. Heltavon met his demise at the hands of Grid and became Grid¡¯s nutrients.

 Chapter 1235

    Bright orange hair that was like looking at the sun¡ªit felt like the sun in the sky, which had been hidden by the blizzard, had actually fallen to the ground.


    ¡°57 minutes.¡±


    Helena swept back her fluttering hair and looked around. Thest ridge of the Chaos Mountains...


    For the first time since she arrived, she was left alone in a ce filled with vicious monsters. However, she knew it was just a short silence. In a few seconds, new monsters would rush in and Helena didn¡¯t have the health left to handle them.


    ¡°Huhuhu...¡±


    A smile spread on Helena¡¯s cold face. It was a beautiful smile but it was actually filled with ridicule. She ridiculed the people who remained in their homnd, obsessed with the notion that ¡®there is no better toy than the empire.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to their disappointment when they realize sooner orter that the empire isn¡¯t worth ying with.¡¯


    ¡°Helena!¡±


    How much further would she have to progress if she wanted to fight non-stop on the seventh ridge? Helena was returning to the sixth ridge in a joyful state when she stopped. A half-draconian, Jad, had found her and was running toward her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Helena asked in a cold manner.


    Unfortunately, the 20 half-draconians who came to the Chaos Mountains with her weren¡¯t loved. The intention was too obvious. They were all males who were eager to be chosen as Helena¡¯s mate but it wasn¡¯t possible. Helena wanted her partner to unconditionally be stronger than her.


    ¡°Heltavon¡¯s energy has disappeared!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°I can feel whether the person with the name of Hel is dead or alive even if he is far away.¡±


    Bun and Hel¡ªthe lineage of their ancestors still existed a thousand yearster. All the lords of the half-draconians were named after Bun and Hel. This time, it was Helena¡¯s turn to be the lord. It was based on the rule that the descendants of Bun and Hel should be lords in turn.


    However, Helena couldn¡¯t be the lord. It was the aftermath of her proposal to move all the half-draconians to the Chaos Mountains when she was about to be elected as the next lord. There was a bacsh about the noble half-draconians needing to mingle with monsters who had nothing but instincts. This caused Helena¡¯s position to weaken.


    The result meant that for the first time in the history of the half-draconians, a person with the name of Bun was elected as the lord two consecutive times. Helena had felt ashamed at that time but she soon realized it was a great opportunity. The turning point was the visit of one of the Seven Dukes, Spear Saint Rachel.


    The person who visited the half-draconians without any fear was weakpared to Helena¡¯s standards. Compared to the days when they were the Nine Dukes, not the Seven Dukes, the level was poor, yet the senior warriors couldn¡¯t handle her easily. The empire had weakened over the years but the strength of the half-draconians, who were ustomed to ying with the empire, also declined.


    Bunsdel, the one who took Helena¡¯s ce as the lord, also knew this fact. It was just that he was born with the destiny of not being the lord. Thus, his obsession with being the lord was amazing. He turned away from the visible truth and encouraged his people to y with the empire.


    This was an opportunity for Helena. As Bunsdel was obsessively clinging to the lord¡¯s position, she left their home that had fallen to being a yground that wasn¡¯t fun at all. She persuaded her fellow people to join her but only 20 males followed her. Heltavon was one of them. Helena¡¯s expectations for him were low from the very beginning.


    ¡°He was at a level that he would be killed by the monsters of the sixth ridge. I¡¯m thankful that he perished rather than survived tenaciously to tarnish the name of Hel.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Haha...¡±


    The monsters of the sixth ridge were too strong. One monster was stronger than 100 elite troops of the empire and their breeding power was limitless, so they were dangerous. Jad had such worries so the death of one of the strong warriors, Heltavon, came as a worry. Nheless, once Helena reacted coldly, he couldn¡¯t speak anymore and could only smile. Helena passed him to enter the shabby hut. She got into a small bathtub and asked, ¡°Are you going to apany the envoy to Frontier tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring back a lot of dresses for Helena to wear.¡± Jad answered while picking up the clothes that Helena had thrown carelessly. He was unfamiliar with Helena¡¯s clothes bing rags in only one battle.


    She had killed a single digit Red Knight of the empire and 10,000 troops without a single drop of blood falling on her clothes. This made him wonder about the strength of the monsters inhabiting the seventh ridge.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    Helena scoffed at Jad, who was dominated by aggressiveness and was staring at the seventh ridge.


    ¡°You can try it if you want to die a worse death than Heltavon.¡±


    ¡°N-No. Haha... I will go to Frontier first.¡±


    ¡°Bring wine when youe back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring it by the wagonload!¡±


    Jad left the hut and Helena watched him. For the two of them, Frontier wasn¡¯t a wealthy city on the outskirts. It looked like any ordinary humannd that could be controlled in one breath.


    ***


    In Frontier¡¯s central square...


    The ce that originally had no room to move was currentlypletely blocked off.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The sound of nailing and sawing never stopped. Hundreds of carpenters were building a stage next to the beautiful fountain. It was Laden¡¯s tomb. The carpenters didn¡¯t know it but Laden did.


    ¡°......¡±


    Laden recalled the calm dawn.


    The envoy of the half-draconians had showed off his fearsome presence as he invaded the castle and stepped onto the terrace that only the lord could step foot on. He came to Frontier and pointed to the huge square in the center of the city.


    ¡°Build a stage there. Tomorrow morning, in front of all the people watching, I will fight the strongest person of Frontier. Don¡¯t use someone weak as a sacrifice. If the person you send out is terrible and makes us feel bored, we¡¯ll ughter half the inhabitants of this city.¡±


    It was a one-sided notification. It was a death sentence for Laden. After the brief meeting, Laden had felt the difference in skills and fell into deep despair. Nevertheless, Laden had no intention of fleeing. He became a knight to protect Duke Steim. It was impossible for him to abandon his master and people to flee.


    Duguen!


    As the carpenters built the stage, Laden¡¯s heartbeat became faster.


    Duguen!


    Once the staircase of the stage waspleted, Laden¡¯s heart sank. The staircase looked like the mouth of a vicious demon leading him to hell. A huge fear started to rule him but he didn¡¯t express it.


    ¡°Laden.¡±


    ¡°My Lord!¡±


    Laden stood staring nkly at the stage, only to be startled and bowed his head. Duke Steim was approaching him. Usually, he would¡¯ve already read the duke¡¯s mind and was prepared. Laden was aware of his poor condition and tried to control his mind. Duke Steim clenched his trembling hands tightly.


    ¡°Run away.¡±


    This was what he wanted to say from the very beginning.


    Duke Steim had been watching Laden since Laden was a child and he regarded Laden as his own child. It was Laden whoforted Irene after she just got married and then became lonely when her husband, Grid, left on his adventures. Laden¡¯s upright character was Duke Steim¡¯s pride and his outstanding talent was Duke Steim¡¯s joy.


    Duke Steim had no intention of allowing Laden to die in vain when he should grow to be one of the pirs supporting the Overgeared Kingdom. The reason he couldn¡¯t tell Laden to run away was to protect Laden¡¯s pride. How could he ignore a knight¡¯s determination to fight? He was just silent, supporting Laden while praying for a miracle to happen.


    Then an hour ago, he happened to see it. The helpless Laden was filled with hope due to a few words spoken by King Grid. It was only a short time but Duke Steim clearly witnessed it. He felt a desire to preserve Laden¡¯s life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the half-draconian so you should go to Reinhardt for a while. Assist the prince and His Majesty. Then decide whether you want toe back here in the future depending on His Majesty¡¯s orders.¡±


    Duke Steim might not fall into the category of a genius but there was nothing shameful about hisbat talent. He was strong. That¡¯s why he was able to protect the North. He might be old and frail but his experiences over the years had permeated into his body. It meant there was enough talent to protect the people from the half-draconians.


    ¡®It is right for me to step out.¡¯


    His life was going to end soon anyway. Rather than waiting for death in vain, it was right to protect Laden and his kingdom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The half-draconians are after the supplies of Frontier, not its destruction. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as the people are safe. In the future, King Grid will defeat the half-draconians and govern Frontier in a more correct manner.¡±


    The reason for Duke Steim¡¯s failure to respond to the crisis was simple. There was no time. The half-draconians who couldn¡¯t be dealt with using Frontier¡¯s power had suddenly appeared, giving him no time to do anything. He could only close both eyes and be inevitably beaten.


    In the end, it was a problem that time would solve. Duke Steim had no doubt that the Overgeared Kingdom would defeat the half-draconians and liberate Frontier.


    ¡°No.¡± Laden shook his head. He had been obedient to Duke Steim no matter the time and circumstances. Now he rebelled for the first time. ¡°I will fight.¡±


    Laden didn¡¯t feel the need to speak a lot. He was just stating the obvious. Suddenly, someone appeared and empowered Laden¡¯s words.


    ¡°Of course. Father-inw¡¯s words were rude... it isn¡¯t good to y into the hands of uncivilized invaders.¡±


    ¡°...Your Majesty!¡±


    Duke Steim and Laden were amazed. They were surprised that Grid suddenly disappeared and reappeared again in the midst of the conversation.


    Although Jishuka had told them, ¡®You only need to believe in Grid¡¯, they didn¡¯t have a sense of reality because they weren¡¯t in a position to understand the situation. They didn¡¯t know where Grid had gone and when he woulde back. So why would they act with Grid in mind?


    Grid exined to the dumbfounded Duke Steim, ¡°I¡¯m back from hunting a half-draconian. Father-inw, I didn¡¯t exin it because I was going toe back quickly anyway. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°...You came back from hunting a half-draconian?¡±


    It had only been an hour since Grid disappeared. In an hour, he flew to the Chaos Mountains, hunted a half-draconian, and returned? It was Duke Steim who had shouted ¡®My son-inw is the best in the continent!¡¯ since the days of the Eternal Kingdom but he couldn¡¯t believe what Grid was saying now.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go to practice.¡±


    Grid picked up the absent-minded Duke Steim and flew in the direction of the castle. Laden chased with all his might but he soon fell behind, unable to narrow the distance to Grid, who was flying while carrying Duke Steim. He felt the huge wall that existed between Grid and himself.


    Duguen!


    Laden¡¯s heart jumped again. This time, it wasn¡¯t because of despair. He was excited by the huge hope that couldn¡¯t bepared to the desperation the half-draconians had given him.

 Chapter 1236

    ¡°The appearance of a half-draconian is the same as a human but it is different when they take off their clothes. There are scales covering every important part so the key is to aim for this. You can¡¯t cut the scales with ordinary sword techniques.¡±


    Laden arrived at the training ground after Grid and listened carefully.


    Only one hour...


    In that short time, Grid imed that he had returned from hunting a half-draconian. It was physically impossible. First of all, he was bound by the concept of distance. However, it was the truth. Their king had performed many miracles and wouldn¡¯t joke about this.


    ¡°The shape of the scales is like this...¡±


    Grid exined by drawing a picture. The visual representation of the de sliding against the scales helped Laden understand.


    [The skill ¡®Beginner Arts¡¯ has been acquired!]


    [It perfectly represents the scale of the half-draconians who are rarely seen. Upgraded from Beginner Arts to Intermediate Arts!]


    It was thanks to the high dexterity. The things that Grid did with his hand were more than the basics.


    ¡°This is why a half-draconian¡¯s transformation is terrifying. The moment they transform, their whole body,, with the exception of their face, will be covered with scales, turning their whole body into a weapon...¡±


    Grid quantified the physical characteristics,bat methods, attributes, and techniques of the half-draconians as well as detailed specifications such as attack, defense, magic power, and resistance. In only an hour, he had be an expert in the half-draconians. It was as if he studied the half-draconians for decades. By now, Laden¡¯s mind had be a bit unsettled. The king wouldn¡¯t lie but Laden was worried that he might be slightly bluffing.


    On the other hand, Duke Steim¡¯s eyes glowed brightly. ¡°As expected of Your Majesty! You are my son-inw! My daughter isn¡¯t worth it!¡±


    ¡°No, Irene is too good for me. I¡¯ve always been a poor husband to her while she has been the best wife. It isn¡¯t regretful, Father-inw.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was true trust. Laden felt ashamed when he saw Duke Steim, who absolutely trusted Grid. He rebuked himself for daring to doubt King Grid.


    Grid exined for the next few minutes before asking Laden, ¡°Is it drawn in your head?¡±


    Laden was a genius. He immediately grasped the point of the question and nodded. ¡°Yes, the information given by Your Majesty is so vast and detailed that it is easily drawn.¡±


    It was a virtual image of a half-draconian. Now Laden was able to bring the middle-ss half-draconian called Helvaton into his mind. It was now possible to engage in a virtual battle. It was the result of the perfectbination of Laden¡¯s talent and the urate information provided by Keen Insight.


    Grid nodded and pulled out the portable furnace and white phosphorus wood. ¡°Okay, from now on, I will be cksmithing. Be sure to umtebat experience.¡±


    Then Grid took out an anvil and hammer. cksmithing on the training field...


    From a general standpoint, it was a very unusual scene. However, Laden and the people of the Overgeared Kingdom never forgot that Grid was a cksmith.


    ¡°Yes! I will obey your order!¡± Laden answered vigorously and closed his eyes after pulling out his sword and shield. He made a virtual half-draconian and ced it in front of himself.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The virtual half-draconian Heltavon was based on Grid¡¯s information and boasted tremendous physical ability. Heughed at Laden, quickly narrowed the distance, and neutralized the shield with technique. Once Laden¡¯s shield fell to the ground, he fired a Breath and turned Laden to ashes.


    ¡°Pant...Pant!¡±


    In the first virtual battle, Laden died within 20 seconds and gasped as he opened his eyes. Grid was just lighting the firewood. He nced at the sweaty Laden and scolded, ¡°Is it finished already? You fought a transformed one from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Since the transformation is their power, I thought I could only practice after they are transformed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Try it at your own pace.¡±


    If he could kill a half-draconian before they transformed then there was no need to assume the state of transformation. However, Laden didn¡¯t have that much firepower. The convinced Grid started using the bellows while Laden closed his eyes, made the virtual Heltavon and started fighting again.


    This time, he discarded his sword and shield to hold a mace and short spear. The greatest strength of the knight ss was the ability to handle all weapons skillfully. Laden¡¯s spear-throwing skills were excellent. His spear flew in a straight line and quickly reached Helvaton. Laden was already running behind the spear. It was intended to exploit the half-draconians¡¯ weakness of blocking projectiles using the wings. However, an unexpected variable urred.


    Tong!


    Heltavon didn¡¯t fold his wings and just let Laden¡¯s short spear hit his body. Then Laden¡¯s spear fell to the ground without even scratching the scales. Heltavon grabbed Laden¡¯s face with one hand and smiled. It was a smile that mocked the fearless prey who came running in on its own. Laden¡¯s shaky gaze saw Heltavon¡¯s mouth open. Soon after, the Breath was fired.


    ¡°...Pant!Pant!Pant!¡±


    He lost once again but Laden¡¯s face was surprisingly bright. Unlike the first confrontation where he didn¡¯t even try, he had no regrets about the second confrontation. His heart felt clear.


    ¡®This is abat race that is good atbat. He understood that my attack wasn¡¯t dangerous and ignored it...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s exnation made it seem that the half-draconian had an ¡®instinct¡¯ to block projectiles. Grid said that once anything was thrown, the half-draconian would fold his wings to defend. However, this was the result because the opponent was Grid. He would¡¯ve folded his wings because he couldn¡¯t withstand Grid¡¯s attack power.


    ¡°Um...? Cough, cough.¡±


    There was still time. He would try a bit more. Laden coughed as he was rising from his seat. Looking around, he noticed that everywhere was filled with smoke. It was smoke from the fire. Frontier Castle¡¯s special training ground for its knights was hundreds of square meters but it was indoors so the venttion wasn¡¯t good. It didn¡¯t take long for the smoke from the portable furnace to fill the training ground.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Duke Steim seemed ufortable. Laden pulled out a handkerchief and politely handed it to him before turning his attention to Grid. After he finished with the bellows, Grid took out a dark bead that Laden saw for the first time in his life. Then Grid entered the smelting stage. He didn¡¯t seem to care about the smoke.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    Laden recalled the environment of the Chaos Mountains. It was a ce where it was hard to breathe. Laden seemed to figure out the king¡¯s intentions behind burning firewood indoors in a chimney-free room.


    ¡®His Majesty is deliberately recreating the environment of the Chaos Mountains... Yes, I¡¯m fighting in the Chaos Mountains, just like His Majesty.¡¯


    If he could adapt to this, it would be possible to easily react to all types of situations when fighting with the half-draconians in Frontier. Laden once again closed his eyes. Now he was standing in the Chaos Mountains. He started fighting in a much harsher environment than before. Then he was repeatedly defeated, defeated, and defeated again by Heltavon. He repeated almost 100 battles until his physical strength and mental strength reached the limits, yet hested over one minute in only four battles.


    ¡°Um, okay.¡±


    Grid finished hammering. The object he made with all his heart was a dark iron rod. A hollow iron rod. In that empty space, Grid inserted a sharp, thorn-like de. A thin, short de was snugly tucked into the iron rod.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was this? The tool that had apletely new form sparked Laden¡¯s curiosity but it was only for a moment. Laden¡¯s concentration was very good. He recalled his duty and closed his eyes again. He had a virtual enemy in his head and the environment was calm. The embers of the portable furnace used by Grid were extinguished and the smoke was dissipating. Laden¡¯s vision and breathing returned to normal.


    ¡°Hahahat!¡±


    In Laden¡¯s imagination, the half-draconian who had won many battles was arrogant. He smiled and rushed to Laden. This didn¡¯t mean he was careless. All the judgments and actions of the half-draconian were sophisticated. The half-draconian pped his wings. Laden withstood the wind pressure with the shield. Then he blocked the iing kick with the mace.


    There was a very small scratch on the scales of the half-draconian¡¯s shin that collided with the mace and Laden remembered it. There was no momentary disturbance in the breathing of the virtual half-draconain who was a collection of all the information Grid had gathered with Keen Insight.


    The half-draconian¡¯s punches and kicks continued to be linked. It was like a waterfall and Laden was continuously suppressed. After a kick to the ankle and a scratch to the face, the half-draconian aimed at the lower body to break Laden¡¯s bnce. Once this failed, he rotated and kicked the top.


    At first, Laden failed to cope for five seconds against this anomalous offensive, which changed depending on the situation. Now it was after 100 battles and he got used to it, allowing him to use the shield more actively. He moved the shield quicker than before and held the shield more exquisitely. The momentum of the half-draconian¡¯s attacks gradually weakened, slowly but surely.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    The shield blocked the attack at a 90 degree angle and the half-draconian¡¯s leg soared into the air. Afterwards, Laden aimed at the shin with the mace. Then¡ª


    For the first time, the scales of the half-draconian were broken.


    ¡®Ahh!¡¯


    Laden was thrilled. Breaking the scales was only the first step in attacking the half-draconians. The scales were destroyed but the half-draconian¡¯s subsequent move blew away Laden¡¯s head.


    ¡°...Pant!¡±


    Laden was once again defeated in battle. Grid looked at him fighting alone for a few hours and beckoned.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Laden was indeed an example of a knight. He ran straight to Grid despite his extreme fatigue. Grid handed him the ck iron rod.


    ¡°How is the grip?¡±


    ¡°The grip is much more familiar than a weapon I have been using for 10 years.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t ttery. Laden said exactly what he felt as he swung the iron rod. It had the right weight so the power was properly channeled. Above all, he felt that the energy of the iron itself was unusual.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a button on the handle? Press it.¡±


    Laden pressed the button and a de sprang out of the iron rod. The speed was like lightning and the momentum was considerable. it was a concealed weapon. Laden repeatedly retracted and extended the de and gradually became ustomed to using the iron rod. Indeed, it was a high quality and adaptable weapon for someone with Weapons Mastery.


    Grid nodded with a satisfied expression and exined to Laden. ¡°It is a great anti-draconian weapon. The ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath in the iron rod will corrode the scales of the half-draconians. Hit them with the iron rod, break the scales, and then insert the de. How about it? Isn¡¯t it simple?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Laden was a knight. Originally, he would¡¯ve felt repulsed to use a concealed weapon. However, he was currently in a position to argue over it. His fate was at stake. Nevertheless, he felt a bit dubious. Not only was the ck tortoise god unfamiliar to him, it was questionable if this thin de could prate the skin of the half-draconians. Grid took back the iron rod and slit his wrist with a knife.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Duke Steim and Laden¡¯s faces were white with astonishment from Grid¡¯s self-harming behavior. Grid gestured at them to retreat and dripped blood from his wrist onto the iron rod. Then he slightly heated the iron rod using the residual heat of the furnace and started to temper it.


    He was intent on reproducing the Thorn of Deep Grievance. It was a weapon that ignored the target¡¯s defense to a certain extent and had the best skills, ¡®Cursed Bloodline¡¯ and ¡®Laceration.¡¯ In particr, it had the skill Laceration that dealt fixed damage equivalent to 60% of the target¡¯s maximum health.


    The higher the level of the target, the more often it failed to trigger. The level of Grid¡¯s opponents were usually so high that he ignored this skill, but this time Laden would face a ¡®low-grade¡¯ opponent. To put it another way, it was a low level opponent.


    ¡®It¡¯ll work.¡¯


    The ck Tortoise Thorn (stage name) would surely break the scales of the enemy and pierce the heart.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The tempering wasing to an end. A new form of weapon containing Grid¡¯s blood waspleted at Grid¡¯s fingertips while he was in a trance.


    [The ¡®Blood King¡¯s Blood¡¯ has permeated the production item...]

 Chapter 1237

    [The ¡®Blood King¡¯s Blood¡¯ has permeated the production item...]


    ¡®Blood King¡¯s Blood?¡¯


    The Blood King was just of the Grid¡¯s many aspects. It was also only a small proportion. Yet the system stated that Grid¡¯s blood was the blood of the Blood King. This meant that, at least when ites to blood, the status of the Blood King would take precedence. It was like Pagma¡¯s Descendant took precedence when he was holding a hammer, the Duke of Wisdom ss was highlighted when attacking with magic or the Magic Swordsman of the Epics when swinging a sword?


    The blood-soaked ck Tortoise Thorn was dyed red. It still looked ck in the darkness but it was red in the light. It was the moment when the iron bar, which felt heavy and cold, transformed into a beautiful handicraft.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t suit me.¡¯


    The artistry was too high. The size itself was small, making it a suitable weapon for slim men¡ªlike Braham and Kraugel¡ªand women. Grid didn¡¯t like it but he decided not to worry too much about it since it wasn¡¯t his favorite weapon type anyway.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened when he brought up the details of the finished item.


    [Vicious ck Tortoise Thorn with the Blood of the Blood King]


    [Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    Set Item (ck Tortoise Set)


    Durability (Iron Bar): 890/890 Attack Power (Iron Bar): 560


    * 70% bonus poison attribute damage.


    * 70% bonus water attribute damage.


    * There is a normal chance of poisoning the target when attacking.


    * When defending, there is a normal probability of activating ¡®Spray.¡¯ Items that encounter Spray will have the chance of bing ¡®corroded.¡¯


    * When attacking or defending, there is a normal probability of disarming the target¡¯s items.


    * When attacking or defending, there is a very rare chance ofpletely destroying the target¡¯s items.


    ¡ï When hitting a ¡®corroded¡¯ item, there is a very high probability ofpletely destroying the target¡¯s items.


    Durability (Thorn): 120/120 Attack Power (Thorn): 1,160


    * When attacking, there is a low probability of ignoring 50% of the target¡¯s defense.


    * When attacking, there is a very low probability ofpletely ignoring the target¡¯s defense.


    ¡ï When attacking a disarmed enemy, the skill ¡®Kill with a Ferocious Pierce¡¯ will ur. The target hit by Kill with a Ferocious Pierce will receive fixed damage equal to 60% of their current health. At this time, it will cause the ¡®excessive bleeding¡¯ condition that ignores the target¡¯s resistance.


    A weapon born from the fingertips of the cksmith Grid, who has temporarily beparable to a god.


    The materials are Greed with all its properties erased, the enhanced ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath, and the blood of the Blood King.


    The shape of the iron bar is designed to be simple for anyone to use and the harmonious sense of color is very beautiful. The thorn hidden in the iron bar seems to represent the teeth of the ck tortoise stretching out like an awl.


    * The skill ¡®Crouch Down¡¯ will be created.


    * The passive skill ¡®Incarnation of Poison¡¯ will be created.


    ¡ï ck Tortoise Set Effect


    Once three set items are equipped, attack speed is increased by 10% and the probability of inflicting abnormal statuses will increase by 15%.]


    It was a surprisingly good item when looking at it. The destruction characteristics, skills, and set effects all showed Grid¡¯s intention behind making the item. He was forced to delete the properties of Greed because it was for Laden¡¯s use. This resulted in the loss of all special effects such as the infinite durability option but nheless, this ck Tortoise Thorn exerted great power. However, there was another reason why Grid was surprised.


    [!! It has feelings due to the influence of the blood of the Blood King. It is very snobbish and violent so it will try to step on the owner¡¯s head.]


    [* There is a low probability of losing control of the weapon. At this time, it is determined that the weapon can¡¯t be used.


    Additional options are generated by the blood of the Blood King.]


    The effects were indeed suitable for the modifier of ¡®vicious.¡¯


    [* The skill ¡®Blood King¡¯s Lineage¡¯ has been created.


    Blood magic can be used when activated. The power of any blood magic used is increased by 1.5 times.


    ¡ïCreates one blood magic slot.


    Equip blood magic to the slot and attach it to the item.]


    ...It was worth the risk.


    Of course, curses that depended on probability were very dangerous. It wasn¡¯tparable to Bunhelier¡¯s curse attached to White Fang but in the worst case situation, it might force the user into a desperate situation. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the ck Tortoise Thorn was treated as a shit item. Nevertheless, it was very attractive to Grid. There was a slot where magic could be equipped. This one fact made the value of the ck Tortoise Thorn soar.


    ¡®It is a pity that it is limited to blood magic...¡¯


    There were essentially two ways to enchant a production item¡ªfirst, use the Water n King¡¯s Tears as a material; or second, make items using the Magic Battle Gear Production Method. Both methods had clear drawbacks. The Water n King¡¯s Tears were limited in quantity and the higher the rating of the magic to be attached, the more likely it was to fail.


    Then there was the Magic Battle Gear Production Method. There was no limit to the quantity but Grid had to work for a long time and the magic that could be stored was in proportion to Grid¡¯s magic ability. In fact, it was impossible to attach high level magic.


    On the contrary, there seemed to be no restrictions to the ¡®slot¡¯ created by Blood King¡¯s Lineage. It seemed that any blood magic could be attached to the slot. Additionally, there was a tremendous synergy with the Blood King¡¯s Lineage skill¡ªa 1.5 times increase in the power of blood magic.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t get too excited. There is a chance of failure.¡¯


    The most important thing about Satisfy was that it wasn¡¯t kind. It wasn¡¯t just one or twice that he had been delighted to see what was written on the surface only to be disappointed.


    ¡®Calm down.¡¯


    Grid breathed deeply as he noted the shorings of the ck Tortoise Thorn. What if Laden was cursed while fighting the half-draconians and the weapon stopped working? It would be the worst. Grid calmed his excited mind and regained hisposure. Even so, it wasn¡¯t useless.


    ¡®Laden also uses a shield so it won¡¯t be a big crisis if he suddenly can¡¯t use his weapon.¡¯


    No matter how he tried to think negatively, Grid¡¯s excited mood didn¡¯t easily subside. The results were excellent.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    A thin iron rod that was less than one meter long. Duke Steim stared at Grid who smiled like the sun, became gloomy, and then started smiling again. Then Duke Steim couldn¡¯t help it and finally stepped out. Grid finally awakened after hearing the call and controlled his mind.


    ¡®First, I need to figure out precisely the effects of the slot.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have blood magic at the moment but it wasn¡¯t a problem. The reason?


    ¡°Summon Knight, Noll.¡±


    Grid had apanion who was well versed in blood magic.


    ¡°Chew chew.¡±


    A young boy with silver hair. He was a vampire who had lived for over 200 years, unlike his young appearance. He was also an elite among the elites, a direct descendant of Shizo Beriache. He was now the lord of a vampire city in the Overgeared Kingdom and responded to Grid¡¯s call with potatoes in his mouth.


    ¡°My Lord, Your Majesty!¡±


    Laden had been fighting against a fictitious enemy on his own, only to be frightened by Noll¡¯s sudden appearance. Then he moved to protect Duke Steim. He knew that Grid had epted the vampires as subordinates but he couldn¡¯t be calm after seeing the vampire covered with the smell of blood.


    ¡°Did you eat a human?¡±


    Laden was disgusted when he saw the blood flowing from Noll¡¯s mouth. Noll¡¯s appreciation of the call was short-lived when he saw the number one man in the north who showed him tant hostility.


    ¡°Who is that little boy?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Laden¡¯s talent might be excellent and the possibilities for development were endless but he was nothing more than a dog in front of the direct descendant vampire. Grid wiped at the mouth of Noll who dared to show hostility.


    ¡°He is my father-inw¡¯s aide. I hope you get along well in the future.¡±


    ¡°Father-inw...? Yes, I understand. I will get along with him for you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A chill went down Laden¡¯s spine as he watched the situation. Laden owned sensitive senses that allowed him to detect Shadow King Kasim. Now he was peeking at the reality of Noll. Unlike this small and beautiful appearance, this was a monster with an unbeatable magic power. The sight of a predator who could devour Laden at any time obediently following Grid reminded Laden of Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡®The half-draconians... they are nothing.¡¯


    Grid was an entirely different dimension of existence that turned the half-draconians into something ridiculous. Laden was someone who struggled fighting a half-draconian. Now apletely unprecedented world was in front of him. It was a world he wanted to reach. Laden once again closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and imagined the virtual half-draconian. The half-draconian that was terrifying just a moment ago now felt really cute.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Noll watched Laden waving his sword in the air and poked Grid¡¯s side. Then he raised a finger and twirled it around his head. He was asking if this person was crazy. Grid shook his head and then handed the ck Tortoise Thorn to Noll. It was as expected.


    ¡°It is possible because the Blood King made the weapon himself.¡±


    Noll recognized the value of the ck Tortoise Thorn at once. He touched the ck iron bar with a slender finger and asked Grid, ¡°What type of blood magic should I attach to it?¡±


    ¡°Can you attach high-ranking blood magic?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the blood of Your Majesty flows through it and it can easily ept any type of blood magic.¡±


    ¡°Is the eptance due to the blood donation or the pressure of a direct descendant?¡±


    ¡°The blood donation is an exception because our blood magic is designed to respond to my magic power. The pressure of a direct descendant isn¡¯t magic but rather due to the natural presence of the lineage.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to delete the blood magic that once belongs to the item and imprint new blood magic?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible because it is a perfectly engraved concept.¡±


    ¡®This is the disadvantagepared to the Water n King¡¯s Tears...¡¯


    Grid thought about it for a moment. However, he was a person with no blood magic. It was meaningless for him to think about it alone. He quickly gave Noll information on the half-draconians and the current situation.


    Noll nodded. ¡°You want the type of magic that is best to fight against the half-draconians tomorrow. Originally, I would¡¯ve rmended a magic that infiltrates the skin directly through the scales but that isn¡¯t necessary with this weapon...¡±


    Noll tapped the ck Tortoise Thorn and smiled like a mischievous child. ¡°Based on the level of that child, I think he will shed some blood tomorrow. Then we can use this.¡±


    Noll¡¯s magic power started to permeate the ck Tortoise¡¯s Thorn.

 Chapter 1238

    ¡°Look at the height of the walls. How can they live in such an enclosed ce?¡±


    ¡°The weaker the creature, the more anxious they are. They can¡¯t rest easy unless they rely on a facility like that.¡±


    ¡°Hahat, it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    The snow was shining under the cloudy sun.


    p.


    Three half-draconians with wide wings were crossing the walls of Frontier. The soldiers at the guard posts had their bodies wrapped in yeti leather and reflexively fired their bows, causing the security chief to scream.


    ¡°Leave them!¡±


    The shout was toote. All six arrows fired into the sky were returned intact and struck the soldiers.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    They had reflexively fired their bows. Their constant training had be poison. The security chief was red-eyed at the deaths of the young soldiers and hurriedly struck the bell. It signaled an enemy attack but the interior of Frontier was surprisingly quiet. There were few agitated people. It was because Duke Steim announced in advance that the enemy would soone.


    Hundreds of thousands of residents had already locked their doors and stayed at home. Additionally, there were thousands of residents gathered in the square to wait for the half-draconians. All of them prayed for Laden¡¯s victory. They wished for Laden to set an example to these vicious invaders, yet the moment the invaders appeared in the square, the residents¡¯ prayers stopped. Just like a rabbit froze in front of a tiger, all the residents were terrified of the half-draconians.


    It was a difference in species. The half-draconians who appeared in the sky had the same appearance as a human except for the wings on their back, but they still gave off a suffocating pressure.


    ¡®W-What...?¡¯


    ¡®Laden... Sir Laden is in danger!¡¯


    Even ordinary people who didn¡¯t know aboutbat had this idea. It was a type of intuition. In the early hours of the morning, three half-draconians gradually descended to the newly made stage and dominated the city with just their presence.


    ¡°Bah, how annoying.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if this is the right ce.¡±


    The half-draconians frowned at the sight of the people in the square¡ªsome had copsed in ce while others were shaking. The people who saw them snorting and retracting their wings also frowned.


    ¡®Cheeky guys.¡¯


    ¡®I would step out if I could.¡¯


    There was something special about the hometown. The yers who chose Frontier as their starting city and had been active there for years were very upset by this. Yet no one could do so. It was because it was meaningless to challenge NPCs with a much higher level than Hao when they couldn¡¯t even reach Hao.


    In the first ce, there was the warning from Duke Steim. Last night, Duke Steim announced the situation and firmly hammered it into Frontier¡¯s soldiers and residents. It was Laden¡¯s job to drive out the half-draconians so no one should get in the way...


    They didn¡¯t know what the punishment would be if they ignored the warning so the yers decided to watch rather than act recklessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jad. I serve Helena, the legitimate descendent of Bunhelier.¡±


    ¡°Bunhelier?¡±


    ¡°Is he talking about Evil Dragon Bunhelier?¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    There was a disturbance once one of the three half-draconians stepped forward and introduced himself. From the perspective of the people who were overwhelmed by the half-draconians, they couldn¡¯t refute the im that the half-draconians were descendants of a dragon. Maybe it was the truth. If it was true, they were filled with a vague anxiety about how humans could fight against the half-draconians.


    It was a moment when the efforts of the former emperors of the Saharan Empire, who dered the half-draconians to be vicious and uncivilized, were lost. Hundreds of years of falsehoods were shattered the moment the half-draconians appeared in the world.


    ¡°The reason Helena sent us here is to give you a chance. Prove that you have the power to make us happy. Then all of you will survive and enjoy the glory of being our ves. However, if you turn out to be garbage that doesn¡¯t even have the power to bring us pleasure...¡±


    He stopped talking and looked around at the people in the square. The golden pupils that were colder than snowkes resembled those of reptiles.


    Chill.


    The half-draconians were descendants of a dragon. It was the pupils that convinced people. To the residents of Frontier, who were silent with fear, Jad proimed, ¡°...As promised, we will kill half of you and leave only the ones that suit our taste to enve. It will be much more efficient.¡±


    The low-grade half-draconian warriors were moving to Jad¡¯s side when a human climbed onto the stage. It was Laden. Frontier¡¯s strongest person, who was trusted and envied by the people.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    The residentsmented after seeing Laden¡¯s appearance. Originally, they nned to fervently cheer Laden on but they were forced to remain silent once they faced reality. Laden¡¯s body seemed rtively small in front of the half-draconians who boasted an ideal body ratio and muscles optimized forbat. Just based on the difference on the surface, the half-draconianspletely overwhelmed Laden. Therefore, the residents couldn¡¯t support Laden. They felt like they would just be pushing Laden to his death.


    Eventually, one of the residents shouted courageously, ¡°Laden! Run away! You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself alone!¡±


    They wanted a hero¡¯s victory but they didn¡¯t want the hero to be a pawn. This fervent feeling swelled like a fever. All the residents tried to pull Laden off the stage but Laden was consistent in his silence. He was wearing barbed armor and didn¡¯t hesitate to open his mouth despite facing three half-draconians alone, ¡°What will happen if I give you death instead of happiness?¡±


    ¡°Kukuk!¡±


    It was a question that could only be answered with augh. However, the half-draconians didn¡¯t doubt their ears. They already had experience with frightened humans stating ridiculous things.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t happen.¡±


    Jad answered on behalf of theughing low-grade warriors and Laden shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to hear the answer.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Jade turned his attention to one of the low-grade warriors standing beside him. His name was Praba. He visited here yesterday morning as the envoy.


    ¡°Praba, what do you want us to do if you die during the confrontation?¡±


    ¡°Spit on my body that has turned to ashes. This isn¡¯t a single-digit knight of the empire. I¡¯m not going to be killed by an unknown soldier in a small kingdom.¡±


    The empire was no longer the center of the world¡ªHelena realized the change and dered her independence. However, the half-draconians who followed her hadn¡¯t realized the change yet. They were still thinking about the empire. They regarded humans as inferior creatures apart from a select few from the empire.


    Jad nodded when he heard Praba¡¯s answer and smiled happily. "I see. You don¡¯t have to worry about the consequences if you kill our people. We won¡¯t retaliate and will feel joy at the reversal.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to change the contents of your promise.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Jad¡¯s gaze shifted from the stage. He saw an old man. His clothing wasn¡¯t fancy but he seemed to be the master of thend based on the guards around him. It was as expected.


    ¡°I am Duke Steim, who was entrusted to thisnd by the great King Grid.¡±


    The person involved in the conversation was the ruler of Frontier.


    Jad stared at him. ¡°Your king is great? Be aware of your words.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°So what does it mean to change the content of the promise?¡±


    ¡°If our representative wins against your representative, it means we are stronger. If we win, you must be the ones enved, not our people. Isn¡¯t that a fair bet?¡±


    ¡°...You are crazy.¡±


    Jad was annoyed. They might be terrified but it was too much to act this crazy. At this point, it crossed the level beyond cuteness.


    ¡°Where the hell do you, these low-grade creatures, have such confidence? Sigh.¡±


    Jad¡¯s nature meant he wanted to ughter every human straight away. However, the things the half-draconians needed were the economy and manpower of Frontier. He wouldn¡¯t be able to endure Helena¡¯s wrath if he destroyed this ce. Jad barely suppressed his anger and nced at Praba.


    ¡°How long are you going to let that person make fun of you? Come on, let¡¯s start the event.¡±


    ¡°U-Understood.¡±


    Praba noticed that Jad¡¯s irritation had reached the peak and hurried forward. As if dering that there would be no more conversation, he took off his coat and proceeded to transform. His role was to terrorize the humans of Frontier. He had to be as destructive as possible. Praba¡¯s shoulders widened and his chest became bigger. The hands and feet at the end of the long arms and legs more than doubled due to the sharp, de-like ws protruding from them.


    "Kyaaack!¡±


    "H-Hik!"


    Frontier¡¯s people screamed as Praba¡¯s entire body was covered with ck scales and he spread his wings. Praba smiled at themotion and opened his mouth. Subsequently, a ck Breath was shot. The wooden boards that made up the floor of the stage couldn¡¯t withstand the shockwave of Breath and were torn apart. It was a blow that proved the blood of a dragon was flowing through the veins of the half-draconians.


    Laden blocked it with the Holy Light Shield. It was one of the two shields that Grid had made for Laden prior to this battle.


    ¡®As expected, a Breath was fired.¡¯


    Laden had gained experience with the virtual half-draconian by fighting it hundreds of times. Praba charged forward as expected and Laden confidently recovered the Holy Light Shield and took out the second shield. Praba¡¯s kick collided with the shield.


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Praba¡¯s eyes widened. It was really confusing that the golden shield easily blocked the Breath and then another blocked his kick.


    ¡®What are those shields?¡¯


    Praba used the rebound from the shield to spin rapidly and flick his tail.


    ¡®Use that shield to block this!¡¯


    The tail of a half-draconian could move freely at any angle. The moment Laden blocked the tail with the shield, Praba¡¯s tail would move around the shield and stab Laden in the heart. However, that didn¡¯t happen. Laden didn¡¯t block Praba¡¯s tail with the shield. Rather, he stepped on the tail and jumped up to hit Praba¡¯s head with an iron bar. Wasn¡¯t it a movement that showed he fought against the half-draconians many times?


    Praba was surprised by Laden¡¯s movements that seemed to read the trick of his tail. However, he soon dismissed it as a coincidence. If Laden was ustomed to fighting against the half-draconians then he never would¡¯ve dreamt of breaking the scales of a half-draconian with a thin iron bar.


    ¡®You should be prepared to retreat when fighting against me! Haha!¡¯


    A heavy blunt weapon was needed to crush the scales of the half-draconians. It couldn¡¯t be cut with a sword, let alone a thin iron bar. Praba raised his arm to stop the iron rod.


    ¡°......!¡±


    There was a loud sound and Praba¡¯s heart jumped significantly. It was because scales fell from his wrist at where the iron bar hit.


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    The dismayed Praba hurriedly pulled back his arm but Laden¡¯s actions were one step faster. The moment that Praba¡¯s wrist was hit, a sharp thorn protruded from the end of the iron bar and pierced Praba¡¯s skin that was revealed after the scales were lost.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    The unexpected pain caused a scream to emerge from Praba¡¯s mouth. He clutched his drooping arm and retreated, firing a Breath at Laden only for Laden to pull out a golden shield.


    ¡°This... Dammit!¡±


    The Breath was blocked by the shield again. Praba¡¯s tail protruded through the smoke and struck Laden¡¯s side, but the armor with hundreds of barbs absorbed most of the shock.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Laden coughed up a handful of blood but he didn¡¯t slow down. He charged straight forward and swung the iron bar at Praba¡¯s thick neck. The scales that broke and scattered like ss filled Praba¡¯s vision. Praba got a chill down his spine as he wildly waved his fist and punched Laden¡¯s chest.


    However, it didn¡¯t stop Laden. The fist struck Triple Layers and Laden started bleeding from the mouth and nose, but his momentum still didn¡¯t slow down. A sharp thorn pierced Praba¡¯s throat. The people of Frontier cheered and Jad¡¯s face hardened.

 Chapter 1239

    There was only one reason why the half-draconians enjoyed the act of fighting. It was in order to be stronger. Their purpose was to gain more experience, be stronger, and kill people more easily. That¡¯s right. The concept waspletely different from the Twilight Orc¡¯s worship of power.


    The Twilight Orcs dreamed of bing respected warriors while the half-draconians were faithful to their primitive desires. It was the desire of Evil Dragon Bunhelier to ughter.


    ¡°...Kuaaack!¡±


    Praba was stabbed with a sharp thorn and spread his wings with a growl. He used the shockwave to blow himself backward. He flew all the way to the end of the stage while staring at Laden¡¯s iron rod.


    ¡°What is it made of?¡±


    The scales of the half-draconians were not only hard, but it was also slippery. It meant that more than half of the impact it received could be lost and it wouldn¡¯t be easily damaged. It was physically impossible for the thin iron rod that weighed the same as a longsword to easily break the scales of the half-draconians.


    Praba noticed that there was a secret hidden in the iron rod. However, he didn¡¯t know precisely what it was because his intelligence was limited. How could he recognize the power of a long forgotten god of the East Continent? Under the stage, Jad watched the battle with a stiff expression and muttered, ¡°...The weapon isn¡¯t what matters.¡±


    His gaze was fixed on Laden, not the iron rod.


    ¡®He knows us very well.¡¯


    Praba was inbat and had to pay attention to the iron rod smashing his scales, but the third party, Jad, was different. In his view, the iron rod was just a secondary problem. He judged that they should be vignt of Laden¡¯s ability to grasp and attack the half-draconian¡¯s personality and characteristics.


    ¡®It is like he has fought us hundreds of times...¡¯


    Laden¡¯s physical abilities were below Praba in every way. In particr, there were no advantages when it came to strength and speed. Even so, Laden grasped all sorts of their habits such as how the half-draconians used their wings and tails, the time it took to fire a Breath, and how to target gaps. He looked like he had been fighting against the half-draconians for all his life.


    ¡®Is he from the imperial army?¡¯


    No, his skin was too beautiful for that. The knights and soldiers of the empire surrounding the half-draconian¡¯s home had countless wounds on their bodies while Laden¡¯s body was rtively clean. In particr, there were no deep wounds that seemed to be caused by the ws of the half-draconians.


    Praba was firing a Breath. Laden seemed to expect this and changed his shield to block it. He elerated instantly and rushed in front of Praba. If he aimed for the side or the rear then Praba could¡¯ve counterattacked but Praba didn¡¯t have a chance to use the tail if he came from the front.


    ¡°It is ridiculous!¡±


    Praba¡¯s thoughts were very simple. He stretched out his arms toward Laden who wasing from the front like a moth. His sharp ws reflected the sun¡¯s rays and shed, dazzling Laden¡¯s vision. However, Laden was calm. He leaned forward while charging straight ahead as nned.


    Praba¡¯s ws cut Laden¡¯s hair, not his forehead. Unlike the hook ws of other beasts, the ws of the half draconians were straight like knives and thus were somewhat vulnerable to enemies who attacked from the bottom.


    ¡°...!¡±


    A chill went down Praba¡¯s spine. He finally realized after seeing Laden avoid the ws with a gap of less than a centimeter. ¡®This guy, is he targeting my weaknesses?¡¯


    What did this mean?


    Praba was stabbed again and again in the chest. Cough. He coughed up blood and his health was dangerously low. Nevertheless, Praba noticed. Laden¡¯s damage had dropped significantlypared to a little while ago.


    ¡®This person is at his limit.¡¯


    The reason why Laden was able to inflict great damage on Praba in his first and second blows was due to the proportional damage effect of the Kill with a Ferocious Pierce skill. Once the battle continued, the thorn was no longer a threat to Praba, whose health had dropped to 20%. Praba endured the shock with ease and hurriedly chased Laden. He struck at Laden without hesitation.


    After being kicked in the abdomen, Laden flew to the edge of the stage and rolled. He suffered from severe internal injuries and coughed up blood. Praba abandoned his habits. Originally, he should¡¯ve shot a Breath from a distance. Instead, he flew and approached Laden, stabbing his toenails. Praba¡¯s ws inserted into the gap between the barbs of Triple Layers and were blocked.


    ¡®That armor and shield are annoying.¡¯


    It happened when Praba clicked his tongue and tried to pull out his toenails...


    The barbs easily shattered Praba¡¯s ws without releasing them. It was the weapon breaker effect. Laden¡¯s Triple Layers was just a replica of Grid¡¯s Triple Layers but it performed better than the original. It was because the current Grid¡¯s craftsmanship level was higher than when the original was created.


    ¡°Kukuk! Kuhahahat!¡± Praba burst outughing as his beautiful ws broke. It was the excitement and anticipation that was felt when killing a bug in front of him.


    ¡°Yes! Hold on for as long as possible!¡± Praba shouted as he ignored the damage of the thorn, which had fallen to the level of a skewer. He aimed his fists and feet at Laden.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Laden¡¯s expression darkened. He was frustrated by Praba who reced his ws with fists the moment he realized the role that Triple Layers yed. The spray that urred every time Laden used the iron bar to block an attack corroded Praba¡¯s scales but Laden couldn¡¯t find any room to fight back and wondered if he could defeat this monster.


    ¡°Laden!¡±


    ¡°Please raise your head, Laden!¡±


    Ladeny curled up like a turtle with his shield and could see below the stage. The tens of thousands of residents were cheering him on. They were those Laden vowed to protect but he didn¡¯t have the confidence to protect them. He was looking at defeat despite the weapon, the two shields, and the armor that Grid had made all night.


    ¡®...I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡¯


    He wanted to live up to his king¡¯s expectations but his wounded body wouldn¡¯t move. Too many bones were broken. Laden¡¯s knees eventually bent. The weight of Praba¡¯s continued bombardment against the shield pushed Laden¡¯s body to the limit.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    A chill went down Laden¡¯s spine as he shuddered. He almost lost his shield. Even the light shield felt heavy.


    ¡®It is the end.¡¯


    For the first 10 minutes of the battle against Praba, Laden was full of hope. Praba¡¯s level was far inferior to the virtual half-draconian. He might not have won against the hypothetical half-draconian but he decided there was a chance against Praba. He was excited about building up the dignity of Frontier and living up to the expectations of King Grid. Now after 20 minutes, he realized it was just a fleeting delusion.


    ¡®I was shameless.¡¯


    People praised Laden as a genius and he didn¡¯t deny it. The reason he could ept the conveniences Duke Steim gave him was because he believed he had the talent to meet Duke Steim¡¯s expectations. In the end, this was just arrogance. He wasn¡¯t qualified.


    It was the moment Laden realized this...


    The thunderous wave that urred every time Praba swung his fists and feet suddenly slowed down. Praba¡¯s fists and feet seemed slow and Laden could barely follow it with his eyes. It felt like he could avoid it. His vision grasped Praba¡¯s tail soaring, aiming for the small gap between the shield and the ground.


    ¡°...What?!¡± Praba¡¯s face stiffened as he tried to pierce Laden¡¯s neck with a surprise attack. He honestly became numb when he saw Laden avoid his tail with a slight twist of his head.


    ¡®Shining brightly before death?¡¯


    Praba hadmitted numerous killings and experienced it. It was the fact that beasts and people often exerted their power when they were on the verge of dying. This was the current Laden. Therefore, Praba decided to step back for a while. He was expecting to see Laden die shortly, yet that didn¡¯t happen


    This was a genius who detected Shadow King Kasim when he was young. Laden had been steadily developing for years and fought hundreds of times with the half-draconian Heltavon yesterday. At this moment, he was in a life and death battle with Praba. This meant he gained enough experience for his natural talent to bloom.


    [One genius has been born again through a defeat.]


    At the same time, a world message appeared.


    A shockwave was released from Laden. Praba hadn¡¯t folded his wings even after seeing the spear that Laden threw in a surprise move yet this shockwave was powerful enough to make Praba reflexively fold his wings.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Praba first tried to rise into the sky. He needed time to figure out the situation. However, Laden didn¡¯t give him a chance. The red blood that was sprayed all over the stage like paint. All the blood that he had shed was gathered on the ck Tortoise Thorn and he rushed at Praba, who was temporarily immobilized after folding his wings.


    ¡°You!¡± Praba spread open his wings to create a shockwave but there was a feeling that even this intangible energy was read by Laden. His talent of maximizing his senses by activating the cells of his entire body resembled Grid¡¯s Freely Move.


    Laden escaped from the shockwaves and quickly reached Praba¡¯s nose. Praba instinctively sensed it. He wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the power of this red iron bar. This was why¡ª


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Praba fired a Breath while at the same time, he threw his arms out. The ck Breath aimed precisely at Laden¡¯s face while his sharp ws aimed at Laden¡¯s chest. It was just that before all the attacks hit Laden, Laden¡¯s iron rod pierced Praba. The Breath that had flown to just the tip of Laden¡¯s nose disappeared like it was a lie. It was a phenomenon that meant Praba¡¯s death.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡± The people of Frontier cheered as they watched Praba turned to grey ash. The windows of the tightly closed up homes opened and people looked out. All of Frontier was delighted.


    ¡°Pant... Pant... Pant...¡± Alone on the stage, Laden stumbled and copsed. A shadow was cast over his body as he was unable to move one fingertip. It was Jad¡¯s shadow.


    Jad¡¯s cold voice as he spread his wings and flew to the stage caused a stir in Frontier. ¡°This was a pretty fun battle, so I¡¯ll keep my promise. However, you must die.¡±


    Jad saw Laden¡¯s potential. He knew that after a bit more time, this person would surpass the single-digit Red Knights. However, the Chaos Mountains had stronger monsters than Laden. It wasn¡¯t worth keeping Laden alive for the sake of future pleasure. It was necessary to get rid of this talent to dominate Frontier. There was no reason to hesitate when there was the justification of his people being harmed. The tail that was two meters longer than Praba¡¯s slowly descended toward Laden¡¯s neck. The tip of the sharp tail seemed like it could easily harm Laden.


    ¡°......¡±


    Laden didn¡¯t resist. He just stared quietly at the tail. Was he epting death? No. He knew that he would never die after the battle was over.


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    It was because Grid was here. The blue sword energies swept toward Jad.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    The presence that all the people of the Overgeared Kingdom admired descended and smashed Jad.


    ¡®...The grandmaster?¡¯


    Jad¡¯s eyes were filled with astonishment as he was quickly turned into a rag. He had no idea why a person with skillsparable to the strongest person in the Saharan Empire was on the border of this kingdom.

 Chapter 1240

    The grandmaster. He had never introduced himself. However, he existed 250 years ago, 170 years ago, 80 years ago, and 40 years ago. Every time the war between the half-draconians and the empire intensified and the imperial forces on the front lines were in a crisis, the half-draconians saw the man recorded in their history. The guardian of the empire¡ªhe clearly fought for the empire based on the way he saved the imperial army from a crisis and killed the senior warriors of the half-draconians.


    The strength of the man who maintained the same title and appearance for hundreds of years had transcended that of a human and wasparable to the lord of the half-draconians. All the lords of those times had failed to kill him and they were humiliated by watching the war ending in either a draw or a defeat.


    This was why the new lords aimed at the grandmaster. By beating the grandmaster, they would prove themselves to be the strongest lord of all time. This was the ultimate goal of all the lords. The same was true for Helena, who Jad served. The reason she came to the Chaos Mountains was to prove her worth by gaining the strongest power, recapturing the lord¡¯s position, and defeating the grandmaster.


    Yes, the grandmaster was truly special. So how could there be another person like him? It was also on the outskirts of this kingdom.


    ¡°You... Cough cough, what?¡±


    The scales of the half-draconians alleviated both physical and magical damage. A big blow could never be dealt in one hit, yet the ck-haired man in front of him inflicted great wounds by using two sword techniques that were like dances. The destructive power contained in the enemy¡¯s word made the flesh under his scales spasm. The magic performed together with the swordsmanship ignored the resistance of the scales and randomly cut it, making him afraid.


    Jad wondered if he felt this fear because the aggressiveness, which should¡¯ve be stronger in proportion to the strength of the opponent, was somehow suppressed. Grid was watching the residents below the stage. Tens of thousands of residents were staring at Jad with their eyes wide open. No one was terrified. It wasn¡¯t a phenomenon created by the emergence of Grid.


    Even before Grid intervened, the residents had ovee their fears. It was the miracle created by the struggle and triumph of the young hero, Laden. Frontier had be stronger.


    Grid opened his mouth, ¡°I...¡±


    At this time...


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The residents below the stage eximed. They didn¡¯t recognize the sudden situation properly but once they heard Grid¡¯s voice, they woke up and btedly recognized Grid.


    ¡°Your Majesty...!¡±


    ¡°King Grid hase!¡±


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡± The shouts of the residents beat the snowstorm. The loud voices resisted the intense wind and the heat they emitted melted away the cold snow. At this moment, Frontier was as hot as the desert city of Reidan.


    ¡®King?¡¯


    Jad¡¯s eyes shook when he heard the roar of the residents and realized Grid¡¯s identity. He couldn¡¯t believe it. The rulers of humanity strong enough to leave a record in the history of the half-draconians were the emperors of the empire and the Undefeated King. The royalty of other kingdoms were mere losers who chose to live being ruled by the empire. How did such a monster emerge from them? It was a deformed result.


    Jad¡¯s fear grew stronger. Even Jad, who longed for ughter because he was a half-draconian, didn¡¯t dare underestimate how much blood the man in front of him must¡¯ve spilled in order to gain the power he had now. In Jad¡¯s eyes, Grid looked like a monster. He felt the true dark nature of Grid who was covered with the blood of tens of thousands of people.


    Tremble tremble...


    Jad started to shake. It was a variable caused by the contract with Hao that somewhat decreased the half-draconian¡¯s aggressiveness. Jad waspletely overwhelmed by Grid and misunderstood that he didn¡¯t feel a sense of struggle against this person was simply because of terror. This illusion caused Jad to stiffen beyond the actual situation.


    ¡®It felt like I was shaking hands when fighting Heltavon but this time it is the opposite.¡¯


    Now that Grid knew the effect of the contract changed depending on the situation, it was necessary to devise a way to deal with them more efficiently. Gazing at the residents below the stage, he opened his mouth, ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted to Laden.


    ¡°Themon humans who live under the protection of the knights.¡±


    Grid lowered himself. He spoke like he only existed because of the people of the kingdom. He wanted Laden and the people of Frontier to take pride in themselves. It was the hope that they would be reborn as beings who could stand firmly without relying on Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Grid wasn¡¯t obsessed with his reputation. It was because he knew that even without reputation, the fact that ¡®I am myself¡¯ remained unchanged. It was possible because of his high self-esteem. The thing Grid wanted now wasn¡¯t to increase his value. It was Grid¡¯s dream and goal to increase the value of everyone who believed in him and followed him.


    ¡°No matter how many times arrogant invaders like you will threaten thend in the future, the residents of thisnd will defeat you and protect me with their own strength.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just to Jad. He was talking to the people of Frontier. The hearts of the residents were pounding. They realized that they needed to be better and stronger.


    [The people of Frontier are impressed by the king¡¯s remarks and have be highly motivated.]


    [The growth rate of all the people of Frontier will increase by 200% for the next month. The experience gain of Frontier¡¯s yers will increase by 1.5 times.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Since when did the people start to protect Grid? The yers were stunned because they didn¡¯t understand what Grid was talking about. They were deeply impressed by Grid¡¯s intentions through the rising notification windows and the changes in the residents.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the important thing.¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s system was very active. It was obvious just by looking at the quests. Unlike normal games, Satisfy allowed yers to intentionally generate quests. This was one of the growth methods that had been widely known and favored by yers since the early days.


    Grid just took advantage of this. Using his position as king, he dramatically increased the city¡¯s growth rate with a few words. The crisis caused by the emergence of the half-draconians turned into an opportunity. He was the first ranked yer for a reason. The yers felt like they had been taught a lot.


    ¡°Kuk... Kukukuk, they are very touching remarks.¡± The stiffened Jad slowly woke up. He regained the aggressiveness that had been controlled by the contract and realized the fear he just felt was just an illusion. ¡°If you raise a bug, it is still a bug after all.¡±


    Jad looked at the ridiculous humans who were motivated by their king¡¯s words and started to rx. The person who seemed like a monster just a moment ago now looked ridiculous. He thought it was trivial for a human who took the path of ughter to care about bugs. He was embarrassed at himself for thinking this human was in the same ss as the grandmaster, who ughtered senior warriors without changing his expression.


    ¡®Of course, he is a strong person. However, I won¡¯t lose to a human who isn¡¯t even part of the empire.¡¯


    Jad was one of the top 10 powerhouses among the 30 half-draconians who followed Helena. He was above the intermediate level and on the verge of the senior level. After thousands of battles, he had reached the peak ofbat experience. Jad had confidence that he could fight the arrogant human who buried his natural talent to look after bugs.


    ¡°I was just surprised for a bit. From now on, it will bepletely different. I will show you the difference in experience.¡±


    p. Jad opened his wings wide and soared high into the sky. He deliberately put the sun at his back to interrupt Grid¡¯s field of view before shooting a Breath. The Breath wasn¡¯t aimed at Grid but at the residents gathered under the stage.


    ¡°Kuahahaha!¡± Jadughed loudly at the sight of the chaotic residents and gathered magic power to aim at Grid this time. He nned to shoot the Breath again, aiming at the back of Grid who would fly to save the residents.


    ¡°...What?¡± Jad¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. Grid was flying toward him while ignoring the Breath fired at the residents.


    ¡®It was all a pretense?¡¯


    Just then, the scent of blood caused the tip of Jad¡¯s nose to tingle. A dome of red magic unfolded on the ground and blocked the Breath fired at the inhabitants.


    ¡°...!¡±


    A silver-haired boy was standing alone. The one who seemed to be the master of the magic looked directly at Jad in the sky.


    ¡®You terrible son of a bitch.¡¯ This child was clearly saying so.


    However, Jad wasn¡¯t easily provoked. He wondered why a high-ranking vampire who disliked the sun would be here and why he was helping humans but he focused on Grid in front of him. Thebat experience of thousands of battles kept himposed. The second Breath headed for Grid.


    Meanwhile, Jad was chasing right after the Breath. He nned to deal a surprise attack the moment Grid dodged the Breath. He might¡¯ve fought against the imperial army and monsters thousands of times but even he didn¡¯t predict that the Breath he fired woulde back at him.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Jad was hit by the reflected Breath he was closely following. Then he read Grid¡¯s intentions and swung his ws. The ws pierced Grid¡¯s chest but it was pointless.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid used Open Potential, ignored the blow, and narrowed the distance with Jad. His ultimate sword dance literally dominated the space as it mmed into Jad and turned the half-draconian to grey ash. It wasn¡¯t until the final moment that Jad realized¡ªhis experience, skills, and even physical abilities, they were all inferior to Grid. He realized that the fear he first experienced was real, not an illusion.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Thest survivor of the half-draconians had been watching from below the stage and hurriedly fled. He was a half-draconian who liked to fight but he didn¡¯t want to die. Then Duke Steim and the knights blocked and surrounded his way.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± The half-draconians resisted but it was relentless. The knights of the north had umted a lot of experience and training and were capable of withstanding the half-draconian¡¯s strikes. They earned a small amount of time for Grid to arrive and overpower the half-draconian.


    Grid grabbed the half-draconian¡¯s head and whispered, ¡°Guide us to the ce where your leader is.¡±


    ¡°U-Understood!¡±


    It was an order that he had no reason to be rejected. There were 28 half-draconians at their base, including Helena and five senior warriors. Once Grid led all of Frontier¡¯s forces, it was death that awaited them. The disbelieving half-draconian started to take the lead.


    Then he was suddenly filled with doubts. There were only three people following him. It was Grid, a vampire, and a woman who joined at some point. ¡®Are they crazy?¡¯


    They were entering the tiger¡¯s cave with only three people? Well, it didn¡¯t matter. He wanted to quickly see their faces twisted with fear and pain...


    After speeding up the pace, the half-draconian arrived in the Chaos Mountains and guided Grid¡¯s group deeper. The half-draconian was busy guarding against the monsters in front of him and Grid behind him. Therefore, he didn¡¯t notice that lights kept falling from the sky. Every time the light dropped, the number of people in Grid¡¯s party increased. All of Grid¡¯s knights including Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, Asmophel, Jude, and the 10 meritorious retainers participated in the procession.


    ¡®I have to level up.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s purpose wasn¡¯t just about the half-draconians. This was a top-level hunting ground where even Grid couldn¡¯t hunt alone. This was the Chaos Mountains so he nned for a group hunt.

 Chapter 1241

    ¡°That¡¯s it for today.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°You are senior warriors and you can¡¯t evenst for 10 minutes? Tsk, you fools.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m fortunate not to be overwhelmed in 10 seconds.¡±


    The lifespan of the half-draconians was 150 years. Their natural physical abilities were so excellent that they rarely died of illnesses or idents. However, the half-draconians didn¡¯t have a high poption. It was barely maintained at 300 people for the past millennium. Was it because they killed each other at the festival (rankingpetition) that ranked their kin?


    No. It could be seen from the effect of the contract between Grid and Hao that the aggressiveness of the half-draconians was somewhat repressed among those of the same race. It was surprisingly rare for a festival to cause casualties. Even so, the reason for the small poption of the half-draconians was simple.


    Their breeding capacity was low. There were too many fetuses that died because they couldn¡¯t bear the evil blood of Bunhelier flowing through the mother¡¯s body. That¡¯s right. 30 out of 300¡ªthe reason why Helena was chased by a small number of half-draconians, 10% of the poption, was because they were faithful to the instincts of racial reproduction. Her unborn baby would resemble Helena and would be strong enough to handle Bunhelier¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Can Helena set a new record today?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy... To increase the record, she has to enter a new realm. Such enlightenment is impossible in a day or two.¡±


    ¡°I hope she is patient and doesn¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    Juless, Zepiro, Caspar, Nabalt, and Helga¡ªthey were five out of only 20 senior warriors across the entire half-draconian race. Nevertheless, they failed to break through the beginning of the seventh ridge. If they worked together then they could easily break through but for half-draconians, fights should be done on their own. There was no concept of cooperation.


    They looked at the top of the mountain in the distance. The sun seemed to explode. Every time a red light shed in the gray sky, there was the faint sound of an explosion through the blizzard. By now, hell would¡¯ve unfolded on the field. Half of the high peaks would¡¯ve been smashed and Helena would be the only living creature on thend.


    Duguen, duguen, dugeun.


    The hearts of the senior warriors thumped. They imagined Helena ughtering the top monsters and their trust and affection toward her were infinitelyrge. They wanted to pair up with Helena no matter what. They wanted to be picked by her to father her child and carve their mark on the world.


    ¡®...I have to be strong.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the time to be absent-minded. They needed to fight, gain experience, and build up their skills on the sixth ridge.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t had a drink for a long time.¡¯


    It was around the time for Jad toe back. He said he woulde back with 100 wagons of alcohol so their mouths were already watering. The five senior warriors wiped the saliva that flowed at the thought of the man-made alcohol. They waited for the wagon procession at the beginning of the sixth ridge. More than an hour passed and they felt a bit anxious because they couldn¡¯t see any signs of the procession.


    ¡°Did they get dyed by monsters?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? 15 low-grade and five intermediate warriors were sent to the third ridge to escort the procession. How could they be dyed by monsters?¡±


    ¡°Were they slowed by the sanju?¡±


    ¡°They clearly know how to avoid the sanju. How can this be?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... It is better to go out and meet them.¡±


    Caspar, the most cautious of the five senior warriors, stepped forward. He was reminded of the weakness of the human race. There were only a handful of strong humans such as the grandmaster, the dukes, and the single-digit Red Knights. Most humans were infinitely weak so it was highly likely they were holding back the warriors.


    ¡®It will be hard for Jad to fight while protecting the humans dragging the wagons.¡¯


    A few wagons might be lost. He didn¡¯t want this to happen.


    p. He spread out his wings and started to glide down. He moved in an instant from the summit of the sixth ridge to the middle of the fifth ridge and examined the traces in his surroundings, but the white snow was clean without any traces. There were no human footprints, let alone the hooves of horses.


    ¡®Are they still only on the fourth ridge?¡¯


    After investigating the traces, Caspar flew to the top of the fifth ridge and spread open his wings again. He waited for the proper wind direction and descended toward the fourth ridge.


    ¡°......¡±


    There were few movements on the fourth ridge. It was only infested with misceneous monsters. It was strange. After dealing with the sacrifice sent by Frontier, they needed to order the lord to collect the wine, food, and clothing and prepare the wagons. Based on these misceneous processes, it was normal to arrive at the fifth ridge by now yet they hadn¡¯t even reached the fourth ridge.


    ¡®Did the event take that long?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the sacrificialmb sent by Frontier had unexpected skills. Didn¡¯t Helena always tell them? It would be arrogant to evaluate human abilities based on the empire.


    ¡®There was the exception of the Undefeated King. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it takes longer than expected.¡¯


    Caspar was reminded of the record of the Undefeated King, the person who confounded the empire a long time ago. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t take into ount the loss of his kin. His assessment was that there were too many exaggerations in Madra¡¯s record. It was natural. What idiot in the world would believe that a human ughtered hundreds of thousands of imperial forces on his own? Even if this was a real person, the possibility of someone like the Undefeated King being in Frontier was close to zero.


    Caspar killed the monsters like they were moths and passed the summit of the fourth ridge to reach the middle of the third ridge.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Suddenly, an avnche urred. Hundreds of snowballs rolled down from the top like a tsunami. The even more spectacr thing was the fact that the volume of the snowballs was growing every minute. Caspar got goosebumps. He realized that his dragon scales would be useless in front of the huge snowballs containing rocks. He would be killed the moment he collided with a snowball.


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    The half-draconians weren¡¯t the type to sumb to nature. Caspar snorted to get rid of his fear and spread his wings to fly up. He got motion sickness from the shaking scenery. The snowballs that grew to over 10 meters in volume passed just by the soles of his feet and he could feel their temperature.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    How much time passed? The avnche stopped as he floated in the sky. Hundreds of snowballs fell from the top to the ground, creating a new mountain.


    ¡®Was it aimed at me?¡¯


    The timing of the avnche was too exquisite to be coincidental. Anxiety rose in Caspar¡¯s heart as he looked at the top of the tranquil mountain. Did Jad¡¯s party get hit in Frontier? Did the humans deliberately cause an avnche here when they knew the half-draconians wereing? What happened to his kin who had gone to meet Jad?


    ...He didn¡¯t have such anxieties or suspicions. Caspar didn¡¯t even consider that this was a man-made situation. The sanju existed on each ridge. They were monsters that even Helena was troubled by.


    ¡®The long procession of wagons might¡¯ve caught the attention of the sanju, the master of the mountains.¡¯


    The sanju disliked outsiders who entered their home. The half-draconians knew this fact since they first arrived at the mountain ridge. Thus, they memorized the location of the sanju¡¯sirs and avoided these ces as much as possible. This was only possible because they had a handful of elites.


    Ordinary humans didn¡¯t have the ability to evade the gaze of the sanju. Jad¡¯s group would¡¯ve led the procession to avoid theirs of the sanju but the slow and noisy procession of humans might¡¯ve caught the sanju¡¯s attention. If the sanju woke up...


    ¡®The procession would be wiped out.¡¯


    Additionally, he would be in danger. The sanju of the Chaos Mountains were beasts mentioned in ancient myths. They were weakpared to the hydra but they were strong and difficult to deal with in their domain. It happened when Caspar was in a hurry to escape from here...


    There was a loud noise and a sanju fell down from the top of the mountain. It was also at a tremendous speed.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Caspar was frightened when he met the red and furious eyes of the falling sanju. He never dreamed that the sanju would leave itsir to attack him.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Caspar hastily transformed. His body size increased and scales appeared all over his body as he prepared for the attack of the sanju. However, the sanju just passed by Caspar. Then it hit the ground. The creature huddled in the small mountain made by the snowballs and flinched.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Caspar btedly noticed that the gray fur of the sanju waspletely dyed red and his eyes widened. The sanju¡¯s fur waspletely covered with blood. The sanju was moaning while dying.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    In the sanju¡¯s territory, there were rules that were one-sidedly advantageous to the sanju. This was why Helena and her 30 followers decided they couldn¡¯t harm the sanju and avoided them. Nevertheless, the sanju started turning to gray ash. A beast from the myths was dying quietly.


    Caspar doubted if he was seeing correctly. He was wary that he had already been cursed by the sanju.


    It happened as Caspar¡¯s chaos was reaching the peak...


    ¡°How boring.¡±


    A light shone and a man appeared. He gave off a sense of alienation too strange for a human. This smell...


    ¡°...A vampire?¡±


    Why was a vampire here? Wasn¡¯t this race cursed so they couldn¡¯t leave their realm? The silver-haired man turned his attention to the vignt Caspar. Then he smiled and reached out to the sky.


    "Here."


    sh!


    A magic circle was drawn in the air in an instant and turned red. A dozen humans fell down from the magic circle along with the light. The surrounded Caspar¡¯s tension skyrocketed.


    ¡°Aaaack!¡±


    ¡°This is crazy! We can¡¯t fly!¡±


    However, more than half of the humans who surrounded Caspar crashed into the ground. There were a few humans who couldn¡¯t fly who still maintained their dignity. One human hurriedly nted a tree and hung from the branches while another spread out silver wings and slowly descended.


    Only two of the people surrounding Caspar maintained aplete flight. It was the unidentified vampire and a ck-haired human.


    Caspar regained hisposure and asked the two people, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you swing your fists before asking a question? A half-draconian is moving his mouth before his hands?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Caspar¡¯s instincts that had been suppressed by being flustered and feeling wary were now seething. He felt a strong sense of struggle toward the silver-haired vampire who was speaking arrogantly to him and swung his ws. However, his ws were shattered and scattered as powder before they even reached the vampire. Caspar was trapped in a storm of sharp winds.


    The vampire¡¯s voice could be heard over the storm, ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    "How should I know?"


    ¡°I showed you this magic yet you don¡¯t know who I am? You are a vige lizard who isn¡¯t very knowledgeable.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Caspar¡¯s heart sank. The most arrogant being in the world. The only vampire to have studied human magic. Only one existence came to mind. ¡°B-Braham?¡±


    The storm that surrounded Caspar became violent. He turned to gray ash and became nutrients for Braham¡¯s party. All the items he dropped quietly filled the inventory of the party leader, Grid.

 Chapter 1242

    Common sense was usually an immutable truth. Common sense was born from the knowledge and experience of predecessors and it was never easily reversed.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The low-grade warrior Kube hadmon sense. In hismon sense, the senior warriors were the best talents representing the half-draconians. They developed at the moment of crisis, were never easily defeated, and could create reversals in bad situations. The senior warriors seemed like those who monopolized all the blessings in the world.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!"


    Kube couldn¡¯t believe it despite witnessing the senior warrior Caspar being ughtered like livestock. Reality started to feel like a dream.


    ¡°H-Hahaha...! I see! I was dreaming!¡±


    When had this dream started? Was it from when Praba had been defeated by an unknown knight of this city on the outskirts? Was it from the moment Jad died? Or was it when he was caught as a ve to humans? No, unfortunately, these things were reality. The beginning of the dream obviously started recently. The dream must¡¯ve started from when the people walking behind him were three people only to suddenly increase to 16.


    From the moment he saw the sanju being killed, his sense of reality waspletely gone. Yes, it was a dream. If it wasn¡¯t a dream then a great senior warrior wouldn¡¯t have been killed in a single magic blow.


    ¡°Kuahahahat!¡±


    Kube grabbed his belly and startedughing. He struggled to wake up from this dream. Yet no matter how loudly heughed or how hard he pped his cheeks, he couldn¡¯t wake up from his dream. Soon after, Grid¡¯s group gathered in one ce while ignoring Kube who had copsed with despair.


    ¡°I broke my arm.¡±


    Vantner had blood staining his red forehead and stuck out his arms. He pointed to his colleagues, who had both big and small wounds, and questioned Braham, ¡°Are you crazy? Why would you summon people in the air? We can¡¯t fly like you or Grid! We can¡¯t fly! Do I have to tell you a few times for you to understand?¡±


    ¡°It is pathetic to see you bragging about your ipetence.¡±


    ¡°This bullshit...! I¡¯m not a magician. I can¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°Grid isn¡¯t a magician.¡±


    ¡°It is the power of items!¡±


    ¡°Yes, then you can solve it with items.¡±


    ¡°How is it easy to get such items?¡±


    ¡°Then learn magic.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Among the 10 meritorious retainers...


    Vantner, who was famous for his baldness in the Overgeared Guild, wasn¡¯t picky about people. He gave them the same respect regardless of their status, age, gender, or race. If the other party didn¡¯t respect him then he would curse them. He was equal to everyone and was honest about his feelings without any pretenses. Surprisingly, Braham liked him.


    Everyone else in the Overgeared Guild distanced themselves from him out of fear or respect. Meanwhile, Vantner screamed at him like a fearless puppy and he found it cute. Braham felt a sense of trust because Vantner¡¯s personality meant he wouldn¡¯t deceive anyone.


    ¡°C-Can I learn magic?¡±


    ¡°The enhanced magic is hard but normal low-grade magic is easy to learn as long as it is supported by intelligence. Of course, you need me to be your teacher.¡±


    Braham was a genius among geniuses and had gone beyond a legend to reach the realm of pursuing bing a myth. He had the confidence to teach magic without caring about sses. His words were shocking. Vantner and the other members of the 10 meritorious retainers were excited when they imagined the Overgeared members using magic in the future. There was just one problem: ording to Braham¡¯s standards, most of the people in the world were idiots. Braham had to know¡ªit was a fact that Grid¡¯s intelligence (stat) belonged to the very high side.


    ¡°...You can¡¯t even understand this form?¡± Braham questioned.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Vantner was flustered by Braham¡¯s question after understanding after only one minute. He didn¡¯t hide his eyes that wondered ¡®Is this person crazy?¡¯.


    Braham sighed, left him behind, and approached Grid. Grid was checking the condition of the leather left behind by the sanju. His expression didn¡¯t look very good.


    ¡°This is also cursed.¡±


    Satisfy often had cursed items. In the case of cursed equipment, if they were worn then they couldn¡¯t be removed again. Meanwhile, cursed consumables caused a disease. Finally, the cursed materials couldn¡¯t be used as material items so they were actually trash.


    However, the sanju only dropped cursed items. If it was a good equipment item then it could be sold to someone who would use it for their lifetime. However, the sanju only dropped worthless material items.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in my warehouse.¡±


    Grid collected the sanju¡¯s cursed leather and put it in his inventory. It seemed like the half-draconian Caspar hadn¡¯t dropped any items but no one was arguing about it. It was a long tradition when hunting with Grid that the Overgeared members would let Grid take all the loot.


    ¡°What experience percentage did you get?¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers only cared about their level. The members of the 10 meritorious retainers answered Jishuka¡¯s question sequentially.


    ¡°I got 1.8%.¡±


    ¡°I got 1.74.¡±


    Vantner and Huroi were only in theirte 380s and they gained nearly 2% experience.


    ¡°I got 0.78%.¡±


    ¡°I am around the same.¡±


    Pon, Regas, Jishuka, and Faker were around level 390 and they got an average of 0.8% experience.


    ¡°I am 0.5%.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the same.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Katz, Euphemina, and Yura were in the mid 399s and they gained exactly 0.5%.


    ¡°I got 0.2%.¡¯


    This was Chris¡¯ answer. It was an unprecedented achievement. In just four hours, the 10 meritorious retainers had gained a lot of experience. On the first ridge, the majority of monsters were below level 200 so the hunting only officially started from the third ridge. Considering the long time it took to cross the mountains, the actual hunting time was very small.


    It meant the Chaos Mountains were a better hunting ground than the Galgunos Temple. Braham¡¯s care also helped. The fact that Braham was over level 500 meant he got no experience from the monsters on the third ridge. Thus, he used magic to trap the monsters and allowed the 10 meritorious retainers to kill them.


    This was the secret behind the hunting speed of the 10 meritorious retainers doubling.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi?¡± Yura asked carefully.


    Grid was partying with the 10 meritorious retainers despite being level 408. He also took a lot of time to repair the items of hispanions. Yura was worried that Grid alone would fall behind while trying to help hispanions. Grid replied as he checked the contents of the title ¡®Myth Usurper¡¯ that he gained from killing the sanju.


    ¡°I got 2.3%.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Grid exined to the 10 meritorious retainers who doubted their ears.


    ¡°Ah, it is thanks to the enlightenment effect. My experience increases when repairing items and it also increases in the process of raiding the boss. Therefore, my growth rate has increased significantly.¡±


    ¡°Enlightenment? Is it simr to the Enlightenment Sword?¡±


    The Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires¡ªit was the sword that Grid had favored for many years and it had the skill ¡®Enlightenment¡¯ attached to it. It increased character experience and skill experience acquisition by 10%, and uracy and evasion by 20%.


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°It is one of the reasons for the increase in experience. However, the enlightenment I¡¯m talking about is different.¡±


    Grid started to describe the fourth advancement (awakening) public system. The 10 meritorious retainers were greatly impacted by the realization that they could gain experience through continuousbat or activities rted to their ss.


    ¡°So the conclusion is that you will grow faster starting from level 400. In particr, levels 397 to 399 is hell so you have to be prepared.¡±


    An average yer would enjoy enlightenment as soon as they reached level 400 while Grid only enjoyed it after reaching level 408. It was really disgusting for Grid. However, Grid didn¡¯t tell this hidden story. He didn¡¯t want to seem stupid in front of Yura and Jishuka.


    Now Grid was very conscious of the two people. They were two of the most beautiful people in the world, regardless of whether it was in game or in reality. It was natural for him to be conscious of it. Thanks to this, the 10 meritorious retainers were greatly mistaken.


    ¡®It is because of enlightenment that Grid grew rapidly on the East Continent.¡¯


    ¡®I thought the beginning of true hell was level 400 but it is actually the beginning of spring.¡¯


    ¡®The level 300s is a gateway process. It is a trial to be a true ranker.¡¯


    In fact, Grid would¡¯ve been above level 420 by now if he visited the Tower of Wisdom before the East Continent. The only person in the world who knew the sad truth was Grid.


    ¡®...No, the operators also know.¡¯


    Grid blushed at the thought of the operatorsughing while monitoring his foolishness. His enthusiasm was fueled by great anger.


    ¡°We should move on to the next ridge.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±


    [Myth Usurper]


    [* You have defeated the sanju, who has taken part in a myth, and engraved your name onto the myth the sanju appeared in. (the mythical sanju has the form ter beaten by Grid¡¯.)


    * Attack power and magical attack power will significantly increase during battles with mythical monsters.


    * If you encounter a mythical presence, there is a normal probability of overwhelming them.]


    Myth Usurper¡ªit was a title that Grid, Grid¡¯s knights, and the 10 meritorious retainers gained from killing the sanju. It was the same title as Braham¡¯s Myth Usurper but the details and effects were different. The main difference was:


    [* You are qualified to upgrade your ss rating to ¡®myth.¡¯


    * The special stat ¡®Deity¡¯ is opened.]


    It was that these two special effects were excluded. The sanju was only part of ¡®one¡¯ myth while the hydra was part of ¡®many¡¯ myths. The sanju might be mythical beings like the hydra but their influence was different. It was very disappointing from Grid¡¯s position.


    How good would it have been if Piaro, Mercedes, Asmophel, Jude, and the 10 meritorious retainers were qualified to be myths? Still, the 10 meritorious retainers didn¡¯t know the details and were just excited about gaining a new title. Grid had no intention of wrecking this atmosphere.


    ¡®I should think positively.¡¯


    Myth Usurper had enough value in its present state alone. It was one of the few titles that could threaten mythical existences. If they could use this title to defeat a myth on the level of the hydra or a real god, they might one day qualify to be a myth.


    Grid soothed his heart and ordered the dazed Kube, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°U-Understood.¡±


    Kube felt it since the first time he saw this human but it was a really strong sense of pressure. Kube gulped and walked in a hurry. This time, he didn¡¯t dare invade the area of the sanju. He had learned that the sanju couldn¡¯t hurt them. Originally, the n was tough and enjoy as these humans were eaten by the sanju but instead, the sanju was eaten...


    Now that he learned the senior warriors were no match for them, Kube had only one person he could rely on: Helena, the half-draconian princess who should¡¯ve originally been the lord.

 Chapter 1243

    Helena was the only one who could stop them...


    Kube made this judgment and started avoiding the territory of the sanju. He didn¡¯t take any risks and led Grid to the colony of the half-draconians. As a result, Grid¡¯s group ushered in big changes. They didn¡¯t waste time wandering around and focused solely on hunting, resulting in more than three times the amount of experience earned. The difference was so huge that Chris, who originally gained 0.2% experience in four hours, actually gained 0.5% in two hours.


    ¡°Braham, thank you.¡±


    At level 397, Chris¡¯ average experience gain in a week was only 5-6%. It was possible because he left the position of lord and hunted in the Galgunos Temple. He asionally gained extra experience when he got a hidden question but it was only a story for when he was lucky.


    Chris felt deep gratitude and liking toward Braham. He wondered when he would enjoy being on such a luxurious bus again. Braham responded coldly to his thanks, ¡°Just don¡¯t hold Grid back.¡±


    Braham¡¯s favor for the 10 meritorious retainers was ultimately an act for Grid. Grid wanted the growth of the 10 meritorious retainers so he was helping them hunt. He wasn¡¯t doing it as a favor for the 10 meritorious retainers.


    Chris smiled at Braham¡¯s clear attitude of drawing a line between them. He wondered how much effort and time Grid had invested to make such a cold person his own. Chris once again realized how monstrous Grid was for taking care of his surroundings while maintaining his first ce ranking, unlike Chris who resigned as the lord to raise his level.


    Grid frowned from where he was in the lead.


    ¡®The experience gain isn¡¯t great.¡¯


    The secret to the high amount of experience gained by Grid was the sanju raid. Since the process of raiding a mythical beast itself gave experience, he umted more experience than killing hundreds or thousands of misceneous monsters. The average method of hunting meant he had a slower experience gain than Chris. Thanks to the Enlightenment Sword and Nefelina¡¯s blessing, the passive increase in the amount of experience acquired from enlightenment was overshadowed.


    Well, it was natural considering the level difference. He just couldn¡¯t understand why the efficiency gap between ordinary hunting and raids was sorge...


    ¡®...No, wait. Isn¡¯t this actually good?¡¯


    Ever since the enlightenment system awakened, raids were many times more efficient than hunting. This was good news for Grid. Originally, Grid leveled up with raids rather than hunting. Unlike others, he was capable of solo raids. Grid, who mainly raised his level using raids, was able to take advantage of the enlightenment system.


    ¡®Maybe this...¡¯


    His growth rate in the future might exceed expectations. The average user would be caught in the 300s for the next two years while he might be looking at level 500.


    ¡®That is when the level gap with named NPCs will be greatly narrowed.¡¯


    If the opportunity to kill the expelled gods came...


    Grid thought up to here and increased the speed of his breakthrough. The half-draconian encounter on the second ridge could happen again so he started to overuse his sword dances. Of course, the sword dances with long cooldowns were excluded. He stuck to using single sword dances.


    ¡°...!¡±


    All the actions of the 10 meritorious retainers stopped. The monsters of the fifth ridge¡ªthey were exposed to Braham¡¯s debuffs and Huroi¡¯s curses and were weakened. The average time it took to kill them was around 15 seconds. The monsters were a huge level 430. The 10 meritorious retainers saw they were much stronger than the past and their pride soared into the sky.


    However, Grid shattered the pride of the 10 meritorious retainers in an instant. The 10 meritorious retainers watched Grid killing the monsters with a single blow and realized a new fact.


    ¡®Had he been only basic attacks until now?¡¯


    A little while ago, Grid killed monsters at an average speed of one every five seconds. It was three times faster than the 10 meritorious retainers. From the viewpoint of the 10 meritorious retainers, it was believed that Grid was mixing in skills. They were mistaken. It was an illusion caused by Grid decreasing the habit of calling out the skill name after Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship changed to Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°...It is the effect of basic attacks.¡±


    There was a brief break when the single sword dances were on cooldown. The 10 meritorious retainers couldn¡¯t keep their mouths shut as they watched Grid start using only basic attacks again. Exploding mes, lightning, soaring thorns, and fiery fighting energy. Grid¡¯s status was enhanced with all the effects of his items and titles so the performance of his basic attacks were worthy of being someone¡¯s ultimate techniques. It was strange to think that they were basic attacks, not skills.


    ¡°...It seems we¡¯re about to reach our destination.¡±


    Grid aimed precisely at the wings of a level 470 pterosaur with Magic Missile, forcing it to crash. Then Grid used Kill, trampled on its huge head, and wiped away his sweat. The monsters he just killed were turning into gray ash from left to right. This meant that he killed new monsters even before the death animations of the previous monsters were over.


    The 10 meritorious retainers were busy admiring Grid while his knights stepped forward.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯ll take the lead from here.¡±


    The monsters of the sixth ridge were in their early 400s. However, monsters in thete 400s were appearing. It was proof that they had reached the depths of the mountains. Unless Kube¡¯s words were false, the home of the half-draconians would be nearby.


    ¡®It would be ridiculous if the half-draconians have built their home on the seventh ridge.¡¯


    Grid was fully aware of the power of the half-draconians. The level of the senior warriors he was wary of were below the Seven Dukes. Based on the overall level, they couldn¡¯t survive the seventh ridge.


    ¡®The level of the leader is obviously high but it will be simr to Teruchan... trying to dominate Frontier with only this much power? Foolish guys.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t understand their targets at all. This was Grid¡¯s evaluation of the half-draconians. It was a very wrong evaluation. A single digit Red Knight could conquer a small kingdom alone...


    Originally, this wasmon sense on the West Continent. Helena¡¯s power, along with intermediate warriorsparable to single digit Red Knights, and the five senior warriors beyond them, was a power that could dominate a single kingdom. It was just that the Overgeared Kingdom was special. The reason why the half-draconians didn¡¯t conquer Frontier wasn¡¯t because they were weak. It was because the Overgeared Kingdom was strong.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The half-draconian Kube walking with Grid flinched. He had already witnessed the power of the farmers, the little vampire, and the knights. Apart from Jude who looked ipetent, all of them were powerful peopleparable to Grid. Kube felt great anxiety as they took the lead. He felt that it would be hard for even Helena to handle theirbined attacks.


    ¡®Helena, you need to deal with these useless ones first before you have a chance to win.¡¯


    Kube was ncing at the 10 meritorious retainers in the rear with regret.


    ¡°Attack.¡±


    Then Kube heard a familiar voice. Grid¡¯s gaze turned in the direction of the voice. A gap in a steep hillside that seemed impossible for anyone to stand on. ck rays were being fired from there.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    The Breath of the half-draconians¡ªthe five rays of power that had never been seen before were aimed precisely at the 10 meritorious retainers in the rear. This meant the half-draconian had an urate understanding of who was weak and who was strong in Grid¡¯s group.


    Grid hurriedly flew and grabbed Yura and Jishuka. Thanks to the Holy Light Shield, which he made as a spare, he was able to feel the power of the Breath weakening rapidly after it collided with the shield. Grid changed the angle of the shield to twist the trajectory of the Breath and looked around.


    Meanwhile, Mercedes, Asmophel, and Noll acted like Grid and protected the other members of the 10 meritorious retainers. Their swords, shields, and magic twisted or destroyed the Breaths¡¯ trajectory. Just one person...


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Piaro was still struggling to shake off the Breath. The two bean trees that he nted were tightly intertwined together to block the Breath but they didn¡¯t seem able to handle it based on the way they shook and cracked.


    ¡°Piaro!¡±


    ¡°Sir Piaro!¡±


    Grid, Mercedes, and Asmophel flew over. They supported the two bean trees and Piaro by standing behind his shaking back, empowering him. Then their eyes widened at the same time. The power of the Breath was beyond imagination. Grid, Mercedes, and Asmophel shook as they supported Piaro¡¯s back with their hands.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Asmophel was the first to cough up blood. He had an internal injury and hisplexion was bluish-white. However, he never let go of the hand supporting Piaro¡¯s back. This made him the first target.


    ¡°What courage do you have toe all this way when you can¡¯t even hold out against the Breath?¡±


    Glowing orange hair disturbed their vision.


    Mercedes¡ªthe first one to respond¡ªswung her sword. However, she was unable to use her full power due to her other hand supporting Piaro. Did the female half-draconian notice it? She didn¡¯t guard against Mercedes¡¯ sword. The scales on the shoulders of the female half-draconians fell after being shed by Mercedes¡¯ sword.


    The ws of the female half-draconian easily pierced Asmophel¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Asmophel...!¡± Grid¡¯s anger soared sharply when he witnessed his colleague¡¯s crisis. However, he couldn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t disregard the enemy who tied up Piaro with a single Breath while reducing Asmophel¡¯s health by one-third with one blow. Grid remained calm instead of being carried away by his anger. It was only after confirming that the energy of the Breath aimed at Piaro was fading away that Grid released the hand supporting Piaro¡¯s back and rushed at the female half-draconian.


    0.5 seconds. The eyes of the female half-draconian turned from observing others toward Grid. Then the Breath shot from her bewitching mouth flew at Grid.


    ¡®It is serious!¡¯


    ¡°...?!¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he pulled out the Holy Light Shield and blocked the Breath. The half-draconian¡¯s Breath didn¡¯t disappear after colliding with the shield and caused all types of debuffs.


    [You have been exposed to the evil spirit of the evil dragon. The powerful strength of the Breath has suppressed your body. You won¡¯t be able to move for 5 seconds until the Breath disappears.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [The evil dragon¡¯s evil spirit will rot your body from the inside. The ¡®poisoned,¡¯ ¡®bleeding,¡¯ and ¡®internal injuries¡¯ abnormal statuses have urred.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The evil dragon¡¯s evil spirit has cursed you. For the next 10 seconds, skills and magic casting speed is reduced by two times while dodge rate and hit rate are reduced by 80% for 5 seconds.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    The ability to ignore resistances to abnormal statuses¡ªit was usually the sole possession of absolute beings, and it crippled Grid for a while. Grid¡¯s trembling gaze was fixed on the top of the head of the female half-draconian. Helena¡ªher brightly colored name was exceptionally dazzling.

 Chapter 1244

    His transcendent senses woke up from where they had been sleeping for a while and warned Grid. It happened the moment Grid was gulping...


    sh!


    A huge spear of light appeared in the sky. It was Disintegrate. The identity of the spear that fell toward Helena¡¯s head was the spell of the highest level that rarely appeared even in legends. For some reason, it was a technique that Braham had kept hidden.


    ¡®As expected of Braham!¡¯


    It was an exquisite and deadly attack worthy of a legendary magician.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Grid admired Braham¡¯s attack and anticipated Helena¡¯s death, only for his heart to sink. A shield of hard magic that spread around Helena blocked the spear of light. He could hear Braham clicking his tongue. ¡°That enemy is under the protection of the dragon. The magic won¡¯t work until you get rid of that protection.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Again?!¡± Why didn¡¯t magic work at every important moment? Grid felt resentment at Braham¡¯s diminished power since bing his teammate. He felt frustrated because he didn¡¯t know about Braham ughtering the yangbans at the expense of one arm.


    Braham scoffed at the bewildered Grid. ¡°You have to break her protection first if you want me to y an active part.¡±


    Braham wasn¡¯t bluffing¡ªoriginally, the dragon species itself was the worst enemy for a magician and Helena was endlessly close to a dragon.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Grid was reminded about how Braham merely ¡®survived¡¯ Fire Dragon Trauka and recognized the seriousness of the situation. Now it was time for Grid to y an active role, not Braham...


    Grid hardened his determination while recalling his battle with Teruchan. The peak person of a species received tremendous level benefits. Since the half-draconians appeared muchter than the Twilight Orcs, Helena¡¯s level was clearly over the mid-500s.


    ¡®It will be tough.¡¯


    Braham was the only person in Grid¡¯s party who had achieved level 500. However, Braham was helpless against Helena. Those who could fight had to take into ount the level difference. There would certainly be a gap due to the difference in awakenings. Additionally, Helena neutralized one or more of his teammates every time she fired a Breath and it would be a tougher fight than expected.


    Indeed, Helena proved to be a formidable opponent and Mercedes was floating in the sky helplessly. She had been aiming for a pincer attack the moment Braham¡¯s magic wasunched. However, the magic didn¡¯t y any role and she suffered a setback alone. She dropped to the ground with a bit of her health consumed. Grid confirmed her shield was crushed and tapped on it a few times with a hammer.


    In exchange for repairing the equipment that had lost a significant drop in durability, Grid gained 0.002% experience and Mercedes¡¯ shield became as good as new. Mercedes wiped away the blood on her mouth and stared at Helena with distinctive eyes.


    Rather, it was Helena who was the agitated one. ¡°You reacted to this?¡±


    The half-draconian families named after Bun or Hel¡ªamong them, those who were qualified as the lords had two powers each: Bunhelier¡¯s Curse and Bunhelier¡¯s Blessing. The Bun family had the curse ced on their ws, allowing them topletely ignore the defense of the target while causing abnormal conditions. Meanwhile, the blessing allowed their wings to maintain the speed of the wind.


    On the other hand, the Hel family¡¯s curse was in their Breath, incapacitating the target. The blessing filled their scales with magic and allowed them to ignore the magic attack of the other party. It was hard to say which one was stronger as they each had different advantages. It was why the Bun and Hel families had been forced to cooperate for many years.


    In fact, the Bun and Hel families were inseparable¡ªit was only when the two families cooperated that the half-draconians became the strongest race. If Bun and Hel were together then the half-draconians would¡¯ve easily eliminated the sanju who were resistant to their curses. They would be able to properly deal with Grid.


    However, the current Helena was alone and she felt nervous. Grid and Piaro resisted some of her curses while Mercedes read and stopped her tail attack. Helena¡¯s tension reached an all-time high as she alternated looking between the three people.


    ¡®There are three legends. I might get killed this way.¡¯


    Duguen, dugeun, dugeun...


    The concept of defeat and death was familiar to Helena. She was smiling. Perhaps this was herst battle. This was a blessing for half-draconians.


    ¡°...Okay, let¡¯s have fun.¡±


    Death was the fate of all living beings¡ªsince it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience she had to go through eventually, it was better to fight splendidly than to experience a meaningless peace. Helena¡¯s entire body became covered with dark scales. A huge shadow cast by the long, outstretched wings covered the snowy field and it seemed like darkness hade to the world.


    ¡°Ohh, Helena!¡±


    The four senior warriors fighting the 10 meritorious retainers were thrilled to see Helena in her transformed state. It had been decades since they had witnessed Helena¡¯s transformation. Her beautiful appearance they thought would only be seen when she encountered the grandmaster thrilled the senior warriors.


    ¡°What...¡±


    All the 10 meritorious retainers except for Yura trembled. A huge fear dominated them. It was due to the overbearing effect of Helena¡¯s transformation.


    ¡°Hahahat!¡±


    The cockroach-like humans started to fall down one by one and the momentum of the senior warriors rose. They, too, started to transform. It was a game-changer for the battlefield. The unsuspecting senior warriors, believing in their victory, approached the 10 meritorious retainers with amanding presence. They were prepared to kill these frightened humans.


    It was at this time...


    ¡°Hell Summoning.¡±


    Yura reversed the space¡ªshe brought all the 10 meritorious retainers, including herself, and the senior warriors to the depths of hell.


    [The evil dragon¡¯s evil spirit has disappeared.]


    The 10 meritorious retainers were freed from Helena¡¯s terror.


    [All stats are reduced in hell.]


    A new penalty caused their bodies to be heavy but it was the same for the half-draconians.


    ¡°This ce...?¡±


    There was a red moon with hundreds or thousands of eyes, ava river, and hot earth that hurt their throats every time they swallowed. It was the worst environment that made the difficult to live in Chaos Mountains feel like heaven to the senior warriors.


    Yura¡¯s sniper rifle was aiming for their scales that were hot from the heat of hell. A magic bullet was fired and left behind an emerald trail. The half-draconians couldn¡¯t respond to the attack that would¡¯ve been difficult to read even in perfect condition.


    ¡°...Keok!¡±


    A pained scream echoed. A senior warrior was shot in the chest by a magic bullet and had his scales broken. Then he saw a human pulling at a bow while ridiculing him.


    ¡°Come on, is this your first time in hell?¡±


    Jishuka mocked the enemy in ce of the reticent Yura and her arrow rotated as it flew and precisely embedded in the chest of the senior warrior. The senior warrior had already lost his scales due to Yura¡¯s sniping and felt a terrible pain as his skin, flesh, and then heart were prated in turn.


    In Grid¡¯s absence, hispanions were ying an active role.


    ***


    The moment the momentum of the half-draconians rose and the battlefield changed...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Helena shook her head as all the senior warriors suddenly disappeared. Still, her doubts onlysted a moment and she didn¡¯t hesitate. She knew that if any of the senior warriors were left behind, they would only be victims of Braham.


    ¡®Rather, this is better.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just the senior warriors who disappeared. 10 humans who wouldn¡¯t stand by had also disappeared, making Helena feel relieved. Helena¡¯s long tail unfolded as her eyes fixed on a man in a straw hat. Helena was most wary of the man squatting and digging up the snow field with a hoe. Her instincts as abat race was warning her to be most vignt of him.


    However, this was wrong. She was wary of the variables that would result from Piaro¡¯s unknown behavior but in fact, she should be wary of Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Helena¡¯s eyes widened. Her attack on the man in the straw hat was once again blocked by a silver-haired female. It was already the second time. This absolutely couldn¡¯t be a coincidence.


    ¡°You were the problem.¡±


    Helena finally realized it and the scales on her chest rose like a hedgehog¡¯s spikes. Unlike the other half-draconians, she had severalyers of scales and she could fire them like bullets at her target. The continuously fired scales suppressed Mercedes. Mercedes was forced to defend against the scales that continued to be shot without stopping. She crouched behind her shield and bided her time.


    However, Helena didn¡¯t give her a chance. The Breath that was mixed in with the bombardment of scales neutralized Mercedes. No movements for five seconds¡ªMercedes was bound due to the irresistible curse and her eyes could only follow Helena as Helena flew toward Piaro who was still using a hoe. Her gleaming ws were poised to tear Piaro¡¯s body into six pieces.


    Of course, Piaro wasn¡¯t an easy target. He wasn¡¯t ploughing the field for no reason.


    ¡°Super Growth!¡±


    Green buds that had never been seen before in the Chaos Mountains rose in unison. Thend Piaro was stepping on was no longer a snowfield but an agricultural field.


    ¡°Sweet Potato Battering!¡±


    Piaro swung arge uprooted nt and countered Helena. At the same time...


    ¡°Pounding Mortar!¡±


    A huge concentration of pure energy fell from the torn sky. He used a secret technique and his ultimate technique at the same time. Piaro developed agricultural techniques based on the Matchless Heart Technique and reached a new level.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Helena looked flustered as she was briefly tied up and hit in the face by the flying sweet potatoes. Then the sight of a tool,monly used by humans to grind grain, was instead being used to reproduce a god¡¯s hammer caused her to feel strange, bewildered, and thrilled at the same time. For some reason, the belief that she could take another step forward if she won this battle made her act.


    ¡°Dragon de!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The trio of Mercedes, Grid, and Piaro were stunned and raised their eyebrows. It was because they saw a destructive energy emerge from Helena¡¯s ws to be like a de. There was a creepy cutting sound and cracks soon covered the mortar. Piaro¡¯s ultimate technique, which should¡¯ve crushed Helena and destroyed the mountain, was literally split in half and scattered into pieces of light.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Clearly, Pounding Mortar wasn¡¯t invincible. It was possible to offset or destroy it with an equal or greater attack power. Even so, Piaro was the pride of the Overgeared Kingdom. Pounding Mortar was his signature. The copse of Pounding Mortar came as a huge shock to Grid and Mercedes.


    Helena wasughing. ¡°Hahat!Hahahat! I am stronger! I have be stronger!¡±


    Allbat races had something inmon. The more they fought, the stronger they became. In particr, if they overcame difficult trials then they developed rapidly and felt pleasure. Despite the sweat, there was a refreshed expression on her face as she fell to the ground after destroying the sweet potatoes with a Breath. She looked forward to the despair of the man in the straw hat.


    Surprisingly, his eyes were shining. It was just like herself right now.


    ¡®Smiling?¡¯


    Helena was flustered. She instinctively realized that this person was the same as her. He would probably be a big threat if she didn¡¯t get rid of him here...


    ¡°Hoo...¡±


    Helena¡¯s breath emerged like a mist. She had taken a step forward in the battle and learned how to use the Breath more diversely. Rather than using the Breath as a simple attack, she used it to set up an environment suitable for herself. It was the blossoming of field magic. She already dominated Piaro and Mercedes due to the stats difference and now she would be reborn as an overwhelming presence.


    The tense Grid¡¯s thoughts reached up to here when he suddenly questioned something: If the biggest problem right now was the level difference... it wasn¡¯t a big problem? The reason was simple¡ªthe biggest problem with the level difference was the difference in stats, but Grid had stats that went beyond the level difference.


    ¡°Storm of the Fire God.¡±


    mes were oveid in the area that Helena¡¯s ck magic power was encroaching on. An infinite silver sword energy spread out amidst the mes. Grid, covered in fighting energy, and Helena, covered in dark magic power, faced each other in the midst of the mes.


    ¡°Get lost, young one. Your turn isst.¡±


    Helena fired a Breath with a smile and Grid gave up on responding. He would be stiff the moment it collided with him so it was right to give up.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Helena witnessed the Breath she fired being blocked by ck-gold hands and quickly used Dragon de on her ws. As the name suggested, it was a sword that embodied the aura of a dragon. Her ultimate technique that cut even Pounding Mortar aimed at the rushing Grid.


    Grid confronted it head on. ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    A five fusion sword dance possible due to Open Potential. One sword filled with the energy of a dragon collided with several des of sword energy, producing a huge shock wave. The silver sword energies that existed in Storm of the Fire God shook violently like they were going to fade away. Even so, the pressure around Grid didn¡¯t die down.


    [The effect of God¡¯s Command has reset the skill¡¯s cooldown time!]


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Helena¡¯syers of scales were broken one by one. Her eyes widened and she desperately tried to straighten her mind. Normally, after Grid consumed a lot of sword energy, he had to endure the pain, gritting his teeth to maintain his posture while dealing with the aftermath. However, in this space, Grid¡¯s sword energy was infinite. There was no aftermath for him to deal with.


    Helena couldn¡¯t withstand the offensive that consisted of four fusion sword dances, three fusion sword dances, two fusion sword dances, and single sword dances in session. She tried to buy time using her Breath but that repeatedly failed due to the intervention of the God Hands. In the end, she could only rely on Dragon de.


    The dragon¡¯s energy that she constantly created to reverse the situation was imprinted on the infinite sword energy.


    [The possibilities of a new sword dance ¡®Dragon¡¯ has been seen.]


    Along with the notification window¡ª


    ¡°Kuek...! Kuaaaak!¡±


    Helena wanted to withstand Grid¡¯s onught with her absurd defense and health but she eventually copsed. She screamed as she fell, turning to gray ash in the Storm of the Fire God.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Grid appeared in the remnants of the scattered mes and showed almost no signs of exhaustion. It was the power of Storm of the Fire God that gave him infinite sword energy.


    Braham stared at him and questioned him, ¡°If you were going to kill her alone anyway, why didn¡¯t youe forward earlier?¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t know I could win by myself.¡±


    ¡°You are someone who can¡¯t grasp the target.¡±

 Chapter 1245

    266.759% experience, Heart with Bunhelier¡¯s Protection, and the possibility of a new sword dance, Dragon¡ªthis was the list of rewards Grid obtained from raiding Helena. Helena had a high level and gave Grid a great deal of experience, allowing him to reach level 411. Their contributions were quite small but Grid¡¯s knights shared the rewards and seemed to have gained considerable experience.


    However, Grid was more skeptical than excited.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t she the peak of her species?¡¯


    Grid had the Different Species¡¯ King title.


    [Different Species¡¯ King]


    [You have proved your king¡¯s qualification by embracing non-human species.


    ¡ï Permanent Effects


    * Different species are very favorable to you.


    * If the target is a different species, the probability of increasing affinity will double.


    * However, some warlike species will want to test your abilities.


    ¡ï Limited Effects


    * The ¡®contract¡¯ system is activated with the title effect.


    * There are three contracts avable. (1/3)


    ¡ïThose You Are Currently Contracted With:


    1. Hao (yer, half-draconian)


    -Contract Effect-


    The skill ¡®Dragon Wings¡¯ is activated.


    The half-draconians¡¯ aggressiveness will be slightly suppressed.


    2. Teruchan (NPC, Twilight Orc)


    -Contract Effect-


    Your stamina stat coefficient is increased by 1.8 times.]


    In this way, Grid had signed a contract with half-draconian Hao. Grid had expected an event to happen with the half-draconian lord yet there was no event. Helena was simply hostile to Grid.


    ¡®Is it because I¡¯ve already killed a lot of half-draconians?¡¯


    Was it already a hostile rtionship? No, it was hard to interpret it like that. There was no love among the half-draconians and Helena didn¡¯t reveal any personal feelings toward Grid. She just fought Grid like she had an enemy in front of her. Additionally, she might¡¯ve given a lot of experience but the rewards list wasn¡¯t good except for the experience.


    [Heart with Bunhelier¡¯s Protection]


    [Rating: Legendary (Bound Item)


    Durability: 311/311 Magic Resistance: 150


    An essory that blocks magic attacks.


    Blocks up to two magic attacks.


    The number of blocks is charged once every 12 hours.


    Conditions of Use: None.


    Weight: 13]


    This was the ne that Helena left behind. ¡®Blocking magic¡¯ was obviously a great effect but it was limited to two times. The default options were also very low, giving it limitations as a main ne. It was only great for a spare ne.


    ¡®The Holy Light Armor that has a probability of ignoring or weakening magic without any limitations on the number is more effective.¡¯


    Of course, this didn¡¯t disparage the value of Heart with Bunhelier¡¯s Protection. It was a ne that could block even legendary magic so it could be described as a ne that added an extra life. Unfortunately, Grid thought it wascking because it was the only item dropped by the peak of a species.


    ¡®I would like to give it to Irene...¡¯


    He could feel more relieved once Irene put on this ne. It would protect her from dangerous attacks even if he wasn¡¯t by her side.


    ¡®However, it is a ne that my colleagues might want...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t good to be too greedy. Grid controlled his heart and opened the skills list. Under Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship, Dragon was added to the single sword dance category.


    [Dragon]


    [A sword that reproduces the spirit of a dragon.


    Effect: ???


    ¡ïYou haven¡¯t achievedplete enlightenment. It is in an inactive state.]


    ¡°......¡±


    In the early days, Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship had a total of five types: Wave, Transcend, Link, Kill, and Restraint. Then as Grid¡¯s level rose and his experience umted, the concept of fusion sword dances and new sword dances such as Flower and Drop were added.


    It wasn¡¯t a concept that Grid created. It was just unlocking the potential of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship. However, the concept of Dragon was different. It was a sword dance inspired by Helena¡¯s Dragon de. Unlike the other sword dances, it wasn¡¯t derived from Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and might be Grid¡¯s original sword dance.


    It was definitely a special event but Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied. He felt it wasn¡¯t good enough.


    ¡®If Helena is the peak of the half-draconians...¡¯


    Why wasn¡¯t the Dragon sword dancepleted in the process of fighting her? He only gained a fragment of Dragon from Helena. Additionally, despite her death, he couldn¡¯t say there was any special change in his rtionship with the half-draconians. Looking back at Teruchan¡¯s case, it was only normal for there to be a world message stating that the half-draconians were hostile to Grid or elected him as their lord.


    ¡®Definitely. There must definitely be a separate half-draconian lord.¡¯


    It was natural. The number of half-draconians should be in the hundreds but there were only 31 here. Helena seemed to be the leader of this small group.


    ¡®Nevertheless, she gave me around 267% experience...¡¯


    It was the power of the enlightenment system. The amount of experience that rose in real time during his fight with Helena gave Grid goosebumps. It also meant that the half-draconian race was this strong. Grid¡¯s power that oppressed Helena with abination of Storm of the Fire God, infinite sword energy, and the God Hands, was even greater.


    ¡®Ah, then looking at it...¡¯


    Perhaps the birth of a new sword dance was due to the infinite sword energy. Grid¡¯s heart pounded as he recalled the silver-colored sword energies that had been rippling throughout his fight against Helena. The anticipation of being able to learn a new sword dance every time he fought against a powerful sword wielding enemy in the future inspired him.


    Just then, the 10 meritorious retainers who disappeared into hell reappeared. In this short amount of time, they had defeated all four senior warriors and many of the 10 meritorious retainers had leveled up.


    ¡°Where is the lizard¡¯s captain?¡± the excited Vantner shouted energetically while raising his shield. The others in the 10 meritorious retainers also looked around with excited expressions. Then they found Grid and his knights gathered to one side and made expressions of surprise.


    ¡°Helena? Have you already raided her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, solo kill.¡± Grid made a V with his fingers and all of the 10 meritorious retainers were stunned.


    ***


    The loot dropped by the low-grade and intermediate warriors didn¡¯t attract much attention from the 10 meritorious retainers. The ws that were ssified as a weapon and the scales that were ssified as armor were somewhatcking in performance for the 10 meritorious retainers.


    However, the ¡®Torn Dragon Wings¡¯ dropped by the senior warriors had effects such as ¡®low altitude flying, low-speed flight, and preventing falling¡¯. Therefore, several people wanted them but only four people actively bid on them. The weight was so heavy that the moment they wore it, their speed was slowed down. It was also torn all over the ce so the appearance wasn¡¯t good.


    In the end, Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers agreed to sell a considerable amount of the loot they obtained and then share the profit. Finally...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to give this ne to Irene or Lord?¡±


    ¡°I think so as well.¡±


    The ownership of Heart with Bunhelier¡¯s Protection was unanimously passed onto Grid. Grid didn¡¯t speak first but all the 10 meritorious retainers mentioned Irene and Lord. Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s troubles ended.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to Irene.¡±


    Lord was strong enough to defend himself while Irene was a normal person. She had only one life.


    Grid cherished the ne and urged his colleagues, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the seventh ridge if all of you are ready.¡±


    Grid had summoned the 10 meritorious retainers and his knights for hunting, not the half-draconians. They moved straight to the final ridge and Grid¡¯s group started to gain experience quickly as they hunted the monsters that constantly appeared. Thebination of Braham and Euphemina was breathtaking. Braham¡¯s enhanced magic and Euphemina¡¯s Mumud-style magicbined to kill more than 500 monsters in seconds.


    Chris¡¯ face was filled with joy as he picked off the elite monsters that didn¡¯t die easily from ranged magic. He glimpsed level 400.


    ***


    The Satisfy-rtedmunities had been buzzing for a long time. The first incident was the presence of the half-draconians in Frontier. In the videos shot by yers, the half-draconians boasted a tremendousbat power. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say they were a prestigiousbat race. Even a general ranker seemed to be no match for the half-draconians. Yet a young knight of the Overgeared Kingdom fought the half-draconian one-on-one and won.


    yers were thrilled to witness the real-time evolution of a named NPC to a super-named NPC. There were discussions about what the great rewards a yer would get if they won against a half-draconian, that the potential of the NPC called Laden had been excellent since the beginning, etc.


    That¡¯s right. Grid¡¯s appearance when Laden was in trouble didn¡¯t cause much of a topic. Everyone in the world knew that Grid was strong. In the future, the world wouldn¡¯t be surprised by Grid¡¯s appearance unless he won against a great demon one-on-one.


    -By the way, what is with the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s rankers all of a sudden?


    -What?


    -Look at the ranking window.All the rankings of the 10 meritorious retainers are skyrocketing.


    -Was Lauel pushed out of the top 100?


    -Lauel has blocked his path by leaving the 10 meritorious retainers.Now he is only focusing on internal affairs.


    -He is making a lot of money from the prime minister¡¯s position ??


    -No, stop and look at the ranking window.It is no joke.


    -...?


    It was four days after Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers settled in the Chaos Mountains.


    [The level of the main members of the Overgeared Guild is rising sharply.]


    [It is presumed that the Overgeared members who went to subdue the half-draconians are in the Chaos Mountains.]


    [(Column) The mysterious Chaos Mountains. It is an impossible area to challenge.]


    All types of articles poured out. It was no wonder since the rankings of the 10 meritorious retainers surged by more than two ces in just four days. There were concerns that Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers would monopolize the rankings from 1-11th. Of course, the efforts being put in by Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers were great.


    ¡°Fatigue keeps piling up.¡±


    It was 3:45 a.m. when Shin Youngwoo logged out and confirmed the time. In the past few years, he had risen at 5 a.m. to start his day. Now this life pattern was being drastically broken.


    ¡°It is because we all have different nationalities.¡±


    The final ridge of the Chaos Mountains was too difficult for Grid to solo. This meant he had to cooperate with all the members of the 10 meritorious retainers for hunting, resting, and group activities. The different countries had time differences and his life patterns were ruined.


    ¡®It feels like I¡¯m degrading my health for my level.¡¯


    Youngwoo had a poor body recently because he couldn¡¯t exercise properly. He washed up and wanted to eat ramen. He had the idea that even if he was tired, he needed to make the right food to maintain his fitness. It happened the moment he was trying to open his refrigerator door...


    Ding dong.


    ¡°...Is this real?¡±


    3:50 a.m.¡ªwho would ring the doorbell at this time? Shin Youngwoo was nervous but he approached the inte with no hesitation. In any case, Youngwoo¡¯s building had a strong friend called Toon guarding it. It was impossible for just anyone to get up here and press the bell.


    It was as expected. The person who appeared on the inte screen was Yura, not a stranger.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Yura smiled at the bewildered Grid who opened the door and offered arge food box. ¡°I¡¯ve made a meal. It is to restore your stamina.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s heart was filled with warmth from Yura¡¯s constant interest and affection. He smiled and let Yura into his house.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Click.


    The door closed. This closed door didn¡¯t open until morning dawned. In a serene homete in the night, a man and woman dined together. Then after sufficient rest...


    ¡°Gasp gasp...¡±


    ¡°Hah, hah...¡±


    They ran on treadmills to maintain their health. The two people shared all types of hobbies and were steadily getting closer.


    ***


    Satisfy had a bnce.


    Once the archangel led the Temr to push the Yatan Church into a defensive position, it wasn¡¯t a sign of peace but the sign of a new crisis.


    ¡°Ohh, atst...¡±


    Amoract, the great demon of conflict and Yatan¡¯s First Servant¡ªafter receiving the ¡®Revtion¡¯ from him, the Yatan Church managed to escape the gaze of Fire Dragon Trauka to safely enter Talima. Their purpose existed somewhere here.


    It was to search for the ¡®door¡¯ that connected hell and the human world, and open it.

 Chapter 1246

    Descarta Mountain¡ªit belonged to the Saharan Empire, but for more than 200 years, the half-draconians had effectively been in control of it. Descarta Mountain was thend of the half-draconians, their mothend, and their home. Of course, the story would be different the moment the empire sent its main force but it was unlikely the empire would actively engage¡ªthe empire had at least 50 borders.


    If power was concentrated on one side then the empire would reveal a gap. The empire didn¡¯t feel the need to reim the Descarta Mountain until it had gathered enough power to ¡®subdue¡¯ the half-draconians. Since the current empress, Basara, was trying to reconcile the two races, Descarta Mountain was likely to continue being dominated by the half-draconians.


    ¡®There is no agitation.¡¯


    Hao looked around as he came to Descarta Mountain after hearing the sad news about Helena. The person who had Hel¡¯s name was one of the prides of the half-draconians. Helena was the one who was originally supposed to be the lord but no one was mourning her death.


    It was understandable. Helena was stillcking in skills but her instincts were better than anyone else. This was why she spoke some absurd words. Most of the half-draconians hated her for advocating to quit ying with the empire and leave for a bigger world.


    ying? The power of the empire wasn¡¯t weak enough to be ignored by her. All the half-draconians were fighting desperately.


    It was in order for the low-grade warriors to break through the elite soldiers of the empire to cut the knights¡¯ necks. The intermediate warriors fought, learned, and trained themselves to fight and win against the single digit knights and the senior warriors trained and bled every day to deal with the magicians more efficiently. All the half-draconians engaged fiercely and passionately in the war that had been going on for centuries.


    Helena denied all of them. She even made an absurd deration to move all the half-draconians to the Chaos Mountains.


    ¡®There are no half-draconians who want to fight against monsters.¡¯


    The still young (by half-draconian standards) Helena and the group who followed her didn¡¯t understand the difference between a monster with a strong body and a skilled human. In short, a battle with thetter was more enjoyable, difficult, and worthy of learning.


    However, Helena¡¯s group had fewer opportunities to learn this fact. In particr, Helena¡¯s innate strength was higher than a single digit Red Knight so everything seemed boring for her.


    ¡®...Sometimes I will miss her.¡¯


    Hao made a bitter expression. He had no affection for Helena. Even so, it was a bit strange that the woman whoined every time he visited Descarta Mountain waspletely gone.


    ¡°This guy, it is hard to see your face. Do I have to call you for you toe?¡± The atmosphere was festive but it was called a funeral. Hao prayed for the deceased for a while and once he opened his eyes, Bunsdel was by his side.


    ¡°I greet the strongest lord,¡± Hao greeted him politely and Bunsdel waved his hand with an expression like he was chewing on shit.


    ¡°What nonsense about being the strongest? I¡¯m a fool who can¡¯t even participate in the war because I¡¯m afraid the grandmaster will appear.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Hao knew it¡ªBunsdel was someone who once treated Helena as a princess and regarded her as apanion, not a subordinate. He wasn¡¯t someone weak. Rather, he was frighteningly strong. No one even thought of protesting this fact. Knowing this, the vast majority of the half-draconians considered him as the lord.


    However, Bunsdel didn¡¯t officially take the lord¡¯s position.


    ¡®It is because he can¡¯t let himself run wild.¡¯


    The blood of the evil dragon in Bunsdel¡¯s body was very thick. The moment he stood on the battlefield, he was unable to control himself and would destroy all visible life. The word ¡®massacre¡¯ was just right.


    It was unknown what would be the aftermath if he became stronger with the power of the lord and stood on the battlefield. The empire¡¯s front lines would copse and the grandmaster would emerge. The battle between the two people would sweep over the half-draconians, causing massive casualties.


    This was why Bunsdel didn¡¯t take the lord¡¯s position. He feared his power that might break the bnce of the present and lead his people to destruction.


    If he was officially qualified as the lord then he would be able to control the blood of the fierce dragon. As it happened, he became lord through the will of his people rather than byw. His qualifications were iplete and he couldn¡¯t control the blood of the evil dragon.


    ¡°These days, there aren¡¯t many pleasures apart from drinking.¡±


    Bunsdel sighed and reached out to Hao, who handed him arge bag. It was full of wine bottles. Bunsdel¡¯s face became bright as he checked thebel.


    ¡°It is great that there is a half-draconian among the humans.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Hao recalled the first time he became a half-draconian. It was more than 10 years ago and even then, Bunsdel had been in front of him. In order to obtain the qualification to be a half-draconian, he had to agree to the absurd demand of distilling alcohol every day. This forced Hao to constantly travel back and forth between the hunting grounds, the cities, and Descarta Mountain for two months straight.


    At that time, he thought it was an absurd linked question. Now looking back, the strength, stamina, and persistence stats that grew every time, made him who he was today. Naturally, Hao didn¡¯t feel thankful to Bunsdel. Even now, the amount of money this damn person snatched away due to all the alcohol was enormous. It was crazy that every time he received a summoning quest, he also received a sub-quest to buy alcohol.


    Hao wanted to leave Descarta Mountain quickly and brought up the main topic.


    ¡°So why did you call me? You wouldn¡¯t have simply called me to attend a funeral.¡±


    Hao¡¯s value was unique even among the half-draconians. He was a human and could fully integrate into human society. This allowed him to fulfill many duties that other half-draconians couldn¡¯t aplish.


    ¡°Tsk, you are always too much in a rush.¡± Bunsdel shrugged while opening a bottle of wine. ¡°I need you to investigate Helena¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°She was someone who was qualified to be a lord. I must find the culprit and get revenge.¡±


    ¡°What culprit? Didn¡¯t she die in the Chaos Mountains? She was hit by a monster.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense no matter how I think about it. Helena might be aggressive but she will never fight a monster until she dies. Helena wasn¡¯t killed by a monster. She was struck down by someone¡¯s wisdom. My guess is that the culprit who killed Helena is a human.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hao originally wouldn¡¯t have believed it. He would¡¯ve dismissed it as nonsense. However, one human passed through Hao¡¯s mind. Coincidentally, this man had shed with the half-draconians in Frontier. The supreme one, Grid. Maybe...


    If it was him then he could¡¯ve really defeated Helena...


    ¡®No, it would be impossible for Grid alone.¡¯


    Still, Grid had his knights and his colleagues. A chill went down Hao¡¯s spine at this thought.


    ¡®Are the rumors about him hunting in the Chaos Mountains true?¡¯


    After getting rid of the half-draconians who tried to conquer Fronter, did he kill Helena and establish a foothold in the Chaos Mountains? It was crazy spection but it might be possible for Grid and the Overgeared members. No, it should be possible. This was the only exnation behind their dramatic rise in levels recently.


    Bunsdel¡¯s words continued, ¡°I heard there is a human city near the Chaos Mountains. Infiltrate there and gradually discover the truth of the incident.¡±


    Ttiring~


    A quest popped up. It was a quest to find the culprit who killed Helena and report it to Bunsdel. There were two quest clear conditions: Find the culprit, or find the Heart with Bunhelier¡¯s Protection. In any case, it was a quest to find one of them and report it to Bunsdel.


    ¡®Bunsdel¡¯s real purpose must be the heart.¡¯


    As Hao stated earlier, Bunsdelcked the status of the lord but the story would be different if he absorbed Helena¡¯s heart. It was clear that he would be the strongest lord of all time.


    ¡®By the way...¡¯


    Hao hesitated when he saw the huge quest rewards. It would be difficult to ept the quest if the culprit who killed Helena was really Grid. He had already signed a contract with Grid. How could he betray his colleague?


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯


    This was a quest with a time limit of one year. He had enough time to discuss it with Grid. Hao decided it might be a good quest to use in reverse and epted it.


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°You are reliable as always.¡± Bunsdel smiled.


    He didn¡¯t know that his trusted subordinate was actually with the enemy. The small seeds that Grid scattered were taking effect all over the continent.


    ***


    The city of dwarves was often treated as a fantasy. Farmers cultivated the fields with epic rated hoes, women used unique rated sticks to do their washing, and shabby street vendors disyed legendary rated items. The story of Talima was so vague that people didn¡¯t believe it easily.


    The same was true for the yers of the Yatan Church. They sessfully entered Talima thanks to Amoract¡¯s revtion and saw a sight they didn¡¯t expect. It was just that Talima was more spectacr than the rumors.


    A golden pce that shone brightly under the sun. Unique and legendary rated items were scattered around the street stalls. It was a modernized civilization unlike the other kingdoms in Satisfy that represented medieval times.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the water gun that the little boy is ying with unique rated?¡±


    ¡°It seems so...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    yers had seen the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s soldiers and farmers armed with rare and epic items. They were confident that the rumors about Talima were true and thought they wouldn¡¯t be too surprised. Nevertheless, the scenery of Talima was more than rumored and the yers of the Yatan Church were astonished.


    ¡°How much is this?¡±


    ¡°1,555,000,999 gold.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    However, Talima was like a pie in the sky. The dwarves¡¯ pride in their work was so great that the price was unrealistic. They were trying to sell an epic item that could be seen anywhere for 1.5 billion gold. Therefore, there might be many amazing things but none could be acquired.


    Rose frowned and asked the Second Servant walking next to her, ¡°I¡¯ve heard the dwarves have been isted for decades. Why aren¡¯t they surprised to see outsiders?¡±


    ¡°It is because they are idiots who know nothing but their jobs. They don¡¯t care about anything else so they don¡¯t doubt us.¡±


    ¡°How stupid...¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it is thanks to this that we can easily act.¡±


    The Yatan servants and hundreds of Yatan Church yers¡ªthey were able to enter the Elliter Mine without any hindrance from the dwarves. They discovered the fine cracks in this world and prepared for the ritual without any dy.


    ¡°This time, we will turn the world into hell.¡±


    At least five¡ªthis was the number of great demons the Yatan Church expected to summon.

 Chapter 1247

    The Yatan Church was one of the greatest forces representing Satisfy. Before a yer (Damian) became the pope, the Yatan Church was considered to be one of the two strongest powers in Satisfy along with the Reba Church. It meant they were powerful enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the empire.


    However, the Yatan Church had physiological limitations. It was the limitation of a viin. The Yatan Church had to pay the price of being hostile to all kingdoms and the vast majority of yers. As yers grew, the Yatan Church started to face retaliation. After 10 years, they lost almost all their foothold.


    The Yatan Church¡¯s notoriety, which had been heard everywhere on the continent, was now inaudible. The Yatan Church¡¯s former evil deeds, which almost led the world to destruction by bringing a great demon here, was reduced to the level of attempted kidnapping. It was a blessing to the world.


    ¡°We¡¯ve endured the humiliation for too long.¡±


    From the viewpoint of the Yatan Church, it was a pain that needed to be removed. The Yatan Church kidnapped virgins and used them as materials for the ritual of the great demon summoning. They also kidnapped children and raised them into fanatics. Then the relentless pursuit of the Temr in thest year cut off all the foundation of their growth. Too much damage was umted from their enemies being everywhere.


    At this rate, the Yatan Church would be destroyed. They were prevented from fulfilling their duty to spread the greatness of God Yatan to the world.


    The anxious Yatan Servants, including Rose, prayed for 33 days. She couldn¡¯t hunt for 33 days, couldn¡¯t do quests, and could only participate in prayer ceremonies. Honestly, she became very skeptical. She had joined the Yatan Church to rule the world. Was this the result of gritting her teeth and suffering in the past few years while being covered by Yura¡¯s shadow? She wanted to do something crazy and was seriously wondering if she should leave the Yatan Church and live a new life. Then Amoract¡¯s revtion twisted everything.


    ¡°Auraruritaranpus.¡±


    ¡°Lubeidratna.¡±


    ¡°Hlaachara.¡±


    The Yatan Servants gathered in front of a huge gap in the world. Rose recited the demon summoning spell with all of them and got goosebumps all over her body. She could clearly hear it¡ªthe cries of the great demons that were responding to the spell. She could see it¡ªthe gap that was steadily widening. She felt it¡ªthe existence of the great demons that were steadily approaching.


    [The ¡®Crack Between Two Worlds¡¯, which exists somewhere on the continent, is expanding.]


    [27th Great Demon, Ronove, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [25th Great Demon, Dantalion, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [19th Great Demon, ¡®entric Duke¡¯ Saleos, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    ¡°Ah, ahhh...¡± Rose looked at the great demons emerging through the gap and trembled like never before. The cause was the presence of the 19th ranked great demon, Saleos. It was something that transcended everything Rose imagined. Sitting on top of a crocodile bigger than a horse, this great demon was different from the great demons in the 20s and 30s who had been seen in the world so far.


    ¡°¡±I¡¯m finally stepping on the middle world. How about it? Are you happy, Palos?¡±¡±


    Grruk.Grruruk.


    The gleaming eyes of the crocodile swept over the Yatan believers and all of them, including the Yatan Servants, stiffened. It was due to the ¡®curse of petrification¡¯ that was triggered the moment they made eye contact. Saleos touched Palos, his crocodile, and approached the believers who were too frightened to move.


    ¡°¡°Food is everywhere on thisnd. There is no need for me to eat Amoract¡¯s ves.¡±¡±


    Grruruk.


    Despite Saleos¡¯ calm, the eyes of the drooling crocodile were still full of greed. It was the moment when the Yatan believers looked at him with shock. A huge ¡®hand¡¯ stretched out from the gap in the worlds and crushed the crocodile¡¯s head. Saleos hurriedly jumped from the crocodile and stared at the hand.


    Bababam!Bambabam!


    Fanfare echoed through the massive mine. The destructive power of the music was so great that it caused the Elliter Mine, which had existed for thousands of years, to shake and start to be destroyed.


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    Once the crocodile died, the Yatan believers were released from their petrified state. Now they took a step back. Rose was the one who acted faster than anyone else. She feared the mine would copse and was already running away from the crowd. Then she soon stopped moving.


    [13th Great Demon, ¡®Berserk King¡¯ Beleth, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [The hand of the 12th Great Demon, Sitri, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    It was the emergence of the 13th great demon and partial emergence of the 12th great demon. Rose felt that the opportunity to witness the emergence of ¡®real¡¯ beings with power that transcended a half-god was more important than her own life. She checked again to make sure the video recording mode was working properly and looked back the way she came. In that ce...


    ¡°¡±How dare you summon me?¡±¡±


    It was a scene where the angry Berserk King thrust his spear. His spear stopped just before it skewered the Yatan Servants.


    ¡°¡±Bastard, you dare to provoke me by using a cheap trick and pulling Sitri¡¯s strings?¡±¡±


    It was thanks to Saleos¡¯ intervention. He wept as he mourned the crocodile killed by Sitri¡¯s hands and expressed his resentment towards Beleth, not Sitri. Beleth, who had the nickname of Berserk King, stared for a moment as his spear was blocked by Saleos, who would ¡®unconditionally¡¯ win in a battle of strength.


    ¡°¡±That wasn¡¯t my intention. Let me apologize.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Dammit!¡±¡±


    The 33 great demonspeted with each other. Who would conquer more than thends of hell and ultimately be a god? However, Saleos and Beleth were great demons under Baal¡¯s rule. They shouldn¡¯t fight with each other. Annoyance and dissatisfaction filled their faces.


    Saleos and Beleth asked the Yatan Servants who had endured for 10 years.


    ¡°¡±Was Sitri¡¯s hand pulled out by that wily fellow Amoract?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±I want to see blood. Guide me to the ce where most humans live.¡±¡±


    ***


    [27th Great Demon, Ronove, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [25th Great Demon, Dantalion, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [19th Great Demon, ¡®entric Duke¡¯ Saleos, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [13th Great Demon, ¡®Berserk King¡¯ Beleth, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [The hand of the 12th Great Demon, Sitri, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    Shocking world messages disrupted the world. The 22nd Great Demon, Berith¡ªhumanity had almost perished due to one of the great demons. Now they sensed that real extinction was around the corner.


    ¡º In the ancient ruins excavated by the Saharan Empire in the past, there were records about the great demons having a different dimension of strength from the top 10 great demons... ¡»


    ¡º It is said that Dantalion¡¯s book records the secrets of the world¡ªthe past and everything that happens in the future. It is said that even Muller was unable to hurt him because of his wisdom. ¡»


    ¡º Even if all the nations of the West Continent cooperate, they won¡¯t be able to cope with the 13th great demon Beleth. ¡»


    Broadcasters all over the world were busy offering skeptical analyses. Experts used the word ¡®apocalypse¡¯ to describe the situation.


    After the destruction of the West Continent, all the surviving yers would move to the East Continent and from there, Satisfy¡¯s second season would begin¡ªpeople epted it as a usible interpretation since the level of the East Continent was overwhelmingly higher than that of the West Continent.


    It was just that the rankers had different ideas. They saw the reality of the yangbans thanks to Grid and knew that the East Continent was a sinister and harsh environment beyond the West Continent. It would be hell for yers if they waited for the West Continent to be destroyed. Therefore, the West Continent couldn¡¯t perish. They had to stop the invasion of great demons...


    It happened as all the rankers were determined to lead their respective forces to fight...


    [Basara, empress of the Saharan Empire, has made a promation throughout the continent.]


    [¡±The empire will be a spear and shield. All of humanity must unite to stop the advance of the great demons.¡±]


    [Empress Basara has unveiled the route of the great demons¡¯ march.]


    Ttiring~


    Along with the new world message, five stars appeared on the map of all yers. They were symbols marking the great demons¡¯ current locations. Their paths of movement were also kindly predicted.


    ¡°The empire¡¯s real-time intelligence gathering is the strongest in the world.¡±


    The number one explorer, Skunk, looked at the map and marveled. He once again confirmed that the empire¡¯s map was moreplete than his own and told Lauel, ¡°I think we can trust it.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Lauel nodded as he summoned the Overgeared members and moved locations. They arrived at the gathering ce suggested by Emperor Basara and saw that many yers had already arrived.


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild!¡±


    The emergence of the Overgeared Guild, led by Lauel, calmed the turmoil of the world. The guild leaders, who were busy showing off each other¡¯s power even in the midst of the crisis, were all meek in front of the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Wee, Prime Minister.¡±


    ¡°I greet Empress Basara, who leads the Millennium Empire.¡±


    The silent yers all held their breaths at once. The position of the Overgeared Guild might be high but the yers never dreamed that the empress woulde out to meet them. Basara looked at the faces of the Overgeared members and asked carefully, ¡°King Grid...?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Lauel opened the map with an awkward expression and pointed to a star. This caused Basara¡¯s face to harden. ¡°He went to the Berserk King?¡±


    Lauel didn¡¯t deny it. He nodded while looking at the tens of thousands of yers gathered in this ce. ¡°Yes, he said he would buy some time for us while we kill Ronove and Dantalion.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No one could respond. It was because Lauel¡¯s deration meant nothing. Grid might be the supreme one, but how could he fight against a great demon alone? It happened as the silence was going to drag out...


    The number one ice magician, Bondre, stepped forward and dered, ¡°Tell this to Grid. It is enough if hests five minutes.¡±


    He arrived at the scene with War God Ares and the thousands of rankers who followed him. It was just a month after Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers started hunting in the Chaos Mountains.


    On the same day, therge-scale strikes of the great demons wereunched.

 Chapter 1248

    The emergence of the great demons had something inmon¡ªthere was no precursor. The great demons always appeared abruptly and were disasters, causing numerous casualties. This was why the world was turned upside down by this situation. Could humanity only watch helplessly as the great demons destroyed their kingdoms? Five great demons appeared at the same time? How were they supposed to deal with this?


    People were baffled by the world messages. They couldn¡¯t figure out what to do. This was when Basara became the focal point.


    ¡°I¡¯m different from the emperors of the past.¡±


    The greatest strength of the Saharan Empirey in its vast territory and its billions of people. The empire¡¯s vision spanned almost every part of the continent. It wasn¡¯t a waste of money and manpower for the empire to manage over 50 borders. The empire¡¯s ability to collect, gather, and disseminate what was happening on the continent in real time was unmatched.


    The five great demons were discovered by the empire the moment they left Talima and crossed the volcanic zone. The scouts of the empire that existed in various forms were now following the great demons. The information they sent back was being spread across the continent by Empress Basara. This was in contrast to the emperors of the past, who despised and neglected the great demons¡¯ invasion.


    That¡¯s right¡ªBasara dreamed of harmony and politics that focuses only on the empire wasn¡¯t her purpose. She knew that living with the other kingdoms and races, moving forward together was the way to lead the Millennium Empire.


    ¡®This disaster... it is an opportunity to bring harmony to all.¡¯


    The empire had too many sins in its long history. There were an overwhelming number of people who doubted or loathed Basara when she advocated unity. The victims and stunned witnesses still didn¡¯t trust her. However, Basara believed she could change it.This was why she went directly to the front lines. She wanted to introduce herself to the world, make her true heart known, and protect the world with everyone.


    ¡°We have been able to avoid the worst case scenario thanks to King Grid¡¯s expedition against the Berserk King. There are sections where the path of the Berserk King is expected to ovep with the paths of the other great demons. We have avoided needing to deal with more than one great demon at once.¡±


    Basara¡¯s heart was greatly overwhelmed. She felt something as majestic as the day when she saw an exceptionally high sky. She was impressed by Grid¡¯s insight that saw the core of the Berserk King just by looking at the path of the Berserk King¡¯s march. Basara felt that Grid really was the great man who changed the empire. Today, she especially missed him.


    ¡®13 minutes. You only need to buy time for 13 minutes.¡¯


    The empire gathered all the ready-to-maneuver troops. They even deployed the imperial guards to the front lines. Moreover, all the magicians and schrs led by the great magicians were gathered to make the Reverse Summoning magic circle.


    That was two days ago. ording to the schrs¡¯ predictions, the time remaining until thepletion of the Reverse Summoning magic circle was only two hours. However, that very same two hours also meant it was 13 minutes after the Berserk King¡¯s scheduled arrival.


    ¡°Look here.¡±


    In the barracks where the leaders of various kingdoms were gathered...


    Basara pointed to one side of the map. It was the path that the Berserk King was taking and there was a small fortress there. ¡°Henlutu Fortress of the Arc Kingdom. The magicians of the empire are gathering there to install the Reverse Summoning magic circle.¡±


    ¡°The Reverse Summoning magic circle...?¡± Duke Jinteri of the ucian Kingdom dared to ask a question.


    He had felt strange since the beginning when he led the ucian Kingdom¡¯s army at themand of his king who couldn¡¯t refuse the emperor¡¯s call to overthrow the great demons together. The ambassador of the empire had issued a memorandum that said ¡®fight against the great demons and ovee the world¡¯s crisis together¡¯ but instead of an order, it said ¡®please.¡¯ The empire also expressed their thanks to the nobles and armies of the ¡®small kingdoms¡¯ who joined the battlefield.


    He had heard that the empress waspletely different from the emperors of the past but he didn¡¯t know it would be this different. It was an iprehensible sight and perhaps he was dreaming right now. This was why he dared to ask a question. It was to the existence who wasn¡¯t afraid of the gods in Heaven and the demons underground. The result¡ª


    ¡°It is a magic circle that sends back a being that came from another dimension,¡± she answered with a friendly smile, not a cold dagger stuck in his neck.


    ¡°I... see. Thank you for teaching me, Your Majesty. It is a national honor that willst for generations.¡± It was different. The world had changed. Duke Jinteri replied politely as he realized the truth and tried to subdue his thrilled heart. Basara nodded humbly and went back to the main topic.


    ¡°The empire is nning to send back the Berserk King, who is considered the most dangerous of the great demons who have invaded this time. It is just honestly unknown if we canplete the magic circle before he arrives at Henlutu Fortress.¡±


    However, the empire had no choice but to gamble. It was because once the Berserk King passed through Henlutu Fortress, there was a section where he would ovep with Dantalion¡¯s route. The moment the two of them joined forces, the Arc Kingdom would perish.


    In order to avoid the worst-case scenario, they had to risk setting up the magic circle at Henlutu Fortress. It was just that the analysis of the probability of the operation seeding was barely 10%. The speed of the Berserk King¡¯s march exceeded the magic circle¡¯s instation speed.


    At this point, Grid came. She was grateful for the presence of the helper called Grid, and felt reassured.


    ¡°Now the story is different. Things havepletely changed. King Griding forward has significantly increased the chance of the Reverse Summoning magic circle beingpleted. We are able to make the best choices rather than preparing for the worst.¡± Basara pointed to two of the smallest of the five asterisks on the map. ¡°The Berserk King will be entrusted to King Grid. We will focus all our power on repelling Ronove and Dantalion.¡±


    Basara¡¯s clear gaze studied the faces of those sitting down on the left. The leaders of a total of 11 nations, including the Saharan Empire and the Overgeared Kingdom, nodded with determination. Seeing this scene, Basara smiled and her somewhat anxious eyes shifted to those sitting on the right. The representatives of nine races, including orcs, elves, short green people with red eyes, a short-legged person with a hunched back, etc, all stared at her with dissatisfied expressions.


    She sighed and gave a small nod to them. Basara¡¯s heart was heavy. She knew how much anguish and determination they would¡¯ve felt when making up their minds to join the empire when they had been discriminated against and abused by the empire all their lives. She once again regretted the absence of the half-draconians, who she couldn¡¯t reconcile with, and disclosed the strategies prepared by the hundreds of strategists in the empire.


    First, she put forward the strategy against Ronove, who could transform into red fog to freely move. Then she talked about Dantalion¡¯s method of peeping into his book. Their force wasrgely divided into two. The force that would target Ronove was the empire, four kingdoms, and five races. The force that would attack Dantalion was the Overgeared Kingdom, five other kingdoms, and four races.


    Ares, king of Valha, looked pleased after finding out he had be a team with the Overgeared Kingdom. Then he raised a question, "Excuse me, Your Majesty. Then who will block the entric Duke and Sitri¡¯s hand?¡±


    They might be cooperating for a while due to amon enemy but Valha and the empire were strictly enemies. No one pointed out Ares¡¯ aggressive manner of speaking and Basara herself didn¡¯t mind. She admired and acknowledged Ares¡¯ broad-mindedness for deciding to join her for the peace of the world, even though she was an enemy.


    ¡°Sitri¡¯s hand is only part of the great demon and has no sense of reason or wisdom. Thus, he seems like an easy opponent but the reality was different. The average person can¡¯t get close to him at all because he emits the same magic as hell, regardless of his body burning.¡±


    ¡°His body burning? Doesn¡¯t this mean he will self-destruct soon? Isn¡¯t it enough to ignore him?¡±


    ¡°If we wait for Sitri to self-destruct, half of the continent will be devastated.¡±


    ¡°So who can stop the guy who can¡¯t even be approached? Are you going to target him with the Reverse Summoning magic circle?¡±


    Basara smiled. ¡°Humanity has the Reba Church.¡±


    At the same time, in the Ktan Fortress in the Arc Kingdom...


    ¡°......¡±


    The fortress was quiet. The Reba followers felt a sense of fundamental fear at the sight of a big hand, like 10 elephants glued together, slowly crawling in the ins below the fortress. It felt like they had encountered something that condensed all the sinister things in the world.


    Gulp.


    The followers were trembling with fright even though Pope Damian and Reba¡¯s Daughters were at the forefront. The followers witnessed Sitri¡¯s hand and believed that if there was a demon who dominated the world, it must be that guy.


    ¡°it is an eyesore.¡± White feathers fluttered above the fortress. It was the appearance of an archangel, an existing myth that ignited the morale of the Reba followers.


    ¡°Am Ite?¡± The ck-haired beauty joined one stepte and apologized, calming the mind of Pope Damian who had been trembling with fear in his heart.


    Meanwhile, Ares...


    ¡°...Hoh? It is thebination of the Reba Church and the Demon yer. I don¡¯t think there is a great demon who can¡¯t be defeated by thisbination.¡± He nodded with interest when he heard the power based in the Kntan Fortress from Empress Basara. Even so, he still had questions. ¡°Who is blocking the entric Duke?¡±


    ¡°The entric Duke is an unreasonable force.¡± Basara¡¯s expression was once again confident. ¡°The only one who can stop him is the Sword Saint who exercises the same irrationality.¡±


    ¡°Kraugel? Doesn¡¯t he still...¡±


    Have a low level? Ares was barely holding back the words that reflexively wanted to pop out, when Basara¡¯s words prated his ears.


    ¡°You might disregard the Sword Saint but there are countless people in the world who follow him, regardless of his intentions. They look very strong.¡±


    At the same time, in the Lilchard Fortress in the Arc Kingdom...


    ¡°Huhu, this is the fate of those who are admired.¡± Spear Saint Kirinus said with augh while the silent Kraugel looked back quietly.


    There were hundreds of unofficial rankers, including ck, White, Tarma, other Blood Carnival members, Death God Knight, and thousands of yers whose names had been heard somewhere. These wanderers filled the fortress because they were fascinated by Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship or had no ce to rely on other than Kraugel. It was like the middle of a market. There wasn¡¯t any orderly formation but the pride they expressed showed they didn¡¯t envy Grid.


    ¡°Hey! Kraugel! Drag it properly from the front! Eh? If you don¡¯t do it well then you might be stabbed in the back in the future!¡±


    ¡°Tarma was the jerk who just spoke!¡±


    ¡°Ah, shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Shh. From now on, I will kill anyone who upsets Kraugel. Be careful. Don¡¯t forget that if Kraugel runs away because of something we did, we will have to fight against the empire or the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tiring to work with military people. Is this a game? It is an army. No matter the quest rewards, I can¡¯t live in a group like this.¡±


    ¡°So I guess everyone is stuck here. Hey, Kraugel! Have strength! Go and beat up that monstrous demon! In the meantime, we will do as much as we can!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Two days earlier, Kraugel had received a hidden quest. It was a quest presented by Empress Basara. She told him that if he was in charge of the battle, there would definitely be many people who would join his side and be his strength. It was surprisingly true. The problem was that there were few chivalrous people.


    Kraugel stood alone on the wall and stared at the people, looking uniquely beautiful as he questioned them, ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°What? What nonsense are you suddenly saying? The great demon will soon arrive. Polish your sword one more time!¡±


    The crowd swore and jeered without thinking about the point of the question


    Kraugel frowned and spoke more clearly, ¡°Besides this ce, there is the battlefield that Grid is in charge of. Why did youe to my battlefield instead of Grid¡¯s battlefield?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s question was natural. Grid was much stronger than Kraugel. The one with the highest sess of stopping the great demons was naturally Grid, not Kraugel. Yet there were thousands of people who took part in his own battlefield, not Grid¡¯s battlefield. They were also the best talents.


    Kraugel found it really hard to understand but the people he questionedughed as if it was absurd.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a stupid question? Are we crazy enough to go and hunt the 13th great demon?¡±


    ¡°Grid might be strong but even he can¡¯t stand it. I expect him to be killed in one minute.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s gaze turned to the canyon beneath the walls. He could see a warrior wearing a crown and silver armor walking alone.


    Kraugel murmured, ¡°This ce will be annihted.¡±

 Chapter 1249

    [Name: Grid


    Level: 412


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Duke of Wisdom, Magic Swordsman of the Epics


    Title: One who Became a Legend and 39 others


    Health: 330,682 Mana: 70,020


    Fighting Energy: 50 Sword Energy: 1,200


    Strength: 3,850 (+480) ¡ï1,082¡ø


    Stamina: 2,422 (+1563) ¡ï996¡ø


    Agility: 3,900 (+430) ¡ï1,082¡ø


    Intelligence: 2,896 (+1,943)


    ¡ïrefers to the stats that have been further elevated due to the effect of fighting energy.


    Dexterity: 5,742 (+980)


    Persistence: 2,037 (+430)


    Composure: 1,363 (+430)


    Indomitable: 1,598 (+490)


    Dignity: 2,271 (+430)


    Insight: 2,161 (+430)


    Courage: 1,417 (+430) Good Luck: 806


    Political Power: 356 (+430) Willpower: 236 (+465)


    Deity: 12


    Remaining Stat Points: 0]


    This was the result of devoting himself to hunting for the past month. Thanks to his colleagues, Grid¡¯s leveling went smoothly and it was spected that he would reach level 413 in the next half a month. This was overwhelmingly fastpared to Chris, who was wandering in the demonic section (level 399).


    Grid could feel how precious his enlightenment buff and dragon¡¯s blessing buffs were.


    ¡®Meeting with Nefelina was a great blessing for me.¡¯


    He would like to ask her to give blessings to his colleagues but Nefelina wasn¡¯t someone who could be easily asked for a favor. It seemed realistic to take the route of developing the mass produced enlightenment weapons.


    ¡®I have improved enough to challenge it now.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the Enlightenment Sword Grid had been using for years was a lucky charm. It wasn¡¯t an object that could be crafted using just skill, but it was a different story now.


    Grid had steadily developed his cksmithing techniques and dexterity, and he was much more skilledpared to a few years ago. As long as the conditions of time and materials were met, it was possible to produce a series of enlightenment weapons such as bows, swords, spears, and blunt weapons.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid checked the status window and skills window and woke up from his thoughts.


    [A huge danger is approaching.]


    He got goosebumps on his arms as a red warning window shed in his vision. He hade to this ce after hearing the rumors of the invasion. Now he swept by the cameras of the international broadcasters and climbed over the walls. The horizon at the end of a vast grasnd came into view. He stared at it and a small dot soon appeared. Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the object that gradually grewrger in size.


    sh!


    He barely captured the light using the vision of a transcendent. Grid glimpsed the brief sh of light and his body started to twist. The viewers watching Grid through the screen questioned it. They didn¡¯t even notice the existence of a small dot gradually approaching from the horizon. They had no idea that the little dot was ¡®something.¡¯


    ¡º ....!! ¡»


    ¡º ....!! ¡»


    Thementators of the various international broadcasters sucked in a breath as they appreciated the appearance of the supreme one alone on the wall. Grid suddenly turned away and shortly after, an explosion blew away the wall. The cameras chased after Grid as he escaped the crumbling walls and confirmed the source of the explosion.


    It was the antler of a deer¡ªextremely ordinary antlers that weremon in a forest. The deer¡¯s antler flew over and destroyed the fortress¡¯ thick and high walls.


    The world was in shock.


    Grid, who recently defeated a half-god, wasn¡¯t able to hide his surprise and the broadcasters around the world repeatedly emphasized Grid¡¯s expression. The image of the antler stuck in the rubble of the fortress wall, and Grid, who couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the antler, intersected in session on the screen.


    At this moment...


    ¡º Look over there...! ¡»


    An American broadcaster captured and zoomed in on the presence approaching from the horizon. The 13th great demon who Grid had to handle alone, Berserk King Beleth, who shocked people and made the world breathless, was crossing the grasnd.


    His appearance on a horse that galloped like the gust of wind was different from the previous great demons. He looked like a human being in every way and there was no bizarreness. From his neatly trimmed beard and hair, to his stylish clothes and ssical crown¡ªBeleth¡¯s style was dignified.


    ¡º It is amazing. It is apletely different category from the savage great demons of the past... ¡»


    Thementator who was admiring Beleth¡¯s appearance soon frowned sharply. He saw Beleth¡¯s face as Beleth approached the camera. His face that carried all the anger that existed in the world was far from dignified.


    ¡°¡±I want to go back to hell quickly!¡±¡± Beleth shouted as mes shot out from both of his nostrils and then repeatedly disappeared. It was a runny nose. The running nose that descended to the ground set fire to the grasnd. The path that Beleth passed through turned red and immediately burned ck.


    ¡º...He is definitely a demon. ¡»


    The moment that thementator corrected his words, his face became paler than white. Beleth increased his speed by flicking the reins of the corpse-like horse and started a frenzied charge. As if to erase all traces of humans in the world, he marched to destroy the artificially made facilities such as watchtowers and wooden fences. It wasn¡¯t long before he reached the fortress¡¯ gates and blew fire from his mouth.


    ¡º ....! ¡»


    A fortress was the ultimate defense facility. The fortress¡¯ walls and gates reached the maximum level of 30 and had a high durabilitypared to a city¡¯s walls and gates. However, Beleth knocked down the gate with a single stream of fire. It was a sight that denied the meaning of the fortress.


    ¡º The skill coefficient seems to be beyond imagination. Even Grid¡¯s bones won¡¯t be able to endure it the moment he allows an attack. ¡»


    ¡º This is terrible. The ranking is very high and he seemed different from the great demons seen before... ¡»


    Empress Basara said that Grid should buy at least 13 minutes. The 22nd great demon, Berith, had destroyed one kingdom alone and ughtered tens of thousands of rankers, yet Grid was expected to tie up the feet of the 13th great demon, Beleth, alone?


    Naturally, people thought it was absurd. Even so, few people shouted ¡®absolutely impossible.¡¯ It was because Grid was the supreme one. People clearly remembered all the miracles he had aplished so far. It was Grid who had ovee so many impossibilities.


    The 13th great demon? Rather than dying him, perhaps Grid could defeat him...


    People thought so and it was the same for thementators of different broadcasting stations.


    ¡º Um... It isn¡¯t easy to think that Grid is going to lose. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Grid has the power to summon his knights. First of all, if he couldn¡¯t endure then can¡¯t he immediately summon his knights for a reverse raid? ¡»


    ¡º Even if a raid is very hard... it seems that Grid alone should be sufficient to endure for 13 minutes. Grid has multiple counterattack skills, clones, the God Hands, and skeletons. It is very unlikely that Grid would die without dying the right amount of time. It hurts to say it but I heard his physical strength isparable to a named NPC. ¡»


    ¡º ...Are you referring to those undead who are asionally summoned? ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t this the case? Their quality seems too poorpared to the level of Grid¡¯s opponents. ¡»


    Thementators, excited by the steep rise in ratings, kept making noises while on the screen, Beleth was going berserk. After knocking down the gate, he started to smash the walls at random like his anger hadn¡¯t been resolved. Meanwhile, Grid was holding his breath.


    ¡®This guy, is his ability to read sound and movements poor?¡¯


    Grid, who first climbed the wall, showed his dignity to the approaching enemy. He showed off the existence of Overgeared King Grid. Beleth read it and threw the antler. Grid was nearly hit and shrank back. He reflexively held his breath while observing Beleth.


    This was the result. Beleth was only concerned with the destruction of the fortress like he didn¡¯t know Grid was hiding behind the first copsed wall.


    ¡®He thinks I¡¯m dead.¡¯


    The moment Grid saw the power of the antler that destroyed the wall, he wondered how he could endure fighting this monster for 13 minutes. Fortunately, he had something to use. The overwhelming attack damage might be frightening but Beleth seemed to have the weakness of anger. It didn¡¯t seem difficult to buy some time.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Beleth¡¯s frenzy buried the sound of Grid¡¯s voice.


    ck!ck ck!


    The sound of the Overgeared Skeletons who emerged by digging through the ground was also buried.


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons, who raised their level in the past month, looked at Grid with a confident expression. Overgeared Skeleton One, whose third ss advancement was a Skeleton Sword Dancer, looked like a warrior. It was equipped with a much nicer sword and armor than before.


    On the other hand, Overgeared Skeleton Two had a third ss advancement of Skeleton Bishop. It was still small but a subtle dignity exuded from its pious expression. The gorgeous staff and robe announced to the world that Overgeared Skeleton Two was an unusual skeleton.


    Gridmanded these guys who had grown stronger, ¡°Once I send a signal, run out and greet the opponent.¡±


    ck!ck ck!


    ¡°Do you want your bones cut into 206 pieces?¡±


    ck ck!ck!


    Their expressions became more colorful the more ss advancements they went through. They expressed dissatisfaction with Grid¡¯s order and Grid quickly whispered to them while stroking their heads, ¡°I¡¯ll get revenge for you if he hits you once, so rest assured and get hit.¡±


    The Overgeared Skeletons couldn¡¯t die. The moment they reached 0 health, they were recalled back to the ground, regenerated, restored, and resurrected. This was why Grid relied on the Overgeared Skeletons.


    He was worried about Braham, Piaro, and Mercedes being in danger and couldn¡¯t bring them, but the Overgeared Skeletons could go forward without hesitation.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Grid fired Magic Missile at the back of Beleth, who had entered the fortress after destroying the walls around the gates.


    Beleth didn¡¯t react as Magic Missile hit the back of his hand. He just looked at the back of his hand and eventually shifted his gaze to the side. It was to where Overgeared Skeleton One was dancing by his side. It was very clumsy but it was a reproduction of Grid¡¯s sword dance. The joints shook as it danced while the tip of the sword shone sharply in the sunlight.


    ¡°¡±Beriache...?¡±¡±


    Beleth immediately recognized the identity of the Overgeared Skeletons and swung at the skull of Overgeared Skeleton One with one hand. Overgeared Skeleton One hit the ground and then it was thrown like a ball toward Overgeared Skeleton Two in the distance. The bones of the Overgeared Skeletons copsed with a light sound like pins hit by a bowling ball.


    Grid appeared behind Beleth¡¯s back as the skeletons were scattered. ¡°Kill.¡±


    The biggest advantage of Kill was the distance. Grid had to buy time so he firstunched some exploratory moves. After knowing Beleth¡¯s reaction speed and defense, he deliberately used Kill so he could deal with a counterattack at any time. The result was terrible. Grid had an unimaginable development waiting for him.


    ¡°¡±How trivial.¡±¡±


    Beleth¡¯s fist smashed through Kill without looking at it and then it precisely struck Grid¡¯s face. Grid shook from the intense impact and realized something.


    ¡®This is X.¡¯


    This bastard never missed Grid¡¯s presence. He pretended not to know Grid¡¯s existence and waited for him toe first.


    [You have suffered 69,030 damage!]


    ¡°...?¡±


    How much had Grid¡¯s defense been raised so far? Grid was devastated by what seemed to be denial of all his past efforts. He was momentarily dazed as he sprawled on the roof of a building he had been blown to due to the impact. In technical terms, it was ¡®sage time.¡¯


    Meanwhile, Beleth showed a strange expression. He felt a pain in his fist from the human¡¯s surprise attack. A ¡®weapon¡¯ caused him pain...


    Beleth stared at the back of his hand for a moment before questioning the human whom he had blown away, ¡°¡±Are you the one carrying on Muller¡¯s legacy?¡±¡±


    ¡°Hah, what a fucking tiring question.¡±


    Grid snorted and rose from his spot. He took the finest health recovery potion that had been obtained from Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility and tossed the empty bottle aside.


    ¡°I am Grid.¡±


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant was also a part of him.


    ¡°Remember this well because I am the most persistent person in the world.¡±


    He had endured more than half his life and lived patiently. Only 13 minutes? For him, it was just a moment.


    Grid¡¯s assertive face showed his resolute willpower.

 Chapter 1250

    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help? Please give me any instructions. Pity this trivial human and give me an opportunity to serve the great lord of hell.¡±


    The 1st ranked ck magician and Yatan Servant¡ªRose, who yed a leading role in the summoning of the great demons, had already achieved numerous feats. There was no limit to her achievements from the standpoint of the Yatan Church. However, the world didn¡¯t rate her as the ¡®best.¡¯


    Yura might¡¯ve left the Yatan Church, but Rose would forever be regarded as the number two. Such an evaluation made Rose even more unrelenting. Rose wanted to escape from Yura¡¯s shadow and yed more intensely than anyone else. It was nothing for her to tter the great demon who smelled terrible and had an appearance that would make people vomit.


    ¡®This cheekiness is good.¡¯


    ¡®She is unusually determined.¡¯


    Dantalion had several faces above one neck¡ªthere were the faces of a boy and girl smiling innocently, the face of an anguished young man, the face of a sad woman, the face of a confident gentleman, the face of a gracefuldy, the face of a gentle grandmother, and the face of an angry grandfather.


    Eight faces were spread out like flowers above one neck in a bizarre and eerie manner, yet Rose just followed the great demon like nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Out of the eight faces, the one of the confident gentleman opened his mouth, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen someone who isn¡¯t afraid of me for a long time.¡± The angry grandfather¡¯s face shouted, ¡°There is no cowardice! There is no fear!¡±


    The faces of the boy and girl shouted in chorus.


    ¡°Fearless human!¡±


    ¡°Going to die early!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    For the first time, Rose¡¯s smiling expression hardened. She got goosebumps all over as she saw the faces focused on the book in their hand in a bizarre and creepy manner. She quickly managed to restore her expression and tried to buy Dantalion¡¯s heart. ¡°What book are you reading now?¡±


    Dantalion¡¯s book was one that contained all the knowledge of the world. Rose had already witnessed its power. Hill, the Seventh Servant who lost his life to Grid during the Vatican invasion, had be a master of martial arts after reading only a fragment of Dantalion¡¯s knowledge.


    Rose wanted Dantalion¡¯s knowledge. Any knowledge was good. She wanted to use it to develop into a superhuman beyond Yura. Her goal was to prove to the world that she was better than Yura and to join Grid and Kraugel in the top ranks.


    The gentle grandmother¡¯s face opened her mouth, ¡°It is a book written about the history of the destruction of a short-lived human kingdom.¡±


    ¡°A short-lived human kingdom?¡± Rose wondered if her affinity with Dantalion had started to rise after a few days of hard work.


    She became cheerful again at Dantalion¡¯s cordial attitude while the gentle grandmother¡¯s face answered, ¡°There is a ce called the Overgeared Kingdom. It will be destroyed and disappear in theing future.¡±


    History was a trace and a record. In other words, it meant the past, but Dantalion described what would happen as history. It was possible because he was convinced that it was an unchanging future.


    ¡°It is the future.¡±


    For the first time, the gentle grandmother¡¯s face took her eyes away from the book. Rose followed her gaze and looked fiercely at Peltrino Fortress in front of her. It was due to the six gs on the fortress¡¯ walls. The g in the center was unusuallyrge. A hammer and anvil...


    It was the g of the Overgeared Kingdom, led by the damn Grid and Yura.


    Rose gritted her teeth. It was a reflexive reaction. Rose¡¯s grudge toward the Overgeared Kingdom was frightening since she had failed her quest several times due to Grid. Dantalion¡¯s seven other faces started to follow the grandmother¡¯s face.


    ¡°This moment has be the present.¡±


    ¡°Today, the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It will lose most of its power here.¡±


    ¡°It will be lost in a catastrophe.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared King and the Demon yer...¡±


    ¡°All the variables that threaten hell.¡±


    ¡°Now, they will disappear.¡±


    Dantalion turned over the book¡¯s pages. He flipped through the thick book¡¯s pages and stopped in the middle. Then a magic circle appeared in front of Dantalion. It was an unfamiliar form of magic even for Rose, who had a lot of knowledge and an excellent memory. It was the first time she had seen it and it was bound to be unfamiliar. The magic written in Dantalion¡¯s book, Miracle Field, was a legendary magic that humans would never see.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    The sky ckened. zing meteorites poured down from the screaming universe.


    ¡°...!!¡±


    ¡º ....!! ¡»


    Rose, the Yatan Church, and thementators from various broadcasters all had the same expressions. They werepletely enchanted and their mouths dropped open nkly. All of them foresaw a certain future¡ªthe six kingdoms alliance, wiped out together with Peltrino Fortress. It was the future that would happen in just a few seconds. In fact, the effect of this Meteor was beyond imagination. It seemed there was no exaggeration in the power of Meteor recorded in the legends.


    ¡°H-How to avoid...¡±


    The allies inside the fortress were also predicting their end. They didn¡¯t know what to do from the moment they witnessed dozens of meteorites falling from the sky and were out of their minds.


    ¡ºEven Sword Saint Muller, who sealed the 9th great demon, couldn¡¯t harm Dantalion. He might be the 25th great demon, but he is considered more difficult to deal with than a single digit great demon due to his omnipotence. Now, I think he is beyond difficult, and is more invincible. ¡»


    ¡º Dantalion¡¯s ability has been proven since he is able to realize the knowledge recorded in the book. Isn¡¯t Dantalion the greatest demon that transcends the concept of ranking? ¡»


    Thementators were making desperate observations. It was a guess with sufficient grounds. Dantalion was almost a divine being since he not only had a great deal of knowledge, he also had the ability to realize it. However, there were facts to be aware of. The power was different depending on the person who used the same magic.


    ¡°Is it Meteor?¡±


    Peltrino Fortress was in chaos. A man¡¯s derisive voice echoed in the silence. Everyone in the fortress turned their attention to the maniacughing at the situation and hundreds of cameras focused on the new character who appeared.


    ¡º This...? ¡»


    Thementators were astonished.


    -Awesome.


    -As expected, he was in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    -Ehhhhh! He¡¯s finallying out!


    The viewers cheered. The silver hair that filled the screen turned despair into hope. ¡°Disintegrate.¡±


    sh!


    Unlike Meteor, which required a physical process to ¡®pull down¡¯ the stars in the universe, the spear of light was instantly manifested. The great magic used by the legendary great magician, Braham, prated and exploded dozens of meteorites that were heading toward Peltrino Fortress, turning them into dust.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    The universe once again screamed. Dozens of meteorites poured from the ckened sky toward Dantalion and the Yatan Church members, not Peltrino Fortress.


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Rose and the Yatan Church members paled. The rapid change in the future they took for granted threw them into confusion. On the other hand, Dantalion remained calm. No, he was smiling. All eight faces had a meaningful smile. ¡°Braham, do you think I didn¡¯t know you were here?¡±


    Dantalion knew all the secrets of the world. He knew that Braham had been resurrected, and even that they would meet here. He couldn¡¯t not know the basicmon sense that the power of magic was affected by the caster¡¯s magic power. Dantalion knew that he couldn¡¯t magically offset Braham¡¯s Meteor and he used another part of the book.


    [Matchless Chapter]


    [The page where Sword Saint Muller¡¯s swordsmanship is recorded.]


    Dantalion pulled his sword from his waist and waved it in a half-moon motion. The sword technique derived from the Matchless Heart Technique soared toward the sky and the meteorites were cut in turn. It was a sword infused with the ¡®there is nothing that can¡¯t be cut¡¯ power of the Sword Saint. It was also the reason why Braham had to leave Muller alone as much as possible.


    ¡°This is why Muller couldn¡¯t do anything to me.¡±


    One skill, one power alone, couldn¡¯t defeat him...


    Just as Dantalion¡¯s confident voice echoed through the battlefield¡ª


    ¡°Super Growth!¡±


    The earth shook. All the nts that rose from thend suddenly flooded toward Dantalion.


    ¡°It is foolish.¡±


    Dantalion scoffed as he struck at the nts that grew wildly and came at him with his sword. He also knew of Piaro¡¯s existence. From his standpoint, who had fought with the legends of the previous generation, the legendary Piaro was only a little child.


    Dantalion¡¯s sword cut down the nts and collided with Piaro¡¯s farming tools. Piaro¡¯s hoe and sickle cracked as they blocked Dantalion¡¯s sword. If it was the old him, before he learned the Matchless Heart Technique, Piaro wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist this attack, and might¡¯ve even been cut along with his farming tools. However, from the time he learned the Matchless Heart Technique, Piaro¡¯s farming had be a match for Muller¡¯s swordsmanship, and his hoe and sickle weren¡¯t cut.


    ¡°Even so...¡± Dantalion scoffed and was about to wield his sword again.


    Duguen!


    Dantalion¡¯s heart thumped. It was because he encountered the unknown. A white-haired knight with brilliant silver wings. Dantalion met her blue eyes and was in deep turmoil. There were no records of these ¡®eyes¡¯ in Dantalion¡¯s book.


    ¡°What...?!¡± Dantalion screamed and stepped back. He flipped through the pages in a hurry but it was as expected¡ªhe was unable to find the identity of those sinister eyes.


    ¡®Is this a human?¡¯


    It was a fear caused by the unknown. It was the reason why Dantalion feared the high ranking demons and gods, whose innate power was higher than him. That¡¯s right¡ªDantalion wasn¡¯t almighty. If he was really almighty then he wouldn¡¯t have stayed in the 25th position.


    He was able to gain insight into everything lower than himself, for example, a human. He was weak because he couldn¡¯t see into an opponent who had a higher status than him. This was why he was inevitably humbled in front of Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight that even a god feared. As Empress Basara predicted, Mercedes¡¯s Keen Insight yed a vital role against Dantalion.


    ¡°Kuek! Kuaaaak!¡±


    The appearance of Mercedes made his book useless. Dantalion¡¯s screams of resentment echoed through the battlefield. This scream became a signal and the Overgeared Kingdom and allied forces started toe out. In the face of the offensive of the 10 meritorious retainers and the rankers of each kingdom, Rose and the Yatan Church¡¯s believers were forced to be helpless.


    Dantalion was quickly driven on the defensive.


    It was the day when the great evil that Sword Saint Muller, one of the strongest legends of the past, failed to fight, was defeated by the people living today. The world was evolving, and at the very center of it, was Grid.

 Chapter 1251

    ¡®After all, they are all people.¡¯


    Races varied¡ªthey varied in skin color, physique, taste, ideology,ws, and regtions, and each of them should be respected as individuals with a different culture. However, the emperors of the past despised and discriminated against other races, calling them uncivilized and ominous.


    And thus began a long history filled with countless pains and deaths.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait.¡±


    The Hu race with short legs and a curved back¡ªdue to their innate physical characteristics, their pace of walking with canes was exceptionally slow. People turned a blind eye to them or grumbled about them always leaving the ranks, saying they were annoying.


    However, Empress Basara was different¡ªshe ordered the procession to stop for a moment and clearly told everyone, ¡°There is plenty of time to spare, even based on the movement speed of the Hu race. This is why I asked them to join us.¡±


    Don¡¯t nder others with impatience; the empire was the one who requested the Hu race toe¡ªBasara once again reminded the others and bowed to the leader of the Hu race, who btedly rejoined their ranks.


    The leader of the Hu race had a ratherplicated expression on his face as he spoke, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We are the ones who should be grateful.¡±


    The poption of the Hu race was less than 1,000. It was the result of being isted for many years due to the empire¡¯s discrimination. Even so, they stepped up for world peace. Empress Basara truly admired their warm heart that didn¡¯t resent the world, and the fact that they didn¡¯t turn a blind eye to those who discriminated against them and persecuted them.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we are here.¡±


    Basara was right¡ªdespite several dys in the march due to the Hu race, the empire and the five allied kingdoms were able to reach their destination within the set time. Haspachi Canal¡ªit was one of the famous features of the Arc Kingdom. The river flowing through the center of the city was magnificent and calm, giving the illusion that time had stopped.


    ¡°Have all the residents been evacuated?¡± Basara asked after climbing a ridge and observing the city.


    Kelpato, Duke of the Arc Kingdom, replied solemnly, ¡°Y-Your Majesty, we used the army and evacuated all of them.¡±


    Basara¡¯s eyes were fixed on a corner of the city. ¡°If my eyes aren¡¯t incorrect, there are still people left.¡±


    ¡°They are people of the slums. We didn¡¯t have the manpower or time to evacuate them. They are also a group whomitted many crimes, so it is good to take this opportunity to punish them.¡±


    ¡°Their crime is hunger. It is this kingdom that has made them hungry.¡± Basara dered coldly and Immortal King Grenhal agreed.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a shortage of jobs in a canal city. Seeing that slums have been formed, the tax rate must be set very high?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say anything because it is an internal matter of the kingdom...¡±


    ¡°Enter the city immediately and evacuate the people.¡± Basara interrupted Kelpato¡¯s words to give an order and the imperial army instantly entered the city.


    On the other hand, Beast King Morse snarled at the soldiers of the Arc Kingdom. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to save the people of your kingdom? Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡±


    ¡°We will do as you say!¡±


    Kelpato had nothing to say, but the soldiers of the Arc Kingdom moved in an orderly manner. Morse, duke of the empire, immediately gave orders and acted like he was their boss. Spear Saint Rachel whispered to Kelpato, who had a stiff expression, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t defend crime for any reason. The gap between the rich and the poor is inevitable. There are even poor people in the empire.¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency...¡± Kelpato¡¯s expression finally rxed. He was tired of the idealism and pretense of the empress and the other dukes, so he was happy to have someone who understood him and sympathized with his position.


    Rachel¡¯s eyes were extremely cold as they stared at him. ¡°However, you must absolutely obey the empress¡¯ orders. Your situation isn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Empress Basara was friendly and gentle. The empire was changing due to her and the world was changing. However, could kindness alone change people? Absolutely not. If the empire merely treated people kindly, then the world would never change. It must be apanied with power and strength.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t obey the empress¡¯ orders in the future then I will hold the Arc Kingdom responsible.¡±


    ¡°...I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Just as he was intimidated by Rachel, a water column rose from the center of the canal. Then red mist spread and prated the city. It spread uncontrobly and hit the people who still remained in the slums. The people who inhaled the mist turned into monsters with a scream.


    Rachel once again warned Kelpato, ¡°Do you understand now? In the future, unconditionally obey the orders of Her Majesty the Empress.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, I will keep that in mind!¡±


    Ronove, the 27th great demon¡ªKelpato already knew that this great demon could make himself into a red mist to spread a gue, but he never dreamed that the gue would turn people into monsters instead of killing them. The same was true for Basara and the dukes of the empire. The records of Ronove¡¯s existence were too scarce.


    This time, Basara captured the path of the red fog and shouted to the soldiers of the empire and the Arc Kingdom, ¡°Leave it to the Hu race!¡±


    At the same time that Basara shouted, there was the sound of bells. The bells wereing from the canes that the Hu race held. It was the precursor to the summoning of their indigenous god who the empire once defined as evil.


    ¡º It is a bad mist. ¡»


    The ringing of the bells continued while an apparition of the god, who hadn¡¯t opened his eyes, rose for a moment before disappearing and causing a strong wind. The red mist couldn¡¯t resist the wind and scattered in all directions, allowing the empire and Arc Kingdom¡¯s soldiers to be safe. The ritual of the Hu race in driving away the gue was really effective.


    The imperial soldiers, who always thought the indigenous gods were evil due to the former emperor, Juander, were shocked. They had secretly felt reluctant about the Hu race despite Basara¡¯s attitude, but now they finally realized the wrongs they did to the Hu race and felt sincere appreciation.


    ¡°Sehee, I think it is your turn to go out.¡±


    ¡°It is really fortunate.¡±


    The Hu race wasn¡¯t Empress Basara¡¯s only card prepared for Ronove¡¯s gue. Saintess Ruby was personally asked by Basara and joined the Ronove subjugation force. Her role was to heal the soldiers affected by the gue. To be honest, Ruby was afraid. It was because no matter how many times she experienced it, she couldn¡¯t get used to countless people struggling with pain.


    Fortunately, the gue didn¡¯t spread. The Hu race¡¯s actions had saved countless people and relieved Ruby¡¯s burden.


    ¡°Hahat! What? Why isn¡¯t it forming fog? Does the 27th great demon want a frontal confrontation with us?¡±


    ¡°It seems the Hu race¡¯s ritual had an impact. I don¡¯t think he can turn into fog.¡±


    ¡°Then we will strike.¡±


    The rankers and imperial dukes who joined the subjugation expedition were veterans who had experienced arge number of battles. They had fought against the 22nd great demon, Berith, and the 27th great demon, Ronove, looked shabby inparison.


    ¡°The entire army, charge!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    People with sses that exerted power through a transformation usually had arge difference before and after the transformation. The purifying winds created by the Hu race¡¯s god prevented Ronove from bing fog. This meant he was unable to cope with the attack of hundreds of thousands of elite troops, including the imperial dukes.


    ***


    entric Duke Saleos¡ªthe force of a great demon in the 10s, who appeared in front of yers for the first time, was beyond imagination. His appearance wasn¡¯t bizarre and was actually simr to a human. Instead, he oppressed yers with a presence that was iparable to the great demons in the 20s. The yers who met his eyes couldn¡¯t bear this fear.


    Thementators rying the situation at Lilchard Fortress ended up sighing.


    ¡º Ahh, look. There are less than 20 people who can stand upright against Saleos. ¡»


    The faces of the people gathered at Lilchard Fortress were incredibly magnificent. Of the thousands of yers, none of them were unknown. In particr, there were many highly praised unofficial rankers who rarely appeared in public, like Knight. Therefore, people couldn¡¯t easily think of them being defeated.


    However, once it started, the situation went in apletely different direction than expected. Most people were neutralized before the fight even began. Additionally, Saleos¡¯ personality was unrelenting. Unlike other great demons, he didn¡¯t waste time speaking unnecessary lines and just effectively killed people. The number of opponents were thoroughly reduced by aiming for those who were incapacitated and weak. It was apletely different attitude from the other great demons who ignored humans just because they were human.


    As a result, the top 18 rankers felt a crisis and became hard-pressed. They realized that their dreams and hopes would disappear if they kept losing morebat power and tried to stop Saleos¡¯ killing. However, there was a problem...


    ¡°...Cough!¡±


    Saleos¡¯ mysterious power was a force that went against reason. He would win ¡®unconditionally¡¯ against any opponent in a contest. Saleos¡¯ crushed all the attacks that bombarded him with his power, and inflicted great damage on the target. The concept of fighting itself wasn¡¯t established.


    ¡°This... it seems that he makes a counterattack itself impossible.¡±


    ¡°What can we do if a surprise attack doesn¡¯t work?¡± Tarma gave a cold reply to the people who analyzed the situation. He had already failed in two sneak attacks and was wounded.


    It happened as the atmosphere was cooling down...


    Just then, a ck shadow rose silently above Saleos¡¯ head as he was killing someone else. Then a giant scythe caught Saleos¡¯ thick neck and cut it. Death God Knight¡¯s ultimate technique¡ªit was a hit that made the mouths of the top assassins drop open, including Tarma, and Saleos¡¯ neck seemed to be cut.


    However¡ª


    ¡°¡±Hup!¡±¡±


    The moment Saleos felt the cold metal touching his skin, he instantly took a breath. The giant scythe that should¡¯ve cut off his head only cut half of his neck. Knight¡¯s eyes as he floated in the dark were filled with astonishment. Then Saleos¡¯ fist mmed into Knight¡¯s side. Knight¡¯s armor was shattered with a loud sound and he flew away. Knight couldn¡¯t easily get up again.


    ¡°This is crazy...¡±


    What type of strategy could they use? The yers who tried to ovee their fears and participate in the battle became as stiff as stone statues.


    They had no fellowship from the beginning and they started to wonder if they should participate in this one-sided massacre. Rather than being obsessed with the rewards of a quest that couldn¡¯t be cleared, they thought it was better to run away now instead of dying.


    What about the ridicule and usations of the hundreds of millions of viewers watching the situation right now? It wasn¡¯t worth worrying about. What rights did cowards who fled and sat in front of the TV have to use them in the first ce?


    The yers organized their minds and started to step back one by one, only to stop.


    Step.Step.Step...


    The reason why so many people had gathered¡ªSword Saint Kraugel, who was once hailed as the sky above the sky, silently crossed the battlefield. He slowly moved straight forward, his gaze fixed on Saleos who had overwhelmed thousands of rankers.


    ¡°¡±Yes, it is an inevitable death. ept it quietly.¡±¡±


    Saleos praised the human¡¯s courage for walking on his own feet and shot forward like a thunderbolt with raised fists.


    Kraugel drew his sword. In a neat move, he swung his sword and struck Saleos¡¯ fist. It was obviously crazy to anyone who saw it.


    Saleos was smiling with scorn until he felt a sharp pain in his fist. ¡®I was cut?¡¯


    The vision of Saleos¡¯ left and right eyes became angled. Saleos was aware of the awkward vision and turned his head. He saw that the ¡®world¡¯ behind him was split in half. ¡°¡±Sword... Saint!¡±¡±

 Chapter 1252

    His left field of view went down and his right field of view receded. It was a change in vision that wasn¡¯t intended at all. The struggling Saleos looked back in doubt and witnessed a scene in which the world behind him had been split in half. At the same time, he realized something.


    ¡°¡±Sword... Saint!¡±¡±


    It was the identity of the human being in front of him. Blood erupted from Saleos¡¯ flesh as he was cut in half from the middle of his forehead. The disgusting stench as Saleos¡¯ organs poured out suggested his death.


    ¡º This is unbelievable...! ¡»


    ¡º A blow was struck to the 19th great demon...! ¡»


    After Muller, the title of ¡®Sword Saint¡¯ carried the same weight as history. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that most of the history of humanity in Satisfy was protected by the Sword Saint (Muller). Unlike Pagma, who fought alone in a ce no one knew, the Sword Saint had guarded people¡¯s side and fought with them. This was recorded in many histories and passed down orally. Now the world¡ª


    -As expected of the Sword Saint!


    -God Kraugel!


    There was no doubt that Kraugel would continue Muller¡¯s reputation. The sky above the sky¡ªthe pinnacle of humanity, who no one but Grid could resist, was qualified to bear humanity¡¯s expectations.


    "Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension."


    How much had he grown in this period of time? Kraugel showed the miracle of performing Space Sword without warning. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with cutting Saleos apart and linked the next sword technique. Sword energy surged from the ground to swallow up Saleos who was splitting into two halves. Saleos seemed like he would be a pile of ashes.


    The 19th ranked great demon was on the verge of being raided by just one yer. The world held their breath as they watched the historic moment that would never happen again. Then tens of thousands of blood vessels emerged from Saleos¡¯ pumping organs and started to tangle up together.


    ¡º ...! ¡»


    -...!


    It was like looking at a regression in time. Saleos¡¯ organs were restored to their original state and his body, split in half, was stuck together again. If thend he stood on wasn¡¯t soaked with blood, people would¡¯ve thought that the scene of Saleos being split in half was merely their imagination.


    p, p, p.


    Saleos¡¯ first act after restoring his body was a tribute. He pped briefly andughed¡ªit was a pleasantugh, not a derisive one. ¡°¡±You are the Sword Saint. You are the one carrying on Muller¡¯s legacy? I¡¯m going to have a fun fight for the first time in a long time.¡±¡±


    Hell only had two enemies¡ªone was Alex, and the other, Muller. The frustration and fear felt by the 33 monarchs who ruled hell were only caused by the two of them. What about Pagma, who defended the Behen Archipgo and prevented the great demons from entering? That guy¡¯sst spark was the work of Baal¡¯s whim and he was just a momentary trouble.


    On the other hand, Alex¡¯ invasion of hell, and Muller¡¯s tenacity in sealing the bodies of the great demons who came to the world of humans, were very difficult and painful.


    ¡°¡±In the end, the two of them are gone...¡±¡±


    Muller¡ªthe one who sealed even Hell Gao, the 9th great demon. Saleos would be reborn as a being beyond Hell Gao if he killed the man in front of him who followed Muller¡¯s footsteps. There was a deeper smile on Saleos¡¯ face as he rushed toward Kraugel.


    Saleos¡¯ crushing fist was blocked by Kraugel¡¯s sword. Kraugel¡¯s sword had the power to cut anything but it stopped after only cutting Saleos¡¯ ¡®power.¡¯ Saleos¡¯ body couldn¡¯t be reached.


    ¡°¡±What?¡±¡± It didn¡¯te to a power struggle. Saleos frowned as he used his skills to push Kraugel into the defensive. ¡°¡±This is too easy. Muller¡¯s swordsmanship is only this much?¡±¡±


    ¡°...Muller.¡± Kraugel stiffened due to the blow to the side and felt the pain of his internal organs being squeezed. His eyes were usually restrained in their emotions but now they were filled with a rare anger. ¡°I didn¡¯t learn Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    The first day he made contact with Satisfy, Kraugel was fascinated by the touch of the cold sword and there was only one path before his eyes. He decided he would be a swordsman and he did his best to see it through to the end. This was the result. Kraugel¡¯s sword path was found and pioneered by himself. He didn¡¯t follow a path that someone else had already built. Beingpared to Muller was never pleasant.


    ¡°My name is Kraugel.¡±


    A fierce silver sword energy encircled Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s health and defense were reced by the durability, attack power, and defense of his own swords. The White Tiger Sword held in his right hand resonated clearly under the influence of ¡®Poetry that Praises the Sword.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not Muller¡¯s sessor. I am a new Sword Saint.¡±


    [The +9 Alione¡¯s Sword has been destroyed.]


    [The +3 Imoogi¡¯s Tusk has been destroyed.]


    [The +8 Deceptive Two Swords have been destroyed.]


    Dozens of swords in Kraugel¡¯s inventory were sequentially destroyed. Every time Kraugel allowed Saleos¡¯ attacks, the swords were damaged on behalf of Kraugel. Meanwhile, Condemnation Sword had its power increased by 11 times due to Poetry that Praises the Sword and it condemned Saleos. The more evil the target, the greater the power of Condemnation Sword.


    The energy sword that pierced Saleos was white at the top and ck at the bottom. The White Sword and ck Sword were sessfully connected and the only thing left was the expression of the Twin Swords. Kraugel could turn Saleos¡¯ body into a rag as long as hepleted thebo.


    However, Saleos¡¯ body was restored immediately and his health gauge was still over 90%. On the other hand, Kraugel had already consumed half of his 40 spare weapons. The expensive unique or legendary rated weapons were permanently destroyed in exchange for dealing some damage.


    Saleos¡¯ destructive power frustrated Kraugel while Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship bored Saleos. ¡°¡±You are so weak.¡±¡±


    The ck magic power spun like a drill bit in Saleos¡¯ hand. Now it was this magic power, not Saleos¡¯ power, that Kraugel¡¯s sword would cut. Moreover, Saleos¡¯ power would remain intact and crush Kraugel.


    ¡°¡±Because you didn¡¯t learn Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±¡±


    Saleos denied Kraugel and his attack struck like a thunderbolt.


    ***


    ¡°I am Grid. Remember this well because I am the most persistent person in the world.¡±


    Grid walked along a forced path. He unintentionally changed his ss to Pagma¡¯s Descendant, and was forced to walk the path of a cksmith. This path was never smooth. Grid looked back on his path many times, trembling with anxiety and sometimes feeling sorry for himself.


    However, he finally reached the final destination. He got off the path that had already been cleared and stepped onto a new path.


    ¡®My¡¯ path.


    It was Grid¡¯s path.


    Then Muller? The question of the 13th great demon, Beleth, about following Muller¡¯s path and carrying on his legacy, scratched at Grid¡¯s pride. Grid didn¡¯t want to be obscured by the shadow of Muller at every important moment.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired of it.¡¯


    Grid threw a bottle of empty potions behind him and started to perform a beautiful dance. The silver light at the tip of his sword gradually turned blue and scattered into petals. It was the moment when Transcended Link Flower dominated the battlefield.


    Grid was the only one who could move freely here, at least during Transcended Link Flower. He used cksmith¡¯s Rage and Quick Movements before jumping up from the ground, elerating as he was surrounded by lightning. Grid nned to use a four fusion sword dance while Beleth was acting wary of the blue sword energy petals.


    However, Beleth acted relentlessly. He moved with great strides to meet Grid regardless of the blue petals touching his body. It was enough for Grid to change his n. ¡°Flower.¡±


    The basic concept of Flower was to leave marks on the target and then attack the marks. Beleth was covered in marks due to exposing himself to the petals of Transcended Link Flower and in return, two des of sword energies would be hit each mark. It was a sword technique that exerted both physical and magical attack power. It was an opportunity to analyze Beleth¡¯s vulnerability.


    Just as Grid was feeling expectant, Beleth stared at the sword energies flooding toward him and waved his hand slightly. The sword energies that should¡¯ve hit Beleth stopped at once and twisted their direction. Beleth¡¯s power was to make ¡®objects without a master¡¯ his ¡®weapon.¡¯ From the time that the sword energy left Grid¡¯s sword and was judged as a ¡®projectile,¡¯ it was already Beleth¡¯s power, not Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Grid was bombarded by the sword energies returned to him and retreated back while coughing up blood. The amount of health he lost was 207,090. This was the price for allowing himself to be hit three times. Beleth¡¯s weapon damage was powerful enough to inflict 69,030 damage per hit. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he recalled the first time he was hit by Beleth¡¯s fist. The damage he received was exactly 69,030.


    ¡®Crazy. Is it fixed damage?¡¯


    It was also a fixed damage close to 70,000. The health and defense he gained so far didn¡¯t matter against this opponent.


    It was a moment of desperation for Grid.


    The dozens of remnants of the wall Beleth destroyed became weapons and hurtled toward Grid. His immortality would immediately be consumed if he allowed even two of these attacks... Grid attempted to use Shunpo but it failed. The Lightning God skill of the Blue Dragon Boots wasn¡¯t triggered, either.


    Inevitably, Grid had to use Freely Move to avoid the sharp pieces of rocks and reach Beleth¡¯s side. His eyes shone through his fluttering hair like he was going to eat Beleth. ¡°LInked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Beleth¡¯s body still had marks on it. The power of Freely Move to avoid all non-targeted skills and approach the target was beyond imagination. It was almost invincible except for the fact that the cooldown time was very long.


    ¡°¡±These little tricks...¡±¡± Beleth was hit by Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle and bled for the first time. His white clothing that was clean without dust had finally be dirty. Beleth gritted his teeth and stomped his feet as hard as possible. ¡°¡±If you haven¡¯t followed Muller¡¯s footsteps, then get out of here, stripling!¡±¡±


    There was an earthquake and hundreds of stone shards soared from the shattered ground, striking at Grid, who was still in the air. Beleth had no doubt that these hundreds of weapons would lead to the death of the man in front of him¡ªthe very same man who dared to hurt him.


    However, this human was as persistent as he imed. Suddenly, mes appeared and burned the hundreds of weapons to ashes. The infinite sword energy that unfolded caught Beleth¡¯s attention. The human called Grid stood behind this unimaginable spectacle and grumbled.


    ¡°Okay, your weakness...¡±


    The power to attack using all nearby objects as weapons¡ªit was a threatening ability. Did this mean that the 69,030 fixed damage weapons could bombard indefinitely? No, Grid was a cksmith and knew it¡ªthe damage of a weapon wasn¡¯t the only thing that mattered about them. A weapon might possess a strong attack power, but if it had poor durability, it would be destroyed before reaching the target. It was like the hundreds of stones in the Storm of the Fire God.


    Grid smiled confidently and used Open Potential. He used the infinite sword energy tounch Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. It was at this moment that the infinite sword energy turned back in all directions and aimed at Grid.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    It was the end. Grid realized that the infinite sword energies were reduced to being Beleth¡¯s weapons and was bombarded with them. After this, Grid consumed all sorts of survival and counter skills, but he still died in 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Grid had dyed Beleth for a total of 5 minutes and 50 seconds.


    ¡°...This is a scam!¡± Grid¡¯s scream echoed from the resurrection point.


    Dammit, actually using his own sword energy as a weapon? He had to counter it properly.


    Grid instantly summoned Sticks.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Teleport!¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ***


    ¡º I-It is shocking news. The supreme, Grid, died after six minutes of fighting the Berserk King, Beleth. The Reverse Summoning magic circle prepared by the Saharan Empire has be virtually useless... ¡»


    Raiding the 13th great demon alone? In fact, it was impossible from the beginning. However, the world had high expectations because the other person was Grid. Many people believed that even if Grid didn¡¯t raid Beleth, he would be able tost 13 minutes. Yet the result turned out disastrous and the world was in turmoil.


    The imagined scene of Beleth advancing to Henlutu Fortress, copsing the Reverse Summoning magic circle, and destroying the Arc Kingdom, spread clearly in their minds. There was a moment of silence as terror encroached on the world. Just then, a stream of light fell from the sky. Grid, who died not long ago, reappeared. It was Sticks, the world¡¯s strongest mode of teleportation... no, it was the majesty of Overgeared King Grid, who led the sage.


    ¡°It is going to be different this time.¡±


    ¡°¡°...Can¡¯t you understand who you are up against?¡±¡±


    Beleth¡¯s angry face became even scarier.

 Chapter 1253

    Was it correct to say that five great demons had emerged? The reason why various media questioned this was simple: Sitri¡¯s hand. One of the five great demons who came to this world wasn¡¯t a great demon, but merely a ¡®part¡¯ of the great demon. The attention of the public was bound to move away from Sitri¡¯s hand.


    What was the point of watching the hand of the 12th great demon when they could watch the 13th and 19th great demons fighting? People expected Sitri¡¯s hand to be the first to be defeated. The media of each country didn¡¯t pay much attention to Ktan Fortress. Yet eventually...


    The ratings of the broadcasters showing the situation at Ktan Fortress started to soar. The broadcasters showing the situations at Ktan Fortress, Henlutu Fortress, Lilchard Fortress, Peltrino Fortress, and the Haspachi Canal were inundated with requests from viewers to show more about Ktan Fortress. They had no choice but to do so.


    ¡º Hiiiiiik!! ¡»


    The ferociousness of the scene that was shown through the camera made even thementators scream. Sitri¡¯s hand, which was as big as the fortress¡¯ walls, crushed the Reba Church¡¯s pdins like flies. The cameras shook from the earthquake that urred every time it moved and the impact was delivered to the viewers.


    ¡°Kyaaaack!¡±


    ¡°D-Demon...! Demon!¡±


    Every time the hand that covered the sky hit the ground, they witnessed their colleagues dying. The terrified Reba Church¡¯s priests scattered in all directions and fled. The leadership of Damian, who was currently serving his third term as the pope with the enthusiastic support of the church, was useless. Sitri¡¯s hand was red like the skin of a newborn baby. It beat, grabbed, and killed everything that moved. The sight was so terrible that their courage to fight was lost.


    ¡°Cruel bastard! What a cruel nature!¡±


    Even the leader of the Temr, who spread out his white wings and made his identity known to the world, was shaken. The ring of light floating above the archangel¡¯s head poured out an enormous divinity but he couldn¡¯t stop the red hand from advancing.


    The one-sided killing continued. The momentum of Sitri¡¯s hand as it crushed the people of the fortress was so fierce that it seemed to be able to trample the whole continent without ever stopping.


    -Isn¡¯t this much stronger than Saleos? The ground is crushed every time the hand is swung.


    -It seems that even Grid would be crushed in one blow.


    -There might be an immediate death sentence at that time.


    The pdins of the Reba Church were famous for their strong armaments. They had defenses and buffs that were slightly below the level of a guardian, and they were tankers who could take the lead on a battlefield. Yet even they were turned to grey ash as soon as they were crushed by Sitri¡¯s hand.


    This was a ughter that went beyond the level of a deadly blow. Sitri¡¯s hand that killed dozens of pdins and priests every time it hit the ground was reminiscent of a ¡®final boss.¡¯


    ¡°Isabel-chan, what should we do?¡±


    Pope Damian had earned the nickname Zombie Demon King for surviving four hours in the Demon King Subjugation of this year¡¯s National Competition. His confidence had risen sharply since then, but now he lost his spirit, just like when he felt despair against Drevigo. He watched the members of the church scattering and being defeated without following his leadership, and his eyes turned red.


    As he was feeling depressed, Isabel held his hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The goddess will give us protection.¡±


    Tremble tremble.


    Isabel wasn¡¯t aware of it but her hands were shaking like an aspen tree. She was also cowering before the ferocity of Sitri¡¯s hand. Damian was ashamed to see that she was trying to reassure him even in such circumstances. Damian firmed up his heart and dered, ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s okay. There is me. This zombie demon king will protect the members of the church.¡±


    Damian spoke while putting on the most handsome expression possible. He held Isabe¡¯s trembling hand tightly and pulled out the Holy Sword. A golden sh swirled and scattered the demonic power that had fallen over the area.


    ¡°The Holy Father is a zombie... demon king?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m going to kill that zombie-like demon king.¡± He realized his mistake and lost momentum while trying to correct it.


    ¡°In any case, believe in me.¡±


    Damian was determined to fulfill his responsibilities as the pope. Isabel and the other Reba¡¯s Daughters struggled to reduce the casualties despite the chaos. Damian reminded himself that he was the one who should protect them and concentrated his divine power onto the Holy Sword.


    Sitri¡¯s hand, which had been threatening the archangel like it was chasing a fly, suddenly turned toward Damian. Sitri¡¯s hand was full of dark demonic power. For those who were faithful to their instincts, the divine power of the pope was the most disgusting thing. It was natural for Damian to be the first target of the great demon when he had the ¡®divinity of Reba.¡¯


    ¡°H-Hajimemasite.¡± (Nice to meet you)


    The opponent was just a hand but it felt like Damian met its eyes for some reason. Damian smiled awkwardly and waved while sweating. Then Sitri¡¯s hand started going on a rampage. Its fingers swept the earth and it ignored the archangel and Temr as it rushed toward Damian.


    ¡°H-Hiyaaaack!¡±


    It felt like the castle was going to copse. Damian screamed as the red hand filled his vision and he swung the Holy Sword. Then a pir of divine gold shot up and struck Sitri¡¯s palm. Sitri¡¯s hand stopped moving for the first time since its arrival. The ck demonic energy that it was emitting like smoke scattered like a lie and disappeared. Of course, this was only for a moment. The movement of Sitri¡¯s fingers resumed, and the demonic power rose once more.


    At the same time, a gunshot rang out. A green bullet prated Sitri¡¯s palm through the gap in demonic power that hadn¡¯t been fully restored. This caused Sitri¡¯s palm to shortly pause. Yura¡¯s cry permeated Damian¡¯s ear, ¡°It¡¯s okay! Keep continuing like this!¡±


    ¡°H-Hai!¡± (Yes)


    The pope and the Demon yer¡ªthe strongestbination that didn¡¯t exist in history started to engrave wounds on the hand of the giant great demon Sitri, who was nicknamed Demon God.


    ***


    Storm of the Fire God was Grid¡¯s mental world. To be exact, it was a side effect of the Red Phoenix¡¯s mental word. However, Grid bore the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart and he made it his own. It meant that Storm of the Fire God was a world that existed because of Grid. All the concepts that existed in it were expressed in Grid¡¯s mental world so it was naturally Grid¡¯s possession.


    However, Beleth intercepted the infinite sword energies and used it as his weapon.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t make sense ording tomon sense. Why did he lose ownership over something in his mental world? As Grid was filled with unanswered questions, he flew and narrowly escaped the flying debris of the wall. Then he swung his sword.


    Beleth¡¯s heel aimed at Grid¡¯s chest only to be blocked by a dark de and bounce off. Grid blocked Beleth¡¯s sessive attacks with the God Hands and pulled back while gritting his teeth.


    ¡®Look at this. He can¡¯t touch the God Hands.¡¯


    The God Hands belonged to Grid¡ªit was undeniable that they acted on their own after leaving Grid, yet Beleth didn¡¯t use the God Hands as his weapon, so why did the infinite sword energy...


    ¡°...Ah!¡±


    Grid¡¯s doubts were bing deeper, only to suddenly disappear. He recalled the events of the day when he obtained the infinite sword energy.


    [The power of the Absolute is flowing into the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart.]


    [A new field effect, ¡®Infinite Sword Energy,¡¯ has been added to Storm of the Fire God.]


    The system definitely stated it¡ªthe infinite sword energy in the Storm of the Fire God was the power of the Absolute. In other words, it was the power of the first seat, Hayate, not the power of Grid. Grid was only borrowing Hayate¡¯s power for a while.


    ¡®I see. This was why Beleth was able to use it as a weapon. Hayate, the real owner of the infinite sword energy, isn¡¯t here...¡¯


    Grid was reminded of Beleth¡¯s inability to touch the ¡®mes¡¯ of Storm of the Fire God.


    ¡®In the end, I can¡¯t use the infinite sword energy.¡¯


    So what could he use to take down such a monster? Grid was deeply troubled only for his body to gradually turn white. Finally, Lightning God triggered.


    It was only possible due to the passive skill Automatic Transformation and the help of the God Hands in stopping the projectile attacks. If it wasn¡¯t for Automatic Transformation and the God Hands, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to attack and defend against Beleth dozens of times, and there was no possibility for Lightning God to trigger.


    Grid, who had been passive during this battle, flooded toward Beleth with lightning. He had fully glimpsed Beleth¡¯s limitations.


    ¡®All of Beleth¡¯s attacks are ssified as physical attacks, not magic.¡¯


    Beleth had never used magic before. Unless magic flew from somewhere and was used as his weapon, the only objects that Beleth could use were the fragments of the ground and the walls. This meant he couldn¡¯t hit Grid while Grid was in the Lightning God state.


    ¡°¡°....!¡±¡±


    It was as expected¡ªall of Beleth¡¯s attacks that used the fragments of the city walls as weapons simply passed through Grid¡¯s body that had turned into lightning and Grid received no damage. A flustered look appeared on Beleth¡¯s face for the first time and it gave Grid joy.


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    He had to hold on for 13 minutes?


    ¡°Open Potential.¡±


    No, he would kill this great demon. Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, that was canceled in the previous battle, swallowed up Beleth. If the screaming Beleth hadn¡¯t poured out ck magic power, Grid would¡¯ve won as he predicted.


    ¡°Cough...! Cough!¡±


    The Lightning God state made Grid immune to all physical attacks, but he would take twice the damage from magic attacks without any defense or resistance. Beleth¡¯s ck magic that shot through him was truly devastating. Once Grid copsed, he couldn¡¯t stand up easily. Beleth slowly took a few steps to the ragged Grid who was coughing up blood.


    ¡°¡±You have a lot of talent for a human. Ronove and Dantalion would¡¯ve suffered a crushing defeat if they had met you.¡±¡±


    There was no more anger in Beleth¡¯s expression. A human capable of destroying great demons in the 20s¡ªBeleth was very satisfied that he could put an end to the guy who might be as strong as Muller in the future. It happened the moment he pointed his finger at the heart of Grid, who was released from the Lightning God state...


    ¡°¡±...!!¡±¡±


    The ground that Beleth stepped on suddenly disappeared. Beleth was unprepared and disappeared deep into the ground. Grid, not missing the timing and chance,boriously stood up, then he spat out toward the very deep pit, ¡°This is why you should be careful with your feet.¡±


    A skill to change the terrain¡ªthe deceptive effect of Earth God prolonged the struggle between Grid and Beleth. Now there was only one minute remaining...


    The sight of the supreme, Grid, fighting against the 13th ranked great demon, alone, brought a great thrill, and many other emotions, to the world.

 Chapter 1254

    Kraugel always had one goal¡ªgoing beyond his limit, transcending one¡¯s own limit to face the true limitations. It was about reaching the peak.


    ¡®There is no need to be shaken.¡¯


    The reason he was weak was because he didn¡¯t learn Muller¡¯s swordsmanship...


    Kraugel silently let Saleos¡¯ provocation go as the great demon stepped on him. It was because he knew¡ªthe moment he followed Muller¡¯s footsteps, he would lose his qualification to discuss the limit. Kraugel¡¯s desire was to ¡®transcend¡¯ Muller. If he was going to be overshadowed by Muller anyway, he would¡¯ve taken the easy road of following Muller¡¯s path from the beginning.


    [The reputation of the Sword Saint is in danger of falling.]


    [The world doesn¡¯t tolerate the Sword Saint¡¯s frequent defeats.]


    [In order to maintain the Sword Saint¡¯s reputation of being the strongest in swordsmanship, you must memorize the Matchless Heart Technique.]


    The Matchless Heart Technique¡ªit was the trace of Muller obtained frompleting the Sword Saint ss quest. It was said that Muller obtained it from the previous Sword Saint and it also discussed infinite sword energy. Kraugel consumed sword energy with every skill he used. The stronger the skill, the more sword energy that was required. From Kraugel¡¯s position, the shortest way to be the most powerful person was to obtain the Matchless Heart Technique.


    However, if Kraugel learned the same technique as Muller, then he would be the ¡®second Muller¡¯ rather than ¡®Sword Saint Kraugel.¡¯


    [You have already suffered a few defeats. A new defeat will cause your qualification to be doubted...]


    Kraugel skipped the rising warning windows and used True Clouds. The blue clouds of sword energy stretched out temporarily and took away all of Saleos¡¯ senses. Kraugel raised himself up in the gap and flew into the sky.


    ¡°¡°Hahat! Do you have no shame?¡±¡±


    Saleos overcame the chaos caused by True Clouds in just one second and identified Kraugel¡¯s position. He immediately jumped out of the range of True Clouds and chased after Kraugel.


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    Saleos was flying forward with great force only to stop in a flustered manner. He was confused because a sword was floating in the ce where Kraugel was supposed to be.


    ¡°¡±This human tricked my senses?¡±¡±


    Saleos once again confirmed that the energy felt from the sword floating in the sky resembled that of Kraugel and gritted his teeth. A chill went down his spine as he determined the location of Kraugel who had escaped like a rat. A strange and ferocious roar echoed from the ground, reminiscent of the roar of a beast of immense size.


    Saleos, who lived without fear as one of the most powerful beings in the world, shrank back for the first time in his life. The waves of sword energy swept over his vision as he hurriedly twisted his body and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Bunhelier¡¯s Scream.¡±


    The evil dragon Bunhelier¡ªit was a sword technique created by expressing the obsession of the being who gued him for a long time. Kraugel¡¯s new ultimate technique took advantage of all attributes. It dealt peak damage even if the target¡¯s attribute was ¡®nothing.¡¯ It utilized the potential of swordsmanship to the extreme to reproduce the irrational power of the dragon.


    ¡°¡±Kuock...! Kuaaack!¡±¡± He felt like he had been struck by the damn Reba¡¯s divinity. Saleos screamed and shuddered as he suffered the pain of his skin peeling off and his muscles being ripped off.


    ¡º P-Perhaps? ¡»


    The broadcasters from various countries were dumbfounded after noticing that Kraugel was going to die earlier. Now they finally woke up. The viewers had clenched fists and couldn¡¯t talk in the chat windows. All the broadcaster¡¯s live chat windows stopped updating. It was a time when all the people of the world were focused on the beginning of the reversal that would remain in history.


    ¡°¡±This... it isn¡¯t enough!¡±¡± Saleos cried out struggling with the pain. The sight of him staring at Kraugel with red eyes reminded them of a demon. No, he was a great demon. ¡°¡±More...! Make it more interesting!¡±¡±


    Did he finally get rid of the pain? Saleos¡¯ momentum was different from before as he moved his rigid body. Every time he narrowed the distance to Kraugel, explosions broke out that caused the sky to distort. If he fell to the ground like this then one corner of the continent would be blown up. On the other hand...


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    The screen zoomed in on Kraugel¡ªstanding in the center of the True Clouds, his chest heaved and his eyes shook as he stared straight ahead. His cramping arms and legs touched the hearts of the viewers.


    ¡º Is this the aftermath of using the skill? ¡»


    ¡º It is a skill that frightened the 19th great demon. It is serious and the penalty will naturally be high. ¡»


    Thementators didn¡¯t dare say what was going to happen. Even if they didn¡¯t say it, all the viewers knew what would happen in the future. ording to Saleos, Kraugel hadn¡¯t made as much progress as Muller. The limit of the ¡®iplete¡¯ Sword Saint was here.


    The moment that everyone thought so, a pair of wings, made out of light, appeared behind Kraugel¡¯s back. They were unspoiled, pure white wings that were gradually dyed with darkness, causing it to lose its purity. Saleos¡¯ fists finally reached Kraugel and they were swung at an invisible speed. His fists transcended the physical concepts and stretched out dozens of times, prating and tearing at Kraugel¡¯s body.


    Viewers witness the terribly scattered remains of Kraugel and their hearts sank.


    ¡°¡°....!?¡±¡±


    Saleos stopped the offensive. He realized that he had not felt the sensation of hitting anything with his fists. That¡¯s right¡ªthe Kraugel that Saleos tore at was just an afterimage left by Kraugel, who raised the full potential of Quick Command to the fullest extent and managed to avoid all the attacks directed at him. He returned to his spot and drew a full moon with his sword. It was a sword that dealt critical damage on Saleos, who was still suffering from Bunhelier¡¯s Scream and exposed weaknesses.


    ¡°¡°Yo... u...¡±¡±


    Saleos¡¯ body was once again split in half. His organs spilled out from the cut. Then tens of thousands of blood vessels once again started to tangle together. It was an immediate process of restoration, just like when he was cut by Space Sword.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t just watch quietly. ¡°Transcend Storm Sword.¡±


    It was a multi-hit skill that inflicted dozens of hits within a specified area. The storm of sword energy tore at all the blood vessels that wanted to restore Saleos¡¯ body and rendered his restoration useless.


    Thump!


    ¡°¡°...Yo... u¡±¡±


    Saleos¡¯ body once again copsed and the blood vessels emerged again.


    sh!


    The use of the strongest wide area skill ¡®Heaven and Earth Rupture into Nothingness¡¯ once again disrupted Saleos¡¯ restoration. Kraugel still had many techniques left. They were the essences of Kraugel¡¯s experiences when he had ovee as many trials and tribtions as Grid.


    ¡°¡°...You!¡±¡±


    Saleos failed to restore his body once again and felt anxious, causing him to detonate his magic power. He only relied on his strength to suppress others and hadn¡¯t learned magic. Right now, he just exploded his innate magic power. Even so, it was more destructive than great magic.


    The rankers who grasped Saleos¡¯ characteristics during Kraugel¡¯s battle and rejoined the front lines were swept away by the st and copsed. On the other hand, Kraugel used Sword Curtain and Imprable Skin to endure the explosion. Then he sessfully linked the next attack to the side of Sales¡¯ body.


    Jajinmori¡ªthe thousands of blood vessels trying to restore Saleos¡¯ body stretched out like rubber bands as half of Saleos¡¯ body was hit by the ultimate kick and was blown away dozens of meters. In the end...


    ¡°¡±Kuaack!!¡±¡±


    Saleos gave up on restoring his body. He cut off his blood vessels himself and the two halves of his split body stood up. Then he hit Kraugel at the same time from the left and the right. Kraugel had already used White Light Steps. After inducing the movements of both halves of the split body to ovep, Kraugel used Heart Sword and cut them at the same time.


    Saleos lost 20% of his health and was the first to notice it. Did this person call himself a new Sword Saint? If he met this person a bitter then it would be toote.


    ¡°¡°...I would¡¯ve lost.¡±¡±


    Twitch, twitch.


    Thanks to the ovepping movements, Saleos¡¯ bodies finally reconnected.


    ¡°Pant...Pant...¡± Kraugel was experiencing the chronic disease that Grid had suffered before visiting the Tower of Wisdom. His stamina waspletely lost and he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. He sank down in his ce.


    ¡°¡±...Not Muller, but the Sword Saint.¡±¡±


    Step.


    Saleos knew this was the end and took a step forward. ¡°¡±The name Kraugel, I will remember it.¡±¡±


    Step.


    At his second step, he reached Kraugel and punched. Immortality was lost. Kraugel received the big hit and his health was fixed to the minimum. The time allowed for the copsed Kraugel was only five seconds.


    ¡°Run away!¡± Most of the rankers who only joined Kraugel toplete the quest, such as the ck and White sisters, had already abandoned the fortress and started to run away.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡± Some rankers who joined Kraugel to protect the yers¡¯ homes and rights, including Knight, remained in their ce until the end. Even though they knew they were going to die, they charged Saleos in order to give Kraugel time to recover.


    ¡°¡±Kuhahahahat! Your courage is admirable!¡±¡± Saleos burst outughing. He had experienced the strength of the new Sword Saint and from his point of view, the intervention of other humans was insignificant. It was funny. Saleosughed as he smashed the heads of the rankers like watermelons every time he swung his fists.


    The rankers felt despair at their limitations, thementators gave up on rying the situation, and the viewers left the TV to head for their capsules. It was because they wanted to use their own weak power to save Kraugel. Then they stiffened like stone statues. It was due to the shouts of thementators.


    ¡º ...Epic! ¡»


    ¡°...!¡±


    The viewers rushed in front of the TV again. The screen showed the ¡®rain of battle gears¡¯ bombarding Saleos. The supreme one, Grid, was descending through the rain of battle gears. Was it because many people were witnessing it, just like his first epic? This time, the system didn¡¯t hide the identity of the epic¡¯s protagonist.


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the seventh epic.]

 Chapter 1255

    Pagma¡¯s Descendant, Duke of Wisdom, Duke of Virtue, Duke of Fire, legend, transcendent, and Hero King¡ªevery title, state, or position achieved by Grid was a concept that originally existed, and they didn¡¯t deviate from the rules of the system. However, Magic Swordsman of the Epics was different. This system was born on the basis of Grid¡¯s achievements and was a concept only for Grid.


    Now¡ª


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the seventh epic.]


    Overgeared King Grid was a concept created by Grid himself. He called himself the Overgeared King, and the world didn¡¯t overlook it. In the end, the system recognized the concept he created. Grid was the Overgeared King, Overgeared King Grid.


    [The beginning of the narrative starts with theforting of the frustrated humans.]


    ¡°You aren¡¯t weak, you just don¡¯t have enough time.¡±


    [He was also an underdog, so he affirmed it.]


    The rain of battle gears that poured toward entric Duke Saleos. Dozens of battle gears flew toward him with a fierce spirit and Saleos was busy avoiding them. He kept changing his position and posture while aiming at the man who dared to smash him with battle gears.


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy. There were too many of them. Every time Saleos swung his two fists filled with the ¡®unbeatable power¡¯ and smashed two weapons, dozens more would fall and cut him. It was only Saleos who received damage.


    ¡°¡°Damn.¡±¡± It was best to avoid this rain. There was no need to struggle against the heavy rain of battle gears that would stop after a while.


    Saleos hid his body behind a wall that hadn¡¯t yet copsed. Grid descended along with the rain of battle gears while his sharp gaze chased Saleos. Then he shouted to all the yers who were awaiting their deaths in Lilchard Fortress, ¡°Hold on, struggle!¡±


    [Defeat starts from the moment you give up.]


    [He reminded humanity that a crisis was just a hurdle to be ovee.]


    [The moment when his gaze collided with a great demon, humanity remembered.]


    [Theypared their feelings the first time they encountered a great demon, to the feelings of today, when they encountered five great demons.]


    The basis of Satisfy was the already established worldview and NPCs. However, yers were the key to moving and changing Satisfy. Grid¡¯s epics so far had involved the world and the NPCs. It wasn¡¯t strange that it would now involve yers.


    ¡°Ah...¡± The two billion yers who had ess to Grid¡¯s epics through the television, Inte, or Satisfy recalled the past. The unforgettable moments of the great demon raid unfolded in their minds like a panorama. Now, looking back, they hadn¡¯t been able to resist Belial, the weakest great demon at all. Yet today, they fought against great demons who were far stronger than Belial. They got a glimpse of it for a moment.


    Yes, they had grown. They might have been frustrated every time, but they endured and became stronger. Then they would be even stronger in the future.


    ¡°Despair... there is no reason for it.¡± Knight used his broken scythe as a cane to rise from his spot. Other yers, who had also fallen down and were waiting miserably for their deaths, gritted their teeth and raised their bodies. Grid¡¯s epic was encouraging them.


    ¡°Transcend.¡± Grid¡¯s bombardment of sword energy destroyed the walls of Lilchard Fortress as he descended, revealing the appearance of Saleos, who was hiding behind it.


    Saleos had consumed a considerable amount of physical strength in the battle with Kraugel and his face was very tense. The rain of battle gears that he wanted to block with the city walls once again hit him. The God Hands mixed in with the rain and attempted to restrain his limbs.


    Saleos¡¯ movements were restricted and the speed at which the wounds were inflicted on his body became faster. Thebination of the thousands of battle gears and the God Hands exerted the greatest power imaginable by humans.


    ¡°¡°What is this cowardly power?!¡±¡± Different species had different limits. Even Muller, the greatest of humanity, relied solely on the power of ¡®swordsmanship.¡¯ Then what was this? It was the power to pour out thousands of battle gears at the same time like it was a divine power.


    ¡°¡±How can a human...?!¡±¡± Just then, a sword struck Saleos¡¯ heart. However, it was unable to prate Saleos¡¯ solid skin. It shattered and disappeared.


    Then the flying farming tools tore at his skin, scratched the flesh, and dealt him pain. They even moved again, avoiding Saleos¡¯ hand, and attacking one more time. Not all of the thousands of battle gears were a threat, but a few of them definitely threatened Saleos. It was a force that was clearly superior to Sword Saint Muller¡¯s Control Sword. Pushing him to the defensive without even touching him?


    Saleos¡¯ eyes full of confusion and hatred were fixed on the ck-haired man in the sky. The humans scattered around the fortress were chanting his name.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I hear that, at this age, humanity has declined?¡¯


    Povia, Braham, Pagma, Alex, Muller, and Madra¡ªover the past hundreds of years, humanity had produced new legends and each of them had a great power to watch out for. Yet times had changed and humanity had declined. Saleos hadughed when he heard that Belial was rampaging alone among the human race. Now, many yearster...


    Saleos made contact with the mighty legends called Kraugel and Grid. Humanity, which had been in decline for hundreds of years, had grown to the point where they could no longer be ignored. Saleos was able to quickly determine the cause.


    ¡°Raise your weapons and fight.¡±


    [He knew his own limitations and cheered for humanity.]


    [He responded to the wishes of humanity in the rain of battle gears falling to the earth.]


    [His presence encouraged humanity.]


    ¡°¡°The Hero King... I see. You are Muller¡¯s sessor...¡±¡± A presence who inspired fighting spirit in the humans who were awaiting their demise. Saleos watched Grid while striking at the rain of battle gears and finally grasped this person¡¯s real identity after seeing the purple fighting energy.


    Grid maintained his distance until he finally used Shunpo and narrowed the distance to Saleos. Saleos didn¡¯t know the concept of Shunpo that many yers now knew about.


    ¡°¡°The transcendent status...¡±¡±


    The hero of heroes¡ªthe Hero King meant an existence that would be the peak of humanity, or was the peak of humanity, thus it wasn¡¯t surprising that Muller¡¯s sessor had be a transcendent.


    ¡°¡°I see. This irrational power has ovee human limitations.¡±¡±


    Saleos expended his power to block the white, transparent sword that was aimed at him. Due to this, he couldn¡¯t avoid Grid¡¯s fusion dance and felt a sharp sense of strangeness.


    ¡°¡°This swordsmanship...?¡±¡±


    Was Muller¡¯s swordsmanship this type that was as gentle as dancing? No, it was someone else¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°¡±...?¡±¡±


    Saleos crushed eight weapons at the same time and was about to attack Grid, only to be shocked. It was because he felt the energy of a god from the storm of hot mes rising around Grid.


    ¡°¡°The red phoenix?¡±¡±


    Wasn¡¯t the red phoenix defeated and sealed by the gods who were driven to the east? Why did its energy appear here in the west? It was even from a human!


    ¡°¡°Your identity...¡±¡± Was it because of the field of sparks? The rain of battle gears stopped. Saleos was finally able to breathe and attempted to talk to Grid. The 19th great demon was intrigued by this trivial human being. However, Grid wasn¡¯t interested in the 19th ranked great demon. ¡°XX, I should¡¯ve fought you instead.¡±


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    ¡°You are weakpared to Beleth.¡±


    How much had he suffered while fighting the Berserk King? He barelysted 13 minutes against the monster who felt invincible. The moment the time for the Reverse Summoning Circle was up, he immediately summoned Sticks to return to the Overgeared Kingdom before he was killed again. Grid remembered it and once again trembled. Looking back, he thought it would¡¯ve been better to give the empire the role of dying Beleth. Grid unfolded his infinite sword energy.


    Saleos was suspicious of Grid¡¯s statement but he still smiled. ¡°¡°Indeed, you are Muller¡¯s sessor.¡±¡±


    It was interesting to know that two Sword Saints had been born in one age. He was already looking forward to the increase in fame he would gain when he defeated both. Saleos¡¯ fists were filled with the ¡®unbeatable power¡¯.


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡± Grid calmly demonstrated a counterattack.


    Sticks had grasped the power of the entric Duke and rmended Grid to join this battlefield. Grid had no intention ofpeting against him in a foolish way. No matter the ¡®unconditional strength¡¯, it could be blocked using a counterattack skill. Saleos was hit by the power of his own fists and staggered. Then Grid used his infinite sword energy to carry out one of his ultimate attacks.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Additionally, he followed up with Transcended Link Flower, Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle, and Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. Grid overcame his resources constraints and continued to link the strongest sword dances. Saleos consumed arge amount of energy and quickly turned into rags.


    Saleos¡¯ face was full of confusion.


    ¡°¡°Pagma? What is this? You? Why do you have Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship?¡±¡±


    Grid ignored the tedious question of whether he was Pagma¡¯s sessor and used the Storm of the Fire God while trying to maintain his mana. Then the rain of battle gears, that had stopped in the blue sky, once again attacked Saleos. After that was 300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword.


    Grid used Open Potential due to Divinity and made an invisible attack. The sword that suddenly appeared caused a great deal of damage to Saleos. At the same time, it exposed Saleos¡¯ weakness. Saleos was puzzling over when he had been hit when Grid appeared in his field of view.


    Chill.


    Saleos was engulfed in an instinctive terror. Hero King, transcendent, sessor to both Pagma and Muller, and with the power of a god¡ªhe noticed that this hybrid feltpletely opposite of the pure Kraugel.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°¡±...!!¡±¡±


    Truly, this was a terrible hybrid. He never thought even Madra¡¯s swordsmanship woulde out...


    Saleos exposed his weakness and was dealt a serious wound.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid was slightlycking when it came to the power to finish him off. It was the side effect of using 300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword which made it impossible to recover sword energy for three seconds. He had maintained Storm of a Fire God for a long time because he wanted to release all his sword dances. This meant he didn¡¯t have enough mana. It wasn¡¯t that Grid¡¯s resources calction was wrong. It was something that urred because Saleos was so strong.


    Saleos had lost 40% of his health when Grid arrived at the scene. Grid had judged that he could finish off Saleos by investing all his skills. However, Saleos was hit by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, and his defense rose sharply from the moment his health fell below 10%. This was why Grid failed to finish him off.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡± Noe was somewhat helpless against great demons. Grid had to summon the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy. Then he triggered the light elemental to blind Saleos while climbing onto the back of Overgeared Corn. He was trying to focus on restoring resources while dragging out the time as much as possible. However, it was too greedy to want to grab the 19th great demon¡¯s ankles with just the God Hands and his pets.


    Saleos quickly broke through to Grid, grabbed Overgeared Corn, and swung Grid and Overgeared Corn into the sky at the same time. Then he gathered strength in his body to chase after Grid. He ced the power of unconditional victory around his entire body and was now like an invincible being.


    At least, until he was cut off by Kraugel. ¡°Mole... Ascension.¡±


    Kraugel had only recovered enough stamina to wield his sword once and used a very insignificant skillpared to Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension. However, it aimed precisely at Saleos and seeded in hitting him. The power was too terrible to deal any damage to Saleos but the ¡®unconditional victory¡¯ power he had ced on his body disappeared due to the power of a Sword Saint.


    As a result, Saleos¡¯ kick to Grid¡¯s chest didn¡¯t y a significant role. Grid¡¯s counterattack cut Saleos¡¯ neck. Saleos was aware of the great consumption of his heath andnded on the ground. Waiting for him were hundreds of yers, including Knight. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, all of them would¡¯ve died. Now they used thest of their strength to unfold their ultimate techniques. It was the moment when all yers became one.


    ¡°¡±Kuek... Kuaaaack!!¡±¡±


    [He is thentern of humanity.]

 Chapter 1256

    The decisive difference between named NPCs and named monsters was their health. Assuming they had the same level, the health of a named monster was 100 to 1,000 times higher than the health of a named NPC. This didn¡¯t mean that named monsters were stronger.


    It was easy to understand considering the legends of the past generations were NPCs. Named NPCs polished their ¡®technique¡¯ and they were skilled in defense, evasion, and counter-attacking through the application of technique. They fully realized that their health was limited and they were careful in battle.


    On the other hand, named monsters were extremely reluctant to waste time on passive actions. Named monsters focused on attacking and crushing the target instead of consuming their strength on defense, evasion, and counter-attacks. They believed in their innate physical ability (health) and fought more aggressively.


    This was a difference inbat style. It wasn¡¯t easy to tell which was superior between named NPCs and named monsters. Both were tough opponents for yers, but Grid was the exception. He possessed a powerful attack and was morefortable dealing with named monsters than named NPCs. It was easier to hit named monsterspared to named NPCs where it was easy to miss.


    ¡°¡±Kuaaaack!!¡±¡± Saleos was struck by hundreds of yers and took a rare defensive stance.


    However, there were too many attacks against him. Saleos¡¯ power that exploded only blew away dozens of yers, and Saleos¡¯ thick arms only blocked a few attacks. After consuming most of his health fighting Kraugel and then Grid, he instinctively said goodbye to his physical body.


    ¡°¡±This isn¡¯t... the end. Cough, cough!¡±¡±


    For a great demon, death wasn¡¯t the end. Their souls reincarnated forever and their bodies were just temporary dwelling ces. He would be resurrected soon after he lost his body. Additionally...


    ¡°¡±The day I reappear before you... I will be more and moreplete.¡±¡±


    The reappearance of a great demon meant growth. Why had they died? During the time they searched for a new body, they analyzed the reasons for their failure and grew.


    ¡°Gulp.¡± The yers inserting weapons into Saleos¡¯ body gulped. Saleos¡¯ dying eyes didn¡¯t lose their spirit and this forced the yers to be nervous. They were even more afraid because they knew his threats weren¡¯t a bluff.


    A symbol started to be engraved on the forearms of all yers. The yers were surprised by the stinging pain and looked at their forearms to see two blood red eyes carved like a tattoo. It was Saleos¡¯ sign. It was a curse in return for killing one of the top 20 great demons.


    On the day that Saleos was resurrected, all the yers here would be tracked by Saleos. They were going to die terribly. The yers were terrified after reading the information of the mark and unknowingly stepped back.


    ¡°The great demons really talk a lot.¡±


    There was a pure white unicorn that was beyond beauty. If the name wasn¡¯t Overgeared Corn, Grid on its back would¡¯ve been praised by everyone as he descended from the sky. He pointed his sword at Saleos who was staring at him.


    ¡°You will die here. You can¡¯t appear before our eyes twice.¡±


    ¡°¡±Kukuk. Kuhahahat! The person who became the Hero King doesn¡¯t know much about the great demons...?¡±¡±


    Saleos wasughing like it was absurd when his expression stiffened. His eyes, full of killing intent and hope, changed to despair, and his expression distorted in a vicious manner. It was due to the light falling from the sky. It was an artificial light full of magic power. It was a remnant of Mass Teleport.


    ¡°¡±Is this real...?¡±¡±


    Goosebumps urred on Saleos¡¯ skin stained with blood. He knew the identity of a person who emerged from the light of Mass Teleport. It was impossible not to know. How could he not recognize that dirty filth that was a curse and a disaster?


    ¡°¡±...Saintess?¡±¡±


    It was a power different from Reba¡¯s divinity. The miracle of humanity that cut off the reincarnation of the great demons and threatened the agreement between Yatan and Reba was the most hated and feared object of the great demons.


    ¡°¡±Hell Summoning!¡±¡±


    Hell was divided into 33 zones and eachhell was different, just as the human countries were different. Some great demons were proud of their hell, while some were ashamed. Saleos belonged to thetter. The 19th hell he ruled was extremely shabby. It was a space filled with only beauty and there wasn¡¯t a single stream of hellfire flowing through it. This was the result of Baal¡¯s mockery since Saleos didn¡¯t have the qualifications of a ruler. He had to expose his humble territory to humans...


    Saleos shivered with disgust but he still showed his shame. This showed how menacing the Saintess was to him. He had no intention of weing eternal rest.


    Lightning struck and darkness filled the world. All the yers at the scene¡ªexcept for Grid and Kraugel¡ªwere eroded by various debuffs, and they copsed helplessly to the ground. It happened when the hell moon adorned the ckened sky...


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡± A new beam of light appeared and destroyed Saleos¡¯ humble hell. It was Yura, who came after defeating Sitri¡¯s hand with the Reba Church.


    ¡°¡±These humans!¡±¡±


    Saleos struggled as he was driven to the edge of the cliff but it was meaningless. He was already dying. Grid¡¯s sword pierced Saleos¡¯ chest. Great Demon Saleos had nowhere to escape and died miserably in front of countless humans. His dark soul stained with malice and anger was destroyed by Saintess Ruby.


    [The raid of the 19th Great Demon, ¡®entric Duke¡¯ Saleos, has seeded!]


    [The soul of the 19th Great Demon, ¡®entric Duke¡¯ Saleos, has been destroyed and won¡¯t be able to reincarnate!]


    [The position of 19th hell monarch has temporarily be vacant.]


    [Apart from Grid, all yers who participated in the Saleos raid will be given the ¡®Followers of the Lantern¡¯ title.]


    [All yers who participated in the Saleos raid will receive differentpensation based on their performance!]


    [Grid has obtained the raid¡¯s 1st ce prize.]


    [Kraugel has obtained the raid¡¯s 2nd ce prize.]


    [Kirinus has obtained the raid¡¯s 3rd ce prize.] (Yes, the raws really say Kirinus even though he was never mentioned in the raid at all)


    [Yura has obtained the raid¡¯s 4th ce prize.]


    [Knight has obtained the raid¡¯s 5th ce prize.]


    [¡ï Saintess Ruby has obtained extraordinary rewards in exchange for annihting the soul of the great demon!¡ï]


    [Other personnel will be given equalpensation.]


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    The screams of the yers pierced the sky. Saleos¡¯ mark on their forearms disappeared.


    ¡°God Grid!¡±


    ¡°God Kraugel!¡±


    ¡°Hahahat! The best! You are the best!¡±


    Someone started it, and soon they all rushed to Grid and Kraugel. Grid and Kraugel were surrounded by cheering people, and they smiled and bumped fists.


    [The seventh page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen to the next level with thepletion of the epic.]


    [Resistance to skill damage has slightly increased.]


    [Resistance to weapon damage has slightly increased.]


    [The chances of triggering a skill based on probability has slightly increased. However, it doesn¡¯t affect skills attached to items.]


    [The title ¡®Lantern of Humanity¡¯ has been created.[


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    [Lantern of Humanity]


    [* Stamina +500


    * Special effects will ur when you¡¯re on the same battlefield as the Followers of the Lantern. It is affected by the number of people following thentern.


    You are the one who brought unity to humans with your outstanding strength and courage.


    You are the hope of millions and should never disappear easily.]


    ¡®It is amazing.¡¯


    Grid had signed a contract with Orc Lord Teruchan and had a stamina stat coefficient 1.8 times higher than the average. Each point in stamina increased his health stat by 54 and his defense by 2.1.


    The title of Lantern of Humanity was special, especially for Grid, who had his health increased by 35% by Duke of Virtue. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say this title was worth dozens of levels. Moreover, the rise in his transcendance status also increased his skill damage resistance, weapon damage resistance, and the chances of activating a probability skill.


    The effect of his transcendent status this time could be felt in many ways by Grid. In particr, the skill damage and weapon damage resistance were a few things that reduced fixed damage so Grid¡¯s fear of Beleth was reduced slightly.


    ¡®Now it shoulde out to be around 55,000...¡¯


    However, this was still too high. It still wasn¡¯t enough to raid Beleth.


    ¡®I have to build up as much transcendence as possible before we meet again someday.¡¯


    Grid recalled his hurried escape from Beleth and shuddered before shaking off his imagination.


    ¡®I still need a lot of time.¡¯


    The epics were a really great power. Since his transcendence built up every time an epic was achieved, Grid¡¯s most urgent task was to gain the perfect transcendence.


    There had to be an end even for the transcendent realm. The existence of an absolute above transcendence was the proof. Just as leveling up didn¡¯t lead to the acquisition of a new skill, there were sometimes stagnant areas in transcendence. Nevertheless, Grid judged that the end could be seen in the next few years.


    ¡°Oppa!¡± Ruby rushed to Grid who was locked in his thoughts. She had been very worried for Grid who had to deal with the 13th great demon by himself and she was relieved to see her brother was safe. Her eyes were unknowingly red.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been worried.¡± Grid stroked his sister¡¯s head with a smile and turned his eyes in Kraugel¡¯s direction. His transcendent senses were ssifying Kraugel as a strong person of this era. Kraugel¡¯s level must be around 350, so Grid thought he was truly great.


    ¡®Sooner orter, he will be a strong person who transcends the era.¡¯


    Grid had goosebumps when he arrived at the scene and witnessed Saleos¡¯ status. Would it have been possible for him to push the 19th great demon to this state if he was the same level as Kraugel? It would¡¯ve not been possible.


    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    ¡°...You as well.¡±


    Grid greeted Kraugel with a smile and he responded in a simr manner.


    This was it.


    Grid¡¯s cksmithing skill was needed to fully enjoy the effect of Poetry that Praises the Sword but even so, Kraugel didn¡¯t make a request of Grid. He wasn¡¯t a member of the Overgeared Guild. He couldn¡¯t be indebted to his friend and rival every time, and in the first ce, he didn¡¯t have such an idea. He would be grateful his entire life just for the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going. I wish you luck.¡± Kraugel exchanged brief greetings and turned to leave, only to be caught by Grid.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we talk about what we¡¯ve been doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been listening to your news.¡±


    ¡°...Is your mother healthy?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, she is.¡±


    Ah, it was time for a meal. He needed to log out quickly before she headed to the kitchen. Kraugel was in a hurry only to abruptly stop. It was because he remembered something he needed to tell Grid. ¡°It would be better to be careful of Agnus. The creator of that ring has fallen into Agnus¡¯ hands.¡±


    "...?"


    Kraugel was pointing to the Ring of Absurdity on Grid¡¯s finger. It was confusing information for Grid, who knew that the creator of the ring had died hundreds of years ago.

 Chapter 1257

    There was a very specific parameter for the growth type ss, Death God¡ªthe soul gauge. Since bing a Death God, Knight was able to quantify and read the target¡¯s soul.


    ¡®This is the soul of the supreme one.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s soul gauge, visible only to Knight¡¯s eyes, was a huge 68. It meant it would take 34 minutes to ce a mark on Grid¡¯s soul to lead him to death. It was huge considering that the average person¡¯s soul gauge barely surpassed 10. It meant that it was virtually impossible to fight against Grid and win, from the perspective of a Death God, who had weak battle endurance. The weight of this soul was truly extraordinary.


    ¡®I think that Grid¡¯s roots in this world are truly deep.¡¯


    It was because the soul grewrger with numerous achievements and developing one¡¯s presence. It waspletely different from Saleos, who had an infinite soul gauge because he was born with a soul that was eternally reincarnated.


    ¡®To me, he is an opponent I will never be able to fight in my life.¡¯


    Well, he didn¡¯t want to fight Grid in the first ce. Knight recalled what happened when he was hired by Merchant King Kir and quickly left. Grid and his colleagues were smiling and responding to the cheering crowd. For them, he was only an uninvited guest. He wasn¡¯t entitled to share their joy.


    -Good work.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The sudden whisper surprised Knight and he stopped. He looked back and saw Grid. This time, in a manner that everyone could hear, Grid spoke to Knight, who was doubting his ears, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Knight.¡±


    Knight himself seemed unaware of it but his reputation was very high. There were few yers who didn¡¯t know Knight after he defeated Alexander in a PvPpetition in Russia a few years ago. The intelligence organization of the Overgeared Kingdom had also been paying attention to him. His repeated ss quests were to give people approaching the end of their lives peace without any pain.


    At one time, he was employed as Kir¡¯s guard. He performed some activities inconsistent with the purpose of the Death God ss but in the end, it was in an effort to make a living. The Overgeared Kingdom decided it was better to maintain a favorable rtionship with Knight rather than antagonizing him. He was a dangerous opponent to be hostile to. Additionally, the Overgeared Kingdom had many NPCs and tended to rely on the Death God¡¯s characteristic of giving a ¡®painless rest.¡¯


    Grid and Lauel still vividly remember Khan dying in pain. Therefore...


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you very reliable? I hope we can be allies the next time we meet.¡±


    This was why Grid had an eye on Knight. Regardless of Grid¡¯s intentions, it was a helpful act for Knight. As a previous employee of Kir, Knight had been anxious about bing hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom. This made Knight feel relieved.


    Knight bowed his head slightly. ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    There was no further conversation. Knight had originally dreamed of being a knight but he witnessed the process of people being destroyed by his curse. Thus, in the end, he gave up on his dream and epted the path of a Death God. Knight kept a distance from other people unless he hated them. He had to be alone all the time.


    Grid quietly watched Knight¡¯s lonely back leaving before shifting his gaze. He looked around at the reporters flocking like bees and called Huroi over.


    ¡°How is your family? If you want to be a parent that your children aren¡¯t ashamed of, you shouldn¡¯t ask questions that aren¡¯t courteous.¡±


    Huroi greeted the reporters politely (?) before starting the interview as Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s spokesman. Some of the reporters had ugly expressions on their faces, but Huroi didn¡¯t care.


    ***


    Unlike what the world thought, it was a rtively nd battle. The invasion of five great demons was repelled in just two hours. Who would¡¯ve imagined it? Even Grid hadn¡¯t expected it. He might¡¯ve lost 41.2% of his experience along the way, but experience could be recovered at any time. The fact that the Overgeared Kingdom had no casualties gave Grid greatfort.


    ¡°It is all due to Her Majesty the Emperor.¡±


    Haspachi Canal¡ªGrid approached Basara and bowed deeply. It was a greeting of heartfelt respect. It was all thanks to Basara¡¯s thorough preparations that humanity was able to fight easily against the invasion of the great demons. She wasn¡¯t merely an idealist, but a trulypetent empress. Her level far exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°The world would¡¯ve been shaking at this moment if Your Majesty the Empress hadn¡¯te forward to act.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed. It is your merit, the Overgeared King, not me. If it wasn¡¯t for you, all my ns wouldn¡¯t have been sessful.¡± Basara gripped Grid¡¯srge hands tightly with her small hands. She was blushing while shaking. ¡°I... Our Saharan Empire is grateful for your existence. The existence of Your Majesty itself is a blessing to humanity. I hope you will continue to stand on the side of humanity in the future.¡±


    Just looking at the procession of pilgrims to Grid¡¯s statue in the Behen Archipgo, Grid¡¯s reputation had already surpassed the average person. Now he was reborn as thentern of humanity through this event and Grid¡¯s reputation had reached a divine level. People perceived him as almost a ¡®god.¡¯ Of course, there were many people like Basara who thought of him as the opposite sex.


    ¡°There are many things I want to talk to you about. Why don¡¯t we go to the barracks and talk? It will be just the two of us and it will befortable.¡±


    ¡°Haha... I would like that, but Your Majesty the Empress, you have to go back to the empire and take care of your people.¡± Grid carefully removed Basara¡¯s burdensome hands and nced around. Jishuka had a tantly dissatisfied expression while Yura was staring at a distant mountain with clenched fists. Mercedes also had a colder expression than normal.


    Basara¡¯s subtle courtship was burdensome for Grid, who had neither time nor opportunity to form an alliance with Basara. A rtionship and marriage with the empress...


    It would surely have a tremendous effect but Grid had no intention of selling his mind and body. Yura, Jishuka, and Mercedes already upied his heart and Grid was even struggling to establish a rtionship with them.


    ¡®Still, I¡¯m happy.¡¯


    He was grateful and happy to have someone like him. The world had been full of resentment during his days of hate, but now the world was infinitely beautiful. Therefore, he wanted to protect it. Grid was once again filled with determination and told his party, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid, the 10 meritorious retainers, and his knights approached Sticks.


    ¡®Where is this, who am I?¡¯


    In the past few hours, Sticks had used Mass Teleport close to 10 times all over the Arc Kingdom and was close to exhaustion. He was dazed with exhaustion and he dered with a sigh, ¡°We¡¯re departing.¡±


    Grid¡¯s group disappeared from their spot. The scene was still full of troops from the empire and allied kingdoms, but people somehow felt it was empty. Grid¡¯s presence was that great.


    ¡°Kukukuk. Your Highness, who used to be myntern, has been reborn as thentern for thousands of people. The world is pathetic and ridiculous for only knowing Your Majesty¡¯s true value now but what can I do? This is the limit of ordinary beings.¡± Lauel greeted Grid¡¯s party with one hand covering his face. He was smiling but his eyes were subdued.


    Grid was worried that there were some difficulties he couldn¡¯t mention. He wondered, ¡°Have your hemorrhoids rpsed?¡±


    ¡°...I have hair loss but I¡¯ve never had hemorrhoids.¡±


    ¡°Hemorrhoids are one of the mostmon diseases that modern people suffer from. It is normal if you work under extreme stress every day. It isn¡¯t something to be ashamed of.¡±


    Grid had seen the business card of a colorectal surgeon in Lauel¡¯s wallet a few days ago and Lauel couldn¡¯t deny it anymore. He was aware of Ruby¡¯s gaze and blushed. The smiling Jishuka poked Grid¡¯s side. ¡°He is doing this because of jealousy.¡±


    ¡°Jealousy?¡±


    ¡°My king now belongs to everyone else~ something like this?¡±


    "...?"


    Everyone looked back at the voice. Pope Damian was standing there. Damian smiled broadly and greeted everyone, ¡°It has been a long time since we¡¯ve gathered together like this. It is nice to see all of you!¡±


    ¡°Damian, why are you here?¡±


    Damian was virtually a part of the Overgeared Guild, but he was also the pope, the leader of the Reba Church. It was shortly after a great battle was over and the ce he should be at was the pope¡¯s office, not the Overgeared Kingdom. His job was to care for the church members.


    Damian saw Grid¡¯s somewhat reproachful look and exined with a bitter expression, ¡°There were too many injured people.¡±


    Damian¡¯s gaze was focused on the medical clinic in the castle. There were numerous signs of life. Most of them were members of the Reba Church.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Not everyone was in a good state. The enlightened Grid nced at Ruby and she rushed to the room like she had been waiting.


    Gridforted Damian, ¡°You¡¯ve suffered...¡±


    How hurt had he been by the sight of the dying church members? Grid was worried about Damian¡¯s mentality. It was obvious that Damian was suffering from a great sense of guilt. Fortunately, Damian¡¯s heart was in a stable state. ¡°It was smallpared to the burden on Grid. I am used to it.¡±


    Damian smiled brightly and said goodbye to Grid¡¯s party. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going back to my church members.¡±


    The moment the battle was over, Damian had led the church members to visit Reinhardt. It was because Reinhardt had a well-equipped medical facility, Saintess Ruby, and thergest Reba Temple. They could focus on treating the injured members.


    Damian hurried to leave but Grid grabbed him and asked, ¡°What level of rewards did you receive?¡±


    ¡°It is the second ce reward.¡±


    Yura was the one who got the first ce rewards. Damian answered honestly and Grid reached out a hand. ¡°Give me your rewards.¡±


    ¡°....!?¡±


    They were shocking words. To be honest, Damian felt like he had met a robber. Even so, he didn¡¯t ask questions or refuse. He just took out the rewards and handed them to Grid. He owed so much to Grid that he felt he needed to repay Grid. The rewards that Damian obtained were Sitri¡¯s Nails and the Demon God¡¯s Cells.


    ¡°Apart from that, I gained a title and a rune power, but they are attached to me...¡± Damian exined and Grid told him, ¡°Okay, go and look after the church members. If you need anything, then tell me immediately.¡±


    He continued, ¡°Then before going back to the Vatican, stop by the smithy. I will make an item for you using this.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Damian was thrilled. He was genuinely thankful for Grid¡¯s kindness by trying to help him every time. He had to understand how much his presence and the Reba Church had helped the Overgeared Guild. The friendship between Grid and Damian, as well as the exchange between the Overgeared Guild and the Reba Church, would continue.

 Chapter 1258

    ¡°Everyone has suffered a lot. Show me what you¡¯ve received.¡±


    Grid invited the 10 meritorious retainers and the knights to sit at the round table. His face showed his pride in his colleagues. How could he not be proud when they subdued the great demons invading all areas of the Arc Kingdom and contributed to the peace of the world. Grid found it very reliable that his teammates could fight and win against the enemies of humanity without him.


    ¡°First, the Dantalion raid team.¡±


    ¡°I will give this to Your Majesty.¡±


    All the knights, except for Jude, and all of the 10 meritorious retainers, except for Yura, Vantner, Huroi, and Regas,id out their loot on the round table. The reason why Yura was excluded was because she was part of the Sitri¡¯s hand subjugation team, while the others were excluded because their contribution ranking was outside the top 10 ces. Themon rewards for those who weren¡¯t in the rankings wereparatively poor so they couldn¡¯t boast of it.


    [Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment]


    [Upon opening it, you¡¯ll learn a rare to unique rated skill.


    The contents of the skill you will learn are random.]


    ¡°This is amazing...¡±


    First, the right to acquire a skill caught Grid¡¯s eye. It was randomly acquired so the chances were high that only a rare rated skill would appear, but the rating was a secondary problem. Everyone liked having one more skill. It was different for Grid who had many skills, but the value of a skill acquiring right was astronomical for the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m envious...¡±


    Vantner grabbed his bald head andmented.


    The destructive power of the allied party led by Braham, Piaro, and Mercedes was incredible. Dantalion was only in a rush to survive and Vantner had no chance to be active. Regas only showed a high attack power when linkingbos and he didn¡¯t have enough time to make a contribution. Meanwhile, Huroi¡¯s taunting skills were overshadowed by Braham¡¯s great magic.


    Braham saw Grid watching the regretful Vantner, Regas, and Huroi, and snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t need any skills.¡±


    A thin and old book¡ªDantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment was ced in front of Grid.


    ¡°All my achievements are Your Majesty¡¯s achievements. The loot I gained is all yours.¡± Piaro also gave Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment to Grid.


    Grid read their intentions and smiled. He returned the fragments to the two men. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense for me to ept it. This is a book that belongs to the person who acquired it.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Braham regarded Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment as trivial. Therefore, he didn¡¯t pay special attention to it or carefully observed it. Piaro¡¯s ability to identify objects was ordinary and he didn¡¯t notice there was something else about Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment.


    On the other hand, Mercedes had Keen Insight and knew from the beginning. This was why she didn¡¯t give Grid her knowledge fragment. She opened her mouth for the first time, ¡°Your Majesty, every book has a hidden page.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The stunned Grid used the Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal skill. Then¡ª


    [This item has a hidden function!]


    [The information about the target item has been updated.]


    [Dantalian¡¯s Knowledge Fragment]


    [Upon opening it, you¡¯ll learn a rare to unique rated skill.


    The contents of the skill you will learn are random.


    ¡ïThere is a very rare probability of obtaining legendary rated skills.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The eyes of Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers widened. Braham, Piaro, and Mercedes took great pride in their skills and weren¡¯t impressed by the value of the book. However, the hearts of the 10 meritorious retainers were very excited. A legendary skill...! The probability of getting it was perhaps only 0.001%. No, it might be smaller. Even so, the possibility made them full of anticipation.


    ¡°Damn, let me gain a legendary skill!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s acquire a legendary skill!¡±


    The depressed Vantner and Huroi tried to cheer up, and cheered for theirpanions. Now was the time for cheering, not jealousy.


    Duguen, duguen! The hearts of the 10 meritorious retainers were thumping. Grid also cheered for his teammates. ¡°It will be a big jackpot.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Jishuka, Pon, Faker, Pon, Chris, Euphemina, Katz...


    They didn¡¯t have any hesitation. They opened Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment while Grid supported them. At the same time, light wrapped around the heads of the people who opened their book. A green light appeared above some people¡¯s heads while others had a blue light. The 10 meritorious retainers looked like they were eating shit.


    ¡°The legendary skill is bullshit...¡±


    Forget the legendary rating, not even a unique skill came out. The seven people who opened the book only got rare or epic rated skills. Theforting thing was that all seven yers had earned onebat skill. It wasn¡¯t a bad result. It might be lower rated, but it was more useful to have abat skill than a legendary rated fishing skill.


    ¡°Wow, I got a binding skill.¡±


    ¡°I got a mastery skill.¡±


    In particr, the joy of those who obtained skills with high utilization was multiplied.


    Braham spoke in this turbulent atmosphere, ¡°All skills are equal underneath my magic.¡±


    Braham thought the 10 meritorious retainers, who were happy to get cheap skills, were pitiful. He clicked his tongue and opened Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment. If he couldn¡¯t transfer it to someone else, then he would just read it for fun. Even if he got a new skill, he had no intention of using it. A light swirled above Braham¡¯s head before permeating him. It was a gold light.


    [Braham has acquired the legendary skill, ¡®Shadow Stun.¡¯]


    [Shadow Stun]


    [Active


    The target¡¯s shadow is constrained by magic power, making the body of the target immobile. The probability and duration of the skill are affected by the caster¡¯s power.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 2,300]


    Braham¡¯s eyes shone brightly. ¡°What? It isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°...Is this real?¡±


    ¡°This is a really bullshit game.¡±


    Braham, the strongest person in the person who didn¡¯t envy people, was lucky enough to gain a legendary skill. Before the release of Satisfy, the 10 meritorious yers had yed mobile games with a light heart. Some of the 10 meritorious retainers shivered as they recalled the old nightmares of losing a lot of money on gacha. They had aplete mental breakdown. Indeed, all gambling games should disappear from this world.


    Grid sensed the atmosphere and coughed as he used the appraisal skill on the next loot. Dantalion¡¯s raid team gained a total of four loot. First, Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment. Second, Dantalion¡¯s Hair. Third, Dantalion¡¯s Staff. Fourth, Dantalion¡¯s Sword.


    Dantalion¡¯s Sword was the first ce reward and Dantalion¡¯s Staff was the second ce reward. They were both legendary items. Both Dantalion¡¯s Sword and Dantalion¡¯s Staff boasted exceptional performances, just like 32nd Great Demon Belial¡¯s staff. They were more powerful than the legendary weapons produced by Grid. Their pure stats were somewhat inferior to the new weapons produced by Grid, but they weren¡¯t inferior in terms of functionality.


    The staff amplified magic attack power every time magic was connected without any dy. At the same time, when using magic, there was a chance of Dantalion¡¯s knowledge flowing out and other skills could be activated simultaneously. Linking magic ¡®without any dy¡¯¡ªthe problem was that it was almost impossible to do this. That¡¯s right¡ªit was just like how Belial¡¯s Staff made ¡®triple casting¡¯ possible. However, since there was no one capable of doing it, the skill wasn¡¯t utilized. It was highly likely that Dantalion¡¯s Staff couldn¡¯t be used properly... if it wasn¡¯t for Braham.


    ¡°Would you like to exchange it with this?¡± Braham had won the first ranked reward in the Dantalion raid. He might¡¯ve received Dantalion¡¯s Sword that was more powerful than Dantalion¡¯s Staff, but he was unhappy. Therefore, he finally suggested an exchange to Mercedes.


    Mercedes had no reason to refuse. She had received second ce in the raid and gained Dantalion¡¯s Staff. Now, she nodded happily and became the owner of Dantalion¡¯s Sword while Braham got Dantalion¡¯s Staff. Dantalion¡¯s Sword was aggressive instead of defensive, so it waspletely different from the White Tiger Sword. This meant that she could swap between the two weapons depending on the situation, and both Braham and Mercedes had be stronger. In particr, Braham, who had also acquired a legendary skill.


    Grid was filled with great joy and finally looked at Dantalion¡¯s Hair. It was a material item ssified as a ¡®cloth¡¯ that had been obtained by the knights and 10 meritorious retainers, and they each gained 3~15 pieces. Grid had trained his tailoring skill by making underwear every day, and he wondered what items to make with the pieces. It was at this moment...


    [Mercedes has acquired the legendary skill, ¡®Enhancing Strength¡¯.]


    [Piaro has acquired the legendary skill, ¡®Overflowing Wave¡¯.]


    [Enhancing Strength]


    [Passive.


    The strength stat will increase permanently by 10%.]


    [Overflowing Wave]


    [Active.


    Causes a wave of energy like a tidal wave, dealing 1,500% physical attack power + water attribute power to all targets within a 30 meters radius.


    Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 3,000]


    ¡°Should I quit the game?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere in the room once again became turbulent. The 10 meritorious retainers were ring fiercely as they were convinced they were being ridiculed by the S.A. Group.


    Grid rushed to change the subject. ¡°Yura, what are the rewards that you earned?¡±


    ¡°This is it.¡±


    Yura had won the first ranked reward in the Sitri raid. The rewards she received were Sitri¡¯s Nails, Sitri¡¯s Cells [1], and Demon God¡¯s Core. Sitri¡¯s Nails were ssified as a crafting material and Sitri¡¯s Cells were used to add options to production items. On the other hand, the Demon God¡¯s Core...


    [Demon God Core]


    [Rating: Myth


    ??]


    [You have failed to observe the targeted item.]


    "...?"


    It wasn¡¯t ssified as a material item or equipment item. It was just a ck and sinister jewel. Grid was flustered when the appraisal failed and Yura told him her spection. ¡°I think this is a quest item.¡±


    ¡°Quest item?¡±


    ¡°Yes, perhaps it is an exclusive item for a Demon yer.¡±


    Yura had felt it when she fought Sitri¡¯s hand. The only one who could eliminate it was the Demon yer. If it wasn¡¯t for her, Sitri¡¯s hand would¡¯ve devastated the Arc Kingdom until it self-destructed. Demon God¡ªSitri seemed to be on a higher level of standingpared to the usual great demons, and was most likely a problem for the Demon yer to solve.


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid was convinced after hearing the exnation and carefully returned the core to Yura. ¡°I say it every time, but be sure to call me when you are having a hard time, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid shared the list of rewards he received from Saleos with his colleagues and then rose from his seat. After issuing the order to disband the meeting, he took all the production materials he collected from his colleagues and moved them to the smithy to make items, only to suddenly stop.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I have time to rx?¡¯


    Talima, the dwarf city¡ªit was located in the territory that belonged to the Fire Dragon Trauka, who didn¡¯t allow foreigners to visit. However, the Yatan Church sessfully sneaked into Taliam and summoned the great demons there. In this regard, Empress Basara wondered about Trauka¡¯s absence.


    Grid didn¡¯t mean to miss this opportunity. Sitri¡¯s hand that used to upy the Ether mine had been raided. Grid should go to Talima to learn new cksmithing techniques and secure some Ether Diamonds. He originally wanted to take action after making his colleagues¡¯ items but he didn¡¯t think there was time to spare when he didn¡¯t know when Trauka would return. He had probably be toox due to the idea that he could move any time and anywhere using Sticks.


    ¡°Sticks!¡± Grid hurriedly called for Sticks.


    Sticks still hadn¡¯t recovered from his fatigue and struggled to use Mass Teleport. Due to this, Grid fell to the volcanic area near Talima and started a new adventure.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Meanwhile, Damian visited the smithy afterpleting the treatment of all the church members with Saintess Ruby.


    ¡°Grid? Excuse me? Grid~? Are you there? G-Grid...?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t answer no matter how much he called. Damian cried after searching all the smithies in Reinhardt but never finding Grid.


    [1] ED Note: Not an error, Damian did get Demon God¡¯s Cells the previous chapter, while Yura got Sitri¡¯s Cells... that¡¯s just how the author wrote it. It¡¯s unknown whether they¡¯re the same item or not

 Chapter 1259

    It was said that a dwarf¡¯s obsession transcended death¡ªthe saying wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all, but instead grounded in reality.The dwarves¡¯ life expectancy was only three times that of humans, but there were some dwarves who lived longer than elves. It was because they couldn¡¯t die until theypleted their work... it was a case of surviving and exceeding the limits of life.


    ¡®...They forget to die while making items.¡¯


    They wouldn¡¯t have ordinary personalities. Grid had learned about the personalities of the dwarves through Ke.


    ¡®I need to prepare my heart.¡¯


    Many things might happen to cause his blood to boil but he had to be patient. Interacting with the dwarves was one of his long dreamed about goals.


    ck!ck ck ck!


    The heat of the volcanic zone quickly reduced the health of the Overgeared Skeletons. Once they melted and disappeared, Gird stopped trying to summon Noe and Randy and looked around. Lava was flowing from the crater like a tsunami. It continued to swell on the mountain with a high slope. Noe and Randy wouldn¡¯t be able to endure here long and would be recalled.


    ¡®I wanted to level up the kids but it will be hard.¡¯


    The average level of monsters in the volcanic zone was 360. The elite monsters were only level 400. It was much lowerpared to the average level of monsters on the final ridge of the Chaos Mountains. Grid had reached level 415 after fighting against Berserk King Beleth and raiding entric Duke Saleos, so he didn¡¯t feel anything special about the volcano¡¯s monsters.


    However, it was different for the Overgeared Skeletons, Randy, and Noe. For them, the monsters here were good prey. It was unfortunate that thend was dominated by a high heat and wasn¡¯t a suitable hunting ground for them.


    ¡®Well, this is better.¡¯


    He should focus on his original purpose. The reason he came here was to meet the dwarves, not to level up the kids. Grid ignored the monsters and ran at full speed. The heat of the volcanic zone didn¡¯t threaten him since he was a legendary cksmith. Shunpo had a higher probability of activating than before, so while some rankers would¡¯ve taken half a day, Grid arrived at the top of the mountain in just 30 minutes. The panoramic view of a huge crater spread out in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    He let out a sigh of admiration at the city located in the crater. It was a small city that was enough for 10,000 households to live in. Most importantly, there were no signs ofva anywhere in the city. It meant that the waves ofva constantly flowing from the ridge didn¡¯te from this crater but was caused by some type of magical phenomenon. Was it a type of barrier?


    ¡®There is a reason why people can¡¯t easily enter it.¡¯


    Talima¡¯s disconnection from the world wasn¡¯t just due to Trauka¡¯s existence. The dwarves did it themselves. Grid realized this as he jumped from the top of the mountain. The surroundingndscape quickly changed and the view of Talima instantly appeared in front of him. Just before falling to the ground, Grid opened the dragon wings andnded lightly.


    Talima¡ªthe city that was any cksmith¡¯s dream, unfolded before his eyes.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    "...?"


    Grid savored the smell of iron that appeared from the moment he entered the city and stopped walking as he cocked his ears. The hammering from a shabby smithy grabbed his attention.


    ¡®A craftsman?¡¯


    Someone who would be treated as a VIP in any kingdom was working alone in this shabby smithy? The intrigued Grid stopped as he was trying to open the smithy door.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Then he heard the sound of another cksmith craftsman hammering from the smithy next door.


    ¡®Are they rivels?


    The reason they were working in such a poor environment despite being craftsmen was because thepetition against the cksmith next door wasn¡¯t over yet...


    ¡®Is this the obsession of the dwarves? Well, I would be the same.¡¯


    Grid listened to the hammering and nodded in a convinced manner as he created the plot of a movie. Then he started doubting his ears. It was because he could hear the hammering of craftsman level cksmiths from the smithy next door and then the one after that.


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    There was no cksmith in the world who didn¡¯t know how special Talima was and how talented the dwarf race was. Every cksmith had fantasies about Talima and the dwarves. Grid was naturally the same. He had expected to see many craftsmen when he came to Talima.


    However, it was in the dwarf castle, not this shabby smithy. ¡®Is the entire city full of craftsmen?¡¯ Grid nced at the dwarf castle standing tall in the center of the city and focused on the sound in his surroundings again.


    This was the entrance of the city. There were 20 smithies ced together and hammering could be heard from seven of them. Additionally, the hammering of advanced and intermediate cksmiths were heard from 13 smithies.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t all craftsmen...¡¯


    This was normal. Advanced cksmithing could be achieved using dexterity and experience. Dwarves were gifted with innate dexterity and any of them could reach advanced cksmithing. However, a craftsman was a realm that could only be achieved by making a few masterpieces. They were legendary rated items.


    Unlike Grid, who became a legend by reading a book and had a rtively high probability of producing legendary items, advanced cksmiths had a probability that was close to 0%. Therefore, they required high luck and creativity to grow to the craftsman level.


    ¡®In retrospect, it is really...¡¯


    He felt sorry for the other cksmiths for his existence itself. Grid was reminded of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s cksmiths who were dreaming of being craftsmen even at this moment and smiled bitterly. He approached the smithy he identified first and stood by the window. The scenery of the small smithy was revealed through the wide open window¡ªa dwarf was pounding steel on an anvil in front of the furnace that showed traces of time, the burning desire in his eyes no stranger to Grid.


    ¡®It is a desire I¡¯ve seen through Khan.¡¯


    Was he dreaming of bing a legend? A strange cksmith whose name was unknown. Nevertheless, Grid cheered for him.


    ¡®Please be a legend.¡¯


    The birth of a new legend was entirely possible. Khan had already proved that there could be more than one of the same legend. Grid wanted more legendary cksmiths to be born. He gradually let go of the desire to monopolize this special status. The weight on his shoulders was too great. He was fighting for world peace to protect his loved ones and he needed someone to take his spot as cksmith¡ªa person who could make and repair items for his colleagues.


    ¡®I am the happiest when making an item but I have no spare time.¡¯


    One day, after finishing all his work, he would retire and would like to have a small smithy like this, hammering on steel all day. Grid moved to the center of the city with this small wish.


    However, there were still no people on the streets. All the dwarves had their own smithy. They were immersed in making items. He asionally saw dwarves putting their newly made items on stands before returning to their own smithy again. There were no outsiders and no customers, so the stands were overflowing with items. However, they didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Machines operating all over the city were farming, producing, and distributing food on their behalf. They would never starve to death, so they weren¡¯t interested in money.


    ¡°7 million gold?¡±


    ...No, they seemed to care a lot about money. The price of this epic item was at an unconscionable level.


    ¡°This is too much money.¡±


    Items made in less than an hour usingmon steel had a price tag of 7 million gold. Grid clicked his tongue as the dwarf left and turned his attention to the other stands. There were no special items. Most of those on disy were epic rated and cost a minimum of 5 million. Products that cost 10 million were also noticeable. 10 million gold was equivalent to 12 billion won.


    ¡®No pushovers would fall for this price.¡¯


    Disappointment appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he looked at the products on disy. The price range was too conscienceless and the quality of the item itself wasn¡¯t good. Most of the epic rated items were of medium quality and the unique items rarely seen were inferior ones.


    ¡®I heard that the roadside stalls of Talima disy unique items.¡¯


    The rumors were true but they didn¡¯t meet his expectations. His fantasies about Talima were about to be broken.


    Further exploration would just be a waste of time. It would be better to go straight to the dwarf castle to greet the king and ask for a lesson on egos. Grid made this decision and ced his hand on the stall to leave. He roughly held old gauntlets that were lying under loose armor.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    [This item has a hidden function!]


    After arriving in Talima, Grid had used his appraisal skills more than 300 times. Finally, he found a special item for the first time. Grid was filled with some anticipation as he confirmed the updated information of the gauntlets.


    [Gauntlets Longing for a Hunt]


    [Rating: Unique


    Durability: 5/203 Defense: 108


    * uracy will increase by 5%.


    * Attack speed increased by 10%.


    Gauntlets with the ego of a hunter.


    It maximizes the wearer¡¯s hunting efficiency.


    * The characteristics of the ego increases PvE hit rate by 20% and the probability of attacking the weakness in PvE by 10%.


    Conditions of Use: Level 200 or more.]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    It was a really good item. It increased the attack hit rate against monsters by 20%. It also increased the probability of hitting weaknesses so monsters with a higher level than the wearer could be more easily hunted. The low level limit was also very helpful for yers just starting the game.


    ¡®This has a purchase value of around 10 million gold?¡¯


    There were many rich people in the world. Billions of won were spent in Satisfy, the world¡¯s leading cultural and economic market. Countless people invested hundreds of billions of won. The price of an item wasn¡¯t important for a low level yer who started the gamete but had sufficient funds. They could buy items to improve their hunting efficiency.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why ce such a good item in a corner? It was so dusty that he almost passed by without seeing it.


    Grid cocked his head and doubted his eyes. The price attached to the gauntlets was only 100,000 gold.


    ¡®I-I have to buy this!¡¯


    It was a bargain if he sold it. He could gain 100 times the profit. It was like finding a home shopping ad that said three 100,000 won pants would be sold for 29,999 won if bought within five minutes. Grid ran excitedly into the smithy.


    [You have entered a smithy.]


    [¡¯Pagma¡¯s Descendant¡¯ ss effect is activated. cksmith NPCs who have at least mastered the Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship will recognize you and worship you.]


    Grid shouted, ¡°Owner!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This! I¡¯ll buy this!¡±


    Since they had been neglected for many years, they were exposed to the wind and only had 5 durability left. He had to buy it and repair it first. There were many things that could be rusty and useless after a bit more dy. The impatient Grid pulled out 100,000 gold. The grumpy dwarf who approached the cashier had bright eyes at the sight.


    ¡°Hoh? You know the value of this? It has been 100 years since I¡¯ve had a proper customer... Eh?¡±


    The cksmithing hammer held in the dwarf¡¯s hand fell to the ground. Tut. For a cksmith, the hammer was a sacred tool, yet this dwarf dropped it so easily. It happened as Grid was clicking his tongue...


    ¡°P-Pagma¡¯s Descendant!¡±


    The dwarf stretched out long fingers that didn¡¯t match his short figure and shouted at Grid with a disbelieving expression. It was extremely loud, like a steam train. The shockwave it created was huge.


    ¡°What? Pagma?¡±


    ¡°Pagma is back?¡±


    ¡°Where is that bastard who is worse than a dog?!¡±


    Dwarves from all over the area surrounded Grid.


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. ¡®Who else did Pagma hit in the back of the head here?¡¯

 Chapter 1260

    ¡°Pagma! You have no such thing as shame!¡¯


    ¡°Did youe back to die?!¡±


    ¡®The interest is hot.¡¯


    The dwarves were famous for devoting themselves to their work. He heard that the dwarves were the type to turn a blind eye even if a madman suddenly popped out naked. There seemed to be only one exception. A crowd appeared the moment Pagma¡¯s name emerged.


    ¡°Everybody, out of the way! It is my job to kill Pagma!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s torture him for 10 years instead of just killing him!¡±


    ¡°I will drop a hammer on his little toes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    New dwarves were constantly gathering. It had been a long time since the room ran out in the small smithy. Grid was pressed back against the checkout counter and calmly grasped the situation.


    ¡®Should I escape?¡¯


    Why were they raging against Pagma? Grid¡¯s experience was too rich for such questions and confusion. He knew that most of Pagma¡¯s actions, while for the sake of justice, had betrayed or injured others. There would naturally be resentment.


    ¡®Sigh.¡¯


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected Pagma to even make trouble in Talima, a cksmith¡¯s holynd. He nned tomunicate with the dwarves using the rtionship between Pagma and Milepeu (dwarf craftsman).


    ¡®I have to give the dwarves some time to cool down before getting closer.¡¯


    It was the moment when the sighing Grid was about to pull out the sword to use Restraint...


    ¡°Hey, you guys! Calm down!¡± The first one to recognise Grid¡¯s identity and the owner of the smithy, Morain, shouted at the dwarves to calm down. ¡°Have your eyes be rotten from making failed works every day? Look closely at him! How can you see Pagma from this ordinary yet unknowingly charming face?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    The dwarves in the front row who were close to Grid were the first ones to calm down. They grunted as they stared closely at Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°His appearance is uglypared to the beautiful Pagma.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pagma was trash, but his appearance was charming. On the other hand, this person is only vaguely charming.¡±


    ¡°His skeletal frame is bigger and his eyes are as sharp as an eagle. He looks like he is going to eat a mouse.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Grid¡¯s eyes twitched. It was unpleasant to hear evaluations about his appearance when it was hard to tell if they were praises or curses.


    ¡®What does it mean that I look like I¡¯m going to eat a mouse?¡¯


    Still, he thought it wasn¡¯t bad to be evaluated as charming. It was also a very high evaluation considering that he was beingpared to Pagma. Based on the murals and memories of the past, Pagma had a beautyparable to Kraugel.


    Now Morain held the cheeks of the smiling Grid and set it so it could be seen well by the dwarves. Then he dered, ¡°I told you in the beginning! He isn¡¯t Pagma, but Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Your eyes are all clogged up!¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant...!¡±


    The dwarves who rushed over after hearing Pagma¡¯s name finally regained their sense of reason. Now all the dwarves had calmed down.


    ¡°Indeed, that Pagma died in the Behen Archipgo.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pagma is no longer in this world. No matter how evil he used to be, even he can¡¯t crawl out of hell...¡±


    Grid was baffled when he saw the dwarves¡¯ disappointed expressions.


    ¡®They miss him while also feeling resentment toward him?¡¯


    The moment Grid had this thought...


    ¡°Dammit... I should¡¯ve beat that guy.¡±


    ¡°What if he just diedfortably? He should¡¯ve died in terrible pain.¡±


    Grid quickly gave up his previous idea. He sighed again as the hundreds of dwarves, including those pressed against the window, stared at him. Grid knew it because he was a legendary cksmith. He could tell that they were appraising everything about him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t his skills pretty good as Pagma¡¯s Descendant? The sword he is carrying is among the top 10 swords that I¡¯ve seen so far.¡±


    ¡°I like the bnce between the shoulder guards and gaiters. There is the energy of two gods? I would covet it if it was a trio.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he better than Pagma?¡±


    ¡°I want to take apart those boots.¡±


    Gasp, gasp, gasp.


    The dwarves¡¯ breathing became harsh. The items Grid made directly were stimting the dwarves¡¯ sense of craftsmanship. Those who had lived for hundreds of years witnessed numerous masterpieces, yet they were still impressed by Grid¡¯s level of work. It was natural. Grid¡¯s equipment included myth rated items. His works wereparable to any other masterpiece.


    Of course, not all dwarves felt admiration. A few dwarves scoffed.


    ¡°They are all dead things. There is no soul at all. There is only a glossy surface just like the garbage that Pagma made.¡±


    ¡°It is because he is Pagma¡¯s Descendant that he can¡¯t achieve any rapport with his works?¡±


    Grid, who had been proud of the dwarves¡¯ assessment, frowned. It was normal to be displeased when the works he poured all his passion and effort into, the materials he collected after risking his life, and the skills recognized by the cksmithing god, were denied. The soul and rapport¡ªGrid noticed that the concept they were discussing was the ¡®ego¡¯ he had been longing for.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you swear at Pagma, but... I can¡¯t listen to my work being demeaned.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t need to lower his pride just because he was in a bad position.


    The moment he gave up his pride, he himself would be denying all the experience he had umted and all the effort he had expended.


    ¡°Do you deserve to evaluate the work of others?¡± Grid dered coldly and the atmosphere became heavy.


    The mature transcendent status dominated the space, causing the dwarves inside the smithy to step back with amazement. Nevertheless, a few dwarves didn¡¯t back down. They were the ones who demeaned Grid¡¯s work. To be exact, they were craftsmen who had ¡®experienced an obsession surpassing death.¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also evaluate our work?¡±


    A dwarf craftsman¡¯s gaze fell onto the gauntlets held in Grid¡¯s hand. ¡°You would¡¯ve observed and evaluated all our work until you selected an item from the stands. It is natural to evaluate all works. You should quit being a cksmith if you don¡¯t want to be criticized.¡±


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t sell my conscience to do business like you guys.¡±


    ¡°Conscience? Is it a conscience?¡±


    Tang!


    Something reminiscent of a lion¡¯s mane¡ªPelot, the owner of this hairstyle that highlighted his bigger face even more, became furious while arguing with Grid and threw his hammer. Grid wasn¡¯t wary at all. It was because Pelot¡¯s throwing skill was only at a rudimentary level and there wasn¡¯t any killing intent in the throw. The trajectory of the hammer was just a simple threat and it slightly brushed Grid¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too sloppy to be called a threat?¡¯


    Grid snorted and stayed still. Then the God Hands came out of his inventory and blocked Pelot¡¯s hammer on behalf of Grid.


    ¡°This...?!¡±


    The eyes of the dwarves widened and Grid smiled.


    ¡®I also have a great ego product.¡¯


    The current God Hands were the result of enhancing pavranium, the best of Pagma¡¯s legacy. Grid¡¯s pride in the God Hands was unmatched and he took the dwarves¡¯ response for granted. However, the dwarves¡¯ intense reaction didn¡¯t stem from admiration.


    ¡°Y-You son of a bitch...!¡±


    ¡°You...! Did youe here to mock us?!¡±


    ¡°His wickedness is just like Pagma...¡±


    The calm atmosphere started to heat up again. The dwarves were staring at Grid with eyes filled with deep disgust and resentment. It was the same as when they misunderstood Grid as Pagma.


    ¡®...Uh?¡¯


    Grid was stunned. The harsh reaction of the dwarves rmed him.


    ¡®Perhaps?¡¯


    All sorts of questions were raised in the mind of the pale-faced Grid. Was it right that the ego in the pavranium was created purely with Braham¡¯s magic? Considering the level of the golems who appeared during the invasion of the Eternal Kingdom, wasn¡¯t the ego contained in the pavranium particrly outstanding? What did Pagma do to gain the grudges of the dwarves? Additionally, how did Pagma use his Granting an Ego skill?


    Grid got goosebumps. A great fear struck him. Grid wanted to turn away from the truth. However, it was already toote. Pelot saw the God Hands and cried out, ¡°You! Pagma¡¯s Descendant! The seed of disaster left behind by Milepeu...! You dare to argue about conscience in front of us when you are imprisoning the soul of the empress!¡±


    ¡°......!¡± His concern became a reality. Grid¡¯s legs weakened as his heart sank. He sat in ce and looked at the God Hands hovering around him with trembling eyes. ¡°Pagma... Pagma, he...¡±


    Braham had directed great anger toward the yangban Garam. He used Garam of ruining his life by releasing Pagma to the West Continent. Until now, Grid had thought it was a bit of a leap. However¡ª


    ¡°This bad seed...¡±


    ...Grid was very sympathetic now. Of course, Pagma was aware of all the sins he hadmitted and regretted it. At thest moment, he carried all his karma. It was also true that he saved the world. Nevertheless, could he be called a hero? Wasn¡¯t it actually poison as Braham said? Wouldn¡¯t the world have been calm even if Pagma¡¯s poison hadn¡¯t been released on the West Continent?


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant! Die!¡±


    ¡°We curse you!¡±


    The dwarves were furious enough to lose their temper and they pulled out their hammers. At this moment, the hammers in their hands weren¡¯t a sacred tool, but a weapon. However, the dwarves weren¡¯t a race that focused onbat. Only a handful of them were warriors and they protected the royal castle.


    The dwarves in this ce were all civilians. Hundreds of them were gathered and Grid could ughter them in a sh if he wanted. However, Grid lowered his sword. There was only one action he could do.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Grid screamed as he kneeled on the ground the dwarves became wide-eyed.


    [The new ss quest ¡®Another Path from Pagma¡¯ has opened.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    [¡ïThis is a quest with two diverging points.]


    [If you refuse the quest, the contents of the previous ss quest will be changed.]


    Notification windows opened up in front of Grid.


    ¡®ept the quest.¡¯


    Grid naturally chose a different path from Pagma just as he had done so far.

 Chapter 1261

    The ego in the God Hands wasn¡¯t a magical creation. It was a physical result of beating the soul of another into it. Grid faced this truth and was greatly abhorred by it. The appearance of the sword and the coffin, which held the souls of the old popes, ovepped with the God Hands and made Grid feel disgusted.


    ¡®Pagma, how many people have you sacrificed?¡¯


    Was his definition of justice really correct? The condition to trigger the skill Granting an Ego was the ¡®other person¡¯s consent.¡¯ Grid spected on the rtionship between Pagma and the empress and his disappointment toward Pagma was beyond description. Pagma wasn¡¯t a brat in his teens and the belief Grid had in him was reaching a fragile point.


    ¡®Did he betray friends other than Braham?¡¯


    Grid recalled a certain memory and his expression rxed¡ªit was the image of Pagma, who died alone on the Behen Archipgo while stopping the invasion of the great demons. Yes, Pagma had already tasted enough pain. It was cruel for Grid to me him even now. At this conclusion, Grid put down all the emotions and thoughts that messed up his mind. He chose not to think too deeply about Pagma. He decided to only focus on the situation in front of him.


    ¡®I ept the quest.¡¯


    He understood, sympathized with, and respected Pagma, but he didn¡¯t honor Pagma. In order to rify his own will, Grid chose a different path from Pagma.


    [A new quest has been created!]


    [Different Path from Pagma]


    [ss Quest


    You have learned something new after arriving in Talima.


    Collect information about the empress and understand how pavranium was created.]


    It was a progressive quest¡ªa quest in the form where the contents were filled as Grid progressed. Grid checked the quest information and quietly rose from his spot. The dwarves had been baffled by his attitude of kneeling down and apologizing. Now they instantly focused on him.


    Grid spoke in a blunt manner, ¡°I only read Pagma¡¯s Rare Book and acquired his skills. There is no face-to-face encounter with Pagma. I don¡¯t know the reality of pavranium and I don¡¯t know the identity of the empress. Please get rid of your hostility and talk to me. Who is the empress? What is the situation of her soul being in the pavranium?¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    The dwarves who actually met Pagma, including the lion-maned Pelot, clearly remembered Pagma¡¯s personality. The man who acted like he only existed for justice and inevitable peace was never a person who would kneel down to others. Hebined his stubborn beliefs into self-centeredness and always looked down on others.


    ¡®...Was his name Grid?¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s Descendant, who imed to have only inherited Pagma¡¯s technique, not spirit. Surely he was different from Pagma. They thought the rumor that even the cksmithing god Hexetia acknowledged Grid was true. They were wary, but should they proceed with a conversation first? It was for the sake of the empress¡¯ rest.


    Pelot recalled that the pavranium was in Grid¡¯s hands and, after exchanging looks with his colleagues, opened his mouth slowly, ¡°Maribel B. Talima was the first person in dwarf history to create a mythical ¡®growth¡¯ equipment and she was our ruler at the time. In order to praise her greatness, we regarded her as the empress.¡±


    Pelot was a royal cksmith who assisted Maribel. He learned the proper etiquette. He transcended death with his obsession and lived for hundreds of years. He was mature unlike the usual dwarves and was the first to respond to the polite Grid with more politeness.


    ¡°Both her vision and skills were perfect without any ws...¡±


    Pelot recalled old memories and the past was projected from his eyes. Grid¡¯s consciousness was sucked into it.


    ***


    The dwarves were good at making anything due to their natural dexterity and aesthetics. They were able to distinguish beautiful things and make it directly. The one and only dwarf royal pce was built by melting gold, and it was the crystallization of dwarf techniques.


    ¡°Huhuhut.¡±


    It was before she was called empress. Maribel, who would one day prove her qualifications to be a ruler by making several ¡®growth¡¯ weapons one day, loved her pce. She was born with the best aesthetic standards of the dwarves and believed that the royal pce was the most beautiful work in the world. Then her faith was suddenly broken one day.


    ¡°I would like to ask for your teachings.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A human with ck hair and ck eyes. It was the day when Pagma visited Talima with lonely eyes reminiscent of a wounded beast. Maribel¡¯s aesthetic standards were shaken.


    ¡®Kyah! Beautiful!¡¯


    In front of Pagma¡¯s snow-white skin, even the gold shining under the sunlight seemed dark. The structure of the pce that she had believed to be close to the perfect ratio was reduced to crudeness in front of Pagma¡¯s body proportions...


    "Kyaaak!Kyaaack!¡±


    ¡°...?"


    Maribel was ted at the appearance of Pagma, who made the dwarf pce as ugly as a squid.


    She fell in love at first sight and devoted herself to Pagma. The cooperation between them gave her the opportunity to rapidly develop her cksmithing technique that had been stagnant for many years.


    From this point on, Pagma started producing weapons that could grow to the legendary rating and Maribel gained the title of ¡®empress¡¯, meaning that she would be the ¡®parent of all battle gear in the world¡¯ by creating weapons that could grow to the mythical level.


    ***


    ¡°...It was a terrible foolishness.¡±


    Grid¡¯s thoughts after returning to reality from Pelot¡¯s memory was simple.


    ¡°Foolishness?¡±


    ¡°No, I was talking to myself. Rather, Empress Maribel was a really great cksmith. She grew much faster than Pagma, who was already called a legendary cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Why else would she be praised as the parent of all the battle gear in the world? Originally, the legendary cksmith should¡¯ve been the empress instead of Pagma.¡±


    ¡®Certainly...¡¯


    If all of Maribel¡¯s items had been legendary rated instead of growth-type normal and rare rated then Maribel would¡¯ve achieved the title of ¡®legend¡¯ first. However, the reason for this result was Maribel¡¯s greed.


    ¡®The problem is that she tried to put too much into her work.¡¯


    Maribel was a perfectionist. She considered many things when making a single sword and attempted to create an ideal object with ¡®no defects and multiple functions¡¯. It was an advantage and a disadvantage. Her creations generally had high potential, but they were poorly rated because their current level was rough.


    ¡®The expectations when the potential fully blossomed would¡¯ve been indescribably high...¡¯


    Hundreds of yearster, how far would her works have grown? Did an item seed in finding the right master and achieving the ideal form she pursued?


    ¡®Ah...?¡¯


    Grid was thinking things over and over when he realized that he was excited. He was excited to learn about the hidden history. How wide was the world of Satisfy? Grid was once again able to feel this reality through Empress Maribel¡¯s presence. The thought that even at this moment, a second Maribel or Pagma was being born somewhere on the continent caused his heart to pound and he was filled with the desire to work harder.


    An ordinary person would¡¯ve felt wary and stressed by the idea ofpetitors, but Grid was the opposite. His vessel had already grownrge enough.


    ¡°The development of the empress served as an example for all the dwarves in Talima and Talima enjoyed an unprecedented boom. At that time, Trauka was wandering around to catch a thief and people were able to move freely to and from Talima. Talima¡¯s weapons started to spread across the continent. Our days were happy.¡±


    ¡°It was a short happiness.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was as short as a spring day. Those days passed and Talima lived a hard winter thatsted until now.¡±


    Pelot¡¯s eyes became as red as his hair. He seemed to be holding back the tears that wanted to emerge. Then he barely managed to open his mouth, ¡°We... we will never forget it. The nightmare of the day when the empress, who was still young like a girl, suddenly passed away. I will never forget it even if I die.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly?¡±


    The words made him anxious. Empress Maribel looked young in the memory he saw. She wasn¡¯t old enough to die of a natural death. Yet she suddenly died...?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯ A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he recalled the scene of Pagma sticking a knife in Braham¡¯s back. ¡®No, it is impossible. Pagma couldn¡¯t have killed her.¡¯


    Pagma had the history of stabbing and killing Braham, taking away his life force. However, it was a special case that could happen because the fact that ¡®Braham was a demonkin¡¯ was applied. Yes, Pagma had some justification for killing Braham. On the other hand, Empress Maribel was a dwarf. She was far from the evil demons who could threaten humanity one day and she was a valuable figure when it came to the development of humanity. It was unlikely that Pagma would¡¯ve murdered her to take her soul...


    ¡°Pagma! Talima copsed the day when Pagma killed the empress and seized her soul!¡±


    "...!!"


    Grid¡¯s mind was nk. The naive smile of Empress Maribel and Pagma¡¯s warm gaze directed at her in the memory passed through his mind.


    Pelot kneeled down and grabbed Grid¡¯s pants. ¡°Please... please liberate the soul of the empress!¡±


    ¡°It is a request!¡±


    ¡°Please!¡±


    Pelot¡¯s plea was the signal. Hundreds of dwarves knelt down and bowed to Grid.


    ¡°We will give you sufficient rewards! I will be by your side and teach you how tomunicate with your work, even if I have to use the rest of my life!¡±


    Ttring~


    The quest was updated.


    [Different Path from Pagma]


    [ss Quest


    Pelot and all the dwarf cksmiths are begging you.


    Release the soul of Empress Maribel that is currently dwelling in Greed.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Go to the dwarf pce and liberate the soul of the empress.


    Quest Clear Results: The loss of the ego in pavranium.


    Quest Clear Rewards: The Advanced Ego Item Making skill will be acquired.]


    [Advanced Ego Item Making]


    [Type: Passive


    When making an item, there is a chance to interact with the item to awaken the soul of the item.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was able to tell the precise difference between the ¡®Granting an Ego¡¯ skill and ¡®Ego¡¯ concept. In fact, he had noticed from the very beginning. Granting an Ego was to hammer an ¡®existing soul¡¯ into the item while the dwarves¡¯ ego items mean waking up the soul of the item.


    The ego item that Grid once produced by chance belonged to thetter. There was less of a burden,pared to Granting an Ego, where someone¡¯s soul was sacrificed. To be honest, it was difficult to discern which one had a better performance. It was natural since he had never seen a high rated ego item.


    ¡°You are different from Pagma and will be able tomunicate with your works!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was cautious. He remained silent as he thought about it without answering. It was natural to be cautious because he noticed that Greed could be lost. Surprisingly, his worries were short-lived. ¡°I understand.¡±


    The soul of the empress who had left regret in tens of thousands of dwarves...


    Was it necessary to keep it? No, it wasn¡¯t. He felt ufortable and didn¡¯t want to keep it around. He would engrave the ego he wanted on the second pavranium. Repeating the work until he engraved a better ego might lead to a better mineral than Greed.


    ¡®I want to have my own mineral, not Pagma¡¯s mineral...¡¯


    Grid made a decision and urged the flustered Pelot. ¡°I will liberate the soul of the empress.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of tricking Talima.¡±


    ¡°Thank you...! Once again, thank you!¡±


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The cheers of the dwarves shattered the silence that had hovered over Talima for many years. The dwarves¡¯ expressions were bright like they were celebrating a festival after hundreds of years.


    [Affinity with dwarf craftsman ¡®Pellot¡¯ has risen to the maximum.]


    [Affinity with the dwarves of Talima has increased to 80.]


    [You can get a discount up to 80% when purchasing items in Talima.]


    [Talima¡¯s merchants will buy the items you sell at a price higher than the market price.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Grid had a pleased expression on his face as they arrived at the dwarf pce. He was guided by Pelot to the VIP room and soon met the dwarf king, who rushed inside in a hurry.


    ¡°Mother! Mother!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sight of a dwarf king running with a hairy chest and wide open arms wasn¡¯t very pleasant. Grid saw him hug the God Hands and recalled that the king would¡¯ve only been a young boy when Pagma stayed in Talima. Then he was convinced. ¡®Pagma didn¡¯t kill the empress.¡¯


    At the very least, Pagma was a person who knew and understood the pain of others. This meant that he wasn¡¯t a psychopath or sociopath.


    ¡®Probably...¡¯


    There had to be a hidden story. Grid wanted to believe it.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start the liberation of the soul.¡±


    Grid saw that the dwarf king was crying while hugging the God Hands and thought that it wasn¡¯t the time to exchange polite greetings. It happened the moment Grid made a judgment and nced at Pelot...


    The God Hands hit the dwarf king and raised their middle finger.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence filled the pce and Grid was once again convinced.


    ¡®The empress really wasn¡¯t murdered by Pagma.¡¯


    Empress Maribel was likely to be the same as Pope Chreshler, who willingly dwelled in the coffin to embrace Marie Rose.

 Chapter 1262

    ¡°......¡±


    Pavranium made judgments and moved on its own. Even so, Grid always believed that the pavranium had no emotions. All the judgments and actions of the pavranium was based on its instinct to be of service to its master. It was a type of system so pavranium was treated as a machine.


    However, his thoughts changed at this moment. The God Hands¡¯ action of pushing away the dwarf king hugging it and raising their middle finger had a clear emotion.


    ¡®They might¡¯ve often pointed or raised their middle finger at the enemy, but...¡¯


    This provocative action was intentional, not coincidental. The God Hands approached Grid and hovered around him. It spun faster and more fiercely around Grid. It felt like they wanted to leave this ce.


    ¡°M-Mom... no, Mother.¡± Tears filled the dwarf king¡¯s eyes as he was pushed back by the God Hands. The crown fell from his head due to the impact of the fall and he seemed reluctant to believe the current situation.


    ¡°Me... have you forgotten me?¡± The dwarf king¡¯s question dispersed in the air. There naturally wasn¡¯t an answer. The God Hands couldn¡¯t speak. The dwarf king red at Grid, who was afraid to move due to the bad atmosphere. For Grid who wanted tomunicate with the dwarves, this hostility was unwee.


    ¡°You are the rumored Grid? You are Pagma¡¯s Descendant and received the recognition of the cksmithing god?¡±


    ¡°Correct. I am also king of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    It was a polite introduction because they were both kings. However, the dwarf king just cried out with a runny nose, ¡°I don¡¯t care about your identity!¡±


    Charles, the dwarf king with his sparkling golden name, shouted, ¡°Release my mother right now! Only then will you be able to survive this ce!¡±


    Pagma was the demon who killed Empress Maribel and trapped her soul in a mineral. He was the greatest enemy of Talima. For Charles, Pagma was the enemy of his mother. The dwarves outside Talima might admire the capabilities of Pagma¡¯s Descendant, who was acknowledged by the cksmithing god, but the situation in Talima waspletely different. He hated Pagma¡¯s Descendant more than Fire Dragon Trauka.


    Charles¡¯ cry was a signal. The dwarf warriors armed with hatchets entered through the doors of the great hall and swarmed. They were wearing golden armor and looked as morous as any other royal guards. The unusual thing was that they used axes as a weapon. They were somewhat less ordinary than royal guards armed with swords, but they were more threatening. The beard and ferocious appearance made people think of mountain bandits.


    ¡®I can¡¯t guess the level.¡¯


    Dwarf warriors were rare. Due to the nature of the dwarves who worshippedbor over strength, the total poption that were warriors was said to be less than 1%. There were almost no records of the dwarf warriors because they didn¡¯t act outside. They only defended the dwarf pce.


    Well, there was no need to be vignt anyway. Grid had no intention of fighting. Grid was already nning to liberate the empress¡¯ soul. Grid had a great ambition tomunicate with the dwarves and learn various skills to pass on to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s cksmiths. From his perspective, there was no reason to cling to the empress¡¯ soul.


    ¡®It is ufortable to use it in the first ce.¡¯


    Grid had thought the ego in the God Hands was a magically created system. Then it turned out to be someone¡¯s soul... it was a burden and he didn¡¯t want it to be with him. He nned to give the God Hands a new ego. It was by harnessing the power of the ego crafting method taught by the dwarves.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it back,¡± Grid answered softly and gestured to the God Hands. Then the God Hands slowly approached Dwarf King Charles.


    Charles was flustered. ¡°You will give back my mother¡¯s soul?¡±


    ¡°It was what I intended from the beginning. My purpose is to be friends with Talima so let¡¯s just say this is the price.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡± Charles¡¯ eyes filled with tears again. He was thrilled that his mother would be able to end the suffering of having her soul stuck to the cursed mineral. He stretched out his arms to hug the God Hands. Then the God Hands flicked his forehead. Charles¡¯ head fell back severely from the power of the God Hands that had inherited some of Grid¡¯s stats. It was a shocking sight considering that a dwarf¡¯s neck was twice as thick as a human¡¯s neck.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The royal pce fell silent again. The first person to break the silence was Charles.His forehead was red as he shouted at Grid, ¡°You! You deceived me! You aren¡¯t just Pagma¡¯s Descendant! You are the same as Pagma!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t speak carelessly. It would just be taken as an excuse if he defended himself in the current situation.


    ¡°What are you doing? He is a traitor who tried to fool me and use the empress¡¯ soul as a hostage! He is like Pagma, trampling on the longing of a son for his mother! Catch him right now and bestow the justice of Talima!¡±


    In the end, it wasn¡¯t a situation that could be resolved with talking. It was a misleading situation even for Grid.


    ¡®In this case...¡¯


    A question and answer dance was the best choice. He couldn¡¯t tolerate it silently. First, he had to dominate the other party before leading the conversation. Grid made a decision and pulled out his weapon.


    The Enlightenment Sword was drawn from its sheath and it absorbed all the radiance of the gold from the pce. They might be warriors, but they were still dwarves.The dwarf warriors recognized the value of the Enlightenment Sword with their innate discerning eyes and made expressions of shock and admiration.


    This onlysted for a moment. It was embarrassing if the first attack hit them.


    Grid¡¯s surprise attack was blocked by a dwarf warrior¡¯s axe. The axe of the big warrior seemed like it could split the moon in half, and it showed excellent defense.


    ¡®It is a great response... I thought they were dull, but they are very agile.¡¯


    Grid admired the warrior¡¯s ability to block his attack. Then he recovered the sword that had deflected off the axe and countered.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The axe wielding soldier was stabbed in the waist and groaned.


    [The target has received 13,300 damage.]


    ¡®The defense is also high.¡¯


    Grid was amazed to see that the dwarf warrior¡¯s health gauge was barely reduced despite being stabbed by the Enlightenment Sword. This was truly Talima. The level of armor worn by the dwarf warriors was very high. It seemed to be unique rated at the minimum and Grid found it hard to subdue them with only basic attacks. He started the sword dance in earnest.


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The dwarf warriors were taking a formation after realizing Grid was a formidable opponent. This soon copsed after Grid used Restraint. Grid dug into the center of them and caused a wave of sword energy.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    ¡°Aaaack!¡±


    The dwarf warriors were hit by the sword energy and stepped back. They screamed in pain but as Grid expected, there were no serious injuries.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    It might be a single sword dance, but how many royal guards could resist Grid¡¯s current attack? Even the empire¡¯s royal guards would spit out blood if hit by Wave. The dwarves didn¡¯t shed a single drop of blood when hit by Wave. Their body itself was very strong, andbined with their items, they boasted a defense that was beyond the average level.


    ¡®Their attack power is also good...¡¯


    Grid dodged the dwarves¡¯ counterattack and once again admired the axe that was stuck deep in the ground. It felt like he would experience awful pain the moment he allowed an attack.


    Talima¡ªtheir great potential was the reason why this city-state was able to survive tenaciously among the powers of the continent.


    ¡°Get out of the way. Step aside!¡±


    New warriors emerged. They seemed to havee running after hearing the uproar, but there was one particrly conspicuous figure. Antrino¡ªhis ck beard was tied, and he was wearing red armor unlike the other warriors. The reason he seemed more brilliant than everyone else was because his name was golden.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Descendant? Look at him moving like a butterfly!¡±


    He knew Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship well. The pressure around Antrino was terrible as he scoffed at the characteristics of the sword dance. Grid confronted the attack of the dwarf holding two axesrger than his own head.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes shook. His arm muscles spasmed as he held the Enlightenment Sword. He was being pushed back in strength. Grid¡¯s arm was paralyzed after he failed to defend himself and lost a bit of health.


    ¡°You are better than that slender Pagma!¡±


    Antrino was amazed by the sight of Grid gritting his teeth and standing in ce. However, he was very familiar with fighting using innate strength. The axe in his other hand swung without hesitation and aimed at Grid¡¯s paralyzed arm. A God Hand flew over and blocked Antrino¡¯s axe.


    However, the God Hand was also unable to cope with Antrino¡¯s attack power and became stiff. Antrino didn¡¯t miss this chance. He swung his short leg and kicked Grid¡¯s abdomen. Then his two axes descended at the same time.


    Grid was trying to dodge it only to stop.


    ¡°Stop! Stop it!¡±


    It was because the lion-maned Pelot stepped forward. He stepped into the battle to protect Grid. He stood there ring at Antrino before shouting at King Charles, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to the distinguished guest! I am the one who guided Grid to the royal pce! Grid really wants to liberate the empress¡¯ soul!¡±


    The king shouted back, ¡°He is the one who yed a trick and had the empress flick me!¡±


    ¡°It is clear to anyone that it was the will of the empress... Hum hum, in any case, believe in me once. Please allow Grid to enter Pandemonium!¡±


    The ability of the dwarf¡¯s royal family to interact with their work was unmatched. Most of the works they created had egos and the type of egos was as diverse as human personalities. Sometimes it meant that evil spirits were born. Pandemonium was the ce where those failed works were sealed. In this ce, there was a sleeping being who could liberate the empress¡¯ soul.


    Antrino snorted. ¡°Even if Sir Pelot¡¯s words are true, this person can¡¯t enter Pandemonium. Don¡¯t you know? The door to Pandemonium is the heaviest in the world. Even I can¡¯t open it with my strength. How can he enter Pandemonium?


    ¡¯You must prove your qualifications in order to enter Pandemonium.¡¯


    The person who wanted to enter had to open the door themselves. The dwarf royal family can easily open the door with their bloodline, but for outsiders to open the door of Pandemonium, they have to prove that their ability doesn¡¯t lose to anyone. In other words, it is the process of proving your qualification not to be swayed by the evil spirits sealed in Pandemonium.


    The king opened his mouth, ¡°Sir Antrino is right. He isn¡¯t eligible to enter Pandemonium. If he truly wants the liberation of the empress, he will have to hand it over to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to check if I am eligible or not?¡±


    Grid heard the words and stepped forward. The God Hands were rejecting King Charles so Grid had no choice. He had to open the door of Pandemonium himself. After all, his rune now contained the power of entric Duke Saleos.

 Chapter 1263

    ¡°Kukuk...! Kuahahahat!¡±


    Superhuman Strength Loyal Subject¡ªit would be a very unfamiliar title to the humans of this time. However, just 300 years ago, the prestige of Superhuman Strength Loyal Subject Antrino was great.


    With a head to body ratio of 1:4, Antrino showed great power within his well-proportioned body and was the strongest warrior that supported the dwarf race. It was only due to him that the wealth of the dwarves could be preserved. He appeared in the ¡®Unfinished Biography¡¯ that was about Muller¡¯sst years as the subject of the sentence ¡®Every sword I hit him with was broken so I was in trouble.¡¯ In terms of strength alone, Antrino wasparable to the legends of the previous generation.


    He was still energetic and boasted dark hair. From his perspective, Grid was just a little boy. He was better than Pagma, but he was stillckingpared to the other legends that Antrino had met.


    ¡®No, it is hard to say he is better than Pagma.¡¯


    Pagma might be evil, but he showed great power bybining several sword dances. Meanwhile, Grid had a strong body and high strength, but he couldn¡¯t use the fusion sword dances. He might be ahead of Pagma in strength, but his overall ability was lower in terms of technical aspect.


    Antrino burst outughing at the courage of this child who hadn¡¯t evenpleted his heart, body, and technique. ¡°Your qualifications have already been confirmed. You can¡¯t ovee my strength and even my strength can¡¯t open the door of Pandemonium. You will never be able to enter Pandemonium.¡±


    ¡°Is it necessary for me to make fun of your tongue? Don¡¯t you know that you should look at the tall and short things? Ah, you don¡¯t know because you¡¯ve never been tall.¡±


    His words came out naturally. Grid¡¯s provocative look and tone caught Antrino¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You are fearless. Perhaps you... the person who is Pagma¡¯s Descendant doesn¡¯t know me?¡±


    ¡°I might be Pagma¡¯s Descendant, but I only inherited his technique. I have no way of knowing what happened between you and Pagma.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, this is why you¡¯re so arrogant.¡±


    Antrino shrugged and took out a book. It was a familiar book for Grid¡ªthe dictionary of minerals, something naturally acquired after changing to the cksmith ss. yers couldn¡¯t share or give it to others, but it seemed different for NPCs.


    Antrino opened up the dictionary of minerals. The minerals information he umted throughout his life meant his book was twice as thick as Grid¡¯s book. Antrino was a warrior, yet he umted so much information on minerals...


    ¡®Does he have a miner or cksmith as a second ss?¡¯


    Grid never considered a second ss to be a domain specific to yers. It was natural. Wasn¡¯t Pagma a legendary cksmith and Baal¡¯s Contractor? Grid guessed that many named NPCs had two or more sses and it was true.


    [You have acquired new mineral information.]


    [You have acquired new mineral information.]


    [You have acquired new...]


    [You have acquired...]


    ......


    ...


    Was it benefiting through any means? In return for a glimpse at Antrino¡¯s dictionary of minerals, Grid managed to achieve a collection twice asrge as before. Originally, more than half of the pages in his book were nk. Now they were almost full, with only less than 10% of it being nk.


    However, Antrino had no idea about what was happening. ¡°You are a legendary cksmith, so your knowledge of minerals must be more profound than mine. You naturally know about the regi stone.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know the power of the years I¡¯ve umted?¡¯


    Grid was overrated by Antrino and felt embarrassed. Even so, he didn¡¯t express it and read the information of the regi stone from one of the many newly added minerals information from a little while ago.


    [Regi Stone]


    [It is the heaviest stone in the world. A strong adult male is limited to holding a fingernail-sized regi stone.]


    ¡®It is a mineral with little value.¡¯


    Weight was directly rted to hardness. This meant the density was high.


    A piece the size of a fingernail was at least 60 to 80 kilograms... it would be ineffective to make something using the regi stone. The shape wouldn¡¯t change no matter how hard a person beat it with a hammer.


    ¡®I think it would take me a few months to smelt this.¡¯


    It would take craftsmen years, no, perhaps even decades. Antrino¡¯s voice rang in Grid¡¯s ears as he was lost in thought. Grid felt it the first time he met this person, but Antrino was really loud. ¡°The door of Pandemonium is made of regi stone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    "How is it? Do you realize now that you can¡¯t open it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Certainly, even if the size of the door was limited to ¡®only one dwarf can pass through,¡¯ it would still weigh thousands of tons, and it would be impossible to open with physical strength. It was apletely different testpared to the door of Radwolf¡¯s workshop made using the Moon Night Iron.


    He might be nervous, but Grid¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°Just because you can¡¯t open it doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t open it.¡±


    ¡°You are crazy to the end.¡±


    Antrino showed a tired expression and asked King Charles, ¡°Your Majesty, do you mind if I guide him to Pandemonium?¡±


    In order to liberate the empress¡¯ soul in the God Hands, Grid had to take action himself¡ªAntrino thought it was reasonable, considering the empress¡¯ personality that he remembered. However, King Charles would probably deny it. It was as expected. ¡°I can do it myself. Is it necessary to entrust this simple work to outsiders? I don¡¯t know why he is so stubborn about handing over the empress to me.¡±


    ¡°It seems that he is a person who needs to be humiliated.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± King Charles¡¯ expression softened somewhat. The word ¡®humiliated¡¯ seduced him. King Charles made a big smile and shouted, ¡°Summon all the people before Pandemonium! All the people of Talima must ept the royalmand!¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    The warriors saluted and scattered in all directions. Antrino shook his head after reading King Charles¡¯ intentions and the lion-maned Pelot grabbed his forehead.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand the king¡¯s feelings...¡¯


    A person rted to the enemy of his mother. It was natural to want to lead him to hell. However, wasn¡¯t it a bit intolerant as the leader of a race to use the entire nation for personal revenge? It was as the empress had evaluated before her death¡ªCharles¡¯ vessel was small. She hoped that her child, who was younger than 100 years old, could grow up well. Of course, it was only by transcending death that he could qualify as a king. Among the 111 princes and princesses, only two or three could transcend death.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Pandemonium.¡±


    King Charles led the way with Grid.


    ***


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    The entrance of Pandemonium was located deep in the royal pce and it closely resembled Grid¡¯s expectations. It was the size that one dwarf could barely pass through. It seemed only possible for Grid if he bent over.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    There was a huge crowd. There was no reason to dy time when he wanted to see Pagma¡¯s Descendant disgraced. King Charles looked around at the crowd filling the entrance of Pandemonium and shouted, ¡°The descendant of Pagma, the enemy of our race, said that he will enter Pandemonium. We will watch it.¡±


    ¡°Booooo!¡±


    There were boos from all over the ce. Most of the dwarves suspected and disliked Grid, except for the ones who met Grid. It was natural since he was the sessor of a deep-rooted grudge.


    ¡®Damn Pagma.¡¯


    He respected Pagma, but he resented Pagma¡¯s actions that made things worse every time. In the midst of the unpleasant jeering, Grid clicked his tongue and ced his hand on the entrance of Pandemonium. He felt a tremendous weight. He was certain that this door wouldn¡¯t move even if he pushed with all his strength.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid took a breath and the dwarves, including King Charles,ughed. They felt like they had eaten something good when seeing the descendant of their enemy being overwhelmed by the door.


    ¡°It is funny that Pagma¡¯s Descendant is trying to open a door that can¡¯t be opened without royal lineage.¡±


    ¡°He is just like Pagma. He can¡¯t understand what he is facing. Spit. It is unlucky.¡±


    ¡°Hurry... I want to quickly see his despairing expression.¡±


    The expectations of the dwarves were heightened. Grid stood in the middle of the enemy and opened up the Rune of Gluttony.


    ¡®Open, Rune of Gluttony.¡¯


    In such a situation, he could only bring out one trump card. Grid hesitated as he was trying to unleash the newly gained power of Saleos. The four God Hands were floating in front of Grid¡ªthe hands were constantly moving and Grid noticed they were warning him not to enter Pandemonium.


    King Charles was furious. ¡°You unscrupulous person...! My mom... you are trying to get rid of the crisis by using my mother!¡±


    How old was he that he was still clinging to his mother? It was even worse than the young Lord. Grid shook his head and deliberately ordered, ¡°Stay out of the way.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The God Hands rotating around him stopped moving immediately. They wanted to stay still, but they couldn¡¯t ovee Grid¡¯s re and moved to the side. Grid pulled the power out of the rune.


    ¡®Power of Not Knowing Defeat.¡¯


    [Power of Not Knowing Defeat]


    [Gain a strength beyond your potential.


    You must win in a fight of strength.


    If the next action after using this power is affected by strength, it will unconditionally get positive results.


    However, it can¡¯t win against the top three great demons, dragons, absolutes, and gods.


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None]


    Grid¡¯srge hand touched the door of Pandemonium. The weight of the regi stone passed through Grid¡¯s fingertips. Grid felt a huge gravity. It felt like he was rejected by the world the moment he pushed the door to Pandemonium.


    ¡°Hahahat! This person is really challenging it!¡±


    ¡°Boo! Booooo!¡±


    In the midst of the dwarves¡¯ booing, Grid pushed the door open.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    All the dwarves, including King Charles, Antrino, and the lion-maned Pelot, had their mouths drop open. They were so surprised that it seemed like their eyeballs would pop out. Grid smiled at them. ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy?¡±


    He wanted to add ¡®you can¡¯t even do this?¡¯ but Grid drew a line since he needed to get along with the dwarves. Grid taunted the entire dwarf race and then sniped at King Charles, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the empress¡¯ lineage, wouldn¡¯t you be an ipetent person who couldn¡¯t even do this? The empress dismissed you for a reason.¡±


    Had Pandemonium ever been shown to outsiders since it was created? Not even once. Pandemonium was a ce that only the dwarf royal family had the right to enter. At this moment, Grid was denying the dwarf royal family. The eyes of the dwarves looking at him became strange.


    In particr, Antrino had a big smile on his face. His eyes were filled with admiration rather than anger.

 Chapter 1264

    Many may have noticed¡ªthe dwarven racial traits weren¡¯t about strength and dexterity, but was instead an obsession that transcended death. It was the true power of the dwarves and the driving force behind the connection with their works. The desire for their works to be immortal masterpieces inspired them to inject their soul into their works.


    This was why the ego gears were the symbol of integrity. The ego gear, that only dreamed of being the best, was upright like a tall tree and led its master on the right path. At one time, the world sanctified the ego gears and their masters. Then the world soon found out¡ªthe fact that the wicked battle gears, ssified as the so-called ¡®Demonic Gears,¡¯ also possessed egos.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was shocked. It was due to the screams of beasts that came from the deep passage after the entrance of Pandemonium was opened. It sounded creepy, sharp, and wicked. He would rather hear the screams of the great demons.


    ¡®...Is it the sound of the wind?¡¯


    It happened as Grid was double-checking that it was the wind echoing in the darkness...


    ¡°The personalities of the egos were different just as humans were all different,¡± Antrino spoke as he watched Grid with interest.


    His hand touching hisplicated braided beard was as delicate and beautiful as the hands of other dwarf craftsmen. In this world, it felt like the saying ¡®slender and delicate hands¡¯ existed only for the dwarves.


    ¡°What is the mood of the creator when smelting the minerals? Depending on the purpose of the creator when tempering the mineral, upright and righteous egos, or malicious and murderous egos, can be born. We call thetter demonic gears and have sealed them here in Pandemonium.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was reminded of the Thorn of Deep Grievance. Originally, the Thorn of Deep Grievance was just an ordinary mberge. Then after being abandoned by its maker, Grid, and left alone to one side of the smithy, it gradually harbored a grudge against Grid. Ibellin¡¯s blood, filled with anger and shame, awakened the ego. The ego was filled with a grudge toward Grid and was very ferocious. The demonic gears sealed in Pandemonium would have their own story, just like the thorn.


    The dwarf warriors slowly surrounded Grid. They were reluctant to expose Pandemonium, which could be called their shame, to an outsider. Surprisingly, it was King Charles who snapped at them. ¡°Out of the way!¡±


    King Charles¡¯ bloodshot eyes were burning. His snow-white beard looked like it would melt. ¡°A promise is a promise! Since he has opened the door of Pandemonium, let him enter and exit Pandemonium!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a favor. King Charles was plotting a reversal.


    ¡°Now, Pagma¡¯s Descendant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have given you ess to Pandemonium because you have promised to liberate the soul of the empress. However, if you do other things without liberating the soul of the empress, then I will properly punish you. Furthermore, regardless of your sess or failure, I will be sure to take back the soul of the empress.¡±


    ¡®I kept my promise. You must keep your promise.¡¯


    King Charles sent him such a message and Grid lost his way to go back on his words. If Grid couldn¡¯t liberate the soul of the empress, then not only would his life be in danger, an exchange with Talima would be unlikely.


    ¡®He¡¯s pretty smart.¡¯


    Like the other dwarves, King Charles had a capricious personality that didn¡¯t observe the situation around him. However, his head worked in important moments. It was a style that would be very tiring if he left as an enemy.


    ¡®...Instead, it is reassuring to be on the same side.¡¯


    There was a small smile on Grid¡¯s face. In any case, the water has already been spilled. His rtionship with Talima had be twisted from the moment the dwarf empress¡¯ soul dwelled in the God Hands. However, there was now an opportunity to recover the water. It wasn¡¯t necessary to regard the current situation negatively.


    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯ll need to make one promise.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If I liberate the empress¡¯ soul, then apologize for all your rudeness so far.¡±


    ¡°...Understood,¡± King Charles replied.


    He also knew Grid¡¯s identity. A cksmith whose skill was acknowledged by God Hexetia...


    King Charles had clearly heard of Grid¡¯s reputation, which made it all the way here even when they were isted by Fire Dragon Trauka. It was right to apologize if Grid really liberated the empress¡¯ soul and proved that he was different from Pagma.


    ¡®By the way, will the predator of Pandemonium really help him?¡¯


    It was a monster thrown to the very end of Pandemonium¡ªa predator that devoured all other egos and cultivated negativity. It was a clever existence who wouldn¡¯t touch the empress¡¯ soul which was an ego it couldn¡¯t digest. It was only the royal lineage that could force it to bring out the empress¡¯ soul.


    ¡®It is a pity, but you have a duty to take on Pagma¡¯s karma. Fall into hell instead of Pagma. Your death and resurrection will relieve my fellow kin¡¯s grief.¡¯


    King Charles nced at Pelot and Pelot exined it to Grid, ¡°You will see a total of 10 rooms if you walk along the corridor of Pandemonium. Thousands of battle gears in every room will tempt you in various ways. Please ignore them and only look ahead. The presence at the end of the corridor will liberate the empress¡¯ soul.¡±


    It was easy. The problem was that it wasn¡¯t something that people could easily do.


    The basic passive of the dwarves was to ignore the words that entered their ears so they didn¡¯t fall for the temptation of the battle gears. However, humans are easily swayed. Even the least greedy one wouldn¡¯t be able to easily ovee all the temptations suggested by the thousands of egos.


    ¡®I just pray that he¡¯ll be caught by one that isn¡¯t as vicious.¡¯


    Pelot had a strong fondness for Grid and wanted to believe in him. He hoped that Grid would liberate the empress¡¯ soul. Therefore, he gave Grid a chance, but honestly, he had no expectations of the oue


    Grid noticed Pelot¡¯s saddened attitude and realized that Pandemonium was a ce that couldn¡¯t be underestimated. He took a deep breath. He bent down and entered Pandemonium as thousands of dwarves watched.


    ***


    [You are the first yer to enter Pandemonium.]


    [The first discovery reward has increased fire resistance by 50% during the Pandemonium entry period.]


    [The first discovery reward has increased mental resistance by 50% during the Pandemonium entry period.]


    [The ¡®Item Weight Deletion Ticket (1 hour)¡¯ has been acquired as the first discovery reward.]


    It was a weirdpensation reward. It was very shabbypared to the usual initialpensation. However, Grid wasn¡¯t shaken.


    ¡®There must be a reason for it.¡¯


    It was as expected.


    [The heat of theva boiling underground has started to burn your skin.]


    Did he walk for around 30 minutes? He didn¡¯t know when he started feeling it, but heat washed over him. However, for the legendary cksmith, Grid, this level of heat was just like a beginner¡¯s sauna. Additionally...


    -Hey! You there! Don¡¯t you want to know the ind where the treasure of the Rams Pirates are buried?


    ¡°I have a lot of money.¡±


    -Give me magic power! I will teach you the best magic!


    ¡°Are you better at magic than Braham?¡±


    -Don¡¯t you want to seduce the opposite sex by hanging me around your neck?


    ¡°I¡¯m married.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t fall for the temptation of the ego items trapped in each room. The level of temptation presented by the ego items was too low for him. It was no wonder since Grid had wealth, power, and connections.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even need the mental resistance buff.¡¯


    Honestly, he had been very nervous, but it didn¡¯t seem to be anything big. Grid continued walking forward peacefully until he passed by the door of the 10th room. Here, he encountered aplication¡ªone of the thousands of voicesing from the 10th room stopped Grid.


    [email protected])*&#[email protected]!


    It was anguage that waspletely iprehensible, but it was somehow familiar.


    ¡®What does this mean?¡¯


    Grid focused his mind. He ignored the thousands of other misceneous voices and listened to the strangenguage. He remembered where he had heard this bizarrenguage.Grid¡¯s eyes widened. The diary of someone who was alone. It reminded him of the Undefeated King¡¯s Diary. That¡¯s right¡ªthenguage resembled that of Madra¡¯s, who had spent hundreds of years alone and lost human speech.


    ¡®How can this be?¡¯


    It was a time when Madra was forced to be a death knight and went crazy. Grid had interpreted the contents of Madra¡¯s diary as a type of scream. Finally, he forgot human words and screamed from the pain that dominated his mind. Now he realized it was anguage. Thenguage of something other than human.


    A rusty iron door¡ªGrid was excited by the thought that the hint in the diary would no longer be undecipherable and tried to open the door. However, the locked iron door wouldn¡¯t open. All types of ridicule was heard from the other egos.


    -This person is someone who can¡¯t even open the door?


    -You see, didn¡¯t I tell you that the dwarves have a big stride?


    -The one who came after so long is a useless guy.


    In the midst of the constant ridicule, Grid pulled out a key. It was the Master Key.


    Clink!


    The old lock¡ªthe lock that seemed like it would never open because the keyhole was severely damaged¡ªopened with a cheerful sound.


    -Ehhhhh! I believed in you!


    -Kiyaaaah! Grab me, human! I¡¯ll give you the power to escape from here!


    The battle gears locked up in the 10th room were rowdy with excitement. They eagerly weed the intruder¡¯s visit. They treated the intruder as a host and were full of the expectation to escape from here.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was still focusing his attention and it wasn¡¯t long before he found the source of thenguage he heard¡ªa pure white orb.


    -(%!#[email protected]~!


    ¡°......¡±


    The closer he got, the clearer it became. The orb¡¯s cry closely resembled that of the Undefeated King in his diary. This was thenguage. The confident Grid reached out and held the orb in his hand.


    [¡¯Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones¡¯ has been picked.]


    [email protected]$#@$!


    [The Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones isughing. The only one who can control it is Galgunos.]


    [The Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones will curse you.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones.]


    [Ownership of the Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones has been acquired.]


    [email protected]#$?!


    [The dwarves¡¯ brand is stamped on the Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones. The brand effect has maximized the weight gauge of the orb. All speeds are drastically reduced. You can no longer carry any more items.]


    ¡°As expected, the rest are all useless.¡±


    Grid had passed all 10 rooms and, apart from this orb, there were no other items that attracted his interest. Grid took the Item Weight Deletion Ticket and used it without hesitation.


    ¡®I will take it to Sticks.¡¯


    Sticks was a great sage. He was blessed with knowledge and would be able to analyze and master thenguage through a conversation with this orb. Grid had no doubts and walked out of the 10th room with light steps. After a long walk, he finally reached the final ce of Pandemonium.


    He could see a cliff flowing withva in front of him. Beneath the cliff was a tightly chained up helmet. It was a helmet that covered the entire face. It didn¡¯t melt in theva, but instead it was smiling with its mouthpiece.


    -Hahat! Hahahat! The empress¡¯ soul was brought by a human? This is anotheredy!

 Chapter 1265

    A knight¡¯s face armor represented integrity, while the goat horns symbolized the devil. The helmet in theva waterfall was in the shape of a bird with goat horns attached to the knight¡¯s helmet.


    ¡®It has a terrible stench.¡¯


    Grid was curious about the creator. As Grid observed the helmet, the helmet was also aware of the situation.


    -That¡¯s right.Are you Pagma¡¯s Descendant?Do you want to ask me to liberate the empress¡¯ soul?


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t wrong. It was a helmet, so it had a good mind. The strangely convinced Grid made a bold demand, ¡°Liberate the soul of the empress.¡± The God Hands hovering around Grid slowly flew toward theva waterfall. The name of the helmet was ¡®Talima¡¯s Shame.¡¯


    -Kukuk, it wasn¡¯t aedy or a drama, but a tragedy.It has been split up.Sure enough, you truly are Pagma¡¯s Descendant.


    ¡°Split up?¡±


    -I¡¯m talking about the empress¡¯ soul.


    The red light from Talima¡¯s Shame¡¯s swept over the four God Hands followed by Grid¡¯s equipment in turn. Each item that received the attention of Talima¡¯s Shame had something inmon. It was an item made out of Greed, which contained pavranium.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Grid understood. Originally, the soul of the empress inhabited the mineral called pavranium. However, pavranium was split apart several times and repeatedly reborn in a new form. Could the empress¡¯ soul be safe during the process? It wasn¡¯t possible. Even Braham had suffered from the aftermath of his soul¡¯s damage.


    ¡®The empress¡¯ soul wouldn¡¯t have beenplete from the beginning.¡¯


    By the time Grid started collecting pavranium, the pavranium had already been torn apart into dozens of pieces. The empress¡¯ soul had been broken the first time she met Grid. It was the moment when it was revealed whymunication with the soul of the empress (pavranium) wasn¡¯t smooth.


    ¡°...What is the current state of the empress¡¯ soul?¡±


    -She is just a rag. What else?She is an idiot with only her instincts left.


    ¡°......¡±


    Guilt struck Grid. However, Grid hadn¡¯t known about the empress¡¯ soul. He hadn¡¯t intended to harm her. Grid tried to shake off his guilt and continued asking questions.


    ¡°Is there any way to heal the soul?¡±


    -She will ascend if you liberate her soul. Is there any need to heal it?


    ¡°Ascend?¡±


    -A soul that has lost its body will be recovered to heaven or hell.It is the same for us, who use the battle gears as our body.


    ¡°What if the soul refuses to ascent?¡±


    -Hahat, voluntarily refusing to ascend is only possible for monsters.


    He was d. In any case, the empress¡¯ soul would rise to heaven as long as she freed the soul. The relieved Grid prompted Talima¡¯s Shame. ¡°Then free her.¡±


    -Do you seriously mean it?Won¡¯t your battle gears be reduced to ordinary scrap iron the moment the empress¡¯ soul is free?


    This didn¡¯t mean that the item¡¯s functionality would deteriorate. It would be an ordinary item that was unable to make judgments or act for itself. Grid was naturally aware of it.


    ¡°I will just inject a new ego.¡±


    In any case, he would learn how to make an ego the moment he safelypleted the quest. From then on, a separate ego would be infused into the items made with Greed. The weapons would have a more aggressive ego while armor would have a more cautious ego. It wouldn¡¯t be any worse than it was now.


    -A new ego?Kukuk, have you found a new toy to rece the empress¡¯ soul?


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that. I¡¯m different from Pagma.¡±


    He had no intention of confining someone¡¯s soul to objects...


    It was why Grid was reluctant to use the Granting an Ego skill and kept away from it. Talima¡¯s Shame stared at the determined will in his eyes. He shook the chains that bound him.


    -Hahahat!Pagma¡¯s Descendant is denying him!How interesting!Well, it isn¡¯t a bad choice.Only someone second rate would force souls into battle gears.


    The conversation was good. The nervous Grid sighed with relief once Talima¡¯s Shame showed a cooperative attitude. Then his expression soon stiffened.


    -By the way.Why should I help you?


    The chains binding Talima¡¯s Shame were longer than expected. They seemed to be 50 meters long as the helmet flew through theva waterfall toward Grid on the cliff. However, it couldn¡¯t get further than that. Talima¡¯s Shame stopped just before the tip of Grid¡¯s nose and whispered grimly.


    -Didn¡¯t you leave one door open when you came here?


    The chains that had been stretched to their full extent contracted. Talima¡¯s Shame was pulled back to theva waterfall and shouted.


    -I will control your body and escape this ce!Kukuk!Kuhahahat!


    Grid had forgotten¡ªall the battle gears trapped in Pandemonium were called evil existences and he couldn¡¯t trust them. It was impossible to control them apart from oppressing them with force.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was flustered by the change in the attitude of Talima¡¯s Shame and looked back in a startled manner. There was a loud roar and he could see as many as 2,000 battle gears passing through the corridor toward him. They were the items from the 10th room. Various weapons, armor, and essories rushed toward Grid.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Nothing was ever easy. Grid frowned and brought the God Hands to his side. Then he summoned Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡°Focus on the weapons.¡±


    ¡°Nyong.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    All the opponents were ego items. They used their skills and magic even without a wearer. It was the same as the God Hands using weapons and shooting Magic Missiles.


    ¡°Che!¡±


    Grid¡¯s body gradually developed wounds due to the bombardment of battle gears. However, the situation wasn¡¯t too bad. It was thanks to the outstanding performance of the armor with the weapon breaker characteristic. Most of the weapons that attacked Grid failed to deal great damage to him. They were broken in reverse, fell into theva, and melted.


    Randy¡¯s performance was also great. Randy¡¯s level had risen significantly in the Chaos Mountains and now had 50% of Grid¡¯s stats. His attack power exceeded high rankers and he quickly damaged the durability of the weapons.


    Talima¡¯s Shame watched the situation and shouted.


    -I am the dwarf¡¯s wish!The pinnacle of all battle gear!Imand the soulless puppets to retreat!


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Grid and Randy were amazed. The equipment they were wearing were being removed.


    ¡®Is it a wide range disarming skill?¡¯


    Grid went beyond dismay and felt admiration at the power of Talima¡¯s Shame. Armor, footwear, gloves, boots, cloaks, and all sorts of essories were forcing themselves on Grid¡¯s body. The purpose of the ego items was simple. It was to move Grid¡¯s body ording to their will. In other words, it was to dominate him.


    Just then, the chains binding Talima¡¯s Shame started breaking. It was the result of the ego swords cutting off the chains.


    -Kukuk!Kuhahahat!I will finally escape from this tiring prison!


    Talima¡¯s Shame shame elerated after getting away from theva. It flew toward the head of Grid, who was struggling for control of his body. Talima¡¯s Shame was ced over Grid¡¯s head. The giant horns reminiscent of a goat emitted a red glow.


    -Now your body and mind are mine...?


    After hundreds of years of waiting, it finally got a human body. Talima¡¯s Shameughed happily only to suddenly stop. It couldn¡¯tugh any longer.


    -W-What is this?


    It felt like its body wasn¡¯t its body. Talima¡¯s Shame was puzzled by the sensation it felt for the first time in its life and struggled. However, it was useless. It couldn¡¯t move. The other ego items on Grid¡¯s body were already the same. Notification windows were being updated in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Armor of Destruction.]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Gaiters of Disillusionment.]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Quattro Gloves.]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Concave Ring.]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip...]


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant...]


    ......


    ...


    [The ss effect of Pagma¡¯s Descendant has allowed you to equip the Talima¡¯s Shame.]


    ¡°...What are you doing?¡±


    -T-This is crazy!


    The dwarves were arrogant. They believed their works were the best. There were no doubts and their desire to prove it was very strong. Making the best work¡ªtt wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this was the aspiration of all dwarves, and it was the same for the dwarf royal family.


    ¡®Works should be created by one person.¡¯ They broke the dwarves¡¯ unwritten rule and passed down their works. At first, it was a sword¡ªtwo generations devoted their lives and a masterpiece was born. Next was the shield¡ªthree generations devoted their lives and a masterpiece was born. After that was the helmet¡ªfive generations devoted their lives to create the world¡¯s greatest masterpiece and a monster was born.


    It was the result of too many people¡¯s ideas and greed. The result of the workpleted by five generations was ugly. The royal family regarded it as a shame and sealed it in Pandemonium. At this moment, the seal was released. It was based on Grid¡¯s ss characteristic to be able to wear all items unconditionally.


    -Take it off!Take me off now!!


    It was being dominated by a human when it was supposed to dominate them? Talima¡¯s Shame struggled but it was useless.


    ¡°Liberate the soul of the empress.¡±


    -Y-You!Do you think I¡¯ll listen to you?


    ¡°It is useless.¡±


    Talima¡¯s Shame was now on Grid¡¯s head. It was meaningless no matter how much Talima¡¯s Shame refused. Grid used the unique skill attached to Talima¡¯s Shame.


    ¡°Soul Control.¡±


    The power to control the soul¡ªthe skill created by the dwarf rulers¡¯ desires pulled out the soul pieces of the empress from the God Hands and Greed. Fragments of light appeared and started to merge together. Grid showed a bitter smile as it soon took the shape of a cute dwarf girl who told him, ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡±


    It was time to say goodbye.


    ***


    ¡®It should be over by now.¡¯


    It was before Trauka built air near Talima. The dwarves believed that Pandemonium was the most dangerous ce in the world. The heat of theva, the temptations of the egos, and the existence of the monsters called Talima¡¯s Shame. Those who entered Pandemonium would just be killed unless they were part of the dwarf royal family who had the ability to suppress egos.


    King Charles believed that Grid would¡¯ve died in Pandemonium after two hours of silence. ¡°I¡¯ll move to the seal array.¡±


    The seal¡ªit was a space that temporarily bound the bodies and souls of the dead in Pandemonium. King Charles and the dwarves moved to a ce that resembled the yers¡¯ resurrection point. They were waiting for Grid¡¯s body to appear.


    Pelot¡¯s expression darkened and Antrino shook his head. No one doubted Grid¡¯s death. However, it was a bit strange.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    One hour, two hours, three hours... even after half a day, Grid¡¯s body didn¡¯t show up. As night fell, the flustered King Charles had an incredulous look on his face.


    ¡°Did the seal fail to take effect?


    Or was he still alive? No, it was impossible.


    ¡®Then is the seal broken?¡¯


    This couldn¡¯t be the case. The seal was the essence of magic engineering.


    ¡°What...¡±


    The dwarves were falling into turmoil when a noise was heard from the entrance of Pandemonium. It was a loud sound that made them feel like a great mountain had copsed. It was the sound of the entrance to Pandemonium being opened.


    ¡°......!¡±


    He came back alive? Did he really liberate the soul of the empress?


    ¡®What tricks did he use?¡¯


    How could he persuade the monsters of Pandemonium?


    The dazed King Charles forgot his dignity and ran to Pandemonium. Then he witnessed something along with the people who followed him. It was Grid with a monster on his head.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp... It is heavy.¡±


    Pelot and Antrino ran to Grid who copsed with no strength in his legs.

 Chapter 1266

    ¡°Are you okay? Gasp!¡±


    ¡°....!?¡±


    Pelot and Antrino were stunned as they rushed to support Grid. They realized that Grid¡¯s equipment had changed from head to toe. They were too slow to notice before they were flustered.


    ¡°These are...¡±


    They were the evil existences in Pandemonium¡ªthe cksmiths¡¯ failures, their shame that they didn¡¯t want to reveal. The red-faced Pelot reflexively shifted his gaze while the warrior Antrino had a different attitude. He closely examined Grid¡¯s equipment and stared into Grid¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°What is 9 x 9?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What?¡±


    ¡°It is as expected. Your body and mind are lost.¡±


    There was no time for Grid to say anything. Talima¡¯s Shame, not Grid, cried out to Antrino who was raising his axe.


    -How ridiculous is this damn dwarf fucker looking down on me!If I had dominated this man¡¯s mind, then I would¡¯ve been able to do the multiplication!


    ¡°I also know the answer. I just didn¡¯t say it.¡± Grid was just flustered by the sudden question.


    Antrino stared pitifully at Grid who was exining the situation. The offended Grid frowned and he could hear theugh of Talima¡¯s Shame. Theugh cost it a lot. Grid took off Talima¡¯s Shame to reveal a sweat-soaked face and threw the helmet to the ground. Then he shook his hair. Sweat poured down like rain over Talima¡¯s Shame.


    Talima¡¯s Shame was in a daze for a while before shaking its horns menacingly.


    -This daring fellow!


    The reason why Talima¡¯s Shame was held by Grid was because it waspletely controlled. However, it was convinced that it would be freed sooner orter. What human in the world would wear a helmet all day long? As expected, the opportunity came quickly. Talima¡¯s Shame was convinced it had been freed because Grid removed it and rose in a triumphant manner.


    -Stupid human who doesn¡¯t even know the answer to 9 x 9!You freed me without using any means to restrain me!Kuhat!Kuhahat!You are truly a fool!You will receive the death penalty!I will make you pay the price for throwing me, a god who is the pinnacle of all battle gear, to the dirt!


    ¡®A myth rated ego item is truly different.¡¯


    The arrogance smashed that of ordinary named NPCs. Talima¡¯s Shame was a growth-type item that had umted nutrients for hundreds of years and reached the highest level. Grid was very fond of this fellow who ruled Pandemonium. It had a higher artificial intelligence than Iyarugt, who had the best intelligence among the ego items he knew, and it was good because it had the best performance. Grid had no doubt that Talima¡¯s Shame would fill the vacancy of the empress.


    -Die for me!!


    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand who I am.¡±


    A yer had the concept of ¡®ownership.¡¯ Talima¡¯s Shame had be Grid¡¯s property the moment it was ced on Grid¡¯s head. This meant that Talima¡¯s Shame couldn¡¯t escape Grid unless Grid gave up ownership on his own or he died and the probability of the system was activated to make him drop it.


    ¡°Go in.¡±


    It had been 10 years since he started handling the God Hands. Naturally, Grid was the best at handling ego items.


    -...!?


    Talima¡¯s Shame was sucked into Grid¡¯s inventory as it was about to poke Grid with its horns. Grid handled the noisy fellow without touching it and thought it over.


    ¡®It seems it needs some education.¡¯


    It was more violent than Iyarugt used to be. Tempering, melting, disassembling , assembling...


    It was necessary to correct the item¡¯s personality by having a physical conversation.


    ¡®I have to change its name before that.¡¯


    What was Talima¡¯s Shame? Talima¡¯s Shame...


    The name was really hard. It would be convenient to call it Talsha [1] for short.


    King Charles approached as Grid was making a n for the future. Talima¡¯s Shame was the disgrace of the royal family. King Charles had the duty to bury Talima¡¯s Shame forever. It was his responsibility to keep Talima¡¯s Shame from the world. However, at this moment, King Charles didn¡¯t care about Talima¡¯s Shame. His concern for his mother¡¯s safety made him turn away from his duty.


    ¡°My mother... what happened to the empress?¡±


    ¡°She ascended.¡±


    ¡°Really... I see...¡±


    King Charles was deeply moved. His eyes became warmer when he thought of his mother¡¯s happy appearance as she was liberated from the pain. He asked, ¡°How was her face?¡±


    ¡°She was pretty. She looked to be in her teens.¡±


    ¡°...? No, I¡¯m talking about her expression.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Her expression was good.¡±


    ¡°Did she leave any words behind?¡±


    Grid replied, ¡°She regretted that she couldn¡¯t touch Braham¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    King Charles¡¯ head was nk for a moment. He hadn¡¯t expected her to ask about her child¡¯s safety, but he didn¡¯t know the reason for the irrelevant name. Then he soon noticed that Braham was ¡®that Braham¡¯ and touched his forehead.


    ¡°She is still the same.¡±


    Was her personality unchanged even after suffering a terrible end due to Pagma¡¯s appearance? Originally, the dwarves were known for their aesthetics, but his mother¡¯s aesthetics were beyond the norm. As a child, King Charles had resented his mother. He hated Pagma, who blinded his mother and tried to poison her. Now, it was different. Perhaps his mother was the most like a dwarf. He had such a thought.


    ¡®I can¡¯t respect her.¡¯


    King Charles smiled bitterly and arranged things. He stared straight at Grid and said, ¡°I misunderstood you.¡±


    King Charles¡¯ hostility toward Grid was a very normal reaction. It was the descendant of Pagma who bound his mother¡¯s soul to a mineral. It was natural to be vignt, suspicious, and disgusted. To be honest, King Charles believed that Grid had other motives. He thought that Grid was using the empress¡¯ soul as an attempt to plunder Pandemonium. He believed that the descendant of the evil Pagma would do such a thing.


    Nevertheless, King Charles allowed Grid to enter Pandemonium because he thought there was no possibility that Grid would survive. Yet Grid came back alive. Additionally, he freed the empress¡¯ soul as promised. He was honest andpetent.


    ¡°Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how his robes swept over the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and thank you.¡± King Charles knew that all the people of Talima were watching. Despite this, King Charles bowed deeply to Grid. ¡°Please forgive me for my disrespect.¡±


    He fulfilled his promise.


    Grid wanted to say something, but then he shut his mouth. He stared at King Charles for a moment, and then nodded with a sigh. ¡°I will ept your apology. Let¡¯s get along well in the future.¡±


    ***


    The existence of the empress, whose soul was bound, was a deep regret for the dwarves. Today, her soul was liberated and King Charles designated it as an anniversary. The dwarves celebrated with joy. In the future, Grid¡¯s name would resonate in Talima every year on this day.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how to interact with items as promised.¡±


    The lion-maned Pelot invited Grid to his smithy. The interesting thing was that King Charles and Antrino also apanied him.


    [The ss quest ¡®Different Path from Pagma¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Advanced Ego Item Making skill has been acquired as the quest clear reward.]


    [¡ïThis is a cksmithing technique that Pagma has never acquired ¡ï]


    [You are walking on a different path from Pagma and the Granting an Ego has been shaken by the consequences.]


    [In the future, the contents of the skill might change if you use the Granting an Ego skill.]


    [Your cksmithing skills have surpassed the legendary cksmith Pagma.]


    The reason why it emphasized the legendary cksmith Pagma was probably because he wasn¡¯t as good as Baal¡¯s Contractor Pagma yet?


    ¡®I¡¯m curious.¡¯


    It was the Pagma who fought fiercely with the transcendent Chreshler, before contracting with Baal. It was unknown how strong Pagma became once he gained Baal¡¯s strength and boosted all his stats.


    ¡®Is it more than Muller?¡¯


    He must¡¯ve been one level higher than Braham and Madra. Braham admitted that he was worse than Pagma, and Madra had died before his talent had blossomed.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid shook off his thoughts and confirmed the information of the new skill.


    [Advanced Ego Item Making Lv. 1]


    [Type: Passive.


    When making an item, there is a certain probability to awaken the soul of the item when interacting with them.]


    It seemed different from Panmir¡¯s ego technique. The reason Panmir could give a weak ego to a crafted item was because he had learned the skill from a dwarf cksmith. In other words, his cksmithing technique had changed to that of a dwarf¡¯s and the ego state was naturally learned.


    On the other hand, Grid was able to give an ego while maintaining his own cksmithing skill. From a general point of view, it was difficult to judge which was better. Of course, from Grid¡¯s position, thetter was good. His skills were beyond that of the dwarves. There was no need to say it since he was acknowledged by the cksmithing god Hexetia.


    ¡°The evil spirits from Pandemonium.¡±


    Grid¡¯s hands were itchy. He wanted to quickly see the performance of the new skill. He was thinking about renting a smithy when King Charles told him, ¡°You like it, so please take it.¡±


    The reason the evil spirits were sealed was because he was concerned about the chaos that would ur once they were released into the world. Grid showed full control over them so there was nothing wrong.


    ¡°I will dly give it to you as a token of apology and a symbol of the exchange between Talima and the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Of course, Grid was thinking about taking it even if King Charles hadn¡¯t said this. He was worried that King Charles would ask him to return it. Fortunately, it worked out.


    Grid hesitated for a moment. ¡°This one looks pretty special. Is it okay?¡±


    He was talking about Talima¡¯s Shame.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you for taking it.¡±


    Grid hadplete control over Talima¡¯s Shame. If Grid used Talima¡¯s Shame, then one day, Talima¡¯s Shame could turn into Talima¡¯s Pride. King Charles told him this and Grid felt more rxed.


    Then a world message rose.


    [The Overgeared Kingdom and Talima have signed an alliance.]


    ¡°I hope you will teach my cksmiths whoe to Talima in the future.¡±


    ¡°We will also help teach you.¡±


    It was an alliance he originally thought would be easy to form. There were many unexpected things, but he was d. Grid said goodbye to King Charles and Antrino before borrowing Pelot¡¯s smithy. First of all, he was going to make new God Hands.


    ¡®As much as possible.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t necessarily need to have only four God Hands.


    [1] Combining the first few characters of Talima and Shame

 Chapter 1267

    Talima¡¯s agriculture had beenpletely mechanized. A variety of machines such as artificial elementals and golems took over the entire process of turning over the fields, nting seeds, and harvesting them. It wasn¡¯t a system created because the dwarves werezy. Rather, it was the opposite. The dwarves entrusted livelihood-rted areas such as agriculture to machines so they could be faithful to their main job.


    It was obvious just by looking at the industrial situation. The dwarves had unparalleled technology, but they only focused on their craftsmanship. At the same time, they produced five or more artificial elementals and golems, and hundreds of weapons every week. This showed that their working hours were unmatched.


    In fact, the people who visited Talima always said they were a restless race. The dwarves were real workaholics who used an anvil as a table, only had a short break for meals, and used the rest of their time onbor. However, they went on strike today. Every one of them stopped working and ran to the streets to surround Pelot¡¯s smithy. Even the festivities to celebrate the liberation of the empress¡¯ soul was finished in 30 minutes. The person who captivated the workaholics was Grid.


    Gulp.


    Ttang!


    The meal served during the dwarves¡¯ break... Grid swallowed the bread soaked in water in one second and concentrated on hammering. The mes in his furnace were never extinguished. The smelting was delicate and the quenching exquisite. His hammering reached the peak as he continued to create new works. It was a work that imitated Grid¡¯s hand itself. At first nce, it seemed to belong to a humanoid golem, but it was different. The final form of Grid¡¯s work was originally designed to be his hand.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    In order to increase his rapport with his work, Grid followed Pelot¡¯s advice about how manual work was the best and carefully created two God Hands per day. He would¡¯ve insisted on manual work even if he hadn¡¯t received Pelot¡¯s advice. The God Hands required representing dozens of joints and it was extremely difficult to produce the God Hands. It couldn¡¯t be made properly when entrusted to auto production.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Grid swore harshly as he was concentrating. It was the first time he did so in ages. He had made a total of 10 God Hands and not a single ego appeared, so he had to be annoyed. He wanted to throw his hammer, but he couldn¡¯t do it because he was a cksmith deep to his bones.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too much? Isn¡¯t it normal for an ego to appear at least once?¡¯


    Advanced Ego Item Making said there was a ¡®certain probability¡¯ of producing an ego. A ¡®certain probability¡¯ meant approximately 10-30%. Of course, if someone was unlucky then it would be less than 10%. However, on average, it was 20%. Now Grid suffered the worst situation. All 10 items failed. The five day struggle waspletely meaningless. There couldn¡¯t be such nonsense.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have been mentally exhausted like this if I had failed when making weapons or armor.¡¯


    There were no big problems if there wasn¡¯t an ego in his armor and weapons. The equipment used by Grid currently weren¡¯t ego items. Based on the value of the items alone, the ego was only a secondary effect. However, the God Hands were different. The God Hands that couldn¡¯t move on their own were just hand models and had no value. Even if it was legendary rated, what was the worth if it was just a strange decoration?


    ¡®These damn S.A jerks...¡¯


    This was a skill he had just learned. Rather than increasing his chances of sess using his privileges, it was more like lowering his chances of sess.


    ¡®I¡¯ll let you see how effective it is. Tsk.¡¯


    Empress Maribel foolishly drank a ss of poisonous wine from a strange guest she invited to her love room and bid farewell to the world. He was honestly relieved when he freed her soul, that had lived a long life. However, he missed her after only five days.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he regretted it. The soul of the empress would only be an epic rating if he had to measure the level of the ego. She had the characteristic of being absolutely obedient to her master, but her calcting ability decreased a lot because she became an idiot after getting hurt. Complexmands couldn¡¯t be executed immediately, and Grid could only control four God Hands.


    The ego making technique that would rece the empress¡¯ soul was clearly of more value. It was just that Grid¡¯s bad luck acted as a variable.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid¡¯s sigh deepened. He never had a single sess while making 10 God Hands. The worst situation that ever happened dealt him a big blow. He wanted to log out and stay away from the game for a few days. He would eventually ovee his frustration even if he made 100 God Hands and failed. It was just unpleasant that he had to ovee it in the first ce.


    ¡®If it is going to be like this, it will be more efficient to infuse an ego that does specific actions.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t control his anger and finally sat down while covering his face. The dwarves watched him and sighed with regret. Even the best cksmith who created such great minerals and beautiful works had to face trials... The dwarves¡¯ eyes were dark because they felt the road was still long and rough. They sympathized with Grid¡¯s frustration.


    ¡°Still, isn¡¯t his luck too bad?¡±


    ¡°I agree. He made 10 works, but couldn¡¯t seed with the rapport even once..."


    Grid had the advanced ego making technique. It was a skill that could only be acquired by dwarf craftsmen who umted hundreds of years of training. The dwarf craftsmen gained an average of three egos every time they made 10 weapons. The chances of failing 10 times in a row were so rare that it only urred once every few years.


    Meanwhile, Grid experienced this in just five days.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    The dwarves clicking their tongues were excited. They retreated to the side as a ck-haired dwarf opened the door to Pelot¡¯s smithy. A transcendent¡ªit was the dwarf¡¯s strongest warrior, Antrino.


    ¡°I heard the news. It is unfortunate. Why don¡¯t you try changing your mood?¡±


    ¡°Changing my mood?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to go to the Elliter Mine? Learn magic engineering skills? I¡¯ll guide you.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay?¡±


    ¡°I said it before that it doesn¡¯t matter if an outsider visits the Elliter Mine. The problem is the attitude of the magicians. Fortunately, they seem to wee your visit.¡±


    The reason it took five days to gain permission was because the magic engineering school ignored King Charles¡¯ edict. They could stay in their studios for 10 days to a month once they started working, and they finally checked the edict sent five days ago.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Grid didn¡¯t stand up. Antrino thought Grid would be happy, so he was a bit disappointed when the reaction was lukewarm. However, he could understand Grid¡¯s attitude. ¡°Thank you, but I can¡¯t right now. I can¡¯t leave here until I make an ego.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be sessful this time.¡± Antrino sat down on one side of the smithy. Then he pulled out his favorite axe and started to sharpen it with a whetstone. The craftsmanship of the axe was excellent. It was much better than a decent human cksmith. It was as expected for the dwarves.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s try it again.¡¯


    Grid values rtionships. He was excited and thrilled every time he made new friends. Grid¡¯s anger had softened slightly thanks to Antrino. He collected the 10 God Hands he had made so far. They would be used as materials for a new God Hand after being melted in the furnace.


    This was when the cksmiths outside went wild.


    ¡°Wait! Wait a moment!¡±


    ¡°Overgeared King! Show mercy to us!¡±


    ¡°...?"


    Grid was bewildered when the dwarves clung to the door and shouted. Mercy? He cocked his head at the dwarves¡¯ shout.


    ¡°Those works! Don¡¯t discard them. Please sell them to us!¡±


    ¡°This...?¡± A misceneous item that wasn¡¯t ssified as equipment¡ªGrid pointed to the 10 God Hands that couldn¡¯t be used without egos and the dwarves nodded. Grid thought it was absurd. ¡°Why do you want this? Are you going to use it as a decoration?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It is a work that mimics the hand of the legendary cksmith acknowledged by God Hexetiia. Of course it should decorate the middle of the smithy to be worshipped like a god!¡±


    ¡°I intend to pray to that hand every day! I intend to hand it down through my family so please sell it to me!¡±


    Grid and Pagma had different advantages. Pagma wasn¡¯t a legendary cksmith yet when he visited Talima. Meanwhile, Grid was already a mature legend. Even the old dwarves who weren¡¯t interested in Pagma¡¯s works were forced to be fascinated with Grid¡¯s works.


    Moreover, it was a work that was modeled after Grid¡¯s own hands. It was a work that all art collectors in the world would covet. What collector wouldn¡¯t covet a delicate and perfectly reproduced work of the legendary cksmith¡¯s hand? It was umon for there to be a work thatbined this degree of artistry and workmanship.


    ¡®Certainly...¡¯


    Grid felt better once he realized the value of the God Hands due to the dwarves. He was a bitforted when he realized he hadn¡¯t only suffered damage in thest five days.


    ¡°Make your offers.¡±


    The auction began. Grid was hoping it would be a money maker, only to doubt his ears.


    ¡°I want to exchange it with an artificial spirit!¡±


    ¡°Just one? What person is like this? I will offer three artificial elementals! It took me 124 years toplete these three, but I think it is worth it!¡±


    ¡°I will offer five iron golems!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had heard about it from Ke ong¡ªcreating artificial elementals required great effort, a long time, and a lot of money. However, the probability of the artificial spirit failing was more than 70%. He said it would be absolutely impossible to mass-produce artificial elementals with the power of only one or two dwarves.


    Now the number of dwarves surrounding Grid was in the thousands. A moment ago, Grid had felt like he had fallen into hell. Now it was like he was swimming through the clouds.


    ¡®I feel good!¡¯


    It was the time. Grid instinctively resumed work as the dwarves shouted. His enthusiasm burned like the fire in the furnace, and his movements were perfect enough for dwarf craftsmen to use as textbooks.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Talima¡¯s time stopped. The dwarves remained in ce until Grid finished, and the entire city was locked in silence. It was around the time when blue moonlight was falling on the smithy...


    ¡°Beautiful...¡± A wide smile was on Antrino¡¯s face as he sat and watched Grid like an old monk.


    [The item has beenpleted.]


    [The finished item has a very intense soul.]


    -Master,I was impressed by your unwavering willpower.You won¡¯t be frustrated by any trials in front of you.In any despair, I will eliminate your enemies, and guard your side.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was filled with joy as he got the result he finally wanted. However, it was only for a moment. His expression quickly disappeared, and his face stiffened. He saw a result that exceeded his expectations, and was so surprised that he stopped thinking for a moment.

 Chapter 1268

    There were three ways to make ego items.


    First, utilize the Granting an Ego skill. This was the method that only Pagma and Grid could use. It gave the target item the desired soul so it was very quick and easy to get the result they wanted. However, Grid sealed this skill due to ethical issues. There was also a very big disadvantage that there was a limited number of uses.


    Second, impart emotions to an item using specific actions. It was an extreme method such as insulting an item being crafted, etcetera, in order to stimte the item, and infuse negative emotions. The sess rate wasn¡¯t high. Currently, the few ego items distributed among yers were mostly ego items made in this way. They had a low valuepared to their high price.


    The typical characteristics of an ego item was the ability to independently move, think, andmunicate. An ego item created in this way had a very limited thinking ability due to the emotions they held. It was easy to see based on Thorn of Deep Grievance. Thorn of Deep Grievance wanted to harm its creator. However, that was it. They couldn¡¯t move independently. In fact, it was difficult to ce them in the category of ego items.


    [Production of the God Hand has beenpleted.]


    Grid was convinced once he saw the finished product. The third and final method to make an ego item¡ªthe Ego Item Making skill. Only this dwarf skill was the ultimate way to make true ego items.


    [God Hand]


    [Rating: Legendary (Growth)


    Durability: Infinite


    An artifact created out of ¡®Greed¡¯ by Grid, who is bing a myth.


    Since it is modeled after Grid¡¯s own hands, all items can be worn and used without restrictions. It can also act as a cksmith.


    Hexetia, the god of cksmiths, is amazed by the phenomenal performance and covets it.


    * 40% of the owner¡¯s pure strength and dexterity are applied.


    * Can reproduce the owner¡¯s unique skills. However, the power of the skills are limited to 25%, and the owner¡¯s mana is consumed when using the skill.


    On the other hand, skills belonging to equipped items can be fully disyed without consuming resources. Buff skills used will affect the owner.


    * Has the Advanced cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship skill.


    * Has mastered Advanced Weapons Mastery and Shield Mastery.


    ......


    ...


    Etc, etc.]


    There were only a few numerical differences ording to the rating and the detailed view of the new God Hand wasn¡¯t much different from the old ones. However, there were clear differences in the areas rted to the ego. The existing God Hands only had the extremely basic characteristics of ¡®judging and moving on their own.¡¯


    [¡ï An ego item.


    The ego is impressed by the appearance of the owner who gave birth to it without giving up until thest moment. It has pledged absolute loyalty to you. The ego wants to be like you. The more trials you face, the more it will unleash its power.


    * Movement speed will increase significantly as the owner¡¯s health decreases.


    * In order to protect its master from danger, it will enter a state of valor and will temporarily increase its strength.


    * Increases the effect of the buff skills used by its master by 20%.]


    ¡°...!!¡±


    Self-reliant motor, thinking, andmunication skills. Grid trembled as he looked at the God Hand, which received multiple effects based on its rapport with its master. Grid was thrilled. It was normal to be thrilled at the birth of the ultimate ego item which all yers regarded as a fantasy.


    p.p p p.


    Grid was awakened from his thoughts when he heard someone pping. He turned his head and saw the smiling Antrino.


    ¡°Excellent. Very good! What is more worthy of joy than a soul of integrity dwelling in your work? It is truly the best. You are the model of all cksmiths, and the pride of Talima.¡±


    This was the best work of the cksmith acknowledged by God Hexetia. The reason he was able to create this work was Talima¡¯s teachings. Grid¡¯s achievements would be Talima¡¯s pride.


    ¡°Waaaaahhhhh!¡±


    It was as expected. Talima¡¯s cksmiths were as delighted as Grid. Thousands of dwarves cheered and whistled. This made Grid¡¯s smile brighten. Grid sensed that the rtionship between Talima and the Overgeared Kingdom could be deeper than expected. Of course, this was on the premise that Trauka wasn¡¯t present.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh. Ohhh...¡±


    Cradle¡ªit was therge-scale research facility in Talima that produced and managed the artificial elementals and golems. Grid came here after hearing there was an experimental site testing the movement ability of the elementals and golems. Now he repeatedly let out sighs of admiration.


    A pair of shining eyes was staring at the projected God Hand.


    The movement of the God Hand was agile as it moved freely inside theplex experimental field, breaking through obstacles, and avoiding traps. The speed of observation and situational judgment was fast so the movement ability was more radiant. It urately grasped the strengths and weaknesses, and most of the tricks that required a high level of intelligence were discovered.


    Instead of losing speed by diverting from the rain of des and falling into a mud pit, it relied on its solid durability and moved through the rain of des, using the shortest route to get to the object in crisis. It took only 5 minutes and 47 seconds to rescue the object.


    ¡°Both the cognitive and motor skills were super high.¡± Velvet, the leader of Cradle, evaluated it. ¡°It would be a genius in human terms. Anymand will be performed perfectly. Even without amand, it will judge and act ordingly.¡±


    There was no need to listen to this. Grid was already aware that the level of the new God Hand was far beyond the existing God Hands.


    ¡®This was the right answer.¡¯


    There was no reason to cling to the empress¡¯ soul.


    The old God Hand fought with the master¡¯s safety as the highest priority and was reliable when it came to defensive ability, However, its overall judgment was somewhat disappointing. In particr, the stronger the enemy, the less it could use its own judgment to threaten the opponent. Therefore, in many cases, Grid needed to convey detailedmands in real time, and this overloaded Grid¡¯s thinking ability. It was the reason why the performance of the God Hands got worse as the battle became more intense, and the reason why Grid couldn¡¯t increase the number of God Hands.


    Now things had changed. The God Hands with the highest level of intelligence produced the best result, even if Grid didn¡¯t give orders. In the future, Grid would continue to produce new God Hands. By the end, he nned to use dozens or maybe hundreds of God Hands with the highest quality ego.


    Of course, it was a goal that wouldn¡¯t be achieved for years. The ego wasn¡¯t easily made and the quality of the ego could be low.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure there will be many times when I swear.¡¯


    Even so, he wouldn¡¯t give up. The material that made up the God Hands, Greed, was infinite. Additionally, Grid was a man with the tenacity to ovee any trial. Thebination of Grid and Greed was the strongest. Grid was confident that he would achieve his goals.


    ¡®...Instead, I will have to postpone the construction of the flying fortress.¡¯


    It was arge project and there was no guarantee it would work from the beginning. It was hard to feel sorry based on the time frame.


    ¡°It is the elemental king?¡± Antrino, who guided Grid to Cradle, asked Velvet as he watched the performance with his arms folded, and Velvet nodded.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°It is truly amazing...¡±


    Grid interjected. ¡°An elemental king?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a real elemental king. It is referring to the four best artificial elementals. It is different from the embarrassments and Talima¡¯s Shame sealed in Pandemonium. These four artificial elementals became prominent in various fields and became the guardians of Talima. The hand you made is equivalent to them.¡±


    ¡°Can I meet them?¡± Grid wondered.


    Grid unknowingly used honorifics when talking to Antrino. All of the dwarves in Talima, including Velvet, treated Antrino with respect. This showed he was very old. Antrino¡¯s attitude was also favorable.


    ¡°The elemental kings are no longer in Talima.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?"


    The artificial elementals were so great that they were nicknamed elemental kings...


    Grid was flustered and Antrino smiled bitterly. ¡°They were given to the fire dragon as tribute. Right now, they should be busy cleaning the dragon¡¯sir.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why was Talima safe from Trauka? This was the moment when the reason was revealed. Grid trembled and asked a question that he had been wondering about for a long time, ¡°Then why did Trauka build a nest here?¡±


    The dwarves weren¡¯t crazy. It wasn¡¯t necessary to found a city near Trauka¡¯sir. It meant the dwarves originally upied the volcano and Trauka was the uninvited one.


    Antrino shrugged. ¡°Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s original nest was destroyed in the fight against the insane dragon. Trauka used this chance to move to this ce which contains the hottestva flow in the world. As you¡¯ve just heard, we have no choice but to live in servility.¡±


    Velvet sighed. ¡°The hottestva... it used to be like that.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°It isn¡¯t like that now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Trauka absorbs all the fire from the mountains and the heat of theva weakened. Due to this, the castle¡¯s mes were reduced, and this caused various problems.¡±


    ¡®The castle¡¯s mes? Ah.¡¯


    He had heard about it from Ke ong. There was a main furnace in Talima that melted any minerals and used them as energy, but it wasn¡¯t working properly.


    ¡°How about using this?¡±


    Grid pulled out some firewood from his inventory and handed it to Velvet. It was white wood¡ªthe white phosphorus wood. What was the use of firewood when the heat of theva itself had lowered? Velvet was puzzled and closely scrutinized the white phosphorus wood. ¡°T-This is only in the east...? Where did you get this precious wood?¡±


    ¡°I got it from the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°Hah! The outside world has changed a lot. It is a time when intercontinental exchange across the Red Sea was possible. This is probably our heart¡¯s desire...¡±


    Velvet was expressing his admiration, but Antrino poured cold water on him. ¡°How can that be? Grid must¡¯ve traveled to the East Continent separately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I heard that the yangbans are very strong, but they were robbed by you. It seems that they¡¯re not your opponents.¡±


    ¡°There are many yangbans much stronger than me. Additionally, the white phosphorus wood is verymon...¡±


    Grid started a long story. He told the story of how he learned of the white phosphorus wood through the Red Phoenix Bow, and how he made an axe to cut it.


    ¡°...This is why I¡¯ve saved quite a lot of white phosphorus wood.¡±


    Grid tried to end the story. However, Antrino and Velvet had been listening with intrigue and asked for more details. ¡°What happened to the Red Phoenix Bow production game?¡±


    ¡°I won.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, as expected of the cksmith acknowledged by God Hexetia!¡±


    ¡°What about after you made the Red Phoenix Bow? Did the yangbans treat it as genuine?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not?¡±


    ¡°How can that be? Wasn¡¯t it judged as a victory or defeat by the yangbans?¡±


    ¡°There were no yangbans present. Besides, I remember being involved with a wicked daoist after that...¡±


    ¡°Wicked daoist? Who was he?¡±


    The dwarves were rumored to be very diligent. He was told that they only worked without any leisure. Now Antrino and Velvet were spreading out a mat to listen to Grid¡¯s story. Grid asked them, ¡°...Don¡¯t the two of you have to work?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I working now? It is my job to guide and escort you around Talima.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of managing Cradle, so my job is to be here in Cradle.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was it like this? The strangely convinced Grid started to tell the long story again. He slowly talked about what happened in the East Continent. Then he toured all the facilities of Cradle and learned about the artificial elementals and golems. He signed an agreement to obtain artificial elementals on a periodical basis in exchange for providing the white phosphorus wood to Talima, and then he decided to go to the Elliter mine under Antrino¡¯s guidance.


    At this point, Velvet brought up interesting words while sending Grid away. ¡°By the way, the ego rating for Talima¡¯s Shame isn¡¯t measurable.¡±

 Chapter 1269

    The more intelligence a creature possessed, the more they resented iron bars. Grid seemed to vaguely understand why Talsha became the king of the evil spirits. ¡®Did it want freedom?¡¯


    The Armor of Destruction, Gaiters of Disillusionment, and Quattro¡¯s Gloves. The Reaper¡¯s Boots, Concave Ring, Moon Ne, Sepier¡¯s Earrings, the Galgunos orb, and Talima¡¯s Shame.


    There were a total of nine items that Grid brought out from Pandemonium. Apart from the myth-rated Talsha, all of them were rated legendary (grown from a low level) or secret, but most of them had special stories.


    The Armor of Destruction that constricted the wearer¡¯s body and eventually crushed it¡ªit was created by a dwarf craftsman who wanted to get revenge on the prince of the Saharan Empire who used his daughter as a ything. The craftsman nned to bring this armor to the empire to destroy the imperial prince, but unfortunately, his n failed.


    The ego inherited the maker¡¯s grudge and killing intent, and emitted it. Would the empire ept such an openly ferocious gift? The craftsman couldn¡¯t send this vicious item to the empire. He locked it up in Pandemonium with tears in his eyes.


    The Moon Ne absorbed the cold moonlight and froze the wearer¡¯s blood and bones¡ªit was a work made by a dwarf craftsman who had been working alone for 100 years after losing her husband. She was lonely and unable to sleep every night, so she made this ne under the moonlight. She subconsciously wanted others to be as lonely as herself, and gave birth to this wicked ego.


    The Moon Ne seduced people with its beautiful appearance that everyone was obsessed with and created a huge wave. Before Fire Dragon Trauka had moved hisir, a great merchant visited Talima and was fascinated with the Moon Ne with one nce.He joyfully bought the ne and ced it on his beloved wife, who slowly froze to death in front of her husband¡¯s eyes. It was the terror of the Moon Ne that froze from the bones and blood, not the skin. The dwarf craftsman smiled as she watched the merchant sobbing over his wife, and she was beheaded for shaming Talima¡¯s honor. The cursed ne was sealed in Pandemonium.


    In addition to this, there were the Gaiters of Disillusionment that made the wearer powerless, Quattro¡¯s Gloves that cut off one finger to turn it into four, the Reaper¡¯s Boots that pushed the wearer to death, the Concave Ring that reminded him of a long-tailed tit (from Grid¡¯s perspective), and Sepier¡¯s Earrings that whispered all types of tragedies. They all had their own stories that exined how they became wicked.


    Additionally, it could be assumed that Galgunos¡¯ orb wasn¡¯t made in Talima since all the details apart from the stats were marked as ¡®unknown.¡¯ Thus, it was possible to assume that there was a hidden story.


    On the other hand, Talsha was different. Its information was too brief. The circumstances in which it became wicked weren¡¯t described. However, it ran wild and was sealed in Pandemonium. It used its strength and will to be the king of the evil spirits.


    [Talima¡¯s Shame]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 3,600/3,600 (self-repair is possible)


    * Talima¡¯s Shame rejects human touch. The repair system isn¡¯t activated for this item.


    Defense: 1~2,750


    * Talima¡¯s Shame can adjust the defense ording to its own willpower. Be careful when using it.


    ¡ï Fire Resistance


    * Talima¡¯s Shame has endured the hottestva falling on it for hundreds of years. Every fire on this earth won¡¯t damage this item. This doesn¡¯t mean it will protect the wearer from the mes. Don¡¯t be mistaken.


    ¡ï An ego item.


    It believes that it is the king of all the battle gear in the world.


    * The skill ¡®King¡¯s Negation¡¯ is generated.


    Suppresses any battle gear with no ego.


    The equipment of any targets within a radius of 10 meters that aren¡¯t an ego item will be forcibly disarmed. It is up to 30 items.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    Skill Duration: 3 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 7 minutes.


    * The skill ¡®King¡¯s Command¡¯ is generated.


    Exerts force on ego items.


    Can team up and assign specific actions to ego items within a radius of 100 meters. Themanding power remains with Talima¡¯s Shame, not the wearer.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    The force is maintained during the duration of the skill, and the duration depends on the level and personality of the target item.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None


    * The skill ¡®King¡¯s Domination Lv. MAX¡¯ is generated.


    Dominates the wearer¡¯s mind and controls the body.


    During the time when King¡¯s Domination is maintained, the wearer¡¯s attack power and all speeds will increase by 20%. The wearer will also be immune to critical hits and attacks in weak spots. However, the wearer will die at the end of the domination.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    Skill Duration: Until the wearer dies.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    A helmet made by five generations of the dwarf royal family. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Talima¡¯s best cksmithing skills are concentrated here.


    The background of its birth alone makes it qualified to be a legend. It was reborn as a myth through the bad reputation acquired in Pandemonium.


    Some wicked people are deifying Talima¡¯s Shame.


    Conditions of Use: None


    Weight: 230]


    ¡®It must¡¯ve wanted to live its own life.¡¯


    The highly intelligent Talsha wouldn¡¯t have wanted to be owned by anyone. It caused an ident after longing for freedom, and was finally sealed in Pandemonium. Grid guessed this, but he didn¡¯t have much sympathy for Talsha. It was aw that all things were meant to be used. It was a blessing to be used, and it should bring happiness.


    I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    The moment when Grid resolved to break the mental state of Talsha in his inventory, Antrino spoke, ¡°This is the road that the artificial elementals have created and honed.¡±


    A volcano 5,000 meters above sea level¡ªthe t ground was connected to the rough stone wall in the center. It was a path that led from the ground to the summit that was 5,000 meters above the ground. There was nothing wrong with calling it a road because it seemed easy for a carriage to use it.


    ¡°Indeed. Artificial elementals...¡±


    Civil engineering required high techniques andbor. In particr, Grid knew that the more challenging the terrain, the more difficult the construction would be. He had learned this because in the years since the Overgeared Kingdom was founded, there had been hundreds of civil works led by Lauel.


    ¡°I had actually wondered if there was very in Talima.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s goal was to build roads to all major cities, but he overworked countless people. Of course, he rewarded them, but the moans of the exhausted workers rang out throughout the Overgeared Kingdom. Arge amount of workers and excellent technical skills were required to make the tens of kilometer long t road along such a sheer slope. He thought there would¡¯ve been hundreds of people who had copsed or died while building the roads.


    However, all of this was done by the artificial elementals...


    Grid, now with even greater expectations of the performance of the artificial elementals, started calcting things.


    ¡®The total number of artificial elementals that Cradle has agreed to exchange every year is 50 and the total number of artificial elementals exchanged for the God Hands is 52... how many months will I be stuck in the smithy?¡¯


    Not surprisingly, Talima appreciated the value of the God Hands a bit more than the white phosphorus wood. It was because it was created from the hand of the cksmith acknowledged by the cksmithing god and they felt very attracted to the Greed mineral. It was natural. Greed was the evolution of pavranium, which had even caught the cksmithing god Hexetia¡¯s eyes. It could easily be evaluated as the best mineral on this earth. Only Grid could smelt the mineral, but the dwarves didn¡¯t care. It was a treasure to be collected, and they were satisfied with this.


    Grid wondered if he should stay in Talima for a while to produce the God Hands, but he shook his head.


    ¡®There are limits to the dwarves¡¯ wealth.¡¯


    The production of artificial elementals wasn¡¯t an easy task. The number of artificial elementals produced by ordinary dwarves throughout their lives was between four to six. Their assets were limited, so he would soon face a situation where they wanted to pay for the God Hands, but couldn¡¯t be able to. The transactions with the dwarves should be done slowly and consistently.


    ¡®Even the best things will decrease in value once released to the market all at once.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t be so impatient to suck up the profit that he would make the God Hands worthless. First, Grid would make the Overgeared Kingdom a better ce using the artificial elementals he obtained from Cradle.


    The middle of the mountain path¡ªthe entrance of the mine, surrounded by darkness, awaited him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. This is the Elliter Mine."


    The ether diamonds¡ªit was a substance that sucked up light and magic power. The sses made of the ether diamonds could even block the evil eye of the evil eyes king. Thanks to these sses, the evil eyes king could see the world. He escaped the fate of being blind for the rest of his life, but the durability of the sses wasn¡¯t infinite. It couldn¡¯t hold out against the evil eyes king¡¯s mighty evil eye forever.


    Grid felt the need to make sses continuously for the king. He also nned to produce and distribute a set of ether armor that acted as an absolute counter to magic. This had been nned over two years ago. However, there was the obstacle of Fire Dragon Trauka and the hand of the 12th great demon. It was only now that the n could be implemented.


    ¡°Be careful with your feet in the darkness.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t ask a ridiculous question like why weren¡¯t there any lights installed. Ether diamonds were minerals that absorbed light. It was pointless to install lights. It was why darkness filled the cave.


    ¡®Good. It is better than I thought.¡¯


    Grid smiled as he walked behind Antrino and touched the wall. The only ether mine in the world¡ªover the years, most of the ether diamond¡¯s reserves should¡¯ve been consumed, but it was surprisingly still rich. Antrino clearly read Grid¡¯s thoughts and revealed the situation. ¡°As you know, it is hard to smelt ether diamonds. Talima has virtually given up on the use of ether diamonds since the firepower of the castle¡¯s mes were weakened by Trauka.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Grid wouldn¡¯t have easily smelted it without the white phosphorus wood. The ether diamond was a tricky mineral. Grid said, ¡°Sooner orter, the castle¡¯s mes will regain its firepower and the mine will be revitalized.¡±


    ¡°You said you would provide us with the white phosphorus wood, but... honestly, I¡¯m not certain. It is doubtful if the exchange between the two kingdoms will be smooth in the future because Trauka might return tomorrow. Additionally, the use of ether diamonds isn¡¯t very high in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the exchange. If Talima¡¯s side unblocks the movement magic, then we will be able to use Teleport.¡±


    ¡°Does the Fire Dragon look like a pushover? The moment you try to teleport in, you will be blocked by his barrier, and be eaten.¡±


    ¡®Braham¡¯s Teleport won¡¯t work? Gasp!¡¯


    The gap between a dragon and a previous generation legend was still hard to gauge. Grid shook his head and abruptly flopped down to the ground.


    At the end of the mine¡ªan eye stared at Grid through the gap revealed in the darkness. A giant, bull-like pupil¡ªGrid felt a real horror that wasn¡¯t a condition caused by the system.

 Chapter 1270

    The 12th Great Demon Sitri¡ªhis hand advanced through the mountains, crushed houses, and instilled great fear in humanity. How huge was it? The hand was just a ¡®part¡¯ of something. The sight of it breaking down cities and a kingdom was shocking. The moment they thought of the ¡®entire¡¯ body, the destruction of the world came to mind.


    Grid had also felt fear. The scene that he witnessedter on TV was so amazing that he was overwhelmed by the past that had already happened. Sitri¡¯s hand was that great. Now did he hear a sound akin to a mountain being hit by a tsunami? The sound of this breathing was awful.


    ¡®This guy...¡¯


    The eye spun around like a vortex. It was huge and red, and Grid immediately noticed its identity. It was Sitri¡¯s eye. A being from another world was staring at this world.


    ¡®Do I have to fight this guy as well?¡¯


    Grid felt fear when staring at Sitri¡¯s hand because he imagined a future where he had to fight Sitri. Great demons were the enemies of humanity and the Overgeared Kingdom belonged to humanity. It was his destiny to fight them.


    ¡®This big guy...¡¯


    He measured it based on the size of the hand and the eye and found it wasn¡¯tparable to Radwolf¡¯s magic machines. Sitri¡¯s main body seemedparable to a dragon. A supergiant creature that threatened all things with his mass alone. He was exceptionally special considering that all the great demons Grid met so far had been simr to humans.


    ¡®His nickname is also Demon God... is he a special existence in hell?¡¯


    A great demon¡¯s status was lower than that of a god. Of course, the power of the higher ranked demons might be stronger than some intermediate ranked gods. However, a god had many powers. They might not be able to fight directly against a great demon and win, but they could appoint a warrior to attack the demon and use their power to help the warrior grow. Even the 1st Great Demon, Baal, the child of Evil God Yatan, didn¡¯t dare to ce ¡®god¡¯ in front of his name.


    However, Sitri was called Demon God despite being a great demon. This was also despite his rtively low ranking.


    ¡®What the hell is he?¡¯


    Well, his identity didn¡¯t matter right now. Grid stood up and tidied up his clothing. His expression was very solemn.


    Antrino behaved like an elderly man. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I was distracted for a moment. Where did our conversation get up to?¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t see your ugly appearance because I was lost in thought. I didn¡¯t see you fall to the ground with a small scream.¡¯


    Antrino¡¯s attitude contained careful consideration. The grateful and embarrassed Grid stared at Sitri¡¯s eye that was peeking at this world. He was obviously looking this way. However, his eye was so big that it was difficult to tell what he was seeing. He could be looking at Grid or he might be unaware of Grid.


    Grid asked, ¡°Is that the eye of the 12th great demon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s been making trouble with his hand for years, and now he is staring with his eye. I want to chop that eye with my axe right now.¡±


    ¡°If it was me, I would¡¯ve taken an axe to it the first day I saw it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t done that?¡±


    Antrino immediately pulled out his axe. In fact, he was a man who was faster to act than to speak. He wasn¡¯t a talkative person in the first ce. The reason why he was Grid¡¯s guide was purely out of respect. The strongest warrior who defended Talima¡ªthe pir of the country served Grid directly, treating Grid as a VIP and consolidating Grid¡¯s position.


    The axe left Antrino¡¯s hand and spun as it flew. Both the speed and uracy were excellent. There was enough power in it to threaten Grid¡¯s defenses. However, Sitri¡¯s eye was unharmed. It was because there was an invisible barrier over the gap to hell.


    The axe was blocked by a barrier and slid down helplessly. Antrino reached out a hand to recover it. It was a truly amazing sight. The axe was pulled toward Antrino¡¯s hand like it had a string attached to it. At first nce, it looked like he moved the object through empty air using energy. Even so, this was Talima. This was the performance of an ego item.


    ¡®It was noticeable from the beginning.¡¯


    Grid activated Pagma¡¯s Eyes and observed Antrino¡¯s axe¡ªa legendary item with a top-rated ego created by Empress Maribel, the battle axe she made during her lifetime was praised as a legend during its time together with the best warrior named Antrino.


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Grid was once again convinced¡ªheroes and items were inseparable. In the first ce, it was normal for humans to use tools and it was right to crave better tools. So why was relying on items criticized in games? Grid questioned the misconception that ruled the world just a few years ago and said, ¡°The two worlds are disconnected.¡±


    Antrino nodded. "That is correct. It is normal.¡±


    Earth and hell were separate dimensions. Originally, it was impossible toe and go at will. However, Sitri¡¯s hand invaded here. Even before the Yatan Church hade here and opened the interdimensional seal, Sitri¡¯s hand had jumped out of the crack and snatched the mine. Grid was reminded of it and asked, ¡°Then how could Sitri¡¯s hand exert physical force on the ground?¡±


    Antrino shrugged and drew a line with his feet. ¡°We don¡¯t know at all. I stopped caring after making sure his hand could only reach up to here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A great demon¡¯s hand popped out, and he didn¡¯t care? Antrinoughed when Grid made an absurd expression. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a valuable mine anyway... don¡¯t you know it as well? Us dwarves originally aren¡¯t interested in things like this.¡±


    ¡°A great demon appeared, but you don¡¯t care...¡±


    ¡°Hum hum, in fact, we believed in the Fire Dragon. In any case, this is the territory of the Fire Dragon. We decided it wasn¡¯t necessary to fight Sitri.¡±


    They were relieved thanks to the support of the Fire Dragon.


    In the end, a person could never understand the world. The kind dwarf in front of Grid had waved an axe at him just a few days ago. Grid shook his head and woke up from his thoughts.


    Antrino¡¯s next words were interesting. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that guy to enter this world by cutting off his hand.¡±


    ¡°Did he cut off his hand? It wasn¡¯t originally separated from him?¡±


    Antrino touched the line he had just drawn. ¡°Yes. His forearm was so thick that he couldn¡¯t pass through the gap.¡±


    ¡°So he saw the other demonsing through the gap created by the Yatan Church and hurriedly cut his hand.. isn¡¯t this a really scary obsession?¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid wondered if he had any grudges in this world.


    ¡®In any case, it is a foregone conclusion that I have to eventually fight him.¡¯


    He needed to be stronger. However, a yer¡¯s stats were limited, so having items was the top priority. Grid asked Antrino for his understanding, ¡°Is it okay if I dig up some ether diamonds?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I will agree to any request from the benefactor who liberated the empress¡¯ soul. Take it to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    Unfortunately, it was very difficult to mine the ether diamonds. It was because the gemstones were so hard and deeply-rooted that it inevitably took a long time. Even the most skilled miners barely gained three or four a day. It would be much harder for cksmiths who were unustomed to mining.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call the miners, so wait. I don¡¯t know how many people wille...¡±


    Most dwarves dreamed of bing cksmiths. The number of dwarves with upations other than cksmiths was limited and it was the same for miners. The miners of Talima were naturally busy every day. In order to meet the orders of the cksmiths who outnumbered them greatly, it wasn¡¯t sufficient to have 10 clones. Additionally, there were all types of mines in Talima so the miners were scattered all over. It wasn¡¯t easy to bring them up here.


    Nevertheless, Antrino believed in himself and Grid. He thought there would be a few miners willing toe to repay Grid for his kindness.


    ¡®It is shameless, but I have to make this request.¡¯


    It was the moment when Antrino summoned Cradle¡¯s masterpiece, ¡®Duras,¡¯ to deliver a note to the miners...


    He saw Grid pick up a pickaxe and started mining. Antrino soon imagined Grid crying out with pain...


    ng! ng! ang!


    ¡°....?"


    Grid¡¯s pickaxe never stopped and the ether diamond ore, deeply rooted in the stone wall, started to reveal itself. It was a truly amazing sight.


    ¡°H-How? Did you inherit Kis¡¯ technique?¡±


    A legendary cksmith and legendary miner¡ªit was indeed an ideal dual ss. He didn¡¯t have to rely on others and could gain all the minerals in the world. Then he would be able to use the minerals to make everything in the world.


    ¡®There is a reason he was acknowledged by God Hexetia.¡¯


    Grid shook his head at the admiring Antrino. ¡°No, it is just the power of being overgeared.¡±


    The options of the pickaxe Grid used increased his mining speed and probability of mining sessfully by 300%. It also increased the chances of obtaining the best quality mineral by 200%. Finally, it reduced stamina consumption during mining. It was a legendary rated pickaxe that was born after steadily researching and producing pickaxes for Peak Sword.


    ¡°Over...geared.¡±


    Antrino understood the meaning of being overgeared through context and developed a dream. A warrior. They were now useless in the isted Talima. On the other hand, miners were different. Miners were always necessary andcking. They were one of the most useful jobs in Talima. Antrino dreamed of a second life. ¡°Perhaps... can you give me a chance to be a miner?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    On this day, Grid made a new pickaxe on the spot and dug up the minerals together with Talima¡¯s strongest warrior, Antrino. Antrino had high stats as a named NPC and he was never exhausted. Thanks to this, Grid was able to secure a number of ether diamonds above his target in just one day.


    For some reason, the sound of Sitri¡¯s breathing became smaller and he slipped away from the gap. Then he disappearedpletely beyond the darkness. He seemed to be flustered. It seemed he noticed that he had be a folding screen.


    ¡®Indifference is evil for those who want an audience.¡¯


    Grid wanted to sprinkle salt to ward off evil but, he just picked up the sacks full of ether diamonds. ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ll discuss with my friend a method to break through Trauka¡¯s barrier and how to go back and forth from Talima.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, is your friend a legendary magician? It won¡¯t be easy even if he is a legendary magician... your disappointment will be bigger if your expectations are high. I rmend that you clear your mind properly.¡±


    It was the advice of the experienced. Talima had long abandoned any ideas of exchanges with the outside world. They had adapted to an isted life.


    ¡°I wille back with good news,¡± Grid told Antrino.


    ¡°Huhut. I will try to be a great miner until then. I¡¯ll save as many minerals as I can for when you need them.¡±


    Fire Dragon Trauka might return today. It was also unknown when he would go away again. It might be a hundred years or even a thousand yearster. They might never be able to reunite with Grid. As a result, Antrino made a sentimental promise. It was the mistake of a lifetime.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget that promise. Then I¡¯ll see you again soon.¡±


    Why did Antrino suddenly be a miner? Grid was doubtful, but in any case, he was grateful. There was a light from a return scroll and Grid left.

 Chapter 1271

    ¡°Father!¡± A boy with a bright smile ran over. His beautiful blue eyes were like jewels, and his dark hair entuated his white skin. It was the appearance of Reinhardt¡¯s greatest celebrity, Prince Lord, who attracted the hearts of women every time he appeared on the street.


    ¡°Lord!¡± Grid held Lord in his arms and ruffled the wavy hair. Lord might be 14 years old, but he was still a cute kid in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Lord rubbed his cheeks against Grid¡¯s chest with a happy expression like a cat in the sun.


    ¡°You have to take care of your dignity.¡± Then a teacher in charge of discipline came over and admonished the boy who wanted this time tost forever.


    Grid made a dark expression and picked up the blushing Lord who was slowly stepping back.


    ¡°What is dignity between a parent and child?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m sure Queen Irene will be sad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It isn¡¯t like this every day. Irene should understand.¡±


    Grid drove away the teacher and checked Lord¡¯s details.


    He hadn¡¯t gone through his adulthood ceremony so there were still limitations on his level and stats. However, he had acquired 12 skills that were S-grade or higher. There were more than 10 different types of skills.


    This was truly the power of a continental genius.


    It was possible he would be the secret weapon that would sustain the Overgeared Kingdom as Lauel wished.


    However, Grid wondered if this was something to be really happy about.


    A shadow was cast on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®How hard must it be every day?¡¯


    Braham and Piaro. Mercedes, the Overgeared Guild members, and Kraugel.


    Grid knew because he had been watching geniuses of all ages.


    They were the same as him.


    The reason they were at the top of the fields wasn¡¯t just because of their talent. It was also because of their efforts.


    They went to bedter than others, and opened their eyes earlier than others to study. This was how they reached their present point.


    It was the same for Lord.


    Was this child really happy when he had to meet the expectations of other people before he was even an adult?


    Grid had this thought and asked seriously, ¡°Lord, what is your dream?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, it is to be like you, Father! The ultimate warrior! Additionally, the best cksmith and a great person respected by the people!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Could this be the damage of teaching by cramming?


    Lord might have mistaken the wishes of the people around him for his dream.


    It was the moment when the heartbroken Grid thought he should have a deeper conversation with Lord.


    Lord eximed, ¡°It is also to make my girlfriends happy!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid shut his mouth. He shifted his gaze and hundreds of beautiful women greeted him.


    The Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates¡ªthey grew up from girls and were now mature beauties.


    Grid pondered on it and asked a question, ¡°Can you... handle it?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Did Lord know what he was answering?


    Lord¡¯s expression was so clear that the flustered Grid quickly let go of his worries.


    ¡®He is a continental genius. He can afford it whether it is 200 or 300.¡¯


    Grid thought he should make more money if he didn¡¯t want to be poor after giving his grandchildren pocket money.


    Grid shook his head and pulled four small dolls out of his inventory.


    They were the artificial elementals from Talima.


    ¡°So cute!¡±


    Lord¡¯s girlfriends eximed with excitement.


    Fire, wind, earth, and water.


    It was because the artificial elementals expressed their individuality with colors that matched their attributes, and they looked cute.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Lord had learned elemental techniques from Sticks.


    Some people said that Grid was the ultimate all-rounder, but from Grid¡¯s perspective, the true all-rounder was Lord.


    Lord wondered, ¡°Do you feel the elementals in the dolls?¡±


    ¡°As expected, you are aware of it. They are called artificial elementals. They are collected using Talima¡¯s magic engineering. Unlike actual elementals, they are ssified as a material. However, they are much more obedient, so keep them by your side. They will surely be useful.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be friends with these kids!¡±


    Lord smiled widely. Then he held the dolls in his arms and sniffed them.


    Grid cocked his head. ¡°Does it smell bad?¡±


    ¡°No? These kids were in Father¡¯s arms and they smell like you.¡±


    It was an answer that allowed him to feel Lord¡¯s sensitivity.


    Unfortunately, Grid was rather dull emotionally.


    ¡®Is his sense of smell developed because he is a genius? Certainly, a good sense of smell is a useful talent.¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s monsters were very diverse. He heard that people with a good sense of smell didn¡¯t easily get attacked by monsters because they could smell the monsters, which smelled different. There were also the low-quality people who gave off a bad smell.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. It is time for Teacher Damian to visit.¡±


    For years, Damian had been teaching Lord divine magic. Grid was thankful that he visited Reinhardt once a week to tutor Lord.


    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±


    Grid said goodbye to Lord and went to Irene.


    He tried to make the most of the fun he had in Talima, but Irene¡¯s expression wasn¡¯tfortable.


    It was because she heard that Grid fought against a high ranking great demon alone before he headed off to Talima.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    ¡°... I will be careful.¡±


    Recently, some religious organizations in the United States started to argue that Satisfy¡¯s NPCs had souls. Their souls were born of human hands rather than god¡¯s, and the religious organizations were worried that the NPCs wouldn¡¯t go to heaven after they died. Instead, they would wander around. Of course, most people thought it was just dogs barking nonsense.


    However, Grid was often confused and unsettled.


    The more he knew the NPCs, the more he thought of them as living beings. The more he respected andmunicated with them, the more he wondered if they really had souls?


    Since ancient times, how many civilizations believed that gods inhabited objects?


    Especially if the object was an NPC who was the same as a human.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    He had made up his mind not to think too deeply.


    Grid let out a breath as he shook off his thoughts and moved to the smithy. Then he sent a whisper to Yura.


    -I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll think I¡¯ll have to learn how to craft a magic engineering gunter.


    Originally, Grid nned how to craft a magic gun from Cradle. However, he was forced to postpone it because the scientist Margaret wasn¡¯t in theboratory.


    She didn¡¯t even attend the party celebrating the liberation of the empress¡¯ soul so she couldn¡¯t be urged.


    -Why are you apologizing? I¡¯m just grateful for your concern.


    -Thank you.


    He finished his conversation with Yura, walked a bit further, and arrived at the smithy. Grid left Mercedes to guard the surroundings, and Panmir and the other cksmiths weed him.


    He gathered together all the craftsmen and brought out the ether diamonds.


    ¡°Can you smelt this?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible... however, I think the probability of sess is less than 20%.¡±


    It was a material that even the dwarf craftsmen were hard to work with.


    Grid thanked Panmir for his honest confession and gave the craftsmen 10 ether diamonds.


    ¡°Try it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a mineral that is only obtained from Talima? The loss of such a precious item will be too great...¡±


    ¡°If it can help you grow then it isn¡¯t a loss, even if I lose a billion won.¡±


    Grid had easily smelted most minerals from the beginning, but it was different for ordinary people.


    Many minerals that were obtained at an expensive price were wasted after they failed to be smelted.


    This was why cksmith yers only bought minerals that were easy to smelt and made items to be sold for money.


    It was a smart way to increase wealth, but it wasn¡¯t very helpful for growth.


    It was becausepared to smelting a mineral that was easy to smelt, smelting high difficulty minerals gave more skill experience.


    ¡°Thank you for all your work.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    Grid smiled at Panmir and the craftsmen and left the smithy.


    The next people he met were Lauel and Rabbit.


    ¡°Use them properly.¡±


    ¡°This is what Ke ong mentioned...¡±


    A total of 98 artificial elementals was ced on the round table.


    Lauel and Rabbit¡¯s eyes sparkled when they checked the performance.


    ¡°It will save a significant amount ofbor in each area.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that we can save money onbor costs.¡±


    Grid told them, ¡°In the future, 52 additional elementals will be added every year. You should know this.¡±


    ¡°Is it impossible to produce it in the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible. It can only be made by the dwarves, regardless of skill.¡±


    ¡°Um... Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Busy. He was busy. He left Lauel and Rabbit, who were discussing how to extract the ultimate efficiency from the artificial elementals. Then his next stop was Braham¡¯s study.


    Braham looked picturesque as he read by the sun-drenched window.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange for a vampire to love the sun?¡±


    ¡°Bah. Tell me why you came here.¡±


    ¡°That... is there any way to get through the dragon¡¯s barrier with Teleport? It seemed to be a barrier that blocks movement magic arrays and disturbs the coordinates.¡±


    ¡°It is impossible at the level of that school¡¯s long-eared person. Even if a person lives for a thousand or ten thousand years, they won¡¯t be able to pass the dragon¡¯s barrier.¡±


    The school¡¯s long-eared person meant the one Grid normally used as a means of transportation, the academy¡¯s principal, Sticks. Even Grid didn¡¯t have the guts to use Braham as a movement vehicle.


    Therefore, Braham seemed to think that Grid was referring to Sticks¡¯ Teleport.


    Grid rephrased his question, ¡°Braham, what about your Teleport?¡±


    Braham finally raised his gaze from the book. HIs red eyes staring at Grid were as cold as usual. It was like cold wind.


    ¡°A lot of magic is derived from the dragons. A prime example is Polymorph and Teleport.¡±


    ¡°Then... are you saying your Teleport won¡¯t work either?¡±


    This was bad. Grid might not be able to interact with Talima as Antrino feared.


    Grid¡¯s face was stiff when he noticed something strange.


    Braham¡¯s eyes changed. An eager desire had settled in his eyes.


    ¡°The ultimate purpose of my magic is to kill a dragon.¡±


    The purpose of punishing hell and honoring his mother¡¯s soul was because he was her child, the purpose of killing Marie Rose was a type of arrogance, but killing a dragon was the aspiration of the legendary magician Braham.


    Surviving a dragon¡ªBraham was often proud of this achievement, but it was only hypocrisy. In fact, Braham wanted to get rid of the past. His ego was too strong to tolerate his old self who ran away without looking back.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Braham approached and grabbed Grid¡¯s wrist.


    Subsequently, the scene in front of Grid changed.


    It was a huge cavern that was hard to measure the size.


    Grid and Braham stood in this cavern.


    ¡°This ce...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he looked around in a flustered manner.


    The sight that surprised him wasn¡¯t the mountain of treasure piled up one one side of the cavern.


    Four artificial elementals were cleaning with brooms everywhere.


    Grid noticed something from the appearance of the artificial elements who had darker and more beautiful colors than those from Talima.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me.¡±


    It was as expected.


    [You are the first yer to enter Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s nest!]


    ¡°Oh, these look pretty good?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was frightened. The guardian of Talima¡ªBraham was talking about none other than the four artificial elemental kings.


    Braham spoke to Grid who was lost in absurdity, ¡°A dragon¡¯s barrier? Bah. This body has surpassed it a long time ago.¡±


    ...No, why was this person so imposing?


    There wasn¡¯t only one or two things to tackle.


    Grid stared at this thief who was talking with a smile.

 Chapter 1272

    Lantier wasn¡¯t the name of a particr person. Instead, it was a title given to the leader of Eclipse, the strongest assassination group in the past, to keep them anonymous. However, once the 25th Lantier became a legend, a misconception took root in the world.


    ¡°The name of the night, who caused death just by speaking, started to be hailed as an object of awe. He unintentionally came out of the shadows and lost his essence. Since then, Eclipse¡¯s position was shaken.¡±


    King of Shadows, Kasim¡ªhe had been teaching Faker how to use Lantier¡¯s techniques for the past few years and today, he was telling the story of Eclipse for the first time. As of today, he seemed to have opened his heart to Faker who had mastered Lantier¡¯s techniques. Learning Lantier¡¯s techniques meant one was qualified to be Lantier.


    Faker now had to study and understand Eclipse. It was his new duty.


    ¡°Eclipse was brought out into the sun along with Lantier and soon became familiar to the public. It lost its mystique. Since it was constantly being mentioned and attracted attention, clients became reluctant tomission jobs.¡±


    It was an assassination organization.


    They had to do everything in secret so there was nothing good about the public¡¯s attention. Due to the unexpected circumstances, there were various restrictions and people¡¯s requests were noticeably reduced. The assassins of the organization who absolutely obeyed Lantier expressed their dissatisfaction with Lantier and little by little, the hierarchy of the organization invisibly copsed.


    ¡°The 25th Lantier felt a sense of responsibility and retired, but nothing improved. The organization¡¯s forces were rapidly weakened and the informationwork that upied the entire West Continent stopped operating. The strongest assassination group fell to an ordinary level.¡±


    The real problem was something else¡ªEclipse¡¯s system of kidnapping talented boys from all over the continent and training them as assassins copsed, leaving no talents to seed Lantier¡¯s name. Gradually, Lantier¡¯s techniques declined and by the time it reached the 32nd Lantier, the mentor of Kasim and Doran, most of the skills had been lost.


    ¡°You need to browse the records of the former Lantiers in order to explore Lantier¡¯s true techniques. However, it has been a long time since I¡¯ve lost contact with Eclipse. Their current location can¡¯t be determined.¡±


    ¡°How did you lose contact?¡±


    As the direct disciple of the 32nd Lantier, Kasim was Eclipse¡¯s sessor and thus, Faker was a bit puzzled about how Eclipse¡¯s sessor lost contact with Eclipse.


    After hearing Faker¡¯s question, Kasim exined, ¡°There were signs of a civil war in Eclipse from the time that Master retired. The cause was Doran and I. As you know, we only each acquired half the techniques due to ourck of talent. Therefore, the members of the organization were anxious. Master was convinced that Doran and I could work together to be one Lantier, but... even Doran and I, the people involved, wondered if that was possible. This meant the distrust of the other members was even greater.¡±


    ¡°Did a rebellion eventually happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, two men who had the support of the executives drove out my aging master. Master was greatly hurt in the process of escaping with us. He taught us in the mountains and died a few yearster.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°After he passed away, Doran chose to live a normal life, but it was different for me. I sharpened my weapons to get revenge on the empire and at the same time, I tracked Eclipse¡¯s whereabouts. I wanted to regain the records of the previous Lantiers that only the legitimate heirs could read in order to gain more power. However, it was almost impossible for me to track down Eclipse¡¯s whereabouts on my own.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is just that recently, I found a very important trail. Eclipse remains in the empire¡¯s underworld.¡±


    Empress Basara had invited Irene and Lord to the empire. At that time, Kasim acted as escort and observed the interior of the empire he once wanted revenge on. He thought about what would¡¯ve happened if he insisted on fighting the empire to the end. He imagined himself trapped in the Abyss so he visited it with a depressed heart. Then he saw traces of Eclipse.


    ¡°Are you saying that some of the prisoners have something to do with Eclipse?¡± Faker asked.


    He was originally quiet. The fact that he was actively leading the conversation was proof of his desire to be Lantier. Kasim replied with a happy heart, ¡°That¡¯s right. It is reasonable to make that spection.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will ask to escort the queen and prince when they leave.¡±


    He had a clue and only action remained. The empire was in a favorable rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom so there was a high possibility he could investigate the Abyss. Faker bowed to Kasim and left. His appearance that melted into the shadows and disappeared from view gave Kasim hope.


    ¡°Lantier... is he resurrected?¡±


    ***


    The world was divided into three main categories¡ªHell, the ground, and Heaven.


    The West Continent and East Continent might bepletely separated, but they were ultimately bound to the category of ¡®the ground.¡¯ Dragonirs were the exception. Dragonirs were located on the ground, but they were considered apletely separate area from the ground.


    For the people who regarded the dragons as gods of the ground, it was a sacred and invible field. For the people who regarded dragons as a threat to humanity, it was no different from hell. In other words, it was both heaven and hell. There were few idiots who dared to enter a dragon¡¯sir on their own. Now one idiot was by Grid¡¯s side.


    [You are the first yer to enter Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s nest!]


    [Your feat of breaking through the high level magic traps and horde of monsters defending the dragon¡¯sir will be a legend.]


    [The transcendent status will be opened as a first entry reward.]


    [Transcendence has already been opened.]


    [The change in the reward will increase the level of transcendence by one stage.]


    [The probability of attacking a weak point is slightly increased.]


    [The probability of blocking attacks to your weak points is slightly increased.]


    ¡°A dragon¡¯s barrier? Bah. This body has surpassed it a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The dragon¡¯sir was an important space. The reward for visiting it first was to be a transcendent. It was equivalent to the reward for writing an epic. Visiting air was a great feat. It was an unexpected reward for Grid, but he wasn¡¯t happy at all.


    ¡°First of all, put that down.¡± Grid calmed Braham who was holding onto the necks of the elemental kings. He had experienced Braham¡¯s trolling many times and was anxious and afraid. It was difficult to think that the fire dragon wouldn¡¯t be prepared after Braham stole from him once.


    ¡°What if there is tracking magic? Won¡¯t we be caught by the fire dragon if there is such a thing? I will be pursued and I won¡¯t be the only one destroyed. It is the Overgeared Kingdom as well.¡±


    Grid¡¯s concerns were valid, but Braham just scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the character of a dragon at all.¡±


    ¡°...?"


    ¡°What countermeasures should be taken to prevent the urrence of a thief? Bah, he has to be aware of thieves first. You have no idea how high a dragon¡¯s position is. A dragon doesn¡¯t pay attention to any creature except itself, not even the gods.¡±


    ¡®You know that you¡¯re a thief.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and demanded a clear answer. ¡°So there will be no traces of us left even if you steal everything here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...Is this a true story?¡±


    Braham¡¯s confident expression gave Grid confidence. Grid¡¯s gaze turned to a corner of their. Dragons truly did like shiny things. All types of gold coins and gemstones formed mountains.


    ¡®How much is all of this?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes filled with greed. He gradually approached the mountains of treasure while preparing to send a whisper to the 10 meritorious retainers to get ready as many sacks as possible.


    -Intruder.Alert, intruders.


    -Step back or we will make you do so with force.


    The four elemental kings, who were caught by the neck by Braham, started to talk all at once. It seemed an anti-theft system was installed in them.


    ¡®Is this the reason why Trauka took the elemental kings from the dwarves?¡¯


    Contrary to Braham¡¯s spection, the fire dragon seemed to be wary of thieves. His pride was just too high to set a trap openly so he built a defense using the elemental kings that were ¡®snatched from the dwarves by chance.¡¯ Braham noticed this andughed. ¡°Kukuk!Kuhahahat! The lizard jerks are no different!¡±


    ¡°Why are youughing now?¡±


    The disgusted Grid released the elemental kings who were being held by Braham. He was really afraid of future trouble if he crossed a line. Braham didn¡¯t seem to like Grid¡¯s attitude, but he immediately controlled his expression.


    Grid told Braham, ¡°...The survival of the kingdom is at stake.¡±


    ¡°Che. I understand.¡±


    He had no choice but to be convinced. If the fire dragon was stimted more than necessary, the entire continent might perish. Braham could only yield.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back... Huh?¡±Grid was rushing Braham to leave only to stop in ce. His gaze was focused on a stone wall of the treasure warehouse. ¡°T-This?¡±


    A fire stone with the dragon¡¯s breath¡ªit was a mineral recorded in his dictionary of minerals that had been rapidly filled with information thanks to Antrino. It was described as a mineral with a very low probability of growing on stone walls that had been exposed to a dragon breath for at least 200 years. The attributes of the mineral could change depending on the attributes of the dragons.


    ¡°......?¡± Braham shook his head as he was grumbling and preparing the Teleport magic. The sight of Grid with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose made Braham a bit uneasy.


    Grid requested, ¡°These guys... can you quietly take care of them?¡±


    Grid was pointing to the elemental kings. Braham sighed as his gaze alternated between the elemental kings and Grid. ¡°What happened to all the things you were worried about a little while ago? It is better to neutralize them rather than destroy them and provoke the fire dragon.¡±


    Braham¡¯s mental world was manifested. Braham locked the elemental kings up in there and warned Grid, ¡°Five minutes. If you don¡¯t do it in five minutes, the fire dragon will sense the anomaly ande back.¡±


    The manifestation of the mental world had a very strong ripple effect. Fire Dragon Trauka would soon notice that something strange had invaded his ce. Grid received Braham¡¯s warning and pulled out his pickaxe.

 Chapter 1273

    The S.A Group collected the food and culture of all the regions in the world and reflected it in Satisfy. Additionally, Satisfy¡¯s food culture was so vast and wonderful that hundreds of unique ingredients existed only in Satisfy. It wasn¡¯t umon for people who enjoyed gastronomy to y the game and say, ¡®What new food shall I enjoy today?¡¯ At this time, many people connected to Satisfy with expectations...


    [Reinhardt¡¯s Korean Restaurant]


    Peak Sword, one of the 10 meritorious retainers, visited a Koran restaurant as usual.


    ¡°I really like peri leaves.¡±


    He used the chopsticks in a reverent manner. Peak Sword picked up a piece of pork belly, ced it on a peri leaf, and asked the young man sitting at the same table as him, ¡°Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    The ID of the young man sitting down facing Peak Sword was Dae Dokman. As a VVIP member of the Korean Patriotic Association, he originally enjoyed Satisfy as a leisurely activity. Then Peak Sword discovered that his gaming talent was high and turned him into a full-time gamer and Peak Sword¡¯s apprentice.


    Dae Dokman thought carefully and answered, ¡°It is delicious to eat it raw or seasoned. It is good with kimchi, soy sauce, soybean paste, and... isn¡¯t it because it is delicious no matter how you eat it?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it is half the right answer.¡±


    Peak Sword shook his head with a full mouth. His cheeks were puffed up due to the pork belly and white rice while his expression was bitter and he seemed to be lost in distant thoughts. ¡°Gulp. Of course, peri leaves are delicious. They are so delicious I can eat them for three meals every day without getting tired of it. However, I don¡¯t just like peri leaves for such a simple reason.¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s eyes shed sharply¡ªit was like looking at a de. ¡°There is power in the leaves.¡±


    ¡°......?"


    "The power to discern the DNA of Korean people!¡±


    ¡°...It can discern the DNA of Korean people?¡±


    ¡°Yes, only the people of South Korea feel that the leaves are delicious.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°Liking peri leaves proves that a person is of pure South Korean descent. How about it? Isn¡¯t it truly mysterious and romantic?¡±


    ¡°That... Chairman-nim, there are people in South Korea who don¡¯t like peri leaves. What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there are foreigners among their ancestors.¡±


    ¡°I was told there is a local dish in Turkey that is soup with peri leaves.¡±


    ¡°Turkey isn¡¯t a brother country for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...! That¡¯s it! I¡¯m getting goosebumps at the thought!¡±


    ¡°In the future, let¡¯s eat peri leaves every day. Awaken the DNA of the Korean people that flows through your body while savoring the taste and aroma. Don¡¯t forget that King Sejong and General Yi Sunshin are our ancestors!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I will keep that in mind!¡±


    Someone else muttered, ¡°...Is it necessary to report a business obstruction? Every time that manes, many guests stop entering.¡±


    ¡°Leave it. The public security forces can¡¯t do anything against the 10 meritorious retainers.¡±


    It happened as a conversation between a priest and the resentful restaurant owner was urring...


    [King Grid is calling you.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Peak Sword had just brought warm white rice wrapped in a peri leaf to his mouth when he abruptly stood up. It was a call from Grid! He was d that he waited to be contacted after hearing that Grid returned to Reinhardt today.


    ¡°Chairman-nim?¡±


    ¡°God Grid is looking for me. He must want to see me quickly if he is even using the Knight Summoning skill... Huhu, it is truly God Grid.¡±


    ¡°God Grid, who is thentern of humanity beyond the leaders of South Korea, is personally calling you...!¡±


    ¡°One of the few people that God Grid relies on is me, the chairman of the Korean Patriotic Association.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Chairman-nim! Your heart is majestic!¡±


    ¡°Please finish the meal alone. My reunion with my friend mightst a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Master!¡±


    Dae Dokman watched as his master disappeared, leaving behind only remnants of light.


    ***


    ¡°God Grid! Were you looking for me?!¡±


    They were both staying in Reinhardt. Grid could send a whisper telling Peak Sword toe over straight away. Why was it necessary to use the Knight Summoning skill?


    ¡®How quickly did he want to see me...?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t even look back at the joyfully smiling Peak Sword. ¡°You came quickly. Grab a pickaxe.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, yes... Huh?¡±


    Pickaxe? Wait, where was he? He thought it would be the royal pce or the smithy, but it was an unfamiliar ce. It was a huge cave with a natural entrance. On one side were mountains of treasure.


    ¡°...A dragon¡¯sir?¡± Peak Sword confirmed that he had entered their of Fire Dragon Trauka and was terrified.


    Grid still didn¡¯t look back as he urged Peak Sword, ¡°Quickly! There¡¯s no time!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uh, yes...¡±


    Peak Sword pulled out his pickaxe and approached Grid. He found a red stone embedded deep in one side of the t stone wall and was astonished.


    ¡°Fire stone?¡±


    The very first day that he met Grid on Cork Ind¡ªthe minerals that grew there were the fire stones that appeared whenever Hell Gao emerged. He was worried that the terrible Hell Gao would be resurrected here. Grid shook his head. ¡°It is a fire stone, but it isn¡¯t an ordinary fire stone. It is a fire stone with the dragon¡¯s breath.¡±


    ¡°The breath of the fire dragon?¡±


    ¡°In a nutshell, it is a breath. This will be the material of my new sword.¡±


    Of course, Grid had the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. The weapons made from the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath also emitted fire. However, the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath gave additional effects such as healing allies with divine power. It was obviously inferior to a dragon¡¯s breath when viewed from an aggressive standpoint.


    ¡°A sword that shoots a breath!¡±


    Peak Sword was thrilled when he heard it andughed.


    Kaaang!Kaaang! How long had it been since they mined together? They stood side by side and recalled the first time they met each other. The battle against Hell Gao and the war against the Gauss Army swept through their minds.


    ¡®Together...¡¯


    ¡®...We¡¯ve been through so much.¡¯


    They had always been a strength for each other. It wasn¡¯t important who had given more help to the other person. It was great and fun to be with this person¡ªjust like right now.


    [The level of Mining has increased!]


    [The level of Mining has increased!]


    Who could experience mining a fire stone in a dragon¡¯sir? The fire stone gradually revealed its beautiful appearance and Grid and Peak Sword¡¯s mining technique developed rapidly. The two extremely focused men felt joy. However, this joy was short-lived. A cold reality was waiting for them.


    ¡°There are 40 seconds left.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    They were so focused that they forgot the passage of time. Grid woke up from his thoughts after hearing Braham¡¯s voice that didn¡¯t match the atmosphere. Grid elerated the speed of his pickaxe while Peak Sword sensibly noticed the situation.


    Then Peak Sword warned, ¡°I think the stone will be damaged if we rush.¡±


    Mining wasn¡¯t a skill that uses speed. It had to be mined without damaging the mineral as much as possible in order to obtain a high-grade mineral. Even the same minerals had different grades so Peak Sword wanted to be careful. It wasn¡¯t a mineral that could be obtained twice. It was naturally the same for Grid. However, there was no time.


    ¡°We need time to wipe out our traces before Trauka arrives. He will track us to the ends of hell if we leave even a trace of dirt behind. There are 20 seconds left,¡± Braham exined, making Grid even more anxious. Braham himself could easily avoid Trauka¡¯s tracking. He could change the nature of his magic power itself to deceive Trauka, even if residual traces of his magic power were left here.


    However, Grid and Peak Sword were different. Even Braham couldn¡¯t change the magic power of others in such a short time. The traces of the two men must be erased.


    ¡®Shit...!¡¯


    Now, approximately one-third of the fire stone could be seen. He had to decide if he could mine it in 20 seconds.


    ¡®It is better to be greedy then to not get it!¡¯


    Grid was gripped by evil feelings and raised the pickaxe high. Then he hesitated again as he was about to lower it. If a quarter of the stone was damaged, it would be evaluated as inferior.


    ¡°15 seconds.¡±


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Yes, he couldn¡¯t hesitate. Grid regained his mind and was about to lower the pickaxe.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Peak Sword grabbed Grid¡¯s raised arm. Peak Sword had been forced to acquire the mining skill and he had trained in it for a long time so his skill level was much higher than that of Grid¡¯s. ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    Peak Sword used the pickaxe as a lever to make a very small gap between the stone and the wall and then Peak Sword reached his hand into this gap.


    ¡°What...?! Peak Sword!¡± Grid frowned involuntarily.


    The sound of Peak Sword¡¯s hand breaking from the extreme pressure rang through the cave in an eerie manner.


    ¡°I...! Trust me!¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s face was pale as he gave more strength to his broken hand. Grid had experienced the pain of fractures several times so he felt all the hair on his body rising. Peak Sword continued to take on a pain simr to stubbing his little toe. It was creepy imagining how much pain Peak Sword would be in.


    ¡°Peak Sword!¡±


    ¡°Five seconds.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit...! Just a bit more!¡±


    Blood flowed from the lip that Peak Sword was biting.


    ¡°Three seconds.¡±


    ¡°A bit more... more!¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s entire body was trembling. His legs weakened and it seemed like he was on the verge of falling down. However, Peak Sword didn¡¯t release the strength in his fingertips. The hands that were about to turn to powder pushed deeper into the gap in the wall to push out the fire stone.


    ¡°One second.¡±


    At the end of the time limit, the red stone burst out. Grid supported Peak Sword, whose hand waspletely broken and called the God Hand to catch the stone.


    ¡°Leave.¡±


    Braham released the image world, got rid of all their traces, and put his hands on Grid and Peak Sword¡¯s shoulders. Mass Teleport was only used after confirming that the God Hand had picked up the fire stone and returned to Grid. Braham had grasped the intelligence of the elemental kings and his warning echoed in the empty space.


    ¡°Don¡¯tment on what you¡¯ve seen today. I will destroy Talima the moment you ignore my warning.¡±


    -......


    The elemental kings nodded repeatedly at the empty air.

 Chapter 1274

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I will be better after drinking some potions.¡± Peak Sword smiled and waved his hand at the anxious Grid. His bright smile made Grid¡¯s expression darker. The dead could revive and slight wounds could be healed, but it was still painful. There might be a set limit to pain in the game, but Grid still wasn¡¯t willing to ept it. It was why many of the two billion yers preferred nonbat sses or chose archers, magicians, etc.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t overdo it next time,¡± Grid dered coldly. It was intended to hide his feelings, but it couldn¡¯t be hidden. Peak Sword knew Grid¡¯s nature because he was Grid¡¯s first fan.


    ¡°Ah, really. A person who dies every day is sensitive about someone¡¯s hand being damaged.¡±


    ¡°It is at least a month before I die. What is every day? Additionally, it doesn¡¯t hurt after death but a fracture is very painful.¡±


    ¡°It is a problem for us when you die, whether it is once a month or every day. I know. I know. I understand so lose that expression. God Grid, stop worrying.¡±


    In the end, Grid smiled at Peak Sword who surrendered and then looked at the shining stone in his hand.


    [Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon]


    [Rating: Myth


    A mineral that was born after ingesting Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s breath for 200 years.


    An unnamed miner risked his life and seeded in mining it.


    Weight: 10]


    Why did only one fire stone grow in that hugeir?


    ¡°The dragon¡¯s breath sometimes changes the nature of matter. However, most substances can¡¯t bear the change in nature and will be destroyed. This one was able to hold on,¡± Braham exined the reason and tapped the fire stone.


    It was an admiring attitude. The myth-rated mineral was remarkable even to Braham.


    ¡®What type of sword will be born?¡¯


    The unfortunate part was that it wasn¡¯t ¡®iron¡¯ but ¡®stone.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the stone age so the value of stone-made equipment was bound to be low. However, Grid was a legendary cksmith. He didn¡¯t me the materials. He had to use his skills to sharpen the stone so it was like steel. A fire stone with the breath of the fire dragon, who had existed since the beginning...


    ¡°I¡¯ll focus on working on it for the next few days.¡±


    Grid had no worries now that he knew he coulde and go from Talima at any time.


    Peak Sword cheered on Grid who headed straight for the smithy.


    ***


    ¡®It ispletely different from when I came previously?¡¯


    This was Jishuka¡¯s impression when she came to the East Continent after a long time.


    The people of the Cho Kingdom used to be anxious and wary toward the foreigners from the West Continent. Now they were full of energy. No matter where she went, they treated the yers kindly and weed them. Thus, she wondered if this was Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡®Grid, you¡¯ve changed the world while I¡¯ve been trying to gain a few levels.¡¯


    He was truly a great person. He deserved her love. Jishuka smiled happily as she quickened her pace. She arrived at the capital of the Cho Kingdom in just two days.


    ¡®I will take a day off before leaving.¡¯


    She still had a long way to go. Jishuka¡¯s destination was the Xing Kingdom. Her quest was to find the ¡®Breaking Evil Arrow¡¯ at the shrine here.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know why I should get it.¡¯


    The Breaking Evil Arrow, as the name suggested, was an arrow that destroyed unclean beings. In other words, it was an arrow that dealt additional damage to existences such as undead, ghosts, and demonkin. Jishuka wasn¡¯t satisfied. Mithril arrows that were fatal to the undead and demonkin were already popr in the West Continent.


    ¡®Of course, the Breaking Evil Arrow has a higher concept than the mithril arrows.¡¯


    She was told it was a divine arrow. The Breaking Evil Arrow would naturally be better than the mithril arrow. However, was it better than the mithril arrows used by Jishuka? Jishuka wasn¡¯t convinced that this was the case. It was because she currently wasn¡¯t using normal mithril arrows, but instead mithril arrows made by Grid. It was impossible to be fascinated with the Breaking Evil Arrows from Jishuka¡¯s position when she already had mithril arrows three times more powerful than normal mithril arrows.


    She didn¡¯t feel good because she needed to waste a few days obtaining the arrows. She would¡¯ve quit the quest if it wasn¡¯t her ss quest.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    A ten-story pavilion¡ªthe look in Jishuka¡¯s eyes changed as she entered thergest and most gorgeous inn in the capital of Cho, Kars¡ªthe Wind Lantern Inn. She already felt something strange just from walking the streets. The people of Kars looked gloomy, as if they had experienced a type of disaster.


    ¡®Why is the atmosphere of the capital so gloomy?¡¯


    All the other areas of the Cho Kingdom had a bright atmosphere. Why did the people of the capital look like this? The vignt Jish called out to the waiter, ¡°The menu please. Ah.¡±


    The Cho Kingdom was a ce where both east and west culture co-existed. How could she speak English after visiting such an obviously Oriental inn? Jishuka felt regret for a moment but fortunately, there were nomunication problems.


    ¡°Yep. Here¡¯s the menu.¡±


    ¡°Is basic English necessary to be a waiter....?¡±


    ¡°Huh?"


    ¡°Nothing, I was just talking to myself.¡±


    The waiter was around 15 years old. Jishuka smiled at the boy and gave him a silver coin as a tip. The boy, who had already been enjoying Jishuka¡¯s beauty, was delighted after receiving the coin and treated her as a young master. He soon served the food and Jishuka asked him, ¡°What happened?


    Everyone¡¯s facial expressions are so ufortable.


    ¡°Ah, that...¡±


    The power of beauty and tips was awesome.


    The boy sincerely answered Jishuka¡¯s question, ¡°Zombies and skeletons have been appearing every night this week and wandering through the city. All the people of the capital are uneasy and unable to sleep. They couldn¡¯t sleep at all because they have been fighting with a broom all night to drive the zombies away from their front yards.¡±


    ¡°Undead appeared in the middle of a capital with such strict defenses?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just in the middle. They crawled out of every corner. The kingdom says that a wicked daoist is staying in the capital and ying tricks... Therefore, you should be careful. People¡¯s gazes toward foreigners aren¡¯t very good these days.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t understand it.¡¯


    The guardian god of the Cho Kingdom was the red phoenix. Grid¡¯s revival of the red phoenix blessed the entire nation and the sacred mes of the red phoenix had the power to destroy all evil. Yet undead appeared every night?


    ¡®It is clear that someone is deliberately releasing the undead...¡¯


    Who was so strong that they could summon undead that could withstand the mes of the red phoenix? This was really a level of skill that went beyondmon sense.


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯ A chill went down Jishuka¡¯s spine. She focused on the mention of ¡®zombies,¡¯ not ¡®jiangshi.¡¯


    ¡°Did you say they are skeletons and zombies?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There are zombies in the East Continent?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible, but... it is hard to see them. The daoists of the East Continent make jiangshi, not zombies.¡±


    In the end, this was the work of a necromancer from the West Continent. Jishuka remembered the face of a madman and asked the waiter again, ¡°The soldiers must be exhausted as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes... They haven¡¯t been able to sleep for a week because they have been fighting the undead... All the soldiers are having a hard time.¡±


    ¡®I think this is more serious than expected?¡¯


    Jishuka got up from her seat and walked out of the inn. She observed and grasped the location of the inn and the surrounding topography. Thest ce she stared at was the top floor of the inn.


    ¡°Is there an empty room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that ce is always empty. As you can see, it is a room that uses the entire top floor so the amodation fee is very expensive. Even the nobles and wealthy people from othernds were reluctant to stay there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll rent it for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, Customer. One night in that room is worth dozens of nights in other rooms...¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to fill the stomach of the boss who said he wanted to catch a pushover. Jishuka threw a small bag at the waiter who was trying to persuade her.


    ¡°This should be enough.¡±


    ¡°...Gasp!¡±


    The waiter¡¯s eyes widened when he opened the bag. It was the first time the boy had seen so many gold coins even though he was working at Kars¡¯rgest inn. Jishuka sighed. ¡®I managed to save a little bit only to use it all up again.¡¯


    She still had quite a bit left to pay back Grid so she was troubled. However, Jishuka had no intention of missing this opportunity.


    The inn owner weed her, ¡°Oh my, wee, wee! The Wind Lantern Inn is dedicated to serving the princess!¡±


    ¡°The meals will be room service.¡±


    ¡°I will do so!¡±


    ¡®He looks like a money-obsessed ghost.¡¯


    Jishuka stared coldly as the inn owner hurriedly ran out of the room. Then she went out to the terrace and activated Hawk Eyes.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was as expected. All of Kars filled her field of view. All the routes to the major facilities, including the pce, could be seen.


    ¡°Now you are all dead.¡±


    Jishuka smiled deeper and her eyes shed like a hawk who captured the prey.


    ***


    Stones were weak to heat. Unlike iron, they didn¡¯t melt in fire. They broke apart or were burned. It wasn¡¯t about smelting and tempering when ites to making things out of stone. It was about meticulous work.


    ¡®This is a myth-rated mineral.¡¯


    It would be a weapon of the greatest power just by making it into a de. This was what Grid thought...


    ¡°Groan...¡±


    He soon realized that he had misjudged. The Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon couldn¡¯t be broken no matter how hard he struck it. There were no scratches at all.


    ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s struggles continued. He kept hammering on the fire stone until his stamina ran out. He even improved by changing to a high-grade saw. However, the fire stone didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Gasp.Gasp...¡±


    Grid¡¯s hand, holding the hammer, convulsed. What should he do? Grid was forced to admit that his methods were wrong. He forgot about the passage of time and concentrated on thinking. Finally, a rooster¡¯s cry echoed through the tranquil streets as a new morning was announced.


    The dozing cksmiths, who didn¡¯t dare leave work when the king remained, opened their eyes all at once. At the same time, lightning struck inside Grid¡¯s head. A stone filled with the breath of the fire dragon. It had probably been exposed to the hottest heat in the world. It was also for 200 years. Was it right to look at it like a stone?


    He burned the white phosphorus wood. Grid raised the temperature of the furnace to its maximum and threw in the fire stone without hesitation.

 Chapter 1275

    ¡°Did you eat first today? Sorry, I should¡¯ve woken up a bit earlier.¡±


    A broad smile and a rxed tone¡ªwho would¡¯ve believed that Agnus was the owner of the eyes that were warmer than the sun? The nickname of ¡®Mad Dog¡¯ might be too harsh for him.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    The doctor, Hera, watched Agnus¡¯ gentleness and shook her head. Was it normal for a human to treat the dead as a lover? He truly was as crazy as the rumors.


    ¡°...Are you going to be harassing people tonight?¡±


    A month¡ªthis was how long the doctor Hera had been captured by Agnus. Of course, she could run away at any time. She was a yer and the only thing that could bind a yer¡¯s freedom was thews of the nation and the power of certain NPCs.


    However, Hera didn¡¯t run away from Agnus. In the first week, it was because she was afraid. Later, she became interested. Why on earth did he love a rotting doll?


    In this stinking dining room, Agnus kissed the rotting cheek of a doll in a beautiful dress. Then he turned to Hera. The eyes that seemed like sunshine cooled down like mercury. ¡°You are asking something obvious. The march of the night won¡¯t stop until the only living people on thisnd are the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Three... you, me, and who else?¡± Hera asked with courage as she alternated looking between the doll staring at the ceiling with no focus and the lich hiding in the shade of a tree and carving a jewel.


    Agnus responded like it was absurd, ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    He looked like he didn¡¯t understand. Hera saw his hand on the doll¡¯s shoulder and was forced to admit it¡ªAgnus believed that the doll with the name ¡®Luna Carlin¡¯ above her head was alive. The fork, which had been in a precarious state for quite some time, fell under the table. It was the fork held in Luna Carlin¡¯s hand. The te in front of her was untouched.


    However, it looked different in Agnus¡¯ eyes. ¡°You ate everything. Then I¡¯ll get rid of it.¡±


    Agnus threw the leftovers and utensils into the trash can and turned his attention to the lich Pauld. Pauld¡¯s appearance was no different from when he was alive apart from his skin being strangely white and cold. He was an eternal youth apart from the fact that he wasn¡¯t breathing.


    Agnus asked, ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Pauld gave Agnus the ring that he had been carefully crafting over the past week. The Ring of Absurdity¡ªPauld¡¯s masterpiece that reduced the consumption of all resources was revived more brilliantly to reflect the new era. Agnus ced the beautiful, shining ring on his finger andughed. ¡°I can do even more tonight.¡±


    The night was sure toe. A cold night that subdued the divine mes soaking thisnd. Once it came, the dead would crawl out and harm the living. Every day, the number of living would decrease and the number of dead would increase.


    Agnus smiled coldly and stared at the pce in the distance. ¡°You should¡¯ve just given it to me.¡±


    ***


    cksmiths were those who touched iron filled with heat. cksmiths were never afraid of fire. However, fire to this extent...


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    Grid started to use the bellows and the reddish furnace affected the smithy. It wasn¡¯t this hot even standing in the middle of Reidan¡¯s desert. The bodies of the cksmiths behind him immediately became drenched in sweat. Someone immediately took off their clothes and threw them away. He was worried that his clothes wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the heat and would burn. The heat was this hot.


    ¡°Th...is.¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir¡ªeven he couldn¡¯t stand it and had to take a step back. He was deprived of his ability to breathe in this heated space and wanted to run out like the other cksmiths. However, he endured it and kept watching. The best mes produced by the best cksmith were imprinted in his eyes and mind. The goal of his life was reformed in this moment.


    ¡°Cough, cough...!¡± Panmir eventually couldn¡¯t stand it and left the smithy.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Grid¡¯s use of the bellows elerated even more. The furnace in front of him was an orange color and was on the verge of melting. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t stop the bellows. They were fast but regr movements. He stepped on the bellows like it was a sword dance.


    The fire stone in the furnace still had its original shape. It seemed to be ridiculing him for trying to dominate it with this much after it endured the fire dragon¡¯s breath for 200 years. The surface of the furnace started to melt, but the fire stone in the furnace was still fine. This stone was far beyond the mes. It seemed to be whispering to Grid to bring it on.


    However, Grid just smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s see who will win in the end.¡±


    There was still quite a lot of white phosphorus wood in Grid¡¯s inventory. It was a quantity that could make at least 300 items. The hundreds of firewood were poured into the furnace. It was without leaving behind a single one.


    He focused on this moment without thinking about the consequences. He was convinced this was the only way he could beat that guy. A legendary cksmith. No, it was a calction that was possible because he was a cksmith who confronted a god.


    The heat was unparalleled. The heat wasn¡¯t in the realm that a legendary cksmith could endure. At least, if Grid wasn¡¯t the Duke of Fire nor had the red phoenix¡¯s protection.


    There wouldn¡¯t be a single person who could stay in the smithy right now. The furnace exploded. It might be able to contain ultra-high heat, but it was only a work of humanity. The work of humanity couldn¡¯t endure the true heat of the white phosphorus wood grown from seeds sown by gods.


    The mes grew out of control. It moved like a tsunami that hit Grid and swallowed the entire smithy. Then the smithy exploded. The first smithy, which housed hundreds of furnaces and was thergest smithy in Reinhardt¡¯s cksmithing district, was easily reduced to ashes.


    ¡°Aack!¡±


    ¡°This... this is unbelievable!¡±


    Panmir was d to hear the voices. The cksmiths who stood across the street and watched the smithy were fortunate enough to avoid any serious injuries. It was just that the mental shock they experienced was unbearable. How big were the mes to cause the smithy to explode?


    Beep!Beep!


    Whistles rang throughout the city. The onlookers gathered around the dazed cksmiths. The security force arrived one step earlier and tried to stop them from entering the scene of the explosion, only to pause. It was due to Knight Royman¡¯smand, ¡°Stand by.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The entire area became calm like it was holding its breath. The outline of the smithy swallowed up in the mes slowly started to be seen. A building with only the skeleton left. Grid stood in the middle of the ckened ruins. The orange molten stone flowing like spring water from the furnace caught people¡¯s attention.


    Stagger.


    Grid struggled to take steps as he caught the molten stone and pulled out an anvil. He didn¡¯t use a mold as always. Hammering began in the silence. The forging and quenching processes were repeated. Every hit caused ferocious mes to appear and the molten stone gradually took shape.


    It wasn¡¯t until a few hourster that the people watching discovered the identity was a ¡®sword.¡¯ It was a long andborious task.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!Kaaang! Slowly but surely, the form became perfect. After being quenched several times, the red-hot de gradually cooled down.


    Kaaang!Kaaang!Kaaang! The mes calmed down. The fire stone finally epted Grid¡¯s touch and was transformed into a de. Then Grid started to sharpen it.


    ¡°Uh... Uwah...¡±


    ¡°Is this the work of a human being like us...?¡±


    The de that regained its light after being polished was as transparent as ss. The wavy marks created during the forging process were faintly visible, making the de more beautiful.


    ¡°...Gulp.¡±


    The cksmiths on the street had a gut feeling. Every night, they would dream of making that beautiful de with their own hands. They would dream and then feel despair every morning when they realized it was an unachievable dream.


    In the silence that continued again after the admiration, Grid poked the de with his finger and a clear sound echoed. It was a clear resonance that they would never hear again in the future. The ordinary people and cksmiths started to tremble. The tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets didn¡¯t dare to specte on the value of the work that Grid had just created.


    Then a strange voice permeated Grid¡¯s ears. It was the voice of the new sword that Grid would often hear in the future.


    -Human who made me surrender when I didn¡¯t give in to the fire dragon, even if you are far away, you are my only master.


    [The Fire Dragon Sword has beenpleted.]


    [Producing a myth rated item has permanently increased all stats by +20 and reputation throughout the continent has increased by +1,000.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The cksmiths, soldiers, knights, and even ordinary people couldn¡¯t shut their mouths. The beautiful sword that Grid had just created floated around Grid. All of a sudden, Grid swung the sword toward the sky. It was his greeting to wee the Fire Dragon Sword.


    The light sword cut through the air. The transparent Fire Dragon Sword was dyed red and a trail of red light remained as an aftereffect. The residual light caught fire. It was then transformed into a massive, ferocious me that ascended to the sky. The sky seemed to be falling.


    Grid slowly stroked the Fire Dragon Sword against the red-colored sky. ¡°Let¡¯s get along well in the future."

 Chapter 1276

    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯


    Breaking the smithy while making an item? It was a Bollywood-grade production effect. At this point, he doubted the mental state of the S.A Group¡¯s development team.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this cksmithing too scary?¡¯


    Grid was anxious when the furnace exploded.


    ¡®It is a real problem starting from the dragon scales.¡¯


    The Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon was an external by-product of the dragon¡¯s breath. It was a type of secretion. Meanwhile, the dragon scales that Grid had obtained from the Tower of Wisdom were part of the dragon¡¯s body. It was obvious that the scales were worth more than the fire stone and the difficulty of smelting would be much higher. It was easy to see just from other games.Usually, armor made of dragon scales appeared as the final item in a game. It wouldn¡¯t be much different for Satisfy.


    ¡®...I will smelt the dragon scales deep in the mountainster.¡¯


    He was worried that one city might be blown away when he smelted the scales. He had learned how to make ego items. He nned to smelt the scales directly after smelting the stone but his idea changed. It wasn¡¯t time yet. A bit more confidence in his skills was needed. It was necessary to grow to the level of cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God without using Open Potential. In other words, he needed to raise the level of the cksmithing skill he had mastered.


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯


    Several thoughts passed through Grid¡¯s mind as he used the Mysterious Cloth to block the explosion. Grid made a gamble.


    [Open Potential has been disabled.]


    [cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God Lv. 1 will return to Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill (Mastered).]


    After smelting the fire stone, Grid forcibly suppressed his potential. He wanted to improve the experience of his cksmithing skill that was blocked by the wall in order to cross the wall. This was a great opportunity. The Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon was a myth-rated material. He also somehow overcame the arduous smelting process. In many ways, even if his potential was suppressed, the new sword was likely to bepleted with a myth rating.


    ¡®It is time to fight with my original technique.¡¯


    This was a chance to go beyond the wall of the Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill. Grid judged and this was why he finished the work with his true skills.


    Ttang!Ttang!


    Finally, the molten fire stone was turned into a sword. He mixed in Greed to increase the strength and even made a handle. It was a removable handle. He would inevitably have to rely on the Pulling Device if the sword didn¡¯t have an ego. The result¡ª


    [The Fire Dragon Sword has beenpleted.]


    [Producing a myth rated item has permanently increased all stats by +20 and reputation throughout the continent has increased by +1,000.]


    It was more than he expected.


    [A total of 12 myth rated items have been produced so a hidden piece has been created.]


    [The effect of the hidden piece has exceeded the limits of the yer.]


    [The Genuine - (Fighting against the Gods) Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill (Mastered) has evolved to cksmith¡¯s Skill Comparable to a God.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Tremor.Grid shuddered as he made the 12th myth rated item and finally jumped over the wall.


    -Human who made me surrender when I didn¡¯t give in to the fire dragon, even if you are far away, you are my only master.


    The beautiful voice that Grid wouldn¡¯t be tired of listening to for 24 hours a day made Grid¡¯s heart even more excited.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get along well in the future."


    Grid swung the Fire Dragon Sword and the Breath it shot greeted the red sky. The Fire Dragon Sword responded by once again coloring the transparent sword red.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±Grid calmed his breathing and brought up the details of the Fire Dragon Sword.


    [Fire Dragon Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite


    Attack Power: 4,830


    * Releases mes rge) unconditionally during a normal attack.


    * Reduces the fire resistance of the target from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 100%.


    ¡ïPhysical damage can be converted to fire attribute magic damage.


    ¡ïThe damage of any skills ssified as the fire attribute will be doubled.


    ¡ïThere is a 5% chance ofunching the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¯ when attacking normally.


    ¡ïShares all the content and additional effects of the epics that have permeated Greed.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®False Dragon Words¡¯ is created.


    A cksmithparable to the cksmithing god, Hexetia¡ªit is a masterpiece of the cksmith, Grid, who Hexetia isn¡¯t jealous of.


    He smelted the fire stone that didn¡¯t even sumb to Fire Dragon Trauka and strengthened the de with Greed.


    Weight: 2,750


    Conditions of Use: Grid


    ¡ïThe owner of this item is permanent. It will only hover around the yer Grid and can only be used by Grid.


    It is indestructible. It can¡¯t be lost. It is non-transferable.]


    [Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath]


    [Reproduces the fire dragon¡¯s Breath.


    Deals 80,000 fixed damage to the target and an additional 500% explosion fire damage to all beings within 10 meters of the target.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    Cooldown Time: None]


    [False Dragon Words]


    [The voice of the ego reproduces the dragon¡¯s words.


    There is a high probability of binding the target. Bound targets can¡¯t move and use of movement-rted magic and skills are sealed.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.]


    [¡ï An ego item.


    The ego is in awe of the master who made it surrender after it endured the breath of the fire dragon for many years. It has pledged absolute loyalty to you. To the ego, you are a greater being than the dragon.


    * Activates an ¡®One Time Absolute Defense¡¯ when encountering a dragon race. Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    * Attack power against the dragon race is increased by 20%.


    * Every time you kill a dragon type opponent, the attack power of the Fire Dragon Sword will increase by one. (Permanently applied)]


    ¡°......¡±


    The silent Grid got goosebumps. The power of the Fire Dragon Sword that exceeded expectations gave him the chills. It was 80,000 fixed damage. From the point of view of Grid, who had long wanted a weapon that exerted a strong power on a single target, the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath was truly a wee force.


    The unfortunate thing was that the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath only worked with normal attacks. Additionally, unlike the Enlightenment Sword, it specialized in only one attribute...


    ¡®It is also a strength that it specializes in one attribute.¡¯


    A target with low fire resistance would experience a tremendous sense of helplessness in front of the Fire Dragon Sword. Even absolute beings. It happened when Grid was looking at the information of the Fire Dragon Sword...


    [Your work has been seen by the heavenly gods.]


    [It feels that it won¡¯t be long before the heavenly gods will see a ¡®Dragon Weapon.¡¯]


    [Hexetia, the god of cksmiths, is blowing a fanfare with the angels.]


    [War God Zeratul, who dreams of cutting a dragon¡¯s neck, is feeling greedy.]


    [Reba, goddess of light, is silent with a subtle expression on her face.]


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    A series of notification windows that were bad from Grid¡¯s point of view popped up. In fact, Grid didn¡¯t want to be associated with the gods. He was particrly wary of the aggressive Zeratul and the unknown Reba. Did he read Grid¡¯s heart?


    [Hexetia, the god of cksmiths, has set off firecrackers with the sparks from his nipples. The colorful firecrackers that fill the heavens have made the other gods feel resentment.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes of the gods on Grid were diverted. Thanks to this, the breathless Grid made a sheath for the Fire Dragon Sword and hung it from his waist. He looked around at the cksmiths and people on the streets and walked somewhere. The cksmiths and ordinary people unknowingly followed Grid and the procession grew.


    Grid¡¯s destination was Hexetia¡¯s Temple. Grid knelt in front of the statue of Hexetia, pulled out some steel and prayed. ¡°God of cksmiths, I have made a sword due to your divine favor.¡±


    Divinity was built up through human faith. The prayers of more people would strengthen the power of the god. The steel that Grid ced in front of the statue burned. God Hexetia epted the offering.


    On this day, faith in God Hexetia increased rapidly due to Grid¡¯s prayer. The people of the Overgeared Kingdom all admired Grid so it was natural for them to believe in the god he served. God Hexetia¡¯s power and influence became stronger and the growth of God Hexetia was the power keeping Grid safe.


    ***


    On the first night...


    ¡°Around 1,000....¡±


    Jishuka watched the dead crawling all over the city and attacking people. She didn¡¯t go out and help the people because she didn¡¯t want to expose herself to Agnus.


    The next night...


    ¡°It looks hard.¡±


    Just like the first day, Jishuka chose to wait and see. Unlike the previous day, casualties appeared in the exhausted army of the Cho Kingdom, but they endured.


    The third night...


    ¡°Guest! Guest! Please be careful!¡±


    Jishuka intercepted the undead who invaded the inn, but she wasn¡¯t involved in the external situation.


    The fourth night...


    ¡°There are no more reinforcements?¡±


    Jishuka felt anxious because the number of undead had doubledpared to the first night and the troops of Kars were gradually decreasing. Even so, she didn¡¯t go out.


    The fifth night...


    ¡°Retreat to the second floor. Block the stairs.¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight too much. In any case, they will disappear once the sky bes bright.¡±


    ¡°U-Uhh... My store... My money...¡±


    Jishuka noticed that the number of undead attacking the inn had increased rapidly. She felt that Agnus was keeping an eye on this ce. Thus, she hid herself without ying an active part.


    The sixth night...


    ¡°The family in the back has packed up and ran away as soon as morning came. Should I leave as well?¡±


    The young waiter shuddered. Many of Kars¡¯ people could no longer endure it and started to leave the city. The soldiers fought valiantly every night, but their fatigue built up and they seemed to be at their limit. However, Jishuka didn¡¯t step out. She just smiled and patted the back of the waiter. ¡°From today, sleep in this room with your mother. I will protect you.¡±


    Exactly one weekter...


    The cries of the dead echoing through the streets at night were unusually grim. Jishuka stared at the street while leaning on the terrace and her eyes shone like the sun. ¡°He is finally out.¡±


    Step, step, step.


    A green-haired man walked through the streets of a ruined city. Jishuka finally saw the back of the man with thousands of undead behind him and pulled the bowstring.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The mes that had been swallowed up by the darkness of the night were resurrected. Thousands of undead were turned to gray ash and Agnus¡¯ furious gaze focused on Jishuka.

 Chapter 1277

    The march of the undead was slow, but unceasing. Those who were stabbed by theplicated barriers set up throughout the city continued to advance and finally surrounded the pce.


    ¡°Dammit... the fire arrows? Are there any more fire arrows?¡±


    ¡°They have been exhausted due to the battle thatsted for weeks!¡±


    ¡°Groan, so many cksmiths have left... keep your formations!¡±


    Themander¡¯s orders were issued and there was the sound of drumming. However, most soldiers didn¡¯t respond. They had been fighting for weeks and couldn¡¯t rest properly during the day because they had been searching for the daoist. The traps that had been set up after discovering that the army of the dead were aiming for the royal pce started to show their value.


    The undead couldn¡¯t distinguish the traps and were buried in the pits. The soldiers moved their heavy feet, poured oil, and lit them up. Dark smoke billowed out and a terrible stench filled the area. The fires that intensified every time the clothing and bodies of the undead were burned gave hope to the soldiers.


    ¡°Ice Wave.¡±


    Then a little boy appeared in the sky and cast a strange spell. A cold wave of ice appeared and extinguished the mes of the battlefield, filling up all the traps the soldiers had worked so hard to dig.


    ¡°M-Magic without charms?¡±


    ¡°A daoist from the west! Attack him first!¡±


    The soldiers were confused and fearful of the being that appeared but the upper echelons were different. They had guessed the enemy was a foreigner from the moment they saw the zombies, not jiangshi, mixed in with the army of the dead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forgive them for invading our kingdom and insulting our people!¡±


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The Kars army and the army of the dead entered the full-scale war. The number of Kars soldiers was three times the enemy, but it should be a fierce battle because they were exhausted. However, an unexpected result urred. The Kars army started to ughter the army of undead one-sidedly. The dead weren¡¯t able to fight against the Kars soldiers one-on-one and werepletely overwhelmed by therger numbers.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Agnus¡¯ eyes twitched as he led the undead from the rear. After infiltrating Kars and waging war for a few weeks, he realized for the first time that the level of the Kars army was much higher than expected.


    ¡°Kikik... The East Continent is truly different, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Baal¡¯s Contractor turned corpses into undead and used them as limbs. In other words, the more corpses there were, the stronger it became. It was just that as the battle progressed, the number of undead decreased rather than corpses umting.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    The rising momentum of the Kars army broke through the copsing formations of the undead. Dozens of deceased people lost their heads and fell every time the weapons of the warriors on horseback swung.


    ¡°You are the culprit!¡±


    One of the generals discovered Agnus being escorted by the undead and yelled loudly while raising his axe. His other weapon, a magic sword that knocked down the undead shed like lightning toward Agnus. Just then, Agnus pped his hands and the thousands of undead on the battlefield fell like broken dolls. The general smiled when he judged that the enemy in front of him had given up on the war. Even so, his hand wielding the sword didn¡¯t stop and aimed for the enemy¡¯s neck.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The general¡¯s vision rotated once and the moon filled his eyes. The full moon, which should be scattering a divine light, was red and covered with hundreds of eyes.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    Nothing followed. The general¡¯s field of view became ck as he fell to the ground.


    ¡°General!¡±


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    The Kars army that had been in high spirits faltered. The death knight stepped over the body of the decapitated general and nced at them. Agnus¡¯ madugh echoed through the battlefield.


    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all! Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Agnus had reimed the power of domination he used to lead the thousands of undead and used it to summon three death knights and Lich Mumu, who gradually dominated the battlefield. Under the protection of Mumud, Agnus started using the three death knights to aim at the higher-ups in the Kars army. The armymand system copsed in an instant.


    Nevertheless, the soldiers resisted.


    Despite the loss of the generals and tacticians leading them, they were brave enough to cut and break the death knights¡¯ arms and legs. In the end, the three death knights reached the point where they were turned to gray ash. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. It was a new beacon of despair.


    Agnus regained control of the dominance used on the death knights and once again raised the dead who had fallen on the battlefield. The number of the dead had more than doubled. Thousands of soldiers were killed by the death knights and Lich Mumud resurrected the undead.


    "T-This is ridiculous...¡±


    An infinite power. The treachery of this demon on the battlefield made the Kars army feel despair. Just then, the cry of a bird was heard and the sky became bright like it was dawn. The hundreds of eyes on the hell moon silently watching the humans on the battlefield closed their eyes in pain.


    A rain of fire poured down. The thousands of undead that Agnus had raised through an arduous process were easily turned to gray ash. The same was true for the lover by Agnus¡¯ side.


    [The deceased you created ¡®Luna Caroline¡¯ has received great damage and is destroyed.]


    Just like Pagma¡¯s Descendant could create items and the Sword Saint could create sword skills, Baal¡¯s Contractor had a ss-specific skill to create a deceased. Unlike a normal undead, death knight, or lich, the deceased could be summoned without consuming dominance.


    It meant they could always be by his side under any circumstances. They were different from other summons that had restrictions on the number of operations. The strength of Baal¡¯s Contractor was amplified by making as many high-rated deceased as possible. However...


    ¡°Luna!¡±


    Agnus consumed this precious skill in a different direction. It was used for the pursuit of happiness without the indulgence of power. It was to pursue false happiness...


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    Luna Caroline was only rare rated. She possessed poor intelligence and had an easily damaged body. It was because the process of creating the deceased wasn¡¯t smooth and was also the result of Agnus¡¯ obsession with form, not power.


    ¡°Luna!¡±


    Luna Caroline was unable to withstand the rain of fire from the sky and burned in pain. The soldiers of the Kars army were disgusted by the sight of the monster after its false appearance was gone, but it was different for Agnus. He was experiencing the past as he embraced Luna Caroline¡¯s body.


    It ovepped with the final image of his lover who took her own life after being insulted by those bugs who deserved to die a hundred times. Agnus felt something breaking. He turned his eyes in the direction of the flying red phoenix with an expression so extremely cold that it was hard to believe he was the same man who had just been sobbing and struggling moments ago.


    A woman could be seen pulling a bow from the top of a tall building. She deserved to die a hundred times.


    ¡°Kill...! Kill that bitch!¡± Agnus shouted but he only had a handful of troops left. The number of undead, which had reached over 3,000, had fallen to the hundreds and they were being blocked by the Kars army. Lich Mumud was interrupted by the charms of the daoists personally led by the Cho King and part of his magic was blocked. The three death knights hadn¡¯t fully recovered so Agnus had only one more trump card he could believe in.


    ¡°Useless things! Get lost! Get lost!!¡±


    Agnus shouted in disgust as he recalled the dominance from the hundreds of undead and Lich Mumud. He summoned Lantier, the legendary assassin who demanded more dominance than Lich Mumud. At the same time, Lantier melted into the darkness and appeared on top of the building hundreds of meters away.


    However, Jishuka¡¯s arrows were one step faster. She had been pulling her bowstring for a long time. The nine arrows she fired in session continuously pierced between Agnus¡¯ eyebrows. His health dropped to the lowest value and his flesh melted. The unique skill of Baal¡¯s Contractor that was different from the immortality of the legends was expressed.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Agnus turned into an undead and was enraged. He made a path by magically collecting the bone fragments on the battlefield and flew on it. He entered the attack range of Jishuka, who was struggling with Lantier on the terrace, and fired magic at her.


    He could¡¯ve easily suppressed Jishuka by strengthening Lantier, but currently, Agnus couldn¡¯t make a calm judgment at all. He forgot about Satisfy¡¯s strongest air defense skill ¡®Umbre¡¯ that allowed Jishuka¡¯s arrows to be used in session. The anger from losing his lover was too great.


    Jishuka and Lantier were swept away together by Agnus¡¯ magic. The magic that made the entire inn explode broke Lantier¡¯s right arm holding the dagger. Jishuka didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. A pre-installed trap prevented Agnus from advancing and she dug into Lantier¡¯s gap to slice his neck with a dagger. Then she opened the distance again and quickly fired.


    Jishuka was being cared for by the red phoenix. Her attack that was filled with divine power inflicted great damage on Lantier, who was confused by the continuous bombardment from both sides.


    Kuack!Kuaaack!¡±This rat-like bastard!¡± The anxious Agnus cut his own ankle after Jishuka gained the upper hand against Lantier. He escaped from the trap and rushed to Jishuka. He swung a sword. Jisuka couldn¡¯t escape due to Lantier and her shoulder was cut. Her wounds quickly rotted.


    ¡°Die! I will kill you!¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯tughing. He chased after Jishuka with a face that was like a demon. Jishuka was still focusing on Lantier. She didn¡¯t care about her back as she consumed all her evasive skills to fire the Grid-made mithril arrows at Lantier.


    Kuaaack! Lantier¡ªhe might¡¯ve been reduced to a death knight, but he was still a legend. It was why Baal¡¯s previous contractor, Pagma, and Baal¡¯s current contractor, Agnus, coveted him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this gamble will work,¡± Jishuka muttered as Agnus chased her to the end and his sword pierced her chest. She smiled as she released the bowstring she was pulling. Lantier¡¯s skull was smashed.


    [You have won a battle against a legend.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Agnus stiffened as he was pushing the sword deeper into Jishuka¡¯s chest. He felt the life that had been drained due to his sword being restored.


    [A legendary archer has been born!]


    A world message appeared in the vision of Jishuka and Agnus.


    ***


    Approximately two minutes before the birth of a legendary archer...


    ¡°Grid-sama! Grid-sama!¡±


    Damian, who stayed in the Overgeared Kingdom after finishing Lord¡¯s private tutoring, came to Grid. He didn¡¯t forget the promise Grid had made before he left for Talima.


    ¡°Item...! You were going to make me an item...¡±


    He finally found Grid. Damian¡¯s face was full of excitement after finding Grid, only to immediately stiffen. He felt some anxiety when he saw the transparent sword hovering around Grid. Grid smiled brightly. ¡°You came at a good time. Please help me test the power of this weapon.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Being too durable was a crime. Damian was in tears as he started to ce all types of buffs on himself. It was the birth of the Zombie Demon King who made the world weary in the National Competition. He dered, ¡°I am different from before. Now I can¡¯t fall down easily.¡±


    One minuteter...


    Damian stretched out on the ground in the ¡®´ó¡¯ shape and stared nkly at the message that a legendary archer was born.

 Chapter 1278

    A sword that exerted great power on a single target¡ªthis was the type of second sword that Grid had dreamed of. He hoped that its position wouldn¡¯t ovep with the Enlightenment Sword. This meant the position of the Fire Dragon Sword was ambiguous. The Fire Dragon Sword was suitable for ughtering many enemies, just like the Enlightenment Sword. Therefore, Grid was a bit disappointed.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been nice to make it a greatsword.¡¯


    The fire stone was too small. Mixing more Greed would solve the problem, but if Greed¡¯s nature became too strong, he might weaken the inherent characteristics of the ¡®breath¡¯ the fire stoneunched. Therefore, he didn¡¯t attempt it randomly.


    ¡®Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    In the first ce, it was a sword that could shoot a Breath. It was no wonder that it was strong against arge group. This didn¡¯t mean it was a disappointing weapon against a single target. The effect of inflicting 80,000 fixed damage was too fraudulent.


    ¡®It is more urate to rate it as a powerful sword for both a single target and arge group.¡¯


    It was an insurmountable wall just based on the attack power alone. It was higher than the Enlightenment Sword that was enhanced to +4. Every time he defeated a dragon type opponent, the attack power was permanently increased by one. As time passed, it would be more powerful than the Enlightenment Sword. This didn¡¯t mean that the value of the Enlightenment Sword was low. The Enlightenment Sword had unique characteristics that increased the attack power of various attributes and it could continue to be used in the future.


    Grid got rid of his regrets and pulled out the ancient enhancement scroll. It was the ultimate item that enhanced the target item from +1 to +3. Grid was about to use it on the Fire Dragon Sword only to stop.


    ¡®Should I hunt the draconians and increase the attack power first before applying it?¡¯


    Or is it okay to enhance it in advance?


    ¡®Does the order matter?¡¯


    The value of enhancement in Satisfy was very high. Each weapon enhancement increased the weapon¡¯s inherent attack power by 5%. Once it reached +6, the attack power increase would rise to 7%. Thus, he had to be careful.


    ¡®It is normal when ites tomon sense that the order doesn¡¯t matter...¡¯


    However, he couldn¡¯t trust the S.A Group who liked to mess with yers.


    ¡®...I¡¯m anxious so I¡¯m going to postpone the enhancement and will hunt the dragon type opponents.¡¯


    Grid was deep in thought when he heard a jade-like voice.


    -A strong presence ising.


    The one who spoke was the Fire Dragon Sword. Unlike the God Hand¡¯s voice that was reminiscent of a middle-aged man, the Fire Dragon Sword¡¯s voice was like a beautiful woman. The God Hand escaped from the inventory and floated around him along with the Fire Dragon Sword as he discovered a person.


    Pope Damian was running in the distance. ¡°Grid-sama!¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    At this moment, Grid realized the true value of the ¡®best-rated ego¡¯. The God Hand and Fire Dragon Sword had the ability to identity and guard against targets above a certain level of power. The reason why the artificial elemental kings shivered in front of Braham was revealed.


    ¡®They recognize the strong. I won¡¯t be killed by a surprise attack in the future.¡¯


    Of course, it was unlikely that the senses of the best quality ego would be superior to a transcendent¡¯s senses. If Damian had hidden and approached Grid, then Grid would¡¯ve noticed Damian¡¯s approach before the God Hand and the Fire Dragon Sword. However, Grid¡¯s nerves weren¡¯t always in a state of tension. He could lose vignce and reveal a gap. Now he could be assured that the God Hands and Fire Dragon Sword would fill in this gap.


    ¡°Gasp gasp, item...! You were going to make me an item...¡±


    ¡®This.¡¯


    Damian¡¯s urgent cry reminded Grid of something he had forgotten. He had said he would make an item for Damian using the rewards Damian got in the National Competition.


    ¡®I forgot about it after leaving for Talima. Let¡¯s make it today.


    However, before that¡ª


    ¡°You came at a good time. Please help me test the power of this weapon.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Damian¡¯s survival ability was so high that he earned the nickname ¡¯Zombie Demon King¡¯ in the National Competition. It was amazing because it was reminiscent of a cockroach. Grid had been amazed when he saw the video.


    ¡°Be hit a few times.¡±


    There was no one better than Damian to test the power of the weapon. Damian stared nkly at Grid for a moment before starting to use buff skills on himself. He dered, ¡°I am different from before. Now I can¡¯t fall down easily.¡±


    The Goddess¡¯ Agent, Damian¡ªin some ways, his potential to connect directly with Reba, goddess of light, transcended a legend.


    ¡°Your evil eye that gets rid of buffs won¡¯t work on me anymore.¡±


    Damian prayed to the goddess every day and received a divine message in exchange for the prayer. The number of divine messages received was very small. He received around two a year, but the value of the divine message was too high to feel regretful.


    ¡°The goddess said...¡±


    A golden light that symbolized Reba wrapped around Damian.


    Oneyer, twoyers, threeyers...


    Damian spoke reverently in the midst of the light that was bright enough to blind someone, ¡°In the future, no trial will harm your protection.¡±


    It was resistance to buff removals. This was Damian¡¯s new talent. Now Damian wasn¡¯t afraid of Grid¡¯s Castration Eye.


    Increased defense, increased magic resistance and attribute resistance, increased health, increased health recovery, a percentage damage reduction, increased probability of damage being invalidated, etc. Damian wore all his buffs and faced Grid head on.


    He seemed to be provoking the ck eyes that he met. However, Grid had no intention of using the Castration Eye from the beginning. He only used one skill.


    -Quick Movements.


    It was the 20% speed boosting buff attached to the Ideal Dagger being held by the God Hand. Shunpo didn¡¯t activate. Still, Grid was fast and Damian was immediately in range.


    ¡®The probability of triggering a Breath is 5%.¡¯


    It was low. Even so, he had broken through the limitations of a yer by building up transcendence and he had Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves. Quick Movements was also activated so the number of attacks per second was around 10 times. He was fast enough to break the wall of probability.


    Damian eximed, ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me!¡±


    What was this normal attack? Damian¡¯s face stiffened and he shouted while blocking Grid¡¯s strikes with a shield. He didn¡¯t care about the waves of mes that poured out every time the sword was stabbed. The mes were hot, but it was trivial to Damian whose resistance to all attributes was over 100%. There was just one problem.


    [Fire resistance is reduced by 20%.]


    [Fire resistance is reduced by 20%.]


    [Fire resistance is reduced by 20...]


    The problem was that his fire resistance decreased every time Grid¡¯s sword touched his body. Just then, Grid¡¯s sword let out a clear resonant sound as it gradually turned red.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Damian was filled with an ominous feeling while mes burst from the tip of Grid¡¯s sword. The mes were reminiscent of a scene from mythology. It was different in scale and heat from the mes that had been fired so far.


    ¡®This?!¡¯


    A chill went down Damian¡¯s spine as a scene from the National Competition a few years ago was being reproduced in front of him¡ªit was the breath of the giant dragon that appeared while Grid and Kraugel were confronting each other. The absolute power that gave all yers a sense of helplessness. Grid had made it his own.


    Damian¡¯s vision shook violently due to the powerful shock. Despite the illusion that the earth and sky were turning off, Damian didn¡¯t give up on his shield. However, the results were terrible.


    [You have suffered too much damage.]


    [Your defense haspletely failed and you have received 27,500 damage.]


    Following the absurd notification window, there was a warning window telling him that his legendary rated shield had lost a third of its durability. This wasn¡¯t the end. Grid¡¯s attack that Damian failed to defend against was technically his stab. The aftermath of the Breath fired from Grid¡¯s sword cameter.


    [You have suffered 15,300 damage!]


    ¡®...Eh?¡¯


    His fire resistance had dropped to 40% so he was nervous, but it was surprisingly bearable. The power of the Breath reproduced by a yer was weakpared to a real dragon¡¯s Breath. It happened the moment the relieved Damian raised his shield and took out a potion to drink...


    He saw that Grid¡¯s constantly swinging sword was dyed red.


    ¡®There is no dy?¡¯


    Damian was unable to handle the power of the repeated stabs and was pushed back along with his shield.


    [Recing physical damage with fire attribute magic damage.]


    Grid made no mistakes unlike the first attack. He correctly converted the nature of the attack when the breath was triggered, The aftermath was great.


    [The target has received 45,900 damage.]


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The Breath¡¯s power rose sharply. It was a threat to even Damian, who boasted the top three defense. However, Grid¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡°I can¡¯t test it properly like this.¡±


    The shield was annoying. The moment Grid thought so, a miracle happened. He took out a goat-horned helmet, equipped it, and then stared at Damian. Then the shield fell from Damian¡¯s hand. It was the power of King¡¯s Negation to suppress egoless battle gear. Damian¡¯s shield was forcibly disarmed by Talsha.


    The Fire Dragon Sword, which had be transparent after shooting a breath, turned red again as it was recharged.


    ¡°Get hit like this.¡± A resolute voice that was full of coercion.


    Pope Damian wielded more influence than some kings, but even he couldn¡¯t disobey Grid. He was hit by the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath after losing his shield and suffered 80,000 fixed damage and 60,000 explosive fire damage. Damian was unable to bear it and fell in an ¡®´ó¡¯ shape. He lost in a spar without a chance to fight back. It took less than two minutes.


    ¡°......¡±


    No, it was 80,000 fixed damage when most yers had less than 80,000 health? It was too fraudulent.


    ¡°Goddess... give me protection that is immunity to fixed damage...¡±


    It happened as Damian was praying in a dazed state...


    [A legendary archer has been born!]


    [The Bow Saint¡¯s arrow will surely hit the target and lead it to ruin.]


    Amazing world messages popped up. Both Damian and Grid, who had been feeling guilty toward Damian, blinked with shock.


    ¡°T-This is Jishuka, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes... it seems like it.¡±


    It was a Bow Saint, not Povia¡¯s Descendant. Jishuka¡¯s feat of pioneering her own path deserved respect.


    ¡°I¡¯m motivated!¡±


    Damian had just been feeling frustrated, but now he felt a new passion.


    ¡°Huhut.¡±


    Grid was happy when he saw Damian¡¯s appearance. He felt proud.


    Damian stared nkly at Grid talking to himself and murmured, ¡°A dull person.¡±


    Then Grid told him, ¡°...Let¡¯s start the next test.¡±


    The Fire Dragon Sword floated in the air. An ego sword that moved on its own¡ªGrid wondered how far the Fire Dragon Sword could pressure Damian by itself.

 Chapter 1279

    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    [You have suffered 30,900 damage!]


    [You have died.]


    ¡°It is different from what I heard from Grid.¡±


    Just like all the former Tzedakah Guild¡¯s members, Jishuka had heard the story of Grid¡¯s ss change¡ªhe suffered all sorts of hardships before reaching the North End Cave and getting his hands on Pagma¡¯s Rare Book...


    Grid¡¯s story about obtaining the first legendary ss stimted the imagination of the Tzedakah Guild¡¯s members. Grid had to repeat the story multiple times to the colleagues who always wanted to hear it.


    ¡°Grid entered the immortal state shortly after the ss change.¡±


    Jishuka was different. She became immortal from the beginning. This allowed her to withstand Agnus¡¯ strike and fight back. The result was a defeat. Agnus was terribly strong¡ªit wasn¡¯t enough that he single-handedly pushed the army of the Cho Kingdom to the verge of copse, he didn¡¯t fall down even when hit by Fly Up!


    ¡®To be honest, he is several times stronger than me. I wouldn¡¯t have enjoyed this luck if the timing of my surprise attack had been a little bit off.¡¯


    It was effective because she aimed at the timing when Agnus had consumed all his death knights and was reviving the army of the dead. She apologized to the people and soldiers of the Cho Kingdom, but it was worth the wait.


    ¡®My ability wasn¡¯t enough to help you from the start. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    She would¡¯ve been killed if she joined the front lines from the beginning. She couldn¡¯t have survived the intense bombardment of the death knights and lich. There wouldn¡¯t have been a situation where she met Lantier.


    ¡®Such a monster is a yer like us...¡¯


    Jishuka was one of the most powerful yers out of two billion yers. Her overallbat power was within the top 10. Such a Jishuka felt a wall against Lantier, who was just one of Agnus¡¯ summons. If Agnus hadn¡¯t used his magic without caring about the target, Jishuka would¡¯ve likely been defeated by Lantier.


    Additionally, Agnus had Lich Mumud and a few more death knights. An unidentified magician boy had also joined in. It was Jishuka¡¯s judgment that Agnus alone could take on dozens of high rankers.


    ¡®He is almost at Grid¡¯s level...¡¯


    Of course, she was certain about one thing¡ªAgnus was weaker than Grid. His undead army couldn¡¯t beat Grid¡¯s army of items. She just wondered if this structure could be maintained after two or three years... Agnus¡¯ potential was too high. At the moment, Agnus didn¡¯t show many of his ss traits. The evidence was the small number of skills he usedpared to Grid.


    ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong he is.¡¯


    She was by Grid¡¯s side. The ¡®Bow Saint¡¯ Jishuka would protect Grid.


    ...Jishuka was filled with this burning desire despite being level 1. She enjoyed immortality from the beginning, unlike Grid, but her level was reset just like Grid. However, there were clear differences from Grid. She heard that Grid had experienced a constant loss of levels right after changing ss.


    [Hidden Quest ¡ïProof of Birth ¡ïis in progress.]


    Jishuka had a chance to restore her level. Proof of Birth was a six stage quest and every time one stage was cleared, dozens of lost levels would be restored. She would recover at least 350 levels if shepleted all six stages. Was it the benefit of bing a legend using her own power, unlike Grid who inherited the skills of others? Come to think of it, Kraugel¡¯s level recovery was also rtively slow.


    ¡®Did they take action because the average level of yers has increased?¡¯


    The top rankers were aiming for level 400. In this situation, restarting the game at level 1 actually meant quitting the game. Meanwhile, the rankers had an average level of 200 when Grid changed sses and reset his level, and were aiming at the mid-300s when Kraugel¡¯s level was reset. This meant that even if the level was reset to the initial stage, there was enough room to catch up.


    On the other hand, the experience required in thete 300s was different. In particr, it became hell starting from level 380, especially for Jishuka whose level had been above 380. It was too harsh for her to start at level 1 again.


    ¡®Maybe the timing of Grid and Kraugel¡¯s ss change was faster than the S.A Group predicted...¡¯


    They were truly great people. They deserved to be her goal. She was going to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Jishuka smiled pleasantly and activated irvoyance. It was the evolution of the Hawk Eyes skill. Jishuka¡¯s vision became like a satellite and captured all of Kars with one nce. All the topography and conditions of Kars were conveyed to Jishuka.


    ¡®It will take some time to get used to it.¡¯


    The new form of vision instilled some tension even for Jishuka. She gulped and watched the pce that was three kilometers ahead. She could see Agnus¡¯ dying figure as he was surrounded by the soldiers of the Cho Kingdom. It seemed to be just before the end of the undead transformation period.


    Jishuka didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. She drew back the string of the Red Phoenix Bow. The lock-on system was activated. The system kept aiming even if her aim was disturbed during the process.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    The time it took to aim at the target was dramatically reduced. Additionally, the speed at which the arrow was fired was faster. The Bow Saint¡¯s arrow was faster than a bullet and as precise as a missile. Just¡ª


    [You have dealt 135 damage to the target.]


    ¡°...Ah, no.¡±


    A legendary ss wasn¡¯t an all-rounder. Jishuka¡¯s attack power at level 1 barely dealt any damage to Agnus who had just passed the mid-300s. Still, Jishuka¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t bad. Agnus was pierced by the spears of the surviving soldiers and turned to gray ash. She was happy because she paid back the death she just suffered. At the same time, she felt anxious.


    ¡®I think he wille back again because of his personality.¡¯


    Agnus wouldn¡¯t have attacked the royal pce for no reason. He also never missed a prey. He would surelye back.


    ¡®Even so, won¡¯t Agnus need at least 10 days to gather thousands of troops again?¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to trust in his death knights alone unless he wanted to be killed.


    ¡®Until then, I will try to restore as many levels as possible and gain the Breaking Evil Arrows.


    A smile spread across Jishuka¡¯s face. For her, who dreamed of bing the supreme one since the beginning of the game, a conflict with otherpetitors was enjoyable. It was a chance to smash the opponent.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m done. How about it? Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. i like it very much. I want it to be a family heirloom.¡±


    ¡°Come back anything if you have something to ask. I¡¯m always thankful to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also always grateful...¡±


    Damian embraced the new shield and armor Grid made for him. He usually would¡¯ve been happy enough to fly, but he now left the smithy with a depressed look. The burden in his heart was too great to rejoice. He lost to a sword...


    Dammit, dammit, dammit.


    Unlike Damian, who couldn¡¯t withstand the sense of shame, Grid¡¯s expression was very bright.


    ¡®It is beyond my imagination.¡¯


    The strength of the Fire Dragon Sword was amazing. The strength of the sword who acted alone while using False Dragon Words and Breath was more powerful than the average ranker. Due to the structure of the Fire Dragon Sword, yers who weren¡¯t Grid couldn¡¯t fight the Fire Dragon Sword and win.


    The first reason was the infinite durability. yers had limited health and stamina while the sword had no such limits. It didn¡¯t get tired, wouldn¡¯t break, and continued to push the opponent, making them tired. Theck of additional stats that meant its attack power wascking was made up with the fixed damage of the breath and the effect of False Dragon Words when it came to binding the target was excellent.


    However, the greatest strength of the Fire Dragon Sword was that it only allowed Grid to be its owner. Damian judged that there was no chance of winning a long battle against the Fire Dragon Sword. He sought to suppress the Fire Dragon Sword and seeded in grabbing its handle...


    ¡¯In return, he was roasted.¡¯


    It meant that targets who fought the Fire Dragon Sword had no means to defeat the Fire Dragon Sword. It was possible to make a draw by binding it or running away with magic, but it was impossible to defeat it. First, there was Talsha and now the Fire Dragon Sword...


    Grid felt like he had won thousands of troops. He even felt confident that he could achieve a tie if he fought the 13th Great Demon Beleth again.


    ¡®By the way...¡¯


    Grid checked the time and frowned. It had been two days since the world message about the birth of the Bow Saint and Jishuka hadn¡¯t returned. He had asked when she would show the power of the Bow Saint and only received the brief answer ¡®sooner orter¡¯ in return.


    Honestly, Grid was sad. He thought she would run to him for congrattions the moment she became a legend...


    ¡®It will be very hard to start over from level 1.¡¯


    Putting aside her crush, Jishuka was a friend, a colleague, and one of the greatest powers of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was willing to level her up for a few months, yet the proud Jishuka was nning on restoring her level by herself.


    ¡®Tsk, I want to give you some support.¡¯


    She gave him a lot of help when he was in trouble but was struggling alone when she needed help. Grid sighed as he returned to the pce. He nned to go to the East Continent to replenish his white phosphorus wood.


    ¡°Gasp, gasp... Grid.¡±


    ¡°...Faker?¡±


    The shadow that protected the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªGod of Death, Faker, who had never been disheveled, abruptly showed up with an injured appearance and fell beside Grid.


    ¡°Faker! Hey! What¡¯s going on?"


    The startled Grid supported Faker. He was dying. A poison so powerful that it couldn¡¯t be detoxified was spreading through Faker¡¯s body.


    ¡°Em...¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t speak! I¡¯ll call Ruby straight away...¡±


    ¡°The emperor...¡±


    ¡°Faker!


    ¡°The emperor...¡±


    Faker couldn¡¯t speak to the end and his hands fell to the cold marble floor. Grid hugged Faker and screamed, ¡°Fakeeeeer!¡±


    Faker turned to ash. Then two secondster...


    ¡°The emperor is alive,¡± the resurrected Faker spoke as he approached Grid.


    Grid coughed with embarrassment and stood up from his spot.


    ¡°What did you say? Isn¡¯t Empress Basara originally alive." [1]


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Juander. Eclipse has him. I have a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    [1] The korean always uses the word ¡®emperor¡¯ for Basara and I used empress because I found it strange, when she is female. That¡¯s why Grid gets mixed up that Faker is talking about Basara

 Chapter 1280

    Edan¡¯s rebellion was a failure. He failed to be the emperor, failed to save his mother, and paid the price for treason with his own life. He dared to aim the sword at the emperor, his father, and was supposed to have been erased from imperial history. The empire considered it a shame to record the prince¡¯s rebellion. However, the empire couldn¡¯t erase Edan¡¯s name.


    Rather, Edan would be mentioned heavily in the future history of the empire. His rebellion had brought about too many changes. He killed the empire, changing the empire and the world.


    Yes, he killed the emperor. The former emperor Juander was killed by Edan, who carried the sword of the founding emperor Saharan on his back. Of course, Grid had been evacuated by Juander and didn¡¯t directly witness Juander¡¯s end. Nevertheless, the system had clearly stated Juander¡¯s death. The only one left in the blood-stained pce was Edan. Yet Juander was alive?


    ¡®...I thought this might be possible.¡¯


    It happened when he wanted to defeat Agnus who had been possessed by Baal. Grid had witnessed the appearance of the grandmaster and thought that Juander might still be alive. At the time, it was just unfounded spection.Now in retrospect, there was Armored Cavalryman Chensler by Juander¡¯s side. Armored Cavalryman Chensler had the form of being ¡®unable to die.¡¯ Grid couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the armored cavalryman had protected Juander.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. it isn¡¯t strange if he is alive.¡¯


    However, it was a shame. Juander¡¯sbat strength when using the red energy was among the highest in the West Continent. The individual Juander, not the emperor, was rated as one of the most powerful people on the continent. It was Juander who had such great force.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for him to have made a dramatic appearance? The chance for a great appearance was also avable recently.


    it was when the five great demons attacked. It would¡¯ve been great if he appeared when Grid was being defeated by the 13th great demon and recited the line, ¡®I will fight to save the world.¡¯ However, the news of his survival turned out to be like this. Honestly, it was ridiculous.


    Grid couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment and asked, ¡°Juander is alive? How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I found out during my ss quest to track the Lantier of the present day.¡±


    Lantier¡¯s technique left scars in the shadows. The faint traces that could be recognized by those who were well-versed in the technique remained at the entrance of the Abyss.


    Grid wondered, ¡°There is a Lantier of this present day?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You found Eclipse¡¯s base?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Eclipse was once the strongest group of assassins. They had long been lost in history. Most people thought that Eclipse no longer existed and Gridpletely disregarded Eclipse. Of course, he knew that Eclipse was being maintained. However, he treated Eclipse as a deteriorating group due to the fact that Kasim and Doran, the students of the former Lantier, were unable to properly inherit Lantier¡¯s techniques. Yet the new Lantier managed to maintain the skills necessary to secure Juander from the imperial pce?


    Faker exined to the flustered Grid, ¡°Bain¡¯s identity is Lantier.¡±


    ¡°......!¡± These words made Grid understand the situation instantly. Grid touched his forehead as he recalled Bain, who was always by Juander¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Bain fight a few times and he didn¡¯t use Lantier¡¯s techniques at all. Was he hiding his identity?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even Juander must not have known his identity.¡±


    Bain had intentionally approached Juander and would¡¯ve built up trust over the years. This way, he could stay by the emperor¡¯s side as his shadow.


    ¡°Why? What was he trying to get from the imperial pce?¡±


    ¡°Juander himself.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°In Eclipse¡¯s base, Juander¡¯s red energy is being exploited.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The red energy was a symbol of Saharan¡¯s lineage. It was a power that only the imperial family inherited and in particr, Juander¡¯s red energy was very strong. A power like a tsunami with a sun-like heat. It bound to matter and dominated over life...


    The intense power of Juander¡¯s red energy was clearly imprinted on Grid¡¯s mind. This historic power was being exploited by Eclipse?


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    Faker exined, ¡°Bain wasn¡¯t in the legitimate line of descent. He was just the right arm of the former Lantier and didn¡¯t officially learn Lantier¡¯s techniques. After the rebellion, he only learned the techniques through the records. It means that he mastered the techniques on his own, but in the process, he felt the obvious limitations and needed external energy.¡±


    ¡°...He chose red energy as that energy?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is because Lantier¡¯s technique is the power to turn the concept of shadow into matter and control it.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    ¡°It means that the match between Lantier¡¯s techniques and red energy, which increases the binding power of matter, is very good. Bain must¡¯ve approached Juander toplete Lantier¡¯s techniques. It was with the intention of taking him away if the opportunity came.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Good. All the circumstances had been identified. Grid nodded with understanding and stepped forward enthusiastically. ¡°Okay, guide me to Eclipse¡¯s base. Let¡¯s smash Eclipse together and rescue Juander.¡±


    "......¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid, who was ready to leave immediately, cocked his head. Faker simply stared at him without responding. Then he spoke to the puzzled Grid, ¡°Don¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°......???¡±


    ¡°Bain is a problem that I have to solve and my rtionship with Eclipse will lead me in a positive direction. The reason I came to you and informed you of this is to discuss Juander¡¯s treatment, not to ask for help.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    In retrospect, Faker had never asked Grid for anything. He always watched Grid¡¯s back and quietly resolved his work. It wasn¡¯t just Faker. It was the same for Jishuka, who just became a Bow Saint, and most of the other 10 meritorious retainers. Perhaps it was natural.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Faker isn¡¯t weak enough to ask me for help. Moreover, he will lose his self-esteem if I help him with his ss quest.¡¯


    On the other hand, he asked for help by summoning his knights whenever it was difficult...


    Grid felt embarrassed after realizing it. Meanwhile, Faker asked him, ¡°Do you want to save Juander?¡±


    Juander was an enemy. Before he was the enemy of Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom, he was the one who made the continent¡¯s situation worst through race discrimination and violence. Rather than a personal matter, Juander was the emperor of the Saharan Empire. It was the emperor before Basara. However, Grid...


    ¡°I want to save him. Then he will owe me a favor.¡±


    ¡°Kasim and Piaro might feel resentful if they know.¡±


    ¡°No, Juander is a man who repented over his mistakes and withdrew from history of his own free will. Piaro and Kasim can¡¯t resent him when he has already sacrificed his life and apologized.¡±


    ¡°That is wrong.¡± Someone suddenly interjected in the conversation. It was Kasim. His eyes shone in the darkness. ¡°I still resent him. I will resent him even if he dies.¡±


    ¡°...Kasim.¡±


    Were his thoughts too shallow? Kasim continued to speak to the flustered Grid, ¡°That¡¯s why I want him to survive. I want him to survive to witness Empress Basara changing the world, realize his sins desperately, and regret them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No further words were necessary. No matter the reason, Faker¡¯s hesitation was over once he learned that both Grid and Kasim wanted the emperor to survive.


    ¡°Then I will save Juander.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Grid stopped the leaving Faker.


    Faker had already failed once and died. Was it really okay to go alone? Faker read Grid¡¯s worries and gave a rare smile. ¡°I just hesitated because I couldn¡¯t decide what to do with Juander. Therefore, I revealed a gap. There is no need to worry.¡±


    Bain was clearly strong. Even if Lantier¡¯s techniques were sealed, he was considered one of the pirs of the empire. He had already reached level 400 and his true ability was likely to be close to a legend. Additionally, he had hundreds of subordinates.


    However, Faker had no doubts about his victory. It was because he had already mastered the techniques of the former Lantier, who produced outstanding characters like Kasim and Doran.


    Faker melted into the shadows and disappeared.


    Grid felt anxious and Kasim reassured him, ¡°There is no need to worry. There are only four people in the Overgeared Kingdom who are stronger than Faker. Bain isn¡¯t Faker¡¯s opponent.¡±


    Bain would be defeated by Faker and at that time, a new Lantier would be born. It was Faker, not Bain, who would be Lantier, and he would be one of the strongest Lantiers in history. Kasim was convinced.


    ¡°The second legendary assassin will be Your Majesty¡¯s shadow.¡±


    The results were proven three dayster.


    [A new Lantier has been born.]


    [A legendary assassin has been born!]


    [The dagger walking in the shadows will cause a death without any screams.]


    Someone who became Lantier became a legend and that person was Faker, not Bain.


    Deep in the night...


    ¡°...You¡¯ve taken care of me again.¡±


    The gaunt Juander and Chensler sat in front of Grid. Grid was thrilled when he saw Faker, who guided them here, melt into the shadows.


    The second legendary assassin will be Your Majesty¡¯s shadow...


    Kasim¡¯s conviction became a reality.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were alive.¡± Grid was amazed by Faker¡¯s ability to be around him without being detected. Then he rose from the throne and approached Juander. ¡°Are you going to go back to the empire?¡±


    It probably wouldn¡¯t be the case. It was as he expected...


    ¡°No, I am already dead. I won¡¯t go back to the empire again.¡±


    ¡°If so, shall we look at where Your Majesty can stay?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to owe you anything more. Juander refused Grid¡¯s favor.


    Discolored hair and a skinny body¡ªJuanderpletely lost the appearance of the former emperor whomanded the West Continent and he looked out the window with a dazed expression.


    ¡°In the future, I n to explore the continent with Chensler. I will spend the rest of my life repenting, regretting my mistakes, and watching the world that the new empress will change.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was Kasim¡¯s desire. It was also for the world. There was no ce for Juander to stand in the changing world.


    Grid had many thoughts. He realized that the being with the greatest power andbat strength in the world could be so shabby. He vowed not to be like Juander.


    ¡°Then you can go.¡± Grid opened the doors of the great hall and bowed solemnly to Juander. It wasn¡¯t a courtesy to the ruler of the earlier era, but courtesy to the person who helped him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Juander also responded politely and went out of the great hall. He looked all around the royal pce. Could he see the face of an old friend for thest time? He was full of expectations. However, he couldn¡¯t find the person and left the pce without expressing any regret. His back was neither shabby nor lonely. His new friend, Chensler, was standing by his side.


    In the shadows, Faker handed an armor to Grid, who was quietly watching the two men leave. ¡°This is Chensler¡¯s armor. He wants to give it to you.¡±


    The magic armor that attached the form of being ¡®unable to die¡¯ to the wearer. Grid read the information through Pagma¡¯s Eyes, found the secret story, and smiled. Then he pulled out the Fire Dragon Sword and burned it with the mes the sword created. The armor of rumors was nothing more than an illusion created by Chensler¡¯s loyalty. As long as Juander was alive, Chensler¡¯s form of being ¡®unable to die¡¯ would be maintained, even without his armor. He wasn¡¯t even aware of it.


    The smiling Grid suggested to Faker, ¡°Do you want to take the bus? You have gone back to level 1.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. My level can be restored with quests.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    X-ing hell. Grid¡¯s curses echoed through the royal pce at dawn.


    After this day,ments from people having trouble at hunting grounds about being helped by an unknown old man and middle-aged man started to appear on the Inte.

 Chapter 1281

    Bain dreamed of the revival of Eclipse. He tried to regain the old reputation of Eclipse, whose name terrorized and controlled the world.


    His first endeavor was to stab the back of the former Lantier, who couldn¡¯t give up on his foolish disciples. His second endeavor was to learn Lantier¡¯s skills with insufficient talent. His third endeavor was to sneak into the pce and gain the emperor¡¯s trust.


    Bain¡¯s actions were a series of hardships. Every moment was a crisis. It felt like walking on a steel wire with a huge rock on his back. He couldn¡¯t remember how many times he almost fell off the wire. However, Bain held on and moved forward little by little.


    Then he took a chance. It was the moment when Chensler was struck by the sword of the traitor, Edan, and when the rampage caused by Saharan¡¯s sword swept over both Juander and Chensler. For the first time in the decades since he infiltrated the pce, Bain used Lantier¡¯s technique and permeated the shadows.


    His hardship was at an end. He would absorb Juander¡¯s red energy andplete Lantier¡¯s techniques. He would reign as the king of darkness and rule the world!


    The precarious wire was reborn as a solid stone bridge. Bain was ovee with excitement and joy, and he was convinced that he had reached the peak of his life. He relied on the chaos caused by Edan and seeded in securing Juander. Then he immediately rushed to Eclipse¡¯s base. He detained Juander in the facility he had prepared for over 20 years and exploited the red energy.


    Slowly by steadily, he absorbed the enormous red energy into his body. Then a ghost of the former Lantier appeared.


    Unlike Bain, who had many ws because he taught himself Lantier¡¯s techniques, this person¡¯s techniques were systematic and had few gaps. This person couldn¡¯t use the advanced techniques, but thebination of destructive physical skills and gorgeous techniques were reminiscent of the former Lantier.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Kasim¡¯s disciple.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was unbelievable. At thest moment, Bain was caught by karma. It was at a rather difficult moment. It would¡¯ve been less unfair if he met this person when he wanted to give up everything!


    ¡°He...! I should¡¯ve found that guy and killed him!¡±


    The former Lantier¡¯s disciples had clear goals and were tenacious even if their talent wasn¡¯t enough. It reminded Bain of the former Lantier¡¯s argument that they would reach the peak in their respective fields. He recalled the words of the former Lantier, who said that if both disciples were elected as Lantier and cooperated, they would be more powerful than the 25th Lantier.


    No, he shouldn¡¯t be deceived by that guy¡¯s words. Bain had already denied him and betrayed him. Bain got rid of old memories with a roar and slipped into the shadows. His intention was to stab Faker¡¯s back, but Faker didn¡¯t allow it.


    He controlled the shadow and turned it into a thorny path, so that Bain had no choice but to leap out and discard the shadows. He immediately hid in another shadow and was prepared to attack when dozens of shadow daggers struck his body. It was the aftermath of the shadow he was hiding in turning into dozens of des.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    The other person¡¯s dominance over shadows far outweighed Bain¡¯s. The shadows he already controlled were taken away and a fight couldn¡¯t take ce. Additionally, the other person¡¯s speed at controlling the shadows was nearly twice as fast as Bain¡¯s. The physical abilities were also twice as high...


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The level of the body technique was different. It was different to cope when the opponent gently dodged and then counterattacked with a kick that was twice as fast and twice as strong. Through Faker, Bain was able to glimpse the huge wall he felt when he ambushed the former Lantier, but was unable to take away his life. This was a wall he wouldn¡¯t have felt if Bain hadn¡¯t been obsessed with Lantier¡¯s techniques.


    If he hadn¡¯t used Lantier¡¯s techniques and instead used his own inherent techniques to decide victory or defeat, he wouldn¡¯t have lost a lot of physical strength from using the red energy and would¡¯ve had the advantage in the battle. However, Bain made the wrong judgment. He believed he would be stronger if he used the iplete Lantier¡¯s techniques rather than his own skills. While it was true, the problem was that the other person was well-versed in Lantier¡¯s techniques.


    ¡°Do you think I will give up at this point?!¡±


    A red aura rose from Bain¡¯s body. He pulled out Juander¡¯s red energy that was not yet fully his own. The shadows around him were stained with red and Bain¡¯s shadow control speed was nearly twice as fast as before. His dominance also rose and his shadows could no longer be taken away by Faker.


    A battle where the flow couldn¡¯t be read began. In the thousands ofrge and small shadows created by theplex topography of the deep cave, Faker and Bain appeared and disappeared repeatedly, causing sparks to fly.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The expressions of Eclipse¡¯s assassins, who was kidnapped by Bain and brainwashed before they were mature, started to distort. They were calm even in the face of death. Now they were confused for the first time in ages. They had been brainwashed into believing Lantier was their master and there were now two masters in front of them.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe assassins of Eclipse couldn¡¯t distinguish between Bain and Faker. They recognized Bain as their master based on Lantier¡¯s techniques so their thinking was confused. Due to this, Bain wasn¡¯t helped by anyone.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Dozens of times? No, perhaps it was hundreds of times already. Bain and Faker crossed countless times in the shadows and ck blood gushed from their mouths. It was because they were both poisoned by Lantier¡¯s Poison, which had an irresistible curse.


    After hundreds of attacks and defenses, both were covered with small andrge wounds and their skin had darkened. From now on, it was a battle of speed. They had to quickly defeat the enemy in front of them to gain time for detoxification.


    ¡°Shadow Soldiers.¡±


    Faker struck first. He controlled thousands of shadows at the same time and turned them into soldiers with spears. The soldiers acted as a barrier for Faker and pointed their spears at Bain. It was a ce Bain hadn¡¯t reached yet. No, it was an unreachable ce for him.


    This technique that controlled arge number of soldiers at once and caused them to be soldiers was Kasim¡¯s unique technique that he made by reinterpreting Lantier¡¯s techniques. However, Bain had red energy. Red energy had the power to dominate and control matter. More than half of Faker¡¯s shadow soldiers quickly turned red.


    ¡°Shadow Soldiers! Cough!¡±


    Red energy was originally the power belonging to someone else. Bain hadn¡¯t fully gained control of the red energy and was injured. ck blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He staggered like he was about to fall. However, unlike his physical condition, the situation on the battlefield was favorable to him.


    The red shadow soldiers started to ambush Faker¡¯s shadow soldiers. The shadow soldiers aimed spears at each other. The ck shadow soldiers were first attacked by the red shadow soldiers that appeared in their formation and quickly copsed.


    Bain and Faker disappeared from the messy battlefield. They crossed the shadow soldiers calmly and reappeared while colliding in the air.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡± Bain¡¯s cry echoed loudly.


    His physical technique that gathered the shadows around his fist and threw it out had reached a level that even the former Lantier hadn¡¯t reached. He had already pushed the limits many times. Bain was certain after he felt the sensation from his arm that stretched out neatly in a straight line.


    ¡°I won!¡±


    The moment he defeated this person, he would surpass the previous Lantier. It was a huge feat that transcended his status. Bain smiled faintly.


    ¡°Greed.¡± Just then, the shadows gathered at one point were swallowed up. It was Kasim¡¯s ultimate skill that he created bybining Daluka¡¯s Methods and Lantier¡¯s Methods. It was theoretically the strongest physical force that swallowed all the things around him.


    ¡°Ku... kuaaaaaack!¡±


    Bain¡¯s entire body was swallowed up from head to toe. The irresistible pressure caused his body to crumple like a piece of paper and it ate greedily.


    ¡°Keok! Keeeeeeeok!¡±


    Terrible, bizarre noises, and screams resonated in the cave. The red shadow soldiers dominating the battlefield stopped instantly and disappeared like they were a lie.


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    Faker¡¯s Greed was at a very low levelpared to Kasim¡¯s one. It only worked on targets with less than 15% health. If Lantier¡¯s poison was a damage over time (dot) skill that dealt fixed damage instead of a dot skill that dealt percentage damage, Faker wouldn¡¯t have a chance to use Greed against Bain.


    However, Faker eventually won. He believed in Lantier¡¯s poison and predicted his victory in the fight against Bain. In the end, it was a victory due to thorough calctions.


    [You have changed sses to the legendary assassin Lantier.]


    [Your level has been reset to level 1.]


    The notification windows that he should have originally been happy about popped up. It was just that the timing was too bad.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hundreds of assassins were surrounding the helpless Faker. The assassins of Eclipse. They were the puppets Bain had raised for decades. They gazed at Faker with apathetic eyes and took a few steps closer to Faker while pulling out their daggers. Then they cut their own hands and dripped blood onto Faker¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°We pledge allegiance to the new Lantier.¡±


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker woke up from his recollections of his encounter with Bain. He saw Grid spending time with his family before leaving for the East Continent andmanded the assassins in the darkness.


    ¡°As of today, Eclipse is under the umbre of the Overgeared Shadows.¡±


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    An assassination group that existed for thousands of years¡ªthe strongest organization in history waspletely absorbed by the Overgeared Kingdom. The sinister name of Eclipse was discarded, and they were reborn with the glorious name of Overgeared Shadows.


    ¡°Why...? Assassins...¡±


    Lauel cried sadly, but Faker didn¡¯t care. The name ¡®Overgeared¡¯ was now his pride.

 Chapter 1282

    (The emergence of a new legend! Is Jishuka the identity of the Bow Saint?)


    (The Overgeared Kingdom has six legends in total...)


    (The emergence of Lantier... it is difficult to infer their identity.)


    ¡º There is a nearly 100% chance that the legendary archer is Jishuka. How many people in the world can deny that she is qualified to be a legend? On the other hand, Lantier is unknown... ¡»


    ¡º It must be Faker. He was the strongest assassin who was known as the God of Death with a normal ss. Who else can qualify to be Lantier? ¡»


    ¡º Lantier isn¡¯t a name, but the title for the leader of Eclipse. In other words, it is reasonable to assume that a yer or NPC from Eclipse has be Lantier. ¡»


    ¡º I think it is unlikely that Faker, who is active in the Overgeared Kingdom, is Lantier. ¡»


    At the Haenam branch store of Eat Spicy Jokbal...


    ¡°Why do they always do this?¡±


    Peak Sword ced three pieces of jokbal on a peri leaf and ate it with a frown. He was angered at the ignorance of the panelists who said that someone with the proud Korean lineage wasn¡¯t the legendary assassin.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal filled his empty ss with soju andughed bitterly. ¡°They don¡¯t want to believe that two legends who emerged around the same time belong to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    Out of the more than two billion yers, fewer than 10 had be legends. Most of them belonged to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°This is better. The moment it is revealed that Lantier¡¯s identity is Faker, people¡¯s feelings of deprivation will increase and they will have unnecessary hostility to the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°They can aplish it themselves. Why feel deprivation and hostility toward others?¡±


    ¡°There are people who can¡¯t achieve it through effort alone. Innate talent is also luck. It isn¡¯t strange to feel a sense of deprivation.¡±


    It was Eat Spicy Jokbal saying this. One of those ordinary people was Eat Spicy Jokbal. Eat Spicy Jokbal had recently started feeling his limitations.


    The limitations of his unique ss Dungeon Maker became prominent in the higher leveled hunting grounds. The higher the level of the hunting ground, the tougher the terrain and the more difficult it was to find a space to create a dungeon. Even if a space was found, it took time to build a dungeon. Therefore, Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t easily demonstrated.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal sighed and Peak Sword wondered, ¡°I¡¯m not a genius, but aren¡¯t I good at hunting?¡±


    ¡°You are overgeared...¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal replied reflexively before closing his mouth. He realized he was denying Peak Sword¡¯s efforts by using the word ¡®overgeared.¡¯


    Fortunately, Peak Sword wasn¡¯t offended at all. Rather, he was smiling. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m overgeared. Items exist for people like us who have our efforts denied due to the absurdity of talent and luck.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Now you should make a decision. Will you keep staying in your ambiguous position or will you join Overgeared One Guild, gain items from Grid, and enjoy the game with me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In fact, Peak Sword also felt something. He knew that a fierce wave woulde sooner orter to the Overgeared Kingdom after two legends were acquired at once. Therefore, he was taking measures in his own way.


    ¡°Right now, people aren¡¯t envious or jealous of Grid. He is so strong that they can¡¯t even be jealous. In my opinion, the Overgeared Kingdom should be like Grid. It was only by bing overwhelmingly strong that people won¡¯t dare be hostile and the Overgeared Kingdom will be safe.¡±


    p!


    Dozens of young men entered the restaurant and pped at Peak Sword¡¯s words. They were all gamers from the Korean Patriotic Society. They were the trump cards that Peak Sword prepared for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Spicy Jokbal, join us as well. Make the Overgeared Kingdom stronger together with us.¡±


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    Agnus lost Luna and stayed still for three days. He didn¡¯t go to the cemetery to resurrect the army of the dead and just stayed in a room, neither eating nor drinking.


    [You have died.]


    He starved to death. Only a very small number of yers experienced death and then suffered it again. He was forced to log out and only realized something after reconnecting to Satisfy.


    ¡°...I was crazy.¡±


    Luna was just a fake. She wasn¡¯t resurrected. In the first ce, this world wasn¡¯t reality...


    He had forgotten the facts had he known for quite some time.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Agnus looked coldly at the doctor, Hera, who approached him. Her anxious expression didn¡¯t make sense to Agnus.


    ¡°Are you stupid enough to feelpassion?¡±


    Agnus was thinking about Euphemina and Hera retorted, ¡°Why would I pity you? Didn¡¯t you hold me hostage? Didn¡¯t you say that if I ran away, you would chase me to the ends of hell and kill me? I couldn¡¯t escape because I was scared.¡±


    "Get lost. I don¡¯t need you anymore now.¡±


    A potion made from the Kunlun Ginseng¡ªit was needed to resurrect the dead so Agnus held Hera hostage, but it was no longer needed now since the Luna that Agnus wanted to resurrect didn¡¯t exist in this world.


    ¡°Oh, how nice. I understand. Then I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    One month¡ªHera had been watching Agnus for this long and honestly felt sympathetic to him. It didn¡¯t mean she felt any affection for him. She simply felt the appearance of him holding only someone dead and lovingly whispering to it was pitiful.


    She thought that it would help him regain his mind if she looked after him. However, it was a pointless worry. He was a person who had nothing to do with her in the first ce. Whether he was crazy or not, or the amount of pain he would experience in the future, it didn¡¯t matter. It had nothing to do with her.


    ¡°I will just say one thing. Don¡¯t make trouble for other people.¡±


    Hera packed her luggage and left the house without any regrets. Then silence filled the old and shabby house. It was a silence that was familiar to Agnus.


    ¡°Status Window.¡±


    How many hours passed? Agnus, who was sitting in a dazed manner, finally checked his condition. He faced the system he had avoided for a long time since Luna was created and once again realized that this was a virtual world. Level 353. It was a full four levels lower than hisst memory.


    ¡°Kik, I¡¯m quite far behind.¡±


    He looked out the window and saw the buildings. Agnus went out on the streets and witnessed all types of humans. There were many people who seemed happy. The happiness that he couldn¡¯t hold onto forever was somon on the streets.


    ¡°Kukuk... Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Agnus realized what he had to do. He recalled his encounter with Baal, who was united by evil, andughed as he went to the cemetery. There were no humans around him. He wouldn¡¯t have cared even if there were people.


    ¡°Summon the Dead.¡±


    He would first raise his level. Then he would create the strongest deceased that were iparable to Luna and spread misfortune around the world. Agnus swept away his green hair as his golden eyes stared at the city under the hill.


    ***


    ¡®I have to go ande back quickly.¡¯


    Jishuka and Faker¡ªthe two Overgeared members who got legendary sses. Thanks to this, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s power rose sharply, but Grid was full of anxiety instead of joy. It was because he had experienced Satisfy¡¯s damn system of forcing yers to understand that power came with a price.


    The stronger the Overgeared Kingdom became, the more likely it was to be a target for stronger enemies. The probability was high enough. Eclipse¡¯s secret weapon mighte to Faker to get revenge or a follower of the War God who dreamed of bing a Bow Saint could attack Jishuka. Grid was reluctant to leave when there was a chance the kingdom might be swept away by war.


    However, Grid was the only one who could obtain white phosphorus wood. He had to personally move to gain the firewood.


    ¡®Are there any legendary woodcutters?¡¯


    More people were needed in various fields. The more power he gained and the more work there was to do, the greater his regret for talents.


    ¡®In the future, I will have to actively consider my rtionship with new people.¡¯


    Currently, there were over 3,000 members in the Overgeared Guild. More than 90% of them were recruited by Lauel and the remaining 10% consisted of former members of the Tzedakah Guild and former members of the Giant Guild. It was safe to say that Grid had brought in very few of the members. Instead, Grid helped increase the number of people by recruiting named NPCs and cksmiths. It was just that their role was different from guild members andmon people. The roles of NPCs and yers were thoroughly separated.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Grid smiled as he kissed Irene¡¯s cheek. It was a bright face without any pretenses. There were no signs of anxiety or worry. Thanks to this, Irene rxed as she saw Grid off.


    ¡°Please be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to cut firewood, but I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    Grid reassured Irene once again. Then he looked back at Sticks. Sticksmented as he was called during ss. ¡°The academy students are saying bad things about me recently. The principal is always absent from ss and it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Then how about raising a disciple in earnest? Provide me with a new transportation vehicle, no, an excellent magician to take over your role. Then I won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, a disciple...¡±


    Hundreds of students at the Overgeared Academy were taking sses from Sticks. Lord also received separate training. However, none of them could be called Sticks¡¯ disciple. It was because Sticks only taught them knowledge and about elementals. He had no intention of teaching anyone the magic that symbolized himself or the secret techniques of the high elves. For him, life was almost infinite and he didn¡¯t feel the need to teach it to others.


    However, his thoughts changed at this moment. He had to answer Grid¡¯s sudden calls every day and he was very tired.


    "I understand. I am going to raise a disciple.¡± Sticks made a decision. His intentions weren¡¯t pure, but he couldn¡¯t be criticized. The person chosen as his disciple would receive the greatest fortune and blessing in the world. They were just obligated to be Grid¡¯s transportation vehicle.


    ¡°Good decision.¡±


    Sticks¡¯ determination pleased Grid. The disciple of a great sage. They would surely be a great strength. Grid was entering the magic circle of Mass Teleport when someone called out to him. ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was Piaro. Grid stopped Sticks¡¯ magic from being activated when he saw Piaro. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I will apany you.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Piaro wanted to go to the East Continent? He didn¡¯t seem interested previously? Piaro exined to the confused Grid, ¡°I need to look at the environment in which the golden walnuts are growing.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    [Golden Walnut]


    [It is also called the blessing of nature.


    It is a snack and remedy enjoyed by all nobles and royalty on the East Continent.


    Somewhere on the East Continent, there are creatures whose main food is this walnut.


    All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.


    Additionally, there is a very low probability of permanently increasing one stat by 5 points. The better you shell the walnut, the more likely it is that your stats will permanently increase.


    Weight: 0.1]


    The golden walnut was something Grid had discovered the first time he went to the East Continent. He had asked Piaro to grow it. A few years had passed and Piaro had failed to grow it. It was a headache and now Piaro seemed to be making a more aggressive attempt.


    ¡°Thanks to the Matchless Heart Technique that I learned from Your Majesty, the cultivation of the fields have risen. It seems that now it isn¡¯t impossible to reproduce the environment of the East Continent on the West Continent.¡±


    ¡°Okay,e with me.¡±


    It was nice to hear. The golden walnuts were basically a buff food, but oncebined with Grid¡¯s dexterity, they were likely to be an elixir. If golden walnuts were grown in the Overgeared Kingdom, they would be the first kingdom in history to produce elixirs.

 Chapter 1283

    It was possible for Grid to ovep the crown and the helmet. This meant he could wear one more piece of equipment than anyone else. It was being overgeared. In fact, it was possible due to the First King title effect.


    ¡®Um, it is neat.¡¯


    Grid checked his appearance in the mirror once more and smiled happily. A helmet with goat horns¡ªthe appearance reminiscent of a devil disappeared, and only a silver crown adorned his head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart.¡±


    Sticks sent a signal and Piaro and Grid stood in the magic circle. Grid nodded and the three of them disappeared without a trace.


    ***


    The East Continent¡¯s beginner area, Pangea...


    The third time Grid visited this ce, it was controlled by the army. Now it was back to being an ordinary city. Many of the abandoned houses that lost their owners were filled with new residents. The ruined roads were repaired and carriages were going back and forth.


    ¡°This is the ce that was ruled by Han Seokbong.¡±


    Piaro showed interest. He observed with interest rather than hating the unfamiliar culture found everywhere.


    ¡°What does the grain taste like?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the end, they stopped in front of the rice fields. Grid saw the rice fields that were shabbypared to Reinhardt¡¯s and smiled bitterly. "This was originally a city. A great city.¡±


    There had been tens of thousands of residents and four smithies. Those people were now living as people of the Overgeared Kingdom and were being revitalized. Outsiders lined up in order to buy the tools made by craftsmen and were cheated by Yang Fei¡¯s mouth to eat Idan¡¯s food.


    ¡®However, these days, Idan¡¯s food is edible.¡¯


    Idan had grown beyond a chief who could only make poisonous food. He was notorious for being a poison master and poisoned the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom, unexpectedly helping the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared soldiers continued to eat Idan¡¯s dishes and became resistant to poison. This allowed them to work easily in polluted spaces. It had been a hot topic when the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom destroyed the ¡®Serpent Temple¡¯ that was called hell on earth because it poisoned countless yers.


    ...At that time, Elizabeth had been stunned when arge quantity of snake skin was supplied to her workshop.


    Piaro murmured, ¡°There seems to be a very small number of troops stationed here. I¡¯m worried about security falling if it is only to this level.¡±


    ¡°It is enough. The people of the Cho Kingdom are protected by the red phoenix. If an outsider makes trouble here, then they will be smashed before the soldiers evene forward.¡±


    Grid¡¯s interpretation was reasonable, but it was wrong. Pangea was a ce that foreigners from the West Continent must pass through. It was a very important base for the Cho Kingdom. The fact that there were fewer troops stationed here showed there was a serious issue.


    In fact, the reason why Pangea¡¯s troops decreased was because they were recruited as reinforcements for the capital. However, the Cho King lied about the reason for recruiting the troops so that the people wouldn¡¯t feel anxious. They only told the people that support troops were needed for a certain celebration. Due to this, the people of Pangea were unaware of the change to the capital. They had no worries on their faces and were only filled with enthusiasm for rebuilding the city. Therefore, Grid had no doubts about the situation.


    ¡°Certainly... their physical strength is enormous.¡± Piaro found it easy to understand. In the eyes of the legendary farmer, Pangea¡¯s farmers had excellent physical strength. They weren¡¯t inferior at allpared to the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom, who were some of the strongest on the West Continent.


    ¡°There is the white phosphorus forest.¡± Grid managed to move Piaro away from the fields.¡°I want this tree to be grown in the Overgeared Kingdom. Is it possible?¡±


    Currently, Piaro¡¯s focus was on the golden walnut. However, for Grid, the urgency for white phosphorus wood was higher than the golden walnuts. He needed to visit the East Continent whenever he needed white phosphorus wood... honestly, it was a nuisance. Additionally, Grid hadn¡¯t figured out where to grow the golden walnuts. It was right to focus on the white phosphorus tree first.


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    The outside was as white as snow. Piaro was fascinated by the beauty of the white phosphorus tree and took a closer look.


    ¡°It is as white and beautiful as my wife¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°What is this firmness? It is like seeing my wife.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There is a really hot me. It reminds me of my wife when she witnesses injustices.¡±


    ¡°...Do it in moderation.¡± Grid recently heard that Beniyaru was pregnant. Grid was happy about it, but wasn¡¯t Piaro showing his affection too much?


    Piaro, whose love for his wife went beyond the extreme, woke up btedly and coughed. ¡°Hum hum, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It is good to have an excellent rtionship, but you need to adjust it to some extent. How can themander of the army be like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Piaro distinctly remembered it¡ªit was Grid hugging and kissing Irene regardless of whether the soldiers saw it or not. It wasn¡¯t just one or twice when his ears scabbed over because Grid praised Irene for three hours straight. In fact, the most recent urence was just two days ago. However, how could he say it? It was impossible toin about his king.


    ¡°Your words are right... I have to be careful in the future.¡¯


    It seemed he was too excited. The aware Piaro crouched down and examined the soil of the forest. ¡°The sand particles are very thick.¡±


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Up to now, Grid had only looked at the trees, not the forest. His purpose was to gain the white phosphorus wood so his perspective was limited.


    ¡°Coarse sand soil,¡± Piaro spoke while touching the soil and Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Coarse sand soil.It was a term Grid came across when he was working at a construction site. Coarse sand soil was the soil used on the military training ground. It came from a foreign word and it was right to call it coarse sand after it was purified.


    ¡°This is sand formed from granite weathering. It absorbs less water than normal soil. However, this sand isn¡¯t only on the surface. It has reached down to the point where the roots of the white phosphorus trees are located.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond and Piaro exined, ¡°It means it is better not to have excessive moisture when growing the white phosphorus trees.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It is natural to think this way.¡±


    The white phosphorus trees seemed cold at first because they were white like snow. However, the reality was that it was very hot. The heat caused a huge explosion the moment they were cut.


    ¡°The reason the surface is white is because salt is mixed in with the sea breeze...¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°That isn¡¯t the case. This tree grows even in areas where there is no sea.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Piaro started to think about it. At some point, he forgot to speak as he thoroughly examined the white phosphorus trees and the surrounding environment. Grid was reassured when he saw Piaro looking for answers on his own. He had faith that Piaro could grow this tree on the West Continent. It was as he expected...


    A long time passed before Piaro opened his mouth again with a very bright expression, ¡°I think I have a vague idea. There are a few saplings so let¡¯s take them with us.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Grid shouted as he saw Piaro pulling out the shovel and hand plow, but Piaro¡¯s actions were too swift.


    Grid didn¡¯t have a chance to stop him as Piaro dug at the soil around the young white phosphorus tree and extracted the roots. There was no explosion.The white phosphorus tree, which no one could collect apart from Grid, was brought out intact by Piaro.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°No... a legendary farmer is really great...¡±


    The feelings of emptiness and sadness that he felt when Piaro became a farmer had now changed. Grid even thought it was fortunate that Piaro was a farmer, not a Sword Saint. Strength wasn¡¯t the only thing that mattered in this world. At this point, it seemed good if Lord had a farmerpanion.


    ¡°Will you raise your child who will be born soon as a farmer?¡±


    Piaro¡¯s children would surely be gifted with great talent. Grid hoped that Piaro¡¯s children would stand by Lord¡¯s side. If it was a son, then as a friend, and if it was a daughter, then as a spouse. Piaro smiled and shook his head at Grid¡¯s serious question.


    "No, I will let my child make their own choices.¡±


    Piaro was born as the child of one of the empire¡¯s most famous swordsmen and he naturally walked the path of the sword, dreaming of bing the Sword Saint. Yet in the end, he became a farmer. Additionally, he had no regrets about this choice. Piaro had realized it through his own life. Parents shouldn¡¯t force dreams onto their children.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid felt the same way. He also carved out his own path. In fact, he didn¡¯t force Lord to follow his path. He had only one desire.


    ¡°If you give birth to a daughter, then let her marry Lord.¡±


    Grid wanted Piaro¡¯s daughter to be Lord¡¯spanion. He would feel relieved if Piaro¡¯s daughter was with Lord. Surprisingly, Piaro refused. ¡°That will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was an unexpected reaction. Grid thought Piaro would be happy so he was flustered when it was a refusal. Piaro was the most loyal among the loyalists. He had never disobeyed Grid even when he was ordered to protect Juander. Yet he refused this marriage?


    Piaro scratched his head and exined to the stiff Grid, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to live up to my name if I let my daughter marry a yboy who already has hundreds of lovers.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He forgot for a moment that other people valued their children just as much as he did. Grid was silent without refuting anything. Then Piaro gave him hope.


    ¡°I will give birth to a son. I will give birth to a son and raise him as the prince¡¯s loyal friend.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Uh, yes.¡±


    Yes, Grid hoped Piaro would give birth to a son by all means. Grid smiled brightly at the thought, only to suddenly be uneasy. He thought about how things had developed so far and found there was a 199.9% chance that Piaro¡¯s child was likely to be a daughter.


    ¡®...Well, there is now saying they can¡¯t be friends just because they have different genders.¡¯


    Let¡¯s leave this untilter to think about. Grid shook his head and focused on the firewood. In the meantime, Piaro collected all the white phosphorus saplings and wrapped the roots with cloth. There were over 50 saplings.


    The next day...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find the golden walnuts ntation.¡±


    Grid and Piaro achieved their first goal and left Pangea. The two of them traveled for a long time while recalling their past. Over 10 years ago, the two of them had traveled together when Grid just became the lord of Reidan. It was a memory for Grid and a nightmare for Piaro.

 Chapter 1284

    The first generation of yers who yed Satisfy the moment it opened¡ªmany of them perceived Satisfy to be simr to traditional games. They were convinced that, like with traditional games, fighting was the core concept of Satisfy and was the ultimate goal, so they chosebat sses.


    They hadn¡¯t fully understood the concept of a virtual reality beyond that of just a game and underestimated the scale of the societies that existed in this vast world known as Satisfy. As the aftermath of feeling the pain that actually apanied realbat, nearly 70% of those who chosebat sses chose an archer ss.


    This was why the first generation of yers were wronged as the ¡®weakest generation¡¯ despite having outstanding figures such as Grid, Kraugel, and Yura.


    ***


    Zibal¡ªhe was once the leader of thergest guild and he was now living apletely different life. After several incidents, he was chosen by Grandmaster Zikfrector and was active as an apostle helping with the resurrection of the seven malignant saints.


    ¡°I am getting used to life here now.¡±


    The East Continent, Xing¡ªit was a kingdom that seemed to be China in ancient times. There were many tall towers so it seemed that Dali Kingdom itself was used as the basis. It was a very different feeling from the Cho Kingdom that was a mixture of east and west cultures.


    At first, Zibal found it strange and awkward, but now he was quite ustomed to it. He had long forgotten the difort of moving around with the dopo, and the greeting method of a fist against the palm had be natural. He wasn¡¯t shocked anymore when seeing food made of centipedes and snakes. There was just one problem...


    ¡°They¡¯ve once again showed their refusal. It is annoying. Why don¡¯t we just push with force?¡±


    There was no progress in his work¡ªthe hydra was beaten by an unknown person and thanks to this, Zibal¡¯s group was able to move to the East Continent rtively easily, with their purpose being to visit the Hwan Kingdom. However, both the Cho Kingdom¡¯s royal family and Xing Kingdom¡¯s royal family were uncooperative with Zibal¡¯s group. Forget even telling them the location of the Hwan Kingdom. Every time the Hwan Kingdom was mentioned, they shuddered and closed themselves off.


    Susan¡¯s patience reached the limit after more than a month with no progress.


    ¡°In this state, we won¡¯t be able to reach the Hwan Kingdom in months or even years.¡±


    A nation founded by the disced gods¡ªthe first step in Zikfrector¡¯s grand n could only happen once they visited the Hwan Kingdom. It was just frustrating because the kings of the Cho and Xing Kingdoms didn¡¯t provide any information despite knowing the location of the Hwan Kingdom.


    Susan nervously kicked the table and gritted her teeth. ¡°We should¡¯ve used strength from the beginning. Once the two kingdoms are subdued by force, we would get the information we need on the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    The Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom were originally colonies of the Hwan Kingdom. There were traces of the Hwan Kingdom in both kingdoms. However, it seemed they recently became independent from the Hwan Kingdom and was hostile to the Hwan Kingdom. This was why the two kingdoms felt wary of Zibal¡¯s group and monitored them.


    Susan knew that their situation was very bad.


    ¡°The grandmaster told us to watch a bit more.¡±


    ¡°What is the point of watching? It is a waste of time. Zibal, you should try to convince Sir Zik. Huh? You are favored by Sir Zik.¡±


    ¡®This is why she doesn¡¯t have the grandmaster¡¯s trust.¡¯


    The reason Susan¡¯s scarred forehead turned red from time to time was because she was easily agitated. She wasn¡¯t steady, unlike the other Neo Red Knights. She was almost childishpared to her rtive, Mercedes.


    Zibal clicked his tongue and exined, ¡°The reason the grandmaster asked us to observe a bit more was to judge how the expelled gods view the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom. It isn¡¯t good if we leave a negative impression on the gods who have been driven out of both kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°Hah? Weren¡¯t the expelled gods driven out of the two kingdoms? Is that possible? Both kingdoms have strange monsters such as the red phoenix and ck tortoise as gods. Why would the expelled gods care about the two kingdoms who drove them out?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what is going on. If you are feeling frustrated, then you can ask the grandmaster yourself.¡±


    ¡°What...?! I¡¯m justining because I¡¯m frustrated! I don¡¯t doubt Sir Zik!¡±


    Susan blushed and directly left the room. Zibal was left alone and sighed.


    ¡®It is frustrating.¡¯


    In fact, Zibal¡¯s thoughts were the same as Susan. He was almost certain that the Hwan Kingdom would be hostile to the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom. In a confrontation with the Hwan Kingdom, how could the two kingdoms be fine? Furthermore, Zibal had inferred some of the situation on the East Continent through Grid¡¯s epics. It was unlikely that the expelled gods would be angry even if Zikfrector destroyed the Xing Kingdom right now.


    However, he kept to keep safety in mind and not rush into anything. It was worth noting that the Hwan Kingdom had protected the people of the Cho and Xing Kingdoms previously. They shouldn¡¯t me the grandmaster¡¯s prudence. Zibal had served the grandmaster for nearly two years and never lost anything.


    ¡®The quest this time is especially important. I have to calmly wait for the right time... Huh?¡¯


    Zibal¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he looked out the window. Yangzhou, the capital of Xing¡ªhe was amazed by a beauty who was striking even in the city center where countless people came and went.


    ¡®Jishuka?¡¯


    Zibal jumped up. The legendary archer who had recently appeared¡ªcontrary to expectations of the public, the identity of the new legend that appeared was ¡®Bow Saint¡¯ rather than ¡®Povia¡¯s Descendant.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m curious!¡¯


    Zibal hadpeted with Kraugel in his prime. He was one of the best rankers in the game. He was forced to experience bitterness several times after Grid appeared like aet and ended his dream of being the supreme one, but his blood was still hot. His desire to duel with a new legend and use it as a nutrient for development suddenly rose. There was just one thing...


    ¡®Her level should¡¯ve been reset.¡¯


    This was the case with Kraugel. Zibal hesitated for a moment, but then he ran onto the streets. It was easy to find Jishuka even with the crowd. Jishuka wore a ck cloth over her face like many noble women, but she still caught the attention of many men. Men¡¯s eyes followed her and Zibal was able to naturally follow her.


    ¡®The public opinion is that it is meager.¡¯


    The potential of a Bow Saint was evaluated as low by the rankers. Povia¡¯s performance recorded in history was far less than that of other legends and in fact, there were disadvantages with the archer ss itself. It should be noted that 43% of yers with abat ss had the archer ss.


    Archers were yed by a lot of people and whenpared to otherbat sses, there were too many weaknesses and few strengths. Ranged attacks were possible and the attack power was high¡ªexcluding these two things, it was a ss with more disadvantages such as being weak in melee, having a weak defense, and dys in attacking. They yed an easy role in team battles but were very weak in 1v1.


    Of course, Jishuka was an exception. Even so, the reality was that her win rate was low when fighting rankers of the same level with other sses.


    ¡®Shall I see what it is like?¡¯


    Jishuka moved to a ce with few people. She went to the bamboo forest outside the walls and stood in front of a shabby shrine.


    ¡®Is she on a quest?¡¯


    The sign of this shrine had the word ¡®bow¡¯ engraved on it. It was easy to guess that it was a shrine for someone who shot a bow well. Zibal watched from a distance without disturbing Jishuka. His purpose was pure. He just wanted to see the skills of a Bow Saint. He had no intention of maliciously attacking Jishuka or being hostile to her.


    Jingle. It was around five minutes after Jishuka entered the shrine. A clear bell rang. The location was from the south of the shrine. The distance was around 350 meters.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s eyes widened. The moment the bell rang, an arrow was fired from the shrine and struck the bell that had just made a sound. ¡®Is it possible to have such uracy with that speed?¡¯


    Hundreds of bamboo trees stood between the shrine and the location of the bell, yet the arrow fired from the shrine flew through the gaps in the trees and urately shot the bell 350 meters away. It was just three seconds after the bell rang. The moment the sound was heard, the person grasped the location of the bell and aimed at it in less than a second. This archery was unbelievable to see.


    ¡®If it is Jishuka who shot that arrow...¡¯


    If so, it was clear that Jishuka would be even more unrestricted in a melee. Archers were vulnerable to closebat because it took time to ce the arrow on the string and aim their bows. It was virtually impossible to cope with iing attacks and fight back. Unlike archers in 2D and 3D games, moving shots were extremely difficult.


    Jishuka, who developed her agility stat in an abnormal manner, seeded in implementing a moving shot that used ¡®speed¡¯ and ¡®evasion¡¯ but she shot one arrow for every two steps on average. This meant that if an opponent approached her and wielded the weapon two or more times, she could barely counterattack once.


    Now the story seemed to have changed. Based on these reflexes, she could fire one or two arrows instantly instead of every two steps.


    Jingle.


    There was a new bell sound. This time, it was from the north of the shrine. The distance was around 400 meters.


    Chaaeng!


    Next was the east side of the shrine. The distance was 500 meters.


    Chaaeng!


    ¡®...Crazy.¡¯


    40 seconds¡ªin just 40 seconds, seven bells rang in the forest and Jishuka shot all of them. At the very end, the final bell was exactly 900 meters away.


    ¡®The arrow¡¯s power has grown stronger.¡¯


    Zibal couldn¡¯t help gulping as he stared at the entrance of the shrine.


    Step. Footsteps could be heard in the silence. It was a sign that Jishuka was about to emerge from the shrine. Zibal thought it would be like this. However, the sound of footsteps was actually a deception and three silently fired arrows struck Zibal¡¯s shoulders and chest.


    ¡°Keuk...?¡±


    Zibal, who used to be second in the unified rankings, hadpleted all sorts of quests under the grandmaster and surpassed level 380, yet he was hit by Jishuka¡¯s attacks after her level was reset and even lost health. Smiling as she came out of the shrine, Jishuka¡¯s voice entered the ears of the flustered Zibal, ¡°I don¡¯t like stalkers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I secretly followed you. I just...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to fight? I also feel the same.¡±


    ¡®So suddenly?¡¯


    Zibal¡¯s face was filled with shock. It was due to the rain of fire falling from the sky. It was like spraying paint on paper. Jishuka was easily able to fire arge number of arrows to dominate the field.


    ***


    The value of the golden walnuts was very high. It was a precious elixir eaten by the royal families of the East Continent. The method of growing the golden walnuts and the origin were naturally advanced information. An average person could never discover where the golden walnuts came from.


    However, Grid had an informationwork. It was also a huge one.


    ¡°It is Xing. I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid was informed of this information after drinking tea with the king of the Cho Kingdom himself. He headed out of the castle without any dy.


    The king of Xing would also be favorable to Grid so his heart was very light.

 Chapter 1285

    Times had changed¡ªit was nowmon to see yers on the East Continent.


    ¡°......¡±


    Bubat had also moved to the East Continent. It wasn¡¯t just him. It was many of the rankers who visited the East Continent due to the Call of the Heavens quest. It might be different if they had established their own power in the West Continent, but there was no reason to refuse living on the East Continent which provided more hunting grounds and quests.


    ¡°...It is before the storm.¡±


    A master ofbat who could neutralize anyone he fought with at least once. Bubat boasted a huge bull-like figure and murmured with a ferocious expression. His gaze was fixed on the red carpeted floor. He was recognized for his merits and skills in Chiaotzu and obtained a noble title. Even so, he didn¡¯t dare raise his head in front of the Xing King because of his low rank.


    In the great hall where hundreds of ministers were gathered, Bubat¡¯s location was thest ce. It was the furthest ce away from the throne.


    ¡°It is too sinister and I can¡¯t sleep,¡± the king, who had been silent since convening the meeting, spoke for the first time.


    The golden cloth embroidered with the ck tortoise looked shabby instead of gorgeous today. It was probably because it resembled theplexion of the Xing King, who was anxious.


    ¡°Thanks to the help of the distinguished people, we have recovered the forgotten ancient god and became independent from the Hwan Kingdom. I have vowed that I will forget the Hwan Kingdom and strive for peace in the future, but uninvited visitors from a strange ce keep bringing up these disgusting memories. Their intentions are impure and will harm the kingdom, so we need to discuss countermeasures.¡±


    It was about Zibal¡¯s group.


    Their group appeared a month ago and repeatedly asked the Xing people about the Hwan Kingdom, shaking public sentiment. They said their purpose was simple. They wanted to be guided to the location of the Hwan Kingdom. This couldn¡¯t happen. Xing was currently under the care of the ck tortoise. The barrier prevented the fake gods (yangbans) from entering, but an absolute condition was needed to maintain this effect¡ªforgetting the fake gods.


    The people of Xing shouldn¡¯t mention them, nor should they be reminded of them. Just as the ck tortoise was forgotten for many years, it was only by forgetting the yangbans that their divinity would be weakened and the ck tortoise be strengthened.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that stories of the Hwan Kingdom and the yangbans will circte through the Xing Kingdom due to these uninvited guests. Then the protection of God ck Tortoise will be weakened. How can we calm down this situation?¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    There was a dark shadow on the faces of the ministers. No one offered a solution. Bubat¡¯s stomach was burning.


    ¡®What is there to worry about? Isn¡¯t it simple if they are banished?¡¯


    The reason why Bubat felt the current atmosphere was the eve of the storm was because he anticipated a bloody battle to ur soon. He couldn¡¯t imagine that the king and the ministers would be trembling because of Zibal¡¯s group of less than 20 people. Why couldn¡¯t theye up with a simple solution to expel or eliminate Zibal¡¯s group?


    Bubat was frustrated, but he first watched the situation. Five minutes passed, then 10 minutes. There was no progress in the meeting and he finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He opened his mouth, ¡°Excuse me, isn¡¯t this a problem that can simply be solved by driving them out?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen such a rude person?!¡±


    Thest ce Bubat dared to talk and the ministers scolded him. A nobleman standing next to Bubat poked him in the ribs and shook his head. Nevertheless, Bubat didn¡¯t stop. Rather, he raised his head and stared straight at the king.


    ¡°If they refuse to leave, I think it is right to use force and execute them.¡±


    Bubat had decided to live in Xing. He would do his best for the ideals that he had chosen. He couldn¡¯t just watch this outrageous situation. He couldn¡¯t watch such a pathetic situation every time. In the midst of the tumultuous atmosphere, Bubat stared steadily at the king. The king looked downward at him with slightly wide eyes and smiled lightly as he descended.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You haven¡¯t met many yangbans so you stillck insight. Therefore, you are fundamentally misunderstanding what is going on.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Insight? Misunderstanding? The Xing King exined to Bubat, who was shaking his head, ¡°Among the uninvited guests, there is an absolutely strong one we can¡¯t face. It is a suicide act to confront him with force. All of Xing would be destroyed.¡±


    For decades, the Xing King and his ministers had been dominated by the yangbans. Serving the yangban had given the king a type of sixth sense to perceive the strong. Therefore, he could see it. The man with anguid expression who was at the rear of the uninvited guests... he was a monster.


    A monster who transcended most of the yangbans. The king saw this person from a distance and though a god of war had descended.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Bubat finally grasped the situation and closed his mouth. There was a presence on Zibal¡¯s side that was powerful enough to destroy the Xing Kingdom, which wasparable to many kingdoms in the West Continent?


    ¡®Did Zibal also get a legend as apanion, just like Grid got Braham?¡¯


    Bubat had to think like this. It was because only a few yers knew about the existence of the grandmaster.


    ***


    ¡®Amazing... I wouldn¡¯t be able to win if our levels were equal.¡¯


    Melee sses had at least one stun skill. Once they approached the target and hit the target with the skill, there was a very high probability of stunning the target. At this time, it was possible to inflict a fatal injury. The problem was that the skill had to hit. There was no chance of a stun if the skill itself missed.


    The Bow Saint Jishuka...


    Tadat!Tak.


    She avoided all of Zibal¡¯s attacks with feather-light movements. She continued to step back while maintaining this favorable gap. It would¡¯ve been a boring pursuit if she just dodged. Every time Jishuka opened the gap, she fired an arrow at the same time. This caused Zibal to umte damage.


    The archer, the weakest ss in meleebat, had surprisingly evolved into a counter for melee sses. Zibal became a hedgehog throughout the battle. He finally drove her to a corner and pointed his sword at Jishuka¡¯s chin before lowering it.


    ¡°Hah... I lost.¡±


    At present, Jishuka¡¯s level was reset. For some reason, her arrows hurt a lot, but she was only around level 30. It was natural to win against her now. Zibal had to assume that he would lose if he and Jishuka¡¯s levels were the same.


    ¡°If your level was over 300, then I would¡¯ve died before driving you into the corner.¡±


    ¡°It might not necessarily be the case if you summon the magic machine.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you actually being considerate to others?¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for Agnus, Jishuka would be the one with the nickname of ¡®Mad Dog.¡¯ Jishuka¡¯s character was vicious to this extent. It was far from delicate. Zibal recalled the troubles he encountered every time he met Jishuka of the Tzedakah Guild on a hunting ground and thought it was absurd. Jishuka just crossed her arms and smiled.


    ¡°My personality has changed a bit while studying Grid¡¯s tastes.¡±


    ¡°Jishuka changed because of a man...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In fact, Zibal was famous for being crazy. He was arrogant and earned the nickname ¡®Prince of the United States¡¯ after he gained great power and wealth by reaching the second ce in the unified rankings. However, that was all old news. Zibal had realized his inadequacies and devoted himself to moving forward. He was now ashamed of his past self.


    He pulled out an arrow embedded in his armor and shook hands with JIshuka. ¡°By the way, congrattions. You have be a legend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It was apetitive rtionship at first and then it was a bad one. Jishuka and Zibal had known each other for the past six years. There were times when they ndered each other on TV. However, they had gone through so much. Just as times changed, so had their thinking and personality. An urate statement might be that they had grown up.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. I am busy with quests.¡±


    ¡°Yes, go well.¡±


    Jishuka turned around first and Zibal wanted to see her off. The emergence of the grandmaster, who blocked Jishuka¡¯s path, waspletely different from Zibal¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°.......?!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened. She turned around and a tall man stood in front of her. Jishuka knew the name ¡®Zikfrector¡¯ that was floating above the head of the man who seemed skinny, but had shoulders as wide as Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°The grandmaster...!¡±


    Grid had said it¡ªthe grandmaster was an avatar of the seven malignant saints and the dark mastermind behind the empire. He was recognized as the strongest NPC by Chairman Lim Cheolho. It meant he was greater than Braham and Piaro, who was in a realm beyond imagination. Jishuka was nervous that such a person suddenly appeared in front of her without any warning.


    ¡°...Interesting.¡±


    The grandmaster, who looked like he would fall asleep at any moment, caught Jishuka¡¯s gaze and seemed to wake up from a slumber. It was an offensive, tant gaze. Jishuka clenched her fists and the grandmaster murmured, ¡°A human who embraces the Breaking Evil Arrow.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Jishuka was astonished. The arrow she got from the shrine a little while ago was different from her expectations¡ªit was actually a ¡®resource¡¯ simr to the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy or the Sword Saint¡¯s sword energy. However, the grandmaster saw through it instantly.


    The grandmaster¡¯s gaze swept over the frozen Jishuka and he whispered, ¡°You should be wary of the Martial God.¡±


    ***


    At the gate of Yangzhou¡¯s outer city...


    Whisper whisper.


    People from all over the kingdom were whispering. Silver hair and white skin that seemed like it hadn¡¯t seen the sun once¡ªshe was like a princess described in the fairy tales of the West Continent. The exotic beauty that made people feel this way attracted people¡¯s attention. She was so delicate that she barely managed to support her body with a dark sword. She looked like she would fall down at any moment.


    ¡°Why...¡±


    Clear blue eyes filled with resentment¡ªthe silver-haired beauty gritted her teeth and shouted at the middle-aged man standing next to her, ¡°How many times do you have to fight? Dammit! Do you intend to kill people?!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Unlike her elegant appearance, her voice was loud and her tone, rough. The silver-haired beauty who made people doubt their ears was Grid. That¡¯s right¡ªit was Grid disguised as Irene. From Pangea to Yangzhou, he had fought against Piaro a total of 19 times in a week. He was really going crazy.


    ¡°No, why don¡¯t you know how to act in moderation? My stamina has run out from a week of this. I can¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I was too excited by Your Majesty¡¯s new weapon.¡±


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    From the beginning, Piaro liked fighting against the strong. He was the so-called battle fanatic. Yes, fanatic. It meant he was crazy. Piaro waspletely immersed in Grid, whose weapon moved by itself and shot the breath of a fire dragon. Additionally, there was the God Hand with an advanced intelligence on the level of a genius. Eventually, he reached the point of applying for a duel with Grid and at first, Grid was happy to ept as he also wanted to gauge his current level.


    However, this was a mistake¡ªPiaro was fascinated by the extremely difficult duel that he had never experienced before and half lost his mind. He became dissatisfied with a single duel and relentlessly pursued more duels with Grid. Grid had been exhausted for the past week and felt more pain and horror than when he fought Garam.


    As Piaro grew at a terrifying pace, the duels became more frequent and more and more of Grid¡¯s weaknesses were being targeted and attacked. Therefore, he was both physically and mentally exhausted. Thanks to this, he could now handle Talsha and the Fire Dragon Sword properly. It could be called a huge harvest, but it was a very difficult schedule. It was to the extent where he never wanted to experience it again.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough to extract a mineral from a dragon¡¯sir. Now I have to worry about a team kill... Groan, my life.¡±


    Grid finally sat down as he had no more stamina left to stand. Piaro saw Grid opening his legs without paying any attention to his surroundings and coughed. ¡°Are you really going to meet the king as you are now?¡±


    ¡°Uh. Didn¡¯t I tell you? I am going to make Irene be deified and then build her fame. I¡¯ll be in Irene¡¯s form until the end of this activity.¡±


    It was a political n to use the identity of the ¡®Overgeared Queen.¡¯ If the Xing King was informed that she was sent by Overgeared King Grid, then Irene would be weed.


    Piaro urged Grid, ¡°I think it is better to change your clothes first, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah... Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t good to wear a dress¡ªfirstly, the strange wind blowing at his crotch felt weird, and secondly, it restricted his body¡¯s movement too much. Grid was unaware that his legs were spread open. He saw the men around him, who seemed like they wanted to eat him, and carefully brought his legs close together.

 Chapter 1286

    ¡°Were you nervous?¡±


    The grandmaster was taciturn. After talking about how he failed to save humanity and received the stigma of the seven malignant saints, he had never brought up a private story. Such a being bringing it up first was luck. It was the precursor to a full-fledged quest.


    Zibal calmed his excitement and responded politely, ¡°I am fine. I waited and believed that Master would give instructions at a good time.¡±


    The reason for Zibal¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t just because he was conscious about affinity. It was respect for the forgotten old hero who fought against the gods to protect humanity and was preparing to fight again.


    ¡°In fact, I wanted to avoid futile killing. I felt like I would lose myself in the past the moment I hurt peoplepletely unrted to my purpose. I was afraid that the stigma of the ugly gods would really stigmatize me and make me wicked.¡±


    It was on the way back to the inn. Grandmaster Zikfrector walked against the backdrop of the sunset and quietly looked at his hands. His hands were dyed with the red light of the sunset and seemed blood-soaked. ¡°Then I realized. There is already a lot of blood on my hands.¡±


    Saharan¡¯s sword, which caused tens of thousands of deaths in the process of founding the empire, was given to Saharan by Zikfrector himself. Many of the wars that the empire fought was the imperial family¡¯s response to Zikfrector¡¯s desire to cross the Red Sea to the East Continent. In order to punish the imperial family for forgetting their promises over the years, Zikfrector gave a child the sword to defeat his father. The blood that Zikfrector had shed in the name of resurrecting the seven malignant saints and punishing the false gods had reached an irreversible point.


    ¡°There is no reason for me to hesitate anymore.¡±


    He might hear the ridicule of the gods, but he had already crossed the river. It was irreversible and he had no choice but to move forward. To achieve his purpose, he must be evil. Instead of erasing the seven malignant saints from the world and regaining the honor of the good men, he would be evil.


    ¡°I have alreadymanded the other apostles. By now, Yangzhou¡¯s pce must be burning. We will stay here to stop the king¡¯s retreat.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Zibal nodded after confirming that the quest had changed from ¡®Whereabouts of the Expelled Gods¡¯ to ¡®6th Evil Zik¡¯s Resolution.¡¯ In the end, he wasn¡¯t disappointed by Zikfrector¡¯s choice to resolve everything using force.


    ¡®This was the Xing King¡¯s judgment. The grandmaster gave him a chance, but he didn¡¯t yield.¡¯


    Sigh...


    There was tension in Zibal¡¯s expression as he took a deep breath. The Xing royal guards, who he witnessed a few weeks ago, were elites with an average level of 360. The grandmaster was here, but he might be beaten if he was careless.


    ***


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t you listen to me?¡±


    Her smiling face represented her mood. Susan was happy enough to fly away as she crossed the walls and broke into the pce. She felt a sense of liberation after a month of unconvincing work.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t ask for money like thieves. We just wanted to know the location of the Hwan Kingdom. Why did you act like it was a difficult request and refused? Are all people in the east like you?¡±


    The helmet of thest soldier guarding the entrance of the pce became crooked. It was due to Susan striking it with the handle of her sword. The smile on her face didn¡¯t disappear despite the ughter of hundreds of soldiers.


    ¡®...She is deaf.¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t a human with a normal mindset. The captain of the guards judged the situation and whispered to the king, ¡°It seems that the unknown transcendent hasn¡¯te along. It is best to take refuge before he arrives and things be more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he blocking the retreat path?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to imagine that he has found a secret passage that has been handed down through the royal family for hundreds of years.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The captain of the guards was the person responsible for the king¡¯s safety. His judgment shouldn¡¯t be questioned. The king nodded and obediently rose from the throne and the smiling Susan cried out, ¡°Where are you running to? Tell me the location of the Hwan Kingdom!¡±


    Grandmaster Zikfrector wasn¡¯t just hundreds of years old. He was from before the world was destroyed once due to the agreement of the gods. Therefore, he was an ancient person who existed before humans of this era were born. His abilities used concepts that humans of this day could never understand and Susan had learned some of them.


    In response to Susan¡¯s anger, ancient runes emerged and rotated around her like sharp des.


    ¡°Heiro!¡±


    They fired in response to her order. It was reminiscent of Chain Lightning, but it boasted a performance beyond that of Chain Lightning in both range and power. It controlled the entire pce and temporarily paralyzed the body of the king and the guards.


    The guard captain¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®The charms that block magic aren¡¯t working?¡¯


    This was a ce where the king of this kingdom lived. They couldn¡¯t bex in defenses when unknown foreigners were threatening the kingdom. They used a huge budget to install amulets thatpletely blocked the magic of the east and west all over the pce.


    Yet it was all useless?


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The guard captain was stunned for a moment before snorting and getting up. He swung his guandao like he wanted to stop Susan¡¯s attack. He aimed the guandao and Susan turned around as she shouted, ¡°Keuk...! You dare to do such a lowly thing!¡±


    It was to her, who was once a knight of the Saharan Empire. Trying to throw her, an apostle chosen by the grandmaster to the ground!


    Susan¡¯s scar on her forehead turned red as she used a shield to block the guandao flying at her. It was just that her imperfect posture couldn¡¯t support the great weight and her small body flew back a few meters. In the gap, the guard captain pulled back his bowstring.


    ¡®She is still trying to save face?¡¯


    A little while ago, Susan could¡¯ve rolled her entire body to dodge the attack. In other words, if she rolled on the ground then she would¡¯ve dodged the guard captain¡¯s attack without the shock. However, she used a shield to absorb the shock and revealed a gap. She had such high pride that she could be called a fool. An arrow struck Susan¡¯s shoulder as she was raising her body.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Susan frowned and fell to the ground. The guard captain and the king used this chance to run with full force to leave the pce.


    ¡°Catch...! Catch them!¡± Susan screamed with fiery eyes, but no one came out.


    Her associates were tied up by the hundreds of guards and were fighting for their lives. In the first ce, she wasn¡¯t in a position to shout.


    ¡°Susan! We can¡¯t afford to miss it just because you can¡¯t handle it!¡±


    The grandmaster had given an order. Learn the location of the Hwan Kingdom. Hismand must be fulfilled.


    ¡°Heiro!¡±


    The ancient runes floated into the air and were absorbed in Susan¡¯s legs. Shortly thereafter, Susan broke through the emergency exit that was 80 meters away in just one second. She followed the guard captain and king running down a dark corridor and swung her sword.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The guard captain looked disbelieving as he was cut in the back. He witnessed a speed that transcended the limits of the human species and there was no sense of reality at all.


    ¡°Hah... Hah... Tell me.¡±


    Susan was from a side branch of the Vaintz family, one of the most prestigious in the Saharan Empire. Unlike the direct descendant Mercedes, she didn¡¯t enjoy the luxury of receiving the family secrets. Nevertheless, she received a thoroughly elite education from a young age.


    Her swordsmanship was sharp and as strong as steel. She quickly recovered from the side effects caused by transcending the limits of a human with the ancient rune technique. Then she pointed her sword at the king¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Now, tell me. Where is the Hwan Kingdom?¡±


    Why make things so difficult when it was just saying a few words? Susan was frustrated because she couldn¡¯t understand. The king saw her furious gaze and slowly opened her mouth, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. The moment I answer your question, the ck tortoise¡¯ protection will copse and Xing will be a ruin.¡±


    It was an act of acknowledging the Hwan Kingdom if he informed outsiders who hadn¡¯t seen them about the Hwan Kingdom and the yangbans. Rather than forgetting them, it was promoting the existence of the Hwan Kingdom and the yangbans, contributing to their divinity.


    Of course, Susan didn¡¯t understand this. No, she would¡¯ve ignored it even if she understood. She didn¡¯t care about the circumstances of others.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s see how long you can endure.¡±


    Susan smiled and stabbed her sword at the king¡¯s chest. She deliberately avoided a vital spot. It was just a loss if she killed a valuable hostage from the beginning.


    ¡°....!?¡±


    Susan stepped back in a startled manner. The moment she shoved the sword at the king¡¯s chest, the king moved his hand quietly and his dagger aimed at her heart. If she had avoided it one stepter, there would¡¯ve been a hole in her chest.


    ¡°I have also learned martial arts for self-defense. I will not be hurt so easily.¡±


    The king had a style of fighting that couldn¡¯t be seen on the West Continent and watched Susan with a serene gaze. Susan had a gut feeling.


    ¡®He is strong?¡¯


    At the minimum, he was a single digit Red Knight. It seemed to be around the same level as the old Seven Dukes. Still, in the end, it was just this much.


    ¡°Cute.¡±


    Her surprise was only temporary. Susan snorted and pulled out another sword. She held two swords and became iparably more powerful than before. She revealed the power of the Neo Vaintz-style swordsmanship that the grandmaster himself had personally enhanced.


    The king¡¯s expression filled with surprise before copsing. It was because he saw Susan¡¯spanions running down the corridor behind her. It was the moment when hope disappeared. Then...


    ¡°The queen of the Overgeared Kingdom is entering.¡±


    The voice of a middle-aged man echoed through the corridor. A new person appeared. Her beautiful silver hair was tied upfortably and she wore pants under her dress. It was an outfit reminiscent of the teenagers on the street. Nevertheless, she was dignified. It was due to her noble appearance...


    ¡°Hey. I am Irene, queen of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Suan¡¯s group and the Xing King doubted their ears and stiffened for a moment. The tone was too frivolous to be called the queen of a kingdom... no, it wasn¡¯t just at the level of being frivolous. Did she btedly see the reaction of the flustered people? The silver-haired beauty smiled awkwardly and spoke again, ¡°I am Queen Irene of the Overgeared Kingdom. It is nice to meet you, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Catch her..!¡±


    For Susan¡¯s group, the tone or identity of the silver-haired beauty weren¡¯t important. They didn¡¯t want her to disturb this moment. First of all, they decided it was better to carry out theter work after capturing this uninvited guest. They couldn¡¯t waste time. Anyone from the Neo Red Knights would be able to subdue such a delicate woman in just one second.


    However, the situation turned out differently from what they expected.


    ¡°Where are you touching?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The silver-haired beauty who identified herself as the queen of the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªshe cut the neck of a Neo Red Knight who dared to ce a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Do you have wicked thoughts?¡±


    The Neo Red Knight copsed with blood bubbles due to his throat being cut. Then the silver-haired woman¡¯s knee struck the face of the man who attempted to use the power of the runes. A merciless blow solely focused on killing...


    It was a really terrible sight. However, the sentiment that came to Susan and the Xing King¡¯s mind was ¡®beautiful.¡¯ It was because the ends of the flowing silver hair turned red from the scattered blood, creating the illusion of petals blooming.


    ¡°Xing King, I¡¯ll help you first. Hum hum, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Nod nod.


    The soulless Xing King simply nodded.


    ¡°This girl! What is your identity?¡±


    Susan¡¯s priority had changed. She was swinging her twin swords when the silver-haired beauty¡¯s murmur permeated her ears.


    ¡°Who is calling my wife a girl? You are the girl.¡±


    ¡°....!?¡±


    It was the moment when Susan got close to the silver-haired beauty with her colleagues behind her. Susan doubted her eyes. It was because the sword held in the hands of the silver-haired beauty suddenly turned red. The hot fire that it emitted gave Susan a warning.


    ¡®Dangerous!¡¯


    The long corridor of the pce was burned.


    <strong>TL Note: </strong><strong>For those who haven¡¯t seen the post I made, I have changed War God Zeratul to Martial God Zeratul. This will also apply to Chiyou as well. People have been wondering why. The reason for making this change is at the beginning when I first tranted it, there wasn¡¯t really a description of Zeratul and I picked the trantion out of several options that I thought fit best. However, as chapters progressed and Zeratul became more involved in the story, it became clear that the word ¡¯war¡¯ doesn¡¯t really fit the role he ys as a god e.g. all his followers wishing to reach the peak of martial artsbat skills, rather than anything involved in wars/armies like Ares. I have been reluctant to change established terms, which is why I¡¯ve kept it so far. However, as the story is progressing and the gods are bing more involved with more things being revealed, I feel the need to change it so that it makes more sense in terms of the story.</strong>

 Chapter 1287

    Susan was full of talent and enthusiasm. She just had bad luck. If only she was born in the main family. If she hadpeted on the same footing as Mercedes, then she would¡¯ve been ahead of Mercedes.


    ¡°Heiro!¡±


    Susan had been bothered for years. Mercedes and the traitor Piaro who were sent away by the former emperor. It was ridiculous that the two of them, who had as many shorings as their skills, were pretending to be great powers in a small kingdom.


    The mes from the woman¡¯s sword, who imed to be the queen of the Overgeared Kingdom, swept through the long corridor of the pce. The king and the guard captain were startled and curled up while Susan and the Neo Red Knights stood firmly and faced the mes.


    The carpet that was burned ck filled the air with a pungent smell. The luminous ores that lit up the corridor were broken and lost their light.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±


    Ironically, the intruders became a barrier. Thanks to the Neo Red Knights standing in the middle of the corridor, the king and the guard captain escaped from the mes. They opened their eyes and let out sighs of relief. The back of the intruders, alive and well, came into view.


    Susan was safe without any wounds despite being engulfed in mes from the front. All of them had ice-like transparent blue runes around their bodies.


    ¡°Hey, this mentally disabled queen. Attacks that contain attributes are useless against us. If you n to believe in that unusual sword, then I rmend that you quit immediately.¡±


    In fact, Susan had felt a crisis. She would¡¯ve turned to charcoal if the runes had activated only 0.2 secondster. Even so, she pretended to be unconcerned. She was proud in her ability to quickly activate the runes so there was no shame.


    The Fire Dragon Sword trembled.


    -Master, is that human blind.She looked at me and called me an unusual sword?


    ¡®She isn¡¯t blind, she is just a madman. By the way, that is a higher level elemental shield... it is surprising.


    Grid remembered Susan. She was a traitor, yet she denounced Piaro for being a traitor. She was crazy, but her stats were great. The proof was that she survived despite being hit in the forehead by Piaro.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid¡¯s blue eyes looked around at the people present. The Neo Red Knights¡ªan organization obtained by the grandmaster after Juander¡¯s end.


    ¡®The fact that those who only follow the grandmaster are here...¡¯


    It meant the grandmaster was also likely to be nearby.


    ¡®As expected, his purpose is to meet the Five Seniors?¡¯


    The grandmaster had been looking for the expelled gods, also known as the Five Seniors. He wanted to join forces with them to punish the gods of the west and cleanse the stigma of the seven malignant saints. At the time, Grid didn¡¯t know the reality of the Five Seniors, thus he wasn¡¯t aware of the seriousness of the situation.


    ¡®I have to stop it.¡¯


    But now he knew¡ªthe meeting between the grandmaster and the Five Seniors must absolutely never happen. He didn¡¯t know what the greedy yangbans would do the moment the Five Seniors came to the West Continent. In the first ce, the war between gods shouldn¡¯t ur. The moment the gue that fell from the sky struck thend, the Overgeared Kingdom and the West Continent couldn¡¯t be safe.


    ¡®The grandmaster is misunderstanding.¡¯


    The Five Seniors were by no means good. They were far from the ideal gods that the grandmaster wanted. The gods of the west, who were only selfish or followed their instincts, might be better. Grid looked at the Xing King. He felt sorry when he saw the haggard appearance. The reason why he was on the defensive...


    Perhaps it was because he rejected the grandmaster¡¯s request to arrange a meeting with the Five Seniors.


    Grid asked, ¡°Did they violently attack you without even attempting to talk?¡±


    ¡°No... it isn¡¯t like that. They gave me a month¡¯s grace.¡±


    ¡®As I expected, he hesitated.¡¯


    The foundation of the grandmaster was ¡®goodness.¡¯ Therefore, Grid had hope.


    ¡®If I tell him the reality of the Five Seniors and persuade him well, I can change his mind.¡¯


    Grid grasped the situation and asked Susan this time, ¡°Where is the grandmaster?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Susan frowned. ¡°Why do you want to know where he is? Are you going to meet him? Hahat. You must be dreaming.¡±


    ¡°...It seems you have to be beaten up a bit.¡±


    She was saying ¡®you?¡¯ Daring to talk impolitely to his lovely Irene? Grid was furious at Susan¡¯s rudeness, despite introducing himself casually as the Overgeared Queen. Then he equipped Talsha and the Overgeared King¡¯s Crown in turn. Of course, only the crown was visible to people.


    ¡°What? Wearing a crown all of a sudden? Kukuku! What? You? Are you protesting that I¡¯m rude? Are you reminding me that you¡¯re a queen?¡± Susan¡¯s eyes shed as she moved her two swords together like she was using a whetstone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t care about how you are treated. Aren¡¯t you just the queen of a small kingdom?¡±


    The speed of the swords hitting against each other became faster. Grid was a cksmith and was worried about the opponent¡¯s swords. The two des collided and every time they slid off each other, the eleration umted. Sparks scattered in all directions and disrupted their vision. Did she intend to use the eleration to make a surprise attack? A normal person would¡¯ve thought this way and be wary...


    ¡®Doing this will hurt the des.¡¯


    It happened while Grid was ufortably watching the des that started to break because they were grinding at each other.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Susan didn¡¯t miss the moment when the other person was distracted. She took advantage of the eleration of the sliding des and shot forward. It was close to the speed of sound. It was a scene that seemed almost exaggerated. Susan¡¯s surprise attack was that fast. It exceeded Grid¡¯s transcendent senses which were still growing. Grid¡¯s shoulder was pierced.


    ¡°Hahat!¡±


    Susan thought she had won and swung her other sword. The cloth was torn. Grid barely stepped back and dodged the attack, inadvertently exposing his flesh. The Xing King¡¯s eyes shook.


    ¡®It is an untrained body.¡¯


    Was she around her mid-30s? The body of the queen was younger than expected and was as beautiful as her face. The white skin had no scars and the skin without muscles looked smooth. This meant she wasn¡¯tpatible with the battlefield. It seemed overwhelming even holding a sword. Then what on earth was this strength?


    ¡°Kuek?!¡±


    Susan groaned. It was the aftermath of the queen¡¯s transparent sword hitting the sword in her left hand that had just been cutting through the air.


    ¡®What is this strength?¡¯


    The sword couldn¡¯t handle the power in the Overgeared Queen¡¯s sword and lowered. Susan¡¯s left shoulder naturally lowered and she got a chill down her spine. She lost her bnce and the Overgeared Queen¡¯s knee struck her face. There was the sound of a watermelon popping.


    Susan wasn¡¯t critically injured from one kick, but she was quite shaken. It was because she vaguely measured the power of the Overgeared Queen. In terms of strength, the Overgeared Queen was higher than herself.


    ¡®It is nonsense.¡¯


    Susan had been training all her life. Her armor-covered body had strong muscles. She had been training her whole life, but she lost in strength to a woman with such a soft body... She couldn¡¯t understand it. Fire filled Susan¡¯s eyes as she gritted her teeth. She stretched her slightly bent knees and swung her twin swords.


    The two swords that moved in different trajectories were gorgeous and irregr. It was the essence of the Vaintz-style swordsmanship. It was a skill that the Neo Red Knights couldn¡¯t easily handle, let alone a beginner. Yet at this moment, the Overgeared Queen easily blocked it.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Susan was ruled by chaos. It wasn¡¯t just because her sword was blocked. This person had counterattacked and wounded her, so it was a big shock. In front of Revolve, everyone was equal. Grid connected Link and spoke to Susan, who was coughing up blood, ¡°By this point, you understand who I am, right? Stop and take me to the grandmaster.¡±


    ¡°This bitch!¡±


    She needed to be convinced to ept any oue. In that sense, it was difficult for Susan to admit defeat. She was a natural genius who worked hard all her life. Why should she be defeated by another woman when she received ancient runes from the grandmaster? It shouldn¡¯t happen unless the world was crazy.


    ¡°Heiro!¡±


    The ancient runes floated in the air and permeated Susan¡¯s body. Her colleagues watching the situation were surprised.


    ¡®She finally crossed the line.¡¯


    Runes were a tool that created certain phenomena. It was up to the user how to use it. One method was to absorb it in the body. The runes that permeated the body dramatically strengthened the user¡¯s bones, muscles, or mana core. This helped them exert transcendent strength or magic.


    The problem was when it strengthened the mana core. The forcibly strengthened mana core expanded and overloaded the body. Therefore, it was necessary to adjust the intensity so it only strengthened some of the body. Yet at this moment, Susan strengthened the mana core.


    A time limit was formed. The moment the enhancement was over, Susan wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the storm that woulde and would likely be ruined. It wasn¡¯t a bad result for her colleagues, who always regarded Susan as offensive to the eye.


    ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    There was no change in Susan¡¯s appearance. However, she gave off an air that was threatening enough to generate intense air waves.


    ¡®It is like ckening.¡¯


    Grid wore armor for the first time in this battle. Armor made from Khan¡¯sst work and the breath of the sacred gods quickly covered his entire body. Then the importance of appearance was revealed. The ck and red armor on Grid made him look like a viin. Meanwhile, Irene wore it and looked like a divine pdin despite the colors. It was the moment when Grid, who was bothered by the hair flowing down during the battle, tried to tie up his hair again.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    Susan rushed to Grid like lightning. She arrived in front of Grid¡¯s nose and swung her swords four times.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The Xing King rose from where he was sitting. He predicted that the queen would suffer at least serious injuries and he flew forward without thinking. The wife of his benefactor¡ªit wasn¡¯t right to turn away from her when she was in danger.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    The Xing King only managed to take a few steps. He couldn¡¯t even handle one Susan, let alone 15 Neo Red Knights.


    ¡°I know! I know! I¡¯ll tell you where the Hwan Kingdom is, so don¡¯t hurt the innocent!¡±


    The Xing King struggled as he was caught by the Red Knights, but it was useless.


    "Yes, you should tell us the location of the Hwan Kingdom. I¡¯m just going to kill this bitch first. It doesn¡¯t make sense to call her innocent when she pointed the sword at us first.¡± Susan scoffed as she grabbed the hair of the fallen Overgeared Queen, only to be stunned.


    The Overgeared Queen, who should be bleeding to death from seven holes, was staring at her with a clean face.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    Susan¡¯s trembling gaze hurriedly examined the queen¡¯s chest. Then she saw it. Rather than being torn to shreds, the armor and shoulder guards were intact.


    ¡®Overgeared...!¡¯


    There was no one in the world who didn¡¯t know the meaning of ¡®overgeared.¡¯ There were just some people who hadn¡¯t experienced the power of items yet. Susan belonged to thetter. Susan quickly retreated in preparation for the impending counterattack when a small whisper entered her ears.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The runes imprinted on her body were peeled off. Her strengthened bones and muscles weakened sharply and the bnce of her body was off. The mana core, which had expanded to the fullest, contracted. This was apanied by a pain beyond imagination.


    ¡°Kuack... Kuaaack!¡±


    Susan shed blood and stumbled like she was going to fall. She was going to lose her mind. It was too painful. However, she endured this pain with her tenacity and desire to kill. She barely held the two swords in her trembling hands. She discovered that the Overgeared Queen was walking toward her with a disinterested face, as if dismissing her as a mere chore.


    Her determination didn¡¯tst. The two swords fell from her hands. No one would believe it, but it was real. The swords fell from her hands like they had their own will.


    ¡°Mon...¡±


    Puok!


    ¡°...ster.¡±


    Puk puk puk!


    It was the linkage of two fused sword dances. Susan¡¯s body was shattered and turned to gray ash. Grid couldn¡¯t spare her when she had killing intent directed at Irene. It didn¡¯t matter if she was the grandmaster¡¯s subordinate. He had to wipe out any future trouble in advance. Grid wiped the blood that sttered on his white cheeks and asked the Neo Red Knights, who were as stiff as statues, ¡°Do you want to fight more?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    The Neo Red Knights, who had left the empire after the rebellion of the 4th Prince, Edan, observed the continent from the perspective of a third person. They questioned the rapid growth of the Overgeared Kingdom and were particrly curious when they saw that the new empress, Basara, was giving conveniences to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Overgeared King Grid, Piaro, and Mercedes¡ªthe reputation of the three giants was great, but did it make sense for the great empire to help a small kingdom just because of fear toward these three people? The Neo Red Knights even joked that Basara was in love with the Overgeared King.


    Now they realized it. It wasn¡¯t like that at all. There were monsters lurking in the Overgeared Kingdom. Overgeared Queen Irene¡ªshe was stronger than the famous king. No, she was someone even more powerful than Piaro and Mercedes. This was the real power of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Let¡¯s step back first.¡±


    The Neo Red Knights made a decision and hurriedly left. Grid didn¡¯t bother chasing after them. The situation had turned out like this so there was no reason to go to the grandmaster in person.


    ¡®He wille to find me himself.¡¯

 Chapter 1288

    ¡°How can I express my gratitude... I have received a great favor.¡±


    The Xing King passed the crisis safely thanks to Grid and bowed to him. He didn¡¯t look servile. Indeed, he was more grateful that his kingdom and people were safe, than for his life being saved.


    Grid looked at the Xing King with gentle eyes and smiled. Grid told him, ¡°From the moment he fought for Xing and God ck Tortoise, His Majesty, the Overgeared King, already thought of Xing as a blood ally. It is human nature to help each other. There is no need to be too polite.¡±


    ¡°Blood ally...¡±


    It was beyond allies and closer to family members. It was very thrilling for the Xing King who knew that Overgeared King Grid restored the forgotten old god and set the history and kingdom right. However, there was a question that was hard to resolve. ¡°I have no doubts that His Majesty, the Overgeared King, helped Xing with no ulterior motives. Since ancient times, heroes are people who practice justice. Still, it is hard to understand why he would describe Xing as a blood ally. We didn¡¯t do anything for him, so how can we be blood allies?¡±


    ¡°You must look at the future, not the present. Humanity must work together one day. The great demons of hell and the gods in heaven... there are too many threats to humanity in this world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Xing King had met and experienced the yangbans in person. He agreed with the queen¡¯s assertion that humanity must work together.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!¡± Hundreds of warriors rushed into the corridor. They were the reinforcements that arrived less than 10 minutes after the pce was raided. It seemed slow considering they arrived after the situation was over, but considering the size of the pce, it was actually the opposite. Their arrival was swift. Even without Grid, they would have seeded in escaping with the Xing King. Of course, there would¡¯ve been many sacrifices.


    Grid examined the faces of the warriors and continued speaking, ¡°We want to work with the powerhouses of Xing to ovee future challenges. Therefore, it is called a blood alliance. Your Majesty, are you not happy?¡±


    ¡°How can that be? I will willingly ept it.¡±


    Xing was obviously strong. It had been proven in many events. There was just no room to go against transcendents like the yangbans or the grandmaster. In order to survive, they had to hide under the ck tortoise¡¯s protection forever. The Xing King didn¡¯t want to do this. He wanted to create a better future by cooperating with the Overgeared Kingdom, who were led by the transcendent Overgeared King and the refreshing Overgeared Queen. It was his desire and duty to bring true peace to his people.


    [The Xing Kingdom has formed a blood alliance with the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [The two kingdoms are no different from a family.]


    ¡®...Good.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled. First there was the Cho Kingdom and now Xing. He had seeded in convincing half of the four kingdoms in the East Continent. It was unthinkable when he first visited the East Continent. His hard work was rewarded and he smiled as he was unable to hold back his joy. Then the Xing King showed him kindness.


    ¡°Then we will prepare a banquet to wee Your Majesty. First, you will be guided to your room. Please relieve your fatigue from the journey first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t lose his tension throughout his conversation with the king. In order to win the king over, he spoke only after careful consideration. He paid attention to his words and actions without forgetting that he had transformed himself into Irene. Grid gently ced a hand on his chest and carefully said goodbye to the Xing King, looking exactly like a woman. However, he wasn¡¯t a woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy."


    Grid frowned as he was guided to a VIP room by a courtdy. The attires prepared in the room were too airy or too revealing. There was a skirt that dragged to the ground, a jeogori [1] that showed the chest, and a cheongsam with a side slit that showed the thigh. They were all Xing¡¯s traditional attires, but it was very burdensome for Grid to wear them.


    ¡°If I wear this to eat, I¡¯ll get sauce on them...¡±


    The attires with less exposure were so wide it seemed like a watermelon could fit in them. The cheongsam looked the mostfortable, but he didn¡¯t want to wear it because the waistline and thighs were too revealing.


    ¡®I can¡¯t show anyone Irene¡¯s pretty legs.¡¯


    In the end...


    ¡°As Your Majesty expected, the grandmaster is nearby. By the way, Your Majesty, are you going to dress like that?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I? For me, this is formal clothing.¡±


    Grid wore armor just like he did inbat. His entire body was wrapped in metal to minimize exposure, except for his neck and face. It wasn¡¯t stuffy. Grid almost always wore armor. In the first ce, all his items were ergonomically designed so they weren¡¯t ufortable.


    ¡°By the way, what was the grandmaster doing?¡±


    Piaro had been hiding throughout the battle at Grid¡¯s order and he tracked the Neo Red Knights. He had seen the grandmaster from afar. He replied, ¡°He was waiting on the outskirts of the city with that person called Zibal. Based on the location, it seemed he was blocking off the Xing King¡¯s retreat.¡±


    ¡°His diligence doesn¡¯t match him.¡±


    The identity of Grandmaster Zikfrector was the 6th evil, Zik¡ªhe had the sin of ¡®sloth,¡¯ just like the vampires, and his activities had many constraints on them, thus it was difficult for him to directly intervene in certain events, yet he went directly to prevent the Xing King¡¯s escape.


    ¡®It means this is important.¡¯


    It was inevitable when thinking about it. From Zik¡¯s point of view, the encounter with the Five Seniors was the first step toward his goal. It was a situation where he had to ovee hisziness, even if it meant stabbing his thigh with an awl.


    ¡®He wille sooner than I thought.¡¯


    In the past, the grandmaster had tried to win over Grid, who was on Juander¡¯s side, as an ally rather than be hostile to him. It seemed that he needed Grid¡¯s power rather than wanting to crush Grid. Then it would be easier. An opportunity to persuade him woulde. He had to tell the grandmaster that the moment he joined forces with the Five Seniors, the chance to get rid of the stigma of evil on the seven malignant saints would be gone forever.


    ¡°Your Majesty, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid was determined as he was guided by a courtdy to the banquet hall.


    ***


    ¡°The Overgeared Queen?¡±


    Zibal watched the Neo Red Knights kneeling in front of the grandmaster to report and doubted his ears. It was said that a woman who identified herself as Irene, the Overgeared Queen, cut Susan¡¯s throat with overwhelming force.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t Irene have no fighting power?¡¯


    Irene was a huge celebrity among yers. She was the first female NPC to be married to a yer. This was enough to be a hot topic. She was also very beautiful, so she was spotlighted many times. Moreover, ording to public facts, her hobbies revolved around flowers. She might be Duke Steim¡¯s daughter, but she was said to be a stranger to swords and magic.


    ¡®Was the pure appearance of the past just an act?¡¯


    No, it was hard to say that it was an act. If she was a powerful person, she would¡¯ve acted various times, including defending Khan from death. However, she never did anything. Rather, it was right to say that she was weak because she had been kidnapped by the Yatan Church.


    ¡®...So she suddenly became stronger?¡¯


    To be fair, the Overgeared Kingdom had a good environment in many ways to be strong. There were the Sage Sticks, Mercedes, and Piaro. Named NPCs who were hard to find throughout the continent filled the Overgeared Kingdom. If taught by them, it was possible to be stronger. It would be great when Grid¡¯s items were added.


    ¡®Even Irene¡¯s own pedigree isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Duke Steim had been one of the pirs of the Eternal Kingdom. Putting together various circumstances, there was nothing strange about Irene gaining strength. Even so...


    ¡®I can¡¯t understand how she became strong enough to overwhelm Susan.¡¯


    The runes¡ªZibal had been unable to master the skill because of level constraints, but Susan had been able to use them skillfully. Susan was confident enough topare herself to Mercedes. Objectively, she seemed to have grown to the level of the Seven Dukes. Yet she was killed?


    Zibal was filled with doubts. Then the grandmaster asked him, ¡°Is the result difficult to understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is something strange. It is unrealistic that the Overgeared Queen, Irene, can be so strong in a short amount of time, even if all the resources of the Overgeared Kingdom were invested to strengthen her.¡±


    ¡°Then she isn¡¯t the Overgeared Queen.¡±


    In fact, there was no need for the grandmaster to ask any questions. He had dug into all the important figures on the West Continent and knew Irene perhaps better than Zibal. He was suspicious from the beginning. He knew the Overgeared Queen couldn¡¯t be stronger than Susan.


    ¡°Then who is it? The sphemer over there.¡±


    The grandmaster had decided to be evil. He was determined to lose the ego he had been preserving for thousands of years. However, the moment he made a decision, he was disturbed and things went wrong. It was unpleasant. The grandmaster made a rare frown and stared at the pce in the distance.


    Meanwhile, Grid, at the royal pce...


    ¡®...I¡¯m going to have an upset stomach.¡¯


    He was experiencing the life of a beauty. The nobles of Xing were very polite and afraid of the Overgeared Queen¡¯s powerful skills, but they still nced at the queen¡¯s appearance. Of course, no one dared to show their heart. Most of them were instinctively or purely attracted to the woman called Irene and were trying not to show it. The problem was that Grid could see everything.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been a big incident if I wore a cheongsam.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s mood became subtle andplicated. He was anxious when he discovered that his wife always received this type of attention. Perhaps, even at this very moment, she would be tempted by someone. He could only feel reassured if he summoned her and kept her by his side.


    ¡®...No, that isplete delusional jealousy.¡¯


    Grid shook his head, became determined, and spoke to Piaro, who was next to him, ¡°Piaro, I will be a man so wonderful that Irene will never be tempted to stray from me. By all means.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Piaro¡¯s eyes became wet. It was because his liege had pledged to be a wonderful man when he was in the form of a woman. ¡°Every time I see Your Majesty, I feel that it isn¡¯t easy to live in this world.¡±


    ¡°...?¡± Piaro¡¯s reaction made Grid ufortable. He frowned and changed the topic, bringing the matter to the Xing King. ¡°I heard that golden walnuts were grown here in Yangzhou. If it is fine with Your Majesty, can you guide me to the nting area?¡±


    "Of course.¡± The Xing King nodded cheerfully.


    Then Grid¡¯s expression stiffened at the subsequent words.


    ¡°However, the word ¡®grown¡¯ isn¡¯t appropriate. Golden walnuts are a nt that grows naturally and can¡¯t be grown artificially.¡±


    ¡¯What? This is shit.¡¯


    Grid was upset.


    ¡°Hoh?¡±


    Meanwhile, Piaro¡¯s eyes twinkled. A sense of challenge seemed to be burning in him.


    [1] basic upper garment of the hanbok, a traditional Korean garment

 Chapter 1289

    ¡°It is interesting that this nt can¡¯t be grown when all nts can be grown if provided soil, water, and a ce exposed to sunlight.¡±


    Their leaders were having a conversation. Then the Overgeared Queen¡¯s bodyguard suddenly intervened and the expressions of the nobles became terrible. Some people mistakenly thought this was how the Overgeared Kingdom would treat the Xing Kingdom in the future and sighed.


    Grid read their expressions and, in order to eliminate the misunderstandings, introduced Piaro, ¡°This is Duke Piaro of the Overgeared Kingdom. He serves as the great general and a farmer. He is the most trusted and dependable friend of the Overgeared King.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s heart grew in his chest. The most trusted and dependable friend...


    He was happy and thrilled to know that Grid thought this way about him.


    Buzz buzz.


    Piaro gritted his teeth and opened his eyes to hold back his tears, while the nobles stared at him. They saw Piaro¡¯s somewhat scary expression and thought he was confident because he was the great general.


    The Xing King had already been introduced to Piaro and, in order to calm down the turbulent atmosphere, spoke, ¡°After one toast, I was going to introduce Queen Irene. Then after two toasts, I was going to formally introduce Sir Piaro. However, my ministerscked patience so it was advanced.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Please understand!¡±


    The nobles bowed and apologized to the Xing King, who had rebuked their attitude. No pretenses were felt. Everyone looked pained like they were shameful sinners. They seemed sincerely loyal to the Xing King. It was a testament to the Xing King¡¯s power.


    ¡°It is my fault. I deserve punishment since it is reprehensible for a servant to intervene in Your Majesties¡¯ conversation without permission.¡±


    Piaro was also courteous to the Xing King. The other side was the ruler of a kingdom Grid personally made a blood alliance with. It was natural to be respectful. The Xing King smiled and introduced Piaro to the nobles of Xing, ¡°As the queen said, Sir Piaro is the noble who holds the greatest military power in the Overgeared Kingdom. Ministers, you can¡¯t ignore Sir Piaro.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Xing King introduced Piaro warmly and the nobles answered vigorously. All of them were turning away from reality. They obviously heard the words of the Overgeared Queen, who introduced Piaro as the great general and a farmer, but they tried to regard it as a mistake.


    Grid confirmed Piaro¡¯s somewhat sad expression and clicked his tongue. ¡®Should I have introduced him as the Minister of Agriculture instead of a farmer? Then people wouldn¡¯t have doubted their ears.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s identity was a farmer and he was more pleased to be called a farmer than a duke or a general. Grid seriously thought that he would need to create the position of Minister of Agriculture for Piaro¡¯s foreign activities. Suddenly, Administrator Rabbit¡¯s face popped up in his mind. ¡®I think he will object to Piaro being given a sry increase...¡¯


    Well, it was something that needs to be agreed uponter. Grid shook off thoughts and requested of the Xing King, ¡°I would like to visit the walnut forest as soon as the banquet is over.¡±


    ¡°It will be sunset soon. Don¡¯t you want to rest for the day?¡±


    Of course he wanted to rest. His physical condition wasn¡¯t good because he was overworked by Piaro during the trip and then fought the moment they arrived here. However, he didn¡¯t want to waste time when considering the grandmaster¡¯s future visit.


    ¡°It is a t of the Overgeared royal family to not put off today¡¯s work to tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... how wonderful. I understand. I will guide you.¡±


    ***


    The appearance of the walnut forest was different than imagined. He was looking forward to a forest dyed with gold where golden walnuts were hanging from the trees. However, the green forest was like a normal forest.


    ¡®I thought there would only be golden walnuts, but this isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    Grid approached a golden walnut tree that was approximately five meters tall and frowned when he checked the fruits on the branches. All the visible flesh were surrounded by green flesh, not gold. Like a damned probability game, the golden walnuts seemed to only have a probability of forming. It was also a terrible probability.


    The caretaker used a rod with arge ring at one end to shake one of the branches and it dropped several fruits to the floor. The Xing King picked up one of them and removed the flesh. Then a walnut seed surrounded by a hard shell emerged. It looked just like an ordinary walnut.


    ¡°Is it hard to see the golden fruit?¡±


    ¡°All the fruits are green. Once the flesh is peeled off, the color of the seed coating will be brown or gold, and this determines the value. A golden walnut appears one in every 300 fruits.¡±


    ¡®It is the worst.¡¯


    Apart from being a probability item, he couldn¡¯t distinguish between a golden walnut and ordinary walnut just based on appearance...


    Even if growing the golden walnut tree was sessful, it seemed it would take a lot of manpower to collect the golden walnuts. This meant he would have to spend more money than expected. There was nothing that was ever free.


    Unlike Grid¡¯s unpleasant expression, Piaroughed happily. ¡°The farmers will have more jobs.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid¡¯s thinking was too narrow-minded. The economy survived by providing jobs for people, yet he was disappointed that money would be consumed immediately.


    ¡®Lauel was always responsible for this, so there are still many deficiencies.¡¯


    Grid gained new knowledge while Piaro observed the forest closely. ¡°The gap between trees is very wide.¡±


    Certainly. The walnut trees had a distance of at least 10 meters between them. It was strangely wide spacing considering the trees were around four or five meters in height. Piaro nodded in a convinced manner as he found asional traces of dead trees.


    ¡°It can¡¯t stand the fall in temperature caused by the shade blocking the tree. They are trees that are very sensitive to the cold.¡±


    ¡°If it withers because of the shade, then what temperature should be maintained?¡±


    Xing was a warm kingdom that had perennial spring-like weather all year round. Yet the tree would freeze and die when in the shade...


    ¡°I think you can use the temperature at dawn as a benchmark,¡± Piaro replied to the astonished Grid and continued to look at the ground. It was a ground with lots of gravel.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Piaro took out his shovel and started digging, causing exmations to burst from everywhere. It was because his speed at digging the ground was like an expert, not a great general. It seemed like Piaro¡¯s digging speed was faster than that of 10 men.


    The Xing King admired it. ¡°You are as skilled and familiar as the people who shoveled yesterday. Sir Piaro must be a greatmander who builds trenches on the battlefield and serves as an example to the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°No, I just dig out root vegetables every day... Huh?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was before the Xing King and nobles could understand Piaro¡¯s words. Piaro made a puzzled cry and everyone looked down at the hole. Dozens of roots intertwined in a dizzying manner came into view.


    Grid cocked his head.


    ¡°The roots grew too long so they are tangled together? Is there one of the reasons why the distance between trees is so wide?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±


    The Xing King and Piaro shook their heads. They looked around at the 10 nearby trees and spoke at the same time.


    ¡°These roots aren¡¯t tangled.¡±


    ¡°It is connected as one.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°You can think of these 10 trees as one tree. In order to rent the golden walnut tree, we need 10 seedlings to connect the roots together.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know much about nts. He just heard Piaro¡¯s exnation and wanted to do it. The Xing King saw that Grid didn¡¯t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation and exined it to him, ¡°This is why it is hard to artificially spread the golden walnut forest. Making the seedlings itself is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why is it impossible?¡±


    ¡°As you can see, the forest is already full. All the trees fill the forest at a distance of 10 meters. In order to grow seedlings, the empty gap must be used. However, before the seedlings can grow and connect their roots together, they wither in the shade and be nutrients for thend. The seedlings take a month to grow. It will take another three months for their roots to join together so the seedlings have to endure 120 days of being in the shade. The reality is that they can¡¯tst two months.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere became dark. The golden walnuts were a huge source of revenue so Xing had made a great effort to grow the golden walnuts. However, growing the golden walnuts was virtually impossible. The king became depressed when he recalled it.


    On the other hand, Grid and Piaro weren¡¯t affected.


    ¡°The key is to create the same environment as this in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That part isn¡¯t simple so I will have to work on it for a few more days.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid and Piaro¡¯s conversation bewildered the Xing King and the nobles. They didn¡¯t understand even though he exined for so long that it was impossible to make the seedlings? It happened when the Xing King was trying to carefully exin it again...


    ¡°Matchless Heart Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.¡± Piaro pulled out his hand plow with a reverent expression and quickly overturned the nearbynd. Then he continued. ¡°Matchless Heart Farming 1st Style, Sowing.¡±


    He nted 10 walnuts in the ground and buried them.


    ¡°Free Farming 2nd Style, Rapid Growth.¡±


    It was a miracle. 10 golden walnut trees were grown in and that had been empty just a few seconds ago.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The expressions of the Xing King and the nobles hardened.


    ¡°The gap at which I nted them was too short. The roots became tangled before they connected to each other. This is why they can¡¯t absorb nutrients properly. I need to keep the seedlings at least five meters apart when nting them.¡±


    Piaro dug at the ground and confirmed the roots of the seedlings. He reported it to Grid and wrote it down in his notebook. It was a very cool attitude for the person who created an incredible miracle. The stunned Xing King barely managed to regain his senses and he asked, ¡°Sir Piaro? What did I just see?¡±


    ¡°You saw the nting of trees.¡±


    ¡°No, what... how could the trees grow in an instant? Is this the magic of the West Continent?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t magic, it is agriculture.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Xing King was the leader of millions of people. It was easy to determine if the person in front of him was joking or telling the truth. The king saw Piaro¡¯s serious expression and recalled the words of the Overgeared Queen that he had been trying to avoid.


    ¡®Sir Piaro who serves as the great general and farmer.¡¯


    ¡®He serves as a great general and farmer...¡¯


    ¡®A farmer...¡¯


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Piaro formally introduced himself to the surprised Xing King, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am a farmer.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    It was the moment when the legendary farmer crossed the West Continent and took root in the East Continent.

 Chapter 1290

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should sleep? Is it really okay if you don¡¯t take a break?¡±


    ¡°The sun and the rain are my nket. I feel like I¡¯m lying down even if I don¡¯t lie down. The smell of the grass and soil calms my mind and the fatigue of my body will naturally be eliminated. Working here is a break for me.¡±


    ¡®The legendary farmer smells the soil...¡¯


    Would there be a day when the smell of iron became aromatic to him? Then hisbor efficiency would be slightly higher...


    Grid could be the supreme one because he naturally had these thoughts. Being the best in the game was evidence that he was more diligent than others. During the time when others were resting, he stood alone and did even more to step on the threshold of the supreme one. In that sense, Grid deserved to be the supreme one. Even now, he was eager to work more and more despite being exhausted.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m going to rest. The sun will set soon so take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will surely bring you good news.¡±


    The golden walnut was a potential permanent stat increaser with the second-best effect after the elixir. The cultivation of the golden walnuts was Grid¡¯s dream and Piaro wanted to fulfill Grid¡¯s dream.


    ***


    ¡°I know I am pretty to the little ones...¡±


    The Xing King had three sons. They were 6, 7, and 10 years old. All of them saw Grid and fell in love at first sight, moring to marry him.


    Grid shrugged and returned to his room. Then he stood in front of the mirror. He could see Irene who was smiling slightly. Due to the faint wrinkles around her eyes and her deep gaze, she no longer had the impression of a girl. She was modest as the mother of a child and strong as the parent of tens of millions of people. Even so, Grid knew¡ªthe beautiful woman whose image was being reflected in the mirror in front of him was still tender and weak.


    Grid murmured as he gripped his delicate wrist, ¡°Definitely... by all means...¡±


    He would give her youth and life close to eternity. He would help her avoid the solitude and fear from seeing him never change. Grid pledged without considering Irene¡¯s position at all. He believed that Irene would be delighted.


    Grid got goosebumps as he was looking into the mirror. The windows were open. He noticed it only after the curtains were blown by the wind.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was definitely closed when he first entered the room? Grid looked everywhere in this spacious room.


    ¡°......¡±


    The interior was as quiet as a dead rat. Grid couldn¡¯t feel anything or find anything. Even his transcendent senses were silent.


    ¡°Is it night?¡±


    Grid brought out the Enlightenment Sword that was attached to the Pulling Device. Silence urred as he focused on hearing an intruder who might be hiding somewhere while summoning the Fire Dragon Sword behind his back.


    Step, step, step.


    The sound of Grid¡¯s footsteps echoed through the serene interior. Just before he reached the window, Grid shouted, ¡°God Hands!¡± Six ck-gold hands shot out of the open window. Among them, one hand was faster than the others. The timing of using the buff skill attached to the weapon it was holding was also the most advanced.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid, who nned to join the God Hands after they grabbed the intruder hanging from the window sill, suddenly stopped. The God Hands were just moving back and forth in the air. They lost their ce because they couldn¡¯t find the target. It happened as Grid was feeling flustered...


    [Danger ising.]


    His transcendent senses sent him a warning.


    -Master!Behind you!


    One stepte, the Fire Dragon Sword cried out. There was a deafening explosion just behind Grid.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Grid stepped back in a hurry and tried to figure out what was going on. He barely endured the tinnitus that disturbed his mind as he raised his eyes and witnessed the shocking scene. The Fire Dragon Sword wasn¡¯t equipped and didn¡¯t receive his stat effect. It was facing a disaster that could never be dealt with alone.


    Zikfrector wielded Saharan¡¯s Sword and his attack collided with the Fire Dragon Sword.


    ¡®Was he in the room?¡¯


    Even Faker, who had be Lantier, couldn¡¯t open a window and sneak into the room without Grid noticing. It was because moving objects would make a subtle noise and the airflow would change. Thus, there was a limit to moving around. The grandmaster opened the window in the short period of time when Grid was looking at the mirror and hid himself in the room. Grid couldn¡¯t see him even when looking carefully, and despite his transcendent senses, Grid couldn¡¯t sense him.


    ¡®Was it to this extent?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration that he was the strongest NPC recognized by Chairman Lim Cheolho. If Dragon yer Hayate of the Tower of Wisdom was one of the ultimate transcendents, Grandmaster Zikfrector was approaching another ultimate, a god yer. The only reason he failed to be a god yer was due to the sin of ¡®sloth.¡¯


    The sin engraved in him by the gods made Zikfrector fall asleep without being able to engage in a war with the gods. The greatest sin was engraved on him out of the seven malignant saints, showing the gods were the most vignt against him. If all of the seven malignant saints had gathered and fought against the gods, the gods might¡¯ve perished...


    It happened as Grid¡¯s thoughts were deepening...


    The Fire Dragon Sword was unable to withstand the weight of the grandmaster¡¯s ensuing attack and flew into the wall. Some blood flowed from above Grid¡¯s eye due to the Fire Dragon Sword passing by him. A brilliant light shone in the grandmaster¡¯s eyes that had been stained with tiredness.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t avoid it.¡±


    The grandmaster had calcted the trajectory as he threw back the mysterious sword that moved on its own. It was perfectly induced to cut the left eye of the monster pretending to be the Overgeared Queen. However, the sword¡¯s trajectory was slightly deflected due to slight movements on its own. The monster saw this and didn¡¯t dodge the sword.


    ¡°That dynamic vision... it is transcendent.¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s mind was spinning rapidly. Hands and swords that moved on their own¡ªthese were artifacts that reminded him of Overgeared King Grid. The identity of the monster impersonating the Overgeared Queen was probably...


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°...Cough.¡±


    The tension inside Grid grew.


    The grandmaster, or the 6th evil, Zik. It was astonishing that he appeared in front of Grid half a day after the incident when he had the sin of ¡®sloth.¡¯ The grandmaster was currently standing silently and it was hard to tell what he was thinking, so Grid became even more uneasy.


    In the end, Grid opened his mouth first, ¡°Zikfrector.¡±


    ¡®How do you know my name?¡¯


    ¡°You can¡¯t meet with the gods who were driven out. They control the human race to their own taste and might be more terrifying than the gods of the west.¡±


    ¡®How do you know my purpose?¡¯


    The grandmaster¡¯s eyes staring at Grid were once again filled with tiredness.


    He hade here with the idea that the person who killed Susan couldn¡¯t be the Overgeared Queen. This had already exhausted all his mental strength. He was in the middle of inferring the identity of the monster pretending to be the Overgeared Queen when an extremeziness dominated him.


    The sin of ¡®sloth,¡¯ imprinted in his soul, was encroaching on his mind. In the end...


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    The incident with the grandmasterpletely stopped in an abrupt manner. The only thing left in the grandmaster was a homing instinct and the desire for sleep.


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°N-No, hey! Come and see what is going on! If a person says something then you should react...!¡±


    Grid was trying to grab the passing grandmaster when he confirmed what he looked like in the mirror. It was only then that he understood why the grandmaster was hostile to him. He tried to take off the skin mask, but the grandmaster had already flown out the window.


    ¡°Ah... Damn.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. He hadn¡¯t wanted to do this, yet...


    Grid clicked his tongue and sent a whisper to someone.


    -What are you doing?


    The target of the whisper was clearly online. An answer wasn¡¯t received, but Grid wasn¡¯t nervous. He was convinced that the other person couldn¡¯t ignore his whisper. It was as he expected.


    -What? It was strange that the Overgeared Queen appeared. Sure enough, you came together to the East Continent.


    A reluctant answer soon came back. The identity of the other person was Zibal. He was one of Grid¡¯s biggestpetitors in the past and today.


    -Tell this to the grandmaster. If he is still thinking about humanity, he shouldn¡¯t trust the expelled gods. They are worse than the gods of the west.


    -...Come to think of it, there was something in your epics criticizing the gods of the east.


    -......


    Grid¡¯s face was hot the moment the epics were mentioned. Honestly, Grid didn¡¯t feel very good because the epics broadcasted his situation, feelings, andments live to yers around the world. Every time he thought of the epics in the news, he would wake up from his sleep kicking his quilt. He was ashamed and wanted to sue the S.A Group for viting his privacy.


    Zibal responded to the silent Grid.


    -I will dismiss your request. I can¡¯t just judge the target by listening to your one-sided arguments. In the first ce, I¡¯m not in a position to advise the grandmaster.


    -Just pass on my words. The grandmaster will think about it again if it is from me.


    -What?


    Zibal scoffed. The grandmaster was one of the most important NPCs in Satisfy¡¯s worldview. Most of the two billion yers would never face him in their lifetime. Now Grid was saying that such a big guy would listen to him?


    ¡®Of course, the rtionship between the grandmaster and Grid isn¡¯t shallow...¡¯


    However, this was too much. It was pure arrogance. In the end, Zibal could onlyugh and ept it.


    -Well, okay.


    ¡®I need to repay you for what you did for the Haken Kingdom.¡¯ Zibal swallowed back these words and asked Grid who was thanking him.


    -You made a blood alliance with Xing. Will you fight for the Xing King if the grandmaster goes to him.


    -Of course.


    -Is that so... if you are truly determined, then you should evacuate the queen in advance. I might not be able to lose.


    -Hahat. Thank you for the advice.


    -You are really crazy. Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re not in a position tough.


    -No, I really want to thank you.


    -Tsk.


    The conversation between the two people soon ended.


    The next day, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky when Zibal visited the grandmaster, who just woke up. Zibal spoke carefully, ¡°The Overgeared King says that you shouldn¡¯t trust the gods who have been expelled.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, there was no answer. The grandmaster was awake less than two hours a day and had the ability to ignore useless words.


    ¡®I have done my duty.¡¯


    Zibal felt relieved of the burden of doing Grid a favor and was about to step back. Then he heard a voice. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    Zibal was dumbfounded when the grandmaster nodded at the words.

 Chapter 1291

    [Title: The Yatan Church is selling experience potions?


    Contents: The Yatan Church is selling experience potions for cash. The Tier 1 potions can be taken by yers below level 100, and the Tier 2 potions can be taken between levels 100 to 199. Tier 3 potions can be taken from levels 200 to 299. All of them had 700% additional experience and they can be stacked with other experience increase buffs. The price is 85,000 won for each, plus tax. There are no installment payments.]


    A post in a well-knownmunity caught people¡¯s attention. Naturally, there were some scornful responses.


    -Selling experience potions? It is even in cash?


    -Ah~ I see. You have started talking nonsense early in the morning.


    -What messy dream did you get this from?


    -Stupid idiot.


    In order to y Satisfy, a capsule and t monthly fee were required. The capsule cost ranged from 10 million won to hundreds of millions of won. The monthly cost was also over 300,000 won so it was a very expensive game. Now paid items were being released? There was no way.


    The S.A Group wouldn¡¯t be sucking out money from yers unless they went crazy. In the first ce, there were no paid items in games these days. It was because, due to Satisfy¡¯s influence, online and mobile games had their positions weakened. They had to stop selling paid items in order to survive. In this situation, the S.A Group that monopolized the market started releasing paid items? Would the S.A Group be able to handle it once criticism was directed at them and the stock price plummeted?


    [Title: Is it really released (screenshot)


    Contents: ¡®Growth Potion for Beginner Adventurers¡¯, Growth Potion for Intermediate Adventurers¡¯, Growth Potion for Advanced Adventurers.]


    -......


    -......


    -......The S.A Group jerks are finally crossing the line.


    - Don¡¯t ???. The guys who are raking in cash with the capsules and National Competition advertisements are selling paid items as well? ??? Their desire for money is beyond imagination.


    -We should boycott. Everyone has experienced it with mobile games. Once paid items start to appear, it will go out of controlter. If this continues, even the enhancement stones will be sold for cash.


    -The price of the enhancement stones has been rising crazily for many years. I would be very grateful if it bes a cash item.


    -There are many dogs and pigs. You will be grateful for cash items? ?? Have you forgotten that we are already spending money on this game? ??? Why should we give extra money after paying a monthly fee?


    -Can the S.A Group force you to buy it?Just buy it if you want to buy it.


    -Yes~ don¡¯t buy it ?? Then I will buy it and use it myself.


    -Let¡¯s not be pushovers! We are customers who are paying the amount required by the S.A Group to y the game. Customers! We have the right to criticize the S.A Group who suddenly released experience potions without any notice, causing direct or indirect damage to those who have yed the game seriously until now! Let¡¯s boycott them together!


    -The moment that cash itemses out, we will bepletely eliminated from thepetition by the credit card warriors! Firmly against cash items!


    -yers are already doing a lot of personal transactions, but they¡¯re still in thepetition. They are only selling experience potions in the range of 1-299. What does it have to do with the credit card warriors? Rather, it is an update for light users like us.


    -Right!


    -No, this... if sales for the cash items this time are high, they will continue to add cash items in the future. You don¡¯t understand the seriousness of the situation...


    -We can¡¯t stop the S.A Group even if we argue for 100 days. What can we do? Are you going to quit the game? Can you sit in front of theputer and watch the monitor while ying games? Huh? ??? You can¡¯t stop ying Satisfy. Congrattions on being caught by the S.A Group. ???


    The S.A Group was able to handle the public criticism. Rather than falling, the stock price rose. People also knew that those who yed virtual reality games could no longer return to online games or mobile games. Furthermore, the experience potions released by the S.A Group were expected to attract new users so it was natural for their stock prices to rise.


    In the midst of the turmoil. Chairman Lim Cheolho held a press conference. He gradually answered the questions of 800 reporters from around the world. ¡°First of all, I¡¯ve said many times that we aren¡¯t involved in the content of the game. The developers just created Satisfy¡¯s system and worldview. All the changes that have urred since the opening are the result of the yers and Morpheus.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean this is true for the experience items incident? It wasn¡¯t the S.A Group that updated the paid items. It was the yers and Morpheus?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The choices and actions of the yers have greatly weakened the Yatan Church and the influx of new yers to the Yatan Church is decreasing day by day.¡± To be exact, it was the result of Grid¡¯s choices and actions, but Chairman Lim Cheolho didn¡¯t say this. ¡°Furthermore, the Reba Church is the biggest rival of the Yatan Church and they are getting stronger every day. There are signs that the destruction of the Yatan Church ising.¡±


    This was also the result of Grid¡¯s choices and actions, but Chairman Lim Cheolho remained silent.


    ¡°However, there is still a role for the Yatan Church. There is no bnce problem since itrgely enriches the setting of a religion that serves Yatan, one of the absolute gods.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho called up the data on the screen. Images and details of the experience potions released at this time floated on the holographic screen.


    ¡°As you can see, the conditions for taking the experience potions are limited to ¡®Yatan Followers.¡¯ It is evidence of an update to attract new and mid-level users to the Yatan Church. Morpheus has done this update purely to protect the bnce of Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°Then why sell it in cash? The reason why people suspect that the S.A Group intervened in this situation is because the item is a paid item. The profit that will be obtained by the S.A Group is too big just to say it is an item released to restore the bnce of the Yatan Church in the game.¡±


    ¡°Satisfy operates as a single server with an open field system. The server costs are astronomical. In order to cover the cost, our sales must be maintained above a certain level. Morpheus seems to have taken this into ount.¡±


    ¡°The care of an artificial intelligence... it is a touching story...¡±


    Some reporters were sarcastic, but no one openly bit at Chairman Lim Cheolho. It was because most reporters were looking at the update in a positive light. The recent weakness of the Yatan Church, who was hostile to all the forces on the West Continent, became one of the reasons for reducing interest in the game. The resurgence and sess of the Yatan Church was urgent.


    ¡°However, can the Yatan Church revive just because new and mid-level users are introduced? It is a game that has repeatedly proven that one strong person is much more valuable than thousands or tens of thousands of ordinary people. I wonder if the Yatan Church will be able to regain its former position just by increasing the numbers.¡±


    A senior reporter from thergest media in the United States raised this question and Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled.


    ¡°Change won¡¯te in the near future. We are first sowing the seeds. Additionally, the sale of growth potions isn¡¯t the only part of the Yatan Church¡¯s revival update. The Yatan Church will surely be revived.¡±


    The way that the Yatan Church grew was to kidnap virgins and sacrifice them to strengthen the power of their believers or to summon a great demon. Since it was an organization that kidnapped so-called NPC vigers 1 and 2, it was more efficient when it came to quantity than quality. Therge scale joining of new users would speed up the development.


    Additionally, many people didn¡¯t know it, but the great demon of conflict, Amoract, was behind the Yatan Church. He was one of the few great demons qualified to fight against Baal, the 1st great demon. The Yatan Church was indeed a force with explosive potential.


    ¡°I am looking forward to the future after hearing Chairman-nim¡¯s words. That¡¯s it.¡±


    The senior reporter, who had been listening with interest while tapping on the holographic keyboard, removed his hand from the keyboard and made a meaningful expression.


    ¡°If the update proceeds due to Morpheus¡¯ choice and judgment, will the same thing happen again in the future? If the forces of the Yatan Church grow out of control, will the Reba Church sell growth potions?¡±


    It was definitely an important question to be raised. yers didn¡¯t want sudden updates. It would be difficult for things to go well if the same thing happened again without prior notice. Chairman Lim Cheolho nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. However, I don¡¯t think they will sell the same products. Considering Morpheus¡¯ nature, specialized items for each faction will be sold.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho didn¡¯t know what new products would appear in the future and how the bnce between forces would be maintained. The average person would be puzzled, but he had a spection based on Morpheus¡¯ ¡®personality.¡¯


    ¡®After the Yatan Church, the Judar Church and Dominion Church will also revive.¡¯


    The Reba Church had gathered too many believers. 80% of religious yers belonged to the Reba Church. Additionally, there were too many yers without a religion who had friendly rtions with the Reba Church. Grid was one of them. Chairman Lim Cheolho predicted that the bnce of religions might change the pattern of power.


    ¡®Sooner orter, gods with a strong authority will appear.¡¯


    Divinity came from faith. In the near future, there would be more gods presenting quests or certain episodes. For example, Reba, the goddess of light.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho became troubled as he was thinking. It was because he remembered the statue of Grid in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®No way, a religion...? That¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    At the same time, at Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house...


    ¡°Everything is going well when using Morpheus as an excuse. The profit will really shoot up. Tsk tsk.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo was resting after logging out. He clicked his tongue as he watched the press conference being broadcasted live on TV. It was criticism that focused purely on ¡®paid items¡¯ and not the growth potions that were the content of the paid items.


    That¡¯s right. Despite working hard himself, he didn¡¯t care about others being able tofortably raise their level.


    It wasn¡¯t just him. The other rankers also didn¡¯t feel any sense of deprivation. So what if they couldfortably raise their level to 300? The real leveling up started from the second half of the 300s anyway. Furthermore, the rapid growth of new users was wee. The more users there were, the more prosperous the game and the more powerful the authority of the rankers.


    ¡°In any case, it will be interesting.¡±

 Chapter 1292

    Ten thousand, hundred thousand, one million, three million, ten million...


    There was no change despite the bacsh from existing users. Since the new update, Satisfy gained arge number of new users in just a few days. The once deserted starting viges of each kingdom were crowded with people. It was the same for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    At Selena Vige, in the Overgeared Kingdom...


    Soldier clicked his tongue when he saw the procession of novices outside the window. ¡°Many of them are prospective believers of the Yatan Church...¡±


    The reason why new users started Satisfy at ater time was due to the emergence of the growth potions that boosted experience gain by 700%. Soldier was troubled when he thought they would grow quickly and benefit the Yatan Church in the future.


    ¡®Security will quickly deteriorate if a Yatan Temple is built near the vige.¡¯


    4,986th in the unified ranking¡ªSoldier¡¯s ranking hadn¡¯t changed significantlypared to before he joined the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because he had rtively little time to focus on hunting when he was in charge of the lord¡¯s office. He was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt if the Yatan Church gained power again.


    ¡®If the residents are in a hard spot then tax revenue will decrease...¡¯


    The starter vige was, as the name suggested, a vige. The poption didn¡¯t reach the size of a city. However, the total area of the territory was quiterge. It was natural since it was a ce where new users were introduced every day. The quest achievement rate was very high and the market was active, so the tax revenue was quite good.


    It was why Soldier, who made great achievements in the battle for Cork Ind and trained soldiers under Asmosphel, chose to be the lord of a starter vige while refusing to be the lord of a small or medium sized vige. However, there was too much work once he became the lord and it was very tiring. Now he sighed when he saw the number of prospective Yatan Followers increasing.


    ¡®Should I cut off the buds...?¡¯


    It was around the time when Soldier was staring at the new users with murderous eyes...


    ¡°My Lord!¡± a knight rushed in and shouted urgently, ¡°The prime minister...! The prime minister hase!¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ***


    The territory of the Overgeared Kingdom was huge. Of course, it was dozens of times smaller than the Saharan Empire, butpared to other kingdoms on the West Continent, it was two or three timesrger in size and its poption was also big.


    Soldier¡¯s heart was uneasy when Lauel came to visit the starter vige because Lauel was in charge of the politics of this huge kingdom.


    ¡®Did I do something wrong in the meantime?¡¯


    He was confident that he was running the vige well, but he might¡¯ve been mistaken. He was a soldier to his bones, but he was a stranger to politics.


    Lauel smiled at Soldier who was standing upright. ¡°Please rx. Why are you doing something so embarrassing?¡±


    ¡°Since ancient times, one should be nervous in front of your boss. I am morefortable with this posture.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I understand. Then I¡¯ll get straight to the point.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face was tired because he had been unable to sleep properly for thest few days. There was arge influx of new users, but it was a very dangerous situation because most of them were likely to be Yatan Followers. The current Yatan Church might be weakened, but it showed its potential by periodically summoning the great demon. It was obvious that it would be difficult to deal with if they rose back to their prime.


    ¡®The biggest problem is that it is meaningless to hit the main base.¡¯


    Reba¡¯s influence was greatly weakened the moment the Vatican was gone.


    It was because the role of the pope and elders who stayed in the Vatican to do business was very important. All of the Reba Temples were under the control of the Vatican. The absence of the Vatican would cause chaos in all the Reba Church temples.


    On the other hand, Yatan¡¯s Servants weren¡¯t the type to sit at the desk to do business. Theymitted evil deeds in real time as they wandered around the continent. They didn¡¯t manage the Yatan Temples. In the first ce, the Yatan Temples were focused on offering sacrifices and conducting rituals. it worked well even if there was nomand system.


    ¡°Soldier.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Yatan Church can¡¯t be allowed to be as big as Morpheus intended. We have already experienced the prime of the Yatan Church in the past, so you know that we can¡¯t control it once the believers of the Yatan Church be active.¡±


    The targets of the Yatan Church were always the weak. It was very difficult to protect an unspecified number of weak people. As the number of victims increased, the poption decreased. There were side effects such as the decline in security and the economy.


    ¡°I agree. No matter how thoroughly we defend ourselves, it is hard to stop them. If they number in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands... it is horrible just imagining it.¡±


    In the past, many of Yatan¡¯s Servants were killed by Grid. Even then, the nations of the West Continent didn¡¯t want the Yatan Church to grow. Due to fewer yers wanting to enter the Yatan Church, their power had greatly weakened, but they weren¡¯tpletely eradicated.


    The Yatan Church boasted more vitality than a cockroach. Then what if they had tens of millions or hundreds of millions of yers on their back? Punishing them could be impossible for eternity.


    ¡°Therefore, I have decided to open the treasury.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    The context was broken. Soldier cocked his head at the strange conclusion.


    ¡°Look at this.¡± Lauel opened the inventory and pulled out several items. Swords, spears, staffs, bows, orbs, etc. Seemingly low level weapons were on disy on the desk. ¡°Over the past few days, I¡¯ve instructed the cksmiths of the Overgeared Kingdom to make novice weapons. We used high quality materials that aren¡¯t normally used for beginner weapons so it boasts power that is several times higher than weapons of the same level.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Soldier, you will award these items to new users.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    "However, there are conditions. Give these items only to those who join the Reba Church.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Soldier finally understood the situation and felt admiration. Seeing this reaction, Lauel made a grin that revealed his sparking teeth.


    ¡°From this moment on, we will offer top-notch equipment to those who start in the Overgeared Kingdom and join the Reba Church. It will be in intervals of level 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200.¡±


    Changing religions wasn¡¯t an easy task. Once a yer belonged to a religion, it took a waiting period of one year after withdrawal to join another religion. This meant they could suppress the growth of the Yatan Church for at least one year. In Satisfy, one year was an invincible time since so many strategies had been published to the public. Those who yed hard could aim to reach the mid-200s.


    ¡°There is only one reason why the Yatan Church is so attractive to new users. It is due to the fast growth rate. It is inevitable to say that you can reach level 400 several times faster than before. However, that is only but one of the ways to level up quickly.¡±


    Compared to the experience buff, it was more advantageous to increase hunting speed. It was items that made fast hunting possible.


    ¡°If Morpheus dazzles people with growth potions, then we¡¯ll dazzle people with items. It is even for free.¡±


    This method would absolutely work. It would be a serious financial blow, but in the long run, it would not be a loss. An increase in the number of yers belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom meant the tax revenue would increase. An increase in the number of yers belonging to the Reba Church meant its alliance with the Overgeared Kingdom would be stronger.


    Lauel was convinced and his conviction always had a high probability ofing true.


    .........


    ......


    ...


    ¡°Me! I¡¯d like it!¡±


    ¡°When I can sit down after handing out all of this...¡±


    Two dayster, at Selena¡¯s square...


    The sight of people filling the square made Soldier flustered. More than half of Satisty¡¯s new yers chose Selena as the starting vige. Even at this moment, the procession to Selena was continuing all over the kingdom. Due to staffing restrictions, new users from other kingdoms were using every means to move to Selena. It was one of the few cases where a yer beat a gamepany. The number of yers entering the Yatan Church fell well below the S.A Group¡¯s expectations and sales of the growth potion were also short of expectations.


    ¡°Godgeared Kingdom! Godgeared Kingdom!¡±


    New users praised the Overgeared Kingdom. They were happy to grow quickly without having to do anything thanks to the weapons distributed for free at every level range in the Overgeared Kingdom. There were articles talking about how Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom punished the gamepany that tried to use artificial intelligence as a shield to avoid criticism. This was considered an example of using power in a good direction.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s heart was torn apart.


    ¡®I will have to go back for a few days to work hard...¡¯


    Grid confirmed his finances and let out a deep sigh. No matter how well Grid earned money, he would have to make dozens of items to refill the treasury of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®Well... It is okay because the damage can be recovered by all means. Let¡¯s control my heart.¡¯


    At this moment, Lauel and Rabbit were in the same state. They were doing their best to recover from the damage somehow. No, the word damage wasn¡¯t appropriate in the first ce. This was only an investment.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid turned his gaze in the direction of the golden walnut forest. Piaro had already been in the forest for four days and Grid hoped he woulde back with good news. It felt like his empty heart would fill again if they could grow the golden walnuts.


    ¡°Your Majesty the Queen.¡± Time was precious. A nobleman came to Grid, who was ughtering monsters in a hunting ground near Yangzhou while waiting for Piaro. The nobleman was amazed by the bloody smell around him and bowed politely. ¡°A person called Zikfrector hase to see you.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, really?¡± Grid was now naturally a shy person after dealing with the Xing King and nobles in Irene¡¯s form for a few days. He ced his weapon back in his inventory and returned to the pce.


    ¡®He seems to have taken my advice seriously.¡¯


    This was what Grid thought...


    ¡°Go to the Hwan Kingdom with me.¡±


    ¡°???"¡±


    Soon after, he met the grandmaster who put forward this absurd proposal.


    "No, didn¡¯t I rmend not meeting them?¡±


    The grandmaster reassured the flustered Grid, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to ignore your warning. I just want to check it with my own eyes. I have heard your warning and don¡¯t n to get on the same boat as them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had only been dealing with the yangbans. He had never visited the Hwan Kingdom in person. There was a moment of contemtion before Grid nodded.


    ¡°...There are many things I want to ask you, such as why you trust me so much and why you are so favorable to me. Still, first things first, I understand. Okay, I will apany you.¡±


    This was a great opportunity to explore the enemy camp. It was an opportunity that could only be achieved with the grandmaster and must never be missed.

 Chapter 1293

    Grandmaster Zikfrector, called the 6th evil, Zik, in his previous life¡ªhis goal was to punish the heavenly gods and great demons who colluded with them. His long-cherished wish is to pull down the gods who stained the seven good men with sin and to spread the truth to the world.


    It was the most vain dream in the world. It was enough to be ridiculed by everyone, but Zikfrector was looking at the possibilities. He endured for a thousand years and hope sprang up. A person who was favored by the gods and could avoid their doubts, and a person who had the power to overpower the top great demons¡ªthe two keys essential to victory in the war against the gods were all in the present day.


    The former was Grid and thetter was Marie Rose.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zibal became wide eyed when the grandmaster, who went to meet with Grid, came back with Queen Irene of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Then, Grid...¡±


    Zikfrector¡¯s words to introduce Grid were interrupted in the middle. Grid smiled brightly and lightly greeted Zibal, ¡°I am Irene, queen of the Overgeared Kingdom. It is nice to meet you, Sir Zibal. No, should I call you Zik¡¯s apostle?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes... please call me as you please.¡±


    After all, Satisfy¡¯s artificial intelligence was truly great. It wasn¡¯t easy to distinguish between NPCs and yers. Zibal felt it once again and nodded. On behalf of the Neo Red Knights who were wary of Irene, Zibal asked the grandmaster, ¡°Why did the queene instead of Grid?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s mouth was shut. It was difficult to exin because he didn¡¯t know what Grid was doing. He thought about it for a while, but chose silence due to the annoyance that came.


    ¡®In any case, this is a noble.¡¯


    The conversation stopped and Zibal frowned. He never dreamt that the Irene in front of his eyes would be Grid and sent a whisper to Grid.


    -Hey, Grid. Are you crazy? Why would you send your wife to the Hwan Kingdom after saying that we shouldn¡¯t trust the expelled gods? What if she dies?


    NPCs only had one life. They couldn¡¯t be resurrected after death unlike a yer. It was why the world couldn¡¯t me Grid after he started a furious retribution when Khan died. Now he wanted to send Irene to the Hwan Kingdom...


    Zibal couldn¡¯t understand Grid and didn¡¯t want to understand him. Grid, who received the whispered criticism, smiled at it and replied.


    -It¡¯s fine. They won¡¯t be able to touch Irene as long as she is apanied by the grandmaster.


    The Five Seniors would definitely covet the grandmaster and be cautious. Besides...


    -Additionally, Irene is strong and can save her own life.


    Grid was very proud of his skills. He didn¡¯t arrogantly believe he was the strongest like when he first defeated Kraugel and rose to the throne of the supreme one. Rather, he set up objective indicators by grasping the bnce of power in the world outlook. Even if the Five Seniors were hostile to him, he judged that he could survive by focusing on escaping under the grandmaster¡¯s protection.


    -Really...? I won¡¯t worry too much if you say that.


    Zibal nced at Irene with a new expression. If this delicate woman was strong, how strong would she be? If she was really so strong, what had she been doing in this period of time? There were many things that weren¡¯t convincing, but he didn¡¯t intend to doubt and distrust them.


    -Are you worried? Isn¡¯t it really touching?


    -Don¡¯t misunderstand. I only sympathized with Irene because I thought you were ying tricks to change your wife. By the way, how did you find out the location of the Hwan Kingdom? I¡¯ve been searching for thest few months, but there seems to be no way other than asking the Xing King directly.


    -You¡¯re right, that was indeed the only way. I know because I asked the Xing King.


    -The Xing King gave you the answer?


    Zibal was truly amazed. What means did Grid use to open the Xing King¡¯s mouth, when the king wouldn¡¯t even speak with a sword pointed at his neck?


    -Cruel bastard... what type of torture did you do?


    With a tired look, Grid exined to Zibal, who had a misunderstanding.


    -The Xing King and its people insist on keeping quiet about the Hwan Kingdom to outsiders because those who don¡¯t know the myth and hear about the Five Seniors will weaken the power of God ck Tortoise. Currently, Xing is being protected by the ck tortoise. The moment the ck tortoise is weakened, the invasion of the yangbans will begin. Thus, they can only desperately shut their mouths.


    -There was such a thing... then why doesn¡¯t that rule apply to you?


    -I know the true myths of the East Continent.


    Grid was the one who knocked down the yangban and resurrected the ck tortoise. In front of him, who prated the truth and denied the Five Seniors, talking about the Five Seniors wouldn¡¯t raise their divinity at all.


    -Um... I see. By the way, what are you doing?


    Zibal nodded in a convinced manner before frowning again.


    -Why aren¡¯t you going to the Hwan Kingdom? Why should your wife visit the Hwan Kingdom instead of you?


    -I¡¯m busy making money.


    -...I heard the Overgeared Kingdom has been busy scattering itemstely. It is a useless thing.


    -......


    -Well, I think you¡¯re doing a good job.


    Zibal smiled and ended the whisper. He followed after the grandmaster walking in front and thought about it. Zibal used to be the head of the seven guilds.What was he obsessed with at that time when the world revolved around him? Personal fame, money, and power. He was in a hurry to fulfill his own interests and desires.


    On the other hand, Grid...


    ¡®...There is noparison.¡¯


    The reason why Zibal failed to upy the position of the supreme one that he desired was because he was never qualified in the first ce. Even if he took the position, he would¡¯ve been pulled down before long. Zibal¡¯s expression became even firmer and stronger than before.


    ***


    The residence of the gods was in the sky. They never stayed on the ground, even if they were defeated gods. Familiarity breeds contempt, thus divinity was weakened the moment gods lived together with humans. The red phoenix, the ck tortoise, the blue dragon, and the white tiger¡ªit was the reason why the old and forgotten gods were defeated by the expelled gods.


    At the center of the East Continent, there was a huge peach forest where four rivers met¡ªunder Grid¡¯s guidance, the grandmaster arrived there and saw a rare phenomenon.


    ¡°It is hard to believe this is the ground.¡±


    It seemed like the gods were in front of them. It was and of spiritual energy that reminded him of the heavens he visited over a thousand years ago. The grandmaster used the ancient runenguage and let it fly into the air. The procession of runes shone like the Milky Way. His body that had lost strength after losing divine power became slightly stronger.


    The grandmaster¡¯s clenched fists were full of strength. His tired face was filled with life.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid eximed with admiration and Zibal and the Neo Red Knights couldn¡¯t close their open mouths. Their impression of the grandmasterpletely changed. The serene eyes that could be seen through the hairbed to both sides, the pale skin, and dry body...


    Previously, the grandmaster gave off a gloomy and decadent impression, but now he looked clear and clean. He emanated so much goodness that people couldn¡¯t help but trust him. The expressionless face was full of life and the quiet eyes made him feel like apletely different person.


    ¡°Can I go through this ce?¡±


    Step, step.


    Even the way he moved forward had changed. The footsteps that was hesitant like he was anxious or a shameful sinner became strong and confident. A towering peach tree in the center of the forest¡ªthe grandmaster approached the giant tree where the branches spread out from left to right and his vision captured the blue sky at the top of the tree. The runes that revolved around the grandmaster started to aim at the sky.


    ¡°That¡¯s right... it is here.¡±


    Grid confirmed it. He stood beside the grandmaster and attached the amulet he received from the Xing King to the tree.


    ¡°Open the door.¡±


    Thunder started to ring everywhere. A blue veil covering the vast peach forest could be seen. It happened the moment the group felt disconnected from the world...


    A golden light poured down from the darkened sky and wrapped around the bodies of Grid, the grandmaster, and the rest of the group.


    [You are qualified to visit the world of the gods of the east.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    The rising notification window made a chill shoot down Zibal¡¯s spine. The world of the gods¡ªhow many out of two billion yers could see that ce? Zibal was thrilled and frightened that a ce he dismissed as fantasies actually existed and that he was going to visit it.


    ¡°This area is a bit shabby,¡± Grid, who had already visited the world of the gods on the West Continent, murmured with a disinterested expression.


    Grid, the grandmaster, and the rest of the group started to rise while surrounded by light and then a voice was heard. It was a voice directed at the grandmaster.


    ¡¸I wee you, poor apostle who was exploited and betrayed by the fallen gods.¡¹


    The vision of Grid, the grandmaster, and the rest of the group reversed. Soon, the world rose and when they opened their eyes again, a long road paved with trees could be seen.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    Zibal and the Neo Red Knights sighed at the beautiful and mysterious scenery. Grid saw the same peach trees he had seen in the Peach Blossom Spring and approached it to grab a white peach. Unfortunately, before he could pick the white peach, yangbans wearing dopos showed up to guide the group.


    ¡°All humans apart from Apostle Zik, don¡¯t look at us. How dare you look?¡±


    ¡°Follow me. The Five Seniors are waiting.¡±

 Chapter 1294

    At a pce surrounded by peach trees and clouds...


    The clothes of the courtdies as they walked through the corridors looked like they were alive.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to shift your gaze?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to burn your eyes for you to listen?¡±


    The yangbans warned Zibal who kept looking around. Zibal wanted to capture all the scenery of the divine world he would never see again. Thus, a strong resentment filled him.


    ¡®Who the hell do they think they are?¡¯


    Zibal¡¯s boss was the grandmaster. The other party had no right tomand Zibal even if they were gods. Zibal felt great displeasure at the attitude of the nobles who threatened them. He wanted to raise his eyes and shout at the yangbans. However, he barely suppressed his anger and endured it.


    ¡®I will do as they say¡ªwhen in Rome, do as the Romans do.¡¯


    It would damage the grandmaster if he made a disturbance. Zibal controlled his mind and looked like any other Neo Red Knights. He walked silently as he stared at the heels of the yangbans walking in front. The yangbans clicked their tongues.


    ¡°In any case, they won¡¯t understand our words.¡±


    ¡°Cattle and humans are curious and difficult to control. That¡¯s why they have to starve from time to time.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s expression stiffened as he walked through the shabby Hwan Kingdom that was unlike Asgard. The thoughts of the yangbans were ufortable.


    ¡®Why do they despise humans?¡¯


    Not all gods cared for human beings. A prime example was Hexetia, the cksmithing god. He was jealous of human beings and even attempted to annihte humanity. However, there were few gods who loathed or despised humans. In order for a god to gain divinity, human faith was necessary. Thus, it wasn¡¯t good to be disinterested in the humans who believed in them. Some gods felt grateful to humans.


    If there were humans who believed in him and served him in the past, Hexetia wouldn¡¯t have implemented such an unreasonable n of annihtion. In that sense, the attitude of the yangbans was really hard to understand. The reason why the gods regained their divinity after being defeated and expelled during the war of the gods was because the humans of the east believed in them and served them. Why were the humans treated so badly?


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough that they aren¡¯t grateful to humans. It is hard to understand them beingpared to livestock.¡¯


    The grandmaster questioned it before he realized something.


    ¡®...Do they take human service for granted rather than being thankful?¡¯


    In retrospect, there is one such person among the Western gods¡ªMartial God Zeratul, who argued that it was natural for humans to worship his strength. The grandmaster thought of the cut from Zeratul and felt a great pain from his chest. It was a pain in his memories.


    The grandmaster¡¯s chest was clean without a single injury. That¡¯s right. The grandmaster¡¯s current body had no encounter with Zeratul. The body of the grandmaster that had been cut by Zeratul and suffered a deep wound was sealed in a pit. It was like the seven malignant, no, the seven good people.


    ¡®Zikfrector?¡¯


    Grid had already experienced the ignorance and contempt of the yangbans several times. Grid just thought of it as a dog barking and the yangbans¡¯ bullshit entered one ear and went out the other. Then he saw the grandmaster¡¯s stiff expression. He was worried because the grandmaster¡¯s bright face was gray and looked worse than before.


    ¡®Is the Curse of Sloth affecting him again?¡¯ [1]


    In fact, the Curse of Sloth was a very rare curse. In Satisfy¡¯s worldview, the only ones affected by the Curse of Sloth were the vampires and Grandmaster Zikfrector. Grid had a long association with the vampires and was tired of the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡°Steady your mind,¡± Grid whispered to him. He was concerned that things would be twisted if the grandmaster became tired and was unable to make a normal judgment.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you?!¡± One of the yangbans kicked at Grid¡¯s shin. She was angry because a human woman dared to raise her head when she was warned to walk by looking at the ground.


    ¡®These XX guys.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted. He had been keeping his head low the entire time and he only looked at the grandmaster for a moment, yet violence wasmitted?


    ¡®If you want to hit someone then hit Zibal.¡¯


    It was unfair. He felt bitter like he was sitting next to a noisy person in ss.


    ¡°......???¡± Zibal was flustered. He wasn¡¯t sure why Overgeared Queen Irene stared at him after she was kicked in the shin by a yangban called Haejin.


    ¡°In any case, human beings don¡¯t understand how good they have it. It would be easier to just pull out their eyeballs from the beginning,¡± Haejinined after she confirmed that the human woman had lowered her head again after looking at Zibal.


    At this moment...


    ¡®You want to pull out these pretty eyes?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s anger rose as he was trying to calm his heart. He clearly engraved the name of Haejin in his mind.


    ¡®I¡¯ll pull out your eyester.¡¯


    Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group walked for quite a long time. It took two hours to arrive at the pce after arriving in the Hwan Kingdom and an hour or more to walk through the corridors inside the pce. It happened when Grid was bored and feeling impatient...


    ¡°You look deep in thought.¡±


    A new person¡¯s voice was heard. Grid and Zibal reflexively wanted to raise their heads, but they suppressed their instincts and bowed more deeply. The yangbans guiding the party were spurred into action. These arrogant guys started to bow deeply.


    ¡°I greet the god who controls the wind.¡±


    The god who controls the wind?


    Zibal had no information on the Hwan Kingdom and was unable to identify this person. He was just guessing that it was one of the gods who had been expelled. On the other hand, Grid knew the theme of the Hwan Kingdom and knew exactly who had appeared in front of them.


    ¡®Pungsa.¡¯


    One of the three masters who ruled the weather along with Usa and Unsa, Pungsa was the one who caught a glimpse of Grid as he stood over Hangyeol¡¯s body. Dante gained the deity stat because Grid was using Dante¡¯s appearance at that time. Grid¡¯s heart thumped. He was excited as he anticipated the moment when Irene would gain divinity.


    The grandmaster stared at Pungsa and opened his mouth, ¡°Did Hanul agree to meet me?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The expressions of the yangbans distorted. Even the others were stunned. The Five Seniors were gods. Moreover, the grandmaster¡¯s wish was to cooperate with the Five Seniors to drive out the gods of the west. They thought the grandmaster would be respectful to Pungsa, so it was natural to be shocked.


    ¡°This crazy...!¡±


    The yangbans almost started a fight. The grandmaster used to be the messenger of the gods, so he was on the level of the yangbans and angels at most. It was sphemy that he would dare to treat a god like this. The yangbans had unwrapped the swords tied around their waists like belts and were surrounding the grandmaster when Pungsa yelled at them, ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    There was a sudden storm and apart from Pungsa and the grandmaster, the rest of them struggled against the wind trying to sweep them away. They were unable to withstand the violent wind and soon fell to the ground.Finally, Grid and Zibal were able to look up at Pungsa.


    Pungsa was surprisingly young. He was a man in his early 30s who gave off a rather nervous impression. However, the long eyebrows under thebed hair stretched down to the cheekbones and made it difficult to guess his years. Pungsa didn¡¯t say many words. He stared at the yangbans with a serene gaze and ordered them, ¡°Withdraw.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    The confused yangbans lowered their heads. They clicked their tongues as they passed the grandmaster and soon disappeared into the corridor.


    Pungsa nced at the entrance of the great hall. ¡°Go in. Hanul is waiting for you.¡±


    Pungsa¡¯s gaze was only directed at the grandmaster. He treated Grid, Zibal, and the Neo Red Knights as air.


    The grandmaster stated, ¡°They are people attempting to help me revive the seven good people.¡±


    It meant he would take them into the great hall.


    ¡°The apostles who will help you resurrect the seven good people... I understand. They are your strongest subordinates, so they can face Hanul.¡±


    Pungsa nodded and let Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group inside the great hall.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The group entered the great hall and their eyes shook with amazement. This ce was the interior of the pce but there was a garden and lotus pool so it didn¡¯t feel like it.


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    Zibal sucked in a breath. It was because as he approached the unusually clear lotus pond, he could see down to the ground. The territories of the Pa Kingdom and the Kaya Kingdom could be seen at a nce. By zooming in, it was possible to observe a specific area in detail. It was also possible to peek at the facial expressions of people going back and forth. He could even hear the contents of the conversation. It was a creepy, perfect observation. It was correct to say that the entire East Continent was being monitored. However, the territories of the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom were covered in mes and fog, respectively, making it impossible to peek at them.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s words were true.¡¯


    Zibal shook off the goosebumps on his arms and hurriedly joined the rest of the group. He walked along the stone path with Pungsa and found a pavilion floating in the center of theke in the distance.


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    Pungsa waved his hand. The wind blew and theke was cut in half. It was the moment the bottom of theke that was as deep as the river was revealed, making a path. Thanks to this, the group was able to move to the pavilion on foot.


    ¡°......?¡±


    In front of the pavilion, the grandmaster stopped from where he had been walking alongside Pungsa. Grid and Zibal also stopped walking. For the first time, the grandmaster bowed down. ¡°I greet the god.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. A man was sitting at an angle on the stairs leading up to the pavilion. It was because the name of the god who made the grandmaster bow was ¡®Chiyou.¡¯ Unlike Pungsa, who solely focused on the grandmaster, Chiyou alternated looking between the grandmaster and Grid. Then he nodded with a satisfied expression.


    ¡°It is nice to see you.¡±


    This was the end. Chiyou disappeared without a trace from his seat.


    ¡°Go up.¡±


    Pungsa shook his head and moved up the stairs. Grid followed the group and could see Sobyeol, Usa, and Unsa sitting around a small table.


    The grandmaster also greeted Sobyeol, ¡°You are Hanul¡¯s child.¡±


    Sobyeol smiled brightly. ¡°It is nice to meet you, Zik.¡±


    Unlike the actual Dangun myth, Satisfybelled Pungbaek as Pungsa by using ¡®sa¡¯ instead of ¡®baek.¡¯[2]


    It indirectly exposed that the three gods¡ªPungsa, Unsa, and Usa¡ªhad the same authority and the reason was revealed. Satisfy ced Sobyeol over the three Sas. (Sa since all three have sa at the end of their name)


    Then the being on top of all the gods...


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    It was Hanul, the absolute god on the same level as Reba and Yatan.


    [1] Changing the Curse of Idleness to the Curse of Sloth


    [2] Dangun, legendary founder of the first Korean state Gojoseong. ording to the myth, he was said to be born from a bear who transformed into a woman and a god, Hwanung. Hwanung, the son of the supreme deity Hwanin asked his father to descend to Earth and live there instead of Heaven. He brought 3,000 followers with him, including the Earl of Wind (Pungbaek), Master of Rain (Ubaek), and Master of Clouds (Unsa). The three gods are based on them. https://.ancient.eu/Dangun/

 Chapter 1295

    Grid wasn¡¯t surprised when he saw the way the grandmaster treated Pungsa. Rather than questioning it, he thought it was natural. It was because the grandmaster loathed the existence of a god itself. It would be funny if he was polite to a god. However...


    ¡°I greet the god.¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s attitude when meeting Chiyou was undeniably polite. His greeting was respectful and he bowed deeply and solemnly without anyone making him do it. It was apletely different attitude from when he dealt with others. Chiyou¡ªthe most powerful god of the east and the one who educated the yangbans. The grandmaster was afraid of his power?


    Grid thought about it but soon realized this wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡®...It is different. Completely different.¡¯


    Reba, the goddess of light; Hexetia, the god of cksmiths; Zeratul, the god of war; and Pungsa, the god of wind. So far, Grid had faced quite a few gods. He felt kindness andplicated emotions toward Reba, sympathy toward Hexetia, and fear and disgust toward Zeratul and Pungsa.


    However, Chiyou was too vague. This person wasn¡¯t a subject of sentimentality or emotions. He couldn¡¯t judge Chiyou at all.


    ¡°It is nice to meet you.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s gaze shifted from the grandmaster to him and Grid¡¯s body became stiff. It was a shock simr to when he first met Mercedes.


    [The martial god of the east, Chiyou, is contemting you.]


    [All information about your level,bat rted stats, andbat rted skills will be disclosed to Chiyou.]


    [100% of your weaknesses are exposed to Chiyou.]


    [When attacking, hit rate will decrease by 80% and when attacked, you will receive three times more damage.]


    [The transcendent status you have umted is still weak and it is being suppressed.]


    [All the stats and skills generated by your transcendent status are sealed.]


    It was different from Keen Insight. Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight was the power to see through ¡®everything¡¯ while Chiyou¡¯s gaze was the power to see through the target¡¯s bat power.¡¯ Keen Insight was in the growth stage and could only see a few things while Chiyou¡¯s gaze was fully developed andpletely overwhelmed Grid. In the present time, Chiyou¡¯s gaze was much stronger and superior than Keen Insight.


    However, there was an important fact here. The reason Grid shivered wasn¡¯t because he was overwhelmed by Chiyou¡¯s gaze. To Grid, Chiyou¡¯s existence itself was enormous. He seemed to know why the grandmaster bowed his head.


    ¡®This is a real god.¡¯


    Hexetia and Zeratul were made by Reba, while Pungsa was created by Hanul. On the other hand, Chiyou was born naturally from the desires of humans. It was no wonder why there was a difference. How did it feel when seeing Reba, the goddess of light and one of the absolute gods? Grid had been thrilled just by seeing Reba¡¯s ¡®image¡¯ that descended to the ground. He was already curious and expectant about what he would feel when meeting Reba. Additionally, he became nervous about how terrifying Hanul would be.


    ¡°Go up.¡±


    Gulp.


    The staircase that was revealed when Chiyou left. Grid gulped several times as he climbed the stairs. The yangbans despised humans. Hanul was the one who made them. Hanul even uses quests to lure yers to be killed. It happened at least three times that Grid knew of.


    ¡®Hanul is evil.¡¯


    Hanul was a sneaky god who didn¡¯t threaten humanity outright like the evil god Yatan, who made the great demons. Hanul slowly corroded, deceived, and enved humans. The image of Hanul in Grid¡¯s mind was the devil itself. It reminded him of a venomous snake who secretly exhaled poison that decayed the human lungs. However, reality waspletely different.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    [You are the first yer to witness the Absolute, Hanul.]


    [You have witnessed one of the sources of the world and your base has expanded.]


    [You won¡¯t be afraid when encountering absolute beings such as gods, dragons, and great demons in the future.]


    A warm voice and gentle eyes¡ªthe feeling that Hanul gave off resembled Reba, the goddess of light. He even provided the members of Grid¡¯s group a chair made of clouds. He sealed the Four Gods and tricked all the humans on the East Continent into believing false myths. A person who created massive quests many times to kill thousands of yers...


    Hanul¡¯s appearance was the opposite of Grid¡¯s imagination. Even so, Grid was alert. He tried to peek at the brutal and sinister nature lurking behind Hanul¡¯s warm exterior. Then he felt confused. He stared at Hanul, but he couldn¡¯t see what Hanul looked like. This person felt like a gentle and warm being, but Grid couldn¡¯t fathom Hanul in front of him.


    Hanul¡¯s gaze fell on Grid after greeting the grandmaster. ¡°It is greedy to judge something using the simple dichotomy of good and evil. You would¡¯ve been considered evil by many people.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Hanul¡¯s remarks seemed to pierce through Grid¡¯s intentions. Unlike Reba, who represented good, and Yatan, who represented evil, Hanul expressed himself in this way.


    ¡°I am the closest of the three gods to humans. It is pointless to look at only one aspect of me and be vignt and hostile.¡±


    The seven malignant saints had said that Reba and Yatan were nothing more than emotionless systems. The two gods periodically repeated the process of destroying and restoring the world and they felt neither affection nor resentment toward humanity.


    On the other hand, Hanul waspletely different from them. He had feelings. Sometimes he fought for someone and inevitably, he had to sacrifice someone. This was why he sealed the Four Gods of the east and made the yangbans to strengthen the Five Seniors.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Hanul¡¯s hazy face became firm. It was the face of a mighty warrior.


    ¡°I fight for those who serve me.¡±


    Hanul¡¯s face changed again. It was the face of the serpent that Grid had imagined.


    ¡°I punish those who doubt and go against me.¡±


    This time, it was the face of a crying woman.


    ¡°I can mourn the dead.¡±


    In the end, it was the face of a benevolent old man.


    ¡°I am the only god who gives the right advice for the future of humanity.¡±


    Hanul was trying to dispel the doubts in Grid¡¯s gaze. In other words. he was speaking to persuade the grandmaster.


    ¡°Then what about Reba and Yatan? They separated each other into good and evil and made the world fight. I just watched it. In particr, Reba didn¡¯t care about the seven people who fought for her and gave them the stigma of the seven evils.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. It was due to his hatred of Reba. The grandmaster couldn¡¯t coexist with Reba and was persuaded by Hanul, who didn¡¯t belong to good or evil. He thought Hanul was a true god who would understand humanity and lead them in the right direction.


    However, Grid intervened in the conversation. ¡°Have you ever given us the right advice for the future of humanity?¡±


    It was a blunt question. Sobyeol and the three Sas stared at Grid. It was a gaze that didn¡¯t contain anger or killing intent, but Grid could feel the hostility.


    Hanul replied, ¡°Serve us as your gods.¡±


    ¡°Does that ¡®us¡¯ include the yangbans?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is the right advice to treat humans as livestock and serve the yangbans who easily hurt them?¡±


    ¡°First of all, the im that yangbans easily hurt them is wrong. Apart from the children who couldn¡¯t control their emotions, none of the yangbansmitted any killings.¡±


    In fact, this was right. Surprisingly, the yangbans didn¡¯t exercise much violence. A short example was the Cho King wasn¡¯t punished for losing the Red Phoenix Bow, an important key to sealing the red phoenix. The yangban whomitted the killing spree was Garam and he was blinded by his anger at Grid. It would be cruel to judge all yangbans based on Garam.


    ¡°It is also inevitable that the yangbans can¡¯t treat humans correctly. They might look the same, but their lifespans and abilities are different. It is natural to feel a sense of distance. The reason why humans are ridiculed instead of receiving gratitude is because they haven¡¯t yet be gods. Once the yangbans be gods, their thinking will expand and they will feel grateful to the people and reward them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too consequential? Can those who treat people like livestock and do harm ording to their mood really cherish people after bing gods?¡±


    Why did it feel like there was no progress in the conversation?


    Hanul asked Grid in reverse, ¡°How many people have you killed?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°It seems that the killingsmitted by you alone are hundreds or thousands times more than those killed by hundreds of yangbans.


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    ¡°Of course, a lot of the killings would be to protect someone or practice justice. However, can you say that your justice is correct? Wouldn¡¯t you be the devil from the perspective of those who were killed by you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid became speechless. It wasn¡¯t because he agreed with Hanul¡¯s opinion, who protected the yangbans. It was because he couldn¡¯t refute it. Grid became quiet while Hanul finally reached the grandmaster.


    Hanul asked him, ¡°Do you think this type of conversation would be possible with Reba?¡±


    ¡°...No, it would never be possible.¡±


    The grandmaster shook his head and a faint smile appeared on Hanul¡¯s face.


    "I am the only god in the world who can understand and align with human beings through dialogue. To create the world you truly desire, the seven good people must be with me. In order to revive the seven good people, you need my strength.¡±


    It was a voice full of conviction. Hanul believed that the grandmaster would be with him. The grandmaster was silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth, ¡°However, you aren¡¯t apologizing.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°A god who doesn¡¯t apologize or provide solutions to the shorings of the yangbans who regard humans as inferior. He just epts it because it is inevitable. It isn¡¯tmunication.¡±


    ¡°Every actiones with a price. As I said earlier, the yangbans will surely reward humanity.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster noticed¡ªall gods were the same. However, Hanul wasn¡¯t so extremepared to the other two gods. The grandmaster stood up from his seat with a bleak expression and Hanul called to him, ¡°Poor apostle Zik, it is impossible for you to revive the seven good people on your own.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The grandmaster stopped and ced a hand on Grid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡±

 Chapter 1296

    ¡°It seems that the killingsmitted by you alone are hundreds or thousands times more than those killed by hundreds of yangbans.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hanul waspletely different from the other gods.


    The absolute gods Reba and Yatan were simply beings that moved like clockwork ording to their instincts. The subordinate gods such as Hexetia and Zeratul were buried by their own desires and simple feelings. Meanwhile, Hanul understood and attacked humans. It was as if he was human.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Grid felt a chill as the sins of the heart he had been carrying for a long time were revealed. He was afraid of Hanul, who shut him up using human standards. It was creepy that a god who understood humans so well deceived humans and used them as tools to establish the yangbans as gods. Additionally, he created missions to kill people inrge numbers. It would¡¯ve been a disaster if he was only faithful to his instincts like Reba and Yatan, but Hanul felt like a psychopath with a weapon in his hand.


    Were his thoughts read? Hanul looked at Grid like he was a child. Hanul¡¯s gaze seemed to be mocking Grid and telling him that he was no different.


    Grid had an instinctive feeling¡ªHanul was the god who should be avoided the most. As Grid was immersed in his thoughts, Hanul was concentrating on the conversation with the grandmaster. He was trying to woo the grandmaster. Grid wanted to shout. Grid wanted to warn the grandmaster that he shouldn¡¯t be deceived. However, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth.


    [The absolute Hanul is asking about your sins.]


    [Sinners aren¡¯t entitled to speak. This willst for 3 minutes.]


    [All skills and magic are sealed.]


    [The source of the myth ignores your status. Resistance has failed.]


    [The sinner is filled with anxiety. All stats are reduced by 30% and your weak spots will be exposed for three minutes.]


    [The source of the myth ignores your deity stat. Resistance has failed.]


    ¡®Shit! Dammit!¡¯


    There had been rumors floating in themunity recently. It was said that there was a ¡®legend attack strategy.¡¯ It was said that hitting a target with six specific types of status abnormalities within one second would neutralize the legendary ss¡¯ resistance to abnormal statuses. However, Grid had sneered at it. He thought that the resistance couldn¡¯t be neutralized in such a way, but he could no longer ignore it.


    ¡®Why did I fail to resist the abnormal state every time I do something?¡¯


    Abnormal status hits that disregarded resistance, abnormal status hits that ignored resistance, ignored status resistance, hits that ignored status resistance...


    Every time Grid failed to resist an abnormal status, he felt that there was nothing absolute in Satisfy and became worried that the rumored legendary attack strategy was also true.


    ¡°Poor apostle Zik, it is impossible for you to revive the seven good people on your own.¡±


    The conversation between Hanul and the grandmaster wasing to an end. Hanul caught a glimpse of the grandmaster¡¯s resentment and desires and persistently persuaded the grandmaster, whose expression was subtle and difficult to read.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t think about it.¡¯


    The grandmaster shouldn¡¯t grab Hanul¡¯s hand. If he grabbed Hanul¡¯s hand then the stigma of the seven good people would never be removed. Grid wanted to cry out, but the words hovered in his mouth. The weight of Hanul¡¯s sin pressed shut his mouth. It was a moment of frustration for Grid who thought the grandmaster would be shaken.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Arge, warm hand covered Grid¡¯s shoulders. It was the grandmaster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡±


    The clear eyes that confronted Hanul turned to Grid.


    ¡°Here is a man who will help me along with my apostles.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why? On what basis did he trust and rely on Grid so much? It was a big question for Grid who didn¡¯t know the grandmaster¡¯s thoughts. Still, he couldn¡¯t help smiling. He was relieved that the worst case scenario of the grandmaster holding hands with Hanul was avoided. He also felt joy that he was trusted for some reason.


    ¡°Why are you going to walk such a difficult road?¡± Hanul asked the grandmaster. His hard to recognize face still seemed to be smiling gently.


    The grandmaster answered, ¡°The moment I take Hanul¡¯s hand and choose the easy path, it feels like I will enter the wicked path.¡±


    ¡°Walking with me is the wicked path...¡±


    The smile disappeared from Hanul¡¯s face. In an instant, a huge pressure burst out and Grid found it hard to breathe. Zibal and the Neo Red Knights instantly fell unconscious.


    Flinch.


    It was so overbearing that even the grandmaster had to take a step back.


    ¡°Do I look wicked in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I only had a brief conversation, but how can I use the standard of good and evil on a god?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you worried about going down the wicked path with me? I understand humans better than any other god, so I am the only god who can live with humans. I am the only one in the world who can meet the expectations and wishes of you, who has fought against the gods for humanity.¡±


    It was a voice filled with confidence¡ªHanul sincerely seemed to think so. The grandmaster was attracted for a moment, but then he shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a god who lives with humans. I want a god who can watch from a distance and protect humans when they encounter disasters that can¡¯t be confronted with their own strength.¡±


    Yatan, who used some pretext to destroy the world. Reba, who watched the world being destroyed by Yatan. Hexetia, the god of cksmithing, who was jealous and envious of humans. Zeratul, who wanted to spread his greatness to humans. Dominion, who fell in love with a human and was thus betrayed. All the gods the grandmaster had witnessed were far from the ideal god he thought of.


    Seeing the grandmaster firmly convey his will, Hanul opened his mouth, ¡°In other words, do nothing and onlye out to help when humans are in a crisis?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you want a favor without a price? It doesn¡¯t seem worth it from a god¡¯s perspective.¡±


    ¡°That is benevolence.¡±


    ¡°It is like you are saying that a god¡¯s duty is to show benevolence.¡±


    ¡°I think it is a natural duty. The reason why humans worship the gods is because they want benevolence.¡±


    Hanul told the grandmaster, ¡°I existed from the age of chaos before humans were born. Don¡¯t you think it is too greedy to im I have this duty to humans?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it is only after humans were born that you could be worshipped and umte divinity to reach your current power?¡±


    ¡°Do it moderately.¡±


    How dare he disregard Hanul¡¯s words? In the end, the three Sas couldn¡¯t stand it and rose from their seats. All of them had been in an unpleasant mood since hearing the grandmaster¡¯s nonsense that gods existed only for humans.


    ¡°I think I know why the ugly gods of the west ced a sin on you.¡±


    ¡°Your argument is too one-sided. It is excessively greedy. The god you want doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster shut his mouth. It wasn¡¯t because Hanul asked for his sin like he did with Grid. In fact, the Grandmaster wanted to ask.


    ¡®A god exists due to human desires. Why deny doing anything for humans?¡¯


    The reason he didn¡¯t ask was because there was no meaning. The grandmaster recalled the conversation he had with the gods of Asgard and bowed his head with a sorrowful expression.


    ¡°It is a wish beyond the subject. I¡¯m sorry. I will leave.¡±


    The ancient runes rose and wrapped around the bodies of Zibal and the Neo Red Knights. The group who lost consciousness from Hanul¡¯s overbearing presences all woke up and rose. The grandmaster was trying to leave with the group when Hanul¡¯s question struck his back, ¡°Haven¡¯t you just been watching humans? Have you been fighting for humans?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    In the distant past, he fought for the gods. Then in the past hundreds of years, he used humans in the name of resurrecting the seven good people. Sometimes he killed many people. It was a shameful past. The grandmaster knew that he already wasn¡¯t a good person.


    ¡°Do you think you are qualified to wish for a god that exists only for humanity?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The grandmaster¡¯s sunken eyes glowed proudly with confidence.


    ¡°That is why gods exist.¡±


    Pungsa shouted loudly and a storm was created. Theke around the pavilion formed ripples and turned into a whirlpool.


    Gulp.


    Zik and the Neo Red Knights realized they would be swept away by the whirlpool and gulped.


    ¡°Let them go.¡±


    Hanul restrained Pungsa and Pungsa stopped. The swirlingke became silent like everything previously was a lie. Subsequently, another wind split theke in half and created a path for Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group. Hanul left some final words to the grandmaster who was stepping on the path, ¡°The god you want doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    The yangbans neglected Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group after they left the ce where the gods gathered and returned to the pce. The news that the grandmaster dared to reject Hanul¡¯s hand had already spread. Some yangbans showed open hostility.


    Grid, Zibal, and the Neo Red Knights looked down as they walked. It was because they knew something would happen if they were caught looking once. It happened as they were about to reach the entrance of the pce...


    "I want to see yourbat skills.¡±


    The group was passing through the gate when a voice was heard. The group knew who he was without even looking at his face.


    Jingle.


    It was due to the bell sound. A man whose hair was tied up with a string of bells¡ªit was the martial god, Chiyou, who previously sat on the stairs of the pavilion. It was as if he knew the grandmaster woulde back. He stared at Grid as he blocked the group¡¯s path.


    ¡°I wonder if you can ovee the trials that I made.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s Test¡ªit was the first gateway the yangbans had to pass to be a god. Naturally, there was a strong resistance from around them. The yangbans who were staring at Grid¡¯s group started to protest.


    ¡°You are going to give Chiyou¡¯s Test to a mere human?! Are you mocking us yangbans?¡±


    Chiyou lightly dismissed the screams of the yangbans.


    ¡°How about it? It isn¡¯t a bad suggestion for you.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s attention was focused only on Grid. In the end, some of the yangbans stepped forward.


    ¡°If you want to give the human a chance, then give us a chance as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Chiyou epted it surprisingly easily.


    The flustered Grid also epted with a serious expression, ¡°I like it too.¡±


    Not only was there no reason to refuse such a good opportunity, the yangban Haejin was included among the yangbans who would go through Chiyou¡¯s Test.

 Chapter 1297

    For the yangbans, the Hwan Kingdom was their home, but at the same time, it was also their prison. It was a prison they had to escape from in order to spread their presence among the humans and build up a reputation. However, escaping it wasn¡¯t easy. Only seven of the yangbans were eligible to move freely from the Hwan Kingdom. They were those who passed Chiyou¡¯s Test with high grades. Excluding those few, the other yangbans needed permission from the Five Seniors to descend to the human world. A few of the yangbans, including Pagma, escaped the Hwan Kingdom at will, but their ending wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°If you want to give the human a chance, then give us a chance as well.¡±


    The yangbans hated Chiyou. It was physiologically impossible to have good feelings for Chiyou, who despised the Five Seniors. However, Chiyou¡¯sbat force was highly respected. The yangbans followed the rules made by Chiyou better than anyone else.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s trials weren¡¯t regr events. It was unknown what the standards were based on, but Chiyou held his test every few decades or even hundreds of years. Now he did it suddenly, without notice. The yangbans had to always be well prepared and now they were willing to jump into the test straight away.


    ¡®The opportunity has finallye!¡¯


    Haejin¡¯s expression brightened when Chiyou agreed to give the yangbans a chance to participate in the ordeal. She passed the most recent test in 22nd ce and was convinced that this time, she would be in the top seven. Gru, Naeun, Hangyeol, Harang, Saul, Maru, Garam, etc.¡ªall the yangbans who were in the top seven or closer to the top seven were dead so Haejin believed that one of the vacant spots could be passed onto her.


    A human woman also expressed her intention to participate in the trials, ¡°I like it too.¡±


    Haejin thought this woman would step back, so it was unexpected.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t know anything about the world.¡¯


    The apostle was just like Zik, who refused to join the Five Seniors. She couldn¡¯t understand the situation. It was unbelievable that she was really epting Chiyou¡¯s ordeal. At this point, she seemed to have decided to die.


    ¡®Well, she is free to die.¡¯


    Haejin clicked her tongue. Her resentful gaze turned toward Chiyou. It was Chiyou¡¯s problem in the first ce. He suggested offering the trials to the human on a whim.


    ¡®It is too much to y a joke like this.¡¯


    Chiyou had been strange from the beginning. There was a time when he expressed favor to Pagma, who caused disgust with his iprehensible deeds. It wasn¡¯tmon sense.


    ¡®The moment that a human participates in the trial for the gods, the prestige of the trial will drop.¡¯


    The most important concept for a god was the status. The higher the status, the closer they were to a god and they could be a stronger god. Chiyou¡¯s Test was a type of grace that could elevate their status. It was grace from a god to another god. Wouldn¡¯t it be poisonous the moment that grace was shared with a human?


    Haejin and the yangbans were concerned. Some of the yangbans thought they couldn¡¯t stay silent andined.


    ¡°Do you really want to give a human the qualification to participate in Chiyou¡¯s Test?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. How can an inferior creature be brought into a test for yangbans?¡±


    ¡°You should say it correctly,¡± Chiyou interrupted them.


    Jingle jingle.


    The bells on Chiyou¡¯s ne and hair tie shook loudly. It was the aftermath of the movement he made as he smiled. The bells worn by Chiyou were sensitive enough to respond to the smallest changes.


    ¡°The reason I am holding this trial is to witness this human¡¯sbat power. You are just riding on this human¡¯s coat tails. Now you are asking about this human¡¯s qualifications? What is this shamelessness? Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful instead?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The expressions of the yangbans distorted. It was ridiculous sophistry. A trial being held for a human...


    Chiyou¡¯s Test was an ordeal to gain the qualifications of a god. How could a human be the chosen candidate? As usual, the yangbans were tired of the whimsical Chiyou and closed their mouths. Meanwhile, Haejin nodded happily.


    ¡°If you say this, then we have no choice but to follow.¡±


    Haejin thought this was better. She wanted to see the human, who dared to send a challenging gaze at her, going through the feeling of frustration, desperation, and death.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t sane based on the way you made eye contact with me. Someone like you will only know who you are up against after your eyeballs are pulled out.¡±


    Haejin faced Grid and smiled. It was a smile full of killing intent. The killing intent of a half-god. It was normal to feel a pressure that was difficult to handle. Surprisingly, Grid felt it was bearable.


    ¡®Did the yangbans always feel this way?¡¯


    Until just a few months ago, Grid¡¯s perception of the yangbans was only Garam. An absolutely strong man who couldn¡¯t be surpassed no matter how wicked he was. He was a subject of fear that caused Grid to sweat the moment he recalled it. However, Haejin waspletely different. She was a strong yangban, but she didn¡¯t give him too much pressure. The same was true for the other yangbans other than Garam.


    Was it because Haejin was weak? That wasn¡¯t it. The average stats of the yangbans were simr. Haejin had passed the test in the 20s and she belonged to the skilled side. The reason Grid felt differently was because Grid had changed. Grid had fought enemies stronger than Haejin and won. Grid was too great to shrink before Haejin.


    Grid, who always tried to copy Irene¡¯s speech and expressions, finally revealed his true nature as he spoke, ¡°Let¡¯s see who will have their eyeballs pulled out.¡±


    He sent hostility and killing intent to Haejin with a ferocious gaze that didn¡¯t match Irene¡¯s soft eyes. The atmosphere suddenly changed 180 degrees and Haejin was amazed.


    ¡®Was she hiding her strength?¡¯


    A human deceiving the yangbans? She was ashamed of herself for briefly flinching and turned her gaze to Chiyou. It was a nce asking him to start the trials quickly.


    Chiyou, who was watching Grid with an expression of interest, nodded. ¡°Then I will start the trials.¡±


    Jingle, jingle.Jingle.


    The loud bell sounds gradually faded. The minds of Grid and the yangbans seemed to fade and they were soon sucked into somewhere.


    ***


    ¡°This...¡±


    The temporarily confused Grid regained his mind and found that the surrounding scenery hadpletely changed. The marble floor where the yangbans had been walking disappeared and a canyon took its ce. The dozens of steep cliffs made his mind dizzy.


    Jingle.


    ¡°This is the first trial. It will take courage to ovee this trial.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s voice echoed in the canyon for a while and disappeared. Then the ordeal began.From the bottom of the dark canyon, an ear-tearing scream was heard and a huge being emerged.


    The yangbans faced an absolute god while Grid faced the evil dragon Bunhelier. [1]


    It was an encounter with their most feared target. This was the first trial for Grid and the yangbans. Chiyou¡¯s trials changed every time. The yangbans trembled when their parents red at them with terrible expressions that were different from normal.


    Grid¡¯s situation also wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡®Why is it suddenly Bunhelier?¡¯


    An encounter with an object of fear¡ªGrid already had a chance to experience a simr trial in the Behen Archipgo. However, Grid¡¯s challenge at the time was very easy. At that time, the difficulty of Grid¡¯s trial was only at the level of rabbits and deer.


    But now, things had changed. The level one Grid who had been killed by a deer and rabbit had long since ovee the ordeal and disappeared. At this moment, Grid was the supreme one. The enemy he was afraid of wasn¡¯t deer or rabbits, it was one of the strongest beings in the worldview. The growth he made was grabbing at his ankles.


    ¡®Dammit, what should I do with this guy?¡¯


    The appearance of Bunhelier rising in the sky with his wings wide open was exactly the same as what he witnessed in the National Competition. Scales that rose and fell with his breathing, fierce eyes, a bulging nose, and wings that caused storms. It was so realistic that it was too much to treat it as an illusion.


    It wasn¡¯t strange for the true Bunhelier to be reproduced since the one who created this phenomenon was a top god in the first ce.


    ¡®Do I have to fight?¡¯


    Grid gulped and pulled out his sword. He took a look at Bunhelier, blocking the ess to the highest canyon, and performed a five fusion sword dance. The space under Grid¡¯s control was filled with a thunderous momentum. The Fire Dragon Sword collected powerful energy and prated deep into Bunhelier¡¯s scales.


    Kieeeeeeek-!


    Bunhelier screamed.


    ¡®Indeed!¡¯


    He thought that if it was a five fusion sword dance using the Fire Dragon Sword, it would be able to cause great damage to absolute beings. The confident Grid smiled once this idea became a reality. Then he kicked off Bunhelier¡¯s feet, knees, and belly in turn as he leapt and climbed onto Bunhelier¡¯s back.


    ¡®Shunpo!¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid stood on Bunhelier¡¯s back and moved to the tallest canyon in the distance...


    Bunhelier¡¯s mighty body disappeared like a mirage, an illusion. At this time, the other yangban¡¯s pulled out their weapons.


    ¡°Ahh! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Making us aim our swords at a god...! Chiyou is crazy!¡±


    The yangbans also seemed to notice that Hanul in front of them was just an illusion. Even so, they hadn¡¯t dared to attack. Eventually, the yangbans apologized with tears in their eyes, attacked Hanu,l and overcame the trial.


    The yangbans arrived by Grid¡¯s side and stomped their feet. ¡°Rude human! You are afraid of dragons, not Hanul! It is sphemy!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The point of their anger was very strange. Grid was looking at the yangbans like they were crazy when the surroundingndscape changed again.


    Jingle.


    ¡°The second trial will be difficult.¡±


    The sound of butterfly wings reminiscent of the sound of falling water was heard. Grid was stunned by the sight of thousands, no, tens of thousands of butterflies, heading toward him. His transcendent senses that had been silent when Bunhelier¡¯s illusion appeared were now warning him.


    [Death ising!]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid woke up and focused. The wings of the butterflies were as sharp as saw des. It felt like his flesh would be torn just by the wings passing by him.


    ¡°I finally know why Chiyou gave you this test.¡± He heard Haejin¡¯s ridicule. "It was intended to sacrifice you as a warning to Zik.¡±


    The yangbans didn¡¯t trust Chiyou because they didn¡¯t know his inner workings. However, they couldn¡¯t ignore the years they had been together. They believed in Chiyou and relied on him more than outsiders. They thought Chiyou was punishing Zik, who had rebelled against Hanul¡¯s will. Wasn¡¯t the evidence the butterflies that were filling the world? It was an ordeal that could never be handled by technique and momentum. Only those who had divinity could face this ordeal.


    The yangbans instantly activated the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. Blue lightning bolts surrounded them and all the butterflies approaching them were destroyed.


    The spirited Haejin and the yangbans turned to Grid.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The yangbans¡¯ eyes widened. They had expected the human woman to die while struggling against a swarm of butterflies. However, a storm of mes was surrounding her body. It was a much more powerful and enormous energy than the lightning bolts worn by the yangbans.


    ¡®This...!¡¯


    The yangbans noticed the source of the mes instantly. It wasn¡¯t possible. They had lost it currently, but it was one of the powers they originally possessed.


    ¡®The Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath!¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t at the level of a breath. It was closer to the origin of the red phoenix. It was a sight that reminded them of Mir, the yangban closest to being a god.


    [1] Author actually wrote Nevartan but that feels like an error since Grid has never met Nevartan

 Chapter 1298

    The tear open butterflies were spirits. They were terrible evil spirits that tore at the target until they died. It was impossible to soothe ormand these evil spirits. The only way to destroy these butterflies was to burn them using divinity.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The yangbans had thought that Zik¡¯s apostle would foolishly die trying to stab the butterflies, thus their hearts sank at the sight in front of them. mes thatpletely overwhelmed the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath they had used until recently¡ªZik¡¯s apostle created huge, sacred mes reminiscent of the descent of the red phoenix or Mir¡¯s power. The thousands of butterflies turned to ashes and disappeared, and the yangbans couldn¡¯t close their open mouths.


    Jingle, jingle.


    The bells on Chiyou¡¯s ne and hair tie shook loudly. It was a reaction to his muscles moving when he smiled. ¡°It is worthy of the human who possesses the Red Phoenix¡¯s Ninth Heart.¡±


    ¡°The Ninth Heart!?¡±


    The yangbans doubted their ears. One of the 10 hearts that contained the source of the red phoenix¡¯s power. A human had it when even the Five Seniors couldn¡¯t take it away?


    Haejin gritted her teeth. She wanted to erase her past self who had been thrilled to receive the red phoenix¡¯s 9,857th heart from Hanul. She wanted to reproach herself for missing the heart that had disappeared when the red phoenix was resurrected.


    ¡®Dammit! Dammit!!¡¯


    Haejin¡¯s face turned red like she would explode. She was ashamed of herself, who was pleased with receiving something inferior to what a human received, and who struggled not to miss something that was received by a human. It was the first time in her life that she felt such a great sense of shame. The feelings of the other yangbans were simr. Those who had lost their hearts because of the red phoenix¡¯s resurrection, or those who still had the hearts, but knew it would soon disappear, red at Zik¡¯s apostle with bitter eyes.


    Grid didn¡¯t respond to their killing intent. To be exact, he couldn¡¯t afford to respond.


    ¡®Did he know that I have the red phoenix¡¯s heart?¡¯


    Grid was terrified as he looked at Chiyou standing in the distance with crossed arms. He noticed that he couldn¡¯t have survived unless he revealed himself as the one who resurrected the red phoenix.


    ¡®The trial itself is a trap.¡¯


    It was over. He had hoped to gain something from Chiyou¡¯s Test. However, instead of gaining something, it seemed he was going to die.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to recover it if I drop an item here.¡¯


    The butterflies had already burned, but Grid didn¡¯t get rid of the Storm of the Fire God. It was a choice he made to protect himself. Isted in the midst of Chiyou and dozens of yangbans, Grid couldn¡¯t glimpse a way out except for relying on Storm of the Fire God.


    ¡®I need to find a way out of here while maintaining Storm of the Fire God.¡¯


    This was a space Grid was moved to when Chiyou¡¯s Test began. In other words, the currentnd he was standing on waspletely separated from the existing world. It was the mental world of Chiyou that reflected Chiyou¡¯s will.


    ¡®Has Braham ever told me about the weaknesses of the mental world?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your passion well. Then the third trial will begin.¡±


    Jingle.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s nervous expression as he maintained Storm of the Fire Godpletely copsed. It was because the moment Chiyou¡¯s bells rang, the Storm of the Fire God disappeared regardless of Grid¡¯s will. Grid realized it¡ªhe was already dancing on the palm of Chiyou¡¯s hand. The frustrated Grid¡¯s vision darkened.


    * * *


    ¡°......¡±


    What was making such a sad and painful sound?


    Grid was awakened by the cries of a young beast and felt the texture of soft carpet. He was like a person waking from a long sleep as he looked around nkly and his eyes slowly widened. He could see the scenery of the area lit with soft lighting.


    It was arge and colorful space. The light reflected on the red wallpaper and made the expensive furniture and ornaments look even more luxurious. A few ws were the wine bottles with a peach aroma scattered everywhere, and the huge iron bars that didn¡¯t match the atmosphere of the great hall. The worst thing was the behavior of the young people in blue dopos.


    ¡°Hahahat! Look at this young beast crying! It is so pitiful! Poor thing!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it time to be thirsty? How about feeding it another bottle of alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Why alcohol when there isn¡¯t even enough alcohol for us to drink? It isn¡¯t enough if we don¡¯t urinate.¡±


    The young men removed their dopos and started to pee on the iron bars. It was unknown how much alcohol they drank, but the smell of alcohol wasing from the pee stream that continued like a waterfall.


    ¡°......?¡±


    What was this situation? Grid was nk at the unknown situation only to suddenly frown. He spotted the crying cat crouching in the iron cage that the yangbans were peeing on. It was a mysterious blue-furred cat.No, the head and feet were too big for a cat. Seeing the pattern on the forehead, it was a tiger.


    ¡°...Ah!¡± Grid realized the identity of the tiger¡ªit was Blue Tiger. This was the childhood of the blue tiger, hundreds of years ago.


    ¡°These damn XX...!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he hade to the past. He roughly grasped the situation and focused on the scene in front of him. In order to help Blue Tiger, he ran to the iron cage and pushed the yangbans away.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The yangbans were unable to control their drunken bodies and staggered like reeds before falling to the ground. They tangled together and peed on each other. Their eyes widened and they screamed.


    ¡°Pagma! You have finally gone crazy!¡±


    ¡®Pagma?¡¯


    Was he called Pagma just now? The flustered Grid found a mirror next to him and looked into it. He was stunned and stepped back. In the mirror, a face that was beautiful even for a woman was staring at himself. It was far younger than the image of Pagma that Randy reproduced, or the Pagma witnessed in Chreshler¡¯s recollection. It was Pagma in the time when he was just reaching his 20s.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Am I possessing Pagma in the past? Why? Chiyou¡¯s voice was heard in the midst of the chaos.


    ¡°Then the third trial will start.¡±


    ...That¡¯s right. He was currently in the process of going through Chiyou¡¯s Test. Grid finally grasped the situation while a yangban strode closer to Grid.


    ¡°This crazy guy!¡±


    Numbness. Tears filled Grid¡¯s eyes as he was hit hard by the yangban. It meant that the yangban was strong, but it was also evidence of the decrease in Grid¡¯s defense. Grid held his hot cheeks and opened his status window.


    [Name: Pagma


    Level: 256


    Species: Yangban


    ss: Beginner Swordsman, Beginner cksmith


    ......


    ......


    ......]


    All of Grid¡¯s stats were corrected to Pagma¡¯s stats from hundreds of years ago. The same was true for his equipment and skills.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this bullshit?¡¯


    No matter how long ago this was, he couldn¡¯t help wondering if these were really yangbans. The man who pped Grid¡¯s cheeks followed by grabbing his cor.


    ¡°This guy, you are even protecting beasts now. I hate the fact that a crazy person like you is the same as me. It is disgusting and my nausea is rising.¡±


    Grid was familiar with these eyes full of disgust and anger. He stared at the man holding him by the cor and shouted with surprise, ¡°G-Garam!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Why? Do you want to say that you don¡¯t know who I am?¡±


    Garam scoffed and pushed Grid away. He spat on the ground and left the great hall with the group.


    Garung...


    A young blue tiger inside the iron cage stared at Grid. The bright, round eyes were pure, the breathing sounded sad and made being trapped in the iron cage look even more pitiful.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Grid finally stood up and used the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath seen in the skills list. The warm mes covered the wet Blue Tiger and energized her body.


    ¡®They are real XX guys.¡¯


    Grid trembled as he looked closely at Blue Tiger. There were ugly whip marks and bright red blood on the blue tiger¡¯s small body.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t help you quickly. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was dark as he stroked the body of the blue tiger. He should¡¯ve stopped it before the yangbans pissed. He resented himself for being dull and not being able to quickly grasp the situation. Blue Tiger barely pushed her head through the iron bars and rubbed her head against the crouching Grid¡¯s legs. She seemed to be saying it was okay and was thanking him.


    ¡®Shit...¡¯


    This was just a reproduction of a scene from the past. The things he did here didn¡¯t affect the future, which was reality. He was in a position where he had to focus on the contents of the third trial. He had to prepare for the trial that could take ce at any time in an unknown form.


    Grid obviously knew all of this. Even so, he pulled out the soft sword hanging from his waist. It was ssified as a sword mastery skill, but his Yangban¡¯s Swordsmanship skill was only at the beginner level.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    The only sword dances he knew were Link and Wave.


    ¡°Wave Link.¡±


    Grid did his best to cut the padlock off the iron cage. The door opened and he reached out to the blue tiger, who was frightened and retreated.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    How much violence did she experience every time the yangbans opened the cage for her to tremble so? Grid hid Blue Tiger in his arms and immediately ran out of the great hall.


    ¡°You! What did you do? Stop!¡±


    Garam and the yangbans ran out of the tiled houses. Grid had hit the lock dozens of times so it seemed they were attracted by the loud noise.


    ¡°Stand still!¡±


    ¡®Would you stand still if you were me?¡¯


    The yangbans¡¯ preparations werete and they were still putting on their dopos, hats, and silk shoes while Grid was hurrying to escape. Some of the yangbans were even carrying smoking pipes. Thanks to this, Grid managed to escape pursuit for a while and reached the entrance of the Hwan Kingdom. The long river entered his view. It was a river that was so big that it was hard to tell the end.


    ¡°Gasp... gasp...¡±


    There was arge ship waiting at the dock, but Grid wasn¡¯t confident about getting on it. The people on the ship were more likely to be enemies, and he had neither experience in steering a ship nor moving one. Eventually, Grid started paddling a small boat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take you to Mount Bukdu.¡±


    Grid mentioned the ce where he met Blue Tiger in the future and reassured the young blue tiger. Unfortunately, Grid¡¯s heart was also beating fast. Grid himself was trembling with fear and other physical reactions. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Tremble tremble.


    It was because Pagma¡¯s physical strength was inferior from Grid¡¯s current perspective and it had reached its limit. His rowing hands started to slow and his trembling arms and legs were out of control.


    Tung!Tutong!Tuong!


    Drumming sounds rang at the dock and a huge ship departed. The ship was several times faster than Grid rowing alone and caught in an instant.


    ¡°Disgraceful guy!¡±Garam¡¯s angry cry echoed through the mountains and river.


    Dozens of arrows filled the sky.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    Grid naturally didn¡¯t give up. He intercepted the flying arrows using Link and Wave. Then the subsequent arrows were blocked by the fusion skill, Wave Link. However, he didn¡¯t have any sword techniques left that could directly deal with Garam.


    ¡°How can this unqualified guy dare to leave? You betrayed us to save a young beast!¡±


    It was a reasonable usation from Garam¡¯s point of view. Garam¡¯s sword aimed at Grid was filled with real killing intent.


    ¡®Danger...!¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s gaze followed the sword that was going to pierce his heart...


    The world turned ck and white and stopped. No, it was more urate to say that time had stopped. Garam was frozen just like this and the sound of bells was heard from behind Grid, who was too scared to breathe.


    ¡°Why did you save it?¡± In a world where everything had stopped and even the sound disappeared, only Grid and Chiyou¡¯s voices were heard.


    ¡°Then should I just watch?¡± Grid replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the power to save it.¡±


    ¡°I had to fight to know that.¡±


    ¡°You would¡¯ve died in one second.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±


    The breaths of the blue dragon, white tiger, and ck tortoise. Grid had three skills that hadn¡¯t been used yet. He had nned to stop Garam¡¯s strike with the White Tiger¡¯s Breath then shock the river with the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath to make him faint. He would use this opportunity to move the boat and try to explore new possibilities by using a single dance with the ck Tortoise¡¯s Breath. Well, there was no guarantee this would work.


    A smile appeared on Chiyou¡¯s indifferent face. ¡°I like the tenacity and spirit used to develop the sword dances so far when it was just a means of directing the ritual.¡±

 Chapter 1299

    ¡°I like the tenacity and spirit used to develop the sword dances so far when it was just a means of directing the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Did you recognize the identity of my swordsmanship?¡±


    Grid used Open Potential in the first trial and showed his five fusion sword dance. However, none of the yangbans recognized the identity of the sword dance. It was natural. Grid¡¯s sword dance might be based on Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, but it had too many changes and developments. Unlike Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid¡¯s sword dance maximized actions and power, so it took a different form that was much morebat efficient.


    Of course, somemon points remained, but Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship remembered by the yangbans was just a single sword dance. It was virtually impossible to findmon characteristics between the two sword dances. However, it was different for Chiyou.


    Jingle.


    ¡°The fusion sword dances are what I presented to Pagma so I have to recognize it.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°However, Pagma didn¡¯t struggle. He overlooked the need for force. Experience the results.¡±


    The ck and white world was oveid with all types of colors. The blue sky, clear river water, and autumn leaves beside the river gained a picturesque harmony. Was the world so beautiful? Grid was admiring it when he woke up from his thoughts.


    ¡°...Pagma!¡±


    Time started again and peace ended. Garam¡¯s sword was just about to reach Grid¡¯s heart. Grid had drawn simtions in his mind several times and quickly activated the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    [The protection of the White Tiger safeguards you.]


    [Once attacked, fatal damage can be avoided a minimum of one time and a maximum of three times. The target who attacked you will also be repelled.]


    [Health and stamina are slightly restored.]


    A silver-white energy surrounded Grid¡¯s body as he blocked Garam¡¯s sword. Garam¡¯s sword shook. It was unable to withstand the repulsion and soared into the air.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid tilted his upper body and pushed Garam¡¯s chest with his shoulders. It was intended to drop Garam into the river. He was determined to stun all the fish and Garam in the huge river using the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. However, Garam didn¡¯t step back. Despite his imperfect posture, he endured Grid¡¯s push and grabbed Grid¡¯s neck in reverse.


    ¡°A man with no ability is hoping for good luck. Reading the narratives written by human beings in order to understand humans. Bing a potter in order to help humans. Wanting to be a priest to be a bridgehead between the gods and humans... what power do you have when you use all types of excuses to neglect training?¡±


    ¡°Keok...! Cough cough!¡±


    It was physically impossible to crush Garam with Pagma¡¯s body when Garam¡¯s level and stats were clearly much higher. It happened as Garam was staring at Grid, who couldn¡¯t breathe after being grabbed by the neck... Blue Tiger, who had been trembling with fear the moment Garam appeared, rushed forward with her eyes closed. Although she was still small, she had sharp fangs and she bit hard on Garam¡¯s calf.


    Garam just scoffed. ¡°Bah, you are a good pair.¡±


    Grid¡¯s neck was gripped tighter and he gradually lost consciousness.


    ***


    Garong... garoong...


    Garam once said that Pagma was the shame of the Hwan Kingdom. Based on his manyments, Grid was able to discover that Pagma was isted in the Hwan Kingdom. However, he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was suffocated and fainted. By the time he opened his eyes again, he was in arge iron cage. There was something heavy. He looked back and found the blue tiger hanging from his forearm. She was looking over here with eyes so wet that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she shed tears straight away. The moment she met his gaze, she licked his cheek with her tongue.


    ¡°I spared your life. Even so, you have a long life because you are a yangban.¡± There was ridiculingughter from outside the iron cage. It was Garam.The man pulled over a chair covered with tiger skin and sat thereughing. ¡°I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t die. I was in trouble because I thought it would be boring if you died too easily.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°How is your ce to sleep? Don¡¯t you like it because living with beasts is your wish?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was deeply aware of what Pagma was feeling at this time. It was because he had been in a simr position.


    Grrung! The blue tiger on the floor roared. She would w at Garam right away if there weren¡¯t the iron bars. Garam shrugged. He was too rxed to respond to the beast¡¯s attitude. ¡°Your betrayal by trying to release the white tiger¡¯s cub will be known to the Five Seniors sooner orter. You are going to be punished. Until then, hang out with the beast for a while.¡±


    ¡°...You know?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Grid asking, but Pagma of the past. Grid didn¡¯t say anything, but his mouth opened. It was a reenactment of the past.


    ¡°You know that this is the child of the white tiger. Why treat her like this?¡±


    ¡°What if I didn¡¯t know? If she was an ordinary tiger then I would¡¯ve killed her, skinned her, and cooked her meat.¡±


    ¡°How... why...¡±


    His heart trembled with anger. Pagma¡¯s feelings were conveyed to Grid.


    ¡°What are you trying to me? Are you trying to condemn the behavior of locking up and harassing the white tiger¡¯s child? Or do you want to condemn me for saying that I¡¯ll easily kill a young beast?¡±


    ¡°Of course, all of it. Don¡¯t you know that all life is equal? Why do you only think about harming creatures weaker than you?¡±


    ¡°Even the humans you love so much abuse, hunt, and eat beasts lower than themselves. You need to be aware that your standards are out of order.¡±


    "The reason most humans hunt animals is for survival. Very few humans abuse animals just for fun and they are also condemned by fellow human beings. On the other hand, we are perfect because we are created by God himself.Why do we need to follow the bad things about humans? Why should we use the excuse of human sin to alsomit sins?¡±


    Pagma fiercely denounced Garam and Garam scoffed.


    ¡°Humans hunt animals purely for survival? That is sophistry. Humans also hunt for the pursuit of pleasure. Pleasure is God¡¯s grace that is applied equally to all beings. I am just pursuing pleasure and using inferior creatures to pursue pleasure. Isn¡¯t it too much to me me for this? I¡¯m not killing humans, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Pagma shut his mouth. He realized it wasn¡¯t meaningful to talk any longer. After that, the abuse of Garam and the yangbans continued. Every day, new wounds appeared on Blue Tiger¡¯s small body. Every time it happened, Pagma¡¯s heart and mind suffered greater pain.


    Yiiip!Yiippp...


    One day, the blue tiger¡¯s small body trembled like a quaking aspen tree. Blue Tiger suffered from nightmares every night, but today¡¯s situation was particrly serious.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Pagma tried to hug the blue tiger tofort her only to stiffen with fright. It was because Blue Tiger¡¯s body was as hot as a fireball.


    ¡°W-What is wrong?¡±


    Yiiip...


    Pagma realized that Blue Tiger was in danger and used the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. He prayed that the warm breath of the red phoenix would energize the dying Blue Tiger. However, Pagma had already consumed the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath. It had a cooldown just like yers. He had used it every day for the past fortnight. Tonight, he had previously used the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath to help the blue tiger sleepfortably.


    ¡°Oh god! God Red Phoenix!¡±


    In the end, Pagma prayed. It was just that no matter how much he prayed, there was no response. The sealed gods couldn¡¯t respond to his prayers.


    ¡°No! Wake up!¡±


    Pagma became even more anxious once Blue Tiger lost consciousness.


    ¡°Five Seniors! Hanul! Please....! Please have mercy to this poor child who is in need!¡±


    Deep in the night, a hollow cry echoed through the empty great hall. Garam and the yangbans were gone and only empty wine bottles were left. There was no answer. The Five Seniors ignored Pagma¡¯s prayer despite clearly hearing it. The child of the white tiger¡ªthe Five Seniors judged that it was better to extinguish any variables that might cause anger if the white tiger returned to the world.


    ¡°Ah! Wake up! Be strong!¡±


    A crumpled and stained dopo¡ªthe only thing Pagma had been relying on in the past fortnight was wound around Blue Tiger¡¯s body. As a result, cold air stabbed Pagma¡¯s lungs, but he was unaware of it. He was onlymitted to saving Blue Tiger.


    ¡°Endure it. The world is too beautiful to leave after suffering. Please... please survive and enjoy happiness. I will help,¡± Pagma whispered to the blue tiger held in his arms.


    No matter his efforts, Blue Tiger¡¯s body started to cool down. Pagma was desperate. He med himself for being weak and unable to do anything. He realized that in order to persuade or stop someone, he needed strength rather than appealing to reason and emotions.


    Jingle.


    The sound of bells echoed in the cold, empty hall.


    ¡°Do you now understand why I told you to hone your strength?¡± The martial god appeared¡ªChiyou, a god born from the aspirations of human beings, not the will of the gods. ¡°I understand why you wanted to be a priest, not a god, and why you wanted to be a potter. Perhaps the same is true of Hanul.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I think your heart ismendable.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°This is why I told you to arm yourself.¡±


    The martial god was the ideal of human beings. Humanity had been enlightened since ancient times that they needed strength to survive in this troubled world. They gave birth to the martial god, worshipped him, and prayed they would be stronger. Chiyou wanted Pagma to be aware of the need for strength. It was the only attachment he had to the child with a deep sense of affection among the yangbans.


    ¡°Look.¡± Chiyou pulled out the sword from his waist. It was the first time in a thousand years. ¡°Remember this moment.¡±


    Two halves with a single cut. No other expression was needed. Chiyou just swung his sword and the iron bars locking up Pagma and Blue Tiger were cut. However, Pagma ushered in a new understanding.


    [The new sword dance Transcend has been learnt.]


    [The new sword dance Restraint has been learnt.]


    [The new sword dance Pinnacle has been learnt.]


    ¡°To protect something, you need to be prepared to fight. To carry out your beliefs, you need strength. In a struggle, it is right to take a life.¡±


    [The new sword dance Kill has been learnt.]


    ¡°Definitely... I will definitely repay your grace!¡± Pagma eximed.


    ¡°If your pledge is true, escape the eyes of the Five Seniors and leave for the westernnd. Then return with the qualifications of a God Killer.¡±


    Pagma picked up Blue Tiger and nodded. He bowed deeply to Chiyou and hurriedly left.


    ¡°You! It is you again!¡±


    By the time Pagma arrived at the dock and was searching for the path among the peach trees, Garam and the yangbans caught up to him. There were no particr problems. Grid, who had been in an observer position for the past fortnight, was finally back in possession of Pagma¡¯s body. His power exceeded the standards of the old yangbans.


    ¡°Transcend.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Was it possible to predict that a cat could exert the power of a tiger? It was absolutely impossible. Garam and the yangbans were amazed by Pagma¡¯s different skills. They weren¡¯t able to cope and were seriously injured.


    ¡°Cough, cough...! What did you do?¡±


    The reason why Garam and the yangbans hated Pagma was that firstly, he had different ideas and secondly, he was weak because he didn¡¯t try hard. He was someone who only knew how to talk theory and rattle public opinion. He didn¡¯t even have decent basic skills. The man who didn¡¯t have the basics suddenly became stronger in a day.


    He also showed excellentbat skills like he was one of the best among the yangbans. Grid originally wanted to deal the final blows to the flustered Garam and the yangbans, but he immediately stopped acting and boarded the ship. The urgent priority was to save Blue Tiger. Grid ignored the frightened captain as he chewed on the white peach and fed it to the blue tiger.


    Yiip...


    Blue Tiger painfully opened her eyes. The body that cooled down started to warm up again. It was a moment of reassurance for Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence fell in a world that once again turned ck and white.


    Jingle, jingle. The sound of bells could be heard from the deck covered in fog. The Chiyou of the present, not the Chiyou of the past who helped Pagma, approached Grid.


    ¡°Unlike you, Pagma barely survived. It was no different from a miracle.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Many things would¡¯ve been different if that child had been determined from the moment he was born.¡±


    ¡°...Do you think the Five Seniors and the yangbans are wrong?¡±


    Chiyou didn¡¯t answer. He watched Grid with an indifferent expression and changed the subject. ¡°Now there is only the fifth trial left.¡±


    Grid was puzzled. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the third trial?¡±


    He had passed the third trial so it was right to go to the fourth trial. Yet the fifth?


    Jingle.


    ¡°You have already gone through the third and fourth trials so there is only one left.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Show yourbat skills.¡±


    Time once again moved. The faded world regained its color. Garam and the yangbans, who had fallen near the dock, stood up one by one. Then they gradually regained their original form. It was Haejin and the yangbans who participated in the test. Just as Grid had experienced the past as Pagma, Haejin and the yangban had experienced the roles of Garam and the yangbans.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Haejin and the yangbans were making a fuss. Unlike Grid, they seemed to have been trapped in a world with stopped time. They hadn¡¯t heard Chiyou¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t urately grasp the progress of the trials.


    Jingle. Chiyou stood on the deck and dered, ¡°The final trial will now start.¡±


    There was a roar as the river and mountains swirled before disappearing. Only the ships and the dock where the yangbans were located soared above the transformed world like drawing paper. It was the stage of the battlefield.


    ¡°Fight, win, defend, and win. This is whybat power exists.¡±


    Jingle.


    The bell sound fading was a signal. Haejin released the soft sword that was tied around her waist like a belt and leapt up onto the ship. ¡°It is great that a human has reached the final trial, but it ends here!¡±


    The sword stretched out like a snake and aimed at Grid¡¯s waist. Then it bent sharply and aimed at his neck. It was an anomalous swordsmanship that maximized the characteristics of the soft sword. Those who saw it for the first time would only be beaten.


    Unfortunately, Grid was familiar with the yangbans¡¯ swordsmanship. It was also the swordsmanship of Garam, one of the strongest.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Haejin¡¯s surprise attack was easily blocked by Grid. The Fire Dragon Sword that contained the essence of Pinnacle cut through one of her frightened eyes.


    ¡°How does it feel when your eyeball is pulled out?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes in Irene¡¯s appearance were as cold as ice.


    <strong>I¡¯ll be holding apetition with cash prizes. Please check out this page for all the details. There are also some polls just for fun that you can vote in on the event page.</strong>


    Contest Information Page

 Chapter 1300

    Pulling out the eyeballs¡ªit was the habit of the yangban Haejin. Humans should walk around with their eyes to the ground. asionally, someone would raise their heads and she would threaten them. She had actually done it several times. She didn¡¯t take into ount the fear and suffering of her victims. The yangbans were the masters under the heavens and there was no reason to think from the perspective of a victim.


    ¡°Kuaaaaack!¡±


    Haejin¡¯s sharp scream shook the ship as her left eye was cut. The shock wave that urred caused the deck to be turbulent like they were riding on the waves. Grid stood on top of it and questioned Haejin, ¡°How does it feel when your eyeball is pulled out? Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Uuuuck!¡±


    Half the world seemed to be gone.


    Haejin barely saw the silver-haired woman in her narrower field of view and she cursed, ¡°You...! You will be the human who dies in the most terrible way since Taejo! The moment I be a god, I¡¯ll have your blood and flesh! I¡¯ll find all those who have been in contact with you and kill them!¡±


    Red paint was sharply sprinkled on the world dyed white that was just like nk drawing paper. Haejin¡¯s anger and killing intent exerted influence on Chiyou¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®Indeed...¡¯


    Jingle.


    Chiyou acknowledged it. The yangbans were Hanul¡¯s masterpiece.


    Pagma, who he had shown mercy to; Garam and Haejin, who tried to ovee their humiliation; and Mir, who wasn¡¯t buried by his talent¡ªthere were differences ording to their inclination, but most of the yangbans had the potential to obtain a God Killer qualification if they got the chance.


    ¡°My children will bring you rest.¡±


    ¡®If such children continue to appear and cooperate with Mir...¡¯


    It was around the time when Chiyou remembered Hanul¡¯s promise and felt anticipation for Haejin...


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    An ufortable energy was felt from Grid¡¯s eye and it tried to exert some influence on Haejin. However, there were no changes. Haejin¡¯s anger and killing intent didn¡¯t fade at all. The mental world was influenced by her will and gave her a strong power.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The Castration Eye had no effect? Haejin¡¯sbat power was amplified as Grid was feeling puzzled. The red paint sprinkled on the pure white world gathered together and took the form of a sword. The red sword filled with a murderous spirit was held in Haejin¡¯s hand.


    Just as Grid used Storm of the Fire God in the second trial, Haejin carved her own image in Chiyou¡¯s mental world. Storm of the Fire God caused by Grid and the red sword held in Haejin¡¯s hand were just fleeting mirages that disappeared the moment Chiyou denied them, but Chiyou watched silently. This world was just a space created for proof ofbat ability. Chiyou had no intention of restricting the participants.


    "I won¡¯t allow yourfort!¡±


    Grid felt a sense of crisis and once again triggered the Castration Eye. Once again, the Castration Eye had no effect. It was because the beneficial effect of the strengthening came from the mental world, not a physical force. The only method to weaken her was to break her heart, not the evil eye.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Haejin¡¯s counterattack began. Her sword bent like paint on a brush. Her red-ck sword spread out. The attack range was very wide and light, so it was difficult to avoid.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    [You have suffered 12,310 damage.]


    [You have suffered 13,900 damage.]


    [You have suffered 12,850 damage.]


    Grid felt a pain like his wrist was being torn every time he encountered Haejin¡¯s sword. He was being pushed back in strength despite the myth-rated Fire Dragon Sword having over 4,000 attack power.


    ¡®What is this strength?¡¯


    Grid also had buff skills. The fact that he was pushed back in pure strength from a basic attack was quite a shock. It was also absurd since his defense had been raised to the maximum amount possible for him. Every time a blow was exchanged, Grid stepped back. Eventually, he was pushed to the end of the deck.


    ¡°Hahahat! The moment the fluke ended, you are driven to the edge of the cliff! A human¡¯s power is definitely trivial!¡±


    ¡°Keuk.¡±


    He wanted to hit this person in the face. Should he take out the power of the entric Duke to tten this face? Grid contemted it but soon rejected it. It was because one victory in a battle of strength against Haejin was meaningless. It was immature to take out Power of Not Knowing Defeat.


    ¡®...Wait, basic attack?¡¯


    Kaaang!


    [You have suffered 11,980 damage.]


    Was this really a basic attack?


    [A strong killing intent ising toward you.]


    [A strong killing intent ising toward you.]


    Grid questioned it and focused on the warning that his transcendent senses had been giving him from the beginning.


    [A strong killing intent ising toward you.]


    The warning rose every time Haejin swung her sword. It was every time.


    ¡®This damn monster.¡¯


    Grid grasped it. It was the reason why Haejin¡¯s attack power surpassed the other yangbans he faced so far despite not using a breath. It was because every one of her attacks was a skill. It was a skill so powerful it reminded him of Kill.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this infinite skills rampage too fraudulent?¡¯


    A skill with zero cooldown time...


    It was a really rare and fraudulent trait, no, power.


    ¡®She truly is a half-god.¡¯


    Due to the experience of killing the yangbans rtively easily with the help of the red phoenix and Braham, Grid had gradually forgotten the fear of the yangbans. He once again realized it¡ªthe yangbans were half-gods and they were really powerful. This was why he was even more determined...


    Kang!Kang!Kaaang!


    ¡°Hahahat! You are weak! Seeing the way you¡¯re bleeding, you will die soon! However, endure it! Survive like a viin! You have to taste as much pain as possible before death!¡±


    ..... Grid needed to get rid of her. These yangbans who didn¡¯t sympathize with human problems and only cared for themselves couldn¡¯t be allowed to achieve their dream of bing a god. Grid took a deep breath as he remembered the resolution in his epics.


    It was only half a step now. He would fall off the ship with one more half step. Additionally, this ship was the only stage in the white world. Grid expected that he would be eliminated from the trial the moment he died.


    ¡°Hahahat! Ast ditch effort! Run away like a rat!¡±


    The red sword stretched out. The stab that made the gap of three meters useless struck Grid with a powerparable to that of Kill. Should he hit it back with Revolve? No, this wouldn¡¯t work. Haejin¡¯s skill was simr to Kill and it was enough to overwhelm him with power. It was calledpatible natures.


    ¡°Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The sound of Haejin¡¯sughter stopped and she groaned.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    She was pushed back by an opponent she hadpletely overwhelmed so far? Haejin¡¯s face cooled down as the hand and arm holding the sword shook and she temporarily lost any feeling in it. Then she shook her head and swung her sword again. She believed that she had only been pushed by chance.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    A waterfall of sword energy that fluttered like petals. Haejin was pushed back in the struggle, became a rag, and stumbled. She barely managed to stand up and wanted to fall down.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Her implementation of the ¡®must kill¡¯ desire in the mental world was sessful. The moment she held the red sword in her hands, she felt power boiling over and felt invincible. It was absurd that their positions changed like it was a fleeting dream.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t a fluke.¡¯


    The small human woman in front of her suddenly became huge. The wary Haejin purely admired it. Was her name Irene? A human being had this much hidden strength.


    ¡®...No, she isn¡¯t just a human.¡¯


    Haejin burst outughing. It was augh that mocked herself. She med herself for realizingte that the human in front of her was a special being.


    ¡®Zik¡¯s apostle.¡¯


    Yes, the human in front of her wasn¡¯t an ordinary human. He was chosen by the 6th Evil, Zik, who was said to be the most outstanding among the seven evils who had risen to the level of a half-god in the past. She couldn¡¯t be normal, even among humans. Perhaps it was correct to evaluate her as a daoist immortal aiming to be a half-god.


    ¡®Okay... maintain my mind.¡¯


    It was no wonder why she couldn¡¯t win easily. It was natural to get hurt when fighting. She wasn¡¯t superior. Thus, even more... she should be even more aggressive. New red paint was sprinkled all over the white world. It felt like a thunderbolt and covered Haejin¡¯s red sword. It was like a swaying stream of blood.


    Haejin¡¯s red sword became bigger and more gorgeous. It made the shaking of the ship stronger. Her mental image was enhanced. Now she would win. She couldn¡¯t lose even if she wanted to. The confident Haejin rushed toward Grid and swung her sword with all her might. The trajectory left by the red sword seemed to suggest that trajectory of blood that Grid would shed after a while. It happened when Haejin smiled...


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Kwaaaaaang!


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    All of Haejin¡¯s attacks were smashed. In the meantime, Haejin was attacked in the gap that was revealed and suffered a deep wound to her chest and shoulders. Even so, she kept calm. This was the end. The end. This person had no more potential while she could still wield the sword. She would surely win if she just cut and stabbed...


    Haejin elerated in the tense fighting situation only to suddenly stop. It was because Zik¡¯s apostle moved forward with a brilliant sword dance and used the same swordsmanship again.


    ¡°Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    This time, Haejin couldn¡¯t even defend. A question mark appeared above Haejin¡¯s head as the attack mmed into her.


    ¡®God¡¯s Command?¡¯


    How? The apostle of the 6th Evil, Zik, had the power of the 4th Evil, Taren?


    Ku tang tang tang!


    ¡°Cough, cough! Keuk!¡±


    The positions of Grid and Haejin hadpletely reversed. The one who was pushed to the end of the deck was Haejin, not Grid. She was even seriously injured as she vomited out ck blood. Haejin wasn¡¯t too frightened as she dared to look down before ncing at the approaching apostle of Zik. Rather, she startedughing.


    ¡°Hahat!Hahahahat! Stupid fool! In fact, this ce is Chiyou¡¯s mental world! It isn¡¯t real. It is fake! I have clearly remembered all the sword techniques and power you used while struggling in order to survive! You will die once you return to reality after the test!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Did this mean she couldn¡¯t be killed? It was regrettable, but it didn¡¯t matter. At least he prevented Haejin from passing the test. Furthermore...


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, there are many more things you haven¡¯t seen.¡±


    [The level of Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship has risen.]


    [Physical attack power, critical hit probability, and critical hit attack power have increased by 10%. Five fusion sword dances can be created.]


    Haejin judged that the only technique left to Grid was the Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle he used during the first trial, but the reality waspletely different. Just as Haejin hadn¡¯t taken out the White Tiger¡¯s Breath and the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath due to pride, Grid hadn¡¯t revealed everything.


    ¡°300,000 Army Swordsmanship Stealth Sword.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaak!¡±


    The red sword in Haejin¡¯s hand cracked before shattering and disappearing.


    Fear...


    She couldn¡¯t withstand the feeling she was experiencing for the first time in her life.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow yourfort.¡±


    The Castration Eye entered through the gap. Haejin lost thest of the strength supporting her and fell down like a broken doll. Grid pushed her off the ship with a finger to her bloody forehead. Then he looked at the yangbans remaining on the ship. ¡°Next.¡±


    The yangbans saw a silver-haired reaper. They remembered that talents such as Garam and Maru had also died in the human world.

 Chapter 1301

    The disappearance of the red sword meant that Haejin¡¯s heart had copsed. She believed that this was a fake world and dreamed of a reversal in the real world. The moment she realized this dream couldn¡¯t be achieved, she fell into despair and lost her will. It was obvious that she would fall into ruin even when she returned to reality.


    ¡®Hopeless.¡¯


    The yangbans wearing the gat. [1]


    Chiyou saw from the beginning that the yangbans who were still in the stage of being raised by the Five Seniors and were bound by the rules couldn¡¯t handle this human. The moment he felt the Red Phoenix¡¯s Ninth Heart from the human, he remembered the news of Hangyeol being killed and worked out the puzzle. Yes, the result was decided from the beginning.


    The reason Chiyou held expectations for a while was Haejin¡¯s rapid growth. A powerful will that engraved her own image into the mental world of the Martial God. Haejin must¡¯ve seen a fragment of the Heart Sword. The Heart Sword was one of the clues to be a God Killer.


    However, her Heart Sword was broken before it was even forged. Shecked the skills to handle a human who had already killed a few yangbans. The result wouldn¡¯t have been guaranteed even if the two of them met three yearster or five yearster.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Where was the end of this power? The person who used fierce swordsmanship in addition to the sword dances Chiyou taught to Pagma provoked the remaining yangbans. It was interesting.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The yangbans who always shouted that humans were filthy and reprehensible by just making eye contact were silent. They didn¡¯t dare say anything to the human they looked down on. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that their willpower had been broken, or they lost their desire to fight.


    The yangbans had no doubts that they would be gods. It was because their self-esteem was the best in the world. It was impossible for them to shrink back easily. They just recognized Grid as a nemesis.


    ¡°That Haejin, she prepared the table well.¡±


    A yangban, Saesol, moved lightly and stood on the deck. He smiled as he faced Grid.


    ¡°You are bluffing.¡±


    Did this human have anything else to show? This wasn¡¯t true. Zik¡¯s apostle had already used too many skills. She tried her best. It was reasonable to assume that she had very few secret techniques left. Besides, the techniques consumed her heart, body, and skill. Recovery time was needed in order to reuse the techniques so Zik¡¯s apostle would be full of gaps.


    ¡®I just need to pay attention to the sword technique that cut the dragon in the first trial.¡¯


    It was very intimidating. Some might think it would be safer toe out third. However, wouldn¡¯t it be futile if he postponed his turn and missed his prey?


    ¡°That damn Saesol, he is usually the fastest at a time like this.¡±


    The other yangbans had the same thought as Saesol. It was just that Saesol took the turn so they could only click their tongues. Saesol wrapped the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath around his body and lightning scattered as his already light body became even lighter. He suddenly narrowed the distance to Grid. He pulled out his sword through the gap in his fluttering dopo and the sharp sword light stretched out. The sword light carved at Grid¡¯s position.


    Saesol naturally imagined the blood that would soone soaring out. However, an abnormality urred. Grid wasn¡¯t injured. It was the result of activating the White Tiger¡¯s Posture to increase his defense to the limit the moment Saesol used the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. Haejin¡¯s attack power had been ridiculously strong, but it was hard for the other yangbans to deal a fatal wound to Grid, who was wearing myth rated armor.


    ¡®Huh, she is like a rock.¡¯


    How did Haejin turn such a person into rags? Saesol was flustered, but he didn¡¯t express it. He calmly recovered the soft sword, rotated, and stabbed. It was a blow that aimed for the fine gap between the chest armor and shoulder armor that Zik¡¯s apostle was wearing.


    Then the thorn that suddenly protruded from Grid¡¯s shoulder guards pierced Saesol¡¯s body. It was just that the thorn was a passive skill that had the effect of ¡®reflecting 60% of the damage received.¡¯ Grid wasn¡¯t damaged in the first ce so the thorn couldn¡¯t do much damage to Saesol. Saesol¡¯s soft sword stretched out without hesitation and pierced Grid. It was a surprisingly precise swordsmanship.


    Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t raise a single eyebrow. It was the strength of White Tiger¡¯s Posture that was still maintained. Grid suffered less than 10,000 damage despite his weak point being attacked. After a few more attacks, Saesol backed off and couldn¡¯t hide his flustered state.


    ¡°You... are you truly a human?¡±


    There would be serious injuries even when fighting other yangbans unless the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was used. Yet this human waspletely neutralizing his attack power?


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Saesol was repeatedly stabbed by the thorns that protruded from the human¡¯s shoulder guards and stepped back with a stiff expression. It was because the energy exuded by the human has changed from before. The serene momentum shook the atmosphere and it was like seeing the Five Seniors. It was the wavelength of Divinity. Grid decided that he had to save his stamina to deal with the dozens of yangbans still remaining, and had no intention of prolonging the fight.


    ¡®Divinity, Item Combination.¡¯


    The Enlightenment Sword leapt out of Grid¡¯s inventory and integrated with the Fire Dragon Sword.


    -Kukukuk.This guy is actually decent!


    The ego of the Fire Dragon Sword was excited. It realized that it was moreplete. The sword could feel its own change so it was impossible for the yangbans not to know.


    ¡®W-What is that wicked thing?¡¯


    A long sword swirling with red-ck mes¡ªthebination of the two swords showed a power that exceeded even Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    The dozens of sword energies were released with no time difference and tore the atmosphere to pieces. The explosion caused by the spreading mes was literally a disaster. Half of the ship was gone. Saesol struggled to survive and barely saved his life thanks to the White Tiger¡¯s Breath.


    There was just one problem.


    In essence, the White Tiger¡¯s Breath was a power that prevented fatal injuries while recovering health and healing injuries at the same time. However, Saesol¡¯s wounds didn¡¯t recover at all. The cause was the thorns. The curse of the ¡®stabbed target can¡¯t be healed for up to three seconds¡¯ grabbed at Saesol¡¯s ankle.


    Tremble tremble. Saesol shut his mouth and trembled like a quaking aspen. The feeling of powerlessness and despair that he felt for the first time in his life brought him fear.


    ¡®A fight isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    Saesol¡¯s trembling gaze was fixed on Grid¡¯s sword. It was a sword that burned with the momentum to destroy the world. Could he really withstand that? Unfortunately, it was impossible.


    Step.


    Grid took one step forward.


    ¡°I-I lost!¡± Saesol took four steps back. He stood on the edge of the copsed deck and called out again, ¡°I lost!¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze no longer turned to Saesol. He hurried to meet the next opponent during the time when Item Combination was still maintained.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Grid still had a lot of power to show.


    There were the skills of the Four Gods, including White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes which didn¡¯t share the cooldown time of White Tiger¡¯s Posture. Then there were the five fusion sword dances, the power of the great demons in the rune, Braham¡¯s magic, the God Hands, and the skills attached to his items.


    Grid had the confidence to kill a few more yangbans as long as his stamina could support it. However, the yangbans didn¡¯te out.The yangbans had lost their arrogant expressions and instead of someoneing out by himself or herself, they were instead busy trying to push others forward.


    The power of Item Combination was too great. The moment any technology reached the peak, it would emit a sense of deterrence that was difficult to approach. Grid¡¯s items were just like this.


    Jingle.


    ¡°Is there no other challenger?¡± Chiyou asked but no one answered.


    One stupid yangban tried to maintain his self-esteem in this situation.


    ¡°I forgot for a moment that she is Zik¡¯s apostle and mistook her for a normal human. If you give me another chance to face her next time, then I¡¯m sure...!¡±


    The yelling yangban closed his mouth. It was because Chiyou¡¯s always expressionless face was distorted like a demon.


    ¡°Ah... Uwahh...¡±


    The wrath of the Martial God was more terrifying than the wrath of any other god. The yangban instinctively sensed destruction and closed his mouth. The other yangbans around him were soaked in cold sweat. Luckily, Chiyou just stood still. He didn¡¯t punish the yangban. Nevertheless, the yangbans didn¡¯t feel at ease. It was because they experienced a shock greater than death.


    "Don¡¯t misunderstand."


    Jingle.


    ¡°This person is an ordinary human, not Zik¡¯s apostle.¡±


    ¡°......!?¡±


    ¡°......!?¡±


    The evidence was sufficient. The human who acquired Taren¡¯s power couldn¡¯t be Zik¡¯s apostle. However, it was impossible for Taren to have an apostle when he was sealed in the Abyss. This human wasn¡¯t strengthened by the seven evils. Rather, she was a superior existence by herself...


    The eyes of the yangbans changed. It was an expression that resembled Haejin and Saesol, who had been defeated in battle. A notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [The Five Seniors are watching you standing aloft in Chiyou¡¯s mental world.]


    [The yangbans are afraid of you.]


    [The reputation of your wife, ¡®Irene,¡¯ has reached the maximum in the Hwan Kingdom.]


    [The yangbans don¡¯t want to be hostile to your wife. The weak will be in awe of Irene and the strong will respect Irene.]


    [The Five Seniors have a great interest in your wife.]


    [Your wife, ¡®Irene,¡¯ has acquired the title of ¡®Hwan Kingdom¡¯s Attendant.¡¯]


    ¡°...Nice.¡±


    There were only two notifications about Dante when he gained divinity. It was so short that Grid still remembered it clearly.


    [¡¯Pungsa¡¯ has caught a glimpse of you as you stand over Hangyeol¡¯s corpse.]


    [¡ï Note ¡ï Your knight Dante has formed a hostile rtionship with the Hwan Kingdom.]


    That was all. Even so, Dante gained the deity stat and was rejuvenated. On the other hand, Irene became an Attendant of the Hwan Kingdom. She attracted the interest of the Five Seniors and was revered by the nobles. It was obvious that she would build up a tremendous amount of the Deity stat and Grid felt like he would fly away with happiness. Chiyou¡¯s voice entered his ears as he was trying to calm down his beating heart.


    -I will remember you just as much.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Following these profound words, Grid¡¯s vision turned dark. Then once he woke up again...


    ¡°Are you back?¡±


    The grandmaster was there. At the entrance to the Hwan Kingdom...


    The peach tree scenery was no different from before Grid left to participate in Chiyou¡¯s Test. It was still sunset. Surprisingly, not much time had passed. It felt like he had a dream. Grid stood nkly and suddenly made eye contact with the yangbans. The yangbans who had despised Grid before the test now gave a slight nod.


    ¡°...They have learned it properly.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    These arrogant guys suddenly changed their attitude?


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    The puzzled Zibal and Neo Red Knights were amazed. It was because the particrly arrogant Haejin was smiling with nk eyes and she looked like a madman.


    ¡®...It is better not to know.¡¯


    The Neo Red Knights recalled how the Overgeared Queen killed Susan and stopped paying attention.


    [You are the first yer to pass ¡®Chiyou¡¯s Test.¡¯]


    A new notification window shed in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [You are ranked number one.]


    [1] Traditional Korean bamboo hat


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1302

    The yangbans¡ªthey were born as half-gods and their one and only sole purpose was to be a god. The yangbans numbered in the hundreds, but the number of vacant seats to be a god was only seven.


    Chiyou¡¯s Test was the first process to be qualified to be a god. All of the yangbans¡¯ aspirations depended on Chiyou¡¯s Test. It was just that only one person passed Chiyou¡¯s Test that was held for the first time in decades, and the person who passed it was a human.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to turn out like this.¡¯


    The yangbans who lost the opportunity to be gods after being defeated by the human they despised were silent. Of course, there wasn¡¯t a single yangban who made a fuss because they were dissatisfied with the results. How could they protest when they stepped down because they knew they couldn¡¯t win?


    ¡®...I would¡¯ve fought to the end if I hadn¡¯t experienced the test 400 years ago.¡¯


    The reason why the yangbans withdrew wasn¡¯t because they were cowards. They gave up neatly because they knew it was meaningless to hit the ¡®wall that won¡¯t copse.¡¯


    Mir¡ªa being who was at the verge of being a god from the moment he was born and the sole person who passed the Chiyou¡¯s Test which he participated in, 400 years ago. Hundreds of yangbans challenged Mir, but all of them were destroyed. In the end, Mir was the only one standing. They thought it was an unprecedented record that would never be matched or broken.


    [You are the first yer to pass ¡®Chiyou¡¯s Test.¡¯]


    [You are ranked number one.]


    Yet it was matched by a human.


    Pride and prejudice disappeared from the eyes of the yangbans looking at the silver-haired woman.


    ¡®We can¡¯t ignore humans in the future.¡¯


    A weak creature who lived for less than 100 years, they had thin skin, soft flesh, and were easy to break. They were creatures who had intelligence, mastered skills, and built up theirbat force, only to die suddenly one day. Therefore, the yangbans hadn¡¯t thought deeply about humans. It was just like humans raising chickens to gain eggs. They managed humans just to obtain divinity. asionally, they would see a human who became a daoist immortal or transcendent and they would feel offended, disgusted, or unpleasant.


    However, their thoughts changed at this moment. It might just be one out of millions of people, but it was difficult to ignore human beings since they knew that someone with the potential to surpass a yangban was born.


    ¡®In any case, we need the help of humans to build up divinity. It might be better to get along with humans...¡¯


    It was at this time that the yangbans¡¯ perception changed slowly.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t telling me who 2nd to 7th ce is?¡¯


    Grid felt a bit disappointed. He wanted to know in advance the seven people who passed Chiyou¡¯s Test with high grades, but the system was too unfriendly. It was regrettable that only Grid¡¯s cing was shown.


    ¡®I need to know in advance to cut off the bud. Tsk.¡¯


    The difference in skill between the yangbans who didn¡¯t pass the test in the top 7 and the yangbans who passed the test in the top 7 was huge. Haejin? She was great, but she was a joke whenpared to Garam.


    ¡¯...Well, I will enjoy it for now.¡¯


    Duguen.Duguen.Duguen...


    Grid¡¯s heart rate gradually elerated. Chiyou¡¯s Test¡ªGrid was very proud that he won first ce on the stage for the half-gods who dreamed of bing a god. The rewards weren¡¯t important. It was important to note that he hit the yangbans¡¯ pride and protected the dignity of the humans that they ignored.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t mean that I expect nopensation at all.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be cheated. Grid was concerned, but only slightly. The rewards for aplishing an ¡®achievement that yers can¡¯t achieve¡¯ were always huge.


    [Being the first yer to pass Chiyou¡¯s Test, your deity stat will increase.]


    [Your divinity level has reached five and you are qualified to be a half-god.]


    ¡°......?!¡±


    There was only one way to raise divinity¡ªbuilding up the deity stat. Every time he umted 10 deity points, his divinity level would increase by one. It meant it was a very difficult process.


    The first condition that Grid needed to umte deity was to create a myth rated item. In order to make myth rated items, corresponding ¡®materials¡¯ were needed. It was difficult to obtain such materials unless he killed a great demon or resurrected a god. Furthermore, his deity stat only rose by one when making three myth rated items. There was no promise that he could reach 10 deity points just through making items.


    ¡®Writing the epics can earn me deity points, but...¡¯


    The probability of activating an epic was as low as the probability of making a myth rated item. Furthermore, writing an epic didn¡¯t mean his deity stat will rise unconditionally. It seemed to be affected by the environment at the time of writing the epic. Additionally, there were great achievements such as resurrecting a god or being praised by a special entity or group. It was just that this type of situation wasn¡¯tmon. In other words, the difficulty of raising the deity stat was extremely high.


    Grid thought it would take at least one year to reach level 5 in divinity. The period had been significantly shortened.


    ¡®A half-god!¡¯


    The evolution that he dreamed about. During the Vatican rescue episode, he gave up on bing a half-god because of several penalties. However, this time was different. It was an opportunity that was obtained purely using his own strength, regardless of the seven malignant saints.


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped like it was going to burst. He tried to immediately answer ¡®yes¡¯ to the notification window asking [Do you want to evolve into a half-god?] only to suddenly stop. It was because he glimpsed the disappointment in Chiyou¡¯s face watching him.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    So far, Chiyou had been strangely favorable to him. The gentle gaze resembled that of his parents. Why did he suddenly feel disappointed?


    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t reached this ce for nothing. He might not be able to read other people, but Grid could understand a NPC¡¯s heart.


    Chiyou raised his head, but sidestepped answering the question about evolving into a half-god. ¡°It isn¡¯t something for me to say.¡±


    ¡®What is this timing?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face distorted. He was frustrated because Chiyou didn¡¯t speak despite knowing something important.


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯


    Chiyou¡¯s expression had stiffened from the time he achieved level five in divinity, in other words, the time he got the half-god qualification.


    ¡®Is he reluctant for me to be a half-god?¡¯


    Why? Was it because he didn¡¯t want a human to be a god? No, that wasn¡¯t Chiyou¡¯s personality. Chiyou was born from human beings so he cherished humans. It was why in the past, Chiyou appeared and helped Pagma.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid thought about it. The ¡®transcendent status¡¯ that came from being a transcendent. The reason Grid was ssified as a transcendent was because he exceeded human limits. However, the moment Grid became a half-god, he would be ordinary among half-gods. The reference point was shifted from a human to a half-god, and the distance to ¡®transcendence¡¯ became further.


    ¡°Will I lose my transcendence if I be a half-god?¡±


    ¡®Bing a half-god?¡¯


    This was a question that couldn¡¯t be asked from the perspective of a third party. The wide-eyed Zibal was confused, but Chiyou quickly understood it. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°......!¡± Grid felt dizzy. It felt like he had been hit in the back of his head.


    The grandmaster spoke as Grid was feeling hesitant, ¡°A half-god is better than a transcendent.¡±


    He could say this because he was the grandmaster. His body sealed in the Abyss was a half-god, while the one standing in front of Grid was a transcendent. The grandmaster had experienced both being a half-god and a transcendent, so he knew the abilities of a half-god were superior to that of a transcendent.


    ¡°Just...¡± The grandmaster grasped Grid¡¯s hand and raised it up as he continued, ¡°A transcendent¡¯s potential is greater.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grandmaster word¡¯s that a half-god was better than a transcendentforted Grid. Then thetter words made him confused. A half-god was the springboard to bing a god. If the first ss advancement was a half-god then the second ss advancement was a god. Yet the potential of a transcendent was better than a half-god?


    ¡°It is because it is a transcendent, not a god, that can kill a god.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    God Killer¡ªone of the final evolutionary forms of a transcendent.


    The grandmaster dreamed about getting revenge on the gods and he honestly confessed his feelings, ¡°I want you to be human.¡±


    Meanwhile, Chiyou was silent. Chiyou had always dreamed of being killed and wanted Grid to remain a transcendent rather than bing a half-god. Even so, he had no intention of intervening in the fate of one person due to his own individual desires. Chiyou had no cause unlike the grandmaster who wanted to resurrect the seven good people and lead the world in the right direction.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was silent. His face at sunset was as dark as the clouds.


    The grandmaster, Chiyou, and the yangbans held their breaths. Just then, Zibal opened his mouth, ¡°A god... can¡¯t you be one as a human?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zibal¡¯s perspective was different from everyone here. It was because he was a yer. He experienced firsthand how difficult it was to be a supreme yer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, but... do you want to be a god? Then can¡¯t you kill a god and be a god?¡±


    Grid was currently disguised as Irene. Just like the grandmaster recognized Grid, Zibal was also aware of Grid¡¯s identity. After Chiyou¡¯s Test, Irene¡¯s speech and actions were very simr to Grid. That¡¯s right¡ªin critical moments, Grid forgot that he had to act as Irene. He might¡¯ve lost vignce because he achieved his purpose of gaining divinity for Irene.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Grid was flustered when he noticed the change in Zibal¡¯s tone and attitude toward him. However, Zibal ignored it. He just said what he wanted to say, ¡°You should be able to do it?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You are the supreme one.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    How many people in the world could reach and maintain the peak of two billion yers? There was only one person, Grid. Therefore, he was the supreme one. Putting aside his likes or dislikes, Zibal believed in Grid¡¯s strength. Even the grandmaster and Chiyou appreciated Grid more than expected.


    In the end...


    ¡°...I have decided.¡±


    [Do you want to evolve into a half-god?]


    Grid was asked about his future fate and responded with confidence, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t miss the essence. The main reason he dered himself a god through the epics was to stop the yangbans and Five Seniors, not to enjoy any benefits. His purpose wasn¡¯t to be a god himself. It was to be a God Killer. Then at some point, he had forgotten this fact.


    The notification window responded.


    [You have refused to be a half-god.]


    [The reward for achieving level five in divinity will be changed.]


    [Your transcendent status has increased significantly.]


    [In the future, you will see a world different from others.]


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    The rarely smiling grandmaster couldn¡¯t helpunching an attack. His punches and kicks were like a sh in Zibal¡¯s eyes. However, Grid managed to respond to the grandmaster¡¯s attack. The nose that should¡¯ve been crushed ended up as a cut cheek and the original situation where his knee should¡¯ve been shattered was used for a counterattack.


    The world as seen by a transcendent¡ªthe world that he indirectly experienced during the confrontation between Chreshler and Pagma was now opened up to Grid.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    [In the future, you can resist critical hits without exposing your weaknesses.]


    True transcendence¡ªonly a few dozen people had reached it in this game¡¯s worldview, and Grid set foot in this absolute level.


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1303

    The two men¡¯s battle stopped only after Grid¡¯s hand blocked the grandmaster¡¯s elbow that fell at a sharp angle. All sorts of shockwaves urred btedly. At the same time, the shockwaves shook people and the peach trees.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Zibal and the Neo Red Knights looked like they had seen a ghost and stepped back. They were surprised to discover that Grid and the grandmaster who disappeared had actually exchanged blows.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±The yangbans gulped. They tried to keep calm and maintain their dignity, but they were astonished.


    The person who was more surprised than anyone else was Grid. ¡°Gasp...Gasp... T-This...¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t forgotten the fierce battle between Chreshler and Pagma. Chreshler had exercised infinite divine power with his faith. His skill in summoning hundreds of spears of light simultaneously and firing them in dozens or hundreds of different orbits was a great power and a miracle. Pagma¡¯s body would be pierced and he would die instantly. At least, it would be like that if it was Grid.


    However, Pagmapleted two fused sword dances. The hundreds of light spears were urately captured using his absurd dynamic vision. He set everything as a ¡®target¡¯ for Flower and returned the massive bombardment to Chreshler intact. It happened in the blink of an eye.


    A world where time had stopped. Grid had indirectly experienced the world ¡®in the eyes of a transcendent¡¯ through Chreshler and Pagma, who shared dozens of blows before the debris caused by the explosion was affected by gravity. Then he realized how shabby he himself was. Then today...


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Grid himself entered the world of a transcendent. It was only for a moment and his breathing waspletely rough afterwards, but he was very happy and excited. Betrayal and infighting, opposition and war, high ranking great demons and dragons, unrevealed transcendents and heavenly gods...


    He felt freed from all the concepts he had subconsciously feared. Grid was clearly aware that he had be a being that transcended all concepts in the world.


    ¡°Hat...! Hahahat! Hahahahat!¡±


    He hadn¡¯t felt this much aplishment when making his first legendary item. Chiyou approached the extremely happy Grid and handed him a small wooden box. ¡°You deserve to receive this.¡±


    [The ¡®Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique¡¯ has been acquired as a first ce reward.]


    ¡°This...!¡±


    ¡°Mir had received it!¡±


    The yangbans were in great turmoil. It was because Mir was the only one who had been given a secret technique by Chiyou. The second protagonist of the secret technique was a human. Something unimaginable had happened.


    ¡®The secret technique of the martial god...¡¯


    Grid was one of the few people familiar with the secret techniques of the martial god. A skill book created by the martial god. Once used, a skill of a random rating was acquired. It wasn¡¯t amon skill, regardless of whether the rating was low or high. Most of the skills of the martial god boasted excellent power or utility. Of course, the martial god mentioned here was Zeratul. However, Chiyou was the martial god who handed him the secret technique...


    ¡®Sure enough, Chiyou...¡¯


    Martial God Chiyou in the east and Martial God Zeratul in the west. Who was the stronger martial god? Whose secret technique was better? The curious Grid opened the wooden box and tried to appraise the Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique.


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    [You have failed to observe the targeted item.]


    ¡°Keuk?!¡±


    Grid felt severe pain from his eyes and groaned.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    There were asionally some items that he failed in appraising. However, this was the first time that an appraisal failure resulted in pain. It felt like he was being punished for doing something he shouldn¡¯t have done. The grandmaster sent a voice transmission to Grid, whose eyes were bloodshot and filled with panic.


    -It is taboo to touch the one god.


    ¡®One god?¡¯


    Was it another concept of the absolute god? Grid couldn¡¯t understand and whispered a question, ¡°Can I interpret it as being on the same level as an absolute god?¡±


    -I think it is a simr status.However, you are mistaken about something.There isn¡¯t only one absolute.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe absolute gods were Reba, Yatan, and Hanul. However, regarding this logic, there were two martial gods. The expression ¡®one god¡¯ wasn¡¯t appropriate.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there two martial gods?¡±


    -There is one martial god.


    ¡°......?¡±


    -Zeratul is just a copy of Chiyou.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    -Unlike Zeratul, whoes from Reba and can¡¯t rebel against Reba¡¯s power, Martial God Chiyou is unique and the only one.No one in the world can interfere with him.


    ¡°No... I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Grid was vaguely aware of it. Chiyou was a remarkable existence born from human aspirations unlike other gods. However, he was unique?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Four Auspicious Beasts also real gods derived from human aspirations? How could Chiyou be the only one when there are the Four Auspicious Beasts?¡±


    -It is absurd topare Chiyou to the Four Auspicious Beasts.The Four Auspicious Beasts are gods that originated from the ¡®humans of the east¡¯ while Chiyou is a god whoes from ¡®all of humanity.¡¯


    ¡°???"


    -All human beings, without dividing between the west and the east, the past and the present, are eager for strength.The Four Auspicious Beasts were born to defend thend of the east. How can they bepared to Chiyou, who is the gathering of all the martial power that humans wished for?


    ¡°......!¡±


    A memory shed in the mind of the startled Grid.


    ¡°If your pledge is true, escape the eyes of the Five Seniors and leave for the westernnd.Then return with the qualifications of a God Killer.¡±


    These were the words Chiyou had told Pagma in the distant past. Even today, Chiyou was obsessed with god killers.


    ¡°Born from the heart¡¯s desire of all humanity... does that mean Chiyou can never be forgotten?¡±


    -Yes, Chiyou is immortal.He will never perish unless humanity perishes.However, humanity can never perish.The moment that Yatan or someone else destroys the world, Reba will immediately recreate a new world and humanity.Then Chiyou will once again be created by them.


    ¡°......¡±


    -Humans are the only thing that can destroy Chiyou.It is only by proving that ¡®human power is greater than the power of a god¡¯ that he can be denied and destroyed.This is why Chiyou is obsessed with the absolutes and the yangbans.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the yangbans half-gods and not humans?¡±


    -No, not necessarily.Half of the blood flowing in the yangbans is divine, while the other half is human.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The yangbans were not only half-gods, but they were half-god and half-human?


    ¡°They are half-human, yet they despise humans?


    -They don¡¯t know the truth.Yangbans are born with Hanul¡¯s will. How can they know the world?From my perspective, the motif of the yangbans is like the seven good people...


    ¡°...Stop, just stop.¡±


    Grid blocked both ears. He didn¡¯t want to know much. Listening to theplicated stories made him feel ufortable.


    ¡®The bottom line is that Chiyou is amazing.¡¯


    There was no need to think deeply about the yangbans. They were unconditionally enemies. There was only one thing he should be feeling right now. Just be happy. A reward given by the strongest being in the world. Its value will be immeasurable.


    [Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique]


    [Type: Skill Book


    ?????


    Weight: 10]


    ¡®...There are only question marks.¡¯


    It was a fact that it was a skill book. There was a very high chance of acquiring a high level skill. Grid stopped before using the Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, but I should try it once...¡¯


    He checked the status of his Open Potential skill. Fortunately, it was avable. Chiyou¡¯s Test was categorized as an instance dungeon and the cooldown had been reset.


    ¡®Open Potential.¡¯


    [Please specify the skill to increase the rating.]


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    [The potential of Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal has been opened and the skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Appraisal Comparable to a God¡¯ has been activated.]


    ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯


    It was a sess as he hoped. Grid once again challenged appraising the secret technique.


    [You have failed to observe the targeted item.]


    ¡®Kuek, I really can¡¯t see it.¡¯


    It was unfortunate even though he expected it. Grid covered his pained eyes with his hands. It happened while Zibal and the yangbans looked at the pained Grid with surprise.


    ¡°It is a nk secret technique, so there is no need to look at it so hard.¡± It was Chiyou¡¯s advice. The secret technique was nk?


    "nk...? There is no content?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How can it be a secret technique if there are no contents?¡±


    Grid was frustrated. Of course, it was only internally. In front of Chiyou, Grid was infinitely polite and humble.


    ¡°This was made to fill up your deficiencies. The gaps will be naturally filled up by the secret technique.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid thought over Chiyou¡¯s words and nodded quietly. He noticed the identity of the secret technique and had no hesitation.


    [¡¯Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Contemte your ownbat power.]


    [Due to enlightenment, Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship is strengthened.]


    [The skill information of ¡®Transcend¡¯ has changed.]


    [It isn¡¯t an imaginary transcendent being, but a sword dance that fully expresses yourself.]


    [The skill information of ¡®Link¡¯ has changed.]


    [It isn¡¯t a butterfly¡¯s wings pping, but a sword dance that exudes the momentum of an absolute, stretching out like the sun.]


    [The skill information of ¡®Kill¡¯ has changed.]


    [The sword dance of punishment will be performed.]


    [The skill information of ¡®Wave¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The skill information of ¡®Pinnacle¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The skill information of ¡®Restraint¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The skill information of ¡®Flower¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The skill information of ¡®Drop¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The skill information of ¡®Revolve¡¯ has changed.]


    ......


    [The new sword dance ¡®Sky¡¯ has been learnt.]


    [The ¡®heart¡¯ is strengthened by enlightenment.]


    [The ¡®Meditation¡¯ skill is always active.]


    [¡¯Formless Will¡¯ can be handled more skillfully.]


    [When using Request to Stand With Me, the summoning request isn¡¯t issued if the target is inbat.]


    [Gained enlightenment and integrated the mastery skills.]


    [Weapons Mastery and Magic Mastery are merged into Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques and the level is based on the skill with the higher growth.]


    [Enlightenment is gained and the advanced light elemental is liberated.]


    [The advanced light elemental wants to stay with you.]


    [The advanced light elemental will stand guard by your side and will judge and act on its own in the future.]


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    This was the taste of ying a game. The thrilled Grid turned red.


    The time to leave the Hwan Kingdom was approaching.


    A week has passed since the event started! I¡¯ve already received a few submissions for the fanart portion but no fanfic yet. Are you working on your submissions?


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1304

    [Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship Lv. 2]


    [Swordsmanship containing the narratives of Overgeared King Grid. The enlightenment gained through the secret technique has made it even more powerful.


    Swordsmanship and magic are united, increasing physical attack power by 60%, magic attack power by 30%, critical hit probability by 70%, and critical hit attack power by 110%. All values will triple when using cooperative skills with a person you have a bond with.


    * This effect is only fully applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * Physical attack power isn¡¯t applied when a staff or orb is equipped.


    * Damage proportional to the willpower stat will be dealt if a weapon isn¡¯t equipped.


    * Can be used without the footwork. However, the power of the sword dance will increase with every step taken. (Each additional stride will increase the damage of the sword dance by 50%, 100%, 200%, and 400%)


    * The number of fusion sword dances that can be created is ten. (7/10)


    * Every time the skill level rises, the number of fusion sword dances that can be created will increase.


    * You can also create a five fusion sword dance. However, the number of five fusion sword dances created is proportional to the level of divinity.


    ¡ï Whenever a sword dance is used, one of Braham¡¯s enhanced spells will be revealed.


    ¡ï The spells that are expressed are limited to basic spells and each sword dance has a different spell.


    ¡ï In the case of a fusion sword dance, several spells are ovepped.


    ¡ï Mana is consumed so you can activate/deactivate it.


    Currently activated.]


    [Transcend Lv. 2]


    [Express yourselfpletely.


    During the time when the sword dance is maintained, all attack power will double. Basic attacks are converted to long range attacks and magic casting speed and range are greatly increased. The probability of triggering Skin of Transcendence and Shunpo will also be 100%.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 200


    Skill Duration: 1 minute.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Detect Force is activated when Transcend is deployed. The uracy of all attacks and magic spells are increased significantly.


    Mana Consumption: 2,500]


    [Link Lv. 2]


    [A sword dance that exudes the momentum of an absolute, stretching out like the sun.


    Inflicts 350% physical attack power to all enemies in sight and attacks the designated target with 1,000% physical attack power a total of 20 times. Every time the designated target defends against an attack, internal damage will be inflicted and they will be weakened.


    * Takes one second to cast.


    * This skill isn¡¯t affected by attack speed.


    * Internal wounds can¡¯t be inflicted on targets that are resistant to abnormal statuses.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 50


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 minutes.


    ¡ïBraham¡¯s Wind Cutter will be released when Link is deployed. One Wind Cutter de is created for every second hit. The damage of each Wind Cutter de is fixed at 7,000. There is a low probability of Wind Cutter cutting the target. The probability of the cut is affected by Wind Cutter¡¯s hit location and the target¡¯s defense. This effect applies only to the specified target.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000]


    [Kill Lv. 2]


    [The sword dance of punishment is performed.


    Deals 2,000% of your physical attack power to a single target. Once hit, the target will be given the ¡®bleeding¡¯ and ¡®despair¡¯ effects and the ¡®Disarm¡¯ effect will be temporarily applied. If the target¡¯s status is low, there is a normal probability of instantaneous death.


    * Disarm: The item effect won¡¯t apply for one second. However, this corresponds to the item worn on the area hit by the attack.


    * The bleeding, despair, and instant death effects won¡¯t apply to targets that can resist abnormal statuses.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 100


    Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.


    ¡ïBraham¡¯s Detect Force is activated when Kill is deployed. The hit rate of Kill will greatly increase.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    [Wave Lv. 2]


    [It causes a tsunami of sword energy that stirs up the heavens and earth.


    Pulls all enemies in a radius of 10 meters to your side, dealing 400% physical attack power and slowing down all speeds by 70%. It also has a high probability of causing them to ¡®lose bnce.¡¯


    * A target that resists abnormal statuses will only have a 30% reduction in movement speed.


    * If a target blocks it, the ¡®violent shockwave¡¯ effect will ur and the defense effect is ignored.


    * There is a high probability of causing flying objects to fall and deals more damage when falling.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 100


    Skill cooldown time: 2 minutes.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Shield will wrap around the caster¡¯s body when Wave is deployed. The Braham-style shield will absorb 20,000 basic damage and absorb additional damage equal to the user¡¯s intelligence value. During the time when the shield is maintained, the caster¡¯s defense is increased by 500.


    Mana Consumption: 800]


    [Pinnacle Lv. 2]


    [Reproduces the attack of the Martial God, Chiyou.


    Deals 2,500% of your physical attack power to a single target. This skill will ignore 70% of the target¡¯s defense and unconditionally cause a critical hit.


    * The critical hit effect won¡¯t apply to targets that can resist abnormal statuses.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 80


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Weapon Enchant will activate when Pinnacle is deployed. The weapon¡¯s attack power will increase by 60%. This effect will disappear with the end of the sword dance.]


    [Restraint Lv. 2]


    [Dominate the surroundings with the solemn and stirring sword dance.


    Nobody can approach you for 5 seconds. Low status targets had a high probability of falling into fear.


    The targets in the fear state will have their defense reduced and won¡¯t be able to move.


    * A target that resists abnormal statuses has a low probability of being stopped for 0.1 to 0.3 seconds.


    * Not applicable to the undead.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Grease is activated when Restraint is deployed. The range of Grease is the same as Restraint and the deployment time is equal to the duration of Restraint. Since the friction coefficient of the ground in contact with Great will disappear, the target must slip. However, this effect is limited to when the target is standing on the ground.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000]


    [Flower Lv. 2]


    [A sword dance depicting fallen petals that show fleetingness.


    During the sword dance, all enemies (or skills) visible in your field of view are recognized as ¡®targets¡¯ and a ¡®mark¡¯ is left.


    Launches a sword energy that deals 80% physical attack power + 30% magic attack power to ¡®marked¡¯ targets.


    * Two sword energies will be produced per mark.


    * Every time the target is hit, an additional mark will be left. A maximum of six marks can be stacked up.


    * The duration of the mark is 11 seconds and this duration is updated every time a new mark is left within these 11 seconds.


    *If the target is a skill, there is a normal probability of it being offset.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 60


    Skill cooldown time: 2 minutes.


    ¡ïBraham¡¯s Lightning will ur when Flower is deployed. A target branded with the mark will have a low probability of being electrocuted and receiving 5,000 damage. During the electric shock, their body will be paralyzed.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    [Drop Lv. 2]


    [A sword dance that is reminiscent of the sky.


    Dere to the world the fallen authority of the sky and prove your greatness.


    Inflicts 80% physical attack power to all enemies within a 10 meters radius and there is a 60% of ignoring the enemy¡¯s status resistance to inflict the ¡®copse¡¯ condition. [1] Deals an additional 600% damage to all divine beings.


    Enters the ¡®Transcend¡¯ state for three seconds after it is used and doesn¡¯t share Transcend¡¯s cooldown time.


    * There is a high probability of causing flying objects to fall and deals more damage when falling.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 80


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Fire will be released when Drop is deployed. mes will spread within the range of Drop and deal 5,000 damage and three seconds of burn damage.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    [Revolve Lv. 2]


    [A storm that swallows up everything is contained in the tip of the sword.


    During the casting, it will return all attacks with 120% of the power. Targets hit by the counterattack will expose their weak points and take more damage the next time they are hit.


    *Lasts for three seconds and can be deactivated to use other skills during this time.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 50


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute and 30 seconds.


    ¡ï Braham¡¯s Shield will wrap around the caster¡¯s body when deploying Revolve.


    Mana Consumption: 800]


    [Sky Lv. MAX]


    [Perform a sword dance that announces the birth of a new sky.


    Divinity will automatically activate and the Transcend state will be entered. Then every sword dance learned will be aimed at a designated target. At this time, Divinity and the sword dances aren¡¯t affected by the cooldown time.


    * If the designated target is a god, dragon or great demon, theirbat-rted stats will decrease every time a sword dance hits.


    * Each time the target is hit with one sword dance, the power of the next sword dance will slightly increase.


    ¡ïYou will gain the attention of the gods when using this skill.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 50% of the maximum sword energy


    Skill Cooldown Time: 12 hours.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Biban had denied the sword dances. He evaluated that a sword dance based on a particr ritual, notbat, couldn¡¯t be better than swordsmanship. Wouldn¡¯t this change his mind?


    Grid¡¯s heart started beating faster as he demonstrated the new sword dance toward empty air. As Grid grew, his developed Grid¡¯s Swordsmanship gained a formparable to any swordsmanship. It was while keeping the essence of the sword dances.


    ¡®One day, it will be like the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship...¡¯


    It would be a sword dance that no one could touch. Grid smiled as he confirmed that creating the five fusion sword dances was possible.


    Jingle.


    ¡°There were many thingscking so it filled in more spaces.¡± Chiyou¡¯s voice was heard along with the sound of bells, but it gradually faded. ¡°Your potential is great because you haven¡¯t hid or turned away from your own shorings.¡±


    Jingle...


    The vision of Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group dimmed. The reason they visited the Hwan Kingdom was to meet with the Five Seniors and their business was over. Chiyou had no intention of holding onto the guests.


    ¡®It is difficult because the Five Seniors are greedy.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    At the huge peach tree forest...


    Zibal returned to the human world and looked up at the sky nkly. ¡®We were there just a moment ago...¡¯


    The heavens high in the sky. It was the ce where the gods worshipped by countless humans lived. There, Zibal had been constantly overwhelmed. He watched the conversation between the gods like an unnamed extra. He thought it was natural. What type of influence could a yer exert at a gathering of the world¡¯s protagonists?


    Zibal considered it a great benefit and blessing just witnessing an episode that was central to the worldview. He believed that the information obtained today would serve as the foundation for an important quest that would ur in the future and was satisfied.


    On the other hand, that woman... no, Grid, was different. He was a protagonist even in the world of the gods. It meant that the quality and quantity of the episodes that Grid had intervened in far exceeded Zibal¡¯s level.


    ¡¯I still have a long way to go. It is really far away.¡¯


    Imperial Prince Edan and Grandmaster Zikfrector¡ªZibal had also served as a leading role inrge-scale episodes. The amount of information and influence that an average yer obtained by experiencing and clearing difficult quests and episodes were truly powerful. He was confident that he wasparable to Grid in terms of being able to intervene in a story. However, this wasn¡¯t the case at all. The gap with Grid wasrger than expected.


    ¡®...I have a reason to try harder.¡¯


    A smile spread on Zibal¡¯s face. He was one of the best rankers who burned with more motivation in the face of frustration.


    Grid woke up from the aftermath of the events and asked Zibal, ¡°By the way, how did you figure out who I am?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to notice?


    ¡°Is it natural? Even Hanul didn¡¯t figure out my original identity...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know,¡± the grandmaster interjected. He had returned to his usual rxed form and seemed to find it bothersome to talk for long. ¡°He just didn¡¯t feel the need to make the distinction because it is trivial to know who you are. From Hanul¡¯s point of view, it doesn¡¯t matter if you are Grid or someone else. You are still the same human being.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Well... it will be different after Chiyou¡¯s Test.¡±


    The grandmaster eventually sat down. He fell asleep and the Neo Red Knights seemed familiar with this situation as they supported him and leaned him against a tree.


    Zibal scratched his head with a sad expression and suggested to Grid, ¡°We are going back to the West Continent. We have found a passage that can move freely between continents that other people haven¡¯t discovered yet. It is very important information, but... do you want toe with us?"


    It was referring to the Abyss. Intercontinental movement through the Abyss was fast and convenientpared to other previous known methods of movement. There was a disadvantage that it was full of dungeon boss monsters, but it could be tolerated if they thought about how it was part of their growth.


    Grid shook his head. ¡°No, thank you, but it isn¡¯t needed.¡±


    Zibal¡¯s intentions were clearly visible. He wanted an item in exchange for information. Grid had realized that Zibal was a decent person from the time of Edan¡¯s rebellion and he thought it was okay to sell one item to Zibal, but it was still premature.


    ¡®He needs to increase his favorable impression if he wants to pay for it.¡¯


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yes...¡±


    Grid refused this type of high level information? Zibal was flustered by Grid¡¯s refusal. He didn¡¯t know who easily Grid could move between continents. The gap between the two of them was muchrger than Zibal thought.


    ¡®Was Piaro sessful?¡¯


    After saying goodbye to the grandmaster¡¯s group, Grid activated Transcend and freely used Shunpo to travel to Xing. He was still a bit confused that he had gone through so much on the East Continent when he had onlye to gain the white phosphorus wood and learn how to grow the golden walnuts.


    6th Anniversary Event Link


    [1] Minor change made to the Drop description that has been applied to the description in the previous chapter as well

 Chapter 1305

    There were wailing walls in every area. It was a field that couldn¡¯t be handled by the average level of yers active in that area. Winston¡¯s Chaos Mountains was an example of such a wailing wall. Now...


    ¡°Beautiful, it is beautiful.¡±


    At the center of the East Continent was a reservoir that surrounded a huge peach tree forest. It was a ce that contained the passage to Heaven and didn¡¯t easily allow people to approach, so it was called a wailing wall. It was also the worst one in the East Continent.


    ¡®Should I fight?¡¯


    The moment Grid left the forest, he encountered an immortal ghost and he rolled up the ends of his skirt. He knew it would be a tough fight, so he eliminated anything that would get in the way of his movements.


    Immortal ghosts¡ªthey dreamed of bing daoist immortals, but failed and fell. They were beings who lost their bodies and lives due to their failure and moved around as spirits. The grandmaster predicted that the reason why they inhabited the reservoir was purely the Five Seniors¡¯ intention. It didn¡¯t matter if they were daoist immortals or immortal ghosts. They were all just servants for the Five Seniors. They were chosen as a type of guard dog.


    ¡°T-The smell of flesh is very good.¡±


    The reason they failed and became an immortal ghost was due to their ugly natures. Additionally, the spirits were driven by instinct and obsession, not reason. It meant they were all wicked. The immortal ghosts were those who showed their ugly faces without any pretenses.


    ¡°Y-You are the best among the 266 women I have eaten! Ahh! Ahhh!! I-I want to eat! Eat you right now!¡±


    They were strong because only instincts remained. The immortal ghost deployed all the skills and swordsmanship it had honed during its life so itsbat power was explosive. Even the grandmaster had pulled out Saharan¡¯s Sword when three or more immortal ghosts appeared.


    ¡°......¡±


    Before visiting the Hwan Kingdom and experiencing Chiyou¡¯s Test, Grid couldn¡¯t fight against the immortal ghost and had to rely on the grandmaster. Grid and the grandmaster¡¯s group were able to cross through the reservoir and reach the peach tree forest thanks to the grandmaster¡¯s protection. However, now...


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±


    Grid met an immortal ghost alone and chose to fight back without avoiding it. It was like an old painter who cut off his ears seeing an explosion of starlight and moonlight. Dozens of sword energies appeared around Grid and the world swirled. This vortex sucked up the dozens of sword energies from the immortal ghost and eliminated them.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Since only instincts remained, it was faithful to emotions. The flustered immortal ghost cocked its head when all the sword energies meant to hunt the human disappeared. At the same time, the momentary silence ended. The sword energies swallowed up by the vortex were returned to the immortal ghost.


    It contained more destructive power and curses than before as it swept through the reservoir and flooded at the immortal ghost. The immortal ghost hadunched all types of techniques at Grid and it took him only two seconds to return them with Flower Revolve. The immortal ghost quickly took out a talisman, but it couldn¡¯t handle the counterattack. The time was too short.


    ¡°Kuoh!¡±


    Plop!


    The immortal ghost couldn¡¯t bear the impact and floated back before falling into the reservoir. There was a great ripple as the immortal ghost sank to the bottom of the reservoir until it calmed down again. The immortal ghost wasn¡¯t dead. The ghost submerged at the bottom of the reservoir jumped up instantly and appeared on the surface of the water. It was amazing that it could ignore the pressure of the water.


    ¡°S-Shit!¡±


    The dark ghost emerged in the air and its swaying body was like a candle in front of the wind. Spirits were immune to physical attacks and were somewhat vulnerable to daoism. It was even its own daoism.


    ¡°Hurts! It hurts!¡±


    The immortal ghost¡¯s eyes were red. It recalled the pain of its former life when it failed to ascend and rushed angrily at Grid through the water. It was someone who wanted to be a sword immortal among the daoist immortals. The immortal ghost¡¯s swordsmanship was more threatening than its daoism. Thunderbolts were created every time its sword was swung and the sky was soon covered with clouds due to the linked actions. The immortal ghost¡¯s swordsmanship was powerful, but unreadable.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    It was the swordsmanship that confused the grandmaster for a while. Grid had abandoned his spirit of challenge when he saw the swordsmanship that injured the grandmaster¡¯s shoulder. He judged there would be no benefits if he struggled to fight these ghosts who were as powerful as yangbans, yet were ssified as monsters, not bosses or NPCs.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the case anymore. The immortal ghost he had been reluctant to face now seemed like suitable prey.


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The immortal ghost¡¯s sword cutting at Grid¡¯s body stopped like it was a lie. It didn¡¯t show any signs of slowing down, perhaps because it had once aimed at bing a daoist immortal. Even so, it was amazed by the pressure Grid gave off and briefly stiffened.


    The stiffnesssted only 0.2 seconds, but this was enough. The immortal ghost¡¯s swordsmanship was interrupted. The roaring thunderbolts and the clouds scattered and disappeared. The safe Grid linked the next sword dance in a rxed manner.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The storm-like sword energy stirred up the world. The immortal ghost¡¯s body tilted and then it was dragged in front of Grid. It was super close. It wasn¡¯t in the range of a sword. The sword couldn¡¯t be swung properly at this distance.


    The immortal ghost instinctively felt the danger of being hit by this sword energy and stepped back, but it was meaningless. It might be immune to the ¡®all speeds are reduced¡¯ buff and the loss of bnce, but it couldn¡¯t be free from the debuff that ¡®slowed movement speed by 30%.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sword that moved forward was much faster than the immortal ghost¡¯s speed of retreating.


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±


    It was an instant skill. This sword that reproduced the attack of the Martial God, Chiyou, was close to perfection. No matter the distance, the trajectory or circumstances, it instantly activated and cut the target.


    [The target has received 1,095,000 damage.]


    "!?" The immortal ghost¡¯s red eyes shook as its chest was cut. A ghost was immune to physical attacks. Originally, only the fake body was cut and there was no damage to the soul. This was the feeling of pain to the soul. Grid confirmed the pain of the panicked immortal ghost and murmured, ¡°It is useful.¡±


    [Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques (Intermediate) Lv. 7]


    [When equipped with weapons, physical attack power and magic attack power are increased by 25% and the hit rate of all attacks is increased by 7%. Additionally, magic casting time is reduced by 7%.


    ¡ïYou can choose to increase physical attack power or magic attack power.


    ¡ïIf you choose to increase physical attack power, then the magic attack power increase effect, hit rate increase effect, and casting shortening effect are deactivated. Meanwhile, physical attack power is increased by an additional 15%.


    ¡ïIf you choose to increase magic attack power, then the physical attack power increase effect, hit rate increase effect, and casting shortening effect are deactivated. Meanwhile, magic attack power is increased by an additional 15%.


    *Current Status: Increase magic attack power.]


    The most important effect of the Fire Dragon Sword was that it could convert physical attack power to fire attribute magic attack power. Grid used the power of the Fire Dragon Sword to rece physical attack power with magic attack power and was more like a magician than a swordsman.


    The Pinnacle sword dance might only have physical attack power, but Grid inflicted quite a bit of damage on the immortal ghost with pure magic attack power. He also seeded in lowering the defense of the immortal ghost with the additional effect of Pinnacle.


    Of course, this was a linked blow.


    ¡°Flower.¡±


    Grid¡¯s only sword dance with magic attack power.


    [The target has received 3.170,500 damage.]


    They were beautiful petals that showed more power than Pinnacle. There was a decline in defense and the mark that allowed sword energy to bombard it. The immortal ghost lost its momentum and pulled out a talisman. It was a blue talisman. It was used for running away when disadvantaged. The grandmaster hadn¡¯t known the purpose of the talisman and had let an immortal ghost escape.


    However, Grid was able to discover the use of the talisman thanks to the grandmaster and he couldn¡¯t miss the immortal ghost. ¡°Transcended Link Flower.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The immortal ghost couldn¡¯t respond. It was because Shunpo was activated the moment Transcended Link Flower was used. Grid created the petals of sword energy while taking control of the immortal ghost¡¯s rear.


    ¡°Transcendent, you...!¡±


    ¡°rm, Magic Missile.¡±


    The shes of light pierced the dark soul again and again and again. The soul abandoned the fake body and tried to flee, but it was swallowed up by Storm of the Fire God used by Grid and waspletely destroyed.


    ¡°...Should I stay here a few more days?¡±


    Grid had judged that it wasn¡¯t worth hunting the immortal ghosts because they were ssified as normal monsters despite being as strong as yangbans. He needed too much effort to hunt one, but wouldn¡¯t receive a lot of experience in return. He thought that the profitpared to the expenditure wasn¡¯t worth it. He thought it would be much more beneficial to fight the yangbans and gain the breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts than to fight the immortal ghosts.


    However, his thoughts changed at this moment. Grid had be stronger and the immortal ghosts were no longer burdensome opponents.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stay a few more days.¡±


    In the end, Grid made up his mind to embark on a fierce hunt before returning. The immortal ghosts rarely dropped items, but they were so strong and special that they gave a lot of experience. He gained a huge 2.1% experience from just killing one...


    The smile on Grid¡¯s face never disappeared as he stayed at this ce that was called the wailing wall by others.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m so excited.¡¯


    For the first time in ages, he was immersed in hunting. The high experience meant he could train the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, and Randy at the same time. Therefore, he could only feel happy.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know so much time had passed.¡¯


    He stayed in the reservoir for three days. It turned out to be hard to find the immortal ghosts. Due to the setting of ¡®those who failed to be daoist immortals,¡¯ the number was small and the respawn rate was terrible.


    ¡°I should hurry back before Piaro worries.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to leave because there was no more prey to hunt. It was because he was worried about Piaro. Grid expressed his feelings to Noe and climbed onto Overgeared Corn¡¯s back. All his ¡®Transcend¡¯ rted skills were on cooldown and he had consumed a lot of stamina. Rather than relying on the uncertain Shunpo when weary, it was much better to use Overgeared Corn as a ride.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Hihing!


    Overgeared Corn replied energetically. His eyes were curved like crescent moons. Grid, in the form of Irene, brightened his heart.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t need this anymore.¡±


    [Berith¡¯s Skin Mask has been taken off.]


    Hihing!


    Overgeared Corn suddenly lost energy and cried out, but Grid ignored it.


    ***


    ¡°Ahh! What can I do?¡±


    The Xing King had been unable to sleep for three days. The Overgeared Queen should¡¯ve returned in four days at thetest. The Xing King was worried because there had been no news from her. He wondered if she had been abused by the wicked yangbans and bad thoughts kept popping up. It was natural to worry about the well-being of his benefactor.


    ¡°Gather the soldiers right away.¡±


    In the end, the Xing king couldn¡¯t bear it. A tremendous 10,000 soldiers. All the soldiers of the capital were assigned to search for the Overgeared Queen. He intended to find her as soon as possible because the Overgeared Queen could be in a situation where she was severely injured. The soldiers had just received orders to begin their journey when a voice was heard.


    ¡°Her Majesty hasn¡¯t returned yet?¡± Piaro returned to the royal pce after being stuck in the walnut forest for over a week. Prior to being a farmer, he was the great general of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    The Xing King and his officials nervously expected the great general to be angry, but unexpectedly, Piaro was calm.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Rather, Piaro was happy. He was smiling so brightly when there was no news of his queen?


    ¡®Is it a false loyalty?¡¯


    The Xing King was having doubts when Piaro spoke meaningful words, ¡°Her Majesty will have be stronger.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The Overgeared Queen left for a short visit to the Hwan Kingdom. She hadn¡¯t left for training purposes. Yet she would be stronger?


    It happened when the confused Xing King was shaking his head...


    ng!


    The teacup in Piaro¡¯s hand shattered.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The surprised Xing King looked at Piaro¡¯s hand and hisrge hand shook. What happened?


    Chill.


    The Xing King was having doubts when he felt it. He was able to clearly sense the strong since he had seen the yangbans from his childhood. This terrifying energy was gradually getting closer to the great hall.


    ¡®W-Who is it? Who is this monster?¡¯


    A monster reminiscent to Garam among the yangbans. The probability of a being with such terrifying energy being human was extremely low.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Had the ck tortoise¡¯s protection weakened? Would this kingdom be invaded by the yangbans again? The Xing King was terrified and frustrated.


    ¡°I greet My Liege!¡± Just then, Piaro rose from his seat and bowed to the entrance of the great hall. The person who entered was...


    ¡°It has been a while, Piaro.¡±


    It was Overgeared King Grid whom the Xing King had only seen a portrait of. The Xing king was thrilled to see he boasted a far more powerful presence than the Overgeared Queen, who he had thought was the real power of the Overgeared Kingdom. He had seen many people who were worse than the rumors, but it was the first time he saw a person who was more than the rumors.


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1306

    The ck tortoise was resurrected and the false myths were removed. The people rejoiced and prayed, and then the god said that he had received help from a human¡ªthe Overgeared King, who punished the fake gods that deceived the people and polluted thend.


    ¡®...I thought it was an exaggeration.¡¯


    The king of a nation and a warrior¡ªone of the Xing King¡¯s identities was that of a warrior, and the senses he polished for decades were extremely sharp and delicate. Moreover, he witnessed the yangbans since childhood and it was safe to say his ability to sense the strong was at a transcendent level. For example, him...


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. This person... no, he is real.¡¯


    He shook the moment he saw Grid. A human being who harmed the yangbans who ruled humanity with natural strength and force...


    The Xing King discovered that such an unbelievable achievement was actually the truth. ¡°The Overgeared King.¡±


    Step.


    The Xing King came down from the throne and approached Grid. He bowed deeply under the attention of his officials and warriors who served him as the supreme one. ¡°It is the highest honor. An infinite honor.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    There was amotion among the officials. The appearance of the golden robe embroidered with the ck tortoise being dragged on the ground and crumpled was a sight that the people of Xing couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡°Since Your Majesty resurrected God ck Tortoise, peace and stability was restored to Xing.¡±


    No matter if they were a king over 10,000 people or a king over tens of millions of people, they should be equal. Once thinking of their subjects, they shouldn¡¯t regard another king as an elder. The Xing King believed so. He might¡¯ve received great grace from the Overgeared King, but he had no intention of bending down. He didn¡¯t want to undermine the pride of the people and he would repay grace with grace.


    However, his mind changed the moment he actually met the Overgeared King. They were both kings, but they had a different status. Bowing down to this person wasn¡¯t an act that would shame the people. He didn¡¯t need to feel guilty to the people. This was just pure respect. It was because this was their savior.


    ¡°Raise your head.¡±


    The Xing King didn¡¯t know it, but Grid had spent several days with him in the form of Irene, and Grid got a grasp of the Xing King¡¯s personality and essence. He was a man of reason who knew the right path to follow and didn¡¯t forget grace. He strove to be a proud king to the people. Yet such a person was bowing in front of everyone?


    Grid didn¡¯t want this. It was easy to understand when thinking of it from a different perspective. Would the members of the Overgeared Guild be happy to see Grid kneel to others? It would be hard to tolerate. The more people who believed that Grid was the best, the more people there were aiming at Grid. Grid knew this and hurried to raise the Xing King, but the king didn¡¯t look up.


    ¡°I am a sinner. Not only was I able to repay my benefactor¡¯s favor, but I also let you worry. I really can¡¯t raise my head.¡±


    ¡°Worry?¡±


    ¡°The queen... the Overgeared Queen is missing.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid¡¯s expression changed and he started sweating. He should¡¯ve used Irene¡¯s face, but his thoughts werecking, causing the Xing King to be in a dilemma.


    ¡®I made a mistake.¡¯


    Grid rebuked himself and coughed a few times. ¡°My wife went home... Hum hum, she went back to our home kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Crossing the Red Sea was impossible until only a few years ago and it definitely isn¡¯t easy...¡±


    ¡°One of my friends is a resourceful sage. Thanks to his help, intercontinental travel isn¡¯t very difficult.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Calling a servant a friend?


    ¡®I think I know what type of person he is. I also have to imitate it.¡¯


    The Xing King smiled happily and never dreamt of the reality of the Overgeared King who used his friend as a movement vehicle.


    ***


    ¡®Fortunately, Lord resembles Irene.¡¯


    After living in Irene¡¯s form for a while, Grid returned to his real form and realized how important a person¡¯s appearance was.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think the drinking capacity of most of them is one bottle...¡¯


    Every time Grid attended a party or dinner in Irene¡¯s form, all of Xing¡¯s officials would drink at least three bottles of wine. Yet at Grid¡¯s weing party today, forget three bottles. Most of the officials couldn¡¯t even drink one bottle. It was like they couldn¡¯t drink. Even the king¡¯s young sons distanced themselves like teenagers in the rebellious period. The guys who kept bothering Irene didn¡¯t give Grid a single nce.


    ¡°In any case, her appearance is the best.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid shook his head and Piaro looked at him like it was absurd.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know why the princes of Xing and the officials are so nervous?¡¯


    Grid returned after a few days and had be an absolute powerhouse.


    The previous Grid had shown a great presence as a ¡®strong man who is a legend,¡¯ but something was different now¡ªhe seemed like a being one couldn¡¯t get close to, no, an untouchable existence, so much so that even Piaro¡¯s feeling of ¡®I want topete and try out my skills¡¯ was suppressed.


    This feeling was simr to...


    ¡®A god.¡¯


    No, this was too much even if he looked at his king with blinded eyes. Piaro shook his head with a smile. Then Grid asked him, ¡°Did you find a way to grow the golden walnuts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    He would still be in the forest researching if he hadn¡¯t found a way. Grid¡¯s face brightened as Piaro told him the good news.


    ¡°In the future, our people will be able to eat the golden walnuts.¡±


    The golden walnuts were a health food before they were an elixir. NPCs that constantly consumed the golden walnuts didn¡¯t only increase their stats. Their health and life expectancy also increased. Piaro honestly confessed to the genuinely pleased Grid, ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom is too hot in the west and too cold in the north. The Yatan Church¡¯s headquarters was located in the far east so thend and air are polluted.¡±


    The golden walnuts were sensitive to climate and soil so it was difficult to grow them inrge quantities.


    ¡°The only ce in the Overgeared Kingdom where the golden walnuts can be grown is Cokro[1] Ind. Even on Cokro Ind, it can¡¯t be grown near the dungeon where Hell Gao¡¯s heat remains. It can only be grown in limited areas.¡±


    ¡°How many trees can be nted?¡±


    Grid asked and Piaro replied immediately. ¡°500 trees.¡±


    ¡°It is still a long way to securing arge amount of golden walnuts...¡±


    He saw it when visiting the golden walnut forest that the golden walnuts weren¡¯t grown easily. The number of golden walnuts that could be collected from 100 trees averaged to 10 a year. It was difficult to obtain the golden walnuts even in the Xing Kingdom, the origin of the golden walnuts. Grid tried not to show his disappointment and Piaro smiled at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I will somehow change the environment in the east of the kingdom so we can nt more golden walnut trees.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if it took years or even decades. His efforts were bound toe to fruition. Grid gained hope from Piaro¡¯s assertion and nodded.


    ¡°I feel reassured thanks to you. Okay, then let¡¯s go home.¡±


    The purpose of visiting the East Continent was achieved. He secured the white phosphorus wood, the method of growing golden walnuts, and formed a blood alliance with Xing. The Xing King even said that he hoped that Grid would treat him as a brother.


    ¡®I really gained a lot.¡¯


    In particr, he was lucky to have visited the Hwan Kingdom. Not only did he raise Irene¡¯s deity stat more easily than expected, he also became stronger. He gained a deeper understanding of the worldview and gained a strong ally in the grandmaster.


    He wanted to see Irene quickly. He wanted to share his joy with Irene, who would be healthy and young.


    The eager Grid left and the Xing King started to build a new shrine next to the one dedicated to the ck tortoise.


    ***


    Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªit was the highest level ofbat ss that inherited some of Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship due to him being the previous Baal¡¯s Contractor. Additionally, it was the king of the dead with a dominance beyond that of necromancers¡¯.


    Hidden quests were directly supplied by Baal, the 1st great demon, one of the strongest beings in the world. This meant the growth potential was infinite. If Agnus¡¯ purpose was to be ¡®strong¡¯ in itself, then the yer in the highest position would naturally be Agnus.


    It had to be so. The role of Baal¡¯s Contractor was that of a pure viin. Baal¡¯s Contractor was alone against the world, so it was designed to ughter hundreds or thousands of people alone. The growth rate was so fast that it was normal to be reborn before the Sword Saint¡¯s ¡®heart¡¯ had revealed its true potential. One of the events of the National Competition, the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Subjugation¡¯ was actually based on one of the aspects that Agnus should¡¯ve shown on the main server.


    ¡°This is why Grid looks like Baal¡¯s Contractor.¡±


    The S.A Group sighed deeply when Grid visited the Hwan Kingdom and they saw his rapid growth. They weren¡¯t objecting to the fact that Grid had be stronger. They were dissatisfied that Agnus hadn¡¯t fully blossomed his ss¡¯s potential while Grid transcended the limits of his ss several times and became an unrivaled existence.


    Agnus had actually lost to Jishuka. Agnus should¡¯ve smashed the Cho Kingdom and Jishuka, yet he was defeated. This was a great shock to the S.A Group. At this rate, the intention behind creating the Baal¡¯s Contractor ss would be lost. Thus, they were worried about the future of the game.


    ¡°Due to Agnus, several episodes weren¡¯t born and the Yatan Church is on the verge of destruction. The operations and development teams predict that the crisis will only be resolved if Baal epts a new contractor.¡±


    ¡°That would be best. Didn¡¯t Agnus turn down most of Baal¡¯s quests in the first ce? That¡¯s why his assimtion rate is low and there isn¡¯t much power when possessing the body. I think Baal would also be dissatisfied with Agnus.¡±


    ¡°...Yet surprisingly, Baal likes Agnus.¡±


    ¡°He likes a disobedient person who doesn¡¯t listen?¡±


    ¡°It is because it is all a joke to Baal. He is having fun watching Agnus¡¯ choices and actions.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean...? Then he won¡¯t pick a new Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡±


    ¡°At this moment, Baal doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The meeting room was filled with a sorrowful atmosphere. They were worried that if the ¡®legend attack strategy¡¯ recently discovered by some high rankers were known to the world, then Agnus would be a punching bag for others.


    In the early days of Satisfy, Agnus was filled with pure malice and carried out reckless PK, igniting the resentment of many people. If Agnus really became a punching bag then Baal¡¯s Contractor might not be able to recover.


    In the midst of the worries, Yoon Sangmin opened his mouth, ¡°The reason Agnus hasn¡¯t grown is that first, he didn¡¯tmunicate with Baal. Second, he wasn¡¯t obsessed with leveling. Third, he didn¡¯t avoid death. He yed the game very roughly. That¡¯s it.¡±


    In particr, he used his deceased creation skill in such an absurd manner. Agnus wasn¡¯t interested in the game despite being a top ranked yer.


    ¡°However, I think it will be different in the future.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s mouth curved up in a smile as he brought up the holographic report that had just arrived from the head of the operations team. ¡°There is a record that Agnus fled as soon as he confirmed that his health was getting dangerous during battle.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Anyone who felt danger of death during battle was bound to escape. Running away was the right answer. The penalty that urred due to death was ¡®a loss of a huge amount of time.¡¯ Everyone was afraid of death because the experience they spent days umting was lost in a moment.


    Agnus responded in the same way. This was great evidence that Agnus had decided to focus on the game.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will start interacting with Baal soon. I¡¯m already looking forward to the new deceased that Agnus will create.¡±


    He might be threatened by the strongest in an individual battle, but he was invincible in a war. This was Baal¡¯s Contractor. If Baal¡¯s Contractor had done his job well in the first ce, the Yatan Church wouldn¡¯t be at risk of destruction. As long as Agnus was in good spirits, the bnce would surely be maintained.


    The faces of the S.A Group executives brightened.


    On the other hand, Chairman Lim Cheolho, who had been silent throughout the meeting, still had a dark expression on his face.


    ¡®Now there is only one left.¡¯


    Sword Saint¡ªit was a ss that had a slow growth rate and relied heavily on Formless Will. It was the ss that was most affected by talent because the yer needed to createbat skills themselves. The difficulty of growth was very high, but the potential was the best. Therefore, Chairman Lim Cheolho had felt great joy and anticipation when Kraugel became the Sword Saint.


    However, Kraugel¡¯s recent appearance shattered Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s expectations. There was no ranker who wasn¡¯t stubborn, but talking about ¡®my own swordsmanship¡¯ and ignoring the secret techniques of the former Sword Saints...


    At this point, it wasn¡¯t stubbornness. It was ego.


    ¡®Even that Agnus has changed. Now it is time for you to give up your ego too.¡¯


    This was what Chairman Lim Cheolho wanted.


    ¡°......¡±


    In the video, Kraugel once again didn¡¯t learn the new secret technique of Muller that he acquired. The executives seemed to expect it and didn¡¯t show any interest in Kraugel. Chairman Lim Cheolho sighed. However, even Chairman Lim Cheolho couldn¡¯t imagine it.


    The fact that Kraugel¡¯s actions were scratching at Biban¡¯s pride.


    [1] I will be changing Cork Ind to Cokro Ind to more urately reflect the romanization)

 Chapter 1307

    Duguen!


    ¡®Irene!¡¯


    Duguen!


    ¡®Irene! Irene! Irene!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart was exploding as he ran to the pce. The image of Irene in a pure white wedding dress was fluttering before his eyes. He imagined how happy Irene would be to regain her youth and tears filled his eyes.


    ¡°Wife!¡±


    He even used Shunpo because he wanted to quickly see Irene¡¯s smiling face. Grid arrived at the pce without the knights knowing it and opened the door to Irene¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°Wife...?¡± Grid was baffled. Irene was sitting in front of the mirror with her head lowered. She seemed to be crying.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty? You¡¯re back.¡± Irene btedly noticed Grid¡¯s arrival and rose from her seat in a startled manner. Her long silver hair was covering her small face.


    Grid wondered, ¡°Are you crying? What happened?¡±


    Irene didn¡¯t raise her head to the end and Grid was filled with an unknown anxiety as he reached out to her. However, Irene avoided his touch.


    ¡°What is it? Why aren¡¯t you showing your face?¡±


    Perhaps... had something gone wrong? All sorts of sinister thoughts struck Grid.


    ¡°I... I...¡± Irene¡¯s trembling voice was heard in the heavy air. She raised her head with difficulty and her face was just as young and beautiful as the day when she first met Grid. The small wrinkles around her eyes and mouth had disappeared without a trace and the slightly dry skin gradually became shiny. Only the eyes that were deep from the passage of time were the same.


    It was fortunate. Fortunately, there was no problem. Rather, his wish was fulfilled. Grid was happy after feeling that he had lost 10 years. Then Irene¡¯s trembling voice prated him.


    ¡°My face changed like this one overnight. I... am I a monster?¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Grid btedly realized why Irene was terrified. The unexpected reaction caused Grid to hug Irene¡¯s small body.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a monster or a freak. Rejuvenation is a blessing to rejoice about. Why are you worried?¡±


    "...Your Majesty, do you know what happened?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    Grid started to exin. First of all, he talked about the concept of divinity and proudlyid out the saga of how he tried to build up Irene¡¯s divinity. Irene listened silently and her expression gradually darkened. Intense emotions were swirling around in her deep eyes.


    ¡°Wife?¡± Grid had thought Irene would be happy so he was flustered when she showed a different expression.


    Irene¡¯s tightly closed lips slowly opened, ¡°How... how can you do this without saying anything to me...?¡±


    ¡°It was a surprise event in the hope that your joy would double...¡±


    ¡°Please leave.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I want to be alone.¡±


    ¡°W-Wife?¡±


    Irene didn¡¯t do any special training. She might¡¯ve gained divinity, but her physical abilities were only slightly better than ordinary people. However, Grid couldn¡¯t remove her small hands. He was pushed out of the room and stared nkly at the firmly closed door.


    ¡°W-What is this?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Why are the two people who are so in love...¡±


    ¡°The queen is probably dissatisfied due to His Majesty¡¯s frequent outings.¡±


    Rumors started to circte around the royal pce about the rtionship between Grid and Irene. In the three days after Grid returned, Irene hadn¡¯t gone out and they had separate meals. Therefore, there must be a problem between the two people.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes?¡±


    Like a soulless doll, Grid turned his head to the side as he ate. He could see Lauel¡¯s ring eyes.


    ¡°When did you arrive?¡±


    ¡°I have been standing beside you for a while. How long are you going to lose your soul?¡±


    Grid never wasted time. Every day, he worked hard cksmithing or hunting. Then he came back and took care of the king¡¯s duties while his stamina was recovering. He didn¡¯t even set aside time for meals unless he had an appointment with Irene or Lord. Such a man had wandered the pce without doing anything for three days. Not only did he stay away from the smithy and hunting grounds, he seemed to have erased from his memory the habit of making underwear.


    ¡°It is a pity that someone who knows better than anyone that time is more valuable than gold is wasting this time. Even Prince Lord is unable to concentrate on sses these days because he is worried about Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Irene? Is Irene worried?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t meet her because she didn¡¯t give me permission... maybe she is worried?¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    ¡°Stop sighing. The people are agitated.¡±


    ¡°Why... why is Irene angry?¡±


    Lauel was the number one contributor for the current Overgeared Kingdom. He was considered one of the best geniuses in the world. Grid hoped that Lauel could analyze and resolve the situation. However, Lauel didn¡¯t know a woman¡¯s heart. He had a genius brain and a handsome appearance, but he devoted himself to Satisfy all day. There was no time for love and no opportunity to learn about the hearts of women. However, Lauel was the author of the ¡®Female NPCs Strategy¡¯ and he was always confident.


    ¡°The reason why she is angry is simple.¡±


    He might¡¯ve never been in a rtionship, but there was nothing in the world that he didn¡¯t know...


    Lauel analyzed Irene¡¯s psychological state. ¡°I heard Your Majesty yed freely in the form of Queen Irene? From the perspective of the queen, would you feel good if the people of the East Continent remembers you as a violent, macho girl? Huh? You messed up the image of a noble person whose hobby is poetry and flower arrangements... Sigh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Grid gained great enlightenment and rose from his seat. He ignored the order to stay away and ran to Irene¡¯s pce, pulling out Berith¡¯s Skin Mask.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the East Continent! I will travel to the East Continent with this beautiful image and spread the word of how feminine and lovely you are...¡±


    The excited Grid abruptly shut his mouth. Irene¡¯s cold gaze made him realize that he had misunderstood the point.


    ***


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo logged out and sighed. He felt depressed. His excitement of sharing happiness with Irene, who regained her youth, had changed to depression and frustration.


    ¡°I have no appetite...¡±


    What had gone wrong? Youngwoo ignored the signals from his empty stomach as he changed his clothes and moved to the underground parking lot. He had an important schedule for today.


    Yura¡¯s grandfather¡ªYoungwoo was invited to the birthday feast for Chairman Lee Jinmyung. He didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the party, but he had to go because it had been set a month ago.


    ¡°Irene...¡±


    He had wanted to see a smiling face. It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t see it in the end. He felt sorry that he couldn¡¯tfort her because he didn¡¯t know why she was angry.


    ¡°Ireeeeene!¡±


    The moment Youngwoo entered the highway, he stepped on the elerator strongly and his car Thirteen let out loud exhaust sounds. It seemed to be trying tofort Youngwoo¡¯s heart.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news. You look very depressed.¡±


    Before attending the party, Youngwoo first met Yura and visited a department store in order to prepare a gift for Chairman Lee Jinmyung.


    ¡°Irene... Irene won¡¯te out from her pce.¡±


    Youngwoo usually didn¡¯t bring up Irene in front of Yura. At the very least, he showed a minimum of care, but today was an exception¡ªhe was so worried about Irene that he asked Yura for advice, ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard to build up Irene¡¯s divinity and restore her youth. What is the problem? Why is she angry rather than rejoicing?¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung¡¯s taste was surprisingly verymon, thus Yura chose a tie pin from a domestic brand rather than a luxury brand, and while matching it against Youngwoo, she replied, ¡°Miss Irene has been preparing her heart for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Preparing her heart?¡±


    ¡°She was ready to leave alone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°She would¡¯ve felt lonely and scared for a long time.¡±


    Youngwoo vaguely knew this. Irene felt loneliness and fear every time she saw herself growing old alone. It was why he pushed for this. It was to not let her leave alone. It was with the hope that she would grow old with him.


    ¡°Miss Irene would¡¯ve been sad, but she is strong. She vowed to show you a smile on the day she left alone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Yet that determination became useless when she regained her youthfulness. It came one day without any notice. Perhaps she is confused? She is happy, but she feels that she is a fool. She wishes you had consulted with her in advance.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Youngwoo finally grasped the problem. He gritted his teeth as he realized he had beencking in consideration.


    They finished shopping and returned to the car. Then Yura reached out to him who had been rebuking himself. There was a piece of chocte she bought a while ago in her thin, white hand. ¡°Would you like one?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    The worry thatsted for a few days disappeared with this care. Youngwoo epted the chocte and saw that in the rearview mirror, his forehead had wrinkles.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Just then, Yura grabbed Youngwoo¡¯s hand and held it tightly. Her hand was warm and soft. Yura smiled at the flustered Youngwoo. ¡°Irene¡¯s confusion will end. She will soon understand and appreciate your heart and will be filled with happiness. So stop worrying and wait for her to clear her mind. Now, smile.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    When did it start? Every time they rode a car together, Yura¡¯s left hand was always holding his hand. Youngwoo finally regained his smile after several days.


    ***


    Red Sage Haster¡ªa person with a unique ss, and one of the Five Miracles. He had never missed being first ce in any game and his goal was naturally to be the supreme one. He dreamed that he would one day catch up with Grid...


    ¡°Okay, it is certain with this.¡±


    ¡°Cough!Cough!¡±


    He was defeated in a battle with 10 normal ss yers. His dying face was crushed and the faces of the high rankers were filled with joy.


    ¡°The gap between yers will be narrowed. Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s words are true.¡±


    The resistance to abnormal statuses wasn¡¯t invincible. The proof was that Haster, who resisted several abnormal statuses like any unique ss yer, was currently under their feet. There was clearly a way to target the abnormal status resistance and they had identified it.


    ¡°The next prey is... Yura will be the most suitable.¡±


    The high rankersughed as Haster turned to gray ash. Their aim was the practice of justice. Their goal was to create a fair gaming society by sessively defeating the minority who were lucky enough to gain hidden sses and reigned over them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s shoot a video of hunting Yura and spread the legend attack strategy around the world. That is our duty.¡±


    Games were made to be enjoyed. It was aw that everyone should be equal. They must not allow a small number of people to have privileges. Wasn¡¯t the tyranny of the few whale gamers the reason why the former mobile gaming industry declined?


    ¡°We will lead Satisfy in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°For the majority!¡±


    ¡°For the majority!¡±


    Three weeks down and approximately a month to go until the final submission date on the 15th November. There are multiple character fanart and fanfiction entries, but only one scene fanart so far. More entries can always be used or the prizes will go to waste!


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1308

    The rating of someone¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t a measure of their strength¡ªthis notion held true just a few years ago. There was no form that someone with a hidden ss was stronger than someone with a normal ss. Kraugel had a normal ss when he overpowered Grid in the 2nd National Competition, and he reigned with a normal ss for years.Faker, who wiped out the Ice Flower Guild, also had a normal ss.


    Pon, Vantner, Regas, Peak Sword, and Zednos in the Overgeared Guild all had normal sses. Among the top 10 in the unified rankings, the only one with a hidden ss was Agnus.


    That¡¯s right¡ªoriginally, the most important concept in Satisfy was control, not ss. Satisfy was the game that people confident in their control hoped for. However, the game had long since changed. Was it because Grid¡¯s items had developed? No, this wasn¡¯t the fundamental problem.


    The reason that the gap between normal and hidden sses was difficult to ovee with control was due the diversity of abnormal statuses skills. Think of the early days of Satisfy¡ªat most, people possessed two or three skills that caused abnormal statuses, and ¡®stun¡¯ was the most powerful one. Over time, there was the third ss advancement and more hidden sses were obtained. The type and number of skills that caused abnormal statuses increased significantly. There were too many risks to be considered in battle.


    In the early days, a ranker with a normal ss didn¡¯t have a problem in PvP because they just had to increase their stun resistance and fear resistance. However, now they had to pay attention to at least 10 different types of resistances. On the other hand, a ranker with a hidden ss could resist some status abnormalities, while a ranker with a legendary ss, the highest rated hidden ss, could resist all status abnormalities and they had few factors to worry about.


    A high ranker might¡¯ve achieved their third ss advancement and achieved explosive growth, narrowing the gap with those who had a hidden ss in terms of stats, but their PvP performance was on the decline. A ranker with a normal ss had to invest money in status resistance while a ranker with a hidden ss saved their money and invested it in other things. Therefore, it was natural for the rankers with a hidden ss to take the lead.


    In other words, it became a fucking game of abnormal statuses.


    ¡®Now there is a chance.¡¯


    The high rankers with a normal ss hadpleted their third ss advancement and adapted perfectly to their new strengths. In the current world of abnormal status conditions, they weren¡¯t easily incapacitated because they made sufficient preparations.


    Then what about the ones with a hidden ss? They had resisted abnormal statuses for months or even years, and naturally developed a bad habit. They allowed themselves to be hit by skills that caused abnormal statuses without being vignt. They learned it was more efficient to destroy the target by quickly attacking, rather than paying attention to pointless attacks being thrown at them.


    Halle smiled as he recalled the expressions they all showed when their resistance was neutralized.


    ¡®These guys need to know. The reason they have reigned isn¡¯t because they are great. It is just that the privileges they received were great.¡¯


    Halle distrusted the concept of effort. He hated humans who ced the word ¡®effort¡¯ in their mouths. Business, sports, studying, etc. The best people in each field didn¡¯t reach their current position because of their effort, but instead it was because of their talent and luck. It was proof that effort wasn¡¯t exclusive to the best.


    Were there any high rankers who put in less effort than the old Kraugel or the current Grid? Of course not. All the high rankers worked hard in the same way. All the rankers reduced their eating and sleeping time, only focusing on the game. They also researched the game in their everyday life.


    However, Halle was limited to being stuck at 54th ce on the unified rankings, and there were many people who were worse than Halle. It meant the value of their effort was different. The value of someone¡¯s effort was determined by their talent and luck.


    These were Halle¡¯s thoughts.


    The high rankers were just lucky to have better talent than other people, and among them, those who changed to a hidden ss just had better luck. The world who treated them as heroes was just ignorant and pitiful.


    ¡®They don¡¯t know these people are a gue draining the life of the game.¡¯


    Halle bet everything on Satisfy. The ruin of Satisfy was nothing more than the ruin of his own life.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let those who believe in innate luck ruin the bnce that is controlling my life.¡¯


    Morale would gradually be worse due to the people with a hidden ss. All yers would soon feel the deprivation that only high rankers felt and from then on, Satisty¡¯s poprity would decline. Halle wanted to save Satisfy before that happened. He would fully target the yers who had a hidden ss, and spread the word to the world. He would stop the small number of people with a hidden ss from reigning.


    A notification window popped up in front of Halle as he strengthened his motivation.


    [You have entered the territory of the Overgeared KIngdom.]


    [The heat of the desert has increased fatigue.]


    At the same time, the coachman spoke. ¡°This is Reidan.¡±


    "Yes, please work hard until the end.¡±


    ¡°I will serve you well.¡±


    A carriage pulled by camels. It was a surprisingly good ride.


    Halle turned his attention back to the window and one of his party members asked him, ¡°Will Yura reallye to Reidan?¡±


    Yura was known to spend most of her time in hell. It was because the ss called Demon yer exerted its real power in hell. In the human world, she was weaker than other legendary sses. For this reason, Yura became a target. Unlike Jishuka, who only became a legend recently, Yura was a better hunting target.


    ¡°She will definitelye because it is the day of Nyangmong¡¯s Festival.¡±


    Nyangmong, an ID that was created by mixing a cat¡¯s crying and a dog¡¯s barking, was an ID that would make people feel that a child could do better. However, no one in the world wouldugh at Nyangmong. Pet Master¡ªhe had a unique ss and he was one of the backbone of the Overgeared Kingdom. He was able to establish friendly rtions with all types of wild animals and monsters so thousands of people in the Overgeared Kingdom could safely travel through the rivers and mountains for economic activities. Additionally, the Wyvern Group that the Overgeared Kingdom started to operate on a trial basis a few months ago was created by Nyangmong.


    ¡°The festival has been held twice a year since Nyangmong has be the representative of the lord.¡±


    The name of the festival was Nyangmong¡¯s Festival and it was a festival where hundreds of animals and monsters marched through the city. It was very popr around the world because it was spectacr to see animals and monsters together in a procession without distinguishing between herbivores and carnivores. The number of yers visiting Reidan increased by 2000% during the festival and it could be inferred that the economic value was great.


    ¡°Nyangmong¡¯s Festival has be an important festival for the Overgeared Kingdom. They have to pay attention to the security, so Yura attends every festival.¡±


    ¡°You mean that the legendary ss Yura is used as an escort? That is a real luxury.¡±


    ¡°Luxury? Is that true? In fact, Nyangmong¡¯s Festival is more of a military parade than a festival.¡±


    ¡°Military parade?¡±


    ¡°It is a military parade that shows one hidden ss yer can exert influence over hundreds of animals and monsters, which can serve as an army. It is a much more important festival than what is known on the surface so it isn¡¯t a luxury to attach Yura as an escort.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Hidden ss... it is poison! It is a lump of cancer that must be cut out for the peace of the world!¡±


    ¡°For the majority!¡±


    ¡°For the majority!¡±


    Halle¡¯s associates realized that there were two targets today, not one.


    ***


    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re beautiful. I don¡¯t know who your parents are, but they have given you so much love.¡±


    Nyangmong had heart-shaped eyes as he touched and hugged the stray cats and dogs gathered for today¡¯s event. It took him a lot of time to show affection to hundreds of animals one by one, but it wasn¡¯t a problem. This was why he set the festival time to the afternoon in the first ce!


    ¡°Our reliable worms and bull uncles have arrived.¡±


    He stroked the back of the giant worms that rose from the ground and surprised the soldiers. Additionally, he took off the fedora he was wearing and ced it on a minotaur¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hahaha, now you are a gentleman.¡±


    Grrung!Grrrung!


    A light shed in the red eyes of the minotaur wearing the hat and it snorted. It looked happy.


    The knights looked dazed because they couldn¡¯t adjust to the atmosphere. Nyangmong asked them, ¡°Is the street control going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We have thoroughly deployed soldiers to ensure the safety of the people and tourists aren¡¯t affected!¡±


    ¡°What about the arrangement of food and snacks?¡±


    ¡°Yes! All the streets are full of food so that the cats and dogs can eat anytime and anywhere!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Always pay close attention to the animals... take responsibility for the safety of the animals and people.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Leave it to us! We will carry out the order in the name of Nyangmong!¡±


    In fact, Reidan¡¯s knights and soldiers had been confused. Nyangmong was appointed as the lord¡¯s representative soon after Zednos was appointed the new lord. However, he was neither a military officer nor a civil officer. He was just an animal loving person who cherished the street cats that harassed the merchants and the wild dogs that made children pee. They wondered if it was okay for such a person to be the lord¡¯s representative. They questioned the choice of Prime Minister Lauel for the first time.


    However, the current Reidan had made great strides. The street cats helped merchants transport fish and the wild dogs protected children from monsters. The giant worms who drove the soldiers into a desperate corner due to their ferociousness became docile and the guardians of the desert. Economic activity increased as people were able to move freely around territories.


    The peak of it was Nyangmong¡¯s Festival The people were happy as they greeted the tourists who flocked to the festivities held twice per year¡ªonce in spring, and another in autumn.


    ¡®The lord of Reidan has been great from generation to generation!¡¯


    Reidan was called the second capital of the Overgeared Kingdom and the pride of the people of Reidan was great. The genealogy that went from Grid to Chris, Zednos, and Nyangmong made the people¡¯s pride even stronger. Enthusiastic knights and soldiers scattered to their respective locations to fulfill their mission while Nyangmong took care of the animals until the time for the festival arrived.


    ¡°Now, kids, let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±


    He wanted to let the whole world know these kids¡¯ beautiful and adorable appearance. He wanted everyone in the world to love these kids. Nyangmong fullybed the fur of the cats and dogs and opened the gates of the lord¡¯s castle.


    ¡°Avoid... Keuk!¡±


    Flop!


    Just then, the soldiers guarding outside the gates coughed up blood and copsed.


    ¡®An intruder?¡¯


    They were caught off guard. The intruders took advantage of the knights and soldiers being distributed throughout the city and found it easy to break into the castle. Nyangmong¡¯s expression stiffened as an unidentified person appeared in front of him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see Yura. It seems long-term peace has made even the Overgeared Guild careless.¡±


    Nyangmong gulped and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The intruder replied, ¡°Those who have gathered their will to pull down the minority for the majority. We are revolutionaries.¡±


    ¡°Terrorists.¡±


    ¡°...Aren¡¯t the giant worms and minotaurs participating in the procession? They can¡¯t protect you. Now die for the cause.¡±


    Halle kicked off from the ground and aimed a kick at Nyangmong¡¯s face. He would deal one hit first and then do a spinning back kick to hit the abdomen. However, Nyangmong unexpectedly avoided his attack despite Nyangmong himself being known for having nobat ability. It was also in a breathtaking manner.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t very fast, but what are these reflexes?¡¯


    Nyangmong stared at the surprised Halle.


    ¡°I am the butler of 13 cats. Do you think a surprise attack from you will work when I have been training and dealing with the attacks of mastersing at me in the dark every day?¡±


    ¡°You are really talking bullshit like a dog. It doesn¡¯t matter if you die early orte. You will still die.¡±


    Halle released a fierce pressure¡ªit was the pressure of an Asura, the third advancement ss that only three people had acquired since Regas, and a ss whose difficulty to acquire was ssified as atrocious.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡±


    The frightened Nyangmong scattered the cats and dogs by throwing food everywhere.


    ¡°Lightning Fist.¡±


    Halle¡¯s fist shot forward like a beam of light and pierced Nyangmong¡¯s chest.


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1309

    Lightning Fist was the hallmark of an Asura. It was just a straight punch, but it suppressed the other person¡¯s reaction because it was too fast. Since it was fast, it boasted a high hit rate and power. It was a very suitable skill to use to electrocute the target and make abo. Yet¡ª


    ¡°......?¡±


    Nyangmong barely avoided it.


    ¡°Phew, it was scary.¡±


    The defense of the armor made of pairu cloth was broken as the armor was torn. Nyangmong saved his life by avoiding the full power of Lightning Fist with one step and sighed with relief. This entered Halle¡¯s eyes and he dered, ¡°You are really born with good luck.¡±


    The characteristic of a monster tamer ss was brainwashing monsters and using them as the monster tamer¡¯s limbs. His physical ability had to be weak because he invested his stat points in leadership and charm. The only reason Halle coulde up with for how Nyangmong managed to avoid Lightning Fist, one of the killing moves of an Asura, was that it was pure luck.


    ¡®Genius.¡¯


    It was the innate luck born with those who had the devil¡¯s talent. Nyangmong got a hidden ss with this talent, so his future was obvious. He would be strong and mighty, and wouldter be one of the minority who suppressed the majority.


    ¡°You are a gue on games.¡±


    Dark magic rose like a haze around Halle¡¯s ring eyes. It was a mixture of lightning and demonic energy. It was the moment when an Asura opened his eyes. He spread out at all angles like lightning. Halle¡¯s hands and feet left an afterglow everywhere they moved and it looked like there were dozens of them. It was like he was the ghost of ghosts. Every ce his hands moved, walls were smashed and the atmosphere was torn apart. The entire area was destroyed in an instant.


    However, his target stood still. Even if Nyangmong allowed big hits, he didn¡¯t allow the linkedbo and managed to survive in a tattered manner.


    ¡®Even Nyangmong is at this level?¡¯


    Halle marveled at it. In the scenario he wrote this time, Nyangmong was just an extra. He was an opponent who could be overpower by pure skills without any need for the legend attack strategy.


    Nyangmong¡¯s ranking was normal, and he had no stories told about him. He might have several famous anecdotes such as strengthening the cavalry of the Overgeared Kingdom, or suppressing monster aggression, but these things were far frombat.


    Even so, he was a genius among geniuses who knew how to use ¡®prediction.¡¯ He predicted the attack one step in advance and minimized damage. It was purely talent that filled in the gaps in his physical abilities.


    ¡°Seeing ahead and avoiding it in advance. It is a talent that only a handful of high rankers have,¡± Halle murmured.


    ¡°Talent? It isn¡¯t that big. It is just an ability I¡¯ve gained from struggling.¡±


    ¡°Struggling...? Hahahahat! You are actually going to talk about effort?!¡±


    The act of wrapping up innate talent as effort was one of the most disgusting things in the world. Halle, who had risen like a sh of lightning, lowered his body. In Nyangmong¡¯s eyes, he seemed to have disappeared. Halle swung his leg sideways on the ground and struck Nyangmong¡¯s shin. Then he raised his hands and hit Nyangmong¡¯s back. Nyangmong¡¯s jaw was smashed next. Halle rotated and aimed a kick at Nyangmong¡¯s face. However, Nyangmong had already crossed his arms and blocked it within a single gap.


    ¡°You are really a genius...¡± Halle had been going to finish it this time, but he failed again.


    As Halle frowned, Nyangmong lowered his arms and spoke, ¡°Gasp... Gasp... Cats are beasts. They are ferocious predators who can¡¯t suppress the hunting instincts imprinted on their genes. Butlers who raise cats are attacked by cats several times a day.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°There are tens of thousands of butlers injured or suffering from waist sprains every year trying to avoid the cats flying up to hang onto their thighs, the cats that approach unnoticed and stick out their bellies, or the cat lying on the cat tower and suddenly hitting them with a paw.¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°It is true in my mind, and it is highly credible. A writer I know was injured when he fell asleep in the library and an encyclopedia dropped by a cat hit his forehead. His forehead and eyes were swollen and he couldn¡¯t meet his deadline that day.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of experiences as well. The first time I served a cat as a child, I gained injuries and the scars have remained on my body for decades, starting with spraining my ankle trying to avoid stepping on a cat that suddenly approached me.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I had no choice but to try and survive. I desperately analyzed the instincts and behavior of the cats. It is to predict and block risks in advance.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Do you understand? I¡¯m not a genius. The reason I¡¯m able tost this long against a strong person like you is purely the result of hard work.¡±


    At the same time, a hole pierced Halle¡¯s shoulder. Halle reflexively drank a potion and hid behind a wall. He turned his gaze in the direction the bullet was fired from and saw a ck-haired woman standing on a spire.


    ¡®Yura!¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m a bitte. Nyangmong, is the festival already over?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t even started yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    Yura didn¡¯t attend Nyangmong¡¯s Festival because of escort duties or anything simr. It was just a private visit to see and heal from the procession of cute cats and dogs. Unfortunately, today¡¯s festival ovepped with her grandfather¡¯s birthday. She was d that she wasn¡¯t toote. Should she thank the attackers?


    ¡®Well, I¡¯m not thankful.¡¯


    Tatang!Tatang!Tatang!


    Continuous fire. The magic bullets flew in a spirit and smashed a hole in the wall where Halle was hiding.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    His trusty cover disappeared and Halle lost the chance to bandage his wounds. He immediately started running along the walls. It was a measure to counterattack the moment Yura lost his position when hiding behind the walls. However¡ª


    ¡°...?¡±


    Did she have the ability to see through things? Despite his concealment, Yura¡¯s bullets continued to precisely aim at Halle.


    ¡®There is a helper. Is it a pet?¡¯


    Halle noticed there was a third party acting as Yura¡¯s eyes and suddenly looked up. Then he was overwhelmed.


    [Light Elemental King]


    Was it modeled after a goddess? A beautiful, shining being looked down on him with a serene gaze.


    ¡®She pulled out the joker card from the beginning? Aren¡¯t there restrictions on the summoning?¡¯


    The elemental king was a being that dominated the elemental world. They were presumed to be in a restricted state due to signing a contract with a yer, but it was basically an existence on the same level as a great demon. Halle believed there were some penalties that made them burdensome to be summoned. Now it didn¡¯t seem to be the case and Halle¡¯s anger boiled over.


    ¡®The strong monopolizes everything! Is this really right?!!¡¯


    Did it make sense to have a structure that allowed those who were already dominating to swallow up the good things while not giving the ordinary people and the weak people a chance to catch up? Halle was frustrated by the ipetence of the management.


    ¡°Start!¡±


    The members of the Revolutionaries, who had dispersed during Halle¡¯s fight with Nyangmong, instantly gathered together. They all prepared different spells and skills that they were aimed at Yura, who was on the spire. Most of them were techniques that focused on dealing abnormal statuses rather than damage.


    Yura would take it for granted that she would ignore these abnormal statuses and wouldn¡¯t be wary of their attacks. Halle reconfirmed that the video recording mode was on and working properly. Then he jumped while ignoring the sword of light wielded by the elemental king.


    Halle¡¯s right arm was cut off by the sword of light. Even so, he still had two legs and his left arm remaining. He used the footwork of an Asura to jump through the air several times, and as he blocked the iing bullets with a lightning barrier, he shouted, ¡°Now!¡±


    All types of skills and spells poured toward Yura. In the dust raised by the explosion of the copsed spire, Halle smiled as he imagined her flustered expression.


    ¡°Sleeping Angle!¡±


    Sleeping Angle was a must-learn skill for an Asura at level 330. The heel kick caused the target to be stiff for a minimum of 0.5 seconds and a maximum of 2 seconds. For an Asura, 0.5 seconds was enough time to use as a springboard for 10, 20, or even 30bos...


    ¡°?!¡±


    Halle didn¡¯t know how many times he had been surprised today. His face distorted. All of the attacks linked to Sleeping Angle were blocked by something.


    ¡®She wasn¡¯t stunned?¡¯


    Yura emerged from the dust and spoke with an expressionless face, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What benefits will you get from touching the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom had already shown it several times. Those who inflicted harm on the Overgeared Kingdom couldn¡¯t live. Immortal was uprooted and annihted. Veradin, the real leader of Immortal, had been evaluated as a promising yer for the next generation, yet he disappeared without a trace after bing the target of the Overgeared Guild.


    Objectively, the Overgeared Guild was a really scary force. Dozens of people who could form a group alone were all serving with one heart under Grid. They gathered together and it could be confirmed that they were the strongest group in the world.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you will have to quit the game if you go on like this,¡± Nyangmong said with a sigh as he recovered after Yura¡¯s arrival.


    Halle ignored Nyangmong. No, strictly speaking, he couldn¡¯t afford to worry about Nyangmong. He saw Yura¡¯s magic gun, which was used as a shield to stop his attack, was emitting smoke from the muzzle and he identified the situation.


    ¡°You fired a barrage of magic bullets to block the attacks?¡±


    ¡°Your eyes are pretty good.¡±


    "Why did you stop it? The attacks of my teammates shouldn¡¯t be a threat to you?¡±


    ¡°It is because they aren¡¯t threatening that I thought it was risky.¡±


    ¡°You looked ahead. However, what if we deliberately induced you to predict this?¡±


    ¡°It is meaningless even if you can predict the future further than me.¡± Yura¡¯s magic gun changed its form to that of a sword. ¡°I have the power to turn all your ploys meaningless.¡±


    ¡®She truly is strong.¡¯


    She was also well-versed in swordsmanship. It was unbelievable that she was originally a ck magician. Was this the lucky power of talent? Halle barely escaped from a threatening stab and stepped back. ¡°Demon yer Yura... we thought you were the only legend we could hunt at this point, but it isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there Jishuka?¡±


    This was the proud ice princess, right? Halle smiled at Yura who became angry for some reason. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to hunt someone whose level has just reset.¡±


    It was only by hunting the ¡®strongest¡¯ that the power of the legend attack strategy would be transmitted to the public. However, there were no easy things in the world. Halle sighed and took a fighting posture. He might¡¯ve lost an arm, but the sharp aura he gave off was impressive. Regas should¡¯ve been at this level half a year ago. Halle was a great talent and Yura naturally appreciated it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight happily if I¡¯m going to die anyway.¡±


    Yura warned him, ¡°epting death doesn¡¯t mean that thetter things will disappear. Today¡¯s event will surely enter Grid¡¯s ears and Grid won¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    Grid never forgave enemies who inflicted harm to his colleagues. It wasn¡¯t a metaphorical expression. He would really pursue them to hell and back.


    Halle shrugged. ¡°I know. I was prepared for it.¡±


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have any nostalgia for Satisfy.¡±


    "No, it is because there is nostalgia that I am taking the risk. It is for the future of Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a belief held by a person who carelessly harmed others. It was clear that he wouldn¡¯t listen to her words and would mark it as sophistry. Yura changed the form of the magic engineering bay back to a pistol. The opponent was a fighter. She nned to suppress his agility and dominate the battle using rapid firing.


    Halle raised his lightning and demonic energy to the maximum, bent his knees, and took a dashing posture. He opened his mouth, ¡°You might believe that the Overgeared Kingdom rules this world, but it isn¡¯t true.¡±


    It was clear that the Overgeared Kingdom was the strongest single force. It was also true that Grid was the strongest and that the Overgeared Kingdom was swallowing up the West Continent under the protection of the empire. However, the number of yers was over two billion. It was terrible arrogance to believe that all of them were afraid of Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°You should know that thergepanies and families in the world have already organized private soldiers, right? You are the granddaughter of the Daejin Group, after all.¡±


    It was impossible that she didn¡¯t know. Existences who weremonly called the sword of the family¡ªshortly after Satisfy opened, leadingpanies and families who smelled money had already nurtured private soldiers for their own interests. Yura knew that many of the renowned high rankers and unofficial rankers who were still unknown were actually soldiers raised by apany, family, or even country. It was because her grandfather was also raising such soldiers.


    Halle opened his mouth. ¡°Rothschild.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°They have started moving.¡±


    Grid¡¯s cooperation with Talima had be the driving factor. It forced the Rothschild family to finally act when they hadn¡¯t responded very much to the Overgeared Kingdom forming an alliance with the empire. The legend attack strategy was revealed thanks to the hints they gave. Halle was thrilled that they reached out to support his revolution. ¡°Our Revolutionaries is just one of their countless branches. The moment they act, the second Immortal incident won¡¯t happen. The solo y of the Overgeared Kingdom is over.¡±


    Halle and his colleagues were persistent. They acted like they had given up, but they were actually taking a formation. It was a tactic to maximize the power of the majority and Halle¡¯sbat strength naturally rose. However, at this moment, there was the sound ofrge wings pping in the air and then an explosion.


    The shocked Halle looked up and saw hundreds of wyverns firing Breaths.


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    ¡°Keeoook!¡±


    The revolutionaries started to die one by one. Halle himself suffered serious injuries because he couldn¡¯t escape from the continuous bombardment of Breaths.


    Nyangmong stood on top of one of the wyverns in the gradually descending, spectacr ¡®Overgeared Wyvern Group,¡¯ and stared coldly at Halle. ¡°We are the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    They were the strongest organization. No one could carelessly assess them using normal standards. Not even the Overgeared members dared to track the potential of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°No matter what tricks people y, we will fight and win.¡±


    He ordered another bombardment of Breaths from the wyverns. At the same time...


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel arrived in the East Continent and encountered a mysterious group. His super sensitivity gave him a rare warning and the ck outer robe embroidered with the yellow dragon fluttered.


    Red blood soaked the blue sky, just like the setting sun that shone on Reinhardt...


    ¡°My wife, can you forgive this selfish person¡¯s mistake?¡±


    ¡°How can you say it was a mistake? Your Majesty, please punish me for expressing my regret without understanding your grief.¡±


    ¡°I am the one who should be punished! It¡¯s my fault for not consulting you first! I am the bad guy! Hurry and beat me with this il!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    ¡°Wife!¡±


    Grid and Irene shared a hot hug. The short separation made their rtionship more solid.


    6th Anniversary Event Link

 Chapter 1310

    Kraugel had a deep rtionship with Pangea. After all, he was the one who saved the people of Pangea who was suffering due to an evil daoist, and was hailed as the little hero. However, the Pangea he visited after a long time was unfamiliar to him. It was a town where all the familiar people and streets had disappeared. It was a result created by Grid. The old Pangea residents had moved to the Overgeared Kingdom and the new residents were full of vitality under the protection of the red phoenix.


    ¡°...It¡¯s good.¡±


    The atmosphere was incredibly positive. No matter where he looked, he could only see people smiling and this, in turn, made him smile. There were no more evil daoists or the tyranny of the yangbans. One day, he would like to make such achievements.


    ¡°Are you a traveler? How about soothing your hunger with a delicious meal?¡± a woman holding a basket of fresh vegetables and meat in her arms asked as she opened the door of the restaurant. Kraugel nodded because she looked conscientious, unlike a girl who solicited customers to a restaurant selling poisonous substances.


    ***


    ¡°It is a very handsome dopo.¡±


    Kraugel soothed his insides with warm soup along with fried vegetables and meat on white rice.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t an ordinary traveler, right?¡± The nicedy asked him questions. Her expression was somewhat mischievous as she examined Kraugel¡¯s ck overcoat that was embroidered with a yellow dragon. ¡°Are you an inspector from the capital? Are you a secret royal inspector?¡±


    He had been using this ck overcoat for nearly three years already and it made him look shabby when he visited the Overgeared Kingdom, but it seemed to be the opposite here. It was a testament to the high level of the Overgeared Kingdom and also implied that the equipment of the people visiting Pangea wasn¡¯t as good as Kraugel¡¯s equipment. It was unexpected since he heard there were many rankers active on the East Continent these days.


    ¡®It seems the top rankers aren¡¯t necessarily passing through Pangea when they go to the East Continent.¡¯


    There were many ways to move across continents without crossing the Red Sea. Although it cost a lot and involved danger, many people liked it due to the shortened time. Kraugel replied, ¡°I think that secret inspectors will avoid this ce. The town is calm even without soldiers. Is it necessary for a secret inspector toe here?¡±


    Kraugel was the one who hadpleted the most quests among yers. It was because he collected information based on conversations with NPCs.


    ¡°Hoho, our town is really peaceful. However, there are still many outsiders, so we need to pay attention to public security. This is why there are many soldiers. Recently, there was a celebration in the capital so the number of soldiers decreased.¡±


    ¡®There is no way that local troops were sent just because of a festival.¡¯


    It was clear that a change had urred in the capital of the Cho Kingdom.


    ¡®It is a good idea to stop by.¡¯


    Kraugel got new information from a short conversation. He emptied his bowl of rice and stood up. ¡°I ate well.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Take the change.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Please buy that child a toy with the extra money.¡±


    A little boy was squatting in front of the kitchen and waiting for his mother to finish work. Kraugel smiled at the little boy who was ying with pebbles and left the restaurant. He had to give a certain amount of sincerity after obtaining information. Kraugel had always been like this.


    There was no shame on the path he had been walking. He hoped the path he walked on in the future would be the same.


    ***


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Kraugel left the town only to stop and look back. There were six residents wearing old robes. Kraugel had noticed them since leaving the restaurant, but he deliberately pretended not to know. It was because he didn¡¯t want to make trouble inside the vige. It was for the safety of the residents and taking into ount his reputation in Pangea.


    ¡°Hand over Muller¡¯s secret techniques.¡±


    The residents revealed their business and surrounded Kraugel. Every time they moved, long shackles could be seen through the robe. All of them had their hands and feet bound in shackles. Kraugel noticed their identity and pulled out the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°You chased me from the Ruins of the Martial God? Surprisingly, your range of activities is wide.¡±


    ¡°Hand over Muller¡¯s secret techniques.¡±


    The followers of the martial god. It was useless to talk to maniacs who only yearned forbat skills. Kraugel shrugged, pulled out a book that contained one of Muller¡¯s secret techniques, and handed it to them.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The followers of the martial god had wide eyes as one of them snatched the book and immediately opened it. Then they fell into confusion. They couldn¡¯t understand the secret technique.


    ¡°Is the level too highpared to the martial god¡¯s secret techniques?¡±


    Kraugel ambushed the followers whose attention was on the secret technique. He knocked down the leading follower with a sharp stab and leaned back to avoid the blows from the followers on the left and the right. Then he took a step and struck the chin of the follower holding Muller¡¯s secret technique with his forehead. Muller¡¯s secret technique book spun in the air and fell into Kraugel¡¯s hand like it was returning to its rightful owner.


    ¡°Hand over Muller¡¯s secret techniques!¡±


    The red eyes of the followers shed as they unfolded their footwork to surround Kraugel andunch a bombardment. Based on their skill level, they must¡¯ve learned at least five secret techniques.


    ¡°I will give it to the martial god!¡±


    ¡®This is indeed the work of Zeratul.¡¯


    The martial god followers couldn¡¯t interpret Muller¡¯s secret techniques. It was because the condition of use for it was ¡®Sword Saint.¡¯ The reason why the followers had been clinging to Muller¡¯s secret techniques since the ruins was due to Zeratul.


    ¡®A nasty guy.¡¯


    Muller had left a total of eight secret techniques and Kraugel had already obtained four of them. He learned more of Muller¡¯s story every time he obtained a secret technique so his knowledge of the worldview expanded. In the process, he glimpsed Zeratul¡¯s ugly nature.


    Deception and domination through the disy of martial skills. Additionally, the obsession with strength. The existence of the martial god was enough to make the yangbans seem pure.


    Kraugel blocked the kick from the side with his sheath, lightly moved his wrist, and the sheath spun like a spinning top. The aftermath was great. The shackles tying the feet of the followers were tangled up with the sheath and the follower copsed.


    Kraugel aimed for the moment when therge figure blocked the view of the other followers and used Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension. Only transcendents could respond to attacksing from this angle. The follower groaned and stiffened as he was stabbed in the chin by the White Tiger¡¯s Sword. Then Kraugel struck his chest with Jajinmori, jumped up and used Meteor Sword.


    It was overwhelming. If anyone who knew the martial god followers with five secret techniques could fight evenly with the dukes of the empire had seen this sight, their mouths would¡¯ve dropped open. However, it was a regretful sight for anyone who knew the true value of a Sword Saint.


    Originally, Sword Saint was a title that meant the strongest. It was absurd to bepared to a duke of the empire. The time of reigning with absolute force had changed. Kraugel hadn¡¯t reached the absolute position several years after bing a Sword Saint, so his talent deserved to be questioned.


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t doubt your talent.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was shortly after the battle against the martial god followers who kept rising again like a self bncing doll. Kraugel shed the neck of thest follower and stiffened when he heard the voice. Then he looked back.


    ¡°It has been a while, Biban.¡±


    The first Pioneer to visit the Tower of Wisdom was Kraugel. At a time when legendary sses were believed to only exist in history, Kraugel visited the Tower of Wisdom, met the tower members, and confirmed the existence of the legendary sses. It was Biban who brought a great thrill and inspiration to Kraugel at the time.


    ¡°Have you forgotten? I am no longer the Pioneer.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom was reserved for the Pioneer. The members of the tower only interacted with the Pioneer. The Pioneer of this day had long be Grid. In fact, Kraugel had already informed Biban of this factst year. Yet this person appeared in front of him again.


    Biban was furious at the pitying gaze Kraugel sent him. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me as a stupid old man. Today I am visiting you as a senior, not a tower member.¡±


    ¡°You are speaking as Sword Saint Biban?¡± Kraugel quickly grasped the situation. ¡°It must be hard for you to watch your stupid junior and remain silent.¡±


    ¡°You understand it well. Why are you turning away from the secret techniques that are so hard to get?¡±


    In the past, Muller learned and developed the secret techniques of Biban, enabling him to be the strongest Sword Saint in history. However, theter generation Sword Saint, Kraugel, was ignoring this essence.


    ¡°I can understand your heart. You want to leave behind ¡®Kraugel¡¯s sword¡¯ in history and prove that you are the best. However, your skills are still insufficient. There is room for improvement and Muller¡¯s secret techniques will make up for what you arecking. You aren¡¯t going to be eaten by Muller¡¯s secret techniques. Absorb Muller¡¯s secret techniques and make them your own.¡±


    Biban acknowledged Kraugel¡¯s talent. It was why he felt even sadder that Kraugel was wasting time on this useless stubbornness.


    ¡°Look at the current Pioneer. He has epted new power, ovee his shorings, and umted his transcendent status. Meanwhile, you aren¡¯t showing the potential of the Sword Saint, so you aregging behind. You were even deprived of the position of Pioneer.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to be in a hurry to get ahead?¡±


    ¡°Since ancient times, the Sword Saint has been the best existence. Of course, you have to hurry ahead.¡±


    ¡°Sir Biban, are you stronger than Sir Hayate?¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    ¡°In conclusion, I don¡¯t think I can be the strongest just because I got Muller¡¯s secret techniques.¡±


    There was no need to think about the tower members. He probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to rise above Grid.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯ve only obtained four secret techniques. However, if you use these four books as a foothold and seek stronger power then you will surely be the strongest one day.¡±


    ¡°So Sir Biban acknowledges that I can¡¯t be the strongest even if I learn the secret techniques right now.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you urging me to learn the secret techniques so quickly?¡±


    Biban¡¯s face had been red since he waspared to Hayate and now he finally raised his voice, ¡°I am advising you that learning the secret techniques will help you grow? Why do you keep listening and using sophistry? Are you dissatisfied with me?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want Sir Biban to intervene in the path I¡¯ve chosen for myself.¡±


    ¡°Your path is wrong!¡±


    "Why do you say it is wrong? On what basis are you convinced that the sword technique created by Sir Biban and developed by Muller is the supreme sword?¡±


    ¡°Are you denying the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship?!!¡± Biban¡¯s shout echoed in all directions.


    A sharp sword energy fluctuated through the twilight and there was even the illusion that it was bright daytime again. Kraugel epted the pressure without avoiding it. Then he couldn¡¯t ensure it anymore and confessed, ¡°For me, Muller¡¯s swordsmanship isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes widened. He looked shocked like he had been hit in the head with a hammer. He also btedly realized it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy.¡±


    Muller was the strongest swordsman of all time because he was the Sword Saint and the Hero King. Thebination of sword energy and fighting energy maximized the power of swordsmanship, making him the strongest. However, Kraugel was different from Muller. It was impossible for him to fully reproduce Muller¡¯s swordsmanship even if he learned the secret techniques.


    Biban was in a daze for a while beforeughing. ¡°As expected, you also knew it. I naturally knew it. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Still, does that mean you need to turn away from Muller¡¯s secret techniques? You might not have fighting energy, but you have sword energy. Muller¡¯s swordsmanship alsoes from sword energy. I¡¯m sure that if you learn Muller¡¯s secret techniques and interpret it in your own way, you will get enough inspiration to create Kraugel¡¯s Sword.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but I want to measure my limitations first. I think it is right to figure out how far I can go with my own strength before learning Muller¡¯s secret techniques to fill in the deficiencies.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    It sounded right. It was clear that if Kraugel checked his limits before relying on the power of others, he would be able to learn more. Biban nodded andughed happily. ¡°Why are you only saying this now? I would¡¯ve fully understood your position if you told me earlier. I misunderstood you and thought you were ignoring the sword.¡±


    ¡°I believed you would fully understand even if I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°I see. In fact, I actually didn¡¯t get it wrong. I was aware of it from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Sure enough.¡±


    Biban pretended to be casual, but he didn¡¯t know that Kraugel would never reach his limits. A yer¡¯s potential was too great. The better the yer, the more potential they had.


    ¡®However, one day, I might learn Muller¡¯s secret techniques.¡¯


    Originally, Kraugel wasn¡¯t that stubborn. His flexible way of thinking meant he regarded spearman Kirinus as a teacher. In fact, he learned the secret technique dropped from one of the martial god followers that he just hunted. The first reason he turned away from Muller¡¯s secret techniques was the absence of fighting energy and the second reason was pride. He didn¡¯t like the form of ¡®the Sword Saint is Muller.¡¯ Unlike Grid, Kraugel was a Sword Saint, not Muller¡¯s Descendant. He felt the need to prove himself.


    He was thinking of giving up if he couldn¡¯t prove it in the end. However, he wanted to do his best until then. His first goal was to prove that he could be the strongest without Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡®First of all, I should collect as many secret techniques as possible.¡¯


    Every time Muller¡¯s secret technique was obtained, he carried out new quests and episodes, extending Kraugels foundation. Just securing it was a huge help even if he didn¡¯t learn the secret techniques. Kraugel nned to collect all the secret techniques.


    ¡®Kaya.¡¯


    Kraugel turned to the east. It was Kaya, where the blue dragon was sealed, and the most challenging area in the East Continent. It was information he learned after acquiring Muller¡¯s fourth secret technique. He needed to prepare for a tough fight if he encountered yangbans during the process of searching for the secret techniques.


    ¡®Can I fight the yangbans and win?¡¯


    At this point, it wasn¡¯t possible. Still, as always, if he challenged it without giving up, then he would surely ovee it. It would certainly be the case even if it took months or years.


    ¡°Then I am going. I won¡¯t forget your encouragement today.¡±


    Kraugel was saying goodbye when Biban called out to him, ¡°You won¡¯t reject this, right?¡±


    Biban took off his coat. He seemed to care about Kraugel¡¯s old dopo.


    ¡°It is made by smelting dragon¡¯s scales with sword energy. It was made along with the third seat of the tower, but my craftsmanship was so crude that the degree ofpletion is poor. Still, I wore it anyway.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll thankfully ept it.¡±


    Kraugel bowed deeply and left. Biban¡¯s eyes were filled with deep regret as he watched Kraugel moving away. ¡°I should¡¯ve cleaned up the bathroom on the third floor beforeing out...¡±


    Damn it, he was so excited after hearing news of Kraugel that he came out of the world without thinking. Biban¡¯s vision darkened as he thought about being criticized by the second seat.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1311

    ¡°There is no ess from here on.¡±


    At the road to Kars, capital of the Cho Kingdom...


    He picked a rough mountain road to move, but the defense was thorough. It was clear what it would be like elsewhere. Even a single ant wouldn¡¯t be able to enter Kars.


    ¡°I have business in Kars. When will the ess restrictions be lifted?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure... the capital can¡¯t be blocked forever, so I think it will be released soon.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask what incident happened?


    ¡°What incident? We are just preparing for an important festival, so we¡¯re temporarily blocking anyone outside from entering.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then keep up the good work.¡±


    The capital was the heart and face of the kingdom. It wasn¡¯t good if it was known that something had happened in the capital, so he understood the position of the Cho Kingdom.


    Kraugel politely bade farewell to the soldiers before secretly using True Clouds. Blue clouds covered the foggy mountains and the soldiers¡¯ five senses were temporarily paralyzed. Kraugel leisurely passed through the blockade.


    ¡°Why are there clouds all of a sudden...?¡±


    The bewildered soldiers couldn¡¯t imagine that the handsome young man who just went back had already passed by them.


    ***


    Upon arriving in Kars, Kraugel examined the city while avoiding the eyes of the soldiers. There were white bones scattered throughout the city and traces of tombstones being excavated. It was clear that the reason for the copse of the street houses and pce walls was a necromancer¡¯s invasion. There were also traces of at least a dozen necromancers invading.


    ¡®This...?¡¯


    Kraugel frowned as he searched through the rubble of a wall. The wall¡¯s surface was uneven like they had been cut with a saw, but there were no cracks in the cut part. It was proof that a saw de, not a sword de, had cut the wall quickly in one blow. Kraugel knew the master of this swordsmanship.


    ¡®Cao.¡¯


    The orc warrior death knight. It was none other than Agnus¡¯ servant. In other words, it meant there weren¡¯t dozens of necromancers who invaded Kars. It was Agnus alone. Agnus had been working alone since he abandoned Immortal.Some people might argue that one yer couldn¡¯t turn a big city into ruins.


    ¡®They are safe despite Agnus¡¯ invasion.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s thoughts were the opposite. He was greatly impressed with Kars¡¯ power, which protected the city after Agnus¡¯ invasion.


    ¡®Is it the power of the red phoenix?¡¯


    Kraugel quickly inferred the reason why Agnus failed to capture Kars. The loss of the Kars army was surprisingly small. There were few casualties, so Agnus had difficulty securing bodies and he eventually had to withdraw. It must¡¯ve been possible because the power of the red phoenix continued to heal the wounds of the soldiers.


    ¡®It seems that Agnus hasn¡¯t grown unexpectedly.¡¯


    The Baal¡¯s Contractor who momentarily appeared in Muller¡¯s story showed the dignity of an absolute. It was enough for him to protect the Behen Archipgo alone from the great demons¡¯ forces. Moreover, soldiers died more easily than great demons. The dead soldiers were soon resurrected as ves to Baal¡¯s Contractor, so it was impossible for a human army to stop Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    Yet Kars stopped Agnus¡¯ invasion rtively easily. All the houses outside the city inner walls were destroyed. They gave up on the outer walls and defeated Agnus. It was a remarkable achievement even considering that Agnus was iparably weaker than the former Baal¡¯s Contractor. Judging from the status of the tombstones, Agnus must¡¯ve spent quite a long time collecting power.


    ¡®Even such a powerful kingdom became infinitely smaller in front of the yangbans.¡¯


    Kraugel indirectly felt the greatness of the yangbans and looked tired.


    ¡°Kraugel?¡±


    Kraugel waited without avoiding the familiar voice and a woman appeared. She was none other than Jishuka, the woman so beautiful that it made Kraugel impressed even though he didn¡¯t care about the concept of appearance.


    ¡°Did you help the Cho Kingdom?¡±


    One more reason was added to Agnus¡¯ defeat. Kraugel quickly grasped the situation and Jishuka smiled at him.


    ¡°It is the strength of the Bow Saint.¡±


    It was Bow Saint, not Povia¡¯s Descendant¡ªsomeone who seeded in pioneering her own path was standing right in front of him. Kraugel¡¯s eyes were extremely warm as he gazed at Jishuka. His respect was revealed.


    ¡°Congrattions on bing a legend.¡±


    ¡°There is still a long way to go whenpared to Grid, but... thank you.¡±


    Jishuka scratched her head like she was embarrassed by the praise. She showed no signs of regret at all. Kraugel was once again convinced¡ªit was definitely more interesting to carve out his own path. He had pursued pure fun from the game after his mother overcame her illness, so he shouldn¡¯t forget the essence of ¡®the game should be fun.¡¯


    ¡°I am the thankful one. Thanks to you, I can see hope.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?"


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Tell me quickly.¡±


    Jishuka was the only person in the world who could grab the cor of Sword Saint Kraugel and he couldn¡¯t helpughing. Kraugel had a brief exchange with her and left for Kaya.


    ***


    Time was fair to everyone. Just as the members of the Overgeared Guild grew during Grid¡¯s adventures, Mercedes also wrote new chivalry codes. The ce where a knight should die was the battlefield. It was a chivalry code written from the enlightenment gained by seeing Irene¡¯s young and healthy appearance.


    Mercedes noticed that Grid didn¡¯t want his precious people to die a vain death and injected energy into her body through the new chivalry code. The results were astounding. Miraculously, the origin true energy that she used to fight the ancient monster was restored. Her bone density increased and her white hair returned to its original color. Layers of skin fell off to be reced by new skin and the scars and calluses on her body disappeared.


    At first, Mercedes was in turmoil. She felt ashamed that her hands and skin had be as soft as a child¡¯s. She had lost the calluses she gained from training all her life and was worried she might¡¯ve lost her qualifications to be a knight. It was a groundless worry. She was actually undergoing a metamorphosis¡ªit was an evolution, not a degeneration.


    ¡°I remember the first time I met you.¡±


    Grid smiled brightly when he saw the blue hair that Mercedes had recovered. The first meeting¡ªMercedes recalled the memory of telling Grid to kneel and blushed.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It is as pretty as it was back then. Don¡¯t let it turn white again.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just a confession of his tastes. It was advice telling her not to overdo it. Origin true energy was something that was directly rted to life force. Grid didn¡¯t want to see Mercedes exhaust her origin true energy because of him again. It was heartbreaking when thinking back to the sight of her hair turning white.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Mercedes gave a good answer. Contrary to her response, the light in her eyes was zing. Grid saw it and shook his head.


    ¡®If the same situation urs, then I will protect you.¡¯


    Grid definitely felt it¡ªhe had be stronger. It was enough to be considered the strongest in the Overgeared Kingdom. Therefore, he walked while thinking he should take on greater responsibility. Suddenly, he stopped in ce. It was due to the man standing in the middle of therge hallway. The moonlight flowing through the window shone on his silver hair.


    ¡°Braham.¡±


    Braham¡¯s nose was raised so high it seemed like it would hit the ceiling. Braham¡¯s lowered eyes and raised chin made it seem like he was looking down on the world as always. ¡°You are cocky.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Was this what should be said to a friend he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time? Grid frowned when he heard the word ¡®cocky¡¯ instead of weing words. Then Braham smiled and flicked his finger. Thendscape changed. The wide hallway covered with a red carpet and the scenery of the night sky copsed and soon disappeared. Countless bookshelves started to fill the space like grains of sand in the desert. This infinite library was one of Braham¡¯s mental worlds. It was his first world, the Knowledge Room.


    ¡°This is unbelievable...¡±


    Grid started shaking in an overwhelming manner. He was overwhelmed by Braham¡¯s mental world, which was sorge that it reminded him of Chiyou. It was already another world. It could be added to concepts such as earth, hell, and heaven. Braham was even able to implement a total of three worlds. This meant that even this huge world was only a party of Braham.


    ¡°Do you know what people should be most vignt about?¡± Braham appeared where the corners of the library were cut at certain angles and asked.


    Grid carefully replied, ¡°I think it isziness.¡±


    He had recently witnessed the frightening power ofziness. The grandmaster when he was affected by the Curse of Sloth waspletely different from when he overcame it.


    Braham shook his head. ¡°No, the most important thing to watch out for is pride.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was this what he should be saying? Braham was arrogant and thought he was the best in the world. Did he perhaps read Grid¡¯s mind as Grid red at Braham?


    ¡°I¡¯m not arrogant because I am the best.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.


    ¡°On the other hand, you are different.¡±


    Braham¡¯s red eyes were more provocative today.


    ¡°You are still a child. Don¡¯t mistakenly think you are strong yet.¡±


    Grid was frustrated. He fully understood Braham¡¯s intentions, but he still found it unpleasant. It was ridiculous that Braham still considered him a child when he had learned Chiyou¡¯s secret technique and built up his divinity. He wondered, ¡°Is there a problem with your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to deny my assessment?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then try changing my assessment.¡±


    Braham pulled out Belial¡¯s Staff and ced it at an angle on his shoulder. His expression was terribly arrogant as he dared Grid to try it. Grid didn¡¯t refuse. He really wanted to urately judge how far his skills had developed. Braham hadn¡¯t yet regained his original strength, so they should be well-matched.


    Grid deployed Transcend just by holding the sword. Then he immediately used Shunpo. The moment he appeared behind Braham, he realized that Braham had disappeared from view. Shunpo, which was proof of a transcendent, was met with teleportation magic.Grid was amazed by the power of ¡®magic that is triggered without casting¡¯ and looked around. Then he heard Braham¡¯s voice from above his head. ¡°This is one of the ways to hit a person using Shunpo.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Did he predict how Grid would fight? The magic that Braham cast in advance using rm was triggered in a timely manner. It was Disintegrate.A spear of light that destroyed existences pierced Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡®It is harder than I thought.¡¯


    There was light in Braham¡¯s eyes as he watched Grid trembling in pain. It was because Grid endured the legendary great magic. It was so amazing that Braham got goosebumps all over his body. This was the first time that Braham had opened his mental world against a human and armed himself with a staff. His n was to smash Grid with one blow to teach him a lesson before letting Grid learn a new spell.


    He was surprised because contrary to his thoughts, it wasn¡¯t that easy.


    ¡®He has reached the stage where I need to worry.¡¯


    Was it him who was arrogant? There was a smile on Braham¡¯s face. It feltpletely different from his usual twisted smile. It was a smile derived from pure admiration and joy.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1312

    Beriache, the great demon of satiation¡ªshe peeked at the rules of the world and condemned Yatan. After being exiled, she gave birth to 10 children. She repeatedly warned her children who had great desires like herself.


    ¡®Don¡¯t harm your own blood and flesh. If you covet your siblings¡¯ blood then my aspirations will be in vain. This is a warning.¡¯


    Braham Eshwald was the only child who rebelled against her ultimatum of deep concern. Braham coveted infinite knowledge and tried to ovee the Curse of Sloth. He turned away from the words of his mother, whom he loved and respected.


    This was the cause of Braham¡¯s life being gued by grief and suffering.


    ¡®Would I have met you if the Curse of Sloth still controlled me?¡¯


    It was also the beginning of the miracle that led to the meeting of Braham and Grid. Braham didn¡¯t regret going against his mother¡¯s words.


    ¡°Sky.¡±


    The sword dance that dered itself as heaven. As if shouting that he would punish those who doubted and denied him, Grid connected all types of powerful sword dances. Braham¡¯s lips curled up in a happy smile at the sight.


    He was happy. He was proud that he had been of some help to this ¡®close toplete¡¯ being who was a cksmith and the Hero King, a person who wasn¡¯t a Sword Saint, but glimpsed the extremes of swordsmanship. A person who also had the qualification to learn magic.


    There was a rainbow reflection. Braham was thrilled as he returned the waves of sword dances to Grid using the legendary great magic that reflected all attacks. It was because Grid counterattacked and returned all the sword dances to him. Braham dodged using Teleport and defended his body with Shield. Then he spoke in a rather excited voice, ¡°As you know, I am truly a genius.¡±


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp... Yes, yes, you are.¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t expected all his sword dances to be reflected. If it was before he obtained Chiyou¡¯s secret technique, he would¡¯ve died just now. It would¡¯ve been impossible for him to react with Flower Revolve. Unlike the gasping Grid, Braham spoke calmly, ¡°However, there were certainly geniuses who were better than me.¡±


    Mumud and Marie Rose¡ªmeeting them ced a terrible curse on Braham. The curse of resenting hiscking talent.Braham sometimes shed tears as he measured their talent against his own. At the same time, he felt great pleasure. He was able to set his goals higher due to the presence of people greater than himself.


    ¡°Every time I vowed to go beyond them, my passion swelled like the sun. However, now...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I think you can surpass me so my passion is hotter than at that time.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    No, what was this? It was honestly too much of a leap that he could surpass Braham. He heard these words after being helpless for five minutes. It must be lip service... The frowning Grid suddenly had a thought. Braham, giving lip service? It was impossible bullshit. Braham didn¡¯t care about others. He was a being who had no experience in pleasing others. All his words were heartfelt.


    ¡®Then will I surpass Braham one day?¡¯


    Meteor fell toward the head of the thrilled Grid.


    ¡°In about 1,000 years?¡±


    ¡°Aaaack!¡±


    ***


    How long had it been since he was beaten so neatly? He felt like swearing.


    ¡°Groan...¡±


    Grid sat upright the moment his stamina recovered a bit and he recalled the battle. To be honest, he didn¡¯t feel like he made any mistakes. His loss was because Braham was too strong.


    ¡®The strengths if a transcendent didn¡¯t work.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s speed was blocked by Braham¡¯s predictions and his reflexes were counteracted by instant cast magic. Shunpo could originally change the situation with a single use, but it was countered with Teleport. It was like fighting a chariot with a cannon in Korean chess.


    ¡®The biggest problem is that my behavior was predicted...¡¯


    It felt like he was dancing on Buddha¡¯s palm. It wasn¡¯t just because Braham was clever. It was because he had lived for hundreds of years and had rich experience in fighting. Grid had been fighting every moment for the past 10 years, but Braham was a character who had been fighting dozens of times longer than him. If Braham was a tiger, then Grid was just a newborn puppy.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t mean that I can take my defeat for granted.¡¯


    It was natural. If he got used to defeat simply because hecked talent and experience, then he would face countless defeats in the future. His records of defeat would pile up like a mountain. The enemies that Grid had to face were beings who had existed for at least hundreds of years.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get frustrated.¡±


    Braham smiled as he sat to one side and held his chin. Did he meet a god or something? Grid had grown so fast that it even gave rise to this absurd idea. He had believed himself to be the strongest and didn¡¯t hide his arrogant and confident spirit, only to be helplessly defeated. Braham expected him to be shocked, but he was surprisingly calm.


    ¡°Why should I be frustrated when you are my opponent?¡± Grid confessed honestly.


    His opponent was Braham. He was the strongest magician of all time and had even umted divinity recently. He might not have recovered to his prime, but it was natural for him to be stronger than Grid. Didn¡¯t Braham overpower Piaro ¡®unarmed¡¯ even before he built up his divinity?


    ¡°Rather, I¡¯m d that I lost to you. I would¡¯ve been shocked if I couldn¡¯t grasp the subject and lost against someone else.¡±


    Grid fully understood Braham¡¯s desire to fight. Braham wanted to ask the grateful Grid ¡®Who will you lose to apart from me?¡¯ but he shut his mouth before he asked. He got up, looked around the library, and inquired, ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t like reading, right?¡±


    Grid once had a reading phobia. It was especially bad in his school days when he lived with textbooks and study papers. He resented the textbooks and study papers that he couldn¡¯t understand no matter how much he read. However, this had changed since Satisfy started. It has been a few years since he was forced to read all types of strategies and encyclopedias, forcing them into his head. He became very familiar with reading.


    He replied, ¡°No, reading is my hobby.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It is surprising.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was flustered when Braham said this without scoffing. Just a few years ago, Grid was a fool. Wasn¡¯t Braham the one who called him a stone head? He thought it would be good if Braham didn¡¯t mock him after he said he read. So what was this satisfied expression?


    ¡°The stone has fallen off your head. I wanted this to happen and you really made reading a hobby.¡±


    It happened when Grid red at Braham who was seriously muttering to himself...


    The bookshelves filling the infinite library moved by themselves and changed theiryout. Soon, a bookshelf came in front of Grid and towered over him.


    ¡°Choose one.¡±


    The dozens of millions of books stored in the library were embodied fragments of Braham¡¯s knowledge. It meant the contents of all the books were different. However, on the outside, they all looked the same.


    ¡°What are these books?¡±


    ¡°My magic is written in the books on that bookshelf.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Braham¡¯s books of magic! Grid¡¯s heart that he had stabilized jumped wildly again. In fact, he had abandoned magic. He could no longer learn magic the moment his second ss, Legendary Great Magician, changed to Duke of Wisdom. Still, he hoped that Braham would separately teach him magic. It was just that Braham¡¯s response was so strong despite Grid¡¯s intelligence exceeding 4,000 that he was forced to throw away his remaining regrets.


    Now he was freely given the magic books. There were also hundreds of books of magic.


    ¡®If I learn all of this...¡¯


    Couldn¡¯t he be Braham¡¯s sessor? Grid gulped and pulled out a book. He was about to open it when Braham spoke like he was surprised, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any worries?


    ¡°They all look the same on the outside anyway. Does it make sense to worry about choosing?¡±


    The hundreds of books on the bookshelf just had ck covers. They were books without titles. It was impossible to tell what it was so he could only pick one at random.


    ¡°However, you can only pick one book. Why don¡¯t you think about it a bit?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Braham really meant that he could only choose one? Among all these books? Grid made an absurd expression and Braham exined to him, ¡°Unfortunately, you can¡¯t master a variety of magic.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He acknowledged it only when his intelligence stat was low. Braham¡¯s enhanced style magic was something that even renowned magicians couldn¡¯t learn. He thought it would be greedy to learn magic from Braham when he only had a few thousand points in intelligence.


    However, Grid¡¯s current intelligence was heading toward 5,000 points. Braham said the acquisition condition of his basic magic was 4,000 points so the condition was already met.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I learn all the basic spells now?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a matter of intelligence. It is aptitude.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯mcking aptitude?¡±


    Honestly, this sentence wasn¡¯t very pleasant. He had obtained Legendary Great Magician as a second ss and then it evolved into Duke of Wisdom. This meant six of his stat points were invested in intelligence every time he leveled up. Yet now he wascking aptitude? What about all the points that were forcibly invested in intelligence? Grid barely swallowed down his rising anger.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped because fighting energy is circting in every passage where mana should be circting.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to regret. This has made your sword energy stronger.¡±


    In fact, Braham¡¯s heart was the same. He didn¡¯t express it outwardly, but Braham had wanted to make Grid his own disciple. He wanted to make Grid a magician like himself. However, what could he do? Grid¡¯s body became a harmony between sword energy and fighting energy and it was no longer suitable for a magician. The only good thing was that Grid¡¯s intelligence had improved considerably.


    There were a few passages to circte mana so even if he couldn¡¯t digest multiple magic techniques, learning magic itself was no problem. Of course, this was only a story for when Braham helped.


    ¡°For you, magic will have to be a choice and requires concentration.¡±


    Magic was a multi-step process, with five to ten steps per technique type. However, Grid could only learn one spell per step. It was a serious disadvantage for Grid if he could only learn ordinary magic. The story was different when it came to Braham¡¯s enhanced magic.


    Braham¡¯s enhanced magic created a lot of power with just one magic. Even if Grid only learned one magic, he wouldn¡¯t envy the magicians who had learned 10.


    Braham confirmed it and nced at Grid. ¡°If you have been guided to that book, then don¡¯t hesitate to open it.¡±


    ¡°Can I pick something else?¡±


    Grid had chosen the magic book without thinking so there was no choice but to hesitate. Braham smiled at the indecisive Grid. ¡°My knowledge should¡¯ve responded to your shorings.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    At this point, Grid had to understand it. He gave up on his hesitation and opened the magic book. Braham¡¯s eyes shone brightly. ¡°You¡¯ve picked well.¡±


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1313

    The way mana was used was divided into several different techniques. The flow of mana changed ording to the technique applied, the magic core responded, and the magic waspleted. However, there was fighting energy in all the mana circuits in Grid¡¯s body. It was also as thick as tar. As a result, the flow of mana wasn¡¯t smooth.


    It didn¡¯t mean that the match between fighting energy and mana was bad. It was a side effect that urred because Grid¡¯s fighting energy was in harmony with sword energy. The opposite would¡¯ve urred with sword energy if Grid had a harmony between mana and fighting energy.


    ¡®Someone did this.¡¯


    Who was the one who changed Grid¡¯s cirction? Braham, the magician, didn¡¯t like it, but he didn¡¯t think of beating up this unknown person. He noticed that Grid¡¯s potential had risen thanks to this. While this person was an enemy to Braham, they were also the one who gave an opportunity to Grid.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think they are an ordinary master.¡¯


    Braham found it difficult to guess the identity of the other person despite his knowledge being as vast as the sea. However, it hurt his ego to ask Grid about the identity of the person. He just epted that the world was wide.


    ¡°You¡¯ve picked well.¡±


    Braham soothed his regret and his eyes soon brightened as he watched Grid. The magic book picked by Grid was a good choice. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expression was rotten. ¡°I¡¯ve picked well? Are you serious?¡±


    Decoy¡ªthis was the identity of the magic in the magic book he picked. It was a type of dummy magic that made a bird of mana to deceive the opponent. It was a disheartening result for Grid who wanted powerful destruction magic or weapon enchant-based magic that maximized his items.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been a big jackpot if I learned Meteor.¡¯


    He had set a big goal for himself. Grid had longed for Meteor ever since designing Failure. He couldn¡¯t help being disappointed. Then Braham asked him, ¡°Is it destructive power that youck?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think it iscking.¡±


    "Are youcking the ability to protect your body?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that either.¡±


    Braham nodded as Grid answered honestly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The thing you are mostcking is experience. Decoy is a precious magic that will fill yourck of experience.¡±


    ¡°Decoy will fill up mycking experience?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t get a sense of it. Decoy was something that Grid had used previously. During the time when his second ss was Legendary Great Magician, one of the magics that was temporarily activated due to the effect of increasing intelligence was Decoy. It was definitely useful at that time. He used Decoy to confuse the other person and make them reveal a gap.


    However, the opponents that Grid would have to face in the future were powerful beings like Braham in front of him. Would such a trivial trick work on them?


    Braham pointed his staff at the distrusting Grid. ¡°Try using Shunpo.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid immediately used Shunpo.


    [Shunpo has failed to trigger.]


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Shamefully, there were several failures. Then the moment the sessful Grid took control of Braham¡¯s rear, Braham teleported away. This was the result for the entire battle. A transcendent¡¯sbat style of ¡®leaping through space with Shunpo to strike¡¯ didn¡¯t work at all.


    ¡®Does it make sense for Teleport to be used faster than Blink?¡¯


    The movement magic that magicians used inbat was Blink, not Teleport. It would be possible to leap through space with just one second of casting, unlike Teleport that required a long casting time.


    The movement distance was very short and it had the fatal disadvantage of not being able to select the location they moved to. Even so, magicians were able to fight against knights thanks to Blink. They approached and attacked the sword-wielding knights with Blink.


    However, Braham waspletely different from the usual magician. Rather than using a second, Teleport was activated immediately and he moved to his desired location. Who in the world could catch him? He was a crazily fraudulent character.


    Grid was looking around when he felt Braham¡¯s presence behind him. ¡®I got him!¡¯


    Had he grown from one spar? Unlike the earlier spar, Grid seeded in capturing Braham¡¯s position in an instant and he reached out with a joyful face. However, it wasn¡¯t Braham that he grabbed. It was a mass of magic power. It was a bird made of Decoy.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Were his transcendent senses tricked? Grid looked like he had seen a ghost and Braham appeared in front of him.


    ¡°I fully understand why you distrust Decoy. It isn¡¯t high ranking magic but there are some benefitspared to the clone skills.¡±


    His words were urate. Grid could use clones thanks to the power of the great demon imprinted on the rune. It was just that every time he used the clones, strong people quickly found the main body. Then what about Decoy which was merely a mass of magic power?


    Grid guessed that it would have no effect, unlike the clones that confused the opponent for a while. Yet just like Braham¡¯s Teleport, the Braham style Decoy was different from ordinary Decoy.


    ¡°The advantage of Decoy is that it is a lower ranked magic.¡± Braham extracted a small amount of magic power and formed a bird. It was as red as blood, and asrge and fierce as a bird of prey. ¡°It inherits the mana nature of the caster.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Grid let out a cry of excitement when he realized why his transcendent senses were deceived. Decoy might not be able to deceive the other person¡¯s eyes like the clones, but it could perfectly deceive their senses. Of course, it was possible because it wasn¡¯t an ordinary Decoy. It was Braham¡¯s style of Decoy.


    Grid was fidgeting as he thought about how to use the flexible Decoy. Then Braham smiled and spread open his arms. It was a pious act that reminded people of a great master. ¡°Assimte it.¡±


    At the same time.


    [Decoy (Enhanced) has been learned.]


    [Decoy (Enhanced) Lv. 1]


    [Separates mana to summon a bird.


    The bird¡¯s range of motion is five meters around the summoner and it willst for 10 seconds.


    Summonable Range: 1 meter radius


    Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.


    Mana Consumption: 1,000]


    ¡®Transcend.¡¯


    In order to grasp the opportunity without variables, he had to make the probability of Shunpo 100%. Grid judged and used Transcend. Then he immediately activated Shunpo and Decoy. He used Shunpo to move to Braham¡¯s side while he summoned Decoy behind Braham¡¯s back. The bird that Grid summoned was as ck as a crow.


    Braham nodded.¡°Okay. Once applied in this way, it will be difficult for the other person to determine your location with just their senses.¡±


    Well, even so...


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean much if you burn them both at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    ***


    ¡°In any case, he is a willful old man...¡±


    It was still a long time until his immortal cooldown ended. Grid, who hadn¡¯t expected to be attacked,ined as he drank a potion and Braham scoffed.


    ¡°It is your fault for being careless. In any case, the usage of Decoy is endless. Be sure to devote yourself to devising new methods so you can use it more diversely.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    It was Braham who was telling him that he was careless, not anyone else. Grid clicked his tongue as he recalled Braham¡¯s past of being stabbed in the back by a friend. Then the Knowledge Room copsed and disappeared. Mercedes greeted Grid and Braham as soon as they returned to reality, "You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±Grid answered without thinking.


    ¡®How does she know that he worked hard?¡¯


    Braham had a strange feeling. Even the Duke of Wisdom, Braham, felt awkward around Mercedes despite understanding the truth of the world. He couldn¡¯t figure out her potential because he couldn¡¯t measure the depth in those quiet eyes.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    It happened the moment when the ufortable Braham scoffed and turned around...


    ¡°?¡±


    Braham felt a new miracle approaching and stopped on the spot.


    ¡°There is an issue to report.¡±


    Soon after, Faker popped out of the shadows. Grid was shocked because he only felt Faker¡¯s presence once Faker was close.


    ¡°It is amazing after he has be Lantier...¡±


    Grid truly admired it. A being who erased his existence from the world¡ªhe had already experienced it and knew that Lantier¡¯s stealth skills were on a different level. He just never dreamt that Faker would¡¯ve already assimted it.


    ¡®It has only been a few weeks since he changed his ss. To reach this level...¡¯


    How far would he grow? Grid gulped as Faker told him, ¡°There is a report that Rothschild has started to move. They feel the need to keep us in check and are doing many things.¡±


    ¡°Why do they feel the need to keep us in check?¡±


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung said that the world¡¯s leading group and families had invested in Satisfy a long time ago. It was said that Rothschild was one of them, from as early as the open beta period. Their foresight was second to none.However, he was told that their purpose was to umte wealth. They could make a deal with the Overgeared Kingdom and there was no need for a hostile rtionship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details yet.¡±


    Faker reported the incident in Reidan to the confused Grid. Grid listened silently before nodding.


    ¡°So the words of the revolutionaries haven¡¯t been confirmed to be true or not.¡±


    The revolutionaries said they had Rothschild behind them, but... what was the truth?


    ¡°Don¡¯t issue a killing order yet. Let the revolutionaries move freely while keeping an eye on the situation.¡±


    It was a smarter Grid. He wasn¡¯t blinded by anger and pursued practical interests. Faker nodded and moved back into the shadows. Grid already lost his presence before he moved less than 10 meters. Braham had been watching silently and now heughed.


    ¡°This kingdom is going crazy.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t to this extent when Braham was first resurrected¡ªthere was only one farmer who could be called quite capable in the Overgeared Kingdom, yet now...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I was just talking to myself.¡±


    Braham shook his head and left. He was smiling. He was proud of Grid who brought together so many great legends. It was an achievement that no one had been able to do before, no, they didn¡¯t even try it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Grid urged Mercedes.


    It was the graduation day of the very first graduates since the establishment of the Overgeared Academy. He nned to encourage the new talents, meet Sticks, and then travel to Cokro Ind.


    The stars in the night sky sparkled brilliantly. They seemed to be illuminating Grid¡¯s future path.


    TL: Small change to the skill Sky that I just realized wasn¡¯t saved when I edited the previous chapter 1304. Instead of ¡¯every sword dance¡¯, it is ¡¯every single sword dance¡¯.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1314

    The Overgeared Kingdom was a kingdom established by yers. The policies of the Overgeared Kingdom were innovative considering the fact that the existing nations were based on the Middle Ages. One of the biggest topics in the world was the education system in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    It was an equal education system that didn¡¯t discriminate against identity, gender, and talent. It was one step above the empire which imed that talent didn¡¯t care about the rich or the poor.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to have grown this much.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue as he visited the academy for the first time in ages. The Overgeared Academy¡¯s location was always expanding and it already felt like a city. It could be argued that the Overgeared Academy wasrger than any other campus in reality.


    ¡®I am proud.¡¯


    Grid knew how important learning opportunities were. He walked around the campus in a happy manner and his emotions were deep. It was seven years after the establishment of the Overgeared Academy.It was finally the graduation day for the first graduates. He was already looking forward to seeing how many talents would emerge.


    ¡°I would like to wee Your Majesty.¡±


    The Overgeared Academy had dozens of departments. There were hundreds of professors alone. There were celebrities that Lauel had worked hard to invite from all over. The reason they were professors of the Overgeared Academy wasn¡¯t because they coveted wealth or power. It was out of respect for the great sage, Sticks.


    ¡°You have worked hard.¡±


    Grid greeted the professors. He honestly admired the people who shared the knowledge and experience that they had umted throughout their lives. However, he was also worried. Many of the professors were white-haired old men. Most of them were about to retire.


    ¡®Lauel will soon suffer again.¡¯


    ¡°Why did youe so early?¡± Sticks secretly reproached him.


    It was almost time for the rooster to cry. In other words, it was still early in the morning and there was a long time left before the graduation ceremony began. Grid, bying here at this time of the day, disturbed things. He had to umte his mana so early in the morning... would he faint while giving a speech to the graduates?


    Gridunched at Sticks, who was anxious in advance and trying to prepare a teleport spell. ¡°I wanted to quietly look around campus while there are no students. I also wanted to greet the professors who have been working hard so far.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®Thanks to you, the professors who have to get up early in the morning are going to die.¡¯ Sticks swallowed down these words. He was aware that Grid¡¯s diligence had reached a level beyondmon sense. He was worried about sleeping properly.


    ¡°The menu is terrible.¡±


    It was after taking one walk around campus. Grid frowned when he visited the cafeteria to eat breakfast. The freshly baked bread was delicious because it was soft and rich in vor, but the side dishes were bad. The soup tasted like hot water, as if it hadn¡¯t been boiled for a long time.


    ¡°I am wondering if students can concentrate on their studies after eating just this food.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t hide his unhappy heart. What happened to the budget he gave the academy every year? The food wasn¡¯t even provided properly. Were the excellent facilities just for show?


    ¡®Who is taking the money for the meals in the middle?¡¯


    He would have to hurry to send Rabbit¡¯s monitoring team¡ªGrid made a serious vow. Then Sticks told him, ¡°There are still two hours until breakfast. The food hasn¡¯t beenpletely prepared. If youe and say something like this, the cooks will be upset.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He had forgotten for a moment. He lived fiercely every day and started his day earlier than others. His concept of time was distorted. Grid was coughing with embarrassment when Lauel joined him. As prime minister, he also nned to attend today¡¯s graduation ceremony. ¡°Aren¡¯t you over-meticulous?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel¡¯s soft whisper made Grid feel even more embarrassed.


    ***


    It was before the graduation schedule began. Graduates who came to the academy early in the morning visited their respective departments. They wanted to thank their teachers who had taught them for so long.


    ¡°My father was living alone in my hometown. When his house copsed due to a typhoon not long ago, the reason I was able to reassure him without bing frustrated was purely thanks to Teacher. I used the skills I learned from Teacher to rebuild the pirs. I covered the walls and ceilings, and built a new house for my father. I want to thank you for teaching me without discriminating against me for being the son of a butcher.¡±


    ¡°My hometown is in the mountains. I was a person who cleared the ground with fires. My family and neighbors lived in shabby huts. In the summer, we suffered from heat and insects. In the winter, we trembled from the cold. However, it is different now. Every vacation, I go home and repair the homes of my family and my neighbors. Hehe... Thanks to Teacher, I was able to turn the shabby huts in my hometown into warm houses. Thank you so much.¡±


    A house was one of the most important factors in human life. However, like most professional skills, construction skills weren¡¯t taught to anyone. Architects were proud of their profession and were cautious about raising disciples. Anyone suspected of having no origin orcking talent couldn¡¯t learn the art of building a house.


    The poor people had to build houses relying on the knowledge and experience of the adults around them. The houses that were built were very iplete. On the surface, it looked fine, but there were many problems with soundproofing, cold protection, and waterproofing. The durability was also poor.


    For students in the architecture department, their teachers were gods. They would build homes for the poor at a low cost and spread their skills... they would build a country where there were no children sleeping while the ceiling leaked rainwater.


    ¡°That friend and that friend.¡±


    Grid watched the architecture students greeting their teachers from afar and picked out two students. Lauel wrote down their names. Grid was holding the King¡¯s Sword in his hand.


    ***


    ¡°Thanks to Teacher, I¡¯ve suffered several fractures, stretched ligaments, and my muscles became strong. Thank you so much, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°I learned while being beaten by Teacher. Now I¡¯m not afraid of most people. I went to my hometown during myst vacation and thieves threatened me. It was so funny that I pissed myself.¡±


    ¡°Your mouth is really bad. Should I cancel your graduation so you will study for another year?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha... I really appreciate it, Teacher. I will never forget Teacher¡¯s grace in turning an ordinary hunter like me into a good swordsman. From now on, I will devote myself more and aim to be a knight!¡±


    ¡°It was an honor, Teacher!¡±


    ¡°It was an honor!¡±


    The ninth department Grid visited was the swordsmanship department. Compared to other departments, the number of students was much higher and there were many graduates. There were a huge 137 people, but none of them were talented. It was natural.


    Talented people wouldn¡¯t enter the academy. If they had talent, they would¡¯ve be a disciple by catching someone¡¯s eye or directly bing a knight. In the first ce, the students attending the academy were those who had to earn a living. They worked for half a day and came to school for the rest of the day to receive an education. Therefore, they barely honed their basic skills in these seven years to earn the graduation qualifications.


    ¡°Still, I see people who are better than ordinary soldiers.¡±


    The prime minister had a high discerning vision¡ªit was because he gained unique stats and skills when he rose to the position of prime minister. The prime minister, Lauel, smiled as he stood beside Grid and watched the graduates.


    ¡°Once they go back to their viges and join the vignte group, they will be a big help in maintaining security.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the future, there would be graduates every year. The number would also increase by several times.


    In the next 10 years, people were technical skills like experts and people withbat skills like soldiers would be seen throughout the viges. Then once they started raising disciples, the people of the Overgeared Kingdom would grow into outstanding talents one by one in a few decades.


    Grid was happy, but he was also a bit disappointed.


    Talent¡ªone of the most unfair concepts in the world, it sometimes deceived people. It was often the case where it would be gone for several years or even decades, only to suddenly appear and surprise the people around them. This wasmonly referred to as talent perseverance or resilience. Even people who were considered as stupid when they were young could develop above average talents if they worked hard. This was the case with Grid himself.


    It was the so-called ¡®great talent matureste.¡¯


    ¡®I had high hopes that some of the graduates would be more skilled than expected...¡¯


    However, this wasn¡¯t the case at all. Most of the graduates were mediocre. Grid had only found five talents in the nine departments and they were only slightly better than ordinary people. They would be a bit usable after working hard for the next few years.


    However, there was no such person in the swordsmanship department. It was disappointing for Grid since he had high expectations for the swordsmanship, magic, and elemental departments.


    ¡®The magic department¡¯s problem will be even more serious. Can I only believe in the elemental department?¡¯


    All those who had some talent for magic entered the magic towers. The chances of finding an outstanding magician in the academy was significantly lower.


    ¡®There are limits to solely relying on the Ul n.¡¯


    Most of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s magicians consisted of those from the Ul n. In addition to their small poption, they had a problem whenmunicating with ordinary people. The Ul n were a minority and they had different values. There was a reason why the talents of the Ul n, who had been in charge of education at the academy and the magic tower, couldn¡¯t endure for long and resigned.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°I greet Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was suddenly awakened from his thoughts. The students of the swordsmanship department bowed the moment they saw Grid in the distance.


    ¡°Rise. I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t turn away so he entered the training field and raised the students up. The eyes of the students were full of respect as they looked at him.


    They were just like the young people dreaming of bing cksmiths. The reason why the students of the swordsmanship department dreamed of bing swordsmen was because they respected Grid. It was the same for the students in the magic department. Grid fought and overcame all enemies with swordsmanship and magic and he was the dream of the people. Their goal was to resemble Grid even a little bit.


    Lauel smiled as he saw the students whose eyes were shining likenterns.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I think the students want to see your swordsmanship.¡±


    Gulp.


    Lauel created the situation and the students gulped. It was hard for them to miss the opportunity to see Grid¡¯s swordsmanship up close when they had only heard about it through rumors. The excitement of the students caught Grid.


    ¡®It is a bit embarrassing, but...¡¯


    It was just swinging his sword. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. Grid reached out to a young man whose eyes were particrly bright.


    ¡°Can I borrow a wooden sword?¡±


    Rabbit might appear if he used a real sword here.


    ¡°I-It is an honor!¡±


    The young man politely offered his wooden sword as the others around him gazed at him enviously. Grid¡¯s shoulders trembled with tension and excitement as he looked around the training field. His gaze wasn¡¯t limited to the target. He looked around and recognized the entire battlefield.


    ¡®Let¡¯s test my power like this.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sword dances could now be used without taking any steps, but it was possible to maximize the power by taking up to four steps.


    Step.


    Grid took a step forward while holding the wooden swordfortably.


    Rumble!


    The atmospheric pressure lowered. The students thought it was an illusion, but they soon realized this wasn¡¯t the case. Grid took another step, and this time, the earth shook. The sands on the training field vibrated and generated noise. A transparent sword energy emerged from the tip of Grid¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Ahhh.¡±


    The students, professors of the swordsmanship department, and Mercedes let out cries of admiration. Grid¡¯s back as he took the third and fourth steps was something they couldn¡¯t even imagine. It was so huge.


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±


    The martial god¡ªa sword dance that reproduced Chiyou¡¯s blow, not that of Zeratul, who was just a copy.


    The wooden sword was wrapped in a radiant light and fell in a straight line. There wasn¡¯t even a small noise, let alone a destructive wave. However, Mercedes could see the atmosphere being cut in half. Then a shockwave urred one stepte. The wind pressure created shook the trees around the training field. The leaves swirled for a while before falling to the ground.


    ¡°Gasp...¡±


    The professors and students of the swordsmanship department exhaled.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Grid felt something strange as he returned the wooden sword to the young man with clear eyes. Therefore, he ced his hand on the sheath hanging from his waist. He was touching the King¡¯s Sword. Then the active Talent Search responded to the young man.


    [Name: Bethell


    Age: 21 Gender: Male


    ss: Swordsman


    Title: Sword Seeker


    The strike of the Overgeared King changed his world. He will live trying to reproduce Grid¡¯s strike for the rest of his life.


    The power of a sh attack is increased by 50% to 400%. Sword Mastery proficiency acquisition speed is increased by 300%.


    Level: 195


    Strength: 981/1,590 Stamina: 360/630


    Agility: 319/551 Intelligence: 210/509


    Obsession: 10


    Skills: Beginner Sword Mastery (D), Overgeared Academy Swordsmanship (D), Curse of the Strike (S), Sword Seeker (S)]


    [Curse of the Strike]


    [Passive


    He is fascinated by a strike he can never reach in his lifetime. This powerful curse will keep him in despair and cause him to constantly develop.


    * Generate the Rage stat.


    * Each time the rage stat is umted, the power of sh-type attacks will increase significantly.


    ¡ïWhenever the rage stat reaches its maximum, the stats limit will be broken.


    Cooldown Time: None


    Resource Consumption: None.]


    ¡°Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Include this friend as well.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    It was the moment when the story of Chiyou and Pagma was recreated on the ground. Grid was deeply interested in Bethell while Bethell was frozen. Grid¡¯s sharp eyes that were filled with greed were hard for humans to handle.

 Chapter 1315

    Grid toured dozens of departments and was able to find a total of 11 talented people. Even so, Bethell was the only one with great talent. The remaining 10 were just ordinary. They wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the top of their field. Of course, he had no intention of disparaging them. Not everyone could be the best.


    ¡®It is painful that there isn¡¯t anyone from the magic department, but... it isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Grid felt regret. Then he thought about his current results and was convinced that the harvest was sufficientlyrge enough. Moreover, the Overgeared Academy wasn¡¯t a prestigious school. Rather than only selecting and enrolling qualified people, they also epted ordinary people, even those who couldn¡¯t read, and started the education from the basics.


    In the first ce, talented people didn¡¯t knock on the doors of the academy. Talented people would go to talented people in the field to be their disciples and receive higher education. It was a remarkable and grateful miracle to find 11 talented people who met Grid¡¯s standards here.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    At the auditorium...


    it was the ce that the elemental department usually used for practice and it was where the graduation ceremony today would take ce. After arriving there, Grid adjusted the Overgeared King¡¯s Crown and wore the Ruler¡¯s Cloak. Then he opened the door to the auditorium while repeating the carefully written speech in his mind. There were a thousand people in the room and their gazes turned to Grid.


    ¡°You punished the corrupted pope and saved our church from a crisis.¡±


    ¡°You restored the authority of our church by unsealing the First Holy Sword.¡±


    ¡°I greet Overgeared King Grid, the benefactor of tens of thousands of Reba followers, friend of Pope Damian, and the one who is favored by Goddess Reba.¡±


    The excited atmosphere in the air quickly subsided. The moment Grid appeared, the Reba Church¡¯s envoys participating in today¡¯s activities knelt down and saluted simultaneously. It resembled the scene of praying to a god. Isabel, one of the renowned Reba¡¯s Daughters, was known to not even bow her head to the empire¡¯s ruler, yet she was infinitely polite and reverent in front of Grid.


    ¡°Uwah...¡±


    Making a messenger of a god kneel when she was only loyal to the goddess¡ªthe graduates realized how great their king was and shouted loudly. The water n and Twilight Orc envoys also shouted loudly like they werepeting against each other.


    ¡°Bless the rescuers of the water n!¡±


    ¡°In awe of the strongest warrior!¡±


    Soundproofing magic was used, but the sound was about to leak out.


    Stone-like skin and a big stature¡ªthe warriors of two races reminiscent of golems overwhelmed the graduates. The graduates saw all types of wounds on their tight muscles and noticed that these people were warriors who dominated the battlefield. It was amazing that they were like gentle sheep in front of Grid.


    ¡°Kelpato, duke of the Arc Kingdom, greets the great hero, King Grid.¡±


    What duke? The power representing one nation waspletely humble in front of Grid. The rumor that Grid defended the Arc Kingdom by fighting against the 13th Great Demon Beleth alone was an unexaggerated truth. Additionally, figures from the East Continent, like the Han Seokbong father and daughter, as well as ethnic minorities like the Ul n, silently bowed to Grid.


    Every time Grid took a step, people¡¯s stature lowered. The graduates thought there were no more surprises, but this was a mistake.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I¡¯m notte. It has been a long time, Overgeared King...¡±


    Immortal King Grenhal¡ªthe most powerful among the dukes of the empire and the absolute power that made kings of other nations bow down. He could be called an existence that was ¡®below one person and above 10,000 people.¡¯ He came here and greeted Grid in such a happy manner?


    The graduates and the high-ranking officials of the Overgeared Kingdom were so surprised that their mouths dropped open. Grid was also amazed. No, he was already in a daze.


    ¡®Why are all these bigshotsing to the academy graduation ceremony?¡¯


    It was ridiculous that these distinguished guests were more excellent than those who came to the founding ceremony several years ago.


    Lauel smiled happily. ¡®This is what you¡¯ve aplished over the years.¡¯


    It was why Lauel didn¡¯tin to Grid despite needing to work hard every day. In the past few years, Grid had never wasted time. There was a good reason every time he was away from the throne. Grid was active all over the world and the status of the Overgeared Kingdom was elevated.


    ¡°The Hero King Grid, who purified the Behen Archipgo, is stepping on the stage.¡±


    Sticks had fun watching the situation and now he joined in on praising Grid¡¯s past achievements. It made Grid more embarrassed, but he didn¡¯t show it. How could he show agitation in front of the people watching? He was a king. He was the face that represented them.


    Grid stood on the stage and calmly opened his mouth, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard and suffered in thest seven years.¡±


    His voice spread to every corner of therge auditorium even though he didn¡¯t use the speech amplifier technique installed by Sticks. He had the strange power to make people focus on his bold, yet calm, voice. It wasn¡¯t just the graduates. The distinguished guests present also listened to him intently.


    ¡°The end is another beginning. In the future, every step you take forward in society, you might suffer new failures and encounter various setbacks. However, every time that happens, remember the seven years you spent at the academy and ovee it. The moment you are afraid of failure and turn away from the challenge, you will be a loser. So you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of failure and you should constantly challenge yourself. Don¡¯t forget that new glory is waiting for you just like the glory of graduation that you achieved today.¡±


    In the speech written by Huroi, there were many parts that resonated with Grid. Everyone suffered, but only those who endured through the trials and tribtions would find sess, and be honored. Grid did it¡ªthe guests here proved it.


    The graduates looked at Grid with a hot gaze like they felt something.


    ***


    ¡®Amazing...¡¯


    The internal situation of the empire that had changed after a civil war wasn¡¯t sofortable. In particr, the number of high ranking nobles had declined sharply and the responsibilities that had fallen on the shoulders of Immortal King Grenhal were greater than ever. He was busy every day. So why did you go to another kingdom to attend an event, in particr, a graduation ceremony? The reason was simple¡ªhe wanted to see with his own eyes the result of ¡®equal education for all people.¡¯


    The result was amazing. ording to Grenhal¡¯s research, the students of the Overgeared Academy all had ordinary talents. From today on, there were many graduates who could be active in every field.


    ¡®Talent doesn¡¯t care about social standing.¡¯


    These were the words of sessive emperors.


    ¡®Passion rather than talent.¡¯


    This was the sentiment that Grenhal felt today. Grenhal realized the importance of equal learning opportunities. He realized that ¡®people who want to learn¡¯ can be reborn as talented people.


    ¡®I must open academies for the people in all my territories.¡¯


    Of course, enormous resources would be consumed, but he shouldn¡¯t be stingy.


    ¡°I have heard the reputation of Great Sage Sticks since I was a child. You are really deserving of this reputation. You must be proud of all the graduates.¡±


    The students leaving the academy with their diplomas reminded him of birds leaving the nest. Sticks was blessing the graduates who will be spreading open their wings to live a new life. Then he smiled as he heard Grenhal¡¯s words.


    ¡°What did I do? It was only possible due to the support of the kingdom.¡±


    He was too humble.


    Grenhal knew that Great Sage Sticks was a high elf who lived for a thousand years and thought Sticks would resemble the arrogant schrs. However, in reality, he had a gentle personality with a benevolent smile. It was really unexpected. This made Grenhal like him even more.


    ¡°Please visit the empire whenever you have time. It isn¡¯t just the citizens of the empire. Her Majesty will also wee your visit and treat you with the utmost courtesies.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for your words, but as a person of the Overgeared Kingdom, how can I go see the empress at will?¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect Sticks to draw a line like this. Grenhal was surprised and fell silent when Sticks dered he was a person of the Overgeared Kingdom. A person many emperors wanted as a prime minister or a teacher¡ªwho would¡¯ve expected Sticks to settle down in a kingdom when he used to refuse everyone in order to enjoy his freedom? It made Grid be a bigger giant in Grenhal¡¯s perception.


    ¡°Sticks!¡± Grid interacted with the graduates and distinguished guests until they left. Then he rushed to find Sticks and asked frantically, ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The elemental department students. All of them are really amazing?¡±


    The excited Grid¡¯s eyes shone likenterns. He put down the dignity he showed during the graduation ceremony and became purer. It was also a familiar appearance for Grenhal. Grenhal was very fond of Grid¡¯s usual appearance.


    ¡°I feel the same way. They can enter active duty right now.¡±


    Grenhal had also noticed it. He was amazed by the fact that all 31 graduates of the elemental department had developed great skills.


    Sticks nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. They signed a contract with an elemental and learned elemental magic. They are children who can y their role well. I¡¯ve already asked them to be the foundation of the Overgeared Elemental Division.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Elemental Division?¡±


    ¡°It is a name made for convenience. It was a name that was given in consideration of Your Majesty¡¯s taste and usual naming. However, if you don¡¯t like it then I can give it a new name.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to change it. I quite like it?¡±


    Lauel was buzzing from where he was listening nearby, but Grid ignored it. Grid was very excited. There were only 31 graduates of the elemental department, but all of them were excellent enough for Talent Search to activate. It was amazing and he was curious about what magic Sticks had used to teach them so well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any secrets. This is a natural result. In the first ce, elemental magic can only be learned by those the elementals respond to. Of course, finding people like that isn¡¯t easy. In thest seven years, there have been tens of thousands of people who applied for the elemental department, but only 59 of them could see and feel the elementals. 31 of them graduated this year.¡±


    ¡°I see... it is a field where you have to be talented.¡±


    The convinced Grid nodded and the silently listening Grenhal cautiously added, ¡°Just because they react to an elemental doesn¡¯t mean they can be an elemental magician. Even in the empire, we have been working tirelessly to raise elemental magicians, but we have only produced one or two every year. Your ability to teach is excellent.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Sticks...¡±


    Grid once again realized the power of Sticks. He stared at Sticks with eyes full of friendliness and respect. Then he suddenly brought up something, ¡°I want to share our thoughts, but I have a schedule. I will have to postpone it until next time. Sticks, please send Mercedes and I to Cokro Ind.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Even today, Sticks was faithful to his role as a movement vehicle. Sticks consumed a lot of magic sending them to an ind far away and the professors supported him as he gasped.


    ¡°Would you like me to show you to the warp gate we created this time?¡±


    ¡®Warp gate?¡¯


    A magic tool that allowed a person to go to and from a specific area. He seeded in making something that existed only in the ancient age of magic? Sticks saw Grenhal¡¯s awe and shock, and waved his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. It is a test piece that only applies to some regions of the kingdom. The degree ofpletion is very low.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the warp gate installed on Cokro Ind working properly?¡±


    Sticks first installed warp gates in ces far from the kingdom, such as Cokro Ind. Fortunately, this was sessful. The professors were curious about when Sticks would announce his achievement to Grid. It was regrettable that it was kept a secret today.


    Sticks just smiled lightly. If themercialization of the warp gate was sessful, he was afraid that Grid would no longer look for him. However, he couldn¡¯t say this in front of these people. His life was saved thanks to Grid and he left the Behen Archipgo. He cherished and loved Grid more than the people who attended today¡¯s event.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1316

    Was it an intended harmony? The white houses under the clear blue sky were reminiscent of clouds. He turned his gaze to the sea. It was hard to find the horizon. The clear sea reflected the blue sky.


    ¡°It is truly a beautiful ce.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ voice was somewhat excited as she admired the scenery of Cokro Ind. The palm trees ced along each side of the small road shook their leaves like they were weing her.


    ¡°I like this ce as well.¡±


    Grid also liked the view of Cokro Ind and its tranquil atmosphere. He felt better every time the wind swept past his cheeks.


    ¡®It is good to set it as a no-tourism zone.¡¯


    Originally, Cokro was one of the most iconic attractions of the Overgeared Kingdom. However, tourists were forced to leave due torge and small problems. It was regretful about the tourism revenue, but what could he do? There were those who damaged nature, those who sneaked into the mines to steal resources, or those who were trying topletely revive Hell Gao. He was worried about the safety of the residents and the demise of the ind. It was too far from the maind so it was difficult for the Overgeared Kingdom to perfectly manage the security of Cokro Ind.


    ¡®Most of all, I want the residents to feelfortable.¡¯


    The residents of Cokro Ind were under great stress from the thousands of outsiders who visited every day and made a lot of noise. They deserved praise for their years of patience as they devoted themselves to the tourism business in order to enrich the kingdom.


    ¡®It has been a long time since I¡¯vee here so I should give them a gift. I should make underwear.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t they be pleased? It was underwear with a huge 20 defense and three extra stat points.


    Grid¡¯s sewing speed increased as he smiled. His appearance of making underwear while walking on the sparkling white sandy beach was very strange. When seen by strangers, it was a peculiar sight that would make them doubt their minds.


    However, Mercedes thought it was good no matter what Grid did. She was happy that she was walking with Grid, just the two of them. Mercedes¡¯ long hair that fell to her waist fluttered in the sea breeze. She was fixing her bangs when Grid handed her a gift.


    ¡°Take it. I think you¡¯ll need it.¡±


    It was a white hair tie. It was in at first nce, but there were thousands of holes small enough for a needle to pass through. The horun thread was so thin that it was easy to break, thus nine pieces were twisted together to form one strand. Then it was made with a crochet hook.


    It was a work that was difficult even for Grid, whose skill had reached advanced level four. Even though he steadily invested an hour or two into it every day, the total production period was two months. It was a delicate and beautiful hair tie. Of course, it was a different story when taking a closer look, and Mercedes was a person with better eyes than anyone else in the world. Her eyes trembled as she saw Grid¡¯s efforts and devotion in the hair tie.


    ¡°Cherish... I will cherish it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cherish it. I made it for you to wear while fighting.¡±


    The infamous horun thread¡ªit was so thin that it was easily broken or cut. Some people said that it was even worse than a spider web. The horun thread needed several strands to be twisted into one in order to increase the durability. It was just extremely difficult. No matter how high their sewing skills were, even people with good dexterity could identally break the thread in the process of twisting them together.


    However, it was durable enough to be used as a material for cloth if four or more pieces were twisted into one. If eight or more pieces were twisted into one then it would be solid enough to be used as a material for armor. Now Grid had seeded in twisted nine pieces into one.


    The hair tie that he gave Mercedes was stronger than it looked. There were also speed boost buffs attached due to the effects generated by the horun thread.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tie up my hair every day.¡±


    The smiling Mercedes pulled back her hair and tied it up. The blue hair and white hair tie were a beautiful harmony and it was within Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®It is good that I dyed it white.¡¯


    It was originally a ck hair tie. Then he saw that Mercedes¡¯ hair had regained its original color from white and he quickly dyed it.


    ¡°It looks good.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes¡¯s pale face turned red. Today was a special day for her. She had lived as a knight all her life, but this was the first time she received a gift that wasn¡¯t a sword or a shield.


    ***


    ¡°Were all the fields cleared?¡±


    Cokro Ind had an absoluteck of arablend. It was a small ind and more than half of the area was covered by mountains. The food that the inhabitants of Cokro Ind could provide for themselves were minimal. They had to sell minerals to the merchants on the maind and use the money to buy food. Now even that small amount of farnd was gone. It was because the area had to be cleared to create a forest.


    ¡®I will have to ask Rabbit to support it well.¡¯


    Piaro, who carefully nted the golden walnut seedlings obtained from the Xing Kingdom, noticed Grid¡¯s presence and approached.


    ¡°Wee, Your Majesty.¡±


    Piaro was sweaty from working and he shone brighter than anyone else. There were no worries on his face and he was full of smiles.Grid brushed the dirt off Piaro¡¯s clothes and anxiously asked him, ¡°Is it hard to work all by yourself?¡±


    Piaro didn¡¯t bring a single farmer with him on this mission. He was clearing the field and nting the seedlings all by himself. It was all in order to create a perfect forest. The golden walnut trees were more sensitive than any other nt. Piaro decided that in order to nt and care for the golden walnut trees well, he needed to do everything by himself. He would have to struggle alone in such a remote ce for several months. Wouldn¡¯t it be too lonely and difficult?


    It happened as Grid was worrying about this...


    ¡°Honey~~! Take a break and eat!!¡±


    From a distance, someone appeared and waved. Taking a closer look, it was Beniyaru.


    ¡°...You won¡¯t be lonely.¡±


    He was with his wife. It was Grid who smiled with peace of mind.


    ***


    ¡°Take a break from this Hell Gao raid?¡±


    There were a total of five raid teams in the Overgeared Guild. They were teams led by the original members of the Overgeared Guild and took on the role of handling boss monsters that appeared regrly all over the continent to secure wealth and goods.


    ¡°Yes, King Grid said he would raid Hell Gao himself since he is visiting Cokro Ind.¡±


    ¡°Who is with him?¡±


    ¡°Sir Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°Just Mercedes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit tight...¡±


    Pon, the leader of the first team, was worried. The final boss of Cokro Ind¡¯s dungeon, Hell Gao¡ªhe might¡¯ve been killed by Grid in the past, but the guy who regrly respawned was much stronger than he had been in the past. It was said that he lost his body and most of his power was sealed by the former Sword Saint Muller, but he was still the 9th great demon.


    It was a setting where he gradually regained his sealed power as time passed. In the past, he had four fire stones and now he had six. Every time a fire stone was added, his level rose by a huge 150 levels. The current Hell Gao was strong enough that there were a lot of sacrifices in the first raid team, which had the highest power among the raid teams.


    ¡°Does he want to dig out fire stones?¡±


    The fire stones created with Hell Gao¡¯s emergence were the source of Hell Gao¡¯s power and his weakness. Every time a fire stone was collected, Hell Gao¡¯s stats dropped significantly. The reason why Grid and Peak Sword were able to raid Hell Gao in their low level days was because they collected two fire stones.


    However, ording to the findings of team one, every time a fire stone was collected, Hell Gao didn¡¯t just weaken, the item drop rate also decreased. This meant there was no point in doing a raid by collecting the fire stones.


    ¡°I should go and support them.¡±


    Pon rose from his seat. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t believe in the skills of Grid and Mercedes. He had witnessed Grid smashing the half gods. Furthermore, Mercedes was a powerhouse in the same ss or above Grid.


    However, Hell Gao was a named boss. He was different from the NPC yangbans and boasted overwhelming vitality and endurance. It was a matter ofpatible natures. In principle, it was impossible for yers and NPCs to deal with the current Hell Gao.


    Pon was about to leave when Lauel suddenly questioned him, ¡°Poin, have you read the news.¡±


    ¡°What news?¡±


    ¡°Sir Mercedes has written a new chivalric code.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know. I was delighted to hear the news.¡±


    The chivalric code was a unique characteristic of the legendary knight. In a word, it was a cheat-ss ability where stats rose and new skills or traits would blossom every time she wrote a chivalric code.


    ¡°However, it isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Hell Gao had be stronger and he had the skill to inflict ¡®fatal injuries to five targets.¡¯ It was true damage that ignored defense andbined with the very powerful skill that caused an unconditional critical hit, even Toban had no luck and died in one shot.


    The designated target was random, but it made certain to hit the target. This meant that Grid and Mercedes had to match their skills together if they wanted to raid Hell Gao.


    ¡°I have to fill up the numbers. That way, the raid will be possible. Additionally, the current timing is bad.¡±


    Pon¡¯s expression became darker. It was spected that Hell Gao absorbed arge amount of magic power and regained some of his sealed power every time he appeared in the human world. Every time a certain amount of magic power was recovered, a new fire stone was added and a greater power was disyed. However, it was currently about the time for a new fire stone to be added.


    ¡°Maybe seven fire stones will appear this time. Then his level would be higher by 150.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just a problem of level and stat gains. New skills were created and there would be variations to his patterns.


    ¡®In that case, the odds are small even if all of the first team goes as support.¡¯


    Of course, the fire stones could be collected. Then Grid and Mercedes would seed in the raid. Still, how could it be easy to collect fire stones in front of the more powerful Hell Gao? Furthermore, collecting fire stones would make the value of the raid decline.


    Lauel called out to the hurrying Pon, ¡°Just watch.¡±


    Pon frowned. ¡°Just watch even though I know it will be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has been reading the raid team¡¯s reports. He knows that Hell Gao is different from before, yet he came out with confidence.¡±


    ¡°He might not have considered the seventh fire stone. It was just a spection in the report.¡±


    ¡°Sir Mercedes has written a new chivalric code.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, she said she would lose if she faced the current King Grid.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Pon, the king you remember is different from the current king. In this short time, His Majesty has advanced even further. Believe in and wait for His Majesty¡¯s judgment.¡±


    At the same time, Cokro Ind¡¯s dungeon...


    ¡°This is really...¡±


    It was after Grid finished looking at the golden walnut forest. Grid froze as he went to the dungeon with Mercedes to experience the stronger Hell Gao. Seven fire stones shed and the pressure Hell Gao gave off was terrifying. It might be a bit exaggerated, but there seemed to be no big difference with the 13th ranked great demon, Beleth.


    ¡®I heard that Hell Gao doesn¡¯t have a body so he robs the flesh of demonkin wandering through hell toe to the human world.¡¯


    He showed this much pressure while borrowing the body of a demonkin? It wasn¡¯t even his real body? It seemed that single digit great demons were really creatures in a different dimension. He judged that this couldn¡¯t be left alone.


    ¡®It seems appropriate to call Sehee for the next raid when an eighth fire stone is added.¡¯


    It was right that he should be permanently destroyed. This wasn¡¯t a creature that the current humanity could afford to face.


    Grid pulled out his weapon after making a judgment and was reminded of Kraugel.


    ¡®What is the Sword Saint of the present day doing?¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time. As always, he would be training in remote areas Grid hadn¡¯t been to yet. How far had he narrowed the gap with the previous Sword Saint? The expectant Grid never dreamt that Kraugel was being beaten up by a yangban who hadn¡¯t even taken off her gat.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1317

    The sword that was aiming at the area between his eyebrows suddenly bent like a sickle and cut at his corbone. He was a bit flustered, but Kraugel calmly blocked it with his sheath. He had expected an anomalous attack from the time he saw the shape of the soft sword, so it was easy to respond.


    The soft sword that was blocked by the sheath bounced back using its sticity. Kraugel drew his sword. At the same time, he turned the sheath around, held it in the reverse direction, and pushed it.


    ¡°...Oh my?¡±


    The eyes of the yangban, Yeum, widened. It was because her sword was attached to the human¡¯s sheath. She was in a hurry to retrieve her sword when Kraugel¡¯s sword cut her waist. It was an attack that dug deeply, but Kraugel¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡®A basic attack is pointless.¡¯


    A basic attack didn¡¯t deal much damage. He gauged Yeum¡¯s defense and kicked up. Jajinmori¡ªit was a kick that could be used even at a close range. It made the concept of space meaningless and exerted a chasing effect.


    Yeum was pushed back several meters and was ready to chase after him immediately. Through the dust, she could see the back of the human that was running far away. Usually, a person would think they had missed the opponent. However, Yeum was a yangban. In front of her, a half-god, the concept of distance had little significance.


    ¡°Shunpo.¡±


    Yeum¡¯s body teleported dozens of meters ahead. She spread out the capturing technique and snatched at the human¡¯s robes. Then a sharp de swept over Yeum¡¯s white hands like a storm. It was the manifestation of Formless Will.


    ¡®He has awakened the ¡®heart.¡¯¡¯


    The vast majority of the yangbans didn¡¯t understand the concept of Formless Will. For them, Formless Will was just an innate strength. Even Garam recognized Formless Will as a power of the yangbans. However, Yeum had an urate understanding of the ¡®heart¡¯ and Formless Will. This was the result of studying martial arts beside Mir without beingcent about her strength.


    Tong!Tong tong tong tong tong!


    Yeum matched it. She responded to Kraugel¡¯s Formless Will with her own Formless Will. The invisible blow collided with the invisible sword energy and a storm erupted. Meanwhile, the battle between Kraugel and Yeum continued. Yeum¡¯s techniques epassed fists, angled attacks, the palm, and the sword, and they were varied andplex. Her attacks that left behind afterimages were as shy as the tail of a peacock and Kraugel was desperate to stop them. Yes, he somehow blocked them.


    Yeum greatly admired it. The opponent was an ordinary human. He hadn¡¯t even umted transcendence. However, his heart and his techniques were unusual. Among them, his swordsmanship was particrly remarkable.


    ¡®The swordsmanship is simr to Mir¡¯s... no, maybe it is a bit better.¡¯


    This was a human who used swordsmanshipparable to Mir, the strongest of the yangbans. If he umted transcendence andpleted his body, wouldn¡¯t he far transcend the category of a human?


    ¡°It¡¯s great.¡±


    Yeum was blocked by the sword curtain used by the human being and she was forced to step back. She was filled with pure curiosity and questioned the human who was regaining his breath, ¡°You aren¡¯t a transcendent. How are you distinguishing between my various attacks? It isn¡¯t possible just because you have good eyes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t answer. He had no reason to exin that he was predicting and responding to attacks by reading the fine movements of her muscles, the direction of her eyes, and the habits that the other person was unaware of.


    ¡®The situation is bad.¡¯


    Kraugel had only been in Kaya for two days and he already met with a yangban. It was too much to dismiss it as bad luck.


    ¡®Is it because I had a conversation with the residents to gather information?¡¯


    The waterfall that was said to contain Muller¡¯s secret technique¡ªthe only clue was that it was ¡®a ce where there is no sunlight,¡¯ so Kraugel interacted with the residents to gather information. Then he stepped back and encountered the yangban in front of him. The possibility that it was a simple coincidence was very low.


    ¡®I was too short-sighted.¡¯


    The yangbans lost the red phoenix and ck tortoise to an outsider (Grid) and their colleagues were also killed. Even the arrogant ones would¡¯ve been rmed. It was clear they would thoroughly defend the blue dragon and the white tiger. It was enough to keep an eye on the people of the Kaya Kingdom and the Pa Kingdom.


    ¡®I should give up onmunicating with the NPCs here.¡¯


    He had to work thoroughly alone and in secret. The difficulty of the quest surged, but Kraugel didn¡¯t hesitate. He had a lot of experience in uncovering and solvingbyrinths alone. The biggest problem right now was how to get rid of the yangban in front of him. However, could he get rid of her? The level of the other person was too high.


    Yeum. She had a smiling face and soft attitude, but there was no mercy in her hands. She knew how to objectively analyze the enemy. She was never arrogant and careless, unlike other yangbans. Her skills were unsurprisingly excellent.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know that the skills of a yangban would be this high.¡¯


    In the past, Kraugel had warned Grid of the dangers of the yangbans.


    At that time, he didn¡¯t know there was a gap between the yangbans. He took the three yangbans he saw in Pangea, including Garam, as the standard for the yangbans. That wasn¡¯t the case anymore. In the past few years, he had been collecting information about the yangbans through many quests.


    Only the seven yangbans who had passed Chiyou¡¯s Test with high grades could take off their gats. They were the truly strong ones. Yet Yeum possessed higher than expected skills despite wearing a gat. Even a yangban wearing a gat was this strong...


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t help thinking of Grid who had killed several yangbans.


    ¡®The gap has widened further.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s heart jumped when he realized the difference in skill with Grid. His blood boiled as he recalled the goal ofpeting against Grid again. However, he suppressed it. It wasn¡¯t time yet. He would end up learning Muller¡¯s secret techniques if he was obsessed with winning against Grid.


    ¡®Then I am bound to lose.¡¯


    He absolutely refused to lose while using someone else¡¯s power. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint Grid. He realized it for certain when he saw that Grid didn¡¯t participate inst year¡¯s National Competition. It was a fact that a rematch with Grid shouldn¡¯t be set as a short-term goal. The current him didn¡¯t meet Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®...The game is fun. Exciting. Long.¡¯


    Kraugel tried to control his mind by repeating his positive thoughts. Then Yeum spoke to Kraugel, ¡°You seem to have many thoughts. Don¡¯t try to understand the situation. If you keep thinking about why I attacked you or why you can¡¯t beat me, then you won¡¯t understand until the very end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    It was Kraugel who felt insignificant when Yeum intervened as he was thinking about Grid. Yeum¡¯s face went nk for a moment, but she soonughed. ¡°You are so terrified that you¡¯ve lost your mind.¡±


    Yeum infused energy into her soft sword. The anomaly of the soft sword wasn¡¯t working so she determined it was better to suppress the opponent with a strong sword. ¡°The people above are a bit sensitive these days. It is forbidden to have outsiders active here, so please die.¡±


    ¡®There is no retreat.¡¯


    It was easy to understand why Yeum chose to fight here despite the narrowness. In the first ce, Shunpo was a problem. It was hard to get free. Kraugel looked around again and concluded that retreat was impossible. Therefore, he took a posture.


    ¡®I wonder if I can decrease her blood below half. I have to confirm it now that things are like this.¡¯


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    The Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship split apart the mountain and the half-god paid homage to his blow. Each time their swords collided, birds flew from the turbulent forest and covered the sky with ck.


    ***


    [Hell Gao, the master of Hellfire has appeared.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s roar has applied fear, confusion, and debilitating effects.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s fire has reduced fire resistance by 50%.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Hell Gao, who has restored a lot of magic power, has used his strength. A river of hellfire is summoned in the area.]


    [The health recovery effect is reduced by half due to the influence of the hellfire river and continuous burn damage is received.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Hell Gao¡¯s stats will rise significantly as the hellfire river flows.]


    [Fire pirs have risen and attacked you.]


    The moment Hell Gao appeared, a river of fire was also created in the dungeon.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Pirs of fire rose from the fire stones and struck at Grid and Mercedes. The fire stones were scattered in so many different locations so it felt like the fire wasing from all directions. Mercedes shouted to Grid, who couldn¡¯t easily find a path of retreat, ¡°Come over here!¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Mercedes was standing still and shouting. Grid had no way of knowing what her intentions were, but he trusted her unconditionally. He rushed forward. Pirs of fire burned the dungeon. However, there were some areas that weren¡¯t affected by the mes, one of which was the area where Grid and Mercedes were standing.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Blue hair swept over the face of the admiring Grid. Mercedes moved like a sh and raised a shield into the air.


    Meteor Strike¡ªit was thought to be one of the strongest spells until Grid witnessed Braham¡¯s Meteor, and it fell toward every point where the fire pirs didn¡¯t reach. Mercedes¡¯ shield now blocked one of them.


    Grid clicked his tongue. ¡®Is this the power of Keen Insight?¡¯


    She could grasp and target the boss¡¯ attack patterns in an instant. It was truly a powerful force to watch out for. Mercedes spoke to Grid, who was looking at her like she was beautiful, ¡°Don¡¯t fall into the river.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His transcendent senses were also sending him warnings. He was able to resist the burn damage and recovery reduction effect caused by the ¡®heat¡¯ of the hellfire river. However, once his body directly touched the hellfire river, his flesh and bones would melt.


    ¡®Once Hell Gao fully recovers, will heunch powerful mes like that river?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he was reminded that Hell Gao¡¯s nickname was ¡®master of hellfire.¡¯


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Beyond the mes, Hell Gao¡¯s voice could be heard.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Hell Gao came in and out of here like it was his own house, and he became ustomed to conversations with human beings. He was more talkative than when he fought against Grid a few years ago. He even sensed something strange and immediately asked questions.


    ¡°You guys... are you legends of the past generation?¡±


    Hell Gao had regained a considerable amount of power after suffering the humiliation of being beaten by humans several times. The physical body might only be borrowed from a demonkin, but his magic power had reached almost half of when he was in his prime.


    Hell Gao was nning to hold a killing celebration this time. He was convinced that the humans who humiliated him for years would never be able to handle his present self. Then what was this? What was the identity of these two humans who possessed a strength that modern humans couldn¡¯t show?


    Hell Gao was perplexed only to suddenly meet Grid¡¯s gaze. He kept his mouth shut for a moment before shouting. ¡°You! You are the guy from that time!¡±


    [Hell Gao, the master of Hellfire, recognizes you.]


    [The title ¡®Recognition of the 9th Great Demon¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Recognition of the 9th Great Demon]


    [A celebrity in hell.


    The hell reputation system is activated.


    The more you build your reputation, the less you will be penalized in hell.]


    [You have defeated many great demons.]


    [5,000 reputation points have been acquired through the influence of the magnificent achievements.]


    [The penalties in hell are reduced by 10%.]


    ¡°It is nice to see you giving me a gift.¡±


    This was a great profit. Activities in hell could be guaranteed, and hell was arguably Satisfy¡¯s best hunting ground. Hell Gao stared nkly at Grid¡¯s genuine joy and burst outughing. ¡°Kukuk!Kuhahahat! Right! I am d! Really d!! I have always dreamed of getting revenge on you! God Yatan finally listened to my wishes!!"


    The experience of defeat in a fight against ¡®a miner and a swordsman,¡¯ not the Sword Saint, was the greatest shame of Hell Gao¡¯s life. The reason Hell Gao diligently kepting to the human world over the past few years was actually because he wanted to get revenge.


    Today, the opportunity finally came. Hell Gao was very happy.


    ¡°You are worthy of being the human who defeated me. You have be stronger! It will be worth taking you down! Kuhahahat!¡±


    ¡°...You have be very chatty.¡±


    Among all the great demons Grid had met, Hell Gao gave off the lightest feeling. However, the power he radiated was great. Grid didn¡¯t release his tension even if it wasn¡¯t for the warnings from his transcendent senses.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°I will follow you.¡±


    ¡°...Can you take the lead?¡±


    Grid thoroughly relied on Mercedes after witnessing the true value of Keen Insight. It was the first time that he recognized those with finite lives as ¡®people to depend on¡¯ rather than a ¡®person to be protected.¡¯


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the eighth epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrativees from the confrontation with the great evil roaring beyond the soaring mes.]


    ¡°dly,¡± Mercedes replied.


    [His knight takes the lead in the furnace filled with the demonic desires.]


    [One step. Enduring the mes of hell.]


    [Two steps. The back she showed as she confronted the great evil with devotion shared the burdens he had been carrying so far.]


    Exactly 15 days left until the submission date for the Overgeared event ends! There still aren¡¯t as many entries asst year¡¯spetition so I hope you are all working on your submissions within thest two weeks! Remember, multiple cash prizes to be won!


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1318

    [The subject is too busy and can¡¯t check their whisper.]


    There was only one case where the whisper couldn¡¯t be transmitted due to such a reason. It was when the target was raiding a dungeon boss.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s already started.¡±


    Lauel had asked him to trust Grid, but Pon felt uneasy. Pon naturally believed in Grid¡¯s skills. Were there any Overgeared members who doubted that Grid was the strongest? It was just that the timing this time was too bad. Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to handle Hell Gao if he had obtained his seventh fire stone.


    ¡®It is hard even if he is stronger than Mercedes. It is impossible for two people to raid the boss based on the pattern.¡¯


    Pon wanted to give Grid some advice, but became nervous when he couldn¡¯t even send a whisper. Lauel caught up to him as he was hurrying away. ¡°Are you going to support?¡±


    ¡°I have to go. I can¡¯t let Grid and Mercedes die.¡±


    The pirs of fire that were summoned the moment Hell Gao appeared grew stronger as the number of fire stones increased. The moment six fire stones appeared, the damage range was widened to the point where the entire dungeon would burn.


    Additionally, the summoning position of the pirs of fire was random every time. The only way to find the ces the pirs of fire didn¡¯t damage was purely by luck. Then if they avoided a pir of fire, they were exposed to the ¡®balls of fire¡¯ falling from the sky. It was inevitable to take some damage from the moment Hell Gao appeared.


    ¡®Of course, Grid and Mercedes will resist the debuff that lowers fire resistance, but they will still be injured.¡¯


    It was very painful even if the fire resistance was 100%. Just because attribute resistance was 100% didn¡¯t mean that no attribute damage was received. This was because all attribute attacks had basic damage. The damage could be kept bnced with defense and resistance, but Hell Gao¡¯s fire attack power was truly unstoppable. It might be blocked by resistance and reduced by damage and resistance, but the damage was still beyond imagination.


    Additionally, all of Hell Gao¡¯s attacks had a certain amount of true damage applied. Itpletely ignored defense and resistance.


    ¡®You will go straight to hell the moment you start taking damage from Hell Gao.¡¯


    Hell Gao¡¯s scariest attack pattern was the tentacle of magic power that urred when more than half of the people participating in the raid lost a certain amount of health. It was a skill that dealt 100% of their true damage to five targets and unconditionally inflicted a critical hit.


    ¡®The skill that triggers every time 20% of our health is reduced is the most dangerous.¡¯ Therefore, it was important to keep their health.


    Once health started being lost, a vicious cycle started repeating itself. The damage that urred when Hell Gao first appeared had to be recovered immediately to withstand the pattern. Potions alone had their limits. The Hell Gao raid required a healer or a buffer.


    It happened when Pon started gathering team one...


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the eighth epic.]


    An epic was triggered. The contents of the epic were also very serious. It wasn¡¯t Grid but Grid¡¯s knight. It described Mercedes confronting the mes of hell. It wrote that she shared the burdens that Grid had been carrying alone so far. Grid was dependent on Mercedes when he valued the lives of NPCs a hundred or thousand times more than his own? It was Mercedes who was like a precious object that couldn¡¯t be exchanged for anything...


    It was proof that Grid was being overwhelmed.


    ¡°Che!¡±


    In the middle of the corridor, Pon summoned a white horse. Lauel shouted as Pon threw a spear, broke the window, and mounted the horse, ¡°Go to Sticks. He will guide you to the warpgate.¡±


    ***


    The epic was Grid¡¯s footsteps. It focused on the person himself rather than his feats. This time, the system focused on the changes in Grid who started relying on his colleagues. He became the light guiding humanity because he knew his own limitations. Nevertheless, he still saw others as precarious.


    Grid, who had always been fighting alone, finally trusted others. It was a scene that proved the development of humanity. It was a moment that hinted at a generational change. It was right to write it as a narrative that would be a myth.


    Mercedes stepped forward with the shield over her head and blocked the mes pouring down like rain. Grid followed behind her.


    [Every time he followed in his knight¡¯s footsteps, the responsibility that oppressed him was washed awayyer byyer.]


    ¡°This way!¡±


    [It was with the courage to face all types of injustices and threats to lead the way.]


    ¡°The river in this direction is fake.¡±


    [A resolution to protect everyone.]


    ¡°Now!¡±


    [A foolish obstinacy and arrogance.]


    ¡°Ridiculous guys!¡±


    [He realized it under the protection of the shield.]


    ¡°Sky.¡±


    [The knight¡¯s shield that defeated the mes of hell elerated his sword.]


    ¡°Kuuack! River, flood!¡±


    [The new epic effect has increased damage by 10% during party y.]


    ¡°Knight¡¯s Divine Protection.¡±


    [The knight¡¯s gaze looked at ces he couldn¡¯t see and protected his back.]


    ¡°What...?! Your eyes are impossible!¡±


    [The new epic effect has increased defense by 10% during party y.]


    ¡°Shunpo.¡±


    ¡°Silver Wings.¡±


    [A branch that dreams of being a tree to support the world.]


    [His efforts and struggles to lead humanity as antern.]


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Gxy Wave.¡±


    [The distinction between the previous generation and the present is removed.]


    ¡°You guys...! Le...gends! Kuaaack!¡±


    [Overgeared King Grid haspleted the eighth page of the epic!]


    [Due to the influence of the epic, the stats of all the legends of this age are slightly increased.]


    ***


    [The eighth page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen by one level as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [Resistance to skill damage has slightly increased.]


    [Resistance to weapon damage has slightly increased.]


    [Skin of Transcendence has be even harder.]


    [The title ¡®Protagonist of the Legend¡¯ has been created.]


    [Your knight ¡®Mercedes¡¯ is deifying you.]


    [Your Deity stat has increased by 1.]


    [Skin of Transcendence Lv. 2]


    [Passive


    * There is a certain chance of resisting physical damage below 3,000.


    The skin of a transcendent is very tough and hard.


    It is a process of peeking into the domain of imperviousness to the sword.]


    [Protagonist of the Legend]


    [The protagonist who leads other legends.


    You will gain more experience than your party members when hunting in a party with legendary sses.


    There is a chance of acquiring better items than your party members when hunting in a party with legendary sses.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The epic was apanied by great growth. His defense and damage was increased during party hunting and his resistance to skill damage and weapon damage increased. Additionally, Skin of Transcendence was strengthened and he obtained a title. He was so happy that he wanted to cheer.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t afford to cheer.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Shunpo!¡±


    The momentum of the mes that Hell Gao wore on his body became much greater. Under Grid and Mercedes¡¯ onught, his health was decreased and he entered the second phase. Hell Gao¡¯s eyes were burning red as he gazed at Grid and Mercedes, who were fleeing like rats. ¡°I thought all humans of the present day are trash. It is shocking.¡±


    This was bad. Looking at his manner of speaking, the guy who had just gone berserk had regained hisposure. This meant his attack uracy had returned to a normal level.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be inferior even if you were living in the same era as Muller.¡±


    How many people in the world had been praised by a great demon? Hell Gao highly praised Grid and Mercedes, and he even mentioned Muller who sealed him. He was at ease. Hell Gao rotated the staff he had been holding as an ornament and created dozens of reverse pentagrams around him.


    ¡°However, you are still young. Muller was in hister years when he sealed me.¡±


    The 9th great demon, Hell Gao, was a powerful presence in the worldview, but he was surprisingly used to a sense of helplessness. It was because he experienced a sword that couldn¡¯t be broken, a sword that couldn¡¯t be blocked, a sword that couldn¡¯t be avoided. This was why he quickly regained his cool despite Mercedes¡¯ use of Keen Insight.


    For thest hundreds of years, he wandered hell in a spirit form and repeatedly thought about it¡ªhow could hebat such irrationality? The answer he found was surprisingly simple. It was to face irrationality with more irrationality. mes intersected over dozens of inverted pentagrams and then zed.


    ¡°It is still an iplete magic, but can you afford to handle it when you, too, are iplete?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    This was magic that was created to kill Muller. Mercedes glimpsed the identity of the magic circle with Keen Insight and pushed Grid away.


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t taken a proper hit since entering phase two. It was due to his high agility that allowed him to react as soon as Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight predicted it. Mercedes suffered damage, but it was inevitable because she was in the tanker¡¯s position. Even so, she only suffered minor injuries. Neither of them had gone below 90% of their health. It was fine like this, yet Mercedes was telling him to run away?


    ¡®What is that magic?


    33 magic circles that repeatedly generated dark mes and condensed them. It seemed that it could carry out a bombardment that broke through ¡®all defense.¡¯ Grid suggested, ¡°If the two of us block it together...¡±


    ¡°It is impossible. He has infinitely ovepped guidance magic with eleration magic.¡±


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    It was the moment when Grid stiffened...


    ¡°This should be enough to deal with you.¡±


    There was a big smile on the goat head. Then there was silence as if someone had pressed the mute button. The mes burning in the magic circles suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Mercedes was already moving. She tried to hug Grid as she opened her mouth to say some final words. Herrge shield was only covering Grid¡¯s body. She even used her body as a shield as she sacrificed herself for Grid. In the world that had stopped¡ª


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    Every one of Grid¡¯s senses stood up. The ¡®world that a transcendent sees¡¯ unfolded before his eyes. He could see the 33 sparks that were hidden. They were approaching him and Mercedes fiercely. He could see how each and every one of Mercedes¡¯ hair was moving. Her face was sad like she was just about to burst into tears.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    Just as you are protecting me, it is natural for me to protect you.


    The back of Grid¡¯s hand wiped at Mercedes¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°Flower Revolve.¡±


    All the 33 sparks filled Grid¡¯s field of view and petals of sword energy were scattered. In Mercedes¡¯ vision, it was Grid¡¯s cloak passing by instead of Grid. Then Hell Gao was bombarded by his own magic.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Mercedes and the great demon didn¡¯t know what Grid had done and their astonished gazes met. Hell Gao fell steadily and saw the blue petals fluttering in the mes. Every petal reflected the nightmare from hundreds of years ago.

 Chapter 1319

    It would be a battle of endurance. Grid predicted that it would take at least an hour to raid Hell Gao. First of all, Hell Gao¡¯s attack pattern was too difficult. It was the first time he had experienced such a diverse, extensive, and irregr pattern. It was possible to cope by maintaining the Transcend state as much as possible to freely use Shunpo, but that meant the overconsumption of stamina. It would only lead to self-destruction.


    ¡®Stamina is always a problem.¡¯


    Attack power and survivability could be covered with items. The problem was that stamina was different. Stamina often held him back, so he gradually felt irritable. In the end, Grid decided it was best to rely on Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight. However, following Mercedes¡¯ order led him to moving one step behind Mercedes and it was difficult to find a chance to strikepared to fighting on his own.


    Furthermore, his ultimate skills like Sky and the five fusion sword dances struck, but didn¡¯t exert as much power as he thought. Hell Gao¡¯s abilities were above Grid¡¯s even though he lost his body, borrowed the body of a demonic creature, and hadn¡¯t fully recovered his magic power. This was the majestic power of a single digit great demon.


    ¡®...I thought I would die first.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t expected this type of development. Hell Gao¡¯s ultimate attack that was used the moment he entered phase two ended up making the raid easier. Hell Gao had all 33 of his spells returned to him and his health gauge quickly reached the bottom. Thebination of a transcendent person who recognized all attacks and Flower Revolve that reflected all attacks in the field of view could be described as the realm of art.


    ¡°Kukuk...! Kukukuk!!¡±


    Was it because the shock was too big? Hell Gao became bloody and suddenly burst outughing. Hell Gao¡¯s remaining health was less than three-tenths. It was so small that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he entered the final phase.


    Yes, the raid wasn¡¯t over yet. The real battle was starting from now on. Grid and Mercedes were tense and tightened their grips on their weapons. Meanwhile, Hell Gaoy there and watched the blue petals.


    ¡°What a trivial thing.¡± Hell Gao wasn¡¯t talking to the humans. The words were for the owner of the body that he had borrowed for a while.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and Mercedes were stunned. It was because Hell Gao talked to himself and then dug at his own eyes with a sharp hand. The red, bloodshot eyeballs were pulled out and rolled around in his hand.


    ¡°It is useless to have eyes that can¡¯t even see the speed of the magic that I shot.¡±


    Hell Gao¡¯s body was engulfed in mes that moved like living creatures as his body slowly rose and stood upright. He tightly grasped the eyes he pulled out and caused them to burst. Then he stood still and started to breathe deeply.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Hwaruk!


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Hwaruruk.


    Every time Hell Gao took a breath, the burning fire around his body gradually subsided. He killed the pressure that seemed like it would burn the whole world, and became smaller and quieter. Then he disappearedpletely.


    ¡°Haaaah...¡±


    In the end, ck smoke emerged from Hell Gao¡¯s mouth and nose as he let out a breath. His face, chest, neck, back, shoulders, arms, pelvis, and legs¡ªHell Gao¡¯s shell fell apart. The exposed flesh burned red likeva while the wriggling blood vessels were burning ck.


    This was Hell Gao¡¯s magic¡ªfire itself. Hell Gao absorbed it into his body and the demonic creature¡¯s body started copsing because it couldn¡¯t withstand the heat. It was the start of the final phase.


    ¡°¡±Human.¡±¡±


    Hell Gao¡¯s vocal cords were melted and his voice became bizarre. It was torn and submerged to the point where it was hard to understand.


    ¡°¡±Yes, your name. What, is it?¡±¡±


    Grid barely recognized the words and answered, ¡°Grid, Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    ¡°¡±I will remember.¡±¡±


    The first human since Muller who has given me such a great sense of helplessness.


    Hell Gao was unable to say the following words. It was because his vocal cords hadpletely melted and disappeared. He was only breathing like a beast.


    ¡°He used magic power to temporarily maximize his physical and sensory functions.¡± Mercedes watched Hell Gao¡¯s changes closely and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll fight to buy time while Your Majesty is recovering.¡±


    Mercedes knew that Grid was quite exhausted. It wasn¡¯t strange to feel tired after using Shunpo several times and then entering the transcendent realm. It was the aftermath of awakening concentration and senses so great that the world seemed to be in slow motion. Didn¡¯t he lose his breath after exchanging a few seconds of attacks and defenses with the grandmaster?


    ¡°No, we will fight together.¡±


    Grid moved his heavy legs and stood beside Mercedes.


    ¡°In any case, isn¡¯t he going to die soon?¡±


    From the moment he entered the final phase, Hell Gao¡¯s health gauge started to decrease by itself. The body that Hell Gao borrowed couldn¡¯t handle Hell Gao¡¯s magic power and was dying. The dying sh¡ªthe current Hell Gao was like a candle zing at the end.


    He showed a desire to bring the humans who drove him to this point down to hell with him. It was impossible for Mercedes to deal with this guy alone.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mercedes didn¡¯t continue to insist. She knew that they had a better chance of surviving together than if she struggled alone.


    ¡°Hell Gao is going to try and handle this quickly.¡±


    Originally, they should dy time and persist. However, was it really possible? Hell Gao had increased his physical ability to the extreme so his movements...


    ¡°......!¡±


    The speed was like lightning. Mercedes read Hell Gao¡¯s intentions and path with Keen Insight, but she couldn¡¯t respond perfectly. In an instant, Hell Gao narrowed the distance and kicked. This caused Mercedes¡¯ body to fly through the air. The side of her armor dented as she coughed up blood.


    Grrr...


    Beast-like breathing rang in Mercedes¡¯ ears. Hell Gao followed after her, but Mercedes¡¯ shield was already protecting her heart. This was evidence that she read and responded to the situation in advance. If she had blocked Hell Gao¡¯s kick with her shield then her heart would¡¯ve been exposed to the subsequent attack. The moment Hell Gao¡¯s fist collided with Mercedes¡¯ shield, a huge wave of energy shook the dungeon.


    ¡°I am also aiming for a quick fight.¡±


    The Enlightenment Sword and the Fire Dragon Sword¡ªGrid merged the two swords into one and cut at Hell Gao¡¯s back with Pinnacle. Then Hell Gao¡¯s kick struck Grid¡¯s abdomen. Hell Gao was wary of Grid¡¯s transcendence and raised his senses to the extreme. It was impossible that he couldn¡¯t respond to Grid¡¯s current speed.


    He just didn¡¯t avoid it. He just attacked instead of defending. It was a mistake. The thing that Gridcked was endurance, not health. Rather, he was grateful for Hell Gao¡¯s response.


    ¡°Storm of the Fire God.¡±


    Divine mes overflowed from Grid.


    Hell Gao was the master of hellfire, so Grid wasn¡¯t sure if Storm of the Fire God would affect Hell Gao. However, the use of Storm of the Fire God wasn¡¯t just limited to suppressing the enemy. It had the beneficial effect of healing the user by 20%.


    Would enemies who ran into each other on a single person wooden bridge fight like this?


    Grid¡¯s sword and armor constantly collided with Hell Gao¡¯s body that was enhanced with magic power. The two of them didn¡¯t try to avoid or block each other¡¯s attacks. They just cut at each other¡¯s flesh and bones to defeat the opponent in front of them.


    Originally, Hell Gao should have the overwhelming advantage. Boss monsters, especially named bosses, had health and endurance that yers couldn¡¯t handle. If a boss monster and yer struggled in a battle of consumption, then it was normal for yers to lose first.


    A lunatic who fought against boss monsters in this way didn¡¯t exist in the world. Yet the positions of Grid and Hell Gao werepletely reversed. Hell Gao was dying quickly without recovering. Meanwhile¡ª


    [Braham¡¯s Shield has wrapped around your body. The shield has absorbed 25,673 damage. An additional 500 defense is obtained while the shield is retained.]


    [Braham¡¯s Shield has wrapped around your body. The shield has absorbed 25,673 damage. An additional 500 defense is obtained while the shield is retained.]


    [Braham¡¯s Shield has wrapped around...]


    ......


    ...


    The health-consuming rate was rtively slow since Grid used the fusion sword dances and single sword dances Wave and Revolve with Braham¡¯s Shield attached every time the cooldown was over. The shield also continued to be triggered due to God¡¯s Command.


    Of course, it was rtively slow. Braham¡¯s Shield couldn¡¯tst long in front of Hell Gao¡¯s amazing attack power that dealt at least 10,000 damage with every hit. But¡ª


    ¡°Cray¡¯s Power.¡±


    Grid had the strongest vampire skill that absorbed 100% damage dealt and turned it into health. The cooldown was five minutes, but it was enough to reverse the situation with one use. Additionally, the lifesteal function of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring was added so Grid¡¯s health recovery was dazzling. Storm of the Fire God maximized the power of the vampires.


    However...


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword dances, Cray¡¯s Power, and Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring were all skills and items with a cooldown time. Unlike Katz¡¯s lifesteal, there were gaps in Grid¡¯s lifesteal. Hell Gao noticed it from a certain moment and urately grasped this gap.


    ¡°Che!¡±


    It was a critical injury at a time when Grid¡¯s lifesteal was blocked. Grid gritted his teeth at the blood and Hell Gao finally smiled. It was at this moment...


    [A great king puts his safety first.]


    [The title of ¡®The First King¡¯ has created a shield equal to the health lost in thest minute.]


    Grid was once again surrounded by a new shield.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    At this time, Hell Gao frowned. If his eyes were normal then he would be looking at Grid with disgust. It was like looking at a cockroach, not a human being.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ performance was also brilliant. As Grid endured, endured, and endured, she constantly attacked Hell Gao¡¯s vital spots and elerated the consumption of health. She even blocked several of Hell Gao¡¯s attacks by setting up her shield in exquisitely ced locations. If it wasn¡¯t for her, Grid¡¯s health would¡¯ve decreased twice as fast.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    Before they knew it, Hell Gao¡¯s health was reduced to one-tenth. Surprisingly, Hell Gao wasn¡¯t nervous. It was because he knew clearly that he would die together with Grid. The moment Hell Gao abandoned his body and his eyes, his sharp senses allowed him to detect that Grid¡¯s breathing had reached its limit.


    It was the same for Mercedes. Her Keen Insight read that Grid would soon stop moving.


    ¡®Please...! Please!¡¯


    The sweat-drenched Mercedes started to speed up. Her desire to protect Grid was sharpening the tip of her sword. Unfortunately, her attack power was limited. The advantage of a knight was that it could y all roles, but the weak point was that it couldn¡¯t reach the peak. Her swordsmanship was unfortunatelycking in power and couldn¡¯t inflict a fatal injury on Hell Gao. Therefore¡ª


    [Your knight ¡®Mercedes¡¯ has realized there is no meaning to a sword that can¡¯t protect its master and has written a new chivalric code.]


    [Mercedes¡¯ attack power, critical hit probability, and probability of hitting a vital spot will increase significantly.]


    The legendary knight evolved once again.


    ¡°¡±Kuoooh...¡±¡±


    Hell Gao moaned after he was stabbed by Mercedes¡¯ sword that he had ignored. His aggro that was focused on Grid after losing a lot of health to Grid was finally dispersed. Maybe he was vignt because he knew Grid was going to copse soon. Unfortunately for Hell Gao, Grid had a trump card.


    ¡°Belial¡¯s Power.¡±


    The power of fire, the power of darkness, and the power of lies. The 32nd great demon Belial had a total of three powers. The power of fire would have no effect on Hell Gao, the master of hellfire. Even Queen¡¯s mes of Hell, which consumed 90% of the maximum mana, couldn¡¯t damage Hell Gao at all. Yet Grid used the power of fire. There was only one reason...


    [The passive effect ¡®Fire Queen¡¯ is activated. Stamina won¡¯t fall while this passive is maintained.]


    It was to enjoy this effect. If it was Grid from a few months ago, he would¡¯ve focused on the powerful enemy in front of him, fought until his stamina was exhausted, and experienced defeat. However, not anymore. He met the absolute god, Hanul, and Chiyou, the unique god. Hell Gao might be strong, but he was only a ¡®great demon¡¯. Grid didn¡¯t shrink back, maintained his normal heart, and made the best choice.


    ¡®Two minutes.¡¯


    The final countdown had begun. He had to hold on here and defeat the enemy. Hell Gao finally seemed to be nervous. He ignored the strengthened Mercedes and exchanged several blows with Grid. Then Grid unexpectedly used Decoy. It was enough to deceive Hell Gao, who threw away his sight to awaken his senses.


    Grid widened the distance as Hell Gao smashed the magical bird and reached out. His expression was firm, as if allowing no further ess. ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    Hundreds of battle gear appeared behind Grid.


    ¡°¡±???¡±¡±


    It was now hard to describe it as the roar of a beast. Hell Gao let out sounds that could barely be understood and elerated. He didn¡¯t care that his tattered body could no longer endure his magic power and started to turn to ashes. He felt the weight of these ¡®tools¡¯ containing history as they were made, used, and talked about. The iing rain of battle gear was another legend in itself. It was something that the current Hell Gao couldn¡¯t endure.


    The rain of battle gear poured down, piercing and crushing Hell Gao. Grid also flew over. Along with Mercedes, he cut the neck of Hell Gao, who was unable to move.


    [The Rune of Gluttony has eaten the power of the weakened great demon Hell Gao.]


    It was a short but intense message. It was news of the end of the raid.


    [Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, has been sessfully defeated!]


    Grid and Mercedes smiled at each other as they cut Hell Gao¡¯s neck.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1320

    [Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, has been sessfully defeated!]


    [¡¯Horn of the Selected Demonkin¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [¡¯Ne of Hierarchy¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [¡¯Ring of Hierarchy¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [39 Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [68 Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones have been acquired.]


    [Your reputation in hell has increased by 2,000.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Horn of the Selected Demonkin]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 890/890 Attack Power: 2,599


    * Attack speed will increase by 20%.


    * Critical hit chance will increase by 50%.


    * Critical hit damage will increase by 120%.


    * 50% increase in fire resistance.


    * There is a 30% chance to counterattack when hit by a fire attribute attack.


    The horn of the demonic creature chosen by Hell Gao and was deprived of its body.


    It is hard and sharp, so it is good to use as a weapon.


    Conditions of Use: Level 600. Advanced Sword Mastery Level 5.


    Weight: 830]


    ¡®This.¡¯


    As a legendary rated item, it naturally had a great performance, but it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy Grid.


    ¡®The performance isn¡¯t bad, but the level restriction is uselessly high.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been considered if the level limit was 400. However, it was level 600. Grid was first in the unified rankings and had just reached level 417. This meant 600 was an unrealistic number.


    ¡®It means that Hell Gao¡¯s level was that high.¡¯


    Hell Gao¡¯s level was proportional to the number of fire stones. From the time he summoned seven fire stones with his appearance, his level would¡¯ve been different from before. There was a high probability that this raid wouldn¡¯t have been possible if not for Fenrir¡¯s Power to ovee the level difference.


    ¡®No, it would¡¯ve been impossible.¡¯


    The greatness of the rune was realized. Recently, the runes were evaluated as the ¡®ultimate¡¯ system. There were no limits to the runes. Just as Grid¡¯s rune gained unique abilities every time he defeated named demonkin, demonic creatures, and demons, the other runes released into the world would grow infinitely every time certain conditions were met.


    Of course, the difficulty of achieving these conditions were terrifyingly high. Wasn¡¯t it obvious that the growth conditions were difficult just by looking at Grid¡¯s rune? Defeating named demonkin, demonic creatures, and demons wasn¡¯t something that anyone could do. There were no easy opponents among the direct descendant vampires and the great demons that Grid raided.


    [Rune of Gluttony]


    [* Weakened Great Demon Hell Gao¡¯s Power]


    [Domination]


    [There is a certain probability of controlled demonic creatures with a lower level than you.


    You can control up to two demonic creatures.


    Resources Consumed: Target demonic creature¡¯s food, 10,000 mana


    Domination Duration Time: 24 hours.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes]


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    It was an unexpected power. He naturally thought Hell Gao would give him a power rted to fire, but this line of thinking seemed to be too narrow.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t strange to give me the power to dominate demonic creatures because he takes over the body of a demonic creature every time he appears in the human world.¡¯


    Was this a force to be pleased with? Demonic creatures referred to monsters living in hell and Grid didn¡¯t know hell very well. He couldn¡¯t properly measure the level of hell¡¯s monsters.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know...¡¯


    It was too bad. Perhaps if he had raided Hell Gao in his intact state, then he would¡¯ve gained multiple powers at once like Belial and then he wouldn¡¯t have felt this ambiguity. Grid was smacking his lips together when he suddenly felt puzzled. ¡®Will I gain additional powers if I raid the same target repeatedly?¡¯


    In fact, Grid hadn¡¯t expected Hell Gao¡¯s powers to be attached to the rune. Hell Gao was different from other great demons. He didn¡¯t expect Hell Gao to be valued since he respawned in a specific area every cycle like an ordinary boss monster.


    However, Hell Gao¡¯s power was attached to the rune while Hell Gao would respawn again next month. No, since the number of fire stones had increased, it would be 40 dayster? Grid thought it would be better to kill Hell Gao again at that time.


    ¡®Hell Gao¡¯s other powers can be attached to the rune... he can¡¯t be killed unless I appear myself.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t underestimating the raid teams led by the Overgeared members. Hell Gao was just too strong. First of all, his level was overwhelming. Grid might be able to deal with it using Fenrir¡¯s Power, but what about the other yers?


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Grid had been rubbing the demonic creature¡¯s horn when immersed in thoughts, only to suddenly realize it was ufortable to hold. It was because this grip was really bad. It seemed ufortable to use this horn because it wasn¡¯t a weapon intended to be used by humans. It was the body part of a demon, after all.


    ¡®This means...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be reborn as a much better weapon if the shape was refined to be usable? In particr, there was a high probability of lowering the ridiculous user restriction.


    ¡®I should improve my understanding of it while using it for the time being.¡¯


    Once he increased his understanding to 100% and used Item Modification, it would be reborn as a top-notch weapon. It might not be able to reach the rank of swords such as the Enlightenment Sword and the Fire Dragon Sword, but it would still be a first-tier weapon. Furthermore, Grid¡¯s swords could only be used by himself while the monster¡¯s horn could be transferred to the Overgeared members. Easing the level condition would greatly contribute to the increase in the guild¡¯s power.


    Grid first used Pagma¡¯s Eyes to improve his understanding and he looked at the ne and ring.


    [Ring of Hierarchy]


    [Rating: Legendary


    * Intelligence +300


    * The duration of taming type skills will be doubled.


    * Intelligence +100 when worn with the Ne of Hierarchy.


    ¡ïIf the taming target is a monster of hell then the duration of Domination is permanently changed.


    A ring that symbolizes Hell Gao¡¯s status and power.


    The demonic creatures of hell will instinctively submit.


    User Restriction: Level 500 or higher.


    Weight: 11]


    [Ne of Hierarchy]


    [Rating: Legendary


    * Intelligence +300


    * Dignity +300


    * The number of controble demonic creatures +2.


    * Intelligence +100 when worn with the Ring of Hierarchy.


    A ne that symbolizes Hell Gao¡¯s status and power. It is red and gorgeous and enhances the dignity of the wearer.


    Conditions of Use: Level 550


    Weight: 35]


    ¡°...Now it wants me to be a tamer?¡±


    The condition of use was to be level 550. It meant the hierarchy items would be considered Grid-only items for the next few years. No, even if the conditions of use were low, Grid had no intention of transferring this to others. How could he give up set items that increased his intelligence by 800?


    Grid felt like he was being forced to take a new secondary ss. It was a ss where he could control four approximately level 400 demonic creatures of hell.


    -Yura, rmend some terrifying demonic creatures to me...


    It seemed he would have to be active in hell for the time being. He had to investigate the ecosystem of hell, find out which demonic creatures were strongest among the monsters below level 417, and which monsters should be tamed. He would use Demon yer Yura as a guide.


    [The other person is in a ce where they can¡¯t receive whispers.]


    ¡®She is still hunting.¡¯


    It was right to say that Yura was in hell for 23 hours a day. It wasn¡¯t easy tomunicate with her in the game when she only came back from hell to replenish supplies such as potions and consumables. She worked so hard that her level up speed must be fast. A few days ago, Yura said that she finally achieved level 400...


    Yura and Chris had surpassed level 400 and he wondered if Kraugel had reached it. Kraugel¡¯s growth rate had been unmatched since the time when he was a genius among geniuses and the supreme one.


    ¡®I should go to the National Competition this year.¡¯


    He wanted topete with Kraugel. He was looking forward to seeing his rival who must¡¯ve be incredibly strong over the past two years.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    It happened when Grid smiled and took out a return scroll with Mercedes...


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    A cry was heard and soon the members of raid team one appeared, including Pon and Toban.


    ¡°Phew, thank goodness. You¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°Do you know how worried we were?¡±


    It really took 10 years off their life. Grid was Grid, but if something happened to Mercedes, then the entire Overgeared Kingdom would be filled with an atmosphere of sorrow. The relieved Pon and Toban looked around at the signs of destruction.


    ¡°By the way, it is fortunate. There would¡¯ve been no solution if Hell Gao had summoned the seventh fire stone.¡±


    ¡°Toban is right. Grid, now is the time to be careful. There is a high possibility that Hell Gao will be much stronger in his next appearance. So don¡¯t challenge him yourself next time. I think the entire Overgeared members must participate in the raid for a chance to seed.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yes.¡±


    He would postpone saying that seven fire stones had appeared until next time. He thought that the shock to the kids would be too great.


    Grid was nodding silently when Mercedes opened her mouth, ¡°Hell Gao has already summoned the seventh fire stone. After personally experiencing the power firsthand, I think that King Grid should personally be responsible for controlling Hell Gao.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand... Eh?¡±


    Raid team one was silent for a moment. They all had wide, dumb eyes after understanding Mercedes¡¯ words. Their mouths dropped open.


    At the same time, Kaya on the East Continent...


    [Overgeared King Grid haspleted the eighth page of the epic!]


    [Due to the influence of the epic, the stats of all the legends of this age are slightly increased.]


    It was literally a slight increase. His fourbat rted stats of strength, agility, intelligence, and stamina had each increased by 10 points. Ordinary users might think that everything mattered regardless of how small, butmon sense didn¡¯t apply to legendary sses. They led their various fields and were able to grow their stats faster and in a more versatile manner through various quests and titles acquired. In fact, the 40 stat points didn¡¯t have much of an impact on the battle.


    Kraugel was still struggling while the yangban Yeum had the advantage. However, Kraugel¡¯s mindsetpletely changed when he heard Grid¡¯s epic.


    ¡®Grid...¡¯


    The distinction between the previous generation and the present was removed? Was it saying that Grid caught up with the legends that were active hundreds of years ago in just approximately a decade? It waspletely different from Kraugel who kept standing in ce. Daring topare with Grid...


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to give up?¡±


    Yeum frowned when Kraugelunched a vicious attack. Her patience was limited. She didn¡¯t expect this ragged human to be so tenacious. After fighting for dozens of minutes, wounds were etched on her body. It made her training and research over the past hundreds of years feel unjust. They were years she spent with Mir while ignoring Chiyou¡¯s Test. She was feeling unpleasant when Kraugel pointed his sword at her. ¡°I have a friend pushing my back.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°Swordsmanship Creation. Thunderbolt.¡±


    Yeum¡¯s health gauge fell below 50%. It was a result that exceeded the standards Kraugel initially aimed for.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1321

    ¡°......¡±


    The confrontation between Kraugel and Yeum ended with Yeum¡¯s victory. However, Yeum¡¯s expression was dark. She returned to the pce covered in blood and stood in front of a snow-covered pine tree. The snow turned red due to the dropping blood.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t have a single advantage in technique.¡¯


    Yeum¡¯s face wrinkled as she recalled the battle. All her techniques were detected and destroyed with a sword. It was a reality she didn¡¯t want to believe. She had studied and trained for the past hundreds of years to be like Mir. How did a human who hadn¡¯t lived even a hundred years...?


    ¡®I would rather he be a transcendent.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been convincing if she had been surpassed in technique by a transcendent who enjoyed eternal life, unlike ordinary human beings. What was the difference between a yangban and humans? It wasn¡¯t surprising if the other person was better than her after hundreds of tears of training. The problem was that the human she met today wasn¡¯t a transcendent.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know at all.¡¯


    Yeum was analyzing the human¡¯s swordsmanship and quickly shook her head with a pained expression. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t understand the human¡¯s swordsmanship with all her knowledge and understanding. She couldn¡¯t picture it because she didn¡¯t understand. Since she couldn¡¯t understand, she couldn¡¯t picture it. It felt like her efforts,mon sense, and world were being denied.


    Someone approached her and stood quietly by her side. ¡°It is sad to hurt humans.¡±


    ¡°Mir...¡±


    Mir was one of the most talented yangbans of all those born to be a god. Less than 20 years after his birth, he participated in Chiyou¡¯s Test and achieved a record that could never be broken. He was deified among the yangbans. Mir was so special that even the arrogant Garam became humble in front of him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Mir gently stroked Yeum¡¯s head. Then the energy of the white tiger and red phoenix spread and healed Yeum¡¯s tired body and mind. While the other yangbans could only use the power of the white tiger and red phoenix on their own bodies, Mir could exert influence over others.


    ¡°Mir, the reason I¡¯m depressed right now isn¡¯t because I hurt a human.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I lost in a fight of technique. It was also to an ordinary human, not a transcendent. It is infuriating and unfair.¡±


    She won the fight, of course, but it was a fight that she won only because she had overwhelming physical ability and Shunpo.


    ¡°I see.¡± Mir noticed what happened to Yeum and removed the snow from the pine needles. ¡°Don¡¯t feel wronged. Excellence and inadequacy are rtive and can¡¯t be stretched. Even if they are human, they can be better than yangbans¡ªdidn¡¯t the death of Garam and our siblings teach us that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course I know that. But... But I...¡±


    Yeum touched her gat. For her, the gat was just an ornament that could be removed at any time. She had sufficient abilities and qualifications to obtain divinity. The reason she still wore the gat was because she didn¡¯t participate in Chiyou¡¯s Test. She wanted to be by Mir¡¯s side. In fact, Yeum was confident that she was one of the most outstanding of the yangbans. For this reason, the situation was even less convincing.


    Mir shook his head as he observed the sword marks on her dopo and her body. ¡°Your opponent was bad. You don¡¯t have the skills to beat a Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship yet.¡±


    ¡°...Sword Saint? Did I fight against the Sword Saint?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the new Sword Saint visited to find the previous one¡¯s secret technique.¡±


    He discovered the identity and purpose of the outsider. Mir grasped the situation and touched the sword scar on his neck that wasn¡¯t erased.


    Yeum recalled old memories through this and realized something¡ªshe was lucky. If the Sword Sword Saint of the present generation had visited this ce many yearster instead of now, and if she had blocked his path...


    ¡®I would be dead.¡¯


    Yeum clearly remembered it¡ªthe monster who fought with Mir and cut through all of Mir¡¯s power with a single sword. The man she fought today was the one who inherited his swordsmanship and spirit. To be honest, it was surprising. He was still too weak that she never thought he would be the Sword Saint.


    Yeum¡¯s heart became urgent. ¡°What should we do? Should we find Muller¡¯s secret technique and burn it?¡±


    A legend couldn¡¯t die easily, and the potential of a Sword Saint was explosive. She didn¡¯t want to stand by idly at the thought of the human she met today finding Muller¡¯s secret technique and growing. She even felt fear and Mir soothed the trembling Yeum, ¡°No, leave it. We can¡¯t find it anyway, and I¡¯ve always wanted topete with the Sword Saint.¡±


    The duel with the Sword Saint caused Mir to greatly develop. Mir got a glimpse of the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship. Every time he interpreted it, he felt himself growing in real time. He wanted to have another experience. He would use this experience as a nutrient to peek at the peak of martial arts and bring rest to Chiyou.


    ¡®I will be the new Martial God.¡¯


    Mir wanted a new Sword Saint.


    ¡®You must find Muller¡¯s secret technique.¡¯


    [Someone unknown is encouraging you.]


    [The Dragon Coat received as a gift from Biban is burning hot for a moment.]


    [Your blood is boiling.]


    [The uracy and power of all swordsmanship will slightly increase.]


    ¡®Is this perhaps...?¡¯


    Kraugel vaguely noticed something through the event that urred suddenly. The fact that the ¡®unknown person¡¯ encouraging him was the one whom Muller described as a ¡®trial.¡¯


    Muller had felt his long-desired death approaching and recalled a bloody battle on the East Continent that he had identally visited. It was fun¡ªhe thought he had been practicing swordsmanship all his life for this moment. Muller felt nostalgic and wanted to once again meet this person and cross the sword.


    The next day, he left for Kaya and found it was a lingering regret. He realized he couldn¡¯t die unless he gave up these lingering regrets. Eventually, he took a step back and wrote a book before leaving Kaya. He wrote down his first and final secret techniques in a scroll for the swordsman who would somedaye here and go through the trial.


    The person who made Muller, the absolutely invincible powerful, feel regret.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Kraugel asked as his gaze turned toward a distant ce.


    ¡°......¡±


    Naturally, there wasn¡¯t an answer.


    ***


    In the future, Grid would unconditionally participate in the Hell Gao raid. Then the moment Hell Gao summoned the eighth fire stone, he wouldpletely destroy Hell Gao with Ruby¡¯s power. The moment Grid exined the future direction, Pon once again realized how strong Hell Gao was.


    A question also popped up so he asked it. ¡°Still, is it necessary to go as a group when you managed to kill him along with Mercedes? Why don¡¯t you kill Hell Gao by yourself?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t shirking responsibility because it was annoying and dangerous.


    ¡°It would be better if you kill the boss alone.¡±


    The value of a named boss was very high. Dropping great items was just a bonus reward. The key was that it gave a lot of experience. In that case, it was better for one person to monopolize all the rewards alone.


    Grid shook his head at Pon who was sincerely thinking about Grid. ¡°No, let¡¯s kill it together.¡±


    It was just level. If he had wanted to, he could quickly raise it. The enlightenment effect was no joke. If he settled in the Chaos Mountains or the reservoir where the immortal ghosts lived and immersed himself in hunting, his level would rise every week. Currently, Grid wanted to focus on the growth of the guild members, not just his individual gain. ¡°I think I should push you a bit harder.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Was he trying to make them grow in all aspects by letting them continuously experience high difficulty raids? The Overgeared members figured out Grid¡¯s intentions and looked frightened, while the eyes of the 10 meritorious retainers shone brightly. Who would refuse to let the supreme one step in and strengthen them?


    ¡®Such people are fools. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¯


    They were serious. It seemed they wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep properly for a while. They were already excited at the thought of the Hell Gao raid and learning from Grid. The hearts of the 10 meritorious retainers were pounding.


    ***


    Over the past few days, Grid had frequent meetings with Yura. There were many things he had to ask Yura, who had more expertise in hell than Sticks. What was the best hunting ground in hell, what consumables were essential in hell, and were there any tips or precautions he needed to know?


    Above all, Grid showed the most interest in the type and characteristics of demonic creatures. Grid asked Yura in great detail about the demonic creatures before and after level 430. He wanted to know the most powerful monsters or monsters with tricky abilities.


    Yura answered all these questions perfectly. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that she was the best expert when she easily killed monsters with a high level difference as the Demon yer.


    ¡°The subi are the strongest and most demanding.¡±


    The ability to seduce targets and thebat skills that utilized Blink were of high quality. In particr, the use of passive skills to reduce the target¡¯s magic resistance was very high. Therefore, even Yura avoided them when multiple subi appeared at the same time.


    ¡®A passive that a legend can¡¯t resist...¡¯


    A passive that reduced a target¡¯s magic resistance was something he definitely coveted.


    ¡®Yes, I have decided on the subi.¡¯


    He was going to tame the subi. Grid made up his mind and spent a few days in Reinhardt with his family. At this time, he still didn¡¯t know. What type of race was a subus? He didn¡¯t realize it was embarrassing to go around with them as a group.


    At the same time, at the First Hell...


    ¡°Deceased Creation.¡±


    Agnus, who was awakened from his past failures and regrets, was creating an invincible existence. There was no more madness in his gold eyes after he abandoned his obsession with the past.


    ¡°It will start soon.¡±


    Baal¡¯s gloomyughter was heard in the dark great hall.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1322

    The world was turned upside down as the people sessfully interpreted Grid¡¯s epic.


    ¡º The gap between the legends of the previous generation and the current generation is gone... ¡»


    Their shock was great. They never dreamed that the people of this age would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the legends of the previous generation. It was natural. The feats of the legends were literally beyondmon sense. Muller¡¯s achievement in sealing the 9th ranked great demon, Hell Gao, all by himself, was a prime example. It was an area that yers could never reach.


    Yet Grid¡¯s epic made it clear. The distinction between the previous generation and the present was gone.


    ¡º I never imagined that this day woulde. It is amazing! Great! I am so proud!! Now the main subject of Satisfy is reborn from NPCs to yers!! ¡»


    The number of legends in the present day was seven. Five of them were yers. In the future, these five yers would exert great influence as the strongest in the world. People had great anticipation for Satisfy which they would use to change their future. They were terrified every time the great demons appeared and were tired of being oppressed by the stuffy rules created by the NPCs. From now on, it would be the legends that would protect the peace, not the NPCs with medieval concepts. Satisfy would be freer than the past. People were forced to wee the growth of legends.


    However, experts warned that they shouldn¡¯t have hasty expectations.


    ¡º It is Grid who removed the distinction between the previous generation and the present. It means it is highly likely that it is only Grid who has grown to the limit, not all the legends of the present day. In fact, the legendary assassin and Bow Saint have just been born. It is unreasonable to interpret it as all legends achieving aplete growth. ¡»


    ¡º The world isn¡¯t safe from all types of disasters, including the great demon. It is too much to be confident that the world¡¯s subject has be yers. There won¡¯t be the sudden change expected by the public. It isn¡¯t good to have expectations. Only disappointment will grow. ¡»


    The thing that most yers sought from the game was fun and profit. They were tired and disgusted by the great demons who threatened the stage of their actions. The first reason they were delighted to hear that the legends of the present age had grown to match the previous generation¡¯s was because they believed it would be easier to defeat the great demons.


    However, the atmosphere of public opinion cooled when the experts presented their pessimistic analysis. Broadcasters from all over the world refuted the audience.


    ¡º Isn¡¯t it still great to feel expectations if Grid bes stronger alone? I think there will be many scenes of Grid raiding a great demon alone? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, if it is a low ranking great demon, then Grid alone is enough to raid it... ¡»


    ¡º There is a record that the former legend, Muller, sealed the 9th great demon, Hell Gao. Doesn¡¯t that mean that even high ranking great demons aren¡¯t Grid¡¯s opponent? For example, there is Beleth who was defeated by Grid some time ago. ¡»


    ¡º Hahaha, Muller is the one who is considered the strongest among legends. Who other than Muller can seal a great demon alone? Even Demon yer Alex wasn¡¯t able to leave behind the achievement of defeating a high ranking great demon. Isn¡¯t this cing too much expectations on Grid? ¡»


    ¡º However, Grid has the power to frequently breakmon sense... ¡»


    ¡º Of course, Grid is great. He has shown tremendous growth to the point where I wonder if Grid is stronger than Pagma. It is really admirable, but everyone has limits. Grid isn¡¯t Superman. Don¡¯t you think your expectations will be a big burden on Grid? In the first ce, the great demons are indispensable viins in Satisfy. They are ordeals that yers must face and ovee. Do you n to always pray that someone else will solve it? ¡»


    Grid was strong. The best.


    However, just as everyone had limitations, there were inherent limitations to the Pagma¡¯s Descendant ss. It was reprehensible that they were nning to be cruel to Grid just because he was strong. The experts had analyzed Grid for several years and unknowingly became fans of Grid.


    ***


    The grass waving in the breeze and the blue sky without a single cloud. This ce that was reminiscent of the fresh countryside was surprisingly hell. Unlike the hellishndscapes that people imagined, there wasn¡¯t much difference between the human world and hell.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t panic. He had visited hell a long time ago and witnessed thendscape.


    ¡®I was kicked out as soon as ckening was released.¡¯


    Ordinary humans were driven away from hell because they couldn¡¯t enter hell. However, it was different this time.


    [Hell can¡¯t deny you when you are recognized by the 9th great demon.]


    [Hell¡¯s restraints on humans don¡¯t apply to you entirely.]


    [Your current reputation in hell is 7,000 points. The penalties in hell are reduced by 15%.]


    [This is hell. It is and that human beings shouldn¡¯t step on. There are no favors or devices that will protect humans in this world.]


    [The recovery rate of all resources is reduced by 85%, all healing effects are reduced by 70%, and the stamina decrease speed is three times faster. The power of divine attribute type skills and magic power is decreased by 90%. The power and activation rate of protection and movement-rted skills are reduced by 50%.]


    [All stats will decrease by 20%.]


    ¡°......¡±


    His body was heavy. In addition to the content disyed in the notification window, there was the feeling that a separate penalty was acting on his body.


    ¡®This is really the final hunting ground.¡¯


    They would make it difficult to attack.They would never give yers the opportunity to see the ending. Grid saw the S.A Group¡¯s intention to run Satisfy for a lifetime and clicked his tongue. Then he asked Yura, who was standing beside him, ¡°What number of hell is this?¡±


    ¡°It is a neutral zone. It is and where ordinary demonkin live in cities and viges.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary demonkin?¡±


    If they were demonkin, then they were demonkin. What was an ordinary demonkin? Grid cocked his head and made eye contact with a one-eyed boy standing at the outer side of the entrance of a distant vige. Grid saw the boy hurriedly moved into the vige out of fear and recalled old memories.


    ¡®The demonkin at that time were scared...¡¯


    It was when Grid first visited hell. The inhabitants of hell that he encountered at that time had looked at Grid like he was a monster.


    Hiik!A human! The screams echoed vividly in his mind.


    ¡°Just like with many races, the races of the demonkin are diverse. The demonkin living here in the neutral zone aren¡¯t very different from humans. They value reason rather than instinct and live ording to their ownws and morals.¡±


    ¡°So not all demonkin are vicious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have a culture. They created a currency and built markets like humans. They are just like humans, except they are living in hell.¡±


    ¡°They are ssified as NPCs, not monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The rtionship with the neutral demonkin can be divided into three stages: vignt, neutral, and friendly. Once a friendly rtionship is built up, you can use various shops and amodations. However, the currency used is different so it is useless no matter how rich you are in the human world.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you saying I have to start over again from poverty?¡±


    ¡°Yes... the value of gold isn¡¯t recognized.¡±


    Based on Yura¡¯s quivering expression, she seemed to have suffered quite a lot. Grid trembled.


    ¡®These S.A guys.¡¯


    They made all the money he collected through his efforts so far useless. They always had ways to turn people into dogs. It would seem that, in hell, in addition to the penalty rted to stats, he would have to start again with the frame of mind of a beginner.


    ¡®They are a Koreanpany so they must be good at making beef bone soup.¡¯ [1]


    Did they want to run the game for hundreds of years? Considering the degree ofpletion, Grid could understand the desire to operate forever. A game like this would nevere again.


    ¡®I like it.¡¯


    Grid upied a lot of content and enjoyed a monopoly. The longer that Satisfy¡¯s value was preserved, the better it was for him.


    ¡°So why do the great demons leave this zone untouched?¡±


    Hell was divided into 33 areas and the great demons were self-proimed rulers. Grid was told they sometimes caused conflict to upy more territory.It was surprising that there was a neutral zone without an owner. Grid questioned it, but Yura replied that she didn¡¯t know very well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. There seems to be an unwritten rule between the great demons, but I haven¡¯t determined exactly what it is.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Well, it didn¡¯t matter. Grid nodded and started walking toward the vige, only for Yura to grab him.


    ¡°If you go to the vige in this state, you will just provoke the vignce of the residents.¡±


    ¡°Then ignore it and pass by?¡±


    ¡°No. If you kill nearby demonic creatures and secure evidence, the residents¡¯ vignce will soften. It is good to hunt monsters first before going to the vige to get some quests. If you want to be active in hell in the future, you need to build up enough favorability to use the vige.¡±


    It was valuable advice that came from experience. Grid moved his feet and kept asking questions. ¡°Are the demonkin and demonic creatures on the same side?¡±


    ¡°Are humans and wild animalspanions just because they live in the same area?¡±


    ¡°Aha, I understand.¡±


    The demonic creatures were threats even for the demonkin. Of course, certain demonkin could be close to demonic creatures.


    ¡°The subi are monsters that live in the 32nd Hell. In order to visit the 32nd Hell, it is better to put on perfume that blocks yin and yang energy. First, get a quest and clear it to obtain perfume.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was like a level 400 high ranker was attached to a level 1 newbie as a guide. Yura had years of experience in hell and this made it easy for Grid to find demonkin, hunt, and get quests in viges. Grid avoided all the failures and setbacks that Yura had suffered. She was a good bus. Grid almost always acted as a bus driver and it had been a long time since he became a passenger on a bus. He enjoyed the convenience.


    ¡®This is whyworking matters.¡¯


    Grid arrived at the 32nd Hell without getting sidetracked or lost thanks to Yura¡¯s guidance. Then he gulped. In the middle of the suddenly darkenedndscape, he could see the hellfire river that was likeva. He felt that the thick liquid was disturbing his breathing. Sweat started flowing and he became dizzy for some reason.


    ¡°Spray the perfume.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid sprayed the perfume he got from clearing one of the quests in hell on his body. It was like smearing cow dung from his grandfather¡¯s house on his body. It was unpleasant, but it made his breathingfortable. It was refreshing, even. ¡°Why is it so refreshing when it feels like I¡¯m spraying cow dung?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve blocked the yin energy.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid summoned the Overgeared Skeletons and his pets. In his weakened state, it would be good to have even one more person to rely on. Besides, this ce was hell. It was the main stage for Noe.


    ¡°Nya~ heung!¡±


    Noe wanted to appear with his usual cute cat sounds, but his voice became thicker at the end. Noe¡¯s appearance was different from usual.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)


    [1] beef bone soup is said to enhance health and stamina

 Chapter 1323

    ¡°Nya~ heung!¡±


    ¡°...Who are you?¡±


    Grid blinked after summoning Noe. There were shiny white feet and rounded feet like he was wearing mittens. Up to this point, it was exactly like Noe who became more beautiful after eating the thunder stone...


    ck ck!ck!


    While Grid was feeling confused, the Overgeared Skeletons got on Noe¡¯s back and imitated riding a horse. That¡¯s right¡ªNoe¡¯s petite body had be huge enough to carry the Overgeared Skeletons. His limbs and neck had be as thick as a log, and his face had be thinner and sharper when it was usually round and cute like a steamed bun. The mane that abundantly covered the head and chest was both threatening and beautiful.


    ¡°...Why did you suddenly be a lion?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he originally a cat? Where did the cute and adorable look go, and why did he suddenly be magnificent?


    ¡°This is the real appearance of a memphis, the best demonic beast in hell.¡±


    He stretched out his round feet and de-like ws popped out. He looked really strong.


    ¡®Was he in a reduced state in the human world due to ack of demonic energy?¡¯


    No, it seemed he was really a cat until he ate the thunder stone, right? Why was he suddenly a lion? Grid recalled Noe¡¯s old appearance of ck fur and white feet and shook his head. It wasn¡¯t a matter to think deeply about.


    ¡®Noe is Noe regardless of what he looks like.¡¯


    Grid checked Noe¡¯s status window.


    [Name: Noe


    Species: Memphis


    Level: 309


    Status: Satisfied


    (Aheung! Aheung! Ahuheung!)


    Health: 500,000


    Strength: 2,000 Stamina: 3,000 Agility: 3,000 Intelligence: 2,000


    ¡ï In the environment of hell, the thunder stone ispletely digested and his body is transformed into an adult.


    ¡ï As an adult memphis, all stats will increase by 100 every 10 levels. However, health will grow every 100 levels.


    ¡ï When riding, the rider¡¯s attack power is increased by 10%. Increases the power of rushing skills by 30%.


    -Current Skills List-


    [Fluidization] [Soul Ingestion] [Scratch] [Bewitchment] [Impertinent!] [Gallop]]


    ¡®The growth is huge.¡¯


    It seemed like Noe got 40 stat points with every level up. If Grid knew this, he would¡¯ve ced more importance on intensively raising Noe.


    ¡®No, the Overgeared Skeletons are good enough.¡¯


    [Overgeared Skeleton One]


    [ss: Skeleton Sword Dancer


    Level: 322


    Health: 51,000 Mana: 1,090


    Strength: 1,301 Stamina: 450


    Agility: 720 Intelligence: 80


    -Items Worn-


    Weapon: Sharp Sword of Self-transcendence


    Secondary Weapon: Thorn Shield


    Armor: Sturdy Valha


    -ss Specific Skills-


    Bone Cracking Lv. MAX, Destructive Dancing cksmithing Lv. 4, Dancing Lv. 6, Cutting while Dancing Lv. 3, Stabbing while Dancing Lv. 3, Increased Health, Increased Defense, [ughter Dance (A)]


    -Skills Learnt-


    Skeleton¡¯s Patience, Silver Thread Avoidance, Advanced Sword Mastery Lv. 2, Intermediate Mining Technique Lv. 3, Intermediate Petrification Resistance, Intermediate Physical Resistance, Intermediate Magic Resistance, Beginner Instant eleration, Bite, Ridicule, Skull Headbutt, Intermediate Poison Resistance, Beginner Divine Power Resistance, [Skeleton Sword Dance (A)]]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two]


    [ss: Skeleton Bishop


    Level: 319


    Health: 30,200 Mana: 21,900


    Strength: 100 Stamina: 700


    Agility: 300 Intelligence: 1,350


    -Items Worn-


    Weapon: Belial¡¯s Staff (Reproduction)


    Secondary Weapon: Commander¡¯s Orb


    Armor: Kerian¡¯s Robe


    -ss Specific Skills-


    Bone Sticking Lv. 8, Restoration Dancing cksmithing Lv. 6, Dancing Lv. 6, Skull Strengthening Lv. 2, Skeleton Strengthening Lv. 2, Mana Shield Lv. 2, Health Increase, Mana Increase, [Skeleton Creation (A)]


    -Skills Learnt-


    Skeleton¡¯s Patience, Silver Thread Avoidance, Advanced Magic Mastery Lv. 2, Intermediate Mining Technique Lv. 3, Intermediate Petrification Resistance, Beginner Physical Resistance, Intermediate Magic Resistance, Bite, Ridicule, Intermediate Poison Resistance, Intermediate Divine Power Resistance, [Prayer to a God (A)]]


    During the hunts in the Chaos Mountains and at the reservoir, Grid had been focused on raising the Overgeared Skeletons, not Noe. It was because he appreciated the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ potential to learn new skills more than Noe. The Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ stats point gain per level was low at 8 points, but this was increased after their third ss advancement. Therefore, there was hope for further increase in the future.


    ¡®Both Noe and the Overgeared Skeletons must be raised well.¡¯


    Was it because they had fought through life and death crises together and shared hardships? The Overgeared Skeletons climbed onto Noe¡¯s back and Noe generously epted them. Grid watched the scene happily when he suddenly pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    It was because a red-skinned demonkin in a tailcoat approached Grid¡¯s group. The single horn rising from the left side of the forehead and the sharp fans stood out. The demonic energy that rose as a daze haze around him was threatening.


    ¡°I was waiting.¡±


    He waspletely different from the demonic creatures Grid had encountered on the way here. It was an intelligent being. The horn and demonic energy was too much to say that he resembled the demonkin Grid saw in the neutral zone. This feeling was simr to...


    ¡°A great demon?¡±


    Yura exined to the nervous Grid, ¡°There are three main types of races that lived in hell. They are demonic creatures, demonkin, and demons.¡±


    As the name suggested, demonic creatures were ssified as monsters, and it was right to call demonkin the residents of hell. On the other hand, demons were nobles. It was a race qualified to covet the position of a great demon. The demons were small in number, but they had a very highbat strength and demonic power. They were also intelligent.


    ¡°Is he a candidate to be a great demon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®They are like the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom.¡¯


    The future development was obvious. They were so arrogant that they looked down on humans. They were dirty and powerful. There was a high probability they would be aggressive and cruel.


    ¡®Besides, this ce is hell.¡¯


    As the memphis proved, the demons and demonkin exerted their proper power in hell, not the human world. It meant that the demon in front of him might be stronger than the lower ranked great demons who came to the ground. Grid raised his tension as he expected a tough battle. Then the demon told him, ¡°There is no need to be nervous. I have no intention of harming Master¡¯s guest.¡±


    ¡®Master¡¯s guest?¡¯


    Who was the owner who weed him as a guest? Grid was puzzled since he had no connections in hell.


    ¡°......?¡±


    He looked around without understanding anything before making eye contact with Yura. Yura¡¯s gaze was endlessly serene and calm. She was neither agitated nor alert to the sudden appearance of the demon.Perhaps?


    Grid was feeling surprised when he heard the demon continue speaking, ¡°I was waiting for you toe back, Master.¡±


    The demonid his hand on his heart and bowed to Yura.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Grid was astonished. Yura chuckled at his confusion after witnessing an unbelievable situation. ¡°Wee to the Overgeared hell branch.¡±


    ***


    The 32nd Hell was originally the residence of the great demon, Belial. Since she was destroyed, the throne of the 32nd Hell became vacant and war between the demons broke out.


    ¡°The war in which 13 demons fought was terrible and fierce. Enemies became allies and allies became enemies. The battle pattern changed dozens of times a day. It felt like I had fallen into a storm I had never seen before. I couldn¡¯t predict when this war would end.¡±


    Plop.


    The demon ced a centipede into a kettle. The centipede didn¡¯t die even after being immersed in boiling water. Every time the guy with bloody feet twisted and trembled inside the hot water, the tea turned redder.


    ¡°I was growing weary of the ongoing war when I heard strange rumors. A human was appearing everywhere on the battlefield and killing demons.¡±


    The demon poured tea into Grid¡¯s teacup. It was bloody tea. It was so stinky that some people might wonder if it was sewage.


    ¡°The young demons snorted and wondered how a human coulde to hell to harm us. However, I was different. It is because I¡¯ve already experienced a human¡¯s invasion.¡±


    The demon took off his gloves. His two exposed hands were ck. The rest of his skin was red. Only his hands were ck. Additionally, they looked heavy and hard like lead.


    ¡®Prosthetic?¡¯


    ¡°As the one who lost both hands to Demon yer Alex who invaded hell hundreds of years ago, I was convinced that the rumored human would be the new Demon yer. After waiting, I finally met Yura.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid raised the red tea to his mouth. It was because Yura gestured for him to do so. What was this? It tasted good even though it was so stinky. The bitterness and sweetness that spread through his mouth was fascinating. The effect was awesome.


    [Some of the demonic energy of hell has been detoxified. The penalties in hell are permanently reduced by 5%.]


    ¡°Then I swore allegiance to Yura.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid thought he would have a deep grudge because he lost both his hands to Alex. It was expected he would take revenge on Yura, yet he swore allegiance instead. There seemed to be a deep story.


    ¡°Did you receive a great favor from Alex?¡± Grid asked this question and the demon made an expression showing he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°He cut off my hands. How can he show me a favor?¡±


    ¡°So why pledge allegiance to Yura?¡±


    ¡°I did it to save my life, of course. I was filled with resentment against the former Demon yer and wanted to repay the present Demon yer. I carried out a surprise attack and was beaten instead, so I had no choice. Sigh...¡±


    ¡°...Can you trust him?¡± Grid wondered.


    Yura replied, ¡°He has already signed a loyalty contract. A demon can¡¯t break the contract even if dead so he can be trusted. Perhaps even more so than humans.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The limitation of the demons is that even if their head is cut off, they can¡¯t betray the target of the contract. Alex knew it too so he signed a contract with me, who was wagging my tail like Cerberus. I wanted to hit him every time I saw the back of that head, but I couldn¡¯t hit him... It was the first time I felt such a great sense of shame since being born as a demon.¡±


    ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that you are a demon. It is that you survived so far by signing contracts.¡±


    ¡°It is right to survive even if I have to sign a contract. Why die in a situation where you never know when you¡¯ll be resurrected? I must live.¡±


    Grid emptied the mug. He tried drinking another cup of tea. Unfortunately, the penalty reduction effect no longer urred.


    ¡°There are hidden items in each area that will detoxify the demonic power of hell. I know a few ces, so I¡¯ll guide youter.¡± It was Yura who reassured the disappointed Grid. Yura spoke to the demon who opened his mouth like there was still a lot left to say, ¡°Did you check the subi¡¯s habitat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are bewitching the demonkin in Helitera Forest.¡±


    Yura¡¯s eptance of a demon as a subordinate was to take full control of the 32nd Hell.


    The demons might¡¯ve been driven out and the hell cleansed once, but quite a few demonkin and demonic creatures were still alive. Due to them, the 32nd Hell was destined to be recontaminated someday. The demonic energy would lure new demons. The moment one of them became a great demon, the 32 Hell would bepletely revived.


    To prevent this, Yura had to stay in the 32nd Hell. However, she had too much work to do. This was why she established an agent. The demon nt had lived for thousands of years. His acumen was excellent, even whenpared to a great demon. Thanks to this, the demonic energy of the 32nd Hell wasn¡¯t easily recovered. From the point of view of a great demon, it would be seen as a wastnd without any nutrition.


    ¡°Okay. We will leave immediately. I¡¯ll lead the way. Youngwoo, be sure to check the duration of the perfume.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was really enjoyable to have so many people to rely on. A smile was on Grid¡¯s face as he followed Yura while defeating demonic creatures. However, the smile didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Why are they gasping like that?¡±


    Helitera Forest¡ªGrid frowned as he arrived at the ce that he didn¡¯t know why it was called a forest when it was colorless and had no vegetation. It was because the harsh breathing of the subi was very embarrassing. He was wondering if he had to gag them if he wanted to take them around with him.


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1324

    The red cheeks and the deep eyes were full of provocation, the excessively exposed purple skin was lustrous, and the tail attached to the hips was bewitching¡ªthe overall atmosphere was very sensual and it was hard to find a ce to put his eyes.


    Grid reflexively gulped at the sight of the subi and then quickly frowned.


    ¡°Oh my, this brother is so handsome~¡±


    It was a cheap dialogue reminiscent of a scene from a B-grade movie. The sight of the subi¡¯s squirming bodies gave Grid a great sense of disappointment.


    ¡®It is a waste of their good faces.¡¯


    The subi were a race that lived with their face and body. They had to seduce humans in order to eat a human¡¯s energy, so they were naturally proud of their beautiful appearance.


    However, their provocative clothes and actions made them look like cheap prostitutes and Grid was troubled.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I should take them with me.¡¯


    The image he had built up would be damaged.


    ¡®I was voted as the person most respected by Korean elementary, middle, and high school students. If I bring naked women around with me...¡¯


    Yura told the concerned Grid, ¡°There is no monster more powerful and versatile than the subi among monsters below level 420.¡±


    They were words of affirmation. Gridpletely trusted her words since she knew hell¡¯s ecosystem better than anyone else. However¡ª


    ¡°Won¡¯t I look like an American rapper if I take them around with me?¡±


    ¡°That is a discriminatory statement. If you are concerned about how the subi is dressed, then there is no need to worry. It is a problem that will be solved if they wear coats.¡±


    ¡°They can put on clothes?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t wear items with stats, but they can wear simple cosy items.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± He was reminded of the bow tie that Nyangmong gave Noe. Grid was convinced, but then a new question arose. ¡°Can they tempt people while wearing clothes? They need to expose themselves in order to seduce people.¡±


    ¡°The subi¡¯s bewitchment effect is activated with sound. The visual effect is just a concept that helps with a number of people. So they will be fascinated whether they are human or a monster.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    This was why she told him to block the sound. Grid nodded as his mind felt more rxed. Now the useless worries were resolved. Meanwhile, the subi were still provoking Grid.


    ¡°Brother, are you impotent?¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you reacting after seeing us?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid ignored the taunts and was deep in thought.


    ¡®The basics of taming...¡¯


    The subject of taming should have their health cut down. It was only when hitting the subject until just before death, that the probability of taming was increased. It was impossible for Grid to not know the information that had bemon sense.


    ¡®Should I fight to measure their level?¡¯


    Grid pulled out the Enlightenment Sword and stepped forward while Yura retreated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to help?¡±


    The red-skinned demon nt expressed concern. Hell¡ªit had an ecosystem that waspletely different from the human world and humans couldn¡¯t fully disy their physical abilities. In fact, even breathing was daunting. The subi were strong, yet Yura was leaving Grid alone?


    ¡®What a demon.¡¯


    It happened when nt smiled deeply because he thought Yura was deliberately pushing Grid to death...


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The subi who gradually approached Grid while doing their temptation dance...


    "......!"


    Even the sinisterly smiling nt was overwhelmed by the sudden pressure and stiffened.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    nt¡¯s eyes trembled like crazy. It was due to the energy permeating his body that restricted his movements. The ¡®status¡¯ felt from only 10 great demons out of the many great demons he had seen for thousands of years weighed on him. He barely calmed his trembling hands as he watched Grid, who was raising his sword at the monsters with a solemn expression.


    ¡®W-What? This guy?¡¯


    A human had such a high status? Even Alex who made the great demons felt fear wasn¡¯t to this extent. nt felt great doubts.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Grid bent forward and took one step, prating into the gap between demons and releasing sword energy. The bodies of the motionless subi were torn apart and blood scattered. The scene was so calm that it was creepy. The subi screamed. The man who didn¡¯t care about the blood sshing on his face swung his sword again at the subus who suffered the greatest injuries.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    It was swordsmanship that was like lightning. Dozens of attacks took ce in a single breath. The subus was covered with sword energy like cobwebs and her eyes rolled. Pieces of her were scattered and she turned into ashes.


    nt became certain of it. ¡®It is clear that this human is a legend.¡¯


    He showed his ability in hell despite losing his stats. Additionally, he wasparable to a high ranking great demon. There was no way this man wasn¡¯t a legend.


    ¡®What legend is he?¡¯


    nt¡¯s personality was very cautious. Unlike other demons, he suppressed his aggressiveness and always looked for the best opportunities. Therefore, he didn¡¯t participate in the invasion of the Behen Archipgo hundreds of years ago. He didn¡¯t feel the need to take over the human world and bear the deterioration in abilities. This meant he didn¡¯t recognize Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance or Grid¡¯s identity. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s Sword Dance was too different from Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance. It was much more efficient and magical.


    Meanwhile, Grid was panicked. ¡®Why is she dead?¡¯


    Currently, Grid had a 20% drop in all stats. He didn¡¯t use any buff skills. Additionally, the level of the subi was 415. He thought it would be appropriate to use two single sword dances, but the subus died before the motion of Link ended.


    ¡®Ah... Link is too strong.¡¯


    If every attack hit then the current Link boasted a stronger destructive power than Kill. Grid carefully struck at another subus that was still stiffened.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaack!¡±


    Another subus died.


    ¡®Are their bodies weak in exchange for their versatility?¡¯


    Grid became more cautious. Another subus escaped from the restrain and started running away. He chased after her and struck her with a basic attack.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been activated.]


    [The target has died!]


    ¡°Kyaaack!¡±


    ¡®This damn thing. Again.¡¯


    The desperate Grid chased another subi and dealt a basic attack.


    [Critical!]


    [The effect of the title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ has been...]


    [The target has died!]


    ¡°......¡±


    The probability of a critical hit was too high. It couldn¡¯t continue like this. The helpless Grid put away the Enlightenment de and pulled out a pickaxe.


    ¡°Hiik! Go away! Go away!¡±


    The sword was a tool that specialized in shes while the pickaxe was a tool for hacking at targets. It could be more threatening depending on the position hit. The subi imagined this ugly tool prating their skulls and paled while scattering in all directions. Then the subi with wings suddenly flew into the sky. They were capable of both bewitchment magic and flight, and were one of the races with the highest survival ability.


    The problem was that Grid could also fly. He resisted the bewitchment magic and rose to the sky as he was surrounded by lightning.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    Another subus received the pickaxe in her back and screamed. A lot of blood was scattered around the area.


    nt opened a curtain of magic to block the blood falling from the sky and murmured, ¡°What... is it a legend that hasn¡¯t existed so far?¡±


    This human actually dared to kill with a pickaxe. Even Demon yer Alex wasn¡¯t that cruel despite having a deep grudge against demons. It was because the tendencies of legends basically inclined toward ¡®good.¡¯ However, Grid was cruel and bizarre even for a demon. It was like a natural ughter. His existence itself was different from usual legends.


    Of course, it was a misunderstanding. Right now, Grid had no malice toward the subi. Rather, he pulled out the pickaxe to avoid killing them.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Grid removed Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves, his armor, and essories that increased stats and attack power. Then he finally managed to lower a subus¡¯ health to the verge of death. Grid descended to the ground with the subus who had scars all over her body from the pickaxe. Then he immediately opened the Rune of Gluttony.


    ¡°Hell Gao¡¯s Power.¡±


    Fire rose like horns on both sides of Grid¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Gasp?!¡±


    nt and the subus paled. They felt the energy of Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, from Grid.


    ¡®How does he have Hell Gao¡¯s power?¡¯


    ¡°Domination.¡±


    The fire horns becamerger and sharper. The caught subus was forced to stare into Grid¡¯s ferocious eyes and his spirit gradually prated into the subus¡¯ body. At the same time...


    [The effect of Domination is triggered.]


    [You have provided your vital force to the ¡®hell subus¡¯ as food.]


    [You have seeded in dominating the ¡®hell subus¡¯!]


    A notification window popped up. It wasn¡¯t once, but four times in a row.


    [You have seeded in dominating the ¡®hell subus¡¯!]


    [You have seeded in dominating the ¡®hell subus¡¯!]


    [You have seeded in dominating the ¡®hell subus¡¯!]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The flustered Grid looked around. A new group of subi was approaching from above. They hadn¡¯t grasped the situation, yet they smelled a human and came like hyenas. Of course, they were all full of health. The three subi who were in the lead were also influenced by Domination and ended up following Grid.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t have to decrease their health?¡¯


    The great demon¡¯s power was different from normal taming skills. He hadn¡¯t expected the power of Domination to be this much.


    ¡°Hup...¡±


    Grid felt guilt as he saw the swollen face of the subus who started to cry from the pain of her wounds.


    p, p, p.


    nt apuded and spoke in an admiring manner, ¡°I didn¡¯t know a day woulde when I would learn from a human. Your appearance today is worse than that of a great demon. God Yatan will surely love you. I must devote myself to learning from you.¡±


    [Affinity with the thousand year old demon ¡®nt¡¯ has increased by 20.]


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi is amazing. I haven¡¯t been able to gain affinity with nt yet.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was definitely apliment, but Grid didn¡¯t feel good. Grid was tired from the short battle and sat down. He beckoned to the subi who stood far away. ¡°Come here first to work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°You can do whatever you want. Huhuhut...¡±


    The subi approached seductively, but Grid didn¡¯t show any reaction. It was because the subi didn¡¯t dare release yin energy at Grid.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the status window of the subi. It was due to the presence of the Bewitchment skill.


    [Bewitchment]


    [Bewitch up to eight targets and enve them.]


    ¡°There are four so 32...¡±


    It looked like he would have more pets than Nyangmong.


    <strong>One day remaining for submissions!</strong>


    6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission End Date: 15th November)

 Chapter 1325

    [Name: None


    Species: Hell Subus


    Level: 415


    Health: 30,000,000


    Mana: 20,000,000


    Strength: 230 Stamina: 890


    Agility: 710 Intelligence: 3,150


    Charm: 5,000


    A race favored by the great demon, Belial.


    Bewitches the target with her beautiful appearance and demonic charm.


    Ordinary humans and monsters can only yield to the charm of the subi.


    -Skills Possessed-


    Blink (B), Fly (B), Life Drain (A), Bewitchment (A), Sleep (A), Yin Energy, Identify Preferences (S), Dream Infiltration (S), Ingest Vital Force (S)


    ¡ïA demonic creature of hell. This individual had no desire to escape from Hell Gao¡¯s domination. Loyalty is maintained at 100%.


    [Bewitchment]


    Bewitch up to eight targets and enve them.


    Bewitched targets will follow themand of the subus for a minimum of 10 seconds and a maximum of one hour. Orders of self-harm aren¡¯t possible.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes


    [Sleep]


    Puts the target to sleep for a minimum of 5 seconds and a maximum of 20 seconds, making them unable to move.


    The higher the fatigue of the target, the greater the probability of sess.


    Cooldown Time: 5 minutes


    [Yin Energy]


    Passive


    Greatly reduces the resistances of the target. There is a low probability of causing confusion.


    [Identify Preferences]


    Passive


    The subus can grasp the preferences of a target and embody it.


    There is a 90% chance of being bewitched when the preferences are identified.


    [Dream Infiltration]


    The subus can prate the dream of the sleeping target. Through dreams, the target¡¯s desires and weaknesses are identified. The dream or nightmare that the target desires is realized.


    Targets in a desired dream will fall into an incapacitated state ¡®until attacked.¡¯ Targets in a nightmare will wake up from the dream and all stats will drop significantly for 20 seconds.


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes


    [Ingest Vital Force]


    If a non-ve¡¯s vital force is consumed, all of their resources are slightly reduced and the subus¡¯ empty stomach will be filled.


    If a ve¡¯s vital force is consumed, the target¡¯s resources are greatly absorbed and the subus will be full. A full subus will greatly increase her magic power and targets deprived of their vital force will temporarily faint. There is a very low probability of death.


    Cooldown Time: 3 hours]


    Blink to teleport, Fly for flying in the sky, Life Drain that absorbed the health of the target, Bewitchment, Sleep, Yin Energy, Dream Infiltration, and Ingest Vital Force...


    The subus¡¯ abilities specialized inpletely neutralizing the target and it exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations. There wasn¡¯t a single area he felt regret about. Furthermore...


    ¡®There is 30 million health.¡¯


    It was incredibly high. It was six times higher than the adult memphis. It was a moment that revealed the advantages of taming a monster.


    Unlike pets who didn¡¯t die when their health was wiped out and could be summoned again, the life of a tamed monster was finite. In most cases, the domination time was temporary. Perhaps it was due to this strong penalty that the stats-rted penalties were small.


    To put it simply, if the subi was ssified as a pet or a summon, then their health would be at least 10 times lower than now. The summoning would just be canceled when the pet died. It could be summoned again after the cooldown ended, but it would be weakened.


    However, monster taming was different. Tamed monsters retained their health and stats just like in their wild state.


    ¡®The stamina stat isn¡¯t good so defense is low. However, this level of health means the subus can¡¯t be easily defeated.¡¯


    The reason they died to Grid so easily was due to their low defense. Grid¡¯s stats might¡¯ve been reduced by 20%, but the damage was still extreme.


    ¡°Master, how can we serve you? Do you want to have a good dream? Or...¡±


    The reason why tamed monsters were valued lower than pets was that firstly, it was over once they died. Secondly, there was a limit to the domination duration. Thirdly, their intelligence was low. However, Grid¡¯s domination was permanently even if it was limited to demonic beasts. Also, the hell subi were very intelligent. A race that dug into the weaknesses of the target couldn¡¯t be stupid. Grid was satisfied that the subi were what he was looking for and shook his head as a reply.


    ¡°Wait for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The subi knelt down silently. The initial provocative attitude had disappeared and they were like new brides. They didn¡¯t dare covet their master¡¯s vital force.


    ¡°You can rx a bit,¡± Grid spoke to the subus who was still struggling with her wounds and nt stepped in from the side.


    ¡°Subi can use Life Drain magic. It will give her a chance to recover if you are concerned about her wounds.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Grid looked around. The bare forest. Every tree had no leaves and no grass was growing on the drynd. The only living creatures in this grey forest were Grid and the subi. ¡°Can¡¯t anything live in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°Even a demonkin has to eat or they will die.¡±


    Subi, halphas, etc. Among the monsters, there were a few races that used other people¡¯s vital force or magic as food. Most of the demonkin could only live if they ate food like humans or beasts. It was natural that Helitera Forest was empty.


    ¡°The only demonkin whoes to this ce are the fools fascinated by the subi¡¯s yin energy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid listened to nt¡¯s exnation and confirmed the health of the wounded subus. She currently only had around 12,000 health left. She had suffered bleeding from too many wounds. Her natural recovery rate couldn¡¯t keep up with the amount of bleeding and she would die soon. He could dominate a new subus if she died, but...


    ¡®It is strange to let someone die when I can save them.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that a psychopath?


    ¡°Take my life.¡±


    ¡°H-H-How dare I take my master¡¯s health...?¡±


    ¡°You must live.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you...!¡±


    The subus who was trembling with fear couldn¡¯t stand the thought that she was going to die soon and rushed to Grid. She hung from Grid¡¯s shoulders and breathed roughly. An aura emerged from red patterns engraved on the subus¡¯ abdomen and corbone and wrapped around Grid like a snake. Was the hope of living turned into pleasure? The subus had a red face and breathed harshly. The other subi watched her enviously.


    Meanwhile, nt was feeling great confusion. ¡®Why is he bothering to save her?¡¯


    Yura saved him because he had value.


    nt was a demon and a candidate to be a great demon. On the other hand, the subi were numerous. He could find and dominate a new subus at any time if one died. So why bother to save her?


    ¡®Is this the morality I¡¯ve only heard about?¡¯


    nt was amazed while the subus suddenly trembled with fright. The subus felt lost as she was absorbing Grid¡¯s health. It was because nothing happened.


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Just like with most magic, Life Drain didn¡¯t have a 100% sess rate. The higher the target¡¯s level and magic resistance, the lower the sess rate. Even if it was sessful, the amount of health absorbed was very small. It was impossible for the subus¡¯ Life Drain to piece through Grid¡¯s high magic resistance.


    ¡°Hup...¡±


    The subus failed to drain Grid¡¯s health and slowly withdrew. Theplexion of her and the other subi was white. Their eyes were filled with surprise as they stared at Grid.


    p, p, p.


    He once again heard apuse. As expected, it was from nt.


    ¡°Giving hope to those who are dying and desperate, and then taking it back... I¡¯ve learned something else.¡±


    ¡°...Can you tell him to leave?¡±


    After that, they returned nt to the castle and Yura explored hell with Grid. It was only up to the 29th Hell. Over the course of 10 days, Grid became proficient in using the subi and improved hisbat power. However, he couldn¡¯t ignore the penalties of hell.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp... Why do they have so much health?¡±


    The vitality and defense of the elite monsters who appeared in the hells in the 20s was far beyond that of the monsters in the hells in the 30s. It took about three minutes to hunt one demonkin unless he used a fusion sword dance. However, the respawn rate was incredibly fast. They were reborn less than a minute after death and he had no time to breathe.


    Grid¡¯s stamina was already suffering from the severe penalty and it quickly ran out. He summoned Overgeared Corn to lick his face while Yura exined, ¡°It is due to the influence of Marbas.¡±


    ¡°Marbas?¡±


    It was a name he had heard somewhere before.


    ¡°He is a great demon¡¯s subordinate with powerparable to a high ranking great demon, but he has an unusual power. He dramatically strengthens the demonkin in the section where he lives and overloads the respawn rate to promote his own safety.¡±


    ¡°He is just a great demon¡¯s subordinate. How can he wield power like a high ranking great demon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. I haven¡¯t essed the episodes about Marbas yet.¡±


    Tang tang!Tatatang!


    Yura¡¯s continuously fired magic bullets knocked down the elite monsters like autumn leaves. After reaching level 400, Yura gained an additional 30% stats in hell and the additional damage dealt to demonic beasts, demonkin, and demons was 500%. This meant that Yura¡¯s attack power sometimes exceeded Grid¡¯s attack power. In particr, once Light of Purification wasid on the gun, even the ferocious demons would turn pale and use Barrier.


    ...Although Barrier was useless.


    ¡°Yura, what level are you now?¡±


    ¡°Level 408.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was deservedly high. She ughtered monsters that gave so much experience at a tremendous speed. It was just that level 408 felt rather low considering she had been active in hell for several years.


    Yura smiled shyly at the admiring Grid. ¡°It is thanks to Youngwoo-ssi¡¯s help in the Chaos Mountains. My hunting speed wasn¡¯t fast until I reached level 400. I couldn¡¯t even ess the area where Marbas is.¡±


    Now Marbas¡¯ area was nothing less than a rich mine from Yura¡¯s point of view. Grid was deep in thought as he watched Yura eagerly killing monsters with Noe, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the subi.


    ¡®Yura is great, but I¡¯ve also been toofortable.¡¯


    He had believed that he could raise his level at any time. He might¡¯ve been secretly proud that thepetitors were working hard to catch up with him.


    ¡®...It is time for me to make an effort.¡¯


    The number one ranking wasn¡¯t a position to be kept. How many people thought that Kraugel woulde down from the top of the rankings? Grid¡¯s enthusiasm and vignce were revived. He was burning with motivation just like the first time he learned Pagma¡¯s Swordsmanship and started ughtering monsters.


    ¡°Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    The moment his stamina recovered, Grid got up and used a wide area fusion sword dance. He abruptly eliminated the monsters in the area and told Yura, ¡°I¡¯m not going to easily give up the top spot in the rankings.¡±


    ¡°I want it.¡±


    Even if she was lucky enough to take his ce, it meant she had gained more power and that power would be used for him. Yura swallowed down these words and was loading a magic bullet when she stiffened like a stone statue.


    ¡°¡±It seems you have a lot of room to run around in a rxed manner.¡±¡± A harsh voice was heard from above. ¡°¡±Demon yer Yura, do you think you can escape my eyes?¡±¡±


    ¡°Who is that guy?¡±


    Yura eximed, ¡°Showing up here now...!¡±


    A being who spread open wings of steel and came to the battlefield. His identity was Andras, one of Baal¡¯s subordinates. He was a persistent demon who had been tracking Yura since she briefly invaded the First Hell.


    ¡°We can¡¯t win against him yet. Hurry and escape...¡±


    Yura¡¯s hurried attempt to open a gate to the human world was interrupted. It was because chains poured down from the sky like rain and wrapped tightly around her neck and mouth. The bullets she spread out were shattered and scattered in all directions.


    ¡°¡±You... you dared to invade His Majesty Baal¡¯s holynd and leave a stain on it. I can never forgive you. I will engrave the stigma of sin that will never disappear from your body and soul.¡±¡±


    Eventually, the chains binding Yura¡¯s limbs turned red. It happened when the silver armor and white skin started to burn ck...


    ¡°Transcend, Shunpo.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Andras¡¯ senses and reflexes were surprisingly good. He almost immediately responded to Grid who appeared behind him and he wrapped himself in steel wings. However, Grid¡¯s sword had already pierced through the gap.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    The momentum of the Absolute spread throughout the 29th Hell.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The sword dance of Link was added to Kill and punished the demon who dared touch his precious person.


    ¡°¡±Cough!¡±¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were burning as he stared at Andras, who was vomiting mercury-like blood.


    ¡°Stop talking rubbish.¡±


    ¡°¡±I will... kill you!¡±¡±


    Part of the chain turned into a sword engulfed in mes. It tangled with the chains that moved like waves and struck at Grid.


    ¡±Cancel it!¡±


    A sacred and great me spread out like a storm. Grid¡¯s momentum was dangerous and Andras shrank back.


    ¡°¡±A god?¡±¡±


    ¡±Just get lost.¡±


    In the midst of the Storm of the Fire God, Grid gained infinite sword energy and cast the five fusion sword dance at Andras. Andras¡¯ party member watched the scene from a distance and his blood was boiling.


    ¡°You... have you be stronger?¡±


    The man with green hair and golden eyes¡ªBaal¡¯s Contractor, Agnus¡ªleft without any hesitation. It was because he knew it was meaningless to help Andras.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was also because he didn¡¯t want to point his sword at a man who was fighting to protect his beloved woman. Now he distinguished between when to fight and when not to fight.

 Chapter 1326

    The demon, Andras¡ªhis innate power was fire. He knew how to deal with powerful mes by nature and was one of the best among demons. However, he wasn¡¯t a great demon. No, he wasn¡¯t qualified to be a great demon. Hell Gao and Belial¡ªthere were already two great demons who dealt with mes more proficiently and powerfully than Andras. A demon who couldn¡¯t be a great demon...


    Andras couldn¡¯t find his purpose in life. He wandered constantly while resenting God Yatan who had given him the power of fire. Sometimes, he ran wild and there were serious incidents. It was Baal who saved him as he was targeted by a few great demons. Baal took in Andras, made him a subordinate, and gave him two new powers¡ªsteel and wind. With three powers in total, Andras was reborn.


    By transforming his body and magic power to steel, he exhibited a power to destroy everything. By heating his steel body and magic power with fire, it was possible to inflict a pain that was more terrible than death on the enemy. Andras¡¯ majesty was alreadyparable to a great demon as he created a storm to overwhelm the surroundings without directly using violence.


    Andras was undoubtedly confident that he could take the ce of the 32nd great demon which was vacant.


    He believed that if he progressed a bit more, he could go up to the 22nd Hell, which was vacant like the 32nd Hell. He was convinced he would write a legend like Zepar, the wanderer who was a low-ranking demon who sharpened his swordsmanship and rose to the 13th Hell (current ranking had fallen again).


    However, the reason he remained loyal to Baal was because he sincerely respected Baal. For Andras, his god was Baal, not Yatan. He wanted to stay by Baal¡¯s side forever to serve Baal. It was also Andras¡¯ will and loyalty that made him recently pursue Yura, who dared to hide in the 1st Hell and hinder Baal¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°¡±Kuek.¡±¡±


    Andras groaned in the midst of the mes that destroyed evil. He couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. A disgustingly sacred me¡ªwhy was this fire appearing in the middle of hell?


    ¡°¡±You are from heaven. Daring to break into here...¡±


    Grid frowned when Andras mistook him for a god or a messenger of the gods. The rtionship between Reba, the goddess of light, and Yatan, the god of evil, meant it was natural to think that heaven and hell were in a mutually cooperative rtionship.


    ¡®The more I know about the gods, the most disgusted I feel.¡¯


    Even Hexetia, who now favored Grid and humanity, once tried to destroy humanity. Grid thought he should be vignt of all gods beside Hexetia. Of course, the priority was to focus on the person in front of him.


    ¡®He is dangerous.¡¯


    The enemy didn¡¯t feel strong because of the penalty in hell. He was just strong. Was it simr to the 22nd great demon, Berith, who came to the human world? The chains of hot steel and the wind pressure that crushed his body and restricted his movements were intimidating and changed their shapes in real time.


    ¡®A quick battle speed is needed.¡¯


    During the time when Storm of the Fire God was maintained and he had infinite sword energy, all attacks should be released. Grid made a decision and pulled out Belial¡¯s Power to obtain permanent stamina. Then...


    [The passive effect ¡®Fire Queen¡¯ is activated. Stamina won¡¯t fall while this passive is maintained.]


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop.¡±


    It was one of his newly created five fusion sword dances. Dozens of steel wolves running through the hot chains toward Grid were destroyed. Blue petals floated around Grid and fell like lightning. In the Storm of the Fire God, the power of the sword dance that cut at all the expanded chains denied the rule of ¡®low attack power of wide area skills.¡¯


    ¡°¡±Kuheok, cough!!¡±¡±


    The power of steel was connected not only to Andras¡¯ magic but also to his body. Therefore, Andras could transform both his magic power and body into steel. Every time the wolves and chains were cut and destroyed, Andras experienced pain like his body was being cut off.


    ¡°¡°T-Time is needed.¡±¡±


    Andras could see it. It didn¡¯t matter if this man was a god, angel, or human. The ck-haired man in front of him was barely maintaining his stamina with Belial¡¯s Power. Just a bit more. Andras realized that the man would copse on his own after a little bit more time.


    However, it was also true for Andras. He had no time. The first field effect of Storm of the Fire God, ¡®Divine mes,¡¯ inflicted constant damage on evil beings. Andras¡¯ body was burning slowly like a moth that had jumped into the mes.


    ¡°¡±You... where is Agnus?¡±¡±


    Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡ªhe barely defended against the first attack of the five fusion sword dances, and avoided a fatal injury. Andras lost one arm and gazed anxiously beyond the swirling storm of mes.


    Agnus¡ªthat guy hade here with him. Agnus might be a human, but he signed a contract with Baal and possessed excellent skills. It was enough to help Andras. Then why? Why didn¡¯t he show up? Why didn¡¯t the newly created deceased prate through the disgusting mes to block the ck-haired man?


    ¡°¡±What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you helping me to manage the dignity of Master?!¡±


    It happened when Andras shouted...


    -Obligations and respect.


    Someone¡¯s voice was heard high in the sky. The voice prated the noise of the fire storm and entered not only Andrus¡¯ ears but also Grid¡¯s ears.


    -Trust and willpower.


    Andras suddenly fell to his knees. He raised his head to the sky and screamed with the veins on his neck bulging.


    ¡°¡±Baal!¡±¡±


    The sincere look in the eyes glimpsed through the steel facete was like a savior. Meanwhile, Grid was in great despair. ¡®Baal...!¡¯


    Grid had seen Baal before. In the human world where the power of a great demon was greatly weakened, he had encountered one of Baal¡¯s dozens of egos. He might¡¯ve fought and won, but the experience stilled great fear to Grid. Baal¡¯s ego had tremendous power even when weakened. It was impossible to specte on the real Baal¡¯s strength and he felt a vague fear.


    Baal¡¯s voice continued.


    -Andras, a demon betrays grace, tramples on respect, ys with trust, and ridicules those who are dependent.


    ¡°¡±.......!!¡±¡±


    Andras¡¯ face covered by a steel facete turned gray. He noticed that God was criticizing him.


    -In order to repay my kindness, you pursued a human, trusted in my other subordinate, kneeled down the moment you heard my voice, and relied on me in a moment of difficulty. Are you really a demon?


    ¡°¡±.......!!¡±¡±


    A ck thunderbolt struck. In a sh, Storm of the Fire God was split in half and dissipated. Grid¡¯s mental picture was built and maintained ording to Grid¡¯s willpower. Now it was destroyed by an external force.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    [Your mental picture is broken.]


    [Your heart is broken and you have entered the abnormal state ¡®copse.¡¯]


    [All stats have fallen drastically and you can¡¯t move.]


    ¡®What, this is...?!¡¯


    The mental picture was a powerful weapon, but also a weakness. It was because those with a broken heart would fall into a helpless state where they couldn¡¯t do anything. In fact, the act of exposing a mental picture to others was actually apanied by great danger. Baal had yet to show interest to Grid who couldn¡¯t move because of the copsed state.


    -Andras, the reason God Yatan despaired for you and gave you a useless talent is because he was disappointed that you aren¡¯t qualified to be a great demon.


    Baal¡¯s dismalugh spread throughout the 29th Hell.


    -The reason I saved you was because I wanted to appreciate the despair you would one day experience again.


    A demon was the source of all evil. An existence who denied goodness and didn¡¯t need special reasons formitting sins. They were just evil. It was the same for Baal. All his choices and actions were intended to corrupt, frustrate and cause people to feel despair.


    -Ahh.Andras.A virtuous demon who lost his wickedness.The tears of blood you possess are even sweeter than the blood of any angel. This makes me happy.


    ¡°¡±Baaal! Baaaal!¡±¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Baal and Andras. However, the situation was easily inferred unless he was a fool. Baal responded to Andras¡¯ faith with ridicule. Andras¡¯ chains that had been cut by Grid gathered together to form a huge sword. It was aimed at Baal, not Grid.


    ¡°¡±I will kill you! I will never forgive you!!¡±¡±


    Andras created a gust of wind and flew into the sky. Baal¡¯s mouth spread wide in a smile as he revealed half his face in the ck sky. A ck thunderbolt struck Andras¡¯ forehead. The sword that couldn¡¯t reach Baal¡¯s body lost its momentum and was gradually extinguished. Then Andras¡¯ body plunged like a broken doll toward the ground.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    Andras¡¯ eyes that were filled with sadness and anger gradually became empty. Baal was happy to see Andras dying alone without anyone to rely on. This event wasn¡¯t just for Grid. It was also for Yura. It was an event that urred only when Yura met the conditions of bing hostile to Andras, Baal¡¯s mad believer, causing him to pursue her and then making him fall into a crisis. It would¡¯ve been a great struggle to achieve thest condition if it wasn¡¯t for Grid¡¯s presence.


    Then a notification window appeared in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [You have witnessed the source of all evil.]


    [All the quarrels and famines in the world might¡¯ve been the work of demons.]


    [Humanity, your task is to punish Baal.]


    [Amoract, the great demon of conflict, is waiting for you somewhere in hell.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura and Amoract¡¯s rtionship was deep. In the past, Amoract gave Yura the opportunity to be a demonkin and she refused to do so, instead bing a Demon yer. She thought she was an enemy to Amoract since then...


    Baal¡¯s eyes scanned Yura.


    -It isn¡¯t ripe yet.The fun with you should be put off.


    It was an event that should¡¯ve ended here. Baal didn¡¯t pay much attention to the present Yura. It was natural. Baal was the one who ughtered the former Demon yer Alex and turned him into pieces of meat. It was hard to be interested in Yura from Baal¡¯s standpoint when he already killed her predecessor who she had yet to reach. He didn¡¯t know if Yura would surpass Alex.


    -Hmm...


    The end of this event would be when Baal withdrew. However, Baal didn¡¯t leave and instead stayed a bit longer. He was staring at the still copsed Grid before letting out a huge burst ofughter.


    -You are qualified to be a god, but you stayed a human?Kukuk, kuhahat...!!You are still interesting.


    Baal flicked his finger like it was stained with blood. Then a screaming soul appeared and hovered around him. The corners of Baal¡¯s mouth rose up as he grabbed the soul.


    -Look, unlike you who relied on me to the end, that guy has crossed the limits by himself.Maybe you could¡¯ve been like that too?Hahat!Kuhahahat!


    Baal¡¯s insanely joyfulughter and the screams of pain from the soul mixed together and gave Grid goose bumps. Grid finally realized it.


    The inner workings of the gods wasn¡¯t something he should think about yet. The main enemy at hand was this being, Baal.


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 Chapter 1327

    Pagma¡ªthe world remembered that he was a great cksmith. His immortal works deserved to be praised forever.


    Pagma¡ªsometimes he was used of being a bad person. He could be called this because he betrayed his only friend in the world and sacrificed many people.


    Pagma¡ªthe moment the world faced a crisis, he glimpsed the reality of the gods and was isted. He didn¡¯t know who to believe in or to rely on. He was already alone.


    Pagma¡ªhe eventually signed a contract with a great demon in exchange for his soul. He dug up the graves of heroes. It was the only way to save the world.


    (Uhh... uwoooh...)


    Grid¡ªhe inherited Pagma¡¯s skills and gained a new life. Therefore, he felt deep gratitude to Pagma.


    Grid¡ªevery time he learned about Pagma¡¯s works, he felt infinite respect for Pagma.


    Grid¡ªhe was disappointed with Pagma when he learned about Braham¡¯s murder.


    Grid¡ªhe encountered the death knights of the former legends on the Behen Archipgo, and felt disgusted with Pagma.


    -Look, unlike you who relied on me to the end, that guy has crossed the limits by himself.Maybe you could¡¯ve been like that too?Hahat!Kuhahahat!


    (Uwahh... uhhh...)


    Pagma¡ªhe fought alone in the Behen Archipgo. He fought days and night against the forces of hell that pushed in like a tsunami before falling down.


    Grid¡ªhe gradually understood the feelings of Pagma who fought for humans and the weak despite being born as a yangban (half-god). No, it was because he was born as a yangban. However, he still disliked Pagma¡¯s choice of sacrificing others on the pretext of righteousness, and was determined not to be like that.


    Pagma¡ªhe repelled the forces of hell and defended the world. Therefore, he believed that all his choices in the past were rational. To be precise, he tried to believe it. In the end, he couldn¡¯t hide his regret. In solitude, he shed tears of remorse. The moment he felt confusion about the world, he deeply resented his weakness, distrust, and instincts that caused him to betray his friend, a demonkin.


    Grid¡ªhe faced Braham¡¯s body that was treasured in the ice wall and read Pagma¡¯s regret, sympathizing with it.


    Pagma¡ªhe fell to hell when he died and he didn¡¯t resist. He epted the pain and sorrow that would be repeated during eternity as the price to be paid.


    Grid¡ªhe...


    -Pagma!Your life is a thorough failure!This guy is proving it!Kukuk!Kuhahahat!Sob!Scream!Howl some more!Constantly regret and struggle forever in the confines of pain!


    Was he enjoying a pleasure that was unmatched in the world? Baal¡¯s expression was full of deep pleasure as he grasped the screaming soul. The soul was burned ck due to the demonic power that Baal discharged. Every time smoke rose, the shape of the soul copsed. Then it soon regained its original shape.


    A soul¡ªthe soul that was presumably Pagma worked hard not to forget his sins for a single moment. He held onto reason and endured the pain that was worse than death.


    -Hahat!Kuhahahahat!


    Pagma¡¯s soul that endlessly maintained its shape made Baal¡¯sughter grow louder. If Pagma let go of reason, then he would be liberated from the pain. The sublimeness of the soul that tried to ept the pain instead of escaping from it made Baal happy.


    Baal once again realized the unchanging truth. In the end, it was more enjoyable to harass the good guys.


    -You are stupid!Truly foolish!That is why it is even more enjoyable!!!


    (Uhh... uweohhh...)


    The pain of the soul increased in proportion to Baal¡¯sughter.


    ¡°Who are youughing at?¡±


    At this moment, the silent Grid finally opened his mouth. Baal saw Grid¡¯s eyes fixed on him and hisughter stopped like it was a lie all along. The dark eyes that showed no distinction between the whites of the eyes and the pupils shone¡ªfacing a coward who never spoke a word out of fear, Baal thought he could suppress Grid with just his eyes, but he was wrong. The reason Grid was silent wasn¡¯t because he was afraid. He was just overwhelmed by the helplessness that attacked him after his mental picture was broken.


    ¡°How dare a bastard like you...¡±


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the ninth epic.]


    ¡°...You dare tough at a hero?¡±


    [Pagma.]


    [The cksmith who left behind an immortal legend.]


    [The people of the world only mention his works.]


    -Hero?The person who turned his back on the morality and trust that you humans attach so much importance to is a hero?


    [Some people med and criticized him.]


    [But...]


    ¡°Even though there were many mistakes in the process, he saved the world.¡±


    [Overgeared King Grid praised him as a hero.]


    [He might¡¯ve sacrificed many people, but it is true that he saved the world.]


    ¡°Pagma,¡± Grid quietly called out to Pagma¡¯s soul as he took off the crown and Talima¡¯s Shame. He brushed back his hair, soaked with blood and sweat, and bowed deeply. ¡°I am always grateful to you.¡±


    (......)


    -....?!


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened. The soul¡¯s screams that should¡¯vested forever stopped for a moment. Baal nced between Grid and the soul with an expression of disbelief, while Grid made a promise to the soul, ¡°Wait for me. I will surely give you a chance to apologize to Braham.¡±


    (...D-Dragon.)


    [The past of Pagma, who fought alone in a ce no one knows.]


    [It intersects with the present of Grid, who is fighting with his people.]


    [The origin of Grid has been absorbed as a part of Grid.]


    -How did you do this?


    Baal was shocked by the willpower that came from Pagma¡¯s soul when it should be just trying to maintain its reason and was temporarily distracted.


    [You have acquired Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance, ¡®Dragon.¡¯] [1]


    [A skill that belongs to the sub-category of Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. Once you bepletely proficient in the use, you can evolve it to truly belong to Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    Grid clearly received Pagma¡¯s will.


    [Overgeared King Grid haspleted the ninth page of the epic!]


    [The legend of Pagma has expanded in the aftermath of an unknown secret story being revealed.]


    [All items made by Pagma will have their rating upgraded by one.]


    [The light of salvation shone on his soul as he was confined to eternal hell and felt repeated regret. The identity of the light was Overgeared King Grid.]


    [The final chapter of Pagma¡¯s legend has be part of the narrative of Overgeared King Grid.]


    -...What the hell are you doing?


    Baal¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at Grid. Pagma¡¯s soul suddenly showed willpower and Grid¡¯s presence became stronger. He felt that the demonic power and heat filling hell could no longer suppress Grid.


    ¡°Yura.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scene where Grid and Pagma met for the first time¡ªYura carefully engraved the historic moment she would never see again in her heart, and changed her pistol into a sniper rifle. Grid shook his head as she prepared to fight. ¡°Run away.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can get away. Let¡¯s not die together.¡±


    Certainly. Baal¡¯s attention was only focused on Grid. In particr, he was expressing an emotion close to anger once Pagma¡¯s soul stopped screaming. It was safe to say there was no possibility of Grid surviving here. However, Yura had no intention of withdrawing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Who knows? If we fight together and create opportunities, then we might be able to find a way out.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t regret and stubbornness that made her refuse to let Grid die alone. She sincerely intended to create opportunities and she had the skills to make Grid feel expectant.


    Grid grinned. ¡°It is reassuring.¡±


    Grid no longer intended to carry everything on his own. It was because he always experienced many incidents that he couldn¡¯t do alone. Even the grandmaster, an incarnation of the seven malignant saints, wanted to rely on Grid. The opponent in front of him was the 1st great demon, Baal. There was no reason to shake off Yura¡¯s hand when it was necessary to grab at any life-saving straw.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it is three minutes. I can only move for three more minutes.¡±


    Fire Queen was on cooldown and his stamina was running out. The risk was too great to use Storm of the Fire God. His mental power really wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it if it copsed again. Fortunately, he still had some things left. Grid gritted his teeth in a determined manner and Yura stood next to him.


    ¡°Three minutes is enough. Hell Regtion.¡±


    The entire 29th Hell was suppressed by the power of the Demon yer who denied evil. The demonic power that was mixed into the atmosphere scattered like a mirage and disappeared. The infinite magic power that Baal exhaled seemed to have decreased a bit. Of course, it could just be his imagination. It was good if this was the case. Grid and Yura would try their best as always.


    ¡°Lightning Speed.¡±


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots immediately glowed as it was surrounded by lightning. Grid soared high into the sky, reached the maximum speed, and entered the Lightning God state.


    ¡°Sky.¡±


    It was a ridiculously fraudulent sword dance that ¡®deployed every single sword dance¡¯ without sharing the cooldown. Grid had confirmed the power of this sword dance several times. The only downside was that it couldn¡¯t be fused. Grid didn¡¯t pay attention to his physical strength.


    The effect of Incarnation of Lightning prevented stamina from falling while in flight, so he rushed forward with all his strength. Every time Sky reproduced a specific sword dance, he used Shunpo to change his position and attacked Baal from all directions. All these sword dances were blocked by the shield that surrounded Baal.


    Wave was blocked by only one shield while Pinnacle and Kill were blocked by threeyers of shield. Even Link was blocked by a shield created in the trajectory and he couldn¡¯t connect it to the end.


    ¡°Gasp, gasp...!Gasp!¡±


    The operation of the shields that flowed like water reminded them of Mcus, whom they fought a long time ago. Of course, Baal¡¯s shields were created much faster than Mcus and not only that, they were dozens of times harder.


    ¡®Did he read my weaknesses?¡¯


    Baal used a wide area skill that spread demonic power across the sky and Grid was forced tond on the ground while feeling disbelief. From the moment hended on the ground, he was no longer protected by Incarnation of Lightning, and his stamina started to be consumed again.


    Grid used White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes and built a barrier with the earth. This allowed him to somewhat endure the lightning strikes of demonic power.


    ¡°Block Evil Desires, Vengeance Bullets. Light of Destruction.¡±


    Yura used the Demon yer¡¯s unique buff skills and fired her sniper rifle. Jade-colored shes crossed the darkness and broke through Baal¡¯s shields before reaching Baal¡¯s heart. This was worthy of the Demon yer, a demon¡¯s natural enemy. She delivered a good blow to one of the final bosses... Grid just had this thought when his face stiffened.


    Baal¡¯s health was unchanged despite being hit by a sh of energy that denied all evil. Baal didn¡¯t even let out a small moan. He formed a spear by collecting the scattered lightning bolts of demonic power and threw it. The barrier of earth copsed and Grid lost one arm.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    ¡®...Shit, I couldn¡¯t avoid it.¡¯


    He momentarily entered the world of transcendence, but he couldn¡¯t respond properly because his physical strength couldn¡¯t catch up.


    -It is really trivial.I don¡¯t know what trick you did with Pagma¡¯s soul, but your current strength can¡¯t even entertain me.Go away.


    He looked extremely bored. Baal raised his hand and it became erged like Sitri¡¯s hand. It soon covered the entire sky. He showed the desire to crush both Grid and Yura together.


    ¡®I might be able to endure it once by using Revolve...¡¯


    However, it was meaningless. Grid really only had a bit of health left. His next sword dance would be thest one. Revolve sent the attack back, but it was useless looking for a way to live if he couldn¡¯t move a few steps.


    ¡®Kill and Pinnacle won¡¯t work...¡¯


    As expected, he could only rely on Transcend. He took Yura away with Shunpo and could only leave the future matters to Yura. Grid suddenly thought of the Dragon sword dance. There was no time to read the description of the skill so the exact function of Dragon wasn¡¯t yet known.


    However, didn¡¯t receiving Dragon now mean it was a hint to ovee the current crisis? Satisfy had always been like this.


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance.¡±


    Pagma¡ªGrid called out the name he used to call out dozens, if not hundreds of times a day, in the past, but the sensation now felt very new and even refreshing.


    ¡°Dragon.¡±


    The smiling Grid¡¯s body was literally fired forward. It was the ascension of a dragon. The scene of an eastern dragon piercing Hanul¡¯s chest was reproduced here in hell hundreds of yearster.


    -What...


    Baal¡¯s body tilted slightly. His chest was pierced and Grid rose into the sky. Yura, who had chased after Grid without missing a gap, opened a gate leading to the human world. However, Grid couldn¡¯t take a single step. No, he couldn¡¯t even move his fingertips. The resource consumption of Dragon was high enough to bepared to a fusion sword dance. The massive bleeding from his severed arm might¡¯ve increased his physical strength consumption.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Go first.¡±


    Baal¡¯s hand moved through the air and struck Grid¡¯s head. Grid forced Yura into the gate and started to turn to gray ash. His wounded gaze followed Pagma¡¯s soul.


    ¡®Just wait.¡¯


    He would keep his promise.


    A huge hill was formed in the 29th hell. It was a trace left behind by the 1st Great Demon, Baal, just to destroy one human being.


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    [1] Yes, I know there is another sword dance called Dragon. This Dragon is correct and they are both called Dragon. It will be exined in ater chapter

 Chapter 1328

    At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid woke up at the resurrection point and had a new question. How many times did an average yer die in a year? He must¡¯ve died less often than them, right? He just seemed to die a lotpared to his abilities...


    ¡®It is an unavoidable problem because there are too many people stronger than me.¡¯


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    Yura rushed to Grid and hugged him as he was checking his dropped items and experience. She was a ranker behind Grid. She chased the path he walked on, and fully realized the weight of Grid¡¯s sacrifice.


    ¡°Because of me... because of me, you...¡±


    The reason Baal appeared there was because of herself. If she hadn¡¯t overlooked Andras¡¯ pursuit, then Baal would¡¯ve never appeared and Grid wouldn¡¯t have died. Grid read Yura¡¯s trembling back that was crushed by guilt.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t because of you.¡±


    In Grid¡¯s eyes, there was no reason for Yura to feel guilty. She was chased by Andras because she interrupted Baal¡¯s activity to help Grid. The reason Baalter appeared was because Grid fought and won against Andras. More than anything else...


    ¡°I died to Baal because I am weak.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have a reason or the qualification to me Yura. Yura agreed with Grid¡¯s assertion. ¡°I couldn¡¯t protect you because I was too weak.¡±


    ¡°...We both need to be stronger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The desire of a level 408 high ranker to improve was great. After opening the ranking window for the first time in ages and confirming that Yura was third in the unified rankings, Grid sent a whisper to Chris. He was interested in Chris, who was maintaining a higher level than Yura who hunted in hell.


    -What level are you?


    -410.


    -Isn¡¯t this really fast?


    -I¡¯ve found a spot for solo y in the Chaos Mountains.By the way, how can it be faster than you?Grid, shouldn¡¯t you be almost level 430 by now?


    -......


    He was level 417, and now he was level 416. Grid closed his mouth and awakened a sense of reality.


    ¡®People who have passed the hell section are growing at a tremendous speed.¡¯


    Yura and Chris were prime examples. It seems right to say that the restrictions had been lifted. No, yers needed to grow. The world was filled with enemies.


    ¡®On the other hand, I stopped growing for a while and avoided it.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t have enough time to fully concentrate on hunting. The difficulties of making items, taking care of the king¡¯s work, and raising Noe and the Overgeared Skeletons, were all secondary problems. The reason Grid struggled with time more than others was because he was always swept away by big episodes. It was obvious just by looking back at recent events. Grid had visited the East Continent to learn how to grow the white phosphorus trees and golden walnut trees, yet he ended up in the Hwan Kingdom with the grandmaster, met Hanul, the absolute god, and took Chiyou¡¯s Test.


    ¡®...It is absurd when thinking about it.¡¯


    His experience in hell was also ridiculous. Grid only visited hell to tame the subi. Then he ended up fighting the 1st Great Demon, Baal, and died.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was scary at this point. Seeing the absurd coincidences repeat over and over again, it seemed the world had no intention of leaving him alone. Grid assumed they were coincidences, but this was his mistake. All the events that Grid had gone through were a result of his choices, so they were inevitable.


    ¡®Then looking at Dragon...¡¯


    [Dragon]


    [A sword dance that reproduces the spirit of a dragon.


    Effect: ???


    ¡ïYou haven¡¯t achievedplete enlightenment. It is in an inactive state.]


    Grid already had a Dragon sword dance. To be exact, it was the ¡®potential.¡¯ The dragon¡¯s energy that Helena, princess of the half-draconians, had shown many times was imprinted on his infinite sword energy. This opened up the possibility of a new sword dance. ¡®Now it seems there must¡¯ve been a Dragon among ¡®Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance.¡¯


    [Dragon Lv. 1]


    [A sword dance that reproduces thest breath of the blue dragon that pierced the chest of the absolute god, Hanul.


    Charge at a target within 10 meters, dealing 3,000% physical damage. There is also a high chance of pration. Damage is doubled after pration and causes the target to be unable to recover for five seconds.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 500


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes]


    It was truly a sword dance with terrifying power. First of all, charging was a great strength. Hadn¡¯t the power and utility of a charge that instantly narrowed the distance to the target already been proven by numerous yers? Unfortunately, Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance and Grid¡¯s Sword Dance had no charge skills. Grid relied solely on the Freely Move skill obtained from an achievement.


    ¡®There is Shunpo, but it uses a ridiculous amount of stamina. Therefore, it is a burden to use it often.¡¯


    It was a pleasure to secure a charge skill that consumed sword energy rather than stamina. It was just like how Pagma awakened Pinnacle after seeing Chiyou¡¯s strike. The sword dance that was awakened by another god...


    He liked that the damage coefficient was high because it was a sword dance that reproduced the moment when the blue dragon wounded the absolute god, Hanul.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t as good as Link but the limitations of Link are too clear.¡¯


    As shown against Baal, Link attacked the target by connecting several attacks. The higher the opponent¡¯s level, the harder it was for Link to exercise its proper power. It was useless if it was blocked before all the attacks were linked and the flow cut off. Therefore, it was useless no matter how high the total attack power.


    The importance of sword dances such as Kill, Pinnacle, and Dragon that boasted a high attack coefficient would be more prominent in the future.


    ¡®The most notable thing is the pration effect.¡¯


    Physically prating through the target could be interpreted as changing positions with the target. Grid had actually prated Baal¡¯s chest when he used Dragon. He stood in front of Baal and changed to behind Baal. Thanks to this, the way to escape was opened up temporarily. He just couldn¡¯t move because of his low stamina. Thus, he couldn¡¯t escape.


    ¡®There is no need to be disappointed just because it isn¡¯t Splendor or Chop.¡¯


    Furthermore, there was still the potential of Dragon, a sword dance that reproduced the dragon¡¯s spirit. It was likely to be a buff-type skill. Grid smiled as he thought about the possibility of using Pagma¡¯s Dragon and his own Dragon together. He murmured to himself with a pleased smile, ¡°Two dragons... Twin Dragons.¡±


    It felt like new advertising inquiries would soon be received.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Hum hum, can you send me back to hell?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    He wanted to go to hell again after suffering such a terrible thing? Grid exined to the confused Yura, ¡°Baal appeared in the middle of hell and caused turmoil. Won¡¯t all the demonic beasts, demonkin, and demons have shrunk back? Now is the opportunity to explore hell and get used to it.¡±


    ¡°That is possible, but what if Baal is watching?¡±


    ¡°No, he won¡¯t expect for me to enter hell again right away. How would he expect someone who just died toe back to die again?¡±


    There was a chance that Baal wouldn¡¯t care even if he noticed that Grid visited hell again. The absolute beings Grid had met so far generally had an indifferent personality. Baal was arrogant. It was the only weakness of this absolute existence. Grid had to dig into that arrogant personality.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± Yura nodded because she thought that Grid¡¯s words made sense. ¡°Is the purpose a simple hunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am going to level up for a while.¡±


    Of course, the Chaos Mountains was also a great hunting ground. Chris was proving this. Unlike Chris, who specialized in single attacks, Grid was capable of wide area skills. Hell had arge poption of monsters so he liked it more than the Chaos Mountains.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you to the hells in the 30s. Marbas will stay in the hells in the 20s.¡±


    Considering Grid¡¯s abilities, the best hunting ground for him would be in the hells between 23-25. Unfortunately, Grid received a penalty in hell and the hells in the 20s were affected by Marbas¡¯ power. It was impossible to keep hunting there. It was right to send him to the hells in the 30s.


    Yura created a gate to hell and was entering the coordinates when Grid told her, ¡°No, send me to the 29th hell.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it inefficient?¡±


    A cycle of three minutes of hunting and 10-15 minutes of rest would be repeated. Of course, Yura could fill in the gap in time if she partied and hunted with him, but Yura knew Grid¡¯s nature. He would definitely stick to solo y.


    ¡°The efficiency is enough.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Had he forgotten what just happened a few minutes ago? Anyone other than Yura would¡¯ve had doubts for a while. However, Yura was always more willing to believe Grid than to doubt him. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Eventually, Yura couldn¡¯t break Grid¡¯s stubbornness and entered the coordinates of the 29th Hell into the gate. After a while...


    ¡°Dragon.¡±


    The moment Yura arrived in the 29th Hell, she was confronted by Grid rushing into the crowd of monsters. Her panic soon turned into astonishment, and then the astonishment turned into trust. Grid started to ughter the monsters without getting tired. He no longer suffered from the penalties he had to face in hell. [1]


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t buffed like the Demon yer. It was just that Grid¡¯s stats far surpassed Yura once he stopped suffering from the penalties.


    ¡°I think I can go down further in hell?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No monsters remained despite the effect of Marbas¡¯ power. Yura gazed at the spectacr sight for a moment before her mind returned and she nodded.


    ¡°I think you can go down a lot.¡±


    The hells in the 10s¡ªeven Demon yer Yura currently couldn¡¯t handle them as a hunting ground. The ce that Yura only asionally visited to clear quests was wide open for Grid.


    ¡°As you know, the use of return scrolls are prohibited in hell. If you feel it is a bit dangerous, then call me right away... understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    She was a very strong woman. Grid smiled and waved to Yura as he passed through the gate to move to the 19th Hell. Yura was soon left alone. She took a deep breath and looked back. An earthquake was urring on the ground colored red with the blood of demons. A ck hand popped out of the cracks.


    ¡°Demon yer, you have crossed the line.¡± Marchosias, the 29th great demon¡ªhe was the master of thend Yura was currently standing on. His strength... he was stronger than the 13th Great Demon, Beleth, when Beleth in the human world. ¡°It isn¡¯t enough to bring Baal into my territory. You had toe back immediately and act tyrannical. If you have been purposely trying to get my attention, then congrattions. You have seeded.¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know that Marchosias would move so fast.¡¯


    Yura had been mindful of the situation since she heard that Grid wanted to go to the 29th Hell again. She just analyzed that it had a very low probability of urring. Marchosias was so cautious that he was often called a coward among the great demons.


    However, it seemed the intensity of this provocation was too severe. In the end, they met. It seemed it would be difficult for her to survive.


    ¡®There is no way other than to fight.¡¯


    What could she do? The water had already been spilled.


    ¡®He is someone I have to fight anyway. Think of it as an opportunity to gauge my skills in preparation for the future.¡¯


    Even if it meant sacrificing her life in return. Yura was feeling determined when an unexpected voice entered her ears.


    ¡°Yura, did you know that your eyes curve more when you smile while hiding your worries?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The shocked Yura felt the heat. A sword burning with fire slowly emerged from the gap in the gate that hadn¡¯tpletely closed yet. Then it soon disappeared. The heat that warmed Yura¡¯s skin hadn¡¯tpletely dissipated when there was a chilling cutting sound where Marchosias stood.


    Yura btedly noticed it¡ªGrid¡¯s sword that previously couldn¡¯t reach Beleth in the human world properly was now cutting Marchosias¡¯ throat.


    OG Voting Page


    [1] It wasn¡¯t explicitly stated in a notification window but Grid has indeed lost all the penalties from hell after his previous epic. It was shown in the short line of Baal¡¯s surprise.

 Chapter 1329

    The 29th Great Demon, Marchosias¡ªat one time, he enjoyed the struggle. He failed to endure his boiling blood and had ambition to be the master of a deeper hell in order to lead more armies. However, he was defeated by the wanderer, Zepar, and briefly lost the 29th Hell. His wild instincts and passion faded like a lie. He learned the concept of ¡®limitations.¡¯


    Marchosias reigned by turning everything his breath touched into stone. He lost all motivation once he discovered there were some objects that couldn¡¯t be turned to stone, and many of them were here in hell. Demons were no different from humans. Their fate was sometimes dictated by something innate.


    ¡®The appearance isn¡¯t bad for a human. Should I make her into a stone statue to decorate my bedroom?¡¯


    Marchosias wasn¡¯t stupid enough to let go of the human who invaded his territory at will. He wasn¡¯t degraded to the extent where he would shrink back from a human. Demon yer? It was a grand title, but she was still youngpared to the past generation. He let it go once or twice because it was annoying and he could handle her easily as long as he made up his mind.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Marchosias was approaching Yura when he suddenly felt flustered. It was because Yura, who was standing in front of him, suddenly disappeared. Then he realized it wasn¡¯t Yura who disappeared. It was that his vision had changed. He wasted a single second. Then there was a sharp bursting sound behind him that was apanied by pain. He realized the blood scattering in all directions was his own and hurriedly let out his breath.


    Marchosias¡¯ skin and muscles turned into hard stones. The hot and sharp object that was cutting at Marchosias¡¯ body. It was presumably a sword and it could no longer cut Marchosias¡¯ body. It bounced off. Marchosias kept turning himself into stone as he raised his half-cut neck and looked back. He saw a person other than the Demon yer.


    ¡°Fast...¡±


    He wondered if humans could be this fast.


    ¡®A transcendent?¡¯


    He wondered why a transcendent was in hell.


    ¡®I heard that transcendents are quite obsessed with life.¡¯


    Transcendents were those who lived forever, but couldn¡¯t resist physical death, unlike legends. They transcended the limits of a human being in order to realize their simple desire for development and were immersed in their own world all day long. Therefore, they had little external activities. Yet one stepped into hell willingly?


    ¡®Additionally, why is it my hell?¡¯


    Today was an annoying day in many ways. It wasn¡¯t enough that Baal came and made trouble. Now there was the Demon yer and a transcendent...


    ¡®Tsk, it is ominous.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to see a transcendent who might¡¯ve lived for many years. Marchosias became cautious and let out a breath as an experiment. Everything that existed where the fan-shaped breath passed quickly turned into stone. It could be called a wave of stone. The human at the end of that wave...


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±


    There was no petrification. Marchosias clicked his tongue, spread out his wings, and flew back. He also confirmed that the Demon yer blocking his path was quite tense.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you are doing here. Can you just leave?¡±


    There was a superstition among the demons. It was a superstition that, whenever the flesh was extinguished and the flesh was born, it would gain a stronger or new power. Of course, Marchosias didn¡¯t believe in superstition. Hell Gao, Drasion, Morax, Astaroth, Furfur¡ªhe thought it was a rumor spread by the followers of the idiots who lost their flesh to Sword Saint Muller to maintain the dignity of their master.


    ¡®It is a waste of time to die.¡¯


    He might only be resurrected after a few hundred years. Life would be no different from before even if he was resurrected. Marchosias just wanted peace and quiet.


    Yura was shaken by the words about withdrawing. This development was unexpected and her shaky gaze shifted to Grid. They weremunicating without Marcosias knowing.


    -nt advised me to avoid fighting Marchosias as much as possible.He said that if Marchosias wasn¡¯t worried after an incident, his ranking would be much higher than it is now.It is difficult to believe in the visible ranking. There are many variables so it is better to avoid him.


    -I¡¯d like to fight.


    Since ancient times, the premise of killing a great demon was ¡®in the human world.¡¯ They might be the same great demon, but there was a huge difference in the human worldpared to in hell. Therefore, Grid wanted to confirm it.


    -I have to make sure that the great demons in hell are as great as the rumors.


    Grid nned to use hell as his main stage for future activities, so it was necessary to gain an idea of thebat power of great demons. He needed to know if his skills could handle the great demon in the region before he could make a thorough n. Yura nodded when she read Grid¡¯s intentions.


    -I understand...however, I will remind you.Don¡¯t be careless just by looking at the rankings.nt¡¯s assessment might not be unconditionally urate, but he said that Marchosias deserves to be 22nd ranked. This means he is stronger than Beleth in the human world.


    -More than Beleth?


    Yura brought up Beleth so that Grid could feel it more clearly. Grid was calm despite her continued warnings. Therefore, she felt the need to instill vignce. Then what was this?


    -I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    Grid was smiling rather than being nervous. Yura realized something when she saw the light in his eyes. Grid wasn¡¯t afraid of Beleth. It was honestly unbelievable. Just a few months ago, Grid¡¯s face had been full of agitation and surprise throughout the fight against Beleth. The video of Grid¡¯s anxious expression as he hoped for this moment to end was still popr among people. Yet his stance changed in just a few months?


    ¡®No, it isn¡¯t just a few months thinking about it now.¡¯


    The value of time varied in every moment. Since the Beleth battle, Grid had already written three epics. The fight with Saleos, the eighth epic on Cokro Ind, and the ninth epic in hell not long ago. The time period of the past few months was short, but it had special value to Grid.


    She should trust Grid. Grid¡¯s confidence mighte from a misjudgment, but she would protect him this time. Yura made up his mind and used Hell Leap to move to the hilly area that was just created by Baal. She found some cover, lowered herself, and set up a sniper point. She recalled the conversation she had with the thousand year old nt.


    ¡°Marchosias¡¯ real strength lies in petrifying himself, not objects. He can petrify his skin and muscles to make himself harder than steel. Imagine if that guy petrifies even his skeleton. If the world perishes, he alone will live.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean he can¡¯t be killed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Therefore, fighting him is pointless. If you have to fight him, then aim for his eyelids. It is ufortable to petrify the eyelid muscles. Thus, he has a habit of not petrifying his eyelids muscles as much. If you shoot his eyelids then you will have time to run away.¡±


    Yura¡¯s barrel filled with jade-colored magic power as she aimed. Increased uracy, reinforcing bullets, elerating projectiles, granting evil destruction and pration properties, etc. All types of buff skills suitable for the situation were repeatedly ovepped on Alex¡¯s magic engineering gun.


    Of course, there was no apparent energy. It was because sniping should be done in secret. However, the opponent was a great demon.


    ¡°...I have no intention of fighting.¡±


    Marchosias frowned as he felt the threatening energy and petrified his body even further. It was only when his skin, muscles, and even bones were petrified that Marchosias felt hard enough to look outward. His physique was sorge that he was reminiscent of a great mountain deeply rooted in the ground.


    However, Yura knew his weakness. It happened as Yura was about to pull the trigger...


    -I think it makes more sense to fight alone.


    -......!


    As a new whisper arrived, a veil covered her scope. It was Grid¡¯s cloak. Grid intentionally disrupted Yura¡¯s sniper trajectory.


    -I got it.


    How much had Grid grown since he faced Beleth? The most curious one was actually Grid. He asked Yura for her understanding and started to dance. In a rare manner, he took several strides.Marchosias was a stone statue that didn¡¯t move. Grid saw it as a divine opportunity and raised the power of his sword dance to the limit.


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±


    Unlike ordinary rankers who consistently raided boss monsters in various areas to make a profit, Grid had a revenue source called the ¡®Overgeared Kingdom¡¯ and he didn¡¯t need to be obsessed with raids. It was much more advantageous to make items instead of doing raids.


    Due to these circumstances, the number of raids that Grid had done was surprisingly small. It was a considerably lower amount than others. However, if one was counting the number of raids for ¡®bosses whose attack strategy hasn¡¯t been revealed,¡¯ Grid wouldpete for first or second ce. It meant he was a raid master. He already recognized that Marchosias was a boss who specialized in defense. He also noticed Marchosias¡¯ weakness based on the face that Marchosias¡¯ eyes weren¡¯t blurred despite hardening his entire body.


    The sword dance that ignored the target¡¯s defense cut diagonally across Marchosias¡¯ eyes.


    The 29th Hell shook as there was a lot of bleeding. The unexpected pain caused Marchosias to scream. Marchosias¡¯ was covered in his own blood and he started to rampage.


    ¡°Still.... I can¡¯t stay stillllllll!!¡±


    The instincts that Marchosias had removed were resurrected. A great anger was awakening the demonic ferocity. It would¡¯ve happened someday even if Grid didn¡¯t touch him. A great demon who sought peace couldn¡¯t exist.


    Every time Marchosias roared, giant rocks were created and continued to aim at Grid. Grid felt the feeling of being exposed to andslide. The baptism of giant rocks was extremely threatening. Grid was stuck in between the piled up rocks that formed a well and a giant fist mmed into his face.


    Rocks shattered and the fragments flew in all directions. However, Grid¡¯s flesh and blood weren¡¯t seen. Marchosias lost sight of Grid and hurriedly petrified himself.


    -Certainly, it is higher than Beleth¡¯s level and stats.


    Dragon.


    Grid conveyed his sentiments to Yura as he prated through Marchosias.


    -However, level and stats aren¡¯t the only measures of strength.


    Beleth¡¯s level and stats might¡¯ve been greatly weakened in the human world, but his power and vision were several times better than Marchosias. Overall, Beleth felt more powerful. There was no need to exin in detail. Contrary to what it looked like, the Beleth who was in the human world was stronger than the Marchosias who was in hell.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Marchosias was weak. It was just that Grid overwhelmed Marchosias.


    ¡°Open Potential. Dragon.¡±


    [Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance, Dragon, has temporarily evolved into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    ¡°Sword Dance Creation. Transcend Dragon Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    The charging sword dance gave infinite potential to Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. Grid could make dozens of charges in theory and he prated Marchosias¡¯ body again and again, dominating the battlefield.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1330

    ¡®This is the third phase... I hope it is thest phase.¡¯


    Grid had no intention of dragging out the raid. The penalties of hell had disappeared after meeting Pagma¡¯s soul and writing the epic, but his endurance wasckingpared to Marchosias. Since ancient times, the advantage of a defensive type monster was its near infinite endurance. This was hell and Marchosias was a great demon. The assumption that someone who continued to be supplied with demonic energy would be exhausted couldn¡¯t be established unless the person was an idiot.


    ¡®I need to force a conclusion before I copse from exhaustion.¡¯


    Grid sought to speed up the fight. Most of his skills, including magic and the sword dances, as well as his items and title effects, were poured out from the beginning of the raid. However, divinity and the five fusion sword dances were left behind as a trump card.


    In other words, he pushed the 29th great demon into a crisis without the need for divinity or the five fusion sword dances. An opponent who was weaker than Beleth in the human world¡ªGrid still had some room. Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to be careless. The reason Marchosias was rtively weak was due to his simple attack patterns. In fact, his stats were the best among all the great demons Grid had fought so far.


    Furthermore, Grid knew from previous experience how powerful the great demons were in their final phase. Maybe in the worst case scenario, there would be a fourth phase after the third phase.


    ¡®Still, it is unlikely.¡¯


    Marchosias¡¯ remaining health was only 10%. Considering the fact that other great demons entered the final phase when they had 10-20% of their health left, the probability that Marchosias¡¯ third phase was the final phase was almost 100%. Grid judged and approached Marchosias, who was standing still. Then he started dancing.


    Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡ªa mental picture of doom manifested itself and the entire space was filled with a sense of deterrence. The overbearing feeling grew even more with every step Grid took. Of course, this didn¡¯t weaken Marchosias¡¯ willpower. Named bosses wouldn¡¯t be caught in a confused state.


    Just then, Marchosias¡¯ skin and muscles that had swelled to the fullest started contracting. They dried up like a squeezed rag. There was an illusion that all the blood and moisture in his body had evaporated. The moment the changes caused by the third phase started to appear on the surface, Grid was wary, but he didn¡¯t shrink back.


    Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was one of Grid¡¯s most powerful moves. Grid judged that Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle wouldn¡¯t be broken no matter what Marchosias did. It was as expected. The fierce momentum of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle wasn¡¯t affected by Marchosias¡¯ change.


    There was just one problem. Marchosias¡¯ muscles contracted to the limit and at the same time, his health gauge that was at 10% started filling up. Strictly speaking, his health wasn¡¯t restored. It was something other than health because it was disyed in white instead of the red of health. The identity was...


    ¡®Shield!¡¯


    The sword of Kill had a physical attack power coefficient of 5,000% and was reinforced with Braham¡¯s Enchant Weapon. It struck Marchosias¡¯ seven times. Wind Cutter made a sharp cutting sound as it was also fired and the targeting effect of Wave meant it all hit Marchosias¡¯ vital spots. Then Pinnacle descended.


    Originally, it was a powerful linked attack that would¡¯ve made Marchosias scream. Yet Marchosias didn¡¯t even moan. It was because shields wereyered all over his body. They were shields created by Marchosias scattering his own blood and petrifying it. The amount of shield loss identified by the gauge was only 6%...


    It was a result that made Grid flustered. ¡®The ignore defense effect wasn¡¯t activated because Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle didn¡¯t touch the body?¡¯


    The final phase of the boss monster was a type of berserk phase. This was the usual behaviour. Regardless of the style of battle, all boss monsters showed explosive aggression the moment they entered the final phase. They poured out all their power to wipe out the enemy in front of them before their life was extinguished.


    On the other hand, Marchosias¡¯ final phase was too static. He petrified his own scattered blood to surround himself withyers of shield, and just stood still. There was no sign of obsession with the enemy in front of him.


    ¡®He is just focused on not dying.¡¯


    The will to live was too intense.


    ¡®Is it impossible to raid him?¡¯


    It was a question of whether he could defeat Marchosias in time even if he used the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots and Belial¡¯s Power to minimize the consumption of stamina. Maybe Marchosias was a ¡®target that can¡¯t be killed¡¯ like some hidden NPCs...


    It happened as Grid was thinking...


    -I¡¯ve already suggested it to you many times.


    A voice rang directly in his mind. Just like Baal, Marchosias delivered his thoughts to Grid and Yura. His mouth was dry like a mummy and was still from the petrification.


    -You will die regretting that you ignored my proposal and became my enemy.


    ¡°?¡±


    They would die when he made himself a statue and did nothing? Was there a hidden hand? The moment Grid was feeling anxious...


    An army of monsters that covered the ground and the sky appeared¡ªall sorts of demonic beasts cried out strangely as they poured in like a tsunami.


    -What can two humans do against the lord of the 29th Hell who rules over the 22nd army?


    It was the moment when the essential reason why the great demons were stronger in hellpared to the human world was revealed¡ªall the great demons ruled their own hell and they had armies, and fighting a great demon in hell meant going to war with hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts.


    ¡®Damn, he is a tricky opponent.¡¯


    The march of hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts was enough to cool Grid¡¯s fighting spirit. The demonic beasts of the 22nd army yed the role of tearing and devouring Marchosias¡¯ enemies and they didn¡¯t hesitate to strike at Grid.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    The transcendent swordsmanship of the Undefeated King¡ªthe invincible existence who had never been defeated in his lifetime¡ªformed at Grid¡¯s fingertips and cut through the sky, killing the thousands of demonic beasts that filled the sky in one blow.


    The problem was that these thousands of demonic beasts were only a part of the army. Hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts were still in good condition.


    Grid took his gaze away from those elerating with their wings and looked at the ground this time. The monsters filling the ground were running in droves. There were more and moreing from beyond the horizon.


    ¡®It is a dog¡¯s death.¡¯


    A physical ability that could endure attacks without dying and an army that actively utilized that physical ability¡ªMarchosias was a powerful being, just like Yura had warned. Grid¡¯s expression was dark.


    nt had evaluated that Marchosias should be 22nd ranked. This meant there were at least 20 great demons stronger than Marchosias. Grid couldn¡¯t even get rid of this guy right now. He couldn¡¯t figure out how he¡¯ll be able to defeat great demons stronger than Marchosias, let alone Baal, the final boss who was at the peak of the great demons.


    ¡®No, what is this damn game where there is another mountain after crossing one mountain?¡¯


    There were few things he could do no matter how much he grew and became stronger. Therefore, he felt a sense of loss. Grid was feeling dazed when a jade-colored sh shot past him.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Grid¡¯s spirit recovered. The sh that exploded as soon as it hit the army of demonic beasts turned hundreds of them into ashes. Additionally, the shes were constantly being fired. It rained all over the battlefield and cleaned up the monsters.


    Kieeeek!


    Kaaack!


    The demonic beasts screamed as a whisper arrived.


    -Leave these small fries to me and focus on the opponent in front of you.


    It was Yura. She was a bit excited to see the continuously arriving army of monsters and her tone was a bit rough unlike usual. It reminded him of old memories.


    -Is it the resurrection of the Blood Witch?


    Grid recovered thanks to Yura and he made a joke that caused Yura¡¯s ears to turn red. She didn¡¯t like the nickname Blood Witch.


    Yura¡¯s rifle started firing again. It was already far from the actions of a sniper. Yura skipped the aiming process because there were so many enemies she could hit a target no matter where she shot. She used buff skills suitable for rapid firing and bullets that caused ssh damage. Therefore, her mass destruction power wasn¡¯t inferior to the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. Of course, this was a result that was possible because hell strengthened the Demon yer. Even so, Yura was a really good partner. It was just like Mercedes when facing Hell Gao.


    ¡®It is like this so I must kill him.¡¯


    He found that the raid was impossible alone, but it was a different story with two people. In the first ce, it was his heartless greed that made him attempt to defeat a great demon alone. Grid regained his motivation and used Divinity. He elevated his existence to a level close to a god. This was contained in the details of Divinity.


    Grid¡¯s hair started to flutter from the intense air waves and the atmosphere around him waspletely different from before. He wouldn¡¯t be too out of ce when sitting beside the gods in heaven.


    ¡°Open Potential.¡±


    [The casting time and cooldown time of Open Potential is removed due to the influence of Divinity.]


    ¡°Dragon.¡±


    [Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance, Dragon, has temporarily evolved into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    ¡°Sword Dance Creation. Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid soared high into the sky, disregarded the monsters attacking him, and started dancing. There was no need for Grid to worry about it. The monsters trying to tear at his skin with their teeth and ws were all shattered by Yura.


    -Don¡¯t you know that it is pointless?


    Marchosias scoffed. The momentum of the blue dragon falling from the sky was quite fierce, but he already had hundreds ofyers of shields around his body. Just like the sword dance a while ago, the dragon¡¯s advance would also be blocked by the shield.


    Marchosias¡¯ eyes widened as he had this thought. It was because the blue dragon smashed through hundreds ofyers of shields and reached his body. It was the power of Dragon which had its pration effect maximized by linking Drop, Pinnacle, and Kill.


    Grid¡¯s sword prated Marchosias¡¯ body and his health and shield were cut by 2% and 20% respectively.


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    Then Open Potential and Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave were repeated again. Grid¡¯s sword prated Marchosias¡¯ body once again and his health and shield were cut by 2% and 25% respectively. Now the defense of Marchosias¡¯ shields were weakened due to the loss of a significant number of shields.


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    -Kuoh...


    Jjeejeeeong!


    ¡°Divinity.¡±


    Jjeejeeeong!


    -...This!!


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    Eventually, a scream burst out from Marchosias¡¯ mouth as all his shields were lost and even the petrification was released. At the same time...


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The demons who barely escaped from Yura¡¯s bombardment and were biting or aiming their ws at Grid or Yura scattered in all directions.


    [The raid of the 29th Great Demon, Marchosias, has seeded!]


    Grid was left with 13% of his health while Yura¡¯s immortality was consumed. The Marchosias raid, which felt longer than any other raid, was over. The pir of light that symbolized leveling up surrounded Grid four times and Yura one time.


    The two people faced each other with their exhausted bodies andughed as they bumped their fists together.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1331

    The raid that felt exceptionally long had ended sessfully. Yura smiled as she shared Grid¡¯s joy and soon sat down. The mental exhaustion wasn¡¯t a joke due to the continuous crises. In fact, she was worried about the high fatigue Grid would feel since he fought Marchosias alone.


    ¡®...Should I show him some cuteness to cheer him up?¡¯


    She had been practicing for a long time in case this happened, but, well... she was nervous.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Yura puffed up her cheeks and prepared her mind. Then she looked back at Grid and became dazed. It was because Grid was fine. No signs of exhaustion could be found. He looked like a person who slept well and was refreshed after waking up.


    It was natural. Grid had the best mental power even when he was an insignificant level 73 warrior. He got lost several times searching for the North End Cave and challenged it again without giving up despite dying dozens of times. No matter how difficult the process, his mental power quickly recovered as long as the raid was sessful. It would¡¯ve been the same even if the raid failed.


    ¡®It has been a long time since it has felt so rewarding.¡¯


    Grid was smiling. Marchosias was someone who stood up and endured dozens of times. The guy who summoned hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts was a raid opponent that maximized the effect of enlightenment. He was an extremely good punching bag. Grid had gained four levels because it was considered a ss-specific activity and he continued to gain experience due to the enlightenment effect. Therefore, he felt it was a windfall.


    ¡®The dropped items are also great.¡¯


    The item that Marchosias dropped was the Petrified Shield. Not only was the shield¡¯s defense the best, it also petrified a part of the wearer¡¯s body and strengthened the defense of a specific area by a percentage. Furthermore, there was a high probability of petrifying the target facing the shield, so it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it a weapon as well as the strongest shield.


    ¡®The performance is truly great and is worthy of an item dropped by a great demon.¡¯


    He wanted to make good use of this shield. It would be nice to explore the shield techniques for a while.


    ¡®I was already in a good mood because the Holy Light Armor set upgraded. Now something good happened.¡¯


    Thanks to Grid¡¯s recognition of Pagma as a hero, the legends of Pagma had be deeper and more widely known. As a result, all the works that Pagma left behind had their rating upgraded by one. Just look at Yura¡¯s magic engineering gun. Wasn¡¯t it showing a power that was iparable to before? Grid was smiling with satisfaction when a new notification window appeared in his vision. It was a world message...


    [The 29th Great Demon, Marchosias, was killed in hell.]


    The reason why the message emphasized that the location was ¡®hell¡¯ was simple¡ªeven Sword Saint Muller had never killed a great demon in hell, and with the exception of Demon yer Alex, this was the first time humanity had defeated a great demon in hell.


    [This is an achievement of Overgeared King Grid, the Lantern of Humanity.]


    [His work that makes the enemies of hell nervous deserve praise from all humans in the human world.]


    Then after the string of world messages was over...


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by 1,000,000.]


    Grid was wide-eyed at the huge amount of reputation he gained. It was nearly three times the reputation Grid had built up so far.


    ¡®If it is one million then can¡¯t I do the draw 1,001 times?¡¯


    No matter how unlucky his hand, wouldn¡¯t he be able to receive something if he did the lucky draw more than 1,000 times? Grid thought about it before shaking his head.


    ¡®Gambling is prohibited.¡¯


    If he was obsessed with content that required luck, then he would only receive regret. He would be boarding an express train of regret if he wished for good luck when there was only a 1%, 0.1%, or 0.0001% probability. Grid resolutely cut off the impulse surging in his heart and searched through his memories.


    ¡®There was a rumor that new items had been added to the reputation store.¡¯


    His wallet was thick and he could buy items no matter how expensive they were¡ªGrid was filled with anticipation as he summoned the reputation store, but it was impossible in hell.


    [This is an area where the golden carriage can¡¯t be summoned.]


    ¡°I have to postpone it until next time.¡±


    The disappointed Grid looked back at Yura. The reason he seeded in the Marchosias raid was due to Yura¡¯s help. It felt like he was monopolizing the world message reward by himself. Yura read Grid¡¯s concern and told him, ¡°It is the Demon yer¡¯s job to defeat great demons. I¡¯ve gained a lot of stats and acquired new skills as a reward for defeating Marchosias.¡±


    Just as Grid was able to defeat Marchosias with Yura¡¯s help, Yura defeated Marchosias with Grid¡¯s help and was able to clear one of over 30 ss quests. It was good for both of them. Grid felt like he was stung. ¡®I didn¡¯t know Yura¡¯s quest was to defeat the great demons and tried to benefit alone.¡¯


    In the future, he should be with Yura every time he raided a great demon...


    Grid made up his mind, but Yura shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so considerate. It is because the vacant spot of the great demon will be quickly filled up. Even if I didn¡¯t participate in the Marchosias raid, I would just wait for the new 29th great demon to appear before raiding it.¡±


    In fact, the atmosphere of the 29th Hell was unusual. The demon army that scattered in all directions found new leaders and started gathering again, each group led by a great demon candidate, aiming for the now vacant throne.


    ¡°The empty throne is mine!¡±


    Demons with different horns and skin colors started to fight in various ces. However, the demons who appeared near Grid¡¯s group temporarily entered a ceasefire and attacked them.


    ¡°This is tough.¡±


    Mental strength and stamina were separate issues. Contrary to his mood, Grid¡¯s body was heavy and the great demon candidates couldn¡¯t be underestimated. They could be described as dungeon bosses with an average level of 450 and some of the high level ones had powerparable to a great demon. It was actually difficult to endure the attacks of the demon army when Grid and Yura¡¯s skills were on cooldown. The two of them were gradually being pushed back when the red-skinned nt fell between them.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve said it straight away. Isn¡¯t your final task to clean the hell of a great demon?¡±


    A demon who stayed alive for thousands of years¡ªfew demons had survived for such a long time, and the reason why nt was able to survive for so long was naturally because... he was strong.


    nt released a red current that caused a shock wave. Then he stared at the convulsing monsters and kept talking, ¡°Hey, Grid. If you want my master toplete the task, be sure to be with her whenever you defeat a great demon. It will take hundreds of years toplete the task if she has to wait for a new great demon to be born, fight against the great demon again, and purify hell. Is that possible with a human lifespan?¡±


    It was nt who told the truth on behalf of Yura, who didn¡¯t reveal the details because she didn¡¯t want to hold Grid back.


    Grid ced his hand on Yura¡¯s shoulder as she red resentfully at nt. ¡°I¡¯m grateful and happy that I can be with Yura.¡±


    He had confirmed that he couldn¡¯t win alone against Marchosias. However, with Yura, he was convinced that he could defeat even the great demons beyond Marchosias. In the first ce, the reason Grid tried to do the raid alone was for him to grasp his skills, not out of greed. There was no reason to insist on continuing to fight alone.


    ¡°I also like it.¡±


    It was like a flower had blossomed in hell. Yura smiled brightly as she used Hell Regtion, Boundary Destruction, and Hell Purification. The 29th Hell lost its master and couldn¡¯t deny her influence. It gradually lost its demonic power.


    ¡°Dammit! I was one step toote!¡±


    ¡°nt! This dirty guy! Go to heaven!¡±


    A hell that lost its demonic power had no value to demons. Those who had lost the meaning of fighting started to leave the 29th Hell without any regret. The demonic army, once again without a master, wandered for a while before scattering in all directions.


    Grid saw the sky start to turn blue and asked a question he had been curious about, ¡°What exactly can you do in a cleansed hell?¡±


    "You can make it a neutral area and bring in demonkin. Ultimately, a city will be formed, taxes can be collected, and specialties formed.¡±


    ¡°The other great demons will just watch silently?¡±


    Yura replied, ¡°I said it before. There is an unwritten rule that the neutral areas shouldn¡¯t be touched.¡±


    nt interrupted, ¡°Grid, can you easily induce the reason?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Did you see any statues in each city in the neutral areas?¡±


    ¡°Is it the statue of God Yatan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I see... that¡¯s the reason.¡±


    Absolute gods who had existed since the beginning. It meant they could exist without human faith. However, Reba was obsessed with human faith. It was because the more faith she built up, the more power she gained.


    ¡®It is also true for Yatan.¡¯


    The ordinary demonkin (people of hell) living in neutral areas served Yatan and made Yatan stronger. As Yatan became stronger, the creatures of Yatan (demons) also became stronger. Therefore, the great demons didn¡¯t touch the neutral zones.


    Grid gained a deeper understanding of hell and quickly developed a n. ¡°Let¡¯s clean up the hells in their 30s. There is no need to be scared by the great demons in the 30s after killing the 29th great demon. Right?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t been very interested when Yura introduced the 32nd hell as the hell branch of the Overgeared Guild. He couldn¡¯t see the value of the deste fields and asional sightings of demonkin. Now the story had changed. After learning that hell was also a territory that could develop into a city and wealth could be obtained, Grid wanted to expand the Overgeared hell branch as much as possible.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯d like to stop by the smithy first...¡±


    It was tiring to be held back by stamina every time. He wanted to try and make items to help with stamina recovery. Grid was preparing to return to the human world when Yura told him, ¡°Hell has a smithy.¡±


    ¡®Helmis!¡¯


    Hell¡¯s only cksmith. Grid¡¯s eyes shone as he remembered the demonkin he briefly met a few years ago. ¡°Do you know where it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a regr there.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ***


    There was only one downside to being Baal¡¯s Contactor¡ªit was impossible to hunt in hell. Unless it was a special case, all the demons and demonic beasts of hell served Baal, and were friendly to Baal¡¯s Contractor. It meant that for Agnus, the demons of hell were judged as NPCs, not monsters. Agnus had to search for a new hunting ground in the human world, not hell.


    [News has arrived that the 29th Great Demon, Marchosias, has been killed by humans.]


    Agnus received unexpected news as he arrived in the Chaos Mountains, but he wasn¡¯t shaken. From the time he saw Grid fighting Andras, he noticed that Grid¡¯s skills were far beyond a great demon, especially with Demon yer Yura next to Grid.


    [He was an underdog who was used to insults and contempt.]


    [A loser who was exploited and couldn¡¯t stand alone.]


    Agnus recalled Grid¡¯s first epic that once echoed through the canyon and his expression was colder than the snowstorm swirling in the mountains.


    ¡®You¡¯ve lived the same life as me...¡¯


    How could Grid trust others to be with him? How could he say his present self was due to them? If so, was Agnus¡¯ life where he was still alone a failure?


    Stop.


    Agnus¡¯ footsteps paused as he was walking up a cliff. A man carrying a huge sword on his shoulder was looking down at him from the middle of the mountain. It was Chris, second in the unified rankings and one of the symbols of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Agnus?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared members are everywhere. If you don¡¯t need anything, then get out of the way.¡±


    "......!"


    Chris was flustered as he prepared for the attacks of the death knights and lich seen throughout the mountain. It was because Agnus passed by without attacking him. The mad dog who attacked people who made eye contact with him was nowhere to be found.


    Chris was absent-minded for a while before calling out to Agnus. ¡°Agnus, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    ¡°This is the Overgeared Kingdom. I need to know the purpose of the visitor before deciding whether to grant ess or not. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    There were many reasons why a kingdom or guild controlled a particr area. In some cases, it was simply to monopolize the hunting ground. However, it was mainly to suppress conflict and maintain security. In that sense, there was no kingdom in the world that would wee the visit of the troublemaker, Agnus. Of course, the same was true for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°Permission? I have to get permission from you?¡±


    The snowy area around Agnus started to shake. Chris confirmed the armor of the skeleton soldiers that rose and his eyes widened. ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The skeleton soldiers¡¯ armor was engraved with the symbol of the Overgeared Kingdom and Earl Steim. They were armor worn by Frontier¡¯s soldiers. A massivendslide urred as Chris¡¯ 1,000 Ton Sword swept through the snow.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1332

    The reason why the Five Miracles won the title of miracle was because they surpassed Morpheus¡¯ predictions. On the other hand, ranking was an intuitive number that rose in proportion to the level, i.e. it was a measure of strength.


    ¡°Agnuuuuus!!¡±


    In Kraugel¡¯s era, he had been third in the unified rankings. In Grid¡¯s era, he was either first or second in the unified rankings. From Satisty¡¯s opening to the present day, Chris had never missed the top ranking. Kraugel, who wasn¡¯t interested in others due to his unique excellence, and Grid, who couldn¡¯t distinguish between confidence and arrogance in the past, both acknowledged Chris¡¯ strength.


    Kurururung!


    ¡®The greatest strength stat¡¯ wasbined with the ferocity of the second ss ¡®Tyrant¡¯ and showed great power.


    Every time Chris wielded his sword, the blizzard was split in half and the snow was swept away. Agnus was a bit surprised by Chris¡¯ ability to knock down the skeleton soldiers with simple air pressure. He summoned Lich Mumud and flew into the air.


    ¡°I was wondering why you wanted a fight. Was it because you are so confident in your skills?¡±


    Agnusughed at Chris¡¯ growth and tapped his fingers. Then rainbow-colored magic gathered in both of Lich Mumud¡¯s hands. Then at this point, Chris¡¯ eyes shone red-brown. ¡°Control of the Sky.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    Lich Mumud lost his ability to fly. He was unable to resist the effects of gravity and struggled in the air, causing the trajectory of his magic to shift. Chris used the explosion of the magic that missed to gain eleration and he pursued Agnus who fell on the snowy fields.


    ¡®Is this the power of the Rune of Supplementation? It is tricky.¡¯


    Agnus was pushed to the edge of a cliff and stretched out the nails gained with the power of his third ss, Demon World Noble, barely able to stop. He raised his body and summoned Death Knight Cao. Cao roared the moment he appeared. The roar of the strongest orc warrior in his lifetime contained a pressure that caused living creatures around him to shrink back.


    However, it didn¡¯t have any influence on Chris. This was the power of the Rune of Supplementation that evolved every time he raided a boss monster. After obtaining the Rune of Supplementation, Chris had been obsessed with raids for almost nine years and he raided hundreds of boss monsters, raising the potential of the Rune of Supplementation to the extreme. Making the target¡¯s flight impossible or being immune to fear was just the tip of the power of the Rune of Supplementation.


    Aura that was like a saw de shot toward him. The collision between Cao¡¯s violet aura and Chris¡¯ sword that could cut through rock and steel caused a massive shockwave. Thend where Chris and Cao stood broke like a cobweb. The seemingly immortal, huge snow mountain screamed and started to gradually tilt.


    However, Chris and Cao were unconcerned and kept confronting each other. As the collision between swords increased, the cracks on the ground grewrger. Therger the cracks in the ground, the more the mountain tilted. Just then, Cao¡¯s skull also started cracking.


    On the other hand, Chris¡¯ greatsword was undamaged when it should¡¯ve been in two pieces. The White Tiger¡¯s Greatsword created by Grid was as firm as always.


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±


    Agnus clicked his tongue and recalled Cao when he saw that Cao¡¯s body was unable to withstand the continuing shock and showed signs of copse. Chris looked disbelieving as Agnus summoned new death knights and skeleton archers to stop Chris from charging.


    ¡®He is using tactics?¡¯


    The reason Agnus summoned Cao back was to buy time for Cao¡¯s recovery. It would take a long time to recover from a big wound, but Agnus distributed his power so he could take Cao out again during this battle. Moreover, the death knight that Agnus newly summoned was a type that fired auras. It was possible for medium and long range attacks. It was a great choice to summon him along with the skeleton archers.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a special tactic. It was just the basics. It was just surprising that Agnus followed the basics. Wasn¡¯t Agnus called a mad dog for a reason? He was like a beast who lost his head when fighting. He didn¡¯t consider the consequences at all and just did his best to annihte the opponent in front of him. At least, that was the Agnus that Chris knew.


    ¡®Then what is this normal decision making?¡¯


    Chris was perplexed by Agnus¡¯ new behaviour and lifted his greatsword to block the bombardment of arrows. His swordsmanship was so excellent that his low agility wasn¡¯t a shoring. He used the minimal movements to block the arrows. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to move forward. It was because the death knight¡¯s aura had the ¡®charging¡¯ effect when shot from a distance. It was possible for Chris to break through by linking several charges with Tyrant¡¯s Strength and evasive maneuvers, but he decided to first watch the situation silently.


    The snow mountain was on the verge of copse due to the fight. Soon, the terrain would change and the battle formation would change. There was a great possibility that it would be meaningless to shorten the distance hastily before that. It was better to deal with it after the change started.


    It happened when Chris was checking the duration of all his buff potions again...


    The snow mountain started to copse faster than expected. As the death knights and skeleton archers were pushed back, their bodies started floating.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Chris saw it andunched Tyrant¡¯s Advance. It was an immediate judgment with not even a 0.1 second dy. Chris burst forward and passed underneath the death knights and skeleton archers floating in the air. His gaze was on the 90 degree cliff where Agnus¡¯ figure was hanging from the edge of the cliff. It was the moment when Chris finally reached the man hanging from the stone cliff and stabbed his sword...


    There was a huge explosion at Chris¡¯ feet and the brilliant, iridescent magic, split into hundred or thousands of branches, and struck Chris from head to toe. It was a bombardment of Mumud¡¯s magic¡ªShot Mine.


    Chris got holes all over his body. He fell back and vomited dark red blood as the subsequentndslide covered his body. Chris was swept away by thendslide and fell down the deep cliff. Agnus thought Chris was naturally going to die and stopped his unsightly acting to float in the air. The demonic energy wings that symbolized a demon noble splendidly spread out behind his back.


    ¡°This bull-like guy.¡±


    Chris was someone who fought ignorantly from beginning to end. It wasn¡¯t enough to cause andslide, he even ran without worrying about thendslide. Was Chris dominated by some type of madness like the previous Agnus? There were doubts.


    ¡®Why did he suddenly be angry?¡¯


    Agnus questioned the emotional changes that Chris showed when the skeleton soldiers were summoned. Then it happened as he reversed the deaths of the death knight who died in thendslide...


    ¡°Control of the...¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°...Sky.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ wings stopped working. Mumud, who was floating alongside Agnus, also stiffened like a statue. Their bodies were crushed by gravity and started to fall to the ground.


    ¡®That bastard...!¡¯


    Agnus saw it as he fell rapidly. The red-brown eyes shining in the cracks between the snowballs and stones piled up by thendslide.


    Mumud¡¯s Shot Minecked the traditional premise that the target must step on the mine, but it still possessed the highest level of human killing ability. Chris¡¯ tenacity to survive this and thendslide to grab onto Agnus¡¯ ankle caused a chill to shoot down Agnus¡¯ spine.


    ¡°You dare... Overgeared... Kingdom... soldiers...¡± Chris barely spoke and his voice that was like the crawling dead had a hard time reaching Agnus. It was just that Chris¡¯ sword that protruded through the pile of stones and pointed at Agnus expressed his deep hostility and killing intent toward Agnus. Agnus frowned at the sight of Chris¡¯ greatsword pointing tall where he fell and used magic.


    ¡°Dark Shield.¡±


    Demonic power wriggled and expanded to wrap around Agnus¡¯ body. The deep energy was reminiscent of Baal¡¯s shield.


    sh!


    Mumud¡¯s magic shield also covered him. Chris¡¯ sword soon collided with Agnus¡¯ body that was wrapped in a shield.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Blood gushed from the rocks. It was Chris¡¯ blood as he was crushed by the weight of the fallen Agnus. Agnus pulled out his sword and inserted it into the pile of stones. Click. Chris¡¯ body finally stopped moving. Agnus confirmed that Chris¡¯ body was turning to gray ash and raised himself with heavy breathing.


    ¡®Everyone had changed except for me.¡¯


    In Agnus¡¯ memories, Chris wasn¡¯t such an outstanding warrior. Chris might¡¯ve always boasted a high ranking, but his skill and tenacity weren¡¯t a match for Agnus. On the other hand, the Chris of today made Agnus nervous several times. He wondered if he should take out the power of the Rune of Death, or if he should summon a demon or deceased. Even after growing the strongest ss, Baal¡¯s Contractor, to the legendary level, he suffered such an insult from a normal ss...


    He realized how weak he had be over the past few years by clinging to a ghost.


    ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be like this...¡¯


    Agnus was filled with a burning desire. It was a desire for more power.


    Grid¡ªAgnus had a duty to deny the man who rose to the highest level after walking apletely different path from himself. Only then would he be able to affirm himself and move forward.


    Agnus sat his weary body on a rock and pulled out a potion. He nned to recover his resources and climb the high mountains. However, his n wasn¡¯t fulfilled. The ss bottle containing the red potion shattered. A ck shadow was projected onto the scattering ss and red liquid.


    ¡°Greed.¡±


    A dark shadowpletely enveloped Agnus. Agnus was perplexed by the sudden situation and struggled, but the shadow that surrounded him was unstoppable and gradually imprisoned him.


    New figures appeared all over the ce. They were Zednos and Lae. The best magicians of the Overgeared Guild fired magic and bombarded Agnus, while Katz took control of Chris¡¯ blood.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough to hurt the soldiers of our kingdom, but you also killed Chris? You fucker, you won¡¯t leave here alive.¡±


    Katz¡¯ face twisted like a demon as he stabbed at Agnus, trapped in Greed, with a knife made from Chris¡¯ blood. In fact, Chris had asked his colleagues for help the moment he confronted Agnus. It was natural. The only person who could fight Agnus one-on-one was Grid. The reason why Chris fought Agnus before reinforcements arrived was because he saw the armor worn by the skeleton soldiers.


    It wasn¡¯t to mourn the dead soldiers or to get revenge on behalf of them. Chris just wanted to protect the honor of the Overgeared Kingdom. To be honest, he was confident that he could hold on until reinforcements arrived. The problem was that Agnus¡¯ firepower was better than expected.


    ¡°Kukuk...! Kuahahahat!¡± Agnus was trapped in Greed and let out a crazyugh. His voice flowed through the hole pierced in Greed by the bloody sword. ¡°Was that it? You were so upset just before the soldiers died?¡±


    The death knight Lantier appeared in the rear and cut at Zednos and Lae in turn. The flustered Katz used his ultimate technique to cut at Agnus, but Agnus survived by bing an undead without his immortality being consumed. Regardless of his left arm and corbone that was damaged by Greed, Agnus used Bentao¡¯s power and exchanged his health with Katz.


    Agnus was called a ¡®disaster¡¯ from beginning to end, as opposed to Grid being reborn as thentern of humanity. He wandered without any desires for a long time and was about to start a blood festival.


    ¡°Agnus!¡± Euphemina arrived at the sce and called out to Agnus.


    Agnus turned his gaze to her and frowned. ¡°You... don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±


    All types of conflicts intersected in Agnus¡¯ mind. The rtionship that Euphemina forcibly created became an annoying memory and made him hesitate. Agnus realized that in order to not repeat the same mistakes, he had topletely cut off this small rtionship. ¡°Lich Summon, Mumud.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of the Overgeared members on the defensive stiffened. The best genius magician whom Braham acknowledged. The fact that his lich self stood by Agnus caused the Overgeared members to shrink back. Agnus ignored them as they withdrew little by little. His gaze was only directed at Euphemina. ¡°Consume and fall.¡±


    Stagger.


    Mumud copsed in ce like a broken doll. Then a clear blue soul escaped and shone in the air.


    ¡°A-Agnus?¡± Euphemina made a disbelieving expression that soon changed to joy. She smiled as she was filled with all sorts of hopeful thoughts, only for Agnus to pierce her with his words.


    ¡°Our cheap rtionship ends with this. If you block my path for any reason in the future... I will kill you.¡±


    A victim who had been subjected to malice throughout his life¡ªhe chose to exploit others and to be alone. He cut off thest ties and hopes in order to walk the path alone, as always. The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t bear to stop him. However, Vantner who appeared one stepter was different. He wasn¡¯t particrly good at reading the atmosphere. He had no obligation to act ording to the mood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run away, you XXXX!¡± Vantner¡¯s two-handed axe shed Agnus¡¯ throat. Agnus entered the immortal state and barely stood up, but he was pierced by Pon¡¯s spear that appeared one stepter and flew away, unable to seize the opportunity to counterattack.


    ¡°Hahahat! I killed him!¡±


    ¡°You killed him?¡±


    The members of the Overgeared Guild stared nkly at the two menpeting in front of Agnus¡¯ corpse that was turning into gray ash.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1333

    Chris¡¯ resurrection point was set to Frontier. He had moved his home with the determination to bury his bones in the Chaos Mountains.


    ¡°...What? That¡¯s it?¡±


    The moment he was resurrected, he rushed to the Chaos Mountains where he encountered great frustration. It was because he received the news that the battle with Agnus was reversed and Agnus killed after being attacked by Zednos, Lae, Faker, and Katz. There was also Vantner and Pon, who arrived one stepte. Zednos¡¯ confession that they would¡¯ve missed Agnus if he hadn¡¯t done his best in the first ce was a big shock.


    ¡®He still had that much strength even after fighting with me.¡¯


    He gritted his teeth. Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªunlike other sses, it was absolutely evil regardless of the yer¡¯s inclination. The analysis ¡®it is natural to be the strongest based on the role¡¯ had been around for ages, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be at this level.


    ¡®He only became a legend rtively recently...¡¯


    Baal¡¯s Contractor was a ss that needed to gradually grow its rating. Unlike other sses that started out as a legend from the beginning, Agnus had to grow it, but he received fewer level penalties. Even so, no matter how small the penalty, it must be in the 300s. Considering all the circumstances, it was highly likely that Agnus¡¯ level wasn¡¯t even in thete 300s. No, to be honest, considering Agnus¡¯ personality, it was likely that he wouldn¡¯t have even reached the mid-300s.


    Meanwhile, Chris was over level 400. He might have a normal ss, but his stats went through the fourth awakening and he acquired many new passive skills. There was more than three times the differencepared to his level 399 self.


    It was as Chairman Lim Cheolho had stated. The value of normal sses skyrocketed over time and Chris predicted that the gap between normal and hidden sses would be significantly narrowed from the fifth ss advancement. He expected the golden era of bnce where hidden sses didn¡¯t have a higher concept than normal sses. Both hidden sses and normal sses had strengths and weaknesses.


    This was why he became more attached to a normal ss. The biggest reason why Chris rejected the eight epic sses and three unique sses that he discovered over the years was because they were jobs not rted to the ¡®greatsword.¡¯ The next biggest reason was his hope for the normal sses. How much fame would he gain if he stood shoulder to shoulder with the strongest talents such as Grid and Kraugel as a normal ss?


    The future Chris drew was brilliant and confident. This was how he focused on the tiresome hunting for a long time. Yet today, Chris¡¯ hope turned into despair. He realized that the future he previously drew was stuck in a ditch. Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªthe strongest ss epassing all ratings that took away one¡¯s dream...


    ¡°Kukukuk! Puhahahat!¡±


    ...Absolutely not. Suddenly, Chris burst outughing. A legendary ss? He still wasn¡¯t eager for it. He was enthusiastic about pulling his future out of the ditch.


    ¡®More and more... I will be stronger than you are now, Agnus.¡¯


    If he became one step ahead of Agnus, then he would be the strongest person to stand side by side with Grid.


    ¡®Then I¡¯ll take you down.¡¯


    In fact, it was difficult for Chris to have apetitive mentality with Grid. The great affinity he felt for Grid meant he regarded Grid as an idol rather than a rival. This subconsciously puts a brake on Chris¡¯ enthusiasm. Now there was a firm position called Agnus. It was good for Chris to have a clear goal. Chris¡¯ passion for bing the strongest with a normal ss developed into a stronger tenacity than ever.


    ¡°I have to go hunting.¡±


    After identifying the damage to Frontier, Chris climbed the mountain alone while leaving his teammates behind to discuss thebat strength that Agnus showed and to look for solutions. As long as he was present, Agnus wouldn¡¯t be able to easily appear in the Chaos Mountain. Every time Chris died, Agnus needed to be prepared for death as well.


    ***


    [Mumud¡¯s Soul Liberation]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    As a disciple of the legendary great magician Braham, Mumud excelled as a genius.


    But genius is short-lived.


    His heart was weak since he was born and he would die before he turned 30. He didn¡¯t reveal his illness to anyone and devoted himself to researching and creating a magic system that anyone could easily use. It was his achievement as a magician.


    It might be a short life, but he was happy and felt fulfilled at contributing to the development of the world. He could humbly ept death. But it was only for a moment. His achievement was taken away by his master, Braham, causing him great shock. Mumud burned with anger and vowed to get revenge on Braham.


    He would create a new magic form that transcended Braham, leading him to Siren to obtain a powerful orb. However, he didn¡¯t carry out his revenge in the end. His life was too short.


    He would rather spend it on happiness instead of revenge. He fell in love with a water n woman he met in Siren and happily closed his eyes. But he is suffering even after death. His body was taken away by Baal¡¯s Contractor and used tomit acts of ughter that goes against his soul¡¯s will.


    You have saved the Siren that Mumud loved and know Mumud¡¯s story. Use this newly obtained strength to release Mumud¡¯s crying soul.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Destroy Mumud¡¯s lich that is in the hands of Baal¡¯s Contractor, ¡®Agnus,¡¯ and liberate the soul.


    Quest Sess Reward: The growth type legendary ss ¡®Mumud¡¯s Sessor¡¯ will be acquired. All of Mumud¡¯s magic will be opened.] [1]


    When did she receive this quest?


    ¡®It is a quest given by the spell book acquired in Siren so roughly...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to measure how many years ago it was. It was a quest she had received so long ago that she had to trace it back. It was actually a quest that she had given up on. It was almost impossible to destroy Agnus¡¯ most cherished weapon, Mumud, while fighting against Agnus who could summon and reverse summon the lich and death knights at will. If Grid helped, then they could dominate Agnus skillfully. However, if Agnus made up his mind, then Euphemina would never be able to clear this quest in her lifetime.


    This was why Euphemina refused several times despite Grid¡¯s offer to help. She didn¡¯t want to drag Grid into something that wasn¡¯t feasible and would trouble him. Therefore, she tried to solve it by herself. Along the way, she learned about Agnus¡¯ past and feltpassion. Then things only became more twisted...


    ¡®...The result turned out well.¡¯


    A sad smile spread across Euphemina¡¯s face as she stared at the sparkling, clear blue soul in front of her. In the end, she couldn¡¯t forget Agnus¡¯st appearance as he chose to be alone. He was a poor man to the end, and he was also a pure man. He handed over Mumud¡¯s soul with the idea that he could break the bond as long as he repaid the grace.


    Perhaps the reason why he showed an unstable appearance, and his personality and attitude changed every day he met her, wasn¡¯t because he was crazy. It was actually because he possessed an innocence that was more easily affected by the surrounding environment.


    ¡®...No, no.¡¯


    She shouldn¡¯t think too deeply about Agnus. She shouldn¡¯t try to think positively. Agnus was the enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the result of Agnus¡¯ own choice. Euphemina was a member of the Overgeared Kingdom and was obligated to deal with Agnus, no matter her feelings about him. Euphemina felt no hesitation about her obligations.


    Dozens of minutes ago in the Chaos Mountains, she had been ready to deal with Agnus as she walked toward him. If it wasn¡¯t for her, Agnus wouldn¡¯t have been easily defeated no matter the exquisite cooperation between Vantner and Pon. No matter what, Euphemina was a member of the Overgeared Guild. She had no intention of disappointing Grid who trusted her and waited for her.


    ¡®In the future, I just have to repay Grid¡¯s grace.¡¯


    Grid absolutely trusted Euphemina. He always believed that her skills were the best. Grid¡¯s belief ced a great burden on Euphemina. There was a limit to the number of skills that could be copied per day and the limitations of the Duplicator against sses with a higher rating were clear.


    It was true that the Mumud-style magic she gainedter allowed her to exert a greaterbat power, but it was difficult to y an active part against those with the highest level skills. Euphemina was stagnant for a long timepared to her reputation, but things would change in the future.


    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered a lot, Mumud.¡±


    At Frontier, where a sharp blizzard was blowing...


    Euphemina stood on the high walls and sent Mumud¡¯s spirit to the gray sky. ¡°I hope you return to Heaven and rest with your wife.¡±


    Mumud had died at a young age without fulfilling his ambitions, but his end was happy. He spent thest years of his life with his beloved woman in Siren. Euphemina smiled warmly only for her eyes to widen. It was because Mumud¡¯s soul refused to ascend. He was no longer owned by anyone, but he stayed still in the sky by his own will.


    It took only a short time for Euphemina to notice why. ¡°Braham!¡±


    Mumud¡¯s teacher¡ªa viin who was jealous of his student¡¯s talent and intercepted his achievements. In fact, he was the one who made Mumud a lich. It was a truth that was revealed when the ¡®Braham and Mumud¡¯ quest urred.


    His body was taken away by Baal¡¯s Contractor and the soul left in the body was attached to him, bing a doll of ughter different from his will¡ªthe information that Euphemina got from the Mumud liberation quest was only the record that the world knew and it was old information that was far from the truth.


    That¡¯s right¡ªAgnus never made Lich Mumud. He just seized Lich Mumud who existed from the beginning to be used as a killing weapon.


    ¡®Why is Braham here?¡¯


    Euphemina didn¡¯t want Braham and Mumud to meet. It was insane to create a situation where the two people were reunited when it was obvious that Mumud¡¯s hatred for Braham wasrger than a mountain. Therefore, she deliberately tried to liberate Mumud¡¯s soul before returning to the capital.


    Yet Braham appeared at this time. Braham didn¡¯t give her a single nce. He passed by her while only staring at Mumud¡¯s soul. The moment Braham passed her¡ª


    ¡°......!¡± Euphemina¡¯s eyes widened.


    It was a very small voice, but Braham clearly said, ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    [Bra...ham...]


    Mumud was resurrected as a lich and repeatedly killed people. The reason he had been suffering for hundreds of years while maintaining his intact mind was because he had a mental power that transcended the scope of a genius. If he was an ordinary existence, then he would¡¯ve lost himself by going crazy.


    Braham floated into the sky. His eyes were cloudy as he floated in the sky of Frontier and stood facing Mumud, who exuded hatred and killing intent after recognizing Braham instantly.


    ¡°Disciple.¡±


    [Braham!]


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    [......!]


    ¡°I... I¡¯ve always regretted taking away your reputation. To reverse that regret, I resurrected you as a lich. I was going to ce you by my side and increase your reputation.¡±


    [......]


    ¡°...Now I know it was just my wicked heart.¡± Thanks to Grid, he understood human beings and their minds. He realized his faults and felt greater regret. ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to forgive me. Just... however, if I find you once you are born again one day, I will live for you.¡±


    [......]


    Mumud¡¯s soul, that was just shining quietly, started to shake like a me. Hatred, anger, emptiness, and sadness seemed to intersect. The soul was silent for a time before scattering and disappearing. Then Euphemina inherited Mumud¡¯s knowledge in ordance with thews of the quest.


    OG Voting Page


    [1] Changing descendant to sessor because it fits better. I will probably also change Pagma¡¯s Descendant to sessor now that I¡¯ve found out about the mass search and rece function

 Chapter 1334

    -Thank you. I hope my little knowledge will help my benefactor.


    A skinny body, a hunched back, dark shadowed eyes, and white skin... Mumud¡¯s soul was restored to his former appearance when he was alive and he greeted Euphemina with a smile before disappearing. Euphemina said goodbye.


    [You have absorbed the vast knowledge of the genius magician, Mumud.]


    [You can change to the growth type legendary ss, ¡®Mumud¡¯s Sessor.¡¯]


    [The former ss, Duplicator, will disappear. The Duplicator¡¯s ss-specific skills will be removed and your stats will be reset.]


    [However, some of the stats and skills obtained from Duplicator ss quests won¡¯t be deleted. For more information, please clic.k on the details.]


    [The current second ss ¡®Ruthless Bomber¡¯ won¡¯t be affected by the first ss fluctuations.]


    [Would you like to change your ss to Mumud¡¯s Sessor?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Duplicator was a ss with many shorings and weaknesses.


    In order to duplicate a skill, it was necessary to induce the target yer to use the skill. There was also a limit to the number of skills that could be duplicated per day. Additionally, every time she continuously used skills with different attributes, she consumed a lot of mental power. The stronger thebat ability, the worse her ability to sustain it became.


    However, it was also an attractive ss. Depending on the quantity and quality of the duplicated skill, it was possible to be a wless existence capable of attack, defense, buffs, recovery, and debuffs. She might be the strongest for a day, and then be the weakest another day, and there were times when Euphemina resented her ss, but she also loved it.


    ¡°Yes, I will change my ss.¡±


    Even so, she threw it away without any foolishness. Duplicator¡¯s potential might be high, but it wasn¡¯tparable to Mumud¡¯s Sessor. It was natural. Mumud was a genius magician who made even the legendary great magician, Braham, feel jealous. Bing his sessor meant she would gain the potential of a first-tier legend.


    [You have be Mumud¡¯s Sessor.]


    The moment the system responded to Euphemina¡¯s determination, the iridescent magic that represented all attributes rose from her small body. It was when people¡¯s attention were drawn to the spectacr aurora that covered the gray sky of Frontier...


    [An unknown person has acquired infinite potential.]


    A short but powerful world message appeared.


    ***


    [An unknown person has acquired infinite potential.]


    Infinite potential¡ªit was an expression that had never been used for Agnus, who raised Baal¡¯s Contractor to the legendary ss; Kraugel, who became a Sword Saint; or even Grid, who wrote several epics. It was natural for the media to be turned upside down.


    ¡°Who is it? Who the hell is it?¡±


    ¡°Grid or Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°I think it is Agnus.¡±


    ¡°Fools! How can this be?¡±


    The so-called another world, Satisfy, was enjoyed by two billion yers, and Nixon, who was the editor-in-chief of S Magazine and dealt with tens of thousands of Satisfy news a day, instinctively sensed it¡ªit was a fact that the protagonist of this world message wasn¡¯t the previous protagonists, but apletely new person.


    ¡®If it was either Grid, Kraugel, or Agnus, the correct name would be written, not someone unknown.¡¯


    The mention of infinite potential was also new to Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus. It was almost like a final evolution. There was a precedent where the ¡®unknown person¡¯ marked in the epic changed to being marked as ¡®Grid¡¯ once a certain point was reached. If the person with infinite potential was one of the existing strong ones, it was likely their ID would be disclosed.


    ¡®A person who deserves to be the new protagonist... who is it?¡¯


    There were too many people who came to mind. The Overgeared Guild¡¯s 10 meritorious retainers; Aura Master, Hurent; Ares, the God of War; Zibal of the magic machine; Pope Damian; Asuka, the weapons collector; the ck and White sisters; Death God, Knight; Yatan¡¯s Servant, Rose; etc. However, the Red Sage, Haster, was excluded. Since Halle¡¯s party posted the video of them hunting Haster onto the Inte, expectations for Haster fell to the bottom, especially when Halle struggled against Nyangmong.


    ¡®There are many emerging powerhouses whoe to mind.¡¯


    There was the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s secret weapon, Coke; the magician killer, Nicole; Shiya, who was the storm that shook the Saharan Empire; Biltred, who imed to be an ordinary resident of the Hwan Kingdom; etc. Satisfy was vast and there were many talents. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if one of them became the protagonist of the new world message.


    If Nixon was an ordinary yer, then they would leisurely look forward to the moment when the person with infinite potential reveals their identity. However, Nixon was obliged to find the news and spread it quickly. He wanted to immediately find the person with infinite potential.


    ¡®First of all, the members of the Overgeared Guild should be excluded from the candidates.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild, the most legendary force, had recently produced two new legends. There should be stillness after a big event. It seemed unlikely that the protagonist of this world message would be a member of the Overgeared Guild.


    He was gradually narrowing down the candidates when he received a phone call.


    ¡°What? The 33rd great demon?¡±


    Editor-in-chief Nixon rose from his seat. How long had it been since the 29th great demon was defeated? Now there was a world message that the 33rd great demon was defeated? And it was even in hell...


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Subduing great demons who were said to be much more powerful in hell than on the human world¡ªit wasn¡¯t a fluke that he defeated the 29th great demon? Nixon¡¯s interest immediately changed. He was filled with intense inspiration and erased the article he had been writing about the ¡®person of infinite potential¡¯ to start a new one. The title of the article was more stimting than ever.


    [Overgeared King Grid has surpassed Sword Saint Muller!]


    ***


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Euphemina!¡±


    The 33rd great demon was far more aggressive and destructive than the 29th Great Demon, Marchosias. Starting from his basic personality, he was more aggressive than all the great demons Grid had faced till now, and he forced Grid and Yura into a crisis several times.


    However, he was unable to ovee Grid¡¯s defense as he actively used the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and the effect of Earth God. He had a lower rank and defense than Marchosias, and was pierced thousands of times by Yura¡¯s bullets, eventually copsing.


    It was a short but difficult battle. Grid and Yura determined that continuous battles were impossible and came up to the human world to restock their various consumables (that couldn¡¯t be obtained in hell). Then they looked for Euphemina. It was to congratte her for her ss change.


    Yura watched Grid and Euphemina, who were happily hugging each other, with pleasure. The big and reliable Grid and the small and lovely Euphemina looked like siblings. Yura knew the rtionship between the two people from the beginning.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    Grid and Euphemina mutuallyforted each other, saying things like ¡®You¡¯ve had a hard time¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡¯ Finally, they calmed down and Yura took the opportunity to give her congrattions. Euphemina shook Yura¡¯s hand energetically with a smile. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll try to contribute to the guild in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been active enough so far.¡±


    ¡°Sister,pared to you...¡±


    Euphemina nced between Grid and Yura. Hell, a ce no one could easily step in¡ªEuphemina was envious of the two people who were active together in apletely different world. She also wanted to be with them and to be one of the main pirs of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because there was a time when she was shaken by Agnus and let Grid down.


    Did he read her heart?


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Grid smiled kindly and stroked Euphemina¡¯s head to encourage her.


    ¡°You can expect it!¡± Euphemina smiled widely and eximed energetically. Her level had dropped to 300 after changing to Mumud¡¯s Sessor. It was a huge 100 levels and at least five years of effort was lost, but she wasn¡¯t upset.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to connect them as quickly as Braham¡¯s enhanced magic, but Mumud¡¯s Sessor specialized in high ranking magic. In other words, it possessed arge number ofrge-scale magic and could be a ss specialized in facing arge number of enemies. She was confident that she could recover her level quickly. The situation was much better than Faker and Jishuka who were reset to level 1.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hold a celebration party for all those who have changed to a legendary ss, We will all gather tomorrow.¡±


    The moment Grid made this announcement, a considerable number of Overgeared members logged out. They were the members of the Overgeared Guild living overseas. They had to start preparing quickly to arrive in South Korea by tomorrow. On the other hand, those who had moved to South Korea like Jishuka and Lauel received envious gazes as they leisurely focused on the game.


    ***


    ¡®I need the heart of the Demon God...¡¯


    Before meeting the 33rd great demon, Grid found hell¡¯s cksmith, Helmis, and got a veryrge hint.


    An item that prevented stamina from falling¡ªin order to create an item that supplemented stamina, the Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath was insufficient and the heart of the Demon God was necessary. However, the identity of the Demon God was amazing.


    ¡®Sitri.¡¯


    Demon God¡ªanother god of hell apart from Evil God Yatan. Why was a god only staying in the position of 12th great demon? It was hard to understand. Yura spoke to the confused Grid, ¡°First of all, I think I should meet Amoract. I think the information from her will be a clue.¡±


    ¡°Did you say that Amoract is hostile to Baal?¡±


    ¡°It feels like she is wary.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid recalled how Braham attacked the Yatan headquarters and harbored a grudge against Amoract. Grid was both expectant and worried about the episode that would unfold in hell. Truths not yet revealed were waiting for Grid.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1335

    25 hours¡ªit was an era where it was possible to cross to the other side of the earth in just a bit over a day. Of course, this was a story when using an aircraft of the ZA87-100 ss or higher. The airfare that cost tens of millions of won wasn¡¯t a big burden for the main members of the Overgeared Guild. Many members had luxury nes that were several times more expensive than airne tickets.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Spain¡¯s leading yer, Pon¡ªhe enjoyed world-ss poprity as a prince or knight on a white horse, and he also had a dedicated aircraft for himself. On the way to South Korea, he asked the captain to take care of the three refueling points and sat in his capsule. Then he cocked his head. Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers who were the main members of the Overgeared Guild. There was a single line of notice posted in the group chat room of the members participating in the party.


    The meeting ce was strange.


    ¡°Texas barbecue? Why?¡±


    Why go so far just to eat American cuisine? It wasn¡¯t a question he had because ofints. How many people in the world didn¡¯t like Texas barbecue? The brisket that was cooked for a long time and melted in the mouth was one of Pon¡¯s favorite foods.


    The reason Pon questioned it was simply because of Peak Sword¡¯s inclination. Wasn¡¯t Peak Sword a person who took pride in Korean food being the best in the world since it was delicious and good for the body? Until now, Pon visited Korean restaurants every time he came to South Korea for a meeting. Why was it Texas barbecue now?


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Peak Swording today? In any case, I amfortable.¡¯


    Pon thought that cooking had no borders. Pon believed that the food of all countries deserved respect and had its own charm. The reason it was burdensome to visit a Korean restaurant in South Korea was because Peak Sword forced him to take photos of the food and post it on social media to promote Korean food.


    ¡®Do you know kimchi? Do you know soup with rice?¡¯


    The questions that Peak Sword asked him every time he came to South Korea finally faded as Pony down in the capsule with a satisfied expression. ying Satisfy during the flight was a natural habit, no, a duty, for him.


    ***


    ¡°Delicious! Melts in my mouth! This juicy, mouth-watering vor is the best!¡±


    Shin Youngwoo¡ªthe supreme one of Satisfy and the dignity of the Overgeared Kingdom was still unpretentious. Unlike the other Overgeared members who wore luxury clothes and goods, he enjoyed ordinary brands of clothing and food. He knew how to express great joy even in everyday activities.


    ¡®He has been riding in the same car for several years already.¡¯


    ¡°Che, tsk, hum.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo ignored Peak Sword¡¯s sound of dissatisfaction every time he praised the foreign food. Then Vantner asked him, ¡°Grid, where do you normally spend money?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t trying to ask why Grid didn¡¯t wear better clothes or change to a better car. He was just purely curious. Where was Grid spending all his money when he was one of the richest people in the world?


    ¡°Gulp. I used it to buy exercise equipment, medicine for my parents, a house for Sehee to live in independently, donated it to people having a hard time, boughtnd, um... here and there?¡±


    ¡°God Grid! You forgot the most important thing!¡±


    Peak Sword, who had beenining about the barbecue, intervened at this time.


    ¡°You are contributing to the country by paying a lot of taxes! God Grid, you are really the pride of South Korea!¡±


    South Korea treated the money earned from Satisfy as unearned ie, and for that reason, Shin Youngwoo¡¯s taxes were close to 50% of his ie. However, Shin Youngwoo had never been used of tax evasion. The same was true for Peak Sword and Yura. Peak Sword, a member of the Korean Patriotic Association, knew from his many experiences that it was a proud thing to pay taxes well.


    ¡°...Unearned ie.¡±


    The faces of the Overgeared members turned rotten when they learned the details. A number of Overgeared members who nned to move to South Korea like Jishuka and Toon started to change their minds.


    Peak Sword realized that he missed the beneficiaries who would pay taxes to his country because of his premature remarks. He btedly regretted it and tried to correct them, but it was useless. Peak Sword drank a bottle of beer with a frustrated heart and started to look for kimchi. Then he became drunk and words started flowing out.


    Haha.Hoho.


    Jishuka, Faker, and Euphemina sat in the middle and the party continued as the night wore on. No one expressed dislike when Vantner pushed for a second and third round. It was five or six years in reality¡ªin all the years they had been together, the members of the Overgeared members thought of each other as friends and family.


    Katz, who felt awkward for a while, felt the same. Katz was an enemy at first, and often criticized and fought with Peak Sword because he was Japanese. Now he was also aplete member of the Overgeared Kingdom. Katz wanted to show that he was an Overgeared member. He wanted to prove he was always grateful to Grid.


    ¡°Grid, I will leave my ne, Courage, behind in South Korea tomorrow. It is a new model. I¡¯ve only been on it once. You can change the name.¡± It was the drunk Katz who spoke in awkward Korean.


    Peak Sword clicked his tongue at Katz. ¡°A third generation chaebol only knows how to solve everything with money. You should fix that nasty habit. Eh? Grid likes you and trusts you enough to eat and drink with you, yet you are just going to give him a ne to repay that trust? Do you think our God Grid is so ridiculous?¡±


    ¡°...That wasn¡¯t my intention. Sorry. Cancel my words.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Yes, good! Drink! Let¡¯s die together! Once again, congrattions to the legendary sses! Cheers!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The always smiling Shin Youngwoo started ring at Peak Sword, but Peak Sword didn¡¯t know it. At this time, Huroi started using his eloquence to teach Peak Sword. Peak Sword was annoyed because he didn¡¯t know the reason why, but he still felt it was fun.


    ***


    ¡°Hamburgers are for relieving hangovers.¡±


    They really partied all night. For the first time in ages, he didn¡¯t think about the game and enjoyed realityfortably. Shin Youngwoo returned from seeing off the Overgeared members early in the morning and started the day with a big bite of the cheeseburger that Toon bought. He exercised lightly, washed up, and went downstairs to have breakfast with his family. Then he stared at the sky for a while to adjust his condition before connecting to Satisfy.


    ¡®What to do today...?¡¯


    At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Shin Youngwoo, no, Grid checked his schedule. The administrator, Rabbit, wanted to discuss a new project, and Lauel asked for a few more weekly king quests. Apart from that, there was nothing else scheduled. He spent enough time with his family yesterday, and finished his preparations to go to hell again. It would be nice to go to hell straight away and concentrate on leveling up, but Grid thought it was a priority to deal with things he had been putting off.


    ¡®Then Latina¡¯s Ne... let¡¯s leave it to Bullet.¡¯


    Latina¡¯s Ne had grown to the unique rating. It increased the wearer¡¯s intelligence by 350, and had the effect of strengthening the stats of the undead summons. It wasn¡¯t just the item itself that had excellent function. If he raised it to the legendary rating, he could summon the vampire, Latina.


    The problem was the growth difficulty. From Grid¡¯s standpoint, there was only one way to increase the experience of Latina¡¯s Ne. It was the act of summoning the Overgeared Skeletons. However, he calcted it one day and estimated it would take at least four years to grow Latina¡¯s Ne to the legendary level. Just as Yetima¡¯s Greatsword was entrusted to Chris and Cray¡¯s Bracelet was entrusted to Euphemina, there was a need for Latina¡¯s Ne to be nurtured by someone else.


    ¡®No matter how I think about it, Bullet is the right person.¡¯


    Bullet was a tremendous talent who was the second ranked necromancer. He had named death knights, and could summon andmand hundreds of skeletons. Compared to Grid who could only summon two skeletons, Bullet would be much more efficient in terms of power and growth speed. The reason why Grid hadn¡¯t previously left the ne to Bullet was because Latina¡¯s Ne was a good item for Grid.


    Now things had changed.The need for Latina¡¯s Ne was rtively reduced due to the Ne of Hierarchy gained from raiding Hell Gao.


    ¡®Yes, leave it to Bullet.¡¯


    He would use the Ne of Hierarchy and Ring of Hierarchy anyway, so Latina¡¯s Ne would be temporarily given to Bullet. The next thing caused Grid a big headache.


    [Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring]


    [Rating: Legendary


    * During normal attacks, 22% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * During skill attacks, 10% of the damage done to the target will be restored to you as health.


    * This effect is only invoked once every 16 seconds.


    * Strength, stamina, and health +50


    A ring that contains Earl Elfin Stone¡¯s unique magic power.


    It raises the potential and survival ability of the wearer.


    * If this ring grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Earl Elfin Stone.


    Weight: 1]


    A vampire item that was still one of the most valuable items Grid had gained while ying Satisfy¡ªthe ring was the symbol of Elfin Stone, who was closely rted to the vampire episode of Braham, one of the most important people to the world view, and had a very good performance. Every time the lifesteal effect was activated, it acquired a small amount of experience points, and it finally grew to the legendary level after a few years.


    The problem came after the ring reached the legendary rating. Grid had assimted with Braham a few times and this caused Elfin Stone to feel a great resentment to Grid, who inherited Braham¡¯s magic. Unlike Iyarugt, it was impossible to educate him with violence.


    [Elfin Stone won¡¯t respond to your summons.]


    Elfin Stonepletely refused Grid¡¯s summoning. It was grown to the legendary rating, but so far, Grid had never seen Elfin Stone¡¯s face.


    ¡®At this point, he seems to be mistaking me for Braham.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t strange to be mistaken. Grid had inherited Duke of Wisdom from Braham and ascended to the status of Blood King. It was natural for the air he gave off to be simr to Braham, at least from Elfin Stone¡¯s point of view. Elfin Stone had a deeper grudge against Braham than anyone else and he would stubbornly reject Braham.


    ¡®I just need to summon him once. I think there should be a way after that...¡¯


    It was frustrating because Sage Sticks and Great Magician Braham both stated they didn¡¯t know the solution. Who should he ask for help?


    ¡®Marie Rose?¡¯


    No, he wasn¡¯t that crazy. Grid struggled for a while before thinking of the tower members. The past generation legends who had existed for a longer time than Sticks and Braham. Perhaps they knew how to solve this problem?


    ¡®I will try it.¡¯


    When else would he use the title of Pioneer that he had earned? Grid squeezed Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and left for the Tower of Wisdom. Having passed Chiyou¡¯s Test and absorbing the power of the 29th and 33rd great demons, he was no longer overwhelmed by the scale of the tower. He felt confident that he could pass if the tower gave him new tests.


    The man who weed him when he arrived at the tower was the sweaty Sword Saint, Biban.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on a divine cleansing.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Are you doubting it?¡±


    ¡°No. How can that be?¡±


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1336

    Biban, the 9th seat of the Tower of Wisdom¡ªit wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say he was Muller¡¯s teacher, and the founder of the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship. He encountered Grid after a long time. He stared at Grid before shaking his head and dropping the rag.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you gain enlightenment when you visited the tower the other time?¡±


    Enlightenment¡ªhe got the infinite sword energy and became stronger. For Grid, who had visited numerous ces and met countless people so far, the Tower of Wisdom and the tower members were extraordinary.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then why... I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve grown much.¡±


    Grid was stung. He noticed that the growth Biban mentioned meant his level. Grid¡¯s level had grown rapidly after defeating two great demons in hell and he was currently level 421. He was still the best among yers, but it was natural for the tower members to not be satisfied. That¡¯s right. Currently, Biban was disappointed in Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed.¡± It was embarrassing. This was Grid¡¯s honest feeling. He didn¡¯t deny that his level growth rate was ridiculously slowpared to his given environment.


    ¡°...Is it necessary to be ashamed?¡¯ Biban shook his head again with an expression of regret. ¡°Every person has different talents. Your talent is a bit... yes, it is a bitcking.¡±


    Just as it changed from Kraugel to Grid, sooner orter, the Pioneer would change again...


    Biban noticed this and vowed not to have too deep an affection for Grid. The Tower of Wisdom was an existence thatpletely left the world. It was strictly forbidden to meet with anyone other than the Pioneer. He didn¡¯t want to miss Grid after they parted forever.


    ¡°What brings you here today?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if there are any tower members who are familiar with vampires...¡±


    ¡°Vampires? Why are you bringing up vampires suddenly?¡±


    There was no need for long words. Grid showed him Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring and Biban understood the situation. ¡°Having tasted enough blood, the sealed soul woke up from his sleep. Even so, he isn¡¯t responding to your call?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk. Mosquitoes have been impolite since ancient times.¡±


    As expected, Biban had lived for hundreds of years and had a rtionship with vampires. Who was the vampire that Biban met? Grid looked excited as Biban pointed to Grid¡¯s cloak. ¡°That guy who is sleeping with that cloak as a nket.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Fenrir...¡±


    ¡°Was it the eldest or third child of Beriache? He isn¡¯t a big deal, but he always had his nose in the air. He would¡¯ve died in my hands if vampires weren¡¯t hostile to great demons.¡±


    Indeed. At first nce. Biban was truly a tower member who just seemed to act thoughtlessly. While fighting dragons, he indirectly kept great demons in check in order to achieve the ultimate goal of ¡®protecting the world.¡¯


    ¡°I struggled with my colleagues to defeat Fenrir, but he was an easy opponent for Biban.¡±


    Grid looked at Biban with respect and the proud Bibanughed. ¡°There is nothing my sword can¡¯t cut.¡±


    There is nothing I can¡¯t cut.


    It was a typical depiction of a Sword Saint. Grid felt curious. ¡°Can a Sword Saint¡¯s sword cut a god or a dragon?¡±


    Cutting a god or a dragon. Depending on the achievement, the transcendent person would change to a God Killer or a Dragon yer. It was also a testament to the limitations of transcendence¡ªa transcendent could either cut a god or a dragon, but not both. It must be that way in the system. Then what about a Sword Saint?


    Biban replied, ¡°Of course I can cut both.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was a moment that proved the value of the strongestbat ss, Sword Saint. Biban spoke bitterly to the thrilled Grid, ¡°However, cutting and ¡®killing¡¯ is only possible if there is a Sword Saint who goes beyond Muller.¡±


    Biban confirmed it. The Matchless Heart Swordsmanship was the strongest swordsmanship in history. The evidence was that Muller, a genius among geniuses, had inherited it. However, Biban could cut a dragon, but not kill it. Among the tower members, the only one who could kill a dragon was Hayate. Cutting and killing were separate issues.


    ¡°If there is a person who makes a swordsmanship superior to the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship, and they be a Sword Saint... they can destroy even gods and dragons.¡±


    However, could such a person exist? Biban never imagined that a ¡®Sword Saint who goes beyond Muller¡¯ would appear. On the other hand, Grid found it easy to think of someone. ¡°Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Biban, the person you are speaking about is Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Not at all? What could that child do when he lost the title of Pioneer and failed to make any clear achievements in the years after bing a Sword Saint? Biban was about to deny it when he abruptly shut his mouth. The Matchless Heart Swordsmanship, which Muller had taken to the next level¡ªhe was reminded of Kraugel, who refused to inherit Muller¡¯s Matchless Heart Swordsmanship.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Biban remembered Kraugel when he was the Pioneer. The owner of a talent where hardly any regrettable areas were found. Could he disparage a person like Kraugel just because his actions after bing a Sword Saint weren¡¯t great?


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    An eerie chill went down Biban¡¯s spine as he realized it.


    ¡®Even I have surpassed Pagma. If it is Kraugel, then he will definitely go beyond Muller.¡¯


    Grid was confident. He recalled Kraugel who never used the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship, and got goosebumps.


    ¡®Kraugel knew from the beginning how to go beyond Muller.¡¯


    He could only say that this was truly Kraugel. Grid¡¯s heart thumped as he was reminded of the National Competition for the first time in ages. The National Competition¡ªit was apetition that no longer interested Grid.


    It was just a boring stage where he was confident he could win first ce in all events he participated in. He didn¡¯t want to waste his time participating when the members of the Overgeared Guild would take care of him and give him the breaths they gained as a reward from thepetition.


    It was just that the story would be different if he could fight Kraugel again. How far could he fight against a strong person equal to him? He was curious. He wanted to make sure.


    -Will Kraugel participate in this year¡¯s National Competition?


    Grid asked the question in the guild chat and the members answered him.


    -He isn¡¯t on the list of participants.


    -It is said the United States is troubled because of this.


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face was filled with joy.


    ¡®Is Kraugel also bored with thepetition?¡¯


    At the same time, at the East Continent...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Kraugel was searching the Kaya Mountains when he suddenly stopped and looked back. Even today, he felt the yangbans¡¯ eyes on him and felt ufortable.


    ***


    Grid and Biban walked side by side down the corridor. Their destination was the room of the 4th seat, Betty. Biban assured him that Betty could help, but Grid was somewhat reluctant.


    ¡®She seems to hate me.¡¯


    When he visited the Tower of Wisdom a few months ago, Betty, unlike the other tower members, didn¡¯t express any interest or fondness for Grid. For her greeting, she just gave her name and mmed the door on Grid. The 7th seat, Abellio, asked for understanding because she was shy, but... what was there to be shy about when she was hundreds of years old? Just look at Biban next to him who was shameless.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡¯


    He felt very awkward. It was doubtful if she would cooperate or do it properly. Grid was gulping when the two of them arrived at Betty¡¯s door.


    Biban knocked on the door. It was more like he was beating the door instead of knocking. ¡°Hey, you old hag! A guest hase!¡±


    Creak.


    The door opened slightly. Betty¡¯s eyes were still veryrge as she stuck her head out slightly through the gap in the door. It gave people a feeling of loneliness, but her eyes were beautiful because they were round and dark. Just based on appearance, she was well-matched with Lord. He really wanted a daughter-inw like her.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± Betty stared at Grid, who was bowing deeply in greeting, and immediately inquired about what was going on.


    Biban responded in the ce of Grid, who was smiling awkwardly, ¡°Can¡¯t you hear the vampire soul speaking?¡±


    Betty¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid¡¯s hand. ¡°You mean that child?¡±


    Surprisingly, Betty noticed Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring instantly. She seemed to have noticed it since she first saw Grid.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    On the first day they met, Betty only revealed her name, unlike the other tower members who introduced exactly who they were. What exactly was her identity? Why was she so familiar with vampires, and why did she notice Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring immediately? Betty gestured to Grid who was full of expectations and doubts. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Biban, you get lost.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why are you so cold to me?¡±


    ¡°No reason. You just have no use.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Betty closed the door and Biban was left all alone in the corridor, crying. The only thing with him in this spacious tower was a rag, so he was particrly lonely and depressed today.


    ***


    ¡°You have be apletely different person from a few months ago. You¡¯ve built up a lot of transcendence.¡±


    Unlike the dull Biban, Betty instantly noticed the internal changes in Grid. Biban might¡¯ve been disappointed with Grid, but Betty was amazed by Grid¡¯s growth in such a short time.


    ¡°Yes, somehow...¡±


    The room looked very different from Grid¡¯s imagination. He imagined a princess¡¯ room decorated in bright colors, but it was dark and dull. It wasn¡¯t a sweet scent, but the smell of alcohol. Instead of dolls, anatomical specimens were lined up everywhere. The anatomical specimens were of various monsters and demons, not small animals such as birds, amphibians, and reptiles. There were even more than 50 anatomical specimens of bipedal races like humans filling one side of the room.


    It was a rather terrible and chilling sight, even for Grid, who had ughtered countless monsters. However, it would be rude to express such feelings. Grid discovered that a sphere of magic power was being used for lighting and changed the topic. ¡°It seems you are a magician since you can keep dozens of light magic on at the same time.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t magic.¡±


    ¡°?¡± It was a lot different from the light elemental.


    Betty exined to the confused Grid, ¡°They are souls.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Betty¡¯s gaze aimed at the anatomical specimens. ¡°Their souls.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The idea of wanting her to be a daughter-inw shouldn¡¯t even be considered.


    Betty introduced herself to Grid, whose expression had stiffened, ¡°I am the first Baal¡¯s Contractor.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Betty took off her loose robe. Her exposed body was very shocking. It was because apart from her neck, head, and lower body, most of her body was a skeleton. It wasn¡¯t just skinniness. She literally only had bones, exactly like a skeleton. ¡°I was a disgusting failure. That is why I am hiding and researching away from Baal¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I know souls well.¡± Betty once again got dressed and reached out with her gloved hands. The stiff Grid woke up and handed her Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. ¡°Direct descendant vampires have the same reincarnation structure as a great demon. It means that even if they lose their body, they can surely be resurrected again someday. He is stubborn because he knows it.¡±


    The length of Betty¡¯s speech grew when she started talking about her area of expertise. Betty asked the focused Grid. ¡°Do you wantplete control over this child?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you need this child¡¯s strength to fight Baal someday?¡±


    Betty knew that Baal was the source of evil. It wasn¡¯t difficult to infer that humanity would go to war with Baal. Therefore, she intended to actively cooperate. She turned to the Tower of Wisdom to avoid Baal¡¯s gaze and was in a position to hope for the emergence of heroes who would destroy Baal on her behalf.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will break this child¡¯s hope.¡±


    Betty started to take Elfin Stone¡¯s soul out of the ring. It was more like she was physically pulling it out than magic. The screams of Elfin Stone¡¯s soul shook the room and strained Grid. Betty¡¯s fingers were surrounded by white light as they pointed at Elfin Stone¡¯s soul that finally appeared.


    ¡°I will break this child¡¯s cycle of reincarnation.¡±


    At this moment...


    -Grid!No, Lord Grid!I will be loyal!


    The urgent cry of Elfin Stone who had been stubborn for years echoed through the room.


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1337

    ¡®Wow, look at this guy.¡¯


    There had been nomunication with Elfin Stone for a year. He always refused the summoning and wouldn¡¯t evenmunicate. Grid had suspected a system failure. Later, he felt he might¡¯ve been mistaken for Braham, and tried to understand why Elfin Stone ignored him. But now...


    -Lord Grid!Grid!Didn¡¯t I say I would swear loyalty?Stop that crazy demon¡¯s work.


    ¡°...Bullshit.¡±


    Elfin Stone had never misunderstood Grid¡¯s identity. He knew precisely who Grid was and kept ignoring him.


    ¡®Disgraceful guy.¡¯


    As his annoyance soared, the frowning Grid asked Betty, ¡°I am the Blood King. All the vampires, except for Marie Rose, must obey me, so why could Elfin Stone ignore me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re basically misunderstanding. The direct descendants obey you not because of coercion. It is through their own will.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Look back. Weren¡¯t there direct descendants who followed you before you became the Blood King? Especially if they are children who died in your hands.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Certainly, it was true. Tiramet had obeyed Grid even before Grid became the Blood King. He just wasn¡¯t as polite as he was now.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because their souls were sealed in the objects and weakened, so they became submissive?¡±


    "No. The more blood you give to the soul while fighting, the faster the resurrection time. Thus, they chose to follow you. It is about efficiency.¡±


    If they obeyed out of their own free will, then it meant they could refuse out of their own free will. It was revealed why Elfin Stone was able to ignore Grid. However, Grid wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. Doesn¡¯t the Blood King have the authority tomand all vampires, except Marie Rose? How can Elfin Stone exercise his own willpower against me?¡±


    ¡°I told you. You¡¯ve misunderstood. The direct descendants don¡¯t obey unconditionally just because you are the Blood King. Unlike ordinary vampires, who instinctively obey the Blood King, direct descendants have free will. That is why they can fight to be the Blood King.¡±


    ¡°No, then Tiramet...¡±


    ¡°If a direct descendant obeyed you since bing the Blood King, then there is another reason. For example, you released the Curse of Sloth.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid confirmed the information of the Blood King title.


    [Blood King]


    [Type: Passive


    ¡ï Blood magic will bloom when conditions are met.


    The blood magic will be ording to your personality.


    ¡ï Can free direct descendant vampires if the conditions are met.


    * Liberated vampires are free from the Curse of Sloth.]


    There was no description that all vampires were submissive to the Blood King. It happened when he raided Fenrir and became the Blood King. The reason why the notification contained the words ¡®all vampires, except Marie Rose, will obey you in the future¡¯ was because Grid defeated the powerful vampire called Fenrir, not because he was the Blood King. The true power of the Blood King was the power to release the Curse of Sloth. They might obey in anticipation that Grid would release their curse, but there was no obligation to obey.


    Grid barely grasped the situation and stared at Elfin Stone¡¯s soul. ¡°I have the power to release your curse. Why have you ignored me even though you know this? Doesn¡¯t oveing the Curse of Sloth matter to you?¡±


    Elfin Stone replied.


    -You killed me.


    Grid was stung.


    -You are also a friend of Braham, who will be torn apart. Why should I chat with you?


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no need to ask the reason in the first ce. For Elfin Stone, Grid was the object of hatred. There was no reason for him to favor Grid. Grid once again confirmed the information of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.


    * If this ring grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Earl Elfin Stone.


    ¡®Now I see this is a wordy.¡¯


    The ring¡¯s information stated that the wearer ¡®can¡¯ summon Elfin Stone, not that Elfin Stone would be unconditionally summoned andmanded. It felt dirty. For a moment, he wanted to contact the S.A Group¡¯s customer center for some questions. However, the S.A Group would always ignore system problems and say it needed to be solved in the game. Yes, ignore. It was just like Elfin Stone.


    ¡®...The more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel.¡¯


    Grid understood Elfin Stone¡¯s position. He probably would¡¯ve acted simrly if he was Elfin Stone. However, Grid wasn¡¯t Elfin Stone. Even though he understood, he didn¡¯t intend to defend Elfin Stone.


    ¡°The first time we met... you showed up exactly every 24 hours and aimed at me.¡±


    Extreme Blood Transfusion¡ªit was a terrifying attack and recovery skill that restored one¡¯s health by taking awayrge quantities of the target¡¯s health.


    The only drawback was that it had a 24 hour cooldown time and Elfin Stone wasted it several times on the immortal Grid. He must¡¯ve noticed the error in his judgment along the way, yet he repeatedly made the same mistake again and again because of his pride.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Elfin Stone, you were stubborn from the beginning.¡±


    Despite knowing it was better to cooperate with Grid to elerate the resurrection time, he was buried in resentment and anger, and turned away from this opportunity. It was stupid.


    ¡°Perhaps, you... if I just let it go, you probably wouldn¡¯t listen to me until the day the game ends, or the day I quit the game.¡±


    Elfin Stone heard a lot of words that were hard to understand. However, Elfin Stone could read Grid¡¯s will through his tone and expression.


    -Hey, look, didn¡¯t I say I would be loyal?


    ¡°Your words are getting shorter.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were as sharp as a de as he faced Elfin Stone¡¯s soul. They were the eyes of a warrior who had fought countless adversaries and defeated them. The epics he had written transformed into a huge sense of pressure that tightened Elfin Stone¡¯s breath.


    -O-Ohhh! Lord Grid!


    The reason why most great demons and direct descendant vampires didn¡¯t care in the face of death was because reincarnation was possible. Even if they died, they would be resurrected. It was with their old memories and powers. Therefore, for them, death wasn¡¯t the end, and it wasn¡¯t a concept to be afraid of.


    However, there was an unusual presence here that could break the cycle of reincarnation. Elfin Stone didn¡¯t know if she was a demon or an angel, but she could bring about death. This awakened the preciousness of life within him. Gridughed when he noticed that Betty was the object of Elfin Stone¡¯s wariness as his soul swayed precariously like antern in front of the wind. ¡°You can¡¯t figure out the situation at all.¡±


    -?


    ¡°I am the one you should be afraid of.¡±


    Flinch.


    Elfin Stone¡¯s soul stopped shaking. The blood-red soul swelled.


    -It seems you¡¯vepletely lost awareness of your concept. Human... you are just a human! You ascended to the throne of Blood King with the help of the traitor, Braham! You dare! You dare to threaten me?! Just you?!


    Blond hair that went down to the waist¡ªElfin Stone, who had long hair like Braham before he adapted to the world, appeared after a long time.


    -I will challenge you for the position of Blood King!


    [A Blood King Candidate has challenged your throne.]


    [You can¡¯t refuse the challenge.]


    -Did you think I was silent out of fear of you?! If it hadn¡¯t been for Braham by your side, you would¡¯ve already died in my hands!


    As expected from a direct descendant. Elfin Stone was beautiful even when angry, just like the first time they met.


    -Blood Field!


    His skills were still there. Betty¡¯s dark and dull room was instantly dyed with blood, and Elfin Stones magic power rose sharply. There was just one problem...


    ¡°Mosquitoes are very noisy these days.¡±


    Grid¡¯s palm pped Elfin Stone on the cheek. Elfin Stone¡¯s skin was torn and blood sshed like a water balloon bursting against the wall.


    -Kuaaaaack!


    Elfin Stone¡¯s time was frozen in the past. The time he was defeated by Grid and the Overgeared members was Elfin Stone¡¯sst memory and experience. The Grid in his memory was several times lower than himself. He didn¡¯t understand the gap created by the years.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Elfin Stone didn¡¯t realize what had happened to him. He barely stood up as pain and confusion filled him. Then he further strengthened Blood Field even more. Grid¡¯s health was reduced little by little. It was tens of hundreds and quickly went into the thousands. It was a trivial figure for Grid when his health had reached 400,000.


    -You!You must¡¯ve grown quite a bit after bing Blood King with Braham¡¯s help!However, that is it!


    Extreme Blood Transfusion¡ªElfin Stone¡¯s previous ultimate attack that put the past Grid into his immortal state with a single blow rushed toward the current Grid¡¯s heart. The blood vortex was swift and emanated an intense energy that damaged Betty¡¯s room. It was just that Grid¡¯s dynamic vision and experience made it easy to grasp the trajectory of Extreme Blood Transfusion.


    ¡°It is such a flimsy attack.¡±


    To be honest, Grid didn¡¯t even need to pull out his sword. He felt that he needed to make the gap obvious in order to break Elfin Stone¡¯s high nose.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    Quiet footsteps.


    The Fire Dragon Sword looked rxed as it created a storm of mes that devoured the blood flow.


    -...?!


    Elfin Stone¡¯s current body was an illusion. It was a manifestation caused by his willpower. He couldn¡¯t feel anything, yet Elfin Stone had the illusion that goosebumps were covering his skin. He saw it¡ªthe gap that existed between himself and Grid. The human in front of him existed on apletely different level from the person he remembered.


    -Kuaaaaah!


    There was a desperate gap in power. Elfin Stone lost his body and returned to his soul from. He trembled with a sense of helplessness.


    -W-What? You?


    He had only felt this sense of helplessness twice before in his entire life¡ªone time was to Braham, and the other was to Marie Rose. He felt enough despair and fear from a human to be reminded of them?


    -Human... human who became Blood King with Brahan¡¯s help...


    Grid smiled at Elfin Stone, who was murmuring in a trembling voice. ¡°Aren¡¯t your words too impolite?¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry! Your Majesty!


    Elfin Stone clearly realized who he should be afraid of here. If he had a flesh and blood body, then he would¡¯ve fallen down and knelt. Grid¡¯s gaze was gentle as he looked at the soul. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to forgive Braham.¡±


    It was an affair between brothers. It was also true that Brahammitted a serious sin against Elfin Stone. It was understandable that Elfin Stone would never be able to forgive Braham. Grid wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything. He just had one wish. ¡°However, I hope you don¡¯t stab a dagger into Braham¡¯s back as long as you are with me.¡±


    -......


    Elfin Stone was a vampire earl. Among the direct line that ruled over the vampires, his discernment was among the top. He understood Grid¡¯s meaning and responded.


    -Yes, I understand.


    After decades or hundreds of years, he would be resurrected, and by then, the human in front of him would be dead. The day of revenge on Braham could be postponed to that time.


    ¡®I have to umte enough strength while serving him thoroughly.¡¯


    The intention was somewhat contrary, but hismitment to loyalty was true. It was the day when Grid gained a new subordinate. Elfin Stone was only level 300, but Grid¡¯s joy was great. As a direct descendant, Elfin Stone¡¯s potential was immense. A notification popped up in front of the happy Grid.


    [The condition has been met and the first blood magic will bloom.]


    OG Voting Page

 Chapter 1338

    A direct descendant¡ªit referred to the 10 children of Shizo Beriache, and as owners of a lineage of purity and integrity, they were called nobles and reigned over the vampires. It was the Blood King who was qualified to lead such a direct line. There was only one condition to bing the Blood King¡ªby force.


    Unlike the direct descendants, it wasn¡¯t based on lineage. The strongest being who defeated the direct descendants would be qualified to be the Blood King, regardless of lineage.


    Braham once exined the reason why¡ª¡°There is no future for the vampires as long as there is the Curse of Sloth. My mother knew this as well so she made rules for outsiders.¡±


    The reason that the rule gave outsiders the chance to be the Blood King was simple¡ªthe vampires couldn¡¯t move forward with just their own power. As long as there was the Curse of Sloth, the vampires couldn¡¯t try hard and couldn¡¯t develop. Since they couldn¡¯t develop, they didn¡¯t have the strength to defeat great demons. Vampires alone couldn¡¯t achieve Beriache¡¯s wish. Of course, the story would be different if Marie Rose became the Blood King, but Beriache didn¡¯t have confidence that Marie Rose could ovee the Curse of Sloth, so she made sure there was insurance.


    [The condition has been met and the first blood magic will bloom.]


    Along with the rising notification window, Grid felt a dizzying pain from his left shoulder. It was pain beyond the level of a sting. It was sharp pain, like he was cut by a knife. The perplexed Grid took off his armor and looked at his left shoulder. The power of blood magic was erupting from his left shoulder and a pattern¡ªreminiscent of blood droplets¡ªwas being engraved there.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡± Grid dropped to the ground as a strange feeling wrapped around his left shoulder. He vividly felt the process of his magic power being changed by an energy he had never experienced before.


    [Your mana is strengthened by the blood magic blooming effect.]


    [The maximum mana amount has increased by 1.5 times.]


    [Mana recovery speed has doubled.]


    [In the case of lifestealing, mana is restored along with health. The mana recovered at this time is ssified as ¡®blood magic¡¯ and the damage when using blood magic is increased by 1.2 times.]


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The unexpected additional effects thrilled Grid. His left arm turned red before soon returning to normal.


    [New blood magic ¡®Extreme Blood Transfusion¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Extreme Blood Transfusion Lv. 1]


    [Deals damage equal to twice your maximum mana value to the target while absorbing 100% of the damage. If your health is at the maximum, the lifesteal will be reversed and additional damage will be dealt to the target as vampiric energy. The additional damage isn¡¯t affected by the target¡¯s magic resistance and attributes resistance.


    Mana Consumption: 10,000


    Cooldown Time: 24 hours.]


    Hit others and absorb health. If full, convert the amount of health absorbed into damage...


    The effect of Extreme Blood Transfusion was very simple. The problem was the damage calction¡ªGrid¡¯s maximum mana after the blood magic blooming effect was 140,000, and double that was 280,000. This meant that even a ranked yer could be killed instantly in one blow. Of course, the damage would be deducted ording to the target¡¯s magic resistance. However, if Grid used it in his full state then there was a high probability of instant death no matter how high the other person¡¯s magic resistance.


    ¡®If I use Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring to absorb health and umte up to 10,000 blood magic power, the damage will be higher...¡¯


    1.2 times 480,000 was a bit less than 580,000. It was difficult to expect a high destructive power against monsters. However, he must not forget that the essence of Extreme Blood Transfusion was lifestealing. Grid gained approximately 240,000 additional health.


    ¡®Good...¡¯


    Tankers were divided into two main categories¡ªtankers who invested more in defense than health, and tankers who invested more in health than defense. There were pros and cons to each one. Tankers with high defense were vulnerable to true damage since they focused on greatly reducing damage instead of reducing health consumption. Meanwhile, tankers with high health were theplete opposite. As a result, most guilds raised both types of tankers. Depending on the situation, there were times when a tanker with high health (a meat shield) was put on the front lines, while other times a tanker with high defense was put on the front lines.


    It was safe to say that with 400,000 health, Grid currently had the highest health across all yers. He also couldn¡¯t be distinguished from a meat shield because his defense and resistance were as high as his health. He also possessed all types of shields and recovery skills. Grid confirmed that it would be hard for him to die while fighting in the future.


    Honestly, he thought that dying in the current state was like trolling. Then a few days ago, Grid realized that he was stillcking. Putting aside the issue of control, he was overwhelmed when it came to stats against Baal.


    ¡®I have to be stronger.¡¯


    It wascking. Betty stared at the greedy Grid, who was eager for greater power, and slowly opened her mouth, ¡°Runes aren¡¯t everything.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°People praise runes as artifacts with infinite potential, but they are different from creatures. There are limitations.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    How ominous.


    Betty warned the tense Grid, ¡°Your rune has too much power. Sooner orter, the capacity will be exceeded and the moment of choice wille. Don¡¯t blindly believe in your rune.¡±


    ¡°Capacity... is there a moment when I will have to choose to abandon some of the powers in the rune?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your rune has received divine intervention, so it has a greater capacity than normal runes. The powers you have absorbed are so vast that the limits will probablye soon.¡±


    ¡°Around when?¡±


    How much more strength could be absorbed in the future? What power should he give up at the moment of choice?


    Betty replied to the deeply troubled Grid, ¡°If it continues like this, then perhaps 20 years?¡±


    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±


    20 years¡ªit might be a fleeting moment for Betty, but it was a time span that felt vague for Grid.


    ¡®I have collected 14 powers so far. Then there should be approximately 40 powers in 20 years?¡¯


    If 40 was the limit, then it seemed convincing. Could the power of the great demons and vampires fill up the 40 slots? The restless Grid reimed the soul of Elfin Stone that returned to the ring. For a while, he was going to focus on hunting. He would stay in hell with the subi and focus on the upbringing of Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the vampires, while also leveling up.


    ¡®I would be able to hunt indefinitely if I had enough stamina.¡¯


    Of course, infinite hunting was still possible now. During the times when Grid were exhausted, the God Hands could move on their own for automatic hunting. It was just that he would have to lower the level of the hunting ground in order to easily hunt with only the God Hands. It was best for Grid to hunt by himself if he wanted to increase the experience rate.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to quickly gain the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡¯


    The 12th Great Demon, Sitri¡ªcould Grid really seed in raiding him? Grid was making ns with a confused mind when he expressed the question he had been curious about, ¡°Betty, what is the Demon God?¡±


    What was the reason that the 12th great demon received the title of god when even Baal didn¡¯t have it? Perhaps Betty, being Baal¡¯s Contractor, would know? Grid¡¯s guess was correct. Betty naturally knew about Sitri. ¡°A monster created by the soul of chaos.¡±


    ¡°Soul of chaos?¡±


    ¡°Originally, Sitri was the soul of a great demon. His soul has a maism that attracts the souls who have lost their body and are wandering.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Tens of thousands of souls roaming in hell have been absorbed by Sitri¡¯s soul over the years and Sitri¡¯s soul has be infinitely erged. The growth of the soul is directly connected to the growth of the body and divinity. Sitri eventually became a god.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Indeed, a god was correct. Still, there was something strange. ¡°It seems he isn¡¯t a god. It is safer to call him a beast.¡±


    ¡°It is a gathering of tens of thousands of souls. There are too many thoughts mixed in and he couldn¡¯t maintain his sense of reason.¡±


    ¡°Is that why he isn¡¯t worshipped as a god?¡±


    Grid had visited the neutral zones of hell and witnessed the identity of the god worshipped by the demons. Evil God Yatan¡ªall beings in hell served Yatan. He had never seen anyone who worshipped Sitri as a god. It was as he expected.


    ¡°Yes. Who would worship a beast as a god? That doesn¡¯t mean you can think of Sitri as an imitation of a god. He might not have believers, but the power of his divinity is real.¡±


    ¡°Is he stronger than Baal?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that. He is probably weaker than most single-digit demons. No matter how strong, there are limits without skills and wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Then why are the great demons ignoring Sitri?¡±


    Even a single digit great demon would eventually die. Hell Gao proved that. Now the soul of a dead great demon was roaming hell. There is a risk that reincarnation will be impossible if they are absorbed by Sitri¡¯s soul. So why ignore Sitri?


    ¡°Great demons can control their own souls even if only their soul was remaining. It is so to say that there is no chance of their soul being absorbed by Sitri.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± It wasn¡¯t just Braham who could move his soul ording to his will.


    ¡°Furthermore, Sitri¡¯s concerns are all focused on the human world, so there is less chance of an ident in hell. From the standpoint of the great demons, there is no need to touch Sitri.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Grid got a chill down his spine as he recalled Sitri¡¯s eye staring at the human world through a crack in hell. He was troubled by the fact that he couldn¡¯t target Sitri ording to his n.


    ¡®It is premature to target the heart of the Demon God.¡¯


    Now it seemed he had to focus on leveling up without any feeling regrets. He could n his next step once he had grown. Grid decided on his route and bowed politely to Betty. ¡°Thank you for your help today.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That... I will surely punish Baal one day.¡±


    Grid was ashamed when saying this. What method would he be able to use to defeat Baal? At this point, he hadn¡¯t found it yet. Betty smiled at the blushing Grid. It was the first smile she showed. ¡°I¡¯ll cheer for you. Come again if you need help.¡±


    Baal¡¯s death was directly rted to Betty¡¯s death since she became immortal after contracting with Baal. It was what Betty wanted.


    [Affinity with the tower member ¡®Betty¡¯ has increased by 30.]


    ¡°Then goodbye...¡±


    He only one-sidedly received her help, but affinity with her rose. How lonely had she been to be so thrilled with a bit of encouragement? Grid recalled Betty¡¯s skeletal body with mixed feelings and burned with more hostility toward Baal.


    ¡®I will be sure to get rid of him.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t forgotten Pagma¡¯s screaming soul. Baal¡¯s madness as heughed at the screaming soul could never be tolerated. Grid pledged again and came out of Betty¡¯s room, only to be startled.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡± It was a blond-haired man¡ªa handsome man who boasted the appearance of a noble was waiting for Grid.


    ¡°Hayate, I greet you.¡±


    Grid fell to one knee. The master of the Tower of Wisdom and a dragon killer¡ªhe was also the mentor who handed over the infinite sword energy, and Grid felt great respect for him.


    Hayate gazed at Grid with affectionate eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve met the Martial God. It is also the real one.¡±


    Hayate was the ultimate transcendent and could perfectly see the changes in Grid.


    ¡°Do you know Chiyou?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always noticed his gaze.¡±


    ¡°Gaze...?¡±


    ¡°The gaze that is looking at me from that ce.¡±


    The ceiling of the tower¡ªto be exact, Hayata was pointing at the sky beyond the ceiling. Was this the greatness that allowed him to even sense the eyes of the gods peeking at the human world...


    Hayate made a suggestion to Grid, who was more flustered than admiring, ¡°I want to entrust you with one task. Will the time be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He had to level up, but he couldn¡¯t miss out on a quest. This was a quest given by the first seat, Hayate. There would surely be a huge reward.


    ¡®I should agree even if there are no rewards.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t forget the duty of the Pioneer. Rather than gaining the favor of the tower members, he was a person who contributed to the peace of the world by resolving the tasks given by the association members. This was the Pioneer.


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯


    Grid had a new question¡ªwhat would happen if Agnus became the Pioneer?


    ¡®It will be a mess in many ways...¡¯


    Grid felt his role and responsibilities.


    Voting results for my celebration event are out. Please check out the results below. Also, forgot the poll results and they¡¯lle out in the next chapter.


    Voting Results

 Chapter 1339

    ¡°Does this make sense?¡±


    At the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    Perhaps this would eventually lead to voyeurism, but the executives who were watching Grid¡¯s move had their attention gathered in one ce¡ªthe one who would create a swordsmanship superior to the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship to cut down and kill the gods and dragons.


    Sword Saint Biban¡¯s shocking remark caught their attention.


    ¡°I know that Morpheus made the most ideal swordsmanship by referring to and synthesizing sword techniques around the world... is it possible to create swordsmanship beyond the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship? Especially by a yer.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s actions after bing the Sword Saint were lower than expected. It was different from the period when he was a normal ss and called the ¡®sky above the sky.¡¯ Kraugel didn¡¯t show much activity, so the executives were very disappointed. His obstinacy meant he refused to inherit the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship. They couldn¡¯t be optimistic about him when he lost the honor of the Sword Saint, who was known as the ¡®strongestbat ss.¡¯


    Biban had expressed the executive¡¯s hearts when he spoke bitterly about Kraugel. Yet today, he discussed Kraugel¡¯s potential. He said that the reason Kraugel didn¡¯t learn the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship was to create a better swordsmanship. Was it a feasible guess?


    The executives were purely curious.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho received their gazes and opened his mouth after a long silence, ¡°Morpheus has the data of 289 types of swordsmanship that exists all over the world. The 2,570 swordsmanship rted skills that Satisfy supports are all created based on that data and the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship is one of them.¡±


    The most powerful andplete swordsmanship made by the supeputer Morpheus analyzing, synthesizing, creating, and improving the hundreds of swordsmanship types. Up to now, everyone, including Chairman Lim Cheolho, had called it the ¡®ultimate swordsmanship¡¯ and in fact, it was still the case.


    However, Chairman Lim Cheolho was convinced at this moment. Morpheus continued to evolve from the experiences of the two billion yers and had to think of a swordsmanship beyond the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship. The reason that the ¡®possibility¡¯ of a swordsmanship that went beyond the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship was nted through Biban¡¯s mouth was probably influenced by Morpheus¡¯ evolution.


    ¡°As you all know, the data is old. The more new data that is umted, the more likely it will be.¡±


    ¡°It is natural that something beyond the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship will be born.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Considering that some of the two billion yers quit for some unknown reason or taking into ount the operation of sword techniques not foreseen by Morpheus¡¯ data, it is natural for Morpheus toe up with a better swordsmanship than the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship.¡±


    Humans performed miracles from time to time. Ordinary people like Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus, sometimes surpassed Morpheus¡¯ predictions. Even if it was just a single miracle caused by one in ten thousand people, the miracles would umte and change as the number of people ying Satisfy exceeded two billion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be strange if Kraugel acquires that new swordsmanship.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s gaze was fixed to the center-left monitor. It was a live broadcast of Kraugel struggling with the yangban he encountered while crossing the desert of Kaya.


    Kraugel¡¯s expression was tense because he underestimated himself since Yeum was the first yangban he met. He assumed the level of the yangbans to be the same as Yeum, so his defense was very tight. Even so, he never made the mistake of falling down in the sand.


    Every time he blocked the attack of the yangban, he ced a lot of strength into his body, but his footwork was light. This allowed him to move freely across the desert sands. A genius who adapted quickly to the environment in any situation¡ªKraugel¡¯s talent inbat was still standing out, and it was good enough to call him the best among all yers. Was it just out of simple stubbornness that such a genius turned away from the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship?


    ¡®Maybe he instinctively felt it.¡¯


    Did Kraugel¡¯s subconscious peeked at the fact that the Matchless Heart Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t enough to be called the ultimate swordsmanship?


    ¡¯No, isn¡¯t this too much of a leap?¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho shook his head to deny his thoughts andughed. This type of confusion was something he felt about Grid during the time when Grid was rapidly developing.


    In the video, Kraugel¡¯s sword made the yangban¡¯s attack useless and it directly pierced the yangban¡¯s neck. The ensuing Space Sword cut the desert in half.


    The second one after Grid¡ªit was the day when the next yer to defeat a half-god alone was born. After the struggle with Yeum, Kraugel wandered through Kaya for half a month and was steadily growing. There were many chances for him in Kaya where few yers had visited.


    ***


    At Hayate¡¯s library, located at the top of the Tower of Wisdom...


    Grid sat face to face with Hayate. Hayata poured the warm tea and handed it to Grid.


    ¡°10 days from now, the gourmet cycle will arrive.¡±


    ¡°Gourmet cycle?¡±


    ¡°It refers to the period when Gourmet Dragon Raiders will travel around the entire continent to enjoy food.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the dragon will tour the entire continent?¡± Grid¡¯s face turned white as he recalled the dragon¡¯s enormous body and fierce nature. The dragon¡¯s tour of the entire continent sounded like it would soon destroy the continent.


    Hayate smiled at the nervous Grid. ¡°You don¡¯t have to imagine a giant dragoning down from the sky and destroying the city. Raiders will polymorph to a human during the gourmet cyrcle. I am told he reduces the size of his stomach to focus on the taste.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Grid easily understood the concept of Polymorph. The hatchling Nefelina, who stayed in the Overgeared Kingdom, was disguised as a normal human. However, he wasn¡¯t relieved. So what if the dragon looked like a human? The dirty personality would still be the same.


    ¡°So... what do I need to do during the gourmet cycle?¡±


    ¡°Please introduce Raiders to some reputable restaurants.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I kno... Eh?Huh??¡±


    ¡°The gourmet cycle approaches every 100 years. It isn¡¯t strange for some of the restaurants that Raiders remembers to have disappeared or the taste changed. There can be trouble if Raiders eats bad food or bes annoyed... I hope you can select some of the most popr restaurants in the world these days and guide Raiders to them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Guide a dragon? He had to go on a gourmet journey with a vicious dragon?


    Grid¡¯s head was nk from the bolt that came out of the blue. It was said that the Pioneer and tower members had a mutually supportive rtionship. He might¡¯ve been helped a lot by the association members so far, but he was reluctant to do this task and felt dissatisfied. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t the Pioneer in charge of the peace of the world and weren¡¯t the dragons supposed to be marked by the tower members?


    Why did he have to guide a dragon...?


    Hayate exined to the unconvinced Grid, ¡°As you know, the purpose of the Tower of Wisdom isn¡¯t to destroy dragons. It is to prevent them from causing incidents.¡±


    It was impossible for the tower members to have the goal of wiping out the dragons. The real purpose of the tower wasn¡¯t to fight the dragon. It was to block the dragons from attacking.


    ¡°In that sense, Raiders is a dragon that is easy to handle. There will be no idents as long as you satisfy his appetite. That is why our tower members have been helping Raiders with his gourmet tour up to now...¡±


    Hayate¡¯s expression darkened. Grid could easily see the reason why.


    ¡°The tower members aren¡¯t able to provide the proper guidance...¡±


    The tower members were existences who had left the world. Most of them only left the tower when they had a special mission, apart from Biban who habitually ran out of the tower. What would they know about the world¡¯s most popr restaurants? It would¡¯ve been very difficult to satisfy Raiders.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. On the other hand, you are the king of a nation and you must be aware of the circumstances of the world. It won¡¯t be too difficult for you to find famous restaurants around the continent and there will be less restrictions on you when traveling. This is why I would like to ask you to guide Raiders.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The circumstances were understandable, but he wasn¡¯t willing at all.


    Visit restaurants across the continent¡ªeven if he secured the coordinates of as many ces as possible in advance and traveled by Teleport, it would take at least a fortnight. He would have to be with a dragon for that long. He didn¡¯t like that he could die if he made a single mistake, as well as the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to level up during this fortnight.


    ¡®I¡¯m really sorry... I¡¯m going to have to reject this mission.¡¯


    Grid considered it and opened his mouth, ¡°I...¡±


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Gourmet Cycle has urred!]


    [Gourmet Cycle]


    [Difficulty: ???


    Guide Gourmet Dragon Raiders to restaurants all over the continent.


    In order to satisfy Raiders, you must visit at least 80 restaurants and hear that it is delicious at least 60 times.


    Every time Raiders says ¡®I¡¯m happy,¡¯ you will receive a special gift from Raiders.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Guide Raiders to at least 80 restaurants.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Depends on Raiders¡¯ satisfaction.


    Quest Failure: Anger of the gourmet dragon.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡°...Yes, I will ept.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It is for world peace. How can I refuse?¡±


    ¡°It is great. I also believe in you.¡±


    What was a special gift from a dragon? The excited Grid made an announcement in the guild chat window.


    -Rmend restaurants.


    Then he sent a separate whisper to Lauel.


    -Talk to the local lords and tell them to hold events rmending restaurants.


    -Huh?


    -Right now.


    -Yes...I understand.


    The next target of his whisper was Faker.


    -It is time to move the Eclipse assassins.


    -Give me any task.


    -Please arrange restaurants.


    -I understand.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    With this, he had finished the minimal preparations. He would stop by the East Continent and ask the Cho King and Xing King for restaurant rmendations. Grid rose from his seat and spoke to Hayate with a confident expression, ¡°I willplete this gourmet tour mission perfectly. Please wait for the good news.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... you are truly reassuring as a legend, a transcendent, and the Hero King. I¡¯ll tell you where Raiders¡¯ir is so go there in 10 days.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Gourmet Dragon Raiders¡ªthe curse on Sticks¡¯ heart mightpletely disappear if Grid could build up a good rtionship with it. Grid was looking forward to it.

 Chapter 1340

    Eclipse¡ªthe strongest and worst assassination group that existed for over a thousand years. They were currently serving ¡®Lantier¡¯ Faker and were steadily adapting to the new group called the Overgeared Shadows.


    Life without harming innocent people, for example, kidnapping young boys and girls, brought peace to their hearts. They might have received brainwashing training to ept any evil behavior and killing as long as it was an order from their superiors, but their human heart still remained in their subconscious.


    To be honest, they liked life in the Overgeared Kingdom. As they started to learn their forgotten feelings and morality, they gradually realized the value of life and felt they had finally be human beings. They didn¡¯t have any doubts or anxieties about their new life, except for the fact that their organization name was the Overgeared Shadows. However, today they were full of doubts.


    ¡®Restaurants...?¡¯


    An important mission¡ªthe assassins gathered urgently at Lantier¡¯smand and were shaken by the mission assigned by the Overgeared King himself. The contents of this mission were so confusing that they revealed their agitation despite being emotionally stunted. Look for hidden restaurants across the country? It seemed much more difficult than the task of finding and killing a public target without leaving any small clues behind.


    ¡°Can I dare ask one question?¡±


    A talented person with the nickname Advent of Silence¡ªhe was number 166 and the third shadow position during the Eclipse era. Once he raised his hand, Faker gave him the right to speak. He asked, ¡°A restaurant selling delicious food. Is the dictionary meaning correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What is delicious food? Isn¡¯t food just a tool to fill our stomachs?¡±


    They were beings who were abducted before they were mature and raised as Eclipse assassins. Appetite, libido, material desires, etc.¡ªtaste was a luxury for them who had all their desires castrated. Therefore, they didn¡¯t understand the concept of taste properly.


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker looked at the assassins showing curious expressions and ordered a subordinate to bring over delicacies.


    ¡°I think it would be quicker for you to try it and feel it yourself.¡±


    Faker gestured and the assassins started to eat. They soon put down their knives and forks. It was because they couldn¡¯t feel any taste. The moment they felt a bit of satiety, they started rejecting the food. Certain educations they received over the years made them act this way.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Choosing restaurants definitely wasn¡¯t an easy task. The concept of taste was something that not even objective evaluations could be blindly trusted. Several times, Faker had been left disappointed after visiting famous restaurants mentioned on social media. This made him familiar with the minimum conditions for evaluating restaurants and he was going to exin this to his subordinates.


    However, the Eclipse assassins had lost their taste buds.


    How much time had passed? Faker thought silently for a while before ordering his aide, ¡°Tell Idan to prepare lunch.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After a moment...


    ¡°Kuweek!¡±


    The moment they took a bite of Idan¡¯s food, the Eclipse assassins realized the importance of taste. They finally regained their taste buds and Faker gave them an order, ¡°From now on, find delicious restaurants all over the continent and report to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Hundreds of assassins disappeared into the darkness and scattered across the continent.


    ***


    ¡°It seems like a rash judgment.¡±


    Sticks became serious when Grid returned from the Tower of Wisdom and said he would meet the gourmet dragon. A dragon was a creature that couldn¡¯t be understood by human ideas. In particr, there were great differences in the values of the dragons who had existed and reigned since the beginning.


    First of all, they didn¡¯t understand the importance of life. They made it their first priority to fulfill their own desires. They didn¡¯t know the concept of consideration itself, so they didn¡¯t really think about the situation around them. If something unpleasant happened, then they would lose their temper and destroy everything in sight. It was like a four year old child with the most powerful force in the world.


    Sticks evaluated a dragon in this way.


    ¡°As you know, I met the gourmet dragon and was cursed.¡±


    This was what Grid heard in the past during the trials of the Behen Archipgo. Most of the dragons had heavy asses and didn¡¯t move directly when they went out to y. Instead, they created an avatar using magic. The gourmet dragon whom Sticks met was also an avatar.


    ¡°The world tree... it was because the elves tried to protect it since the world tree is no different from a mother to us. The results were disastrous. My heart was cursed and I couldn¡¯t protect my mother. The gourmet dragon ripped out half of her roots and put them in his mouth. As the elves and I watched, he devoured my mother.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°He is a vicious guy. It won¡¯t end well if you meet such a guy.¡±


    Grid clearly understood Sticks¡¯ concerns. To be honest, he was afraid to meet a dragon, but he wanted to believe in Hayate. Hayate had said it clearly¡ªRaiders was a dragon that was easy to handle, and there would be no idents as long as its appetite was satisfied.


    ¡®I just need to find the restaurants well.¡¯


    He nned to take action. In particr, if Grid visited the Saharan Empire and other kingdoms directly for cooperation then the empress and the kings would definitely do their best.


    Grid¡¯s prediction was correct.


    ¡°There are many famous restaurants in Titan. Nobles often visit them so the atmosphere and demeanor aren¡¯t inferior. Would you like to visit with me in person?¡±


    Empress Basara actively cooperated. The leader of Satisfy¡¯s only empire and the most powerful nation wanted to help Grid. The empress would personally visit the restaurants? Therge and small officials of the empire were startled.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will bring the chefs to the imperial pce right now. Please protect your jade body.¡±


    People who tried to stop Basara moved frantically and Spear Saint Rachel sighed.


    ¡®The people who manage the affairs of the empire have no eyes.¡¯


    The empress would be angry. Rachel thought so, but Basara was still smiling. Her usual smile calmed the officials. ¡°Evaluating a restaurant isn¡¯t just about evaluating the taste of the food. It is also about observing the overall atmosphere and the attitude of the employees. It is right for me to personally visit with King Grid.¡±


    ¡°The empress¡¯ jade body is the heart of the empire. The empress must not leave the imperial pce to ensure that the empire is peaceful...¡±


    ¡°I will go directly.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Basara never lost her smile. However, through her strong attitude, the officials intuitively noticed that her mood was a bit displeased. Basara left behind the officials who could no longer protest and spoke to Grid, ¡°I¡¯ll finish the preparations as soon as possible. Can you wait a moment?¡±


    ¡°I can wait all night. Take it slowly.¡±


    Grid respected Basara as empress. He might be ahead of her in terms of armed force, but he knew he wasn¡¯t her opponent in terms of power and wealth. No, it was natural for Grid to respect her as a reliable helper and a friend. However, Basara misunderstood.


    I can wait all night...


    She blushed slightly at the romantic words and left the great hall of the emperor¡¯s pce with a shy smile. Unlike the servants who rushed after her, Spear Saint Rachel and Beast King Morse remained beside Grid.


    ¡°It has been a long time. I am grateful that Your Majesty personally came here to visit.¡±


    Duke Rachel was a descendant of Saharan¡¯s founder and originally served only the ruler of the empire. She was a figure who thought that everyone was under her feet except for the ruler. However, she was humble in front of Grid and it wasn¡¯t just because he was an allied king. She witnessed Grid¡¯s power and charisma when ughtering the great demons in the canyon and she came to respect Grid. It was the same for Beast King Morse. They both had the experience of being helped by Grid.


    ¡°Not long ago, Duke Grenhal was inspired after visiting the Overgeared Kingdom. It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t go due to an incident in my territory.¡±


    Morse who tried to speak politely was a bit strange to Grid. Morse was a beast-like man with the nickname of Beast King and didn¡¯t know etiquette very well. Still, Grid found it cute that he was trying not to make mistakes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible for us to meet and chat at any time? I am happy with one meeting. I don¡¯t think it is necessary to feel regret.¡±


    Grid¡¯s kind remark and gentle smile thrilled Rachel and Morse. A friend¡ªthey were d that Grid had reaffirmed what they were thinking.


    It happened as the atmosphere became warm...


    ¡°It is a mess.¡± Someone¡¯s annoyed voice rang out in the great hall.


    Rachel and Morse frowned as they realized the owner of the voice. However, as a loyal subject of the empire, they didn¡¯t dare ignore it. They turned their heads and bowed.


    ¡°You are here, Prince Dndal.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Prince Dndal sent a disgruntled look to Rachel and Morse before walking up to Grid. The smell of alcohol wafted from him, but Grid knew that Dndal wasn¡¯t drunk at all. The smell of alcohol and the bottle in his hand were just tools for his act. ¡°It is worthy of a king without any genealogy. You don¡¯t understand etiquette at all. Don¡¯t you know that no one can stay in the great hall when the empress has left? If you came to eat breadcrumbs, then you should wait quietly outside. How dare you stay in the great hall and make it stink?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! Please refrain from speaking like that!¡±


    Rachel and Morse shouted, but it was to no avail.


    This time, Dndal criticized Rachel and Morse, ¡°You have forgotten the grace of the empire. I¡¯ve recognized it since the throne was appointed. It is shameful if you really don¡¯t know. Do you enjoy ying house with the king of a small nation? You dare to raise your voice to the person you should be serving in earnest? You are pathetic.¡±


    "You are making too many mistakes by leaning on your drunkenness. I look forward to youing to me tomorrow with regret and apologizing.¡±


    Rachel spat out and guided Grid like she no longer wanted to be here. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You will only be offended if you remain here.¡±


    Just then...


    ¡°You dare show your back to me?!¡± Prince Dndal shouted from where he had been ying drunk. The anger he revealed wasn¡¯t acting, but his true heart. ¡°You...! You dare to leave when I, a member of the imperial family, didn¡¯t allow it? Rachel! You are really crazy!¡±


    It was a terrible sense of authority. Prince Dndal finally crossed the line against a duke of the empire who could establish her own independent kingdom if she was determined. The moment Rachel found the events of the day humiliating, the empire would turn Rachel and her hundreds of thousands of soldiers into enemies.


    This was Dndal¡¯s wish. She was a card he wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain anyway. It was better if she left the empirepletely.


    It was impossible for Rachel not to know what was going on. She stopped and bowed her head politely to Dndal. ¡°I¡¯vemitted a crime. Then goodbye, Your Highness.¡±


    If someone tried a taunt and it was useless, then they would just be angrier at the person they were taunting. Rachel remained calm so Dndal turned his target to Grid. ¡°Overgeared King! Shouldn¡¯t you bow your head to me and greet me?!¡±


    ¡°......!"


    Rachel and Morse had been trying to ignore Dndal¡¯s obvious provocation. Now they heard these words and looked at Grid in a flustered manner. They were able to endure Dndal¡¯s provocation because he was an imperial prince and they had to protect the imperial family. Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s position waspletely different. If Grid was unable to bear it and hurt Dndal, then Dndal¡¯s faction wouldn¡¯t remain still.


    The empire would be divided into two factions and the nobles belonging to Dndal¡¯s faction would definitely be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom. Furthermore, the rtionship between the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom would start to crack.


    ¡°Be patient...¡±


    Before Rachel could finish her words, Grid drew his sword without looking back at Dndal and showed the majesty of a king. The sword dance Restraint was triggered.


    ¡°Heok!¡±


    Dndal had been making a lot of noise to provoke Grid, but now he became mute. He was overwhelmed by Grid and couldn¡¯t help sweating.


    This was the end.


    Duke Dndal stood still like a stone statue without doing anything until Grid and the dukes left the great hall. From the perspective of Grid, who had met gods and was now preparing to meet a dragon, a child like Dndal was a trivial being not even worth looking at.

 Chapter 1341

    ¡°Gasp...¡±


    Dndal was overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s overbearing pressure and barely managed to breathe after copsing.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The Saharan lineage was special and Dndal was born with red energy from birth. He might beckingpared to the other imperial princes, but he was beyond an ordinary person in terms of ability. It was unthinkable that he would be scared and restricted by someone when he had the strength of red energy.


    ¡®Someone with a poor pedigree overwhelmed me?¡¯


    Dndal had heard of Grid¡¯s reputation over the years, but he had never acknowledged Grid¡¯s ability. Grid¡¯s achievements were so great that it was too much to say they were achieved with personal skills. Prince Dndal noted that there were many helpers beside Grid and thought he was a cunning person who used people with his silver tongue.


    He judged that Grid¡¯s aplishments were possible due to the sacrifices of those who were exploited by him. From the beginning, he was amoner who became king. He was a traitor who betrayed the royal family he served and seized the throne. He must be an ordinary person.


    So Dndal ignored and despised him.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he cool?¡¯


    Prince Dndal realized that Grid¡¯s skills were real and looked at Grid again. In fact, he didn¡¯t care about personality when evaluating talent. He felt uneasy about Grid because he was worried he would be fooled by Grid¡¯s tongue, not due to personality.


    ¡®I want to make him my own.¡¯


    Dndal was fascinated by Grid and wanted to obtain him at any cost. He had no intention of using Lightning God Kyle and the ck Knights to threaten Grid with force. He wanted to approach it widely and buy Grid¡¯s affection.


    ¡°Resh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Recently, his skills had greatly improved so he was selected as a promising figure within the ck Knights. Dndal gave a task to Resh who was waiting outside the great hall.


    ¡°Find out how many wives and children Grid has.¡±


    It was an easy mission. Resh immediately replied, ¡°He has one wife and one son.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any concubines?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem fascinated by beautiful women. Hmm, then find out how much wealth he has umted.¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking about giving him money?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t satisfying desires the easiest way to win a person¡¯s heart?¡±


    ¡°However, King Grid should be richer than Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Dndal suddenly remembered the news that the Overgeared Kingdom had umted considerable wealth despite being a small kingdom. What could he give to buy the heart of a person who didn¡¯t need women or money? Resh offered advice to the confused person. ¡°First of all, why not apologize?¡±


    ¡°Apologize?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you rude to King Grid? If you really want to please someone, shouldn¡¯t you first acknowledge what you did wrong and let your heart go?¡±


    Resh had been disappointed with Dndal from the beginning and had be Grid¡¯s man after exploring the Abyss with him. Dndal never dreamed of it, but his every move was reported to Grid every day. This was why Dndal was still alive.


    Both Resh and Grid already knew that Dndal had abandoned his ambition to be emperor. He realized that no matter how hard he tried, it would be impossible to bring down Basara who had seeded the throne from Juander. He hadn¡¯t gathered as many people as he expected. He didn¡¯t have a good foundation, so the only thing he could do was y drunk and scold Basara and her entourage.


    What was he doing with Lightning God Kyle next to him? If he was to use Kyle¡¯s power to upy the imperial pce, then troops from all over the empire would immediately punish him. However, if he could get the Overgeared King Grid...


    ¡°I know. I have to apologize.¡±


    Apologize¡ªDndal became determined to do something he had never done since he was born and returned to his pce. He washed himself with clean water and changed clothes to get rid of the smell of alcohol he had sprinkled on himself. He went to the restaurant where Grid was eating and stiffened like a stone statue.


    He saw Basara smiling brightly when eating with Grid and recalled old memories. Every time he called her aunt...


    She always smiled in that way.


    ¡°......¡±


    Dndal wondered. Did he cry like her on the day his father died? He really didn¡¯t know. He only remembered being jealous of Basara and cursing her, who was crying despite wearing the crown that she so longed for.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    The reason Basara didn¡¯t kill him or drive him out after gaining the throne was because she still considered him family. Why had he forgotten that? Since when had he been so blinded by power that he hated his family?


    ¡°Your Highness, what brings you here?¡±


    Red armor blocked Dndal¡¯s view as he stopped at the entrance and watched Basara. The Red Knights protecting Basara openly guarded against Dndal. Dndal once again realized how he had been acting during this time and spoke with a sorrowful expression, ¡°I want to greet Her Majesty for a while.¡±


    He realized that the first person he should apologize to was none other than Basara. Suddenly, a huge explosion urred. This was Titan. What happened in the middle of the capital of the Saharan Empire? The following earthquake shook the restaurant and there were screams from everywhere.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    The Red Knights were still suspicious of Dndal and shouted angrily. They thought Dndal had done something to hurt the empress.


    ¡°I will arrest you!¡±


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Dndal ignored the knights drawing their swords and released the red energy. Then he flew at Basara and took the debris that was falling toward her head using his back.


    ¡°Cough... Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Dndal?¡±


    Basara¡¯s eyes shook fiercely as she was confused by the sudden situation.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    The Red Knights who were still suspicious of Dndal caught up with him.


    ¡°It is a great demon.¡±


    Grid was the one who realized the situation. His gaze was focused on the imperial pce not far away. The symbol of the empire that shone a brilliant gold was currently being eroded by sinister demonic energy. He could see 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit staggering beyond the veil of demonic energy.


    ¡°Dndal.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t understood Juander¡¯sst request asking not to hurt his sons. 1st Imperial Prince Rnd was gentle, intelligent, and helped Basara, but the 2nd Imperial Prince aimed for the throne, so he wondered if it was right to protect him. Moreover, Dndal was a dangerous person with the same ideas as previous emperors.


    He didn¡¯t understand cultures and races outside the empire and suppressed them using force. The reason Grid didn¡¯t hurt him and kept him alive was because Basara wanted it. Grid had been in contact with Resh and Kyle for the past few months and discovered that Basara cherished her nephew, Dndal. She hoped that Dndal¡¯s heart would change one day.


    It happened today.


    ¡°I will leave her safety to you.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    Dndal proved that he could change. It was proof that the goodwill Basara showed wasn¡¯t meaningless.


    ¡®Now I just need to grab that guy.¡¯


    The stability and development of the Saharan Empire was an absolute to the Overgeared Kingdom. In order to stabilize the empire, it was necessary to prevent idents with the imperial princes. Therefore, Benoit had to be detained and stopped from wandering all over the continent and summoning great demons.


    ¡°Why? Why is this nation so peaceful?! Just like the one who killed me mother! I will break it with my own hands!¡±


    Grid arrived in front of the veil of demonic energy using Shunpo and frowned when he heard Prince Benoit¡¯s screams. Empress Marie¡ªthe person who caused chaos in the empire by poisoning Empress Aria and damaging Juander¡¯s intelligence. Prince Benoit¡¯s anger and vengeance that had been directed at her started wandering and he felt lost. His twisted hatred for the home he was supposed to defend led to the disaster of the great demon being summoned.


    ¡°Chwirik! Chwiririk! There are humans everywhere I look! Okay! Chirik! Human who summoned me! If your hope is to destroy this ce! Chirik! I, Botis, am happy to make that wishe true!¡±


    [The 17th Great Demon, Botis, has descended to the human world to take over.]


    [A terrible poison is suffocating all nearby existences.]


    A snake covered in scales from head to tail, while the arms resembled that of humans¡ªthe heavens and earth became turbulent when Botis, the great demon with a bizarre appearance let out a menacing roar and emitted poison. The veil of demonic energy gradually expanded its range and dyed the empire with poison.


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hihihiiik!¡±


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    Great chaos was created among the millions of people staying in Titans or traveling to and from it. In the face of a sudden disaster, human order became meaningless. The soldiers who were supposed to protect the people cowered and fell back. The running people trampled on the fallen soldiers or grabbed each other¡¯s cors. They did everything possible to get away from this ce. The situation of the yers was simr.


    ¡°I can¡¯t log out?¡±


    ¡°This XX! Get out of the way!¡±


    yers still vividly remembered the destructive power of the 19th Great Demon, Saleos, who killed the allied forces and trampled on the rankers. There was no one who could be calm after seeing the emergence of Botis, a great demon who ranked higher than Saleos.


    Everyone showed their backs while running away, but no one could me them.


    ¡º No, summoning a great demon in the middle of the empire... ¡»


    ¡º If the damage to the empire increases, then the entire West Continent will change dramatically. The prices of all industrial goods produced by the empire will skyrocket, refugees will be bandits and security will copse... ¡»


    News broadcasters from different countries learned about the empire¡¯s situation through the breaking news and clicked their tongue. The fleeing people could only look at each other sadly and pray there weren¡¯t many casualties. Just then, the scene of a dragon ascending and piercing the veil of demonic energy was captured by the cameras of broadcastingpanies all over the world.


    The identity of the dragon devouring the snake who frightened millions of people was none other than Grid.


    The amazed news hosts stood up.


    Many people made hopeful observations that escape would be sessful while Grid bought them time. However, Grid surpassed people¡¯s predictions. He overwhelmed the 17th great demon alone without anyone else¡¯s help. It was a feat that seemed to proim he would protect everyone.

 Chapter 1342

    The body of the 17th great demon was close to 10 meters long. It was like a deep cave. The moment you stepped inside it, you wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. The sight of Grid jumping onto him seemed foolish.


    -Running in alone? Isn¡¯t this too unreasonable?


    -Why doesn¡¯t he wait for reinforcements?


    Proof was the right of the weak and the burden of proof was said to be the duty of the challenger. However, Grid was already the best and he no longer needed to prove anything.


    ¡°Hey! Grid! Wait for the army to arrive! Just wait!¡±


    Both the viewers and yers on the field were unhappy with Grid¡¯s actions. If Grid was unable to fight, or if he died, then it was obvious that more damage would ensue. People couldn¡¯t figure out why he was in Titan at this time, but in any case, they wanted to rely on Grid. Therefore, they wanted Grid to put his safety first until reinforcements arrived. No one wanted to see Grid, all by himself, in a state of danger against a great demon. It happened when people¡¯s confusion and anxiety were deepening...


    Like a dragon, Grid ascended and pierced Botis¡¯ giant body. His cold eyes as he climbed onto Botis¡¯ back were captured by the cameras. Kill¡ªthe famous sword dance, no, it could now be called a sword technique¡ªwas used and a hole was pierced in Botis¡¯ chest.


    ¡°Chwirik!¡±


    Grid was trying to link another attack when Botis¡¯ tail mmed into his side. Grid seemed unable to avoid it due to the guandaos in the two hands of Botis¡¯ whose body twisted as the guandaos moved in different trajectories.


    ¡º Danger... ¡»


    A chill went down the backs of those watching.


    Click!


    Just then, a shield appeared in Grid¡¯s left hand. Botis¡¯ powerful attack that was made in an X-shape was blocked by the shield.


    -It is fine after blocking that?


    People who had used shields were well aware of it¡ªa shield wasn¡¯t almighty. There was a limit to how much damage a shield could absorb. In particr, poison attribute attacks had the side effect of corroding shields, so its defense wasn¡¯t fully applied. Especially if the attack of the great demon was taken from the front... it wouldn¡¯t be unusual if the shield was damaged with one strike. This was why it was shocking that Grid¡¯s shield was fine without a single scratch.


    Botis¡¯ long eyes shed. ¡°Chwirik. I heard rumors that Marchosias died not long ago. Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Do you want revenge?¡±


    ¡°Chwi chwi! What a funny human joke.¡±


    The Petrified Shield¡ªit was the shield dropped by the 29th Great Demon, Marchosias. It had a high chance of petrifying the target in front of it. However, it was impossible for a great demon to suffer from abnormal conditions such as petrification.


    Botis stared at the Petrified Shield and continued swinging the guandao in both hands. The guandaos¡¯ continuous shes gained eleration every time his body twisted. Finally, it became so fast that it couldn¡¯t be followed with the naked eye. Viewers felt like they were fireworks. It was because they saw sparks every time the guandao and shield collided.


    ¡®I can¡¯t continue fighting like this.¡¯


    Grid finished the exploration and stepped back. It was because the attack speed of Botis gained eleration with every linked strike. It became so fast that his transcendence kept triggering. The world of transcendence where he became aware of all attacks caused his stamina to decline sharply so it was good to save it as much as possible.


    ¡°It is trivial. Chwirik. You are running away already?¡±


    Botus taunted Grid with his tongue that was split in half, but it was useless. Grid was too familiar with ridicule and usations toward him. The only way to provoke him was to touch the people around him. However, Botis only met Grid for the first time today and he didn¡¯t know it.


    ¡°God Hands.¡±


    10 ck-gold hands rose around Grid. At the same time, they spread open their fingers and pointed at Botis.


    ¡°Magic Missile.¡±


    Dozens of white shes shot out and drew a cobweb. Botis avoided the sh with the nearest trajectory and defended by striking at the ensuing shes with his guandaos. Even so, he eventually allowed a few attacks.


    The nervous Botis showed a nk reaction.


    ¡°This type of misceneous skill...¡±


    The damage of Magic Missile was proportional to Grid¡¯s intelligence and was only in the thousands. It wasn¡¯t even a small threat to Botis who had a health value in the two billion. It wasn¡¯t that Grid didn¡¯t know this. From the outset, their purpose was to disperse Botis¡¯ attention.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Botis was flustered when the human disappeared from his field of view while he was dealing with the Magic Missiles. Then he reflexively swung the guandao when he felt the human¡¯s presence nearby. Decoy¡ªa magical bird containing Grid¡¯s magic power was cut by the guandao and scattered as light.


    Botis¡¯ body twisted in the direction he swung the guandao. In his 180 degree field of view, he managed to capture sight of Grid.


    ¡°Chwirik! I knew it!¡± It was obvious ridicule. Botis¡¯ mouth curled up like the tricks of humans were petty and his guandao moved in an arc at the same time.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    The trajectory of the guandao seemed like it would cut Grid¡¯s neck, but it instead curved and cut Botis¡¯ chest. Botis¡¯ eyes were filled with shock and amazement as he pulled out the guandao from his scales. Just then, something cut at Grid¡¯s corbone and chest.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Botis wasn¡¯t using double weapons for nothing. In the first ce, he swung a horizontal cut with his left hand and a vertical cut with his right hand. The one that Grid counterattacked was the visible horizontal cut. The vertical cut that flew from an angle was unexpected. From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was a surprise attack with no time difference.


    Stagger.


    Grid¡¯s health gauge dropped sharply and he started to fall down to the ground helplessly. Botis didn¡¯t pursue him. He remained in the air and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Chwirik. Die.¡±


    ck magic power was condensed between his sharp teeth¡ªit was a huge wave of magic power that changed the weather, and the moment it was fired, Grid would turn to gray ash...


    Thementators, viewers, and everyone at the scene felt it.


    ¡°Drop Dragon...¡±


    Just then, another Grid appeared above Botis¡¯ head and descended as a dragon. Botis¡¯ forehead was ttened from the hit and his eyes twisted from side to side. His wide open mouth closed tightly and his long tongue was pierced by his own fangs.


    ¡°Ukakakaka!¡±


    Were his vocal organs damaged by the shock? Botis¡¯ body bent like a spring and he let out a strange scream as he plunged to the ground much faster than Grid had fallen before. The God Hands followed him and pierced him with all types of weapons.


    ¡°...Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword dance wasn¡¯t over yet. Botis¡¯ eyes rolled and became white. He couldn¡¯t bear the shock of his body being struck by the wave of shes and stabs, and lost his mind temporarily. Skills, titles, ss, runes, and items¡ªthis perfectbination caused a burst of output that created a new history.


    [The target has received 153,277,505 damage.]


    [The target who suffered the great damage at once is unable to maintain his mind!]


    [You have renewed the highest damage record in one shot!]


    [The effectiveness of the title: ¡®Death in One Shot¡¯ has increased! Critical damage will increase by an additional 10%!]


    [You are establishing unparalleled damage achievements. The protection of Martial God Zeratul has slightly increased attack power, defense, and pration power...]


    [......!!]


    [Martial God Chiyou has intervened!]


    [Zeratul¡¯s protection will be removed due to Chiyou¡¯s intervention!]


    [The title ¡®Death in One Shot!¡¯ will be changed to ¡®One Who Met the Martial God.¡¯]


    [The effect of ¡®One Who Met the Martial God¡¯ has increased critical hit damage by 200%. Once the title effect is activated, there is a normal probability of activating the ¡®Ultimate Martial Art.¡¯]


    [Ultimate Martial Art]


    [Passive


    There is a normal chance of inflicting a stun that can¡¯t be resisted or dispelled on the target.


    This effect doesn¡¯t distinguish between the target¡¯s status, race, or rating.


    The duration of the stun is a minimum of one second and a maximum of eight seconds.]


    [Martial God Zeratul is very resentful!]


    [¡¯I am the real martial god...¡¯ Zeratul¡¯s empty cry echoed in the sky.]


    [The followers of the martial god scattered all over the world have started to cross the Red Sea!]


    ¡°......¡±


    A stun that couldn¡¯t be resisted or lifted¡ªthis meant that even if the opponent was a legendary ss or named boss with abnormal status resistance, they might be stunned the moment Ultimate Martial Art wasunched. In addition, they couldn¡¯t remove the stun using recovery skills such as Cure.


    ¡®It is truly a game...¡¯


    In the future, Grid would be able to stun beings such as great demons and dragons. This made him happy yet afraid. It was because abnormal status causing skills that weren¡¯t affected by abnormal status resistances would continue to emerge in the future. It was a situation where Grid himself might be affected.


    ¡®In any case, I will stay quiet since I¡¯ve benefited.¡¯


    Satisfy was a game that didn¡¯t reflect the users¡¯ opinions. If he protested and appealed about the matter regarding ignoring abnormal status resistance, he would just receive an answer like ¡®The system arranged it for bnce. Please think positively.¡¯ In other words, it was meaningless to waste extra mental energy. Furthermore, Grid was in position to benefit so he didn¡¯t want to think too deeply.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    The highest level stun that made the target powerless¡ªit was enough to be the key to victory. If he used the stun first, then he could win even if he fought against an opponent with higher specifications than him. Stars spun around in circles above the great demon¡¯s head. No way, he was really stunned?


    Why couldn¡¯t a great demon resist a stun that even a field boss could resist? The wide-eyedmentators from various broadcastingpanies were expressing their doubts when Grid¡¯s strike hit Botis. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to grab victory. Botis¡¯ health, defense, and recovery ability were so excellent that it seemed Grid would have to fight for a long time. At least, if the person dealing with Botis was Grid alone...


    ¡°This snake head bastard dares to attack this ce!¡±


    Morse¡¯ beast-like sharp ws cut at Botis¡¯ wounds.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to diefortably.¡±


    Then Rachel¡¯s spear pieced one of Botis¡¯ eyes. Botis¡¯ poison that spread across Titan made it difficult for the soldiers and yers to move, but it was useless against the dukes.


    ¡°Chwirik! Chwiriiik!¡±


    Botis immediately regenerated his pierced eye and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the poison that spread across Titan started to be absorbed by Botis.


    ¡°It is annoying. I¡¯ll stop ying and kill you. Chwirik.¡±


    The scales that covered Botis¡¯ body became entirely blue. The violent poison and chill quickly rotted the surroundings and corroded all substances.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Rachel. Morse had his attribute resistance amplified in his beast form, yet even he couldn¡¯t bear the poison. Grid wouldn¡¯t have been much different if it wasn¡¯t for Khan¡¯s final work and the ck tortoise¡¯s shell. He would¡¯ve suffered a lot of poisoning damage facing Botis and would¡¯ve felt the fear of death. However, Grid had Immune to Ten Thousand Poisons. Khan¡¯s prayer for Grid¡¯s safety was protecting Grid.


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    A sharp spear fell from the sky and mmed into Botis¡¯ scales.


    ¡°?¡±


    There were more stupid humans who dared to mess with him? How ridiculous was this? Botis raised his eyes to stare at the sky. In the sky above him, hundreds or thousands of battle gear were shing sharply and aiming at him.


    ¡®What type of magic is this?¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t magic. This was more like a power. A human actually had a power...? Botis felt an unusual force and reflexively took a defensive stance. The rain of battle gear fell like a storm, aiming only at Botis.


    Botis tried to block them by crossing the guandaos in front of him, but he and his tail continued to be pushed back, little by little. He was shocked by thend that became deeply sunken, but he didn¡¯t struggle. He immediately used flying magic, but he couldn¡¯t fly.


    Grid¡¯s Magic Contemtion destroyed his flying magic.


    ¡°......!¡±


    In the deep hole created by Grid using Earth God, Botis was bombarded with various weapons, magic, and fire. Botis¡¯ previous act of recovering his poison allowed the imperial army to finally join the battlefield and theyunched a pincer attack.


    The viewers were exhrated.

 Chapter 1343

    Who dared to predict that the time woulde when a yer fought alone against a great demon? Humanity had been in danger of destruction from just the 32nd great demon. They never imagined that such a day woulde. However, at this moment...


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡±


    Grid¡¯s ming sword pierced Botis¡¯ heart.


    ¡º The empire¡¯s dukes and army helped, but it was only a small help. Grid was already on the verge of winning before reinforcements arrived. ¡»


    ¡º In fact, Grid alone...! A yer defeated a great demon alone! ¡»


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Joy, thrill, and hope¡ªwith Botis¡¯ death, the shouts of people filled with all types of emotions filled the capital where the clear sky had been restored after the poison was removed. Grid¡¯s appearance as he wiped the blood off his face and gasped roughly was reminiscent of a ferocious beast, but in people¡¯s eyes, he was a hero and idol.


    ¡°Grid, can we get an interview? The part that is currently a hot topic on the Inte is the reason why the great demon was stunned. Please say something about this...¡±


    ¡°Brother Grid! Can I get your signature?!¡±


    A terrifying crowd swarmed. The yers who somehow managed to get Grid visible on their screens were busy taking screenshots, while little boys and girls were shouting to get signatures. Grid ignored the questions of the reporters who were eagerly holding microphones and smiled kindly at the children.


    ¡°What¡¯s your ID?


    ¡°Please write my name, not my ID! Name! I am Daniel!¡±


    ¡°My name is Ann!¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes.¡±


    Grid stroked the heads of the excited children. Then he took the papers from them and started to sign.


    ¡°I will be a cksmith like Brother Grid!¡±


    ¡°I want to do the sword dances! I will be Grid¡¯s Sessor!¡±


    Stop.


    Grid¡¯s pen, which had been moving skillfully, paused for a moment. Grid¡¯s Sessor¡ªa future he never imagined unfolded in Grid¡¯s mind and shook his heart.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Grid soon put down the pen. Overgeared King Grid wrote to Daniel: Be a great cksmith like Khan.


    Overgeared King Grid wrote to Ann: Be a better person than me.


    ¡°Eh? I can¡¯t read your writing!¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°What did you write?¡±


    These days, children don¡¯t distinguish between reality and Satisfy. Both worlds were given equal value. It would¡¯ve been better if they met Grid in real life and received a signature, but they didn¡¯t feel regret. Grid responded to the children¡¯s excited questions. ¡°Be a respected person.¡±


    ***


    [Botis¡¯ Guandao]


    [Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 1,500/1,500 Attack Power: 2,280


    * 50% increase in cutting rate.


    * Doubles the effect of the poison attribute.


    * The higher the wearer¡¯s attack speed, the more damage that will ensue.


    ¡ï Weapon attack power is increased when using two swords.


    One of the two guandaos favored by the 17th Great Demon, Botis. A stronger power will be exerted when two guandaos are used at the same time.


    Weight: 4,590


    User Restriction: Level 430 or higher.]


    ¡®It is good because the performance and the conditions are simple.¡¯


    There were only two equipment items dropped by Botis. They were two guandaos. The single performance was great, but it seemed to show the true power of a final weapon if it was held in the hands of a person familiar with wielding two swords.


    ¡®The problem is that there is no one around me who can handle this properly...¡¯


    Wielding two weapons at the same time wasn¡¯t an easy task. The brain was bound to make errors when moving both arms at the same time. In particr, the higher the level of the enemy, the more clearly the limit of two swords was revealed in battles that required high difficulty calctions and movements. It was the reason why Grid only dual wielded in the early days before quitting.


    ¡®How do you get the dual wielding skill?¡¯


    It was a unique passive skill that corrected behavior while eliminating penalties (reduced weapon damage) that ensued when using two swords. If any of the Overgeared members received this skill, then it would be better to hand over these weapons.


    ¡®I will keep it well until then... wait?¡¯


    Grid was suddenly reminded of the National Competition. There was one person who used the two sword style very well in thest National Competition. It was the person who inspired Grid to create the pair of swords called the Sword Ghost. It was Kraugel.


    ¡®He is a genius among geniuses and can perfectly use two swords without the mastery skill...¡¯


    Now that he became the Sword Saint, wasn¡¯t it possible that he got the dual wielding skill? Now, if there was a mastery skill unique to the Sword Saint then it would probably epass dual wielding.


    ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s pass it onto Kraugel.¡¯


    Only Kraugel could bring out the true power of these weapons. It would be a shame to give it to someone other than Kraugel. Besides, Kraugel was a very rich man. Grid could sell them at an expensive price. He finished deciding how to dispose of the items and whistled with a sense of lightness. He didn¡¯t have any concerns about future problems after handing them over to Kraugel. Grid and Kraugel were friends before they werepetitors.


    ¡°I just wanted to relieve my mother¡¯s resentment! I just wanted to see her again! I cursed this vain peace....!¡±


    During the time when Grid was fighting Botis, Prince Benoit was arrested by the knights and was in a carriage being taken to the Abyss. For more than 10 years, he had lived longing for his mother and was filled with the desire to get revenge for his mother. His face was full of wrinklespared to his oldest brother Rnd who was seven years older. His hair was also white, so he looked like a middle-aged man.


    ¡®It is futile.¡¯


    Grid sympathized with Prince Benoit. His father and brothers were indifferent to the death of his mother (from Benoit¡¯s point of view) and he burned with the desire for revenge against Marie. He nned to use the demon¡¯s power to let his mother appear and expose Marie¡¯s crime. However, Marie¡¯s crimes had already been exposed and the empire had changed too much. No one ever wondered about the secret behind Empress Aria¡¯s death. Apart from Benoit, the people of the empire were looking to the future, not the past. Benoit¡¯s feelings, his desires, and all the years he invested were reduced to nothing.


    Grid stared sadly at the hatred and despair in Prince Benoit¡¯s eyes as he headed for the Abyss wrapped in chains.


    ¡°Thank you for protecting my people.¡±


    Then Empress Basara arrived at the scene. On behalf of the imperial people, she bowed and thanked Grid. The people were greatly shocked by the appearance of Basara bowing since they regarded the emperor as heaven, but Basara didn¡¯t care. She just wanted people to gradually adapt to the appearance of the new ruler.


    In the midst of the noise, Basara approached Grid and whispered quietly, ¡°We don¡¯t intend to execute Prince Benoit, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    It seemed she misunderstood when she saw Grid watching Benoit sadly. In fact, Grid thought it was natural for Benoit to be executed. Basara¡¯s public sentiment would just worsen if she spared the great sinner who tried to harm his home and his people.


    ¡°Is it due to thest will of the former emperor?¡±


    Former emperor Juander had left a will behind¡ªhe hoped that the princes would be taken care of as much as possible. He was solely the reason why his children werecking or twisted, thus he asked for them to be temporarily watched because their innate nature wasn¡¯t bad. It was ast will left to Grid, but there were many witnesses at the time. Thus, the news was delivered to Basara¡¯s ears. Perhaps Juander¡¯s will clouded Basara¡¯s judgment. Basara seemed to read Grid¡¯s heart and strongly denied it.


    ¡°No. The will of the former emperor can¡¯t be used as an excuse to forgive those who tried to harm the people. The reason I want to keep Benoit alive is his knowledge of demons.¡±


    It was worth using. Thanks to this good cause, she was relieved that she didn¡¯t have to hurt her nephew. Grid obviously knew Basara¡¯s personality and nodded with a smile. Then his face suddenly stiffened.


    ¡®By the way, what means did the knights use to defeat Benoit?¡¯


    Of course, the knights of the empire were very skilled. In particr, the reputation of the Red Knights was known throughout the continent. However, the strength of the knights who arrested Prince Benoit weren¡¯t very high. Based on Grid¡¯s insight, they were only Red Knights in the 20s. Was it possible for Red Knights with a ranking in the 20s to defeat Benoit, who knew how to handle the red energy that was the lineage of the Saharan imperial family? It was absolutely impossible. Even if there were variables with Benoit, they wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the wall of innate lineage and talent. Saharan¡¯s lineage was too special.


    ¡®Was he deliberately captured?¡¯


    Why?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart sank. Benoit was an expert in demons and there was the mysterious demon Biplonz in the Abyss. Was it a coincidence that the two of them would meet in a short time? In the first ce, Benoit¡¯s obsession was beyond imagination. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have given up his position and wandered the continent for more than a decade. Would such a person easily give up on his life? Did he hasten his own cause bymitting the crime of releasing a great demon in the heart of his homnd?


    ¡®At first, I thought he was desperate, but...¡¯


    No. The reason formitting a crime of high treason that would cause him to be locked up in the Abyss wouldn¡¯t be so simple. The fact that Biplonz was in the Abyss was also a matter of concern.


    ¡°It was an unexpected ident. Since it is like this, we will look at restaurants tomorrow. First, go back to the imperial pce to relieve fatigue...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me a moment.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Basara¡¯s cheeks turned a subtle red as she gazed at Grid¡¯s back as he left in a hurry. She once again fell for Grid¡¯s kindness and consideration for her who would be busy due to the sudden incident.


    ***


    The Red Knights hurriedly escorted the carriage of the sinner. The identity of the sinner was an imperial prince, so they didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention from the people.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Grid shouted when he saw the carriage carrying Benoit arrive at the entrance of the Abyss in the distance. However, his voice didn¡¯t reach because he was too far away. In the end, Grid drew his sword, entered the Transcend state, and used Shunpo. In an instant, he stood at the entrance of the Abyss and Prince Benoit¡¯s voice pierced his ears.


    ¡°As expected of the most famous person of this time, you are quick to notice.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. A darkness deep enough to suck up the light¡ªPrince Benoit threw himself off the cliff with an immeasurable depth, or into the bottomless pit. There was no time for the Red Knights leading Benoit up the stairs to stop him.


    ¡°Shunpo.¡±


    The panicked Grid rushed to catch Benoit. However, a curtain of magic power unfolded like a shield and wrapped around the entrance of the Abyss, blocking Grid. Grid crashed into the curtain and bounced back immediately. He swung his sword to remove the curtain, but Benoit was already heading deep into the darkness.


    ¡°I curse the former emperor and the current empress for using excuses to not dere Marie¡¯s sins!¡±


    Benoit¡¯s scream constantly echoed as he soon disappeared.

 Chapter 1344

    [Amoract, the great demon of conflict, is waiting for you somewhere in hell.]


    This was the message that appeared when Yura saw Baal. The great demon who approached Yura during the days when Yura was Yatan¡¯s Servant¡ªshe seemed to be in a conflicting andpetitive rtionship with Baal since a long time ago. It was one of Yura¡¯s hopes. Yura knew she had to meet Amoract. She started searching through all the hells to find Amoract.


    ¡®Of course, Amoract¡¯s tendencies won¡¯t be different from Baal.¡¯


    Yura estimated that Amoract¡¯s ranking was between 5th and 2nd. The information of the top ranking great demons were almost unknown, except for Baal and Beriache, but based on various circumstances, Amoract was likely to be second. The higher the ranking, the darker the evil, and Amoract was clearly wicked and simr to Baal.


    However, Yura thought she could use Amoract to catch Baal. It was impossible to stop Baal without the help of an absolute being. It was because hell would be eternal unless Baal was defeated.


    ¡®Additionally, Amoract should know the weaknesses of Demon God Sitri.¡¯


    Helmis, the cksmith of hell, had said it. In order for Grid to be stronger, he needed the heart of the Demon God.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯


    The 5th Hell¡ªshe was aimlessly wandering in an area filled with monsters that were over level 600. Yura moved secretly through this ce and crossed several life and death crises. She insisted on moving forward despite being afraid and tired. She wanted to check the identity of the master by going to the castle where the master of the 5th Hell resided.


    Of course, the price would be death. She would feel great despair if the owner of the 5th Hell wasn¡¯t Amoract. It meant she would have to visit the 3rd and 2nd Hells in turn when they boasted a much more heinous difficulty than the 5th Hell.


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura¡¯s ck eyes continued to shake as she held her breath while moving in order to not be noticed by the wandering monsters. It looked exactly like the day she visited the 1st Hell to help Grid. Nevertheless, Yura kept moving forward. She didn¡¯t stop walking.


    ***


    Empress Aria was as good as her appearance. She was kind to anyone and always did good deeds. She was everyone¡¯s role model. People loved her regardless of their status. There was no one who hated her, until Empress Marie appeared.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Why was the emperor tempted by that greedy woman? How did the ipetent man who couldn¡¯t even protect his wife be the emperor? He... why didn¡¯t he protect her? Why, why, why, why...? Prince Benoit resented everything in the empire, including himself. He hated the emperor who stayed quiet even after finding out that Marie was the one who killed Aria and he despised the people who no longer missed his mother.


    ¡®I curse you!¡¯


    Marie, the emperor, the people, and himself.


    ¡°I curse you!¡± Prince Benoit shouted again as he fell into the endless abyss. The echo in his ears was like a response to his shouts.


    ¡°All the humans of the empire! I curse everything in the empire!¡±


    May the subjects who forgot the love and kindness of his mother suffer like his mother. May this monstrous empire that had no value after his mother died perish. Prince Benoit longed for it.


    -I remember.


    The demon curled up in the abyss opened his eyes.


    -I am the hope of those whose heart¡¯s desire is a curse.


    Biplonz, the demon who was trapped in a cage and forgot himself¡ªbloody tears flowed from his eyes in response to Benoit¡¯s desire.


    -Demon of curses...


    The 11th great demon sealed by Sword Saint Muller¡ªafter wandering as a soul for hundreds of years, he was defeated by Kraugel and the impact of that time caused him to lose his memories of his previous life, and he seeded in reincarnating.


    ¡°Drasion! Listen to my curses!¡± Benoit shouted. The contract was established immediately.


    -I understand.


    Red demonic energy exploded through the Abyss that had been encroached on by darkness. The hatred and curses of the prisoners trapped in the Abyss responded to Drasion¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    The screams of the prisoners started to spread from everywhere. Drasion was a person who coveted the contractor¡¯s soul and body in exchange for fulfilling the contractor¡¯s wish. The prisoners who had cursed someone while trapped in the Abyss became Drasion¡¯s contractors. In return, the souls and bodies were swallowed up. Among them were those whose suffering would never end in the future, including Empress Marie.


    ¡°Aaaaaaack!¡±


    In the midst of the pain of her bones and flesh melting, Marie¡¯s shaking eyes saw a shadow falling from the sky as she screamed. It was a man smiling at her against the red background. It was Prince Benoit.


    ¡°Ben... aaack!¡±


    She would¡¯ve been better off if she was killed by the executioners. Empress Marie died in grief that this terrible torment would continue even after death.


    ¡°Hahat!Kuhahahahat!¡±


    Benoit¡¯s madugh ran out, swallowing the prisoners¡¯ cries. His soul and body were suffering like the prisoners, but he was neither afraid nor hopeless. He thought it would be enough if he could share this pain even after death with Marie and this made him feel joyful. The left hand of the man, which had decayed in exchange for opening the gates of hell in the past, was the first to be destroyed. Then his two feet and his legs started to melt.


    Then someone¡¯s urgent cry prated the ears of Benoit who was in pain, but enduring it. ¡°Summon Knights!¡±


    ¡®Wh... o?¡¯


    ¡°Ruby!¡±


    The image of a woman appearing along with a beam of light entered Benoit¡¯s view. She was a woman with a gentle smile like his mother.


    ¡°Light of Purification.¡±


    sh!


    A warm, blue energy filled the Abyss. It was an energy that quickly extinguished the red demonic energy filling the Abyss.


    -What?!


    After greedily eating the souls and bodies of the prisoners, Drasion¡¯s face distorted as he was enjoying thest supper (Benoit). The Saintess¡ªthe object that great demons hated and feared the most suddenly appeared in front of his eyes and disturbed him. He had no choice but to feel flustered.


    -You!


    From the depths of the Abyss, Drasion soared upwards. His sharp nails were aimed at the heart of the Saintess who was continuing to emit light. However, his nails didn¡¯t touch the heart of the Saintess. A ss-like transparent sword blocked Drasion¡¯s nails and burned red. Then it emitted a me reminiscent of a dragon¡¯s breath that burned Drasion¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°Benoit!¡±


    A voice familiar to Drasion called out the name of the prince who was barely still alive. A man whose eyes were firmly shining despite being in the Abyss full of despair. He shook off Drasion with a brilliant sword dance and reached out to Prince Benoit.


    ¡°Emperor Juander asked me to look after you!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Benoit¡¯s dim eyes widened. His father, who always regarded him as a thorn, cared about his well-being at thest moment? A certain emotion shook Benoit¡¯s heart. Forgotten pain and great regret struck him, but Benoit knew it was toote.


    ¡°Drasion¡¯s curse... it will cover the empire and head for the Sword Saint.¡±


    Benoit barely managed to speak before his eyes lost their light. Unknowingly, his one remaining hand reached out toward Grid before his body sagged.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Ruby was perplexed by the sight of Benoit falling out of the range of Light of Purification and shouted urgently. However, Grid couldn¡¯t do anything. The Abyss beyond the light was so dark that it was impossible to designate a space to use Shunpo. Besides, Drasion was right in front of him.


    It feltpletely different from when he was Biplonz. The great demon abandoned purity and stared at Grid with malice and hostility. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s righteousness ended here. The reason he tried to save Benoit was because he remembered Juander¡¯sst request. He had no intention of giving up his own life and those of hispanions after he was forced to pursue Benoit who had fallen into the depths of the Abyss.


    ¡°Summon Knight, Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°I have responded to Your Majesty¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Take Ruby and run away.¡±


    Teleport and return scrolls didn¡¯t work. He needed Mercedes¡¯ help in order to let Ruby leave here safely.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Mercedes hesitated a little over Grid¡¯s order to leave him, but she soon answered and held Ruby in her arms, flying away.


    -The Saintess can¡¯t be spared.


    Drasion tried to follow the flying Mercedes, but Grid blocked his path just like Drasion previously blocked his way.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot, Biplonz.¡±


    -I haven¡¯t changed. I¡¯ve been restored to my original form.


    ¡°I thought you were a good guy for a demon.¡±


    -The memory of meeting you wasn¡¯t very bad.


    There was no further conversation. Grid used all his power to prevent Drasion from advancing while Drasion pushed him with ease. Grid had just raided Botis and was at a disadvantage. Most of his ultimate skills were still on cooldown so Grid wasn¡¯t in peak condition. The reason he held on was due to Ruby and Mercedes.


    ¡°Elfin Stone!¡±


    ¡°Blood Field.¡±


    Elfin Stone used his unique ability when he appeared and reversed the situation. Grid¡¯s lifestealing ability was greatly increased due to the effect of Blood Field. He used Extreme Blood Transfusion and his health that had fallen to just before hitting the immortal state was instantly refilled. Drasion glimpsed at the power of Grid, who possessed the vampire rings, various shields, and recovery skills, and he flicked his finger.


    ¡°Doom.¡±


    It was a healing reversal skill used by some high ranking demons.


    [You have been affected by Doom.]


    [You will be an undead while Doom is maintained.]


    [The target has received 59,975 damage.]


    [You have received 13,194 damage due to the effect of Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Being an undead was judged to be an abnormal status? It was a new technique that couldn¡¯t be resisted. Grid¡¯s face became pale when he learned the skills of a true high ranking demon. He thought about the enemies he would have to face in the future and his vision darkened. However, it was the same from the opponent¡¯s point of view.


    -....?!


    Drasion got a chill after being hit by Grid¡¯s attack and being temporarily stopped by a stun. A stun¡ªit was the first time he experienced it since he was born. He hadn¡¯t experienced it even on the day he was killed by Sword Saint Muller.


    ¡®Are the humans of the present age stronger than Muller?¡¯


    Grid barely managed to escape while Drasion, who was stiffened, stared at him like he was a monster. He got out of the Abyss and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Doom? How can I beat that guy?¡±


    -It might be dangerous to go up to the ground right now...


    Drasion¡¯s curse, which should¡¯ve struck the empire, was temporarily sealed in the Abyss. It was a miracle caused by Ultimate Martial Art.

 Chapter 1345

    ¡°This...¡±


    A sudden change in weather¡ªthe cleared up sky became dark like night again, and the faces of the magicians staring at the sky turned pale. The higher the level of the magician, the more they started sweating. They realized the cause of the darkness was powerful demonic energy. It was much more powerful than the demonic energy of Botis, who appeared in the middle of the capital. It meant a great demon ranked higher than Botis had appeared near the capital.


    ¡®Where?¡¯


    The empire was clearly strong. The weakness was that they distributed their power in order to protect such arge territory. The army stationed at the capital was less than a tenth of the entire imperial army. Among those guarding the capital, the strongest one was Lightning God Kyle. Excluding him, the continent-level talents were two magicians belonging to the 10 great magicians and three single digit knights. Many of the Red Knights were scattered throughout the empire and dukes such as Rachel and Morse usually defended their territory.


    If Grid hadn¡¯t visited Titan today¡ª


    If Rachel and Morse hadn¡¯t rushed over after hearing about Grid¡¯s visit¡ª


    The capital Titan probably would¡¯ve been crushed by Botis. In a severe situation, Basara might¡¯ve had to abandon the capital and run away. The forced escape meant she would be the worst figure in the history of the empire. That¡¯s right. The 17th Great Demon, Botis, was one who put Titan in a crisis. Now a higher ranked great demon had appeared. It was the worst.


    The good news was that unlike Botis, it didn¡¯t appear in the middle of the city. There was some time to prepare.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry but there seems to be a new great demon. Have the people evacuate quickly and summon troops to protect the imperial pce.¡±


    A person who confronted Goldhit, who called herself the Magician King¡ªthe one who spoke was Ricilia, one of the continent¡¯s 10 great magicians and the master of the white tower. A loyalist who already served three emperors, he was also the sage who noticed the experiments taking ce in the Tower of Eternity and insisted that it be closed. The other magicians were agitated.


    ¡°In this situation, you want Her Majesty to defend the imperial pce? Who will take responsibility if something happens to Her Majesty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying we need Her Majesty¡¯s strength to fight against the great demon. Her Majesty¡¯s red energy and appearance will boost the morale of the soldiers and increase the skills of the knights. Her Majesty must stay if the imperial pce is to be protected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense!


    ¡°There are less than 200,000 troops stationed in the capital, including 500 knights and 300 magicians! How can we fight against a great demon?¡±


    ¡°Correct! We must have the soldiers set up barriers to buy time. During this period, Her Majesty will take refuge!¡±


    In a moment of crisis, the officials revealed their true natures. They expressed their desire to run away, using the empress as an excuse. Ricilia stared like they were pathetic as they tried their best to look better in front of the empress. ¡°There is no ruler who has abandoned Titan in the history of the empire. Do you want Empress Basara to be used of being a coward?¡±


    ¡°There has never been a case where a great demon appeared in Titan! Why are you talking about old cases when this is happening due to the crazy prince!¡±


    The marquis who was yelling with excitement felt something wrong and shut his mouth. Benoit might¡¯vemitted a crime and was trapped in the Abyss, but he was still of imperial blood. The marquis called Benoit crazy, so he deserved the wrath of the imperial family.


    Ricilia ignored him and continued speaking, ¡°There is Sir Kyle in the imperial pce. If we join forces with Sir Kyle, then there is enough of a chance, even if the opponent is a single digit great demon.¡±


    Ricilia had lived for nearly a hundred years and had acquired all types of knowledge. Even so, he didn¡¯t know the true power of a single digit great demon. This didn¡¯t mean it was a groundless hope. It was because a man called Muller had sealed Hell Gao in the long past.


    Ricilia, the loyalist who served the empire for three generations, believed in the power of the empire. He believed that the power of the capital alone could fight and win against the great demons. There was just one error with his rationale.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... will Sir Kyle work with us?¡±


    The eyes of the officials all immediately turned to Prince Dndal. Lightning God Kyle was 2nd Prince Dndal¡¯s subordinate. Dndal was the only one who could move Kyle. Would Dndal lend Kyle to assist Basara when he was openly aiming for the throne? It was unlikely. It was clear that he would only watch the crisis like he was on the other side of the river.


    He would even pray that Basara was killed by the great demon. It happened as everyone was deep in their thoughts...


    ¡°The cooperation of Sir Kyle is needed,¡± Dndal opened his mouth from where he had been sitting down with a dissatisfied expression as always. He stood up and spoke to everyone, ¡°If you are an official, then you can¡¯t overlook the crisis of your home.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The person who confronted the empress to achieve his ambitions and destabilized the situation of his homnd was talking about the duty of officials. The officials scoffed. ¡°Sir Kyle will naturally help Your Majesty. If Your Majesty says to fight without running away, then Kyle and all the ck Knights will remain by your side and fight together.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the officials widened at Dndal¡¯s unexpected words. What was Dndal¡¯s attitude? Rachel, Morse, and 1st Prince Rnd were also shocked. Basara was the only one who smiled. Dndal ordered Resh, who was watching the situation, ¡°Bring Sir Kyle.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Resh¡¯s expression was bright as he responded vigorously. He might¡¯ve be the knight he had dreamed so much of, but he was overwhelmed by regret every time he saw his master. Now he was thrilled by the changed Dndal. It was a sudden change, but he fully understood Dndal¡¯s feelings. How much good intentions had Basara shown so far?


    Every time Dndal openly ignored her and kept her power in check, she endured it and didn¡¯t punish Dndal. She steadily cultivated the affection of blood through direct contact. It was Dndal who disregarded that they were kin and said it was a petty thing...


    ¡®In times of crisis, he is finally standing with his kin.¡¯


    Resh was sometimes worried he would be worse than a brute, but fortunately, this wasn¡¯t the case. Resh left with a bright expression and rushed to Kyle¡¯s pce. He managed to persuade the displeased Kyle and brought him to the great hall.


    ¡°You called me.¡±


    Kyle¡¯s attitude as he entered the great hall was very reluctant. He didn¡¯t look at the officials, including Rachel and Morse, and he didn¡¯t even bow to Empress Basara. The same was true for Dndal who he called his master. The only pir left in the empire was arrogant. It was a headache for the empire who felt hope for him.


    However, what could they do? It was a crisis where they might have to abandon the capital. Basara and her officials had to rely on him. There were no idiots in this ce who would dare to question his attitude in this dire situation and create unnecessary anger.


    Dndal told him, ¡°You¡¯ve must¡¯ve already noticed it? A new great demon has appeared near the capital.¡±


    ¡°I know. It has a higher ranking than Botis.¡±


    The officials gasped. They were furious that Kyle was aware of the circumstances but showed no signs of acting. What was Kyle thinking when he watched Botis raging in the middle of the capital?Was this person really a man of the empire? Could he be trusted?


    Everyone doubted Kyle. It was also true for Dndal. Dndal made Kyle his subordinate but he couldn¡¯t trust Kyle. He hadn¡¯t even heard the pledge of allegiance. Dndal was able to gain Kyle because he gave a lot of wealth. It might be due to Dndal¡¯s promise that if he was made emperor, he would make Kyle the supreme power in the empire. Even if he became emperor due to Kyle, wouldn¡¯t he have just been a puppet?


    Dndal felt uneasy at the thought of being used by Kyle all his life. Had he been unknowingly making the second grandmaster? Dndal sighed as he finally realized his folly in trying to take the throne with Kyle¡¯s power.


    ¡°If you know, then this conversation will be quick. I hope you will help Her Majesty the Empress protect the imperial pce.¡±


    ¡°Help Her Majesty?¡±


    Kyle noticed that Dndal¡¯s heart had changed and seemed to beughing. Kyle shrugged at the frowning Dndal. ¡°Who knows? It might be smarter to run away rather than fight.¡±


    ¡°Titan is the heart of the empire. I can¡¯t run away,¡± the silent Basara finally opened her mouth. She politely spoke to Kyle, ¡°Sir Kyle, I¡¯m not going to ask you to fight for me. I just want you to think about the grace you received from former emperor Juander and ask if you would consider protecting the empire. Please.¡±


    Kyle was the weakest of the pirs. There were times when he was weaker than a single digit knight. However, Juander saw something in him and believed in him. It was Juander who ignored the cries of the people who insisted that Kyle¡¯s skills werecking and made Kyle a pir of the empire. Today¡¯s Kyle had blossomed and showed his strength in response to Juander¡¯s faith. He wasn¡¯t inferior to the other pirs in their prime.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle stoppedughing the moment Juander¡¯s name came out. He thought about it for a moment before opening his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want to avoid a fight without any odds.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The officials were agitated. Some of them were red with anger. It was impossible for anyone to think well of Kyle, who refused a request that wasn¡¯t the empress¡¯ order. Besides, Kyle owed a debt to Juander. He said he would run away despite being paid by the empire and having an obligation to protect the empire. Morse was filled with killing intent. The atmosphere had just be harsh when a voice was heard.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then you should get lost. I¡¯ll fight him on my own.¡±


    Grid, who suddenly disappeared, was now entering the great hall. After barely escaping from the Abyss, he sent a whisper to Resh and rushed to the imperial pce.


    ¡°Ohh! The Overgeared King!¡±


    The prideful officials of the empire warmly weed Grid. It was natural since he was the benefactor who fought for the empire. It happened when Grid was being guided to sit down beside the empress and rest...


    ¡°I-I greet Your Majesty the Overgeared King!!¡±


    Kyle suddenly bowed to Grid when he hadn¡¯t even bowed to the empress and princes. He shouted while mming his forehead against the ground, ¡°If Your Majesty wants me to fight, then I will fight! I will remain until the end and fight with Your Majesty!¡±

 Chapter 1346

    ¡°If Your Majesty wants me to fight, then I will fight! I will remain until the end and fight with Your Majesty!¡± Kyle¡¯s bow and shout resembled a knight swearing allegiance to his ruler.


    He didn¡¯t even bow to Empress Basara or Prince Dndal, the man who hired him. The fact that he regarded the king of another country as his master caused amotion.


    ¡®Did King Grid secretly try to gain Kyle?¡¯


    ¡®Was thest pir of the empire taken away by the Overgeared King?¡¯


    The officials awakened a sense of crisis and started to distrust Grid. He was even greedy for the talent of allies! It was an act that went against morality. He deserved to be condemned. From the standpoint of the empire that trusted Grid, they even felt a sense of betrayal.


    Then Grid¡¯s words reversed the unusual airflow.


    ¡°Sir Kyle, didn¡¯t I say I¡¯m not going to kill you? We were enemies at the time, but not anymore. Don¡¯t worry about it and be at ease.¡±


    Grid announced that he and Kyle had no rtionship. He implied the reason Kyle was acting like this was because of fear. It was embarrassing for Kyle, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. It was true that he was afraid of Grid. Even now, he remembered the pain of his arm being cut off every time he saw Grid and his dder started to shake.


    ¡®This monster...¡¯


    Kyle was raised in Juander¡¯s hands. He grew up among the continent¡¯s strongest powers and there were few people he cowered in front of. Furthermore, he sublimated his natural talent with hard work and got a divine gift from the martial god. This allowed him to rise to being a transcendent. It was practically impossible for him to fear ordinary humans.


    The problem was that Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary human.


    Kyle trained in the secret techniques of the martial god while watching Dndal under Grid¡¯s order (ckmail). His sixth sense was improved by his transcendence and he saw through Grid¡¯s level urately.


    ¡®He already isn¡¯t human.¡¯


    It was a state where he was aware of the flow of all things. it was the world of transcendence and Grid was surely in that realm. He was a true transcendent.


    ¡®Such a guy cut off my arm...¡¯


    Throb!


    Kyle was engulfed in vivid pain as he recalled the appearance of the white-haired Grid who cut off his arm. He gritted his teeth in order to not show it. That¡¯s right¡ªKyle was convinced that Grid was ahead of him a few years ago. It was a misunderstanding that could never be eliminated. Kyle had no choice but to fear Grid for the rest of his life. Thus, he had to be polite.


    ¡°...Thank you for your forgiveness.¡±


    This person who was like a fox¡ªthis abominable person didn¡¯t know he was the culprit who forced Kyle to split himself between three masters. Kyle was twisted up due to Grid in many ways but he didn¡¯t show it. In order to not let Grid see it, he had endured all the humiliation so far. He couldn¡¯t show his feelings now.


    ¡®I need permission to leave the empire for a while, so I have to please him.¡¯


    Not long ago, there was a call from the martial god. God told his followers to go to the east. It was to trample on and severely punish a heresy who took root in and of no beliefs and dared to impersonate the martial god. He didn¡¯t know which stupid guy actually dared to impersonate the martial god. It was ridiculous.


    ¡®...It is important to survive in order to follow the word of the martial god.¡¯


    He knew right away that the demon sleeping in the Abyss was a special being. He heard from the grandmaster that it was a pitiful existence.


    ¡®It turns out he was a great demon.¡¯


    So why did the grandmaster call the demon pitiful? It seemed like a question that couldn¡¯t be resolved. It was also a question he wouldn¡¯t have for long. The identity of the great demon wasn¡¯t important to Kyle.Kyle just wanted to quickly go to the east to fulfill the martial god¡¯s will and get a new secret technique.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    The 11th great demon. 11th ce...


    ¡®I don¡¯t think we can win at all.¡¯


    It was hard to see a chance of victory even if all the forces of the empire werebined with himself and Grid. However, they had to fight with just the troops stationed in the capital. How could they win?


    ¡®I heard that great demons with a single digit rank or the equivalent power have a curse that burns the soul or reverse life.¡¯


    Soul Burn or Doom¡ªat 11th ce, the great demon should be able to use one of these two curses. Perhaps it would be possible with swordsmanship that even cut curses like Sword Saint Muller in the past, but from the perspective ofmon sense, it wasn¡¯t an opponent that humans could face. Grid might¡¯ve achieved perfect transcendence, but he couldn¡¯t help being helpless to the curse of a high ranking demon as long as his species itself was human.


    ¡®...That person shouldn¡¯t know it.¡¯


    At first, Grid would challenge it. Then after he fought, he would soon change his mind and run away. This meant Kyle would have to arrange his strength properly so he could also escape.


    ¡®It is a risk worth taking if I think of it as thest loyalty to the former emperor. Should I fight first?¡¯


    The empire without Juander meant nothing to Kyle. Still, he thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to pretend to defend the empire for the sake of Juander who was watching from the underworld. He would ept Grid¡¯smand and fight against the great demon.


    It was the moment when Kyle made up his mind...


    ¡°Do you know the identity of the great demon who woke up in the Abyss?¡± Grid asked a question as he stared at Kyle who was controlling his face as much as possible.


    Kyle replied cautiously, ¡°Based on what I read and the power of resentment in the waves of demonic energy, my guess is that it is Drasion...¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot.¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of literature rted to great demons in the imperial library. In particr, there are details of the great demons killed by Sword Saint Muller. One of them was Drasion. By the way, Your Majesty, do you already know the identity of the great demon in the Abyss?¡±


    Thanks to former emperor Juander, Kyle had acquired a lot of information. This allowed him to infer Drasion¡¯s identity. It was honestly surprising to him that Grid was also aware of it.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°I fought him a little while ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Kyle. Basara and all the officials listening to the conversation were shocked. How long had it been since he defeated the 17th Great Demon, Botis? Yet he fought Drasion as well? In that short time? Honestly, it felt like a bluff. Even Kyle, who had a rtively urate understanding of Grid¡¯s state, couldn¡¯t believe his words.


    ¡°How did you live?¡±


    Grid was happy after seeing Kyle¡¯s obvious reaction.


    ¡°It seems like you know what Doom is?¡±


    It was the power to temporarily turn a person¡¯s race into an undead. Grid had experienced the ridiculous power that reversed all healing effects. It was a fraudulent power that couldn¡¯t be resisted. Grid judged that uncovering the method to stop it was the key to the Drasion raid and was looking forward to Kyle¡¯s knowledge. Kyle had studied with all types of benefits from Juander since he was young and even became a transcendent. He would surely know the method to destroy Doom. Unfortunately, the answer received was less than expected.


    ¡°Of course I know. It is a very powerful curse that creatures on the ground can¡¯t deny. Any living being is bound to be dead while suffering from it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m amazed that Your Majesty came back alive.¡±


    ¡®A powerful curse that creatures on the ground can¡¯t deny...¡¯


    Did it mean that all races, not just humans, were helpless in front of Doom? If so, the Drasion raid really became an impossible story.


    Grid recalled the scene where even Saintess Ruby couldn¡¯t get rid of Doom and asked Empress Basara for her understanding, ¡°I would like to summon troops from the Overgeared Kingdom. Can you cancel the barrier that is blocking movement magic?¡±


    His knights summoning wasn¡¯t affected by the barrier, but Mass Teleport was different. Arge number of reinforcements could only be called when the barrier was lifted.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t possible!¡±


    The officials watching the situation silently were frightened. It was almost at the level of throwing a fit. It was natural¡ªthe barrier that blocked the movement magic was the most basic defensive countermeasure, and also thest bastion that protected Titan. The moment the barrier disappeared, it was unknown who or what forces would suddenly appear in the middle of Titan to attack.


    Grid couldn¡¯t be trusted. Kyle¡¯s attitude toward Grid was somewhat suspicious. The worst picture was drawn in the mind of the officials. They imagined that after the barrier was lifted as Grid requested, the troops of the Overgeared Kingdom woulde over and take control of the imperial pce.


    Meanwhile, Basara didn¡¯t doubt Grid at all. If Grid and Kyle were on the same side and the two of them wanted to take over the imperial pce, then it would¡¯ve already belonged to them. There was no need to doubt Grid right now. The problem was the forces hostile to the empire who were closely watching the barrier.


    ¡®It is really dangerous if the great demon appears and the enemy invades in the middle of the confusion.¡¯


    Grid smiled at the troubled Basara. ¡°There is no need to worry about unknown dangers. It is because my knights are strong.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Basara¡¯s worries were quickly over. Piaro and Asmophel¡ªthey were originally pirs of the empire, and she knew and trusted their skills as much as Grid.


    ¡°Turn off the barrier,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°Your Majesty, once the barrier is turned off, it will take at least 30 minutes to get it back up and running. We can¡¯t take the risk in the midst of the appearance of a great demon...¡±


    ¡°We need to lift the barrier anyway in order to fight Drasion.¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking of calling all the single digit knights andmanders scattered throughout the border areas?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The reason the empire stationed talents at every border was ultimately for the sake of peace. The moment the talented people left the borders, the entire empire might face a crisis. However, the heart of the empire was Titan. Protecting Titan was the urgent priority.


    The officials felt that Basara¡¯s judgment was right and nodded. They were convinced that if all the powerful people of the empire were summoned to Titan then they would surely be able to stop anyone who tried to invade the imperial pce. In the end...


    ¡°Then I will remove the barrier right now.¡± The great magician Ricilia epted the order on behalf of the officials. Once he and the other tower members injected magic into their rings and pendants, the movement magic blocking barrier covering all of Titan started to be gradually removed.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Grid admired it as the barrier covering Titan emitted a blue light before disappearing. Was it due to Drasion¡¯s demonic energy? The sky was ck and red.


    -Lauel, now.


    It happened as Grid sent a whisper to Lauel in the Overgeared Kingdom...


    As they waited for Lauel and the Overgeared Guild members to appear using Great Magician Ashur¡¯s Mass Teleport, a strange, uninvited man appeared in the middle of the great hall.


    ¡°A treasure trove has been opened. Kukuk.¡±


    [The Great Robber of the Red Night has appeared.]


    The single notification window shocked Grid.

 Chapter 1347

    [The Great Robber of the Red Night is interested in you. Watch out for red nights.]


    This was the warning that appeared when Grid entered the secret passage in the imperial pce and obtained the imperial pce¡¯s blueprint. Until then, Grid wasn¡¯t very conscious of the Great Robber of the Red Night. He guessed this person was just a great thief. It might be annoying if they got involved, but that was it.


    However, he started to be wary of the Great Robber of the Red Night after visiting the Tower of Wisdom. This was due to the conversation he had with Radwolf, the third seat of the Tower of Wisdom.


    ¡°The Great Robber of the Red Night snuck into the Tower of Wisdom?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°No, this... Is he a transcendent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He has been active for at least 600 years. His age rivals us. That damn guy stole Nevartan¡¯s Ne that was hidden here over 100 years ago.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night, who found the Tower of Wisdom that had all types of cloaking magic on it, and infiltrated it while deceiving the senses of the tower members¡ªhe was probably one of the strongest talents in existence. Such a great person appearing at this timing...


    ¡°A treasure trove has been opened. Kukuk.¡±


    This person appeared in the imperial pce. He was an ordinary old man. His wrinkled skin had age spots and his waist was bent so much that people wanted to get him a cane. As he stood with his hands behind his back, the eyes of the officials moved to Grid. They were wondering if this was a person from the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Basara shouted instead of Grid, ¡°Surround him!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The knights were startled by the urgent shout and surrounded the old man. The old man¡¯s gaze turned to Basara.¡°Your attitude toward guests is very poor.¡±


    ¡°There is no tradition in the empire about treating thieves as guests.¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªBasara was the empress of the empire and naturally noticed the identity of the old man.


    ¡°Great Robber of the Red Night.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the officials widened. The knights surrounding the old man were also shocked and they drew their swords. They knew the story of the empire and were vaguely aware of how dangerous the Great Robber of the Red Night was.


    ¡°Take this aura!¡± The knights threatened.


    Several knights were pulling out rope to bind the criminal. The atmosphere became harsh but the old man¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He didn¡¯t look nervous about being surrounded by the Red Knights so the knights¡¯ pride was hurt.


    ¡°Capture him!¡±


    The moment the 13th knight gave an order to the Red Knights, the eyes of the old man, covered by his drooping eyelids, let out a strange glow.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The knights were tied up tightly and trapped. The surprising thing was that the ropes binding their bodies were those held in their hands not long ago. The knights had the ropes snatched from them in the blink of an eye and couldn¡¯tprehend the situation. The old man patted the shoulders of those who were bound and turned back to Basara. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave with the right stuff. Don¡¯t mind it and just watch.¡±


    Stop.


    The old man was able to leave the great hall only to stop in ce. It was because a young man was blocking his way. He was wearing a silver crown. The old man¡¯s eyes became interested. ¡°Looking at the treasures on your body, you must be the Overgeared King of the rumors.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor to be recognized as your junior.¡±


    ¡°Junior? Haha. I don¡¯t remember having a junior like you?¡±


    The interest of the Great Robber of the Red Nighty in non-human objects. He might be a high ranking transcendent who achieved the world of transcendence and could move without the knights realizing it, but his eye for people was far inferior to Kyle. He didn¡¯t notice that Grid was also a transcendent. It didn¡¯t make much difference even if he noticed it. It was because the Great Robber of the Red Night wasn¡¯t the type to build friendships with people.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night entered the transcendent realm again. One second felt like tens of seconds and his senses were maximized as he moved to pass by Grid¡¯s side. No, he tried to pass by.


    ¡°......¡±


    For the first time, the Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s expression changed as he faced Grid¡¯s hand that was blocking his way. He frowned as he looked at Grid. ¡°I thought you were a gooseying golden eggs, but you are actually a beast hiding his ws.¡±


    A goose thatys golden eggs. That¡¯s right. The reason the Great Robber of the Red Night didn¡¯t try to steal from Grid after hearing the rumors about him was because he wanted Grid to make more treasures. Grid would be wary after being robbed once. Therefore, he nned to wait until Grid made more works before stealing them all at once. Now he felt Grid wouldn¡¯t be an easy target. ¡°As far as I know, you aren¡¯t an old man who lived for hundreds of years. How have you be a transcendent so soon?¡±


    Unlike legends who became so by achieving great feats, transcendence was a realm reached after a long period of training. Furthermore, those who achieved the transcendent realm were rare among transcendents. To be honest, the Great Robber of the Red Night felt a big shock.


    ¡°Amazing, amazing. It is unprecedented to reach transcendence at such an early age like you.¡±


    ¡°I was just lucky.¡±


    He was lucky enough to be Pagma¡¯s Sessor. Grid hated the public opinion that once said he was lucky but it was different now. Grid now knew that there were many people in the world who weren¡¯t rewarded no matter how hard they tried. He was lucky to be rewarded for his hard work and to reach the position he was currently in.


    ¡°Hoh...¡± The Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s expression showed interest. All the transcendents he met so far had a high level of pride. Their noses were pointed so high that it seemed to touch the sky. Therefore, it was natural for him to be interested in Grid who showed humility. ¡°So why block my way?¡±


    Just as the Great Robber of the Red Night asked this question, hundreds of pirs of light fell from the sky. Every time a pir fell, new figures appeared and filled the great hall. Piaro, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s knights, the Overgeared members, and Braham had finally arrived at the scene.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night got goosebumps. His eye for seeing people might be rtivelycking, but a transcendent was still a transcendent. It was impossible for him to not notice the level of magic power that Braham had. It wasn¡¯t just Braham. Numerous legends and dozens of talented people suddenly appeared in one ce, causing even the Great Robber of the Red Night to feel tense.


    Grid had his colleagues behind his back as he spoke politely to the Great Robber of the Red Night, ¡°As you already know, a great demon has appeared here. The great demons are the enemy of humanity. I would like to ask you to help us fight it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why should he? He always lived alone and would continue to do so. The Great Robber of the Red Night had this idea and wanted to refuse Grid¡¯s request. He just hesitated a bit when he saw Grid under the protection of Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, Faker, Jishuka, and Euphemina.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night was interested in Grid who had so many people who could leave a name in history as his subordinates. It was the first time in his over 600 years of living that he was intrigued by a person, not an object. Furthermore, for him, Grid was a goose thatid golden eggs. He determined that there was no need to have a negative rtionship with Grid.


    ¡®Additionally, the great demon who appeared here...¡¯


    Based on this degree of resentment and hate, it was probably the great demon of curses, Drasion. If he ran wild on the ground, there was a risk that the heavens as well as hell would intervene.


    ¡¯...This ce might be ruined.¡¯


    The destruction of the world was something the Great Robber of the Red Night didn¡¯t want. From his standpoint of wanting to collect more treasures in the future, it was better for humanity to survive so they could revive and make more treasures.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night pondered on it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay. I will help you a little bit.¡±


    ¡°......!¡± Basara doubted her ears. It was shocking that the notorious Great Robber of the Red Night would fight for humanity.


    ¡°However, I have one condition. You have to give me three treasures regardless of whether we manage to defeat the great demon or not.¡±


    ¡°What type of treasure do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it and decide.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Grid was willing even if the Great Robber of the Red Night asked him to hand over the Fire Dragon Sword. He could always make a new and better one (although it naturally wouldn¡¯t be easy) and this was the only chance to build up a friendship with the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t an easy person to meet in the first ce.¡¯


    Besides, the Great Robber of the Red Night could infiltrate the Overgeared Kingdom and steal things any time he wanted. If something was going to be stolen anyway, it was much better to give it away in exchange for friendship. Grid made this judgment and it was the correct one.


    ¡°It is refreshing that you are so cool about it.¡±


    [Affinity with the Great Robber of the Red Night has increased by 1.]


    The Great Robber of the Red Night had the most difficult appearance conditions among super named NPCs. Even if he appeared, it was difficult for yers to meet him because the Great Robber of the Red Night would steal from the yer and run away without the yer being aware of it.


    However, Grid met the Great Robber of the Red Night and built up affinity. It was with one of the strongest talents currently in existence.


    ¡°A big fish bit the bait,¡± Braham murmured as he watched the situation. Braham also saw that Grid¡¯s judgment was correct. It meant that Braham acknowledged the abilities of the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    ¡°Your subjects came running at Your Majesty¡¯s call.¡±


    Then the talents of the empire arrived at the great hall one after another. It was the first time in decades that all the outstandingmanders and single digit Red Knights defending the empire¡¯s borders gathered together.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid led the group from the forefront.


    A raid team consisting of the elite forces of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire as well as the Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªit was a rather strangebination, but it could be described as the strongestbination ever.


    ***


    At Asgard...


    The celestial gods gathered together for the first time in ages. It was because one of the fallen angels had woken up from a long sleep.


    Martial God Zeratul argued, ¡°This time, we must directly take action. If he is subjugated by humans and our private matters get revealed, then our prestige will fall to the ground.¡±


    None of the gods disputed Zeratul¡¯s ims. Even the cksmith god Hexetia was silent. For the safety of Grid on the ground, Drasion had to be defeated as soon as possible.


    Zeratul rose from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll send my followers still in the west to the Abyss.¡±

 Chapter 1348

    Golden clouds flowed in the colorful sky. It was a beautifulndscape that made people excited. Drasion quietly opened his eyes and wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. The liquid that flowed down the rough, hard skin was clearly tears.


    ¡°......¡±


    Drasion¡¯s eyes shook. The world he saw in his dreams was a ce of darkness everywhere and it made him feel empty and afraid. A strange but nostalgic voice echoed in his confused mind¡ª¡°I don¡¯t want to face your ugly eyes stained with the light of passion anymore.¡±


    ¡°Uh... uuuuuh...¡±


    He had regained his memories, so why did he miss the scenery and voice that couldn¡¯t be found in his memories. Why was his heart so cold and pained? What was this terrible solitude? Drasion held his head in agony and recalled a human he met during his days as Biplonz.


    ¡°You were born in a strange ce after your previous life.¡±


    The white-haired human who seemed to know his previous life¡ªthe eyes of the person who looked at him contained both ridicule and sympathy.


    ¡®Is he talking about the me in the past, or who I am now?¡¯


    An absurd question came to mind and made Drasion feel ferocious. The turmoil that came like a tsunami made him feel more confused and afraid. Somehow, he felt a sense of anxiety like he shouldn¡¯t just sit still. The desire to quickly dye the world with his curse and inflict the same confusion and pain that he felt in others arose.


    This was pure instinct. An instinct that couldn¡¯t be resisted.


    ¡®...I have to leave this ce first.¡¯


    An abyss filled with deep darkness¡ªin the Abyss, the entrance to hell and the exit to the earth coexisted, but Drasion only looked at the exit. He was a great demon who had experienced pain on the earth and there was the variable called Grid protecting the earth. Even so, the world he wanted was the earth, not hell.


    Why? Drasion himself didn¡¯t understand his unusual obsession.


    p.


    Drasion raised his crouching body. ck feathers fluttered in all directions as he spread open his wings. He was trying to fly out when his ankle was grabbed by a hand rising from the ground. Drasion looked down in a startled manner and saw red eyes.


    ¡°Is there a need to be so anxious?¡±


    The owner of the eyes exuded enough magic power to make even Drasion nervous. It was demonic energy that was thick enough to dye the golden clouds that Drasion saw in his dreams ck.


    ¡°Baal...¡± The 1st great demon¡ªDrasion vividly remembered the true evil that ruled hell on behalf of the evil god Yatan. ¡°Why have youe to me?¡±


    ¡°I came to congratte my old colleague after hearing that you opened your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Colleague?¡±


    The great demons didn¡¯t easily use the term ¡®colleague.¡¯ They just had apetitive or submissive rtionship with each other. Drasion belonged to the former. In the past, hepeted without obeying the great demons who had a higher rank than him. He showed this consistent attitude toward Baal, yet Baal used the word ¡®colleague¡¯ without hesitation. It was as if Drasion wasn¡¯t apetitor from the start.


    Baal rolled his eyes and made aplete appearance in front of the frowning Drasion. The eyes spun and elerated like a spinning top. They seemed to be observing everything in the Abyss that was covered by darkness. He swept over it without missing anything.


    Then Baal snapped his fingers and a series of explosions urred in the darkness. It was the sound of those living in the Abyss dying. Now there were only two living beings here, Baal and Drasion. No one could eavesdrop on the conversation between the two of them. ¡°I will tell you one thing.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°You will die in this war. It is impossible to conquer the earth with the power of the 11th great demon.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a curse and a mockery. Baal¡¯s terrible personality was still the same. Drasion was turning away due to this when he heard Baal¡¯s words continue.


    ¡°So don¡¯t deny death this time. ept it.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    They were meaningful words. Drasion looked back and found that Baal was already gone.


    ***


    The 1st ranked ck magician, Rose¡ªas a Servant of Yatan, she received revtions from the great demon Amoract. It was the same again this time. She was tasked with monitoring the great demon of curses who could possibly be resurrected.


    Rose was a bit puzzled about why it was surveince rather than assistance, but shepleted the mission as seriously as always. She sent a familiar to the Abyss and witnessed the resurrection of the demon of curses. She was delighted to see Grid¡¯s powerless retreat and frustrated when she saw that Drasion didn¡¯t go up to the earth despite defeating Grid. Even so, she focused on her mission.


    This was when the 1st great demon Baal appeared. The great demon at the peak that she only heard about through rumors was amazing just from his presence. The unique rated familiar, the ¡®twilight bat¡¯ was scared and tried to escape. Rose understood the heart of the twilight bat but didn¡¯t listen to its wish.


    She controlled the twilight bat to observe Baal a bit more clearly. The result was painful. Baal rolled his eyes a few times and the twilight bat lost its life.


    [The familiar ¡®twilight bat¡¯ has been destroyed.]


    ¡°I was noticed.¡±


    The familiar could work in ces far away from its master and share its vision with the master but the penalty was that they only had one life. Unlike pets who could be summoned again after the cooldown had passed, death was the end for a familiar. Rose lost a unique rated familiar and suffered huge losses.


    She was feeling regret when Amoract sent her a new revtion


    -My dear child, set off for the Saharan Empire straight away.


    The great demon of curses is about to rise to the earth.


    The Saharan Empire will soon turn into a battlefield.


    Amoract would tell her to stand on the side of Drasion and fight together¡ªRose thought of it this way and felt hope.


    ¡®This time, I will be sure to win.¡¯


    Until now, Rose had fought on the side of many great demons. Unfortunately, she never got a single victory. Was it because the great demons were weaker than she thought? No. It was just that humanity was strong. Every time people with different or simr abilities gathered around Grid, their fighting power was more than expected and the great demons were always defeated.


    However, this time would be different. Rose had seen Drasion¡¯s Doom. The biggest reason yers could do boss raids with less health was due to their ¡®healing¡¯ and ¡®recovery¡¯ abilities. Doom was a deadly power that blocked this. Humans would never be able to raid Drasion as long as he had this great power.


    Rose¡¯s mouth curved up in a smile when she thought this. She imagined the soaring authority of the Yatan Church and the rewards that would be earned the moment a great demon¡¯s territory was established on the earth and she was fascinated.


    ¡®There are no eternally strong people.¡¯


    In many MMORPGs in the past, there were always strong forces. A guild made by gathering numerous rankers or an alliance of strong guilds would rule the game. However, Rose knew there were few forces that reigned forever. It was because a force that was too strong would create another force to go against it.


    ¡®The era of the Yatan Church is beginning.¡¯


    The moment the Yatan Church established itself in the Saharan Empire destroyed by Drasion, there was a high possibility that the forces hostile to or wary of the Overgeared Kingdom would cooperate with the Yatan Church. It meant that the strongest force in the history of Satisfy would be born with the great demons behind it.


    ¡°Yes, I know...¡±


    It happened when the joyful Rose was going to answer vigorously...


    -Go and help the humans destroy Drasion.


    Amoract¡¯s words continued and the glorious future Rose imagined was shattered.


    ¡°...Huh? Fight on the same side as humans?¡±


    Rose doubted her ears. She thought she heard Amoract incorrectly. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t the case.


    [A new revtion has urred.]


    [Destroy the Demon of Curses]


    [Rating: SSS++


    Amoract, the agent of God Yatan, wants the destruction of Drasion, the demon of curses.


    Follow her will and destroy Drasion along with humanity.


    Revtion Clear Reward: 2 levels. A race change to a demon.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t know the rtionship between great demons.¡¯


    Rose knew that the great demons had apetitive rtionship. She just didn¡¯t expect there would be a case of cooperating with humans to kill another great demon.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Would the Overgeared Guild ept her help? Rose¡¯s rtionship with the Overgeared Guild was the worst. If she went to help then it would be fortunate not to have a knife stabbed in her back. Still, Rose had no choice. It was changing her race to a demon, not a simple demonkin.


    This time, the reward was too big. From Rose¡¯s position, it was a revtion she wanted toplete.


    ***


    Empress Basara prepared for a war with Drasion and first evacuated the people. Only the sound of knights and soldiers marching through the empty Titan was heard.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be able to defeat even Baal with this much power?¡±


    On the way to the Abyss, Vantner deliberately spoke loudly in order to break the tense silence.


    ¡°Our Overgeared Kingdom and the empire is united. What can the 11th ranked great demon do against us?¡¯


    Color returned to the faces of the soldiers trembling with fear. Piaro, the pir of the former empire and Kyle, the pir of the current empire. 1st Knight Mercedes of the previous generation and the single digit Red Knights of the current generation. Overgeared King Grid and the dukes of the empire.


    The soldiers were reminded of who they were with and felt courage they didn¡¯t have. Yes, they would win. They would fight and defeat the great demons with the strongest of the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom. Unlike the imperial soldiers whose morale was raised, Grid was tense.


    ¡®Can we win?¡¯


    Doom was too hard to withstand. He had warned everyone of the power of Doom, but it was doubtful they could handle it properly. As he was feeling nervous, they got closer to the Abyss. The entrance of the Abyss could be seen in the distance.


    The imperial army wasmanded by the dukes while the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army wasmanded by Asmophel and Mercedes. Soldiers holding bows surrounded the entrance of the Abyss in formations while magicians and priests stood before the soldiers.


    The moment Drasion appeared, the soldiers would fire arrows to umte even the smallest damage while the priests and magicians would protect the soldiers from Drasion¡¯s wide area attacks.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid breathed deeply while the elites of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire took positions near the entrance.


    ¡°If you are a magician please take your ce by our side.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    The imperial great magicians pointed out Braham¡¯s position, but Braham just scoffed.


    After a while...


    [Drasion, the great demon of curses has appeared!]


    The ground shook and Drasion appeared. Arrows and magic poured out at once and hit him. Once his gaze was drawn away, the Overgeared members unleashed their ultimate attacks. No, they tried to release them.


    ¡°Gravity.¡±


    The Overgeared members had been rushing toward Drasion in the sky. Then they were unable to bear the effects of gravity and fell to the ground. It was Braham¡¯s doing.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vantner was about to scold Braham only to turn pale. It was because the single digit knights who jumped with them were cut in half by invisible des.

 Chapter 1349

    Was there any chance to survive if an ordinary soldier was Drasion¡¯s target? Of course not. The chances of the soldiers surviving was low even if Drasion didn¡¯t care about them. It was just like a mouse being stepped on and crushed by a bull. Drasion¡¯s unknowing behavior was likely to cruelly kill the soldiers.


    Grid, the Overgeared members, Empress Basara, the ministers of the empire, and even the soldiers knew it. The reason why the soldiers of the empire participated in the battle against Drasion was because they had a firm will.It was a will to protect their homnd. The reason Basara epted their will to participate was because she needed their strength.


    ¡°Shoot!¡±


    It was the moment a deeper shadow was cast at the entrance of the Abyss and the ground started to shake. Tens of thousands of arrows were fired the moment themanders shouted. Sharp arrows filled the red sky above the huge entrance of the Abyss. It was a spectacr show that fully demonstrated the strength of the empire.


    The thousands of arrows struck the giant body of Drasion that was just revealed. However, all the arrows bounced back without even scratching Drasion¡¯s skin. The soldiers didn¡¯t despair. The eyes of the tens of thousands of soldiers who loaded new arrows were still shining brightly.


    The magic of the magicians dwelled on the arrowheads of the soldiers. Some arrows were surrounded by fire while others by wind, ice, or earth. There were also arrows covered in the divine power of the Reba Church.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± Themanders shouted again.


    The tens of thousands of arrows once again flew in an arc. Unlike the first shot that was fired at the entrance after predicting Drasion¡¯s appearance, the second shot urately targeted Drasion. It boasted a higher uracy. Drasion just stared up at the sky and most of the arrows hit him.


    The difference was that some of the arrows prated Drasion¡¯s skin slightly. A small portion of the tens of thousands of arrows¡ªless than 110 arrows decorated Drasion¡¯s body like thorns. Among the arrows that fused different attributes and divine power, those fired by centurion-grade or higher soldiers had a small effect. The magicians and priests exchanged looks and focused their target on the arrows of the centurions and officers.


    ¡°Express your inner anger.¡±


    Then Drasion murmured as he took his gaze away from the sky. ck magic power spread like a fog and covered the battlefield.


    [Drasion¡¯s curse is spreading!]


    The raid finally began. Drasion¡¯s curse peeked at and brought out the anger and resentment in the human heart, causing confusion and violence.


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    Screams were heard from the camp of the imperial army. Some of the soldiers cursed by Drasion lost their rationality and started attacking allies. However, the confusion in the Overgeared army was lower. It was because Drasion¡¯s curse that stimted the ¡®target¡¯s resentment¡¯ showed a high hit rate against NPCs, but not yers. Lauel¡¯s choice to build a raid unit with yer soldiers, not NPCs, became a divine move.


    ¡®It is lucky.¡¯


    The reason Lauel chose yers rather than NPCs was simple. It was an era where the average level of yers was higher than ordinary soldier NPCs. Their abnormal status resistance and attribute resistance increased every time they gained a level so Lauel decided that yer soldiers would be much more useful in the great demon raid than NPCs soldiers. He didn¡¯t predict that Drasion¡¯s curse had more of an effect on NPCs, but it was a good fit.


    ¡°Kuaaaaah! I will kill them all! I¡¯m going to kill them all!¡±


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that yers werepletely immune to the curses. In particr, yers with low dark attribute resistance or confusion resistance were easily cursed. They lost their temper and started attacking allies. It was just that the number was rtively small.


    ¡°Jude, ears hurt.¡±


    Bam!


    ¡°Frozen Crystal.¡±


    They were quickly overpowered. There were so many strong people who could respond to variables in the camp of the Overgeared Kingdom. This included Jude, Marquis Ashur, Amelda, Dante, the former Red Knights, and the upper-intermediate members of the Overgeared members. They were members who couldn¡¯t join the main party, but it wasn¡¯t because they were weak. The main power of the Overgeared Kingdom was just unusually strong.


    ¡°Uraaaaaaah!¡± Vantner¡¯s noisy shout rang through the middle of the battlefield. There was a momentary gap when Drasion first appeared and the soldiers pulled the aggro. Then the main force moved quickly in order not to miss the golden opportunity created by numerous sacrifices. The main figures of the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom aimed at Drasion who was paying attention to the soldiers andunched an offensive.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The soldiers of the empire might¡¯ve made great sacrifices, but it was off to a good start, as nned. Relief shed on Lauel¡¯s face as he climbed onto the watchtower installed on the carriage and observed the battlefield. Light passed through the air for a brief moment before disappearing quickly.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expression became as stiff as stone. He first detected a change due to Mercedes¡¯ actions. She was spreading open her silver wings to fly when she abruptly stopped and turned. Soon after, Grid stopped as he was doing the footwork of a four fusion sword dance and immediately after that, Piaro suddenly pulled out seeds and started sowing them around.


    ¡°Gravity.¡±


    Subsequently, it wasn¡¯t known when Braham started chanting, but his great magic was used. It was magic that crushed all the Overgeared members approaching Drasion with gravity except for Mercedes, Grid, and Piaro who retreated first.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Vantner, who had been holding an axe in one hand and a shield in the other, spun like a windmill and suddenly crashed. He jumped up from where he was stuck in the group and was going to angrily question it when he abruptly stopped. It was because hot, red liquid poured toward Vantner¡¯s bald head that had swelled like a mushroom.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Vantner and the Overgeared members stared up at the sky and were shocked. They witnessed the appearance of the single digit Red Knights whose bodies were cut in half.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    They were weaker than the Red Knights in Juander¡¯s era, but they were still the Red Knights. The level of the single digit Red Knights must exceed 450.Yet an attackpletely destroyed their armor and cut them with one blow.


    ¡°Groan...¡±


    The knights numbered 1-4nded on the ground and groaned like they had escaped the crisis. However, all the other single digit knights couldn¡¯t avoid death and turned to gray ash. There was a metallic sound from one side of the sky where the blood of the dead was falling.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned in that direction. Rachel, Morse, and Grenhal¡ªthe empire¡¯s dukes were defending against someone¡¯s attacks with their backs to each other. The man attacking the dukes had his two legs bound by chains. The dukes were hurriedly defending against his swift attacks. The three dukes with such high skills were being pushed by only one enemy. Those watching felt it was absurd.


    ¡°You...¡± Grid¡¯s expression hardened as he looked at the situation on the ground. He alone knew the identity of the uninvited visitor overwhelming the three dukes. The person who had his eyes blindfolded and both hands restrained by a thick iron te. His ankles were also tied by chains that were too long.


    There was only one person with such an unusual appearance that Grid knew. Lee Jeong¡ªone of the Triad, and the person who was said to have the strongest ability among the followers of the Martial God.


    ¡°Braham!¡± Grid anxiously called out to Braham. The dukes didn¡¯t have the ability to fly. In the state of a full jump under the influence of gravity, they couldn¡¯t bear Lee Jeong¡¯s fierce attacks and needed help.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Braham clicked his eyes like he didn¡¯t like Grid¡¯s anxious eyes. Then he stretched out his long fingers and pointed it at Lee Jeong. ¡°GIga Lightning.¡±


    Lee Jeong was pressuring the dukes by changing positions from all directions. It was virtually impossible to target him from a distance. Therefore, Braham took control of all the possible paths. A powerful wave of electricity stretched out and spread around the dukes, causing the surprised Lee Jeong to back off. Thanks to this, the dukes managed tond safely on the ground and they bowed respectfully to Braham.


    ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    The resurrection of Great Magician Braham had already been revealed to the public. The great magicians stuck in the magic towers didn¡¯t recognize Braham, but everyone else knew him.


    ¡°Hup!¡± Great Magician Ricilia¡¯s eyes widened and he huped. It was the aftermath of seeing Braham¡¯s magic. The wave of magic power was so powerful that it was impossible to measure because it was instantly cast without the help of a magic circle or chant. Braham¡¯s strength was difficult to understand even with the vast knowledge of Great Magician Ricilia.


    "What are you looking at?¡± Braham became ufortable with the looks and questioned Ricilia and the magic tower members who couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him. They were startled and bowed simultaneously.


    ¡°Ah. I have sinned earlier. I didn¡¯t know who you were and dared to point things out.


    Ricilia and the magic tower members were great magicians who shivered with disgust at those who lost their dignity, yet they were all equal under Braham, Braham was satisfied with their attitude of deep reflection and warned Grid, ¡°There are some people who are trying to help Drasion.¡±


    ¡°I can see.¡±


    What was going on? Why were the followers of the Martial God helping Drasion? Grid stared at Lee Jeong in the sky before turning to Kyle. Kyle was a follower of the Martial God, but he didn¡¯t know the situation. Kyle spoke with difficulty, ¡°No, the Martial God has sent a revtion.¡±


    ¡°Revtion?¡±


    ¡°...I-It is a revtion to wipe out all the humans fighting Drasion.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wiping out the humans who worshipped him instead of helping? Grid wasn¡¯t curious about the reason at all. He just felt a strong disgust. ¡°These fuckers who are worse than dogs...¡±


    Flinch!


    Kyle¡¯s back was wet with sweat and he was shocked when he heard Grid¡¯s low curses. Grid gave a chance to the fidgety Kyle. ¡°You take responsibility for this.¡±


    This was a test. If Kyle broke the revtion and fought Lee Jeong, then it would prove that Kyle¡¯s allegiance to Grid was real.


    ¡°A-Are you telling me to fight one of the Triad?¡±


    The Triad was the peak of the followers. Additionally, there were rumors that Lee Jeong had recently learned the ultimate martial art.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle was dumbfounded and shut his mouth. He saw Grid¡¯s eyes and realized he was in the midst of a great ordeal. If it was just Grid here, then Kyle wouldn¡¯t have been troubled for too long. He would naturally choose the Martial God, not Grid. However, it was different now.


    Kyle looked at the tens of thousands of troops surrounding the battlefield. He didn¡¯t feel anything. It didn¡¯t matter how many soldiers there were. They posed no threat to him.


    Kyle¡¯s gaze fell on the dukes and surviving single digit knights. He wasn¡¯t afraid. He felt he could face them alone.


    Then Kyle¡¯s gaze turned to Mercedes and Piaro. He was pretty nervous. He had learned new secret techniques over the past year and was strong enough, but it seemed difficult to beat them both. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t think he would lose.


    Finally, Kyle¡¯s gaze turned to Braham. The moment he made eye contact with Braham, he was terrified and immediately shifted his gaze. It was the end of the conflict.


    ¡°U-Understood. I won¡¯t be able to beat him, but I¡¯ll somehow buy some time.¡±


    Kyle answered with a tearful expression and soared into the sky. It was the moment when a traitor was born among the 30 followers still remaining on the West Continent. Thanks to this, the Drasion raid team could focus on Drasion again.

 Chapter 1350

    The reason why the Triad had the best skills among the followers of the Martial God and why they were also called the Three Kings was simple. It was because they were people who could destroy a kingdom, build one, or ascend to the throne with their own strength. Kyle spected that if the Saharan Empire became the target of the Triad, then the Saharan Empire¡¯s status would be no different from a candle in the wind.


    ¡°Your intentions are impure.¡± Lee Jeong, one of the Triad, didn¡¯t show his face. There was no one in the world to witness his bare face when his eyes and nose were covered by a thick cloth. The people he showed his bare face to were all dead. ¡°Kyle, human who is favored by the Martial God, those steel-hardened hands of yours have choked countless humans. Why are you blocking my path when you were chosen and faithful to the Martial God?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was only three or four years ago that Kyle became the follower of the Martial God, but his loyalty to the Martial God was real. He learned various secret techniques at the Ruins of the Martial God and was favored by the Martial God after having his potential recognized. He also recognized the miracle of regaining his lost arm. However, he wasn¡¯t blinded by the illusion of faith and loyalty. Kyle was basically a smart person. He doubted the Martial God¡¯s will to harm humans.


    Gulp.


    Kyle gulped due to the pressure Lee Jeong gave off and asked a difficult question, ¡°Is the revtion wrong? Human beings worship the gods and make them strong. I don¡¯t know why the Martial God is hurting humans instead of helping them fight against great demons.¡±


    ¡°How can you measure the will of a god?¡± Lee Jeong answered immediately, but he didn¡¯t give an appropriate answer. Lee Jeong also didn¡¯t know the will of the gods. He just believed his god¡¯s will was right and didn¡¯t doubt it. Unlike Kyle, he blindly believed in the Martial God. This blind faith was one of the sins easilymitted by the foolish.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lee Jeong, who once looked like a huge mountain in Kyle¡¯s eyes, now became infinitely small. The awe he feltpletely disappeared the moment he glimpsed Lee Jeong¡¯s foolishness.


    ¡°...You stupid fool.¡± Kyle¡¯s self-esteem was high as he developed and steadily grew his talent with the help of Juander. There were times when he believed he was the best. Anyone who could subdue Kyle had to be stronger and smarter than him, just like Grid and Braham.


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Lee Jeong doubted his ears. A fool? One of the top three followers of the Martial God, he had reached the peak and was unfamiliar with this criticism.


    ¡°You are the only one here who is idle enough to listen to me. Who else would I be criticizing if not you?¡±


    The situation on the battlefield was flowing urgently. Humanity gathered with one heart and one will tounch a full-fledged battle against Drasion. As Drasion soared high into the sky, he spread open his wings and ck feathers covered the entire battlefield, causing destruction. The tens of thousands of arrows filling the sky weren¡¯t only aiming at Drasion, but also humans. The number of soldiers affected by the curse was constantly increasing.


    The golems that had formed a barrier in the imperial capital started to operate. The number was in the thousands. All the golems of each magic tower weremitted to this war. The golems that were the most active in this war were golems made of dirt. They might be low-grade golems with a lower cost unit and power than other elemental golems, but the magicians and priests had already grasped that Drasioin was vulnerable to the earth attribute.


    ¡°Holy Weapon!¡±


    ¡°Holy Armor!¡±


    The dirt bodies of the golems were covered with a sacred light. The people covered with armor and light gauntlets slowly and steadfastly advanced to Drasion and formed an encirclement.


    ¡°Fly Up!¡±


    The archers, including Jishuka, and Zednos, Lae, and the empire¡¯s great magicians, tried to bring Drasion down to the ground. They fired arrows and magic without a break from a distance, focusing on Drasion¡¯s wings. Drasion had to deploy a shield for the first time. Dark magic unfolded in a circle and surrounded Drasion, stopping the attacks of Jishuka and the magicians.


    The Overgeared members still looked bright despite seeing his unscathed figure.


    ¡®It seems damage above a certain level can¡¯t be neutralized.¡¯


    The soldiers¡¯ arrows and the magic of ordinary priests and magicians were consistently disregarded by Drasion. His health gauge that didn¡¯t change even after being hit several times had made the Overgeared members anxious. There were people who doubted that attacks wouldn¡¯t work against Drasion.


    Fortunately, Drasion wasn¡¯t invincible. The proof that he was threatened to some extent was the shield that unfolded to defend against the attacks. The problem was after that.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Drasion didn¡¯t stop his offensive just because he focused on defense. His wings spread wide beyond the shield and scattered feathers without stopping. The humans on the ground were pierced by the feathers and were killed or injured.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Vantner and Toban were surprised as they set up shields to block the feathers. It was because the feathers that collided with their shields suddenly turned into giant birds and opened their mouths. Their rolling eyeballs seemed to pop out and the hundreds of teeth inside the long beak seemed like sawdes. It was really creepy.


    ¡°The pattern has changed! Try to intercept the feathers as much as possible!¡± Toban shouted as he mmed a mace against the beak of the bird trying to swallow him. Up to now, while the feathers shot by Drasion were sharp enough to cut the target and had the curse ability to weaken the target, they were of no threat once they were blocked. However, things had changed now.


    Once shot, Drasion¡¯s feathers turned into living monsters and became a death army that destroyed lives. It was only by intercepting and destroying the feathers that they could prevent Drasion¡¯s power from proliferating.


    ¡°Shoot!¡±


    Themanders¡¯ shouts became urgent and the speed at which the soldiers shot arrows increased. The soldiers were now targeting the feathers fired by Drasion, not Drasion. Thanks to the soldiers¡¯ performance, the army of death couldn¡¯t increase the number.


    The moment that more difficult trials began, the participation of the soldiers started to show their worth. After all, there were no useless people in the world.


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡±The soldiers increased their shouts after confirming they were of value. Even if their fingers were bleeding, they still shot arrows to intercept the feathers, impressing the knights of the empire.


    The single digit knights had been scared and lost their motivation after seeing their colleagues ughtered. Now they regained their fighting spirit. Even the infinitely cowardly soldiers fought courageously. They thought they couldn¡¯t let down the soldiers¡¯ hopes. Additionally, the unidentified strong man who made them lose their motivation was facing Kyle, the pir of the empire.


    Kyle¡¯s back seemed to be saying, ¡®I will repay the grudges of the dead knights.¡¯


    ¡°I used to think that Kyle, who was on Prince Dndal¡¯s side, is an enemy...¡±


    Everyone was united when their homnd was in danger. The single digit knights smiled bitterly at their vignce and doubts toward Kyle over the past years. They were gathering aura at the tip of their swords when a voice was heard.


    ¡°Slow down your breathing.¡±


    The strongest and most beautiful woman in the empire¡ªthe former single digit knight, Mercedes, who the current ones once admired, had approached and gave them advice.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The single digit knights who followed her advice were astonished. ording to this new breathing method, the smoother the breathing, the thicker the mana in their body became and the greater the flow. Mercedes stood at the forefront of the single digit knights who felt they were more powerful than before. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡±


    They shot forward the moment Mercedes¡¯ silver wings opened. All the feathers and monsters in her path were cut apart and disappeared. Meanwhile, the aura at the tip of the swords of the single digit knights gradually becamerger.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Soon, a sharp stab from Mercedes broke through the lower part of Drasion¡¯s shield. The aura of the single digit knights pieced the waist of Drasion waist that was revealed through this gap. Drasion shook for a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate the empress and the people who drove you to this battlefield?¡± Drasion asked as he quietly turned his gaze to the knights. Cold magic power gathered at his fingertips and swirled. It seemed like it should shoot forward like a gust of wind.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    Cold sweat flowed down the faces of the knights. It was because they couldn¡¯t pull out the swords inserted in Drasion. Drasion¡¯s skin tightened around the swords of the knights and didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°Leave the swords!¡± Faker, who was guarding their backs while moving between the shadows of the main forces, appeared impatiently and shouted. However, for knights, their swords were as valuable as their lives. Throwing away their swords was throwing their pride into the gutter.


    ¡°You must hate your own foolishness.¡±


    Drasion¡¯s magic waspleted in the moment when the knights were hesitating. The cold demonic energy swirling around his hand was fired. Then there was the sound of skin exploding. The trajectory of the demonic energy that was fired at the knights was twisted and shot into the red sky.


    The eyes of everyone on the battlefield were focused on Drasion¡¯s chest. There was a spear piercing the chest that was as wide as a yground. It was from Pon. The conditional passive skill ¡®One Cavalry Defeats 1,000 Enemies¡¯ doubled his strength stat so his Rail Spear was powerful enough to critically injure Drasion.


    Drasion pulled out the spear embedded in his chest and returned it to Pon. The spear thrown by the great demon was extremely fast and exerted the power to destroy the earth. Pon failed topletely avoid the spear and his shoulder was pierced.


    ¡°Pon! Are you okay?¡± Vantner shouted with worry.


    Pon¡¯s trembling gaze fixed on Vantner¡¯s bald head. ¡°Light... I see it.¡±


    ¡°This jerk!¡±


    Joking at a time like this? Vantner was about to fly into a rage when he raised his head in amazement. A brilliant light was spreading in the gloomy sky that was a mixture of a red sunset and ck demonic energy. It was a light created by Grid¡¯s sword energies that contained an absolute momentum.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    The dozens of sword energies split the shield that Drasion urgently deployed into dozens of pieces.


    ¡°Disintegrate.¡¯


    A spear of light made from a powerful magic power beyond the limit pierced Drasion¡¯s body and dropped him to the ground. It was the moment when Drasion fell to the ground for the first time since he appeared...


    The humannd didn¡¯t wee his encroachment.


    ¡°Land of Destruction.¡±


    The ultimate in earth magic¡ªsimr to Disintegrate, the great magic that only appeared in legends caused a powerful earthquake that swallowed up Drasion.


    ¡°Pounding Mortar.¡±


    Subsequently, Piaro¡¯s attack smashed Drasion¡¯s body deep underground.


    Grid, Braham, and Piaro¡ªit was the moment when three legends who met across the ages overwhelmed the 11th great demon.

 Chapter 1351

    ¡®What?¡¯


    Movements that went beyond freely and actively using his muscles, and joints that twisted bizarrely¡ªLee Jeong was in a state of no breathing and wielding his limbs like a whip when he was startled and his breathing disturbed. He was flustered when he felt the ¡®energy¡¯ of 11th Great Demon Drasion weakening when he thought Drasion would easily wipe out the humans.


    ¡®These people?¡¯


    The reason Lee Jeong blindfolded his eyes was to awaken and train his senses. He immediately found the cause of Drasion¡¯s weakening. Out of the tens of thousands of humans gathered on the battlefield, he sensed that four people with strong energy were surrounding Drasion. They were so powerful that it was understandable for them to overwhelm Drasion temporarily.


    ¡®Two of them are familiar...¡¯


    Lee Jeong recalled the humans he met at the Ruins of the Martial God¡ªOvergeared King Grid and Mercedes. Additionally, a guy called Asmophel had joined them and Lee Jeong had been forced to release the restraints on his hands. Now he wondered if he would have to take off his blindfold to win against them. They were definitely difficult opponents. Lee Jeong might¡¯ve gained the ultimate secret technique from the Martial God and grew further, but he was still wary against them.


    ¡®These people have grown as much as I have.¡¯


    There was something else.


    ¡®He showed up with a ridiculous monster...¡¯


    One human being possessed an extraordinary energy that made Lee Jeong tense. No, was this really a human?


    Just then, lightning shed around the suspicious Lee Jeong. Kyle didn¡¯t miss the moment when Lee Jeong¡¯s breathing was disturbed. He elerated fast enough to cause lightning and squeezed into Lee Jeong¡¯s ¡®space¡¯. It was a space dominated by Lee Jeong¡¯s limbs that were forged like des. It was a space that he couldn¡¯t ess a while ago, but the story changed when Lee Jeong¡¯s breathing was disturbed.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s hands that had previously cut the bodies of the Red Knights was blocked by Kyle¡¯s hand and bounced up. His feet that had previously popped the Red Knights¡¯ heads like watermelons were caught under Kyle¡¯s armpits and snapped.


    ¡°The Triad aren¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    There was a wide smile on Kyle¡¯s face as he approached Lee Jeong¡¯s space and made the gap between himself and Lee Jeong favorable. He had already gone against the revtion. Kyle¡¯s despair and anxiety at the thought of not being able to hear the voice of the Martial God in the future disappeared.


    The Martial God liked the strong. Kyle might¡¯ve vited the will of the Martial God, but now he had fought and won against the Triad. He judged that he wouldn¡¯t be abandoned by the Martial God if he proved his strength.


    ¡°Lightning God Supremacy.¡±


    It was one of Kyle¡¯s ultimate attacks created bybining his talent to use lightning and the secret technique of the Martial God. The dozens of lightning bolts that shot from Kyle¡¯s body struck Lee Jeong along with powerful martial arts. It was a technique specialized in killing targets by using a speed that couldn¡¯t be followed with the eyes.


    Lee Jeong immediately retracted his broken right foot and blocked the attack with a knee.


    ¡®His defense is high enough to stop Lightning God Supremacy?¡¯


    The power of Lightning God Supremacy was enough to destroy a mountain. Any target within his space would surely be killed, yet Lee Jeong blocked it without a single wound. Lee Jeong tightened his muscles and aligned his broken bones. Then he ced his hands on his blindfold. ¡°There is a reason I sealed my sight. It is to train my other senses by blocking my vision.¡±


    The blindfold came off. The long piece of cloth was shaken by the strong wind created in the aftermath of the battle.


    ¡°Secondly, it was consideration to not cause despair in others.¡±


    Only a person with superior martial skills could be chosen by the Martial God to be followers of the Martial God. Among the Martial God followers, particrly superior talent was required to be one of the Triad, who was called the peak. It was an overwhelming talent that felt unreasonable from the perspective of others.


    ¡°Your talent will break the motivation of the other followers.¡±


    The words of the Martial God had made him decide to seal his eyes. Lee Jeong recalled the voice he heard decades ago and slowly opened his eyes. He saw Kyle and the sky behind him before this scene disappeared. Lee Jeong¡¯s deep gaze was drawn to the ground of the battlefield. To be exact, it was fixed on the white-haired monster standing on the battlefield.


    ¡®Is it a vampire? A magician at that level... is it Braham?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    Kyle was enraged by Lee Jeong, who did not look at him even after opening his eyes, and once again emitted the lightning bolts. He abandoned his form and gave himself to the flow of the lightning, moving like lightning. It was the skill, Lightning God Appearance, and after shortening the distance to Lee Jeong, he exploded the power of lightning gathered in one hand to create a massive shock.


    A bright chain of lightning tore through the red sky. Lee Jeong was in the center of it and it seemed he would absolutely not be safe. However, he was fine without a single hair on his head damaged. No, hisplexion started to improve beyond a normal level. The deep wrinkles around his mouth and nose seemed to blur andpletely disappear. His eyes also became clearer. It was the aftermath of Lee Jeong¡¯s body absorbing the lightning instead of blocking it.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kyle felt his power being sucked away and withdrew his lightning in a hurry. It was the act of digging his own grave. His physical ability after putting away the lightning was several times inferior to when he had the lightning. Kyle failed to respond to Lee Jeong¡¯s attacks. His shoulders were deeply cut and he eventually backed away from Lee Jeong. Then he started to run away.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s eyes were disgusted as he saw Kyle¡¯s ugliness. ¡°I wanted to know how great you were to vite the will of God and insult me, but it is only up to here.¡±


    Lee Jeong confirmed that Kyle¡¯s betrayal and rebellion stemmed from foolish arrogance and criticized the Martial God for the first time in his life.


    ¡®How did he feel any expectations for this guy?¡¯


    Lee Jeong also started running. He nned to follow Kyle, sh Kyle¡¯s throat, and then sweep across the battlefield. He didn¡¯t know why, but the Martial God told him to protect Drasion. Thus, he nned to faithfully fulfill thatmand. However, his n ran into difficulties from the start.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Kyle seemed to be running away without looking back, only to stop abruptly. Once again, he covered his body with lightning and counterattacked. It seemed he had been waiting for Lee Jeong to put away his strong defense.


    ¡®This guy is tenacious!¡¯ Lee Jeong was annoyed as Kyle kicked his chest. It was a surprise attack that Lee Jeong had to allow since he gave up defending himself for pursuit. Nevertheless, it was Kyle who was in a crisis, not Lee Jeong. Lee Jeong endured the shock and raised his hand to grab Kyle¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡± Kyle¡¯s scream echoed through the sky as his ankle was broken, yet no one came to help Kyle. Everyone ignored Kyle and was focused on Drasion who was creeping out from the ground.


    ¡°You are an abandoned dog,¡± Lee Jeong mocked Kyle who was feeling alone and betrayed. ¡°The reason humans are vulnerable to Drasion is because of their sense of inferiority. It is the nature of humans to be jealous of those who are better than themselves. Thus, they are easily exposed to Drasion¡¯s curse.¡±


    ¡°Gasp, gasp... Kuoock...¡±


    ¡°Will ordinary humans genuinely respect and love you, who had the talent to be chosen by the Martial God? No, absolutely not. All of them hope for your death. They foolishly believe that their worth will rise if those better than themselves will die and disappear. They will appreciate your ending.¡±


    Kyle didn¡¯t deny it. He thought he had been abandoned after being used.


    ¡®I stood on the wrong side.¡¯


    Dammit, he misjudged after being affected by Grid¡¯s pressure. Why did he listen to Grid¡¯s order over the Martial God¡¯s revtion?


    Lee Jeong aimed at Kyle who was feeling deep despair and regret. ¡°It is toote to regret it. The sin of going against God¡¯smand can¡¯t be forgiven even with death. You will fall down for the crime of treason.¡±


    He would die. Kyle was closing his eyes due to the horror of Lee Jeong¡¯s fists, only to open his eyes in shock at the voice he heard right next to him, ¡°Do you think there are so many idiots in the world who are loyal to dumb orders?¡±


    He found Overgeared King Grid standing in front of him. Grid¡¯s eyes were shining as sharply as ever as he pushed away the fists with a sheath.


    ¡°......¡±


    28 new figures appeared behind Lee Jeong and frowned at Grid¡¯s nonsense. All of the Martial God followers who remained on the West Continent for their own reasons like Lee Jeong and Kyle gathered together. Lee Jeong opened his mouth after a moment of silence, ¡°It has been a while, Overgeared King Grid.¡±


    He didn¡¯t refute Grid¡¯s criticism. Rather, he seemed to have not heard it. ¡°Thest time I met you at the Ruins of the Martial God, I was in a situation where I was forced to give way to you. This time, my position is different.¡±


    Lee Jeong had 28 followers and had the advantage.


    Drasion was crawling up to the ground after being buried underground. He had suffered quite a lot of wounds, but a great demon didn¡¯t die easily. Moreover, he was the 11th great demon and would obviously still have a lot of power remaining. Lee Jeong was convinced that the odds were with him.


    Kyle seemed to agree with him. ¡°K-King Grid, there is no chance of victory in this war.¡±


    Lee Jeong¡¯s ability alone was overwhelming. Furthermore, there were 28 followers of the Martial God who seemed to have learned at least 10 secret techniques. Besides, the great demon Drasion was still alive. Who in the world could handle them?


    The followers didn¡¯t seem interested in conversation. The 28 followers of the Martial God started to pull out various weapons. Kyle was shocked and gulped when he saw the weapons.


    ¡°Drop your weapons.¡±


    They thought Grid was talking nonsense. The 28 followers raised the weapons they were holding in their hands. The effect of Talima¡¯s Shame was demonstrated.


    [King¡¯s Negation]


    [Suppresses the battle gears with no ego.


    The equipment of any target within a radius of 10 meters that isn¡¯t an ego item will be forcibly disarmed. It is up to 30 times.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None


    Skill Duration: 3 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 7 minutes.]


    The power of items. Grid temporarily disabled the followers of the Martial God using the item effect. Then he used Freely Move to lightly dodge Lee Jeong¡¯s attack and cut at the followers of the Martial God.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kyle realized something after seeing Grid overwhelming the followers of the Martial God alone: He didn¡¯t join the wrong side¡ªthere was a martial god here on the earth, and the name of the martial god was Grid.

 Chapter 1352

    The Cooperative Skill¡ªit was a hidden piece that urred when linking skills with people he had a deep bond with. Grid was the first person to uncover this very difficult hidden piece. Once the Cooperative Skill was activated, Grid¡¯s damage increased by a huge 260%.


    Grid, Braham, and Piaro¡ªDrasion was struck down by the three people¡¯s cooperative skills and disappeared from the battlefield. It wasn¡¯t possible to see his form because he was buried deep enough in the ground to suspect the birth of a new Abyss.


    ¡®...What is this?¡¯


    He was hit by Braham¡¯s great magic and Piaro¡¯s ultimate technique in a row, but the opponent was the 11th ranked great demon. Drasion must¡¯ve been injured quite a bit, but he would¡¯ve avoided fatal injuries. Grid expected Drasion to immediately rise from the ground and fight back, so he was prepared.


    However, Drasion didn¡¯t reappear. He was quiet under the ground, like a hiding earthworm.


    ¡®Is he trying to catch me off guard?¡¯


    Grid determined that Drasion was aiming for a surprise attack and focused all his senses below him. Grid nned to use Earth God the moment the earth moved even the slightest bit to block Drasion¡¯s movements. Then he would use a five fusion sword dance. Nevertheless, Drasion didn¡¯t move until the end.


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Uhh, uhhh...!¡±


    The screams and groans of the soldiers wereing from everywhere. The soldiers were still fighting hard even when Drasion was hiding. It was because the soldiers affected by Drasion¡¯s curse and the monsters made from his feathers were still on the battlefield.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid wanted to quickly kill Drasion and end this battle. However, Drasion didn¡¯t appear and he became nervous. He was wondering if he should chase Drasion into the tunnel, but his worries didn¡¯tst long. Fighting in narrow terrain made it difficult to gain an advantage.


    ¡°Even if the range of Earth God is 100 timesrger, I would have to turn the entire ground upside down...?¡±


    Grid was so focused because he didn¡¯t want to make a mistake. Then his gaze suddenly shifted to the sky. It was because he heard Kyle¡¯s screams. He observed Kyle¡¯s situation and found that it wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡®Kyle can¡¯t even beat the Triad?¡¯


    In fact, Grid¡¯s expectations for Kyle were great. Kyle had the setting of a person with ¡®high potential to make the emperor confident in him.¡¯ Therefore, he was a person with high growth potential among the super named NPCs. In fact, Kyle was stronger than Grid. Grid had grown infinitely and gained strength that surpassed the single digit knights, the normal yangbans, and the dukes, but he hadn¡¯t surpassed Kyle.


    Kyle might shrink back because he misunderstood Grid¡¯s power, but it was always Kyle who had the upper hand in the rtionship between him and Grid. Yes, Kyle was strong. They met after a long time and Kyle had clearly entered a higher stage of transcendence. His status might be lower than Grid¡¯s status, but considering the various additional stats obtained by super named NPCs and Kyle¡¯s unique lightning ability, Kyle was clearly stronger than Grid.


    Of course, that was a story when calcting it numerically. Until now, Grid had fought and won against opponents stronger than himself. The result of the two of them fighting was unknown.


    ¡°The followers of the Martial God are variables.¡± Braham sent a warning as he stood beside Grid and watched Drasion¡¯s movements. ¡°If we can¡¯t stop them from invading the battlefield then the damage to our allies will be several times greater.¡±


    There were new figures appearing in the sky. Those who were gathered by Lee Jeon¡¯s side by using a sky walking movement technique were followers who had acquired at least 10 secret techniques.


    Braham¡¯s gaze shifted toward Piaro¡¯s direction. Piaro was trying to sow seeds for when Drasion appeared. He judged that if the nts grew and took root in the ground, they could purify and weaken the demonic energy of Drasion lurking there.


    Braham¡¯s gaze moved to his feet. He didn¡¯t know when Drasion would suddenly appear from the ground. Braham thought for a moment before speaking to Grid. ¡°It is your role to stop them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham couldn¡¯t leave this spot. Braham was the best person to counter Drasion¡¯s surprise attack. Grid knew that as well. He knew that he and Braham were the only ones able to fight properly against the 29 followers of the Martial God who had taken control of the sky.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    There was no choice. Grid shook his hands that were trembling with tension and soared into the air. First of all, he had to save Kyle from the crisis. ¡®King¡¯s Negation.¡¯


    He used the skill attached to Talsha to make the followers of the Martial God abandon their weapons. He ignored Kyle¡¯s shout that there was no chance of winning, lightly avoided Lee Jeong¡¯s attack with Freely Move, and moved to the center of the martial god followers, creating a tsunami of sword energy.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    All 29 of the Martial God followers, including Lee Jeong, were swept up by the tsunami of sword energy and were pulled to Grid¡¯s side. Then he cut all of them.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Many of the followers groaned and suffered from a ¡®loss of bnce.¡¯ In the aftermath of their loss of bnce, the progress of their light footwork technique stopped and they fell to the ground one after another.


    Wave¡ªit was the moment when the ¡®single¡¯ sword dance dominated the battlefield. However, no one thought it was a single sword dance.


    ¡°What is this? Is it a new fusion sword dance?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is. Not only is the damage factor high, it also caused them to copse and inflicted abnormal statuses on them... it is a wide area skill that is close to perfection.¡±


    The yers who ran nearby to watch the Overgeared Kingdom and empire¡¯s raid on Drasion misunderstood Wave as a fusion sword dance. It was natural. After passing through Chiyou¡¯s Test with the best grades, Grid¡¯s sword dance was strengthened and it was iparably powerful. He used a single sword dance and exerted a destructive forceparable to conventional fusion sword dances.


    ¡°You have definitely be stronger.¡± Lee Jeong purely felt admiration. The moment the effect of Freely Move ended, Lee Jeong appeared behind Grid and raised his right arm.


    ¡°No matter how strong you are, isn¡¯t it arrogant for you to try and deal with me on your own?¡±


    Lee Jeong¡¯s strong fists aimed at Grid¡¯s shoulder, but the person who suffered damage was Lee Jeong, not Grid.


    [The effect of Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix has ignored the damage.]


    [The Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix is releasing burning thorns.]


    ¡°Keuk?¡±


    Confusion appeared on the face of Lee Jeong who thought he had grasped victory from the moment he took control of Grid¡¯s back. It was absurd that his fistscouldn¡¯t even damage Grid¡¯s shoulder guards when it was capable of cutting steel like tofu. It had been blocked and he ended up bleeding due to being stabbed by the thorns.


    ¡®A divine item?¡¯


    A high artificial intelligence was sometimes poisonous. Lee Jeong was wary of Grid¡¯s shoulder guards and excluded Grid¡¯s shoulders from being targeted. Every time Grid moved, no matter how big a gap was revealed, he would avoid the shoulders and only attack other body parts. Lee Jeong created his own restraints. His movements became somewhat simpler and Grid¡¯s choices increased.


    Lee Jeong had a deep knowledge of martial arts. He had learned hundreds of secret techniques from Martial God Zeratul and used all types of martial arts. Therefore, he had skills that would give him the advantage in any situation. Lee Jeong didn¡¯t have a disadvantage even if he had the penalty of ¡®don¡¯t attack the shoulders.¡¯It was safe to say there were few people in the world who could beat Lee Jeong whenpeting with pure technique. Of course, it was the same for Grid.


    ¡¯An equal match? No, Grid is being pushed!¡¯


    The faces of the yers who watched Grid and Lee Jeong fighting in the sky were filled with surprise. They were amazed that Lee Jeong was gradually gaining the upper hand rather than being pushed in an all-out battle against the supreme one, Grid.


    In particr, the general public who weren¡¯t rankers felt a greater shock because they didn¡¯t know the identities of the followers of the Martial God. The more wounds that Lee Jeong inflicted on Grid¡¯s body, the higher the reputation of the followers. The identity of the ¡®strongest person in the worldview¡¯ in the minds of ordinary people with a low understanding of Satisfy¡¯s world changed from Grid to Lee Jeong.


    Just then, Lee Jeong saw a gap in the defenses of Grid¡¯s lower body. He kicked at Grid¡¯s shin only to instantly stiffen. It was due to items once again.


    [The effect of Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth has ignored the damage.]


    [The effect of Gaiters of the White Tiger supporting Heaven and Earth has released thorns.]


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Lee Jeong frowned at the shock and quickly made a judgment. Now he avoided attacking Grid¡¯s lower body as well as his shoulders. He was cing greater restrictions on himself. Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s movements became easier and he could freely move both feet. In order to stop Lee Jeong¡¯s continuous offensive, he started the fusion sword dances he hadn¡¯t been able to use before and the battle between the two of them became more intense.


    ¡®What the hell is he doing?¡¯


    A little bit further away from Grid, Kyle looked at Grid while taking down the followers of the Martial God. Kyle couldn¡¯t understand what tricks Grid was using to slow down Lee Jeong¡¯s movements. Therefore, he became even more afraid of Grid.


    ¡®It is impossible to follow Grid¡¯s movements at my level.¡¯


    He knew that Grid was stronger than him, but he never expected Grid to surpass the Triad. Kyle¡¯s misunderstanding deepened.


    Meanwhile, on the ground...


    ¡¯The energy of the earth gives life. Soil can be called the most sacred material in the world.¡¯


    Piaro was creating a forest in the middle of the battlefield while ignoring the noise around him. He paid attention to the fact that Drasion was vulnerable to the earth attribute. He did his best to turn Drasion¡¯s mistake of hiding in the ground into an opportunity.


    ¡®What I need to do now is make thend more fertile. I will kill Drasion, who is hiding in the ground.¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow moved faster. He was the spitting image of a farmer as he plowed the ground, sowed seeds, water them and transformed the battlefield into a green one.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    It was around the time when Lee Jeong¡¯s scream was heard from the sky...


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow stopped when he sensed the abnormality. The green forest he was working hard on started to turn ck. It was the aftermath of the earth being contaminated.


    The earth was shaking. A terrible stench came from every direction. Drasion had been hiding underground and polluting thend to ovee his weaknesses. Now he was about to reappear.

 Chapter 1353

    The ground started to rot and the size of the bird monsters swelled enormously. They became bigger than humans and every time they moved their beaks, the knights¡¯ shields were pierced.


    ¡°The number of them is small! Stay calm and fight!¡±


    The knights were busy encouraging the soldiers. They bravely fought against the birds to increase the morale of the soldiers, but it was counterproductive. Then the knights¡¯ shields and armor were pierced with a sharp beak. The flesh of the knights hidden behind the armor was torn off and swallowed. The knights staggered with pain at being eaten. Then the birds¡¯rge feet crushed their chests and they stopped breathing.


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    The bloody eyeballs of the bird monsters who ughtered the knights easily demoralized the soldiers. Unlike Drasion, who had floated in the distant sky, the bird monsters who were at a close distance gave a much more realistic fear to the soldiers.


    A bird monster chewing on the muscles of a knight quickly turned his attention to the soldiers. Large and small pus swelled on the pointed tongue located inside the bird¡¯s beak. It was really disgusting in many ways. The soldiers lost their will and were starting to copse one by one when a glimmer of hope appeared.


    ¡°Uraaaaaaah!¡±


    It was the appearance of Vantner, the bald warrior who dazzled the eyes of the bird monsters with his shiny head.


    ¡°You bastards! Why are you avoiding looking at me?!¡±


    The bird monsters born from darkness were inherently weak to light. Perhaps it was because it was soaked in sweat, but they were unable to stare straight at Vantner¡¯s bald head that was particrly shiny. They avoided looking at him. It was simr to them not being able to look at the priests¡¯ divine light.


    The necks of the bird monsters hit by his shield rotated 360 degrees. Then Vantner used his axe to cut at the necks that were twisted like pretzels.


    ¡°You bastards! Why are you avoiding looking at me?!¡± Vantner felt like he lost even though he won.


    Simr situations were ying out on the battlefield. Every time the knights and soldiers were threatened, the Overgeared members appeared and killed the grotesque bird monsters erged by the earth stained with demonic energy. The bird monsters were created from Drasion¡¯s feathers. No matter how strong, they had inherent limitations and couldn¡¯t be the opponents of the Overgeared members. The low morale of the soldiers started to recover rapidly thanks to the activities of the Overgeared members.


    "It¡¯s okay. Everything will be fine. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± The role of Saintess Ruby was veryrge. Her healing ability to heal injuries serious enough to cause death was a miracle to the soldiers. Some people prayed, believing her to be the goddess of light who hade. Some even believed she was a far more precious being than the goddess of light who only watched.


    Was it instinct or Drasion¡¯s will? The eyes of the bird monsters scattered all over the battlefield focused on Ruby. A murderous air worse than the small rising from the rotten ground spread across the battlefield. The bird monsters showing a clear killing intent ignored all the other humans and rushed to Ruby.


    The number of bird monsters left on the battlefield was around 100. It was a number that seemed small when it was separated. However, once they gathered together to run to one ce, the number never seemed small.


    ¡°Hide behind me.¡±


    The Saintess¡¯ Knight¡ªa celebrity who upied the top ranking of ¡®person eagerly waiting for the release of the ID change ticket,¡¯ Sexy Schoolgirl, was protecting Ruby. She flinched when she saw 100rge bull-sized bird monsters rushing over while hurting the soldiers, but she stood firm and raised her shield.


    Sexy Schoolgirl blocked the beak of a bird monster by using Guardian of Hope, an upgraded version of Shield of Divine Light. Then she swung the mace in her other hand upwards. The bird monster was hit in the beak and its head flew back and exploded.


    Ruby¡¯s skill Holy Strike was added to Sexy Schoolgirl, who received a stats bonus whenever she fought with the Saintess against evil opponents. This had a fatal effect against the bird monsters. However, the number of bird monsters was close to 100. Sexy Schoolgirl might¡¯ve raised her level to the point of being considered a ranker, but she didn¡¯t have the skills to deal with multiple bird monsters at the same time. Therefore, she depended on others.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Who was the question directed at? The bird monsters who were right in front of Sexy Schoolgirl didn¡¯t understand. In the first ce, they didn¡¯t have the intelligence to question it. There was a presence who answered Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯s question.


    ¡°Giga Lightning.¡±


    Braham used it like it was low-grade magic, but the high-grade magic that was actually hard to see struck the bird monsters. It was different from Braham¡¯s Giga Lightning. Unlike Braham¡¯s Giga Lightning that summoned an incandescent current, the Giga Lightning that hit the birds shone with a full color.


    It was a noble color that was gorgeous, but not frivolous. It was a beautiful magic power that resembled the character of the person who created it. Giga Lightning¡¯s electric current spread like an infectious disease and paralyzed the bird monsters. Blood flowed from the feathers of the bird monsters and the ugly monsters looked even stranger.


    Sexy Schoolgirl smacked the beak of a convulsing monster with her shield and gave a thumbs up to the sky. ¡°Nice assist!¡±


    ¡°Hah... Hah... I will rest a little bit.¡±


    It was Euphemina. As Mumud¡¯s Sessor, her potential for development was endless. It was the internal evaluation of the Overgeared members that she wouldn¡¯t only be a legend. She might glimpse the myth rating. However, it was shortly after she changed sses and her stats werecking. All the values were rtively inferiorpared to her potential. It was hard for her to use Giga Lightning just once.


    If it was just Sexy Schoolgirl and Euphemina here, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with therge number of bird monsters. However, this was a battlefield. They were with many colleagues, people who had been gathered by Grid. The number had long exceeded the hundreds.


    ¡°Shadow de.¡±


    Dozens of des rose from the shadows at the feet of the bird monsters trying to escape the paralysis. The movements of the des were fast and borate like someone was dancing and wielding it. They easily knocked down the bird monsters. It was the coboration between King of Shadows Kasim and Lantier Faker.


    The bird monsters screamed. Blood and intestines spilled from their split stomachs and polluted thend with a foul smell.


    ¡°Blood Lane.¡±


    The blood that was soaking the ground floated into the air. Soon, it poured down like rain and ughtered the bird monsters who were still breathing. It was the performance of Blood Warrior Katz who showed the strongest fighting power on the battlefield.


    The screams of the birds subsided. Soon, they turned to gray ash andpletely disappeared from the world. Only the dark blood soaking the ground proved they existed.


    ¡°Level up!¡± Sexy Schoolgirl shouted with joy. It wasn¡¯t just her. Ruby, who was in her party; Euphemina, who was in the sky; Faker, who was in the shadows; and Katz, who was standing in the middle of the battlefield, were all surrounded by the pir of light that symbolized a level up.


    As always, they grew in battle. Nevertheless, their growth was stillcking. They didn¡¯t immediately detect the abnormalities in the ground that vibrated as if responding to the anger and hatred in the blood of the bird monsters. The price was great.


    A huge hand pierced through the ground and grabbed at Sexy Schoolgirl¡¯s foot, tearing at it. A powerful curse was imprinted in her body through the wound and spread through her body in no time. Katz, who was standing confidently on the battlefield, also had his body gripped by a huge hand and crushed. Katz was critically injured and fell unconscious after losing a lot of health. His body crumpled like a sheet of paper and the curse spread through it.


    ¡°Shield...!¡±


    In the sky, Euphemina saw Sexy Schoolgirl and Katz falling sequentially due to the hands and used defense magic, but it was one step toote. Her shield was torn apart by dirty nails before it could bepleted and her chest was pierced.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    [You were critically injured by great demon ¡®Drasion.¡¯ A powerful curse has started to dominate your body. For one minute, you will be Drasion¡¯s puppet.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    ¡°Wh...at...¡±


    There was a bacsh of Euphemina¡¯s mana. Meditating to calm down the storm from using Giga Lightning became useless.


    [You are paying the price for using magic that your intelligence can¡¯t understand or implement.]


    [The power of the magic and casting time is reduced by 200%. When using magic, health and stamina are consumed as well as mana.]


    [This is a warning to stop using magic.]


    [This is a warning to stop...]


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Giga Lightning was used in exchange for potential. As a result, the fluctuating magic power eventually ran wild at the usage of new magic.


    ¡°Fire... Cough! Storm!¡±


    Unwanted magic was activated. Blood poured from Euphemina¡¯s mouth and nose as she lost control of her flesh and used magic ording to Drasion¡¯s wish. Then a violent storm of mes engulfed the soldiers of the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    Euphemina entered the immortal state in exchange for her use of this magic, but surviving was the worst development. Drasion¡¯s curse was still working. ¡°Blizzard!¡±


    A blizzard apanied by extreme cold swept over the battlefield. Euphemina was shocked that she killed so many allies with her own hands and felt like she was in hell. It was the same for Sexy Schoolgirl and Katz. They were also ughtering their allies as puppets of Drasion.


    The earth had been transformed into hell. The great evil that guided humanity to despair had finally been revealed. The notoriety of Drasion, the great demon of curses, wasn¡¯t false.


    ¡°N-No...!¡± Ruby¡¯s face was white as she desperately tried to use cures and heals on everyone in sight. It was the same for the members of the Reba Church.


    Drasion whispered as if he wasughing at their struggle to save even more people, ¡°Doom.¡±


    The end was upon them.

 Chapter 1354

    Grid, Braham, and Piaro¡ªDrasion was struck by the three of them and fell underground. Then he felt a sense of strangeness. It was because the physical pain of his skin tearing, his bones breaking, and his intestines flipping over was unfamiliar.


    It was very confusing for Drasion who was acting on the instinct of ¡®I hate the world, I want to lead the world to ruin.¡¯ Due to this instinct, he had been constantly fighting his self from his former life. Why did he feel like pain was unfamiliar when he should have received countless wounds on this enormous body and even experienced ¡®death¡¯?


    ¡°Noble one born from my wishes, may your kindness take care of them.¡±


    Drasion had some memories. He was smiling in a world of soft and cozy golden clouds, not a river of hot fire. As he bowed his head toward someone he loved and respected, the back of his hand was fine and white without any damage. It waspletely different from the now unsightly hands covered in ck and thick skin.


    ¡°Ugh...! Uwaaack!¡±


    Blood flowed from the eyes of the screaming Drasion. An unknown sense of loss gued him. Subsequently, doubts dominated him.


    ¡®Who am I?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t his current appearance that of his life before Biplonz? In other words, his original appearance. Who was the other self who existed in that bright world, who was happy without knowing pain?


    ¡°......¡±


    Drasion was suffering under the ground only to suddenly stop screaming. He realized the dirt covering his body was burning his skin.


    ¡°Curse...¡±


    This soil which gave birth to a new life.


    ¡°I curse you!¡±


    Thisnd, this world.


    Drasion wasn¡¯t curious about the source of his anger and hatred. He was a great demon, one of the lords of hell in charge of death. It was natural for him to feel disgusted with everything that sprouted life. The dirt around Drasion started to be contaminated with the curse. The curse stretched out like a tsunami and covered the entire area. All the life contained in the earth died.


    Drasion came out of the ground and looked down at it. The screams that echoed on this earthlyndscape were no different from thendscape of hell that he remembered. It was very satisfying. Now it was time to kill everything alive to express his displeasure.


    ¡®...That person?¡¯


    The golden clouds and soft voice that appeared again...


    Drasion didn¡¯t know if these memories belonged to himself or someone else, but theyplicated his mind. In order to suppress the confusion, Drasion rampaged even more violently. He gave up all his thoughts and abandoned his body to instincts.


    Now Drasion didn¡¯t use his wings. Unlike his appearance in the first phase, where he watched the bird monsters born from his feathers kill, he was more actively involved in the second phase. He mercilessly struck at resisting humans with his fist and terrified them by using the curse to dominate their minds. The human army that had gained the upper hand despite the interference of the Martial God followers were now rapidly weakened.


    ¡°H-Hik! The great demon is going crazy!¡±


    The soldiers realized it. The reason they survived so far was due to Drasion¡¯s inaction and the active actions of Grid, Kyle, the Saintess, and others. The power of the great demon that they briefly forgot about was beyond their expectations and imagination.


    ¡°Blizzard...!¡±


    It was a particrly devastating loss that the female magician of the Overgeared Kingdom became Drasion¡¯s puppet. She was young, but her great magic made them wonder if she was the missing Magician KIng. Once sheunched magic, hundreds of soldiers died and thousands were wounded.


    Katz¡¯ destructive power was even higher than hers. Unlike Euphemina who had the stats penalty, he became Drasion puppet in an intact state and unleashed a rain of blood. All the soldiers in the area turned to gray ash. The sight of thousands of troops disappearing in the blink of an eye caused themanders of the imperial army to lose their fighting spirit.


    ¡°W-We can¡¯t win...¡±


    The overwhelming difference in power made strategy and tactics meaningless. The people supporting them felt despair as they watched the number of Drasion¡¯s puppets continue to increase.


    ¡°We can¡¯t give up hope.¡±


    ¡°The goddess¡¯ blessing will take care of you.¡±


    They were the priests of the Reba Church. Their recovery skills healed the wounded and the frightened hearts. A seed of hope grew in the hearts of those who were ruled by despair.


    ¡°Doom.¡±


    As ifughing at them, Drasion changed all the humans on the battlefield into the undead. The extreme destructive power that was created solely for denying divinity was unmatched.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The soldiers who were being baptized in heals and the Overgeared members drinking potions were all in pain. The reversal of the healing effects caused even more casualties. Grid was also flustered as he fought against Lee Jeong. Grid¡¯s biggest strength was his survival ability. He was able to fight enemies stronger than him by steadily linking the vampire¡¯s lifestealing ability, his recovery effects, and the shields. Now the lifestealing and recovery effects became poison and it was very difficult for him.


    [Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring has been removed.]


    Grid removed the items that gave him the lifestealing effect and observed the surroundings. As he was fighting Lee Jeong, the remaining 28 followers of the Martial God had been reduced by half. Kyle showed an outstanding performance. The use of Talsha to strip the followers¡¯ weapons yed an important role, but Grid didn¡¯t see any hope.


    ¡®This bastard has noticed.¡¯


    At the beginning of the battle, Lee Jeong had been vignt about Grid¡¯s shoulder guards and gaiters. He thought he would be damaged and never attacked Grid¡¯s shoulders and lower body. Thus, his attack pattern was simplified. Then it seemed like he noticed in the middle.


    It was a fact that divine items that showed such a perfect performance didn¡¯t exist in the world. The three artifacts of the Reba Church and items of the sacred creatures of the East Continent weren¡¯t perfect items.


    As expected. Lee Jeong was no longer conscious of the shoulder guards and gaiters. He saw the signs of Grid shrinking back after being affected by Doom andunched a more aggressive offensive. Lee Jeong smiled as his hand was once again shed by the thorns that rose from Grid¡¯s shoulder guards and gaiters.


    ¡°It is at the level of an itch.¡±


    Lee Jeong knew that a drawn out battle was more advantageous to him. It was because Grid¡¯s breathing had be rough. Until a little while ago, Lee Jeong was wary of a drawn out battle because Grid¡¯s wounds kept healing like a cockroach. Now both of them were affected by Doom.


    ¡°I have been training my whole life ording to the teachings of the Martial God. I have a near infinite physical strengthpared to ordinary humans. It ispletely different from you who uses various things to maintain your physical state.¡±


    Health and stamina. Lee Jeong was superior to Grid in every way. Lee Jeong was a super named NPC while Grid was a single yer. It was natural for Grid to be pushed in terms of health when he could no longer recover with the help of his items, skills, and potions.


    ¡°Now who will fall first?¡±


    Their bodies couldn¡¯t be restored due to the influence of Doom. Lee Jeong nned to smash Grid during this time. If they fought while being unable to recover, it was obvious that Grid would be the one to fall first. Lee Jeong stopped his breathing and moved while leaving afterimages that were as gorgeous as the tail of a phoenix. Soon, a baptism of sword attacks and fists poured from all directions. The word ¡®defeat¡¯ appeared in Grid¡¯s mind only to disappear instantly.


    ¡°Storm of the Fire God.¡±


    Storm of the Fire God had a variety of field effects. The foremost of them was Divine mes.


    [Divine mes]


    [Unleash thetent mes in the Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart to form a storm of divine mes.


    The storm will control a 200 meters radius area around the caster, increasing the healing effect of all allies (except the undead or demonkin targets), including the caster by 20%. It will also reduce the healing effect of all enemies by 50%. Can¡¯t be resisted.


    Once a target with a reduced healing effect attempts to heal, ¡®Rage of the Fire God¡¯ will cause 15,000 fixed damage and will potentially reverse the healing effect.


    If the race is an undead or demonkin, they will be subject to extreme damage in the storm¡¯s rage.]


    In fact, it was a skill that doesn¡¯t inflict great damage to targets other than undead or demonkin. In particr, it would be difficult to inflict serious wounds if the opponent was a super named NPC like Lee Jeong, even with the effect of Fire of Willpower while inflicted fire attribute damage proportional to his willpower and strength stat to all enemies in range of the storm.


    However, Lee Jeong was currently influenced by Doom like Grid. He had been wary of Lee Jeong¡¯s unique characteristics of absorbing Kyle¡¯s lightning and didn¡¯t use the infinite sword energy. Therefore, he had only used the single sword dances that couldn¡¯t inflict serious injuries on Lee Jeong. From Grid¡¯s position, Drasion¡¯s Doom gave him an opportunity.


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡± Indeed, Divine mes exerted tremendous destructive power against Lee Jeong, who had be an undead. Lee Jeong, who hadn¡¯t lost hisposure during the battle, continued to scream.


    ¡°Please die quickly. Once you die, the raid can continue.¡±


    ¡°You...! You!! Kuaaack!¡± Lee Jeong was struggling in the midst of the pain of his bones and flesh melting. Even so, he gritted his teeth and rushed toward Grid. He felt that his life would soon end and wanted to kill Grid quickly. The problem was that Grid had built up a high transcendence.


    ¡°Transcend. Shunpo.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy to kill a transcendent who could use Shunpo at will.


    ¡°You! Are you going to run away? Don¡¯t you know any shame?¡± Lee Jeong¡¯s screams echoed in the zing mes without stopping. He was unable to catch up with Grid who constantly used Shunpo and his body burned downpletely, scattering as ashes.


    [You have won the battle against one of the Triad who is favored by the Martial God!]


    [As a reward for the great achievement...]


    ......


    ...


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Ironically, Grid defeated Lee Jeong thanks to Doom. He wasn¡¯t delighted at winning the battle with no odds and shifted his gaze to the battlefield while starting the steps of a five fusion sword dance. The target was Drasion on the ground. He was determined to tie up Drasion at the expense of himself until Doom¡¯s duration ended.


    Meanwhile, on the ground...


    ¡°Hey, cooperate with me.¡±


    Braham¡¯s knowledge and Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight were trying tobine. It was to destroy Doom.

 Chapter 1355

    ¡®Absorption can be poison.¡¯


    One of the ultimate martial arts¡ªKyle felt a terrible sense of helplessness at Lee Jeong¡¯s ability to take away the ¡®energy¡¯ of others. After having his lightning stolen and being trampled on miserably, he realized that Lee Jeong was an absolute person who couldn¡¯t be faced. He even thought that if Braham and Lee Jeong fought, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill each other. Yet Grid had killed such a Lee Jeong.


    Kyle marveled at Grid¡¯s judgment in using the holy mes to kill Lee Jeong, who had be an undead under Doom¡¯s influence. He wondered if Grid would win against Lee Jeong even without Doom.


    This was a battlefield where tens of thousands of intentions intersected. There were variables constantly happening. Grid immediately responded to a deadly variable and used it to achieve victory. There was no doubt that he was one of the top talents.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Kyle received a sickle attached to a chain in his back and he coughed up blood. He had deep wounds all over his body and his white clothing were dyedpletely red. It was daunting to deal with 27 followers on his own shortly after fighting Lee Jeong. No, he couldn¡¯t afford it.


    ¡®I will die if this continues.¡¯


    He had already done his best. He had provided Grid with enough time to focus on Lee Jeong and it was time to find a way out. However, it was hard to find a chance to survive no matter how much he looked. The 12 surviving followers of the Martial God tightly surrounded Kyle. The moment Kyle took a single step, 12 types of weapons would smash him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle focused. He thought about how Grid transformed a crisis into an opportunity in the battle with Lee Jeong and the word ¡®give up¡¯ was erased from his mind. Then he heard a voice piercing the battlefield from the ground, ¡°Kill me!¡±


    The person¡¯s name was Katz. A member of the Overgeared Guild who actively used blood as a weapon was sincerely shouting at Grid. At first nce, it seemed to be the worst situation.Under Drasion¡¯s curse, he became a puppet and ughtered his allies. He was left looking for death.


    A huge spear was rising like a tower from the pool of blood flowing from the soldiers pierced by his rain of blood. The moment it responded to Drasion¡¯s will and caused a massacre, a distinct blood fragrance drifted up to the sky and buried the odor of rotten earth.


    A tearful woman¡¯s shout was also heard, ¡°Kill me too!¡±


    She was disgusted with herself after freezing thousands of soldiers on the north side of the battlefield. She seemed to be a witch of the ice kingdom.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    All those who wanted to live were struggling while those who wanted to die were screaming. It was a hell of confusion created by conflicting wills. There were the followers of the Martial God who kept their mouths shut and ignored all situations. They were creepy like monsters whose emotions were castrated. There was also the strange appearance of Drasion shedding bloody tears.


    It made his hairs stand on end. Was this really the earth? Perhaps he had already died and were trembling in hell.


    A deep voice entered the ears of the doubting Kyle, the soldiers, and everyone else on the battlefield, ¡°Frozen Crystal.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kyle got goosebumps. The cold air that dominated the northern part of the battlefield seemed to have been gathered, forming an extreme cold that covered his whole body. In the end, solid ice that would never break was born and Kyle was locked inside it. Kyle couldn¡¯t move his fingertips. His body waspletely still.


    ¡®What is this...?!¡¯


    Unlike his stopped body, his consciousness was fine. In the thick ice, Kyle could only watch the followers of the Martial God aim their weapons at him. He would fall into the embrace of death without any resistance.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The restless Kyle was startled. It was because none of the weapons pierced the ice that surrounded him. All the sharp weapons and explosive martial arts couldn¡¯t even scratch the ice.


    ¡®Ah...!¡¯


    Kyle finally noticed that this ice magic was protecting him.


    This fact...


    ¡®Braham?¡¯


    ¡®Braham!¡¯


    Two other people trapped in ice like Kyle also noticed it. Euphemina in the north of the battlefield and Katz deep in the center of the battlefield. The two people trapped in ice couldn¡¯t move a finger and the snowstorm and bloody rain stopped like they were lies. It was possible to avoid unwanted ughter.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    The chaos of the battlefield ceased and silence ensued. Braham swept back his sweat-soaked hair and spoke in a blunt voice, ¡°Stay still and don¡¯t go on a rampage.¡±


    Braham hadn¡¯t been standing by when Grid was struggling with Lee Jeong and Drasion ran wild on the ground. Hebined his knowledge with Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight to analyze Drasion¡¯s power.


    It was identified that Drasion¡¯s curse, which infected a target after inflicting wounds and turned them into a puppet,sted for a minimum of 20 seconds and a maximum of 3 minutes. It was also found that the duration of Doom that turned people into undead applied for 2 minutes.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find a method to destroy them. It was because Drasion¡¯s curse and Doom weren¡¯t derived from magic, but from absolute will. It was impossible to intervene in a way that denied and destroyed the mental image of another being if the difference in status wasn¡¯t big.


    In the end, the choice that Braham made was simple. He gave up responding to Doom and used his strength to suppress those who were cursed. Just like this...


    ¡°Frozen Crystal.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Vantner and Peak Sword were cut by Drasion¡¯s ws and cursed. Then they were trapped in ice just like Euphemina, Katz, and Kyle.


    ¡°Frozen Crystal.¡±


    Lae and Zednos fell under the curse once their magic was reflected by Drasion and they were also trapped in ice. It was an ice they could never escape from without Braham¡¯s permission. No magic and no physical force could break this ice. Braham was the strongest magician in history and started to build up divinity by defeating the hydra and yangbans. His power was too strong.


    ¡®No way!¡¯ The great magician Ricilia was stunned. It wasn¡¯t because Braham¡¯s method of using Frozen Crystal was extraordinary. The use of Frozen Crystal to freeze a target was inherently varied. It was often used for protecting allies like now, as well as suppressing enemies.


    However, there was a limit to the damage that the frozen crystals could absorb. They were bound to break the moment they suffered more than a certain amount of damage. It was so shocking because Braham¡¯s Frozen Crystal was never broken.


    ¡°You should go and help Grid.¡±


    Braham¡¯splexion was growing whiter as the unbreakable ice increased on the battlefield. The mental power and magic power he consumed to maintain the magic added a burden to him. It was hard for him to use different types of magic while maintaining multiple frozen crystals. If it was Braham from a few years ago, then he wouldn¡¯t have done anything like this.


    He wouldn¡¯t care about the pathetic people who became the enemy¡¯s puppets or the deaths of insignificant soldiers. He would¡¯ve just attacked Drasion from start to finish.


    ¡°Frozen Crystal.¡±


    He was thinking about how Kyle would be a helpful talent to Grid one day and felt the need to protect Kyle. He didn¡¯t want Grid to suffer from guilt and hoped Grid wouldn¡¯t feel regret. He acted in consideration of what Grid would want. This was the result. Braham turned into a person fighting to protect someone. He felt this type of self wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°Leave it to us,¡± Mercedes answered Braham and moved with Piaro. She spread out her silver wings while Piaro wielded his sweet potato stems as they entered the battlefield to help Grid, who was performing his sword dances against Drasion with all his strength.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was because of them that Braham could y a supporting role. Braham believed in the skills of Grid and his knights. He knew they could fight against Drasion without him.


    ¡°We will join you too!¡±


    Furthermore, Grid didn¡¯t have only one or two colleagues. In addition to Mercedes and Piaro, the still surviving members of the Overgeared Guild and the empire¡¯s dukes helped Grid. Even Empress Basara directly took part in the battle like it was her active duty. They were filled with a belief that they would surely win fighting with Grid.


    ¡°Doom will end in 15 seconds!¡±


    Mercedes had analyzed Doom¡¯s duration with Braham and she delivered valuable information. Saintess Ruby and the Reba Church¡¯s priests had been trapped in a sense of powerlessness. Now they regained their spirits and paid attention to those on the front lines.


    Exactly 15 secondster.


    ¡°Heal!¡±


    ¡°Purification!¡±


    Ruby and the priests simultaneously used recovery magic to heal Grid and the others fighting Drasion. Drasion was shaken that they seemed to know when Doom would end and were waiting for it. Additionally, Doom had a cooldown time. Once Doom ended, Grid and his group members engaged in a fierce battle against Drasion, who was fighting without using Doom for a while.


    Drasion¡¯s body fell several times and this caused the rotten earth to vibrate. Of course, Grid and the others continued to suffer serious injuries, but they were saved from a crisis thanks to all the heals from the Saintess and hundreds of priests.


    ¡°Kuaaaah!¡±


    As the battle continued, the wounds on Drasion¡¯s body increased and he lost his temper. Eventually, it was the beginning of phase three. He roared like a wild animal and brought hell to the earth.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡± Just then, Yura opened a door to hell. The difficulty of the raid dropped sharply thanks to her ability to block Drasion¡¯s field magic and her use of the myth rated Alex¡¯s Magic Engineering Gun.


    ¡°Doom!¡± Then Drasion reactivated his power. It was finallying.


    Grid and his group were feeling tense when a new person¡¯s shout was heard from above their heads, ¡°Summon a Holy Sword!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A brilliant white light engulfed the battlefield and destroyed evil. The divine light given to humans by Reba, the goddess of light, exerted its power and Drasion¡¯s Doom vanished.


    ¡°Why did you only show up now?!¡±


    Pope Damian¡ªunsurprisingly, he was necessary for this raid, but the time he joined was toote.


    ¡°...Damian?¡±


    Toban was greeting and scolding Damian when his expression stiffened. The others were equally flustered.


    ¡°......¡±


    Feathers appeared on the battlefield that had be calm again. They were pure white feathers, contrary to Drasion¡¯s ck feathers.


    A sword covered in white light¡ªthe First Holy Sword that was Damian¡¯s symbol lost its owner and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Damian!¡±


    In the sky, two angels were stabbing at Damian¡¯s heart and cutting his neck.


    ¡°You are no longer entitled to the will of Heaven,¡± one of the angels murmured softly as he slowly pulled out the spear he had inserted in Damian¡¯s heart. Damian¡¯s eyes lost their light and the angel pushed him off the spear like it was dirty.


    ¡°Damian!¡±


    Grid rushed forward. He reached out to catch Damian¡¯s body that was plummeting to the ground. However, Damian turned to gray ash before Grid¡¯s hands could touch him. Grid¡¯s eyes becamepletely cold.

 Chapter 1356

    Damian was the Goddess¡¯ Agent before he was the pope. He was the human being chosen by Reba. Who would¡¯ve imagined that the angels, Reba¡¯s devoted subordinates, would be stabbing his heart and cutting his neck?


    Confusion was also evident on Damian¡¯s face.


    ¡°Damian!¡±


    Damian plummeted to the ground before turning to gray ash. Grid¡¯s eyes sank coldly as he took back the hand that had stretched out to grab Damian in vain.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the individual will of Zeratul to help Drasion, but the will of the entire celestial world?¡±


    Angels were the creation of Reba,the goddess of light, and legitimate people residing in Heaven. They werepletely different from the followers of the Martial God, Zeratul¡¯s private soldiers. Their actions represented the will of Heaven, not a specific individual.


    Golden pupils¡ªthey were beautiful and brilliant at first nce, but taking a close look, they were merciless and cold, so much so that the eyes of the demons, filled with all sorts of desires, felt more human.


    Chill.Grid got goosebumps as he faced the eyes of the angels whose thoughts and emotions couldn¡¯t be read.


    One of the angles uttered nonsense, ¡°Don¡¯t question the things of Heaven. Questions will turn into poison called doubt and this will be an opportunity to believe in heresy.¡±


    Surprisingly, the nonsense was actually the word of God written in the holy scripture.


    ¡°The followers of the Martial God hindered the humans fighting the great demon while you angels killed Damian, who came out to help the humans. Isn¡¯t it reasonable to have suspicions?¡±


    ¡°The gods have cared for humanity with benevolence. The proof is that you are still alive. Having doubts is a sin.¡±


    ¡°Is it for humanity that you are helping Drasion?¡±


    ¡°Are we helping the great demon just because we disturbed you? You are really narrow-minded and stupid. It is heresy to discredit us.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re not helping Drasion?¡±


    Grid had no intentions of keeping this conversation going for long. In the first ce, he was currently on a battlefield. Even at this moment, Drasion was going on a rampage and the members of the Overgeared Guild were fighting with all their might. The soldiers¡¯ screams were going from all directions.


    ¡°Then will you join us to fight Drasion together? It is the natural duty of the earth and Heaven to punish the great demons, right?¡± Grid spoke in a straightforward manner.


    It was to lead the conversation and prevent the angels from using sophistry.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The angels were silent. From the moment they appeared to now, they had been expressionless even when killing or chatting with Grid. Now small cracks appeared in their expressions. Their eyebrows shook slightly. It was a small change that others wouldn¡¯t notice at all, but it couldn¡¯t fool Grid¡¯s insight.


    There were very few people in the world with a higher insight stat than Grid. Grid anticipated that these jerks would soon be talking bullshit.


    ¡°It is our duty to punish the great demons. All of you, please step back.¡±


    ¡°So far, hasn¡¯t it been us humans who have been fighting against the great demons?¡±


    ¡°You have the choice to punish the great demons, but as I said, it is a duty for us.¡±


    ¡°We saw no signs of you when fighting the other great demons. Why show up now? Is there any reason why you are so obsessed with Drasion?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it as well? Drasion is more powerful than any great demon you have faced. It will cause too much damage for you to defeat Drasion with your own strength. It is right for us toe out.¡±


    ¡°You killed Damian for that reason?¡±


    ¡°The direction of the conversation suddenly changed.¡±


    ¡°What is different? It is in the same context. There is no reason for you to kill Damian. You said he went against the will of Heaven. Now that we are having a conversation, it seems that it is because you didn¡¯t want Damian to take part in fighting Drasion. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°No matter the reason, I have no obligation to exin it to you.¡±


    ¡°Really? It sounds like there is a reason why you killed Damian.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It must be true seeing as you aren¡¯t denying it. Actually, it is fortunate. If we continue fighting Drasion like this, we won¡¯t be stabbed in the back and killed by you, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The angels¡¯ eyebrows that were neat enough to make people wonder if they had a cleanliness obsession twitched once again. They felt like they were just hurting themselves while talking to Grid. They exchanged nces and looked at the ground. Death umted like a mountain on rotten earth and blood flowed like a river. There was hatred, curses, a terrible stench...


    After looking at thendscape of the earth that wasn¡¯t much different from hell with no interest, they found the priests of the Reba Church and called out to them.


    ¡°Siblings who serve the goddess of light.¡±


    ¡°You who fight evil with weak strength, lead the foolish and poor humans out of the battlefield that is covered with death and resentment.¡±


    It was telling them to stop here. It also sounded sarcastic, asking them why they wanted to intervene in a war against someone they had no chance to kill, dying a dog¡¯s death.


    ¡°......¡±


    ording to the holy scripture, angels were pure beings. The holy scripture said they weren¡¯t contaminated with ¡®emotions¡¯ unlike humans. They were absolutely good beings who didn¡¯t know malice and the Reba priests had believed this. However, this wasn¡¯t the case anymore¡ªthe priests had witnessed the angels killing someone in cold blood.


    Pope Damian had walked the path of martyrdom in the name of the goddess of light, Reba, yet they didn¡¯t even blink when they killed him. Was the logic of goodness right just because they didn¡¯t know emotions? Could those who didn¡¯t know emotions really show benevolence?


    Questions will turn into poison called doubt and this will be an opportunity to believe in heresy...


    The word of God rang an rm in the priests. The priests could feel it¡ªthe doubts they had at this moment were shaking their faith in the goddess of light.


    ¡°Ahh, God.¡±


    There must be no doubts. If their faith was shaken, then they would fall into heresy. The frightened priests knelt down and started to pray. However, things were different for 15 priests. Dressed in colorful robes, the 15 elders who supported the Reba Church weren¡¯t afraid to feel doubts. They looked up at the angels confidently.


    ¡°Doubts aren¡¯t poison.¡±


    The elders, who were covered in blood, cried out loudly¡ªit was in order that their voices wouldn¡¯t be buried by the noise of the battle. It seemed they wanted all the priests on the battlefield to hear their voices.


    ¡°We have witnessed with our own eyes the mistakes of our seniors who believed without questioning the former pope, Drevigo, whomitted all types of corruption on the pretext of the goddess¡¯ will.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t make the same mistakes as them. By doubting, we will avoid sin.¡±


    ¡°Angels! Their actions in killing the pope is definitely the will of the goddess!¡±


    ¡°God told you not to doubt, but you are doubting it. You are heretics.¡±


    The angels raised the spears that had stabbed Damian¡¯s heart and shed his throat. The transparent des of the spears that were dyed red seemed to indicate the blood the elders would soon shed, so it was creepy. The kneeling and praying priests once again felt the doubts they had been trying to shake off.


    The angels were the messengers of the gods. They were objects to be loved and worshipped. Then what was the reason to feel afraid now? This situation where they needed to fear the angels didn¡¯t make sense. They felt like their faith was being denied.


    p.


    The angels spread their wings and white feathers slowly fell to the ground. Just then...


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Drasion¡¯s movements as he expressed curses and swung hisrge arms stopped like they were a lie. He was hit directly by Chris¡¯ 1,000 Ton Sword and his head turned to the side, but his gaze was still fixed on the feathers flying through the air.


    ¡°White... wings...¡±


    His wings that existed in the unknown memories were also white. They were beautiful and noble wings unlike the current dark and sinister wings.


    ¡°I...! I!!¡±


    Drasion started to writhe as he held his head with two hideous hands covered in the blood and flesh of humans. The ck feathers scattered by him turned into thousands of bird monsters that cried out. Under the influence of the chaotic Drasion, even the bird monsters seemed confused. For the first time, a great change appeared in the expressions of the angels. It was an expression of anxiety.


    ¡°I beg God.¡±


    ¡°Lend me your strength.¡±


    After a short prayer, thunderbolts filled the red sky as the spears of the angels glowed.


    Whiter and whiter...


    The two spears gradually emitted a stronger light that lit up the world brightly, but it was far from a blessing. It was so dazzling that people didn¡¯t dare look up.


    ¡°I will punish the heretics.¡±


    The angels confirmed that all humans had dropped their heads and swung their spears. Their hair that was scattered in the wind lost its gold color and turned white. It was the influence of White Transformation. The angels could use White Transformation like Reba¡¯s Daughters.


    However, their lifespan was infinite. This meant there were no side effects. Huge shes of light violently covered the entire battlefield. The target of the angels wasn¡¯t Drasion, but all living things in this area.


    ¡®Sons of a bitches!¡¯


    What the hell did they want to hide? Why were they trying to annihte the witnesses? Grid was confused by the actions of the angels and took the posture to use 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. He aimed to extinguish the angels¡¯ attacks. Of course, the price would be great and there was a high probability that he would die from the bacsh, but he judged it would be beneficial if he could trade his life with that of tens of thousands of allies.


    ¡®Those who survive will be my strength next time.¡¯


    He prepared for a single strike. His muscles that had expanded to the maximum were twisted, causing extreme pain to Grid. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°200,000 Army...¡±


    He considered what to do next. He would run straight back after death. First, he would get rid of these crazy angels and then finish this damn Drasion raid.


    ¡°Crushing...¡±


    Grid was nning and trying to activate the skill when his actions stopped. He didn¡¯t know what caused it, but the world of a transcendent had triggered for some reason. In the world that had stopped, Grid learned why he had entered this transcendental world.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªhe hadn¡¯t been seen all throughout the battle and now he was running through the battlefield. He ran at a speed that the average person couldn¡¯t perceive and spread open a huge cloth. At first, Grid thought it was something left behind by Kruger, but it wasn¡¯t the case. The identity of the cloth was the Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s mental image. It was a mental image created by his desire to steal everything in the world.


    ¡°Stealing the Country.¡±


    The soldiers and knights of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire, the priests who were in turmoil, the Overgeared Guild members trapped in the ice, Braham who was concentrating on preventing the ice surrounding them from breaking, Empress Basara and the dukes standing beside her...


    Everyone on the battlefield, including Grid, was sucked into the Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s mental image.


    Just as the white shes created by the angels fell onto the battlefield, the only beings remaining were Drasion and...


    ¡°Kyaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    Rose and the Yatan followers, who just arrived at the battlefield.

 Chapter 1357

    -In the beginning, Reba created seven angels to help her.


    The great demon of conflict, Amoract¡ªafter giving a revtion to Rose and the Yatan believers to subdue Drasion, she noticed that Rose was quite likeable. She promised to make Rose a demon if this mission was sessfullypleted and also brought a part of her consciousness along for the journey. Then she told a number of stories.


    -Judar, Dominion, Zeratul, Eruas, Hexetia, Jillen...the gods that exist right now are the result of Reba and the seven archangels putting their heads together.


    ¡®Why did Reba make the other gods when she has the masterpiece called the angels?¡¯


    -in order to maintain her divinity, I think she felt the necessity of presenting humans with existences that would fulfill their aspirations.Angels are just a necessary tool for Reba and they are far from the idea that humans want.


    Reba is for love and the future, Judar is for wisdom and health, Zeratul for strength, Dominion for victory, Hexetia for technology, and Jillen for peace.


    Many of the gods promised to listen to human wishes in and in return, they have received prayers.However, it is impossible for them to fully satisfy human desires.


    The gods overflowing from the earth are the proof.There are the indigenous gods created out of human aspirations.Human wishes are too varied and there are countless gods born in response to their wishes.If Reba insisted on being one god without creating other gods, her divinity would be much weaker than it is now.


    The prayers to the heavenly gods eventually led to prayers of admiration for Reba, while the prayers to the gods of the earth have nothing to do with Reba.


    ¡®I see...¡¯


    Rose was listening to Amoract¡¯s story with interest, only to be overwhelmed with doubts. She didn¡¯t know why the topic of the birth of the archangels and gods suddenly appeared. How much longer did they walk? By the time Rose and the Yatan followers finally arrived at the battlefield, Amoract¡¯s consciousness, that had been briefly sleeping, awakened and opened her mouth, -Drasion was one of Reba¡¯s angels.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    That hideous demon, the 11th great demon was actually an angel?


    -The noblest angel, until she condemned the gods ofmitting the seven sins, being tainted by the emotions and desires of human prayer.


    ¡®Did she be corrupted into a demon for ming the gods?¡¯


    -Reba should¡¯ve been very afraid when she heard of the rebellion of the seven malignant saints.She might¡¯ve thought that if a powerful tool she made for herself stood on the side of the seven malignant saints, all the gods in Heaven would be subjugated and her position weakened.Drasion¡¯s real name is Sariel.An angel who protected the souls of humans seduced by the path of sin...


    sh!


    ¡°.....?!¡±


    Sariel¡ªthe noblest angel, who was in charge of monitoring and governing humans from making mistakes. The sin Sariel made was turning the eyes of monitoring toward the gods. She was thrown out of Heaven and fell to hell.


    She existed as a demon now so it was natural for Amoract to be on the lookout when it wasn¡¯t known when she would transform again. [1]


    Rose was listening to the story only to close her eyes. It was because she felt the red sky suddenly being engulfed in white light. The brilliant light disturbed her vision.


    -The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.The heavenly gods are trying to do something dirty again.


    Amoract¡¯s sigh was heard.


    ¡°Aaaaaaack!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    The Yatan followers screamed along with Rose.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    A terrible pain like burning flesh and bones struck Rose.


    [Your contract with Amoract has dyed your death.]


    ¡°U-Ugh...¡±


    A skill that allowed her to survive even if she took fatal damage¡ªRose survived thanks to the ¡®Undead Transformation¡¯ skill she gained from her contract with Amoract, and looked at the battlefield with a trembling gaze. The tens of thousands of bird monsters screaming around Drasion, who was as huge as a mountain, were destroyed without a trace.


    Rose was the only one who existed on the deathly quiet battlefield. No, she thought it was like that. Rose felt movement and was startled. The moment she raised her eyes, she saw two angels surrounded by a light so bright that she couldn¡¯t stare straight at it. Rose realized that these two angels had destroyed everything on the battlefield. They were the ones radiating a powerful energy.


    ¡°Archangels...¡±


    Raguel and Umiel¡ªRose was trembling as the brilliant names of the angels entered her view while Amoract¡¯s sigh was heard.


    -These guys...they recognized Sariel as an angel for a moment and formed the Trinity.


    The heavenly world, in other words, the angels and gods of Asgard, must be three in order to achieveplete harmony and exert absolute power.


    Just as the great demons can¡¯t easilye up to earth, the angels and gods can¡¯t descend here.


    If three or more angels or godse down to the earth, the earth won¡¯t be able to bear their divinity and will fall into chaos.


    This was why Amoract thought Drasion should be defeated as soon as possible. Amoract had predicted the situation. A situation where two angels descended and formed a Trinity with Drasion, destroying Drasion with this power. It was a shame for Amoract.


    -Too bad.It is only when the reality of Drasion is known to humans that the true nature of the gods will spread and the prestige of Heaven will fall.Drasion must be destroyed by human hands.Everyone in the world should¡¯ve witnessed the white soul.


    It was a great shame that there were only two witnesses for this moment¡ªAmoract and Rose, who already knew all the facts. It happened when Amoract was clicking her tongue...


    In the middle of the battlefield where everything was destroyed and turned into ashes, a human face appeared. It was an old man with a hunched back. The eyes of the angels in the sky and Rose widened. It was because once the old man took out a piece of cloth and unfolded it, hundreds or thousands of people appeared to fill the scene.


    All of them witnessed the transparent skin and golden hair that were revealed through the cracks urring on the dying skin of Drasion. Additionally, there were the white wings.


    ¡°I...¡± Drasion tried to say something only to stop when red blood spilled from his mouth and nose. ¡°I am actually...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The angels in the sky had distorted expressions like crumpled pieces of paper. They looked more like demons than angels. Grid blocked the way of those urgently descending with their spears pointed at Drasion.


    ¡°Open Potential. Dragon.¡±


    [Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance, Dragon, has temporarily evolved into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    ¡°You dare to block the path of an angel!¡±


    The angels were angry and simultaneously swung their spears. They were angels that boasted enough divine power to annihte tens of thousands of humans if they formed the Trinity. One angel could easily kill a single human being using just personal strength.


    However, Grid was acknowledged by Chiyou, the only god who had reached a higher level than the gods above the angels. He was a human being who would never lose whenpared with angels.


    ¡°Dragon Revolve Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid rose like an ascending dragon and deflected the angels¡¯ spears with his sword. His sharp de stabbed at the angels¡¯ chests. Then as Grid reached the top of the bewildered angels¡¯ heads, he rotated and his sword fell toward their shoulders.


    Next, the Grid above them fell toward them.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the angels shone with a white light as they were bitten by the dragon¡¯s teeth, pierced and stabbed, and eventually crashed to the ground.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    The angels didn¡¯t die. They just couldn¡¯t move for a while due to the major wound and Grid didn¡¯t miss this gap. He stared straight at Drasion with sad sympathy in his eyes, just like when he faced the demon who was alone in the Abyss. Then he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± There was no longer the blood-red eyes of a demon. Sariel¡¯srge eyes that were shining gold like the other angels felt warm and tears gathered. ¡°Sariel... Archangel Sariel...¡±


    In the end, tears fell from Sariel¡¯s eyes. After losing her memories and being exiled to hell for the sin of questioning the gods, she remembered all the sins shemitted during her time as Drasion.


    ¡°I failed to reveal the sins of the gods, I couldn¡¯t help the seven good people, and I hurt humans... please punish me as a human being.¡±


    A panorama unfolded in front of everyone on the battlefield, including Grid. It started with the image of Sariel as an angel who guided humans on the right while smiling happily, to Zeratul pushing the crying Sariel to hell, the other gods standing by him. This was all engraved in the minds of the humans.


    Raguel and Umiel finally got up and examined the faces of Grid and the other humans. Their cold eyes terrified everyone. Grid also shrank back.


    ¡°You have also be sinners.¡±


    ¡°We will destroy your souls.¡±


    Raguel and Umiel dered before their spears started to turn white again. Everyone¡¯s eyes naturally turned to the Great Robber of the Red Night. He gasped for breath and shook his head as he sat down.


    ¡°How much do you want to abuse the elderly? It is impossible to do it twice.¡±


    ¡°You should avoid it.¡± In the end, Braham stepped forward. He broke the ice that trapped the Overgeared members who were freed from the curse and quickly recovered his magic power. Now he stood facing the two angels alone.


    [The cksmith god Hexetia is supporting you.]


    At the same time, an unexpected notification window appeared in front of Grid. There was a deafening noise from the sky and a sword fell at Grid¡¯s feet. Grid recognized the identity of the sword immediately. It was an unforgettable weapon.


    [Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 6,500~11,300


    * Attack speed will increase by 80%


    * Physical and magic damage will increase by 200%.


    * Attack power of all attributes increased by 200%.


    A short sword made by God Hexetia, a cksmith who was motivated to develop further.


    Conditions of Use: Transcendent


    Weight: 1,100]


    [The heavenly gods are outraged by Hexetia¡¯s actions!]


    [Martial god Zeratul has locked Hexetia in an eternal prison!]


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    It was impossible for Grid to not know the sacrifice Hexetia had made. The angels rushed at him, cursing while urgently reaching out for the sword.


    ¡°Human! Don¡¯t touch that sword!¡± The angels¡¯ spears that were originally gathering a white light to cover the battlefield only shot at Grid.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage.]


    ¡°Kuhak!¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision blurred. The strength of the angels, who formed the Trinity using Sariel, was at a level that Grid couldn¡¯t handle at all. He was on the brink of death.


    [Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword has been equipped.]


    ¡°...Kill.¡±


    The short sword that Grid barely grabbed stretched out and pierced Raguel¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Uwack...!¡±


    Who would¡¯ve imagined there woulde a moment when he would scream as he died? Raguel doubted it at the moment of death. Umiel¡¯s face turned white and he hurriedly spread open his wings to flee into the sky.


    ¡®What type of development...¡¯


    Killing an angel¡ªGrid, who reached an improbable end to the situation while trying to raid a great demon, grabbed his head that was full ofplicated thoughts and sat down. Huge rewards kept popping up in his vision, but he hoped this moment was a dream. However, Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword in his hand was telling him that it wasn¡¯t a dream, but reality.


    [1] Something I wanted to note. I¡¯ve previously used ¡®him¡¯ for Drasion because no gender words were used when referring to him but Biplonz was male. In this chapter, female gender words are used for Sariel, but only when talking about Sariel. Since Sariel is a past life and it is possible that her current life has a male form, I¡¯ve kept it as male for Drasion and only used female pronouns when specifically talking about Sariel.

 Chapter 1358

    [The first death has been delivered to Archangel Raguel.]


    Like great demons, archangels didn¡¯t die easily. Even if they died, they would be resurrected again. The difference was that great demons drifted in their soul state after death, acquiring a new body, and reincarnating. Meanwhile, archangels were immediately resurrected in Heaven.


    It was a glimpse into the personality differences of the gods who made them. Yatan, who created the great demons, was the god of destruction, death, and rest. The reason it took time for the dead great demons to resurrect was due to the teachings of God Yatan to take a rest while looking back on the weight of death.


    On the other hand, Reba was the goddess of benevolence. The dead archangels were immediately resurrected so as to not suffer from the pain and solitude of death. It was easy and familiar for her to recreate the body of a dead archangel.


    [This is a yer¡¯s ¡®first¡¯ achievement!]


    It wasn¡¯t humanity¡¯s first achievement. This was the only way that made sense. Some of the archangels had already tasted death in the battle against the seven good people a long time ago. Archangels who had never died before, like Raguel, might be surprisingly rare.


    [The Angel¡¯s Halo has been acquired.]


    [The Angel¡¯s Feather has been acquired.]


    [Raguel¡¯s Spear has been acquired.]


    [The title ¡®Angel yer¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Your name has been inscribed on the beginning of a new myth. The reward for this great achievement has raised the level of your divinity.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has ri....]


    [Your level...]


    ......


    ...


    [Angel¡¯s Halo]


    [Rating: Myth


    A halo that glows above the angel¡¯s head. Now it has lost its life and its purpose is unknown, but it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    [Angel¡¯s Feather]


    [Rating: Myth


    A feather that has fallen from the wings of an angel. It is white and clean as if it can¡¯t be stained in any way. The usage isn¡¯t known, but it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    [Raguel¡¯s Spear]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1/1 Attack Power: 1,277


    A spear that the archangel Raguel used.


    After Raguel died, it lost its function and barely retained its form. it will probably shatter if swung incorrectly.


    Weight: 1,220]


    [Angel yer]


    [¡ï There is a certain chance of reducing defense when attacking divine beings.


    You have let the perfect being, the archangel, experience death and learn of pain and fear.


    Archangels will be wary toward you and angels will be afraid of you.]


    A halo, a feather, a spear, and a title¡ªapart from the title, it was hard to predict the value of these rewards at the present time. However, Grid noticed that Raguel¡¯s Spear and Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword were made of the same material and was able to make a guess.


    ¡®I think both the halo and the feather will surely have an important use.¡¯


    Divine stone¡ªit was a mineral created by Hexetia thatbined the advantages of all minerals in Heaven. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say it was the best mineral in the current worldview and it was better than Greed, which was based on pavranium. The content might not be high, but the material of Raguel¡¯s Spear was none other than divine stone. This meant that a small amount of divine stone could be extracted from Raguel¡¯s Spear.


    ¡®If I use Open Potential to upgrade my cksmithing skill, I could extract it.¡¯


    In any case, there was a high possibility that the ring and feather was likely to have a simr value to divine stone. Additionally, Grid¡¯s name was engraved at the beginning of a new myth and his divinity had risen. It was divinity, not deity. Given that divinity would rise by one every time he gained 10 points in the deity stat, it could be interpreted that the rewards Grid gained this time was equivalent to writing 10 or more epics.


    ¡®No, my transcendent status hasn¡¯t risen so it isn¡¯t to that extent.¡¯


    Calm down. He had gained a huge seven levels, but now wasn¡¯t the time to rejoice.


    Grid took a deep breath and stared at Sariel who was still crying. Archangel Sariel¡ªhe honestly didn¡¯t believe it when he first heard the name. Wasn¡¯t Sariel the name of the archangel who led the Temr of the Reba Church? Sariel already existed so Grid thought it was a fake when he saw Drasion im to be Sariel. He epted that the great demon was ying tricks to the very end.


    Then he saw the angels rushing nervously and remembered Sariel, who was at a loss against Sitri¡¯s hand. Had Sariel ever demonstrated the majesty of an archangel? Sariel, the first archangel Grid met, had never left a particrly big impression on him apart from his unique characteristic of ¡®blocking magic.¡¯


    Grid naturally had doubts. Why didn¡¯t Sariel and the Temrs participate in the great demon raid where so many followers of the Reba Church were present? Additionally, why did Damian fail to return to the battlefield when he would¡¯ve resurrected immediately after his death?


    There were more than one or two suspicious areas. The most suspicious thing was the reaction of the angels the moment Drasion was revealed to be Sariel. Was it due to the so-called purity of the angels that they couldn¡¯t deny Drasion¡¯s ims?


    Due to the angels¡¯ reactions, Grid had no choice but to believe in Drasion¡¯s words. Regardless of whether he believed it or not, it was natural to be hostile to the angels. Grid couldn¡¯t forgive those who harmed Damian and tried to annihte all the humans on the battlefield. As a result...


    [The heavenly gods are angry with you.]


    [There is aplicated emotion in the gaze of Goddess Reba, who is looking at you for harming the archangels.]


    Grid received the anger of the gods. It wasn¡¯t the time to see the rewards and rejoice.


    ¡®Dammit... Crazy...¡¯


    Grid had been given two chances to be a half-god. He was able to reach the shortcut twice to be a half-god. The reason he refused the great opportunities was because he didn¡¯t want to get involved with the gods. What idiot in the world wanted to be hated by a god?


    Grid was responsible for the fate of millions of people. There was too much to lose if he became hostile to the absolute beings.


    ¡®No, I was just trying to raid the great demon...¡¯


    How did he be hostile to the gods of Asgard? The frustrated Grid covered his face with his hands and nced at Drasion, no, Sariel. This beauty was still crying sadly. She resented the fact that rather than revealing the sins of the gods and helping the seven good people, she degenerated into a great demon and ughtered humans.


    People were surrounding her. The Reba Church¡¯s elders knelt before her and spoke. It was as if they were praying. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. Don¡¯t ask about your own sins. Humanity has experienced new salvation after the pain and sacrifice you experienced showed the true identity of the gods.¡±


    ¡°You are the true light, the only angel who deserves to serve Grid who saved us.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes became huge in a shocked manner as he heard the words. An angel who was qualified to serve him? What were these old men saying now?


    People¡¯s attention was drawn to Grid, who was doubting his ears. The cameramen from various countries, who couldn¡¯t avoid the punishment of the archangels and died, were returning to the scene. The hundreds of cameras, which slowly swept through the brutalndscape of the battlefield like they were trying to convey the tragedy to the audience, finally moved toward Grid.


    Hundreds of Reba Church members were bowing down to Grid. Among them was a beautiful angel called ¡®Sariel.¡¯


    ¡°Today we have lost faith.¡±


    As the elders opened their mouths, the atmosphere of the scene shook. All the yers who participated in this battle, including the Overgeared Guild members, and all the people of the empire, stared at Grid and the elders while holding their breaths.


    ¡°Now we have a new faith.¡±


    ¡°I pray and hope that Grid, who saved us, will be our new god.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Murmurs flowed here and there. The conversion of thergest religion on the West Continent. The world was shocked that the target was a yer. It was the moment when an ordinary yer became a hero, a king, a legend, and finally the protagonist of a new myth. It was so amazing and surprising that people couldn¡¯t ept the situation. Most people couldn¡¯t understand even after watching everything.


    Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s insides were burning.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    The entire Reba Church probably wouldn¡¯t convert to Grid. Only a small percentage of the Reba Church members who actually saw what happened today would take Grid as their new god. They might even be disappointed and leave Grid as time passed.


    Meanwhile, to a lesser extent and for a certain period of time, Grid had taken away Reba¡¯s followers. He inadvertently dered war on Reba. The impact came right away.


    [There is news that a gue has started in the northern part of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [There is news that a swarm of locusts has appeared in the western part of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [There is news that a typhoon is sweeping through the central part of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [There is news that a flood has urred in the southern part of the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Please don¡¯t do this¡ªGrid cast anxious gazes at the Reba Church members and Sariel, but no one knew what he was thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for beingte. I wasn¡¯t able to help you.¡± Just then, Damian returned to the battlefield. He came to the scene with Reba¡¯s Daughters and was covered in wounds. Reba¡¯s Daughters were also seriously injured despite not participating in the war. It was obvious that they had been fighting elsewhere. It was likely that the other Sariel, who infiltrated the Reba Church, had blocked their way.


    ¡°Damian, Isabel...¡±


    Please stop these people¡ªGrid was about to request this when he froze like a stone statue as he remembered something: The first person to deify him was Isabel.


    ¡°I greet the new god.¡± Isabel and the other Reba¡¯s Daughters knelt down together and bowed to Grid.


    ¡°I want to live afortable life as a regr believer of the Grid Church.¡± Damian threw off the cloak and crown that symbolized the pope of the Reba Church.


    The flustered Grid closed his mouth. Of course, the system had suggested many times that yers could be gods. Yet for it to actually happen...


    A message popped up in front of the dazed Grid, no, in front of all the yers currently connected to the game.


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the 10th epic.]

 Chapter 1359

    [There was a young woman who fought for her god.]


    [For the young woman, her god was more dignified than anything in the world.]


    [In order to protect the honor of her god, she burned her life in the pure white mes. The young woman believed it was her mission.]


    [She was taught this way, so she had no choice but to believe it.]


    [Because she believed, she suffered a great deal of pain.]


    [Even when she felt her fading life and wept in fear, the young woman didn¡¯t doubt her god.]


    ¡°At least, until I met you.¡±


    [At least, until she met him.]


    [The young woman finally knew god through the sight of him quenching the white mes.]


    [Liberated from her suffering and filled with an unknown hope, she understood what people called God¡¯s salvation.]


    [He became the young woman¡¯s new god.]


    ¡°......¡±


    To save the dying Isabel, he used the Goddess¡¯ Essence and sealed Lifael¡¯s Spear. Grid recalled the past while listening to the contents of the epic. He stared at Isabel¡¯s face as she kneeled in front of him. Her healthyplexion was good to see. The poor girl who trembled with intense pain and sorrow no longer existed in the world.


    Grid felt a sense of responsibility when he recalled that he was the one who gave her the present life. Then he soon got rid of this feeling. A god. It was ridiculous. It was a position he couldn¡¯t afford.


    Grid was struggling to ignore his responsibility when Han Seokbong and Sua came to Grid¡¯s side. Behind them were the soldiers from the East Continent, including the Red Phoenix Group. They suffered big and small wounds in the fierce war and were in a very haggard state. Sua¡¯s beautiful face was covered with severe burns and some young warriors were so injured it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they died immediately. However, their eyes as they looked at Grid were strong.


    [There were people who obeyed the gods.]


    [For them, a god was an object of fear.]


    [They sacrificed themselves to fulfill the will of the gods and believed it was the duty of humanity.]


    [They were taught this way, so they had no choice but to believe it.]


    [Because they believed, they endured the humiliation.]


    [They didn¡¯t dare criticize or doubt the gods who trampled on human dignity in order to protect their own face.]


    [At least, until they met him.]


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go treat your wounds first?¡±


    The epics were one of the most important systems for Grid. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he waited for an epic every day. However, he wasn¡¯t so focused on the epics that he would ignore his hurt colleagues. It was the moment when Grid called Sehee before running to support the warriors and spraying a potion on Sua¡¯s face...


    ¡°Until we met Your Majesty... we wondered if we were just tools that existed for the sake of the gods,¡± Sua confessed.


    She vividly remembered the despair she felt on the day the Red Phoenix Bow disappeared. She had been afraid all day long, worrying about what criticism and punishment she would face from the yangbans. She obediently gave up on her life when she was trapped behind bars by Garam, who had started obsessing over Grid.


    [They finally knew God through his image of cutting apart the iron bars made by a god¡¯s will.]


    [Liberated from fear and regaining their lost dignity, they understood what people called God¡¯s salvation.]


    [He became the new god of the people.]


    Han Seokbong and his daughter were held in prison for failing to find the whereabouts of the maker of the Red Phoenix Bow and had been waiting to be executed. It wasn¡¯t just them. Countless other people in the East Continent suffered from the tyranny of the yangbans. The cksmiths who believed in Grid eventually died at the hands of the yangbans.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid recalled the past while listening to the contents of the epic and he gazed gently at Sua¡¯s face. Terrible burns obscured her beauty. Even so, she looked much happier now than she did in the days when she was beautiful.


    The epic continued.


    [There were people who lost their gods.]


    [For them, a god was an object of longing.]


    [The reason they never left thend of the old gods after being trampled on by the false gods was to greet the gods who would return one day.]


    [The reason they didn¡¯t abandon thend of the old gods despite being unable to endure the violence was because they feared the gods trapped in the darkness would be forgotten forever.]


    [He became their god.]


    [He punished the false gods and found the remnants of the old gods.]


    [He dered that he would rather be a god.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The deration at that time was an act of anger. He saw the dirty yangbans continue to im themselves as gods and was so angry that he shouted with the feeling ¡®I would rather it be me than to see you be gods.¡¯ Yet there was no point in exining it now. In the first ce, this epic had nothing to do with the deration at that time. The reason why the epics described Grid as a god wasn¡¯t in response to Grid¡¯s deration. It was in response to the wishes of the people.


    [He is already someone¡¯s god.]


    ......


    ...


    [Overgeared King Grid haspleted the 10th page of the epic!]


    [A new myth is born.]


    A myth¡ªit was a concept that transcended legends. If a legend was a record that would be passed down forever, then a myth was a belief that would be passed down forever. Of course, people¡¯s faith in Grid was still feeble. No one would deify Grid just because they were disappointed with knowing the reality of the gods. Only those who had witnessed Grid¡¯s power or experienced his salvation had faith in Grid. This meant that the people who directly participated in this war had faith in Grid.


    Of course, yers were excluded. If even the yers¡¯ faith contributed to the birth of a god, then Satisfy would already be flooded with many gods. Anyone could be a god with money and fame.


    [People are praising you as the human god.]


    [People are praising you as the virtuous god.]


    [People are praising you as the martial god.]


    The public perception of Grid started to emerge. Some people didn¡¯t forget that Grid was a human and called him the human god. Others paid attention to Grid¡¯s virtues and called him the virtuous god. Some people were fascinated with Grid¡¯s strength and called him the martial god, while others were fascinated with Grid¡¯s techniques and called him the cksmith god.


    Yet for most people...


    [People are praising you as the Overgeared God.]


    Grid was called the Overgeared God. It was because the most famous nickname that symbolized him was Overgeared King.


    ¡®...No?¡¯


    The anxious Grid tried to deny it.


    [The myth of the Overgeared God begins from now on!]


    Grid¡¯s name as a god was decided regardless of his will.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± The yers who had been drinking water to soothe their tired bodies from the long battle were amazed by the world message.


    ¡°Ah... Ahh...¡± Lauel copsed from dizziness.


    Someone resentfully asked why it wasn¡¯t God Grid.


    Meanwhile, Grid was silent. He opened his status window.


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 441


    ss: Pagma¡¯s Sessor, Duke of Wisdom, Magic Swordsman of the Epics


    Title: One who Became a Legend and 44 others]


    There were no major differences whenpared to the status window of other yers, except there were one or two more sses, and two or three more titles. However, the newly added item next to ¡®king¡¯ in the status category was unusual.


    [Status: Overgeared God]


    It was just this one. He was obviously ssified as a god, but he couldn¡¯t enjoy their immortality or exert the power of a god due to his low divinity.


    [* To increase your divinity, you need to create a religion and gather believers.]


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    A god was ssified as a status, not a race? No, the half-god was clearly a race. A race that could evolve into a god.


    ¡®However, my race is human and my status is a god...¡¯


    What was the difference between a god as a race and a god as a status?


    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll find out eventually... by the way, this is really driving me crazy.¡¯


    There was only one reason why Grid didn¡¯t want to be a god. It was because he didn¡¯t want to incur the wrath of the gods. In fact, the moment Grid became a god, disasters urred throughout the Overgeared Kingdom. To be honest, Grid wanted to give up being a god right now, but it wasn¡¯t something he could give up just because he wanted it.


    ¡°I greet the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    Grid scolded his colleagues who were holding backughter as they called him Overgeared God and looked at the newly activated system. Various functions were activated such as the ability to give revtions to the faithful and appoint messengers of god. Looking at this, he really felt like he was a god. He hadn¡¯t immediately felt it because there were no changes in stats.


    The hesitant Sariel gathered her courage and asked, ¡°Do I deserve to serve the Overgeared God?¡±


    No, she was a real angel...


    If he went around with a real angel, then wasn¡¯t it right to admit he was a god? His rtionship with the gods would never be restored. Furthermore, there was the person longing for the birth of a god killer. It was also going against Chiyou¡¯s wish that he remain a transcendent.


    Grid was deeply troubled when the Great Robber of the Red Night approached him. ¡°I have decided what gift I want from you.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me."


    Strictly speaking, the Great Robber of the Red Night was an enemy. They just temporarily cooperated to defeat Drasion. In order to win over the Great Robber of the Red Night, Grid proposed that he would give whatever gift the great robber wanted. What would Grid do if he asked for Talsha or the God Hands?


    The tense Grid gulped. The reason that the raid (?) was sessfullypleted was due to the Great Robber of the Red Night¡¯s move. Grid had no right to reject his request. He was nervous as he waited for the great robber¡¯s words.


    The great robber reached out to him. ¡°I want that sword.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid quietly hid Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword behind his back and pulled out the Enlightenment Sword, handing it to the great robber.


    Of course, the great robber didn¡¯t take the Enlightenment Sword. Grid¡¯s face was stiff as he pulled out the Fire Dragon Sword. Once again, the great robber didn¡¯t take it. ¡°That short.sword.¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me, great robber. Let me tell you about this short sword.¡± Grid started to give a lengthy exnation. He conveyed everything regarding his rtionship with Hexetia to the sacrifice Hexetia made to give him this short sword. However, it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°I know, so bring it out. Still, considering it is a product made by a god himself, I will put a condition on it.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night had enough skills and strength. Needless to say, stealing the short sword from Grid¡¯s hands wasn¡¯t difficult. The reason he didn¡¯t take the sword by force and tried to resolve it with words was because he didn¡¯t want Grid as an enemy. He knew how important Grid was.


    ¡°I will give you a gift in return. It might feel unfair for you since you have no idea what treasures I have, but this is the greatest favor I can do for you. Additionally, if you need to go to Heaven to help God Hexetia, then I will temporarily lend you this sword.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Then give me Nevartan¡¯s Ne as the gift.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± The great robber¡¯s expression became stiff. He doubted his ears while deeply regretting what he just said.

 Chapter 1360

    Nevartan¡¯s Ne¡ªthe 3rd Seat, Radwolf, said it was a ne made from Nevartan¡¯s broken ws. It was a terrifying cursed item that beguiled the wearer and drove them to madness.


    Radwolf had answered Grid¡¯s question about why he made such a ne like this, ¡°It is a type of loot. If you were me, would you throw away the dragon¡¯s ws that you earned?¡±


    Yes, Nevartan¡¯s Ne was nothing more than simple loot. It wasn¡¯t an object to be coveted. Radwolf, the person who made the ne, and the Great Robber of the Red Night, the one who stole the ne, were obsessed with the meaning of the ne, not its performance.


    It was the same for Grid. Grid wanted Nevartan¡¯s Ne due to the quest, not because he coveted the ne itself.


    [Nevartan¡¯s Ne]


    [Difficulty: ???


    Recover Nevartan¡¯s Ne that was stolen by the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    Quest Clear Condition: Deliver Nevartan¡¯s Ne to the 3rd Seat, Radwolf.


    Quest Clear Reward: The Moon Night Iron. Affinity with Radwolf will increase.]


    The moon night iron was a mineral that blocked the ¡®status¡¯ of the target. The exact degree to which it was affected was known only by experimenting, but theoretically, it was possible to turn a noble existence into a criminal. It meant it would be fatal to absolute beings such as great demons, transcendents, gods, and dragons. One of the minerals that Grid coveted was the moon night iron. Radwolf was also the maker of the magic machines. If affinity was developed with him, then Grid might receive a magic machine as a gift, or receive great help in making a magic machine.


    ¡®This is better.¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t expected a development where he was on the same side as the great robber. In fact, he hadn¡¯t known when he would meet the great robber. It was hard to tell when he would retrieve Nevartan¡¯s Ne. However, the opportunity came.


    Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword¡ªthanks to the great robber¡¯s absurd demand to receive the product made by the cksmith god, Grid could also make a corresponding demand.


    ¡®Thinking about it calmly, the short sword isn¡¯t something I should have.¡¯


    The Enlightenment Sword and the Fire Dragon Sword were the strongest weapons in the world. How much more powerful was Hexetia¡¯s Short Swordpared to these two swords? Morpheus was obsessed with bnce and wouldn¡¯t just silently watch. It was easy to understand when thinking about Kraugel¡¯s White Fang. Just like how White Fang, made of Bunhelier¡¯s fang, had the curse Bunhelier¡¯s Gaze, Hexetia¡¯s sword was likely to attract the attention and pursuit of the angels and gods.


    Wasn¡¯t it the strongest sword that killed even an archangel with a single blow? No god would be generous enough to watch silently when such a threatening object was held in the hands of a human.


    ¡°I never dreamed that you would ask for Nevartan¡¯s Ne... I see... you are the current Pioneer,¡± the Great Robber of the Red Night muttered as he stared into Grid¡¯s eyes.


    The eyes of the great robber, who had hundreds of years of experience, were deep. In fact, he was just a mad old man suffering from terrible kleptomania, but once he suppressed his desires, he looked like a sage.


    "You might not have noticed, but this short sword is a very dangerous thing. Change your mind. Right now, I¡¯m not asking you for the short sword as a gift. I¡¯m trying to take the time bomb that is the sword off your hands. I am taking the risk to respect and support my junior, who is surpassing transcendence and umting divinity. You want Nevartan¡¯s Ne? Nevartan¡¯s Ne is a dangerous item simr to that short sword. It isn¡¯t worth taking in exchange for the sword.¡±


    The dangers of having Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword... the Great Robber of the Red Night also noticed it. However, it was sophistry that he was taking it to protect Grid. The great robber had no interest in protecting Grid. He just wanted the short sword, while he didn¡¯t want to give Nevartan¡¯s Ne.


    Grid recalled the ¡®Steal the Country¡¯ skill, where the great robber¡¯s desire was clearly revealed, and wasn¡¯t fooled. ¡°Senior, you are the one who said you would give a gift in return for receiving the short sword. You have a reputation for being the Great Robber of the Red Night. You aren¡¯t trying to go back on your words, right?¡±


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±


    It didn¡¯t work even when speaking in such an eloquent way? Then there was no need to waste his energy¡ªthe Great Robber of the Red Night quickly made this judgement and ced his hand into his shabby jacket. He found a row of nes and pulled one out. It was a ne with jewels that were toorge and beautiful to be made with a w fragment.


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grid stared at the ne with fascination for a moment only to wake up in surprise.


    He realized that the ne which looked beautiful just a while ago was emitting energy.


    ¡®It is truly great.¡¯


    Nevartan¡¯s Ne bewitched those who viewed it. Even the Great Robber of the Red Night couldn¡¯t wake up for a few minutes when he first saw this ne at the Tower of Wisdom. His magic power was disturbed and he was discovered by the tower¡¯s detection magic. For the first time, he almost couldn¡¯t escape and was nearly caught. Yet Grid woke up from the bewitchment in an instant.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night had to admit it. ¡®I shouldn¡¯tugh at him just because of what he is called as a god.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s reputation had already spread. Everyone knew what battles he had been fighting and the achievements he had aplished. The great robber naturally thought it was great, but he hadn¡¯t known it would be this much. Fighting the great demon, defeating the followers of the Martial God and the archangel...


    Usually, rumors were exaggerated, but the Grid he saw today was much better than the rumors. Besides, he fought for the dignity of all humans, not his own reputation.


    This was why he was respected and became a god.


    ¡®He is a great man a person like me can¡¯t understand.¡¯


    Jingle.The great robber chuckled and handed over Nevartan¡¯s Ne to Grid. ¡°Take this.¡±


    Grid also handed Hexetia¡¯s sword to the great robber. The great robber knew it was better to receive the sword, but he couldn¡¯t hide his regret.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at making promises, but I will keep the promises already made. So don¡¯t worry too much. If you need this sword then I will lend it to you without any conditions.


    ¡°Senior, I am worried that this sword will put you in danger.¡±


    Grid met the Great Robber of the Red Night for the first time today. Originally it was normal to have no special feelings. Yet as it happened, Grid felt a strong liking for the Great Robber of the Red Night. He saved many lives with his Steal the Country skill so it was natural to feel liking.


    One of the strongest humans¡ªfrom Grid¡¯s perspective where he wanted to unite humanity with one heart and one will someday, he hoped that the Great Robber of the Red Night wouldn¡¯t be killed.


    The great robberughed. ¡°I¡¯ve been stealing from others all my life. I am confident that I am better than anyone else when ites to running and hiding.¡±


    Even the gods couldn¡¯t punish him. The Great Robber of the Red Night said so and turned his back to Grid. He waved his hand when Grid wondered if he wanted the other two gifts.


    ¡°There is no need. Thanks to this short sword, I can aim for treasures you have never seen before. Thus, there is nothing I want for you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night left. Grid watched his back disappearing from view and then turned his gaze to the side. Archangel Sariel was quietly lowering her head. She asked if she was qualified to serve Grid, and was still waiting for an answer. Her white wings were lowered without any energy. The angel halo was also inclined precariously, like it was going to fall to the ground. She felt depressed when she hadn¡¯t heard Grid¡¯s answer.


    Grid confessed, ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to protect you.¡±


    Sariel replied, ¡°No god can perfectly protect someone. However, you are the only one who admits it.¡±


    ¡°...You will have a hard time if you stay with me.¡±


    ¡°It is hard, but it is much harder to be alone.¡±


    ¡°I am morecking than the heavenly gods.¡±


    ¡°The same is true for me. Still, if we recognize each other¡¯s shorings, then we can correct them.¡±


    No further conversation was necessary. Grid always wanted morepanions and the noble angel Sariel deserved to be his teammate.


    ¡°Yes... if you don¡¯t mind, then let¡¯s be together.¡±


    Grid reached out to Sariel. Sariel had tears in her eyes as she grabbed his hand in a thrilled manner. Then the halo that had been floating above her head turnedpletely gold.


    [Archangel Sariel has be the messenger of the Overgeared God.]


    The short but intense world message marked the end of this war. Grid had no time to be immersed in the aftermath. He urgently had to identify and utilize the new systems that were activated after he became a god. He also had to calm down the former Reba Church members who were arguing about whether to name the new religion the Overgeared God Church or the Grid Church.


    Additionally, seven people could be appointed as messengers, so he had to think about who to appoint. In order to start the church in earnest, a pope had to be appointed first.


    ¡°First of all, the pope is Damian.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Damian was disqualified as the Goddess¡¯ Agent. He was freed from all responsibilities and could enjoy freedom with Isabel-chan...


    Damian¡¯s excited expression suddenly stiffened. Of course, it was only for a moment. He felt joy that Grid needed him and soon started to lead the faithful enthusiastically.


    [The Overgeared God Church has been born.]


    [Currently, there are a total of 42,255 members in the Overgeared God Church.]


    [Every time the number of followers increases by a certain amount or every time the prayers of the followers meets a certain amount, you will get a new power.]


    The same notification windows appeared in Grid and Damian¡¯s vision. The two men, who now had a rtionship between a god and the pope, shared amon fate.The number 42,255 was in line with the number of NPCs who survived this battle.


    At the same time, at the headquarters of the S.A Group...


    ¡°...He even made a religion.¡±


    The executives who watched the Drasion raid from beginning to end were mesmerized.


    It was predicted that yers who constantly umted achievements and gained strength would be half-gods and eventually acquire the qualifications of a god. However, they never foresaw that a yer would be an object of faith due to the wishes of NPCs (humanity).


    Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled from among the executives. ¡®Perhaps it was since he became the Lantern of Humanity...¡¯


    The Lantern of Humanity¡ªGrid saved countless people and earned this title. It was one of the ultimate hidden titles they expected no yer to get because their own sacrifice was needed as a stepping stone. Perhaps Grid proved his qualification to be an object of faith from the time he earned the title.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho grasped the situation of the religions.


    The birth of a new religion. As a result, the power of the Reba Church was greatly weakened and the power of the Yatan Church rebounded. The bnce was restored. Ironically, Morpheus¡¯ purpose was achieved thanks to the birth of the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡°It will be more intense in the future.¡±

 Chapter 1361

    ¡°W-Wow... Overgeared God, Overgeared God Church! It is great just from the name!!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Really cool! Hahahat!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After the Great Robber of the Red Night left, Grid¡¯s ears slightly reddened as he checked the religion system with Damian. The members of the Overgeared Guild finished sorting out the battlefield and gathered to congratte their leader. Their expression and tone of voice was very embarrassing. Even those who had been in the Overgeared Guild for several years needed time to adapt to the names Overgeared God and Overgeared God Church. The same was true for Grid himself.


    ¡°Can you get a religion if you change to a myth? I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°What are the basic passive skills of a myth ss?¡±


    Questions were pouring in. Many of the Overgeared members interpreted that Grid, who became a god, had been promoted to a myth rated ss. Maybe most yers had epted it. It was extremely rare for a person to think of the concept of a real god when they saw the world message that Grid had be a god.


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    Even in Satisfy, a god was described as an absolute being. It was difficult to connect a yer directly with a god.


    ¡°From a myth, is there a way to get stronger as the number of believers increases?¡±


    ¡°I guess this is how it feels to be a real god.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t exin the inside story in detail to his colleagues who interpreted that Grid had changed to a myth ss. He had earned the status of a god and not a myth ss. After revealing the truth, it would be hard for Grid himself to exin the precise meaning and potential of his status as a god.


    ¡®Now it might be a step toward a myth. Well, I want to stop thinking and take a break first.¡¯


    Shortly after raiding the 17th Great Demon, Botis, there was the battle with the 11th Great Demon, Drasion. He summoned andmanded arge army. In the process, he met and persuaded the Great Robber of the Red Night and fought a life or death battle with Lee Jeong, a follower of the Martial God. Then after the battle with Drasion, he had to face the angels and gained a lot of information through a new truth.


    It really felt like he hadn¡¯t rested all day. It felt like his mind and body had exceeded the limit and he would fall down if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    ¡®I should check the rewards at this time...¡¯


    His fatigue would disappear like melting snow once he checked the harvest he got today. In the midst of his noisy colleagues, Grid smiled happily and pulled up the list of rewards he had earned from Lee Jeong. As one of the Triad, Lee Jeong was said to be at the top of the followers of the Martial God and he was indeed a rich man. In addition to giving five levels, he dropped two unique rated Martial God¡¯s Secret Techniques.


    ¡®A fists technique and a grappling technique... it isn¡¯t efficient for me to learn the fists technique.¡¯


    Grid was overgeared. He only became strong when he improved the power of his items. He didn¡¯t feel the need to learn the rtively inferior fists technique. Next, he looked at the list of items that Lee Jeong dropped. It was a very unusual item. It contained features he had never thought of before.


    [Lee Jeong¡¯s Blindfold]


    [Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 155/230


    * Loss of vision.


    * Targeting skills aren¡¯t avable.


    * Agility and strength will decrease by 50%.


    * There will be a further decrease in defense by 40%, evasion rate by 60%, and hit rate by 50%.


    One of the training tools of Lee Jeong, one of the Triad.


    It is made byyering the enus cloth so it blocks out all light. The wearer can¡¯t see even one inch ahead of them.


    Wearing this blindfold and fighting with your vision sealed will be a great help for training.


    ¡ï Experience acquisition rate is increased by 30%.


    ¡ï Agility is permanently increased when you acquire a certain amount of experience while wearing the blindfold.


    ¡ï Once the number of times evaded reaches a certain number while wearing the blindfold, the absolute avoidance system will open and the absolute avoidance rate will be permanently increased by a small amount.


    ¡ï Once the number of attacks reaches a certain number while wearing the blindfold, uracy and strength will be permanently increased.


    ¡ï Once all set items are equipped, the training effect is doubled.]


    [Lee Jeong¡¯s Handcuffs]


    [Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 515/577


    * Significantly reduces the attack range.


    * Some attack skills aren¡¯t avable.


    * Reduces the weapon¡¯s power by 70% when worn.


    * Hit rate will decrease by 30%.


    One of the training tools of Lee Jeong, one of the Triad. By restraining both wrists with a steel te made of ck iron, the range of motion of the joints is greatly reduced and specific movements are prohibited.


    Fighting while wearing these handcuffs will be a great help in training.


    ¡ï Experience acquisition rate is increased by 30%.


    ¡ï Once you gain a certain amount of experience while wearing the handcuffs, the skill proficiency of the weapon mastery skills will increase significantly.


    ¡ï Every time a skill hits while wearing the handcuffs, the skill¡¯s experience acquisition will increase significantly.


    ¡ï Once all set items are equipped, the training effect is doubled.]


    [Lee Jeong¡¯s Chains]


    [Rating: Legendary (Set)


    Durability: 686/764


    * Significantly reduces movement range.


    * Movement speed is halved.


    * Movement rted skills such as charging skills can¡¯t be used.


    * The chance to activate skills rted to the lower body is reduced by 50%.


    * 30% decrease in health and stamina recovery rate.


    One of the training tools of Lee Jeong, one of the Triad. By restraining both ankles with chains, the range of motion of the joints is greatly reduced and certain movements are prohibited.


    Fighting while wearing these chains will be a great help in training.


    ¡ï Experience acquisition rate is increased by 30%.


    ¡ï Once a certain amount of experience is gained while wearing the chains, the power of movement rted skills and lower body attack skills will slightly increase permanently.


    ¡ï Once you move for a certain period of time while wearing the chains, your health and stamina will slightly increase permanently.


    ¡ï Once all set items are equipped, the training effect is doubled.]


    Lee Jeong didn¡¯t wear the restraints for nothing. By sealing his eyes, his hands, and his ankles, he was able to be stronger.


    ¡®...Is this good?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression wasplicated. Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools definitely boasted excellent training effects, but it was questionable if they could be used in practice.


    ¡®If I want to use it, I might have to use it in low level hunting grounds where I won¡¯t die...¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it putting the cart before the horse if he went to low level hunting grounds to enjoy the effects of the training tools? After thinking about it for a while, Grid soon realized it was a waste of time.


    ¡®I¡¯ll know when I use it. There is no need to worry.¡¯


    Additionally, there was a need to learn the Martial God¡¯s secret techniques in order to properly use Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools. The fists technique¡ªit was a martial art that showed power without a weapon. It was a skill he wasn¡¯t interested in at all until a while ago, but he had to learn it to move around in Lee Jeong¡¯s Handcuffs which reduced the power of a weapon by 70%.


    [Mixed Throw Strikes has been learned.]


    [Mixed Throw Strikes Lv. 1]


    [Strikes the target with fists so fast that it is hard to see.


    Deals 1,500% physical damage to the target and there is a normal chance to stiffen the target. The next skill can be linked to attack the stiff target without any preparatory action and additional damage will ur.


    Cooldown Time: 50 seconds.


    Skill Mana Cost: 4,000]


    The strength of fist techniquesy in the linkage of a high attack power coefficient and thebo. People with high basic stats could show quite a bit of power without equipping weapons. It had the weakness of a short attack distance and high resource consumption, but 4,000 mana wasn¡¯t much for Grid. It seemed he just had to adapt to the attack range.


    [Turning the World Upside Down has been learned.]


    [Turning the World Upside Down Lv. 1]


    [There is a high probability of throwing the grappled target.


    The thrown target must hit the ground with the top of the head, inflicting 20,000 fixed damage and a stun for 0.3 to 1.5 seconds. The stunned target will have a significant decrease in defense.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 1,800]


    Grappling techniques were the essence of crowd control. The only downside was that it was a non-targeting skill, so it was hard to hit. There was a need to approach and hold the target. If the movements were too big and the target avoided it, then a gap would be revealed in turn. However, even with such weaknesses, it usually wasn¡¯t possible to learn because it wasn¡¯t avable.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to blindly use skills that are hard to match, but in any case, it is good to learn a grappling technique.¡¯


    Perhaps Lee Jeong was a gift from the sky. The rewards for this raid were amazing. His fatigue felt relieved.


    Grid hummed as he tried wearing Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools one by one. First, he tied his ankles with long chains. It was very inconvenient to move. He could only raise his legs halfway up and the rotation range of his ankles was smaller. The handcuffs were much more ufortable. The range of motion of his shoulders was reduced by 80%. It was difficult to hold something in his hands.


    ¡®No matter what weapon I hold, the tip of the handle keeps touching the iron te.¡¯


    It seemed to him that the power of the weapon decreased when using weapons. It was impossible to hold the weapon tightly because the handle of the weapon kept touching the handcuffs made of a thick iron te. However, the handcuffs were pretty goodpared to the blindfold.


    [You can¡¯t see one inch ahead of you.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision waspletely sealed the moment he used the blindfold. He literally couldn¡¯t see an inch ahead of him.


    ¡®This requires 100% relying on sound.¡¯


    He had to understand and respond to the surrounding situation only by what he heard with his ears. The difficulty of the blindfold was really terrible. It happened when Grid was struggling and waving his hands in the air...


    ¡°Ohh...! The Overgeared God is blinding himself to understand the position of the sick and the weak. How can we not shed tears?¡±


    Grid heard the cries of the Reba Church¡¯s elders.


    [The faith of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s followers has greatly increased.]


    [Your deity stat has increased by 1.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Were they making fun of him now? Grid was thinking seriously when the main pirs of the Overgeared Guild, the 10 meritorious retainers, came to him. They came after discussing with the nobles of the empire on how to identify the damage of this war and ovee it together.


    ¡°So, who else have you decided to appoint other than Sariel?¡±


    Grid, who was struggling with the blindfold and handcuffs was reminiscent of aedian, but Jishuka and the others of the 10 meritorious retainers didn¡¯t smile. The Overgeared God Church¡¯s messengers¡ªit was a coveted spot for any of Grid¡¯s colleagues. Yura and Jishuka were particrly serious about it.


    ¡°It must be Braham, Piaro, and Mercedes. Who else are you going to assign to the remaining three spots?¡±


    Grid took off the blindfold and replied, ¡°First of all, I have decided on one person.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Nefelina.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    That hatchling?


    Everyone was wide-eyed with shock when an unexpected name popped up.

 Chapter 1362

    ¡°I heard that even the gods can¡¯t control dragons... will Nefelina ept the position of messenger?¡±


    A messenger of the gods was literally a messenger. Meanwhile, dragons were the most capable and proudest creatures in the world. The chances of Nefelina bing Grid¡¯s messenger was very low. In fact, no god had ever made a dragon their own.


    Jishuka was skeptical, but Grid thought differently. ¡®Nefelina is different from a normal dragon.¡¯


    Nefelina¡¯s purpose was revenge. Countless strong enemies were on the child¡¯s path in the future. Unlike other dragons, who believed they were perfect and were satisfied with their innate powers, Nefelina was destined to crave power beyond what she was born with.


    [You can appoint a total of seven messengers.]


    [A messenger of the god inherits the power that symbolizes the god. One additional characteristic will also open depending on the individual¡¯s personality.]


    [Overgeared God Church¡¯s Messenger]


    [You can wear items made by the Overgeared God without any restrictions. Greatly increases the power of the items equipped.]


    ¡°Nefelina will consider being my messenger positively. Even if she refuses, I will continue to persuade her.¡±


    The power inherited by the messengers of the Overgeared God was items. It created a fantastic chemistry with Grid, a cksmith. As long as Grid made excellent items, the messengers who used them would be more and more powerful. It would definitely be an attractive offer for Nefelina.


    ¡°Then five messengers are set if it is Sariel, Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, and Nefelina.¡±


    Now there were two spots remaining. At this point, Jishuka was anxious. There were four legends among the Overgeared Guild members. In addition to Jishuka, there were Faker, Yura, and Euphemina. Jishuka wondered if she could beat them to secure one of the remaining two spots.


    To be honest, they were all very talented people. In particr, Yura¡¯s growth was overwhelming. The bullets she fired had pierced Drasion¡¯s thick skin and dealt critical injuries. This was obviously different from Jishuka¡¯s own arrows. Of course, she would narrow the gap as she leveled up, but it would take a long time.


    ¡®Additionally, Euphemina¡¯s potential is the highest in the worldview, and Faker can¡¯t be underestimated.¡¯ Jishuka was worried.


    Grid drew a line when he saw her attitude and realized she was aiming for the messenger¡¯s position. ¡°Jishuka, I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t mean to appoint a yer as a messenger.¡±


    Grid was likely to face the gods in the future and had a duty to strengthen the power of his allies to the maximum. Only then could he protect the nation, his people, his colleagues, and his family. To be honest, it was inefficient to appoint a yer to the position of messenger when there were only seven spots. No matter how strong the Overgeared members, they still weren¡¯t enough to go beyond named NPCs.


    ¡°It is a matter of efficiency. In that sense, I am wondering if it is even right to appoint Mercedes as a messenger. So please understand, even if you feel bad.¡±


    ¡°How can I feel bad? It would be shameless if I feel bad about this.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s face turned red. She was ashamed for coveting the position of messenger when she didn¡¯t have the skills to do so. Of course, she wanted to be a messenger because she wanted to get closer to Grid and be helpful to him. She didn¡¯t want to be a messenger for her own gain. In the first ce, she didn¡¯t know what the benefits of being a messenger were. It was pure favor without any greed.


    Grid also knew this and it was why he was sorry. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t want to hand over the position of messenger to the Overgeared members who hadn¡¯t fully grown yet.


    Jishuka spoke to Grid who was looking embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯ll be stronger so you don¡¯t have to make that expression. I will be a messenger with my skills.¡±


    She smiled confidently. Jishuka¡¯s strong deration made Grid¡¯s heart lighter. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    The Overgeared members had grown sufficiently. Named NPCs like Archangel Sariel, the dragon Nefelina, and Braham were just too outstanding. Grid believed in the Overgeared members. He thought that one day, they would grow explosively like himself and surpassed the named NPCs. Of course it would happen. They had the best talent and integrity among 2 billion yers.


    ¡®I need to mass produce this in order to move that time forward.¡¯


    Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools¡ªhis short experience wearing them for a while showed that the difficulty of using it was too high. Movement itself became difficult, so it felt like the overallbat power was decreased by more than 10 times. However, Grid nned to be familiar with this set of training tools in the future. His goal was to use them directly to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the training tools. Then he would make some improvements to create a new version of the training tools set.


    ¡®Then I will hand it out to the kids.¡¯


    Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools were a great harvest. The idea of promoting faster growth by using items was close to the essence of being overgeared.


    ¡®If I be used to making the training tools, I might be able to give the option of increasing experience value to the training weapons provided to soldiers.¡¯


    First of all, it was urgent to understand the principles. Grid was motivated and first checked the information of Archangel Sariel. It was a natural process to grasp the information of new colleagues.


    [Name: Sariel


    Age: Unknown Gender: Neutral


    Race: Archangel


    ¡ï Immune to long range attacks. All buff skills will be 50% more effective.


    ss: Overgeared God Church¡¯s Messenger


    ¡ï You can wear items made by the Overgeared God without any restrictions. The power of the items equipped is greatly increased.


    Title: The First Seven Creations


    * Immune to all abnormal statuses.


    * Immortal¡ªImmediately resurrects upon death (this effect is currently sealed duet o the influence of another title, Fallen Angel)


    Title: Watcher


    * Blocks the target¡¯s dark magic and skills.


    * When attacking a target who has recentlymitted a murder, there is a high probability of activating ¡®Condemnation,¡¯


    Title: Fallen Angel


    * There is a certain probability of canceling the activation when using divine magic or skills.


    * Vulnerable to divine attacks.


    * All stats will drop by 50% when entering Asgard.


    * Can¡¯t synchronize with the spare bodies stored in Asgard.


    * All stats will increase by 20% when entering hell. However, there is a high probability of going through demonization and going on a rampage.


    Level: 550


    Strength: 4,278 Stamina: 4,139


    Agility: 4,278 Intelligence: 4,139


    Insight: 6,050 Charm: 20,511]


    It was the opposite of Braham, whose intelligence stat was overwhelmingly high while his other stats were at a regretful level. It was like a knight. The bnce of stats was excellent enough to be called an upgraded version of Mercedes.


    ¡®The stats are beautiful.¡¯


    The list of possessed skills was even greater. She had all types of mastery skills with the lowest proficiency. Not only did she know all magic except for dark magic, she possessed the ¡®Prayer¡¯ skill which allowed her to be invincible for a certain period of time, and the ¡®Wicked Eye¡¯ skill which revealed the sins of the target.


    The best one was the Condemnation skill which was a skill given by the effect of the Watcher title. It had a high probability of killing the target instantly and there was no cooldown time.


    ¡®It is fraudulent even if it is a conditional activation skill.¡¯


    If she used the Condemnation skill as Great Demon Drasion, wouldn¡¯t they have all been wiped out immediately? He wondered if her power was sealed off when she was Drasion. No, he shouldn¡¯t call Sariel a ¡®her¡¯. Grid looked at Sariel¡¯s beautiful face¡ªa small and thin face, thick red lips, big and deep eyes, long and rich eyshes.


    ¡®No matter how I look, she is a woman.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s gaze was fixed on Sariel¡¯s chest. Sariel was wearing only a transparent and thin cloth, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to feel ashamed at his tant gaze. However, angels had no feelings. Sariel was a fallen archangel and was full of emotions, but it wasckingpared to humans. Instead of feeling ashamed, Sariel opened her mouth and spoke softly, ¡°If you find it ufortable, should I make my chest t?¡±


    She was implying that she would turn her body into a male body.


    Grid was about to shake his head when Jishuka and Yura shouted at the same time.


    ¡°Yes! Change it!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Change it!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ***


    [You have escaped from the weak human flesh.]


    [Thick dark energy and demonic energy is filling up your new flesh and soul.]


    [Your race has changed to a demon.]


    [Your stats are changed and new stats are added.]


    [New magic and skills have been opened.]


    [You are qualified to be a monarch of hell.]


    Amoract gave Rose a revtion to help humans defeat Drasion in the hopes that the nature of the gods would be made public and her wish came true. Rose might not have done anything, but shepleted the revtion and ushered in the evolution Amoract had dreamed about. She was a yer, but she had reached the level of transcending a yer. Originally, it was a moment to be enjoyed.


    However, Rose wasn¡¯t satisfied at all, and therefore, she didn¡¯t feel joy. Grid had be a god. What was a demonpared to that?


    Rose was engulfed in jealousy and anxiety as she urged Amoract, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you kill him right now? He isn¡¯t an angel or a half-god, he is a god, a god! A human being has be a god! There will be huge aftereffects!¡±


    For Rose, Grid was a natural enemy. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that her lifespan decreased every time Grid became stronger. Now he had even be a god. She couldn¡¯t help feeling frightened and that it was absurd. Then Amoract calmed her down.


    -The number of human gods is overflowing.It ismon to deify humans.If they see a person who is very strong, they will praise this person as invincible. If they see a person who is extremely wise, they will respect that person for knowing everything.It is an error and there is no need to be concerned about it.


    No matter how strong, humans couldn¡¯t be invincible. Even a person who had gained a lot of knowledge in their lifetime still had things they don¡¯t know.


    -A typical example is Muller.Muller¡¯s narratives that have been immortalized for hundreds of years are already no longer stories about a human.The legendary Muller is invincible, doesn¡¯t know defeat, and is excellent in every way.He possesses wisdom that won¡¯t fall for any treacherous schemes, and goodness that won¡¯t fall to any temptation.


    It literally meant being portrayed as an omnipotent and perfect existence.


    -Humans have always done this.They exaggerate the abilities of Muller and other great people, glorifying their achievements and deifying them.The child called Grid is a human god born this way.He is a fake god who won¡¯t reach the level of a true god.You don¡¯t have to be so vignt.Even if all humans praise Grid as a god, Grid can¡¯t be a real god.He might have the status of a god, but his body itself isn¡¯t that of a god.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped since he was born a human. If a god was born just out of human beliefs and desires then all human beings who existed so far wouldn¡¯t have disappeared and would¡¯ve be gods. The same was true for the yangbans in the East Continent.


    -You, who has separated from the human race, will stand above the human race.


    Amoract prophesied and opened the door to hell. From now on, this would be Rose¡¯s new stage.


    ¡®I am going to surpass Grid?¡¯


    Duguen, duguen.


    Rose¡¯s heart thumped. She was deceived by Amoract and crossed the gates of hell with a smile full of joy. Amoract¡¯s nickname was the great demon of conflict. There was no goodwill from her. She just encouraged constant fighting.


    -Although none of the human gods have ever had messengers...


    The fragment of Amoract¡¯s consciousness that remained alone in the ce where Rose disappeared muttered these words to herself before disappearing.

 Chapter 1363

    It was calm. Looking at the clear sky without a single cloud, the battle he sufferedst night seemed like a dream.


    ¡°I can¡¯t admit it!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid, who was immersed in his thoughts, heard themotion and shifted his gaze. The Reba Church¡¯s priests were raising their voices.


    ¡°You want to close the temples? This can¡¯t be understood!¡±


    In Reinhardt, there were a total of three Reba Temples. In order to build the Reba Temples, it was necessary to meet the strict conditions of the Vatican. Great efforts were made to build the temples here.


    ¡°From the moment the statues of the goddess were erected here and people prayed here, they have already be a part of the goddess! This entire temple! Even the weed that grows within the temple is the private property of the goddess! What right does the Overgeared Kingdom have to close the temples?¡±


    ¡°Taking away the territory of the goddess is to rebel against her and prove that you aren¡¯t her apostle!¡±


    ¡°What? It is themand of the Overgeared King? Hah! His Majesty must¡¯ve been confused by heresy! If you don¡¯t hurry and lead His Majesty onto the right path, then His Majesty will be punished by the gods!¡±


    There was a fierce bacsh from the priests of the three temples. They felt the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s stance of closing the temples was absurd. Yesterday, the 15 members of the Overgeared God Church who used to be elders of the Reba Church had told them the truth.


    ¡°Goddess Reba tried to harm humanity in order to hide the sins of the gods. The goddess of mercy that we believed in and served doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°The nature of the gods who attempted to kill us to conceal them turning Archangel Sariel into a great demon for using them of sin ispletely different from the gods we believe in! We offered prayers to them but what we get in return isn¡¯t salvation and blessings. It is deception and violence. How can we believe in and serve them?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared God saved Archangel Sariel, who was dying in the mask of a great demon that the gods ced on them, and humanity, who is desperate after seeing the truth...


    ¡°We have to serve the Overgeared God in the future.¡±


    The elders tried to persuade the priests of the Reba Church. The influence they had as elders were enormous so the Reba priests naturally listened to them. However, they soon shook their heads and blocked their ears. From the positions of those who hadn¡¯t directly seen the truth, they could only think that the old priests were collectively dazzled by the demons.


    ¡°Ahh! Those whock faith have been confused by the demon¡¯s whispers and became apostles of evil!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough for the Overgeared King to deny the gods. He also sinned by dering himself a god! This ce will soon be a demon¡¯sir and will be used as an outpost to turn the earth into hell!¡±


    ¡°The elders who should¡¯ve guided the Overgeared King onto the right path have something happen to them... Sigh...¡±


    The Reba priests were heartbroken. Many of them wept and wailed while hitting the ground. It was a great shock and sadness that the hundreds of followers who participated in the Drasion expedition, as well as the elders, had abandoned their faith in Goddess Reba and worshipped the Overgeared King as a god. The faithful raised both their hands after confirming the actions of the Overgeared Kingdom, who were mobilizing the army to cast them out of the temples.


    ¡°We understand... it seems pointless to try and convince you any further so we will leave.¡±


    ¡°Considering our feelings over this period of time, I will give you advice. You should be careful of the difficulties that wille to the kingdom in the future. The heavenly gods won¡¯t let you go as long as the Overgeared King calls himself a god.¡±


    ¡°There is already an uproar all over the kingdom. A gue has broken out in the north and a swarm of locusts has appeared in the west. A typhoon has hit the central part and there is a flood in the south.¡±


    ¡°Take a look! It is all punishment! The elders must regain their minds and lead the Overgeared King to the right path!¡±


    ¡°The disasters were over in less than half a day. The gue in the north was solved by Saintess Ruby, the typhoon in the center by Braham and Euphemina, the flood in the south by Maxong and the water n, and the locusts by Lord Piaro and the farmers.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Additionally, haven¡¯t you noticed why Reinhardt is calm even though a typhoon is sweeping through the central region? Look at the sky. Reinhardt is safe due to Sariel, the messenger of the Overgeared God, blessing Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The gods in Heaven can¡¯t punish the Overgeared God and the Overgeared Kingdom. How can those who aren¡¯t qualified deal out punishments?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Reba believers refused to talk any further. They feared being deceived by the former elders who kept talking.


    ¡°The charity and blessings of Goddess Reba won¡¯te back to thisnd.¡±


    The Reba believers left thesest words and hurriedly left the temple and Reinhardt.


    ¡°Take away the statues of the goddess.¡±


    Damian and the former elders were busy. First of all, the statues of Reba were removed and all forms symbolizing or suggestive of Reba were destroyed. Then statues of Grid started to be carved in the empty temples. People could now worship Grid without having to go to the Hall of Fame.


    Grid¡¯s expression was ufortable as he watched the situation silently. He still wondered if he should be hostile to the Reba Church.


    Damian read his heart and told him, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The rtionship between the Reba Church and the Overgeared God Church can¡¯t exist from the moment Isabel-chan and the elders converted.¡±


    ¡°Damian, you know that my friendly rtionship with the Reba Church hassted over 10 years. If we have a deep conversation over time, wouldn¡¯t the truthe out one day?¡±


    Most of the Reba Church followers trusted Grid, just like the Reba¡¯s Daughters and the elders. Perhaps he could¡¯ve convinced them through conversation.


    Damian shook his head at the regretful Grid. ¡°The elders who now worship you as a god wouldn¡¯t have believed you if they hadn¡¯t seen the truth with their own eyes. Even if Sariel, who recovered their angel wings, was put up as a witness, Sariel would¡¯ve been condemned as an apostle of evil. It is difficult to doubt the faith you¡¯ve had all your life.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was correct. It was impossible to change the faith of the priests simply by talking.


    ¡°The Reba Church will sooner orter elect new pops and elders. It is too risky to keep the Reba Church by your side when you don¡¯t know what type of revtion they will receive. I think it is a good thing to break the rtionship early.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    The carpenters¡¯ hammering and sawing were changing the temple into a new shape. All the forms that symbolized Reba were erased and the forms that would symbolize the Overgeared God filled the ce. Now Grid had to be prepared. He had no choice but to go against the heavenly gods...


    In the future, there would be dangers he had never imagined before. A greater power was needed to confront these dangers. The more force he had, the better.


    ¡®For example...¡¯


    Grid was suddenly reminded of a person. One of the seven humans who first revealed the sins of the gods. A man who was betrayed for the gods and suffered for years of eternal life. The incarnation of one of the seven malignant saints, Grandmaster Zikfrector.


    ¡®He tried to recruit me as an ally.¡¯


    He thought he needed Grid¡¯s strength to fight against the heavenly gods. Grid wondered why Zikfrector appreciated him so highly, but somehow, he became a person who could live up to Zikfrector¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®If it is Zikfrector, then he will surely join hands with me.¡¯


    It felt reliable just thinking about it. Zikfrector¡¯s strength was the highest on the continent and his potential was the strongest in the worldview. Additionally, Zikfrector¡¯s apostle, Zibal, and the Neo Red Knights were also excellent talents.


    ¡®If Zibal joins me, then I can start producing magic machines in earnest.¡¯


    Grid was immersed in his thoughts for a long time before a question urred to him. ¡°By the way Damian, wasn¡¯t your ss originally Goddess¡¯ Agent?¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe pope was just a status and Damian¡¯s ss was Goddess¡¯ Agent. Could he still be the Goddess¡¯ Agent when he became the pope of the Overgeared God Church?


    The awkward looking Damian scratched his cheeks. ¡°I lost my strength yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Then what will happen?¡±


    Goddess¡¯ Agent was a unique ss. Damian exined to the flustered Grid, ¡°I got a ss as a pdin of the Overgeared God Church. It isn¡¯t just me. All the former members of the Reba Church have changed sses to pdins and priests of the Overgeared God Church.¡±


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    They fortunately didn¡¯t have no ss, but Damian¡¯s loss of a unique ss was painful. It seemed he would have to get a new hidden ss for Damian.


    ¡®I will have to ask Faker and Skunk.¡¯


    Grid made a n and then showed curiosity. ¡°Then what is the power of the pdins and priests of the Overgeared God Church?¡±


    Maybe they specialized in item enhancement buffs? It would also be nice if they had heals. Damian opened his mouth as Grid was filled with expectations, ¡°Um... There are no buff skills and heals.¡±


    "???¡±


    Up until now, the pdins and priests had been divided into three types¡ªthe Reba Church¡¯s pdins and priests, the Dominion Church¡¯s pdins and priests, and the Judar Church¡¯s pdins and priests. The Dominion Church¡¯s pdins and priests specialized in personal buffs, especially when it came to attack power. The Judar Church¡¯s pdins and priests had high defense and were proficient in wide area buff skills. The Reba Church¡¯s pdins and priests had lower buffing abilitypared to the believers of the other two churches, but their heals guaranteed their survival ability.


    ¡°The elders and I are over level 300 so it can be said that our third ss advancement has already beenpleted... still, we don¡¯t have any buffs or healing skills.¡±


    ¡°What do you have if there are no buffs or heals?¡±


    ¡°A passive skill that ignores a certain amount of item-wearing penalties and the Overgeared God Church¡¯s sword dance...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. In order to increase the number of members in the future, he had to promote the unique characteristics of the Overgeared God Church. However, the pdins and priests couldn¡¯t use buffs and heals. It wasn¡¯tpetitivepared to the other churches.


    ¡®I might be able to convince the NPCs throughmunication, but yers will never join my church.¡¯


    This was bad. Grid held his head, but he had forgotten the essence of the sword dances. Originally, the sword dances were a means of directing the ritual.It was used to offer prayers to the spirits or gods in ritual-like ceremonies. For example, Transcend had the principle of raising transcendent power by making a wish to be transcendent. This meant that the power of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s pdins would be somewhat proportional to Grid¡¯sbat power as they aspired and prayed for the power of the Overgeared God while performing the sword dances.


    No one had noticed it yet.


    ¡°Damian... hurry up and get a new ss quickly.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    On this day, the Reba, Judar, and Dominion churches dered hostility on the Overgeared Kingdom. There were arge number of yers trying to join the Reba Church that had lost the owner of the First Holy Sword while the Overgeared God Church didn¡¯t receive any special attention. They felt sorry for Grid, but what could they do? The Overgeared God Church¡¯s pdins and priests were such bad sses...


    ¡®Besides, I don¡¯t have the power to bless yers yet, unlike the other gods...¡¯


    Still, it was fine. He had Zikfrector and Sariel. He would surely convince Nefelina as well. Before that, he had to meet the gourmet dragon. A pilgrimage around restaurants with the gourmet dragon was the immediate challenge.


    ¡°Perhaps it is because she is older, but Nefelina is sleeping a lot these days.¡±


    ¡°These days, once she falls asleep then she won¡¯t wake up for at least a fortnight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will contact you as soon as Nefelina wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Yes... you might have a lot of worktely, but please pay attention to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is my role.¡±


    As always, Grid left it to the reassuring Lauel and logged out. He wanted to rest before meeting the gourmet dragon.

 Chapter 1364

    ¡º The world has been tumultuous for two days right? It is because the number one yer, Grid, has earned the world¡¯s first myth rated ss. In a situation where legendary sses are said to be invincible because they resist abnormal conditions and have five seconds of immortality, how powerful will a myth rated ss be? Let¡¯s wait and see. ¡»


    ¡º As the name suggests, it is literally a god. A god. It is clear that he will be able to show more than imagined. Basically, the stats awakening effect will increase, attack power and survivability are strengthened, and all attacks are applicable to a wide area. He should specialize in overwhelming the majority by himself. ¡»


    ¡º Is it possible to think because to Grid in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation? Certainly... The power that Grid showed at that time was like a god... ¡»


    ¡º I think we shouldn¡¯t just focus onbat power, but on his cksmithing ability as well. As long as he is a myth rated cksmith, I think he should be able to easily produce myth rated items in the future. ¡»


    ¡º Easily produce myth rated items... I¡¯m getting the chills just imagining it. If that happens, won¡¯t it be safe to say that the three forces of the Overgeared Guild, the Overgeared Kingdom, and the Overgeared God Church will have nuclear weapons? ¡»


    ¡º What is the situation of the Overgeared God Church? Aren¡¯t there new sses called Overgeared God Church¡¯s pdins and priests? I think yers who regrettably can¡¯t join the Overgeared Guild will be aiming to join the Overgeared God Church... ¡»


    ¡º Contrary to your belief, there are currently very few yers joining the Overgeared God Church. In Satisfy, the position of the church is proportional to the number of believers. The believers here are NPCS. Perhaps it is due to the Reba Church or because faith doesn¡¯t change easily, but there are surprisingly few NPCs entering the Overgeared God Church. The future is uncertain, so yers have no choice but to hesitate. ¡»


    ¡º Aren¡¯t yers counted as believers? ¡»


    ¡º They aren¡¯t counted until the number of believers is one million. A church enjoys benefits when the number of believers increases by 100,000 or 500,000. If the number of yers is counted at the beginning then it is possible for yers to work together to develop a particr religion. ¡»


    ¡º It is a system to prevent certain individuals or groups from using their power and financial resources to strength and control the religion system? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, that¡¯s right. ¡»


    ¡º I understand the purpose, but... is there no reason for yers to join the Overgeared God Church, even if they can¡¯t be recognized as a believer? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s not it. The number doesn¡¯t count, but they can enjoy all the benefits of a believer. ¡»


    ¡º Well, in any case, the role of the pope is important for the growth of the Overgeared God Church. ¡»


    ¡º Yes. Additionally, the performance of the new Overgeared God Church¡¯s pdins and priests will be important. If there are merits in the ss, then the number of people who want to join the church will increase... ¡»


    No matter what channel one turned to, it was just stories about the Overgeared God and the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡º Love is also about being overgeared. Wearing nice clothes and spraying good perfume will appeal to the other sex. Now, look at my outfit. Isn¡¯t it cool? The products I will introduce to you today willplement the shorings of your body... ¡»


    ¡º Parenting is about being overgeared. With this walker, your child will befortable... ¡»


    Even the home shopping channels were about overgeared.


    ¡º In short, it is a perfect air purifier. Home appliances are about being overgeared. ¡»


    ¡º The style that adorns the dish. One overgeared brass bowl will make your table beautiful. ¡»


    Overgeared CFs. The term overgeared, which had been used in a negative manner just a few years ago, had now prated deep into daily life in a positive sense. It could be said that Grid had changed the world.


    ¡®Originally, life is about being overgeared.¡¯


    It was like how students with better writing instruments could focus more on their studies or those with better cars could enjoy afortable driving experience. Being overgeared had always been important. It was just that people didn¡¯t want to honestly admit it.


    Shin Youngwoo turned off the TV while thinking this and put on a coat.


    ¡®By the way, I have to get 100,000 believers.¡¯


    The people of the Overgeared Kingdom were in the millions. This was true when only NPCs were calcted. He thought it would be easy to gather the faithful, but people¡¯s faith didn¡¯t change easily. Who would listen if you told a person who only attended church all their life to go to the temple from tomorrow? The people of the Overgeared Kingdom revered and were loyal to Grid, but religion was another matter.


    ¡®In the current situation, it is important to reveal the reality of the gods in order to increase the number of believers. The fastest way is probably to go to the East Continent.¡¯


    Most humans on the West Continent served Reba and faith in her was a conflict with faith in Grid. On the other hand, the humans in the East Continent served all gods and the gods there had a symbiotic rtionship with Grid. The heart of the red phoenix inside Grid was one of the strongest evidences of a symbiotic rtionship.


    ¡®Additionally, those who serve the gods will sometimes stop by the shrines to pray, but they don¡¯t have any separate religious activities. Therefore, it will be less of a burden to enter the Overgeared God Church.¡¯


    The exhaust sound of his car, Thirteen, driving down the road dedicated to automobiles, pierced Youngwoo¡¯s frustrated heart. Of course, Shin Youngwooplied with the speed rules. It was a natural duty toply with thew.


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m really sorry! I will pay theundry fee...¡±


    ¡°Forget the damnundry fee! Do you know how much this costs? A part-time worker like you will never be able to afford it even after working for a year...!¡±


    The best way to relieve stress was driving and food. Youngwoo, who arrived at a Chinese restaurant in Gangnam because he was craving shrimp with fried peppers and peanuts, frowned as soon as he sat down. It was because a man who coordinated his clothing with a luxury watch was yelling at a restaurant employee. He noticed that the employee had spilled jasmine tea while cing food on the table.


    Shin Youngwoo, whose eyes had improved from ying the game for several years, instantly noticed the slight stain on the man¡¯s cor and clicked his tongue.


    ¡®It will be fine if he washes it once.¡¯


    There was no need to even go to the dry cleaners. How good wereundry machines and detergents these days?


    ¡°You are still making a living working part-time because you¡¯re so stupid!:


    It was just bullshit. It reminded him of the people who looked down on young people carrying bricks when he was doingbor. It was shameful that they were easily assessing and demeaning other people¡¯s jobs. He had learned skills while earning money through fairbor, so he was proud of it.


    It happened the moment when Shin Youngwoo¡¯s expression darkened and he was about to get up...


    ¡°Shut up and get lost.¡± Someone suddenly appeared and grabbed the cor of the man making a fuss. It was a familiar face. ¡°You are a disgrace of South Korea.¡±


    He was Kang Daehan, the president of the Korean Patriotic Association, who was active under the nickname ¡®Peak Sword.¡¯ He kicked out the man with a ferocious expression and stood still when he met the eyes of Youngwoo, who was trying to return to his seat. His expression became nk and he scratched his head. ¡°No~~ I had a meeting today and the guest said he wanted to eat Chinese food...¡±


    It seemed he was embarrassed because he met someone he knew at a Chinese restaurant, not a Korean restaurant. Youngwoo pretended not to see it, but the incident spread rapidly through social media and was covered on the 9 o¡¯clock news. In the interview, the image of Kang Daehan repeating the nonsense ¡®I had a meeting¡¯ was edited into a short meme and became an Inte meme for a while.


    ***


    ¡°It is an honor.¡± Mercedes was thrilled.


    ¡°As a messenger of the Overgeared God Church, I will be an example to all people.¡± Piaro had a heroic resolve.


    ¡°Bah, do you want me to be your subordinate? Well, it seems there are no talents except for me. I¡¯ll take care of it for the time being.¡± Braham grumbled, but epted it.


    This was the day when three messengers of the Overgeared God Church were born.


    ¡®Now there are four.¡¯


    Next it was time to convince Nefelina. If Nefelina was appointed as a messenger, then the Overgeared Kingdom and the Overgeared God Church could always be safe. If he was away, then the curses of the other gods could be ovee with the power of the messengers alone. The messengers of the Overgeared God were splendid enough to create this confidence.


    ¡°Nefelina.¡±


    He had been stuck in the smithy for two weeks. It took a week for him to extract the divine stone from Raguel¡¯s Spear. After that, he disassembled and reassembled Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools to increase his understanding of them. He also analyzed the use of the angel halo and feather, but unfortunately, it was still difficult to grasp. He thought he should study more minerals as a medium.


    ¡°Nefelina...?¡±


    Grid received a call from Lauel that it was time for Nefelina to wake up, so he stopped work in the smithy and stopped by. A dragon. Perhaps, no, obviously the greatest creature in the world. It was hard to even find defects in her appearance, yet this perfect being was crying. The curled up shoulders and trembling arms evoked feelings of pity.


    ¡°W-W-What is it?¡± She should¡¯ve sensed Grid from the beginning, but even so, she couldn¡¯t stop crying. Nefelina nervously wiped away her tears, cheeks bulging as she asked this question.


    Grid quietly approached and handed her a handkerchief.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t ask if she had a nightmare or if she was okay. He would lose her trust if he rashly said something he couldn¡¯t be responsible for. Nefelina was handed a handkerchief and blew her nose. Perhaps it was because she ate a lot, but she had a lot of snot. Grid received thepletely wet handkerchief with a God Hand and immediately got to the point. ¡°Be my messenger.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nefelina tilted her small head and narrowed her eyes as she observed Grid. ¡°What? Did you be a baby god?¡±


    ¡°A baby god?¡±


    ¡°A baby god because you are just born. It is like how I¡¯m a hatchling.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I be a real god like you¡¯re an adult?¡±


    "Of course. In return, you should do many miracles.¡±


    Was it because his status as a god was still in the growth stage? Grid didn¡¯t want his race itself to be a god, but he honestly wished his ss would be myth rated.


    ¡®In the end, it means I have to keep growing.¡¯


    Grid was smiling at the thought that he still had a long road ahead of him while Nefelina got up and got dressed.


    ¡°It seems you are taking me too lightly because I¡¯m a hatchling. A baby god actually wants to make me a servant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to be a servant but apanion.¡±


    ¡°Since when was a god¡¯s messenger apanion of the god? It is just an underling.¡±


    ¡°That is the dictionary meaning...¡±


    ¡°In any case, it looks like an underling in other people¡¯s eyes. Up to now, there has never been a god who made a dragon a messenger. You are greedy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Nefelina wore a fluttering dress and picked up the cutlery. She sat at arge table and held the knife and fork. It seems she was looking forward to the cows and pigs the soldiers would bring. ¡°What good is it for me if I be your messenger? Tell me first. I¡¯ll think about it after listening to the exnation.¡±


    ¡°...You weren¡¯t trying to refuse?¡±


    ¡°Even if I refused, you would¡¯ve tried to persuade me. I just don¡¯t want to suffer from nightmares anymore.¡±


    Baal and the great demons who drove her father crazy, and the dragons who attacked such a father...


    There weren¡¯t just one or two enemies she wanted to kill. Therefore, she suffered nightmares every night. She was afraid. In particr, she thought it would be hard to beat the fire dragon who existed since the beginning if she kept growing like this. It was as Grid expected. Nefelina also needed power.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you stronger.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, you? Me? This doesn¡¯t seem right? The reason dragons don¡¯t be messengers of the gods isn¡¯t just because it will hurt our pride. It was because it has no merit. Usually, the gods can open the potential of the messengers to make them stronger. However, dragons can already unlock 100% of their own potential. If you want to tempt me, then you shouldn¡¯t make an absurd promise to make me stronger. It should be a rtively realistic promise of giving me strong colleagues to rely on.¡±


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I can make you stronger. There are also strong colleagues you can rely on.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Nefelina put down her knife and fork. Her eyes that were as deep as the sea stared at Grid. She used Grid¡¯s aura to determine all the achievements he had umted so far andughed. ¡°You must be one of the strong colleagues.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I ept the offer to be your messenger as long as you don¡¯t send me on annoying errands. You know, I have to eat and I sleep most of the time, so I¡¯m busy.¡±


    A dragon¡ªthe greatest race in the world joined hands with Grid. It was the first time since the birth of the world that a dragon served someone. It was a young dragon who was just a hatchling.

 Chapter 1365

    The world had many questions about Yura. She was one of the few legendary ss yers and the only yer active in hell, so it was natural to be full of questions toward her. Right now, Yura was silent regarding all questions. She who had got closer to the public by doing many interviews with the media in the past was currently exhausted.


    ¡°You have been proud of your unchanging beauty for many years. Can I ask you about your secret in maintaining it?¡±


    There were trivial questions.


    ¡°The retirement time of your grandfather, Lee Jinmyung, has be a political hot topic. Rumor has it that Chairman Lee Jinmyung has selected you as his sessor. Once Chairman Lee Jinmyung retires, will you end your career as a yer to start a second life as a business person?¡±


    Sensitive questions about her family.


    ¡°You are often seen dating Youngwoo-ssi. It is known that the rtionship between the two of you is recognized by both families. Can we expect news of your marriage?¡±


    There were only questions about her private life in the interview so it was unpleasant from Yura¡¯s position. After joining the Overgeared Guild, she really didn¡¯t want to do these interviews.


    ¡°It seems the questions rted to Satisfy are over so I will finish the interview.¡±


    Yura endured the urge to frown and rose from her seat with a smile. Behind her was the Overgeared God Temple where the construction was in full swing. This was why she epted this interview when she had been refusing media interviews for some time. It was to indirectly promote the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡°Ah... So the Overgeared God Church gives a buff that prevents the item¡¯s durability from dropping?¡±


    The reporter thought it was unfortunate to end the interview like this and changed the topic to continue the conversation. It was a rewarding result for Yura.


    ¡°Yes, it is a buff that can be gained by just changing religions. There is no need to be a priest or pdin of the Overgeared God Church. If you pray to a statue of the Overgeared God, then the buff is maintained for eight hours.¡±


    ¡°That is quite an advantage. There is a possibility that repairing the item yourself using the repair kit will decrease the maximum durability of the item, so everyone is reluctant to do so unless necessary. Repair kits are a consumable and they¡¯re expensive.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is why most yers can¡¯t stay in a hunting ground for long. If you join the Overgeared God Church, you¡¯ll be able to hunt in one ce for at least eight hours. It is a big benefit in the long run because you can concentrate on leveling up while saving money.¡±


    ¡°Still, it is true that it feels shabbypared to the buff effects of other religions. The Reba Church greatly increases hunting efficiency by giving nine buffs to helpbat while the Yatan Church increases the amount of experience gained.¡±


    ¡°The reason for the rtive difference is that the level of the Overgeared God Church is still low. The higher the number of followers, the higher the level of the church and the greater the buff effect. I¡¯m guessing that most of the effects will be rted to items.¡±


    Huroi, who was passing by, naturally interrupted, ¡°That¡¯s right. Buffs that will increase the rating of a particr item for a while, buffs that allow you to equip items from other others, or buffs that will increase your item acquisition rate... improving hunting efficiency is just the basics. Buffs that will be conducive to economic growth will continue to be added to the Overgeared God Church in the future. For now, you just need to join the Overgeared God Church and increase the level, so you can enjoy the benefits that will be added in the future.¡±


    ¡°...Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Am I certain? It isn¡¯t enough to impolitely inquire about another person¡¯s private life. Your parents will be very sad to see you blindly doubt a well-meaning person.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Did he hear incorrectly? Not only did Huroi break into another person¡¯s interview, he casually mentioned the interviewer¡¯s parents. It seemed far from reality. The suspicion that he couldn¡¯t do this unless he was a madman dominated the interviewer¡¯s head and made him deny reality.


    It happened as an awkward silence flowed...


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the 11th epic.]


    ......


    [He made a high status, aloof, and noble race, who insisted on being alone since she was perfect, be his servant.]


    [The other gods are jealous because he has aplished a feat that no other god has ever aplished. Those who serve him are thrilled and offering prayers.]


    ......


    ...


    [Overgeared King Grid haspleted the 11th page of the epic!]


    [The prelude to a new myth is filling the hearts of the Overgeared God Church believers with splendor.]


    [The reputation of the Overgeared God Church will soar into the sky for a while!]


    [The faith of curious people are shaken.]


    [Some of those whose faith is shaken have joined the Overgeared God Church.]


    ¡°...A noble race that insists on being alone?¡±


    A feat that no god had ever achieved? What the hell was going on? The presence of Huroi had already disappeared from the head of the interviewer, who couldn¡¯t understand it. Yura told him, who was trying to interpret the content of the epic, and to the readers who would read the article he wrote, ¡°A dragon has been appointed as the new messenger of the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Huh? A dragon? That dragon??¡±


    ¡°With this trend, the growth rate of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s level will be unmatched. If you want to get more benefits, then I suggest you join the Overgeared God Church soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...


    The reporter was writing down Yura¡¯s words with a soulless expression when he suddenly realized something.


    His notebook was filled with more information about the Overgeared God Church than Yura.


    ***


    ¡°Kimchi~¡±


    Click!


    As Yura was being interviewed at the southern temple, Jishuka was being interviewed at the eastern temple. She was extremely dramatic, unlike Yura. She simply held a press conference, convening several media reporters at the same time to tantly promote the Overgeared God Church to them. She even took a photo in front of the stone statue of Grid and sent it to SNS in real time.


    By the side of the Overgeared God ?


    #First yer god #GOD Grid #Overgeared God Church #Grid Jishuka #Overgeared King #Buff is received upon joining the Overgeared God Church


    ¡°......¡±


    The reporters¡¯ expressions shook. They had many things they were curious about, so they believed in Jishuka¡¯s words and came running to ask...


    ¡®She only promoted the Overgeared God Church during the interview.¡¯


    ¡®Look at her sending a heart in the midst of this situation.¡¯


    The reporters didn¡¯t blink at all at the criticism that they were trash reporters. In particr, Satisfy¡¯s reporters had concrete mentalities because many of them were from the love section. They were people who were ustomed to the taste of others. However, Jishuka¡¯s shamelessness was hard for even them to take. Every time they asked a question she didn¡¯t want, she would be mute and not a single provocative article could be obtained.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve asked Yura to the end.¡¯


    The reporters had never felt such great helplessness despite having over 10 years of experience...


    It was just when they were sighing...


    [Overgeared King Grid is writing the 11th epic.]


    The heavens blessed them. The reporters¡¯ eyes lit up at getting the right article and they started to record the contents of the epic.


    ¡®He seeded in persuading Nefelina!¡¯


    A bright smile appeared on Jishuka¡¯s face when she saw the epic and understood the situation.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ...Then it disappeared. Jishuka flinched and was rmed when she heard the cold voice. She found an old man staring at her with scornful eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t your words too much?¡±


    Did she have to be told she was crazy by an unknown person just because she hung onto a statue and took photos with it? She was ufortable and angry at being treated like a madman just because she rubbed her cheek against the statue and kissed it.


    Jishuka grumbled but was unable to curse due to the other person¡¯s age. Then the old man repeated to Jishuka, ¡°You are crazy, but he¡¯s crazier.¡±


    At this point, Jishuka was also agitated. ¡°No, what is crazy...?! Old man, do you know me?!¡±


    ¡°Not you, but the king you serve. Did he break his head with a hammer while making a sword? Why trust a dragon and make it a messenger?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It seemed he was talking about Grid, not her. Jishuka was angry after realizing it and her eyes widened again. She thought about her man being scolded and felt bad, like she was the one being scolded. She pointed at the old man. ¡°No, you, who the hell are you talking about so casually?¡±


    Jishuka raised her voice only to be startled. The old man¡¯s robe fluttered, and before she knew it, the old man had disappeared.


    ¡®W-What?


    It wasn¡¯t magic. This...


    ¡®Shunpo?¡¯


    The ultimate footwork that symbolized a transcendent¡ªshe recently became used to it because of Grid, but it was originally a technique that wasn¡¯t easy to see. It was a skill that ordinary yers might not be able to see until the game ended. Yet the old man who showed up used Shunpo...


    Jishuka recalled the criticism of the old man toward Grid and got a chill down her back. Then she left the reporters behind and started running.


    -Intruder!Make the safety of the queen and prince a top priority and protect the smithy district!


    Jishuka¡¯s warning convened the Overgeared members to Reinhardt. At the same time, Nefelina¡¯s bedroom...


    Swallow swallow.


    Did she have a ck hole in her stomach? Grid started nkly at the little girl who ate a whole cooked pig in one bite and chewed on the bones. Suddenly, there was an old man in a robe staring at him.


    ¡°You were hiding a hatchling. I came to congratte you after hearing the news that you have built divinity, only to feel betrayed.¡± The old man threw off his robe and revealed his identity. It was none other than Sword Saint Biban. ¡°There are 27 vertebral bones in a hatchling¡¯s neck, just like an adult. I¡¯ll give you an early death.¡±


    Grid finally noticed his mistake. He should¡¯ve hidden Nefelina¡¯s identity from the tower members, but this failed due to the epic.


    ¡°Wait! This kid is my colleague!¡± Grid shouted at Biban who drew his sword, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been told many times about the dangers of dragons. She might be cooperating with humans because she is still weak, but she will reveal her true colors the moment she bes an adult. I have to get rid of her while she is a hatchling so there is no future trouble.¡±


    The Matchless Heart Technique was activated and brilliant sword energy appeared around Biban¡¯s body.


    Nefelina gulped and shouted with wide open eyes, ¡°Y-You are pointing a sword at me! Impertinent!¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Biban was going to release a crescent moon attack when powerful magic fell from the ceiling and collided with Biban¡¯s sword.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Biban admired the heavy impact and expanded his senses to capture the magician¡¯s position. Then he turned around and raised his sword. White feathers glimmered in his vision. There was an explosive sound and Biban was pushed back several steps.


    Biban was surprised by the continuous shock and soothed his shaking arm muscles. He raised his eyes and witnessed two beautiful people. There was a blond handsome man with white wings spread out and a silver-haired handsome man with a staff on his shoulder standing side by side and staring at him.


    ¡°Angel...¡±


    And Braham?


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a good match against me.¡±


    Bibanughed and adjusted the posture of his sword. Just then, someone¡¯s hand struck Biban¡¯s back hard. Biban looked back due to the tingling pain and saw Jessica.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to act rashly?¡±


    ¡°N-No, a hatchling...¡±


    ¡°There are dragons that can be controlled like the gourmet dragon, so why not a hatchling? In particr, she is the insane dragon¡¯s daughter. Hayate told me that he would rather protect the child.¡±


    ¡°Hayate knows about the hatchling?¡±


    ¡°He noticed since the first time he met Grid.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he say anything to me?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t he worried that you would just hear the beginning and rush out of the tower?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was he such an untrustworthy person? Biban was depressed and closed his mouth. Jessica sighed when she saw it. Then she nodded at Grid. ¡°As you know, the gourmet cycle has already begun. However, we camete because we were trying to figure out Raiders¡¯ route. I apologize for it.¡±


    ¡°I visited Raider¡¯sir six days ago and was very rmed when I found nothing.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that he left their even before the cycle began. Raiders is currently in the Murray Kingdom. The detailed location is here...¡±


    Jessica handed a map to Grid.


    Grid checked the location on the map and naturally went to look for Sticks.

 Chapter 1366

    [There is a rumor that the procession to your stone statue is endless!]


    [The Stone Statue of Overgeared God Grid has achieved level 5.]


    On the day a new god was born, the statue of Hero King Grid in the Behen Archipgo¡¯s Hall of Fame was promoted to the statue of Overgeared God Grid. The level of the stone statue might¡¯ve been reset, but the effects of the buffs that Grid would get when the worship reached the maximum value was rather diverse.


    [Over the next month, your dexterity stat will rise by 10% and the probability of making a high rated item will slightly increase.]


    [Over the next month, your strength, stamina, intelligence, and agility stats will increase by 5% each. The casting speed and power of sword dance-type attack skills and the casting speed and cooldown time reduction of magic will increase slightly.]


    The Hero King¡¯s stone statue only increased the dexterity stat, the odds of making a higher rated item, and the casting speed of the sword dances. Meanwhile, the Overgeared God¡¯s stone statue increased these things as well as allbat-rted stats and the power of the sword dances and magic. The increase was still low, but it was clear that the new stone statue would exert a much stronger effect once it reached the level of the previous statue.


    ¡®Good. My dexterity is lower so I should refrain from making good items for the time being.


    The original statue of the Hero King was level 15 i.e. max level. The buff for the Hero King¡¯s statue increased his dexterity by 30% while the buff of the level 5 Overgeared God statue only increased his dexterity by 10%. However, people could now easily ess the stone statue (or bronze statue) of Grid. It was the aftermath of the Overgeared God¡¯s temples being established all over the Overgeared Kingdom.


    A bronze statue of the Overgeared God was raised in each temple, so it was possible for people to worship Grid without going to the Behen Archipgo. The level of the statues would rise rapidly (all bronze and stone statues shared the same level). Of course, the promotion of Yura and Jishuka was also a big help. Since the two beauties and the world¡¯s greatest yers started promoting the Overgeared God Church in interviews and on social media, the procession of people visiting the Overgeared God¡¯s temples never ended.


    ¡®It is okay to assume that the statue buffs can be maintained almost all the time as long as the Overgeared God Church doesn¡¯t fall.¡¯


    There was no need to consider what type of god he was.


    Since the buff effect raisedbat-rted status and the power of magic along with the production of items, he could be considered a versatile god ofbat. It reflected the characteristics of the sses he currently had.


    ¡°By the way...¡±


    At a border city in the Murray Kingdom...


    Grid stood in front of an inn with an old signboard that said ¡®Hillgram¡¯ and trembled. Gourmet Dragon Raiders¡ªwould a dragon who existed since the beginning really stay in such a small, shabby inn? Sticks bid farewell to Grid who was seriously wondering if the information was wrong.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    His tone and expression were stiff. He was nervous and his gaze toward Grid even contained some resentment. The gourmet dragon was the incarnation of madness who chewed on the roots of the world tree because he was curious about the taste. From Sticks¡¯ perspective, the gourmet dragon was the enemy of his mother before he was feared for giving Sticks an incurable disease.


    He didn¡¯t like Grid¡¯s attitude of trying to build a rtionship with the gourmet dragon no matter the reason. It was an important task so he tried to understand Grid one hundred times. Eventually, he epted it. It was just questionable if Sticks had to be the one to bring Grid here.


    ¡®He probably doesn¡¯t like that us elves worship Goddess Reba as the only god.¡¯


    This was why he bothered Sticks on purpose. Sticks barely swallowed down the words ¡®I believe in you and I¡¯m trying to change my faith¡¯ and turned around with a bitter smile. Then Grid spoke to him, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. The reason I asked you to take me here instead of Braham is because I want to be honest.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I usually tell you wherever and whenever I go. If I leave quietly when I¡¯m going to meet the gourmet dragon... you might get the misunderstanding that I want to stab you in the back. I just didn¡¯t want a meaningless misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten that the gourmet dragon is your enemy. I¡¯m not thinking of getting along with the gourmet dragon while turning my back on your loyalty. This meeting is simply business. Please know this.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in a few days.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are safe.¡±


    Sticks¡¯ expression rxed and Grid¡¯s heart became lighter as he opened the door of the inn.


    ***


    Creak.


    HIs honest talk with Sticks helped a lot in easing the tension in Grid. Grid was no longer crushed by the name ¡®Gourmet Dragon Raiders.¡¯ He was reminded that the gourmet dragon was just a tool forpleting the quest and entered the inn.


    ¡°Wee,¡± the middle-aged innkeeper greeted Grid. It wasn¡¯t a very kind attitude. He had a cigarette in his mouth as he watched Grid and asked bluntly, ¡°Are you a noble? There is no way such a person woulde look for a room in this shabby ce. Why have youe?¡±


    ¡°I am looking for someone. I think they¡¯ve started staying here since four days ago.¡±


    ¡°...You are a noble.¡±


    The innkeeper quietly put out the cigarette. His attitude suddenly became polite and he guided Grid to the innermost room on the second floor. ¡°Raiders, the one you have been waiting for hase.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Why was a dragon staying in such a shabby inn? It was the moment when the reason was revealed. The innkeeper knew the identity of Raiders. A human being in contact with a dragon...


    Was this middle-aged, seemingly ordinary man actually a named one? The door of the room opened by itself while Grid was feeling surprised. The sight seen through the open door waspletely different from Grid¡¯s expectations. The room inside the old, small inn was unbelievablyrge and gorgeous. It was reminiscent of the pce where the emperor stayed.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid entered the room with a fascinated expression only to stiffen like a statue.


    A long table filled with delicacies. One man was sitting alone in front of it and eating. The movement of the fork and knife was a ssic. The ssic music that spread out in the background from the moment he entered the room seemed to enhance the dignity of the man.


    Grid was overwhelmed. The man¡¯s magic power¡ªGrid felt a huge pressure and couldn¡¯t move due to the magic powering from the man with purple hair down to his waist.


    The man who was still sitting with his back to the breathless Grid spoke after chewing the meat in his mouth, ¡°Hilgram¡¯s food has never changed over the past one thousand years. It is the result of my great effort to preserve the taste that I praised.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes on Grid¡¯s blue-tinged face shook.


    Dragon Words¡ªevery single word spoken by the man contained a great power that exerted force on the world. This force was as high as the man¡¯s magic power and crushed Grid.


    ¡°When I wake up every 100 years, the first thing thates to mind is Hilgram¡¯s food. For me, Hilgram is one of the few or perhaps the only thing I miss.¡±


    The man put down the knife and fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He took a sip of the ss filled with bubbly wine and murmured, ¡°However, a day came when I couldn¡¯t empty the bowls. I savored the taste of the first sip of wine but after a few more sips, I became bored. I miss the taste but I am tired of it because I know the taste.¡±


    The man pushed the chair back and slowly rose from his seat. Raiders¡ªwas it because he polymorphed into a human? His name that should shine brightly was white like the names of ordinary NPCs.


    ¡°I want to thank you. I didn¡¯t make a mistake because you came to introduce me to a new delicacy while I was getting bored.¡±


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    The moment that Raiders thanked him, the pressure crushing Grid disappeared like it was a lie. Goosebumps covered Grid¡¯s skin as he took short breaths and thought about the ¡®mistake¡¯ that Raiders almost made. Then Raider¡¯s exnation continued, ¡°Just a little while ago, I was thinking about destroying this little inn and wiping out Hilgram¡¯s blood rtives. If I did, I would have regretted it a hundred yearster.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A family that had served him for a thousand years¡ªhe wanted to destroy the family who preserved his favorite taste in order to serve him, just because he was tired of the taste? Grid thought it was absurd and ridiculous. He seemed to see Raiders chewing on the roots of the world tree in front of the elves and instantly felt great anger.


    However, he couldn¡¯t show it and just smiled. It was the groveling smile that he used to always wear in the past. His pledge not to be overwhelmed by the name ¡®Gourmet Dragon Raiders¡¯ disappeared the moment he witnessed the reality of Raiders. The infinite power and destructive nature of a dragon far exceeded Grid¡¯s imagination and Grid fell into fear.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Grid had many ways to defend himself.


    Dragons were different from great demons. Friendship might not be possible but they weren¡¯t clear enemies. It would be good for the future to deal with them with a smiling face, even if it was somewhat servile. The purpose of the Tower of Wisdom wasn¡¯t to harm the dragons but to satisfy their desires and prevent them from going on a rampage. Even Dragon yer Hayate and the tower members were afraid to have dragons as enemies. Yes, it wasn¡¯t because his nature was cowardly that he was smiling like this. It was a realistic judgment.


    Grid was able to make enough excuses in this way. So what was this frustrated heart? He was gritting his teeth and grabbed his chest when Raiders urged him, ¡°I want to get rid of my hunger. I will ask you to guide me without dy.¡±


    Raiders wore a fancy coat and left the room first. Then the room that was asrge and luxurious as the imperial pce became a narrow and shabby space. As Grid stared nkly at the sight, Raiders descended to the first floor and warned the innkeeper, ¡°Your descendant who will meet me in 100 years must keep the taste of your ancestors, but they have to also find new vors.¡±


    ¡°I-I will listen...!¡± The innkeeper realized the meaning of the words and answered strongly. He trembled like a tree as he mmed his forehead against the ground and sobbed.


    The family bound by a curse called Raiders resented the fate of himself and his descendants.


    ¡®A dragon...¡¯


    What was the reason why people who met dragons feared and hated them? Why didn¡¯t the arrogant great demons mention dragons as much and why did the gods of the Hwan Kingdom not even consider working with the dragons despite preparing for a war?


    Grid discovered the reason and was convinced. Dragons were originally a species one couldn¡¯t make friends with. It was the result of luck that would never happen again that Nefelina became his messenger that would protect the Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared God Church.


    ¡®Let¡¯s try to survive as much as possible during the gourmet cycle.¡¯


    Don¡¯t stand out in front of Raiders. There was nothing good about attracting useless aggro. The determined Grid tried to smile brightly.


    ¡°The first destination is the Saharan Empire.¡±


    The restaurant acknowledged by the empress had the highest probability of satisfying Raider¡¯s taste buds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Titan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Raiders nodded and the two of them were already standing in the middle of Titan.

 Chapter 1367

    La Dero was the best restaurant in Titan. The dishes were guaranteed to be of good taste and quality since they were presented to the empress.


    Grid and Raiders sat down in a ce where even the renowned nobles of the empire couldn¡¯t visit without a reservation. There are no guests except for the two of them. The reason why they upied the entire restaurant was because the owner was brainwashed by Raiders¡¯ magic and drove out all the other customers. Then he brought the food over himself.


    A sharp knife cut the meat without scratching the tableware. First was to dip it in salt, then pour the sauce and add the garnish. Ah, was this spice for eating with it?


    Raiders enjoyed the meat in various ways and made a pleasant smile. ¡°It maximized the vor and savory taste by using so much parts it would seem the fat content is excessive. I felt that the acidity of the sauce bnces it well. The mostmendable part is the garnish. It melts the moment it touches the teeth and the thinyer of fried root vegetables makes up for theck of texture.¡±


    Grid mulled over it and said how he felt, ¡°Just... it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    La Dero¡¯s food was excellent enough to make Grid smile when he had been shrinking back after seeing Raiders¡¯ destructive nature. He wanted to ask the chef of La Dero for a lunch box every day. It was surprising that Grid felt this desire when he ate rough bread when working or hunting.


    ¡®The chefs at the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s pce are good, but they aren¡¯t at this level. Should I hire a world-ss chef?¡¯


    Damn Idan...


    If Idan was good at cooking, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about this.


    Grid was grumbling when Raiders finished the desert and wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°It was a delicious meal.¡±


    [You have heard Gourmet Dragon Raiders say that the food is delicious! (1/60)]


    The gourmet cycle quest was simple. Take Raiders to at least 80 restaurants and hear him say ¡®delicious¡¯ 60 times. Grid seeded in hearing the word ¡®delicious¡¯ at the very first restaurant, but his expression wasn¡¯t bright.


    ¡®I was hoping for him to be happy...¡¯


    Appreciation beyond deliciousness. The quest stated that every time Raiders said he was ¡®happy,¡¯ there would be a special reward. Meanwhile, La Dero was a restaurant with great expectations. The restaurant that made authentic dishes for the empress was one of the best restaurants on the West Continent.


    ¡®It will be hard to hear that he is happy in other restaurants when he didn¡¯t say it at La Dero.¡¯


    Grid was filled with great regret. His expectations were so high that his disappointment was also big and his spirit was shaken. Then he soon controlled his mind. First of all, it was most important to seed in the quest. Hiddenpensation was just a secondary matter. Yes, all he had to do was clear the quest. He heard that it was delicious from the beginning so it was starting well.


    Grid tried to think positively and turned his gaze outside the window with a smile. ¡®I thought the level was going up too quickly...¡¯


    The VIP room in La Dero was the most popr room and it took one year to make a reservation. The magnificent view of Titan was like a canvas on therge window frame that upied one entire wall of the VIP room. Inside that canvas was a statue of Grid.


    A temple for the Overgeared God was established in the empire. Most of the people who witnessed the reality of the gods in the Drasion raid were from the empire, thus they converted to the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡®There is no need to worship me just because they are disappointed in Goddess Reba.¡¯


    Apart from the gods of Asgard, there were many other gods. A prime example was Garion, the god of the earth. He was born from the aspirations of humans who appreciated and gave meaning to the earth. Garion was a god loved and respected by the people of the continent, even if he wasn¡¯t from Asgard. He didn¡¯t give off an absolute feeling like Chiyou, but it was true that Garion was much more famous than a neer like Grid.


    ¡®There are so many other gods. Thank you for choosing me...¡¯


    The influence of Empress Basara and the dukes must¡¯ve yed a big role.


    Raiders urged Grid who was sending them gratitude in his heart, ¡°Where are you going to guide me to next?¡±


    Raiders had obviously seen the statue of Grid, but he wasn¡¯t interested. For dragons, a new god was not much different from a human.


    ¡°How about seafood next?¡±


    ¡°Seafood is good although I don¡¯t think flour or rice is bad either.¡±


    There were many dishes cooked with seafood and carbohydrates.


    ¡°Can I guide you straight away?¡±


    Raiders had eaten all of La Dero¡¯s menu. He ate a quantity that would be enough for 30 people. Raiders nodded at Grid who carefully asked the question.


    ¡°Just because I¡¯m disguised as a human doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m human, including my stomach. Personally, I hope to progress without any breaks.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    It was nice to hear. Grid was very ufortable apanying Raiders. He honestly hoped to send this fearsome dragon away quickly.


    ¡°The next destination is here.¡± Grid took out the map and pointed to Media. It was once a famous marine kingdom. It was also where the Behen Archipgo was located. It was destroyed and absorbed by the empire during Emperor Juander¡¯s time so it now belonged to the empire.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Coordinate retrieval was tricky magic. It took a great magician at least a few minutes to look at a map and determine the coordinates. However, Raiders already determined Media¡¯s coordinates and used Mass Teleport.


    Grid reached his destination in the blink of an eye and clicked his tongue. ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    At this point, wasn¡¯t itparable or even better than Braham¡¯s magic ability? Grid was reminded of how Bunhelier had 99,999 strength and agility, and once again realized that he should never be hostile to dragons.


    ¡®First... it is too much that there is no penalty on the earth.¡¯


    The gods exerted their full power in Heaven and the great demons in hell. Only the dragons weren¡¯t confined to a ce. The most threatening being on earth was a dragon.


    ¡°Delicious.¡±


    Raiders tasted several foods one after another in Media and showed satisfaction. Yet once again, he didn¡¯t state that he was happy. It was the same at the next destination and the one after that. Grid guided Raiders to a total of 20 restaurants throughout the day, but Raiders¡¯ appreciation stayed at the level of delicious.


    ¡®Fortunately, there were no failures...¡¯


    Grid was trying to ease his regret when Raiders praised him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t let me down at all. Compared to the past gourmet cycles, this is the happiest cycle.¡±


    Just then...


    [You have heard from Gourmet Dragon Raiders that he is happy!]


    [A special reward will ur since the special condition is achieved!]


    ¡°......??¡± Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he was in the middle of giving up. Then he realized something. The purpose of the gourmet cycle quest was to hear the word ¡®delicious¡¯ 60 times. However, the quest instructed him to take Raiders to ¡®at least¡¯ 80 restaurants. Even if he heard the word ¡®delicious¡¯ 60 times in a row, he would still need to visit 20 more restaurants. It had been questionable and now he knew the reason.


    ¡®It was an arrangement to aim for the maximum possible special rewards.¡¯


    Raiders¡¯ happiness was a hidden system that urred only after delicious was said 20 times in a row...


    The reason why the quest insisted on visiting 80 restaurants was to increase the probability of triggering the hidden system. The reason for this consideration was simple. The difficulty of the quest was actually very high.


    ¡®Certainly... it would¡¯ve been too hard if I tried to find the ces on my own without the help of my colleagues.¡¯


    In particr, the Overgeared Shadows led by Faker were great. After being joined by the members of Eclipse, the Overgeared Shadow¡¯s ability to obtain information was one of the highest on the continent. If it wasn¡¯t for them, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find so many high quality restaurants within a short period of time.


    ¡®I naturally have to reward them.¡¯


    Just then, Raiders¡¯ eyes that contained infinite magic power contemted Grid. ¡°Hmm. Pagma¡¯s Sessor.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Did he know Grid now? He believed he was famous, but it wasn¡¯t enough to get a dragon¡¯s attention.


    ¡®Is this a good thing?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be good to have a dragon¡¯s interest. By the way, it was amazing that Raiders knew Pagma. Grid once again realized how great Pagma was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this.¡± Raiders opened his subspace and pulled out a small needle. It was a golden needle.


    ¡°This is...?¡± Grid read the information of the needle and his eyes widened with surprise. The performance of the needle itself was great, but it was more surprising that Raiders gave it to him.


    ¡°This is something I use asionally when I¡¯m bored. I think it is the greatest gift for you now.¡±


    [The Gourmet Dragon¡¯s Needle has been acquired.]


    [Gourmet Dragon¡¯s Needle]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: None Defense: 350


    * Increases the speed of fabric and leather sewing by 80%.


    * Increases the proficiency gain rate of the Tailoring skill by two times.


    * Can pierce all types of fabrics, leather, and scales.


    * There is a normal probability of attaching magic to items created using the Tailoring skill.


    This needle was used by Gourmet Dragon Raiders to make tablecloths. It is made by grinding the scale of a gold dragon and contains Raiders¡¯ magic power.


    Weight: 0]


    Grid had a ss quest that hadn¡¯t been cleared in several years.


    [Tailoring Technique Training]


    [ss Quest


    The possibilities for your development have be greater after learning the Tailoring technique.


    If you get to the point where you canbine cksmithing and tailoring, your foundation as a cksmith will expand exponentially.


    However, it is still difficult to utilize the Tailoring technique.


    The gap between the intermediate Tailoring skill and legendary cksmith skill is toorge. The intermediate Tailoring technique is likely to degrade the quality of the legendary cksmith¡¯s work.


    Raise the level of your Tailoring skill to the point where it can bebined with cksmithing.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Master the Advanced Tailoring Technique.


    Quest Clear Reward: Level +6. The opening of craftsman level Tailoring Technique.]


    A ss quest that rewarded him with six levels. Grid had been making underwear every day for the past few years to clear this quest. Making underwear while wearing a beautiful crown on his head and a morous cloak behind him... to be honest, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant thing to do.


    ¡®However with this needle...¡¯


    He would be able to gain experience in the Tailoring skill several times faster than before. He would soon be liberated from the damn task of making underwear.


    ¡®There is even a chance of attaching magic.¡¯


    Grid received the needle with trembling hands and bowed to Raiders.


    ¡°Oh great dragon who has existed since the beginning, thank you for understanding the shorings of this little human and helping me.¡±


    The nature of a dragon was ferocious, but he wasn¡¯t a bad guy...


    Grid realized this and lost some of his aversion to Raiders.

 Chapter 1368

    ¡°Delicious.¡±


    It could be said that Grid¡¯s ability was great and hehad many things he could do on his own, but this matter was an exception. It was purely thanks to the help of his colleagues that he found 106 restaurants delicious enough to possibly satisfy the demanding taste of Gourmet Dragon Raiders in just two weeks.


    ¡®As expected, having awork is the best.¡¯


    It was an unchanging truth that he had realized since he met Khan. Grid raised his left hand as he once again felt gratitude to his colleagues who always helped him. There was a loud bursting sound. Grid pulled out the gauntlet inserted in the monster¡¯s mouth and buried the monster directly into the ground.


    The eyes of the monster rolled round and round as it fell in a stunned manner to the ground. It was Turning the World Upside Down. Even elite monsters over level 400 couldn¡¯t resist the grappling technique polished by Lee Jeong. The Enlightenment Sword neatly cut the neck of the monster who became defenseless and lost its defense.


    ¡®Once the level of the stone statue rises, I¡¯ll make new gloves.¡¯ Alex¡¯s Quick Gloves had excellent effects, but the defense was too low.


    ¡®By the way, there are monsters in front of a restaurant...¡¯ Grid clicked his tongue as he nced at the mountain.


    Yusit Mountain¡ªthere was nothing special in terms of scale. It was just a fairlyrge mountain. However, the mountain was filled with nasty rocks instead of trees. The mountain was also very steep. People who didn¡¯t possess floating type magic or skills wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the top. In fact, this mountain was sparsely popted. The monsters everywhere were proof. It was looking like a miniature version of the Chaos Mountains.


    ¡®There is a restaurant on a mountain like this?¡¯


    Was he a famous swordsman or great magician during his active duty? Unlike Grid, who was astonished by the owner of the vi who was busy making and serving his own food, Raiders was just casually enjoying the meal. From a dragon¡¯s point of view, it was a human no matter how great.


    "This texture.... is it ogre skin?¡±


    ¡°Huh, how did you know? Have you tried ogre skin before?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I enjoy it as a delicacy. I enjoy the chewy texture.¡±


    ¡°Ogre skin is so tough that it can¡¯t be chewed with human teeth... this skin has been soaked in a secret sauce for five years so it has been softened.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would just pickle and eat it.¡±


    This was true. Of course, it wasn¡¯t intended to soften the skin, but to enrich the taste. Raiders could chew on 100yers of ogre skin. However, the owner of the mountain vi didn¡¯t know this. He just interpreted it at will and believed it. Even Grid in the past wouldn¡¯t have imagined that Raiders¡¯ identity was a dragon. It was natural. Currently, Raiders waspletely hiding his magic power. If he leaked his magic power, then it wasn¡¯t just the monsters on the mountain, but even the restaurant owner would piss out of fear. For afortable meal, he had to hide it.


    ¡°Hah...! You aren¡¯t just a gourmet, you also have good knowledge about cooking!¡±


    The owner of the mountain vi started to speak more. He never dreamed that Raiders was a dragon and purely admired and was delighted to meet a guest who knew the value of cooking.


    ¡®Ah, really. By the way, Faker actually found a restaurant in a ce like this.¡¯


    It seemed that after gaining Eclipse, hepletely absorbed all the information that Eclipse had umted. Grid shook his head as he thought about how excited Lauel was after Faker became Lantier and hunted 20 more monsters. Then Raiders, who was enjoying the mountain scenery without any interest in what Grid was doing, finally put down his cutlery and rose from his seat. ¡°It was a delicious meal. The dishes made using monster ingredients usually can¡¯t get rid of the smell, but I could enjoy these ones without frowning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to meet a guest who has a deep knowledge of food after a long time. At first, I found it suspicious that you knew toe to a restaurant set up in such a strange ce. Now it seems you are one of the best gourmets on the continent.¡±


    ¡®I knew it was a strange ce.¡¯


    Why was he doing business in such a ce? Each person has their own story, but it wasn¡¯t easy for Grid to understand.


    Grid had just grabbed a flying stone from the sky and threw it with all his might. A scream rang out and blood flowed from the forehead of the great goblin king who fired the slingshot at Grid. Even ordinary stones became a weapon when Grid held it. No matter what, it would be affected by Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques and judged as a ¡®weapon.¡¯


    ¡°The strength of your guard is also very good...¡± The owner of the mountain vi seemed to have been living in seclusion for some time. He didn¡¯t recognize Grid¡¯s face, which was known even before he became a god, and misunderstood Grid as Raider¡¯s bodyguard.


    Tsk. Grid clicked his tongue in an unhappy manner and jumped down, trampling on the goblin¡¯s back. He was already holding a sword that he had taken out of his inventory. It happened the moment Grid was inserting a sword into the goblin...


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡± A scream rang through the ce. The startled Grid climbed up and found Raiders¡¯ hand piercing the chest of the mountain vi owner.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Why suddenly kill the owner? Grid was flustered by Raiders¡¯ unexpected action, but quickly regained hisposure. It reminded him of how Raiders wanted to destroy a family that had been cooking for him for a thousand years just because he was bored of it.


    Yes, he was this type of guy in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that this maniac would kill people for no reason. Grid shouldn¡¯t be deceived by the favor he once showed and forget his essence.


    ¡®Uh?¡¯ Then Grid btedly discovered the dagger held in the hands of the mountain vi owner. It was a dagger that had absorbed a lot of poison and turned ck.


    ¡°Groan... Damn, you, skills... hiding it...¡± the owner of the mountain vi barely spoke through his blood bubbles before trembling. He turned into gray ash and left a notebook behind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raiders stepped forward. ¡®The owner of the mountain vige tried a surprise attack while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Naturally, I killed him.¡¯ He didn¡¯t give ame exnation like this. It was the same reason why humans didn¡¯t give an exnation for stepping on ants on the road.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Grid stared nkly at Raiders¡¯ back for a moment before picking up the notebook that had fallen to the ground. He didn¡¯t know how it was taken care of, but the notebook gave off a terrible smell.


    [The ¡®Murder Notebook of the Human Flesh Demon¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [Murder Notebook of the Human Flesh Demon]


    [Rating: Legendary


    This is a journal that records the murdersmitted over the past decades by the killer ¡®Human Flesh Demon¡¯ who became a legend beyond the worst. It also describes how to cook human flesh deliciously.


    If you submit this journal as evidence to the ucian royal family, then you will receive a treasure from the royal treasury as a bounty.


    Weight: 5]


    [It is a notebook made from human skin. The vicious grudges and germs have caused a disease.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡®A murderer who became a... legend?¡¯


    As Agnus proves, a legend wasn¡¯t just a word for heroes. It wasn¡¯t strange at all for someone to be a legend by doing bad deeds. Then if the Human Flesh Demon hadn¡¯t pointed his de at Raiders and survived...


    ¡®Just imagining it is terrible.¡¯


    This mountain vi was the 40th restaurant they had visited and Raiders was pleased with all the dishes made so far. It was time for the happiness to reappear. In fact, Raiders still seemed to be in a good mood. He walked directly on the ground without moving to the next destination using magic. It seemed to be an act like he was enjoying the aftertaste. There was a bit of hope in Grid¡¯s eyes as he watched Raiders.


    ¡°Did you perhaps know his identity?¡±


    ¡°His identity? I knew he ate human flesh. The reason why his dishes don¡¯t smell is because he makes the broth by boiling human bone marrow and fat.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Raiders¡¯ appearance that eliminated the nned disaster of a legendary killer filled Grid with expectations. So had Raiders been nning to kill the Human Flesh Demon from the start? Perhaps he felt better after eating dishes made by humans and wanted to contribute to society.


    However, it was just a coincidence. If Human Flesh Demon hadn¡¯t tried to attack Raiders, then he wouldn¡¯t have died. It was too much to think that Raiders, who enjoyed the food despite it obviously being cooked with human parts as ingredients, would fight for humans.


    ¡®Indeed... if it was possible to persuade a dragon by treating it to a delicious meal, then the gods and great demons would¡¯ve done so already.¡¯


    Dragons were creatures that existed only for themselves.


    Grid recalled Hayate¡¯s words and gave up in his momentary thoughts. He was reminded that it was never possible to be on the same side as Raiders and only wished the gourmet cycle to end quickly. It was ufortable to apany a dragon.


    How long did they walk? It was only after descending to the middle of the mountain that Raiders opened his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m happy to have eaten delicious dishes for two days. I will reward your efforts in searching all your life to find dishes that will satisfy my taste buds with a piece of information.¡±


    All his life?


    ¡®It was two weeks.¡¯


    Additionally, the one who made the effort wasn¡¯t Grid, but his colleagues. Nevertheless, it was better to bury this information.


    [You have heard from Gourmet Dragon Raiders that he is happy!]


    [A special reward will ur since the special condition is achieved!]


    ¡°You want to get a dragon on your side, right?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Information more precious than gold was about to flow from Raiders¡¯ mouth. Grid cleared his thoughts and raised his concentration as he listened.


    ¡°However, dragons, especially dragons who have lived since the beginning, will never cooperate with others. It is because they have felt how meaningless and futile the world is as they watched the world being repeatedly destroyed and reborn. Having a rtionship with someone doesn¡¯t mean anything to us.¡±


    Grid thought the reason why dragons didn¡¯t cooperate with others was because there was nothing they couldn¡¯t achieve alone. Yet it was different. In Satisfy¡¯s worldview, the ¡®world¡¯ was a concept that was repeatedly destroyed and reborn in every cycle. Perhaps the dragons were weary. Even the now ruthless dragons might¡¯ve cherished and loved humans in the ¡®first¡¯ world.


    ¡°There is just one exception¡ªNevartan. He may feel grateful and cooperate with someone who heals his madness. You are also protecting his daughter, so he is more likely to cooperate. The cooperation will likely end after one time, but even just one time is enough to show a power that can change the situation.¡±


    Insane Dragon Nevartan¡ªthe name of the most infamous dragon alongside Evil Dragon Bunhelier showed up here. Grid was bewildered and didn¡¯t notice thendscape around him changing.


    The signboard for the restaurant that was the 41st scheduled stop swayed in the wind.


    ¡°The purest blood in the world can get rid of Nevartan¡¯s madness.¡±


    Creak.


    Raiders changed ces without telling Grid using Mass Teleport and now he opened the restaurant door without dy.


    ¡°The only antidote is the blood of Marie Rose, which won¡¯t go bad even if she sucks the blood of tens of thousands or hundreds of millions of people.¡±


    [The ¡ï hidden quest ¡ïMarie Rose¡¯s Blood has been acquired as a special reward.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s Blood]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Get the blood of Marie Rose, the vampire duke, and give it as a transfusion to Nevartan, the insane dragon.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Treatment of Nevartan¡¯s madness, increased affinity with Nevartan.]


    Based on the way it was flowing, it seemed he would have to fight the gods to protect the Overgeared Kingdom, rescue Hexetia, and prevent the destruction of the world.


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped at the possibility of obtaining Nevartan¡¯s cooperation. ¡°Where is Nevartan?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows that. He might be wandering through Asgard in an insane state or enjoying the hot springs in the Hellfire River.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was difficult just getting Marie Rose¡¯s blood. Even if he got the blood, it would bepletely useless if he couldn¡¯t find Nevartan. Grid felt very ufortable. He questioned if this quest could be called a reward.

 Chapter 1369

    ¡°This is thest ce?¡¯


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The impression of being happy ended with the second time. From the 41st restaurant onwards, Raiders would often put down his cutlery without saying anything. The remaining 66 restaurants didn¡¯t have any big defectspared to the previous 40 restaurants. As far as he could tell, every restaurant served delicious dishes, but Raiders¡¯ standards were higher than Grid¡¯s. He had existed for tens of thousands of years and had been pursuing delicious food during this time so he was naturally more picky than Grid.


    ¡®Now I know how hard it is to satisfy Raiders¡¯ taste buds 20 times in a row.¡¯


    It was a miracle that he felt happy even once. Grid realized this and was soothing his regret when Raiders spoke to him, ¡°I really enjoyed it, these four days. A short moment in time feels unusually shorter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it.¡±


    From Grid¡¯s point of view, these four days had been extremely long. It was too much pressure mentally to go around with an uncontroble dragon. It felt like he had been walking on a thorny path for four days. He felt a sense of liberation now that it seemed the quest was finally over. Then Grid¡¯s brightly smiling face stiffened like a stone statue.


    ¡°Hmm... It is a shame to leave just like this.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, you built your kingdom on the Eternal Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop by your kingdom before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart sank. He never wanted to bring the crazy dragon to the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid¡¯s honest feeling was that he wanted to break the rtionship neatly here. However, Grid didn¡¯t have the right to refuse.


    ¡°It is a fledgling country. There must be a new culture and there will be many foods I have never experienced before. I want to experience a new food culture.¡±


    Raiders woke up once every 100 years. This meant that if he went back to hisir and fell asleep, he would have to starve for the next 100 years. He wanted to eat one more meal before going to sleep. What right did Grid have to stop him?


    ¡®I might arouse his anger if I try to stop it...¡¯


    It was a checkmate move. The existence of a dragon itself was too fraudulent. Refusing was impossible. Grid inwardly sighed before he responded politely, ¡°I understand. I will guide you. Just... it isn¡¯t a kingdom that is famous for its food, so don¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    The good thing was that Raiders wasn¡¯t the type to get angry just because he ate bad food. He just left the restaurant quietly if he didn¡¯t like the dishes. It was just that the restaurant owners¡¯ minds would break as they wondered why he left the food, but...


    ¡®In that regard, I just have to pay attention to the restaurant owners in advance... besides, Raiders knows that I¡¯m protecting Nefelina.¡¯


    ¡®Nevartan. He may feel grateful and cooperate with someone who heals his madness.You are also protecting his daughter, so he is more likely to cooperate.¡¯


    Grid recalled Raiders¡¯ words and reduced his vignce toward Raiders. It was determined that he was unlikely to make trouble in the Overgeared Kingdom. He was very concerned that Sticks would feel unhappy, but this wasn¡¯t enough to stop a dragon¡¯s actions. The great bloodline of a high elf and the title of ¡®great sage¡¯ wasn¡¯t a card that could be brought out against a dragon.


    ¡°..Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Eventually, Grid took Raiders back to the Overgeared Kingdom. There wasn¡¯t any of the trouble he was worried about.


    ¡°This... it is a food that expresses their of that Trauka guy? Are you provoking me?¡±


    He revealed some killing intent after seeing the soft tofu stew rmended by Peak Sword, but fortunately, it was passed safely. Raiders admired the taste of the rice and wheat of the Overgeared Kingdom. He also rated the rainbow potatoes as not bad. It was a scene that would¡¯ve made Piaro feel proud.


    On this day, Raiders really left the Overgeared Kingdom after finishing his meal. Hisck of interest in Nefelina and Sticks, as well as Mercedes and Piaro, proved that the Overgeared Kingdom still had a long way to go.


    ***


    ¡®Six times... no, it is eight times weaker.¡¯


    Damian¡ªobjectively, he lost everything. He was deprived of his ss as Goddess¡¯ Agent for viting the revtion that Goddess Reba had given him. He also changed his faith and put down his status as pope, losing the First Holy Sword and his second ss.


    Instead, he got the new title ¡®Pope of the Overgeared God Church,¡¯ but it didn¡¯t mean much. The Overgeared God Church was only level 1. The church was just established andcked believers, faith, and authority. It was impossible for the pope of such a small religion to have special power. There was no exclusive skill for the pope of the Overgeared God Church. For the moment, he was no different from ordinary church members.


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    At a hunting ground near Reinhardt...


    Damian frowned as he hunted a monster using a weapon he previously received from Grid. Lowered stats, lost skills, and no Holy Sword...


    For many reasons, his damage was more than three times lower than before. The drop in defense was even more serious. Overall, it was clear that he had weakened by at least eight times. As such, he would struggle fighting ordinary rankers of the same level.


    ¡®The passive skill is good.¡¯


    Damian opened the skills window.


    [Overgeared God¡¯s Protection Lv. 1]


    [Passive


    Reduces the item¡¯s wearing restrictions by 5%.


    Temporarily reduce the wearing restrictions of items made by Overgeared God Grid by 10%.


    When wearing items created by Overgeared God Grid, their performance is improved by 5%. This effect is also applied to skills attached to an item.]


    It was amon skill. A basic skill that anyone could gain if they were a pdin or priest of the Overgeared God Church. Even so, the performance was huge. A level 400 item could be worn at level 380 or 360. If the item was created by Grid then the performance would also increase. It might only be 5%, but this 5% was likely to have a huge effect considering that the stats of items created by Grid far exceeded normal items.


    ¡®It is only a level 1 skill, but it is to this extent...¡¯


    Damian was certain. Sooner orter, there would be a lot of turbulence on the item exchange. The market price of items that had been neglected due to their high wearing restrictions would skyrocket and this would lead to scarcity in goods. However, this was only the case if people believed in this passive skill and converted to the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡®There are no big merits other than this.¡¯


    Damian took a step. The flowing action made it seem like he was dancing. ¡°Kill.¡±


    The sword light extended in a straight line and pierced the monster¡¯s heart, turning it to gray ash. It was an explosive power but Damian¡¯s expression was dark.


    ¡®It has a high damage factor but the motion is too big.¡¯


    [Overgeared God Church¡¯s Sword Dance Lv. 1]


    [A sword dance to honor the greatness of Overgeared God Grid.


    Increases physical attack power by 20%, magic attack power by 10%, and critical hit probability and critical hit damage by 30%.


    * This effect is only fully applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * If a staff or orb weapon is equipped then only the magic attack power increase effect is applied.


    ¡ï A fusion sword dance can be created every time the level of the sword dance increases.


    ¡ï Every time faith in the Overgeared God umtes, magic effects are attached to the sword dance.]


    [Kill Lv. 1]


    [Perform a sword dance that expresses the anger of the Overgeared God bringing down a divine punishment.


    Deals 1,300% physical or magical attack power to a single target.


    *No magic effects attached.


    Skill Resources Consumed: 1,200 divine power.


    Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.]


    It was only level 1, but it had a very high damage factor. There was also a high possibility of growth due to the fusion sword dances and magic being attached. He didn¡¯t feel any dissatisfaction with the long cooldown time of 10 minutes. His other currently active sword dances such as Link, Wave, Restraint, Revolve, and Transcend were as strong as Kill. The other sword dances such as Flower, Pinnacle, Drop, and Sky which were still inactive must also boast an excellent performance.


    There was one problem. He had to take four or more steps. The dy before the skill was triggered was too long. This was the basic penalty for the sword dance based on the basic setting of ¡®copying a god.¡¯ it made sense that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to copy a god.


    ¡®In the early days, Grid also suffered a lot due to the dy in the sword dances.¡¯


    In the early days, Grid often cursed while doing the sword dances due to the skill being easily avoided by reading the route or stopping the activating of the skill by blocking the movements of the sword dance. However, the sword dance of the Overgeared God Church required more steps than Grid¡¯s early sword dances (Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance).


    This was really a huge disadvantage. It might not matter when hunting low intelligence monsters but there was a high probability of it bing a useless skill in PvP.


    ¡®I think the higher the level of the sword dance, the shorter the strides or the magic grantedter will alleviate the shorings.¡¯


    Of course, it was possible for Damian to use the steps of the sword dance as an evasive motion. However, there were few among the two billion yers who had Damian¡¯s control. Most of the other church members would be stuck on the disadvantages of the sword dance. This would increase the notoriety of the Overgeared God Church and hinder its expansion.


    Damian was feeling worried when it happened...


    ¡°Wave Kill.¡± In the distance, Isabel performed a sword dance and ughtered a group of monsters. He called it a ughter, but it was a beautiful sight. Her long arms and legs stretched out in a cool manner and there was reverence and splendor in Isabel¡¯s movements as she linked the sword dances.


    In the first ce, the skill effect was splendid. Waves of ck sword energy stretching out...


    It was a brilliant effect that could only be found in unique rated skills at the minimum.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Isabel was truly the best. She had already learned the fusion sword dance. She was originally a Reba¡¯s Daughter and her growth rate far transcended a yer. It was a natural result since her basic stats were so good that she enjoyed various correction effects.


    ¡®I also have to hurry!¡¯


    Damian increased the speed of his hunt. He had already taken the expensive buff potion that the public couldn¡¯t dream of. From the moment he became the Overgeared God Church¡¯s pope, he was intensively supported by the buff potions produced at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility


    He wanted to raise the level of his sword dances quickly to learn the fusion sword dances. After being reminded of the power of the fusion sword dances that he had witnessed and experienced so far, he was no longer obsessed with the shorings of the sword dances.


    He realized it. The fact that the possibilities were infinite as long as the Overgeared God Church¡¯s sword dance was based on Grid¡¯s sword dance. Damian expected that the number of people who wanted to join the Overgeared God Church would continue to increase so he didn¡¯t worry.

 Chapter 1370

    News spread through Reinhardt that Grid was touring restaurants with a guest. How great was the guest that the king would personally guide him? People were curious about the identity of the guest, but there was no way to find out. Most of the so-called officials seemed unaware of the guest¡¯s identity.


    ¡°What? He¡¯s gone?¡±


    News of the guest¡¯s visit also flowed to Idan¡¯s ear. Idan naturally prepared some dishes. It was the duty of the pce chef¡ªnot the official title, but Idan himself thought so¡ªto serve the king¡¯s guest.


    ¡°I prepared as many dishes as possible. Why?¡±


    However, the guest left. It was absurd news for Idan.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been looking at restaurants all day? Isn¡¯t he a guest who came to experience the unique food culture of the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Then why did he leave without eating my dishes?¡±


    ¡°...Maybe something suddenly happened and he was busy.¡±


    Idan¡¯s kitchen was called a ¡®training center¡¯ among the people. Soldiers and knights visited Idan¡¯s kitchen to carry out the order of ¡®raising their poison resistance.¡¯ No one came to eat, but Idan didn¡¯t know reality. He once turned away from the public¡¯s appetite due to his strong artistic temperament, but hadn¡¯t hepromised with the world these days? Idan started actively using the magic powder called salt and believed his cooking was enough to capture everyone¡¯s taste buds.


    ¡°Hmm... Too bad.¡± This would¡¯ve been an opportunity to let the guest know how great the cuisine of the Overgeared Kingdom was. Idan shook his head and grabbed the soldier who was withdrawing from the kitchen. ¡°In any case, thank you for the news. I have nothing to give you in return, but I prepared a lot of food so enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I have no training today... I have to do guard duty...¡±


    ¡°What does training have to do with this? It is lunchtime so eat before going.¡±


    ¡°I will be disciplined if I leave my station...¡±


    ¡°Huhu, look at this guy. Are my dishes so delicious that you don¡¯t know how much time passes when eating them? If you¡¯re really worried then I¡¯ll remind you of the time. Rest assured and eat.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Idan¡¯s kitchen wasrger than any other kitchen in the castle. It was used as a training center for poison resistance training so it was efficient for it to berge. This point seemed to ignite Idan¡¯s illusion. Perhaps Idan believed his cooking was acknowledged, which was why he was assigned therge kitchen...


    The soldier clicked his tongue at this thought before frowning and grabbing his stomach.


    ¡°Aaack, my stomach suddenly... Uhh... I¡¯m going to skip lunch today and head to the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°All of a sudden?¡±


    The soldier left before Idan could suspect anything. Facing the table full of dishes, Idan was forced to pack them into lunch boxes. He suddenly came up with a good idea.


    ¡®I heard there are refugees in the nearby mountains.¡¯


    Mediah, Belto, Gauss, Rotemon...


    As many as five kingdoms had perished in thest 10 years. The wars caused by humans and the invasions of the great demons created countless refugees. Most kingdoms were preventing the influx of refugees due to financial and security reasons, but the Overgeared Kingdom weed them.


    It was an expression of confidence that they could handle any enemies mixed in with the refugees and the finances were being filled over and over by the raid teams of the Overgeared Kingdom. The most important thing for the new kingdom was to increase the poption.


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived.¡±


    How many rivers and mountains did they cross to avoid the surveince? They also experienced all types of dangers as they broke through forbidden areas. The Judar pdins, who disguised as refugees to enter the Overgeared Kingdom, finally arrived in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.


    ¡°It was purely due to Sir Yame that we could arrive here safely.¡±


    The pdins praised Yame. Yame¡ªhe was the yer who rose to be the first pdin of the Judar Church after Toban betrayed the god and changed religions. He was 5th in the pdin rankings and felt reluctant about the current situation.


    ¡®It is crazy no matter how I look at it...¡¯


    On the day when the Overgeared God Church was born and the statues of Goddess Reba were removed from the Overgeared Kingdom, a revtion descended on the Judar Church. It was a revtion to severely reprimand Grid, who betrayed the goddess and confused the people the moment he gained the status of a god.


    Fortunately, there was no order to harm Grid. God Judar still wanted to give Grid a chance, whether it was due to the memory of blessing Grid in the past or the achievements Grid built up so far. It was God Judar¡¯s will to recognize Grid as a new god, but he had to submit to Asgard.


    ¡®However, will Grid listen...?¡¯


    It was permitted to build temples for the Overgeared God in the Overgeared Kingdom but the temples of the three gods (Reba, Judar, and Dominion) had to be built next to them. Next, statues of the three gods, that had to be twice the size of the Overgeared God, were to be erected next to the statues of the Overgeared God.


    Yame confirmed the will of God Judar specified in the revtion and covered his face. As the number one pdin of a church, he had a vague understanding of the concept of a god in Satisfy. He knew that Grid might still be weak, but he was a special being among the gods since he was born out of people¡¯s desires. It would be a betrayal of the people¡¯s desires if Grid epted the demands of God Judar and obeyed the existing gods.


    Even now, it was difficult to increase the number of believers. If this happened, then the future path of the Overgeared God Church was blocked. Would Grid ept the will of God Judar when he obviously knew this?


    ¡®He will reject it unconditionally.¡¯


    In the first ce, the envoys of the Judar Church were refused entry to the kingdom and they had to disguise themselves as refugees. It was frustrating to him that the pdins thought everything would be fine as long as they met Grid.


    The vice-captain patted Yame¡¯s shoulder in support as he sighed.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Reidan¡¯s foolish lord refused to let us enter the kingdom due to his excessive loyalty to the Overgeared King, but the king is a good and wise man. Right now, his eyes are blinded because he is intoxicated by bing a god. Once he meets us and realizes God Judar¡¯s will, he will be filled with spirit and make the right choices again.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He hoped so but... Ah, he didn¡¯t know. Would he die if he told Grid these crazy words? For now, it was important to carry out the revtion. Even Pope Damian lost his position after refusing to carry out a revtion. Yame tried to control his unpleasant thoughts and nodded.


    ¡°You look miserable. You must¡¯ve had a hard timeing here after losing your kingdom.¡±


    Just then, an NPC called Idan arrived through the bushes. It was an NPC who felt ordinary just based on his voice alone. He pulled out lunch boxes from his bag.


    ¡°I am a chef. You don¡¯t need to be so cautious.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not cautious.¡¯


    Being the first knight of the Judar Church didn¡¯t mean being the strongest in the Judar Church. Just as the Reba Church had the Temr, the Judar Church had several sub-organizations and hidden strong people. The pdins apanying Yame now were those hidden strong people.


    They had detailed stats and out of the ordinary titles, skills, magic, item enhancement, or alchemy. For example, they had wide area buffs that could increase skill damage resistance, increase weapon damage, or mana and elemental rapport. Once these buffs were stacked together, their strength became hard for a yer to reach. There were even buffs that were triggered after certain conditions were met. It reminded him of Grid or Damian during the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation. It meant they were some of the strongest people in the worldview.


    Of course, this was the kingdom that had Grid, Piaro, Mercedes, and Braham... it was also the middle of the Overgeared Kingdom that had Lantier Faker and Bow Saint Jishuka. No one would be able to stand up to them, but anyway...


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not vignt. Thank you for the food.¡±


    "I¡¯m happy to meet such a person of distinction. The Overgeared Kingdom is said to be rich and it seems that abundance has made people benevolent. I pray that your charity will call upon God¡¯s grace.¡±


    Yame¡¯s group who had been reading Idan¡¯s movements since he reached the mountainside weren¡¯t wary at all. They were the elite of the Judar Church so they could easily detect if the other person had hostility toward them.


    ¡°You are a god-serving man. I¡¯m from the east so I don¡¯t know much about the gods of the west. Still, can you believe in the Overgeared God? If you serve many gods and pray to them, you will be blessed more and more. Haha, then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Serving other gods didn¡¯t go against the doctrines of the Judar Church. The birth of the Judar Church itself was to support Reba along with the Dominion Church. The Judar Church was much more openpared to other religions since it served not only God Judar, but also Goddess Reba and God Dominion. This was why they were trying to deal flexibly with this situation.


    ¡°Um... By the way...¡±


    After Idan left, the pdins who sat down to eat lunch suddenly felt something strange. Not only did they cross the border disguised as refugees, but they also picked remote areas to avoid the surveince of the guards. it would be normal if no one knew they arrived here today. Then how did an ordinary person know they were here to bring them packed lunch boxes?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the Overgeared Kingdom discovered us?¡±


    ¡°Then we should¡¯ve met the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s army by now. It is purely a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Come, eat first before going to see the Overgeared King.¡±


    After a while, the poisoned pdins had to work hard to purify the poison. It was a scene that caused goosebumps.


    ¡°...We were discovered.¡±


    "We¡¯ve been caught in the hands of the Overgeared Kingdom since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Having a civilian send poison... it is evil.¡±


    ¡°W-What do we do? We are already under surveince. Is it possible to enter Reinhardt?¡±


    "As I said earlier, the Overgeared King is a good and wise man. The one who warned us by spying on us and sending us poison are his people, not the Overgeared King. Now that this has happened, a frontal breakthrough is the only answer.¡±


    The pdins made up their minds and took off their shabby clothes and wore their formal robes. The robes were more practical than morous and showed how active the Judar Church was. They were also known as battle priests. Unlike the Reba Church, the pdins and priests of the Judar Church and Dominion Church, who didn¡¯t use heals, were truly excellent at fighting.


    ¡°If Reinhardt really blocks us from entering, then I allow you to wield your maces in the name of God Judar.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The pdins answered in a mighty manner and descended the mountain. They moved toward the gate of Reinhardt which was visibly close by.


    "We are envoys from the Judar Church!¡±


    ¡°In the name of God Judar, we will give the Overgeared God a chance! The Overgeared God must swear allegiance to Goddess Reba and God Judar, and submit to Asgard to prove he isn¡¯t a heretic.¡±


    The more faithful a pdin, the more familiar they were with religious activities. The Judar pdins noticed there were many farmers in the vast fields on the road to the city gates. They shouted about God Judar and Asgard for the farmers to hear. It was intended to indirectly preach the greatness of the Judar Church.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After a while, Yame woke up and found that he was on his knees in a field with the other pdins. The legendary farmer Piaro never appeared. Just... there were only a lot of farmers.


    ¡°No, why are the farmers so strong...?!¡±


    ¡°If the farmers of this kingdom start a rebellion then the king will change in a day!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying...?¡±


    The farmers stared at the uninvited visitors who were speaking nonsense from beginning to end.


    ¡°A noble?¡±


    Just then, a blond nobleman appeared. Looking at the lofty gait and luxurious sword hanging from his waist, he seemed to be the heir of a famous family.


    ¡®Is it a high ranking noble of the Overgeared Kingdom?¡¯


    The pdins gulped. They wondered how wary the Overgeared Kingdom was to send a high ranking noble from the beginning.


    ¡°What should we do with them, nd?¡±


    ¡°Um... I have to dig for potatoes... just hand them over to the guards.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He was also a farmer? It was said that the Overgeared Kingdom was rich, but it was to the extent that a farmer could dress like a noble?


    It happened as the pdins were thinking hard...


    ¡°These people. Authorization.¡± A huge man appeared. He carried a ck and blue greatsword in the form of a shark on his back and had dozens of scars on his face alone. A tremendous power could be felt from him. He was like a famous general.


    ¡®Now it is the real deal.¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect a general toe out directly.¡¯


    ¡®How wary of us are they?¡¯


    ¡°What should we do, Guard Captain?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The nervously gulping pdins stopped thinking. Yame had been in a dazed state since the beginning. In fact, he had vaguely predicted the current situation from the time he received the revtion.


    ¡®This... it is right to convert to the Overgeared God Church, no matter how I think about it.¡¯


    Yame grasped the general situation and was convinced.

 Chapter 1371

    The people of the Overgeared Kingdom hadn¡¯t witnessed the process of Grid bing a god, but they didn¡¯t criticize Grid.


    The people¡¯s faith in Grid was more solid than the faith they poured toward Goddess Reba.


    They didn¡¯t fully trust the propaganda trying to expose the reality of the gods, but they tried to understand and respect Grid¡¯s choice in demolishing the statues and temples of Reba. The reality of the angel (Sariel) who only existed in the myths empowered their efforts.


    The response from the yers was much more positive. yers had long been seeing the possibility of myth rated items and sses. They weren¡¯t puzzled or suspicious when they heard that Grid became a god. There was no envy and no jealousy. If someone was to get the title of the first myth then it would surely be Grid. Yes, the world hadn¡¯t changed. Even Irene tried to ept the sudden change of being called ¡®wife of a god.¡¯


    ¡®However, things are actually changing.¡¯


    Grid frowned when he received news of the visit from the Judar envoys. It wasn¡¯t the church¡¯s own judgment. They came due to a revtion and this raised great rm in Grid.


    ¡®The gods are paying attention.¡¯


    He thought that the gods weren¡¯t interested in the birth of the Overgeared God. It was because Grid hadn¡¯t seen any reaction from the gods since the disasters urred in the Overgeared Kingdom on the day Grid became a god. The gods were silent and didn¡¯t cause a greater disaster as if daring him to ¡®stop the new punishment.¡¯ Even Reba, who often delivered ¡®words¡¯ to Grid when big episodes happened, was quiet. In particr, the blessings of the gods were still showing an effect.


    Based on Raiders¡¯ reaction to the feeble power of a ¡®human body,¡¯ Grid hoped that perhaps the gods had decided to overlook it. Yet the visit of the Judar Church¡¯s envoys was enough to shatter Grid¡¯s expectations.


    -So what did the envoys say?


    Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools that sealed the eyes and hands didn¡¯tpletely restrict Grid.


    At the fifth ridge of the Chaos Mountains...


    The blindfolded Grid was sitting and sewing while the God Hands and Fire Dragon Sword were hunting monsters with Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and Elfin Stone.


    They were able to hunt the monsters in the early or mid 400s without Grid having toe forward. Of course, the speed was significantly slowerpared to Grid hunting directly, but the efficiency didn¡¯t significantly reduce due to the experience buff given by Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools. Additionally, the level of his pets increased.


    -They said they will ept you as a god, but you have to serve Goddess Reba like before.


    -And?


    -I haven¡¯t met them in person yet.They envoys were caught by the farmers in the fields while doing religious activities, so they haven¡¯t arrived at the castle yet.Sir Jude went to meet them just now.


    -Caught by farmers?


    Toban, an official of the Overgeared Kingdom, was the number one pdin of the Judar Church just a while ago.


    Therefore, Grid understood the power of the Judar Church. If the pdins were high ranking enough to be included in the mission, then they were inevitably great talents. As the believers of Judar imed, they might not be at the level of the world¡¯s strongest, but they weren¡¯t inferior to the dukes of the empire. Yet they were caught by farmers?


    Lauel exined to the baffled Grid.


    -The Judar pdins are strongest when enough wide area buffs ovep, but there are only five envoys.They didn¡¯t have enough skills and furthermore, it was the time when the farmers from Reidan were working.


    -Ah...


    Grid understood the situation. Farmers from Reidan¡ªthey were farmers who had worked under Piaro for over a year. They had been trained while experiencing all types of harshbor. Assuming that the average level of the farmers was 300, the ones from Reidan were close to level 400, and their handling of farming equipment wasparable to knights. Additionally, there were a lot of them due to their origin as ¡®ordinary people.¡¯ Grid asserted that they were one of the best armed groups in the entire West Continent.


    -The envoys of the Judar Church were unlucky.


    -Yes...What should I do with them?Just soothe them and send them back?


    -Um...


    To what extent could he hunt while wearing Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools set? Grid fully tested it and had decided to visit the Tower of Wisdom. It was to report to Hayate that he sessfullypleted the gourmet cycle, as well as to deliver Nevartan¡¯s Ne to the 3rd Seat, Radwolf. Still, there was no hurry. He could visit the Tower of Wisdom at any time.


    He just didn¡¯t want to change his schedule to meet the Judar envoys. It would be unpleasant to sit face to face and talk to them. There was just one thing weighing on his mind¡ªHexetia. Grid wanted to hear about him indirectly.


    -No, I wille back now.


    Grid returned to Frontier using the return scroll and then used the warp gate. It was the essence of magic engineering that connected Reinhardt and Frontier. It was the work of Great Sage Sticks. The warp gates which had started to be installed throughout the kingdom were expected to grow the economy by dozens of times and dramatically expand the radius of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s activities.


    ***


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t follow the will of God Judar?¡±


    At Reinhardt...


    The envoys of the Judar Church had a soulless look on their faces. It seemed the shock caused by the farmers was great.


    ¡°Ah... Of course, God will be disappointed.¡±


    The representative was nk for a moment before btedlying to his senses and answering. It was an unsatisfactory answer from Grid¡¯s position.


    ¡°What happens if he is disappointed?¡±


    ¡°Judar is the god of wisdom and health. If you incur the wrath of God Judar, then a gue will ur in the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°My sister is the Saintess.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? The gue from a while ago has already been handled by my sister.¡±


    ¡°...Even if the Saintess stops the gue, the people who have already fallen ill will lose their intelligence and the development of the Overgeared Kingdom will be hindered. That poor man is the living witness.¡±


    The representative of the envoys pointed to Jude. They had been escorted by Jude and in this period of time, they seemed to figure out that Jude was an idiot.


    ¡°He was originally like this.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There is also Great Sage Sticks in the Overgeared Kingdom. The people who fall ill and lose their intelligence can be re-educated and brought back to normal.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The representative shut his mouth. He got the chills at the perfect defense of the Overgeared King, who blocked everything to the point where it was meaningless when he tried to preach about the fear of God Judar. At first nce, the Overgeared King felt omnipotent. It wasn¡¯t in vain that he had be a god.


    The representative worried about it for a while before finally bringing out hisst resort.


    ¡°...God Judar said it.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°He said that if the Overgeared God refuses his will, then he will take back the blessing.¡±


    It was a threat after all?


    Grid smiled in a murderous manner as he checked the blessing of God Judar dwelling in Greed. A 15% increase in defense¡ªit was a passive that was always maintained. It was a huge buff effect that was especially helpful for Grid, who had high defense. Reba¡¯s Blessing increased the speed of health recovery by 300%, while Dominion¡¯s Blessing increased attack power by 15%. If he lost all these buffs, then Grid¡¯sbat power would be significantly reducedpared to now.


    ¡°Is the will of Goddess Reba and God Dominion the same?¡±


    ¡°The three gods are one, so of course.¡±


    ¡°I received the blessings of the gods because I punished the corrupted Pope Drevigo in the past. Isn¡¯t it shameful to take away the reward for legitimate work?¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from speaking such disgraceful things. Moreover, fighting for the gods is the obligation of humans. Calling it work is too much.¡±


    ¡°Why is it the obligation of humans to fight for the gods?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a natural duty for humans to repay the gods for their benevolence and care?¡±


    It was too much to belittle the thoughts of the delegation leader as a fanatic. He wasn¡¯t particrly extreme. Most humans probably had this thought. It was the wrong idea. Gods weren¡¯t as beautiful as humans thought. It was possible for Yatan to destroy the world every cycle due to Reba¡¯s cooperation. It was unknown why they kept destroying the world, but Grid wanted to deny the im that humans existed due to the benevolence of the gods.


    However, what was the meaning in arguing with someone who didn¡¯t know the truth? Grid calmed his frustration and got to the main point.


    ¡°I want to ask you one thing. If I follow the will of God Judar... will the treatment of God Hexetia improve?¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The eyes of the representative rolled and turned white. Then a huge presence descended before Grid¡¯s eyes. The representative slowly rose with a white glow. The name above his head was changed to ¡®Judar.¡¯


    -Grid,young god born from human desires.Even if you give everything you have to Asgard, Hexetia¡¯s treatment won¡¯t change.Hexetia is in prison and shall be forgotten and destroyed.


    Hexetia was the one who showed the private matters of the gods. If Hexetia hadn¡¯t helped Grid, then all humans on the battlefield of truth would¡¯ve died in the hands of the angels. The Overgeared God wouldn¡¯t have been born and the private matters of the gods would¡¯ve been hidden forever. For the gods, Hexetia was the traitor who weakened the faith in them. They couldn¡¯t possibly forgive him.


    Grid confirmed Asgard¡¯s meaning and nodded. ¡°Your blessings... there is no need for them anymore.¡±


    This was the end. God Judar left behind the human body he borrowed and returned to Heaven.


    [You have lost the blessing of God Judar.]


    [You have lost the blessing of God Dominion.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t the goddess¡¯ blessing removed? Grid was surprised by the result but he wasn¡¯t pleased at all. He had no intention of indulging a god¡¯s whim.


    ¡°Braham.¡±


    Grid abandoned the gods and visited Braham. A person who built up divinity like Grid¡ªGrid was reliant on him, who might soon be the god of magic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a new mineral.¡±


    This was something he had nned for a while. Just as Pagma and Braham worked together to create a new mineral, Grid wanted to create a new mineral with Braham.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to smelt Greed and the divine stone into a single mineral so please forge it with Meteor.¡±


    ¡°...Do you have no conscience?¡±


    Magic forging¡ªit was the most primitive and effective way to apply magic to minerals.


    The method wasn¡¯tplicated. He could forge the mineral with magic, not a hammer. However, the number of times was a problem.


    ¡°Do you want me to use Meteor 10,000 times?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t...?¡±


    ¡°I can do it. It will just take 27 years and 145 days. Can you wait?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He hadn¡¯t thought about the cooldown time. Grid¡¯s heart that was excited about the idea ofbining Meteor with items cooled down.


    ¡°Is it possible tobine Greed with divine stone?¡± Braham asked Grid, who had closed his mouth in embarrassment.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grid¡¯s expression was full of conviction as he answered.


    The 3rd Seat, Radwolf¡ªthe survivor of the ancient giant tribe and the one who was praised as a wise warrior. The fusion of Greed and divine stone wouldn¡¯t be a dream if he could get help from the individual who gave birth to the magic machines.


    TL: Changing magic training to forging

 Chapter 1372

    It would take 27 years and 145 days to use 10,000 Meteors. This meant that Meteor¡¯s cooldown time was 24 hours. Among all the magics that existed, it was the greatest magic with thergest range. It was rather strange that the cooldown time was so short.


    ¡®Even if I try to support Braham by gathering items that reduce cooldown time as much as possible...¡¯


    Cooldown time reduction items were very rare. So far, among all the items created by Grid, the only item that had the effect of reducing cooldown time was the Red Phoenix Bow, but that effect was only applied to fire type skills. Most cooldown reductions came from titles or skills, not items. Even if he used all means and methods to get items with cooldown time reduction, Braham had another task of selecting wearable items.


    ¡®In any case, let¡¯s say I am lucky enough to get items that reduce cooldown time that fit Braham.¡¯


    Assuming that the cooldown time of Meteor was reduced by 20%, it would take around 22 years to use 10,000 Meteors. If reduced by 30%, it would take 20 years. Reducing the time further... it was really hard. 20 years¡ªcould he wait that long? It would be very hard to be patient. There was also no guarantee that Braham could use Meteor once a day as some idents might ur in the middle.


    ¡®...Won¡¯t I go crazy waiting?¡¯


    Grid was seriously worrying about this when Braham emptied the teacups. He leaned back deeply in his chair and watched Grid with annoyed eyes.


    ¡°The Echo grandmother can only use Meteor once every two days.¡±


    Echo grandmother¡ªit seemed to refer to Jessica, the legendary great magician of the previous generation.


    ¡°There is no one in the world who can restore the magic circuits damaged during the release of magic as quickly as me. Every magician in the world should aim to reach my level, which is the ultimate level. You are having very useless concerns right now.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was silent. He couldn¡¯t understand Braham¡¯s words. In the end...


    -...What does this mean?


    Grid delivered Braham¡¯s lines to Lauel intact and demanded interpretation. The answer came immediately.


    -It seems that Braham is already enjoying the maximum cooldown reduction effect.


    -Ah...


    Indeed, this was normal. Braham was the strongest magician in history. Using magic faster and more often than anyone else was a basic skill for him. The reason Braham could use Meteor once a day was because he was already enjoying the maximum cooldown reduction effect. It was impossible to reduce the cooldown beyond this.


    ¡°Additionally, Meteor isn¡¯t a suitable magic to attach to battle gear.¡± Braham¡¯s words continued as Grid was figuring out the situation. ¡°Meteor is magic using the simple and ignorant principle of drawing down and throwing the stars from the universe.¡±


    Braham was the only one in the world who would describe the great magic only a few people in history had used as simple and ignorant.


    ¡°It is magic that destroys the area it is thrown at and you¡¯re going to use it? You... are you a great demon?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he imagined himself using a weapon that was forged with Meteor. Every time he fought in the future, he would devastate the surroundings and eventually be called ¡®The one who makes Yatan cry.¡¯


    ¡°Then what magic other than Meteor would be the strongest, most efficient, cool, and great?¡±


    Did it need to be ¡®cool¡¯?


    Of course. Grid was a king and god. He should be elegant. He had to use cool skills and magic. Braham seemed to agree.


    ¡°Disintegrate.¡±


    Unlike Meteor, which was a physical process to bring down the stars of the universe, Disintegrate was creating a spear of light using magic power. It manifested immediately and pierced the target with a great power. The only drawback was that only one target could be designated to be hit, but some degree of wide area effect could be expected with the ¡®pration¡¯ effect.


    ¡°It is powerful and elegant magic.¡±


    Gulp.


    Grid swallowed his saliva. He thought about how a spear of light would fall from the sky every time he swung his sword and his heart was already beating quickly.


    Then he became nervous and asked, ¡°It won¡¯t take 27 years, right?¡±


    ¡°It will take 10 years at a maximum and 7 years at the minimum. Disintegrate¡¯s form means there are times when it doesn¡¯t deteriorate even when the magic is activated.¡±


    It could be interpreted as ¡®there is a probability that it can be used several times in session.¡¯


    7-10 years was something that Grid could endure. Wasn¡¯t it normal to wait when legendary great magic was being added to minerals? If Braham had rated Meteor as the best, then he would¡¯ve waited 27 years.


    ¡°10 years... I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°Good choice. As you wait, I¡¯ll give you another magic you can use. Soe to me as soon as you make a new mineral.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He overlooked it due tomon sense that only one magic could be given to a mineral. However, Greed multiplied. After making a mineral, he could split it up and secure multiple magic minerals. One could be granted Disintegrate, while the other could be given magic that Grid could use right away. The restriction that it would take 27 years to attach Meteor to a mineral was virtually no problem. Meteor was just an unsuitable magic to be attached to an item.


    ¡°Braham, how many magic can you use?¡±


    ¡°There are nine that maintain the form of magic. The remaining 116 magic follow my will and have abandoned the form and attributes.¡±


    For Braham, magic was like breathing. The ¡®way of magic¡¯ that he created and embodied¡ªin other words, the magic used in the conventional method, were all nine great magics. It was great, but Grid wasn¡¯t curious about Braham¡¯s greatness. He already knew that Braham was great so this was nothing special.


    Grid asked directly, ¡°So you mean there are 125 magics that can be given to minerals or nine?¡±


    ¡°...125.¡±


    ¡°So if I prepare 125 minerals, can you attach 125 magics?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be in moderation?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    As expected, asking him to use magic 1.25 millions times was too much, no matter how high the affinity.


    ¡®It is like being stuck in a room for years or decades at worst and forced to dobor....¡¯


    Grid btedly had a guilty conscience. Then Braham said something unexpected.


    ¡°It is impossible to use magic without any consumption just because it is attached to battle gear. It depends on the magic, but most of the magic works by using mana as the resource.¡±


    If resources weren¡¯t consumed when magic or skills were attached to an item, then the dream of everyone in the world would be to ¡®cover their body with artifacts.¡¯ yers would be able to use the power of the magic battle gear to use infinite magic and skills.


    ¡°Additionally, some magics can only be activated naturally under certain conditions regardless of the wearer¡¯s will. It is harmful to covet different types of magic battle gear. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart was moved. If there were no such problems, Braham would¡¯ve used magic 1.25 million times for Grid.


    ¡°In any case... I will give you magic with as few side effects as possible to make the minerals.¡±


    Braham used a ring made of magic to suddenly tie back his hair. He was busy because he had to study magic, so it was an order to get out.


    ¡°I will definitely make a great mineral.¡±


    Braham hadmented that he couldn¡¯t control pavranium in his first encounter with Grid. Looking back on it, it was natural. It was because pavranium was a work made by Pagma and Braham. Yet Pagma distrusted Braham just because he was a vampire and monopolized control of pavranium.


    ¡®I will be different from Pagma.¡¯


    The new mineral they made would be shared with Braham. He would make Braham overgeared like him. Grid bowed and was about to leave the room. Just then, the ground tilted by such a little amount that it couldn¡¯t be measured with a ruler. An ordinary person, no, even those with very advanced senses, wouldn¡¯t be able to notice the fine shaking that spread throughout the entire body from the tips of the feet, yet Grid noticed it. Braham seemed to notice it too.


    ¡°Perception is twisted.¡±


    The coordinates of all the ces were misaligned. If the warp gate was triggered, then someone might have an ident. They would fall into an unknown ce. Braham was the Overgeared minister of magic and could stop the warp gates working using his authority, but he was still. It was because he knew it was a phenomenon that would soon stop.


    It was as he expected.


    [Your powerful sword of the Sword Saint has separated the world!!!]


    [The earth god Garion has exerted his power. All things split in half are restored like it was a lie.]


    These world messages appeared. In the aftermath of the world being split in half, perception was put back in ce and the coordinates restored. Subsequently...


    [Sword Saint ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has killed a half-god.]


    The news that would make the world boil over arrived. Kraugel, the second person to kill a half-god after Grid, killed a half-god again.


    ¡®Did Kraugel decided to bepletely hostile to the yangbans?¡¯


    Kraugel was Grid¡¯s friend before he was a rival. He was one of the few people that Grid admired. He didn¡¯t doubt that Kraugel would grow to his level or even surpass him. He thought that it would be quite annoying for the yangbans who were hostile to Kraugel.


    ¡®It is good. Thanks to Kraugel, I don¡¯t have to worry about the Hwan Kingdom for awhile.¡¯


    Was there another ally who was as strong and reliable as Kraugel? Grid¡¯s heart became much lighter.


    ***


    Grid immediately visited the Tower of Wisdom. There was no need to dy. He nned to deliver Nevartan¡¯s Ne to Radwolf and increase affinity to get the moon night iron and Radwolf¡¯s help in creating a new mineral.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Radwolf cocked his head. He seemed baffled by Grid¡¯s abrupt visit. It seemed hepletely forgot that he asked Grid to retrieve Nevartan¡¯s Ne. No, he probably didn¡¯t expect anything in the first ce.


    ¡°I brought the ne.¡±


    ¡°Ne? What ne?¡±


    ¡°Nevartan¡¯s Ne?¡±


    ¡°Eh...? Really? Did the Great Robber of the Red Night agree to a deal? Really?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Based on this reaction, why did he give the quest...? Grid wanted to ask, but he held back. The presence of the giant magic machines lined up in Radwolf¡¯s workshop made Grid polite.

 Chapter 1373

    The wise giants¡ªthe ancient civilizations boasted far-advanced technology and mystery. Modern people couldn¡¯t imagine or understand the principles.


    ¡®Hah... He really brought me Nevartan¡¯s Ne.¡¯


    The 3rd Seat, Radwolf, had particrly good knowledge and insight among the few survivors of the giants. His knowledge might be considerably biased because he had been stuck in the tower for centuries, but he could be certain of one fact based on various circumstantial and grounded facts.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªthis hateful thief would surely rob Grid and steal his treasures without Grid being aware of it. However, a reversal happened. Grid came back after seeding in a trade with the great robber. Not only was he aware of the great robber¡¯s approach, but he also managed to persuade the great robber.


    ¡®He could¡¯ve subdued with force... no.¡¯


    The mental image of the great robber resembled his cowardly personality. The great robber was able to hide his existence in his mental image and it was possible to wipe out his spirit without having to go out of the mental world. It was impossible to subdue him with force when he could disappear like the wind.


    ¡°This... it is genuine.¡±


    He had wondered if the great robber had scammed Grid. Radwolf suspiciously appraised Nevartan¡¯s Ne and clicked his tongue. The ne was undoubtedly genuine.


    ¡°What deal did you make with the great robber?¡±


    The great robber was a unteral predator. It was possible for him to steal Grid¡¯s treasures secretly. So why make a deal...?


    ¡°That...¡± Grid started to exin. He told the story of the outside world to Radwolf, who was confined to his workshop and rarely interacted with other people.


    ¡°Hah.¡±Radwolf marveled when he learned of the events of the Drasion raid. ¡°That thief likes you.¡±


    ¡°...It seems so?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to have a good interpretation of the person who stole Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword, but he couldn¡¯t deny it. The great robber was friendly to Grid from the start. He appreciated and respected Grid for developing transcendence from a young age.


    ¡°Giving him the short sword... you did a good job.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword was a dangerous object just like the Great Robber of the Red Night imed. The owner of the sword was destined to be monitored by the gods. The only person who could deceive the gods¡¯ eyes was the Great Robber of the Red Night. If Grid had insisted on keeping ownership of the sword, then the tower would¡¯ve stayed away from Grid.


    The tower wasn¡¯t hostile to the gods, but they didn¡¯t intend to be exposed to the eyes of the gods. Some of the tower members had long doubted the tendencies of the gods. However, the tower judged that dragons were more dangerous than gods.


    ¡°Well... you¡¯ve worked hard. Sir Hayate will advise you anyway, but let me say a word in my old age... I hope you don¡¯t make a mistake just because you are intoxicated with the status of a god.¡±


    Radwolf had lived a really long time. He had witnessed quite a few people who imed to be gods or were revered as gods. Their ending mostly wasn¡¯t good. The majority of them became drunk on the faith and walked the wrong path, only to be punished by someone. Even if they walked the right path, they ended up as a short myth for a challenger.


    Despite being the main character of a myth, the weak human body was good food for someone. The representative predators were the childless specter, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the Mountain King of Grenier. The Mountain King of Grenier became a recluse after he attacked and was defeated by Muller, but the childless specter and the Gale of the Great Forest were still alive.


    The childless specter, a lich king, had existed for more than 1,000 years. A human being who gave up on being a human and chose immortality in order to explore the ultimate magic. This was very normal like other liches, but the actions he showed were different. He collected myths. They were just the short, small myths of humans, but the person who devoured a few of them was enough to be called a monster.


    A collection of contaminated elementals, the Gale of the Great Forest. Tainted by the madness of Raiders, who ate the root of the world tree, it was born and angrily floated through the forests. It gained reason and wisdom at one point and started also collecting myths for some reason. Fortunately, it had eaten fewer mythspared to the childless specter, but... it was very difficult to deal with because there was no ¡®tangible existence.¡¯


    ¡°You should know it well after meeting the tower members and the Great Robber of the Red Night. There are really many unknown strong people in the world. Additionally, many of them are seriously twisted. They aren¡¯t all cute like Biban. It ismon for them to be trash, assholes, and sons of a bitches. In particr, be wary of the childless specter, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the recluse of Grenier. If you act too conspicuously, you could be their target.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It didn¡¯t fit with the wild impression he gave, but Radwolf was a scientist. He distinguished, understood, and judged things ording to knowledge and ethics, without being governed by instincts or emotions. So even worse than Biban... Grid felt sorry for Biban, but this seemed to be a realistic evaluation.


    ¡®The childless specter, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the recluse of Grenier...¡¯


    The ones Radwolf told him to watch out for must be dangerous without any exaggeration. Grid remembered these names and nodded. Then Radwolf threw Nevartan¡¯s Ne roughly into a drawer.


    ¡°...You are keeping it quite roughly.¡±


    Radwolf had already said that Ne¡¯s Ne was nothing more than a simple souvenir, but Grid hadn¡¯t expected it to be handled so roughly. The desire to get the ne back was simply out of pride.


    ¡®Short sword...¡¯


    Looking at Radwolf¡¯s attitude made Grid miss Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword even more. Radwolf saw his dejection and coughed before finally pulling out his gift.


    ¡°Here, take it.¡±


    [The moon night iron has been acquired as a quest clear reward.]


    [Affinity with the 3rd Seat, Radwolf, has increased by 50 as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    "Gasp...¡±Grid¡¯s eyes widened and his heart shook. Being fascinated by beautiful metals was a cksmith¡¯s instinct. A silver metal¡ªit wasn¡¯t as bright as mithril. Rather, it was dark.


    ¡®Is it sucking in the light...?¡¯


    The moon night iron was a mineral that blocked the ¡®status¡¯ of the target. The reason why the magic machines¡¯ fists could pierce a dragon¡¯s scales was due to the armor made from the moon night iron.


    ¡®If I mix the moon night iron and divine stone with Greed...¡¯


    The strongest metal that made self-judgments, moved on its own and neutralized transcendent beings would be born. Grid¡¯s cheeks were turning red with anticipation when he heard a voice.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Radwolf read Grid¡¯s intentions and shook his head. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t discuss fusing the moon night iron and insane dragon iron, even after knowing you have the insane dragon iron and can control itpletely, is because fusing them is impossible.¡±


    The moon night iron was a mineral that grew in thends of the ancient giants. Now that thend of giants was destroyed, new sources of moon night iron were no longer avable. Before discarding the old model magic machines, he had to recover the moon night iron. It was because the amount of moon night iron was so limited it needed to be recovered and re-used.


    The reason why Radwolf didn¡¯t discuss the fusion between the insane dragon iron and moon night iron, when he wanted the proliferation of moon night iron ore than anyone else, was because thepatibility between the insane dragon iron and moon night iron was too poor.


    The insane dragon iron absorbed the madness of Insane Dragon Nevartan and became a metal with the proliferation ability. It was a metal derived from the insane dragon. It had the worst resistance to the moon night iron.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Why didn¡¯t Radwolf discuss fusion with the moon night iron despite admiring Greed which was created by mixing the insane dragon iron and pavranium? Grid btedly realized it and became gloomy. Fortunately, the disappointment wasn¡¯t great. It was because he heard Radwolf¡¯s exnation just before his expectations reached the peak.


    Radwolf suggested as Grid was trying to adjust his heart, ¡°The moon night iron is a metal that only exerts its power if it is kept pure, but it isn¡¯t very durable. It is much more durable than steel or mithril, but it doesn¡¯t have infinite durability like pavranium or divine stone. Eventually, it will be destroyed.¡±


    This was why it became more and more precious. Radwolf¡¯s ancestors couldn¡¯t stop worrying about the limited quantity of moon night iron. Thend of giants fell and the source of moon night iron was destroyed, so it was natural for Radwolf to obsess over the moon night iron.


    ¡°The moon night iron is really inappropriate for armor. It just elerates the consumption.¡±


    Radwolf¡¯s eyes scanned the eight magic machines lined up in the workshop. The elbows and hands, knees and feet, as well as the horns and shoulders¡ªthe armor made of moon night iron only covered these parts. The luxury of covering the entire body of the magic machines with moon night iron couldn¡¯t be enjoyed even by Radwolf, the owner of the moon night iron.


    ¡°Since ancient times, the moon night iron has been rare and precious. Even before I was born, my ancestors had to think about ways to efficiently use the moon night iron.


    Radwolf moved his hands through the air. It was a movement simr to the majesticmands of a maestro. The eight magic machines responded to themand. The magic powered weapons opened their eyes at the same time.


    The eyes of the magic machines shed in different colors ording to the dragons¡¯ attributes. The magic machines stepped forward at Radwolf¡¯smand and pulled out different types of weapons. A sword, a spear, a single-edged sword, a bow, a rod, an iron whip, a gun, and a pair of knuckles¡ªall of them were weapons made out of the moon night iron.


    Grid realized it. The elbows and hands, knees and feet, as well as the horns and shoulders¡ªthese were all areas that could be used as weapons.


    ¡°My ancestors made weapons using the moon night iron and I agree with their judgment. You shouldn¡¯t be frustrated and disappointed with the moon night iron. Instead, you should use it to make weapons. It is a weapon that can even pierce and kill a god.¡±


    Grid had vowed to make a divine sword. However, he became ashamed of his determination when he saw Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword. He questioned if he could make such a sword. However, this wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Grid¡¯s eyes burned with passion.

 Chapter 1374

    The moon night iron¡ªGrid¡¯s reward was small in sizepared to the outstanding achievement. To be honest, if he knew from the beginning that fusion between the moon night iron and Greed (insane dragon iron) was impossible, then he would¡¯ve asked to receive at least three moon night irons. However, the deal was already over. It was toote. He would be rejected even if he asked for it.


    ¡®Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    He tried to soothe his heart, but it hurt. One lump of moon night iron weighed 800 grams. Once smelted, it would be reduced to 600 grams. Grid¡¯s favorite type of weapon was a longsword, but it would be hard to make a longsword out of 600 grams of metal. The volume and center of gravity of the sword would be disappointing. In other words, it couldn¡¯t be a luxurious product.


    ¡®I also have to ask Braham to forge it separately.¡¯


    Since fusion of the moon night iron and Greed was impossible, the magic forging had to be done on the moon night iron separately. This would take away arge amount of Braham¡¯s time. He couldn¡¯t help asking Braham for a favor, but he felt very sorry.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡± Grid thought for a while before holding an intangible sword in his hand. It was a virtual sword that was the exact same shape and size as Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword.


    ¡®Link, Kill, Wave.¡¯


    He grabbed the sword. Grid performed the sword dance on this assumption and his movements were magnificent. The thousands of tens of thousands of repetitions of movements formed a unity with his body and soul. It was a beautiful and flowing sight that anyone would see and be fascinated with.


    The mouth of the 3rd Seat, Radwolf, twitched. ¡®It has gone beyond Pagma¡¯s level.¡¯


    It was Pagma before signing a contract with Baal. He used the yangbans as a negative example and took on the mission of protecting the weak, but he gathered strength using any means and methods. He was a strong man who remained a legend.


    However,pared to Grid, his level as a cksmith and swordsman were low. The difference wasn¡¯t the so-called talent. It was unreasonable to evaluate Grid as a genius when Pagma was born a yangban. Of course, Pagma¡¯s talent was above Grid¡¯s talent. The only reason why Grid could surpass Pagma...


    ¡®It is the difference of being alone or together.¡¯


    The heart of the red phoenix, the shell of the ck tortoise, and powerful magic¡ªthe materials and abilities that Grid integrated were difficult to obtain without someone else¡¯s favor and help. It was a glimpse of what Grid had been doing so far. Unlike Pagma, who distrusted others and was alone, Grid achieved symbiosis by trusting others. Therefore, he was able to get help from others. It was just like helping Radwolf and receiving the gift of the moon night iron.


    As Radwolf was thinking this, Grid analyzed the problems of the short sword. ¡®The attack distance of a short sword is too short. The range of the sword dance is reduced.¡¯


    The range of Link and Kill was shortened. Compared to when he was using the longsword, he needed to take one or two steps forward to make it easier to hit the target. However, Grid didn¡¯t favor such close-quarterbat. Since he could use magic and the God Hands, it was naturally more advantageous and efficient to secure an appropriate distance to fight.


    ¡®No... this isn¡¯t necessarily the case any longer?¡¯


    Grid had learned Lee Jeong¡¯s fists and grappling techniques. Mixed Throw Strikes and Turning the World Upside Down. These two skills could only be used by approaching the target and they caused stiffness and stuns. In particr, in the case of Mixed Throw Strikes, the next linked skill could be activated without any movements.


    Of course, this was on the premise that the target was stiffened due to Mixed Throw Strikes, but if this condition was achieved, the five fusion sword dances could be linked without any preliminary actions. Grid could pull out the highest DPS in closebat.


    ¡®Yes... in the future, I should prefer close rangebat.¡¯


    In close rangebat, the effectiveness of a short sword was higher than a longsword. He needed to get used to short weapons. Grid made this judgment and eliminated his regrets. He pledged to create the strongest short sword that was close to Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword using the moon night iron.


    ¡®Then someday, surely¡ª¡¯


    He would save Hexetia. It was impossible to do right now, but it was a goal that must be achieved. He couldn¡¯t turn away from the benefactor who was in a crisis from saving him and his precious people.


    ¡°Radwolf, thank you for presenting me with the precious legacy of the giants. I will use this treasure without shame.¡±


    Grid had a firm heart as he stared straight at Radwolf. Radwolf was astonished by his gaze.


    Grid, like Saharan, the founder of the empire, was a person who had the power and force to dominate the earth at any time. However, there had never been such violent ambition in his eyes. It was clear that he harbored an ideal high enough to put Saharan to shame.


    ¡®There is a reason why Sir Hayate is attached to him.¡¯


    Radwolf smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes. I hope the moon night iron will help you.¡±


    Radwolf was speaking in a gentle tone without even knowing it. His brother, the 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz, would be surprised to see it.


    ***


    ¡°Congrattions on bing a god.¡±


    At the top of the Tower of Wisdom...


    Hayate, whom he met after a long time, greeted Grid with a smile as always. Grid¡¯s expression was ufortable at the polite greeting. ¡°I wonder if it is something worth being congratted on.¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t wanted to be a god. The desires of the people and Sariel made him a god.


    ¡°I am afraid.¡± In the past, the reason why Grid didn¡¯t evolve into a half-god was because he didn¡¯t want to be hostile to the gods. Now he became a god instead of a half-god and he was destined to one day be hostile to the gods. ¡°Some people won¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Is it Chiyou?¡± Hayate also knew Chiyou. Among all human beings, Hayate was the one who received the most attention from Chiyou. A god who wished to be destroyed so he prayed for the birth of a god killer.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Come, have a cup of tea.¡± Hayate sat down with Grid and poured a cup of warm tea. A refreshing scent entered through Grid¡¯s nose and cleared his mind.


    Hayate watched Grid drinking tea and opened his mouth a momentter, ¡°I understand the fear you feel, but you don¡¯t have to regret bing a god. You know that a true godes from the aspirations of human beings. It isn¡¯t something that can be achieved just because you want it. What is the point of regretting bing a god naturally? Additionally, it was Asgard¡¯s decision to treat you as an enemy, not yours. It would be better to be a god with greater potential.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It made a lot of sense. Asgard was already hostile to humanity even before Grid became a god. It forced Grid to treat Asgard as an enemy. Grid didn¡¯t be hostile to Asgard because he became a god. They were destined to be hostile in the first ce. It was a good thing that people worshipped Grid enough to make him a god.


    ¡°Additionally, you are still qualified to be a god killer.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I see... is it because I only have the status of a god?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t evolved into the race called a god yet. If the people¡¯s aspirations pile up and umte, you will be a god killer before bing aplete god... you will evolve into an absolute being with divine status. You aren¡¯t at a stage to worry about your rtionship with Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Grid recalled Chiyou¡¯s lonely eyes and sighed with relief. Grid wanted to help Chiyou even if it meant killing him. It was because the favor he received from Chiyou was too great.


    Hayate smiled when he saw Grid¡¯s heart. ¡°You... are really beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Grid doubted his ears. Grid felt a crisis to his chastity and moved back while Hayate added, ¡°Your heart.¡±


    ¡°...I just have a personality where I can¡¯t stand debts.¡±


    A beautiful heart¡ªit was an embarrassingpliment for Grid, who had been twisted for more than half his life. He couldn¡¯t raise his red face. Then Hayate added something else, ¡°If you need strength someday, then tell me. I will help you.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Grid once again doubted his ears and was so shocked he dropped his teacup.


    The 1st Seat of the Tower of Wisdom. The only Absolute human in existence. Dragon yer, the dragon killer Hayate. He would help Grid after being away from the world for so long...?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you someone who won¡¯t get involved in worldly affairs?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t get involved in the work of the world.¡±


    Hayate stopped the teacup and tea that Grid dropped in the air and returned them to their original position. It was the state of moving objects through the air.


    ¡°However, is Asgard part of the world?¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Grid got goosebumps. He felt a huge pressure from Hayate¡¯s eyes which were normally always mild. It felt like he was facing a great mountain covering the sky because the sky wasn¡¯t very high.


    ¡°The reason why the tower has been fighting dragons for so long is to defend the world. We have been guarding humanity with the conviction that dragons are the greatest danger to the world. Yet this time, it is the gods threatening humanity, not a dragon...¡±


    Grid felt distinct emotions from Hayate¡ªit was an unquestionable outrage.


    ¡°I, the tower, am disappointed in the gods. I have no intention of letting them go.¡±


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. The tower members¡ªhe was extremely excited at the thought of rescuing Hexetia right now with them. However, he soon calmed his heart. Asgard was a territory that couldn¡¯t be invaded without ¡®permission.¡¯It wasn¡¯t a ce to barge in even if he had enough strength right now. Additionally, he hadn¡¯t figured out the strength of Goddess Reba and Martial God Zeratul. It wasn¡¯t time yet.


    Hayate¡¯s thoughts were the same. ¡°First, build your strength. For the time being, it would be better to live the same life as before while looking for opportunities.¡±


    ¡°...Is there no way to get stronger faster?¡± Grid raised a pure question.


    It was his honest heart that he wanted to be stronger quickly as arger battlefield approached. Hayate shook his head. ¡°It is enough if you are the same as you are now.¡±


    They were words that acknowledged and respected the path Grid had walked on. These short words warmed Grid¡¯s heart. Grid abandoned his anxiety, rose from his seat, and bowed respectfully. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, the gourmet cycle went well. I should be thanking you. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±

 Chapter 1375

    Three months passed...


    ¡®If I connect Link with Kill, it will help increase the attack power.¡¯


    Damian, whose identity changed from the Reba Church¡¯s pope to Overgeared God Church¡¯s pope, had grown tremendously over the course of three months. He had already created the two fusion sword dances and he could sense that his fighting power had risen dramatically.


    ¡°Ick.¡±


    Pierce with Kill and dig into the gaps with Link.


    Damian, who was pressing the field boss with a fusion sword dance also used by Grid, hurriedly set up his shield. The boss¡¯ fist, that had a steel-like wood tied to it like a gauntlet, crushed Damian¡¯s shield. Damian lost his bnce due to his bent knees being unable to stand the pressure and literally rolled forward.


    Vantner pped andughed when he saw Damian crawling under the boss¡¯ crotch. ¡°Haha! It is really unsightly!¡±


    ¡°He just wants to live. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Jishuka scolded Vantner before pulling the bowstring and aiming at the back of the boss¡¯ head. No matter how hard, wood was wood.The wood attribute boss couldn¡¯t withstand the arrows of the Bow Saint filled with the breath of the red phoenix. The boss roared and writhed as it attacked blindly. Damian avoided their blind attacks, hid behind Vantner, and recovered his breath.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult because I can¡¯t move while the motion of Link is maintained.¡¯


    Link was an attack that swung the sword dozens of times in one second. During that one second, the user¡¯s legs must be grounded and stuck to the earth. In order to effectively utilize Link, it was necessary to show such overwhelming attack power that the target couldn¡¯t think of counterattacking, or to have enough defense to ignore the target¡¯s counterattack. It was just like Grid.


    Damian had changed sses and his overall stats weakened, so it was difficult for him to properly use Link. He would be in danger if he was hit by the opponent while using Link. In short, it meant he would lose if he was hit. Of course, this was a story when fighting bosses with rtively high specifications. Unfortunately, all bosses of a simr level had higher specifications than Damian.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work. I will quit before the next boss.¡± Damian determined that he was currently unfit to take part in a raid.


    It was theughing Vantner who grabbed Damian, who was leaving the party in order to not cause any inconvenience. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    It was the privilege of those skilled in each field to join the raid team. Raid team members exclusively hunted some bosses that respawned across the entire territory of the Overgeared Kingdom. They devoted a certain amount of the items to the guild and received money distributed to them in return. It was a pretty excellent source of ie. It allowed them to umte money while preventing unique items from leaking outside.


    ¡°You are now an Overgeared Guild member. We should make money together.¡± Vantner persuaded Damian. The other Overgeared members nodded in agreement.


    However, Damian refused. ¡°I don¡¯t want to collect the distributed gold without doing anything. I appreciate your kindness.¡±


    It was a matter of pride. It was uneptable for Damian, who was a famous ranker since the early days, who took part in every National Competition and he served as the leader of a mega-power called the Reba Church, to be a so-called ¡®distribution freeloader.¡¯


    ¡°Tut. You can join at any time. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Vantner read Damian¡¯s heart and gave up on persuading him. He just wanted Damian to recover quickly and regain his confidence. Damian replied with a smile before returning to Reinhardt.


    ¡®Money... I need money.¡¯


    Damian grasped the most intrinsic problem of the Overgeared God Church pdin. It was that the protection of the Overgeared God didn¡¯t directly increase stats but rather increased the effect of items. For those with very powerful items, the protection of the Overgeared God was more helpful than the protection of any other god. However, this wasn¡¯t the case for a vast majority of people.


    Ordinary people still called rare items ¡®graduation items.¡¯ Unless there was considerable financial support, it was impossible to obtain a unique item that matched their level every time. Therefore, most people were satisfied with rare items and it was difficult for rare items to have a dramatic increase in effect when receiving the Overgeared God¡¯s Protection. This was the realistic suffering of those without.


    Damian was desperately experiencing a pain that was difficult for rankers, especially those of the Overgeared Guild, to feel.


    ¡®I have to hurry and pay off my debt...¡¯


    Damian¡¯s withdrawal from the Reba Church proceeded without any problems. From the moment the pope was killed by Reba¡¯s angels, the Reba Church distrusted Damian. There was no reason to stop him when he said he wanted to leave on his own.


    Yes, Damian left. He put down the crown symbolizing the pope, the cloak of blessing, and the holy sword that symbolized he was the greatest pope in history. He returned everything he owned as pope and left empty-handed.


    However, the Reba Church demanded more from him. They warned that everything he could enjoy, and everything he could be, due to being the pope, should be handed in. They said, ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. We have always been grateful to you and respect you, but it has nothing to do with this incident. You are the one who did the wrong thing. Taking away what you own instead of executing you for betraying the goddess is thest courtesy for you.¡¯


    Those damn guys confiscated all of Damian¡¯s assets and ced a negative number at the bottom of his inventory.


    -159,885,103 gold.


    It was a debt. It was a huge 160 million debt. In yen, it was 20 billion. This didn¡¯t mean that the profit gained from serving as pope was so great. Damian had never abused his position for his selfish desires. The reason for his debt was the three Reba¡¯s Daughters, including Isabel. The Reba¡¯s Daughters whom Damian took away with him had an astronomical value to the Reba Church.


    Damian was angry, but... it was bravado. In any case, he became a debtor.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I could keep the items I received from Grid, but...¡¯


    They were old.


    Apart from his shield, the rest were items purchased a few years ago, so higher level items were needed.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    It was customary to provide the materials and a small fee when asking Grid to make an item. Recently, Grid was refusing the rewards, but Lauel epted them separately and ced them in the treasury. It was based on the theory that the closer they were, the more urate the calctions should be. Damian and the Overgeared members agreed. In the first ce, there was no problem with the procedure because the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s treasury was like Grid¡¯s personal safe.


    ¡®I can grind and get the materials for the item, but I need to pay off the debt first if I want to be able to afford the production fee...¡¯


    Every time he killed a monster or sold an item, the gold was automatically sent to the Reba Church. It meant he couldn¡¯t even touch his money until he dealt with the minus bnce.


    ¡°Hah...¡± He could only sigh. He couldn¡¯t brag about having a negative bnce in his inventory and he felt frustrated with the hardships that he couldn¡¯t tell to anyone.


    ¡®If I participate in the National Competition in this state, it will be hard to win a medal... It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s sell my house first.¡¯


    He regretted that he bought a house that was too big while living alone. Life in a luxurious mansion was often lonely. He should remember his original intentions. Go back to the days when he yed games in a small room.


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Damian was calming his heart when he hesitated because he couldn¡¯t enter the temple. Thousands of people were gathered in front of the temple. There were so many people that it reminded him of the time when the Overgeared God Church was first established. Recently, the number of visitors was greatly reduced due to the recognition that the Overgeared God Church was a ¡®religion for the rich,¡¯ so what was going on?


    ¡°Ah...¡± Damian was feeling confused when he identified the cause. The statue of cksmith Khan, that was said to be ordered by Grid a few months ago, stood proudly at the entrance to the temple. The statue of Khan smiled kindly like he did in his life and it wasrger and more prominent than the statue of Grid, the master of the temple. It was a glimpse at Grid¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Khan...¡± Damian¡¯s heart was moved. He recalled the way Khan treated him kindly and missed him deeply.


    ¡®Please be happy in Heaven.¡¯


    ¡°Damian?¡±


    "......?!¡±


    Damian was praying at Khan¡¯s statue when he looked back at the voice calling his name. It was a familiar face. It was the program PD for a famous Japanese broadcasting station. He was the only who insisted that Damian was a traitor and Grid¡¯s puppet by subtly editing in only the scenes where Damian praised Grid.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to be able to serve Grid in a dignified way now?¡±


    The PD smiled and approached Damian, who was frowning. It felt unlucky every time he saw this PD¡¯s face. Damian asked without changing his expression, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard rumors that a statue of Khan was built at Grid¡¯s temple so I came to cover it. Doesn¡¯t this seem right, but is actually wrong? Does Grid want Khan to be a god? Haha.¡±


    "What is so funny?¡±


    ¡°It is funny. It was funny to hold a press conference to get revenge when an NPC died, but now to even deify one... at this point, it might be a type of mental illness. Oh. Don¡¯t make such a scary expression. I¡¯m not scolding you for dating an NPC. I¡¯m justughing. Why are you so angry?¡±


    ¡°Just stop it.¡±


    Damian held back the words he wanted to spit out. Damian was about to turn around when the PD asked him, ¡°Do you know a program called yer 55?¡±


    yer 55¡ªa survival audition program that selected 55 potential or already famous rankers to be watched, cheered on, and be sponsored by the broadcasting station and viewers. The top three yers who received the most sponsorship from viewers could have broadcasting stations and variouspanies behind them as a sponsor.


    The program was done with the intent of making the best yer in Japan and boasted a tremendous audience rating.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it.¡±


    ¡°Aish, how can you not know the program that the media is talking about every day? Seeing that you are pretending not to know it, you must know it is a program that I made.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know...¡±


    ¡°You know, yesterday the final winner was decided as Zelos.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know...¡±


    ¡°This fact hasn¡¯t been revealed yet, but Zelos is going to participate in the National Competition as Japan¡¯s representative.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Additionally, a new program called ¡®Legendary yer¡¯ will air just in time for the opening ceremony of the National Competition. The purpose of the program is simple. We want to keep track of how many medals the proud Japanese yer, Zelos, the winner of yer 55, will obtain in this year¡¯s National Competition.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Look forward to it. The moment Zelos surpasses your gold medal record, the record you left will remain in history as ¡®the shameful record left by the traitor.¡¯ I will make it that way.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I... I hated it so much that I shuddered every time I saw you talking about Grid. I¡¯ve always loathed you. In the first ce, it was wrong that you were the representative of Japan.¡±


    From this year, the correct history would be written. Damian¡¯s fists trembled as he looked at the back of the PD who departed after this deration.

 Chapter 1376

    ¡°Keuk, why is there a sandstorm right now...?¡±


    ¡°Ignore it and chase him. We can¡¯t miss him after finally finding him.¡±


    ¡°Today we will definitely kill him.¡±


    The dark blue dopos fluttered lightly. A fierce sandstorm was blowing over the yangbans in the desert, obscuring their view, but their running became faster. It was difficult to stop a yangban even if the natural world took hold of everything.


    ¡®Did he think he could get rid of us with just this?¡¯


    The yangban, Yeum¡ªthe right arm of Mir, who was chosen to be the guardian of the Blue Dragon Dao and was staying in Kaya. In fact, she thought this task was easy. She determined that even the rumored Grid wouldn¡¯t dare to invade Kaya when Mir was guarding the Blue Dragon Dao. During her time in Kaya, she nned to study with Mir and focus on training.


    Then half a year ago, a human other than Grid hid in Kaya¡ªSword Saint Kraugel. At first, he moved stealthily. He seemed to be looking for the secret technique of the former Sword Saint, Muller. Yet at some point, he started to move boldly and started to kill the yangbans.


    The number of yangbans killed by him was three. Although they hadn¡¯t yet taken off their gats and weren¡¯t qualified to receive the humans¡¯ faith, they were still great beings with half the blood of a god flowing through them. Yet they were killed by a mere human.


    Yeum had no intention of forgiving Kraugel.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Is it because she was immersed in her anger for a while? Yeum was running in order to break through the sandstorm quickly and btedly noticed that one of the yangbans following her had disappeared.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Yeum¡¯s sharp cry stopped both parties.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The pressure of the sandstorm became more violent once they stopped moving. The yangbans were pushed back a few steps before barely stopping and they felt it when they were close to each other. They couldn¡¯t see thepanion right next to them. The sandstorm was this thick.


    ¡°Dat Byeol is missing.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The yangbans were confused by Yeum¡¯s words and raised their senses. Then they realized that their number had suddenly been reduced from four to three.


    ¡°Did he get swallowed up by the storm and flew away?¡±


    ¡°No way. He must¡¯ve be lost.¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Yeum looked back the way they came. She couldn¡¯t see in front of her, but her keen senses hadn¡¯t been lost. ¡°He was hunted.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Sword Saint is here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sandstorm that was bing more violent...


    Dat Byeol and Kraugel were fighting in there right now. The scent of blood at the tip of her nose must be from Dat Byeol. The fight between the two men would¡¯ve started with Kraugel¡¯s ambush.


    ¡°That is ridiculous. Yeum, the word ¡®hunted¡¯ isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±


    The other yangbans denied it. Yeum¡¯s words were like... it was like Kraugel knew beforehand that a sandstorm wasing and lured them here. No swordsman could have such foresight. Even if he predicted the appearance of this sandstorm by using daoism like a daoist, it was impossible to exercise his strength freely in this powerful sandstorm. Even they, who had better senses and vision than humans, couldn¡¯t see ahead of them.


    ¡°Hup.¡± One of the yangbans filled with disbelief suddenly sucked in a breath. He thought he tasted iron in his tongue and then a hot, sticky liquid filled his mouth. ¡°U-Ugh...¡±


    The expression of the yangban hardened as he barely stopped his body from falling and grabbed the thing stuck in his neck. It was a sword. A cold sword was piercing his neck.


    ¡°...You!¡±


    Yangbans didn¡¯t die easily. Even if they were stabbed in the heart, they just paused from the physical impact. He pulled out the sword that was stuck in his neck. Blood spurted like a fountain from the hole that suddenly opened up. The yangban who survived quickly unwrapped the soft sword that he was wearing like a belt. At the same time, he swung it like it was a whip and counterattacked.


    However, the powerful sandstorm was exerting its influence on the thin sword. The yangban¡¯s soft sword could take all types of forms and attacked irregrly but its mass was low. It couldn¡¯t withstand the strong winds and shook, its trajectory twisted.


    At this moment, the yangban realized it. Why did that mole-like bastard choose to fight in the sandstorm?


    ¡°Thunderbolt.¡±


    The condensed sword energy created lightning. It was a sight that suggested the springboard for eleration had beenid. A hunter crouched in the sandstorm. Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s body gained eleration and he linked the next sword technique.


    ¡°Frenzy Sword.¡±


    An explosion urred. At the same time, Kraugel turned into a beam of lightning and broke through the sandstorm, passing through the yangban¡¯s body.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Explosive sounds urred in connection. Every time, Kraugel¡¯s body disappeared from the yangban¡¯s view. Then he would appear to the front, the back, or the side of the yangban and stab the yangban with his sword.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The yangban forgot to even scream. Kraugel appeared and once again pierced the tattered body of the yangban before shaking off the blood on his sword. Just then, the dust that had risen due to the sandstorm repeatedlybusted and exploded.


    It was a dust explosion caused by the heat and pressure of the thunderbolt called Kraugel. It was a series of explosions that seemed to recreate the power of great magic. It destroyed the space in the affected area of the sandstorm.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Yeum, who was looking around after realizing anotherpanion had disappeared from her side, was surprised by the explosion and jumped into the air. She only flew to look from the sky. It was just that her body was crushed by the storm and that chain of explosions elerated through the storm and chased her.


    Before Yeum could escape the influence of the storm, an explosion swept over her body. The devastating explosion shredded her clothes, burned her skin and broke her bones. However, Yeum didn¡¯t groan at all. She gritted her teeth and endured the pain with boiling anger. She red through the storm that had briefly scattered from side to side due to the explosion.


    She could see a man wearing a golden dragon dopo. Yeum¡¯s expression was disgusted and crazy as she saw the man stabbing his sword in the chest of a half-god. Just a few months ago, he was a man with acking heart and body. She didn¡¯t know when but he had built a new body and heart and created such chaos.


    ¡°You¡ª! Just wait there!¡± Yeum barely squeezed out as the explosions continued.


    ¡°No, my mother is looking for me.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Kraugel turned around with an absurd excuse.


    ¡°Stop! I said stop!! This...! This rat bastard!¡±


    The dazed Yeum doubted her ears for a moment before she woke up and shouted. She even spat out swear words. Nevertheless, it was useless. Kraugel had already disappeared beyond the storm. She would have to search for days again to find the guy hiding somewhere in the vast desert.


    ***


    At a canyon in the north of the desert...


    Thanks to the help of super sensitivity, Kraugel barely managed to escape the sandstorm and bandaged his body. During the first attack against the yangban called Dat Byeol, he was stabbed in a vital spot and the wound didn¡¯t heal with just potions. He had to stop the bleeding with bandages for a while before it would proceed to recover.


    ¡°Too bad...¡±


    He wascking. His stamina and skills consumption was too great because he couldn¡¯t avoid Dat Byeol¡¯s counterattack. His original goal was to assassinate the three yangbans except for Yeum, but he had to be satisfied with two. He had squeezed out hisst remaining strength to cut the neck of the second yangban.


    ¡®I even took advantage of the sandstorm...¡¯


    One chance a month. No, he unfortunately missed the chance that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get again in the future.


    ¡®Is this the price of ignoring Muller¡¯s secret techniques?¡¯


    Kraugel had already obtained several volumes of Muller¡¯s secret techniques, but he didn¡¯t learn them. Others might scold him as being foolish, but he had a solid goal. The goal was to make the world aware that the Sword Saint was him, Kraugel, not Muller¡¯s sessor. Didn¡¯t everyone who yed the game want to achieve the best feat at least once?


    The best feat that the current Kraugel could aim for was to be at least equal to Muller. Only then... then he would be able to stand side by side with Grid.


    ¡¯...Well, I am still improving steadily.¡¯


    Kraugel had even found Muller¡¯s secret technique that was hidden somewhere in Kaya. He achieved his purpose ining to Kaya. Nevertheless, the reason he remained in Kaya and fought with the yangbans was to be stronger.


    He noticed it when he first fought Yeum. Every time he fought with the yangbans, his super sensitivity stat went up very quickly. It was more than twice as fast as fighting named bosses or named NPCs. They were tough opponents, but...


    Kraugel judged that training super sensitivity was necessary. Transcendence¡ªthink, judge, and move in 0.1 seconds. Muller said that this way, the consumption of physical and mental strength reached the highest level. The road to control was to polish his super sensitivity.


    Control.


    Perfect control. Satisfy¡¯s strongestbat ss, the Sword Saint was the only ss that had a perfect control of transcendence. Transcendents who umted their transcendent status and achieved the ¡®world¡¯ of transcendence couldn¡¯t withstand the recoil from using it, while the Sword Saint could endure it.


    Muller¡¯s words that he glimpsed from his ss quest were unquestionable information.


    ¡°......¡±


    Finally, his wounds were healed. It happened when Kraugel stopped his meditation skill and got up from his seat...


    -Do you like hunting yangbans?How many times are you going to send the world message that you killed a half-god?


    He received a whisper. It was a voice that was nice to hear anytime.


    -I just did what was needed.


    -Amazing.Truly amazing.Where are you now?


    It was Grid.


    Kraugel answered without hesitation, -I¡¯m staying in Kaya.


    -Eh?I¡¯m alsoing to Kaya because I have something to see.


    -......


    Kraugel fell silent. The moment Grid said the words ¡®something to see,¡¯ he recalled how Grid freed some of the Four Gods of the East Continent and had an ominous feeling. The Blue Dragon Dao sealed in Kaya¡ªthe weapon of one of the Four Gods shed through Kraugel¡¯s mind.


    -It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other.I¡¯ll contact you when I get to Kaya.


    -...Yes, let¡¯s meet when there is time.I am busy today.


    -Wait, I will arrive soon...Huh?


    Grid was confused. It was due to the notification window that stated ¡®the whisper target doesn¡¯t exist.¡¯ Kraugel hadn¡¯t been lying to Yeum. He really logged out because of his mother. He couldn¡¯t forget his mother¡¯s wordsst night that she wanted to eat rice cake soup after so long. It was morning in the United States. For the sake of his mother, who would wake up soon, and for the sake of protecting his taste buds, Kraugel nned to make the rice cake soup himself.


    ¡®Mir... Grid will challenge it even if I tell him how monstrous Mir is.¡¯


    He would definitely challenge even if he knew he was going to fail. Just like Kraugel, Grid was a person used to fighting opponents stronger than himself. He resembled Kraugel, who couldn¡¯t be afraid of failure. Then should Kraugel help even if it meant dying? Of course.


    ¡®I have to help.¡¯


    Kraugelughed and carefully cooked the rice cake soup.


    ***


    ¡®Was his connection ess time finished?¡¯ Surely he wasn¡¯t intentionally avoiding Grid because he didn¡¯t want to y with Grid, right?


    Grid was slightly suspicious of Kraugel, who logged out during their conversation. There had been the argument a few months ago. Grid had wanted to meet Kraugel in the National Competition for a rematch while Kraugel said that he would lose anyway. It was just a waste of time to participate in the National Competition.


    Grid didn¡¯t agree with Kraugel¡¯s statement of defeat. However, he sympathized with the assertion that participating in the National Competition was a waste of time. The rewards of the National Competition hadn¡¯t changed from the past. The highest reward was a legendary rated item or a breath as a production material. It waspensation that didn¡¯t feel necessary from Kraugel¡¯s point of view, unlike Grid who could use the breaths to make myth rated items. Participating in thepetition itself could earn additional ie through corporate sponsorship, but simple wealth had no significance for a ranker like Kraugel. He was already one of the best in the world.


    ¡®It would be nice to increase the rewards of the National Competition.¡¯


    It was unlikely that it would be increased. It was only when the National Competition rewards were maintained at this level that top rankers like Kraugel would turn away from the National Competition, allowing mid-level rankers to y an active part. If the S.A Group was willing to increase the rewards to recruit top rankers then a monopoly problem would arise.


    ¡®...I have to give up the National Competition.¡¯


    A National Competition without Kraugel was meaningless for Grid. The breaths would be gained by the Overgeared members anyway. Grid sent a refusal to the mail asking if he would participate in the National Competition and quickened his pace. He would soon be in Kaya.


    ¡®First... until Kraugeles back, let¡¯s try to figure out the atmosphere.¡¯


    Over the past two months, he had focused on hunting and gathering Mir¡¯s information. The conclusion was that Mir was one of the strongest opponents he had met so far. Honestly, it was a bit daunting alone. Mir was such a dangerous opponent that he didn¡¯t want to summon his knights and risk them.


    Grid, who visited the East Continent to unseal the blue dragon and gain more power, dreamed of being in a party with Kraugel. It was just questionable if it would seed.

 Chapter 1377

    Before meeting the gourmet dragon Raiders, Grid had tried to contact Zikfrector. It was to ask him to be a messenger. It was judged that there would be a positive response as long as his task was consistent with Zikfrector¡¯s ultimate goal. Unfortunately, Grid couldn¡¯t ask Zikfrector. It was said that Zikfrector fell into a deep sleep right after visiting the Hwan Kingdom.


    -I think the guys from the Hwan Kingdom yed some tricks.


    Zibal, the only yer and liaison in Zikfrector¡¯s entourage, doubted the gods of the East Continent.


    -They tried to persuade Lord Grandmaster to join forces and were rejected, so there is enough animosity.Isn¡¯t it said that the Curse of Sloth originated from the original sin?It is possible for the people of the Hwan Kingdom, especially Hanul, to intervene and deepen the curse.


    It was a convincing enough interpretation. Grid felt sympathetic as well as intrigued by the change in Zibal. Originally, Zibal omitted any honorifics in regards to Zikfrector. He just referred to him as the grandmaster, but now there was an honorific. It seemed that his respect was increasing as he spent a longer time with the grandmaster. It was like the rtionship between Grid and Khan, and Kraugel and Kirinus.


    -...No, why do you care about what I call people?Cough, in any case, the time Lord Grandmaster is awake these days is too short and irregr.In extreme cases, he is asleep for a whole month. Therefore, there won¡¯t be a chance to talk to the grandmaster unless I¡¯m around him all day.What?Take him to the Overgeared Kingdom?I can¡¯t do that.If he leaves the hideout created to avoid the guards, he will be targeted by Zeratul, and me and you will be X.


    It turned out that Zikfrector¡¯s forces were also suffering a great deal.


    Since leaving the empire, they had been followed by the followers of Zeratul, the Martial God. The seal that was installed by Saharan, the founder of the empire, to hide the presence of Zikfrector was said to have stopped working the moment Zikfrector betrayed the empire. It wasn¡¯t known if it was originally designed that way or someone from the imperial family did it but Grid thought it was likely to be the former. Basara wouldn¡¯t want Zikfrector to hold a grudge against her.


    -Don¡¯t be nervous and just wait.I¡¯ll stick around Lord Grandmaster as much as possible and contact you as soon as he wakes up.What?You are asking me why I¡¯m being so kind?What bullshit kindness?I was originally a nice person.Additionally, I saw what the angels did live on air.I was angry...I vaguely understood why Lord Grandmaster has been fighting against Asgard all his life.So...I will support you.Let¡¯s go to Asgard together one day.


    Zibal¡ªthe only magic machines knight in existence. He was an indispensable talent for Grid, who had the ambition of producing magic machines. Grid noticed that Zibal needed Grid just as much as Grid needed Zibal. It was good for both of them.


    -Furthermore, Lord Grandmaster gave me a warning for you when he woke up temporarily. Please listen.He said that if you are thinking about unsealing the white tiger and blue dragon, it is best to start with the blue dragon.


    -Are you sure?The one protecting the Blue Dragon Dao is the strongest of the yangbans, but I should fight him first?What is the basis?


    -This is what he said when he woke up. I didn¡¯t hear anything else.However, I trust Lord Grandmaster.


    -Hmm...


    Grid couldn¡¯t afford to ignore Zikfrector¡¯s advice. It was because Zikfrector was sure to be Grid¡¯s ally and he never talked about meaningless things. A few dayster, Grid was able to confirm that there was a clear basis for Zikfrector¡¯s advice.


    ¡°A gate to the Pa Kingdom has opened.¡±


    It was when he visited the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom to find restaurants before the gourmet cycle started. The Cho King and Xing King both mentioned it to Grid.


    ¡°Are you talking about a gate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a few days ago, an auspicious light fell from the sky. Crows and magpies swarmed and ced the Magpie Bridge.¡± [1]


    ¡°The Magpie Bridge wasid out along the light and stretched from Kaya to Pa. This means a gate connecting Kaya and Pa was opened. It is a story based on a legend, but...¡±


    The Cho King and Xing King actually witnessed a myth. It was impossible for them to discredit legends. It was naturally the same for Grid. How could Grid, a legend and a myth, discredit a legend?


    ¡®Is some sort of warp gate connected?¡¯


    The opening of the Magpie Bridge that stretched from Kaya to Pa could be interpreted as a warp gate had been opened to move from Kaya to Pa. Grid heard this and realized why Zikfrector advised him to target Kaya first, not the Pa Kingdom.


    ¡®If I target the Pa Kingdom first because it is weak, I will be beaten up by Mir who wille from Kaya.¡¯


    The Hwan Kingdom had already lost two of the Four Gods. The remaining two couldn¡¯t be taken away and they would¡¯ve be thoroughly alerted after hearing news that Grid had be a new god. Their defense was the gate opened this time.


    ¡°Can those in Pa go to Kaya through that gate?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible. If the Magpie Bridge had stretched out from both sides then they could¡¯vee and went freely. However, it only stretched from Kaya to the Pa Kingdom...¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a provocation?¡¯


    A structure where Pa was supported by Kaya, but Kaya wasn¡¯t supported by Pa. It seemed to be provoking him to enter Kaya. Or maybe they were convinced he wouldn¡¯te in the first ce.


    ¡®...It must be close to thetter.¡¯


    The ultimate yangban. He knew how confident this person would be even if they had never met.


    Mir.


    What was thebat power of this rumored yangban? He was born with the best martial arts among the yangbans and he wasn¡¯tzy, unlike Garam. He scored the best in Chiyou¡¯s Test. He learned all the martial arts and above all, hepletely absorbed the power of the Four Gods. This was the information about Mir that Grid knew. From this piece of information alone, it was easy to deduce that Mir was much stronger than Garam. It was natural to be full of confidence.


    ¡®Is there no chance for me to win?¡¯


    Grid first made the assumption that he was fighting Garam one-on-one. If he fought purely with no outside help, would he be able to defeat Garam? He had fought Garam several times so the simtion quickly produced an effect.


    ¡®There will be times when Garam will win.¡¯


    If they fought 10 times, he wasn¡¯t sure that he would win all 10 times. Originally,bat was full of variables and Garam¡¯s stats were so outstanding. However, Grid had the confidence to win 8 or 9 times. He didn¡¯t know how much stronger Mir waspared to Garam, but it was hard to imagine that he couldn¡¯t fight at all.


    In the first ce, Grid... he was strong. No, he became stronger. It was many times stronger than in the days he fought Garam.


    ¡®Surprisingly, it might be worth trying.¡¯


    Confidence was directly linked to action. After the gourmet cycle, Grid went to the Tower of Wisdom and became addicted to hunting for a while. He leveled up himself and his pets before moving straight to the East Continent. It was determined that now was the right time since Kraugel was going on a rampage through the East Continent.


    ¡®First... until Kraugeles back, let¡¯s try to figure out the atmosphere.¡¯


    A little while ago, there was the world message that Kraugel killed two yangbans. Kaya must be full of confusion at the moment.


    ¡®Is this Kaya?¡¯


    It was night when Grid arrived in Kaya. The road to get here was quite tough. Barriers were set up at every intersection as defense and the mountains and rivers were full of monsters. The public would never have ess to Kaya. Kaya waspletely isted.


    Grid¡¯s silver hair as he crossed over the wall was dotted with the night sky like the Milky Way. It was surrounded by the desert, but Kaya was bright at night, with snow always falling on the city. The moon touched the ground and the stars absorbed the light and illuminated the darkness.


    However, it was difficult to spot Grid with this level of brightness. Grid took advantage of his high agility to secretly and quickly enter the city. He melted into the shadow under the snowy wall and headed straight. The destination was the castle in the center of the city. Mir and the Blue Dragon Dao were there. If he was lucky, he would be able to secure the Blue Dragon Dao without even meeting Mir.


    Grid was speeding up only to stop in ce. The moon touching the ground. A figure stood in the middle like a huge full moon was blocking the way. The man standing against the moon was a ck shadow so Grid couldn¡¯t see his face or confirm his name.


    Still, he instinctively sensed it. This was Mir. The strongest yangban whom even Garam was envious of.


    ¡°I wanted to meet you, Grid.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The low voice was clear. Grid was surprised by the polite greeting and involuntarily stopped.


    ¡°Your divinity is special. It is from the aspirations of humans. You haven¡¯t abandoned the species of a human, but your characteristic isn¡¯t much different from Hanul or the Four Gods, so it is easy to notice. You will have to learn a new skill if you want to hide your energy.¡±


    ¡°...Coming all this way to meet me. It is very friendly.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t feel any hostility from Mir. Therefore, he was even more nervous. He recalled that it was more difficult against opponents whose intentions were uncertain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check if you deserve to take away the Blue Dragon Dao.¡± There was no kindness after this. Mir stepped forward and Grid entered the world of transcendence. Every time the des of the two men collided, the wall shook. The snow umted on it became a snowstorm and scattered.


    Grid¡¯s expression in the moonlight gradually stiffened and Mir¡¯s eyes shone as he avoided the magic Grid sneakily used. The battle was short, but seemed like an eternity.


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    Mir spoke to Grid who was gasping from the aftermath of dozens of exchanges, ¡°You are strong, but it isn¡¯t enough right now.¡±


    The ground Grid was stepping on shook and then rose up. Grid knew what this power was¡ªEarth God.


    Then Mir was engulfed in lightning and came in front of Grid. It was once again a familiar power to Grid¡ªLightning God.


    Grid coughed up blood and his body rolled on the cold, snowy ground.


    ¡¯Dying at the start?¡¯


    It was too strong. Beyond what he imagined. Grid coughed up blood and barely raised his body.


    ¡°You are too impatient.¡±


    Just then, Sword Saint Kraugel approached.


    1. refers to a legend where two lovers are separated in different worlds and a flock of magpies create a living bridge so they can meet once a year

 Chapter 1378

    ¡°I thought you ran away because you suddenly disappeared during our conversation.¡±


    The recovery potions produced at Reidan¡¯s alchemy factor were now called ¡®secret medicine.¡¯ Gulp. It was a smaller dose than ordinary potions, but the effect was much better. Grid swallowed it in one gulp and restored his health. His gaze was fixed on Mir even as he weed Kraugel.


    Mir, who had just cut down Grid, was standing under the moon again. The remnants of Lightning God moved around him and burned the snowkes.


    ¡°I just came after eating,¡± Kraugel told him.


    ¡°Did you eat well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you should digest it.¡±


    This time, it was Grid who acted. He didn¡¯t miss the activation timing of Earth God, which had a probability of randomly activating when his feet were on the ground. The ground that Mir was standing on rose. His body that was standing under the moon instantly floated to the top of the moon.


    Grid and Kraugel didn¡¯t talk to each other or develop ns. They judged and moved separately. Nevertheless, it was a perfect pincer attack.


    Grid used Shunpo to appear behind Mir¡¯s back and cut at Mir with the Fire Dragon Sword. Mir moved the Blue Dragon Dao behind him to block it and Kraugel used Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension. Mir easily avoided Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension, but this was the result that Kraugel expected. He used the recoil of Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension to rise above Mir¡¯s head and connect with Meteor Sword.


    At this time, Grid was in the middle of the two fusion sword dance, Linked kill. It was an attempt to attack during the gap that Mir briefly revealed while avoiding Earth Dragon¡¯s Ascension. The Meteor Sword fell toward Mir¡¯s head as he was blocking Grid¡¯s onught. The powerful waves that crushed the ground made thend shake even more.


    Grid and Kraugel each moved simultaneously. They thought it was possible to push Mir, but it was an illusion. Mir¡¯s Blue Dragon Dao that was intertwined with the Fire Dragon Sword seemed to back down. Mir used a grappling technique to grab Kraugel¡¯s wrist as he approached with Meteor Sword, turning it around.


    It was the manifestation of transcendence. He split the 0.2 seconds that Kraugel perceived into shorter pieces and used it to easily deceive Kraugel.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel crashed into the ground and was silent for a second.


    He realized that the process of his sword suddenly turning around from where it was aiming at Mir¡¯s head and then him getting stuck in the ground was omitted from his memory and could onlyment that his super sensitivity hadn¡¯t reached transcendence yet.


    ¡®...I¡¯m too far behind.¡¯


    No, that wasn¡¯t it. Grid was too far ahead. Kraugel confirmed that he wasn¡¯t Mir¡¯s opponent at this stage.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel raised his head. Unlike himself, who had been mesmerized by Mir¡¯s transcendence, Grid was still fighting with Mir on the shaky ground. He watched from a distance and was able to follow the two people¡¯s movements and the intentions hidden in them. Yet the moment he got closer again, he wouldn¡¯t be able to read it.


    Kraugel was watching the battle silently when it was Grid who crashed to his side this time. He rolled on the ground several times before rising and calling out to Kraugel, ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you going to digest it?¡±


    ¡°You should start by changing from that weird look.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that someone else¡¯s wife looks weird? You aren¡¯t Huroi, so what is with that tone?¡± Grid grumbled. Grid was currently using the skin mask. Since he was in the East Continent, he intended to umte achievements in Irene¡¯s form to build up her divinity.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that Irene¡¯s appearance is odd, but that you are weird in Irene¡¯s form. Isn¡¯t it treating people as trash?¡±


    ¡°Huroi might be impolite, but he never calls people trash...¡±


    ¡°Right now, you are wearing a form that doesn¡¯t fit. Do you think you can show your original skills with shorter arms, shorter legs, and a subtly different vision from your original body?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was awkward. He had felt this every time he exchanged blows with Mir. The movements that his head and body remembered.There was a creaky feeling when carrying out the movements that he had taken for granted so far. He was caught by the subtle differences he didn¡¯t feel when he fought rtively weak opponents.


    ¡®It turns out my habits aren¡¯t suitable for a shorter body.¡¯


    Habits arose due to ease and being ustomed to it. Grid btedly realized and took off his skin mask. In the first ce, Mir had talked about his divine air and had identified him from the beginning. There was no reason to insist on keeping Irene¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±Grid regained his original appearance and took in a long breath. The cold but fresh air seeped into his lungs and woke up his mind.


    Meanwhile, Mir showed no interest in Grid¡¯s change in appearance. The words of the grandmaster who said that gods weren¡¯t bound by the outer appearance came to mind.


    ¡®In many ways... he is different from other yangbans.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t frivolous or arrogant. There was a sense of weight in his words and actions. The impression he gave off was quite weakpared to the loud and intense impression that Garam showed when he first appeared. However, Grid instinctively knew that this made Mir trickier. He was stronger than Garam and there were no gaps.


    ¡®A middle stage boss of the East Continent... I can think of him like that.¡¯


    He was right below the gods of the Hwan Kingdom. Unlike the other yangbans, Mir could truly be called a half-god. He must be at least equal to the leader of the archangels.


    ¡°Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel had been nervous while admiring Mir just like Grid. Then his expression rxed at the words. His tension was broken by Mir calling out ¡®Overgeared God¡¯ with a serious expression.


    ¡®Why is it the Overgeared God?¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t been convinced by the Overgeared Guild, the Overgeared Kingdom, and the Overgeared King, yet it even reached the extent of the Overgeared God.


    Kraugel was clicking his tongue at Grid¡¯s awful naming sense when an eerie feeling came over him.


    The handle was the tail of a dragon and the tip of the de was slightly forked and open like a dragon that had lost its yeouiju.[1]


    The Blue Dragon Dao¡¯s de trembled in a dizzying manner like it was going to start moving, but it was instead covered with pure energy. So far, there was nothing to be surprised about. The reason why Kraugel felt threatened was...


    It was due to the strong lightning that covered the sword de. It wasn¡¯t a metaphor that the pure energy was like lightning. It really became lightning. The technique that Kraugel thought of when he invented ¡®Thunderbolt¡¯ was contained in it. However, it was more concise and perfect.


    ¡°You were born from human aspirations and will feel the duty to fulfill their desires, but you should know better than anyone. Just because you¡¯re a god doesn¡¯t mean you are omnipotent. If a god was truly omnipotent due to human beliefs, there would¡¯ve never been a war between the gods. Hanul wouldn¡¯t have been driven to this ce and the Four Gods wouldn¡¯t have been humiliated by being sealed. Your goal is to release all the seals of the Four Gods. I don¡¯t want to be disrespectful to a god anymore, so please give up.¡±


    After speaking, Mir swung the Blue Dragon Dao surrounded by lightning. It was a light movement, but the shockwave caused was huge. Lightning shed and struck at Grid and Kraugel.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    Grid read the lightning and responded. However, the lightning was so fast that he couldn¡¯tpletely avoid it and one arm was burned.


    [You have suffered 28,900 damage.]


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t read the lightning. Instead, the moment that Mir¡¯s shoulders moved slightly, he predicted the direction of the swing and reacted. It was just that the lightning was too fast and Kraugel¡¯s movements were rtively slow. Half his upper body was burned.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expression became darker as he suffered nearly 30,000 damage after being hit by the attack that was just a simple swing of the sword. Fortunately, he resisted the electric shock, but it wasn¡¯t really thatforting.Mir just stood in ce and swung his Blue Dragon Dao while Grid and Kraugel had to avoid it with all their power. Reacting, predicting, and avoiding the lightning strikes that urred every time Mir swung the Blue Dragon Dao caused a tremendous drain on their mental power and health.


    ¡°Gasp, gasp, gasp...¡±


    Grid unconditionally triggered the world of transcendence every time Mir moved and it ced great pressure on his body. His stamina was rapidly consumed and his movements became somewhat dull. On the other hand, Kraugel lost his health, but still had some stamina.


    ¡®My role has be bigger.¡¯


    Grid and Kraugel¡¯s purpose wasn¡¯t to kill Mir. They expected from the beginning that it was impossible to fight Mir and win. Grid just wanted to test Mir¡¯s skills to set an agenda for the future. Kraugel couldn¡¯t turn away from such a Grid.


    Yes, don¡¯t overdo it. It was enough to go back alive.


    As Mir once again swung the Blue Dragon Dao, Kraugel triggered Thunderbolt and rushed forward. The lightning that passed by his cheek gave him a thrilling pain, but he persevered. He arrived in front of Mir in an instant, but Mir watched him with an unconcerned gaze.


    ¡°Sword Saint Kraugel, your skills are very good but they are useless against me who has absorbed the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath.¡±


    The words were btedly heard. Mir had already disappeared from Kraugel¡¯s sight. Kraugel was trying to chase after Mir when a notification window appeared in front of him.


    [Your super sensitivity state has increased by 1.]


    It was a tremendous growth rate. Mir¡¯s speed after using Lightning God and the Blue Dragon Dao was developing Kraugel¡¯s super sensitivity in real time. It was inferiorpared to Grid, who already entered the world of transcendence, but it was a growth rate that was enough to motivate Kraugel.


    The Blue Dragon Dao cut Kraugel¡¯s side and then moved to stab him in the back. Kraugel couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and fell forward, but the Blue Dragon Dao was already in front of Kraugel¡¯s eyes as he touched the snowy ground. This time, the Blue Dragon Dao pierced his chest.


    Blood flowed as Mir approached Kraugel¡¯s side. Kraugel was able to see the sword scar on Mir¡¯s white neck. It was presumably a wound that urred quite some time ago.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you learn Muller¡¯s secret techniques? Do you think you have more potential than Muller? If so, it is a terrible arrogance.¡±


    The sharp criticism was filled with emotions. Kraugel figured out who made the sword scar on Mir¡¯s neck.


    ¡®What if... what if I give up on being stubborn now?¡¯


    Could hepete with Mir for a moment? Kraugel was shaken for a moment when a voice entered his ears.


    ¡°What is that bullshit?¡± It was Grid¡¯s voice. His gaze as he approached Kraugel¡¯s left side while using the five fusion sword dance intersected with Mir¡¯s gaze who was standing on Kraugel¡¯s right side. ¡°Kraugel will go beyond Muller.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The words were filled with conviction. These words caused the troubles that had been rushing like a wave and tormenting Kraugel disappear like snow melting.


    ¡°......!¡± Mir had experienced Grid¡¯s sword dance at the beginning of the battle and hadn¡¯t felt too much interest in it. Now he was shocked. Both Kraugel and Mir noticed it. Grid¡¯s sword dance had be sharper, more urate, and more powerful than what it was just a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    A mental image of destruction manifested itself and the entire space was filled with an overbearing deterrence. It was enough for Mir, who was using Lightning God, to shrink back, and Kraugel predicted Mir¡¯s actions. He used ¡®Loop Sword¡¯ against Mir who was trying to elerate away and pulled him to the side. The price was terrible. He lost all his remaining health from the immediate counterattack and entered the immortality state.


    However, Mir also paid a great price. He was hit by Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle that was released from thebination of the Enlightenment Sword and Fire Dragon Sword. Mir¡¯s eyes widened with surprise from the pain that was beyond imagination before a smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to... the future.¡±


    Then Mir¡¯s mes were oveid on the Storm of the Fire God created by Grid. They were mes mixed with poison and lightning. The mes caused a fierce explosion when they collided that engulfed Grid and Kraugel. After that, Mir persistently attacked the two of them. All resistance from Grid and Kraugel was neutralized and the two of them were eventually killed.


    ¡°...I need to be stronger to challenge the remaining Four Godster,¡± Grid murmured.


    Now all he had to do was free the white tiger and the blue dragon. Due to this pressure, Grid was naturally obsessed with the East Continent. Now he neatly arranged his goals. Grid was able to immediately realize what he needed to do. A more correct and rational n was made.


    On the other hand, Kraugel became obsessed with Mir.


    ¡®We fought for less than 30 minutes, yet I gained two points in super sensitivity. I¡¯ve lost experience, but it is much more difficult to increase my super sensitivity than to gain levels.¡¯


    It was a very ignorant method, but he thought that insisting on fighting Mir would help him grow rapidly. They worked together, but had different goals. In any case, the result was the same. They would continue to be stronger and stronger.


    1. In Korean myths, East Asian dragons are sometimes depicted as carrying a giant orb known as the yeouiju. It was said that whoever could wield the yeouiju was blessed with the ability of omnipotence and creation.

 Chapter 1379

    Grid recorded the entire encounter with the yangban, Mir, from the moment of their meeting up to the point of his own death.


    ¡°This is real and isn¡¯t fake?¡±


    At Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house...


    The smile disappeared from the face of Jishuka, who arrived just in time to see Youngwoo log out. The shock she received was so great that Jishuka, who bought a roasted sweet potato and came to y, put the sweet potato she was trying to feed to Youngwoo into his nose instead.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to operaterge-scale field magic (Earth God) and a unique barrier (Storm of the Fire God) at the same time. He could carry out high speed movements without any advance action (Lightning God) and shoot lightning from the sword...


    The fighting power of the yangban, Mir, was more overwhelming than any other enemy Jishuka had ever encountered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it pointless to analyze the patterns? Using field magic to destroy formations, moving at a speed that can¡¯t be followed with the naked eye, while applying arge-area debuff and a unique barrier... how can we kill such an attacker?¡±


    What means could they use to surpass such a ridiculous monster? It was impossible. At the current time, he waspletely invincible. Jishuka wasining only to suddenly shut her mouth. It was because Youngwoo (Grid) popped into her mind as she listed Mir¡¯s strengths. Field magic, unique barriers, and speed that was difficult to follow were all characteristics of Youngwoo.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m seeing you... do you have no conscience? Indeed, from the time you received the love of both Yura and I, you built a wall of conscience.¡±


    ¡°...Your Korean has improved a lot.¡±


    ¡°I am Korean now, so I should naturally do well.¡±


    It had been a year since Jishuka naturalized here. She had be ustomed to the sentiments of South Koreans, who were somewhat cautiouspared to South Americans. Therefore...


    ¡°By the way... how are you with Yura these days?¡±


    Jishuka was once so passionate and bold that she decided to immigrate because she wanted to be close to Youngwoo. Now it had weakened. The self-confidence of ¡®Youngwoo¡¯s heart doesn¡¯t matter, it is enough if I like Youngwoo¡¯ and ¡®there isn¡¯t a man who wouldn¡¯t fall for a woman like me¡¯ had long disappeared.


    Youngwoo was the first to take care of his family and be considerate to others in any situation. Her heart for Youngwoo had grown excessively as she watched his gentleness for the past year.


    One morning, it was a day when she had breakfast with Youngwoo¡¯s family as usual without showing that her body and head were heavy due to illness. Youngwoo had quietly followed her home and wrapped his scarf around her. He took her home, bought medicine, and stayed with her all day. He was the best yer in the world and had a greater responsibility than anyone else, causing him to value time more than gold, yet he wasted a whole day taking care of her.


    Looking at him, Jishuka had realized something. If she became his family member, she would never be lonely and would be happy forever. From then on, it became difficult. Jishuka wasn¡¯t satisfied with merely being by Youngwoo¡¯s side. She became depressed when she watched from the window as Youngwoo went out to meet Yura every weekend.


    ¡°What about her? It is the same. Eating, dating...¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep?¡±


    ¡°...What are you saying all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Have you kissed?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Hands as well... you must¡¯ve held it.¡±


    At first, Youngwoo took it as a joke, but his expression soon hardened. He read the mncholy in Jishuka¡¯s expression and the darkness in her eyes. He wanted tofort her. She was strong, imposing, and beautiful every day, so he wanted to embrace the weak figure that she rarely showed.


    However, he endured it. It was more difficult than stopping any addiction, but he was able to endure it because Yura¡¯s face suddenly appeared.


    He made up his mind and opened his mouth, ¡°Why are you making that expression because of me when you are loved by everyone in the world? Take this opportunity to look back. Jishuka, there is no reason to like me. You are just clinging to the emotions you felt in the hard moments when you were helped by me. Maybe you care about what you owe for the Red Phoenix Bow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak so rudely.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Who are you to measure my feelings? I am the only one who can deny my heart. It is your freedom not to ept my heart, but you have no right to judge and deny my heart. Just say no if you don¡¯t like me. Why make people so miserable?¡±


    ¡°...Sorry, I was too short-sighted.¡±


    ¡°As long as you know and are sorry. In any case, I knew your heart, so I¡¯ll stop talking about it in the future. We can¡¯t be lovers, but we can be friends like we are now, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Oh, I should go and rest early today. I¡¯ll continue to devise a strategy to help you when you challenge Mir again some day. Additionally, don¡¯t forget to turn on venttion mode when you enter the capsule. You might fart because you ate a lot of sweet potatoes.¡±


    ¡°...Uh, yes.¡±


    Youngwoo also liked Jishuka. How many people in the world could dislike her when she was capable, responsible, bright, strong, and beautiful? In the beginning, Jishuka was Youngwoo¡¯s benefactor. If she hadn¡¯t led Grid to the Tzedakah Guild and allowed him to make good friends, Youngwoo¡¯s status might not be much different from Agnus.


    However, it was Yura, not Jishuka, who had a greater ce in Youngwoo¡¯s heart. He saw her courageous confession in front of the world and as they walked, talked, ate together, and watched movies together, Youngwoo realized that he had great affection for her.


    He saw her pretending to be strong when she wasn¡¯t as strong as Jishuka, and saw her pretending to be bright when she wasn¡¯t as bright as Jishuka. This made him want to be with her more and more. He wanted to stand by her side so that she could be really strong and really bright.


    He felt sorry for Jishuka. No, feeling sorry was just an excuse. She deserved to meet a man who was much better and nicer than him. It was better to help her clear up her feelings as soon as possible, rather than stick to ambiguity. He had known it for a while, but he kept putting it off because he didn¡¯t have the courage.


    ¡°......¡±


    His heart was shaken before it soon became empty. It felt like the heart that had swelled up after meeting Jishuka was torn apart. It was painful. It hurt. Youngwoo felt bitter pain as he watched the back of Jishuka walking helplessly out of the building. He wanted to rely on alcohol. He wanted to be drunk so he could forget the whole day.


    However, he knew. The harder it was, the more he had to keep his spirit up. He had to keep busy.


    ¡°Why do I have to go through this type of pain...?¡±


    Youngwoo leaned nkly against the window for a long time before moving quickly. As usual, he went to the capsule andy down. It was the moment when Overgeared God Grid came to Satisfy.


    ***


    After the fierce battle with Mir, Grid left for hell.


    Sometimes alone and sometimes with Yura, he hunted demons and focused on growth. His heart wanted to concentrate on cksmithing first. He wanted to create a new sword based on the inspiration from using Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword and the problems he realized while fighting Mir.


    However, it was still premature. The ¡®Overgeared God Grid Statue¡¯ needed to gain at least six more levels to give a dexterity buff simr to the full level ¡®Hero King Grid Statue.¡¯ If he made an item before that, there was a high probability that he would get a result that was worse than before. Additionally, Braham¡¯s mineral magic forging was far from over. He judged that for the time being, it was better to hunt and level up his Tailoring skill.


    ¡°Oh my~ that is pretty underwear~ are you making it to give to us as a gift?¡±


    Grid wore Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools set while sewing and felt like an old sage cutting rice cakes in a room with no lights on. It was difficult. It was hard. He stabbed his fingers dozens of times and the stitching was ugly.


    However, the moment he finished a piece of underwear after the hard work, the proficiency of his Tailoring skill increased remarkably. It was the synergy created bybining the double skill proficiency effect attached to the Gourmet Dragon¡¯s Needle with Lee Jeong¡¯s training set.


    Grid had been smiling happily at the rewarding results. Then he heard these words and looked like he was chewing on shit.


    ¡°I would be crazy to give this to you.¡±


    He was speaking to the subi. He thought he was likely to be misunderstood as a pervert if he went around with them while they were only wearing underwear.


    ¡®I need to get in contact with a skin maker as soon as possible.¡¯


    At first, he attempted to dress the subi. However, the subi were a race that hated wearing clothes. He could forcibly dress them by giving them an order but the moment they were dressed, they lost motivation and this caused an overall decline in stats. The smartest method was to attach skin to the subi¡¯s underwear to make it look like something other than underwear.


    ¡°Then you made it to give to this sister~?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will suit her~? Master¡¯s taste is different from this sister¡¯s taste~¡±


    The subipared the underwear to Yura. Yura¡¯s face turned red when she saw the shape of the underwear.


    Grid hastily exined. "This underwear doesn¡¯t reflect my taste. I might be making underwear, but I have to make it in various shapes and types in order to quickly improve my dexterity and Tailoring proficiency...¡±


    Unfortunately, Grid didn¡¯t have long to exin. Just then, the ground shook and a demon army started to flock from beyond the horizon. What was with this massive army?


    Grid was startled and took off the blindfold covering his eyes. The first thing he saw were chariots led by three-headed rhinoceroses. The demon shooters on the chariots pulled the bowstring in unison.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened when he saw the arrows flying through the sky. It was because the speed at which the arrows were fired was unusual.


    ¡°Get back!¡±


    Grid determined that the subi wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid them and stepped forward. He used Link to open a sword curtain to block the arrows.


    Tatang!


    Yura was also shooting. The magic bullets she fired already killed three shooters. Even so, the chariots didn¡¯t lose their momentum. There were a lot of them. Hundreds of chariots rushed toward Grid.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡¯


    During the times when he left hell, Grid left the subi in hell. It was because he wasn¡¯t ready to take them in front of people. The subi weed Grid every time he returned. Unlike what he thought, they waited without betraying Grid. Since then, they had been together and friendship umted.


    ¡°Elfin Stone!¡±


    ¡°Blood Field.¡±


    In fact, the smartest way was to abandon the subi. The most damage-free way to avoid the chariots was to summon pets like Noe and Randy before using Shunpo to flee with just Yura. However, Grid always had a stupid streak. He mobilized Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the vampires to confront the advance of the chariots head on. If a pet died in the process, there was a penalty before they were summoned again, but he epted it.


    It was a sh of strength and strength. The chariots led by the three-headed rhinoceroses and Grid¡¯s forces collided head-on, shaking the battlefield.


    Grid was very busy. Priority was given to protecting Elfin Stone whose Blood Field weakened the enemy. The spear attacks of the riders on the rhinoceroses were blocked as he worked with Noe and Randy to counterattack and kill them. The Overgeared Skeletons and subi were to the side, mocking or bewitching the riders.


    Grid could feel the advance of the chariots losing their momentum, but it wasn¡¯t enough to rx. The power of the chariots was too great. The demonkin he met in the hells in the 20s couldn¡¯t bepared. It happened the moment when the wounded Noe and Randy made pained sounds...


    p p p!


    The sound of apuse was heard from outside the area of Blood Field. Grid shifted his gaze and was startled. The title of the demon who pped was ¡®Deputy Commander of the 10th Hell.¡¯


    ¡®10th Hell?¡¯


    Why did a demon from the 10th Hell appear in a hell in the 20s? The demon shouted toward the puzzled Grid, ¡°It is amazing that you have inherited the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King! Now! Get in next to me! Leraje, one of the 33 monarchs who rules Hell is waiting for you!¡±


    Leraje¡ªthe great demon who appeared in the Undefeated King¡¯s diary. Grid recalled this and exchanged looks with Yura. Yura couldn¡¯t make a hasty judgment.


    A great demon. The 10th ranked great demon was inviting yers to her castle. The foreshadowing of a hidden quest was obvious but it was also clear that there would be risks. In the end, the decision was up to the party leader, Grid.


    ¡°...Okay, let¡¯s meet her first.¡±


    The deputymander¡¯s chariot that was led by 10 rhinos¡ªGrid and Yura climbed on top of something that could be called a fortress. The deputymander red at Yura, but didn¡¯t drive her out. On the other hand, the subi were stopped. ¡°The lower sses of the 32nd Hell, get out.¡±


    ¡°Go and wait with nt,¡± Grid ordered them.


    ¡°Depaaart!¡±


    After saying farewell to the subi, the chariot carrying Grid and Yura left for the 10th Hell.

 Chapter 1380

    nk.


    ¡°...Shuka!¡±


    aank.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s condition had been strange since two days ago. She was like a mesmerized person. She couldn¡¯t focus on anything and just stared at the air. Her symptoms didn¡¯t improve even in the middle of the hunting ground.


    ¡°Hey, Jishuka! Are your ears blocked?¡±


    ¡°What a surprise! Speak more softly!¡±


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Vantner fended off the stone thrown by Jishuka only to scream. It was because Jishuka¡¯s knee attack caught him in the side. He staggered, raised his head again to blow away the monster¡¯s head, and asked Jishuka, ¡°What is going on with you these days? Why haven¡¯t you been able to focus? It isn¡¯t easy for people to give you a bus ride. Do you want to forcibly get off?¡±


    ¡°I hunt more mobs than you, but I am catching a bus?¡±


    ¡°You are a damage dealer and I¡¯m a tanker. The speed at which you hunt mobs is bound to be faster.¡±


    ¡°So this is a team project. What type of bus is it?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Vantner had no words to refute it. The one who imed he was a bus driver wondered if this was actually a bus. Jishuka changed to the Bow Saint and showed strong attack power despite her lowered level. In particr, if she used the Red Phoenix Bow, then she overpowered damage dealers who were over 100 levels higher than her. He couldn¡¯t help thinking about Grid.


    Jishuka once again kicked the side of the thinking Vantner.


    ¡°Keok, why did you hit me?¡±


    ¡°I think you just had a bad thought.¡±


    ¡°Is it a woman¡¯s intuition? Damn, that intuition sucks. I was just thinking about Grid? Why is it not enough when liking someone... Keok!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about Grid!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was only after the third kick that Vantner shut his mouth. Over the past two days, he noticed that it was Grid that caused Jishuka¡¯s bad condition.


    ¡°Did you get dumped?¡±


    Jishuka red at Vantner who asked in a straightforward manner. She wanted to believe that what she experienced a few days ago was a dream, and wanted to find words to deny it, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t find it. In the end, she had to confirm it.


    ¡°Yes, I was dumped. It is hard, so don¡¯t be noisy and go and drive the mobs.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Vantner didn¡¯tfort Jishuka. From the perspective of a third party, the rtionship between Grid and Jishuka was ambiguous. Contrary to her appearance, Jishuka was adept at dating and showed affection to Grid, but she didn¡¯t exceed a certain line. She immigrated to South Korea to stay next to Grid, but she didn¡¯t know how to increase progress and just hung around.


    It was around half a year after she immigrated. Vantner and the Overgeared members had been amazed when they saw Jishuka kiss the driving Grid on the cheek and said it was a really happy and thrilling experience. She immigrated all that way just for a kiss on the cheek? Wasn¡¯t this an act exchanged with a friend one hadn¡¯t met after a long time?


    ...It was hopeless. The future was bleak when seeing that she was excited just to kiss his cheek, rather thanunching an aggressive offensive against Grid, who was probably ate bloomer. Jiskuka wasn¡¯t able to make progress for a long time. Due to this, Grid couldn¡¯t grasp how sincere she was. Their rtionship that was a bit too close to be friends and too elusive to be lovers might continue for years toe.


    Everyone thought so.


    ¡®...Yet she was dumped?¡¯


    Vantner waspetent. Additionally, he was popr due to his hearty and pleasant personality. He might be bald, but he had a charm that attracted people. He unfortunately didn¡¯t have any dating experience, but he always took the role of dating counselor for his friends. He was the so-called love doctor. He noticed that this incident was suggesting a positive change.


    ¡°Hmm, hmm, I see.¡±


    ¡°What? I feel bad.¡±


    Vantner¡¯s smiling attitude after hearing that someone had been dumped was enough to stimte Jishuka. She was clenching her fists and trembling when Vantner patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You are finally starting to be loved.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think there is a reason why Grid has dumped you now when he always treated you so ambiguously? Grid has developed feelings for you. He started to feel sorry for maintaining the ambiguous rtionship and as a result, he let you go for your own happiness.¡±


    ¡°What dog-like nonsense is this?¡±


    ¡°Baby, love is like a dog. In particr, when inexperienced people are in love, they make choices like fools.¡±


    ¡°Then what... Grid dumped me because he likes me and he is going to regret it now?¡±


    ¡°He will regret it. If he misses you like this, he might have lingering feelings for you forever.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened as she returned her bow to her inventory. Vantner grabbed her as she was about to leave to search for Grid. "Are you a fool? The reason Grid didn¡¯t ept your heart and let you go is because he likes Yura better than you. In the end, he chose Yura instead of you. What are you going to do when you find him right now?¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°What else? Don¡¯t hide the sorrow and mncholy you feel, but express it. Every time Grid sees you lose your energy, he will regret it more. He won¡¯t be able to bear it and will eventuallye back to you. If he doesn¡¯te? Then you can run a new strategy. First of all, the love doctor will design a n that will induce jealousy. Grid currently has a greater liking for Yura because he is dating her every week. The moment my n is carried out, things will be reversed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t hear Vantner¡¯s words starting from the middle.


    Grid, who would feel regret and hurt...


    From the moment she heard this, Jishuka became depressed and distracted. She was distressed as she imagined Grid struggling because of herself. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°What type of love doctor are you when you haven¡¯t even dated anyone~ are all the doctors in the world frozen and dead?¡±


    She smiled brightly on purpose.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunting. Hurry and drive the mobs over.¡±


    ¡°...Sigh, so frustrating.¡±


    Vantner had been watching Jishuka since he was a teenager. He knew the captain¡¯s personality so he noticed the choice she made in this moment.


    ¡°Sun Guard!¡±


    Vantner expressed his anger with his entire body. He wasn¡¯t a performance artist. Monsters flocked to him as he reflected sunlight off his bald head, while Jishuka¡¯s arrows shot them down in turn. Thanks to Vantner being at her side, Jishuka¡¯s growth rate exceeded the transcendent Grid when he was at the same level.


    ***


    All living things had their own status. Among them, the demons were judged using status. Out of tens of thousands of demons, only 33 umted enough status to be ¡®rulers of hell.¡¯ Then out of the 33 great demons, only nine could turn hell inside out alone. In that sense, Leraje¡¯s status was somewhat ambiguous.


    Ruler of the 10th Hell. She was obviously strong. In the vast hell, there were only a handful of beings who could stand above Leraje. Yet if one asked Leraje if she could overturn the situation of hell alone, this clearly wasn¡¯t the case. She was very strong, but her strength was somewhat inferior topete with the single digit great demons.


    Fortunately, the single digit great demons were located deep in hell. In the ¡®surface¡¯ areas, Leraje¡¯s status was already at the top of the pyramid of hell. This allowed her to reign like an emperor of the rulers of hell and there were countless demons who envied and followed her.


    Leraje wanted to revive the expectations of the demons who followed her. Thus, she developed a habit.


    ¡°Ever since the birth of me, King Leraje, only the word ¡®victory¡¯ and ¡®winning¡¯ have been on the path I walked.¡±


    "Ohhhh! As expected, Leraje is the best!¡±


    "Kyaaak! Leraje! Too cool!¡±


    ...It was the so-called bragging. There were nine rulers above her, but Leraje always called herself ¡®the best.¡¯ She instilled the fact that she was the best into the demons who believed in her and followed her. In fact, it wasn¡¯t a big exaggeration.


    ¡°Just one time.¡±


    Gulp.


    Leraje¡¯s eyes had always been overflowing with confidence and ambition. Now, in a rare manner, they sank and the demons couldn¡¯t help gulping.


    ¡°There was only one time when I didn¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°Gasp...¡±The demons were frightened. Out of the thousands of demons gathered at Leraje¡¯s castle, there was only one demon who wasn¡¯t surprised. It was Rose, the only great demon ¡®candidate¡¯ among the yers.


    ¡®Is this so surprising? She is obviously in 10th ce. She must¡¯ve lost after challenging the 9th great demon in the ranking battle.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that why she was 10th?


    Leraje noticed her thoughts. ¡°You... are the rumored child who was born at this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am called Rose! I became a demon with the blessing of Amoract!¡±


    Regardless of whether it was a deception or not, Rose was very sincere toward Leraje. She acted like she was serving the most precious being in hell. She was prepared to m her head into the ground in a bow. Then Leraje¡¯s firm face twitched a bit.


    ¡°Hmm, Amoract... Yes, I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    Leraje looked at the group once again. She closed her eyes and opened then again as if she was recalling the past.


    ¡°No matter who Ipete with, I always have the habit of winning. I am sure to win. The one who left a record of a ¡®draw¡¯ with me, one of the 33 rulers of hell... it was surprisingly a human.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the demons widened. They started to murmur the name ¡®Muller¡¯ among them. Leraje denied it.


    ¡°The human who reached a draw with me wasn¡¯t the Sword Saint. His name was Madra... yes, Madra.¡±


    Madra¡ªit was a name Rose had heard of. He originally wasn¡¯t a famous figure. Like Pagma, he was a legend btedly known to the world thanks to Grid.


    ¡°He was called the Undefeated King!¡±


    ¡°The Undefeated King!¡±


    Themotion among the demons grew. The Undefeated King¡ªa king who never lost. Wasn¡¯t it a title that could challenge Leraje?


    ¡°He deserves to be undefeated. It might¡¯ve been a fight in the human world, but... I was overwhelmingly at a disadvantage, but... it ismendable that he barely survived the fierce battle with me. Huhuhut.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡± The demons admired it. They thought this human was certainly great to be praised by King Leraje. It happened when their attention was focused on the Undefeated King.


    ¡°Deputy Commander Kalbaba has returned from his mission!¡±


    The ground shook and the proud chariot army of the 10th Hell returned. However, there were two humans standing on the chariot of Deputy Commander Kalbaba. The demons were filled with killing intent. They read the energy of the infamous Demon yer.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    Leraje restrained the demons with a single word. The demons who had been rushed toward Yura immediately bowed and took a step back. There was a smile on Leraje¡¯s face.


    ¡°Let me introduce you. That man is the sessor of the Undefeated King.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the demons staring at Yura btedly focused on Grid.


    ¡°I, Supreme King Leraje, will have a fair fight with the sessor of the Undefeated King in order to express my condolences to the Undefeated King, who couldn¡¯t handle the wounds inflicted by me and died, as well as restore my record of total victory.¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡±


    The atmosphere in the great hall heated up. It was an absurd feast of bullshit and an unconvincing development from Grid¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®What? Is this why she invited us?¡¯


    What draw when she originally lost to ¡®Death Knight¡¯ Madra? Did she have dementia or something? He thought there would be a special event, but his expectations were shattered. He came for nothing. It was a type that shouldn¡¯t be crossed.


    Leraje spoke to the disappointed Grid, who was looking for a way to retreat, ¡°You, sessor of the Undefeated King.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Unlike when I fought the Undefeated King in the past, this is hell. It is advantageous to me and disadvantageous for you. Thus, I will set some conditions. Hmm... Yes, I will sit still on this throne. Additionally, I will only use one arm. It is also a fair duel. I won¡¯t take your life.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Five minutes. If within five minutes, I rise from the throne or use both arms, it is my defeat. Otherwise, it is my victory. Will you ept this duel?¡±


    Leraje, the great demon of struggle¡ªshe had to fight and she had to win. The more she won, the stronger she became. She told the Undefeated King, ¡®It is only by turning my defeated record into victory that I can gain more power.¡¯ Now that the Undefeated King was dead, she had no choice but to cling to Grid, who inherited his skills.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid nodded after confirming the contents of the quest that popped up in front of him. At the same time, a quest with a time limit of five minutes began. Grid didn¡¯t dy. He used all his buff skills, started the five fusion sword dance and triggered Shunpo the moment the action of the sword dance reached the end.


    ¡°...Wait, let¡¯s do it again.¡± Leraje¡¯s eyes widened before she politely made a request. She was still sitting on the throne. However, the mark of Transcended Linked Kill Wave remained on both her arms.

 Chapter 1381

    Shake shake!


    She raised both arms at the start of the duel. The impact that followed the collision wasn¡¯t fully absorbed. For a short moment, Leraje was mesmerized. She couldn¡¯t believe the reality when she saw the sword marks on both arms. If she was the only person here, she would¡¯ve stared nkly at her arms for a few minutes.


    ¡°...Wait, let¡¯s do it again.¡±


    Leraje was conscious of the gazes of the thousands of demons in the great hall as she politely requested it. At the same time, she concealed her arms using her wide sleeves. Transparent mucus oozed over the pale pink skin. The sticky mucus covered and erased the wounds.


    Grid caught a glimpse of Leraje¡¯s healing ability through the gaps in her fluttering sleeves and grasped the truth.


    ¡®This is the reason why the power of the sword dance is halved.¡¯


    The wavelength created by the first part of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Grid hadn¡¯t been flustered when the mental image of Kill didn¡¯t have any effect on Leraje. The 10th great demon, Leraje¡ªit was normal for the 10th ranked great demon to have a good body.


    It wasn¡¯t strange if she was several times stronger than Hell Gao, who lost his body, was weakened and came to the human world. It wasn¡¯t surprising that she exerted a mental power or momentum that overwhelmed the mental image of Transcended Link Kill.


    ...It was just very shocking to see her blocking Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle with her bare arms.


    She used the back of her soft hands that weren¡¯t even wearing gauntlets to block the dozens of des from Link, the wavelengths of sword energy created by Transcend and Wave were blocked with her thin wrists, and she grabbed and twisted Kill with her bare hands...


    It was amazing to see her read the trajectory of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and react to it, but the sight of her dealing with it using her bare body was even more incredible. Now he was convinced. Leraje released mucus from the skin and her characteristic seemed to be to half and block physical force.


    ¡®This is usually a characteristic of amphibians. Magic... She is an opponent who needs to be attacked using fire magic.¡¯


    Yura had told him that the demons must abide by their agreements. At the very least, Leraje couldn¡¯t harm Grid while the quest was active. However, she was a great demon and he would have to risk his life fighting her one day. He had to collect as much information as possible. Characteristics and skills were the basics. It was better to understand the personality. Even if they had the same stats, they showed different battle patterns depending on their personality. He should talk a lot with her.


    ¡°Do it again? Your words...¡± Grid was trying to speak when he shut his mouth.


    [The quest ¡®Confrontation with Leraje¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Leraje¡¯s Pledge has been acquired as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    [Leraje¡¯s Pledge]


    [The 10th Great Demon, Leraje, hates defeat. Even if she loses the fight, she hopes it will be known that she won.


    If you pledge never to say you have won against Leraje, she will reward you with a gift of gratitude.


    Weight: 0.1]


    It was a piece of paper asking him not to disclose the results of the duel to the outside world. The nk signature line required Grid¡¯s signature.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid confirmed the contents of the pledge and fully grasped Leraje¡¯s personality. Hundreds of years ago, on the Behen Archipgo, Leraje was defeated by Madra and it was even Death Knight Madra. However, Leraje concealed the truth. She didn¡¯t tell the demons that Madra was a death knight and she also concealed her defeat, calling it a draw.


    At first, Grid thought she had dementia. Now it turned out to just be serious bluffing.


    ¡®...It would be better to sign this.¡¯


    The main reason Grid epted Leraje¡¯s duel was because he coveted the quest rewards. It was difficult to refuse because he had to sign it in order to get a reward. The moment he refused, it would be meaningless to perform the quest.


    ¡®There is nothing to lose if I go along with the bluff.¡¯


    Grid calcted the maximum benefits and signed his name on the pledge without hesitation.


    [You have made the pledge with Leraje.]


    [The gag order is triggered due to the contract with a great demon. If you leak the result of your fight with Leraje to others, you will be severely punished by the contract.]


    [The right to terminate the contract belongs only to Leraje.]


    Leraje confirmed Grid signed the pledge and spoke with a stiff expression, ¡°Undefeated King¡¯s sessor. You don¡¯t understand the nature of this confrontation.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere in the hall was cold. There was doubt and confusion in the eyes of the thousands of demons staring at Leraje on the throne. They were great demon candidates who saw great demons aspetitors.The reason they looked up to and respected Leraje was because they were attracted by Leraje¡¯s saga of always winning.


    However, now they witnessed Leraje¡¯s defeat. They were stunned by Leraje using both arms straight away when she said she would only use one arm. They started to doubt Leraje¡¯s strength. She was in danger of losing her Supreme King status, which was maintained only by victory.


    Leraje was anxious and hurriedly continued, ¡°My¡ªugh.¡±


    She bit her tongue and her skin turned red with shame. Yet Leraje tried not to show it and kept insisting.


    ¡°...The reason I applied for a confrontation with you was to conclude my fight against the Undefeated King. I assumed you were the sessor of the Undefeated King, not anyone else, when participating in the fight. However, you were cowardly and used a technique other than the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship to destroy the essence of the confrontation.¡±


    Leraje raised both arms. The thin forearms that had been hidden by the wide sleeves appeared in front of the demons. There wasn¡¯t even the smallest scratch on them.


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    The demons admired it. The sword technique used a moment ago by the human contained an incredibly strong power. They were sure that it would be hard for them to survive if they were targeted by the sword technique. Meanwhile, Leraje wasn¡¯t hurt at all after confronting the sword technique. Therefore, Leraje¡¯s strength really deserved its reputation. The doubts they felt disappeared and respect rose again.


    ¡°Undefeated King¡¯s sessor. I, Supreme King Leraje, could¡¯ve grabbed your neck and killed you instantly. I showed mercy due to the fight I didn¡¯t win. Be thankful for the circumstances and let¡¯s fight again with the right attitude.¡±


    ¡°Yes! You cowardly human! Don¡¯t y tricks and fight fairly!¡±


    Boo!Boooooo!


    The demons started booing Grid. They called him cowardly or told him to fight fairly.


    ¡®Is this something demons should say?¡¯


    Leraje¡¯s castle¡ªit was decorated like a banquet hall for human nobles and the atmosphere here was quite different from other ces in hell. It was cheerful and free. It felt like Leraje¡¯s unique bluffing and stubborn persistence subtly distracted from the evils of the demons.


    ¡®...In any case.¡¯


    Now was the time to focus on the situation. Grid checked the quest window that reappeared.


    [Confrontation with Leraje (2)]


    [Difficulty: SSS


    Fight against the 10th Great Demon, Leraje. If you make Leraje rise from the throne or use both arms within five minutes, it will be your victory.


    However, the attack skills that can be used are limited to the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    Quest Clear Reward: Leraje¡¯s gift.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    ¡°I will give you another chance. Come.¡±


    A small, slender body that didn¡¯t match the huge throne¡ªLeraje tried to be stern as she pped her hands. The opportunity was obtained by him, but the target was trying to look her best.


    Grid smiled at the absurdity and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    [The quest has been epted.]


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t in a hurry. The opponent dered that she would sit still on the throne. There was no need for him to roll, run around, or catch her. He could just focus on attacking. Just one strike. He recalled and implemented the essence of the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡°100,000 Army.¡± Grid¡¯s waist twisted to the limit. On the forearm holding the sword, his veins bulged like they were going to explode. ¡°Blockade Sword.¡±


    A sword technique that dealt 100% attack damage to all visible enemies and gave the ¡®blockade¡¯ effect for three seconds. The scariest thing about the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanshipy in the fact that it used the Blockade Sword as a starting point. The blockaded targets couldn¡¯t use any skills or magic for three seconds.


    The Enlightenment Sword and Fire Dragon Sword had beenbined into one item. The moment it moved in a half moon shape, the air was cut and an eerie sound ured.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    The demons lined up on the left and right of Leraje¡¯s throne. The bodies of the demons in Grid¡¯s field of view nted. They were cut by the Blockade Sword. On the other hand, Leraje stopped it. She raised one arm in a leisurely manner. Her arm cut by the sword energy was glistening with mucus.


    ¡®Is itcking?¡¯


    Grid was filled with a momentary anxiety. The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was naturally an excellent skill, but its power was weakpared to the five fusion sword dances. It would be difficult to make her use both arms as long as the Blockade Sword couldn¡¯t cut the mucus.


    At this moment¡ª


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of 100,000 Army Blockade Sword. If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    A light of hope shone on Grid.


    ¡°100,000 Army Blockade Sword.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Doubt rose in Leraje¡¯s eyes as she sensed the energy of the Blockade Sword again. Yet once again, she blocked it with one arm. The mucus covering her skin wasn¡¯t cut at all.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t magic seeing that Magic Contemtion isn¡¯t activated.¡¯


    Is it an inherent ability, so it isn¡¯t cut? It was tricky and annoying. Grid clicked his tongue and linked to the next sword technique without dy.


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    A sword technique that dealt damage equivalent to 3000% of his attack power to the target and all those within a radius of 30 meters. The damage even increased by 100% every time a target died, so the power of the Massacre Sword was terrifying.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Some of the demons previously cut by the Blockade Sword were killed by the Massacre Sword. Gradually, the stronger sword energy squeezed into Leraje¡¯s mucus. A line of blood flowed down Leraje¡¯s forearm.


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    Grid used the Massacre Sword again without any dy.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Leraje¡¯s expression stiffened. Despair was on the face of some of the demons who barely survived the Blockade Sword and Massacre Sword. The demons who survived the previous sword techniques died and the sword energy that had grown more powerful cut at Leraje¡¯s forearm. Her bleeding increased even further.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    [The hidden passive ¡®God¡¯s Command¡¯ has reset the cooldown of 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. If reused within three seconds, no resources will be consumed.]


    ¡°200,000 Army...¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Stop.


    He was lucky. The damn God¡¯s Command. There was a 50% chance of triggering it, but he felt like it was actually only a 10% chance. Now it burst out three times in a row. The effect was great. Leraje had blocked the previous attacks with one arm, but now she reflexively raised both arms.


    In the midst of the demons¡¯ silence¡ª


    ¡°You... you aren¡¯t the sessor of the Undefeated King.¡± Leraje stared at Grid. Her shaking body looked very resentful. ¡°Even the Undefeated King can¡¯t use the same sword technique twice. You... you aren¡¯t his sessor. You are his teacher. Yes, you deceived me from the start.¡±


    Leraje was the demon of struggle who had to fight and win. Her reputation was damaged when she lost and this was directly connected to a decline in status. Moreover, losing to the same target twice in a row... it was something that absolutely wasn¡¯t allowed to happen.


    ¡°Me...! Are you mocking me? This confrontation is null and void! It is invalid!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Leraje was wronged to the point of tears. She tried to refute it, but there were too many witnesses. It was impossible to deceive them twice.


    [The quest ¡®Confrontation with Leraje (2)¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [You are qualified to enter Leraje¡¯s treasure warehouse as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    ¡°...I was lucky.¡±


    It was easy for a winner to be rxed. Grid was humble.

 Chapter 1382

    Grid had been convinced from the time that 100,000 Army Blockade Sword failed to cut Leraje¡¯s mucus. He knew he couldn¡¯t defeat Leraje in a normal way. If it wasn¡¯t for God¡¯s Command¡¯s triggering three times in a row, he wouldn¡¯t have won this fight with overwhelmingly favorable conditions.


    ¡°I was lucky,¡± Grid honestly admitted it. It was easy for a winner to be rxed. Now that he had won, it wasn¡¯t a loss to act humble.


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude made Leraje even more flustered. She denied defeat while stomping her feet, yet this person humbly said it was thanks to luck that he won. It was aplete defeat. As expected, the demons on the scene started mumbling again. The eyes that were filled with envy toward Leraje not long ago were not filled with distrust. Some of them evenughed at her.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined! Ruined!¡¯


    A surprising thing happened as Leraje increased the strength of her hands holding the armrest of the throne. The armrests were terribly broken, bing dust and scattering. Grid¡¯s face stiffened.


    ¡®Is this real?¡¯


    Grid was a mythical cksmith. He could instantly see what the material of the red throne was made of. Bloodstone¡ªit was the strongest mineral in hell. The red throne made of bloodstone had at least the same durability as legendary rated items. Yet she simply crushed it to powder using her hands...


    He wondered if he could endure it if she used skills with such power.


    ¡®I think a head-on confrontation would be suicidal unless I use Saleos¡¯ power.¡¯


    It meant that a fight itself wasn¡¯t possible. Did that make sense?


    Grid was clicking his tongue at the absurdity when he saw the smoke rising over the dust.


    ¡®Ah...¡¯ Grid realized something and his gaze fixed on the broken armrest. A cross section was pouring down. It was flowing down like it wasn¡¯t crushed by force, but corroded by some type of acid.


    ¡®It is like this.¡¯


    The mucus dissolved substances that were insufficient by halving physical force. In many ways, Leraje¡¯s ability was very powerful. The duration of Item Combination ended and the Enlightenment Sword and Fire Dragon Sword were separated. The Fire Dragon Sword had infinite durability and it was fine, but the Enlightenment Sword was greatly damaged.


    ¡®It will be virtually impossible to raid Leraje.¡¯


    However, it might be easy to raid her if Braham was present. The 10th great demon was certainly a great existence, but it couldn¡¯t be close to Mir, the half-god. Her physical power was so strong that there was a high probably that she would be weak to magic due to the recoil.


    As Grid was thinking, Leraje¡¯s expression distorted even further. ¡®I have be weaker.¡¯


    Two consecutive defeats left a stain on the history of struggle that had been built up over a thousand years. Her status fell and her strength weakened in proportion to the fall. The evidence was that the armrest she originally intended to turn into powder still maintained its form.


    ¡®Should I kill them?¡¯ Leraje¡¯s eyes gleamed with killing intent. The thousands of demons and the Demon yer. If she killed all those who witnessed today¡¯s events, the loss might be restored to a certain extent. But...


    ¡®Cowardly bastard!¡¯


    Leraje failed to act quickly. It was due to her deputymand Kalbaba and his men who were shedding tears of blood.


    ¡°You! Master of the Undefeated King! Cowardly hiding your strength and pretending to be the sessor of the Undefeated King, proceeding with an unfair fight! Aren¡¯t you ashamed as a human being? Where are the morals and ethics that you humans usually cry out for?¡±


    Kalbaba fiercely criticized Grid. He wasn¡¯t defending Leraje because of loyalty. In fact, he was analyzing the situation more objectively than anyone else here. The reason Leraje had an unfavorable confrontation was because she evaluated Grid¡¯s ability as one step below the Undefeated King.


    In reality, Grid¡¯s sneakiness and cowardice was reprehensible in terms of human morals. He was actually much more powerful than the Undefeated King, but he covered up the truth to win in a despicable manner. The problem was that this was hell. Ordinary demons didn¡¯t have the concept of morality.


    ¡°You are using tricks and wagging your tail to defend your master... the 10th hell is truly gone.¡±


    ¡°A group of losers. Kukukuk.¡±


    Leraje had invited various demons to this event. Those who should¡¯ve been eyewitnesses to the victory and improve Leraje¡¯s reputation instead sided with Grid. They were demons obsessed with winner-takes-all and focused only on the results. No matter what, Leraje was defeated in the end. Falling for the opponent¡¯s cowardly trick was just a sign of ipetence.


    ¡°These guys! If you have something to say,e forward and speak confidently! However, you need to be prepared to get your heads cut off!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The demons were startled and shut up when Kalbaba couldn¡¯t stand their gossiping and roared at them. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He was the close aide of the 10th ranked great demon for a reason. He didn¡¯t have a ranking, but the pressure he gave off was great.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t inferior to the great demons I¡¯ve fought so far.¡¯


    Of course, this was only a story whenpared to ¡®great demons in the human world,¡¯ but it was clear he was very powerful. He was one level ahead of Andras, who was Baal¡¯s subordinate. Grid nced at Yura behind him. Her expression was stiff as expected. For her, who had an obligation to purify all of hell, she couldn¡¯t help shrinking back when more powerful demons appeared.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I will help you.¡¯


    One of the reasons why Grid looked back at Yura and was concerned about her was that he personally experienced hell. Grid was worried and sad for her, who fought alone in this huge and terrifying world and was determined to fight alone in the future. Both reality and the game seemed harsh to Yura, so he wanted to help her. Perhaps this idea was the decisive moment in developing his heart for her.


    ¡°Is no oneing forward? Trivial cowards who distort the essence of the confrontation and say that the 10th hell is gone, you are shameless trash just like that human being!¡±


    Kalbaba¡¯s anger as he yelled at the demons turned toward Grid again. He was noticeably quite angry. It was an atmosphere where he would apply for a confrontation just like Leraje.


    ¡®There is nothing good about continuing to fight here.¡¯


    Grid quickly made a decision. He didn¡¯t forget that this ce was the middle of enemy territory. If he was swept up in the atmosphere and fought against Kalbaba, he would have to fight against the chariot corps that he led. Leraje was bound by the ¡®contract¡¯ that she couldn¡¯t hurt Grid, but it was impossible for Grid and Yura to cope with the demons of the 10th hell. There was a high probability they would die.


    ¡°First... I pay homage to the abilities of Supreme King Leraje.¡±


    So far, Grid had experienced and solved numerous episodes. He was ustomed to analyzing the character¡¯s personality and taking the situation into ount to create a favorable development. It wasn¡¯t a problem to warm up people.


    ¡°Kalbaba, your master is worthy of being a ruler of hell. She is really strong. I would¡¯ve lost if it had been a fair confrontation. This is why I acted cowardly after confirming that the content of the confrontation was overwhelmingly favorable to me. Yes, I admit that I am cowardly.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Look at your master being silent. Your master is the strongest, but she seems to be trying to understand the position of the weak by remaining silent. Shouldn¡¯t you be considerate of your master¡¯s position and refrain from causing a further disturbance?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    All the demons in the great hall, including Kalbaba and the chariot corps, were greatly shaken. As mentioned earlier, demons were obsessed with winner-takes-all. The conventional logic of hell was that the winner could seize everything and im rights. It was shocking for the winner, Grid, to call himself weak and tter the loser. The corners of the stiff-faced Leraje started twitching.


    ¡°Hmm hmm, Kalbaba.¡± Leraje spoke to Kalbaba, who was speechless because he was flustered by the unexpected reaction, ¡°The words of the Undefeated King¡¯s master are true. I am fully aware of his position. He is certainly very strong, but he is fleetingpared to this body, one of the rulers of hell. I fully understand the feelings of the weak who cowardly hide their identity because they have to ept the confrontation. I, Supreme King Leraje, will show mercy as a strong person and forgive him.¡±


    ¡°Umm...!¡±


    The demons of the 10th hell were quite different from ordinary demons. Fight, win, and prove their strength. Leraje practiced this simple and fair motto, and was extremely different from other demons. It was the same for her men. In other words, they could talk with each other.


    ¡°If this is Master¡¯s will, we will also forgive his cowardice!¡±


    ¡°I will forgive him!¡±


    Leraje¡¯s castle was as huge andplex as abyrinth. Leraje¡¯s subordinates watching from all over the castle repeated it in unison. The expressions of the demons whoughed at Leraje had no choice but to be contemtive.


    ¡°Hum hum, follow me. I am much, much, much stronger than you, but in any case, I was defeated in the confrontation. I will give you the gift I promised.¡±


    Leraje¡¯s expression was bright as she got up from the throne and called out to Grid. Why did demons keep talking about cowardice...? Grid didn¡¯t like the way that Leraje and her subordinates handled it, but he followed her without expressing it. Then he found something in the treasure warehouse that captured him. Bloodstones that shone more beautifully than gold and silver treasures, a famous hell steed that released blue mes, the sword that the famous Zepar used for a time...


    In the midst of all these rare treasures, the object that caught Grid¡¯s eye was an old, thin book. Behen Archipgo Record¡ªthis was a book about what Leraje went through in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡°Why are you interested in this among all the treasures? It is my diary...¡±


    I wanted to publish the great battle, but I met the Undefeated King and the contents were twisted, so I sealed it...


    Leraje was blushing with embarrassment, but Grid just opened the book indifferently.


    [The Behen Archipgo Record has been chosen as Leraje¡¯s gift.]


    One of the two rewards he chose was an old diary. Other people wouldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s choice, but Grid had already estimated the value of the book.


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    In the Behen Archipgo Record, the impressions of Leraje who witnessed Madra¡¯s swordsmanship were written. Madra¡¯s diary had many contents omitted because he became a death knight and gradually lost his sense of reason, while Leraje¡¯s records were detailed and full. It was enough to get a glimpse of the 400,000 Army Swordsmanship.


    Meanwhile, in the 32nd Hell...


    ¡°Dammit! Damn Grid!¡±


    Rose, who had been standing close to Leraje, was killed by 100,000 Army Massacre Sword and screamed after resurrecting at the resurrection point.


    ¡°How many times do you have to grab onto my ankles?¡±


    Rose couldn¡¯t ovee her anger and screamed, attracting the attention of demons all around her. The 32nd Hell that lost its master. The demons werepeting every day in real time for the vacant throne. Dark clouds fell on the road ahead of Rose as she caught the demons¡¯ attention by causing a useless disturbance.

 Chapter 1383

    Madra¡¯s diary that was held by Grid was an iplete record. It was clearly written by Undefeated King Madra, but it was a diary written after Madra became a death knight. Therefore, the contents were confusing and the delivery power was poor.


    In the first ce, a death knight was resurrected as an undead using the bones of a person who already died. Usingmon sense, it was unreasonable to trust and rely on an undead¡¯s diary when the undead had significantly lower cognitionpared to when he was alive.


    ¡®The end of the diary ispletely unrecognizable.¡¯


    Madra was reluctantly resurrected as an undead and gradually went crazy after hundreds of years. In the end, he cried out strangely. There was no regrity in the sentences he left on paper or his words in the memories he left behind. Even Great Sage Sticks had failed to trante it.


    However, Sticks didn¡¯t deny that it was writing or anguage. He couldn¡¯t interpret it, but it was hard to see it as just crying. It wasn¡¯t strange to hypothesize that it was thenguage of the dead, just as the elementals had their ownnguage that humans couldn¡¯t understand.


    Indeed, his hypothesis was right. The Orb Made from Galgunos¡¯ Bones found in Talima proved this. The orb¡¯s whispers resembled Death Knight Madra¡¯s screaming.


    ¡®Sticks said he would study the orb to learn thenguage of the dead...¡¯


    It was true that it was stagnant. Sticks¡¯ research had been fruitless for several months. He had no idea at all about when Madra¡¯s diary would be interpreted. The Behen Archipgo Record he acquired now was enough to give Grid new hope.


    ¡°M-Must you see this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Leraje blushed with shame and showed reluctance, but she didn¡¯t have the right to veto it. She failed to stop Grid from opening the diary that contained her shorings.


    ¡º The demonic energy of the hell night was removed and day came. The sky brightened and the hell moon dimmed. I was unfamiliar with thendscape of hell that had changed to be like the demon world and Marbas talked about the influence of divinity. Thus, I found out that a god visited hell. ¡»


    A god visited hell. It was Hexetia in the days when he was jealous of humans. The myth that Grid knew was described from the perspective of a third party. The moment the first sentence of the Behen Archipgo Record was disyed, Grid¡¯s view gradually darkened.


    He experienced what Leraje did.


    ***


    ¡°Invade the human world?¡±


    Leraje frowned as she opened the official document that came from the First Hell.


    ¡°Is it necessary to send me to a ce infested only with weak humans?¡±


    The value of struggle shone only when fighting and winning against a strong enemy. Leraje had no reason or interest in harassing the weak, so from Leraje¡¯s perspective, the human world wasn¡¯t a very attractive stage.


    ¡°Huhu, if you don¡¯t want to be a toy, then don¡¯t show your feelings against Baal.¡±


    Marbas immediately restored the official document burned by Leraje and persuaded her.


    ¡°Baal has appointed you, so you should go even if you don¡¯t want to. Additionally, the human world isn¡¯t as weak as you think. The reason why the human world is between hell and heaven is because it is qualified.¡±


    ¡°It is qualified? I wonder if that is really the right expression? If the gods don¡¯t protect the human world in order to umte divinity, human beings would have perished immediately.¡±


    ¡°You can still say that after hearing that Hell Gao was defeated by humans and lost his body?¡±


    ¡°Hell Gao must be immersed in hellfire to show his strength. It isn¡¯t a big deal to defeat someone who is seriously restricted in the human world.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm... You weren¡¯t part of the ¡®old human world,¡¯ so you couldn¡¯t feel the notoriety of the seven malignant saints.¡±


    ¡°The seven malignant saints? Aren¡¯t they beyond humans due to the power they received from the gods? No god has given power to humans since then.¡±


    ¡°Without divine favor, humans can train and transcend. Or they can build achievements and be legends. Transcendence and legends are the springboards to myths. A representative figure is the Sword Saint who took down Hell Gao...¡±


    ¡°Old man, that¡¯s enough. The task will bepleted even if I don¡¯t work hard. So don¡¯t install vain expectations in me.¡±


    Leraje was skeptical no matter how she thought about it. The human world...


    Old man Marbas kept saying it would be fun, but it would be a journey without any rewards. There was no anticipation or interest. Nevertheless, Leraje crossed the dimensional portal and headed for the human world with the other demons. Baal wished for it and she had to be obedient. For now, the only way to avoid Baal¡¯s attention was to be a ¡®boring chess piece.¡¯


    ¡®There are still many steps to take until I can confront Baal.¡¯


    The power of the struggle became stronger the more valuable a victory. She had the outstanding potential to meet Marbas¡¯ expectations. Leraje felt her soul burning the moment she crossed the portal to the human world. It was worn down and torn. The side of her soul was obviously smaller. All her stats, including strength, declined.


    ¡°...Hrmm.¡±


    Leraje had a headache from the air of the human world that was too clear and refreshing. She coughed and surveyed the 66 small inds. She had weakened, but she still had no expectations. She thought that anything that existed in the Behen Archipgo wouldn¡¯t be her match as long as it was human or made by humans. The only thing that could be achieved here was a cheap victory. She wouldn¡¯t be able to grow even if she won dozens or hundreds of times. It was a waste of time.


    ...This was a mistake.


    ¡°It is so annoying.¡±


    Leraje felt ridicule when she broke through the first ind filled with arge number of monsters. However, she was embarrassed from the second ind. There were boxes that were tightly locked. There was the rule of the ¡®boxes can¡¯t be smashed¡¯ and at least two of them had to be opened within three days to enter the next ind. It was just a headache to find the right key for the boxes. In the end...


    ¡°Uhh... I want to go home.¡±


    Leraje was eliminated five times from the second ind. After the sixth challenge, she could barely enter the third ind. She heard the ¡®hungry¡¯ signal from her stomach and started to write her diary in an even more depressed manner.


    ¡º Humans devised and installed magic to protect the inds but it is very clumsy. As the trapped demons were confused, I, Supreme King Leraje openly crossed the archipgo. The demons looked up while cheering and the humans felt fear. The arrogant gods in Heaven who couldn¡¯t sit by and ignore my existence were also shocked. ¡¹


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    The first chapter of the record ended and Grid¡¯s first experience of the past was also over. He took his gaze away from the book for a moment and nced at Leraje.


    ¡°Huung~ huung~¡±


    Leraje hummed like it was awkward and hurriedly made irrelevant remarks. She stroked the back of the hell steed with blue mes flying like a mane for no reason. Once she was kicked by its hind legs, she stopped humming and crouched down in the corner.


    ¡°...It is the original that hasn¡¯t been edited yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems so.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make an edited version soon, so give me back the original.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    How much distortion did she want to add? The entire record of her meeting with the Undefeated King might be deleted. Then the meaning of gaining the book would disappear.


    ¡°Would you like to pick the next treasure?¡±


    The persuasion wouldn¡¯t work so Leraje gave up. She sat looking at the wall and changed the topic.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Reading the diary in front of the owner was quite rude...


    The Behen Archipgo Record was ced in the inventory. Grid was anxious that he might not get the remainingpensation if he refused this request and made Leraje angry. This treasure warehouse was owned by Leraje. She had the authority to issue an eviction order at any time and he couldn¡¯t provoke her more than necessary.


    ¡°Do you have anything to rmend?¡±


    The greatest presence in the treasure warehouse was the fire maned horse, but Grid didn¡¯t have much interest in it. It was because Grid already had Overgeared Corn. Overgeared Corn¡¯s rough personality was already hard to bear. Nothing good woulde of picking the violent horse who even kicked a great demon. He didn¡¯t covet the bloodstone either. Bloodstone was definitely a great mineral, but there was no reason to feel greedy for it as long as he had Greed.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t unique like the moon night iron. It ispatible with demonic energy, but it is unnecessary.¡¯


    There were many ways to make good use of it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to choose as a reward from Leraje.


    ¡®Zepar¡¯s magic sword is also a pass.¡¯


    Zepar wasn¡¯t a demon, but a demonkin. He was a low-ranked demon king who rose to 13th ce in hell. His current ranking had fallen quite a bit. Even so, it was clear that he had a good position in hell. However, Grid had Iyarugt who fought with Zepar. He was currently loaned to Peak Sword, but in any case, Grid didn¡¯t need to covet Zepar¡¯s magic sword when he had the one with Iyarugt¡¯s sealed soul.


    ¡®...It is funny to see it now.¡¯


    Grid was looking around the treasure warehouse and wondering what reward would be good when he suddenly smiled. He couldn¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t covet anything from the treasure warehouse of the 10th great demon. He wondered if he had so many things.


    ¡®I might have to build my own treasure warehouse soon.


    If he owned so many treasures that it exceeded his inventory and warehouse allowances, he might need to build a separate building. Grid thought about it and realized how rich he had be. He remembered the days when he was poor and deeply felt it.


    ¡°W-What?! Why are you smiling?!¡± Leraje shouted as Grid was looking at the treasure warehouse. She thought that Grid wasughing at her due to the contents of the diary he read a little while ago.


    At this point, it was pitiful.


    Grid spoke to her as she pulled down the wide brim of her hat and tried to hide her red face, ¡°I just smiled because I had another thought. Did you think I was smiling because of you? I¡¯m not a person who can¡¯t understand the subject enough tough at someone stronger than me.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t talking with any special intentions. Grid was just annoyed with Leraje who kept screeching next to him. He honestly conveyed his position so she would stop shouting. The frankness captured Leraje¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Hum hum, I am indeed much stronger than you~ really~ stronger. I like the way you honestly admit it and your cool tone.¡±


    [Affinity with 10th Great Demon Leraje has risen by 1.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    A great demon was absolutely evil. They were the unconditional enemy of humanity. He couldn¡¯t get close to them even if the sky was split in two. He believed this through his many experiences. So why did affinity rise?


    ¡°You... are you really a great demon?¡±


    ¡°What is your intention behind this question? You are taking too much time to pick. You don¡¯t seem to have a discerning eye for treasure. I will help you. Then what about this? This shield was obtained 159 years ago in a one against one million war...¡±


    ¡°It is garbage.¡±


    This was a great demon, right? Grid stared with dull eyes and Leraje coughed and avoided his gaze.

 Chapter 1384

    The magic chandelier in Leraje¡¯s treasure warehouse shone softly. This ce was quiterge because it amodated the loot that Leraje earned every time she fought and won. It was just like arge museum. Even so, Grid¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t stop at all. He nced at the hundreds of treasures that filled the ce and passed by without any regret. His attitude was like seeing stones.


    ¡®Kalbaba said that these are all rare treasures... he really has poor vision.¡¯


    It resembles me.


    Indeed, the strong seemed to have a connection. Leraje was chasing after Grid and feeling proud for some reason when she suddenly stiffened. She was reminded of the only time when Grid stopped. The Behen Archipgo Record. That guy stopped walking just once to pick her diary.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that he is interested in me?¡¯


    This was the only way she could understand why he coveted her diary over numerous treasures.


    ¡®Why is he interested in me...? Ohu, it is natural to be interested due to the yearning heart.¡¯


    Grid just wanted to see the entries about the Undefeated King. However, it was natural to misunderstand from Leraje¡¯s position. It happened when she arbitrarily came to this conclusion...


    ¡°This...¡±


    Grid finally stopped walking. Out of the hundreds of treasures, the item that finally caught his attention was ced in the most secluded corner. It was neglected instead of exhibited. In the depths of the corner, the identity of the item covered in dust was nothing but a piece of cloth.


    It was a faded, old cloth. It was so wrinkled that it was no different from a rag at first nce. It felt like the caretaker of the warehouse used it to clean the shelves and threw it in a corner. However, Grid¡¯s discerning eye recognized that this cloth was special.


    [Cloth Left Behind by One Who Departed]


    [Rating: ???


    A cloth left behind by someone unknown when they left hell.


    Weight: 10]


    ¡°T-That is a rag,¡± Leraje responded immediately. She called it a rag like it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but her floundering limbs and wide eyes showed a different story.


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    [You have failed to observe the targeted item.]


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Grid felt sharp pain from his eyes and stepped back. His eyes were bloodshot. This was the second time that he failed to appraise something and felt pain from the bacsh. It was proof that this cloth was special.


    ¡®Open Potential.¡¯


    [Please specify the skill to increase the rating.]


    ¡®Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal.¡¯


    [The potential of Legendary cksmith¡¯s Appraisal has been opened and the skill ¡®cksmith¡¯s Appraisal Comparable to a God¡¯ has been activated.]


    cksmith¡¯s Appraisal Comparable to a God was undoubtedly an appraisal skill with the best function in the worldview. Yet the first time he used this skill, Grid tasted failure. It was because the target of the appraisal was the martial god¡¯s secret technique.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t appraise the secret technique because it is taboo to touch the one god.¡¯


    There wouldn¡¯t be a second failure. No matter the owner of this piece of cloth and how great they were, they couldn¡¯t beparable to Chiyou. As if in response to Grid¡¯s conviction¡ª


    [You have seeded in the appraisal.]


    The detailed information of Cloth Left Behind by One Who Departed was updated and appeared in Grid¡¯s piece of view.


    [Beriache¡¯s Underclothing]


    [Rating: Legend (transcendent)


    Durability: 117/519 Defense: 450


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Imprable Skin¡¯ is activated.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Worn but Not Worn¡¯ is activated.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®???¡¯ will be unlocked when certain conditions are met.


    The underclothing worn by the vampire progenitor Beriache, during her days as a great demon.


    A garment made by Beriache weaving her magic power like it is thread. It isfortable to wear since it changes ording to the user¡¯s body shape.


    Conditions of Use: Beriache, Beriache¡¯s blood, a great demon with a ranking of 3rd or higher.


    Weight: 10]


    ¡°...Crazy.¡± A sound of admiration burst out of Grid¡¯s mouth. Beriache¡¯s Underclothing was ssified as ¡®underwear.¡¯ This meant it could be worn with armor, but its defense was abnormally high. Additionally...


    [Imprable Skin Lv. 1]


    [Passive


    Immune to damage below a certain level.


    * Damage over a certain level is reduced by 10%.]


    [Worn but Not Worn]


    [Passive


    The body bes as light as a feather.


    You can move more lightly.]


    There were two passive skills attached to it.


    ¡®Imprable Skin... I admired it when I saw Kraugel using it.¡¯


    Imprable Skin was a high-ss passive skill. However, the description for Worn but Not Worn was vague. How much did it increase agility?It wasn¡¯t clearly stated how fast it would be. It just described it as ¡®lighter,¡¯ so it was difficult to know the correct effect unless he experienced it himself.


    ¡®Plus, the other skill could be poisonous.¡¯


    It was just the defense and Imprable Skin already made it worth it.


    ¡°I want this as the second gift.¡±


    The progenitor Beriache¡ªshe was the 3rd great demon, but she was expelled from hell for doubting God Yatan. He wondered why the clothing of Braham¡¯s mother was in Leraje¡¯s treasure warehouse, but this wasn¡¯t very important. It was enough if Grid owned it.


    ¡®I want it.¡¯


    It was natural to wear it directly. He also wanted to improve his understanding of it to help increase his underwear making skills. If he could make better inner clothing, then he would naturally speed up the proficiency of his tailoring skill.


    ¡°...You are a pervert.¡±


    Leraje sent a disgusted look at Grid who showed his tant desire. To anyone who saw it, it would look like Grid was coveting women¡¯s underwear.Grid didn¡¯t care. The other person was a great demon. Affinity might¡¯ve increased, but it was only by one.


    It wasn¡¯t a good rtionship. In the first ce, it couldn¡¯t be good. She was born a great demon and there was a high probability she would be an enemy when they met again. Thus, there was no need to resolve the problem of being misunderstood as a pervert.


    ¡°I will use it well.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Leraje grabbed at Grid who was reaching for Beriache¡¯s Underclothing. ¡°This clothing... it is the relic of my idol. It is a precious thing. I wish you would choose something else.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s been left too roughly for something that is cherished.¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. All the rulers of hell must regrly present treasures to a ruler higher than themselves. You might not believe it but there are rulers above me. If this cloth is conspicuous, they might want to take it away. I was forced to disguise it as a rag.¡±


    Leraje, the bluffer who imed to be the greatest ruler of hell, actually confessed honestly. It seemed Beriache¡¯s Underclothing was a very precious thing to her. Of course, this wasn¡¯t something for Grid to care about. As mentioned earlier, she was likely to be Grid¡¯s enemy.


    Ignore her, get the treasure, and leave.


    Nevertheless, Grid took his hand off Beriache¡¯s Underclothing. ¡°What is your rtionship with Beriache?¡±


    Expanding on the story meant finding out more information. More information could help him. Perhaps Leraje¡¯s story would have greater value than this legendary transcendent item.


    ¡°My specialty is struggle and victory, but I¡¯m also in control of love.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± A great demon was talking about love.


    Leraje blushed and lowered her head when she saw Grid¡¯s reaction. ¡°Don¡¯tugh. I also know that I am different from other demons. Therefore, I was always confused.¡±


    She instinctively yearned for love. She felt a desire to fulfill the love of others. It was a hard desire to fulfill. The demons of hell had no interest in love. Leraje never discussed love in front of anyone and was always lonely. ¡°I wasn¡¯t understood by anyone and didn¡¯t fit it. Beriache was the only one who understood me. She didn¡¯tugh at my desires, but cheered me on. Thanks to her, I gained the courage to fight, win, and rise to where I am today.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid recalled how much Braham and the other direct descendant vampires loved and admired the progenitor Beriache. If Beriache was absolutely evil like the other great demons, could she have taught her children love? Would she had criticized Braham for harming his kin? Could her fourth child, Noll, be able to inherit the trait of ¡®kindness¡¯ from her? In retrospect, Berriache was fundamentally different from normal demons. This was why she doubted and denounced Yatan, only to be expelled from hell and inflicted with the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡®Beriache must¡¯ve been treated as a mutation by the demons.¡¯


    The demon who understood and was able to empathize with her was Leraje, who now stood in front of Grid...


    Grid¡¯s vignce faded when he realized this. He listened seriously rather than unconditionally doubting Leraje.


    ¡°She told me this before she left. In order to change this hell which is ruined by evil and killing intent, she will surelye back. If... if she really can¡¯te back, then she will send someone who is better than her.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Beriache dreamed of transformation as well as revenge. Grid hadn¡¯t met her in person and would never meet her, but he didn¡¯t think her goal of changing hell was ridiculous. Marie Rose and Braham¡ªher children (other selves) were proving it. She deserved a transformation.


    ¡°This clothing is a token of my reunion with her or a gift to her other selves. I can¡¯t give it to you. I¡¯m sorry for not keeping my promise to give you any treasure. Please understand.¡±


    Her words were understandable. Leraje confessed everything and bowed her head while believing that Grid would give in. Yet contrary to her expectations, Grid held Beriache¡¯s Underclothing tightly in his hand.


    ¡°...I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    Grid spoke to the frowning Leraje, ¡°There is no need to be disappointed. It is right for me to take this clothing.¡±


    Grid asserted. It was absurd nonsense from Leraje¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°You have the right? Do you want to im that you are her other selves? You... do you take me as a fool?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it. It is just that Beriache¡¯s other selves are by my side.¡±


    Grid touched Elfin Stone¡¯s Ring. A bloody storm started blowing. It was blood energy. The energy that Leraje had always missed dominated the area and Elfin Stone appeared.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Leraje was surprised by Elfin Stone¡¯s red-brown eyes. Then she nced at Grid with amazement. Grid was taking off his armor and putting on Beriache¡¯s Underclothing.


    Just then¡ª


    [Beriache¡¯s Underclothing has detected the blood of the Blood King.]


    [The hidden skill ¡®Blood Master Lv. 1¡¯ is activated.]


    The hidden function of Beriache¡¯s Underclothing was revealed. If one day he could make underwear exactly the same as this, he would greatly increase the fighting power of all direct descendant vampires, including Braham and Noll. Grid was convinced of this. Leraje stared at him nkly before smiling. ¡°I see. You approached me on purpose.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Did he approach her?


    This time, a notification window that his affinity with Leraje had increased by 20 appeared. At this point, Grid was worried.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it too much of a hodgepodge?¡¯


    It wasmon sense to get acquainted with different races such as the water n, vampires, orcs, elves, etc, but now it was a great demon after establishing a friendship with an archangel...


    He wondered if this was really okay. He was very worried that he might be known as an opportunist.

 Chapter 1385

    Underwear that changed to fit the body¡ªBeriache¡¯s Underclothing became full-body tights that revealed Grid¡¯s muscr body.


    ¡®It isfortable to wear.¡¯


    A notification window emerged in Grid¡¯s vision as he recalled Elfin Stone with aplicated expression.


    [The effect of ¡¯Worn but Not Worn¡¯ has urred.]


    [The weight of the armor you are wearing is halved and speed rted penalties caused by weight are suppressed.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened with surprise.


    ¡®This... maybe this is a better skill than Imprable Skin.¡¯


    Weight was proportional to the content of the materials. Heavy armor was naturally stronger and had more defense than light armor. The reason why people were obsessed with light armor was the penalties caused by weight. The heavier the armor, the slower the speed and the more limited the movement. Thus, defense had to bepromised to some extent.


    However, the effect of Worn but Not Worn eliminated the need for thispromise.


    ¡®By my standards, it is possible to increase defense by over 30%.¡¯


    If he added the effect of Imprable Skin to it, he would be able to withstand the lightning that Mir shot.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this really huge?¡¯


    His shoulders naturally moved up and down. Grid was feeling joy when he suddenly had a question.


    ¡®Was it really okay to use Mir as the standard? Are single digit great demons stronger than Mir?¡¯


    First of all, a great demon had overwhelmingly high health. The weaknesses of human-type NPCs had always been their health and defense. Still, Mir¡¯s overallbat power should be above a single digit great demon. Mir was the intermediate boss of the East Continent. Apart from Baal, who could be called the intermediate boss of hell, he didn¡¯t think the single digit great demons could be Mir¡¯s opponent.


    Now he wasn¡¯t so sure. Leraje was only 10th ranked and she could endure the damage of the five fusion sword dances with her bare body. Of course, her ability to reduce physical attacks meant she might be able to exert a higher defense at times than single digit great demons, but even without this, Leraje¡¯sbat power far exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations. First of all, she had the unusual visual acuity to read all of the five fusion dances.


    ¡°Leraje, you said that there are several rulers above you?¡±


    "Yes, it is unbelievable, but it is true.


    ¡°Are they much stronger than you?¡±


    If the answer ¡®yes¡¯ was received then it would be quite troublesome. To be honest, his motivation would probably be somewhat dampened. Leraje gave an unexpected answer to the concerned Grid.


    ¡°It depends onpatibility. Among the rulers with a higher rank than me, number 5 and 6 don¡¯t specialize in magic so I can fight and win. However, the other rules are hard for me to beat now... Ah!¡±


    Leraje was talking only to shut her mouth in surprise. She nced left and right for a long time before trying hard to look calm.


    ¡°My weakness isn¡¯t magic. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°I know?¡±


    ¡°Shit! It is ruined! Ruined!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why was a braggart unable to lie? Based on the way that she was hitting the ground resentfully, she couldn¡¯t hide the fact that she confessed her weakness.


    ¡®In the first ce, it is an obvious weakness.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t help clicking his tongue at the naive Leraje.


    ¡°If only I had beat you today! I would¡¯ve fixed my record of a draw with the Undefeated King to a victory and I would¡¯ve challenged 8th ce!¡±


    ¡®Hmm... She is the great demon of struggle.¡¯


    She had the characteristic of bing stronger the more she fought and won. It would be one of the strongest characteristics if supported by talent and hard work.


    ¡®This is why Beriache had expectations of Leraje and showed kindness to her.¡¯


    In the Behen Archipgo Record, Leraje was nning to go against Baal. Perhaps the reason why she followed Baal¡¯s orders until she had the strength to fight Baal was also for Beriache?


    ¡®If so, she might be a great ally...¡¯


    Aside from the fact that Grid built up affinity with Leraje, her attitude when facing Elfin Stone was very favorable. If she met and cooperated with Braham in the future, just imagining it...


    ¡®...No, I can¡¯t imagine a scene of the two of them cooperating?¡¯


    Why could he only imagine Braham harassing Leraje? Grid was frowning when the ceiling started shaking. Due to the structure of the castle, Leraje¡¯s great hall was above the treasure warehouse. It seemed that something huge had fallen.


    ¡°They have no manners.¡±


    Leraje¡¯s eyes which had been gloomy since her weakness was revealed sharply narrowed. She pushed Grid behind her and emerged from the treasure warehouse, running straight to the great hall. Grid followed her. As he got closer to the great hall, he sensed a terrible smell and heat. Finally, he heard the breathing of a wild beast.


    ¡°You, Krucha!¡±


    Leraje seemed to know the intruder¡¯s identity. The moment she entered the great hall, the demon with the title of ¡®Deputy Commander of the 8th Hell¡¯ startedughing bizarrely. He was someone with a very heavily bent back. His jaw was about to hit the ground. Nevertheless, he was over 3 meters tall and had rugged muscles. His shoulders were rtively narrowpared with his back and his head was a dog¡¯s head. The thing that stood out was the mes overflowing from tworge fists. They were familiar mes.


    ¡®Hell fire.¡¯


    Hell Gao was wearing it...


    ¡°Krucha was originally the leader of the 9th Hell Army. Once Hell Gao lost his body, he abandoned the 9th Hell and came to the 8th Hell where he became Barbatos¡¯ subordinate.


    It was Yura¡¯s exnation. She had been waiting for Grid outside the castle and ran inside when she heard the turmoil.


    ¡°Barbatos is the 8th ranked great demon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is a sniper. I don¡¯t know when and where he will snipe from so you have to be especially careful when fighting with Barbatos¡¯ subordinates.¡±


    As Yura progressed through her ss quests, she had been reading the records of the former Demon yer, Alex. Barbatos was an exceptionally difficult opponent among the great demons because he could snipe from dozens of kilometers away. The assassination ability of the great demon who grasped the location of the target and urately sniped them was the strongest among the great demons.


    ¡°Grrr... Kukuk, kukungkungkung!¡±


    Krucha stared at the whispering Grid and Yura beforeughing wildly.


    ¡°Leraje! Grrrrung, keok! Seeing the Demon yer here, I guess the rumor that you lowered your tail to the Demon yer is true, bark bark! I see! Bark! Grrrr!¡±


    ¡°Uncivilized son of a bitch. You need to keep your snout closed. Every time you open your snout, you give off a bad smell and it brings trouble to the people around you.¡±


    The reason Leraje invited Grid here was to hold a festival for herself. As a result, it became a nightmare instead of a festival. Even so, she still treated Grid with a smile. Now her gaze toward Krucha was filled with contempt and disgust. The overbearing pressure and killing intent that suited her status as a great demon finally appeared on her face.


    ¡°Grrrr!!¡±


    Krucha¡¯s dog face crumpled. He alternated looking between Leraje and Yura and the saliva dripping from his tongue flew in all directions.


    ¡°Yip yip! Leraje, kill the Demon yer right away.¡±


    ¡°A son of a bitch is barking. How dare youmand me?¡±


    ¡°Grrrung! This is Barbatos¡¯ order! If you don¡¯t kill the Demon yer right now, it shows that you are working with the Demon yer! Yip!¡±


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Yura was in danger. The two of them had no chance of victory against Leraje. It happened the moment Grid judged this and sent an eye signal to Yura to run away...


    ¡°Barbatos¡¯ intelligence must be reduced to the level of a dog from staying with you. Now that the 9th ce is vacant, my next highest ranking opponent is Barbatos. What rights do you have tomand me when you are the subject of apetitor, not a superior?¡±


    ¡°Competitor? Kukuk, bark! You are Barbatos¡¯petitor? Ku bark bark! A loach who can¡¯t even handle the heat of my mes?¡±


    The mes around Krucha¡¯s hands grew bigger and ran wild. The soaring mes quickly heated up the great hall.


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Grid was used to the heat, but it was different for Yura. Grid reflexively took a step back to cover her with the heat instion cloak while ncing at Leraje¡¯s condition. Leraje¡¯s smooth skin was cracking. Her mucus was rapidly drying due to the heat.


    ¡®Her power is sealed.¡¯


    Leraje¡¯s greatest strength that Grid had experienced was her mucus. The mucus had the power to decrease physical attacks and corrode objects. If it was lost then it was safe to say that Leraje¡¯sbat power was halved.


    It was as he expected. Krucha¡¯s furious onught increased the number of wounds on Leraje¡¯s dry body. At first nce, he seemed to be randomly swinging the fire ws, but it actually contained the wild senses. He instinctively saw the opponent¡¯s weaknesses and targeted them.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯


    Kalbaba, the deputymander of the 10th Hell, was skilled enough to beparable to the great demons who came to the human world. Now Krucha, the deputymander of the 8th Hell, was one step above Kalbaba and this made Grid tense. His speed, destructiveness, and above all, hisbat senses, were all excellent. He effectively used all types of things to pressure the other person instead of just relying on physical ability.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be too hard for Leraje when pushed against a monster like that?


    Grid¡¯s thoughts matched Kalbaba¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Leraje!¡± Kalbaba had been watching the situation for a while, but couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and intervened. He helped Leraje who became helpless in front of the high heat and aimed a spear at Krucha.


    ¡°Grrrung!¡±


    Krucha avoided the spear by bending his waist 90 degrees and grabbed the spear by reaching back. He twisted his waist and threw it back at Kalbaba.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Kalbaba stopped the returned spear with a shield and was pushed back 10 steps. Krucha became proud. ¡°Will I be the master of the 10th Hell if I kill you here?¡±


    It was a remark that crossed the line. The atmosphere became worse and Grid and Yura were even more flustered. The situation was awkward because they were in a position to be threatened and hunted by the demons here, but the demons were fighting among themselves.


    ¡®Either way, this is a good opportunity.¡¯


    It was a chance to urately gauge the demons¡¯ skills. Grid and Yura focused on the battle, but their focus soon broke. It was due to the intervention of another being.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    ¡°?¡±


    There were no existences threatening Grid. Leraje and Krucha were busy fighting each other.


    Then what was this warning?


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened and he hurriedly jumped. At the same time, a dark hand stretched out from the ground where Grid had just been standing. It missed Grid, who was its original target, and just grabbed empty air.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    It was a hand that exuded a creepy and ominous energy. The tip of the cloak was burned just by being near the ck hand.


    Yura eximed, ¡°It is Barbatos¡¯ sniping!¡±


    Subsequently, four more ck hands appeared from the front, back, left, and right of Grid, who was floating in the air. If Grid hadn¡¯t used Shunpo immediately after seeing the warning window that appeared again, he would¡¯ve been caught and melted down. Grid was feeling tense when he received a forced quest.


    [The quest ¡®Barbatos¡¯ Sniping¡¯ has begun.]


    [Barbatos¡¯ Sniping]


    Difficulty: SSS


    [The 8th Great Demon, Barbatos, has targeted you.


    Barbatos¡¯ sniping won¡¯t stop as long as Krucha is alive.


    Defeat Krucha to survive.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Krucha¡¯s death.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Barbatos¡¯ Vision (5)


    Quest Failure: Level -5.]


    ¡®Vision?¡¯


    It was a type of reward he was seeing for the first time, but it wasn¡¯t hard to understand the reward.


    ¡®Can I see from a long distance like Barbatos?¡¯


    Grid gulped. It was because if he could see from a distance and take advantage of it, the utilization of the rain of battle gear would rise dramatically.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter where I am.¡¯


    As long as he could see it, he could release a rain of battle gear without being there directly. It was like a heavenly god pouring rain down on earth.


    ¡®I must be sure to clear this quest.¡¯


    Grid drew a brilliant future and his motivation rose.

 Chapter 1386

    There were games where field of view wasn¡¯t important, but it was particrly emphasized in Satisfy. It was because some wide-area skills worked using ¡®range of vision.¡¯ The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was a prime example. Long-ranged skills that attacked by ¡®specifying a target¡¯ like Request to Stand With Me¡¯s battle gear rain were alsorger and the utilization increased when there was a longer field of view. If Grid had a third vision then his power would work even in ces where he wasn¡¯t present.


    ¡°Kuek!¡±


    Back and forth, left and right, up and down.


    No matter where he went, a ck hand would rise from a dimensional gate without warning and persistently aim at Grid. This form of sniping that he had never experienced before consumed his mental power and physical strength.


    ¡®Damn, what is this bullshit skill?¡¯


    A sniper where he couldn¡¯t determine the sniping point... wasn¡¯t it telling him to just open his eyes and be attacked? It was natural for a person in his position to swear. Grid was running and cursing when he suddenly questioned it. ¡®Why is he targeting me?¡¯


    Barbatos¡¯ subordinate, Krucha, was fighting with Leraje. Additionally, the reason Krucha was fighting Leraje was due to Demon yer Yura. Barbatos¡¯ sniping priority should be Leraje or Yura. So why was he aiming for Grid?


    ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that he isn¡¯t targeting Yura, but I don¡¯t understand it.¡¯


    The ideal situation was for the sniping target to be Leraje. She was slowly regaining the dominant position in the fight despite previously being pushed back by Krucha. She seemed able to deal with Krucha and Barbatos¡¯ sniping at the same time.


    ¡®The aggro should be on Leraje so I can easily kill Krucha... Ah, that¡¯s why he is targeting me.¡¯


    It was clear. Barbatos knew that sniping Leraje wasn¡¯t efficient. Rather than ignoring the opponent two ranks lower than him, he was wary. He suppressed a demon¡¯s aggressiveness.


    ¡®Leraje seems to be special. The reason for not targeting Yura is because he has determined that Yura¡¯s fighting power isn¡¯t threatening to Krucha.¡¯


    Named bosses with intelligence would identify the yer¡¯sbat power and decide the hunting order. There were bosses who set the strongest yer as top priority. For example, Elfin Stone appeared every 24 hours and kept using Extreme Blood Transfusion on Grid. On the other hand, there were bosses who set the weakest yers as top priority. Barbatos seemed to belong to the former.


    ¡°Hell Leap.¡±


    As Grid analyzed the situation, Yura opened a small portal connecting hell and the human world. Originally, this was a Demon yer ¡®movement¡¯ technique, but Yura knew how to apply it differently. She ovepped the portals in front of the gate where Barbatos¡¯ sniping urred and distorted his aim in apletely different direction. The ck hand reaching out to Grid was sucked into the portal opened by Yura and then appeared in a remote ce.


    ¡®This is dangerous...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart sank despite receiving help. He thought that Yura¡¯s performance would cause Barbatos¡¯ aggro to shift. It was as he expected. Barbatos¡¯ sniping started targeting Yura, not Grid. The evaluation that Grid had a higher risk than Yura seemed to have changed.


    ¡°Avoid it!¡± Grid¡¯s transcendent senses noticed the gate forming behind Yura¡¯s back and he screamed urgently. Yura didn¡¯t notice it until the moment the gate was opened behind her. A ck hand emerged from the gate and grabbed at Yura¡¯s body violently.


    ¡°Yura!¡± Grid¡¯s expression distorted. However¡ª


    She was fine. Yura¡¯s expression was calm as she was held by the ck hand. The jade magic power flowing over the surface of her silver armor emitted a strong light.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The ck hands contained terrifying demonic energy. Grid¡¯s cloak had just been slightly touched by the hand, but it was eroded by demonic energy, reducing its durability and deteriorating its function. Yet the demonic energy scattered in front of this jade magic power. It was suppression, not purification. The Demon yer¡¯s magic power suppressed the demonic energy in a waypletely different from divine power. The sight of her intact appearance without any wounds flustered Grid.


    Yura brushed off the remnants of demonic energy and exined, ¡°As I said earlier, Barbatos was a tricky opponent for Alex. Thus, Alex researched and evolved.¡±


    These evolved abilities were passed down to the current Demon yer. Demons who fought Alex and lost once would be pushed in a battle against Yura, even if they were great demons. It was just like how Barbatos¡¯ sniping couldn¡¯t hurt Yura¡¯s body right now.


    ¡°Ohh!!¡± The true value of the Demon yer that was often revealed made Grid feel admiration. The fact that Yura was unharmed and had enough potential to solve the difficulties in the future made Grid¡¯s face shine brilliantly. Of course, the bright expression was soon erased. It was because Barbatos¡¯ sniping once again aimed at Grid. Grid avoided three sniping attacks using his transcendent senses and looked up.


    ¡®He is a really dirty and annoying guy.¡¯


    Grid was being attacked one-sidedly by an enemy whose location was unknown and his physical strength was continuously being consumed. This was the worst. Unless there was a limit to the number of times Barbatos could attack, he would eventually be exhausted first.


    The most hopeful thing was that Barbatos¡¯ sniping cooldown time had been identified. It was two seconds for a single shot, five seconds for two consecutive shots, and nine seconds for three consecutive shots. He didn¡¯t know about after this since he hadn¡¯t experienced it, but it was likely the cooldown time would be twice as much.


    Every time he dodged the attack, he was exposed to remnants of demonic energy. Grid drank a potion to heal his consumed health and shifted his gaze to Leraje. Her small feet were just trampling on Krucha¡¯s face. The reason she wore such high heels didn¡¯t seem to be due to aplex about her height. It was to use them as a weapon.


    Krucha was stabbed by the sharp heel and screamed. There was a hole in his forehead and blood flowed out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re using a dirty trick based on gender! It is despicable! You deserve to be called the role model of all demonkin! Grrrr!!¡±


    ¡°I still have a long way to go from your master, who hides and shoots like a coward.¡±


    ¡°Yip yip! That¡¯s right! You still have a long way to gopared to Barbatos!¡±


    Were they insulting or praising each other? It was difficult to interpret even though he spoke the samenguage.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was clicking his tongue with amazement, only to be startled. It was because he made eye contact with Krucha.


    ¡®Dammit, this son of a bitch dog.¡¯


    Barbatos used his subordinate¡¯s vision to locate and snipe the prey. The most important thing to avoid Barbatos¡¯ sniping was to not be seen by Krucha. Grid took advantage of the temporary gap in Barbatos¡¯ sniping to hide, but he was found too quickly by Krucha.


    ¡¯I wanted to catch my breath for a second.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s gaze turned to the entrance of the great hall and he changed his position using Shunpo. At the same time, a ck hand appeared where Grid had been hiding just a moment ago. Grid sighed with relief after passing another crisis while Leraje and Krucha once again engaged in a fierce battle. Every time their fists or kicks cut through their air, there was a sharp explosion and the shockwave generated shook the great hall.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    The reason why Leraje wasn¡¯t pushed in this fight, despite having her mucus dried by fire and losing some power, was due to her excellentbat skills. She was like a martial artist who had trained all her life and knew how to use her body as the most ideal weapon. Her obsession with victory must¡¯ve constantly honed her.


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t this angle good?¡¯


    Was it because he was too absorbed in the battle with Leraje? Perhaps it was in preparation to block Kalbaba¡¯s surprise attack, but Krucha suddenly revealed a gap. He was very puzzled when he couldn¡¯t find the hiding Grid. Grid was behind him in his blind spot. It was such a big gap that Grid was convinced that if he did a sword dance and approached using Shunpo on the final step, he would be able to deal a serious injury.


    ¡®Now is the best time for a surprise attack.¡¯


    In the end, Grid couldn¡¯t withstand the temptation and took a step forward. Then Barbatos¡¯ attack flew toward him, as if it had been waiting. Once again, transcendence was triggered, but Grid failed to avoid it. It was a sniping shot that predicted where Grid would step, so it was physically impossible to immediately react and dodge. Grid¡¯s right foot was held by a ck hand and burned ck.


    [The +1 The Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots have been eroded by demonic energy.]


    [It is an item with infinite durability. It isn¡¯t damaged.]


    Fortunately, his boots were fine. It was a myth rated item made from Greed, so there was no decline in its function due to damage. Just¡ª


    [You have suffered 2,540 damage.]


    [Demonic energy is eroding your wound.]


    [You have received an internal injury. Some organs contaminated by demonic energy won¡¯t work properly. There is an additional 30,000 damage apanied by the ¡®poison,¡¯ ¡®bleeding,¡¯ ¡®can¡¯t take potions,¡¯ and ¡®confusion¡¯ abnormal statuses.]


    [You are immune to poison.]


    [Bleeding resistance has failed.]


    [Resistance to ¡®can¡¯t take potions¡¯ has failed.]


    [Confusion resistance has failed.]


    Just because the armor had infinite durability didn¡¯t mean it could absorb all of the impact that followed an attack. Grid¡¯s feet in the boots were damaged by demonic energy. The demonic energy prated deeply through the wound.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The physical condition of his ¡®five organs decaying¡¯ brought great pain and crisis to Grid. In particr, the ¡®confusion¡¯ state was a big problem. Confusion made controlling himself difficult. Grid¡¯s body staggered like a broken doll.


    ¡®Do I have to experience this every time I allow a hit?¡¯


    The 8th Great Demon, Barbatos. He was so great that he was likely to raise questions like ¡®perhaps he is a target that can¡¯t be attacked.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t it too much to win against a sniper who fired from an invisible ce and caused a fatal injury to the target? He once again thought about how great Yura was to be immune to such an attack. She was one of the few hopes that human beings could purify hell.


    ¡°Grrrr!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The eyes of the copsed Grid widened. It was because Krucha was looking this way. His nose sniffled loudly, as he seemed tough at Grid.


    ¡®That son of a bitch... he was determining my location with his sense of smell.¡¯


    This was why it was meaningless to avoid his gaze. No matter how hard he tried to hide, he would be detected by Krucha¡¯s sense of smell and be shot at by Barbatos. At least, this was the case if Grid was a normal yer.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡± Yura used Hell Leap and flew to Grid¡¯s side. Grid avoided hitting the ground with her help and his shaking hands struggled through the air.


    ¡°Calm down! First recover from the confusion!¡±


    Legends were immune to most abnormal status conditions. Additionally, Grid was the very first yer to be a legend. Therefore, status abnormalities, especially those affecting the mind, must be unfamiliar concepts to him. He wouldn¡¯t be able to adapt to the inability to control himself and blurred vision caused by confusion.


    Once again, Barbatos attacked.Yura held the still floundering Grid in her arms and was hit instead. The ck hands didn¡¯t hurt her. It didn¡¯t matter how strong the demonic energy exuded by the ck hand. It was all scattered by the jade magic power. However, the story changed when the ck hand turned into a sharp awl.


    A ck awl prated deep into Yura¡¯s side. This new form of sniping focused on physical attacks rather than demonic energy and it had the power to prate Yura¡¯s defense. Just as Alex evolved from his experience fighting Barbatos, Barbatos had evolved as well.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Blood flowed from Yura¡¯s mouth. Even so, she didn¡¯t let go of Grid. Rather, she hugged him tighter. The time remaining until Hell Leap was avable was only two seconds, but it felt like two hours.


    ¡®I have to protect him.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t always receive help. Moreover, this was hell. It was her domain. It was the ce where she should be active. She gritted her teeth as she turned her gun into a sword and used Hell Leap that just became avable. She threw Grid instead of herself into the dimensional portal.


    After that, she rushed at Krucha. She also figured out that killing Krucha was the only answer to stopping this one-sided sniping. However, Krucha wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. The reason he confronted Leraje was because he had the strength to be the master of the 10th Hell.


    He was afraid of Hell Gao, whom he wasn¡¯t sure when would return, so he didn¡¯t aim for the vacant seat of the 9th Hell. Still, he was confident that he could fight and win against the living Leraje. For such a monster, Yura¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t very threatening. Yura hadn¡¯t fully grown and the opponents she could challenge were demons in the hells in the 20s.


    ¡°Have youe to be killed by me? Grrrr!!¡±


    He blocked Yura¡¯s sword by swinging his ming fists and showed a sly smile. He reached out to hold Yura¡¯s small face. He was just about to raise the heat of the mes to burn Yura when it happened...


    p.


    A red cloak slowly fell from the air.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Krucha¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. The smell of hundreds of different types of blood paralyzed his sense of smell.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    His excellent sense of smell turned into poison. Due to the smell of hundreds of types of blood piercing his nose, Krucha was confused by the body odors of Leraje, Kalbaba, and even Yura right next to him. It was impossible for him to locate the position of the human who had disappeared somewhere.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    A dragon descended from the ceiling and pierced Krucha. Barbatos¡¯ sniping stopped for the first time.

 Chapter 1387

    <h4>Chapter 1387</h4>


    [Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave]


    [Five sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    It contains the momentum of a new god piercing the sky and descending like a dragon, subduing the heavens and earth.


    Specify a target in the field of view and charge at it. Deals 4,000% physical damage three times (up to five times) to the target and all enemies within the radius of 10 meters (up to 50 meters) around the target. Inflicts an additional 8,000% pration damage to the target.


    The target that is pierced will enter an ¡®unrecoverable¡¯ state. The pierced target and all enemies within range will be ¡®disarmed.¡¯ Additionally, there is a high probability that they will suffer from ¡®loss of bnce,¡¯ ¡®copse,¡¯ ¡®bleeding,¡¯ and ¡®despair.¡¯ Thispletely ignores any resistance to status conditions


    The power of this skill will increase when used at higher altitudes. The target¡¯s critical hit resistance is ignored and it will unconditionally be a critical hit. If the target¡¯s status is low, there is a very high probability of an instant kill.


    ¡ïThe effect of Braham¡¯s Fire, Enchant Weapon, Detect Force, and Shield are applied.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.


    Skill Resources Consumed: 900 sword energy. 5,000 mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes.]


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave was a one shot, one kill move. If he fell from above 20 meters, the maximum damage would exceed Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Unlike Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, which was based on thebination of Link and Kill, the damage of Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave wasn¡¯t dealt sequentially and there was no fear of it being blocked in the middle.


    Of course, Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle had the effect of ¡®weakening enemies in the area when it is used¡¯ but the utility of Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave wasn¡¯t inferior inparison. It was because the sword dance Dragon at the center of the fusion sword dance was a ¡®charge.¡¯ The sword dance that pierced the target when it was activated could be used in various situations.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    A huge shock followed right after his sense of smell was confused. Krucha couldn¡¯t understand what he experienced. He btedly realized that there was a huge expression before he was crushed and felt a terrible pain.


    ¡°Keok... Kukekeok...¡±


    What happened? Kruchay on the ground with his neck pierced and tried to grasp the situation, but it was impossible. His eyes that lost their light couldn¡¯t move and his thoughts stopped. He even dropped the weapon in his hand. It wasn¡¯t just him who was mesmerized.


    ¡°Did you see it? That is the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°T-Truly great. Now I understand why Leraje praised the Undefeated King.¡±


    Leraje and Kalbaba were amazed by the momentum of Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave. They murmured to themselves as they nced between the bloody Krucha and Grid.


    Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave was so excellent that Leraje misunderstood it as the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. There were only two ways to deal with it. Move as fast as Mir using Lightning God or negate Grid¡¯s damage with overwhelming stats like Baal. It was just these two methods.


    ¡®Predicting¡¯ and reacting to it like Mercedes and Kraugel wasn¡¯t a good method. They might be able to predict it, but it was hard to react to. It was just like Kraugel being hit even though he knew Mir would shoot lightning.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you going to just watch?¡±


    Grid urged Leraje as the defenseless Krucha was struck with Kill and then Pinnacle. Then the nkly staring Leraje and Kalbaba quickly stepped forward. Like most great demons, Leraje regarded higher ranked demons aspetitors rather than colleagues. It was even more so for opponents who could apply for a ¡®ranking battle.¡¯ Leraje didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity to get rid of one of Barbatos¡¯ subordinates. It matched Grid¡¯s aim of eliminating Krucha.


    ¡°Yiiip!!¡±


    The impact that ured when Krucha allowed the attack was a shock, but the aftermath was too big. Krucha couldn¡¯t recover and was hit by Grid and Leraje¡¯s pincer attack several times. By the time he barely managed to get up, his body was already a rag. The zing hellfire around both hands had faded.


    ¡°G-Grrrr! You...! Are you really a human?¡±


    Surprisingly, there weren¡¯t many demons who could feel divinity. Unless they were old or demons who had been targets of divine magic, most demons just felt instinctively disgusted when confronted with divinity. They didn¡¯t understand the concept of divinity and the source of their disgust. It was natural since they were born in hell where divine power was exterminated. They hadn¡¯t encountered it before. Moreover, if the other person had just started to umte divinity, then it was hard to recognize it.


    ¡°......¡±


    Leraje¡¯s offensive stopped. She was someone who hadn¡¯t noticed divinity even when Hexetia visited hell. Now she was looking at Grid with a questioning gaze like Krucha.


    "What? It seems like you aren¡¯t human?¡±


    Gridughed. He was no longer afraid of Barbatos¡¯ sniping. Krucha had lost his sense of smell due to Mcus¡¯ Cloak and his eyes were pulled out by Leraje, so he could no longer function as Barbatos¡¯ ¡®vision¡¯.


    ¡°A god.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°A death god who will kill you.¡±


    ¡°...You!¡± Krucha¡¯s blood-covered face distorted. He appeared in a crazy state as he started swinging his fists randomly. He seemed to havepletely lost his sense of reason. However, Grid was alert. He didn¡¯t miss the faint smile on Krucha¡¯s face.


    Just then, a ck hand appeared through a gate. Barbatos¡¯ sniping had resumed. Once again, the target was Grid.


    Krucha was a demon. He had served the 9th Great Demon and the 8th Great Demon. Naturally, he was born with a sense of ughter. In particr, his senses to detect prey were excellent among the demons because he was a beast-type demon. It was easy to locate his prey even if he lost his eyes and sense of smell. This fact¡ª


    ¡°What?¡±


    There was no way that Grid wouldn¡¯t know it when he had experienced so many life or death battles. Grid was fully wary of Krucha¡¯s senses. He wasn¡¯t careless even after Krucha lost his sense of smell and vision.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Krucha was stunned. His senses detected that his prey was over there and Barbatos¡¯ sniping was directed there, but the prey¡¯s voice was heard from right next to him. It was the effect of Decoy. It was something that couldn¡¯t be used when Krucha¡¯s vision was still intact.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Blue petals fluttered through the air. A series of stabs and shes smashed into Krucha. The blood he spilled became tangled in the sword energy to make a red web and Grid repeatedly linked the sword dances several times.


    ¡°Ku...ock!¡± Krucha didn¡¯t fall easily. He was persistent as he aimed to defeat Leraje and be the ruler of the 10th Hell.


    ¡®Is it not enough?¡¯


    Grid was a bit anxious. He had already used most of his attack skills and was tired from Krucha¡¯s persistence. However, he wasn¡¯t flustered because he knew that Krucha was at least level 550. This was the subordinate of the 8th Great Demon. It was natural that this opponent would be hard to defeat with Grid¡¯s current specs.


    This was why the quest rewards were huge. The closer to impossible a result was, the higher the value of the rewards. The system must¡¯ve analyzed that Grid was unlikely toplete this quest. Perhaps it analyzed that it was impossible. It couldn¡¯t have predicted that yers would get acquainted with and cooperate with a great demon at this point.


    ¡°Tenacious beast.¡± Leraje¡¯s small fist literally smashed into Krucha¡¯s snout. His long jaw was oddly twisted and dozens of sharp, hard teeth fell out.


    ¡°Wh...at?¡± Krucha was shocked. He was more shocked than when he was seriously injured by Grid who he thought was just a human.


    Leraje scoffed at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the reason you couldpete with me was due to the power you received from Hell Gao?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Krucha btedly realized that Leraje¡¯s skin had be smooth again. The moment that the hellfire around Krucha¡¯s fists weakened, Leraje¡¯s mucus was restored. She could exert her full power.


    ¡°I feel pitiful every time I see you think you are strong from your own ability, when it is actually a power gained from someone else. I knew that your expression when you realized the truth would be exactly the same as it is now.¡±


    She was powerful enough to erase the despairing Krucha from the world. Krucha¡¯s head that was struck by her fist literally disappeared. Krucha¡¯s body struggled several times after losing its head before turning into gray ash.


    The power to yearn for victory and to win. The absolute power that caused her to win until she met the Undefeated King was worthy enough to astonish Grid and Yura. It was just like how Grid¡¯s Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave stunned Leraje and Kalbaba...


    [The quest ¡®Barbatos¡¯ Sniping¡¯ has been cleared.]


    [Barbatos¡¯ Vision (5) has been transnted to you as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    [Barbatos¡¯ Vision (5)]


    [It is Barbatos¡¯ fifth eye. It has a field of view that can extend up to 10 kilometers.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 2,000 mana per second.


    Skill Duration: Up to 30 seconds.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid reacted immediately. He instantly activated Barbatos¡¯ Vision which was added to the skill list and could see the summit of the mountain rising just 10 kilometers away. He met a pair of eyes. It belonged to a gentleman wearing a sleek suit and a fedora.


    ¡°What can you do?¡± the gentleman mouthed these words as he read the anger in Grid¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me,¡± Grid responded. He announced that he was a much better sniper. He responded to the provocation with a muchrger provocation.


    Battle gear rained down. Thousands of pieces of steel were nted on the dark mountain that didn¡¯t have a single tree.


    Barbatos, the gentleman who was bleeding from the unexpected attack, and the 8th Great Demon, had wide eyes. He realized that his vision had gone to the worst opponent.

 Chapter 1388

    <h4>Chapter 1388</h4>


    The colorful light that refracted through the stained ss mysteriously dyed the statue of Goddess Reba. It was a brilliant and holy sight, but the priests kneeling below it weren¡¯t dazzled. The priest looked up at the statue with a cold gaze before taking off his crown and rising from his seat. Thisst prayer was actually a ritual putting an end to his faith.


    Dark clouds appeared in the weeping sky. The light was concealed by the clouds and darkness enveloped the temple. Thunder was heard. Then the moment that lightning struck, there was a close-up of the Goddess Reba statue on the screen.


    Exquisitely cast shadows erased the statue¡¯s smiles. The benevolence she showed so far was nowhere to be found and she felt endlessly cold. She seemed to be staring at the priest who left behind his crown and sword and left. Even so, the priest didn¡¯t shrink back or hesitate. He walked confidently to the end with a straight walk.


    The corridor of the huge temple was very long and the dark clouds cleared as he walked. Once outside, the priest saw a huge sun that seemed to wee him and give him new blessings.


    ¡°......¡±


    The priest unbuttoned his coat. He took off the pure white robes that were a symbol of the Reba Church and wore armor instead. It was armor engraved with the crest of a sword and hammer. The camera close to him turned and captured his new appearance on the screen from head to toe. The moment his gaze met the camera, a caption introducing him was ced at the bottom of the screen.


    Damian. The leader of the Overgeared God Church.


    ***


    The opening video for the 6th National Competition became a hot topic. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the status of the pope was a symbol of absolute power that all yers envied, yet Damian chose to abandon it to be the leader of the Overgeared God Church. People couldn¡¯t help going crazy when this person, who had been in the spotlight these days, was the finale of the video. In particr, they disyed a high interest in the ¡®sword dance¡¯ Damian would show.


    Following the 5th National Competition, Grid also dered his absence from the 6th National Competition and they were looking forward to seeing his swordsmanship through others. Starting from the brutal killing of the PvP championship candidates in the 1st National Competition to the fusion sword dances during the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation...


    How much could Damian reproduce?


    ¡º The reason why Damian gave up his position of pope to be the leader of the Overgeared God Church will be revealed soon. ¡»


    ¡º How powerful is the status or ss of leader of the Overgeared God Church? People expect that it is the best since he has the protection of the supreme one, Grid, but is it really true? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, this year¡¯s Damian will show the greatest performance ever. As we all know, the biggest advantage of the Overgeared God Church is that it can raise the power of Grid¡¯s items to the limit. If he is the leader of the Overgeared God Church, then he should be heavily armed with items made by Grid. It is also thetest product. ¡»


    ¡°...Pfft!¡± Damian, who woke up in the morning and drank milk, sprayed milk from his nose. It was frightening to realize that public interest was greater than necessary.


    ¡®It is currently still worthless.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just the Overgeared God Church leader. All members of the Overgeared God Church had great potential. It was just that to unlock its potential, they had to build up enough proficiency in the sword dance. Like the analysis of the experts, they also needed Grid¡¯s items.


    However, Damian currently had nothing. He was only up to the two fusion sword dances and his Grid items were the sword and armor he purchased in the past and the shield he was giftedst year. People¡¯s expectations that Damian would show the greatest performance ever waspletely different from reality.


    ¡°In the first ce, they didn¡¯t tell me that such great weight would be ced on it...¡±


    He thought that shooting the scene had taken exceptionally long, but he never guessed it would be the highlight of the video. Wasn¡¯t this the first time since Grid and Kraugel that a particr individual was highlighted in the opening video?


    ¡®How did I get treated like such a great person? There are also Jishuka and Chris. Why is it me...?¡¯


    This must be the Grid effect. The aggro of the Overgeared God Church was more than imagined. Damian sighed as he thought about it, but he was more humble than necessary. He needed to be more confident in himself. It was purely Grid¡¯s power that killed the fallen Pope Drevigo. It was Damian himself who became the Goddess¡¯ Agent and rebuilt the Reba Church. Additionally, Grid greatly helped Damian in bing pope, but Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to help if Damian wasn¡¯t qualified. It was also purely thanks to Damian¡¯s efforts that the Reba Church had greatly improved.


    Damian might not know it, but the world saw Damian as a big figure who was the next Grid orparable to Kraugel. He even had the record of an outstanding performance as the ¡®Zombie Demon King¡¯ inst year¡¯s National Competition. Therefore, he had enough qualifications to be the finale of the opening video.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    However, he was feeling depressed, so it was extremely normal to sigh. Damian had just be the leader of the Overgeared God Church and didn¡¯t have enough money to make item production requests to Grid, so he was several times weaker thanst year. There was a very high probability that he wouldn¡¯t meet people¡¯s expectations. Maybe every event he participated in would undermine the prestige of the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡®It would be better if I didn¡¯t participate.¡¯


    As he had been thinking about whether to participate or not, his judgment was blurred due to the broadcasting station official he met.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t even sell my house.¡¯


    Damian sighed repeatedly before his expression suddenly fell.


    ¡®Is there any need to worry about this?¡¯


    He had lost all his abilities he enjoyed since her days as a pope, but he was a priest of the Overgeared God Church. He had inherited Grid¡¯s sword dances.


    ...Grid¡¯s sword dance had always been the strongest. Damian still remembered the sword dance Kill that defeated Hurent in one blow. Of course, these days, rankers wouldn¡¯t die from a single sword dance. If it wasn¡¯t one blow, then it would be two blows. If it wasn¡¯t two blows, then three blows. If three blows didn¡¯t work, then why not try four?


    ¡®Yes, it is a meaningless worry.¡¯


    He could win against anyone. In particr, yers who were contestants of yer 56 or 55. He couldn¡¯t beckingpared to the new rankers who gained poprity through the power of TV. If he wasn¡¯t as good as them, it was a problem of his quality, not his new ss.


    Damian gained confidence in his thinking and worked hard in the first event of the National Competition held a fortnightter.


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    He lost various buff skills and recovery skills. Damian lost everything he had enjoyed so far and realized how difficult it was topete with others with just one passive skill and a few attack skills.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this why Grid was scolded?¡¯


    The reason why so many people mocked Grid during the 1st National Competition was that there was no control. Once he experienced Grid¡¯s position at that time, it was more than he couldn¡¯t control it rather than there being no control.


    If the cksmith part was removed from Pagma¡¯s Sessor, it should be considered a melee damage dealer, but there were no defense skills and no charging skills. The sword dances could be used as an evasive move, but it was natural that the practicality was inferiorpared to an actual evasion skill.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t clear when hunting low intelligence monsters, but it is a weakness that can be attacked when fighting people.¡¯


    It would gradually improve in the process of learning a new fusion sword dance, but the current Grid¡¯s sword dances that were avable were too passive. It was absurdly weak inbat against individuals. There were no special advantages apart from the very high attack power. Rather, there were many disadvantages due to the long preliminary movements.


    As Damian stood on the podium with a trembling expression and the gold medal was ced around his neck, cheers burst out from everywhere. It was a lot of adversity, but he eventually got first ce. He wandered through thebyrinth and ughtered all the participants he encountered with powerful swordsmanship. The problem was that it was much harder than expected.


    ¡º Um... Damian has won the gold medal as everyone expected. ¡»


    ¡ºStill, how should I say this? It was a series of very rough fights, right? It was a battle where Damian¡¯s unique color couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡»


    ¡º I agree. Originally, Damian used his nimble shielding to suppress the opponents, seal off attacks, or restrict the movements with divine magic. Then he uses his refinedbat skills to take down the target. Meanwhile, today it is like... Um...¡»


    ¡º What else can be said? It is just disappointing. Disappointing. How can this be the ability of a PvP winning candidate? Thanks to the umtion of numerousbat data, thebat guidelines these days are very high quality. Even level 200 warriors don¡¯t fight like that these days. I think Damian has fallen a lot unless he is purposely hiding his skills. Well, that might be a stretch. How much would he have regretted letting go of the pope position? In the future, Damian can only go downhill. ¡»


    Being at the top and staying there consistently wasn¡¯t something that could be done with just passion and ambition. Some people misunderstood it as Damian losing his passion. The skills that Damian showed weren¡¯t so good.


    ***


    The Overgeared Kingdom was busy preparing for Prince Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony...


    ¡°In the end, it happened.¡± Prime Minister Lauel received the unpleasant news. It was news that rebellions were urring in various parts of the Orc Kingdom. It was as he expected.


    Originally, orcs were a primitive species that lived in tribal units. The new orc lord, Teruchan, hoped to build a kingdom and Grid helped him create the Orc Kingdom, but most orc nobles took the kingdom as a prison rather than a fence. In tribal societies, they could reign like kings. Then in the kingdom, they were bound by variousws and regtions. It was natural to be stuffy.


    The dissatisfaction of the orc nobles continued to build up and orc yers showed signs of exploiting this. The reason why this couldn¡¯t be prevented because of the high number of orc yers. It was physically impossible to monitor and manage them one by one.


    ¡®They must have been waiting for this time.¡¯


    Most of the main power of the Overgeared Kingdom was away due to participating in the National Competition. It was also a busy time due to Prince Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony. Due to theck of manpower, it would take quite a lot of time and money to put down the rebellion.


    ¡®I have to minimize the number of tribes that seed in gaining independence...¡¯


    If the orcs split back into tribal units, then the orc yers would gain too much power. Most of them were Chinese yers. If they dominated the tribes and increased their influence, then it wouldn¡¯t be good for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    It happened as Lauel frowned and started to sort out the list of Overgeared members to be sent to suppress the rebels...


    ¡°Why is your expression so serious? I heard the news that the orcs have rebelled. Isn¡¯t it a problem that Teruchan can solve?¡± Grid finally emerged from the smithy that he spent the past few days in and visited Lauel¡¯s office. The soot on his face offended Lauel, who was already sensitive.


    ¡°Currently, you aren¡¯t just the king of a country anymore. Shouldn¡¯t you pay more attention to your appearance when you be a god?¡±


    ¡°Looking human is more likable.¡±


    He might be called a god, but it was still at a level simr to an honorary position. Grid swallowed down these words and checked the list that Lauel was writing.


    ¡°I think Lae and Zednos will suffer too much if they follow this list.¡±


    ¡°Still, it can¡¯t be helped. We have to thoroughly defend the capital until theing of age ceremony is over, so it is difficult to recruit more troops. By the way, did you finish making it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think Damian will be very pleased. Hmm, I will go for a bit...¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Where else? I¡¯m going to quell the rebellion.¡±


    ¡°There is no need. Does it make sense for you to be gone when theing of age ceremony begins in just three days?¡±


    ¡°Three days is enough.¡± Grid opened the map of the orc kingdom and pointed to the south and north. ¡°Tell the kids to go over here. I will take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°...Do you have 10 bodies?¡±


    There were a total of 43 rebellion sites in the areas Grid said he would take charge of. It was impossible to subdue them all in three days unless he had 10 bodies. However, Grid was behaving in a rxed manner.


    ¡°It is because I have good eyes.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll be back. Deliver this item to Damian.¡±


    ¡°No, wait... Your Majesty! Hey! Now isn¡¯t the time for you to do this!¡±


    Lauel tried to stop Grid and even spoke informally, but it was useless. Gridughed like Lauel¡¯s reaction was cute and threw himself through the warp gate.

 Chapter 1389

    <h4>Chapter 1389</h4>


    Now there was no one who treated Satisfy as simply entertainment. If there was such a person, they would be a foolgging behind the times.


    ¡°There is no second chance. I have to take this opportunity to gain great results and live up to expectations.¡±


    The world¡¯srgest sports industry where one could enjoy enormous wealth and fame.


    The Chinese government had recently made significant investments in Satisfy. First of all, a number of Chinese yers changed their species to an orc. Then they secretly approached the orc tribe leaders and used money and power to get close to them. Additionally, the best intellectuals of each field were recruited to design thorough and brilliant ns.


    If Orc Lord Teruchan hadn¡¯t built a kingdom¡ª No, if he had been the slightest bitx in managing his kingdom, then it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say the entire orc race would¡¯ve fallen into the hands of the Chinese government by now.


    Within the fence of the Chinese government, the orc would be protected by their unique breeding power and hundreds of millions of soldiers would be raised. A great China nation would¡¯ve been born in Satisfy.


    However, the Orc Kingdom became a de facto subordinate of the Overgeared Kingdom and management became very thorough. Additionally, the force and charisma of Orc Lord Teruchan that could pressure a tribe repeatedly blocked the intervention of the Chinese government. As long as Teruchan, who was loyal to Grid, was alive, the Chinese government¡¯s ambition to turn the Orc Kingdom into a second China would be hard to achieve.


    This was why this opportunity was veryrge. It was a season when the National Competition and Prince Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony ovepped. Most of the main powers of the Overgeared Kingdom were gone or tied up, so it was an opportunity to eliminate Teruchan and absorb the Orc Kingdom.


    -We can¡¯t mobilize all the rankers.The apparent reason for their obsession with bing an orc is to gain achievements in the National Competition, so there is no way to prevent them from participating in the National Competition.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stop it or there is a possibility of exposing China¡¯s inner thoughts to foreign countries.¡±


    -Yes.You shouldn¡¯t let your guard down because the troops mobilized for the rebellion will be low in terms of quality.


    ¡°Haha, of course. You can rest assured that my confidence is based on sufficient evidence, not carelessness. It is time. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±


    Ttiring.


    The man ended the holographic call and adjusted his sses. The smile on his face became cold like it was a lie.


    ¡°XX carelessness... Do you think that it makes sense to warn those willing to fight against the Overgeared Guild to not be careless?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t let his guard down even if they urged him to let it down. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that one needed to be prepared to quit the game if they wanted to fight against the Overgeared Guild. The man gritted his teeth andid down in the capsule.


    Once he opened his eyes again, he became one of the few yers in the game with the ¡®War Commander¡¯ ss, Havis. War Commander¡ªit was a ss that gave wide area buffs and increased mobility whenever he gave an ¡®order¡¯ to the army hemanded. The ss had a tremendous influence in war, yet the rating was surprisingly ¡®normal.¡¯


    However, it was clear that it required choosing the career of a soldier and being promoted through four ranks from a captain of tens, a captain of hundreds, a captain of thousands and a general. Therefore, the difficulty of changing sses was much higher than ordinary hidden sses. In the first ce, the rank in the military wasn¡¯t only proportional to their performance but also the length of service. This meant there were fewmander-level yers.


    In conclusion, it meant that Havis was a high-quality human resource. The Chinese government paid a huge price to hire him for the rebellion. It was such arge sum that Havis didn¡¯t dare refuse. it was an amount worth bearing the risk of losing everything he built up in exchange for being hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡®If the rebellion seeds, then I will even get twice thepensation.¡¯


    He had to seed. It would be hard, but...


    ¡°...It is more than I thought?¡±


    Havis¡¯ eyes widened when he entered themand barracks with determination. It was because there were 30mander-level yers including himself. There were individual differences depending on the leadership stat and their level, but the average number of troops that each person couldmand was 4,000. If there were 30 people, it was a huge 120,000. It meant that 120,000 troops could first be gathered in the capital before the tribes that weren¡¯t recruited to the rebellion could support Teruchan.


    ¡®Is this the potential of China?¡¯


    Havis thought that the number ofmander-level yers participating in this rebellion would be seven at most. It might be different for someone who started Satisfy for the purpose of making money like himself, but most yers weren¡¯t likely to be tempted by the Chinese government¡¯s money if it meant being hostile to the Overgeared Guild. In fact, this was actually the case. All but five of the 30manders were Chinese. They were talents raised by the Chinese government.


    ¡®If they can raise this manymanders, the training of other sses must be enormous... It is worthy of being a powerful country.¡¯


    Given China¡¯s capital and thorough preparation, it seemed to be one of the top two most powerful countries. A deep smile spread on the mouth of the admiring Havis.


    In fact, he had predicted a 60% probability of the rebellion seeding. 3 million troops would march on arge scale to attract the attention of the Orc Kingdom while at the same time, 30,000 troops buffed by sevenmanders operated separately, moving quickly and stealthily through the capital and to the pce using the underground waterway that had already been sought. If they could destroy Teruchan and his guards within two hours, then they would win. If they didn¡¯t destroy them before reinforcements arrived, they would lose...


    In a way, it was a gambling strategy. It was because there was no chance of victory in a battle of power. Teruchan had 500,000 troops stationed in the capital and the tribes that chose to follow him had around 1 million troops. If these 1.5 million troops were given time to defend the city, it was hard to break through even with 3 million troops.


    The biggest problem was thebat strength of the Orc Lord, Teruchan. The Chinese yers didn¡¯t yet have the power to face someone who could leave the city for a short period of time, ughter their enemies, and then return leisurely. Allies would continue to die and morale would fall. In order to win the war, it was important to iste Teruchan in a narrow ce without the protection of hisrge army, then killing him when he was all alone and by himself, with the full force of all their avable troops.


    ¡®I was wondering if it was possible to do that with 30,000 troops...¡¯


    Break through the defenses of the underground waterways and Teruchan¡¯s bodyguards with 30,000 troops and raid Teruchan? Despite themanders¡¯ buffs, the probability of sess was only around 60%. Yet contrary to expectations, the number had increased to 120,000. In this way, it was safe to say the odds were 100%.


    ¡®We can split up the troops and do diversionary activities.¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t for the National Competition, the main powers of the Overgeared Kingdom woulde as support. This meant that it would be a daunting task, even with 120,000 people. However, it wasn¡¯t the case anymore. There was also a small chance that Grid would move. He had already lost his mentor called Khan during a National Competition, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to hastily leave.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter even if Grid moves.¡¯


    It was said that China was already prepared for this response. Spies were nted in the procession carrying various materials for use in Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony and the congrattory delegations of other countries. The moment Grid was seen in the Orc Kingdom, they would turn into terrorists. They might not be able to harm the Overgeared Kingdom, but they would create enough of amotion to make Grid nervous.


    Could Grid ignore themotion?


    ¡®He will definitely return to Reinhardt immediately.¡¯


    He would recall the painful memories he didn¡¯t want to suffer twice. Yes, there would be only victory in this war... Havis confirmed it and exchanged looks with the othermanders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dy any longer. Let¡¯s start.¡±


    It was impossible to covertly proceed with such arge-scale rebellion. Thus, they promoted the rebellion on arger scale and took advantage of it. The eyes of the Orc Kingdom and Overgeared Kingdom would be focused on the main army which had already started advancing yesterday. In that gap, they would move this special force they had on standby and carry out a surprise strike.


    Wang Wei was themander-in-chief and he exined the outline of the operation, ¡°No matter how much the main army draws attention, we will be bound to stand out if there are 120,000 troops in the detached force. We¡¯ll divide into groups of four and move separately. As you can see on the map, there are some ces with a narrow viewing angle due to the structure of the fortress...¡±


    Themanders saw the high odds of victory and were full of motivation. They were focused and engaged in active discussions. It was useless. They overlooked three facts.


    First, the Overgeared Kingdom had seeded inmercializing the warp gates. Secondly, the eyes and ears of the Overgeared Shadows led by Lantier Faker had already reached this ce. Third, Grid could bombard them from a very long distance.


    ¡°All forces, gather!¡±


    At the end of the operational meeting, themanders gathered 120,000 troops. The appearance of the orc army forming a green wave on the ins was truly spectacr. Yes, it was spectacr. It stood out too much.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be moving from now on...!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Themanders and soldiers all cocked their hands when Wang Wei suddenly shut his mouth as he was shouting at the soldiers. A huge 240,000 eyes followed the direction of Wang Wei¡¯s trembling gaze.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    They all eximed in unison. The reason was the thousands of battle gear pouring down from the sky. A rain of battle gear¡ªOvergeared King Grid made a deration as he bombarded therge army of 120,000 orcs.


    ***


    ¡°Damian¡¯s condition is a bit strange, right? I really can win this.¡±


    Zelos participated in the National Competition as a representative of Japan. He was a high ranker ced 98th in the unified rankings and he was heating up Japan. The Japanese people were fascinated by the young ranker who was handsome and stylish. His poprity was evidenced by the fact that he was the final winner of the audition program, yer 55, which was ranked first in national viewership.


    The PD of yer 55, Seichi, smiled and encouraged Zelos, ¡°Of course. You won this time and got a legendary item right? On the other hand, Damian is just a washed-up has-been. He is nothing if he isn¡¯t the pope. He is just an old hikikomori and only became the pope in the first ce due to Grid.¡±


    Damiancked social skills and never cared about broadcasts. On the rare times he appeared on TV, he always praised Grid. PD Seichi instinctively hated Damian. He thought Damian was a national disgrace. He didn¡¯t know how happy he was when he got the information that Damian was ¡®expelled¡¯ from the pope¡¯s position.


    ¡°I know that you hate Damian, but calling the Zombie Demon King a washed-up has-been is a bit...¡±


    ¡°No, it is real. It wasn¡¯t a choice. He was forced to be the Overgeared God Church leader. He really has lost everything.¡±


    Of course, there was no way to ignore the power of the Overgeared God Church. However, Damian didn¡¯t have enough time to grow. It was obvious that he could only use a few sword dances. No matter how many items he used, there would be a limit.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know about next year, but this year, he is several levels below Zelos.¡¯


    This was why he advised Zelos to y in PvP. It was as if fate had created the showdown between Zelos and Damian. In three days, the Japanese people would witness it with their own eyes in the PvP event on the final day of the National Competition. It would be the moment when a new Japanese icon was born.


    ¡®The star made by me, Seichi, will represent Japan.¡¯


    He imagined the wonderful programs he could make in the future with Zelos, who defeated Damian and became the new face of Japan...


    ¡®By next year, I¡¯ll be the director of the Entertainment Bureau.¡¯


    A smile spread across Seichi¡¯s face as he dreamed of a brilliant future.


    ¡°This...¡± In the game, Damian was very surprised to see the parcel that arrived in front of him.

 Chapter 1390

    <h4>Chapter 1390</h4>


    They were in jeopardy. The tower carefully built by the great power was teetering like it would copse in the face of the disaster that came without notice.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    ¡°T-This is unbelievable.¡±


    Themanders stared at the orcs dying miserably from the rain of battle gear falling from the sky. It was unreal. Was the ridiculous sight of hundreds or thousands of weapons pouring down like rain really done by a human?


    ¡®Overgeared... God...¡¯


    The new title for Grid passed through the minds of themanders. God¡ªit was a very noble title for a human, but it wasn¡¯t awkward when ced before or after the name ¡®Grid.¡¯ The rain of battle gear that punished the soldiers was that great.


    ¡°...Grid!¡±


    Themanders lost their minds until the terrible smell of blood brushed the tip of their noses. Then they simultaneously raised their heads.


    Havis ran to the front, shouting as he blocked the weapons attacking the soldiers, ¡°It is done by Grid! Hurry and find his location first! Don¡¯t shrink back! If we step back, it is easier to be a target! Move forward! That way! Don¡¯t mess up the formation due to confusion!¡±


    Grid must be nearby. The rain of battle gear that urately aimed and shot at the orcs demonstrated that his gaze reached the battlefield.


    This was Havis¡¯ judgment and hemanded the army perfectly. He opened a wide area buff to calm the soldiers and increase their agility. Then he scattered them in all directions. The shield soldiers protected their allies as much as possible while they searched the terrain for ces where Grid could be hiding.


    Thanks to his excellentmanding ability, the order was kept despite the soldiers being scattered. The movement path of the scattered soldiers was perfect as they searched. They stretched out aiming at points where Grid was suspected to be attacking from. However, no onepleted the task. Grid was not found in all the locations predicted by Havis.


    p. A g waved to show he wasn¡¯t here either.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Havis was surprised to hear thest report and raised his head reflexively. A clear sky without clouds filled his field of view. The sky was empty as well. Grid was nowhere to be found.


    ¡®Yet the battle gear keeps pouring down.¡¯ Havis was suddenly engulfed in doubts. ¡®So where is the other person¡¯s location?¡¯


    The marching route of the detached force was decided at today¡¯s daytime meeting. Additionally, the same side couldn¡¯t blindly trust each other so they changed their routes several times. They were found and then sniped. However, the important sniping point couldn¡¯t be found.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±


    Was he watching from a distance? Was it from a distance they couldn¡¯t recognize from here?


    ¡®...No, that is ridiculous.¡¯


    It was impossible unless he had the skill irvoyance that was the exclusive skill of the Bow Saint. There was only one Bow Saint in the world, Jishuka.


    ¡®Even if he can see from a distance, it is impossible for the skill to reach here.¡¯


    There was also a limit to ranged attacks. The range of influence was usually limited to tens of meters. In the first ce, the form for using skills at an ¡®invisible distance¡¯ wasn¡¯t established.


    ¡®Grid is obviously hiding somewhere nearby.¡¯


    Skills with a range of ¡®within your field of view¡¯ were very rare. It was because such effects were usually attached to legendary skills. It was natural in Havis¡¯mon sense that there was no link between skill and vision. He couldn¡¯t even imagine it. Therefore, he was sure that Grid was lurking around here. The judgments of the othermanders were the same.


    -Grid has appeared in the north-west part of the Orc Kingdom.I¡¯ll say it once again.Grid has appeared in the north-west part of the Orc Kingdom.


    Wang Wei immediately reported it to the top. Soon, acts of terrorism would ur throughout Reinhardt in order to shift Grid¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Grid! There will soon be a riot in Reinhardt. Is there a reason for you to waste time in a ce like this? Shouldn¡¯t you worry about your son?¡± Wang Wei shouted toward the invisible Grid. Unfortunately, there was no return answer. The battlefield was still. No one opened their mouths, except for the groaning soldiers.


    However, Wang Wei wasn¡¯t nervous. Rather, he waited a while before using magic. ¡°Detect!¡±


    sh!


    Wang Wei was often at risk of being assassinated since he was in charge of the army. Therefore, he had artifacts to detect the presence of assassins and to cancel stealth magic. Now he expressed the artifact¡¯s ability to neutralize invisibility.


    ¡°As expected...¡±


    There was a deep smile on Wang Wei¡¯s face. It was because there was no one around even though he used Detect magic. It was proof that Grid, who had been hiding around here with the ¡®invisibility cloak,¡¯ must¡¯ve hurriedly left this ce.


    ¡°Huhut, it might just be a bunch of graphics, but it is still Grid¡¯s child. Start the march again!¡±


    It was worthwhile to be thoroughly prepared with the help of the government. They got rid of Grid without having to fight him, so it wasn¡¯t hard. It happened the moment when Wang Wei mistakenly thought he fought and won against an enemy¡ªwho wasn¡¯t even present¡ªand issued the order to march again...


    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Are my eyes wrong...?¡±


    The soldiers murmured to each other. They said strange nonsense like a ¡®wave¡¯ wasing or something. This area was a in. How could the group collectively see such an illusion? Well, it was understandable. They were suddenly attacked by an improbable attack so it wasn¡¯t strange if they lost their minds.


    The frowning Wang Wei and Havis turned their gazes toward the soldiers. Then they saw it. The blue wave that appeared on the horizon and wasing this way. It was a wave like the soldiers said.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Why was a wave urring in the middle of the in? Wang Wei and Havis¡¯ doubts stopped here. The speed of the wave hitting them was dozens of times faster than they perceived. The moment the wave passed over them, their heads were cut off and they disappeared.


    ***


    [Experience has been acquired.]


    [Experience has been acquired.]


    [Experience has been acquir...]


    ......


    ...


    At Rupa, a fortified city in the Orc Kingdom...


    ¡°Surely this isn¡¯t going to be nerfed...¡± Grid stood on the walls of a city in a somewhat primitivendscape and murmured to himself with a nk expression.


    It was because thebination of Barbatos¡¯ Vision (5), which allowed him to see up to 10 kilometers away, and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship showed a power beyond expectations. The enemy that surpassed 100,000 was forced to be helpless. Even Grid, the one behind the massacre, felt creeped out as he watched them dying without knowing who or what they were facing.


    ¡®Since my experience has risen so much, it can be said that almost all the troops were wiped out.¡¯


    He used the help of God¡¯s Command to use the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship a total of nine times. Before that, he even used Request to Stand with Me. The maximum duration of Barbatos¡¯ Vision was over and he could no longer see the battlefield. Nevertheless, Grid confirmed through his experience gauge that the 120,000 troops had been pushed to the brink of destruction.


    It was around 10%. He had gained experience equivalent to one month of hunting. Considering that the amount of experience given by NPCs was overwhelmingly less than the experience given by monsters, this was a huge increase.


    ¡®I think the enlightenment effect yed a big role.¡¯


    What type of bonus urred by linking the top skills? Grid had this thought while turning back to the warp gate.


    Step.


    He took a step into the warp gate and a notification window popped up.


    [Overgeared King Grid has entered the capital, Reinhardt.]


    The warp gate made by Sticks was really useful, except that there was a limit to the number of uses per day.


    ¡°What about the riots?¡± Grid cocked his head when he entered the pce and found knights busy moving around.


    The senior knight, Royman, politely greeted him and replied, ¡°Sir Amosphel found some people behaving weirdly and arrested them. The situation is just perplexing because there are so many of them and no evidence that they tried tomit a crime. Of course, we can¡¯t doubt Sir Asmophel, so I am going to seek out experts good at interrogation...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Asmophel? Is Asmophel back?¡±


    It was on the day that Braham became a member of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    After losing to Braham, Asmophel devoted the next few months to training. He didn¡¯t have a desire to be stronger because he lost to Braham. Rather, he had a vague sense of enlightenment and wanted to grab onto these strands of enlightenment.


    Grid watched such an Asmophel silently. He considerately allowed Asmophel to fully concentrate on training. Asmophel misunderstood Grid¡¯s consideration as indifference and became depressed, but Grid didn¡¯t know this. Grid believed in Asmophel, who had the ¡®Determination of the Number Two.¡¯


    Determination of the Number Two¡ªit was a passive skill that had a chance of activating when Asmophel fought someone and lost. The passive skill had an extremely bad activation probability, but it was the catalyst for Asmophel¡¯s growth. Every time it was activated, Asmophel gained a new skill and his stats rose permanently. This was why Grid had so many expectations for Asmophel. He didn¡¯t stop Asmophel, who wanted to leave on a training trip.


    Then after months, Asmophel returned.


    ¡®How much did he change?¡¯ Grid was looking forward to it, happy about reuniting with a friend, who had been away for a long time. Royman guided Grid to Asmophel¡¯s location.


    At the same time, at the 32nd Hell...


    An unexpected bigshot visited the ce that was known as the Overgeared Hell Branch. It was such a bigshot that it surprised the demon, nt, who had lived for a thousand years.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°This is Grid¡¯s base, correct? I think I have the right toe here often to y.¡±


    Leraje, the 10th Great Demon¡ªshe was extremely pleased after joining forces with Grid to kill Barbatos¡¯ subordinate and was much more favorable to Grid than expected.


    ¡°What are those subi?¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, using the demonkin of the 32nd Hell as subordinates. The level of the subordinates is too low to match him. I¡¯ll lend you my chariot soldiers, so take them with you.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Leraje¡¯s chariot corps were iparably stronger than the subi. While the subi could only hide behind Grid every time he fought demons, Leraje¡¯s chariot soldiers could fight together with him.


    Yura nodded coldly. ¡°I understand. I will deliver it.¡±


    Grid¡¯s influence in hell was growing.

 Chapter 1391

    <h4>Chapter 1391</h4>


    Birds sitting side by side on branches moved their eyes. They were bewildered because the hulled millet always sprinkled on top of the snow-covered soy sauce jars couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Chirp chirp!


    The yangban, Mir, watched the birds that started chirping and opened his mouth, ¡°Kaya¡¯s perpetual snow was created by the blue dragon¡¯s resentment.¡±


    The reason Kaya was called the Sand Kingdom was because it was surrounded by deserts. However, it only snowed in the capital. Since when did it start snowing? The people of Kaya, who forgot the blue dragon, didn¡¯t remember. However, Mir and the yangbans remembered it vividly. The moment the blue dragon was sealed, snow started falling from the cloudy sky.


    ¡°This snow hurt many people.¡±


    Kaya¡¯s people didn¡¯t know the cold. They weren¡¯t prepared for the cold. It was difficult to adapt to the cold and snow that suddenly urred and many people froze to death or abandoned their hometown. It was the same for the animals. There were animals whosted to the end like these birds, while others went extinct or hid in the desert.


    ¡°Did the blue dragon really not know that its resentment hurt those it protected?¡± Mir shook his head and whispered as he gazed at the Blue Dragon Dao. Then he took out a handful of hulled millet and sprinkled it in the yard.


    Chirp chirp!


    The happy birds gathered around Mir. Mir¡¯s expression was dark as he looked at the birds pecking at the millet and filling up their stomachs.


    ¡°The warm consideration of human beings barely saved these hungry little birds in winter. However, as things became harder for humans, they cared less for the birds and eventually starved again. I am the only one these birds can rely on now. They are just like the people of Kaya.¡±


    Mir¡¯s gaze turned to Yeum. Yeum flinched. Yeum couldn¡¯t adapt to the rough scar that covered Mir¡¯s beautiful face that wasn¡¯t erased by Mir.


    ¡°Yeum, I think gods and humans aren¡¯t very different.¡±


    The blue dragon, the guardian god of Kaya, who always protected and cared for the people. Behold the great god, who brought lightning and made countless yangbans tremble.


    Cursing the gods who sealed it, the blue dragon brought snow all year round in the hopes that people would remember it and serve it again. It didn¡¯t think about how the people it had been protecting were suffering from the cold snow. No, it wouldn¡¯t care even if it knew. This was selfishness. The blue dragon also possessed the same lowly emotions as humans, just like the Five Seniors.


    ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m not surprised that a human has be a god.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Yeum was silent. She criticized Grid for leaving the scar on Mir¡¯s face andughed at the human being who was impersonating a god. Now she could no longer criticize him or ridicule him. Rather, she felt angry and aggrieved. Even most of the yangbans became frustrated and gave up on bing a god. Then why was a human called a god? The personalities of a god and humans might be the same, but the innate power was different...


    Yet this was cruel reality.


    Mir patted her shoulder. ¡°Think of it as an experience.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Grid is an indication that I can be the Martial God. He is someone I should respect and learn from, rather than feel envious of.¡±


    He meant it with all his heart. Mir was thrilled the moment he felt Grid¡¯s apotheosis. He couldn¡¯t control his overwhelming emotions and stood up while clenching his fists. The development of Grid, who became a god despite being human, was a great hope for Mir, who was god¡¯s creation. It was an opportunity to be certain that his desire and efforts to be the ¡®Martial God¡¯ special among the gods weren¡¯t in vain.


    ¡®How far can he climb?¡¯


    Should he leave this scar or erase it due to it being worthless? This was something he would only know as he kept watching.


    Mir¡¯s expression as he sprinkled the millet was brighter than ever.


    ***


    ¡°Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°I greet My Liege.¡± The reunion after a few months wasn¡¯t spectacr. Asmopel knelt down and greeted Grid, who entered the dark interrogation room.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you havee back.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t hold back his delight. He was truly happy to reunite with a loyal subordinate, who had been supporting him for over 10 years.


    Asmophel smiled at Grid who raised him up. ¡°Your Majesty has grown stronger while I haven¡¯t seen you. I am very proud.¡±


    Asmophel couldn¡¯t hide his admiration. He recognized Grid¡¯s growth during this time. It was the same with Grid.


    [Name: Asmophel


    Age: 52 Gender: Male


    ss: Overgeared Magic Knight Commander/ Overgeared Great General (Conditional Soldier)


    Title: Fire Sword


    * Uses gorgeous and delicate swordsmanship that flutters in full bloom like a flower. An extremely fast sword that neutralizes the target¡¯s defense and doesn¡¯t allow any counterattacks.


    * There is a 30% chance of blocking the target¡¯s defensive behavior when using sword-rted skills.


    * There is a chance of reducing the target¡¯s counterattack chance by 60% when using sword-rted skills.


    ¡ï Once the petals of sword energy burn brilliantly, all stats will increase by 20% and attack speed by 50%. Fire damage will also be gained. Completely block the target¡¯s counterattack during the duration.


    Title: Eternal Second


    * Can¡¯t be the number one. However, this doesn¡¯t mean being second-rate.


    * All stats are reduced when fighting against the number one person in each field.


    * All stats will increase when fighting an opponent other than the number one person in each field.


    Level: 523


    Strength: 3,859 Stamina: 2,220


    Agility: 3,859 Intelligence: 3,180


    Leadership: 2,812 Insight: 5,024


    Political Power: 2,311


    Skills: Imperial Swordsmanship (B), Empire¡¯s Military Tactics (A+), Reidan-style Spearsmanship (A+), Politics (A+), Agitation (A+), Overgeared Army¡¯s Swordsmanship (A+), Highest Grade Sword Mastery (S), Red Sword (S), Fire Flower Sword (SS), Great Talent Matures Late (SS), A Soldier (SS), Magic Insight (??), Determination of the Number Two (??)


    A descendant of a prestigious bloodline in the Saharan Empire, he was born with a natural talent for swordsmanship and military tactics. After reaching the right age and conditions, he joined the Red Knights and rose to the position of vicemander after 12 years. He waster regarded as a pir of the empire along with Piaro.


    He was guilty of betraying Piaro and his colleagues due to Empress Marie¡¯s schemes and wanted to kill himself. He tried, but was since forgiven by Piaro. After that, he has been atoning at Grid¡¯s behest.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Asmophel¡¯s appearance after a few months was very different from what Grid expected. His level had increased a lot and his strength and agility reached the golden ratio. The development level exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations, but the direction was a bit different.


    ¡®Why does he have so much intelligence and insight?¡¯


    Asmophel¡¯s intelligence and insight were originally high. The stats of the knight ss were originally fairly evenly distributed, but these two stats were higher than average due to Asmophel¡¯s history of using tricks to take down the former Red Knights. However, it wasn¡¯t to this extent. In particr, insight seemed to have doubledpared to a few months ago.


    ¡®Ah...¡¯ Grid was dumbfounded before btedly realizing a new fact. In Asmophel¡¯s list of skills, there was one called Magic Insight that hadn¡¯t existed before.


    [Magic Insight]


    [Passive


    The experience of losing to the legendary great magician Braham was great nourishment. He studied magic in depth and can now easily analyze average level magic.


    Magic resistance is increased by 200% and there is a 10% chance to nullify magic. If the target¡¯s level is low, he can see the list of magic the target has.]


    It was a subpatible skill with the Magic Contemtion possessed by Grid. The awakening of Magic Insight seemed to have greatly affected Asmophel¡¯s stats.


    ¡®...It is a bit vague to be called subpatible.¡¯


    Of course, Magic Contemtion was much better than Magic Insight.


    [Magic Contemtion Lv. 2]


    [Passive


    The knowledge and wisdom of the Duke of Wisdom will prate through the providence of all magic.


    * Deciphers the magic used by the enemy. There is a 55% chance of breaking down the magic and a 4.5% chance of replicating or counterattacking the magic.


    * Deciphers the magic used by an ally and there is a 35% chance of strengthening it.


    * This effect is applied to magic of all attributes.


    * It isn¡¯t yet possible to contemte multiple spells at once.


    Magic Resource Consumption: None.


    Cooldown Time: 3 seconds.]


    It was overwhelming. However, Magic Contemtion didn¡¯t have the ability to see the target¡¯s magic list, nor did it increase magic resistance.


    ¡®If I can see the target¡¯s list of magic then there is a high probability of destroying it...¡¯


    It seemed much more effective than the stated exnation. Maybe Asmophel would get the title of Magician Killer sooner orter. Grid imagined Asmophel¡¯s future of being a nightmare for all magicians and quickly looked around. The interrogation room was filled with 37 strangers and all of them were yers.


    ¡°Are they the suspicious people?¡±


    Royman nodded. ¡°Yes, but as I said earlier, there is no clear basis for doubting them...¡±


    No charges had been ced against the 37 suspicious people Asmophel arrested. Asmophel just arrested them for being suspicious, which could cause a big controversy. It was as expected...


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you abusing your power too much?¡±


    One of the suspicious people stared at Grid and argued. It seemed like he would immediately log out and post on the Inte.


    ¡°Hmm... How should I deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Asmophel¡¯s im is that they are magicians who specialize in wide area explosion magic. The fact that they are disguised as merchants or priests is suspicious, but I think we need to confirm if they are magicians first before starting the interrogation. Lae ising from the magic tower. The moment Lae confirms it...¡±


    ¡°Asmophel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    "Are you sure they are magicians?¡±


    ¡°I am certain.¡±


    ¡°Then arrest them.¡±


    The situation was chaotic. It was unclear what type of work the people behind the Orc Kingdom had done behind the scenes. There was no hesitation on Grid¡¯s face and the expressions of the yers trapped in the interrogation room were rotten. All of them were terrorists sent by the Chinese government.


    ***


    Thest day of the National Competition.


    After several days of focusing on the uprising in the Orc Kingdom, media outlets from different countries turned their attention back to the National Competition. It was natural since the rebellion had entered the suppression phase. It was also the day of PvP, the event that distinguished the strongest yers of the time, and the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation, which was the finale of the National Competition. The viewership of broadcasts rted to the National Competition was high.


    ¡º This year¡¯s PvP winner should be Hao. Hao is an expert in all weapons, has differentbat skills, and is even a half-draconian. After the racial story that happened a few months ago, the power of the half-draconians developed rapidly and Hao literally gained wings. I can¡¯t think of an opponent who canpete with Hao this year. ¡»


    ¡º I think Chris has a better chance of winning. Chris¡¯ greatsword is perfect for crushing the scales of the half-draconians. ¡»


    ¡º Chris can¡¯t win. What can he do to prevent the half-draconian¡¯s flying ability? ¡»


    ¡º Then what about Jishuka? The moment he flies in front of Jishuka, he will be a target straight away. If you use this logic, won¡¯t he lose to Jishuka? ¡»


    ¡º No, how can there be such an extreme... ¡»


    Many of the program¡¯s MCs and panelists pointed to Hao and Chris as the winners. They were convinced there would be no abnormalities and the viewers agreed.


    ¡°I think so too. Jishuka¡¯s level is still low and Ares is pretty weak 1v1...¡±


    ¡°Ares normally onlypetes in team events. Why is he listed in PvP? He has already won two gold medals in the group events. If he wins one more gold medal, then he will have a Grid or Kraugel level achievement. Why is he so obsessed with PvP to take this risk?¡±


    ¡°Winning PvP is the strongest symbol. Without both Grid and Kraugel, this is one of the few opportunities to win PvP. Who would want to miss it?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Valha¡¯s growth rate is low these days. Ares has no choice but to step up and work hard...¡±


    Few people named Damian, who was usually one of the candidates to win PvP every year. Damian¡¯s condition was too bad this year. He might have two gold medals, but the appearance he showed in the process was far below expectations. In Japan, Damian¡¯s name was often mentioned. It wasn¡¯t due to expectations of Damian¡¯s performance. It was Zelos¡¯ influence.


    ¡º Depending on the oue of the first round, Damian and Zelos might fight in the second round. ¡»


    ¡º From Japan¡¯s standpoint, their luck is the worst this year. yers from their country willpete from the beginning... ¡»


    ¡º It seems very unlikely that a confrontation between the two of them can be achieved. I doubt Damian will be able to get through round 1. ¡»


    ¡º Why did Damian have to change religions...? Hah, it is really frustrating. ¡»


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±


    In the midst of people¡¯s expectations and worries, PvP began. On the stage, Damian took out his new weapon.


    [The effect of Grid¡¯s Sword has activated part of Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]

 Chapter 1392

    <h4>Chapter 1392</h4>


    After the introduction of the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event in the National Competition, there was a rule that the previous demon king would appear in the first match of PvP. If the former demon king didn¡¯t appear in PvP, then an event match with them would be held (except when they didn¡¯t participate in the National Competition). It was a type of courtesy toward the strongest, who proved their skills and became qualified to be the demon king.


    Damian was the protagonist of the first stage of PvP this year. The opponent who was chosen as a scapegoat to face the former demon king would be nervous or desperate, unless they were a skilled yer on the same level as the former demon king. However, the Korean ranker facing Damian was rxed instead of nervous. He wasn¡¯t particrly famous or highly ranked, but he had high confidence.


    ¡®Is he a new rising power like Zelos?¡¯


    Time was fair to everyone. Everyone with passion tried hard in the same manner. Yesterday¡¯s weak could be today¡¯s strong and yesterday¡¯s loser could be today¡¯s winner. This was providence. Damian held his sword, but he took a posture reminiscent of Grid. It waspletely different from when he was the pope.


    ¡®Ryu Jin.¡¯


    Damian thought about the information of the opponents that he secured in advance. His ss was a linker and he had a legendary weapon called ¡®Sanao¡¯s Offense.¡¯ His period of activity in the coastal area near Siren was very long and there was a high probability of being a pirate. If so, he should be quite familiar with PvP.


    ¡®Sanao¡¯s Offense is a guandao. Does he use linker skills to bind the opponent and then approach to defeat them?¡¯


    Most linkers operated from a distance, but thebat style was more influenced by the yer¡¯s tendencies, not their ss. Damian thought about it and shook his head. Poor information just led to unnecessary spection. He shouldn¡¯t be blinded. He nned to explore carefully to see the source of the other person¡¯s confidence with his own eyes.


    The Korean ranker, Ryu Jin, shouted at the concentrating Damian, ¡°I have good luck.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I get to fight against the person who changed sses and went backwards.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was this the source of the confidence? Damian sighed as he understood the other person¡¯s heart.


    ¡®This confidence isn¡¯t because he believes in his own skills.¡¯


    He was a human being whopeted based on the skills of the opponents. It was pathetic.


    ¡®Not all Koreans were influenced by Grid.¡¯


    ¡°It is clear that the Japanese can¡¯t y games. Did you lose your senses after being a superstar due to the power of your ss? You gave up the pope¡¯s position without understanding yourself. Hahat! Haven¡¯t you been really regretting it these days?


    ¡°......¡±


    Was there a need to speak for so long? There was no need to associate with a person with racial discrimination.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    The moment Damian used his skill, Ryu Jin scoffed and triggered the skill Doll Disy. It was one of the ultimate skills of the linker ss that could link up to 10 people. It had a very high probability of binding the target. He knew the surest way to block Grid¡¯s sword dances. Damian stopped in ce. He couldn¡¯t take a step forward.


    Ryu Jin smiled with satisfaction at seeing himpletely neutralized and linked the next skill.


    ¡°Transcend.¡± Damian¡¯s purple hair soared upwards and his sword was filled with a strong sword energy. It was a sword dance that increased damage and transformed short-range attacks into long-range attacks.The sword dance that helped Grid¡¯s Sword Dance be expressed in various forms was triggered without taking a single step. It meant it ignored the binding effects.


    However, Ryu Jin didn¡¯t panic. ¡®Have I never seen Transcend before?¡¯


    It was just a bit unexpected.


    ¡°Dancing Doll!¡±


    He calmly engaged in battle. Dancing Doll¡ªit was a skill that made the bound target dance for a minimum of two seconds to a maximum of five seconds, making them uncontroble.


    ¡°......?¡± Ryu Jin maintained his smile while linking his skills, only for his eyes to widen. It was because he was going to be cut with sword energy. The linker¡¯s greatest weakness was that they couldn¡¯t attack while controlling the target. Dancing Doll was released and Damian regained his freedom.


    ¡®This is shit!¡¯


    Doll Disy was a technique that bound the target¡¯s feet. It can¡¯t restrict their entire behavior. The 0.5 seconds gap that urred when connecting Dancing Doll with Doll Disy was enough time for Damian to release several sword energies.


    ¡®Is it because my stats arecking?¡¯ The attack speed was too fast. It was dangerous if this continued. Ryu Jin¡¯s head spun as he witnessed the sword energies filling his field of view. ¡®Defend? Counterattack?¡¯


    It was up to here. Damian¡¯s sword energies pierced Ryu Jin¡¯s heart before he could make a judgment.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    The power of this sword energy was different from the one earlier. Ryu Jin died a mysterious death. It took only four seconds.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡±


    People who didn¡¯t believe in Damian¡¯s skills cheered.


    Transcended Link Kill¡ªthey were enthusiastic about the three fusion sword dance that symbolized Grid.


    ¡º The higher the number of sword dances that arebined, the better the utilization. A single sword dance and a two fusion sword dance are rather simple and it is easy to be attacked. However, it is apletely different skill from the three fusion sword dance. It can be applied in many ways to attack, defend, evade, and counterattack... ¡»


    ¡º He just used three. ¡»


    ¡º ...Yes, that¡¯s right. As you just saw, it was three. This is Grid¡¯s sword dance that we know. ¡»


    Thementators were also excited. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the world was excited to get a glimpse of Grid, who hadn¡¯t been to the National Competition in several years.


    On the other hand, PD Seichi¡¯s expression distorted. ¡°What is this? How is he already using the three fusion sword dances?¡±


    The potential of the Overgeared God Church was already well known. It had long been known that the higher the level of Grid¡¯s Sword Dance and the higher the faith toward Grid, the more diverse the fusion sword dances that could be acquired. No one would¡¯ve predicted that a person could reproduce the three fusion sword dances in just a few months.


    Zelos spoke like it wasn¡¯t a big deal, ¡°He isn¡¯t a regr believer, he is the leader of the church. It is natural for him to receive benefits.¡±


    ¡°Still, this is too fast. If he is already using the three fusion sword dance, his growth rate in the future will be beyond imagination. Isn¡¯t it unfair at this point?¡±


    ¡°Since when was it a fair game? In the first ce, there is no fair game in the world. No matter if it is through luck, talent, or skills, those who are ahead will stand on top.¡±


    What was the fun of a game that was equal for everyone? Zelos became a ranker by trying harder than others and he thought this.


    ¡°Well... Don¡¯t worry too much. No matter what, it is the end with that three fusion sword dance.¡±


    Based on the way that the always smiling Damian¡¯s expression became cold, the other yer seemed to have talked nonsense. Due to that, he became excited and unintentionally revealed his power.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was a fight with high odds from the beginning but now the winning rate was even higher. Transcended Link Kill¡ªa ranged attack that continuously fired powerful sword energies that pierced and cut. It was obviously a powerful sword dance but it was useless against Zelos.


    Due to the characteristics of a guardian knight, while wearing sheet metal armor, he was highly resistant to long-ranged attacks. He also had the legendary rated item, Mirror Armor. It was armor obtained by winning yer 55. The damage taken would be reduced by half, there was a very high probability of being immune to ranged attacks, and it inflected reflection damage once the immunity urred.


    ¡®The first three fusion sword dance he learned is the one with the worst match against me. Damian is really unlucky.¡¯


    Of course, if Zelos was in Damian¡¯s ce, then he would¡¯ve also created a fusion sword dance based on Transcend. It was because the versatility of Transcend was really good. The only problem was that Damian would meet Zelos in the second round.


    ¡®My value will rise if I beat Damian and rise to the round of 32... No, it will skyrocket even if I make it to the round of 64.¡¯


    He would be in the top 64 among the high rankers who entered PvP this year. This alone was enough to raise global awareness. From then on, it would be a smooth road. He would be a bigshot that a TV station PD wouldn¡¯t even try to breath on.


    ¡º Victory! Zelos!! ¡»


    He passed the first round. Zelos barely won over the monk ranker, who swung a heavy wooden club that delivered shocks inside the armor. Then he returned to the waiting room and raised his concentration. He simted a battle against Damian, whom he would meet in the second round, several times. He thought and thought again to seek victory.


    Two hours after his first match, Zelos stood on stage as the second round finally began. He wore armor with dozens of disc crystals that acted as mirrors. It was an item that made it impossible for the target to look straight ahead. This structure reduced uracy by making aiming itself difficult.


    ¡°Damian, I will be honest with you. I am a fan of Grid. However, I didn¡¯t have the courage to join the Overgeared God Church. It is extraordinary courage to abandon your original self and start over.¡±


    Zelos aimed for the top. To be honest, he wanted to join the Overgeared Guild. He didn¡¯t want to be an enemy with Damian, who was obviously a member of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Damian, I admire your courage. As a fellow Japanese person, I am proud of you. Thus, I will do my best to fight even harder. I will face you with my full power. That is the polite thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will try my best as well,¡± Damian responded with a smile to Zelos¡¯ polite greeting and moved. He took a step.


    [The effect of Grid¡¯s Sword has activated part of Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    [Grid¡¯s Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,938/1,938 Attack Power: 2,959


    * Attack speed will increase by 50%.


    * Attack power will increase by 50% when using Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.


    * Hit rate will increase by 30% when using Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.


    * Evasion rate and defense will increase by 20% when using Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.


    * The growth rate of the proficiency of Grid¡¯s Sword Dance will increase.


    * Instant activation of the single sword dances Wave, Link, Restraint, Kill, Transcend, Pinnacle, Revolve, Drop, and Flower.


    * Depending on the number of times you pray to the Overgeared God statue, you can activate up to the three fusion sword dances. However, only one fusion sword can be activated and the cooldown time is six hours. The activated sword dance will disappear once used.


    ¡ï The deeper the user understands Grid¡¯s Sword Dance, the more powerful the fusion sword dance that could be activated.


    This is the first divine artifact of the Overgeared God Church. It is a sword that exerts more power as the owner grows.It is said that the Overgeared God Grid personally created it for the first leader, Damian.


    Conditions of Use: Overgeared God. The leader of the Overgeared God Church.


    Weight: 5,500]


    ¡°......!!¡± Zelos¡¯ expression became as stiff as stone.


    Damian wanted toe close without using Transcend so he used Linked Kill Pinnacle.


    ng!


    There was a sharp sound as the mirror was broken and Zelos turned to gray ash. It was a match that clearly showed the difference between the first generation high ranker and the younger rankers.


    Damian was perfectly resurrected. He reached the fourth round of PvP and fought Chris. It could be called a miracle that he reached the fourth round while only being able to use the three fusion sword dances once. The winner of PvP for this year¡¯s National Competition was Chris.


    As for the demon king who appeared in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation that was the finale of the National Competition...


    ¡°......¡±


    He melted into the shadows and was invisible. People couldn¡¯t guess the identity of the demon king this year. It was natural. This year¡¯s demon king, Faker, had never participated in the National Competition. It was hard to think of the name Faker.


    yers couldn¡¯t break through the four castle doors guarded by shadow knights and soldiers.

 Chapter 1393

    <h4>Chapter 1393</h4>


    ¡°It is a bloodline with no ws.¡±


    Duke Grenhal was impressed when he examined Queen Irene¡¯s ancestry in detail. He knew that her ancestor was the hero who founded the Eternal Kingdom with the king of the north, Loran, but it was the first time he discovered her family history that had no blemishes for more than 200 years. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the territories managed by the Steim family prospered in any era and this was unprecedented in history.


    ¡°As the generations passed, theirbat ability faded, but their integrity hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    The Steim family could truly be called an example of nobility. Even Duke Grenhal, one of the highest ranking nobles in the empire, felt respect. Duke Grenhal hoped that his descendants would emte the Steim family.


    ¡®He seeded his mother¡¯s character and his father¡¯s talent...¡¯


    Lord Steim¡ªthe only son of Grid would surely be great. He would be a kind and strong king, leading the Overgeared Kingdom well on behalf of his father, who was praised as a god and might one day leave for Heaven. It was a blessing not just for the Overgeared Kingdom, but for the empire who had the Overgeared Kingdom as its main ally.


    ¡®I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡¯


    On the way to the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    A kind smile spread on Duke Grenhal¡¯s face as he recalled the ck-haired boy he once saw. He felt happy and reassured at the thought of Prince Lord¡¯s future, who turned 15 years old this year and would slowly blossom his talent. He was immersed in his thoughts when he suddenly woke up. It was because the carriage carrying him stopped in ce.


    ¡°S-Sir, you shoulde out and see this.¡± The senior knight ran to the carriage in a hurry while trembling.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Duke Grenhal was one of the highest powers in Saharan. This meant he was one of the most powerful people in the West Continent and the most elite army was escorting him. It meant the knights of Duke Grenhal wouldn¡¯t be flustered when encountering a group of bandits.


    ¡®Have unscrupulous forces started to move due to thising of age ceremony?¡¯


    Duke Grenhal opened the door of the carriage as he recalled the forces that were forced to be wary of the Overgeared Kingdom. He didn¡¯t do a stupid thing like look out the window in a situation where he could be shot at by an enemy.


    ¡°......?!¡± Duke Grenhal created a strong defense by raising his aura and stepped out of the carriage, only for his eyes to widen. He was shocked because the person blocking his way waspletely unexpected. ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡±


    Flop!Regardless of the dirt, Grenhal knelt down and kneeled deeply. There was only one person in the world who could make him kneel.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    Empress Basara of the Saharan Empire. Why was she here when she should be in the capital? Basara smiled at Grenhal, who rose with a puzzled expression. ¡°My friend... there is a happy event taking ce in my benefactor¡¯s home. How can I note?¡±


    Originally, he would¡¯ve made a fuss. It was because the emperor didn¡¯t go to events outside. The emperor didn¡¯t even attend the pope¡¯s crowning ceremony.


    Saharan was the center of the world and the master of the world was the emperor, so the emperor only listened to reports about what happened outside. The emperor was the one who heard and saw everything in the world without needing toe forward. This might be Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony, but Grid should personally visit the empire and report to the emperor that it waspleted safely. This was the majesty of the emperor expected by the empire.


    Going to another kingdom far from home...


    The knights gulped. They would worry that Duke Grenhal would once again nag at Basara who was different from the previous emperors.


    Surprisingly, Duke Grenhal just smiled happily. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is an event in the Overgeared Kingdom, not anywhere else. It will only shine if Your Majesty lights up the ce. I should¡¯ve had the foresight to bring Your Majesty. I am very sorry and ashamed to meet you by chance like this. Please scold your disloyal subordinate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t notice this time.¡±


    ¡°Huhum...¡±


    Duke Grenhal, who was famous for his loyalty, and Empress Basara, who wasn¡¯t bound by old notions¡ªthe two different people who often shed felt awkward. Now, little by little, they understood each other more and became more ufortable with each other.


    ¡°Hey~ old man! Eh?! Your Majesty as well?!¡±


    ¡°Everyone is here. It¡¯s been a long time since the disaster.¡±


    It was the same for Duke Morse and Rachel, who arrived btedly. Now there were only three dukes left in the empire and they supported the empire more strongly than when there were seven. It was the result of cooperating with each other without being jealous andpeting. It was the result of their rtionship with Grid.


    ***


    A blue greatsword in the shape of a shark¡ªas the name ¡®Failure¡¯ suggested, it couldn¡¯t be called a luxury item. However, the sword had experienced numerous battles with Grid and was considered one of the symbols of the Overgeared King. Visitors who didn¡¯t know the history of the Overgeared Kingdom in detail envied Jude, the security captain. It wasn¡¯t because they knew he was Grid¡¯s first knight. It was due to the blue greatsword on his back.


    Was it directly given by the Overgeared King? If it was directly given by the Oveageared King, then he must be a great swordsmanpared to his rank.


    Visitors watched Jude with such questions and expectations. They never even imagined that Jude¡¯s blue greatsword was a sess, not a failure.


    [Sess]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Durability: 2,530/2,530


    Attack Power: 1,510~3,266 Defense: 280


    * Agility +100.


    * There is a certain probability of blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®5 Joint Attacks¡¯ skill.


    * There is a high probability of activating the ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill.


    * The skill ¡®Bisect¡¯ will be created.


    * There will be a fear effect if the enemy is more than 20 levels lower than the user.


    * Attack power +30% in dark ces.


    A greatsword made by the Overgeared King Grid by improving Failure. It is a work that eliminates the shorings of Failure and highlights its strength, so it isn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it a masterpiece of the times.


    ......


    ...]


    A work created with great care by Grid after using Open Potential. It is a luxurious product that overcame the inherent limitations of Failure that had structural defects. There were two reasons why Grid devoted himself to making this work. First, it was because he knew the power of symbols. Secondly, Jude wanted to have Failure.


    Grid had handed Failure over with gratitude and affection to Prince Shining, who risked his life to protect Lord during the Yatan Church¡¯s invasion of the Vatican. Then he had to face Jude¡¯s gloomy gaze for months afterward. Compared to the past where he forgot everything quickly, Jude had be quite smart and sulked for a while. Grid couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it and created a new Failure. It was even one that was twice as good as the original. Jude didn¡¯t seem very satisfied, but...


    ¡°How beautiful and safe is it?¡±


    1st Prince Shining of the Fold Kingdom¡ªhe traveled to attend Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony and was as nervous as always. His kingdom was constantly haunted by thieves and monsters. Most other kingdoms also had poor security, so he paid particr attention to the escort when moving.


    However, this tension disappeared after entering the Overgeared Kingdom. Unlike his barren kingdom, he had time to enjoy the green and peaceful scenery of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom was such a safe country. The soldiers in all regions were well-trained and diligent, so no monsters reached the roadside. The people were well-off and there was no need to be bandits.


    ¡®The word ¡®peace¡¯ is probably coined in the Overgeared Kingdom...¡¯ Prince Shining lived a life far from peace as a native of the Fold Kingdom and he even had such a thought.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the level of management. It is the level of purification. I can¡¯t feel the presence of any monsters. At this point, it is okay to say it has dried up.¡±


    The knights clicked their tongues when they entered the vicinity near Reinhardt. They couldn¡¯t feel the presence of monsters in the fields, forests, and mountains. They had the illusion of being in a different world.


    ¡°Is this the power of the Saintess?¡±


    The Saintess of the Overgeared Kingdom was famous. A being that could destroy unclean things with power different from existing divine power. Monsters disappeared without a trace due to her stay in Reinhardt. Prince Shining and the knights made logical inferences, but it waspletely different from the truth.


    The Saintess didn¡¯t have the ability to cleanly wipe out monsters or suppress their appearance. The reason there were no monsters near Reinhardt was purely due to Nefelina. She set up her own domain, orir, so the monsters didn¡¯t dare approach. Still, who would dare to imagine that a hatchling was staying in Reinhardt?


    [He made a high status, aloof, and noble race, who insisted on being alone since she was perfect, be his servant.]


    No one knew the identity of the ¡®high status, aloof, and noble race, who insisted on being alone¡¯ that appeared during the Overgeared God¡¯s 11th epic. It was due to the ¡®be his servant¡¯ part. What type of dragon would be the servant of a human? It wasn¡¯t possible inmon sense to infer that the subject of the 11th epic was a dragon.


    ¡°I am seeing so many people for the first time...¡±


    The knights who finally arrived in Reinhardt were mesmerized. There was an endless stream of people. The constant procession of people was familiar to those born in the Fold Kingdom.


    ¡°The same is true for me.¡±


    Prince Shining was also amazed. Even he was shocked by the size of the crowd, despite attending one of the top events of the continent¡ªthe pope¡¯s crowning ceremony.


    ¡®There weren¡¯t so many people gathered at the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    Now the prince¡¯sing of age ceremony had gathered such arge group of people...


    It was clear how much the statue of the Overgeared Kingdom had risen in just 10 years.


    ¡°Gasp...¡± Prince Shining and his knights looked around like country bumpkinsing to a big city for the first time. Then they were shocked. It was due to the long wave-like procession that passed through the city gates. The center of the process was the empress and imperial dukes. It was already amazing that the empire sent a delegation to celebrate theing of age ceremony of a prince, yet the empress and dukes personally visited.


    ¡°That.¡± Someone approached Prince Shining, who was shocked beyond admiration. It was a big bear-like man. ¡°Handle it?¡±


    Prince Shining recognized his identity immediately. ¡°Sir Jude, it has been a while.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Overgeared King Grid¡¯s first knight. Prince Shining had met him several times. Unfortunately, the other person didn¡¯t remember Prince Shining. It wasn¡¯t because Prince Shining didn¡¯t have much of a presence. It was just because he had a bad memory.


    However, Prince Shining didn¡¯t know Jude¡¯s level of intelligence. He misunderstood the way Jude treated him like someone he didn¡¯t know at all.


    ¡®I¡¯m toocking.¡¯


    Jude didn¡¯t even remember him. It stimted him. Prince Shining pulled out Failure and squeezed it. ¡°As you can see, I can handle it.¡±


    Jude¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Recognize.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Jude, Prince Shining. Remember. Come here,e.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Prince Shining was guided by the Overgeared King¡¯s first knight, Jude. It could be called the best VIP treatment.


    His eyes widened the moment he entered the splendid pce selected as the stage of theing of age ceremony. It was because it wasn¡¯t just the empress and dukes of the empire and the pro-Overgeared people such as the water n king and the Orc Lord present. There were also royalty from remote area kingdoms who didn¡¯t usually engage in external activities.


    Among them was an amazingly beautiful woman. Even Grid was ufortable due to her identity.

 Chapter 1394

    <h4>Chapter 1394</h4>


    The royal family¡¯sing of age ceremony wasn¡¯tplicated. They would disy their etiquette, discuss what they had learned, or exhibit their talents in front of distinguished guests from different kingdoms. It was akin to a type of school meeting. The invited guests evaluated the appearance, dignity, and potential of the main character of theing of age ceremony. They predicted the future of the protagonist and wondered what type of rtionship to establish with them in the future.


    In that sense, the first impression Lord gave was the best.


    ¡®Beautiful.¡¯


    ¡®He will make the continent boil the moment he makes his debut in the social circle.¡¯


    Thebination of ck hair and blue eyes was in perfect harmony. The white and clean skin that resembled his mother might seem fragile, but the sharp eyes resembled his father. There was a sense of maturity that didn¡¯t fit his age as he behaved well, moving among the VIPs with a graceful gait and a gentle smile.


    The back of his hand revealed through the fluttering robes was full of calluses. It seemed he had learned swordsmanship and cksmithing from his father. Seeing him followed by elementals that emitted light, it seemed he had studied the elementals with Great Sage Sticks.


    ¡®Three elementals... they are even light, earth, and water.¡¯


    He reached the point where he could grow flowers and trees using just elementals. It was at the young age of 15. Among the admirers, the empress and dukes had particrly wide eyes.


    ¡®It means he can grow flowers and trees by himself...¡¯


    ¡®It is easy for him to learn agriculture from Sir Piaro.¡¯


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just King Grid and Sir Sticks who serves as a teacher. Is it Sir Piaro as well?¡¯


    Swordsmanship, cksmithing, elementals, and agriculture¡ªit looked like many different fields, but they surprisingly had something inmon. Learning swordsmanship gave physical strength and physical strength was needed for cksmithing. Working in the smithy added muscle strength and muscle strength was needed for swordsmanship. Learning elemental techniques increased affinity with nature and this would help with agriculture. Learning agriculture helped to understand nature and assisted in dealing with elementals.


    ¡®He was taught systematically...¡¯


    ¡®Starting from etiquette, there are no ws.¡¯


    ¡®Queen Irene¡¯s level of discipline is unusual. It is truly the blood of a famous family.¡¯


    It was a time when the distinguished guests, especially those with good vision, sighed with admiration...


    ¡°I would like to express my gratitude to the distinguished guests who came to bless me on my transition to adulthood,¡± Lord opened his mouth for the first time. It was a clear, deep voice that pulled out people¡¯s souls. The hearts of many women shook. Lord had an irresistible factor that a normal boy could never have.


    Sua smiled happily as silence fell in the hall.


    ¡®It is really rewarding to teach him.¡¯


    Lord¡¯s expressions, gestures, speech, and voice weren¡¯t a result of Irene¡¯s teachings alone. Sua corrected it a bit so that Lord could gain the favor of the opposite sex without losing his dignity. This was the result. Look at the expressions of the princesses from each country who visited with their parents and brothers. Theypletely lose their souls to Lord.


    After that, Lord took the time to introduce himself. He exchanged questions and answers with the distinguished guests, carefully choosing words so he wouldn¡¯t damage the reputation of his parents and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Lord smiled at thedies from all over who had bewitched expressions on their faces. Then he pulled out his sword and spoke to the distinguished guests, ¡°I can¡¯t take away the time of such precious people for so long. I¡¯m shy, but I¡¯ll do a few small tricks.¡±


    As mentioned earlier, theing of age ceremony was a ce to exhibit talent. The talent of the prince who would lead the Overgeared Kingdom in the future. Depending on what Lord disyed here, the distinguished guests would consider their future direction. How deep to establish their rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom, how much time they should set for it, etc.


    The moment the distinguished dukes concentrated, Lord¡¯s sword went up in half moon and then came down in a diagonal sh. He did two cuts in one motion. It was quick and neat with no ws.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    The distinguished guests showed a lukewarm reaction. Some shook their heads, some touched their chins, and some slowly pped. Their expressions were mostly the same. For the first time since Lord¡¯s appearance, they were expressionless.


    The swordsmanship Lord exhibited was mediocre. No, calling it mediocre was very rude. It was right to evaluate it as excellent. However, their expectation was too high that it became normal.


    ¡®Why is it ordinary swordsmanship instead of a sword dance?¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The distinguished guests expected Lord to show Grid¡¯s sword dances. Then what was this swordsmanship? Doubts started to arise.


    ¡®Does he not have the talent to learn his father¡¯s sword dances?¡¯


    ¡®It is rare for children to be better than their parents.¡¯


    There were still many promising observations.


    ¡®He is still young and it is too early to assess his swordsmanship talent. The difficulty of the sword dances can be considered as extremely high.¡¯


    ¡®No, it is too much to discuss talent just by looking at a single sword technique. It is usually customary to set up a stage in the form of a duel... this isn¡¯t the end, right?¡¯


    ¡®The Overgeared King¡¯s value doesn¡¯t lie in just hisbat strength, but also in his cksmithing techniques. It doesn¡¯t matter if his swordsmanship talent is ordinary if he is born with the cksmithing talent.¡¯


    It happened as people were in turmoil...


    ¡°......!¡± A blond woman sprang up from her seat. Her seat was right behind the emperor. Her rank was much higher than the royal families of a number of kingdoms. It was natural. Her identity was one of the duke of the empire, the Spear Saint Rachel.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The atmosphere became unusual when Rachel rose from her seat and faced Lord while trembling. People wanted to see what was going to happen. There was a short moment of silence.


    ¡°Prince Lord, is that Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship?¡± Rachel asked him straight away.


    The wavelength created was huge. Kraugel¡ªit was the name of the present day Sword Saint. Kraugel¡¯s name was always mentioned when discussing the 10 strongest people on the West Continent. People knew that after many years, Kraugel would be mentioned when discussing the five strongest people. After a long time, he would be mentioned when discussing the strongest person. The potential of all Sword Saints in history was that great.


    Yet Lord used the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship? People looked at Lord like they had seen a ghost. It was hard to believe that Lord had Grid, Sticks, and Piaro as teachers. Now there was also Kraugel among the teachers...


    At this point, they were using the wrong premise to discuss Lord¡¯s talent.


    ¡®Sir Sticks and Sir Piaro are Grid¡¯s subordinates, but Kraugel is different.¡¯


    ¡®The fact that the Sword Saint, who isn¡¯t affiliated with any forces and drifts like the wind, has taken Prince Lord as a student means that Prince Lord is a great talent...¡¯


    The distinguished guests gulped and reassessed Lord¡¯s swordsmanship. It changed from mediocre to the best. At least in the field of swordsmanship, the Sword Saint¡¯s influence was the greatest.


    Lord exined with an embarrassed smile, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m lucky enough to learn the sword from Teacher Kraugel. Teacher Kraugel took care of me more than necessary due to being my father¡¯s close friend.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Only acquaintances knew about the rtionship between Grid and Kraugel. Some of the distinguished guests were shocked when they found that the wandering Sword Saint Kraugel was Grid¡¯s friend.


    ¡®King Grid and the Sword Saint joining together to destroy the great demons wasn¡¯t a temporary alliance...¡¯


    ¡®...It turns out they¡¯ve beenpanions for a long time.¡¯


    ording to the literature, Sword Saint Muller had been afraid of his own too strong power. He always lived alone, fearing that he would destroy the bnce of the continent if he belonged somewhere. However, this didn¡¯t seem to be the case for the present day Sword Saint. He had a deep exchange with the Overgeared Kingdom. The distinguished guests thought that perhaps the Overgeared Kingdom would be the second Saharan.


    In the ufortable silence, Lord showed off another talent. It was the manifestation of divine power. It wasn¡¯t the pure white divine power that symbolized the Reba Church. It was divine power that swayed like blue mes. It resembled the divine power of the Overgeared God Church members which had been increasing rapidly in recent times. However, this one was several timesrger.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± The anxiety and disbelief in the hearts of some of the distinguished guests who were wary of the Overgeared Kingdom started to melt like snow. Many people still hadn¡¯t admitted that Grid was a god. In any case, Grid had be a god and Lord was the child of a god. In the first ce, he was an objection that shouldn¡¯t be evaluated by humans. Theing of age ceremony had to be different from all the previous ones so far. Everyone realized it.


    ¡°Hmm, this is Grid¡¯s child.¡± Without any warning, the door of the great hall opened and a woman appeared. Fallen soldiers could be seen through the wide open doors. It was obviously a guest who wasn¡¯t invited by anyone. The surprised guests were frightened while the knights of the Overgeared Kingdom escorting or guarding them drew their swords or spears immediately. Their actions were meaningless.


    [You have encountered Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence makes your magic power turbid. All types of spells and skills aren¡¯t avable.]


    [A vampire¡¯s gaze will subdue lower species. You will lose your willpower and control over your body.]


    [Marie Rose¡¯s attraction is absolute. Her charm is so high there is even high odds of both genders being attracted.]


    The uninvited guest was a woman so beautiful it was unrealistic. Her very existence made everyone submit to her.


    ¡°Marie Rose...!¡±


    Grid rose from where he had been happily watching his son, Lord, showing off his skills. What was going on? How should he respond? Grid¡¯s brain froze from the sudden event and it was impossible for him to make any judgments. Only his body moved. He rose from the throne and approached Marie Rose in a stately manner.


    Gulp.


    The stiffened guests and knights gulped. They were aware of the true identity of Marie Rose, who was sealed by the second pope hundreds of years ago, and couldn¡¯t imagine the terrible things that would happen in the future. Fortunately, Grid was a wise man.


    ¡°W-Wee, Marie Rose. Why did such a noble persone to this humble ce...?¡± He seemed like he was going to lower his head to the ground. As Grid smiled politely and bowed deeply to Marie Rose, her evil influence lifted like it was a lie and people could breathe.


    After receiving Jude¡¯s guidance, Prince Shining arrivedte at the scene and tilted his head without knowing the situation.

 Chapter 1395

    <h4>Chapter 1395</h4>


    The distinguished guests who attended Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony were big names. They exercised their power without fear in their own kingdom or other kingdoms. Even so, they were human.


    Marie Rose¡ªthe appearance of the top predator made all the distinguished guests in this area tremble. The big figures who didn¡¯t know anxiety and fear due to their great pride dared not make eye contact with her and looked away. They tried to look as insignificant as possible to show they had no intention of defying her. It wasn¡¯t a matter of humiliation and shame.


    Could their ancestors have avoided dangerous situations if they didn¡¯t feel fear? No. Humanity wouldn¡¯t have survived until today. The humble attitude of the distinguished guests in front of Marie Rose was the natural instincts of humans. It was an extremely primitive instinct to feel fear and avoid risk factors.


    ¡®Marie Rose. Is it really Marie Rose?¡¯


    The dukes of the empire reflexively struggled as they were crushed by the terrible evil influence. They tried not to be noticed as much as possible and figure out the situation. They thought back. There were rumors that Marie Rose¡¯s seal was released 17 or 18 years ago. The former emperor Juander asked Bain to find out the authenticity. Bain returned and confirmed that the rumors were true.


    This type of thick evil influence was likely to belong to Marie Rose. Only then could they be convinced.


    I, us¡ª


    Immortal King Grenhal, Spear Saint Rachel, and Beast King Morse¡ªthey were filled with fear despite the fame and power they built up so far. It was only by admitting the other person was Marie Rose that they could ept it.


    ¡®This... it is destruction.¡¯


    Why did Marie Rose show up here and now? They couldn¡¯t afford to examine the reason. The dukes just felt dizzy. A monster that the second pope, Chreshler, could only barely seal when he sacrificed the lives of himself and the Reba¡¯s Daughters, despite being the strongest pope of all time. Saharan¡¯s ancient literature evaluated her as stronger than Beriache and one of the few beings that Baal was wary of. That monster, Marie Rose, appeared here. They were dead. They would die. They couldn¡¯t survive.


    These thoughts revolved around the heads of the dukes.


    Meanwhile, Empress Basara thought rationally. As the matriarch of many people, her sense of responsibility was transcendent. She was sober in this desperate situation.


    ¡®It is a raid aimed at the gathering ce of many major figures from various kingdoms... she has ambitions to rule humanity.¡¯


    The world would be almost paralyzed the moment the guests here were wiped out. From then on, who would be able to handle Marie Rose? Humanity would lose its center and be one-sidedly ughtered by Marie Rose.


    ¡®The people who need to be saved now are...¡¯


    Basara¡¯s gaze turned to Grid. Her judgment was quick.


    ¡®I have to protect Grid.¡¯


    Everyone in this position had to make sacrifices. Grid had to be evacuated using any means and methods. By making him the center of humanity, only then would the annihtion of humanity be avoided. Only he deserved it.


    Basara¡¯s red energy rose. This was the power that was the proof of Saharan¡¯s lineage. This was the power of ruling that intervened and controlled everything. It was more of a constitution than a skill or magic. It wasn¡¯t sealed by the evil influence.


    Basara had the capacity to intervene with Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. She was determined that if she could control the evil influence for a while, she could join forces with the dukes to open the way for Grid, even if she lost her life from the bacsh. She had to try it even if the chances of sess were less than 1%.


    Basara¡¯s red energy thickened.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± It happened when Marie Rose turned her gaze to Basara...


    Step, step, step...


    Someone¡¯s footsteps echoed in the quiet hall. One person was walking alone confidently while everyone was holding their breaths. It wasn¡¯t difficult to infer his identity.


    ¡®Grid?¡¯


    ¡®King Grid...!¡¯


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the direction of the footsteps. The central hall...


    As expected, Grid was walking through it. He stared straight at Marie Rose. There was no hesitation in his gait and he stood upright. There was no trembling. Marie Rose terrified all the powerful people on the continent, but she couldn¡¯t scare Grid. The distinguished guests admired it.


    ¡°W-Wee, Marie Rose. Why did such a noble persone to this humble ce...?¡±


    Grid finally reached Marie Rose and lowered his head with a smile. It was apletely different attitude than expected. It was surprising but no one thought that Grid was servile.


    ¡®As expected, it is Marie Rose. She might be a demonkin, but she is a legendary existence. It is natural to be polite to her when she built a reputation for transcending her founder hundreds of years ago.¡¯


    ¡®The reason Grid bowed in the first ce is due to us...¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t seem affected by Marie Rose¡¯s evil influence. There was no particr fear of Marie Rose. The reason why he bowed was for the safety of the people gathered here. It meant he was forced to please Marie Rose to prevent her from acting hastily.


    ¡®He is truly thentern of humanity.¡¯


    The distinguished guests. In particr, the distinguished guests who had only been exposed to Grid through rumors started to feel respect for Grid. A series of notifications popped up stating that the leaders of kingdoms or tribes that nevermunicated with the Overgeared Kingdom started to like Grid.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Why did affinity suddenly increase? Marie Rose reached out to the flustered Grid. The white skin that reminded him of snow was reddened by the sunlight that leaked through the window. The sun wasn¡¯t good for vampires. Marie Rose had a stronger power than Beriache, the 3rd Great Demon. She also didn¡¯t receive any penalties in the human world because she was born here.


    One of the strongest beings in the world, her few weaknesses included the sun. She was weak to sunlight because she inherited the power of Beriache and her vampire characteristics were more than anyone else. The reason why she visited Reinhardt in broad daylight like this was because...


    ¡°Did you be the Blood King while I was sleeping?¡± She wanted to congratte Grid.


    Grid politely kissed the back of her hand and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Yes, it happened to be that way.¡±


    Marie Rose was the strongest vampire, but she wasn¡¯t suitable for the position of Blood King. Her purpose was merely to exterminate the great demons. She had no ambition to be the king and lead the vampires. The evidence was that she had no feelings for her siblings.


    Grid knew this fact and simply epted Marie Rose¡¯s congrattions. She didn¡¯t feel that the position of Blood King had been taken from her. In any case, Marie Rose¡¯s congrattions was sincere. Her brightly smiling face was so clear that it was like a beautiful flower emerging. ¡°I am d.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°The man who released my seal has grown into an excellent spouse. I have to believe in the word destiny.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Blood King? Spouse? Ordinary people couldn¡¯t understand it. Even Grid didn¡¯t understand it. ¡®Spouse?¡¯


    He could feel eyes stabbing into his back. They weren¡¯t Queen Irene¡¯s eyes. She had long wanted Grid to take a concubine. She had urged Grid directly. She was bing old faster than Grid and would leave first. For his sake, she hoped that another good person would stand by Grid¡¯s side. Queen Irene was fortunately now regaining her youth, but her thoughts remained the same. She hadn¡¯t given birth to a second child for 15 years already. The situation in the kingdom was too uneasy to have only one sessor to the throne.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid nced back. Unlike Irene, who hadn¡¯t changed her expression, Basara and Mercedes looked gloomy. There were shadows on their beautiful faces. This was why he felt stinging gazes. Why Basara...?


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Grid cocked his head for a moment before coughing to relieve the atmosphere. Then he guided Marie Rose to the top position. ¡°Today is the day my son has finally be an adult. Some guests have gathered to celebrate, so let¡¯s talk about private matters next time.¡±


    ¡°I noticed instantly that he is your child. He is talented and handsome, just like you. Perhaps our children too...¡±


    ¡°Hum hum! Now,e this way.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie¡¯s expression changed dramatically the moment Grid coughed and interrupted her words. The bright smile turned meaningful and her eyes curved in a half moon. Grid¡¯s heart thumped loudly. He wavered.


    ¡°Do you not want to be my spouse?¡±


    ¡°T-That, I¡¯m a married man...¡±


    ¡°Hmm, then you can just give me your seed. There is no need to feel too burdened.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence filled the hall. In particr, Basara and Mercedes¡¯ mouths were tightly shut. it was because they witnessed the regret and hardness that was in Marie Rose¡¯s fascinating smile. Maybe she was serious about Grid. It happened the moment Basara and Mercedes had this thought...


    ¡°Why did youe to this ce?¡±


    A new figure appeared behind Jude and Prince Shining, both of whom were standing at the entrance of the great hall. A man with silver hair¡ªthe identity of the man so handsome that his appearance wasparable to Marie Rose was naturally Braham. The legendary great magician¡ªthe dukes of the empire who witnessed his power in the Drasion raid reflexively focused their attention


    On the other hand, Marie Rose was rxed. ¡°You have grown up a lot, Braham. You actually dare to talk loudly to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil this precious event and get lost.¡±


    ¡°Previous event...? It is precious?¡± Marie Rose doubted her ears. Braham¡ªthe most selfish and cruel Braham, who ughtered thousands and experimented on his kin, was actually respecting the events of others? ¡°...Huhu, haven¡¯t you changed a lot while I was asleep?¡±


    There was a smile on Marie Rose¡¯s face, but her eyes were cold. Braham flinched and stepped back. He recalled the past when Marie Rose pierced him in the heart and he lost his vampire power. Braham feared Marie Rose like everyone else, no, more than others. Her power had grown over the years beyond their mother and she was still in the process of regaining her strength.


    ¡®Again... I am going to die.¡¯


    Just as he hated Marie Rose, Marie Rose hated him. Braham knew this and foresaw his own death. In the beginning, Marie Rose was an existence who could aplish most of her wishes. No one could stop her if she wanted to kill Braham.


    ¡®...I won¡¯t go silently this time.¡¯


    He would inflict a wound that couldn¡¯t be erased forever. Braham made up his mind and instinctively raised a hand behind him.


    ¡°An unexpected guest came.¡±


    The legendary farmer Piaro and the recently returned Asmophel appeared next to each other. Grid¡¯s messenger Sariel was also with him. Nefelina also didn¡¯t seem to like this situation and her faint energy that exerted influence over the entire pce became stronger. Finally¡ª


    ¡°Braham is my father¡¯s friend. It is just like Marie Rose is my father¡¯s friend.¡±


    Lord stepped in front of Marie Rose as she stared at Braham. The murderous smile he learned from Sua surprised Marie Rose slightly.


    "...You¡¯ve made a lot of friends.¡± Marie Rose nced at the people surrounding Braham in turn before taking one final look at Braham. Then she turned back to Grid. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so scary. The reason I came today is to discuss our future, not to hurt your friend. Today... the timing is bad.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This time, Grid also saw the short regret that briefly passed through Marie Rose¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Then, bye! I¡¯lle back next time.¡± Marie Rose¡¯s body turned to smoke and started to scatter. She returned to the dark underground area where there was nothing except the coffin where she had slept alone for a long time. To her¡ª


    ¡°I will visit you next time,¡± Grid vowed.


    A smile of joy adorned Marie Rose¡¯s face as she gradually disappeared.

 Chapter 1396

    <h4>Chapter 1396</h4>


    There was a big uproar in the middle, but Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony ended safely with the blessings of the people.


    Lord, who had several teachers, boasted more talent than the distinguished guests had expected. Meanwhile, Grid proudly faced Marie Rose and impressed the distinguished guests. Thus, the evaluation of the Overgeared Kingdom soared to the sky.


    Of course, everyone knew from the beginning that the Overgeared Kingdom was the second most powerful nation after the empire. It was just that no one could guess how much longer the power of the Overgeared Kingdom would continue in the future and in which direction it would be headed.


    The Overgeared Kingdom was established and led by Overgeared King Grid. Who would dare to bet that after he retired, the Overgeared Kingdom would prosper like it was now or use tyranny?


    Now the distinguished guests realized something. It was the fact that Grid¡¯s son was a talent that was second to, no, perhapsparable to Grid, and that he was an upright and good person. In the first ce, Grid was a god. He was born as a human and had the body of a human, but he was an object of faith that transcended his existence due to the desires of humans. How could he and his son not be upright? Looking at the rumors drifting around recently about Goddess Reba, it was impossible to trust blindly just because they were gods, but... people wanted to believe in Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°The gifts are stacked up like mountains.¡±


    The afternoon after theing of age ceremony...


    Thest banquet ended and the guests had finally left the castle. Lauel faced the mountain of treasures they had left behind andughed. He had been tired every day and it had been a long time since he showed such a bright expression.


    ¡°The reason they are trying to establish a friendship with the Overgeared Kingdom is because they are fascinated by the greatness of the king or do they want to rely on the almighty power of a god?¡±


    The procession of the departing guests filled Lauel¡¯s blue eyes as he looked out the window and talked to himself. He seemed to be in good condition since he spoke such cheesyments for the first time in ages.


    ¡°None of the distinguished guests who visited this time caused problems, right?¡± Grid urgently led the conversation. He didn¡¯t want to give Lauel time to monologue.


    Lauel nodded. ¡°Yes, I only invited those whose origin and ideologies were verified. They are all great people who fight for the peace of the continent and the dignity of humanity. They don¡¯t cause incidents due to personal greed, so there is nothing wrong with forming a friendship with them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you picked them well.¡± Grid nodded and pulled out a few letters. They were letters privately handed to him before the kings of each kingdom left. The thing they had inmon was that they all had daughters. Grid opened the letters with a heart that thought ¡®no way,¡¯ only tough. ¡°Lord is really good.¡±


    I want to discuss marriage between Prince Lord and my daughter...


    The contents of the 11 letters were simr. In particr, the attitudes of the principalities that weren¡¯t kingdoms were positive. They seemed willing to use marriage to attach themselves to the Overgeared Kingdom. Lauel¡¯s face was brighter as they read the letters together side by side.


    ¡°I particrly covet the Hemilton Principality. It is a ce founded by Saharan¡¯s third son. It is a line of descent from the imperial family and the origins are good. If Prince Lord married a Hemilton woman and has children, we can handle them properly even if they don¡¯t inherit his talent.¡± Lauel excitedly exined.


    He was discussing the marriage between the prince and a well-known family. It was natural to be happy. On the contrary, Grid¡¯s response was cold, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mean to intervene in Lord¡¯s rtionships or marriage.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too much for a child who just had hising of age ceremony. I don¡¯t want to use Lord¡¯s marriage for politics. I don¡¯t intend to be a shameless person who sells my son for the benefit of myself and the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°No, that...¡±


    ¡°Lauel, don¡¯t be greedy. Thanks to your efforts, the Overgeared Kingdom has already flourished enough. Is it necessary to sacrifice Lord¡¯s happiness?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that...¡±


    Grid stopped talking and Lauel pointed out the window. Once Grid approached the window and saw the view outside, he finally shut his mouth. He could see Lord with hundreds of beauties who were the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates. He was lying down and using the knees of a blonde beauty as a pillow while hugging a brte beauty¡¯s waist and kissed her cheek.


    Lauel directly told Grid, ¡°...If you leave it like this, it will be a serious problem.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lord hadn¡¯t changed. He cared for the girls who lost their ce since they were young. People used to watch the appearance of such a Lord happily. Now Lord was too old. This scene became strange because he was more mature than his peers and looked like a young man. Like the protagonist of a martial arts or fantasy novel, he looked like a horny man who made a harem.


    It was as expected. The expressions of the people passing by weren¡¯t good as they saw Lord being surrounded by beauties.


    ¡°Prince Lord¡¯s heart might still be pure, but the Reba¡¯s Daughters candidates are different. Their hearts grew as they aged. If you don¡¯t separate them from now on, you really will have hundreds of grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the royal family, the tragedy of killing one¡¯s siblings wasmon. The more children a king had, the more the tragedy intensified. Grid was troubled for a long time before stating with a frown, ¡°It is time for Lord to go on an adventure.¡± Lord¡¯s growth restrictions were lifted yesterday with the end of theing of age ceremony. Despite being named, his various stats and levels were blocked by the restriction. Now they could be raised without any limits.


    ¡°Tiramet, Cray.¡±


    ¡°I have responded to Your Majesty¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Why are you calling me?¡±


    Tiramet and Cray¡ªthey were the direct descendant vampires who swore allegiance to Blood King Grid and had their souls liberated. As children born from Beriache, they might be inferior to Marie Rose and Braham, but from a general point of view, they were a disaster at the level of a named boss.


    ¡°For the time being, follow by Lord¡¯s side and take care of him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There were many excellent hunting spots and attractions within the Overgeared Kingdom. Lord¡¯s first adventure would be using the Overgeared Kingdom as the stage, not a distant foreign kingdom. However, not all areas were safe just because they were in the Overgeared Kingdom. In particr, Lord still had a low level. His identity meant it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he was targeted by a specific force.


    ¡®Still, there is less danger in low level zones, so it is enough to have Tiramet and Cray as an escort.¡¯


    The low level hunting grounds were easy to manage and security was good. There were soldiers and knights from the Overgeared Kingdom everywhere. This meant it was unlikely that anyone would be aiming for Lord.


    ¡®Once Lord¡¯s level rises and he aims for the high level hunting ground, I can increase the escorts at that time.¡¯


    Elfin Stone, Noll, Yetima, etc.¡ªthere were many direct descendant vampires to use as escorts. In the worst case scenario, he could rely on the title ¡®First Father.¡¯ First Father recognized when the child¡¯s health fell below 30% and the Father¡¯s Instinctive Love skill will be activated. At that time, he woulde running to save Lord.


    Grid was thinking this when he came to his senses. It was because Lauel¡¯s eyes were fixed on him.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°It is absurd. If you are so worried, then you might as well bring Prince Lord with you.¡±


    ¡°No, this doesn¡¯t suit the purpose of letting him go on an adventure.¡±


    Grid wanted Lord to go on an adventurer because he wanted Lord to build up experience, learn and create new rtionships, while fostering independence. He hoped Lord would do his part alone, while also getting out of the skirts of the Reba¡¯s Daughter candidates. He wondered if anything would change if Lord just followed him.


    ¡°If that is really your purpose, you have to trust him and let him go alone.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t give him escorts?¡±


    ¡°I am in favor of an escort, but it is rmended that you attach the Overgeared Shadows so that Prince Lord doesn¡¯t notice it.¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡± It was questionable if the independence of Lord could be increased by sending an open escort. The presence of an escort could instead make Lord rx. ¡°Fine then. Please send as many outstanding ones as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If we want to deceive Prince Lord¡¯s senses, then we have to put one of the best talents on him.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Come to think of it, Faker is doing well.¡±


    Before logging into Satisfy and attending theing of age ceremony, Grid also watched the National Competition. He cheered for Damian¡¯s hard work and watched the emergence of the Shadow Demon King. This year¡¯s demon king who used the shadows of everything as weapons and soldiers brought a great shock to the people. The sight of the shadow army, that rose again and again no matter how many times they were knocked down, and how they killed yers, was overwhelming.


    Lauel smiled. ¡°There is no need to worry about Faker, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Faker had been protecting the members of the Overgeared Guild. If Grid was the sun, then Faker was the moon. After bing Lantier and increasing his strength, the scene of his defeat in this National Competition was never seen.


    After participating in the National Competition, show a cool appearance ande back.


    Grid sent Faker support in his heart and brought up the active quest window.


    [The Secret Story of the Birth of the Blood King]


    [Difficulty: ???


    The progenitor Beriache had to ovee all types of trials alone. After being driven out of hell and wandering around the human world alone, she realized how painful solitude was.


    This was why she gave her children genders.


    Beriache didn¡¯t want her children to be lonely. She hoped they would meet a life partner and ovee their cursed fate together.


    This was why she couldn¡¯t forgive Braham who harmed Elfin Stone¡¯s fiancee, and the reason the arrangement of the Blood King exists.


    The Blood King¡ªyou are the Blood King that Pope Chreshler failed to be and that Sword Saint Muller rejected. You have a duty to appease Marie Rose¡¯s solitude.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Achieve 10 points of affinity with Marie Rose.


    Quest Clear Rewards: The information ¡®Secret Story of the Birth of the Blood King¡¯ can be viewed.]


    It was a quest that automatically urred when Marie Rose mentioned her spouse and his seed. It was also the quest that gave Grid the courage to promise he would visit her.


    ¡®I have to go and see her.¡¯


    Information was power. New information often brought up hidden functions. Additionally, Marie Rose was a possible ally. Grid had determined that it was better to clear this quest as soon as possible.


    ¡®There is nothing good about dying and making Marie Rosee to me first again.¡¯


    He had a hunch that the situation at that time wouldn¡¯t be good. Marie Rose was someone whose affinity didn¡¯t rise even when she talked about marriage. He couldn¡¯t read her heart, so he needed to pay more attention.


    ¡®Before that.¡¯


    Just then, a deafening noise was heard in the distance. Grid looked over and saw a corner of a mountain copsing. The spear of light that was stuck in the mountain scattered and disappeared.


    ¡®Let¡¯s start with Braham.¡¯


    Braham destroyed a mountain every time he forged Greed with the legendary great magic, Disintegrate. Grid wanted to encourage Braham, who had been doing the same thing repeatedly for several weeks to help the creation of new minerals, and tofort him, who was upset by the meeting with Marie Rose.


    ¡°I will go to Braham. Ah, I will also send the golden walnuts as gifts to the guests who attended thising of age ceremony.¡±


    At present, the golden walnuts being grown on Cokro Ind were half a sess. It had a simr elixir effect to the golden walnuts grown on the East Continent, but there were limitations on the effect. It was only effective two times per person. Of course, this alone was a great effect. It was the best gift.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much as a gift?¡± I¡¯d rather spread it among the knights of the Overgeared Guild...¡±


    ¡°Piaro wants morend to grow them. I n to let as many kingdoms know about the golden walnut as possible to cooperate and rentnd with a climate simr to Cokro Ind.¡±


    ¡°To grow the perfect golden walnut, he needs to experiment under more conditions. Yes, I understand.¡± Lauel was sufficiently convinced and nodded.


    Then Grid went to Braham. Once he came back, he nned to call Lord to tell him to go on an adventure.

 Chapter 1397

    <h4>Chapter 1397</h4>


    The moment he faced Marie Rose and his head turned nk, he felt Piaro and Asmophel approaching and felt expectant. He could survive as long as he was with them. He had the lowly hope that he wouldn¡¯t lose anything this time. It was the shame of a lifetime.


    The pride of the legendary great magician was trampled on the moment he realized he was reliant on others who were even weaker than himself. The natural pride he had as a child of his mother, Beriache, was shattered. First and foremost, he was ashamed. He saw Grid, who used to seriously listen to him as the strongest, look at him with a worried expression and wanted to hide in a mouse hole.


    ¡°...Marie Rose!¡±


    Braham¡¯s surrounding magic power was turbulent. It whirled around like a gust of wind before quickly gathering to form arge spear of light. Hundreds of years ago, Braham used Disintegrate to prate and destroy the pce of King Farah. The great magic that was called the product of a legend while Braham was asleep was now thrown at Greed on the anvil. It was originally a magic that could destroy even a mountain.


    One of the reasons why Braham could get rid of the pursuit of the fire dragon Trauka was that the precursor of Disintegrate awakened Trauka¡¯s wariness. However, the current Disintegrate was very weak. A significant portion of the power was absorbed by Greed, but only a ¡®corner¡¯ of the small mountain disappeared. He hunted a hydra and became part of the myth, but he hadn¡¯t yet recovered the strength from his prime.


    On the other hand, what about Marie Rose? She spent more of her life asleep and stockpiling power. Now she had much more powerful magic power than she used to. It was safe to say that the difference between his skills and Marie Rose¡¯s skills was greater than ever.


    Of course, this was a story whenparing Braham in his vampire days. Braham wasn¡¯t a magician when his heart was pierced by Marie Rose. He was just a beast absorbed in his innate strength and knowledge.


    ¡®If I could regain my strength back then...¡¯


    The power of a direct descendant vampire and all the magic that umted as a great magician¡ªif he could regain all this power and merge it with divinity, then there would be some degree of bnce between him and her, even if he couldn¡¯t pierce Marie Rose¡¯s heart or tear off her head.


    Then they could talk about who was truly the strongest. At that time, he would truly be ¡®Braham¡¯...


    ¡®To restore my strength....¡¯


    Time was needed. He shouldn¡¯t be frustrated. He should keep devoting himself and working hard. Braham¡¯s eyes stopped shaking and subsided calmly. Marie Rose was born at the expense of their mother and used the Curse of Sloth as an excuse to waste time. He repressed the deep anger and resentment he had toward his damn enemy. He took the disappointment and disgust he felt as nutrients for enthusiasm and maintained his spirit that was on the verge of copse.


    This was the mentality of the great magician, not the vampire. Braham honed his spiritual strength after losing the power of a vampire, being exiled to the human world, and oveing many types of hardships.


    ¡°Hoo...¡±He was controlling his breathing when he heard a familiar sound. He could see Grid approaching through the air. His reliance on old boots, despite being able to spread open the wings of a dragon, made Braham smile.


    Then before Grid approached, he erased the smile so there were no traces. He greeted Grid in a blunt manner, ¡°Did youe here tofort me? Forget it. Marie Rose is the one who has inherited the power of our mother. It is natural to shrink back from that woman, so I¡¯m not particrly ashamed or angry.¡±


    ¡°Do I look so impudent? I don¡¯t have the qualifications tofort Braham.¡±


    This was a fact that Braham didn¡¯t know, but Grid used the vision he didn¡¯t have before. Long before he arrived, he observed Braham. He witnessed Braham¡¯s determination to abandon his anxiety and anger. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t worried about Braham. What was the point of worrying about someone who could endure it alone and ovee it?


    ¡°Then why did youe to me?¡±


    "No, can I onlye to you when there is work? Have you eaten~ What type of tea did you have at tea time today~ I came because of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°...Bah. If you want to know the progress of the magic forging, then don¡¯t worry. It is progressing without wasting a single second.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the magic forging. That... can¡¯t you do it in your mental world?¡±


    Braham smashed mountains every time he forged Greed. It meant that after a few weeks, the mountains near Reinhardt would disappearpletely. Braham shook his head. ¡°That is pointless. It is possible to transfer Greed to my mental world, but it is impossible to take the newly forged Greed out of the mental world.


    "Why?"


    ¡°It is because the material that changed in my mental world naturally bes part of my mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid roughly understood. In any case, it meant the magic forging must be done externally.


    ¡°Then at least don¡¯t destroy the mountains.¡±


    Wood, minerals, and herbs could be gathered from the mountains near Reinhardt. It was also a favorite stage for neers to hunt wild animals and mountains. If the mountains were gone, resources could be imported. However, there would be no jobs for people and hunting grounds for yers, so he would need to worry about the long-term losses.


    Braham snorted. ¡°It is up to me where to go and what to do.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was this person still upset because of Marie Rose? From Grid¡¯s point of view, Braham was behaving badly for no reason. He just couldn¡¯t persuade Braham any longer. It was something to be thankful for that Braham was spending his time using magic forging on Greed. It should be shameless if he told Braham to go do it on an uninhabited ind.


    ¡®Yes... at least he is smashing the mountains, not the city.¡¯


    In the first ce, the reason Braham came to the mountains to practice magic was to avoid harming people. It was a pity to keep picking on him when he was being considerate in many ways.


    ¡®If the mountains disappear, there will be an increase in clearings. The farmers will like it.¡¯


    Grid thought positively before taking out folded clothes and handing it to Braham. It was a reproduction of the original form of Beriache¡¯s Underclothing, which changed to a shape suitable for Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    ¡°It is a restoration of the underclothing believed to have been used by Beriache during her days as a great demon.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I restored it using my Tailoring skill to give to you as a gift,¡± Grid proudly exined, happy that he made clothes for Braham to remember his mother.


    Of course, Braham¡¯s reaction was very cold.


    ¡°It seems you have lost your mind for a moment before you met Marie Rose.¡±


    If it was a symbol other than underwear, then he might¡¯ve been slightly impressed. However, it was underwear. It was a bit strange to cherish his mother¡¯s underwear...


    Grid saw Braham frowning and btedly realized his mistake.


    ***


    [Name: Lord Steim


    Age: 15 Gender: Male


    ss: Prince


    Title: Genius of the West Continent


    * A genius that represents one continent. He overwhelms national geniuses, and his level and abilities will rise 60% faster than normal. Additionally, he can acquire skills in a wide range of fields.


    Title: One who Will Be a Legend


    A person who will leave his name in history. There is an 80% chance of being immune to all status effects and illnesses. When attacked, if his health falls to 1 point, he will enter the immortal state for 2.5 seconds.


    Title: Overgeared God¡¯s Child


    Not a half-god. He was born in the days when the Overgeared God was a human, so he doesn¡¯t have the blood, body, and power of a god. However, there is a chance that he will be an object of faith.


    Title: Devilish Man


    Even if there are no special intentions, there is a high probability of tempting the opposite sex. It can be lucky or it can be unlucky.


    Level: 150


    Strength: 1,500 Stamina: 1,500


    Agility: 1,500 Intelligence: 1,447


    Dexterity: 1,500 Divine Power: 1,160


    Charm: 1,500 Dignity: 870


    Insight: 1,500 Politics: 552


    Persistence: 1,210 Composure: 1,210


    The son of Overgeared God Grid.


    He has inherited all of his parent¡¯s strengths so his potential is outstanding. Teaching him will be inspiring. He has six teachers who are influential for their time and has perfectly digested their courses. The legendary great magician Braham also seems interested in his talent.


    He grew up with an upright personality thanks to his mother¡¯s excellent discipline. He has a morality that can¡¯t be shaken by any temptation. However, caution is needed because he has a fairly free mind when ites to rtionships with the opposite sex.


    Skills Possessed: Riding (A), Physical Technique (A), Advanced Bow Mastery (A), Advanced Spear Mastery (A), Reba Church¡¯s Divine power (A¨‹¨‹¨‹), Etiquette (S), Daluka¡¯s Methods (S), Iplete Sword Saint¡¯s Swordsmanship (S+), Advanced Weapons Mastery (S+), Sage Sticks Elementalism (SS), Advanced cksmithing (SS), Farming (SS), Discerning Eye (SS), Overwhelming Charm (SS), Prestigious and Legendary Lineage (SS), Morality (SS), Lantier¡¯s Techniques (SS+), Sage¡¯s Wisdom (SS+), Son of a God (??)]


    This was the status window of Lord with no items. The (-) mark attached to level 150 and each stat that had reached 1,500 had been removed. It meant the growth restrictions had been lifted. Grid predicted that Lord¡¯s average stats would exceed 2,000 in the near future.


    ¡®The regretting thing is the Reba Church¡¯s divine power.¡¯


    He remembered it was SS grade when he saw it a few months ago. Suddenly, it was downgraded to an A grade because he went against the Reba Church.


    ¡®...I think the reason why Overwhelming Charm has risen is Sua¡¯s influence.¡¯


    The title of Devilish Man was particrly difficult. Grid checked Lord¡¯s status window with a slightly troubled expression and spoke after thinking carefully, ¡°Lord, now that you¡¯ve grown up, why don¡¯t you go on an adventure?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I think it will be really fun!¡± Lord smiled widely and replied vigorously.


    There might be some uneasiness about going out into the unknown world, but he looked very happy. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t know the ins and outs of the world. Lord was a genius. He understood the rules and regtions of the world. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence because he had already prepared a thorough growth n.


    ¡°An adventure must have a purpose. The intention of an adventure can change if you wander around aimlessly. Have you considered the purpose of the adventure?¡±


    Lord¡¯s eyes shone. "First of all, I want to defeat the Guardian of the Forest.¡±


    The first chapter of the Overgeared King¡¯s biography (now Overgeared God¡¯s biography) that was sung by the bards opened with the battle against the Guardian of the Forest.


    Lord was keen to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps. It was also reasonable.


    ¡®Bairan as his first adventure... it is appropriate.¡¯


    Grid had poured a lot of affection toward Lord. From the time that Lord gained a teacher in each field and started to engage in full-scale training, Grid gave items that would grow with Lord as gifts.


    Given that most of Lord¡¯s exclusive equipment were rare and epic rated, and the overall level of his skills was legendary rated, the fields and dungeons around Bairan wouldn¡¯t be a major threat to Lord. His stats might not be high due to the age restrictions, but he could kill monsters with items and skills.


    ¡®He will be at least 20 levels higher when he meets the Guardian of the Forest...¡¯


    His stats would rise evenly in the aftermath of his actions and choices, so it was possible for him to raid the Guardian of the Forest on his own. Grid smiled widely enough to reveal his white teeth as he thought about it.


    ¡°Okay. Take down the Guardian of the Forest and return.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father! I will bring back the blue orichalcum as a token!¡± Lord answered vigorously and left Reinhardt after being seen off by Queen Irene and his girlfriends.


    Lord was excited about going on his first adventure alone (?) and didn¡¯t use the warpgate or ride a horse. He used both legs and ran in the direction of Bairan. Grid watched Lord¡¯s back getting further away with Barbatos¡¯ Vision andughed.


    ¡®Rather than bing tired, he is getting faster and faster.¡¯


    The act of ¡®running¡¯ alone was raising his stamina and agility stats in real time. The stats that had been stopped for several years after reaching the max value were already starting to grow explosively.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The Overgeared Shadows, who had initially been keeping a considerable distance from Lord, panicked and sped up. They would be spotted sooner orter...


    Grid clicked his tongue and spoke to Kasim, who was in the shadows, ¡°Leave the queen¡¯s protection to Faker for the time being. I will ask you to look after Lord.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kasim disappeared into the shadows. It was only when Grid was reassured that he looked at the notification windows floating to one side of his vision.


    [Your son, Lord, has gone on an adventure.]


    [Lord wille back to you with the gift of blue orichalcum.]

 Chapter 1398

    <h4>Chapter 1398</h4>


    ¡°Are you going to see Marie Rose? Hmm... Do whatever you want.¡±


    It was neither Grid¡¯s intention nor meaning to ask Braham for permission. He just thought it wasn¡¯t polite to contact Marie Rose without informing Braham.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay?¡±


    Grid expected a violent reaction from Braham. From Braham¡¯s point of view, Marie Rose was someone Braham had a deep-rooted enmity with. Grid thought Braham would be angry with him for meeting her. Yet Braham was surprisingly sober. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be okay? It is up to you who you meet and what you do. It doesn¡¯t matter even if you have a liaison with her or not.¡±


    ¡°T-The term liaison is a bit... in the first ce, I¡¯m not interested in her.¡±


    Grid looked around like someone was listening. Marie Rose was pure and bewitching. She might have the most ideal ratio of beauty, but surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t to Grid¡¯s taste. Perhaps it was because her beauty was so perfect that it felt unrealistic. In the first ce, Grid had people he loved. Shifting his eyes to a new woman when he couldn¡¯t even organize his rtionships properly with the women already in his life? He couldn¡¯t do that unless he was a son of a bitch.


    ¡°I mean it doesn¡¯t matter if you cooperate... what did you take it for?¡±


    The embarrassed Grid coughed and asked straightforwardly, ¡°Hum hum, can you be amiable with Marie Rose?¡±


    Braham wondered, ¡°What is your purpose?¡±


    Purpose? Of course, it was to eat and live well. He wanted his family, colleagues, and people to be happy and peaceful. The necessary processes to achieve this ultimate wish were...


    ¡°Destroy the great demons in hell, help the four gods of the East Continent, and save Hexetia in Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Destroying the great demons is among them. That is also my wish and Marie Rose¡¯s duty. It isn¡¯t bad to join forces for a while if there is a part that matches our purpose. Personal feelings are just a luxury in front of the cause.¡±


    Magicians were extremely intelligent people. As long as Braham recognized himself as a ¡®magician¡¯ instead of a ¡®vampire,¡¯ he would be able to postpone any resentment toward Marie Rose. Grid was reminded of Kasim. The man who swallowed his grudge against the empire for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom...


    Kasim and Braham were truly very good people.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Lord was now too far away even for Barbatos¡¯ Vision. Grid came back from the memory of his conversation with Braham and made up his mind as he stood with his back against the setting sun.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯


    He could intuitively tell that a meeting with Marie Rose couldn¡¯t be avoided just because he didn¡¯t want to be in a rtionship with her. They would be involved in the future anyway. it was better to establish a good rtionship with her. Above all, Braham wasn¡¯t worried about Grid going to meet Marie Rose. Braham was well aware of Marie Rose¡¯s personality, so it meant that the possibility of her harming Grid was low.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Mercedes called out to Grid who was ready to leave. ¡°I will go with you.¡±


    He felt the will to never withdraw from her determined eyes.


    Grid nodded gently. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°......?¡± Mercedes was confused. Her duty was to defend Grid but Grid had always been reluctant to let her apany him on the pretext of danger. Now he was saying to go together so easily? Mercedes was relieved.


    ¡®I thought he wanted to go to a dangerous ce alone again. Fortunately, this isn¡¯t the case.¡¯


    Yes, there should be times for people to rest. Mercedes thought they were going for a walk nearby but she soon turned white as she followed Grid. The only ce among the vampire cities that hadn¡¯t been attacked. No, it was a ce they couldn¡¯t attack. Grid stopped in front of the entrance that was ¡®hernd,¡¯ also known as the home of the vampire duke Marie Rose.


    ¡°......¡±


    She never imagined their destination would be here until she took the warp gate to Reidan. Why did hee to this ce that he had been avoiding so far? Was His Majesty fascinated by her as well? Mercedes¡¯ hair shook slightly as he recalled the shocking beauty of Marie Rose, who came to Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony. Yet she didn¡¯t break her posture no matter the time or the circumstances.


    Grid looked at her blue hair that was the only lively thing in this dry desert under the hot sun and opened his mouth, ¡°You¡¯ve already seen it with Keen Insight, but Marie Rose is very strong. Perhaps even a dragon can¡¯t treat her carelessly.¡±


    Mercedes didn¡¯t deny it. The Marie Rose whom she met at Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony was in a different dimension. She was confident that she had be stronger after defeating Hell Gao with Grid¡¯s help, but she couldn¡¯t do anything against Marie Rose. It wasn¡¯t merely at a level that could be called a species difference. Marie Rose was specialpared to the direct descendant vampires who followed Grid. Her origin itself felt different.


    ¡°I think Marie Rose¡¯s strength is necessary for the future of humanity.¡±


    Mercedes with her Keen Insight and Grandmaster Zikfrector. Two of the people with humanity¡¯s greatest potential were originally destined to have died. Satisfy¡¯s story was designed to continue without them. However, could the story continue without Marie Rose? Grid predicted that there would be no variable of Marie Rose¡¯s death.


    In particr, if he assumed that the reason why the Evil God Yatan expelled Beriache instead of killing her was because he couldn¡¯t kill Beriache, it meant that Marie Rose¡¯s power¡ªthat transcended Beriache¡ªcould reach a divine level. Physically, it was hard for her to die.


    ¡°Marie Rose was born at the expense of Beriache¡¯s life and has a duty to avenge Beriache. Her enemy is Yatan, the evil god who expelled Beriache from hell and the great demons who follow him.¡±


    ¡°...You mean that you can cooperate with her.¡±


    There was confidence in Grid¡¯s voice as he answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Therefore, Mercedes had no doubts. ¡°I will follow you. If she doesn¡¯t want to stand by your side, I will punish her even if it means sacrificing my life.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    Then let¡¯s die together.


    ***


    ¡°Is this a warning? He is still so childish.¡±


    A boy examined thendscape outside Reinhardt and clicked his tongue. The skinny body and pale white skin caught the eye of passersby. A man who appeared to be in a group with him waspletely covered by a robe, making them seem even more suspicious. The man who didn¡¯t care asked the boy, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°These mountains.¡± The boy pointed to some debris that hadrge and small rocks mixed with them. The man thought it was traces of destroying a building, but it turned out to be a ¡®mountain.¡¯ The boy continued, ¡°It is the aftermath of Disintegrate.¡±


    ¡°Disintegrate...¡±


    The legendary great magic that was said to be the strongest among magic with no attributes. As far as humanity knew, there was currently only one man who could use it. Braham. The strongest power Grid relied on. The man¡¯s expression stiffened at the thought and the boy exined, ¡°As long as Braham leaves a mark that he is staying here, no one would dare to make trouble here. It is a type of domain marking.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, smashing mountains just to show his domain, he has a hot-tempered personality.¡±


    ¡°He is a crazy guy. In any case, I don¡¯t want to deal with him.¡±


    The boy frowned when the man in the robeughed.


    ¡°Can you please show us your ID?¡± Just then, soldiers approached and surrounded them. The passersby seemed to be going past, but they had actually reported it.


    Did he look like a child abuser? The man was frowning invisibly when the boy whispered to him, ¡°Should I kill them?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you don¡¯t want to meet Braham? You might immediately encounter him if you cause a disturbance here.¡±


    ¡°It is your wish. In any case, I have to follow as long as you are my master.¡±


    The boy who spoke bluntly was called Pauld. Pauld was a magician who was active in Braham¡¯s era. He failed to be a legend because his skills, achievements, and every aspect wereckingpared to Braham, but he was still called a great magician. A few months ago, he was resurrected hundreds of years after his death. He ate the Kunlun Ginseng and was reborn as aplete lich. His master was naturally...


    ¡°Excuse me? Please cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will cooperate. I¡¯m sorry for my slow actions.¡±


    It was Agnus. He took off his robe with a wide smile once the soldiers urged him and pulled out an ID card. The soldiers confirmed it. The name was Havel. 35 years old. upation was a craftsman. His residence was in Saharan and he was supporting an ailing mother and a young son...


    There were no problems with the contents of the ID. However, the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom were known for their thoroughness. ¡°Is this your son?¡±


    "Yes, my son¡¯s dream is to also be a craftsman. He saw that I was visiting Elizabeth¡¯s workshop and resolutely followed me. He isn¡¯t in good health.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The soldier who was trying to ask for the boy¡¯s ID looked nervous. At a nce, the sickly boy and the thin father were rich in life experience and could endure all types of storms. The ID card was fine and there was nothing strange, so he didn¡¯t want to be stricter than necessary.


    However, the senior soldier¡¯s attitude was different. This investigation was carried out due to the report of residents, so he nned to proceed with the formal procedure. ¡°Your son¡¯s ID.¡±


    "Yes, here.¡±


    ¡°Um... How is your rtionship with your father?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good. Very much so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯m done checking. I hope you make good memories in Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Agnus nodded to the soldiers, passed by the fields, and reached the city gates. He also passed unharmed through the gates.


    Pauldughed. ¡°It is magic to change your appearance by covering yourself with the skin of a corpse. It is really disgusting like a demon¡¯s technique, but it is convenient.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ridiculous for a madman who turned himself into a lich to say it is disgusting? Sniff sniff.¡±Agnus suddenly started sniffing. He thought there was an unpleasant smell at the tip of his nose, but it turned out to be the stench from his body. The corpse skin he was wearing had started to rot. It seemed he needed new corpse skin before visiting Elizabeth¡¯s workshop.


    He didn¡¯t want his identity to be discovered and amotion to ur. He only had one purpose in visiting Reinhardt. It was to gain the materials needed for the artifacts that Pauld would create. Elizabeth was a craftsman level essories maker and she could make the materials. He would have to pay quite a lot of money, but...


    ¡°Look for a graveyard. Find a private cemetery or family cemetery where there are few people.¡±


    ¡°Croak. You are too careful. Since ancient times, Baal¡¯s Contractor should advance and dominate with overwhelming force and no scruples. Croak. You have almost been like a rat recently. Croak.¡±


    It was Cepardea who grumbled while jumping and searching for a graveyard. The toad, who was the subordinate of the 1st Great Demon, Baal, was useful in many ways.


    "There are quite a few powerful people. We have to be very careful while we¡¯re staying here.¡± The soldiers who were merely security guards gave off a feeling of martial ability with just one nce. Perhaps they might be caught the moment a high ranking security guard passed by. Pauld reflexively controlled his magic power and warned Agnus. Agnus looked over a fence toward a training ground and nodded.


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    The dozens of targets lined up in the training ground had traces of arrows piercing ¡®only the center.¡¯ The spacious grounds of the academy were filled with elemental energy, while the towering towers were filled with powerful magic power. On the surface, it was a seemingly peaceful city. From a slightly different perspective, it was a ce where all types of monsters lived.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be rats as Cepardea said.¡±


    After the destruction of Luna (believed to be real), Agnus changed. Now he faced reality. Like other rankers, he became calm and cautious. The Agnus who always lived with madness and death no longer existed in the world. It was the birth of a new evil, the demon king.

 Chapter 1399

    <h4>Chapter 1399</h4>


    It wasmon in games that once one faction prevailed, opposing forces would be created to contain it. If it was difficult to control a single force, they would oppose it even if it meant forming an alliance. The Overgeared Kingdom that had already maintained its top position for many years was a rare case in the long history of gaming.


    Why wasn¡¯t there a huge alliance formed to go against the Overgeared Kingdom? Of course, it was because the Overgeared Kingdom was overwhelmingly strong.


    However, there was arger reason. They didn¡¯t make any big mistakes. The Overgeared Kingdom that was thoroughly managed by Lauel rarelymitted acts that would arouse the resentment of people. Rather, their use of various systems was to help people and generate profit from them. It wasn¡¯t the so-called power abuse nor did theymit any deep-rooted evil.


    Additionally, Grid¡¯s heroic activities contributed greatly to the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s external image. Look at Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony a few days ago. For the safety of the many distinguished guests, the Overgeared Kingdom hosted theing of age ceremony on a small scale and in private. All entrances to the pce were blocked and barricades put up to prevent outsiders from essing the venue.


    However, the people¡¯s congrattory celebrations didn¡¯t stop. Countless people filled Reinhardt¡¯s streets and called out the names of Grid and Lord. It ovepped with the duration of the National Competition. The other forces had no cause or courage to be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°It is a kingdom that willst a thousand years,¡± Pauld murmured as he leisurely enjoyed the scenery of Reinhardt. Hundreds of years ago, he had still been human. The many feelings he had when he saw the empire in its golden age was once again felt here in Reinhardt.


    ¡°The ¡®cheeky guy¡¯ mentioned by the toad many times is the master of this ce? He is going to be a real pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡®This kingdom is too strong to be destroyed using your power alone. It will be your biggest stumbling block.¡¯ Pauld swallowed back these words.


    Agnus would know even if he didn¡¯t say anything. Agnus, who couldn¡¯t adapt to his short hair and swept it back as usual, replied with an expressionless face, ¡°Won¡¯t Baale out when it is time?¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Since joining Agnus, Pauld had visited hell several times and met Baal. Therefore, Pauld easily understood. However, Agnus, who said the words, didn¡¯t trust Baal.


    ¡®It would be meaningless if Baales forward.¡¯


    All demons were weak in the human world. The great demons were no exception. They became weakened by three or four times. However, Baal suffered a much bigger penalty. It was impossible in itself for his body toe to the human world. It was only possible to barely breathe the air of the human world by splitting himself into small pieces and transnting himself into Baal¡¯s Contractor. No matter how much stronger he was than the 32nd Great Demon, Belial, he couldn¡¯t be active in the human world.


    ¡®Well... this is why I am getting all types of benefits.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s Contractor was the agent of Baal, who was weak in the human world, and the one who wouldplete the conquest of the human world on behalf of Baal. Baal provided a lot of amenities for Agnus in order for him to be stronger. But...


    ¡®You never know when he will act capriciously.¡¯


    Baal might suddenly lose interest in the human world and force them to do something else. This was Baal¡¯s personality.


    ¡®What is Baal¡¯s purpose in the first ce?¡¯


    On the surface, the principle behind Baal¡¯s actions was the fulfillment of his desires. He nned and did everything purely for his own entertainment. Yet was that really all? He was one of the ultimate bosses, so wouldn¡¯t he have a hidden heart?


    It happened around the time that Agnus¡¯ questions started deepening...


    The frog¡ªChepardea, Baal¡¯s subordinate and Agnus¡¯ watcher¡ªjumped onto Agnus¡¯ shoulder and proudly reported, ¡°Croak. I found a graveyard.¡±


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    A dragonfly sitting on a flower a bit further away was pierced by a bone thorn. Agnus pulled it over and threw it to Chepardea. Chepardea stretched out his tongue and ate it. Then he became angry. ¡°Croak! Don¡¯t treat me as a frog! Croak!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    Agnus had adapted to Chepardea¡¯s noisy personality a long time ago. He ignored this noisy guy and stood in front of a quiet cemetery. He could feel the corpses sleeping in the cemetery. It was ¡®Traces of the Dead¡¯ that could only be used by a necromancer. As Agnus was Baal¡¯s Contractor, the appearance of the dead and some of the characteristics could be seen. It was a type of character observation.


    ¡°Put On.¡±


    The dignity of a human was trampled on. The graveyard carefully built by the family members was dug up and a rotten body appeared. Subsequently, it was oveid on Agnus¡¯ body. It looked just like it was in life.


    [The effect of the skill ¡®Put On¡¯ has changed your appearance and stats. Itsts for two hours. You can turn it off at will.]


    [During the time when this skill is maintained, the use of all skills is sealed except for the exclusive skills of Baal¡¯s Contractor.]


    ¡°Sniff sniff.¡±The stench had disappeared. He also liked the length of his hair this time.


    Agnus was sweeping back the hair that fell down to his cheeks when Cepardea scolded him, ¡°Are you a serf this time? Croak! Baal¡¯s Contractor should use the corpse of a hero at a minimum! It is pathetic! Croak!¡±


    ¡°Serf?¡±


    Agnus confirmed what he looked like in the pond. Certainly, this was a serf to anyone who looked. He was even old. The problem was...


    ¡®I thought it was a soldier.¡¯


    The stats were high. The effect of Put On was to use the target¡¯s ¡®appearance and stats before death.¡¯ However, the stats were too high to be reasonable for an old serf. In particr, his strength and stamina were great. It was a level just below a knight.


    Agnus was feeling puzzled when his eyes suddenly curved in a smile.


    ¡®Ahh, this is a farmer of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    Agnus looked over the city. Soldiers training in barracks everywhere, magicians experimenting in the magic towers, students being educated at the academy, knights guarding the streets, and monsters at every corner...


    Agnus¡¯ consciousness that was only focused on them extended to the fields outside the city gates. The thousands of serfs that had previously been seen as insignificant were now a military force. It was a military force blindly loyal to Grid.


    ¡®It is great, Grid.¡¯


    During the years when Agnus had been an irrational beast, Grid had developed this far. A cold smile spread on the face of the admiring Agnus. He thought of the strongest army that would be born the moment he killed Grid¡¯s soldiers and made them his own. As long as the Lantern of Humanity kept growing, his power against humanity would be strengthened in proportion.


    Agnus was immersed in a strange excitement as he ripped off his left arm.


    ***


    At Elizabeth¡¯s workshop...


    Elizabeth grew by making essories for the Overgeared members and had now be a master craftsman. Her name was always mentioned when discussing the continent¡¯s greatest essory makers. Her excellent skills always attracted new guests and quests.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m not epting customers for the time being. I can¡¯t even make reservations.¡±


    Customers who came to the workshop were often turned away at the doors. Elizabeth was so busy that it was hard for her to ept new customers. It was even more so from the time she became a craftsman and could make simple artifacts.


    ¡°Would you like to look at this design drawing first before throwing us out?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    A boy spoke boldly and handed over a design. Elizabethughed as she turned her eyes to him, who had white skin like the vampires she often encountered in the Overgeared Guild. ¡°Why? Do you think your designs will get this sister¡¯s attention?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, really?¡±


    There were surprisingly many customers of this type. They tried to attract attention somehow to open up an opportunity for conversation and entrust the request. This little boy...


    ¡®I guess that old man asked him to do it.¡¯ Elizabeth nced at the boy¡¯s group member with a deep gaze before reaching out to the boy.


    ¡°Give it to me. Instead, if there is nothing special then bye bye!¡±


    He would probably just ask her to make pretty earrings or nes. Perhaps it was a gift he wanted to give to his mother.


    ¡®His heart is very special, but his mother¡¯s gift should be entrusted to other essory makers on the street.¡¯


    Bah, what did people know?


    ¡°......?¡±


    Elizabeth¡¯s face stiffened like a stone as she ced her wavy blonde hair behind her ear. There wereplex but sophisticated figures and geometric shapes. The forms and shapes that filled the design had a depth that pushed Elizabeth¡¯s limits, whose craftsman skill had reached level 3.


    ¡°W-What? What about these parts? Are you going to assemble a magic machine or something?¡±


    Of course, this was an exaggerated question. However, the parts drawn on the design had a structure that was delicate enough for such an exaggeration.


    The boy scratched his head. ¡°No way. I just need parts to make a prosthetic arm.¡±


    ¡°Groan... If the springs are built like this and assembled, you intend to circte magic power...¡±


    The boy points to the person he came with and exined, ¡°Yes, I want to give my grandfather an arm that moves like a real one.¡±


    It was an old serf. He was unfortunately missing one arm.


    ¡°It is difficult to make these parts with your skills?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy, but...¡± Elizabeth removed all the jewels and tools she hadid out on the workbench. It was a request from a regr customer who booked a month ago, but it wasn¡¯t an important issue now. ¡°I can do it.¡±


    Her skill level would rise the moment shepleted this boy¡¯s request. Elizabeth was convinced and became motivated. It was hard to miss the moment that came after a long time.


    ***


    There was always danger in darkness. Grid had attacked many vampire cities so far and was well aware of how dangerous a ce without any light was. Familiars lurking in the darkness would attack the intruders and lead them to the side of the vampires sleeping in the coffin.


    ¡°There is nothing.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    How strong were Marie Rose¡¯s familiars and vampires? No matter how strong, they wouldn¡¯t be stronger than the demons of the single digit hells, right? Grid was feeling nervous when he showed a deted response. The city where Marie Rose lived was quiet. It wasn¡¯t because the familiars and vampires were hiding. There was just nothing. His transcendent senses and Mercedes¡¯s Keen Insight confirmed it.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t even any ruins.¡¯


    The vampire cities he had visited so far were literally cities. There were many different types of buildings with dozens or hundreds of coffins. Yet this ce was different. The only thing that existed was darkness. It was a space of nothingness.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    How long did they walk? Grid and Mercedes were walking in a dull manner only to stop. A huge shadow was seen in the distance. It was the first time they saw something since entering the city.


    ¡°This... it is a castle.¡±


    No matter how much time passed, the darkness they couldn¡¯t adapt to swallowed up their sense of direction and distance. They would¡¯ve been lost if they were anyone other than Grid and Mercedes. They would¡¯ve reached the point where they didn¡¯t even know where each other was.


    However, Grid had his transcendent senses and Mercedes had Keen Insight. The two of them witnessed the faintly swaying shadow in the distance and noticed it was a huge building. There was no need to wander any longer. They quickened their pace and within dozens of minutes, they finally reached the high gate.


    [You have found the castle of Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]


    [The first discovery reward will increase the amount of experience earned and the probability of acquiring items for a week.]


    Was it a wee? Torches lit up to the left and right with the gate as the center. There were thousands of torches. It was a number that allowed them to guess the size of the castle.


    Creak.


    The gate opened. Grid thought they would have to move through an inner gate, but the corridor appeared right away.


    ¡®We are inside right from the outer gate?¡¯


    It was a structure that didn¡¯t take into ount the enemy invasion at all. Was it because no one with foolhardy bravery dared to enter this ce? Grid once again realized how great Marie Rose¡¯s existence was. He gulped and walked down the corridor covered with red carpet. He took a few steps before noticing something.


    It was that the paintings on the wall contained myths and legends that weren¡¯t a product of imagination, but an eyewitness record. The figure in the first painting was probably the evil god Yatan. A being painted all in ck.


    In the second painting, darkness floated about his head like a crown while there were three demons by his side. The small female body with her long hair braided on both sides that was painted in red looked like Beriache. She was attached to Yatan¡¯s side like they were going to link arms. The demon standing behind Yatan with a lowered head was depicted in green, but it was hard to infer who it was. Thest demon was a giant. He was alone away from the group and was clearly Baal due to the long, sharp nails that were painted ck, red, and white.


    ¡®This is the beginning of hell.¡¯


    Then what was the next one? Grid sped up his pace. It was because he wanted to see the third painting quickly.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid stopped in front of the third painting. ck, green, red, and the giant¡ªunlike the previous painting that expressed Yatan and the demons with colors and features, the third painting was a portrait drawn borately like a photograph.


    Reba, the goddess of light. Her face that was familiar to Grid filled up the frame. She looked down at Grid in a contemptuous manner with a hideous, distorted smile. She was like a demon. The unknown painter seemed to have wanted to say that Reba was a demon.

 Chapter 1400

    <h4>Chapter 1400</h4>


    ¡°This... it is a portrait of Goddess Reba.¡± She noticed after mistaking it for the face of a living person. Mercedes, who stepped back in surprise after seeing the third painting, btedly identified the identity of the subject of the painting and corrected her posture.


    ¡°It is like she is watching us.¡±


    It was like the gaze of Mona Lisa. No matter which direction they looked at the painting, Reba¡¯s line of sight in the painting always followed Grid and Mercedes.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡¯


    If she had a gentle face like the Mona Lisa, then she would give off a mysterious feeling. Yet in the painting, Reba smiled ferociously. The disdainful gaze followed Grid and Mercedes, making them feel unpleasant and creepy.


    ¡°it must be painted by a demon right?¡±


    Mercedes was also active in the Drasion raid. She had witnessed the depravity of the angels, whomitted evil deeds to hide the disgrace of the gods. It meant she knew the truth that ¡®gods are unconditionally good¡¯ was wrong. This didn¡¯t mean she thought ¡®the gods are evil.¡¯ Humanity hadn¡¯t reached that point yet.


    ¡°Perhaps it isn¡¯t the work of a human.¡±


    Putting aside the interpretation of Reba for the moment, the artist was likely to be a demon just by looking at the fact that they knew about the beginning of hell. Since this was Marie Rose¡¯s castle, the artist¡¯s identity might be Beriache.


    ¡®...No, it is unlikely to be Beriache.¡¯


    If she was the artist, then she would¡¯ve portrayed Yatan, who drove her out of hell, as ugly as Reba.


    Step.


    Grid hastened his pace. He wanted to quickly get away from Reba¡¯s gaze in the painting.


    ¡®Damn, surely it isn¡¯t a ghost?¡¯


    The back of his head was itchy. Reba¡¯s gaze continued to follow.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    He hated ghosts. They weren¡¯t scary (probably), but he hated them physiologically. Mercedes chased Grid who started to run. Momentster, the two of them found the fourth painting and stopped in front of it. The protagonist of the fourth painting was Yatan. It was just a ck existence. He stood alone on a cliff and seemed to be looking down. There was darkness above his head. In the first and second paintings, it was like a crown. Now it faded like a fire about to go out.


    ¡°He looks depressed for some reason.¡±


    There was no right answer to art. Regardless of the artist¡¯s intention, the essence of the work depended on the viewer¡¯s interpretation. Grid had no intention of denying Mercedes¡¯ sentiment. No, he thought it was an appropriate impression. Was it because the darkness above his head was weakened or was it due to the back that bent while looking down the cliff? Yatan in the painting looked really listless. He seemed to be in agony. The origin of all evil was like this... it really didn¡¯t suit him.


    Step, step.


    The two of them walked a bit further. They soon stood in front of the fifth painting. The red demon, green demon, and giant demon, that appeared in the second painting, stood by Yatan. Yatan¡¯s back was straight and the darkness above his head was burning majestically again.


    ¡°It feels like he has regained his energy. Does it mean that it is meaningless for a god to exist alone and that he is a god because he is being served?¡±


    The usually silent Mercedes had a lot to say today. At this point, Grid noticed she had a lot of interest in paintings.


    ¡®Come to think about it... there were several paintings in the ce where Mercedes originally lived.¡¯


    It was when Mercedes was still the empire¡¯s knight. She was attacked by the 4th Red Knight Gyuratan (Great Demon Astaroth) in her home and Grid helped her. At that time, the interior of the mansion had been slightly exposed by the copsed outer wall. The scene of various paintings hanging shed in Grid¡¯s memories.


    ¡®Why am I only thinking about it now?¡¯


    He said she was precious with words, but in fact, he was indifferent to Mercedes. Grid frowned as he touched his forehead. He realized what a ruthless person he was to those around him.


    ¡®Thinking about it, Jishuka immigrated to South Korea because of me.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t believe it at first. He told himself the reason she moved to South Korea was to find some new opportunities. However, it was impossible to deny it now. Jishuka¡¯s feelings toward him were real. He trampled on her heart himself. He said it was a choice made for her, but was it convincing from her position?


    ¡®...I feel bitter.¡¯


    He let out a sigh. However, he didn¡¯t think about Jishuka¡¯s problem right now. He had to focus on the situation in front of him. This was a very important section.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was presumptuous.¡±


    After a period of silence, Mercedes lowered her head. She was worried that a shallow interpretation would hinder her king¡¯s concentration.


    ¡°No, not at all. I think it is a good interpretation.¡±


    Grid patted Mercedes¡¯ shoulder while making up his mind at this moment. In the future, he would collect good paintings and give them to Mercedes. At the same time, he started thinking. He wondered if Yatan¡¯s recovery in the fifth painting was actually a bluff.


    The situation in the painting. In the third painting, Goddess Reba suddenly appeared. Then in the next painting, Yatan was anguished. It was probably because he heard some type of sly whisper from Goddess Reba. The whisper would¡¯ve been to propose (or discuss) the destruction and restoration of the world and Yatan¡¯s anguish deepened. It meant it was somewhat unreasonable to say that he had recovered his energy.


    ¡°......¡±


    There were dozens of colors painted in the sixth painting. There were exactly 32 colors with the exception of the ck Yatan, and Baal, who was characterized as a giant. Three demons had grown to 33. It was the birth of the 33 great demons.


    The seventh painting was andscape painting. The roughnd, grim sky, and red river. It contained the scenery Grid had seen many times in hell. A number of demons appeared in the eighth painting. Thousands of demons with different appearances filled the vast but nutritiousnd of hell. In the ninth painting...


    ¡°Ah, it gave me a fright.¡±


    Once again, Goddess Reba appeared. Like the third painting, it was a delicately painted portrait. It seemed to have copied the real thing. There was a wave of light floating above her head like a crown. Her hands were neatly sped together and she was smiling lovingly.


    The goddess of light, who blessed all of humanity. It was the appearance of the Goddess Reba that people knew.


    ¡°It warms my heart.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Just looking at the painting made them feel relieved and happy. He was confident that the moment this painting was released to the world, the Reba Church would be revitalized. Sure enough, Goddess Reba must be kind... Perhaps the actions of the actions of the angels, who stabbed Damian to death, were arbitrary, or the order of another god who envied Reba?


    The moment Grid had this thought, the frame rotated and the back of the painting was revealed. The 10th painting appeared after the 9th painting. It was a ughter. The ck color representing Yatan spread out to hell and the human world above hell, swallowing up all living creatures.


    The frame rotated one more time. The portrait of Goddess Reba once again appeared. Like the third painting, it was a portrait of Goddess Reba with an ugly smile. The two neat hands of Goddess Reba were now covered with red paint. It meant blood.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was unpleasant. Grid retreated from the painting, grabbed Mercedes¡¯ hand, and started walking again. This was a long corridor.Every time Grid advanced forward one step, a torch lit up the path ahead. However, the end was still an abyss.


    ¡®Is there an end?¡¯


    At this point, he couldn¡¯t help suspecting that he was bewitched. Grid felt nervous and stopped walking. The 11th painting was revealed under the newly lit torch. The figure in ck was slumped down. It was a painting of the evil god Yatan, who copsed as if he was crying. He felt Yatan¡¯s deep regret and sorrow.


    ¡°The creator of this work portrays Reba as the source of destruction and Yatan as the victim.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    At this point, he wasn¡¯t a victim but a pushover. A puppet controlled by Reba¡¯s willpower. The artist depicted Yatan just like this. A piece of trash that had no value in discussing good or evil.


    ¡®Now that I see this¡ª¡¯


    It seemed that this was indeed Beriache¡¯s work. It was almost certain seeing that both Reba and Yatan were criticized.


    Step step.


    Grid and Mercedes continued to walk. The corridor wasn¡¯t finished and paintings were constantly appearing. From the first painting to the 11th one... after that, the same paintings appeared again and again. It seemed to express a world that was repeatedly destroyed and re-blessed.


    How many hours did they walk?


    A new painting appeared in the corridor where only the same paintings appeared repeatedly for a while. It depicted Reba, who was smiling in an ugly manner, and Yatan watching the red figure in front of them.


    Red.


    The color that seemed to symbolize Beriache faced Yatan alone in the following painting. In the next painting, the red figure fell below the cliff. The size of the red figure that fell was twice as small as it had been so far. Then it was multiplied in the next painting.


    There were several reds.


    ¡®The red was indeed Beriache.¡¯


    The bottom of the cliff meant the human world and the smaller size meant she lost the power of a great demon. The proliferation represented the birth of her children.


    Finally, Grid and Mercedes saw the end of the corridor. Two newly lit torches illuminated the entrance to another location.


    Click.


    Mercedes raised her shield and advanced first. ¡°I will go in first.¡±


    Marie Rose. Was it the aftermath of His Majesty bing the Blood King? She was as favorable to him as any other vampire. Even so, Mercedes couldn¡¯t let go of her tension...


    ¡°......!¡±


    Mercedes, who had been ready to unfold her silver wings at any time when she entered the castle, stiffened like a stone. It was because a fishy blood smell entered the tip of her nose and a red wave surged.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± A torrent of blood crushed Mercedes¡¯ shield. She spread out her silver wings, but it was hard to bear the pressure. She stepped back and was pushed along the corridor as someone in the darkness spoke to her, ¡°You don¡¯t qualify, so step back.¡±


    It was Marie Rose¡¯s voice. ¡°The only person who can step into my bedroom is the Blood King.¡±


    There were slight tremors in her voice. It was obviously excitement. Mercedes¡¯ fair face distorted slightly from displeasure. However, she didn¡¯t have the qualifications or strength to restrain Marie Rose. After pushing Mercedes away, the blood stream soaking the ground vibrated and rose. It had the shape of a giant hand.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    It wrapped around Grid¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Huhu,e in.¡± Marie Rose brought him into the room... ¡°...E-Eh?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s alwaysid back and rxed voice suddenly became perplexed. It was because the bloody hand wrapped around Grid stopped listening to her. Marie Rose naturally dominated all the blood in the world since her birth. This was the first time this incident happened to her, so she naturally stopped.


    [The effect of the blood magic has been blocked due to the ¡®Blood Master¡¯ skill attached to Beriache¡¯s Underclothing.]


    On the other hand, Grid felt the texture of the underclothing covering his bare skin more clearly than ever.

 Chapter 1401

    <h4>Chapter 1401</h4>


    Blood magic wasn¡¯t considered as academic learning. It was because it wasn¡¯t a field that could be developed with concepts such as studying and effort.


    Blood magic was a power that originated purely from the bloodline and was rooted in Beriache¡¯s power. Beings who had inherited even a speck of Beriache¡¯s blood and magic power¡ªin other words, any vampire¡ªcould use blood magic, but non-vampires couldn¡¯t use blood magic.


    Grid might have the title of Blood King, but even he could only learn blood magic by absorbing the blood magic of the ¡®direct descendants who swore allegiance to himself¡¯ (even this was limited to blood magic based on his own personality). This meant it was absolutely impossible for a human being, who couldn¡¯t use blood magic properly, to negate the blood magic of Marie Rose, the peak vampire. Yet it just happened. It was done by Grid.


    Marie Rose¡¯s round eyes blinked as she stared at Grid. Then she soon arranged her expression and asked, ¡°Do you remember the first day we met?¡±


    There was a mixture of curiosity and liking in her deep gaze.


    Mercedes was quick to notice as the owner of Keen Insight. She didn¡¯t like this face, so her eyes became cold. However, Grid, the person who received the attention, had no idea.


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡±


    Now he was¡ª


    ¡°...I almost got eaten by you.¡±


    He was just trembling because he was incredibly scared. The first time he met Marie Rose. Every time he thought of her ¡®smiling¡¯ and sucking the blood of the scammer healer whose name he couldn¡¯t remember any longer, Dongpayuk or Kkanpungi or something, his head turned nk from fear.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose and Mercedes¡¯ eyes became dull. They were silent for a moment before soon opening their mouths at the same time.


    ¡°I almost ate you. That is the only memory of the day for you.¡±


    ¡°You...! You were aiming for His Majesty¡¯s chastity from the beginning!¡±


    ¡°Hmm~ You¡¯re fairly impudent here.¡±


    ¡°W-What did you say?!¡±


    For the moment, it seemed necessary to stabilize the situation. Grid knew that it was better to stay silent when he couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. This was a fact known through learning. Fortunately, Marie Rose had no hostility toward Mercedes. It was natural. She looked at Mercedes, the human being who dared raise her voice to her, like Mercedes was cute.


    Grid observed the two people before slowly realizing the reason. ¡®It is because of Keen Insight.¡¯


    A power that even the gods were vignt toward. The power that yed a fatal role against great demons was coveted by Marie Rose.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. The reason why Marie Rose is obsessed with me also includes Mercedes¡¯ existence.¡¯


    She thought that if she got him, she could get Mercedes¡¯ power as well.


    ¡®It is one plus one..¡¯


    He felt like a convenience store product, but it didn¡¯t matter. If he could establish a friendly rtionship with Marie Rose, one of the world¡¯s strongest beings, it didn¡¯t matter if he received the one plus two treatment, let alone one plus one. The atmosphere calmed down while Grid was thinking. Mercedes regained her sense of reason and Marie Rose stopped making fun of such a Mercedes. The conversation continued again.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t forget the first time I met you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was she surprised to see him immune to the abnormal conditions she caused?


    Marie Rose smiled and exined to Grid, who was looking back on their first meeting, ¡°Until you showed up, I was treated as a monster who made people scared with just my presence. Meanwhile, you were calm even after you unsealed me. It was as if I didn¡¯tmit any sins.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I remember.¡¯


    The Grid at the time didn¡¯t think deeply about Marie Rose. He didn¡¯t even care who Marie Rose was. He just tried his best to survive. He would¡¯ve acted the same even if he knew that Marie Rose was a disaster. At that time, Grid was extremely selfish and wasn¡¯t in a position to care about peace or the safety of humanity. It meant he didn¡¯t feel guilty or worried about future trouble after releasing the seal of a monster.


    ¡°You unsealed me and confidently made eye contact with me. I was happy to see you, who showed no hostility to me. For the first time since I was born, I felt like I was evaluated as an individual named Marie Rose, not a child of Beriache.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose was neither a disaster nor a monster. Marie Rose¡¯s evil deeds that were urately recorded in history were nothing other than harming the second pope, Chreshler, and Reba¡¯s Daughters. The records of her sucking human blood might just be a naturalbel because she was a vampire.


    ¡®Even Chreshler was killed by Pagma, not Marie Rose.¡¯


    Marie Rose likely hadn¡¯t harmed humans. Therefore, it could be said that the reason she was treated as a monster was because she was Beriache¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°First and foremost, I want to thank you for releasing the seal. I had the ability to unseal it, but it was annoying. Thus, I put it off. The coffin that sealed me was unpleasant and I often had nightmares. It was quite terrible.¡±


    ¡®Chreshler, that perverted old man.¡¯


    Chreshler was a person who wasn¡¯t hesitant to be the ego of a coffin because he had the desire to embrace Marie Rose forever. What perverted thoughts would have been conveyed to Marie Rose while she was sleeping? Just imagining it was disgusting.


    ¡°Then you became the Blood King, received the qualification to be my spouse, and got the power of Blood Master. Isn¡¯t this fate?¡±


    Blood Master¡ªit was a skill attached to Beriache¡¯s Underclothing. It showed the function of beingpletely immune to blood magic. The cooldown time was 5 minutes. If Marie Rose was an enemy, he might not have been able to withstand the constant wave of blood magic. Fortunately, this didn¡¯t happen.


    Marie Rose asked him, ¡°You must¡¯ve been to hell since you¡¯ve gained the power of Blood Master?¡±


    ¡°...You know it well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you might¡¯ve heard from Braham that I have to carry out my mother¡¯s will. The arrangements that my mother left behind in hell are at least in my head.¡±


    ¡®Arrangements.¡¯


    Leraje, the great demon of struggle¡ªthe person Beriache assigned a task to was steadily growing in hell. She would definitely be a strength to Marie Rose, who would one day go to hell.


    ¡°I think it is great that you have decided to wear my mother¡¯s underclothes.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    As a knight, Mercedes didn¡¯t show emotions easily, especially toward her master. The reason she looked at Grid with astonishment was because Marie Rose¡¯s remarks were so shocking.


    The flustered Grid hastily exined, ¡°B-Beriache¡¯s underwear is a magical underwear that changes shape to fit the wearer¡¯s body!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe in... Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...You believe me, right?¡±


    The atmosphere kept bing strange. Marie Rose herself was a burdensome opponent, so Grid wanted to leave this position quickly. He didn¡¯t want this ufortable time to be prolonged. Thus, he got straight to the point. ¡°What exactly is the Blood King? I¡¯ve heard that the Blood King is the ruler of all vampires, but looking at your attitude, you don¡¯t treat me as a king at all.¡±


    ¡°It is a king. That is why you have to be my spouse.¡±


    ¡°Why should the Blood King be your spouse?¡±


    ¡°I can only make love with the Blood King. It is only when we make love that I can give birth to a more powerful lineage than my mother¡¯s one. Those children will grow up to be an army to punish hell.¡±


    ¡°If I refuse... can your revenge be achieved?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s eyes widened. She looked at Grid with surprise before a faint smile spread on his face. ¡°You are more worried about my revenge failing than losing your qualifications as a Blood King?¡±


    ¡°If the status of Blood King was ultimately arranged for you and the vampires, I don¡¯t deserve to take the responsibility.¡± Grid spoke in order to increase affinity. As expected, the effect appeared immediately.


    [Affinity with Vampire Duke Marie Rose has increased by 5.]


    ¡°Huhut. As expected, you are cute. Then why refuse to make love with me? I¡¯m confident that my appearance and personality aren¡¯t bad. Is there any reason why you want to refuse?¡±


    It definitely wasn¡¯t that bad. In particr, the appearance was so beautiful that there was no other match in the world. Even so, Grid¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t shaken. ¡°I already have people I love.¡±


    ¡°It is plural. So does it matter if you increase it by one more?¡±


    ¡°I am someone who can¡¯t even bear the love I have right now.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid lowered his eyes. The disgust and hatred in his eyes were directed toward himself.


    Marie Rose watched him silently and smiled bitterly. Grid¡¯s head was lowered so his expression couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay to say no. Instead, you need to be prepared to have a tough time. The Blood King¡¯s duty is to achieve my mother¡¯s revenge with me. Since you aren¡¯t willing to have children with me and present them as agents, you will have to fight yourself.¡±


    Therefore, the moment he refused his duty, he would be disqualified from being the Blood King.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Grid suddenly raised his head and stared at Marie Rose. ¡°I¡¯ll fight with you. I want to help you.¡±


    ¡°Really... you are a good person.¡±


    [Affinity with Vampire Duke Marie Rose has increased by 5.]


    ¡°Okay. It is a pity, but I will respect your will. Instead, you must keep your oath. If you look away from me when I need you, I have no choice but to forcibly conceive a child with you.¡±


    [Affinity with Marie Rose has exceeded 10 and the quest Secret Story of the Birth of the Blood King has beenpleted.]


    [New information has been gained as a reward for clearing the quest.]


    [The Secret Story of the Birth of the Blood King]


    [Having roamed through the human world alone and realizing the pain of solitude, Beriache set up a special measure for Marie Rose. The ruler of all the direct descendants, the Blood King, can produce a new lineage with Marie Rose. Marie Rose must partner with the Blood King to breed a new lineage. Unlike Beriache, she can¡¯t live alone. She won¡¯t be lonely.]


    [The hidden feature of the Blood King has been revealed by reading new information.]


    [Blood King]


    [Type: Passive


    ¡ï Marriage with Marie Rose is possible.


    * You can have a child after marriage.


    ¡ïEvery time affinity with Marie Rose increases, the Curse of Sloth that restrains Marie Rose will weaken.


    * Every time the Curse of Sloth is weakened, all of Marie Rose¡¯s stats will increase by 10%. This can go up to 150%.


    ¡ï Blood magic will bloom when conditions are met.


    The blood magic will be ording to your personality.


    ¡ï Can free direct descendant vampires if the conditions are met.


    * Liberated vampires are free from the Curse of Sloth.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Currently, there were five blood magic that Grid could use. There was Extreme Blood Transfusion obtained from liberating Elfin Stone and Blood Flow Revival from liberating Tiramet. After freeing Cray and Yetima, he gained Blood Flow Wave and the attack skill Blood Sword Shatter. There was also the wide area buff Blood Reversal from Noll.


    Braham lost his vampire power and Marie Rose wasn¡¯t influenced by Blood King. Thus, it was expected that he would gain a total of three more blood magic in the future. It might be different now. It was clearly stated that the Blood King could relieve the Curse of Sloth on Marie Rose. It was good to expect that the moment her Curse of Sloth was released, additional blood magic rted to her would be obtained.


    ¡®Still, it is a bit disappointing.¡¯


    The true value of the Blood Kingy in the fact that a new lineage could be produced by marrying Marie Rose. The value of Blood King wasn¡¯t fully exerted unless he married Marie Rose. It happened the moment when Grid was smacking his lips together in regret...


    [Overgeared God Grid has refused to marry Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]


    [Marie Rose was unable to produce a direct line of lineage and took out the next best strategy. In order to increase the poption of vampires, the Blood Wells hidden throughout the continent have been opened.]


    [Existing yers can use the ¡®blood wells¡¯ to change species to vampire. New yers will be able to choose vampire as their species when creating a character.]


    [All vampires are under the control of the Blood King.]


    These world messages appeared. After the orcs, the second new species was opened. The yers who were excited to see the new update cursed Grid first before cheering. Public opinion toward Grid had been the best in recent years, but today was the exception.


    -Isn¡¯t Grid crazy?


    -Wow, that bastard kicked away Marie Rose.


    -What is so great about him?!XX!


    -Aish!Grid that XX! If I was him, I would do this and that with Marie Rose!Ah!Damn!Dammit!


    -I¡¯m just envious.


    -I¡¯m also envious...


    Everyone knew that Marie Rose was the best beauty in the world. Any yer would¡¯ve searched online for Marie Rose at least once and fell in love at first sight. Even those who didn¡¯t y Satisfy knew Marie Rose¡¯s face. The men could never understand why Grid refused a marriage with her. They just shed bloody tears of envy.


    Meanwhile, Katz was facing a big change.


    [Beriache¡¯s magic power that istent in the Blood Warrior is blooming.]


    [Your species is forcibly changed from a human to a vampire. Some skills and stats will fluctuate.]


    [The epic ss ¡®Blood Warrior¡¯ has changed to the ancient ss ¡®Beriache¡¯s Warrior.¡¯]


    [Beriache¡¯s Warrior]


    [A warrior who originally served the 3rd Great Demon, Beriache, in hell.]


    ¡°...The magic machines.¡±


    An ancient rating. It was a ss equivalent to the relic, the magic machine.


    Katz faced an upheaval overnight and found it so absurd that he gave up thinking.

 Chapter 1402

    <h4>Chapter 1402</h4>


    [The new species, the vampire, is unlocked and a new system is added to the Blood King.]


    [¡ï The Blood King can grant a quest ¡®Blood King¡¯s Order¡¯ to all vampire yers once a week.


    * The quest content and difficulty are random. The maximum difficulty rating is A.


    * yers who clear the quest will get certain rewards. The Blood King will get a point in the stat mand¡¯ every time the quest clearance reaches a certain number. The higher themand stat, the higher the blood assimtion rate and the faster the casting speed, deployment speed, and the formation speed of blood magic. The duration of the blood formed will also increase.


    * yers who failed to ept the quest for four consecutive weeks will be penalized and their rtionship with the Blood King will change from friendly to hostile. yers who are hostile to the Blood King are considered traitors to the n.


    * yers who perform well in quests have a very rare probability of upgrading from ¡®normal¡¯ to ¡®elite¡¯ at a certain cycle. Elite ranked vampires have an even smaller chance of being promoted to ¡®true blood¡¯ every fewer cycles.]


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    It was a sudden situation where vampires were turned into a selectable species. Grid¡¯s eyes that were flustered from causing this situation gradually calmed. The true value of Blood King was finally revealed and he was quite satisfied. Was this the reason why Marie Rose didn¡¯t want power? She didn¡¯t have absolutemand power, but she could exert influence anyway.


    As long as the Blood King¡¯s Order system existed, the vampire wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore the Blood King. They were likely to mistake themselves as dancing on the palm of the Blood King. The Blood King¡¯s Orders were made by the Blood King himself, so there was a high possibility they would misunderstand.


    Just like the orcs were in Grid¡¯s grasp because Teruchan was loyal to Grid, the vampires were in Grid¡¯s hands.


    ¡®There is even a new stat.¡¯


    Command¡ªit was currently at 0 points, but it would rise naturally as time passed.


    ¡®It will boast a pretty rapid growth rate.¡¯


    Vampires were a rare species with the basic ¡®life-stealing¡¯ characteristic in Satisfy. As they grew, turning to fog and a bat were possible so they weren¡¯t bound by the concept of space. They had a very high physical resistance. They could also create familiars. If they became a true blood vampire, they could produce more vampires.


    They would even be more beautiful. It wasn¡¯t to the extent of elves, but there was a decadent charm. Therefore, the fanaticism level was very high. Despite the weakness to the sun, Grid estimated that the number of yers changing to a vampire would be much higher than the orcs. Imagine hundreds or tens of millions of vampire yerspleting the Blood King¡¯s Order every week. The growth of themand stat would be enormous.


    ¡®By the way, this...¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t the number of humans be too small if it proceeded this way? One day, elves and dwarves would also be released. He worried about it for a moment.


    ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯He came to the conclusion that it wasn¡¯t a problem to care about. It was a situation where the vampires and orcs, which were originally enemies of humanity, became yers and able to coexist with humans. It was right to say that the forces of humanity were growingrger.


    ¡°I opened the blood wells, but it is only the next best thing.¡± Marie Rose opened her mouth as Grid was adapting to the new changes. ¡°They won¡¯t be much help in the war with the great demons unless they are a direct descendant rank vampire at the minimum. It is virtually meaningless to increase the poption with blood wells. Grid, remember that if you break your promise and don¡¯t help me, I have no choice but to force you.¡±


    It was an obvious warning. It was rather close to a threat. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t shrink back.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± He was determined to fulfill his promise. ¡°It is because I will definitely fight for you.¡±


    Good. It was a perfect line. Grid was convinced that his remark would increase his affinity with Marie Rose. He wasn¡¯t feeling expectant, he was confident. It was confidence given by the experience that captured even the heart of God Hexetia. However, the actual result was different from what Grid expected.


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s eyes formed an obviously displeased diagonal line. Her sharp expression was reminiscent of an ufortable cat.


    ¡°......?¡±


    [Affinity with Marie Rose has lowered by 1.]


    ¡°......?!¡±


    What? He said he was going to help her. Why did affinity go down instead of up?


    ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face turned white as he reflected on what he just said. Meanwhile, Marie Rose kept staring at Grid with a sharp expression. Meanwhile, Mercedes looked between the two of them and seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.


    ***


    ¡°These paintings were done by Beriache.¡±


    Grid¡¯s rtionship with Marie Rose was definitely sorted out. They were partners who would defeat hell together one day. It was unlikely they would be enemies before Marie Rose¡¯s revenge was over.


    Braham¡¯s pride might be hurt and it would be painful enough to want to die, but Marie Rose didn¡¯t seem very aware of Braham. Would she kill him if she identally encountered him on the road? This was something he was concerned about, but at the very least, she didn¡¯t intend to visit Braham and harm him. His existence was that trivial to her. He might be the legendary great magician, but to her...


    Of course, that was just a story of the moment.


    ¡°Um... I see.¡±


    Marie Rose described the paintings in the corridor as the ¡®powerless revenge of a helpless mother.¡¯ It depicted the world that had been destroyed and recreated many times, while also showing Reba as a dark evil, and Yatan as a pushover who couldn¡¯t rebel against Reba. She had no intention of revealing it to the world. She didn¡¯t want to announce the powerlessness of her mother, who could only express her hatred for both gods through paintings.


    ¡®There won¡¯t be any effect if I reveal it,¡¯ Grid thought.


    It was the work of a great demon. It was impossible for humans to believe in the content of a great demon¡¯s work. Even if this work was released to the world, it was unlikely that people¡¯s faith in Reba would be shaken. Rather, they would say it was a trick of the great demon. In this case, a voice would emerge saying that humanity should unite with one heart to pray to Goddess Reba.


    ¡®Did she say the green one is Amoract?¡¯


    As they walked through the corridor and viewed Beriache¡¯s works in reverse order, Grid paused in front of the second painting. The red Beriache seemed to follow Yatan like he was her father, while the giant Baal seemed to be distancing himself from Yatan. Compared to them, the green Amoract respectfully supported Yatan.


    ¡®Amoract is the one who created the Yatan Church.¡¯


    Amoract¡ªMarie Rose said this was the 2nd great demon.


    ¡®It is apletely different style of chaos from Baal.¡¯


    From what he had seen and experienced, Baal had no sense of purpose. There were so many variables that it was difficult to cope. He had to be good at adapting to the situation in order to fight against Baal.


    On the other hand, Amoract was likely to have a clear purpose. For example, Amoract would¡¯ve thoroughly prepared an insidious scheme to achieve a purpose such as bringing Yatan down to the human world. To fight Amoract, a systematic n and high level strategy was required.


    It happened as Grid¡¯s worries were deepening...


    Mercedes stopped walking and dered with a determined face, ¡°I will support you no matter what ordeal stands in your way.¡±


    ¡°It is reassuring.¡± A smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. It felt like the fog in front of him had cleared.


    Mercedes had given him an answer. No matter the enemy or the personality they had, he could break through them with force.


    ¡®I have no choice but to get stronger.¡¯


    Grid left Marie Rose¡¯s castle and used blood magic as a test. Red drops of blood created by magic power gathered at Grid¡¯s fingertips and formed the shape of a sword. It was Blood Sword Shatter that exploded this sword within three seconds and inflicted wide area damage.


    ¡®The higher mymand stat, the faster I can make the sword and the longer I can keep it?¡¯


    Grid swung his arms. Then the blood sword floating quietly in front of him shot forward like an arrow and exploded.


    ¡°Hopefully, it can be a weapon...¡±


    Out of the five blood magic he learned recently, none of the attack based blood magic could be used in actualbat. The power was reducedpared to the other attack skills he already acquired. However, the story changed once the power of themand stat rose. He would have more cards in his grasp.


    Grid was feeling expectant only to suddenly be engulfed in an empty feeling.


    ¡®Pagma¡¯s Sessor is weak.¡¯


    If discussing the overall value of the ss, then Pagma¡¯s Sessor was naturally the best. Not only could it produce the strongest battle gear by itself, but it could also handle all types of items without restrictions and increase their performance. This could be called a fraudulent level.


    It was just that the higher the enemy¡¯s level, the more obvious the limitations. Suppose that Grid didn¡¯t gain the power of God¡¯s Command, the evil eye, and the Undefeated King. He didn¡¯t meet Braham and the tower members, and didn¡¯t be the Hero King and Blood King.


    How far could he reach with just Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance? Far from bing a god, he wouldn¡¯t have even be the Magic Swordsman of the Epics. Objectively, Pagma¡¯s Sessor was clearly inferior inbat powerpared to other legendary sses.


    ¡®Unexpectedly, I think it is amazing...¡¯


    He had grown to this point. How long had it been since he felt proud of himself?


    ¡°Now let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Her brief cheering encouraged him. Grid held Mercedes in his arms in the hope of conveying this gratitude and used a return scroll.


    ***


    Youngwoo got up from the capsule and approached the window. It was as expected. The front of his house was crowded for the first time in ages. Reporters from various countries formed a huge crowd.


    ¡°It will be noisy again.¡±


    The vampire race was unlocked because of him who was the Blood King. The system described that the vampires would be under the control of the Blood King. It was obviously what the reporters would be concerned about and what they would ask questions about.


    ¡®They are probably thinking that I¡¯m taking it all myself.¡¯


    They wouldn¡¯t be able to express their dissatisfaction openly but people would be upset. Still, it had already happened and he had to express his position at some point. They were a group that would chase after him like stalkers until he met them.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Youngwoo wore a rough jersey and put on slippers to open the door, only to be shocked. Sehee stood at the door. ¡°Gasp...Gasp... I knew it would be like this.¡±


    Based on the way she gasped for breath, she seemed to havee over in a hurry.


    ¡°What is it? What happened?¡±


    ¡°The problem is Oppa¡¯s behavior! You can¡¯t go out in sportswear!¡±


    ¡°They are in front of the house so it isfortable...¡±


    ¡°There are reporters from all over the world in front of your house! There must be tens of millions of people watching Oppa in real time. You have to maintain your image at least!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    After that, it took an hour. Sehee pushed him to take a shower, forced him to change clothes dozens of times, did his hair, and even applied sunscreen.


    ¡°...It is tiring.¡±


    Dealing with the reporters consumed a lot of physical strength and it was apanied by mental stress. He wanted toe out with a fighting mindset, but he was already exhausted before the fight. However, Youngwoo¡¯s body was trained by exercise and his posture wasn¡¯t disturbed.


    Reporters attacked him as he walked out with his broad shoulders raised.


    ¡°Why? Why did you refuse to marry Marie Rose?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    This was what they were curious about? Grid was stunned by the question that was different from what was expected, only to receive the next question.


    ¡°Do you know the identity of the Blood King?!¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Come to think of it, there wasn¡¯t a world message when he became the Blood King?


    ¡®Only some people know.¡¯


    Youngwoo felt at ease at the thought that there would be less trouble.

 Chapter 1403

    <h4>Chapter 1403</h4>


    ¡º The new vampire species was unlocked and people¡¯s interest is increasing dramatically. It is estimated that the number of yers who changed their species to a vampire exceeded 1 million in just one day... ¡»


    ¡º It is quite different from the orcs. When the orcs were unlocked, weren¡¯t people very cautious about changing races? There are only two species changes per ount. Each race has its own pros and cons, so it takes a long time to weigh the gains and losses. However, the moment the ban on vampires was lifted, it was chosen by countless people. It has bemonce to meet vampires in viges and hunting grounds in just a day. What is the reason? ¡»


    ¡º The unique characteristics of the vampire race has captured the hearts of users. Satisfy has less means of health recovery than other games so life-stealing is a great means of survival. I think those who have witnessed rankers with vampiric abilities such as Grid and Katz, who are active in raids andrge-scale battles, are bound to be fascinated by the vampires. ¡»


    ¡º Isn¡¯t this too dangerous? Once exposed to sunlight, your stats will drop by 30% and some skills are disabled... A vampire¡¯s weaknesses are deadly, but there is also the unidentified presence called the Blood King behind the scenes. People who have be vampires without recognizing this can be said to have no sense of crisis... ¡»


    Blood King¡ªthe mysterious existence that ruled the vampires. The system didn¡¯t force loyalty to the Blood King, but it did state it was a duty. It was almost certain there would be a penalty for refusing the order. If the Blood King gave the wrong order, then embarrassing situations would be produced.


    ¡º In the first ce, vampires are demonkin, demonkin. They are bad guys who use human blood as food. If you be a vampire, you might be ordered by the Blood King to hunt humans. ¡»


    ¡º A war between races will break out! ¡»


    Experts were concerned and people sympathized.


    The vampire yers gulped as they imagined being yed by someone they didn¡¯t know and having to hurt their existing colleagues and friends. However, vampires were an attractive species even considering all the dangers.


    Putting aside the high potential of vampires and blood magic, the basic stats themselves were very good. Rather than specializing in strength and stamina while having low intelligence like the orcs, all their stats were high with good bnce. Obviously, they had a high levelpatibility with humans.


    Instead, there was a deadly weakness of being weak in sunlight. Still, it was enough if they were in a dungeon or indoors during the day. Above all, the outward appearance was very nice. If they changed their species to a vampire, their appearance was modified to be several times more beautiful than when they were human.


    Experts warned them to be careful since they could only change species twice in a lifetime, but people chose to be vampires because it was a chance that could only be done twice. There were even cases where people who already changed to an orc chose to be a vampire. It was extremely normal for people to want to be stronger and more beautiful.


    They might be a puppet of the Blood King if they weren¡¯t careful? What did it matter if they became a soldier of the Blood King to fight against humans? In any case, they weren¡¯t human from the time they changed species...


    yers who became vampires dismissed the concerns of the experts, arguing that ¡®those who can¡¯t ept change will just be left out.¡¯ Meanwhile, experts criticized their behavior as ¡®a tragedy caused by safety insecurity and convenience.¡¯


    In the midst of their worries¡ª


    [The Blood King¡¯s Order has arrived.]


    It was finally here. Who was the Blood King and what purpose did he have? Why should a vampire obey the Blood King? As they felt doubts and tension, the vampire yers opened the information of the Blood King¡¯s Order. They believed that the contents of the Blood King quest would provide clues to the identity of the Blood King.


    [Blood King¡¯s Order]


    [Difficulty: B


    The monster ¡®giant worm¡¯ in the Reidan Desert often invades the vampire cities while moving underground. Hunt the giant worms to help keep the city safe.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 50 giant worms within a week (0/50)


    Quest Clear Rewards: 0.4% experience, blood magic proficiency will increase, 10 blood potatoes.]


    [Blood King¡¯s Order]


    [Difficulty: C


    It is rumored that there are monsters that hunt travelers at the desert oasis. Cleanse the oasis, take responsibility for the safety of the travelers, and contribute to the vitality of the cities.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Cleanse three oasis within a week (0/3)


    Quest Clear Rewards: 0.3% experience, blood magic proficiency will increase, 10 blood potatoes.]


    [Blood King¡¯s Order]


    [Difficulty: E


    It is known that vampires need to consume human or monster blood in order to sustain life, but this is just an old-fashioned prejudice. The blood potatoes grown in the vampire cities are quenching the thirst of the people. Help the city¡¯s farmers harvest the blood potatoes.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Harvest 100 blood potatoes in one week (0/100)


    Quest Clear Rewards: 0.2% experience, blood magic proficiency will increase, 10 blood potatoes.]


    ¡°...It is ordinary?¡±


    The content of the Blood King¡¯s Orders that arrived in front of the vampire yers was very simr. It was fighting for the security of the Reidan Desert where the vampire cities were located or helping with agriculture. It was extremely ordinary. It was embarrassing that they were so nervous.


    ¡°Kill the monsters that threaten travelers? At this point, it isn¡¯t just normal. It is too kind.¡±


    ¡°What is the Blood King? His actions don¡¯t match with his name...¡±


    The unexpected development reassured people. There was some frustration because it was so ordinary, but it was much better than killing people or fighting between species. The relieved people soon focused on the rewards for the Blood King¡¯s Order. There was a defined experience reward. Depending on the quest difficulty, they could earn at least 0.1% and up to 0.5%.


    It was a reward that had no value at all in the low level section where experience increased just by catching a few monsters. However, as the level increased, this reward became more precious than 1,000 gold. For the high ranking, high level yers, it was regrettable that the Blood King¡¯s Order was a weekly quest instead of a daily quest.


    One of them was Katz.


    ¡°Is the quest difficulty random?¡±


    He got an F grade difficulty quest. The experience reward for F grade quests was 0.1%. He was very upset, but even this was a good thing. Katz tried hard tofort himself, but he was still puzzled. His epic ss was upgraded to an ancient ss overnight. It felt more like a dream than reality. As time passed, he oftenughed at himself in the past for being a pushover and buying an epic rated ss change book for more than 2 billion won. Now that 2 billion won ss change book transformed into a 10 billion won one.


    The radically changed reality didn¡¯t feel real.


    ¡°Kukuk!Kuhahahat!¡±


    Katz, who was performing the Blood King¡¯s Order quest by sprinkling the blood of monsters onto the blood potato field, suddenly burst outughing.


    ¡®Yes, Blood Warrior is different from the usual epic ss.¡¯


    The rating is epic, but the power was simr to the unique rating. There wasn¡¯t muchckingpared to Seuron¡¯s Soul Predator. Unlike vampires, the big weakness was that he couldn¡¯t make blood using magic power. He had to use his own blood or other people¡¯s blood as a medium to activate his skills.


    Now this wasn¡¯t the case anymore. By consuming magic power, he could make blood and control it. He would be able to show strongbat power even if it wasn¡¯t a battlefield. He was no longer a conditional strength butplete. At this point, the real supreme one... well, he wouldn¡¯t be the supreme one because there was Grid, but it would be nice to aim for the top three.


    ¡®There are Faker and Yura. There might be many powerful people apart from Kraugel, but I have an ancient ss. I have a chance of winning.¡¯


    Katz smiled as he thought of a future of relying on each other with Grid. Then he was struck by doubts.


    ¡®So why didn¡¯t the world message appear?¡¯


    Katz liked to stand out. In the early days, he enjoyed standing in the middle of town to show off his weapons. He was the first to changed ss to an ancient ss, but this fact wasn¡¯t known to the world. It made Katz very dissatisfied.


    ¡®Come to think about it...¡¯


    Most of the legendary sses, including Grid, only received the world message a while after they changed sses.


    ¡®Is there another condition?¡¯


    He had to find out what the conditions were as soon as possible. It was only in this way that the world would know that Katz had be the world¡¯s first ancient ss.


    [You havepleted ¡®Sprinkling the Blood Potato Field with Blood.¡¯]


    [The ¡®Blood King¡¯s Order¡¯ quest has been cleared.]


    [The quest clear rewards...]


    ¡°......¡±


    As the first ancient ss, he was watering the fields with blood...


    Katz felt a sense of shame, but the reward of 0.1% experience was very sweet.


    ¡®I will start with the ss quests for the time being.¡¯


    It was a quest to find Beriache¡¯s Painting. He didn¡¯t know why a great demon would be painting, so it was hard to find clues, but in any case, he had to do something. It happened when the anxious Katz was removing himself from the field...


    ¡°You?¡± He heard a familiar and ominous voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the fool Katz who can¡¯t do anything without blood?¡±


    ¡°Seuron.¡±


    The Soul Predator. He has lost to Grid and the Overgeared Guild several times, but Seuron was still one of Satisfy¡¯s strongest. He was chosen as a person who should never be met on the battlefield.


    ¡°Enemies meet on a narrow bridge. Katz, you have be a vampire too.¡±


    "Enemies? Why am I your enemy?¡±


    ¡°You... did you erase the fact that you cowardly set a bounty on me from your memory?¡±


    Seuron, who became a victim of Katz¡¯ money, still held a deep grudge against Katz. The person who got hit remembered it, but the person who hit them didn¡¯t remember at all.


    ¡°Did that ever happen?¡±


    ¡°Bah! That¡¯s it! Let¡¯s have a match!¡±


    Soul Predator grabbed the souls of the dead and used them as a means of attack. Like Katz¡¯ Blood Warrior, he was the type to be stronger when there were more bodies. It was just that the overall performance of his unique ss was better than that of the Blood Warrior.


    Even if the target was alive, he had skills optimized forbat, such as interfering with the soul and causing obstacles to movement. Seuron put away the hand plow he bought to harvest blood potatoes and pulled out his sword. He knew how to easily deal with Katz. He just couldn¡¯t bleed. It was enough to crush Katz in an overwhelming manner.


    ¡°You are nothing but an ordinary warrior when there are no bodies!¡± Seuron screamed confidently and started using Soul Restraint.


    ¡°Blood Tornado.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Just then, blood flowed around Seuron and a bloody storm immediately urred. It wasn¡¯t blood magic. yers who had just be a vampire couldn¡¯t learn advanced blood magic. Incredibly, this was a Blood Warrior¡¯s skill.


    ¡®How can he use this when there isn¡¯t a drop of blood?¡¯


    Seuron was surprised by Katz¡¯ different abilities. Then he suddenly realized something and marveled. ¡°I see. Did you use the blood of the blood potatoes as a resource? Kukuk, you might be an enemy, but I have to acknowledge it.¡±


    ¡°No... I used mana.¡±


    ¡°Bah, are you lying to me because you are afraid I will leave the field? I¡¯m not as bold as the one who used dirty money to kill others.¡±


    "It doesn¡¯t matter where we fight. I have the first ancient ss, so I am strong anywhere and anytime.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Seuron made a pitying expression. Ancient ss? It was a reaction to Katz¡¯ bluff with a rating that didn¡¯t even exist. At the same time...


    ¡°Oh, indeed.¡±


    Grid held the blood sword that was created by Blood Sword Shatter and wielded it like a weapon. He made a handle by attaching the Pulling Device to the bottom of the blood sword. Thanks to this, the ¡®magic form¡¯ was deemed an item. It was the result of using the characteristics of blood magic that was made up of the substance called blood.


    Endless possibilities were opened.

 Chapter 1404

    <h4>Chapter 1404</h4>


    There were attack methods that took advantage of Satisfy¡¯s high degree of freedom. It was simple: Use things.


    The stones at their feet, the chair they just sat on, the tools at the table, or the table itself. yers had the right to touch most materials in the world, handle them with tools, and use them as weapons. This meant it was possible to attack the target by throwing or swinging anything in their hands.


    However, the damage was affected by the user¡¯s strength. It was a correct judgment since items weren¡¯t weapons that had separate attack power. Depending on the shape or mass of the object, the user could exert at least 1% of their strength up to 30% as attack power.


    In other words, the utility was low. Grid¡¯s current strength at level 440 was over 4,400, but the objects he threw or wielded were only capable of an attack power of up to 1,400 maximum (the fourth awakening meant there was 0.8 attack power for every point in strength). However, what if even a very small amount of attack power was attached to the object?


    For example, if a knife that had been previously cutting meat was wielded as a weapon, then the knife would be judged entirely as a weapon. 100% of the user¡¯s strength would be applied. Grid started experimenting from this point.


    Blood Sword Shatter¡ªit was blood magic that inflicted wide area damage by making a sword with blood created by magic, his own blood, or other people¡¯s blood, and then shattering the sword into small pieces. Here, blood was a substance and the shape of a sword meant it was a weapon. ording to the skill coefficients, the magic sword contained 300% of Grid¡¯s physical attack power and 200% of his magic attack power. If it could be equipped, Grid would have a weapon with a physical attack power of at least 24,585 (based on the +4 Enlightenment Sword) and 12,338 magic attack power.


    Grid made this hypothesis and held the blood sword in his hand. However, the blood sword was ultimately a collection of blood. It was physically impossible to hold it when ¡®the handle melts into liquid and it is held in the flowing wind.¡¯


    Therefore, Grid used the Pulling Device. The shape of the blood sword was preserved by adding the Pulling Device to the handle of the blood sword. It was the principle of a cup holding water. He used the Pulling Device as a handle and held it in his hand. The result...


    [The Blood King¡¯s Blood Sword has been equipped.]


    ¡°......!!¡±


    He seeded in making the blood sword be judged as a weapon. The special tool called the Pulling Devicebined with the ss effect ¡®can wear all items¡¯ of Pagma¡¯s Sessor to create a weapon that transcended the power of Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword.


    Chill.


    Grid got goosebumps. He felt the power boiling from the hand holding the blood sword and waved it with a joyful smile...


    [The Blood King¡¯s Blood Sword is destroyed and has disappeared.]


    [The durability of the Pulling Device has been greatly reduced. Immediate repair is needed.]


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    It failed. It took 2.9 seconds to make the blood sword andbine it with the Pulling Device. Then the moment it was swung, the 3 seconds shape retention time ended. There were two problems. First, it took 1.8 seconds for the blood to form the shape of a sword. Blood Sword Shatter, like most blood magic, was useful because it boasted a ¡®visible¡¯ effect. It was beautiful and easygoing. Thus, it took time to form. Second, the shape of the sword was vague.


    ¡®Can I make the shape of the handle a bit more visible?¡¯


    In order to use the Pulling Device as the handle of the sword, it naturally must be worn on the handle of the blood sword. It didn¡¯t mean he could attach it roughly to the de. The power was greatly reduced when it was unbnced. This was why there was no point in making such efforts.


    ¡°Divinity, Blood Sword Shatter.¡±


    [The cooldown time of Blood Sword Shatter is reset by the effect of the skill ¡®Divinity.¡¯]


    ¡°Blood Sword Shatter.¡±


    After repairing the Pulling Device, Grid used the skill again and the blood sword reappeared in front of Grid. It wasn¡¯t a smooth sword shape, but a sword where the bright red blood kept fluctuating. Blood kept dripping down. The position of the handle couldn¡¯t be immediately identified because a dense bloody fog was wrapped around it, making it look as sinister enough to be called a demon sword.


    Grid caught the handle and immediately attached the Pulling Device. It took 3 seconds. It was longer than the first time. It wasbined and destroyed at the same time.


    ¡°Divinity, Blood Sword Shatter.¡±


    He repaired the Pulling Device and tried again. This time, the stream of blood was a bit less tumultuous.Thanks to this, it took only 2.3 seconds for the Pulling Device to be attached urately. Next was 2.4 seconds and 2.8 seconds. Another time was 2.7 seconds.


    ¡°...This also depends on luck.¡±


    The wavelength of the bloody fog surrounding the blood sword was subtly different every time, so it was impossible to shorten the record through learning and adaptation. If the fog was light then the handle could be quickly identified. If the fog was heavy then it took time to identify the handle. It might be a difference of between 0.1-0.5 seconds, but even this fleeting difference was unfortunate.


    ¡®It would be great if the shape formation was 0.5 seconds faster than it is now.¡¯


    Ideally, it was better to end the weaponization within 2 seconds if he wanted to link the blood sword weapon with an attack. However, it took 1.8 seconds to form the sword so there was no time.


    ¡®I need themand stat.¡¯


    Equip the blood sword that showed an overwhelming attack power, link a skill, and directly shatter it to cause additional damage. He could summon a total of seven blood swords using Divinity and attach seven Pulling Devices to make them be judged as weapons. Then after using the rain of battle gear or a five fusion sword dance with them, even a single digit great demon couldn¡¯t easily withstand it.


    This was the strongestbo theoretically possible. In order to reliably implement thisbo, he needed to raise hismand stat. The faster the speed of shaping the blood magic and the longer the duration time, the moreplete and diversified thebo that used Blood Sword Shatter would be.


    Grid checked hismand stat. The Blood King¡¯s Order was triggered today but it was still at 0 points. This damn game. No matter what, nothing was easily given.


    ¡°Tsk... I have no choice but to hope that time will solve it.¡±


    Still, it was a greatfort to imagine the time when hismand stat had risen. He wouldn¡¯t lose easily no matter who he fought from the moment he could fully utilize the blood sword. Grid felt thrilled as he imagined himself in the future. Then he suddenly had a question. ¡®By the way... am I weak now?¡¯


    It felt like he had never won fighting alone since raiding the 17th Great Demon, Botis.


    ¡®Is it... an illusion?¡¯


    Grid started sweating as he looked back on his memories. He barely seeded in raiding Drasion (formerly Sariel) with a great number of people, he was helplessly beaten by Mir, he was too scared to even challenge Leraje, he worked together with Leraje to beat Krucha, and Marie Rose was just like a god...


    He didn¡¯t remember any fights where he won coolly recently. Did this make sense? He felt like he was the only one standing still while his enemies were bing stronger exponentially. His self-esteem copsed. It was shameful that he was revered as a god by the people.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    It might be because he hadn¡¯t been able to craft new items for a while that he was stagnating. However, it was difficult to create new items right now. Even a fool knew it was wise to save materials until the level of the stone statue was higher.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ll have to hold on for at least two more weeks for the statue to level up.¡¯


    Did he have to stay in this state of low self-esteem for two weeks? Grid¡¯s attitude of serious concern was unreasonable, objectively speaking. Drasion, Mir, Leraje, Krucha, and Marie Rose. In the first ce, they weren¡¯t opponents that yers could fight alone.


    However, Grid thought differently. He didn¡¯t know about the other opponents, but he should¡¯ve at least been able to hunt Krucha by himself. The subordinate of the 8th Great Demon, Barbatos¡ªBarbatos might be a wall that Grid couldn¡¯t ovee at the moment, but Krucha was just a subordinate after all. Krucha might¡¯ve received support from Barbatos, but it was upsetting and embarrassing that Grid couldn¡¯t raid him easily.


    ¡®Barbatos has many subordinates and they will always have Barbatos¡¯ cover fire when fighting.¡¯


    Grid and Barbatos had clearly be hostile to each other. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he was suddenly attacked by Barbatos¡¯ power while active in hell. He should have enough power to smash Barbatos¡¯ subordinates by himself. Grid came to a conclusion and felt the need to check his condition first. ¡®Exactly what level am I now?¡¯


    He needed confirmation. Yet how?


    ¡®Should I raid Hell Gao on my own next time? No, I don¡¯t think it can be a true fight because I have figured out his pattern to a certain extent.¡¯


    Who could he fight to check his skills properly? The worried Grid looked out the window, only for his eyes to widen.


    A pure white light was swallowing the world. An explosion urred and a mountain copsed. It was a disaster caused by Braham who was magic forging Greed. Grid¡¯s heart thumped. A person who would¡¯ve easily killed Krucha while ignoring Barbatos¡¯ support fire. How far could he fight against the legendary great magician Braham? He wanted to check it. This was also a necessary procedure. It was natural to understand the fighting power of his allies.


    ¡°Shunpo.¡± Grid moved to the top of the mountain that had just been half broken.


    ¡°Are you finally going to challenge me?¡± Braham¡¯s ruby eyes already showed the appearance of Grid. His expression was very serious as he looked back at Grid, who suddenly appeared in the sky. There was no trace of an arrogant smile. Braham had been feeling weaktely as well. Braham also felt the need to check his skills. He was very pleased to see Grid who came showing his fighting spirit.


    Grid wondered, ¡°Are you agreeing to the duel?¡±


    ¡°I have never avoided a fight in my life.¡±


    ¡°Trauka...¡±


    Before he could finish, Braham took the action first. The rain of fire rising in the sky struck at Grid. There was no end to the constantly rising rain of fire despite cutting them one by one.


    Grid¡¯s body, engulfed in lightning, moved. Braham avoided it using Blink and spread decoys out everywhere. There were few spells as useful as Decoy against a transcendent person with extremely developed senses. Grid¡¯s transcendent senses felt dozens of decoys in the form of Braham and it confused him. Nevertheless, Grid responded calmly with the Wave sword dance. Dozens of sword energies spread in all directions.


    Meanwhile, the God Hands protected Grid from the dozens of water bombs. Braham¡¯s counterattack was faster than Grid¡¯s response. The debris of the copsed mountain was rising and approaching Grid¡¯s feet. The sight of an earth barrier rising with enough momentum to cover the sky was truly spectacr. The water bombs exploded and poured down, mixing with the barrier of earth to form mud. The waves of mud that filled the sky blocked Grid¡¯s view, meaning that Grid¡¯sbat effectiveness was halved.


    A deep smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. He was relieved that Braham seemed to be in good shape and was delighted at his own development in finding a way to counterattack against Braham.


    ¡®Earth God.¡¯


    The wave of mud that had been engulfing Grid instead poured down like a waterfall on Braham. Braham watched it and extinguished it as natural as breathing, only for hundreds of lights to sh from Braham¡¯s left and right sides. It was a baptism of Magic Missile toward Grid.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡±


    Administrator Rabbit copsed in his seat as he stared at the sh between the sword and magic that was urring between the sky and the earth.

 Chapter 1405

    <h4>Chapter 1405</h4>


    Earth God was a skill that had a probability of triggering when touching the ground. There was no guarantee that this probability would also apply to earth magic. Nevertheless, Grid tried it without hesitation. The waves of mud made by Braham this time were too broad. It was difficult to find ces to escape, but there were many ces to use as a foothold.


    His foot was sucked in every time it touched the mud, but this didn¡¯t matter. Grid¡¯s movement speed was faster than the speed at which the mud swallowed Grid¡¯s ankles. He repeatedly left before his ankle was swallowed.


    [Earth God has activated and allowed you to gain control of the earth.]


    It happened precisely when he stepped on the waves of mud the 37th time. The wave of mud that was constantly moving in a curve to draw a circle and eventually be a giant sphere trapping Grid froze for a moment. Then it poured back toward Braham.


    Grid had seized Braham¡¯s magic. Grid tried to use the time while Braham was responding to take the steps of the sword dance.


    ¡°......?!¡± As Braham destroyed the mud pouring toward him, Grid saw the hundreds of magic missiles aiming at him and stiffened.


    Braham had continued to cast magic during the time when Grid had been avoiding the waves of mud. The magic missiles poured down. It was a rain of light. Avoiding it in the usual way was physically impossible. It would also be difficult to use Shunpo. The baptism of magic missiles covered most of his field of view so it was hard to detect a section to break through using Shunpo.


    The moment Grid was hesitating, the 10 God Hands rotated and blocked some of the magic missiles. It was just that this couldn¡¯tst long. Braham¡¯s Magic Missile was far more powerful than Grid¡¯s Magic Missile. The damage that the God Hands could receive was exceeded in an instant. Grid watched the God Hands stiffening when they collided with the magic missiles and his head spun quickly. Should he just focus on defense like this?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    It was the worst thing to have his feet tied up when facing a magician. The moment he stood still to stop the magic missiles, he would be the target of more advanced magic.


    A counterattack?


    Smashing the magic missiles with Flower Revolve or 200,000 Army Crushing Sword and then counterattacking was... it was a tactic that would work against ordinary magicians. However, the opponent was Braham. HIs transcendent senses were wary of every magic missile.


    ¡®Did he attach trap magic to each magic missile?¡¯


    Hundreds of magic missiles were created in the few minutes when Grid avoided the waves of mud. Could Braham attach trap magic to them as well? The opponent might be Braham, but some people would wonder if Grid was overestimating him too much. Even so, Grid knew Braham¡¯s value.


    One of Braham¡¯s spells was called Enhanced Memorize. It was magic that literally reconstructed previously used magic forms. Simply put, it was duplication. Legendary magic couldn¡¯t be copied and it took some time for advanced magic to be copied, but low level magic could be copied instantly. It was a simple matter for Braham to multiply the magic missiles and attached trap magic to them.


    ¡®I can only avoid it.¡¯


    It took only one second for him to reach this conclusion. Braham was already performing his next spell. He spread out water balls in between the magic missiles and exploded them. Then an extensive water curtain covering the entire area started to form. He seemed to want to create a water curtain so that Grid couldn¡¯t escape using Shunpo, leaving him exposed to the bombardment of the magic missiles.


    Grid moved urgently. He looked at the areas the water curtain hadn¡¯t reached yet and proceeded to use Shunpo.


    ¡®It is obvious,¡¯ Braham thought.


    The reason Braham dominated Grid¡¯s field of view with overwhelming numbers was to limit Grid¡¯s movement path. Braham was currently in a state of control with the magic missiles and water curtain that blocked most of Grid¡¯s field of view. In order for Grid to escape this area, it was necessary to use Shunpo while aiming at the fine gap between both spells.


    ¡ªJust like now. Braham was able to predict where Grid would appear next and prepare for it.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The moment he appeared in any direction, he would be caught by Braham and his prepared magic...


    Braham was casting magic in a rxed manner and waiting for Grid to appear when a chill went down his spine. It was because Grid used Shunpo but he didn¡¯t appear at any of the locations that Braham predicted. Hepletely disappeared. It was right to say he ¡®disappeared.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯ Braham¡¯s expression was flustered. ¡®I don¡¯t know about this?¡¯


    Grid had linked Barbatos Vision and Shunpo to appear ¡®10 kilometers outside.¡¯


    ¡°Rain of Battle Gear.¡±


    Then he used thebo that sank the orc¡¯s rebellion. The connection between Barbatos¡¯ Vision and Request to Stand With Me struck at Braham.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Braham witnessed the thousands of battle gears pouring down from the sky and felt like he was possessed by a ghost. The current situation was iprehensible even with the wisdom of the Duke of Wisdom. Therefore, he was thrilled. How long had it been since he encountered something unknown?!


    ¡°Absolute Shield!¡±


    Braham was happy at experiencing something unknown after hundreds of years. His shout as he cast a spell rang out. His voice reached the ears of Grid, who was approaching while inducing Lightning God.


    ¡®Braham!¡¯


    A person who was building up a myth despite losing his vampiric power and the power of his prime. He might not be close to Baal or Marie Rose, but it was undeniable that he was one of the world¡¯s potential powerhouse. He had the unique characteristic of absorbing mana from the outside world and using it as a resource. He was a monster who could be the strongest in special spaces such as the Abyss or the Red Sea. Anyone would fear him, yet Grid was pushing him.


    [You have assimted with the energy of the blue dragon and Lightning God is activated.]


    [Your body has turned into lightning. All attacks are converted to lightning. Every time you hit the target, a lot of mana is burned (10% of the total mana).]


    [You are immune to all physical attacks, but you will take twice the damage from magic attacks without any defense or resistance. It also leaves a current that deals damage equal to 10 times your intelligence in the movement path. The duration of the electric current is 2 seconds.]


    [It won¡¯t be released until the speed drops and will be released immediately once you deviate from the maximum speed.]


    ¡°100,000 Army Massacre Sword!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid kept a thorough distance from Braham. He moved around at a distance beyond Braham¡¯s reach and kept Braham in the center. He maintained Lightning God and kept moving so he wouldn¡¯t be spotted by Braham while pouring out all of the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. It was a good opportunity to seize victory while Barbatos¡¯ Vision was maintained. He never narrowed the distance because he didn¡¯t want to allow a counterattack in the Lightning God state.


    ¡°300,000 Army Stealth Sword.¡±


    How many times did the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship dig into the gaps of the Absolute Shield created in exchange for blocking the rain of battle gear? The sword energy also dealt lightning damage. It struck invisibly from a long distance in a way that resembled Mir¡¯s swordsmanship and it was difficult for Braham to react.


    Since he wasn¡¯t a transcendent, it was impossible for him to read it with his eyes or react with his senses. He could only defend by creating shields in advance, but even this gave him a sense of pressure. Every time there was a conflict between the sword energy and shield, his mana was greatly reduced.


    ¡®What is this... how many powers have been fused together?¡¯


    The long distance shooter¡¯s vision, the power of the blue dragon, the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King, and Divinity that helped him use it in session...


    The ¡®lightning¡¯ that gradually weakened Braham was a technique that fused together various forces and it contained Grid¡¯s life trajectory. Braham, who imed to know Grid the best in the world, felt like he had only seen a part of Grid. Meanwhile, Grid stopped turning and moved straight forward. The duration of Barbatos¡¯ Vision was over so he had no choice but to approach. His Divinity had already been consumed by the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡®I have to win here.¡¯


    Due to the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, Grid had seeded in consuming all of Braham¡¯s mana. Braham¡¯s mana fell to a low point while maintaining Absolute Shield and he experienced mana burn.


    ¡®Braham will spend some time using Mana Drain.¡¯


    Now was his chance to grab the win. Grid felt Braham getting closer and started dancing. The strides of the five fusion sword dance in the air was reminiscent of a dragon swimming in the sky.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle...¡±


    Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave had already been activated and Grid¡¯s body shot unknowingly at Braham who entered his field of view. It meant it was irreversible.


    Kuooooh!


    The atmosphere heated up. The shadows covering Grid¡¯s face gradually deepened. Grid¡¯s sword pierced Braham¡¯s chest, but it ended with just one strike. The Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave sword dance that consisted of a powerful stab and dozens of shes wasn¡¯tpleted. It was because a meteorite fell from the sky and smashed into Grid¡¯s body.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    A notification window indicating the activation of his immortality along with all types of warning messages covered his field of view. It was the destructive power of a single blow that didn¡¯t give a chance to his recovery skills that were activated under certain conditions. It was the power of the legendary great magic, Meteor.


    ¡°T-This is ridiculous...¡±


    Grid crashed into the ground along with the meteorite and muttered nkly in the midst of the chain of explosions. He didn¡¯t understand how Braham could trigger Meteor when he hadpletely run out of mana.


    Braham slowly descended from the sky covered in ashes. He summoned hundreds of water balls with this recovered mana and calmed down the hellfire caused by the explosion of Meteor. Then he asked the dazed Grid, ¡°What are you surprised about?¡±


    ¡°No... where did you suddenly draw enough mana to use Meteor?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use mana. It was just a spell I set with rm before my mana was depleted.¡±


    ¡°You set it using rm? How did you know I was going to approach at that timing?¡±


    ¡°Every time your attack hit me, I lost one-tenth of my mana... it is easy to anticipate at which point you will want to approach me.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Grid had Fenrir¡¯s power that could fill the gap in levels. Therefore, the difference in level with Braham didn¡¯t affect this duel. It was purely due to a skill difference. However, Grid wasn¡¯t frustrated. Rather, he was happy. He was relieved and felt reassured by the fact that Braham was in good shape. Braham didn¡¯t like the sight of Grid smiling happily.


    "Why are you smiling when you lost a fight you could¡¯ve won? Absolute Shield is legendary defense magic that can block any attack but the moment the attack is blocked, the durability of the shield runs out and it takes time to cast again. Rather than using the rain of battle gear and aiming for a long battle, it would¡¯ve been better to link Shunpo and Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave to gain the upper hand. You were too passive.¡±


    ¡°I will do that the next time we fight.¡±


    ¡°Bah, there will be no second opportunity today. Today I was at a disadvantage because we fought right after I used Disintegrate.¡±


    ¡°No, Disintegrate should be used for the magic forging.¡±


    ¡°Are you a beggar...?¡±


    The two people were happy while quarreling. Today¡¯s duel was a great help for both of them. Braham learned that it wasn¡¯t very effective to limit a transcendent using quantity, while Grid learned that Shunpo and the tactic of fighting from a distance shouldn¡¯t be blindly trusted. They also figured out how strong they had be.


    It was enough to fight this evenly with Braham. At this point, he deserved to regain his confidence. The two people were vowing to train and improve when a face appeared between them...


    ¡°Yes... you shouldn¡¯t do the same thing again today...¡± It was a face full of sadness. It was Administrator Rabbit. He ran all the way here and pushed up his sses with trembling hands as he looked around. ¡°I... I thought a great demon was invading here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid and Braham shut their mouths. The entire area waspletely scorched in the aftermath of the duel. Several mountains had copsed, forests were burning, dozens ofrge and small craters had formed on the ground, and new roads were probably needed.


    ¡°I would rmend you to duel in the middle of enemy camps in the future... no, how about going to hell and reducing the number of demons?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Rabbit was the only one in the world who could shut up both Overgeared God Grid and the legendary magician Braham.

 Chapter 1406

    <h4>Chapter 1406</h4>


    Grid realized the importance of duels and introduced the ranking battle system to the Overgeared Kingdom. He hoped that the Overgeared members and Overgeared residents couldpete with each other, find opponents with simr strength, and learn and grow.


    The response was explosive. The participation rate of the members was much higher than Grid expected. There were the concepts of ¡®points¡¯ and ¡®ranking¡¯ so the participation rate was bound to be high. Originally, yers were crazy about things like rankings.


    ¡°There are truly many strong people in our guild.¡±


    ¡°There are dozens of people where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they stood on their own and built a guild.¡±


    ¡°By the way, the rankings are a bit surprising...¡±


    Two weeks had passed since the ranking matches started. The top rankings were dominated by the former Tzedakah Guild members, Yura, and Chris. Meanwhile, the very top of the list were dominated by Grid, Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, Sariel, Asmophel, and Katz.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The performance of others was as expected but Katz¡¯s was an extraordinary event. While Katz was naturally strong and he was one of the top ranked yers in the Overgeared Guild, most people evaluated him as one step lower than Yura, Jishuka, Faker, and Chris. In particr, Katz was more unfavorable than Regas and Pon in a one-on-one match. Yet now he stood shoulder to shoulder with Grid¡¯s messengers and knights...?


    Katz shrugged, feeling satisfied with the reactions of his colleagues who were surprised to see the rankings.


    ¡°Hut... Aren¡¯t there sayings like ¡®stand head and shoulders above others¡¯ and ¡®talent will reveal itself¡¯? I can¡¯t hide it even if I wanted to. In terms of this body, I am the first ancient ss. It is natural.¡±


    ¡°Ancient ss? Did you get a bug?¡±


    The world message that stated that Katz had changed to an ancient ss hadn¡¯t appeared. The world messages came when they progressed to a certain point in their ss quest and had unlocked some of the power. However, Katz couldn¡¯t find even a clue to where Beriache¡¯s paintings were. He was blocked at the very first ss quest, so it was futile to expect a world message to appear.


    ¡°A bug... Well, you¡¯ll find out sooner orter.¡±


    Katz was pleased even if he was treated as a foolish person. The reason why he didn¡¯t certify his ss right now and only mentioned it secretly (?) in words was to create a dramatic situation in the future. He imagined the world being turned upside down the moment his identity was revealed and was filled with pleasure.


    ¡°It seems the match between a Blood Warrior and vampire is great,¡± Chris approached and spoke to Katz. He had met Katz in the ranking match and lost a lot of points, but he didn¡¯t care about his ranking that had fallen. Chris was well aware of the potential of his peers. He didn¡¯t find it strange when his colleagues became stronger than him.


    To be honest, losing to Katz was quite a shock, but it was convincing considering that Katz had changed his species to a vampire. He just had to fight and win next time.It was enough if he won the next time they fought. It would be 10 fights and 2 wins.


    ¡°Well, I guess so. Chris, why don¡¯t you change your species as well?¡±


    ¡°I have no thoughts about it.¡±


    ¡°Why? You will be several times stronger than you are now if you change to an orc.¡±


    The characteristics of an orc were to amplify physical attack power, breakthrough power, and endurance power. Chris was the user of a greatsword and had the Tyrant ss. The greatest synergy would ur if he changed his species to an orc. Nevertheless, Chris had no intention of changing his species. Chris¡¯ aesthetics rejected the appearance of the orcs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a green monster.¡±


    Was it really right to have an unwanted appearance just to be strong? It would be very unfortunate. If he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his appearance, then he might not enjoy the game and quit because he was exhausted.


    It wasn¡¯t just Chris who thought this way. One of the reasons why people preferred the vampire species was their appearance after all. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that orcs were unsightly. There were certainly people who preferred the orcs ording to their taste. However, Chris didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡®This is why skin makers are sitting on money these days.¡¯


    A skin maker was famous for changing the appearance of items while maintaining the performance. Recently, it had reached the point where they could change the appearance of the character. It might be impossible to change the shape of the facial features, but it was said they could change the position of the facial features, the color of the skin, the eyes, and the body hair... this alone seemed like it would cause a very big change.


    Katz was seriously thinking about meeting a skin maker. He wanted to change the appearance of his armor. Grid¡¯s works were very beautiful because they were delicate and elegant, but... the beauty that Katz desired was where mes flowed out of the item and wings sprang out. It was a type of fashion that was gorgeous and eye-catching rather than ssy and elegant.


    As he was thinking, the ongoing ranking battle ended. It was a confrontation between Jishuka and Damian and the result was Jishuka¡¯s victory. Damian was regaining the power of the past after receiving a new sword from Grid, but he was one-sidedly killed.


    ¡°Jishuka has already scored 2,567 points... she is definitely stronger after bing the Bow Saint.¡±


    A wide field of view and attack range, sniping from invisible positions using arrows that could change their trajectory, evasive maneuvers, and rapid fire that enabled closebat...


    Jishuka changed to a Bow Saint and demonstrated the strongest skills at any distance. She was a wless existence. She would reach the very top as long as she could recover her level.


    ¡®Meanwhile, my level didn¡¯t reset.¡¯


    As expected, the ancient ss was special. Katzughed deeply at the feeling of bing the protagonist of a popr web novel. Then he cocked his head. It was because Grid, who was waiting his turn in the standby room, ran into Jishuka and showed floundering hands and feet. His face turned bright red when he saw her and he squirmed like he was very itchy. Katz wondered, ¡°Why is Grid like that?¡±


    ¡°Vantner said that Grid has fallen for Jishuka.¡±


    ¡°Vantner?¡± Then it was bullshit.


    Katz shook his head and entered the dueling room. To be precise, it was a ¡®dungeon.¡¯ It was a dungeon created exclusively for the ranking battle by Eat Spicy Jokbal. There were only two dungeons at the moment, but he nned to increase the number. Each dungeon was intended to have its own characteristics to help the guild members adapt to a wider variety of environments.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal imed he was doing this to help Elizabeth establish her position in the Overgeared Guild. In fact, it was obviously an excuse no matter who heard it. Eat Spicy Jokbal acted cold on the outside, but he actually did a lot of work for the Overgeared Guild. He was too enthusiastic for it to be just helping his niece.


    ¡®Well, I understand how he feels.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild was a group created by geniuses. People who developed their talent, influence, and dreams were constantly joining. Therefore, there was always a lot of energy in the Overgeared Guild. All the members were full of the spirit of improvement, so they ran forward without anyziness. There was no choice but to be enthusiastic when with them. One wanted to run and cheer together.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal would have the same fire. He must¡¯ve forgotten the resentment of losing Blood Carnival due to Grid. The proof was that the first ranking dungeon he created has a structure that looked like Grid¡¯s smithy. Like all members of the Overgeared Guild, Eat Spicy Jokbal respected Grid.


    ¡°Katz, you have over 3,000 points. Your points will be reduced by a lot when you lose to me. Be prepared.¡±


    ¡°The only person who is qualified to speak like that to me is Grid.¡±


    ¡°Hahat! We¡¯ll only know after trying! Mach Spear!¡±


    Winning the ranking battles didn¡¯t give any rewards or honor. Both the scores and rankings were things only known inside the Overgeared Guild. However, being able to fight opponents on the same level was a great help. Those who couldn¡¯t find opponents of a simr level were able to meet goodpetitors thanks to the objective score and the ranking system. This was directly linked to rapid growth and enjoyment.


    The ranking battles were a sweet rain to the Overgeared members who were tired of hunting and raiding. Fighters like Regas and Toon were able to y the ranking battles for three days straight.


    ***


    ¡°This is shit!¡±


    Zibal was experienced. He was a person who hadpeted with Kraugel in the early days and had umted experience in many fields. He knew how to cope with certain situations. For example, he was good at tracking and escaping because he had been through dozens of quests that required him to throw off the enemy¡¯s pursuit.


    Zibal had confidence that he couldn¡¯t be caught by the followers of the martial god. In the process of searching for a ce to hide the grandmaster, he left no traces behind. After determining a hiding ce, he moved carefully and he also changed the hiding ce regrly. However, in just 10 days, the followers of the martial god tracked him down.


    ¡®Why do I keep being found?¡¯


    At this point, he had to wonder if there was a spy. However, the knights currently working with Zibal were absolutely loyal to the grandmaster. Rather, they were in a position to doubt Zibal.


    ¡°Are we going to keep going like this?¡±


    Zibal was an ancient rider and handled all vehicles perfectly. Everything he drove showed a higher performance and there was no distinguishing between living things and machines. This was why the knights¡¯ breathing was harsh as they chased after Zibal¡¯s carriage. The carriage carrying the grandmaster moved so quickly through the forest that it pushed the stamina of the elite former Neo Red Knights to the limits.


    ¡°Uh, we are going to run the whole time.¡±


    ¡°However, it is the empire¡¯s territory from here on out.¡±


    ¡°We are going to get them mixed up with the imperial army and then escape in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    The knights were exhausted by the constant pursuit of the enemy. Even so, they trusted Zibal and followed his instructions. Their hideouts had been discovered so many times that Zibal was suspicious, but they still tried to believe in him. The grandmaster told them to follow Zibal so they had to believe him and follow him.


    ¡°Hiyah! Gasp?¡± Zibal, who was whipping the horse, was startled and hurriedly stopped the carriage. It was because the followers of the martial god were blocking the road ahead. It was as if they expected him to flee this way.


    ¡°These damn bastards, do they have CCTV? What the hell is this?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help swearing. Zibal couldn¡¯t understand the situation at all. He hadn¡¯t made any mistakes in the process of escaping. He had deceived people¡¯s eyes and erased their traces, so why did they keep getting tracked?


    ¡®It is even by these blindfolded guys...¡¯


    It was very unpleasant because it felt like the system was interfering. He felt like his freedom was being vited. Zibal was born and raised in the United States, a country of freedom, so he couldn¡¯t tolerate this maniption.


    ¡®Still, there are only three people. It is worth fighting.¡¯


    They were followers who mastered 8 secret techniques. It was a very high level, but they weren¡¯t the opponents of Raiders. Moreover, there were nine former Neo Red Knights on his side.


    ¡°Break through. Kill them all.¡±


    Think positively. The followers of the martial god had a certain probability of dropping the martial god¡¯s secret techniques. The average person wanted it, but they couldn¡¯t find it or obtain it.


    Zibal controlled his heart only to stiffen as he got out of the carriage. It was because dozens of followers of the martial gods appeared btedly.


    ¡°...It is ruined.¡±


    It was the first time he felt such a great sense of crisis since the time he fought Grid. In other words, there was no answer. Nevertheless, his decision should be quick. Zibal was about to summon Raiders when the knights surrounded him.


    ¡°We will open the way so run away.¡¯


    ¡°What? Then what about you...¡±


    ¡°Please be sure to save Zikfrector.¡±


    It was Grandmaster Zikfrector who saved them when they were wandering knights. He guided the talents they didn¡¯t know they had and gave them the strength they longed for. They could sacrifice their lives for the noble man who had the mission of overthrowing the ugly gods.


    ¡°It is strange to say this, but we believe in you...¡±


    Just then, the heads of the determined knights who were smiling fell to the ground.


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal stiffened. The knights who were breathing right by his side¡ª No, it felt unrealistic to see his colleagues lose their heads, spray blood, and then copse.


    ¡°I heard you were with the one who killed Lee Jeong, but the level isn¡¯t very good. Lee Jeong is pathetic.¡±


    Zibal heard a voice above his head. He looked up and saw a man standing on a thin branch with one hand. The Triad, Haegak. This was his name.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have toe out on my own.¡±


    Haegak didn¡¯t even look at Zibal. He gestured to the followers and dozens of them rushed to the carriage at once. The grandmaster was still asleep in the carriage. He couldn¡¯t be protected. There was no way to protect him.


    Zibal knew this but he still chose to fight. He summoned Raiders, boarded it, and pulled the carriage. He knew how important the grandmaster was to the worldview. He didn¡¯t want to abandon his colleagues who had struggled together for months and were risking their lives to protect him.


    It was 7 years after starting Satisfy.


    For the first time, Zibal had red eyes.


    [The soul of the 1st evil, Jake, is watching you.]


    [The hidden passive skill ¡®Providence¡¯ has been acquired after achieving the special condition.]

 Chapter 1407

    <h4>Chapter 1407</h4>


    How many iterations was this world currently at? Even the parties involved in the repeated destruction and creation of the world wouldn¡¯t know exactly. For them, the world was as worthless as a sandcastle. It was impossible for them to remember the worlds that had copsed. Yet for someone, this world was everything.


    It was the same for Zikfrector. He fought against the notion that everything that was precious to him would be born and then destroyed with this existing world. He gathered up his willpower with hispanions and rebelled against the gods. However, he couldn¡¯t go directly to war. The world was already on the verge of destruction when he barely woke up his spirit affected by the Curse of Sloth. No, maybe it had already perished.


    ¡°......¡±


    Every time he was affected by the curse that affected his willpower, he had the same dream. Hispanions sealed in the gaps of the world howled in pain. Then they found him and closed their mouths. They would force a smile at him. It was as if telling him not to worry. It was as if they didn¡¯t me him. Thus, it was even more distressing. He was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt and hated and cursed himself. It was a binding that would never end.


    He was sobbing as usual when he heard a voice that he hadn¡¯t heard in a while.


    "We finally meet.¡±


    It was Jake. Blessed by the god of luck, he was a hero who avoided all death variables with strong luck. He had saved the lives of his colleagues many times on the journey of destroying the demons of hell. He had been silent for thousands of years after carrying the sin of the gods and now he spoke with a wide smile, ¡°You found a greatpanion, Zik. I¡¯m d. It is really fortunate.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Jake...!¡± He woke up from his sleep the moment he tried to grab onto Jake, who lost his strength and fell back into the gap. There was the sensation of cold metal touching his back. How long had he been asleep? Days? Months? Or a few years...


    The surprised Zikfrector looked up and quickly examined the surroundingndscape. He was moving. He was on top of something that was running. It was on top of something high enough that his gaze lined up with arge conifer tree. Due to the influence of his long sleep, his degenerated muscles didn¡¯t work properly. It was useless even if he trained to the limits. This body that was gued by the Curse of Sloth was at its limits.


    Zikfrector got up with a bit of trouble and looked back. The metal giant¡¯s gaze turned to himself. It was an ancient product that caused him to recall old memories of the past, the magic machine.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Zibal¡¯s voice flowed from Raiders. It was admirable and thankful that he strengthened his ent to hide his fatigue. Were all the other knights dead? Zikfrector felt regret and sorry. He would repay this grace by killing the gods and saving the world.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zikfrector¡¯s brief answer was as calm as usual. He controlled his shaken expression. He had to restrain his emotions. This was the only way he could hold on in this crazy world...


    The ancient runes that emerged around Zikfrector created a brilliant path that was like a gxy in front of Raiders. This was the magic he had used to visit the Hwan Kingdom. Raiders got on the road and soon disappeared.


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°...I missed him.¡±


    The Triad, Haegak, arrived at the scene and clicked his tongue. He missed the fish that he caught so he was bound to feel unpleasant. Even so, there was no shame. The cause of this mission¡¯s failure wasn¡¯t his ipetence.


    The sudden high-speed movement of the magic machine had the concept of ¡®physically impossible to chase.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like a transcendent¡¯s Shunpo that leapt across a certain distance, but he couldn¡¯t narrow the distance. Thus, there was no way to stop it. Every time he got close to the magic machine, ridiculous bad luck urred and the tracking was disrupted. It was a feeling like some huge power was interfering. It was like the power of the Seven Evils, i.e. the power of the gods that the martial god once spoke of.


    ¡®It is natural that I can¡¯t catch him if something like that is used.¡¯


    However, considering the power, it was something that couldn¡¯t be used often. He just had to seed in tracking them as soon as possible and he wouldn¡¯t miss a second time. Haegak ordered the followers who were behind him, ¡°Scatter and wait for the next divine message.¡±


    Martial God Zeratul was great. Humanity wanted power for a number of reasons. They wanted power so it was natural to worship the martial god. On the continent, there were symbols such as temples or stations that honored the martial god. All of them became the eyes and ears of the martial god. The dozens of followers, including Haegak, scattered everywhere. The moment a divine message came down from the martial god who would soon find Zikfrector¡¯s position, they would unite again to eliminate Zikfrector.


    On the other hand, outside the small city of Bairan in the Overgeared Kingdom...


    ¡°I won! I won!¡± The Guardian of the Forest. It was even the Awakened Guardian of the Forest and it was killed by Prince Lord. The young man jumped around happily. However, the corpse of the huge monster that fell by the boy¡¯s side was very shocking because it was the result of the boy¡¯s actions.


    ¡®Killing the Awakened Guardian of the Forest in 10 minutes...¡¯ The hidden Faker watched Lord and felt rare astonishment. Certainly, this forest was a hunting area with low requirements. However, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest that appeared in a specific cycle that Lord waited a month for was a very powerful monster.


    During the time when Faker was active here, the Tzedakah Guild couldn¡¯t raid it even if they all joined forces. Yet Lord alone took down the Guardian of the Forest in 10 minutes. Lord possessed all types of legendary skills so his potential was excellent, but the Grid created items he was armed with were also outstanding.


    A weapon that increased damage every time the same target was attacked, armor that improved tolerance to all types of damage, a cloak that frequently removed aggro, as well as the white tiger shoulder guards and the blue dragon boots simr to the ones that Grid favored.


    Over the past 15 years, Grid had prepared many gifts for Lord. His care for Lord could be felt.


    ¡°There are so many blue orichalcums! Father will be pleased!¡±


    Did he feel like it was his turn to reciprocate? It was wonderful to see Lord smiling happily as he grabbed the items that dropped.


    ¡°This...?!¡±


    ¡°......?¡± Faker cocked his head. It was because Lord showed interest in a small statue carved from stone. The statue had been in the forest for a long time and Faker had seen it many times. He had just never been very interested in it. The statue of an unknown person was just part of the background and it wasmon everywhere.


    However, Lord¡¯s thoughts were different.


    "I might¡¯ve been taught that the suppression of faith isn¡¯t very good, but... this is the Overgeared Kingdom,¡± Lord murmured as he stepped on the statue and smashed it.


    In Faker¡¯s eyes, it was very reasonable behavior. The Overgeared Kingdom was Grid¡¯s kingdom and Grid was a god. In the future, there was no reason for the symbols of gods other than Grid. At the very least, the faith of the Overgeared people had to be focused on Grid.


    ¡®I have to release the Shadow group members to get rid of all the other divine symbols.¡¯


    Based on what he heard from Grid and his experience with the Sariel event, the gods weren¡¯t particrly divine. Reba¡¯s position was so great that he should be cautious about touching the symbols of Goddess Reba, but the other religions were fair game.


    Faker thought about it and threw a dagger to destroy another statue lying among the bushes.


    Suddenly¡ª


    ¡°......?¡±


    He discovered the gxy lighting up the broad daylight sky and became alert.


    ***


    [There is a rumor that the procession to your stone statue is endless!]


    [The Stone Statue of Overgeared God Grid has achieved level 9.]


    [Over the next month, your dexterity stat will rise by 30% and the probability of making a high rated item has slightly increased.]


    [Over the next month, your strength, stamina, intelligence, and agility stats will increase by 19% each. The casting speed and power of sword dance-type attack skills and casting speed and cooldown time reduction of magic will increase slightly.]


    The moment he longed for had finallye. As expected, once the statue reached level 9, he received the same dexterity and production probability correction effects as when the Hero King¡¯s Stone Statue was level 15.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t easy to level up the stone statue...¡¯


    The number of people in the Overgeared Kingdom had now reached 200 million. Two-thirds of them were yers. Although many people visited the stone statue toplete the weekly quest, the speed at which the stone statue¡¯s level rose wasn¡¯t as fast as before. It seemed that after the Hero King¡¯s Stone Statue was promoted to the Overgeared God¡¯s Stone Statue, the amount of experience required to level up had increased.


    ¡®It is understandable since the function of the stone statue itself has improved.¡¯


    The problem now wasn¡¯t the level of the stone statue. It wasmand. The hidden stat didn¡¯t rise.


    ¡°Why?¡¯


    It was the 19th day since the vampire species became unsealed. The number of yers who changed species to a vampire was already reaching 20 million. This meant 20 million vampires were clearing the Blood King¡¯s Order every week. So why wasn¡¯t themand stat rising?


    ¡®Does it rise by 1 point when the Blood King¡¯s Order is cleared 100 million times?¡¯


    No way. Still, if the effect of themand stat was as good as expected, then he could endure it. It didn¡¯t matter if themand stat increased by 1 point every 100 million times the Blood King¡¯s Order was cleared. Looking at the trend of vampire yers increasing, there woulde a time when it rose by 1 point every week. It wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡®It would be understandable if it was 1 point per 1 billion... no, this is a terrible calction.¡¯


    Dammit, it had been a long time since he became a ve of the S.A Group.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s fine.¡¯


    The reason why Grid wanted themand stat was because he wanted to speed up the formation of blood magic and the duration. However, there was a saying that ¡®if you don¡¯t have teeth, you should live with your gums.¡¯ If themand stat wasn¡¯t rising then he should change the method by improving the Pulling Device. His dexterity stat buff was restored so he was keen on making items for the time being.


    ¡®Let¡¯s speed up the ejection speed and put the aim assist effect. I need Elizabeth¡¯s help.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face was energized as he lit up the furnace for the first time in a while. Rest could sometimes be inspirational. Grid had envisioned more than one or two items in the time when he waited for the level of the stone statue to rise. He had plenty of materials from his colleagues whopeted in the National Competition.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start production.¡±


    It was time to be stronger.

 Chapter 1408

    <h4>Chapter 1408</h4>


    ¡®Faker?¡¯


    Zibal fell to an unknown ce after riding the gxy created by Grandmaster Zikfrector. He realized that the life detected by Raiders was Faker and thought of the word ¡®fate.¡¯ It was too amazing to dismiss it as a coincidence when the ce he fled to was a ce with an Overgeared member. Then he soon figured out the situation.


    ¡°Is this the safest ce in the world right now?¡± Zikfrector¡¯s murmur as he stood on Raiders¡¯ hand allowed Zibal to understand the situation. The ancient teleportation magic used by Zikfrector moved the two people to coordinates that corresponded to the user¡¯s will.


    ¡®The safest ce in the world...¡¯ The Overgeared Kingdom had grown to such an extent that it was rated like this by the system.


    Zibal smiled and descended from Raiders with Zikfrector. The person who approached him wasn¡¯t Faker but a young man.


    ¡°T-That is a magic machine, right?¡± It was a boy who couldn¡¯t hide the admiration shining in his eyes. His appearance and ID couldn¡¯t be seen due to the visor he was wearing. However, Zibal felt a strange feeling from him. It was a sense of strangeness that could be felt because Zibal¡¯s knowledge was excellent.


    Zibal could see that all the items the boy was wearing were of too high value. It was difficult to have such an assortment even if the boy was a second generation chaebol. Additionally, the current location was an area where the monster didn¡¯t respawn right away... this was a boss zone. He opened the map and saw that the location was Bairan. Based on the moon, it must be the day when the Awakened Guardian of the Forest appeared. However, the guardian wasn¡¯t visible.


    ¡°Kid, are you Grid¡¯s son?¡± The time it took to get a result based on multiple pieces of evidence was only a few seconds.


    Lord wasn¡¯t wary of the unidentified stranger who recognized him with one nce. "Yes, and you are the young nobleman Zibal, right?¡±


    Lord smiled widely as he took off his visor. He also inferred Zibal¡¯s identity through Raiders. He remembered hearing from his father and his father¡¯s colleagues that an excellent and courageous warrior called Zibal was riding the magic machine.


    Zibal clicked his tongue. ¡°I heard you just had youring of age ceremony, yet you¡¯re already hunting the Guardian of the Forest. Even if Faker...¡±


    -Shh.


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal closed his mouth. Faker¡¯s reaction in sending a whisper the moment his name was mentioned startled Zibal.


    -What?Are you hiding from this little kid?Then he raided the Guardian of the Forest by himself?


    -That¡¯s right.


    -This is a game where blood is important...


    If such a child was so strong because he was Grid¡¯s son, wouldn¡¯t the child that Zibal have been quite excellent? The concept of marrying and having children in the game had been unfamiliar and awkward, thus Zibal avoided it in the meantime. Now his attitude changed to the positive.


    ¡°SIr Zibal, why did you visit Bairan? Did you want to hunt the Guardian of the Forest?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how scary your father is. Who in the world would covet a boss owned by the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I know that Father is relentless toward his enemies. However, isn¡¯t Zibal Father¡¯s friend?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A friend? The flustered Zibal reflexively looked around but he couldn¡¯t see Faker. The reason he was able to detect Faker was only due to the biometric detector built into Raiders. After a failed attempt to send a question with his eyes, he finally sent a whisper to Faker again.


    Faker¡¯s cold tone in response was a bit ufortable...


    -I¡¯m not the one who spread the rumor that Grid and I are friends, right?


    -Then it must be a rumor from Grid.


    -Grid?


    Zibal was the former leader of the Seven Guilds and he led a war against the Overgeared Gui.d. This included the invasion of Reidan. Then at events such as the National Competition, he blocked the road of the Overgeared members every time. Later, he avoided conflict with the Overgeared Guild as much as possible. Some situations happened and they often cooperated, but to say they were friends...


    -If you¡¯re ufortable, then talk to Grid.


    -No, since when am I ufortable?I¡¯m just surprised because it is unexpected...


    Zibal was surprised while talking to Faker who was hiding in an unknown ce. It was due to the smile that spread on Zikfrector¡¯s face as he stared at Lord. Why did Zikfrector react like this when he was usually indifferent to others?


    ¡°Prince, what is your schedule?¡±


    Zikfrector asked Lord who was staring enthusiastically at Zibal. Then Lord turned his gaze to Zikfrector for the first time. He gave a polite greeting before answering, ¡°I was about to return to Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°Is your business here finished? Too bad. Then I look forward to seeing you again next time.¡±


    ¡°Can I please know this nobleman¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a name to give. I¡¯m just someone who wants to be your father¡¯s friend.¡± Zikfrector was officially a traitor of the empire. He didn¡¯t need to cause trouble by revealing his identity. There must be a reason so Lord bowed deeply to Zikfrector and Zibal.


    "I see. I don¡¯t think I should bother you so I will go. I hope good luck will apany you...¡±


    ¡°Eh? Goodbye.¡±


    They entered the territory of their own will, yet it didn¡¯t bother Lord? Didn¡¯t he believe in the security of the Overgeared Kingdom too much?


    Lord smiled at the confused looking Zibal. It was a smile that seemed to convey, ¡®It is because you are my father¡¯s friend.¡¯


    ¡®It is bewitching.¡¯ His skill of smiling with a beautiful face was unusual.


    Zibal clicked his tongue and confirmed that Lord had left. Then he asked Zikfrector, ¡°Since we¡¯vee to the Overgeared Kingdom, isn¡¯t it better to go to Reinhardt? Grid has been wanting to meet you.¡±


    "No, the gxy led me here so it is better to stay here for a while. Once your Providence is avable again, we will go and meet Grid.¡±


    -Yes.Is this okay, Faker?


    -It doesn¡¯t matter.I don¡¯t want to constrain the grandmaster.


    He wondered if he should ask about Providence but he didn¡¯t know what to say. Well, the grandmaster wouldn¡¯t answer even if there was a question.


    ¡®Providence...¡¯


    Zibal knew Zikfrector¡¯s true identity. The 6th evil, Zik. Zibal expected that he would one day experience a major episode rted to the seven malignant saints. He thought the power he would gain in the process would be the power of the 6th evil, but surprisingly, it was the power of the 1st evil.


    ¡®It is simr to an escape method...¡¯


    The reason for Zibal¡¯s disappointment was that he still didn¡¯t know the true power of Providence. During their stay here, Zikfrector nned to tell Zibal the story of the seven malignant saints and teach him how to use Providence.


    ***


    It was easy to understand the Pulling Device as an auxiliary tool that converted a de into a sword. It ejected silver thread that attached to the de and pulled it over, allowing the Pulling Device to be used as a handle. However, the time spent in the process was at least 0.6 seconds. There was also a concern that the ejected silver thread wouldn¡¯t hit the target due to some interference.


    The thing Grid wanted was simple. It was to speed up the firing of the silver thread and simplify the process of hitting the target.


    Thus, he asked Elizabeth for help and the answer that came back was ¡®NO.¡¯ Elizabeth criticized the Pulling Device as a ¡®crude item.¡¯ She suggested it was better to create a new Pulling Device rather than improve it because the limitations were clear.


    Grid was actively willing to ept her opinion. The structure might be simple, but it was right to respect her opinion. The two of them headed for Reidan. After researching and cooperating for a fortnight, they seeded in making the desired item.


    [Magic Power Ejection Machine]


    [* A secondary tool.


    Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    A rectangr box that can be held in one hand.


    It looks extremely ordinary, but it is a magic engineering machine made with advanced alchemy techniques.


    It was created out of a coboration between Overgeared God Grid and the renowned craftsman artisan Elizabeth.


    A total of 10,000 mana can be stored in the box. Once the button at the top of the box is clicked, the inner magic fan will rotate counter-clockwise to eject the stored magic power. The ejection distance is up to 1 meter. Once the ejected magic power touches the specified item, the ¡®Item Combination¡¯ skill is activated. However, it can¡¯t exert an influence on objects owned by others.


    Conditions of Use: Grid


    * The duration of Item Combination is until the mana inside the box is consumed.


    * Once Item Combination is triggered, 100 mana per second is consumed. The user can inject mana into the box in real time.


    Weight: 200]


    ¡°Look! I need to improve the design!¡±


    The performance of the finished produce far exceeded Grid¡¯s wishes and expectations. Of course, the price was high. The highest level alchemy of the alchemy facility, which had been a money-eating hippopotamus since a long time ago, cost 90,000 gold for every attempt and only had a 8% chance of sess. It cost more than 100 million won per attempt and only ss specific skills or nonbat skills could be attached.


    Of course, the research director exined that it was particrly expensive because Grid was attempting to attach a legendary rated skill, but this wasn¡¯t particrlyforting.


    In the first ce, the costpared to the performance of attaching a skill to an item using alchemy was very bad. This is because the condition of use was limited to ¡®the master of the skill attached.¡¯ There were few people in the world who would do a crazy thing like pouring so much money into making an item that couldn¡¯t be re-sold.


    ¡°Look at the item description! It looks like an ordinary rectangr box! The item made using 8 billion won is so ordinary! Is it normal that it looks so ordinary?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention the 8 billion won.¡±


    8 billion won to make a secondary item...


    The value for money was worth it, but he couldn¡¯t help trembling.


    ¡°Ah, to be exact, it was 8.2 billion won?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is such arge amount of money! Why spend precious time and money to design an item so ordinary? I said I would finish it off in a pretty manner! Why don¡¯t you leave it to me? Can¡¯t you believe in my skills?¡±


    A legendary (transcendent) rated item was made.


    Elizabeth¡¯s help in the process was great. If it wasn¡¯t for her, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make a fan engraved with a sophisticated magic circle for magic to be attached to, nor could he have envisioned an item that ejected magic power. In fact, Elizabeth¡¯s contribution to the creation of the item was very great. The additional stats, reputation, and achievement she earned in return really helped her. Grid might be thankful to her, but she was just as thankful to Grid for the opportunity. Thus, she was even angrier.


    A secondary tool that had the Item Combination skill. Even if the condition of use was limited to Grid, it was a legendary magic engineering machine that could be traded for an astronomical amount of money. Yet the appearance was that of a box. The material was Greed so it had a simplistic charm when looking carefully, but that was only a story when looking at it in detail. Elizabeth¡¯s wish was for Grid¡¯s Magic Power Ejection Machine to have an appearance worthy of its value.


    However, Grid thought differently. ¡°It isn¡¯t good to have abat aid that stands out. Rather, it is better for it to look cheap.¡±


    ¡°W-When did I say that it looks cheap?! I said it was ordinary.¡± Elizabeth finally shut her mouth. It was hard to insist on changing the design after hearing Grid¡¯s intentions. ¡°Well, I understand. I¡¯ll make a concession this one time. Are you going back now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the business here is over.¡±


    There were still many items to make but before that, he was going to meet Zikfrector. A fortnight ago, Faker had run over after hearing from Kasim that Lord was trying to challenge the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. Then Faker delivered some unexpected news. Zikfrector was staying in Bairan.


    Grid had wanted to go to Bairan straight away, but he couldn¡¯t interfere with Elizabeth¡¯s too busy schedule. Thus, he first visited Reidan. There was no reason to be in a rush. Zikfrector was safe because Lauel had deliberately strengthened Bairan¡¯s forces.


    ¡®Shall I go and find the sixth apostle?¡¯


    He would take a break at the same time. Elizabeth had talked too much.


    Grid grabbed his throbbing head and entered the warp gate.

 Chapter 1409

    <h4>Chapter 1409</h4>


    Arge golem emitting a blue light rushed forward. It used its heavy shoulders to easily break through the human formation, breaking in and disrupting them. However, its momentum didn¡¯tst long.


    The humans scattered in all directions pulled the rope in their hands and the golem slipped where it was standing, falling backward. It struggled with its arms and legs like an upside-down tortoise that couldn¡¯t get up. All sorts of skills poured toward it.


    ¡°It is a smooth linkage.¡±


    ¡°It is possible because we know where the enemy will appear and we set up traps. I don¡¯t think there is anything topliment.¡±


    Zibal watched with interest as he watched the Overgeared members raiding the Guardian of the Forest using traps. In fact, the average level of the raid team deserved praise. With the exception of Toban, who was standing back andmanding, most of the participants were yers in their mid-200s. It was frankly a good thing for them to raid the Guardian of the Forest without a single casualty.


    However, Zibal had witnessed a young boy who hunted the ¡®awakened¡¯ Guardian of the Forest by himself a fortnight ago. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t particrly impressed by the Overgeared Three members despite them doing all types of tricks. ¡°Toban, why is a person like you managing a raid of this level? Can¡¯t you leave it to the second group?¡±


    ¡°It is normally managed by the third group, but today is the training of new recruits. Therefore, I visited myself.¡±


    ¡°...New recruits?¡±


    Then they weren¡¯t the third group?


    ¡®How wide is their talent pool?¡¯


    No, it must be a bluff. They didn¡¯t want to expose their guild power to outsiders. Zibal was watching the raid when he reflexively got up from his seat. It was because Grid arrived at the scene.


    ¡®This damn thing.¡¯


    Grid had nothing to do with him so why did he stand up without his knowing...?


    ¡°Have you been well?¡± Grid approached Zibal who was rebuking himself and gave a greeting with a smile. It was an ufortable friendly attitude.


    ¡°...I haven¡¯t been well,¡± Zibal shook Grid¡¯s hand and answered honestly. Thest few months since visiting the Hwan Kingdom had been hell. He could never rx for a moment due to the martial god followers who were constantly narrowing their surveincework.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It wasn¡¯t polite to ask if you¡¯ve been well when you¡¯ve obviously been struggling. You¡¯ve had a hard time.¡± Grid patted Zibal¡¯s shoulder and politely bowed to Zikfrector. "It is reassuring to see that you¡¯re safe. By the way, why are you living in the forest instead of the castle?¡±


    Grid felt it was ridiculous after finding out that Zibal¡¯s group had been living in the forest outside Bairan for the past fortnight. Perhaps it might be possible if this was a great hunting ce. However, why refuse the convenience of the Overgeared Guild and stay in a ce where only the Guardian of the Forest respawned?


    ¡°I received advice from mana that this is the safest ce.¡±


    ¡®Advice from mana?¡¯


    Was it possible to use ancient magic to talk to mana? Grid was recalling the ancient magic that Zikfrector used with the runes when Zikfrector spoke strange words, ¡°It must be because you asked your son to destroy the statues of the martial god.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    "You don¡¯t have to look like you don¡¯t understand. I¡¯m not upset just because you tested me. It is true that my body weakens every time I go through the Curse of Sloth. Still, my magic power is in good shape. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡®What does this mean...?¡¯


    ¡°We are going!¡± Toban picked up the items dropped by the Guardian of the Forest and waved to Grid. He wanted to remove as many eyes as possible so as to not interfere with Grid¡¯s time.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Bye. Everyone has worked hard.¡±


    Grid waved to Toban and bowed slightly to the other Overgeared members. The Overgeared members smiled widely and bowed 90 degrees in response. Then they whispered to each other and left.


    Zibal muttered while watching this scene, ¡°They are really new recruits...¡¯


    It was evident they were new to the kingdom based on the way they were so happy to just exchange greetings with Grid. For the Overgeared Guild, the Guardian of the Forest was nothing more than educational material for neers.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    After the Overgeared members left, Grid muttered to himself and two skeletons rose from the ground. One was a skeleton warrior armed with heavy armor and the other was a skeleton magician with a staff. Grid also summoned Noe and Randy. He ordered them to allow no one to approach this ce and they scattered in all directions.


    Only then did Zikfrector get to the point. ¡°It is true that you became a god.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, it is a nominal god, but somehow it turned out like this.¡± Grid looked into Zikfrector¡¯s eyes. He thought there would be disappointment or frustration, but they were surprisingly calm. Did he have insight into the situation like Hayate?


    ¡°Looking back on it now, it was inevitable. Your achievements are so great that few people in history canpare. It is natural for you to be revered as a god.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t disappointed?¡±


    Zikfrector was a person who had been looking forward to the birth of a god killer. Gods couldn¡¯t kill other gods.


    ¡°It would be a lie to say I¡¯m not disappointed. I wanted you to be a god killer, not a god. However, the water has already been spilled. Additionally...¡± Zikfrector¡¯s gaze moved to the inside of the forest. His gaze was on Mercedes, who returned after searching the surroundings for any danger. ¡°You seem to havee to the conclusion that it is better to raise god killers than to be a god killer. I think this way could be more effective. I agree with your way.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Nurture a god killer?


    Zikfrector immediately confessed to the confused Grid, ¡°In fact, I already tried it once. I learned that Mercedes was born with Keen Insight and tried to nurture her as a god killer. The first thing I did was to make her see Piaro so that she became his attendant...¡±


    Zikfrector¡¯s eyes were excellent. Under Piaro, Mercedes grew at a dazzling rate and eventually became the 1st Knight of the Red Knights.


    ¡°However, Mercedes had a fatal w. It is a conviction that never breaks. It is both a nutrient that developed Mercedes and a poison to her.¡±


    Mercedes was very inflexible. She valued rules over efficiency and this hindered her development. It put her in all types of danger. To put it bluntly, she was short-lived.


    ¡°I saw that Mercedes was destined to not live long. Rather than going beyond her limits and bing a transcendent, I was sure that she would die before realizing her potential.¡±


    Zikfrector¡¯s gaze was still fixed on Mercedes. Zikfrector had fought against numerous enemies as an apostle of god. He had already grasped her abilities a long time ago.


    ¡°Then you twisted Mercedes¡¯ beliefs and developed them until she is like this. You really deserve to be a god.¡±


    ¡®Although I¡¯m not aplete god...¡¯


    Hayate had told Grid that there was still room for him to be a god killer, but Zikfrector didn¡¯t know this fact. It could be seen from this that Hayate was one level higher than Zikfrector. Hayate was the only Absolute at present and he deserved to be called the pinnacle of humanity.


    ¡®The story might be different if Zikfrector regains his half-god body, but... in any case, I¡¯m proud that he is acknowledging Mercedes¡¯ growth.¡¯


    To be sure, the present Mercedes was iparable to the days when she was a Red Knight. She had be a legendary knight and had written a few chivalric codes.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just her. The other messengers are also incredibly strong.¡¯


    Additionally, the unique characteristics of the Overgeared God¡¯s messengers was to maximize the use of items. Zikfrector¡¯s opinion of raising them as god killers was very valid. It was an approach Grid had never thought of.


    ¡®An army of god killers...¡¯


    Grid had a different advantage than others. He could create items to make his colleagues stronger. He didn¡¯t think it would be impossible to raise god killers if he armed all the messengers and Overgeared members with items, making them stronger and transcendent. This was the moment when a new goal was made.


    Grid was convinced and reached out to Zikfrector. ¡°You noticed my n, so you must know what I am going to ask.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zikfrector held Grid¡¯s hand. ¡°I, Zik, am willing to be a messenger of the Overgeared God.¡±


    It was the moment when the sixth messenger was born. There was no epic. It was expected that a new epic would be written the moment Grid filled up all seven messenger positions.


    ***


    Grid brought Zikfrector and Zibal to Bairan Castle. He wanted to serve a warm meal to the people who struggled.


    ¡°The seven malignant saints... their role was to condemn those who doubted the gods, right?¡±


    There, he raised a question, ¡°Didn¡¯t the gods already have apostles called angels? Why did they choose seven human beings to share their power and give this role?¡±


    Perhaps it was to empower humanity. Just because they were a god didn¡¯t mean they considered humans to be insignificant. Grid expected there would be gods on the side of humans like Hexetia. However, the answer he received was terrible.


    ¡°There are too many conditions for angels to use their power in the human world and in hell. The gods needed the help of humans to easily control the world beyond heaven.¡±


    ¡±Is that so...¡± Grid was convinced at this moment. The purpose of all yers was to prevent the destruction of the world. In other words, it was to fight and win against the gods. He was confident that he would be in the center.


    ¡®Did the system give me the feeling of being a god because it wants me to lead people?¡¯


    It was a glorious position, but the burden was high.


    Zikfrector spoke to the troubled Grid, ¡°For the time being, you... there are two things you need to do. First, bring humanity together. It is a natural process to unify the earth in preparation for a war against heaven. Second, persuade Marie Rose to join your side. Marie Rose¡¯sbat power is the strongest on earth. You must convince her before you can gain enough power. Both things won¡¯t be easy, but I¡¯ll actively help you.¡±


    ¡°Marie Rose has already joined me as an ally and you can see humanity as virtually united. The orcs and vampires are under my control and most of the human nations have a cooperative rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°......?¡± Zikfrector¡¯s knife stopped cutting the meat. He stared at Grid with a sharp gaze. Then he soon realized it wasn¡¯t a lie andughed. ¡°You have already finished all the preparations. How far have you been looking ahead? It¡¯s especially amazing that you convinced Marie Rose. Did you use the power of a god?¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing.¡±


    ¡°I see... I don¡¯t dare think of what a great sacrifice you must¡¯ve made to persuade Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The unity of humanity was achieved with the help of Basara and no sacrifices were made to persuade Marie Rose. Still, there was no need to exin it one by one.


    ¡°The two most important conditions are met, so the remaining tasks are rtively easy. Use Marie Rose¡¯s help to destroy the great demons in hell and grow our strength.¡±


    Grid wondered, "First of all, isn¡¯t it better to rescue God Hexetia? He is my only ally in heaven and I think there is a lot to be gained by rescuing him.¡±


    ¡°A god can¡¯t kill other gods. Hexetia is safe. We need to fight hell before fighting the gods because there is precedent for the gods and great demons to join forces.¡±


    Grid was worried as he remembered the past where Hexetiamissioned the great demons to invade the human world. ¡°What if the great demons ask heaven for support?¡±


    "That won¡¯t happen. Gods cane and go between hell and heaven, but the great demons don¡¯t have that authority. Yatan is the only one who can call for support from heaven, but Yatan is only active just before he destroys the world.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what bullshit those who are about to die are talking about.¡±


    It happened as the time was ripe...


    The restaurant window was broken and a group of people entered. The name of the guy who had his eyes covered and moved upside down on one hand was Haegak. Dozens of additional followers of the martial god appeared behind him.


    ¡°You have been hiding for a fortnight.¡±


    ¡°This son of a bitch...!¡±


    Zibal cursed as he jumped up. He was confronting the enemy who killed his allies, so it was hard for him to control his emotions. Two martial god followers stopped him from rushing over in an agitated manner. However, they both vomited blood and died at the same time.


    "......!"


    "......!"


    All eyes focused on Grid. Grid stared at Haegak with cold eyes that overwhelmed those who saw it. ¡°Do you know what ce it is that you crawled into?¡±


    A sword that dripped blood and created a blood fog. The sword held in Grid¡¯s hand shot forward like a thunderbolt, pierced Haegak, and exploded.

 Chapter 1410

    <h4>Chapter 1410</h4>


    ¡®How did they know toe?¡¯


    This was the question Grid had the moment the martial god followers entered the dining room. It took 20 minutes to get to Bairan Castle. The followers of the martial god appeared there like they had been waiting so he even wondered if there were spies in the castle.


    Then he realized that he had ignored something Zikfrector mentioned. He failed to understand the logic of ¡®securing a safe area by destroying the statues of the martial god.¡¯ It was natural since Grid never instructed Lord to destroy the statues of the martial god. There were few hints and not enough time to immediately understand Zikfrector¡¯s remark.


    ¡®He deliberately lured them.¡¯


    Meanwhile, Zikfrector was convinced. Grid had created a safe zone by destroying the statues of the martial god in the forest of the guardian. It meant he had seen how to get rid of the pursuit of the martial god followers. Yet he dared to move locations and allow the followers to track them here. He showed a willingness to start a war for his new messenger by taking on the followers.


    ¡®His quick judgment and steadfast courage are worthy of being an object of envy.¡¯


    This was why Zikfrector had coveted Grid since the days when Juander was emperor. He appreciated Grid so much that he urged Grid to be the emperor of Saharan and he had a tendency to overestimate Grid. It was a time when Grid and Zikfrector¡¯s thoughts intersected.


    ¡®Is it a trap?¡¯


    Haegak felt a chill as the fragments of the exploded blood sword swept over his body. Haegak had never allowed any type of attack to hit since he gained sharper hearing and a sixth sense after abandoning his vision. Therefore, the burning sensation from his body was surprising.


    Haegak turned to Grid¡¯s direction. Despite the missed attack, this man¡¯s firm attitude of forming blood again into a sword alerted Haegak. This guy¡ª


    He was the king of this kingdom who dared to impersonate a god.


    ¡°You are Grid. I heard you killed Lee Jeong but he wasn¡¯t very good.¡± Haegak abandoned the unstable posture of the one-handed handstand and stood upright.


    Grid opened his mouth, ¡°Kukuk, Lee Jeong was the weakest of us¡ªdid you want to say something like that?¡±


    This was a regr type ofment from Lauel. He would mutter it to himself every time the dispatched personnel failed and returned.


    Haegak flinched and shut his mouth.


    ¡°...Really.¡± Grid frowned when he saw Haegak¡¯s reaction and then he used Freely Move. The followers of the martial god only marched forward. Their sole purpose was to achieve the peak of martial arts. Their essence didn¡¯t change even if they were deceived by Zeratul and lost their sense of reason. Due to this setting, the skills they used weren¡¯t simple. They were obsessed with techniques that were difficult to use,plex, and hard to hard. They also sought development in actualbat. In short, it meant they didn¡¯t use targeting skills.


    Moonlight flowed in from a copsed outer wall. The followers¡¯ weapons, fists, and kicks moved through along the light, scattering them and causing ripples. The techniques connected brilliantly, but they couldn¡¯t even touch Grid¡¯s fluttering cloak. It was because the power of Freely Move to avoid all non-targeting skills was absolute.


    ¡®1.2 seconds.¡¯


    Grid calcted the time the blood swordbined with the Magic Power Ejection Machine wouldst and reached Haegak. He immediately unleashed a four fusion sword dance. First, Linked Kill urred and Haegak dodged with restrained movements.


    At this moment, the umtedbat experience rang a warning bell inside Grid.


    ¡®A counterattack wille.¡¯


    Wave Pinnacle wasunched after Linked Kill. Haegak immediately recognized that it was impossible to avoid this and he stretched out his right arm. He didn¡¯t use any recoil. He just threw his fist forward with his elbow down by his waist. The result was amazing.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    Grid¡¯s transcendence was triggered. Originally, an attack gained speed by using the recoil of pulling back the arm but Haegak¡¯s fist shot forward like a bullet despite omitting this process. Grid couldn¡¯t afford to admire it. In a slow world, Grid avoided Haegak¡¯s attack and saw the scene of the chain being pulled out as Haegak¡¯s fist shot forward and deflecting the blood sword. It was an iron chain that connected both of Haegak¡¯s wrists. It collided with the blood sword and bounced it back toward Grid. It was a really fast and sharp counterattack.


    Grid didn¡¯t even blink once. He already anticipated a counterattack and was prepared for the situation. The God Hands blocked the blood sword. Then the blood sword changed directions and returned to Haegak again. Grid¡¯s response was indeed perfect. Unfortunately, the blood sword didn¡¯t reach Haegak. Just before reaching Haegak, the duration ended and it exploded. Haegak was wounded by the fragments again and retreated from Grid.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t haveplete control over that sword.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been dangerous if the blood sword hadn¡¯t exploded and struck him directly. During the time when Grid was tied up by Haegak, Zikfrector had bound five followers while Mercedes had killed three.


    Zibal stabbed the followers who were bound by the runes that Zikfrector unfolded like a and shouted, ¡°Grid! Call out the ambushers!¡±


    That¡¯s right. Like Zikfrector and Haegak, Zibal also believed that Grid had designed this situation. It was natural. He wouldn¡¯t have left the safe area without any countermeasures.


    ¡®Was there an ambush?¡¯


    Haegak raised his senses. He could feel Grid and Zikfrector, as well as the sword energy scattered here and there. There was nothing good about increasing the number of enemies when there were already three strong opponents present who could overwhelm the followers who had learnt eight secret techniques.


    ¡®I should aim for a quick fight.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy. Haegak estimated that Grid¡¯s skills were as good as his. Rather, it was right to see Grid as more favorable than himself seeing that Grid controlled 10 ck-gold hands holding different weapons.


    ¡®I can only hope that I have more reinforcements than there are ambushers.¡¯


    In the worst case, he might have to borrow the ¡®wings.¡¯ It was a method where four angel wings were imnted to force him to be an angel, or an apostle of the martial god. It was a ck magical art that caused extreme suffering by temporarily separating him from a human, making him lose his sense of ¡®me¡¯ in exchange for borrowing the power of an angel into a human body. In the first ce, the rtionship between the human world and angels was the worst. From the moment the wings were imnted, his mental strength and stamina would be worn out. Even his life span was decreased.


    ¡®Lee Jeong hadn¡¯t learned this ck magical art.¡¯ Grid might be hit because he didn¡¯t know about its existence. Haegak was judging the situation while Grid looked embarrassed.


    ¡®Things would be worse if I had prepared an ambush.¡¯


    It was necessary to stop the knights and soldiers who woulde running after hearing the turmoil. The followers of the martial god who appeared here had learned at least eight secret techniques. Ordinary knights and soldiers would just be cut down by them.


    The best way to confront them was with a small number of elites and at least four elite people were gathered here. Himself, Mercedes, Zikfrector, and Zibal¡¯s magic machine... no, Zibal. In this way, it was enough for the four of them to wipe out the followers. The rapidly rising skill proficiency when fighting the followers was a bonus. If they were lucky, they might get one of the martial god¡¯s secret techniques.


    ¡°What ambush? We are enough.¡±


    Yes, there was no such thing as an ambush. It happened when Grid smiled while concealing his thoughts and raised his thumb...


    The windows and walls on all sides shattered and new martial god followers entered. There were at least 20 of them. The number of enemies doubled in an instant.


    ¡°You alone are enough? Haha! Yes, you can try it!¡±


    Haegak shouted and the 40 followers rushed to Zikfrector. Their purpose was Zik of the Seven Evils. It was to eliminate the danger that could use all types of tricks to incite a rebellion against the heavenly gods.


    Mercedes blocked the followers. She pushed away the leading followers with her shield, rotated while swinging her sword close to the ground, cutting the Achilles¡¯ heel of the followers. The followers ignored her. They broke through the gaps caused by her attacking their colleagues and aimed all sorts of techniques at Zikfrector.


    Zikfrector was slowly pushed to the defensive. His body was weakened due to just awakening from the long sleep the Curse of Sloth put him under and the ancient magic using runes took time to unfold. He couldn¡¯t easily handle the followers who rushed in from all directions without caring about defense.


    Grid tried to help him.


    "Where are you going?¡± However, Haegak blocked Grid¡¯s way.


    It just stretched out, out, and out. Haegak¡¯s right fist flew forward at high speed without the help of the recoil and forced Grid into the world of transcendence.


    Grid dodged while noting that the right arm had more developed muscles than the left arm. It seemed that his habit of moving around using his right arm wasn¡¯t for nothing. The reason why the follower blindfolded himself, restrained his hands and feet, and did a handstand with one arm was all part of training. The training of unusual intensity developed his body andbat skills.


    Grid understood this too. This was why he did his next action.


    Click!


    So far, both hands had been restrained by Lee Jeong¡¯s handcuffs.


    [Lee Jeong¡¯s Handcuffs have been unequipped. The attack range, hit rate, and attack power of the equipped weapon are restored to normal. Some of the skills that have been sealed will be released.]


    ¡°Kukuk!Kuhahaha!Haegak saw Grid removing the handcuffs around his wrists and burst outughing. It was an action that showed he found it absurd. Haegak also loosened the iron chains restraining his wrists and the chains that fell to the ground caused it to shake. Haegak released the chains binding his ankles and the shackles fell into a hole it created in the ground. ¡°Lee Jeong¡¯s handcuffs are half the weight of my handcuffs.¡±


    Finally, Haegak took off his blindfold. All the restrictions for training were removed. Haegak disappeared like smoke. The moment Grid took one step back, Haegak¡¯s kick passed by the tip of Grid¡¯s nose.


    [You have suffered 1,900 damage.]


    His nose bled. Grid definitely felt it. Haegak became several times faster and stronger than before. The attack hit rate had risen to the point where it was difficult to dodge even using the world of transcendence. The depth of the martial arts that predicted the target¡¯s responsebined with vision made him a monster.


    ¡°The Triad... it wasn¡¯t a bluff.¡± Grid honestly admired it.


    Haegak shrugged in response, but he didn¡¯t let down his guard. He had determined that he might have to transnt the wings in exchange for his life, so he couldn¡¯t underestimate Grid.


    ¡°Sky.¡±


    The strongest single sword dance cut through the waves of moonlight.


    Grid suppressed Haegak with Restraint, appeared behind Haegak, and entered the Transcend state. He connected Kill and Pinnacle to restrict Haegak¡¯s movements. Dozens of blue petals appeared in the area and exploded with a wave-like momentum. Grid pierced Haegak with Dragon and blood scattered.


    [The heavenly gods are paying attention to you.]


    Sky was a sword dance that announced the birth of a new sky. The attention of the gods was natural and interest was directly linked to hostility. This was why Grid suppressed the sword dance, Sky, that was powerful enough to be a fusion sword dance.


    However, that was a story of the past. There was no hesitation in the current Grid. From the moment the heavenly gods imprisoned Hexetia, the rtionship between Grid and the gods had be irreversible. The battle between Grid and Haegak intensified dramatically.


    Grid gradually increased his momentum by using stronger sword dances while Haegak responded with the dozens of martial arts that he had trained in. The strong wind that stretched out from Haegak¡¯s fist failed to hit Grid and destroyed a spire before being extinguished.


    Then the God Hands deflected Haegak¡¯s next strike and fell to the ground. Next, Haegak was cut on the thigh in exchange for blocking a sword dance and leaned over. He grabbed Grid¡¯s cor, used a grappling technique and tossed Grid away. However, Grid appeared in front of Haegak again using Shunpo and swung his sword. Grid and Haegak¡¯s attacks moved along all types of trajectories and collided, creating shockwaves that shook the castle.


    Haegak, who had been concentrating for a long time, suddenly burst outughing. ¡°Hahaha! Aren¡¯t you too focused on me?¡±


    The scene was filled with a bloody smell. It would surely be the blood of Zik who was surrounded by dozens of followers.


    ¡°The 6th evil is dying while you are tied up by me...¡±


    Haegak was talking while enjoying the situation only for his eyes to widen. It was quiet. There wasn¡¯t a single noise at the scene other than his own voice. He felt something strange and turned his head, only to be shocked. All his followers were corpses. A silver-haired man sat on the mountain of corpses like it was a throne, a farmer and an angel on his left and right sides.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    What type of bizarrebination was this? Haegak couldn¡¯t understand the sight unfolded before him and seemed to have an illusion that the shadows around him were shaking. Then he soon realized it wasn¡¯t an illusion. It was due to two assassins rising from the shadows and attacking him.


    Grid smiled brightly. ¡°You should¡¯ve been careful of an ambush.¡±

 Chapter 1411

    <h4>Chapter 1411</h4>


    Haegak believed he had no limits. He had practiced martial arts all throughout his life to achieve his beliefs. He was determined to devote himself until he became the strongest being in the world, even if he needed to abuse himself forever. These were the followers of the martial god.


    All of Haegak¡¯s body parts were used as weapons. His elbow became a de and his hands became a spear. His head fell like a mace, his legs moved like a whip, and his fist that struck the sword was like a hammer. However, Faker and Kasim treated the shadows as weapons and soldiers. Even if one human turned his body into a weapon, he would still be swallowed up by the tsunami of shadows.


    ¡°You are cowardly and lowly!¡± Haegak escaped the bombardment of shadows by hiding in the cracks of the copsed ceiling and criticized them. As a martial artist, he didn¡¯t admit that the assassins¡¯ way of hiding in the darkness and eliminating sound was a method of fighting.


    HIs light footwork technique that wasn¡¯t constrained by terrain caused anomalies and ovepped eleration. He twisted his waist and back and defeated the shadow weapons and shadows attacking in secret with the recoilless attack. Then Faker¡¯s dagger rose out of the shadows and collided with Haegak¡¯s hard shoulder. Blood sttered from Haegak¡¯s shoulder but the wound wasn¡¯t deep. On the other hand, Faker¡¯s right hand wielding the dagger was smashed.


    ¡®Strong.¡¯ There was no exaggeration in Faker¡¯s appreciation. Haegak was strong. His assertion that Lee Jeong was the weakest of the Triad was likely to be true.


    Grid felt the same way.


    ¡®His level is just high...¡¯


    Grid crossed his arms and watched the battle quietly. The reason he summoned the knights wasn¡¯t out of fear of Haegak and the followers. It wasn¡¯t even because he doubted that he couldn¡¯t protect Zikfrector alone. He was just looking forward to the knights¡¯ growth.


    Haegak tried to capture Faker, who was hiding in the shadows again, only to be stabbed in the back by Kasim¡¯s dagger. It was an attack that aimed at the spine but Haegak was fine. The power of Kasim¡¯s dagger was halved in exchange for piercing the strong self-defense of the body. It couldn¡¯t prate Haegak¡¯s tightly contracted muscles. Haegak¡¯s elbow shot back to strike Kasim¡¯s face. Haegak wanted to grab the ankles of the bleeding Kasim to bury him in the ground only to read the signs of the seed that Piaro had sown and fired a strong wind from his palm.


    The momentum that was like a wild beast was so great that it caused Grid to shudder. Then it soon disappeared like mes. Haegak¡¯s right arm was bound by Zikfrector¡¯s rune before being cut off by Mercedes¡¯ sword wrapped in a silver aura. Mercedes was the owner of Keen Insight and had the excellent ability to detect the weaknesses of the other party. Her attack urately captured the moment when Haegak¡¯s defense weakened.


    Haegak¡¯s arm that was cut off with an eerie sound floated in the air. Thanks to this, Kasim regained his freedom and shifted his gaze to look for a shadow to hide in. It was a fleeting moment of time. It was before Mercedes could even recover the sword she swung.


    This was when Haegak¡¯s recoilless attack was fired like a bullet. The amazed Mercedes set up her shield and stepped back. The sight of the shield made by Grid being dented proved Haegak¡¯s strength again. Still, Grid¡¯s evaluation didn¡¯t change at all.


    ¡®He just has his level.¡¯


    It was from attack power, speed, and stamina to the type and depths of the skills used. Haegak excelled in this area in many ways, but there was one aspect that wascking.


    This was what he sensed.


    Lee Jeong¡¯s senses that were being trained after sealing both his eyes was directly linked to his evasion ability that neutralized most of the enemies¡¯ attacks. Meanwhile, Haegak¡¯s evasion ability wasn¡¯t absolute. He had better reflexes, but it meant his sense of danger was less developed.


    ¡®The feeling of pressure I felt when he took off his blindfold is less than what I felt from Lee Jeong.¡¯


    Lee Jeong had aroused a sense of awareness in Grid when he released his covered vision. On the other hand, the difference in momentum before and after Haegak wore the blindfold wasn¡¯t significant. Grid was convinced based on several reasons. In the next few years or perhaps even one year, Lee Jeong would¡¯ve be stronger than Haegak. Of course, this was a story of when Lee Jeong was alive. The first of the Triad he met was Lee Jeong and he was lucky to be able to kill Lee Jeong.


    Grid watched Haegak before shifting his gaze to another ce and swung his sword several times. The sword energy that was fired cut down the followers of the martial god rushing to the castle. It was thebination of Barbatos¡¯ Vision and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. It was already close to a divine power. He blocked the support that Haegak was waiting for while gaining arge amount of experience and skill proficiency.


    Grid maintained his serious expression and urgently spoke in the guild window.


    -The people waiting in Bairan right now, immediately control the north shopping district.Quickly!Pick up all the secret techniques that fell there!


    ¡°...Keuk!¡± Grid gave off a solemn atmosphere and Haegak groaned. He saw the abominable angel with a halo still above their head who betrayed the god who created them and became Grid¡¯s dog. This disgusting angel rushed at him with a spear. ¡°Fallen angel! You are more shameless and disgusting than the demons! It isn¡¯t enough to betray the heavens! You are even blocking the road of the apostles of the martial god!¡±


    Did Haegak finally feel a sense of death? Sariel¡¯s expression was sad as he rushed toward Haegak, who had lost hisposure and started to get caught up in his emotions. ¡°The heavenly gods acknowledge only angels as apostles. You are just being exploited for your desires.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Haegak snorted at the pity in Sariel¡¯s eyes. Exploited for his desires. How could he not know this? The same went for Haegak, who was using the other party. The reason he was loyal and worshipped the martial god was simply because he wanted strength.


    Zeratul, the martial god who mastered all martial arts in the world. Every time Haegak gained a secret technique from him, Haegak became stronger and more developed. Therefore, he served Zeratul. In the end, he was acknowledged and obtained the title of the Triad.


    ¡°The reason why the martial god uses me is because he needs my strength while I am acting on behalf of the martial god. So what if I¡¯m not an apostle? I am an angel of the earth. I am fundamentally different and stronger than you, who was cast out of heaven.¡±


    Haegak¡¯s back started to wriggle. His swelling skin revealed its bright veins before erupting as two pairs of wings popped out. It didn¡¯t seem capable of flying based on the damp wings. The feathers were like a bird that just hatched from an egg. Even so, Grid¡¯s group was extremely vignt.


    After the four wings sprouted, the pupil of Haegak¡¯s left eye split into three and he was far away from a human being. Based on his expressionless face, his emotions had been lost.


    "Those wings...¡±


    The wings that protruded from Haegak¡¯s body seemed to be part of his body, but the reality was different. Grid¡¯s Insight and his knowledge as a cksmith showed that the material that made up the wings was ¡®something that doesn¡¯t exist in the human world.¡¯


    A greater sadness appeared on Sariel¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°Human life is fleeting and short. Therefore, gods don¡¯t acknowledge or sympathize with humans. For them, humans are nothing other than consumables.¡±


    Haegak kicked off from the ground. The man who watched the surrounding area by fiercely rotating his eye that was divided into three pupils quickly captured and avoided the magic shot by Braham and Zikfrector. Then he rushed toward Sariel.


    Sariel floated in the air and blocked Haegak¡¯s kick with a spear. He pierced through the ceiling and soared high into the sky, spreading out his wings to prevent himself from falling. Then he burned all the shadows in the castle. His wings exploded with a brilliant and pure white light to brighten up the surroundings. There was no ce for shadows.


    The invisibility of Faker and Kasim was forcibly lifted and Braham protected them with Shield. At almost the same time, Haegak¡¯s fist fell on the shield. Faker and Kasim¡¯s body were protected by Shield and flew out toward the copsed outer walls.


    Haegak didn¡¯t follow them. He raised his just regenerated arm to block Piaro¡¯s hoe and counterattacked with a leg that was bent like a scorpion¡¯s tail. The kick that stretched out behind Haegak¡¯s head was a perfect dead angle from Piaro¡¯s perspective. He had to get hit by the attack and rolled to the ground. Of course, he wasn¡¯t just helplessly hit. His mortar crushed Haegak¡¯s body.


    However, Haegak soon recovered.


    ¡°Is it converting a human into an angel? It is stinking.¡± An angel¡¯s trait was to neutralize magic. Braham clicked his tongue when magic didn¡¯t work on Haegak and reinforced Mercedes¡¯s sword and shield. It wasn¡¯t the enhancement magic that added magic power to an object to reinforce it. It was elemental magic that reinforced the attributes of the substances that made up the object to bring out the fundamental potential of the object. This would also work on angels. It had the disadvantage of greatly reducing the durability of the target object but what could he do? Grid should be able to repair it or make a new one.


    Mercedes¡¯ refined swordsmanship cut at Haegak¡¯s body again and again. Her movements that connected six strikes in one breath seemed to be disconnected. They were too fast to follow the motion with the naked eye. However, Haegak was also fast. The actions of the guy who attacked Mercedes also seemed disconnected.


    ¡®No way?¡¯


    The world of transcendence was a passive that triggered when Grid was in danger. Grid was unable to follow Mercedes and Haegak¡¯s movements and felt a bit of uneasiness because his world of transcendence didn¡¯t trigger. Mercedes¡¯ wounds continued to grow while the wounds on Haegak soon recovered. Therefore, the situation was bad. Should he intervene?


    Grid was troubled and once again opened Barbatos¡¯ Vision. It was a good time to identify and judge if there were more followers running here.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid flinched with surprise. New war god followers were entering Bairan and one of them had wings spread behind him. Seeing the blood dripping from his eyes and nose and the way he was staggering, it seemed he would die soon.


    A memory shed through Grid¡¯s mind. In order for an angel to exert power in the human world, the number must be set to three to form a Trinity. The angels here were Haegak and the dying follower. Then thest one...


    Pirs of light fell from the sky. The pir that struck both Mercedes and Haegak at the same timepletely healed Mercedes¡¯ wounds while turning Haegak¡¯s body into rags. Haegak held his broken corbone with both hands while his gaze followed the being who was descending along with the pir of light.


    Sariel¡ªone of the seven angels who led the angel army. Haegak had overlooked Sariel. He had to overlook Sariel because originally, archangels were heavenly beings that couldn¡¯t be touched. An archangel was unknown to Haegak, so he couldn¡¯t be alert.


    The price was great. Sariel¡¯s glowing spear pierced Haegak¡¯s chest. Thebat strength of the Trinity was powerful enough to overwhelm everyone on the field.


    [The Triad ¡®Haegak¡¯ has been killed!]


    [Your level has risen by 2.]


    [Your knight Kasim¡¯s level has risen by 1.]


    [Your messenger Piaro¡¯s level has risen by 1.]


    [Your messenger Braham¡¯s level has risen by 1.]


    [Your messenger Zikfrector¡¯s level has risen by 2.]


    [Your messenger Mercedes¡¯ level has risen by 4.]


    [Your messenger Sariel¡¯s level has risen by 10.]


    [The Artificial Wing Fragment has been acquired.]


    [The Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique Box (Legendary) has been acquired.]


    [The Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique Box (Unique) has been acquired.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The experience rewards varied depending on the active part one yed. Grid¡¯s dull gaze turned toward Piaro and Braham.


    Piaro quickly exined, ¡°I wanted to give Mercedes a chance to develop.¡±


    Braham was dignified. ¡°What do you want me to do against an angel?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was seriously worried if Braham could be active in the holy war to rescue Hexetia. Of course, it could be a pointless anxiety. The moment Braham recovered the power of a vampire, he would beat an angel to death without magic.

 Chapter 1412

    <h4>Chapter 1412</h4>


    ¡°It is finally over...¡±


    The person who consumed the most mental energy during the battle was Zibal himself.


    That looked good to turn things over, could he do it? That was a splendid pincer movement. Should he join in? The steel frame piled up like a wall over there seemed to interfere with Mercedes¡¯ movements. Should he put them away? Faker seemed to be in danger. Should he use Providence? Did he want to take out the magic machine? Would breaking the castle bother his allies instead? Etc, etc.


    Throughout the battle, Zibal couldn¡¯t easily make decisions. It was because the level of the enemies and allies were one step above his own. Zibal was unsure of his judgment. He worried that his choices and actions would flow as the enemy intended. He was afraid that he might cause trouble while trying to help his allies.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t just watch. Every moment he was convinced that the gap revealed by Haegak wasn¡¯t a trap, his attacks yed a role. Every time he figured out the intentions of his allies, he would run immediately to help realize their intentions.


    ¡°Good work.¡± It was shortly after the end of the Haegak raid. Zibal was watching from a distance as Grid introduced Zikfrector to his colleagues when Faker approached Zibal¡¯s side and spoke. ¡°Thanks to you, I was saved twice.¡±


    Was it Faker¡¯s personality toe up and greet someone first?


    Zibal had a somewhat puzzled expression and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are grateful for the guy who just watched the battle because he didn¡¯t know what was going on.¡±


    ¡°No, you were good enough.¡± Faker confirmed the faces of the people who participated in the battle. The legendary great magician Braham, the legendary knight Mercedes, the legendary farmer Piaro, the archangel Sariel, Zikfrector of the seven malignant saints, Shadow King Kasim, and Overgeared God Grid...


    They were the strongest people of this era. It was difficult for even the most talented person to match them. It would be good if he didn¡¯t disturb them. Meanwhile, Zibal helped them several times. He definitely assisted. Faker had experienced it. Zibal¡¯s cooperation was better than his own and the performance was also higher. Sure enough, he was the leader of the Seven Guilds and a hero of the big country called the United States.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t good at all...¡± Zibal showed a reaction like he disagreed.


    Zibal couldn¡¯t adapt to the fact that when standing shoulder to shoulder with the supreme one, he could only y a supporting role in the battle instead of being the main character. He was used to it now, but he always felt sorry. Once he heard the praise, he remembered things that he didn¡¯t do well.


    He had rushed to rescue the caught Kasim only to be hit by Haegak and have his ribs broken. He was trapped between the steel frame and couldn¡¯t move for a few seconds. If Braham hadn¡¯t used gravity to help, he might¡¯ve had to summon Raiders to clean up the steel frames or consume Providence.


    Zibal was red-faced thinking about it when Grid approached with his knights and messengers.


    ¡°Why does this guy look so agonized?¡± Braham frowned. He seemed to be criticizing Zibal for not being able to manage his facial expressions. The so-called fucking shit management... the day had finallye when he was treated like this.


    Zibal¡¯s expression became gloomier.


    ¡°You were great.¡± It was Piaro. He who was called the devil of the fields and had stopped the Seven Guilds¡¯ invasion of Reidan now spoke with a kind smile. ¡°It was especially helpful when you lured Haegak to the ce where I was sowing the seeds.¡±


    Kasim added, ¡°You moved natural features of the ground to increase the shadow area. Thanks to you, I was able to bother Haegak a bit more.¡±


    Sariel clenched her hands and eximed with bright eyes, ¡°I was watching! You were wonderful!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zibal¡¯s facial expression became ambiguous. He was wary rather than grateful to those who remembered and praised his few minor performances. It was necessary to be suspicious of excessive kindness. Zibal was feeling difort when he eventually grasped the situation. ¡®Grid made them do it.¡¯


    He nned to lead the atmosphere by soothing it so he could distribute the items that Haegak dropped without shame. It was highly possible considering Grid¡¯s nature.


    Someone reached out to Zibal who realized this. It was a big hand full with calluses. It was a hand of respect. He looked up and saw Grid smiling widely. ¡°You have worked hard. Let¡¯s continue to work together in the future.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal finally analyzed the situation properly. They saw him as a colleague and weed him. Colleague... a colleague...


    Zibal turned to Zikfrector. Zikfrector had be Grid¡¯s messenger. Was it necessary for Zibal to stay by Zikfrector¡¯s side when he would be protected by the Overgeared Guild in the future? No. Those who were stronger than Zibal would protect him and those who were morepetent than Zibal would take care of him. Zibal had already done his best. He helped Zikfrector get here and in return, he received many rewards.


    ¡®My work is all done. Zikfrector doesn¡¯t need me any longer.¡¯


    Zibal looked at Grid¡¯s hand. It was still extended for a handshake. Then Zikfrector¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Zibal.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal¡¯s gaming life was full of ups and downs. His unique talent made him one of the first rankers and he received everyone¡¯s expectations, but he was blocked by the wall called Kraugel and couldn¡¯t escape second ce for many years. He created a huge alliance with the theory from MMORPGs that an individual wouldn¡¯t be able to go against it, no matter how powerful. However, this alliance was brutally crushed by the Overgeared Guild and lost its power. He was always close to being the best but it was a fate that he could never reach. It was torture.


    The pained Zibal pondered on it. He had determined that he was incapable of leading the organization so he left the world and worked as an individual. He dreamed of aeback and entered the empire, luckily standing out to Imperial Prince Edan. Then that damned Edan rebelled against the empire and he was forced to join Zikfrector before he could umte strength. Due to the influence of Zikfrector, he fought against the followers of the gods.


    To be honest, Zibal often contemted a career change. The benefits he got from Zikfrector (various skills and quests) made him follow Zikfrector and he came to know the truth of the world and supported ZIkfrector... Zibal hadn¡¯t made a decision about whether to follow Zikfrector in the future.


    In fact, the gods were actually deceiving humanity and the evil god and supreme god periodically destroyed the world. So what? This was just a game anyway. It was a game enjoyed by everyone in the world. The S.A Group wouldn¡¯t want this game to end. They wanted it tost forever so their stock prices wouldn¡¯t plummet.


    Even the destruction of the world that Zikfrector said woulde one day would happen hundreds or thousands of yearster. yers wouldn¡¯t be able to witness the destruction of the world unless the S.A group intended to terminate Satisfy¡¯s service.


    However, yers would need to fight against the followers of the gods who were gradually starting their activities to prepare for the destruction of the world and experience all sorts of hardships. Still, this wasn¡¯t a problem for Zibal to worry about. It was enough to avoid the hardships he couldn¡¯t handle. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t Grid or Kraugel. He didn¡¯t have enough strength to overpower everyone alone and didn¡¯t have the power to control the continent.


    ¡°Zibal.¡±


    Now he wanted to befortable. He would leave the hard fighting and duties to others and enjoy the game properly. Hadn¡¯t he worked hard in the meantime? In the future, he wanted to rx and enjoy the game among ordinary people. He didn¡¯t want to be under too much pressure anymore. He didn¡¯t want to be crushed by a sense of helplessness.


    ¡°Zibal, I need you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zikfrector¡¯s voice woke him up. The awakened Zibal saw Grid¡¯s hand still reaching out to him and Zikfrector standing beside him. Those who were fighting for world peace... it was a nice picture.


    ¡°Grandmaster, I want to rest. I don¡¯t have the confidence to participate in the fights in the future.¡± Zibal ignored Grid¡¯s hand and confessed directly. The battle between Haegak and the Overgeared Guild was a great help to clear his mind. Zibal wanted to finish it now.


    Strength and honor. He realized it was pointless to be obsessed with such things. He desperately felt his limitations. Even from now on, he wanted to clear his mind and enjoy the game with ease. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he would fall behind. Talent and habits didn¡¯t dissipate easily. After lowering his target, he wouldn¡¯t stop growing even if he was more rxed than before. If a great demon came to the human world, then he had the confidence to maintain enough of a level to help.


    ¡°Grid, please look after the grandmaster. I hope you can liberate the body of the grandmaster and the souls of the other seven good people trapped in the abyss.¡± Zibal finished speaking and didn¡¯t hold Grid¡¯s hand.


    Zikfrector spoke to him as he was turning away. ¡°I don¡¯t need a subordinate.¡±


    Zibal ignored him and took big strides.


    ¡°I want arade who will fight with me to defend the world.¡±


    Zibal increased his pace.


    "I want to leave my back to you with peace of mind in a battle.¡±


    Zibal¡¯s feet didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I want to feel reassured when I wake up from my sleep and see you around me. Just like before... together.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal finally stopped moving. He asked without turning his head, ¡°Why are you clinging to me? I¡¯m not strong enough for you to rely on.¡±


    ¡®You should ask if he is gay.¡¯ Grid picked a fight in his heart. Grid had raised his affinity with numerous NPCs so far and knew that a heavy atmosphere needed to be released with light words and actions. He might have difficulty with actual human rtionships in reality, but Grid was sociable in Satisfy.


    ¡°The measure of trusting a person isn¡¯t strength. I believe in your strong heart and faith.¡± Zikfrector dered. There were many opportunities for Zibal to abandon Zikfrector, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to the Curse of Sloth. Even so, Zibal didn¡¯t leave. He spent hellish days being tracked by followers who were hard to withstand with his abilities. He might¡¯ve wanted to abandon Zikfrector a few times when he was on the verge of death, but he corrected his mind and protected Zikfrector.


    A person who could sacrifice himself to keep his word... there weren¡¯t so many of them in this world that Zikfrector was trying to defend. ¡°I have no intention of giving you any duties or assignments. I just want to be with you as a friend. I don¡¯t want to lose the only friend who knows me as ¡®Zikfrector.¡¯¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid. Grid was still holding out his hand. This was crazy. What was this obsession with someone who wasn¡¯t first in the rankings?


    Gridughed. ¡°Friend, the Overgeared Guild will wee you greatly.¡±


    ¡°...Do you want me to participate in the neers training course under Toban?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you will be in Overgeared Guild One. I¡¯ve already determined the territory you will govern.¡±


    ¡°Territory... it is a troublesome thing.¡±


    ying the game seriously was already the way he was living. If he followed the grandmaster, then he was bound to go through several episodes rted to the seven malignant saints and elerate his rate of growth. The determined Zibal finally took Grid¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get along well in the future."


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    The previous second ce in the unified rankings and someone whose ranking was now private. The owner of the potential legendary (or ancient) ss ¡®Ancient Rider¡¯ and the master of the magic machine, Raiders. Zibal Graven. He joined the Overgeared Kingdom today along with one of the seven malignant saints, Zikfrector.

 Chapter 1413

    <h4>Chapter 1413</h4>


    ¡°How much? What is the repair cost? How much is it?¡±


    ¡°It is 23.88 million gold. I ordered it from a domestic supplier and contracted it cheaper than the market price. It is possible because the workers cleared the schedule.¡±


    Grid had been in a very good mood. He killed the followers, including the Triad, Haegak, and got arge amount of secret techniques. Zibal and Zikfrector also became allies so it felt like he had obtained the whole world. This was why he held a party.


    Grid was happy and became interested in a system he had ignored so far. It was the king¡¯s banquet. This was an event that invited up to 300 officials to serve alcohol and food to. He could improve the loyalty of the invited officials and dig into their personal histories. However, it needed a lot of money. It was apletely useless system from Grid¡¯s position who had already captured people¡¯s hearts. He didn¡¯t need to hold such events. He was just in the mood for it today.


    He decisively gave orders to prepare for a party. As a result, Administrator Rabbit came to him and said something ridiculous.


    ¡°23.88 million gold...¡±


    This was the cost for the repair of Bairan Castle which copsed yesterday. It was more than three times the amount he spent making the Magic Power Ejection Machine.


    ¡°An additional 24mercial buildings were damaged. ording to the testimony of the residents, the buildings were suddenly cut by something.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was reminded of the time when he used Barbatos¡¯ Vision to cut down the followers in the city. Certainly... several buildings were damaged due to the flying sword energies. There were buildings where the corners were cut off and those where the ceiling was torn off. There were also buildings where the windows were broken. It seemed there was also a building split in half. The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship might have skills that only hit ¡®enemies,¡¯ but not all of them were like this. Additionally, it was impossible to be responsible for the aftermath of attacking the enemy.


    Rabbit told him, ¡°The good thing is that there were no casualties.¡±


    Grid already knew this. Only the followers entered the area where people were evacuated. ¡°Um... The followers are really strong. It is enough to cut down buildings with sword energy. It is great.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I even mistook it for Your Majesty when I first heard the testimonies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a bad king who destroys the homes of other people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you smash it often?¡±


    ¡°...In any case, we need to help the merchants with the repair costs. Take care of it so they don¡¯t feel sorry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Additionally, you need to pay 850,000 gold to Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.¡±


    ¡°Why again? Have they already spent their budget?¡±


    ¡°No. Your messengers and knights asked them for new consumables. I think they¡¯ve exhausted it all in this battle. Additionally, the same items need to be given to Lord Zikfrector and Sir Zibal...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Raids could make money. This was why the Overgeared managed raids throughout the kingdom by making separate raid teams. Still, raids also depended on the raids. If the target level was very high, then there might be a situation where there was a deficit.


    Take Haegak for example. Haegak was strong. In order to raid him without much damage, it was necessary to maintain the best state and continuously consume the highest great buff medicines and recovery medicines produced by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. In other words, Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, Sariel, Faker, Kasim, and Grid had consumed items worth hundreds of millions of won in this raid. It was cheap considering that the empire had suffered losses worth hundreds of millions of ¡®gold¡¯ during the Drasion raid.


    ¡®I¡¯m speechless thinking about it.¡¯


    A normal kingdom was different from the Overgeared Kingdom. Even the Saharan Empire had to deploy and lose arge number of troops to stop the great demons. This was where astronomical financial losses urred. The damage was much greater than the benefits of raiding. It was extremely serious.


    ¡®There are many cases where the Overgeared Kingdom is less likely to suffer a loss of troops, but it might be different in the future.¡¯


    Grid, his messengers, the Overgeared members, and the knights. If there was a situation where they raided enemies they couldn¡¯t afford, then the raid would be poison. Every time there was a raid, the nation¡¯s budget would be cut. He was already starting to get scared.


    ¡®The price of the materials used to make the medicine will rise as much as the medicinal products are consumed... this is a really crazy game.¡¯


    The S.A Group couldn¡¯t just watch as money flowed into yers¡¯ pockets. It had always been like this under the excuse of intion. Grid sighed as he signed the documents approving it. This one action caused 25 million gold to disappear.


    ***


    ¡°Find and remove all of Zeratul¡¯s symbols.¡± After the discussion with Zibal, Grid was furious about losing 25 million gold and gave this order to Lauel.


    ¡°The Overgeared Shadows are already searching the kingdom. Do you want to instruct the Overgeared members and military to speed up the progress?¡±


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s already started?¡±


    ¡°It is an operation that Faker has been conducting for a fortnight.¡±


    A fortnight ago was when Zikfrector just arrived in Bairan. Faker had already known how to avoid the tracking of the followers. The actual situation was different, but Grid had to interpret it this way.


    ¡°Toopetent....¡± The amazed Grid murmured to himself. Recently, some publishing houses had proposed to publish his autobiography. If he epted the proposal, then the title of the autobiography should be ¡®Overgeared King~ My colleagues are sopetent that I can be leisurely.¡¯ These days, the title of the book should be long to attract attention well.


    ¡°Supplement the personnel and expand the scope of our search to across the continent.¡±


    The reason why Martial God Zeratul was so threateningpared to other gods was that he directly intervened in the human world. The followers who called themselves the apostles of the martial god might be weakpared to the angels who were the real apostles, but this was just a story from Grid¡¯s position. Those who weren¡¯t ranked yers might not be able to fight with their followers normally so he wanted to minimize their area of activity.


    ¡°It is impossible to expand the search range at the current time. First of all, we can¡¯t specify which ones are the symbols of the martial god. It is impossible to know what gods they are worshipping apart from the symbols of Your Majesty and Hexetia that we made ourselves, as well as the symbols of Goddess Reba which have been famous since ancient times.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Overgeared Shadows smashing the symbols of the martial god?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, it isn¡¯t the martial god. It is the destruction of the symbols of all the gods except for the Overgeared God, Hexetia, and Reba.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid liked it. In fact, it was a natural process that should be done. Nominally, the Overgeared Kingdom was a god¡¯s kingdom. It was better to worship no gods other than the Overgeared God and God Hexetia who was recognized by the Overgeared God. He also couldn¡¯t touch Goddess Reba because of the Reba Church.


    ¡°Even if we preach the danger of the martial god and other kingdoms respond positively, it means nothing unless we can specify the symbol of the martial god.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there will be great resistance if we touch the symbol of the other gods. It will be a diplomatic issue.¡±


    Not only was it impolite to intervene in the faith of other kingdoms, but it was also impossible. The convinced Grid nodded. ¡°Then thoroughly search the Overgeared Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I understand. By the way, are you going to open the secret technique books?¡±


    The attention of the Overgeared members was focused on the secret techniques. Grid had secured 23 secret technique books in this battle. One of them was legendary, two were unique, six were epic, and 14 were rare rated.


    What skills would there be? It was an exciting thing.


    Grid answered with a smile, ¡°Right now.¡±


    ***


    Grid¡¯s office was spacious but not fancy. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was magnificent. Lauel made it like this because he said that Grid would be the most powerful person on the continent next to the emperor. Grid thought it was a useless expense when he spent only approximately four days a month in the office. Now his thoughts had changed. The pile of documents stacked up in every corner like a mountain was evidence.


    Dammit, there were too many things. Most of the internal affairs were managed by Lauel but Grid still needed to listen to the appeals of the people and create weekly quests.


    ¡®It is time to teach Lord about the work.¡¯


    Grid had been amazed by the blue orichalcum brought by Lord.


    Zibal wondered, ¡°Really? You are going to give it to me?¡±


    There were 23 secret technique books stacked on the table. Grid announced that he would give one of the secret techniques to Zibal in front of all his colleagues. Grid had no intention of learning a secret technique. It might be different if the skill that came out had a highpatibility with his current skills, but Grid wasn¡¯t particrly greedy for new skills.


    He had many skills now and had the right to synthesize skills two times as a privilege gained from his epic rewards. It was much more efficient to invest in his colleagues considering the future. Grid was going to give priority to the people who participated in the Haegak raid this time. The top priority was Zibal.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, then Zikfrector wouldn¡¯t have survived. He wouldn¡¯t have be my messenger and the seven malignant saints would be a mess. I am very grateful to you. Thus, I want to give you a gift.¡±


    To add one more reason, it was a type of respectful treatment for his predecessor. The former second ranked yer had joined the guild, so Grid wanted to give a gift to buy his friendship.


    There was naturally no objection from the others. Zibal was the master of the magic machine and was destined to be the leader of the Overgeared Magic Machine Division that would be established in the future. The Overgeared members (who weren¡¯t yet aware of this fact) knew that his role was very important.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Grid was too kind to Zibal who couldn¡¯t fight well in the battle but after refusing several times, Zibal finally epted the favor. At the same time, he remembered the days when he was the leader of the Seven Guilds.


    ¡®If I thought like Grid at that time then the possibility of the alliance being disbanded would be much lower...¡¯


    There was no remaining obsession with the Seven Guilds. Zibal just realized now how Grid could be the best. He felt like he had found the person to learn from.


    ¡°Once again, Zibal and the messengers will be given top priority for the secret techniques. Then it is my knights and the high ranking members of the guild. It isn¡¯t just limited to this time. In the future, the first choice for the secret techniques will be given to the messengers and knights. Of course, there are exceptions. Just like in this case, I will take care of people who were highly active in the raid. Do you have any objections?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not here.¡±


    This was a matter agreed upon and decided by the 10 meritorious retainers. They knew the potential of Grid¡¯s messengers and knights more than anyone. It was good for everyone to give them priority for growth. What secret techniques woulde out? As everyone held their breaths and watched, Gird took out wet wipes and started to wipe his hands.


    Zibal was feeling curious when Peak Sword told him in a meaningful manner, ¡°God Grid has only one weakness.¡±


    ¡°Weakness?¡±


    What was Grid¡¯s weakness? Even if he had a weakness, what was the rtionship between the weakness and wiping the hands with wet wipes?


    ¡°He has dirty hands.¡±


    ¡°......¡± The questions that filled Zibal¡¯s mind were wiped away by the words ¡®dirty hand.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m opening it.¡± Grid wiped his hands with a pious expression and held a secret technique book in his hand. It was a rare rated secret technique book. He was the type of person to save delicious food forst.


    Zibal grasped Grid¡¯s tendencies to a certain extent as Grid opened the secret technique book. The skill that emerged was called Rock Rolling. It allowedrge objects to be moved and rolled regardless of the strength level. The cooldown time was one hour.


    ¡°...Not bad,¡± Grid muttered while it was hard to read everyone else¡¯s expressions.


    Lauel agreed. ¡°The cooldown time is too long, but it can be useful in special dungeons or wars where blocked paths are often found.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Grid nodded solemnly and opened up the next secret technique. The skill that came out this time was Warrior¡¯s Heart. It was a passive skill that increased the skill proficiency speed by 1%. Since it was a permanent skill with no cooldown time, it was clearly a good skill even if the effect was low. This felt a bit too low, but it was better than nothing. It was a skill at this level.


    ¡°...This is very good,¡± Grid muttered while it was hard to read everyone else¡¯s expressions.


    This time, Lauel was also silent. Then Regasughed awkwardly and agreed. ¡°It is good. It tastes like training.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Since then, Grid opened the remaining rare-rated secret techniques. The results were all a failure. They weren¡¯t bad, but there was nothing good. Even so, the Overgeared Guild members weren¡¯t shaken. Their level was too high to expect much from the performance of rare rated skills. From the beginning, there were no expectations for the rare rated secret techniques.


    ¡°From now on, it is the real one.¡± The moment Vantner spoke, Grid wiped his hands again and opened an epic rated secret technique. The result was aplete failure.


    The atmosphere became awkward. Grid shut his mouth for a while before suddenly handing a secret technique book to Zibal. ¡°How about trying the luck of a new colleague? Do you want to open it once?¡±


    ¡°It should be someone other than me...¡±


    The value of the secret techniques was too high. Additionally, if he put his hand on a secret technique about the epic rating and it was a failure, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to raise his head. Zibal was about to refuse because it was too much of a burden when he observed the atmosphere around him.


    Everyone in the room was avoiding his gaze. Some of them had sorry expressions.


    Zibal noticed it immediately. ¡®Is this putting it on me?¡¯


    The moment he got a failure, Grid¡¯s failures would be forgotten and the arrows of criticism would focus on him?


    ¡°Huh? Zibal, open it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zibal felt huge pressure from the smiling Grid. He wanted to avoid it, but it didn¡¯t seem like a situation that could be avoided. ¡°Then just one time...¡±


    Zibal thought that Grid couldn¡¯t be such a small-minded person, but he still opened the secret technique with a shaken expression. Just then, a brilliant light filled the office. The admiring Overgeared members cheered while Grid murmured, ¡°It is thanks to my sacrifices...¡±


    Grid wanted to escape from the stigma of having dirty hands.

 Chapter 1414

    <h4>Chapter 1414</h4>


    They got a huge profit from the Haegak raid. The value of the skills gained from the secret technique books exceeded the 25 million gold spent on repairing the castle and the consumables. It was a festive atmosphere but Grid¡¯s expression was the worst, as if he was facing a rash caused by poop.


    ¡°No matter what, this is a rash caused by poop.¡±


    Even if he had to use an analogy, this was too...


    Grid sighed as he stared at Vantner, who was talking nonsense.


    ¡®It feels like the odds are changing in real time.¡¯


    Grid had the hidden stat called good luck. It even exceeded 850 points. It was a figure that exercised a significant influence on positive probabilities. However, Grid always got failures. No, it was an exaggeration to call it a failure. The secret techniques that were picked weren¡¯t bad, but they were too ordinary to meet Grid¡¯s standards.


    It was an unconvincing result for Grid. He wasn¡¯t expecting to only get jackpots, but what did it mean when he couldn¡¯t even get a single jackpot? Was the good luck stat pointless? Of course, it could be interpreted that the worst situation was avoided thanks to the good luck stat. However, this interpretation made Grid seem too shabby. Nevertheless, it was acknowledged that Grid really had dirty hands.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have dirty hands. This is maniption.¡¯


    So far, Grid had made dozens of myth rated and legendary rated items. Moreover, as proven against Leraje some time ago, God¡¯s Command popped up well in every important moment. He couldn¡¯t have such dirty hands...


    There were only good memories in the head of Grid, who was in denial. Memories of the times when he created tens of thousands of normal items just to obtain dozens of legendary items and crises where he almost died because God¡¯s Command didn¡¯t trigger were erased. He perceived himself as a victim. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable. It was natural to suspect maniption when he saw Zibal open several jackpots in front of him.


    ¡®The odds were reduced when I opened the secret techniques while they seemed to increase when Zibal opened them.¡¯


    This couldn¡¯t simply be regarded as bad luck. It seemed obvious that the different ounts had different odds.


    ¡®Damn S.A bastards, how long are they going to keep me in control?¡¯


    Grid was drinking cold water to cool down the mes soaring in his chest when Lauel asked him a question, ¡°Your Majesty, you really don¡¯t want it?¡±


    Zibal had opened a total of four secret technique books. It was one legendary, one unique, and two epic rated secret technique books. Great skills emerged from all of them. In particr, the legendary rated skill ¡®Gravity Formation¡¯ was particrly overwhelming. The user could fully control the gravity in a five meter radius around them. However, the duration was very short and the caster was somewhat affected by the gravity (based on level 1). It was a skill that required wits and control skills beyondmon sense.


    Even Zibal, who was called a genius, didn¡¯t covet Gravity Formation. He gave it up even though he had the first choice. Lauel wished for Grid to take Gravity Formation, but Grid didn¡¯t even look at it. He announced that he would give the messengers the first choice, but he actually wasn¡¯t confident that he could perfectly control Gravity Formation.


    Eventually, the owner of Gravity Formation became Mercedes. Braham could use gravity magic so Gravity Formation was meaningless for him. Meanwhile, Sariel and Piaro guaranteed that Mercedes could use Gravity Formation better than them. Observing and adapting to gravity that changed in real time... it would be easy for Mercedes who had Keen Insight.


    How far could Mercedes control Gravity Formation? Additionally, what about the power of the other messengers and Zibal who learned new skills? In order to check it, everyone started to move to the training ground.


    Only Grid sat quietly in ce. To borrow Vantner¡¯s expression, he looked like he seen a rash caused by poop.


    ¡°Grid?¡± Lauel was worried.


    Lauel understood the emotions that Grid was currently feeling. To be honest, Lauel would¡¯ve also suspected maniption if he was in Grid¡¯s position. The results of when Grid opened the secret technique books were clearly separated from when Zibal opened them. If this wasn¡¯t the case, would Grid be forced to leave the legendary secret technique book to Zibal to open?


    ¡®We can go to the headquarters of the S.A Group.¡¯


    Grid could publicly denounce them for maniption of the probabilities and even go to court to reveal evidence of the operation. It might take a lot of time and power, but Grid had power and influence. If other yers were hurt the same way Grid was, then public opinion would be beneficial toward Grid.


    Grid spoke to Lauel, who was nning to hire aw firm, ¡°I¡¯m not going to the training ground. I have something to do. No matter how I think about it, this was the right timing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... are you starting?¡±


    Fighting against the S.A Group that no one had confronted so far?


    ¡®Is he aiming for domination of the real world?!¡¯ Lauel reced the current situation with the development of an anime he had once seen and his eyes shone.


    Grid got up from his seat and nodded. ¡°Yes, the sacrifices are sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    ¡°I will go straight to the smithy.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Did he want to sacrifice the bad luck from opening the secret techniques to aim for a myth rated item? It was the consequences of the luck of a dog, no, a yer.


    ***


    ¡°Cut! Perfect! Rea~lly good! Every time Sehee-ssi smiles, the entire shot feels brighter! I¡¯m a bit worried about whether I can convey this feeling to the audience intact!¡±


    Kim Jangcheol was excited. He was one of South Korea¡¯s best CF mercials) directors and had filmed many stars so far. It was just that this was the first time he felt so excited. Shin Sehee, the biological sister of the world-ss yer, Shin Youngwoo¡ªher acting talent was as outstanding as her beauty. She was filling the gap of Yura, who was reluctant to be on TV these days.


    Kim Jangcheol was certain. The moment the CF filmed today was aired, the bestpanies in all fields who only used the best top stars so far would be eyeing Shin Sehee. It was a great opportunity for Yura to reduce her activities.


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered. Then I¡¯m going now. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Right away? The advertiser said they wanted to treat you to a meal...¡±


    ¡°It is a day of volunteering.¡±


    ¡°Aha! Yes, I understand! I hope to see you next time!¡±


    Sehee¡¯s good deeds had be a topic a few days ago.


    She had been doing good deeds for a long time and it seemed to be fate that she had be the Saintess in Satisfy. The donation amount increased every year and the volunteer work was steady. It was even a hot topic once it became known that she had been visiting an orphanage since middle school. It seemed that she was greatly influenced by her parents.


    ¡°It¡¯s great. Really excellent!¡±


    Beauty, ability, awareness, and character. It was the birth of a new star in all aspects. Director Kim Jangcheol felt great pride that he could capture her most beautiful moments and show her to the world.


    ***


    ¡°Sehee!¡± Her old friend, Yerim, weed Sehee outside the studio. The sports car parked in the parking lot was very conspicuous. All the money gained from being the Saintess¡¯ Knight was poured into this car. Every time Sehee saw Yerim, her brother¡¯s old self came to mind.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe with me again,¡± Sehee got into the car in a rxed manner and responded to Yerim.


    She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but Yerim had been participating in volunteer activities these days. It had been like this for three consecutive weeks. It was a new record. The unidentified meteor that was gradually approaching Earth kept appearing and disappearing and she was worried that the sun would rise from the west tomorrow.


    Yerimughed meaningfully. ¡°Hoyoon oppa.¡±


    ¡°Hoyoon...?¡± Who was this? Sehee cocked her head in confusion and Yerim added, ¡°The oppa who volunteers with you at the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It should be a volunteer. In particr, there were many young people at the facility that Sehee regrly visited. Sehee went to such a ce. They weren¡¯t girls. She was chased to every facility she visited by male volunteers. The information was too easy to leak. Perhaps it was for this reason that Toon oppa¡¯s nerves were very sharp recently. Even now, he was following behind the car with a motorcycle. That thing protruding from the leather bag... it couldn¡¯t be a gun, could it?


    ¡°That oppa, he just needs to exercise for three months, reduce his body fat, and take off his sses and he will be extremely handsome. My handsome detector is telling me this.¡±


    ¡°So that is why you are eagerly doing volunteer activities recently.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to make him fall for me. Then he will start exercising and work hard to look good.¡±


    ¡°I know your heart, but your skirt is too short. It will be hard for you to clean up and y with the kids.¡±


    ¡°Really ~ this is why it is so short.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. All of this is just practice before I finally get with Youngwoo oppa. I¡¯m a single-minded dandelion.¡±


    ¡°Stop being a reed now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t~ want to?¡±


    Yerim reapplied her lipstick at the traffic lights. Looking at the color, she was going to make a decisive move today. However, he would look at her thighs instead of her lips. The director would end up giving her a tracksuit...


    Sehee shook her head as she anticipated that Yerim¡¯s victory would face a bigger crisis than expected.


    Once the signal turned green, Yerim stepped on the elerator. She wanted to show off the exhaust sound of the expensive Italian supercar in the middle of Gangnam. This caused Sehee¡¯s upper body to be pushed back and she felt great fatigue. Her schedule had been busy since morning so fatigue had umted. Still, Sehee didn¡¯t show it.


    She would be a more diligent and good person for the sake of her brother, who was solely focused on Satisfy. Her activities were helping her brother¡¯s external image.


    ***


    ¡®It is finally the day to use this.¡¯


    The moon night iron¡ªa mineral that formed in thends of the ancient giants, it temporarily blocked the other person¡¯s status. It was perfect as the material for his new sword.


    ¡®The Blood Sword is impossible to use as a main weapon.¡¯


    He realized it when fighting Haegak. The time the Blood Sword maintained its form was too short. The Magic Power Ejection Device made it practical, but it was impossible to rely on just the Blood Sword. He needed more strong weapons. Of course, it would be a tough fight. He needed to break through two probabilities to create a new sword.


    First of all, the tempering sess of the moon night iron. The same tempering process might have different results. General tempering would only make the target minerals harder, while the ultimate tempering unlocked the maximum potential of the target minerals.


    A typical example was the strengthened breaths of the four gods. In order for Grid to target a myth rated item, he had to make the best moon night iron and apply the result. This wasn¡¯t the end. Even if he tempered the best moon night iron, he had to break the odds again when making a weapon using the moon night iron. The use of high rated materials wouldn¡¯t necessarily lead to a myth rated item. If he was unlucky, then he could create a legendary rated item. Therefore, he had to break through two probabilities.


    ¡°The sacrifices are sufficient,¡± Grid deliberately spoke to himself in a loud voice. He hoped his voice would be transferred to those who were monitoring him. ¡°If you do maniption again this time... I can only openly publicize the serious probability maniption problem...¡±


    This was an obvious threat. The S.A Group could only feel aggrieved from their perspective ofplying with regtions. Probability maniption? Each ount had a different probability? They weren¡¯t a junk gamepany from the early 21st century. The leading S.A Group wouldn¡¯t do such inferior things.


    The operations team monitoring Grid prayed that Grid would make a great item. They didn¡¯t want to be falsely used. They had an ominous feeling. The Grid they had seen was the type of person who had good luck only after enough misfortune. This seemed to be the fate of a person called Grid and it had nothing to do with the system.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think there are enough sacrifices yet.


    The moment the operations team was thinking this¡ª


    Ttang!


    Grid started hammering.

 Chapter 1415

    <h4>Chapter 1415</h4>


    Training the body, honing swordsmanship, and measuring talent. They took pride in their talent until they were sent to the agricultural fields. Then they had a taste of hell. The training that was so severe that it changedmon sense seemed to be torture.


    Still, they endured it. It was a patience that was possible because they learned from the steadfastness of the ground that embraced the crops that changed every season. It was only by seeking instructions in nature, exercising with the farmers, and following the knight¡¯s principles that they felt the evolution of their talent. It wasn¡¯t until they showed worthy swordsmanship and indomitable faith that they could make a pledge of loyalty. As such, the process of bing a knight of the Overgeared Kingdom was very difficult. It was only when they had formallypleted training as a farmer and knight under Piaro and Asmophel that they could dream of qualifying.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    The Overgeared Knights Division. The strongest knights division that could form a double wall with the Red Knights of the Empire were so nervous that they gulped. They felt greater pressure than when they fought the war against the Gauss Kingdom or against the great demons.


    The senior knight Royman spoke again, ¡°Maintain your tension but don¡¯t be afraid. Fear will cause you to shrink back from the mes.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The knights responded powerfully and set up their shields. Currently, they were surrounding Grid¡¯s smithy. This was because Grid was making a new sword.


    The knights vividly remembered that day a long time ago. On the day when the Fire Dragon Sword was born under Grid¡¯s hands, the huge smithy exploded. It was spected that even the hot furnace couldn¡¯t withstand the internal heat from the Fire Dragon Sword. After the incident on that day, Administrator Rabbit rebuilt the smithy so it was more majestic and sturdy.


    ¡®It might not be enough.¡¯ Rabbit wasn¡¯t very relieved. He had been serving Grid for nearly 20 years and had seen that Grid¡¯s growth never stopped. ¡®His Majesty¡¯s cksmithing technique should¡¯ve evolved even further. This time, the entire district might explode, not just the smithy.¡¯


    If he was asked about the corrtion between the development of the cksmithing techniques and explosions, he would be forced to keep his mouth shut. There was quite a bacsh against the fact that half of the knights¡¯ power and 80% of the magicians¡¯ power was used to prepare for the aftermath of this explosion.


    However, Rabbit insisted and people couldn¡¯t stop him. Even if it was only 1%, the possibility of there being an explosion in the aftermath of Grid¡¯s new sword being created meant Rabbit couldn¡¯t be stopped. It was the duty of the bureaucrats to protect the nation¡¯s property and people.


    Ttang!


    In this state where tight tension was maintained, Grid¡¯s hammering was faintly heard. It was already a sound that didn¡¯t stop for three days and nights.


    ¡°It will end soon.¡± The magic tower¡¯s master, Lae, failed to decline Rabbit¡¯s request and had to dispatch the magicians. She muttered to herself as she sat on the terrace of a cafe near the smithy, drinking coffee. Grid would soon be forced to log out due to the limit on connection time. Based on Grid¡¯s pattern, the production of the new sword would soone to an end. The average time that Grid took to create a new sword was three days.


    ¡°We can finally see the finished product.¡±


    Peak Sword sat opposite Lae andughed as he drank persimmon punch. What type of effect would Grid¡¯s new sword boast? He was filled with expectation and had already been excited for a few hours.


    They wereid back, unlike Rabbit. They weren¡¯t concerned about an explosion urring. The explosion that urred when making the Fire Dragon Sword was the result of the powerful internal heat from the Fire Dragon Sword. Grid wasn¡¯t creating a weapon of fire beyond the Fire Dragon Sword, so that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®The weapon that Grid makes this time should be a wind or ice one.¡¯


    Peak Sword wanted Grid to make a wind attribute type weapon. The versatility of wind attribute weapons that assisted in ranged attacks and eleration was demonstrated in this year¡¯s National Competition. Many people were impressed by the appearance of the ranker, Oasis, who was part of Ares¡¯ army and who actively used the wind. Oasis was one of the best rookies at this year¡¯s National Competition.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t even use the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.¡¯ It seemed he had no intention of showing the world his true worth yet. Few people seemed to know that Oasis was rted to the Undefeated King except for the Overgeared Guild. ¡®Even so, he won two silver medals and finished in the top 32 in PvP.¡¯


    Oasis¡¯ personal skills were great and the power of the sword that controlled the wind was outstanding. The US media attached the title of ¡®New Hope¡¯ to him.


    ¡®He has enough qualifications... well, he is a bit worse than Coke.¡¯


    Even if Oasis used the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, he was slightly inferior to Coke. Peak Sword thought this, but it was true that he was uneasy. ording to the information acquired by the Overgeared Shadows, Oasis had currently acquired up to 70,000 Army Swordsmanship. It was a bit pitifulpared to Grid who could use the 300,000 Army Swordsmanship, but that was a story whenpared to Grid. Everyone was equal before Grid. Anyone was a novice whenpared to Grid.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lae made a flustered sound as Peak Sword¡¯s thoughts were drifting.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Grid had to log out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Peak Sword opened his friends list and frowned. Grid wasn¡¯t connected as Lae had said.


    ¡°Perhaps it is the worst result...¡±


    ¡°It seems so...¡±


    Three days. In terms of time, Grid should¡¯vepleted the creation of a new sword. He didn¡¯t experiment with the performance but logged out silently... it could only be interpreted as a failure. There was an uproar in the guild chat window.


    -Did Grid log out?


    -Don¡¯t tell me...What should we do about Grid...


    Grid was still bitter about the secret techniques. Now that even the production of the new sword failed, the Overgeared members were very worried. The entire Overgeared Guild had the atmosphere of a house of mourning.


    ***


    [A ss of soju with chicken feet?]


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, but I can¡¯t drink...¡±


    Shin Youngwoo logged out and frowned. It was because the message sent by Peak Sword that didn¡¯t contain any emoticons. He was stuck all day in the smithy without logging out. His mental fatigue was very serious. He was very hungry, but...


    First, he had to sleep. Youngwoo threw his body on the bed and slept.


    ***


    The next day.


    ¡°Watch your mouths,¡± Lauel once again reminded the members once it was almost time for Grid to log in. ¡°The person who brings up the new sword in front of His Majesty... I will throw you into Cokro dungeon no matter the reason.¡±


    Hell Gao now appeared with seven fire stones. In order to safely raid him, Grid or all the Overgeared Guild¡¯s raid teams had to be dispatched. Throwing someone there meant killing them. The Overgeared members heard Lauel¡¯s voice and realized he was sincere, causing them to seriously answer in the guild chat window. They were determined to never bring up stories rted to crafting items. At this moment¡ª


    [The guild master ¡®Grid¡¯ has connected.]


    This notification window appeared in front of all the Overgeared Guild members. Regas greeted him in an energetic manner.


    -Wee!Let¡¯s have an exciting time today!


    Killing intent appeared in Lauel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Faker, move out.¡±


    What? Exciting? ¡®Excit¡¯~ing? At this point, wasn¡¯t it almost a rebellion?


    A whisper arrived in front of Faker who was trembling.


    -I sent Regas to Cokro Ind.He looked a bit wronged, but he obediently went into the warp gate.


    ¡°Did you see him enter the dungeon?¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°Thank you. Tell your subordinates to keep a good watch.¡±


    Just as Lauel¡¯s upset mood died down, Vantner¡¯s message followed.


    -Oh~?Grid is here?Have you been to the gumiho nest on the East Continent?I had a wonderful outing there yesterday...


    ¡°Faker.¡±


    -Vantner has already been secured.I am sending him to Cokro Ind right now.


    -Ack!What is this?What is the matter with this jerk Faker?Hey, you crazy...


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    He dared to say the word ¡®wonderful¡¯ in front of Grid. He didn¡¯t have much sense...


    Lauel was sighing when new information was delivered to Lauel.


    ¡°His Majesty isn¡¯t leaving the smithy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the Overgeared Kingdom, Grid¡¯s smithy was a divinend. After Khan¡¯s death, no one could step into this divinend without Grid¡¯s permission. Thus, they could only observe. Lauel and the Overgeared members could only cheer for and protect Grid from a distance as he worked in the smithy.


    ***


    Grid had been in the smithy for six days. He still didn¡¯t appear today. The mission of the Overgeared knights and magicians to minimize the damage of the explosion instead changed to Grid¡¯s escort mission. In the midst of their anxiety and worry¡ª


    Ttang...


    Hammering was heard. Then the worst notification window appeared.


    [The guild master ¡®Grid¡¯ has logged out.]


    The worries of the Overgeared members deepened.


    ¡°It is a failure again...¡±


    ¡°This is a really big problem.¡±


    A cksmith could disassemble items. After the disassembly, the materials used for making the item could be extracted. However, every time it was extracted, the amount of material was reduced or the quality was lowered. Grid had already failed twice in the production of the new sword and was likely to have lost a considerable amount of material.


    It wouldn¡¯t matter if the material was the breaths. The rewards that the Overgeared members got from the National Competition were the breaths so there was a lot to give to Grid. Then if it was something other than the breaths... the situation would be terrible.


    ¡°We really can¡¯t do anything to help?¡±


    The Overgeared members continued to wait in Lauel¡¯s office. If there was anything Grid needed, then they would run to obtain it. However, they couldn¡¯t help Grid. The ingredient for the new sword was the moon night iron. It couldn¡¯t even be obtained by Grid...


    [The guild master ¡®Grid¡¯ has logged out.]


    Another three days passed. As always, Grid who was stuck in the smithy ended the connection. The morale of the Overgeared members and the entire Overgeared Kingdom dropped to the ground. Grid was the center and pir of the Overgeared Kingdom. The moment rumors that something changed about him started so spread, the people were shaken.


    Time passed by helplessly. Ten days and then a fortnight passed. It was the time for the season to change.


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s divine object has appeared.]


    Then a world message appeared.


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [All stats of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s believers will permanently increase by 10 and the penalties incurred when wearing items will be slightly reduced.]


    ¡°...I¡¯m tired.¡±


    A sword lit up the smithy in the darkness of the night. It was a sword that emitted a cold light like the snow reflecting moonlight. The sword was made from the moon night iron that had been smelted and tempered for over half a month. There was nothing it couldn¡¯t cut. In other words, it was called ¡®Falling Moon¡¯ in the sense that it could even cut the moon. Most myth rated items were named by the system. It was severely unpleasant from Grid¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°I was going to name it the Scorched Earth Sword...¡±


    [A myth rated item is produced, permanently increasing all stats by 30!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by 1,000.]


    [The faith of the Overgeared God Church followers and all the cksmiths in the world has deepened.]


    [Some of the restrictions on a god¡¯s authority will be lifted as people deepen their faith in you.]


    [The usage of the reputation points has increased.]


    [The sun carriage is now avable along with the golden carriage. The sun carriage is a mobile store run by Venice, the god of money.]


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    Normal yers frequently used the golden carriage because they could purchase good consumables and items. However, Grid made items using his own power. The consumables were provided by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. The golden carriage was just meaningless for Grid. He only purchased the ¡®Sweet Candy¡¯ that could only be purchased five times per ount.


    It meant he had more than 230,000 reputation points to y with. A new store was now avable.


    A deep smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he summoned the sun carriage to confirm the list of items sold. The pain of spending 23 days to produce the new sword and theint over the new sword¡¯s name had disappeared.

 Chapter 1416

    <h4>Chapter 1416</h4>


    [Falling Moon Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 1


    ¡ï No matter the target, it must be cut. Ignore effects such as defense, evasion, counterattacks, reflection, damage reduction, ignore damage, and other effects. The amount of damage applied is calcted by adding up all of the user¡¯s stats and multiplying it by the target¡¯s level. A critical hit will be dealt unconditionally and all the buff effects of the target will be eliminated, making them unable to use buffs for three minutes.


    ¡ï It can be swung once every 10 minutes.


    This is a new product made by Overgeared God Grid tempering the moon night iron for 23 days and nights.


    A de emitting cold light that destroys all concepts.


    Weight: 500


    Conditions of Use: Grid]


    Grid¡¯s total stats was approaching close to 58,000. Of course, this was when all the nonbat stats such as dexterity, dignity, and political power were added. Strictly speaking, it meant nothing. What was the use of having stats at least three times higher than the other rankers?


    Stats that affectedbat were limited and nonbat stats were excessively subdivided. A typical example was that Grid¡¯s political power stat was still only 800. It was very lowpared to the average political power stat of a yer engaged in political activities, so it didn¡¯t exert much power in managing internal affairs.


    Although the ¡®all stats increase¡¯ benefit of creating items was the basis for creating the current Grid, recently Grid had been somewhat disappointed by the benefits. He felt it was a shame and thought it would be better if the points were focused on necessary stats rather than all the useless ones. Of course, this was greed without a conscience. He knew there was no possibility it would be realized.


    Still, he made the Falling Moon Sword with the obsession that couldn¡¯t be abandoned. It was a weapon that made full use of his surplus stats. It was perfect for Grid. It was worth spending 23 days stuck in the smithy. Of course, it wasn¡¯tpletely satisfactory. He could only wield it once every 10 minutes and the name was too shabby. Considering the beautiful appearance and eerie power, the name ¡®Scorched Earth¡¯ was more appropriate than ¡®Falling Moon.¡¯


    ¡®What is this naming sense? Tsk.¡¯


    The S.A Group... there was really nothing satisfactory about them. The only thing they did well was creating a virtual reality world that was exactly the same as reality, processing and implementing the world that was wider than Earth as an open field that billions of users could enjoy together, and providingplete freedom...


    ¡®...They are amazing! S.A!¡¯


    Dammit, he wanted to scold them without mercy, but it wasn¡¯t possible. It was true that many people, including him, were happy due to the virtual reality world they created. It wasn¡¯t that he was saying good things because the Falling Moon Sword was myth rated. The S.A Group was a greatpany to be grateful to. It was apany that had acquired nation-level resources and power for a reason.


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid calmed his excited heart and turned his attention to the sun carriage. The appearance was like a condensed sun. It was normal to be unable to look directly at it because it was too dazzling but Grid could see everything in the carriage without difort.


    [Thank you for visiting the sun carriage, an open market for all the gods in the world ( *?¨t¨s?*). The market¡¯s cutie ?Venice? doesn¡¯t discriminate against customers. It isn¡¯t just Asgard. All the gods in the world can use it! ? ? ?]


    [Take the reputation gathered by human worship as wealth and buy the goods sold by other gods or sell your own goods. .("? ??"?)]


    ¡°...Hah.¡± It was once again a ridiculous introduction.


    Venice¡ªone of the gods of Asgard, she was a potential enemy of Grid, but she felt very different from normal gods. He wasn¡¯t just referring to her tone when speaking. It was a business for all the gods in the world... she was unlike other gods who were closed up and did activities in Asgard, the Hwan Kingdom, or the East Continent, and her open mind was amazing.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t trust her. ¡®She isn¡¯t doing this to get along with the gods.¡¯


    The introduction pointed out that the ¡®reputation gathered by the worship of humans¡¯ or ¡®faith¡¯ should be used as wealth. Meanwhile, the power of a god was directly rted to faith. The more faith that a god had, the stronger they were. A typical example was the martial god. All the gods in the world coveted faith. Venice established and opened this market by using the psychology of such gods.


    ¡®Will all the fees that ur when trading with the sun carriage enter Venice¡¯s pocket?¡¯


    Grid made this guess and frowned. He felt that Venice wasn¡¯t a simple existence and felt a great sense of caution. Then his expression gradually changed as he checked the items registered in the sun carriage.


    [Anonymous¡¯ Power]


    [Summon arge number of dark clouds to the designated area for heavy rain. The clouds can be removed at any time and will remain for up to 10 days. Try sending down heavy rain when the humans who serve you are experiencing a drought! You can build up enough faith to earn back what you spent!


    Can be used once.


    Seller: Anonymous


    Price: 8,000,mission not included]


    [Anonymous¡¯ Power]


    [Create a great earthquake in the designated area! It is perfect for punishing humans! Instead, Garion might be scolded! Venice isn¡¯t responsible. ( ? ? ? )


    Can be used once.


    Seller: Anonymous


    Price: 8,000,mission not included]


    [Anonymous¡¯ Power]


    [You can send a divine message to certain humans. The effect also applies to humans who don¡¯t serve you. Isn¡¯t it really amazing? However, the harder and moreplicated the contents of the divine message, the greater the cost! Be careful with the use! ( ?¡ä ? ?` )¥Î?


    Can be used once.


    Seller: Anonymous


    Price: 45,000,mission not included]


    [Zeratul¡¯s Secret Technique Box]


    [A box containing Zeratul¡¯s secret technique~ Zeratul ims that it contains one of the best rated ones he has ever made... ©´(©¤ ? ©¤)©° Is it necessary for those who can¡¯t fight? ??? The pricing is set by the seller himself. Don¡¯t swear at Venice!


    Seller: Zeratul


    Price: 150,000,mission not included]


    [Anonymous¡¯ Item]


    [A hypnotic, scented tobo. A human who smells this scent for more than five minutes will be a puppet! Doesn¡¯t it seem like something made by a demon? Surprisingly, no! The sun carriage doesn¡¯t handle the objects of great demons. ( ? ? ? )


    Hypnosis Duration: 20 minutes.


    Can be used once.


    Seller: Anonymous


    Price: 30,000,mission not included]


    Various gods were selling their power or things. All of them except for Zeratul were anonymous.


    ¡®Why is Zeratul using this ce?¡¯


    He might be a fake but the martial god was the martial god. It was much easier for Zeratul to build up faith than any other god. He just had to sit still and faith would umte. Grid didn¡¯t understand why he was selling things on the market.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me... he just wants to brag...¡¯


    Even Venice said that Zeratul¡¯s selling price was a rip-off. It was highly likely that he was just showing off seeing that he was a god with no need to put things up for sale to gain faith.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look at what Zeratul has posted.¡¯


    The secret techniques were items with a source. It wasn¡¯t worth buying with reputation points that were extremely difficult to collect. The problem was that the Secret Technique Box was a random draw.


    ¡°......!¡± Grid¡¯s appearance stiffened as he looked down at the list of items.


    [Hexetia¡¯s Hammer & Anvil]


    [These items were confiscated when the traitor, Hexetia, was imprisoned. I bought it on impulse because it came at a low price at auction, but there is no ce to use it ( ?? ? ?? ).


    Seller: Venice


    Price: 35,000,mission not included]


    ¡°Hexetia...¡±


    The cksmithing god who was imprisoned for helping Grid. The things he had cherished all his life were being treated as nuisance in this ce. The price was 35,000. The price was very cheap considering they were the symbols of Hexetia. It was simply shabbypared to one-time items or goods registered for tens of thousands of points.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t cheap from Grid¡¯s standpoint. Perhaps it might be different if the faith of the Overgeared God Church could be used as wealth like reputation one day, but Grid could currently only build up reputation by making myth rated items or raids.


    Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. He willingly paid the reputation points to purchase Hexetia¡¯s hammer and anvil. The divine objects of the cksmithing god would be of great help to him. It didn¡¯t matter even if they couldn¡¯t help. They were items to be returned to Hexetia anyway.


    ¡®I will take care of your things. I¡¯ll give them back to you after rescuing you.¡¯


    [35,000 reputation points have been paid to purchase Hexetia¡¯s Hammer & Anvil.]


    The two items were delivered to Grid¡¯s inventory along with the notification window. He was about to confirm the item information when he heard someone¡¯s voice.


    -Oh my, oh my?I was wondering what type of thankful customer you are. It turns out it is you?


    It was easy to infer who the owner of the voice was. ¡®Venice.¡¯


    The god of money. The god most merchants served. The buff effect that urred when serving her was known to be advantageous during item trading. In particr, the effect of reducing fees was excellent.


    ¡°Do you know me?¡±


    -Of course!A god born from the desires of humanity!Grid, you are famous among us.Huhu, there is no need to look nervous.The sun carriage is open to all the gods in the world.Even if it is a god hostile to Asgard, I won¡¯t leak information or apply poison as long as you are a customer of the sun carriage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    -Use the sun carriage often.If you want to sell things, then don¡¯t you think I¡¯m pretty good?


    "I understand.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want the conversation tost long. Gods were good at concealing their hearts so it was hard to expect a useful conversation. Rather, it was possible that he might be the only one to leak information. Grid wasn¡¯t very interested in conversation and Venice noticed it.


    -Then see youter~~


    ¡°......¡±


    Venice left. Grid confirmed the information of Hexetia¡¯s hammer and anvil and was relieved. It was because the performance was much better than Grid¡¯s hammer and anvil. It was natural since it was used by the cksmithing god.


    ¡®It is different from the hammer I saw before. Is it new?¡¯


    It was very good. In particr, the effect of doubling the speed of item production was the best. If he had this hammer then he wouldn¡¯t have needed to use 23 days to make the Falling Moon Sword. However, it wasn¡¯t at the level to be called fraudulent. In the first ce, a limit was set for production items. The production probability of high ranked items couldn¡¯t be increased infinitely.


    Ttang.Ttang.Ttang.


    Grid immediately started production. This time he was making a belt that would help him use the Magic Power Ejection Machine more quickly. Thepletion was very fast thanks to Hexetia¡¯s hammer and anvil.


    ¡®Shall I go?¡¯


    Grid finished his work in the smithy and summoned the messengers. It was time to go to war with hell, which could potentially collude with heaven. The goal of this itinerary was to capture the hells in the 20s. Grid believed it would be possible. After all, the grandmaster and Nefelina were on his side this time. Moreover, Leraje was more cooperative than expected.

 Chapter 1417

    <h4>Chapter 1417</h4>


    Satisfy¡¯s hell was different from the eight hells that peoplemonly thought of. There was the sky and the ground and day and night. Thanks to their nature, some demonkin formed a civilization. In Satisfy, it was easy to think of hell as a world ruled by demons, not humans. It was just dangerous because there was no concept of morality orws. All sorts of hical things urred throughout hell except for a few safe zones. The ughter was brutal and matched its name of hell.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous,¡± Piaro confessed honestly. ¡°Hell... The ce where the souls of those who build up sin throughout their lives fall. It is said that the souls will suffer terribly to pay the price for their sins, reflect on themselves, and cleanse themselves. There are also some souls that will be evil spirits. It might not be true with His Majesty, but those who visited hell without the blessing of the goddess of light will be possessed by an evil spirit. Can we be active in hell without the blessing of the goddess?¡±


    It was extremely rare for a human to go to hell alive. It was safe to say there were almost none. Of course, Piaro hadn¡¯t been to hell. Therefore, he could only blindly believe in the wrong information.


    Mercedes carefully advised him, ¡°Piaro, you have seen and heard for yourself that the gods we believed in aren¡¯t correct.¡±


    In order to be safe in hell, there must be the blessing of the goddess of light. In other words, the goddess of light was omnipotent everywhere in the world. Of course, the Reba Church was the source of these unfounded ims.


    ¡°The hell that Piaro knows is the hell described by the Reba Church and the Reba Church isn¡¯t credible. The actual hell will be different.¡±


    Mercedes had been a member of the Reba Church since the Reba Church had been the national religion of both the Saharan Empire and Overgeared Kingdom, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. There was Zikfrector, who rebelled against the gods to protect the world, and Sariel, the archangel who was expelled for discussing the sins of the gods. She heard their stories and couldn¡¯t trust Reba and the Reba Church.


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid closed Leraje¡¯s diary that he had been reading and faced Piaro and Mercedes. ¡°Mercedes is right. It is possible to survive in hell even without the blessing of the goddess. For example, umte demonic energy or get the help of the Demon yer... additionally, I¡¯ve been to hell several times and have never seen an evil spirit.¡±


    There were 30 minutes left until Yura¡¯s scheduled arrival time. He could afford to hang out and have a conversation, but he had no intention of just talking. Rather than reading the diary, Grid started to control the God Hands directly. Grid dispersed his consciousness to improve the hunting efficiency of the God Hands while talking to Piaro and Mercedes.


    The monsters started dying at a noticeably faster rate. The conversation was also progressing. This level of versatility was too easy for today¡¯s Grid. The umted talent eclipsed the absence of talent.


    ¡°Still, it is hard to see the Reba Church¡¯s im aspletely wrong. Hell is as wide as the West Continent and the types of demonkin are more diverse than the species there. Maybe there is a ce in hell where the souls of the dead are governed. There could be evil spirits.¡±


    In fact, some demons collected the souls of the dead as loot. To be exact, they were the souls of the dead after signing a contract with the great demons. Pagma¡¯s soul that had been screaming in Baal¡¯s grasp... Grid had witnessed it.


    ¡°If we see an evil spirit... won¡¯t it be dangerous without the blessing from the goddess?¡± Mercedes seemed somewhat nervous at Grid¡¯s words. Like Piaro, she was different from usual. It wasn¡¯t bad. Hell was an extremely dangerous ce. Grid had been to hell a few times but it was still an unknown ce. Every zone had its own environment and characteristics so it was impossible to adapt to or predict it. It was good for these two people to have appropriate tension.


    Grid turned to look at his other messengers. Nefelina was haggling with Rabbit to increase the food she would receive in exchange for going to hell and Zikfrector was sleeping in the middle of the path with a quilt. Braham was harassing Sariel, saying he needed to investigate the angel¡¯s ability to neutralize magic.


    Did it look like a group of people just about to go to hell? There was no tension at all...


    ¡°The possibility of danger is very high. It is impossible to fight against evil spirits without divine power. We happen to not have divine power.¡±


    In the first ce, the concept of divine power was vague. No religion could generate divine power apart from the Reba Church, Judar Church, and Dominion Church. Typically, most people thought that divine power came from a god¡¯s divinity, but in Satisfy, divine power was no different from something exclusive to Reba. Considering the myth that even Judar and Dominion received light from her, divine power was a concept close to Reba¡¯s personal power.


    ¡®The reason why she is worried about the Saintess is because she is worried her things will be taken away.¡¯


    ¡°We have to avoid encountering the evil spirits.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. It is because we have Yura. The Demon yer in hell is much greater than you think. So there is no need to be too worried.¡±


    From the position of Leraje who was dreaming of rebelling, the Demon yer was very important. It was said that she had helped Yura a lot recently. Grid couldn¡¯t easily guess how much Yura had grown who used the information provided by Leraje as a stepping stone. Thest time they met, Grid was much stronger than her, but now the gap would¡¯ve narrowed a lot¡ªat least in hell.


    ¡®She has learned the skill of absorbing demonic energy...¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting a long time.¡± Some time passed. The bargain wasn¡¯t sessful, so the angry Nefelina was biting Rabbit¡¯s cor, while Braham was excited by new knowledge and started to pluck at Sariel¡¯s feathers. Just then, Yura finally arrived at the scene.


    ¡°It took me too long to open the hell gate due to the demonkin¡¯s checks.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to apologize. I am the one who should be apologizing. I suddenly scheduled it without notice.¡±


    Yura was somewhat flustered by the atmosphere of the scene. She thought the atmosphere would be solemn as the messengers of the god gathered ahead of the hell conquest, only to be flustered because it was more like they were in the middle of a market. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Zikfrector lying down on a quilt while Grid asked her, ¡°What do you mean by the demonkin checking the hell gate? Is that possible?¡±


    The hell gate. It was a pathway between hell and the human world. This was one of the Demon yer¡¯s unique skills. An ordinary human being had to get the help of the hell gate to go to hell.


    ¡°Demons and demonkin who can detect the emergence of the hell gate have appeared. The moment I open the hell gate, they can specify the location and track it. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from hell without nt¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡± This was a very serious problem. It was purely thanks to the hell gate that Yura could freelye and go from hell. This freedom would be suppressed the moment the hell gate was kept in check. ¡°No, this... Doesn¡¯t it take just seven seconds, not a few minutes, to activate the hell gate? Yet you are worried about tracking. Does that mean they have the ability to teleport?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The moment the coordinates are specified, they can teleport anywhere in an instant like Braham or Sticks.¡±


    ¡°They are using the magic of a great magician...¡±


    There were many types of demons and demonkin. It wasn¡¯t strange at all if some were born with magical abilities.


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened sharply. He might¡¯ve scolded the messengers who weren¡¯t nervous, but he actually wasn¡¯t worried about this trip to hell at all. It was because the members were all so impressive. Now he heard Yura¡¯s words and there was suddenly tension.


    ¡°The coordinates will be specified the moment I open a gate in the human world. There is a high possibility the moment we cross the hell gate and enter hell.¡±


    For reference, the hell gate could only be used by two people and the cooldown time was 30 minutes. It meant that it wasn¡¯t possible for the eight people here to enter hell at the same time. There was the concern of being attacked once two people went to hell.


    Grid worried about it before making a decision. ¡°I will go first and reduce the number of enemies as much as possible.¡±


    The messengers weren¡¯t weak. Several of them were stronger than Grid, but their lives were finite. It was natural for Grid to go there first.


    "Yes, who are you going to take with you?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid observed the messengers. Mercedes looked enthusiastic, while Piaro was looking forward to it. Braham scoffed like he wasn¡¯t interested and Sariel grinned. Zikfrector was also getting up and folding the quilt.


    ¡°I...¡± Grid¡¯s finger pointed to Nefelina. She had Rabbit¡¯s hand in her small mouth and was chewing on it. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Nefelina.¡±


    ¡°Iamgoing.¡± Nefelina said as she spat out Rabbit¡¯s hand covered with saliva. She was conscious of the honor of a dragon. She was like a kid when alone with Grid, but...


    ¡°I have to keep an eye on you or you might cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just honestly tell me that you want to rely on the power of a great dragon.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± She was still a hatchling. A hatchling was too great to be scolded. Grid shut his mouth as he called back Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the God Hands. Of course, the God Hands floated around himself and Nefelina instead of being ced in his inventory. He wouldn¡¯t be afraid of any surprise attacks thate flying when going through the hell gate if he had the God Hands.


    ¡°We will go first and create a safe area, so open the hell gate in the same position.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t open the hell gate at the same position. There is always an error with the dimension movement coordinates.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean the next gate might open in apletely different location?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it will still be in the 32nd hell.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    Yura told Nefelina, ¡°First of all, Miss Nefelina, please drink this tea. It will purify a bit of the demonic energy of hell.¡±


    ¡°Eek. It is bitter.¡±


    ¡°You are young and don¡¯t know the taste of tea....¡±


    ¡°Grid, you should be polite to me.¡±


    The space was twisted and torn while Grid and Nefelina were bickering. Sinister energy appeared in the air in front of the two people. It was the hell gate. Grid put his foot on the door and spoke to his colleagues, ¡°Be careful. We¡¯ll meet safelyter.¡±


    ¡°I wish you luck.¡±


    Rabbit and the knights saluted at the same time to send off Grid. Grid and Nefelina disappeared from the scene.


    ***


    Fire soared with an explosion that shook the ground. It was just as Yura warned. A surprise attack flew the moment he crossed the hell gate. Grid and Nefelina¡¯s eyes shook.


    ¡°Hahaha! I finally got the Demon yer who is like a rat...?¡± The excited demonkin quickly shut his mouth. He found that the appearance of the humans who appeared was different from the target. ¡°You aren¡¯t the Demon yer. Bait?¡±


    "What does it mean by sending bait? Does she think we will deplete our strength if she continues sending bait?¡±


    ¡°Humans are weak and have a small amount of magic power. The Demon yer is a human, so hermon sense is low.¡±


    ¡°There is fire but no meat.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The demonkin who had mastered high level magic and were talking rationally cocked their heads with confusion. They noticed the nonsense mixed in with their conversation.


    ¡°Huup!¡± There was the sound of someone sucking air. The zing fire was being sucked by something.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The moment the mes were cleared, the demonkin were shocked. It was because the humans who should¡¯ve be ashes were fine. A child with puffed up cheeks was staring at them.


    ¡°Graaaaaa¡ª!¡±The child made a strange noise and opened her mouth. A huge pir of fire was shot. The dozens of demonkin gathered together were hit by an even hotter fire. Some demonkin disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Meat... my meat is gone.¡±


    Grid stared at Nefelina who was muttering to herself with a shocked expression.

 Chapter 1418

    <h4>Chapter 1418</h4>


    The demonkin¡¯s surprise attack wasn¡¯t simple. Grid lost 30,000 health even though he knew and prepared for it in advance. The power of the hellfire that made Greed scream and the demonic energy that suppressed the essence of life clearly reminded him why this ce was called hell.


    ¡®If the material for the God Hands and my armor wasn¡¯t Greed then it would¡¯ve definitely melted. Then what is this?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t see it incorrectly. Nefelina ¡®inhaled¡¯ this massive spell. She sucked in the demonkin¡¯s magic like a hiker at the top of the mountain breathing air deep into his lungs. Hemented that Nefelina¡¯s status window couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡°The demonkin on the outskirts are weaker than I thought.¡± Nefelina poked the demonkin¡¯s body with a stick she had picked up from somewhere. The bodies of the demonkin who were swept away by the fire she inhaled and breathed out again were eitherpletely charred or scattering as ashes.


    Grid asked between the soaring gray ash pirs, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a Breath. What magic... is it?¡±


    Nefelina had the appearance of a 12 year old girl but her actual age was younger. They had been together for a long time and he even talked to her casually. Grid must be quite shocked based on the way his eyes grewrger and his words became polite.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t magic. I just spat out what I ate.¡±


    The trivial answer made Grid¡¯s expression be serious. The ability to absorb something and release it with greater power, not just neutralize it. If this wasn¡¯t Nefelina¡¯s inherent ability but a ¡®species characteristic¡¯ of the dragons, then it meant that the dragon¡¯s strength exceeded what Grid imagined.


    Of course, it is well-known that the dragons were the strongest species in the world. The S.A Group had emphasized a few times that a dragon wasn¡¯t a monster made to be killed. He even met with Gourmet Dragon Raiders in person and experienced his power.


    Grid had no ns to challenge the dragons. It was just important to keep in mind in case he was caught up in the ¡®whims of a dragon¡¯ like with Raiders. What if? If a dragon really entered the Overgeared Kingdom one day...


    Grid had to stop it. It was inevitable, unavoidable and inescapable. It was a deserved duty.


    ¡°You just ate and spat out magic... Is this amon ability of all dragons?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is because dragons dominate the elements. It is beyond the level of a blessing. It is just that one dragon can¡¯t dominate all elements. That... It is a concept of talent. It is easy to see from the color of the scales when you are born what elements you will dominate. For example, the red dragon Trauka can dominate fire, not water. Of course, he can¡¯t dominate it but that doesn¡¯t mean he is weak to it.¡±


    ¡°Based on your interpretation, the magic that Trauka can devour is limited to the fire attribute? Water attribute magic can¡¯t be swallowed but this doesn¡¯t mean he is weak to the water attribute?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Still, you can¡¯t blindly believe in the color of the scales. It¡¯s easy for dragons to change the color of their scales.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± It was fortunate. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Braham¡¯s magic being useless every time. There was a good chance it would be invalidated but...


    ¡®There isn¡¯t a 100% chance that Braham will be a folding screen when fighting a dragon.¡¯


    He was already distressed by Braham bing a folding screen every time he met an angel...


    Grid was feeling relieved when he had a question. ¡°Nefelina, are you actually a red dragon?¡±


    "No, if I was a red dragon then I couldn¡¯t have swallowed that murky fire.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Nefelina¡¯s blue hair turned ck. ¡°I am a ck dragon. ck and gold dragons can dominate all the elements.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°I am special just looking at my talent. This is why I am able to pledge to avenge Bunhelier.¡±


    ¡°I-I see. You are great.¡± The polite Grid once again sealed his mouth. He was happy to learn that his dragon was a genius dragon.


    Nefelina turned her hair color back to blue, spread out her wings and looked around. ¡°However, this ce is strangely quiet. I don¡¯t see ordinary demonic creatures.¡±


    The demonic energy of hell was constantly being generated. It was normal for hell to be infested with demonic creatures and demonkin. Yet this ce was still calm.


    Grid asked Nefelina with a frown, ¡°Was the reason you wanted toe to hell rted to the demonic creatures?¡±


    ¡°The demonic creatures and demonkin are good food for me. The more demonic energy a ck dragon absorbs, the harder their scales be. It is the same as a gold dragon getting harder when they eat minerals.¡±


    ¡°So the ck dragon¡¯s original home is hell?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t about air in hell. If I absorb too much demonic energy then I will be as evil as the bad dragon Bunhelier. Moreover, I can¡¯t go between hell and the middle world at will so it is appropriate to visit in special cycles. This alone can alert the great demons and make them treat me like my father.¡±


    ¡®Were both Bunhelier and Nevartan ck dragons?¡¯


    He learned a lot of facts. The strangely talkative Nefelina made Grid proud. It felt good to be trusted.


    ¡°Nefelina, for you, I¡¯ll seed in subjugating the hells.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be flippant.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid smiled brightly as he patted Nefelina¡¯s head and started moving. Nefelina¡¯s expression behind him wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ***


    The castle of the 10th great demon, Leraje. This was the final gateway to entering the heart of hell and was one of the most important strategic points in hell. Marbas frequently visited to check the defenses. He said, ¡°I heard that you invited the Demon yer to the castle a while ago.¡±


    ¡°I called because she is notorious but I was disappointed.¡±


    ¡°So you saved her and sent her back?¡±


    ¡°Should I, King Leraje, have my hands stained with blood?¡±


    ¡°Haha, no. You shouldn¡¯t do so. It is only when the small fries are handed over to small fries that the small fries will have a chance to grow.¡±


    ¡°That is what I mean.¡±


    Marbas smiled while drinking and asked a new question, ¡°It is said that the Demon yer was in a party. Who was with her?¡±


    Marbas didn¡¯t get rid of his smile but the eyes behind the wine ss were cold.


    Leraje shrugged as she glimpsed his eyes reflected by the tableware. ¡°I wasn¡¯t interested. How can I remember an insignificant human being?¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Then a boring conversation ensued. Marbas maintained a gentle smile during the conversation while Leraje frowned with increasing arrogance. It was because she felt it was a bit like an interrogation. However, she couldn¡¯t drive Marbas out of here just because she was upset.


    Marbas was different from ordinary demons. He was born around the same time as the demons of the beginning and had existed for thousands of years. He suppressed his instincts and lived only by serving Yatan. He neverpeted with any other great demon and just managed hell. He thoroughly prevented hell from perishing before Yatan opened his eyes again.


    He was acting on behalf of Baal. The man who received Yatan¡¯s trust was called thest bastion of hell and he was an invible territory.


    ¡°An idle old man has taken up too much time.¡± The useless conversation was still in progress when Marbas got up from his seat, his silver ne making a clinking sound. He ced a hat decorated with white feathers on his head and said goodbye with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be going. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te back again.¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be heartless.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Leraje scoffed and waved her hand, causing the door of the audience chamber to open. It was amand for the guest to leave.


    Marbas left the castle after he was driven out and talked to himself while touching the ne. ¡®That child... I don¡¯t feel any divinity or divine status.¡±


    Leraje was used of contacting an unidentified god who visited hell not long ago. Some senior great demons started suspecting her and theymissioned Marbas to investigate. It was difficult from Marbas¡¯ perspective. If it was revealed that Leraje was conspiring behind the scenes, Marbas would have no choice but to kill her. However, Leraje was unexpectedly prudent. There were no traces of Beriache anywhere in the castle. in addition, the ne and feathers of divine power didn¡¯t detect anything.


    ¡°If it is true that Leraje contacted a god then she likely didn¡¯t know that the other person was a god. I don¡¯t have to doubt her at this stage.¡±


    Marbas smiled as he lowered his hat and headed to deliver the facts to the familiars of the high level great demons.


    ***


    Administrator Rabbit¡¯s role was important so he always looked worried. He was worried that Grid would hate himself. This farewell was probably a way to ease the burden of his heart. On the surface, he said that Grid¡¯s group was so fierce that he chased them here because he was worried they would cause an ident again.


    ¡®I have to make the golden walnuts a priority.¡¯


    Rabbit¡¯s fatigued appearance caused Lauel to feel worried.


    ¡®I have to find him a sessor quickly.¡¯


    There were many talents in the Overgeared Kingdom. There were even those at the level of a genius. Due to their work, the present Overgeared Kingdom existed but Lauel just recently realized the blind spot of this system. It was hard to find recements. Just like no one could take over Lauel¡¯s role, the talents in each field, including Administrator Rabbit, had been fighting alone for over 10 years. It was really difficult to find and cultivate talents so that these people could ept a sessor with ease. Currently, it was best to use all types of elixirs to support existing talents.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    An hour and a half after Grid left, thest group finally crossed the hell gate. Lauel was deep in thought after seeing them off only toe to his senses by a sudden voice. He met Zibal¡¯s gaze. Zibal¡¯s sword that blocked a monster¡¯s ws was stopped in front of Lauel¡¯s nose. Lauelughed awkwardly as he watched the monster turn to ash. ¡°I looked away for a moment. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...What level are you?¡± Zibal and Lauel¡¯s rtionship was deep. As a representative of the United States, he was active several times in the National Competition. Before joining the Overgeared Guild, Lauel relied on the Seven Guilds. In other words, Zibal remembered that Lauel used to be one of the most promising talents. No matter how he looked at it, Lauel¡¯s decline until he couldn¡¯t even notice a monster¡¯s surprise attack came as a major shock to Zibal.


    Lauel answered, ¡°I am... level 350. Haha, I¡¯m ashamed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was he a modern ve? Zibal imagined all sorts of things and was shocked again. Lauel looked at him in a meaningful manner.


    He remembered that Zibal had been the leader of seven big guilds. He might be the chief culprit behind the alliance disbanding due to his greed but he was a charismatic and natural leader. After the copse of the alliance, he matured a lot and consistently showed a good performance in the nationalpetition. Even the high level US representatives recognized him as a leader. In addition, he obtained the grandmaster¡¯s trust.


    ¡®I will watch him carefully over the next few years.¡¯


    The southern province governor position that had been vacant for 10 years was likely to have found its master.


    Zibal got goosebumps for some reason when he saw Lauel¡¯s smiling appearance.

 Chapter 1419

    <h4>Chapter 1419</h4>


    The levels of the demonkins detecting and tracking the hell gate were at least 460. It was very high from a yer¡¯s perspective but they weren¡¯t ssified as ¡®elite monsters.¡¯ In their base area, level 460 meant an average or below average level that wasn¡¯t special. The red-skinned demon nt spected that their origin was thend soaked in moonlight, the 14th Hell. The demons and demonkin of the 14th Hell had high intelligence and were known for their proficiency in magic.


    ¡°......?¡± Yura¡¯s eyes widened as she entered hell. She had been prepared for the surprise attack of the demonkin but it was Grid and the messengers who weed her, not the terrible hellfire.


    ¡°How did youe here in advance?¡± Yura¡¯s dimensional movement skill was currently level 2. The coordinates of the hell gate she opened were so unstable that even she didn¡¯t know where it would appear.


    Nefelina told the surprised Yura, ¡°I am a great dragon. Why can¡¯t I do what the demonkin can do?¡±


    Braham scoffed like this arrogant attitude was ridiculous. ¡°It was thanks to me.¡±


    ¡°It is true that your magic helped but the main thing was my insight. If I hadn¡¯t detected a change in the wave of mana, wouldn¡¯t your magic have been useless?¡±


    ¡°I can detect it as well. I was just a few seconds behind you because I¡¯m in a bad condition.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it. Why do you have a sense ofpetition with me? For me as a dragon, you are just a trivial existence.¡±


    ¡°You have no right to call yourself a dragon when you are just a hatchling. In my prime, I fought and survived the fire dragon. Don¡¯t you think it is too much to treat me like a trivial thing?¡±


    ¡°What? That is impossible. Are you lying to me because you want to die?¡±


    ¡°You both did a good job. Both of you were great.¡± Grid smiled awkwardly as he soothed the two people. The pride of the messengers was so high that it was easy for them to bicker if Grid didn¡¯t mediate.


    What did Grid go through for two hours? Yura felt sorry when she saw the fatigue on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°A type of wave urs just before the hell gate opens. It is a very slight change but Nefelina detected it and Braham used magic to teleport here faster than the enemies.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She had been worried about the worst case situation where they were attacked separately. Fortunately, they gathered together safely. Yuraforted herself and looked back at Sariel who crossed the hell gate with her. The gazes of Grid and the messengers shifted to Sariel.


    The demonic energy of hell was eroding Sariel. The ends of therge white wings started to turn ck. Yura gulped and was ready to use Hell Regtion. In fact, Yura¡¯s role was very important in this expedition. Sariel had a high probability of running wild in hell because he was banished from Heaven. It went beyond just being rejected by hell. One of the few ways to stop Sariel from running out of control was Yura¡¯s Hell Regtion.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sariel smiled as he grabbed his chest and gasped for breath. ¡°The god¡¯s trial... I will surely ovee it.¡±


    A trial. It was an urate description.


    Grid wasn¡¯t here to y. Hell was the only ce where he could quickly grow the messengers who had an average level of 550. It was also the home of the great demons who dropped excellent treasures. Just as Mercedes grew rapidly stronger every time she wrote a chivalric code, Yura grew rapidly every time she cleansed hell.


    The hell subjugation expedition was a necessary process to strengthen the fighting power of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid didn¡¯t want to exclude Sariel from this important schedule. He was one of the stronger people in the Overgeared Kingdom. He was a target who needed to be developed intensively. Rather than looking at the situation, he hoped that Sariel could ovee his limitations. He wanted to stop the experience of that hard-earned power rotting away...


    ¡°Why are you looking like that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I was thinking of the past for a moment.¡± Grid felt a strange displeasure when he recalled the case of Braham being nerfed the moment he was resurrected. Grid frowned and spoke to Sariel. ¡°Once again, tell me straight away if you can¡¯t stand it. Yura will be here.¡±


    Hell Regtion was one of the Demon yer¡¯s ultimate abilities and was a spatial skill that temporarily paralyzed the function of hell. It meant she could control Sariel who had a probability of running wild in hell.


    ¡°I am thrilled that the Demon yer who makes all the demons of hell tremble with fear is looking after me. God, your grace is warmer than light.¡± Sariel suffered terrible pain but he was still smiling.


    Grid was proud after feeling Sariel¡¯s determination while Yura blushed. She was ashamed. The Demon yer feared by the demons was Alex, not herself. Yura was fully aware that her skills were stillcking. She knew she wasn¡¯t qualified to hear this from Sariel.


    ¡°...Sariel.¡±


    ¡°I will listen to God.¡±


    ¡°Turn into a woman.¡±


    Grid mistakenly thought that Yura blushed because of Sariel¡¯s appearance. He was alert because Sariel was so beautiful as a man that even a man¡¯s heart would pound when seeing it. Long eyshes andrge eyes that seemed to be sprinkled with gold. Anyone would be fascinated looking into these eyes.


    ¡°I will follow God¡¯s will.¡± Sariel changed his appearance without saying a word. For an angel, the body was nothing but a trifling concept. It was easy to change the gender.


    ¡°This looks good.¡± Grid was relieved to see Sariel whose skeleton became smaller and her body curves changed dramatically. He didn¡¯t see Yura and Mercedes pouting.


    ¡°Ohh, ohhh....¡± It was due to Piaro. The admiration he felt after entering hell attracted Grid¡¯s attention.


    ¡°How about it? Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Hell isn¡¯t a ce where it ispletely impossible for humans to survive. It seems to be well developed here.¡±


    ¡°Being a demonkin doesn¡¯t mean they just do hunting and gathering.¡±


    Hell had a city. The wise demonkin formed a society in the neutral area. Grid had personally experienced the food culture there. It was rare but there were a few dishes made using grain.


    Piaro told him, ¡°I think it would be great to grow toxic nts and grains on thisnd. There might be toxins but the more toxic the nts, the better the efficacy in medicine.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face became rosy. ¡°Does that include the herbs used to create a medicine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. There are many poisonous varieties of herbs that can be used as potion ingredients... If we grow them here, we can expect the efficiency to be 20 times those grown in the human world.¡±


    ¡°20 times...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart thumped. The biggest disadvantage of the potions produced by Reidan was their high price. The performance was excellent enough to be distributed to key people but the production costs were too high. This would make it possible to reduce the spending.


    Piaro was already excited by the new environment. He became even more excited after hearing Grid¡¯s response and took out his hand plow. ¡°Then I will start plowing now!¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯s wrong with them?¡±


    ***


    In conclusion, Piaro didn¡¯t start plowing. The reason he visited hell wasn¡¯t to farm. Grid almost forgot after he was swept away by the atmosphere. Fortunately, Nefelina tackled him and he was able toe to his senses.


    ¡°Piaro, the task is the first priority.¡±


    ¡°I, Your Majesty¡¯s sword, shield and grain provider will give my life to realize Your Majesty¡¯s great cause.¡±


    Piaro also calmed down. The two embarrassed people took the lead. They marched to the 28th Hell. Hundreds or thousands of demonkin and demonic creatures who had levels in thete 300s and early 400s blocked the path forward but they couldn¡¯t stop the two people¡¯s progress.


    The elite demonkin and demons that asionally appeared in the middle were quite powerful but Grid and Piaro were stronger. There was no need for Yura and the messengers to go forward. The two people directly broke through the enemy line and entered the castle of the 28th great demon.


    ¡°Demon yer, are you crazy enough to crawl to my feet? It is good. Thanks to your insanity, I will be able to show off my skills to the world. I will cut off your head and hang it from the gates! Kuhahahat!¡±


    The 30th Hell and 29th Hell had already been subjected and purified by Grid and Yura.


    ¡°Now! Fight, Demon yer... eek! Who are you? My opponent is the Demon yer! These guys! Ack! Kuak!¡±


    The 28th great demon was a bit stronger than the 22nd great demon Berith who appeared in the human world. It was the difference between the human world and hell. Even so, it was the 28th great demon. His physical power and magic power were stronger than Berith but the quality of his abilities was inferior. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Grid and the messengers to kill him. The level of the messengers was so high that they received less experience, but they got excellent items. The two that stood out the most were the legendary rated twin swords and cloak.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t at a level that the members here can use.¡¯


    The performance was a lot lower than Belial¡¯s Staff. In retrospect, Belial was likely a special named monster among the great demons. Wasn¡¯t Belial the first one to invade the human world, proving that hell was real and bringing fear and despair to human beings?


    ¡®The nickname was also gorgeous... The level and ranking were low but Belial was special. In any case, it would be good to give these items to the guild members.¡¯


    In the past, he might¡¯ve opened an auction to gain more than the original price but it was different now. Rather than getting money from the pockets of the guild members, he needed to provide support to increase their strength. This way, his own strength would increase.


    There was also the beauty of reciprocating. The Overgeared members regarded Grid as the best and made concessions and gave him support. He nned to pay them back steadily.


    ¡®Money can be earned any time I want.¡¯


    Of course, this was on the premise that less money should be sucked into the alchemy facility. However, the most unfortunate thing right now was that the rune hadn¡¯t absorbed any powers. The Rune of Gluttony. It was a rune that had a chance of absorbing power after killing named demonkin, demonic creatures, demons, angels, half-gods and gods. If it wasn¡¯t for the rune then Grid wouldn¡¯t have grown to this point. It wasn¡¯t just Grid. Presently, those who were qualified to be called the strongest each had a rune in their possession.


    ¡®In the past, I basically absorbed a power whenever I killed a great demon...¡¯


    However, this wasn¡¯t the case anymore. At some point, the number of times a power was absorbed was reduced. Recently, the probability had be very bad.


    ¡®Have I be so strong that the S.A Group changed the odds?¡¯


    It was unlikely. It wouldn¡¯t be so tant if it was really maniption.


    ¡®They would¡¯ve tried to hide it as much as possible if it is maniption. For example, increasing the odds when killing a rtively weak enemy while lowering the odds when killing a strong one.¡¯


    However, the situation was the opposite. Grid was more likely to absorb a power when killing the strong.


    ¡®It might¡¯ve originally been designed as the more power that is absorbed, the less it is capable of absorbing... If there are too many different types of powers that are absorbed then there might be a conflict with each other.¡¯


    He was checking the condition of the rune when Yura¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡°It is regretful that we didn¡¯t bring Sehee. It is only by showing herpletely eliminating the great demons that the demons will shrink back and be unable to act rashly.¡±


    The Demon yer¡¯s Hell Purification wasn¡¯t omnipotent. The hells she cleansed couldn¡¯t be invaded by great demon candidates and were proimed a neutral zone, but this wasn¡¯t permanent. If the purification was permanently maintained then hell would be peaceful due to Alex¡¯s actions in the old days.


    Hell Purification was simply an opportunity. It was an opportunity for the demons who wanted peace. It was only by quickly establishing the statue of Yatan that the purified zone would be aplete neutral zone. If the statue wasn¡¯t established during the purification period then demons would start to invade the territory again.


    Creating a neutral zone wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. Demonkin attempting to enter the purification zone were hunted down by demons. In order to make the neutral zone, Yura had to defend the purification zone for a certain period of time. This was why Yura wanted the power of Saintess Ruby. The Saintess could permanently destroy the soul of a great demon and prevent reincarnation. Her deeds would be considered horrifying by the demons and make them passive. It could also keep them away from the purification zone.


    However, Grid ruled out Ruby from participating in this expedition. The level of hell wasn¡¯t that easy. Hell was a ce so dangerous that he couldn¡¯t even bring the 10 meritorious retainers here. Objectively, Ruby¡¯s level meant she had fewer opportunities to go to hell. Rather, she would be a burden and could put the messengers at risk. At least in Satisfy, the lives of the messengers were 100 times more precious than Ruby¡¯s life.


    ¡°It will hold us back if we try to fight while defending Sehee. If she wants to join this party then she needs to gain at least 60 levels.¡±


    Buses only drove when they could afford it. Grid, the messengers and Yura. For now, it was ideal to maintain these members.


    ¡°In addition, there is no need to be obsessed with purification. It is better for the great demons to keep appearing rapidly. Thus, we can kill them again and get more rewards.¡±


    The situation was different from when it was just Grid and Yura. Now they were together with the powerful messengers.


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°By the way, the Demon yer¡¯s reward is only for the first time cleansing the hell?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit of a pity...¡±


    The Demon yer could learn new skills or get stats every time they cleansed a hell. It was a reward that was limited to once per hell. It was actually shameless to think this was a pity. There were 33 zones in hell. The difficulty of the condition of ¡®must purify a hell¡¯ was too high so the growth was slowed down. However, in terms of potential, the Demon yer was a tier 1 ss.


    ¡®By the time she purifies the 25th to 23rd Hells, Yura will be stronger than me.¡¯


    Of course, it was still limited to hell but it was something to look forward to. Grid was also a person. He wanted to be a passenger rather than a bus driver.


    ¡ªJust like now.


    ¡°This time I wille out.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have a chance to be active.¡±


    The appearance of Braham and Nefelina as they entered the 27th Hell made Grid feel at ease. Their stats might¡¯ve been reduced by the hell environment but the tea given by Yura mitigated the penalties to some extent and they could fully use their skills. Thebination of these two people was stronger than thebination of Grid and Piaro. They opened the road to the castle of the 27th Hell.


    ¡®I¡¯mfortable, veryfortable.¡¯


    Just watching increased his experience. Sariel also made a great contribution as she ughtered the demonkin and demonic creatures. while the other messengers fought the great demon. Due to the curse, her stats rose in hell and she was powerful enough to scare the demons.

 Chapter 1420

    <h4>Chapter 1420</h4>


    Dog¡¯s Mouth. This was what ignorant bastards called the 20th Hell. This ce where rocks that melted into fire formed barriers was the site for a myth. This was what people often thought of as the entrance to hell, the gate of hell guarded by Cerberus.


    ¡°It is Ronove again?¡± The bleak voice heard in the great hall belonged to the 20th great demon, Eligos. It felt like winter wasing, but hell had no winter.


    ¡°Yes... He lost his body and his castle was upied.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be different this time?¡±


    Eligos sat on the throne in dark armor and the pressure he gave off was as fierce as a me and as sharp as a de. The vicious chill made all the demonkin tremble. An existence that gained the darkness that symbolized wickedness and evil.


    The ck knight Eligos who denied life. He was one of the strongest in hell and death was the only path he walked. This was why he could reign as the master of Dog¡¯s Mouth. There were many great demons who praised and worshipped Dog¡¯s Mouth as the real hell but all of them died without taking away Dog¡¯s Mouth from the ck Knight.


    ¡°He disappointed me twice.¡±


    The 27th great demon Ronove was greatly disgraced in the attack on the human world a few years ago. He said he would release red fog to create a gue in the human world but he returned as a rag. He had told the demons who mocked his ridiculous appearance that the reason for his defeat was the intervention of a small god.


    A small god. The indigenous god of a particr region. They were very weakpared to the gods of Asgard but considering that most of a great demon¡¯s power was sealed in the human world, Eligos turned a blind eye to Ronove¡¯s defeat. He ignored it when Ronove still imed to be his right arm.


    It was a mistake. He should¡¯ve killed Ronove. In hell, not the human world, Ronove was defeated by humans and had his castle taken away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give Ronove a chance to be reborn.¡±


    ¡°That guy has tarnished the honor of the lord!¡± Eligos¡¯ subordinates shouted.


    Grrr. The cerberus also breathed roughly in what seemed to be agreement.


    Eligos nodded. ¡°Go and find Ronove¡¯s soul. Then seal all the gates to the river. His soul will suffer forever.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The reason why Dog¡¯s Mouth was called the real hell was because it was the gateway where the souls of the dead gathered. It was the ce that was the background of a myth for a reason. There wasn¡¯t an exaggeration in the rumor that Eligos¡¯s authority was second to Baal.


    Eligos frowned as he watched the hundreds of demons and demonkin leave to search for Ronove¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Marbas wille soon...¡±


    Marbas, who imed to be a devoted servant of Yatan. He drifted through hell in the name of Yatan and hell, breeding demonkin and demonic creatures. The ignorant ones saw Marbas as hell¡¯s guardian but Eligos didn¡¯t like Marbas very much. He questioned if Marbas¡¯ power actually helped hell.


    Eligos remembered it clearly. Marbas had used his breeding power in every area where the former Demon yer, Alex appeared. He said he did it to get rid of Alex but what was the result? Every time Marbas used the power of breeding, Alex grew rapidly. He didn¡¯t dare cross the Dog¡¯s Mouth but in the end, he became strong enough to challenge Baal. It was truly a strange thing.


    ¡®No matter how I think about it... I would rather Marbas note.¡¯


    ***


    A world message popped up whenever a great demon was killed. If the great demon was killed in hell then it even specifically stated this.


    The world was in turmoil.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, do you know the details of the three hells that have been cleansed in the past three days?¡±


    ¡°Did the Overgeared Guild finally start the hell expedition?¡±


    Hundreds of reporters surrounded Shin Youngwoo as he came out of the house for a morning jog. There was a diversity of people. It might be a global era but the sight of so many foreigners gathered in a small city in South Korea was new.


    ¡®I have to admit that reporters are diligent.¡¯


    The hundreds of reporters who kept asking questions had something inmon. They spoke Korean directly instead of using a trantor. The only difference was that some people were proficient while others were unfamiliar with it. They were trying in many ways to win more favor with Youngwoo.


    ¡®I can speak English now.¡¯


    It happened after Jishuka moved to South Korea. Just as she studied Korean tomunicate more with Youngwoo, Youngwoo also studied Portuguese and English. He was too busy to study it separately but he used the time when he was exercising or eating. Simple conversations soon became possible. As he gained various knowledge and studied in Satisfy, he felt familiar with the process of studying itself. His overall understanding also increased. Studies that weren¡¯t easy no matter how he tried to wrap his head around it in the old days were now aplished rtively easily.


    ¡®Apologize after...¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s gaze turned to the building next to his. He was looking at Jishuka¡¯s penthouse. It had been a long time since he had spoken English and he missed her. Originally, Jishuka¡¯s pattern of living was aligned with Youngwoo. She woke up when Youngwoo did, they shared meals and spent the same amount of time lying in the capsule. Even the time they went to bed was simr. He used to get a ¡®good night¡¯ message as hey in bed.


    Throb.


    Youngwoo¡¯s heart hurt. Youngwoo liked Jishuka but he also liked Yura. They went on a date every weekend and feelings umted. He didn¡¯t have the courage to reject Yura who publicly confessed as the world watched. His heart wanted to share love with two people but it wasn¡¯t allowed. Perhaps it might be allowed when the sun rose from the west but for now, society would bury him... It would deal more damage to the two of them than to him.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Um... The Overgeared Guild is currently doing the hell expedition. We are aiming to upy all the hells in the 20s during this schedule.¡±


    ¡°All the hells in the 20s...! If this seeds then won¡¯t the scale of hell be greatly reduced?¡±


    Youngwoo answered, ¡°That won¡¯t happen immediately. We don¡¯t have the power to keep upying them. They will soon be taken away by a new great demon.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to say that you don¡¯t have the power. I recently heard a rumor that Zibal of the United States has joined the Overgeared Guild. Isn¡¯t the power of the Overgeared Guild very full?¡±


    ¡°At the present time, hell is a field that rankers can¡¯t enter. Less than 10 people participated in this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Hah... The difficulty of hell is much higher than the experts predicted.¡±


    ¡°Well, the experts¡¯ predictions are sometimes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Laughter burst out from everywhere. For the past few years, experts from around the world have repeatedly tried to predict Grid and failed.


    Questions and answers went back and forth in this more rxed atmosphere. Youngwoo didn¡¯t hide information about hell. He wasn¡¯t afraid of being harmed by the disclosure of information and he hoped that his information would be helpful to someone. Youngwoo was hoping for the overall growth of the yers. He was seriously considering selling the Grid items that had previously only been sold to the Overgeared members to the outside world.


    The enemy of humanity was too strong to dream of monopolizing them.


    ***


    ¡°10 people...¡±


    Grid¡¯s interview where he said he raided the 28th, 27th and 26th hells with less than 10 people stimted rankers around the world. A challenge was sprouting in the hearts of rankers. Of course, there were no fools who thought that hell was easy. The people that Grid mentioned would include Piaro, Mercedes and Braham. Everyone in the world knew the reputations of Piaro, the farmer who had long defended the Overgeared Kingdom, the beautiful Mercedes who guarded the Overgeared Kingdom beside Grid, and the legendary great magician Braham.


    ¡°They are monsters who canplete the tasks of 10 people alone.¡±


    ¡°in my opinion, I think they are equivalent to 20 people. Have you forgotten the four heavenly kings of the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation?¡±


    ¡°Compared to that time, the rankers have improved a lot. It is rtivelymon for people to have unique rated sses.¡±


    It was two years in real time and six years in Satisfy time. For high rankers, who weren¡¯t ordinary rankers, six years was a time to achieve many things.


    ¡°Indeed, that is the case... Using simple calctions, 60 high rankers will have firepower simr to Grid¡¯s part. 30 people can take the part of Piaro, Mercedes and Braham while the other 30 will take the share of Grid and the Overgeared Guild members.¡±


    yers had felt the weakness of numbers in every great demon raid. No matter how many people were present, they were worse than the power of a single strong person. However, the high rankers had grown rapidly in recent years. They were reborn as strong people who put the concept of numbers to shame. At this point, if the great demons invaded the human world then they were certain they could damage the great demon without the power of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Uh, I think 60 people is enough.¡±


    ¡°Gather people. Let us challenge hell.¡±


    A small number of high rankers started to gather people. There were many applicants. Who wouldn¡¯t be greedy to raid the great demons who dropped the best rewards?


    Grid¡¯s interview about sweeping through hell with only 10 people gave the rankers great hope. The problem was that no one knew how to enter hell. Tarot, who was once a crony of Kir, said they would go to hell after dying in the ckening state but he was naturally ignored. Not everyone could use ckening and it was too expensive to pay the admission fee with their lives.


    ***


    ¡°Gasp, gasp... I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    Tenacity, obsession and reversals. They were Grid¡¯s favorite words. He didn¡¯t know how to give up. All the difficulties and adversities had been ovee through hard work. However, this time was an exception. It wasn¡¯t at a level that could be ovee with effort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should retreat?¡±


    The castle of the 25th hell was special. It was a castlerger than a mountain that was made of ck crystals. From a distance, it was very mysterious and beautiful. Then once they came close up, it was horrible. It was because the cross-section of the crystals reflected and refracted light, causing motion sickness. Their bnce was lost and nausea appeared. It was a physical problem that couldn¡¯t be solved by abnormal status resistance.


    Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s party suffered. They weren¡¯t able to exert their full strength due to their confused vision and mind. Sariel almost went berserk several times.


    ¡°Keuk! Retreat first!¡±


    The cautious nature of 25th great demon Dantalion also yed a part in harassing the party. Dantalion didn¡¯t engage in a frontal war with Grid¡¯s party. He used the refraction of light to deceive their eyes, repeatedly did surprise attacks and gnawed at the party¡¯s health little by little. He used a variety of strategies and tactics as if to prove that the rumor he had all knowledge in the world was true. It felt dirty.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Piaro! Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    The longer the battle became, the more they were caught by their weaknesses. The hatchling, the incarnation of the seven malignant saints, the great magician who was a direct descendant and the legends of various fields...


    Most of Grid¡¯s party was covered with wounds. The only one who was fine was Nefelina. A flying spear flew toward Nefelina¡¯s heart but it couldn¡¯t pierce her skin and just fell to the ground...


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an ordinary ck crystal. I can¡¯t fight back because it keeps scattering my magic power.¡± Nefelina touched the inner wall that reflected her figure and concluded it was meaningless to keep being stubborn. ¡°We should retreat as Grid said.¡±


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°¡±You can¡¯t leave.¡±¡±


    A young boy, an old man, a young woman, a young man with big and bright eyes...


    It was the appearance of a monster with various people¡¯s faces looking in every direction. Every ck crystal contained his bizarre appearance.


    ¡°¡±There has never been a single being who hase to my castle and survived. Your lives will end here. I will capture the hatchling alive to dissect and use as research material.¡±¡±


    The voices of the elderly, the young people and the boy ovepped. Every voice had a different way of speaking. Thus, it was hard to hear.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Grid used a sword dance. The inner wall made of ck crystal caused confusion so he thought of breaking down the inner wall and escaping. However, once again, the skill wasn¡¯t triggered.


    [Your mana has scattered.]


    [Your mana has scattered.]


    [The skill activation is cancelled.]


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    This... it was really dangerous. He had no choice but to use his secret method. Grid made a decision and nced at Yura.


    Yura nodded and used a skill. ¡°Hell Regtion!¡±


    A jade light flooded out from her and cleaned the demonic power. Thebination of Dantalion¡¯s knowledge and the ck crystals couldn¡¯t resist the Demon yer.¡¯s magic power. This allowed Grid to use his sword dances and the messengers to use their magic and skills. The huge castle shook like it was going to copse. However, it didn¡¯t copse. The ck crystals were hit by the magic and skills of Grid¡¯s party but they weren¡¯t greatly damaged. Rather, it threatened the party by reflecting back some magic and skills.


    Dantalion¡¯s faces in the ck crystals startedughing. ¡°¡±You still don¡¯t understand? This castle is the strongest fortress in hell and it was made of thousands of years of knowledge and skills. It is an absolute boundary that can¡¯t be invaded by any power, status or mental image. It is impossible for all of you to survive here.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±.....?!""


    Dantalion¡¯s faces were talking excitedly only to suddenly harden like ice. It was because the ck crystals, made of thousands of years of umted magic arts, were making eerie sounds. A cold sword of moonlight was reflected in the snowy sky...


    The ck crystals couldn¡¯t reflect the light of the sword that neatly cut and cracked the wall made of ck crystals. It was a sight that seemed to defy all providence.


    ¡°Open the path before I break it all down,¡± Grid threatened.


    Of course, it was just a bluff. The Falling Moon Sword was a weapon that could only be used once every 10 minutes but the only person who knew this fact was Grid.


    ¡°¡±Go on your way.¡±¡±


    The bluff worked. The ck crystals turned opaque and stopped reflecting and distorting the light.

 Chapter 1421

    <h4>Chapter 1421</h4>


    It was after sending the intruders out of the castle.


    ¡°¡±Was that the Sword Saint just now? No, it isn¡¯t Sword Saint Kraugel. I saw him directly in the human world. Then that person...¡±¡±


    Dantalion¡¯s faces muttered with serious expressions.


    A castle built by eight brains that boasted thergest amount of umted knowledge, spanning thousands of years. The ¡®Indestructible Castle¡¯ that had hundreds of high-level barriers imprinted on it was sliced like tofu. Of course, the castle was still intact. Grid might¡¯ve cut at the castle but the damaged part wasn¡¯t even one-thousandth of the total size of the castle. However, there was a possibility that the castle could be knocked down.


    ¡°¡±Destroying a castle that is only possible for the dragons, the original gods and the Sword Saint? That¡¯s right. It has actually been proven. The hatchling couldn¡¯t scratch it but it was because the hatchling was too young. There might be a mistake in my calctions... Hmm, what nonsense. There is no error when I can see everything.¡±¡±


    Dantalion knew Grid. It was because they had been entangled several times, directly and indirectly. Still, he would¡¯ve known Grid even if they hadn¡¯t been entangled. Grid¡¯s reputation was too high. In addition, the book in Dantalion¡¯s hands showed the future. Of course, this wasn¡¯t omnipotent. The scope of the future couldn¡¯t be determined.


    ¡°¡±Those guys are camped outside the castle. I let them go. Why aren¡¯t they leaving? They are aiming at me. This is dangerous. Danger. Let¡¯s go to the human world right now, kill 666 people and open the book of the future. No, I can¡¯t leave now. I will lose my castle.¡±¡±


    Dantalion was agitated. He was the most powerful being who had the power of all the past legends but he wouldn¡¯t be able to win a battle against those camped outside the castle. He believed that he would have a chance of winning by using this Indestructible Castle as a shield and the knowledge he had umted for thousands of years. However, this story changed after Grid used a skill that was like the Sword Saint.


    ¡°¡±Give up the castle. No. It is a castle built from thousands of years of study and 6.66 million humans as sacrifices. Why don¡¯t I ask Amoract for help? What? Do I want tomit suicide?¡±¡±


    Dantalion officially belonged to Amoract¡¯s faction but he didn¡¯t trust Amoract. Amoract was a blind fanatic of Yatan. Amoract would never forgive him the moment he scolded Yatan. The eight faces would argue with each other thanks to the power of conflict and he would die the most terrible death in the world as an offering to Yatan.


    ¡°¡±Should I rely on Baal instead? It is better to die than to pester than guy.¡±¡±


    Dantalion sighed and looked out the window.


    Grid had be a god with a human body.


    The hatchling of the insane dragon, Beriache¡¯s son who was the strongest magic user, the master of Keen Insight, a fallen archangel, the incarnation of the seven malignant saints, the Demon yer, a farmer... except for one person, their status and skills were great.


    Their present would surely be carved into the myths.


    The eight faces of Dantalion were worried for a long time and murmured. ¡°¡±They must be pursuing high ideals which is why so many great people have gathered together. That¡¯s right. It isn¡¯t just one purpose. It must be a difficult goal that they need to be together to achieve. They would want to borrow a demon¡¯s hand. There is no problem with a god and demon holding hands. There is already precedent.¡±¡±


    A smile shed across Dantalion¡¯s faces as he thought about the ¡®invasion of Behen Archipgo¡¯ that was the joint venture between Hexetia and the great demons.


    ***


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect the skill to be interrupted in the middle.¡¯


    Grid who safely retreated from the ck crystal castle was frustrated. He originally nned to destroy the castle so he immediately used a five fusion dance. Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. He didn¡¯t doubt that the dance of destruction done with the Falling Moon Sword would turn the ck crystal castle into scorched earth.


    He was mistaken. The moment he swung the first part of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, the Falling Moon Sword almost popped out of his hand. It was because the skill action was interrupted and it stopped triggering. The constraint of the Falling Moon Sword that meant it could only be wielded once every 10 minutes also applied to skills. The one time referred to here really meant only one action.


    ¡®Dammit, dammit...¡¯


    It seemed he now knew why it wasn¡¯t called the Scorched Earth Sword. The Falling Moon Sword didn¡¯t deserve the wonderful name of ¡®scorched earth.¡¯


    ¡®In the first ce, the moon night iron is a mineral with too many constraints.¡¯


    There was too much personality. It had taken more than half a month to strengthen. In fact, the de of the Falling Moon Sword contained no Greed at all. Only the ck handle under the de was made of Greed. Nevertheless, the infinite durability meant the moon night iron was a great mineral... It was just a pitypared to Greed, which had harmony with any mineral.


    ¡®In the end, the potential of Greed is the best... I can probably only make the Scorched Earth Sword after Braham finishes forging the mineral.¡¯


    Gravurnium. When would it be finished? It felt like time was flowing too slowly when he eagerly desired it.


    ¡°......¡±


    The messengers watched the depressed Grid silently. To be exact, they were watching the Falling Moon Sword in Grid¡¯s hand. Nefelina spoke first, ¡°That sword is dangerous.¡±


    Grid nodded. ¡°Yes, it is dangerous. It is incredibly dangerous.¡±


    It was a sword that risked its master¡¯s life. If he swung the Falling Moon Sword when fighting an enemy then he would open himself up to a counterattack. The activation of the fusion sword dance would be stopped and a gap would be revealed that could allow the enemy to cut off his head.


    ¡®It is my fault for not doing a proper performance test.¡¯


    Of course, he had tried it several times. However, it was just at the level of cutting something to test the power. He tested what could be cut and confirmed it really could cut anything. The enhanced moon night iron cut even things with infinite durability like Greed. To be exact, it caused a weakness that reduced the durability and then cut it... Regardless of the principle, it was likely to neutralize a dragon¡¯s absolute defense.


    Nefelina¡¯s thoughts were the same. ¡°I hope you can lend me that sword one day.¡±


    ¡°Is it to get revenge on the evil dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have to lend it to you.¡± Grid nodded. In any case, Nefelina¡¯s revenge was a story for at least hundreds of yearster. Grid would no longer exist in the world once she became an adult dragon. There were no problems even if he promised without much thought.


    However, Nefelina didn¡¯t know his inner thoughts. From her standpoint, Grid was a god. She misunderstood that Grid would be alive when she became an adult. ¡°If my revenge fails then it will trouble you... I will pay you back for lending me the sword.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid but what can I do? I¡¯ve been watching you since you were an egg. You are my messenger. It is impossible to turn away from you.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    [Affinity with your messenger ¡®Nefelina¡¯ has increased by 20.]


    Nefelina was purely moved. Grid felt like he had been pricked but he just changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the situation in front of us first. How can we kill Dantalion?¡±


    Dantalion had opened a gate for Grid¡¯s party. It was the exit to the 24th Hell but Grid¡¯s party avoided the exit and returned to the entrance. They stood facing the ck crystal castle again. They were determined to end the battle with Dantalion. The ultimate goal of this hell expedition was to grow. Leave the target alive and flee instead of killing him to grow? How funny.


    In particr, Dantalion was a demon who had knowledge in all fields and left it as a record. Grid still vividly remembered the Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Fragment that was acquired after killing Yatan¡¯s servant.


    ¡®The fragment gave Fighting Knowledge. It added one level to allbat skills and raised attack speed and evasion.¡¯


    It was really bigpensation when thinking about it now. Just a fragment could exert that much power. How great would Dantalion¡¯splete knowledge be?


    ¡®If we kill Dantalion then there is a high probability he will drop skill level ups that aren¡¯t limited by ss.¡¯


    There was also the possibility of dropping the skills of former legends. Dantalion had umted knowledge about the previous legends and was actually able to implement some of their skills.


    ¡®I have to kill him.¡¯


    Grid felt a sense of mission. He felt a greed he never experienced before as he stared at the ck crystal castle. However, this castle was the problem.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean there is no way.¡¯


    If he put the entire castle in his vision and used the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship then he could cut that huge castle in half.


    ¡®If I keep cutting, the ck crystals will break apart.¡¯


    There was just one problem. The Falling Moon Sword could only be wielded once every 10 minutes. Dantalion would find out this fact.


    ¡®It will be tough in the future if he shares this information with other great demons.¡¯


    The great demons were violent but not ignorant. Apart from a small percentage of them, they had high intelligence and their level wasn¡¯t much different from that of humans. They hadmon sense. ¡®I have to create variables to win against them and the Falling Moon Sword is the best weapon to create variables.¡¯


    No matter how gorgeous Grid¡¯s party was, they would lose their firepower as they ventured deeper into hell. The ranking of the great demons would rise while Grid¡¯s party would receive stronger penalties. Of course, Grid, Yura and Sariel were the exceptions but three people weren¡¯t enough. The situation of suppressing great demons was almost at an end. At that time, the secret card of the Falling Moon Sword would be a great help.


    ¡®There are many tools to alleviate the penalties of hell. The problem is the performance but if I use them to create items, won¡¯t it be possible to amplify the power? In any case, the priority now is to bring Dantalion out of the castle...¡¯


    Then what means should he use?


    Grid was struggling when Zikfrector opened his mouth. ¡°Mercedes, can you analyze the ck crystals with your Keen Insight?¡±


    ¡°There are too many distortions. if it stays in this state then I could analyze it in two hours, but the arts keep changing in real time or they¡¯re being added...¡±


    ¡°Yura, can you use the anti-magic power to repel the demonic energy in it for a while? Once there is no demonic energy, the magic arts will stop.¡±


    Anti-magic power. It was the resource of the Demon yer to resist demonic energy. It looked simr to divine power at first nce but it was a very different concept.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since I¡¯ve opened anti-magic power. It hasn¡¯t reached the level where it can be used in actualbat yet.¡± Yura¡¯s eyes were shaken. She was annoyed at herself for not ying the role of the Demon yer despite being the Demon yer.


    Grid led the conversation before her negative thoughts could deepen. ¡°Braham, is there any magic that can target a person and forcibly transport it?¡±


    ¡°By modifying the magic circle of Mass Teleport, it is possible to forcibly transfer a person even if they don¡¯t ept it. However, creating the magic circle requires a lot of time to create and to trigger. The biggest problem is that the magic circle won¡¯t start in that castle.¡±


    He just spoke casually but it was really possible? Grid was once again amazed to discover how great Braham¡¯s skills were. Then he quickly looked like he was eating shit. ¡®What is the use of theory alone? It can¡¯t be used when it is really needed.¡¯


    ¡°Why are you looking like that again?¡± It happened the moment when Braham felt a strange displeasure and frowned.


    ¡°¡±I request a conversation with the Overgeared God.¡±¡±


    ¡°.......!¡±


    ¡°.......!¡±


    The firmly closed gate of the castle opened and Dantalion walked out.


    ¡°¡°The god who despises hell has descended directly to hell. Is it to prepare for a great cause like Hexetia in the past? Seeing as the insane dragon¡¯s hatchling is by your side, do you want to prepare for a battle against the evil dragon? No. You are with one of the seven malignant saints and Sariel. Are you trying to prepare for war against Asgard rather than the evil dragon? Beriache¡¯s child is with you. You might¡¯ve promised to restore his power as a direct descendant seeing the way the arrogant Braham is following you. Perhaps you visited hell to follow Beriache¡¯s trail. What nonsense is this? Their purpose is clear with just the presence of the Demon yer. They simply want to destroy hell.¡±¡±


    The eight faces kept talking before Grid¡¯s party could react.


    Then a beautiful ck-haired head faced Grid. ¡°¡±Overgeared God. I don¡¯t know your intentions but no matter what it is, I can help you. Let¡¯s not stay here like this. I hope you wille back to the castle with me and tell me your purpose.¡±¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were shining brilliantly. ¡°Do you want to cooperate with me?¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes, no matter your purpose, I will be on your side.¡±¡±


    Grid had powerful messengers that no gods had ever obtained. There were many paths he could walk and this strongly tempted Dantalion. He believed that if he could apany Grid then he would umte profound knowledge through various experiences. For Dantalion, knowledge was power. The encounter with Grid was an opportunity that wouldn¡¯te twice.


    ¡°Then die.¡±


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    Dantalion¡¯s eight faces that were flushed with excitement scattered like petals. Blood shimmered in the old moonlight as ck liquid seemed to spray.

 Chapter 1422

    <h4>Chapter 1422</h4>


    ¡°¡±......?!¡±¡±


    The eight heads of Dantalion that were cut off had startled expressions. The 16 eyes that fell to the ground observed the situation from different directions. The Overgeared God, the hatchling, the great magician, the incarnation of the seven malignant saints, the archangel, the master of Keen Insight, the Demon yer, etc. Those who were qualified to rule an era, or the world, were rushing toward him like hungry and irrational beasts seeing prey.


    ¡®This... It is contrary to my expectations.¡¯


    Dantalion was smart. Based on the Overgeared God¡¯s messengers, he inferred the purpose of the Overgeared God. Beriache¡¯s revenge, the subjugation of the evil dragon, the war against Asgard...


    Like the gods in the Genesis mythology, the Overgeared God was a person who carried many burdens on his shoulders. It was to fulfill the wishes of the messengers and make them fully subordinate to him.


    ¡®The Overgeared God is in a position where he must fight against hell. It is normal to covet my knowledge.¡¯


    So what was this situation? The Overgeared God seemed to beckingmon sense. It was very abnormal. The eight heads that fell to the hot floor whereva flowed opened their mouths at the same time. ¡°¡±Overgeared God. Do you really need to kill me? Why cut off my heads? Wouldn¡¯t it benefit you to cooperate with me rather than fight me?¡±¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°On what basis?¡±


    ¡°¡±Is it really necessary for me to exin? My knowledge and strength will be a great help to you.¡±¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°¡±Do you distrust me because I¡¯m a great demon? I will be your messenger. Then can you trust me?¡±¡±


    ¡°Not so much.¡± It was like talking to a dead body but Grid wasn¡¯t flustered. He knew from the beginning that a great demon wouldn¡¯t die just because his head was cut off. The Fire Dragon Sword was ced on Dantalion¡¯s body and mes appeared.


    The eight heads sighed as they watched their body being engulfed in mes. ¡°¡¯Stupid. Indeed... Just because you are a god doesn¡¯t mean you are intelligent. There are some indigenous people who can only howl like pigs.¡±¡±


    ¡®This guy talks too much.¡¯


    Grid tantly heard he wasn¡¯t smart and the agitated Grid used the five fusion sword dance. He destroyed Dantalion¡¯s heart and tore through all his viscera.


    The shockwave fired from Nefelina¡¯s mouth and Braham¡¯s magic crushed Dantalion¡¯s flesh and bones. Zikfrector¡¯s runes prevented Dantalion¡¯s recovery and Sariel and Mercedes cut off Dantalion¡¯s limbs. Yura fired from the sky from therge bean tree nted by Piaro and her bullets sessively prated and destroyed the eight heads on the ground. It was to block the regeneration of the heads. Dantalion was thoroughly isted. No demons, demonkin or demonic creatures helped him. They stayed inside the ck crystal castle and simply watched as their master was dying.


    ¡®Is there a concept of loyalty in hell?¡¯


    Most of them were forced to be loyal due to contracts so this was why more vignce was needed. The great demon and their subordinates were bound together by amon destiny. If Dantalion died, the demons and demonkin who had a contract with Dantalion would die with him or their souls would degenerate. It meant that they shouldn¡¯t just be watching.


    ¡®It is strange.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s group felt a sense of strangeness but this wasn¡¯t a reason to stop attacking. The offensive continued and Dantalion desperately resisted. He reced his lost vision with magic power, read and defended against attacks, and formed dozens of magic circles around his body to fight back.


    Unlike Grid and Braham, who could use Magic Contemtion, and Nefelina, who was protected by her species¡¯ absolute defense even if it was iplete, the rest of the magicians were injured little by little. However, the rate at which Dantalion died was much faster.


    Dantalion started with his head cut off from a surprise attack and he consumed too much magic power. He couldn¡¯t hold on and lost all his health. A huge contribution was Yura¡¯s sniper shots where she didn¡¯t have to worry about being counterattacked.


    It happened the moment when Dantalion¡¯s body started to disperse into ashes.


    [Time is regressing due to Dantalion¡¯s power.]


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Grid and Yura were shocked to see the system message. Grid¡¯s messengers grasped the situation a stepter and clicked their tongue. The ash was being returned to Dantalion¡¯s body. His cut off limbs were restored and the big and small wounds healed. The eight heads that were destroyed and disappeared from Yura¡¯s sniper fire reappeared. They flew back to his throat.


    It was like watching a video being yed in reverse. Soon, the fully recovered Dantalion stepped back. It wasn¡¯t until he returned to the location where he first appeared that Grid¡¯s party noticed it. Their location was also moved to the ce where they had been standing a few minutes ago.


    ¡®Is it back tracking?¡¯


    Should he try his weapon? The passage of time normalized as Grid was seriously considering it.


    ¡°¡±For me, the future is history.¡±¡±


    Some people called it ¡®Dantalion¡¯s Book¡¯ while Dantalion himself called it the ¡®Book of the Future.¡¯ The book that Dantalion carried showed the future in exchange for some type of sacrifice. It wasn¡¯t omnipotent because it couldn¡¯t specify the scope of the future but there was one fraudulent function. It was the ability to make the present turn into the possibility of ¡®what will happen in the future.¡¯ He easily turned back time.


    Of course, there were restrictions on this. It was impossible to choose when to turn back time. Even Dantalion considered it a great fortune that he could return to the point when the body was fine. If he was unlucky, the time regression might¡¯ve gone to the point where his heads were cut off and the meaning of backtracking would¡¯ve disappeared.


    ¡®Besides, it costs a lot.¡¯


    Dantalion felt great pain. Among his eight heads, the heads of the young man and woman turned ck and soon scattered as ash. In doing so, he permanently lost a significant amount of knowledge. Tsk. Dantalion clicked his tongue and quickly turned around. He intended to flee back to his castle. Just then, a silver sword light flew toward Dantalion¡¯s neck.


    ¡°What the hell is ¡®the future is history¡¯?¡± Grid came close and asked in an irritated voice.


    Dantalion smacked his lips. ¡®It is Shunpo.¡¯


    This was the greatness of a god who rose through the process of transcendence.


    ¡®This person isn¡¯t an ordinary god. The moment he ovees all the trials, his ranking will rise to the king of the gods.¡¯


    Dantalion once again activated the Book of the Future. The surprised Grid pulled out the Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones. It wasn¡¯t an ancient enhancement scroll but an enhancement stone.


    [You have enhanced the +4 de Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires.]


    [The enhancement has failed and the enhancement value has decreased.]


    Time went back once again.


    ¡®This!¡¯


    Dantalion had four heads left and his expression distorted. It was a situation where he had left his castle and it was just before his neck was cut. He could see Grid standing 10 meters away. Why was Grid¡¯s expression even more distorted than his?


    Dantalion shouted, ¡°¡±Think about the benefits of having me as a messenger!¡±¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me because I¡¯m in a bad mood now.¡±


    Grid sighed as he checked his weapon. Fortunately, it was restored to +4 by the time backtracking but he didn¡¯t feel good.


    ¡®It failed too naturally... By the way, it is clear that Dantalion¡¯s time regression ability is definitely great.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t backtracking his own time but the time of the world itself. Grid was certain that all the yers currently connected were experiencing the time regression.


    ¡®The reason why he didn¡¯t use this ability in the human world is because the penalty is too big.¡¯


    The act of raiding the human world was a type of game for great demons. None of them would be foolish enough to suffer damages while enjoying a game. In that sense, the great demons who came to y and had their souls destroyed after meeting Ruby were idiots.


    ¡®Two heads are the price in exchange for turning time back once... He can¡¯t lose all his heads so there is only one chance left for him in the future. Shunpo.¡¯


    Once again, Grid held the Falling Moon Sword. It was because time had gone back to before Grid swung the Falling Moon Sword. That¡¯s right. The time regression didn¡¯t apply only to Dantalion. Countless conditions were needed for the time regression to be advantageous to Dantalion alone and this was obviously an area of luck.


    ¡°¡±Shit!¡±¡± Dantalion lost hisposure. He wanted to use Teleport to return to the castle but he felt Braham¡¯s gaze and pulled out his sword. Braham¡¯s ability to control and counter magic in real time was the fundamental reason for Dantalion¡¯s weakening.


    ¡°......!¡± Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he was about to wield the Falling Moon Sword. It was due to what he felt from Dantalion who was holding the sword. Dantalion¡¯s upper body leaned back and there was a sound like iron being scratched. Some things unknowingly surfaced in Grid¡¯s mind. He was reminded of the information that Dantalion used the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship when attacking the human world. The form of the swordsmanship that Biban used swept through his mind. He remembered the moments when he fought with Kraugel, sometimes as an enemy and sometimes as an ally.


    Grid¡¯s body moved reflexively. He forcefully twisted his muscles, put away the Falling Moon Sword and activated White Tiger¡¯s Posture. Simultaneously, Dantalion¡¯s sword appeared like lightning and cut at Grid¡¯s upper body. It was a sword technique that must win in a battle of sword against sword. It was the Sword Saint¡¯s absurd move that unconditionally avoided the opponent¡¯s sword while hitting the opponent with his own sword. This blow collided with Grid¡¯s armor, causing sparks.


    [You have suffered 43,508 damage.]


    [The effect of Doran¡¯s Ring has been activated.]


    This was truly a great demon. Dantalion couldn¡¯t destroy the armor made of Greed and Grid¡¯s use of the White Tiger¡¯s Posture greatly increased his defense, but he still dealt so much damage. Dantalion didn¡¯t miss this chance. He continuously used the Matchless Heart Technique that was the symbol of the Sword Saint and suppressed Grid.


    Grid wanted him to be deeply absorbed in the situation so he waited for when Dantalion got a bit deeper. It was just that Dantalion¡¯s mental strength was higher than he imagined. He suppressed his killing intent toward Grid who drove him this far and maintained the right ¡®line.¡¯ He moved forward and retreated, restraining himself from going too far when attacking Grid.


    Meanwhile, Braham and Zikfrector¡¯s magic and Yura¡¯s sniping covered Grid. However, Dantalion was implementing super sensitivity as well. He evaded the pouring bullets with minimal movements and deflected Nefelina¡¯s shockwave with Sword Curtain. Still, he couldn¡¯tpletely absorb the impact and was shaken.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ Grid removed the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and hit back. Then blood gushed from Grid¡¯s neck. Dantalion avoided Grid¡¯s sword and fought back by aiming for the small gap between his armor and his helmet.


    ¡®This bastard is really the Sword Saint.¡¯


    The frowning Grid was tense. He knew that the next attack woulde but Dantalion¡¯s self-control was beyond imagination. He ignored the chance to cause serious damage to Grid and retreated to broaden his vision. It was as expected. The shield flying from behind Grid was captured in Dantalion¡¯s vision. Mercedes¡¯ shield that was blocked by Dantalion¡¯s sword rose in the air and collided with the God Hands.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was something that no one could deny. At this moment, Dantalion was reenacting and was almost identical to the Sword Saint.


    ¡°¡±You... It would¡¯ve been better to ept my suggestion. Regret today¡¯s misjudgment for the rest of your life.¡±¡± Did he judge that it was over? Dantalion ced the sword in his scabbard and lowered his upper body deeply. It was obvious to anyone that it was a posture for drawing the sword.


    ¡°Your Majesty!!¡± Piaro felt Grid¡¯s crisis and ran over while shouting. Braham and Zikfrector wrapped defense magic around Grid. Nefelina gathered her Breath. The agitated Sariel showed signs of going berserk and Yura awas forced to prepare Hell Regtion. Only two people were different. Grid, who was the target of the attack and Mercedes who followed him weren¡¯t worried about Grid¡¯s safety. The thing they had inmon was that they had experienced the Matchless Heart Technique. It was also directly through Biban, the founder of the Matchless Heart Technique.


    The sword was pulled out of the sheath. The sharp sword light that seemed to cut at Grid¡¯s neck was stopped and sword energy released. Dantalion¡¯s body started to fly backwards at a tremendous speed, and he reached the gate of the castle in an instant. He used the sword energy to escape.


    Dantalion was making a pleased smile only for his eyes to widen. It was because Grid was approaching right in front of him. He pursued as if he had expected Dantalion to run away. ¡®How?¡¯


    Dantalion¡¯s neck was cut again.


    Grid put away the Falling Moon Sword after the strike andbined the Fire Dragon Sword and Enlightenment Sword. ¡°You are too weak to be my messenger.¡±


    Hopefully, either Leraje or Marie Rose would be his messenger. Grid wasn¡¯t obsessed with Dantalion. Knowledge? The knowledge of Braham, Sticks, Nefelina and Zikfrector was enough. They couldn¡¯t see the future but they were intellectuals who explored the truth in their respective fields. In the first ce, the future was a concept that could change at any time. For Grid, it was better to seize Dantalion¡¯s power than to use Dantalion as a subordinate. He was convinced that he and the messengers could use the power much better.


    ¡°¡±Persistent guy!¡±¡±


    Dantalion burst out angrily and once again backtracked time. Thousands of demonkin and demonic creatures poured out of his castle. The result was naturally terrible. The timing of Dantalion¡¯s time regression was for after they came out of the castle. The number of demonkin and demonic creatures was meaningless. The level 400 monsters were destroyed by the messengers¡¯ wide-area magic. In particr, Sariel¡¯s activity was very dazzling. Sariel, who was about to go berserk due to Grid¡¯s crisis, stabilized her mind and released her power.


    Dantalion sat down with only two heads remaining and murmured to himself. ¡°¡±Luck... If luck hade...¡±¡±


    ¡°They are patheticst words.¡± Grid ridiculed. If he was in Dantalion¡¯s position then he would¡¯ve poured out curses like a waterfall.


    [Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Essence has been acquired.]


    [The 25th great demon ¡®Dantalion¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Essence x4 have been acquired.]


    [Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book has been acquired.]


    [Dantalion¡¯s Sword has been acquired.]


    [Dantalion¡¯s Staff has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen by 3.]

 Chapter 1423

    <h4>Chapter 1423</h4>


    ¡®It is really rich for a named person who can roll back the server.¡¯


    Grid first distributed the stat points. He discarded the habit of saving his stat points after making the Falling Moon Sword. The 260 points previously saved had already been invested in strength and agility.


    ¡®Put it in agility.¡¯


    He gained three levels which was 54 points total. 6 of them were automatically distributed to strength due to Magic Swordsman of the Epics and 25 were automatically distributed to intelligence due to the influence of Duke of Wisdom. Grid had to maintain the golden ratio of strength and agility so he naturally cared about agility. The remaining points were all ced in stamina. The best stat for Grid was stamina because it enhanced various survival numbers.


    ¡®Um... I want to test other statbinations.¡¯


    The golden ratio that was nowmonly known was a 1:1 ratio of strength and agility. The effect was only present when strength and agility were above 2,000 or intelligence and stamina were above 800. Therefore, people spected that there were more golden ratios based on this.


    ¡®Maybe three or four stats together can form a golden ratio.¡¯


    Of course, this was a story of when hidden conditions were met. Various effects would ur depending on the proportion of stats that reached a certain value.


    ¡®It would be nice if a stats reset was possible.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s four basic stats of strength, agility, intelligence, and stamina were very high. If he could reset these stats, then it would be possible to reveal the hidden golden ratios through various distribution experiments. Was it impossible to reset his stats? Then the unknown golden ratios would only benefit lucky people.


    ¡®Someone might¡¯ve already found a golden ratio that I don¡¯t know about... Can¡¯t they release the stats reset item instead of useless cash items?¡¯


    Grid trembled as he thought of the paid items that could be purchased after joining the Yatan Church. The S.A Group that discriminated against religions on the pretext of bnce was abominable. Then his mood soon improved. He was happy when seeing the items that Dantalion had dropped.


    ¡®First of all, there is Dantalion¡¯s sword and staff.¡¯


    Dantalion had also dropped a sword and staff when he died in the human world. The performance was excellent so he had given them to Mercedes and Braham.


    ¡®I just felt like they werecking by 2%.¡¯


    Grid brought up the details of Dantalion¡¯s staff and sword. It was great. It was a perfectpatibility with the sword and staff that dropped in the human world.


    ¡®It is a top tier item.¡¯


    Considering the utilization, it was evenparable to Grid¡¯s new sword. The basic stats didn¡¯t fall short of the new sword and the ability to transform was a big advantage. The sword could be gauntlets and the staff could transform into circlets, both of which had additional functions. For the gauntlets, defense increased in proportion to the attack power and ejection was possible. It was like a rocket punch. It automatically returned and all enemies in its path were attacked. The circlet maintained a mana shield in proportional to intelligence and passively boosted skill damage.


    ¡®Is this the circlet that Dantalion used? First of all, I will give it to my messengers to use. Then after we go back to Reinhardt, I will break it down.¡¯


    This would increase his understanding. So far, the item transformation skill was only for Greed. Now he might be able to produce items with the transformation function as a default option.


    ¡®It would be fun to transform Talsha.¡¯


    It was cool when thinking of Talsha¡¯s reaction who would freak out at the change in form. That guy had been naughty recently. Grid smiled with satisfaction and checked the next item.


    [Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Essence]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Knowledge that contains the skills or magic information of the former legends.


    You can acquire a random skill or magic from a former legend.


    * Can only be used once per person.


    ¡ï Skills or magic already possessed won¡¯t appear.]


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    The surprised Grid¡¯s eyes shook because the item was that great. The moment this old scroll was opened, an ordinary normal ss yer might learn Pagma¡¯s cksmithing skills. He expected Dantalion to drop this item but he hadn¡¯t expected that four of them would drop.


    ¡®I thought it wouldn¡¯t be great because four of them dropped.¡¯


    He thought the ability to acquire the skills of a past legend woulde from Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book. This was much more generous than he expected. The corners of Grid¡¯s mouth kept rising into a smile. The phrase that no skills or magic he already had would appear made him particrly pleased. In fact, he had been worried that Pagma¡¯s skill would appear out of the former legend¡¯s skills. He experienced many bad things so he had the habit of always assuming the worst case scenario.


    ¡®The S.A Group finally has a conscience.¡¯


    Grid confirmed the information of thest item.


    [Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book]


    [Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    A book that describes all the knowledge that Dantalion built up over thousands of years. Thebination of knowledge sometimes brings the miracle of reading the future.


    Currently, 80% of the content is damaged.


    All skill levels will increase by 1 when acquired. Doesn¡¯t apply to skills that have already achieved master level.


    * Can only be used once per person.


    ¡ï The Time Regression skill can be activated.]


    ¡°Gasp.¡± Grid sucked in a breath. All his skills leveled up. The rewards he dreamed about really came out. They were rewards with a value worthy of all the top 10 rewards Grid had earned so far. There was even a guide saying it could only be ¡®used once per person.¡¯ It was as if it was saying that Dantalion had several books.


    ¡®Does this mean that Dantalion will drop the same rewardster when he respawns?¡¯


    It was super amazing. In addition, Time Regression was also avable.


    ¡®Time Regression... An operator level permission...¡¯


    Time Regression caused the time of the server to roll back. Strictly speaking, it was more than an operator¡¯s authority. If he failed while enhancing an item, he could roll back time and seed. If he repeated this, he would be able to achieve the ultimate enhancement of all items.


    Grid was very excited as he confirmed the information of Time Regression.


    [Time Regression]


    [It can only be used once.


    Time will rewind, returning to anywhere from five seconds to three minutes ago. The exact time can¡¯t be specified and all the knowledge of Dantalion destroyed during the use will disappear. At this time, the ¡®all skills level up¡¯ effect of Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book will be removed.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Then it was like this. It was a meaningless skill. Not only could it only be used once but he would lose a lot of benefits the moment it was used.


    ¡®The person who created this skill... are they abnormal?¡¯ He could only interpret it as a sadistic hobby considering the person wasted data by making a skill that wouldn¡¯t even be used.


    Tsk tsk. Grid clicked his tongue and looked back at the group. Most of them were satisfied because they had leveled up. Yura was especially thrilled. She got rewarded every time she cleansed hell. It seemed she got something big this time.


    ¡®I can feel that her anti-magic power has be stronger.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s insight detected the change in Yura. Her magic power was described as the only jade color in Satisfy and now it had be darker.


    ¡®Anti-magic power is a force specialized in countering demonic energy.¡¯ It might seem simr to divine power but the properties and effects were quite different. The power would gradually be discovered.


    Grid grinned and confirmed the contribution of the group. The contribution rankings for the raid were as followed: 1st ce was Grid, 2nd was Braham, 3rd was Mercedes, 4th was Nefelina, 5th was Sariel, 6th was Yura, 7th was Zikfrector, and 8th was Piaro.


    The reason Grid got the highest ranking was due to the additional contribution of forcing Dantalion out of the castle. It was also easy to understand why Braham was second. If it wasn¡¯t for Braham¡¯s magic controlling him, Dantalion would¡¯ve been twice as strong.


    ¡®It is surprising that Mercedes is ranked higher than Nefelina...¡¯


    The best damage dealer in this battle was Nefelina. She was a hatchling and couldn¡¯t use Breath at will, but she breathed out powerful shock waves and separated Dantalion¡¯s bones and flesh several times. On the other hand, Mercedes¡¯s sword didn¡¯t reach Dantalion several times. Her role in the battle was close to a supporter. The way she fought in the battle was by helping Grid link attacks more easily while blocking Dantalion¡¯s long-ranged attacks that kept Nefelina¡¯s shockwaves in check.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯ Grid reyed the battle and realized what happened. Every time the Falling Moon Sword cut Dantalion¡¯s throat and every time he used the five fusion sword dance, Dantalion¡¯s movements seemed to have be subtly dull.


    ¡®Mercedes used Gravity Field to assist me.¡¯


    Mercedes was a treasure. Grid felt a deeper trust and liking toward Mercedes. Then he looked at Piaro and felt sorry. Piaro¡¯splexion was dark. He seemed skeptical that he had the lowest contributions. It was a particr shock that he was lower than Zikfrector, who gave up dealing damage from beginning to end and solely focused on blocking Dantalion¡¯s recovery.


    ¡®Piaro¡¯s stats are lowerpared to the other messengers...¡¯


    Piaro was 100% pure human and he wasn¡¯t born with a special power like Mercedes. The most important thing people always forgot was that he was a farmer. It was a nonbat ss. It was natural that his abilities were lowerpared to the other messengers.


    ¡®In addition, this fight was particrly disadvantageous toward Piaro.¡¯


    The 25th Hell hadva running through the ground. Most seeds burned and disappeared before they even sprouted. The same was true for Rapid Growth. In addition, after confirming that Dantalion was good at long-ranged attacks, Piaro focused on protecting Yura¡¯s personal safety. Unlike Mercedes, who was only loyal to and dedicated to Grid, Piaro tended to look at Grid¡¯s surroundings.


    ¡®Considering this, it is true that Piaro¡¯s strength has declined. He needs a buff.¡¯


    Originally, Grid intended to divide thepensation ording to the order of achievements. Yet at this moment, he changed his mind and decided to give priority to Piaro. The reason behind the change in his thoughts was the peculiarities of the messengers.


    Braham, Nefelina and Sariel. First of all, these three wouldn¡¯t be interested in the skills of a former legend.


    ¡®They won¡¯t learn it even if it was given.¡¯


    It was natural. Braham was a magician. The efficiency was low if he learned skills other than magic. What was the use if he learned the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship? Swinging the sword with low strength and agility wouldn¡¯t produce any power. In addition, Braham didn¡¯t have the Sword Mastery skill. Meanwhile, Nefelina was a dragon. Human techniques were useless from her perspective. As she grew, she would naturally gain dragon magic and skills. Their power transcended the skills of the former legends.


    ¡®Sariel¡¯s case is simr. There is an archangel¡¯s inherent skills and there is no reason to be obsessed with human skills.¡¯


    Grid thought about it before saying, ¡°Yura and I will own two knowledge essences. The remaining two will be divided after a discussion between Mercedes, Piaro, and Zikfrector.¡±


    The startled Yura waved her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It is much more efficient for the other messengers to learn it. The reason I was able to contribute so much in the first ce was purely thanks to Piaro¡¯s help.¡±


    Zikfrector opened his mouth before Grid could respond. ¡°You don¡¯t need to concede anything. I don¡¯t need the knowledge essence.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t need it?¡±


    This body is nothing more than my incarnation. It is Zikfrector who is the incarnation of Zik of the seven malignant saints, not Zik of the seven malignant saints. In the end, it is just a consumable to be used up. It is too luxurious for it to learn the skills of a former legend.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid was convinced and Yura couldn¡¯t raise any more objections.


    Grid, Yura, Mercedes, and Piaro. These four people were decided as the owners of the knowledge essences. Of course, the owner of Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book was Grid. Grid said he decided fairly based on contribution but he would¡¯ve insisted on having it if he was lower in the rankings. In any case, the messengers would¡¯ve offered it to him without making any ims.


    ¡°First of all, we should enter the castle.¡±


    Thepletion of a conquest was the triumphant entry. The loot obtained by Grid naturally included the ck crystal castle.


    ¡°......¡±


    Under the guidance of Mercedes, Grid approached the castle and frowned. It was because the gates were firmly closed and the elevated bridge didn¡¯t descend.


    Nefelina shrugged. ¡°It seems that it won¡¯t recognize its new master.¡±


    Piaro felt resentment. ¡°I will nt a bean tree right now to cross the walls.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too much? He was a king so he should spread out the dragon wings... It happened when Grid was feeling distressed.


    Step.Yura stepped in front of Grid. A brilliant jade light stretched out around the ck crystal castle and covered all of the 25th Hell. It was the purification ritual of the Demon yer that worked on a hell that lost its master.


    The elevated bridge descended and the gate was opened. The ck crystals that made up the gates and walls were all clear. The demonic energy imprinted on them were purified and only the pure magic arts remained.


    A wide smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. ¡°This deserves to be the new headquarters of the hell branch.¡±

 Chapter 1424

    <h4>Chapter 1424</h4>


    [The +8 Songstress¡¯ Sword is shining brilliantly.]


    [You have seeded in the enhancement and acquired the +9 Songstress¡¯ Sword.]


    ¡°...It came out!!!¡± Cage cheered when he opened his eyes and confirmed the result. The gamble where he bet all his assets seeded. The difficult moments passed like antern and tears flowed.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve quit the game if this failed... There is now against anyone dying.¡¯


    Cage was a person with no luck. No matter how hard he tried and challenged things, the result was always the worst. He suffered a setback every time. This time was the same as well. He participated in a raid as the main damage dealer and after all the hardships he suffered, he rolled the number ¡®1¡¯ on the dice. The boss dropped the item he wanted but he lost the right to bid on the item itself. He was too angry to dismiss it as bad luck as usual. It was bad luck if it happened once or twice. So why was it only him every time?


    Cage was unable to restrain his anger and lost his mind. He used all the gold he had saved by living with cheap potions and bought arge number of enhancement stones from the exchange. He looked forward to seeing the market value rise some day and started to enhance all the rare rated items he collected in his warehouse. The result was terrible. His enhancement stones just flew away. It was a perfect development for him to lose his sense of reason.


    He really did lose his sense of reason. By the time he came to his senses, he had damaged all the equipment he had been using. None of the items¡¯ enhancement levels were left and they had dropped to their base values. The only thing that was fine was his weapon. It was a unique rated weapon purchased using a loan.


    He screamed. +8 came out. The price of the item increased by four times due to one enhancement level. Did he want to stop? After thinking about it and hesitating dozens of times, he finally came to the conclusion that he couldn¡¯t stop here. It was too insufficient to recover the damage. Then he screamed again.


    +9 came out. The price of the item had increased by eight times. He had been ying Satisfy for five years and this was the first time he was really making money. It was arge amount of money, not a small one.


    ¡°Haha!Hahahahat!¡±


    He would finally walk on the flower road! Cage was shedding tears of joy when a notification window rose in front of him.


    [Time has regressed.]


    ¡°......?¡± Cage¡¯sughter abruptly stopped. The shining +9 Songstress¡¯ Sword started to lose its light. Cage rubbed his eyes. The Songstress¡¯ Sword was returning to +7.


    ¡°W-What is this shit aaaaaaack!!¡±


    Screams urred from all over the city. There were dozens of people in this small city who had simr experiences to Cage.


    ***


    "...We are asking for an exnation andpensation.¡± The haggard-faced man read thest sentence of the statement. In front of hundreds of reporters, he dared to dere that he would sue the S.A Group and he felt his legs trembling. He was so nervous and afraid that his head was spinning and he felt nauseous. However, he was elected as the representative of the ¡®Backtracking Victims Group¡¯. He couldn¡¯t back down. Determination filled his heart and he gazed at hundreds of cameras with a firm expression.


    In response to his courage, the S.A Group immediately announced its position. In summary: this was a phenomenon that urred during the normal game process.There was nopensation.


    ¡°This is the tyranny of a big business!¡±


    The Backtracking Victims Group strongly condemned the attitude of the S.A Group. People sympathized with the victims but it was only at the level of sympathy. There was no idea of helping the victims. As the S.A Group stated, the backtracking was a phenomenon that urred during the normal game process. It happened in the process of Grid and the Overgeared Guild raiding Dantalion. There was no legal basis for the S.A Group topensate those affected.


    ...In addition, many people benefited from the phenomenon. Only the victims were pitiful.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m embarrassed.¡¯ Grid temporarily logged out and coughed. He was ufortable to see the news that tens of thousands of people suffered big or small losses due to the time regression.


    ¡®I feel it all the time but the S.A Group has no blood and no tears.¡¯


    He understood why they didn¡¯t givepensation. Dantalion¡¯s time regression was a normal game system as the S.A Group imed. Still, couldn¡¯t they give the victims a word offort? It might be fake but they wouldn¡¯t have felt so upset if the S.A Group had soothed the hearts of the victims. Grid thought about it before shaking his head.


    ¡®I can also understand the S.A Group¡¯s position.¡¯


    There would be people who took advantage of it as long as the S.A Group showed the slightest weakness. If the S.A Groupforted the victims, it was likely there was a group that interpreted it as an apology and that the S.A Group admitted their mistake. In addition, the sparks would ssh on Grid. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, the S.A Group¡¯s response of leaving no room for the victims was a good thing for Grid.


    ¡®There is no point in thinking about it anymore. Fortunately, none of the guild members are victims.¡¯


    Grid moved to the great hall.


    ¡°Braham isn¡¯t here yet?¡±


    It was a beautiful castle made up of clear crystals that only appeared in fairy tales. As it turned out, the owner of the castle of the 25th Hell called the Indestructible Castle was changed from Dantalion to Yura. However, the person sitting on the throne was Grid. Yura gave up the top seat.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯vee faster.¡± Grid reprimanded Braham, who enteredte. He was a bit annoyed that the usage of the knowledge essence was dyed due to Braham.


    ¡°There are a total of 193 magic arts imprinted on this castle. Three of thembine with their own power to create new ones in real time. How can you have no inspiration when this living and breathing art is in front of you?¡± This was why Braham was away for two days. Braham was fascinated by the Indestructible Castle. He had lived for hundreds of years but even he felt awed by the results of Dantalion¡¯s thousands of years of knowledge.


    ¡°I have to understand to be interested.¡± Grid answered before turning to Mercedes, Piaro and Yura. ¡°Have you prepared your hearts?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Essence would grant a random power of a former legend. There were also nonbat skills. The characteristic of nonbat skills was to raise growth potential so it couldn¡¯t be called a failure but... Mercedes, Piaro, and Yura wantedbat skills. They were different from Grid who already had manybat skills, the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship, and Braham¡¯s magic. Theirbat skills were limited. To be honest, they were nervous. They were afraid of using the essence and getting an unwanted skill. They were pleased by Braham¡¯s selfish demand to not use the essence until he came back from looking around the castle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started quickly,¡± Braham urged them. He was interested in what skills Grid and the messengers would gain.


    Grid clicked his tongue. ¡®This is why he has no friends.¡¯


    Braham had spent two days exploring the Indestructible Castle. The reason he asked Grid and the messengers to stand by and not use the essences was purely for his own enjoyment. He even prepared snacks for himself as he prepared to see what skills Grid and the messengers would acquire and enjoy their reactions. Even so, Grid couldn¡¯t hate Braham. Braham hadn¡¯t just been ying for two days. He analyzed the magic engraved in each crystal and the result was a significant increase in his intelligence. This time it was their turn. It was time to be stronger and please their colleagues...


    ¡°Why are you dying here?¡± Nefelina sat next to Braham, chewed on bacon, and urged them as well. Her expression was very excited like she was watching a movie.


    Grid red at them and told the group, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The four people pulled out Dantalion¡¯s Knowledge Essence. It was a dark blue bead that seemed to contain the universe. The four people exchanged looks, gulped, and simultaneously ced their hands on the bead. The magic power that poured out from the beads surrounded the four people.


    At this moment, Grid was emptying his mind. ¡®I hope the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship wille out but there is no such possibility.¡¯


    Undefeated King Madra was special among the legends. He was born with the greatest talent but the range of his activities was too limited and his life was too short. It was Grid¡¯s judgement that the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t be in Dantalion¡¯s knowledge.


    ¡®In this situation, the first thing to aim for is Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.¡¯


    It was the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship that created results that didn¡¯t make sense the moment a sword was held in the hand. It was good to learn the Matchless Swordsmanship. But...


    ¡®...Let¡¯s not feel expectations.¡¯


    Grid knew this pattern. There was a high probability that Kruger¡¯s tailoring technique or Gis¡¯ mining technique woulde out. The more intensely he wished for something, the worse the result would be.


    "......!"


    Grid was trying to clear his mind when he felt the knowledge flowing in his head. Then his eyes widened.


    [100,000 Army Swordsmanship has been acquired.]


    The Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship was obtained. The excitement that climbed up Grid¡¯s spine subsided coldly. 100,000 Army Swordsmanship. A sword techniqueposed of 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Grid had already acquired it.


    ¡®This damn thing?¡¯ Grid¡¯s pupils shook violently. The worst development had appeared. Rather than Kruger¡¯s tailoring technique or Gis¡¯ mining technique, it was the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship that he already had...


    "......!"


    Grid¡¯s deepening thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a remarkable notification window that emerged in his vision.


    [The influx of new knowledge haspleted the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship you have learned.]


    [The degraded 100,000 Army Swordsmanship has been upgraded to the original.]


    Amazing! Super amazing! Grid¡¯s mouth dropped open and he was drooling when he suddenly heard Piaro¡¯s scream. ¡°Y-Your Majesty! The Matchless Swordsmanship...! I got the Matchless Swordsmanship!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Grid came to his senses. Piaro, who dreamed of bing the Sword Saint but could never reach his goal, had now acquired the Sword Saint¡¯s technique. What was this luck?


    Grid¡¯s trembling gaze turned to Mercedes and Yura. He felt anxious. He feared that his and Piaro¡¯s good luck would make them upset. Yet to his surprise, they also hadrge smiles on their faces. It was a rare day when luck came all at once. It felt like the Backtracking Victims Group had be sacrifices for their good luck.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±Grid couldn¡¯t endure it and burst outughing. He was so excited that his shoulders shook like he was dancing.


    Sariel saw this scene, took out a harp and started ying it. ying instruments and singing were the basic skills of archangels. A beautiful, heavenly harmony rang through the middle of hell. It was crazy.


    [All the rulers of hell have detected the presence of an angel.]


    [The rulers of the deep hells are expressing their interest.]


    The deep hells. It was referring to the single digit hells.


    ¡°......¡± The eyes of Grid and the messengers turned to Sariel.


    Sariel faced them with innocent eyes and pouted before btedly sweating. Just then, a heavy blow struck the Indestructible Castle.

 Chapter 1425

    <h4>Chapter 1425</h4>


    The castle shook along with the roar. Their bodies tilted to the left and right and their vision became dizzy, but Grid responded calmly.


    ¡°Stay away from the windows! It is Barbatos¡¯ sniping!¡±


    It was the intervention of the 8th great demon. The situation was serious. It was a relief because he was better than any of the other great demons. Among the rulers of the deep hells i.e. among the single digit demons, Barbatos was the weakest. In addition, Grid had already fought Barbatos once. He knew how to deal with Barbatos. ¡°Braham, Decoy is useless. He isn¡¯t a sniper that relies on his senses. He is one who sees with his eyes and shoots the targets.¡±


    ¡°How primitive.¡±


    ¡°We have to find the ¡®eyes¡¯ that are providing him with the vision... gasp!¡±


    Once again, a huge shock hit the castle. The startled Grid crawled under the table. He had descended from the throne the moment the attack began. It was impossible to sit still while Barbatos was sniping. That was justmitting suicide. Just like humans could only hold their breath in an earthquake, Grid also temporarily hid his body. He had to be as careful as possible before Barbatos¡¯ eyes were found.


    ¡°......?¡± Grid was crawling on the floor beside Piaro when he suddenly noticed that something felt off. He couldn¡¯t see the faces of any of the group apart from Piaro. Only their feet and calves were seen. It was because everyone else was still standing. The only people crawling like cockroaches were himself and Piaro.


    Yura glimpsed the panicked Grid and sent him a whisper.


    -This castle is covered with so many protective arts that it can¡¯t be destroyed by anything other than a dragon¡¯s Breath.Among the great demons, only Baal and Amoract can do it.


    -Maybe it was originally like that but aren¡¯t they down right now?Theposition has changed so hasn¡¯t the defense decreased?


    -No...I should¡¯ve told you in advance.I¡¯m sorry.


    Grid knew that the Indestructible Castle was terrifyingly sturdy. Hadn¡¯t he experienced it himself? However, it was impossible to determine how much damage it could bear. It was because he didn¡¯t have the knowledge to measure the function and power of the magic arts. It was the same for Piaro. Grid and Piaro were in a very unfavorable positionpared to Yura who could read the detailed information of the Indestructible Castle, Mercedes who could see it with her Keen Insight, and the other messengers with advanced knowledge.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Grid slowly got up as if nothing had happened. ¡°What is the possibility of Barbatos¡¯ eyes prating the castle?¡±


    ¡°Nothing cane into the castle without permission of the lord.¡±


    Grid admired it. The Indestructible Castle. At first, he wondered if Dantalion had the chunni disease when he saw this exaggerated name. Now it turned out that it really was the Indestructible Castle.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel relieved. Barbatos¡¯ power is to snipe whatever is visible. This castle has too many windows.¡±


    Barbatos¡¯ sniping was unaffected by obstacles. It was pointless even hiding behind walls. His sniping omitted the process of breaking the wall and struck the target on the other side. No matter how strong a person, they would be shot the moment they were caught in his vision.


    ¡°This is the reason why I was crawling.¡± Grid straightened his shoulders. He shook off his shame by using reasonable grounds to excuse his unsightly behavior of crawling on the ground.


    The discouraged Piaro also became dignified. ¡°Exactly. However, there is no need to worry. The windows of this castle are magically coated. It is impossible to look in from the outside.¡±


    ¡°It is... coated?¡±


    Dantalion must¡¯ve valued his privacy but he also seemed conscious of Barbatos¡¯ power.


    ¡®Did Dantalion have a bad rtionship with Barbatos? Is it to the extent of being vignt? No, he wasn¡¯t wary of just Barbatos. He was wary of all great demons except himself.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t overlook the fact that the great demons werepeting with each other.


    ¡®Dantalion didn¡¯t want to die so he asked to be my messenger... It is natural for him to make a safe nest.¡¯


    Dantalion¡¯s death urred only after he lost six heads. Every time he lost a head, his knowledge was lost. Perhaps Dantalion didn¡¯t want to lose the knowledge he had umted over thousands of years. He was obsessed with survival. He didn¡¯t aim for a higher ranking and instead forever sought safety in the 25th Hell.


    ¡®Theplete acquisition of this castle... it is a huge profit.¡¯


    Perhaps the reward from the Dantalion raid with the biggest value was the Indestructible Castle. Grid was thinking seriously when Braham asked Yura a question. ¡°Is there any way to be freer from the oppression of hell?¡±


    Grid¡¯s messengers had lost 40% of their abilities the moment they entered the 25th Hell. This was even after they reduced the penalty by drinking the tea and taking the medicine from the incubus to purify the energy.


    ¡°It can improve after obtaining the tu¡¯s eggs in the 24th Hell.¡±


    ¡°Tu? I am unfamiliar with it.¡±


    ¡°It is a monster that inhabits the sulfur waterfall that is rare in hell. It is said that if you ingest the tu¡¯s eggs raw, it will purify the demonic energy and death energy invading your body as much as possible.¡±


    They had to move to the 24th Hell anyway. In the first ce, Grid¡¯s purpose was to purify all the hells in their 20s. No matter how cozy the Indestructible Castle, they couldn¡¯t stay here for the rest of their lives. The problem was Barbatos. The sniping that struck the castle without a break seemed to be taunting Grid¡¯s party hiding in the castle as cowards. It was very ufortable psychologically and physically.


    There were deafening explosions and the castle continued to shake, causing motion sickness.


    ¡®Annoying guy.¡¯


    He was the worst guy based on the first impression. Grid felt severe hostility toward Barbatos and it was the same for the other messengers. The reason Braham wanted to get rid of the penalty was because he wanted to go out and tear Barbatos to death immediately.


    ¡®If the penalties aren¡¯t neutralized then there is no chance of winning.¡¯


    In any case, this was the 8th ranked great demon. Barbatos was likely to be stronger than Grid thought. Even Nefelina didn¡¯t act hastily.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense him.¡± Nefelina finally spoke after a moment of silence. It seemed she tried to grasp Barbatos¡¯ location only to fail.


    Grid advised her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look for strong energy. Barbatos is sniping from an invisible distance so it is unlikely for him toe here directly. An inconspicuous familiar might be his eyes so look for a weakling.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Nefelina looked somewhat disbelieving as she closed her eyes and focused. 20 minutester, she opened her eyes. ¡°There are a few small demonic creatures roaming around the castle and one of them is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡±


    Braham immediately raised his magic power. The moment Nefelina told him the coordinates, Braham disappeared using Teleport and then returned in two seconds. ¡°I took care of it.¡±


    ¡°Braham!¡±


    Braham¡¯s white top was stained with red blood. He had been hit by Barbatos while killing his familiar. It was shocking. Braham¡¯s surprise attack took ce in just one second. Barbatos¡¯ ability to capture Braham¡¯s appearance and to snipe him in a moment...


    ¡°You were careless based on the way you didn¡¯t use a shield.¡± Nefelina frowned. Triple casting by simultaneously using Teleport and attack magic while maintaining the shield. Nefelina knew that it wasn¡¯t a very difficult thing for Braham. It was amusing and disappointing that Braham allowed a counterattack. Nefelina actually acknowledged Braham¡¯s skills in her heart.


    Braham snorted. ¡°Of course, I used a shield.¡±


    There was no need to say it pierced through. Grid and the messengers naturally understood it. Their expressions were serious as they realized how strong Barbatos was. Then Braham urged them. ¡°We should move quickly while the sniper can¡¯t shoot.¡±


    Their position was found due to Sariel¡¯s aria. If they stayed here, enemies would keep swarming and they were bound to be isted. Grid¡¯s party went to the 24th Hell to secure the tu¡¯s eggs.


    ***


    [100,000 Army Massacre Sword]


    [It is a single blow.


    All enemies in view will receive damage that is equal to 6,000% of your physical attack power. Each time a target dies, the damage applied to the next target increases by 100%. There is no limit on the increase.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 20,000 mana, 300 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes]


    [100,000 Army Blockade Sword]


    [It is a single blow.


    Deals 200% attack damage to all visible enemies and gives the ¡®blockage¡¯ effect for eight seconds. Blocked targets can¡¯t move and their skills or magic will be sealed off. Additional damage will be dealt when using the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship on the blocked targets.


    Skill Resource Consumption: 20,000 mana, 300 sword energy.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    The power of the original 100,000 Army Swordsmanship transcended Grid¡¯s imagination. He always believed that the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship adjusted by Biban had a power close to the original but the actual situation waspletely different. Even the Sword Saint couldn¡¯t draw out the real power of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship. Sure enough, it was a swordsmanship made by Undefeated King Madra, a ¡®genius who will never be born again.¡¯


    ¡®The attack power coefficient is doubled and the additional effects are greatly enhanced.¡¯


    In particr, the development of the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword was very dazzling. The range changed from being able to distinguish between enemies and allies and to ¡®in view.¡¯ As it was well-known, skills based on ¡®field of view¡¯ had a higher utilization and were rare.


    ¡°...It is like shooting a Breath!¡±


    It was Nefelina who appreciated it the most. The 100,000 Army Massacre Sword used with the Fire Dragon Sword. The majestic mes that burned and destroyed all enemies in their path were purely powerful. Of course, it didn¡¯t achieve the full power of a Breath but it was still vaguely reminiscent of it.


    Braham evaluated it with a rare stiff expression. ¡°If Madra survived then it would¡¯ve been humans, not the gods, who dominated the world.¡±


    It was in the same vein as Hayate¡¯s shocking statement that Madra would¡¯ve sealed all the dragons if he was alive.


    Grid felt a thrill. He felt proud that the swordsmanship made by the most talented person in this world view was at least partly reproduced by himself.


    ¡®The downside is that the sword energy consumption is too big...¡¯


    It was shameless to talk about the consumption of resources after seeing this power. The consumption might be twice as great but the power was convincing. The Fire Dragon Sword once again released fire and the dozens of tus hiding behind the sulfur waterfall turned to ashes. The demonic creatures judged as elites of the 24th Hell were destroyed in one blow without showing their inherent defense and survivability.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t only Grid who was powerful. First of all, Piaro was stronger than before. Just as Grid obtained the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship, 100,000 Army Swordsmanship, Piaro only obtained the Matchless Swordsmanship, but the effect was huge. The Free Swordsmanshp and Free Farming style evolved under the influence of the Matchless Swordsmanship. In addition, the evolved technique had a synergistic effect with the Matchless Heart Technique and the power was increased. Now it was impossible to judge that Piaro was ¡®weakpared to other messengers.¡¯


    The development of Yura was also dazzling.


    She got Lantier¡¯s body technique, ¡®Hundred Rings¡¯, so she was better at ¡®using her body¡¯ overall. Hundred Rings connected constant movements like a ring and it had a very goodpatibility with the Demon yer¡¯s characteristic of changing weapons in real time. This allowed her to dobat at ¡®all distances.¡¯ The fact that she had to y melee, medium and long rangebat was both a strength and a weakness, but now it had beenpletely sublimated into an advantage.


    The problem was Mercedes. She revealed that she had learned the skills of Miner Gis but there was no real change. Why did she look so happy about it? Grid felt uneasy.


    ¡®Did she learn a mining skill? I¡¯m happy if she is able to help me obtain minerals but... That¡¯s not it, right?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think so, but he couldn¡¯t help bing more anxious. Just then, rocks fell from the sky. Each rock was as big as a house and there were many of them, smashing the shield that Braham spread out like an umbre.


    ¡°Avoid it!" Nefelina shouted after using the shockwaves to blow away some of the rocks. Grid¡¯s party immediately scattered everywhere. Only one person. Mercedes was the only one who stood still.


    One hand was holding a pickaxe. It was a pickaxe that Grid had given her. He didn¡¯t want to give it to her because he felt uneasy. However, she had learned the technique of the legendary miner and asked for it as a gift inmemoration, so he couldn¡¯t help giving it to her.


    The pickaxe hit the ground. Then the rocks from the sky covered Mercedes.


    ¡°Mercede...s?¡± Grid screamed only for his mouth to drop open. It was because Mercedes¡¯ health on the party window remained at MAX.


    Ttaang, taang, taang...


    The sound of the pickaxe hitting the rock made Grid recall an old memory. The death knight of the legendary miner Gis who appeared in the Behen Archipgo. He was invincible during mining...


    The skill that Mercedes learned was indeed a mining technique. Grid didn¡¯t know whether to be disappointed or pleased.


    In the midst of the turmoil.


    ¡°I¡¯m flustered because there are a lot more of you than I thought. Still, it is enough to reduce the number.¡± The 24th great demon, Nebiros appeared whileughing at the human who was crushed to death without being able to respond to the pile of rocks. ¡°Shudder at my strength. I will kill you.¡±


    Nebiros had the power to control minerals and nts. The moment he started to use magic power, the mountains andnd moved and all types of minerals and nts hit Grid¡¯s party. He specialized in big attacks that would destroy one million troops in no time. Unfortunately, Piaro dominated thend using Field Remation and the nts entered Piaro¡¯s control. In addition, the minerals were hit by Grid¡¯s hammer, causing the shape to change and they lost their power. For Nebiros, he met enemies with a very badpatibility.


    ¡°A cksmith? A farmer? How?¡±


    Nebiros overlooked the fact that there was also a miner here.


    Mercedes popped out from the pile of rocks once she glimpsed an opportunity with Keen Insight and attacked Nebiros. Nebirospletely lost any chance of victory. He had rtively highbat power as the 24th great demon, but he was killed in a rtively futile manner.


    The 23rd and 22nd great demons they met afterwards also weren¡¯t opponents of Grid¡¯s party. They weren¡¯t as good as Dantalion who was considered a named monster among the great demons. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s party became stronger due to Dantalion and they ate the tu¡¯s eggs, reducing the penalties of hell by a further 10%.

 Chapter 1426

    <h4>Chapter 1426</h4>


    The chain explosions of different shapes and colors gradually disappeared. It was a terrible proof of ughter but it was beautiful. The eyes of the executives staring at the screen were red.


    The red that stretched out like a wave devoured the other explosions and slowly filled the screen. The 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, the Blockade Sword, and Fated to Perish. It was a sight created by 100,000 Army Swordsmanship being reproduced with the Fire Dragon Sword.


    Director Yoon Sangmin nkly watched the screen where hundreds of smashed demons drowned in their own blood and expressed concern. ¡°The Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship... it is too strong.¡±


    At this very moment, the two billion yers were steadily growing. The attack power that knocked down monsters with one strike, the defense power that was like a mountain, the speed that deceived cognitive abilities, and the ability to cast high difficulty magic. They were no longer exclusive to Grid.


    The yers¡¯ constant enthusiasm discovered a number of hidden sses and the normal ss yers who experienced the fourth ss advancement were on par with the hidden sses. yers who gained the ultimate attack skills with an attack power coefficient of over 200% came onto the stage one after another and the raid times of infamous boss monsters were bing shorter every day. The numerous records built by Grid that seemed to be immortal started to be broken one by one.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean they were yers who could fight against Grid. However, external factors such as the evolution of sses and titles and the emergence of new items meant the average growth rate of yers was gradually elerating. The ¡®bnce¡¯ that the S.A Group was obsessed with was slowly urring.


    At this time, Grid acquired the original 100,000 Army Swordsmanship. Was Director Yoon Sangmin worried that the gap between Grid and the other yers, which was starting to grow smaller, would widen once again?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how special the Undefeated King is? Could the board tolerate the poor design of a great demon dropping the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship?¡±


    Yoon Sangmin reprimanded the development team who designed the great demon Dantalion. However, the development team was under the personal management and supervision of Chairman Lim Cheolho. The chief designer Jacob didn¡¯t even blink at Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s threat.


    ¡°Dantalion is one of the few beings close to the truth. The operations director doesn¡¯t seem to know much about Dantalion.¡±


    ¡°I know that Dantalion has been obsessed with knowledge for thousands of years. Still, do you think the logic is right that he would¡¯ve acquired the best swordsmanship in the worldview simply because he umted a lot of knowledge? If that is the logic then all the strong people in Satisfy would be schrs.¡±


    ¡°Dantalion¡¯s knowledge is the realm of a power. How can it bepared to a schr? Even Dantalion didn¡¯t personally recreate the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. He just understood it theoretically and ced it in his knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Then Grid happened to get it? Hah.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a well-known fact in the industry that Yoon Sangmin was a longtime fan of Grid. Now he was sighing at the current situation. At this point, the chief designer Jacob also had to shut up. He also realized that the situation wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡°The probability of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship dropping from the knowledge essence is only 4.2%... We can only say that Grid was too lucky...¡±


    ¡°Why did such a gimmick exist in the first ce? The value of Dantalion dropping the skills of the former legends is enough. Did you have to use the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship as bait?¡±


    ¡°Dantalion is proficient in the skills of the former legends so we had to include the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. The rule of the development team is that we must keep the setting no matter what variables it might cause. This is the truth that runs through Satisfy. If we don¡¯t follow the setting or make errors, the immersion of the yers will be broken and Satisfy will just be a game.¡±


    ¡°What about the problem with variables?¡±


    ¡°We have to believe that the yers will bear it and ovee it on their own. This is one of the factors that guarantees freedom.¡±


    ¡°Is this the position of the development team?¡± Yoon Sangmin¡¯s gaze turned toward Chairman Lim Cheolho. Chairman Lim Cheolho was silent. It confirmed Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s interpretation.


    Yoon Sangmin sighed. ¡°The operating team can¡¯t tolerate it. Chief Designer Jacob is always talking about the setting. Isn¡¯t Madra¡¯s setting that the more it is passed down, the more it bes a myth?¡±


    The 100,000 Army Swordsmanship skill was myth rated. If someone could see Grid¡¯s status window, the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t be marked with SS or a question that meant a variable. It would be unreadable.


    ¡°Thanks to Magic Swordsman of the Epics, Grid who has be a god gained additional myth rated skills that have nothing to do with his ss. That... It will have an unparalleled impact on Grid when Pagma¡¯s Sessor gets the skills of other legends.¡±


    It was a natural flow for a yer to be a god. The warrior who saved the world against the great demons would be hailed as a hero. What would they call a great yer who defended humanity many times if not a god? Morpheus predicted that a yer like Grid would appear one day. Thus, the myth sses were set from the beginning. Myths were more powerful than legends. If a yer had the powers of two myths then they would feel omnipotent.


    ¡°Director Yoon, what are you so worried about? Are you nervous that other yers won¡¯t be able to keep up with Grid? Why worry about it now?¡±


    The other executives listening in silence clicked their tongues. They didn¡¯t agree with Director Yoon Sangmin at all.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have made more sense to talk about the gap between Grid and the yers long before this?¡±


    To be exact, it was after Grid got Magic Swordsman of the Epics. Thepetitors of myth sses were assumed to be transcendents, not yers. It was absurd to discuss the gap with other yers at this time when God Grid grew Magic Swordsman of the Epics to just before the myth level.


    "Yes, I¡¯m aware of that. It is a fact recognized by arge number of yers. The thing I¡¯m worried about is the possibility of Grid changing and going bad.¡±


    Yoon Sangmin became a fan of Grid because most of his choices and actions were correct. Grid had a bad mouth, was greedy, and had manyints, but he was still a very moral person. He possessed the best power and force in the West Continent but he never wielded his power recklessly and poorly. Considering the hundreds or thousands of kings in real world history who wielded their power, Grid was almost a saintly, noble person.


    However, the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship was too powerful. It was hard for Grid to keep his original intentions when he could kill thousands or tens of thousands of people simply by swinging his sword. Director Yoon Sangmin spected that Grid bing intoxicated by power and being corrupted was close to 100%.


    ¡°I will ask one thing.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho, who had been quiet throughout the meeting, opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°Does the operations director have the right to deprive a yer of the ability they have just acquired?¡±


    ¡°...No. However, I think we should sanction the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King even if we need to build a new policy. I¡¯m convinced this is the right thing for the future of Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°The S.A Group hasn¡¯t epted the appeal of any group or individual. No matter the judgment of the operations group or the board, we¡¯ve never made any updates. All the trends have been given to Morpheus and the yers. What will happen ifpanies try to intervene in Satisfy after we change our policy? Director Yoon, can you handle being responsible for everything your decision creates?¡±


    ¡°T-That... I was too short-sighted...¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin backed down. He blushed when he realized he spoke unreasonable nonsense because he was too agitated. Chairman Lim Cheolho and the executives shook their heads and once again turned their gazes back to the screen. The explosions of various forms and colors were still ongoing.


    This was the result of Grid and his messengers¡¯ destructive march. All the hells in the 20s, except for the Dog¡¯s Mouth, were captured by the Overgeared Guild in just one week.


    ¡°As expected...¡±


    Lim Cheolho smiled happily. He had watched Grid for a long time and trusted Grid, but he was worried at this time. He fully agreed with Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s concerns. Still, he knew that the lifespan of Satisfy would drop dramatically the moment thepany intervened.


    Even if Grid became a terrible tyrant drunk on this new power, the best thing thepany could do was watch. He believed there was nothing wrong even if Grid became a tyrant. It was because Morpheus would respond to the emergence of a new evil. Someone else would take over Grid¡¯s role.


    ***


    It happened when the S.A Group was flipped over because of the emergence of one skill.


    ¡®It is cool.¡¯


    Grid had a free and easy feeling as he appreciated it. Omnipotent? He didn¡¯t feel this at all. The experience of destroying a monster with one or two blows wasn¡¯t unique to Grid. It happened more than once or twice. It might be different if the destructive power of 100,000 Army Swordsmanship was proportional to the amount of damage inflicted, not the physical attack power. However, it didn¡¯t have the effect of Falling Moon Sword so Grid didn¡¯t feel dramatically stronger.


    He definitely thought it was strong when he saw it causing great damage to the great demons but... He was already too strong to be intoxicated with this much power.


    [You have entered the 20th Hell.]


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid was tense once they reached their final destination. There was arge river reminiscent of the Styx and lightning shed in the dark sky. The screams of souls were mixed in with the sharp wind. The 20th Hell presented the scenery of hell that most peoplemonly thought of. There was also a cave that rose in the center with five tributaries swirling around it. It wasrger than a normal castle and resembled the skull of a dog with its mouth open.


    ¡°Is that the castle?¡± It was a question that naturally emerged because the cave was very difficult to ess. It was like a fortress.


    Yura nodded in response. ¡°Probably. I heard that the 20th Hell is called Dog¡¯s Mouth. Now I know the reason.¡±


    The red-skinned demon nt. He didn¡¯t be a great demon but he was an excellent adviser. Grid recalled the demon who put on an apron to clean the Indestructible Castle and asked his messengers, ¡°How about the penalties? Did it be worse?¡±


    ¡°It feels like my strength and stamina have fallen below half. My movements have be very dull and my thinking isn¡¯t smooth either,¡± Piaro replied honestly.


    The other messengers didn¡¯t raise any objections so the situation was almost the same.


    ¡®A penalty of more than 50%...¡¯


    This was despite using all the means and methods to reduce penalties... He once again realized how excellent the title ¡®Recognition of the 9th Great Demon¡¯ that he obtained from Hell Gao was.


    ¡®Once we finish this expedition and go back, I will have to instruct the messengers to raid Hell Gao.¡¯


    The title ¡®Recognition of the 9th Great Demon¡¯ activated the hell reputation system and it was spected to be obtained by doing the Hell Gao raid twice after killing a number of great demons.


    ¡®Mercedes will get it in the next raid but it will take a long time for the other messengers to get it... Until then, I will be stuck in the smithy for a while.¡¯


    The byproducts obtained by killing the great demons were great. In particr, there were many gems so it seemed that most of his essories could be reced with new ones although they wouldn¡¯t be as good as the Ring of Absurdity.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible with Elizabeth¡¯s current skills, even if she has the help of Braham and alchemy.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t mean to disregard Elizabeth¡¯s skills but the talent of great magician Pauld was that excellent. Braham had given up several times when it came to the production of artifacts.


    In the forefront, Grid started moving. The messengers might¡¯ve received more penalties after entering the 20th Hell but there was no tension. They considered that the power of the 21st great demon was simr to that of Dantalion and they determined that the 20th great demon would be simr as well. They didn¡¯t want to stay in one ce for too long. The moment their location was discovered, Barbatos was likely to track them down.


    ¡®It is a strangely peaceful ce.¡¯


    Not a single demonic creature appeared as they reached the river surrounding the fortress. Although it was hard to describe it as quiet when the screams of the souls were constantly heard...


    ¡°Yura.¡± Grid extended his hand to Yura. She understood what it meant and blushed slightly as she grabbed Grid¡¯s hand. Grid held Yura in his arms. Yura was wearing armor but her physique was so good that she easily fit in Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Grid gave a signal and opened his dragon wings. Braham, Nefelina and Zikfrector floated using magic while Mercedes and Sariel spread out their wings. Piaro nted and sprouted beans in the ground and he also rose up. It wasn¡¯t as good as Braham who floated using gravity magic. The party started to cross the river.


    Grrr...


    The growl of a beast echoed and the hot heat made their skin warm. The source of the heat was inside the cave called the Dog¡¯s Mouth. The whole group scattered reflexively.


    mes shot out from the cave. The mes were reminiscent of a dragon¡¯s Breath and the light of the mes was like when the Fire Dragon Sword used 100,000 Army Swordsmanship. The speed was so fast that it was hard for the messengers to avoid it with their reduced stats.


    Grid relied on his transcendent ability and used 200,000 Army Crushing Sword to get rid of the mes. The sword energy flew to the location where the mes emerged and caused an explosion. A cloud of dust rose and a giant dog came out of it. It was a three-headed cerberus, but it was 100 timesrger than any cerberus seen so far. The even more eye-catching thing was the great demon on its back. He wore ck armor and his red eyes looked at Grid¡¯s party.


    ¡°You are all trivial trash apart from one person.¡±


    Could it be due to the penalties? The assessment of the messengers was very low.


    ¡°Hoh... It is the most ridiculous barking I¡¯ve ever heard in my life.¡± Braham frowned at the words andughed in an absurd manner. He immediately cast magic but the oppression of hell slowed the flow of mana. The mes that the cerberus fired reached him before his magic was cast. The mes came simultaneously from three heads. The power and range was so outstanding that it couldn¡¯t bepared with the initial mes.


    ¡®This rotten thing.¡¯


    It seemed hard to protect all the messengers. He could only pray that they endured it well. It happened the moment when Grid hugged Yura tighter and tried to deflect some of the mes using Revolve.


    ¡°It is still too early for you.¡± A middle-aged man wearing a fedora appeared with his back to the approaching mes and flicked his fingers. Grid saw that the name above his head was ¡®Marbas¡¯ before his vision darkened.


    [The person of power in hell has expelled you from hell.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s party was returned to the human world.

 Chapter 1427

    <h4>Chapter 1427</h4>


    ¡°He is greater than the rumors.¡±


    Marbas¡ªit was a name that was often mentioned when discussing hell. It was said he had the power to change the order of the great demons. In many ways, Grid thought it was an exaggerated reputation. The order of great demons was determined by strength. They fought and won, and their ranking increased as they won. It wasn¡¯t something that could be forced by the power of others. This was what Grid thought.


    Now it was definitely ambiguous. Marbas expelled Grid¡¯s party from hell as if dering that hell was his home. It was a force that dismissed the dignity of a god. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say it was the peak of power.


    ¡°That guy is Yatan¡¯s agent?¡± If not, it doesn¡¯t make sense for him to treat hell as his home.


    Yura agreed with Grid¡¯s spection, ¡°Yatan¡¯s agent is known to be Amoract, but... after seeing Marbas, I think Yatan might have multiple agents.¡±


    Marbas¡¯ power had always been attributed to his ability to breed demonkin and demonic creatures, but this seemed to be fundamentally wrong. It was clear he had strong backing.


    Nefelina took one more bite of food and praised Marbas¡¯ skills, ¡°Regardless of his force, his magic abilities are great. I didn¡¯t feel any fluctuations in mana until he appeared in front of us so his magic casting speed is more than my perception.¡±


    She might be a hatching who was just born and had high pride as the blood of the insane dragon, but she didn¡¯t disparage others without basis. She was fully aware and convinced that there were many people in the world who were stronger than herself, just as she expressed deep gratitude to Grid for protecting her from the tower members.


    ¡°Then why did Marbas help us?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No one could answer this fundamental question.


    Grid changed the question, ¡°What was the level of the cerberus and ck knight?¡±


    Marbas had said that the 20th Hell was still too early for them. Grid was also vaguely aware of it. Every time the cerberus fired mes, the world of transcendence was activated and the messengers couldn¡¯t easily respond. Yet this was just the pet of the 20th Great Demon. The 20th Great Demon, who wore full body ck armor and had a red glow¡ªhe was likely to be stronger than the cerberus.


    ¡°The cerberus is a mythical creature that represents hell along with the hydra. It is a very powerful and fierce beast that even the gods of the sky are afraid of. It won¡¯t be able to win easily even if we ovee the oppression of hell.¡± This was Zikfrector¡¯s answer.


    Grid couldn¡¯t deny it. He experienced that the cerberus he met so far werepletely different from the cerberus of the 20th Hell.


    ¡°The ck Knight... I don¡¯ t know. Our seven good people didn¡¯t experience hell, so I only know bits and pieces of it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Sariel raised her hand when she heard this. Her blonde hair was shiny and her seductive corbone was revealed. Sariel wore only a thin piece of cloth on her body and a lot of her skin was exposed. The curves of her body were revealed when she moved. Of course, Grid had no interest. It was because in Grid¡¯s eyes, Sariel had a neutral gender. It was hard to recognize her as one way or another¡ªwhether as a male or a female¡ªwhen she kept changing her appearance between a man and a woman.


    ¡°One of the targets I was trained to be most vignt about in case of a war between heaven and hell is ck Knight Eligos. I heard he is one of the strongest in all of hell. I wasn¡¯t expecting him to be guarding the 20th Hell... I was surprised as well.¡±


    ¡°One of the strongest in all of hell?¡± Grid frowned. It was a response like he wasn¡¯t convinced. It was natural. Eligos was the ruler of the 20th Hell. He might be named, but there should still be limits. It was hard to admit that he was no different from a single digit great demon.


    Sariel added an exnation, ¡°ck is a color that symbolizes wickedness and evil. From the moment that ck was used to describe Eligos, it proves that he is a special being among great demons.¡±


    Grid murmured, ¡°Um... If that is true, then the conquest of the 20th Hell should be postponed until after all of uspletely ovee hell¡¯s punishment.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way?¡± Braham¡¯s question in response was unfavorable. As a vampire i.e. a demonkin, he knew how hard it was for non-demonkin to be liberated from the oppression of demonic energy. From Braham¡¯s point of view, the only ones who could ovee the oppression of demonic energy among Grid¡¯s messengers were himself and Nefelina.


    Gridughed in this heavy atmosphere. ¡°There is naturally a method. There is a huge pushover.¡±


    Hell Gao. The 9th ranked great demon who periodically invaded the human world because he wanted to regain the body sealed by Muller or because he wanted to erase the mistakes of being repeatedly defeated by humanity. He was a single digit great demon who was still a famous name in hell. Just being acknowledged by him helped improve Grid¡¯s reputation in hell and erased hell¡¯s penalty.


    ***


    Under Grid¡¯s guidance, the Hell Gao raid teams were overhauled. Hell Gao appeared along with seven fire stones. Grid had to lead the team directly in order to raid him, but Grid was excluded from the list. Grid¡¯s vacancy was filled by Braham, Nefelina, Mercedes, Piaro, Sariel, and Zikfrector. It was a gorgeous selection of members.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better for us to be removed from the group at this level?¡±


    Once the number of fire stones increased, Hell Gao¡¯s emergence cycle was slower than before. It was exactly once every 45 days. The 10 meritorious retainers who had been supporting Grid expressed their disapproval. They believed they would be a small help when they were with Grid, but now it was hard to have that belief.


    If the messengers joined forces, Hell Gao could be easily eliminated. Was there any reason for them to join the raid team? It wasn¡¯t just a waste of manpower. The problem was that they would get a share of the rewards. The items would enter the treasury, but experience was different. The difference was based on contribution, but it was shared between all the raid team members. The 10 meritorious retainers believed it wouldn¡¯t be helpful to share the experience.


    Grid understood their thoughts. ¡°I know it is much better for you to hunt personally rather than spending time on the Hell Gao raid. Still, I hope you will participate for the sake of the guild¡¯s development. There is a title you will get from raiding the great demon a certain number of times and you should obtain it.¡±


    They were words full of consideration. Anyone who heard it would think that it was the 10 meritorious retainers suffering losses.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    The Overgeared members were warmed by Grid¡¯s gentleness, but this became a dagger for Jishuka. She wanted to give up her feelings for Grid and to hate Grid. However, it wasn¡¯t possible when witnessing things such as this over and over again. Jishuka bit her red lips and left the meeting room first.


    Grid looked after her with a sad expression and Yura was also depressed. She was as ignorant about love as Grid and Jishuka, but that didn¡¯t mean she was blind. She noticed the atmosphere between them and realized something had happened.


    At first, she was happy. She was happy when thinking of the fact that Grid, who was conflicted between her and Jishuka, finally made up his mind and chose her. Then that joy... it onlysted a few days. She had no choice but to admire Jishuka as a woman. She felt guilty when she saw the always bright Jishuka being depressed and in pain. It was also hard to see Grid suffering from his choice.


    In fact, Grid seemed to hesitate. The number of dates between Grid and Yura had increased significantly recently, but their rtionship hadn¡¯t deepened. Maybe... the one that Grid should¡¯ve chosen was Jishuka, not her.


    Jishuka was someone who came to South Korea to be with Grid. Could Yura do that in her position? Yura had confessed to Grid in front of people around the world and ced shackles on him. It was hard to imagine a cowardly person like her would¡¯ve acted as courageous as Jishuka.


    ¡®The person who should be by Grid...¡¯ Yura thought about Grid smiling happily at Jishuka¡¯s actions despite being embarrassed. The person who suited Grid who was passive in love was Jishuka, not Yura. Yura already knew this.


    ¡®But...¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to leave yet. She wanted to be with Grid, at least for the moment when Grid needed her for the hell expedition.


    ¡®Please understand thisst greed.¡¯ Yura apologized as she looked at the back of the departing Jishuka.


    ***


    There were a total of 31 items such as bones, leathers, and horns with diverse attributes and different shapes. There were also four peak quality gems and 39 highest quality gems. There were five bloodstones and 22 obsidians.


    One week in reality. This was the list of materials secured during the week-long expedition in hell. These were just the crafting materials among the loot. Among the items, there were nine legendary rated ones and he gained a huge 43 enhancement stones. There were also the former legend¡¯s skills and the skill level rise from Dantalion.


    Hell. An unchartednd that no one dared to invade except for Yura. The area with one of the highest difficulties in existence and a ce ordinary yers couldn¡¯t ess was recognized as a treasure trove by Grid.


    ¡®I heard the respawn time of the great demons who die in hell is at least one month to three months... It is regrettable.¡¯


    The problem wasn¡¯t the respawn interval. It was that the resurrected great demons were weaker and had a lower drop rate than before they died. For example, if Dantalion was resurrected, then he would be resurrected with only two heads. Then as the years passed, he would umte knowledge and grow more heads. This meant the chances of dropping the knowledge essences were reduced.


    ¡®Even if the drop rate is lower, I can still get a lot... Is there a way to shorten the respawn interval?¡¯


    He wanted Dantalion to resurrect faster and kill him more often...


    It was a truly devilish idea, even from the perspective of a great demon.


    ¡°Oh my, aren¡¯t you a frequent visitor these days?¡± Elizabeth was pleased when Grid entered her workshop. Looking at the pile of work, she was probably richer than her uncle by now. Grid smiled and handed Elizabeth a bag full of jewels.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Elizabeth wondered.


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    ¡°Heeek...¡± Elizabeth was shocked. The gems used to create the national treasures were the highest quality. The gems had great potential, were beautiful, and were just as rare. Meanwhile, these were peak quality jewels. Elizabeth was an artisan and it was her first time seeing peak quality jewels.


    ¡°This... I heard that the probability of producing them is only 0.5% with a master level alchemy facility...¡±


    The highest quality gems needed to be used as a material. In order to artificially make peak quality gems, highest quality gems were needed. Additionally, the quality of the gems used as materials would be degraded if the production was a failure. The production probability of 0.5% meant it was virtually impossible to make. It couldn¡¯t even be attempted until the alchemy facility was master level.


    Grid exined, ¡°The great demons often dropped it.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± Elizabeth also received news of Grid¡¯s expedition to hell every day. The moment she turned on the TV, she received news reports about the great demons that were killed. The popr searches on the Inte were also filled with the names of the great demons, so she couldn¡¯t help knowing. ¡°The ranking of Yura unni also went up significantly. Hell is good in many ways.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is and of milk and honey.¡±


    Perhaps people would misunderstand hell. Many who mistook hell as and of opportunity would challenge it by any means.


    ...They were going to feel despair, but Grid didn¡¯t know about this. "How about it? Can you make some useful essories from it?¡±


    ¡°Um... It is worth looking forward to the things made from peak quality gems. It might be impossible to make the Ring of Absurdity, but I¡¯m confident I can make something with better results than Doran¡¯s Ring.¡±


    It was overlooked since Grid used it from the beginning, but Doran¡¯s Ring was a very good artifactpared to the rating. How many items in the world were better than an artifact that instantly restored half of the damage suffered, increased attributes resistance, and relieving poisoning and curses? The weakness was that the defense wasn¡¯t high due to the limitations of the unique rating, but Grid still liked to use Doran¡¯s Ring.


    "Okay, then please do so.¡±


    ¡°What form or options do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it purely to your inspiration. Please make something as good as possible no matter how much time it takes.¡± Grid entrusted it to her and immediately left the workshop. It might seem impolite to leave after making this vague request, but Grid knew Elizabeth¡¯s personality. She resembled him. Just as he wanted to run to the smithy right now, she would want to go and work on the jewels.


    ¡°Leader!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Grid was heading to the smithy district when he stopped. He looked back and could see Elizabeth gasping for breath. It seemed she ran with all her strength to chase him here. ¡°If you have something to say, then just send a whisper. Why...¡±


    ¡°I think it is better to look directly at your face and say it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was an expression of determination. Grid showed a kind smile when he noticed that Elizabeth had made an important decision. ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t feel burdened and tell me.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Elizabeth couldn¡¯t easily open her mouth. Grid waited silently. He was afraid she would be hurt by moving carriages so he approached her side and protected her. ¡°That...¡±


    Elizabeth hesitated a long time before gulping and summoning up her courage. ¡°Is it okay to smash all the gems?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± This was unexpected.


    Elizabeth exined to the flustered Grid, ¡°In fact, I had a strange encounter a while ago. This personmissioned me to create the parts necessary for a magic power mechanism. The magic power mechanism he was trying to create would clearly have the best performance I have ever seen. If you give permission... I want to make it...¡±


    ¡°Is there a design?¡±


    ¡°I made a number of spections while making the parts. So probably... Of course, there is a good chance I will waste all the gems.¡±


    ¡°Even the peak quality ones?¡±


    ¡°Yes... I can¡¯t guarantee I can do it even with the peak quality gems... Ah, I will understand if you don¡¯t give permission. I know how shameless I am to be asking you this right now.¡±


    ¡°Try it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If you think it is right, then do it. I will try my best to cooperate, so don¡¯t be too burdened.¡±


    Grid spread his wings only after joining the Tzedakah Guild. His colleagues believed in him and gave him expensive materials. This was how he got the chance to experience both sess and failure. The experiences of that time created the Grid of today. Now it was Grid¡¯s turn to create a second or third Grid.


    ¡°Thank you, Leader!¡± Elizabeth was so pleased that she jumped up and hugged Grid hard. The roots of the Overgeared Guild were bing stronger.

 Chapter 1428

    <h4>Chapter 1428</h4>


    ¡°You finally got the hang of it.¡± Pauld smiled. It was a clear smile that matched the little boy¡¯s face but looking closely, it was creepy. There were no emotions in therge eyes. Light didn¡¯t shine in it and it showed no moods, so it didn¡¯t match the smile on his face. It was impossible for a corpse to have true emotions. The smile was nothing but an act to realize his soul.


    Agnus used to believe that the deceased was the second return of Luna. Now he saw Pauld¡¯s empty smile and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve definitely adapted.¡±


    Every time Agnus¡¯ deceased moved, dozens of bizarre devices in his body rotated with a slight sound. It was just abstract magic power for someone else, but it was a process of absorbing resources like mana or aura from the outside and then filtering them into power. The materialized power wasunched from the deceased¡¯s heart. It was made by Pauld and was a magic organ that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    Just then, there was the terrible noise of bones breaking in the deceased¡¯s body like a doll being pulled by a thread. The joints that twisted in the reverse direction moved like tentacles. An ordinary human being would definitely be affected by the shock.


    However, Agnus¡¯ deceased was literally a corpse. It just moved and it naturally didn¡¯t feel pain. The deceased didn¡¯t care about the broken Achilles tendon and kicked off from the ground. The eleration was so fast that even Agnus missed some of it despite having transcendent vision from the Baal¡¯s Contractor ss growing to legendary rated, 2,500 points in agility, and the correction from various titles.


    ¡®It is more than I expected.¡¯


    Agnus was convinced by the appearance of the deceased, who learned how to use the magic organ in exchange for the body turning into rags. The moment he created a deceased with a body sturdy enough to withstand the output of the magic organ, the number of targets he needed to fear would be significantly reduced.


    ***


    ¡°You are much more persistent than I thought.¡±


    Mir, the owner of the Blue Dragon Dao. He was called the strongest yangban, but he had never been proud due to this identity. A yangban? He was just a soldier born and trained to get revenge for the expelled gods. Even if he built up divinity and became a god, his natural destiny wouldn¡¯t change. After all, he existed under Hanul and would disappear after fighting for Hanul¡¯s sake. This was why¡ª


    ¡°Every time I see you being cut, stabbed, killed, and resurrected, only to point your sword at me again, it... It makes me feel thepulsion to learn from your mindset.¡±


    Mir dreamed about bing the martial god. He didn¡¯t have a grandiose intention like wanting to get rid of Hanul¡¯s shackles. He just wanted to establish a ¡®me,¡¯ not a created half-god or a created god. This was why he was obsessed with martial arts. Throughout his life, he honed everything in the category of talent including the body of a half-god, power, and lifespan. He didn¡¯t stop trying hard unlike the other yangbans.


    Yet it was only recently that he realized something. He learned from the man in front of him that what he always thought was hard work was nothing more than relying on his natural talent.


    ¡°Gasp... gasp... gasp...¡±The eternal snow created by the blue dragon¡¯s curse was dyed red and the body of the man lying on it was full of wounds. The man was dying, just like a week ago, a fortnight ago, and a month ago. However, the time it took to reach the result of death was different every time. Half a month agopared to a month ago, and even todaypared with a week ago, the man persisted for a longer and longer time before falling.


    A drop of blood dripped down a finger onto the snow. It was Mir¡¯s blood. There was a faint wound on his left shoulder. Every time the man persisted for a longer time, the wounds on Mir¡¯s body increased. It wasn¡¯t deep, but Mir was alert.


    The man slowly closing his eyes on the red snow was the present day Sword Saint, Kraugel. Mir felt anxious that Kraugel might soon leave a wound that couldn¡¯t be erased.


    ***


    [Your level has decreased.]


    It was already a decrease of three levels. Unlike the average person, Kraugel gained 15 stat points every time he leveled up, so the loss was quite significant. It was enough to feel his weakened strength. Even so, Kraugel¡¯s heart was very rxed despite the weight of the sword in his hand.


    ¡®It increased by four this time.¡¯


    Kraugel checked his super sensitivity stat and smiled lightly. The super sensitivity that changed from a skill to a stat after bing the Sword Saint was special among the hidden stats. It was the strongestbat-rted stat exclusive to the Sword Saint. The only downside was that raising it was very difficult.


    Kraugel¡¯s super sensitivity stat was less than 40 before he came to Kaya, but now it was 67 points. It was thanks to fighting the yangbans, especially Mir, during his stay in Kaya. The more he reacted to Mir¡¯s attacks, the more Kraugel¡¯s super sensitivity grew rapidly.


    In return, he suffered a total of eight deaths from Mir alone, losing a significant amount of experience and a few items. Still, it was worth it to Kraugel. He had already fallen to level 1, so he was limated to the concept of losing levels. He could just obtain more items. His bank bnce was recovering since his mother overcame her illness...


    Of course, the White Tiger Sword was ced in his warehouse. Even Kraugel would have to worry about bankruptcy if he dropped the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    ¡°Please open Warehouse 378.¡±


    It was a small town. It was a town built in the desert, as if to prove why Kaya was called the kingdom of sand. Kraugel designated this ce that waspletely different from the snow-covered capital as the resurrection point and stopped by the warehouse immediately after his resurrection to find the White Tiger Sword. He chewed on jerky and moved to the hunting site.


    It was necessary to be prepared for death when fighting Mir again. Before then, he had to build up as much experience as he could.


    ***


    Obora, the new master of the 22nd Hell, was one of Berith¡¯s devoted retainers. The impact was very weakpared to Berith, who could deceive the system with the power of lies, but the overallbat power was quite excellent. The snake-like lower body bent geometrically and attacked at totally unexpected angles, and the force of the tail was heavy enough to stiffen the God Hands. Additionally, his scales were hard and resilient. He was challenging in many ways. Even if the messengers were under a severe penalty, the fact that the raid time took more than two hours meant Obora was strong.


    ¡®Maybe that is why he dropped something nice.¡¯


    The appendage dropped by Obora was a ¡®spine.¡¯ It consisted of seven cervical vertebrae, 20 thoracic vertebrae, and four lumbar vertebrae. Once extended, the length reached three meters. However, it was possible tobine each one and it could shrink down to one meter.


    It was one of the reasons why it was hard to deal with Obora. Obora¡¯s snake-like tail took various forms and its length changed, so it was hard to read and deal with the attacks. If he didn¡¯t have his transcendent senses, then Grid would¡¯ve suffered serious injuries like the other messengers.


    ¡®I want to use this as a new sword material.¡¯


    It was a sword that swung like a whip and could change its length. The more the enemies read and responded to the trajectory of the sword, the more likely they were to fall into an ant hell.


    However, there were many shorings with it as a new sword material. There was cartge in every bone joint of Obora¡¯s spine, so it was virtually impossible to smelt it like a mineral. Of course, it was the cartge of a great demon, so it was flexible but hard as steel. Nevertheless, it was likely to be damaged as soon as it was put in the furnace.


    ¡®If I ignore it and smelt it, the spine itself will be harder. However, if the cartge is damaged then it will lose the unique function of the spine.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be swung as a whip or to shrink and expand. It would just be a long, whole bone.


    ¡®If I make it into a sword, the durability and attack power will be far below the level of a sword. Um, what if I separate all the bone joints and reconnect them with linksinstead of cartge? No, it is better to rebuild the bone joints with Greed.¡¯


    Grid considered it for a long time before concluding that it was impossible to replicate Obora¡¯s spine with other metals. Of course, he could replicate the form, but it was impossible for the ability of a cksmith topletely preserve or reproduce biological functions.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Grid suddenly came up with a good idea. There was a method borrowing the power of the system. Use the pure Obora¡¯s spine to make a sword first and get the ¡®Spine Sword Blueprint.¡¯ Then use Greed as the material to make another Spine Sword!


    ¡®...Ah, damn. It is impossible.¡¯


    It was naturally impossible. The blueprint would specify that Obora¡¯s spine be part of the essential materials. Grid was troubled for a long time before summoning the manager of Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    The manager ran over through the warp gate the moment he received the call and greeted Grid while cing his palms together, ¡°Did you call, Your Majesty?¡±


    The manager was a craftsman alchemist and a named NPC. However, he spent so much money that he couldn¡¯t act confidently in front of Grid.


    ¡°I want to make parts out of Greed that function exactly like this spine, but it isn¡¯t possible with my techniques alone. Can I borrow the power of alchemy?¡±


    ¡°That... With all due respect, it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°No, why can¡¯t you do it? Isn¡¯t the ultimate purpose of alchemy to make miracles? It is just one spine. I don¡¯t think it can even be considered a miracle.¡±


    ¡°The science of alchemy itself has been ostracized due to ancient alchemists who dreamed of eternal life or creationmitting many inhumane behaviors. The name is the famous Philosopher¡¯s Stone. The alchemists who longed for the Philosopher¡¯s Stone were even more cruel than the Yatan Church followers who worship evil gods and demons.¡±


    The TMI started...


    ¡°All nations and species on the continent defined alchemy as heresy and expelled the alchemists from the continent. Thousands of yearster, alchemists tried their best to recover their lost rights. Part of the efforts included disposing of all materials rted to the Philosopher¡¯s Stone. Creating or replicating a part of life, which includes the parts of a creature, belongs to those discarded materials.¡±


    ¡°So the conclusion is that you can¡¯t even reproduce a spine?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I am ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s fine. Go back first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Please call me again at any time if you need me.¡±


    ¡®Why? You didn¡¯t even help when I called...¡¯ Grid was pretty callous toward the alchemy manager. In Grid¡¯s eyes, this person was just a money-eating hippopotamus. This didn¡¯t mean he doubted the manager. He just didn¡¯t like the study of alchemy itself.


    ¡°......!!¡± Some time after the manager left. Grid was deeply sighing and thinking about working on something else when he received a shock. It was because he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a big problem, right?¡¯


    The moment Obora¡¯s spine was used to create a sword, it would be judged as an item. Grid had the Item Transformation skill. If he changed Greed into the Spine Sword then he could temporarily make up for theck of attack power and durability. It was a ¡®time based divine sword¡¯ founded using the principle of the Blood Sword.


    ¡®If it is impossible to make a divine sword, then I will make it temporarily be a divine sword.¡¯ Yes, let¡¯s make it first.¡¯


    Grid pulled out Obora¡¯s spine that had been in the inventory for a while, ced it on the anvil, and used Open Potential on his cksmithing technique. The production of the Spine Sword was immediatelyunched. Well, the word spine was a bit cruel. It was a good idea to give it a name like the Backbone Sword.

 Chapter 1429

    <h4>Chapter 1429</h4>


    Just a few years ago, the position of yers was far inferior to that of NPCs. The days when Grid was helpless against the dukes of the empire proved this fact. Most of the people in power in each kingdom were NPCs and the yers were just employees who moved ording to their will. yers had very little power and experience to surpass the power and system umted in hundreds of years of history.


    In the first ce, they didn¡¯t feel the need to go beyond it. The vast majority of yers wanted to be part of the already existing society and thought this was enough. However, a handful of yers were deeply dissatisfied. They couldn¡¯t tolerate serving or relying on NPCs and hoped to be the main subjects of society.


    Over the years, the world finally started to change. The system that was centered around the Saharan Empire copsed due to Grid and Basara. The kingdoms liberated from the oppression of the empire strengthened their business and armaments and offered yers all types of benefits and opportunities. As meritorious yers became nobles of various kingdoms and owned territory, the status of yers was developing day by day.


    More yers were enjoying the ¡®lord system¡¯ which used to be the home of just a few high rankers. The aftermath was serious. They were opposed to the existing system, saying they didn¡¯t want to serve NPCs who were just artificial intelligence. They didn¡¯t guarantee the human rights of NPCs. They ruthlessly exercised the power they finally gained. It was a basic thing to raise the tax rate to the maximum, exploit human resources at will, or take handsome women or men as concubines.


    Everynd ruled by yers was full of misery and it was hard to watch.


    ¡°This is how refugees are created. It is natural for them to enter the Overgeared Kingdom and Valha.¡±


    Lion¡ªhe was one of the ¡®five wealthy merchants¡¯ who surpassed the fallen king Kir in the rankings. He wascking whenpared to Muto, who remained overwhelming number one thanks to the full support of the Overgeared Kingdom, but he still umted financial resources at an amazing speed.


    ¡°Hahaha... I instructed the soldiers to seal the castle doors... those bad guys. The jerks didn¡¯t even protect the gates but instead ran away with the people...¡± High smiled with embarrassment and scratched the back of his head.


    Lion was amazed that a fool who had lost half his territory¡¯s poption after bing lord for half a year couldugh. However, he didn¡¯t express his feelings. His emotions weren¡¯t cheap enough to be used on a moron.


    ¡°This is the price I promised. Take this and transfer over all rights to the territory.¡±


    ¡°Gulp. I¡¯m not responsible for any problems that happen afterwards, right?¡± High looked at the amount of money with greedy eyes and confirmed it again.


    This was a small territory that could amodate up to 6,000 people. High was granted thisnd by the king as a recognition of his service as a nobleman of the Arc Kingdom. All the rights of thend belonged to him, but no one knew what type of future trouble would be waiting if it was sold to a third party or a merchant from another kingdom. To be honest, the king might try to take thend away.


    ¡°Correct. From the moment the deal is struck, you are free from all responsibilities.¡±


    There was no need to take responsibility for any problems that might ur...


    Lion handed over a contract roughly stating this along with the payment and urged hastily, ¡°Sign it quickly.¡±


    ¡°U-Understood.¡±


    High had a grasp of himself. He might¡¯ve used all types of dirty means to be a lord, but he didn¡¯t have the ability to gather talents or manage a territory. His willpower wasn¡¯t strong enough to resist the hedonistic temptation of power. Thus, he coldly signed the contract. It wasn¡¯t a bad deal for him because he would receive a lot of money for passing on thend that started costing him a lot of money.


    [You have purchased the rights to the ¡®Bichio¡¯ territory.]


    [You have be the lord of Bichio.]


    [The Craftsman Trading skill has increased to level 3.]


    [It is rumored that the king of the Arc Kingdom has be alert to you. A summons might arrive sooner orter.]


    The king¡¯s vignce? It was just a formal procedure. It would be better than regretting leaving thisnd to the garbage who destroyed the precious poption. The king might ask for proper sincerity and monitor him openly for a while, but Lion was well prepared. Now Lion wasn¡¯t the one who had to worry about his life...


    ¡°Huhuhu.¡±


    It was the garbage in front of him who happily sold hisnd at will. He never imagined that he would be chased and hunted by the Arc Kingdom forever.


    ¡®It is good that there are many things on sale due to garbage like this.¡¯


    Lion only smiled after High left. Simr things were happening all over the continent. A huge amount of money was being spent by merchants to buy broken territories.


    ***


    ¡°There is no romance, no romance.¡±


    Satisfy had a number of effects on people¡¯s real lives. One of them was the new and flexible use of space. Now when it was time to meet someone, peopley down in capsules without getting ready to go out. It was also verymon for singers to perform in Satisfy. The same was true for Guseha¡¯s 20th anniversary concert.


    Regas heard the grumbling Peak Sword and looked like he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Is there anything unsatisfactory? Both the visual and sound effects are the same as reality. You can still feel the enthusiasm of the people.¡±


    ¡°However, we aren¡¯t seeing the real Guseha.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Guseha¡¯s customization famous for looking like his real self?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, it is like a monster born from modern society. Stop talking, stop talking. Eh? Kimchi pie specialty store? Is it a new fusion dish? Let¡¯s go and see it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you eat three hours ago?¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter? You won¡¯t gain weight eating in games anyway.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you are the monster born from modern society.¡±


    Guseha¡¯s 20th anniversary concert was being held in Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. Reinhardt¡¯s opera house was sorge and beautiful that it was increasingly being rented as a stage by famous stars. Lauel¡¯s foresight shone in these small areas. It was rumored that Grid, who hadn¡¯t wanted to invest so much money in creating cultural activities, was fond of the opera house these days.


    ¡°Deli...cious!¡±


    A fusion that mixed kimchi with British recipe. Peak Sword felt admiration after taking a careful bite of the kimchi pie. The vor of the kimchi juice spread throughout his mouth as he chewed on crispyyers of pie. It was also pleasant to see the change in texture as the crispy pie became soft as it was soaked by the kimchi juice. It was a dish where foreign vors and the vor of home co-existed.


    Regas had a somewhat subtle expression. ¡°I think it would be better to add beef than pork. I don¡¯t like the texture of fat.¡±


    ¡°Kimchi is best matched with pork belly.¡±


    ¡°It does well with beef andmb...¡±


    ¡°Kimchi is a great food so it goes well with anything. Um?¡±


    Peak Sword was licking the kimchi juice with his tongue when he suddenly cocked his head. It was because the man ordering kimchi pie at the counter was very familiar. It was a strange thing. It was obviously their first time meeting but he felt like he was seeing a person he had known a long time.


    ¡°I can feel your hot gaze. It turned out to be Peak Sword and Regas. It is an honor to meet two of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s 10 meritorious retainers. I¡¯m going to buy a lottery ticket today.¡± The man with the pie in his hand smiled and greeted them. It was a cool smile as refreshing as a carbonated drink.


    The unknown yer. There was a high probability they had a low level. However, Regas didn¡¯t judge people based on level or reputation. He greeted this person politely with a smile.


    On the other hand, the reluctant looking Peak Sword had his mouth shut. He watched silently as Regas and the man had a casual conversation until they separated.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡±


    Was it because he was embarrassed by the speechless Peak Sword? The moment the man left, Regas pointed out Peak Sword¡¯s impolite behavior. ¡°Why did you stare at an innocent person like that?¡±


    ¡°...Guseha.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The person just now, it was Guseha.¡±


    ¡°Was there poison in the pie?¡±


    ¡°No, really! I¡¯ve been a fan of Guseha since middle school. Do you think I can¡¯t recognize him? I don¡¯t know how he concealed his unique stride and other habits but he can¡¯t hide the special shape of the muscles around his eyebrows when he smiles!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Regas retreated stealthily. Regas boasted a strong mentality and physical strength but he felt particrly tired whenever he was with Peak Sword.


    Peak Sword shouted at him, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Skin Maker! Guseha knows the Skin Maker!¡±


    ¡°......!¡± Regas¡¯ eyes widened. The Skin Maker was someone who changed the outer appearance of items and yers in exchange forrge amounts of money. He had recently be a more difficult person to meet and could only be found through special routes. Rumor had it that a third generation chaebol with a bad personality chased the Skin Maker because he was made to look like a beggar. It was just a rumor.


    ¡°Chase Guseha!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±


    Peak Sword and Regas used their skills to find the man from a moment ago.


    It was a basicw of the Overgeared Kingdom thatbat-rted skills were banned in the cities but the authority of the 10 meritorious retainers was above thew. Moreover, it was backed up by their skills.


    Thousands of people filled the street but the two men smoothly moved through it without a single collision. The two people¡¯s ability topletely control their bodies while using dash skills that temporarily amplified their movement speed was no different from a superpower in the eyes of ordinary people.


    ***


    -Brother Seha!Where are you now?


    The manager kept sending him whispers. It was crazy to be caught in Satisfy as well. Guseha shook his head and answered.


    -I¡¯vee all the way here. Why can¡¯t I take a look at the Overgeared God Temple and Khan¡¯s statue?


    -What about the concert interview?The reporters are waiting!


    -I¡¯m not giving the interview~


    -No, Brother.This isn¡¯t just a concert, it is the 20th anniversary concert.Today isn¡¯t good...fans will be wanting an interview with you.


    -It isn¡¯t the fans. This is what the reporters want.Imunicate with my fans every day on social media.So I will see you tomorrow.


    -Brother!


    [The target has been blocked.]


    ¡®It is quiet now.¡¯


    The rest of the leftover kimchi pie. The taste was ambiguous, so Guseha had been wondering whether to throw it away or not. Eventually, he put it in his mouth while his vision captured Khan¡¯s statue. The cksmith who became a legend shortly before his death. It was Grid¡¯s master...


    Every yer knew his story. The process of the destruction of Immortal was extremely loud.


    ¡®Please be happy in Heaven.¡¯


    Guseha approached the statue and expressed his brief condolences. He, a master representing one field in reality and Satisfy, admired Khan, who was a master as well. Even if the field was different, the tough process of bing a master would¡¯ve been simr.


    Guseha¡¯s gaze headed toward the street lined with dozens of smithies. ¡®Grid must be somewhere over there.¡¯


    Of course, there was a much higher probability of Grid not being there. It was funny to expect him to be in the smithy everyday when he was probably busier than Guseha. Still, it was something that couldn¡¯t be known.


    ¡®If I have to pick someone who can take care of this item without any greed, I can only think of Grid. I want to see him once...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know when he would be able to visit Reinhardt again. Guseha felt a sense of anticipation and moved to the smithy area.


    His eyes were deep and his expression wasplicated. It was such an borate expression that it was hard to believe he was wearing a skin mask.


    ¡°I finally found you, Skin Maker Guseha.¡±


    ¡°......!¡± Guseha was startled as he walked into a deep alley. A man with a ck cloth covering his face was blocking his way. ¡°How do you know me?¡±


    ¡°You might be able to change your appearance but you can¡¯t change your soul. Guseha, I don¡¯t want to make things big in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. Please ept the transaction. My employer said that he will forgive all your mistakes during this period if you hand over the item to me.¡±


    ¡°Is it because I made his face funny? It wasn¡¯t a mistake. It was on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just delivering the message.¡±


    ¡°Um... Don¡¯t you know the danger of the thing your friend is after?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not curious.¡±


    Behind the man who spoke firmly, the figure of a death god with a huge scythe appeared and disappeared. Then Guseha¡¯s soul gauge that was only visible to the man started to be consumed.


    ¡°You will die in five minutes. Your resurrection point is in the empire and my employer is waiting with his men. I think it would be good for you to ept the deal.¡±


    ¡°Um... I can¡¯t log out when in battle. Do I have to kill you to get rid of this?¡±


    ¡°It will be lifted if you can get more than 10 meters away from me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is possible?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible...¡±


    The man¡¯s head suddenly tilted back as he was speaking. There was a sh of sword light that cut off the man¡¯s disheveled hair. It was the effect of drawing a sword at high speed.


    ¡°If you mess around more, next is the neck.¡± A figure appeared behind Guseha. Peak Sword took back the drawn sword and ced it back in the sheath. Then he stared at the man who attacked Guseha. ¡°Who are you? Didn¡¯t you see the notice that fighting in Reinhardt will lead to imprisonment?¡±


    ¡°I have no... luck.¡± The man clicked his tongue and jumped. It was extraordinary that he could jump into the roof of a four storey smithy in one go. It was just that Regas¡¯ physical ability was better than this.


    ¡°I need to inspect you, so I¡¯ll hit you once.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The man was startled from the voice heard behind him and pulled out his weapon from his inventory. He protected his waist with a steel rod that looked like a spear handle. Regas¡¯ kick hit the steel rod. The man¡¯s body couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and flew through the exterior wall of the next building. He rolled around a few times before finally barely stopping. Regas chased straight away. Just then, a death god appeared and swung a scythe at Regas.


    ¡°Knight?¡±


    Regas noticed the identity of the man and was flustered. Of course, he didn¡¯t stop his actions. He moved into the arms of the death god, blocked the scythe with the back of his hand, and used his fists. The death god¡¯s huge body was pierced by the fist and shook precariously.


    Regas¡¯ eyes were shaking as well. It was because Knightpleted his movement technique and left as Regas was temporarily confronting the death god. Peak Sword saw this and clicked his tongue. ¡°Is it high power escape magic? Hidden sses are tricky in this way.¡±


    It was hard to respond when the skills weren¡¯t known.


    Guseha came to the side of Peak Sword and Regas to soothe their regret. ¡°Thank you for your help. I... I am the Skin Maker, Shift.¡±

 Chapter 1430

    <h4>Chapter 1430</h4>


    Guseha was the Skin Maker himself? The flustered Peak Sword shut his mouth and Regas greeted him instead, ¡°I never imagined that Guseha and Shift would be the same person. I wanted to see both of you if there was an opportunity. Now I get to meet both at once in this way! It is like fate! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...How do you know that I¡¯m Guseha?¡±


    Guseha was well aware that the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s informationwork was great. It was right to be aware of the Overgeared Shadows¡¯ eyes and ears everywhere. However, Guseha¡¯s current appearance was a new work. It was a skin he was using for the first time today. It was impossible for the Overgeared Guild to know he was Guseha unless they were monitoring Guseha in real time.


    Regas saw his wary stance and pointed toward Peak Sword. ¡°This person is your big fan. He immediately recognized you when we met at the roadside stall just now. He noticed based on the angle that your eyebrows...? Haha.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Peak Sword coughed. He was very embarrassed because an uncle was telling another uncle he admired that ¡®I am such an avid fan I can identify you by looking at your little habits.¡¯ Still, this embarrassment was just temporary. He was meeting the muse he had been looking forward to for 20 years and was frankly delighted. ¡°Guseha, the king of bads and the master of great ssics is a brilliant star to me. It is a pleasure and honor to meet you, Hyung-nim. An autograph... if possible, please meet me in reality. Of course, this is when your time is free.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Guseha read the sincerity in Peak Sword¡¯s nervously trembling voice and put away his vignce. He gave a happy smile, shook hands with Peak Sword, and spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve been a fan since you were the master of the Silver Knights Guild, the only active Korean Guild. I was cheering for you from a distance but if I knew you were my fan, I would¡¯ve cheered for you from a closer distance.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! My face value might be high but I am eight years younger than you! Please speak to mefortably! Aren¡¯t we both citizens of eastern countries with manners?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you without honorifics if we be closerter.¡±


    ¡°I hope that day wille, Hyung-nim!¡± Peak Sword wrapped both his hands around Guseha¡¯s hand and his eyes shone as brightly as a girl. It resembled his eyes when he looked at Grid.


    ***


    Guseha had been a top star for 20 years and he was skillful in how he conducted himself. He soothed the excited Peak Sword, solved things moderately, and naturally brought up the main point¡ªDeath God Knight. He exined how and why he was targeted by this mercenary. At the center of the story was something called ¡®Heart of the Frost Queen.¡¯


    ¡°Heart?¡±


    The Frost Queen¡ªshe was the ruler of Heraris and people were familiar with her. It was just like the Frost Queen¡¯s Breath that Grid had used to make Mumud¡¯s Orb. There are various items collected in the Heraris area that had the name ¡®Frost Queen¡® attached to them and these items were widely used in various fields.


    People couldn¡¯t be unaware of the Frost Queen. For example, Lauel often referred to the Frost Queen when leading troops. The excited soldiers were told to cool off their heated blood by recalling the cold breath of the Frost Queen and the soldiers understood it.


    However, the number of people to actually witness the Frost Queen was rare. In fact, it was more like ¡®none.¡¯ Still, the world was wide and there were many people, so it was impossible to jump to conclusions.


    Heraris¡ªit was a ce where the white snowfields endlessly spread out and people lost their sense of direction. It was only a white, vastnd. The moment they stepped in there, travelers despaired over thepass that became useless. They wandered for a long time before dying. Due to the cold that froze even the flow of mana, magic didn¡¯t trigger so it was impossible to escape.


    It was a famous story that Skunk, the adventurer whopleted a map of the West Continent, had suffered 17 deaths in Heraris. Yet even such a Skunk didn¡¯t meet the Frost Queen. Skunk seeded in exploring the ¡®area¡¯ of Heraris, but he didn¡¯t clear the dungeons that existed in this area. Dungeons in the Heraris region were too dangerous for Skunk to explore.


    The Frost Queen was either somewhere in one of those uncharted dungeons or wandering in the snow, so it was difficult to meet her. Yet there was her heart? Didn¡¯t this mean that someone had found the Frost Queen and killed her?


    ¡°It was in the Hemilton principality a year ago that I got the queen¡¯s heart. I heard a rumor that the princess couldn¡¯te out of the castle due to a burn on her face that she obtained in her childhood. I visited her and treated her and the prince gave me this gift as thanks. Well, it is more urate to say I ¡®got rid¡¯ of the wound rather than healing it.[1]¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    ¡°Wow, listening to you, skin making is a skill with a very wide usage.¡±


    The ss rating of the Skin Maker was just rare rated. It had the unique ability to change the appearance of items and characters. There was sufficient demand for the ability, but there wasn¡¯t any big merit other than making money. People spected that there would be definite limitations on the growth because it was a nonbat ss. Regas and Peak Sword¡¯s thoughts were the same.


    However, Guseha knew how to make good use of his ability. Rather than simply doing business with people who wanted to be ¡®cool,¡¯ he traveled all over the continent and helped those who desperately needed his power. He grew by gaining quests, preempting favorable information, and securing rare treasures. This was why people couldn¡¯t easily meet the Skin Maker. He didn¡¯t bother receiving a yer¡¯smission unless they paid a considerable amount of money. He was entitled to pick his customers.


    ¡°Hemilton... Hemilton. Didn¡¯t the prince participate in Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony?¡±


    "Yes, it is a nation founded by the third son of Saharan. It was the area where the African leopard was active in the past.¡±


    ¡°Kujarak? Did he raid the Frost Queen?¡±


    Kujarak, a strong person from Africa¡ªhe didn¡¯t participate in official activities like the National Competition, but he was a famous high ranker. It was just like how people thought of Kraugel as ¡®one of the few people who can fight against Grid.¡¯ Following this idea, during the period of Kraugel¡¯s supremacy, Kujarak was evaluated as ¡®one of the few people who has a chance to win against Kraugel.¡¯


    He was a figure who received the expectations of people and exceeded them greatly. It was because he was a fighter with a rare style. His pure physical ability was overwhelming unlike Kraugel, who had natural senses and Hao, who had been honing his skills his whole life. This was important considering the characteristics of virtual reality games that were heavily influenced by physical ability. Therefore, Kujarak¡¯s superior physical ability was an excellent advantagepared to the people of South Korea, who were exceptionally weak in Satisfy. It was as if they were looking at a beast...


    Whether it was the past or now, Kujarak¡¯s sightings would ignite the hearts of top rankers. One of the opponents that Regas wanted to fight most was Kujarak. Regas and Peak Sword judged that Kujarak might¡¯ve raided the Frost Queen with his skills.


    ¡°Who knows? I didn¡¯t hear about the source of the heart. For someone like me, Kujarak is an otherworldly figure like the two of you. Therefore, I didn¡¯t think about Kujarak¡¯s name when I got the heart.¡± Guseha continued speaking, ¡°Yet thinking about it now, it is likely to be associated with Kujarak. Those who have been eyeing at the Heart of the Frost Queen have long known that the Hemilton principality has been holding the heart. The reason why they didn¡¯t take the heart from the principality despite being about to afford Knight was probably because they were wary of Kujarak. Of course, it is said that the strength of the prince is also extraordinary...¡±


    [The yer ¡®Shift¡¯ has shared information on the Heart of the Frost Queen.]


    [Heart of the Frost Queen]


    [Thest legacy or curse of the Frost Queen.


    Perfectly assimtes with the cold when taken. The attack power of the cold attribute will increase significantly. Every time cold damage is suffered, resources such as health and mana are recovered in proportion to the amount of damage. The lower the ambient temperature, the higher the ability level.


    ¡ï Some stats will be changed.


    ¡ï Items equipped are limited to the cold attribute items.


    ¡ï Skills or magic with attributes other than no attributes and the cold attribute can¡¯t be used.


    ¡ï The ¡®Ice Fog¡¯ skill is always applied.


    ¡ï The ¡®Ice Kingdom¡¯ skill is created.]


    [Ice Fog]


    [Deals 5,000 cold damage per second to all targets within a radius of five meters. Targets exposed to the fog for over six seconds will suffer from the ¡®freezing¡¯ abnormal condition and suffer 20,000 fixed damage per second. Lasts for at least four seconds up to 12 seconds. Can¡¯t be disabled.]


    [Ice Kingdom]


    [It is activated when staying in one area for more than a certain period of time. It freezes the world, creating a paradise of solitude.


    However, it is limited to territories without an owner and is limited in area.]


    ¡°......¡± Peak Sword¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. He thought it would be a great item because it was a gift from the prince of Hemilton, but it waspletely different from his imagination. It was an item that belonged to the elixir category. It must be taken to exert the effect, but it would always cause wide-area damage that was impossible to identify? It was a cursed object that brought only death. It was more like the ss change book of a boss monster. ¡°The person who gave this gift... are they a malicious person?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing bad. A thing doesn¡¯t have to be usable for the value to be high.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but...¡±


    The Heart of the Frost Queen was reminiscent of a diamond with a frozen surface. It was beautiful enough for cries of admiration toe out. It could be traded at a high price even as a simple decoration. Additionally, the types of humans were very diverse so there were those who didn¡¯t care about being alone. For whatever reason, anyone with a desire for power would covet such an object.


    Guseha continued, ¡°Knight¡¯s employer has been approaching me in the six months since I got the heart. He learnedte that the heart was in my hands and came to me saying he wanted to buy it. Of course, I refused. It ismon sense that an item like this is too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s when the hunting began.¡±


    "Yes, I could change my appearance, so it was rtively easy to avoid the tracking, but... it is hard to run away forever and the transformation didn¡¯t work on Knight.¡±


    ¡°Um... By the way, Hyung-nim, why are you carrying what your enemies are after in your inventory instead of leaving it in a warehouse? What would you do if you died and dropped it?¡± Peak Sword wondered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I left it in the warehouse once and the cold went out of control, causing all the items in the warehouse to be frozen. Then the bank ruled that I wasn¡¯t allowed to store it in the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°What the... then it is fine to leave it in your inventory?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is like it is trying to tempt me by making me always look at it.¡±


    ¡°It is a cursed thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So I wanted to leave this with Grid. If it is Grid, then he won¡¯t use it casually and it won¡¯t be easily taken away by someone.¡±


    The recent tyranny of the lords had led to an opportunity to shed light on Grid and Ares again. In particr, Grid had never wielded power recklessly despite having powerparable to the empress. Even the Chinese media, malicious to Grid, had started to call him a man of honor. Guseha trusted Grid.


    "I guess, but... God Grid isn¡¯t invincible. There are times when he dies. God Grid might not be able to protect the heart forever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure out a way to deal with the heart as soon as possible. I would be grateful if you could arrange for Grid to keep it until then.¡± Guseha bowed deeply. He felt sorry for asking such a difficult favor without notice.


    Peak Sword thought about it before nodding. ¡°The intention is good... let me exin the situation to God Grid.¡±


    Guseha¡¯s attitude of not wanting this power to fall into the wrong hands was truly wonderful. However, would Grid want to ept something that was so obviously troublesome? Peak Sword was worried but his worries were groundless.


    ¡°Of course, I will take it. It will be a pain if this falls into the hands of a guy like Agnus.¡± Grid readily epted it, but he attached a condition¡ªGuseha had to ept the Overgeared members¡¯ request to create skins.


    Lauel rejoiced.


    1. I¡¯ve googled over what the ruler of a principality could be called and got extremely confused the more I googled. However, I eventually decided to go with prince.

 Chapter 1431

    <h4>Chapter 1431</h4>


    There was a mountain of work to do. He hadn¡¯t known when Sariel would go berserk, so he rushed through the hell expedition and neglected cksmithing.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    It had been two weeks since he was stuck in the smithy. Grid temporarily suspended the production of the Backbone Sword and focused on what could be handled in the short term. He took care of themission of the members and created or modified items for the messengers. It was a necessary procedure topensate for their strengths and weaknesses identified in hell.


    The Backbone Sword... it wasn¡¯t something that could be made in a few days. Due to the nature of the bone material, the work had to be done as carefully as possible. Metal required being melted in heat several times to harden, then melted again and hardened while being tempered thousands to tens of thousands of times. However, the difficulty was very high because bones burned rather than melted. It was impossible to smelt and temper bones unless their craftsman cksmithing technique was at master level.


    ¡°It seems like it is almost all done.¡±


    He worked hard for half a month. The members¡¯ requests werepleted and the messengers¡¯ items were neatly maintained. Grid was about to start production of the Backbone Sword when he suddenly felt uneasy. He didn¡¯t remember making Jishuka¡¯s item? Grid btedly realized and reviewed the list ofmissions but he didn¡¯t find Jishuka¡¯s request on it.


    ¡®Did she not make a request because she was too ufortable...?¡¯


    Jishuka refused to be Povia¡¯s Sessor and started to walk her own archery path. Then she grew explosively, unlike people¡¯s concerns. It wasn¡¯t even unexpected that she won two gold medals in this year¡¯s National Competition. The arrows fired by the Bow Saint were endless and there were many different types of sniping. Thus, no high ranker could respond to her attacks. Eventually, Jishuka returned with the gold medal rewards and ced them in the guild warehouse, but she didn¡¯t leave a request to make something from the rewards. It was noticeable that she was avoiding anything rted to Grid.


    Grid was bound to be agitated. He was anxious that he would lose her as a colleague. ¡®If Jishuka disappears, then I...¡¯


    Jishuka was one of the ¡®origins¡¯ of Grid. Without the trust and support of Jishuka and the Tzedakah Guild, Grid would¡¯ve lived apletely different life. He could¡¯ve be a second Agnus. The reason Grid loathed Agnus was because he read the potential for himself to be the same as Agnus.


    ¡®...It must be sad and painful..¡¯


    Grid was depressed when he thought about the possibility of Jishuka leaving. Just imagining the sense of loss he had never experienced before sent a frightening chill down his spine.


    ¡®First... I will make a new item for you.¡¯


    Currently, Jishuka¡¯s armament was the same as Faker¡¯s. He understood, analyzed, and improved Kruger¡¯s pants that were given to Faker in the past andpleted a Grid¡¯s cloth armor set. In fact, Grid¡¯s cloth armor set was barely an upgraded version of Kruger¡¯s pants. The performance was better, but it was a result of using ¡®enhanced materials¡¯ that increased the ¡®conditions of use.¡¯ Grid¡¯s tailoring technique couldn¡¯t even touch Kruger¡¯s toes just yet.


    ¡®Still, there is a good chance this will be an old story.


    Due to Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book, Grid¡¯s Tailoring skill had been upgraded to advanced level 8. He would reach the advanced master level in one year minimum and two years at the most. The rewards gained at that time would be six levels and the opening of the Craftsman Tailoring skill. Then it would be aplete fusion of cksmithing and tailoring techniques...


    Considering that Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique reached beyond legendary to the myth level after he used Open Potential, Grid¡¯s tailoring technique might only be craftsman level, but it was more likely to disy a legendary performance.


    ¡®It is possible to upgrade Jishuka¡¯s equipment with my current skills. Weapons will naturally make things better.¡¯


    The Red Phoenix Bow was old. Of course, it was a myth rated weapon so the overall options were excellent enough to be used for the ¡®rest of your life,¡¯ but the attack power value was low. This was a story from Grid¡¯s perspective, but in any case, the current Grid was confident of making a bow better than the Red Phoenix Bow.


    ¡®By now, the original version of the Red Phoenix Bow isn¡¯t an overwhelmingly outstanding item. The Red Phoenix Bow transcends the original, but there is a limit to it.¡¯


    There were all types of recipes umted in Grid¡¯s head. The Overgeared members operating throughout the continent were still acquiring new production recipes at this moment and giving them to Grid.


    Grid currently had a total of 192 ¡®bow¡¯ recipes. Based on his vast knowledge and experience, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to make a better bow than the Red Phoenix Bow. If it was impossible with Grid¡¯s power alone, there were ways to get the help of the system by using Item Creation. It was for a colleague who had be a legendary ss. No, it wouldn¡¯t be a waste to use Item Creation for Jishuka. The weapon called the bow had a high utilization.


    ¡®If I make it, it will be useful not just for Jishuka, but for people who will grow one day.¡¯


    Mercedes could also use it well from now on.


    ¡°The new bow¡¯s features...¡±


    Grid decided to temporarily exclude any attributes. The ability to amplify Jishuka¡¯s fire attribute was fully built into the Red Phoenix Bow. Originally, the bow was a weapon less influenced by attributes. It was natural. The bow was just a tool for firing arrows. Attributes could be granted to arrows so it was better in terms of utilization to have no attributes. Looking at the ¡®resources¡¯ called the Breaking Evil Arrow that Jishuka obtained as the Bow Saint, the power was reduced due to the influence of the fire energy in the Red Phoenix Bow.


    Grid didn¡¯t know if Jishuka had noticed it, but it was better to use ordinary bows than the Red Phoenix Bow when firing poisonous arrows or the Breaking Evil Arrows.


    ¡®Materials that amplify while embracing various attributes are mithril or orichalcum...¡¯


    Both mithril and orichalcum were wonderful metals, but they weren¡¯t sufficient to be materials for a myth rated weapon. Grid determined it was better to invest in adamantium. Adamantium was a metal from Asgard and it contained the advantages of all the minerals on the ground. Of course, the level was lowpared with the divine stone produced by Hexetia, but Hexetia was now in prison and he was a long way from gaining the divine stone.


    Grid was thinking, but he didn¡¯t stop moving his hands. He adjusted his firepower in the furnace and heated up Obora¡¯s spine. He took it out at the right time and tried to forge weld it. Smelting and strengthening bones was near impossible inmon sense, but Satisfy was less affected bymon sense. Moreover, the techniques of a legendpletely overturnedmon sense.


    [Your dexterity has increased by 1.]


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The higher the skill lower and the higher the total amount of stats, the lower the chances of a stat being increased due to production. It was a device designed to prevent the infinite rise in stats for nonbat sses. For Grid who felt that the stats gain from the Tailoring skill was gradually decreasing, the rise of just one point in dexterity was precious.


    ¡®It is a difficult task to forge weld the bones, so the stat-rted penalty is relieved?¡¯


    The forge welding was a neat sess. It was also at a great levelpared to a fortnight ago. It seemed he had increased his overall senses by dying things for half a month.


    ¡®It is good the way things are going.¡¯


    Grid judged that based on the difficulty of the Backbone Sword, it would be rated higher than legendary. He might have to consume ¡®Item Upgrade¡¯ which would increase the target item¡¯s rating to the maximum legendary rating. However, Grid had a hunch that things would be good.


    At this time, Peak Sword visited the smithy. Grid was in a good mood and was able to concentrate on listening to the story of Guseha and the Heart of the Frost Queen. Then he embraced it in a positive manner.


    ***


    [The yer ¡®Shift¡¯ has transferred the Heart Of the Frost Queen.]


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grid. I can rest assured thanks to you.¡±


    The deal was sessful. The Heart of the Frost Queen¡ªthe directionality might be bizarre, but it was a high value item, so it was damage resistant. It would be a legendary rated elixir if a rating had to be assigned to it, so it was natural to have damage protection. Wouldn¡¯t it be funny if a legendary elixir couldn¡¯t be taken because it was damaged? The main content of the transaction was that Grid would keep it until Guseha found out how to destroy it.


    There were only a few conditions attached.


    First, Guseha would unconditionally ept the requests from any Overgeared members to create a skin. Second, if Grid lost the Heart of the Frost Queen, then Guseha wouldn¡¯t hold him ountable. However, Grid had to disclose the situation where he lost the item to Guseha in a video and Guseha had to be convinced. Third, if Grid found out how to use the Heart of the Frost Queen properly, then Guseha would sell the Heart of the Frost Queen to Grid. At that time, Grid must pay a reasonable amount.


    They were so favorable to Grid that it might seem to be an unfair contract at first nce, but Guseha had noints. The Heart of the Frost Queen was no different from a time bomb.


    Guseha was the one who turned the bomb over to Grid. The dangers that Guseha originally would¡¯ve experienced would be aimed at Grid in the future. Instead of asking for a separate reward, Grid only asked for a reward within the range that Guseha would ept which were requests to make skins. Additionally, it wouldn¡¯t be done for free. It was decided that all the materials required to make the skins would be provided by the Overgeared members.


    What about the possibility of Grid losing the Heart of the Frost Queen? Guseha naturally had to ept it. It was as Peak Sword said¡ªGrid wasn¡¯t invincible.


    Finally, the condition of ¡®If Grid finds out how to use the Heart of the Frost Queen properly, then Guseha will sell it to Grid¡¯ was wee from Guseha¡¯s standpoint. Who wouldn¡¯t be happy to be given money and have his troubles solved by having the heart being used up?


    ¡°Guseha... you are the same as when I see you on TV.¡±


    The reason why Guseha could maintain his top position for 20 years wasn¡¯t just due to his beautiful appearance and ability. It was also because he had done countless good deeds. Sometimes when he saw articles or interviews with Guseha, Grid thought he was a person with strong beliefs and this was actually the case.


    If Grid had been in Guseha¡¯s position, then he would¡¯ve returned the bomb while ming the prince of Hemilton. It was only natural to ask for reasonable reparations. No, maybe he would take advantage of it to make a deal with the guys who wanted this item.


    Meanwhile, the moment the Heart of the Frost Queen became his, Guseha tried to take responsibility until the end. He kept his faith rather than taking the easy way or coveting wealth by making a deal with the wicked. Grid thought that the reason why Satisfy had prospered so far was due to the efforts of these great people.


    ¡°I really admire you,¡± Grid confessed with a smile and Guseha¡¯s ears turned slightly red.


    ¡°If I had experienced this in real life, then I would¡¯ve given it up immediately. I¡¯m just trying hard because this is Satisfy. What admiration? I am embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°It is in reality and in Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°If you are threatened again in the future, please rely on us.¡±


    ¡®Hah.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild¡ªas the leader of the world¡¯s leading organization, Grid¡¯s pride was enormous. It would be rather difficult without pride because most of the Overgeared members, who had splendid talents, were active in many fields in reality.


    Guseha faced Grid and felt all the anxiety in his heart being washed away. ¡°These words alone are reassuring and delightful. I will also try to help Grid and the Overgeared Guild in my own way.¡±


    Guseha left with these sincere departing words. Judging by Peak Sword and Lauel rushing out, it seemed he would have a lot of work to do in the meantime.


    The left behind Grid smiled happily. He was d to have gotten to know a good person.


    ¡®Faker and Lauel will investigate those looking for the heart... first of all, I¡¯ll check if it is possible to modify it.¡¯


    Grid brieflyid down the hammer and started to study the Heart of the Frost Queen.

 Chapter 1432

    <h4>Chapter 1432</h4>


    [This is an invalid target for the skill designation.]


    The Heart of the Frost Queen was an elixir. As the name suggested, it was literally a medicine. All of the cksmithing skills such as smelting, transformation, modification, and disassembly couldn¡¯t be applied.


    ¡®It is natural. A cksmith isn¡¯t a pharmacist.¡¯


    He tried it just in case, but he felt like a thief.


    ¡°Mercedes, bring me Nefelina.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Mercedes set off immediately from where she had been guarding Grid¡¯s side. She returned in just five minutes with Nefelina. Considering the distance between the smithy and the castle, it was a speed that made people think Shunpo was used.


    ¡®Using Gravity Formation?¡¯


    The skill, Gravity Formation, that Mercedes learned, could change gravity in a small area. Grid had fought in hell with her aid and witnessed her rapidly slowing down or speeding up the enemy¡¯s actions. Based on Mercedes¡¯ prowess, he thought it would be possible for her to use Gravity Formation to speed up her movement.


    Nefelina grumbled as she took off her sleeping mask, ¡°I was just about to fall asleep. What is this impoliteness?¡±


    ¡°During the day?¡±


    ¡°I am a child. Don¡¯t I need quality sleep to grow faster?¡±


    ¡°Really? Sorry, Icked consideration.¡±


    ¡°I am feeling skeptical these days. The incarnation of one of the seven evils, who cameter than me, is recovering from the Curse of Sloth thanks to you. Meanwhile, I can¡¯t eat to my heart¡¯s content. Now you have to get in the way of my nap? It feels like I¡¯m the only one who gets treated badly.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for His Majesty¡¯s grace, you were destined to already be dead or sold to a ck magician¡¯s tower and suffer as an experiment. You might not be grateful to His Majesty for saving your life, but you are too shameless toin about it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this arrogant woman either...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t because I am particrly caring for Zikfrector that he is recovering from his curse. It should be that the characteristic of the Blood King is affecting him. Well, I¡¯ll persuade Administrator Rabbit to give you one extra cow every day. Is this a bit moreforting?¡±


    ¡°Five.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll deliver it.¡± He said so, but this small request probably wouldn¡¯t work. Even one was something she should be grateful for. It was a situation where his finances were at stake due to consuming too much money on the hell expedition. If he sold the items the great demons dropped, then he would¡¯ve earned ten or hundreds of times the amount he spent, but there could be no external sales due to Grid¡¯s policy of focusing on internal investment. Of course, recently, he had been feeling the need to strengthen not just the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom, but the entire human race... still, it was too early to sell it outside.


    ¡°Look at this.¡± Grid reached out the Heart of the Frost Queen to Nefelina, who was happy without knowing what was going on.


    Nefelina¡¯s big eyes that glowed likenterns elongated like a reptile. She was using her dragon¡¯s eyes. It meant she had be serious. ¡°This... it has a huge amount of yin energy.¡±


    ¡°This is the Heart of the Frost Queen. Can you eat and digest it?¡±


    ¡°It is possible for anyone to eat and digest it, but they won¡¯t be able to control the leaking yin energy. The moment I eat this, everything in Reinhardt will freeze.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you blessed by the elements? Then why can¡¯t you control it?¡±


    ¡°The yin in this heart isn¡¯t a simple element, but close to evil thoughts. It is safe to call it an artificial curse made unconsciously. It shouldn¡¯t be consumed by anyone other than a lunatic who wants to reign alone in a frozen world.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to eat it somehow...? If there was a legendary pharmacist, could they change the ingredients to alleviate the side effects?¡±


    ¡°There has never been such a brilliant pharmacist in history. In the first ce, didn¡¯t I say it was more like a mass of curse rather than a medicine? Tsk tsk, the one who is a god is clinging to this power.¡±


    ¡°So there is no way.¡±


    Certainly, the power of the Heart of the Frost Queen was too strong. It was a bnce copse item that Satisfy hated. The person would be stronger the moment it was eaten so the setting of istion would remain unchanged for the sake of bnce.


    ¡®The red phoenix¡¯s heart is also unresponsive. It is unfortunate but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    Grid gave up and ced the heart in his inventory. He had to take up this baggage, but he didn¡¯t regret it. He should avoid this uncontroble force going to anyone which would increase unnecessary risks.


    ¡®I¡¯m d it wasn¡¯t a viin who raided the Frost Queen.¡¯


    Kujarak, the African leopard¡ªto be honest, he wasn¡¯t in the range of Grid¡¯s interest. He didn¡¯t attend events like the National Competition and he usually moved alone on the periphery. There was no contact at all so far and there was a high probability there would be no contact in the future. Yet at this point, Kujarak was bound to be interesting. Based on the Heart of the Frost Queen, it was highly likely that the Frost Queen was a boss monster in the same ss as a super named boss monster.


    ¡®He broke through Heraris¡¯ vicious snow and raided the super named boss monster... his reputation of being able to threaten Kraugel is convincing.¡¯


    Grid wanted to meet him someday. It was rare that meeting with a strong person would cause a loss.


    Grid resumed the work that he had paused for a while.


    ***


    ¡°Please make this mark appear in my right eye every time I use a skill. Make it so faint that it is hard to notice unless one focuses.¡±


    Guseha had used his skin production skills rtively correctly. He healed people who suffered from disabilities and wounds all their lives, and healed their mental illness. Of course, they weren¡¯t good deeds without any conditions. He received a reasonable price for them.


    ¡°Dark red mes should burn on my left hand and arm. However, they should respond to the keyword ¡®ck me dragon.¡¯¡±


    Guseha was different from Saintess Ruby. He had no intention of showing the charity and power of the Saintess. There were a lot of experiences of simply being driven by money. If yers offered a lot of money to be beautiful or cool, then he would produce skins that fit their taste without saying anything. In doing so, he realized that the standard of ¡®cool¡¯ was very subjective. He confirmed that there were many different tastes in the world.


    ¡°Once I raise my hand like this and cover half of my face, I want the background to be dark and for there to be thunder and lightning. Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°If I smile softly, my hair and cor should move as if there is a breeze.¡±


    ¡°Every time I express the words ¡®past life,¡¯ a meaningful aura should appear... how about ck angel wings floating behind my back for a while before disappearing?¡±


    ¡°Every time I look up at the sky, say ¡®cough cough¡¯ like this or say ¡®Hoo, this is good,¡¯ then blood should flow from my mouth. If someone sees it, then they will naturally think of a beautiful person who can¡¯t live long. That is the concept.¡±


    ...But this was very severe. He felt dizzy every time Lauel added another demand. He couldn¡¯t understand why the interest was like this. He believed he already learned that people¡¯s desires and tastes were quite diverse, but that belief was broken today.


    The saddest thing was that he had the ability to fulfill most of Lauel¡¯s requirements. The things he long believed were ¡®useless functions¡¯ started to show off their presence as if they existed just for Lauel. He even wondered if the Skin Maker was a ss born to match Lauel¡¯s bizarre taste.


    ¡°Among the requirements, the only one beyond my power is the thunderstorm, but the rest is possible. Instead, it requires a lot of materials. The things thate to mind right now are Helda¡¯s dye, dokkaebi fire, wyvern lungs, Furios¡¯ grudge, moonlight ss...¡±


    Lauel eagerly wrote down the list of materials needed to create the skin. He was happy at first that his ideals could be realized, but then his expression gradually darkened. It was because there were so many ingredients that were hard to get. There were some rare materials that were hard to get his hands on even with the help of his subordinates.


    ¡°Hoo, it is a series of trials... the world is too harsh to me. Perhaps this is karma from my past life.¡± Lauel smiled bitterly and stared up at the sky. How wonderful would it be if at this time, blood dripped from his mouth and wings faintly appeared behind his back before disappearing? Once his thoughts reached this point, Lauel¡¯s dying motivation was rekindled. ¡°Sir Heder, lead all the knights and get these materials right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    Guseha stared nkly at Lauel summoning the knights and giving them orders before turning his gaze to Vantner. Destructive Tank Vantner¡ªhe was famous as the 1st ranked guardian knight and was one of the first to run over the moment he heard about the cooperation between the Overgeared Guild and Guseha.


    ¡°Tell me what hairstyle you want. I will implement it right away.¡± Guseha didn¡¯t bother asking for Vantner¡¯s request. He recalled some of themon wishes of bald clients and took out popr wigs. They were wigs that looked like real hair. They were made of special materials and were items in high demand by middle-aged nobles.


    ¡°If you are a man, then it is a mohawk...¡± Vantner was answering with a bright look when he suddenly came back to his senses and shouted, ¡°I! I¡¯m not bald in reality!¡±


    The reason he was bald was because he customized his appearance to be bald...


    Vantner always insisted on this. If he wore a wig now, then it was just admitting that he was bald in reality.


    ¡°I beg your pardon. So what do you want?¡±


    ¡°...Leonardo DiCaprio.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the name of this legendary great actor?¡±


    ¡°I know...¡±


    ¡°Leonardo DiCaprio. I want to live with the face of Leonardo in his early 20s.¡±


    The ideal type didn¡¯t only apply to the opposite sex. The psychology of admiring and wanting to resemble the same sex was a universal desire that everyone had experienced at least once.


    Guseha saw Vantner¡¯s heart and nodded. ¡°I understand. I can match the body shape, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that. Leonardo was very skinny in his 20s. I want to leave my body as it is and just change my face.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be bnced.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, it is the best as long as you have a good face.¡±


    "I understand.¡±


    It was an easy request. It was simple to make a skin mask and there were many references for the legendary star¡¯s face. Besides, Vantner refused to wear a wig. There was no need to go to the trouble of doing the hair. The next day...


    ¡°Puhahahat!¡±


    The rugged, bald Leonardo with a hairy chest made the Overgeared members burst outughing.


    ¡°......¡±


    Blond.Where did you put Leonardo¡¯s blond hair?


    Vantner barely swallowed down these words and silently took off the skin mask. Since then, Guseha stayed in Reinhardt for a long time. It was because the Overgeared members came to him without a break to make requests.


    Unexpectedly, he wasn¡¯t tired. Rather, it was more fun than he expected. Thanks to the Overgeared members being able to somehow obtain materials that were difficult for ordinary people to get, he was able to carry out difficult production requests that he had never experienced before. Therefore, his skill experience rose sharply.

 Chapter 1433

    <h4>Chapter 1433</h4>


    The director of Inferno, Latvihi¡ªa bitter smile spread on the handsome face with impressive deep eyes.


    ¡°I have to give up.¡±


    Snot rolled down from his nose. It was the effect of the ¡®runny nose every time you speak¡¯ skin mask. The runny nose looked very funny with a serious expression, but Latvihi didn¡¯t mind. He was the heir of argepany and his ego was strong. In the virtual reality world, a little runny nose didn¡¯t reduce his value. He could show this appearance if he wanted.


    ¡°This ispensation for the failedmission.¡± Knight paid six times the down payment without a word. He boasted the highest fees in the mercenary industry so the penalty for a failed request was veryrge. Even so, he didn¡¯t have any regrets. The chances of seeding in the request went down to zero the moment the Heart of the Frost Queen entered Grid¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Both you and I feel sorry. Sniff.¡±


    ¡°It is my fault for thinking toote about the possibility of Guseha being Shift.¡±


    Things would be different if he had detected the Skin Maker¡¯s identity a few days earlier. The reason for the failure was that he only realized Guseha¡¯s suspiciousness when Guseha entered Reinhardt.


    ¡°You are too humble. I admire you for figuring out Guseha¡¯s identity with only meager information. I have confirmed that your reputation isn¡¯t a bluff, Knight. Sniff. I want to make more requests to you in the future. I hope you don¡¯t refuse.¡±


    The snot that hung from the runny nose...


    Knight tried not to be conscious of his client¡¯s runny nose and nodded. ¡°I owe you for this failed request, so I will pay you back. You can ask me to do anything as long as it doesn¡¯t involve the Overgeared Kingdom. Then I¡¯m going...¡±


    The hidden ss ¡®Death God¡¯ was close to an assassination ss, but Knight¡¯s imposing gait as he left was reminiscent of a knight like his ID. He was a talented man who had been at the top for many years and he was a friend liked by many.


    ¡®In Grid¡¯s case, it was very different from the family¡¯s discerning eye.¡¯


    Latvihi was thinking about the time when Pagma¡¯s Sessor first appeared when he reeled. He blew his nose before greeting the next guest. It was the ck magician, Purgis. He was one of the Yatan Servants after Rose suddenly disappeared one day.


    Currently, there were three yers who were the Yatan Servants. This meant that yers could be deeply involved in the operation of the Yatan Church. The situation where yers led the operations of the Yatan Church was helped by the system. For example, they benefited from the cash items. The Yatan Church was no longer closed off. The family judged that the current Yatan Church was a good ce to invest in.


    ¡°Is it true that you will leasend for us to build temples?¡± Purgis shook hands with Latvihi and asked with an uneasy expression. He seemed suspicious. It was natural to have doubts.


    The Yatan Church was the enemy of the public. It had always been the target of other forces. Even if the temples were built in as secret a ce as possible and the identity disguised, most temples would be discovered and destroyed within months or years. Therger the temple and the longer it remained, the more benefits that were gained. The Yatan Church only received material damage before it could receive any benefits.


    The biggest cause was the existence of mostnds having owners. The lords thoroughly managed and supervised their territory. They regrly searched their territory for the shadows of the Yatan Church. This was the will of each kingdom¡¯s government. No matter howzy or ipetent the lord, they wouldn¡¯t be able to turn a blind eye to the king¡¯s order to search for and destroy the Yatan Church.


    The Yatan Church was an object of vignce and disgust. The temples that the Yatan Church had managed to keep for more than 10 years were less than 10 and even those were built onnd without owners. However, temples couldn¡¯t only be built onnd without owners. It meant there were fewer people there. It was hard to gather the faithful or to receive offerings. There wasn¡¯t much value.


    Then they received a proposal that was tempting. It was a proposal to provide territory to build and operate a Yatan Church. It was even a proposal from Inferno, a globalpany.


    ¡°Why does yourpany want to sponsor our church? To be honest, I think it is just a trap.¡±


    Latvihi answered, ¡°Companies see profits and act. Sniff. We just judged that the Yatan Church could make us money.¡±


    ¡°Money... do you want to use our church to enter the underworld?¡±


    ¡°Haha, Inferno is an honest and hardworkingpany. We don¡¯t want a dirty connection from the Yatan Church. We want customers. They are hundreds of millions of customers.¡±


    Latvihiid out a map of the West Continent. There were 17 marks on the map that his runny nose dripped on.


    ¡°There are 16 small and medium sized cities and onerge city. We will help you build temples in these ces. Sniff. Of course, it should be disguised so it isn¡¯t a Yatan temple on the surface, but this is something you have always done. It should be easy, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    17 ces? Inferno owned 17 territories? Wasn¡¯t this on a national scale?


    ¡®I¡¯ve heard rumors aboutpanies nurturing or sponsoring rankers, but is it possible to expand their forces to this extent?¡¯ Purgis felt like he had been struck by lightning. He was surprised because he didn¡¯t know that there was a bigger force behind Inferno.


    ¡°Rent and taxes must be paid regrly and the ¡®offerings¡¯ must be obtained from outside the territory. Additionally, all equipment and consumables supplied to the believers will be purchased from merchant groups designated by us. If the Yatan Church follows these conditions, then the lords of the 17 cities will condone all the activities of the Yatan Church and protect them from external surveince.¡±


    ¡°Are there any other conditions? For example, we shouldn¡¯t perform great demon summoning ceremonies.¡±


    ¡°We have no intention of intervening in the doctrines or policies of the Yatan Church. We only hope that the Yatan Church will grow its power safely and be a bigger customer. Now, please read this.¡± Latvihi pushed over a thick contract. It was a contract without any toxic uses and was full of wee conditions for the Yatan Church. To be honest, it was doubtful if Inferno could even benefit from this.


    Purgis¡¯ body trembled with excitement. ¡°I will discuss it with the other servants and give you an answer. It won¡¯t be toote.¡±


    ¡°I am looking forward to a positive answer.¡±


    The answer arrived the next day. The deal between the Yatan Church and Inferno was naturally struck.


    Latvihi reported it to his family and showed a relieved expression, ¡°Yes, the Yatan Church has epted it. This means that Amoract isn¡¯t directly involved in the operations of the church. Yes, yes. The Heart of the Frost Queen... I think it is better that it is in the hands of Grid. Yes, I will keep in mind that the meteor is approaching. Everything is for Earth.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Good.¡± Grid carefully considered it before deciding not to waste Item Creation. The requirements for Jishuka¡¯s new bow were focused on no attributes and speed. He could make something good enough using the existing recipes. Item Creation was just a luxury from the moment he excluded effects like granting attributes, the hit rate, or range correction.


    ¡®It is great.¡¯


    There was a satisfied smile on Grid¡¯s face as he pulled the bowstring several times. It was a bow that was judged as legendary rated even though it didn¡¯t use high quality materials such as the breaths because it didn¡¯t require an attribute attached. The pure attack power reached the limit at the cost of abandoning additional effects such as hit rate correction.


    ¡®The Bow Saint¡¯s arrows will hit 100 out of 100 times anyway.¡¯


    Of course, it depended on the target, but... in the first ce, the concept of hit rate was meaningless for a target that couldn¡¯t be hit with a Bow Saint¡¯s skills. Avoiding the arrows of the Bow Saint meant they were already in the realm of transcendence or an opponent with a power.


    The pulling of the string gradually increased. Considering the time it took to load an arrow, it was at a level where two arrows per second were fired. Of course, this was Grid¡¯s standard. Jishuka could shoot two or three times as many arrows. The downside was that the distance was short because it was a short bow. However, Jishuka had the Red Phoenix Bow. She could use the Red Phoenix Bow for long-ranged shooting.


    ¡®I¡¯ll make another no attributes longbow when good materialse inter.¡¯


    He searched the exchange as well as the guild¡¯s warehouse, but there were no materials he liked. The demand for weapons called bows was so high that it was amon phenomenon.


    -Jishuka.


    Grid gathered up his courage and sent a whisper to Jishuka.


    -Yes?What is it?


    Fortunately, Jishuka¡¯s voice was as bright as it used to be. The deeply relieved Grid shared the description of the newly created bow.


    -I made a new one.Use it as a secondary weapon.


    -Wow, what is this?It has more attack power than the Red Phoenix Bow?There is also quick firing?


    -Isn¡¯t this what you need now?


    -Yes!Thank you!How much is it?


    -It is a gift so just use it.It didn¡¯t cost me money because it was made using materials from the guild warehouse anyway.


    -Yes~ I understand.I will repay you next time.


    ¡°I¡¯m d she is more energetic than I thought.¡±


    She was like the sun. Was this how nts felt after photosynthesis? Grid felt good after hearing Jishuka¡¯s bright voice for the first time in ages and paused in his hammering. Obora¡¯s spiney on the anvil. The shape was quite sharp thanks to Grid forge welding and forging it in his spare time. It was getting to the point where it could be called a sword.¡¯


    ¡®It would be great if this has a unique rating.¡¯


    Then he could use Item Upgrade to make it legendary rated. It was enough if the Backbone Sword¡¯s rating was legendary. The Backbone Sword was a phantom sword. It was intended to deceive rather than directly kill the enemy so it was fine for it to have a slightly lower attack power. If transformed into Greed then the attack power would be covered to a certain extent.


    ¡®I have to give up on my greed.¡¯


    There was a high possibility of uncontroble situations if he repeatedly tried the forge welding in an attempt to get a higher rating and attack power. It was because a possibility of failure existed in all the processes of smelting the bones, forge welding them and forging them. Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique was virtually a myth rating and there was almost no possibility of failure, but the more he did the forge welding, the more Grid¡¯s insight and dexterity sent him warnings.


    ¡®Every time I seed in forge welding, the probability of failure for the next one increases. It is dangerous.¡¯


    Grid secretly checked the bone powder piled up around the anvil. The next two smelts were the limit for Obora¡¯s spine being forged without damaging it. It was better not to exceed four forge welds. Grid didn¡¯t pay attention to his concentration. He naturally entered the state of self-transcendence. The cksmith¡¯s Breath came from his mouth and his fatigued muscles stopped cramping in response to cksmith¡¯s Patience.


    A concentration that wouldn¡¯t shake even if the world was destroyed took over his body.


    Ttaang-!


    A clear hammering sound filled the smithy and extended to the outside. Mercedes, who was guarding the entrance, could tell that His Majesty¡¯s hard work was finally over.


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s divine object has appeared.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [All stats of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s believers will permanently increase by 10 and the penalties incurred when wearing items will be slightly reduced.]


    Objects that symbolized a god were rare. Just look at Reba¡¯s divine objects which included Raphael¡¯s Spear and the others of the three artifacts, the First Holy Sword, and the Source of Light that it was said she handled personally. However, it wasn¡¯t long after Grid became a god and he was increasing the number of divine objects at a frightening pace. For the Overgeared God Church members, it was a blessing and a miracle, while it was a scam in the eyes of outsiders.


    -Is there still no Overgeared God Church coin to milk the cash cows? ??


    -Why don¡¯t you believe in the Overgeared God?Why don¡¯t we believe in the Overgeared God?


    -On.ly God Gr.id.


    On the Inte, the joys and sorrows of those who belonged to the Overgeared God Church and those who didn¡¯t belong to it were mixed.

 Chapter 1434

    <h4>Chapter 1434</h4>


    [A myth rated item is produced, permanently increasing all stats by 30!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by 1,000.]


    [The faith of the Overgeared God Church followers and all the cksmiths in the world has deepened.]


    ¡°......!¡± Grid awakened from his submerged consciousness and screamed soundlessly. The muscles throughout his body were strained and both wrists were swollen. He reflexively wanted to drink a potion, but his shoulders wouldn¡¯t rise.


    ¡®An experience like this... it is my first time in years.¡¯


    Once he fell into a trance, the sensation that kept his body safe¡ªpain¡ªwas removed. He was obsessed with the results in front of him until his stamina was consumed and he couldn¡¯t even move his fingers. The level 300 Grid suffered from extreme fatigue every time he experienced the self-transcendence state. Then it became fine after entering level 400. His physical fitness was so good that he finished the item before bing exhausted.


    Now he was in this shape. He even suffered fractures to both hands. Just how hard did he swing his hammer? This was the first time this had happened.


    ¡®I think I hammered it at an angle that strained my muscles and bones.¡¯


    In other words, the difficulty of the Backbone Sword was very high. It wasn¡¯t possible to use ordinary methods to join Obora¡¯s spine together without damaging it.


    ¡°Later, mes might burst out making an item...¡±


    Was there a cksmith who exploded the smithy and lost his life every time he made an item? No one would believe it.


    Grid summoned Overgeared Corn and shook his hands to warm them up. The fractures were recovering in real time. Grid¡¯s recovery power wasn¡¯t much different from a boss monster. Overgeared Corn licked Grid¡¯s cheek and red his nostrils. He was angry that he had to lick a dirty man¡¯s cheek instead of a beautiful maiden¡¯s. This was a separate instinct from liking. Overgeared Corn had some faith in Grid, but physiologically loathed him.


    Overgeared Corn¡¯s blew air from his mouth even more fiercely. His eyes were about to be turned inside out. Based on the bubbles, he was about to vomit. The wings started to p due to agitation and the Backbone Sword on the anvil shook. The 30 joints moved. It was a small and subtle movement, but it was enough to prove the possibilities of the Backbone Sword to Grid.


    The Backbone Sword started to appear in Grid¡¯s head. Countless changes¡ªthe Backbone Sword that shook due to Overgeared Corn showed its infinite potential with just one move.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart rate elerated. An object of admiration that he wasn¡¯t sure he would reach no matter how strong he was. It was because he imagined himself showing some of Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship, even if forced (through items).


    ¡®Kraugel will be surprised.¡¯


    Motions made possible only with natural senses¡ªKraugel¡¯s swordsmanship that was based on unimaginable movements went beyond the concept of technique. It was strange and beautiful. There were many martial artists who became famous while honing their martial arts who would call Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship an art.


    Now Grid could imitate that art. The Backbone Sword was telling him that it would surely be like that. Confidence was instilled in Grid with just one move.


    -Cheeky neer.


    Was it jealous of the way Grid interacted with the Backbone Sword? The Fire Dragon Sword opened its mouth after a long time and its voice was cold. If it had a tongue, then it would¡¯ve clicked it.


    ¡°It is your younger sibling, so be nice to it.¡±


    -Our sources are different? How can you call it my younger sibling?


    The Fire Dragon Sword was made from the fire stone and Greed. The Backbone Sword also used Greed, but it was only the handle part. The Fire Dragon Sword seemed to feel that the Backbone Sword, made from the spine of a great demon, was very low level.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t this cold toward the Falling Moon Sword...¡¯


    Could it only acknowledge the moon night iron, not Greed? Grid held the Backbone Sword and brought up its details.


    [Formless Sword]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: 1,100/1,100 Attack Power: 2,790


    ¡ï Changes form for every attack.


    ¡ï Every time the form changes, the evasion of the attack target will decrease greatly and weaknesses will be exposed.


    ¡ï For a general attack, two consecutive strikes must ur unconditionally.


    -Connect a stab with a cutting attack.


    -Connect a cut with a stabbing attack.


    ¡ï Once fivebos are achieved, it will cause the target of eachbo to receive an abnormal status. There is a very low probability of a ¡®blind spot attack.¡¯


    ¡ï Once 12bos are achieved, a ¡®blind spot attack¡¯ will ur with every attack.


    A sword containing the ideals of Overgeared God Grid.


    It is made from the spine of the 22nd Great Demon, Obora. 30 joints are retained, allowing for countless changes in the form and length. It is called ¡®formless¡¯ because the original appearance isn¡¯t known.


    * The nature of the bone de means it is likely to be damaged. Every time an attack hits, the durability is decreased.


    Weight: 900


    Conditions of Use: Grid]


    ¡®It is formless because it is obviously made from Obora¡¯s spine, but it is hard to tell what it is.¡¯


    Indeed, the other person wouldn¡¯t be able to know. Grid frowned at the name and swung the Formless Sword. The length of the Formless Sword increased as it targeted the ce where Grid¡¯s gaze was directed. The maximum length was three meters. It was longer than a spear.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Grid curled up his lips like it was interesting and retrieved the Formless Sword. The sword that was pulled back to one meter stretched back out again like a whip. This... Grid was also likely to have reacted one stepte to it. At the very least, he had to activate the world of transcendence to react to it. That was how anomalous it was.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    In fact, it was necessary to have careful control due to the transformation of the form. It was a groundless fear. It was easy if it was used as a whip. Theck of a guard helped to control the distance more freely.


    ¡®The low attack power can be covered by thebos.¡¯


    Durability issues could be resolved with his repair skills. If it wasbined with the blind spot attack at the right timing, then it would have a very strong effect.


    ¡®It is more than I expected.¡¯


    He was convinced about why it was judged as a myth rating. The interested Grid swung the Formless Sword without a break. Every swing, the Formless Sword bent like a whip, stretched out like a spear, sharpened like a knife, or repeatedly moved in diagonals or circles. The scene of it freely wandering through the gaps in items in the smithy was like a small dragon.


    -It is more like an earthworm than a dragon.


    ¡°Haha.¡±No matter how noisy the Fire Dragon Sword, the smile on Grid¡¯s face widened. After a few minutes of excited swinging, he noticed that the dexterity stat was moving the movements of the Formless Sword shine even more.


    ¡®I¡¯m so happy.¡¯


    The cycle of adding a new sword was gradually bing shorter. It felt like he was getting stronger.


    ¡®Once I rescue Hexetia one day...¡¯


    He would use Hexetia¡¯s help to make the Formless Sword with Greed. Of course, the Greed he would use at that time would be its upgraded form, Gravurnium.


    ¡®Then I will overturn Heaven and hell.¡¯


    There was no ending in MMORPGs. Even if the story of the world was finished, the world would remain and the future story would be created by the yers themselves. Grid hoped the day woulde soon. After exterminating all the beings who threatened what he had achieved, he wanted to enjoy peace and the world in a rxed manner.


    Grid¡¯s dream of running a small smithy after retirement remained. He would do only what he wanted to do, listen to what he wanted to hear, and look at what he wanted to see. Sometimes, he would feel rewarded by helping newbies.


    ¡®Hmm...¡¯ He imagined the faces of the newbies who would be shocked to buy items he made without knowing who he was. Grid smiled and left the smithy.


    "You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Mercedes and dozens of royal guards opened the way and held a military ceremony. He wondered why everyone was gathered. The crowd around him was no joke. It seemed the yers who saw the world message about the Overgeared God¡¯s divine object rushed to watch him.


    ¡°Brother Grid is handsome!¡±


    ¡°Please show the personal information so I can post it on social media!¡±


    ¡°God Grid, I¡¯m dying!!¡±


    There were people cheering. They really wanted to see the divine object, but Grid just smiled and waved. To be honest, he wanted to show off the Formless Sword. However, the characteristics of the Formless Sword meant it was necessary to keep it a secret weapon as much as possible.


    ¡®If it was Vantner, then he would¡¯ve boasted without thinking about it.¡¯


    Sometimes, Grid envied Vantner.


    ***


    ¡°We found out who hired Knight to find the Heart of the Frost Queen.¡±


    Was it a nightmare?


    ¡°Lion is 3rd on the merchant rankings. He is one of the divine merchants of the business world called one of the Five Great Merchants and he is based in the south.¡±


    Or was he seeing things wrong? The back of Lauel¡¯s hand that was covering half his face was surrounded by ck mes...


    Grid stared nkly and opened his mouth with difficulty, ¡°...ck fire dragon?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, Your Majesty recognizes it. It is karma from my past life that I can never shake off.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What were these wings...


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine when he learned that the power of the skin maker was beyond imagination. It was obvious that Lauel¡¯s chuuni disease, which had barely been healing, had be worse than before. Grid decided to think positively. ¡®This is how Lauel enjoys the game. My eyes and ears are going to rot, but... let¡¯s understand it.¡¯


    ¡°Getting back to the point, there is a very good chance there is another force behind Lion. Considering the value of the Heart of the Frost Queen, themission fee required by Knight should be quite high. It isn¡¯t an amount that Lion can afford as an individual. Even if he is one of the Five Great Merchants, his financial resources are still far from enoughpared to Kir in his prime. Cough, cough.¡±


    ¡°Lauel!¡± Grid was startled because Lauel suddenly coughed up blood. Poison? Shouldn¡¯t Lauel be pretty resistant to poison due to the blessing of the poison master?


    Lauel waved his hand as Grid pulled out an antidote. ¡°Genius is short-lived. It isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved with medicine.¡±


    ¡°Crazy... this guy...¡± Grid frowned with disgust when he realized that Lauel¡¯s blood was a concept.


    Regardless, Lauel continued his exnation. The key was that there was a huge force behind the Lion merchant group. It was highly likely that they were the same force that sponsored various groups such as the revolutionary group. Grid heard this and expressed his doubts, ¡°The probability that they are the same force is high? I¡¯m not convinced?¡±


    The groups listed by Lauel¡ªthe groups supposedly supported by the same force had no contact ormon ground. Even the tendencies were different. There were terrorists, politicians, religious groups, and demon worshippers.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it aw that investment should have a purpose?¡± Grid wondered. There was no purpose at all. It felt like they were just randomly scattering money.


    ¡°Ah... Is it to deepen the war by investing in various opposing groups?¡±


    War could be a business for someone. Therefore, Grid was deeply wary of the unidentified force. Yet unexpectedly, Lauel interpreted it differently.


    ¡°Based on the surface, your guess is reasonable, but... my opinion is a bit different. I think it is intended to deter war. It is like taming hungry predators with livestock.¡±


    The reason why the revolutionaries who had been hunting hidden sses calmed down recently was because theints had faded. Lauel monitored them and saw that their equipment had upgraded several times more than before and thanks to this, they lost interest in the revolution and focused on hunting and raiding.


    It could be seen from this that the revolution of the revolutionaries was just a shell. The force that supported the revolutionaries didn¡¯t instigate the revolutionaries. It meant that they might have supported the revolution, but they didn¡¯t force it. Thus, the revolutionaries ended up like this.


    ¡°It is like they are investing in potential yers and wanting them to grow... this is my opinion.¡±


    ¡°What is this... daddy long legs?¡±


    ¡°It is an appropriate analogy. Of course, I¡¯m not certain about this. Faker is still suspicious and ns to investigate thoroughly in the future, so we will keep an eye on it. Cough, cough.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Grid became tired quickly when he saw Lauel coughing up blood again.


    Grid left Mercedes with the messengers who were preparing for the Hell Gao expedition and moved to the East Continent. It was time to check if Blue Tiger, the n of the old gods, and the people of the old gods were doing well. There was something Grid didn¡¯t know. It was that Lauel was rapidly gaining affinity with the evil eyes king after gaining the skin mask.


    ¡°Grid!¡± Fortunately, Blue Tiger was doing well. She also said she was dating Tosun.


    Today, Grid¡¯s mind was confused in many ways.

 Chapter 1435

    <h4>Chapter 1435</h4>


    ¡°Now, eat it. I mixed honey with garlic seasoning.¡±


    ¡°Delicious.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A tiger enjoyed the carrot sd made by a rabbit.


    Grid had no intention of tackling the fact that a rabbit was cooking. Tosun was special among the people of the old gods. The Twelve Zodiacs¡ªthey were the subjects who personally served the old gods. Tosun had intelligence, was bipedal, and knew how to handle tools. The physique was simr to that of humans. What was the big deal about cooking?


    He was also convinced by the sight of a tiger eating carrots. It was because Blue Tiger was the child of the white tiger. Yes, a half-god. She was more than twice as big as an ordinary tiger, but she didn¡¯t insist on eating meat. However, Grid was confused. He naturally couldn¡¯t ept the appearance of Tosun and Blue Tiger, both who were openly engaging in affection.


    Even if Tosun wasn¡¯t a normal rabbit and Blue Tiger wasn¡¯t an ordinary tiger, weren¡¯t they still a rabbit and tiger? No, they had alreadye too far to discuss the issue of species. Blue Tiger was a half-god. The problem of species couldn¡¯t be solved even if Blue Tiger dated a tiger, not a rabbit.


    There was a simpler problem.


    ¡°At least get the gender right. Can¡¯t you turn into a man?¡±


    Grid took a bite of the carrot sd served by Tosun and finally pointed out the problem. Blue Tiger had be human to sit at the table and talk to Grid face to face and she was a slim beauty. Tosun was also a female...


    Blue Tiger exined with a bitter smile, ¡°It isn¡¯t a good thing to be born a child of god. We are lonely and easily exposed to danger. I can¡¯t give birth to a child.¡±


    Grid had Pagma¡¯s memory and recalled Blue Tiger being treated as a dog by the yangbans, so he had a vague understanding of Blue Tiger¡¯s mood.


    ¡°tonic love...¡±


    ¡°Kiss.¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    Just because they had the same gender didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t have a physical connection. Grid seemed to hear the voice of a minority group asking him to respect diversity when he saw Tosun and Blue Tiger kissing. Then he picked up another carrot.


    ¡®No matter what, it is good as long as they are happy.¡¯


    Grid smiled and quietly looked around the surroundings. The forest that had been turned into ruins by the yangban, Garam. The territory of the old god that made him think of the word ¡®destruction¡¯ had beenpletely recovered. Tosun and Blue Tiger worked together to restore thend and their feelings toward each other developed in the process of suffering.


    Grid was thinking about it when Blue Tiger poked the forearm of Grid who was drinking cold tea. ¡°It used to be just hard as steel. Now it is more stic.¡±


    ¡°Is it like the muscles of a tiger?¡±


    ¡°Aheung.¡±


    Grid¡¯s body as he built up transcendence and divinity had experienced a dazzling development. The muscles that gained sticity and durability easily added strength to the evolved skeleton. He was able to explode powerful forces in an instant and the range of motion of his body had increased. It wasparable to a predator.


    ¡®It is amazing to think about how these muscles were messed up.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of the side effects of making the Formless Sword when Blue Tiger asked Grid a question with a smile, ¡°Did youe from the west just to see us?¡±


    "Yes. Why?¡±


    ¡°Hung hung heh.¡±


    "What? Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, you mean that you missed us. I¡¯m d. Sure enough, the god of virtue is very gentle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the god of virtue now...¡± He had never been the god of virtue in the first ce. Tosun was the only one who called him that. He was called the god of virtue for the first time in ages so the name Overgeared God, which he liked, felt even more wonderful.


    ¡°Benefactor! You came, ong!¡±


    ¡°God of virtue, om!¡±


    ¡°Moooooo!!¡±


    Kyeongja, Banguli, ck Cow, etc. The Twelve Zodiacs who lost their god and became ghosts of the forgottennd. They were saved by Grid and came running btedly after hearing the news that he came


    ¡°I missed you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy you came again!¡±


    ¡°Moooooo!!¡±


    ¡°W-Wait! Calm down!¡±


    Grid screamed as he was pushed to the ground by the sudden attack of the Twelve Zodiacs. He was smiling with delight when he saw that the clothes and armor of the Twelve Zodiacs were covered in dirt and sweat. He got a glimpse of how hard they must¡¯ve lived. Still, this smell was a bit...


    Grid barely escaped from the Twelve Zodiacs, who were persistently rubbing their bodies against him, and rolled up his sleeves.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make you some new clothes while I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare alcohol and food.¡±


    ¡°Moooooo!!¡±


    Grid had a realization among the chattering Twelve Zodiacs members. Their smiles and the fact that they had found their lives. He felt great.


    ***


    Snore.Grrrr.


    Deep in the night. The Twelve Zodiacs and people of the old gods were drunk and fell deeply asleep. Perhaps he didn¡¯t want to wake them up, so he used a subtle light to illuminate his field of view. The shining light. It was the light emitted by the light elemental that judged and acted on its own to help Grid. The 10 God Hands held Mjolnir and swords as they broke rocks and branches on the path, cutting them and helping Grid move them easily.


    ¡°......¡±


    Inside the forest, Grid stood in front of theke shining with moonlight and savored the word ¡®peace.¡¯ The Hwan Kingdom, the expelled gods, hell and the great demons, and the gods from Asgard¡ªthe more he savored the value of peace, the more he felt the flood of enemies threatening the peace.


    Thinking about it a few times, it was good to see the ending quickly. Mir¡¯s presence emerged in the mind of the confident Grid. Mir, the owner of the Blue Dragon Dao¡ªhe was the existence that Hanul designed to face against the archangels. He was a strong man with a strength that rivaled the great demons.


    Grid felt the need to fight him. Could he break through the lightning that he couldn¡¯t respond to properly a few months ago to reach Mir and hurt him? Additionally, could he do it without Kraugel¡¯s help?


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to kill him, but I have to pose a threat.¡¯


    Mir was the most important figure in the present time. It was only by defeating Mir that the white tiger and blue dragon would be liberated, and the forgotten myths of the East Continentpletely recovered. He was very powerful and was suitable to be used as a ¡®standard.¡¯ It was just as Garam was once his measure of strength.


    ¡®I can break through the 20th Hell once I reach a level where I can threaten Mir.¡¯


    How huge was the existence of the ck Knight guarding Dog¡¯s Mouth? Grid didn¡¯t notice it when standing face to face. It was only when he took a step away and looked back objectively that he could truly feel the ck Knight¡¯s size. Even if the messengers raided Hell Gao and eliminated the penalty in hell, he couldn¡¯t expect them to overpower the ck Knight. The assistance of the myth rated cerberus couldn¡¯t be underestimated and it yed an important role. Once they fought, Sariel would certainly go berserk, so Sariel had to be excluded from thebat power.


    ¡®My role is important.¡¯


    He needed to fight Mir and check his skills. It had to be Mir. Grid was making this judgment and asked the personing from behind him, ¡°Is there any way to break the Magpie Bridge?¡±


    The Kaya Kingdom and Pa Kingdom were connected by the Magpie Bridge. Both were under Mir¡¯s influence. Destroying the Magpie Bridge was the most fundamental solution to the situation in the East Continent.


    ¡°The Magpie Bridge... it is a bridge built at the expense of tens of thousands of crows and magpies. The concept of breaking the phenomenon caused by unified souls isn¡¯tmon.¡±


    The one who wasing was Blue Tiger. One step, another step. As she approached, she gradually changed from a human to a tiger.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up on liberating God White Tiger and God Blue Dragon? Aheung... I think it is right to give up. It is hard to say this... Kaya was cursed by God Blue Dragon and was covered with ice, so many people died and disappeared. Meanwhile, the Pa Kingdom has always been a small kingdom. Few people will be saved even if you liberate the two gods.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Grid, this continent is virtually at peace thanks to your resurrection of God Red Phoenix and God ck Tortoise. This is what I think... Aheung...¡±


    ¡°How is it peace when you are trapped in fear for the rest of your life?¡± The people of the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom couldn¡¯t step out of their kingdoms. The moment they left the protection of the red phoenix and ck tortoise, they would be captured by the Hwan Kingdom and taken to Kaya or Pa. They once again forgot the old gods they had regained and turned into puppets praising the false myths of the yangbans. ¡°Additionally, you want to see your father.¡±


    ¡°Grid...¡± Blue Tiger¡¯srge eyes were wet.


    Grid tapped her forehead with the ¡®King¡¯ character engraved on it. ¡°I just want to do what I can. Then in the future, you can do what you want. That will do.¡±


    It was a terrible arrogance to believe that personal power could never be destroyed. As long as Satisfy didn¡¯t have an ending, there would surely be an era ¡®without Grid.¡¯ Grid wasn¡¯t too worried or thoroughly trying to prepare for that time, but he had a wish that his actions today would have a positive impact on the future.


    Who knew? Sooner orter, the Overgeared members would get married in reality, have children, and their children would get in touch with Satisfy. Existences like Blue Tiger would be their solid backing. Of course, he didn¡¯t necessarily want a reward for helping people. He was aiming for his actions to lead to a virtuous circle.


    Grid opened his mouth, ¡°I want to leave this with you for the time being.¡±


    ¡°This...?¡±


    ¡°It is the Heart of the Frost Queen. I have a ce I need to go to. It will be embarrassing if I lose it there. Please protect it for a few hours.¡±


    There was a high probability of dying if he fought Mir. It was crazy to go with the Heart of the Frost Queen to meet Mir. Blue Tiger and the Twelve Zodiacs had the power to protect the Heart of the Frost Queen. They had regained some of their myths and had be incredibly strong over the past few years. This was also a ce out of reach of the influence of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°Aheung... This is somehow... it resembles the curse of God Blue Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there isn¡¯t a connection. The Frost Queen is the ruler of an istednd in the West Continent. There would be no contact with the East Continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡± Grid left the forest. The moment he left the protection of the old gods, he felt a sticky gaze, but it was only for a moment. The ¡®ponds¡¯ of the Hwan Kingdom that monitored the ground couldn¡¯t follow Grid¡¯s rapid and secretive movements unless a god was watching it. Of course, chores like surveince were taken care of by the yangbans.


    Grid was able to enter Kaya safely without any interference. Just then¡ª


    [The powerful sword of the Sword Saint has separated the world!!!]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision tilted at an angle. The desert he stepped on copsed and sand fell like a waterfall down the dark underground.


    [The earth god Garion has exerted his power. Everything split in half is restored.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The sight he saw just now was like a dream. The desert that had shook like crazy and copsed was restored again. Grid burst outughing at the following world message.


    [Sword Saint ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has killed a half-god.]


    ¡®Is he still doing this here?¡¯


    If Kraugel had stayed and fought in Kaya since that time...


    Aside from the level, it was highly likely that the White Tiger Sword had grown to almost a myth rating. He might¡¯ve built up divinity after killing a half-god several times. Grid¡¯s tension that was taut every time he thought about the strong enemies he would have to face in the future rxed. He even felt relieved. That¡¯s right. Kraugel was one of the people Grid trusted and depended on most. The yearning he had for the sky above the sky that would never fade away...


    Tang tang tang!


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was lost in the memory of Kraugel in the past only for his expression to stiffen. It was because a man with blood all over his body flew from somewhere and rolled around several times before stopping at Grid¡¯s foot. It was Kraugel...


    "K-Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°...You recognized the wrong person.¡±

 Chapter 1436

    <h4>Chapter 1436</h4>


    The rtionship between Kraugel and the yangbans slowly reversed. Now, Kraugel wasn¡¯t the prey busy escaping. He was a seasoned predator who held his breath as he watched the yangbans searching the desert and canyons for him before ambushing them in reverse. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy to kill the yangbans.


    The problem was that even if his surprise attack seeded, it took quite a while to deal enough damage to ¡®kill.¡¯ The yangbans were half-gods. Every single one of them was named. They had tens of times more health and higher stats than Kraugel, so it was impossible for them to die easily.


    Breathtaking situations had urred several times over the past year where the yangban had run away before Kraugel could kill them, or the yangban was rescued by his colleagues and Kraugel barely survived by fleeing. Still, it wasn¡¯t always the same. There were often lucky days.


    Today was that type of day. His super sensitivity stat was especially effective today after it had risen by four in return for being killed by Mir a few days ago. In this case, was it because they didn¡¯t have the ability to learn beyond their arrogance, or was it because Kraugelunched a surprise attack on one of the three yangbans who were searching the canyon and the weakness and critical hits burst out in a row?


    Kraugel had been nning to retreat after moderately increasing the experience of the White Tiger Sword, but he changed his mind. He poured out skills to link thebo even after seeing the other yangbans running at the screams. His calctions were perfect.


    ¡°Groan!¡±


    Every yangban was strong. However, there were only seven yangbans who had built up their divinity. Apart from them, the rest of the yangbans couldn¡¯t handle Kraugel one-on-one. After a series of frantic cuts, the yangban that was hit by the Space Sword turned to gray ash.


    [The half-god has been defeated.]


    [Once again, you¡¯ve made a remarkable achievement.]


    [You have be the protagonist of the ¡®Humiliation at Kaya¡¯ myth.]


    [In the future, when fighting against half-gods or gods, all stats will increase by 10% and the power of your sword techniques will increase by an additional 20%.]


    [You understand the concepts of ¡®legend,¡¯ ¡®transcendence,¡¯ and ¡®status,¡¯ and you are in the harmonious ¡®heart, body, and skill¡¯ state.]


    [The transcendence that has been suppressed due to ack of opportunity is blossoming.]


    [......!]


    [......!!]


    [!!!]


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...?¡±


    It was a series of amazing rewards. Despite the urgent situation, the thrilled Kraugel became flustered. It was due to the notification windows that only repeated the exmation points. An error? It couldn¡¯t be...


    Crash! Kraugel moved his sword to the side and the yangban¡¯s formless will collided with the de and dispersed. The yangbans who arrived at the scene shouted. ¡°Kraugel!¡±


    The name Kraugel was now clearly imprinted on the yangbans. The one with the power of the former Sword Saint whom Mir acknowledged but who never showed a single one of the matchless skills¡ªhe was insignificant prey, the same human being.


    The incarnation of talent who seemed a match for ten thousand enemies, he transcended humans without the matchless skills, murdering half-gods with his sword. He wasn¡¯t in themon sense... Pungsa and Usa had personally pointed out that he was ¡®dangerous.¡¯


    Today, another colleague was killed. They didn¡¯t intend to mourn the death of a colleague. However, they were aware and alert to the fact that they could die. This man must be eliminated. Even if he was a legend that didn¡¯t die due to the power of the oral traditions that were immortalized, he would eventually weaken and disappear if he was killed again and again.


    The yangbans attacked Kraugel fiercely. They put down their honor and self-esteem and did their best to cooperate. Kraugel had just killed a yangban and most of his skills were on cooldown, so it was hard for him to find the opportunity to counterattack. He saved his life by using thorough defense tactics such as blocking attacks, avoiding attacks, and buying time with grappling techniques.


    ¡°A person called the Sword Saint is using the sword as a decoration!¡±


    The yangban mocked Kraugel who ran away instead of staying to fight. Their faces were red, but the provocation didn¡¯t work. Kraugel was silent as he observed the sensations in his body.


    ¡®I need a bit more time to adjust.¡¯


    His body had changed. To be exact, his stats had changed. It was the aftermath of his stats rising and gaining new passive skills as the protagonist of a myth and a transcendent. It was a pretty abrupt change from Kraugel¡¯s position when he believed that the super sensitivity stat was the superior concept of a transcendent¡¯s senses. Additionally, the system was strange. Rather than listing the newly acquired abilities and skills, only the exmation marks were still being used.


    Kraugel needed time to identify and adapt to the changes. He wanted to urately control himself rather than blindly leaving his body to his strength and speed while wielding the sword. This was the only way he could win.


    ¡°You are like a rat!¡±


    The faces of the yangbans turned redder. It was enough to question if they would die of a brain hemorrhage. Kraugel used Sword Curtain to block the sharp wind. Then he turned his chin and used the sheath to guard against the sword before using jajinmori.


    The yangban let out a weak groan as his body flew far away. The reason his expression distorted wasn¡¯t due to the pain. His one-edged sword¡ªhe was robbed of his weapon. It was impossible for yangbans to have the awareness of warriors, but he understood how humiliating it was to be deprived of his weapon.


    [¡¯Snatch the Sword¡¯ has seeded and you¡¯ve sessfully got your hands on the ¡®Yangban¡¯s Zhanmadao¡¯.] [1]


    In response to the movement of the rotating sheath, the sword that flew into the air fell precisely into Kraugel¡¯s hand. The duration of Snatch the Sword was five seconds. It would fall from his hand after five seconds. This was never a short time given that he could interfere with enemies trying to retrieve the weapons. In an ordinary battle, the entire battle would¡¯ve been overturned.


    However, the opponent was a yangban. It made no difference if the yangbans had weapons or not. Weren¡¯t they proficient in all martial arts? No. Rather, it was because the depth of all the martial arts was shallow. The yangbans were powerful only due to their innate physical ability and the power of the four gods, not because of their skills. Of course, there were exceptions like Mir.


    ¡°Youuuu!¡± The yangban who had his weapon robbed came rushing with the aura of the blue dragon. The lighting disturbed the desert sand and caused a storm. Meanwhile, the other yangban acted covertly. He appeared behind Kraugel without a sound and stabbed his sword. Kraugel defended against the attack of the yangban and swung the White Tiger Sword in his right hand.


    Increased stats and new skills¡ªhe had finally urately identified and adapted to the changes caused by these.


    Kraugel¡¯s sword moved lightly. The movements were smaller than before, but he was more powerful than ever before.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± The dopo of the yangban who had his attack deflected and was counterattacked became covered in blood. Kraugel retrieved his sword and turned backwards. The de of the yangban who approached with the energy of the blue dragon faced the transparent de of the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The eyes of the yangban widened as he thought he was going to smash Kraugel¡¯s sword and head. It was a sword with medium thickness, but it was as transparent as ss, making it look fragile. The yangban thought it would break easily, but not only did it stop the blue dragon¡¯s energy, it also damaged his skin, flesh, and bones...!


    ¡°Kuaaaaaack!¡±The yangban screamed as his hand was cut off.


    It might be different if he was a yangban who had umted divinity, but it was the worst thing for the body to be damaged when the red phoenix had been unsealed. He was pulling up the feeble amount of red phoenix energy left to somehow try and regenerate the wound when hispanion grabbed at the back of his neck. Thanks to him, Kraugel¡¯s sword just cut through air.


    The yangban who saved his colleague spoke while increasing the power of his lightning, ¡°It is more than I heard in the rumors.¡±


    They knew in advance that Kraugel¡¯s sword contained the energy of the white tiger, but they never heard it was this powerful. Wasn¡¯t it right to describe it as a divine object rather than a normal sword? Moreover, Kraugel¡¯s potential was more than imagined. Of course, the result wouldn¡¯t change. Kraugel had a limit. He did well for a while, but his weariness was high and his wounds noticeably increased.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish it quickly.¡±


    The two yangbans simultaneously invoked the aura of the blue dragon and the white tiger. It was fairly burdensome for them who had failed to umte divinity. They weren¡¯t confident about controlling this explosive force. However, they knew that drawing things out wouldn¡¯t lead to good results. The passing of the sword and one-edged sword increased the wounds on Kraugel¡¯s body. Nevertheless, Kraugel¡¯s resistance was fierce. His sword skills finished their cooldown and he unleashed them one by one.


    ¡°Groan...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop and push forward!¡±


    The bleeding of the yangban who lost his hand was severe. The one-edged sword he wielded gradually became dull. He felt scared when he noticed that Kraugel¡¯s sword skills persistently seeking him out had be iparably powerful. This fear turned into anger. Me.I am afraid of a human when I qualify to be a god?


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    ng!


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was tricky to deal with opponents who were ready to die. Kraugel¡¯s momentum weakened as the man who lost his hand started attacking without caring about his body.


    ¡®It will be hard to survive.¡¯


    There was no choice but to aim for mutual destruction. The best thing he could do now was to take even one person with him to the underworld. Kraugel knew this and hesitated. His fear of dropping the White Tiger Sword shook him. He never thought he would be afraid of death because he didn¡¯t want to lose an item. Kraugel felt strange about himself and smiled bitterly.


    His shoulder dropped as a sword pierced his chest. He squeezed the de with his bare hands so that the enemy couldn¡¯t take it back. His hands weren¡¯t cut off due to this body that had ¡®Sword Immunity,¡¯ but the pain was vivid and blood flowed. As he released the de and bent down, the sword stuck in his shoulder broke his corbone, cut through, and soared into the air.


    The immobilized sword suddenly soared upward and the flustered yangban lost his bnce for a moment. Kraugel shoved the White Tiger Sword into his heart. The heavy one-edged sword that stabbed Kraugel¡¯s side made him dizzy, but he persisted.


    ¡°This...! This terrible guy!¡±


    The yangban was stricken by the sight of Kraugel stabbing the sword in the heart of his colleague while one arm was cut by the sword and his intestines were pouring out due to the zhanmadao cutting his waist. In his eyes, Kraugel wasn¡¯t the Sword Saint, but a sword demon.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    The notification window that only disyed exmation points finally changed to a sentence. The content wasn¡¯t very wee, but Kraugel didn¡¯t waver. He boldly epted theing death and deployed hisst sword energy. He heard a howling auditory hallucination from the ¡®Matchless Swordsmanship¡¯ that was kept in his inventory, but he turned away from it and aimed his sword technique at the heart of the yangban.


    The yangban didn¡¯t die. He survived in a breathtaking manner. The damage wascking. He wanted to take one with him, but he failed. Still, Kraugel didn¡¯t regret it. His body was damaged, so there was less strength at his fingertips. The reason for not killing the yangban wasn¡¯t because his swordsmanship was too weak.


    Look. The system recognized it.


    [No signs of the Matchless Swordsmanship have been found in any of your achievements since bing a Sword Saint.]


    [Nevertheless, you killed six half-gods and became the protagonist of a myth.]


    [It has been judged that the skills you have been using and the sword techniques you have created have the potential to surpass the Matchless Swordsmanship. The rating of all the skills you have will be increased to legendary (transcendent).]


    ¡°Haha...¡± The bloody Kraugel let out a faintugh.


    ¡°Crazy guy!¡± The yangbans hated it. One lost his hand and the other had a damaged heart. They got goosebumps that the man who was going to die soon in return for making them look like this wasughing.


    Kraugel¡¯s body received the attacks of the yangbans and flew far away. A final notification window emerged in his vision as hey weakly in the desert.


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    ¡®It is up to here.¡¯ Now all he could do was hope the White Tiger Sword was fine. He was quietly epting death when a familiar voice entered his ears.


    "K-Kraugel?¡±


    Flinch!


    Kraugel¡¯s body trembled. He looked up slowly, checked Grid¡¯s face, and turned his head away. ¡°...You recognized the wrong person.¡±


    His moment of defeat was witnessed by Grid, not someone else. For Kraugel, it was more painful than dying.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± The yangbans growled at Grid. They had half lost their sense of reason after suffering from all sorts of humiliation and being seriously injured. They couldn¡¯t afford to read Grid¡¯s energy so they didn¡¯t notice Grid¡¯s identity. They wouldn¡¯t have changed their attitude even if they recognized Grid. It was because new colleagues were starting to arrive at the scene.


    Grid was confronted by five yangbans while throwing a potion to Kraugel. It was the very expensive potion made by Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility.


    ¡°I think it will be a bit intense alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°What type of concept is that...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Ack! This human...! Are you ignoring us?!¡±


    These bastards hadn¡¯t changed their lines. Grid clicked his tongue, pulled out the Formless Sword, and swung it. The sword stretched out like a whip and wrapped around a wounded yangban¡¯s body. It tightened and sliced at the wounded yangban.


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhanmadao

 Chapter 1437

    <h4>Chapter 1437</h4>


    There were also four peak quality gems and 39 highest quality gems. They were gems where the value couldn¡¯t be discussed using themon sense of ordinary people. The rare treasures that should¡¯ve decorated the national treasures of the empire or the coffins of emperors were scattered around Elizabeth¡¯s workshop. Broken things were a frequent urrence and some even turned into powder. It was a sight that would¡¯ve caused Administrator Rabbit to pass out if he witnessed it.


    However, Elizabeth felt no guilt. Her face was only filled with joy. ¡®This...! This can possibly seed!¡¯


    There wouldn¡¯t be a second chance.


    The essorymissioned by a suspicious, genius boy. The imaginary product that came to her mind in the process of making only seven parts was of iparable value to the emperor¡¯s coffin. This was just Elizabeth¡¯s personal opinion, but... to be honest, she was scared. Now, at this moment, Elizabeth let go of all her fears. Her worry about what would happen if she caused damage to Grid disappeared.


    It was natural. She created part of a permanent mechanism that absorbed the mana of the atmosphere and changed it to energy. It was still very small and even if it waspleted, there was the disadvantage that the size of the mechanism was too big...


    Still, this alone was enough for her to glimpse the infinite possibilities. Elizabeth imagined the superrge aircrafts that would cross the skies of the Overgeared Kingdom, the warships that would dominate the seas, and the birth of the magic machines that would pave the foundations of ruling the continent.


    A notification window popped up in her shaking vision.


    [You are approaching the creation of an ¡®absurd artifact.¡¯]


    [You haven¡¯t produced any results yet, but your name deserves to go down in history just for establishing the theory.]


    [In recognition of the first achievement in hundreds of years since the great magician Pauld, your Artisan skill has risen to the master craftsman level.]


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Mastering the Artisan skill. This meant that the sess rate of the permanent mechanisms under production would increase. However, the part to be pleased about now wasn¡¯t the immediate achievement, but the rise in potential. Achieving master level in the Artisan skill meant she was qualified to be a legend. She wasn¡¯t being hasty. The great cksmith Khan had actually proved it.


    ¡°K-Kyaaak! Amazing... E-Eh?¡± Elizabeth was letting out cries of excitement when she felt something strange. It was the first achievement since Pauld? There was no way. She wasn¡¯t the one who established the theory of the permanent mechanism. It was the genius boy whom she met not long ago.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me?¡± An eerie chill went down Elizabeth¡¯s spine.


    On this day, the Overgeared Shadows was in a state of emergency. They had already set a considerable number of assassins to keep an eye on Inferno and now they were ordered to search for a lich who was believed to be Pauld.


    ¡°Change mission priority to tracking Pauld.¡±


    There was information that Pauld was resurrected as Agnus¡¯ lich. In the past, Kraugel had delivered this information through Grid. This meant that Agnus had acquired or was likely to gain the permanent mechanism. Faker and the Overgeared Shadows had to find it and destroy it.


    ***


    The yangbans didn¡¯t realize it. No, they wouldn¡¯t have understood even if they perceived it. They just saw a crazy guy stabbing his sword into the air at nothing and wondered what he was doing. Then the sword that pierced the air greatly increased its length and wrapped itself around his body and the body of his colleague. It was only at the moment of joining that they went ¡®uh...?¡¯ and felt goosebumps on their skin.


    Their understanding was toote. At this moment, the yangbans exposed to the inexplicable were no less than the ordinary people they hated. The cold weapon bent like a whip and wrapped around the bodies of the yangbans.


    Kraugel wondered, ¡®Is this really a sword?¡¯


    Just then, the small des of the Formless Sword twisted. The 30 joints moved in the reverse direction to change the angle of the de. The des that rose like saw des or thorns tore and carved at the skin of the yangbans held by the Formless Sword.


    [The yangban ¡®Saesak¡¯ has been killed.]


    [The yangban ¡®Mulgyeol¡¯ has been killed.]


    They were already critically injured by Kraugel. They turned to gray ash as they died and Grid and Kraugel simultaneously gained experience. Kraugel leveled up. His spirit also rose. After recovering from the special medicine Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility created, he suddenly felt like he was struck by lightning.


    He linked together Thunderbolt and Frenzy Sword.They struck the bodies of the yangbans who were staring nkly at their colleagues who died in vain. The yangbans were one stepte in recognizing the blood that flowed from their bodies. Kraugel was already standing behind them and stabbing his sword deep in the sand.


    Heaven and Earth Rupture¡ªthe sword technique that was promoted to the legendary transcendent rating destroyed the ground and the sword energy that erupted from the cracks in the ground swept over the yangbans.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Grid eximed from among the yangbans. He was still holding the Formless Sword in his hand as he entered the midst of the enemies that Kraugel had gathered together. If he used the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship with the Falling Moon Sword, then he could simply cut the necks of the yangbans, but Grid wanted a performance test of the Formless Sword. The Formless Sword twisted, stretched out, and reversed the 30 joints as it wrapped around the bodies of the yangbans.


    The stormy sword inspired Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s talent overflowed at the sight of the inherently ¡®impossible¡¯ sword movements created by Grid¡¯s sword toward the yangbans. Kraugel¡¯s sword energy repeatedly rotated. It followed the path of the Formless Sword, intertwining but not disturbing as it gradually elerated and cut at the yangbans.


    His cooperative attack that showed his miraculous talent inspired Grid this time. Kraugel¡¯s sword energy drew a diagonal line after turning. Then it repeated another turn and added eleration. It was offering better sword paths for the Formless Sword.


    Grid heard a type of auditory hallucination. The limits of his imagination were shattering.


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    Unlike the critically injured Saesak and Mulgyeol, the three yangbans who joinedter were in good condition. Despite experiencing Kraugel¡¯s Thunderbolt and Frenzy Sword, they immediately surrounded themselves with the energy of the white tiger and minimized the damage of Heaven and Earth Rupture. Until now, they had plenty of room to rx. This was until the man who killed Saesak and Mulgyeol with the strange sword appeared right next to them using Shunpo.


    ¡®This guy, he is the rumored...!¡¯


    ¡®He passed Chiyou¡¯s Test...!¡¯


    The yangbans were vignt. They would be birdbrains if they let down their guard after seeing the devastating scene of their fellow yangbans dying. They were alert from the start. They raised their power from the time they allowed Kraugel¡¯s surprise attack and started to resist with all their might when Grid broke in.


    The problem was that Grid and Kraugel were stronger than rumored. Kraugel¡¯s sword suddenly becameplicated and difficult to respond to, while Grid¡¯s sword, which was alreadyplicated, became faster and harder to react to.


    ¡®These guys... they are getting stronger in real time.¡¯


    The reason why the yangbans liked to use soft swords was because they were easy to use to kill. The lightness of the soft sword wasn¡¯t a disadvantage for them, who had the power to unconditionally kill as soon as they hit the target. However, Mir had instructed them not to use the soft sword when fighting Kraugel. The speed and irregrity of the soft sword, which took advantage of its lightness and sticity didn¡¯t work against Kraugel, so they were instructed to use heavy weapons.


    Mir was a special existence for the yangbans. He was like an idol. The only yangban who was Mir¡¯s opponent was Garam. It had been a long time since the aforementioned Garam died.


    Therefore, the yangbans listened well to Mir¡¯s advice.


    They prepared a heavy sword and zhanmadao to fight against Kraugel. It was just that Kraugel wasn¡¯t the only one who was here right now.


    ¡°Shit...!¡±


    They kept being pushed in speed and the wounds on their bodies were increasing. The yangbans had no choice but to me the heavy weapons. It didn¡¯t matter who went first, but they abandoned their weapons and released the soft sword they were wearing like a belt.


    Their speed increased. They used the natural advantage of their body to create anomalies in their attacks. The yangbans were more focused than ever. It was just like when they were challenging Chiyou¡¯s Test. However, if focusing could produce the best results, then they would be gods, not half-gods.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s sword suddenly became heavy. He abandoned the rotation of his sword and it fell down like a thunderbolt. Here, the sticity of the soft sword exerted its power. It halved the strength of the White Tiger Sword and bounced it back. The yangban was dumbfounded. He almost lost 10 years of his life blocking this attack.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The yangban was trying to attack Kraugel, who was being chased by a colleague after his attack was blocked, when his vision tilted. His neck was hot as he was shed by Grid¡¯s whip-like sword.


    ¡°This damn...¡±


    Kraugel, who was flexible in dealing with changes, and Grid, who stuck to his strategy despite changes¡ªthe two people withpletely different personalities were sopatible. Their cooperation was like cog wheels that spun without rest. A huge cog that was bound to crush them the moment they were sucked in. Were they fellow soldiers who had crossed the line of life and death with each other all their lives?


    The yangbans swallowed down their swear words and looked back on the day. Was there anything different than usual? It included minor things like finding something on their sleeves a bitte as they were getting dressed, or stepping on something dirty while walking down the street. Maybe their luck was especially bad today. Perhaps this was why they met two monsters beside each other.


    It happened when the demotivated yangbans took a step back...


    There was a cold that didn¡¯t suit the hot desert. The sand that was heated by the sun quickly froze, turning parts of the desert into ice sheets. A chill went down Grid and Kraugel¡¯s spines.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    It was already there by the time the notification window appeared.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡± Grid twisted his waist with all his power. A sh of lightning brushed by Grid¡¯s hair and caused an explosion on one side of the desert. The explosion also urred at the ce where Kraugel stood. Did he get hit? The worried Grid was soon relieved. it was because Kraugel¡¯s harsh breathing was heard from beyond the dust.


    A new voice was heard from the sky, ¡°You have grown.¡±


    The man who was holding coldness and lightning in his hand like the tail of a dragon could clearly be seen floating there. The identity of the man whose white dopo fluttered in the air was Mir. He was the one who made Grid a ¡®challenger,¡¯ and thest threshold of the Hwan Kingdom.

 Chapter 1438

    <h4>Chapter 1438</h4>


    Mir¡¯s emergence changed the mood of the battlefield.


    ¡°Mir!¡± The frustrated yangbans regained their vitality.


    Grid sympathized with them. Grid had met numerous yangbans, including Garam, and he knew the essence of the yangbans. They seemed to believe that Mir would save them, but they would die. They had humiliated the Hwan Kingdom, and they were a disgrace to the yangbans. The charges that Mir could ce on them were overflowing. If it was Garam, then he would¡¯ve killed them while swearing.


    Grid sent a whisper, -There will be amotion soon.Run away in that gap.


    The purpose of Grid¡¯s visit to Kaya was to check his skills. Even if he knew he was going to die, he stepped back on thisnd to challenge Mir. Defeat was natural in the showdown, but it would be too much if he received Kraugel¡¯s help and both of them died.


    ¡°......¡± Kraugel didn¡¯t answer.


    There also wasn¡¯t themotion that Grid had mentioned. Mir didn¡¯t harm the yangbans. Rather, he defended them. ¡°Overgeared God. God, as you know, we were made to act as angels. Unlike angels, we won¡¯t be reincarnated if we die. Our souls are trapped in hell and will suffer forever. Our god has lost the power to make hell tremble and the demons of hell don¡¯t respect us. Can¡¯t you take pity and spare them?¡±


    ¡°...Do you really need to ask this? Can¡¯t you stop it by killing us?¡±


    ¡°God, it is because if you decide to hurt my colleagues, I know I can¡¯t protect them.¡± Mir had seen through Grid from the first day they met. His discerning eyes were truly outstanding. He could precisely see through Grid¡¯s current skills, who had grown rapidly in hell.


    Grid got goosebumps, but he spoke firmly without showing it, ¡°I want to stop the seeds of the yangbans.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bluff or a provocation. He was serious. The people who had a stronger power than humans, but despised humans. There was nothing to be gained by keeping them alive.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill them and then I will die,¡± Grid¡¯s eyes were cold as he dered.


    The yangbans gulped and Mir looked sorry. ¡°Is that so? I honestly want to change God¡¯s mind with a better offer, but... I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the authority. I will have to do my best to protect them while fighting.¡±


    Mir¡¯s right arm lost its shape and became blurred. He swung the Blue Dragon Dao. Grid¡¯s transcendence was triggered. The moment Mir appeared, the God Hands that appeared and took out their shields blocked the lightning. They didn¡¯t intend to block it. The lightning just luckily fell onto the path of the God Hands. It was fortunate that the trajectory of the God Hands was irregr.


    Grid lifted his sword and blocked Mir, who was flying toward him. Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons appeared like they had been waiting and struck Mir from the left and right sides. The Formless Sword that was interlocked with the Blue Dragon Dao twisted its joints. It climbed up the Blue Dragon Dao like a vine and grabbed the de.


    Just then, a rain of battle gear fell from the sky. Perhaps they were d to receive the call after so long. The number of battle gears that responded to the summons was higher than usual. Nevertheless, it was all futile. The attacks of Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons failed to prate the shroud of energy surrounding Mir and all their efforts were in vain.


    The Blue Dragon Dao easily shook off the Formless Sword and the thousands of weapons that poured from the sky were either blocked by the thick barrier of earth created by Mir or swept away by waves of lightning. Most of the unique and higher rated weapons prated the earth wall and some even prated the waves of lightning, but they couldn¡¯t hurt Mir¡¯s body which was solid due to the White Tiger¡¯s Posture.


    ¡®The more I see him perfectly use the power of the four gods, the more fraudulent it seems.¡¯


    Mir had long acquired the power of the four gods and he wasn¡¯t influenced by the release of the red phoenix and ck tortoise. Additionally, the growth rate of the named NPCs transcended that of high rankers. Mir was a super named NPC who was dreaming of bing a god. As Grid grew, he naturally grew as well. Of course, Grid¡¯s growth rate was much more dominant.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Mir released the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and was wielding the Blue Dragon Dao when his eyes widened. It was because Grid was holding a new sword in his left hand. He seemed to want to swing the two swords in an unnatural movement, but he lowered his waist. It was 300,000 Army Stealth Sword. The top dirty trick exerted its power.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I missed the sword for a moment. It is an amazing sword technique.¡¯ Mir was purely impressed.


    Grid smacked his lips together with regret. ¡®It is shallow.¡¯


    Double wielding swords wouldn¡¯t exert proper power unless Dual Wielding Mastery was learned to a high level. The weapon itself was treated as a secondary tool and the power was halved. The skill¡¯s power also received a penalty. Thus, the stealth sword failed to exert its power. Even so, Grid knew that without the use of the double swords to create a disturbance, the stealth sword wouldn¡¯t have reached Mir. The target of the stealth sword was limited to ¡®targets below a certain level.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Grid swallowed down a scream. It was because the Blue Dragon Dao dug into his chest armor before changing its trajectory and drawing a diagonal line, cutting deeply at his thigh. In addition to suffering over 20,000 damage, the wound was frozen and he received a physical abnormal condition. His movements slowed down.


    Mir, who had overpowered Grid with just the power of the four gods when they fought the other day, was now thoroughly using the weapon effect of the Blue Dragon Dao.


    ¡®It is a harvest, a harvest.¡¯


    Mir acted sincerely to him from the beginning, yet Grid hurt him a little bit. It proved that he had grown tremendouslypared to when they first met. However, Grid still wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡®I will risk my life.¡¯


    He had to take one arm in order to earn something from this. Grid retrieved the Formless Sword and drew out a new sword. Cold moonlight rose from his fingertips. It was the appearance of the Falling Moon Sword.


    ¡°Drop.¡± It wasn¡¯t a fancy skill with a high coefficient. Sometimes the simpler the skill, the greater the power.


    It happened at this moment...


    It was an instant use sword dance used at a super close distance. It was even a sword dance used with a ¡®must cut¡¯ sword. Grid was confident that this was a blow that not even the martial god could avoid, let alone Mir. In fact, Mir¡¯s expression changed for the first time. An arm fell off. It was Mir¡¯s arm. The unfortunate thing was that Grid¡¯s arm was also cut off.


    ¡®A XX counter...¡¯


    The situation was worse than he thought. Mir had fought back by giving up his left arm instead of his right arm that held the Blue Dragon Dao, while Grid was hit by the counterattack and lost his right arm holding the sword. Due to this, the Falling Moon Sword fell to the ground.


    Grid had no weapon right now. Fortunately, the Fire Dragon Sword yed an active role. The Fire Dragon Sword assisted Grid by moving itself along with the God Hands holding the shield. It quickly judged and blocked Mir¡¯s follow up attack on Grid. Then it used the rebound of the collision and settled into Grid¡¯s left hand.


    Mir told him, ¡°You have many amazing new things.¡±


    ¡°Gasp, gasp... Don¡¯t you want to make losing your arm a medal?¡± Grid mocked Mir who was running the energy of the red phoenix to regenerate his arm. Mir¡¯s face still had the scar from where it had been cut by Grid a few months earlier.


    ¡°Please understand,¡± Mir answered while lightly fending off Kraugel¡¯s surprise attack. ¡°It is impossible to realize my wish with one arm, so I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    Grid yelled with surprise, ¡°No, Kraugel! Why haven¡¯t you run away?!¡±


    He tried his best and was about toe to terms with death. Then dammit, Kraugel entered the battle instead of fleeing. It meant they were both going to die. It didn¡¯t fit his purpose.


    Kraugel stood at the forefront to buy time for Grid to recover and spoke nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t know retreat.¡±


    In fact, he had run away hundreds of times when he was alone here in Kaya, but... he didn¡¯t want to run away in front of Grid. Leave Grid behind and run away alone? He would rather die. This was more a matter of pride than efficiency or loyalty. Kraugel swallowed down his innermost thoughts and became determined to fight while Grid shouted at him.


    Mir was intrigued by theedy. ¡°I felt it before, but your rtionship is unusual. God, are you thinking of letting the Sword Saint be your messenger?¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it.¡± Grid and Kraugel answered at the same time.


    ¡°We are friends.¡±


    ¡°We arepetitors.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    They were different answers.


    Mir kept smiling as he cocked his head.


    ¡°And.¡±


    Grid and Kraugel continued at the same time.


    ¡°We are rivals.¡±


    ¡°We are friends.¡±


    ¡°...Haha, I see.¡±


    ¡®They are a good pair,¡¯ Mir thought before feeling regret. If only Garam had less greed or if Pagma wasn¡¯t so soft. Then wouldn¡¯t they have been saying this to him right now by his side?


    ¡°As a courtesy, I¡¯ll let the two of you go together.¡±


    Mir unleashed a lightning attack. An unprecedented powerful energy was unleashed and vibrated the frozen desert.


    -Shouldn¡¯t you run away quickly now?


    -Do you think I will leave the enemy in front of you and turn my back?


    -No, we can¡¯t win anyway, so at least one person should live.


    -Yes, we can¡¯t win.


    Kraugel nodded and put his hand into his inventory. The thing he took out was an old booklet. It was a booklet that contained the ¡®Matchless Swordsmanship¡¯ studied by the previous Sword Saint.


    -However, it isn¡¯t me who will survive. It is you, Grid.


    He thought he had helped Grid a lot, but it was true that he received a greater grace. The White Tiger Sword in his hand was the proof.


    ¡°Kraugel?¡±


    ¡°If my sword skills didn¡¯t match the name of Sword Saint, I wondered what it would mean to be the Sword Saint.¡±


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 12th epic.]


    ¡°I was thinking about letting go of the position of Sword Saint.¡±


    [The beginning of the epic begins in the desert overlooking a city covered by perpetual snow.]


    ¡°Now that I have proven my qualifications, I can ept the teachings of the former generation.¡±


    [He witnessed a noble belief.]

 Chapter 1439

    <h4>Chapter 1439</h4>


    [He witnessed a noble belief.]


    [It was a belief that didn¡¯t break under the attention or advice of excessive greed, even when he received criticism and ridicule for being stupid.]


    [It was sometimes poison.]


    [The saint was slowly encroached by poison and wandered near the abyss.]


    A person who was praised as the sky above the sky. His actions as the Sword Saint were far from people¡¯s expectations.


    He stayed in Kirinus¡¯ hut during the height of his growth and turned away from the Sword Saint¡¯s Matchless Swordsmanship that he was able to secure. Then in the past year, he had an unreasonable struggle against the yangbans of Kaya and repeatedly died. It wasn¡¯t something that fit in withmon sense. Those who knew Kraugel¡¯s recent life had no choice but to feel sorry or think he was crazy.


    However, it was time for everyone to realize it. Kraugel¡¯s asceticism wasn¡¯t pointless. He was a man who was the sky above the sky. It was foolish arrogance to judge him by a single standard.


    [However, the saint¡¯s beliefs remained unchanged. He cast doubt aside with the sword and the trials were shed with a sword as he proved himself to be the Sword Saint.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The Matchless Swordsmanship that had been shunned for a long time. Kraugel¡¯s expression was subtle as he finally faced it. The world messages that were rising. He noticed that Grid¡¯s epic was describing himself.


    ¡®...I¡¯m embarrassed.¡¯ It was true that he had been wandering around the abyss, but for it to be publicly disclosed was a bit...


    Grid felt sorry for Kraugel who was blushing with embarrassment. In fact, this wasn¡¯t something for Grid to feel sorry about. The epics described not only Grid¡¯s direct experiences, but his emotions and things he witnessed. Additionally, when witnessing and describing others, information that Grid didn¡¯t even know was often stated. It was good to recognize it as a secondary part of the system.


    In conclusion, Grid didn¡¯t know that Kraugel had struggled enough to be told he was near the abyss. The contents of the epic weren¡¯t intended by Grid.


    [He was enlightened through the saint.]


    [The most reliable and dependable thing is the great power that is passed down.]


    [He learned that being himself wasn¡¯t being wise.]


    [A conviction that was unwavering in the face of everyone¡¯s denial.]


    [He learned and embraced the beliefs of the noble saint.]


    ......


    ...


    [Overgeared God Grid haspleted the 12th page of the epic.]


    ¡®I¡¯m d it isn¡¯t long.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s inner worry was relieved. For him, whose past or innermost thoughts had been exposed in the epics, the epic involving Kraugel was quite ufortable. It could¡¯ve been rude to Kraugel or it could¡¯ve revealed his feelings toward Kraugel? For example, the phrase ¡®he learned from the saint¡¯ could¡¯ve had the word ¡®longing¡¯ added. It was true that he longed for and admired Kraugel. He didn¡¯t want to hide his heart, but the picture of him publicly confessing it to the party involved made him feel ashamed.


    [The 12th page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen by one level as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [Maximum health will increase by 5%.]


    [There is a chance of reflecting status abnormalities.]


    [The probability of reflecting status abnormalities already exists in your First King title.]


    [The increase in status will rx the conditions of reflecting status abnormalities of the ¡®First King¡¯ title.]


    [The passive skill ¡®Noble Belief¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Noble Belief]


    [Passive


    The more difficult the situation, the more you believe in your own power.


    Every time a skill is on cooldown, one stat will rise slightly. The increase stat is randomly determined and the duration is proportional to the skill¡¯s cooldown time.]


    ¡®This is a jackpot.¡¯


    The consumption of skills meant weakness. It was natural forbat capability to weaken every time a skill was on cooldown. Noble Belief had the effect of breaking that logic to some extent. Stats unrted tobat might rise, such as charm, political power, or dexterity, but Grid had dozens of skills. No matter how unlucky, he believed he would be able to see the benefits of Noble Belief.


    ¡®Besides, dexterity is pretty good. It will help with control of the Formless Sword.¡¯


    Grid awakened from his brief thoughts. It was because every time Kraugel wielded the White Tiger Sword, he created a storm of swords and the ice around them was cracking.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t a joke.¡¯


    Kraugel had finally acquired the Matchless Swordsmanship and had proudly qualified as the Sword Saint. How much stronger had he be? Grid gulped with anticipation and Kraugel, who finished the inspection, silently took a new posture.


    Mir opened his mouth from where he had been watching the situation with interest, ¡°It is really amazing. Kraugel is the one who learned Matchless Swordsmanship, but the Overgeared God became stronger as well?¡±


    ¡®He was waiting for us.¡¯ Grid frowned. It took approximately eight seconds for the epic to be written and for Kraugel to learn the secret technique. It was a short time, but Mir could¡¯ve swung his sword dozens of times in this period. Yet Mir didn¡¯t attack the two of them. He wasn¡¯t just watching nkly. He evacuated his colleagues and restored his severed armpletely.


    On the other hand, Grid still had the loss of one arm. Certain conditions must be met to restore a severed body part and this was considered virtually impossible inbat.


    ¡®It will be tougher now.¡¯


    They had be stronger, but the situation was worse. Mir was freed from the burden of defending his colleagues while fighting and his momentum would rise to the maximum. Meanwhile, Grid lost an arm. Far from checking his power, he was more likely to die in vain.


    -Kraugel, no matter how I think about it, you should fall back.


    -Wasn¡¯t this story already over?


    -......


    Noble Belief bullshit. He was a stubborn ass. This damn stubborn guy.


    -Yes, do whatever you like.


    In fact, Grid was very grateful. If he fought Mir alone, then he was likely to die before he could test his skills properly. If Kraugel fought alongside him, then he would have more leeway and be able to try more things.


    ¡®A friend andpetitor...¡¯ Mir was observing Grid and Kraugel closely. He had lost his reason to be impatient from the moment his colleagues fled. He could kill Grid and Kraugel as soon as he made up his mind to end this fight. For now, he wanted to watch this interesting situation a bit more.


    Grid was a god. On the mental side, there would still be remnants of his human life, but he was someone worshipped by countless humans. Yet he was inspired by a mere human being and became stronger through enlightenment. Mir had just witnessed it himself.


    ¡®I¡¯m d.¡¯ A smile spread on Mir¡¯s face.


    Why didn¡¯t he erase the scars caused by Muller and Grid? It was to not forget the painful moments. Mir recalled that day¡¯s battle every time he saw the scar on his body. He thought it was a way to grow stronger. He wasn¡¯t certain about this. The gods of the Hwan Kingdom had never shown themselves learning anything. It was an attitude that said a god was already wless. Did he have to be arrogant like them to be a god? Was his way wrong?


    This was a problem Mir had always been struggling with. Then at this moment, his worries were over. A human being that became a god¡ªthe moment he saw Overgeared God Grid learning from Kraugel, Mir confirmed that his method wasn¡¯t wrong.


    To be honest, Mir respected Grid. He was walking ahead on the path that Mir aimed for, so it was natural to want to emte him. However, Mir had no choice but to be hostile as long as Grid sought the liberation of the Four Auspicious Beasts. If even the seals of the blue dragon and white tiger were released, then the Hwan Kingdom would lose a lot. All the yangbans except for Mir would lose their strength against Asgard¡¯s angels. Then the gods of the Hwan Kingdom would have no foundation for their revenge against Asgard.


    Mir had no interest in getting revenge on the gods. He didn¡¯t want a war that would kill his colleagues, but he couldn¡¯t go against Hanul¡¯s will. This was the destiny of those who were made by Hanul. The only way to escape this fate was to be a god equal to Hanul. Of course, Mir wanted to be the martial god even without such a grand reason.


    His spirit was refreshed. The smile on Mir¡¯s face deepened.


    Kraugel¡¯s sword that was sliding over the ice sheet was quite fast. Mir lifted the Blue Dragon Dao and blocked the attack. Then he turned his waist and kicked. Mir¡¯s foot prated the ice wall made along the Blue Dragon Dao¡¯s path and was inserted into Kraugel¡¯s sr plexus. It went in perfectly. Mir immediately swung his sword and thought Kraugel was going to die.


    However, his sword didn¡¯t slit Kraugel¡¯s throat. The sword couldn¡¯t touch it because the body floated backwards.


    ¡®Did he stop it?¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s sword that pushed at his foot made Mir feel admiration.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe he retrieved the sword in such a short gap.¡¯


    He thought the sword techniques had be faster, but it seemed that the person had also be faster. Kraugel¡¯s sword made an illusion. As expected, it was a speed worthy of admiration. Defense or evasion was easily possible, but it was a bit tricky to see a timing to counterattack.


    The Blue Dragon Dao stretched out like a fan and squeezed through the gap in the sword to aim at Kraugel¡¯s heart. Then the Blue Dragon Dao tilted. The reason was because the weight of the White Tiger Sword that struck it was considerable. It wasn¡¯t just the speed. The power also seemed doubled.


    ¡®This swordsmanship...¡¯


    It was fast and strong, but the bnce of offense and defense was perfect. It meant full control without suppressing speed and power. This was the Matchless Swordsmanship. It was the swordsmanship that Muller had used to hurt Mir hundreds of years ago.


    Chill.


    Mir glimpsed Muller¡¯s shadow from Kraugel and was thrilled. He was delighted to think that Kraugel would one day grow up to be a good opponent. Yes, this was a story forter.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough yet.¡¯


    First, there was a fundamental problem. Mir had already experienced Muller¡¯s swordsmanship many times. Unless Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship could surpass Muller, he was just dancing on Mir¡¯s palm. Mir saw Kraugel¡¯s movements and routes as he prevented a counterattack by using Sword Curtain and predicted clearly what type of sword technique Kraugel would use soon. It was a sword technique that came rushing in and just before reaching, it created three variables by holding the sword in reverse.


    ¡®Matchless Sword 8th style, Beheading.¡¯


    The conclusion of the variables was the sword aiming at the neck. He even remembered the name. If he ignored the tricks and defended his neck, or fought back the moment Kraugel held the sword in reverse, he could retaliate. Mir moved faster than Kraugel after making a decision, only for his eyes to widen.


    ¡°Splitting the Sky.¡± It was because Kraugel used a sword technique other than Beheading. Mir was caught off guard and was stabbed while the sky behind him split apart.

 Chapter 1440

    <h4>Chapter 1440</h4>


    Splitting the Sky was a sword technique made by Piaro during his time as a great swordsman. It was valuable due to the scarcity of counterattacks, but it was hard to say that the power itself was outstanding. Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t a skill that should be acquired by consuming one of the valuable sword technique creation slots. However, Kraugel created Piaro¡¯s Splitting the Sky.


    The Sword Saint inherited your swordsmanship.


    It was a tribute and support for the senior and teacher who once dreamed of bing the Sword Saint. Some people might see it as meaningless. However, Kraugel was the man who was ranked 1st. There was no distinction between NPCs and yers in his beliefs.


    He respected Satisfy, this world itself. Therefore, he could make countless rtionships and rise to his current position. It was a sword technique that created a flow of sword energy (or pure energy) and twisted the flow. It was called Splitting the Sky because it seemed to split the sky with the sword energy and this technique struck Mir.


    ¡®Did he notice that Beheading was seen through? No, should I say he predicted it would be seen through?¡¯


    A sword with a simr posture to Beheading was used to induce certainty, controlling the battle by inducing variables...


    Mir felt like he was a fish caught in a hook. He felt pure admiration for Kraugel¡¯s insight and wits. Yet what was the meaning of a sword technique that wasn¡¯t part of the Matchless Swordsmanship? He had experienced countless times that ordinary swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t seriously injure him...


    ¡°......!¡± Mir¡¯s eyes widened. It was because the Blue Dragon Dao that was entangled with the White Tiger Sword had stabbed him in the chest. It was with a powerful force. The current Splitting the Sky was different from the one in the past.


    ¡®It is deep.¡¯


    Mir had blood flow from his mouth as he ced the aura of the white tiger around his left arm and crossed it over the Blue Dragon Dao. His white dopo fluttered loudly. Mir¡¯s body had floated upward in exchange for blocking the cooperative attack by Grid. Grid and Kraugel took off after him, scattering pure energy. Meanwhile, Mir¡¯s arm tore it all away with the energy of the white tiger.


    Grid and Kraugel poured out their skills without sparing anything. They didn¡¯t intend to miss the opportunity that Kraugel had tried his best to create and they also aimed at the effect of Noble Belief. In particr, Kraugel actively used the Matchless Swordsmanship. It was unbelievable that he used the 13 skills that he had just learned for the first time in the right ce. His sword was more delicate and sharp than ever. However, he failed to deal a significant hit since Splitting the Sky.


    ¡®This person said he had fought Muller.¡¯


    It was as expected. It was highly likely that Muller had revealed all the roots of the Matchless Swordsmanship.


    Kraugel¡¯s thoughts continued in the midst of the fierce attacks and defenses. He soon judged that the Matchless Swordsmanship couldn¡¯t be used and changed the trajectory of the sword. The Matchless Swordsmanship turned into something unknown and Mir responded. Mir¡¯s palm hit Kraugel¡¯s chin. It was a technique that contained the same characteristics as the counter that Grid suffered.


    [You can¡¯t regain your mental state.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    No matter how much his brain shook, he never thought he would be judged as physically confused. Kraugel realized Mir¡¯s status, staggered, and let his sword slip. He seemed to have let it slip while ignoring the confusion and trying to control his body.


    ¡°Kraugel!¡± Grid urgently used Shunpo, but he was a stepte. By the time Grid¡¯s position changed, the Blue Dragon Dao that Mir swungterally had deeply cut Kraugel¡¯s chest. Kraugel¡¯s wound was frozen and electrocuted, but he was surprisingly quick and left his spot.


    It was thanks to Poetry that Praises the Sword. The reason he could survive in this state and move in defiance of the freezing and electric shock was because he had shifted the damage he just suffered to his secondary weapon. In return, a unique rated sword shattered, but it was cheappared to saving his life.


    Grid performed the sword dances of Transcended Link Flower and Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Mir failed to kill Kraugel and was forced to back off. He thought about using Shunpo, but decided it was unreasonable due to the blue-ck petals of sword energy blocking his view.


    Grid confronted Mir, who burned the petals with lightning, and rebuked Kraugel while getting the God Hands to protect him, -How are you going to save my life if you die?


    In fact, he knew this was an attitude without any conscience. The moment Kraugel¡¯s Splitting the Sky hit Mir, Grid had a short moment to retreat. Yet Grid didn¡¯t flee and attacked Mir alongside Kraugel. In other words, Grid kicked away the opportunity to live on his own.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t respond. He was extremely focused and didn¡¯t notice the whisper sent by Grid.


    ¡°Overgeared God, I¡¯m very happy at this moment, but my gods will soon...¡± Mir was speaking politely to Grid when he shut his mouth. It was because the White Tiger Sword was stuck in his heart. The sword didn¡¯t slip from Kraugel¡¯s hand. He deliberately let go of it.


    The White Tiger Sword had grown with Kraugel and had the characteristics of ¡®Heart Sword.¡¯ In response to Kraugel¡¯s will, it performed a sword technique on its own. It was only once, but the power and effect of the sword technique performed by the White Tiger Sword was consistent with Kraugel¡¯s own. The White Tiger Sword fell like a meteor and stabbed Mir¡¯s heart, descending as hard as it could, and separating Mir¡¯s heart and ribs.


    It was the moment when Kraugel, who had been focused and looking for an opportunity, seeded in critically injuring Mir. He btedly replied to Grid, -Let¡¯s just die here together.


    -Y-Yes...


    Kraugel¡¯s purpose had also changed from the moment he witnessed Grid turning away from retreating. It was from keeping Grid alive to fighting Mir with no regrets. In any case, this was Grid¡¯s purpose and he had no choice but to match it. It was only when their purpose was consistent that their cooperation could be more detailed.


    ¡°...Kraugel.¡± Mir¡¯s eyes were engulfed in the mes of the red phoenix. Kraugel was reflected in the ck eyes that shone like stars. ¡°Your name is also engraved on my soul.¡±


    A soul that wouldst forever because it wouldn¡¯t break¡ªKraugel¡¯s name, engraved on it, would be immortal. It was like Muller¡¯s name and Grid¡¯s name.


    The majestic mes of the red phoenix healed MIr¡¯s wounds, but the scars weren¡¯t erased. The long sword wound that extended from his heart to his waist¡ªMir engraved it without erasing it. Then he said what he previously couldn¡¯t finish saying to Grid, ¡°My gods will soon look at this ce. So let¡¯s finish this fun.¡±


    Mir had exchanged exactly 89 attacks and defenses with the two people. In terms of time, it was a short offensive and defensive battle. However, it was enough time for his runaway colleagues to reach the Hwan Kingdom. The gods would gather at the pond. Their gaze would turn to the ground and they would scrutinize Grid.


    A newly born god¡ªthey would be aware that he, who was regarded as a lowly indigenous god, actually had great potential and would condemn him to extinction. The present Grid couldn¡¯t handle the jealousy of the gods. The gods, who were pushed out in a power struggle, started a war and they dreamed of revenge far away from home even after losing the war. The envy and jealousy of those who lost everything were terrible.


    There was no way they would wee the birth of a god who might threaten them. Additionally, if this god was the one unsealing the Four Auspicious Beasts... they would harm Grid even at great cost. It was until all the myths that just blossomed were extinguished.


    Mir¡¯s rush to end this fight was to protect Grid. From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was bullshit.


    ¡°I understand you saying that you are having fun.¡±


    He was also having fun. Thest time they met, he had crossed the threshold of death due to the lightning shot every time Mir swung the Blue Dragon Dao. Now that lightning could be blocked, dodged, deflected, and counterattacked. The lightning shot by the Blue Dragon Dao no longer had much influence on the battle.


    Grid was able to confirm his own growth with this fact alone and was insanely pleased and joyful.


    ¡°However, it is hard to tolerate you saying that you can end this fight at any time.¡±


    The Formless Sword stretched out vigorously. As Mir moved the Blue Dragon Dao, it curved and wrapped around his body. In a previous situation, Mir had used Shunpo here. Then he was tied up by Kraugel, who predicted where Mir would appear, and was hit by Grid¡¯s linked attack.


    However, it was different this time. Mir was impaled by the Formless Sword. He pulled the de of the Formless Sword bare-handed and dragged Grid right in front of him.


    [You have suffered 25,050 damage.]


    ¡°Kuock!¡± Grid made a sound as his abdomen was pierced by the Blue Dragon Dao. He med himself for not being able to use White Tiger¡¯s Posture because it happened too quickly. Grid was kicked while trying to retrieve the Formless Sword. He fell to the ground after being cut by the Blue Dragon Dao and managed to hold back his scream this time. This time, he used White Tiger¡¯s Posture so it was quite bearable.


    ¡®I need to improve the speed at which I use White Tiger¡¯s Posture.¡¯


    Grid raised his body while correcting his vision and used Sky. Kraugel was on the defensive during the short time Grid had copsed, so Grid needed to press Mir. The sword dance, Sky, was something that Mir couldn¡¯t ignore. Sky was a sword dance that linked all the single sword dances that Grid had acquired sequentially and without dy.


    Mir had maintained a health close to the maximum value despite being critically injured several times. His specs might be in the Baal-grade, but even he was pressured by the extremes of technique. Of course, if it was Baal then it wouldn¡¯t matter what attack Grid unleashed. He would wave his hand at it like he was swatting at a fly. However, Mir was fundamentally different from Baal.


    He was the type of person who was obsessed with ¡®skill.¡¯ Unknowingly, hispetitive spirit was raised and he tried to analyze Sky. Thanks to this, Grid achieved more than fivebos and the ¡®blind spot attack¡¯ of the Formless Sword was activated.


    Just then, Mir awakened from his fascination with the Sky sword dance. He was reminded that the eyes of the gods would touch here soon.


    ¡®I was too fascinated. I have to finish it quickly.¡¯


    The red phoenix, ck tortoise, blue dragon, and white tiger. Mir unleashed the power of all Four Auspicious Beasts. Then the line went beyond the fullness of the health gauge and the color was changed. His health increased by at least twice as much as before. His speed and attack power also increased by that much.


    [You have suffered 50,430 damage.]


    [You have suffered 49,600 damage.]


    He couldn¡¯t endure it even with the White Tiger¡¯s Posture. Grid avoided a cut by relying on transcendence, only to be caught by the neck and hit by a series of stabs. It happened all before he could take one breath.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    Grid was stabbed one more time and immediately entered the immortal state. Mir still held onto Grid¡¯s neck and turned his attention to Kraugel this time. He quietly twisted his head to avoid the Space Sword that was about to split apart the world and cut off Kraugel¡¯s head, killing him.


    It was at this time...


    ¡°......!¡± Mir¡¯s eyes widened. He had the illusion that he lost all sensation from his lower body. He soon confirmed that he wasn¡¯t mistaken. He saw in his tilting vision that his ¡®lower half¡¯ was staggering alone. Mir¡¯s face struck the ground and he coughed up arge amount of blood.


    His body was cut in two by Grid. It was the first time he experienced something like this since he was born, so he stopped temporarily. Then the ¡®instinct¡¯ that had been suppressed by reason was expressed. Survival was instinct. The power of the Four Auspicious Beasts fused into one and took the shape of artificial angel wings. They spun and cut everything in the area. The targets naturally included Grid.


    ¡®Dammit, it is over.¡¯


    It was too hard to secure visibility to use Shunpo. The loss of one arm was too big. Throughout the battle, the bnce of his attacks and defenses had copsed. If he used and maintained Storm of the Fire God, his arm couldn¡¯ve regenerated. However, Storm of the Fire God could easily be countered by Mir, so he didn¡¯t even attempt it.


    This was the problem. It was difficult to use the power of the four gods properly when fighting Mir.


    ¡®I can use it from now on.¡¯


    Grid activated Storm of the Fire God. There was nothing to fear because he was in the immortal state anyway. He linked the Blind Spot Attack with the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Then he recovered the Formless Sword that he had joined with the Falling Moon Sword and swapped to the Fire Dragon Sword.


    He used Open Potential and started to pour out all the avable fusion sword dances and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. He kept being cut by the artificial wings, but he ignored it. He swung his sword one more time. Even if he died, he shouldn¡¯t die meaninglessly. He had to measure Mir¡¯s defense and health in thispletely unleashed state.


    [You have died.]


    At the end of his final struggle, Grid died.


    ¡°Um.¡± The gods of the Hwan Kingdom arrived at the pond just in time.


    ¡°You said there was a problem... it is settled.¡±


    ¡°It was a minor problem in the first ce.¡±


    After checking thendscape on the ground, they nodded and went back to their ces. They found only Mir in the desert covered in fire and ice. The gods of the Hwan Kingdom didn¡¯t even notice the scars engraved on the body that was standing in an imposing manner.

 Chapter 1441

    <h4>Chapter 1441</h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir stood still without leaving until the ice that covered the desert melted and the fire dissipated.


    Death and fear. They were unexpected, therefore they were concepts and emotions he was unprepared for. He reflected again on the experience of being constrained in mind and body. The moment when he was distracted because he was worried about the eyes of the gods. The embarrassment of allowing his body to be cut in half...


    The strange emotions ate at Mir¡¯s rationality and he experienced his own nature. At that moment, he was just obsessed with life. He went crazy with the determination that he didn¡¯t want to die.


    ¡°<i>Haha...</i>¡± Looking back, he had considered himself special. It was natural when he was born with an unrivaled talent among the yangbans. Therefore, he had always been doing things for others. He believed he should protect them because they were worse than him. Yet when he was exposed, he was a normal person with nothing special.


    ¡°Are you ashamed?¡± Jingle.The voice of the martial god came along with the faint sound of bells.


    Mir politely bowed to the approaching martial god and answered, ¡°No, I¡¯m d.¡±


    He was a life created to be dedicated to Hanul. He thought he would lose it, so he didn¡¯t have any lingering feelings for it. He just felt sorry for the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to be the martial god and it would end. However, today he realized it. He might be a life created by someone¡¯s needs, but he was obsessed with life. He was also an ordinary person. Nevertheless, he embraced and cared for other ordinary people. His goodwill and care weren¡¯t the arrogance of the strong. He just sympathized with the pain of others. It was a very minimal qualification. It was the qualification to be a god.


    ¡°I see.¡± Mir¡¯s appearance as he gained enlightenment made Chiyou smile. He noticed that Mir had the slightest chance of bing a god killer.


    Jingle.


    Mir watched Chiyou leaving with the ringing of bells and had a thought. The reason why the gods of the Hwan Kingdom hadn¡¯t noticed the unexpected event was probably due to Chiyou¡¯s favor.


    ***


    The forest of the Twelve Zodiacs¡ªGrid had designated it as his resurrection point before leaving for Kaya. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to check his inventory. He checked the items lost and the durability of his equipment.


    ¡®Two shields are broken and one knife dropped.¡¯


    It was a waste, but it was only three out of dozens of secondary equipment. His divine sword wasn¡¯t lost... Grid adjusted his heart and sent a whisper to Kraugel, -You didn¡¯t drop anything, did you?


    -White Tiger Sword.


    -What?R-Really?


    -It is a joke.


    -...No, what is this concept?


    Originally, Kraugel had a humorous side. At every important moment, it was time to eat with his mother (although it was all true). However, it wasn¡¯t to this extent.


    ¡®Is he excited? Well, it is understandable.¡¯


    Kraugel proved he was qualified to be the Sword Saint without learning the Matchless Swordsmanship. Would Grid be recognized as Pagma¡¯s Sessor if Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance or the legendary cksmith¡¯s techniques were sealed? It would never be possible if it was Grid. It wasn¡¯t just Grid. It was something that no one apart from Kraugel could¡¯ve achieved. He was the lord ofbor who knew how to seek extreme gains. It was convincing that he was the 1st ranked yer despite having a normal ss.


    Kraugel¡¯s whisper continued as Grid was bing tired. The two people shared their opinions and reviewed the battle a while ago. They pointed out each other¡¯s mistakes and deficiencies and sought ways to make up for them. It was a more valuable time than gold. By the end of the rey, they concluded that Mir was the same as Baal. If they denied that Mir was in the same position as Baal, then it couldn¡¯t exin their overwhelming defeat.


    Grid and Kraugel were aware of their own skills. Grid was close to or had already surpassed the prime of the past legends, and Kraugel wasn¡¯t much inferior. Yet it was in the realm of the ¡®impossible¡¯ to fight Mir and win. Of course, Baal was more likely to be stronger than Mir, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable that they were in the same grade.


    -So the archangels will be Baal-grade, right?


    -I think so.As far as I know, Mir was made topete with Raphael.


    -Tut...


    Grid had never met Raphael. Furthermore, the oral traditions rted to angels were rare, so information was insufficient. In order to rescue Hexetia, he would have to break through the angel army led by Raphael and the archangels. He was already troubled at the thought that Raphael would be as strong as Mir.


    Then Kraugel said something unexpected, -I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much.For you, Mir is likely to be a more tricky opponent than Baal or Raphael.Even if their specifications are higher than Mir, they don¡¯t have the power of the four gods and there is a clear rtionship between divinity and demonic power.


    -Certainly...


    Grid agreed. The reason why Mir was so tricky was that he had mastered all martial arts, not his high specs. Over hundreds of years, he hadpletely refined and controlled the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts. It was Mir¡¯s greatest weapon and it was one level higher than the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts that was in Grid¡¯s items.


    Grid couldpete if it was purely the power of the red phoenix, but Mir knew how tobine the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts freely to create various effects and attributes. Mir even neutralized the heart of the red phoenix in Grid. Theirpatibility was the worst. On the other hand, Baal and Raphael were different cases. Rather, there was room for Grid to gain the upper hand.


    Grid could create a ¡®holy sword¡¯ and ¡®demon sword.¡¯


    Baal and Raphael would be critically injured whenever they allowed an attack from Grid. It was just like Mir¡¯s body was cut in two by the Falling Moon Sword.


    ¡®The holy sword and demon sword might have limitations on their sustainability, but they won¡¯t end with just one swing, so they will be 100 times better than the Falling Moon Sword. I can reduce the damage as much as possible if I wear holy attribute and demonic attribute armor on my body.¡¯


    There was just one problem...


    In order to make divine items and demonic items, he needed the help of the Reba Church and Yatan Church. Grid could make it using divine or demonic attribute minerals, but it couldn¡¯t be called a true holy sword or demon sword.


    ¡®I can leave the divine blessing to Sehee, but the problem is the demonic attribute.¡¯


    Over the past few years, Sehee had tried very hard. She hadn¡¯t beenzy for a single day since she felt her limits in the higher leveled vampire cities. She only focused on hunting and her ss quests until the daily ess time limit was reached. It was also while she was engaged in external activities such as volunteering and appearing on broadcasts.


    The problem was that it was very difficult to y solo due to the nature of her Saintess ss. In some cases, the hunting efficiency was often poor because they had to protect two people due to the addition of Yerim. The hunting locations also had to be a ce with the undead or demonkin.


    Additionally, Sehee¡¯s game talent wasn¡¯t at the level of a genius. She had a rare talent when it came to healing and buff timing, but it stopped at the level of being talented. Of course, this was great as well, so she could level up enough to reach the edge of a high ranker.


    He just wanted her to reach level 400 as soon as possible.


    ¡®The fourth awakening will strengthen the blessing rted stats that grant permanent holy power... perhaps the making of a holy sword won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯


    It might be weak inparison to Reba¡¯s holy sword, but he was certain it would be quite deadly for a great demon. Where could he find the curse that would give the demonic attribute? The Yatan Church was the only organization to make demon swords... it designated Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom as an enemy. It was natural since Grid had killed the Yatan Servants.


    ¡®The evil eyes might have the skills of that field.¡¯


    He was going to meet the evil eyes king anyway. He was exhausted every time they met and avoided the king for a while, so now it was time to show his face.


    ¡°God of Virtue~!¡±


    ¡°Overgeared God.¡±


    Blue Tiger and the Twelve Zodiacs came running when they saw that Grid was back. Grid had just made up his mind to meet with the evil eyes king and heughed when he saw them.


    ***


    ¡°The queen..?¡±


    Kraugel said he would stay in Kaya. Grid returned alone to the West Continent and upon arrival in Reinhardt, he witnessed an unexpected sight.


    Yap, yap.


    He heard a strange sounding from the garden and found Irene practicing swordsmanship there.


    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±


    A presence that shone due to Grid¡¯s efforts in the East Continent¡ªit was very beautiful to see Irene smiling brightly while looking young enough to remind him of their newlywed days. This wasn¡¯t to say that she wasn¡¯t beautiful when she was older. In Grid¡¯s eyes, Irene had always shone more than jewels.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you are safe and sound.¡±


    She wanted toe closer a bit faster, make eye contact, and feel his breath. Irene picked up the end of her dress with one hand and came over. Her heart wanted to run over. However, she didn¡¯t run because she had a wooden sword in her other hand. If she put down the wooden sword, she could¡¯ve picked up the dress with both hands and ran, but she didn¡¯t do this. It was because she respected the sword.


    She wasn¡¯t a swordsman, but she knew the source of the peace and happiness she enjoyed right now. The soldiers, knights, and Grid all wielded their swords to achieve peace. Those who had been guarding Irene¡¯s side were also knights using swords. Therefore, Irene didn¡¯t treat the sword as a mere tool. She respected it. She couldn¡¯t just throw it aside.


    Grid¡¯s heart trembled greatly after vaguely reading her inner thoughts. He remembered the first moment he started liking Irene. Today was the 156th time he fell in love with Irene.


    ¡®I will meet the evil eyes king tomorrow.¡¯


    The smiling Grid stood behind Irene. He held her small shoulder between his arms and wrapped his hands around her wrists. Then he spoke to Royman, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can give up the position of being the queen¡¯s teacher.¡±


    Chief Knight Roymanughed slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t afford the queen¡¯s brilliance with my small talent.¡±


    Royman was trained intensively by Piaro and Asmophel. Her skills were absolutely outstanding, but they were still feeblepared to Grid.


    ¡°Now, Irene. Your feet should be like this. Your eyes and shoulders this way.¡±


    ¡°This... I don¡¯t think it is your swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was surprised as he corrected Irene¡¯s posture. It was the posture just before opening the sword path. He was surprised because Irene had asked such a sharp question. Was this truly Earl Steim¡¯s blood? Or was it due to divinity? Perhaps it was proof that she had always been watching him...


    Grid couldn¡¯t help kissing Irene on the cheek as he answered, ¡°Correct. This isn¡¯t my swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°I want to learn Your Majesty¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Haha, my swordsmanship is specialized in dealing with multiple people so it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    The best knights were always protecting Irene¡¯s side. If the moment came when she needed to grasp the sword, she would only be facing one or two enemies. The best knights of the Overgeared Kingdom, who were led by Piaro and Asmophel and wore Grid¡¯s items on their backs, would all protect Irene, even if a thousand enemies attacked her. In the worst case scenario, only one or two people would get through. This was why¡ª


    ¡°This is the best swordsmanship for you.¡±


    Grid taught her the swordsmanship of the Sword Saint. No, he taught Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship to Irene. Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship that Grid saw in the fight against Mir were optimized for short-termbat. Of course, it was just the surface of it.


    Just as Kraugel couldn¡¯t imitate the movements of the sword dance to use Grid¡¯s sword dances, it was impossible for Grid to reproduce Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship even if he had the Matchless Heart Technique. However, Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship could exert power as long as there was the form. It was because his swordsmanship was at the utmost limits and ideal.


    ¡°Yap!¡±


    [Your wife ¡®Irene¡¯ has acquired the Beginner Sword Mastery skill.]


    Irene¡¯s appearance as she followed his movements made Grid smile.


    This was Irene¡ªa being who made Grid bear the desire to ¡®protect this world¡¯ and the obligation to ¡®protect this world.¡¯

 Chapter 1442

    <h4>Chapter 1442</h4>


    ¡°I thought I was going to die.¡± Nefelina¡¯s words were extreme. It seemed she had struggled quite a bit during the Hell Gao raid.


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was hard to understand. Certainly, Hell Gao, who appeared with seven fire stones, was strong. His body might be sealed and he borrowed the bodies of demonic creatures, but the 9th Great Demon¡¯s majesty wasn¡¯t for nothing. Nevertheless, he should be a rtively easy opponent if the six messengers joined forces. It didn¡¯t matter how many fire stones there were. Just remove them. Despite a lot of hardships, Grid and Mercedes had seeded in the raid with just the two of them.


    Nefelina exined to the confused Grid, ¡°That madman Braham didn¡¯t take action and just watched.¡±


    ¡°Bah, it is too disgraceful to join forces to kill such a thing.¡±


    ¡°That stone Zikfrector slept on the spot!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my will.¡±


    ¡°Mercedes took a long time to collect one fire stone!¡±


    ¡°The grandmaster slept in the spot where the fire stones were generated. It took me a while to break through his barrier of runes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid summarized Nefelina¡¯s words: Braham sat on the sidelines during the battle, Zikfrector did nothing, and Mercedes failed to remove the fire stones in time. In other words, the other three people¡ªNefelina, Sariel, and Piaro¡ªhad a tough battle.


    Grid would¡¯ve been upset if he was Nefelina. Still, what could he do? Braham was impossible to control and Zikfrector was bound by the Curse of Sloth. The reason why Mercedes¡¯ fire stone removal wasn¡¯t easy was an ident.


    ¡®If there was no ident, they would¡¯ve easily killed Hell Gao without Braham and Zikfrector... in any case, it is my fault.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t predicted the possibility of Braham and Zikfrector trolling. He couldn¡¯t predict this unfortunate ident. However, Grid oversaw the Hell Gao expedition and had to bear the responsibility for the ident.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nefelina. In order to apologize, I¡¯ll increase the amount of food in the future.¡±


    Grid was actually already nning to increase Nefelina¡¯s rations. No matter the reason, she was fighting for Grid. She had the right to enjoy something. She already ate three times as much food as her size. Administrator Rabbit had advised that her habits would get worse if she received more, but it was fine if Grid gave it with the excuse of an apology.


    ¡°Hmm, if so...¡±


    Nefelina¡¯s anger was calmed. She hadn¡¯t been whining while hoping for anything. She just wanted to nitpick over it. Yet when she received something in return, she was a bit embarrassed. In her heart, She wanted to punch Braham, but she decided to put up with it because she knew that Braham wasn¡¯t a simple vampire or magician. Braham also didn¡¯t cross the line with the future dragon either. He swallowed down the sarcastic words, ¡®You are a pig who only eats.¡¯


    ¡°Then why did you just watch?¡± The messengers scattered to their respective ces. Grid chased Braham to the nearby mountain and asked this question.


    Braham struck Greed with Disintegrate and answered with an unwilling expression. ¡°Nefelina and Sariel stillck experience.¡±


    Nefelina was a hatchling and Sariel had been in heaven before being locked in the Abyss. Their innate blood and status meant they had the same knowledge as a sage, but knowledge alone couldn¡¯t achieve things. They had to gain experience and open up their wisdom in order to help Grid.


    ¡°I see.¡± Grid understood why Braham acted like a bystander and smiled happily.


    Braham frowned. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡±


    ¡°It is because I am grateful and happy.¡±


    The reason why Braham tried to instill experience in Nefelina and Sariel was for Grid, after all. Unfortunately, Braham¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t honest.


    ¡°Bah... I just don¡¯t want them to hold me back.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Grid smiled at Braham¡¯sme excuse and carefully touched the Greed ced on the rock. Light magic power was felt. it was still dim, but it was a bright and powerful light magic power.


    ¡°Can this guy cut down the moon too?¡±


    The Falling Moon Sword had proved its worth by bisecting Mir¡¯s body. Grid wanted to have more moon night iron, but it was no longer avable.


    Braham read Grid¡¯s desire and spoke firmly, ¡°It can¡¯t cut it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°If Mir is a match for Baal as you evaluated, he is an opponent who can¡¯t bepletely cut.¡±


    A presence that was close to a god. It couldn¡¯t be cut except by the Sword Saint. This was why the name of Sword Saint shone so much. It was also one of the reasons why Muller was the hero of heroes.


    ¡°However, it can break it down somehow.¡±


    Just because they couldn¡¯t be cut didn¡¯t mean they were immortal. If beings only died from cuts, then everybody in the world would be cut to death. They could be destroyed from the inside out. It was a truth that was less obvious the more outstanding the person.


    ¡°Grid, don¡¯t be impatient.¡±


    Knowing the other side of the world didn¡¯t necessarily mean one had to take full responsibility. The shadow on Grid¡¯s face created by his obsession with the star-like existence called ¡®gods¡¯ was lifted by Braham¡¯s clumsy but warm constion.


    ¡°It is enough for us to prepare as usual. There is no reason to fret and covet what isn¡¯t there.¡±


    No matter how excellent the moon night iron was, it wasn¡¯t everything. The moon night iron was something that ate away at a person¡¯s status. Braham thought there was no need to rely on it too much and Grid felt the same way.


    ***


    A duel of words. It was a fight with words, not a sword or a fist. It was easy to think it would be dirty and dreary instead of shy, but surprisingly, this wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. Deep understanding and logic were sometimes fancier and more powerful than a de. A word could kill or save 10,000 people while a sword killed or saved one person.


    This was why the duel of words, called PvP by schrs and tacticians, had so many enthusiasts. There were many duels of words taking ce all over the continent at this moment.


    ¡°Binch! Binch! Binch!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Binch! I bet on you again today! Don¡¯t receive a penalty for swearing after bing mad with anger. Do well!¡±


    Among the nonbat sses, the sses in the field of controversialists were highly difficult to grow. The expression ¡®extremely desperate¡¯ fitted perfectly. cksmiths made items, schrs read books, and nonbat sses were expected to raise their sses through certain actions, not hunting. Meanwhile, controversialist-like sses had to level up through hunting. Couldn¡¯t they earn experience by starting a duel of words, appeasing people, or writing poems?


    This was a story for at least after the third ss advancement.


    No matter which city or vige, there were already outstanding NPC controversialists, so it was hard to find a ce or job for yer controversialists below level 300. They had no choice but to hunt using skills such as dealing debuffs to the target and causing abnormal conditions. However, they were insignificantpared to the debuffs of ck magicians, so it was hard to get parties.


    They weren¡¯t wee anywhere they went. They could barely kill one monster in the time it took others to kill 10. Yet if they raised their level, they would be a strong malicious force and this was the case with Binch.


    ¡®It is noisy.¡¯


    There were cheers from the crowd of thousands. Binch¡¯s expression when he appeared with enthusiastic support was as ufortable as the shadow around his eyes. It had been two years since he was hired as the trumpeter of the Lion Group. He had been active in hundreds of duels of words, securing the interests of the merchant group and resolving all types of disputes. Even so, he still wasn¡¯t ustomed to people¡¯s attention.


    First of all, he didn¡¯t like the ¡®stage¡¯ itself. It was a duel of words over the interests and pride of the merchant groups. They were forced to disclose some of each other¡¯s weaknesses and transactions, so wasn¡¯t it right to do it secretly in a dark room? Yet the merchants rented the Colosseum to attract onlookers. The duel of words was also considered a means of making money by merchants.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a monkey in a zoo.¡¯


    It was unpleasant to be on stage. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to quit this job. The reason why Binch was dissatisfied with the current situation was due to this twisted personality of rejection


    That was it. If the content of the duel of words caused damage to his employer, there would be no damage to himself (the contract contents stated so). It was also an opportunity to build awareness and the experience and remuneration were greater than anything. There was no reason to quit.


    ¡®This person isn¡¯t confident in his skills.¡¯ Binch snorted when his opponent didn¡¯t show up after he had been on the stage for one minute.


    Sometimes there were these types of guys. They were people who would dy taking to the stage just before the duel of words began. It was a psychological battle, but it was shallow. Binch had never lost to such people.


    ¡°Who the hell is this great person who is dying the time so much?¡±


    ¡°Apostle of Justice? Is this ID real? It is ame ID.¡±


    ¡°Puhahat! This chuunibyou disease! What type of Lauel is he?!¡±


    ¡°It is boring, so hurry ande up, you son of a bitch! Will you pay the price of the tickets if I get bored?!¡±


    The crowd started booing Binch¡¯s opponent. This was a gentleman¡¯s game of culture and wisdom, unlike the bloody PvP. The duel of words was a noble spot loved by keyboard warriors for its distinctive characteristics. The crowd might be about to start a riot but Binch was reviewing his opponent¡¯s information in the midst of the disturbance.


    ¡®Affiliated with the Landy Merchant Group. The ID is Apostle of Justice, the ranking is unknown.¡¯


    Most controversialists hid their ranking. It was embarrassing because their level was low. The ranking hidden by the opponent wasn¡¯t a matter of concern. Binch paid attention to the Landy Merchant Group.


    ¡®The Landy Merchant Group. They are said to provide manpower for the miners in the eastern part of the empire...¡¯


    It was a merchant group selling manpower. The history was long, but small in scale. ording to the information provided by the Lion Merchant Group, the direction of the business itself wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡®The reason they asked us to fight a duel of words this time is due to thebor costs.¡¯


    The problem was that the Lion Merchant Group acquired all the manpower nearby after entering the eastern part of the empire. The Lion Merchant Group bought manpower for high fees that ignored the existing market price. Therefore, the Landy Merchant Group only had flies left.


    The Landy Merchant Group¡¯s demand was a freeze on thebor costs. They were poor to start with, so there was no way they could save for an expensive controversialist.


    ¡°He came up!¡±


    ¡°It is finally starting!¡±


    The other party came up on stage. It was a face he had never seen before. The Apostle of Justice was just as strange as his ID. Binch nned to use a frontal attack. The demand for a freeze onbor costs by the Landy Merchant Group was an act of ignoring worker¡¯s values and rights. This was the justification of the Lion Merchant Group. At least in this duel of words, Binch was on the good side.


    [The other party has epted the duel of words.]


    He sent an invitation to the other person, who took to the stage just in time, and the person epted it immediately. The theme of this duel of words appeared along with a 10 squared mental gauge in Binch¡¯s vision. From now on, the two of them would exchange words with each other. Every time they failed to refute the other person¡¯s opinion or made a statement that was contrary to their argument, their mental gauge would be consumed by one square. The opportunity for a first attack was with the opponent.


    ¡°How many gifts did you buy for your parents on the day you received your first paycheck?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was a question that didn¡¯t match the subject at all. Binch thought that one square of the opponent¡¯s mental gauge would be consumed at the system¡¯s judgment, but the opponent¡¯s words weren¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°You should spend at least 10% of your sry unless you are a bad son. I¡¯m sure this is enough to prepare a set of long johns, but after your sry doubles next month, can you give your parents two sets of long johns?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Maybe it was because it was so strange. The system wasn¡¯t able to judge the other person¡¯s remarks and responded btedly. The sight of two squares on Apostle of Justice¡¯s mental gauge being consumed clearly entered Binch¡¯s vision. It was Binch¡¯s turn to talk, but Apostle of Justice was chattering non-stop. The penalty for ignoring the turn consumed another two squares, but he didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Of course, if your sry has doubled, then you can buy two sets. However, if everyone¡¯s sry has doubled, then you can¡¯t buy one, let alone two. A sudden rise inbor costs is bound to be apanied by intion.¡±


    ¡°This is too extreme. Are you a liberal arts major? I¡¯ll exin the economic structure for you, liberal arts...¡±


    ¡°You will be d to buy even one set. Your job will be affected by the rising prices and risingbor costs that ur at the same time. There will be a restructuring and you will be out on the streets. Then you won¡¯t be able to get your parents a pair of socks, let alone a pair of long johns. Isn¡¯t this too bad?¡±


    ¡®This crazy guy?¡¯


    Apostle of Justice was self-destructing. There were only two squares left on his mental gauge because he kept ignoring the rules and continued to talk nonsense. Binch judged that he had won and shut up, thinking that the Landy Merchant Group who hired such a person was insane. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°And so, your Lion Merchant Group is an immoral group!¡± Apostle of Justice shouted.


    They were ignorant words without any logic. Binch was snorting when his eyes suddenly widened.


    [You are greatly offended by the criticism of the other person.]


    [The mental blow is huge!]


    [You are so angry that you are speechless and your head is nk!!]


    ¡®And...?!¡¯


    Rules and logic governed the duel of words. Still, there were a few variables such as the use of the ¡®Spiteful Tongue,¡¯ ¡®Swearing,¡¯ and ¡®Disregard¡¯ skills.


    Disregard could make the opponent¡¯s verbal attack into nothing while Spiteful Tongue and Swearing were lethal moves that greatly consumed the other person¡¯s mental strength by ignoring logic.


    It was just difficult to use Spiteful Tongue and Swearing in practice because all controversialists were armed with the ¡®Mental Defense¡¯ skill. If one failed to break through the other person¡¯s mental defense after using Spiteful Tongue and Swearing, then their own mental strength would be consumed in reverse.


    Binch¡¯s Mental Defense skill was as high as advanced level 4. To have a 100% chance of breaking through Binch¡¯s Mental Defense skill, the level of Spiteful Tongue and Swearing needed to be at least craftsman level 4. Binch¡¯s face turned white as his mental gauge dropped.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me you are...!¡±


    Parents attacker, Huroi¡ªBinch encountered the huge presence who was considered a legend among all the controversialists.

 Chapter 1443

    <h4>Chapter 1443</h4>


    Every position came with a responsibility. For quite some time, Huroi had been unable to get things off his chest. It was because the Mongolian people became sensitive every time Huroi was honest, just like the Koreans, Americans, and Russians recently quarreled over Kraugel¡¯s nationality.


    [Korean game genes have caused another incident!]


    [Kraugel, the pride of South Korea, became aplete Sword Saint based on Grid¡¯s epic.]


    [The beautifulmunication of Korean people... Kraugel¡¯s noble belief has brought enlightenment to Grid.]


    The world shook on the day that Grid wrote a new epic. It was an epic full of admiration for Kraugel. The content of the epic itself was nothing shocking. Those who believed in Kraugel said, ¡°The time has finallye.¡± No one doubted that Kraugel deserved to be recognized. It was somewhat surprising that the one who delivered Kraugel¡¯s news was Grid, not the system, but it wasn¡¯t special considering the rtionship between the two of them.


    Nevertheless, there was an uproar in the world. The beginning were the provocative articles that third-rate Korean media started to spread on the Inte. The behavior of some unrecognized media outlets in describing Kraugel as the pride of South Korea and iming Kraugel¡¯s achievements as the result of the Korean genes was enough to provoke some radical Americans.


    -Are you saying that Kraugel, a Koryoin, is the pride of South Korea?


    -The yellow monkeys give me goosebumps.Look at them crediting Kraugel¡¯s genes for his achievements so far.


    -Fucking game DNA.What the hell is game DNA?What, are they saying that Korean blood flows through all high rankers around the world?


    -This is why Kraugel acquired American nationality, not Korean nationality.No matter how well you do in South Korea, you would¡¯ve been told that it is thanks to DNA. It must¡¯ve been dark.Hahaha, I suddenly feel sorry for Grid.


    -It is hard to even say that Kraugel is Korean.They say that his family has been Russian citizens since the generation of his great-grandparents. His Russian blood might be thicker than his Korean blood.Since he has lived in Russia for several generations, there might be Russians mixed up among his ancestors.


    -Even so, don¡¯t involve Russia.Oh my god!Look at this.The Russians have already heard the news.


    -Kraugel is a Russian born in Russia and raised there!Americans are just robbers that materialism gave birth to!


    -Let¡¯s talk bluntly.It isn¡¯t the United States that took away Kraugel. It was Kraugel¡¯s choice to go to the United States.Additionally, if you want to mess around, don¡¯t do it here. Go to the Koreanmunities.It was the Korean monkeys who started it first.


    -Disgusting racists!


    -Who is speaking to whom...


    -The troublemakers have got together.What are you talking about? Kraugel isn¡¯t Korean? ??? He is Korean from the beginning ??? Do you know Kraugel?


    -Now there is an influx of Koreans...Everyone, please get out of here.


    ...Now the Inte was a mess.


    Due to several third-rate Korean media outlets, radical groups from the three countries were killing each other in certainmunities. The reason why Huroi started to watch his mouth was because he had experienced a simr situation.


    Grid¡¯s first knight might be Jude, but I am his first subordinate.


    He said this in an interview and was harshly rejected by the people of Mongolia. He wouldn¡¯t have cared if he was just scolded. The problem was that there were people who praised Huroi as the hero of Mongolia. They were disappointed and saddened by Huroi. They all knew that Grid was definitely a great person and that Huroi adored him. It was just painful for the people of Mongolia that the attitude of the ranker representing their country was that of a servant to another person.


    At that time, Lauel had given him advice.


    ¡®Refrain from praising Grid. It is good for both yourself and the Overgeared Guild. Even if you don¡¯t say it, the whole world knows that you are Grid¡¯s loyal servant. Why do you have to talk about it?¡¯ Lauel persuaded Huroi.


    This persuasion worked. From that day on, Huroi watched his mouth. He sealed his personal opinions and was faithful to his role as the trumpeter of the groups he belonged to, namely the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom, not the individual Grid. It was frustrating. He felt that he was in a miserable position because he couldn¡¯t talk recklessly with his mouth.


    Then he met the Skin Maker. He gained a new appearance from Guseha and made the alias of ¡®Apostle of Justice¡¯ bymissioning a forger. Now he hid his identity and traveled around the world whenever he had free time. He went around freely saying what was in his heart.


    He easily hunted with the power of his second ss and the wyvern, allowing him to build up Swearing and Spiteful Tongue which ignored logic. This meant the world couldn¡¯t handle the power of his words. It was because of this that the Landy Merchant Group recently sent a request to Apostle of Justice. The reputation of Apostle of Justice was gradually umting to the point where requests were made.


    Of course, Apostle of Justice had no intention of epting the request. Apostle of Justice was a person who wanted to act freely. He didn¡¯t want to work to carry out requests. However, the name of the opponents, the Lion Merchant Group, was annoying. It was the organization that was recently mentioned inside the Overgeared Guild. They were after the Heart of the Frost Queen... he thought it would be good to scold them at least once.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me you are...!¡± Binch stuttered.


    Huroi cautioned the controversialist of the Lion Merchant Group who was knocked down helplessly, ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything more.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Binch was convinced of Huroi¡¯s identity and closed his mouth. The scary thing about the Overgeared Guild was firstly its force. The second was its ability to insult your parents. Power was only the third. Binch had no intention ofpeting with Huroi, who was notorious for his words. There was no loyalty because he had a simple employment rtionship with the Lion Merchant Group.


    ¡°Binch, what is this? Did you lose just now?¡±


    ¡°Why did Binch lose?¡±


    The audience btedly became aware that the duel of words was over and there was a stir among them. They didn¡¯t understand why Binch was defeated by this guy. Only one person was an exception. It was the vice-leader of the Lion Merchant Group who was mixed in with the audience, Seomye.


    -Binch, is Huroi the person you are dealing with right now?


    -I won¡¯tment.


    It was a good enough answer.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Seomye was aware that, after finding out the Skin Maker¡¯s identity, the Overgeared Guild had been watching the Lion Merchant Group for a while. It was predictable. It wasn¡¯t because the Overgeared Guild¡¯s surveince was sloppy, but it was a natural step. It was noticeable because they were conscious of it.


    On the surface, the Lion Merchant Group was the organization that moved to take the Heart of the Frost Queen away from the Skin Maker. Then taking a closer look, they could quickly see that the Lion Merchant Group was just someone¡¯s servant. In fact, the Overgeared Guild¡¯s surveince was quickly lifted.


    ¡®Now that they¡¯ve sent such a bigshot... they haven¡¯t figured out exactly who is behind us yet.¡¯


    The Lion Merchant Group was just one of the dozens of organizations under Inferno. They were just one of the many branches of Inferno. Seomye could realize how great this huge group was.


    -Lion, Huroi hase to our branch right now.Yes, he has hidden his identity, but I am sure it is Huroi of the Overgeared Guild.The Overgeared Guild still seems vignt toward us. What should we do?


    -He approached us by hiding his identity, so just pretend you don¡¯t know.No matter the induced interrogation, just go with it. It means to hand over all the information that Huroi wants. it isn¡¯t a big deal for the Overgeared Guild to know the information of the group.


    -...Even if they are trying to find out who is behind us?


    -Yes, just because we want to hide it doesn¡¯t mean it is possible.The Overgeared Guild has already contacted over half of the 26 organizations under Inferno.It doesn¡¯t matter if we tell them what will be revealed soon.


    -Are you thinking of interacting directly with the Overgeared Guild?


    -No.The superiors believe it is still too early to interact with the Overgeared Guild.


    -What will we do if there is a misunderstanding due to the Heart of the Frost Queen?If the Overgeared Guild sees us as a hostile force, then our superiors will suffer devastating damage.


    -It is okay if we are destroyed.


    -...The Lion Merchant Group¡¯s true intentions.Lion, what is it?


    -Seomye, when the timees, you will naturally know what our purpose is.You will look back on today¡¯s conversation and think it is interesting.


    Seomye found it hard to understand, but he didn¡¯t argue any longer. He had long admired Lion¡¯s ability and personality, so he just trusted and followed Lion.


    Step.Step.


    At the Colosseum, after the crowd had left...


    Huroi approached Sumye, who was sitting alone in the empty stands. In fact, the expression ¡®approached¡¯ was wrong. Seomye had been sitting by one of the four entrances and Hurou was just trying to leave through it. Huroi didn¡¯t even know who Seomye was. He didn¡¯t know much about the Lion Merchant Group.


    The Lion Merchant Group had already been determined as low risk within the Overgeared Guild. Why would Huroi be interested in the Lion Merchant Group when the Overgeared Shadows had withdrawn from monitoring them and turned to tracking Agnus? His involvement in the duel of words was just to teach them a lesson.


    However, Seomye didn¡¯t know this.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you have anything to do with me?¡±


    Seomye rose from his seat and politely greeted Huroi, ¡°You might already know me, but let me say hello. I am Seomye, the vice-leader and president of the eastern branch of the Lion Merchant Group.¡±


    ¡°...I am Apostle of Justice.¡±


    ¡°You are a great controversialist. I was impressed by your duel of words with Binch. I¡¯d like to hire you even if it costs millions of gold.¡±


    ¡°Millions of gold... I am looking for a stable job. How much can you give me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He had just been speaking out of courtesy, but it was caught immediately.


    Seomye was deeply flustered, but he didn¡¯t show it. He recalled Lion¡¯s warning and spoke cautiously, ¡°There are bound to be disputes among merchant groups. There aren¡¯t enoughpetent controversialists. Considering the skills of Apostle of Justice, I would like to offer you 10 times the highest pay in the industry.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    On this day, a whisper was sent to Lauel, -I have infiltrated the Lion Merchant Group. No one knows my identity.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Why was he doing something that wasn¡¯t requested? Lauel found it absurd, but he thought that things weren¡¯t bad. It was a situation where he almost found out who was behind the Lion Merchant Group. The Lion Merchant Group itself was just a puppet and was low risk, but it was unconditionally beneficial to keep them close and dig up information.


    Additionally, Huroi was the most idle one among the 10 meritorious retainers. Faker was eagerly collecting information with the Shadows, Regas was training with the group of asuras, while Pon and Peak Sword led the armored spearsmen group and rapid draw swordsmen respectively. Unlike the others of the 10 meritorious retainers who had exclusive units, Huroi¡¯s role was rtively free. It was just like Euphemina and Jishuka.


    -I don¡¯t know how this happened, but...you¡¯ve somehow seeded in infiltrating them. I admit that you arepetent.


    -I wouldn¡¯t be Grid¡¯s first subordinate if I wasn¡¯tpetent.


    -The most important goal is the ount book.Please secure this.If we look at the ount book, then we will be able to identify the forces involved with the Lion Merchant Group.


    -Yes.


    -Don¡¯t be impatient.It is hard for even the top members of the group to locate the ount book.It might take months.If you think it is impossible, then you can just give up.


    20 minutester, Huroi replied, -I have secured the ount book.


    -Huh?Already?


    -I found it on the side of the vice-leader¡¯s desk.


    -......


    No, wasn¡¯t this something that shouldn¡¯t be left in the open? Lauel was baffled, but he controlled his mind as he thought that everyone had moments of luck.


    -Quickly take screenshots of the contents and return the book to its original position.Send the photos to my emailter.


    -I understand.


    Huroi felt his heart beating for the first time in ages. He was excited because he felt like the main character of a spy movie. It felt like vitality was added to his life that had been boring since his mouth was sealed. This was the power of hospitality.

 Chapter 1444

    <h4>Chapter 1444</h4>


    Satisfy¡¯s world was bigger than Earth. It was true even if the scale was limited to the West Continent. It usually wasn¡¯t easy to find a hidden person. However, the Overgeared Shadows that absorbed Eclipse were able to pull out anything from all territories. It was possible to even find a needle in the sand. It could bepared to arge metal detector and satellite.


    There were few people in the world who could escape from the skills of the Overgeared Shadows, who not only mastered basic tracking techniques of capturing and exploring the path by digging into the target¡¯s appearance, personality, inclination, and background, but also actively utilized Eclipse¡¯s methods of poisoning and chasing soul incense.


    Additionally, many kingdoms on the West Continent were favorable to the Overgeared Kingdom. Many kingdoms, and even the empire, assisted in their search. Faker thought that Agnus would soon be found as long as he wasn¡¯t in hell. It was just like Faker expected.


    -I¡¯ve found him.


    -Wait.


    Sound Transmission. It was the system that yers called the whisper. Every yer enjoyed this system and took it for granted, but NPCs were different. Sound Transmission couldn¡¯t be used unless they had reached a certain level or learned a skill. The Overgeared Shadows had acquired this power. This was a benefit obtained by absorbing Eclipse. They were the most secretive organization on the continent and had the ability to use Sound Transmission.


    Faker received the messages from the members and unfolded the map of his destination. It was a map made by Skunk himself. The defense, terrain, buildings, and structures were marked in detail. It was only one piece of paper, but it was a treasure trove of information.


    ¡°......¡±


    Theplex content was instantly imprinted in Faker¡¯s mind.


    The city of Echiran. Faker was able to grasp and recall all the information about small and medium sized cities located in the remotends of this faraway principality. The city he came to for the first time was as familiar as his homnd. It was the domain of a genius. The darkside of the Overgeared Kingdom was such a presence.


    -All leaders, listen up.


    Faker led the Shadows Group.


    -Begin.


    Every time he gave amand, the entrances and exits of Echiran were blocked one by one and the disturbances on the streets subsided. The city¡¯s shadows gathered around a mansion. It was the only building with lights on in the city that had be as silent as a mouse.


    -All the exits have been blocked.


    -The residents have finished taking refuge.


    -The mayor has cleared away the soldiers.


    The reason for the rapid operation was due to the mayor¡¯s cooperation with the Overgeared Shadows. The Hemilton principality had chosen a friendly rtionship with the Overgeared Kingdom. In other words, the ruler of the principality issued an official document to actively assist the Overgeared Kingdom.


    The mayor said he would help even more by lending the support of the army. Faker felt grateful, but he naturally refused. Using an army against Agnus was the worst. The root of Agnus was a necromancer. The longer the battle continued, the stronger his army of corpses would get as their numbers grew. If it was a battlefield with Agnus¡¯ presence, then it was better for no one to be there.


    ¡®It is all just a theory.¡¯


    Agnus¡¯bat style was different from other necromancers. It was the same logic as Grid¡¯sbat style being different from a cksmith¡¯sbat style. Unlike necromancers who slowly dominated the battlefield through sufficient preparation and procedures, Agnus mostly overwhelmed the battlefield in an instant.


    He cut the enemy himself with sword skillsparable to a swordsman ranker, operated the death knights and lich at the same time to show firepowerparable to a magician, and even if he was injured, he could quickly recover or invalidate his death.


    He didn¡¯t have the necromancer weakness of ¡®being weak at the beginning of the battle.¡¯ The strength of being stronger in the second half was also applied. It was natural because he overcame his limitations with the runes, achievements, titles, and ss.


    ¡®I have to bring everything out. It is to the very depths.¡¯


    Faker¡¯s eyes sank. The scene in his dark eyes was the mansion of a monster, but it was himself who was staring back at him. It sank deeper and deeper.


    He brought out the killing intent that he used to wipe out one of the Seven Guilds alone. He reflected on the former Lantier, who only half developed his skills in order to be a pir of the empire, and used it as a negative learning material. He repeatedly mulled over the regret of failing to guard the great cksmith and strengthened his heart by remembering the kingdom that he guarded in the shadows, correcting his spirit.


    A talent that could reach the sky. The precious talent that hadn¡¯t been revealed for many years due to his role in protecting the Overgeared Kingdom was born at this moment.


    Faker moved the members back and ced his hands on the ground. Then thousands of shadows stretched out toward the mansion. The red bricks and transparent windows were instantly dyed ck. The mansion was eroded by shadows. It was already regarded as Faker¡¯s property.


    The shadow that eroded the mansion moved like a living creature. Would the mouth of a mythical monster be this big? It bit and swallowed the whole mansion.


    ¡®It is amazing.¡¯


    ¡®He has be stronger in the meantime.¡¯


    The Shadow Group wasn¡¯t all NPCs. There were a handful of yers who had long umted trust and strength in the Overgeared Guild. For them, the assassin ranker, Faker, was an object of awe. They believed that Agnus, who they had no choice but to collide with, and Pauld, the target of the mission, would be swallowed up by the shadows along with the mansion.


    Just then, the hemisphere of shadow that had been condensing by swallowing the mansion fluctuated greatly. Someone¡¯s hand stuck out of it. It was a skinny and dry hand that showed the shape of a skeleton. The blood vessels sticking out all over the pale skin was reminiscent of a corpse.


    ¡°Scatter.¡±


    The moment Faker gave the brief order, the 300 Shadow members surrounding the mansion disappeared immediately. Of course, they didn¡¯t leave the scene. They hid their appearance inside the shadows and behind natural earth features, but the siege remained solid.


    The hand that came out of the shadow suddenly erged. It arrived in front of Faker¡¯s nose in the blink of an eye. Faker leaned back to avoid it and raised his foot. A sharp de emerged from the tip of the boot and pierced the opponent¡¯s abdomen, but the momentum didn¡¯t cease. It was an opponent with high physical resistance.


    Faker rotated the foot stuck in the abdomen of the enemy and swung his dagger. He swung the knife several times before pulling back.


    Grrr.


    The opponent breathed like a beast. There were deep knife marks on his neck and chest, but he didn¡¯t shed a drop of blood. The blood vessels engraved on the pale skin hardened. The smell of the dead was strong. The man with the name ¡®Agnus¡¯ Deceased¡¯ above his head once again narrowed the distance. The force of the advance was so powerful that his charge was terrifying. Faker, who wasparable to Grid in terms of speed, barely avoided it.


    ¡°I think we need to increase the output of the mechanism even higher.¡±


    ¡°The deceased can¡¯t withstand more than this right now.¡±


    ¡°It is your fault for not making a better one.¡±


    ¡°It is because I didn¡¯t get the right materials.¡±


    The voices of two people were heard. They were Agnus and Pauld. The two men talked lightly as they came through the hemisphere of shadows. Faker¡¯s gaze was fixed on Pauld. He was a little boy, so it seemed that Elizabeth¡¯s report was correct. Faker revealed his business here, ¡°Agnus, in consideration of the danger, I will remove the lich, Pauld. You can cooperate or resist.¡±


    ¡°What right do you have?¡±


    ¡°The right of the strong.¡±


    Agnus was talking with a smile when his eyes widened at this answer. He was briefly flustered by Faker¡¯s confident attitude in openly asserting these unjust rights that deserved criticism.


    ¡°As expected of Faker.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ expression brightened. He liked this Faker, who got right to the essence without using righteousness or logic as an excuse.


    ¡°However, strength and weakness are rtivews,¡± Agnus said with a shrug.


    Pauld was already moving forward. ¡°Am I that easy? It seems my reputation is lousy in this day and age. It is clear that Braham disparaged my achievements.¡±


    Pauld clicked his tongue like he was offended while Faker quickly observed him. His skin was pale and he looked exactly like a person. He waspletely different from the liches Faker had met so far who showed only white bones. His nonchnt expression expressed his confidence. His small body looked terribly weak, but the physical strength of the body was meaningless in front of magic.


    ¡®Are they all his own artifacts?¡¯


    There was a ne, two bracelets, and 10 rings. Pauld wasvishly decorated with essories. It was hidden by the hem of his pants, but the ankles were probably covered as well. Maybe his hair tie was an artifact as well.


    ¡®He must be stronger than I thought.¡¯


    If Elizabeth¡¯s guess was correct, Pauld could manufacture artifacts. Considering that the time Kraugel reported Pauld¡¯s resurrection through Grid was a long time ago, it was likely that most of the essories that Pauld was equipped with were artifacts made by him. Additionally, Agnus¡¯ deceased was very strong. It was a power beyond the original estimates.


    Faker made a quick judgment and wrote on the shadows for the members to see. It was the power of Lantier. He told them to tie up the deceased and added that they shouldn¡¯t force it.


    Faker¡¯s figure disappeared. It was so swift that it caused Agnus¡¯ deceased to cock his head as he tried to eat Faker. Faker rose from the shadow under Pauld¡¯s feet and stabbed at Pauld with a dagger. It was where the lich¡¯s core was located. Regardless of the specifications, the target would be forced to suffer a critical injury. At least, generally speaking.


    [The target has neutralized the damage.]


    The ne that Pauld was wearing glowed blue. It was a cold light that showed its presence without mixing with the sunlight.


    ¡°You became Lantier because your skills are extraordinary. It is like the 25th.¡±


    The 25th Lantier. The only Lantier to be a legend. The time of his activity ovepped with Pauld. Pauld pulled off the ne that lost its light in exchange for absorbing arge amount of damage and used great magic. There was no aggressiveness. It was a magic that summoned a huge sphere of light. It was as if light magic had been increased hundreds of times in size. For Faker, it was far more deadly than attack magic.


    ¡°I have a lot of experience since I was almost killed by the 25th.¡±


    The lich¡¯s infinite magic power caused the sphere of light to expand rapidly,pletely clearing all shadows within a radius of 50 meters. The secret movements of the Shadow members were clearly revealed to the deceased and Faker¡¯s Shadow Movement that connected to the ¡®nearest shadow¡¯ was temporarily cut off.


    Agnus¡¯ deceased roared. He rushed like a beast toward the Shadow members who couldn¡¯t hide and ran wild. The various types and depths of the martial arts he used spoke of his experience with martial arts during his life.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Experienced assassins didn¡¯t make sounds. The finest drake leather armor was torn and they died horribly from the piercing attacks of the deceased, but they never groaned. However, the sound of their flesh being crushed and their bones broken echoed eerily on the battlefield.


    Faker increased his speed. In every breath he took, he avoided magic and cut at Pauld with his dagger. Yetpared with Pauld, Faker¡¯s health gauge was consumed faster. Pauld wasn¡¯t allowed to use magic. Even without the shadows, Faker was a peak assassin. He created gaps with difficulty against a magician with a superior advantage. It was just that the 10 rings on both of Pauld¡¯s hands emitted a different light every time, stopping and reflecting Faker¡¯s attack. Moreover, the two death knights summoned by Agnus were cooperating to attack Faker.


    There was a shriek from the dagger that collided with two swords. This meant that he simultaneously blocked the attacks of the death knights aimed along different trajectories with one movement.


    ¡®It would be great if he became the Sword Saint.¡¯


    Faker¡¯s skill at creating countless dark sword rays andpletely controlling his speed impressed Agnus. His ability to deal with two named death knights and a lich at the same time was surprising enough to make Agnus¡¯ cold heart fill with enthusiasm.


    Pauld lost two rings and his wounds started to increase rapidly because he couldn¡¯t handle the rapidly umting damage. Faker¡¯s greatest strengthy not in his speed but his secrecy. The secrecy caused confusion. Pauld had no choice but topress a shield and spread it thinly over his body. It was because he couldn¡¯t predict where Faker¡¯s attacks would fly from.


    ¡®It is to this extent despite me sealing the shadows?¡¯


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    Faker¡¯s expression was indifferent as he blocked the death knight¡¯s sword with the dagger in his right hand for the first time while taking out a new dagger in his left hand hidden behind the cloak that fluttered in the aftermath of the collision. There was no expression, so his heart wasn¡¯t read and his intentions weren¡¯t discovered.


    Agnus, the two death knights, and Pauld¡ªFaker¡¯s focus deceived the eyes and senses of the enemies looking at him from all directions. Then it turned into killing intent as he deeply pierced Pauld¡¯s abdomen. Pauld felt nauseous and poured out a huge amount of magic power.


    The huge sphere of light floating in the air fragmented and scattered like broken ss and shadows were restored to the area.


    The situation of the battle changed.


    Agnus¡¯ deceased, who was using his explosive breakthrough dash skills without restriction, faltered for the first time. Based on the way he struggled the moment the Shadows regained their stealth ability, his senses weren¡¯t as developedpared to his high fighting power.


    ¡°......¡±


    Agnus was surrounded by a group symbolizing the Overgeared Guild and his expression hardened for the first time. Faker repeated to him, who seemed to be aware of his situation atst, ¡°I am going to get rid of the lich, Pauld.¡±


    The sun was rising. The moment the sun shone on the battlefield, the momentum of Agnus¡¯ deceased and death knights weakened. The inhabitants of the night were bound to be shabbypared to the Overgeared, who ruled day and night without distinction.


    Faker wiped the blood flowing from his forehead, absorbed the shadows around him, and condensed it around his dagger. It was a shadow sword that would devour and destroy Pauld. He also hoped he could get rid of the death knights.


    ¡°You can try and resist.¡±


    Assassins were short-term decisive weapons. Faker had no intention of dragging out the fight.

 Chapter 1445

    <h4>Chapter 1445</h4>


    A lich or death knight owned by a yer couldn¡¯t be destroyed in the usual way. It was like a pet. It belonged to the ount, so what method did other yers have to vite it? Yet Faker discussed destroying Pauld. Was it a bluff? Seeing theck of a disgusting pretense, it probably wasn¡¯t a bluff.


    ¡®There must be something he believes in.¡¯


    The dagger with the shadows wrapped around it. It had a much more profound energy than the hemisphere that engulfed the mansion.


    ¡®This is why I doubt that Baal¡¯s Contractor is invincible.¡¯


    The Sword Saint was the best, but Baal¡¯s Contractor was invincible. It was a role that was hostile to humanity, so it made sense that it had an unrivaled side. It was actually absurdly strong. Aside from their loathing of Agnus, people feared the potential of Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    Agnus himself couldn¡¯t guess his own limitations. He had rejected Baal¡¯s quests several times for their uselessness when he wasn¡¯t in the right mind. If the quests that contained the ughter of civilians had been faithfully carried out, he would be many times stronger than he was right now.


    However, it was too much of an extreme to one side. Following divinity and the Demon yer, now there was a counter in the shadow arts? This was why Baal¡¯s deration that there would be no one topete against him was just nonsense.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    Agnus studied the energy contained in Faker¡¯s shadow sword from a slightly different perspective. It was the energy of extermination. There were no restrictions on utility. The power wasn¡¯t limited to just the dead. There was the possibility of destroying any opponent. It was a killer¡¯s secret technique. This skill would be limited, just as the ¡®Deceased Creation¡¯ of Baal¡¯s Contractor and the ¡®Swordsmanship Creation¡¯ of the Sword Saint had restrictions on the number of uses.


    ¡®He¡¯s put a lot on the line.¡¯


    A legendary skill with a limit on the number of uses was purely for themselves. Yet Faker was going to use it to get rid of Pauld. He was willing to sacrifice one of the benefits of bing a legend. It wasn¡¯t a usual mindset. There was a high possibility of death. Agnus pulled out a sword and exercised the authority of a demon noble. He summoned three demons. It was a number that proved his noble title had been elevated.


    ¡°Exercising your rights. Then I understand. Every time a strong person exercises their rights, there will be weak people who lose their rights.¡±


    I did so.


    Faker read the eyes of Agnus who spoke and was convinced.


    ¡®He¡¯s changed.¡¯


    There was none of that madness that was Agnus¡¯ symbol. Was there no malice left? Faker wasn¡¯t sure. Agnus could¡¯ve shaken it off along with his madness or it might be deep in his mind. One thing was for certain. Agnus wasn¡¯t some daredevil who didn¡¯t know the consequences. It seemed he would have to reduce the goal of destroying the death knights along with Pauld. One of Agnus¡¯ few weaknesses was his madness. Now that it was gone, it would be a tougher fight than he determined.


    Step.


    Agnus took a step forward. He didn¡¯t approach Faker. No matter how good his swordsmanship, he wasn¡¯t a match for Faker. Didn¡¯t Faker block two death knights who were more powerful than high rankers? Agnus nced at the cityscape beyond the siege of shadows and spread open his arms.


    ¡°The back streets of this glorious city were full of underprivileged people who lost their rights. They were weak people no one cared about if they suddenly disappeared one day.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker noticed something and became anxious. There were no circumstances for it and no physical evidence, but Agnus¡¯ words created an ominous feeling. It was the senses of a genius that was closer to foresight.


    ¡°I gave them value.¡±


    Thump.


    Agnus lightly stomped on the ground where he stood. The aftermath was great. The entirend started to shake and the dead started to crawl out. The site of Agnus¡¯ mansion was already a graveyard. Hundreds of bodies were buried below this greatnd.


    Kuueok...Kuooh...


    The ghouls that were illuminated by the light had the pained expressions from when they died. The number that reached 400 was arranged like an army with one gesture from Agnus. There were no separate guards protecting the king. Faker realized it. Agnus¡¯ madness and malice hadn¡¯t disappeared. They were just controlled. The mad dog had be a madman.


    ¡°I understand your heart that attacked first without waiting for your colleagues. You were trying to tie me up out of fear I would notice and ruin it by returning to hell. But... can you handle it?¡±


    Agnus sneered and flicked his fingers. Then the demons fired rays from their mouths. The targets were the Shadow members, not Faker. Agnus was thinking of reducing the number of Shadow members blocking the deceased and increasing his army.


    It was real from now on. The fight against time began. Faker had to achieve his purpose as soon as possible.


    Faker remained in the shadows andpletely deceived the senses of Agnus¡¯ army. From the start, he had no intention of moving to Pauld¡¯s shadow. They would surely be on guard. Rather, Faker appeared in Agnus¡¯ shadow. This move was aimed at keeping the demonic firepower in check while catching them off guard. However, the danger that Faker failed to detect was lurking in Agnus¡¯ arms.


    Croak.


    A ck frog.


    Faker¡¯s expressionless face was broken. It was because the name ¡®Chepardea¡¯ above the head of the frog sticking out its long tongue was an unusual color. ck red. It meant that his hierarchy was very high even in hell. The small tongue extended as it reached Faker. Every time the size changed, speed was added and the trajectory shifted. It was almost like an illusion, but the frog just stretched out its tongue.


    ¡®Fortunately, it isn¡¯t deep.¡¯


    Faker, whose waist was injured because he couldn¡¯t avoid the attackpletely, regained hisposure. The damage was only 4,000 and there were no physical abnormalities. Poisoning urred, but he resisted it with the power of a legend. Contrary to his concerns, Chepardea was weak. It wasmon sense that demons would be weakened in the human world, but it was much weaker than what he feared. It meant that it wasn¡¯t the main body. High ranking demons and angels couldn¡¯te to the human world lightly and this frog was the same.


    Chepardea¡¯s tongue struck the ground in session. It was the ce where Faker had been standing just a while ago, but now he was hidden in the shadows.


    -Croaak!He actually survived the attack from this body!


    ¡°It is because you are weak. Tsk.¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯t happy with Chepardea¡¯s intervention.


    In the human world, Chepardea¡¯s stats were downgraded to a very lousy level. Nevertheless, Faker should¡¯ve noticed. Chepardea¡¯s tongue wasn¡¯t useless. It shot fast and constantly controlled targets approaching Agnus. The presence of Chepardea meant that no des could touch Agnus¡¯ body.


    ¡®I can¡¯t act as bait any longer.¡¯


    Assassins were mes that zed brilliantly but were extinguished quickly. From now on, Faker would only be targeting Pauld. Faker reappeared in Pauld¡¯s shadow. He was naturally prepared. Two death knights lowered their swords simultaneously while Pauld¡¯s ring glowed and spread a chill.


    Faker disappeared straight away and reappeared next to Pauld. It was a position where the chill hadn¡¯t reached. Pauld didn¡¯t only have one shadow. There were faint shadows that changed moment to moment depending on the angle of the sun and the flow of clouds.


    Faker moved through all these shadows and attacked Pauld constantly. If anyone knew that Shadow Movement was a skill that ¡®targeted one of the shadows in sight¡¯, they would¡¯ve been mesmerized by Faker¡¯s appearance at the moment. The skill of capturing, designating, and linking skills to move, split, and sh between shadows was like a miracle.


    ng!


    Ting!


    aang!


    Tong!


    Every time Faker appeared from Pauld¡¯s side, rear, front, or even under the foot, the swords of the death knights would hit the ground and several ovepping shields on Pauld¡¯s body would break. Pauld¡¯s magic operation wasn¡¯t quick because his core was damaged and the rising sun. It was difficult for him to use great magic to constrain Lantier¡¯s movements. Pauld looked frustrated and shouted, ¡°Help!¡±


    He might¡¯ve been captured by Baal¡¯s Contractor, but it was a hard-earned new life. It was a resurrection after hundreds of years ofbor. He didn¡¯t want to die in vain in this ce. Agnus had already acted. Hundreds of ghouls were flocking to Pauld as if they had received hismand.


    ¡®We must give support!¡¯


    The Shadow members, who were tying up the deceased¡¯s feet, scattered in all directions. There were more than one or two members who were seriously injured or killed by the rays of the demons, but their spirit didn¡¯t die down. They knew that their lives were insignificant. Lantier¡¯s technique of nting shadows could quickly cultivate assassins, so they were consumables that could be reced at any time. Still, they tried not to die.


    There was only one reason. It was because the enemy was Agnus. If they died, they woulde back and be a burden to their side.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    The Overgeared Shadows¡¯ struggle scratched at Agnus¡¯ patience. The Shadow members¡¯ skill at slowing down the deceased¡¯s pursuit by setting up traps and throwing daggers while scattering the army of undead was enough to irritate the enemy.


    ¡®I thought their reputation was too high, but it is the opposite.¡¯


    It would be better to kill them all. Agnus, who had been focused on controlling the demons, released the demons freely and directly entered the battlefield. He turned his back on Faker and swung his sword at the Overgeared Shadows. A normal swordsman wielded the sword using the swordsmanship they had been trained in, except when using skills. It didn¡¯t matter if it was self-studied or copied from someone else. In any case, it was swordsmanship.


    Meanwhile, Agnus¡¯ swordsmanship was purely due to the power of the rune. He didn¡¯t swing the sword by thinking and making judgments himself. Rather, he gave himself to the flow of the runes. It was simr to cksmiths making items using the auto button. He used swordsmanship automatically. The best swordsmanship was automatically recreated in every situation. There were times when he was helplessly defeated by swordsmen better than him, but this was rare. He easily overwhelmed most of his opponents.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡± The yers belonging to the Overgeared Shadows gritted their teeth. They were angered by the appearance of Agnus shing at the throats of their colleagues.


    Agnusughed as he made the dead Shadows into undead. ¡°Who are these bastards angry at?¡±


    Agnus¡¯ actions became more brutal. Somehow, he approached Faker and killed the Overgeared Shadows helping Faker. Then he raised them as the undead to tie up the other members. Nearly 400 ghouls were concentrated around Pauld. They covered all the shadows around Pauld and attacked every time Faker appeared. Even so, Faker¡¯s offensive didn¡¯t stop. He coughed up blood while repeating his rampage and continuing to destroy Pauld¡¯s shield.


    ¡°Why is he so stubborn...?¡±


    Pauld¡¯s face became even paler. He almost loathed Faker¡¯s face that appeared in front of him again. Then he realized that the opportunity had arrived. Faker rose from a tiny shadow between ghouls and was caught by the ghouls. He seemed nervous and overburdened. It might not be credible, but the scene of the swords of the death knights piercing Faker¡¯s back entered his vision. It was the right time for a counterattack.


    Still, Pauld didn¡¯t act rashly. Legends didn¡¯t die easily. He knew because he lived in the same era as Braham. If he targeted Faker now, this person would survive for a few seconds and then that sinister sword could prate his core.


    Two of Pauld¡¯s rings glowed. They were artifacts that strengthened the power of magic and increased the speed of using magic. A shield was ced over his body. Oneyer, twoyers, threeyers... the speed was much slower than usual, but it repeatedly covered him in a firm manner. The ovepping shield that Faker struggled so hard to destroy started to show signs of revival.


    However, Faker wasn¡¯t agitated. Faker coughed up blood as he was stuck like a skewer on the death knights¡¯ swords. He was pulled away by the rotten hands of the ghouls, but he took one more step forward. He stabbed the dagger in a straight line. The leading ghoul became the first victim of the shadow de.


    Keeeok!


    The three ghouls behind it also breathed theirst breath.


    Kaaack!


    Even the ghoul standing in front of Pauld like a barrier turned to gray ash. A single dagger brutally destroyed all the arrangements to protect Pauld. Nevertheless, Pauld¡¯s face was full of joy.


    ¡°It is toote!¡±


    He had created numerous artifacts and carved his name in history. A person who would¡¯ve been great even if he hadn¡¯t been resurrected as a lich showed joy at stacking a few shields over each other. This meant he felt a great threat from Faker. It was a blow to the heart that Faker dealt while giving up this path to escape. No, it was safe to say that the approaching attack was ast ditch struggle, but Pauld was still relieved.


    He had already experienced several times that this insidious shadow sword couldn¡¯t prate more than fouryers of his shield at a time. He was convinced that he would live. The one thing that made him feel ufortable was that there was no agitation on Faker¡¯s face, but it seemed like mere obstinance. At this moment...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!


    A spear came flying silently and shattered the five shields that Pauld had barely managed to ovep. Pauld saw it clearly. A small smile spread on Faker¡¯s face, which had remained unchanged despite the desperate situation.


    ¡®Th... is...¡¯ Pauld felt like time was flowing slowly. The de of the shadow sword squeezed through the broken and scattered remains of the shield and was projected on Pauld¡¯s trembling pupils.


    ¡°Go, Faker!¡±


    A new cry broke into the battlefield.


    ***


    ¡°......?¡±


    Emotions rose on the faces of the Shadow members who had been indifferent despite being ughtered by Agnus and his demons. It was because shadow soldiers appeared everywhere and started to protect them.


    T-This is ridiculous...


    The trembling gazes of the Shadow members turned in the direction of Faker. Their leader was caught by the enemies. They noticed that Faker was blocked from the shadow movements because he summoned the shadow soldiers.


    ¡®Why does he want to protect us...?¡¯


    ¡°Seeing this futile nonsense, it seems it costs a lot of money to raise you guys?¡±


    It happened in the moment when Agnus wiped out the shadow soldiers with the rays from his demons and mocked Faker¡¯s senseless sacrifice...


    ¡°Go, Faker!¡± A new voice echoed through the battlefield.


    Agnus and the Shadow members turned in the direction of the shout and their eyes widened. A path was smashed through a wall built by hundreds of ghosts. All the ghouls in the path were floundering with half broken bodies. Ate shock wave scattered fragments of Pauld¡¯s shattered shield all over the ce, creating a huge explosion.


    After this bizarre scene, the Shadow members turned their headspletely and saw the knight riding on a white horse. This was the reason why Faker drew the attention of the enemy by pretending to be in a crisis. It was why he smiled without shaking, even though he lost his way to escape. He knew it was time for a trusted colleague to arrive.


    The shadow sword stabbed into Pauld¡¯s core.


    Just then, the death knight ¡®Lantier¡¯ soared from Faker¡¯s shadow, grabbed Faker by the neck, threw him to the ground, and stabbed a dagger at his heart.

 Chapter 1446

    <h4>Chapter 1446</h4>


    [Kill List]


    [Specify the target of the assassination.


    The number of times it can be specified is increased by three every time Lantier¡¯s Techniques is increased by one skill level.


    * If the target is within the sensory range, it is easier to explore the location. The hit rate and weakness attack probability will increase significantly only for the target and the damage to the target will increase by three times. This effect willst until the opponent dies.


    * Once the target is killed, the targeting is permanently destroyed. However, this effect doesn¡¯t apply to some special beings. If the target is a yer, the penalty caused by death will be increased by at least two times or up to three times.


    Current kill list spots avable: 8/9


    Current kill targets: Pauld (Lich owned by the yer ¡®Agnus¡¯).]


    Kill List was a skill in the same category as Grid¡¯s Item Creation skill. It didn¡¯t bring any material benefits to the user. It was just a fleeting skill to kill someone and die together. It wasn¡¯tforting that the number of times it was avable was rtively high. It was absurdly shabbypared to Item Creation that created designs, Swordsmanship Creation that created the strongest sword skill and Deceased Creation that made the worst undead.


    Nevertheless, Faker really liked it. A kill list was pointing out the duty of an assassin. Besides, it was powerful. It was a skill that maximized the speed and killing ability to give wings to assassins in short-term battles. He was convinced that Pauld¡¯s solid shield, that was in the realm of great magic, would be smashed by a ¡®basic hit.¡¯ It was a fleeting skill, so it was even more brilliant.


    He constantly circted the shadow movement using the wind elemental. The shadow sword that would send the target to the underworld finally touched Pauld¡¯s abdomen. It was a springboard for Pon¡¯s support that arrived at exactly the expected time.


    [The target has neutralized the damage.]


    The single blow came to nothing, but Faker¡¯s eyes remained steady. He was familiar with Furfur¡¯s Power attached to the Rune of Death for a long time. It wasn¡¯t enough to strengthen the summoner. It aso invalidated the damage of the designated summons up to two times. Faker couldn¡¯t forget the ability that Agnus revealed years ago when he fought Grid directly.


    Faker calmly moved his sword without panic. He moved deeper and confirmed that the damage was invalidated once again. He vibrated the shadows around the de to induce multiple hits. It was the flexible use of the Soul Wheel skill to move the shadows.


    His mana was depleted in the aftermath of the repeated shadow movements and soldiers, but there was no problem. The legendary assassin reced health with mental power. He didn¡¯t have mana and consumed health instead of mana to use skills.


    It was a ze that burned gorgeously for a short time. This was an assassin.


    Faker immediately abandoned the idea of living. After all, Agnus¡¯ skills had be much more powerful during the years when his whereabouts were unknown.


    ¡°Keook!¡± Pauld was finally exposed. The strong shield, the barrier of undead, and the power of the Rune of Death. Everything that protected him was stripped off at this moment and he was on the verge of his soul being destroyed.Die, he would really die...


    Pauld trembled as he felt the magic power forming his body and serving as the framework for holding his soul slowly being pulled out. He was terrified and he didn¡¯t dare to look at Faker. It was the first time since he was born that he felt such horror at the distinctly approaching death, even though he had already died once. The dam was about to copse. The lich¡¯s core that generated infinite magic power started to crack. It was a crack that could never be reconnected.


    ¡°Kuaaack...!¡±


    The dying sh.


    Pauld felt the end and overcame the obstruction from the sun in the sky. He turned a blind eye to the rough shaking of his core and focused on aplicated great magic form. The great man, whose name was known even toter generations, was trying to protect thest of his pride. He didn¡¯t intend to die alone. He was determined to take the god of death in front of him with him.


    However, Agnus¡¯ actions were quicker than his resolution. A new death knight rose from the shadows, grabbed Faker by the neck, and threw him to the ground. Pauld¡¯s core, that was about to shatter, was barely maintained. The death knight stood above Faker¡¯s body and stabbed the dagger in. Pauld was familiar with the energy of the man crossing the shadows with creaking white bones. ¡°25th...¡±


    ¡°It is excessive resistance.¡± Agnus was approaching. His voice was calm, but his steps were rough. He seemed to be struggling with his anger. ¡°Do you know? The guy who is trampling on you is essentially an idiot. He has little to do with the guy who was once a legend. Thus, he was defeated and became my servant. Ah, there must be no sense of reality if I say this. By the time you stepped into the Behen Archipgo, he was already gone.¡±


    It was an obvious provocation. Agnus seeded in capturing Lantier before Faker even knew about the Behen Archipgo. ¡®A legend? The god of killing? No matter how you run at me, you are just a childpared to me.¡¯ This was the meaning.


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker couldn¡¯t move. He stared silently at the empty eyes of the 25th Lantier who was pressing against his body and shadow. He could feel something in the bones that had no expression. It was sorrow that turned into a plea.


    ¡®Kill me.¡¯


    He seemed to hear such a voice. It couldn¡¯t be regarded as an illusion due to the very clear quest window that appeared in front of him. The contents told him to ce the 25th Lantier on the Kill List and destroy him. It wasn¡¯t a courtesy for the former generation. It wasn¡¯t even consideration for his rest.


    The reason for the ss quest was to prevent external leakage of Lantier¡¯s Techniques. The system was ssifying the 25th Lantier as an outsider. The body buried in the ground was dug up and disappeared. Then it became the servant of Baal¡¯s Contractor, so he should be vignt.


    ¡°Effort must be made for the dead to find the knowledge and techniques from when they were alive. I had a hard time nurturing this idiot over here. It isn¡¯t a card to be taken out in this ce. Tsk.¡±There was a deep furrow in Agnus¡¯ brow. He was one of the bigshots who targeted the Behen Archipgo around the same time as Grid. Unlike Grid, he didn¡¯t reach thest ind, but he targeted the 61st ind protected by Lantier ahead of Grid.


    From the perspective of Satisfy time, it had been 10 years. It wasn¡¯t long after the end of the Second National Competition. The 32nd Great Demon, Belial, had just appeared on the stage. For all those years, Agnus tried quite hard to grow Lantier. Even in his days as a mad dog, when his emotions were ahead of his reason, he recognized the value of the death knight who was a former legend.


    The problem was that there was no sense of urgency. He hadn¡¯t grown much in the years that passed. He was truly ipetent and disgusting during his time of madness. He had been suffering recently because of that. The first thing he did after giving up on his lingering feelings for his ex lover and finding his rationality was to focus on raising Lantier. It was work that was being done in real time even at this moment.


    Despite this, Lantier wasn¡¯t ready yet. It wasn¡¯t a card that could be used in realbat. The failure to fully grow the skills was a secondary issue. It was that Lantier¡¯s ego was too strong. Every summoning dramatically increased the consumption of domination because he slightly regained his memories and self from his former life. He needed to be kept locked up for at least half a year in the future. In Agnus¡¯ opinion, he wanted to reverse the summoning right now. The longer the summoning duration, the greater the resistance.


    ¡®Just a little bit more.¡¯


    Faker¡¯s immortality was still maintained. There was a great possibility that the suppression on Faker would be lifted if he took back Lantier before then.


    ¡®3 seconds.¡¯


    Agnus measured the remaining time of the immortality and turned his gaze to the battlefield. He saw Pon and the knights breaking through the army of the dead. It was a group of 50 people wielding spears while treating their horses as another limb. They were a small numberpared to the Overgeared Shadows, but they weren¡¯tcking in overall force. The knights were such an existence. They had a different characteristic from assassins and were sturdy. However, Pon was one level lower than Faker. It was enough to finish off Faker while the ghouls bought time.


    ¡°Agnuuuus!¡± Pon screamed and revealed his naked killing intent when he saw the dying Faker. It was ridiculous from Agnus¡¯ position. As Baal¡¯s Contractor, he could count the number of yers he was wary of on one hand. Pon¡¯s reputation was quite great, but it wasn¡¯t to that extent. It was a different status.


    ¡°You must feel like it is unreasonable. You will feel anger from time to time. After all, you are the weak ones.¡±


    During the time when he was firmly crazy, he had to exercise the rights of the strong at every critical moment. It was because he often saw the him of the past from the appearance of the weak under his feet. He was a fool no matter how many times he thought about it. Some things were meaningful, but... he had to put his own pure satisfaction first, rather than fighting for others. Shouldn¡¯t he have discussed happiness at least once?


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    The moment he gave amand to Lantier, his power of domination decreased again. The appearance of the dead stopping their actions and falling down was very noticeable. Still, it was fine. It would be easier as long as he removed Faker.


    Lantier¡¯s movements were somewhat slow due to Faker resisting the shadow pressure, but he raised the dagger above his head. It was about to strike and kill Faker.


    Just then, red cloth covered Agnus¡¯ vision. It was a long cloth. If it was worn on a body, it might drag over the ground. However, the man didn¡¯t look ufortable.


    ¡°Agnus.¡± The man who appeared without any warning. He, who wouldn¡¯t have been felt if it wasn¡¯t for the pping cloth, stared at Agnus with his dark eyes. There were firm eyes that wouldn¡¯t waver from any storm. The dignity of a monarch could be felt from it.


    Lantier¡¯s dagger stabbed at the man, not Faker. He ignored Agnus¡¯ order. It wasn¡¯t because themandcked domination. Rather, he was swallowed up by the man¡¯s presence and followed his instincts. His senses felt that this man was dangerous and he instinctively attacked. Hepletely lost sight of the opponent he should kill.


    The red cloak touched by the dagger first turned into shadows and split. It took only a split second for the scattered shadows to turn into dozens of bats. Finally, the wind from the man stopped. The cloak that was slightly shorter settled down calmly down to near his ankles.


    ¡°From your position, we are viins. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The man spoke bitterly before taking out his sword and swinging it. It was a diagonal sh. Agnus¡¯ dynamic vision (based on agility) only saw the form. The thing that Agnus clearly saw was the result, not the process. It was the sight of Lantier¡¯s smashed skull surrounded by bats. The power of the shockwaves reminiscent of a Breath was enormous.


    ¡°Kukuk!¡±Agnus startedughing. It was because at this moment, he experienced the unreasonableness that he had discussed with Faker and Pon.

 Chapter 1447

    <h4>Chapter 1447</h4>


    The Hemilton principality was the kingdom that the founder Saharan gave to his third son. The location was the southernmost part of the continent. Geographically, it was the furthest from the empire. It was the best option to protect his son, who failed to be the emperor and was exiled.


    ¡°It is too remote and they haven¡¯t been there before...¡±


    ¡°You mean Sticks and Braham?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Overgeared Shadows identified Agnus¡¯ location. It was a feat of the general unit. Faker was proud of the performance of his subordinates, but also worried. Was it possible for regr members topletely deceive Agnus¡¯ senses? Perhaps Agnus had already noticed their eyes?


    Faker failed to dispel his doubts and concluded that he couldn¡¯t wait for support. The Hemilton principality that resumed exchanges with the continent from the moment that Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony ended was too closed off. There was no means to warp there and even Braham and Sticks didn¡¯t know the coordinates. What if Agnus fled to hell while Faker waited for support? There might not be a second opportunity. If a chance dide again, it would be toote. A bunch of artifacts would already be in Agnus¡¯ inventory.


    ¡®I must be willing to make sacrifices for the members.¡¯


    Eventually, Faker went first. It wasforting to know that Pon¡¯s armored cavalry unit was just near the Hemilton border. As Faker and the Overgeared Shadows were fighting...


    ¡°Send me to the ce nearest to the principality.¡± Grid stepped forward himself. Of course, he trusted Faker¡¯s skills. In particr, he couldn¡¯t help being thrilled and impressed when he heard about the power of the Kill List. However, the opponent was Agnus. He might be weakened by the loss of Mumud, but he wasn¡¯t an opponent the Shadows could go against. The quiet period he showed after yielding Mumud to Euphemina was very disturbing. It was hard to fathom how much stronger Agnus had be. The potential was too high.


    ¡®Still, he is one level below Kraugel...¡¯


    Grid was speaking of Kraugel after learning the Matchless Sword. It was a fact that he learned after they fought together. He and Kraugel had the same Noble Belief. It was natural since Noble Belief was a skill that was generated by watching and feeling enlightened by Kraugel.


    ¡®Agnus isn¡¯t normal.¡¯


    Grid had no intention of dismissing Agnus¡¯ talent and potential. Nevertheless, the reason for being sure that Agnus was below himself and Kraugely in Agnus¡¯ personality and attitude. Would Agnus have tried hard like them? It was absolutely impossible. It could be seen just by tracing his past actions a little bit. In the traces they found of Agnus¡¯ actions, there was little focus on ¡®growth.¡¯ It was rare to pursue efficiency. He moved ording to his heart.


    It had been like this for years. The fact that he was still one of the best gave people goosebumps, but in any case, he could only be one level below Grid and Kraugel currently.


    ¡°I will move you to the Gultan Sea.¡±


    Braham glimpsed Grid¡¯s nervousness and started Mass Teleport without anyints. Thanks to this, Grid fell into the sea and became a wet mouse. He ended up going into the stomach of a gray whale... it was too long to exin everything one by one.


    Grid escaped by cutting through the gray whale¡¯s stomach and subsequently resorted to using Shunpo. His stamina was depleted, but thanks to the help of Overgeared Corn, he repeatedly used Shunpo. He was able to arrive at the scene in time. It was a time where he experienced how great and precious the power of a transcendent was.


    Unfortunately, many Shadow members died. Grid felt anger and sadness, but he didn¡¯t resent Agnus. This time, they were invaders. He understood and epted it. Grid was gradually realizing that it wasn¡¯t efficient to waste emotions on someone or a situation every time something happened. It was the process in which his mind world expanded following his body and spirit.


    ¡°From your position, we are viins. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid showed the minimum of politeness. He didn¡¯t forget that Agnus had protected Irene and Lord. Still, there was no hesitation. He immediately drew his sword and defeated Agnus¡¯ death knights.


    ***


    [Your death knight ¡®Lantier¡¯ has suffered catastrophic damage.]


    Lantier¡¯s skull was smashed. He seemed to stumble before immediately finding his bnce and fighting back. This was the level of a former legend. He might¡¯ve lost a lot of the strength of his life due to bing an undead, but his basic skills were certain.


    However, Agnus had no intention of watching Lantier¡¯s unyielding struggles. He immediately cancelled the summoning. It was good judgment. If his judgment had been even 0.1 seconds slower, the man¡¯s sword that was cutting through the air would¡¯ve split Lantier in half. The lich and death knights also had the concept of level, so it was best to avoid the death penalties.


    ¡°Grid...¡± Agnus stared at the man who had sharp eyes.


    Overgeared God Grid. At this point, there was no other ill-fated rtionship. There were more than one or two things taken away by Grid and it was likely that he would be robbed again at this moment. It wasn¡¯t an honorable thing. His side had a history of stealing Grid¡¯s precious things.


    ¡®It was Khan.¡¯


    It was during the Third National Competition. Veradin moved Immortal, invaded Reinhardt, and killed Grid¡¯s mentor. It wasn¡¯t an incident where Agnus intervened. Far from intervening, he didn¡¯t even know what Immortal was doing. He turned a blind eye and didn¡¯t care about the people who gathered because of him. That sneaky bastard Veradin used Immortal to his liking. Well... it didn¡¯t matter at all. The things that were one-sidedly robbed by Grid were also idents that happened because he was weaker than Grid.


    ¡°It is funny that you are apologizing.¡±


    Agnusughed at Grid¡¯sme attitude and started to resist. There was no further conversation. Grid was tired from the aftermath of using Shunpo nonstop and gritted his teeth while Agnus used his brain nonstop to find a way out of this crisis. Satisfy¡¯s skills were well known for their gorgeousness, but this was too much. It felt like the final boss in a movie.


    Every time Grid swung his sword, a shockwave like a Breath would burst out. The heavens and earth opened up and Agnus instinctively stiffened. A sense of reason was a problem at times like this. He would feel fear and fear caused errors in judgment. Still, it was better to be sane than crazy.


    As Agnus pulled himself together, Grid broke through two death knights without difficulty and reached him. Agnus blocked the attack by ovepping ¡®Corpse Shield¡¯ and ¡®Belief of the Blue Knight¡¯ and used the recoil of the impact to retreat. He saw a gap, but he didn¡¯t try a counterattack. He was familiar with Grid¡¯s ¡®you hit me and I¡¯ll hit you back¡¯bat style. It wasmon sense that he would lose in an exchange of blows with Grid.


    ¡®It is a different time.¡¯


    Agnus realized desperately when he felt the difference in strength. Grid started as Pagma¡¯s Sessor and became a myth (most people thought of Grid¡¯s ss rating as myth) and it was obvious how hard he had been working in Satisfy since its opening. Then what about him? It was great that he got Baal¡¯s Contractor, but now he was like this.


    ¡®You stupid jerk.¡¯ Agnus was swearing at his past self when his old robe fluttered in the wind. It was wind created by the deceased returning from where he interfered with Pon on the battlefield. A work created bybining the permanent mechanism with all types of precious materials. Unfortunately, it was only unique rated, but it still had the best fighting power. It was good enough to stand against Grid for a while.


    The shockwave that urred every time Grid¡¯s sword collided with the deceased¡¯s fist caused the earth to shake. The deceased that boasted infinite magic power and great speed thanks to the permanent mechanism made Grid step back a little bit.


    Agnus looked down at his arms.


    Mutter mutter.


    Chepardea was chanting a spell. It was to open the hell gate. He was a member of Baal¡¯s household, but he seemed to think that fighting Grid was crazy.


    ¡®10 minutes.¡¯


    ording to Chepardea¡¯s im, he was a ¡®demon of magic greater than a great demon.¡¯ Baal¡¯s subordinate actually had a lot of talent. It was to the point where he could go back and forth between the human world at will. This meant he could open a gate to hell. It was easy to open a gate in hell, but it took a long time to open it in the human world. It was 10 minutes. This was the aftermath of the decline in stats.


    ¡®I have to hold on somehow.¡¯


    Agnus was running out of all his resources, including health, and was facing a crisis. He blocked Faker¡¯s dagger that was attacking Pauld and tried to fight back, but failed. He was disturbed by the cooperation of the God Hands that each held a sword or hammer. It was quite a headache.


    ¡®The problem is that I can¡¯t reverse summon Pauld.¡¯


    Pauld was a special being. Not only did he be a lich of his own will, but he also absorbed the energy of the Kunlun Ginseng and formed a body with flesh. By achieving certain conditions, he existed again as an independent body. He made artifacts and could intervene in the worldview. He could even be regarded as an NPC. He was obviously dominated by Agnus by force and became Agnus¡¯ property, but he was less influenced by the system.


    There was no concept of summoning or reverse summoning. Pauld was always out in the world. This was a big advantage. There was no need to use the domination he required to maintain the summons. Now it was a weakness. An NPC who was immortal due to the characteristics of a lich and the Kunlun Ginseng. He was like that, but... looking at Faker, there was definitely a method to kill him.


    ¡®The best thing right now is to kill Faker...¡¯


    -Bend down!


    Chepardea¡¯s scream woke Agnus up from his thoughts. Agnus reflexively bent down and in his low vision, he saw the back of the deceased, whose upper body was separated from the lower body. It wasn¡¯t just the deceased. The ghouls blocking Pon and the knights were also split in half. It was happening simultaneously without a time difference. Agnus btedly realized that he wasn¡¯t safe either.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    Flop!Agnus¡¯ body copsed to the ground. He stared up at the sky nkly and btedly saw a sword light. It grew to the size of a huge half moon and swept through half of the battlefield. Ash rose in every ce where the sword light passed. The dead who split in half were turning into ash.


    -It is really great swordsmanship.It isn¡¯t perfect, but it is almost there.Croak.He is able to fight a single digit great demon that is restricted in the human world.


    Chepardea expressed what he was feeling. It seemed he had given up on opening the hell door. He stopped the spell to talk. Grid approached and swung his sword. In his immortal state, Agnus rose to his feet and reacted. He activated the Rune of Death to use the power to reverse health. ¡°Bentao¡¯s Mockery.¡±


    The target was naturally Grid and it hit. However...


    [Your health has sessfully been exchanged with the target ¡®Randy.¡¯]


    ¡°A pet?¡± Agnus frowned and stabbed his sword forward. He struck the ¡®Grid figure¡¯ who had been the target of Bentao¡¯s Mockery so hard that he was dizzy.


    ¡°Kuock... Stars.¡±


    The memphis and God Hands struck after Agnus¡¯ unexpected counterattack. It was a baptism of electric currents, des, and hammers. If it wasn¡¯t for Chepardea¡¯s tongue, Agnus¡¯ body would be covered with holes.


    -It is amazing that you¡¯ve raised a memphis up to here.Croak.It has been a really long time since I have seen an adult memphis.Is this person really Pagma¡¯s Sessor?Isn¡¯t he better than Muller?


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Agnus¡¯ patience ran out when this unhelpful guy expressed his admiration.


    Agnus was extremely sensitive right now. It was because he realized why he had won every time he fought others. Variables created using his pets and runes. People had a hard time responding to it. It was just like he was having trouble responding to Grid¡¯s variables right now.


    ¡®He is too talented.¡¯


    Grid was an opponent he couldn¡¯t win against even in his best state. It wasn¡¯t strange to lose when he had already been tied up by Faker and consumed a lot. The Overgeared members approached and surrounded Agnus, who copsed with a smile, and Pauld, who was frightened. Grid pointed his sword at Agnus¡¯ neck. The sight of the clear sword tinged with red was impressive. However, Faker¡¯s shadow sword was even more disturbing.


    ¡°T-That guy is dangerous.¡±


    Pauld was also afraid of Faker. The opponent who showed an overwhelming force was Grid, but he was looking at Faker, not Grid.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me? Are you going to show mepassion now?¡±


    Agnus taunted Grid, but Grid didn¡¯t respond. If Grid killed Agnus first, he didn¡¯t know what would happen with Pauld. Thus, he was trying to avoid variables. Tsk. Agnus clicked his tongue and shifted his gaze to Faker. He wondered if there was a way to do anything before Faker killed Pauld. However, there was no gap. Pon and the knights were protecting Faker.


    ¡°Pauld. I had fun in the meantime.¡±


    Agnus gave a greeting that didn¡¯t fit him. Pauld¡¯s uneasiness became a reality and he gave up. Agnus had a bittersweet expression as he stared into Pauld¡¯s shaky eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sorry. Even if you die, your traces will remain in the world.¡±


    Step.


    The footsteps of death were getting closer.


    ¡°N-No...! It... it wasn¡¯t easy to create the permanent mechanism!¡±


    Did he have to die before his dreams came true? Why did he struggle for hundreds of years to be resurrected? These questions rose as Pauld looked frustrated.


    Freedom. He felt the freedom he had longed for. The terrible power of Agnus that bound his entire body disappeared without a trace. Perhaps... was it a consideration to free the soul as much as possible before dying? It was ridiculous considering Agnus¡¯ usual temperament, but Pauld couldn¡¯t help smiling. Perhaps it was because the time they were together was quite long, or because this was thest moment of his life, but right now, Agnus felt like a friend.


    ¡°Agnus...?¡± Pauld was smiling and trying to express his thanks when his eyes widened. It was because Agnus¡¯ hand pierced his heart. It was a hand imprinted with the Rune of Death.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use it for you¡ªyour strength.¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Things changed rapidly. Grid, who had been confused by the sight of Agnus trying tofort the wounded Pauld, hurriedly swung his sword at Agnus. However, it was toote. Pauld was killed instantly.


    Faker¡¯s judgment was quick. He changed the trajectory of the shadow sword that had been aiming for Pauld and pierced Agnus¡¯ heart. The name was already written in the Kill List. He calcted that he could kill Agnus from the time that Grid arrived.


    [You have killed ¡®Agnus¡¯, the target of the kill list.]


    [The target¡¯s death penalty is increased by at least two times and up to three times.]


    [The purpose has been achieved and the name ¡®Agnus¡¯ has been removed from the kill list.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel resentment. Someday, you guys will also...¡± Agnus spoke as he turned to ash. He epted death rather than using the undead transformation. His eyes were too calm and it made people feel even creepier. What were Agnus¡¯ter words that were swallowed up by the wind? The Overgeared members were vaguely feeling afraid, while Faker was cing a new name on the kill list.


    [Would you like to assign the yer ¡®Agnus¡¯ as a target of the kill list? You have already specified this target once.]


    [...It has been specified.]

 Chapter 1448

    <h4>Chapter 1448</h4>


    ¡°That spiteful guy.¡±


    They never thought he would kill Pauld with his own hands. It was unexpected for such a thing to happen in that atmosphere.


    Agnus had protected Pauld¡¯s side ever since rescuing him from Faker. He hid Pauld behind his back even when surrounded by Overgeared members. The expression on his face when he said goodbye to Pauld at the end... he was so lonely and sad that it was hard to believe it was acting. It felt like he was leaving a friend. Given this atmosphere, it was virtually impossible to predict that Agnus would attack Pauld.


    ¡°Indeed, that crazy guy couldn¡¯t make such an expression. I should¡¯ve noticed his intentions when he left Pauld instead of restoring him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to restore Pauld. It was that he couldn¡¯t. The regeneration power is sealed off until the broken nucleus is repaired.¡±


    ¡°Really...? What a waste. I¡¯m sorry since I wanted Faker to grow more...


    ¡°......¡±


    Very few yers understood or liked Agnus. It was the same for the Overgeared Guild who knew about Agnus¡¯ past. They sympathized with his past, but he was still an enemy. There were limits to understanding and empathy. In addition, Agnus had a history of invading the territory of the Overgeared Guild. A considerable number of Overgeared members and soldiers had died at his hands.


    In particr, Pon detested Agnus. It was because many things had been suffered since the days of the Tzedakah Guild. He helped Agnus with his colleagues a few years ago, but he didn¡¯t do it because he liked Agnus. Today, he was ignored, so he hated Agnus even more.


    ¡°......¡±


    Pon wasn¡¯t the type to just move his mouth. He scolded Agnus while properly looking at the surroundings. He gave potions and bandaged the wounded Shadows members and armored cavalry members.


    Grid also did his job silently. He had pulled out a portable furnace and anvil and was repairing the members¡¯ broken weapons and armor. In this case, the Overgeared Skeletons and God Hands were very helpful. They repaired the mass produced items well. It wasn¡¯t until some timeter that Grid organized his thoughts and spoke, ¡°How many people are dead?¡±


    There was no need to count all the injured. There was the Saintess in the Overgeared Kingdom. Even if their limbs were cut off, they could be healed as long as they survived.


    ¡°There are 175 deaths in the Shadows Group...¡±


    More than half the troops had been lost. It was even the best power that was developed by transnting the shadows. Nevertheless, they didn¡¯t aplish their task. Grid stared straight at Faker and the Shadows members who couldn¡¯t raise their heads like they were sinners. His eyes were deep as he met the gaze of every person. ¡°I am proud of you. Thanks to the Shadows Group, we were able to destroy Pauld and kill Agnus. Everyone has worked hard.¡±


    The biggest reason the Overgeared Guild decided that the lich Pauld should be eliminated was his ability to produce artifacts. In particr, it was determined that artifacts with the modifier ¡®Absurdity¡¯ and the permanent mechanism would be difficult to handle if they were produced inrge quantities and held by Agnus and his undead.


    It didn¡¯t matter that Agnus absorbed Pauld¡¯s power. It was highly likely he got the Artifact Production skill, but it was okay. Grid didn¡¯t think Agnus could create the Absurdity series and the permanent mechanisms alone. The desired goal was achieved.


    It was an achievement that wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the Overgeared Shadows. Grid knew about the Shadows Group¡¯s skills, but even he hadn¡¯t expected them to be this good. It was an assassin group that would surely find and destroy opponents anywhere on the continent. They were capable, strong, and cool, and match the name of the Overgeared Shadows. There was a reason why the world was afraid.


    ¡°From today on, I will raise the quality of the equipment given to the Overgeared Shadows by one rating.¡±


    All troops in the Overgeared Kingdom had the mass produced Grid set given to them. It was a mass production set that Grid had made in the past. The items that were designed and mass produced by Reinhardt¡¯s cksmiths had low usage conditions and there were less emotions attached to them.


    They were just useful items. There were no negative effects that reduced stats and boasted better durability and attack power than those in the same rating. Above all, it had the advantage of being able to be used easily by anyone because the ¡®form¡¯ was ideal.


    However, even the same items made with the same design were divided into ratings. For example, the Mass Production Grid¡¯s Sword that was spread to thergest number of soldiers ranged from normal to unique rated. The higher rated items were rare, so items of different ratings were given depending on the level of the army and the rank of the soldiers.


    Among them, the Overgeared Shadows was an organization ssified as within the upper level of the Overgeared Kingdom, even though their number was small. All members were guaranteed to get epic rated items and unique rated items were distributed to people at the promotion level or higher.


    Still, Grid felt that it wascking. He decided to arm all members with the unique rated mass produced set and treat those above the promotion level as first-grade knights. This meant that the few craftsmen in Reinhardt would be giving their best work. It was like defining the value of the Overgeared Shadows as special. The Shadows Group who sacrificed themselves were entitled for such treatment.


    The foremost of them was naturally Faker. Faker proudly watched the Shadows members who were trembling with excitement. At this moment, he was filling Grid¡¯s wide field of view. The awe that he had felt toward Kraugel for so many years¡ªthe same emotions started to be directed toward Faker.


    ¡°Did you name Agnus as part of the kill list?¡± Grid asked when he recalled Faker¡¯s blow that took Agnus¡¯ life at the end and Faker nodded silently.


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened for a moment. The power of the Kill List skill was great, but the efficiency was rtively bad against yers. Increasing the death penalty by 2-3 times was a scary feature and was inevitably fatal (the higher the level, the more terrible it was), but it was a one-off. It was more efficient to use it to target named NPCs and monsters.


    Yet Faker put Agnus on the kill list. It seemed he wouldn¡¯t tolerate a threat to the Overgeared Kingdom. A lofty willpower was felt from him.


    ¡°...There is something called the Strange Magic Power Stone.¡±


    [Strange Magic Power Stone]


    [Rating: Myth


    Type: Consumable


    Can increase the rating of the target item to the same rating as the stone.]


    It was an item that Grid had saved. He didn¡¯t use it even when the Formless Sword was judged to be below the legendary level. It was a really valuable item.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use it for you.¡±


    He would repay a lofty willpower with lofty willpower. A smile slowly spread on Faker¡¯s face as he faced Grid¡¯s fiery eyes. It was a smile he was showing for the first time in his life. He lived in the shadows and now he showed a bright and brilliant smile that matched the sun perfectly. It felt rude to say thank you. Faker was having this thought when Pon hugged him and congratted him, ¡°Congrattions!¡±


    Pon was also impressed with Faker and the Shadows members that he saw today. Thanks to this, the armored cavalry members were in a state of anxiety. It felt like hellish training was waiting for them...


    ***


    The prince himself visited the city of Echiran. It was because the mayor¡¯s authority was too insufficient to meet Grid¡¯s request to be given secure magical coordinates for the principality.


    ¡°I understand. I will do so.¡±


    It was to disclose the kingdom¡¯s coordinates and permit them to be used for magical purposes. It was something that normally wouldn¡¯t have happened. It was too much trouble to guard against surprise tactics, such as using the coordinates for teleportation.


    However, the prince of Hemilton trusted Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom. The Hemilton royal family, who had lived on the outskirts of the world for hundreds of years, was so pure (they even gave the Heart of the Frost Queen to the benefactor who healed the princess) that they couldn¡¯t doubt the one who saved the world several times.


    Additionally, Grid¡¯s proposal was too sweet. The proposal was to set up a warp gate between Hemilton and the Overgeared Kingdom if the coordinate registration was granted. A warp gate¡ªa product of magical engineering that existed in ancient times when giants made of metal traveled across the continent...


    The highly advanced mobile system that Sticks reproduced with the capital and technology of the Overgeared Kingdom would be the core of the exchange between the Hemilton principality and the Overgeared Kingdom in the future.


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯ Grid sighed with relief as he performed Lauel¡¯s errand well and negotiated with the king. He could¡¯ve just summoned Braham to get the coordinates. The reason he did this was for the development of the Overgeared Kingdom as well as courtesy to his allies. From the beginning, the purpose was to install the warp gate.


    Due to its long-term istion, the Hemilton principality had built its own culture and was a very good exchange target. Exchange things that each side didn¡¯t have and they would receive a lot of help from each other. The problem was that the distance was too far... ¡®It will be terrible if the instation of the warp gate fails.¡¯


    Grid was worried about Sticks¡¯ concern that the warp gate technology wasn¡¯t yetplete.


    ¡°...Is that true?¡± The prince was sitting next to Grid and eating in this friendly atmosphere when a sharp light shed in his blue eyes. It was due to the news that he received when a knight approached him and quietly whispered.


    ¡°Your visit has brought a great blessing to the principality.¡±


    ¡°Did you receive good news?¡± Grid asked the prince.


    Then the prince¡¯s smile deepened as he spoke, ¡°There is a monster called the gray whale in the eastern waters. It is a guy with a huge body like a citadel. That guy roams through the sea, so the principality can¡¯t do any activities in the east at all. We can¡¯t even go fishing even though there is the sea in front of us. Now he is dead.¡±


    ¡°I am delighted.¡±


    ¡®I think he is the one I killed...¡¯ Grid was itching to talk, but he didn¡¯t say it in case he would look smug. Yet sometimes, silence was golden. It was enough not to say it.


    ¡°The people of the continent worship King Grid as a god. I heard about Your Majesty¡¯s achievements and understood their feelings, but I couldn¡¯t empathize. Honestly, I thought it was too much. How can you worship a living human being as a god? I and the principality just saw you as a hero. You have changed my mind today.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I heard a number of eyewitness reports that said Your Majesty came from the east side. Your Majesty must¡¯ve been the one who killed the gray whale. It might be a coincidence, but... no, I feel it is an even greater fate if it is a coincidence.¡±


    At the prince¡¯s words, the eyes of the people in the hall looking at Grid became strange. They were all public officials of the Hemilton principality.


    ¡°The principality is closed off. Our ancestors feared the boundaries of the empire and didn¡¯t dare look at the continent. They isted themselves. That is how we built our own culture. It is the same for faith. We don¡¯t believe in the goddess of light. We served the god of the sea in the hopes that one day he would destroy the gray whale and open the way for us to move through the sea. Isn¡¯t King Grid the god of the sea that we serve?¡±


    It might sound like a silly joke made to the guest of honor, but that wasn¡¯t the case. They were words filled with deep favor and trust.


    [Your myth has started to sprout in a remote kingdom where Asgard¡¯s faith hasn¡¯t encroached.]


    [Your deity stat has risen by 1.]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was the day after the people of the back alleys, killed and defiled by Agnus, and the 175 Shadows members turned to ash. A meteor shower poured down in mourning for them and Grid btedly realized something.


    It was that his myth, which he sometimes doubted due to its weakness, was clearly being engraved into this world.

 Chapter 1449

    <h4>Chapter 1449</h4>


    Baal¡¯s Contractor was a ss with many strengths, but it wasn¡¯t an all-rounder. There was a w in the most basic part: the failure to be able to specify a resurrection point. Once he died, he was resurrected in hell. From the time he achieved a legendary rating, his demonic energy became so strong that it was a huge constraint. It was very troublesome. It often took a month to get back to his destination.


    Additionally, the fact that he couldn¡¯t open the hell gate on his own was another major limitation. Just look at what happened now. He told Chepardea to open the hell gate but that son of a bitch Chepardea refused. Thus, he had to be stuck in hell.


    -Pagma¡¯s Sessor is too strong.You should¡¯ve let me know this quickly.Croak.I already knew he was a transcendent who built up his divinity, but I thought he was simr to Muller. I was wrong.


    ¡°That XX guy Muller, Muller. Why do you alwayspare and use Muller as a standard of what is good when he didn¡¯t leave behind any achievements?¡±


    Humanity praised Muller, who sealed many great demons, as the greatest hero in history. It was ridiculous. Most of the great demons sealed by Muller were ranked low. Hell Gao was the only high ranked one and it was only done in the ¡®human world.¡¯ Besides that, Muller¡¯s only achievements were boring things like protecting cities or saving people from demonic creatures. He was aplete idiotpared to Grid. Agnus was annoyed whenever Chepardea, Baal¡¯s subordinate, praised Muller like he was great.


    Chepardea stabbed the key part.


    -Hasn¡¯t it been less than 20 years since Pagma¡¯s Sessor appeared?On the other hand, the former legends were around for an average of 100 years and Muller was the strongest among them as far as I know.It was natural topare using his standards.Croak.It is abnormal to think that Pagma¡¯s Sessor is alreadyparable to Muller.


    ¡°What is abnormal? He isn¡¯t just a legend. He is a god.¡±


    -Croak gol gol gol!Are you serious?Gods are just one of themon human gods.There has been a flood of human gods since ancient times. In the era where people worship ¡®long-lived things,¡¯ what is so great about human gods?Divinity isn¡¯t an absolute concept.You¡¯re unexpectedly naive.


    ¡°......¡±


    The frog went ¡®croak gol gol gol¡¯ when heughed... Agnus was intrigued by something he was learning for the first time and gave up on his anger. He was upset about losing three times the experience when killed by Faker, but there was no guarantee he could get revenge even if he went to the human world immediately. He started walking obediently along with Chepardea.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    He thought they were going to meet Baal to go through the procedures and report. Chepardea was Baal¡¯s subordinate. However, the ce where Chepardea led him to wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s tower, but a ce he was seeing for the first time. The area itself wasn¡¯t a different ce from the 1st Hell and it felt strange. It was still, unlike other hells where demonic energy and flesh fluctuated and screams of demonic creatures were heard incessantly. It was a peaceful ce that didn¡¯t fit with hell.


    ¡°Is it a neutral area?¡±


    -That¡¯s right.Croak.


    ¡°How can a single mansion on the cliff of a beach be treated as a neutral area? The other demons won¡¯t just stand by.¡±


    Other neutral areas were full of Yatan statues. It was an unwritten rule among demons that they couldn¡¯t harm each other where Yatan was watching. It was ridiculous. Those who made violence theirw and honor would avoid violence due to Yatan. This made Yatan seem like the god of peace rather than the god of evil and it didn¡¯t make sense. Yet there was no statue of Yatan here. How did it exist as a neutral region?


    Chepardea exined to Agnus who had reasonable questions.


    -It is the result of strength.The owner of this mansion is so strong that no one rushes at him. Thus, it naturally became a neutral area.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Even the great demons would be challenged by demons. Meanwhile, someone who wasn¡¯t a great demon had enough strength to suppress challenges?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... Zepar?¡±


    He might be from a low-ranked demonkin family, not a demon, but he sharpened and polished his natural gift with the sword and cut off the heads of various great demons. He had all sorts of titles such as Sword Demon, Sword Ghost, Sword with no Thoughts, etc.


    Agnus heard a particrly famous story several times about his week-long bloody fight against another Sword Demon called Iyarugt.


    -That¡¯s right, croak.Perhaps it is because he has so little demonic energy that he can act in the human world without restrictions.He is even free from the Abyss because he has reached the realm of ¡®freedom from all ideas and thoughts.¡¯


    Chepardea¡¯s bulging eyes curved like crescent moons.


    -He is the one who can cut the damn door of the Abyss.


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    Agnus was smiling from ear to ear. The Abyss was the center of the world. It was the beginning and the end. Not only did it connect hell to the human world, but it was also a door to Heaven. The moment the door opened, rtively free beings like Agnus could go back and forth between the human world at will. It was the same for demonic creatures.


    -I intend to recreate the human and demon great war that took ce on the Behen Archipgo in the distant past.Croak.If I can persuade Zepar to be the sword of the great war and Gamigin, the king of souls, King Baal will naturally grant his permission.Croak.


    In fact, Chepardea was wary not only of Grid but also Faker. He sensed a great danger from the power of shadows that killed those who couldn¡¯t die. Thus, he concluded that a human and demon war was necessary. It was based on the judgment that it would be a headache if he didn¡¯t kill the legends of this time, including Grid and Faker, to weaken humanity.


    ¡°Gamigin? Who the hell is he?¡±


    -The 4th ruler.He turns the souls of the dead into his servants.He has a different power than you, who uses the dead as servants.Croak.


    ¡°Souls...¡± There was only one person who passed through Agnus¡¯ brain. Pagma. It came to mind that his soul was within Baal¡¯s grasp. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... Pagma¡¯s power will be avable...?¡±


    A legendary cksmith and Baal¡¯s Contractor. He fought against the great forces of hell by creating an undead army and arming them with his weapons and armor. In hister years, he was a true strong person and he was acknowledged by Agnus.


    Chepardeaughed.


    -Of course.The other monarchs didn¡¯t understand King Baal signing a contract with Pagma. They called it a spiteful whim. However, I understood.King Baal had a bigger picture in mind when he signed with Pagma and took his soul.Croak croak croak!


    ¡°Is this real?¡± Baal surprisingly had such a thorough personality?


    Chepardea responded to Agnus who was having doubts. He avoided Agnus¡¯ eyes while doing so.


    -I don¡¯t know if it is true...it is just my feeling.Croak.


    ¡°......¡±


    -In any case, it is worth seeing.The legendary souls umted in hell over the years aren¡¯t just Pagma¡¯s soul.


    ***


    It had been three months since he visited the Hemilton principality.


    Sticks and the magicians of the tower, as well as Reidan¡¯s alchemists, worked to establish a warp gate between the Overgeared Kingdom and the principality. As expected, it was a pretty tough task. There were repeated frequent idents and failures, causing the investment cost to increase. Nevertheless, things were clearly progressing and good news arrived along the way.


    The Zednos and Lae couple (who were in a secret rtionship and only started a public rtionship after being caught by Vantner) gained hidden skills while assisting with an ancient magical ceremony.


    It was said that it was possible to change their sses, but they maintained the normal ss on purpose. The potential of the normal sses was revealed after the fourth ss advancement and it was no worse than hidden sses. No, it could be considered better from a certain perspective. In particr, magicians who specialized in one attribute like Zednos and Lae were greatly influenced by the ¡®Enhanced Attributes¡¯ passive that they received and the Zednos Lae couple were convinced they would exert immense power from the fifth advancement onward.


    The Overgeared Shadows were bing more elite. The members were led around the continent by Faker, armed with the growth type weapon and myth rated armor that Grid worked hard on. Thanks to Lauel assigning many missions to the Overgeared Shadows at Faker¡¯s request, they were able to constantly umte practical experience based on training.


    Grid used the Strange Magic Power Stone to create Faker¡¯s armor. The reason why he used the stone for armor, not weapons, was because Faker was an assassin. Assassins had a high evasion rate and received a significantly smaller number of hitspared to other damage dealers. This meant it would take a few years to raise growth type armor to the legendary rating or higher. On the other hand, weapons could be raised rtively quickly. Faker¡¯s weapons and armor were the growth type, so Grid naturally used the stone on the armor.


    He spent a full two weeks making the growth type weapons and armor, but... it wasn¡¯t a waste of Grid¡¯s time.


    The 10 meritorious retainers were stimted after hearing about Faker¡¯s performance and were also active in various areas. Among them, Jishuka and Euphemina stood out. The two of them happened to meet and team up at the Galgunos Temple. Then they seeded in raiding Galgunos.


    Euphemina had inherited the power of Mumud and linked great magic intobos, splitting up the undead army. Meanwhile, Jishuka¡¯s Breaking Evil Arrow reportedly gave Galgunos rest. Their achievement was veryrge¡ªGrid had been worried that Agnus would target Galgunos after losing Pauld, and now that worry had beenpletely extinguished. It was somewhat difficult because the very good hunting ground, the Galgunos Temple, had disappeared, but it wasn¡¯t a problem because the 10 meritorious retainers were discovering new hunting grounds.


    Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s messengers easily seeded in the second Hell Gao raid. This time, Braham was said to have cooperated. The reason he used was that he wanted to test a magic he created that could cool the fire. It was inspired by the Heart of the Frost Queen. In any case, the messengers received the ¡®Recognition of the 9th Great Demon¡¯ title as Grid intended. It was rtively effective against the penalties of hell.


    The only unfortunate part was Sariel. The new title she (?) received couldn¡¯t stop her berserk phenomenon. She still had the potential to go berserk in hell, so this was a matter that needed to be handled carefully.


    ¡°...I am sleepy.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t resume the hell expedition. He dragged the training chains and climbed remote mountains while constantly making underwear. Armed with the Triad Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools that increased the experience acquisition rate, he focused on polishing his Tailoring skills using the power of the 24th Great Demon, Nebiros, that he obtained from thest expedition to hell.


    [Nebiros¡¯s Power]


    [In some parts of nature, your concentration will increase.


    If the location is a forest, mountain, field, or mine, the skill usage speed will increase slightly and the skill cooldown time will decrease slightly.]


    The great demon who used rocks and nts for various purposes. Nebiros¡¯ Power, that had been useless due to Piaro¡¯s counter, was attached to the Rune of Gluttony and this improved the efficiency of Grid¡¯s work. Grid felt like he had be a hermit deep in the mountains. He listened to the constant rattling of the chains and made underwear all day long, so it felt like he was going to suffer from a mental illness. The fortunate thing was that it wasn¡¯t quiet because Noe kept talking and the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy were growing by hunting.


    ¡°...Eh?¡± How many pieces of underwear had he made? He had made so much underwear that he thought he would get a reputation as an underwear designer if this was in real life. Grid¡¯s eyes had lost their light and looked like the eyes of a dead fish. Suddenly, they regained their light.


    [The production of ¡®Beautiful Men¡¯s Underwear that Shows Skin Between Gorgeous Flower Patterns¡¯ is sessful.]


    An underwear with a very long name was born.


    [This work presents a new paradigm to the uniform men¡¯s underwear market.]


    [It is a remarkable achievement. Countless tailors will look up to your achievements.]


    [The ¡®Advanced Tailoring Skill¡¯ has reached master level.]


    His Tailoring skill that had umted a lot of experience immediately responded.


    It was the moment when the ss quest that had held Grid back for many years was finally solved.


    [You have cleared the ss quest ¡®Tailoring Skill Training¡¯.]


    [As a reward for clearing the quest, the ¡®Craftsman Tailoring Skill¡¯ will be opened up.]


    [You have gained six levels from the quest clearance reward.]


    [The Legendary cksmithing Skill and Craftsman Tailoring Skill havebined to evolve into a new technique...]


    [......!]


    [......!!]


    [Your cksmithing skills are beyond the level of Pagma and are a match for a god!]


    [Thebination of god-like cksmithing skill and the craftsman-level tailoring skill has evolved into ¡®Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques¡¯.]


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques]


    [Abination of the ultimate cksmithing technique and tailoring technique.


    All types of metal, leather, and cloth can be handled perfectly. You can do anything in moderation as long as it is ¡®made by hand.¡¯ It is possible to even describe it as a god¡¯s power.


    * The production button is enabled and the time it takes to make an item is greatly reduced. The effect rises in proportion to the dexterity stat.


    * A minimum of epic rated items will be produced.


    * There is a very high probability of producing unique rated items.


    * There is a certain probability of producing legendary rated items.


    * There is an unconditionally low probability of creating myth rated items.


    * All stats of a production item will increase by 30%.


    * When myth rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +20 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +1,000.


    ¡ï The resources and time required to create the next item are reduced when items are made consecutively. It stacks up to 10 times.


    ¡ïThere is no limit to the number of times Granting an Ego can be used.


    ¡ï Growth type items can intentionally be produced.


    ¡ï Magic can be assigned to production items without any additional materials. It is only possible for magic you have learned.


    ¡ï If an attribute is given to an item using specific materials, the power of the attribute is maximized.


    ¡ï Exercise certain rights over the items made using a god¡¯s power. Not bound by the owner.


    ¡ï This is aplete skill without further development. Open Potential can¡¯t be applied to it.]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was finished. The short sentences exining Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques made Grid excited. He felt rewarded for all his past efforts. Then a new quest appeared in front of the thrilled Grid.


    [Pagma¡¯s Rest]


    It was thest ss quest.

 Chapter 1450

    <h4>Chapter 1450</h4>


    [Pagma¡¯s Rest]


    [Difficulty: Final ss quest.


    A traitor who betrayed a friend and dug up the remains of the former generation legends, he ended up signing a contract with a great demon.


    Those who have heard of pieces of Pagma¡¯s life don¡¯t know that he is a hero. Even those who know that he saved humanity often disparage his achievements or raise the conspiracy theory that he did it for other purposes because he signed a contract with Baal. The world recognizes Pagma as just the cksmith Pagma.


    After inheriting Pagma¡¯s skills, you are the only witness who understands Pagma¡¯s life and respects his achievements.


    Free the pitiful soul who is suffering in hell.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Open Pagma¡¯s Sword Dances, Splendor and Chop. All sword dances can be fused without restriction except for Sky.


    Quest Time Limit: None]


    The contents of the final ss quest instilled some sentimental feelings in Grid.


    Pagma, who betrayed his own people and freed the trapped half-god. Pagma, who stabbed his only friend in the back. Pagma, who enticed the innocent doppelganger into the forest. Pagma, who conspired with the great demon Baal to dig up the remains of the former generation legends.


    The Pagma who appeared in various quests and episodes clearly had a personality w. However, it was sentimentality that was maximized when the focus was ced on all of Pagma¡¯s ¡®actions.¡¯


    Pagma, who was courageous and determined to save the caged Blue Tiger. Pagma, who cried sadly after killing Braham. Pagma, who had no choice but to use the purity of the doppelganger to stop the war. Pagma, who colluded with Baal to fight against the demons and gods...


    From a certain point, Grid learned about Pagma¡¯s inner thoughts and feelings behind his choices. After that, Grid couldn¡¯t me Pagma. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to persuade anyone who hated or held a grudge against Pagma. Still, Grid didn¡¯t deny that Pagma was a hero.


    A man who fought for humanity alone, who saved humanity at the expense of his soul but was never happy. It was as the system expressed. He was a very pitiful hero.


    ¡°...Are they fucking crazy?¡±


    Grid was sentimental for a while before abruptlying to his senses. He couldn¡¯t help swearing.


    Free Pagma¡¯s soul? A soul held by Baal? The difficulty was too high for a ss quest. At this point, he had to suspect that the S.A Group hated Pagma¡¯s Sessor.


    It was natural for him to doubt it. The reason Grid was strong wasn¡¯t because he was Pagma¡¯s Sessor. He was constantly building up his support with Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, the Saharan Empire, the Tower of Wisdom, the East Continent, etcetera, he umted all types of powers in the Rune of Gluttony, and he developed transcendence and divinity.


    Grid was stronger due to his individual effort and luck rather than his ss of Pagma¡¯s Sessor. He was certain that his current self was at least several times stronger than the ultimate Pagma¡¯s Sessor designed by the S.A Group. It was by at least a dozen times.


    Grid even had the power of the Overgeared Kingdom and the Overgeared Guild. It was unreasonable to simply define Grid as Pagma¡¯s Sessor. Yet even for such a Grid, the difficulty of the final ss quest was like a star in the sky. He had no choice but to swear.


    ¡®It is a quest I would never be able to clear if I was a normal Pagma¡¯s Sessor. What type of quest did they put out as the ss quest?¡¯


    To borrow a bit, no, to borrow a lot of Huroi¡¯s words, he had to doubt their conscience.


    ¡°...Well, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Grid calmed his mind. He recalled that the ss quests had high difficulties in the first ce. It took him as long as 10 years to raise his Tailoring skill to the craftsman level. It was better to think that it would take 20-30 years toplete the final ss quest. It wasn¡¯t a matter to waste his mentality on right now.


    ¡®The rewards are so good that I couldn¡¯t help being irritated. Let¡¯s leave it alone for the time being.¡¯


    Baal was a target to be defeated anyway. It was a quest that would be reached naturally sooner orter. Grid¡¯s heart had rapidly deepened since meeting Agnus and he was able to easily control his mind.


    ¡®This is the really regrettable thing.¡¯


    Grid reexamined in detail the information of Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques. It was a technique that fused his cksmithing and tailoring skills. It was said that anything rted to ¡®production¡¯ had a certain level of effectiveness. It wasn¡¯t just limited to these two techniques. It was good. It was so good that it was natural for the system to say it wasplete.


    There were just a few things to feel regretful about. First, Open Potential didn¡¯t apply. This meant the effect of calibrating the minimum rating of items produced to unique (unless it was a growth type) and boosting the item¡¯s stats by 40% was no longer applied.


    Second, there was no function to grant egos. Instead, he had to consume his Granting an Ego skill... Grid¡¯s nature meant he was reluctant to lock up other people¡¯s egos in items.


    ¡®I feel proud that Granting an Ego gives life to items, but I am reluctant to do it.¡¯


    Granting an Ego was the ability to attach the souls of beings like Iyarugt to an item. The process was as followed:


    1. In order to use Granting an Ego, Grid and the target ego must know each other.


    2. Granting an Ego only worked when the target ego responded to Grid¡¯s call.


    3. No matter what form the ego existed in, it would forcibly belong to the item the moment it responded to the call.


    It was better if he could kill a monster and absorb the monster¡¯s ego so it could be used without any burden. However, this damn Granting an Ego targeted beings that Grid knew (who was close enough to respond when called) and locked them in an item. It was an action that made him doubt the person¡¯s character.


    ¡®Um... I don¡¯t think it is too bad since the limit on the number of times is gone...¡¯


    There was a rule that if the item that the ego belonged to was destroyed, the target ego would return to its original ce. He could use this rule to destroy the item after things were over, returning the soul to their original ce and reducing the burden on himself. A typical method was the use of the Item Combination skill. If he gave an ego to thebined item, the ego would be released as soon as thebination was over.


    Of course, it was hard to use Item Combination every time, but... ¡®Wait, perhaps?¡¯


    Grid suddenly came up with a hypothesis. He took out the Enlightenment Sword and tried out Granting an Ego. The target was Hell Gao. The soul of the 9th Great Demon who had lost his body and took over the bodies of demonic creatures.


    [Hell Gao¡¯s soul has detected your calling. He was intrigued for a moment, but snorted and didn¡¯t respond.]


    ¡°This works?¡±


    In order to use Granting an Ego, Grid and the target ego must know each other. There was no need to like each other. Iyarugt had little affinity with Grid during the time of the showdown with Sword Duke Limit, yet he responded to Granting an Ego.


    [Hell Gao¡¯s soul has detected your calling. He found it ridiculous, so he snorted and didn¡¯t respond.]


    ¡°Hoh...¡± It was a skill that could be used for ill-fated rtionships.


    [Hell Gao¡¯s soul has detected your calling. He is expressing his anger and telling you to do it in moderation.]


    ¡®If I keep doing this, won¡¯t he be annoyed enough to respond at least once?¡¯¡ªEven if it was just to curse him. He didn¡¯t know that his ego would be taken away the moment he responded.


    ¡®...Gasp? Can I call Pagma¡¯s soul?¡¯


    Did he actuallye up with such a genius idea? The excited Grid carefully tried it out. Unfortunately, it failed. Pagma¡¯s soul had lost its intellect so there was a notification window that he couldn¡¯t hear Grid¡¯s call.


    ¡°It can¡¯t happen.¡±


    If it could be used in this way, Granting an Ego would be too fraudulent. The bnce-obsessed S.A Group wouldn¡¯t allow such a loophole. Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t possible... Grid continued to use Granting an Ego while thinking. The target was naturally Hell Gao. There was a cooldown time in exchange for the number of uses disappearing, but this ce was a mountain and he had Divinity. It was no problem to use it several times in a row.


    ¡®In any case, the conclusion is that it is good.¡¯


    Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques¡ªhe had the penalty of not being able to use Open Potential on it because it was apleted skill, but this was a reasonable bnce adjustment. He could make items like a factory (thanks to the dexterity coefficient, the automatic production speed was nearly twice as fast as before), it was possible to aim at the myth rating, and he could grant magic and an ego. There was also an advantage when attaching attributes.


    Above all, the biggest evolution was being able to produce all types of items. Grid believed it was possible to devise a way to break through the limits of item performance that arose due to the inherent limitations of the materials. For example, he could introduce the artifact creation technique when making a sword.


    ¡®I can break through the limits with magic.¡¯


    It was possible. The items he would create in the future would be much more powerful than the ones he previously made. The Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques was the ultimate skill.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Grid dered as he stood up. The Overgeared Skeletons hurriedly put out the fire and tidied up the surroundings. Randy was restoring his breathing. As Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance evolved into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance, he naturally became more powerful and he expressed a sense of mission to handle things without Grid having to step forward.


    Noe was as easygoing as always. He slowly rose to the sky and spread out his jelly-like pink soles to create lightning. The surrounding trees burned and opened up a path for Grid to walk.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fly anyway. Why are you creating a fire?¡±


    ¡°It was cool, nyang...¡±


    ¡°What cool nonsense? Braham has destroyed dozens of mountains and I¡¯m afraid the price of timber will rise further.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Tsk tsk. Grid clicked his tongue and scolded while Noe followed him silently.


    How long had they spent together? Grid¡¯s words alone were good enough for Noe. It was the same for Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons. Ah, except for Overgeared Corn.


    ***


    ¡°Based on the remaining magic power in the core, I can guess what Galgunos¡¯ level was... how did you kill him?¡±


    ¡°Sister Jishuka¡¯s arrows...¡±


    After stopping by the smithy to test out his skills, Grid returned to the castle and witnessed a rather unexpectedbination. They were Braham, Jishuka, and Euphemina. It was the first time Grid had seen the three people together and the atmosphere was quite good. Braham¡¯s eyes, which were usually as cold as ice, showed a bit of warmth and a favorable attitude.


    It was probably because Euphemina had inherited Mumud¡¯s power. Braham had a sense of debt toward Mumud. Perhaps this was why he was favorable to Euphemina. Jishuka, well... anyone would like her as long as they were a person. It wasn¡¯t because she was so pretty. She had a clear sense of self, knew how to distinguish between public and private, and had a cheerful energy, so she spread positive energy to people. Even Braham wasn¡¯t apathetic toward her.


    ¡°What are the three of you doing?¡±


    Grid sneaked in between the three people who were having a heated conversation. He checked Jishuka¡¯s expression and she greeted him with a surprisingly bright expression, ¡°It has been a while~¡±


    It was a very casual attitude unlike his worries. The past Grid would¡¯ve been flustered and felt at loss for words. However, Grid was in the process of expanding the world of his mind. The Mind was a different concept that resembled the spirit. Grid could smile without losing hisposure in front of Jishuka.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been almost four months. I missed you because I haven¡¯t seen you in so long.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Rather, it was Jishuka who felt flustered. Her eyes, which were normally like a cat¡¯s, became round and her face was red like a tomato. Grid had already turned his attention to Euphemina and he didn¡¯t see her reaction.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been constantly hearing about your active performance?¡±


    Euphemina had changed to Mumud¡¯s Sessor and was now a monster with the title of ¡®conditional strongest.¡¯ She was the first to gain an epic ss and she revealed the existence of Siren and Mumud alone. Her achievements since gaining Mumud¡¯s power were greatpared to Grid before he wrote the epics. Euphemina smiled. ¡°It is thanks to the consideration and support of the guild.¡±


    Time made people mature. He could feel kindness from the once yful smile of Euphemina.


    Grid patted her on the shoulder and brought up the reason he was here to Braham, who was looking at him with dissatisfaction for some reason.


    ¡°Teach me some magic.¡±


    Beforeing to the castle, Grid had stopped by the smithy and experimented.


    Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques allowed him to attach magic to ¡®items in production.¡¯ There was a 100% chance of sess when granting one magic. The more magic that was granted, the higher the chances of failure. Grid wanted to learn magic that was as powerful as possible. It waspletely new magic that didn¡¯t ovep with the magic attached to the sword dances.


    ording to Braham, Grid¡¯s body had ¡®sword energy circting in every vein where magic has to circte¡¯ and it wasn¡¯t suitable for learning magic. Still, this didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t learn magic at all. Didn¡¯t he actually learn Decoy? He had grown and gained a lot of levels since then. So why not learn new magic?


    Braham stared at Grid¡¯s body and nodded. "I¡¯ll do so. It just so happens that there is good magic you can learn.¡±

 Chapter 1451

    <h4>Chapter 1451</h4>


    ¡°At first, it was unclear, but... your nature has changed.¡±


    The training ground in the inner courtyard of the Overgeared Pce. In the past, Lord liked to use it very much. Recently, it was a ce Irene liked to use and now Grid and Braham were facing each other here.


    ¡°Your energy is a bit more suited to using magic.¡±


    Braham¡¯s words were meaningful. He transcended the level of just feeling the magic of all things. He could read and intervene. This was why many of his magics had an extremely fast casting speed. When using simple magic (from his perspective), there was no need to umte and express magic power. He was able to intervene and transform the magic power floating in the atmosphere, creating magic entirely from it. Braham¡¯s world waspletely different from the world that ordinary people saw. His perspective when observing people was naturally different and he could instantly see the changes in Grid.


    ¡®Is it suitable for using magic?¡¯


    Grid spected what was going on.Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques¡ªhe thought that the skill that made it possible to give magic to items had raised his magical temperament itself.


    ¡°Two.¡± Braham opened the door to his mental world and pulled out two books from there. They were magic books. ¡°Now you can learn these two magics.¡±


    ¡°Finally, Meteor...?!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m just speaking.¡±


    Grid had just been joking in anticipation, but he hadn¡¯t expected Braham to look at him with this type of gaze. Two magic books flew to the embarrassed Grid.


    [The ¡®Braham Enhanced Support Magic Book: Magic Power Cohesion¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The ¡®Braham Enhanced Support Magic Book: Magic Spray¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°...Is this a joke?¡± Grid¡¯s eyes had been shining so brightly that it gave the illusion of starlight. Now it quickly turned into rotten fish eyes. The ck eyes lost their light and what was expressed was ¡®nothingness.¡¯ Even the Sword Saint wouldn¡¯t be able to fight and win against the current Grid because he wouldn¡¯t be able to read the intentions and predict the moves.


    Braham had this thought before clicking his tongue.


    ¡®Even if I covered my eyes with a bean pod, I covered it too firmly.¡¯ [1]


    At this point, no matter what Grid did, it would be meaningful and great. Of course, he deserved to be treated like that, but...


    Braham made his expression cold and asked Grid, ¡°Which part makes you think it is a joke?¡±


    ¡°They are two support magics.¡±


    He had to kill the demonic creatures and great demons in hell, clear his ss quest, etc.


    Over the past six months, Grid¡¯s level had risen so fast that it wasparable to his prime. Grid was now level 455. Ever since breaking through level 399, which was called the Wailing Wall, there had been no great change in the amount of experience needed to level up and this yed a big role in it.


    In any case, Grid¡¯s intelligence was 5,303 points. It was 2,000 points higher than Zednos who was constantly 1st or 2nd ce on the magician rankings. Of course, it wasn¡¯t intentionally raised. The impact of Duke of Wisdom was great. Grid received 18 stat points every time he leveled up and 8 points were forcibly invested in the intelligence stat due to Duke of Wisdom. Additionally, there were the effects from his titles that added up to 50, effects from his items, bonus stats obtained whenever making myth rated items, stats he earned from the ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell, and so on. It all added up to 5,303. If it was simply based on the intelligence stat, Grid would be the 1st ranked magician and also have the status of great magician.


    To be honest, Grid had been looking forward to learning pretty good magic. Braham thought that Grid¡¯s energy had be suitable for learning magic. Didn¡¯t he just say it? So how could Grid not feel expectant?


    ¡°I thought I would at least learn Giga Lightning or Explosion...¡±


    Grid revealed his thoughts. Now that he could give magic to the items he made, he didn¡¯t hide his desire to learn attack magic. However, Braham¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Is it possible to attach magic without extra materials? It is an incredible development. It might be the result of the knowledge of Duke of Wisdombined with Pagma¡¯s techniques.¡±


    ¡°So I want to learn as much magic as possible. I need to optimize the effect of the magic enchantment.¡±


    ¡°No, it is even more reason to learn these magics.¡±


    Rumble.


    Braham used Stone Wall to set up a rock barrier 10 meters ahead of them. It was a distance where the power of Magic Missile was fully preserved.


    ¡°I know that your intelligence is considerable. It might be a bit better than that Patrian novice.¡±


    He was speaking of Great Magician Ashur. One of the 10 great magicians of the continent was still a novice to Braham.


    ¡°It is just that intelligence isn¡¯t proportional to magic skills. Think of how you are different from Reinhardt¡¯s cksmith craftsmen. Are your skills superior to them just because of dexterity?¡±


    ¡°...That isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°Magic is the same. Intelligence isn¡¯t the only factor that determines magic power, speed, hit rate, and form. It has to be backed up by technique.¡±


    Certainly, Gridcked the passive skills and titles that enhanced the power of magic. Even if he learned and used the same magic as Zednos, the overall power or utility was likely to be inferior. The intelligence stat only affected the magic attack power. The overallpleteness of the magic required assistance from other passive skills.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Grid realized it. This was why Braham was emphasizing the importance of support magic. Braham had urately seen and figured out how to supplement what Grid wascking. It meant he was always watching Grid.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    White magic power gathered at the end of Braham¡¯s hand that was aiming at the rock barrier. It was the precursor to Enhanced Magic Missile that Grid was familiar with. There was nothing special about it. Soon, the change began. Two seconds after the light gathered, the color of the light became subtly thicker. By the third second, the volume had expanded.


    ¡°This is Cohesion. During the magic casting time, the magic power in the atmosphere is gathered to the magic and the power is increased. That is why your Magic Missile is like dog poop while mine is like Meteor.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Dog poop...? Did he lose his affinity? The reason why Braham didn¡¯t teach him good magic was actually to bully him. Grid doubted it, but it was only for a moment. It was because he saw the hidden affinity in Braham¡¯s red eyes that shone as coldly as jewels.


    ¡°Normal Magic Power Cohesion slows magic casting time by up to two times and amplifies the power of the magic by 1.5 times. Meanwhile, my enhanced Cohesion can dy casting time by up to three times and amplifies the power by four times.¡±


    For example, the casting time of Magic Missile (Enhanced) was one second. If he increased casting time to three seconds using Cohesion, the power would quadruple. Magic Missile flew to the rock wall and struck, causing cracks to form on the rock wall. It was Magic Missile used by Braham and it was Braham who made the rock barrier. The rock barrier was the superior magic. Originally, Magic Missile shouldn¡¯t have scratched the barrier, but the power was significantly enhanced by Cohesion.


    ¡°Next is Spray.¡±


    Braham once again used Magic Missile. Once again, there was the three seconds casting process and the power of Magic Missile was maximized. Then it split into 10 shots and fired. It was like watching raindrops shooting along a straight line. If targeted, a transcendent might be forced to use their world of transcendence. 10 scratches formed on the rock wall that was hit.


    ¡°Spray spreads attack magic by up to 10. It increases the hit rate and range, but this isn¡¯t universal. It splits up the magic so the power is weakened. Still, the utility is very high.¡±


    ¡°...It is like this.¡±


    A skill that changed a single target magic into wide area magic. The higher the intelligence, the more likely it could kill the target. Fortunately, Grid had high intelligence. Braham had a reason for presenting these two magics to Grid. Braham was looking at Grid¡¯s future, not his present. Rather than teaching magic with strong attack power right now, he aimed to teach magic that could strengthen weak magic first before growing it step by step.


    ¡®I especially like the Cohesion one.¡¯


    If he attached Magic Missile with its power quadrupled to items... it would fall short of the Giga Lightning and Explosion he had been looking forward to, but it would still be useful. It might be more efficient. It was because the cooldown time was dozens of times shorter than Giga Lightning or Explosion.


    ¡°Thank you and I¡¯ll learn well.¡±


    Grid was touched by Braham¡¯s teachings and opened the magic books to acquire two new magics. Then he pulled out a portable furnace, made an item and attached Magic Missile that was affected by Cohesion. In just eight minutes, a one-handed sword with a level limit of 400 was created. If he created a dagger with a level limit of 300, then it would¡¯ve taken less than five minutes.


    [Sword Hiding Its Teeth]


    [Rating: Unique


    Attack Power: 1,830 Durability: 890/890


    * One of the Overgeared God¡¯s magics has been granted to the weapon. The weapon¡¯s attack power is increased by an additional 10.6%.


    * Fires a powerful Magic Missile when attacking. Cooldown Time: 5 seconds. Mana Consumption: 600. Can be activated and disabled.


    A sword created by the Overgeared God.


    Every time the sword is full of pure white magic, it willunch the Magic Missile enhanced by Magic Power Cohesion.


    Conditions of Use: Advanced Sword Mastery, Level: 400]


    ¡®The cooldown time is the same as Magic Missile.¡¯


    Cohesion increased the power by four times, but the cooldown was no different. The mana consumption was only 200 higher than normal Magic Missiles. It was because the mana cost of Magic Cohesion was 200.


    ¡®Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques is really a scam.¡¯


    Grid noticed the effect of increasing the weapon¡¯s attack power rather than the power of Magic Missile.


    Granting magic. The logic of ¡®the Overgeared God¡¯s magic power has been injected¡¯ increased the potential of the sword. It was a very fundamental element that strengthened the intrinsic performance of the item.


    ¡®My intelligence is currently 5,300 and I get an extra 10.6% attack power from granting magic... will 10,000 intelligence increase it by 20%? This is also based on the standard of Magic Missile. The higher the quality of the magic granted, the more likely it is that the intelligence-based attack power will increase.¡¯


    Additionally, there was room for this attack power to jump if magic could be stacked two or three times. He had often been annoyed by his stat points being forcibly invested in intelligence, but now it wasn¡¯t a waste. Braham delivered more good news to the delighted Grid.


    ¡°You just need to raise your intelligence a little bit and you can learn one more new magic. I think it is good to focus on growth for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    Just a little bit more. He probably needed to raise his intelligence to 5,500. Grid left his spot with anticipation while inwardly shouting ¡®Meteor.¡¯


    He wanted to leave for hell immediately but he first thought about securing Galgunos¡¯ remains. The loot brought by Jishuka and Euphemina¡ªhe nned to buy it and try to strengthen the Overgeared Skeletons.


    ¡®Additionally, Galgunos¡¯ core.¡¯


    Maybe it would be the beginning of the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ evolution into liches.


    ¡®Communication is possible once they be a lich. Hopefully, I can read Madra¡¯s diary.¡¯


    It was a diary written by Madra who had lost his reason in hister years as a death knight. Thinking about it rationally, it was unlikely that the swordsmanship teachings would be left behind. However, the growth of the Overgeared Skeletons was essential in many ways.


    1. Based on the idiom about putting on/covering your eyes with a bean pod where the meaning = being blinded by love.

 Chapter 1452

    <h4>Chapter 1452</h4>


    The Overgeared Skeletons were very different from general undead. The increase in level and stats meant they could change sses and learn skills. They were able to grow just like yers. Additionally, their bones could be reced. It was aplete transformation. It meant they could strengthen the fundamental power of the body independently of their stats.


    Grid¡¯s dream of growing the Overgeared Skeletons into a death knight and lich wasn¡¯t a pipe dream. Grid was willing to invest hundreds of millions of gold in the Overgeared Skeletons. The utility shown by Agnus¡¯ deceased had left a strong impression in his mind. The stronger the undead who didn¡¯t die and didn¡¯t know fear, the more harshly they pressured their opponent... he had felt it again in the battle at the principality.


    ¡®Money can be saved anyway.¡¯


    The speed of the automatic production of items was affected by the size, shape, structure, material, and level limit of the items. Therger the item, the moreplex the shape and structure, the higher the material and the higher the level limit, the slower the production speed.


    Among them, the biggest influences were the materials and level restrictions, but the level of items required by the market wasn¡¯t as high as one might think. The level limit of the most sought out items was only around 300. Due to people¡¯s limited financial resources, they preferred moderately excellent materials rather than special. Most items required by the market could be made in 10 minutes by Grid¡¯s auto production. If he took a day to make more than 100 items, he would be able to sit on a cushion of money in just one day.


    ¡®If I am lucky enough to obtain a legendary or myth rated item, I can spread it to the Overgeared members.¡¯


    This... it was thrilling no matter how he thought about it.


    Grid¡¯s mood had been the best it had been in recent years. He was very excited about thepletion of his cksmithing technique. He had been liberated from the oppressive burden of the past few years of needing to make underwear whenever he had time to raise his skill level. His heart was as light as a feather and he couldn¡¯t help being happy. Of course, he wasn¡¯t so excited that he made the mistake of making a wrong judgment. It was because he didn¡¯t want all the efforts he had done to reach this moment be destroyed like a sand castle.


    ¡®No matter how anxious I am to make money, I shouldn¡¯t release too many items on the market at once. If the price of the item goes down, I¡¯ll be the only one who loses. I should take Lauel¡¯s advice and carefully adjust the distribution quantity.¡¯


    Momentster, Grid arrived at the appointment ce, found Euphemina, and waved. It was the training room underneath the magic tower. Euphemina, who had been aiming rainbow-colored magic power at the level 450 training golem inside, ended the training mode and approached Grid. Euphemina asked, ¡°Did you learn the magic well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why don¡¯t youe and take a look? Aren¡¯t you interested in Braham¡¯s magic?¡±


    Euphemina still retained some of the characteristics of a Duplicator. As long as the target¡¯s technique was in the category of ¡®magic,¡¯ it could sometimes be duplicated with several times the power of the original. After gaining the knowledge and skills of Mumud, the most talented magician in history, she delved into other people¡¯s magic and dyed it with her own color.


    The lich, Galgunos¡ªthis was the biggest reason why the super named boss Grid couldn¡¯t easily challenge had fallen in her hands. The synergy between Mumud¡¯s Sessor and the Duplicator as a magician counter went beyond Grid and Braham¡¯s Duke of Wisdom. The moment Jishuka¡¯s Breaking Evil Arrow was added to Mumud¡¯s magic that interfered with the bination¡¯ of magic and destroyed it from the inside, Galgunos encountered a disaster.


    ¡°It would be rude to Sir Braham,¡± Euphemina answered Grid¡¯s question.


    Braham¡¯s favor toward Euphemina stemmed from his past regrets. Braham wasn¡¯t thinking about Euphemina. He cared about Mumud¡¯s power and will. Euphemina knew this fact and kept a clear line with Braham. She maintained a sense of distance without relying on his care and kindness.


    ¡°Braham will see you one day, not Mumud.¡±


    Grid smiled bitterly when he urately learned about the rtionship between Braham and Euphemina. Then he stroked Euphemina¡¯s hair like he did once before. She was an adult unlike her young looks as a middle or high school student. Still, Grid felt like she was a younger sibling.


    Euphemina also epted his hand. A Duplicator who peeked at and stole the power of others¡ªEuphemina deceived others using the ss characteristics of a Duplicator and often felt the condemnation of her conscience. She instinctively kept a distance from others.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the case with Grid. Perhaps it was because she hadn¡¯t stolen Grid¡¯s skills or because of her pride that she always did her best in her rtionship with him, but she didn¡¯t feel any guilt toward Grid. She was able to be confident and rxed. Grid was like a real brother.


    ¡°Here, this is what you wanted.¡± Euphemina handed Galgunos¡¯ remains and core to Grid. ¡°Sister Jishuka said that you needed it, so I didn¡¯t touch them.¡±


    ¡°Jishuka...¡±


    ¡°I saw it before. The rtionship between the two of you seems very awkward. Is it true that the rtionship broke up before it even started?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was there such a rumor? Grid was flustered, but he soon honestly expressed his position, ¡°I... am trash. That¡¯s why I like both Yura and Jishuka. Still, I know that the world won¡¯t tolerate my heart and it is also very impolite to both people. In the end, only one person can be chosen. Between them, Jishuka is very bright. I think she will be happy without me.¡±


    ¡°Wow... Trash...¡± Euphemina¡¯s eyes were filled with condemnation. She even expressed disgust on her face. ¡°Yura and Jishuka both knew your heart and liked you, yet you used that heart as an excuse to break the rtionship? Isn¡¯t that a ridiculous reason? You have no consideration at all.¡±


    ¡°Rather, this is consideration. What do you mean? We can¡¯t keep an ambiguous rtionship forever. The wounds will just be bigger.¡±


    ¡°What is ambiguous about it? You like both of them and they both like you, even though they know how you feel. Will the world me you? What¡¯s wrong with that? The three of you like each other. If they want to curse, then let them. It¡¯s enough if all the parties involved are happy. Besides¡ªwhat? Is it rude to my sisters? That is just your delusion. If a person likes someone, it doesn¡¯t matter what form or situation it is. Even if you like both of them, they will be happy that their love has paid off. Anyway, people who have never been in love can be delusional and do useless things alone.¡±


    ¡°...I see what you mean. Let¡¯s stop talking about this.¡±


    In the end, it was just Euphemina¡¯s thoughts. It was just a handful ofments and wascking to break the ethics andmon sense Grid had been learning all his life. Grid thought it was meaningless to have a further conversation about it. He analyzed the remains of Galgunos with Pagma¡¯s Eyes from his Baal¡¯s Contractor days. The knowledge of Duke of Wisdom helped to understand it. Grid found that the unknown forms and patterns engraved on the white bones were artificial magic power circuits.


    ¡®Magic power cohesion, conversation, assistance with runaway magic power. Assistance with catalyst generation. Assistance with mind enhancement...¡¯


    The flood of information resulted in one oue. Galgunos¡¯ bones showed that in order to be a lich, he had studied and modified himself to amplify a lich¡¯s power. Grid could almost feel how strong Galgunos¡¯ longing for power had been.


    ¡®Did he dream of conquering the world?¡¯


    The amount of energy umted in the core was huge. It was hard to calcte since there would be a significant amount of loss after death. Grid even grasped Galgunos¡¯ personality.


    ¡®He had this power, but he didn¡¯t rush into the world. He kept hiding in the dungeon and gathering troops... he should have a very careful personality.¡¯


    Grid wondered if Galgunos was anxious about the former generation legends. There were Pagma, Braham, and the other former generation legends. Galgunos knew the power of humanity and he couldn¡¯t easily believe in his strength.


    ¡°There was a reason why Braham was surprised.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t hide his admiration. He thought about the possibility that he might¡¯ve suffered a major disaster one day if the Galgunos raid kept being postponed and realized how great the value of Jishuka and Euphemina¡¯s activity was. How much should he pay for this? Did she read Grid¡¯s expression after he couldn¡¯t easily price Galgunos¡¯ remains?


    ¡°I won¡¯t charge money~ I will just be very grateful if you make an item for me when you have time.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll make 10 things.¡±


    From a very long time ago, the Overgeared members had collected many production materials and designs for Grid. Yet when asked if the value was equivalent to the value of Grid¡¯s produced item, no member answered yes. The Overgeared members were always in debt to Grid.


    Now that rtionship was slowly changing. The rtionship between Grid and the Overgeared members was no longer one-sided. The value of the help that the members provided to Grid had increased. From Grid¡¯s standpoint, it was precious regardless of whether his colleagues¡¯ help was small orrge.


    ¡°Can you Be the King of the Dead?¡±


    Grid summoned Overgeared Skeleton Two.


    ck, ck ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton Two appeared while dancing the tango. He bowed politely to Grid only to open his eyes in amazement. Galgunos¡¯ white bones and core attracted his attention.


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    Was he excited? The appearance of Overgeared Skeleton 2 stomping his feet made Gridugh. He had a bit of understanding about Mercedes¡¯ taste in finding the Overgeared Skeletons cute.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    The evolution of Overgeared Skeleton Two began. Overgeared Skeleton Two still tended to have arger skullpared to his body. Now hebined with Galgunos¡¯ elongated limbs and achieved a well-proportioned figure. (The saying used here is actually eight heads which refers to a body that is eight times the length of the face. This is considered an ideal body figure.) The ribs and pelvis became thicker, adding a sense of stability.


    Every time the patterns and rituals engraved on Galgunos¡¯ white bones were connected andbined, light was regained. The violent ck magic power surrounded Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s entire body.


    ¡°......¡±


    Overgeared Skeleton Two was performing a pious waltz like a sacred ritual when he suddenly stopped. The ck magic power surrounding him grew more and more violent, burning like mes. It was a reaction that seemed like it wouldn¡¯t acknowledge its new master. It seemed like it would burn up Overgeared Skeleton Two.


    ¡®A failure?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s brow furrowed. Euphemina was also nervous. Even if the Overgeared Skeletons were the work of Beriache, was it too greedy to absorb the power of a super named lich like Galgunos? It happened the moment when their thoughts reached this far...


    Overgeared Skeleton Two suddenly raised his head and roared. The eyes that were almost smiling at Grid became sharp and emitted light. Every time Overgeared Skeleton Two forced the limbs that defied his will to move, there was the sound of bones breaking in the room. If this continued, it seemed like Overgeared Skeleton Two was going to shatter and copse.


    Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t take any hasty actions. It was impossible to hit the Overgeared Skeleton to stop the magic power that was running while and it was impossible to estimate what side effects would ur when Grid released the summoning. Unfortunately, Grid was an outsider in the field of necromancy. There was little knowledge and no rted skills. In other words, the Overgeared Skeletons met the wrong master.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve brought Bullet!¡±


    Euphemina grabbed the cor of the restless Grid. ¡°Do you think that Bullet will know how to deal with this? The Overgeared Skeletons arepletely different from normal undead. You can only wait and believe in the Overgeared Skeleton right now.¡±


    At this moment¡ª


    [Combining with a new body! It is theplete body I dreamed of! I¡¯m truly satisfied!]


    Galgunos¡¯ core that was in Grid¡¯s hands shouted and flew freely.


    ¡°What?¡± Euphemina was startled. She thought Galgunos¡¯ ego had been extinguished. She never thought he would be hiding in the core, pretending to be dead while waiting for a chance. Even Braham didn¡¯t notice, so how could she?


    ¡°No!¡± Euphemina eximed as she reached out toward Galgunos¡¯ core that was rushing at Overgeared Skeleton Two. She was a person who directly experienced Galgunos¡¯ terrible power. She realized thatbining Beriache¡¯ legacy¡ªone of the Overgeared Skeletons¡ªwith Galgunos would create an enemy they couldn¡¯t afford to go against.


    However, it was toote. Galgunos¡¯ core was sucked into Overgeared Skeleton Two and Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s roaring became even greater. It was like a scream. However, Grid¡¯s expression was calm. It was because he now knew how to help the Overgeared Skeleton.


    ¡°Granting an Ego.¡±

 Chapter 1453

    <h4>Chapter 1453</h4>


    [Galgunos¡¯ Soul has detected your call. He has ignored it.]


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    Galgunos had just taken over Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s body. Grid confirmed that he could be designated as a target of Granting an Ego. That was enough. Grid moved rapidly. He couldn¡¯t help Overgeared Skeleton Two, who was suffering from being unable to control the magic power in Galgunos¡¯ remains, but he could help Overgeared Skeleton Two, whose body was taken away by Galgunos. He could just squeeze this person out.


    Grid nned to inflict enough pain that Galgunos wished he was dead and give up the body of Overgeared Skeleton Two. It would also assist with the use of Granting an Ego, pushing Galgunos thoroughly to the point that it was tempting.


    [Galgunos]


    The name that rose brightly above the head of Overgeared Skeleton Two filled Grid¡¯s vision. Before he knew it, he arrived in front of Galgunos and used Kill at the same time. Euphemina missed some of the process. In her eyes, Grid¡¯s movements seemed to be suddenly interrupted.


    ¡®Very fast...!¡¯


    Mumud¡¯s Sessor was a magician after all. Euphemina had less agility. Still, the insight that she had trained and umted since the days of being a Duplicator was one of the best in the world. This meant she received considerable correction to her body¡¯s dynamic vision. It was one of her greatest strengths.


    The fact that she missed Grid¡¯s movement was quite a big shock. Yet the real surprise was something else.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Galgunos¡¯ thick, dark shield was something that could only be analyzed and disassembled by the characteristics of a Duplicator and Mumud¡¯s magic, or pierced by Jishuka¡¯s Breaking Evil Arrows. The shield that absorbed all normal magic and physical attacks broke instantly at Grid¡¯s attack and scattered fragments of magic power?


    ¡®How high is the attack power required to do this?¡¯


    Eupheminaughed bitterly when she recalled the moments she struggled with Jishuka to destroy Galgunos¡¯ shield. She had a lot of feelings, but her mind and body didn¡¯t stop. She used three magics simultaneously. She used the characteristics of a Duplicator to observe Galgunos and analyze his weaknesses. Then she used her rainbow colored magic power to induce dposition and destruction.


    Triple casting. It had reached the point of a genius.


    Galgunos¡¯ body emitted dark magic power from the wound Grid created and twisted in the reverse direction of the joints. The body grotesquely bent and due to the lighting in the underground training room, it was reminiscent of the shadow of a dried, old tree.


    Mumud¡¯s magic reversed the flow of magic power and caused the body to malfunction. This was the result.


    [Again... this girl...] Galgunos stopped as he tried to counterattack Grid with the fog of magic power and his eyes were attracted to Euphemina. The red light of the eyes was full of anger and killing intent. He seemed to have a deep grudge against her.


    It was natural. Lich Galgunos had already lost to her once. He was pulled out of the temple where he reigned as a god. Everything returned to nothing just before he achieved the dream of bing a god using a lich¡¯s body. Galgunos would resent and curse Euphemina forever and ever.


    However, it shouldn¡¯t happen now. The one second where Galgunos and Euphemina¡¯s eyes met. In that second, Grid moved his sword dozens of times. Thebination of the Formless Sword and Link was destructive. Dozens of sword trajectories appeared, each with their own spiral while a ¡®hard to recognize blind spot attack¡¯ was alsounched. The swordsmanship waspleted in just one second. It was more like a phenomenon. A phenomenon that caused a disaster.


    ¡°......?!¡± Grid¡¯s expression hardened as he was cutting Galgunos. It was because around 80% of the attacks scattered like a mirage without touching Galgunos¡¯ body.


    ¡®Spatial distortion!¡¯


    The ultimate in space magic. It was a great magic that transferred any object, phenomenon, or even concept to another space. It was simr to Lantier¡¯s Shadow Movement, but it was one level higher. Shadow Movement was a technique that moved the body to another shadow, while the usage of a spatial distortion was endless. Of course, it was a magic that couldn¡¯t be easily used, even for Braham. It was because every time the magic was used, catalysts made with ¡®horandia¡¯ were needed and were consumed. It wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained just because of money.


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he retrieved the Formless Sword that had entered and left the unknown space.


    ¡®It turns out that this guy...¡¯


    He had the catalyst forms engraved on his bones. It was unexpected that they could create a catalyst that could distort space.


    ¡®...Good.¡¯


    Astonishment turned into joy. The scene of Overgeared Skeleton Two using space distortion magic unfolded in Grid¡¯s head, increasing his motivation.


    [You... are quite strong.] Galgunos, who hadn¡¯t been very interested in Grid, spoke to Grid for the first time.


    ¡°You too.¡± The moment Grid answered, Galgunos used Blink. His destination was behind Euphemina. Grid immediately followed with Shunpo and stabbed at Galgunos, but it was shortly after Galgunos¡¯ magic had already struck Euphemina¡¯s back. Shunpo wasn¡¯t an all-rounder in all situations. If the other person moved through space first, then it was natural for him to be a stepter.


    [You are nothing without that woman who can use the power of breaking evil.] Galgunos looked ecstatic when he saw Euphemina coughing up blood. There was little change in the expression, unlike the Overgeared Skeletons, but his joy was clearly revealed.


    ¡®This jerk doesn¡¯t care about it.¡¯


    Grid realized he was being ignored, but he wasn¡¯t agitated. His side would be veryfortable if Euphemina was pulling the aggro. He calmly used Pinnacle Kill. There were two tricky things about Galgunos. First, the power of a lich¡¯s Mana Shield that was always activated would absorb a significant amount of damage. Second, many of the attacks that prated through the Mana Shield were affected by ¡®Spatial Distortion.¡¯


    Once again, the Kill part of Pinnacle Kill was sucked into the distorted space. It wasn¡¯t known where it had been, but the Formless Sword was soaked in muddy water. During the time when Grid retrieved the sword, Galgunos and Euphemina were engaged in a first exchange of attacks and defenses. Wounds appeared all over Euphemina¡¯s body.


    Grid protected Euphemina with the God Hands while taking off Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools set. In that short period of time, Euphemina suffered a new wound. ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The situation was funny. The magic she fired into the air was blocked by the God Hands, causing the God Hands to stiffen. Then Galgunos easily pierced through the gaps that Euphemina showed. The God Hands were proof that this was a fight they couldn¡¯t read. Euphemina predicted Galgunos¡¯ route while the God Hands were more likely to sabotage Euphemina.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Grid umted fighting energy because he had taken off the training tools and regained his original stats. His speed was like an instantaneous sh of lightning.


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have to apologize for this much.¡±


    Euphemina was flustered because she didn¡¯t know when Grid hade to her side. The shield in his hand was blocking Galgunos¡¯ magic bombardment that was pouring in from the side.


    ¡®Really... It is on a different level. Is it too much to be a support?¡¯


    Euphemina had missed a chance to fight back due to being hindered by the God Hands. Nevertheless, she maintained herposure and smiled widely, unable to suppress her excitement. It wasn¡¯t a bright smile. Her eyes were zing with fighting spirit.


    This fighting spirit was her essence. She was a bigshot who had reigned as an unofficial ranker since theunch of Satisfy until now. She might be a ¡®conditional¡¯ powerhouse, but this made her sharpen her temperament of a winner and her senses were sharp.


    ¡°Feel free to run wild. I¡¯ll support you as much as I can.¡±


    Euphemina had a hunch. The current partnership with Grid was a chance that would never happen again. Galgunos was too strong an enemy and Grid¡¯s movements were one level higher than her own. The moment she seeded in identifying Grid¡¯s intentions and worked together with him to take down Galgunos, her skills would increase one step further.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid nodded without saying much. It meant he was highly focused. He was also aware of it. Galgunos was impossible to defeat in a normal way. The Spatial Distortion magic that had a 80% chance of invalidating any form of attack and the lich¡¯s unique infinite Mana Shield...


    The key was to break the flow of Spatial Distortion and Mana Shield. Then what could be done against the magic that was always activated?


    ¡®Jishuka¡¯s Breaking Evil Arrows must¡¯ve yed a really big role.¡¯


    There were too many tricky prerequisites for overpowering Galgunos. It was a super named boss with a terrible level of difficulty. He thought it was a good choice not to challenge Galgunos prematurely. Even if he challenged it, the probability of the raid failure was high.


    Of course, this was a story before he made ¡®this.¡¯ Grid ced the Formless Sword in the inventory and pulled out the Fire Dragon Sword and Falling Moon Sword at the same time. The items werebined like flowing water and the long sword with mes that were like moonlight was held in his right hand.


    The Transcend sword dance generated intense air waves. Fenrir¡¯s cloak fluttered and the hard ground of the training room was torn off, the debris floating in the air. Unlike the turbulent space, Grid¡¯s gaze was calm as he held the sword in the center. No emotions could be read on his face. This was why it was hard to figure out his intentions. Even Euphemina, who was preparing to keep pace with Grid, was flustered because she couldn¡¯t predict his next move.


    [You...?]


    Galgunos¡¯ reaction was extraordinary. Grid noticed something from Galgunos¡¯ reaction, who was distracted the moment the Falling Moon Sword was pulled out.


    ¡®It is an ancient existence.¡¯


    Galgunos could create a catalyst for space distortion through ancient secret techniques and knowledge. Why couldn¡¯t he recognize the moon night iron?


    [......!]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Galgunos and Euphemina had wide eyes. The storm centered around Grid still stayed with Euphemina, but Grid, who caused the storm, was right in front of Galgunos. The two of them were aware of the concept of Shunpo, but the triggering of Shunpobined with the brilliant effect of Transcend disyed a ripple effect that took away the souls of the two people.


    The great thing was that in the meantime, Euphemina¡¯s magic was pouring out from behind Grid. It would¡¯ve been the perfect support if she activated it one second earlier.


    [Galgunos¡¯ Soul has detected your call.]


    Galgunos¡¯ astonished expression ovepped with the notification window on Grid¡¯s retina. The Fire Dragon Sword, wrapped in the cold mes, was already about to reach Galgunos¡¯ core.


    [Galgunos has answered your call.]


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sword that was roaring as if to tear the world apart stopped. Galgunos, who was staring fiercely at Grid, suddenly smiled. The name that appeared above his head was Overgeared Skeleton Two. It was the name Grid gave so the more he saw it, the more wonderful he felt the name was.


    ¡°...What is this vain end?¡± Euphemina¡¯s words resonated through the call room.

 Chapter 1454

    <h4>Chapter 1454</h4>


    Galgunos might be a lich with divinity, but his world was just a small temple. He was even defeated in the temple. As a handful of believers watched, he was trampled on by the new legends, Jishuka and Euphemina. His power couldn¡¯t be intact even if he borrowed the body of Overgeared Skeleton Two to be revived.


    It would¡¯ve been meaningless even if it was intact. He was nothing more than a humble and shabby existence in this huge world called Grid. In conclusion, Grid¡¯s victory was set from the start.


    Euphemina was also well aware of this fact, but she never imagined it would end so easily. She knew Galgunos¡¯ strength better than anyone else. She had spected that there would be a more intense crisis and reversal. Then what was this...


    ¡°...What is this vain end?¡±


    The words that represented Euphemina¡¯s feelings unknowingly popped out. She was a genius, but she didn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s fight even with the wisdom and senses of a genius. The reason was simple. Overwhelming Galgunos was impossible even in the realm of a genius.


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t think he had overwhelmed Galgunos. It might feel meaningless from Euphemina¡¯s perspective, but it was a fierce battle for Grid.


    ¡®He was a tougher opponent than I thought.¡¯


    There was a reason why he hadn¡¯t taken off Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools set in the beginning. Grid recognized Lich Galgunos as a strong opponent, but was convinced Galgunos was worse than himself. However, there was a variable called Spatial Distortion.


    ¡®Spatial Distortion... it didn¡¯t seem all that good when I just heard about it, but it is really powerful.¡¯


    Not only was Galgunos damaged, but he was downgraded because he borrowed the body of Overgeared Skeleton Two. The ¡®quality¡¯ of the body itself might¡¯ve improved, but the growth rate had decreased. Additionally, all the equipment he would¡¯ve used during the time as Lich Galgunos was lost.


    It was only after linking the Falling Moon Sword with Item Combination that it was possible to knock Galgunos down. As expected, it was much easier to destroy Galgunos, but it wasn¡¯t overwhelmingpared with the various favorable conditions.


    ¡®Spatial Distortion is fraudulent...¡¯


    Grid analyzed the cause and frowned. Then he soon smiled like the frown had been a lie. Overgeared Skeleton Two grew and developed a well-proportioned figure. Grid¡¯s mood was relieved when he saw the smile of the one who was at the same eye level as Grid. The expectations were great. To what extent had Overgeared Skeleton Two absorbed Galgunos¡¯ power?


    [I... I didn¡¯t lose... I just stepped back for a while because the timing isn¡¯t right...]


    A somber voice was heard from Galgunos¡¯ core that was now Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s core. It was the voice of Galgunos, who had been affected by Granting an Ego. Grid ignored the excuses entering his ears and brought up the details of Overgeared Skeleton Two.


    [Name: Overgeared Skeleton Two


    Level: 430]


    The level was good.


    Due to the aftermath of absorbing the lich who had built up his status, Overgeared Skeleton Two achieved the fourth ss advancement at once and gained 30 additional levels. The growth was beyond expectations, but the ss name was deeply disappointing.


    [ss: Dancing Lich Who Distorts Space]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a pleasing and wonderful thing since it proved that the power of space distortion was absorbed, but what was the dancing lich? Of course, the Overgeared Skeletons¡¯ love of dancing meant they were a genius of provocation and were capable of doing the sword dances.


    ¡®...It doesn¡¯t seem that good.¡¯


    In fact, he thought Overgeared Skeleton Two would be the lich king.


    ¡®Maybe it is like this before the fifth advancement.¡¯


    Well, what did the ss name have to do with it? Grid¡¯s smile became deeper after checking Overgeared Skeleton¡¯s stats and skills list. There was a change in the stat values.


    Strength and agility was still low and the proportion of the stamina stat was lower than before. Instead, it gained 4,800 intelligence and 2,000 insight. Once 2,000 insight was gained, it would develop dynamic vision and the ability to grasp situations, so it wouldn¡¯t be pushed back in a fairly rapid battle.


    No, this wasn¡¯t the best way to put it. An NPC¡¯s intellectual power was proportional to intelligence. The synergy of high intellectual power (intelligence) and insight might lead to ideas that went beyond tactics and strategy.


    ¡®Does Overgeared Skeleton Two need to open the leadership stat to make it more brilliant?¡¯


    A discerning eye. The insights through this were being added to Grid. Beyond epting the change in Overgeared Skeleton Two at face value, he inferred the reason for the change. He should research ways to use Overgeared Skeleton Two as amander or strategist, rather than just a lich.


    ¡®Additionally, it gets 12 stats per level... it feels a bit lowpared to the status, but it is still reasonable.¡¯


    If Grid had to pick a part that was disappointing, it was the low stamina stat. Still, this didn¡¯t have to be a problem. The undead didn¡¯t get tired and a lich¡¯s magic power was infinite. In fact, Overgeared Skeleton Two now had the characteristic of ¡®mana won¡¯t be depleted.¡¯ As a result, the value of Mana Shield rose sharply. Theck of health was reced by the Mana Shield.


    Surprisingly, the fraudulent characteristic of mana not being depleted was a ¡®basic talent¡¯ of the lich. The biggest strength of Overgeared Skeleton Two after absorbing the remains and core of Galgunos was the possibility of ¡®catalyst generation¡¯ and ¡®spatial distortion.¡¯


    [Catalyst Generation Lv. 2 (proficiency can¡¯t be umted)]


    [Passive skill.


    Automatically generates a catalyst for space magic consumption.


    Automatically generates a catalyst for attribute magic consumption.


    Magic Resource Consumption: 2,000~26,000 mana


    Magic Casting Time: None.


    Cooldown Time: None.]


    [Spatial Distortion (Mastered)]


    [Used to distort the space at a specified point.


    Magic Resource Consumption: 20,000 mana, horandia, celtirove.


    Magic Casting Time: 2 seconds.


    Cooldown Time: 3 seconds.]


    ¡®The resource consumption is ridiculouslyrge.¡¯


    The casting time and cooldown time of Spatial Distortion was very surprising. He didn¡¯t expect the series of extremes to have such free and easy restrictions. The downside that hadn¡¯t applied to the lich was that it consumed a lot of resources.


    ¡®Since Galgunos engraved Spatial Distortion on his body...¡¯


    Grid confirmed the information of another one of Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s magic.


    [Magic Form Engraving Lv. 5 (proficiency can¡¯t be umted)]


    [Passive skill.


    If the magic expressed hasn¡¯t worked yet, the magic configuration will be maintained.


    Up to 20 magics can be engraved.]


    The magic forms engraved on Galgunos¡¯ bones. It had the bestpatibility with rm magic. rm magic needed the advance selection and casting of magic before setting the activation time. Meanwhile, there was much more freedom when it came to activating magic that was cast in advance and then engraved.


    ¡¯No, it isn¡¯t appropriate to think of it as a superior version of the rm magic. There is no limit to the number of rms cast.¡¯


    Additionally, rm could be triggered in the right ce depending on the capabilities of the user. The higher the capability of the users, the bigger it might be than Magic Form Engraving. Of course, this was a far cry from Grid. Grid checked and organized the information of Overgeared Skeleton Two for a long time before finally opening his mouth, ¡°Skeleton.¡±


    ck!ck ck ck!


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit your chin. Speak, speak.¡±


    [Yes... Master...]


    ¡®Ohh...!¡¯


    The one that had been cking for years was finally able to speak. Grid had a strange feeling. It was like seeing his child grow.


    [I¡¯m happy to be able to talk to Master.]


    Overgeared Skeleton Two also seemed deeply moved. There was a type of warmth in the originally colorful expressions.


    ¡°Your voice is cool.¡±


    [This is a gift from Master. I am very grateful.]


    A deep, low voice spread through the space. It was serious and powerful. It was a voice that put weight in the voice. It reminded him of a dragon¡¯s False Dragon Words.


    ¡°There will often be times when Galgunos¡¯ ego resists. Let¡¯s aim for perfect control of him. It is true that you need his help to adapt to the magic and Space Distortion in your body.¡±


    [Yes, Master.]


    [Hmph, who can control me at will...]


    [Shut up.]


    [This cheeky...]


    [If you say one more word, I will destroy you.]


    [......]


    Galgunos¡¯ core was ssified as an item. It was why Jishuka and Euphemina earned it as loot and it entered Grid¡¯s hands. Galgunos was obsessed with life and rather than having an honorable death, he chose to live. From the moment he was sealed in the core, power over his life or deathpletely fell into Grid¡¯s hands. No matter his innermost thoughts, he could only be Grid¡¯s puppet. However, it would take a lot of trouble for him to have a slightly cooperative attitude. Grid was relieved that Overgeared Skeleton Two could control him on its own.


    ¡®It has leveled up, so I should make new equipment. If Overgeared Skeleton Two fully adapts to its body and newly acquired magic, I can transfer Galgunos¡¯ ego to the equipment and... Ah,e to think of it?¡¯


    Grid was lost in thought for a moment beforeing up with a good idea. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the temple during the adaptation period?¡±


    [Do you mean Galgunos¡¯ temple?]


    ¡°Yes, his legacy might remain there. Additionally, the believers who serve him might follow you.¡±


    [Great advice. There seems to be plenty of possibilities.]


    ¡°...Why are you suddenly doing the tango?¡±


    Objectively, Overgeared Skeleton Two was very cool. The ck magic power wrapped around therge, sturdy white bones like a cloak. The red light of the eyes was apanied by the voice full of weight, making the atmosphere lively. There was no messy posture. There was the feeling of breaking this atmosphere once it started dancing the tango.


    [I was so amazed and delighted with Master¡¯s insight that I showed some ugly behavior. If Master tells me not to dance, I will dance only when I need to...]


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The time for Grid and Overgeared Skeleton Two to check the situation wasn¡¯t that short. It was 30 minutes. During this time, Euphemina had been standing like a piece of stone. Now she cocked her head and sighed.


    Grid turned his gaze toward her. A light that was brighter than the light in the training room was reflected in her big eyes. She said, ¡°Now I know it for sure.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a genius.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this something that everyone knew? Even the party involved, Grid knew it best. There were often people who packaged Grid with the words ¡®genius of effort,¡¯ but it was more of a forced fit because they couldn¡¯t deny that Grid was the supreme one.


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t agree. Of course, he didn¡¯t deny his efforts. It was just that the world genius still felt unfamiliar. So what was this...


    Grid was showing a small response when Euphemina grabbed both of his hands. She stared directly at him and said, ¡°Great expert. You are a great expert.¡±


    Genius relied on innate talent. In a way, it was easier to understand than others and most of the inspiration came from oneself. They were often inspired by phenomena and concepts, but rarely by other people. Thus, Euphemina had doubts. Why was she inspired by Grid despite not understanding his field?


    Now she knew the reason. He was a person who trained rtively ordinary talents to the limit with passion and effort. Grid was a great expert. He was different from a genius. She couldn¡¯t understand it (because she wasn¡¯t a great expert yet), but she still got inspired by it.


    ¡°This is probably why Kraugel is special to you... I admire you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Euphemina was giving him an enthusiastic look while saying something embarrassing. If it had been a while ago, Grid would¡¯ve blushed due to embarrassment. Now he calmly epted it. It was because he knew how she felt toward him and what she wanted to say. He didn¡¯t know why, but...


    The very same type of bond he shared with Kraugel was being shared by Faker and now Euphemina.


    ¡®Everyone has changed.¡¯


    Grid had been leading alone so far due to meeting and forging good rtionships with people such as Khan and Braham. Now he finally felt the growth of others. His intuition told him that the people who would stand shoulder to shoulder with him would appear.


    The days when heaven and hell would feel fear weren¡¯t far away.

 Chapter 1455

    <h4>Chapter 1455</h4>


    ¡°Director Yoon, you look terrible~¡±


    ¡°You came? Sigh, I¡¯m going to die. I haven¡¯t been able to get off work after the emergency.¡±


    ¡°Morpheus was really angry this time. I thought that the operations team would struggle to keep an eye on the situation. I didn¡¯t think that even the operations director would be helpless.¡±


    ¡°There is a high possibility that they can¡¯t make judgments without my authority, so I always have to be on standby. Well, theforting thing is that you¡¯re in the same boat as me.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m sure the security side is in a state of emergency.¡±


    ¡°...President Amy, are you talking to anotherpany now? I don¡¯t think it is time to smile.¡±


    ¡°Sorry~ sorry. Nelson, take it easy~¡±


    Named NPCs usually yed an important role in the worldview. Force or power was an indispensable factor for them to defend their rights and maintain their roles. The reason why the power (level, etc.) of the named beings rose in proportion to the yer¡¯s growth was to protect the worldview. It was right to interpret it as Morpheus¡¯ defense mechanism.


    This game episode of the great human and demon war was thergest of Morpheus¡¯ defense mechanisms so far.


    For the S.A Group, it was an emergency. The world might describe the S.A Group as a viciouspany that tormented yers using reasons such as bnce, but in fact, the S.A Group was one of the most user-friendlypanies in the history of the industry. The name was Satisfy because it meant ¡®I want to satisfy people¡¯s hopes and dreams.¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho wanted the yers to be happy. As an extreme example, it was touching and rewarding to see a person who couldn¡¯t walk around in reality due to a disability now running and flying freely around in Satisfy. Of course, the minds of the executives weren¡¯t as open as his. They were businessmen. Nevertheless, they also wanted people to y Satisfy more easily and happily. They wanted people to be immersed in Satisfy, produce their own content, and make Satisfy an eternal world.


    Then what about this human and demon war? It was like opening the door to the apocalypse worldview. It would dramatically shorten the lifespan of Satisfy. The world where ¡®everyone can dream of happiness¡¯ would turn into a ¡®game for the chosen few.¡¯


    ¡°I will start.¡±


    The tumultuous atmosphere in the executives meeting room at the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters quickly subsided. The reason was because Chairman Lim Cheolho entered. He seemed exhausted, as usual. As he sat down, the video started to y on the monitor.


    It was a video recording of the past month (real time) of Chepardea and Agnus, who were nning a human and demon war. Only the highlights were collected, but the length of the video was quite long. They were the moments when they met with Sword Demon Zepar and King of Souls Gamigin in order to set up the human and demon war. Agnus suffered several deaths before being acknowledged by Zepar.


    After Zepar and Gamigin joined, the great demons started to gather around them.


    1st Great Demon, Baal, watched the situation like it was someone else¡¯s business.


    Amoract, who had a weaker authority than Baal in many ways...


    The main scenes of hell yed quickly. Most demons were aiming at the surface so they were very cooperative in this situation. It was a difficult development for Chairman Lim Cheolho and the executives who hoped that Satisfy would be a ¡®world made by yers.¡¯


    Still, what could they do? The time when Grid threatened the existing worldview was too early. The world still had many arrangements and Morpheus didn¡¯t want it to copse. Thus, it caused this incident.


    Morpheus was insistent. Hell needed to stay strong for the next 20 years. It was believed that the world would be able to handle the Asgard-rted episodes that would ur after the fall of hell only when most yers had their fifth ss advancement.


    However, Grid and the Overgeared Guild alone caused the possibility of hell being conquered. The probability was only less than 2%, but Morpheus had witnessed several unforeseen consequences caused by the variables made by Grid and was extremely wary. This wariness was expressed in the present great human and demon war.


    Morpheus couldn¡¯t watch the possibility of Grid conquering hell with the help of Demon yer Yura and moved the battlefield to the human world. Rather than giving Grid any room to pursue hell, it tried to devastate the human world that had be the home of Grid and the Overgeared members. It was a special measure to slow down the period of hell¡¯s destruction.


    ¡°It judged that this is better in the long run...¡±


    ¡°There are different types of demons and demonic creatures that yers can handle. In the great human and demon war, yers can somehow grow, but it won¡¯t be that easy when ites to Asgard...¡±


    ¡°The enemies in the Asgard-rted episodes will unconditionally be angels and sacred creatures. It is too much for current yers to attack and defend against the sacred trinity.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a guarantee. The moment yers hold the weapons created by Grid, the flow will change.¡±


    ¡°Grid has very little history of leaking his weapons to the outside world. Morpheus must¡¯ve set the yer¡¯s level with that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it disadvantageous to the demons if the demon armyes to the surface? If Grid and the Overgeared Guild work together to stop the invasion, will the time of hell¡¯s destruction be advanced?¡±


    ¡°If the Abyss copses, parts of the worlds will ¡®mix¡¯ together and the penalties that demons will get in the human world will be somewhat mitigated. Due to the structural nature of hell, it is easy for the great demons to fight each other. This is less likely in the human world with Gamigin at the forefront.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you talking about the seven souls of the former generation legends in hell? If Gamigin gets the authority to use them, isn¡¯t it adding seven great demon-grade strategic weapons? How are the yers supposed to handle that? For once, Morpheus seems to have misjudged...¡±


    As the executives were feeling agitated, the stage on the monitor changed from hell to the surface. To be precise, it was the other side of the world rather than the surface.


    No Offspring Tomb. As the name implied, it was a tomb that no one took care of because all the descendants were wiped out. However, the scale was contrary to the lonely atmosphere.


    ¡°Is it based on the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor?¡±


    The appreciation of Agnus on the monitor gave an idea of the huge scale of No Offspring Tomb. It was a maze of endless passageways. Agnus had been wandering in it for as long as a week. There weren¡¯t any traps or monsters. In fact, he felt that there was nothing here.


    Was it easy to wander around aimlessly without a fixed appointment? An ordinary person would¡¯ve thought about giving up a few times. Nevertheless, Agnus continued without a break. Even if he was blocked by a wall, he was unperturbed as he went back the way he came and started again.


    He had been trapped in a maze all his life so a week of wandering was nothing to him. His mental strength, regardless of his will, had been driven and trained to the limit.


    ¡°......¡±


    Four dayster, Agnus finally entered a huge empty cave. It was an empty cave lined with hundreds of tombstones. Whatid buried beneath the tombstones?


    Agnusunched ¡®Raise Corpses.¡¯ The unidentified skeletons buried under the tombstones struggled to make their way through the ground.


    Agnus¡¯ expression stiffened. It was because the white bones already had a master.


    This wasn¡¯t a problem. The battle began immediately.


    ***


    The native soldiers and undead army were fighting together.


    Agnus¡¯ deceased and death knights took the lead, but the situation didn¡¯t reverse. The advancement of the undamaged natives was like a huge mountain moving as they mercilessly trampled on the skeleton soldiers before returning to their old homes.


    The natives were iparably stronger than the undead encountered in the first empty cave a fortnight ago. Still, Agnus was persistent. Despite dozens of defeats and loss of resources over the past two weeks, he continued to challenge the natives without giving up. He used all means and methods to discover the weaknesses of the natives. There was also some luck involved.


    After 24 days, he finally broke through the native army and set foot inside the tomb they guarded.


    ¡°......!¡±


    A rare emotion appeared on Agnus¡¯ face that had been filled with joy.


    Fear. It was something he had never shown before. It was natural. It was due to the hundreds of natives inside the tomb he expected the childless specter to be. This time, they were on horses. They were all general-grade.


    Agnus btedly realized the huge size of the tomb and burst outughing. He realized that his n to get his hands on the childless specter ahead of the great human and demon war hade to nothing. In other ways, 34 days that were more precious than gold had been wasted.


    This was happening in real time.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Perhaps Agnus would meet the childless specter and persuade him or seed in dominating him. The executives watching the screen with great nervousness let out sighs of relief.


    ¡°This will make the great human and demon war a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°It is thanks to Agnus¡¯ poor pre-investigation. The moment he heard the childless specter was an undead, he believed it would be an advantage. However, this was aplete misjudgment. The childless specter is the peak of the myth predators...¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t stand a chance challenging other predators. Of course, it might be different if he cooperates with the great demons.¡±


    ¡°Cooperate with the great demons... Sigh, it is awful just imagining it. There would be no answer if Agnus¡¯ tendencies resembled Grid.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He would¡¯ve taken this opportunity to turn the great demon into allies. Maybe all the myth predators would be in his hands... it would¡¯ve been possible if it was Grid...¡±


    ¡°Grid¡¯s list of messengers is ridiculous. Not only does he have the present legends and a former generation legend, but there is an archangel, one of the seven malicious saints, and a hatchling...


    ¡°This is why Morpheus is so wary and this crisis urred. Well, in any case, we¡¯ve confirmed that Agnus¡¯ next move has be twisted, so we can move onto the next thing.¡±


    It was time to get to the main point. Should they sit on the sidelines or intervene? The S.A Group had to choose. The eyes of the executives turned to the silent Chairman Lim Cheolho. The chairman was lost in thought for a while before speaking with his eyes half open.


    ¡°I think it is right to help users.¡±


    The default policy was that the S.A Group didn¡¯t intervene in the flow and system of the game. It was a policy that had to be constant.


    However, Chairman Lim Cheolho wanted to make an exception this time. If the great human and demon war broke out, yers would lose their homes, especially nonbat sses. They didn¡¯t have the power to handle the demonic creatures and demons flooding the continent. It was likely to be the trigger for many people to leave Satisfy.


    ¡°Of course... I¡¯m not suggesting we break the policy.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho barely maintained hisposure. He finally swallowed down his intention to intervene in the situation and directly help users. Nevertheless, his will was fully conveyed to the executives. President Amy noticed how to implement the chairman¡¯s will.


    ¡°Are you saying we should announce that there will be a great human and demon war soon?¡±


    The great human and demon war that Chepardea envisioned would begin with a surprise attack. One day, the world would be greeted by the sudden copse of the Abyss and therge army of demons that would emerge from it. In particr, the empire that was built on the Abyss might perish overnight. If that happened, the functioning of the Saharan Empire would be paralyzed for a while and humanity would be helpless. Even if humanity won the war a few monthster, most of the civilization on the ground would be destroyed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We aren¡¯t going to tell them where and when it will start. That is too tant an intervention. Still, isn¡¯t it okay to announce that a great human and demon war is going to begin?¡±


    Satisfy ultimately belonged to the service industry. If this point was raised, then Morpheus would be convinced. A few dayster, the possibility of therge-scale episode ¡®Great Human and Demon War¡¯ upied the headlines of media outlets around the world. People¡¯s reactions... it was surprisingly favorable.


    They never dreamed that the cause of the great war was Grid. People believed that this episode urred naturally as they grew. They treated the great human and demon war as arge-scale event and were excited.


    -If demons and demonic creatures crawl up to the ground at my feet, then they are just experience.


    -At this point, the great demons aren¡¯t a problem.The average level of yers is so high.


    -Right ?? God Grid raided the great demons in the 20s in hell a few months ago.They might be great demons, but they are real dogs on the surface.


    -By the human world¡¯s standards...a single small or medium-sized guild can raid the great demons in the 30s.


    -The fight for them will be fierce.Oh, I¡¯m so excited that I can¡¯t sleep these days.How much will I gain during this event???


    ¡°People¡¯s reactions are a lot different than expected.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was somber. He wanted the yers to be alert and thoroughly prepared, but only a few of them were like that. Most were just excited like there was going to be a festival. It wasn¡¯t worth telling them in advance...


    The sighs of the S.A Group deepened.

 Chapter 1456

    <h4>Chapter 1456</h4>


    Sooner orter, there would be a great human and demon war. The news from a senior official of the S.A Group caused a stir in the media. The whole world was in a festive mood. Finally, Satisfy was holding a big event for yers. Now they understood the truth of the world. There was a series of spections that it would start in time for the uing school holidays for students.


    There was an emergency in the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared members were afraid and prepared for it because they knew the power of the demons better than anyone else. It seemed as if it was about to be a long winter.


    ¡°This event is bullshit. Why doesn¡¯t anyone know when there are death portraits all over? How many times will it take for people to realize that the S.A Group is an evilpany in the world and we should be alert?¡±


    ¡°It is hard for ordinary users to think badly of the S.A Group. It is always the top guilds and rankers who fall victim to bnce. You still haven¡¯t figured out when the great human and demon war will take ce?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m investigating inside and outside, but there are no clues. At this point, it seems like the S.A Group released the information on purpose to let us be careful? It is torture, torture. By the way... what¡¯s wrong with these soldiers? Aren¡¯t the level of the soldiers in the 3rd Corps too low?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about training, it is about talent. The stats limit is too low. All the talented soldiers were sent to the 1st and 2nd Corps. It is too greedy to ask for a high level of the other corps.¡±


    ¡°Have they all grown to the stats limit?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it...¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t the problem training rather than talent? If you¡¯re going toin, grow them to the limit first before doing it!¡±


    Toban was shouting this but he knew it wasn¡¯t easy. The lower the talent of the NPC (stats limit), the slower the growth rate. Still, they should do it even if it was hard. This was the way things were now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Royman and get some senior officers to take over as instructors. Hugo, you can run the training schedule with the knights in charge.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hugo was an Overgeared member who had been with the members of the Tzedakah Guild since L.T.S. He was a monster who was ranked 3rd in his ss rankings and had a unified ranking of 120. He also had the power of the Overgeared Kingdom and Grid¡¯s items.


    He was a big shot who could dominate everywhere he went. Yet he was still polite to Toban. It was Toban who stopped him and guided him when he was about to retire because he couldn¡¯t handle the inferiorityplex he felt when he saw geniuses like Jishuka, Regas, and Faker.


    ¡°You are a genius too. They are just monsters. I¡¯m worse than you, so why would you give up? You can¡¯t stand it because it is too hard? Nonsense. Then why hold on? Just enjoy it. Why are you ying the game? Wasn¡¯t it because it is fun? This is still a rumor, but... I heard from an acquaintance in the industry that there is a high chance a virtual reality game wille out soon. Until then, let¡¯s regain our initialmitment and improve our skills. We have to be rich. Don¡¯t you think we should be world stars too?¡±


    It was a memory he would probably never forget. Would he be as sessful in Satisfy as he was now if Toban hadn¡¯t held out his hand at that time? No, Hugo never would¡¯ve made it up here on his own. Half of his sess was thanks to belonging to the Tzedakah Guild and the other half was due to meeting Grid.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean Toban felt Hugo was indebted to him. Toban didn¡¯t use Hugo casually. Toban respected and cared for Hugo as a colleague and as a brother. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t mind saying bitter things today. He wielded the authority of the second-inmand of the Overgeared military.


    At present, the Overgeared Guild had decided they should provide military training to all the people of the Overgeared Kingdom. Hugo was one of the fewmanders in the Overgeared Guild and he was forced to work hard during the preparations for the great human and demon war.


    ¡®Sigh, those S.A sons of a bitches.¡¯


    Soldiers with low growth potential¡ªthey were the ordinary NPCs who were the absolute majority in Satisfy. Originally, they would be deployed as guards. Now he was told to turn them into an elite army who would fight against demonic creatures. Of course, Grid would support him with items, but... nevertheless, it was dark in front of Hugo¡¯s eyes.


    ***


    ¡®This guy is more rubbish than I thought.¡¯


    In the meantime, he had listened to the Overgeared members. Galgunos¡¯ Temple was a demonicir that lured travelers by pretending to be a sacred ce, killing them and raising their bodies as the undead. Still, it was unexpected that he would even touch children.


    ¡°......¡±


    Deep disgust filled Grid¡¯s face as he was surrounded by young skeletal soldiers. Did it see the hesitation in Grid¡¯s sigh?


    Overgeared Skeleton Two stepped up instead. Like a lich, Overgeared Skeleton Two was able to use magic of all attributes. In particr, it could use the legendary great magic like space magic and dark magic. It raised ck magic power and gave rest to the young skeleton soldiers.


    [You...! What are you doing?!] Galgunos¡¯ soul shouted. The anger in the trembling voice was unusual. He wanted to pop out and grab the cors of Grid and Overgeared Skeleton Two. If he had actually done so, he would be prey. [Destroying the children with the engravings of growth!]


    ¡°Engravings of growth?¡±


    [A secret technique that enables the dead to grow. It is still a halfpleted secret technique that can only be applied to young people...! I¡¯ve spent hundreds of years trying to make just three...!]


    The Galgunos Temple. This was the inside of the temple. A secret location only essible from behind the throne. It was a ce that Overgeared Skeleton Two found after searching through Galgunos¡¯ memories. Jishuka and Euphemina hadn¡¯t known about it.


    ¡°Why did you make that?¡±


    [Asking a stupid question. There are as many short-lived people in the world as there are stars in the universe. Some were involved in wars caused by kings like you, some were born weak, or some met a viin like me... are there no geniuses among those who died early in this way?]


    ¡°...Disgusting guy.¡± He nned to find short-lived geniuses, excavate the remains (or kill them directly and recover the body), making them undead, raising them, and creating the strongest ves.


    Grid once again felt that the existences belonging to the ¡®demonic¡¯ side were mostly terrible beings. Those who walked their own paths like Marie Rose or Leraje were rare.


    ¡®I need to be vignt about this guy to the end.¡¯


    The essence didn¡¯t change easily. Additionally, Galgunos was an old monster among old monsters. He had existed since the ancient days, only craving power and umted divinity at the expense of others. It was impossible to expect him to suddenly be good one day.


    [Should I kill him?] Overgeared Skeleton Two asked seriously as it took into ount Grid¡¯s feelings and Galgunos felt sullen.


    Grid shook his head. There was no need to kill him. Grid would thoroughly take advantage of Galgunos while keeping a close eye on him. This was better than death.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Start.¡±


    [Yes.]


    Overgeared Skeleton Two left theboratory and stood in front of the half-copsed throne. It chanted a spell and raised the dead who were sleeping in the temple where the master was lost.


    [I... I am your new master.]


    Those who served Galgunos like a god in their lifetime¡ªone death knight, 30 skeleton warriors, and 20 skeleton mages, who deceived adventurers visiting the temple and killed them to train an army for Galgunos, knelt before Overgeared Skeleton Two. They all exuded an extraordinary energy. In particr, the death knight named ¡®Reiji¡¯ was worthy of being an intermediate boss of the temple. He had a very high level. He was a huge level 500. It was up to the fifth stats awakening.


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has be the protagonist of the myth ¡®In the Temple of the Dead...¡¯]


    [The domination stat has increased by 20% and the performance of necromancer rted magic has increased by 10%. Summoning andmanding the undead in Galgunos¡¯ Temple won¡¯t consume domination.]


    [Overgeared Skeleton Two has opened the deity stat.]


    ¡®I never thought it would build up divinity.¡¯


    Of course, it was a myth only recognized in Galgunos¡¯ Temple. It was still weak. Still, it was aw that it would always be weak at the start.


    A big smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. On the other hand, there was no change in Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s facial expression like it hadn¡¯t realized it properly.


    [...Master.]


    Overgeared Skeleton Two watched the army it would lead for a moment before kneeling in front of Grid.


    [Can I request for you to call my sibling?]


    ¡®This guy.¡¯


    It seemed to want to share this joy with Overgeared Skeleton One. Grid nodded willingly. At the same time...


    ck!ck ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton One emerged from the ground at Grid¡¯s foot.


    [......]


    Overgeared Skeleton Two was now tall enough to look down at Overgeared Skeleton One and it stared at its sibling. Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s expression was very ufortable but Grid knew the two would share a hug. He was so moved that he forgot for a while.


    There were past scenes where Overgeared Skeleton One, who had the power of destruction, often pranked and smashed Overgeared Skeleton Two, who had the power of recovery. Overgeared Skeleton Two hit its sibling on the back of the head without hesitation and Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s skull fell off its body.


    ...ck?


    Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s eyes shook so violently that it was obvious it was bewildered. However, Overgeared Skeleton Two didn¡¯t stop and hit Overgeared Skeleton One a few more times. Then before Overgeared Skeleton One waspletely shattered, it was restored and destroyed again.


    ck...ck ck ck...


    Overgeared Skeleton One resisted at first, but it soon raised the white gpletely. It raised its eyes and turned its eyeballs down to make an X-shape. Only then did the grinning Overgeared Skeleton Two patted therge skull of Overgeared Skeleton One. Grid could see its feet moving like it wanted to dance right away.


    [Thank you for agreeing to my request...]


    ¡°......¡±


    It wasn¡¯t cool saying these words in this voice now...


    Grid sighed and soothed Overgeared Skeleton One. Gridforted by saying it would have a great body one day and Overgeared Skeleton One cried as if sadness btedly overwhelmed it. If Mercedes saw this, she would¡¯ve held it in her arms andforted it.


    ¡°There is a lot of work to do so let¡¯s go back. The moment I leave, go read the diary I gave you earlier, Skeleton Two.¡±


    At this moment...


    -Grid, what are you doing?Hahaha!


    Grid received a whisper. It was unexpected, but his flustered feeling was brief. It was because he realized why the other person wanted to contact him. A person who clearly saw the essence of the great human and demon war and had the power to prepare for it¡ªhe was one of the few people in the world.


    -It has been a while, Ares.


    Grid¡¯s heart had been heavy since hearing the news of the great human and demon war. Now his mood became more rxed. The cooperation between Overgeared God Grid and God of War Ares would show a ripple effect that wasparable to Pagma during his Baal¡¯s Contractor days.

 Chapter 1457

    <h4>Chapter 1457</h4>


    There were still only two yer kings¡ªOvergeared God Grid and God of War Ares.The quality and quality of talent, the size of the force, capital, technology, strength, etc.


    On all indicators, the Overgeared Kingdom was superior to Valha and Grid was superior to Ares. It was rare for the world to easily see Ares.Yet even Grid recognized and respected Ares¡¯ skill and resourcefulness.He had to do so.Looking down on Ares meant looking down on most yers except for Grid himself.


    -I was impressed by your performance in the National Competition.


    Grid¡¯s voice was full of joy.They had been interacting for quite a long time.In the few times the two people had met directly, their personal feelings were pretty good. There was a special rapport because they were in simr positions. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like that from the beginning.The military cooperation between the Overgeared Kingdom and Valha was still ongoing.


    Most of the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s 1st Corps returned from military training in Valha after gaining enlightenment and experiencing partial breakthroughs.Artificially improving the characteristics of soldiers and breaking through their stats limit¡ªit was something that Piaro and Asmophel couldn¡¯t do despite training many soldiers so far.


    It was originally a miracle that had a low probability of urring when the soldiers received enlightenment or went beyond their limitations.There was only one person in the world who could artificially do it and it was God of War Ares.It was just like only Grid could exercise the miracle of creating myth rated items.


    -My performance?Compared to your activity of recording a new history, it is just a small trick like a slug rolling over.By the way, it is good to hear your voice after a long time.There is a refreshing feeling like drinking Coke.Uhaha!


    The military cooperation between the two kingdoms wasn¡¯t a unteral, favorable agreement.The Overgeared Kingdom also helped Valha.Valha¡¯s elites were armed with the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s items.Of course, the two kingdoms maintained appropriate boundaries. They didn¡¯t cooperate with each other wholeheartedly.


    Valha trained the Overgeared soldiers in ¡®moderation¡¯ and the Overgeared Kingdom only sold a ¡®moderate¡¯ amount of battle gear to Valha¡¯s soldiers at a ¡®fair¡¯ price.At one time, Ares dreamed of bing a true ally of the Overgeared Kingdom, but the wall of reality wasn¡¯t so easy.There were many interests in diplomacy. The arbitrary decisions of his mind couldn¡¯t determine his political line.


    Furthermore, Ares paid a great price for his effort in collecting NPCs as subordinates. Among the contents of the price paid was an agreement to achieve the ¡®dream¡¯ of the subordinate and thisplicated things.Most of Ares¡¯ named NPCs held grudges against the Saharan Empire.It couldn¡¯t be helped.Most of the named NPCs were affiliated with the empire or lost something due to the empire.


    -I often wanted to contact you...I refrained from it because I thought you might feel ufortable.


    -Um, I¡¯ve also been careful out of fear of your difort.


    The Overgeared Kingdom and Valha cooperated, but they were wary of each other.There were two decisive asions where the kingdoms didn¡¯t trust each other and the rtionship started to crack.The Valha Kingdom found the ¡®cksmith monopoly¡¯ of the Overgeared Kingdom annoying, while Valha¡¯s hostile rtionship to the Saharan Empire was a problem for the Overgeared Kingdom.


    It was just that both kingdoms didn¡¯t openly express their intentions.The reason why cksmiths all over the continent flocked to the Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t because the Overgeared deliberately lured them. The cksmiths just wanted to join Grid. How could the Overgeared Kingdom be med for that?The Overgeared Kingdom who monopolized the cksmiths manipted item prices and ripped off other kingdoms, but they didn¡¯t do so for Valha. As mentioned earlier, they dealt fairly with Valha.


    The Overgeared Kingdom also had no justification to deter Valha, who opposed the Saharan Empire and continued to wage war at the border.At the time of 4th Imperial Prince Edan¡¯s rebellion, Valha was used by Grandmaster Zikfrector to invade the empire. They failed and suffered massive damage. The grudge was deep.Additionally, Valha was a kingdom that developed by absorbing the forces hostile to the empire. By nature, it was inevitable that they would be on bad terms with the empire.


    It was impossible to impose a rtionship on Valha just because Basara, the new empress after Edan¡¯s rebellion, had formed a friendship.


    -The reason I contacted you today...as you might have expected, it is because of the great human and demon war.


    It was many years ago when the 22nd Great Demon, Berith invaded the human world.The Ares army dreamed of being the strongest and was full of confidence.They challenged Berith without shrinking back.They were qualified to do so.Yet they were defeated.


    The Ares army only decreased the health of Berith¡ªwho they thought was delicious prey¡ªby half, before being destroyed.It was a huge shock.The defeat in front of the entire world humiliated the Ares army and was enough to shake their foundation. An inevitable feeling of skepticism swept over them.


    This was when Ares realized that he wasn¡¯t Grid.His colleagues might be as strong as the Overgeared members, but he couldn¡¯t be their pir because he wasn¡¯t like Grid. He btedly understood how Jishuka felt when she gave up the leader¡¯s position to Grid.


    -I didn¡¯t want to say this directly, but Valha has grown quite strong.I have many talents under me.


    It was ever since realizing how powerful the existence of the hell monarch was.No, Ares¡¯ enthusiasm reached the peak the moment he aimed at Grid and the Overgeared Guild. He gathered talent from all over the continent and worked with them to develop his organization.


    -Grid, we won¡¯t drag you back.Lead us during the great human and demon war.I¡¯ll cooperate as much as I can.


    The Ares army waspetent. Like the Overgeared members, they learned from their valuable experiences without being frustrated by failure. Therefore, they noticed the seriousness of the great human and demon war.Ares felt it was time for all humanity to cooperate.Of course, he knew who the leader should be.


    -I¡¯ll make peace with the empire.The new empress is a capable person and won¡¯t refuse to make peace.


    -Ares...


    Grid was no longer thirsty for recognition. Rather, he was getting used to being epted.The reason why his heart trembled was probably because the Ares army was one of the most prestigious. They were a group of first-ss people. As promising as they were, their pride was also extremely high. Beyond leaving their backs to him, they were now entrusting their fate to him.


    -...I understand.


    ¡®Am I qualified to lead you?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t ask such a question.He didn¡¯t bother to be humble.Grid was aware that he was the Lantern of Humanity.


    -I won¡¯t let you down.


    The reason why Grid and the messengers were able to y an active part in hell was because hell was divided into 33 areas. The great demons who didn¡¯t cooperate with each other were isted and easily defeated.The great human and demon war would be different.As seen in Pagma¡¯s past, they had a great probability of uniting as an army. It would obviously be a tough fight even when they received penalties in the human world.He had been feeling a great sense of crisis and the participation of the Ares army was as good as earning thousands of troops.


    -Uhaha!How can you be so dependable?Soon, our army will arrive in Reinhardt.They left first, expecting that the conversation with you would go well.That resourceful guy is as helpful as Lauel, so I hope you use him well.


    -Ares, you¡¯re noting?


    -I have to go as well.It will just take a while because I¡¯m marching with all the troops except the guards.I think I¡¯ll be a bitte. Please understand.


    -Can you empty your kingdom?If the demons invade Valha, people will...


    -My military advisor told me it will be fine.The gates of hell, where arge number of troops can enter through, will either be in the Behen Archipgo or the Abyss.I trust him.That guy, he is a very capable person who matures slowly.


    Grid was surprised. Lauel and Sticks had said the same thing. It was unexpected that Ares¡¯ military advisor couldpare with them.


    ***


    Every time a man moved, the dirt surged.There was a huge plow that couldn¡¯t be moved even if 10 cows joined together. Now a man was gritting his teeth as he led it and plowed through the fields.The weight on his toes was reminiscent of the Heavenly Subjugation Pressure, the ultimate technique of the dancer martial artists.


    A smile spread on the man¡¯s face every time sweat flowed down his clear thigh muscles and permeated into the soil dug by the plow.This man who overturned Morpheus¡¯ predictions over and over again as he gained the flesh of a farmer trained to the limit often felt a great pride when he plowed the field.


    ¡°Festival...? Is that right?¡±


    The man had been putting down his plow and enjoyed the scenery of his own field. Now he frowned slightly and cocked his head. He saw the adventurersing from afar who were excited about the great human and demon war and he questioned it.


    ¡®Are the great demons not a big deal these days?¡¯


    Aura Master and Steel Farmer Hurent¡ªhe was one of the Five Miracles who had 31 titles in addition to his second ss.He was once famous as an American hero along with Zibal, but he had long left the world. He joined the Overgeared Guild a few years ago, but no one had ever assigned him a separate mission. Thanks to this, he enjoyed a free farmer¡¯s life, just as he did before joining the Overgeared Guild.


    Hurent didn¡¯t know what was going on in the world. To be correct, he wasn¡¯t interested. Over the past few years, his biggest concern had been finding a ¡®rune¡¯ in the field.


    ¡®This ce is also a failure.¡¯


    Hurent used aura to create a wind phenomenon and shook off the sweat on his body. The rain of aura,bined with the Steel Farmer¡¯s unique skill, ¡®Growth Enhancement,¡¯ strengthened the vast fields that were a wastnd 10 days ago.The used plow had already scattered into light and disappeared. The plow was also created with aura.The stronger the rain, the faster and more powerful the green buds grew.


    There was no need to worry about the invasion of monsters ruining the field. The monsters that originally swarmed thisnd were afraid of Hurent¡¯s aura and farming energy.


    ¡°Why are there no monsters?¡±


    Did we go the wrong way? The fields weren¡¯t originally in this ce, right?He could feel the confusion of the adventurers, but... this wasn¡¯t a problem for Hurent to care about.


    ¡®Um...Where is the next ce to move to?¡¯It happened when Hurent was troubled over the rune he couldn¡¯t find today...


    ¡°Hey, Mister. Have you seen a monster? I obviously saw the devil children here before.¡±


    ¡°The devil children aren¡¯t just ordinary monsters, they are demonic creatures.¡±


    Hurent recalled the snow-colored monsters he met on the first day he came here and answered the adventurers¡¯ question with his eyes. He looked like he was asking them if they could fight the devil children with such ordinary equipment that didn¡¯t contain any divine power.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know they are demonic creatures? I came here with the purpose of preparing for the uing great human and demon war.¡±


    ¡°Go 20 kilometers north to look. I¡¯m sure there will still be devil children there.¡±


    ¡°Gasp, that far? Is my memory wrong? In any case, thank you.¡±


    ¡°What is with that uncle? Is he an NPC or a yer?¡±


    ¡°How can a man who farms alone in a remote area like this be a yer? He must be an NPC.¡±


    ¡°I thought so at first, but he understood the words great human and demon war. How can a farmer who likes alone in a remote area know about the great human and demon war?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom sent official letters to all nations on the continent about the great human and demon war. Since it is from the Overgeared Kingdom, the rulers wouldn¡¯t have doubted it and they would¡¯ve spread the news to the people.¡±


    ¡°Sigh...Don¡¯t tell me that NPCs will interfere in the great human and demon war?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hurent fell into thought as he looked at the backs of the adventurers gradually moving away.Based on the way that such beginners were looking forward to the great human and demon war, it seemed that the dignity of the great demons wasn¡¯t as great as before.


    For reference, the average level of the adventurers just now was 300.They were top rankers.Due to suffering thanks to Braham, Hurent had very high standards and they looked like novices to Hurent¡¯s discerning eyes.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go a bit further this time... Master said there is a high probability of the rune being in remote areas. I should take this opportunity to challenge the forbidden areas.¡¯


    Hurent pushed down his straw hat deeper and disappeared like a gust of wind.He was bing more of a monster thanks to his stats rising every time he made bigger and better fields.It was the secret weapon of the Overgeared Kingdom who was personally recognized by Grid, even though Hurent wasn¡¯t aware of it himself.

 Chapter 1458

    <h4>Chapter 1458</h4>


    Modern and convenient infrastructure, advanced technology, a stable economy, high security, quests to get the mass produced Grid set, etcetera¡ªfrom a yer¡¯s point of view, the Overgeared Kingdom was a very attractive kingdom. The long history and abundant resources of the Saharan Empire wasn¡¯t very attractivepared to the convenience of the Overgeared Kingdom, which was developed using the sense of modern people.


    In fact, the number of people migrating to the Overgeared Kingdom was increasing every year. Still, it wasn¡¯t the case that every yer coveted the nationality of the Overgeared Kingdom. The high security of the Overgeared Kingdom meant there was no work for mercenary users, the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s policy of controlling the respawn area of the top bosses deterred high level users, and the economic market directly monitored by the Overgeared government and managed by the Muto Merchant Group was shunned by merchant users.


    The safe and stable Overgeared Kingdom might be a ¡®good kingdom for people to live in,¡¯ but it wasn¡¯t a good environment to have a dream.


    ¡°The price of iron ore has soared to 5 gold? Should I buy some more?¡±


    ¡°The rising speed is much faster than expected... Um... I¡¯ll buy it for 9 gold, no, 13 gold.¡±


    ¡°It is said the empire has started construction of a new fortress!¡±


    ¡°There is too much bidding going on there. Let¡¯s turn to the east. Since thepetition for stone purchases intensified in the east first, those kingdoms will soon begin to build fortresses.¡±


    For merchants and engineers, the great human and demon war was an important asion. It was especially true for the merchants and engineers who didn¡¯t belong to the Overgeared Kingdom. Most merchants and engineers in the Overgeared Kingdom weremissioned by the Overgeared government to produce goods or carry out construction. They had no choice but to be wary of the Overgeared Kingdom when setting prices. Meanwhile, merchants and engineers of other kingdoms weremissioned by various kingdoms and were free to set prices.


    For example, the current metal and stone resources were in short supply. It was because demand increased rapidly ahead of the war. In just four days after the news of the great human and demon war broke out, the market price soared by nearly 20 times. The merchants and engineers of the Overgeared Kingdom delivered goods to the Overgeared Kingdom, regardless of the fluctuating market price.


    It was because this was how the contract was signed in the first ce. The Overgeared Kingdom gave merchants and engineers the right to use quarries and mines, guaranteeing stable sales. Instead, they offered to buy items at the ¡®fixed price.¡¯ The workers and merchants took it for granted. It was a great attraction to be able to collect resources reliably and deliver goods at the fixed price at any time without having to fear monsters, bandits, or mercenaries hired bypetitors. Instead, they weren¡¯t able to enjoy this special event, but... who knew this would happen? They couldn¡¯t be disappointed considering the benefits they had already received.


    ¡°Make sure to stack up the purchased materials in the warehouse. Don¡¯t put items, especially those in high demand for cksmiths, on the market until the market prices rise as much as possible.¡±


    Until now, the Overgeared Kingdom had the upper hand in the item market. This was natural as most cksmiths belonged to the Overgeared Kingdom. Merchants who didn¡¯t belong to the Overgeared Kingdom used to sweat every time they tried to deliver resources to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Now the situation had reversed. Resources couldn¡¯t keep up with the overflowing manpower of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom had reached a point where it couldn¡¯t make items even if it wanted to.


    They took the initiative against the Overgeared Kingdom...


    The merchants even felt some pleasure.


    ***


    ¡°Is this all the materialsing in today?¡±


    ¡°It is said that the mines are on cooldown.¡±


    ¡°If the amount for production isn¡¯t enough, we should buy it on the exchange.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing else for sale on the exchange. The moment the news of the great human and demon war broke out, many individuals or merchant groups started buying goods...¡±


    ¡°Were we only sucking our fingers?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Lauel was the first to start buying. Still, you know that there are people on the exchange who click fast. It is impossible to buy them all. In the meantime, some crazy rich person have sorted the items in ¡®order of high price¡¯ and swept the sales... rumor has it that he bought iron ore for 200 gold. At that price, I wonder if hoarding is meaningful at all...¡±


    ¡°Hah... Is this a game for chaebols? In any case, it won¡¯t work today.¡±


    Panmir, 1st in the cksmith rankings and vice president of the Overgeared cksmiths Association (Grid was the president, but this didn¡¯t mean much)¡ªsince four days ago, he failed to take one step out of the smithy. Currently, he put down his hammer for the first time. He couldn¡¯t do his job because he couldn¡¯t get the materials.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the quantity of the finest materials still veryrge?¡±


    Most of the finest materials were pushed to Grid. It was natural since the items that Grid made were far better than the items made by other cksmiths.


    ¡°Yes..."


    ¡°This... it must be left in Grid¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°It is said that Valha will send 100,000 troops for support, right? Of those, 5,000 are the elite. At the very least, we have to supply top items for 5,000 people. It will be hard.¡±


    ¡°Lauel and Sir Rabbit must be troubled.¡±


    ***


    At the Overgeared meeting hall...


    Senior officials from all over the Overgeared Kingdom and Valha¡¯s staff gathered in one ce. Administrator Rabbit might be intimidated in front of such extraordinary figures, but he expressed his opinion in a dignified manner, ¡°No, it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Hepletely opposed people¡¯s insistence that war supplies in short supply should be purchased at a high price.


    ¡°Why do we have to pay a lot of money to buy supplies? I¡¯m not in favor of it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you decide to supply the soldiers with new equipment? How can we make equipment and spread it without purchasing materials? Do you want to buy finished products?¡± a female military officer from Valha asked with a disbelieving expression. The corners of her mouth twitched like she was trying to hold back the ridicule.


    It was bound to be ridiculous. Currently, most kingdoms on the continent were determined to unite to protect their homnd and the world. Apart from some small kingdoms, or ethnic groups in border areas, they had witnessed or experienced the fear of demons and realized the seriousness of the situation.


    Meanwhile, the person in charge of administration in the Overgeared Kingdom, the center of the alliance, was speaking out of personal feelings. Not buying the materials necessary for a war because the market price had risen? The behavior of merchants who hoarded materials while coveting huge profits was abominable, but the change in price was a naturalw of the economic market. He wanted to refuse due to this naturalw? It was nothing more than a child¡¯s whining.


    The female military officer looked at him like he was pathetic and the sses wearing Rabbit shot back, ¡°If we buy finished products from outside, it will be useless because they are of lower quality than what we are used to being equipped with. Is the equipment that Valha soldiers wear inferior to the equipment on the market?¡±


    ¡°We are wearing mostly old equipment. As you know, our nation is short of cksmiths.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± the senior military officer of Valha cut off the words of Valha¡¯s female military officer. This was a public ce. It was even a gathering of the key figures from both kingdoms. It was a disgrace to act like this. He sighed and spoke to the top military adviser, Sima Qian, who had been silent, ¡°I¡¯m sure that Administrator Rabbit insists that we don¡¯t have to buy supplies because he hasn¡¯t forgotten the nature of this incident. I am also thinking the same thing.¡±


    ¡°The... nature?¡± The female military officer showed an expression of surprise.


    This was an officer of Valha. The senior military officer clicked his tongue and exined, ¡°We are the heroes of this age gathered under the banner of protecting humanity from demons. It is a position to help humanity and merchants are also included in humanity. They should cooperate with us and don¡¯t deserve to offer us a deal.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the logic is that they have to cooperate with us. Yet what can we do if they don¡¯t want to? Do you think this persuasion will be epted?¡±


    ¡°There is no need for persuasion. Once the disaster urs in due time, they will want to cooperate with us. Isn¡¯t this what Administrator Rabbit is thinking?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s great.¡¯ Lauel admired as he silently watched the meeting. Valha¡¯s senior military officer¡ªjust like the top military adviser, Sima Qian, his name shone golden and his insight was excellent. He could immediately see the thought of Rabbit, who was the top two in political power in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®If he has the determination...¡¯


    The moment Lauel thought this, the senior military officer continued, ¡°However, it is toote to get supplies after the disaster has already begun. It might be a bit extreme, but I think it is necessary to inform the world of the omens of disaster.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Demon yer belong to the Overgeared Kingdom? If she travels around cities on the continent, opening the hell gate and letting demons flow out... those who have experienced the power of the demons will be alert enough to recognize that the great human and demon war is a disaster, not a festival.¡±


    Sticks looked serious. ¡°Are you saying that we should deliberately release demonic creatures and harm people? The heavens and earth will be angry! I don¡¯t agree.¡±


    On the other hand, Lauel¡¯s assessment was different. ¡®He has decisiveness... Ares had gathered a lot of talent.¡¯


    In Lauel¡¯s view, the senior military officer¡¯s opinion was very reasonable. If the demonic creatures destroyed cities all over the continent, yers would slowly realize that the great human and demon war was a disaster. They would also find that the power of the Overgeared Kingdom was necessary to prepare for the great human and demon war.


    Then public opinion toward the merchants who tried to rip the Overgeared Kingdom off would deteriorate. The more famous a merchant, the more they would turn over supplies to the Overgeared Kingdom at a cheap price in order to protect their position.


    ¡®It is the most effective way since there are a lot of people who won¡¯t listen no matter how we try to persuade them, but... it will be hard to handle the aftermath once it is found out that Yura was the one who released the demonic creatures. The image that the Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared Guild has umted with such hard work will fall at once.¡¯


    The biggest problem was that Grid was likely not to approve. Sacrifices would inevitably ur in the process of destroying cities and nting fear in people. Would Grid acquiesce to that? Lauel was thinking with his hands on his chin when he suddenly met Sima Qian¡¯s gaze. He responded with a smile.


    ¡®Does he think that the senior military officer¡¯s opinion is the most reasonable? If there is a better way, this resourceful person will definitely know more than me...¡¯


    He was the superior of the senior military officer with a simr level of intelligence to Lauel, so he should be better. Lauel was somewhat wary when he thought about it, but he didn¡¯t show his innermost thoughts since he had been involved in politics for a long time. It happened at a time when the officials of the two kingdoms were continuing to exchange information...


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte.¡± The door of the tightly closed meeting hall opened without anyone¡¯s consent. It was the arrival of Grid.


    Everyone immediately rose from their seats. It was the same with Valha¡¯s staff.


    ¡°I greet Your Majesty, the Overgeared King.¡±


    All of Valha¡¯s staff bowed deeply to Grid, including Sima Qian. The female military officer, who had shown ack of emotions during the meeting, blushed and her mouth dropped open like she was a fool. It was the power of the charm and dignity stats.


    The Overgeared members were so used to Grid that they often forgot it, but objectively, Grid was a very cool and likable person. Among actors and actresses who chose sses and focused on the charm stat, there were often people acting as femme fatales, yet even they would appear to be ugly next to Grid. It was a matter of aura, not of appearance.


    ¡°It is nice to meet you, Military Adviser Sima Qian. We will exchange greetingster. I will give you the news first. In the next three days, arge amount of war supplies will arrive here in Reinhardt. It is enough to prepare for war. As first discussed, we will buy the supplies. Then Valha will buy the equipment we produce at a reasonable price.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Most of the people gathered here were smart but none of them could understand Grid¡¯s words. Enough supplies to prepare for a war would arrive soon? In the confusion, Sima Qian opened his mouth, ¡°Your Majesty, can I ask about the source of the supplies?¡¯


    ¡°The Lion Merchant Group. It is a ce where my side has infiltrated as a spy.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the members of both kingdoms were wide open and shook.


    Sima Qian asked again, ¡°What is the purchase price of the goods?¡±


    ¡°It is ording to the original price. My people have done a really good job.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    This time, even Sima Qian shook. He was so surprised that his face turned white. Everyone was expecting that the price of war supplies would rise. However, using spies to take control of a giant merchant group and buy as many supplies as needed before the market price rose... it wasn¡¯t something that could be done with ordinary foresight. It was hard to see it as the level of a human.


    ¡®Even his resourcefulness has reached the realm of a god...!¡¯


    [Affinity with Sima Qian, military adviser of the Valha Kingdom, has increased by 20.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was flustered while Sima Qian looked at him with eyes filled with pure envy. In the midst of the uproar, Lauel sent a whisper to Huroi. He was clearly aware that this situation wasn¡¯t the result of Grid¡¯s strategy.


    -What is going on?Why is the Lion Merchant Group giving us such cheap supplies?


    -I stole the seal of the merchant group and tampered with a few documents.


    -......?


    Was Huroi sopetent? No, this wasn¡¯t a matter of beingpetent. This couldn¡¯t be possible just by manipting a few documents. No, how did he steal the seal of the merchant group in the first ce?¡¯ Weren¡¯t such important things always kept in the inventory?


    Lauel frowned out of confusion from the iprehensible situation and thin blood flowed from his nose. His skin was being upgraded every day.


    In any case... even Lauel couldn¡¯t understand the situation. It was because his premise for understanding the situation was wrong. Huroi didn¡¯t infiltrate as a spy. He was being entertained as a guest.

 Chapter 1459

    <h4>Chapter 1459</h4>


    For the past three days, carriages after carriages, each filled to the brim with war supplies, constantly arrived in Reinhardt. The constant procession of carriages spread rumors that ¡®the identity of the wealthy person who swept through the exchange is actually Grid.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t deny it. Well, it was good to be seen as having a lot of money.


    In fact, the effect of the rumors was great. The feet of the merchants who tried to rip off the Overgeared Kingdom were on fire. They used to act like masters every time they sat at the negotiating table. Now they fell t like turtles. They didn¡¯t expect him to buy iron ore for 200 gold to cover the supplies... this... it was just crazy.


    The merchants were afraid of Grid¡¯s violent power. They felt madness. They desperately realized that no matter how hard they struggled, they could never be able to best Grid. They didn¡¯t know how much Grid was trying to protect them. The truth would only be revealed after the great human and demon war.


    ***


    "Excuse me...?¡±


    At a smithy made by remodeling a whole pce...


    Lauel visited Grid and was speechless for a moment. The immortal lich, or the king of the dead, stood in front of the anvil while hammering. A dwarf, a noble race sacred to cksmiths, was busy running around and helping with chores. It was an unbelievable sight.


    ¡°You came?¡±


    The lich and dwarf helping Grid was Overgeared Skeleton Two and Ke ong. This smithy was smaller than the one built in the center of the city, but the reason why Grid was working here was because people¡¯s attention was troublesome. If he got caught working with a lich, a lot of people woulde in and make a fuss.


    ¡°It is unrealistic to see a lich working as a cksmith. The reason for the coolness... is it because I have the ck me dragon?¡±


    ¡°What is all this nonsense? In any case, the Overgeared Skeleton has be cool.¡±


    The ck magic power was like a cloak and left an afterimage of magic power in every action. Even a boss monster wouldn¡¯t be able to show this. Tap dancing while hammering was ridiculous.


    ¡°What is the book it is reading in the middle? A forbidden magic that drove me to death in my previous life...?!¡±


    ¡°...It is Madra¡¯s diary. The handwriting is strange, so it is taking it a while to interpret it. You are excited. Then the negotiations must¡¯ve gone well?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it is good overall, but they seem obsessed with supplies that cksmiths have a high demand for. They said they can¡¯t give up iron ore for less than 2 gold. Then I said I would stop.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a reasonable enough price at this point? I think the merchants have given in a lot?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t giving up, it is almost at the level of a plea. From their point of view, they would¡¯ve sold it for several times or dozens of times cheaper than the purchase price, so they must¡¯ve been in tears. However, we already have enough supplies. There is no need to be obsessed with high-priced items.¡±


    ¡°We need to be prepared for the worst. If we make a mistake or fail to make an item, it ismon to consume more materials than indicated in the design. It also isn¡¯t just us. The other kingdoms, including the empire, are trying to secure as much supplies as possible. Shouldn¡¯t we buy a bit more before the market goes up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I got a fixed price contract for the allies.¡±


    ¡°Are you part of the Communist Party?¡±


    ¡°Haha, there can be nopletely free market. It is the role of the nation to guide the greedy people correctly when trying to damage the market economy. By the way... can the Overgeared Skeleton make a finished product?¡±


    Lauel showed a somewhat surprised expression. He noticed that the items used by magicians, such as the staff, orb, and robes were being made by Overgeared Skeleton Two, not Grid. He was well aware that Overgeared Skeleton Two had the skills of a cksmith, but was it qualified to make things used by the magicians of the Overgeared Kingdom? Even if Overgeared Skeleton Two had a cksmithing ability, it wouldn¡¯t reach the actual strength of cksmiths, right?


    Grid eased Lauel¡¯s anxiety, ¡°It¡¯s fine. The items made by Overgeared Skeleton Two are almost the same as that of a craftsman cksmith.¡±


    As the lich¡¯s understanding of magic improved, the technique of making magic items naturally developed. Simrly, it made progress in cksmithing when Grid developed his cksmithing skill. Currently, Overgeared Skeleton Two was responsible for making magic items while Overgeared Skeleton One, Ke ong, and the God Hands were responsible for chores and making the items for soldiers. Thanks to them, Grid had time to spare and was able to repair his items.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to make my old equipment new... the equipment containing the breaths and the divine swords can go in the direction of modification.¡¯


    [Overgeared Grid¡¯s Innovation]


    It was originally a skill called Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction. It was a technique that reinterpreted items with a 100% understanding, changing or strengthening them. However, it was only avable 10 times at the master level. Additionally, only one modification per item was possible.


    This was why he wanted to use it during the second half of the game depending on circumstances. He had sealed it for a long time with the intention of using it only for the best items. Then, after gaining the Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques, he lost the need. It was because the limit on the number of modifications was removed. Even the limit of only one modification per item had been eased to three times. In the future, it would be possible to use it freely.


    ¡®If I knew this would happen, I would¡¯ve used it earlier...¡¯


    The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Reconstruction skill that disappeared with the opening of Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Innovation... it was nothing more than a skill that reminded him of the old saying ¡®it bes dog poop after cherishing it.¡¯ It was very regretful, but Grid quickly controlled his mind.


    ¡®It is meaningless to regret what has already been done.¡¯


    It was the best choice at the time and as a result, it worked out well. Lauel left because he had something to discuss with Sima Qian. Grid saw him off and started the full-fledged work.


    ¡°Innovation.¡±


    [Please select an item to innovate.]


    Thanks to the evolution of his cksmithing skill to Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques, the performance of his produced items had increased significantly. Additionally, the word ¡®innovate¡¯ itself implied a ¡®change for the better.¡¯ From now on, the power to innovate items was opened... it would be much more powerful than before.


    ***


    ¡°Huroi infiltrated as a spy and manipted documents? A merchant group with the power to secure enough supplies isn¡¯t a small neighborhood store. Is this possible? I don¡¯t think even Faker can do this?¡±


    ¡°Due to this, Faker ispletely in low spirits. If Huroi walked the path of an assassin, he would¡¯ve been 1st in the rankings, not Faker.


    ¡°Puhaha! Come to think of it, Faker has a strong desire to win. In any case, Huroi did something really big.¡±


    ¡°What a hero. Whether it is sneaking in as a spy or cheating a merchant group, it is all done by using his mouth... I think thatter on, he will be able to brainwash people with his words.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that is too much. It is giving me the creeps.¡±


    Most of the Overgeared members gathered in Reinhardt. It was to participate in the uing hell expedition. In addition to the Overgeared members, many top rankers from other organizations applied for this expedition. There were also many independent rankers who came after hearing about the news through personal connections.


    They intended to go to hell to experience the level of hell and build up practical training for the great human and demon war. It was just that the penalty in hell was bigger than they could imagine. There were many powerful demons and the abilities of the demonic creatures were also colorful. In the worst case, they might encounter a great demon. In other words, there was a very high chance of death.


    The Overgeared Kingdom repeatedly warned them of this. Nevertheless, thousands of applicants showed up. The thing they had inmon was that they were aware of the dangers of the great human and demon war. Just because they were yers didn¡¯t mean they were fools. There were many people who recognized the dangers of the great human and demon war and they applied at this time.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t be purely trusted. There were all types of viins in the world. Lauel created guidelines to select among those who applied. He imed that it was the ¡®process of finding souls embroidered on the constetion of fate.¡¯ It was simply nonsense. In any case, only 27% of those who applied were able to join the hell expedition.


    ¡°Once you enter hell and the penalty urs,.. there will be many who can¡¯t breathe or use mana due to the debuffs. It is part of the demonic energy addiction that urs when stats fall below the qualified level. If you experience that phenomenon, don¡¯t be shy and tell me straight away. Saintess Ruby can take action.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yes!"


    The rankers, who had half lost their souls from seeing the real Yura up close, came to their senses after hearing the terrible words. How severe was the penalty that it reached the extent of being unable to breathe or operate mana? They thought that this was truly hell, the area known as the final content. The Demon yer¡¯s characteristic of bing powerful in such a ce was great and enviable.


    ¡°Toban, Miss Ruby, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Saintess Ruby responded vigorously while Toban made a final check of his equipment and waved his hand. He was extremely nervous as he had the heavy responsibility of being the first to cross the hell gate.


    ¡°What if I go first?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Regas suggested this because he was worried about Toban¡¯s poor condition, but Yura firmly refused him. Yura got the ck crystal castle in thest expedition and got fixed coordinates for the hell gate. The skill level was still low, but it allowed her to specify the coordinates of the hell gate, which had previously been set randomly. Thanks to the system¡¯s acknowledgement of the stability of the ck crystal castle... the location of the coordinates was ambiguous. It was the ¡®entrance¡¯ of the ck crystal castle, not the inside.


    To be exact, it was in front of the gate. Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t a safe zone. It was impossible to predict what would happen the moment they crossed the hell gate. It would be hard to handle unless it was thebination of the 1st ranked Guardian Knight, Toban, and Saintess Ruby.


    If Damian was still the pope, then Damian and Ruby would¡¯ve been an idealbination. Unfortunately, Damian changed to the Overgeared God Church and had lost most of his divine power. Additionally, Yura couldn¡¯t go first. She had to stay in the human world for days and open the hell gates until all of the expedition members reached hell.


    ¡°This expedition can only take ce if Toban and Miss Ruby move through first and build a sanctuary.¡±


    The cooldown time of the hell gate was 30 minutes and only two people could go through at one time. There was a high probability that the level of the skill would rise during this expedition, decreasing the cooldown time and increasing the capacity. However, it was expected that the skill would only increase after 10 more uses. Until then, only two people could be set.


    First of all, the role of the people crossing the gate first was the most important thing. The key was Ruby¡ªa child who had been stimted by not being included in the hell expedition led by Grid and worked hard to grow. Yura observed that her power would be able to ease the hell penalties the expedition would experience to some extent.


    ¡°......¡± Regas stepped back and nced at Toban.Toban was trying not to show his nervousness, but his fingers were slightly shaking. It was natural to feel pressured. He had to be the first to enter the ce where it wasn¡¯t known what might happen and protect Ruby for at least 25 minutes. They couldn¡¯t simply enter the ck crystal castle and wait. They had to install a sanctuary for those who cameter, but the instation took at least 25 minutes.


    A 25 minute mission to protect the Saintess in the middle of hell...


    Even the best yers would find it hard to seed.


    ¡®Still, I have to do it. There are many people stronger than me, but I am the only tank who can maintain my power in hell.¡¯


    ...Yet what if he failed? If he couldn¡¯t protect Ruby and they both died, the schedule of the expedition would be twisted. It would be a disgrace to the Overgeared Guild as well as a nuisance to the hundreds of participants.


    ¡°Can you give the vanguard position to me?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Toban was trying to control his heart and the rankers were staring at him. Now they all focused their gazes in one direction. A low and beautiful voice¡ªit was the direction that this voice was heard in.


    ¡°......!¡±


    There was a reason for their hazy impression. It was a voice they hadn¡¯t heard in a long time.


    Step.Step.Step.


    A long ck dopo embroidered with a yellow dragon fluttered with the man¡¯s steps. There was long, flowing ck hair that created transparent waves in the sunlight. The hand ced on the sword sheath hanging from his waist could be described as a slender and delicate jade white hand. It was a beautiful man.


    He approached through the falling autumn leaves with the scent of autumn and was as deep and beautiful as an Oriental painting. However, most people didn¡¯t judge him by his appearance. They discussed his achievements and skills and hardly ever mentioned his appearance.


    ¡°K-Kraugel...!¡±


    The Sword Saint¡ªa man who made the title of sky above the sky fit even better.


    ¡°I want to protect this child.¡±


    His always calm eyes showed a rare warmth. A friend¡¯s flesh and blood. It was natural to treat this person preciously.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Ruby blushed lightly as she faced Kraugel.

 Chapter 1460

    <h4>Chapter 1460</h4>


    ¡°Sure enough, Kraugel is also preparing for the great human and demon war.¡±


    ¡°It feels like there are 1,000 people.¡±


    How many yers didn¡¯t envy the sky above the sky?


    After the National Competition the year beforest, he had been absent in the East Continent and finally appeared after a long time, causing admiration. It was despite the fact that most of those present were some of the top high rankers. Those who could set up a guild or lead a number of talents at any time were humble in front of Kraugel. It was the person with the second highest official standing after Grid.


    ¡°T-This is real...¡± Toban murmured nkly while the elites of the Ares army shifted their gazes away in an awkward manner. The smile on Toban¡¯s face represented how he felt.


    Kraugel¡ªhe might not be part of the Overgeared Guild, but he was a trustworthy figure. It wasn¡¯t just skill, but also personality. It was Kraugel who had no bad rumors even when he was 1st in the ranking and had no choice but to be gossiped about no matter what he did. Once he became an ally, he could truly be called one of the most reliable people.


    Just in time, Lauel¡¯s message appeared in the guild chat.


    -Kraugel applied for the hell expedition and I epted it at my discretion.I will leave the subsequent judgment to Yura.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel left Ruby behind and approached Yura. They stood side by the side and naturally reminded people of words like fate, rtionship, lovers. They were at a level that was well-matched just looking at their appearance.


    ¡®Oppa is pitiful.¡¯ Ruby btedly came to her senses and couldn¡¯t help having this thought.


    Gulp!


    Gulps were heard from all around them. Just as everyone knew that Kraugel¡¯s rtionship with Grid was deep, they all knew that Kraugel and Yura had an ufortable rtionship. One of the top rankers that Yura was hostile to during her time as a Yatan Servant was Kraugel and Kraugel had grabbed Yura¡¯s ankles many times in the National Competition. There were hardly any good feelings between the two of them, apart from the rtionship between Kraugel and the Overgeared Guild. People wondered if Yura would give Kraugel a chance to y.


    ¡°You will take the vanguard,¡± Yura opened her mouth one beatte. Unlike people¡¯s worries, she easily nodded. ¡°It is reassuring. Ruby, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Huh? O-Of course I would like that,¡± Ruby replied to the question. It wasn¡¯t a selfish answer. Kraugel was the Sword Saint. Even if he couldn¡¯t use divine power at all, he could gain the upper hand against the demons as long as he was ¡®holding a sword.¡¯


    The concept ofpatibility itself was meaningless to him. It was because the Sword Saint defied thews and could cut anything. It was why Kraugel was evaluated as an irreceable power.


    ¡°I think I canplete my vanguard duty with Kraugel oppa.¡± Ruby¡¯s opinion was the same as other people¡¯s thoughts.


    Toban also thought it was a good thing.


    ¡®Then for some reason... why am I sad?¡¯ Toban, who was happier than anyone else, suddenly felt sad. However, his mood right now wasn¡¯t an important issue. Toban coughed and handed Kraugel his weapon. It was the ¡®Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword¡¯ that was once the divine object of the Judar Church. Just like the Holy Light Set that Grid got from the Reba Church, this had been left unattended in the church without anyone using it.


    Toban was once the number one yer in the Judar Church. He had many achievements and acquired the ¡®qualifications.¡¯ It was why Toban had to be the vanguard in this hell expedition.


    ¡°The usage condition might be set as ¡®me,¡¯ but... you can handle it as long as it is a sword, right? This weapon will help Ruby build the sanctuary.¡±


    Just as Grid could wear and use all items without restrictions, Kraugel could use all sword type weapons without restrictions. He could even handle it better than anyone else. It was because the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship was based on insight andmunication with the sword. Kraugel nodded and epted the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword.


    ¡°I will repay your trust.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be there soon to take it back, so take care of it.¡±


    Tobanughed. There was actually a day when he built up such great trust with Kraugel, who had been a vague object of fear when he was apetitor. It was the contribution of Grid, whomunicated with Kraugel, and Lauel¡¯s efforts to help Kraugel¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Time is tight to move the expedition team to hell. I will get started right away.¡±


    There were nearly 300 participants in the expedition. Yura was pressed for time to transfer everyone to hell, so she urged them. She had heard from Grid what Kraugel had done in the East Continent and what he achieved. There was no more dy in opening the hell gate.


    The space next to Yura distorted and a ck passage was created. It was the hell gate. Kraugel had experience fighting with Yura and felt a certain emotion at the sight.


    ¡°I will go first.¡±


    Kraugel took the lead. Yura spoke to Ruby who was taking a deep breath one more time before following, ¡°Miss Ruby, you have to lead the people until I arrive. Don¡¯t lose yourposure under any circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I will keep that in mind!¡± Ruby answered vigorously like a military recruit and headed through the hell gate.


    ¡°Sehee! Try and seduce them well!¡±


    She ignored Yerim¡¯s absurd shout from behind her.


    ***


    [You have entered hell.]


    [A powerful demonic energy that wants to prate your lungs has scattered without encroaching on you.]


    [The evil energy that blocks the spirit is receding before touching you.]


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Ruby was terrified. She could see a huge, transparent ss castle the moment she entered hell. A beautiful view was about to blossom, but then seven demonic creatures came into view. It was a group of huge and sinister demonic creatures. The Saintess could detect the target¡¯s demonic energy and predict their level, so from her perspective, they were elites.


    ¡°A-Avoid it!¡± Ruby shouted at Kraugel who was weing her. However, it was toote. The demons had already reached Kraugel¡¯s back. Kraugel had all his stats lowered due to the penalty of hell and had been caring so much about Ruby that he didn¡¯t seem to notice their approach.


    Kraugel spoke naturally like nothing was happening, ¡°This is okay.¡±


    Simultaneously, the bodies of the demonic creatures wielding their ws at Kraugel were split into dozens of pieces and blood flowed. They couldn¡¯t even scream as they turned to gray ash. Before Ruby could recognize them, they were already cut and died. It was different from drawing the sword, where the de was rubbed against the sheath to gain eleration. If the person in the current situation was Peak Sword, the friction sound would have urredte.


    On the other hand, Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship was very quiet. There was no sound at all. The ideal body trained to give full y to swordsmanship and the strongest swordsmanshipbined to form an extremely pure and powerful swordsmanship.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you so get started.¡±


    Kraugel stood between the scattering rays of light and sent her a warm look again. Ruby was familiar with this gaze. It was because her brother looked at her with a simr gaze. It felt like she had one more brother. It was the second best brother in the world.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ruby answered with a brilliant smile and started chanting a spell. It was Sanctuary Deration. It was the aura and concept of the Saintess that didn¡¯t allow anything to invade in the process of establishing the domain. Only Saintess Ruby became thew.


    Kraugel drew the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword. Then Kraugel¡¯s mana was consumed and the imprinting of the magic circle being drawn by Ruby¡¯s spell became noticeably faster. It was the effect of the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword that helped ¡®strengthen external divine power to enhance divine magic or assist in divine events.¡¯ The construction of the sanctuary, which consumed a great amount of concentration and resources, became many times easier.


    Kraugel watched the operation of the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword in a daze. ¡®I was told that the gods are wary of the Saintess.¡¯


    As far as Kraugel knew, Ruby had never caused friction with the believers of the three gods. Additionally, the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword was currently helping Ruby. He looked at the origin story contained in the information of the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword and questioned it even more because there was a sentence that stated ¡®a sword made due to Judar¡¯s divine message.¡¯


    ¡®Is Judar not particrly wary of the Saintess? Or is there a reason he is only watching at the present?¡¯


    ...He didn¡¯t know.


    Rankers weren¡¯t proficient in all the stories and settings of the world view. Just as the stories Grid were familiar with were hell and heaven, Pagma and Braham, the East Continent and the Saharan Empire, Talima and the Behen Archipgo, etcetera, Kraugel also had stories that he was familiar with. He didn¡¯t know much about the religions.


    Just then, new demonic creatures swarmed. They were too quick to appear and attack after discovering Kraugel and Ruby. It seemed they had been wary of this ce since the beginning.


    ¡®The enemies have grasped the opening point of the hell gate.¡¯


    It was spected that the incessant bombardments would continue. Kraugel examined the status of the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword. Most of the functions were stopped or weakened because it was helping Ruby. The damage had also been greatly reduced. All of the sword was only working for Ruby. This was why Toban had shrunk back. If Toban had been in this situation, he could only support himself with a shield.


    Meanwhile, Kraugel was able to take the initiative. He held a new sword in his other hand. There were no restrictions on the Sword Saint when using two swords. Kraugel hadplete control over the two swords.


    Additionally...


    ¡®The hell penalty can be temporarily repelled with Poetry that Praises the Sword.¡¯


    Poetry that Praises the Sword assimted Kraugel and the sword together. The durability and attack power of the target sword reced Kraugel¡¯s health and defense, purifying and making him immune to all the weakening effects applied. Additionally, when using the next skill, the maximum power was increased by 14 times (11 times was previously the maximum, but the power rose due to the increase in the level of the sword poetry).


    It was the most frequently used of Kraugel¡¯s ultimate skills. It made it possible to respond to multiple variables. The problem was that the number of variables was too big.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s actions as he shed at the demonic creatures became unnatural. His sword resonated like it was responding to someone other than Kraugel.


    [Your weapon has entered the dominance of the demon ¡®Boleron.¡¯]


    [You have resisted.]


    Kraugel was nervous. If it wasn¡¯t for the Sword Saint perfectly controlling the sword, he would¡¯ve only noticed when his sword was stolen.


    ¡®It is a power on the level of a great demon. It must be a senior demon.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s gaze turned in the direction of powerful demonic energy. Then the ground where Kraugel was standing exploded. It seemed to be aimed at this timing.


    ¡°It is great to be able to avoid Lord Barbatos¡¯ sniping.¡±


    The rapidly moving ck fog gradually formed a shape. It was the appearance of Boleron, the demon who had the modifier ¡®Barbatos¡¯ Household.¡¯ Additionally, Barbatos shared the vision of his household members. It was possible to secure his vision to ¡®snipe¡¯ even if he was hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Of course, there were restrictions that the world should be the same. If there were no such restrictions, human beings in the human world would¡¯ve been sniped by Barbatos.


    The sniping urred again.Kraugel barely managed to avoid the first sniping with his super sensitivity, but it was hard to avoid this time. It was because Boleron¡¯srge hand approached at a high speed and tried to wrap around his face. It was an attack that was uratelybined with the sniping.


    It proved that Barbatos and Boleron had worked together a number of times. It was natural. Boleron was originally a household member, unlike Krucha who was Hell Gao¡¯s subordinate and attached to Barbatos. From the moment of birth, Boleron was Barbatos¡¯ subordinate.


    ¡®It is better to allow one of the two.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s high insight and intuition instantly grasped and judged the situation. He gave his face in exchange for avoiding the sniping. Kraugel¡¯s body mmed into the ground. Then the horns on Boleron¡¯s forehead pierced Kraugel¡¯s heart. At the same time, Kraugel¡¯s sword cut at both of Boleron¡¯s eyes. Kraugel was obediently caught in order to achieve this counterattack.


    ¡°Ugh?!¡±


    Boleron was flustered by losing his sight and he was blown away by jajinmori. Kraugel rose from the spot, drank a potion and said, ¡°You lost your eyes so there is no support shooting for the time being.¡±


    Just as Kraugel provided a lot of information to Grid, Grid had also shared information with Kraugel. He said that the opponent they should be most wary of in the great human and demon war was the 8th Great Demon, Barbatos, and had exined the characteristics in detail. This meant that Kraugel was already familiar with Barbatos¡¯ method of shooting from ¡®a ce unseen¡¯ and knew how to block it.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Barbatos¡¯ household member to appear.¡¯


    Grid had said that Barbatos was obsessed with Grid. Apparently, he felt resentment for having part of his ¡®vision¡¯ taken away... perhaps due to this, he had been watching for the hell gate while waiting for Grid.


    ¡®By the way... she is really Grid¡¯s younger sister.¡¯


    Kraugel stared at the Holy Enchant that was wrapped around the White Tiger Sword. He hadn¡¯t expected her to cast a weapon enhancement spell rather than a defense spell or heals while herpanion was being attacked. Ruby¡¯s way of ying that was different from a normal priest yer made Kraugelugh. He thought that the aggressive tendencies were very simr to Grid.


    ¡®It was a good choice.¡¯


    Boleron¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t regenerate after being cut by Holy Enchant. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a longsting effect, but as long as Holy Enchant was maintained, Kraugel was confident that he could cut Boleron¡¯s eyes again and again.


    ¡®It will take some time until the next teames.¡¯


    If it was Yura, then the possibility of her sending Chris in the next team was very high. Chris¡¯ strength was so excellent that he was said to be ¡®next to Grid.¡¯ There was no better card to use for expanding the base they had already secured.


    ¡®The good odds start from then on.¡¯


    Step.


    Kraugel approached Boleron. There were dozens of possibilities in one stride. Among those possibilities, there was no chance that Boleron¡¯s eyes would recover safely. As Ruby¡¯s sanctuary gradually became stronger, the penalties that Kraugel received in hell were weakening.

 Chapter 1461

    <h4>Chapter 1461</h4>


    ¡®Please! Hurry!¡¯


    [Currently in the process of dering a sanctuary. It is at 42%...]


    An area in which the Saintess was the center of the world¡ªSanctuary Deration was a field spell earned by Ruby at level 300. Needless to say, the power was excellent because it exerted the power to invalidate allws that the Saintess didn¡¯t allow.


    However, it wasn¡¯t efficient. It was impossible to use until level 380 was achieved. It took an hour to build a sanctuary. During that time, Ruby was in a state of ¡®inaction¡¯ in ce. There were even major restrictions on the use of the skill. During the construction of the sanctuary, only one skill could be used every three minutes and even that was limited to basic magic. The biggest problem was that mana and divine power was consumed in real time during Sanctuary Deration. The consumption was so great that her recovery of resources couldn¡¯t keep up until level 380.


    However, now there was room. It was because she had raised the skill level ahead of the great human and demon war. Ruby boldly invested the skill enhancement rights that she had gained from destroying the souls of great demons several times. She decisively used what she had saved.


    She wanted to help the guild. It was based on the judgment that she should use as many means as possible to neutralize hell. Based on her brother¡¯s attitude, the Overgeared Guild was bound to carry out a major hell expedition one day. In order to prepare for that day, Ruby had raised the level of her sanctuary in advance.


    This greatly reduced the time it took to use Sanctuary Deration. Additionally, there was now the help of Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword.


    25 minutes. Theoretically, it was possible toplete it in 25 minutes, but that time seemed very far away.


    Ruby¡¯s heart was torn every time she saw a wound appearing on Kraugel¡¯s body. Did he read her nervous heart?


    -You are doing well enough.Thanks to you, the penalties have been reduced and I can hold on.


    -Please continue to use Holy Enchant.I¡¯ll take care of my health myself.


    Kraugel sent her a whisper. He wasposed despite his ragged clothes.


    ***


    Boleron was strong. He wasn¡¯t appointed as corpsmander, but he was among the top of Barbatos¡¯ household members. Boleron boasted that he was one level higher than Krucha, the deputymander who used to provoke Leraje without understanding the subject or who showed greed for the throne Hell Gao had vacated. His physical ability andbat skills weren¡¯t excellent. His innate power was only strong enough to run counter to reason. This was enough.


    The power to seize and control the target¡¯s weapons¡ªit was the source of victory that always helped Boleron have a ¡®favorable fight.¡¯ In fact, Boleron had the most distinguished service among Barbatos¡¯ household members. Of course, the power wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Boleron was unable to lead the forces because he was unable to distinguish between allies and the enemies and he had to operate within a certain range of conditions. He couldn¡¯t be an armymander. It was hard for him to build up his strength because he couldn¡¯t¡¯ reach a high rank. Ironically, it was a case of inherent limitations due to his strong power.


    Still, Boleron was always full of confidence. He was invincible as long as he had the power to control weapons. He was proud that he was the most outstanding among Barbatos¡¯ subordinates. However¡ª


    ¡®This isn¡¯t working.¡¯


    Boleron was having a strange experience. He couldn¡¯t dominate this weak human¡¯s sword. It was something that shouldn¡¯t have happened. After an unexpected ident where he lost his vision, he became confused. The pride that he had embraced was shaken. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it outwardly. If he couldn¡¯t handle one human being simply because his power wouldn¡¯t work, he would lose face as the household member of Barbatos, the 8th great demon.


    ¡®There is no need to feel urgent. I lost my vision and can¡¯t control his weapon, but I am still stronger than him. It is a lot more outstanding.¡¯


    While Boleron¡¯s physical ability andbat ability weren¡¯t all that powerful whenpared to the other household members¡¯, he still would naturally overwhelm humans. He might¡¯ve lost his vision, but he could still see the path and intentions of human beings through his ¡®senses.¡¯


    ¡®He would¡¯ve thought he sealed the sniping by sealing my vision.¡¯


    It was a foolish judgment. Boleron focused his senses. He felt that his eyes, already cut three times, were rapidly regenerating. In order to cut his eyes, the human would soon approach again. Then Boleron would kill him.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ The coordinates designated by Boleron were passed to Barbatos, who was sitting on the throne deep in his realm. There was a sniper attack on the ¡®location where Kraugel was moving¡¯ that Boleron had predicted. Boleron wielded the ck Tide Fists. It was the ultimate martial arts technique to hit all points within a specific range by linking dozens of rays of demonic energy with his two fists.


    However, there was no sensation of hitting something. There was no small groan or a bloody smell. Just as his blurred vision was being restored, there was a sh and his world darkened again.


    ¡°You!¡± Boleron could no longer hide his emotions. He roared like a beast as he swung his fists and feet in the direction of the sword a moment ago. The waves of demonic energy stretched out like a storm and crushed the environment around him.


    Once again, it didn¡¯t hurt Kraugel. It was natural. Kraugel had been fighting Mir for more than a year. He might¡¯ve been defeated every time, but he took the defeats as nourishment to train his super sensitivity and swordsmanship to the limit. A demon¡¯s senses¡ªit was merely a low level ability that couldn¡¯t touch Kraugel¡¯s super sensitivity.


    ¡°The present day Sword Saint has no honor and no self-respect! If you are the real Sword Saint, don¡¯t run away and fight me!¡± Boleron was vaguely aware of Kraugel¡¯s identity from the moment he was unable to steal the sword and now he was convinced. He condensed the demonic energy he had spread out into dozens of rays to a single point and prepared for the bombardment. He was going to shoot the moment that Sword Saint bastard opened his mouth to answer.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel naturally didn¡¯t respond. Kraugel was wary of the growing sphere of demonic energy that pressed this space and quietly checked his condition.


    ¡®I need to cut back on my movement further.¡¯


    It had been 10 minutes since Boleron appeared. Kraugel hadn¡¯t used anybat skills in the meantime. He invested his health, mana, and sword energy into speeding up his movement and buying time. However, the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword that was constantly sucking at his mana and the hell penalty meant his resources were being consumed faster than expected. It was necessary to reserve more power and hold out until support arrived, but it didn¡¯t seem easy.


    Then he saw a massive air strike pouring down from the sky.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Hundreds of bullets poured down like raindrops, scorching the area. Each bullet that touched the ground caused a powerful explosion, creating a sea of mes. There was a rapidck of oxygen and a poisonous fog spread thickly. It was poison with severe acidity. Every time he breathed, his organs melted and an internal injury urred. It was a physical status condition that couldn¡¯t be resisted. It was vicious enough to make Kraugel groan.


    ¡°You were hiding here!¡± The bullets were still falling and the ground was copsing. Nevertheless, Boleron¡¯s sensitive hearing didn¡¯t miss Kraugel¡¯s groan. He fired his condensed demonic energy and pierced a hole straight through Kraugel¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Hahat!Kuahahahat!¡±Boleron¡¯s body flowed like wax dripping. He wasn¡¯t unharmed from the bombardment of the sky and the subsequent mes. Yet hearing himugh loudly, he seemed to feel more joy than pain.


    ¡°This hide and seek is over!¡±


    Boleron pushed off from the ground and flew forward. He chased after the scent of Kraugel¡¯s blood and moved the shortest distance. He broke through the mes that burned flesh and melted bones and the poison that caused him to vomit up blood as he narrowed the distance to Kraugel.


    He had a notion because he saw Kraugel running away throughout the entire battle. It was the notion that the present day Sword Saint was nothing more than a rat. He was insignificant and weakpared to Boleron. As long as Kraugel¡¯s feet were tied up for a while, he could approach and deliver the kill...


    Boleron had this ¡®delusion.¡¯ Thus, he asked Barbatos to do the bombardment at the sacrifice of his bones and flesh and used this bombardment to get close to Kraugel. It was a fatal mistake. The reason why Kraugel avoided a direct confrontation with Boleron was his role to ¡®protect Ruby.¡¯ He was only holding on during the Boleron raid until support arrived, not avoiding Boleron out of fear. Rather, Kraugel had been suppressing the urge to kill Boleron.


    [Barbatos¡¯ Sniping]


    [Difficulty: SSS


    The 8th ranked great demon, Barbatos, has targeted you.


    Barbatos¡¯ sniping won¡¯t stop as long as Boleron is alive.


    Defeat Boleron to survive.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Death of Boleron.


    Quest Clear Reward: Barbatos¡¯ Vision (4)


    Quest Failure: Level -5.]


    The quest that popped up at the same time that Boleron appeared was constantly stimting Kraugel¡¯s hunter temperament. From the very beginning, the prey was Boleron, not Kraugel.


    ¡°I understood it at the end of my admiration.¡±


    [Poetry that Praises the Sword has been recited.]


    From the time he witnessed the bombardment from the sky, Kraugel had been aware of Boleron¡¯s psychology and intentions. Kraugel saw through the fact that Boleron was prepared to sacrifice himself to kill Kraugel.


    ¡°I have be one after understanding.¡±


    Thus, he pulled Boleron deeper. Although most of the bombardment could be avoided by deploying Thunderbolt, he didn¡¯t do so. He even received the ray of demonic energy that Boleron fired at him. He also told Ruby not to use heals, but instead to keep using Holy Enchant.


    ¡°I became a sword.¡±


    Boleron¡¯s horns hit Kraugel in the face. However, Kraugel was fine while two epic rated swords in his inventory were destroyed. Boleron¡¯s nails pierced Kraugel¡¯s damaged abdomen. However, it was the sword in Kraugel¡¯s inventory that was damaged, not Kraugel.


    All of Boleron¡¯s actions caused a series of storms of demonic energy, creating pressure that seemed to crush Kraugel. Still, it didn¡¯t have much of an effect. Kraugel might be bleeding from his eyes and ears, but he didn¡¯t kneel down. Before he knew it, Kraugel lost all his spare weapons. Thanks to this, time was on his side. The ground he was stepping on started to turn golden.


    [Your party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ haspleted the sanctuary.]


    [The effect of Sanctuary has released all currently applied reductions. It is a temporary effect that is only maintained within the sanctuary. The ¡®full immunity¡¯ state willst for the next 10 seconds.]


    [After 10 seconds, the full immunity state is removed and the ¡®iplete immunity¡¯ state will be entered. Iplete immunity reduces all weakening effects by 50%.]


    ¡°A divine flood!¡±


    [Your party member ¡®Ruby¡¯ has given you a buff.]


    [The power of the divine attribute buffs has increased and all stats are significantly increased.]


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    Hell.


    [The effect of Poetry that Praises the Sword has increased the power of Space Sword by 14 times!]


    "......!"


    It split apart. In the center of the crack, Boleron¡¯s body was severed. Several pces in Barbatos¡¯ castle on the other side of hell were also cut like tofu. It was an eternal wound in hell and a disgrace. Garion, the god of earth, didn¡¯t watch hell.


    [It is a remarkable achievement!]


    [You have destroyed part of hell!]


    [The title ¡®Cut Hell in Half¡¯ has been earned as a reward for the achievement!]


    [Barbatos¡¯ Vision (4) has been acquired as a reward for clearing the quest ¡®Barbatos¡¯ Sniping.¡¯]


    [You have defeated the enemy along with the Saintess. The legend of the distant past, ¡®the Sword Saint and Saintess,¡¯ has been reproduced and all stats have increased by 5%.]

 Chapter 1462

    <h4>Chapter 1462</h4>


    [Sword Saint Kraugel has cut through hell!]


    [He has carved a wound that will never disappear in hell.]


    ¡°......?¡± Grid, who was working in the smithy; the Overgeared members and expedition members waiting for the cooldown time of the hell gate; and Lauel, who was discussing strategy with Valha; were all startled and closed their mouths. In the silence, Grid¡¯s message came up in the guild chat.


    -I sent him to hell to watch the demons and he is beating them up...


    The Overgeared members replied.


    -It is like watching Your Majesty¡¯s old self.Your Majesty left to rescue Han Seokbong and you ended up bringing 30,000 people back with you...I still can¡¯t forget it.


    -Grid once went to the Vatican to bless the pavranium and ended up killing the pope.


    -Legend has it that he went to the East Continent and came back a god.


    ¡°......¡±


    Everyone seemed inspired by Kraugel¡¯s performance so the chat window was very busy. Since most of the content was praising (?) him, the embarrassed Grid turned off the chat window and got back to work.


    ***


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    A cliff formed by the crack in the ground. As Boleron¡¯s screams rang out from deep below, Kraugel and Ruby gained several levels. It was followed by the achievement rewards and item rewards.


    It was a perfect duo. Kraugel turned a crisis into an opportunity, while Ruby supported him and didn¡¯t miss the opportunity.


    ¡°It was awesome!¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Kraugel and Ruby looked at each other andughed in jubtion. They didn¡¯t give each other thumbs up or bump fists. Both people had dignified personalities. There was still a sense of distance. In the first ce, they couldn¡¯t afford it. New demons and demonic creatures wereing as if they had been waiting for Boleron to die. The demon on the horse with a fire mane looked particrly strong. He raised his staff and a beam of light shot up.


    Ruby came forward. The famous Saintess¡¯ growth type staff was used to draw a golden magic circle. The rays of light that poured on the two of them were absorbed by the magic circle and were reced with divine power. ¡°Great Heal.¡±


    The head of the demon, rapidly narrowing the distance, was crushed by the light. The master was on the verge of copse but the horse rushed forward without caring. The demonic creatures followed in the footsteps of the horse. Based on this momentum, it seemed like the horse itself was the leader of this group, not the demon on the horse.


    Ruby set up a healing zone on their way and the skin of the horse and demonic creatures burned. The power of the percentage heal was a disaster for all evil beings. The effect of Sanctuary had increased all of Ruby¡¯s stats by 50% and doubled the power of her skills.


    ¡°I wanted to tell you nicely that I will take care of it now and you should rest...¡±


    Ruby was connecting the divine magic and blocking the approach of the demonic creatures when she looked perplexed. It was due to the flying demons and demonic creaturesing from the sky. Large or small balls of demonic energy condensed at the end of their snouts. They were specialized in ranged attacks. As it happened, the Saintess had no ranged attack skills. The Turn Undead skill had the longest range, but even that had a maximum range of 60 meters. She had no choice but to devote herself to defense. Originally, Sanctuary also served as a fortress.


    ¡°I will have to rest with you. This level of bombardment can be endured with the full strength of Sanctuary. Wait until supportes...?¡± Ruby was checking the condition of Sanctuary when she suddenly shut up. Her eyes, which were fixed in the air, shook.


    It was natural to be surprised. Kraugel was still standing by Ruby¡¯s side. He stood in ce and swung his sword. The wavelength crossed over hundreds of meters. The demons and demonic creatures approaching and ready to shoot the rays of light were cut apart, fell, andturned to gray ash. It was the power of a ¡®field of view¡¯ skill linked to Barbatos¡¯ Vision.


    ¡°Wow! You are like Oppa! Ah, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ruby spoke with admiration before hurriedly apologizing. She instinctivelypared Kraugel to Grid and was worried that he would be offended.


    Fortunately, Kraugel responded cheerfully, ¡°I resemble Grid? Suchpliments are wee at any time.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Ruby had gained Barbatos¡¯ Vision along with Kraugel. It was just that most of her skills were range-limited, making it impossible to link Barbatos¡¯ Vision with her skills. From a general point of view, Barbatos¡¯ Vision wasn¡¯t abat skill. It was a good secondary skill with a telescope feel. It was reborn as a fraudulentbat skill only for the privileged sses who had ranged field of view skills.


    ¡ªJust as Kraugel had proven just now.


    ¡°This... can the Sanctuary hold on?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened. In the crack in the earth where Boleron had fallen to death, hundreds of demonic creatures were seen crawling up from the ¡®traces of Space Sword.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t dozens but hundreds. Moreover, the demonic energy they gave off was extraordinary.


    Ruby¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°It seems like they are from the higher ranked hells. If hundreds of monsters at this level attack at once, the durability of Sanctuary might find it hard to hold on...¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s fight.¡±


    The sanctuary was a base for the expedition. They had to maintain the camp until the next group arrived.


    It happened as Ruby¡¯s buff skills ovepped over Kraugel¡¯s body, who couldn¡¯t hide his haggard appearance...


    A dark passage appeared between the demonic creatures and Kraugel and a huge sword popped out. It shed and killed the 10 nearest demonic creatures ¡®instantly.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ve endured well.¡±


    It was the appearance of Tyrant Chris. Kraugel and Ruby were relieved to see his shadow spread out widely. The top powers of the Overgeared Guild arrived in a group of two. There was no need toin any longer.


    ***


    The Overgeared Skeletons and God Hands had something inmon¡ªthere was no need for them to rest as they didn¡¯t have the concept of stamina. It was different for Ke ong.


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...Hoooo.. Aren¡¯t you hungry? I¡¯m not particrly hungry, but I¡¯m worried about Your Majesty. If you are a human, you have to eat to stay healthy!¡±


    Dwarves were a species with high self-esteem. In particr, they wanted to be the best in their own field. Ke was exhausted enough to fall down straight away, but he didn¡¯t want to lose to skeletons and metal. He worked hard without a breath, but faced both physical and mental limitations. He wanted to rest using the pretext of eating. He also wanted Grid to rest with him. Resting alone was a tant admission of defeat, so he thought his pride would be very hurt. He knew that it was natural to lose, but... it was hard to resist the instincts of his species.


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    Satisfy was a repository of taste. It not only reflected all the vors that existed in reality, but also created vors that didn¡¯t exist. It was hard to count the number of delicacies. Additionally, one didn¡¯t get fat no matter how much they ate. Therefore, most people were obsessed with taste and enjoyed it.


    Meanwhile, Grid was fundamentally a diligent figure. Once he was working, he didn¡¯t want to waste time eating separately.For more than 10 years, he simply took care of his hunger using dried bread or jerky. In particr, he just maintained the ¡®not starving¡¯ state when working. It was a story that most people probably wouldn¡¯t believe, but it was true. Perhaps these smallmitments gathered together to form the current Grid.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s take a rest and eat a meal.¡± Grid knew Ke¡¯s mood and was considerate toward him. They moved to the dining room together. The problem was that the meal was finished in just three minutes.


    ¡°Gasp! No. What?!¡± Ke had just filled his stomach with soup and started to cut the meat. Then he looked pitifully at his trembling hands. Meanwhile, Grid had swallowed all his food.


    He pressed a hand to the shoulder of Ke, who was sitting there dumbfounded. Grid forced him to sit in the chair and told him, ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. It is a simple habit. Ke ong, please take your time.¡±


    It was rare for a Korean person to eat slowly. In particr, anyone who had been to the army could intentionally open a ck hole in their stomach.


    ¡®It is a waste of time.¡¯


    It was possible for him to create one item every eight minutes on average, so the value of time became even higher. Grid shifted his gaze to the window and immediately connected Transcend and Shunpo to return to the pce where the smithy was located. Then he took out the Elf Bow Thimble (Made by Pagma). It was the second target item to be innovated following the Magic Power Ejection Machine that he had done this morning.


    ¡®This thimble can convert non-targeted attacks into targeted attacks.¡¯


    The durability was only 111 and it was very low. It was made of leather, so it was easy to damage. It was just that the durability was so low that it was difficult to wear it when fighting against a strong enemy. In many cases, his concentration and actions were wasted because he had to repeatedly swap it along the way.


    ¡®It is a pity that there is a three minute cooldown time.¡¯


    The goal was to improve the durability and reduce the cooldown time. It was possible. The Magic Power Ejection Machine proved it.


    The innovated Magic Power Ejection Machine doubled the magic power ejection speed and tripled the total amount of mana that could be stored. It also added ¡®silver thread¡¯ to the ejected magic power, increasing physical force and variability. It was transformed into apletely different item, so it was possible to improve the thimble enough.


    ¡®After that, I will innovate the artifacts like the direct descendant vampire items and the Ring of Absurdity.¡¯


    At first, he wanted to innovate the armor and swords made from the breaths, but he changed his n. The armor made of breaths and the divine swords already had a variety of special features built in. It was good enough to make full use of them. It was more efficient to focus on strengthening basic capabilities like attack power and defense and this was a very easy task. It would take less than an hour. When innovating artifacts, he should focus on strengthening the effects rather than the basic stats.


    In the first ce, artifacts had no or minimal basic stats, so it was meaningless to strengthen them. It was only by strengthening the artifact¡¯s unique special functions that he could make meaningful innovations. This work was very difficult and time-consuming. Special materials and conditions were required so it was difficult to calcte how much time it would take.


    ¡®When I have time like now, I have to innovate the artifacts first. In any case, the cooldown time of the innovate skill is 12 hours. It is a waste of time to innovate equipment first.¡¯


    Of course, he could make new items when waiting for the cooldown time, but... the more difficult the homework, the morefortable it was to finish it quickly.


    Gridpletely removed every part of the thimble andbined it with materials to innovate it to what he envisions in his head. The structure was modified and the shape and materials were innovated. The result wasmendable. The cooldown time was reduced to two minutes and the durability increased by six times. There was also a ¡®finger amputation immunity¡¯ and small increase in defense that wasn¡¯t there before. Even a small number could be very helpful if umted.


    ¡®Should I make the final innovations to the thimble first...?¡¯


    Each item could be innovated three times. In other words, the thimble could be innovated two more times in the future. There was a lot of room to reduce the cooldown time. Grid was filled with expectations as he once again used the innovation skill on the thimble.


    [This item has just been innovated. The innovated form and function aren¡¯t fully established yet. If you try to innovate it continuously, the item might be destroyed. Do you still want to proceed?]


    [After 100 days, there is a 100% chance of seeding when innovating it.]


    ¡®Come to think about it... I heard that you can¡¯t do stic surgery again until at least half a year after one surgery.¡¯


    100 days was shortpared to half a year. He used an example of something he couldn¡¯t do and pulled out another item.


    It was Tiramet¡¯s Belt. This item was acquired a long time ago and its performance was weak. There was an expectation that something would change with the soul if the soul-attached item was innovated. Tiramet¡¯s Belt was a very suitable item to prioritize innovating.


    -Thest group has just entered.I will join in 20 minutes.


    He was just thinking this when Yura¡¯s message appeared in the guild chat.


    ¡®Already?¡¯


    He checked the time and it had been 36 hours since the expedition started. Yet nearly 300 people were sent to hell.


    ¡®Ah... 20 minutes? Yura¡¯s skill level must¡¯ve increased since the cool time time of the hell gate had been reduced by 10 minutes. The number of avable people would¡¯ve also increased.¡¯


    It was good. Everyone was growing up together, not just him. Sooner orter, it would grow even steeper. He nned to innovate all of his colleagues¡¯ items whenever he had time. The top priority was...


    ¡°Why did you call me?¡±


    It was Zibal¡¯s magic machine, Raiders. He visited the smithy at the perfect timing. Zibal didn¡¯t participate in the hell expedition. It was because he was acting with Zikfrector, who was trying to ovee the Curse of Sloth. Hunting with Zikfrector was also good for Zibal. Zikfrector was that strong.


    ¡°Lend me Raiders.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zibal doubted his ears due to Grid¡¯s demand.


    Grid¡¯s hands were busy recing all the metal that made up Tiramet¡¯s Belt with Greed. It was a task that required a high degree of concentration and delicacy. He turned his gaze to the anvil and exined, ¡°I want to disassemble the magic machine and then reassemble it. I will repeat it three times at most.¡±


    The Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques meant that his speed of understanding items had increased dramatically.


    Zibal murmured nkly as he stared at Grid, who behaved like he wasn¡¯t saying anything important, ¡°So why do you want to disassemble my...¡±


    Grid was busy concentrating, thus the exnation he gave wascking.

 Chapter 1463

    <h4>Chapter 1463</h4>


    The Sanctuary of the Saintess could be extended up to 900 meters at most. If a new Sanctuary was built and attached before the end of the previously established Sanctuary (3 hours), the size would increase and the duration would reset. However, the cooldown time of the Sanctuary skill was 2.5 hours. It was impossible to establish a new Sanctuary while it was still active and connect them at the current skill level.


    However, there was now a new variable¡ªthe assistance of the Transcendent God¡¯s Holy Sword.


    ¡®I¡¯m not alone.¡¯


    The demonic creatures¡¯ offensive was bing increasingly fiercer, but Ruby wasn¡¯t afraid. The help of her constantly arriving colleagues meant she continued to expand the Sanctuary. The result:


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    From the ce where the hell gate opened to the entrance of the ck crystal castle, this not so short distance of 400 meters was covered with the protection of the Sanctuary. It was the birth of a perfect base.


    ***


    ¡°Wow... Wow, amazing.¡± It was really amazing. The exmations of the expedition members continued.


    First, they were surprised by Ruby¡¯s Sanctuary. Second, they were amazed by Yura¡¯s power. Yura¡¯s firepower and insight were impressive as she saw through the demon in charge every time tens or hundreds of demons appeared, sniping them with one shot. After losing themand system, the Overgeared members finished the demonic creatures easily. At this point, they couldn¡¯t only explore hell. They could also conquer it.


    ¡®The reputation of the Overgeared Guild is actually underestimated.¡¯


    ¡®There is no one who isn¡¯t great.¡¯


    There was one fact that even those with good eyes couldn¡¯t notice. It was the fact that Yura was able to y such an active role due to Kraugel and Jishuka¡¯s merits. The flying demons and demonic creatures flying hundreds of meters in the air¡ªthey used the dark clouds as cover to approach and bombard the expedition team. The expedition team couldn¡¯t detect their presence. It was a truly secretive maneuver, but it was powerless in front of Kraugel and Jishuka¡¯s wide vision.


    They were swept away by sword energies and arrows and turned to ash before they could enter the attack range. It was under utilizedpared to the vision of a Bow Saint, which was like a satellite, but Barbatos¡¯ Vision that extended up to 10 kilometers was one of the best search skills. Once the field of view skill was linked to it, the flying demonic creatures were forced to be helpless.


    At the ck crystal castle...


    The exploration team had a short break and the Overgeared members gathered in the meeting room.


    ¡°What is Barbatos doing?! Go ahead and send another one!¡± Vantner btedly heard of Kraugel¡¯s hidden performance and opened the window to shout at the sky. It was an ignorant act that provoked a single digit demon.


    Pon blocked the mouth of this person who was blinded by jealousy and asked Yura, ¡°Is there no way to designate a return point in hell?¡±


    Dantalion¡¯s legacy, this beautiful and solid castle, was well suited to being a base. He naturally tried to designate it as a return point but the system sent him a message that it was impossible. The return system itself was disabled.


    ¡°Yes, this is the Demon yer¡¯s unique authority.¡±


    This meant it wasn¡¯t possible for anyone other than the Demon yer to use the return system in hell. One of the most obvious survival routes was blocked.


    ¡°Hrmm... I was psychologically prepared but I¡¯m still a bit scared.¡±


    The Sanctuary weakens half the penalty of hell. Even so, their stats were decreased by 15% and there were all sorts of debuffs. This was still the hells in the 20s. The moment they went outside the Sanctuary to explore... the expedition team would taste hell.


    Yura encouraged the nervous colleagues, ¡°A lot of great people are gathered. Have strength.¡±


    The expedition didn¡¯te to hell to hunt safely in the Sanctuary. The ultimate goal was to experience hell for themselves and to measure the power of the demons and demonic creatures. The stage of the great human and demon war might be the human world, but the probability of the hell penalty was very high. The demons would wage war without any countermeasures.


    On the other hand, humans had very few cards they could prepare. There was Yura¡¯s Hell Purification, Ruby¡¯s Sanctuary, and the chorus of the priests of the three gods. At present, there were only three ways to eliminate or weaken the hell penalty. However, the scope wasn¡¯t huge and it had to frequently be maintained. There was even a question over whether the three gods would cooperate properly. Since the birth of the Overgeared God Church, that rtionship hadpletely broken down. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t just suck their fingers if the demons invaded the earth, but...


    ¡°The people are waiting. We should depart.¡±


    It was as Yura said. Many great people were gathered for this expedition. This included the people with so-called king qualifications, like Jishuka and Chris, who led a number of guild members. However, the leader of the expedition was Yura. In hell, she was the best, so she had to lead everyone.


    ¡®It is time to change.¡¯


    Yura had almost always been acting solo. It was a great burden to lead people, but she had to ovee it. She was given a heavy responsibility as the war against the demons was foreshadowed. Now it was necessary to go beyond the stage of obsessing over individual power and to prepare, strive for, and be qualified from multiple perspectives.


    It was just like Grid.


    ***


    The magic machine was originally a great anti-evil weapon. The ancient giants made them to fight against the great demons. The surviving giant species members joined the tower and modified them into weapons against dragons, but... the essence wasn¡¯t easily changed.


    Alloys that blocked magic power, destructive power of dozens of tons, a range of operation that couldn¡¯t be achieved with the human body, and a mental barrier technique that protected the pilots¡ªthe basic features of the magic machines were still a threat to the great demons.


    ¡®To be exact, it isn¡¯t only a threat to the great demons, but to most beings.¡¯


    Aside from the great anti-demonic power, it was safe to say that it was fraudulent because itbined tens of tons of weight and greater mobility than humans. There was no need to discusspatibility. It was just that the ¡®dozens of tons of weight¡¯ mentioned here was impossible for Grid to reproduce. The magic machines production method that Grid learned was small, just based on the name. It was small in size and light in weight. The total weight was only 2.5 tons.


    ¡®Thus, I have to get Raiders¡¯ production method.¡¯


    It was certain that Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques was a myth rated skill. If not, the ¡®you can make anything¡¯ function couldn¡¯t be described as anything other than the power of a god. That¡¯s right¡ªit was now possible for Grid to make the permanent mechanism. Even if Grid didn¡¯t know the magic engineering technique, the Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques meant that any high-level recipe could be acquired in the ¡®item production list.¡¯


    Radwolf¡¯s way of making the small magic machine was inspired by rumors of pavranium. The body that was made of pavranium used a ¡®rough¡¯ power to move. Radwolf had been certain that it couldn¡¯t bemercialized (he changed his mind after learning that pavranium evolved into Greed). Still, there was no reason to cling to this crude production method that was evaluated as ¡®unable to bemercialized.¡¯


    ¡®I will make the Raiders corps, not the small magic machines corps.¡¯


    One way was to ask Radwolf to give him a new recipe. Still, that required going around. Radwolf wouldn¡¯t do him a favor without asking for something, so there was a process of proceeding with a quest. Even if Radwolf did him the favor, Radwolf didn¡¯t know Greed.


    Grid was the only one who knew the true value of the mineral that existed only for him and how to use it properly. Grid had confidence that a mechanism made of Greed would have much better results if he designed it himself.


    ¡®In the process of acquiring the Raiders production method, I will umte knowledge and even create items.¡¯


    Grid was nning to invest boldly. He wasn¡¯t just satisfied with getting the Raiders production method. He was thinking of creating a new magic machine based on that production method.


    A magic machine made of ordinary alloys that could be directly controlled by the pilot. In other words, the first goal was to mass produce Raiders that Zibal was currently using. The ultimate goal was to create a fully automated magic machine that was 100% made of Greed from the mechanism to the body.


    There were both advantages and disadvantages. The automated magic machine made of Greed would be more powerful, but therge consumption of Greed was a fatal problem. Mass production was still difficult. Raiders had rtively weaker durability and firepower but it was likely to show better movement depending on the pilot¡¯s capabilities. Mass production was also rtively easy.


    Overgeared warship... what flying ship nonsense? It was a waste to pour Greed into such a ce at the present time. It would be put off untilter. He would produce magic machines with fighting power. Zibal¡¯s role was important for training pilots.


    Just as Grid was the role model of cksmiths and gave birth to great cksmiths, including Khan and Smith, Zibal was a role model for pilots and would produce great pilots.


    ¡®For now... I have to help upgrade Raiders so Zibal can y.¡¯


    It was important to increase the operating time as well as Raiders¡¯ performance. The method wasn¡¯t known yet. He had to disassemble it first to get a hint.


    ¡°Summon, Raiders.¡± After innovating Tiramet¡¯s Belt, Grid went to the garden and activated the Raiders summoning device that Zibal had handed over.A pure white figure entered Grid¡¯s vision. The serene green eyes stared at Grid. Here, the summoning status could be maintained until someone boarded it. The power button was turned off so it didn¡¯t consume energy.


    ¡®Do the primary work until the cooldown time of Innovation is over.¡¯


    Grid lightly floated and rose above Raiders¡¯ shoulders. All types of tools were in his arms. It was a tool for unlocking the ancient legacy.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±Zibal watched without leaving his spot and gulped. He had lent Raiders after knowing Grid¡¯s intentions, but he couldn¡¯t hide his anxious feelings. He knew that Grid had made a lot of battle gear so far. He had experienced how great the legendary cksmith was as an enemy and an ally. Still, it was hard to say that the magic machine was a battle gear. He wondered if it was possible for Grid to understand and upgrade Raiders.


    ¡®This damn... I believe you...¡¯


    It was already over. Now he just had to believe and wait. He knew this, but...


    ¡°Gasp! Hey! Why are you driving a stake into the top of the head?!¡±


    Grid¡¯s disassembly was too extreme and too fast. Zibal would really lose everything if Raiders was broken, so he had to react sensitively. However, Grid had entered aplete trance in order to increase his work efficiency. He focused on his work without hearing Zibal¡¯s screams.

 Chapter 1464

    <h4>Chapter 1464</h4>


    ¡°Hah... Wahh...! Hup! Fucking!¡±


    Zibal was anxiously watching Raiders being thoroughly disassembled and made sounds one after another. It was with admiration, notmentation. It wasn¡¯t because Raiders had been innovated or strengthened as Grid promised. Raiders was still half deconstructed, but Zibal didn¡¯t care.


    What if something went wrong with Raiders? There was no time to feel such anxiety or worry. It was Grid that Zibal couldn¡¯t take his eyes off, not Raiders. It had been 14 hours. For more than half the day, Zibal was impressed and thrilled. He felt an unfamiliar shock at the sight of Grid, who worked hard without wasting a minute or a second.


    ¡®How can a person do this?¡¯


    As he disassembled Raiders, he figured out how to innovate the next item, made new items, and innovated it when done. He inspected the items made by the Overgeared Skeletons and God Hands, sincerely answered the dwarf asking for advice from the sidelines, disassembled Raiders, thought about it, remade it, and innovated it...


    Grid never once rested as he listened to and discussed the reports of Lauel, who stopped by. He kissed Irene¡¯s cheek as thanks for the packed lunch she gave him, but didn¡¯t stop thinking. His mind was as bright and clean as a mirror despite the hatchling popping up andining. Even when he summoned Overgeared Corn because he was exhausted, he didn¡¯t let go of his thoughts as he stared at the furnace.


    This already wasn¡¯t the attitude of a yer. The essence of a yer was to ¡®pursue pleasure¡¯ and they could often rx. Meanwhile, Grid always remained tense and ¡®worked.¡¯ Zibal was a person who once coveted the supreme spot and he knew the concept of effort, perseverance, andbor, but... in front of Grid, he thought it was something that he didn¡¯t dare discuss.


    ¡®This guy... he has a different mindset toward this world.¡¯


    Therefore, no one could beat him. Of course, Zibal couldn¡¯t win. Zibal was thrilled as he realized it once again. Then he suddenly nced to the side. ¡®By the way, what is with this guy?¡¯


    Picasso¡ªit was obvious just from the ID, but the 1st ranked artist with the entric temperament had been sitting next to him since some time ago. Zibal stared at the small woman filling up the canvas while staring at Grid and finally couldn¡¯t stand it. He asked, ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    ¡°Drawing a picture.¡±


    ¡°Is it a portrait of Grid?¡±


    Picasso replied sluggishly, ¡°Fortunately, I have a good brush and paints.¡± It was an attitude like Zibal was asking the obvious.


    However, it wasn¡¯t obvious for Zibal. ¡°Why are you painting a portrait of Grid?¡±


    He heard there was a painter in the guild, but it was a fan? Did she join the Overgeared Guild with the heart of a fan and to satisfy her own self-interest?


    ¡°An average person... you wouldn¡¯t understand it even if I exined it to you.¡±


    Picasso had poor speaking skills. She didn¡¯t enjoy conversing. It wasplicated and cumbersome to exin the concept of the extremely honorable painting. Thus, she shut up unterally during the conversation. It was a temperament unique to an artist. It was easy to be misunderstood by others.


    ¡°Uh. Ordinary? Me?¡± Zibal doubted his ears. He was puzzled because he had never been called ordinary in his life. ¡°You... do you happen to know who I am?¡±


    From the time he stepped down as a guild master and joined the empire, Zibal had already put down his honor. He didn¡¯t show an ounce of desire from the time he followed Zikfrector. However, being openly treated as a nobody was a separate matter from his mindset. Zibal thought that this young woman must¡¯ve started the gamete, so she didn¡¯t recognize him, who was one of the first generation yers. He wanted to make sure if his thoughts were right.


    Picasso didn¡¯t answer. She no longer wanted to be bothered so she shut up and concentrated on the canvas. The world in her eyes was full of Grid and her nerves were solely concentrated on the tip of her brush. No matter how good the tool, no matter how long it took, the chance of ¡®updating¡¯ the extremely honorable painting was less than 2%. She was obsessed with almost the only means by which she could prove her worth in the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°It is really interesting...¡± Zibal was ignored all of a sudden andughed. It was absurd at first, but he was soon convinced. Yes, he was ordinary. He became ordinary after Grid gained Zikfrector. As he served Zikfrector, he approached the abyss of the ¡®seven malignant saints¡¯ worldview. The closer he got to the abyss, the more he was crushed by a great sense of responsibility.


    He was liberated thanks to Grid taking responsibility for him instead. It was a fact he hadn¡¯t realized... looking back now, his worries hadpletely disappeared after joining the Overgeared Guild. He had been veryfortabletely. He had no worries.


    ...I¡¯m ashamed.


    He realized that the responsibility he put down was weighing on Grid¡¯s shoulders even heavier.


    ¡°Grid, you... are you okay?¡±


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    The scenery of the smithy, which seemed ordinary just before, was nowpletely different. The mes in the furnace never went out and they seemed to whip at Grid violently. The metal on the anvil¡ªit gradually strengthened and carried the lives of those touched by Grid. Grid sat enduring the heat of the mes and swung his hammer silently and he abruptly felt lonely and pitiful. Zibal caught a glimpse of Grid¡¯s shoulders that couldn¡¯t rest for a moment, being weighed down by heavy responsibility.


    ¡°...Dammit.¡± What were these embarrassing, sentimental thoughts? The young painter¡¯s unexpected words made him think of the stars. Zibal was surprised by the sudden thoughts and swore when he came to his senses. He stared at Picasso, who instilled such awkward sensibility into him, and stood up. ¡°I still have the pride of the supreme one. This isn¡¯t the time to be soid back.¡±


    ¡°The supreme one? This uncle? I thought you were number two.¡±


    ¡°You do know who I am.¡± Zibal snorted with anger at Picasso¡¯s words to herself and left the smithy.


    ¡®Grid, I won¡¯t let you take all the responsibility alone.¡¯


    The great human and demon war¡ªit was said that it would be an unprecedented war. First of all, he would be helpful from then on. Until then, he would struggle a bit more and be stronger so he could share some of the responsibility weighing on Grid¡¯s shoulders. Try and feel the pride of an American.


    ¡°Grandmaster! Stop sleeping and wake up! Let¡¯s go hunting! Hurry!¡±


    A bus was needed to be stronger quickly in the absence of Raiders.


    ***


    One week passed. The number of people falling out of the hell expedition was increasing every day. Still, Yura seemed to be doing well considering the expedition was still going on.


    In the meantime, Grid had innovated 14 additional items. A total of 17 items were innovated, including Zibal¡¯s Raiders. His understanding of Raiders increased to 100%. In addition to the ¡®Magic Machine: Raiders Production Method,¡¯ he also acquired the innovated Raiders¡¯ production method.


    ¡°Hrmm.¡±


    Grid flew to the middle of the Red Sea with Braham and designated one God Hand as the target for the skill.


    Rumble!


    The sea soared high as the God Hand grew in volume and took shape.


    sh!


    The golden eyes that didn¡¯t sway even in the rough waves, faced Grid. A matte ck giant that devoured light from the sky without projecting it. It was none other than the magic machine, Raiders, who stood before Grid and waited for an order. Item Transformation made it easy to realize.


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Grid smiled brightly, but there was more tension on his face than satisfaction. It was because there was an important experiment left. The reason Grid asked Braham to fly him to the Red Sea was because... he wanted to urately gauge the potential of Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques.


    Grid pulled out a huge lump of Greed from the inventory. In exactly one minute, it would multiply to twice the mass.The moment it doubled in size, the energy of the insane dragon would reach a dangerous value and the tower members would react immediately.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think this will happen, but... If I identally miscalcted the mass, the intermediate process might be skipped and a dragon might appear.¡¯


    He was afraid. Grid waited in silence. Greed normally would¡¯ve been split in half before the cooldown time of the characteristic of ¡®double once every 10 days,¡¯ but now it was left intact. Soon¡ª


    It happened as Grid gulped...


    Greed doubled in volume and weight. However...


    ¡°......¡±


    ...Nothing happened.


    The system was quiet. It was silent without warning that the tower members woulde or a dragon would emerge.


    ¡°That¡¯s... it...¡±


    The shadow on Grid¡¯s face finally disappeared. He had established a hypothesis after being convinced that Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Techniques was a myth rated skill. It was the moment when the hypothesis ¡®this technique canpletely control minerals¡¯ was proven to be true.


    It was a highly feasible hypothesis. It was because there was Mineral Creation and Minerals Strengthening among the skills Grid could use. A legendary cksmith meant being a master of minerals. It would be ridiculous if a mythical cksmith couldn¡¯t control a single mineral. No matter how great and wicked the energy of the insane dragon in Greed might be, it was still only a remnant left behind by the insane dragon. It was right that a cksmith with divinity would improve what was perceived as a ¡®w.¡¯ Just like right now.


    ¡®In the future, I can increase Greed without anyone noticing.¡¯


    It was a day before the start of the great human and demon war. On this day, as Lauel had predicted, the yers started to split into three forces. Additionally, the only disadvantage of Greed had disappeared. It maintained the almighty chaotic proliferation, but the madness stimting the dragon had dissipated. It now had the proper qualification to be a symbol of a god. It was a mineral that had grown up with its owner.


    ¡°Thaaaaaaaat¡¯s it!¡± Grid¡¯s cheer scattered the high waves. It was clearly imprinted on the world.


    Braham watched as Grid clenched his fists and cried out with joy.


    ¡®You are the greatest legend of all time.¡¯


    No one could deny the official recognition of the Duke of Wisdom. Braham¡¯s rare smile was obscured by the waves.

 Chapter 1465

    <h4>Chapter 1465</h4>


    There was a man who fought to protect the world. He lived for others, but unfortunately, he betrayed his friend. There was a man who lived for himself. He didn¡¯t believe in others, but he believed in his friend. The product that was thebined culmination of the two men¡¯s skills, knowledge, ambition, and tenacity¡ªit has been poisoned since its birth. It contained hatred. It was probably from the men¡¯s temperaments. It was subtly iplete.


    Thus, there was no spare power. It couldn¡¯t take on the greed of its new master. It couldn¡¯t digest the insane dragon iron. The hatred deepened. Its master sighing over his own greed afflicted it. The cold metal rotted from the inside.


    It was a fact that no one knew. It wasn¡¯t necessary to know it anymore. After finally digesting the insane dragon iron and achieving its master¡¯s desire and greed, the hatred was resolved. The unknown story of a metal that no one knew was buried forever. It was the right ending.


    Braham opened his mouth. ¡°Let me confess.¡±


    Silent without a mouth, apathetic without a heart. Greed, who had always been coldly and silently staying by its master¡¯s side, responded to the voice it heard. It borrowed Raiders¡¯ golden eyes and saw the silver-haired man that appeared. The man, who still looked the same, appeared among the waves that broke the light to pieces.


    Greed knew him. A parent, not an owner. The red eyes looking at it gave it an asional glimpse of lingering regret. However, that wasn¡¯t visible now. There were no lingering feelings.


    ¡°I sometimespared you and Pagma.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid, who had been deep in the afterglow, woke up from his thoughts.


    ¡°This was especially true of pavranium. I used to feel that if it was him, he would use that symbol much more effectively.¡±


    Grid faced Braham. ck eyes that contained redness met red eyes that contained ckness.


    ¡°You made me realize how foolish that feeling was. You are better than him in every way. Much better than me.¡±


    Braham wasn¡¯t killed by Pagma because he was weaker than Pagma. It was just that Pagma had prepared a lot and Braham hadn¡¯t expected the betrayal. It was the mistake of a lifetime. That catastrophic mistake robbed hundreds of years away from Braham.


    Nevertheless, Braham¡¯s pride didn¡¯t decline at all. He was very sure that this time, he would be the strongest. This faith became firmer after defeating the hydra. This conclusion was reached after weighing his prime and the potential of the former legends that became history. He thought that Grid might surpass him, but that it would be in the distant future. He determined that Grid wouldn¡¯t go beyond him until Grid transcended all the legends. Now he corrected it.


    ¡°Your potential is limitless.¡± It far exceeded his own potential that was like the sea. ¡°So you are the strongest.¡±


    Just imagine it¡ªthe sword of the Sword Saint that could cut the world and the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship that could wipe out millions, they couldn¡¯t reach Grid, who had the barrier of Greed. Even if they reached Grid, there would be the scene where the rain of Greed caused their bodies to bleed first. It was absolutely spectacr to the point where chills went down his spine.


    The Grid of the past¡ªwho was asked to make the vessel to hold his soul, only to make a dog food bowl¡ªflew away from Braham¡¯s memories.


    ¡°The most brilliant one in the world.¡±


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 13th epic.]


    [The lofty man discussed him.]


    [He was as infinite as the universe.]


    [He was brighter than the sun.]


    [A mighty sight surrounded by a ck gxy.]


    [He¡ªthe proof waspleted.]


    ......


    ...


    ***


    ¡º 10 days ago, there was news that the ranker expedition, led by the main forces of the Overgeared Guild, left for hell. All sorts of questions were raised about this. Why did the Overgeared Guild, who had been eating the profits of hell alone, suddenly cooperate with rankers to form an exploration team? This became a special topic. What do you think about this? ¡»


    ¡º It has already been revealed through various media that the Overgeared Guild recognizes the great human and demon war as a crisis, not a festival. They¡¯ve formed an alliance with huge forces like the empire and Valha, suggesting the seriousness of the situation. I think it is the Overgeared Guild¡¯s intention to raise the rankers in response to the great human and demon war. ¡»


    ¡º Some people say it will be easy since the average level ofbat yers has reached 300. They im that we can win this war easily, unlike the past when they were dominated by only a few great demons. It is a foolish view. ¡»


    ¡º As the name implies, the great human and demon war is arge-scale war. It isn¡¯t a few great demons invading, but an army of hell? How can it bepared to the past? This is a different situation. There will be a crisis that we have never experienced before. Just as the Overgeared Guild united the top rankers, all yers should work together to prepare for the crisis. ¡»


    Many years had passed since Satisfy was released. Fake experts were now rare. Those who sat in front of the desk, collected information, analyzed it, and imed to be experts were culled. Those who actually yed and deeply understood Satisfy took their ce. The recent intellectuals didn¡¯t sit by and ignore the Overgeared Guild¡¯s warning. They provided people with the right information and hoped they would follow the Overgeared Guild¡¯s example to join forces.


    There was an inherent problem. The Yatan Church worshipped the demons so the great human and demon war was also a religious war. From the perspective of the Yatan Church, the great human and demon war was indeed a celebration. The number of believers increased sharply after the benefit of the cash items and they enjoyed an unprecedented heyday. They were looking forward to cooperating with hell. The end of the world would lead to their eternal glory.


    Some people started to listen to the voices of the Yatan Church. It was a natural phenomenon. The safety of the continent and humanity? Most yers didn¡¯t care about it at all. They were desperate for immediatepensation. This was followed by people converting to the Yatan Church. They wanted to benefit from the great human and demon war. They hoped to stand on the demons¡¯ side and win more easily and safely to get better rewards.


    Of course, there were many yers with a sense of mission to protect humanity and joined the three religions or the allied nations. However, there were fewpared to the yers who joined the Yatan Church. There still weren¡¯t many yers who valued the world for reasons such as having strong ties to NPCs or having a firm home.


    In the midst of the turmoil, the three churches announced that they would take their own course. They refused to stand in solidarity with the allied nations. It was because the Overgeared Kingdom was in the allied nations. Wasn¡¯t the Overgeared Kingdom home of the Overgeared God Church? If the three churches cooperated with the Overgeared God Church, it would be recognized as a new religion.


    The three gods, who defined all non-Asgardian gods as heretics¡ªit was especially uneptable for the Reba Church, who was deeply resentful that their pope and many other talents were taken away by the Overgeared God Church. Eventually, the yers¡¯ power structure was divided into two groups, even though it wouldn¡¯t have been enough if they united as one.


    Nevertheless, the leaders of the alliances were calm. This was a situation that had been foreseen to some extent. In the first ce, it was hard to rally yers who had different affiliations and different ideas.


    ***


    It was a time when the Overgeared Guild epted the situation calmly...


    ¡°No, this damn thing. What type of humans stand by demons instead of sticking together as one?¡±


    The S.A Group was on fire.


    ¡°It was poisonous to push the Yatan Church up because of the bnce.¡±


    ¡°It was Morpheus who supported the Yatan Church and Morpheus who started the great human and demon war. At this point, we need to slightly doubt Morpheus¡¯ judgment.¡±


    ¡°Shh, it is a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Hah... It wasn¡¯t worth revealing in advance that there will be a great human and demon war.¡±


    ¡°Even if it means breaking the rules, we should¡¯ve announced the seriousness of the great human and demon war...¡±


    ¡°Do you think people have split into different camps because they don¡¯t know the severity of the war? They know, but they don¡¯t care. Most people don¡¯t care about the world in the game. Even if we break the rules and lose trust to make the announcement, nothing will change.¡±


    ¡°Shh, shh!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The members of the management team, who were watching the situation with a frown, shifted their attention. It was because Director Yoon Sangmin was visiting. It seemed he hade running based on his rough breathing. He didn¡¯t take a moment to breathe. He looked at the indicators handed over to him by the team leader and his expression became rotten. It seemed another executives meeting would be held.


    It happened as the team members were feeling a subtle sympathy for Director Yoon Sangmin...


    ¡°Eh? Huh?¡± A neer, who had been hired to carry out the major task of observing the overall trends of Satisfy 24 hours a day, screamed as he stared at the monitor.


    ¡°What? What happened now?¡±


    ¡°Did they already send an advance party from hell?¡±


    ¡°T-That isn¡¯t it...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die because I¡¯m so busy, but you are acting stupid... Eh?¡± Robert was reprimanding the neer as he approached, only for his eyes to widen.


    ¡°D-Director-nim!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The atmosphere of headquarters might be free spirited, but it was rare for a deputy to name the director. The team members felt that something was wrong and quickly shifted their eyes away. Director Yoon Sangmin and the operations team leader approached Robert. The sound of gulping was particrly loud.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me I have to work overtime again...¡¯


    It was at the time when the team members were grabbing their heads...


    ¡°Hahat!Hahahahat!¡± Yoon Sangmin burst outughing. It was a very excitedugh that caused people¡¯s attention to focus on him.


    ¡°......?¡±


    What? The team members couldn¡¯t help being curious and approached to look at the screen. More than half of the hundreds of screens were illuminating a single yer. It was Grid. He was writing a new epic that deleted the negative characteristics of the ¡®bnce maintenance¡¯ of Greed, a ss specific item.


    ¡°...Gasp!¡±


    The terrified team members retreated from Director Yoon Sangmin. They were wary of him losing his sense of reason due to too much anger. Director Yoon Sangmin finally stoppedughing and spoke to himself, ¡°You are the only one we can believe in now...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The faces of the team members turned white. They seemed convinced that Director Yoon Sangmin had gone crazy. Fortunately, Director Yoon Sangmin was very well. Not long ago, he had been on great alert after seeing Grid obtain the Undefeated King¡¯s original swordsmanship. Putting aside his liking of Grid, he questioned if it was okay to trust Grid unconditionally.


    This hadsted until recently. Director Yoon Sangmin had seen Grid¡¯s trends and looked back on the path Grid had taken and became convinced of one thing¡ªthat he could trust Grid. It was natural when he recalled why he was a fan of Grid.


    ¡°Contact the sound team right now and ask them to prepare five theme songs.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Theme songs? It is five songs? Oh, if you¡¯re referring to the background music to be inserted in the great human and demon war, I heard it waspleted four days ago...¡±


    ¡°The Grid-only theme song! y music every time Grid appears on the screen!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Director-nim, Team Leader-nim, an executives meeting has been convened.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is good. I¡¯ll go and say it myself.¡±


    ¡°...Is it okay?¡±


    ¡°He is asking to create a theme song for a yer. Do you think it is okay?¡±


    It was after Director Yoon Sangmin left. The team members chatted with a worried expression. For reference, the characters in Satisfy with theme songs were super named NPCs or boss monsters. It was also only one or two songs and it was set to y only if certain situations or conditions were met. Making a theme song for a specific yer (it was also five songs) and ying it every time he appeared on the screen... it was something that needed the authority of the chairman. Naturally, the team members thought it wouldn¡¯t be realized.

 Chapter 1466

    <h4>Chapter 1466</h4>


    People were misunderstanding one big thing¡ªit was that Grid had already earned a myth ss. It was natural to be mistaken since the system called Grid a god. Grid was worshipped by many people, but people thought he just changed his ss. It was an interpretation based onmon sense¡ªthe former was a system that could be assigned to anyone, while the Easter egg of NPCs worshipping on their own... it was absurd. How many people in the world could guess what actually happened?


    Therefore, people were astounded.


    [The first myth ss has been born.]


    The world message that appeared shortly after the end of Grid¡¯s epic turned the world upside down. The part that the media focused on was a bit subtle.


    ¡º He wasn¡¯t a myth until now? Then why was he so strong? ¡»


    ¡º He was originally so strong...? ¡»


    ***


    [The 13th page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Your status has risen significantly as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [Your deity has risen by 1.]


    [Your title ¡®Glimpsed the Myths¡¯ has responded to your high status and deity.]


    [The title ¡®Glimpsed the Myths¡¯ has changed to ¡®First Myth.¡¯]


    [Viewing and analyzing your past achievements.]


    [...!]


    [...!!]


    [...!!!]


    [There are too many achievements!]


    [It is impossible to calcte all the traces of your involvement in history.]


    [It is impossible to calcte all the lives you have saved.]


    [It is understood that you are one of the causes for the present world.]


    [Your sses, Pagma¡¯s Sessor, Magic Swordsman of the Epics, and Duke of Wisdom don¡¯t bear the existence of you.]


    [Your ss will be reconfigured to Overgeared God. You have inherited all existing ss attributes.]


    [Overgeared God]


    [Creator of all things. Ruler of all things.]


    [The myth ss effect has doubled your health, mana, and sword energy.]


    [The total number of stat points gained when your level rises is increased to 30. The forced investment of points into a particr stat has disappeared.]


    [A god is a near perfect being. All stat points are redistributed for the application of the golden ratio. Even if you don¡¯t achieve the golden ratio due to ack of stat points, it will give you a clue about the golden ratio.]


    [...!]


    [...!!]


    [...!!!]


    [Your stat points are overflowing!]


    [All stats have a beautiful golden ratio. The power of the stats will increase.]


    [The effectiveness of the skill Magic Contemtion has increased. The skill cooldown time is reduced to 1 second. After deciphering the magic, the probability of destroying it is increased to 70% and the probability of duplication and counterattacking is increased to 28%. If the target magic is caused by an item effect, the probability of destroying it is increased to 100% and the probability of duplication and counterattacking is increased to 58%.]


    [The skill cksmith¡¯s Rage has changed to Overgeared God¡¯s Rage.]


    [The skill cksmith¡¯s Affection has changed to Overgeared God¡¯s Affection.]


    [The skill ¡®Overgeared God¡¯s Domination¡¯ is created.]


    [The skill ¡®Pagma¡¯s Eyes (Baal¡¯s Contractor Version¡¯ will be changed to ¡®Overgeared God¡¯s Observation.¡¯]


    [The title ¡®One Who Became a Legend¡¯ will be changed to ¡®One Who Became a Myth.¡¯]


    [Damage that leads to death will fix your health at 1 point for 10 seconds and you are immortal. You will be immune to all damage during this time. Cooldown Time: 16 hours.]


    [The ¡®Emergency Return¡¯ skill will be activated in the immortal state. Regardless of the concept of time or space, you will return to one of the temples that serves you. However, it must be used within 7 seconds of entering the immortal state. After seven seconds, the skill is deactivated.]


    [You are more likely to be immune to physical abnormalities.]


    ¡°......¡±


    There were many signs. His cksmithing skill was upgraded to the myth rating and the level of Greed had risen ordingly, so he thought it would be soon. He just hadn¡¯t expected it to happen like this...


    A scarlet aura overflowed from Grid¡¯s body as he was feeling dazed. It was different from magic power and fighting energy. It didn¡¯t have an effect either. It was just a symbol of the Overgeared God and was a purely visual effect. Still, it was very mysterious and wonderful. It was a unique color that remained as an afterimage from Grid¡¯s actions and colored the world. Even if there were no benefits to the myth ss, it seemed that people who dreamed of bing myths would line up purely to get the color.


    Grid enjoyed the color by waving his hands several times before suddenlyughing.


    ¡®Is this one of the reasons why a god can¡¯t be killed?¡¯


    The Emergency Return system¡ªin the future, there was virtually no way to die.


    ¡®Do the god killers have the skills to block the return system?¡¯


    Grid had his thought and reached out to Braham.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Braham.¡±


    Your recognition of me as the greatest legend of this time haspleted me.If I hadn¡¯t met you, my present self wouldn¡¯t have existed.


    Grid¡¯s eyes were endlessly warm as he looked at Braham. The bond level of the two men was at the maximum. Their stats would increase by 7% when together.


    ***


    ¡°Overgeared God¡¯s Affection.¡±


    Grid used this skill the moment he returned to Reinhardt and the scarlet aura wrapped around the entire Overgeared Kingdom.


    [Your affection has been ced on your territory.]


    [If NPCs and yers create items in the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s territory, the task will be two times faster. The amount of skill experience earned will double. It can ovep with other buff effects.]


    [Only NPCs technical experts who have a high affinity with you will have a very slim chance of their skill level rising due to your blessing.]


    [A technical expert who has received your affection will give you some of the reputation obtained forpleting a work.]


    [The sword dance power of the Overgeared God Church has increased significantly. The amount of sword dance experience gained is doubled. It can ovep with other buff effects.]


    [Only NPC believers who have a high affinity with you will have a very slim chance of raising the skill level of their sword dances due to your blessing.]


    [A believer who has received your affection will give you some of the experience obtained from hunting monsters.]


    [You will lose 900 mana per second while Overgeared God¡¯s Affection is maintained.]


    [You must remain in the territory to maintain the Overgeared God¡¯s Affection.]


    It said 900, but the actual mana consumed was 300. That was enough for him to afford it. It was thanks to the innovated Ring of Absurdity.


    [Ring of Absurdity]


    [Rating: Legendary (Transcendent)


    Durability: 400/400


    * Reduces the resources consumed by magic or a skill by two-thirds.


    * Mana recovery rate is five times faster.


    The artifact created by great magician Pauld that was innovated by Overgeared God Grid.


    Conditions of Use: None.]


    In addition to a further decrease in resources consumption, his mana recovery rate had increased from two times to five times.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been better if the recovery speed of all resources, not just mana, had increased, but... I have to look forward to 100 days from now.¡¯


    The focus right now was whether the effect of ¡®double the speed of item production¡¯ was also applied to the one who used the skill. Grid chose the production method of the level 300 longsword that would be given to Valha¡¯s 1st Corps soldiers. Then he proceeded with the automatic production. The result was done in a snap. In less than four minutes, a longsword waspleted.


    ¡®Uh. It also applies to me?¡¯


    At this point, he was bing anxious. What was wrong with the S.A Group these days? Why did the guys, who were so desperate for bnce and kept nerfing him, suddenly give him things?


    ¡®Perhaps those bastards...¡¯


    Were they trying to raise the difficulty level of the game?


    ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know that the great human and demon war itself was designed to deprive him of the qualifications he had proven and won. The reason Chepardea nned the great human and demon war was because he was wary of Grid. Grid must win by all means.


    ***


    Lim Cheolho was a lucky man. He was born in a well off family and studied without any care. Thanks to his extraordinary mind, he gained various knowledge and made numerous achievements. There was no sorrow so he didn¡¯t be tainted and his rtionships were good.


    He walked a path of sess. He didn¡¯t know about misfortune. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t resistant to pain and sadness. He was shocked when he went through grief. He didn¡¯t adapt easily and wandered for a long time. He learned why people looked for gods. It was at a moment when he personally experienced misfortune...


    He suddenly had a thought¡ªmaybe there were few people in the world that were happy, and someone should create a paradise for the many that were unhappy.


    ***


    Life was a series of choices. The great human and demon war was increasing the yers¡¯ choices.


    Satisfy, his paradise, showed signs of copse. It was sad. The reason Chairman Lim Cheolho was so obsessed with bnce was to maintain paradise. The copse of paradise was never the result he wanted. Did misfortune always follow where humans went? It happened when he was realizing it again...


    Ahead of the crisis, Grid wrote the 13th epic. Based on his achievements, he grew andpleted the proof of his skills and ss-specific item. He was the first person in Satisfy to be a myth ss. It was the moment when the bnce copsed, but Chairman Lim Cheolho felt he had met the savior.


    A meeting was soon called. There was another debate over Grid¡¯s myth ss.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho closed his eyes. He wanted to avoid the cold opinions of the businessmen. Chairman Lim Cheolho was a scientist before he was a businessman and a good man who wanted to protect paradise before he was a scientist. It bothered him to hear some executives who simply thought of Satisfy as a business. It was all the more so because they were people essential to thepany.


    ¡°...What did you say just now?¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho, who had been silent for a while, opened his eyes. He asked this question while staring at Director Yoon Sangmin. In a rare manner, his eyes widened. He seemed quite surprised. ¡°Say it again.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin couldn¡¯t easily speak.


    Silence filled the room. The executives expected Director Yoon Sangmin had broken under the severe blows.


    Wanting to create theme songs for a yer? He provided reasonable justifications like ¡®it is honoring the achievements that Grid has made¡¯ and ¡®let¡¯s show people how much we respect yers and encourage them,¡¯ but it was full of selfishness no matter how they looked at it. Giving special favors to a particr yer would antagonize the absolute majority and this had to be avoided. It was natural for Chairman Lim to be angry at Director Yoon Sangmin, who had forgotten even the basics.


    ¡°Did you ask to create a theme song for Grid? It is also five?¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho asked again.


    Director Yoon Sangmin couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and replied in a weak voice, ¡°Yes... it will provide yers with a driving force to immerse themselves in Satisfy...¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin had his words cut off by Chairman Lim Cheolho and he bowed his head. A bang entered his ears! It was the sound of the table being struck. Chairman Lim Cheolho seemed to be very angry.


    ¡®Was it indeed too much?¡¯


    It was the moment when Director Yoon Sangmin btedly felt regret...


    ¡°We have to make a minimum of 10 songs.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin slowly raised his head. All the executives in the room were looking at Chairman Lim Cheolho like it was absurd.


    A deep smile spread on Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should do it correctly? Five songs are too few for the first myth rated ss.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Creating a theme song to boost the morale of yers... it is a very interesting approach. Our Director Yoon is improving every day. The future of the group and the future of Satisfy is very bright.¡±


    On this day, the world¡¯s greatest musicians got a call from the S.A Group.

 Chapter 1467

    <h4>Chapter 1467</h4>


    [Name: Grid]


    His name was still intact. There was the meaning of ¡®greed.¡¯ It represented how Grid started Satisfy and what Grid¡¯s personality was like at the time. It didn¡¯t go well with the present day Grid. Of course, that didn¡¯t change the name by itself. He wouldn¡¯t change it even if an ID change option was released.


    Names had power. His life was buried in it.It proved all the connections he had made, his umted achievements, his reputation, etc. The name has its own power. The greatest name in the world at the moment was Grid.


    [Level: 463


    ss: Overgeared God]


    Overgeared God epassed all the sses of Pagma¡¯s Sessor, Magic Swordsman of the Epics, and Duke of Wisdom and it was also just Grid¡¯s epithet. It wasn¡¯t Overgeared God that defined Grid; it was Grid that defined Overgeared God.


    ¡®Overgeared God. Overgeared God...¡¯ It sounded great no matter how he thought about it.


    Was it because he had been called Overgeared God for quite a long time? Grid had perfectly adapted to the now and was fascinated by it, so he smiled in a pleased manner. His gaze fell on the fourth line of his status window. The species.


    ¡®Divinity has be unnecessary. I can also no longer be a god killer.¡¯


    A god. In the end, he became one. As if it was fate, it came to him like the anode of a ma. It was a rather humble appearance, so the weight of the word ¡®god¡¯ felt light. It was a natural impression. In this world, the gods were a flimsy existence from the very beginning.


    Grid had been through so much and seen so much. He had no respect for ¡®gods.¡¯


    There were the ¡®four beings¡¯ who were powerless to protect theirnd and their people. The ¡®individual¡¯ Hexetia, who was blinded by jealousy,mitted a mistake and regretted it. The ¡®individual¡¯ Hanul, who was blinded by vengeance and created harm toward humanity. The ¡®individual¡¯ Reba, who was just silent, and the ¡®individual¡¯ Chiyou, who wanted to be destroyed.


    Grid merely felt sympathetic, encouragement, detestment, wariness, or suspicion toward them. He once thought that those who were stronger than humans were worse than humans. Then he saw them regretting and reflecting on themselves, even when they had the power to cover up their sins, and thought they resembled humans...


    That¡¯s right. The reason why Grid respected the Four Auspicious Beasts and Hexetia wasn¡¯t because they were gods. Grid didn¡¯t think the gods were special. He didn¡¯t recognize himself as different from before just because he became a god. Just like Hexetia was Hexetia, he was himself.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a huge reason why I refused to be a half-god in the past.¡¯


    He was just afraid of the retaliation of the gods, afraid of their armed forces. He had drawn the line, fearing they might harm his family and his colleagues.


    On the other hand, he was now calm. In any case, it was his fate to fight them regardless of whether he was a god or not. If they didn¡¯t like him bing a god and threatened him first, he would naturally resist. He would kill and destroy them. A god couldn¡¯t kill another god? It was fine. He had manypanions who would insert their swords in the heart of the gods on his behalf.


    ¡®I¡¯ll do the seasoning and they¡¯ll finish it off.¡¯


    Hispanions included Yura, Jishuka, Faker, Euphemina, and Kraugel. There were also Braham, Piaro, Mercedes, and the other messengers. No matter how good the innovated divine swords were, would the swords be greater than hispanions? They were his apostles and angel.


    Grid calmed down and confirmed his stats. The information from his main stats was the first thing that stood out.


    [¡ïStrength: 6,800 ¡ïStamina: 5,300


    ¡ïAgility: 5,300 ¡ïIntelligence: 7,200


    ¡ï All the major stats have reached the golden ratio.


    ¡ï The golden ratio of stats has increased attack power and defense by 1.5 times, magic attack and health by 20%, and absolute hit rate and absolute evasion rate by 5%.]


    These sums included his additional stats derived from items, title effects, and fighting energy. The total stats amount had increased tremendously. Fighting energy that had previously been fixed at 50 had now risen to 75. As Hayate had mentioned, fighting energy was a mythical force. The moment he became a real god, some of the restrictions were lifted.


    ¡®The higher my deity, the moreplete fighting energy will be. The limitations on learning magic will also gradually fade away.¡¯


    In any case, the units that fell together neatly were beautiful. There was arge fluctuation in the proportion of strength and agility. Depending on the total amount of stat points, the conditions for achieving the golden ratio would also change. Even if he told this golden ratio to his colleagues, they weren¡¯t likely to be able to enjoy the same golden ratio.


    There was one poprly known golden ratio of stats. The 1:1 ratio of strength and agility also had the following conditions: strength and agility must be more than 2,000, and intelligence and stamina must be more than 800. Grid¡¯s current golden ratio was likely to require too many stat points. Additionally, there was the need to increase both intelligence and strength, so it wasn¡¯t easy to think of a person who would actually challenge this ratio. Most people who put intelligence first were magicians. What magician in the world would ce strength just after intelligence?


    ¡®Braham won¡¯t be able to gain this ratio.¡¯


    Braham and his colleagues had to find their own golden ratio. However, there were two. Grid knew only two people around him who could challenge the same golden ratio as himself.


    First of all, Sariel. As an archangel, she (?) had a very high stats total. Furthermore, the bnce was perfect because it reflected the tendency to ce meaning in the Trinity. The ratio of strength, intelligence, stamina, and agility was almost the same.


    Next was Mercedes. She was the idol of all knight yers in the world and her total stats that grew with her ¡®chivalric code¡¯ was second to Sariel. It wasn¡¯t as much as Sariel, but her bnce was also great. Her somewhat lower intelligence could be ovee with items.


    ¡®It is okay to equip her with items that will improve intelligence.¡¯


    Grid smiled as his vision was full of his status window.


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 463


    ss: Overgeared God


    Species: God


    Title: One Who Became a Myth and 42 more.


    Health: 1,319,500/1,319,500 Mana: 525,730/530,900


    Sword Energy: 2,400/2,400 Fighting Energy: 75


    ¡ïStrength: 6,800 ¡ïStamina: 5,300


    ¡ïAgility: 5,300 ¡ïIntelligence: 7,200


    ¡ï All the major stats have reached the golden ratio.


    ¡ï The golden ratio of stats has increased attack power and defense by 1.5 times, magic attack and health by 20%, and absolute hit rate and absolute evasion rate by 5%.


    Dexterity: 10,650 Persistence: 3,757


    Composure: 3,043 Indomitable: 3,298


    Dignity: 3,271 Insight: 3,561


    Courage: 2,550 Political Power: 1,150


    Willpower: 1,630 Charm: 2,001


    Good luck: 1,210


    Deity: 17


    Remaining Stat Points: 0]


    ¡°More than just a bit... it seems to have improved a lot.¡±


    Um... He thought it was reasonable.


    How terribly hard had he worked over the years? His high dexterity and persistence stats proved it. If he spread out all the items he had made so far, they would fill up a few cities. If he piled up all the underwear he had created, he would form a small mountain. The health was a bit much. He was more like a monster, not a yer. Still...


    The high ranking great demons and the gods of Asgard would have health in the hundreds of millions or billions. Compared to them, this was on the level of cuteness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break today.¡±


    Was it due to the great sense of aplishment? All of a sudden, the fatigue umted during this period of time appeared. It had been a really long time. No, it might be the first time. Apart from the National Competition, the experience of ending the day before the ¡®connection time limit¡¯... at the very least, Grid couldn¡¯t remember it. Even when he was half asleep and half awake, his body was always lying in the capsule.


    ***


    The world changed dramatically as Grid was asleep.


    Overgeared God¡¯s Affection. People tasted the sweetness of the great blessing that exerted influence on the entire kingdom and made videos, spreading them across various websites.


    -Crazy. It is two times the production speed???


    -That NewTuber just raised his skill level?Wow, he benefited from doing nothing.I¡¯m crazy envious.


    -The attack power of the sword dances were terrible.I converted to the Yatan Church three hours ago. I need to convert back to the Overgeared God Church.


    ?Once converted, you can¡¯t change again for at least three months.


    ?Isn¡¯t this crazy?Don¡¯t lie.


    ?Really.No, what if you buy experience potions from the Yatan Church and then go to another religion?The Yatan Church isn¡¯t a charity ??


    -I converted three months ago. Why can¡¯t I convert?


    ?You need to clear a few religious quests.It is telling you to pay for your meal.


    -Ah, this is really annoying.I was caught by the Yatan bugs.


    -The specialty of the Yatan Church is using dirtynguage.You are a Yatan Church member too????


    -By the way, why is the Overgeared God¡¯s blessing only applied to the Overgeared Kingdom?Or is it the territory of the Overgeared God Church?


    ?It is only applicable to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    -What is our king doing?Give the nation to the Overgeared God right now.


    -Basara noona, please propose to God Grid.


    ?Why are you asking the empress to propose to a married man?Are you looking for sudden death? ??


    ?What is the big deal with a married man?


    -The God Grid acting like his nickname is awesome.


    ?God Grid is his nickname and his ID is Grid. What do you mean by acting like his nickname?


    ?Do you have no friends?


    ?You can¡¯t level up if you have no friends. ^^


    ?? God Grid has many friends and two girlfriends. He is number one.


    ?Shut up.


    -Grid doesn¡¯t seem to be meeting Jishuka these days.


    ?They are both busy.Grid isn¡¯t garbage. Will he break up with a woman who immigrated from Brazil for him?


    ***


    He slept for 10 hours. He didn¡¯t know how many years it had been since he slept for so long. His body and mind were refreshed. Every time he was reminded that he finally got a myth ss yesterday, he felt an unbearable sense of happiness that made him shiver. Youngwoo changed into sportswear and came to the window, only to be amazed.


    ¡°This is more than I imagined...¡±


    The current time was 5 a.m. It was early in the morning, but it wasn¡¯t just the sidewalk in front of the house... the road was also full of people. Their races were also diverse. It felt like all the reporters on Earth hade.


    ¡®What type of public nuisance is this?¡¯


    Youngwoo grumbled and went out of the house. Toon, who had been watching the surveince cameras all night, followed straight away. ¡°Have you slept? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve slept?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. By the way, isn¡¯t it better for you to ignore the reporters?¡±


    ¡°It is just annoying but it shouldn¡¯t be allowed to hurt the residents.¡±


    The buildings built by Youngwoo and the Overgeared members were like a small vige. The roads opened up around Youngwoo¡¯s building, and many buildings and residentialplexes had been built. He had to sort this out before the residents went to work.


    ¡®The reporters¡¯ questions will be obvious anyway.¡¯


    They would ask if one had to go from a legendary ss to a myth ss, how to change to a myth ss, what were the unique characteristics of a myth ss, etc. It wasn¡¯t difficult to anticipate the reporters¡¯ questions. Additionally, Youngwoo had a lot of experience with the media. He easily organized the information that could be told to reporters and information that was difficult to tell in his head.


    ¡°Um.¡±He came out of the house and saw many policemen. They must¡¯ve been dispatched ahead of time after predicting the situation. They were heavily armed and set up barricades. Perhaps without them, Toon would¡¯ve suffered all night.


    Youngwoo first greeted the police with gratitude and an apology before telling the reporters, ¡°Next time, please request an interview the normal way. If reporterse to me again like this next time... I¡¯ll break off rtions with the media for the rest of my life. 5 minutes. I¡¯ll answer your questions for 5 minutes, so go ahead and ask.¡±


    The reporters noticed that this was theirst chance and immediately asked their questions.


    ¡°The S.A Group officially said that they will create theme songs for Grid. There isn¡¯t a single person in the world who expected a theme song for yers to be created. How does it feel to be the protagonist of the first theme song?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was a question that went beyond expectations from the very beginning. Youngwoo was flustered and unable to answer when the next question arrived.


    ¡°God of War Ares said he is seriously thinking about whether to take Valha into the Overgeared Kingdom. Are you nning to ept Valha?¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    The second question also wasn¡¯t expected. Then the additional arrival of more police officers started to disperse the reporters. It was a very quick response.


    ¡®If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn¡¯t havee out.¡¯


    By the way, was it because he paid so much taxes? The police were really kind. Youngwoo responded in an embarrassed manner to the police officers who smiled and greeted him every time their eyes met and returned home quietly. Then he btedly checked the articles that had been released all night.


    The world had changed overnight. It was a change that centered around Grid.

 Chapter 1468

    <h4>Chapter 1468</h4>


    Hell was a real region in Satisfy. yers perceived hell as a space, not a concept. There was only a difference in the degree of recognition¡ªa high level hunting ground or a prohibited area that should never be approached.


    The perception of the expedition members was also very important. They regarded the figurative hell and the actual existence of hell in Satisfy as separate things. It was naturally like this, even if they weren¡¯t aware of it. It was only after personally experiencing it that they understood.


    Hell wasn¡¯t just a hunting ce where powerful demonic creatures and demons haunted, and where great demons often appeared. It was the hell that they knew. An unbearably painful and distressing environment. Even if there were no demons here, wouldn¡¯t they be unable tost a long time?


    The scene that entered their field of view, the wind brushing against their skin, the ground their feet stepped on, the sound that prated their ears, and the air that entered their lungs. It was disgusting without any exceptions. Just standing still and breathing would cause their minds and body to scream with pain. It was because this was a world built only with wickedness.


    ¡°...I think I¡¯m going crazy.¡± The full moon, the swirling red stars in the overcast sky, and the thousands of eyes monitoring them. Pon murmured as he nkly stared up at the creepy night of hell. It was an honest thought.


    If Regas hadn¡¯t shown a smile on the way here, if Vantner hadn¡¯t instigatedpetition, if Jishuka hadn¡¯t fired the sharp shots, if Ruby hadn¡¯t wrapped him in warm energy, and if Yura¡¯s back had copsed even once as she led everyone. Pon would¡¯ve already drowned in the wickedness. He would¡¯ve fled from here even if he had epted the obvious death that could be avoided.


    The environment of the 20th Hell was that harsh. The strangendscapes that made him dizzy wherever he shifted his gaze, the horrible screams that entered his ears even if he covered them, the touch of the ground that made his body fluttered every time he stepped on it, the stench that made it hard to breathe, and the polluted air that made food rot the moment it was taken out.


    Pon found it hard to hold on. In fact, from the time the expedition began to five dayster, his mentality was at the limit. He had thought about giving up dozens of times a day. Now they were on the ninth day, and... he felt like he was going crazy.


    ¡°......¡±


    Every time Pon¡¯splexion turned haggard, Vantner would reprimand him as a ¡®cowardly guy¡¯ to provoke him. It wasn¡¯t known from when it happened, but Vantner now closed his mouth. His nk gaze was fixed on the wriggling ground. He didn¡¯t dare look up at the sky. He thought he would scream the moment he met the eyes of the hell moon.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    The 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom, Ruby, Ibellin, Zednos, Lae, and Coke. The three generals and Oasis of Valha. Red Sage Haster and Sword Saint Kraugel. There were only a handful of elites left in the expedition. It was acking situation that couldn¡¯t be done even if they passionately united. Most of them had lost their words and were trying to hold onto their mental state. It wasn¡¯t known when they could see the demonic creatures again.


    Oasis was reminded of how strong the demonic creatures of the 23rd hell were and bit his fingernails. The Undefeated King¡¯s Sheath was sending a warning.


    -At times like this, you should do something, halfling.I no longer want you to be undefeated, but I can¡¯t tolerate you helplessly epting death.


    ¡®You aren¡¯t a human anyway. Hiik! The sword will fall out. Don¡¯t move. I understand, I understand! I wasn¡¯t thinking about dying in the first ce.¡¯


    Oasis had inherited some of the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. In other words, he took a power he wasn¡¯t qualified for. Penalties were given in reaction to his actions. Every time he died, the Undefeated King¡¯s Sheath punished him and he was forced to log out. He also couldn¡¯t ess the game for 24 hours. All yers in the world were allowed up to two deaths per day, while Oasis had only one life per day.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t like this the first time...¡¯


    It was the penalty from being killed two times in a row during the war with Saharan. It was shocking because it was the first time he had died two times in a row. Then his mental state waspletely destroyed once the penalty was added. He was a closed up person for a while. He feared that the more deaths he faced, the greater the penalty. For Oasis, death was more real and fearful.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to die.¡¯


    Force and mental strength wasn¡¯t necessarily proportional. In particr, rookies had their own unique spirit. Oasis recalled what Yura had said before leaving the ck crystal castle.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be going back until we get to the 21st Hell. I won¡¯t open the hell gate even if you beg me, so be prepared.¡±


    The true hell started with the 21st Hell. Yura thought they needed to adapt to the 21st Hell at least in order to prepare for the great human and demon war. It was an advance with no way back. From the time they arrived at the 23rd Hell, there were only around 20 expedition members left. They started from the 25th Hell with the ck crystal castle, but that was it.


    Among the more than 300 members selected by Lauel, a considerable number of them were trampled to death by the demonic creatures when crossing the two hells or fled because they couldn¡¯t endure the fear. The much harsher environment than expected brought the situation to this point.


    The remaining expedition members felt a greater sense of burden but Oasis¡¯ spirit was sharpened. There were now only two gateways until their destination. All they had to do was break through the 23rd and 22nd Hells. The moment the rest of them arrived at their destination, they would y a leading role in victory of the great human and demon war. He wanted to be one of them. Giving up now...


    It happened when Oasis wanted to encourage the group...


    ¡°Yura, are you okay?¡± There was a clear voice that didn¡¯t suit the tired atmosphere. It was Jishuka. She had the Breaking Evil Arrow. She wore her auspicious ¡®power¡¯ around her right arm and looked free from the evil of hell. She wasn¡¯t affected by the harsh environment and maintained a clear eye.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Yura¡¯s voice that answered her was calm. The people who could function normally in hell were definitely different.


    ¡°I¡¯m also fine!¡± Ruby¡¯s voice was also strong. This was the majesty of the Saintess. The so-called ¡®Grid¡¯s women¡¯ present were the hopes of the expedition.


    Kraugel was quiet because he was reticent, but it seemed there was no problem with him. Additionally, there was Haster. He had never been agitated since he reigned as the emperor of e-sports. He had years of experience. It was said he was greatly disgraced after bing a victim of the ¡®hidden ss hunting,¡¯ but he seemed to have recovered from the wound.


    Oasis gained hope while looking at the faces of those who were fine and shouted vigorously, ¡°I can do it as well!¡±


    ¡°Oh~ Ares didn¡¯t live in vain.¡± Jishukaughed. She wasughing at the three generals who imed to be Ares¡¯ left and right arms.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grand General Luck of Valha, who felt a great sense of pride in his own strength, couldn¡¯t reply to Jishuka and shut up. He was ashamed. He was suffering from even breathing. Rather than setting an example for a neer (Oasis), he was a fool relying on others.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look good when cowering.¡±


    ¡°...Laugh to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    The silent Luck responded to Kraugel. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like Kraugel. It was because his pride was hurt. In the past, he tried to hurt Kraugel, but Kraugel cared about him like this didn¡¯t matter. Thus, he was more embarrassed and made an unnatural response.


    Kraugel told him while passing by, ¡°I don¡¯tugh at others.¡±


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    Yura rose to announce the end of the break.


    Luck red at Kraugel¡¯s back as he approached her side and cursed. He spoke swear words to me himself. He felt ashamed whenpared to Kraugel now, especially when he hadughed at the Kraugel who became Sword Saint and had his level reset to 1.


    ¡®Dammit, let¡¯s cheer up and do well.¡¯


    Jishuka¡¯s taunt about Oasis being better than him was absolutely reasonable. He didn¡¯t want to sit here and fall behind Oasis. He awakened and showed great skills. Jishuka even left her back to him.


    ¡°Right. Luck should be like this. You were called a powerful man on the level of Hao. Now you look a lot worse than Hao.¡±


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯tpare me to the coward who didn¡¯t even apply for this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Hao did apply. Lauel refused him.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would he do that when he epted Haster? Aren¡¯t you guys close?¡±


    ¡°He was sent to persuade the half-draconian king.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so...¡±


    The people who shrank back no longer existed. There was clearradely love between the expedition members as they made their way through the waves of demonic creatures. It was because Yura, Jishuka, Ruby, and Kraugel properly caught the center, while Oasis set an example that didn¡¯t match his skills.


    The struggles of the generals of Valha provoked the Overgeared Guild members. Pon overcame the pain and Vantner overcame the horror. As Regas coordinated the fight among them, they formed a circr link and swept away the demonic creatures in a fan shape. Every time Peak Sword¡¯s sword fired a brilliant sword light, dozens of demonic creatures turned to ash without being aware of their deaths. Euphemina, Zednos, and Lae¡¯s magic destroyed the enemy camp while the Tyrant attacked like raging waves. Every time Chris¡¯ sword fell with the weight of a great mountain, a demon¡¯s body exploded.


    ¡°Wow. As expected of our brother.¡±


    ¡°We are strong as well!¡±


    Ibellin, Coke, and Oasis also yed a good part. They finished it neatly by blocking the paths of the demonic creatures who scattered after losing theirmanders. Just in time, another demon appeared with a new corps, but was immediately assassinated by Faker. Then Jishuka¡¯s rain of arrows wiped away the remnants.


    Yura and Kraugel were always at the forefront. With Ruby¡¯s heals and buffs from behind, they moved forward without hesitation and expanded the human power in hell.


    ¡°Haster! You fall back to the rear! Why are you swaying in the front instead of using magic as a support in the back?¡±


    ¡°Uwack!¡±


    ¡°......¡± Unfortunately, Haster died along the way... The morale of the party didn¡¯t drop.


    A few hours passed. The expression of the expedition team was much brighter than before as they prepared to camp in the 22nd Hell. It was one step closer to the record of Grid and the messengers who reached the 20th Hell.


    Of course, the hells that the expedition visited had lost their ruler. Unlike Grid, the difficulty was much easier because there was no direct confrontation with the great demons. Yura had considered this while looking at the possibilities of the expedition. It was great that an exploration team consisting only of yers arrived at the 22nd Hell despite the gradually increasing penalty.


    ¡®At least those here will y well in the great human and demon war.¡¯


    Yura once again exined to her colleagues, who were building the camp, ¡°Our goal is to survive in the 21st Hell for a long time. I n to stay in the 21st Hell until the great human and demon war starts, so try to umte your skills here.¡±


    ¡°When will the great human and demon war start?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? It could be in a few days or it could be a few monthster.¡±


    ¡°...That, the food won¡¯tst. The food I prepared is almost rotting.¡±


    ¡°You can stop by the neutral area and resupply. I can go to the human world alone.¡±


    ¡°How are we supposed to hold on for 40 minutes without you? No. Don¡¯t go alone.¡±


    ¡°It is ugly, Pon! You are no longer my rival!¡±


    ¡°Do you still have a sense of rivalry with me? Is it because you have no hair that there is no shame?¡±


    The Overgeared members were as energetic as the first day they arrived in hell. Then their morale fell to the bottom again after just half a day.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    The demons of the 22nd Hell were as powerful as named bosses of the human world. It wasn¡¯t possible to kill them quickly and the number of demonic creatures umted without being controlled.


    ¡®This is the limit.¡¯


    Finally, they would be free from this tiring ce. Some people were willing to ept death.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 13th epic.]


    A world message emerged. After the short epic, the news of the birth of the first myth ss enriched the party¡¯s vision and consciousness.


    ¡°...Do you know God Grid?¡± The first person to rally was Peak Sword.


    Then Yura, Jishuka, Ruby, Kraugel, and the Overgeared members...


    They regained the morale and motivation they had lost one by one. They raised their lowered weapons and fiercely resisted the demons. From now on, it was the realm of tenacity. They destroyed evil with strength and cut at the demons¡¯ necks.


    Curiously, Grid had always been like this. He yed the role of leader from a far away ce, supporting his colleagues. It was why the present Overgeared Guild existed.


    ¡°Finally...¡±


    The next day.


    During the time when the logged out Grid was sleeping sweetly, the exploration team had reached the 21st Hell. It was a moment that proved their minimum qualification to be active in the great human and demon war. It was the prelude to the desperate survival game. It was the hidden story of the heroes who guarded the world along with Grid.

 Chapter 1469

    <h4>Chapter 1469</h4>


    Overgeared God¡¯s Affection was a poisoned chalice. Technological advancement might be beneficial to the growth of the nation, but it was right to be wary of the power of religion bing very strong. Every nation apart from the Overgeared Kingdom wasn¡¯t happy with the Overgeared God¡¯s Affection. They couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it.


    Intellectuals insisted that ¡®God¡¯ Grid should be served properly. Some politicians made negativements, saying that it was an act of betraying the goddess of light and would cause great confusion in society the moment they confronted the faith they had served for hundreds of years. However, this was just a minority opinion.


    Now it wasn¡¯t just all the cksmiths who wanted to live in the Overgeared Kingdom, but all the technical experts. It was a coincidence that the technical experts were about to be taken away the moment that people were reading the atmosphere of the churches of the three gods. Above all, the three gods had lost the faith of a number of people.


    Most of the wise nations dered that they would serve the Overgeared God. This was the reaction of the neutral kingdoms, not the ¡®allied¡¯ ones. The allied nations, who vowed to fight with the Overgeared Kingdom in the great human and demon war, had originally been friendly with the Overgeared Kingdom and there was no internal conflict. They showed absolute trust in Grid and immediately expanded Grid¡¯s temples while designating the Overgeared God Church as a state religion.


    However, there was a problem. The subject of Overgeared God¡¯s Affection was limited to the ¡®territory directly governed by Grid.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. No matter how passionately they served the Overgeared God and built the temple, it was impossible to receive the Overgeared God¡¯s Affection as long as they weren¡¯t part of the Overgeared Kingdom. Kingdoms were forced to change routes. The government took temporary measures such as banning the emigration of technical experts or paying them a high price. Thepulsion decree was a meaningless offense since it couldn¡¯t tie up a yer¡¯s feet. Still, there was no other way.


    ¡°...I implore you.¡±


    The Saharan Empire had a hunch that the situation couldn¡¯t be resolved on their own. Therefore, Immortal King Grenhal visited the Overgeared Kingdom in person and bowed his head.


    ¡°At this rate, most technical experts will leave the empire. The people will be anxious.¡±


    This was going too far. All yer technical experts might leave the empire, but the NPC technical experts would remain. They were true people who were bound by thew and regarded the empire as their homnd. However, technology was necessary in all fields. A decrease in the number of technical experts meant that the development power of the nation was weakened. Kingdoms that lost their technical experts would be forced to regress.


    ¡°Raise your head.¡±


    Grid put down his hammer, but the sound of hammering still echoed constantly in the smithy. 30 God Hands were making items. The first thing Grid did after returning from the Red Sea was to innovate the God Hands and mass produce them. Since the restriction on the quantity of Greed had disappeared, hisbor force had to be secured first. Much of the Greed he had was used as a material for the God Hands.


    The innovated God Hands inherited 60% of their master¡¯s strength and dexterity stats, and reproduced their master¡¯s unique skill with 40% strength (performance). They even possessed the ¡®Craftsman cksmith Skill.¡¯ Grid¡¯s mana was consumed every time the God Hands made an item but it wasn¡¯t a big problem. Grid¡¯s mana and mana recovery were so high.


    [Your God Hand (3) has seeded in producing a new item.]


    [Your God Hand (19) has seeded in producing a new item.]


    [Your God Hand (6) has seeded...]


    ¡°I have been talking with the prime minister for two days. The Overgeared Kingdom wouldn¡¯t allow the technical experts to flow in unconditionally.¡±


    Duke Grenhal had the power to control the world above 10,000 people while being below one person. Even so, he showed trust and goodwill to the Overgeared Kingdom due to his rtionship with Grid. He attended big and small events such as the graduation ceremony of the Overgeared Academy and Lord¡¯sing of age ceremony, helping to increase the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s international presence.


    Duke Grenhal did y a role in Grid and Lauel¡¯s decision to not unconditionally ept technical experts from other nations. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that this policy was decided purely ¡®in light of the other kingdoms¡¯ positions.¡¯


    Lauel looked at the situation realistically. It was physically difficult for the Overgeared Kingdom to amodate all the technical experts on the continent. They would surely be unable to control prices of some items andnd and housing prices would rise sharply, causing economic turmoil. It wasn¡¯t good to have security problems ahead of the great human and demon war.


    It was better for the influx of arge number of poption to be carried out slowly. There was no reason to rush. The Overgeared Kingdom could now afford it, unlike the days when they tried to bring one more cksmith to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    Lauel was also convinced that people were more likely to be crazy about rice cakes they couldn¡¯t eat. The more the Overgeared Kingdom prevented the influx of technical experts, the more the technical experts would want the Overgeared God¡¯s Affection and the royal families would struggle to control them over time. Once the royal families of each nation came to the conclusion that ¡®there is no other way but to cooperate with the Overgeared Kingdom,¡¯ Lauel painted an image that he was doing them a favor in advance and chose a more friendly way.


    In conclusion:


    The influx of technical experts wasn¡¯t necessary right now. In fact, it was only an annoyance. Therefore, they would win favor from other nations and prevent the influx of technical experts for a while.


    Unsurprisingly, Grid listened to Lauel¡¯sments. Grid had absolute confidence in the genius who grew the Overgeared Kingdom this far. Sometimes he ignored Lauel when this person was talking nonsense... it was the story of the ck dragon or something.


    ¡°We need to live together. By now, official letters should¡¯ve arrived at all the nations on the continent, including the empire. It is an official letter stating we don¡¯t want to steal technical experts from other nations.¡±


    ¡°Oh...! Ohhhh! How wonderful...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so moved. I¡¯m not going to turn my back on skilled craftsmen. My position is that the unity of the continent is important, but I can¡¯t stand still when ites to the development of my home kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Truly! I understand! It is good enough now. Your generosity is like the wide sea!¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Grid knew the look in Grenhal¡¯s eyes. It looked like the eyes of the people who deified him.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit embarrassed.¡¯


    Grid had a guilty conscience every time he acted ording to Lauel¡¯s will.


    ***


    It was after Grenhal left.


    Grid focused on his work again in anticipation of the day when voices started to emerge in the Saharan Empire about ¡®let¡¯s make the Overgeared Kingdom a new empire.¡¯ Then he suddenly noticed a disturbance. The guild chat window was quickly being updated.


    ¡°Haster?¡±


    Haster had fallen out of the hell expedition team two days ago and now he was asking to be sent back to hell.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Haster¡¯s reputation had been greatly reduced and he was a target of ridicule. He had been absent for a long time and it was impressive to see him apply for the hell expedition. Lauel rated his strength as not too bad. Additionally, he epted Haster in the expedition because he had been told that the Red Sage of the previous generation Red Knights was a great figure.


    The result was a failure. Surviving until the 22nd Hell was a great thing, but it didn¡¯t meet expectations. Haster once again left a stigma on the title of Red Sage. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Winfred, his mentor and 1st Knight of the former Red Knights, exploded in anger in the underworld.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Haster even destroyed his reputation as the emperor of e-sports. He even defiled the name of Kraugel, whom he had once defeated. Of course, Kraugel¡¯s level had been reset when he was defeated by Haster, but... Kraugel was the one who was most disappointed with Haster, who showed less than expectations.


    -Then without shame, he wants to go to hell again.


    Some of the Overgeared members reacted badly. Rather than detesting or denouncing Haster, they seemed to feel sorry for him. They were the ones who had expectations of Haster. The longer their game experience, the more they were disappointed because there was a time when they idolized Haster. They seemed to feel a certain sense of loss.


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mercedes had recently been keen on training. It was said that she didn¡¯t rest from dawn to afternoon, but she stayed by Grid¡¯s side again at night. Nevertheless, there was no tiredness on her face at all. On the contrary, she was lively.


    ¡®What are those scrolls?¡¯


    A bunch of thick papers were inserted into the belt that originally held the secondary weapons meant as extra lives? He wondered what their identity was. Due to this, the weapons tied to the shield rattled. Now Grid¡¯s concern was separate.


    ¡°What exactly is the ability of the former Red Sagepared to Piaro and Asmophel?¡±


    ¡°Lord Winfred had his own role so it is hard topare him to the two. I heard he performed independently on any assignment.¡±


    ¡°He was called sage so it means he must be very knowledgeable. It can¡¯t just be the level of strength?¡±


    ¡°He is worse in a melee than Asmophel or Singuled, but there are more weapons to deal with. The magic he invented himself can catch great magicians off guard... that is all I know. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you an urate answer.¡±


    ¡°No, that is enough.¡±


    Mercedes was a young girl when the former generation of Red Knights was active. It would be difficult for her to measure the skills of the 1st Knight at the time, even with the power of Keen Insight. Her memories would be blurred.


    ¡°Can you go and get me the man called Haster? If he resists, don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°As youmand.¡±


    For Mercedes, Grid¡¯smand was thew that was more important than anything else in the world. She immediately unfolded her silver wings and quickly disappeared over the wall. Anyone who saw this scene would think that a great demon or martial god follower had appeared.


    After 10 minutes, Grid and his God Hands had made eight items.


    ¡°I brought him.¡± Mercedes returned. She was holding Haster by his neck.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid told her not to kill him so it seemed he had been beaten until the verge of death.


    ¡°Did you resist?¡± Grid asked the wounded Haster like it was ridiculous.


    Haster¡¯s eyes were deep and still as he answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t resist. I just asked for a confrontation. I thought it was a valuable opportunity because her skills are so well known.¡± It was hard for him to deny it. No, he clearly felt that he shouldn¡¯t deny it.


    Haster¡¯s attitude was softer than it was in the past. It didn¡¯t mean that he used to be wild in the earlier days. Even when they first met, his attitude wasn¡¯t bad. He had been polite to Grid, who was much younger than himself. He was once the best yer, but he seemed to respect other yers. This was what Grid felt the first day he saw Haster. It was just that there was no malice in his eyes. There was a feeling of resignation.


    ¡®Did he lose motivation after being hunted by the hidden ss hunters? No, a person who wasn¡¯t motivated wouldn¡¯t apply for the hell expedition and wouldn¡¯t make a fuss about wanting to return. What is with this person?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know the fact that Haster once had a favorable attitude toward himself. This was thrown away immediately after meeting Hurent. In any case, even his short past was embarrassing and he became extremely humble in front of Grid. To be honest, he also felt awkward making eye contact.


    ¡°So how was it?¡±


    ¡°She truly is strong.¡±


    It was a meaningless question. Haster was unterally trampled. He had be a rag while Mercedes didn¡¯t have the smallest wound. Even her secondary weapons were still attached to her shields. The unidentified scrolls were safe.


    -It is strange.


    Mercedes sent him a sound transmission.


    -He used Sir Winfred¡¯s techniques, but he is still very weak.


    -Is there no talent?


    -That¡¯s not it.It is the feeling of wearing clothes that don¡¯t fit on purpose.


    -Is he in the process of changing hisbat style?


    -It is more unnatural than that.I think we need to watch a bit more to figure out his intentions.


    -What would he be like if he is dressed in the right clothing?


    -He is still weak.


    ...It was a bit disappointing. Mercedes¡¯ assessment using her Keen Insight was very urate. If she made mistakes, then there would be problems with Grid¡¯s safety. Of course, it wasn¡¯t known if that was true these days.


    Grid looked at Haster with a subtle expression for a while before soon getting to the point. ¡°Do you want to return to the hell expedition?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll do my best this time, so I hope you give me a chance.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it is worth wasting Yura¡¯s time?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Haster couldn¡¯t answer. He was now able to objectively evaluate his own skills. Why should Yura leave her spot to take himself back to hell? No. It would only cause inconvenience to the expedition team. But...


    ¡°I know it is a nuisance, but I want toe back without any shame.¡± Haster believed in his own possibilities. His prime might be over and his physical state and judgment weren¡¯t as good, but he didn¡¯t want to deny the power of the Red Sage and the power of the seven malignant saints. It was a sin to cause these powers to rot. ¡°Even if it is just the size of a meal... I¡¯ll be sure to help you in the great human and demon war.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the great human and demon war is a crisis?¡±


    ¡°......? Of course. Isn¡¯t the Overgeared Kingdom preparing so hard because you think this? Master Winfred said that I should be wary of the beings of hell.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to be active in the great human and demon war?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is because of my honor.¡±


    ¡®It is better to be honest.¡¯


    The potential of the Red Sage was demonstrated by the former Red Knights. This was why Grid thought he should meet Haster. Grid wanted to see and judge him directly.


    At this moment, he confirmed Haster¡¯s aspirations. There was no reason not to help at a time when even a single missing hand was disappointing. What if he helped Haster only to be stabbed in the backter? It was a silly question. He was no longer at a level to worry about a yer¡¯s betrayal. If he was still afraid of yers, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to rescue Hexetia. What an idiot would he be if he became stronger and couldn¡¯t trust himself? All Grid needed now was trust, not doubt. Trust in himself and others.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll persuade Yura. However, there is a condition.¡± Grid had eight God Hands next to him as he sent Haster a sparring application. There was no penalty for dying in a spar. ¡°Fight and win.¡±


    ¡°Haha... Are you asking me to fight an AI?¡± Haster couldn¡¯t helpughing. The God Hands¡ªit might be the representative item of Grid, but the limitation was that it couldn¡¯t carry out delicate orders. Haster had repeatedly seen Grid¡¯s countless battles released on the Inte but he had little admiration for the power of the God Hands. In fact, the number of times the God Hands yed a key role was small. It might be different in the early days, but the current God Hands weren¡¯t Grid¡¯s main force. They were just secondary items.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll be able to fight all 30 of them, let alone eight. But... I understand.¡±


    Hasterughed bitterly as he realized how far he had fallen and epted the test. He followed the eight God Hands into an open space. Grid remained in the smithy and started working again. Four minutester...


    Haster returned in tatters and requested, ¡°8 against 1 won¡¯t work from the beginning. 6 against 1, no, I would like to start with 3 against 1 and adjust gradually.¡±


    He was able to evaluate his skills objectively. Grid nodded silently. In fact, he had been watching the battle using Barbatos¡¯ Vision. Mercedes had also been watching from the window. Both of them looked like they were familiar with voyeurism.

 Chapter 1470

    <h4>Chapter 1470</h4>


    Haster¡¯s hearing was simple and urate. It was at a level that could perceive space and capture the movement of objects with sound alone. It was a true ability gained by polishing and studying it to the extreme as he became a legend of the FPS world. His sharp hearing was enough to pinpoint the target without being misled by dozens or hundreds of noises, so it was natural to be suspicious that he used a map hack during his prime.


    Haster looked straight ahead while stabbing his spear behind his back to block the sword stab of the God Hand. If someone saw this scene, they would wonder if he had eyes in the back of his head. If only he hadn¡¯t fallen forward...


    ¡®Keuk... Is this a true story?¡¯


    Haster had no sense of reality about the situation. What the hell was this attack power? Every time he blocked an attack from the God Hands, his muscles twisted and his bones would ring. His health also decreased. In this way, defense had no meaning.


    ¡®There are 30 like this?¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he say he could win even if he fought all 30? How much had Grid beenughing at him?


    ¡®I would like to hide in a mouse hole.¡¯


    Haster blushed and turned his head to the left. At the same time, he twisted his corbone and raised his shoulders. The God Hand¡¯s attack struck his shoulder de. Haster couldn¡¯t withstand the attack and leaned back, tightening his waist just before his back hit the ground. The sharp de swept past the tip of his nose.


    Haster reached out to the God Hand which disappeared into the corner of his field of view. He was going to catch it and subdue it. However, he didn¡¯t touch it. His speed was slower than the God Hand. He heard a new destructive sound.


    Haster immediately grasped the position through the sound and rotated his pelvis. A fluttering cloak wrapped around the sword that the God Hand had stabbed at him with. Haster gripped his cloak and waved it. He intended to twist the cloak like a pretzel to hold the sword and guide the God Hand¡¯s trajectory in the desired direction.


    ¡®Then use a skill.¡¯


    This was a great opportunity. Haster judged, but it didn¡¯t work out this time. Just before the cloak wrapped around the sword, the God Hand slipped out.


    ¡®I-It has started again.¡¯


    It had be like this some time ago. He was confident that there were no problems with his judgment, but the result was always terrible. It wasn¡¯t just that his body was unable to keep up because of his slow speed. There was an inconvenience that was hard to exin in words. There was a feeling that something unknown always hindered his actions.


    ¡®Or was my judgment wrong in the first ce?¡¯


    Haster was fighting 3 against 1. It was a great loss every time his intentions came to nothing. It was the same now. One God Hand was dodged while the other two God Hands dug into his waist. Haster tilted his spear to block the des and he had to suffer from a torn waist.


    ¡®Keuk... Victory or defeat will be decided here.¡¯


    He could feel the God Hand that he dodged a while ago approaching from the bottom. He could avoid it by gently moving one foot. He knew it with his senses. Nevertheless, he judged that the situation wouldn¡¯t improve even if he dodged this attack. The moment the judgment was made, the body moved naturally.


    Haster inserted strength into both arms. He pushed hard at the two swords pressed against the spear and used them as support to lift his waist. He was nning to do a handstand to avoid the attack from the bottom, tumbling to change his position in an advantageous manner.


    Obviously, a beautiful picture was painted in his head. Yet once again, the painting wasn¡¯t finished. Before he could fully raise his waist, a de wielded by one of the God Hands cut at his Achilles tendon.


    ***


    ¡°It is strange.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t stop hammering. He was in the process of automatic production. He was able to make items while looking at Haster¡¯s battle using Barbatos¡¯ Vision.


    ¡°He is a lot less powerful than the God Hands. It is amazing that he can hold on. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if he broke his wrist every time he blocked a sword dance. How can he be so persistent?¡±


    There was no feeling of good control. Haster gave an impression that his control wasn¡¯t good because he often showed gaps in his posture. During the time when he was cut on the ankle by a God Hand, his hips moved back. It was honestly funny.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t focus his strength on the ces he hits. Rather, he has a habit of moving them from the shoulder to the weapon. The flow of aura is also in line with that habit. Thanks to this, even if rtively powerful attacks hit him, the power is dispersed and the impact reduced.¡±


    Mercedes spoke as she stood by the window and looked at Haster.


    ¡°Still, I can¡¯t say it is great. The wrist is used less. This limits the path of the weapon and the strength of the strike is weak. Agility is also suppressed.¡±


    ¡°Is he forcefully dispersing the God Hands¡¯ power?¡±


    ¡°I think he sticks to this style no matter who he fights. It seems to be a deliberate habit.¡±


    ¡°Why did he get into this habit?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Sir Winfred used a method of fighting to reverse mana and induce ¡®withdrawal of energy.¡¯ If it seeds, the target¡¯s power will bepletely destroyed. It is said that if skills are linked at exactly that moment, a critical hit will be dealt to the target.¡±


    Withdrawal of energy was a concept that disrupted resources such as mana and sword energy. In short, it was a terrifying technique to cancel the opponent¡¯s skills. If he could link a counter, it would be the ultimate technique.


    ¡°Perhaps Sir Winfred made this habit so that he could naturally connect skills ¡®after the sess of withdrawal of energy.¡¯ The problem is that he hasn¡¯t fully awakened the withdrawal of energy yet. Sir Winfred died before it waspleted.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    There was a very powerful technique called withdrawal of energy. In order to use it properly, a skill must be used. However, in order to link this technique, specific actions must be carried out first and this was rted to Hurent¡¯s habits.


    ¡®To put it simply. If Pagma¡¯s Sessor wants to use the sword dance, he must take the strides. Haster has only learned that stride and he can¡¯t use it as he pleases? Even taking that stride became a habit?¡¯


    Haster had lived with Winfred for over 10 years. He must¡¯vepleted a series of quests over 10 years. An extreme example was a daily quest to swing the spear a thousand times a day. This was the root of yers who had ¡®teachers.¡¯ Unlike ordinary yers who grew through adventures and hunting, they tended to live in ordance with the quest. In the process, some habits might¡¯ve been developed, but it wasn¡¯t a strange thing.


    ¡®Haster¡¯s life was twisted before Winfred could fully exin how to use withdrawal of energy. Haster has to solve ss quests in order to resolve these tangled threads, but it hasn¡¯t been solved yet.¡¯


    During the time when Grid was interpreting it his own way, Haster¡¯s health dropped to the minimum.


    It was after 15 minutes. It was five minutes greater than his previous record, but Haster didn¡¯t seem satisfied at all. It was natural. In order for Haster to be judged as ¡®winning¡¯ the match, he must cause all three God Hands to stiffen. However, he failed to make even a single God Hand stiffen. Initially, he talked about 30 against 1, but he couldn¡¯t even handle 3 against 1. He deserved to be upset.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t easy. in order to cause the God Hands to stiffen, you must deal at least 70,000 damage.¡¯


    The God Hands naturally had no defense, but they used weapons. They could even handle shields if they wanted. Means of defending against attacks existed. Plus, they were fast. They could move at approximately 100 km/hr.


    ¡°There is a problem with this guy.¡± Mercedes¡¯ voyeurism... no, her spying continued. ¡°His perceptual ability is far ahead of his physical ability. It is like an adult moving with a child¡¯s body. The party involved must feel a huge gap between his judgment and action.¡±


    ¡®Ah... Is that why?¡¯ From a third party¡¯s point of view, Haster¡¯s movements were very awkward. Sometimes his body was clumsy when dancing, so it was a bit ridiculous.


    ¡®It is often seen in the low level zones.¡¯


    They were people who hadn¡¯t yet adapted to their ¡®new flesh.¡¯ People who hadn¡¯t adapted to their body in Satisfy, which was different from reality, tended to feel a sense of separation and move awkwardly. It was a particrly prominent phenomenon in the elderly and the sick. However, Haster wasn¡¯t a beginner. He was a veteran of Satisfy for at least 15 years. The reason why such a person suffered from these symptoms...


    ¡°There are one of two reasons why a warrior would suffer from such symptoms. Has he been unable to adapt to his rapidly weakened body for some reason?¡±


    A small smile spread on Mercedes¡¯ face.


    ¡°Suddenly, one day, he regained his senses from his prime.¡±


    ¡°Haster¡¯s prime ended a long time ago.¡±


    If he suddenly regained his prime, which ended a long time ago... it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the party involved didn¡¯t realize it.


    Grid touched his chin thoughtfully and used Overgeared God¡¯s Eyes. Then hundreds of items ced on the shelves appeared in his mind simultaneously. Arge amount of information was injected at once. Grid felt dizzy because he wasn¡¯t used to it yet and hurriedly entered a keyword in his head.


    ¡®Stats increase. Strength and agility.¡¯


    The information that filled Grid¡¯s field of view started to be organized. He only thought about items with the effect of increasing strength or agility. There were 35 in total.


    ¡°That one, that one, that one. That one too.¡±


    All the items here were made by Grid, the God Hands, Ke ong, and the Overgeared Skeletons. It meant they were Grid¡¯s possessions.


    ¡°Haster.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Haster was analyzing the problem while waiting for his health to recover. Then he heard a voice and came to his senses. He looked up and saw Grid appearing with five additional God Hands.


    ¡®Does he think highly of me?¡¯


    He might not have won the 3 against 1, but he was qualified to fight in the 8 against 1?


    ¡®Um... If I was a young man, I would¡¯ve taken it as a good thing.¡¯


    It had been a while since his youth as the main character of a passionate drama was gone...


    It happened when Haster interpreted it freely and hesitated...


    ¡°Have you ever yed an MMORPG?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I used to be a professional gamer because I loved games. Would I have skipped any genre?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you raising your character this way? You¡¯ve tried it, but you haven¡¯t done much? Or are you the same as me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a personal attack following a ridiculous question. Haster was feeling speechless when the God Hands approached. The new ones that Grid brought were each holding a piece of armor.


    ¡°Would you like to try it on?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m giving you a gift. I¡¯m just lending it to you for a while. You are so shit that I have to do so.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Haster was handed an item. They were epic and unique rated items and the performance of all of them was great. The boots and gauntlets raised his stats by 200. At this point, wasn¡¯t it normal to bebeled as legendary instead of unique?


    ¡°Wear it and fight again.¡±


    Haster armed himself with the items without saying a word. He also felt the serious atmosphere. He did what Grid told him to do without expressing the questions in his mind. Then the confrontation started again. The three God Hands moved quickly, scattering into the blind spots in his vision and attacking from different trajectories. It was a qualitative and tricky attack. Yet for Haster, the angle of attack didn¡¯t matter. He read the sound and grasped the location and path of the God Hands in real time. Then he reflexively gave himself to the judgment that came to mind. It was just like when he was in his prime when he moved the screen, heard the footsteps of the enemy, and immediately took a headshot.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Haster¡¯s eyes widened. His body moved as he thought. Those around him were hardened like stone statues. The three God Hands were hit by skills and stiffened while shaking. It was the moment when his judgment, which had been in doubt for a long time, really shone.


    He was briefly mesmerized when Grid¡¯s voice entered his ears. ¡°If you gain 100 levels, you¡¯ll be back in your prime. I think you¡¯ll also need to clear a few ss quests, but...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    100 levels. It was so absurd that Haster dismissed it as a hallucination and approached Grid.


    ¡°I... Why did you make items for me...?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will be so impressed by this goodwill that I will apply to join the Overgeared Guild? If that is the case... your foresight is great.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was counting the chickens before they hatched.


    Grid was smiling when he suddenly became full of expectations. ¡®Will there be a lot of synergy with Haster and the former Red Knights?


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t bad...


    Of course, some ideological tests are required. Before that¡ª


    ¡°Let¡¯s win the 8 against 1 for now. You said you wanted to go to hell.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    ¡°The items aren¡¯t gifts so give them back or pay for them.¡±


    Being overgeared couldn¡¯t go away once it was tasted. Haster naturally paid for the items. It was quite arge amount.

 Chapter 1471

    <h4>Chapter 1471</h4>


    [(Breaking) E-sports legend, Haster, has joined the Overgeared Guild?]


    [There have been sessive sightings of Haster in Reinhardt of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    The video of him jumping over the walls with flying items resembling the ¡®God Hands,¡¯ famous for being a symbol of Grid, has been a hot topic for days.


    An American expert who analyzed the video said, ¡°I think Haster was chosen as Grid¡¯s sessor...¡± (nder)


    He might not be the sessor, but the coboration between the legendary professional gamer, who is considered the all-time number one, and Grid, who wrote a myth in Satisfy, is enough to make everyone¡¯s hearts flutter. Some people are concerned that there are too many expectations being ced on Haster, who was the victim of the ¡®hidden ss hunting¡¯ and whose heyday has ended...


    ......


    ...]


    [Adventurers, please be on guard in small towns.]


    [Is the boundary between the human race and hell breaking down as the Yatan Church ims?


    yers are reporting that they have lost their lives after stopping by small towns and being attacked by the residents.


    This is the first incident in a small vige in the southeastern part of the empire. The residents of the vige turn into monsters when it bes dusk and they will attack travelers. Thorough attention is needed.


    (Omitted).


    These so-called ¡®ghost towns¡¯ are found all over the continent and thousands of victims have been reported in just four days...


    ......


    ...]


    As the world was buzzing with new topics every day, Haster was still struggling with the God Hands. Thanks to the items purchased from Grid, hiscking stats were supplemented to some extent. Nevertheless, his stats were basically focused on intelligence. It was hard to handle the eight God Hands armed with divine swords and Mjolnir as they swarmed with swordsmanship and Magic Missiles.


    In the first ce, the rtionship between their attributes ced him at a disadvantage. The Red Sage had the Weapon Mastery skill that allowed him to handle all weapons and active skills that were useful in closebat, but it was actually more specialized in magic than closebat. However, he wasn¡¯t a magician, thus he didn¡¯t have many passive skills rted to magic. One example was the slow magic casting. One of his greatest strengths, his magic, was sealed against the God Hands, so it was hard to easily gain the advantage.


    ¡®This video... was it taken when I ran to the walls?¡¯


    Maybe the great human and demon war would start before he even got back to the expedition... Haster logged out while feeling such anxiety and heughed when he saw that he had be famous these days. It was a video of himself running away while the God Hands chased after him in a frightening manner. The angle in which the video was filmed was exquisite and it seemed like he was leading the God Hands rather than being chased.


    The video was taken by chance by a user who was filming the beautifulndscape of Reinhardt (rumored to be a garden that Queen Irene had grown). Thanks to this, rumors spread that he was ¡®a person whom Grid trusts enough to leave the God Hands to.¡¯


    The reality was that he was just being beaten up...


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed.¡±


    Haster shook his head and moved to the training room. His mansion hadrge facilities such as a golf course, swimming pool, and tennis court. It even had a spacious indoor training room that was like a yground.


    ¡°Hoo...¡±


    Haster used a real spear reproduced based on the spear in the game and entered a state of concentration with one deep breath.


    ¡®Correct my bad habits.¡¯


    The past few days had been more precious than gold to Haster. In the process of recording and watching the videos of him fighting against the God Hands, he realized that he had a very bad habit. At first, it was hard to perceive it as a bad habit. It was because it was the form he learned from his respected teacher. He never dreamed that it would actually be holding him back.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure that Master didn¡¯t teach me the wrong way. It is just definitely an area I can¡¯t achieve right now.¡¯ Seal the existing form until the day when his master¡¯s intentions were grasped.


    The movement of the spear that moved through the air was fierce. The legend of the past era was regaining his prime and he showed moderation and dignity in every action.


    ***


    ¡®I was worried he would give up after a few days. There is no one who is sessful without perseverance.¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s lifestyle coincidentally matched with Haster¡¯s. He started the day with the sweaty uncle (it was elusive to say this person was a handsome man) at the same time and logged out at the same time, ending the day together. It was rather unpleasant, but it was also funny when he became conscious of it.


    Haster matched his pattern to Youngwoo¡¯s routine in order to have more time against the God Hands. There was no other intention. Youngwoo liked people who worked so hard. It was true that he felt more affectionate after spending time together.


    Just then, the ringtone of his smartwatch rang out. It was a new song by Lae that had topped the Billboard charts for three consecutive weeks. It was great to see her consistently releasing albums with the motif of a famous  protagonist such as, ¡®She is a yer who is one of the best magicians in Satisfy and a world-ss idol in the real world. ~Is this the power of items?~¡¯


    Lae didn¡¯t have a regr tenacity and she often held concerts, if not broadcasts. He thought there was a reason she became a world-ss idol and high ranker at such a young age.


    ¡°You did a great job today.¡±


    Youngwoo answered the phone and spoke with a big smile. Yura, who appeared on the holographic screen, responded with a beautiful smile.


    ¡°No one left today?¡±


    -Yes, everyone is holding on really well.


    It was ever since Haster was killed. Eight days had passed, but the hell expedition team was maintained without a single person dropping out. In the meantime, Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword had cut hell five times.


    ¡°Is there any chance that hell will perish before the great human and demon war begins?¡±


    -Even if it is cut by the Space Sword, the terrain only changes a bit.


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura¡¯s indifference to the fact that the form of the world was changed by a sword was hard for Youngwoo to understand. He thought that Yura¡¯smon sense was different. He didn¡¯t realize that hismon sense of creating hundreds of items a day waspletely out of touch with ordinary people.


    -Jishuka¡¯s performance is amazing.Every time Luck¡¯s group loses their motivation, she will provoke them or encourage them to try again.


    ¡°Um...¡± The three generals of Ares. Lauel had said that Jishuka seemed to have pretty high expectations for them. ¡°It seems their personalities fit well.¡±


    -Yes, I think because they were from the LTS days.On the outside, they seem like enemies, but it is more like watching a trainer and dolphins.They get along quite well.


    ¡°What dolphins? They are monkeys.¡±


    Youngwoo unknowingly became irritated. He didn¡¯t seem to realize that his lips were sticking out. Yuraughed like she found Youngwoo cute and started to talk about what she had experienced today. It was as if she didn¡¯t want this moment to end.


    Youngwoo also told his story. It had long been a daily routine for the two people. It was to end the day together.


    ***


    After the failure at the No Offspring Tomb, Agnus challenged Grenier¡¯s mountain army and felt another big wall. He was forced to change course. He visited the East Continent where he was rtively free to work since it wasn¡¯t the realm of the Overgeared Guild. He raided viges and cities, massacring civilians and restoring his power.


    He avoided the nations protected by the resurrected Four Gods as much as possible. He aimed at ces still under the rule of the Hwan Kingdom. Fortunately, his activities werefortable because no yangbans appeared. The prestige of the East Continent was different from before.


    ¡®It was smashed by Grid and Kraugel.¡¯


    Agnus deeply felt the existence of the two men who were ahead of him and looked back on his life. His days when he was crazy were restored without any denials. He was able to feel it. How many failures had he experienced? It was a fact that he was too ipetent and powerless to y a role.


    ¡°You are cut.¡±


    There was a call from Baal. It was a call that came when he was eager to grow, thus he was dissatisfied. If it was his usual self, he wouldn¡¯t have responded. However, that was a situation from before the great human and demon war. He wanted to receive a quest to kill civilians as he did before. He wanted to take the ¡®opportunity¡¯ that he had rejected in the past. Thus, he ran right over.


    The situation that flowed was different from his expectations. Baal wasn¡¯t in a normal state. The ring finger of the hand holding the wine cup showed off a wound. In fact, it wasn¡¯t a wound. There were only faint traces of the blood that had been spilled.


    Baal even seemed ecstatic. Baal exined to Agnus, who was looking dumbfounded, ¡°I was identally cut when the Sword Saint cut through hell. It is the first time I have suffered such a deep wound. It is a very fresh and pleasant stimulus, so I am happy.¡±


    His saw de-like teeth were particrly eye-catching today. He naturally had a bad smile. It was unpleasant to see that he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    ¡°You are bluffing. You are someone who was killed by Grid in the human world.¡±


    Chepardea shouted after hearing Agnus¡¯ sarcastic words.


    -The ¡®one¡¯ that was attached to you was just a tiny fragment of His Majesty.Croak!How can you say that to His Majesty?!


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense. Baal, tell me why you called me.¡±


    -T-This impolite guy!


    ¡°Stop it, Chepardea.¡±


    Baal waved his hand to the agitated Chepardea like he was a nuisance and stretched out his neck. The thick neck with blue blood vessels sticking out stretched out. It stretched like a huge snake waking up from hibernation. The appearance was so bizarre and disgusting that Agnus couldn¡¯t help taking a step back. Yet it was meaningless as Baal¡¯s face came right up to his nose. The neck stretched out by as much as seven meters.


    ¡°Do you know why hell exists? Oh, you don¡¯t know. It is so trivial that it is hard to predict.¡±


    The red-blooded eyes turned upside down like a tilted crescent moon. The blurry eyes shook like waves, like dots roughly drawn on a blood-stained photo. There was no focus. It didn¡¯t contain anything. There was no way to know what he was seeing even though they were facing each other.


    ¡°Go to Marbas.¡±


    Baal¡¯s long neck rose as it coiled around Agnus¡¯ upper body. The chill of his bones freezing and the heat from the evaporation of blood made Agnus feel pained. Agnus was barely holding onto his dizzy spirit when Baal¡¯s thin lips touched Agnus¡¯ ears.


    ¡°It is obvious that guy is my father¡¯s loyal servant. He will be watching for a chance to get in touch with you. I believe he will tell you the truth of the world and will be on your side. Be deceitful. Cheat, trample, and snatch things. Destroy the world where everything is set and insignificant, along with your enemies.¡±


    A new episode and quest were opened to Agnus.


    There was a dark smile on Baal¡¯s face as he flicked his dark tongue. ¡°Run as wild as you like and make me happy.¡±


    ***


    The force most shaken by the news that Grid had be a myth was the Yatan Church. The Yatan Church was standing on the side of the great demons, so from their position, Grid would be the biggest difficulty. He was a type of ultimate boss. As he grew stronger, so did the tensions of the Yatan Church. There were many people who were intimidated because this was a really serious problem. However, the servants who were the pirs of the Yatan Church were calm.


    ¡°What is there to be afraid of when the lords of hell are with us?¡±


    War wasn¡¯t a problem that could be solved with the power of an individual. Grid was so special that he could handle hundreds or thousands of troops alone. The forces of his kingdom could take on tens or hundreds of thousands. However, the scale of the great human and demon war wasn¡¯t in the hundreds of thousands. It would be a massive war with ¡®at least¡¯ tens of millions of troops and the entire continent as the stage.


    The number of Yatan followers had risen steadily over the past few years and recently it had grown so rapidly that it was hard to count. Moreover, there would be great demons who were powerful enough to destroy a kingdom alone. They would create an environment where the great demons could mobilize their demonic creatures. The great demons, who had been fighting lonely battles on the surface until now, would lead their armies and prove why they were called monarchs.


    ¡°We also have the chimeras.¡±


    Thebination of demons and humans. The experiment of the second species seeded too easily. Completely different beings, demonic creatures and humans, had be one to form a powerful demonic human. Contrary to expectations, they didn¡¯t exert magic and forceparable to ¡®demons¡¯ but they were stronger than many knights. In other words, ordinary people could be used as materials to make senior demonic creatures. The biggest advantage was that they were easy to mass produce.


    At this moment, the demonic humans were growing as they killed and devoured travelers all over the continent. They were the main offenders behind the ghost town matter.


    ¡°It is true that we have always been defeated so far, but we will be the final winners.¡±


    The Yatan followers cheered when the servants confirmed it. Their fear toward Grid was gradually decreasing.

 Chapter 1472

    <h4>Chapter 1472</h4>


    The pollen blown on the breeze left green marks on the window frames. It was spring. Unlike the central part of the continent that suffered from cold winters, the southern part of the continent was warm. Children could be heard running around at the entrance of the alley. The expressions of the wives who watered the flowerbeds and chattered were calm. Laundry lines hung between houses and the houses smelled like people were living there.


    The scenery of the vige was ordinary and nothing special. The yers had no doubts until the glorious moon revealed its presence in the dark sky.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    ¡°S-Shit, what is this?!¡±


    ¡°Hiiik!¡±


    The boys who wanted to kick the ball, the girls showing off their flower gands, the young people helping their fathers at work, the middle-aged people who were still soldiers in active service, the wives who greeted them with a kind smile, and the vige leader who worked with a careful attitude.


    The residents who seemed like ordinary vigers during the day suddenly turned into monsters. The innkeeper who asked with a nice expression if he had eaten just an hour ago now stabbed a kitchen knife in his back. The vige chief, who asked him not to drink too much due to the request tomorrow, lit a fire at the entrance of the inn. His eyes were red and his skin was purple.


    The identity of these vigers was the rumored demonic humans.


    ¡°What the hell? Was there something we missed?¡± the martial artist, who was stabbed in the back while eating soup, shouted nervously. He was a powerful person who gained fame in several regions and he fought back. He smashed his ultimate skill into the innkeeper¡¯s face.


    The swordsman replied as the innkeeper¡¯s wife rushed over with a wok, ¡°We didn¡¯t let our guard down. They didn¡¯t have the characteristics of a demonic human.¡±


    A magician fell down after being stabbed in the thigh by the innkeeper¡¯s daughter and son.


    ¡°Oh my god. The rumor about the demonic humans having learning ability is true. These sons of a bitches... they are bing better at hiding their identity.¡±


    ¡°Caviar!¡±


    ¡°Check the timing when calling someone¡¯s name... Keok!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaack...!¡±


    It took only five minutes for a party to be wiped out. This was despite the fact that they were a mid-sized party of eight yers who were at least level 300. The attacks of the demonic humans were so sudden and effective. The moment they saw the scene of the innkeeper and his wife standing up like zombies in their ck and white vision, they opened their eyes again at the resurrection point they set at different locations.


    Some of them were in despair. The residents of vigers and cities they had been based in for months and years had also been turned into demonic humans.


    ¡°T-This is crazy...¡±


    ¡°No way! I¡¯ve lived in this city for years! I¡¯ve spent a few nights with these people! These people originally weren¡¯t demonic humans! Ack!Aaaack!¡±


    The turmoil across the continent elerated. Breaking news broke out that people of hundreds of viges and cities had been turned into demonic humans. The number of yers that died jumped from thousands to tens of thousands in just a few days. Dozens of viges and cities were destroyed in the fierce battle between demonic humans and yers.


    The dark elves were also involved. The elves of the world tree weren¡¯t necessarily corrupted. It was the female and male elves known to have left the world tree in the wake of some incident. They were eroded by demonic energy somewhere and returned to their homnd. It was far from a valuable return. They were like the des of a knife and with a strong intention to kill.


    By the time the Overgeared Kingdom received news that the imperial army guarding the outskirts of the World Tree Forest had been wiped out by the dark elves, Basara had already dispatched new troops. The response was very swift, but Lauel¡¯s expression was dark. ¡°The empire has dispersed arge number of troops to hunt the demonic humans. In fact, it is safe to call it a civil war. There will be a limited number of reinforcements that can be sent to the world tree.¡±


    The empire was the nation that was suffering the most damage from the demonic humans. Their problem was that thend mass was too big and there were too many people. There were countless viges in the empire and not all of them could be managed. It was impossible even for the empire to identify and manage viges that were set up without permission in remote areas in ¡®real-time.¡¯


    Even if a vige was found and cleaned up through periodic reconnaissance and surveince, new viges were being built in another ce at the same time. Thus, there was no end. The residents of these unauthorized viges could easily be the target of the demonic humans. They weren¡¯t protected by the empire so it was easy for the Yatan Church to get close.


    ¡°Additional troops should be sent immediately. I don¡¯t know what will happen if the world tree falls into the enemy¡¯s hands. Therefore, I want to send some elite people who can act as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to send a messenger?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please give permission.¡±


    Lauel was on one knee as he lowered his head. He couldn¡¯t help bowing when facing Grid with a red aura around him. A noble character was felt from Grid. Lauel was overwhelmed by the boldness of the color that harmonized with the dark blue of Greed.


    The first time he saw it, he waspletely fascinated and lost his mind. The second time he saw it, he was half crazy due to envy. From time to time, he sent whispers to Skin Maker Guseha in the hope of implementing this feeling. It was a gift from the S.A Group and most people believed that Lauel had arge stake in the life of the master called ¡®Guseha.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s send Braham and Nefelina. They are the two who are the most free.¡±


    Piaro and Mercedes weremanders before they were a farmer and a knight. They attended strategy meetings and helped train the army. Asgard was likely paying attention to Sariel and she would be a target if she left the Overgeared Kingdom on her own without Grid. Zikfrector... his condition was too bad to trust him to do something.


    ¡°They have enoughbat effectiveness, but... I¡¯m a bit anxious.¡±


    Grid thought reasonably and assigned the staff, but Lauel¡¯s response was subtle.


    ¡°If the two of them go, won¡¯t they be swept away by the atmosphere and burn the world tree?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham was the Duke of Wisdom, but he was emotional. Meanwhile, Nefelina was a dragon, but she was young. Besides, the rtionship between the two of them wasn¡¯t very good. It was the perfectbination to get swept away by the atmosphere because they were strangelypetitive.


    Grid frowned at the thought of Braham¡¯s past trolling. ¡°Then should I send Mercedes?¡±


    ¡°She is a bit... sometimes she can¡¯t distinguish the consequences...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid realized it once again. His messengers¡ª


    Each one of them had outstanding abilities and the potential to be even better, but their personalities were entric. This was a slightly serious problem because he was reluctant to assign them solo assignments.


    ¡®Of course, it is changing, but... for the seventh messenger, I should choose an ordinary human.¡¯


    Grid pledged before suggesting another name. ¡°Then Piaro?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would like to send all the Red Knights with Sir Piaro and Sir Asmophel as the main axis. Before the great human and demon war, they should learn to cooperate as before. Additionally, Sir Piaro¡¯s wife is an elf, so he will have feelings toward this mission.¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    The seventh messenger chosen must definitely be a normal person...


    Grid once again became determined.


    ¡°There is an urgent report from Siren.¡± Just then, a messenger came. ¡°Arge number of marine life have turned into demonic creatures and are attacking Siren.¡±


    ¡°Marine life? You mean monsters like the kraken?¡±


    The messenger exined to Grid. ¡°That... there are quite a few ordinary fish that have turned into demonic creatures.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°There will be cases where fishermen will be harmed. We need to strengthen the environment of the territory near the coast. What is Siren¡¯s request?¡±


    ¡°They want 5,000 elite troops.¡±


    5,000 troops was a small number for the current Overgeared Kingdom. It was possible to pick the elite troops on the spot. However, choosing people who could fight underwater was a separate matter. It had been 20 years since they formed an alliance with Siren. They had means of breathing in water, but being able to breathe didn¡¯t mean they could fight well in the water.


    ¡®There is no water pressure inside Siren. The problem is the process of moving to Siren.¡¯


    Siren said they were under attack. They were likely to be surrounded. In order to break through the siege and enter Siren, abat power that wasn¡¯t affected by water pressure or those experienced in waterbat were needed.


    ¡®Since a few years ago, Soldier has been raising the navy, but there is no practical experience. I can only send the early members, including Toon.¡¯


    In fact, the easiest solution was to send Braham. It was just that Siren originally demanded 5,000 people. It was too much to send Braham. His value wasn¡¯t worth 5,000 troops, but 500,000 troops. Now that the boundaries between hell and the human world were gradually breaking down and various incidents were urring all over the continent, he needed to consider where he sent his messengers.


    ¡°We will build the reinforcements around the members who didn¡¯t participate in the hell expedition or who dropped out.¡±


    ¡°How many soldiers will you send?¡±


    ¡°They asked for 5,000, so I have to send at least 5,000. I will send all of the navy so they can umte practical experience.¡±


    ¡°This is good. Soldier whom I previously saw on Cokro looked very bored.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t necessary to send 5,000 troops as long as members such as Toon were sent. 2,000 would be enough. However, it was better to meet the request of the alliance as much as possible. They should show maximum sincerity to build greater trust and maintain better rtionships.


    ¡°Let¡¯s add Overgeared Skeleton Two to it.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Skeleton Two?¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Skeleton Two can work independently after it became a lich. I have to test how far it can go.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the summons will be maintained even if Your Majesty isn¡¯t around?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it can operate independently unless its health runs out or I reverse the summoning.¡±


    A necromancer would be shocked to hear this. The Overgeared Skeletons were an existence created by the former third-ranked great demon and they had many special features. It was good to treat them as a miracle. He just honestly didn¡¯t know if the summons would be maintained in Siren which was thousands of kilometers away from here. Thus, he wanted to check it out.


    Lauel was worried. ¡°I doubt that Overgeared Skeleton Two can be active alone without Your Majesty. If it shows a weak disy in Siren, then it will shame Your Majesty.¡±


    He didn¡¯t doubt the power of the Overgeared Skeleton Two. A lich was one of the pinnacles of a skeleton. Moreover, Overgeared Skeleton Two had been armed with Grid¡¯s items over the past few days. Lauel¡¯s only worry was the AI of Overgeared Skeleton Two. Was it possible for it to make the best judgment and action with orders from its master?


    Lauel didn¡¯t want Grid¡¯s power to look ugly during external activities. In particr, the people of Siren were different in culture and emotions so the spread of the Overgeared God Church was rtively slow. It wasn¡¯t enough to show a good performance.


    Grid directly asked Overgeared Skeleton Two, who was hammering hard, ¡°Overgeared Skeleton Two, can I believe in you?¡±


    [Yes... I will repay your expectations.] Overgeared Skeleton Two put down the hammer and replied while prostrating himself on the ground. Its attitude showed there was no need for long words. It was determined to show results.


    The appearance of the skeleton spreading ck magic power with shining eyes made Lauel¡¯s heart tremble.


    ¡°Ugh...! This storm of magic power that makes the ck dragon react!¡±


    ¡°Go away now.¡±


    The moment the ck-red mes were going to erupt from Lauel¡¯s left arm, Grid frowned and waved his hands. He was trying to break it up before the conversation went on a tangent. Grid was very busy because he had to innovate the messengers¡¯ gear. His work was still full and overflowing. At this moment¡ª


    [The morale of the allied soldiers has dropped significantly.]


    [The stamina and power of the allied soldiers are reduced by 40%.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Just then, strange notification windows appeared. Grid was flustered because it happened suddenly, while Lauel immediately started to investigate the situation. After a while¡ª


    ¡°It is said that the churches of the three gods have started to incite things,¡± Lauel exined with a distorted expression after he grasped the situation. ¡°They are making false ims that the demonic humans are caused due to the destruction of the gods¡¯ symbols in the Overgeared Kingdom by the Overgeared God Church.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough to not join forces. Now they want to antagonize me?¡±


    ¡°The demonic humans, the dark elves, the transformation of marine life and some monsters to demonic creatures... I¡¯m sure they are taking this situation as an opportunity. The more anxious people be, the stronger the influence of religion. The churches of the three gods are the only ones who can calm the current chaos. They will naturally use us in the process of recruiting members.¡±


    ¡°Has public opinion already tilted toward the three gods enough to shake the allied soldiers?¡±


    Then, world messages appeared.


    [The people¡¯s faith in Goddess Reba has deepened.]


    [The people¡¯s faith in God Dominion has deepened.]


    [The people¡¯s faith in God Judar has deepened.]


    Humans were weak. Few people lived alone. The more people experienced impossible things, the more they looked for supernatural things and the more they tended to rely on a god. It wasn¡¯t difficult for the churches to handle them as they pleased.


    ¡°...Cults gain power for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet the pope.¡±


    Grid, who had never stopped working throughout his conversation with Lauel, put down the hammer for the first time.


    Lauel somehow felt a chill. In the open space outside the smithy, Haster was startled as he faced the God Hands. It was because the God Hands stopped moving in unison and released killing intent.

 Chapter 1473

    <h4>Chapter 1473</h4>


    The Reba Church was conscious of their debt to Grid. He was the agent of the goddess who punished the corrupted pope and the warrior who unlocked the seal of the Holy Sword. He saved the lives of the Reba¡¯s Daughters and saved the Vatican that was in a crisis. Most of the members recognized that without Grid, their church would¡¯ve declined.


    However, they didn¡¯t openly worship Grid as a benefactor. It was because hemitted a sin that was contrary to their doctrines. A human being who had be a god. A new religion was set up. He even took away Pope Damian, a number of elders, and the Reba¡¯s Daughters...


    The Reba Church went through great confusion. There was a heated debate. Some of the doctrine-driven members of the church argued that Grid should be punished immediately. Meanwhile, the others who valued grace and reason as much as doctrine argued, ¡°How can you forget his grace and harm Grid?¡±


    Still, most of the followers had realistic thinking and asked, ¡®What right do we have to discuss Grid¡¯s punishment?¡¯


    It was a question that silenced both those who said they should punish Grid and those who said they shouldn¡¯t punish Grid. It was because the essence was contained in the question. The Reba Church had no power to harm Grid. The same was true even if they worked with the Dominion Church and Judar Church.


    Theck of power was a good thing.


    The Reba Church sat on the fence. They didn¡¯t respond outright to Grid. They used the pretext of being powerless to just express regret. Many members of the church cheered for Grid in their hearts. In the wake of the Archangel Sariel incident, there were believers who had doubts about Reba. Would the core members of the church betray the goddess for no reason?


    Some senior priests condemned Damian and said he was punished by the angel for his evil heart, causing him to be expelled. The elders and Reba¡¯s Daughters who left with Damian were blinded by wealth and corrupted. It was nothing more than cheap incitement.


    There weren¡¯t many church members who believed their words. The believers remembered the truth, faith, and good deeds Damian showed during his time as pope. It happened one day as the doubts and confusion among the church members deepened...


    On this day, the believers gathered together to elect an interim pope.


    -He will guide you.


    Someone¡¯s voice was heard high in the sky. It was a divine voice that was separate from the doubts in their hearts. They naturally bowed their heads. The voice was warm and they wanted to rely on it. Ahh, why did they doubt her for a moment? The believers regretted being so hasty.


    A light fell in front of them as they prayed with their hands together. A figure with blond hair shone in the light. It was hard to tell if they were a beautiful woman or a handsome man. He introduced himself as the new Goddess¡¯ Agent and he naturally became the pope. He was as warm as the goddess¡¯ voice. He was also verypetent and was described as the ¡®seconding¡¯ of 2nd Pope Chreshler.


    The believers gradually trusted and relied on him. They recovered a bit of their lost faith. However, this time they doubted the pope¡¯s actions.


    ¡°What do you mean by the demonic humans appeared due to the Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared God Church?¡±


    The demonic humans also urred in viges and cities where the symbols were fine. Additionally, most of the symbols destroyed by the Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared God Church were rted to Martial God Zeratul. Of course, the symbols of the other gods were damaged, but at the very least, they didn¡¯t touch the symbols of Goddess Reba. They kept this line. In other words, Goddess Reba¡¯s symbols were intact in ces with the demonic humans. The pope¡¯s im that the demonic humans urred in viges and cities where the symbol of Goddess Reba was destroyed was clearly wrong.


    ¡°The Overgeared God Church won¡¯t sit by and leave alone the pope¡¯s distorted im.¡±


    ¡°We need to correct it right away...¡±


    The situation that flowed became serious. The believers who were incited by the pope¡¯s ims were misleading the public. The aftermath was felt in real time. There were reports that people who had been cut off for a while were heading to the temples of the three gods.


    The Overgeared Kingdom worshipped the Overgeared God and founded the Overgeared God Church. The Reba Church and Overgeared God Church were barely in a neutral state, but that tightrope seemed to being to an end. The aftermath would be big. They were afraid.


    The pope looked at the elders who were pouring out their concerns and opened his mouth, ¡°Are you members of the Overgeared God Church? Why are you, the elders of our church, representing their position?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an emotional problem. The moment the Overgeared Kingdom bes hostile to our church, it will be inconvenient in many ways.¡±


    At present, the Vatican itself was within the territory of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Vatican had existed even before the creation of the Overgeared Kingdom and was legally recognized as an independent territory. However, thews mentioned here wereid down during the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s rule. The Overgeared Kingdom could abolish the existingws and eject the Vatican at any time if they wanted. Of course, the Vatican could be rebuilt in other kingdoms. However, it would be humiliating if they were kicked out.


    They honestly questioned how many kingdoms would ept the Vatican. Now the influence of the Overgeared Kingdom reached all over the continent.


    ¡°Moreover, isn¡¯t this the time when the demons are moving? Why is there a need to increase the number of enemies when we are facing amon enemy?¡±


    The pope was an example for everyone. Despite being so powerful and divine that he was called the seconding of Chreshler, he didn¡¯t go on a rampage. Even though he received the Blessing of Light from the goddess, he didn¡¯t have the sense and arrogance of a chosen person. He always had a learning attitude.


    Thus, the elders could point out the pope¡¯s faults. They believed he would repent on his mistakes and solve the problem. However, the pope¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Demons. Amon enemy.¡± The pope repeated and approached the window. He opened the high window and stood on the terrace.


    ¡°Wahhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Hooray, His Holiness! Hooray, Goddess Reba!¡±


    Tens of thousands of people filled the square. There were a variety of races. They came from all over the continent. How long had it been since so many people gathered at the Vatican?


    The people waved to them with a kind smile before whispering to the elders.


    ¡°They are far from the reason for our church¡¯s existence.¡±


    ¡°What does that...¡±


    ¡°Our church is only for Goddess Reba. The reason why our church has fought against evil beings and served weak humans is to build Goddess Reba¡¯s virtues and have Goddess Reba¡¯s name spread widely throughout the world. Putting the me on the Overgeared God and distorting the truth? Yes, that¡¯s right. I used this as an opportunity to raise the power of our church and correct Goddess Reba¡¯s lost reputation. Ipleted the mission of the pope. The elders have the responsibility to help me. How can you me me instead?¡±


    ¡°The order is wrong. Goddess Reba exists for humanity and we serve her with gratitude.¡±


    The old elder who spoke on behalf of the elders felt madness from the pope and shut up. He was a parish priest active in Titan, the capital of the empire. He served the goddess more honestly and faithfully than anyone else. He was so popr that he was once mentioned as a candidate for the pope. However, he just wanted to be a priest who prayed to the goddess. He stayed away from power. Of his own volition, he didn¡¯t run for the pope position and he refused to hold a senior post. He recently epted a senior position to lead the Reba Church on the right path. He was worried to see the believers doubt the goddess so easily. Therefore, he took the lead so he wouldn¡¯t let them get lost.


    ¡°I believe Your Holiness made the wrong judgment because you are crushed by heavy responsibilities. I believe you made a slip of the tongue because you were excited by the cheers and support of the people. It is better for you to take a few days off and take care of yourself.¡±


    It was dangerous. There was a temperament of fanaticism. The elder was seeing into the essence of the pope. He knew how to think and judge politically. He decided to detain the pope momentarily. However, this pope was called the seconding of Chreshler. This was in terms of force.


    ¡°The old man has spoken ludicrous words. You need to be corrected.¡± A light shed. It was a light that stretched out in a straight line. This was thest sight that the elder from Titan saw.


    ¡°T-This is unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡±


    The faces of the elders turned white.


    The people in the square were still cheering without knowing what happened above. The pope waved to them with a smile while an old man turned into a corpse and rolled around the pope¡¯s feet. The scene that urred was so unrealistic that the elders couldn¡¯t properly ept the situation. Nevertheless, fear entered their hearts. They felt like they had seen the demon. A twisted fanatic who was close to evil.


    On the other hand¡ª


    ¡°What was that light just now?¡±


    The people of the broadcasting station, who were filming the pope and people in the square from the opposite building, felt a strange difference. There was a white light that destroyed the view around the pope. Once they opened their eyes again, the scenery wasn¡¯t different from a while ago, but somehow, the faces of the elders standing behind the pope were frightened.


    ¡°Turn the camera back.¡±


    ¡°The light was so strong that itpletely covered the screen. I can¡¯t capture anything.¡±


    ¡°This damn thing...¡±


    Something must¡¯ve happened. The viewers watching the show in real time as well as the station¡¯s filming crew felt a strange atmosphere. Only the people in the square didn¡¯t detect the change. It was because they couldn¡¯t clearly see the terrace from their position.


    ¡°Where are you looking?¡±


    It happened when the filming team and viewers were feeling extremely frustrated...


    The pope, who was looking down at the people in the square in a pleased manner, abruptly shifted his gaze to the sky. Dozens of cameras chased his gaze. An orange glow was spreading in the blue sky without any clouds. It was like a sunset. It was mysterious and beautiful.


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    The shooting team was flustered. The video conveyed to the viewers shook. Grid was gazing down at the pope in a cold manner. There was a clear sense of anger. The ck eyes were red like a sun spreading the sunset.


    ¡°......¡±


    The people in the square btedly realized Grid¡¯s emergence and became silent. The unapproachable dignity forced them to remain silent.


    ¡°I want to ask the pope.¡±


    It was Grid who brought the silence and he was the one who broke it.


    ¡°You imed that the cause of the demonic humans is my kingdom. You are guilty of defaming my kingdom with groundless ims and demoralizing the soldiers ahead of the war. Apologize.¡±


    Every one of Grid¡¯s words were angry. His cold voice contained anger. The dignity that forced silence changed to a power that made heads bow. The people in the square reflexively flinched. It was both yers and NPCs. No one dared to lift their heads. The shooting team¡¯s circumstances were simr. They were quite a distance away from Grid, but they were still weighed down by the pressure. The camera lens was lowered and viewers had to suffer from the inconvenience.


    The elders were contemtive. Their expressions seemed to be saying, ¡®You came.¡¯


    The pope was the only one who was nonchnt. He blurred the essence. He focused on and criticized Grid¡¯s actions, not his words. ¡°Did youe to our church to receive an apology? Still, it is embarrassing that a man who ims to be a god can¡¯t control his anger and moves around so lightly. I didn¡¯t expect much since your level of heresy is too high, but you are much lower than I expected.¡±


    The pope¡¯s words quickened. He was trying not to show it, but he was very excited. He seemed to be enjoying this situation.


    ¡°Your intention ofing to our church on the day of the rally and expressing your anger in front of the many members of the church, showing off your power and force... it is to intimidate the church members and crush the spirit of the members. Is a god such an impure and violent being to you? Do you want to prove yourself? It isn¡¯t appropriate. You don¡¯t know God because you aren¡¯t a god. My church and I deny you.¡±


    ¡°I am showing off my power and force?¡± Grid had been expressionless and now his lips curled up. It was so ridiculous that augh leaked out. He pulled a sword out of his inventory. It wasn¡¯t a famous divine sword. It was one of the low-grade weapons made in the smithy a while ago.


    Grid threw it. He didn¡¯t mix in any techniques or skills. The sword flew like a sh, cutting the pope¡¯s earlobe and mmed into the wall. At the same time, the ground shook. Cracks urred in the building that couldn¡¯t withstand the impact. The building was shaken.


    ¡°If I really showed off my strength, would the Reba Church still exist?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    At this moment, the Reba Church that had reigned as thergest and best religion for a long time, became an insignificant organization.


    One sentence from Grid made it so. People sensed it. Today, the bnce of power would change.

 Chapter 1474

    <h4>Chapter 1474</h4>


    ¡°If I really showed off my strength, would the Reba Church still exist?¡±


    They were shocking words. He meant that the Reba Church could be destroyed at any time. A madness beyond the level of arrogance was felt. It didn¡¯t seem like sane words.


    ¡°How can you make such absurd remarks?¡±


    A stir urred among the church members who were weighed down by the pressure from Grid. They seemed to have forgotten their fear due to confusion. There were many church members who couldn¡¯t hide their anger.


    Reba, the goddess of light, was a special presence. She created the world and created humanity. Even the noble gods of Asgard considered her a mother. It was why the Reba Church was able to reign as thergest and best religion. Who would dare to harm the Reba Church that was protected by the Creator?


    It was physically impossible. The Yatan Church had proven it many times. The Yatan Church rose up many times and threatened the Reba Church, but the Reba Church escaped every moment of crisis. Grid was one of the proofs. Grid had fought for the Reba Church and indirectly helped the Reba Church by killing the Yatan Servants.


    ...The exceptionally faithful members of the Reba Church thought so.


    They were half right. One of the reasons why Grid helped the Reba Church was Reba¡¯s divine message.


    ¡°Hiik!¡± The church members were staring at Grid with disgust when the ground shook with a deafening sound. It was the aftermath of the building tilting slightly.


    ¡°You threaten me with force immediately. Can¡¯t you restrain your emotions? Or are you not restraining yourself? No matter what, the world will be flooded with disaster if there is a god like you in the world. People will be careful about attracting your eyes.¡± The pope never thought Grid would pull a sword out of nowhere with so many witnesses. He even insulted the Reba Church. The pope liked Grid¡¯s wild actions. The more disappointed the people were in Grid, the weaker their worship of Grid would be.


    ¡®Is this one of those divine swords?¡¯ The pope moved his blue eyes and looked at the sword next to his face. It was thrown with great power and buried deep in the wall. However, the sword was fine. From his perspective, it was a great sword. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look the same as the rumored divine swords. He recently created a new one.¡¯


    The pope didn¡¯t acknowledge Grid¡¯s divinity. Still, he didn¡¯t deny the fact that Grid¡¯s battle gear, which was called divine swords in public, was excellent. It was because Asgard coveted them. The pope thought that Grid was a recement for Hexetia. The clear evidence was that the goddess hadn¡¯t recovered the blessing she gave him.


    ¡®They seem to have no intention of releasing Hexetia. This man will be the next cksmith god. I need to correct it before sending you up to heaven.¡±


    During Grid¡¯s journey of growth, there were blessings and favors from various gods, including Goddess Reba. The pope intended to correct Grid to maintain order in Asgard. There shouldn¡¯t be the illusion that he was equal to the other gods.


    The pope pulled out the sword in the wall. His gaze was still fixed in Grid¡¯s direction when once again, a de brushed by his earlobe. Blood flowed from his earlobe that was cut by the second sword thrown by Grid. A protective shield wasn¡¯t created so he was cut by the de.


    By this point, it was certain that the pope¡¯s identity was an angel. It wasn¡¯t a special fact. From the time the new pope was decided and his appearance seen, the Overgeared Kingdom had inferred the pope¡¯s identity. Just like Amoract was behind the Yatan Church, there were the angels behind the Reba Church.


    ¡®At first, I thought it was Sariel.¡¯


    Sariel had said that they had been kicked out of heaven and their body couldn¡¯t be reced. In fact, a copy of Sariel was active in the Reba Church. The identity of the Temr was Sariel¡¯s copy. It wasn¡¯t strange for a new copy to appear again.


    However, the pope was different from Sariel. The overall atmosphere was simr due to the blonde hair and appearance that was hard to distinguish between genders, but looking closely, there was a difference in the facial features. The facial line was a bit thicker and he was 10 centimeters taller. Sariel gave off a strong impression of beauty, but the pope was a bit more masculine.


    ¡°Do you see my wound?¡± The pope, whose earlobe was covered with blood, raised his hand high. ¡°The Overgeared King has already proved his violence by destroying the symbols of the gods he should serve. He had finally revealed his true nature now. Hemitted a violent act without giving evidence that he isn¡¯t the main culprit that caused the demonic humans or trying to persuade me through conversation. I am sad and angry at the attitude of threatening to destroy our church.¡±


    ¡°Boo!Booooo!¡±The congregation started booing Grid. They were NPCs.


    The yers who were members were sneaking out of the scene. yers saw the world objectivelypared to NPCs. It was because they had been exposed to all types of media. It was rare for a yer to blindly believe in the pope.


    ¡°Engrave his image in your mind. He isn¡¯t a god. He might¡¯ve obtained the equivalent of divinity, but he doesn¡¯t have the sense of justice to wield it correctly. He is just a king. He will prioritize his own territory, not the territory of humanity or humanity¡¯s safety...¡± The pope¡¯s speech began. The clear and warm voice was engraved in the hearts, not the heads, of the church members. The contents of the speech were simple.


    Grid isn¡¯t a god.You must not believe in him or rely on him. You have to deny him who calls himself a god.If he shows violence against our church, I will protect you.So don¡¯t be afraid to me him


    The contents were simple and clear. The pope was very good at acting and he gave people a kind impression that contained sincerity toward the church members.


    Grid descended slowly. His eye level was aligned with the pope.


    ¡°Booooo!¡±The boos from the church members intensified.


    There was a faint smile on the pope¡¯s face. He looked triumphant and was convinced that Grid would step down from his intention of using violence here. There was a fact he overlooked.


    ¡°Your tongue is long.¡±


    There was no point in people denying Grid. Grid had already proven his qualifications and became a god. Even if someone denied him now, his divinity wasn¡¯t shaken. Additionally...


    ¡°You will die here.¡±


    Grid¡¯s power was beyond the pope¡¯s imagination. From the time he denied Grid¡¯s identity, the pope had misjudged Grid. The Fire Dragon Sword rotated in Grid¡¯s left hand that extended into the air. It immediately aimed at the pope and fired a breath. At the same time, Grid was holding the Formless Sword in his right hand.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡± Angels ignored long-range attacks. The pope hadn¡¯t felt the need to stop the breath, but he ended up groaning. It was because he was cut by the de that prated through the explosion caused by the breath. He tried to block it with the divine sword he recovered earlier, but the divine sword was broken in vain. He immediately pulled out the Holy Sword, but it was toote. The spiral de wrapped around his neck and put pressure on it.


    The pope¡¯s head was separated from his body. Artistry could be seen in the blood that scattered under the orange light.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The church members in the square doubted their eyes. The viewers couldn¡¯t shut their mouths. It was in an instant. The pope¡¯s throat was cut off in an instant and even the time¡ªin seconds¡ªcouldn¡¯t be predicted. Considering his role and weight in the game, the opponent was likely to be a super named NPC, yet he was reduced to a corpse with one strike. They couldn¡¯t believe it even when they saw it.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Your Holinessssss!¡±


    Bted screams echoed. The trees that grew on the mountains surrounding the Vatican seemed to shake faintly. The heals of tens of thousands of church members poured toward the pope. It was a rain of light.


    Grid¡¯s gaze fell to the square. The Overgeared God¡¯s Observation triggered, destroying most of the heals. It was just that there were tens of thousands of heals. It was impossible to block the source. In the first ce, he hadn¡¯t intended to block them.


    Grid moved his gaze from the square to the building. They were still, unlike the members in the square. They didn¡¯t use any heals or buffs on the pope. They didn¡¯t attack or reprimand Grid. Some people looked down as if they were embarrassed and others sighed with relief. Grid stopped his intention to subdue them. ¡®There seems to be a story, but I will still eliminate the churches of the three gods.¡¯


    Forplicated reasons, Grid hadn¡¯t opposed the Reba Church, Dominion Church, and Judar Church.


    First of all, they were essentially good people. They were different from the reality of the gods. Most of the believers of the three gods took care of the people. They also yed an important role in deterring the expansion of the Yatan Church. Additionally, the churches of the three gods were organizations that nurtured healers, which were rare in Satisfy. The weaker the power of the three churches, the more precious that healers became. Maybe they would be extinct. Finally, Grid had a deep rtionship with the Reba Church. There were many bad memories, but there were also many good memories, so he didn¡¯t want to be hostile to them.


    However, he realized it today. The churches of the three gods only existed for the gods of Asgard. The evidence was the pope¡¯s determination to damage the position of Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom in the face of the great human and demon war.


    Asgard¡¯s influence was bound to affect the churches of the three gods. It was andmine that could explode at any time. It was better to get rid of them. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. The forces were so widespread that it was virtually impossible to root them all out. There was a high possibility that public sentiment would be shaken. There would probably be a lot of bacsh.


    ¡®Still, I have to get rid of them. Disband them.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t mean tomit a massacre. It was enough to damage the organization. He wouldn¡¯t shy away from any killing that was necessary in the process. It would be painful not to get a healer¡¯s help during the great human and demon war, but... as things stood, these guys wouldn¡¯t have helped in the first ce.


    sh!


    Light burst out.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    His transcendence was triggered. It meant there was a swift attack. In the elerated moment, Grid struck the straight line of light with his sword. The Fire Dragon Sword in his left hand floated into the air. The moment the second sword was discarded, the Formless Sword became faster and more sophisticated.


    It slid over the Holy Sword of the pope whose head was restored. Then he stabbed at the pope¡¯s throat again. This time, the pope was fine. The power of the Formless Sword was minimized due to the curtain of light around his body. It was a strong self-defense using divine power. The Fire Dragon Sword moved on its own and stabbed the pope in the back, but it failed to achieve much.


    ¡°Eh...? Ehh?¡± The church members were baffled by the pope¡¯s recovery that was like a lie. They knew he couldn¡¯t die easily and used heals in hopes he was alive, but they didn¡¯t expect him to immediately re-attach his cut off head and resurrect. They were more surprised than happy.


    ¡°You are truly a man with experience at killing angels. You are really skilled.¡±


    An angel¡ªan army built only for the gods of Asgard. They were called the invincible army because they had the protection that blocked all long-range attacks, including magic. They couldn¡¯t die from arrows fired from blind spots. In order to kill angels, one had to approach and fight directly. It was a life or death decision without a war of attrition.


    Grid was well aware of this fact. Thus, he abandoned the advantages of flying and descended to the ground. The need for that was gone now.


    The pope spread out white wings. Feathers fluttered from six wings. The papal tiara fell off and the halo of light floated above his head. The name that was revealed was Michael.


    Sariel had said that this was an angel with a high rank among archangels. Was it the gods¡¯ first angel? Another name was a knight or enforcer. He had the most outstanding force after the archangels Raphael and Gabriel. He might be the best when it came to ¡®killing¡¯ skills. It was because he was at the vanguard of the angels. He had experienced the most wars and dealt out the most divine punishment.


    ¡°Who speaks of the gods?¡±


    The moment Michael recited, the size of the Holy Sword increased along with a series of deafening sounds. It was the result of the continuous absorption of light that had stretched out in dozens of branches. By the time the holy sword was 5 meters long, no one at the scene could open their eyes. The light was so bright.


    Thanks to this, Grid learned the hidden characteristics of a myth ss. He didn¡¯t be blind in the face of the intense light that spread throughout the Vatican. There was no inconvenience at all. A god was a presence that touched the sun. It was natural for a god to not to suffer from the re.


    ¡°Your approach to being a god is immensely wrong. A god must be born from the goddess or recognized by Asgard. It isn¡¯t done on your own. I am going to correct you. Let¡¯s convert you first.¡±


    Michael proimed and lowered his huge Holy Sword. The destructive power was unusual, thus Grid stepped back to avoid it. He immediately realized this was a mistake. Shards of light¡ªthey scattered in all directions and stretched out like spears that struck Grid or condensed into spheres that showed signs of an explosion.


    Yet for Grid, mistakes weren¡¯t the end. He had many means to make up for mistakes. He also had the foundation of developing from his mistakes based on experience.


    Grid didn¡¯t bother to use Shunpo. The principle of Shunpo was to move his body to a ce he could ¡®see.¡¯ It was possible for a person with outstanding skills to read his gaze and predict the jumping point of Shunpo. Using Shunpo against Michael was likely to be a weakness instead.


    Grid rushed in with the defense of the innovated armor of the Four Gods. He used Lightning God around his body to avoid the spears of light while minimizing the explosive damage of the spheres with White Tiger¡¯s Posture. It happened while he was moving through the air like this...


    Michael once again lowered the sword of light. The space was cut and shards of light scattered again. It was the moment when this area fell under Michael¡¯s control. Thousands, tens of thousands. No, the infinite shards of light that contained destructive power restricted Grid¡¯s actions while the main body of the giant sword tore at Grid¡¯s flesh.


    Michael¡¯s blue eyes moved to his left. The moment of contact with the sword of light, the afterimage disappeared and Grid appeared in the direction he was looking. The big sword of light was growing in real time. Unknowingly, the length reached 7 meters before it was swung at Grid.


    The light erased the world. It glowed brilliantly and swallowed up all the scenery. The bright orange light surrounding Grid¡¯s body also lost its traces.


    No.


    ¡°Sky.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t lost. It carved a small dot in the quiet world of light. The dot soon became a line. It spread like a wave. Grid was crushed in the shoulder by the sword of light, but he rushed forward by relying on the Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix. The heavy and sharp de gradually dug deep into his shoulder des, but he didn¡¯t stop. He just sped up.


    Michael saw the fast approaching Grid and btedly noticed that the sharp screamsing from the shoulder guards weren¡¯t screams, but a roar.


    [Howling! Lv. 1]


    [Summons the image of a howling white tiger.


    All enemies within range of the white tiger¡¯s howl will stiffen for at least one second to a maximum of seven seconds while allies will have their defense increased by 10%.


    Mana Consumption: 2,000


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.]


    ¡°......!¡± Michael had been nning to act the moment Grid got a bit closer, but his expression ended up stiffening. It was because his body wasn¡¯t moving. He wanted to lower the sword even more, but he couldn¡¯t give any strength into his hands.


    ¡®The beasts of the east are interfering.¡¯


    Michael was upset, but he rxed his expression instead of showing it. If his body didn¡¯t move, then he would use magic. He added magic to the divine power surrounding the sword of light. It was a miraculous event. It wasn¡¯t just the light surrounding the giant sword. All the light that filled the area had divine power reced by magic power. Everything was linked using the Holy Sword as a medium.


    Destruction.


    It was the development of the great magic he often used when carrying out divine punishment and it could be described as a natural disaster. Michael expected a look of astonishment to fill Grid¡¯s face. He imagined Grid coughing up blood and falling down. It was from his own magic.


    He didn¡¯t foresee his own suffering until the great divine punishment was destroyed at the same moment it wasunched. Killing intent filled Michael¡¯s heart as Grid approached quickly using a mixture of magic power and silver thread. It was just the beginning. The former sword dance was just the beginning.


    Grid was no longer wary of the gods. From the time he became a myth ss, he was no longer afraid of the gods. In the world where light had faded, the orange afterimage expanded its range. Every time, there was a deafening roar. It was the sound of the Sky sword dance connecting the single sword dances. They cut through the wind and shed at Michael. It was like thunder.


    It was a true divine punishment.

 Chapter 1475

    <h4>Chapter 1475</h4>


    Satisfy wasn¡¯t kind. It didn¡¯t exin everything to the user. The typical evidence was that many of those attempting to change to a hidden ss failed their ss change quests, and a legendary cksmith didn¡¯t know the existence of the convenient ¡®automatic item production¡¯ function existed.


    ¡®Is this a characteristic of the myth ss as well?¡¯


    Grid sensed a very important change as he sliced at Michael with the Sky sword dance. The bnce of his body didn¡¯t copse when using the sword dances. Things such as pausing the action, holding the sword with both hands, or adding force to certain parts of the body to cope with the changing center of gravity were all eliminated.


    ¡®I have the ability to be immune to physical abnormalities.¡¯


    Did this mean he ignored the physicalws to a certain extent? He was thankful. Grid¡¯s ability to use the sword dance was freer than ever. He wielded his sword with one hand, leaving his other hand free to block Michael¡¯s counterattack or tear off his wings. He was able to go backward while using Kill and turn around while using Link.


    The scope of the actions of his sword dances were greatly expanded. The speed of linking sword dances together became faster and more natural. The inherent shorings of the sword dances, that existed no matter how many times he improved it, now disappearedpletely.


    Grid¡¯s sword dances were still elegant, but they were as simple as swordsmanship. It was very beautiful in harmony with the orange pr lights. It gave the impression of divinity.


    Grid utilized time in a manner different from others. It was for thest dozens of days. Unlike his colleagues, he stayed alone in a smithy andpleted the innovation of his divine swords. It was the result of spending the time when he couldn¡¯t go to the hunting ground as more precious than gold.


    The cutting power of his innovated and more powerful divine swords had naturally increased. The ¡®Cutting¡¯ skill that was a symbol of Failure was now attached to all the divine swords. The performance of the effects themselves were enhanced. It was the reason why Michael¡¯s body could be cut and split apart so easily.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± The church members on the ground sobbed and groaned. They felt like Michael was a monster as he repeatedly regenerated nerves and muscles from his cut body while also reconnecting bones.


    Pope Michael had spread out six wings and used the Holy Sword, revealing his identity as an angel. He was far from the noble image of an angel that the followers had imagined. It was a particr big problem when contrasted with the noble Grid. Good and evil seemed to be reversed. The cheering and encouragement of the church members toward Michael stopped. The baptism of heals calmed down. In the first ce, Michael didn¡¯t need the heals.


    ¡®Even though I am blessed by the three gods¡ª¡¯ Michael¡¯s thoughts were interrupted and repeated as his brain kept being split apart and regenerated. ¡®The blessings of the three gods are great, but he is so powerful?¡¯


    Michael was flustered. It was because he waspletely overwhelmed. The Trinity was lost and a considerable amount of power was sealed in the aftermath of his descent, but his swordsmanship wasn¡¯t rusty. Yet he was being pushed back. His execution sword had killed numerous pagans for a long time, but it couldn¡¯t punish Grid. Grid didn¡¯t die even when he was stabbed. His arms weren¡¯t cut off. On the other hand, every time Michael allowed an attack, his bones were broken or something was cut off.


    ¡®Did the goddess acknowledge him as a god?¡¯ Angels couldn¡¯t cut the gods of Asgard. It was aw that couldn¡¯t be broken unless they were corrupted like Sariel. Michael had to suspect if Grid had be a god of Asgard.


    He was mistaken. The reason he couldn¡¯t hurt Grid was simply because hecked attack power. All the armor that Grid was wearing were new ones that had been innovated. He even made a significant number of them with Greed. It might be possible to umte impact and deal damage, but it was impossible to cut them.


    The situation would¡¯ve been the same even if the Trinity had been formed or he ascended to heaven to liberate the power of an archangel. Greed had be a myth in ordance with Grid¡¯s growth and it only allowed damage that could threaten a god or was equal to a god.


    ¡®No, the goddess wouldn¡¯t have done this without saying anything. This person hadn¡¯t been recognized by the goddess yet.¡¯


    Feelings had no effect on the principles of an angel¡¯s behavior. They moved solely on faith. Michael might be flustered and confused a thousand times, but his sword never slowed down. The reason he was wary of Grid was due to Grid¡¯s title of Angel yer.


    It was after Sky was finished...


    Michael restored his arm that had been cut off again by the two fusion sword dances and immediately counterattacked. The Holy Sword that was filled with a strong divine power struck Grid¡¯s chest. A brilliant white glow soared to the sky and seemed to cut through the sunset.


    Grid endured the shock and lowered the Formless Sword in his hand. It was because Michael dug in deep for super closebat. It was a difficult distance to use the strength of the Formless Sword. The 1st God Hand flew over and held the Formless Sword in its hand. Meanwhile, Grid pulled out the Magic Power Ejection Machine. The magic power mixed with silver threat stretched out and wound around Michael¡¯s wrists.


    Grid pulled and twisted the trajectory of the Holy Sword before inserting his knee into Michael¡¯s chest. Thanks to this, the Holy Sword missed Grid, but the particles of light released by the Holy Sword became knives and bombarded Grid. Grid didn¡¯t move. He connected the Enlightenment Sword with the Magic Power Ejection Machine and pierced Michael¡¯s abdomen. Michael modified the trajectory of the Holy Sword by breaking his wrist and stabbed the sword at Grid¡¯s neck. The God Hand holding the Formless Sword blocked it.


    The attacks and defenses elerated.


    Grid and Michael didn¡¯t think. They immersed themselves in the movements learned purely by experience and pressed the opponent. Grid was assisted by the God Hands and ego items, while Michael used divine power. Dozens of blows were exchanged per second.


    On the surface, it seemed that only Grid umted wounds. However, Michael wasn¡¯t invincible just because his limbs and wings regenerated as soon as they were cut off. Every time he was cut and regenerated, his health gauge was decreasing. Just¡ª


    ¡®The utilization of that light is too high.¡¯


    The fragments of light that scattered from Michael¡¯s holy sword¡ªthey extended like a spear, bent like a whip, and exploded like a bomb. While annihting the enemy, they gradually restored health every time they touched Michael¡¯s body. It was an unrivaled recovery ability. It was really an absurdly great ability. It gave Grid goosebumps at the thought of such a person falling in the middle of his allies. He wouldn¡¯t die, but would massacre arge number of troops in an instant.


    ¡®He would¡¯ve been a great help in the great human demon war if he was on the same side.¡¯


    Grid had never seen the 3rd ranked great demon. Therefore, he had no choice but topare Michael to Baal or Marie Rose rather than the 3rd great demon. Compared to them, Michael¡¯s impression was a lower rank given his weakened condition. However, Grid couldn¡¯t easily perceive Michael. Thebat characteristics that focused on mass ughter and recovery were optimized as ¡®weapons.¡¯ It made him wonder if hell feared Michael most among the angels.


    ¡®I have to kill him here.¡¯


    Today, Michael was an enemy of the Overgeared Church. If he wasn¡¯t killed here, he would surely be a disaster for the Overgeared Kingdom. He didn¡¯t want to encounter Michael one day when visiting Asgard to rescue Hexetia. If the archangels ranked 1~3 formed a Trinity... it would be hard to see any chances of winning. Therefore¡ª


    [Storm of the Fire God has been triggered.]


    Grid tangled together with Michael and set up his own domain. It wasn¡¯t just his surroundings. The entire sky was stained with his color. The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart and the Formless Will of Duke of Fire resonated with the Overgeared God¡¯s divinity. The iplete Storm of the Fire God waspleted after Grid became a god.


    [The divine mes will be expanded to the extent of your senses.]


    [All allies except for the undead or evil eyes will have their healing effect increased by 30% and reduce the healing effect of all enemies by 60%. Once a target with a reduced healing effect attempts to heal, ¡®Rage of the Fire God¡¯ will cause fixed damage equal to 5% of the target¡¯s current health and there is a high chance of reversing the healing effect.]


    [If the race is an undead or demonkin, they will continuously receive heavy damage in the range of the storm. This effect is maintained while Storm of the Fire God is used.]


    [Fire of Willpower has been added to Divine mes. All enemies in the storm¡¯s range will receive the ¡®heart¡¯ attribute damage proportional to the willpower and strength stat. Fire damage will be added that is proportional to the willpower and intelligence stats. The dual attribute damage will prate the defense and resistance of the target. However, it can¡¯t damage targets with the willpower stat. The target will be burned unconditionally and there is a high chance of their willpower falling. This effect is maintained during Storm of the Fire God.]


    [The Divine mes and Fire of Willpower overflow. The range of influence of the mes is extended in proportion to the field activation time. This effect is maintained during Storm of the Fire God.]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has resonated with the red phoenix in the east. You can make a rain of fire by bringing down the will of the red phoenix. The amount of damage and recovery from the rain of fire is affected by the red phoenix¡¯s stats. 20,000 mana is consumed for every descent. Cooldown Time: 10 minutes]


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart haspleted after the growth and strengthened the willpower of the red phoenix. If you want, the main body of the red phoenix can be manifested. However, if the summoned red phoenix dies, then a severe penalty will be imposed on both you and the red phoenix. 10,000 mana will be consumed when summoning. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.]


    [Your undying willpower will influence your allies. All allies in the range of the storm are significantly less likely to gain an abnormal status. Itsts for up to 3 minutes and consumes an additional 5,000 mana per second during the duration. Cooldown Time: 3 hours.]


    [Every time your allies resist an abnormal status, you and your allies will gain a buff skill. However, it doesn¡¯t stack with buff skills of the same type. The buff duration time depends on the type of buff.]


    [The Overgeared God¡¯s mental world can be manifested for a moment. Target up to four items in the area of the storm. It will enhance or weaken the power. The enhancement figure is affected by the stats of the most powerful item you¡¯ve ever created. The weakening figure is affected by the stats of the weakest item you¡¯ve ever created. Itsts up to 10 seconds and consumes an additional 20,000 mana per second during the duration.]


    ¡°Um?¡± Michael naturally cocked his head. It was because the light of the Holy Sword became so weak it was to the level of nothing. It was like the me of a candle just before going out. Additionally, Grid¡¯s momentum had be stronger. He was almost intimidated by the calm gaze. It was a very amazing experience. There were only two gods in Asgard who could make an archangel shrink back.


    ¡°This... it is really amazing. I felt it when I punished the seven malignant saints a long time ago, but I know the reason why the goddess is so obsessed with humans...¡±


    Michael¡¯s blue eyes shone, but his excited voice wasn¡¯t able to continue to the end. Cold moonlight soaked his body.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The vision of both eyes fell. It was slowly at first and then quickly. Michael btedly realized that his bisected body was falling. The fall of an angel symbolized corruption. It was a thing he didn¡¯t want to experience even if it was just a symbol.


    For the first time, the halves of Michael¡¯s face were filled with instinctive disgust. Hisposure was shaken, but his judgment and actions were swift. He was an angel among angels. He wasn¡¯t affected by emotions. Nerves and muscles grew from each cut surface of his body.


    Bones connected with each other again. In the Storm of the Fire God, the fragments of light struggled to maintain their shape to facilitate the regeneration of thest remaining wound. It happened in an instant. The recoil took ce immediately.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Michael¡¯s face once again distorted. Along with creation, recovery was one of the original powers of the goddess. Among the powers that the goddess bestowed to the archangel, this one was quite close to the original. Yet it was denied?


    ¡°You, don¡¯t, tell, me...¡±


    Michael was reminded of the worst possibility.


    ......Had there ever been a god who wasplete without Asgard¡¯s recognition apart from Chiyou? Michael failed to recover, but he didn¡¯t give up.


    No, for the angels, recovery and regeneration weren¡¯t a matter of giving up or not. It was done naturally. His cut off body parts were reattached or regenerated and his wounds were restored. It was slowed down and denied by Storm of the Fire God, but it repeated the same task. His spirit shed and Michael foresaw his ending.


    ¡®This¡¯ would die.


    His body that barely maintained its form. Grid¡¯s fusion sword dances kept cutting it. It was regenerated, cut, regenerated, and cut again. During the time when Storm of the Fire God was in its best state, he used Item Combination and stacked up the fusion sword dances. On the other hand, Michael¡¯s sword failed to touch Grid¡¯s body.


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    ¡°T-This?¡±


    The 30 dark metal hands locked onto Michael¡¯s flesh and spun like windmills. It was an informal type of sword dance. His flesh was crushed. The speed of cutting and crushing was faster than the speed of regeneration. It was a devastating sight. The shocked viewers and church members in the square asked themselves.


    Was the angel weak? No, he was strong. He was superior in many ways to the great demons they had seen many times. Just¡ªif they didn¡¯t think carefully, they would remember him as weak. It was because strength was rtive. Compared to the person who ughtered him, it was infinitely shabby.


    The world was silent.


    ¡®My preparations were negligent.¡¯


    Michael¡¯s body finally reached its limit. His flesh that was cut off was no longer restored. However, Michael was calm. For angels, death wasn¡¯t the end. To paraphrase, it was like throwing away a piece of clothing.


    ¡®Now that I¡¯ve figured out the opponent¡¯s level, I¡¯ll have to make every effort next time.¡¯


    Michael concentrated his divine power into his broken body. He intended to explode his body to threaten Grid¡¯s life. Many of the church members swept up in the explosion would also die... he decided it was better for the future if he died with the minimum of dignity.


    The explosion was fast and powerful. The transcendent shockwaves struck Grid and the buildings of the Vatican turned to ashes... or it should¡¯ve been like that.


    ¡®......?¡¯


    Michael¡¯s soul that slipped out of his exploding body stopped thinking. The eyes of his soul shook as they stared at Asgard that was on the other side of the ominous orange sky. It was because it was a ck darkness that greeted him, not a bright light. His home felt far away.


    Grid had summoned the Saintess Ruby before departing for the Vatican. She had left hell for a moment and joined Grid. The divinity that was different from the goddess¡¯ divinity formed a barrier to protect Grid and the church members. It also returned Michael¡¯s soul to his vanishing body.


    The force that couldn¡¯t be resisted shocked Michael. He intuitively sensed that the ¡®opportunity¡¯ he enjoyed like a right taken for granted had disappeared and he despaired. He btedly doubted and resented the fact that the Temr never showed up.


    It was useless work. White feathers fluttered around the pir of ash that soared particrly high.


    [Michael, the 3rd ranked archangel, has been destroyed.]


    This world message appeared.

 Chapter 1476

    <h4>Chapter 1476</h4>


    ¡°......?¡±


    The viewers questioned it. They thought the broadcast wasgging. It was quiet. The broadcasting team on the other side of the screen was silent. They stood still, as stiff as a wooden statue. It was a sight witnessed by the viewers of all broadcasting channels around the world.


    The viewers who were puzzled soonughed. Wasn¡¯t it their own hands on the keyboard that were stopped? They were called ¡®keyboard warriors¡¯ in modern times due to their excellent keyboard skills, but for now, the screaming of the keyboard had stopped.


    The chat window was silent as if it was responding to the silence of reality. Just like the on-screen broadcasting staff, the viewers¡¯ bodies and heads were briefly stiffened. A bted thrill shot down their spines. It was a bigger thrill than when taking drugs.


    Michael¡ªthe moment he wielded the Holy Sword with a cut off head and revealed that he was an angel, the reaction of the broadcasting staff and viewers was the same. The power of the Holy Sword that condensed mighty divine power and increased its size literally foreshadowed the end. Through the sight of the light particles spreading out like spears and magically exploding, people peeked at the transcendence they had never known.


    Angels were beings that yers couldn¡¯t kill. They came to that conclusion at the very beginning. It was a conclusion naturally induced from Michael¡¯s transcendent force that released hundreds of attacks in a single blow. People spected that Grid would suffer a crisis. Yet when they came to their senses, apletely different result was in front of them.


    -...Grid is a god.


    -...Grid is a god.Grid is a god.Grid is a god.Grid is a god.


    The chat window, which had been paused for a long time, started to update quickly. The silence of reality was broken. The broadcasting staff came to their senses and shouted btedly in excitement while media all around the world poured out breaking news.


    ***


    Saintess Ruby¡ªafter receiving Grid¡¯s call, she arrived at the Vatican just before Storm of the Fire God was used. To be exact, Grid was waiting for Ruby. For the perfect finish, he saved Storm of the Fire God until she arrived.


    ¡®She is a stubborn person.¡¯


    Grid had earned 18 levels as a reward for destroying Michael. He was level 463 and he instantly reached 481. It was an astronomical amount of experience that couldn¡¯t be gained naturally. It was right for Michael to give limited rewards since he was weakened.


    Yet Ruby, the Saintess,pletely destroyed Michael. Michael¡¯s exit from the worldview caused the disappearance of all sorts of quests and episodes that were intended to ur. The potential rewards were changed to experience and granted to Grid.


    Moreover, Grid had the enlightenment effect. Additionally, Ruby rejected the party request. Thanks to this, Grid gained 18 levels, but he didn¡¯t feel good. Ruby¡¯s growth was important. He couldn¡¯t believe she had given away the opportunity to gain so much experience.


    Ruby read Grid¡¯s disapproving gaze and sent him a whisper.


    -Can¡¯t I grow on my own now?


    It was true. Ruby took advantage of Turn Undead and wide area percentage heals with a high probability of killing evil beings in a single blow and her hunting speed was at the top in the Overgeared Guild. Of course, there were spatial restrictions, but Ruby was able to grow quickly on her own without her brother¡¯s sacrifice. It wasn¡¯t false confidence, but a proven fact. Recently, it was confirmed directly in hell.


    -I know what you mean, but...keep in mind that I am your older brother.Don¡¯t even think of yourself as a burden.


    Grid read Ruby¡¯s growth using his insight and found that it wasn¡¯t empty words. Nevertheless, he added a few words as he descended to the ground. His inventory was full of Michael¡¯s Holy Sword, the halo, feather, and various jewels. The halo and feather resembled the items obtained after killing Raguel, but they werepletely different. There was a difference just from the name.


    [Angel¡¯s Halo]


    [Rating: Myth


    A halo that glows above the angel¡¯s head. Now it has lost its life and its purpose is unknown, but it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    [Angel¡¯s Feather]


    [Rating: Myth


    A feather that has fallen from the wings of an angel. It is white and clean as if it can¡¯t be stained in any way. The usage isn¡¯t known, but it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    These were the information of the halo and feather that Raguel had dropped.


    [Halo of Massacre]


    [Rating: Myth


    A halo of light that has evolved by resonating with the divine power of the 3rd archangel, Michael. The light is strong, but its purpose is unknown. Still, it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    [Feather from the Wings of Massacre]


    [Rating: Myth


    A feather dropped from wings that have evolved by resonating with the divine power of the 3rd archangel, Michael. The usage isn¡¯t known, but it seems to be of great value.


    Weight: 0]


    These were the information of the halo and feather that Michael had dropped. Unlike Raguel, Michael¡¯s soul had disappeared and everything was lost. Based on that logic, he had dropped his ¡®real¡¯ halo and feather.


    [This item has a hidden function!]


    Along with this notification window, the information on Michael¡¯s halo and feather was updated.


    [Halo of Massacre]


    [Rating: Myth


    A halo of light that has evolved by resonating with the divine power of the 3rd archangel, Michael. Creates a specialized divine force that allows for a faster and more effective performance. Since Michael has disappeared, ownership can be transferred to another angel.


    Weight: 0]


    [Feather from the Wings of Massacre]


    [Rating: Myth


    A feather dropped from wings that have evolved by resonating with the divine power of the 3rd archangel, Michael. elerate as you get closer to the target. Since Michael has disappeared, ownership can be transferred to another angel.


    Weight: 0]


    ¡®This...¡¯ Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He could see the essence of the halo and feather from the fact that ownership could be transferred. Grid pulled out the Angel¡¯s Halo and Angel¡¯s Feather and ovepped them with the Halo of Massacre and the Feather from the Wings of Massacre.


    [Do you want to strengthen the Halo of Massacre?]


    [Do you want to strengthen Feather from the Wings of Massacre?]


    The information of the Angel¡¯s Halo and Angel¡¯s Feather was updated along with the system message asking these questions. The ¡®unknown usage¡¯ was changed to ¡®used to strengthen halos and feathers.¡¯


    ¡®Sariel has a powerful means of growth.¡¯


    A deep smile spread on Grid¡¯s face once he learned how to use the halo and feather. He was thrilled at the thought that Sariel¡¯s wings and halo could be upgraded every time he destroyed an archangel.


    ¡®It would be better to give this sword to Sariel.¡¯


    Michael¡¯s sword was an excellent weaponpared to Raguel¡¯s Spear, which was myth rated, but could only be used as a material for extracting divine stone. It wasparable to Grid¡¯s divine sword, assuming it was used by an angel.


    ¡°Excuse me... Oppa?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, speak.¡± Grid was about to check the condition of his rune after the holy sword, only to smile kindly. He had goosebumps on his arms. He was worried that he had a silly expression on his face because he was too happy. He was btedly conscious of people¡¯s eyes and hundreds of cameras and quickly controlled his facial expression.


    ¡°......¡± Ruby was embarrassed by her brother¡¯s way of speaking, but she didn¡¯t show it. She knew that her brother was in a position to be conscious of people¡¯s eyes. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve be an object of faith. Is this perhaps...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Ruby whispered with her mouth close to his ear. Grid quickly realized why his sister was whispering physically. It was because the Reba Church members were flooding toward the two of them. The number was in the tens of thousands so there was pressure, as if a barrier was approaching them.


    Ruby was pushed by them and ended up standing close to Grid. The church members surrounded the brother and sister and bowed in unison. ¡°Thank you for saving our lives!¡±


    The moon always floated in the sky, but it gave off a different impression every time. Some days it was glorious and holy, some days it was round, and some days it was red and sinister...


    Human beings would feel differently even when seeing the same things. Michael¡¯s appearance that the church members saw was enough to shake their faith in the goddess. The image of the angel that they read about in the Bible and hoped for was an infinitely noble and sacred being.


    It didn¡¯t match the one who had a calm face and repeatedly regenerated every time he was cut with a sword and blood and organs poured out. It became even more distant from the demonic attitude of trying to ughter the church members, who served the goddess without hesitation. Michael¡¯s choice to blow himself up at the end drew a line in the faith of the church members. Reba¡¯s unexpected neglect as she silently watched Michael¡¯s death was enough to break their faith.


    The believers looked back on their lives. Who helped them when the church was in a crisis? Who saved them and humanity whenever the great demons invaded? It wasn¡¯t the goddess.


    A new faith was born out of a broken faith. It was the Overgeared God and his sister Ruby, both who were as good as traitors, which protected the lives of the church members. They were the gods that the church members dreamed of and hoped for.


    [The legend of the Saintess who leads humanity in good faith has begun.]


    [Her aplishment of punishing pure evil and good by necessity should be worshipped.]


    [Many of those who have served Goddess Reba will make the Overgeared God and the Saintess their new objects of faith.]


    ¡°Ah...¡± Ruby didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Her vessel had yet to bepleted. She couldn¡¯t ept the sudden changes and heavy responsibilities as calmly as her brother. Grid held his confused sister¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can do well.¡±


    Grid knew Ruby better than anyone. She was a smart child from an early age. She was an excellent talent in every way and had a good heart. Wasn¡¯t she chosen as the Saintess not long after starting Satisfy? Since then, she had followed him well. At times, she was the one who led her older brother. Ruby might be oblivious to it, but Grid often relied on her. She was well-entitled to lead and take responsibility for people.


    ¡®Sometimes when I am overwhelmed, she can help me.¡¯


    Grid knew it was necessary to get rid of the churches of the three gods, but he hesitated because he was afraid ¡®healers¡¯ would die out in this world. Now there was no need to worry if there was a religion that worshipped the Saintess as a goddess. Hadn¡¯t he already experienced it? The believers were influenced by the god they served. Just as the Overgeared God Church members acquired and practiced the sword dances, the Goddess Ruby Church (?) believers would acquire and use heals and buffs.


    ¡®Goddess Ruby Church...¡¯ Grid was both happy and sad.

 Chapter 1477

    <h4>Chapter 1477</h4>


    Grid¡¯s prediction was wrong. The name of the new religion was the Sanctity Church, not Goddess Ruby Church. The system focused on the image of the Saintess.


    ¡®It is worse than I expected.¡¯


    Grid was upset when he saw the world message. Hisint was that the object of worship wasn¡¯t clearly indicated. The churches of the three gods and the Yatan Church were named after the gods they served. The Overgeared God Church originated from Grid. Why was it that only the Sanctity Church was symbolic? He was sorry for his little sister because it felt like Ruby¡¯s name value was left out.


    ¡®I would rather it have been Goddess Ruby Church...¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue with regret, but people¡¯s reactions werepletely different.


    ¡º A new religion has just been born! It is worshipping Saintess Ruby, the famous younger sister of Grid, as a goddess... ¡»


    ¡º The Overgeared God Church and Sanctity Church have absorbed arge number of Reba followers and the structure of power is rapidly changing... ¡»


    -Wow, the name Sanctity Church looks a bit fancy.


    -It is like a fairy inparison to the Overgeared God Church.


    -So the siblings are gods?Huh?The siblings are gods?


    -Yes!The siblings are gods!


    -God siblings ?? Even theirst name is Shin ??? [1]


    -Wow Great Wisdom Shin-ssi;; The foresight of Grid¡¯s mother to marry a Shin is great;;


    -No, Koreans should go to the Koreanmunity.


    -I should stop watching the broadcast and rejoin as soon as possible.I¡¯m going to build up achievements and form a religion.


    -Me too ??? Once I be a god, my colors will be a bright aurora.


    -My personal color is white, so it should be white...


    -Did we eat something wrong as a group? ???Let¡¯s aim for being a legend first.


    Until a few years ago, there were many people who shouted about the game bnce every time Grid yed a unique role. That time had already passed. There was nothing a yer couldn¡¯t do. From a certain point, people saw hope from Grid. It was while experiencing the fact that Satisfy was an ideal different from reality. People had certainly experienced their own growth. They learned that they were rewarded for their efforts. They felt like they should focus on their own growth instead of questioning others.


    -Everyone, hardcore level up!


    -Gain items.


    Those who saw their future from Grid¡¯s appearance had some of their anxiety about the uing great human and demon war changed to motivation.


    The yers belonging to the Yatan Church and three gods camp felt very urgent.


    ***


    Grid hatedplicated work. So as always, he left the aftermath to Lauel.


    Lauel appeared with knights as protection and organized the remnants of the Vatican. He rmended conversion to the followers who still had lingering attachments and expelled those who refused. However, all the high ranking priests with the reputation or strength to be the center of the church were detained.


    The holy grounds and properties of the Vatican were naturally confiscated. After the great human and demon war, he nned to gather architects and convert the Vatican to the headquarters of the Sanctity Church. The Reba Temples outside the Overgeared Kingdom were also targeted.


    Lauel dispatched troops to every area where a temple was located and took the temple by force. If it was far away, he received cooperation from his allies or isted them politically. Lauel had long been famous for hisck of blood and tears. The man who was always smiling in front of Grid was cold-blooded enough to kill tens of thousands of prisoners. The moment he decided topletely disband the Reba Church, he was unstoppable in his work. Everything went quickly.


    Fortunately, the yers of the Reba Church were cooperative. Heals were no longer exclusive to the Reba Church, so yers had no reason to defend it. He was very happy to take this opportunity to increase the influence of the Overgeared Guild.


    [The other person is in a ce where they can¡¯t receive whispers.]


    ¡®Has she already gone back to hell?¡¯


    Grid returned to Reinhardt.


    The moment he saw the world message that the Sanctity Church was born, he sent a whisper to Ruby, but couldn¡¯t reach her. He had been nning to send her somefort about the fact that the name of her religion would be the Sanctity Church...


    ¡®Still, the expedition will be difficult if Sehee is away for a long time.¡¯


    The expedition members must¡¯ve been waiting for the Saintess to return. The difference between having a healer in the party and having no healer was very obvious.


    ¡®Will they party in hell all the time?¡¯


    He heard about it from Yura. The expedition, focused around Yura and Sehee, promised to stay in hell once the great human and demon war was over. Among them were Jishuka and Kraugel.


    Grid was slightly uneasy. ¡®Jishuka has a lot of firepower in hell thanks to the Breaking Evil Arrow, but why Kraugel?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it better to solo y in the East Continent? If Kraugel was in hell for a long time, hell might one day perish...


    Grid was worrying about the power of Space Sword when he arrived at his destination. It was the main temple of the Overgeared God Church.


    ¡°Why did youe here directly? If you called me, then I would¡¯ve rushed over.¡±


    Sariel had to be wary of Asgard¡¯s gaze. They were forced to spend their time in Reinhardt. To be exact, they stayed at the temple of the Overgeared God Church. Rather than buffing visitors, they prayed and built up their divine power. Their faith would soon be Grid¡¯s faith, so the more they stayed in the temple and received people¡¯s prayers, the better it was for Grid.


    ¡®Sariel is even wearing a cor.¡¯


    Ne, earrings, and rings¡ªSariel had colorful trinkets hanging around their neck. At first nce, they were items that seemed expensive. It seemed that the visitors who were interested in Sariel had presented Sariel with gifts. The gender of an angel was ssified as ¡®neutral,¡¯ but Sariel¡¯s appearance, words, and deeds were that of a young woman. She was even a beautiful womanparable to Mercedes or Marie Rose, so he understood the feelings of the visitors to some extent. Additionally, Sariel was friendly to everyone and had good essibility.


    ¡°It is good extra ie.¡± The moment Grid entered the temple, the church members sealed off the entrance and withdrew. Since he was recognized by the public as the ¡®god of battle gear,¡¯ there were symbols of all types of battle gear in the massive temple where only Grid and Sariel were present.


    Grid saw the jewelry boxes and clothes piled up behind Sariel and pulled out the gift without any burden. ¡°Then take this.¡±


    ¡°This is Michael¡¯s... he has been destroyed.¡± Was she thinking about her past memories? There was a sh of regret on Sariel¡¯s face as she received Michael¡¯s halo and feather. Nevertheless, her big eyes weren¡¯t shaken. ¡°God, you have done something really big.¡±


    Sariel had said Michael was the best angel when it came to destroying and killing. She said that when they went to war with Asgard, he would be as much as a rival as the 2nd archangel. She added that it was lucky they were able to destroy him in advance.


    Grid had doubts. ¡°Why did Reba leave such an important fighting power alone instead of helping?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t shown it, but he had been wary of Asgard¡¯s intervention during his fight against Michael. Yet Asgard showed no reaction, let alone intervened. They watched silently as Michael died and the Reba Church copsed. There was also no news about the Temr, an organization that had been led by a copied angel from generation to generation.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t help, but that they didn¡¯t help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t answer. I lost my memories of the gods when I was expelled, so I don¡¯t know their intentions.¡±


    In the beginning, when Sariel joined as Grid¡¯s apostle, Braham and Lauel had tried to get information about Asgard from her. However, Sariel lost a significant amount of her memories rted to Asgard. In particr, the memories of the gods had be so blurred that she didn¡¯t even remember their appearance.


    Braham spected that Sariel had a restriction on her. It was natural for there to be a restriction. The gods wouldn¡¯t have expelled an archangel without taking any measures, especially since Sariel was an angel who exposed the gods¡¯ sins. They would¡¯ve wanted to kill her, not just banish her.


    ¡®The reason she wasn¡¯t killed... it could be due to a punishment, but it should be because they wanted to use her spare flesh.¡¯


    ording to Sariel¡¯s vague memories, the archangel¡¯s spare bodies remained permanently unless the soul was extinguished. There would be many uses. An example was the Temr. It was a disgusting story.


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ has be the new owner of ¡®Halo of Massacre.¡¯]


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ has be the new owner of ¡®Feather from the Wings of Massacre.¡¯]


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ has increased all stats by 10%.]


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ has acquired new skills and magic.]


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ is slightly less affected by demonic energy and would have a smaller chance of running wild.]


    Sariel absorbed Michael¡¯s power. It was mysterious and beautiful to see the halo with two light sources floating above the flowing, blond hair. The wings became eight. It was an awe-inspiring sight when the four pairs of wings spread wide.


    ¡°...Um?¡± He got a clue to free Sariel from the demonic energy. Grid was delighted by the better than expected results when he suddenly felt doubts and cocked his head. It was because there was a gradient of a pale orange color at the tip of Sariel¡¯s wings. Weren¡¯t the wings of an angel pure white?


    ¡°Huhu, the messengers are influenced by their god. I am your angel, so I am tinged with your color.¡¯ Sariel was pleased after noticing the change. Her bright smile was beautiful.


    Grid smiled and handed her the Angel¡¯s Halo and Angel¡¯s Feather. It was like a type of enhancement stone. It was a material used to enhance the halo and feather. ¡°Now use this to enhance them.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±Sariel also applied her standards to her master. The evidence was that she uncovered and pointed out the sins of the gods. However, she obeyed absolutely unless her mastermitted a crime contrary to her reason. Like Mercedes, she followed Grid¡¯smand without hesitation. It meant she tried to strengthen the halo right away, only to fail.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, it isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The Angel¡¯s Halo crumbled into powder.


    Grid stared nkly for a moment at Sariel¡¯s innocent smile.


    No, you are an angel.Angels are a symbol of good luck, but you failed from the beginning.


    ¡°I will try the wings enhancement...¡± Sariel had failed only once. It wasn¡¯t polite to treat her as having a stinky hand already.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t like Sariel¡¯s innocence. Seeing the way she was smiling so happily despite failing at strengthening the halo, it seemed she wouldugh even if she wasted the feather. That... he was depressed just thinking about it. Grid didn¡¯t want to be sad. If he couldn¡¯t hope for empathy, then he would rather take on the responsibility alone. He was convinced he would be less depressed.


    [The Wings of Justice have been sessfully enhanced!]


    [The wings of your messenger, Sariel, have evolved into the Wings of Righteous Massacre!]


    The name of Sariel¡¯s halo and wings was ¡®justice.¡¯ Grid learned a new fact after seeing the system information and his heart seemed warm. He seemed to glimpse Sariel¡¯s essence. On the other hand, he also felt guilty. The modifier of justice waspletely inconsistent with ¡®massacre.¡¯ In any case¡ª


    [Your messenger ¡®Sariel¡¯ has increased agility by 5%. Additionally, the power attached to the wings is enhanced.]


    Grid¡¯s enhancement seeded. The Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques grew to the myth ss and the buff of ¡®enhancement probability increasing¡¯ had also been upgraded.


    ¡®I need to experiment with this.¡¯


    He would be stuck at the smithy for a while anyway. This trip was because he couldn¡¯t sit back and watch the provocation and incitement of the Reba Church. Grid¡¯s original n had been to focus on his cksmithing work until the great human and demon war.


    Grid handed over Michael¡¯s Holy Sword to Sariel, who was more delighted that she had done something for Grid rather than about herself bing stronger. Then he left the temple.


    ***


    Choices came with sacrifices. The moment Grid chose to conquer the Reba Church, the other forces watching him took drastic action.


    ¡°Start the magic blocking array.¡±


    The dark elf army that had been waiting at the entrance of the World Tree¡¯s Forest. They were waiting for the reinforcements that would¡¯ve been dispatched from the empire after the empire heard the guard troops had been attacked. The personalities of the dark elves were very cautious and they nned to enter the forest and upied it cleanly only after removing any possible variables.


    sh!


    The geometric patterns carved throughout the forest emitted light and disappeared. It was the moment when magic was prohibited.


    Dududududu!


    The dark elves¡¯ keen senses detected faint vibrations. The king of the dark elvesunched irvoyance in order to see the imperial army in the distance. The imperial army seemed to notice something unusual and slowed down, but it was toote. They were within range. The dark elves borrowed the power of the darkened elementals and pulled their bows in unison.


    ¡°It is time to correct the order of the forest.¡±


    After getting rid of these troublemakers, they would condemn the women who dared to banish them. The red eyes of the dark elves were filled with killing intent. The elementals, that were as dark as their skin, danced.


    1. God in Hangul is Shin

 Chapter 1478

    <h4>Chapter 1478</h4>


    The reason yers loved and respected rankers, such as Grid, was because they gained a lot from the rankers. Even if they were one of the so-called geniuses of the century, their talent would be useless if there was no basic knowledge.Even historical geniuses used the knowledge of others as a foundation and guide to develop their own knowledge. The talents of a genius shone even more brightly due to the inherited knowledge.


    The same was true for yers. For yers, pioneers like Grid and Kraugel were like living textbooks. They watched these people y, learning and developing themselves. Resh was one of them.


    ¡®I¡¯m d it is a pattern in my memory.¡¯


    The dark elves¡¯ shooting was very threatening. The arrows, covered with stealth and tracking magic, were shot from a distance that couldn¡¯t be identified with the eyes and boasted a nearly 100% hit rate. Fortunately, Resh seeded in hitting the arrow. He got the idea from Jishuka¡¯s PvP during the National Competition. He referred to the weakness of her invisible arrows and the battles of the high rankers who attacked her to narrowly avoid the shot. It was an expression of brilliant talent.


    ¡°Uwack!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Unlike Resh, the circumstances of ordinary soldiers were disastrous. They were hit in their vital points without detecting the arrows and turned to gray ash. The problem was that the number of arrows was too high. Invisible arrows poured down like rain. The soldiers simply weren¡¯t at a level to cope.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯


    At the entrance of the World Tree¡¯s Forest...


    Resh and the knights arrived at the forest without taking a break, only to sense the strange energy that suddenly spread through the forest and they stopped the troops. They saw that there was an ambush and tried to regroup the ranks. However, the enemies didn¡¯t give them time. This was the result now as a baptism of arrows were fired from a ridiculous distance.


    ¡°Retreat! Step back while holding the formation!¡±


    Resh¡ªhe was once the knight of Prince Dndal. Then Dndal reconciled with Basara and his affiliation changed to the Red Knights. The prestige of the Red Knights wasn¡¯t as good as before, but he was the first yer to join the best knights division on the continent. It was once a big topic and he was spotlighted. His outstanding skills were made known and he built an international reputation.


    He yed as if he hadn¡¯t gained this fame in vain. He swapped weapons from a sword to a spear to block as much of the rain of arrows as possible. Meanwhile, hemanded the soldiers to retreat outside the range of the sniping.


    The dark elves responded as expected. They stopped shooting arrows and dropped a great deal of magic toward the head of the shield soldiers. Resh didn¡¯t panic. It was rtivelymon for archers and magicians to form thisbination in a war. This strategy was also demonstrated in the Overgeared Guild, which had the best archers and magicians. Resh predicted it and had the means to respond to it.


    ¡°Open Armor.¡± The red armor, linked to Empress Basara¡¯s red energy, howled. A me-like red energy formed a spherical wall to prevent the magic bombardment. Red energy had the power to intervene in and control substances. The functions differed ording to the characteristics of the user. Resh¡¯s Red Armorbined powerful dispel effects along with physical defense. It seemed to reflect his life as he lived as a knight.


    ¡°Enter now!¡± Resh was at the forefront and the soldiers soon gathered their motivation. There were other Red Knights behind the bold wedge formation assault. Resh led the soldiers to endure the bombardment of the dark elves, while his seniors sneaked into the forest.


    The forest vibrated and chain explosions were urring.


    ¡®Good! No?¡¯ Resh, who entered the forest with the soldiers, stiffened like a stone statue. It was because the situation in the forest had already been cleaned up when he expected a long battle. The 6th Knight, 11th Knight, and dozens of ck Knights were all over the ground, covered in blood. Dark elementals were eating their bodies.


    Dark elves¡ªthey had the elves¡¯ flexible muscles and archery while their corrupted elementals had demonic energy. They were once elves, but they weren¡¯t protected by the forest like the elves. Still, they could use explosive magic power and strengthen their bodies in conjunction with the elementals. They were much more powerful than imagined. They were elves specializing inbat.


    ¡°Sir... Resh... lead your troops and leave,¡± the 6th Knight gave an order as he barely shook off the elemental and stood up. Resh had a hunch that it was hisst order.


    The single digit knights, a symbol of the empire, were particrly shabby today. Nevertheless, their nobility felt sublime. The Red Knights reorganized by Empress Basara were different from those led by Duke Limit. They followed the chivalric code at all times and under any circumstances. They prioritized it even over the empress¡¯ orders.


    It was because this was what the empress wanted. The knights that Empress Basara wanted weren¡¯t knives to be used as needed. They were the watchdog and adviser to keep the empire, or empress, from going on the wrong track. Perhaps it was due to that that the present Red Knights were considered the weakest in history. It was natural since the first priority for selection wasn¡¯t strength. Even so, they were more noble and sublime than anyone else. They weren¡¯t something that others could disparage and ridicule.


    ¡°The Red Knights aren¡¯t a big deal. It wasn¡¯t a rumor, but a fact. It is true that the empire isn¡¯t as good as it used to be.¡±


    ¡°Those high-nosed women chose ipetent human males over us. It is deplorable.¡±


    The dark elves on the giant trees mocked whileughing.


    Resh swallowed down his anger and asked them, ¡°Have you already upied the world tree?¡±


    It was a question from someone who was going to die anyway. The dark elves shrugged and answered like it was a gift. ¡°Our revenge hasn¡¯t even begun.¡±


    ¡®Indeed...¡¯ Empress Basara waspetent. She wouldn¡¯t participate in a fight that was obviously disadvantageous. It didn¡¯t mean that unfavorable fights would be avoided. Some fights meant deployingbat power in order to give the empire an advantage.


    It was the same this time. Despite theck of troops due to the demonic humans all over the empire, the empire sent enough support to help the elves and win the battle.


    The problem was that the reinforcements were supposed to join the elves. The dark elves hadunched a surprise attack on the World Tree¡¯s Forest. It was thought that the dark elves would advance to the world tree before setting up their battle lines. It was hard to predict that they would abandon the advantage of a surprise attack and wait here.


    ¡®I never thought we would be hit separately. It would be nice if the elves joined us, but that probably isn¡¯t possible.¡¯


    They might¡¯ve noticed the unusual situation here, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the world tree without hesitation. The most important mission for elves was to protect the world tree.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think I can follow your order.¡± Resh stood by the 6th Knight. He put away his spear and pulled out his sword and shield as he gazed at the hundreds of dark elves on the old trees. ¡°Lord Phoil, lead the troops out while I hold them back.¡±


    There were four reasons to make the sacrifice. First, Resh¡¯s Red Armor specialized in neutralizing enemy attacks. If the purpose was to simply hold out and buy time, his efficiency wasn¡¯t badpared to the 6th Knight. Second, Resh was a yer and could resurrect after death. The other knights and soldiers were different. For them, death was the end.


    Third, it would be a great benefit in the long run if the single digit knights and troops could be saved in return for sacrificing his life once. It was highly likely the empress would praise his meritorious achievement. He didn¡¯t know what hidden rewards would be waiting. Fourth, Resh didn¡¯t want to lose any colleagues.


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Resh pushed the back of the 6th Knight and urged him. However, Phoil didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°I know that your death is different from ours. Then what if I sacrifice you for that reason? Should we rely on you and avoid our responsibilities as a senior every time there is a crisis?¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be saying such depressing words.¡±


    ¡°What a bunch of bullshit.¡±


    Resh and Phoil¡¯s conversation broke down.


    The dark elves, who had been watching silently, suddenlyughed. In particr, the dark elf with the golden name above his headughed tantly. ¡°Do you think you can live just because you want to? You will all die here. You just don¡¯t know it.¡±


    A chill urred around the dark elf king and the forest started to freeze.


    Deep shadows appeared on Resh and Phoil¡¯s faces. They noticed that this dark elf¡¯s strength was in a different dimension. They realized they couldn¡¯t survive here. The soldiers gathered around them and lined up. It was a protective formation. It was thest tribute to the two knights who tried to save the soldiers at the expense of themselves. Resh and Phoil felt the soldiers¡¯ determination to die and smiled bitterly.


    Phoil shouted. Even if this was to be their tomb, he encouraged the soldiers to take one more enemy with them as apanion.


    Then the dark elf king caused a tidal wave of ice. The soldiers shrank back in an instant. The wave of ice soared above the old trees and covered their field of view, causing them to despair and lose their fighting spirit.


    ¡®Super named...¡¯


    It happened as Resh sensed his vain end...


    ¡°It is great.¡± Before he could feel frustrated, the voice of a stranger was heard.


    Blond hair fluttered. Red petals were spreading. Resh, the knights, and the soldiers smelt a clear floral scent. Time seemed to have stopped. In the face of the wave of ice covering the sky, the blond man pulled out his sword. They didn¡¯t see his swinging action, but they saw his still back. It wasn¡¯t only after ate sh of lightning that cut the wave in half that they became aware of the passage of time again.


    ¡°You will be a great knight,¡± the man spoke with pride as he turned his head.


    Resh and the knights recognized the face that contained a sad smile. ¡°Sir Asmophel...!¡±


    The fragments of the cracked tidal wave poured toward the ground, causing earthquakes. The dark elves on the swaying big trees started shouting and pouring magic and arrows toward Asmophel. However, not a single magic or arrow reached Asmophel. It was because the best Red Knights in history, who arrived a stepte, neutralized all attacks with their swords, spears, and shields.


    Asmophel was always invincible when he was with his colleagues. Anytime, anywhere, it was a victory for their nation. It was originally an honor that he would never get back.


    ¡°The vice-captain is always so fast.¡±


    Yet Asmophel managed to regain that honor. It wasn¡¯t a result that he dared to want for himself. His colleagues gave him a chance. They told him to survive like it was hell and to atone for a bit longer.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t forgive you. I can¡¯t forgive you!¡± Singuled roared as he shot past Asmophel. His powerful weapon fell on the giant tree in the middle of the enemy camp. Every time he moved, he released a sharp airwave that started to tear at the flexible and tough muscles of the dark elves.


    Amelda and Kentrick passed by Asmophel without speaking. Dante squeezed Asmophel¡¯s quivering shoulder slightly as he passed. Piaro stood next to Asmophel and changed the terrain of the forest, causing all the big trees to fall. He forbade the enemies from using them as cover. Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante initiated the massacre.


    It was an overwhelming sight. The knights and soldiers saw how the empire could¡¯ve reigned as ruler of the continent and was thrilled.


    ¡®If Grid hadn¡¯t helped them reconcile, history would¡¯ve been different.¡¯


    The remnants of the empire that would¡¯ve eventually drifted into ghosts. How did Grid embrace them? It wouldn¡¯t have been possible with just power and force.


    Resh realized Grid¡¯s greatness as he wielded his sword with a powerful shout. He blocked the dark elf king¡¯s ice that targeted Asmophel. A battle alongside historical figures would be an invaluable experience for him.


    ***


    Grid was a person. He seemed to leave no gaps in everything, but it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t feel fatigue. He just endured it with his mind. It meant he needed a break from time to time. That was why he decided to activate auto production aftering back from beating Michael and working in the smithy again for quite some time.


    ¡®Let¡¯s check again.¡¯


    The items made with auto production had their limitations. They were less likely to have higher effectspared to manually crafted items that took a rtively long time. However, there was no disadvantage in the rating. Grid wanted to at least create items for the knights.


    The knights of the Overgeared Kingdom weren¡¯t simple. Take the senior knight, Royman. She was good enough to be called the ¡®first sword¡¯ in any other nation. She consistently trained under Piaro and Asmophel and gained the title of great swordsman a few years ago. Her talent was particrly outstanding among her colleagues, but in addition to her, the level of the Overgeared knights was also very good. The top 30 were simr to the Red Knights of the empire.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t equal to the Red Knights in their prime. The Red Knights of the golden generation had geniuses such as Piaro, Asmophel, Winfred, Singuled, and Dante. The next generation of Red Knights, regarded as thest golden age, had a monster called Mercedes.


    In any case, Grid was making weapons and armor for the knights himself. He felt a strong sense of fatigue in the process. Therefore, he activated auto production in order to rest and once again confirmed the information of the Rune of Gluttony.


    [¡ï The power engraved in the rune can be used as a resource to enhance your mental world.]


    A line of exnation was added. The rune had changed after absorbing Michael¡¯s power. The mental world of the Overgeared God was indirectly embodied in the Storm of the Fire God. It meant there was a means to grow his mental world, which was far inferiorpared to Braham or Hayate¡¯s mental world.

 Chapter 1479

    <h4>Chapter 1479</h4>


    A new feature was added to the Rune of Gluttony. It could be used to enhance the mental world. There was a premise that the powers imprinted on the rune would be used as a resource, but it wasn¡¯t a big penalty. The power in the rune didn¡¯t necessarily show off outstanding prestige. The power gained in the early days or by killing the lower ranked great demons were less valuable.


    Grid thought this new function was good because the fuller the rune¡¯s capacity, the less likely it was to absorb a power.


    It was just shortly after killing Michael. One of the reasons why Grid was in a good mood after the sessful Michael raid was the new feature of the rune. However¡ª


    ¡®Is this right?¡¯ Grid gradually had doubts. He hesitated without trying to strengthen his mental world. His experience with Braham and Hayate¡¯s mental world had rmed him. Braham¡¯s mental world umted knowledge, while Hayate¡¯s mental world released infinite sword energy...


    Their mental worlds contained their essence. Grid¡¯s essence was a cksmith. Of course, ¡®Greed¡¯ was also a characteristic that represented Grid. It wasn¡¯t strange that the Rune of Gluttony, that grew from absorbing the power of others, would be the material for Grid¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®If I have to prioritize it, I would prefer cksmithing over the rune.¡¯


    He grew because he was a cksmith, allowing him to get the rune. The origin of Grid¡¯s ability to fulfill his greed was his cksmithing ability.


    ¡®This... the more I think about it, the more it is like andmine.¡¯


    He had an ominous feeling that his origin would be weakened as soon as he strengthened his mental world with the rune. Of course, this was just a conjecture. It was only a guess based on ¡¯intuition.¡¯ It was highly likely that it wasn¡¯t a trap. Nevertheless, Grid found it hard to shake off his doubts.


    ¡®Look back on my recent life.¡¯


    Everything was resolved smoothly. His hard work was rewarded with too much luck. He was literally lucky. He even forgot about the concept of misfortune for a moment.


    Was this the life of a man called Grid? No, absolutely not. In Grid¡¯s life, luck and bad luck always coexisted. Based on his current results, the total amount of good luck was higher, but after the initial luck, his luck became worse than anyone else. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if his recent good luck caused a rebound.


    ¡®Most of the misfortunes happened when I was careless.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t overly confident in himself. He had long been aware that he wasn¡¯t smart. He had the experience of his nose being ttened due to being careless and rushing. Therefore¡ª


    ¡®Using the rune to artificially enhance my mental world... I¡¯ll put it off until I have confidence.¡¯ Grid made a choice. He resisted the temptation that was too sweet. ¡®My mental world right now is pretty strong anyway.¡¯


    He had experienced how powerful it was to enhance an item through the Michael raid. Of course, it couldn¡¯t stand a chance when meeting enemies who were overwhelmingly strong without items or who could easily neutralize an iplete mental world, so he hoped for the mental world to be strengthened. The mental world was a very important concept. It wasn¡¯t a matter to be hastily decided. Moreover, Grid had fought and won against strong enemies without a clear mental world. It was funny to suddenly be impatient now.


    Grid turned a blind eye to the eye-catching shing visual effect of the new mental world enhancement function and confirmed Michael¡¯s Power.


    [Michael¡¯s Power]


    [Enhance your weapon with a powerful divine power.


    A total of three enhancements are possible, with each enhancement increasing the attack power by 20% and doubling the attack distance.


    Each attack will scatter remnants of divine power. Deal fixed damage proportional to the weapon¡¯s attack power to targets touched by the light remnants.


    Divine power cost: 5,000 per second.


    Enhancement duration: 1 minute.


    Cooldown Time: 3 hours.


    ¡ïIf the user has no divine power then other resources will be consumed. However, the increased weapon attack power from the enhancement will be reduced to 15%.]


    ¡®It is great looking at it again.¡¯


    Grid had no divine power, thus the total increased weapon attack power from Michael¡¯s Power was only 45%, not 60%. Grid¡¯s weapon boasted distinctive attack power, so it was even more regrettable. Still, Grid didn¡¯t care.


    Michael¡¯s Holy Sword grew in size every time divine power was added. It endured without retreating in the face of Grid¡¯s divine swords, but the greatest strength wasn¡¯t the power of the weapon itself, but the ability to dominate the space. Every swing upied a distance of 8 meters andpletely incapacitated the target by spreading particles of divine power within range.


    If Grid¡¯s health and defense were at a level before he transferred to the myth ss, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if he died from that baptism of light. Even if he avoided the Holy Sword, the particles spread around him exploded and bombarded him. It was due to this bombardment that Grid overestimated Michael¡¯s strength during the battle.


    In particr, Grid¡¯s attack speed was faster than that of Michael without the Trinity. He was confident that his destructive power when using Michael¡¯s Power would be higher than Michael¡¯s.


    ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t control the remnants of power as delicately as Michael does, nor induce a variety of functions, but.. this is enough.¡¯


    Michael used the remnants of divine power as a spear, bomb, or heal. Michael¡¯s Power, that was attached to this rune, didn¡¯t support these functions. It was a pity, but obsession was meaningless.


    [¡ï The power engraved in the rune can be used as a resource to enhance your mental world.]


    As Grid nced at Michael¡¯s Power, the rune¡¯s description shed faster. It was a temptation. It med the penalty of hisck of divine power and whispered that Michael¡¯s Power should be used as material to strengthen his mental world. It was like a shortcut to get stronger much faster. This increased Grid¡¯s doubts even further.


    ¡®It is a trap no matter how I look at it.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t forget how sneaky the S.A Group was. Was it a two-faced strategy? It wasn¡¯t strange for them to make a theme song for him on the surface, just so that he would let down his guard, before stabbing him in the back. This was the period when he should be most vignt.


    ¡°Open Rune of Gluttony.¡±


    Grid calmed down, came to an open space, and took out the Fire Dragon Sword. He used Michael¡¯s Power in view of Haster, who was fighting with the God Hands. The Fire Dragon Sword was covered with orange mana. He used mana to enhance the weapon. It was a concept often referred to as aura, but it was dyed with Grid¡¯s color.


    Flinch.


    Haster felt a vast energy and turned his gaze to Grid. Grid enhanced the Fire Dragon Sword for the second time. A red energy covered the aura. It soon blended in and increased its size. This time, blood surrounded it instead of mana.


    [The strength of Michael¡¯s Power is amplified by stacking two resources. The weapon¡¯s attack power will increase by an additional 10%.]


    ¡°......!¡± There was a hidden feature. He was d. It was a very grateful thing. The penalty for theck of divine power was significantly reduced. Additionally, the resource needed to maintain the enhancement was ¡®mana¡¯ and it was less burdensome.


    Grid smiled deeply as he enhanced the Fire Dragon Sword for the third time. Orange aura and red blood mixed together and swirled around the Fire Dragon Sword. Then a red energy rose like a light. Fighting energy was formed.


    [The strength of Michael¡¯s Power is amplified by stacking three resources. The weapon¡¯s attack power will increase by an additional 20%.]


    ¡°Hah...¡±Grid used Michael¡¯s Power to increase his weapon attack power by a total of 75%. Not only did he ovee the penalty of not having divine power, but he also turned it into an advantage. Above all, he liked it because it was cool.


    ¡°Grid...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s mouth twitched while Haster¡¯s face stiffened. Haster had an ominous feeling when he saw the God Hands stop moving. He was worthy of being a legendary professional gamer. He had good senses.


    ¡°One hit. You can avoid or block it.¡± Grid swung the sword.


    Haster was approximately 8 meters away, but the sword covered in aura, blood, and fighting energy stretched all the way to him. ¡°Crazy!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this the skill that the angel called Michael previously used at the Vatican? He had watched it live and remembered it.


    Haster made an incredulous expression and leaned back quickly. Haster¡¯s white, stricken face was like a poodle. It was the aftermath of the wind pressure. The sharp aura, sticky heat of the blood, and the pressure of fighting energy was added and the air cutting sensation was unusual.


    ¡°......?¡± Haster narrowly escaped the attack, but a chill ran down his spine. It was a huge sword light that stretched out in a distinct fan shape. A slight sound was hard from the remnants of light. Haster had the highest hearing ability and quickly realized what this meant. ¡®Explosion!¡¯


    He hurriedly moved his body and triggered the power of the seven malignant saints. It was for defense. However, it was still on cooldown time. It was consumed fighting the God Hands. There was an earth-shaking explosion. The aura that was as beautiful as a sunset, the blood that was as gorgeous as a zinnia in full bloom, and the fighting energy that rained down sharply like a thunderbolt, covered Haster. He wondered if a body on a crashing ne was like this.


    Haster was swept away by the series of explosions and flew far away, rolling around.


    [Your health has fallen to a minimum, so sparring mode is terminated.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Was this how a training scarecrow felt like? Haster stared nkly at the sky, beyond the rising warning windows, and swallowed down his sorrow. Indeed, it was disgraceful that he was the only one to receive one-sided help from Grid. Instead of borrowing the God Hands, purchasing items, and receiving help, it was right to help as a sandbag.


    Haster was sufficiently convinced, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling sad...


    Meanwhile, Grid was smiling.


    [¡ï The power engraved in the rune can be used as a resource to enhance your mental world.]


    Even though the rune information window was closed, the description of the new feature shed again.


    [Do you want to enhance your mental world?]


    [If you enhance it now, the bonus for being the first yer to open the mental world enhancement system will greatly increase the probability of sess.]


    Additionally, there was an extra bonus. This was beyond the level of temptation. It waspelling. At this point, Grid was convinced. ¡®This is 100% andmine.¡¯


    His experience wasn¡¯t built up in vain.


    Grid got rid of his dejection and chose ¡®No.¡¯ The information window of the rune was folded up like trash and thrown away. Heughed at the shameful condescension of the notification window that said it was a chance of great sess, not ¡®unconditional great sess.¡¯ Then¡ª


    [The yer¡¯s first mental world enhancement opportunity was denied.]


    [The myth predators are interested in you.]


    [The specter of the No Offspring Tomb is paying tribute to the spirit of the person who leaves thefortable path and seeks trials.]


    [Your iplete heart, body, and skill are looking for bnce.]


    ¡°Um...¡± Completely unexpected messages appeared. ¡®Sometimes you need to look back on the road¡¯ was a saying for a reason.


    Grid made a satisfied expression after testing Michael¡¯s Power and returned to the smithy.


    "What is this?¡± Did Grid reallye out here just to hit him once? There was nothing else? The sandbag left behind, no, Haster got up and muttered to himself. Then he started cleaning up the empty clearing that was ruined in the aftermath of the explosion. He thought he should clean up the mess since he was a dependent and borrowed the small space. He felt a sense of shame.


    It happened as the mesmerized Haster was focused on cleaning up...


    He heard a sound from behind the smithy. Haster¡¯s keenly developed hearing heard footsteps. It was a faint sound that the hearing of an average person could never capture. Even if they heard it, they would¡¯ve thought it was amon sound.


    Haster also considered it a trivial sound. Even so, he reflexively turned his head. Therefore, he was startled to find that the real identity of the sound was made by a person falling from the sky.


    The ultimate body with precisely developed muscles¡ªthe middle-aged man who fell from the sky seemed skinny at first sight, but his physique was amazing. On top of that, he was wearing a sword. In total, he must weigh at least 100 kilograms. Yet he fell to the ground with almost no sound?


    The unidentified guest stared at the vignt Haster. ¡°Now even the cleaner is hearing the noise I make? The more I see, the crazier it is.¡±


    In the future, this kingdom could even y the role of the tower... no, this went too far. The identity of the man who came and spoke to himself with hard to understand words was Sword Saint Biban. He came in order to bring Hayate¡¯s gift. It was the decipherednguage of the dead. Hayate was the absolute who looked at the world from the top of the tower and he knew exactly what Grid wanted.


    ¡®It is better to be a cleaner than a sandbag...¡¯ Haster was once again left alone and tried tofort himself.

 Chapter 1480

    <h4>Chapter 1480</h4>


    Ttang.Ttang.Ttang...


    Back in the smithy, Grid overcame his mental fatigue. It was different from the concept of recovery. It wasn¡¯t such an exaggerated thing after seeing through the trap hidden in the mental image enhancement and feeling the existence of the myth predators. It was a level of holding on and waiting for the forced log out time. It wasforting that his stress had been relieved in the process of testing Michael¡¯s Power.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was absorbed in the cksmithing when he was startled by something detected with his developed senses. He smelled the faint scent of wax mixed with the burning white phosphorus wood.


    ¡®Wax?¡¯ The smell of ammonia also grazed the tip of his nose. It was a smell that didn¡¯t fit the smithy. It might be weak, but it was right to ssify it as a bad smell.


    Grid turned his head without stopping his actions. A familiar middle-aged man was entering the smithy. It was an impressive-looking man with thick eyebrows and strong eyes. Looking at the sleek muscles of his arms, he might seem young, but in fact, he was an old man who had lived for hundreds of years.


    ¡°Biban!¡±


    A tower member who had done a lot for Grid.


    The 1st Seat, Hayate, acquiesced to the presence of the insane dragon iron and Nefelina while giving him the infinite sword energy and dragon scale as a gift. The 3rd Seat, Radwolf, gave him the magic machine production method and the moon night iron. He also gave a lot of advice. However, Biban particrly helped with the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. He generously taught (?) Grid the Matchless Heart Technique and allowed it to be gifted to Mercedes and Piaro.


    ¡°Wee. I¡¯m d to see you after so long.¡± A smile appeared on his face. The grinning Grid put down the hammer and greeted Biban.


    ¡°Haha, how have you been?¡± Biban also smiled brightly.


    It would be frightening if anyone who knew him saw it. The founder of the Matchless Style, Biban was famous for having a temperament that was violent like the Matchless Swordsmanship and for his difficulty in being caught, akin to flowing water. Biban rarely revealed feelings of affection toward others. He paid respect and praise to Muller, who was a greater talent than himself, but he had never shown such a proper and careful attitude.


    ¡°The quality of your work has be even better. I can see that you¡¯ve been working tirelessly.¡± Biban looked at the items disyed in the smithy and sincerely praised ¡®cksmith Grid.¡¯


    ¡°Biban as well...¡± Judging from the smell of wax and ammonia, he still seemed to be trying to clean the tower. Grid respected him for fulfilling his responsibilities.Grid was trying to express his thought to show favor and praise, only to close his mouth in surprise. He quickly looked for another word to add, but he was toote.


    ¡°Um...?¡± Grid stopped talking and made a subtle expression, so Biban sensed something suspicious. He cocked his head as Grid continued, ¡°...I guess you¡¯ve grown. Biban, thest time I saw you, I thought you were just a great man. Now I¡¯m seeing you after so long and I feel respect toward you. I realize exactly what it is like to feel respect and fear.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As Grid¡¯s words continued, Biban¡¯s expression gradually changed. He was still smiling, but his eyes were stiff and cold.


    ¡®Did I make a mistake?¡¯ Grid fell silent out of concern. Biban couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and told him, ¡°I tried to understand because I know you are a new generation, but I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Look at Muller. The moment he found my traces, he was startled and was busy bowing. He deeply respected his great predecessor. It was much worse when I was young. I used to bow whenever I saw the shadow of a predecessor who left their name in history. Yet you barely have any respect for me? Hehe, this isn¡¯t a matter of your discerning eye, but a matter of basic manners.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to react when you say that you finally respect me? Hey, should I thank you for respecting me now? I am older and I should be careful of falling leaves. Then what if you try to hide your unpleasant inner mood only to lose control? Will you be responsible if I be angry and die?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why did this persone here? Grid¡¯s joy disappeared like it was a lie and he started suffering. He hoped that Biban would get to the point soon. Biban¡¯s inner thoughts were beyond hisprehension.


    ¡°Are you ufortable just because I said a few words? I gave you my own flesh and blood advice because I wanted my junior to do better. What can I say if you take it in such a manner that you¡¯re afraid? Are you going to just shut up like a mute?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Grid remembered that Biban was originally such a person and bowed without saying much. He learned in the past that it was better to apologize in a gentle manner. If he refuted even one word, saying it was unfair or not right, he might hear 100 more words.


    Grid had truly apologized even if it was below Biban¡¯s expectations. The new generation these days... Biban clicked his tongue. ¡°It is to this extent. I¡¯m angry and sad, but as an adult, I should understand and be generous. You seem to have grown a bit in strength. I can understand that you made a slip of the tongue because you were excited about a small achievement.¡±


    Biban was somewhatcking in terms of perception. Unlike how he looked at himself perfectly, he couldn¡¯t see others well. It wasn¡¯t because he was a tower member. The problem was that his temperament itself was violent. It might be a symptom of the entricity of a genius. He evaluated a target based on level. He saw it at face value. It wasn¡¯t a bad method. It was true that levels were skills.


    The problem was that the other person was Grid. Grid shouldn¡¯t be evaluated based on level. His status should be discussed. However, Biban was overlooking this fact. He made the same mistake even though he acknowledged his mistake in the past. He didn¡¯t change. This was why he worked to clean the tower every time.


    The Tower of Wisdom had been clean for hundreds of years thanks to Biban¡¯s constant mistakes and him needing to clean the tower to correct them.


    ¡°It is a small achievement?¡± Grid reacted somewhat emotionally. Putting aside his liking of Biban, he couldn¡¯t help frowning.


    The first yer to be a myth ss. Like the tower member, he climbed to the realm of skills beyond the ordinary, so he was interested in why Biban regarded it as no big deal. He wondered about the basis for the undervaluation. Hispetitive spirit rose and his mental fatigue waspletely swept away.


    Grid once again realized. The fact that the driving force behind his development, his ¡®unbreakable willpower,¡¯ stemmed from external stimuli, not internal ones. Yes, he was toofortable these days. It was natural to be a bit arrogant when acknowledged by people. He rxed when he seeded in raiding Michael. Even though he still had a long way to go, he didn¡¯t realize this and counted the time until he could log out. ¡°I¡¯m curious about on what grounds do you rate my achievements as low.¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡± Biban, who had been pouting because he hadn¡¯t been respected by Grid so far, smiled again. He had given great favors so far, such as fixing the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and giving life advice. Now this junior who forgot his kindness suddenly looked pretty again. It had been a long time since he had seen someone direct apetitive spirit toward him. Even Muller respected him as the Sword Saint who created the Matchless Style. It was because few people met the tower members, but this wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡°I used to think that kids these days have lost their ambitious spirit.¡± The cold eyes were once again filled with a golden glow. It was a sharp light like a de. It was a product of the ¡®heart examination¡¯ that entered the target with just willpower and it prated into Grid. ¡°You are a human god. You aren¡¯t like a normal kid. Yes, so you aren¡¯t convinced by my evaluation? Then shall you use your body to check it directly?¡±


    It happened the moment Biban asked the question...


    [The maximum affinity has been reached with the 9th Seat of the Tower of Wisdom, ¡®Biban.¡¯]


    [The hidden quest ¡ïDuel with the Former Sword Sword Saint ¡ï has urred!]


    A quest window popped up in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [Duel with the Former Sword Sword Saint]


    [Difficulty: SSS+


    Sword Saint Biban, founder of the Matchless Swordsmanship and member of the Tower of Wisdom, wants to teach you.


    It is a favor so he won¡¯t kill you.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Win or lose in the duel.


    Reward for Defeat: Depends on the content of the battle.


    Rewards for Winning: Stone Dragon¡¯s Fang]


    It was a quest he had no reason to refuse. The quest would give him a reward no matter the oue. It was even at the highest difficulty level. It was a hidden quest that everyone dreamed about.


    ¡°I will check,¡± Grid answered.


    Biban was very pleased with this attitude. A swordsman should traditionally do this. The original matter disappeared from his mind. He forgot why he hade here. It was close to short-term memory loss and it showed a glimpse into how his single-track swordsmanship-filled life was possible.


    That¡¯s right. Sword Saint Biban was a monster who had been pursuing and honing his swordsmanship for an immeasurable number of years. It was because he was still alive.He survived and moved forward, surpassing the prime of Muller, who was more talented than himself.


    In fact, it was right to say that the strongest Sword Saint ever was Biban, not Muller. However, Biban was forgotten by the world, so history didn¡¯t change. Unless Kraugel transcended Muller, the title of the strongest Sword Saint of all time would belong to Muller forever.


    Biban wasn¡¯t upset about this. If Muller was alive, then Muller still would¡¯ve been the strongest. It was just that Biban survived...


    Biban thought so. Putting aside actual skills, Biban still respected Muller as the best swordsman.


    ¡°Get rid of the cleaner.¡± Biban moved to the vacantnd and pointed to Haster, who was standing there.


    ¡°Cleaner? Ah, yes.¡± Why was Biban introducing himself all of a sudden...? The flustered Grid found Haster and nodded. He asked Haster to leave for a bit.


    ¡®Who is he?¡¯ Haster wondered about the identity of the middle-aged man who appeared, but he obediently left his spot. He maintained a proper distance so that he couldn¡¯t eavesdrop on the conversation between the two people with his developed hearing. It was natural because it was polite.


    ¡°I¡¯ll concede the first blow. Come on.¡± Biban¡¯s chin gesture toward Grid showed apletely different attitude from before. He seemed like apletely different personpared to the past when he was training Grid.


    ¡®This is the real Sword Saint...¡¯ Grid gulped before activating all his buff skills and opening the rune¡¯s power. He was determined to take advantage of this first blow that Biban gave to him.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes filled with life. It was because he btedly noticed the orangelight that started to dye the darkness of the night wasn¡¯t light from the smithy. His left hand, which was ced over his sword¡¯s sheath, quickly moved and narrowly deflected Grid¡¯s sword dance.


    It was a method of ¡®softness subduing the hard.¡¯ It meant that Biban, a member of the Tower of Wisdom and someone who had confronted dragons, was pushed back even after using all his strength.

 Chapter 1481

    <h4>Chapter 1481</h4>


    Grid had many powerful attack methods. Even the 10th great demon he met in hell, Leraje, couldn¡¯t easily handle his attacks. Now Grid was many times stronger. It was iparable to when he met Leraje.


    Biban made a big mistake by conceding the first attack. Grid glimpsed victory. To avoid losing this opportunity, he used Storm of the Fire God and ced all his buff skills on his body. Naturally, he also opened up the Rune of Gluttony. He would do his best from the beginning to turn Biban¡¯s defense to nothing.


    He couldn¡¯t let his guard down. His opponent was the Sword Saint. Moreover, he was the founder of the Matchless Style. The title of strongest ever might¡¯ve been given to Muller, but Muller¡¯s Heart technique and swordsmanship was created by Biban.


    Based on the way he improved the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, Biban¡¯s insight into swordsmanship was the best in history. It was unfortunate that this great insight was limited to swordsmanship, but Grid still recognized Biban as one of the world¡¯s strongest men. A monster that transcendedmon sense. It was natural since he had fought against a ¡®dragon.¡¯ If he wasn¡¯t one of the strongest, then the world¡¯s logic was wrong.


    Nevertheless, Grid was determined to win. He wanted to get the stone dragon Gujel¡¯s fang.


    [Power of Not Knowing Defeat]


    [Gain a strength beyond your potential.


    You must win in a fight of strength.


    If the next action after using this power is affected by strength, it will unconditionally get positive results.


    However, it can¡¯t win against the top three great demons, dragons, absolutes, and gods.


    Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None.]


    The Formless Sword and Fire Dragon Sword had beenbined into one item. Storm of the Fire God, which was more powerful due to Fire of Willpower, was concentrated at the end of the sword that moved in a spiral.


    On the other hand, Biban hadn¡¯t drawn his sword. He dered that he would give up the first blow, so he seemed willing to respond when Grid was ready. His attitude was aloof as he pushed back Storm of the Fire God with a boundary of sword energy.


    It was the appearance of an absolute. The appearance that didn¡¯t doubt his own skill appeared again. Grid clearly engraved Biban¡¯s appearance in his eyes. It was fully engraved on his mind. He wanted to look like this. He fell for Biban as a warrior. Of course, this was a story of when he didn¡¯t talk.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±Grid took a deep breath and recalled the situation when hepeted with Leraje. He imagined the praise Biban would give the moment Biban experienced his strength.


    Just as Biban didn¡¯t doubt his skills, Grid was proud of his own skills. The Fire Dragon Formless Sword, that now had 10,000 pure attack power in the aftermath of the innovation, roared. Along with the rough and intenseunch of the Breath, the sword dance unfolded.


    It was the five fusion sword dance, Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. The power of Kill, which ignored most of the target¡¯s defense, stretched out with the guidance function of Detect Force. It was one of the strongest sword dances that disarmed and brought despair the moment it hit. Not only was the hit rate corrected, but it also contained Power of Not Knowing Defeat. Additionally, all the sword energies had anomalies. When drawing a spiral, it stretched out in a straight line. When drawing a straight line, it curved in a spiral. It was a characteristic of the Formless Sword.


    This wasn¡¯t the only tricky part. The starting points of the sword energies were all different. It was because Grid linked Shunpo with the sword dances.


    Now Grid¡¯s actions weren¡¯t forced by the sword dance. He used the power of a god to ignore some physicalws. Every movement wasn¡¯t swallowed by the kic energy of the five fusion sword dance. Rather, he perfectly controlled his own body.


    An extreme light spread from the front, rear, left, and right of Biban. The same was true for above his head. It was a wave of force created by Grid using Shunpo to upy all of Biban¡¯s surroundings. The seven sword energies swirled from different angles. There was no drop in the process. It was a perfect attack no matter who saw it.


    Grid captured the image of Biban pulling out his sword in a hurry and heard his heartbeat. The time when he surprised Leraje came to mind. It was as if it was going to happen again soon. It was an area close to foresight.


    However, his prediction was reduced to a false delusion. At the same time that the sword was drawn, Biban¡¯s sword defended against all seven sword energies upying the surrounding area.The paths of the sword energiesing from different trajectories were blocked by aiming at the ovepping points. It was right to describe it as a miracle, not a skill.


    Grid¡¯s astonished eyes trembled, but the trembling soon subsided. He believed the Power of Not Knowing Defeat would crush Biban¡¯s defense. However¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle didn¡¯t break through Biban¡¯s defense. Every time Biban¡¯s sword tilted at an angle and collided with the seven sword energies, the seven sword energies lost their trajectories. The sword dance ended. The same was true for the Power of Not Knowing Defeat. It entered the cooldown time without achieving any results.


    The seven sword energies that lost their direction passed by Biban¡¯s side. There was a wave of great destructive power around Biban and the entirendscape copsed.


    Biban gently moved his hand holding the sword. The sword in his hand rose and spun, creating wind. Even the remnants of the remaining Wind Cutters were scattered. Not a single strand of hair was touched and he smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°Can a pair of swords make the Matchless Sword retreat? There aren¡¯t many things in the world that can force me to show my technical skills.¡±


    Biban had superhuman strength. In addition to his violent temperament, he honed his swordsmanship to create the Matchless Heart Technique and sword techniques. He had never been pushed in a strength confrontation. In Muller¡¯s prime, he surpassed Biban in technique, not strength.


    Yet the current Biban had even surpassed the techniques of Muller¡¯s prime. Biban¡¯s sword contained an immeasurable number of years. He was unlike Muller, who wanted to die so he abandoned his sword and lived in seclusion to be forgotten by people. Biban had been practicing swordsmanship all his life. His mindset was different. Before talking about the strongest, Biban was the greatest swordsman in the world. Such a person was praising Grid.


    ¡°That is great swordsmanship. If I was a bit weaker, I would¡¯ve died seven times without realizing it.¡±


    He called it swordsmanship, not a sword dance. It was different from the way he once described the sword dances as a dance. It was proof that Grid¡¯s sword dances had clearly transcended their limits. In particr, the method that Grid showed a little while ago by mixing Shunpo with Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. During the action of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle, Shunpo was used a total of five times. A swordsmanship that killed seven times before the target even realized it. Biban¡¯s words weren¡¯t exaggerated at all. It was pure and appropriate.


    Grid¡¯s fingers trembled from excitement. A smile he didn¡¯t know about spread across his face. It was because Biban didn¡¯t hide his nervousness. The greatest swordsman, who only saw Grid as far inferior to him when they first met a few years ago, was finally recognizing Grid as a worthy opponent. It felt like he was being recognized for his past efforts, so Grid couldn¡¯t help being happy. Additionally¡ª


    ¡®I can win.¡¯ He definitely got a glimpse of victory.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Biban blocked Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Grid alone had many counterattacks based around Revolve. How could Biban not have a technique to neutralize attacks as the Sword Saint? Grid noticed that he had consumed Biban¡¯s defense skill.


    ¡®Themon feature of evasion skills, defense, and counterattacks is that they have a long cooldown time.¡¯


    Additionally, the number wasn¡¯t much. Grid being able to perform multiple counterattacks with just Revolve was a special case.


    ¡®Push him.¡¯


    Grid determined and breathed in deeply. He was determined to release as many attacks as possible in one breath i.e. bombard Biban with attacks non-stop. Grid¡¯s sword stretched forward. His shoulders didn¡¯t shake. He seemed to be skating on ice.


    ¡®The bnce of the body is perfect.¡¯ Biban evaluated as his vision was filled with Grid.


    Scarlet petals fluttered. It was Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop. Grid focused on Flower since it showed greater power as it connected. Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop was followed by Linked Flower, Transcended Linked Flower, and so on. The fusion sword dances focused around Flower were used to push to Biban. The area was covered with petals in an instant. They were deadly poisonous petals. They were threatening the moment they made physical contact.


    However, it was a skill that had a badpatibility against Biban. The wind pressure created by the Matchless Swordsmanship was a force against providence. It even twisted the flow of sword energy. Even before one breath ended, a pir of petals swirled around the two people exchanging dozens of blows in the center. Not a single petal touched Biban¡¯s body.


    ¡°A body in charge of the tower¡¯s vanguard. It doesn¡¯t easily copse even when fighting a dragon. I might be hopeless against Dragon Words, so I often turn to Radwolf¡¯s magic machines, but... in any case, I don¡¯t think you will win easily.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t agitated even though Biban stood as steadfast as an iron wall. As Biban neutralized the sword energies of Flower and approached to induce close rangebat, Grid calmly grabbed Biban¡¯s cor with his left hand. In the process, a gap was naturally revealed. Biban¡¯s elbow lifted and pressed against Grid¡¯s wrist while his sword was pushed into Grid¡¯s abdomen. It was a sword held in reverse. It was the basic skill of the Matchless Swordsmanship that prated the target even at a super close distance.


    Blood spilled from Grid¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Then Biban¡¯s vision reversed.


    Turning the World Upside Down¡ªthe unique grappling skill he gained from raiding the Triad Lee Jeong forced Biban¡¯s body into the ground.


    The petals fell as the winds died down and piled up heavily on the body of the wide-eyed Biban. Numerous marks were engraved on his body. Grid immediately used Shunpo to open the distance and swung the sword once, causing a sword energy bombardment in proportion to the number of marks.


    ¡°Um!¡± Biban¡¯s actions were forced. He raised his body and was cut by the sword energies. They fell on him. It was Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.


    Biban¡¯s expression quickly changed. His warm smile changed and he showed anger. ¡°How shameful!¡±


    It was due to False Dragon Words used with the Fire Dragon Sword. Grid openly stabbed at Biban¡¯s weakness after Biban confessed he was weak to Dragon Words. This allowed Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave to pierce Biban, who had been restrained for a while.


    Biban coughed up blood and barely managed to stabilize his copsing body.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Biban shouted as he blocked Grid¡¯s linked attacks with the Matchless Swordsmanship that easily separated mountains.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that you know how to use Dragon Words?!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid wanted to ask why he would say that one by one, but in the end, he didn¡¯t express it. He seeded in inflicting a critical injury. It wasn¡¯t good to waste time here.


    ¡°Come out.¡± Grid¡¯s eyes turned red as he whispered into the air. The surroundingndscape was crushed and five shadows appeared. The shadows soon became people. They were handsome men and women with white skin and red eyes. It was the emergence of the direct descendant vampires, including Earl Elfin Stone. They stood with a haughty look on their faces and 30 God Hands appeared in the sky. Noe and Randy were present as well. Randy was on Noe¡¯s back. It was a cavalry reminiscent of the wyvern troops.


    ¡°What about the sacred one-on-one showdown?¡± Biban responded in a dumbfounded manner.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also using weapons and skills?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°This is the same thing. It is one-on-one.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Biban couldn¡¯t find a way to refute it and removed the boundary of sword energy. He collected 40% of the sword energy that was continuously consumed to form a boundary, even if there was no damage to the surrounding area. By realizing his mental world, hepletely devoured Storm of the Fire God.


    By this time, Biban was serious. Even so, he still gave Grid advice, ¡°You have the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Don¡¯t distinguish between the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and your sword dances. Apply it just as you use the sword dances and Shunpo together.¡±

 Chapter 1482

    <h4>Chapter 1482</h4>


    ¡®Should I go hunting after a long time?¡¯


    For Haster, the past few days were more precious than gold. It was as precious as when he was serving in active duty. Didn¡¯t he grow every day without fail? It was all thanks to Grid and the God Hands. He still wasn¡¯t able to win against eight God Hands, but he wanted to go to an appropriate hunting ground to experience his increased strength.


    However, he couldn¡¯t leave the castle because it was hard toe back. He wasn¡¯t an Overgeared member. He had to ask Lauel in order to enter the castle, but it was too shameless...


    ¡®Let¡¯s just stay still.¡¯


    It happened when Haster was sitting alone in a quiet garden and staring nkly at a fountain containing starlight fragments...


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± a passing knight spoke to him. It was a knight called Royman who was fairly young. Nevertheless, her demeanor was restrained and her eyes were deep. He felt the years of experience. The strange situation of her dressed as a man was also noticeable. It was to hide her good looks.


    ¡°Yes...¡± He had filled himself with bread as he was being hit by the God Hands. There was no need to exin this.


    Royman smiled at Haster and gave a small nod. ¡°You can try out the restaurant as well. The food of the royal pce is amazing. However, avoid breakfasts on weekends.¡±


    They were words that meant a lot. The knight in front of him¡ªthe senior knight with red epaulettes¡ªwas treating Haster as a guest rather than someone uninvited. She would¡¯ve followed instructions from the top. It meant that the Overgeared Kingdom had epted Haster as a guest.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡±


    Haster had always been alone since losing his teacher. Yet unknowingly, he naturally became surrounded with people. The feelings he had forgotten for a long time made him feel warm and Haster couldn¡¯t help smiling. He hurriedly left his spot in an awkward manner and Royman stared at his back with surprise. Just then¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    Deep in the royal pce...


    Two shockwaves were felt near Grid¡¯s smithy. It appeared suddenly without any warning. One belonged to King Grid and she didn¡¯t know who the other one belonged to. It was strange and terribly strong. It even reminded people of the invasion of heaven or hell.


    ¡°This!¡±


    Royman rushed forward immediately toward the smithy. Dozens of knights and assassins emerged from all over the castle and followed her.


    "W-Wait a minute! You shouldn¡¯t go...!¡±


    Haster tried to stop them, but it was useless. There were only a few people in the Overgeared Guild who could control the knights and assassins.


    ***


    ¡°You have the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Don¡¯t distinguish between the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and your swordsmanship. Apply it just as you use the sword dances and Shunpo together.¡±


    Just a little while ago, Grid hadbined Shunpo with Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. It was done in one go. It waspletely different from the previous conventional method of using Shunpo first before linking a sword dance or linking sword dance to sword dance. The previous application belonged to the category ofbos while the new application was closer to the sum of techniques.


    ¡®Can I use the sword dances and Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship together?¡¯


    It might not mean a skill fusion system. The fusion of skills were hidden pieces that wouldn¡¯t ur unless it was special. If skill fusion was so easy, yers would have hundreds of skills on average. It was a single skill with potent strength and the possibility of the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanshipbining with Grid¡¯s Sword Dance was very small. It was just like how the skill fusion system didn¡¯t ur when he used Shunpo and the sword dances together.


    ¡®I can naturally link the sword dances to the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship by adding additional moves in the process of doing the sword dances.¡¯


    Was it possible? Shunpo was ssified as a ¡®movement skill.¡¯ The natural linkage of attack skills wasn¡¯t impossible inmon sense. It was just that as the name suggested, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was swordsmanship. If the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was used during the continuous movement of the sword dance, the existing movement of the sword dance was bound to be canceled. Then the activation of the sword dance would naturally be cancelled as well.


    ¡®Um...¡¯ Grid suddenly remembered something. The fusion sword dances that used Wave as a medium had a gap between movements. It was because when he used Wave, the sword would swing horizontally to the greatest extent. At this time, it was necessary to recover the sword.


    ¡®What if I insert the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship in that gap?¡¯


    Grid calcted it. Pull the sword from the outside to inside and insert a rotation of the waist...


    In other words, integrate the gap in Wave with the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    ¡®It is possible.¡¯


    It would put a lot of strain on his arms, waist, and especially his back muscles. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they were all torn. Still, it was fine. It was a manageable area due to the nature of the myth ss that ignored a certain amount of the physicalws.


    ¡ªProbably.


    ¡°Have you grasped an idea?¡± Biban waited while Grid thought. He merely watched as Randy rode on Noe like Randy was abusing a little cat and the vampires gazed at him with condescending expressions.


    ¡®He could¡¯ve hurt some of them if he attacked while I was lost in thought.¡¯


    It might be a simple favor, but Grid thought that Biban was held back by his upright personality. Gridughed. He thought that Biban probably wouldn¡¯t change for the rest of his life. Biban was a tiring but trustworthy man to deal with. He seemed to see why Biban didn¡¯t get kicked out of the tower despite causing an ident every time.


    ¡°Yes, thank you for the advice.¡± The duration of Item Combination ended. Grid used Divinity to reset the cooldown time, but he didn¡¯t use it again immediately. He had one question first. ¡°Excuse me, will you regenerate if a body part is cut off?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you trying to cut my arm?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t an arm.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I heard that the advantage of children these days is their honesty, but your words are disgusting. At this point, it isn¡¯t an advantage, but that you don¡¯t have a brain. Threatening to cut off the arm of an old man who doesn¡¯t serve you like you are heaven? It is something I never imagined when I was young. Is there a missing morals ss at the academy these days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. So, will it regenerate or not?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk... Do you think I¡¯m a monster? If a person has a body part cut off, then that¡¯s it. Do you think it will grow back like a lizard¡¯s tail?¡±


    It was an answer that revealed human limitations. The tower members were different from the great demons, angels, and the yangban, Mir, whose bodies recovered when damaged. In a short-term battle, Biban might have an edge over higher ranking angels and great demons, but the longer the fight went on, the higher his chances of defeat.


    ¡®If it is cut off, then it is the end... does that mean he fought a dragon with such a body?¡¯


    Of course, the body of a transcendent wasn¡¯t easily damaged. However, the story was different if the opponent was a dragon. Grid gained greater respect for the tower members. Then his expression suddenly distorted.


    Biban¡¯s swordsmanship was very passive. Every time their swords had collided, Grid had been astonished. In fact, 150,000 of his health had been consumed even though most critical injuries had been avoided. There was only around one million left. The situation was much better than Biban, who only had two-thirds of his health left, but Grid wanted more.


    ¡®Perhaps it is because he is a legend and a transcendent, but he is a man who is reluctant to trade blows.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s basic tactics of blow in exchange for blow weren¡¯t very effective for targets simr to himself. Grid wanted to use the Falling Moon Sword. It was best to cut Biban with his secret weapon to obtain victory. He was anxious in his current state. The biggest problem was that Storm of the Fire God had weakened.


    [The swirling remotely controlled swordsmanship has shed at Storm of the Fire God. The area and power of the divine mes are greatly reduced, making it difficult to expect any effects. The Fire of Willpower has been extinguished.]


    [A giant sword bigger than a mountain has split Storm of the Fire God in half. The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has lostmunication with the red phoenix. Your willpower and mental world have be blurry.]


    Storm of the Fire God couldn¡¯t bepletely destroyed due to the infinite sword energy that he had been gifted by Hayate. Biban¡¯s mental world was depicted as andscape of tens of thousands of swords floating around a huge sword-like mountain. It cut off most of Grid¡¯s mes and swallowed them, but it didn¡¯t damage the infinite sword energy that existed at the end of the mes. Nevertheless, it was true that it was invading bit by bit.


    ¡®The mental world of the Sword Saint is bound to be so powerful.¡¯


    One of the minimum conditions for being a Sword Saint was ¡®Heart Sword Unity.¡¯ They could do swordsmanship even without the sword. An ordinary branch could rece a sword. There was already a sword in their heart, so their body was beyond the sword...


    In the literature, the symbols of Muller was the sword technique that moved the sword with energy and the mind, as well as the remotely controlled swordsmanship that cut the world with willpower alone. This meant that the mental world was closely rted to the swordsmanship that a Sword Saint pursued. The mental world of the Sword Saint was bound to be specially tempered. It was natural that Grid¡¯s not yet fully harmonized mental world was insufficient against Biban¡¯s.


    ¡°If your body part is cut off, don¡¯t panic too much. I¡¯ll restore it somehow.¡±


    A quick battle was the answer. It was highly likely he would be disadvantageous the moment Biban¡¯s mental world swallowed even the infinite sword energy.


    ¡®I¡¯ll finish it before then.¡¯


    Grid determined and sent a whisper to Lauel. He asked Lauel to log out and call Sehee.


    -I understand.By the way, what is going on?Now all the knights are over there...


    Lauel said something, but Grid only heard the first part of the sentence. Biban¡¯s face had changed colors and it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he attacked immediately. Grid couldn¡¯t afford to disperse his attention.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sit still. Today, I¡¯ll teach you not only swordsmanship, but also etiquette! This is a favor offered in the hope that you will live in expulsion. Please ept it!¡±


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    Grid felt that any further questions and answers were meaningless. The teachings were already fully received. He judged that further conversation was useless.


    ¡°Keen Insight!¡±


    [Your knight, ¡®Mercedes,¡¯ has authorized the use of Keen Insight.]


    The battle resumed the moment the transnt of Keen Insight waspleted. The 30 God Hands held their own weapons and rushed toward Biban. However, the God Hands stopped along the way. They were dominated by the willpower of the Sword Saint. The stopped God Hands released a bombardment of Magic Missiles. shes of light poured toward Biban.


    Biban spread out a sword curtain and attacked Randy, who was copying Grid. Noe created a barrier of lightning to defend, but there was nothing the Sword Saint¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t cut. Biban¡¯s sword reached through the lightning barrier and Randy¡¯s sword dance to pierce Randy¡¯s heart. However, he stopped before touching Randy.


    It was because Grid appeared before he knew it and deflected Biban¡¯s attack. Most of the techniques of the Sword Saint, which were honed for hundreds of years, were also read by Keen Insight, a power even the gods feared. Grid was protected by the system for as long as Keen Insight was maintained. The best options and targeting methods wereid out in his head. As Grid continuously attacked, the God Hands held Mjolnir and came up behind Biban. The mentally controlled swordsmanship cut all the Mjolnirs.


    Grid admitted it.


    ¡®The God Hands don¡¯t work against transcendents.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t even have to be the Sword Saint. It was Keen Insight¡¯s interpretation that it wasn¡¯t very difficult to attack the God Hands when strong formless will could be used. It was fine.


    ¡®Item Transformation, Raiders.¡¯


    sh!


    The God Hands became huge in unison. Biban confirmed their appearance and was very surprised.


    ¡®Magic machines?¡¯


    Biban shook off Grid and stepped away. He escaped from Grid and ced the giants in his trembling eyes. He remembered a sight he had once seen. It was one of the most intense memories in Biban¡¯s life. Hayate reached out to him to protect the world together. The magic machines were lined up behind him as he was covered in dragon blood.


    He resembled the current Grid. That¡¯s right. Biban saw Hayate ovepped over Grid. It meant he faintly glimpsed the absolute from Grid. He couldn¡¯t help trembling.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Biban, whose anger soared to the sky, calmed down again. He raised the stretched out sword above his head. The sword fell like lightning.


    Elfin Stone, who had been secretly approaching Biban, was cut deep on the shoulder.


    ¡°Extreme Blood Transfusion.¡± Elfin Stone felt a threat to his life as the price for allowing a single blow and immediatelyunched his ultimate skill. It had a cooldown time of 24 hours, but it was a vampire skill that showed outstanding power.


    Biban just cut it.


    ¡°Light..!¡± The sight of the pir of blood rising from the magic circle being cut by a physical force was enough to frighten Elfin Stone.


    Meanwhile, Grid had predicted this situation. He jumped through the split apart blood pir and scattered blood and thrust his blood-covered sword forward. It was the precursor of Blood Sword Shatter. Biban couldn¡¯t perfectly respond to Grid¡¯s surprise attack that wasmitted properly in the gap when his vision was obscured by Extreme Blood Transfusion.


    Biban clearly read that it was a technique that couldn¡¯t be blocked or shed, but he still moved his left hand to block with the sword. The Blood Sword exploded and the fragments scattered. Blood flowed from Biban¡¯s body, but Grid also paid a price for it. His waist was cut.


    ¡®The overall stats have risen.¡¯


    This was the strength of the mental world. Biban¡¯s fighting power after opening up his mental world was iparable to before. Just then¡ª


    The huge sword that was like a mountain was towering in the center of the space. It was believed to be a particrly important symbol to Biban¡¯s mental world and now it tilted to one side, causing an earthquake. The shadows could be seen scattering.


    Latina, one of the few female direct descendant vampires, tried to tie up Biban¡¯s feet with blood magic and was hit instead. It wasn¡¯t a useless exit. Her magic seeded in tying up Biban¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Tiramet broke through the tsunami of mentally controlled swordsmanship and hugged the stopped Biban¡¯s waist as hard as possible. It was along with the magic machine corps flying through the sky. Then all of them were cut in half by something invisible. Tiramet and his kin scattered into shadows and the magic machines crashed to the ground. Even Noe, Randy, and Grid couldn¡¯t avoid the cut despite being on a different trajectory.


    There is No Sword in the Hand, but a Sword in the Heart¡ªthe Sword Saint¡¯s ultimate skill that ¡®cut all enemies.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t ¡®a target in the field of view,¡¯ but an ultimate skill that cut ¡®all recognizable objects¡¯ in range.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    The God Hands had infinite durability. It was normal for them to stiffen without receiving any damage. Yet at this moment, they were cut and split in half. It was the moment when the worst assumption of being cut by an overwhelming opponent or skill came into reality. Of course, there was a built-in repair function, but he didn¡¯t know how long it would take them to recover.


    Still, it didn¡¯t matter. Grid had minimized damage by using White Tiger¡¯s Posture as soon as he detected it. He managed to withstand the severe blow and already used Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    Biban was forced to userge-scale swordsmanship due to the 30 magic machines and he revealed a gap. Keen Insight didn¡¯t miss this gap. All the muscles in Grid¡¯s body twisted and his bone joints screamed. It was the inevitable aftermath that took ce immediately after connecting Wave to 100,000 Army Massacre Sword. It was done with thebination of the Fire Dragon Sword and Falling Moon Sword. He also didn¡¯t forget to strengthen it with Michael¡¯s Power.


    ¡°......!¡± Biban¡¯s face showed astonishment as the sword light reflected on it. It was a slightly more intense reaction than when he saw the emergence of the magic machine corps. The mentally controlled swordsmanship that was wandering all over the ce and the huge sword in the center suddenly appeared in front of his eyes to form a barrier.


    It was proof that Biban¡¯s mental world only had the thought ¡®I want to live.¡¯ It was like when he faced the dragon¡¯s Breath head on. Even that concept¡ª


    ng!


    Biban¡ªGrid¡¯s ultimate goal surpassed the greatest swordsman¡¯s philosophy. It was overwhelming violence. He, who would go to heaven and fight against the gods¡ªeven the greatest swordsman couldn¡¯t handle Grid.

 Chapter 1483

    <h4>Chapter 1483</h4>


    ¡°W-What is this...?¡±


    At the pce, which was being surrounded by supporters...


    Royman and the knights got goosebumps as they ran toward the part of the pce Grid used as a smithy. It was because a huge sword that was at least five timesrger than the tallest spire of the pce appeared in their vision. It had an overwhelming momentum like it would pierce the world.


    It was an unreal sight. How could there be such a huge sword? It appeared without any warning.


    ¡°...Hurry!¡± For the senior knights of the Overgeared Kingdom, the mental world of a transcendent was an iprehensible field. They stopped moving as they approached the unknown. Royman, who was temporarily out of her mind, woke up and gave orders to the knights. She realized that she had lost her lead to the assassins.


    The assassins of the Overgeared Shadows were thoroughly educated by Faker and Kasim and hadn¡¯t lost theirposure in the world dominated by the nightmarish scene. Their feet were extremely fast. Just then¡ª


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The distance between the knights and assassins was narrowed. This was due to the obvious reduction in the speed of the assassins. The knights finally reached them and became as stiff as stone statues. There were thousands of swords floating around the giant sword. The dizzying momentum of their repeated rise and fall was very fast and fierce.


    ¡°What... what type of monster...?¡±


    Did the martial gode? A sinister imagination tormented the group. They were worried about King Grid¡¯s safety. Their faces were pale and they struggled to move the legs that seemed to have stepped into a swamp. They gritted their teeth and started running again.


    The moment they got closer to Grid¡¯s smithy, the area pierced by the giant sword, the more extreme their tension became. However, their nerves were scattered. It was difficult to concentrate. The thousands of swords in flight¡ªthe closer they got to the shapes captured in their vision, the more blurry these shapes became. The flying speed was at the speed of sound and it exceeded their perception. The fact that they could be stabbed to death without even noticing spread fear. Their footsteps gradually slowed.


    The screams of the God Hands echoed. They could be seen repeatedly colliding with the flying swords and stopping. The God Hands were rtively too slow. They elerated every time they used the sword dance, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The wave of Magic Missiles they fired didn¡¯t do much good. The symbol of the Overgeared King was disastrously broken. They were too shabby.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to hesitate. Royman held her sword and shield and rushed forward. She broke through the shroud of light created by the flying swords with a whining noise that was like a swarm of bees. Her armor was torn apart and blood sshed out. It was an act of not caring about her life. She was moving only with the idea that she should help Grid.


    ¡°Your... Majesty?¡±


    A multi-purpose site right next to the smithy. It wasn¡¯t that spacious and various stones and ores were piled up. It was on the level of a small training ground. It was too shabby to call it a king¡¯s space, but Grid and the unknown swordsman were utilizing it like it was a wilderness. They freely exchanged blows between the sky and earth as if they wereughing at the concept of space. They were entangled together right next to the smithy before disappearing. Then they suddenly appeared in the middle of the open space and tangled together again.


    At this time, there were traces of the sword lights next to the smithy and the sound of dozens of collisions echoed. Then the two people disappeared again and new sword lights were engraved in the center of the open space.


    ¡°......¡±


    Royman couldn¡¯t shut her mouth. Only two people were deaf to the explosive sounds spreading through the sky and the earth. She had a hunch. Right now, she was watching an unprecedented confrontation that wasn¡¯t in the legends. It wasn¡¯t the time for her to dare interfere.


    ¡°Gasp...¡± The reaction of the group who arrived one stepter was exactly the same as Royman¡¯s. They held their breath, covered in wounds from advancing through the flying swords, God Hands, and vampires. They came here to use their lives to help Grid, but they stood still like a wooden statue.


    The God Hands which failed to use their strength turned into ck giants. There were 30 magic machines. They weren¡¯trge, but they filled up more than half the air space. They broke through the flying swords and pressed at the unknown swordsman.


    The battlefield was further narrowed, but the swordsman moved like there were no restrictions. He avoided the bombardment and jumped so high that the moon was behind him. Blood magic grabbed at his ankle and Tiramet was clinging to his waist, but they couldn¡¯t stop him.


    Flinch.


    No one could read the shaky eyes of the swordsman in the shade of the moonlight. Sword Saint Biban¡ªas he was concentrating on the confrontation, he btedly noticed the uninvited guests. Thus, the operation of ¡®recognize objects¡¯ of Heart Sword was modified. It wasn¡¯t easy to alter the already expressed mental world, but he had to do so.


    The reason why the tower members vowed to protect the world from the monsters called dragons was to protect their descendants. The tower members would never harm humans unless it was a fatal reason. This was even if they knew they would regret it. They weren¡¯t the type of people who would be devoured by their convictions and sacrifice people as cattle for their beliefs. They were more sublime.


    Red blood flowed from Biban¡¯s mouth. His mental world was shaken in the aftermath of suppressing the Heart Sword and he suffered. Thus, he couldn¡¯t respond properly. He had no choice but to watch as Grid danced whileing through the cut apart magic machines. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t regret it. It was a beautiful dance that made people smile. ¡®It is wonderful.¡¯


    How young are you to surpass me?So far, no pioneer has ever been able to achieve the tower¡¯s aspirations, but you...


    ¡°......?!¡±


    It happened the moment that the Linked Kill Wave part of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was deployed...


    Biban was lost in thought as he watched Grid happily, only for his expression to stiffen. It was because Grid took out a new sword during the sword dance andbined it with the existing sword.


    ¡®Moon night iron!¡¯


    The terrible destructive energy sent chills down his spine. Grid¡¯s subtle threat about cutting off his arm crossed his mind. The words and deeds that he felt were impolite became sincere worry and kindness.


    ¡®This damn...¡¯ Biban measured the power of the Falling Moon Sword and quickly built up a barrier. It was because he recognized that the power of 100,000 Army Massacre Sword, which wasbined with the movements of the sword dance, transcended the original one used by the Undefeated King.


    However, Biban wasn¡¯t wary of the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, but the Falling Moon Sword itself. The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship? He could crush it with stronger swordsmanship. Even the One Million Army Swordsmanship could be offset by the Heart Sword. His mental world would be shaken by the use of great willpower, but he would be able to deal with it somehow.


    The moon night iron was different. Biban had seen many scenes of Radwolf¡¯s magic machines breaking through the dragon¡¯s absolute defense with the outer armor of moon night iron. In particr, this Falling Moon Sword was much sharper and firmer than the outer armor of the magic machines. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Dragon Killing Sword of the 1st Seat, Hayate.


    In front of items, the mind barrier was broken. Unstoppable waves of power and sword lights forced Biban to act. Biban faced the sword light close up and took a step back. He rotated his upper body and moved his left shoulder back. Then he stretched forward the sword in his right hand. He reduced the area of his body that the Falling Moon Sword could touch as much as possible. In this case, it was induced to be limited to the ¡®sword.¡¯


    The time it took to reach him was so short that it couldn¡¯t even be split into 0.1 seconds. The sword filled with the willpower of the Sword Saint broke to pieces and scattered. Then his wrist was cut. The body of the Sword Saint that had been honed for countless years¡ªthe strong body of a transcendent that had endured a dragon¡¯s Breath was severed in vain.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    The world recovered its originalndscape along with the scattered images. Grid¡¯s divine color was spread out in the night sky embroidered with countless stars. The sword light that extended to the end of their field of view was reminiscent of the sun on the horizon.


    Biban fell to the ground and looked at his cut wrist. He avoided one arm, but he had now lost one hand.


    ...It was fine. He was the Sword Saint who went beyond an excellent de. He could use swordsmanship even without a sword. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to lose one hand. No, there was no reason to live without a hand... big cities had a Reba Temple, so he could get it healed if he visited it soon.


    Grid had mentioned it¡ªhe shouldn¡¯t worry if a body part was cut off because it would somehow be restored. Biban just hadn¡¯t expected it to be a reality. Biban wrapped a cloth around his cut wrist and smiled at Grid who descended to the ground. Grid¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t unscathed either. His entire body was a wreck and he was trembling finely.


    Biban told him, ¡°I lost. I didn¡¯t know you would grow to this point when I didn¡¯t see you. I truly respect you.¡±


    ¡°Show me the wound.¡± Grid¡¯s face was pale. It was true that he wanted to win by any means. He looked into Biban¡¯s eyes and prepared Shunpo until the moment the barrier broke. It was to chase without missing anything. Yet when he saw Biban¡¯s cut wrist, his heart sank. He wanted the reward, but the body of his benefactor was damaged. He felt ufortable. Biban¡¯s favor throughout the duel made Grid¡¯s heart ache even more. He wondered if this was the mood when his teacher was hurt.


    Biban spoke to him while pulling out a bandage, ¡°I¡¯ve stopped bleeding. Look. There is no blood.¡±


    The body of a transcendent didn¡¯t fitmon sense. Biban tightened his muscles and changed the flow of blood to prevent the bleeding. Biban was on the verge of controlling even all the veins in his body. Nevertheless, Grid beat him. It would¡¯ve been much more difficult if it was a purely one-on-one confrontation, but Grid had the power of items. From his position, it was right to fight using all means. The Falling Moon Sword was along the same lines.


    ¡®When will Seheee?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t receive whispers in hell, so he asked Lauel to contact her in reality. However, it seemed a bit dyed seeing that there was still no news...


    Biban patted Grid on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. First, guide me to the Reba Temple.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not there...¡±


    ¡°Uh? What isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°The Reba Temple. It was originally there, but not anymore.¡±


    ¡°...What? There isn¡¯t a Reba Temple in this city?¡±


    ¡°I dismantled all of them...¡±


    ¡°T-This is crazy! Why are you only saying this now?¡± Biban was defeated in the duel and had one hand cut off. Even so, he never lost his kind smile andposure. Now he stared at Grid with wide eyes. He was about to grab Grid¡¯s cor and shake him. ¡°Why are you only saying now that there is no Reba Temple?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°Did you deceive me? How can you promise to restore my limb if there isn¡¯t even a Reba Temple?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was different if there was no hope in the first ce, but it was hard for anyone to not feel despair or anger when they were deprived of the hope they had gained.


    Grid noticed that Biban was genuinely upset. He was half out of his mind and didn¡¯t care that there were a lot of people present right now.


    ¡®Try to maintain yourposure.¡¯


    Still, who could stay calm if their hand was cut off?


    ¡°Tower... if I go back to the tower, there might be a way... Oof!¡±


    Grid hurriedly blocked Biban¡¯s mouth as he muttered these words. Biban actually mentioned the tower in front of so many people.


    ¡®This X.¡¯


    Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be able to see Biban again...


    It happened as the worried Grid grabbed the struggling Biban with the God Hands...


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    The savior appeared. It was Saintess Ruby whom he had been waiting for. It was a bitte, but it was enough. It was such timing that if Biban¡¯s waist had been cut instead of his wrist, it might not have been able to be reattached.


    ¡®Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen.¡¯


    Biban having his waist cut? It was something that was impossible. Grid couldn¡¯t have cut it even if he wanted to. Biban¡¯s reaction speed was very fast.


    ¡°H-Handle it with care.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid, who lost 10 years of his life, watched as Biban became a gentle sheep in front of Ruby. They were surrounded by arge crowd of people who had heard themotion. Hundreds of eyes were focused on Biban. There were also murmurs about what the tower was. The names of the magic towers that existed on the continent were mentioned at least once.


    Biban¡¯splexion became ashy as he btedly realized the situation.

 Chapter 1484

    <h4>Chapter 1484</h4>


    There was no need to take care of the severed hand. Warm light wrapped around the wound andpletely regenerated a new one. Muscles, blood vessels, bones, and flesh were restored in real time and formed the shape of a hand. Sensation started to return. Every time the staff smashed into him, he felt vivid pain. The shock promoted the flow of blood and energy. The position of the joints were correctly interlocked. Five fingers moved as expected. It was the same as before he lost it.


    ¡®The Saintess... is it a reappearance after hundreds of years?¡¯


    Hayate had spected that the heavenly gods were very wary of the Saintess. Then why could she be born safely? The blessing of the goddess infused in Grid¡¯s Greed was also eye-catching. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the goddess¡¯ anger poured out on Grid after he removed the Reba Church, but it was still fine. He even thought it was normal for the blessing to be recovered.


    ¡°Um... Thank you.¡± The treatment ended. Biban shook off his thoughts and expressed his gratitude to Ruby. He didn¡¯t recklessly promise to repay her. It might be different if Ruby was a swordsman, but as the Saintess, a Sword Saint couldn¡¯t do anything for her. There was a lot he could give as a tower member, not a Sword Saint, but... he couldn¡¯t leave traces of the tower with outsiders.


    ¡°It is nothing. You were seriously injured by my brother, so it is natural for me to heal you.¡±


    The surroundingmotion subsided. It was due to Grid disbanding the gathered crowd. The people remaining at the scene were Grid, Ruby, Mercedes, and Biban.


    ¡°I just had my hand cut off. I wasn¡¯t hurt too badly. If it had been a real battle, I would¡¯ve fought for two more days and nights in that state.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t saying this because of his pride or because he couldn¡¯t ept defeat. He just pretended in a half joking manner so that Grid wouldn¡¯t feel guilty. Biban knew that the oue had been set the moment Grid pulled out the Falling Moon Sword. The oue of the fight had little to do with his mental world shaking after trying to protect the witnesses. The result had just been moved up.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just the moon night iron that is threatening. His growth rate is ridiculously fastpared to his talent. The original Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was also reproduced.¡¯


    The most surprising thing was the power of the sword dances. Previously, Grid¡¯s figure as he did the sword dances was somewhat pitiful. The forced actions of being led by the movements of the sword dances was like a child being forced into an adult¡¯s hand.


    That¡¯s right. Not so long ago, Grid had no control over the sword dances. More essentially, the sword dance itself was a problem. There were many worthless actions because the sword dances were just a means of doing a ritual. It wasn¡¯t controble and efficient, so Grid was held back by this part.


    Now it was different. Grid was on the verge of changing the form of the sword dances to his taste. It was more like swordsmanship. It was only for one person in the world. It was swordsmanship suitable only for the man called Grid. It was transcendent because it had a form that couldn¡¯t be reproduced with the human body structure. The swordsmanship that vited the physicalws was fast and effective. It was ferocious and destructive. It boasted a destructive power inbination with the colorful effects of the sword dances.


    The reason Biban wasn¡¯t impressed by the original swordsmanship of the Undefeated King being reproduced for the first time in hundreds of years was because Grid¡¯s sword dances left too strong of an impression.


    ¡®There is no deep, profoundw.¡¯


    There was something shy in the swordsmanship made by a genius. The theory based on intense inspiration disyed artistry that people couldn¡¯t understand. The seemingly ineffective part became an anomalous advantage. However, Grid¡¯s sword dances were developed based on knowledge and experience. It was extremely efficient. It was necessary to ignore the physicalws in order to be efficient. The result was different from the swordsmanship made by a genius, but it was difficult for other people to ess it. Therefore, it was transcendent.


    ¡®It is great swordsmanship.¡¯


    It was like the Matchless Swordsmanship. Moreover, it was the Matchless Swordsmanship chosen by Muller, that genius.


    Did Sword Saint Muller learn the Matchless Swordsmanship because he couldn¡¯t make his own swordsmanship? No. After weighing down the difference between the swordsmanship made by a genius and swordsmanship made by a master, he made the best choice. Meanwhile, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was the ultimate swordsmanship created by a genius. It was swordsmanship that induced extreme force with a single swing.


    In Biban¡¯s view, Grid¡¯s sword dance was much more attractive than that. His heart felt so before even discussing what was better.


    ¡®Hecks manners, but the more I know him, the more I like him.¡¯ Biban smiled pleasantly and slowly used the Matchless Swordsmanship. It was thest step to check the condition of his regenerated hand. It was perfect.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Grid watched Biban and sighed with relief. It was obvious how deeply worried he had been.


    Biban patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I might be old, but it isn¡¯t to the extent for my junior to worry about me.¡±


    Biban nced at Mercedes¡¯ eyes as he spoke. They might contain countless starlight, but they were still a pair of eyes. The mysterious thing was that these eyes, noticed by the tower members, were possessed by Grid during the duel.


    The ferocious sword dance, that was like a beast¡¯s gestures, became refined and evolved into a technique that seemed to be decades more developed. From then on, he rapidly became difficult to deal with. The tens of thousands of swords and Matchless Swordsmanship became ineffective.


    Yet was it really evolution? Grid¡¯s essence was suppressed in this form. Perhaps decadester, the ¡®real¡¯ sword dances used by Grid would be far more threatening than the sword dances of Grid who borrowed Keen Insight.


    ¡°You should refrain from borrowing her eyes in the future. There are concerns that you will form habits that don¡¯t suit you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes stared coldly at Biban, who didn¡¯t hesitate to give advice even until thest minute. Ruby saw it by chance and was startled.


    Biban didn¡¯t notice as he created a barrier. Grid and him were isted from the world. It was for a secret conversation.


    ¡°Now, the gift I promised.¡± Biban pulled something out of his subspace. It was a fang as big as Biban¡¯s height. It wasn¡¯t a canine tooth and the tip wasn¡¯t very sharp. There was just a slight protrusion. Nevertheless, there were strong expectations for it. The hardness was at a standardparable to Greed.


    ¡°Life is a cycle. The body of Stone Dragon Gujel has be part of the tower. The bones and scales had be battle gear of the association members and the blood and flesh have be elixirs, giving the association members a more powerful body and mana. One of the things that remain is this fang.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t deliberately left behind.


    ¡°Even Radwolf couldn¡¯t touch it because of the hardness of Gujel¡¯s tooth. There was a way to transform it using Abellio¡¯s painting or restrain it with the moon night iron, but they gave up because they feared the value would be damaged.¡±


    A smile spread on Biban¡¯s face.


    ¡°It has been a momento for a long time... now it seems this gift was arranged by the world to meet you.¡±


    Biban didn¡¯t discuss the gods. He saw a world higher than the gods. It was aplete confrontation with Reba, who imed to create the world. It meant that the tower members distrusted the gods.


    ¡°You will be able to handle this brilliantly.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked at the fang. Smelting was required. He should take into ount the amount that would inevitably be lost during the process. It was a mass that could make two long swords or one sword and one piece of armor. It would be extravagant to make helmets or gloves with it. In any case, the performance of secondary armor wasn¡¯t as good as the main armor, so it wasn¡¯t first in the order.


    Grid¡¯s gaze turned to Biban¡¯s sword. The size of the sword was reduced by one-third. It was the aftermath of the Falling Moon Sword. Grid told the calmly smiling Biban, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making two swords. Biban¡¯s sword and my sword.¡±


    ¡°My sword...?¡± Biban closed his mouth. He stared nkly at Grid for a moment. Then he glimpsed this person¡¯s heart andughed. ¡°Thank you very much... I¡¯m honored.¡±


    ¡°So far, you have given me a lot of gifts. I have to repay them at least once.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Biban dominated as a supreme person in the world. People felt deep respect for him and worshipped him. There was no equal treatment. Biban felt deep solitude. He received numerous gifts from the people who served him, but received no constion. It was because it was more like a tribute.


    After leaving the world and joining the tower, he met simr tower members and theyforted each other, but... even that was a temporary constion in exchange for istion. Biban had no real friends. No one treated him equally. Yet at this moment, Grid was facing him straight on. The eyes, which were filled with liking rather than respect, were so warm that they made Biban forget the cold air of winter.


    [You have formed a deep bond with the 9th Seat of the Tower of Wisdom, Biban.]


    ¡°I should go back now... I will see you next time.¡± Biban scratched his beard and showed shyness unbing of him. Then he tried to remove the sword barrier.


    Grid told him, ¡°You can¡¯t go back right now.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back? Why? Who won¡¯t allow it?¡±


    Grid exined to Biban who was showing a confused response, ¡°Why? It is because of Biban.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention the tower in front of people? I told them to forbid mentioning it, but I¡¯m not sure this will happen. It is because the impression you instilled in people was too intense. If any of them are unable to suppress their curiosity and investigate the tower based on what you said, it could be a problem in many ways.¡±


    ¡°...I have to use violence.¡± If he found the witnesses and hit them hard on the back of the head, there was the hope of amnesia.


    Grid stopped the seriously troubled Biban. ¡°I¡¯ve already handled it, so don¡¯t worry too much. Act with me for the time being.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°As you know, Reinhardt has the Overgeared Magic Tower. However, there is no sword tower.¡±


    ¡°Sword tower? There is no such thing anywhere in the world.¡±


    ¡°However, it will appear here.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°A few years ago, I built three additional towers, but the number of magicians was so small. Therefore, one tower is empty. I¡¯ll announce it as the sword tower and you will be sworn in as the first Overgeared Sword Tower Master. After attending the inauguration, just teach swordsmanship to the people there for a few days. The moment you go back, I¡¯ll appoint two tower masters and erase the traces.¡±


    ¡°I am the Sword Saint... famous geniuses of the continent came to me with silver and gold treasures piled up in a mountain, hoping to be my disciple. I refused them. Now you want me to act as a teacher?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it if you don¡¯t want to. However, if one day people find out about the Tower of Wisdom and it turns out that Biban is the reason... you will receive heavy punishment from Fronzaltz.¡±


    ¡°Groan... The tower members can¡¯t interact with the world...¡±


    ¡°What about interacting as the Overgeared Sword Tower Master, not a tower member? Your identity won¡¯t be found out.¡±


    ¡°Groan... Overgeared Sword Tower Master... I don¡¯t like the name...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t want to. It doesn¡¯t matter if you clean for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°...One week. I will only stay for one week.¡±


    ¡°You made a good choice.¡±


    It was the day that the greatest swordsman was inaugurated as the first tower master of the Overgeared Sword Tower. The identity was roughly covered up. He was introduced as a hermit, just like the continent¡¯s number one spearman, Kirinus. That alone was enough for the sign-up applications to quickly pile up.


    ¡°By the way...¡± It was after the inauguration ceremony, which was a grand event at Biban¡¯s request. Mercedes said she would receive Biban¡¯s teachings, so Grid walked back to the smithy alone. Then he muttered to himself, ¡°Why did hee? Is he just here to y...?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know the purpose of Biban¡¯s visit here. He just thought it worked out somehow. He received the dragon fang, Ruby¡¯s healing skill level grew rapidly, and he was able to secure a week¡¯s worth ofbor from the former generation Sword Saint. For Grid, Biban was a lottery-like existence.


    A few days passed before Biban remembered what he had forgotten. It was the day that Piaro and the former Red Knights returned from their mission.

 Chapter 1485

    <h4>Chapter 1485</h4>


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡±


    There were concepts that increased in value over time. Reputation was one of them.


    The Red Knights of the golden age, led by Piaro¡ªthey brought countless glories to the Saharan Empire and became legends of the empire. It had been like this since they were cleared of their unfair charges. The story spread so rapidly that it seemed to surpass the greatness of the Undefeated King who caused Lubana to rise.


    ¡°......¡±


    The heroes that their homnd gave birth to only to abandon.


    After a fierce battle, the knights and soldiers watched the sessful capture of the dark elf king and their eyes became wet.


    Thrills and sorrows intersected. The final emotion was shame. Why did they, who devoted themselves to their nation all their lives, have to be kicked out? They, who deserved praise, were deprived of their honor, lives, and families, and suffered. Why couldn¡¯t their nation trust them? Why weren¡¯t they protected?


    The history of the great empire, which should¡¯vested for thousands of years, might¡¯ve disappeared the moment it turned its back on these people. No... it wasn¡¯t toote even now. The empire changed with the coronation of a new ruler. Empress Basara was carrying out various reforms. They were convinced that the empire that expelled the former Red Knights waspletely different from the current empire...


    ¡°You¡¯ve struggled.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The imperial knights shook off their thoughts. They stared nkly at Piaro and the heroes who were turning away. It was because there were no shadows on the heroes¡¯ faces that they dared to ask to go back together. These people wereughing in the battle against the dark elves, who were more powerful than imagined. Their steps were light as they thought about returning ¡®home.¡¯


    In the silence, Resh shouted, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard!¡±


    The knights and soldiers btedly saluted. The heroes carried the Overgeared Kingdom¡¯s g on their shoulders. The imperial g had once been there. Wouldn¡¯t it have pped without losing its momentum anywhere on the continent?


    The expressions of the knights and soldiers gradually calmed down. The status of the empire might not be as good as before, but there was an ally called the Overgeared Kingdom. The surface and hell were on the brink of a great human and demon war. They weren¡¯t afraid of the chaos and storm that were approaching.


    The Overgeared Kingdom was with them and the heroes were in the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    ¡°In the current state, we will only umte damages. We need to shrink the battlefield.¡±


    The continent was huge and more than half of it was the empire¡¯s territory. The empire had six different time zones. It waste at night in the west and morning in the east. The warp gates might¡¯ve been recently introduced by the Overgeared Kingdom, but it wasn¡¯t sufficient to cover all regions. There were only a few warp gates in full operation. It was because installing, maintaining, and operating warp gates required an astronomical amount of resources and personnel.


    ¡°Shrink the battlefield. Let¡¯s evacuate the people to the central region.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It will be hard for the people who have to leave their hometowns, but if the empire wholeheartedly supports them, they will be able to adapt.¡±


    ¡°For the time being, many industries and economies will be paralyzed. The treasury might run out while supporting the refugees. However, we can¡¯t just sit back and watch people die. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Please understand!¡±


    The officials spoke in unison. They shared their views regardless of faction.


    It was shortly after the news was delivered that numerous cities and viges were taken away by the demonic humans. The demonic humans¡¯ momentum was overwhelming. The damage grew dramatically the further away it was from a big city. There were limits to the troops operated by the imperial family and nobles. It was impossible to calcte the casualties in the mountain areas.


    What was the use of having millions of troops? The number of people they had to defend was in the hundreds of millions and thendmass of the empire was toorge. It was impossible to take care of the people scattered everywhere. As such, the number of demonic humans only increased. The only way to reduce the damage was to move people to a safe ce.


    It was gratifying that the great nobles had the ability to take responsibility for and protect their territories. The number of refugees would only be about 60% of the total poption. It was a great number.


    ¡°Your words are right. Support the evacuation and settlement of people to the greatest extent. Don¡¯t spare the resources and manpower.¡± Basara stood up from the throne and took off the golden crown. This was a treasure that was handed down from generation to generation. This crown had symbolized her since her days as a duke and it had reced the imperial crown. Basara handed it over to the finance minister. ¡°The imperial vault will be opened. Use this crown and everything for the people without leaving anything behind.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty...!¡±


    ¡°There is no empire without the people. Please do your best.¡±


    ¡°The imperial favor is immeasurable. I will definitely ept the cooperation of the nobles.¡±


    ¡°The imperial favor is immeasurable!¡±


    Ever since Basara became empress, the empire had invested a lot in the future. It was the future of the continent, not the future of the empire. It was in the belief that they would became a force leading the empire¡¯s long history. The damage suffered immediately was great. It was hard to count. Then at this time, the massive invasion of the demons was foreseen. The damage to the empire umted and their finances were shaky. The fate of the empire was at stake. It was like walking on an icy road.


    However, Basara¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t shaken at all. She was from a coteral bloodline and rose to the throne. The former Emperor Juander gave up on his children and personally gave the throne to her. She wasn¡¯t inferior in ability. Even in the midst of the turmoil, she didn¡¯t stop looking for the best result for the empire.


    ¡®I will continue setting an example so the local families won¡¯t just sit back. The bureaucrats have finally united with one heart and one mind, so I have to take center stage.¡¯


    She felt empty without the crown, but she had to adapt. Basara spread open arge map and along with the officials, she looked at the areas where people would be evacuated. Many things were discussed carefully.


    Some time passed.


    ¡°It is said that the seeds of the demonic humans in the south have died out.¡± The messengers arrived one after another. Most of them were messengers from the south.


    Maritime trade also yed arge part of the imperial economy. There was arge poption and facilities in the south. It was an area where wealth was concentrated, so it wasn¡¯t monopolized by one or two big nobles. Rather, it was ruled separately by the imperial family and various nobles. The nobles didn¡¯t have private soldiers. Their military power was weakpared to the poption. It was most urgent to send troops to the south, but by the time the troops arrived, things were already set. Everyir of the demonic humans had be ruins without exception.


    ¡°Every eyewitness ount is the same. It is said that a big man and a white-haired old man killed the demonic humans."


    ¡°An old man?¡± The officials were agitated. It was hard for them to believe that an old man and one other man destroyed the powerful demonic humans. Then they soon calmed down. The continent was vast. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a transcendent with an unfamiliar name suddenly appeared. The imperial officials were even more aware of this fact.


    Wasn¡¯t it the imperial family that erased the name of the Undefeated King from history? Some of the names that the empire hid and erased were such big names. For example, the Great Robber of the Red Night wasn¡¯t known to the public. He had stolen so many imperial treasures, but he was hidden due to the strict orders of the emperors. They were afraid the imperial family would lose face if it was known. Just as the civilians didn¡¯t know about the Undefeated King and Great Robber of the Red Night, there might be transcendents that the imperial officials didn¡¯t know about.


    Besides, their identities didn¡¯t really matter right now. The important thing was that they were benefiting the empire. Thanks to this, the empire had more room with their troops.


    ¡®An old man and a big man.¡¯ Basara noticed the identity of the two men¡ªformer emperor Juander and armored cavalryman Chensler. Unlike what was known to the world, Juander wasn¡¯t dead. He left the pce and dered he would spend the rest of his life helping the people. Chensler¡¯s disappearance was also false. He just followed Juander.


    ¡°Huhu.¡± Basaraughed slightly as she covered her mouth with her long sleeve.


    Grid, who gathered the allied nations and Juander, who was working for the imperial people...


    She felt relieved when she realized that there were many strong helpers inside and outside.


    ***


    By the end of Biban¡¯s inauguration, the ess time limit was approaching. Grid returned to the smithy and was forcibly logged out when he was getting ready to work. Back in reality, he forgot his fatigue. He was so excited that he couldn¡¯t sleep easily.


    After gaining the scale, he got the second dragon body part. It was even the hardest fang.He would be able to make a sword that wasparable to the ¡®minimum¡¯ sword Hexetia created. It was a highly likely guess. There was the Fire Dragon Sword he made with a ¡®mineral containing a dragon¡¯s breath.¡¯ A divine sword with an ego was created with a by-product containing the breath. The sword made with a dragon¡¯s body part would obviously be better.


    ¡®My one wish is for it to not have too strong an ego.¡¯


    If the ego had a simr nature to a real dragon, then it would likely be more difficult to control. Youngwoo shuddered as he recalled the nature of the gourmet dragon. He was concerned that there might be restrictions on the usage, just like the Falling Moon Sword. In the worst case scenario, he would have to erase the ego and grant it another ego.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯


    There was no record of any dragon weapon in history or legends. As far as Youngwoo knew, only the Tower of Wisdom had made dragon weapons and armor. However, the power wasn¡¯t great. There were no cksmiths among the tower members. Based on the skills and wisdom of the giant family, and the experience umted in making the magic machines, the 3rd seat, Radwolf, could make simr works, but could he fully unlock the potential of the materials?


    It was impossible. Making dragon weapons was something that Grid couldn¡¯t challenge even when he was a legendary cksmith. In fact, Biban¡¯s clothing was made from smelting dragon scales and it was of poor quality. The first true dragon weapon would be created at Grid¡¯s fingertips.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯ He was unable to sleep because his heart was pounding.


    Youngwoo got out of bed and sat down in front of theputer. He essed dozens of foundation sites that he regrly sponsored every month and increased the sponsorship amount by 1.2 times. It was from hundreds of thousands of won to millions of won...


    He raised the amount whenever there was a happy asion so the donation amount that started in the thousands of won had increased by thousands of times. The monthly sponsorship was in the tens of millions of won. He also often donated hundreds of millions of won. It wasn¡¯t a small amount.


    He didn¡¯t get any help from anyone when he was in trouble, so why should he help others? The attention and love that Youngwoo now received from people was too great to think like this. He wanted to give back to the world a bit. However, the donation was made anonymously. It was because the keyboard warriors would obviously say sarcastically that it was a charade. The electronic receipts system had been introduced for donations a long time ago, so tax deductions could be received even if one donated anonymously.


    ¡°This is good.¡± The thought that he did a good thing made him calm down and feel better. Youngwoo could have a good night¡¯s sleep, even if it was for a short time.


    The form of the dragon weapons had long been determined. He hade to a realization during the duel with Biban. Tomorrow, he was going to pour everything out. He was sure that his ultimate cksmithing skill would be able to handle the fang of the stone dragon. It was the same for the scale he received a long time ago. The moment had finallye to strengthen Khan¡¯s work. He had to be careful to enhance the performance without making the traces of Khan disappear...


    In the future, he could expect the dragon weapon and armor set effect.

 Chapter 1486

    <h4>Chapter 1486</h4>


    ¡ª¡ª!


    In the warm sunshine, Haster¡¯s scream leaked through the window. Maybe it was because it was too low and deep that the scream wasn¡¯t bad to hear. It sounded like music, in the same way as a bird¡¯s twittering. Grid was standing in front of the furnace in distress. In just a few days, Haster had improved significantly and seeded in winning against seven God Hands, but Grid couldn¡¯t afford to admire this.


    ¡®I need me strength like never before.¡¯


    The form of the dragon weapons had been determined. He nned to forge the de with a gentle curve. It meant he would make a dao rather than a sword.


    During the duel with Biban, Grid felt his limits when performing the sword dance while pulling out the Falling Moon Sword. The act of taking out weapons from his inventory¡ªthis was possible in 0.1 seconds for Grid. The average person couldn¡¯t react this fast. It was due to years of conscious training. He had to swap items much more frequently than other people.


    However, Grid determined that this was too slow. Biban¡¯s level was too high. If Biban had been aware of the existence of the Falling Moon Sword and was wary of it, he could¡¯ve thwarted Grid¡¯s item swap.


    ¡®I will fight many strong enemies like Biban in the future.¡¯


    Grid felt the need to prepare countermeasures. At the same time, he recalled the drawing sword technique and battojutsu that Peak Sword gained from his fourth ss advancement. The sword was a useful weapon for cutting and stabbing. It usually had a straight line shape to exert full power. It was slower to pull out of the scabbardpared to drawing a curved sword. It differed ording to the length or shape of the de, but it was also due to the need to stretch the arm longer and that the friction between the sheath and de was rtivelycking.


    In Satisfy, battojutsu, or drawing the sword, was a technique that elerated the attack by using the sheath. It was why Peak Sword wore a sword and two knives on his waist. It was so he could draw the sword purely to pursue this.


    Grid didn¡¯t have any sword drawing skills, but it was fine. Battojutsu was a means of connecting drawing the sword with ¡®cutting¡¯ as an attack method. Grid had no need for it when he nned to use it simply as a means of drawing the sword. If he thought he needed it, he would¡¯ve tried to get it from the ¡®martial god¡¯s secret technique book¡¯ sold in the sun carriage, but it was unlikely that he needed it.


    ¡®I had better change the Falling Moon Sword to a dao shape during the second innovation.¡¯


    Many of Grid¡¯s sword dances took the form of cuts, not stabs. The same went for the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King. Of course, Drop and Kill, which had the highest coefficients, were a fall and stab. This meant that a ¡®sword¡¯ couldn¡¯t be thrown awaypletely. However, weapons that were easy to cut with like the Falling Moon Sword should be in a dao shape.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid drew a picture in his head. Assume it was the moment he was connecting Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle to the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    The sword energy of Transcended Link Kill was expressed through a stab and was carried out with the existing divine sword. He would move his left hand, which could be freely controlled after upgrading to a myth ss, and ce it on the sheath at his waist. He would immediately draw the Falling Moon Sword from the sheath. At the same time as the rapid development, he could use Item Combination. In other words, integrate the gap in Wave with the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    At this time, the Falling Moon Sword¡¯s penalty of ¡®cutting once¡¯ would be dealt and thebined items would be released. The divine sword would be held in his right hand and the Falling Moon Sword in his left hand. Release the Falling Moon Sword and let a God Hand recover it. He would swing the finishing blow with the divine sword in his right hand andplete the Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle sword dance.


    The empty left hand would go to his waist again. After releasing the dragon weapon used alongside the Falling Moon Sword, another sword dance or the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship would be used. The other party wouldn¡¯t be able to react easily to the sword light that extended. At the same time, the other divine sword held in his right hand needed to be removed.


    Grid had no passive skill for dual wielding. The moment he pulled out a sword from his waist, he must throw away the divine sword in the other hand to preserve the power of the attack. The abandoned divine sword would be retrieved by a God Hand, just like the Falling Moon Sword. If it was the Fire Dragon Sword, it could move by itself to support Grid. Another way was to reset the cooldown time of Item Combination with Divinity and merelybine the two swords.


    No matter what method he used, he had to make sure a sword remained in either hand. This would get rid of the penalty of not having dual wielding.


    ¡®The most ideal way is to obtain the passive skill to use dual wielding from the martial god¡¯s secret techniques, but... in any case, I can fight faster as long as I implement the drawing sword technique. It is better to maintain focus and keep the battle flowing.¡¯


    There was only one conclusion¡ªit was easier and more efficient to swap items through drawing them from the sheath than taking them out of the inventory and swapping them. This fact alone was enough to make a dao. Sure enough, the form of the first dragon weapon was set as a dao.


    There was only one problem left for Grid after deciding for certain: me strength¡ªhe needed enough me strength to melt the fang of Stone Dragon Gujel. Was the white phosphorus woodcking in me strength? No. The name of a sacred tree wasn¡¯t in vain. However, it seemed like he needed a lot of white phosphorus wood. At least 8 tons of white phosphorus wood had to be burned at one time in order to produce enough me strength to barely melt the hard fang.


    He knew it intuitively. It wasn¡¯t based on insight and ss effects, but an awareness based on umted experience. The quantity of white phosphorus wood was sufficient. It was because his allies in the east were constantly sending them.


    ¡®I need a big furnace.¡¯


    It needed to be built up like a fortress. It had to be huge enough to fit 10 tons of white phosphorus wood. It would be a very big construction.


    ¡®The top must be a hemisphere to catch and circte the hot air as strongly as possible.¡¯


    Grid nced to the side. Picasso was in the corner and drawing his figure on the canvas. She held her breath out of fear of interrupting his concentration.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Grid borrowed a pen and paper. The shape of the furnace in his head was drawn in real time. He tried to express his inspiration that was spreading like wildfire. The picture was a messpared to his effort.However, the structure was rtively urate, so it was easy to see what type of furnace Grid wanted. He could¡¯ve used Item Creation here to give birth to the perfect design of a huge furnace.


    Grid deliberately didn¡¯t consume his skill. He turned the picture over to Ke ong. The dwarf, Ke ong, was especially talented in architecture, so Grid was going to leave the rest to him.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    Long words weren¡¯t necessary. Ke ong saw Grid¡¯s intentions from the picture and solemnly nodded. ¡°Of course. I will make you my first furnace. If you support the technical experts to the maximum extent, then eight days is enough.¡±


    Thinking about the structure and size of the furnace, eight days was very fast. This was enough, more so given theck of stone in Reinhardt due to fortresses being built all over the kingdom. Most importantly, it was a furnace for manufacturing dragon weapons and armor. It was very important, so it made sense for it to take several months, not eight days, to make carefully.


    However, Grid felt it was too long. The problem was that he didn¡¯t know when the great human and demon war would take ce. ¡°I hope we can save time by working together on it as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Um... If Your Majesty helps...¡± Ke ong calcted it. He took into ount the capabilities of the 30 God Hands, which had a considerable amount of Grid¡¯s dexterity. ¡°I can reduce it to four days, four days. It is hard beyond that. In order to burn arge amount of firewood at the same time, the bellows need to y an effective role. Complex techniques need to be used here...¡±


    Grid and the God Hands didn¡¯t have architectural skills, yet the time was cut in half. The Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques skill that was involved in production yed a role. Even so, Grid wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡®Four days... then it will take at least a week to make the weapons and armor.¡¯


    It would be terrible if the great human and demon war broke out in this period...


    ¡®Well, it is fine.¡¯


    How likely was it for the great human and demon war he had been waiting for to happen in the moment when he was stuck? The S.A Group might¡¯ve restrained him countless times, but they rarely did it so tantly. It was futile to worry. Grid controlled his heart and nodded. ¡°I will convene the technical experts, so please start straight away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two people headed to the open space. It was therge field where he sparred with Biban. There were no separate facilities, thus there was only little material damage. The damage was so slight that Administrator Rabbit didn¡¯t shed any tears of blood. He just sniffled. It was evidence that Grid and Biban observed the surroundings while fighting. If they had fought back and forth, the entire Overgeared Castle would¡¯ve been destroyed. The possibility ofplete destruction was very small.


    Grid had invested billions to make the castle¡¯s level MAX and Ke ong had renovated it personally. It was enough to say that the durability of the Overgeared Castle made it the best fortress in the world. This was one of the reasons why the Overgeared Kingdom was now the safest ce in the world.


    ¡°Haster, I¡¯m sorry, but for the next four days or so, can you train with that scarecrow in the corner? Or maybe you can go to a hunting ground.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid was quite satisfied with Haster. The first impression wasn¡¯t bad and his personality was really diligent. Additionally, the potential was very high. Above all, he was a legend in the game industry, so Grid hoped to treat himfortably as a brother out of courtesy. However, Haster couldn¡¯t befortable with Grid. He noticed something and slowly stepped back. He didn¡¯t even ask to be sent to hell if he was going to be left alone for four days.


    ¡®Why is he moving like a crab? Is this a new training method?¡¯ Grid watched Haster, who gradually disappeared from view, and smiled happily. He felt even fonder of Haster, who worked hard to connect effort with training no matter the situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best and devote my soul.¡±


    Grid rolled up his sleeves along with Ke ong and started working. The airlifting of building materials and technical experts had already been requested from Lauel. There was just one fact that Grid didn¡¯t know. The S.A Group. No, to be precise, Morpheus was much more tant than Grid thought.


    ***


    ¡°Have you made a big mistake in the past?¡±


    At the Overgeared Sword Tower...


    Biban became the first sword tower master and he asked this question as he confronted an upright woman. The woman¡¯s eyes shook slightly under her elongated eyshes. She recalled the incident where the trivial merchant dared to blow King Grid into the distant sky.


    ¡°Your swordsmanship is only for protection. You were born with an extraordinary talent, but you¡¯re wasting that talent. I guess you lost something because you failed to protect your precious one.¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t lose it.¡± Mercedes¡¯ eyes were on disy as she answered.


    Only her eyes were recognized for a moment in Biban¡¯s consciousness. He seemed to have the illusion that the lights that illuminated the darkness of the deep tower were turned off.


    ¡®Keen Insight.¡¯


    The eyes that would be able to control everything in the end. There was no doubt that even the gods feared this ability. It was the power to discipline absolute beings one day. The possibility of qualifying as a dragon killer or god killer was absolutely certain. However, it was on the premise that she was safe until then.


    ¡°You look ufortable, so I won¡¯t ask you about the past. There is just one thing you have to remember. A sword that sacrifices itself to protect others is a weak sword. You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself when you protect someone who is truly strong.¡±


    Biban had witnessed it a countless number of times¡ªthe geniuses who were gifted with brilliant talent dying before they could blossom. Mercedes was also determined to be one of them. Now she was only a sword to protect others. Even if she was heading to a certain death, there was no hesitation. It was as if it was not a problem at all.


    Tsk. Biban clicked his tongue and made a decision. ¡°Be prepared. This tower master will strengthen you as part of my duty.¡±


    It was as the Overgeared Sword Tower Master. It was only a week of duty, but Biban didn¡¯t want to watch on idly. It was a waste of Mercedes¡¯ talent. Today¡¯s choice might result in the loss of his qualification as a tower member, but he was confident that he wouldn¡¯t regret it for the rest of his life since it was to protect a pir of the future.


    ...It wasn¡¯t a choice made from a noble spirit. It was just that Biban¡¯s personality was simple and clear. It was an essence that wouldn¡¯t change.

 Chapter 1487

    <h4>Chapter 1487</h4>


    The smile of the goddess was broken. The statues carved in the shape of the goddess of light were destroyed and scattered. Her personal image was no longer brilliant or sacred. The broken face lost its expression and the gaping eyes had no spirituality. It was unrealistic and cruelpared to the figure depicted on the stained ss.


    The destruction continued. The stained ss that was fine was shattered and scattered. The light scattered due to the ss fragments was like the tears of the goddess.


    ¡°Punishment...! You will be punished!¡±


    At the temple that had watched the ups and downs of a small kingdom...


    An old priest shed tears of blood as he witnessed the end of the Reba Church that had taken care of people for hundreds of years.


    ¡°You are receiving the punishment now.¡± The man who answered looked indifferent.


    The assassins of the Overgeared Shadows. They seemed tock emotions. It was said that they were destroying the Reba Temples that existed all over the continent with indifferent faces like nothing was happening. They weren¡¯t humans but weapons. They felt like a form of violence.


    The priests of the Reba Church glimpsed a different type of madness from them.


    Did they read the thoughts in the priest¡¯s eyes?


    ¡°In our eyes, you are the fanatics.¡± The assassins revealed their thoughts. Even at thest moment, it was hard for them to understand the priests who believed in and followed Goddess Reba. Their hearts were stuffy and unpleasant. Was this anger and disgust? They were reminded of Lantier, whomanded them to regain their humanity. ¡°You should know what happened at the Vatican. The angel sent by the goddess induced humanity¡¯s conflict on the eve of the great human and demon war. It was sneaky and wicked. In fact, the Reba Church members at the scene vowed to serve the Overgeared God. If you had normal senses, you would take off that white priestly uniform.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether the rumors are true or not. It was the actions of an angel, not the work of the goddess.¡±


    ¡°......? It is the goddess who sent the angel.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing meaningless. The premise of doubting the goddess itself is wrong. Did the goddess make the world and human beings for humans to doubt the will of the goddess? Additionally, the greater the trials, the more we must believe in the goddess and pray for salvation... how can murderers like you understand the charity of the goddess?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Sure enough, it was difficult to have a conversation. There was this new understanding and an assassin struck the old priest¡¯s throat. He wasn¡¯t killed. There was Lantier¡¯smand not to kill the old man.


    Now, the Overgeared Shadows weren¡¯t simple killing machines. They moved with conviction. They were educated like this by the modern day Lantier. The assassins were getting back the emotions they had lost. The emotions that made them so ufortable and unpleasant at times... they felt stronger than before. In particr, a power beyond their limit was exerted when protecting something.


    ¡°Burn these eyesores and take the priests away.¡± The group leader ordered and the nodding assassins moved swiftly. They burned the remnants of the temple and bound the priests. This event was urring simultaneously across the continent. The traces of the Reba Church were gradually disappearing from the world.


    There were those who were watching these scenes from high in the sky. It wasn¡¯t the heavenly gods. Compared with heaven, there were two men who were far closer to the ground.


    ¡°I vaguely understand why Helena had such a short life.¡± Bunsdel¡ªthe lord of the half-draconians, the one who inherited the blood of the evil dragon Bunhelier, spread open his ck wings and rose into the sky. ¡°That child... her nose was too high in the sky. She was unaware of her strength and went on a rampage. She left the fence that the vanguard had put up for our blood rtives. It was her fate to die.¡±


    Helena was originally supposed to be the present day lord. Thest generation lord was ¡®Bun,¡¯ so the present day lord should be ¡®Hel.¡¯ However, Helena wanted to leave the fence. The moment she was going to be the lord, she revealed her ambition to move all her blood to the Chaos Mountains to build up enough strength to rule the ground. It was the same as hastening the destruction of their blood. The ¡®childhood y with the empire¡¯ that she criticized was a survival strategy shaped by the need tost.


    ¡°I witnessed a transcendent early on. The grandmaster, that monstrous guy. Our kin despised him because he is human, but I understand from the beginning why our ancestors locked our kin in a narrow fence.¡±


    The half-draconians had the blood of dragons. They were considerably proud due to their lineage. It was an area difficult for people to understand. Meanwhile, Bunsdel was different. He was more talented than Helena and he was the first to see how insignificant the half-draconian¡¯s sense of superiority was.


    The world was so wide. The half-draconians were just food for the truly strong. Food with good bones and scales. It was Bunsdel¡¯s belief that the half-draconians weren¡¯t such a great species, unlike their own beliefs. They needed time. Time to build up strength.


    ¡°The Overgeared King is a transcendent. Additionally, he built up divinity. Tsk, freaking hell. He must be a lot tougher than the grandmaster. The moment I think I¡¯ve crossed the highest wall in the world, I end up facing a bitter mountain.¡±


    ¡°The mountain will be a new fence to protect the half-draconians.¡±


    ¡°That is possible... Hao, as you say, this opportunity might note twice for us. But...¡±


    There was a shadow covering Bunsdel¡¯s face as he looked over the burning temple.


    ¡°...It is too wide. I feel it isn¡¯t wise. No matter the reason, he has trampled on the Reba Church that existed together with the history of humanity. Is he so drunk on power that he isn¡¯t considering the consequences? No, thinking about how he killed Helena without hesitation, his natural temperament seems very violent.¡±


    Helena was a candidate to be lord. Regardless of her level or talent, she was from a royal family. Killing her meant the Overgeared King wasn¡¯t afraid of losing the half-draconians. The Overgeared King at that time wouldn¡¯t have been as strong as he was now. Additionally, he was urging reconciliation through Hao at this moment. There was no sense of shame. It was very arbitrary.


    ¡°That man isn¡¯t possible... he is a type of human being that is impossible to control. It isn¡¯t reasonable. The burden is too heavy to get on the same ship. There is no reason to stick to a ship that is going to sink anyway.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hao¡¯s expression darkened. Originally, the height was so high that even breathing was difficult. Now his purpose was unlikely to be achieved and it was hard to control his expression. He had to convince Bunsdel. It wasn¡¯t because it was Lauel¡¯s wish.


    Hao was purely concerned about the great human and demon war. His prediction was that the great human and demon war would be much more difficult than people expected. Humans needed the power of the half-draconians. He wanted the half-draconians to take this opportunity toe out andmunicate with humanity. The more powerful the half-draconians, the better it would be for Hao. He said, ¡°Grid really is emotional.


    ¡°Then it is right.¡± Bunsdel turned around. It was a firm attitude that showed no more conversation was needed. He was just about to leave when he stopped.


    It was because Hao¡¯s upright voice entered his ears. ¡°Every time there is a small threat to his colleagues or people, he will immediately run over and fight for them. He fights regardless of whether the opponent is a demon, angel, or even the gods.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Maybe Helena touched Grid¡¯s people. One thing is for certain. I have never seen him use power and violence in order to satisfy his selfish desires.¡±


    Hao didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s personality or what he did in detail. He just knew one obvious fact¡ªthe people of the Overgeared Kingdom always smiled. There was no distinction between yers and NPCs.Most of the territories where yers were sworn in as lords were the same as ¡®someone¡¯s hell.¡¯


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a person to hold grudges. There is absolutely no possibility that Grid will be the enemy of all people. In the future, those who antagonize Grid are born evil and will be the enemies of humanity anyway.¡±


    ¡°For example, Bunhelier?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessarily the case...¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, that¡¯s fine. Prepare good alcohol. Based on what you said, I want to meet him once. If you don¡¯t want to, you can go and run off...¡±


    After bing the lord, Bunsdel didn¡¯t directly participate in the war with the empire. He had the same attitude when the emperor changed. He silently watched the war that was child¡¯s y to Helena. He wasn¡¯t afraid of being defeated by the grandmaster. He was just wary that he would lose his sense of reason in the process of fighting the grandmaster and even exterminate his own kin.


    He was the one who inherited the thickest amount of blood from the evil dragon Bunhelier. He wasn¡¯t just the king of the half-draconians. He was also a transcendent. Now he turned his gaze in the direction of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ***


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we bing really strong?¡± Ibellin eximed in an excited voice. He had a bright smile that didn¡¯t fit this hellish life. The expressions of the other people were simr. As if to prove that humans were adaptive animals, the hell expedition had fully adapted to the hellish environment. They were no longer mentally shaken. They were able to fight the demons and demonkins without being caught by the penalty that sealed many of their stats.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t really strong. It is much stronger. I¡¯ve already gained four levels. Ibellin, I think you¡¯ve gained six?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    The biggest difference between Satisfy and reality was thepensation. Unlike reality where it didn¡¯t matter how hard they tried, they would bepensated ordingly in Satisfy. Efforts and rewards were directly proportional. The expedition adapted to the cruel hell at the beginning and started to embark on the road of flowers. Level and skill experience increased at an unprecedented rate.


    Every time the team faced their extreme limit, Yura used Hell Regtion and her contribution was the greatest. The support of Saintess Ruby and the existence of the neutral areas that asionally appeared like oases were also very helpful. The neutral zone of hell was exactly like the surface. It was a space for the residents of the demon world, who were different from humans, to live inpliance withws and order. There was morality and peace. It was a shelter for the party. It was due to the unwritten rule of no killing in the ce where God Yatan¡¯s statues existed. It was ironic that the symbol of evil had be peace.


    ¡°If we grow as fast as we are now and get new items made by God Grid...¡± Peak Sword was chatting excitedly with Ibellin, only to shut his mouth. It was because Yura and Kraugel¡¯s eyes were fixed to the sky. Then Jishuka, Faker, and Euphemina shifted their gaze to the sky. Peak Sword¡¯s expression cooled down.


    Everyone in the group stared up at the sky. In the night sky where the distorted stars were tangled together, the unique energy that had spread like blood had disappeared. The stars regained their original appearance. The hell moon that had been staring with tens of thousands of bloodshot eyes, closed its eyes and shone brilliantly.


    It was a skyscape in their memories¡ªit was the night sky they had always seen. The skyscape that should only be seen on the surface was covering the terrible sky of hell.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...!¡±


    The eyes of the party members shifted to Yura.


    Yura nodded. ¡°It has started.¡±


    It was an omen she had prepared for. The boundary between hell and the surface was broken. A spectacr scene immediately unfolded. Thousands of portals were created throughout the vast sky. This was merely in the 21st Hell.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    The group turned white as they witnessed the demons and demonkin flying toward the portals.


    ¡°Are the demons invading in this way? We can¡¯t control this...¡±


    ¡°Dammit! What are those portals?¡±


    It was from the time of the outbreak of the war. People expected to have some time to respond to it. They never imagined that many portals would open and the demons and demonkin would immediately invade the ground using the portals. It was thought they would gather in a specific connected space such as the Abyss or the Behen Archipgo. Furthermore, it was spected that there would be a certain limit to the number that could use the passage. They predicted that hell¡¯s armies would enter the surface sequentially.


    However, reality waspletely different. The situation was much more serious than they expected. Demons would appear simultaneously all over the surface...


    As the party was in turmoil, Yura quickly acted. She immediately opened a hell gate. ¡°First of all, Sehee, Jishuka, and Kraugel...¡±


    It happened as Yura was pointing out the first group to go back to the surface...


    Something huge fell from the sky and blocked the gate. It was a three-headed beast that was four times bigger than an elephant. On it was a demon in ck armor.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the war on the surface... I just don¡¯t want you to leave. You will pay the price for daring to make a fuss in hell.¡±


    [The 20th Great Demon, ck Knight ¡®Eligos,¡¯ is guarding the river of reincarnation.]


    [Eligos has denied life. Your race will change to the undead.]


    [Eligos often exercises his authority to interfere in the cycle of life and death of souls. Once killed by Eligos, there is a 50% probability that you will receive the ¡®no resurrection¡¯ punishment. If this penalty urs, you can¡¯t reconnect for 24 hours.]


    [You have witnessed the mythical demonic creature, the Cerberus.]


    [Facing Cerberus¡¯ six eyes, you have fallen into deep despair. There is a problem with your senses.]


    [Your fire resistance, cold resistance, and poison resistance are greatly reduced due to Cerberus¡¯ breath.]


    Themencement of the great human and demon war¡ªthe stage of the first battle was hell.

 Chapter 1488

    <h4>Chapter 1488</h4>


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    [The duration of immortality is over.]


    [Your race has changed into an undead. Some resources will be changed to health.]


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have died.]


    [You are in an infinite return state.]


    [You will be resurrected immediately and the cooldown of all skills will be reset.]


    [The penalty of infinite return has doubled experience loss.]


    [Your level has decreased.]


    [28 hours have passed since the connection timeout has psed.]


    [This is based on reality time.]


    [We believe that the yer¡¯s life is very dangerous.]


    [ording to Satisfy¡¯s operating provisions that the yer agreed to, the yer¡¯s safety and rescue arrangements...]


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...Gasp...!¡±Agnus ignored the intermittent, buzzing notifications. No, it was more urate to say he wasn¡¯t aware of it. How many days had he spent in this world? Agnus didn¡¯t remember. He couldn¡¯t afford to count it.


    Marbas¡ªAgnus only moved forward to approach the individual who was a great power in hell, who infinitely brought together the army. The quest restricted skill that he temporarily received from Baal, Infinite Return, made it possible.


    [You have died.]


    [You have died.]


    [30 hours have passed since the connection timeout has psed.]


    ¡°You are the worst Baal¡¯s Contractor ever.¡± A green-haired male individual broke through the army of demonic creatures in just seven days and night and was approaching him. Marbas nonchntly faced these golden eyes that were shining like a beast and ced a hand on his hat. He lifted his staff slightly and a sharp light shed, cutting at Agnus. The wavelength of sword energy stretching out was very noisy.


    Agnus¡¯ robe fluttered like there was a storm and the skeleton guards turned to powder and scattered. There was a reason why Marbas had held his hat in advance.


    ¡°It might be different if it was a contractor who died like Pagma and the soul was mortgaged, but I have ever seen a contractor who moved ording to Baal¡¯s will before. All the contractors have suffered from madness, but you seem to be especially twisted.¡±


    ¡®This guy...¡¯ Agnus¡¯ eyes widened. In the week of mental and physical exhaustion, he had a good grasp of Marbas. He thought Marbas was a summoner. Otherwise, there was no way to exin his ability to constantly summon tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of demonic creatures.


    However, even his swordsmanship wasn¡¯t at an ordinary level. The speed and power of the sword was far beyond the level of a high ranker. It was the most powerful person Agnus knew. It was reminiscent of Grid¡¯s swordsmanship, the person who caused the outbreak of the great human and demon war.


    ¡°Lantier!¡± Agnus overcame the crisis thanks to Bentao¡¯s Mockery, where only 30% of the power applied to named NPCs, and shouted urgently.


    The reaction came immediately. Death Knight Lantier had been carrying out a ughter in the shadows of the army of demonic creatures. During the time when Agnus suffered hundreds of deaths, he had gained dozens of levels. He quickly appeared in an instant between Agnus and Barbas.


    ¡°Hup...!¡± Marbas tried to hit back with his short sword, only to take a breath and raise his sword. Four shocks rang through the sword and were transmitted to his fingertips. It was proof that Lantier¡¯s power and techniques were returning to their prime.


    A light shone in Marbas¡¯ slightly widened eyes. The lich, who was ughtering the demonic creatures in the middle of the battlefield, had fired a sniping magic at him. The power was several times stronger than what was seen on the first day.


    ¡®Was this Baal¡¯s intention?¡¯


    In thest week, Baal¡¯s Contractor had weakened sharply while his lich and death knights had made rapid progress. They grew using the death of their master as a nutrient. The army of demonic creatures that protected Marbas was now grabbing Marbas by the throat.


    ¡®The path of retreat is blocked.¡¯


    Marbas frowned as he felt the barrier of Baal¡¯s subordinates, including Chepardea, spread out behind his back. He knew it intuitively. This barrier was the stage for dering death. It was a ce where specters were infinitely revived no matter how many times they died.


    ¡®Disgraceful.¡¯ Baal¡¯s yfulness exceeded the limit. So far, it had been just a nuisance, but now he was openly trying to overturn the situation.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to target me. Is he really going to turn his back on God¡¯s wishes? He is a son...¡¯ Marbas clicked his tongue and took off his hat. Then the appearance of the handsome, old gentleman was gone. The head covered with horns looked monstrous. Marbas broke one of the horns with his hands and pulled it off. ck blood started to flow and demonic energy fluctuated.


    -Croak?


    Chepardea had regained his strength and authority after returning to hell. He had been watching over the situation calmly and proudly. Now he showed a fool¡¯s expression like when he was on the ground. It didn¡¯t match his size. He forgot he was the subordinate of the 1st Great Demon, Baal, and showed signs of fluster. He was surprised. He never dreamed that Marbas would be so strong.


    -We need to strengthen the barrier...!


    ¡°It is toote,¡± Marbas said as if it was futile. The gathered the ck demonic energy at the tip of his sword and raised it over his head. The target was the barrier, not Agnus. He intended to break the barrier. It was what Baal had made and used for entertainment. It was designed to prevent damage from any being other than a single digit great demon and the barrier was a stage where countless killings had been carried out so far. Even a great demon was put here like a beast and died in front of Baal.


    Now Marbas had the power to destroy the stage that was made of madness and malice. It was power gained in exchange for abandoning one horn and he only had three left.


    ¡®Don¡¯t waste it. First of all, survive...¡¯ Marbas¡¯ thoughts stopped. His body was stiff. He couldn¡¯t lower the sword that was raised high.


    ¡°Running away? Where are you looking?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the feeling of fear or terror. It was disgust. He could only feel it when facing something terrible enough to escape the natural nature of things. Originally, it was something he should¡¯ve never experienced in his lifetime.


    ¡°Come and see me?¡±


    Like the lines of the ocean, the swirling eyes moved separately. They looked up, down, and to the side. They persistently looked around. It was like they were looking for a fun toy, but they never missed Marbas.


    ¡°......¡±


    Marbas gulped and quietly lowered his raised sword. He turned to Agnus and pointed to the monster beyond the barrier. ¡°That... it is a void. It is a curse that will surely lead you to ruin.¡±


    -You!You dare to say such things about His Majesty!


    Baal, who rarely came to the scene, and Chepardea, who was yelling.


    In the dizzying turmoil, Agnus set his mind straight. ¡°I am already broken.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you the truth of hell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. I just want to be strong.¡±


    Strength. If he could umte a unique strength and look down on everything, the world would be boring. Would this vague lingering emotion toward the irreversible past disappearpletely? Only then would he be free...


    He thought so and longed for it.


    Agnus stuck to Marbas like a hungry ghost. He repeatedly gave up running away and was killed by Marbas. ording to Marbas¡¯ assertion, he was destroyed in real time.


    [You have died.]


    [Your level has decreased.]


    [You have died.]


    [You have...]


    ......


    ...


    [34 hours have passed since the connection timeout has psed.]


    It was a painful time. Agnus¡¯ mind faded again. He felt like he had be a sandcastle. He realized that he was copsing. However, his power became stronger and gradually formed a greater unity. His real power was strengtheningpared to his level that could be restored at any time.


    Yes, levels could be recovered at any time. The great human and demon war would be the best hunting ground. The ss effect and various title effects that had grown to the legendary rating dramatically increased the stat points gained when he leveled up, so it was a good thing...


    A smile gradually appeared on Agnus¡¯ face that was distorted by fatigue and pain.


    ¡°Baaaal!¡± The rxed look waspletely gone from Marbas¡¯ face. He felt Baal¡¯s eyes on his back and struggled desperately. He postponed his death by defeating the lich and death knights, not Agnus.


    It was just a postponement. From the time Marbas¡¯ sword no longer aimed at Agnus, Agnus repeatedly killed himself. The battle was elerated. His death reset the cooldown time of all skills and he summoned the lich and death knights again. He hunted an endless army of demonic creatures and took them as food. He was going to eat even Marbas in the end.


    ***


    The reason for theck of imperial forces wasn¡¯t just the demonic humans.


    The Abyss¡ªthe end of the world and a boundary. The empire needed to be vignt as this location in the capital, Titan, was likely to be the starting point of the war. A considerable number of troops were gathered at the Abyss to prepare for the invasion of the demons.


    There was less support from the allies. Most of the allied forces were watching the Behen Archipgo which was predicted to be another starting point. The choice to disperse the troops itself might be arrogant.


    ¡°Who...?!¡± The guards around the entrance of the Abyss reacted unanimously. As if to prove the result of the training they had received, they immediately prepared to fire signal bullets after shouting. The reaction speed, judgment, and action were as fast as possible.


    Unfortunately, their voices weren¡¯t turned into cries. Dozens of signal bullets fell to the ground without being fired. It was because a sword light cut their throats.


    Vicious silence dominated the world, but the deaths of the guards weren¡¯t in vain. The watchtowers everywhere reacted. The soldiers witnessed the deaths of their colleagues from a high ce and started to blow the trumpets with the veins of their necks bulging.


    ¡°It is surprisingly fun.¡±


    The movement of the humans was in perfect order. The overall level seemed high. Zepar smiled pleasantly and drew an arc with the sword. It was the ultimate swordsmanship that broke the boundaries of the world. It contained a profoundw. Long rays of sword lights stretched out and destroyed dozens of watchtowers. Some of the leading mounted troops, who were hurriedly making preparations, were cut and turned to ash.


    ¡°XX... What is that?¡± The yers from the empire, who received the boundary protection quest, were mesmerized. It felt that something was terribly wrong.


    There was a loud shockwave at the entrance of the Abyss that made them forget the passage of time. It was the precursor of the world that lost its boundaries mixing together.

 Chapter 1489

    <h4>Chapter 1489</h4>


    ck Knight Eligos wasn¡¯t obsessed with his ranking.


    A symbol¡ªhe wanted to be a symbol of hell. So he stayed at Dog¡¯s Mouth, the 20th Hell, for thousands of years. Along with Cerberus, who left footprints in mythology, he guarded the river of reincarnation and carved his own appearance on the souls of the dead. He left his name on the cries of souls who craved a life they would never regain again.


    Look.


    Listen.


    I am hell.


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    The great human and demon war was an insignificant festival for Eligos. However, he realized that from a human standpoint, it was a disaster that had to be desperately prevented. He stood in the way of the Demon yer¡¯s party and foreshadowed their despair.


    Eligos nned to leisurely enjoy the scene. Then an unexpected situation developed. There wasn¡¯t any fear and despair on the faces of the humans. It only passed by for a moment before disappearing. Eligos took it as a humiliation.


    ¡°You... aren¡¯t afraid of me?¡±


    Looking down on him was like looking down on hell.


    ¡°You are arrogant people.¡±


    Under the dark helmet, a red light shed in Eligos¡¯ eyes. There was a thunder-like sound and there was a long light. It was blood. The red light wasn¡¯t in response to his anger, but was an optical illusion caused by blood spurting up to cover his vision.


    ¡°......?¡±


    He was cut?


    Eligos btedly perceived Faker behind him. ¡°Lantier.¡±


    Cerberus, who was carrying Eligos, was several dozen meters high. The opponents who fought Eligos inevitably had to climb it. Topographically, this meant Eligos always had the advantage. He was in a position to gain insight into, intercept, and abuse his opponent from a high ce.


    It was the first time he had allowed an approach. The shadow technique was the tricky part. The advantage of terrain was broken by using the movement of the shadows as a path. It was invisible and hard to predict, so Cerberus didn¡¯t have a chance to intercept.


    ¡®He is right behind me, but his presence is still hazy. It isn¡¯t an ordinary Lantier. It is a legend.¡¯


    How long had it been since he was injured? Under the helmet, Eligos¡¯ expression twisted. He was ashamed that he had lost his dignity in front of such insignificant human beings. However, that was it. He didn¡¯t feel any crisis.


    Eligos reached back without turning around. The hand stretched over his shoulder turned into an awl and stabbed at Faker¡¯s heart. This series of processes was very fast. Faker moved away without incident. Among the various choices that appeared in his mind at the same time, he identified and chose the best choice. In the process, his body was already moving. It was the domain of a genius and there were many geniuses here.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Eligos¡¯ chest was split in half. Without recovering the hand bound in shadow, Faker grabbed the dagger with the other hand and reverse stabbed while a sword rose from the bottom. It was a devastating blow that broke through Cerberus¡¯ stomach.


    [Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s powerful sword energy has cut through hell.]


    Kiyaaaaaah!Cerberus roared and twisted its three heads. mes emerged from the mouth and quickly covered the area.


    Eligos was silent. He couldn¡¯t speak for a moment. It was due to the arrow that pierced his vocal cords and shut his mouth. The arrows, that couldn¡¯t be seen with the eye, flew and struck at the exact moment they were shot. Thus, he couldn¡¯t read the signs.


    ¡®The Breaking Evil Arrows...¡¯


    Eligos became alert for the first time. He pulled out the arrows embedded in his neck and mouth, and focused on the chaotic demonic energy.


    ¡®These guys are strong.¡¯


    He honestly admitted it. How many great demons had been beaten by humans so far? It was a truth that shouldn¡¯t be belittled. Of course, he wasn¡¯t intimidated. He just realized that he needed to be serious.


    Eligos deflected the sessive attacks from the Sword Saint and Lantier into a barrier of demonic energy and looked down at the ground. He saw a curtain of light pushing away the waves of mes. He confirmed that the physical bodies of the humans who were cursed and became undead had returned to normal.


    ¡®Saintess?¡¯ It was quite an amazing scene. It wasn¡¯t enough that the Demon yer, Sword Saint, Lantier, and Bow Saint were together. Now there was the Saintess as well? His level of alertness rose to the risk level. He recalled the ¡®not-so small god¡¯ that he had missed a while ago. If he didn¡¯t eliminate them today, he might soon fall into a difficult crisis.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll give you an honor.¡±


    The burning ground was shrouded in shadows. Eligos aimed a huge spear at the expedition. An existence that gained the ckness that symbolized wickedness and evil¡ªone of the strongest existences in hell exerted his strength with a sincere murderous spirit. It meant that the expedition had been acknowledged as an opponent. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°Prominence Wave.¡± A phenomenon urred that couldn¡¯t be seen in the hells in the 20s that were eroded by darkness. It was a magical phenomenon, not the aftermath of the copse of the boundary between hell and the surface.


    The sun turned the sky red. It was hotter and brighter than the mes on the ground. The heat melted the spear of demonic energy and struck Eligos. It brought him a strange pain. The magic interfered with all phenomena with a transcendent heat.


    It was the moment when Euphemina realized the ultimate magic that the genius Mumud had onlypleted in theory.


    ¡°Uhh... This is ridiculous,¡± Euphemina let out a groan that didn¡¯t match her performance. It was because she was caught in the mana poisoning penalty in the aftermath of using only one spell. The problem was the environment of the 21st Hell which hindered the cirction of mana.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use magic for three minutes!¡± Euphemina cried out urgently.


    ¡°What is this magic?¡± Eligos questioned it.


    Both voices rang out along with a clicking sound and the sound of swords. During the expedition in hell, Kraugel was inspired by the sword drawing technique of Peak Sword.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Cerberus¡¯ neck was cut and it once again raged. Eligos¡¯ violently burning body shook. However, the situation worsened. The poisonous fog continued. The group shook and copsed, destroying the formation of the expedition. Kraugel, who was jumping up to Cerberus¡¯ pelvis, stopped for a moment. In the gap, Eligos took the opportunity topletely put out the fire.


    Peak Sword clicked his tongue. ¡°Wow, shit. It was useless?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you know it!¡± Vantner cried out to Peak Sword, who failed to cut Cerberus¡¯ throat, and ran forward, setting up his shield. He wasmitted to Ruby¡¯s protection, no one else. Not a single shock wave reached Ruby. The demonic energy spear fired by Eligos struck Vantner¡¯s shield. A big crack appeared on the shield that had lost its durability due to Cerberus¡¯ acidic poison. The legendary shield was made by Grid himself, but it was hard for it to be fine in the face of a mythical monster.


    ¡°This damn monster...¡± Vantner felt a chill go down his spine and was slightly intimidated. He was worried about Eligos¡¯ subsequent attack. Fortunately, it was quiet. Kraugel had caught Eligos¡¯ eye when he seeded in climbing onto Cerberus¡¯ back. They were entangled and exchanged blows.


    ¡°Everyone, have strength!¡± Ruby tried to live up to her colleagues¡¯ protection. She maintained buffs on the party members as much as possible.


    From her shadow, Faker appeared. ¡°Grab my arm.¡±


    The expedition knew about Eligos. It was because Yura had thoroughly informed them in advance about the great demons they should most be on guard against in hell. The reason they were able toe to their senses quickly without being frustrated was because the situation they faced wasn¡¯t so hopeless.


    The penalty of not being able to resurrect? There was no reason to fear it when it urred only when they were ¡®directly¡¯ killed by Eligos. Even now, the hell gate was open. There was a way to live. Eligos had blocked the gate, but it was rtively meaningless against Faker¡¯s Shadow Technique.


    Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword that aimed at Cerberus and Eligos also helped change the terrain. Every time Faker crossed a shadow, one morepanion was hanging onto his body. Ruby, Jishuka, Peak Sword, and Euphemina¡ªthey were selected as the most helpful people to go back up to the ground right now.


    ¡°I will go first!¡±


    ¡°Come back safely!¡±


    ¡°Leave the surface to us.¡±


    ¡°Take the coordinates to God Grid!¡±


    One of the biggest harvests that Yura gained during this expedition period was the increase in level of the Hell Gate skill. The number of people that can cross it had increased to four and the uracy of the coordinates had improved. The cooldown time was reduced to 20 minutes. The summoning time was 3 minutes and 30 seconds so the actual cooldown time was 16 minutes and 30 seconds. Until then¡ª


    ¡°Endure it.¡±


    The remaining expedition members led by Kraugel, Faker, and Yura nned to fight against Eligos. Of course, they didn¡¯t mean to overdo it. They all knew it was impossible to hold on until the remaining people used the hell gate. They just needed a few more. They wanted to send as many people back as possible.


    ¡°Keep in mind that there is no support from the Saintess from now on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The party reconfirmed their determination when they heard Yura¡¯s warning. Commit suicide the moment there was danger... This was the best n in the current situation. They would ept all penalties that resulted from death. It was hundreds or thousands of times better than dying in Eligos¡¯ hands.


    ***


    The brilliantly shining moon glowed red. The center wriggled like it was a heartbeat and soon, tens of thousands of bloodstained eyes opened. The stars were crushed like they were shocked. The surface had be hell. The level andbat power of all the monsters on the surface rose significantly in the wake of the raging demonic energy. The second attack priority monsters became first priority and the activity range of the level 400 or higher monsters expanded rapidly. There was a series of invasions of nearby viges and cities.


    Portals pierced the disgusting sky like a pockmarked face. It was impossible to count the numbers. It was right to say that it was infinite. It was because the portals could be seen in the sky of any area. Demons and demonic creatures flooded out from the portals.


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    The yers of the Dominion Church and Judar Church panicked. As a result of the copse of the Reba Church, the main axis of the three churches, yers belonging to the Reba Church found freedom while the yers belonging to the Dominion and Judar Churches werepletely restrained. They couldn¡¯t leave even when they knew their church had lost its future. It was impossible with the system.


    ¡°Grid should¡¯ve hit the Dominion and Judar Churches, haha.¡±


    yers had heard about the Vatican incident through the media. They knew the circumstances in which an angel posing as a pope provoked Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom. They witnessed the true nature of the angel, who tried to ughter the church members with a casual expression. They didn¡¯t know what Goddess Reba meant to do by turning a blind eye to the humans who served her, but there were enough opportunities to cast doubt on the three churches.


    yers honestly wanted to ignore the restrictions imposed by the system and leave the church immediately. However, it was impossible. They were also reluctant to engage in personal activities. It was because the quests obtained in rtion to the great human and demon war were the type that could be cleared only when they were with their organization.


    ¡°What can we do? We have to limatize if we can¡¯t leave.¡±


    The yers of the three churches suppressed their anxiety and dissatisfaction, and headed to the battlefield. The problem was that their battlefield was confined to the site of the Dominion and Judar Temples.


    ¡°Damn, in the midst of all this, the protection of the templees first. There aren¡¯t many portals open around here, so why?¡±


    ¡°They are preparing for the worst. They¡¯ve already lost their poprity. If they lose their temples, they will look like the Reba Church.¡±


    ¡°Ah, XX. There are no mobs... this is why people have to get on a good side. We will end up falling behind.¡±


    ¡°This might be better.¡±


    ¡°What is good about it?¡±


    ¡°Now the rest of the world is in chaos. People are dying twice and receiving the penalty of ess restrictions. There are many people who have died twice and are losing their minds in themunities. Some of them belong to the empire.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t the situation more serious than expected?¡±


    ¡°There are too many mobs in the areas where more than 10 portals are open. It is almost like a tower defense game. Sometimes the demons mix in with the demonic creatures and it isplete death.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have mobs to kill right now, so at least we won¡¯t die. I don¡¯t think this will end in a day or two. It is better to just hunt and hang around here.¡±


    ¡°I just logged out and saw the situation outside. It is hell. A death knight appeared in the Violet Kingdom and destroyed a castle alone... every time it swung the sword, a city was eliminated and thousands disappeared...¡±


    ¡°What is this guy talking about??¡±


    ¡°A city elimination is crazy. Kukuk, it is funny how you are bluffing.¡±


    ¡°In any case, isn¡¯t this really serious? Sigh, some bastards said the war was an event. XX...¡±


    ¡°The S.A Group who nned this type of content is just crazy.¡±


    ***


    At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    Dozens of people and the God Hands moved in unison under the leadership of Ke ong. Baking ster to make bonding agents, building bricks, setting up mechanisms...


    The workers exceeded doing their best. They didn¡¯t give their tired bodies time to rest. At first, they knew that a huge war wasing. Now they knew that the war had already begun. Theypletely missed the timing to rest and were overworked.


    Grid was one of them.


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± Haster returned from his brief hunt. He couldn¡¯t hide his worry when he heard about the situation all over the world. ¡°I think this is too much damage... additionally, most of the allied and imperial forces are gathered in the Behen Archipgo and Abyss?¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I assumed that the Behen Archipgo and Abyss might act as a ¡®key¡¯ rather than a direct passage.¡±


    ¡°Did you predict that the demonic creatures would appear randomly like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This was one of the situations assumed by Lauel and Valha¡¯s strategists. The problem was that this was the worst case scenario, but even so, they were prepared. Unless a high ranking great demon appeared, the bigshots who could handle a single area were on standby all over the continent. Braham, Nefelina, and the Zikfrector and Zibal duo were typical examples. Damian and Hurent were also in the right ces...


    Above all, Piaro¡¯s party had returned a little while ago.


    It was a situation where there was a lot of damage, but it wasforting that they weren¡¯t caught off guard.


    It happened when Haster saw Grid¡¯s somewhat gloomy expression and fell into thought...


    ¡°God Gridddd!¡±


    Far away, weed faces ran over while waving. They were Peak Sword, Jishuka, Euphemina, and Ruby.


    The delighted Grid pulled out the items he had prepared for them.


    ¡°Feel free to go on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°Believe in me!¡±


    ¡°Wow, what is this orb? Isn¡¯t it beyond imagination?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Haster was reminded of something as he saw Grid sending out infinite trust to his colleagues and the Overgeared members responding vigorously. It was the fact that Grid¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t just the force of his body. He was a cksmith. The Overgeared Guild was constantly bing stronger. He thought that the currently disadvantageous situation could change one day.

 Chapter 1490

    <h4>Chapter 1490</h4>


    ¡°Oasis!¡±


    Just 56 seconds.


    ¡°L-Luck!¡±


    Casualties urred less than a minute after Jishukas¡¯ group left. Ruby, Jishuka, Peak Sword, and Euphemina¡ªthere might be four people missing, but the direct problemy with the limitation of the ultimate skills.


    The ultimate skills. There were many different types. Grid¡¯s five fusion sword dances or attack skills with tens or hundreds of times the attack power such as Euphemina¡¯s Prominence Wave. There were wide-range field skills that weakened enemies while strengthening allies like Grid¡¯s Storm of the Fire God or Yura¡¯s Hell Regtion. There were skills such as Kraugel¡¯s Poetry that Praises the Sword that increased his personal power or Ruby¡¯s Sanctuary that cleared debuffs, enhanced immunity, and strengthened allies. Finally, there were skills like Grid¡¯s Falling Moon Sword and Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword that caused great damage to the enemy and temporarily neutralized them.


    The expedition members exhausted these ultimate skills from the beginning. It was in the first two minutes after Eligos appeared. This was why the expedition was able to let four of their colleagues escape. Rather, it would be a problem if the ultimates of five legends and 15 high rankers didn¡¯t work. It would¡¯ve been a sign that the yers had no dreams and hope.


    ¡°Yura... I¡¯m sorry, but please take care of Oasis.¡±


    Eligos¡¯ spear fell toward the back of Oasis, who was nimbly avoiding the mes and poisons breathed out by Cerberus. It was misfortune after the 80,000 Army Sword cut Eligos¡¯ shoulder. The aggro that was focused on Kraugel changed momentarily.


    Luck came out. He was hit by the spear instead of Oasis. The damage was severe. There was no time for Luck to kill himself. The spear was created by Eligos gathering his demonic energy and the power depleted Luck¡¯s health in a single strike.


    Luck was already dead. The reason he could stand and speak was because he had the indomitable character of a ¡®pir of war.¡¯ It was a characteristic that gave him five seconds of grace from time when struck by deadly damage. It was different from the immortality of legends. No matter what he did, such as restoring his health in those five seconds, he would die unconditionally after five seconds. Thus, he was already dead.


    The expression ¡®deteriorated version of immortality¡¯ was correct.


    ¡°This guy... he will really lose a lot if he dies once.¡±


    In fact, Luck had wanted to ask this from the beginning. He had hoped Oasis would be taken with them when Jishuka¡®s party escaped. However, he gave up when he saw the selected members. Ruby, Jishuka, Peak Sword, and Euphemina¡ªLuck had witnessed the fact that thebat effectiveness of these four people inrge-scalebat was different. It was shameless to ask, especially when even Kraugel, Faker, and Chris had also conceded to them.


    However, he could ask when it was the second time. ¡°Please. Let Oasis go through the next hell gate.¡±


    Luck¡¯s indomitable character came from his status, not his upation.


    A general.


    A pir of war.


    On the battlefield, the death of a general endangered the army. He was aware of this fact and temporarily transcended death.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much of a substitute, but the Ares Army will pay for it.¡±


    After Jishuka¡¯s group left, there were other direct reasons for the weakening of the expedition. It was the absence of some passive skills. In the past when Kraugel¡¯s level was much lower, he had just changed to the Sword Saint and his growth was reset. In the great demon raid, Kraugel showed an attack power that surpassed his insignificant level. It was thanks to the passive skills that increased the physical attack power of the party members as well as physical attack resistance and the power of swordsmanship skill.


    Like him, the passive skills of the Bow Saint, Saintess, and Mumud¡¯s Sessor brought tremendous strength to the expedition. This was a bittersweet fact for Grid. Unlike cksmiths, the essence of these brightbat sses could only be seen on the battlefield. They gave allied troops great strength just by being present.


    The same was true for the position of general. Their existence itself was power.


    ¡°......?¡± On Cerberus¡¯ back, Eligos¡¯ eyes widened slightly. The man who had warped the ¡®g¡¯ that Lantier left on him earlier caused him to feel flustered. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised. The human who should¡¯ve died from the demonic spear appeared alive in front of him. It was hard to believe a person with half his chest blown away and even the cells destroyed was still alive and rushing at him. ¡°Were humans such a durable race?¡±


    The confusion and admiration onlysted a moment. Eligos¡¯ fist was already shooting toward Luck. At the same time, his fist was cut from three different directions. The Sword Saint of this time used a greater variety of swordsmanship than Muller in the legends.


    Nevertheless, there was nothing difficult. Humans needed power, not technique to harm a high ranking great demon. It was an absolute destructive force that made regeneration and recovery meaningless. In that sense, the Sword Saint of this time wasn¡¯t yet a major threat.


    What was the use of a good cut? Eligos could just stick it back together again.


    A huge explosion urred. Eligos¡¯ fist was cut into three parts but it immediately reattached and reached Luck while surrounded by a thick demonic energy. It tore the sky apart with wind pressure alone. The dark clouds tinged red from the remnant of Prominence Wave disappeared without a trace. A hole was drilled in the sky.


    Luck¡¯s body was already torn in half and based on this destructive force, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he turned to dust. Yet the targeted Luck was unharmed. He broke through the wind pressure, avoided the fist, and his attack pierced deep into Eligos¡¯ chest. Then he punched straight at the face of Eligos, who was smiling arrogantly beyond the helmet.


    Cross Counter¡ªit was the strongest counterattack that was Luck¡¯s symbol and had even counteracted the swordsmanship of the sky above the sky, Kraugel. Now it turned the jaw of one of hell¡¯s strongest individuals with an unparalleled power.


    ¡°Hahat! How about it? This is the fist that brought the sky above the sky to his knees!¡±


    ¡°That never happened,¡± Kraugel immediately denied it, but Luck didn¡¯t hear it. He turned to gray ash. The unyielding willpower of the general who didn¡¯t inform anyone of his death had a limit.


    [You have died.]


    [ck Knight ¡®Eligos¡¯ has wielded his authority. Your soul has failed to reincarnate and you will receive the penalty of being unable to resurrect.]


    [You can¡¯t reconnect for the next 24 hours.]


    ¡°Luck!¡± Oasis screamed from the ground. He was frustrated and angered by the death of a colleague who sacrificed himself.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t waste Luck¡¯s heart and sacrifice. He didn¡¯t miss the opportunity that Luck created and linked the attack. ¡°Muller¡¯s Matchless Sword.¡±


    A high ranker had an average of five ultimate skills. However, there was arge variation in power for each ultimate In the case of an ultimate skill gained in the beginning, it was a bit elusive to call it an ultimate when they progressed into the second half of the game. For example, if Grid¡¯s sword dances didn¡¯t have the ¡®fusion¡¯ function, then one of Grid¡¯s ultimate skills would still be Kill.


    In other words, the ultimate skills were powerful and had many types. Moreover, based on the current standards, one of the ¡®special powerhouses¡¯ was Kraugel. He was always a few steps behind Grid, but he was still the yers¡¯ idol and object of longing.


    ¡°Secret technique, Cutting a.¡±


    He consistently created his own swordsmanship and at the end, he even acquired Muller¡¯s best secret techniques. The two swords in his hands whirled like a vortex and created countless sword lights. Eligos¡¯ body floated in the air and was hit.


    ¡°...How ridiculous!¡± Unfortunately, itcked destructive power. Eligos¡¯ body was cut like he was in a mixer, but it was restored in real time. The restoration was beyond the destructive power. The hand that pierced the vortex of sword energy had dark demonic energy around it. It was demonic energy reminiscent of a me. Every time the demonic energy was cut by Kraugel¡¯s sword energy, it flew everywhere and spread like wildfire. Cerberus¡¯ dark fur caught on fire.


    ¡°U-Uhh...?¡±


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    The expedition members who were grabbing Cerberus¡¯ aggro on the ground clicked their tongues. It was because Cerberus was engulfed in ck mes and roared proudly as if it was originally like this. The fact that it was bing stronger was vividly felt from the flow of air alone. Eligos¡¯ demonic energy was buffing Cerberus. In addition¡ª


    ¡°Give up hope. I¡¯ve adapted.¡±


    Eligos himself also became stronger. No, it was correct to say that he had adapted rather than bing stronger. Contrary to the decrease in the hell penalty for the expedition members after hell and the surface mixed together, Eligos was actually penalized. He had just adapted to his weakened physical ability and the flow of demonic energy.


    Eligos no longer struggled with the gap between perception and reality. He clearly realized that his body was moving slower than his will. He grasped that the flow of demonic energy being delivered to his body was slightly off. He correctly adjusted it.


    In front of Kraugel¡¯s eyes, Eligos¡¯ weaknesses disappeared in an instant. His super sensitivity started to ring an rm.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    ¡°You are still weak.¡± Eligos¡¯ fist pierced through the storm of sword energy and struck Kraugel in the face. Kraugel ignored his super sensitivity warning to avoid it. He fixed his feet that were trying to withdraw like a habit.


    ¡®Weak?¡¯


    Many years had passed since he became the Sword Saint. He fought dozens of times against Mir in the East Continent. Yet he was still being treated as a weakling? It was uneptable.


    Kraugel gritted his teeth and moved the two swords held in both hands at the same time. His two arms crossed naturally. It was the peak of defenselessness. Eligos¡¯ fist struck Kraugel¡¯s face without much difficulty. It was surrounded by demonic energy that cut at Kraugel¡¯s health.


    ¡°Hahat! Did you give up...?¡± Eligos¡¯ voice cut off in the middle. It was because the two crossed swords aimed to behead him. It was the swordsmanship thatbined Peak Sword¡¯s sword drawing technique and Luck¡¯s counter. The just-created Twin Fang Strike was the first move to critically injure Eligos after Space Sword and Prominence Wave.


    ¡°Kraugel.¡± A voice was heard at the shadow of his feet. The bleeding Kraugel barely managed to reach out a trembling hand. Faker¡¯s hand popped out of a shadow, grabbed him, and took him into the shadows. Immediately after, a spear of demonic energy plunged into the spot where Kraugel had been standing.


    There was a smile on Eligos¡¯s face as he bled from his mouth and nose while reconnecting his neck.


    ¡®The Sword Saint is the strongest human being since old times.¡¯


    As if to prove that this phrase wasn¡¯t a false delusion, the present day Sword Saint was growing in real time. Eligos felt a sense of regret. If the present Sword Saint was in a moreplete state, the act of killing the Sword Saint would be an achievement and greatly help him establish his dignity in hell. Now... he had grown, but it wasn¡¯t enough. It was one level lowerpared to the apostles of the not-so small god he saw a while ago. He would be on the same level soon, but that wasn¡¯t today.


    ¡®There is nothing more to see. Cerberus isn¡¯t in a good condition, so I can only finish it off.¡¯


    A few humans were running and distracting Cerberus¡¯ gaze. They seemed to be aiming to attack at the moment when the Sword Saint and Lantier hiding in the shadows reappeared. At first, Eligos wasn¡¯t sure, but now he was certain that Cerberus was in a terrible state. It would shiver every time it was hit by the swordsman with the ignorantlyrge sword.


    In a way, it was natural. Cerberus was the keeper of hell. The mythical stage where it appeared was also hell. It meant it had never left hell. Cerberus was unable to adapt to the current environment where the boundaries of the world had copsed and hell and the surface were mixed together. It couldn¡¯t concentrate and felt pain. It was a bad reaction.


    Darkness surrounded both of Eligos¡¯ hands. It was a darkness as never seen before. It appeared and disappeared and the world looked white at this moment.


    ¡°Now you have to settle for death. Death is the truth of hell.¡±


    The spear forest appeared in every space Eligos perceived. It was a forest of demonic energy that denied life. Eligos and Cerberus were the only ones who could survive in this domain...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Eligos turned around as if there was nothing more to see, only to feel something strange that caused him to stop walking. He realized that the development speed of the spear forest was very slow, unlike his intentions. He figured out the reason one stepte.


    Hell Regtion. The Demon yer suppressed hell. It made hell be not hell. As a result, there was a problem with the flow of demonic energy. The growth of this spear forest used demonic energy as food, so it slowed significantly.


    ¡®Is this calcted?¡¯


    The majority of demons mistakenly thought this, but the Demon yer¡¯s hell control skills weren¡¯t omnipotent. It was easy to guess after knowing the meaning of the word ¡®regtion.¡¯


    Regtion was to set and restrict rules. The Demon yer¡¯s Hell Regtion didn¡¯t just suppress hell by force. It applied every rule that would transform all the environment hell had to respond to in order to induce hell to lose its shape. Insight to understand the surrounding environment, the calction ability to effectively change the environment, and the mana control to fix the changed environment in ce were all needed.


    There were too many abilities and conditions required. The Demon yer of this time kept sniping and met all the conditions.


    ¡®Was there any record of Alex using Hell Regtion during battle?¡¯


    At least, it wasn¡¯t in Eligos¡¯ memories. Alex, the former Demon yer, was very powerful, but he didn¡¯t show the same godly techniques as the modern day one. She established Hell Regtion in advance and used her ability to enter the battle.


    It happened as Eligos was admiring Yura...


    The humans, who were crushed to the muddy ground by the spear forest, rose up and attacked. The powerful wind magic was giving them temporary flying ability. It was a flight that made Cerberus¡¯s high ground advantage useless. It was done by the only wind magician among the humans.


    ¡®There are many people who are gifted enough to covet their souls.¡¯


    Eligos became serious as his power, vital spot attacks, and angled attacks raged. He fought back and turned the human¡¯s attacks to nothing. It was while reconstructing the flow of demonic energy. Eligos intended to use demonic energy again, regardless of Hell Regtion. He had already adapted to the new environment.


    He bent back to avoid the Demon yer¡¯s sniping, barely grabbed the greatsword with both hands, blocked the sword of the Sword Saint that rose from the shadow at his feet, and poked his elbow toward the armpit of Lantier who appeared above him, smashing the shoulder.


    Eligospleted the adjustment of demonic energy and deployed the spear forest again.


    ¡°......!¡±


    As if waiting for it, Hell Regtion was released. An error urred and too much demonic energy was sucked into the usage of the spear forest. Every single one of the thousands or tens of thousands of demonic energy spears linked to Eligos sucked up demonic energy as if to kill him.


    Eligos¡¯ expression distorted from the unexpected pain and he got goosebumps all over his body. A strange feeling chilled his brain. ¡®It was on purpose?¡¯


    The modern day Demon yer, Yura. She started to monopolize the consciousness and gaze of ck Knight Eligos. It was as it should be and in a dignified manner. This was the dignity of the existence born with the fate of destroying hell.


    The leader who led the best yers during the hell expedition¡ªCerberus rushed at her. It focused the poison and mes that had previously been shot around randomly. It aimed precisely at Yura. It wasn¡¯t under Eligos¡¯mand. It was the instinctive judgment of a beast that felt the danger.


    The earth shook, Yura¡¯s bnce copsed, and the faces of the expedition members turned white.


    ¡°ck Knight. I have always wanted topete with you.¡± Just then, an unidentified womannded lightly in front of Yura. Her face wasn¡¯t seen because she was wearing a hat pressed deeply down, but her small physique and voice seemed to belong to a woman. The gentle and solemn tone spoke in an awkward manner.


    Supreme King Leraje¡ªthe 10th great demon who didn¡¯t know defeat was now taking the side of humans.

 Chapter 1491

    <h4>Chapter 1491</h4>


    ¡°ck Knight. I have always wanted topete with you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here...?¡±


    On this day, Eligos had been surprised quite a few times. Was there a history where so many legends were born at the same time and worked together? Additionally, the level of those who weren¡¯t legends was also quite high. Something, or someone, was raising the potential of humanity.


    Eligos hadplicated thoughts in many ways and felt an unfamiliar sense of crisis. His mood wasn¡¯t pleasant. At this time, Leraje appeared. It was also on the side of the humans.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    There was a stir among the expedition members. Attention was focused on the unidentified demon who appeared to be the enemy of their enemy. There was now that the enemy of an enemy was an ally, but they saw the possibility of a small break.


    Only Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened like a stone statue. His eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t recognize the face or name of the demon due to the hat she was wearing, but calluses were covering her small hands. Her body appeared slender at first nce, but muscles had developed delicately in certain areas. Her posture was straight and her breathing was constant. Her demonic energy wasn¡¯t exposed and it was arranged very neatly.


    Kraugel saw it instantly.


    This demon had been trained. The demons he met so far only relied on their innate body and magic power, but her body and magic power were trained close to perfection. It reminded him of the absolute ruler of the East. A being who honed himself among the yangbans who werecent with their natural power. He had trained for hundreds of years since meeting Muller and crossed the limits several times, so he was naturally much more powerful than Eligos.


    That¡¯s right. The unidentified demon resembled Mir. This meant she was highly likely to be a named being that was closely rted to the worldview and a big shot among the big shots. Indeed, that arrogant Eligos was nervous. He desperately stopped Cerberus from running wild.


    ¡°Leraje, stop ying around ande this way.¡±


    Leraje¡ªher name was revealed by Eligos, so she took off her hat. The shiny pink skin and delicate facial features that glowed were revealed along with a shocking notification window.


    [The 10th Great Demon, Supreme King Leraje, has appeared.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of the expedition members became exactly the same as Kraugel¡¯s expression. They were appalled. The Supreme King¡ªit was a ranking that was close to the single digits, but her alias was so overwhelming that they shrank back.


    Leraje crossed her arms and raised her chin. She was less than 160 centimeters tall in height, but she faced Eligos on Cerberus¡¯ back like she was looking down on him. ¡°Eligos, you must know it very well. I, Supreme King Leraje, don¡¯t know defeat.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes of the expedition members became wider.


    Don¡¯t know defeat.


    Through the attitude of Leraje and Eligos, who didn¡¯t deny the incredible words, they saw that Leraje was a powerhouse beyond imagination. They felt like they were witnessing the existence of another world.


    Leraje¡¯s words continued, ¡°Oh, XX words often enter my ears. Even the Supreme King will struggle against the ck Knight? I¡¯m familiar with the fact that they are busybodies, but it can¡¯t be helped that my pride got hurt.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, I understand your displeasure.¡±


    Eligos¡¯ desire to be hell wasn¡¯t out of a sense of resonance. Eligos loved hell itself. Most of the dead souls went through the 20th Hell. He didn¡¯t want Dog¡¯s Mouth to be guarded by an inferior demon or the prestige of hell would decline. If a qualified demon wanted to be the symbol of hell, he was willing to give up his position.


    One of those qualified demons was Supreme King Leraje. A young demon born in this world¡ªan undefeated tyrant who started from the bottom and reached the 10th ranking in hundreds of years. Her talent was real. The bestseller, ¡®The Behen Archipgo Record,¡¯ that detailed her aplishments was recently published and turned hell¡¯s publishing world upside down. After breaking through the trails of the Behen Archipgo at once, she defeated the death knights who were the souls and bodies of the past legends ¡®bound¡¯ by Pagma, Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    ¡°Pitiful thing.¡±


    The words spoken by her in a heavy voice caused even Eligos to shudder. The remarkable thing was that at the time, the ¡®Light of Destruction¡¯ and ¡®Hell Regtion¡¯ were always active throughout the Behen Archipgo. In the aftermath of Pagma forcing Alex to be a death knight, Alex¡¯s soul suffered irreparable damage. These double boundaries were created at the expense of Alex¡¯s soul. It was a deadly poison for the demons who invaded the Behen Archipgo at the time. The demons couldn¡¯t exert even a tenth of their abilities.


    However, Leraje wiped out the former legends in that condition. The really unfortunate thing was that there were no witnesses. At that time, only a few demons and demonic creatures who fought in the war survived. Among them, Leraje was the only demon to reach thest ind. No one other than Leraje witnessed the magnificence of Leraje, who entered thest ind where Pagma was waiting alone. It was a regrettable secret story.


    ¡°I recognize your bravery. After you took down Madra and reached thest ind... if you hadn¡¯t fallen to Pagma¡¯s trap and was forced back to hell... you would¡¯ve cut Pagma¡¯s throat and led the war to victory...¡± ckness wasn¡¯t easily dyed. Eligos had a pure side, like the name ¡®ck¡¯ that he obtained. Hevishly praised Leraje. ¡°Such a great being like you would naturally feel unpleasant whenpared to me. Yes, to be honest with you, I¡¯m not sure I can beat you.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... You don¡¯t have to be ashamed. It will be the same for anyone.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not ashamed at all. I won¡¯t fight you. I have decided on this after reading your Behen Archipgo Record. However, I want to ask you one question, Leraje.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Eligos looked at the humans. Among them was the Demon yer who threatened hell. Leraje stood there as if she was protecting them. ¡°Why are you trying to protect these human beings?¡±


    Eligos¡¯ question stirred up the expedition members. At first nce, the 10th great demon had umted terrifying achievements. They felt a sense of confusion rather than relief after she confirmed that she was protecting them. They couldn¡¯t guess the reason at all so they were uneasy.


    Leraje smiled, revealing her white teeth. It was a cool smile. They couldn¡¯t see her as a demon at all. Her gaze shifted to Kraugel. ¡°You became Sword Saint without following Muller¡¯s path, right? Ah, you don¡¯t have to look so surprised. A supreme ruler like me recognizes the truth seekers.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to have any regrets, so you tried to test your own strength without being afraid of failure. It doesn¡¯t matter if you fail and regret it. You are such a human being.¡±


    Sword Saint was the strongestbat ss. Kraugel had even inherited the power of one of the seven malignant saints. He was destined to leave a great mark on the world, so it was likely he would encounter strange fates no matter where he traveled. He would be rewarded with a high number of hidden questspared to other sses.


    Leraje was one of those arrangements. A being who had a deep resentment against other great demons, despite being a great demon herself. She had been constantly training to get revenge for Beriache. If the meeting between her and Kraugel was conducted on a normal path, Leraje would¡¯ve said, ¡®I¡¯m interested in Kraugel (Sword Saint)¡¯ and exined why she was on the side of humans.


    Unfortunately, Leraje met Grid first. Grid was now the biggest figure behind her principles of action. ¡°Look at this man, Eligos. The Sword Saint, who can never be tamed, is serving the Overgeared GOd. Since the Demon yer is a woman of the Overgeared God, all the human beings with her today are faithful to the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The expressions of the expedition members changed subtly. The Overgeared members naturally showed no aversion, Yura was secretly happy and Kraugel was calm. Scott, who had pledged loyalty to Ares, was a bit embarrassed. Of course, there was no tactless intervention. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but there was a sudden hope.


    Three minutes had already passed since Leraje¡¯s appearance. During that time, Eligos and Cerberus didn¡¯t go on a rampage, so the expedition members were recovering their health. The end of the cooldown time for Yura¡¯s Hell Gate was also approaching in real time. The minds of the expedition members couldn¡¯t follow the development of the situation, but somehow, it was good. They weren¡¯t stupid enough to intervene and ruin the flow.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Eligos held his chin thoughtfully for a moment and nodded immediately. ¡°Overgeared God... did the god who sneaked into Dog¡¯s Mouth not long ago finally get his name? It was indeed impressive. I thought he was a trivial, misceneous god because he was still building up divinity, but he is more than I expected. From the perspective of his apostles, he seems to have already be a true god. It isn¡¯t strange at all that he got a name.¡±


    An archangel, hatchling, one of the seven malignant saints, and legends. To be honest, the apostles of the Overgeared God were all great. They were just very weakpared to their reputation and birth...


    In retrospect, the environment at that time might¡¯ve greatly weakened them. Eligos himself was weakened by the environment.


    ¡°So?¡± Eligos cocked his head. ¡°What is the point? What is the connection between them being followers of the Overgeared God and helping them?¡±


    In fact, he was vaguely aware of it. He just wanted to deny it.


    Leraje spoke to Eligos, who was waiting for an answer in an ufortable mood, ¡°It is simple. I, Supreme King Leraje, am riding on the same boat as the Overgeared God. That¡¯s why I am helping them.¡±


    The hypothesis he wanted to deny became reality.


    ¡°Are you serious? A great demon and a god?¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut... You don¡¯t have to worry too much. The Overgeared God doesn¡¯t have a rtionship with Asgard. He isn¡¯t dirty.¡±


    ¡°What sophistry is this? Don¡¯t you know how many great demons he has ughtered? That guy is clearly hostile to hell. It is dangerous, regardless of whether he is dirty or not.¡± Eligos made an absurd expression and Leraje stared at him coldly.


    ¡°Is that my business?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Eligos realized his slip of the tongue. She had been sitting still because she wasn¡¯t part of a faction, but Leraje must have a deep grudge against some great demons. She followed Beriache like Beriache was a parent.


    Eligos sighed and nodded. ¡°I understand. No matter what, I just need the prestige of hell to be standing upright. If you can be the symbol of hell with the help of a god, it will be better than Baal... I¡¯ll respect you and withdraw.¡±


    Eligos pped his hands and he and Cerberus became covered in fog. They left the scene. The expedition members escaped the crisis in an unexpected way and sighed with relief. They quietly approached Yura and whispered, ¡°Is a great demon really on Grid¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°How strong is she for Eligos to run away with his tail tucked in like that?¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t think too deeply.¡±


    Yura tried to ignore Leraje, who had her hands on her waist and looked triumphant. Leraje had helped, but it was hard to trust her. How was Leraje trustworthy when she bluffed every time she opened her mouth? Yura had seen the original Behen Archipgo Record. She was with Grid when he got the book. She didn¡¯t want to associate with Leraje.


    On the other hand, Leraje¡¯s heart was different. She was very interested in the people associated with the Overgeared God. The Overgeared God who was chosen by Beriache¡¯s Underclothing... he was the one who maintained her connection to Beriache.


    ¡°Demon yer. In the future, you should pass on my distinguished actions to Grid well.¡±


    ¡°...I know.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sign a contract.¡±


    ¡°What contract?¡±


    ¡°It is a contract that will curse you if you don¡¯t convey my actions to Grid. I think it is better to be certain.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°I also rmend that you stay in hell. The same goes for the Sword Saint over there.¡±


    The expedition members who were peeping at Leraje started carefully listening. Kraugel nodded lightly. Meanwhile, Yura looked worried. The two of them seemed to have grasped Leraje¡¯s intention without listening to the reason.


    However, Vantner couldn¡¯t understand it. Thus, he gathered his courage and asked directly, ¡°Why do you want them to stay?¡±


    ¡°The demons have learned their lesson from thest war and opened the path in a very ignorant way. Zepar¡¯s sword cut at the boundaries of the worlds to keep the demons from weakening as much as possible during the invasion of the ground.¡±


    ¡°The boundaries of the worlds...?¡±


    ¡°Of course, this is only temporary. It will be restored in 33 days. During that time, hell is vulnerable.¡± Leraje pped her cloak with magic power. She stood with her arms folded beautifully. Tens of thousands of demonkin appeared on the horizon behind her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone counterattack? It is the time of punishment.¡±

 Chapter 1492

    <h4>Chapter 1492</h4>


    Where to go and meet someone, how to get this item...


    Satisfy had few guidelines like this. It was a phenomenon that became more obvious as it entered the second half. The higher the level and understanding of the yer, the less information that was provided to the yer. The reason was obvious¡ªfreedom.


    Satisfy is a world where you could do anything. Don¡¯t rely on quests or the system to narrow your choices and carve out your own life.


    There was a heated debate about the S.A Group¡¯s attitude, but the atmosphere was mostly positive. It was because the less intervention there was from the gamepany and system, the more immersive the world became. If the S.A Group¡¯s management policies were simr to those of ordinary gamepanies, people would¡¯ve recognized Satisfy as a simple MMORPG, not another world.


    Yes, people tried to understand the S.A Group¡¯s attitude as much as possible. However, they thought it was too much this time. The great human and demon warpared to the Eternal Kingdom¡¯s golem invasion and the great demon invasions that urred without notice, this time there was ¡®advance¡¯ notice, but... the information was too poor. People didn¡¯t know why, when, and where the great human and demon war would ur.


    Now they realized why the S.A Group had given this advance notice. The difficulty was higher than ever.


    20 minutes after the war began¡ªin just 20 minutes, hundreds of millions of people across the continent were experiencing crises everywhere. Of course, there were deviations ording to location. Some people resonated with the idea that ¡®the crisis is an opportunity¡¯ and enjoyed the war. It was because the enemies in their area were at a level they could endure. Many people cheered about the experience and items that poured it as they hunted the demonic creatures that appeared through the portals.


    Nevertheless, the number of those who felt despair far exceeded the number of those who cheered. In particr, the yers belonging to the empire.


    ¡°Shit! Is this real?¡±


    At the capital of the Saharan Empire, Titan...


    Many yers now knew there was an underground dungeon called the Abyss, but only a small number of yers knew that it was the boundary at the end of the world. People were shocked by the demonic creatures and demons that poured out of the Abyss inrge quantities. It was an overwhelming number and strengthpared to the demonic creaturesing from the portals.


    They had to question if the Abyss was the entrance to hell.


    Titan was trampled in an instant. The army couldn¡¯t exert their strength and demonic creatures easily entered the urban areas. The demons at the forefront were too powerful. There was no sense of realism as they killed the imperial forces with a single blow. They couldn¡¯t believe they were experiencing such a crisis in the middle of the imperial capital, which was believed to be one of the safest ces on the continent.


    ¡°It is strange,¡± the demon, Zepar, whose name was dyed ck¡ªproof that this name was at least on the same level as a great demon¡ªmumbled as he ughtered the crowd. Every time Zepar swung his sword, mes soared and buildings copsed. The equipment and objects in the building exploded and ignited, burning the glorious civilization of the empire.


    It was a time when the people¡¯s screams increased.


    ¡°Throw down your weapons and surrender.¡± A group of knights appeared at the scene. They protected people from the debris and the aftermath of the explosions.


    ¡°Do you deserve to say that to me?¡± Zepar cocked his head at the words of the knights and swung the sword. The sword emitted amazing sword energy that was naturally mixed in with demonic energy. Dark mes poured out like a tsunami.


    In the empire, destructive forces that transcended sword energy were rtivelymon. The man leading the knights blocked it. The figure on the carriage led by therge beast was Immortal King Grenhal.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    A swordsman who cut high-rise buildings like they were tofu¡ªthe wavelength of sword energy mixed with demonic energy was very strong and Grenhal had to pay a price for blocking it. He acted almost instinctively and seeded in reacting to it. However, even if he blocked it, he still had arge injury on his chest. In addition, the foreheads of several knights around Grenhal were cut and blood gushed out. The horses that were suddenly covered in their owners¡¯ blood ran away in surprise.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The knights¡¯ voices shook. Immortal King Grenhal¡ªhe was one of the dukes of the empire and a symbol of the imperial armed forces. Yet he was overwhelmed by the strike of amon demon, not a great demon? It was an unbelievable sight to see. No, it was a nightmare they didn¡¯t want to believe.


    Grenhal tightened his muscles and blood vessels to stop the bleeding before reaching out behind him. It was a gesture to dissuade the knights who were agitated and to step up and protect him. ¡°Leave this to me and spread out. Protect even one more person.¡±


    ¡°...Yes!¡±


    The carriage knights served Duke Grenhal. Their number one priority was Duke Grenhal, not the people, the empire, or the empress. They naturally wanted to protect Duke Grenhal. The reason for suppressing their hearts and epting the order was because they knew Duke Grenhal¡¯s heart.


    Duke Grenhal called the capital the heart of the empire. He said that even if everything in the empire copsed, the empire would recover as long as the capital was safe. Therefore, he handed his family¡¯s territory to his heir and he stayed in the capital.


    ¡°What a strange thing.¡± Zepar tilted his head at an angle. The half-white hair hanging down had a subtle red color. The moonlight was red. ¡°It tastes bad.¡±


    Zepar¡¯s cold eyes observed Grenhal¡¯s thick armor.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t cut much.¡±


    Zepar¡¯s sword was the sharpest in hell. He could even slice the flesh of the monarchs that was stronger than steel. Then after crossing the Abyss and reaching the ground, he felt the strangeness of a dull de. Some human bodies weren¡¯t cut well. The same was true of the humans in therge carriages.


    ¡°Hmm... Are the clothes made of adamantium?¡±


    Did the gods of Asgard already take the side of humans? Zepar was naturally suspicious. The performance of the armor was too excellent.


    Duke Grenhal¡¯s mouth curved up. He looked at Zepar with bright eyes and smiled. ¡°This is a mixture of mithril and ck iron.¡±


    ¡°You are treating me like a country bumpkin because I¡¯m from hell.¡± Zepar was interested in swords and was well-versed in minerals. He knew mithril and ck iron. Mithril weakened the power of demonic energy, while ck iron was harder than steel. However, Zepar knew it was impossible to smelt it hard enough to stop his sword energy.


    Duke Grenhal¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Are you truly doubting it? Hahaha, you don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Duke Grenhal didn¡¯t say anything else. He just smiled and leaned his upper body forward. His body bent at a right angle and the muscles of his back were wriggling.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Zepar frowned. He clicked his tongue at the bad heart of human beings who didn¡¯t answer the question to resolve the curiosity they aroused. At this time, arge amount of blood gushed from Duke Grenhal¡¯s shoulder. The sword energy that tore at armor and dug into flesh urred without any indication, cutting deep into Duke Grenhal¡¯s corbone.


    It was aiming at the neck, but Duke Grenhal headed to the ground regardless. He jumped from the carriage and fell in a diagonal line. The Immortal King¡ªthe more he was injured, the stronger the endurance of his body and the more explosive his charge forward. The airflow was twisted, but Zepar didn¡¯t feel much inspiration.


    He just swung his sword without any expression. The waves of demonic energy and sword energy produced a subtle wave. All the matter present in the way of his sword was torn to shreds. Naturally, Duke Grenhal was included.


    ¡°......¡±


    The bloodshot eyes of Duke Grenhal turned white as his armor and flesh were torn apart. The ferocious charge ended in vain. He stopped without reaching Zepar. The gap between the two of them was only one meter, but it was like a distance that could never be crossed. It was strangely unpleasant.


    ¡°Indeed... it tastes bad,¡± Zepar muttered as he passed by Duke Grenhal in a nonchnt way. There was no vignce. There was no reason to care about those who died standing without even a scream.


    ¡°......?¡± He was a bit surprised. Just then, the guy he thought was dead reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He almost wondered who turned this person into an undead.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Some people were often confused because the world focused on Grid¡¯s epics. Grid wasn¡¯t alone in this world. It had been repeatedly stressed that time was fair to everyone. Every time Grid achieved results or became stronger, there were those who made simr efforts and growth in areas others couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°...am the Immortal King.¡±


    There was a time when the dukes of the empire were considered the pinnacle of humanity. Among them, Duke Grenhal had the highest reputation. He just couldn¡¯t y a big role when fighting the great demons. The problem was that he was still considered one of the strongest humans.


    People hadmented. They felt skeptical as they realized how weak the physical level and talent that most humans were born with. They thought that due to the low level of human beings, talents who could surpass the dukes of the empire didn¡¯t easily appear.


    It was a miscalction. There was a reason why the dukes of the empire, including Duke Grenhal, were considered the strongest human beings. It wasn¡¯t due to talent, but because they kept getting stronger. Duke Grenhal trained every day in order to fight against the great demons and be an existence that could support humans. He was different from the demons who were content with their innate power.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zepar received an uppercut from Duke Grenhal to the side and his body rose high into the air.


    Berserker¡ªthose who could hone all weapons to the limit, they also treated their body as a weapon. The more wounded they were, the more powerful than any weapon in the world they became. Just¡ª


    This time, his opponent was too bad. The one who defeated the 13th great demon with a sword. After the single digit great demons, Zepar was one of the most powerful demons.


    ¡°...Excellent.¡± Zepar¡¯s body soared without resisting the shock and he smiled the moment his body stopped. The blood red eyes of the hell moon were near. ¡°How hard is it to train the human body up to here?¡±


    He turned around and descended. The human figure, which was smaller than a dot, grewrger in an instant.


    ¡°I respect you and will give you a chance to see my swordsmanship.¡±


    Zepar restored his breathing and took a posture as he fell. Rather than simply wielding the sword, he used the technique of cutting the world¡¯s boundaries. It happened just before his sword and Duke Grenhal¡¯s fist collided in the air.


    ¡°Shit... Why did youe this way? It is troublesome.¡± A very fast voice that wasn¡¯t in a rxed tone entered Zepar¡¯s ears. He had a few words in the tenth of a second when he couldn¡¯t take a breath. It meant the speaker lived in a different time from others.


    It was the moment Zepar felt a sense of numbness. His vision, colored by a blue light, was filled with walls hundreds of meters away. They were the walls of the empire that had been built much higher and harder since they copsed several years ago for some reason. Some of them copsed terribly. It was because Zepar¡¯s body was struck by lightning and flew into them.


    With a unique constitution that embraced lightning since birth, the incarnation of talent that Martial God Zeratul sent the Triad Lee Jeong to protect, a transcendent and the only remaining pir of the empire¡ª¡®Single-armed Kyle¡¯ stood by Duke Grenhal and spoke bluntly, ¡°I just helped you because I thought it would be hard to handle it on my own if you died.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I see. You are thinking of dealing with that demon. Good. Protect the empire with me.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense... Che.¡±


    When was he cut?


    Kyle looked like he was chewing on shit as he wiped at the blood flowing from his eyelid. He had no interest in whether the empire perished or not. He just had no choice but to step forward out of fear that Grid would cut off his remaining arm.


    Behind them were Beast King Morse and the Red Knights. Peak Sword also arrived through the warp gate at Lauel¡¯smand.


    ¡°Summon Iyarugt!¡±


    A hidden piece urred.


    ***


    At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...


    ¡°...I would rather go on an expedition!¡±


    Many portals were also opened in Reinhardt. However, yers had little chance to step up because they were intercepted by soldiers. yers in other regions were struggling to death while yers in the Overgeared Kingdom were starving to death. They couldn¡¯t just sit still and suck on their fingers like this...


    It happened as the determined yers started leaving the city one by one...


    ¡°Your servant Piaro is back from the expedition.¡± Piaro and the knights came to Grid and reported. The dark elf king, who had been taken prisoner, gritted his teeth and bowed to Grid the moment their eyes met.


    The eyes of Piaro¡¯s group shone. The dark elf king who had struggled for days since they captured him¡ªhe became a gentle sheep in front of Grid and Piaro¡¯s group indirectly realized how strong Grid had be once again.


    ¡°I have set up the Overgeared Sword Tower.¡±


    ¡°If you say sword tower...¡±


    ¡°It is literally a tower where you study swordsmanship. I¡¯ve invited a great person to be the tower master, so I rmend that you stop byter.¡±


    Singuled looked like he didn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°I wonder if there is a swordsman in this era who can teach us...¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel of this time hadn¡¯t fully grown. Apart from him, there was no swordsman better than them. Then who surpassed them to be the tower master?


    The response from the knights was strange. Dante, the former swordsman instructor of the Red Knights, feltpetitive toward the master of the sword tower.


    ¡°Who knows? Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to go and meet him?¡±


    Biban¡¯s identity couldn¡¯t be revealed, so Grid didn¡¯t speak for long. He managed to close his itching mouth.


    Piaro¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡®What type of ghost confused His Majesty¡¯s heart?¡¯


    The Overgeared Kingdom was peaceful...


    Grid abandoned his nervousness. Lauel, Sima Qian, and the other excellent strategists were working on all types of measures. The allied forces currently in crisis would be saved by the arriving reinforcements. Grid was just focused on his own work.

 Chapter 1493

    <h4>Chapter 1493</h4>


    When did he get cut? The blood flowing from his eyelid kept trickling. The fact that he was hurt without knowing it brought a great impact to Kyle. He had steadily built up his transcendence and there should be no attacks he couldn¡¯t ¡®perceive.¡¯


    Kyle had a body of lightning. Lightning flowed along with the blood in his body. He was abandoned by his parents due to it, but the lightning became a blessing to him, not a curse, after he gainedplete control of it. Every time Kyle assimted with the lightning, he moved as fast as lightning. His thinking ability elerated in proportion.


    It meant thepatibility between the transcendent senses and Kyle was the best. It was fair to say there was no wound Kyle didn¡¯t discern.


    Kyle actually calcted it¡ªhe calcted that he would never be killed by anyone unless he disobeyed the will of Overgeared God Grid or used the ¡®arm¡¯ that was filled with Martial God Zeratul¡¯s obsession. Now at this moment, he thought his calctions were wrong. The demon, Zepar, brought him a strong sense of crisis.


    ¡°Human transcendent...¡± Zepar crawled out of the remnants of the copsed wall andughed energetically. He was clearlyughing at the man staring at him while surrounded by blue electric currents. ¡°Why don¡¯t you gather back that electricity power? A transcendent looks like a frightened dog.¡±


    ¡°This fucking crazy guy should fall down.¡± Kyle let out curse words. Zepar¡¯s impression of him looking like a scared dog wasn¡¯t wrong, so he became angry.


    Zepar shrugged. ¡°In any case, it is nice to meet you. It has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a transcendent other than myself.¡±


    ¡°You... are a transcendent? A demon?¡±


    ¡°I was born weak. To be strong, I had to push the limits time and time again. Then I naturally became a transcendent.¡±


    Step, step.Zepar continued to walk as he talked to Kyle. The gap between himself and Kyle was reduced from hundreds of meters to tens of meters. Then it disappeared without a trace. It would be a stunning sight for anyone who didn¡¯t know about Shunpo.


    However, Duke Grenhal knew about the concept of transcendence. Additionally, Kyle was a transcendent. They expanded their senses to the fullest and kept an eye on the direction Zepar¡¯s gaze was facing. The electric currents surrounding Kyle¡¯s body split into tens of thousands of branches, covering the air. It rose like a dragon and spread out like a, as if a barrier was forming. The whole process was very rapid. It was natural since lightning was fast.


    ¡°Um.¡± The moment he appeared in the sky, Zepar was trapped in thework of electric currents and stuck out his tongue. He stretched out his tongue as long as possible and ced the tip covered with saliva on the tip of his nose. ¡°The numbness still won¡¯t go away.¡±


    ¡°Jerk demon. What do you see my lightning as?¡±


    ¡°Haaap!¡± Duke Grenhal¡¯s voice rang out loudly. He ignored the bleeding of his huge body and his fist aimed at Zepar¡¯s face. It was transcendent in speed and power.


    Kyle carefully controlled the electric currents and was activating Duke Grenhal¡¯s brain and muscles. The battle intensified as Zepar started to fight back. It was a battle between transcendents that surpassed the concept of space. The moment Kyle¡¯s swiftness was added, thousands of war-like aftereffects swept through the area.


    Light shed. The infinitely dividing lightning caused destruction.


    Titan, thergest city on the continent, waspletely destroyed by the two men who took the city as a stage. The cries of the demonic creatures killing in various parts of the city and the humans running away from them continued.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± Duke Grenhal was unable to sit back and watch people helplessly dying, so he left the battle. He ordered Beast King Morse and the Red Knights who arrived just in time to rescue the people.


    Morse clicked his tongue. ¡°It is right to get rid of the main culprit first.¡±


    Duke Morse decided that getting rid of the demon was a priority over saving lives. He rolled up his sleeves to help Kyle, but he couldn¡¯t rashly enter the battle. Putting aside the strength of the demon, Kyle¡¯s lightning that dominated the entire area gave off too much pressure. If there was a god of lightning, it might look like this.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t enter.¡± He thought it was better to prioritize saving lives first. Goddess Ruby prioritized taking care of people. As a member of the Sanctity Church, how could he ignore those who were in trouble?


    The moment Morse whistled, the horses and livestock scattered throughout the city moved in unison. Some of the low intelligence animals also apanied them. They yed a big role in pulling people out of the rubble of the building with their mouths or putting the injured on their backs to escape.


    ***


    ¡°Film it! Don¡¯t miss a single scene!¡±


    The ss of the reporters was usually an assassin. In a world of violence and killing, it was necessary to hide their energy in order to spy on or interview targets safely. However, the reporters gathered in Titan had no intention of hiding their energy. They ran around tantly in order to act faster.


    Kyle¡ªa super named NPC of the empire. He often appeared on formal asions with former emperor Juander, so he was well-known. This was awareness that led directly to poprity.


    Pale skin that was beyond white and dark circles around the eyes. Lonely eyes that seemed to have a story... Thebination of degenerative beauty and haggard appearance meant he was selected as ¡®the number one man I want to protect¡¯ by women. He was always in the top 10 of poprity votes for male NPCs.


    This celebrity was fighting for life or death against the demon swordsman who turned Titan into hell. How strong would thest remaining pir of the empire be? This was a great concern to the world, so the reporters had an unyielding spirit. They didn¡¯t care about their lives as they scattered around the scene and conducted a live broadcast.


    ¡°Viewers, look! Kyle, thest pir of the empire, is fighting against the demon who is trampling on Titan... Ah...¡±


    The reporter couldn¡¯t continue. It was because he couldn¡¯t think of ament to ry the situation. The world they saw was just tinged with blue light. Every time the tens of thousands of lightning bolts shed, thendscape of the damaged city turned pale, but Kyle and Zepar couldn¡¯t be found anywhere. They both moved too fast.


    ¡°Wow, this is crazy... he is called the god of lightning, and in terms of speed, doesn¡¯t he seem to be faster than Grid? I acknowledge it.¡±


    The private streamers used more direct expressions to interact with viewers. It was 30 minutes after the start of the great human and demon war. The promotion of Kyle excited people amidst rumors of the imperial army at the scene dying helplessly. Of course, they didn¡¯t see Kyle in their eyes. Still, the constant lightning was Kyle¡¯s power, so the demon must be on the defensive.


    Viewers cheered enthusiastically for Kyle. From the time when the great demons continuously invaded, people always blessed the appearance of a strong person. They hoped that more strong people would appear on the side of humanity. Many people wanted to live a safe life like before.


    ¡°I hope Kyle wins... Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Eh? The building is shaking... Keuk!¡±


    The streamersmunicating with the viewers died. It was because they looked at the chat window tomunicate with the audience and failed to observe what happened around them. Of course, the result wouldn¡¯t change even if they looked around carefully. The deaths of the reporters continued in the midst of the chaos.


    The impact of the tens of thousands of lightning bolts that bent like a whip and shot forward like an arrow, as well as the shockwaves, reached every corner of Titan. At the very least, the barriers set up at the major strongholds meant catastrophic damage was avoided. However, the barriers wouldn¡¯tst forever.


    It was indeed a disaster. Kyle was conscious of this fact as well. ¡®I need to move the battlefield.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s inability to feel any sense of belonging or responsibility to the empire didn¡¯t mean he was a murderer. It might be different in the days when he moved ording to the orders of the martial god, but now he had no interest in killing innocent people. His heart became more ufortable as more people died in battle.


    He attempted to lure Zepar outside the city, but Zepar didn¡¯t want to move the battlefield. He didn¡¯t get caught up in the temptation. Even though Kyle pulled away like he was fleeing, Zepar didn¡¯t chase and just released sword energy toward the ground.


    ¡°This damn jerk...¡±


    Wounds were engraved all over Kyle¡¯s body. Kyle noticed the reason. Zepar¡¯s sword energies were often ¡®added¡¯ over time. There was a wave of sword energy that followed the sword energy released immediately with a strike. His transcendent senses didn¡¯t perceive the wavelength of sword energy as an attack. It was simr to not responding to sunlight or the wind. It was estimated that the wavelength of sword energy that urred with a time difference was judged to be the aftermath of a simple technique. It was like the wind pressure that followed an attack.


    This was a tricky opponent.


    It happened as Kyle¡¯s dark circles became darker...


    ¡°Summon Iyarugt!¡± Just then, a new voice was heard on the battlefield. The gazes of the reporters and streamers focused on that side.


    Kyle didn¡¯t miss Zepar¡¯s startled look. The moment Zepar¡¯s attention was dispersed, he urately aimed at the left arm. This short act was willpower and magic. In an instant, a spear of lightning pierced Zepar¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Where are you looking?¡±


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    ¡®There is something.¡¯


    Kyle was a key member of the imperial armed forces. In particr, he had the authority to ess a lot of information during the days of Juander¡¯s rule and he naturally knew the identity of Iyarugt. This sword was once used by Overgeared God Grid. It had the soul of the demon, Iyarugt, embedded in it. The moment Kyle heard this name and saw Zepar¡¯s agitated reaction, he was certain there was a rtionship between the two of them.


    ¡°Zepar! This XX bastard, I¡¯m d to see you!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The emergence of Iyarugt was impressive. The sword that blossomed in the world tinged by lightning. The old demon entered the stage with a release of sword energy that prevented the light from invading his surroundings. He seemed to have built an invisible wall with a radius of five meters.


    He was the only one with a different color in the pale world where the blue lightning shed. He revealed his unique presence. His presence was more than enough to thrill the reporters and viewers. It was just that the way he spoke was too frivolous. It didn¡¯t go with his noble demeanor.


    The cause soon followed.


    ¡°Do you know the Overgeared Guild?¡± It was Peak Sword.


    Iyarugt was a growth item, but the low performance (by Grid¡¯s standards) meant it was raised by Peak Sword instead of Grid. In the past few years, he had instilled the wrong values into Iyarugt and seeded in disciplining Iyarugt, a demon without blood or tears.


    ¡°Look, Peak Sword. Don¡¯t cancel my summoning and stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°You want permission to fight? If you want it, then shout!¡±


    ¡°I-In this situation...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Then go back to the sword...¡±


    ¡°Do you know God Griiiiid?!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The hunchbacked old demon¡ªthe demon who caught people¡¯s attention by blocking the light of the world lost his dignity in one moment.


    ¡°Xck... ShX...¡± Iyarugt¡¯s face distorted like a demon and he shivered. In fact, he just shouted the words he was told. He didn¡¯t know the meaning of the words Peak Sword always forced him to say, but he felt shame. It was because the reaction around him became subtle every time he shouted it. It was clear that the meaning and intention was strange nonsense.


    Peak Sword smiled brightly and patted Iyarugt on the shoulder. ¡°Hahahat! Well done! Seed with this momentum ande back!¡±


    ¡®Kill! I will be sure to kill you!¡¯


    Iyarugt¡¯s dark eyes shone with killing intent as they focused on Zepar in the air. The one who colluded with a great demon to seal him. The first goal was to kill Zepar. The second goal was to kill Peak Sword one day when the seal was released.


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    Demon¡ªin hell, demon meant a species. The nobles of hell who were born with powerful demonic energy. They were the great demon candidates. There were also those who evolved into demonster. Demonkin who evolved into demons because of wickedness¡ªone of them was Iyarugt. He was never a good existence. It was why he had stuck with Grid for such a long time.


    However, perhaps it was because he had been with the idiot for too long.


    ¡®He won¡¯t die anyway if I kill him. Just beat him up...¡¯


    A small change was urring in Iyarugt¡¯s heart. He was bing less evil. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean¡ª


    [The hidden piece ¡®Sword Demon¡¯ has urred.]


    [The resentment and killing intent toward Zepar has be a trigger and the soul of ¡®Iyarugt¡¯ has awakened.]


    [¡¯Iyarugt¡¯ is now regaining the power of his prime. The side effects will permanently damage the soul.]


    His feelings toward Zepar hadn¡¯t changed. This resentment and killing intent were the same as an immutable truth.


    ¡°Kukukuk... Zepar, you disgusting bastard. You seem to be ousted from power as I predicted. I made sure of it three times.¡±


    ¡°This old demon¡¯s way of speaking has be vulgar.¡±


    During the conversation, two swords suddenly collided.


    Iyarugt jumped forward and attacked Zepar during the gap. The smile disappeared from Zepar¡¯s face. Sublime Sword¡ªIyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship had reached a higher level and was different from Zepar¡¯s half-sword technique, which only worked when entering the absence of self state.


    Iyarugt¡¯s sword spun using Zepar¡¯s sword as an axis and blood rained down. The world was in shock.


    A Grid admirer just as bad as Peak Sword¡ªit was natural to be surprised that the old demon, who seemed to have a screw loose somewhere like Peak Sword, was overwhelming a powerful demon with swordsmanship.


    [(Breaking news) The Overgeared Guild has a strong summons...]


    [(Breaking news) The actual master of Iyarugt is reported to be Grid...]


    [(Breaking news) Grid¡¯s summons has gone wild in a ce with no Grid.]


    Breaking news poured out in the news reports around the world, which had previously been filled with desperate news. It was a hymn of hope.

 Chapter 1494

    <h4>Chapter 1494</h4>


    Demonkin meant all those born with intelligence in hell. The appearance and tendency of each species were different, so they rarely co-existed. The only thing they had inmon was that they were born with demonic energy.


    Demonic energy was an energy that intervened in and strengthened both matter and magic power. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to describe it as a source of power. This was why the value of the demonkin was determined in proportion to the quality and amount of demonic energy.


    The red species¡ªa demonkin species that created red dokkaebi fire ording to their change in mood. The overall appearance was simr to that of humans. In many cases, they worked as technical experts in neutral areas due to their excellent dexterity. Hell¡¯s only cksmith, Helmis, was a typical representative of the red species. However, most of the red species didn¡¯t receive good treatment. Their innate magic power was inferior to demonic creatures, so they were discriminated against and despised.


    Zepar was born in the red species and he was used to the cold treatment. He had no good memories in his younger days. He was born as an underdog in a society where the weak were trampled on.


    It was Sword Demon Iyarugt who gave him dreams and hopes. Iyarugt was from a lower ranked demonkin species like himself, but he gained the power to fight against great demons by honing his swordsmanship.


    Zepar wanted to be like that. He did so by killing him.


    ***


    The world was red. It was the blood shed by Zepar.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this to the extent where he should be called the Sword Saint?¡¯


    Kyle was astonished as he watched the battle and marveled. A transcendent¡¯s senses were extremely keen. The other person¡¯s gaze, breathing, muscle and ligament movements¡ªnone of that was missed as the battle was moved to the realm of foresight. This was bing poison. Iyarugt constantly deceived Zepar¡¯s senses. Every time he wielded his sword, he would change the center of his body. He made the center of the body go against the direction of the sword and disturbed the senses of a transcendent.


    Kyle, who was watching the battle from a third party perspective, could identify it. Zepar, the party involved, likely couldn¡¯t understand why he kept getting cut. This was actually reality.


    ¡®Why?¡¯ It was a situation where Zepar encountered Iyarugt the moment he came to the surface. Zepar¡¯s concentration reached its peak after he encountered his greatest enemy. The wounds he suffered against Kyle were quiterge, so he couldn¡¯t afford to conserve his strength. He did his best from the beginning.


    However, it was strange. He couldn¡¯t read Iyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship at all. Despite developing further over hundreds of years, he was being overwhelmed by a specter of the past, just as he was hundreds of years ago. Even now, the situation was much worse.


    In the past, Zepar had the status of a great demon. The almost unlimited health sustained him. On the other hand, he was currently only a demon. It was different from the past when he could be cut by Iyarugt¡¯s sword for seven days and seven nights and still survive somehow. Now every blow was serious.


    Zepar¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. Dokkaebi fire rose and hovered around him.


    Iyarugtughed at him. ¡°You¡¯ve degenerated after hundreds of years like a little bug.¡±


    ¡°A bug is right. My origin is simr to yours.¡±


    ¡°Kukuk, yes... You and I are no different.¡±


    It was true that Iyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship had reached a supreme point, but this was limited to just ¡®appearance.¡¯ A swordsmanship that made the center of the body go against the direction of the sword to deceive the opponent¡¯s eyes and senses.


    This swordsmanship had a fatal weakness. It didn¡¯t carry the full power of the sword. It was natural to have less power since the sword would turn against the center of the body. The force of the sword gradually increased due to the coil every time the center was changed, but there were limits to this. It was a long way from the ¡®power to cut anything¡¯ like the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Simply put, there was ack of conclusive power. Despite being feared by countless demons and even overwhelming the hydra of the Abyss for a moment, Iyarugt had actually killed a small number of great demons. He hadn¡¯t achieved much, so his status was rtively lowpared to his strength.


    It was inevitable that Iyarugt couldn¡¯t be the Sword Saint. Still, it was fine. It was worth discussing if it was the strongest at this level. He just had to cut the other person until they died. Zepar¡¯s flesh and bones were hard to cut. If he couldn¡¯t cut the neck or destroy the heart, he could kill Zepar with excessive bleeding.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Zepar roared as his counterattack failed again and he was cut in the shoulder. He couldn¡¯t adapt to it at all. The sword flew from the left when it was obviously flying from the right or the sword rose from the bottom when it was obviously soaring from the top. He tried to react in the opposite way to what he saw, but even that was useless. In the first ce, his senses were in Iyarugt¡¯s hands.


    Sword Demon Iyarugt¡ªthe legend of hell was alive and well.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to be unable to win after hundreds of years!¡¯


    It was frustrating. If Zepar knew he was so weak, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the vanguard by himself with so much confidence.


    ¡®I might¡¯ve been expelled by the throne, but...!¡¯


    Zepar fought with great demons and took away their throne every time he won. He had been ranked 13th, but he couldn¡¯t keep his position. It was because the demonic creatures despised him as being from a low-grade demonkin species. The demons acknowledged and feared Zepar¡¯s ability, but the demonic creatures were faithful to their instincts and saw Zepar¡¯s essence. Regardless of his skills and achievements, they saw low quality demonic energy and bared their teeth. Therefore, he lost his dignity and naturally lost his power. It was as Iyarugt had predicted.


    You or I can never be rulers...


    ¡®I will die if it continues like this.¡¯


    Zepar wanted to escape and catch his breath, but it was impossible. The high quality swordsmanship blocked his vision and kept cutting off his route.


    ¡®...I don¡¯t want to die! No!¡¯


    He tenaciously survived. He killed all those who despised him, took revenge, and grasped power for a while. He lost the power in the end, but it wasn¡¯t so bad. He achieved his dream of being like Iyarugt. This was enough. He killed Iyarugt and became the only sword demon in hell. He received the minimum of respect.


    In this war, it was possible for him to regain the power he lost. Chepardea had promised to connect him with Baal. He could be a real noble by being Baal¡¯s subordinate. He didn¡¯t think he would lose his life here... he never imagined it.


    It happened as the scared Zepar was shuddering...


    ¡°Zepar, you are still the same. You have many stray thoughts when you meet Iyarugt. This is why I hate worship.¡±


    The sky split in half. A red carpet stretched out from the crack that spread out across the battlefield. Dozens of ghosts appeared from the portal and lined both sides of the red carpet. The world held its breath. It was because all 30 ghosts with different shapes had golden names. The sight of them bowing in unison was spectacr.


    [The 4th Great Demon, the king of the dead who rules the souls, ¡®Gamigin,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [Gamigin has exercised strong power over the souls of the dead. If you die to Gamigin, the death penalty will be paused for at least 5 to 20 minutes and you will work as a ¡®soul soldier.¡¯]


    [In the soul soldier state, you can¡¯t disobey Gamigin¡¯s orders.]


    [The death penalties will apply if you die in the soul soldier state or the duration of the status ends. Additionally, the soul has been hit hard and you won¡¯t be able to resurrect for an hour.]


    [Gamigin¡¯s four legs are fast and strong. No one can stop Gamigin from running.]


    [The souls of the forgotten heroes will defend Gamigin.]


    The lower body was a horse while the upper body resembled a human woman.


    Gamigin¡ªthe one who cooperated with Zepar to bring death to Iyarugt. She appeared stepping on the carpet.


    ¡°Zepar, I will y with Iyarugt, so empty your head. Your sword is very strong when you abandon all thoughts.¡±


    There was a joke that if Iyarugt and Zepar¡¯s talent werebined into one, a Sword Saint would¡¯ve been born in hell. Iyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship was high quality technique, while Zepar¡¯s swordsmanship was the ultimate power.


    ¡°Now, Iyarugt. y with me like we used to?¡±


    Gamigin¡¯s eyes shone with greed as she stared at Iyarugt, who was as stiff as a statue. This time, she was determined to collect Iyarugt¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Gamigin!¡±


    Iyarugt¡¯s killing intent exploded. Unlike the atmosphere he was giving off, he didn¡¯t rush forward. Rather, he stepped back. It was instinct. Even if a cat sharpened its ws, it wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt the skin of an elephant. It was difficult for Iyarugt to be motivated to go against one of the strong great demons.


    He was feeling intimidated when a light fell beside him. It was the remnant of Teleport.


    ¡°Get lost.¡± A cold voice calmed the seething atmosphere of the battlefield. ¡°I want to kill you.¡±


    The ruby-like eyes were staring at Iyarugt, not Gamigin. There was deep hatred in it. He couldn¡¯t forgive it when he saw Grid¡¯s servant showing shameful behavior.


    Step.


    Even his simple walk had dignity¡ªit was aristocratic. Theck of wrinkles on his clothes further emphasized his dignity.


    Gamigin¡¯s mouth twitched as he stared at the silver-haired man. ¡°You...? Are you the child of Beriache?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fill your low-grade snout with my mother¡¯s name.¡± Braham frowned. His action of opening the space and pulling out the staff was impatient. The moment that staff Grid carefully innovated was revealed, a spear of light fell from the sky and pierced Zepar¡¯s body.


    ¡°......?!¡± Zepar had tried to enter the absence of self state during the time that Gamigin earned. He was focused on shaking off his thoughts so he couldn¡¯t respond. He turned to gray ash.


    A notification window popped up in Peak Sword¡¯s vision.


    [The hidden piece ¡®Sword Demon¡¯ has ended with Iyarugt¡¯s victory.]


    [Iyarugt has gained enlightenment rted to the ¡®Free From All Thoughts Sword¡¯.]


    [Iyarugt¡¯s soul is restored and further strengthened.]


    [The seal on Sword Demon Iyarugt is weakened.]


    [The hidden piece ¡®Last Seal¡¯ has urred.]


    [If you want to unseal Iyarugt, destroy the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin.]


    ¡°T-This is real...¡± Peak Sword murmured with a stunned expression. Zepar¡¯s death was Iyarugt¡¯s desire of a lifetime. He was sealed in a sword and endured hundreds of years thanks to his unending desire for vengeance. Finally, it was reached today. He was on the brink of achieving his long-cherished wish. Then the 4th great demon appeared and interrupted. Iyarugt was deeply desperate. There seemed to be no hope even with Peak Sword. His hundreds of years were about to disappear in vain.


    However, Braham appeared and killed Zepar so easily...


    Rather than feeling relieved or admiration, the development was so absurd that it was hard to follow.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Gamigin chuckled. It was an unnatural and unpleasant smile like a clown mask.


    Braham Eshwald¡ªthe son of the 3rd Great Demon, Beriache¡ªa legendary magician, Duke of Wisdom, someone who glimpsed the myths, and the apostle of the Overgeared God, raised a question, ¡°Do you know why the stars are falling?¡±


    Gamigin didn¡¯t seem interested in him at all. She seemed lost in thought. Her temperament, as a being who reigned as an absolute in hell, was peculiar.


    ¡°I heard that there are multiple of Beriache¡¯s children... I will collect them all.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an answer, but an expression of her thoughts. Braham naturally predicted that a bigshot like this would appear from the Abyss. Therefore, he stayed in Titan from the very beginning. He just hadn¡¯te forward before because the situation was trivial. Braham was also famous for his entric personality.


    ¡°There is one reason,¡± Braham asked the question by himself and answered it by himself, ¡°It is in response to my will.¡±


    The sky burned and the heavens and earth shook. Dozens of meteorites were pulled from space and fell on Gamigin¡¯s head, devastating the area.


    The dukes and knights focused on saving lives, the people and yers struggling to survive, the reporters and viewers watching the situation, and Iyarugt, Kyle, and Peak Sword¡ªeveryone looked at Braham¡¯s back with their jaws dropped open.


    The burning and crumbling ground, the fierce smoke and the pirs of ash that filled the sky...


    Braham¡¯s appearance as he enjoyed thendscape that seemed to depict the copse of the world was as lonely and beautiful as ever, causing people to feel all types of emotions.

 Chapter 1495

    <h4>Chapter 1495</h4>


    Before the appearance of the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin...


    ¡°How great is this swordsman that he became the tower master over us? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°It is what His Liege has decided. Don¡¯t be so rude.¡±


    Piaro, Asmophel, and the other former Red Knights were climbing the sword tower. They were all of high standing.


    Piaro was a general and the food and agriculture minister, while Asmophel was credited in squashing the terrorist attacks and was the security minister. Singuled, Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante served as generals, knights, and swordsmanship instructors. They were once prominent figures in the empire and they also yed an active role in the Overgeared Kingdom. The sight of them all going to meet one person made even the word ¡®rare¡¯ feelcking.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean to be rude. Still, shouldn¡¯t we check to see if he is qualified?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    No one refuted Singuled¡¯sments. Piaro and Dante were silent when they would¡¯ve normally said the sentence ¡®How dare you doubt His Liege¡¯s eye?¡¯


    Grid had be a god, but it was due to countless achievements and building up a great deal of strength. It didn¡¯t mean that he had be a perfect being. In the first ce, a god wasn¡¯t perfect or omnipotent. It was a fact they had learned from the gods. Therefore, Piaro and Dante were worried.


    ¡°Certainly... His Majesty is soft-hearted and believes others will be the same as him. He trusts people more than necessary.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. I said this when he easily epted Singuled.¡±


    ¡°Amelda, haven¡¯t you grown a lot?¡±


    The top of the sword tower was the 30th floor. It was one of the tallest buildings in the Overgeared Kingdom. The steep, spiral staircase continued endlessly. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to dy the footsteps of the knights. Their breathing wasn¡¯t disturbed at all as they reached the top in no time.


    They stood in front of a tightly closed door and exchanged looks. The unknown sword tower master. If he was taking advantage of King Grid¡¯s favor... they would give out a reasonable punishment.


    ¡°Come in.¡± A strange voice came from beyond the door. It sounded surprisingly young. It was a middle-aged man like Piaro at most.


    The veins on Singuled¡¯s forehead bulged as he smiled through gritted teeth. ¡°Come in? Haha, that cheeky guy is using informationnguage to me from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Singuled. He hasn¡¯t even seen us yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the sword tower. He is probably misunderstanding us as trainees.¡±


    ¡°We need to observe and act more closely.¡±


    The group¡¯s suspicion of the sword tower master wasn¡¯t unfounded. There were no talented people outside the Overgeared Kingdom who could be the sword tower master. Even if they listed the names of the ¡®swordsmen¡¯ who were now gaining fame on the continent, was there anyone better than them?


    They would concede if it was Kraugel, but this person wasn¡¯t Kraugel. They had no choice but to doubt his qualifications.


    Singuled red and pushed opened the door.


    ¡°Wee.¡± The tower master, Biban greeted them. A Sword Saint who had lived for hundreds of years. The atmosphere was ordinary. It was easy to change his attitude.


    ¡°Hey, who are you...?!¡± Singuled was shouting angrily only to shut his mouth. It was because Piaro restrained him.


    ¡°I greet the elder.¡±


    Piaro was polite first. It wasn¡¯t because he recognized Biban¡¯s identity at first nce. He showed the minimum of respect because this was the sword tower master appointed by Grid. On the other hand, Biban¡¯s attitude was different. He waved his hand like it was annoying. ¡°That¡¯s enough with the formalities. Get straight to the point.¡±


    Biban¡¯s time as the tower master was only one week. In that time, Biban¡¯s role was to teach as much as possible to those who visited the sword tower. Grid had personally asked it of him Furthermore, the world was in a chaotic situation due to the invasion of demons. Biban didn¡¯t want to waste a single minute or second. He wanted to teach even one more thing to those who visited the tower.


    However, few people knew what he was thinking. His words and actions were misleading.


    ¡°Huhu, I like this personality? In fact, I didn¡¯te all the way here to say hello to you.¡± Singuled stepped forward. There was no time for anyone to stop him. To be exact, none of the people in the group had any intention of stopping him. After all, the purpose of the group was to confirm the qualifications of the tower master. There was no reason to stop Singuled from confirming the strength of the tower master.


    Singuled¡¯s body shot off from the ground. His movements were naturally rapid and resilient. It was reminiscent of a flying fish jumping on the sea surface. The waves that spread as sharply as a piece of ss were particrly impressive. It was a tangible wave of killing intent.


    The Killing energy destruction method¡ªinfluenced by Singuled¡¯s temperament, it was an energy that dealt shock and tore at everything. Against this sharp and powerful energy¡ª


    Biban pushed his hand in and disturbed it. It took him less than a second to grab Singuled¡¯s neck with his hands.


    ¡°Killing intent from the inside. You can inflict a critical injury even with an attack that grazes past. Excellent. It is a rare talent. The tough and difficult years of your life have tempered you.¡± As Biban spoke, Singuled¡¯s body spun around and his back touched the ground.


    ¡°???¡± Singuled¡¯s face was blue as he looked at the ceiling. The virtue of a master was to hide his true emotions, but he showed his shock on his face. How could he not be shocked? In the golden age of the former Red Knights, the number of people who could suppress him could only be counted on one hand.


    ¡°......!¡± Piaro and Asmophel¡¯s eyes widened.


    Dante murmured in a low voice, ¡°It isn¡¯t a fluke.¡±


    This was a master they had never seen before. It was the moment everyone realized it.


    ¡°...I¡¯m actually not good at grappling.¡±


    Singuled jumped up from the ground and pulled out his sword. His agitation subsided. It was natural. Singuled wasn¡¯t a fool. He noticed that Biban¡¯s skills were real. He felt the need to beposed.


    ¡°Should we do it again?¡±


    There were few knights who weren¡¯tpetitive. Among them, Singuled was a person who enjoyed battle itself. He was happy to realize how wide the world was through this unknown master. He thought it was an opportunity to see how far his skills would go.


    Biban nodded and he also drew his sword. ¡°Come.¡±


    No further words were necessary. Singuled attacked immediately and Biban easily defeated him. Biban didn¡¯t hold back. He revealed his power. The Overgeared Sword Tower Master¡ªhe had no intention of damaging the reputation of his position, even if it was only for one week. This was a ce to discuss swords. No Sword Saint wielded the sword lightly.


    ¡°Cough!Cough, cough!¡±Singuled had his Adam¡¯s apple struck and coughed in pain. He couldn¡¯t even hold on for five blows.


    Biban gave him advice, ¡°For you, killing intent is a weapon. Therefore, you show your killing intent, but it is too one-dimensional. It is better to tidy it up. The more you refine your flesh, the more reliable your weapon will be. Then sharpen your soft sword. The more you be familiar with it, the stronger you will be.¡±


    ¡°Cough...Keuk... Thank you for the advice.¡± Singuled barely managed to answer with his hurting throat. He could stand up and challenge again immediately, but he didn¡¯t do so. It was an extremely polite attitude. He wasn¡¯t aware of it. It was naturally like this. It was because he glimpsed the depths of profound truth and years in Biban¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°M-Me too! Fight me!¡± Amelda blinked herrge eyes and raised her hands. She was a knight and a geographer, so she had already grasped the terrain of this huge, circr room. She calcted how to use it to limit the movements of the target and benefit herself.


    ¡°Come.¡± Biban allowed it. The posture of putting his hand on the sword handle was unusual.


    ¡®Draw Sword?¡¯


    A smile spread across Amelda¡¯s face. She tried to make the most of the terrain to move. She didn¡¯t give the other party a chance to draw the sword. She hid behind a pir and threw her shield. Unlike Singuled, she wasn¡¯t straightforward. The other side was a swordsman, so she had no intention of just fighting with the sword. She would mobilize all the weapons and skills she had...


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Amelda moved along the scheduled route while the shield caught Biban¡¯s eye, only for her to copse. The pose resembled a dead frog. It was the aftermath of the shield returning like a boomerang and striking her in the back of the head.


    Kentrick murmured to himself, ¡°Doing a movement like that with the sword...¡±


    Just a little while ago, Biban hadn¡¯t taken one step out of ce. He lifted the sheath slightly, exposing a very small portion of the de that collided with the flying shield. The rebound of the collision forced the shield to return and hit Amelda in the back of the head... Amelda¡¯s aura was in the shield, yet he bounced the shield like it was a ball. It was even in the desired direction.


    ¡°Huh? Ehh? Did I faint just now? Is it real?¡±


    ¡°The heart technique you have mastered doesn¡¯t fit your personality. The energy didn¡¯t umte well. Thus, the attack is light.¡±


    ¡°Ah... This is a heart method that was handed down from generation to generation since my great great grandfather...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just about inheriting the techniques of those before you. The previous generation can¡¯t pass on both talent and physique to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°You should go and visit the magic tower. Your manapatibility is good. If you apply the principles of mana umtion, then you might go further.¡±


    ¡°Yes...!¡± Amelda was polite as well.


    ¡°Please teach me as well.¡± Kentrick stepped out. He was the vanguard of the Red Knights during the golden era. His specialty was to break through the enemy line alone, cut the enemy general¡¯s neck, and give the Red Knights the advantage in the war.


    ¡°Come.¡± Biban didn¡¯t rest and took on Kentrick. He immediately narrowed the distance and saw the essence behind Kentrick¡¯s bravery.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°There are traces of a dark sword on your swordsmanship. Were you an assassin?¡±


    ¡°That... it is correct. I was kidnapped as a child and trained as an assassin throughout my childhood. Fortunately, I was rescued and didn¡¯t actually carry out any assassination activities. How did you know...?¡±


    Kentrick was dumbfounded. The swordsmanship he used today was nothing like the assassination methods he learned in his childhood. It was apletely different concept. It had been so long that he had even forgotten the swordsmanship he learned in his childhood. How did this person find the traces? The traces he didn¡¯t even know about...


    ¡°It is fine as a habit. Perhaps you¡¯ve been in many one-on-one and short term battles. You have a lot of experience fighting and winning against opponents stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Use it as a weapon. I¡¯m not asking you to learn the dark swordsmanship again. That is putting the cart before the horse. Just approach the technique still remaining and bring them to the surface. Then it will naturally evolve along with your swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you!¡±


    Biban fulfilled his duty as the tower master. He also exchanged blows with Asmophel and Dante. Asmophel endured exactly 16 blows, while Dante endured 17. It wasn¡¯t because Dante was stronger than Asmophel. Despite building up divinity, his overallbat power was still below that of Asmophel and Singuled.


    However, Dante had experience. Putting aside the power of the swordsmanship, he was the best when it came to technique. It meant he could fight overwhelmingly strong opponents. He was the person whoid the foundation of the Empire¡¯s Swordsmanship and taught swordsmanship to the Red Knights.


    ¡°Um... Then you...¡± Biban advised Dante to focus on building up stamina and strength, even teaching him how to put more power into his sword. Then Biban¡¯s gaze shifted to and stayed on Asmophel. For a long time, he just stared silently.


    Asmophel was nervous.

 Chapter 1496

    <h4>Chapter 1496</h4>


    Asmophel was nervous. Recently, he had been anxious that his skills hadn¡¯t improved. Therefore, he was worried that the tower master would tell him he didn¡¯t have talent. He was mistaken.


    ¡°I can see the shadow of others in your sword. Perhaps you use the sense of inferiority as nourishment. It feels like you¡¯re trying to get rid of the clot in your heart in the right direction. I appreciate the effort, but it is wrong.¡±


    The strongest number two¡ªAsmophel chose to follow in the footsteps of the number one person. Based on that experience, he recreated the power of the number one person and transcended his limits. The number one person usually meant Piaro, but sometimes it was Braham.


    Asmophel once re-created the power of Piaro and gave himself a brief advantage over Kyle during his time as a martial god follower. After being defeated by Braham, he was inspired and used magical insight to prevent terrorist attacks.


    Biban denied all of that. ¡°You can¡¯t be a great sess through this method. Even if you try hard, there is no way you can be stronger than the person you envy and worship. Now you¡¯ve set limits for yourself.¡±


    Asmophel felt like his weak point was exposed. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to raise his head. The group recalled him emting Piaro¡¯s skills and had sad expressions on their faces. Singuled criticized it, ¡°This idiot is still like this. Tsk.¡±


    They were harsh words, but it was something that Asmophel had to endure. Asmophel lowered his head and spoke slowly, ¡°Elder, you are right. I still can¡¯t shake off my inferiorityplex. This ugly feeling hasn¡¯t changed even after hurting many of my friends and their families. I am a human who wasn¡¯t born good. I probably won¡¯t be able to change for the rest of my life.¡±


    It was better than the past. At least his inferiority didn¡¯t turn into jealousy. As Biban had seen, Asmophel tried to release his ugly feelings in the right direction. He tried really hard. This resulted in him worshipping Piaro with no jealousy. Even when he was defeated by Braham, he was more respectful and inspired than angry.


    He silently followed their shadow. If this was what determined his limits, then he had no choice but to ept it. If he tried to break his limitations and lost control of his emotions again... he might fall into the incarnation of ugly jealousy andmit the same sins that he did in the past.


    ¡°Asmophel...¡±


    Asmophel became determined and erased his expression. The group saw this and felt sad. This time, even Singuled was quiet. Asmophel¡¯s hard work made his mindplicated and ufortable every time.


    In this somber atmosphere, Biban spoke, ¡°Inferiority is one of the natural characteristics of humans. You can¡¯t simply draw the line and say that it is an ugly emotion when it is a great driving force. I¡¯m not trying to me you. I don¡¯t think your current method is that wrong. However, it is wrong for you. Your talent isn¡¯t that bad to be buried like this.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You just need to trust in yourself. Face yourself, not the shadow of others.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Asmophel suddenly gained a realization. He recalled his journey of atonement when he set out to find the old friends he had betrayed. At that time, he had faced himself in the past. He had to face his sins in order to atone. Therefore, he had no choice but to face the self that had sinned. There were things he felt at that time.


    ¡°...I think I vaguely understand your words. I¡¯ll engrave it in my heart.¡± Asmophel had a hunch that he would grow greatly from this moment on. He seemed to faintly hear the sound of the limitations he had set on himself breaking. It was an obvious opportunity.


    Trust and respect were expressed in the way the group looked at Biban. Among them, the one with the most affectionate gaze was Piaro. It was unexpected. He hadn¡¯t even been taught by Biban yet.


    ¡°...You are the only one left.¡± Why was this person staring at him like this? Biban was very curious about Piaro. The most outstanding one among those with star-like talent. He wanted to know the meaning of this person¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°It is an honor to be taught by you.¡± Piaro bowed politely. In fact, he wanted to kneel down and bow to express his heart. He had noticed in the middle that the sword tower master had learned the same Matchless Heart Technique as him. It even seemed much greater than him. He seemed to know where the Matchless Heart Technique that his liege had passed onto him hade from.


    Piaro felt like the sword tower master in front of him was a mentor. He wanted to be polite and serve the tower master with all his heart. However, it was still early. Since ancient times, a warrior should talk with a de and hand plow. For now, it was reasonable to bow after conveying his sincerity through the spar.


    ¡°Come.¡± Biban nodded to ept the greeting and ced his hand on the sword. This was what Amelda had interpreted as preparation for drawing the sword, but Piaro discovered the infinite possibilities of this position. He calmly created his territory without hasty prejudices. First, he sowed the seeds.


    ¡°......?¡± Biban had a dazed look on his face. His erged pupils reflected the scene of seeds with the energy of Natural State being scattered. The moment that thousands of seeds fell to the ground, Piaro quickly shot forward. He took out a hand plow and sickle and held it in both hands. Biban came to his senses at this time and he burst out, ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The group was puzzled. The always calm Biban was now showing his agitation. Piaro noticed the reason and smiled.


    ¡®He noticed that I learned the Matchless Heart Technique.¡¯ Piaro didn¡¯t doubt it.


    Coincidentally, there was a serious problem with Biban¡¯s misjudgment. He was a swordsman and showed ultimate insight into the sword and swordsmanship, but he was poor in other fields. He wasn¡¯t interested nor able to see the nature of a farmer.


    ¡®A farmer?¡¯


    Biban was confused. Today was the first time he saw a farmer trying to fight with a hand plow and sickle as a weapon. The strong farmers he previously saw in the Overgeared Kingdom also wore swords at their waist. There were even traces of magic mastery. Yet the farmer in front of him was trying to fight with agricultural tools. In thest hundreds of years, he often heard stories of farmers holding farm equipment to revolt against corrupt regimes, but...


    This was definitely the first time he had seen it with his own eyes. Biban stared at Piaro in silence for a long time. Finally, he couldn¡¯t stand it and asked a question. ¡°Why did a farmer climb the sword tower?¡±


    ¡°It is to greet the tower master and to be taught ording to the circumstances...¡±


    ¡°Why do you want me to teach a farmer? Do you think I¡¯m a farmer? Hah! You rascal!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Originally, the legendary farmer was a profession that had to fight against prejudice. Piaro was familiar with being misunderstood. But... he never dreamed that the tower master would misunderstand.


    ¡®He hasn¡¯t realized that I¡¯ve learned the Matchless Heart Technique?¡¯


    Amelda held her stomach andughed.


    ¡°Our captain is really good. So why did you be a farmer~ kekeke!¡±


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Piaro, calm down. Your face is so red right now.¡±


    ¡°Piaro?¡±


    The moment that Dante called out Piaro¡¯s name to calm him down, the ears of the frowning Biban heard it. Piaro¡ªthe name remained clear in Biban¡¯s memory. It was the name Grid told him. A person who learned Supreme Swordsmanship based on the Matchless Swordsmanship...


    Biban also thought it was a fated rtionship, so he let Grid teach Piaro the Matchless Heart Technique...


    ¡°...You.¡± Biban briefly recalled the past and slowly opened his mouth. His voice was trembling as he spoke, ¡°Why did you be a farmer?¡±


    Piaro answered proudly, ¡°Because that is my way.¡±


    ¡°...Haven¡¯t you learned the Matchless Heart Technique?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to your favor.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still a farmer when you learned the Matchless Heart Technique?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying...?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve learned the Matchless Heart Technique, shouldn¡¯t you walk on the path of a swordsman again?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. I seeded in fusing the Matchless Heart Technique with my Free Farming technique and evolved it into the Matchless Farming...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! This...! This damn thing!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be a great swordsman. What? A farmer? This rascal! Shit!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Biban¡ªhe naturally had a certain pride in swords and swordsmanship. He believed the sessor of the Matchless Heart Technique would be a good swordsman and cheered for Piaro from afar, but he was a farmer? He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. He felt like he was being swindled.


    ¡°The noble Matchless Heart Technique is used for farming...!¡±


    Biban thought he heard from Grid that Piaro was a farmer. He naturally thought it was a proper hobby. Even if farming was used to make a living, not a hobby, Biban would¡¯ve regarded it as a joke and let it slip in one ear and out the other. There was the belief that even if Piaro had fallen to the wrong path (farming), he would take the right path of swordsmanship again after mastering the Matchless Heart Technique.


    The Matchless Heart Technique was created and learned by the Sword Saint. However... what was this? Piaro became the object of resentment without knowing the reason.


    ¡°My disappointment in you...!¡± Biban was screaming while moving, only to suddenly shut his mouth. It was because he felt a great sense of evil from the direction of the empire.


    ¡®A single digit ruler... it is also the ruler with one of the highest authority.¡¯


    The appearance of the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin¡ªthe transcendent senses of Sword Saint Biban were enough to detect the aura of the great evil that appeared in a faraway ce.


    ¡®The scale of this war will be bigger than expected. Many lives will be lost.¡¯


    There was no mention of the great human and demon war in the Tower of Wisdom. It was a crisis that humans could handle on their own. This meant it wasn¡¯tparable to the emergence of dragons. This wasn¡¯t a problem for Biban to care about. But... it was clear that many people would die...


    It might be different if he was trapped in the tower as usual and didn¡¯t know about it, but now that he knew, was it right to turn away?


    ¡°Hey, Piaro.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Piaro answered vigorously as he looked in a puzzled manner at the suddenly silent tower master. He really wanted to spar with the tower master. He wanted to prove his skills and show how great a farmer was. Did Biban know his heart?


    ¡°Come. I need to check your skills.¡±


    The tower master allowed the spar. Biban tried to maintain hisposure. It wasn¡¯t right to be worried in advance when he hadn¡¯t even grasped the current level of humanity. First, he wanted to check Piaro¡¯s skills. Piaro might be a farmer, but he had learned the Matchless Heart Technique. He might be unexpectedly good...


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to be taught.¡±


    Piaro used Rapid Growth. The seeds he had sown earlier grew rapidly and the tower of the sword tower turned into an agricultural field. It was a farmer¡¯s domain.


    ¡°This fucking...¡± The expression of Biban, who had be calm, once again twisted.


    ***


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    In a dark city deep underground...


    How long had she been asleep this time? She couldn¡¯t tell at all, but she thought she knew why her dream was so fierce.


    Marie Rose slowly rose from the coffin and smiled as she felt intense demonic energy from afar.


    ¡°Things are bing interesting.¡±


    The bewitching body scattered like fog and disappeared. The only inhabitant had left and silence once again fell in the city.

 Chapter 1497

    <h4>Chapter 1497</h4>


    The human race had been in danger of copse from the great demons in the 30s and 20s. Usingmon sense, they knew that the single digit great demons were very strong. However, many people mistakenly thought that the gap between 9th and 10th ce was close.


    Only a handful of people knew that the gap between these rankings was actually like heaven and earth. It couldn¡¯t be helped. There were still few users who had a deep understanding of the worldview. Among them, only one had experienced the hell episodes properly. Even Yura didn¡¯t understand all of hell. She hadn¡¯t reached the depths of hell yet. The world¡¯s flow was too fastpared to the users¡¯ growth.


    It meant there was no one who precisely knew the level of the 4th great demon. The best great demon apart from the ¡®3 evils of the beginning¡¯ who were impossible to rece...


    If this modifier was directly attached to the world message, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t have felt anything. They didn¡¯t know the concept of the 3 evils of the beginning, meaning Baal, Amoract, and Beriache. It was natural not to know¡ªGrid had only recently found out about it by seeing the murals.


    -Crazy, Braham is here.


    -The situation is over ??


    The legendary great magician, Braham Eshwald¡ªhe was famous even before his resurrection. He had yed too active a role by defeating the Yatan¡¯s Servant with a single finger and possessing Grid¡¯s body to defeat Kraugel in the National Competition. Of course, his identity wasn¡¯t known at the time and it was only revealed a long timeter...


    In any case, people thought of Braham as invincible. He was popr because he was a handsome man. If Kyle was a regr in the top 10 poprity votes for female users, Braham was popr with both men and women. He was the immovable first ce in the poprity vote. There were all types of fantasies that Braham was one of the big shots who was recognized as being perfect at some point in time. No one could imagine him being defeated.


    ¡°Uwahhhh!¡± Even though some parts of the city were wiped out by the meteorites and even though some people were on the verge of death or dying. People who shouted and screamed in desperation. They cheered as Braham appeared and killed Zepar, who exterminated the imperial army, and as he mmed a meteorite into the face of the 4th great demon.


    Of course, many people were inwardly concerned. Titan was thergest city on the continent. Now Braham had devastated around a fifth of it. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if tens of thousands of people were killed in the explosion. Of course, there would be a lot more casualties if the great demon was left to rampage, but... this was a bit too much. The anxious viewers focused on Braham¡¯s appearance on the screen.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ Cold sweat was running down Braham¡¯s back. Of course, his appearance was nonchnt. His chin raised high in the air remained the same. However, Braham was a bit... no, he was quite flustered. He had just called three Meteors in total.


    One was Meteor magic used in real time and the other two were Meteor magic prepared with rm in advance. The moment the Abyss was opened, he captured Zepar¡¯s movement path and roughly predicted when and at what point a mighty enemy would emerge.


    Only one of the three Meteors hit Gamigin. The other two were also in range of Gamigin. This was due to his urate predictions of the war situation. It could be described as great insight andputational ability. In any case¡ª


    Once again, Braham had pulled three meteorites from space, but it was actually a huge 27 meteorites that appeared. Not all 27 meteorites had the same power. Assuming that the three Meteors summoned by Braham had 100% power, the remaining 24 Meteors only had a destructive power of 3-10% The problem was that this alone was a great power. One-fifth of the city was destroyed.


    ¡®The cause is this staff.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s cold gaze turned to the staff in his hand. Belial¡¯s Staff was strengthened by Grid himself using the by-products of thest hell expedition. Braham, who was just a magician (?), didn¡¯t know it, but Grid¡¯s process of strengthening an item was never ordinary. The new designplemented the shorings and added better materials. Rather than strengthening the power, it injected the power of a god.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s power¡ªIt was ¡®Innovation.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s weapon was far more powerful than he expected.


    ¡®Is it that the magic leaves afterimages and that afterimage replicates the magic?¡¯


    Braham saw through the staff¡¯s new features instantly. He analyzed and understood why there were 27 Meteors instead of three using his knowledge.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just a concept of boosting power. It multiplies the number of spells that are cast, leading to multidimensional effects.¡¯


    It was the realm of a miracle. Grid had created an absurd monster.


    ¡®I have to get used to using it.¡¯ Braham sensed it¡ªthis staff wasn¡¯t a weapon for magicians, but a monster that devoured them. It was clear that an ordinary magician would lose control and self-destruct if they used this staff. However, he was different. He quickly understood and controlled it.


    He hadn¡¯t regained his direct descendant power, but his ability as a ¡®magician¡¯ had already been restored. It was theplete resurrection of Braham Eshwald in his prime. The hydra subjugation, the hell expedition, and Hell Gao¡¯s raid were of great help. In the first ce, the amount of experience he gained was unrivaled.


    Just then, a cry of reassurance headed toward him. ¡°Sir Braham! The people have been evacuated, so you don¡¯t have to worry!¡±


    It was Duke Grenhal. There wasn¡¯t a single lie mixed in his words. Wouldn¡¯t they have evacuated the people after predicting that demons were likely to invade from the Abyss? Most of the people left in the capital werebat personnel, yers, and guild members. They were people who could fight. Of course, this wasn¡¯t everyone, but the remaining public had beenpletely evacuated by Duke Grenhal just a little bit earlier. It was possible with the help of the Red Knights and Duke Morse.


    Braham spoke in a voice with no fluctuations, ¡°How boring. Did you think I was worried about people?¡±


    He was sincere from the bottom of his heart, but it was true that he felt morefortable. The sweat that he felt wetting his back dried up. He removed it with the Cleanse magic and was refreshed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I tried to guess your heart,¡± Duke Grenhal politely apologized. He focused on the approaching Braham¡¯s words and was nervous. This was the case even though as the duke of the empire, he was below one person and above ten thousand people.


    The strongest great magician of all time¡ªBraham¡¯s name had this much weight.


    ¡°Ahah... Ahahat! Amazing, truly amazing...¡± There was the sound of scratching iron. The voice that emerged from burned vocal cords that were forced to move was very bizarre.


    ¡°......¡±


    People¡¯s eyes shifted to the center of the giant crater. They saw a centaur standing tall. The lower body was fine without a single scratch while the chest was burning vigorously. The appearance beyond the mes was creepy. The torn, fragmented, and melted flesh and bones were crushed and tangled together like mud touched by a child¡¯s hand. Gamigin¡¯s upper body that looked like a beautiful woman was horribly distorted because it couldn¡¯t understand the aftermath of Braham¡¯s Meteor.


    ¡°What? Beriache¡¯s blood... It is so great...¡±


    Gamigin¡¯s body was regenerating despite the mes that hadn¡¯t been extinguished. The bent neck bone and spine that had been twisted like thorns stood upright again. The heart, which had be a lump, returned to its original shape and started beating. The shattered skull once again appeared round and the burnt skin was covered as she showed an ecstatic expression.


    ¡°I want you... Yes! I will have you!¡±


    The fallen arms were reattached, the voice cords healed, and her voice was restored. Gamigin¡¯s eyes, which had no pupils and only contained the whites of the eyes, urately fell on Braham.


    Dozens of magic circles floated around Braham. It was the great magic prepared during Gamigin¡¯s recovery.


    Braham murmured, ¡°You are dirty and vulgar.¡±


    Dozens of spells with different powers and effects filled the sky and earth. It was a wave of attacks that were impossible to respond to. Why was Braham¡¯s magic stronger than ordinary magic? It wasn¡¯t just the quality and quantity of mana and the difference in techniques.


    Braham basically predicted and induced the other party¡¯s response. He analyzed all factors such as personality, nature, purpose, situation of the battlefield, environment, and even the weather and wind direction of the target to make his magic hit the target faster, stronger, and more effectively.


    ¡°......!¡± The smile gradually disappeared from Gamigin¡¯s face as she galloped dizzily in curved and oblique lines to avoid the magic offensive. It wasn¡¯t because she received fatal wounds. It was because she naturally moved away from Braham while being wary of particrly threatening magic. Gamigin quickly realized that it was very difficult to approach him.


    ¡®Beriache gave birth to a monster. No... isn¡¯t it more that she gave birth to something pathetic that became a monster?¡¯


    Beriache didn¡¯t use magic. To be precise, she didn¡¯t need to study magic. It was possible to exercise a near almighty power with just a drop of blood. There was no reason for Braham to be a magician if he had inherited even half of Beriache¡¯s power.


    ¡®Poor child. You look like this because you weren¡¯t loved by your mother.¡¯


    Look at you now.Where is the blood of one of the great three?You are seen only as an inferior human magician who has no choice but to practice magic for the rest of your life because you are trivial and weak.


    Gamigin felt sorry and her heart was moved. As the ruler of the dead who cared for lost souls, she felt maternal love. She wanted to help Braham. Unlike the trivial behavior, she truly wanted to take that strong and noble soul and keep it with her for the rest of her life.


    ¡°Ahh! Braham!¡± After suddenly waking up from her thoughts, Gamigin realized that she had fallen into a big trap. Thend that she stood on naturally after avoiding Braham¡¯s magic¡ªshe felt a great deal of mana seething underground.


    ¡°It is great! It is praiseworthy! You had no power after being abandoned by your mother and struggled like a bug unable to escape a spider¡¯s web! I¡¯ll make you my son!¡± Gamigin¡¯s cry was torn apart and stretched as it was swept away by the magic trap that burst like a volcano.


    People were dumbfounded. Gamigin¡¯s words were obviously nonsense. Braham didn¡¯t have power? She wanted him to be her son all of a sudden? They had to doubt that she had be senile. Gamigin¡¯s temperament was unusual and entric. She had ruled as an absolute ruler in hell all her life, which waspletely different from the human world. There was nomon sense.


    Every time a notion came to her mind, she didn¡¯t distinguish it from reality. She immediately epted ideas that suited his taste as reality. She even forced it on others. Gamigin fully had the ability to do so. Even if she changed the world ording to her will, she wasn¡¯t afraid of any future trouble.


    ¡°Um...¡± Braham was deep in thought. This time again, the lower body was restored without a single scratch. He watched Gamigin¡¯s appearance and performed hundreds of calctions at the same time. He was looking with interest at Gamigin¡¯s lower body that wasn¡¯t damaged by Meteor¡¯s physical power, fire magic¡¯s explosive power, ice magic, gravity magic, or the intervention of secondary magic. Inspiration that never existed before was flooding his mind.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t affected by Gamigin¡¯s nonsense. The only thing that mattered to Braham was what he thought, not what others said. In the first ce, Gamigin¡¯s interpretation was wrong. It wasn¡¯t that Braham didn¡¯t receive a power from Beriache. His strange personality caused his power to be taken away.


    ¡°Brahammmm!¡±


    After ying, Gamigin rushed head-on toward Braham in the distance.Based on a few calctions, she noticed there was no need to avoid the magic.

 Chapter 1498

    <h4>Chapter 1498</h4>


    ¡°Brahammmm!¡±


    Sounds echoed from all directions. It was the sound of thousands or tens of thousands of soul soldiers sobbing from underground. They held spears, swords, or cast magic as they encircled the rushing Gamigin. It was the advance of the legion.


    ¡°These dogs...¡±


    Peak Sword and the knights, who were cheering for Braham with sweaty hands, backed away. Kyle and the dukes were also nervous. The soul army was giving off a very dangerous momentum. Not only were there a lot of them, but they were also highly skilled elites.


    ¡®Are they resistant to lightning?¡¯ Kyle confirmed that his experimental attack didn¡¯t have a great effect and looked for a retreat. He had assumed that the lightning wouldn¡¯t work since the souls weren¡¯t a substance, but he thought it was fortunate there was some effect.


    ¡®Putting aside the matter of my attacks not working, it isn¡¯t an important issue right now. There is no chance of winning against that monster.¡¯


    Kyle feared Braham as much as Grid. It was because the person who took away one of his arms was Braham. However, Braham had no chance of winning against Gamigin.


    Kyle noticed it.


    ¡®Gamigin has not attacked Braham so far.¡¯


    No, the expression ¡®couldn¡¯t¡¯ was more urate. Braham¡¯s magic linkage was so great that it didn¡¯t give Gamigin a chance to fight back, but there was a limit to mana. This wasmon sense. Kyle knew that Braham¡¯s mana would soon be depleted. It must be the case since he used legendary great magic andrge-scale magic without a break.


    ¡®On the other hand, that monster keeps recovering.¡¯


    Look at how the lower body was fine no matter how they attacked. There was no chance unless they could do something about this. It was better to run away safely, even if he was alone...


    The moment Kyle had this thought.


    ¡°My son!¡± Gamigin¡¯s shout elerated to the point where Kyle¡¯s lightning senses felt it was fast and caused a shockwave. The soul army filling the battlefield seemed to blur together and sharp energy swept over the battlefield. It was the aftermath of tens of thousands of souls abandoning their human figures and transforming into weapons. They turned into sharp spears and swords as one, forming a tsunami that headed toward Braham.


    A chill went down Kyle¡¯s spine. He read Gamigin¡¯s intentions. The monster looked like a lunatic, but he thought she was actually a clever creature.


    There was an immeasurable number of soul battle gear. They dominated every area of the battlefield. Braham didn¡¯t have any coordinates to use Teleport or Blink. In this state, they only shot at Braham. The intention was to quickly deplete his magic power by forcing him to link Shield.


    Braham frowned as he faced the massive tsunami of battle gear alone. It was a rare show of emotions. He was angry about being interrupted during his contemtion. The fact that he was in an environment where he couldn¡¯t concentrate just before he gained enlightenment made him angry. ¡°Frozen Tempest.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    A battlefield covered with fire from a chain of destruction and the soul battle gear. The battlefield, filled with heat and killing intent, was in a hot state as if it could burn flesh. However, Kyle suddenly got the illusion that there was a chill at his fingertips. No, it wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    Shards of light scattering in the moonlight caught Kyle¡¯s eye. Kyle noticed that the refraction of light was very irregr. This was because the material that induced the refraction had many different forms. Ice crystals filled the entire area. The great magician¡¯s will, which could bring down even the stars, now caused the upper stratum to descend.


    ¡°Stay still for a moment.¡± Braham clicked his tongue and waved his hand like it was annoying. The cold air that sank to the ground cooled and stirred endlessly. The soul battle gears rushing from all directions were simultaneously frozen. It was like looking at a statue of a huge tsunami. The same was true of the mes that burned the battlefield and the crumbling wreckage of the city.


    Peak Sword, the knights, Kyle, and the dukes were no different. Everything that existed in the world was frozen and stopped. It wasn¡¯t just Titan right now. All the people and demonic creatures scattered across the continent turned to ice.


    [Legendary magic has been revealed.]


    [The peak magic is freezing the world.]


    ¡°Sigh.¡±Braham¡¯s breath floated alone in this still world. Fortunately, this magic attracted people¡¯s attention. No one could see Braham¡¯s faintly quivering hands.


    ¡®Time is needed for the finishing touches.¡¯ He was on the verge of enlightenment. In order to defeat that mad great demon, he needed time to organize the inspirations shing through his brain and rece them with calcted forms. However, time seemed to be running out.


    The frozen Gamigin¡¯s body was already showing unexpected changes. The muscles of the four strong legs were twitching. The moment that two of her legs were lifted, her stopped time would begin to move again. She would charge right at him and trample on his chest.


    The continuous use of great magic had slowed the cirction of magic power by 0.05 seconds. This was also the time calcted on the assumption that his mental world was used. It would probably be hard to defend or dodge.


    ¡®...It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like to show himself bleeding in front of people, but he had to acknowledge Gamigin¡¯s skills. Let¡¯s take her four legs in exchange for his bones being crushed.


    Braham¡¯s thinking power elerated. He tried to turn the inspiration in his head into a form in the split second where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it ended right away. Partially¡ªeven a small portion was good. If he could express a new magic, even ipletely, he could blow away her study legs.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham had both eyes closed and his eyshes trembled slightly. It was because his eyelids were constantly shaking. Braham¡¯s jawline raised slightly because he gritted his teeth. Then his ears twitched finely. He detected noise. Gamigin was approaching.


    Just then, the moment ended.


    [Goddess of Light Reba has exerted her power. All frozen things are restored like it was a lie.]


    The frozen soul weapons scattered as ashes and the mes that covered the battlefield were extinguished without a trace. People¡¯s cognitive abilities were restored to normal. The stunned eyes of all the creatures on the continent blinked. It happened before that one blink had even ended.


    ¡°Truly amazing!¡±


    Gamigin had almost reached Braham. It was natural since she moved first before the world was restored. She lowered her raised front legs. The simple act alone produced wind pressure that seemed to make gravity heavier. The ground where Braham stood exploded.


    Braham¡¯s mental world was destroyed. Braham¡¯s mental world had been built from the time he was a vampire. It was natural for his mental world to be iplete unless he could regain the power of a vampire. Blood flowed down from Braham¡¯s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.


    The magic power that formed a sphere at the end of his staff was flickering. It was a sphere that turned so fast it seemed to be stopped.


    ¡°Punishment.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª!


    The concept of destruction seemed to have be a sound. There was a roaring sound that was hard to exin and it felt like it shouldn¡¯t be heard. Braham¡¯s bones and heart were crushed by Gamigin¡¯s hooves and it was more gruesome and terrible than the bursting sound.The thing that followed the noise was¡ª


    ¡°Kuaaaaaack!¡±It was Gamigin¡¯s scream of struggle. She was btedly aware that one of her front legs had disappeared entirely and her pale skin was purple.


    ¡°Your soul...! I will cruelly torture your soul forever!¡±


    ¡°Weak...¡±


    A great demon¡¯s maternal love was so insignificant. Gamigin abandoned her desire to embrace Braham and red at Braham with fierce eyes. New souls emerged from underground as if in response to her anger and killing intent. Just like the previous soul army, the number was in the tens of thousands.


    How could there be only one or two souls in the world who had died? Furthermore, souls didn¡¯t disappear easily. It wasn¡¯t a concept where they disappeared if they were removed. They just stayed in the river of reincarnation for a while. Gamigin¡¯s army was endless. Additionally, among the souls she summoned this time were the old heroes who had earlier perished from Braham¡¯s Meteor. They had been sent to the river of reincarnation at that time.


    ¡°Get lost! Get out of my way, you bastards!¡± Peak Sword rushed out. He didn¡¯t summon Iyarugt and jumped alone into the enemy camp. It was just to protect Braham. He had seen Grid after Khan died. He didn¡¯t want Grid to experience that pain twice.


    ¡°Uwaaaah!¡±


    The sound of a sword being drawn and ced in the sheath was repeated over and over again. Due to the nature of his ss, he received a penalty for each consecutive attack. Even so, he cut at the soul army without caring at all. Once his left arm was broken and could no longer move, he held the sheath in his mouth and looked like a ghost as he moved. The same was true for the dukes and Red Knights that followed him. There was only ringing in their ears as they moved forward without caring about their bodies at all.


    -Ah...This is crazy...


    -D-Don¡¯t tell me they will all die like this?


    -There is no way.Braham is invincible.


    -But now Braham...


    The army of souls was endless.


    A magician whose clothes were dyed red like his eyes just fired Magic Missiles indiscriminately.


    A swordsman drew the sword from the sheath in his mouth. Once his right arm was broken, he erupted with the spirit of Taekwondo and started throwing kicks.


    A beast king shed tears of blood and transformed into a beast when all the animals he raised were killed.


    The immortal king was captured by the souls that were endless no matter how many he knocked down and was no longer able to move.


    The knights became hedgehogs due to the soul spears and des embedded in their armor, but they endured like giant trees.


    The rescued yers and soldiers rushed back onto the battlefield to fight. They turned away from the hard-found path of retreat and sighed.


    ¡°Haha!Hahahahat!¡±In the end, the great demonughed as she showed off her fully recovered legs.


    ¡º Ahh...! Ahh!!! Strong! It is overwhelmingly strong! ¡»


    -Ah, shit!This ess restriction penalty is XX!


    -No, what are all the other people doing?Braham will die!


    A single digit great demon¡ªthose who realized the strength of an absolute being that they never knew before felt despair and frustration, and wept or cursed. The best talents the yers knew were being defeated horribly. There were few people in the world who couldfortably ept this terrible reality. In the midst of their despair...


    ¡°Braham.¡± A small voice clearly permeated the battlefield where screams and swear words were rampant. It was an alluring voice. It wasn¡¯t just the viewers. The people dying at the scene were also shaken for a moment. ¡°I think I will fall asleep again. So I¡¯ll just give this back to you.¡±


    A drop of blood fell on the head of the ragged-looking Braham. The blood seeped into his terribly broken heart.


    Duguen!


    The heart, which had been weak for hundreds of years, started beating vigorously.


    ¡°Your strength.¡±


    One of the 3 evils of the beginning¡ªthe blood of the 3rd Great Demon, Beriache.


    [Your apostle ¡®Braham¡¯ has regained his power as a direct descendant.]


    At this moment, it once again flowed through Braham¡¯s veins.

 Chapter 1499

    <h4>Chapter 1499</h4>


    Duguen!


    The terribly crushed heart started beating again. The contraction and rxation were faster and more powerful than they had been in the past hundreds of years. The moment his heart contracted, the blood vessels all over his body pulsed in unison. Blood that circted quickly like a rapid stream was sucked into the heart.


    There was a chill from the top of Braham¡¯s head.


    The heart that greedily sucked the blood in the body released it again. This time, it was a mixture of magic power and blood. Blood and magic power were integrated.


    Strengthening through integration.


    The pleasure that he had forgotten for hundreds of years prated his brain. His consciousness was awakened to an unprecedented level.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Braham breathed deeply in ecstasy. The focus in the red eyes became blurred for a moment. His two cheeks, which looked whiter in contrast to the blood covering his face, filled with a faint flush. The viewers gulped and swallowed their saliva at the sight.


    Braham, who was drunk on pleasure, showed a seductiveness they had never imagined. The anchors from broadcasting stations around the world, who were supposed to show the situation, were blushing with mesmerized expressions. It was regardless of gender or age.


    Duguen!


    Braham swept back his messy hair and enjoyed the sensation he had craved for hundreds of years. Blood and magic power were integrated every time his heart contracted and rxed. He savored the strengthened magic power and physical changes that were the result without missing a single thing.


    It was the sensation of bing stronger just by breathing. This was a drug. There was only a positive cycle. It was a privilege gained by strengthening the perfect body and magic power that his mother had given him.


    Braham was grateful that he was alive. He was pleased to be able to once again enjoy the valuable results of his research at the expense of many of his own people. Wouldn¡¯t those who died as unwanted experiments find it rewarding to see what he was now? If those useless people were still alive, they would¡¯ve been no help at all. They should be thrilled and delighted to be helpful even in death.


    Electric currents swirled over Braham¡¯s head as he was engulfed in an arrogance close to madness. It was the precursor to therge-scale lightning magic, Giga Raiden. However, the electric currents were in a strange state. They weren¡¯t blue or yellow, but red. His magic nature had changed due to mixing the magic that he studied after being deprived of his qualifications and degenerating to a human with the power of a direct descendant that was regained at this moment.


    ¡®If I induce it in this way...¡¯


    It was a state of awakened consciousness. Braham¡¯s brain was active like never before. It was an area of transcendence. It was a level where he created new skills in real time bybining his regained power and magic.


    Peak Sword, Kyle, the dukes, knights, soldiers, and yers¡ªlightning shed around them as they were isted on the battlefield while fighting against the soul army and blood sprayed out like paint. Giga Raiden, which had fallen from above, rose in the reverse direction using blood as the medium. It swept over the soul soldiers, turning them into ashes.


    ¡°Marie Rose,¡± Braham, who used an unbelievable move, called out to the woman in the air. He didn¡¯t raise his head to look at her. His gaze was fixed on Gamigin. It wasn¡¯t because he was wary of Gamigin. Currently, he used the flowing mana and blood scattered all over the battlefield as his senses. It was possible to observe Gamigin¡¯s actions without having to see it with his eyes.


    Nevertheless, the reason for paying attention to Gamigin instead of Marie Rose was simple. He didn¡¯t want to look up at Marie Rose. It would¡¯ve been the same even if Marie Rose was a god. There were only two people in the world who he could look up to¡ªhis mother, who gave birth to him, and Grid, who gave him a new life.


    ¡°Get out of here. I will give you credit for your actions today and let you leave.¡±


    Marie Rose was a daughter born from the sacrifice of their mother. From the beginning, she was an object of jealousy and hatred. Additionally, Braham was deprived of all his power and rights by her. Therefore, Braham resented and hated her even more. The same was true even now that he received his power back from her. Braham was convinced that this feeling would never change.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too impertinent.¡± Marie Rose couldn¡¯t resist her eyelids that gradually fell heavily. The brother who didn¡¯t dare make eye contact with her not long ago was now talking to her in a lively manner. She didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. She was worried Braham would rush recklessly at her despite their mother¡¯s enemy being right in front of them. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t crazy enough to forget his duty. She felt relieved.


    She was about to turn and leave when Braham called out to her, ¡°I overcame the Curse of Sloth as a result of my own willpower and effort.¡±


    His voice was full of pride. It was like he was saying ¡®I am better than you.¡¯ Hundreds of years ago, this attitude would be considered ridiculous. Now it seemed quite usible. It was hard to take it lightly. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°It was madness, not effort. It is an achievement at the expense of your blood.¡± She became somewhat emotional. She somehow stopped the body that wanted to go back and lie down in the coffin right away. Braham was delighted after noticing her change. He realized he might have the upper hand in his rtionship with her and pulled out his cards.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve regained my strength, I can resolve your curse.¡±


    Bow down.Hold onto my trousers and beg me to solve this terrible curse that has eaten at you all your life.


    Braham sent her a look with this meaning.


    ¡°...I will kill you if you say anything else.¡± Marie Rose red. Her expression was cold like her sleepiness had fled. Even killing intent was felt.


    ¡°......?¡± Braham was flustered by the unexpected response. He thought she would think about it for a while but she didn¡¯t consider it at all. He couldn¡¯t understand it. From the moment of her birth until now¡ªMarie Rose had been suffering from the Curse of Sloth all her life. He would want to shake off this curse even if it meant selling his soul. He never thought she would so coldly kick away this chance to escape from the pain that wouldst forever.


    ¡®You don¡¯t want to be in my hands, even if it means suffering for the rest of your life?¡¯


    Braham clicked his tongue.


    There was actually a reason Marie Rose responded sensitively to the bait he threw out, but... it was a truth that only Marie Rose knew.


    The chain of red lightning was sweeping through the battlefield. By the time Marie Rose scattered into fog and disappeared, all the humans on the battlefield had already been rescued from the crisis. All the soul soldiers who were attacking the humans were burned by the lightning and disappeared.It was a sight worth being called a miracle.


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...?¡±


    Death.I am really going to die.It is okay if I die.The problem is if I die without saving Braham.


    Peak Sword, who was trembling in a chaotic state, btedly came to his senses and looked around. The radius of five meters around him was empty. It was due to the forest of red lightning rising from the ground. Every time the fearless soul soldiers entered the forest, they were scattered into piles of ashes.


    ¡°This...?¡± Was it Kyle?


    Peak Sword widened his field of view. Just like himself, there were people everywhere who were being helped by the baptism of unidentified lightning. Kyle was one of them. He followed Kyle¡¯s quivering gaze and saw Braham¡¯s back. Braham stood firmly despite being in tatters. The back that appeared between the torn shirt... it was clean without any damage. Gamigin¡¯s hooves had definitely pierced that back and protruded out...


    ¡°Eh...?¡± Peak Sword couldn¡¯t understand the situation but he straightened his body. The main feature of the Overgeared members was that they adapted well to changes. Perhaps it was because they had been watching Grid transcend their imagination without even trying for a long time.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±His right arm had recovered thanks to taking medicine for the fracture during the battle. His left arm was almost re-attached. Instead, he was on the verge of running out of health, but it wasn¡¯t time to rest.


    Gamigin stared at Braham while stomping her hind legs. She was like a bull just before charging, although she was clearly a horse.


    Peak Sword thought, ¡®I¡¯ll protect him.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s magic was different from ordinary magic. He could use long-distance teleportation like it was Blink. Braham could escape as long as there was a short gap. Peak Sword didn¡¯t dy any longer after knowing this. He left the area of lightning and shot forward like an arrow. He jumped into the enemy camp alone. He ignored the spears and des of the soul soldiers that pierced his armor and cut at his flesh.


    His sharp gaze was on Gamigin, who stood in the distance. His hands never left the sheath and hilt.


    The 4th Great Demon¡ªthe one who surpassed the penalty of the human world and showed off the dignity of one of the world¡¯s strongest existences. Peak Sword didn¡¯t shrink back while rushing at her.


    Only once. In order to create that one opportunity, his mind focused only on his fingertips while he gave his flesh and bones to the souls.


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    The 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom was a position everyone looked up to. It always received attention. Proof of his qualifications was asked anytime and anywhere. Of course, he epted. It was with a desperate desire so he wasn¡¯t cursed for being in this position.


    Peak Sword¡¯s rushing body gradually tilted downward. His jaw was about to sweep over the ground. His unprotected back was stabbed by the souls¡¯ swords and spears and the distance between his stretched out feet was distorted, but he didn¡¯t stop elerating.


    ¡®Draw Sword, Falling Tiger Bite.¡¯


    A sh of light sprang from Peak Sword¡¯s fingertips. There was no sound. The process of pulling out the sword was elerated by the thumb of the left hand on the crossguard of the sheath and it wasn¡¯t a speed that sound could chase.


    ¡°......!¡± The sudden appearance of ¡®Beriache¡¯s daughter¡¯ and Braham whose atmosphere changed because of her. Gamigin had been feeling danger and wariness toward Braham. Now she noticed Peak Sword for the first time. She detected and reacted to the intangible sword energy bearing a tiger¡¯s spirit.


    This mishap urred due to her transcendent senses. Gamigin¡¯s body, which had been gathering driving force to rush at Braham, instead shot at Peak Sword. It was the realm of instinct and Gamigin became flustered.


    The moment Gamigin¡¯s body suddenly filled his entire vision, Peak Swordughed. He wasn¡¯t pleased by the sight of his strike leaving a deep wound on her chest. He was just relieved to see that Braham¡¯s figure on the edge of his vision had disappeared.


    ¡®That¡¯s... fine.¡¯ It was enough if Braham could flee safely. It was a pity that Titan would perish in this way, but... he heard that many people had already fled. They could always recover and get revenge in the future as long as people survived.


    Peak Sword was relieved as he faced Gamigin¡¯s hooves that were right before him. He epted the certain death that he was prepared for from the beginning. This was until Braham¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°How presumptuous.¡±


    Peak Sword was stunned. Braham, who he thought had fled using Teleport, was standing in front of him. Braham was even holding Gamigin¡¯s forelegs with both hands. His hands held each leg tightly and he endured the weight that could explode the ground with just wind pressure.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Peak Sword unknowingly cried out foolishly. He couldn¡¯t ept the situation in front of him. It was natural. Braham was the legendary great magician. His stats were centered around intelligence.Inevitably, his body must be slow and weak. He confessed to himself that he would never win if he fought against a Sword Saint. Yet now he blocked Gamigin¡¯s attack. He used his bare hands to block the 4th Great Demon¡¯s attack, which was not inferior to the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship in terms of pure destructive power.


    Braham frowned. ¡°Don¡¯te out again.¡±


    It was a warning to Peak Sword, not Gamigin. He wasn¡¯t very happy about the situation in which he threw himself to protect others. It was exceedingly awkward.


    Braham¡¯s shirt expanded and burst. The veins and beautiful muscles of his forearms appeared to the world as he held Gamigin¡¯s legs. The body of a direct descendant¡ªit was a body inherited from the lineage of Beriache. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it superhuman strength after a great magician¡¯s muscle strengthening magic and the body strengthening using blood cirction was added.


    ¡°Yoooooooou!!!¡± The astonished Gamigin¡¯s body floated high into the sky. It was the aftermath of being thrown by Braham and influenced by gravity magic. She was unable to adapt quickly to the gravity that was transmitted differently to each part of her body and floundered helplessly.


    Braham¡¯s red eyes shed. He used his awakened consciousness to control the blood in his body and restore the loss of his mana core. It forcibly restored his temporarily paralyzed magic circuits. This meant that the cooldown time of his previously used magic was artificially eliminated. He got internal injuries from the high cost but he didn¡¯t care. The Duke of Wisdom¡¯sputational ability trusted the resilience of a direct descendant.


    ¡°Punishment.¡±


    A red sphere was shot. It was a form of destruction. The lower body of the 4th Great Demon was crushed.

 Chapter 1500

    <h4>Chapter 1500</h4>


    The 1st ranked ck magician, Rose, was the first yer to be a demon and she was known as a self-made person. She was highly regarded since the Yatan Church had been in a very difficult situation when she was a Yatan¡¯s Servant. She was often treated as a cockroach. She survived tenaciously even though she was hostile to Grid and the Overgeared members and became a candidate for a great demon. It was clear that she was a much better yer than Veradin.


    The power that Rose gained after bing a demon was the magic power of hell that could interfere with mental power. There was nothing special about it. It seemed shabbypared to the fraudulent power of some demons. Theforting thing was that she had inherited the magic she umted during her days as a ck magician. Thanks to this, she easily surpassed other yers.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I wasn¡¯t a fool for bing a demon.¡¯


    The Behen Archipgo had been turned into a battleground.


    A deep smile spread across Rose¡¯s face as she ran and ughtered humans. An omnidirectional invasion operation that considered the overall difference in abilities between demons and the human race.


    There was the simultaneous creation of 33,333 portals across the continent to attract some demonic creatures and demonkin, as well as some great demons who they couldn¡¯tmunicate with. Meanwhile, the main forcesunched an attack on the Behen Archipgo and the Abyss. This operation was designed to keep a very small number of humans in check.


    Grid and his apostles who were notorious in hell, Yura and Ruby who started to rise recently, Kraugel...


    The 13th Great Demon, Beleth, who was in charge of the vanguard, was wary of the power of a handful of humans. He expanded the battlefield to prevent these people from gathering together. It was an operation that could be carried out because most demons and a significant number of demonic creatures were stronger than humans.There were many demons who ridiculed and opposed the n, wondering why they set up such an operation against humans. However, it was meaningless.


    Beleth was the king of madness. His angry violence had always gone beyond the norm. He killed his own species without hesitation. He used the most primalw of fear on the demons who were governed by the logic of power. The protests quickly subsided and the operation was conducted as it was seen now.


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡®Sure enough, a winning fight is very fun?¡¯


    The human forces guarding the Behen Archipgo were allied forces centered on Valha. There were hundreds of thousands of troops, but the number of hell soldiers exceeded that. The named NPCs to be wary of were 11 great swordsmen knights and two great magicians. There were only around 50 high rankers. Not many of them had a one-on-one advantage against a demon.


    Only one person¡ªthemander of the allied forces, God of War Ares, who gained power ¡®in proportion to the forces hemands,¡¯ showed an overwhelmingbat prowess. He even boasted great items, but he was tied up by the 24th Great Demon and couldn¡¯t exert a great influence


    This great demon, who took over the 24th position and reced the dead Nebiros, was a neer and the prevailing evaluation was that he was inferior to his predecessor, but he gained the upper hand over Ares. Ares looked precarious, like a string pulled tightly. It was clear that the more allied soldiers that died, the weaker he became. He wouldn¡¯tst long.


    Rose was fully rxed. The demonic creatures and demonkin in front blocked the enemy¡¯s magic and arrows. She mixed into the gap of powerful demons and carried out a one-sided ughter. There was a sense of stability. She felt a chilling pleasure, especially when killing yers. It was an easy plundering of experience and items that others had umted with their efforts.It was fun to trample on other people¡¯s efforts and use them as sacrifices to grow. It was worthwhile to be a demon. She felt good because it was like paying back the hypocrites who criticized her.


    ¡®Every person has a different path. My path deserves respect too.¡¯


    They just wished they could be demons. They were hypocrites.


    ¡°Rose...! Are you still a human?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know just by looking? I am a demon!¡± Rose deliberately and brutally killed a yer who criticized her at the moment of death and licked the blood on her fingertips.


    Was it due to the setting of demons using humanity as food? The act of killing a human gave her all sorts of buffs. Restoring her health and mana were just the basics.


    ¡°Kya! The best! It is really the best!¡± She was fascinated with the sense of omnipotence she had never known before. It was the sense of stepping foot into a new world. Wouldn¡¯t the pleasure that Grid felt as a god be hundreds of times greater than this? Rose genuinely wondered if he could hold on without being broken.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain that Grid will be a tyrant sooner orter.¡¯


    So far, many yers who had be nobles had be corrupted by power. Compared to them, Grid was really like a saint, but...


    How long would the hypocrisyst? Now that he became a god and gained a different dimension of power, Grid would soon follow in the same footsteps as others.


    ¡®I want to see it soon. The appearance of people despairing at the gradually changing Grid.¡¯


    She was looking forward to it. At that time, she would probably join Grid¡¯s side.


    Rose was smiling with ecstasy when she came back to her senses. At the entrance of the Behen Archipgo, which was the stage for the war...


    Dozens of warships appeared on the horizon behind it. They were colorful and huge ships even when looking at them from a distance...


    They seemed to show off their affiliation. It was as if they had no rival on the vast ocean.


    Rose was convinced when she saw the gs on the warships with her demon eyes.


    ¡®It is the navy of the Overgeared Kingdom.¡¯


    They had been noticed moving to Siren, and it seemed they rushed straight here without returning to Cokro Ind. Then a new force appeared on the horizon in front of her. The types of gs were varied. It was the reinforcements from the allied forces. The Overgeared members and Valha¡¯s generals in the forefront stood out.


    ¡®The hell expedition team seems to have returned, but they are in bad shape... Luck, the leader of the three generals is absent. Out of the 10 meritorious retainers, there are only Regas, Pon, and... Jishuka?¡¯


    There were five great demons here as well as hundreds of demons who showedbat power beyond the high rankers. The allied forces believed they could stop the hell army with this much power? Seriously? Rose was scoffing when a bleak voice permeated her mind. Beleth was delivering his message to all the demons on the battlefield.


    ¡°¡±Keep the formation while the monarchs will guard the coast.¡±¡±


    ¡®Why is he wary of the navy?¡¯


    Rose bit her lip. There was a legend among the enemy soldiersing with the horizon behind them. Bow Saint Jishuka¡ªshe was the opponent they should be most vignt about in the current war. As far as Rose knew, there were no strong people in the Overgeared Navy. The high ranker called Soldier had the best power. He had a very low reputation even considering the fact that the military sses tended to be somewhat closed off. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he was killed by a great demon in the 30s.


    Yet Beleth was concentrating power on the shore even though he didn¡¯t seem to know who Jishuka was.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a big threat even if the water n king fights. I would like to advise him that it is better to maintain the battle lines.¡¯


    However, her head would be smashed the moment she brought it up. Beleth was so ferocious that she was reluctant to deal with him.


    It happened as Rose was hesitating...


    The symbol of Jishuka covered the sky. The illusion of the eastern god cast a huge shadow over the battlefield and the waters surrounding the ind bubbled. The terrible heat was just a precursor. Soon, a rain of fire poured down. The power was different from the past. In particr, the hit rate was at a fraudulent level. Even if they took cover using various topographical features and the bodies of demonic creatures were used as a shield, arrows would fly from somewhere and pierce their bodies.


    Rose made a pained face while recalling the analysis of an expert. The analysispared Grid¡¯s field of view skills with Jishuka¡¯s field of view skills. He spected that Jishuka¡¯s vision must resemble a satellite.


    Of course, she believed it to be a ridiculous interpretation. She dismissed it as a delusion. Now after experiencing it, she realized that the analysis of the expert was urate. The days of unreliable professionals were really over.


    ¡°¡±Is that an apostle of the Overgeared God? Mines were nted on both sides...¡±¡±


    Even Beleth couldn¡¯t idly watch Jishuka¡¯s bombardment. The uracy and destructive power were too good to be taken lightly. It was powerful enough to reverse the war.


    [Your insides have been shaken by the Breaking Evil Arrow.]


    [Your demonic energy has scattered. Your flesh and magic power won¡¯t be able to benefit from the demonic energy.]


    [All stats will drop slightly until your demonic energy recovers. There will be a problem using magic and skills.]


    [Defense has decreased slightly. Resilience has decreased significantly.]


    ¡®What is this?!¡¯ Rose¡¯s appearance after she became a demon was generally sharp. Her eyes had be fierce, but at this moment, they were so round that it was no different from her human days. She was surprised at the effects that stacked up every time Jishuka¡¯s arrows hit her body. The mana shields that she deployed intensively over each vital point were being scattered.


    ¡°The demonic creatures can¡¯t use their strength!¡±


    ¡°Now! Push them!¡±


    The morale of the allied forces pierced the sky. Their wounds and health were restored thanks to Jishuka¡¯s rain of fire and they became bold. On the other hand, the hell army struggled like they had fallen into a swamp. The low-grade demonic creatures and demonkin continually turned into ashes or were seriously injured.


    ¡°¡±The monarchs will protect the formations. I will take care of the coast.¡±¡±


    Eventually, Beleth stepped forward himself. He abandoned his passive attitude of standing andmanding in the middle of the battlefield and pulled out a spear from his subspace. At the same time, he expressed his power. The rain of fire from the sky stopped at once. It was a sight that seemed like a lie. It was like a video had stopped ying.


    The power to control objects without a master.


    The projectiles that left their master¡¯s hands naturally couldn¡¯t escape his power. In the past, Grid¡¯s sword energy had been controlled in this way.


    The stationary scene was yed back. The stopped rain of fire in the air returned on the path they hade from.


    The reporters and streamers hiding throughout the battlefield and rying the war were frozen and couldn¡¯t convey the situation properly to viewers. They were mesmerized by the sight they couldn¡¯t believe even after seeing it. Due to this, viewers only saw the rain of fire rising back into the sky. The scene of it reaching the other side and devastating the allied forces was inferred only by sound.


    Beleth flew to the coast. He skipped several kilometers with a single leap. Unlike Titan, where it was early morning just before dawn, the Behen Archipgo was colored by the sunset.


    Beleth¡¯s face was as distorted with anger as always as he stood on the golden sea and faced dozens of warships. However, his eyes were cold. There was a strong sign of patience despite his angry nature. What was making him so cautious? Rose and all the demons with intelligence questioned it. They sensed that the situation was unusual due to Beleth¡¯s strange appearance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Grid is here?¡± The reporters and streamers were full of expectations. A battlefieldrgely divided between the Abyss and the Behen Archipgo. Out of the two, the area where Grid appeared could secure many viewers.


    In this chaotic atmosphere, Beleth swung his spear hard. The water shining like gold due to the sunset split in half, revealing the true dark core. Dozens of warships shook precariously. Four warships were hit directly by the shockwave and sank in pieces.


    Killing the opponent at the very beginning of the fight.


    It was a powerful armed force worthy of the one who had defeated Grid.


    -Eh?What is this?


    The speechless viewers discovered something. It was a red glow from a pair of eyes lurking quietly beyond the fluctuating waves. The reason why they noticed it wasn¡¯t a simple light but a pair of eyes was because it had locked eyes with Beleth. The shining eyes that caught everyone¡¯s attention soon disappeared like a lie.


    The perspective of the cameras of the reporters and streamers expanded dramatically. Then they caught it. The owner of the red lights had appeared behind Beleth. It was wearing a ck robe. There were strange magic circles and spells engraved on the white bones. It was probably due to this reason that the overbearing pressure was considerable.


    A lich¡ªit was the moment when the so-called King of the Undead entered the battlefield. It stood alongside the great demon so naturally that it seemed to be a reinforcement sent up from hell.


    They were mistaken.


    Beleth¡¯s spear prated the lich¡¯s face. No, it prated the afterimage that the lich left behind and scattered it. The lich had shifted back 10 meters. It was a strange scene. No sense of movement was felt.


    ¡°¡±You smell like something I smelled in the past. The human who was hunted by me. Now I¡¯m told he is the Overgeared God. I heard his apostles are great, but I didn¡¯t expect there to be a lich as well.¡±¡±


    [Be polite when discussing My Liege...]


    At the same time, the audience got goosebumps. Unlike normal undead, there was an imposing demeanor and splendid effects that left a ck afterimage with every action. There was also an eerie voice...


    What was the identity of the lich that was unusual at first nce?


    Haksen with the highest point magic or Jessica wth the echo magic...


    The viewers gulped as they recalled the great legends.


    Boom!


    The storm that was created by the bombardment of arrows falling toward the middle of the battlefield¡ªit caused the robe covering the lich to flutter ande off. The name that was revealed was ¡®Overgeared Skeleton Two.¡¯


    -Ah...


    The viewers had sweaty hands as theymented in unison. It had many meanings.


    ***


    At Asgard...


    ¡°The people are calling me.¡±


    Martial God Zeratul, who was sitting on a golden cloud and meditating, rose from his spot. The justification to go down to the surface was enough. The power that the war-ravaged people craved¡ªthe form of that power was the martial god.


    Since ancient times, war and starvation had been the greatest driving force in freeing Zeratul. It was an opportunity to create numerous followers.


    ¡°Before that... I will first punish the fake god.¡±

 Chapter 1501

    <h4>Chapter 1501</h4>


    It was after the start of the great human and demon war...


    Using the media of each country as the main axis, people divided the continent into seven major sections. They were divided into the four directions of east, west, south, and north, and the three main bases, rather than nations. It was simply for convenience.


    ¡º A total of 3,831 portals were observed in the north. Fortunately, there are no great demons there. Using the orc kingdom as the center, the nations and yers are working together to easily prevent the invasion of demonic creatures... ¡»


    ¡º The performance of Orc Lord Teruchan and his royal guards are amazing. I heard that many of the royal guards are yers, right? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, 99% of them are yers. The rankers, who changed their species to an orc a few years ago, have grown to the point of taking important positions. The fact that there are very few named NPCs among the twilight orcs has yed a role, but... there is no need to disparage the rankers¡¯ efforts. ¡»


    Magician rankers were sensitive to magic power. It wasn¡¯t difficult to observe magical devices and phenomena. It was nothing to work together to count the portals.


    ¡º The situation in the south isn¡¯t so bad. The number of portals observed is veryrge at 5,420, but the overall level of the south has risen significantly thanks to the opening of the warp gate in the Hemilton Principality several months ago. ¡»


    ¡º Definitely. I remember that many quests in the principality attracted yers. In particr, I heard a lot of vampires moved there, right? ¡»


    ¡º They didn¡¯t move... all the vampire cities are part of the Overgeared Kingdom. Do they really need to abandon their Overgeared Kingdom nationality? ¡»


    ¡º Haha, I was ignorant... ¡»


    ¡º In any case, there are a number of top rankers and vampire yers stationed in the south. They are responding to the invasion very well. There are no transcendent or super named NPCs around, so the bnce might be broken the moment a great demon shows up, but... theforting thing is Katz¡¯ presence. His recent growth is really dazzling. I think they¡¯ll be able to raid a great demon in the 30s with Katz at the center... ¡»


    ¡º It doesn¡¯t sound like nonsense... ¡»


    Peak Sword temporarily pulled the aggro of the 4th Great Demon and caused a lot of damage, while Ares temporarily fought equally with the 24th Great Demon. Jishuka, Regas, Pon, Scott, and the others were fighting hard against the 23rd, 28th, and 31st Great Demons...


    The level of the named yers active in the Behen Archipgo and the Abyss exceeded the expectations of the experts. There was an army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers armed with overgeared items, as well as Grid¡¯s apostles like Braham and Overgeared Skeleton Two (?) so there was unexpected publicity. The media of each country had no choice but to ce confidence in the ability of the rankers.


    ¡º The west doesn¡¯t need to be discussed. There are approximately 4,000 portals opened in the west, but some people are saying that grabbing a star in the sky is easier than seeing a demonic creature. ¡»


    ¡º Haha... There is the Overgeared Kingdom in the west. The main temples of the Dominion Church and Judar Church are also located there, right? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, fortunately or unfortunately, the suppression of religion in the Overgeared Kingdom is limited to the Reba Church. Therefore, both religions are ying a stable role in their own areas. ¡»


    ¡º The problem is... ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it is the east. ¡»


    A schr of Satisfy¡¯s history and the field of war¡ªthe Harvard university professor, Bahrain, paused and disyed a map of the continent on the screen. The map divided the continent into four sections and the area of the east, painted in red, wasrger than the west, south, and northbined. This was because the center was included in the eastern part. It was reasonable to do this for convenience. All of the red territory was part of the empire.


    ¡º A total of 11,090 portals are in the east. There is even the Abyss in the heart of the capital. ¡»


    The three designated main bases of humanity. Among them, the ce with the most stars was the Abyss. It happened to be located in the imperial capital.


    ¡º The situation in the east is desperate. A considerable number of troops was consumed to respond to the demonic human incidents and the invasion of the dark elves. It is a deadly event for the empire that has a history of a shortage of troops. There are 11,090 portals and the subsequent invasions of Zepar and Gamigin... the empire has no power to defend itself. ¡»


    ¡º Hrmm... I can¡¯t easily agree about theck of imperial troops. Doesn¡¯t the empire have a poption of billions? Many yers have also acquired an imperial nationality. I know that the empire recruited yers as troops with various quests. So why is there a shortage of troops? ¡»


    ¡º The biggest problem is that the territory of the empire isrger than necessary. The empire was a wed nation from the start. From the moment they imed to be the master of the continent, they took on more responsibility than they could handle. There are hundreds of cities, fortresses, and 27 borders in the empire. Their troops are inevitably dispersed... ¡»


    The professor harshly criticized the empire¡¯s system. The current Empress Basara recognized the problems of the empire and promoted reforms, but it was impossible for many of the reforms to be achieved in only one generation.


    ¡º...In conclusion, the empire won¡¯t be able to ovee this crisis on its own. They have to get support from the Overgeared Kingdom. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. If it wasn¡¯t for Braham, Titan would already be devastated. ¡»


    ¡º In fact, it is safe to say that from the time Grandmaster Zikfrector and Mercedes, the number one knight, were taken away by the Overgeared Kingdom, the empire¡¯s fortunes have fallen into Grid¡¯s hands... Eh? What? ¡»


    ¡º There is breaking news. A new great demon has appeared from the Abyss. The bnce of the Behen Archipgo is also beginning to copse... ¡»


    ***


    He was flooded with inspiration, the knowledge to support it, as well as talent and divinity. The mythical magic waspleted based on the restored power.


    Gamigin was crushed by Braham¡¯s Punishment and copsed without even being able to scream. Braham also paid arge price. He suffered internal injuries and bleeding due to the excessive use of magic. He even became dizzy, but he somehow avoided fainting. His body as a direct descendant sustained him.


    ¡®It is impossible to use Punishment again in this state. Time is needed.¡¯


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t even use legendary great magic. Unlike his body that was holding on firmly, his magic power was experiencing a bacsh. He barely controlled it. If he overdid it here, it was highly likely he would receive permanent damage to his magic core.


    Braham saw that Gamigin¡¯s body had already started to regenerate and formed fists. It was an attitude of using physical strength because he couldn¡¯t use magic. He didn¡¯t like swinging his fists inelegantly. He also wasn¡¯t good at it, but it couldn¡¯t be helped since the situation was urgent. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°Devote yourself to recovery,¡± Kyle spoke politely and took over the baton from Braham. The momentum was fierce as he created a storm of lightning to prevent Gamigin from regenerating. He was reliable until his shoulder was blown away by a sudden sniping attack.


    It was shot by the 8th Great Demon, Barbatos. Kyle was exhausted from dealing with Gamigin and was slow to respond.


    This made Braham frown. ¡°Hold on for five minutes, even if you die.¡±


    ¡°...I will endure and survive.¡± His one arm was rattling so much it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it fell off straight away. Kyle didn¡¯t care about it. It was because he always thought of the arm as ¡®not there.¡¯


    ***


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Bow Saint actually the most fraudulent ss?¡¯


    The 13th Great Demon, Beleth¡ªhe disliked troublesome things and had little interest in the surface. The reason he took the role ofmander of the vanguard army was due topensation. There were rumors that Baal¡¯s closest subordinate, Chepardea, had promised him a great gift. It meant that Beleth was such apetent great demon. It was to the point that Baal¡¯s closest subordinate would personally invite him.


    In fact, Beleth¡¯s rule of fear yed a huge role. He used force to bring together demons who didn¡¯t know solidarity. Hundreds of demons and four great demons were unable to stand up to Beleth¡¯s intimidation and joined the operation.


    Rose thought that the power of the demonic army was tremendous. She believed there were no rivals unless Grid led his apostles as a group. Now that faith was about to falter.


    Jishuka fired arrows to annihte the demonic creatures, while hundreds of thousands of soldiers led by Valha¡¯s generals and knights, and high rankers like Regas and Pon, held out on the battlefield. Jishuka¡¯s baptism of arrows poured down fiercely. It poured down without a break. It was hard to believe it was a phenomenon done by one human being.


    Even more surprising, it was impossible to predict the sniper points. Dozens of arrows flew at the same time, each with a different trajectory. It was hard to guess where the arrows would fire from. It was simply a superhuman feat.


    ¡°Dammit, these arrows are so disturbing.¡±


    The 31st great demon was the first to show his nervousness. He was also a neer. Too many great demons had died during Grid and Yura¡¯s hell conquest. Many of the new great demons who took over the vacant spots hadn¡¯t matured yet. They took the position with force and couldn¡¯t gain any experience afterward. Therefore, there was a simple side. Their patience was a bit immature.


    ¡°I will find and kill that human!¡± the 31st Great Demon yelled and rushed into the enemy lines. He wielded a huge guandao fiercely. He seemed to judge that he could easily break through the meat barrier built with the bodies of the humans. Some elite members of the allied forces responded quickly. They abandoned their weapons, pulled out harpoons as big as their height, and started throwing them.


    ¡®Dragon Harpoon?¡¯ Rose recalled the secondary weapon that Grid had used in the National Competition in the past and felt anxiety.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±The great demon, hit by dozens of harpoons, stopped in the middle of the enemy lines and struggled. Looking closely, each harpoon had a sturdy rope attached. The fast-moving soldiers fixed the end of the rope with a stake, temporarily sealing the body of a great demon. It was a skill they had practiced more than once or twice. The power of the harpoons and the durability of the ropes were enormous.


    ¡°Good! Well done!¡± Pon shouted with a smile and his spear struck the heart of the great demon. Regas¡¯ lightning-like fists struck the face of the great demon dozens of times. They were armed with a shining silver spear and a shining silver pair of gauntlets.


    Grid had made many legendary rated weapons ahead of the great human and demon war. They were the best items with high pration that ignored defense and the option to weaken demonic energy. The power was so deadly that the screams of the great demons shook the battlefield.


    ¡®Wars in Satisfy are about quality, not quantity.¡¯ Rose stepped back without realizing it.


    Soldiers who should¡¯ve been easily killed by a great demon. They were armed with different items and were ying their roles under certain circumstances. They responded to the overwhelming force that originally couldn¡¯t be resisted with numbers. The situation that hadn¡¯t been seen in Satisfy so far was implemented purely due to the power of items. It was truly amazing...

 Chapter 1502

    <h4>Chapter 1502</h4>


    ¡®W-We can¡¯t win?¡¯


    Rose¡¯s eyes turned to the coast. Beleth was struggling against Overgeared Skeleton Two. It wasn¡¯t because Beleth was weaker than Overgeared Skeleton Two. Naturally, Beleth was much stronger. The problem was Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s ability to distort space. Beleth failed to deal an effective hit due to it constantly changing positions. In the meantime, the skeleton soldiers summoned by Overgeared Skeleton Two entered the front lines and destroyed the demonic creatures.


    The Overgeared fleet fired artillery shells from a distance withoutnding and it was also threatening. The Overgeared Cannon that once caused a sensation¡ªbased on the unique rating, the hundreds of cannons each with a 45,000 fixed ssh damage, constantly rained shots down onto the battlefield as well as Beleth. The thousands of artillerymen yers, who were marginalized until a few years ago, met the Overgeared Kingdom and ran rampant like fish in water.


    Fortunately, Beleth¡¯s power offset the power of the Overgeared Cannons. However, Beleth couldn¡¯t always invoke his power, so he couldn¡¯t block all the bombardment. He was also concerned about the bombardment, so he failed to respond to Jishuka¡¯s baptism of arrows which had the energy to break evil.


    Of course, Beleth wasn¡¯t a fool. In order to fundamentally block the artillery shells, heunched several long range attacks targeting the fleet. The water n king was the problem. He swam through the water with the water n soldiers. Every time Beleth¡¯s attack flew over, he caused waves and disrupted the power of the attack. The remnants of the destruction were repeatedly stopped by the navy led by Soldier and the artillerymen were protected.


    It was a repetition of a vicious cycle. Thebination of the enemy forces felt perfect. Additionally, the enemy reinforcements continued to increase. Euphemina, known to be one of the strongest Overgeared members, joined the battlefield. She even led the Overgeared magic division that wasposed of the Ul n. The princess of the Ul n was a famous named talent.


    Rose gritted her teeth. She became angry as she thought about Lauelughing as he plotted in the darkness to create this current situation.


    ¡°¡±These guys really...!¡±¡± Beleth¡¯s face changed colors as the bombardment of arrows and shells wasbined with magic.


    Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like they were about to enter the second stage. It was before Grid or his apostles had even appeared.


    Rose had a hunch as she saw the abnormal scene of the 13th Great Demon being suppressed by the troops¡ª¡®Aren¡¯t we really going to lose?¡¯


    Did she have to taste defeat even after bing a demon? She wanted to win at least once...


    Rose gave an absurdugh, but she didn¡¯t me others. The hell army, who was losing in power despite starting the war, and the allied forces and yers, who were hostile to her and blocking the way forward¡ªRose humbly epted it all. Why did she repeat the defeat and failure every time? In the end, she judged that it was because of herck of ability. She felt she still had a long way to go.


    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know. I will win one day.¡¯


    However, that moment wasn¡¯t now. The war deadline was 32 days away. There were many opportunities.


    Rose epted her defeat and rxed. She remembered that the essence of ying games was enjoyment and her mind was refreshed while her actions became lighter. It was the realm of enlightenment. The level of magic that she cast was raised to a higher level. Her casting speed was slightly elerated and the efficiency of herbos increased dramatically. It was noticeable on the battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people were mixed together.


    This was the problem. Jishuka¡¯s arrows, which had been dispersed and falling over a wide range, immediately concentrated on one ce. She only fired at one person, Rose, with an unprecedented power. Rose pulled unexpected aggro out of five great demons and hundreds of demons. It was an absurd mishap from Rose¡¯s position.


    On the other hand, she was also d.


    ¡®Am I greater than I thought?¡¯


    She was satisfied with the potential she never knew before as she was pierced by arrows and her blood scattered. She copsed and her vision turned gray. Just then¡ª


    [Baal¡¯s subordinates will participate as reinforcements.]


    [Hell¡¯s morale has risen greatly and all stats will increase.]


    [There is news that the ¡®Sealed Body of One of the Seven Evils¡¯ has been found in the Abyss. Wrath is added to the ¡®mixed worlds.¡¯ The concentration of demonic energy has increased and the penalty for demons is reduced by 20%.]


    ¡®XX.¡¯


    This happened when she died...


    Rose¡¯s smiling expression became distorted. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were fierce. Therefore, she looked bizarre. Even so, no one saw it. Newly emerged demons and demonic creatures trampled on and covered her body. She scattered helplessly as gray ash and disappeared.


    ***


    At the same time, Reinhardt...


    The Overgeared Kingdom responded quickly to the war that took ce sooner than expected. They gathered more than three times the nned number of technical experts in order to speed up the construction of the furnace. The Overgeared Kingdom understood the importance of Grid better than anyone. Thanks to the help of the whole kingdom, Grid was able to focus on the design of the divine sword.


    He used his creation skill. It was a sword made with a dragon¡¯s fang that he might not obtain again. This wasn¡¯t the time to save his creation skill. He also considered that the blueprint would affect the speed at which the item would be made.


    Grid wanted to make the weapon and join the war as quickly as possible. The situation of the war that was delivered in real time made him somewhat nervous. He was particrly worried about Braham. He wanted to send another apostle straight away, but the situation didn¡¯t allow it.


    Sariel moving independently was still a high risk. Meanwhile, Mercedes and Piaro were training in the sword tower. The Zikfrector and Zibal duo and Nefelina had been searching for areas where portals were concentrated and destroying enemy forces. Now they had just moved to Cokro Ind. It was due to the sudden news that Hell Gao, who had been borrowing the body of a ¡®demonkin¡¯ so far, appeared with a body with the grade of a great demon for the first time. The copse of the world¡¯s boundaries seemed to have some effect. It would be very difficult if he escaped from the ind, so he needed to be defeated in advance.


    ¡®I think there will be a situation where I have to step up myself.¡¯


    Less than a day had passed since the great human and demon war and there were already crises happening everywhere. Grid¡¯s n to join the war after creating a new sword was likely to be too greedy.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was keeping an eye on the condition of his bond with Braham while working, only to suddenly stiffen like a stone statue. It was due to the news that enemy reinforcements had appeared at both the Abyss and the Behen Archipgo. To make matters worse, there was also news that some great demons appeared through portals.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a situation where he should be greedy. First, let¡¯s calm down. Thinking calmly, he could still y a stable and active role even without a new sword...


    It happened the moment Grid calmed himself and tried to raise his body...


    [Noll, lord of a vampire city, has led the vampire army to join the Abyss battle as reinforcements. Presumably using the lord¡¯s authority, he assigned yers a quest and an army was formed.]


    [Bondre of Valha has persuaded the yers who were former members of the Seven Guilds to head to the Behen Archipgo.]


    [Chris, the lord of Reidan, is leaving the minimal number of troops in the city and departing. His destination is the Abyss.]


    [The 1st ranker berserker, Asuka, and herpanion, ck Teddy, are leading soldiers south. They seem to be heading to the Behen Archipgo.]


    [The ck and White sisters are asking for negotiations. They have expressed their intention to participate as a member of the Overgeared Kingdom on the condition they get the right to purchase legendary rated items.]


    [50 rankers from the Daejin Group have joined the Abyss as reinforcements.]


    [The Yatan Church members entering the central area have been trapped in abyrinth dungeon after being lured in by Eat Spicy Jokbal.]


    [The African Leopard has killed the mysterious death knight carrying out a massacre in the Arc Kingdom. The leopard is moving south. His estimated destination is the Behen Archipgo.]


    [Hurent has met the 33rd Great Demon who appeared in the central area. He has entered battle. Hurent is fighting well. A rune has been identified on the back of his hand.]


    [The knights division led by Royman has arrived at the Abyss. Haster has joined them.]


    [The Overgeared Shadows have infiltrated the entire continent and confirmed the emergence of Agnus in the west. Faker killed Agnus.]


    [180 rankers from the Jin Group have joined Katz in the south. Katz is heading for the Behen Archipgo.]


    [There is confirmation ofrge-scale Mass Teleports in Titan. It is believed to be done by Sage Sticks. More than 80,000 reinforcements have arrived from the East Continent.]


    [Confirmed the destruction of some portals. It is probably the influence of Yura and Kraugel in hell.]


    [Confirmation that the scale of the Saintess¡¯ south-bound procession is still expanding. The cause is unknown.]


    New information rushed in. The content was varied and mostly positive. Thanks to this, Grid was reminded of something he had forgotten for a while.


    He wasn¡¯t alone. Hisst few years had not been in vain...


    His hands trembled with emotion. He was smiling with relief when a chill went down his spine.


    [A massive number of martial god followers have appeared in the Overgeared Kingdom. They are killing allies.]


    [The Triad has appeared at Fort Patrian. The city walls have copsed. Marquis Ashur¡¯s status is unknown.]


    [An unidentified enemy has emerged near Reinhardt. Zednos and Lae are dead. There is no resurrection response.]


    [The Overgeared God Church has suffered a serious blow. Damian is dead. There is no resurrection response. Isabel¡¯s life or death is unknown.]


    [nd and Beniyaru have gone with the farmers to act as reinforcements.]


    [Prince Lord and his 300 girlfriends have gone to assist.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    News flooded in at a much faster rate than the previous news. Grid moved without thinking. He flew straight into the sky, captured the external wall in his field of view, and used Shunpo. At the same time...


    [The title ¡®First Father¡¯ has detected Lord¡¯s crisis.]


    [Father¡¯s Instinctive Love is activated. Movement speed is increased by 80% for 20 seconds and the skill cooldown is reset.]


    ¡°Lord!¡± Grid¡¯s face distorted like a demon. He expanded his vision to determine Lord¡¯s location and immediately used Shunpo.


    ¡°......!¡± An attack flew in the moment his location changed. It was a heavy attack that he had never experienced before. He had a hunch that it was better to avoid it, but Lord was behind him.


    ¡°Kuek!¡± Grid raised his sword to block the attack and was crushed by the weight. He bent his knees unwillingly and gritted his teeth as he stared at the opponent.


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªa being who wasn¡¯t supposed to be here was standing with his hands behind his back. Not a single drop of blood dripped from the leg that was ced on Grid¡¯s de. ¡°You stopped my attack? You deserve the recognition of Chiyou, that low-grade fake.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Grid¡¯s eyes shot up in a frightening manner. He was able to see the terrible sight behind Zeratul¡¯s back. He saw Isabel, nd, the church members, and the farmers lying down while covered in blood. His hair was turning white with fright.


    Grid lost his sense of reason and immediately wrapped the buff skills around his body. However, there was no chance for him to step forward.


    ¡°I just remembered why I came to find you.¡± Something touched Grid¡¯s shoulder. It was a book. It had the title ¡®Deciphered Language of the Dead¡¯ written on it in borate handwriting. ¡°Receive this and step back.¡±


    The tower member, Biban¡ªa being who originally shouldn¡¯t appear in the worldpletely exposed his sword energy as he stood in front of everyone. There was deep disgust and anger on his face. ¡°The gods of Asgard have be senile in their old age. Hayate¡¯s words were right.¡±


    A curtain of sword energy spread out. It was a curtain that separated Biban and Zeratul from the world.


    ¡°Grid, just live like you are now, no more and no less.¡±


    It was like a final goodbye and it caused Grid to reach out for the curtain. However, he couldn¡¯t touch it.

 Chapter 1503

    <h4>Chapter 1503</h4>


    ¡°Biban! Biban!¡±


    The curtain of sword energy that surrounded Biban and Zeratul¡ªcountless des and de fragments intertwined, and the scene of them reflecting and absorbing each other¡¯s light was reminiscent of a gxy. It was beautiful like art. However, it was a cruel reality to Grid. His hands were bloody as he hit, scratched, and tore at it, and bone could be seen through the torn skin.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°C-Calm down!¡±


    The women who were once candidates to be Reba¡¯s Daughters¡ªoriginally, they were destined to be puppets of the church and driven to the extremes. Thanks to Damian¡¯s rescue and Grid¡¯s care, they were able to regain a normal life. The main reason they were willing to devote themselves to Lord was because Grid and Damian hoped for it. Their heart toward their benefactors was deeper than imagined.


    They didn¡¯t know precisely what the rtionship between the person called Biban and Grid was, but it wasn¡¯t easy to watch their benefactor calling out Biban¡¯s name anxiously and going wild. They wanted to run over, grab him, andfort him immediately.


    However, Grid¡¯s identity was the noblest one on the continent. He was the king of the Overgeared Kingdom and a god. They didn¡¯t dare touch his jade-like body. The 300 women simply cried as they looked at him.


    Lord, who was taking care of Isabel and nd, also remained silent. Lord admired Grid the most in the world. He couldn¡¯t make a guess recklessly. Thus, he had no choice but to watch.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Grid copsed to the ground and let out harsh curse words. He failed to keep his dignity in front of those who regarded him as a parent, king, or god. He felt as if he would go crazy if he didn¡¯t release the emotions filling his heart right away.


    Grid was angry. He was furious at the situation where Zeratul broke in at random. He was also annoyed by Biban¡¯s choice. There was a better chance of winning if Biban had fought with him. Why did Biban go in alone? It was over once he died. Why...


    ¡°Why give me such a present at the end?¡±


    He was a really stupid human. Why did he always give without wanting anything back? Was this the temperament of all the tower members who locked themselves in the tower for humanity? Was it natural and easy to give up their lives for others as they had sacrificed all their lives?


    ...It was too harsh.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Grid desperately got up again and pounded on the curtain. He seemed to be screaming. He was remembering his most painful memory. It was the memory of when he said goodbye to Khan. Hadn¡¯t he decided when holding Khan in his arms as Khan scattered to ashes? He wouldn¡¯t let a precious person be taken away twice.


    It was different from Khan, who was like a father, but Biban was also a precious rtionship. He had many grateful memories. He always thought that he would definitely repay Biban¡¯s favor one day. He promised to make Biban a sword.


    ¡°Yet because of me...¡± Grid¡¯s body staggered. He felt dizzy due to the blood rushing to his head. His body copsed and the blue sky filled his vision.


    He looked at the clouds flowing slowly and felt his mind calming down. Grid took a deep breath. He calmly reviewed the current situation.


    The curtain of sword energy? It could be cut with the Falling Moon Sword. The problem was that the Falling Moon Sword was a secret weapon. It was too greedy to want to win against Zeratul when the Falling Moon Sword had already been consumed. Destroying the curtain would just make Biban¡¯s work of locking Zeratul away meaningless.


    The decipherednguage of the dead¡ªGrid assessed the value of the gift Biban left behind. He identified the usage and measured the results.


    ¡®Maybe Biban...¡¯ It was the moment when Grid recalled something and came up with a hypothesis.


    ¡°Please give us amand.¡± A clear voice entered Grid¡¯s ears.


    He suddenly heard a voiceing from the blue waves in front of him and looked up. He made eye contact with Mercedes. Therge eyes were still and her expression was calm. Her appearance was the same as usual and it vaguely reassured Grid.


    ¡°I will carry out My Liege¡¯s will.¡±


    [Your apostle ¡®Mercedes¡¯ has created a new chivalric code.]


    Mercedes¡¯ hands were very cold as they wrapped around Grid¡¯s hands. It was because she was armed with metal gauntlets. However, Grid¡¯s heart melted from the warmth.


    Sariel descended next to him with her four pairs of wings spread open as he relied on Mercedes to raise his body. Piaro and Asmophel also arrived. Piaro¡¯s healthy teeth were especially shiny today. ¡°The enemy of My Liege is nothing but fertilizer to make the territory more fertile.¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s eyes, reminiscent of a frozen pock¡¯s eyes, were deeper and more transparent than before. ¡°Please watch me as I face myself.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A faint smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. His body and mind, filled with anger and anxiety, stopped shaking. He coolly grasped the situation and made a quick judgment.


    ¡°Mercedes, analyze the curtain with Keen Insight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sariel, destroy the curtain as soon as Mercedes¡¯ analysis isplete.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    It was a method that took some time. However, he needed to save the Falling Moon Sword to see a chance of victory. In the first ce, the current Grid also needed some time. Biban should hold out sufficiently during that time. He had entered the curtain alone because he was confident he could hold on. Grid had no choice but to believe in him.


    ¡°The opponent is the martial god. It will be a tough battle like never before. Someone could lose their life. Still, we have to fight. If we can¡¯t do anything here today, we will be swayed by him for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mercedes, Piaro, Sariel, Asmophel, Singuled, Amelda, Dante, and Kentrick¡ªthe strongest members of the Overgeared Kingdom responded vigorously by Grid¡¯s side.


    It was a fearless attitude against a god¡ªthe martial god. They knew that there was a dignity that should be upheld.


    Grid opened the gift he had received from Biban.


    [Checking the contents of ¡®Deciphered Language of the Dead.¡¯]


    [The notes written painstakingly by the Absolute will greatly help your understanding.]


    [Your high intelligence has allowed you to fully absorb the knowledge of ¡®Deciphered Language of the Dead.¡¯]


    [You can now understand thenguage of the dead.]


    The aftermath of the new knowledge being injected all at once was great. Grid got a dizzying headache. It was painful, like someone¡¯s hand was digging through his brain. He barely managed to swallow the nausea that rushed to his throat and pulled out Madra¡¯s diary. He understood exactly what he had to do now and acted.


    Grid¡¯s consciousness subsided as the unknown characters became words and sentences, writing a story. Once he came to his senses again, he was standing in the Behen Archipgo hundreds of years ago. There, he encountered Madra¡¯s death knight, who existed alone and went crazy. It felt like they became one. He felt like he was going to be swallowed up by a torrent of emotions.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not curious about your story anymore.¡¯


    He already felt empathy and sympathy for Madra¡¯s pain and anger in the past. The current Madra had lost his sense of reason, so it was hard tomunicate. Grid took only what he needed. In order to protect his present rtionship, he squashed the specter of the past.


    ¡®Have a good rest.¡¯


    [You have learnt a new skill.]


    [The diary of Undefeated King Madra has disappeared into history.]


    ***


    Sword Saint Biban was a person who had risen to the level of having a sword in his heart. His will was a sword and there was nothing he couldn¡¯t cut. It wasn¡¯t impossible for him to cut time and space. His sword energy curtain waspletely out of the world and time had even stopped. The countless des and de fragments swirling in it contained a powerful will in each of them. It was killing intent toward Zeratul.


    ¡°Child.¡± From the moment that Biban appeared to now¡ªZeratul, who was standing with his hands behind his back and staring at Biban, opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°I really cherishbat talent. I watched you from the day you first held the sword to the moment you reached the peak of the sword. Look back. You must¡¯ve felt my warmth.¡±


    There were no scratches on Zeratul¡¯s body as he talked at will. The red-colored fighting energy surrounding him was pushing away all of Biban¡¯s Heart Sword.


    ¡°How dare you forget my favor and point your sword at me?¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that now? How do I know whether or not you have been watching me when you haven¡¯t told me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Oho, I get it now. You were the devil who tried to seduce and corrupt me onto the easy path whenever I was distressed at being blocked by a wall. Are you crazy? How shameless are you to disguise that ugly past as a favor?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you who you are now because you overcame the trials I gave you?¡±


    "It is sophistry. Don¡¯t expect respect. You don¡¯t deserve to be called a god judging by your current actions.¡±


    Many people were dying due to the demon invasion. At this time, the martial god, who came to the human world, didn¡¯t help the people. Instead, he invaded the Overgeared Kingdom and tried to hurt its ruler, Grid. It was a far cry from the gods that people believed in and hoped for.


    Zeratul read Biban¡¯s inner thoughts andughed. ¡°Child, you are greatly mistaken. A while ago, I saved 230,927 humans. In response to their prayers before an unjust death due to helplessness, I came to the human world. I manifested in their dreams and gave them strength and opportunities. I saved 230,927 lives. Isn¡¯t it too much to deny me like this?¡±


    The curtain of sword energy was Biban¡¯s mental world. It was safe to say it was Biban¡¯s mind itself. No matter whether he wanted it or not, Biban wasmunicating with Zeratul. He read Zeratul¡¯s heart and learned there were no lies in the im.


    Martial God Zeratul responded to people¡¯s prayers the moment he descended to the human world. The lives of the 230,927 people, who were swept away in the war, were saved and he gave them strength ording to their wishes. It was true, but this made Biban feel a greater disgust. ¡°You... you gave them your secret techniques. You made them worship only you, in pursuit of a dream that will nevere true.¡±


    The followers of the martial god¡ªthey were different from ordinary humans. They didn¡¯t know who they were. They forgot their original livespletely and just wandered around searching for the martial god¡¯s secret techniques for the rest of their lives.


    It was not a noble act. It was nothing more than a distorted faith that strengthened Zeratul by increasing his name and merit.


    ¡°How can you call it salvation?¡±


    ¡°I gave strength to those who wanted it. I instilled hope that they can get greater strength so they can live forever. If this isn¡¯t salvation, then what is salvation?¡±


    ¡°Really... you truly believe that, you bastard.¡± Biban pulled out a weapon. It was a short and narrow dagger. It was what he used when removing the skin of a beast. Of course, Biban was the Sword Saint, so even his bare hands could be treated as a sword.


    However, the opponent was the martial god. A frail dagger meant he had to regretfully get close. Still, what could he do? It was unavoidable since the sword he originally used was broken in the spar against Grid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t acknowledge you as a god when you can¡¯t sympathize with humans and even distort their wishes. I also deny Goddess Reba, who gave birth to a monster like you.¡±


    This world was too harsh on humans.


    Dragons¡ªabsolute beings who could destroy hundreds of thousands of human beings just by breathing. They were merely beasts obsessed with their instincts and desires, and it wasn¡¯t strange for them to wipe out humans suddenly depending on their mood.


    The gods didn¡¯t care for the humans living in such a dangerous world.


    Biban couldn¡¯t help crying. People were pitiful. Thus, he swung his weapon. His dagger contained a powerful will to cut down the irrationality of the world and the monsters that gave birth to that irrationality.


    Blood gushed from Zeratul¡¯s chest. The red-colored fighting energy, which hadn¡¯t been prated by the countless des, split in half. A hole also pierced Biban¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Stupid. No matter how much you deny it, I am a god. Do you believe that humans can harm a god?¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s wound was already recovering as he looked at the copsing Biban. On the other hand, Biban¡¯s focus became blurry.


    ¡°......?¡± Zeratul stepped forward to try and destroy Biban¡¯s heart, only to pause. It was because he felt his presence fading. He had used the power of the humans¡¯ desires toe to the human world and secured time by fulfilling their wishes, but before he knew it, the time was approaching to return. ¡°It has already been five minutes? This guy, don¡¯t tell me you nned this from the beginning?¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop the passage of time by cutting through time and space, but instead twisted and elerated it? The enlightened Zeratul frowned. He hurried to kill Biban and to destroy the Overgeared Kingdom. He should achieve his goal of descending to the ground.


    Zeratul¡¯s hand pierced Biban¡¯s heart. Biban¡¯s dagger also pierced Zeratul¡¯s heart. However, both had an obvious difference. Zeratul¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t even change, while Biban stopped moving. He lost the light in his eyes and his head lowered weakly.


    Just then, the curtain of sword energy was shattered and scattered. Unfortunately for Zeratul, it was due to an external phenomenon.


    ¡°500,000 Army Annihtion Sword.¡±


    A single strike¡ªthe strike that was performed with the Falling Moon Sword shattered Zeratul¡¯s fighting energy and cut his wrist.


    Zeratul was already moving in front of Grid. The moment his wrist was cut, he moved to minimize damage and attack Grid. The hand that was filled with concentrated sharpness touched Grid¡¯s neck. It pierced him.


    Grid felt terrible pain, but he gave up on defending or counterattacking. He stared at Biban and used Shunpo. Grid¡¯s throat was torn and blood scattered. Grid swallowed down a groan. He held Biban in his arms and hurriedly pulled out the white peach. It was the ¡®perfect recovery item¡¯ obtained from the Peach Blossom Spring. A person could only take it once in their lifetime.


    It happened the moment Grid tried to hold it to Biban¡¯s mouth...


    ¡°What are you doing in front of me?¡± Zeratul showed an absurd reaction and lowered his heel toward the top of Grid¡¯s head.


    Mercedes, Sariel, Piaro, Asmophel, the God Hands transformed into magic machines, Noe, and Randy¡ªhe allowed direct attacks from them and the knights, but persisted in only pursuing Grid. It was because Zeratul had no time. Since this happened anyway, he was determined to at least take away Biban¡¯s life.


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he sensed the impact heading toward the top of his head. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t avoid it and acted firmly. He shoved the white peach into Biban¡¯s mouth. He was prepared for a great sacrifice. Before the full-fledged battle, he wanted to protect this close rtionship even though he knew that his odds of winning would be greatly reduced if he was seriously injured.


    However, his determination was meaningless. Zeratul¡¯s attack failed to reach Grid and he was bounced away.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done with that, step back.¡± The low voice was so calm and clear that it didn¡¯t match this urgent situation. There was an aristocratic dignity to it. It was a powerful voice that flustered Martial God Zeratul, who was swept away by his emotions against humans.


    ¡°Hayate...¡± The ultimate transcendent and one side of the absolute¡ªHayate, the dragon yer that even Zeratul found difficult to treat indifferently, descended and protected Grid¡¯s side.

 Chapter 1504

    <h4>Chapter 1504</h4>


    Gods were close to a concept. They existed in worship and didn¡¯t disappear unless forgotten. It was safe to say that there was no physical way to kill them. This didn¡¯t mean that they were invincible.


    ¡°Hayate...¡± Zeratul felt enough of a threat.


    A dragon yer¡ªHayate made an aplishment that wasn¡¯tckingpared to the gods. The decisive reason was that the gods of Asgard and dragons didn¡¯t fight, but it was impossible to disparage Hayate¡¯s achievements.


    A world that had been repeated infinitely for eternity¡ªthroughout all those times and worlds, Hayate was the only person who killed a dragon by himself. It was supported by coincidence and luck, but it was still the final result. An irregr among irregrs, Hayate was one of the targets Asgard was most vignt about.


    ¡®Why is he standing in front of these people?¡¯


    Was he trying to save Biban, a fellow tower association member? No, it couldn¡¯t be. The lives of the tower members were like worthless things. From the moment they decided to fight against dragons, it wasn¡¯t strange for their lives to disappear. Therefore, they tried their best to be generous about each other¡¯s life or death.


    Hayate was even reluctant to leave the tower. He knew that his traces stimted the dragons.


    ¡®He would¡¯ve stepped forward earlier if he wanted to save Biban.¡¯


    Hayate didn¡¯t appear during Biban¡¯s crisis. There was only one conclusion that Zeratul could reach.


    ¡®Does he want to help Grid?¡¯


    Zeratul¡¯s heated blood cooled down as he thought up to here. Grid had gained strength and grew thanks to the mercy and grace that Reba had shown. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the blessings of the three gods had made him who he was today. Yet he betrayed Reba.


    He looked down on Asgard, such as arbitrarily calling himself a god and suppressing the Reba Church. He was an ungrateful guy and it wasn¡¯t enough to be torn to death. Yet rather than being punished by heaven, he was living well. He was even protected by Chiyou and Hayate, the two existences to be wary of.


    Zeratul was ovee with great anger and hatred. It was unpleasant. He never imagined that his great self would shamefully feel such low-grade emotions.


    ¡°...You want me to step back? Hayate, you dare tomand the god you should worship? You are too arrogant.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s emotions were distorted. The anger and hatred toward Grid were turned to Hayate. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Hayate was protecting Grid. In order to pour out these unpleasant emotions onto Grid, he inevitably had to collide with Hayate.


    Hayate read Zeratul¡¯s momentum and folded his sleeves. He was preparing his clothes so they didn¡¯t get dirty. During the time when Hayate was human, society was much more secr than it was now. The nobles were forced to be lordly and Hayate was a noble to his bones. The evidence was that the tower was built to practice noblesse oblige.


    ¡°The longer I live, the more I sympathize with you. It might be too harsh on you, who isn¡¯t much different from humans emotionally, to be given the time of eternity. Zeratul, does the goddess look at you with tranquil eyes? Perhaps there ispassion in them.¡±


    ¡°It is a petty provocation,¡± Zeratul replied like it was trivial. However, his eyes were trembling slightly. He was inwardly flustered. He might simply be angry.


    ¡°Swallow it. Come on, swallow.¡± Meanwhile, Grid was still holding Biban in his arms. His fingers trembled as he pushed the white peach into Biban¡¯s mouth. Fortunately, the white peach was a very soft and juicy fruit. It was like a lump of sweet water, so the juice flowed down his throat little by little, even though Biban couldn¡¯t chew.


    Even so, his color didn¡¯t return. The eyes that had lost their light and be dim still didn¡¯t move. Perhaps...


    Grid thought of the worst scenario. What if... what if Biban had already eaten a white peach?


    ¡°Sehee. I need to call Sehee..."


    ¡°Did you notice why the battle between Biban and Zeratul ended so quickly?¡± Hayate asked a question to the panicked Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t answer. To be exact, he had no time to answer. He was busy shouting his sister¡¯s name to summon Ruby, who had been registered as a knight in preparation for this type of situation. However, there was no response. Reinhardt was currently suppressed by Zeratul¡¯s divinity. In order to enter or exit the area without Zeratul¡¯s permission, they needed a status close to Zeratul. For example, Hayate.


    ¡°It is because both Biban and Zeratul have honed their skills to the utmost limit. The moment that the tens of thousands of possibilities contained in their one step collide with each other, they cut off the other person¡¯s retreat and turn defense into nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hayate, you... are you conversing with that guy in front of me?¡±


    It was a mess. Grid was only pushing the white peach into Biban¡¯s mouth, Hayate was talking to Grid who didn¡¯t answer, and Zeratul criticized Hayate.


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    ¡°What? Who is it now?¡± During the uproar, Zeratul found something ridiculous. He didn¡¯t have much time left now. Just as he was about to attack Hayate before going back to heaven, an insignificant person blocked his path and spoke to him.


    It was Mercedes. She had experienced Zeratul¡¯s overwhelmingbat prowess not long ago, but she was unusually calm. She wasn¡¯t intimidated at all against Zeratul. She didn¡¯t just block the way. She was also ring fiercely with killing intent. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb My Liege and close your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha...? What the hell is this crazy person saying?¡± Zeratul¡¯s head was nk and he was so dumbfounded that he could onlyugh. His emotions distorted once again. His anger and killing intent turned to Mercedes this time.


    Grid suddenly came to his senses.


    Hayate drew his sword. His gaze and posture were as calm as usual as he spoke in a tone that had no fluctuations, like he was reading a textbook, ¡°The battle between masters who have reached the peak often ends as quickly as it starts.¡±


    ¡°Mercedes! Stay back!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Receive this divine punishment!¡±


    At this point, it had gone beyond a mess. There was no sense of unity at the scene.


    Step.


    Mercedes backed down the moment she heard Grid¡¯s order. Meanwhile, Zeratul swung his feet while crushing the space.


    ¡°In other words, in order to defeat a master of the same level¡ª¡± Hayate was still giving a long speech.


    ¡°Biban?¡± Grid felt Biban¡¯s throat slightly move and caught a glimpse of hope.


    ¡°Um.¡± Mercedes realized she couldn¡¯t retreat and tried to fight back against Zeratul.


    The reason why everyone acted separately like this was because they were too excellent. Grid continued to focus on Biban, Mercedes dared to block the path of the martial god, Hayate was obsessed with teaching, and Zeratul¡¯s goal changed in real time. Each of them clearly recognized what they could and should do.


    Unlike what it seemed on the outside, they weren¡¯t acting because they were swept away by their mood or the atmosphere. They were setting the most reasonable priorities and acting ordingly. It was called higher cognitive ability. Everyone here was naturally equipped with the ability due to umting experience or talent.


    It just seemed like they were acting separately because their roles were different. There wasn¡¯t a single person who couldn¡¯t figure out the situation.


    ¡®I can hold on long enough.¡¯ Mercedes was a legend. She wouldn¡¯t die easily. Furthermore, she had Keen Insight. She knew she could hold out against Zeratul for at least seven seconds and within that time, she could receive Hayate¡¯s help.


    ¡®Mercedes won¡¯t die.¡¯ Grid also knew the ending. He focused on Biban because he judged that he would only worsen the situation if he stepped forward.


    ¡®Hayate wille.¡¯


    First, it was Biban¡¯s life, next was Grid¡¯s divinity, after that was dealing a blow to Hayate, and at the end, it was Mercedes¡¯ life¡ªZeratul, who had continued to adjust his goal, once again identified and prepared for the situation in real time. He tore off Mercedes¡¯ shield with his left hand while grabbing Mercedes¡¯ sword with his right hand. He mmed his shoulder into Mercedes¡¯ chest and bent down while putting his toes in his field of view. His body that was curled up below Mercedes contained extreme sticity. The moment he straightened his knees, he shot forward like a ray of light.


    It went beyond the metaphor of ¡®breaking the speed of sound.¡¯ If Mercedes hadn¡¯t immediately injected sword energy into the pieces of shatter armor and used them as a weapon, there wouldn¡¯t have been any blood flowing from Zeratul¡¯s cheeks. It was impossible to follow his movements even with Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight.


    Grid just vaguely saw it. Apart from a few people, those present at the scene couldn¡¯t detect Zeratul¡¯s movements at all. They just felt a light shing.


    ¡°Be overwhelming.¡±


    Indeed.


    Zeratul smiled. It was because Hayate was right in front of him. Hayate said he wanted to teach Grid, but it felt like he was nagging all alone. Still, it was good. If Zeratul could deal a blow before going back to heaven, his anger would subside a bit.


    ¡°You need destructive power.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s advice ended when he and Zeratul shed. Hayate directly showed it.


    The sword that cut a dragon¡¯s neck, the sword of the only Dragon yer in the world, cut Zeratul¡¯s body into pieces. He also suffered a deep wound from his chest to his pelvis, but the only absolute in this world couldn¡¯t die from this much. He recovered his internal organs that were pouring out and tightened the muscles to seal the wound.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Everyone was speechless. Even Grid almost dropped the precious white peach to the ground. Hayate burned the blood staining his sword with sword energy and smiled brightly.


    ¡°How about it? Did you study hard?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Only silence followed the question. Just now, Hayate showed how to defeat a god even if he couldn¡¯t kill a god. It was almost impossible to guess what it was like for the martial god, who was supposed to be invincible, to be defeated and to lose. Yes, Zeratul was the martial god. He might just be a copy of Chiyou, but he couldn¡¯t be denied. Not achieving the Trinity or losing strength after being in the human world for a certain amount of time were no excuses. It was natural for him to be invincible.


    Hayate, who defeated him, naturally achieved a mythical feat. So how could he be talking so calmly?


    ¡°Ah...¡± The apostles and knights were enlightened just because they ¡®witnessed¡¯ the mythical achievement. Grid also had his stats increased.


    Grid, who had been staring at the constantly updating notification windows, suddenly came to his senses. It was because the size of the white peach in his hand decreased dramatically. He looked down and found the conscious Biban devouring the white peach. ¡°Biban...!¡±


    He was d. It was really fortunate.


    Biban struggled to speak to the relieved and tearful Grid, ¡°Why...?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...No...¡±


    ¡°Biban, calm down and speak slowly.¡±


    Biban was seriously injured. It was a serious wound where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died at any moment. He survived purely because he was a transcendent. What was it that he wanted to convey as he endured his pain? Grid attached his ear to Biban¡¯s mouth and his expression gradually cooled down.


    ¡°Why... didn¡¯t... you... say... you had... white peach...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This person didn¡¯t change even when dying. In another sense, the startled Grid became dizzy. Then before he knew it, Hayate had already approached, ced Biban on his shoulder, and bowed to Grid. It was embarrassing for Grid.


    ¡°Companion... thank you for saving my colleague.¡±


    ¡°No, what do you mean...?¡±


    He was the one who should be grateful. Grid was trying to say so, only to shut his mouth. It was because he saw Hayate¡¯s eyelids tremble. Grid realized it at this moment.


    It wasn¡¯t that the tower members weren¡¯t afraid of death. They knew the value of life more than anyone else. Therefore, Hayate took responsibility as a powerful person. He hid his fears and built the tower as he prepared to sacrifice himself to protect people¡¯s lives. How anxious must Hayate have been when seeing the dying Biban? Grid only realized it now. ¡°...I also want to thank you. I will surely repay this kindness.¡±


    ¡°Come and talk to me asionally. Additionally, I hope you don¡¯t forget my small advice today. You have the potential to carry out my advice and you have a good example.¡± Hayate¡¯s eyes turned to the 30 God Hands. ¡°Make the meteorites fall.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The potential Hayate mentioned was Greed and the example was Braham. A being who had honed the utmost limits of technique¡ªHayate meant to supplement the destructive power needed to ¡®hit while being hit¡¯ by using the physical power of Greedbined with reproduced magic. He thought it would be a really powerful weapon if it was possible.


    Grid realized it and noticed another fact. The 400,000 Army Swordsmanship that he just learned from Madra¡¯s diary¡ªHayate made noment on the use of Open Potential to activate 500,000 Army Annihtion Sword.


    ¡®Yes, the undefeated king is just the past.¡¯


    Undefeated King Madra¡ªhe always had the premise of ¡®he would be the strongest if he hadn¡¯t died.¡¯ However, he died before he became the strongest. It meant the swordsmanship he left behind wascking to be called the strongest. In fact, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship that Grid acquired wasn¡¯t invincible.


    Grid was convinced¡ªit was his own potential, not the remnants of the past, that he had to sharpen and polish in order to be stronger in the future. The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship only yed the role of helping him. It wasn¡¯t something he should rely on.


    Didn¡¯t Braham say it as well?


    The greatest legend of all time is me, Grid.


    ¡°Yes, I will engrave your teachings deeply.¡±

 Chapter 1505

    <h4>Chapter 1505</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dyed. Then I will ask you to clean up the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°Grid, take care. I think my life is over, so if you want to see me, go to the tower... Oof! Oof!¡±


    Hayate exchanged a few more words with Grid before taking Biban away. He jumped silently and disappeared into the sky. It was such a mysterious sight that it eclipsed Biban¡¯s words. It felt more elegant in contrast to the martial god who stormed in and lost. It seemed they would never forget this for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°Forget everything you saw today.¡±


    ...They would forget it.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    People who weren¡¯t loyal to the Overgeared Kingdom were rare. Additionally, the people gathered here were the ones closest to Grid. If Grid wanted them to die, then they would die. If he wanted them to forget, then they would forget. The moment Mercedes took the lead and answered, the others took it as an example and copied her.


    ¡°......¡±


    Piaro and the knights looked at Mercedes strangely. The girl Piaro had brought in when he was leader of the Red Knights¡ªthe knights vividly remembered her past before she grew up as ady and became the king of knights. She was a pure and straightforward child. She was a lovely child in both talent and personality.


    Now it was quite different. The cold voice and eyes when she told the martial god to shut up waspletely imprinted on the minds of the knights. They thought about the situation at that time and once again got the chills.


    ¡°Captain, will that child be okay?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Amelda asked anxiously and Piaro sank into thought. His expression wasn¡¯tfortable. A courage and belief that didn¡¯t shrink back at all against the martial god. He was anxious that the moment when Mercedes¡¯ unique nature would put her into a crisis would surelye one day.


    However, he wasn¡¯t in a position to advise her. Mercedes had done her duty. On the other hand, he failed to do his duty. Unlike Mercedes, he didn¡¯t go out to protect Grid even though he was Grid¡¯s messenger.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just due to fear. He made a rational judgment. The situation at that time was when Hayate... no, it was just before the sword tower master and Zeratul collided. He thought that he would get in the way if he stepped forward hastily, thus he just watched.


    It was definitely the right choice. However, Piaro wasn¡¯t happy. It was true that he had been intimidated by Zeratul. The moment when Sariel and Mercedes broke the curtain of sword energy, he waspletely overwhelmed by Zeratul¡¯s presence. It wasn¡¯t just him. Everyone at the scene was the same. The only exception was Mercedes.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve stepped up as well.¡¯


    It was purely an excuse that he didn¡¯t need to step up. He was actually scared. So what about Mercedes¡¯ personality that brought herself into a crisis? Why was that a problem? It was natural for knights and farmers to jump into a crisis for their master.


    ¡®I turned a blind eye to that natural duty...¡¯


    Piaro¡¯s mind was dazed. His beloved wife Beniyaru was holding his hand, but his body trembled and nausea rose. He was falling into a heart demon.


    Then Grid grabbed him by the shoulder. ¡°Piaro.¡±


    As evidenced in the battle, the cognitive abilities of Hayate, Zeratul, Mercedes, etc, were developed and specified forbat. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s cognitive ability was a bit wider in category. The evidence was that he acted with Biban as his top priority. Grid¡¯s cognitive ability shone not only inbat, but also in interpersonal rtionships. It was still limited to those he had good feelings toward, but he responded sensitively to the changes and crises of the people around him.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to simply describe it as good senses. The process of guessing and understanding people¡¯s psychology and circumstances was extremely fast and urate. It was impossible for him to not read Piaro whom he had a deep bond with.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think it was futile. Your judgment and choice were perfect. It would¡¯ve made the situation even harder if you acted with reckless bravado.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, My Liege.¡± This was enough. The fog that was eating at Piaro¡¯s vision cleared up and his confusion stopped. He erased hisck of confidence and was motivated. He couldn¡¯t wait to go over the lesson from Biban and the enlightenment he just got from the battle.


    That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t just Piaro. Mercedes and the other knights haven¡¯t fully absorbed Biban¡¯s teachings. It was natural. Within minutes or hours of learning it, Zeratul had appeared and led to the current crisis. Theycked the time to study.


    Grid read the enthusiasm in Piaro¡¯s eyes andughed. ¡®I am reminded of the days of Reidan.¡¯


    It was Piaro in the days when he tried to be the Sword Saint. At that time, he had been shining brilliantly. It was just like right now.


    ¡°Piaro, lead the troops out with your knights.¡±


    The martial god retreated, but his remnants remained. The number was at least 200,000. The first thing Zeratul did whening to the ground was to make 230,000 followers. Additionally, there must also be followers who had been brought separately. In fact, there was news of the appearance of the Triad.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone responded energetically. They had experienced the strength of the martial god followers and the Triad several times in the past and they weren¡¯t afraid of it. It meant they were confident in their skills. In particr, Asmophel¡¯s expression was full of confidence. There was just a small change in the way he faced himself, but Asmophel grew significantly. Moreover, he was inspired by the battle between Zeratul and Hayate.


    Grid intuitively knew it. It was because he remembered the system message that popped up.


    ¡®The stats have increased by 2% and the skills have evolved.¡¯


    This applied to everyone present, not just Piaro, Mercedes, and Asmophel. It was even Lord and his royal guards. They seemed to have been corrected by their talent since they were all at least semi-named. Of course, there were differences depending on their ability. The Red Knights and Lord had their skill levels increased by one and modifiers added to their major passive skills, while others only had a significant increase in skill experience.


    In any case, it was a leap forward. They were likely to grow at an unprecedented rate in the process of wiping out the martial god followers.


    ***


    Reinhardt was calm. It was unbelievable that this city had been invaded by the martial god.


    It was because Zeratul¡¯s defeat was so fast. He suddenly appeared on the outskirts. Soon after his appearance, he was trapped in the curtain of sword energy and then after the sword curtain was removed, he soon turned to ashes and disappeared. In the meantime, many casualties ured, but it wasn¡¯t enough of a disturbance to be recognized by ordinary people.


    [Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques that Depicts the End of the Martial God (?) Advanced Level 5]


    [Passive


    When equipped with weapons, physical attack power and magic attack power are increased by 38% and the hit rate of all attacks is increased by 21%. Additionally, magic casting time is reduced by 11%.


    ¡ïIf thebat target is a god, all gains will increase by 10%.


    ¡ïYou can choose to increase physical attack power or magic attack power.


    ¡ïIf you choose to increase physical attack power, then the magic attack power increase effect, hit rate increase effect, and casting shortening effect are deactivated. Meanwhile, physical attack power is increased by an additional 15%.


    ¡ïIf you choose to increase magic attack power, then the physical attack power increase effect, hit rate increase effect, and casting shortening effect are deactivated. Meanwhile, magic attack power is increased by an additional 15%.]


    ¡®It is huge that the passive skill has been enhanced.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques gained a modifier¡ªDepicts the End of the Martial God. It was much more valuable than the modifier ¡®Witnessed the Defeat of the Martial God¡¯ that was attached to Mercedes, Piaro, and the knights¡¯ mastery skills. The increase in effect was as great as the name¡ªnot only were physical and magic attack power increased by 5% and the hit rate by 10%, these figures would further increase if thebat target was a god.


    ¡®Is Zeratul actually an angel?¡¯


    The survival of Isabel and Marquis Ashur had been confirmed. Few people died directly from Zeratul. Most of them were just seriously injured. It was due to the struggle of Damian, Zednos, and Lae, who sacrificed their lives to protect the people.


    Grid¡¯s response was extremely fast as well. Technically, Zeratul came and died for nothing. He just greatly increased the growth of key people in the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was sorry for the dead Damian, Zednos, and Lae, but it was true.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡±


    The yers killed by Zeratul received a terrible penalty of not being able to resurrect for two hours and not being able to fight for 12 hours after resurrection. Grid honored their sacrifice and recalled Hayate¡¯s advice. Pouring out the maximum firepower was the truth.


    Hayate¡¯s teachings helped bring Grid back to his origin. Grid remembered the time when he dreamed of attaching Meteor to the Falling Moon Sword. He had been so innocent back then. He vividly remembered the disappointment and deep despair he felt when he realized it was a ridiculous dream.


    ...He was probably depressed for a few days.


    ¡®I was young then.¡¯


    He was still young, but in any case, the current Grid had Braham. The dream he had in his innocent days wasing to life. It wasn¡¯t Meteor, but he would soon make a sword with Disintegrate. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration that it wasn¡¯t far away.


    ¡®This time, Belial¡¯s Staff was innovated well.¡¯


    Belial¡¯s Staff was originally a god-tier item. It was one of the few myth items dropped in the field and both the damage and effects were excellent, even yearster. Belial left behind such a great treasure that he had to wonder if she was a hidden daughter of Yatan.


    The additional option after therge staff was innovated was also great. It was the option to multiply up to two cast magic. It was based on probability, but the probability of triggering it increased based on intelligence. For example, if Grid used Magic Missile, there was a 70% probability of triggering three Magic Missiles. Add Magic Spray and Magic Missile would seem like legendary great magic. Of course, the power dropped significantly.


    ¡®The higher the rating of the magic that is cast, the higher the effect.¡¯


    Unfortunately, Grid only had basic magic and he wouldn¡¯t experience the effect of this option. Meanwhile, it was different for Braham. The newly reborn Belial¡¯s Staff could be said to be a weapon made for Braham.


    ¡®If Braham uses Disintegrate, won¡¯t there be an extra four or five?¡¯


    ...This wouldn¡¯t happen no matter how fraudulent Braham and the staff were. It would be more urate to say that it would multiply by at least three and at most four.


    That¡¯s right¡ªBraham¡¯s Greed magic forging project would be three to four times faster than before. He could get his hands on Greed with Disintegrate by next year at thetest. From then on, he would be able to practice the extreme damage that Hayate had taught.


    ¡®No, it is possible from now on.¡¯


    Grid opened the design of the dragon weapon that was still in the design stage. The structure that considered the detailed effects was impressive. The dragon fang was designed to leave the power of the ultimate material while supporting the utility.


    Grid started to modify theplex design that he had made with all his heart and soul. It was simple like the Falling Moon Sword and enhanced convenience and power.


    ¡®And...¡¯


    He thought of a new way to use Greed. The embodiment of physical magic using Greed. Hayate had given this advice directly so it would be effective enough.


    Grid took out Greed from his inventory. Greed had been left to proliferate since creating the 30 God Hands. It had already umted enough mass to make six God Hands.


    It was thrown high into the air. The rapidly rising mass of Greed stopped at 1.5 kilometers in the air. That was the extent that it could be controlled. If the distance between Grid and Greed exceeded 1.5 kilometers, Greed would return to Grid¡¯s inventory ording to its instincts. This distance had also increased a lot. The higher his willpower stat, the more the range of control was expanded.


    ¡¯Fall quickly.¡¯


    Keywords were important when moving the God Hands. The keywords that Grid entered became the God Hands¡¯ will. The 80 centimeter diameter mass of Greed fell with the will to ¡®quickly fall,¡¯ shattering the ground and causing it to shake. The greater the mass of Greed, the more threatening the form of the sword and the more exponentially the power would increase.


    ¡®In the future, I should carry Greed over my head, not in my inventory.¡¯


    The distance of 1.5 kilometers was not short. Greed was a substance, so its presence was very small. It was difficult for other parties to recognize it.


    ¡®The key is to steadily train the willpower stat.¡¯


    He would find out how to give items the willpower stat. Grid was full of motivation and started to construct the furnace again, when a notification window appeared in his vision.


    It was a message that he had two hours remaining until the end of his connection time limit. Grid remembered Lauel¡¯s instructions and logged out.

 Chapter 1506

    <h4>Chapter 1506</h4>


    Lord was a hero from his birth. His body, brain, senses, intuition, and all fields were extraordinary to begin with. The heir of a prestigious bloodline in Eternal was conceived with the seeds of a legend. It would be mysterious if the child had been ordinary.


    ¡®I saw something really amazing... Ah, this... I can¡¯t remember it. Father told me to forget, so I have to forget.¡¯


    Lord had a lot of teachers. They were the best teachers in each field. He naturally had a high vision. It was rare for him to feel anything even when seeing something quite good. This was what happened while he was adventuring and following his father¡¯s footsteps.


    Lord wasn¡¯t very excited when seeing characters, events, and phenomena that were called great. He just deliberately built new rtionships. Yet today was a series of shocks. His teacher, Damian, and Zednos, Lae, Isabel, nd, Beniyaru, etcetera¡ªthe talents of the Overgeared Kingdom whom Lord admired were crushed by Zeratul.


    It was a new level of power. For the first time in his life, Lord was crushed by helplessness. He felt great fear that was iparable to the crisis he experienced at the Vatican as a child. He even felt despair. He felt sorry to his parents because he thought he would die without achieving anything.


    It was a strange and terrible experience. It was an experience that awakened some instinct sealed deep inside Lord. It wasn¡¯t anything special. It was simply a survival instinct. It was an instinct Lord had never felt because he had been too brilliant.


    The moment it awakened, Lord was greeted with a drastic change. His desire to not die was directly linked to the idea of living. This expanded Lord¡¯s thinking in a way that never existed before.


    At that time, Hayate appeared and even defeated Zeratul. In the state where his body and mind were awakening, Lord epted the inspiration and grew rapidly. He saw the scenery he had always seen from a different perspective and gained new learning and ideas from the people and situations he often encountered. All these changes melted into his mind and body, making them better.


    ¡®Wow, what is this?¡¯


    The Overgeared Knights were fighting against the followers of the martial god. The knights werergely divided into 12 divisions and scattered throughout the Overgeared Kingdom. Among them, Coke belonged to Lord¡¯spany.


    Lord had hundreds of guards, but Coke escorted Lord in case something happened. Here, Coke was astonished. It was because the skills of Lord and the royal guards had increased dramatically. In particr, the change in Lord was dazzling. He seemed to have be a different person in just a few days. The standard wasn¡¯t low in Coke¡¯s eyes, who just reached level 400st week.


    ¡®He hasn¡¯t reached level 300 yet, right?¡¯


    What was this? It was too cool!


    A bright smile appeared on Coke¡¯s face as he watched the view of Lord¡¯s back as Lord cut at the enemy. He had felt that the yers¡¯ power seemed too weakpared to the enemy and was very happy that Lord had be a new possibility.


    ¡°Uh, uh? W-Why are you suddenly hugging me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? It is because you are so pretty, Your Highness~¡±


    ¡°Uwah! Don¡¯t do this! I¡¯m an adult now!¡±


    ¡°You are still 16! You are a child in my eyes! I¡¯m going to hug you more!¡±


    ¡°S-Someone stop Lord Coke!¡± Lord screamed, but the royal guards didn¡¯t do anything.


    Coke was trusted by Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers. There was a noble title and an authority that was stronger than the noble title. The royal guardscked the capability to restrain him. They would¡¯ve turned a blind eye even if they had the capabilities. It was nice to see Coke rubbing his cheeks against Lord¡¯s cheeks with Lord in his arms.


    In this way, in the midst of the uproar, the remnants of the martial god followers were quickly cleaned up. Most of the followers had only learned one or two secret techniques and were no match for the Overgeared Knights who were on a rampage.


    The level of the knights and Lord was too great. In particr, Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship contained ¡®destructive power¡¯ and the sight of it sweeping away the followers was amazing. Even the followers who learned 10 secret techniques fell to her sword and died. It was a devastating appearance that was never seen before. It was thanks to the fact that the Matchless Swordsmanship, a symbol of a previous generation Sword Saint, was directly passed on to her by Biban and she wrote a new chivalric code too.


    Zeratul¡¯s contribution was also great.


    ***


    The great human and demon war was fierce.


    At the very least, the battles at the Behen Archipgo and the Abyss remained tense without tilting to either side. There were the 10 meritorious retainers and Ares at the Behen Archipgo, while the troops at the Abyss were properly centered around Braham and Kyle. Several crises urred along the way, but every time, reinforcements arrived with exquisite timing and added strength to the allied forces.


    "Where are you going?!¡±


    Ever since the arrival of reinforcements led by Chris, Peak Sword retreated to the rear and had a wider view. Every time the demons with the characteristic of ¡®assassination¡¯ broke into their camp, he acted and protected themanders. Peak Sword felt like a cog in something huge. He marveled at the new role that was given at any time and in any situation, and that every time he yed a new role, he helped his allies.


    Most of the yers in the allied forces active in various parts of the continent felt simr. At present, the allied forces were acting as giant organisms. Thousands or hundreds of millions of people yed different roles in their respective positions and spread positive influence to each other. There was a sense of unity beyond nations, species, forces, religions, ideas, ces, and time.


    Even the yers acting alone on the outskirts realized that some of their actions helped in the war and felt it was very rewarding. They felt possessed by something.


    People were gradually more immersed in the war. It was the contribution of the strategists behind the scenes. The excellent strategists of the allied forces, including Lauel and Sima Qian, were coordinating the war. All the roles and duties they gave to the yers and troops in the alliance were closely rted and helpful to each other.


    The more such a phenomenon was repeated and ovepped, the more the enemy¡¯s camp copsed. There were ingenious schemes. The exquisite tactics were added and people felt it even more. The presence of the strategists. People paid homage to them.


    Meanwhile, Lauel felt he was going to die. He was always in the meeting room and making ns during the ess time. When he was logged out, hemunicated with the strategists who were connected and moved troops... There was no time to rest. The war was only two days old.


    ¡®It will be dangerous if this continues. It will be harder as time passes. We need something to change the flow.¡¯


    ***


    Youngwoo logged out and poured all the side dishes on the table into a bowl. Then he sat in front of the TV and ate. He found channels broadcasting the Abyss and Behen Archipgo. Several screens were disyed at the same time as he roughly ate the mixed food. There wasn¡¯t much time to eat, but he had to take care of his meals. It was for health management.


    ¡®The yers are at a disadvantage.¡¯


    yers had fundamental limitations. There was the ess restriction penalty. yers could connect to Satisfy for up to 16 hours per day. If this time limit was filled, they couldn¡¯t connect for the remaining eight hours. This meant that they would be away from Satisfy one day out of three. If the log out time of rankers ovepped, humanity would have no choice but to suck its fingers and watch the copse.


    Therefore, Lauel coordinated the time of the rankers so it didn¡¯t ovep. He also distributed a guide to leave two hours of connection time instead of using up all the connection time. He prevented the nk log out time of rankers from ovepping as much as possible while setting up a five minute standby group to be able to organically respond to certain crisis situations.


    The target naturally included Youngwoo. Of course, Lauel didn¡¯t want to intervene in Youngwoo¡¯s schedule. It was Lauel¡¯s honest desire to let Youngwoo focus on his cksmithing work until the ess time limit. However, Youngwoo was the best power among the yers. The loss to the human race would be huge if Youngwoo was unable to respond to certain situations.


    Youngwoo understood it well. He was willing to cooperate with Lauel, who exined the situation with a pained face.


    ¡°...Crazy.¡±


    Six out of the dozens of channels broadcasting the Behen Archipgo and the Abyss¡ªYoungwoo, who was watching the channels that showed differentpositions, became mesmerized and forgot to eat. He was attracted by Braham. He thought Braham had be stronger after hearing Braham had regained his power as a direct descendant, but it waspletely different from what he expected. This was a different dimension beyond the level of strength.


    ¡°Haha... I¡¯m d.¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s nose wrinkled. He had to know that Braham often looked bitter as he watched Grid alone growing stronger.


    ¡°It was really fortunate.¡±


    It was Braham who had a hard time for hundreds of years. Youngwoo had suffered for 20 years, so he was able to guess a bit of the pain that Braham had suffered. He was extremely happy when he saw Braham finally achieving his long-cherished wish.


    ¡°Um...?¡± He thought he should drink a cup of coffee in advance. Youngwoo got up after eating, only to cock his head. It was because the goods being unloaded from the cargo truck in front of the building were unusual.


    ¡°Capsule?¡±


    There were also two of them. What? Toon came out to pick them up. Were Toon¡¯s friendsing to visit from Italy? Was he buying new capsules to stay with them in the future?


    Youngwoo immediately ran out.


    ***


    In conclusion, Youngwoo didn¡¯t make any new Italian friends. The owners of the capsules were surprisingly Youngwoo¡¯s parents.


    ¡°Your father was extremely worried. How can we turn a blind eye when people are in crisis?¡±


    ¡°Hum hum, it wasn¡¯t to the point of extremely...¡±


    ¡°...So you are going to start Satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always wanted to see the faces of my daughter-inw and grandchild~¡±


    ¡°Ah, watch your mouth! Why are you looking for your daughter-inw and grandchild in cyberspace instead of reality?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Satisfy another reality? It is too harsh to call it cyberspace.¡±


    ¡°Honey, correct it quickly.¡±


    ¡°No... I just want to have a real daughter-inw...¡±


    ¡°It just happened first in Satisfy. It is good to have it in both reality and Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°Satisfy is real as well?¡±


    Overall, it was a confusing conversation. Just seven years ago, such conversations would¡¯ve been criticized. They would be treated like a crazy family or appeared on a TV show after bing a hot topic. It was even possible that it would¡¯ve been both. However, the world had changed. From the perspective these days, there was no problem with the conversation in Youngwoo¡¯s family. There weren¡¯t just one or two married people in Satisfy.


    ¡°By the way, do you know how to make an ount?¡±


    ¡°Last night, I went to the capsule room with Jishuka to create an ount and understand the basic system.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Had Jishuka kept in constant contact with his parents? Sure enough, there were still some lingering regrets. Of course, such an ending would be hard to understand. It was necessary to settle it. It should be done in the direction she wanted. That was his wish as well. For the right ending of their rtionship, he would consider immigrating to the Middle East...


    ¡®Gasp?¡¯ Youngwoo was shocked at the freely flowing stream of thoughts. He was surprised by his own understanding and eptance of Jishuka¡¯s feelings. Something had changed...


    He easily understood and epted the hearts of others. The same was true in Satisfy and in reality. It had been like this recently.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a special change. It wasn¡¯t a manhwa-like development where he suddenly gained supernatural powers. Youngwoo just had a lot of experience in Satisfy and developed cognitive skills based on these experiences. It was so high that it couldn¡¯t bepared to ordinary people. As a result, he easily came up with a solution to a situation or rtionship that he had felt was difficult until now. He was also quick to recognize and ept these changes.


    ¡®Um.... I¡¯ve met a lot of people.¡¯


    ¡°Jishuka sends me an emoticon every day that says ¡®Fighting¡¯? It has already been for a few years. How is she so consistent? Haha, how happy would people be to have a beautiful, cute, and faithful daughter-inw like Jishuka?¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo, your mom likes Yura. Jishuka is a foreigner. No, she is Korean now, but... in any case, she came from a foreign country and has slightly different sentiments...¡±


    ¡°Uhuh! How can there be racial discrimination when the globalmunity is united by Satisfy?!¡±


    ¡°How is this racial discrimination? Did you lose your mind after wielding a knife yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Cough, I-I¡¯m sorry. I went too far.¡±


    ¡°Youngwoo, aren¡¯t you busy? We are busy as well, so go upstairs and rest. Hoho, I am excited to see my daughter-inw and grandson in person.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t want to think too deeply and quietly returned home. He vowed to make good items for his parents.


    In any case, the great human and demon war caused a worldwide Satisfy boom. Many people were stimted by humanity fighting against the invasion of demons that was constantly broadcasted. Like Youngwoo¡¯s parents, the number of people who btedly started Satisfy in order to help humanity was in the millions in just two days.


    At this point, it wasparable to the inflow rate when the game first opened. A new wind was blowing. There were many talented people among the new users and several organizations, including the Overgeared Guild, actively helped them. It felt like borrowing a child¡¯s hand, but there was a desire to cultivate them for the future.


    The yers unknowingly became one.

 Chapter 1507

    <h4>Chapter 1507</h4>


    ¡°Why did you turn around all of a sudden?¡±


    Was he being chased by the underworld? Hao asked after catching up with Bunsdel, who ran away without looking back. The other person¡¯s status was very high, but the words didn¡¯te out beautifully. He made a quick detour to turn away when he almost arrived at Reinhardt.


    Hao was flustered because he just reported to Lauel that he would be arriving soon with the lord of the half-draconians. Bunsdel¡¯plexion was white due to exhaustion from using Shunpo several times in a row. ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom will perish today. No, it could¡¯ve already been destroyed by the waves a little while ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hao asked back in an absurd manner. He suspected that Bunsdel had suddenly be senile. This onlysted for a moment. He recognized the seriousness of the situation when he saw Bunsdel¡¯s body trembling like an aspen tree. ¡°...What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I feel the killing intent of the martial god in Reinhardt.¡±


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªit was hard for a high quality transcendent to not know him. It wasn¡¯t just known conceptually. Bunsdel actually experienced it.


    Bunsdel had been tempted by the martial god several times. It was very divine when he appeared in a dream and offered a secret technique, but Bunsdel refused every time because he felt something sinister. The disappointment, anger, and killing intent that the martial god showed at that time were so terrible that they were still vividly imprinted in his mind. Then a little while ago, he felt more killing intent than before at the entrance of Reinhardt.


    ¡°There is no way to know the inside story in detail, but it is clear that the Overgeared King has touched the reverse scale of the martial god. Dammit, shit. What on earth did he do to provoke the wrath of the martial god when the demons are invading? He truly isn¡¯t prudent.¡±


    Bunsdel was prejudiced against Grid. He saw Grid as far from knowingmon sense and uncontroble. He had chosen to believe in Hao¡¯s words and came to take a look at Grid. Now he felt like he stepped on shit.


    Hao, who had been silent with a serious expression, soon opened his mouth, ¡°Reinhardt is fine.¡±


    He had been whispering with Lauel.


    Bunsdel snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know who your source is, so I don¡¯t know how trustworthy they are, but don¡¯t contact them again in the future. I assure you, the person who sent themunication is definitely a fool.¡±


    ¡°It is the prime minister of the Overgeared Kingdom...¡±


    ¡°He intends to draw me in to avoid the impending destruction. The trick is so shallow that I can see his level. Tsk tsk, it is absurd.¡±


    ¡°It really is fine. Martial God Zeratul has been defeated.¡±


    ¡°What? Puhahat! Do you believe that? You are perfect to be swindled on the street.¡±


    The martial god was invincible. No matter whether it was the Overgeared Kingdom, who spread false information without knowingmon sense, or Hao, who fell for the cheap trick¡ª They both seemed like fools to Bunsdel. ¡°Tsk, let¡¯s go have a drink to rx.¡±


    ¡°Drinking alcohol while the demons are running rampant across the continent? Come on, let¡¯s go back to Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°The war is already over. It isn¡¯t normal just based on the fact that the martial god appeared out of the blue to destroy the Overgeared Kingdom rather than helping humanity. Humanity will inevitably lose. I¡¯m just d it won¡¯t have a great impact on us no matter who wins.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom is fine...¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha!¡± Bunsdel grabbed his belly andughed. After a long time, he made a pledge, ¡°Did the Overgeared Kingdom say they wanted the cooperation of the half-draconians? Okay. If it is confirmed that the Overgeared Kingdom is fine tomorrow, our half-draconians will go beyond cooperating with the Overgeared Kingdom and will be their dogs.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Now you know reality, right? Let¡¯s go and have a drink.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was the perfect man to gamble with on the streets. Hao thought about it and looked forward to tomorrowing.


    ***


    ¡°R-Really? The Overgeared Guild will listen to our demands?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°A-Amazing...¡±


    The ck and White sisters¡ªthey were named rankers and even a decent high ranker couldn¡¯t give out their business card in front of them. To be exact, they couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.


    Every time there was an encounter on the hunting grounds or on the road, the rankers would sneak back or lower their eyes. They were skilled, but their personalities were as bad as their skills were good. They would use a quest or life as coteral to rob people, and those who didn¡¯t fall for the threat would naturally be killed. They were like psychopathic serial killers. It was evaluated that a huge band of bandits would be created if the sisters preferred to lead a group.


    People were extremely disgusted with the sisters. They were tantly avoided. The sisters hadmitted so many sins that it was hard for them to act openly.


    Almost every nation on the continent had put out a wanted order on the sisters. In particr, the empire was hostile to the sisters. The moment they crossed the border, troops were dispatched to chase them and persistently pursued them. The system correction to maintain thews was fraudulent so the strength of the pursuit team was too good.


    The sisters didn¡¯t care much. They didn¡¯t have to go to the empire.


    Then the great human and demon war started and the circumstances changed. The most delicious rice bowl called the Abyss was in the empire. They were hunting on the outskirts, but the level of the demonic creatures appearing on the outskirts wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy them. It was ironic that the pursuit system worked well even when the empire was at risk of destruction.


    The sisters sought a solution and naturally turned to the Overgeared Guild. The influence of the empire couldn¡¯t reach the Overgeared Kingdom. Strictly speaking, the Overgeared Kingdom was in a higher position than the empire. If they could work with the Overgeared Kingdom, it would be difficult for the empire to persecute them. The sisters identified that the war was extremely unfavorable to humanity and asked for negotiations with the Overgeared Guild.


    We will be helpful in the war so use us.


    They were thinking of bending over. They really wanted to go to the great hunting ground called the Abyss. However, the problem was their personalities. White forgot her position as she wrote a letter to convey her intentions to the Overgeared Kingdom.


    [We are willing to fight on your side. Don¡¯t we have a pretty goodbat power? You are thankful, right? You want us, right? Then sell to us the legendary items made by Grid. We will fight on your side during the war.]


    ¡°U-Unni, what¡¯s wrong with your tone? Aren¡¯t we in the asking position?¡± ck tackled her from the side, but White had already pressed the send button.


    ¡°Ahaha. It is over.¡±


    This stupid pride. White btedly came to her senses andughed in despair.


    A white carrier pigeon was flying in the sky. It was the end. The appearance of the white carrier pigeon meant that the letter had arrived at the other party. She couldn¡¯t stop it. The system was like this.


    ...It was over. The Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t respond to this attitude. She was just crying and giving up when she received a reply that said ¡®Okay.¡¯


    The sisters were filled with joy and ran straight to the Overgeared Kingdom. They didn¡¯t have a wanted order in the Overgeared Kingdom. It was natural since they didn¡¯t want to cause any incidents in the Overgeared Kingdom. The sisters¡¯ hostility against the Overgeared Kingdom was now a story of a distant past. After being educated several times, they surrendered unconditionally to the Overgeared Kingdom and lived with their eyes lowered.


    ¡°Lauel! epting our offer is a great choice! I like it! The rumor that you are smart is true after all!¡±


    Lauel told them, ¡°Do you want to y in the Abyss? I have high expectations for the two of you. I will handle the procedures, so don¡¯t worry. Go ahead and fight.¡±


    ¡°R-Right now? What about the items?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you will have to show results first before we can proceed with the transaction.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t scam the Overgeared Guild unless we are crazy. We need to buy items in order to show a better performance...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do by changing the sequence of things. It is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Changing the sequence... N-No! You are right! Uh, yes! We have to prove ourselves first! We will go to the battlefield right now!¡±


    ¡°U-Unni, go with me...¡±


    The ck and White sisters and the tens of thousands of dark yers represented by the sisters¡ªthose who were active only for their own interests btedly boarded the express train to hell. Most of them tried to make deals with the Overgeared Guild. They pulled the aggro with great firepower and became an arrowhead.


    ***


    At Cokro Ind...


    ¡°Zikfrector! What are you doing? Wake up!¡± Nefelina shouted urgently during a fierce battle with Hell Gao, who ran out of the dungeon. It was because Zikfrector¡¯s runes, used to create magic to assist them, stopped working. She shifted her gaze and saw a ridiculous scene. Zikfrector had stopped and was sleeping while standing up.


    ¡°Zik! Disgraceful! It isn¡¯t enough to die standing up. Why are you sleeping standing up?!¡± The Curse of Sloth was triggered at such a timing. It was a bit difficult to bear the strength of Hell Gao, who descended into a body with the grade of a great demon. Therefore, she felt urgent.


    ¡°Leave the grandmaster to me and focus on the battle!¡± Zibal responded quickly. He stepped off Raiders, set it up as a barrier, and shook ZIkfrector¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Grandmaster!¡±


    Normally, Zikfrector would retreat first if he was about to fall asleep during battle. Now he fell asleep without showing any signs? This had never happened before...


    ¡°...Eh?¡± Zibal had an ominous feeling only to be surprised.


    ¡°W-What is it?¡±


    Zikfrector, who he thought was asleep, had both eyes wide open.


    ¡°Is an ant passing by?¡±


    What was he doing? Zibal saw Zikfrector gazing at the ground and suddenly remembered the world message.


    [There is news that the ¡®Sealed Body of one of the Seven Evils¡¯ has been found in the Abyss. Wrath is added to the ¡®mixed worlds.¡¯ The concentration of demonic energy has increased and the penalty for demons is reduced by 20%.]


    ...These were the contents. He had been so focused on fighting Hell Gao that he had forgotten the importance.


    ¡°No way. Is it your body?¡±


    The sealed body of one of the seven evils. If the seven evils here meant one of the seven malignant saints, it meant that it could be the body of Zik, the 6th evil.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The expression on Zikfrector¡¯s face was distressed. ¡°The connection is so weak that I¡¯m uncertain if it is my body or the body of my colleague. I would¡¯ve judged that it was a colleague¡¯s body if there was no connection at all. However, this is very difficult. It is ominous. Am I not Zik?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The reason he stopped fighting was due to self-reflection?


    Zibal thought it was absurd only to remember the identity of the person called Zikfrector. He was the ¡®reincarnation¡¯ of the 6th evil, Zik. After several reincarnations with memories of his previous life, he became the current Zikfrector. It had been so long that it wasn¡¯t strange for him to wonder if he was really the same person as the 6th evil, Zik. He had experienced so many different lives.


    ¡°If the body found in the Abyss is mine... it is a very big problem. I can¡¯tmunicate properly with my body... it is proof that I am different from myself of my previous life...¡±


    It happened as Zikfrector¡¯splexion became darker...


    ¡°Hey, you idiot!¡± Nefelina screamed. ¡°Has your brain melted because you¡¯ve been sleeping for so long? Hell Gao¡¯s magic power surrounds the ind. If you can feel a connection with the body in the Abyss, then it is naturally your body. Whose body can it be?! Ugh? Ack! Q-Quickly! Come and help me quickly!¡±


    As the situation became harder, Nefelina even became teary. The hatchling who was just born had little dignity. Zibal looked like he had seen something he shouldn¡¯t have seen.


    ¡°Um... I was too badly shaken.¡± Zikfrector¡¯s eyes that had lost their light came back to life. It was the discovery of his body after thousands of years. It would¡¯ve been strange if he had beenposed.


    Zikfrector pulled out Saharan¡¯s Sword. Zikfrector had been wary of the Curse of Sloth deepening as his body became burdened, so he had been ying only a supporting role using runic magic. However, he was praised as the grandmaster due to his greatness. Now, he took out the power that he used to help Saharan establish the empire. It was a power with no consideration for the aftermath. It was a manifestation of his will to calm the situation and recover his body.


    Red energy rose from the red sword and Zikfrector¡¯s magic power, sword energy, and willpower mixed together with it to form a pattern. Seven runes made with colorful energy started to float around him. Every time the runes crossed, certain words werebined. As the words werebined, the energy became stronger and expanded. The mixture of attributes and magic overheated.


    The entire ind shook from the wave of power. The volcano erupted and there was a tsunami in the sea. The strongest of the seven malignant saints who rebelled against Asgard and who was cursed by the gods¡ªthe aftermath of the previous world¡¯s strongest showing his true abilities was beyond imagination.


    Zibal was dumbfounded.


    ¡®Why did he keep running away when he had these skills?¡¯


    To be precise, it was ¡®I ran away with him while he was asleep.¡¯


    Zibal wanted to say goodbye to those sad days soon.

 Chapter 1508

    <h4>Chapter 1508</h4>


    After a fierce battle, Hell Gao fell to his knees.


    The borders of the world had copsed and a body with the grade of a great demon had been secured, but he only regained around 70% of the power of his prime. It wasn¡¯t enough to withstand the cooperation between Zikfrector, Nefelina, and Raiders, who did their best in preparation for future troubles.


    ¡°I... I was deceived by Baal...¡±


    Hell Gao left these meaningful words and turned to ash. Seeing his expression that didn¡¯t have much regret, he seemed to have be used to defeat. The grinning Zibal reported the situation to the intelligence service.


    The brains of the Overgeared Guild moved quickly. New information was quickly organized and disseminated to the upper ranks of the allied army.


    [The grandmaster, Nefelina, and Raiders have defeated Hell Gao. They are headed north to the Abyss.]


    [It is presumed that the body of one of the seven evils found in the Abyss belongs to the grandmaster.]


    [The grandmaster needs an escort.]


    ¡®Why is it Raiders, not Zibal?¡¯


    Zibal was dissatisfied with the handling, but he didn¡¯t nitpick over it. There was a dignity he should keep as America¡¯s hero. He was just happy to get items.


    ***


    It was the second day of the great human and demon war...


    People were suffocating on the sense of happiness that soared without knowing the end. It was a lot of fun. It didn¡¯t matter what channel they opened. Battles and wars were broadcasted and reporters wrote new heroic stories like they werepeting. There was no time to be bored.


    Even yers who died continuously and received the ¡®unable to ess the game¡¯ penalty were determined to enjoy the situation. They realized that the fun of watching the broadcasts while enjoying a beer wasn¡¯t bad. Of course, they wanted to login quickly, but it was a loss to be obsessed with a problem that could only be solved with time.


    -Look at how she is sweeping up the demonic creatures while keeping the great demons in check;; Jishuka¡¯s greatest strength is her positioning ability. However, her range has also increased. There is no answer to handle her.


    -The great demons are swearing ????


    -They can¡¯t help but curse because they don¡¯t know where the arrows will keep flying...


    -How the hell is she doing that?I don¡¯t know even though I am the 9,573rd ranked archer.What is the criteria for the positioning?How can she not be detected?


    ? A top ranker ising to y in themunity? ??


    ? Really. If you are ranked within 10,000 in the ss rankings, shouldn¡¯t you be enjoying a boat party every time you log out? Why are you doing this here?


    ? No, what? ? Does Grid always go on a space trip?Does he hang out with 3,000 courtdies? Don¡¯t put a strange framework on rankers. (TL: There is a legend that thest king of Baekje had 3,000 courtdies who threw themselves into the river after the kingdom was taken away.)


    ? I¡¯m not framing the rankers, but saying that he isn¡¯t a ranker ??


    There were two people who caught the eye of viewers¡ªthey were Jishuka at the Behen Archipgo and Braham at the Abyss. The most popr yers caused a ratingspetition. The two people were overwhelmingly loved in all aspects of appearance, ability, and personality. The viewers¡¯ taste differed in thebat style.


    The magician who appeared in front of the enemy and smashed them with force. An archer who hid her appearance from the enemy until the end and bothered the enemy with her control.


    ...The description of the magician was a bit strange, but in any case¡ª


    Those who preferred cool action scenes cheered on Braham¡¯s destructive power when using magic in the midst of enemy lines. Those who focused on strategy studied and admired Jishuka¡¯s operational tactics that led to a favorable war situation. However, it was impossible to enjoy it forever.


    -Jishuka seems to be preparing to log out.


    -Braham seems tired.


    The ess duration and health limit. As a yer, Jishuka was held back by both issues. Braham also failed to ovee the physical problems. Rest was indispensable unless one was a monster.


    The moment Jishuka and Braham left the battlefield, the war situation intensified again. The allied forces, who were pushing forward, slowed down for a while and the two sides became tangled up again.


    -Too many people are dying.


    -The yers can die, but I¡¯m worried about the soldiers.It is over for NPCs once they die.


    -The damage to the empire seems too great.Even if the war is won, they won¡¯t be able to recover for a while.


    The named NPCs such as Noll, Sticks, and Teruchan, and the top rankers, including the 10 meritorious retainers and Haster¡ªthe performance of the troops who arrived one after another at the Behen Archipgo and the Abyss was clearly excellent. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to rece the peak magician and archer.


    How many people could y a better role than Braham and Jishuka in arge-scale war?


    The problem was that the enemy¡¯s army was great. Every time Baal¡¯s subordinate, who looked like a huge toad, opened his mouth, a swarm of flies poured out and caused catastrophic damage.


    It was now the third day of the great human and demon war...


    The viewers¡¯ minds became very ufortable. They became reverent when they saw the soldiers fighting for their lives. They even came to understand the hearts of those who started Satisfyte while saying they wanted to help even a little bit. Just then¡ª


    -Uh?T-that...!


    -Holy shit!I have been waiting!!


    New aces emerged. Piaro, Singuled, Dante, and Kentrick arrived at the Behen Archipgo. Mercedes, Asmophel, and Amelda appeared at the Abyss. They filled the vacancy of Braham and Jishuka.


    -Isn¡¯t this crazy?Braham and Grid¡¯s subordinates are much stronger than before.


    -Grid must really feel reassured ??


    -Just one day...I want to live as Grid for just one day.


    Why didn¡¯t Gride out? The reason why few people had such questions or regrets was due to the size of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was a king and a god. There were so many subordinates who followed him. There was no reason for him to stand directly on the front line as before. If he was going to step up for everything, he wouldn¡¯t have worked so hard to gather colleagues.


    People were fully convinced of Grid¡¯s position.


    ***


    ¡°......!¡±


    Barbatos, who was guarding the battlefield in ce of Gamigin, retreated one step ahead of Braham in a flustered manner. The reason was that the magic bullets fired at Mercedes were weighed down by gravity and lost their power. In the first ce, Mercedes had an advantage. Her Keen Insight could read the magic bullets. She was wary of the sniping and used the gravity field much more efficiently than Braham.


    Mercedes cut down all the slowed magic bullets, released her silver wings, and rushed forward. Her flight elerated and she was very fast. Her momentum as she rushed alone into hundreds of thousands of demonic creatures was reminiscent of artillery fire.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The allied forces all around the battlefield were shaken. They didn¡¯t understand Mercedes¡¯ behavior of going into the enemy camp alone. Some skilled people like Noll and Chris guessed that she had determined Barbatos¡¯ location, but they soon shook their heads.


    Barbatos was an irregr existence that shot from dozens of kilometers away. Additionally, it was physically impossible to identify the shooting point because there was no ¡®trajectory¡¯ for the shot. The bullets were suddenly generated or soared from the ground.


    This was why there were more victims to Barbatos than Gamigin. Barbatos dealt enormous damage to the allied forces even when Braham was in action. Just as the demons hated Jishuka, the allied forces hated Barbatos.


    ¡°Cover Mercedes!¡±


    Chris needed to log out within five minutes. It was right to prepare to retreat as scheduled. However, he rushed to lead the troops and advanced. The protection of the somewhat agitated Mercedes was the top priority.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Chris became stunned as he chased after Mercedes. It was because Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship, which had speed behind it, contained a destructive power like never before. She broke the enemies¡¯ swords and armor and cut flesh and bones. Mercedes¡¯ back prated the enemy in a straight line and soon disappeared from Chris¡¯ sight. Only an endless procession of gray pirs suggested her position.


    ¡®...She is apletely different person?¡¯


    Chris used the overbearing greatsword. He developed in the direction of worshipping power rather than technique. This was why he was clearer about Mercedes¡¯ transformation than anyone else. Just then, a huge explosion was heard in his temporarily stiff ears. It was in the distance. It came from the end of the enemy camp.


    The explosion came from where the Abyss was.


    ***


    A part of the Abyss used by Barbatos as a sniping point copsed. Dust swallowed up the area and sharp pieces of stone swirled.


    ¡®She is a dangerous woman.¡¯


    Barbatos had a bad premonition. An opponent who could read the trajectory of the magic bullets and even saw his position¡ªit was natural to be wary of her. Barbatos¡¯ body became transparent. It wasn¡¯t a protective coloration that allowed them to assimte with the surroundingndscape. Rather, it waspletely hiding his appearance. However¡ª


    ¡°......?¡±


    The knight¡¯s gaze pierced straight through the dust toward him? The appalled Barbatos hurriedly ordered his powers scattered throughout the battlefield to return.


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    Faker took advantage of the turmoil to throw himself into the hole of the Abyss. He encountered the army of demonic creatures marching through the Abyss several times on the way, but he wasn¡¯t caught because he erased his presence. His stealth was so outstanding that even some demons mixed in with the demonic creatures couldn¡¯t feel it.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    The scale of the Abyss was beyond imagination. The area couldn¡¯t be covered even if the entire imperial pce was moved here and it was impossible to guess the depth. Faker gained an unbearable eleration as the fall continued and he used shadow movement to barely stop by changing his position to the shadow cast on the wall. His eyes were unusually anxious as he hung from the cliff and looked around.


    ¡®Where is it?¡¯


    Faker¡¯s mission was to secure Zik¡¯s body that appeared in the Abyss. Even if he failed to secure it, he needed to know the location to guide Zikfrector to it. Maybe it was the most important mission in this war. It was also a mission that only Faker could perform.


    A stealth technique that blocked the enemy¡¯s aggro, shadow techniques that made the size and topography of the Abyss useless, and the ability to clearly see in the darkness that covered the Abyss¡ªFaker was the only one with the qualifications required for this mission.


    The responsibility was great.


    ¡®I will go down a bit more.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be caught by the demonic creatures. Faker, who was observing from the cliff while holding his breath, threw himself back into the dark underground. Jumping into the underground when the end was unknown required much more courage than imagined. Thus, the burden on Faker was greater than he expected.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    After descending to the limit, Faker clung to the cliff again and let out a breath. As a result, he made eye contact with a demonic creature that was climbing up. However, he threw a dagger with paralysis and silenced it. It fell without screaming and wouldnd and die a long timeter.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve attracted aggro if I killed it right here.¡¯


    Faker calmly looked around. There was a ¡®setting¡¯ that the darkness that encroached on the Abyss was too thick to adapt to, but this wasn¡¯t enough to neutralize the eyes of Lantier, who had the greatest senses among the legends.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t here either.¡¯


    Faker looked closely at the interior before jumping in once again. Once he fell to a point where his gaze hadn¡¯t reached, he stuck to the cliff and resumed observation. He repeated this dozens of times. From a certain point, he forgot the passage of time and became anxious because his senses were dull. Even so, he silently carried out his task. It was as always.


    ¡°......!¡±


    How much time had passed?


    Faker found a ce that was as small as a speck of dust. It was shining red alone in the dark Abyss. It was natural to be fascinated.


    Faker descended toward the dot. The red dot, which was as small as a speck of dust, gradually expanded in size.


    Duguen!


    Faker¡¯s expression stiffened. Faker got goosebumps all over his body.


    Duguen!


    The sound of his heart thumping swallowed even the noise of his descent.


    ¡®It is unbelievable.¡¯


    The ominous feeling that grew as he got closer to that point. Faker, who tried hard to deny the worst assumption, finally felt despair. It was because he discovered the identity of the red dot that had the most powerful demonic energy he had ever seen.


    [Baal¡¯s Ego Fragment]


    This was the identity of the red dot. In the direction of the dot, there was Zik¡¯s body sealed in the gap of the cliff.


    [This is a ce where whispers are impossible.]


    [This is a ce where guild messages are impossible.]


    Faker¡¯s fall elerated. He was unable to withstand the pressure of gravity, so the bones of his bodyined of pain while his bloodshot eyes seemed to protrude, but his mind remained clear.


    ¡®Get rid of the body.¡¯


    His judgment far exceeded the speed of his fall. His actions linked like lightning. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t stop it. Before the dagger that Faker threw with all his power could hit the red dot, the red dot had already permeated Zik¡¯s body.The dagger that was thrown at Zik¡¯s body with the determination to get rid of it was caught. It was by the hands of the body that had just opened its eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this worth using?¡±


    Baal¡ªthis was the name that rose above the body¡¯s head. The man pulled his body out of the cliff where it had been stuck for years of eternity and his gaze moved upward. He smiled brightly like a child who got a new toy.


    [The 1st Great Demon, Baal, has appeared.]


    [You feel absolute malice. You are affected by abnormal status conditions including fear, weakness, poisoning, burns, and bleeding. You have resisted.]


    [The shadow of hell that is distorted by malice is clearly presented. The dark attribute resistance is fixed at 0% and your status is greatly damaged. Your weaknesses are always exposed. Concentration has dropped significantly, reducing hit rate and significantly increasing skill and magic casting time. It can¡¯t be resisted.]


    [The shadow of the absolute god that is distorted by malice is dimly cast over everyone. All of the achievements you have built are considered worthless. Your stats and skills from various titles will be sealed. It can¡¯t be resisted.]


    [The hell moon is under Baal¡¯s control. The eyes of the hell moon are looking at you.]


    sh!


    A red light descended toward the pale Faker¡¯s head. The sky above the earth that could only be felt distantly in the Abyss. It was a ray shot by the hell moon floating there.

 Chapter 1509

    <h4>Chapter 1509</h4>


    ¡°......!¡±


    Faker reacted immediately. He detected the wave of power that fell from above and retreated significantly. As a result, the ray only touched Faker¡¯s shoulder. Even so, he received 20,000 damage. It was fixed damage that ignored the range of the hit, resistance, and defense. The bigger problem was the great number of rays pouring down that was reminiscent of rain.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Faker linked a series of evasive movements and btedly noticed it. The source of this ray was higher. He recalled the notification window that the hell moon was under Baal¡¯s control and was convinced.


    ¡®They are shots from the moon.¡¯


    This couldn¡¯t be allowed. If Baal rose to the surface like this, hell would unfold. The hundreds of thousands of troops gathered with Grid and Lauel¡¯s efforts would fall in vain...


    Faker calcted it. Could he get rid of Baal with his skills? It was impossible. The chances of winning were unconditionally 0%. How many minutes could he tie up Baal¡¯s feet? More than 1 minute and 20 seconds was very unlikely, more than 1 minute and 40 seconds was the area of a miracle, and more than 2 minutes wasn¡¯t possible.


    The conclusion was that the moment he allowed a single attack, he would enter an immortal state. Nevertheless, he guaranteed that there was a high probability he couldst at least a minute. It was because the absolute aspect of Lantier¡¯s skills was stronger than the rtive aspect. Regardless of the opponent¡¯s level, a minimal performance was possible. This was a story of when it was supported by the operational capabilities, but Faker was qualified.


    ¡®The situation will be a bit better if I fill out the Kill List.¡¯


    Was it worth consuming Kill List to buy time in a fight with no possibility of winning? The benefits were overflowing. He would give time for his allies toe up with countermeasures after they detected an unexpected event from the hell moon aiming at the Abyss and firing rays.


    ¡®Additionally...¡¯


    Currently, the Abyss was thergest marching route of the army of demonic creatures. At the end of the Abyss, the entrance to hell lurked. The demons and demonic creatures entered the Abyss through this entrance and rose to the surface. This was why countless gray pirs were rising on the path of the light rays.


    The rays from the moon that were pouring down like rain ughtered the demonic creatures. This action was likely to not stop until Faker died.


    Baal was just watching. He hummed along with the screams and explosions from the demonic creatures. This guy... he was crazy like the rumors. There was no distinction between enemies.


    ¡°This is cumbersome.¡±


    Was this really the body of a half-god? Zik¡¯s body was full of vitality despite it being asleep for thousands of years. The only trace of time that could be seen was the dazzling blond hair. The hair stretched down to his feet and several meters beyond. If he stepped on the ground, it would drag like a cloak.


    A de of demonic energy cut the hair. The blond hair that went down to the waist moved along with Baal as he rotated with a satisfied expression. At this time...


    ¡°By the way, you are tenacious.¡± Baal¡¯s gaze turned to Faker. Faker was expanding the range of the rays by making his evasive motions asrge as possible. His intention was to take even one more demonic creature with him as apanion to the underworld.


    p p. Baal pped. ¡°It is a very human thing to do. Is it because you have a short life? You humans hate an ignominious death. You try to give meaning to your death at all costs.¡±


    The long eyes curved in a smile. It was a beautiful smile that anyone would be fascinated by. However, it was somewhat unnatural. No matter how widely he smiled, wrinkles didn¡¯t appear on his face. It seemed like the original owner of the body didn¡¯t know how to smile. ¡°I really like that about you guys. When I watch you trying to deny your worthlessness, the boredom disappears.¡±


    ¡°...Is that why you started this war? Do you want to enjoy watching the meaningless struggle of the people who are dying for your whims?¡±


    ¡°If there needs to be a reason, I guess so? Why? Are you upset?¡±


    ¡°This trash son of a bitch...¡±


    Faker let out a rare curse. Baal¡¯s malice was so vulgar that Faker couldn¡¯t hide his anger when he was usually cool and calm at any time and in any situation. Pure evil that couldn¡¯t be given any reason or meaning¡ªthere were few existences even in hell that could ept him pleasantly.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Faker took a deep breath. He took a long breath to control his emotions. The moment hisposure was regained, his movements became more sophisticated. He avoided three rays with one movement and induced four rays with one evasion.


    The number of rays pouring toward Faker¡¯s head gradually increased and the screams of the demonic creatures grew in proportion. Now the Abyss was tinged with gray, not darkness. It was because so many demonic creatures were dying from the rays.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Baal didn¡¯t care. He checked his body while appreciating Faker¡¯s cute tricks. The body that was previously polished and used by the world¡¯s strongest human¡ªthe status was very high and it was beyond what he imagined. From Baal¡¯s point of view, the body of a half-god was so insignificant that he hadn¡¯t expected much when he heard that Zik¡¯s body had appeared. It was just a good toy to y with for a few days.


    Then once he got it, he found that the level was considerable. The form of the huge mana core and the skeleton told him what type of person Zik was during his lifetime.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve trained to death.¡¯


    Was it because he was determined to kill a god? The most noticeable part of the body that exceeded human limitations by several times was the brain. It developed to the point of absurdity and easily epted all types of ideas. In short, understanding and calctions were fast and he was mentally powerful. This made it easy to control the hell moon. Controlling the hell moon was only possible with this body.


    He could understand why the daoist immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring were obsessed with creating the concept of the upper dantian. [1].


    ¡°This is why those Asgardians were so intimidated.¡±


    If Zik had participated in the war against the gods, then he would¡¯ve developed throughout the war. It could¡¯ve been to the point where he would¡¯ve killed some of the lower gods. Baal smiled confidently and started to adjust the body. He repeatedly pushed magic power into the mana core to expand it and burned it all at once to shrink it. It was truly an ignorant method that used the infinite mana of the Abyss and the practical use of the 1st Great Demon¡¯s techniques.


    The bones were also reformed. It was the body of a person who was once a human being, so there were imperfect parts. The length of the limbs increased and the shape of his thighs and fingers changed slightly. As a result, the bnce of the body was extremely improved. It wasn¡¯tcking to describe it as a transformation.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Faker was using the shadow technique to bring together the demonic creatures rising from the bottom so they would be hit by the rays. Then he suddenly became shocked. It was because he felt that the energy of Baal, who was giggling all by himself in the corner, became stronger.


    That¡¯s right¡ªZik¡¯s body had be strongerpared to his lifetime. It was an attempt that was possible because it was Baal, and a change that was epted because it was Zik¡¯s body.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s y.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go.¡±


    Faker blocked the path of Baal, who finally started to move. He used Kill List. After an intense battle thatsted 1 minute and 59 seconds, a new pir of gray ash was scattered.


    ***


    ¡®Okay. It is going well.¡¯


    The world¡¯s only super-sized furnace¡ªthe size was reminiscent of a fortress, but the speed of the construction was very fast. It seemed like it would bepleted soon. It was even more than a day faster than scheduled.


    ¡®It is all because they did their best.¡¯


    Dwarf Ke and countless technicians¡ªthe faces of those who helped build the furnace looked very spectacr. Luck followed several times thanks to their excellent skills and brilliant efforts. During the work, the passive skills took effect and resulted in a steady increase of the construction speed. Just as Legendary cksmith¡¯s Breath was once a skill that relied on probability, the skills of the architects were also affected by luck.


    It was an X game where luck yed a big part, but... they won in luck.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure my good luck stat influenced it.¡¯


    He was the main person of the construction. Grid pulled up his final concentration. He secured the bricks that were piled up. Then there was another inspection of the interior that wasrge enough to amodate 10 tons of white phosphorus wood. He re-measured the bnce of the structure that he put his heart and soul into.


    He was assisted by Ke. The cooperation of the two people who worked together for three days and nights became like one. Through repeated rapport, a bond was built.


    [The construction of ¡®The Furnace of God¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [A yer has constructed a mythical building for the first time!]


    [The first achievement reward for the first myth ranked construction will be greatly increased.]


    [All stats have increased by 100 and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +5,000.]


    [The level of all skills rted to production will increase by one for the construction participants.]


    [The craftsmanship of Dwarf ¡®Ke¡¯ has been upgraded to the legendary level.]


    [The legendary architect has appeared!]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    Grid was delighted, while Ke was copsing. He seemed shocked because he achieved results that were more than expected, and he also umted arge amount of fatigue. Since he was so old...


    ¡°He is a precious person. Take him to the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    It happened when Grid had sent Ke off to the infirmary and was looking at the function of the furnace...


    ¡°Guests have arrived.¡±


    The meeting that he had been looking forward to for a few days had finally arrived. Grid nodded and changed his clothes. They were navy silk clothes made by the best tailor of the East Continent. The bottom hem came down to his ankles and it had wide sleeves. It was simr to the dopo worn by the yangbans, but there was no opening in the back or strings. It was intended so he could walk anywhere


    It was a design that looked presumptuous due to the gorgeous embroidery, but it became stylish considering Grid¡¯s status. There were nobat rted features. Instead, it greatly increased his dignity and charm stats, so it was very suitable as formal clothing.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve already received over 30 pieces of clothing as gifts.¡¯


    In fact, there were many different types of clothes from various nations. Culture and fashion varied from kingdom to kingdom, so the style of clothing was inevitably different.


    Grid liked it. It was useful in many ways to wear different clothes depending on the situation and mood. Even the value of the clothing was worth tens of millions of won in cash.


    ¡®I just have to keep these clothes well and I won¡¯t starve for the rest of my life.¡¯


    ***


    The half-draconians¡ªa species that proudly boasted a drop of blood from Bunhelier flowed through their veins. They regarded the aggressiveness that came from this blood as an honor and the world ssified them as an upper species. It meant that even human schrs recognized the superiority of the half-draconians.


    ¡°Gasp...¡±


    ¡°They are half-draconians...¡±


    Reinhardt was frozen. There were many people who stiffened because they were intimidated by the procession of half-draconians with strong bodies and a fierce air. The dragon scales that were obvious on their skin at first nce were overwhelming.


    ¡°The Overgeared Kingdom? Why should we, who refused to negotiate with the empire, visit this small, marginal kingdom in person?¡±


    ¡°Look at the humans who are trembling at the sight of us. People who regard themselves as the masters of the continent are like this. They run wild without knowing that they should be scared.¡±


    ¡°Humans have just taken over the continent due to numbers.¡±


    There was no hesitation in the words and actions of the half-draconians. They tantly despised the humans they encountered while moving through the streets. Hao, who took the lead beside Bunsdel, warned them several times, but he just received scoffs and pretenses of being deaf in return. There were also half-draconians who wanted to beat Hao to death. It was because they were disgusted.


    Concerned that the situation would be serious, Hao sighed and closed his mouth. ¡®This is the essence of the half-draconians.¡¯


    A race that had the blood of the evil dragon. It was impossible to fix such fanatical and belligerent personalities. Even the second-to-none Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to control thempletely. Fortunately, Bunsdel was an ideal person... he could only look forward to Bunsdel¡¯s cooperation.


    ¡®He said he would be a dog. It is just a metaphor, but at least the alliance agreement will be signed.¡¯


    Hao, who was thinking, stopped walking. It was because Lauel had personally appeared in front of the inner pce gate.


    ¡°The hot blood of the half-draconians is stimting the ck dragon lurking in my heart... pleasee in. Wee.¡±


    ¡°What is he saying?¡±


    ¡°Is this a high-ranking person of this kingdom?¡±


    ¡°He is so weak. What is the dragon...?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, I knew the standard was like this. Why did the lord visit this kingdom?¡±


    The 25 great warriors representing the half-draconians expressed their displeasure. There were even those who showed distrust in Lord Bunsdel and revealed open hostility.


    Bunsdel didn¡¯t care and calmly epted it. He knew better than anyone that the half-draconians were just a frog in a well. It was himself and the lords of the past who kept the half-draconians in the well. He silently led the group and entered the pce.


    ¡°Wee,¡± the man sitting on the throne greeted the group.


    The half-draconians had already reached the limits of their patience and became angry. The king of humans dared to look down on them.


    ¡°Hah, really. I can¡¯t believe it. Does he think he is an amazing guy just because he is treated as a king by bugs?¡±


    There was no time for Hao to stop it.


    Bunsvil¡ªhe was a half-draconian the pedigree of the current lord and he showed off his golden name as he rushed to the throne. Then...


    ¡°......!¡±


    He btedly confirmed the appearance of Grid that was hidden by the backlight and stiffened like a stone statue. Just in time, the backlight was lifted. The sunset through the windowpletely disappeared and Grid¡¯s figure appeared.


    ¡°C-Crazy...¡±


    The half-draconians were overwhelmed by Grid¡¯s dignity and faltered. They felt like they had jumped into the dragon¡¯s mouth as they noticed their lord¡¯s quick wits. Under the gazes of his subordinates trembling with fear...


    Step.


    Bunsdel took a powerful step forward and shouted, ¡°Bark!¡±


    1. There are three main dantians in the body. The lower dantian, middle dantian, and upper dantian. The upper dantian is located just above the eyebrows and is rted to spirit and consciousness

 Chapter 1510

    <h4>Chapter 1510</h4>


    ¡®Is it possible to deliberately nurture legends?¡¯


    Ke¡¯s growth presented Grid with new possibilities. Of course, Ke was old enough to be called ong (elderly man). He was old even by dwarf standards. He had been a craftsman for over a hundred years, so he might¡¯ve already been qualified to be a legend. However, the result came after working with Grid.


    ¡®It is likely that Ke umted experience that he couldn¡¯t have umted alone thanks to me. He must¡¯ve learned a lot from seeing the Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques and gained enlightenment from helpingplete a mythical work.¡¯


    It was a matter that must be addressed. If it was really possible to intentionally nurture legends, then his future aspects would change dramatically.


    ¡®I will need an assistant every time I work...¡¯


    He would make sure to work with craftsmen from the time he started making the dragon weapons. Of course, they would only help with the minor parts. It was to the extent that they couldn¡¯t affect his work.


    ¡®This alone will be a great experience for them.¡¯


    ¡°The lord of the half-draconians has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Grid awakened from his thoughts at the voice. Grid nodded and the doors of the great hall slowly opened.


    [You have encountered a strong person who has transcended the times.]


    Fighting energy¡ªit was a powerful and ferocious energy that was difficult to control. Unlike mana, aura, or sword energy, which was in harmony with the technique department of skills, body, and heart, fighting energy wasn¡¯t suitable for pursuing harmony. So when he saw Martial God Zeratul using it, he thought, ¡®Ah, it is like this,¡¯ and was convinced of the unruly nature.


    This was the essence of it.


    Grid¡¯s fighting energy that was permeated with an orange light calmed down. It didn¡¯t dare go on a rampage. It was due to the infinite sword energy and divinity contained in Grid. After seeing Bunsdel, the red and purple fighting energy that glowed like lightning was the same as usual. It was maintained at a certain level and provided appropriate stimulus for Grid.


    ¡®The lord of the half-draconians...¡¯


    Grid admired it. Arms and legs that stretched out like old trees, centered around the upper body that developed as a reverse triangle. It was a short, thick neckpared to his height of nearly two meters. Dragon scales wrapped around his neck like iron armor...


    Bunsdel¡¯s body was truly optimized forbat. His thick eyebrows and sharp eyes made the impression he gave off even stronger. It seemed like his neck wouldn¡¯t be broken even by a de. Add the high level of transcendence...


    ¡®I¡¯ll feel reassured leaving my back to him.¡¯


    Grid was surprised by the thought that naturally rose in his mind. He couldn¡¯t believe he felt this way from the very first meeting. Grid had met numerous skilled people so far. This meant that Bunsdel¡¯s level was truly great.


    ¡®Helena deserved to have her lord¡¯s position taken away.¡¯


    Deep favor filled Grid¡¯s eyes as hepared Bunsdel to those he defeated in the Chaos Mountains.


    -Can I execute him?


    In a rare situation, the Fire Dragon Sword spoke to him first. It expressed tant killing intent toward the half-draconian warrior, who was shouting and about to attack.


    [* Activates a ¡®One Time Absolute Defense¡¯ when encountering a dragon race. Cooldown Time: 24 hours.


    * Attack power against the dragon race is increased by 20%.


    * Every time you kill a dragon type, the attack power of the Fire Dragon Sword will increase by one. (Permanently applied)]


    The Fire Dragon Sword had this nature and was basically hostile to the dragon species. Now the other side provoked it first, so it couldn¡¯t bear it. Grid didn¡¯t respond because he knew the development that would follow.


    ¡°Gasp...¡± The half-draconian warrior, who btedly confirmed Grid¡¯s appearance¡ªthe man called Bunsvil took a step back. The hierarchy was organized without the need for the Fire Dragon Sword to act. As an aggressive species, the half-draconians had an excellent ability to recognize the strong.


    The stronger the opponent, the stronger the aggressiveness. This was a story only when the concept of ¡®fighting¡¯ was established. They weren¡¯t crazy enough to die in vain.


    -It is a pity...


    The Fire Dragon Sword made a regretful sound. Grid could understand the mood of the Fire Dragon Sword. Dragon monsters, represented by wyverns and half-draconians, had a very small poption. They were almost treated as an endangered species.


    Furthermore, the half-draconians stayed deep in the mountains and the wyverns were preferred as pets, so the huntingpetition was fierce. It was as difficult to meet them as picking stars from the sky. In the future, the half-draconians would be allies. It wasn¡¯t known how long the alliance agreement wouldst, but there would be no fighting for a while. It was a pity for the Fire Dragon Sword.


    ¡°C-Crazy...¡± The half-draconians were frightened by Grid and shivered.


    Step.Bunsdel took a step forward. The way he stared at Grid with sharp eyes was as intense as his first impression.


    A smile spread across Grid¡¯s face. ¡®As expected. We need to sort out the hierarchy before continuing.¡¯


    In fact, Grid¡¯s aggressiveness wasn¡¯tcking. He had fought with all types of transcendent beings and now he was ready to point his sword at the gods. The half-draconians were afraid of a useless death, but Grid could tolerate even a useless death. He had surpassed many strong people by using the unreasonable nature of yers, who could gain experience with death.


    ¡®Bunsdel.¡¯


    How high was his level? How much could the dragon scales wrapped around both wrists and the thick neck like iron armor withstand his sword? It happened the moment when Grid was about to raise himself from the throne...


    ¡°<i>Bark!</i>¡± Bunsdel barked.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s cognitive ability couldn¡¯t keep up with the situation.


    People looked flustered while Bunsdel shouted, ¡°The great Overgeared God who defeated the martial god! I, a Bun, deeply admire your noble character! Please let me serve you as our half-draconian¡¯s only pir and god. I will be your faithful dog! Please ept us!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Bunsdel had been silent toward his n. Apart from the open-minded Hao, he didn¡¯t have a proper conversation with his n. It was due to the guilt of locking his n in a well under the pretext of the n¡¯s safety. Due to this, the half-draconian warriors btedly grasped the situation and were stunned.


    The human on the throne¡ªthey thought he was strong, but he was actually a god? He even defeated the martial god? Now that it was like this...


    ¡°Bark!Bark bark!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof!Grrr!Woof!¡±


    ¡°Yip~!¡±


    The half-draconians made a variety of dog noises. It was a courtesy to the god. They didn¡¯t even know why they were barking like dogs. They had never served a god before. They just learned from their lord.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Lauel, who had been silent for some time, urgently spoke up as Grid¡¯s mind was confused, ¡°I think you should leave this to me.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Get in your formations! Hurry! What are you doing with your shields? Prepare them for battle right now!!¡±


    Sera, Ribon, Zeldark, and Horyu¡ªthe thing they had inmon was that they were from the Tzedakah Guild. They were somewhatcking inparison to the 10 meritorious retainers or equivalent named rankers, but they were talented people worthy of the reputation of the Overgeared Guild.


    In particr, their ability tomand the army was outstanding. It was because there were many cases where they had to takemand of troops while the Overgeared members focused on individual activities. Fortunately or unfortunately, their skills as amander had be outstanding.


    The same went for members of the Giant Guild such as Zirkan, Mihara, and Ases. They were Chris¡¯ subordinates and took advantage of their experience ofmanding arge number of people before joining the Overgeared Guild. This wasbined with Toban¡¯s charisma, the assistance of the allied leaders, and the strength of the 10 meritorious retainers present and Noll.


    ¡°Good! Retreat while maintaining your formations! Don¡¯t rush! Slowly!¡±


    The allied soldiers fighting in a dizzying manner against the demonic creatures quickly reorganized their formations. They stepped back little by little in a steady manner under the protection of the shield soldiers who erected a barrier. Themanders were still watching the hell moon.


    The ominous moon high in the sky with tens of thousands of moving eyes. It was eerie to look at. Then suddenly, it turned its eyes to the Abyss and started shooting rays for the first few seconds.


    Themanders couldn¡¯t understand the situation properly. It was confusing and they interpreted it as a positive phenomenon after seeing the demonic creatures crawling from the Abyss disappearing in groups. Then they realized it a few secondster¡ªthere would be disaster the moment the eyes of the hell moon turned to them.


    This was the reason they urgently led the army to take a formation and retreat. The sight of hundreds of thousands of troops moving without disorder in just a few minutes was really spectacr. It was truly unbelievable. Thementators of broadcasting stations around the world made a fuss while viewers couldn¡¯t help marveling. Themanders of the Overgeared Kingdom had truly excellent capabilities.


    Soon, the people¡¯s praises and cheers turned to silence. It was for a terrible reason.


    [The 1st Great demon, Baal, has appeared.]


    [You feel absolute malice. You are affected by abnormal status conditions including fear, weakness, poisoning, burns, and bleeding.]


    [The shadow of hell that is distorted by malice is clearly presented. Omitted.]


    [The shadow of the absolute god that is distorted by malice is dimly cast over everyone. Omitted.]


    [The hell moon is under Baal¡¯s control. The eyes of the hell moon are looking at you.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A bug? The allied yers, who were retreating while enduring the attacks of the demonic creatures, and the viewers all had the same question. They didn¡¯t realize that the pinnacle of hell had emerged. It was because the high-intensity debuffs they never imagined hit them all at once.


    Baal¡¯s appearance waspletely different from what was expected. He used to be associated with arge and hideous demon, but now a handsome, blond-haired man appeared. The great demon was reminiscent of an angel.


    ¡°Uh...¡± The minds of themanders of the allied forces turned nk. Yet surprisingly, orders were being given.


    Retreat, retreat, retreat...


    They reflexively repeated the same cry. However, the soldiers didn¡¯t hear it. They were reborn as elites after enduring the training that felt as if their bones and flesh were being cut, but right now, as if all of it was a lie, they were reduced to a mess. The debuffs caused by Baal were too deadly. Their minds were caught in terror.


    Eventually, the battle lines copsed and the demonic creatures were allowed to enter.


    [Baal has stolen Zik¡¯s body.]


    [Baal has appeared in the Abyss.]


    [Ordering all troops to retreat from the Abyss. Be wary of the hell moon while retreating.]


    New information poured in one stepte. The report that Faker immediately made after his resurrection was finally disseminated.


    ¡°Baaaal!¡± Soldiers died without even screaming because they werepletely stiffened by fear. In this gap, a furious cry rang out. It was Noll¡¯s cry. It was filled with anger toward the culprit who expelled his mother from hell and cursed all her family with the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡°Is it Beriache¡¯s child?¡± Baal reacted as he stood with his back against the hell moon and looked at the surface. For the first time, a small smile appeared on his expressionless face. ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    There was no dignity in the words that he briefly spat out. Noll was flustered because it didn¡¯t fit with the existence at the pinnacle of hell. Due to this, Noll was stunned for a moment. Then he soon broke through the army of demonic creatures with a bitter expression. He gained eleration as he crossed the battlefield and flew toward Baal in the sky. The blood-colored magic power in his two small hands swirled in a menacing manner as it aimed at Baal.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Did Beriache hand down her things in herter years?¡± There was an appreciation for Noll. Baal waved his hand in a bored manner and destroyed Noll¡¯s magic at once.


    However, Noll was still charging forward. He immediately linked new blood magic and reached Baal. However, he wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s opponent. In the first ce, Noll couldn¡¯t exert his power by himself. His magic and abilities were specialized in ¡®support.¡¯


    The moment he approached Baal, he was struck by demonic energy and crashed into the ground without being able to do anything. He fell into the middle of the enemy camp and was quickly attacked by hundreds of demonic creatures. He stared at Baal while his small body was bitten, torn apart, cut, and stabbed.

 Chapter 1511

    <h4>Chapter 1511</h4>


    ¡°Noll!¡±


    The frightened Overgeared membersunched an operation to rescue Noll. They buffed each other to offset the debuffs to some extent and sped through the army of demonic creatures. The leading Vantner was reminiscent of a tank, just like his nickname. It was an amazing performance.


    However, it wasn¡¯t enough to attract Baal¡¯s interest. Baal looked at the battlefield with his expressionless face again and muttered, ¡°It is a mess. I will have to clean it up first.¡±


    The hell moon reacted to Baal¡¯s will. Countless eyes rolled and aimed at the humans on the battlefield. The faces of the allied soldiers, who foresaw the bombardment of rays, became contemtive. Tens of thousands of rays poured down like heavy rain. It was a rain of destruction directed at the center of the hundreds of thousands of allied forces.


    ¡°H-Hik!¡±


    Fortunately, some soldiers avoided it by abandoning their weapons and shields and running away. There were also many soldiers who couldn¡¯t get up after falling. The demonic creatures they were confronting in front of them, the allies behind them, and the people next to them screamed as they were hit by the rays, so they couldn¡¯t help but panic.


    The soldiers who weren¡¯t hit by the rays felt tortured instead. They felt an uncontroble fear that they would soon be in the same situation.


    The hell moon closed its eyes after one bombardment and opened its eyes again. The red, bloodshot eyes were wide open as they aimed at the ground again. At this moment...


    ¡°Retreat! All troops, retreat!¡± A female with blue hair fell down onto the middle of the battlefield. Her armor and shield, covered in the blood of demons, had lost their shine, but the white sword covered with so much blood still shone transparently.


    ¡°Hoh.¡± Baal regained his smile.


    The rain of destruction poured out again. Mercedes used a wide-area gravitational field to stop the tens of thousands of rays in the air.


    ¡°Hur...ry!¡± Mercedes gritted her teeth and shouted. In order to maintain the gravity field that covered the huge battlefield, she couldn¡¯t take a single step. She used her slender body to block the tens of thousands of rays. She was thoroughly defenseless and was a good prey for the demons.


    The demons, who had been confused by Baal¡¯s appearance, cut through the demonic creatures and ran. They were delighted at the thought of killing a legend for free and jumped happily at her.


    ¡°How dare you.¡±


    ¡°Go away! Dirty things!¡±


    Asmophel and Amelda ran in and protected Mercedes. They ughtered the demons with the momentum of ¡®one cavalryman defeats 1,000 enemies.¡¯ They shouted at the panicked soldiers.


    ¡°Retreat.¡±


    ¡°This is amand!¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    The soldiers came to their senses after witnessing the spirit of the great knights. They despaired as they overcame their terror to some extent and regained their sense of reason. The moon was visible everywhere in the world. What was the point of running away from here?


    ¡°...We will fight as well!¡±


    They would rather choose an honorable death. The soldiers picked up their discarded weapons and shouted. The same was true for the soldiers who were seriously injured in the first bombardment. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers strengthened their determination.


    Vantner¡¯s party, who just came back from rescuing Noll, encouraged them.


    ¡°Great posture! Let us hunt Baal! Kuhahahat!¡± Vantner shouted in high spirits because he had something he believed in.


    Braham and Kyle, who had retired from the front line to rest, re-joined the battlefield. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s main body. There was a chance of winning...


    It happened as Vantner¡¯s thoughts reached this point...


    Barbatos¡¯ bullet flew and caused Mercedes¡¯ gravity field to shake.


    ¡°Cough!¡±The moment Mercedes coughed up blood and fell, the gravity field was released. The bombardment of the stationary rays resumed.


    ¡®I should run away now.¡¯ Kyle, who was greatly intimidated, put up a barrier of electric currents to protect some of them. He did his best, but the range of the rays was too wide for him topletely block it. He couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°Kuoock...!¡±


    ¡°Block it! Fight!¡±


    The soldiers¡¯ morale was boosted. They set up shields and wielded their weapons as they prepared to face the iing rays.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Braham, who was disappointed that he didn¡¯t get enough rest, was forced to step out. Heunched the widest ranged shield and activated Mass Teleport. He protected thousands and disced thousands.


    This was the limit. Tens of thousands of troops copsed in the heavy rain of rays. Some people fought hard to protect themselves and their colleagues, but most of them were seriously injured and copsed. The hell moon was preparing for the next bombardment.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± The morale they were trying their best to raise fell in an uncontroble manner. It wasn¡¯t only the soldiers who were frustrated, but the yers as well. Themanders were speechless and the number of Overgeared members was too small.


    sh!


    The hell moon shone again. Just then, 30 God Hands appeared and lined up at intervals of five meters. It was the emergence of Overgeared God Grid that the world had been looking forward to. It was shabby. The number of God Hands was too low and they were too smallpared to the number of rays pouring down like heavy rain. They arranged themselves like they were guarding the allied forces, but the range of their influence was too narrow.


    -30 God Hands is crazy;;;


    -Wow, it¡¯s amazing ?? It seems they can block 100 rays ??


    -No, isn¡¯t this game too abrupt?Is it telling us to quit or what?Shooting tens of thousands of rays like that??


    -Is the S.A Group going to release a new game?They are releasing the apocalypse in Satisfy to bring people into the new work.


    -It doesn¡¯t make sense unless Lim Cheolho is old and senile.


    -Aren¡¯t the S.A shares going to fall?


    ?How can they fail when they are monopolizing virtual reality technology?


    -Lim Cheolho is old and senile.


    There was only despair. The people on the battlefield and all those watching were skeptical of the current situation. Grid was the hope of thousands of people, but his presence became weak in front of the 1st Great Demon. It happened as the baptism of rays gradually got closer to the ground and thementators around the world lost their rationality and started to scream...


    [A new update has been applied.]


    A world message appeared. It was a notice announcing an ¡®update,¡¯ a thing that hadn¡¯t been seen ever since theunch of Satisfy. Viewers around the world were relieved when streamers and reporters at the scene rushed to announce the news. It was a relief that the S.A Group hade to their senses, even if it waste. The shareholders had led Satisfy back on the right path.


    ¡º There is a possibility that the great human and demon war itself would¡¯ve never happened... ¡»


    Streamers and experts started to make pretty extreme but hopeful observations. They got a positive response from the public. The world realized that the difficulty of the great human and demon war had gone greatly wrong. There were many who wanted to make it so that this hadn¡¯t happened. The first update notice that urred was enough to give people hope.


    It was exquisite timing. It emerged as the situation was flowing in an uncontroble direction. People¡¯s expectations rose as the announcements continued.


    [This is an uninspected update. The changes will take effect immediately.]


    [Updating the contents.]


    [Added a theme song for the yer ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡º......? ¡»


    -......?


    <We are preparing theme songs for Grid. We negotiated with masters all around the world to make the best songs. In the future, we are nning on steadily updating theme songs tomemorate yers...>


    The article published in the past by the S.A Group crossed people¡¯s minds. It was just... why do this now?


    Question marks appeared over people¡¯s heads. A number of peopleined for cider after feeling stuffy like they had eaten one million sweet potatoes. [1]


    It was such a difficult situation to understand. In any case, time was passing. The war was still continuing.


    [Overgeared God Grid has appeared.]


    A violin melody permeated the battlefield. There was a crumbling melody of ice that announced the arrival of the cold and loneliness. This was an introduction suitable for the battlefield that had lost hope. An epic expressing the cold and harsh winter seemed to unfold. Then with the unexpected addition of the piano melody, it started to reverse. The opening track that announced Grid¡¯s emergence, ¡®Appearance,¡¯ marked the end of winter, not winter. The magnificent orchestra stirred the gray battlefield and made the cold hearts of people beat again.


    Hundreds of Magic Missilesunched by the 30 God Hands using Spray collided with the baptism of rays. It didn¡¯t have much effect, but the visual effects were great. It was enough to make the allied soldiers ovee their fear and frustration, and cheer. The real power was something separate.


    sh!


    Just before the tens of thousands of rays struck the allied soldiers, the 30 God Hands transformed into Raiders. They became a barrier in itself and blocked the baptism of rays with their bodies. The rays that slipped through the gaps were struck by huge spears reminiscent of temple pirs.


    "Ahat!Puhahahat!¡± Baal burst outughing. The hell moon he had his back to squeezed out rays from the eyes that started to shed bloody tears because it couldn¡¯t turn red. It was meaningless. Attacks that were justrge in size weren¡¯t good against Grid.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡± The sword light that had a rangeparable to the rays cut through the sky. A single attack didn¡¯t destroy the rays, but it reached Baal who was standing beyond them.


    ¡°What? It is great!¡± Baal leaned back to avoid the attack and hisughter grew even louder.


    Grid lost 50% of his health in exchange for crushing the tens of thousands of skills, but he didn¡¯t show any pain. He used Storm of the Fire God to generate all types of effects. Then he quickly restored his health by drinking potions. The hell moon kept firing the rays. This time, the bombardment was fast, as if taunting Grid to cut it down again. Grid responded immediately.


    [The Red Phoenix¡¯s 9th Heart has resonated with the red phoenix in the east.]


    [The willpower of the red phoenix has descended.]


    A rain of fire fell. It was a miraculous rain that burned the iing rays and the demonic creatures on the ground, while greatly restoring the wounds and physical strength of the allies. Red blood exploded likeva in the tens of thousands of eyes on the hell moon.


    ¡°Kuahahahat!¡± Baal grabbed his stomach and keptughing. The hell moon barely fixed its dizzily convulsing eyes and violently shot out light. The number was noticeably reduced. There were only thousands of rays, not tens of thousands. There was no need for Grid to step up. The magic of Braham and the magicians, the swordsmanship of Asmophel and the knights, and the skills of thousands of yers eliminated the light rays.


    ¡°......¡±


    The battlefield fell silent. It was a silence brought about by the destroyed army of demonic creatures and the closed eyes of the hell moon. Only the Storm of the Fire God that filled the battlefield showed its existence. The allied soldiers had their wounds healed by the storm and were given an unbreaking willpower from Grid.


    They couldn¡¯t easily ept the rapidly changing situation and stared nkly before btedlying to their senses and cheering, ¡°Waaaaaaaaah!¡±


    [The worship of all people has increased deity by 1.]


    Only one person¡ªone person dominated the war. It was the majesty of a god.


    Just in time, the second track, ¡®Influence,¡¯ yed and excited the viewers. The energetic melody made their blood boil.


    The bloody battle against the great demons that started with Belial, the swift battle with Kraugel during Kraugel¡¯s time as sky above the sky, the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation where he ughtered hundreds of rankers, the Vatican incident where he tore off the wings of an archangel and extinguished the soul, etcetera¡ªthe battle scenes that Grid showed them naturally came to mind as they listened to the music.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid floated in the sky where the moon was asleep and was unable to descend to the ground. He didn¡¯t want his red face to be seen.


    ¡®What is this music?¡¯


    Of course, he was d. He was thrilled. It was a theme song for him. He felt like he was rewarded for his past hard work. However, there were a lot of worries. If there was such a magnificent background sound every time he did something in the future... didn¡¯t it mean that he would have to watch his weight 24 hours a day?


    1. Sweet potato is ng in South Korea to express a person¡¯s frustration or impatience with a situation. They use this because it is simr to what you might feel when eating sweet potatoes without any beverages. Cider means a soft drink like Sprite and it is often used together with sweet potator. If you are feeling frustrated or stuffy, you drink cider and feel refreshed and happy.

 Chapter 1512

    <h4>Chapter 1512</h4>


    A disaster created by hundreds of thousands of explosions in total¡ªthe viewers witnessed the baptism of rays that were like heavy rain or a typhoon, and predicted the destruction of the allied forces. There were quite a few people who closed their eyes, blocked their ears, or changed the channel because they didn¡¯t have the courage to face the devastation that was about to unfold. They took deep breaths for a long time before btedly opening their eyes. Then they turned the channel back.


    ¡°Hup...¡± They breathed in.


    They resented the camera¡¯s perspective as it skimmed through the battlefield. Destroyednd, weapons buried in dirt, blood that formedkes, the pieces of flesh that had lost their owners... The devastation on the battlefield was even more terrible than expected. It seemed to mark the beginning of the apocalypse.


    Raim of the general store, Paulson at the cksmith, the lord who was bad-tempered but always took care of them...


    They were sad and afraid that everything they umted over the years in Satisfy would disappear. Satisfy in the future would bepletely different from the past Satisfy and it didn¡¯t seem fun at all. Their colleagues who wanted to go on an adventure to a more famous ce and who were motivated to raise their level would gradually leave Satisfy...


    ¡°...Uh?¡± The people who were depressed while thinking about different rtionships and reasons...


    They were looking at the screen with sad expressions when they btedly noticed the music flowing from the broadcast. Was there an orchestra on the battlefield?


    The moment they thought that this was nonsensical, the screen moved. It slowly and broadly expanded their horizons along with the majestic music. It lightly passed by the devastated battlefield and illuminated unexpected beings. Contrary to expectations, the allied soldiers were still alive. They were all looking up at the sky. They had jubnt expressions on their faces as they cheered with a momentum great enough to swallow up the music.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The viewers gradually noticed. Most of the traces decorating the devastation of the battlefield belonged to the demonic creatures. The camera followed the soldiers¡¯ gaze and soared upward to show someone¡¯s back. The dim light spread around him was the color of sunset. It was the sun that lit up the ck sky distorted by demonic energy.


    ¡°Cra...zy...¡±


    It was thrilling and delightful. People realized the reason why heroes existed.


    ***


    ¡®Move slowly.¡¯


    The temporarily flustered Grid soon calmed down. He confirmed that Baal¡¯sughter had stopped. He knew that excessive tension could be poison, thus he rxed his body and mind.


    ¡®To what level is he?¡¯


    Grid had fought Baal¡¯s ego fragment previously, but this wasn¡¯t enough to use as a reference. Baal had possessed Agnus at that time, while the current Baal was in Zik¡¯s body. It was iparable. Zik was a concept that was superior to a yangban. He was a real half-god. He was building up worthy achievements and worship to be a god.


    ¡®First of all, measure it through speed.¡¯


    Grid had lived a busy life over the past few days. He umted golden experience through the spar with Biban and witnessing the battle between Zeratul and Hayate. Thanks to this, he grasped his level properly. He could almost certainly reach the speed of sound, but it was difficult starting from supersonic speed.


    Even if he maximized his transcendent senses, there were often cases where he was ¡®unable to respond even if he knew.¡¯ While he recognized the attack, he couldn¡¯t avoid it. He had to rely entirely on his intuition. If Baal¡¯s speed broke through the ¡®normal¡¯ speed of sound like Zeratul, it meant Grid¡¯s odds of winning were lower.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t evaluate Baal¡¯s skills too highly. No matter how strong, he thought it would be Biban-grade. Considering that Baal was the direct lineage of the absolute god (Yatan), it could be said that he was on the same level as Zeratul. Still, that was only the background of his birth.


    Zeratul had the status of a god, while Baal was only a great demon. Baal might¡¯ve been born at the same time as Zeratul, but it was unlikely he was on the same level as Zeratul, who steadily built up his status through human faith. The number one archangel that hadn¡¯t been seen yet¡ªthey were the antithesis of Baal. Probably.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t even his main body and this is the human world.¡¯


    The worlds might be mixed together, but it was different from pure hell. Baal was significantly weakened. In conclusion...


    ¡®The odds of winning are high.¡¯


    This was a judgment he made in an instant. Meanwhile, Baal also evaluated Grid.


    ¡°You are ripe.¡± It was apletely contrary assessment from their past encounter in hell. ¡°You are ying a proper rolepared to the days when you stayed as a human despite being qualified to be a god. I can see why that guy Chepardea made a fuss.¡±


    The world believed that the culprit of this war was Baal. It was natural since all of hell had invaded the human world. However, reality was different. It was Chepardea who caused the war. He had to kill Grid, take everything away from Grid, and lower his status. Baal just let Chepardea do as he wanted.


    ¡°......¡± Grid was surprised. Was it because it was just an ego fragment? Only a certain personality was shown, so Baal¡¯s tone waspletely different from when he was in hell. It was rather frivolous and didn¡¯t feel like Baal.


    The conversation wasn¡¯t long. Baal headed straight to Grid and attacked as if to appease his boredom.


    ¡®He is Biban-grade, but he is much trickier due to his killing moves and debuffs. The variables are his power and hell summoning.¡¯


    Grid evaluated Baal¡¯s level through one collision. Zik¡¯s body was much better than what Zikfrector had mentioned and Baal made use of this near-perfect body to the limit. Moreover, he called all types of debuffs. Grid resisted many of them, but he was still affected by a few. His level of transcendence decreased by several stages, his Skin of Transcendence and other transcendent effects disappeared, and several titles were sealed.


    Of course, his divinity was maintained. Perhaps thanks to this, he avoided the debuffs of his weaknesses being exposed and the decreased concentration. The sealed titles were those mostly obtained in the early and mid stages. The titles obtained by bing a god or those that had a direct or indirect influence to bing a god were still intact. Perhaps it was because it was a malice presumed to belong to Baal. The distorted hell and vague will of Yatan couldn¡¯t harm a god¡¯s dignity.


    Just then, Grid¡¯s jaw bent at an angle. It was due to Baal¡¯s fist that stretched out like a light. Grid took a step back to avoid it, but it touched his chin. He suffered 15,000 damage. It wasn¡¯t a loss. At the same time that he stepped back, the Kill sword dance that he used pierced Baal¡¯s chest and caused dozens of times more damage.


    There was a lot of blood, but he wasn¡¯t worried about Zik¡¯s body. Would the body that had been sealed for thousands of years be easily destroyed? It was Grid¡¯s judgment that Baal¡¯s ego fragment would be destroyed first before the flesh waspletely broken. He trusted the conclusion based on solid evidence, Satisfy¡¯s characteristics, and his various experiences. It was fine even if something went wrong.


    ¡®I have Sehee.¡¯


    Next, Baal¡¯s fist was stuck in his armor. Grid was hit by the counterattack. He responded with a three fusion sword dance. However, Grid¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t reach Baal and it soared upward instead. It was because it lost its trajectory after Grid¡¯s wrist was hit by Baal¡¯s foot. Grid¡¯s move that caused this loss was giving up his chest. His body was pushed back and his reach became shorter.


    On the other hand, Baal¡¯s kick overwhelmed Grid in speed because it moved along the shortest path.


    ¡®This jerk.¡¯


    Grid realized it when he saw Baal smiling¡ªBaal had learned martial arts. Unlike ordinary great demons, he didn¡¯t fight ording to instinct or relied on his power. Rather, he used systematic fighting techniques. Looking back at the action of Baal¡¯s fist hitting his armor, it was highly likely he was good at Jujitsu. If the armor had been a bit softer, then he would¡¯ve pushed his hand inside using this weakness and grabbed at Grid¡¯s body.


    Red energy overflowed from Grid¡¯s left hand as he recovered the soaring sword and used Pinnacle. It was the precursor of Blood Flow Wave. Baal¡¯s body shook as he tried to avoid Pinnacle. It was because the chain of shockwaves caused by Blood Flow Wave caused him to lose his bnce. It might be different if it was the main body, but Zik¡¯s body couldn¡¯tpletely resist physical conditions.


    The moment Pinnacle cut his shoulder, the soaring blood took the form of a de. It was abopleted with Blood Sword Shatter.


    Grid used Item Combination without a break. The Fire Dragon Sword wasbined with the Enlightenment Sword to maximize the power of the next attack. The ensuing sword dance was Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.


    The whole process took ce in less than two seconds. The explosion and cutting sound that urred one stepte was delivered to the ground in a dizzying manner. People were mesmerized by the sight of the shockwaves and colorful skill effects colliding, fragmenting and decorating the sky. It was a different fight.


    Some broadcasters gave up on a live broadcast. They emphasized their expertise by looking back at the situation that urred a second ago, but hundreds or thousands of times slower, in order to identify and analyze the battle. Viewership rose vertically.


    Baal, who started to be hit by Transcended Link Kill Wave, used a trick to reverse the situation. He took advantage of Zik¡¯s extremely developed physical body and expressed his willpower to subdue Storm of the Fire God. Even so, he marveled at the power of Transcended Link Kill Wave Pinnacle andyered demonic energy over his skin.


    ¡°Cough!¡±Grid was in the midst of the movement for Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle when he coughed up blood. Baal¡¯s palm dug into the gap in Grid¡¯s armor, opened up Grid¡¯s belly, and tore at his intestines. The unbelievable level of pain and the enormous damage proportional to it was something Grid had never experienced before and it shocked him.


    The moment Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was over, he desperately wrapped a bandage around his abdomen and took potions and hemostatic agents. Then he was wary of Baal, who stood nkly without following up with another attack on Grid. Based on the movement of his mouth, he seemed to be having a conversation with someone.


    ¡®Does he have schizophrenia?¡¯


    It made sense if it was this guy. Grid regarded it as insignificant. He didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and rushed toward Baal. He alternated between using Shunpo and a sword dance, and using Shunpo and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, with no time difference in between them, to attack Baal from all directions. It was in a much more dense manner than when he fought against Biban.


    Baal gritted his teeth as he dodged, was cut, and fought back. ¡°I told you to stop.¡±


    They weren¡¯t words for Grid. It was a warning for the son of a bitch who was preparing to shoot.


    The sniper ignored the warning. Grid¡¯s body was hit by a magic bullet that suddenly appeared and he flew far away. The impact seemed great as he fell heavily with his head tilted back.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯ Grid stopped just before he struck the ground and he gritted his teeth. He knew from the beginning that Barbatos was lurking somewhere on the battlefield. The reason why Grid spread out the God Hands, Noe, Randy, and the vampires, and was vignt of his surroundings, was in preparation for the sniping. His transcendent senses were consumed by reading Baal¡¯s attacks, so he judged that it would be difficult to recognize and respond to the sniping at the same time.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad judgment. The problem was that the God Hands and his subordinates couldn¡¯t read the trajectories of the magic bullets.


    ¡°Leave the rat to us.¡± Braham nced at Mercedes, Asmophel, and Kyle before disappearing. He intended to search for Barbatos.


    It was a cool analysis of the situation. Baal was currently at such a high altitude that some people mistakenly thought he was standing beside the moon. Magic that could reach there was extremely limited, but Braham and Kyle¡¯s conditions weren¡¯t yet recovered. It was hard to exercise an effective shot.


    There were ways to get close and fight, but it was likely they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle Baal¡¯s speed and skill, and would instead hold Grid back. It was likemitting suicide for a magician to fight in closebat with an equal or higher ranked person. Braham had regained the strength of a direct descendant, but he hadn¡¯t mastered the art of meleebat. Rather than taking risks and fighting Baal, it was better for them to find Barbatos and prevent him from shooting Grid.


    ¡°I will fight with My Liege.¡± Mercedes turned a blind eye to Braham¡¯s call.


    ¡°We can only find him easily with you. Barbatos¡¯ subordinates are united, so it will be dangerous with just Sir Braham and Kyle.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She was persuaded by Asmophel. Even so, she asked Grid for confirmation before leaving.


    ¡°My Liege, can you hold out on your own?¡± she looked up cutely at him and asked. She pretended to be calm with no expression, but her big eyes shook and reminded him of a scared squirrel.


    Grid smiled without knowing it and nodded. ¡°Go and help Braham.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Mercedes disappeared after Braham.


    Grid¡¯s body was slowly injured.


    ¡®What should I do in this situation?¡¯


    Barbatos¡¯ sniper fire that came as soon as his transcendent senses were consumed by Baal¡¯s attack...


    He needed to find a way to respond to attacks that were hard to grasp with his eyes and senses.


    ¡®It is pointless to make a clone with Belial¡¯s Power.¡¯


    It was the power of the 32nd Great Demon. There was no probability of deceiving Baal and Barbatos¡¯ senses when even the Sword Saint¡¯s super sensitivity could perceive the clone. Berith¡¯s Power of Automatic Transformation could block projectiles, but the duration was only one minute. It wasn¡¯t a fundamental solution. Finally, borrowing Keen Insight was dangerous because it would weaken Mercedes. Mercedes needed Keen Insight to search for Barbatos.


    ¡®Wait...¡¯ The silver threads shed through Grid¡¯s mind. The innovated Magic Power Ejection Machine added physical strength and variability by mixing the silver threads with injected magic power.


    Grid called all 30 God Hands to his side. The silver threads ejected from the Magic Power Ejection Machine were woven onto the fingers of the God Hands. It was hard to distinguish with the naked eye. The faint silver threadswere mixed with magic power and they were very close to being transparent.


    The God Hands gradually distanced themselves from Grid. This was until the silver threads tied to their fingers pulled tightly. It was the moment when an invisible cobweb unfolded around Grid. The 30 God Hands moved in a straight line and the silver threads crossed in a diagonal manner shone faintly with Grid in the center.


    Just then, the bottom of the cobweb shook. Barbatos¡¯s shot was caught on the radar made of silver threads.


    Grid tilted his head at an angle. He avoided the sniping with simple actions that didn¡¯t rely on his transcendence. It was an obvious evolution.


    Baal, who was repeatedly swearing at Barbatos, weed it.

 Chapter 1513

    <h4>Chapter 1513</h4>


    Pain was to be remembered. Once imprinted, it couldn¡¯t be easily shaken off.


    ¡°...It doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡± Jishuka smiled slightly as she sat in the capsule for a long time and rubbed her fingers. The pain in her fingers that ovepped every time she continuously fired¡ªthis was the worst penalty an archer had to endure. They had to feel the pain of their flesh being crushed, their muscles being ruptured, and their bones cracking throughout the battle. It might not beparable to actual pain, but it still hurt.


    Above all, it was very difficult psychologically. The longer the battle, the more times the bowstring was pulled. She knew that this pain would stay in her memories and torture her all night after she returned to reality and she sometimes wanted to run away.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t really escape. She didn¡¯t take a step back. She didn¡¯tin of pain to her colleagues or show it. Even so, Grid knew her pain. After she returned from the hell expedition, he presented her with a new thimble. It was a durable thimble. It wrapped around her fingers and contained Grid¡¯s warm consideration.


    ¡®...You have always been paying attention to me.¡¯


    He trusted her. He thought she would be able to do well with this rough thimble.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s have strength.¡±


    Jishuka enjoyed the moment for a while before standing up vigorously. On the hologram in front of the capsule, Grid¡¯s activity was being shown. It was very cool to see him break through the crisis in some way. It was an expected performance. Just as Grid believed in JIshuka, she believed in Grid.


    ¡®Rx and fight at ease.¡¯


    She would protect the Behen Archipgo to the end¡ªshe made this resolution as she ate the banana milk vored calorie bar and spicy chicken vored nuts. It was an effort to adapt to Korean tastes, although it was a distorted pte. In any case, she supplemented herself with nutrients andy down in the capsule again.


    ***


    The 8th Great Demon, Barbatos, presided over death. If the target was within his ¡®field of view,¡¯ he could shoot them regardless of the distance and terrain. Thus, he was called the god of death.


    He was the object of actual faith. His ability to execute others beyond time and space was sufficient to make him an object of awe and worship. Unlike Sitri, who swallowed the ghosts of hell and lost his ego in exchange for gaining a powerparable to a god, Barbatos was bing a real demon god with the worship of other demons.


    ...This was until Leraje became active. It was hundreds of years ago. Leraje returned with the undefeated myth from the Behen Archipgo and emerged as a new idol. Otherwise, Barbatos would have seeded in building divinity by monopolizing the worship of demons.


    In Empress Basara¡¯s bedroom, inside the imperial pce...


    ¡®What...¡¯ Barbatos, who was using a ce no one could¡¯ve predicted as a sniping point, was shaken. It was because Grid kept avoiding and blocking his sniping. Grid did it while fighting Baal. He was doing the impossible.


    ¡®Is Baal doing it half-heartedly?¡¯


    It was natural to wonder about such a thing. Barbatos was close to Baal¡¯s faction, but he didn¡¯t trust Baal. Baal knew clearly that he was aiming for Grid¡¯s divinity and made it difficult on purpose. He cursed and said that there wouldn¡¯t be another son of a bitch like this in the world. Then, suddenly¡ª


    ¡®...No?¡¯ He confirmed that Baal¡¯s face had a distorted smile.


    Chill.


    For the first time, a chill went down Barbatos¡¯ spinal cord that caused him to shake.


    ***


    The upper part of the silver threads shook greatly and sent a signal. Baal had rubbed against the silver threads in the process of charging. Thanks to this, Grid identified the location Baal wasing from even before his transcendent senses were activated. He predicted the next attack by assigning Baal¡¯s fist techniques and personality to the trajectory he emerged from.


    It was the moment when his speed and level of thinking entered the realm of a perfect genius.


    ¡°...Hahat?!¡± Baal burst out into uncontrobleughter as he was hit back after his attack was blocked. His expression crumpled like a piece of paper. It wasn¡¯t an expression of emotion. It was just that his damaged nerves changed his facial muscles.


    Grid¡¯s sword elerated. To be exact, it seemed to be elerating. It was due to expansion. The sword that was surrounded by mana, blood, and fighting energy rapidly increased in size and cut at Baal¡¯s shoulder while blocking Barbatos¡¯ sniping.


    ¡®It is easy.¡¯


    This was Grid¡¯s impression. This was the aftermath of the senses and intuition that was regarded as the exclusive property of geniuses. The information delivered by the silver threads of the 30 God Hands orbiting at intervals of five meters opened up a new horizon for Grid.


    The senses that told him the form of attack and also the direction it flew in. It was different from his transcendent senses and Keen Insight. His transcendent senses only informed him that a threat wasing. It raised his reflexes without reading it in detail until the ¡®form¡¯ of the threat approaching was clear. Keen Insight had the prerequisite of ¡®look at it with your eyes.¡¯


    These abilities were bound to be great, but they were just less convenient whenpared with the ¡®senses that always dominate a radius of 5 meters.¡¯


    The horizontally tilted sword dropped down and rose up. There was a sound like thunder when it shed. Then strangely, it stopped in the middle of the rotation. It disappeared without notice. This was because the sword dance was used at unexpected timings by actively utilizing the body that ignored a certain amount of physicalws.


    The swordsmanship was neither deeply devised nor systematic. It only responded to the information delivered by his senses in real time. Thus, it was even trickier. Grid¡¯s sword dance, which had its own regrity, turned into something mysterious as it moved gracefully and fell suddenly.


    ¡®He is a truly interesting guy.¡¯ Baal grabbed his restless left hand and stepped back. It was only after several minutes of attacking and defending that he saw through and escaped Grid¡¯s artificial sensory field. ¡®He is stronger than the tower members.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s face was disying an expression of admiration that didn¡¯t suit him. He marveled at how Grid had be a different being in just a few minutes. At the time when he gained Zik¡¯s body, Baal checked that it was on the level of a ¡®high level tower association member.¡¯ Still, the upper dantian wasparable to his main body and he was able to control the hell moon. He decided he would enjoy it as much as he could while in the human world.


    Surprisingly, the situation changed rapidly. Rather than enjoying it for a while, his fate would be decided right now.


    ¡®There is noparable target.¡¯


    This was the conclusion Baal came to afterparing Grid¡¯s talent to the geniuses of previous generations. Baal had seen the birth and destruction of countless worlds. Along the way, he had witnessed and experienced more geniuses than the stars, but he thought Grid was the best. It was natural. If Madra had lived for decades more, then he might¡¯ve been qualified to be a dragon yer or a god killer, but the man in front of him was younger than when Madra died.


    ¡®Has thest world finallye? Really?¡¯


    Grid struck Barbatos¡¯ bullet that came again and urged Baal, ¡°It is pointless to buy time. Come on, use your power.¡±


    There was no intention to provoke Baal. Grid was just enjoying this moment. It was thrilling to haveplete control over the flow of battle and to break his limits. There was no burden.


    The act of paying attention to his senses consumed a lot of concentration, but Grid¡¯s senses were artificial. It was implemented with items, thus it consumed less concentration. It was much faster than when he solely relied on his transcendent senses. In fact, the stamina consumption dropped dramatically. Compared to the first moment when he fought Baal, the subsequent seven minute fight consumed less stamina.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a power.¡± Red magic power appeared in Baal¡¯s smiling eyes. Then the demonic energy, which had been wrapped around his skin like armor, rose in a haze. It was reminiscent of the past Grid¡¯s ckening. It was a change in order to make something. Zik¡¯s body was demonized. The arm, which seemed to be falling off, was quickly restored.


    ¡°This is the limit.¡±


    Currently, Baal was only a fragment of a particr ego. It was impossible for him to use Baal¡¯s power or to summon hell. It was a matter of authority that was in apletely different realm from controlling the hell moon. Baal did the best he could with his present self. He thought that was enough.


    ¡°It won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    Did the east wind blow? The demonic energy overflowing from Baal¡¯s body shook. The wavelength was huge. A huge explosion urred on the other side of the direction in which the demonic energy shook. Seven training grounds that fostered powerful soldiers in the empire had disappeared without a trace.


    Grid, who was in that path, also disappeared.


    ¡°Uh...¡± From the time that Grid appeared to now¡ªthe Overgeared members, who were helping the soldiers retreat ording to Lauel¡¯s order, stiffened like stone statues. An explosion urred in the distance and they couldn¡¯t hear Grid¡¯s theme song. They couldn¡¯t even see Grid. Perhaps...


    Before the spection could bepleted...


    ¡ª¡ª!


    A light shed where Baal stood and Grid¡¯s theme song yed again. Baal¡¯s appearance became blurred and it turned into a ck line. It intertwined with an orange line above it. Every time the two lines collided, ate thunderous sound was heard.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    From the side of the imperial pce, magic was shot along with Braham¡¯s cry that was filled with a rare passion. A huge tsunami swallowed the sky that was dyed several colors. The moment the line became a dot and the volume increased, the tsunami disappeared.


    This was Baal¡¯s mistake. As he was blocking the tsunami, meteorites fell from the sky. The tsunami, which was huge enough to swallow the sky, was just a distraction to divert his gaze.


    ¡°This...!¡± Vantner¡¯s face turned pale. Perhaps it was too much to summon 10 meteorites, but Braham¡¯s body on the terrace faltered. At this time, an explosion urred in the pce and caused Braham to fall to the ground. Kyle chased after him while engulfed in electric currents.


    He felt desperate that all eight demons in the procession chasing after him had the modifier ¡®Barbatos¡¯s subordinates.¡¯ The series of explosions inside the pce caused part of the imperial pce to copse. In these circumstances, Mercedes and Asmophel seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle with Barbatos.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Vantner was running before he knew it. It was his job to retreat safely with the remaining soldiers, but he turned a blind eye to the mission for the first time. He thought that if he left like this, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    ¡°We are together!¡±


    ¡°Y-You guys...¡±


    Vantner turned to look at the source of the voices behind him and was thrilled. It wasn¡¯t just the Overgeared members. The allied forces were also following after him. He was risking his allies, but Vantner felt good. He was swept away by the hot friendship and lost his sense of reason.


    Just then, he heard a creepy noise that didn¡¯t fit. He looked over in surprise and saw the ice meteorites. Braham had used thest of his physical strength to reset the cooldown of Meteor. Theunched Meteor fell as a mass of ice.


    ¡°This is Zik¡¯s power. It is like Reba¡¯s own strength.¡±


    Dozens of runes that formed characters wrapped around Baal. This was followed by a desperate sight. The ice meteorites started to shatter. It was all except for one meteorite.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened as his face was crushed by a meteorite that fell as if it was frozen. Out of the 10 meteorites, it was one that was particrly small and made of metal. This was Grid¡¯s willpower.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    Grid chased after Baal, who lost his bnce and fell. The Falling Moon Sword, Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop, 500,000 Army Annihtion Sword, and Divinity to reuse Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle struck Baal indiscriminately. In the process, Grid¡¯s limbs twisted bizarrely and his wrist holding the sword broke, but Grid didn¡¯t let go of the sword in his hand.


    He gritted his teeth and stuck to it even when half his face and his chest were torn by Baal¡¯s fierce counterattack. He awakened his fading consciousness using the shes from the rays of light. He called the God Hands to support his wrists, waist, and shoulders.


    ¡°It is the left!¡±


    ¡°The shoulder is just a little bit more...!¡±


    Using Noe and Randy as his eyes, the sword route was connected.


    ¡°...Sob sob!Kuhahahak!¡±Baal¡¯s cry might be a scream or augh. He stopped the moment he crashed into the ground.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a lie-like result and no one could believe the situation. They were nervously vignt toward Baal, who was lying down silently.


    In the silence, Grid moved. The two swords that were in a state of unity due to the chain of Divinity were dismantled and returned to his inventory. He covered his ragged upper body and shaking legs with a cloak and his crushed face with a God Hand. He couldn¡¯t show people a weak figure. It was the responsibility he should bear. It was a hero¡¯s posture.


    [The ego fragment of the 1st Great Demon, Baal, has disappeared.]

 Chapter 1514

    <h4>Chapter 1514</h4>


    30,556¡ªthis was Grid¡¯s remaining health value. It was fatal that Baal¡¯s rising speed after using ckening was directly rted to his. .hit rate.


    ¡®If I had been hit by thest counterattack, I would¡¯ve immediately entered the immortality state.¡¯


    The power of ckening, that he experienced for the first time in ages through someone else, was wonderful. It was difficult to temporarily adapt to the sharp rise in attack power and speed. He wanted to have it again.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been really hard if I entered the immortal state.¡¯


    The real reason he was afraid of Baal after ckening was used was that the health gauge was gone. The health marker had literally disappeared. This created more pressure than imagined. It was an unexpected change that could only be described as a fear that he had never experienced before. It was because he had no idea how much damage his attack did to the enemy. It confused his judgment in many ways. The end of the fight wasn¡¯t possible without the enemy¡¯s death, so the skill usage itself wasn¡¯t smooth.


    Therefore, he just used everything. He aimed for the timing when Braham drew attention with Meteor. He ced a mass of greed between the nine meteorites. The moment Baal was caught off guard, he swung the Falling Moon Sword.


    First, he cut off both arms to weaken Baal¡¯s defense. Then he swapped his weapon and poured out his ultimate skills. Due to that, he suffered a major rebound. Baal¡¯s regeneration speed was faster than expected and Grid was. .hit by continuous counterattacks. If he hadn¡¯t grabbed Baal¡¯s neck with one hand, he would¡¯ve been swept away from the shockwave, bounced far away, and missed the chance to win.


    Yet somehow, he seeded in taking Baal down. Grid confirmed that it was the correct judgment. If he had hesitated a bit and his immortality urred before Baal died, he would¡¯ve experienced unbearable chaos.


    Could he keep fighting like this? Wouldn¡¯t he die first? Wasn¡¯t it better to fall back and start recovering? Etc, etc. It was highly likely he would¡¯ve slowed down from all the questions, leading to defeat. The only reason was that he couldn¡¯t see Baal¡¯s health.


    ¡®Is it Baal¡¯s inherent power?¡¯ Grid thought about it but soon came to the conclusion that this wasn¡¯t the case. Baal couldn¡¯t use his power. It was the limitation that led to him using Zik¡¯s power, the original master of the body.


    ¡®It makes sense to see it as a correction effect for all top-ranked beings.¡¯


    Beings who didn¡¯t show their health from a certain phase or whose health wasn¡¯t marked from the beginning¡­


    It was different from the type of boss monster whose maximum health rose sharply and the figure was marked with a question mark. The gauge with question marks would return to its original form if the monster kept being hit, but there was no proper answer to the absence of the gauge itself. There was no way to know when it would die, so they could only fight to the death. The difficulty ofbat was actually tens of times higher.


    ¡®Well¡­ I just need to be stronger.¡¯


    Let¡¯s focus on this moment.


    [Thepensation is being settled.]


    The achievement of killing Baal seemed to be great. He might¡¯ve only killed the fragment of a particr ego, but the system didn¡¯t easily give himpensation and was calcting it carefully. It felt chilly, unlike in the past where exmation marks were disyed to express admiration and embarrassment. Still, this wasn¡¯t surprising. The system had no personal feelings. It was normal to be businesslike.


    ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Grid was briefly lost in thought as he looked at Zik¡¯s body that was left behind by Baal. The wound on his face became dim as he restored his breathing. His vision returned to normal. Immediately, he leaped into the sky. Perhaps they didn¡¯t know that Baal was dead or they simply didn¡¯t believe it¡ªeight of Barbatos¡¯ subordinates were chasing after Kyle as he raced through the sky. Braham was unconscious in Kyle¡¯s arms.


    ¡®That person is truly¡­¡¯


    Braham had regained the power of a direct descendant. His species was now aplete vampire, a demonkin. Rather than recovering from the mes of the red phoenix released by Storm of the Fire God, he must¡¯ve felt severe pain and fatigue. It was also after a few days on the battlefield, so it was clear that he wasn¡¯t in perfect condition.


    However, he was in a crisis due to helping Grid by searching for Barbatos in that state. It was a judgment that wasn¡¯t like the Duke of Wisdom. Emotions preceded reason. Thanks to him, Grid was able to overpower Baal before his immortality urred¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry.¡¯


    ¡°Hahat¡­Keok!¡±


    As he narrowed the distance to Kyle, a few of Barbatos¡¯ subordinates, who wereughing, started screaming. It was because their neck, shoulders, arms, and legs were cut by something that appeared through the electric currents scattered by Kyle. Those who btedly recognized Grid were shocked.


    ¡°Is this real?¡±


    ¡°Baal was killed?¡±


    They freaked out and took a step back, only to soon stop. They left afterimages as they moved discreetly and surrounded Grid. There was no awkwardness in the formation of the eight subordinates.


    ¡°Now that I see it, you are in tatters.¡±


    ¡°Did youe here to die on your own? Kukuk!¡±


    The subordinates of a single digit great demon were very high in the hierarchy. It was enough to represent hell anywhere. If they valued the present rather than the ¡®better future,¡¯ they could aim for the throne of the hell in the 20s right now.


    Grid was seen as good prey for these great guys. Grid was in bad condition. His recovery speed in real time was fast, but he was still ragged. Barbatos¡¯ subordinates precisely saw through Grid¡¯s condition.


    ¡°I think it is better to avoid them¡­¡± Kyle called out as he stood on the outside of those who surrounded Grid in an instant. His lowered eyes and quiet voice was polite and elegant. It seemed he had been eagerly studying etiquette since bing the only pir of the empire.


    ¡®Kyle deserves to aim for a dukeshi+p.¡¯


    He was born in the empire and his fighting strength had grown to the highest levels in the empire. If he could abide by the etiquette and prove his loyalty well, he could reign above tens of thousands of people generation after generation. Kyle¡¯s expression was distorted as he nced at the back of the satisfied Grid.


    ¡®This is crazy¡­ doesn¡¯t he want to run away?¡¯


    Kyle didn¡¯t learn etiquette again. In the empire, he was still known as a haughty and overbearing person. The reason why his attitude became more polite in front of Grid was simply due to fear. He barely remembered the etiquette he had learned when serving the former emperor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to overdo it¡­¡± Kyle raised his courage to speak while turning his attention to the pce where explosions were still ringing out. Mercedes and Asmophel gave a signal to flee while tying up Barbatos¡¯ feet. Or they were telling him to run away. Grid had other thoughts.


    ¡°Are they telling me to run away with Braham? Leave you guys behind?¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡± Kyle had an expression of horror on his face. He never dreamed about running away alone. For him, Grid was an irresistible fear.


    ¡°If I kill him, won¡¯t my goal of participating in this war be achieved?¡±


    ¡°The prey has jumped into my mouth on his own. I¡¯m happy, but I can¡¯t believe it because it is so unrealistic.¡±


    Barbatos¡¯ subordinates giggled as they revealed their killing intent and greed. They saw Grid as their prey. It was a good enough situation.


    ¡®XX¡­ What should I do¡­?¡¯


    It happened as Kyle was gradually bing angry¡­


    Barbatos¡¯s subordinates were suddenly attacked by Grid and screamed unanimously. They stepped into the realm of artificial senses and were cut in reverse.


    Grid didn¡¯t take a single step from his position. The faces of Kyle and the subordinates watching him were pale.


    ¡®Was he pretending to be dying?¡¯


    It was natural that they misunderstood. Grid had gained a huge amount of experience from the rewards that had just been settled. At level 503, he reached the fifth stats awakening and waspletely different from a second ago. Kyle got goosebumps. He looked at Grid, who tested him even while postponing the crisis, and felt like Grid was the devil. If he had tricked and betrayed Grid, what terrible end would have been waiting for him?


    ¡°He is still fine after killing Baal?¡±


    ¡°What is this guy?!¡±


    Barbatos¡¯ subordinates fled desperately without looking back.


    Grid chased after them. The reason Barbatos was so difficult to deal with was that he showed the power to share the vision of his subordinates. Grid wanted to get rid of more subordinates when he had the opportunity. He also wanted to be more familiar with the functions of the Magic Power Ejection Machine.


    The basic function of the Magic Power Ejection Machine was to mix silver threads with the injected magic power. The silver threads were dposed to particles and were preserved inside the ejection machine. It moved toward in response to mana.


    It was an attempt to give ¡®physical strength¡¯ and ¡®variability¡¯ to magic power. It was sufficiently sessful. In order to increase the length of the silver threads as much as possible, turning it into powder and mixing it with magic power was especially effective. The volume of magic power and the volume of silver threads were proportional.


    The disadvantage was that therger the volume of magic power was, the weaker the concentration of the silver threads were. Now even that had been sublimated into an advantage. It was thanks to the use of artificial sensations. The density of silver threads was very low. When mixed with magic power, it stretched tightly and spread out around Grid like a cobweb. In fact, it was close to pure magic power, so it couldn¡¯t be caught by the hand. Thanks to this, it was difficult for others to realize they had collided with the silver threads except for Grid¡¯s messengers whom he was linked to with magic power. It was like how a person who was rubbed by dust didn¡¯t feel the dust.


    ¡®It waste, but Baal still noticed it.¡¯


    It was necessary to expand the limit even more. As long as the linkage between magic power and the silver threads didn¡¯t break, the magic power could expand as much as possible topletely erase the presence of the silver threads. If it stayed like it was, Baal would notice the artificial senses from the beginning when they met again in the future.


    ¡®At the same time.¡¯


    He should know how to use the expanded silver threads and shrink it as necessary to pressure the enemy.


    Just like this.


    ¡°Ugh?!¡±


    One of the subordinates wielding a spear viciously at Grid was flustered. It was because his spear was caught by something invisible in the air. The face of the demon, who was pulled toward Grid, became contemtive.


    ¡®What is this strength?¡¯


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    The screams of the subordinate didn¡¯t stop. It was due to being cut to pieces by Grid. Thanks to this, the other subordinates were able to escape safely. The moment they neared the imperial pce, a light that was presumed to be Barbatos popped out and disappeared along with the subordinates.


    Grid didn¡¯t chase after them. It was impossible to chase and kill all of them when those with health and defense simr to the great demons in the 20s were running away. He was satisfied with killing the demon he caught earlier.


    ¡®The control of the silver threads is still too slow. Let¡¯s practice steadily.¡¯


    The method of recing the silver threads with Greed with the most ideal, but¡­ it was unreasonable based on the current performance. Greed would give off a great sense of existence even if it was turned to powder.


    [Barbatos¡¯ subordinate ¡®Guga¡¯ has been killed.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Guga¡¯s Trident has been acquired.]


    [You have failed to absorb the vision from the subordinate because you already possess Barbatos¡¯ Vision.]


    ¡®Next time, I will have to yield it to someone else.¡¯


    As Grid learned a new fact and people stared at him, a world message popped up.


    [All the hellmanders of the hell army invading the Abyss have retreated.]


    [The Abyss has temporarily entered a lull.]


    This was good news. The war that had continued for three days and nights stopped for a while. The allied soldiers and yers cheering enthusiastically for Grid sat down and were thankful for surviving. They cried andughed together.


    ***


    ¡°There seems to be a bit of confusion with the memories of my previous life.¡±


    Zikfrector arrived at the Abyss only after all the events had ended. He looked at his body for the first time in a long period of time and said, ¡°I guess I was dissatisfied with my body in my previous life.¡±


    Zik¡¯s body had lost one arm and two legs. Grid was the cause, but no one told him the truth. Grid, who was looking away from Zikfrector and reviewing the rewards he received from Baal, btedly opened his mouth, ¡°You will be able to walk safely. We have the Saintess.¡±


    ¡°¡­Um.¡± Zikfrector gave a rare smile. He was pleased that he had regained his real body after repeated reincarnations for many years and suffering from the curse and dull emotions.


    ¡°I will give a prayer of thanks to my only God. I will repay your grace by staying by your side forever.¡±


    [You have built a deep bond with your apostle ¡®Zikfrector.¡¯]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    In this case¡­


    Zikfrector¡¯s unprecedented attitude instilled a sense of guilt in Grid. He looked at the distant mountain in an ufortable manner. Many people, including Kyle and Duke Grenhal, reacted like they couldn¡¯t believe it. It was the first time they had seen the grandmaster smile, bow his head, or show respect to others. Of course, they were convinced because the other person was Grid.

 Chapter 1515

    <h4>Chapter 1515</h4>


    Satisfy had revolutionized the broadcasting industry. The shooting methods that utilized skills and magic made it possible to shoot scenes that couldn¡¯t be captured in reality. It was one of the reasons why various types of movies and dramas were being produced in Satisfy, rather than reality.


    ¡º It is really wonderful¡­ ¡»


    ¡º I am so moved that I¡¯m crying. ¡»


    The broadcasters from each country were excited. There were many people whose voices were hoarse or their faces were messed up in the process of conveying the situation of the Abyss to viewers. Everyone witnessed it thanks to the sophisticated shooting techniques.


    Immediately after the battle, the ragged Grid tried to hide his wounds. Hundreds of millions of viewers witnessed the consideration of Grid, which wasn¡¯t seen by the people in the field, and his sense of responsibility. It was an event that would be talked about in length.


    The video of Grid covering his face with a God Hand was already spreading like wildfire through themunity. People at the scene would soon see the video and most of them would probably be fans of Grid.


    ¡º The reason why Grid is the best yer¡­ it isn¡¯t just because he is strong. It is due to this attitude¡­ ¡»


    ¡º Yes, that¡¯s right. I think we definitely know now why so many people want to be with Grid. ¡»


    Hao, who bent to Grid every time, and Damian, who openly imed to be Grid¡¯s subordinate¡ªChina and japan, which had been enraged by their abandonment of pride and engaged in national anti-Grid activities, also became respectful. Grid¡¯s appearance that shone in an unprecedented crisis drove the unity of humanity.


    ***


    Baal only dropped a few gems. Grid checked it over and over for special functions, but they were all ordinary. It was unconscionable to describe a top-grade gem that could change people¡¯s lives as ordinary, but¡­ in any case, there weren¡¯t any items with Baal¡¯s modifiers, by-products, or myth rated items.


    It was as expected. The Baal that Grid killed was just a fragment of a specific ego. It was only an extreme part of Baal. It was surprising that he even gave the gems.


    ¡®By the way, why did he give so much experience?¡¯


    Leveling up had be easier after reaching level 400 and breaking through the hell section, but this was the first time he gained over 20 levels at once. Honestly, it was questionable. An ego fragment of Baal gave so much experience?


    ¡®¡­It is natural.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter what state Baal was in. Despite all the circumstances, Baal had disyed a Biban-gradebat power. A transcendent who could single-handedly destroy or save humanity¡ªGrid defeated such a great figure.


    Don¡¯t mention 20 levels. He would¡¯ve been convinced even if he had risen 30 levels.


    ¡®It is a pity that a power wasn¡¯t added to the rune, but that is understandable.¡¯


    The biggest reward for killing Baal wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s rise in levels, but his rise in status. It had jumped up two stages. First of all, his maximum stamina and recovery amount increased.


    ¡®This is very big.¡¯


    The artificial sensations created by the Magic Power Ejection Machine greatly reduced the burden on Grid. His concentration and unnecessary actions consumed during the battle were dramatically reduced. Thanks to this, stamina consumption itself was noticeably reduced, but his stamina had increased due to the rise in status.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be tired even after fighting for half a day.¡¯


    Of course, it varied depending on the opponent¡¯s level, but for ordinary hunting, he wouldn¡¯t be tired even if he hunted all night. Additionally, his mental world had been enhanced.


    ¡®I need to confirm this directly.¡¯


    After making the sword, it seemed appropriate to climb the Tower of Wisdom and check it against Biban. Would Storm of the Fire God break due to a blow from Biban or would it hold out a bit? The difference would be very big.


    ¡®By the way¡­¡¯


    Grid had a new question. The transcendent status. It was a system for transcendents, not Gods. Why was he enjoying this effect even after he became a God? Of course, he didn¡¯t feel it was strange due to the power he enjoyed. Still, it was objectively a strange event. It was enough to make him wonder if it was a bug. It was natural.


    There was a certainw that Gods couldn¡¯t kill Gods. On the other hand, the ultimate transcendent had the qualification to be a God killer. Was it normal for Grid to be included in both?


    ¡®These S.A guys.¡¯


    Perhaps they would increase his transcendence by a lot only toter say it was a bug? Then they would take it back¡­


    ¡®¡­No way, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Grid shook his head and brushed off the terrible delusions. So far, Satisfy didn¡¯t have a single bug. How could there be a bug now? The coexistence of divinity and transcendence was likely to be some arrangement that was unknown to his present self.


    ¡®Think positively.¡¯


    He felt really good because his transcendent status had risen by two stages. If the basics were high, then it was unconditionally beneficial. His fighting power would be great even if he faced the ¡®demotion penalty¡¯ someday. It was enough to preserve a certain extent.


    Level 505¡ªGrid opened his status window and evenly distributed the stat points that had umted in arge number. He took care not to spoil the golden ratio.


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    A miracle was unfolding before their eyes. A transparent light surrounded Zik¡¯s severely damaged body that was lying down with a peaceful expression. The wounds carved all over the body disappeared without a trace and the cut off limbs were restored again. It was the miracle created by the Saintess with the operation of Prayer.


    The hundreds of thousands of allied troops were thrilled as if they had witnessed a God. Duke Morse shed tears. He seemed to be impressed by Ruby again. There was a dangerous manner to the way his eyes turned. There was a temperament of fanaticism.


    ¡®At this rate, Sehee might be a real God¡­¡¯


    It happened as Grid was thinking too early about things¡­


    Step.


    Zikfrector stood facing his own body that had regained its intact appearance. ¡°As expected¡­ there must be some confusion with the memories of my past life.¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Rather, it is the opposite. ording to my memories, my body wasn¡¯t this great. Now it is almost perfect.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members didn¡¯t think much. They thought Zikfrector was mistaken out of excitement. Only Faker knew the truth and had doubts. ¡®Baal enhanced Zik¡¯s body. Does that mean it is possible for him to nt poison inside?¡¯


    Faker was concerned.


    Zikfrector was also wary of Baal. He used runes for checking, purification, and security to review his body again and again. The result?


    ¡®¡­Wonderful.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an illusion. Zik¡¯s main body, which was temporarily loaned to Baal, was more developed than before. His physical disadvantages had disappeared and it was perfectly trained. Other than that, there was nothing suspicious. Zikfrector came to one conclusion. ¡®Baal induced the war between heaven and humanity.¡¯


    Maybe this was why he indirectly helped them. No, the statement of helping wasn¡¯t right. The expression of ¡®falling into a trap¡¯ was appropriate. From the time he destroyed the Abyss to find and strengthen Zik¡¯s body, heaven and humanity were forced to be hostile.


    ¡®The great human and demon war is just a springboard. What does he want? The ruin of the Gods? The fall of humanity?¡¯


    ¡­Well, it didn¡¯t matter.


    Grid had long been nning to confront Heaven and a war against Heaven was Zik¡¯s long desire. The trap that Baal dug was to help them¡­ The deeply smiling Zikfrector ced his hand on the forehead of his sleeping main body. Dozens of runes came up. The bodies of Zikfrector and Zik faced each other and started to gradually spin. Soon¡ª


    [The 6th evil, Zik, has been revived.]


    The transfer of souls caused this world message to appear. It was a long-awaited moment for Grid, Zibal and the Overgeared members, but it was a big shock to ordinary people who didn¡¯t know Zikfrector¡¯s identity. During the entire process¡­


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±


    Bunsdel and the warriors of the half-draconians were watching from the sky. They had crossed the warp gate with Grid to the Abyss. They didn¡¯t receive any orders, so they just watched Grid from beginning to end. The conclusion they came to after a long period of observation was:


    ¡°He is indeed our God. Bark!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof!¡±


    It was to be ardently loyal. Thebat power that single-handedly brought down Baal, the power that virtually kept the empire and other nations at his feet, the charisma to have not only legends and archangels as apostles, but also one of the seven evils¡­


    For the half-draconians, there was no reason not to serve Grid.


    ¡®Based on the way they are always barking, I feel like they are misunderstanding something.¡¯


    They mistakenly thought that barking like a dog was an act of serving God. Bunsdel covered his face and sighed deeply. He was worried that if this continued, they would be stigmatized as half-dogs, not half-draconians. Still, what could he do? The half-draconians had vowed to be dogs. He could only ept it.


    ***


    ¡°I will cure you.¡±


    The Curse of Sloth, which had gued Zik for years, was engraved on his soul, not his body. It wasn¡¯t a problem that could be ovee just by regaining his body. Braham, who just woke up, easily broke it. The result of the research obtained at the expense of his kin could be given to others thanks to his recovered strength as a direct descendant.


    Did he have mixed feelings?


    Zik closed his eyes and quietly wept. Zibal, who had witnessed his hardshi+ps, also sniffled. Grid was also crying¡­ he cried the most. It was a side effect of easily understanding and empathizing with other people¡¯s feelings and thoughts. Grid stopped crying after he felt Zibal¡¯s gaze, only to suddenly be curious about something.


    A body was left behind after Zik¡¯s soul transferred. In other words, what would happen to Grandmaster Zikfrector¡¯s vacant body in the future?


    ¡°That is now just a corpse. It is enough to burn it.¡± Zik spoke politely. It was after he kept thanking Braham.


    ¡°¡­Can I have it?¡± Grid thought of a possibility and carefully asked for it. Zik agreed with pleasure.


    ck!ck ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton One danced excitedly. Iyarugt, who hung from Peak Sword¡¯s waist, also cried out.


    ***


    In the war at the Behen Archipgo, humanity had the advantage.


    The firepower of the Overgeared Fleet, which relied on the hundreds of Overgeared Cannons, was extremely strong. Additionally, Bow Saint Jishuka and African Leopard Kujarak were greater than rumored. There was the artillery fire from the sea in the back and the barrier of the allied forces blocking the front. The hell army trapped in this gap continued to falter and failed to break through the difficulties.


    ¡®Now it is the limit.¡¯


    The 13th Great Demon, Beleth¡ªhe fought for three days and nights with the lich while blocking the fleet¡¯s bombardment. Thus, his condition wasn¡¯t intact.


    Now he felt that there was no answer other than to retreat. Still, he held on without rushi+ng.


    Gamigin and Barbatos¡ªhe was expecting a victory from the Abyss where two single digit great demons were present. Yes, in the first ce, the main force was at the Abyss. After upying the Abyss, the troops sent by the main army would slowly arrive and hit the enemy in the rear. They would soon severely beat up the skull of this fly-like skeleton, who kept distorting space, and the merpeople guarding the powerful cannons¡­


    Beleth patiently endured the humiliation for the joy at that time. He endured persistently. This was why his despair was even greater.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    The troops he was waiting for didn¡¯te. Rather, the enemy reinforcements arrived. The scale was over 100,000. In particr, there was a tremendous guy as the leader. Blond hair fell down to his waist while the red waves of power spreading from bizarre letters was unusual. Every time he stepped, he used his transcendence to narrow the distance by kilometers.


    ¡®Death.¡¯


    Beleth sensed it and immediately flew up. It was toward the portal in the sky that he had been aware of since the beginning. Just then, red rays turned Beleth¡¯s lower body into powder. The entire upper body disappeared through the portal that narrowly swallowed it. The momentum that soared through the clouds seemed to reach the stars.


    The rays that reached the horizon exploded and created a red glow. It was a sight that would dye Heaven that was beyond the sky.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The demons froze. Even the demonic creatures trembled and stepped back. The allied soldiers were also astonished. The results were obvious. The drums of humanity¡¯s victory rang even in the Behen Archipgo.


    [Your apostle ¡®Zik¡¯ has resolved the first regret. All of Zik¡¯s stats will increase slightly and the usage of the runes will be faster.]


    The strongest person who witnessed the end of humanity in the previous world¡ªhe protected the humans of the current world and relieved a bit of his burden.

 Chapter 1516

    <h4>Chapter 1516</h4>


    [All the hellmanders of the hell army invading the Behen Archipgo have retreated.]


    [The Behen Archipgo has temporarily entered a lull.]


    The war wasn¡¯t over. It wasn¡¯t known when it would resume again. People were already afraid. Could they hold on if this break was shorter than expected? If the war was to resume again, how many lives would disappear at that time?


    ¡°Eddie is dead as well¡­ the 12thpany has beenpletely wiped out except for you and me¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you crying? This is why I told you not to get close to the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°How can I do that? We crossed the line of death together, helped each other,ughed and cried together¡­¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have mixed up with them andughed and cried together.¡±


    ¡°How can I do that? damn! How many times do I owe them? They talked about their dreams with shi+ning eyes! How¡­ how could I turn away?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m sad as well.¡±


    Was this really the winning army? The atmosphere of the allied camp was gloomy. It was mostly the yers. Unlike NPCs, who were prepared for the end (death) at the beginning of the war, the yers weren¡¯t properly prepared to ept death. They suffered great aftereffects after realizing the weight of death, which was particrly harsh on the NPCs throughout the war.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be stronger. We have no choice but to be stronger if we want to reduce the number of victims, even by one.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Kuek.¡±


    The sadness that became clearer as the night deepened was covered up with solemn determination.


    ***


    The 6th evil¡ªno, he should now be called the apostle of the Overgeared God. Zik, who defeated Beleth with overwhelming power, had been appointed as the newmander of the Behen Archipgo. He was a very capable person. He immediately grasped the current situation and reorganized the army. A new camp was established in order to take advantage of the terrain of the Behen Archipgo. The work was quick and perfect. It had no shorings in the eyes of Piaro, who had led numerous wars.


    ¡®As expected, he is Sir Zik.¡¯


    It was worthy of being the figure who reigned the empire behind the scenes even before he regained his body. He was qualified to be an apostle chosen by His Liege.


    ¡®It is a hundred times better than me.¡¯


    Piaro was confident in his skills. He was confident that the more he embodied the teachings gained from Biban and improved the realm of Natural State, the more he would develop. However, he evaluated that it hadn¡¯t reached a levelparable to the other apostles. It was the truth, not self-admonishment.


    The other apostles had been different since birth. Nefelina was a dragon and Zik was a half-God. Braham was from Beriache¡¯s direct lineage and Sariel was an archangel. Mercedes was a human being, but she was the owner of Keen Insight. Her growth potential was in a different dimension.


    ¡®Doing this at times like this¡­¡¯


    Don¡¯t waver.I might get lost if I be swept away by anxiety.Let¡¯s walk on the right path, even if it is slowly.


    It happened as Piaro came out from the barracks and controlled his mind while taking deep, calm breaths¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± A tall man approached and greeted him politely. It was a man who boasted a height of 2 meters and 23 centimeters. He used his long limbs and stic muscles to swing his spear like a whip and ughtered the demons. The name was clearly¡­


    ¡°You are called Kujarak. I saw your performance and was impressed by it.¡±


    ¡°It is thanks to you tying up the feet of Baal¡¯s subordinates and the great demons alone. In particr, the method of deceiving the eyes and ears of the demonic creatures by turning the battlefield into agricultural fields is great. Without you, our allies would¡¯ve received twice the damage.¡±


    Kujarak, the African leopard¡ªhe wasn¡¯t the type of person to say meaningless things to get the favor of others. It was the reason why rumors spread that he was negligent when it came to human rtions. He paid tribute to Piaro purely and truthfully. He had been watching Piaro from the time Zik appeared and chased Beleth away.


    The reinforcement who arrived at the battlefield one step ahead of Zik¡ªhe feared that the hero, who helped his allies with a performance that was more than the rumors, would beat himself up byparing himself to Zik.


    ¡°I¡¯ve felt this since a long time ago. I¡¯ve been looking up to you ever since I saw you blow away one of Belial¡¯s arms. I hope you remember that many people are chasing after your back like me.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Your dream is to be a farmer?¡±


    ¡°No. Then I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°¡­I wish you good luck.¡±


    He was truly a person who couldn¡¯t say empty words. Piaro had a very regretful expression, but he soon smiled. His psychological burden was reduced with the encouragement of a true young hero.


    ***


    Satisfy had a low degree of freedom when it came to customization. The yer¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t much different from reality. Skin color, eyes, hairstyles, tattoos, scars, and weight could be modified freely, while ¡®naturally born physical conditions¡¯ such as height and skeletal structure were very simr to reality.


    Of course, a person who was missing a limb in reality didn¡¯t face the harsh possibility of having no limbs even in Satisfy. Satisfy was extremely generous when it came to disabilities. There were only a few concessions when it came to the shape and length of the skeletal structure.


    It was because physical characteristics yed a major role in individualbat. The realisticw that a person with long arms was advantageous when fighting a person with short arms was also applied to Satisfy.


    Satisfy interpreted the yer¡¯s body as an area of talent. It was just like reality. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as harsh as reality. Satisfy had many sses and skills. Since the physical characteristics required for the weapons and techniques used were different, yers used their physical conditions to their advantage by choosing a ss that suited their body.


    This was only for the hardcore gamers. People who dreamed about bing rankers considered their physical conditions, but the average person didn¡¯t care. In the first ce, physical conditions only yed an important role when fighting individuals or high intelligence monsters. There was no reason for an ordinary person to care. In that sense¡ª


    ¡°Kujarak.¡±


    Kujarak, who had long reigned as a top ranker, had superior physical conditions that were considered a blessing from God.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    Katz¡ªhe had recently been showing a series of unrivaled activities and was rapidly emerging as a new signboard of the Overgeared Guild. His level rankings also rose sharply and he was selected as the person who benefited the most from the vampire species. He blocked Kujarak¡¯s way as Kujarak was leaving the camp.


    Kujarak stared at Katz with big and clear eyes like a calf and cocked his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Katz I know.¡±


    In the past, there was a time when Kujarak and Katz¡¯ hunting grounds ovepped. They met quite often and each time, Katz attacked Kujarak while saying that it was his area. To put it nicely, he was aggressive. To put it badly, he was worse than a brute. Yet now Katz was apletely different person. His eyes were calm.


    Katz shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve grown up, even if it iste. Finish the rest of the war well.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to leave?¡±


    ¡°I want to fight in a ce where my strength is needed more desperately.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    The fighting power of the resurrected Zik was beyond imagination. Katz measured him to beparable to Grid or slightly above him. The Behen Archipgo would be safe as long as he was stationed here.


    ¡°Good bye.¡±


    Kujarak looked at Katz, who was holding out his hand with a smile. ¡°If you want to exchange farewells, you should apologize first.¡±


    ¡°Are you still upset about the old days? No, that is a very old thing. Additionally, I was the one who died every time.¡±


    ¡°Just because a robber is overpowered doesn¡¯t mean that he is innocent. The sin doesn¡¯t disappear just because it is in the past.¡±


    ¡°damn. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Remove the swear word.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    In any case, Kujarak never had a moderate personality since a long time ago. Katz seemed to know why this person couldn¡¯t easily get along with others.


    ¡®It is because he doesn¡¯t knowpromise that he is trustworthy.¡¯


    Katz thought so and apologized politely. He didn¡¯t intend to make friends with Kujarak now. It was simply closer to showing respect. Kujarak¡¯s performance and attitude throughout the war were a great help.


    ¡°Your heart has be stronger. I wish you luck.¡±


    The smiling Kujarak finally epted Katz¡¯ handshake. The big hand gave Katz a wonderful impression.


    ¡®Everyone is growing.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild was just a handful of yers out of 2.2 billion yers. It was less than a handfulpared to the yers who were active and developing in invisible ces. Katz, who had always feltpetitive with others, had a different mindset for the first time. The great human and demon war was the trigger.


    ¡®I¡¯m cheering for you.¡¯


    He hoped they would be stronger together and share Grid¡¯s burden. Katz truly hoped for this. It was something that ured after seeing the video of Grid hiding his wounds.


    ***


    The Abyss had Braham, Mercedes, Asmophel, Peak Sword, Chris, etc.


    The Behen Archipgo had Zik, Piaro, Jishuka, Katz, Regas, etc.


    They worked closely together to maintain the camp and prepare for the demon invasion. Additionally, Bunsdel and 500 half-draconians patrolled the sky and watched out for the mass outbreak of portals. Skilled individuals such as Eat Spicy Jokbal and Hurent also dominated the major strongholds. It was an almost perfect defensepared to the early days of the war.


    ¡®Basara is ready.¡¯


    Basara was currently staying in the underground area of the imperial pce. It was to recreate the summoning magic circle that had been sleeping in the depths of the imperial library. It was a summoning magic circle that responded only to red energy. The better the quality of the red energy, the higher the effect. Basara had no choice but to do it herself.


    ¡®Victory. We can win.¡¯


    In the worst case scenario where even Baal¡¯s body emerged, there was a chance of winning when they joined forces with everyone. Probably. Of course, the damage would be terrible, but¡­ the fact that hope existed was important.


    Thanks to this, Grid could concentrate. He endured the heat emitted by the Furnace of God that was built up like a city wall, and smelted Gujel¡¯s fang. He was worried that he had made a mistake when he saw the fang stained ck, but fortunately, it was a natural process.


    Gujel¡¯s fang wasn¡¯t metal so it didn¡¯t melt into a molten form. The strength increased by burning the surface and reducing the volume. The expression ¡®shedding¡¯ seemed appropriate.


    ¡®It is bing stronger?¡¯


    Grid went beyond admiration and became shocked. He realized again why the level of the dragon weapons and armor made by the members of the Tower of Wisdom were so insignificant. Grid had no worries about how to smelt a tooth that didn¡¯t melt. He naturally understood that his work was going in the right direction. The Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques helped him understand it.


    The surface of the ashy fang further increased the strength of the mes in the furnace. The powerful heat generated in an instant burned ck all the top-grade stones making up the furnace and withered the trees and grass in the area. The windows of Grid¡¯s smithy, located not far away, melted because they couldn¡¯t be bent. Then judging from the exterior walls that started to crack, the steel frames supporting the building seemed to be twisting.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    The cksmiths, who were waiting for him in the distance, stepped back in pain. Their skin had already turned red. Grid summoned Noe and Overgeared Corn to help the craftsmen flee.


    Eventually, the smithy copsed. It was because it couldn¡¯t ovee the heat. Grid¡¯s work clothes had already burned and disappeared. He was naked. To be precise, he was only wearing Beriache¡¯s Underclothing.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    If this continued, the furnace would also be destroyed. The rise of heat, caused by the by-product of the fang, exceeded expectations¡­ Grid¡¯s concerns soon became a reality. Cracks started to ur on the surface of the myth rated furnace. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t stop the bellows. He stared at Gujel¡¯s fang, that ckened as if trying to shed again, only to blow a stronger air.


    ¡®I can feel it!¡¯


    Grid vaguely felt it. The willpower in the fang that emitted light as the mes intensified. Perhaps it was the thoughts of the dead Gujel. It was a part of his dignity that wouldn¡¯t give in to anyone.


    An explosion urred. Part of the surface of the Furnace of God was destroyed and the mes circting inside the furnace erupted. Some of the inner city walls. .hit by the mes copsed and the pce shook from the aftermath that urred at this time. The ponds evaporated and the garden burned down. The sky was red.


    ¡°Uwaaaah!¡±


    Grid¡¯s developed hearing captured Rabbit¡¯s screaming from somewhere. However, Grid¡¯s use of the bellows elerated instead. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop now. It was all or nothing. He believed that Lauel would¡¯ve evacuated the others, including Irene.


    How much time had passed? It was to the point where even Beriache¡¯s Underclothing was in tatters.


    Just then, Gujel¡¯s fang, which had be smaller in size, emitted a transparent glow. The infinite flow of light illuminated the interior of the furnace that was burned ck. The furnace seemed to be the universe. The fiercely burning mes died down like it was a lie.


    Grid stretched out his tongs. He got rid of Gujel¡¯s thoughts, ced the subdued fang on the anvil, and hit it with his hammer. The clear sound that had never been heard before gave Grid a refreshi+ng thrill. The sensation rushed through the back of his neck and prated his brain.


    [You have seeded in smelting Gujel¡¯s Fang.]


    [Your willpower and mental world have strengthened.]

 Chapter 1517

    <h4>Chapter 1517</h4>


    The clouds that swept through the hall were dyed a golden color. It was a representation of lingering regret. The expelled Gods were still longing for their homnd.


    ¡°Zeratul was defeated and Zik was resurrected.¡±


    Hanul¡¯s expression was so calm that the three masters were surprised.


    ¡®I thought he would beughing.¡¯


    He was the most straightforward about his feelings among the Gods of the beginning. There were often criticisms of frivolity, but that was only from those who didn¡¯t know great enjoyment.


    ¡°Yes, it is too much humiliation. Even Asgard won¡¯t be able to stand by.¡±


    ¡°Dominion¡­ no, Judar will move.¡±


    The three masters noticed it. Hanul was contemting a departure. The timing was appropriate. After a series of unexpected incidents, Asgard¡¯s defenses would be neglected for a while. It wasn¡¯t bad to take this opportunity to invade Asgard.


    ¡®The moment we reach the west, our deity will rise significantly.¡¯


    The human beings of the westernnds had great distrust in Asgard. They didn¡¯t receive any help during the invasion of the demons. It was easy for them to be the new objects of worshi+p.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough just to discuss the odds.¡¯


    This opportunity might note twice. The ovep between Zeratul¡¯s defeat and Zik¡¯s resurrection was such a great event. The probability was close to a miracle. However, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the best to take advantage of this opportunity. The fundamental problem was that it was difficult to see the odds even if they invaded Asgard.


    There was a big gap in basicbat effectiveness. This was even if Zeratul had entered the ¡®status recovery¡¯ state and Judar would be absent. There were still Rikael and Dominion left over there.


    Judar, Dominion, and Rikael were the first Gods and apostles created at the same time as Reba was born. They were the ones who expelled them from their home to thisnd.


    Those with a power and authority that transcended the concept of force¡ªthey were originally special existences who couldn¡¯t be ignored, just like the ancient Gods, dragons, and beings with the modifier of ¡®first¡¯ or ¡®beginning,¡¯ such as the three evils of hell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    The three masters awakened from their thoughts. Pungsa, Unsa and Usa¡ªthere was no impatience in Hanul¡¯s eyes as he looked at the three of them.


    ¡°I still intend to observe. The Overgeared God and Zik might bring defeat to Judar. If they seed in bringing Dominion down to the ground, then it will be our chance.¡±


    ¡°¡­You think highly of the Overgeared God.¡±


    Zik had been promising since ancient times. Why else would Reba have directly cursed him?


    The three masters approved when Hanul tried to win him over. If they could revive the seven malignant saints starting with Zik, they would gain a great deal ofbat power. Meanwhile, the Overgeared God was ambiguous. There were whispers in the wind that humanity survived the invasion of demons and Zik was resurrected thanks to the Overgeared God. The three masters remembered Grid from the days when he was still a human being.


    Yes, the Overgeared God wasn¡¯t a God when he visited the Hwan Kingdom. He might¡¯ve aplished the achievement of passing Chiyou¡¯s Test, but it was difficult to imagine more than that. Could he really survive against Judar¡¯s schemes?


    The three masters thought it was difficult.


    ¡®Their mutual destruction would be the best.¡¯


    The three masters had a frank wish. Zik refused to be Hanul¡¯s apostle and instead served as Grid¡¯s apostle. From the perspective of the three masters, both Zik and Grid were hateful. They wanted the two of them to die alongside the Gods of Asgard. Then Hanul spoke in a meaningful manner, ¡°Rather than appreciating the Overgeared God, I am looking forward to Venice¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°Considering the sins shemitted in the past, it is enough to feel expectant.¡±


    The expressions of the three masters became more rxed.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Only Sobyeol stayed silent. His eyes, which shone brightly, became cold as he looked at the three masters, but the parties concerned didn¡¯t notice it.


    ***


    Responding to Baal¡¯s invasion and considering how to use Zik¡¯s body¡ªGrid¡¯s mind was heavily exhausted. However, time was running out. He couldn¡¯t rest and started to produce the divine sword. He didn¡¯t make any rudimentary mistakes such as losing concentration or having dull fingers, but it was true that it was difficult. It was just after a battle at the speed of sound in the same environment as reality. His physical strength had long recovered, but his mental fatigue remained.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s persistence and concentration shone even more in difficult situations. Apart from being tough, Grid was always perfectly in control of the work. He adjusted the mes of the furnace as intended and seeded in smelting the fang using the unexpectedly strong mes.


    Moreover, he received thepensation of strengthening his willpower and mental world. The reward just for smelting a material was too much. The highest of all concepts was willpower and the mental world.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t pleased. It was because the Furnace of God was destroyed. How much manpower and funds had been invested to create this myth rated furnace? What he had pledged to be a lifelongpanion ended up as a disposable item¡­


    ¡®Now that it is like this, I have no choice but to aim for the best results.¡¯


    The furnace couldn¡¯t be sacrificed in vain. It hadn¡¯t beenpletely destroyed, but in any case¡­


    Grid cooled down his boiling mind and elerated the work.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    He tempered the fang with Hexetia¡¯s anvil and hammer. Then he smelted it using the furnace that was still releasing mes toward the broken outer wall.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    He repeated the same tasks again and again before finally creating and structuring the frame of the de ording to the design imprinted in his head.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Days passed as Grid engrossed himself in his work. During the process, the outer wall of the furnacepletely copsed and war resumed in all parts of the continent, but¡­


    Grid waspletely focused on his own world. Hemunicated with Gujel¡¯s fang, which intermittently shook, attacked Grid, and rejected the mes even after giving in. Surprisingly, the skill Overgeared God¡¯s Domination and Talima¡¯s Shame were very helpful in the production process.


    [Overgeared God¡¯s Domination Lv. 1]


    [Use your divine authority to create and rule all things to temporarily dominate ¡®created things.¡¯


    The duration is 1 second by default. The higher the willpower stat, the longer the duration.


    During the duration of dominance, you can exercise all rights except ¡®destruction¡¯ on the target item.


    Skill applicable target: Recognized objects. It is up to 2 objects. There is one extra for every 1,000 points in willpower.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    It was different from the Duke of Virtue¡¯s skill of borrowing items. It was also different from Talima¡¯s Shame whomanded ¡®ego items.¡¯ Overgeared God¡¯s Domination had an influence on ¡®created things¡¯ as a whole. The influence mentioned here wasn¡¯t a simple concept. Exercising all rights except destruction¡­ in other words, it had endless utility.


    Gujel¡¯s fang, which was smelted by Grid¡¯s hands, also belonged to the category of created things. Every time it shook, Grid exercised control and overpowered it. If his skill was on cooldown, then he used Talima¡¯s Shame. If he didn¡¯t have such means, the process of making the fang into a sword would¡¯ve been much harder. Every time he tried to shape it into the form of a sword, it jumped frantically like it didn¡¯t want to lose its essence.


    ¡®The ego is too strong.¡¯


    It was iparable to Talima¡¯s Shame. It could be inferred through the reaction of the Fire Dragon Sword. The Fire Dragon Sword, which used to make threats every time Talima¡¯s Shame rebelled, remained silent, like it was dead, in front of Gujel¡¯s fang. It seemed to be very wary.


    It was natural. The Fire Dragon Sword was an ego born from a breath, and it was not a part of Trauka. It had integrated with Greed to be a divine sword, but its fundamental status was still inferior to Gujel¡¯s fang. It was inevitable even if Trauka was a higher ranked dragon than Gujel.


    Tta!Ttang!Ttang!


    Grid¡¯s hammering became increasingly sophisticated. He finally slowly and delicately tempered the obedient fang. He guided the grain, which was divided in several branches, into one direction.


    The curve remained gentle. He understood the intention contained in the form. He strengthened the rapport through understanding and inserting his willpower. Once it finally took the form of a shi+ning dao, it wasbined with a handle made of Greed.


    It wasn¡¯tplete yet. It should be sharper.


    As the work progressed, Grid sensed the tension of the Fire Dragon Sword and spoke in a reassuring manner, ¡°This isn¡¯t a process to abandon you.¡±


    Even if Gujel¡¯s dao boasted an unrivaled power, Grid had no intention of abandoning his existing swords. The realization gained from the creation of Gujel¡¯s dao would be incorporated into the innovation of the divine swords.


    Grid created divine swords and the desired result was an overall evolution. It wasn¡¯t a screening process.


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    Time passed quickly. During the production of Gujel¡¯s dao, Grid reached the connection timeouts a total of three times. This meant he devoted nearly nine days to the production. It was possible due to the consideration of his colleagues. The Overgeared members and apostles did their best in their respective positions. They thwarted the invasion of the demons, so Grid didn¡¯t have to go out. In particr, Yura and Kraugel, who were active in hell with Leraje, made a great contribution. They ransacked Gamigin¡¯s soul vault.


    Thanks to this, Grid could fully concentrate. Combined with Overgeared God¡¯s Domination and Talsha, the divine sword waspleted much faster than scheduled.


    A world message appeared.


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s divine object has appeared.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [All stats of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s believers will permanently increase by 10 and the penalties incurred when wearing items will be slightly reduced.]


    It was news that gave humanity new hope. Just¡ª


    [A myth rated item is produced, permanently increasing all stats by 30!]


    [Reputation throughout the continent will rise by 1,000.]


    [For the first time in history, aplete dragon weapon has beenpleted. The title ¡®Dragon yer?¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [The faith of the Overgeared God Church followers and all the cksmiths in the world has deepened.]


    [The heavenly Gods are wary of you.]


    [The son of Stone Dragon Gujel has woken up.]


    [Some dragons are having fun watching the situation.]


    ¡°¡­???¡±


    The contents of the notification windows visible only to Grid weren¡¯t sweet. The wariness of the Gods was something he experienced more than once or twice, so it was sufficiently anticipated. However, he hadn¡¯t expected the dragons to react. The situation that was assumed to be the ¡®worst case scenario¡¯ became reality. Additionally, Gujel¡¯s son?


    ¡®I attracted aggro in the wrong direction?¡¯


    Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. He had to bear it even if he knew the results clearly. He couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to make a dragon weapon. He couldn¡¯t just suck his fingers because he was scared of dragons.


    ¡®Think positively. If a dragon appears, it might be better because there is justification for the Tower of Wisdom to intervene.¡¯


    Moreover, he got a ridiculous title.


    [Dragon yer?]


    The question mark behind it was very unpleasant, but¡­ in any case, it was likely to be one of the highest titles.


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    Grid was about to confirm the details of the divine sword and title only to look behind him in amazement. Standing there was a woman supporting her face with both hands, like a flower. The moment Grid¡¯s eyes met her eyes, he felt dizzy from her smile. It was literally a Goddess.


    Venice, the Goddess of money and the owner of the sun carriage¡ªGrid knew her. He had encountered her voice once before when he purchased Hexetia¡¯s anvil and hammer from the carriage.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to sell information. I will give you information that will be a great~ help to you!¡± There was no malice in the sparkling, starlit eyes.

 Chapter 1518

    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Grid got dressed first. It was a formal garment from the prince of the Luvia Principality and there were many decorations and straps. It was made from gorgeous red silk that blended well with the fluttering style. Grid had not been pleased with this gift. It was because it took at least five minutes to change into. He suspected that the prince was deliberately fucking with him.


    The Luvia Principality was an ally due to their marriage promise to the Gauss Kingdom, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it surrendered on the surface while making dirty moves behind his back. Yet at this moment, his doubts werepletely eliminated.


    ¡®Wearing it at times like this is helpful for thinking of the truth.¡¯


    Venice, the god of money¡ªthere was no notice of her visit.


    Grid suddenly encountered her in undergarments. It was a difficult situation to stay calm. He needed time to clear up the confusion. In that respect, this outfit was a great help. He was able to earn enough time while putting on the clothes.


    ¡®It is unlikely that Venice is one of the main gods.¡¯


    Worldly desires were a far cry from divinity. Rather, it belonged to things that were considered vulgar. Apart from some merchants, few people worshipped the god of money. It was highly likely that Venice was on the weak side in Asgard.


    ¡®That¡¯s why she wants change.¡¯


    The more she wascking, the more she dreamed of transformation. Venice wouldn¡¯t be united with the gods of Asgard.


    ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to the information she wants to sell to me.¡¯


    By the time Grid¡¯s thoughts reached this point, he was wearing the belt. He loosely tightened the strap embroidered with transparent jewels over the coat. He would rather make use of dignity than to reveal these luxuries, so he lowered the cloth on his shoulders and covered them lightly.


    Venice watched him and opened her mouth, ¡°I was worried it would be too gorgeous, but it looks good. If you can handle this level of clothing, then any type of clothing is suitable.¡±


    ¡®I do look good in clothes.¡¯


    Every time this happened, he felt it was rewarding to exercise hard.


    She was literally a goddess. Grid¡¯s mood naturally improved when a beautiful woman, who could be called one of the best in the world, smiled brightly and praised him. It wasn¡¯t due to self-interest but an area of instinct.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you look twice as cool if you decorate it with this ne and ring?¡±


    [Do you want to spend 120,000 reputation points to buy the ¡®Tidal Wave Pearl Ne¡¯?]


    [Do you want to spend 100,000 reputation points to buy the ¡®Sunset Ring¡¯?]


    ¡®...This businessperson.¡¯


    Venice¡¯s praise was just part of doing business. She offered many goods quite naturally.


    ¡®It is quite a high quality item.¡¯


    Grid examined the information of the ne and ring, and refused to buy them. He judged that he could make them himself. Of course, there would be a lot of trial and errors, but there was no reason to lose hundreds of thousands of reputation points in vain. ¡°You want to sell information that will be very helpful to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter if I am hostile to Asgard? Helping me means doing damage to Asgard.¡±


    ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t matter. In any case, business is more important than Asgard. Please speak morefortably than that. For me, the customer is the king. Ah, is a king inferior to a god? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°So what information do you want to sell?¡±


    Grid brought up the main point and observed Venice. Her gaze, breathing, and subtle movements were all in his vision. From now on, Grid would have a high probability of noticing it the moment she told a small lie. He had umted experience and insight for a reason.


    ¡°Asgard had a hard time just watching Zik¡¯s resurrection, so Judar eventually departed.¡±


    ¡°Judar...¡±


    The god of health and wisdom.


    ¡°Is he going to create a gue?¡±


    Grid recalled the old events and didn¡¯t react much. He didn¡¯t seem afraid of Judar. It was natural. At a time when Martial God Zeratul had invaded, there was no need to be intimidated by Judar, who would be weaker than Zeratul. It was a judgment that he could sufficiently deal with Judar.


    Veniceughed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t humanity worship Reba, Dominion, and Judar because they are the three gods since ancient times? You will suffer if you take Judar too lightly.¡±


    ¡®Certainly... Judar might be more troublesome than Zeratul.¡¯ Grid was convinced. He realized that strength wasn¡¯t an important measure when evaluating gods. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he had learned it personally.


    ¡°Of course, it is unlikely that Judar will exert a direct influence in the human world. If a god threatens humanity while they are at war with demons then he will greatly lose faith.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to join hands with the demons behind the scenes in order to not be discovered?¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps a dragon?¡± Venice¡¯s gaze was meaningful. She was looking behind Grid. A divine sword was reflected in her big eyes.


    ¡°What will happen if Judar works with demons or dragons?¡± Grid¡¯s expression was calm, but he was inwardly ufortable. He recalled the news that Gujel¡¯s son had woken up.


    ¡°The demons and dragons will be very powerful. Judar¡¯s power is incredible. He makes weak bones into strong bones, strong bones into weak bones, or strong bones into strongest bones. Or he can make them a genius or a fool.¡±


    ¡®I can think of him as the god of buffs and debuffs.¡¯


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just strengthening and weakening. It is linked by eliminating the weakness of the target and making them immortal. Now, I will get to the point from here on out.¡± Venice blinked and raised a finger. ¡°Give me 80% of the reputation you have. In return, I¡¯ll tell you in detail who Judar is working with and what exactly Judar¡¯s power does.¡±


    Venice raised one more finger. ¡°There is also a way to pay using deity, not reputation. I will ept only one deity in exchange for handing you all the information about Judar and in addition, the sin hemitted.¡±


    Venice¡¯s proposal wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose your reputation or deity, why don¡¯t you pay with the dragon weapon? The one you just made. In any case, there is material left to make one more sword. I¡¯ll give you not only Judar¡¯s infomation, but the information of the gods that will follow after Judar. You should think carefully.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± The silently listening Grid slowly opened his mouth, ¡°Even a god can¡¯tpletely eliminate the weakness of a living thing and make them immortal. Gods aren¡¯t immortal themselves.¡±


    Grid thought of Hercules, a hero in Greek mythology. It was a myth that didn¡¯t exist in Satisfy, so it was one-sided knowledge that only Grid knew. ¡°To be urate, Judar¡¯s power isn¡¯t to eliminate weaknesses, but to reduce them. For example, he can create immortal beings who don¡¯t die unless their Achilles¡¯ tendon is shed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Venice was still smiling, but some of the starlight in her big eyes shook slightly. It was a very small tremor, but it failed to avoid Grid¡¯s insight.


    ¡°Of course, the one that Judar is joining forces with is a demon. Based on Hexetia¡¯s situation in the past, it is difficult to evenmunicate with dragons.¡±


    In the distant past, aftermitting the sin of envy, Hexetia gave the demons a weapon and induced them to invade the human world. At that time, the stage of the war was the Behen Archipgo. Pagma, Baal¡¯s Contractor, turned the archipgo into a barrier to prevent the invasion of the demons sequentially.


    The stone dragon Gujel tried to intervene in the process. Gujel was greatly wounded by the insane dragon at the time and was determined to heal from his wounds by feeding on the demons who invaded the Behen Archipgo. He was stopped by the tower members and died, but...


    The implications of this event were great. Gods and dragons didn¡¯tmunicate with each other. Or perhaps they didn¡¯t cooperate. Gujel¡¯s act of trying to turn Hexetia¡¯s purpose of destroying humanity to nothing proved it.


    ¡°The sin that Judarmitted is wrath. It must be his sin in order for him to run to the demons as soon as Zik was resurrected.¡±


    Venice kept her mouth shut. She was still smiling, but that seemed to be the limit.


    ¡°If we win against Judar¡¯s trials this time, the god who wille next is obvious. Isn¡¯t it Dominion, who is also one of the three gods? He is the god of war, so his presence inrge-scalebat will exceed Zeratul. I need to prepare for it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Is there any wrong with my guesses so far?¡±


    Grid judged using his expanded thinking that there was nothing wrong. Sure enough, Venice didn¡¯t deny it. As a businessperson, she regarded trust as life. She slowly smiled before eventually, she cried with a sad expression, shouting, ¡°I hate it! I hate you so much! You are really so wicked!¡±


    ¡®This woman¡¯s sin is greed.¡¯


    The offer to make a deal with him was the crime of betraying Asgard himself. She must¡¯vemitted the sin of greed again and again.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. She is a god who doesn¡¯t receive the worship of people.¡¯


    She had to build up her reputation and deity, even if it meant sinning.


    Grid saw through Venice and offered her a suggestion, ¡°Can you help me get the secret technique I want? It is out of stock in the sun carriage.¡±


    ¡°...What secret technique?¡±


    ¡°A secret technique dealing with double wielding. It will be easy to use if it is from Zeratul.¡±


    ¡°Even so, Zeratul will have doubts. There has been no god who ordered a specific secret technique through me. It will cost a lot to persuade him without raising suspicions.¡±


    ¡°I will give you two times the market price.¡±


    ¡°I should get 5 times.¡±


    ¡°1.5 times.¡±


    ¡°4 times.¡±


    ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°3 times! 3 times!¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m only going to yield this one due to the favor you have shown me today.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you so much for that.¡±


    The veins on the forehead of the smiling Venice bulged. The reason she came to Grid today was to do business. Yet as Grid said, it had be a favor. It was a loss that she gave too many hints. She hadn¡¯t thought he could be so smart based on his past actions...


    She might¡¯ve been promised three times the price for the secret technique, but it wasn¡¯t cost-effective even at this price...


    ¡°I want to see the sword before I leave. Is it possible?¡± Venice politely asked.


    Grid didn¡¯t refuse.


    A god obsessed with reputation and deity¡ªVenice¡¯s purpose was clear, so there was no need to be vignt. He judged that he could use her purpose well to maintain a cooperative rtionship in the future. He was willing to give this small degree of favor.


    ¡°Uwah...¡±


    Venice¡¯s eyes, which were already big and round, became even bigger. She was unable to shut her wide open mouth and hit Grid¡¯s arm in admiration. Someone who saw it would misunderstand that they were close. She was excited like a goddess who was serious about luxury goods.


    ¡®Amazing.¡¯


    Grid was also excited.


    [Gujel¡¯s Fang (Dao)]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 15,690


    * Attack speed will increase by 50%


    * The usage speed of attack skills will increase by 30%.


    * The attack power of the earth attribute will increase by 400%.


    ¡ï There is a high probability of causing ¡®petrification¡¯ to the target when attacking.


    ¡ï Attack power against the dragon species is increased by 150%.


    ¡ïThere is a high probability of ignoring the dragon¡¯s ¡®Absolute Defense.¡¯


    ¡ï The attack speed when drawing the sword is corrected to the maximum.


    ¡ï The power of the first attack after drawing the sword is increased by 300%. However, it only applies to normal attacks and ¡®drawing the sword¡¯ rted skills.


    ¡ï Attack power against targets suffering from ¡®insanity¡¯ will increase by 300%.


    This is the first dragon weapon. It was created by Overgeared God Grid.


    Conditions of Use: A god, transcendent, or dragon.


    Weight: 2,100]


    The gray magic power that hovered like a mirage over the transparent dao was mysterious and beautiful. It was a work that would be judged as overwhelming even when ced beside the best artworks in history. The power was self-evident. Unfortunately, the basic attack power wasckingpared to Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword, but it would transcend it if various conditions were met.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help but feel that the basic performance is poor.¡¯


    The title of the Overgeared God was creator of all things, not god of cksmiths. He could make any object, but his cksmithing skills were bound to be inferior to Hexetia. Of course, Grid was convinced that this would change over time. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be the concept of deity. The higher his deity, the more likely it was to increase the power of the items he made. Thus, he didn¡¯t have to worry.


    ¡®Of course, it is hard to say that I¡¯m not as good as Hexetia now.¡¯


    The power of an item wasn¡¯t just its numerical value. It depended on the detailed effects. In this case, Gujel¡¯s Fang was much better than Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword. Above all, Grid had the ¡®Overgeared God Grid¡¯s Innovation¡¯ skill. Gujel¡¯s Fang has room to progress three more times in the future.


    [Dragon yer?]


    [You have a dragon weapon, but you have yet to prove that you have killed a dragon. There are those who are confused whether you are a dragon yer or not.


    * When fighting dragons, there is a probability of ignoring their ¡®Absolute Defense.¡¯


    * When fighting dragons, there is a probability of your stats increasing.]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was the moment when the value of Gujel¡¯s Fang rose sharply. The question mark after the name was exined. There were many parts he didn¡¯t like, but it was a mythical title when it came to performance. In particr, thepatibility with the dragon weapon was good.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The highly motivated Grid once again held the hammer. There was one part of Gujel¡¯s fangs remaining. During the time when the furnace¡¯s mes were maintained, the melting and de structure werepleted, so he just needed to do the finishing touches. After a while¡ª


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s divine object has appeared.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [All stats of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s believers will permanently increase by 10 and the penalties incurred when wearing items will be slightly reduced.]


    People felt a sense of deja vu. There were a number of people who were sighing because they envied the members of the Overgeared God Church.

 Chapter 1519

    Hell was a particrly difficult region for the yers due to three reasons.


    First, the debuff. In hell, their stats and stamina would be reduced as long as they breathed. In areas where the hellfire river flowed and poison spread, there were many restrictions on activities such as constant damage or blindness. It was truly and of death.


    Second, the diversity of demons and demonic creatures. Each of the 33 regions of hell had different environments. There were various types of demons and demonic creatures that inhabited them. The demons differed by individual and the demonkin by species. There were also major differences inbat styles. It was difficult to identify and prepare for each one. It was an unpredictable realm.


    Third, it was the absence of a map. The scale of hell wasparable to the human world. However, the actual size felt more than that. It was because there were so many rough ces and maps didn¡¯t exist. It was difficult to be familiar with the geography, so it felt like they were wandering in a maze or walking in an endless desert.


    [Your level has risen.]


    Yet even in such an infamous hell, Yura and Kraugel weren¡¯t held back. It was thanks to Leraje. She was a living strategy book and GPS. She was the 10th ranked great demon in the hierarchy and knew too much about hell. She had all types of information that was hard for even a Demon yer to know and clearly guided Yura and Kraugel. The two of them had umted more than one or two achievements over the past fortnight with Leraje.


    It was natural since they helped upy as many as 16 hells. It was literally an upation. It was different from simple destruction. Leraje now had a total of 17 hells, including the 10th hell. In other words, more than half the hells were under her control. The only reason this was possible was the great human and demon war.


    The rulers of hell were absent or called upon to participate in the army. They lost their right to defend. The 50,000 strong army led by Leraje captured the hells so easily that it was hard to believe. Of course, this speed was only possible with the help of Yura and Kraugel.


    [A new monarch has been born.]


    [A new monarch has been born.]


    [A new monarch has been...]


    Leraje¡¯s subordinates took the vacant thrones. They became the new rulers of the 16 hells, exercising their authority immediately to close all open portals in their territory. It meant that more than half of the portals connecting hell and the human world were closed.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt so rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, me too.¡±


    Kraugel and Yura¡¯s expressions were noticeably brighter. The fact that their work was directly beneficial to the world made them happy. The unprecedented rewards gave them fiery enthusiasm and they were filled with infinite power.


    ¡°You have to be wary from here on out.¡± Leraje warned the two smiling people as they were watching the portals in the sky gradually disappear. There was no one standing beside her in the lead. It was the aftermath of splitting up the troops and leaving them as defense forces with every new hell that was upied.


    ¡°I am relying heavily on the two of you. I will leave my back to you.¡± Leraje personally persuaded Yura and Kraugel. It was because their power was essential to this operation. She was honest in front of the two people. She did it without any exaggeration.


    Yura and Kraugel nodded silently. They weren¡¯t prejudiced because Leraje was a great demon. They had recognized her as a colleague from the time they joined the same side. There was no wickedness or vulgarity, just a pure and noble character. Simrly, Leraje recognized the essence of the two people from the beginning.


    Then Leraje¡¯s footsteps stopped. A huge door that seemed like it could reach the sky was in front of her. In the darkness, the group finally arrived at their destination after walking for a long time along the path that stretched out like a centipede.


    Yura and Kraugel didn¡¯t know where this ce was. It was just an unknown ce...


    ¡°This is the warehouse where the 4th ranked great demon, Gamigin, keeps her souls. A total of 999 souls are stored. Out of them, 99 are the souls of heroes and nine are the souls of legends. They were captured by Gamigin and failed to cross the river of reincarnation.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Yura and Kraugel¡¯s eyes widened. Every time they logged out, they would review the war at the Abyss. 30 soul warriors protected Gamigin, who were running wild there, and they were very strong. Yet there were over 100 such souls here. Moreover, there were the souls of nine legends that hadn¡¯t appeared at the Abyss yet...


    ¡°There is no need to be afraid. Our purpose isn¡¯t to destroy all these souls, but to destroy Gamigin¡¯s external heart linked to the souls. I n to break through one point and finish it in a short time.¡±


    Leraje nned to retreat as soon as she achieved her purpose. It meant she was going to end her undefeated myth here today.


    From her position, it was truly a great sacrifice. It was a deadly wound and a decision that might be regretted for eternity. Nevertheless, she was going to do it. She knew her limits. She knew that even if she struggled for the rest of her life, built up deity, and became a demon god, she wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the walls called Baal and Amoract.


    She decided it was best to bring the defeat she would definitely face one day to the time that she wanted it to happen. That was right now. There would be no other chance to hurt Gamigin.


    ¡°Gamigin is one of Baal¡¯s few helpers. Baal¡¯s forces will be greatly weakened if we can deal permanent damage to her.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Feel free, Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°Do you want the destruction of hell?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, how can that be? This is the home of me and my subordinates. How can I want its destruction? I want revenge on Baal. My subordinates are hoping for the purification of hell... it is because the present hell is distorted.¡±


    ¡°What type of world was hell before it was distorted?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, let¡¯s see... to be honest, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve only heard about it from some beings. Hell was already like this when I was born.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kraugel didn¡¯t try to induce a further conversation. it was meaningless. Based on Leraje¡¯s reactions, it seemed that the conditions were still insufficient to hear the truth of hell.


    ¡®Affinity alone isn¡¯t enough. We must solve the hidden quests.¡¯


    Kraugel looked at Yura and she nodded. She seemed to be answering that she would surely reveal the truth of hell one day.


    Kraugel smiled and told her, ¡°It will be possible with Grid, not me.¡±


    During the great human and demon war, Kraugel had grown at a tremendous rate. It was a natural result since he was active in the hell expedition before the beginning of the war and had been with Leraje since then. He was now level 469. There were four new titles.


    Kraugel realized an unprecedented development and naturally recalled the memories of the past.


    He had vowed to regain the title of Pioneer from Grid when he reached level 500. Now he felt ashamed again. He watched the video of Grid fighting Baal¡¯s ego alone and realized the gap with Grid hadn¡¯t narrowed at all.


    ¡®At this point, it is rude to im to be apetitor.¡¯


    It had been a long time since Kraugel called Grid apetitor. After the 4th National Competition, he noticed that he would never be able to catch up with Grid for the rest of his life. However, he didn¡¯t show it. It was because Grid considered him apetitor.


    The moment he glimpsed the anticipation in Grid¡¯s eyes, he could no longer confess that he wasn¡¯t apetitor. It felt like he would push Grid into solitude. Kraugel had once experienced the solitude felt only by the supreme one. However, now there was no need to worry. It was because there was Yura. One day, she would meet Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be with Youngwoo-ssi.¡±


    Kraugel wasn¡¯t the only one who grew up during the great human and demon war. At least on the stage called hell, Kraugel could never beat Yura. It was due to how she became stronger. She used hard work and experience to strengthen her swordsmanship skills, which wereckingpared to her shooting. Additionally, she could rece all phenomena caused by demonic energy with buffs or skills.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The huge door opened at once at Leraje¡¯s gesture. Beyond the darkness, a bizarre shape moved.


    ¡°¡±Huh? Leraje. Were the crazy rumors true?¡±¡±


    ¡°That is a very nasty guy. Don¡¯t be misled by what he tells you and what he shows you.¡±


    ¡°¡±I came after hearing that the preparation of souls was toote... It is just right. You are perfect to take out my anger on.¡±¡±


    ¡°Leraje, you still haven¡¯t achieved my revenge. You are a child who hasn¡¯t met my expectations.¡±


    ¡°Yura, your grandfather has no one to believe in except for you. It isn¡¯t the time for this.¡±


    ¡°You are my son...? What are you saying? Where did you hide my son? Bring him here! Kyaaak! Come on!¡±


    Yura and Kraugel¡¯s expressions stiffened. It was because people who shouldn¡¯t exist in Satisfy appeared.


    ¡®Is it an illusion that reads and shows memories? At this point, it is a vition of personal information protectionws and human rights. No, I can¡¯t see the trauma that Yura is watching. It is visible only to the party involved.¡¯


    ¡®It is likely to be sent to the operators in a mosaic state.¡¯


    Even so, they should talk to awyer. It happened the moment Yura and Kraugel thought seriously...


    [The souls have opened their eyes.]


    [The soul of the ancient legend, ¡®Kal,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the ancient legend, ¡®Haksen,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the ancient legend, ¡®Tzudan,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the ancient legend, ¡®Arisha,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the ancient legend, ¡®File Wolf,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the past generation legend, ¡®Gis,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the past generation legend, ¡®Kruger,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the past generation legend, ¡®Alex,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [The soul of the past generation legend, ¡®Povia,¡¯ has appeared.]


    Powerful beings emerged from underground and surrounded the group.


    Leraje, who was stiff due to facing Beriache¡¯s illusion, gritted her teeth and said, ¡°There is nothing to be nervous about. Just look forward and run.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The three people who built up a strongradeship¡ªthey trusted in each other, relied on each other, and moved forward.


    ***


    Damian had a lot of information and knowledge that he gained during his time as the pope. He knew almost everything about the Yatan Church. It was purely thanks to Damian¡¯s wisdom that Eat Spicy Jokbal was able to read the path of the Yatan Church in advance and lock them in the dungeon.


    ¡°I finally caught you.¡±


    ¡®This damn thing.¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was traveling through the maze-like dungeon he had designed. He, who lured the Yatan Church members and ambushed them, eventually fell into a crisis. The Yatan Servants finally grasped the structure of the dungeon and blocked all of Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s paths of retreat.


    ¡®How did this happen?¡¯


    Eat Spicy Jokbal originally operated a total of 11 dungeons. Seven of them were used to train the people and soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom and the remaining four dungeons were used as his means of livelihood. They were dungeons that lured monsters inside.


    The four precious dungeons that automatically brought in experience and items were demolished. Then he built a huge dungeon right here. A degree of sacrifice had to be made in order to lure the Yatan Church. His task was to tie up the feet of the Yatan Church until the end of the war.


    However, he failed. At a certain point, the believers stopped being affected by the traps. They didn¡¯t die despite being pierced by arrows and spears, inhaled poison, burned by mes, or submerged in a swamp. They just moved forward and isted Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was as if they had be immortal.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯ Eat Spicy Jokbal sensed his death. It hurt him to think that the dungeon built by sacrificing four unique-grade dungeons would copse along with him. It would take at least three months to repair today¡¯s damage...


    ¡°......?¡± The despairing Eat Spicy Jokbal suddenly came to his senses. It was because he heard the screams of the followers behind him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The gazes of the Yatan Church members turned in that direction. Then they saw it. The man who rushed to ughter the followers. It was the emergence of the former pope, Damian, who was second to Grid from the perspective of the Yatan Church.


    ¡°Hahaha! Stupid bastard! Did youe here on your own to die?¡± The Yatan Servants cried out joyfully.


    A man who lost the qualification of the pope¡ªthere were rampant rumors that he had weakened since he became the leader of an absurd emerging religion called the Overgeared God Church out of a desperate measure. It was an opportunity to resolve their grudges by tearing him apart and killing him.


    Dozens of magic circles quickly emerged around the Yatan Servants. They were magic circles with curse magic to restrain the target or bombardment magic.


    ¡°Damian! Be careful! They don¡¯t die...!¡± the wide-eyed Eat Spicy Jokbal shouted hurriedly only to be stunned.


    The dozens of magic circles that upied arge area lost the target and were twisted. Damian had broken into the gap between the servants and started a sword dance. ¡°Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaack!¡±


    ¡°W-What is this...?¡±


    The Yatan Servants screamed and couldn¡¯t hide their confusion. They were flustered that Damian had be much stronger than when he was the pope. It waspletely different from the rumors.


    Damian stood beside Eat Spicy Jokbal during the gap when things were chaotic and exined, ¡°They have received Judar¡¯s buff and will only take 1 damage. The weaknesses are hidden in the back of the neck, pelvis, and Achilles tendon, so you need to look carefully.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes... by the way, can I join the Overgeared God Church?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t joined...?¡±


    ¡°I originally never joined a religion. There are rules that must be followed if you belong to a religion. It is an inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared God Church is freedom! Although it isn¡¯tpletely free! In any case, it is invincible!¡±


    ¡°R-Really...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t joined yet! You are really a pushover!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away first!¡±


    ¡°......???¡±


    There weren¡¯t just one or two members of the Overgeared God Church active throughout the continent. In particr, it was said that Isabel had regained the strength of her prime and was showing off her past power. It was the aftermath of Grid creating a new divine object twice in a row.


    ***


    At the same time, Reinhardt...


    Grid was being seen off by Irene.


    ¡°Take care.¡±


    ¡°Yes... you don¡¯t have to worry too much about my parents. They are people who will take care of themselves anyway.¡±


    ¡°The king¡¯s parents are the parents of all the people. How can I neglect them? Additionally, I really like the two of them. They are so kind to me and Lord.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m d...¡±


    Grid shifted his gaze to the side. He saw his parentsughing with Lord. They looked far different from beginners. It was thanks to Grid¡¯s gifts. In fact, the growth rate of the two people exceeded the ordinary category. It didn¡¯t seem to be a bluff that they went to PC rooms when they were young.


    ¡°Huhu, don¡¯t worry and go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Irene¡¯s appearance of tidying up her clothes was cute. Grid couldn¡¯t help smiling as he kissed her cheek and floated into the sky. His destination was the Tower of Wisdom. He wanted to prepare for the intervention of the dragons and he nned to give Biban a gift. It was the promised gift of a dragon weapon.

 Chapter 1520

    <h4>Chapter 1520</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to go to the sauna.¡±


    Night shifts became routine for the operations team. Tears well up in the bloodshot eyes of many people.Each of them had dozens of holographic screens in front of them and were highly exhausted from paying attention to the situation all over the continent.


    From the operations team¡¯s perspective, they had no choice but to do it.There were so many variables in this war that could be a problem.For example, limiting the ytime guaranteed to yers due to the power of a great demon.It was only when the operations team was familiar with all the information that it could be spread to customer care to handle the ims.


    ¡°Uh?W-Wait! Look at this!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    A team member who was monitoring the situation in hell asked a superior for help.After a while¡ª


    The operations team was turned upside down.


    ***


    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö. ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö.¡±


    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­? ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö? ¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö? ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö! ¡ö¡ö!! ¡ö¡ö¡ö!!¡±


    ¡°The noise is too terrible. I can¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    Strange people who shouldn¡¯t be there confused the leader of the 4th operations team.


    On the screen, there were ¡®chunks of mosaics¡¯ in front of Kraugel and Yura.There was no way to know what it was.They didn¡¯t have permission to view the information.The observation permissions were turned off, just like when they couldn¡¯t see the yers making love.


    ¡°Did this happen as soon as DS8051 used its power?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The codenamed DS8051 was the guardian of Gamigin¡¯s soul vault.He was a high ranking demon and had a great power.


    The team leader called up his information and frowned.¡°The power to bring out the trauma in the subconscious¡­¡±


    The power seemed to be working normally, as proven by the appearance of Beriache in front of Leraje.The problem was that it was working too well.


    ¡°What¡¯s being shown on the screen are the traumas of Kraugel and Yura. They are traumas that we shouldn¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. It is the ess to the two people¡¯s personal information. Otherwise, there is no reason why our observation rights would be blocked.¡±


    ¡°It is troublesome.¡±


    There were three types of information that yers provided to the S.A Group¡ªtheir basic personal information, their brain waves and body information scanned by the capsule, and their game progress.There were no cases of providing ¡®memories.¡¯The S.A Group didn¡¯t require it.


    Yet DS8051 read the memories of Kraugel and Yura and embodied their traumas.It was due to Morpheus¡¯ own authority.However, it was a situation that could cause a litigation issue.


    ¡®How did this happen? Morpheus broke the terms and conditions¡­¡¯


    All types of imaginations urred.There were things like Morpheus bing out of control and the S.A Group copsing. It could be used as material for sci-fi movies.


    On the other hand, Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s response was calm, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It is Morpheus who read the traumas of Kraugel and Yura, not us. The fact that Morpheus blocked all information to us is evidence. The personal information of the two people has been protected.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin saw Morpheus and the S.A Group as separate.He pointed out certain provisions in the terms and conditions.It included the provision that ¡®Morpheus has the right to view and use the user¡¯s information in order to provide a smooth service¡¯ and ¡®the quests and content presented by Morpheus to the user are based on the information and experience of the user.¡¯


    ¡°Experience is memory. The traumas Morpheus embodied after peeping into their memories is a natural result, not an act that vites the terms and conditions.¡±


    ¡°Even if I make a hundred concessions and treat experience and memory as the same concept, these are traumas from reality, not memories from the game? The users have granted ess to Morpheus to read their in-game memories, not their memories of reality.¡±


    ¡°They are memories leaked in the process of talking to others while connected to Satisfy. That is how the memory of reality was judged to be Satisfy¡¯s information.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m bing scared. The more information Morpheus has, the greater his influence seems to be. Won¡¯t it go out of control one day?¡±


    ¡°Have you been watching sci-fi moviestely? Don¡¯t worry. Morpheus could only exercise authority in Satisfy. It has absolutely no ability to exploit that authority. It was designed like this from the beginning.¡±


    Looking at this case alone, it was far from malicious exploitation.Morpheus only used the yers¡¯ information as ¡®ingredients¡¯ to make Satisfy more delicious.It was meant to bring realism and immersion to the yers. There was no further meaning.


    ¡°This issue will be handled by the legal team, so stop worrying,¡± Director Yoon Sangmin issued the order and turned his attention back to the screen.


    The main character on the screen was Grid, the very same person whom, at one time, was viewed as a person who was far from sessfulfrom the perspective of Morpheus, who had ess to all the information provided by the yers.Yet now he was the center of the world.He was constantly being held in check by Morpheus, who used the justification of bnce, and was eventually swept up in the great human and demon war. Even so, he was still well.No, he grew even more.


    ¡®I can tell just by looking at Grid.¡¯


    Morpheus was maintaining clear boundaries. It didn¡¯t exercise its authority using the pretext of justification. It ced the terms and conditions first.There would never be the movie-like development that the 4th team leader was worried about.


    ***


    ¡®The power is amazing.¡¯


    Kujarak recalled the battlefield where hundreds of thousands of lives were wiped out.


    The armed allied soldiers, who wouldn¡¯t be consideredcking even if they imed to be knights; the allied knights, who used technique rather than solely relying on stats and skills; the yers, who abandoned arrogance and interacted with them; the skilled rankers, who finally precisely grasped their talents; and the Overgeared members, who went beyond the skilled level to the transcendent level.


    Origin, species, affiliation, and thoughts¡ªthe sight of different people using each other as role models in all respects and uniting together was thrilling to Kujarak.Kujarak¡¯s ideals were already being realized¡­


    The question of who was doing it was ridiculous.The answer was clear.¡®Grid.¡¯


    A person who was already too high up by the time Kujarak recognized his existence.He believed it was something that would never happen.He obtained information that the Heart of the Frost Queen had fallen into Grid¡¯s hands. It was a rtionship that was like fate.


    ¡®I want to be helpful from afar.¡¯


    A world that couldn¡¯t have beenpleted with just Kraugel¡¯s explosive talent.Kujarak wanted to protect this world created by Grid.It was to protect the smile of his younger brother, who was still lying in the capsule.


    In a coldnd of snow and wind¡­


    Kujarak¡¯s back no longer looked lonely as he moved forward, leavingrge footprints on the snowy field.


    ***


    The Tower of Wisdom.


    From the perspective of the world, it was a space that existed only for the protection of humanity. From the perspective of yers, it was a ce only for the Pioneer.Special information and rewards were monopolized by a specific person, so there was a lot of room for exploitation.


    If a yer with a w in their personality became the Pioneer, it would cause all types of chaos.By breaking the oath of silence and selling the tower member¡¯s skills and location, they could leak the existence of the tower, thereby attracting the attention of the dragons and causing the great depression.


    Of course, the Pioneer would receive a huge penalty the moment they broke their oath.Nevertheless, this wasn¡¯t a proper safeguard.For the majority of humans, the more consequences there were, the more reckless they were.In order for the Tower of Wisdom to survive, trust had to be established between the tower and the Pioneer.


    In that sense, it was great in many ways that Kraugel and Grid were the Pioneers.It was because they revered rtionships and didn¡¯t break their oaths due to their pride.


    ¡®The tower members were hiding in this ce.¡¯


    Gujel¡¯s Sword and Dao¡ªthe two dragon weapons created by Grid contained Gujel¡¯s ego.It might only be a small part of the ego and it was even split in half, but dragons were such immense beings and Gujel was one of the higher-ranked dragons. Even this small ego of his inherited Gujel¡¯s memory and will.


    ¡®It is a barrier built by dposing and blending together particles of different attributes and flowing the changed mana into the vein. It was no wonder why I couldn¡¯t find it.¡¯


    Dragons were maniptors of magic.The knowledge and wisdom of Gujel¡¯s ego fully analyzed the barrier that surrounded the Tower of Wisdom.However, it was only at the level of grasping the principle. He was ineligible to find a method to break this barrier.


    ¡®I have to wait for a definite opportunity toe¡­¡¯


    He was getting closer to the tower.


    Gujel¡¯s ego became silent because he knew that the tower members, especially Hayate, were sensitive to the existence of dragons. He stopped the process of thinking itself. He made every effort to ensure that his presence didn¡¯t leak.


    Then Grid¡¯s voice was heard, ¡°Until when are you going to keep hiding your inner thoughts?¡±


    -¡­¡­


    Gujel¡¯s ego didn¡¯t respond. He let Grid¡¯s self-talk slide over him.Yes, he thought Grid was talking to himself.


    ¡°If you mess up, then I can get rid of you. I will melt and remake you, melt and remake you. It might be an ignorant method, but if repeated several times, even a dragon¡¯s ego will eventually fade.¡±


    -¡­¡­?!Gujel¡¯s ego was agitated.He noticed that Grid was talking to him.


    It was impossible.After the sword and dao were created and he regained consciousness, he didn¡¯t show any movements once. Even his ¡®thinking¡¯ was just done for the first time. He was even asleep for a while.Yet Grid immediately realized his presence.Was this possible?


    ¡®Won¡¯t it be beyond even Hayate¡¯s power?¡¯


    Step.


    Grid arrived at the entrance of the tower and whispered, ¡°Throw away the lingering attachments from your life and obey me. That is why you were born.¡±


    Gujel¡¯s sword and dao had the effect of causing additional damage to targets suffering from ¡®insanity.¡¯It was evident that the grudge of Gujel, who had be vulnerable due to the wound dealt by the insane dragon and eventually died, was inherited.


    Grid had noticed right away that Gujel¡¯s ego was attached to the dragon weapons.Gujel¡¯s ego hid himself and deceived even the system, but it was impossible for him to deceive the creator, Grid.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯Gujel¡¯s ego was in despair.He noticed that he couldn¡¯t afford to go against Grid.The Overgeared God¡¯s Domination to dominate all things was pressuring Gujel¡¯s ego.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 14th epic.]


    [The sighs of a dead dragon are recorded.]


    The two dragon weapons cried out.


    [Ahh, I¡¯m resentful.]


    [I opened my eyes when I met a foolish god, but he turned out to be a great god.]


    [I can never be free.]


    [Death is a disgrace for dragons, and I have be a disgrace of a dragon even after death.]


    [I have reigned for thousands of years, but I have been reduced to an object of ridicule.]


    [The Overgeared God spoke to thementing dragon¡ª]


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±Grid was amazed at the epic that urred at an unexpected timing.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    He quickly grasped the situation and blushed. He wasn¡¯t very happy with the epic that urred after a long time.However, he had no choice but to say it, ¡°If you cooperate with me, no one will mock you. If there is a being who mocks you, I will make them the same as you. So trust me and follow me.¡±


    [¡°Dragons whough at you will also taste the same despair as you.¡±]


    [Ohh, it is a daring nature.]


    [The dead dragon admired the Overgeared God¡¯s deration.]


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    [The 14th page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [The effect ofpleting the epic has awakened and subdued the hidden ego in Gujel¡¯s Fang (Sword) and Gujel¡¯s Fang (Dao).]


    [The effect ofpleting the epic has strengthened your mana core that has digested the Dragon Pill.]


    [Some of the aura of Stone Dragon Gujel will be expressed when using attack magic.]


    -Dragon?Heeeeeey, God Grid!Where are you and what are you doing?It is awesome!!


    -A-Amazing!Cool!S-So daring!


    -Huhuhu, as expected of my master.There is no way I can beat him.The ck me dragon sealed in me is also in awe.


    ¡®No, it is a misunderstanding.¡¯


    The contents of the epic aren¡¯t what I decided.I¡­I am different from Lauel.


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    Grid was blushing at the sight of the fast-rising guild chat when he suddenly raised his head in shock.He felt an overwhelming presence at the top of the tower. The pressure that stretched out like light was uncontrobly great. It seemed to spread throughout the world.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªhe was floating in the air and provoking the world.He was drawing the dragons¡¯ attention to aim at him, not Grid.

 Chapter 1521

    <h4>Chapter 1521</h4>


    Hayate lived for others. It was a devotion that no one knew. It was the dragons¡¯ words that were full of contempt and hatred that remembered and bound him. People had forgotten him a very long time ago. He was a lonely existence.


    Grid was angry for him on his behalf. Hayate and the tower members isted themselves from the world. It was with the goal of killing the dragons, who took humanity hostage. This was a story unknown to the world.


    It was an action done by Hayate. He was previously concerned that Grid would provoke the anger of the dragons, turning his epic into a secret story. Yet now¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    Grid himself pulled out the secret story. It was the aftermath of the decision to fight the dragons in the process ofmunicating with Gujel¡¯s ego. It was a natural phenomenon. Grid wanted to establish a real rtionship with Gujel. Thus, he just expressed his honest feelings and willpower. He didn¡¯t mean for it to be written as an epic.


    The fact that Grid overlooked was the specificity of the existence of dragons. Dragons weren¡¯t involved in the birth and maintenance of the world. Therefore, they weren¡¯t objects of faith. Even so, they were qualified to lead the world to destruction.


    It was simply because they were strong. It wasn¡¯t just the ultimate power that was inherent to them. They also created the concept of magic. They were a transcendent species free from divine power and could put the world under their feet. His resolution to fight them without avoiding them when the time came was epted as a historic event.


    ¡°Hayate!¡±


    Actions preceded idents. Gridpressed time and space and jumped, desperately reaching out to Hayate. He had to respond. Hayate was gambling without any chance of winning. It was right to call it a sacrifice. It was in order to protect Grid. Grid had the right and the obligation to stop him.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Grid shouted, but he was one step toote. Before he knew it, Hayate¡¯s presence covered the entire world.


    At this moment, Grid¡¯s story was put on the back burner for the dragons. They weren¡¯t treating him as insignificant. Grid was qualified to be hostile to the dragons. Without qualifications, there wouldn¡¯t have been an epic in the first ce. This world acknowledged Grid.


    It was just that Hayate was more special for the dragons. The only dragon yer in history¡ªfrom a certain point, he became the goal and purpose of the dragons. For the dragons, Hayate¡¯s presence was much greater and heavier than Grid¡¯s resolution.


    Most of the dragons that existed in the world now felt Hayate. They regarded all concepts except Hayate as meaningless and had many feelings.


    The heavenly gods also noticed the unexpected event.


    ¡°That hateful human has finally ushered in the day of death.¡± Zeratul burst outughing as he was restoring his damaged condition.


    Zeratul was pleasantly surprised. He was surprised because it was a level of joyparable to when he imagined killing Chiyou. ¡®Was I this conscious about Hayate?¡¯


    No, it couldn¡¯t be. He just thought Hayate was a hateful bastard. He was the one who damaged Zeratul¡¯s status¡­


    Zeratul was frowning when an unpleasant voice entered his ears, ¡°You are ugly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Zeratul looked at the being who dared to criticize a god and it was even in the presence of the god. A short stature and a young face¡ªthe flush that remained on both cheeks that still had baby fat showed an abominable purity.


    The number one archangel, Raphael. They were pure. It was because unlike ordinary angels, there was no mother. They were one of the few origins of the angels.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe a named god is afraid of a human being.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Zeratul couldn¡¯t stand it and responded. Then he immediately regretted it.


    ¡°You foresaw the end of Hayate and rejoiced. Is there any reason to rejoice if you aren¡¯t afraid of him? I¡¯m curious. Please exin it to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Your curiosity is none of my business¡­


    It happened as Zeratul wanted to swallow down such feelings¡­


    ¡°Knock knock~ Venice is here! Oh my? Our cute Raphael is devoting theirself to Zeratul again today.¡±


    ¡°It is one of my roles. Venice, I will also take care of you if you suffer the same thing one day.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, why are you saying such a terrible thing?¡±


    His savior appeared.


    Venice, the god of money¡ªmost of the heavenly gods treated her coldly. It was because they despised her persistent tendency to convert everything into goods. However, Zeratul was favorable to her. It was because he could show off his secret techniques, the martial arts of the martial god, through the store she ran.


    ***


    The bombings were indiscriminate. The magic of the dragons was fired while ignoring the distance.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t something to me myself for.¡¯


    Grid judged coolly as he stood beside Hayate, who took a deep breath after recovering his sword energy.


    Communicating with Gujel¡¯s ego, the urrence of the epic, and attracting the aggro of all the dragons¡ªGrid thought it was a process that should be naturally epted.


    A dragon weapon was the ultimate weapon¡ªit wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was one of the end contents and an object that should be handled carefully, ergo it was impossible to simply neglect Gujel¡¯s ego. Dragging the aggro of the dragons in the process was a problem for him to bear. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°You were too hasty,¡± Grid reprimanded Hayate. For the first time, he criticized and med the person he had always paid respect to. The current Grid was too rational to feel guilty because of emotions.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± Hayate apologized. He acknowledged that Grid had the right to criticize him. However, there was no regret in his expression. He understood Grid¡¯s position, but he believed he was right. ¡°Please understand. I thought there was too much to lose if I stood idly by.¡±


    Grid was a god. He was immortal. Still, being immortal didn¡¯t mean one was free from the concept of death. As Zeratul proved, death to a god wasn¡¯t the end, but it was an opportunity to lose his status. It wasn¡¯t known if Grid was aware of it, but he had reached a position to fear death more than when he was a human being. Moreover, he had tens of millions or hundreds of millions of people under him.


    Being hostile to the dragons required too many sacrifices. Therefore, Hayate didn¡¯t regret his choice.


    His unwavering eyes made Grid sigh. ¡°Isn¡¯t the location of the tower exposed? Hayate, I think you have lost many things.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom was a haven for the tower members. The tower members who lost the protection of the tower weren¡¯t free from the dragons¡¯ gaze. They would have to stay up with their eyes open every night. Additionally, the tower was a treasure trove. Top treasure such as the magic machines and the moon night iron were stored in the tower. Losing it would cost too much to the tower members. It was like losing almost everything.


    Hayate reassured him, ¡°There isn¡¯t only one tower. We have been fighting against the dragons for thousands of years and we are prepared.¡±


    ¡°However, it isn¡¯t that easy to move.¡± The second seat, Fronzaltz appeared. His expression was ferocious, but this was due to the characteristics of the giants. He actually wasn¡¯t very angry, nor did he express his dissatisfaction with Hayate and Grid. He judged that the two men didn¡¯t make any mistakes or do anything wrong. It was the response of a wise giant.


    ¡°It has been a long time, Overgeared God.¡±


    Fronzaltz valued discipline andw. He was polite from the very first time he met Grid. The Pioneer was the representative of humanity and was respected regardless of age and species. However, the current behaviour was somewhat excessive. He bowed down deeply like he was dealing with his master.


    ¡°Please befortable.¡±


    Grid admired the tower members. Fronzaltz was a giant who had lived since ancient times. Their current attitude was very ufortable.


    Fronzaltz shook his head. "You are worthy of respect. You should get used to it, even if you are ufortable.¡±


    Fronzaltz¡¯ attitude was natural. Grid wasn¡¯t only the representative of humanity, but a god apotheosized from the desires of humanity. Additionally, he created a dragon weapon and probably got the qualifications to be a dragon yer.


    ¡®He hasn¡¯t fully realized his greatness yet,¡¯ Fronzaltz thought as he looked at the flustered Grid in a doubtful manner. Then he urged Hayate, ¡°Hurry and pack your things. There is a high chance that the dragons will pursue you, so we have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, things have reached this point, so Grid, you should go back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you.¡±


    Hayate nodded to Fronzaltz and then spoke to Grid, who made an unreasonable demand, ¡°Then I will keep grabbing the dragons¡¯ attention.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep one thing in mind. The reason why the dragons are obsessed with me, not you, is because you are worse than me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± It was no longer possible to force Hayate, who persuaded him well. Grid had a regretful expression as he handed Gujel¡¯s Sword to Hayate. ¡°Then please deliver this sword to Biban for me. It is the gift I promised Biban.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Fronzaltz¡¯ eyes widened. A dragon weapon that the tower members couldn¡¯t make. The energy of a ¡®Dragon yer¡¯ was felt from it. Of course, it was only a part of it, but it was powerful enough.


    ¡®I expected it, but¡­ it is still shocking.¡¯


    The power Hayate gained from ¡®cutting a dragon¡¯s neck¡¯ was implemented by Grid through technique alone. It was a potential that he couldn¡¯t believe despite reading the report.


    [Affinity with the 2nd Seat of the Tower of Wisdom, Fronzaltz, has increased by 10.]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir Biban will be very happy. He will probably regard you as his lifelong benefactor.¡±


    ¡°One of my lifelong benefactors is Biban. The same is true for Hayate.¡±


    [Affinity with the 2nd Seat of the Tower of Wisdom, Fronzaltz, has increased by 10.]


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    ¡°I will soon send someone to you with the location of the new tower. Pleasee again.¡± Hayate smiled lightly and immediately returned to the tower. Fronzaltz followed behind him. It was while bowing to Grid.


    ¡®I was worried that something would go wrong with the tower. I¡¯m d.¡¯


    The foundation of the tower made a lot of noise that could be heard from outside. Based on the shaking of the entire building, it seemed to be moving the magic machines.


    ¡®Should I just go back?¡¯


    Grid was about to leave when he became surprised. He literally stiffened like a stone statue. It was because a veryrge flying ship appeared at the top of the tower that had split in half. It was well over 300 meters long. The height was half that. If he hadn¡¯t experienced the vast interior of the tower, he would¡¯ve hardly believed that such a big thing was stored in the tower.


    ¡®It is so cool. Is it a relic of the giants?¡¯


    Grid was first attracted to the ship¡¯s guns. In particr, the size of the cannon installed on the upper deck was overwhelming. He thought it would boast a powerparable to a dragon¡¯s Breath.


    ¡°Ehh? H-Hey!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    Grid had been looking at every part of the flying ship, only to doubt his eyes.


    Biban, who was clinging like a cicada to one of the ship¡¯s guns, spotted Grid and shouted, ¡°What is this? You came?! You should¡¯ve told me! Uwaaaah!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    What was it? Why was he hanging on the side alone? Grid was curious, but he tried to turn away from his curiosity. It was obvious he would think it was empty and absurd once he found out the reason.


    The flying ship sprayed magic power from 12 engines simultaneously and suddenly became a dot that disappeared. It was a sight that made Grid¡¯s chest pound. He had a premonition that Radwolf would be of great help to him in the future when he wants to make a flying ship with Greed.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the time for this.¡¯


    Grid hurriedly used the return scroll. There was news that the dark elf king had started to open his mouth.

 Chapter 1522

    <h4>Chapter 1522</h4>


    The drums of victory sounded all over the continent.


    There were many yers active in local battles¡ªHurent, who carved the ovepping mountains like stairs and cultivated fields to fortify the entire mountain range; Regas, who blocked the bridge and tied up tens of thousands of demonic creatures alone; Huroi, who used a few words to overpower themander of the demon army that captured the refugee shelters; etc.


    Unbelievable news urred one after another.


    The difficulties of the yers belonging to the Yatan Church also became a hot topic. It was because Damian and Eat Spicy Jokbal attracted the aggro of the Yatan Servants and they had been chasing the two for several days.


    There was also an incident where the ¡®retired¡¯ Haster defeated a great demon in cooperation with the people who made him a retired person, and an incident where Euphemina stood at the entrance of the Abyss with Braham and suppressed the appearance of the demonic creatures for three hours.


    Some of them were legendary anecdotes.


    However, people didn¡¯t rejoice. It was right that war was hell. Apart from the performance of the allies,rge-scale casualties were urring on a daily basis. It was because they couldn¡¯t block the activities of the demons.


    Originally, demons were tricky. Unlike the great demons, they were cunning because they weren¡¯t overconfident in their power. They rarely aimed at targets beyond themselves and made great use of their abilities. The lower the strength, the more obvious it was.


    In particr, a small number of demons capable of camouge or intervening in human dreams and desires were threatening. They easily dug into the psychology of the masses who were afraid from the war. They naturally integrated into human society to copse the organizations and destroy the main strongholds. Some demons disguised themselves as high-ranking nobles of the empire and killed tens of thousands of people in just two days. It was the result of several misfortunes ovepping.


    The power of strategy was so scary. They seized and exploited power using their ingenuity and showed a strength beyond force.


    ¡°It is an unavoidable problem. Didn¡¯t Damian say it? It would be the same even if the Reba Church was still intact. It is impossible for the priests of the three gods to find and destroy the demons who secretly disguise themselves for infiltration or approach through dreams.¡±


    Demonic energy was the sign of a demon.


    It was a concept that was directly proportional to strength. The more powerful the demon, the more overflowing the demonic energy. This meant it was more difficult for them to remain hidden. It meant rtively weak demons were hard to find. It was even more difficult when the nature of their power involved concealment. They had no choice but to respond only after the ¡®signs¡¯ urred.


    However, not missing the smallest signs in war¡­ it wasn¡¯t easy. People weren¡¯t being beaten because they were stupid. It was natural that the damage kept urring.


    ¡°However, the mirror demons must be eradicated. The number of allied leaders who have been assassinated by them is already 24.¡±


    Demons that appeared in mirrors¡ªthose who used the mirrors as means of movement were very threatening. There were many camps that were paralyzed due to losing theirmanders.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been helpless in the meantime. It is possible to predict the next ce they will appear by analyzing the radius of their activity. The margin of error is stillrge, but¡­ we can respond.¡±


    Instead, there were conditions. In addition to the top-ranked Overgeared Shadow members who had learned the shadow techniques, Faker and Kasim should be added. This meant that the escort of certain people would be weakened. Of course, Irene was the person they were most concerned about.


    So far, there had been no direct threat of assassination. There were many reasons.


    First, yers didn¡¯t target Grid¡¯s family. They kept the bottom line unless they were determined to quit the game. In the first ce, it was impossible for any yer to approach Irene. The yers on the side of the demons belonged to the Yatan Church, but they had no way to infiltrate the Overgeared Castle with the skill tree of a ck magician. Reinhardt¡¯s defense far exceeded the general category.


    Secondly, the demons weren¡¯t interested in Grid¡¯s family. Their resentment of Grid might be deep, but it didn¡¯t take priority over the war. People who could be easily tricked or killed could be found everywhere. There was no reason to cling to people who were difficult to harm.


    In the first ce, what were the benefits of killing Irene? Nothing. It was simply intended to harass one person, Grid. It was much more rewarding to hurt more humans using this time.


    Still, this didn¡¯t mean that Irene¡¯s protection could be neglected. It was natural to always make every effort. This was why he wanted Irene to stay at the temple for the time being. It was the main temple of the Overgeared God Church. The ce where Sariel resided was one of the safest ces in Reinhardt at present. It was adjacent to the Overgeared Castle, so it was easy to operate the troops.


    ¡°Yes, leave it to me,¡± Sariel, who was grieving over the news that many people were killed by the demons, responded with a soft smile. The quiet response was just like her.


    ***


    The king of the dark elves, Horbus¡ªthe reason why Grid kept him alive without killing him was simple. He might¡¯ve been corrupted, but he was still an elf. Like Sticks and Beniyaru, he served the world tree akin to his mother. Additionally, the world tree had given the blessing of elementals to all of the Overgeared Guild members. It was ufortable in many ways to hurt Horbus.


    ¡®The reason he became a dark elf in the first ce is insignificant.¡¯


    People still called elves the residents of the forest. They were treated as walking mysteries that were hard to reach. They were suitable objects to fantasize about. They were a species that was reclusive, couldmunicate with elementals, and were even beautiful.


    Yet for Grid, the elves were nothing special. He had been with Sticks for a long time. One of the most powerful ones among the elves was even Piaro¡¯s partner. He was too familiar with them, so they became ordinary existences.


    ¡°You said you wanted to meet me.


    ¡°Yes, I dared to invite you.¡±


    The elves had long been isted from the world. Among them, the istion of the male elves was stronger. It was because they lost in the struggle against the female elves and stayed in the deepest part of the forest for a long time.


    For Horbus, human culture and organizations were unfamiliar. He couldn¡¯t sympathize or understand in many ways. The basicmon sense was different. There were many times when those familiar with humans or human culture didn¡¯t know the concept of taking it for granted. The view of interpreting power was inevitably different.


    Elves measured power by looking at the mana density andmunication with elementals. It wasn¡¯t the umtion of mana in the body, but affinity with nature. This was why Horbus mistakenly thought Piaro was the most powerful person among human beings. Other human beings apart from Piaro weren¡¯t one with nature and were only at the level of borrowing strength. He thought that human beings were weaker than what he thought.


    In this state, he came to the Overgeared Kingdom and faced Grid. Horbus realized it at once. Thebat power of humans wasn¡¯t low. It was just that the direction of pursuit was different. It was worthy of bing a god¡­


    That¡¯s right¡ªbased on Horbus¡¯mon sense and perspective, Grid became a god after achieving the limit of martial power. In other words, the martial god.


    His attitude toward Grid was very sincere. ¡°I am grateful to Your Majesty for giving your precious time to this prisoner. I¡¯m so touched¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid frowned. It wasn¡¯t a conscious response but a natural one. He didn¡¯t like Horbus¡¯ words which were lengthy thanks. It seemed he would be tired.


    Horbus noticed the fine change. As a transcendent being, he grasped Grid¡¯s heart instantly and brought up the main point. He also modified his tone of speech. It was awkward. ¡°Your Majesty must have no intention of killing me.¡±


    Horbus¡¯ thinking split into hundreds of directions in one second. It was an ability that was possible bybining his connection to nature and his transcendence. It meant he thought well enough before he spoke.


    Grid answered without any signs of difort, ¡°I think your punishment is merely a matter to be decided by the forest.¡±


    Grid would feel ufortable if he killed Horbus. There was no damage done to the Overgeared Kingdom, so there were no grudges. It was a family dispute in the first ce. It was a problem that the elves would solve on their own.


    ¡®Will an envoy from the foreste as soon as the great human and demon war is over?¡¯


    They wouldn¡¯t visit during the war. The current war was also applied to the elves. The portals connected to hell urred randomly throughout the continent. This happened to include the World Tree Forest. The boundaries of the forest had be meaningless.


    ¡°It is better tomit suicide than to fall into the grasp of the elves. The elves are existences that do more harm than good. I don¡¯t want to entrust my fate to those stingy and insignificant beings who monopolize the forest where elementals are gathered under the pretext of protecting the world tree and who stopped evolving after locking themselves up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty will set my fate,¡± the dark elf king spoke with a determined expression. He was clearly revealing the side effects of epting demonic energy. Unlike his tone, his conduct wasn¡¯t polite. Demonic energy was seething due to his rising anger.


    At first, his two hands were politely gathered together. Now they unknowingly moved to his waist and below his chin. His two legs that were neatly ced together were now bent. It was a change brought about by the process of bringing up the story of the elves. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t aware of it. He believed that he was controlling his feelings very well. It was because his tone of talking was still polite. He was mistaken.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Grid liked Horbus. He just had a good impression. Did Horbus think about his future path and make a decision while imprisoned? It was worthy of a being who had built up transcendence. His armed force was also outstanding. If he was a subordinate, he would be useful in many ways.


    ¡®I can use the Different Species¡¯ King title. There is no reason to refuse. Rather, he is a talent who should be weed with both hands.¡¯


    He was the culprit who divided the elves by gender, but it didn¡¯t matter. At that time, Horbus wasn¡¯t greedy. He just had the justification of hoping for equality. Beniyaru also acknowledged this part. Of course, it was necessary to figure out where the source of demonic energy came from. He had to find and kill the demon who made Horbus a dark elf to avoid future troubles.


    ¡°I will think about it,¡± Grid gave a short answer before his gaze headed toward Horbus¡¯ feet.


    Horbus naturally followed the gaze and was afraid. Since when had his legs be bent? There was no change in his expression as he stood at immediate attention. It was as if he had been doing this from the beginning.


    The spirit of the elves mixed with transcendencebined to give him an unusual nature. Add in the temperament given by demonic energy and wouldn¡¯t he be able to properly overturn the enemies? The synergy would be considerable if he was partnered with Huroi.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid¡¯s smiling gaze seemed to say it would be interesting. Then he looked down again.


    Horbus, whose other leg had bent, hurriedly stood up straight again. He even added an apology like he couldn¡¯t believe he made the mistake repeatedly.


    The workers repairing the furnace in the distance secretly peeked at it. Grid was truly amazing to enforce military discipline on an individual of ability, who could reign like the martial god in private¡­


    ***


    At the same time, the Behen Archipgo¡­


    ¡®What?¡¯ Pon felt something bizarre as he watched the soldiers eating. It was because he sometimes saw soldiers eating food with their bare hands covered with dirt. This was even though there was normal cutlery. Were they psychologically unstable due to the ongoing battles?


    ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t seem so.¡¯


    These signs came too abruptly. The number was too subtly high for him to dismiss it lightly.


    Grid¡¯s words shed through Pon¡¯s mind. It was that Judar had intervened in the war. In fact, the enemies had be more difficult to kill recently.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯


    Judar was the god of wisdom and health.


    A chill went down Pon¡¯s spine at the thought. Several weapons that had lost their owners were reflected in his trembling eyes. Some of the soldiers who left after the meal had left them behind.

 Chapter 1523

    <h4>Chapter 1523</h4>


    Music had power. It was possible to influence people psychologically and mentally, and induce emotions. Many people were inspired by the faint notes they heard and changed their lives. How else could the study of music therapy have developed? Examples of using music as a therapeutic tool also existed in the Bible.


    Kl~


    In Satisfy, the power of music was portrayed in greater detail. The bards¡¯ singing and ying had a practical and immediate influence. They gave strength to their allies and decreased the enemy¡¯s motivation. As the war intensified, the bards sang and yed instruments louder and longer. They didn¡¯t stop in the freezing coldnd that froze their vocal cords, in theva valley that burned their tongues, or in front of the piercing wind that tore at their fingers.


    They were fighting as well. It was with other people for their own future.


    Kl¡­


    At Reinhardt, at the streets near the Overgeared Castle¡­


    A melody flowed between the people who were busily moving. It was music that marked the end of winter. It was one of Grid¡¯s theme songs, Appearance.


    There were no signs of Grid on the streets. The song that was flowing now was being yed on a harp, rather than with a magnificent orchestra. It quietly permeated people¡¯s hearts and was veryfortable to listen to. A subtle heat rose in their hearts. It was aforting and hopeful performance for those who had sent their husbands or children to the battlefield.


    ¡°A song honoring my husband¡­¡±


    On the road to the main temple of the Overgeared God Church, Irene sat in the carriage and smiled at the melody heard from outside.


    Grid always felt new to her. He was nevercent and developed all the time. Now, even the songs honoring him were enough to encourage people. Was there anything else like this in the world?


    She reflected on her life with Grid and could only admire it. She was proud that he was her husband, thankful that he was her king, and relieved that he was her god.


    ¡®I should also be a person who doesn¡¯t make him ashamed.¡¯


    Irene¡¯s posture was straight as she reminded herself of this every day. Even in the carriage where no one could see her, she maintained a proper attitude and achieved a heart that was as clear as a mirror. Her desires were consistent.


    Be a person Grid can rely on.


    She hoped he would see her as a shelter to rest whenever it was hard and he was exhausted.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The performance in the street stopped ying. She wanted to hear more. Irene was feeling sorry when her carriage stopped.


    Irene¡¯s always warm and affectionate eyes became cold.


    She was a person who didn¡¯t knowziness. She was like this by nature. Additionally, she met her husband called Grid and used him as an example. Thus, she became more diligent than necessary. During the time when she got married, gave birth, and became a queen, she had always included learning in her daily life.If she learned 100 things, she hoped that at least one of them could help her husband.


    She even started honing herbat ability and physical strength since building up divinity thanks to Grid. In the first ce, she had the bloodline of a prestigiousbat family. She was talented. She mastered knowledge, cultivated her sense of culture, and honed her body and mind. Her training was very smart. She considered the route, speed, time, and environment of the carriage, and immediately grasped that the current situation was abnormal.


    She held that sword sheath that was ced at an angle and looked out the window. ¡°Sir Jude, what is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Carriage. Stopped.¡± Jude¡¯s temperament was that, when he was asked a question, he would give one answer.


    The senior knight, Adol, exined the situation on behalf of Jude, ¡°The coachman¡¯s condition is bizarre. He isn¡¯t holding the reins even if I urge him. Don¡¯t worry too much because there are no signs of an enemy invasion.¡±


    Rattle.


    Irene got out of the carriage.


    Jude, who was standing still, moved to stand behind her. He was appointed as Irene¡¯s new escort on Kasim¡¯s behalf and didn¡¯t forget his duty.


    ¡°Your Majesty, why did you get off? Ahh! We are on the way to the temple! Let¡¯s go!¡± The coachman made a fuss. He was still in the driver¡¯s seat. His expressions and reactions were normal, but there was a sense of strangeness because he wasn¡¯t holding the reins.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± There was a problem with the coachman¡¯s expression and reaction. He cocked his head like he didn¡¯t understand it and finally got off the driver¡¯s seat. Then he said something, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go to the temple.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The expressions of the knights became serious. The thoroughly educated coachman of the royal family wouldn¡¯t joke around with the queen. They were at a loss on how to ept this bizarre attitude.


    First of all, they created a much more thorough protective formation. They took a formation so that the queen couldn¡¯t be aimed at from any angle. Then they looked around after restraining the coachman. Then they quickly noticed the streets. It wasn¡¯t just the coachman. The vast majority of people had be bizarre.


    First of all, many of them were empty-handed. The bards ying musical instruments, the people polishing the shoes of pedestrians, the soldiers on patrol, the merchants making and selling food at stalls, etcetera¡ªthey had put down the ¡®tools¡¯ that needed to be used. Among them, people did things that were fine even without tools. For example, the soldiers kept patrolling despite abandoning their spears, while the bards continued by singing after putting down their instruments.


    On the other hand, there were people who did things that couldn¡¯t be done without tools. For example, the street vendor frying noodles on an iron te or shoe cleaners who polished shoes froze with nk expressions. Then the street vendor btedly came to his senses and continued his activities by touching the hot iron te with his bare hands.


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Thetter case gave off a bizarre feeling. The burned street vendor cocked his head as he felt pain. Then once the noodles in the iron te started to burn, he fried the noodles again with his bare hands while repeatedly screaming.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the temple,¡± the senior knight, Adol, urged Irene.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The expressions of the group heading to the temple gradually became darker. It was because they kept witnessing unexpected events. People¡­ human beings, who evolved using tools, had forgotten how to use them. Something that couldn¡¯t happen was happening.


    Firstly, it was necessary to take refuge and investigate the situation carefully.


    ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Adol, who was walking in front, suddenly cocked his head. Then he immediately thought it was groundless and hurriedly moved.


    The sword in his hand was gone. He had already let go of it a few minutes ago¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Irene¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. More than half of the knights escorting her had be bizarre, but she didn¡¯t deliberately reveal it. It was useless to point it out, so she decided that getting to the temple was a top priority. There was a reason why she could rest assured.


    ¡°Jude, protect. Queen.¡±


    It was because Jude was beside her.


    A greatsword reminiscent of a predator of the sea¡ªthe famous sword that Grid made and gave to Jude didn¡¯t leave Jude¡¯s hand until the party arrived at the temple.


    ***


    The war situation tilted rapidly. The allied army suffered a lot of one-sided damage. Soldiers and knights were unable to hold their weapons and shields. It was absurd. During the war, they abandoned their weapons and fought the enemy with bare hands. Coincidentally, it was a meaningless death.


    Fortunately, the situation of the Abyss and Behen Archipgo had improved. Braham, Piaro, Zik, Kyle, the 10 meritorious retainers, etc.


    However, it was impossible to hold out forever. The terrible thing about the great human and demon war was the near infinite wave of demonic creatures. The game genre had changed from a MMORPG to tower defense.


    Of course, there were various types of demonic creatures, so the number of demonic creatures that could pose a threat to the rankers was unexpectedly small. Even so, there were limits to a human¡¯s physical strength. Even the half-god Zik couldn¡¯t hide his tiredness.


    The soldiers and knights were all driven away and there were only a small number of people left to fight every wave. Thus, the overall resource consumption was too fast.


    ¡°In the midst of all of this, the military supplies aren¡¯t arriving. Potions are running out and it will cause a serious problem.¡±


    ¡°The transport forces don¡¯t seem to be in a good shape either.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the activity of most NPCs has be impossible.¡±


    Almost immediately after the signs urred, people forgot how to use tools before there was time toe up with any countermeasures. It seemed to be the setting that Judar had removed wisdom from people.


    ¡°It is almost a bug-like power.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, it isn¡¯t applied to yers.¡±


    ¡°If it was the same for us, the customer center would¡¯ve exploded.¡±


    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s look at it. There must be a time limit, even if it is the power of a god.¡±


    ¡°It is too bad. If we can prove that Judar did this, it is an opportunity to damage his divinity.¡±


    It was hard to prove. It was pointless to even try to prove it.


    The wisdom to use tools. Those who lost it, the basis of humanity, had something inmon. They didn¡¯t know it was a problem to not be able to use tools. They took it for granted. It meant they couldn¡¯t resent Judar even if they learned that he was the one who made them like this.


    ¡°¡­What is this now?¡±


    ¡°The timing is making me crazy.¡±


    At the entrance of the Abyss¡­


    The 4th ranked Great Demon, Gamigin, climbed out from thergest of the many passageways connected to hell. 100 soldiers made from the souls of heroes and three soldiers made from the souls of legends were guarding her. She lost to Braham at the beginning of the war. They had wondered where she was and what she had been doing during this time. Then they btedly understood after seeing the increased number of guards.


    ¡º This is unbelievable¡­! The legends of the past have emerged as the subordinates of a great demon¡­! ¡»


    ¡º It isn¡¯t a scale that can be stopped with a small number of people. They must give up on the Abyss. They should¡¯ve left together when the army withdrew. They are going to suffer a great deal of damage due to the meaningless obsession¡­ ¡»


    ¡º What? Meaningless obsession? Look, if you give the Abyss to the enemy, then all of Titan will be taken away. Think of that huge city being transformed into a fortress for demons. An astronomical amount of damage will be required to take it back. Where will we be if we can¡¯t cheer for the heroes who are fighting to the end even in a difficult situation¡­? ¡»


    It happened as loud voices wereing from the broadcast¡­


    One of the legends that appeared with Gamigin¡ªHaksen, known as the founder of the Highest Point Magic, turned the ground into a sea of fire. It happened in an instant. Unbelievably, it was a catastrophe created by an ordinary fireball. It was a power that wasparable to Braham¡¯s magic. Regardless of what would happenter, it was right to give up on the Abyss¡­


    It happened as many people were making the same judgment¡­


    Suddenly, night came along with a loud roar. It was the aftermath of a huge shadow covering the sky and the ground.


    ¡ºDr¡­! ¡»


    ¡ºA¡­! ¡»


    ¡º¡­Gon!? ¡»


    A transcendent species that identally appeared in the past National Competition and shocked them¡ªan absolute creature that Chairman Lim Cheolho once said ¡®it is designed to be impossible to hunt¡¯ broke into the war. It was absurd for it to even appear.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Now it was at the tip of Grid¡¯s de.


    The remnant of the gray dragon¡ªit was nothing more than an illusion created by the ego of Stone Dragon Gujel. However, the effect of the illusion depended on the illusion. There were few people who weren¡¯t surprised.


    The stupefied expression of the 4th Great Demon was caught on camera.

 Chapter 1524

    <h4>Chapter 1524</h4>


    The 4th Great Demon, Gamigin¡ªthe one who passed herself off as an absolute in hell was also an object of fear for humanity.


    A presence that couldn¡¯t be resisted.


    Their willpower to fight itself was broken. It would¡¯ve been the same even if the troops were in aplete state, but now it was a situation where the army had withdrawn. It wasn¡¯t a system that the thousands of yers could defy with just courage. It was physically impossible due to all types of abnormal conditions.


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    The central barracks was noisy.


    It was due to Braham, who used rm magic and was preparing to go out, and the 10 meritorious retainers who tried to stop him.


    ¡°It is Lauel¡¯s order to retreat if the situation isn¡¯t favorable.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Are you asking me to take someone else¡¯s order now?


    Braham felt derisive, but he had nothing to say. It was because Lauel often represented Grid. Most of Lauel¡¯s will was Grid¡¯s will.


    ¡°Certainly, it is a good situation to be killed.¡±


    Braham checked the war situation. New demons and demonic creatures were crawling out behind Gamigin, who was apanied by as many as three legendary souls. These ugly things were like bugs in a manure bucket.


    On the other hand, the allies were beasts who had lost their strength. They lost the army and was mentally pushed. Their bodies were covered in wounds as the price for fighting alone. They weren¡¯t in a state to fight against Gamigin and a swarm of bugs.


    Mercedes also couldn¡¯t afford to take on Gamigin. She was responding to Barbatos¡¯ sniping, which started the moment Gamigin appeared. If she didn¡¯t stop the shooting, then their troops would be destroyed in an instant.


    ¡®Euphemina and Kyle are also at their limit.¡¯


    10 days at the Abyss was actually very difficult for Braham. This was even though he regained his power as a direct descendant. A lich¡¯s magic was often called infinite, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t infinite. In the same way, the health of a direct descendant vampire wasn¡¯t infinite. In the first ce, the blood of the demonic creatures was of low quality. Every time he sucked blood, it was disgusting enough that he wanted to vomit, let alone barely satiating his hunger.


    Thus, Braham had always relied on his colleagues. He relied on others. It was unthinkable when living with the blood kin. It was due to the defects in the blood kin¡¯s abilities and values rather than Braham¡¯s personality. In fact, Pagma was his friend and he relied on Pagma.


    Mercedes, Euphemina, Kyle, the dukes of the empire, and even the 10 meritorious retainers such as Peak Sword werepetent people Braham could rely on. Braham paid particr attention to Kyle among them.


    ¡®Why is he afraid of me?¡¯


    A human born with a rare power mutation. It was even the power of lightning, which was close to an all-rounder. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say it could cause tinnitus. Additionally, he had umted transcendence and could be called one of the strongest, but he was more afraid of Braham than necessary.


    Braham was puzzled by him, but naturally epted it. He just passed over it by saying Kyle had discerning eyes. The tearing off of Kyle¡¯s arm during the fierce battle with Mumud wasn¡¯t a big event for him. He didn¡¯t expect Kyle to be afraid of him due to this incident. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to have an arm cut off. Additionally, Kyle¡¯s arms seemed intact on the surface.


    ¡®His physical strength is poorpared to his discerning eyes and skills.¡¯


    Kyle was looking at Gamigin with sunken eyes.


    His relieved legs were trembling slightly once the retreat was decided.


    ¡®The power is excessively high,¡¯ Braham evaluated him.


    The reason why transcendents were easily exhausted was because their movements transcended human limits. Their body was also beyond the human category, but this wasn¡¯t enough.The obvious example was Shunpo. This level of movement put a great burden on the body and gave the brain a burning sensation. Moreover, Kyle moved in a superior manner than ordinary transcendents. The power of lightning was so great that paradoxically, he became tired even quicker.


    This was the fundamental problem. It was hard to ovee, but Braham knew the solution.


    ¡°Kyle, tie up Gamigin¡¯s feet while we retreat.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Kyle¡¯s expression stiffened. Currently, Braham was the one in the most normal state. Besides, he was the strongest. There was no one else more suitable for tying up Gamigin¡¯s feet, but he was transferring responsibility.


    ¡°¡­Tens of thousands of demonic creatures are pushing in like a tsunami. It will be dangerous. I¡¯d rather open up the retreat while you attract Gamigin¡¯s attention¡­¡±


    ¡°You have too many useless words.¡±


    ¡®He is a wicked vampire.¡¯


    Was it because he was a race that used human blood as food? Braham had a really cruel side. It was clear that he treated humans as livestock without seeing them as equal. Thus, Grid, who tamed him as a subordinate, felt even greater.


    The disgruntled Kyle sighed and looked back at Gamigin. She stood on the ground with four legs and was reminiscent of a giant tree. She seemed to take root in the earth. The moment she took a step, the cracked ground would surge like a wave.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    This time, the probability of dying was high¡ªKyle had this feeling as he stepped forward. Rather than refusing the order and being executed on the spot, he judged that he would have a better chance of survival in a struggle against Gamigin.


    ¡®Create the opportunity to run away while fighting¡­¡¯


    Boooom!


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Kyle¡¯s thoughts stopped. It was the aftermath of seeing a fireball falling in front of him and prating the ground in a straight line.


    Don¡¯t tell me it reached the inner core of the earth?


    Kyle looked up while having ridiculous worries and made eye contact with a soul soldier wearing a robe.


    A being with a translucent blue body¡ªthe appearance was blurry, but Kyle noticed his identity instantly. A being who used magic with a powerparable to that of Braham. There were only two such beings in history¡ªHaksen, with the Highest Point Magic, and Jessica, with the Echo Magic. They were legendary great magicians who were active in the pre-Braham era.


    ¡®Based on the density of magic, it must be Haksen. I am going to die to this guy before even attracting Gamigin¡¯s attention.¡¯


    There were even two more beings equivalent to Haksen. A man carrying a greatsword bigger than Kyle¡¯s height on his shoulder and a giant bigger than Gamigin. His height approached four meters.


    ¡®I never expected to see a giant in my lifetime.¡¯


    To be exact, it was the soul of a dead giant, but anyway¡ª


    Kyle was buffed by Euphemina and Ruby and shot forward as a bolt of lightning. He broke through the baptism of magic, used his own strength to get rid of the greatsword digging at his side, and avoided the baptism of bullets fired from the giant¡¯s pair of gauntlets by using Shunpo.


    It was truly a dog-like situation. He hadn¡¯t wanted to use Shunpo in order to save his strength, but he ended up using it. It couldn¡¯t be helped even if it was regrettable. Who would¡¯ve expected a machine gun to be fired with gauntlets? He only considered the possibility of taking out a magic machine.


    ¡®There must be arge amount of ancient artifacts.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s guess was correct.


    Gamigin¡¯s power was to embody and dominate the life of the soul. The appearance here was that of their prime and the items used at that time were included. In the first ce, what was the point of resurrecting the bare body? Gamigin¡¯s demon power was to ¡®read the memories of the target¡¯ and the reason she had her subordinates protect the soul vault was to effectively utilize her power.


    The great magician Haksen, the giant, and the swordsman who used a greatsword¡ªKyle¡¯s body soared high into the air after breaking through the three legends and he reached Gamigin. The moment he arrived at this ce using Shunpo, he was kicked by Gamigin¡¯s hind legs. It was natural for the 4th ranked Great Demon to read the path of Shunpo. It was only Braham who could gain the upper hand over Gamigin by consuming mana instead of physical strength to use infinite Teleport.


    ¡®This damn thing¡­¡¯


    This was the end. There was no answer at all. He should¡¯ve tried to rebel against Braham instead.


    Kyle fell down while looking at the distant sky. He regretted it btedly, only to have a certain feeling.


    It was very unfamiliar. It was the feeling of someone¡¯s heart holding up his back. It wasn¡¯t the heart of just one or two people. The willpower of thousands of people sustained him.


    He had been shunned by his parents due to his special physique. Since then, he built a wall separating himself from the world. Now a warmth he never felt spread to his heart.


    ¡°You should be my soldier too,¡± Gamigin, who gave chase and appeared right in front of him, sentenced him to death.


    Kyle¡¯s expression distorted. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m feeling this at thest moment.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to be alone. He wanted to be with people normally and share the warm recognition. He tried to ignore it, but the wish was imprinted on his subconscious. Was it only at the moment of death that he started to acknowledge it and experience it as an illusion?


    ¡°It isn¡¯t bad¡­¡± Kyle smiled bitterly as Gamigin¡¯s nails pierced his chest.


    ¡°Kyle!¡± the yers screamed as they opened up the retreat with Braham.


    For them, Kyle was a colleague who had walked the line of death with them for 10 days. They even owed him their lives several times. Now, thanks to him grabbing attention, they were able to open up the path to retreat. Putting aside Kyle¡¯s cold personality, the yers were already deeply attached to him. They intended to repay the grace in the future, but he was going to die here.


    The incensed yers had red faces. Some people gritted their teeth with fury, while others wept.


    Just then, a dragon appeared with a roar. This absurd developmentpletely broke the willpower of the people. They realized they couldn¡¯t escape anyway and clearly engraved Kyle¡¯s end in their eyes. It was in order to not forget the end of the hero¡­


    Craackle!


    Gamigin, who was distracted by the illusion of the gray dragon, hurriedly shifted her gaze. It was due to the dizzying pain being transmitted from her fingertips.


    ¡°¡­You?¡±


    The series of iprehensible events flustered Gamigin. Kyle¡¯s body, which was pierced by her nails, was burning incandescent. He survived without dying and tightly held the wrist of Gamigin¡¯s hand that pierced his chest.


    The world was shocked.


    [A legendary lightning warrior has been born!]


    The number of demonic creatures that Kyle killed in the war was in the hundreds of thousands. He was a figureparable to Braham. The ability to rush through the battlefield at lightning speed while scattering lighting was itself specialized in mass ughter. It was also gorgeous and attracted attention.


    Some people called him a hero and others called him a savior. Achievements, skills, and recognition¡ªin every way, Kyle deserved to be a legend. Thest sacrifice was nothing more than a catalyst.


    ¡°It was a narrow escape.¡± Brahamughed. He watched Kyle¡¯s back with an encouraging gaze as Kyle burned Gamigin¡¯s blood vessels with a white, burning light. Then he shifted his gaze toward the sky. ¡°Go, Grid.¡±


    He had been constantly hearing words.


    Braham was a monster who used the mana in the atmosphere as his senses. During the war, he heard all sorts of rumors about Grid, who hadn¡¯t participated in the war. Most people trusted Grid, but some people spected that Grid might not be able to act recklessly because he was afraid of losing his reputation. This was a war being watched by the world. It would be a big blow to his image if Grid was defeated in the war. They interpreted it in their own way as Grid bing a coward.


    It was a reasonable guess. The higher the position, the more there was to lose and the more cautious one would be. However, Braham knew that the level of the enemies was too low for Grid to be defeated. ¡°Show us what it means to be the strongest.¡±


    The sky was turbulent. The atmospheric fluctuations spread like a storm and the upper clouds sank. The rapidly blowing lower clouds were as big as the illusion of the gray dragon that appeared and disappeared a while ago. The soaring humidity strengthened Kyle¡¯s lightning.


    Kyle¡¯s judgment was quick. The unexpected five second grace period obtained by bing a legend¡ªit was a type of dying sh. He wasn¡¯t relieved like a fool. He did his best to use lightning speed and shook off Gamigin. At the same time, a god descended.


    [Overgeared God Grid has appeared.]


    ¡°You!¡± Gamigin gritted her teeth. She had many unfamiliar experiences recently. It was a very unpleasant experience when things didn¡¯t work out the way she wanted. Not only was she defeated by Braham, but she also lost the external heart that acted as a driving force in her soul storage. Due to this, six legendary souls were lost.


    She needed a ce to relieve her anger. The wound she received from the sword that created the dragon¡¯s illusion wasn¡¯t very big. Gamigin had Judar¡¯s blessing. It was the protection of absolute defense. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as good as a dragon¡¯s absolute defense. There were vital spots. However, it was limited to local areas and even those were thoroughly guarded.


    The current Gamigin was invincible. She wasn¡¯t afraid of either a dragon or a god. She was shocked by the dragon illusion a little while ago, but it was just at the level of being flustered. The opponent was the Overgeared God, who defeated Baal¡¯s ego fragment, but there was no way she would be intimidated.


    Gamigin¡¯s fists stretched out and struck Grid dozens of times. In the process, sonic booms exploded behind Grid as he twisted back and forth and tilted his body back. Dozens of demonic creatures were swept away in the aftermath and died. However, Grid wasn¡¯t pushed back. The moment he allowed the blow, his sword had already cut Gamigin¡¯s chest. The illusion of the gray dragon passed through Gamigin¡¯s body.


    ¡°¡­¡­?!¡±


    Once again, the wound wasn¡¯t big. Even so, Gamigin stepped back. It was a reflexive action. It wasn¡¯t simply because she was intimidated by the illusion of the dragon.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It hurt. She was so flustered just now that she wasn¡¯t aware of it, but she felt a clear pain. Her vital point wasn¡¯t cut, so it wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡®Did something go wrong?¡¯


    The instinct that told her the current situation was a crisis suppressed her anger. She lost her sense of reason. Why didn¡¯t Judar¡¯s blessing work properly? Gamigin felt the need to clearly understand the situation. She widened the distance with Grid as much as possible and let Haksen, Tzudan, and Filewolf advance.


    The souls of the legends immediately responded to Gamigin¡¯s will. They ignored the magic of Braham and Euphemina, and made attacking Grid a top priority. A transparent magic machine emerged from underground due to Filewolf¡¯s will. It stood tall in the center of the battlefield and the huge mass boasted an overwhelming dignity. It was enough to cause people to shrink back.


    However, the magic machine immediately sank down to the ground. It was weighed down by the mass of Greed that fell from the sky.


    Grid had reached Haksen. 30 God Hands shook off Tzudan and drew hundreds of sword cuts. Haksen was used as drawing paper to connect the Link-derived sword dances. It was from head to toe. Grid shed all parts of Haksen¡¯s body. In response, the illusion of the gray dragon spread throughout the battlefield before disappearing. The scene of hundreds of thousands of demonic creatures paralyzed on the ground with fear was close to unrealistic.


    Haksen¡¯s soul crumbled. There were thousands of cracks before he copsed and turned into gray ash. It happened in an instant.


    ¡°I found it.¡±


    What?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s shiny eyes caused a chill to go down Gamigin¡¯s spine. Gamigin took a step back. She was so flustered that shemitted an ugly act without realizing it.

 Chapter 1525

    <h4>Chapter 1525</h4>


    The ground on which Grid stood lost its shape. Every time he took a step, it was crushed. There was bound to be strength. It was because he had to repeat the position change that reversed his field of view with one step.


    Grid was wary of Gamigin¡¯s charge. He tried not to face Gamigin in a straight line. It was up and down in all directions. Grid¡¯s field of view that managed to face all sides every second represented how intense his movements were. The orange glow, which was gradually growing darker, eventually expanded like the sun.


    Grid¡¯s cloak fluttered in a dizzying manner. It was due to the wind pressure caused by Gamigin¡¯s forehead passing by. Grid avoided the attack by a difference that was a single sheet of paper.


    ¡®Certainly, the charging speed is the best.¡¯


    Gamigin¡¯s four-legged charge was as natural and fast as running water. It was an area of supersonic speed and was reminiscent of Zeratul. It was definitely fasterpared to when she fought Braham. Still, there was nothing to be flustered about. It was a situation he had predicted from the time she appeared with the souls of legends. Even Judar had intervened.


    Gamigin had returned in a stronger state. It was the reason why Braham avoided a confrontation.


    ¡®It is okay.¡¯


    Grid held his sword to Gamigin¡¯s throat as she passed by and bent his wrist vigorously. He shed Gamigin¡¯s throat and guided her head in the direction he wanted. He offset the fog-like demonic energy with Storm of the Fire God and greeted the physical attacks.


    It was a waste of time to avoid the attacks. Evasive opportunities would consume counterattack opportunities. Of course, fatal attacks were avoided. Grid was able to distinguish the trajectories and strength of the iing attacks. The 30 God Hands were maintaining the ¡®artificial senses.¡¯ Gamigin¡¯s charging attacks were meaningless even if they broke through supersonic speed.


    In the first ce, Gamigin had a big weakness. Thanks to the horse-like lower body, she specialized in linear movements while the direction change was slow. Of course, it would seem very quick to the average person, but it was definitely substandard to Grid. He had dealt with great talents. His experience with difficult battles had umted so much that it was sad.


    Gujel¡¯s Dao, which specialized in both shing and stabbing after it wasbined with the Fire Dragon Sword¡ªthe moment it touched Gamigin¡¯s throat, an explosion urred. It was the sound of the absolute defense being broken. Grid¡¯s original fighting energy and Gujel¡¯s Dao showed an outstandingbination. There was a high probability of breaking the absolute defense. In this way, it was possible to deal a serious injury even if he couldn¡¯t raid a dragon. This was the level he evaluated himself.


    Five minutes. In fact, Gamigin became bloody just five minutes after the battle began. She was the 4th Great Demon, so her health would be ¡®at least¡¯ in the billions.


    Grid¡¯s attack power was at the level where calling it transcendent wascking. It was a fraudulent level. It was safe to say it was at the level of a bug. It was at the peak due to items. Grid¡¯s achievements, titles, status, and stats raised the strongest weapon, the dragon weapon, to the limit.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Gamigin breathed out heavily and her expression was surprisingly calm. The stronger the crisis, the calmer she became.


    ¡®There must be something that she believes in.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s head was hot because he went through hundreds of visual changes per minute. His body wasn¡¯t tired, but his mental fatigue was considerable. This was one of the reasons why Satisfy was so difficult. The higher the physical ability, the greater the price to the yers. It was impossible to maintain concentration for a long time. It was a side effect of suppressing the system¡¯s assistance effect as much as possible to increase the sense of realism.


    However, Grid was okay. He could handle mental fatigue as much as physical fatigue, unless there were system constraints such as his stamina running out.


    Persistence¡ªthis was Grid¡¯s biggest strength.


    ¡®She probably has a means of oveing her weakness.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s focus, which had reached its peak after the battle began, remained unwavering. He guessed and prepared for what other measures Gamigin had taken. He didn¡¯t make it obvious. He maintained his battle pattern without changing his movements and steadily captured an advantageous position. He didn¡¯t give Gamigin the shortest route forward and constantly stepped to the side, sublimating the process into the sword dances.


    The magic in the sword dances was influenced by Gujel¡¯s ego. The dragon¡¯s roar stiffened the surrounding demonic creatures. It was iplete, but it was Dragon Fear. Enemies that were one stage lower or significantly lower statuses than Grid lost their fighting power in front of the fear. The duration was only one second, but this was virtually meaningless. The magic of the sword dances continued to be linked and the duration of Dragon Fear increased.


    When the sword wielding Grid appeared at Gamigin¡¯s lower left, new blood gushed from Gamigin¡¯s chest and back at the same time. It was a swift sword technique that made his allies cheer.


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡± On the other hand, a chill went down Braham¡¯s spine. He was looking up at Grid while tying up Tzudan and Filewolf. He could see a smile spreading on Gamigin¡¯s face. There was no time for him to shout. He immediately cast a shield that covered Grid¡¯s entire body. However, there were already dark rays being fired from Gamigin¡¯s arms.


    It was the moment when Gamigin¡¯s weaknesses that were relentlessly targeted by Grid, the blind spots at her nk, were turned into sharp weapons.


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    The eight rays of light centered from Gamigin exerted unimaginable power. From above, it looked like a crystal with ck eyes. Yet unlike its mysterious and beautiful appearance, it produced terrible results. The yers and demonic creatures in the path of the rays turned to ash without a trace. Defensive skills and magic were useless. It was an instant death with just a passing hit.


    Additionally, the range wasrge. One ray was tens of meters in diameter and the flying distance was tens of kilometers. This meant that the battlefield had be devastated in the aftermath of a single ray of light.


    Grid encountered the rays from right in front of him and couldn¡¯t dodge. The moment his transcendent senses were activated, his entire field of view was already covered by rays, so it was impossible to initiate Shunpo. Instead, he responded with Revolve. There was no dy because he had predicted a counterattack. Gujel¡¯s Dao immediately rotated and urately hit the rays. Still, it was just a reversal.


    [You have suffered 150,000 damage.]


    There was fixed damage that ignored physical forces and magic power. The rays that prated without colliding with the sword dances entered Grid¡¯s entire body. It was high damage that exined why the rankers died immediately. There was something even worse than the rays.


    [You have suffered 150,000 damage.]


    It was the structure that ovepped damage until the target was out of range. It was 300,000 damage per second. This was the true value of the 4th ranked Great Demon. This proved that the yers weren¡¯t in a position to challenge her hastily.


    ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Gamigin burst outughing. She maintained the rays that swallowed up Grid and it looked like her 100 years of congestion was gone. In the process, Braham¡¯s magic was allowed one after another. It was inevitable that she would reveal gaps in order to maintain the transcendent power of the rays.


    She had to deal with it. She gained the power of this dark ray in exchange for belonging to Baal¡¯s faction. ording to Baal, it was the power of God Yatan. Of course, it was impossible with Gamigin¡¯s ability to fully unleash and utilize the power, but it was possible to exert sufficient power by mimicking it.


    The attribute of the rays themselves was unreasonable. They pulled, suppressed, and disintegrated substances with huge masses. At the same time, theypletely ignored the inherent resistance of each substance. Once touched by a ray, the object could never escape from it until death.


    ¡°I¡­ have killed a god! Kuhat! Kuhahahat!¡±


    Blood that was like ck ink flowed from the seven orifices of her human head as she was unable to stop the light. Her swollen blood vessels burst in a disastrous manner. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she died straight away. Of course, she couldn¡¯t die easily. The great demon¡¯s inherent regenerative power and Judar¡¯s power supported her.


    Just then, there was a strange noise. A portal opened above the wide-eyed Gamigin. Jade-colored magic power poured out like light. It was the return of the hell expedition.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡±


    The legendary Demon yer was unlikely to be able to influence the power of a god of the beginning. It was impossible even for an ordinary main god. However, the power of the dark rays noticeably weakened. It was due to the environment. Yatan was a god worshipped in hell. The presence of the rays naturally faded the moment hell disappeared from the battlefield.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Gamigin didn¡¯t stop the rays. In other words, her body that faced the limit was weakened even further by Hell Regtion. Even so, she persevered. It was literally her limit.


    The battle against Grid was terribly short, but the damage suffered by Gamigin was devastating. There was no sense of reality at all. In fact, all these moments were like a dream for Gamigin. In order to not end this dream as a nightmare, she had to stop Grid¡¯s breathing. If she stepped back here, she wouldn¡¯t get any benefits¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Gamigin¡¯s thoughts stopped for a moment. It was due to the human being who dropped right next to her. It was a man with ck hair. Gamigin¡¯s two arms floated over the silvery sword trajectory that followed him like a meteor. ¡°Sword Saint!¡±


    ¡°I got involved for no reason.¡±


    Click.


    Kraugel muttered to himself and put away the sword. He put his hand on the sheath that was tied to his waist and took a step back. He seemed to be opening the way for someone. He didn¡¯t care about Gamigin at all.


    It was a very cheeky attitude, but Gamigin couldn¡¯t afford to be angry. It was because she could feel the heat that was burning her skin. It was heat approaching from beyond the rays that were still being maintained. Looking at it now, the center of the dark rays was burned red. Faint wings were visible. They were wings of fire that couldn¡¯t be extinguished by the rays.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡­?¡±


    The rays might¡¯ve been weakened by Hell Regtion, but they still contained the status of one of the gods of the beginning. Now the center was twisting out of shape. They were melting like they couldn¡¯t handle the heat.


    Step.Step.Step.


    The sound of footsteps that didn¡¯t suit the situation gave Gamigin goosebumps. Through the quiet steps, Gamigin realized something. The oue had been decided from the beginning.


    ¡°You have be stronger.¡± Grid appeared through the rays split in half and smiled at Kraugel.


    The ming red phoenix was decorating his back as he swung the Falling Moon Sword and Gujel¡¯s Dao sequentially without even looking at Gamigin. It was a sword that aimed for the weaknesses he had targeted since the beginning. The protection of the red phoenix on the two swords and Ruby¡¯s buff offset Judar¡¯s protection that was on Gamigin to a certain extent. The grayish color that mixed with the blood gushing like a fountain announced the news.


    [The 4th Great Demon, ¡®Gamigin,¡¯ has been destroyed.]


    [It is recorded as defeating a great demon in the shortest time.]


    [It took only 7 minutes and 31 seconds since the start of the battle to defeat Gamigin. This record was set by Overgeared God Grid.]


    The new divine sword¡ªit was the moment when the power of the dragon weapon was revealed to the entire world.


    ***


    The genre of the world had changed. It was from a despair causing apocalypse to a hack-and-sh full of pleasure. The sight of the remnant of the gray dragon prating the battlefield and killing the demonic creatures every time Grid swung his sword gave people an unlimited sense of pleasure. It was a visual drug.


    ¡º U-Uwahhhh! !¡»


    Eventually, Gamigin died.


    The broadcasters got up from their seats and cheered. Even the anchors of the broadcasting stations didn¡¯t care about their appearance and went wild. The expression that the studio was turned upside down was correct. Experts who were previously criticizing each other due to conflicts of opinions now hugged and jumped around.


    The heat in themunities was even hotter.


    -No, it is crazy ????


    -This effect of this weapon¡¯s power is too cool¡­


    ?Thisment will soon be arrested by Peak Sword.


    ?Why?


    ?It seems to be because he called it the Japanese ng for cool. (Note: To rify, the above person used a Japanese word that is used as a ng word for ¡®cool¡¯ in South Korea.)


    ?Doesn¡¯t Peak Sword use battojutsu?


    ?It isn¡¯t battojutsu, but drawing the sword that is unique to the Korean people.Peak Sword has revealed it in person in the past.There is no basis.


    ???


    -Is that a dragon weapon?


    ?It is unlikely to be a dragon weapon.There is no history of dragons being killed.


    ? No, no, if you go to the remote mountainous area called Trempit, there is a folk song praising a hero who sealed one 500 years ago.


    ?That is sealed, not killed.Is this intelligence real?


    ? Raising my middle finger.


    -There is a dragon hatchling among Grid¡¯s apostles.It also appeared in the epic.Did he kill her and turn her into a weapon??


    ?Are you crazy? ????


    ?It seems so?I think she is the only one I haven¡¯t seen among Grid¡¯s apostles.


    ?These bastards like Baal.


    -In any case, it is fXing cool.


    There was one fact that people realized as they lived. It was the fact that eternal things were rare in the world. People, especially middle-aged people, spected that even Grid¡¯s invincible myth would have a shelf life. This wasn¡¯t meant to disparage Grid¡¯s skills. They weren¡¯t cursing him because they wanted Grid to be ruined. They were just preparing for the flow that woulde naturally.


    In fact, the enemies kept bing stronger and eventually the great human and demon war broke out. It was a war of transcendent beings ughtering thousands. They were all strong existences who threatened the unrivaled Grid. It was a tense situation even for Grid, the supreme one under the sky. They were worried that his reputation that eventually reached a myth would be damaged.


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t participate directly in the war.


    Many people discussed him. They argued if the king should¡¯vee out directly from the beginning, if the army should¡¯ve been gathered, etc. However, it wasn¡¯t a calm analysis.


    For yers, war was a great opportunity. There was experience everywhere. It was correct to fight for even one more second in the long-term. Yet Grid fled from the war. It was obvious he was nervous. They noticed an extreme reluctance to suffer defeat.


    The middle-aged yers understood Grid¡¯s judgment. Rather, they judged it as appropriate.


    Grid was the symbol of humanity. If he lost, the momentum of the enemies would go out of control and victory or defeat in the war was likely to be easily concluded. The more people understood Grid¡¯s value, the more they wanted Grid to be cowardly. They hoped he would intervene only when he could aim for a clear victory, holding on to being a disaster to the enemies and hope for his allies.


    That¡¯s right. The time when Grid fought against Baal. Surprisingly, many people didn¡¯t wee Grid¡¯s choice. They said he was taking a risk and he was too emotional. Fortunately, he knocked down Baal, but it was just a lucky result. It was because it was a close win. Grid was wounded seriously in that battle. Humanity could lose hope if he wasn¡¯t careful. Then today¡­


    Grid once again took risks. He failed to ignore the crisis of thousands of people who were mostly yers. Since ancient times, heroes were honest to a fault, but this was too unwise. It wasn¡¯t just one or two people who were worried while watching him.


    This was until a few seconds ago.


    -Grid hase back even stronger.


    -It is thanks to the new divine sword he made.It is really admirable.Haha.I want him to be my son-inw.


    -I¡­If I was 30 years young, I would¡¯ve eaten and fought with Grid.Uhem.Time flies.


    -My generation should¡¯ve made our kids y games instead of studying.It is my mistake.This way, Grid would be less lonely.I¡¯m really sorry¡­


    It was after Gamigin¡¯s fall.


    The middle-aged yers, who were silently watching and evaluating Grid, finally got rid of their useless worries. They were purely enthusiastic and dominated the broadcast¡¯s chat window. Themunity posts increased in a hurry. It was truly overwhelming firepower that proved the seriousness of the aging society. Some immature young people mocked them using derogatory words for the elderly, but it was only a few.


    In the first ce, they were people who shared the same hobbies and interests. Age wasn¡¯t important. It was the integration of generations. It was a phenomenon that appeared all over the world. Grid had achieved an achievement that no great person had ever achieved.

 Chapter 1526

    <h4>Chapter 1526</h4>


    Gamigin¡¯s soul vaultrger and taller than Baal¡¯s castle, and the expression of Gamigin¡¯s vanity¡ªwas brutally torn down. The building that boasted the history of having thergest scale in hell and showed off its dignity had been reduced into an incredibly ugly ruin.


    ¡°The main obligation ends here.¡±


    In the center of the ruins, Leraje stood in a bloody pool. It was a puddle made from the blood flowing from her wounds. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t intend to stop the bleeding. Kraugel and Yura just didn¡¯t have the means to help her.


    The body of a great demon waspletely different from humans. It wasn¡¯t just the appearance. The structure of the blood vessels and organs in the body were also different. The mucus spreading from her sweat nds and pores and enveloping her dermis proved that she was different from humans. Human cures were useless to her.


    ¡°Huhu, your facial expressions are strange. Why are you sad just because I¡¯m dying? Rather, it is right to rejoice.¡± Leraje, who eventually fell down to the ground,ughed in spite of herself.


    The expressions of Kraugel and Yura reflected in her dark eyes were very stiff. They seemed to be swallowing their pain, so it was strange to her. It was all the more so because they didn¡¯t show their emotions well. Her heart was itchy. Beriache came to mind for some reason.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Go back. There isn¡¯t anything you can do here¡­ for the time being¡­¡±


    All the hells that could be ovee had been upied. Half of the hells had gone under Leraje, and Baal¡¯s authority was greatly reduced. Finally, today¡ª


    Leraje seeded in not only destroying all of Gamigin¡¯s subordinates, whom even the great demons feared, but also Gamigin¡¯s external heart. This meant she had broken the link between the inherent power that strengthened Gamigin, the souls trapped in the vault, and Gamigin. Gamigin would¡¯ve been greatly weakened.


    It was the best performance Leraje could do. However, it was somewhatcking to be called a perfect performance. Just before the heart was destroyed, some of the souls flowed to Gamigin. There were three legendary souls among them. It was a disappointing result for Leraje, who put everything on the line.


    ¡°Our work means that Gamigin has lost a great deal of her power andbat effectiveness¡­ still, it is unreasonable to think that she is weaker than her prime. As you have experienced¡­ demons belonging to Baal¡¯s faction are protected by some invisible force. It must be Zeratul¡¯s protection. The human world¡­ your world will be in danger¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± Kraugel blocked Leraje¡¯s words andid her straight down. The blood that broke through the pierced chest reddened the mucus on her skin. Perhaps she would die soon.


    A great demon¡¯s death. It was the death of the 10th Great Demon. It was originally an event to be pleased about. Great demons were humanity¡¯s greatest enemy. Yet on the contrary, Kraugel and Yura¡¯s hearts were heavy. They even felt a faint sadness.


    Leraje was a great ally. It was infinitely close to a strange fate. The two of them gained too much from being with her. They carried out variousmunications in the process of cooperating with each other.


    Kraugel and Yura had noticed it from a certain point. There were emotions such as sadness, disillusionment, and sympathy in the way that Leraje looked at the demons and demonic creatures. It wasn¡¯t just when she was looking at her enemies, but also her own subordinates. Her determination to get revenge on Baal and hell was a heartful, true one.


    ¡°I trust Youngwoo-ssi,¡± Yura¡¯s voice awakened Kraugel from his thoughts.


    ¡°The surface will be safe even if we don¡¯t go back,¡± Kraugel agreed.


    It was hard to think of Grid and the Overgeared members losing, even if the demons and demonic creatures had Judar¡¯s protection. Of course, the overall damage would be great. Apart from the Overgeared members and rankers, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to easily target Judar¡¯s protection.


    Judar¡¯s protection made a target close to invincible. It was difficult to kill them unless the ¡®weak spot¡¯ created in specific parts of the body were targeted. Even the positions of the weak spots varied from individual to individual. Depending on the position of the weak spot, it was generally impossible to attack with ordinary skills.


    Nevertheless, this didn¡¯t mean there was a reason for Kraugel and Yura to return and help right away. It was a matter of efficiency. Even if the two of them went up to the surface, their limit was to protect one battlefield. Of course, that alone could save tens of thousands of lives, but it wasn¡¯t enough of a reason to abandon Leraje.


    That¡¯s right. Kraugel and Yura intended to stay in hell. It was to protect Leraje by her side as she recovered. This was a personal desire and also a judgment on the whole.


    Leraje was a must for humanity. In hell, she was like a cancer cell. She was a being who would gradually lead hell to ruin if she lived without dying. Moreover, she knew the past, or the truth, of hell. She had to survive for the new episodes or quests that would ur in the future.


    ¡°Me too¡­ I know Grid¡¯s skills¡­¡± Leraje remembered it. Grid¡¯s swordsmanship that made her use both arms. ¡°Among the overflowing people¡­ a skilled man who raised alertness within me¡­ however, that isn¡¯t enough. Gamigin might¡¯ve lost her power, but with Zeratul¡¯s protection, she will beparable to being immortal. The fire of life that doesn¡¯t go out will burn until the earth is destroyed. Grid alone won¡¯t be able to stop her¡­¡±


    So you guys should add some strength.


    Leraje spoke up to here before shutting her mouth. It was because her vocal organs were damaged after her internal injuries worsened. She could barely breathe and her heart was pounding.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Kraugel and Yura stood up. They stood back to back as if they were escorting Leraje. Demons who smelled death were flocking. They weren¡¯t Gamigin¡¯s subordinates. All of Gamigin¡¯s demons that were stationed at the soul vault had long been killed.


    ¡°Are you confident you won¡¯t regret it?¡± It was Yura¡¯s question.


    Currently, Kraugel stood at the crossroads of choice. The work of hell was none of the business of the Sword Saint. In the first ce, if the great human and demon war was won, then hell wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene on the surface as much as before. Rationally, the best option for him was to kill Leraje directly with his own hands. The prize for killing the 10th Great Demon would be huge.


    ¡°There are many low quality hyenas everywhere,¡± Kraugel murmured. It was a rebuke toward the demons who came to target the dying Leraje.


    This answer was enough. The two people pulled out their swords and grasped them side by side. They became a gateway protecting Leraje.


    The demons didn¡¯t even snort. There were no signs of fear. Leraje had lost her undefeated reputation. Compared with the performance of destroying Gamigin¡¯s soul vault, the ugliness of retreating several times during the process of destroying the soul vault was more important to the demons. It was because Leraje¡¯s reputation itself was built up on the basis of invincibility.


    The demons feared her because they thought she was invincible. Now she was no longer invincible and was even dying. She was appetizing. Their eyes were turned so much that they left the Sword Saint and Demon yer behind.


    A fierce exchange of blows began.


    Kraugel and Yura deftly counterattacked the attacks of dozens of demons and reduced the number. There were thousands of demonic creatures pushing behind the demons like waves, but the two people weren¡¯t shaken. They had reached the state of their mental state being as smooth as a polished mirror.


    ¡°I told you¡­ to go¡­¡± Leraje¡¯s words that she barely let out one syble at a time permeated the ears of the two people, ¡°Grid¡­ can¡¯t¡­ die¡­¡±


    The biggest reason why Leraje didn¡¯t want Grid to die had nothing to do with favorability. It was because he was the Blood King. He was the key to rallying Beriache¡¯s direct descendants and inserting a knife into Baal¡¯s heart. Leraje was obliged to protect the key. It was because the purpose of her life was to get revenge for Beriache. However, Kraugel and Yura didn¡¯t know the inside story.


    ¡®When did he seduce a great demon?¡¯


    ¡®Does he have a lot of women like this in reality?¡¯


    The two people misunderstood, but they remained unchanged in their attitude. They trusted Grid and decided it was best to protect Leraje. Their goal was to move her to the ck crystal castle. In front of them¡ª


    ¡°Leave this ce to us from now on.¡±


    The head of the Overgeared hell branch¡ªthe red-skinned demon, nt, appeared. The manager of the ck crystal castle was dispatched to help his superior. He signed a contract with Yura and was reliable. It was the same for the subi who apanied him. They were Grid¡¯s subordinates. He couldn¡¯t take them up to the surface because they were sexually suggestive no matter what they wore.


    ¡°We are good enough for these small fries.¡±


    It was shortly after the particrly strong demons were killed by Kraugel and Yura. Additionally, nt had used the study left behind by Dantalion as the manager of the ck crystal castle. It was to carry out the important task of tranting the books in demonnguage into humannguage. In this process, knowledge was umted and he was strengthened. It wasn¡¯tparable to when he begged Yura for his life.


    ¡°Please¡­ Grid¡­¡± Leraje, who was on nt¡¯s back, fainted. She worried about Grid until thest minute.


    By this point, Kraugel and Yura were uneasy.


    ¡®How strong is Gamigin?¡¯


    Gamigin had already lost to the Braham and Kyle duo. Yet looking back, Gamigin wasn¡¯t apanied by any legendary souls at the time and it was before she received Judar¡¯s protection.


    ¡®Why is Leraje so concerned? Is thepatibility of Judar¡¯s protection with Gamigin that good?¡¯


    The two people made a reasonable guess and exchanged looks. In any case, there was no reason for the two of them to remain in hell. nt carried Leraje on his back and was already breaking through the enemy line. There was no reason for the two of them to challenge areas that even Leraje didn¡¯t dare to target. It was time to return to the surface. Thus, they came back to find¡­


    ¡°I got involved for no reason.¡±


    Gamigin was on the verge of being defeated. It was in 7 minutes and 31 seconds. In this short time, the 4th ranked Great Demon, who received Judar¡¯s protection, was killed by Grid. If it was to this extent, it was safe to say that Leraje didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s skills properly.


    ¡®She is the 10th ranked Great Demon.¡¯


    It might be different when Leraje and Grid first met, but the current Grid was definitely superior to Leraje. This meant that it had be impossible for Leraje to measure Grid. It was natural that Leraje didn¡¯t know. The speed of Grid¡¯s growth was unmatched. Now he had achieved a great growth once again.


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has ri¡­]


    First of all, he gained 26 levels. The experience gauge, which had risen to 90% in the process of making Gujel¡¯s Sword and Dao, became very colorful and beautiful. It was a sight that could only be seen by grid in this world. The normal method that yers gained experience was to steadily and slowly fill it up through ¡®hunting.¡¯


    Of course, quests often resulted in multiple level ups at once. Yet even if it was multiple levels, it was still in the single digits. The experience of gaining dozens of levels at once was exclusive to Grid. It was an experience that even chaebols or Youngwoo¡¯s parents didn¡¯t have, despite being armed with legendary items from level 1. There was a limit to the experience gained from monsters.


    There was no limit only in raids. It wasn¡¯t because the status or level of the raid target was high. It was because they were beings with backgrounds that could influence the worldview. This was even the case despite Gamigin dying right away.


    The souls of 300 great heroes and nine legends in history were in his grasp. Souls who could exert influence even after their death. What would happen when they were liberated? The world had room for all types of changes. Just like right now.


    [Gamigin¡¯s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Tzudan.]


    [Tzudan has expressed his deep gratitude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]


    [The hidden quest ¡®Legend of Five Steps¡¯ has been acquired. A legendary ss change book can be obtained with the quest reward.]


    [Tzudan says he has been in pain for too long and now he wants to rest. However, he remembers being caught by the river of reincarnation, so he can¡¯t believe in ascension. Is there no rest for the dead?]


    [Gamigin¡¯s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Haksen.]


    [Haksen has expressed his deep gratitude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]


    [The hidden quest ¡®Forgotten Magic Tower¡¯ has been acquired. A legendary ss change book can be obtained with the quest reward.]


    [Haksen is surprised to see Braham. It is said that this is the ideal he wants to reach. If time permits, he wants to remain in this world and watch Braham.]


    [Gamigin¡¯s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Filewolf.]


    [Filewolf has expressed his deep gratitude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]


    [The hidden quest ¡®Iron Filled with Moonlight¡¯ has been acquired. The moon night iron can be secured as a quest reward.]


    [Filewolf looks at the world where the traces of the giants have disappeared. He wants to rest quickly in order to forget this terrible solitude. However, he is afraid of the river of reincarnation.]


    [The souls of the forgotten heroes have expressed their deep gratitude to you. The memories of their lifetime are faint. They are sorry that there is nothing they can tell you. If possible, they hope they can stay by your side and help you even a little bit.]


    The king of souls. The raid rewards were beyond imagination and worthy of an existence with this terrible nickname. The stories that disappeared in history once again reappeared in the world. Grid monopolized all of it. The ss change books of the ancient legends and the moon night iron thought to be extinct. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t the end.


    [The hidden quest ¡®Soul Savior¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Soul Savior]


    [Difficulty: ???


    There are far more legends trapped in Gamigin¡¯s soul vault than you know.


    Recover the souls scattered all over hell. You are the only resting ce for those who are afraid of the river of reincarnation.


    Currently released legendary souls: 3/9


    Currently released souls of heroes: 100/300.]


    The Overgeared God Grid''s Techniques included the Granting an Ego skill. It was literally a skill that gave an ego to an item and it was possible to turn an existing item into an ego item. Of course, the higher the level of the ego being granted was, the more powerful the item would be. Depending on the conditions, it could be a concept higher than an ego item. The soul itself was the ingredient needed for Granting an Ego.


    At this moment, Grid gained enormous resources. Every time he got a legendary soul, he would receive a quest that gave him huge rewards.


    ¡®First of all, the 10 meritorious retainers can all be legends.¡¯


    He would make the Overgeared Guild invincible. It happened the moment Grid was filled with great ambition¡­


    Something was caught in Grid¡¯s artificial senses.

 Chapter 1527

    <h4>Chapter 1527</h4>


    Something was caught in Grid¡¯s artificial senses. One side of the spider-web-like magic power shook through the particles of silver thread. The area was narrow. There wasn¡¯t enough time to urately determine the size, but he could tell it was a weapon, not a human. In terms of speed, it seemed to be a weapon built to be fired.


    Grid immediately drew his weapon. It showed a clear difference between a sword and a dao in Satisfy. The stabbing damage was weak, but the speed and power of the ¡®first attack¡¯ after drawing the dao was considered an advantage. Moreover, it was Gujel¡¯s Dao.


    The moment Grid drew his weapon, a half moon sword of light spread over his head like a shroud. Just then¡ª


    ¡®The opposite side?¡¯


    Grid was startled. He felt a slight fluctuation in magic power from the other direction. It was very threatening because it happened with virtually no time difference. The weapon that fell from the sky collided with Gujel¡¯s Dao. He thought it was an arrow, but its identity was surprisingly a spear. It was thrown, but it had great weight to it. The interlocked Gujel¡¯s Dao made a sharp noise and Grid gritted his teeth. He hurriedly added his other hand to the hilt he was holding with one hand.


    [There are no attacks that you won¡¯t recognize.]


    The transcendent senses overshadowed by his artificial senses were triggered. Movement came from behind him. Grid twisted his head fiercely. It wasn¡¯t in order to fight back. Both of his hands were tied up by the spear that had fallen from the sky. Both feet were nailed to the ground due to the impact and the God Hands remained spread out in order to maintain the artificial senses. There was no time to respond, such as dropping a lump of Greed or summoning a pet.


    In a split second, Grid¡¯s neck felt like it was squeezed by something. Grid¡¯s view only contained the sky. Then a crater that was tens of meters in diameter formed around Grid, who was now stuck in the ground.


    Bang!Bang!Bang!


    Grid¡¯s body was struck several more times. Every time, the area copsed. The buildings of Titan, which only had traces remaining, burned to ashes and disappeared. After being bounced back by Gujel¡¯s Dao, the spear that was spinning in the air suddenly twisted its trajectory. It was toward Grid¡¯s defenseless heart. It shot forward like a ray of light.


    Kraugel, who had been running since it started, blocked it.


    ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Kraugel collided with the spear and responded in the same manner as Grid. He quickly grabbed the hilt with both hands. The difference with Grid was that he couldn¡¯t withstand the weight of the spear. Unlike Grid, who held himself in ce, Kraugel was pushed back dozens of meters. He was overwhelmed in the strength fight.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± One of Kraugel¡¯s shoulders slumped down as he chose to step back and take a breath. Then the spear that was interlocked with the White Tiger Sword slipped and soared into the air.


    At that time, Grid flew far away. He barely stopped just before he was stuck in the city wall. He barely seeded in getting rid of the touch that had reached out to him continuously.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    An unidentified figure slowly rose into the sky, followed by the spear that had been blocked by Kraugel.


    Click.


    The existence who finally grabbed the spear¡ªthey were in the shape of a human being. However, there were wings on their back. The face was deeply shrouded, but it was due to the halo of light above their head. Everyone¡¯s shocked gaze was nailed on them.


    A young angel with a spearrger than their height that was leaning at an angle on their shoulder. The name above the head of the teenager whose gender was hard to identify was very shocking.


    Raphael. The number one archangel. Two cherubs armed with small swords and shields circled around the individual and blew trumpets. It was a majestic performance as if to announce the march of the triumphant general.


    ¡°Hello, Overgeared God Grid and all the human beings.¡± Raphael¡¯s face was clear. There was no killing intent or enmity.


    ¡®Did we get it wrong when we saw them throw Grid a while ago?¡¯


    Such doubts could arise.


    ¡°It is nice to meet you. It feels new to actually face the creatures created by the goddess. This is actually my first visit to the ground.¡±


    Raphael was unwilling to speak for a long time. After giving a bright and polite greeting, they immediately closed their mouth. They just looked at Grid with a smile.


    ¡°What is your business?¡± Grid used Storm of the Fire God before responding to the conversation. He was frustrated that the cooldown of the red phoenix manifestation that he used on Gamigin was 12 hours.


    The 1st ranked Raphael, who mobilized the cherubs to form a trinity. The power that Grid momentarily experienced wasn¡¯tparable to Baal¡¯s ego fragment. It was in a different dimension. In the two seconds of chaos, a third of his health flew away.


    ¡®We can¡¯t fight here. There is a high probability of annihtion.¡¯


    First of all, Braham was vulnerable to angels. He might¡¯ve regained his power as a direct descendant, but there were nobat skills outside of magic. It was right to consider him as having nobat power. Mercedes was also absent. She chased Barbatos into the Abyss. There was the knight summoning, but it wasn¡¯t an option. The moment she returned, Barbatos¡¯s sniping would be free.


    Out of those remaining, only Kraugel and Kyle could react to this speed. Among them, Kraugel was iplete. First of all, he would be hampered by the stats difference. Based on the trajectory that was vaguely read with his super sensitivity, he would have to fight close up for predictions, but he would only be able to hold on for a while.


    ¡®Besides, Kyle has lost his immortality.¡¯


    It was impossible to rely on the souls of legends and heroes. The souls were freed after Gamigin¡¯s death. They were literally in a state of pure soul, not soldiers devoted to the king. It was impossible for them to fight because they had lost their shape, bing light that hovered around Grid.


    ¡®Do I have to deal with Raphael with Kraugel?¡¯


    How long could theyst? Could the others flee while they held on?


    The hopeful part was that Raphael¡¯s descent wouldn¡¯tst long. The status of the 1st archangel was too high. The world couldn¡¯t afford it. In fact, Raphael revealed that it was their first time visiting the surface.


    The clear evidence was that the expressions of the cherubs, who were originally smiling like Raphael, were bing stiff. Maybe they would go back by the time they were teary-eyed.


    As Grid made this guess, Ruby and the 10 meritorious retainers, such as Peak Sword, Chris, Huroi, and Yura, lined up on his left and right sides. They were finepared to the other yers who were caught up in the shockwaves that urred after Raphael¡¯s emergence and became ragged or died.


    Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡®They are trustworthy.¡¯


    It was after the start of the great human and demon war. Grid grasped most of thebat that took ce all over the continent. The battlefields that the Overgeared members didn¡¯t participate in were only known through news while the battlefields where the Overgeared members participated were personally examined through videos sent by Lauel.


    At the same time, he felt the growth of his colleagues. In particr, the 10 meritorious retainers armed with items made by Grid was enough to raid the lower ranked great demons alone. It was a huge power. It was simr to Grid just a few years ago. It meant that no one could be the opponents of the 10 meritorious retainers unless they were the top beings of each region or species. Many of the 10 meritorious retainers even had a normal ss.


    Grid had very high expectations for them. He didn¡¯t want much. He wanted victory to ring even when he wasn¡¯t present and he wanted to rely on them in situations like now. In a word, he wanted to feelfortable. It was very harsh to bear the responsibility and maintain tension at every moment.


    ¡°I visited to retrieve the souls of the legends. I¡¯ve decided to ascend them to heaven.¡± Raphael revealed their business obediently.


    Tzudan¡¯s soul responded.


    [Ascension! Tzudan is delighted that the hand of salvation has finally been found.]


    In Satisfy, Asgard was synonymous with heaven. Additionally, heaven had been the kingdom of the sky since ancient times. Originally, Asgard meant goodness. During their very long history, only the seven malignant saints perceived them as viins. There was no way to know exactly which era Tzudan was from, but for him, Asgard was heaven and angels were the savior. It was natural for him to be happy.


    Tzudan¡¯s soul was slowly heading toward Raphael when he was blocked by Haksen¡¯s soul.


    [Haksen is criticizing Tzudan. He is saying that Tzudan can¡¯t read the atmosphere at all and is ridiculing Tzudan for having a monkey-level intelligence.]


    [Filewolf is nodding. He is arguing that they shouldn¡¯t trust the opponent who suddenly attacked Grid that destroyed the great demon.]


    As expected of the giant and great magician. Haksen and Filewolf had a reasonable grasp of the situation. The startled soul of Tzudan was convinced and he hid behind Grid.


    Raphael didn¡¯t care at all about the reaction of the souls. They still watched Grid while slowly extending a small hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be too vignt. Asgard isn¡¯t the enemy of you or humanity. Obediently devote the souls of the legends.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Peak Sword opened his mouth in ce of Grid, who was speechless from the absurdity. His eyes were wide as he pointed recklessly at the 1st ranked archangel. ¡°Why are you saying that now after a surprise attack? You aren¡¯t an enemy? Do you think we don¡¯t know that Judar is behind the demons? This angel bastard! Don¡¯t look down on a Korean¡¯s ghost-like resourcefulness!¡±


    Raphael blinked their eyes. They seemed to be trying to understand Peak Sword¡¯s words. Then they gave up and just got to the main point.


    ¡°It is right that I sneak attacked Grid, but I don¡¯t have any hostility. In order to save time, I wanted to subdue him first and then seize the souls.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Isn¡¯t this really crazy?¡±


    ¡°I guess they didn¡¯t receive a proper home education. I don¡¯t think they have a home.¡±


    As Peak Sword poured out curse words, Huroi calmly analyzed it. His attitude was quite serious as he gave Raphael a sympathetic look and this made Raphael feel strange.


    ¡°¡­I feel bad for some reason. I should go back soon. Now, Grid?¡± Raphael urged Grid.


    It was a strange sight to people. The spokesman of heaven was forcing a god of the surface to offer a tribute. It would be humiliating if Grid epted the demand in this way. This was tantamount to the surface recognizing Asgard¡¯s domination. That¡¯s right. People recognized Grid as the representative of humanity. It was the same even for the dukes of the empire. It was a natural result, not something Grid wanted or intended.


    ¡°Why do you want the souls?¡± Grid asked.


    He induced a conversation to buy time. Time was on the side of humanity. Raphael¡¯s presence was fading in real time.


    ¡°It is a question I don¡¯t have the authority to answer.¡±


    ¡°Is it true that Asgard isn¡¯t the enemy of humanity?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t your existence the proof? If humanity had been our enemy, you would¡¯ve been extinct.¡±


    ¡°Then why did Zeratul and Judar¡­¡±


    ¡°That also isn¡¯t something I can answer. ¡°There is something called the divine right. Gods also have their private lives and this privacy deserves respect.¡±


    ¡®The seven sins.¡¯


    ¡°So what about the souls?¡± The smile was gone from Raphael¡¯s face. It was impossible for Raphael to not notice that they didn¡¯t have time. They slowly lowered their gaze and a dark shadow was cast on their face again due to the halo of light tilting. It was bizarre because their face seemed missing.


    Meanwhile, Grid¡¯s health had beenpletely restored. The conversation might¡¯ve been short, but he benefited from maintaining Storm of the Fire God. He stretched his neck and spread out a wide area buff.


    [Your undying willpower will influence your allies. All allies in the range of the storm are significantly less likely to gain an abnormal status. Itsts for up to 3 minutes and consumes an additional 5,000 mana per second during the duration. Cooldown Time: 3 hours.]


    [Every time your allies resist an abnormal status, you and your allies will gain a buff skill. However, it doesn¡¯t stack with buff skills of the same type. The buff duration time depends on the type of buff.]


    He thought about it. There was no reason to shrink back even if it was a fight with a small chance of winning. There were many allies around him. Every yer on the field, not just the Overgeared members, were hoping to fight with Grid. The responsibility that Grid had carried for a long time felt different. It felt warm and not heavy.


    ¡®The 1st ranked archangel is trivial.¡¯


    This was the surface. It was his sanctuary. In the first ce, Grid pledged that he would one day go to heaven and rescue Hexetia. It wasughable to be scared of a single angel now when there were hundreds of thousands of angels to fight.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give what is mine to you.¡±


    Grid looked at Raphael and his fighting spirit rose like a me. Gujel¡¯s Dao roared as if responding to the sharp, murderous air.


    ¡°I can¡¯tmunicate with you at all.¡±


    The atmosphere around Raphael sank heavily. Both eyes in the shadow shone coldly. Just then¡ª


    sh!


    Raphael¡¯s halo grew rapidly in size and shone brilliantly. It was a light that could bleach all of the scenery white.


    [You have lost your eyesight. Resistance has failed.]


    It was a physical state that a legend¡¯s resistance didn¡¯t work against. Those who could resist it were extremely rare. Grid and Kyle with high transcendence, Kraugel with his sword light, Braham who responded with magic, and Yura with her high overall resistance¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Somehow, there were only six people, including Ruby, who looked calm alone.


    ¡°¡­¡­!!¡±


    People who had lost their vision shouted. Throughmunication, they attempted to ovee the darkness together. However, Raphael didn¡¯t give them time. Raphael aimed at the battlefield by tilting the halo that shone and expanded its volume.


    ¡°This¡­!¡±


    Braham felt the rapidly changing flow of magic power. Then the halo released a pir of light. It was a pirrge enough to dominate the whole battlefield. This time, Kyle couldn¡¯t escape the blindness. The physical states resisted by transcendence were based on probability and wasn¡¯tplete.


    Kraugel was also blinded. The speed at which he shed at the light couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of the rushing light. Braham¡¯s magic was broken and Yura copsed. It was because the particles of light caused a backflow in magic power. The existence of an angel itself was specialized in dispels.


    In the midst of the confusion and horror, Grid shed at the pir of light with the Falling Moon Sword. Raphael could be seen beyond the pir that split in half. They had regained their smile. On the other hand, the cherubs on Raphael¡¯s shoulders were about to cry. This sight gave Grid hope.


    sh!


    The sight of Raphael and the cherubs quickly disappeared again. It was due to the pirs of light that were created continuously. The pirs of light covering an area of tens of kilometers once again swallowed Grid¡¯s vision. It felt like Piaro¡¯s Pounding Mortar had been expanded by thousands of times. Unfortunately, there were several, not just one.


    ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± Grid didn¡¯t despair. He cut another pir with 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. He endured the pain of his muscles being torn by the recoil and used Divinity.


    ¡®One more time.¡¯


    He used the crushing sword after the cooldown was reset.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m here!¡±


    The pain of Grid¡¯s body grew bigger, but Ruby supported him. Heals and buffs were linked as she shouted hard to hide her tremors. Yes, he wasn¡¯t alone. Once again, one more time, one more time, one more time. In just a few seconds, Grid fired the crushing sword to his limits.


    It was due to what the cherubs showed. He recalled that hope and consumed all of his Divinity. The result¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    It was aplete defeat. There was a limit to Grid and Ruby¡¯s skills while the halo of light was working nonstop. It continued to fire new pirs while still aiming at the battlefield. The non-legendary yers would be wiped out. There was also a high probability that Kyle and the dukes of the empire would die. The worst thing was to have the souls taken away. In this case, he should put down his pride and consider fleeing¡­


    ¡®¡­No, I can summon Sariel.¡¯


    Currently, the number of angels present was three. If Sariel was added, then the trinity might be broken. It happened as Grid was elerating his thinking in response to the falling pirs of light¡­


    Blue lightning danced wildly. It boasted a size and momentum iparable to Kyle¡¯s lightning and it resembled a dragon. It wasn¡¯t a normal dragon, but a dragon of the east that was biting a yeouiju. The dozens of blue dragons broke through the pirs of light. They destroyed all the pirs and even hit the halo that was the light source beyond them. The formation of the pirs stopped along with a deafening explosion.


    People¡¯s vision slowly recovered. In a world that lost the light, the first thing that people saw was Raphael¡¯s stiff expression as they floated in the sky.


    ¡°They are looking for a recement for Michael.¡±


    The monologue of the man standing beside Grid caught people¡¯s attention one stepter.


    ¡°It is really good that you didn¡¯t give them the souls. I pay homage to you.¡±


    The hem of the silk dopo rose and fell in the storm. The moment this cor fluttered, a scar was revealed. Strangely, it didn¡¯t look ugly. Inbination with the man¡¯s hazy eyes, it was reminiscent of a deep story.


    The pinnacle of all yangbans and the ultimate half-god, Mir¡ªthe existence made by the expelled gods to counter Raphael, he descended to the far westernnd. He was driven to destiny by his own will, not themand of the gods he served.

 Chapter 1528

    <h4>Chapter 1528</h4>


    Grid loathed the yangbans. He saw them as huge pests dressed in the mask of a human. Garam wasrgely to me. No, almost every yangban let Grid down.


    Those who were united with their sense of elitism didn¡¯t hide their ugly nature. They tried to harm the eastern gods that existed due to the wishes of humanity and fill the vacancy. They dreamed of bing a god without knowing the concept of kindness and benevolence. They treated humans as sacrifices while trying to be the god of humans. They were dangerous, insidious, ignorant, and contradictory existences. In short, they were worse than beasts.


    The good part was that they didn¡¯t kill easilypared to demons. It was just one thing, but even that couldn¡¯t be considered as goodwill. Humans were needed in order to be a god. This was why he failed to purely ept Mir¡¯s near ¡®favor¡¯ attitude as he encouraged and respected Grid and Kraugel who consistently challenged him.


    ¡°Mir¡­¡±


    A man who appeared at an unexpected moment and stood by his side. The pinnacle of the yangbans he hated so much. Some scenes shed through Grid¡¯s memory when looking at him.


    First of all, he remembered their first meeting. Mir had greeted Grid with the utmost courtesy. He seemed to be fine at the possibility of being robbed of the Blue Dragon Dao, which he had guarded for a long time. Of course, he wasn¡¯t willing to give it obediently. Rather, he discussed Grid¡¯s qualifications.


    At the same time, he talked about a god. A god wasn¡¯t omnipotent. He evaluated that the responsibility on Grid¡¯s shoulders was too much.


    Grid just found it unpleasant at the time. He thought that the insidious yangban was just talking smoothly on the surface. He regarded it as a trick to break down his resolution. Looking back on it now, there was a certain type of remorse in Mir¡¯s eyes. There was no falsehood in his wounds, his admiration of Grid and Kraugel, and his secret delight. His attitude was the same when the two of them challenged him again. He stimted and encouraged them rather than being vignt. It was closer to a spar.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid carefully looked at Mir. The sword scars on his face and body. Most of them were made by Grid and Kraugel. He left them as a medal, even though he could immediately get rid of them with the power of the red phoenix.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Grid organized his thoughts in an instant and asked in a straightforward manner, ¡°Do you like me?¡±


    Mir didn¡¯t deny it. He opened his mouth while recalling what he previously said to Yeum, ¡°I sympathize with the blue dragon god you are trying to save, but I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Kaya¡¯s perpetual snow was created by the blue dragon¡¯s resentment. The snow hurt many people and animals. The people of Kaya lived in the desert and originally didn¡¯t know the cold. They weren¡¯t prepared for the cold and didn¡¯t know how to prepare. It was difficult to adapt to the cold and snow that suddenly urred and many people froze to death or abandoned their hometown. The situation of the animals was even more serious.


    Did the blue dragon really not know that its resentment would hurt those it protected? It wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°For me, a god is like a child. It is because they are strong, narrow-minded, and tend to believe that they are omnipotent¡­¡±


    A bitter smile spread on Mir¡¯s face as he looked up at Raphael in the sky. He remembered when he was cut by Grid¡¯s Falling Moon Sword. His survival instinct had been aroused and he cut everything in the area.


    ¡°An angel isn¡¯t that much different. You have experienced it firsthand, so you will know best.¡±


    ¡°I am the same. If you are holding onto a meaningless fantasy, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°It is important that you are aware of this fact.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You started from a human life and can admit that you aren¡¯t perfect. To you, it isn¡¯t shameful, but is natural. I have no doubt that you will be reborn as an rm for the other gods. You will probably change many things in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, you are my hope. It is because you are the one who proves that I can also be a god.¡± Mir confessed honestly, ¡°My goal is to be the martial god. It is to bring rest to Chiyou, gain strength, and guide the gods properly. I know this is a ridiculous dream. It is too much of a dream for me, who was born as a substitute for an angel. I¡¯ve been trying all my life, but I still have no confidence. That¡¯s why I¡¯m cheering for you even more. If you change the other gods¡­ my dreams will also change.¡±


    The fragments of copsed light spread. This meant Mir¡¯s expression as he confessed couldn¡¯t be seen properly. His small voice was covered up by the storm created from the series of explosions.


    However, Grid, who was standing next to him, clearly saw and heard it. Mir felt ashamed and afraid. His eyes were lowered and his voice trembled. He knew that his qualifications were far from enough to discuss this dream. It took considerable courage for him to confess to Grid. It was evidence that Mir wasn¡¯t telling lies. He was just treating Grid sincerely with the truth.


    ¡°Is that why you came to help me? Have you always been watching me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the ability or right to watch you. I just learned this today, but I have the ability to read Raphael¡¯s signs. It feels like I¡¯m tangled up in a thread of destiny. I learned about your situation thanks to that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why do you want to properly guide the gods?¡±


    Grid wanted to trust Mir. That was why he asked this question.


    ¡°I just hope that the short time of mortals will be more valuable.¡±


    Mir recalled the day when he scattered millet for the small birds. At the capital of Kaya, covered by perpetual snow by the blue dragon¡ªthe existence who cared for the small number of people and animals that were unable to leave was none other than Mir. He always felt pity toward the small beings sacrificed due to the quarrels of the gods.


    However, he couldn¡¯t confess it because there was no one who empathized with him. Thus, he took care of them alone.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid¡¯s brow slightly furrowed. It was because he recalled his past. The ones who bothered him back then weren¡¯t the gods who didn¡¯t even know he existed. They were humans like himself.


    ¡°The reason why people and animals suffer is¡­ it isn¡¯t just because of the gods.¡±


    Your wish can¡¯t be achieved.


    Mir smiled at Grid, who implied these words. Perhaps he felt the kindness he had been hoping for all his life.


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why, even more¡ª¡±


    It was a few seconds after Mir appeared, but Grid and Mir were having an in-depth and sympathetic conversation.


    ¡°I hope the gods can be an existence to truly rely on.¡±


    This was enough for the conversation. Conditions didn¡¯t allow them to talk any longer.


    Raphael¡¯s spear in the sky was changing shape. It was swift and instantaneous. It turned into a pure white bow that resembled the wings of an angel. There was the illusion that it had been like this from the beginning. Then a series of explosions broke out. Thousands of arrows of light shot indiscriminately at the ground.


    People responded while feeling astonished. They protected each other using skills and magic and prepared to intercept. All of them were amazing. The sight of the immediate synergy done with their own individual judgment proved that the yers¡¯ skills and cooperation had greatly developed.


    However, the opponent was too strong. Raphael¡¯s destructive power wasn¡¯t at a level that ordinary yers could deal with. If this continued, most of them would die.


    Grid¡¯s action was faster than his judgment. He was already using Request to Stand With Me. He delivered his will to his creations scattered throughout the world. It was the power of the Overgeared God that was developed using Pangea¡¯s Duke of Virtue as the foundation. Thousands of battle gear poured down and intercepted many of Raphael¡¯s arrows. It wasn¡¯t all of them. Grid trusted his colleagues.


    Half of the battle gear poured toward Raphael. Raphael¡¯s presence was lighterpared to the beginning and he was in an overall weakened state. It wasn¡¯t a bad target to aim for. It happened at the time that the halo of light was aiming at the battle gear¡­


    ¡°We might be enemies when we meet again in the future. Putting aside my support for you in my heart, the authority to move me is usually with the god I serve.¡± Mir¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°However, today I am on your side.¡±


    It was a clear voice. It was heard from right next to Grid, but Mir was already approaching Raphael. Mir didn¡¯t have just one or two strengths. His movements embodied the power of the four gods and he disyed pure speed close to Shunpo in every moment, releasing a wildfire-like heat and poison. He was also as hard as the earth. He was obviously at a higher level than Kyle.


    ¡°It is unpleasant. Is this how Chiyou feels when meeting Zeratul?¡±


    Raphael¡¯s bow turned into a sword and shield. It was to focus on the exchange of blows with the approaching Mir, but they ended up cut several times. Mir¡¯s ability to get past the sword and dig into the shield was that great. It was amazing that he forced Raphael¡¯s movements by using actions that seemed to aim at the cherubs.


    Mir had always been eager to fill in the gap between his ideals and qualifications, and he was much more powerful and practical than Grid knew. Raphael couldn¡¯t bear it as they were on the verge of being forced to ascend back to heaven.


    Grid rushed forward while reflecting on Mir¡¯s background.


    A being created by the expelled gods in order to reim Asgard¡ªhis innate talent meant he broke through Chiyou¡¯s Test in the shortest time. This record wasn¡¯t broken until Grid challenged it in the¡ªat that point in time¡ªvery distant future. Since then, he steadily trained and established himself as the skilled person whopletely overwhelmed the other yangbans such as Garam. He embodied the power of the four gods and guarded thend in the east for a long time. He was challenged by many strong people such as Sword Saint Muller. Since he had the goal of giving rest to Chiyou, it was highly likely that he was even acknowledged by Chiyou.


    ¡®Sure enough, my guess isn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    Mir was equivalent to Baal and Raphael. It was just that the years he had lived were extremely shortpared to the two beings who lived since the beginning. There was a high probability that his status or abilities were inferior to them. However, his potential wasn¡¯t inferior. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t he created by Hanul, a god of the beginning, in order to fight against Raphael?


    One of the pirs of the worldview was now on Grid¡¯s side out of his own volition.


    Grid was deeply moved.


    Being recognized by others¡ªhe had thankfully been through it several times, but he was equally happy every time. Besides, he received a big harvest. He learned the identity of the angels. They were existences based on human beings selected from the worlds that had existed so far. Grid felt the fog in his head clearing just knowing their identity. The world became clearer.


    Meanwhile, the blue dragon was swirling. It created hundreds of bolts of lightning and struck Raphael from all directions. After hundreds of exchanges, Raphael eventually gave up on protecting the cherubs. Raphael abandoned those who were electrocuted and focused on Mir. The weapon that was changed back to a spear soared toward Mir¡¯s forehead. It was their final blow just before losing the Trinity.


    However, Mir saw through it and acted to avoid the spear. He clearly saw that spear de that was like a half moon heading toward his left eye.


    Mir was about to step back and avoid it when he saw Grid appearing behind Raphael. He gave up an eye in exchange for stabbing the Blue Dragon Dao into Raphael¡¯s chest and sticking closely to Raphael. Thanks to him, Grid was able to cut off Raphael¡¯s head.


    ¡°That is the hydra¡¯s poison. Based on what I understand, yangbans only have one body, unlike us.¡±


    It was Raphael who talked even after his head was cut off. Of course, the miracle of Saintess Ruby, who extinguished the souls of angels and demons, wasn¡¯t triggered. Raphael was alive. He wouldn¡¯t die just because his head was cut off. Then a light poured from the sky to pick up Raphael.


    [The 1st ranked archangel, Raphael, has been repelled.]


    Rewards poured in like a tide, but Grid didn¡¯t have time to confirm them. He was busy holding onto Mir, who fell due to the poison spreading from the wound on his left eye.


    ¡°We might be enemies when we meet again in the future.¡±


    These were the words Mir had said. The reality that would surelye one day caused a conflict that he had never experienced before. Grid¡¯s face was distorted as he alternated looking between Mir in his arms and Ruby on the ground.

 Chapter 1529

    <h4>Chapter 1529</h4>


    Grid didn¡¯t care about the human nations and powerpositions.


    The surface, hell, the Hwan Kingdom, and Asgard¡ªhe recognized the world ording to these four major categories and worked hard to protect the surface.It was such a hierarchy.It was also the cause of a sense of responsibility that others couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡°......¡±


    One of his greatest enemies in the future¡ªGrid looked at Mir, who was in his arms, and his expression gradually cooled down.The weaker Mir¡¯s breathing became, the more Grid¡¯s calm eyes seemed like an abyss.


    ¡°Sehee,¡± Grid descended to the ground and called out to his sister. ¡°Treat this man.¡±


    It was a calm remark. It didn¡¯t match at all with his stiff expression. He was obviously trying to suppress his emotions.


    ¡°Is it... okay?¡± Ruby¡¯s eyes were wide as she asked her about her brother¡¯s heart.


    The Overgeared members had keen senses.Of course, they didn¡¯t hear the conversation between Grid and Mir.The situation was the same for the cameras of the broadcasters.They failed to properly follow Grid and Mir, who stood side by side during the brief gap where lightning and light intertwined. The light that covered the world was too bright.


    However, the Overgeared members knew Mir¡¯s identity.


    The pinnacle of the yangbans and the master of the Blue Dragon Dao.He was one of the targets for Grid to defeat.Grid had stated that Mir must be removed in order to revive all of the four gods in the east.Yet now he was going to save Mir.


    It was true that Mir came to help Grid first and there might be a fledgling agreement between the two of them, but this was a very wasteful opportunity for Grid to miss.In the first ce, there was a high probability that there was no agreement.It could be seen in the way that Grid was conflicted.Would it have been like this if Mir had hinted he would be on Grid¡¯s side?Based on Grid¡¯s personality, he would¡¯ve immediately tried to save Mir. He wouldn¡¯t have hesitated in the slightest.


    Peak Sword was the one who came forward on behalf of his colleagues who couldn¡¯t easily question Grid.¡°Are you confident that you won¡¯t regret it?¡±


    A sword curtain was spread open around them.It was a decision made by Kraugel to stop the TV cameras from capturing their appearance and conversation.It was to prevent the Overgeared Guild¡¯s exclusive information from being leaked to the outside world and Kraugel himself maintained a distance and blocked his ears.It was awkward to stay in the ce where the members were discussing things.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Mir likely to be an enemy again the next time you meet?¡±


    Peak Sword knew Grid¡¯s nature all too well.Grid would¡¯ve never been conflicted if Mir had given even a small sign of relenting.He would get to the point straight away.


    Grid smiled bitterly.¡°That¡¯s right. He will eventually be an enemy.¡±


    It was as Peak Sword and his colleagues expected.The atmosphere was turbulent.


    Peak Sword asked a direct question, ¡°Then is it really okay to save him? Mir is one of your biggest goals. He is an opponent you must face in order to unseal the blue dragon and liberate all of the four gods.¡±


    There was only one thing that Peak Sword and his colleagues were concerned about.It was Grid¡¯s regret.There was a reason people had a desire to turn back time.Regret was one of the biggest poisons that ate at people.Peak Sword and his colleagues would respect and support any choice Grid made, but they hoped Grid wouldn¡¯t regret it.


    Grid understood their hearts and smiled.His stiff expression was finally broken.¡°We are on the same side today.¡±


    Mir helped him first. Mir¡¯s wound was gained in the process of helping him. He learned about the sincerity of Mir, who was different from others in the Hwan Kingdom. Etc, etc.Grid had many justifications to help Mir.Even so, there was just one thing that moved Grid¡¯s heart at this moment.


    ¡°However, today I am on your side.¡±It was the few short words left by Mir.


    This was enough.


    ¡°Thus, I will save him.¡±


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 15th epic.]


    [He held tomorrow¡¯s enemy in his arms and engraved the belief that would be handed down to the world.]


    ¡°In the first ce, he has the right to live and he deserves it.¡±


    [This was a world of many fleeting people.]


    [People who aren¡¯t respected were kicked.]


    [The residents of the easternnd where the gods were stolen were one of them.]


    [The invaders of the easternnds who stole the gods were one of them.]


    [The man he held in his arms was one of them.]


    ¡°Even if he bes our enemy and frustrates us over and over again, he will change many things. I want to watch it.¡±


    [That person, he respected the fleeting life.]


    [It might be small, but he gave them the right to not disappear.]


    [He, alone, bore the sacrifices for the few rulers.]


    [He believed this was right.]


    [It was a belief he could embrace because he was once like this.]


    [That person, he denied the fate of being trampled on and used one-sidedly.]


    ......


    ¡­


    [Overgeared God Grid haspleted the 15th page of the epic.]


    [His warm heart soaked the world.]


    [The members of the Overgeared God Church are filled with a greater faith.]


    ¡°I see.¡±Peak Sword smiled and stepped back.The facial expressions of all the members were bright.


    Then Ruby used a skill.She linked the purification with all types of heals and Mir¡¯s wounds healed quickly.Of course, this wasn¡¯t aplete detoxification.She just locked the poison in the local area where it directly prated the body and prevented it from spreading further. It was the level of relieving pain through semi-permanent anesthesia.It was impossible for the Saintess to fully purify the hydra¡¯s poison which could kill even gods.Still, it was enough.Mir''s pain was noticeably reduced.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir¡¯s left eye, as he slowly regained awareness, had ckened traces remaining around it like spots.They were a medal that would make Mir feel proud and a remnant of the poison that would harass him for the rest of his life.


    Mir identified the situation and shed transparent tears.


    He was a tool created to get revenge on the gods.This was Mir.From his point of view, Grid¡¯s goodwill was very unfamiliar.


    The one who did a favor first was himself but it wasn¡¯t a favor where he hoped for anything in return.He was always like this.He never hoped for any reciprocity, even when he took care of the animals that had lost their homes.It was a charity that proved his qualifications to be a god.


    ¡°Regret... you will regret it,¡± Mir barely managed to open his mouth.His voice was trembling and he couldn¡¯t look straight at Grid.He was afraid of the warmth that he was experiencing for the first time in his life.His body and mind, that were like a sword, felt like it was going to melt away. Therefore, he turned away because he felt like he was going to lose himself.


    Grid snorted.¡°Don¡¯t die in a foreignnd and protect the Blue Dragon Dao well. I will take it away sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°......¡±Mir was dumbfounded for a while.He lost focus and couldn¡¯t answer. Then he btedly came to his senses and looked at Grid.¡°...Yes, I will protect it until that day.¡±


    The Blue Dragon Dao¡ªMir was obligated to protect it.It was an order from the gods and he clearly wouldn¡¯t vite it.He pitied the blue dragon, but he was never pleased about the task because he disliked the blue dragon.Yet at this moment, it became precious.It was because it was the only thing connecting him to Grid.


    ¡°You should go now,¡± Grid urged.It had already been a few minutes since Mir arrived in the West Continent.By this time, the gods of the Hwan Kingdom would¡¯ve detected the unexpected event.


    Mir got up from his position and bowed deeply.¡°I¡¯ll wait for the day I die to you.¡±


    Just a moment ago, Mir had told Grid that he would regret it.He knew how many times he would grab Grid¡¯s ankles.However, he no longer spoke about regret.He noticed it through Grid¡¯s casual reaction.Grid wasn¡¯t someone who was frustrated by a few failures.Mir was sure that he would someday die to Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid no longer responded. He just waved his hand instead of looking at Mir.Mir¡¯s words that he would wait for the day of his death made Grid once again realize reality.He thought it was a painful fate.


    ***


    At Asgard...


    Raphael¡¯s expression was as usual as they walked on the golden clouds.It would be the same even if they experienced 100 defeats.Angels were different from gods.There was nothing to lose just because they showed ugliness in front of humans.It was the goddess who made angels exist, not the worship of humanity.


    ¡°The light didn¡¯t contain the hydra¡¯s poison. It was a problem in many ways. I had to suppress the power of light to use the poison, but it was putting the cart before the horse.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s workshop¡ªthe ce that had lost its owner was as cold as winter for a while.The coldness came from the cool anticipation of the metals that couldn¡¯t reach the heat.In that ce¡ª


    Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!


    A new heat warmed it up.It was due to an old man.He was an old man with a bulging belly and a hearty smile that matched him well.The impression he gave was so good that the pair of small wings on his back also felt harmonious.


    He was an angel born a little while ago.


    ¡°Is that so? I guess the light purifies the poison. Light is divine and omnipotent.Um...Omnipotent, omnipotent... if I reverse this idea, it might be possible to induce harmony with the poison. I¡¯ll think about it well for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have high expectations for you. You have to fill the vacancy of Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Haha...How can I rece the cksmithing god? Still, I will do my best. I am good at persistence.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this? You have just been born. There isn¡¯t enough time for you to figure out your personality.¡±


    ¡°Um?That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know the basis, but I¡¯m vaguely confident about this?¡±The newborn angel cocked his head. He seemed to have no idea at all.


    Raphael shrugged.¡°Maybe some of the memories of your life remain implicitly. It is amon symptom. It will fade as time passes.¡±


    ¡°Memories of my life... I see...¡±


    A warm smile spread on the face of the new angel as he reflected on the archangel¡¯s words. For some reason, he felt better and he smiled without realizing it.Persistence, hard work, passion...


    The appearance of a precious person seemed toe to mind.


    He was immersed in his thoughts when he suddenly came to his senses.Raphael had handed him the hydra¡¯s poison sac and a spear.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m asking you. I can¡¯t get that poison sac any longer, so handle it carefully.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best.¡±


    Raphael left behind the smiling neer and left the workshop.The entire view of Asgard contained in Raphael¡¯s wide field of view was something that humans couldn¡¯t even imagine.There were golden clouds of different heights.The higher the clouds, therger and taller the temple it supported.Just because it was the world of the gods didn¡¯t mean it was equal.Angels also had a hierarchy and the main gods were above ordinary gods. Finally, the goddess took care of all of them.


    Raphael politely bowed to the highest ce before scratching their head.


    ¡°Is Gabriel angry?¡±


    The mission had failed.The reality only felt real now.It was an unexpected result.Raphael, who was self-confident after destroying many gods so far, never expected their mission on the surface to fail.


    ¡°Well, I was unlucky.¡±


    Mir¡ªwho knew that the puppet of the defeated would appear there?Raphael dared to say that the goddess wouldn¡¯t have expected it either.


    ¡®Or not.¡¯


    Raphael¡¯s steps were light again.

 Chapter 1530

    <h4>Chapter 1530</h4>


    [How far will the Comet Group¡¯s share prices go up?]


    [The model with the name DN941 connector, also known as¡®Grid¡¯s capsule,¡¯is being sold out early. It is an unprecedented record for a high priced model. Overseas orders are also flooding in...]


    [(Column) Preparing for transcendence.]


    [It felt like I was watching the main character in a hero movie.


    Gamigin, Baal, and Raphael¡ªI watched as Grid defeated the disaster-like enemies and forgot the word limit for a while.


    Our future, presented by the present Grid, is close to transcendent.


    Now this is the problem.Can we really adapt to transcendence?The movement shown by Grid during the battle isn¡¯t at the level of ordinary athletic ability. It is also difficult to apply the theory of the mind.Some experts have assessed that it is impossible to reproduce Grid¡¯s movements unless trained at the minimum of the air force pilot level...]


    [All yers are shining.]


    [The most impressive scenes after the opening of the war is definitely Grid¡¯s performance.


    However, we shouldn¡¯t forget the performance of the yers who protected the battlefields without Grid.From the Overgeared members that the world is familiar with, to Ares¡¯ army and the other rankers. Even the infamous dark yers and you who will be reading this article...


    We are all someone¡¯s heroes.]


    [Is hell and heaven in collusion?]


    [Michael already hinted at it when he pretended to be the pope.


    Asgard isn¡¯t unconditionally good. It is far from what humanity should rely on.This incident has proven it once again.When humanity was in a crisis, the tip of the angel¡¯s spear pointed at Grid, not the demons.It adds credibility to the Overgeared Guild¡¯s assertion that God Judar is behind the demons.


    The enemy of humanity might not only be hell.]


    [(Breaking News) Mir¡¯s true identity.]


    [What is the identity of the person who appeared and helped Grid?


    Many people are curious about this and reports are pouring in from anonymous yers who im they have long been active on the East Continent.


    Mir¡¯s true identity is a yangban.The yangbans are known to persecute the yers active in the East Continent in many ways.There is the history of therge-scale cksmith quest hurting many yers and causing a big stir...


    (Omitted).


    Therefore, it is correct to say that the rtionship between yangbans and Grid is originally that of enemies.Mir¡¯s participation can be interpreted as the formation of a new rtionship.There is also the possibility that he did it to keep the suspicious actions of hell and Asgard in check.]


    [Shin Youngwoo has been selected as the number one most influential person in the world for four consecutive years.]


    [Grid¡¯s value is soaring... the world¡¯s toppanies are offering him nk checks.]


    [A miracle created by thebination of the SA Group and Grid. Overseas capital is pouring into South Korea.]


    [The government of South Korea has awarded Grid (Shin Youngwoo) the Order of Cultural Merit, the Order of Industrial Service Merit, and even the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit. ¡°We gave everything we could.¡±]


    [Public opinion is cold. Why ask the busy Grid toe and go? There are protests at the Blue House.]


    [The issue of the Order of Merit award is igniting again. What is the point of a worthless medal?]


    [The president who is aware of public opinion? The words ¡°If Youngwoo-ssi has a wish, I will make ite true¡± has be a hot topic.]


    [The opposition also agrees... a political system that is in harmony in front of Grid.]


    The enthusiasm in South Korea was extraordinary.It would be such an atmosphere if there was a peaceful reunification or they won the World Cup.The title ¡®Republic of Grid¡¯ started to be used by several media outlets and it was naturally epted by the people.


    It was a different reaction from when he won the National Competition, but it was inevitable.Grid was proving his eligibility to be the representative and guardian of another world called Satisfy.The weight and influence he spread all over the world was overwhelmingpared to simply raising the status of South Korea.


    All of the world¡¯s media wrote about Grid¡¯s active performance.There were positive responses regardless of country, race, culture, etc.


    The photo of Grid covering his wounded face with a God Hand and his wounded body with the cloak.Grid¡¯s noble spirit as he hid his wound to reassure people became an example for everyone. He waspared to several great people.


    South Korea prospered just because it had Grid.National awareness and economic growth rose vertically.This was a natural phenomenon as influential people from each country tried to interact with Grid.It wasn¡¯t just one or two factors that made people intoxicated with Grid.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯ve adapted to this now.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s expression was calm as he returned after a fuss and essed Satisfy.He had passed the stage where he felt excited or burdened by people¡¯s interests and expectations. It was a stage of detachment.In the first ce, reality was peaceful.He didn¡¯t need to bear responsibilities every day, so he feltfortable.Satisfy was the only ce where Shin Youngwoo needed to maintain the tension.


    [Overgeared God Grid has appeared.]


    ¡°......¡±


    His expression stiffened the moment he connected.The message in the guild window every time he connected was a burden.It seemed to remind him of his duty.It was much heavier than the weight of the Mugunghwa Medal awarded by the president.


    [Unknown Key (1)]


    [It is a key where the usage is unknown.


    The beautiful work that is hard to reproduce with human technique attracts attention.


    It is hard to measure the value. You can see if you have made a surprise fortune.


    Weight: 0.]


    This was one of the rewards Grid got for repelling Raphael.The remaining rewards were titles, levels, and a rise in status.It was a great list of rewards even though he failed to kill Raphael.The rewards were like raiding several named bosses at once.


    Grid developed too rapidly without any time to be aware of it.In just the dozens of minutes he fought against Gamigin and Raphael, his level had increased by 50.It was to the point where he wondered, ¡®Is it okay if there is no hell section?¡¯ The speed of growth was fast enough to worry about.


    ¡®It is normal to grow quickly.¡¯


    The second half of the level 300s.It was a difficult point to pass.From level 400, there was no change in the total amount of experience required to level up.Considering that the hunting speed was several times faster due to asharp increasein strength after the fourth ss advancement, the level up difficulty dropped significantly.


    No matter the reason, Grid knew it for certain now.


    ¡®It is an extension of the worldview.¡¯


    Senior demons and angels¡ªthe enemies that started to appear on the surface were in a different dimension than before.It was right to express it as living in apletely different world from the days when the seven dukes of the empire were recognized as the strongest.The yers must be strong...


    ¡°Uh, Captain.¡±


    It happened as he was walking along the stone road soaked in sunlight and feeling the warmth...


    ¡°Hurent?¡±


    Grid confirmed the face of the person he encountered by chance and weed Hurent. He shook off his many thoughts and smiled.


    Aura Master Hurent¡ªhe was a person cherished by Piaro, who said, ¡®There is no end to his potential.¡¯He might¡¯ve been neglecting his ss quests and working hard on farming, but he was a very talented person. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he became a legend right now.


    ¡°I was told you have finally obtained a rune. Congrattions.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to rank the performance of his colleagues.It was because every one of them yed an important role without exception.The war would¡¯ve been much harder if even one of them had neglected their duty.However, it was hard to deny that Hurent stood out.Lauel spected that Hurent had single-handedly prevented at least three armies from advancing.Without him, the Abyss and Behen Archipgo would¡¯ve suffered.Besides, Hurent was basically a farmer.


    Lauel had said that a significant amount of the contents of the ancient art of war books, including Sun Tzu¡¯s The Art of War, was rted to supplies.In short, the most important principle of the war was to feed and arm the soldiers well.This was why the Overgeared Kingdom was bound to be strong.The supply of the Overgeared Kingdom had always been smooth since they had Grid and multiple cksmiths, and Piaro and multiple farmers. Lauel¡¯s strategy of always ensuring the supply route first during a war gave them wings.


    In any case, the conclusion was that Grid relied on Hurent. He felt a very strong liking.He was just admiring Hurent right now.


    Hurent divided aura into particles and wrapped it around his body. It was as if he used light as a cloak.Up untilst year, he had still been obsessed with the shape of aura. This meant that he had entered a new realm.


    ¡®An offensive and defensive battle is about the basics and it is impossible to predict.¡¯


    Aura that spreads out like light¡ªhow many beings in the world couldpete head-on against each particle that caused fixed damage?In this war, Hurent alone had raided two great demons.He viewed himself as being lucky because they had a low ranking, but... based on what Grid could see, Hurent wasparable to the great demons in the early 20s.No, it was hard to measure his strength.Didn¡¯t he get a rune?


    ¡°What congrattions...?¡±


    I just received what you got years ago.


    Hurent was going to say this, only to shut his mouth.Comparing himself to the person in front of him would just bring inconvenience to each other.


    ¡°...In any case, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    The war hadn¡¯t ended yet.Right now, the invasion of the demonic creatures was continuing all over the continent.It was just that the size was greatly reduced and the momentum weakenedpared to the beginning.


    Humanity adapted.For people, the invasion of demonic creatures became routine. They hunted demonic creatures like they hunted animals on the back mountain. They shook off their fear and established a system. They got the hang of it.It was highly likely that Grid would no longer have to go out in person.Perhaps by the end of the war, all the people would be stronger.


    It was reported that a fifth of humanity had already died, but... those who remained would ovee the trials, so that their sacrifices weren¡¯t in vain.


    ¡°It might be hard for me, but you¡¯ve had it much harder. I am preparing a gift for you these days. I hope you like it.¡±


    Grid had done nothing special for Hurent.In the first ce, Hurent had many restrictions.He used aura as a weapon and armor. Perhaps due to this setting, the types of weapons and armor he could equip were quite limited.Thus, Grid was always sorry.Every time he heard about Hurent¡¯s performance, he felt like he had be a bad business owner who was using Hurent.This was why he was carefully crafting leather armor and boots that would help Hurent.


    ¡°What gift...¡±


    Hurent scratched his head in an embarrassed manner. Grid felt a sense of distance.Sure enough, he should¡¯ve done better in normal times...


    Grid was feeling regret when Hurent walked ahead of him and muttered to himself, ¡°Will I finally get a new set of farming equipment? I will be very thankful for one hand plow...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Let¡¯s make a new set of farming equipment.


    Grid made up his mind when he suddenly had a question.He was currently on his way to see Irene.His destination was the main temple of the Overgeared God Church.It was in apletely different direction from the agricultural fields that were Hurent¡¯s base.Yet Hurent was still walking in the same direction as Grid.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Hurent, who was repeatedly muttering about the hand plow, came to his senses and replied, ¡°Captain¡¯s temple.¡±


    Grid asked, ¡°Are you going to join the Overgeared God Church?¡±


    They were two awkward people.If there wasn¡¯t the bridge called Piaro in the middle, they might have never walked side by side like this.Grid hadn¡¯t persuaded Hurent to join the church. He believed it wasn¡¯t bad even if Hurent didn¡¯t join the Overgeared God Church.He was just a bit disappointed.If Hurent had joined the Overgeared God Church, he would¡¯ve enjoyed many benefits. His stats alone would¡¯ve risen tremendously...


    ¡°Huh?I¡¯ve signed up since day one. I didn¡¯t have a religion, so I was able to join the Overgeared God Church right away.¡±


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is one of the things that I¡¯m confident I did well in the game. I¡¯ve seen Captain¡¯s virtue a lot.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±Grid smiled brightly. He felt like the distance was narrowed.


    Hurent exined the situation to him, ¡°The reason I¡¯m going to the temple right now is because of your wife. Lauel asked me to protect her.¡±


    Kasim, Faker, and other skilled members of the Overgeared Shadows were absent in order to hunt the mirror demons.The mission of Irene¡¯s protection was naturally handed over to Sariel, but Lauel still felt uneasy.


    ¡®Sariel and Hurent...¡¯


    Irene would be safe with the two of them.Grid believed so and spoke solemnly to Hurent, ¡°You must be busy, so I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°What...? The fortress I made blocked the enemy, so I can afford this time. I am also being allowed to build fields in the temple.¡±


    Hurent¡¯s awkward expression also became sincere. These bright eyes reminded him of the past.


    The United States¡ªhe was full of confidence, like the days when he represented the world¡¯s greatest power.He finally regained his original appearance.Through the war, he realized that he wasn¡¯t weak.


    ¡°I know your wife is a precious person to you. Even if Baales in, I will protect her until you arrive.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    umted time and events would form a new bond.Thanks to the great human and demon war, the Overgeared Guild¡¯s unity became stronger.


    Grid also found it safe to leave.His first goal was to secure the ss change books of the former legends.

 Chapter 1531

    <h4>Chapter 1531</h4>


    [Do you really want to leave the Judar Church?]


    The forces of the Judar Church were greatly reduced.Many yers left even though they received a big penalty because they failed to meet the apostasyconditions.It was due to the rumors that God Judar was supporting the demons. It was a horrible rumor.If this was confirmed, the entire Judar Church would suffer losses. It wasn¡¯t a situation for them to be reluctant to face penalties.


    ¡®The rumors are probably true.¡¯


    The yers didn¡¯t trust God Judar. They epted Judar¡¯s betrayal as a fact.The emergence of Raphael was too great.The attitude of the 1st ranked archangel, who appeared and indiscriminately attacked Grid and all the yers at the Abyss... it became an opportunity to lose even the remaining faith.


    From the perspective of Asgard, the angels should be trolls.The angels¡¯ actions were bizarre enough to create such doubts. It was dangerous because there was no ordinary side and it actually caused several storms in the aftermath.


    In any case, a change came to the world as the forces of the Judar Church weakened.People¡¯s condition had improved over the past two days. Many people remembered how to use tools again.Judging from the situation, Judar seemed conscious of public opinion.Or perhaps it was simply the end of the duration of his power.


    Unfortunately, it was likely thetter.It was because the invincible state of the demonic creatures remained.They didn¡¯t receive damage unless their weak points were attacked.


    Judar¡¯s power was still persisting in some parts.However, people didn¡¯t feel much of a threat.They became ustomed to looking for and targeting the weaknesses. The less intelligent the demonic creatures, the more prone they were to protect their weak spots. This made it all the easier to target it.


    [Your level has risen.]


    Across the continent, pirs of light symbolizing level ups continued to rise.The people who recently gained the most levels were Grid and his parents.


    ¡°I¡¯ve broken through level 100! Am I finally out of the newbie zone?¡±


    ¡°No. Now we¡¯ve graduated from the double digit level.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    This was originally a hunting ground popr with yers in the level 180 range.After the great human and demon war started, it was rmended for yers above level 200, and after Judar¡¯s intervention, for yers above level 230.Many people thought it was suspicious that a middle-aged couple, covered in luxurious equipment, were pretending to be newbies.


    Of course, the parties involved weren¡¯t aware of it.It was because they were telling the truth. The idea that it might seem suspicious was impossible for them.


    ¡°Shall we take a rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our daughter-inw must be bored.¡±


    They had a fate-like love in university, married early, and had children. In order to eat and live, they focused on work rather than discipline.Due to that, their first child wandered a lot. Every time they looked back on it, they felt apologetic and regretful. They were thankful that their son found sess on his own after he finished wandering.


    Grid¡¯s parents had no choice but to adore Irene.She was the woman their proud son chose.Of course, she wasn¡¯t a real human... this was why they tried to suppress their interest. However, they realized it recently.Irene was also a living being.She had a clear warmth that made people around her happy due to her good heart and thoughtful actions.


    At the main temple of the Overgeared God Church...


    ¡°...Um?¡±


    Grid¡¯s parents picked wildflowers and returned to visit Irene, who they thought would be lonely, only to feel a strange sensation.The atmosphere of the temple was different than usual.


    First of all, a farmer was plowing a field.


    ¡°What? That man doesn¡¯t know the asion?¡± Grid¡¯s father revealed his displeasure. He immediately approached and tried to talk to the person who was digging at the flowerbeds that his daughter-inw cherished.


    His wife stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t get too agitated and look carefully. He is nting pumpkins.¡±


    ¡°...Um, it is basic. He is wrapping it without harming the trees.¡±


    ¡°The gap is very good. I¡¯m looking forward to the flowers blooming. The yellow pumpkin flowers will make the colors of the flowers nted by our daughter-inw even prettier.¡±


    ¡°Is he andscaper, not a farmer?¡±


    Grid¡¯s parents had been engaged in agriculture for decades.They worked hard to make sure their house, with their two children, was always warm in winter and cool in summer. At the very least, there was no need to worry about heating and cooling costs.


    Therefore, they had a discerning eye.They inferred the identity of the man with a straw hat on and working in the field.


    ¡®Is he perhaps Piaro?¡¯


    They heard that their son liked Piaro a lot.The farmer looked up as they approached to say hello. He was too young to be Piaro. He was in his mid-30s.


    ¡°Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed in this ce. If you havee to pray, why don¡¯t you go back the way you came?¡± The short words were spoken by the farmer in a very free-spirited manner, giving off a subtly Western way of talking.


    The expression of Grid¡¯s father cooled down as he responded, ¡°Pumpkins aren¡¯t nted like that.¡±


    He was a man who was a troublemaker until he became a father. He had a tendency to lose his temper. If he hadn¡¯t met a good girl and got married young, he would¡¯ve been a headache in his neighborhood.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Farmer Hurent smiled, revealing his white teeth. However, his eyes were zing as he embraced aura.Farmers had the pride of farmers...


    In the midst of this unusual atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°Intruders?¡±


    Mercedes¡ªafter briefly returning to Reinhardt for some reason, she ran over and knocked down Grid¡¯s father. It wasn¡¯t an excessive suppression. She just pressed down lightly on his neck and twisted his arm.However, Grid¡¯s father fell down with a snort.He was equipped with legendary items, but they were low level items. It had little effect against an apostle.


    "Kyaaak!Father!¡±


    ¡°?!"


    Irene¡¯s scream caused Mercedes to pale.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Hurent roughly grasped the atmosphere and hid behind a tree.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    The temple of the Overgeared God Church was in a very sensitive state.It had be the residence of the highest ranked person in the Overgeared Kingdom¡ªIrene.If suspicious people appeared then immediately subduing them was correct.The problem was that Grid¡¯s parents weren¡¯t suspicious.In the first ce, their identity verification waspleted if they could enter the garden in the middle of the day.Mercedes and Hurent had just returned from the battlefield and were more vignt than they needed to be.


    ¡°Oh my... It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Grid¡¯s father had a kind smile on his face. The impression he gave off waspletely different from when he faced off with Hurent. His sharp eyes that resembled Grid¡¯s eyes curved in a smile and it was like his previous expression was a lie.


    ¡°You are called Miss Mercedes? I¡¯m grateful that you always take care of our son.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...!I-I am...! T-To His Majesty...!!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ wide eyes spun around.She didn¡¯t know what to do when the father of her liege bowed politely and thanked her. She seemed like she was about to kneel on the ground and bow.It was truly shocking for those who had known Mercedes for years.With anoble and upright personality, and an expression that was said to be like a de¡ªit was rare to see her so fidgety and apologetic. There was no sense of reality.


    After that, Mercedes chatted with Grid¡¯s parents while not knowing whether to drink the tea with her mouth or her nose.Obviously, the conversation went well. She didn¡¯t remember the conversation at all, but her face kept smiling.She seeded in maintaining an awkward smile out of her desire to show a good appearance. ¡ªProbably.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Mercedes btedly came to her senses and stiffened like a stone statue.


    Why was the door to her room in front of her?


    Her trembling eyes looked back toward Queen Irene, Prince Lord, and her liege¡¯s parents, all of them who were having a warm conversation.


    ¡°Is showing each other¡¯s rooms what kids do these days?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that. It is a popr game among nobles. Our grandchild is a prince, so no one is intervening.¡±


    ¡°There are many interesting games... indeed, this will be fun. It is no wonder why there are so many shows that let you see a celebrity¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°Sir Mercedes¡¯ room will have a bunch of swords and armor on disy, right? I think it is really cool to feel a knight¡¯s ethos. I am really looking forward to it!¡±


    ¡°Prince, your dignity...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ face turned red as she grasped the situation. She couldn¡¯t open the door.It was because her room was full of evidence exining why Picasso, the artist, was rich.Prince Lord¡¯s expectations of a knight¡¯s ethos... there were no traces of it.


    ¡°Sir Mercedes?¡± Lord urged her. His eyes were so pure that it brought her a greater burden.There was added pressure because her liege¡¯s parents were looking forward to it.Mercedes would rather die than see that expectation turn into disappointment.


    ¡®Pervert... they will misunderstand me as a pervert...¡¯


    The most important problem was that it might not be a misunderstanding.Mercedes¡¯s hand on the doorknob trembled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop.¡± Just then, Irene spoke. ¡°I think this is wrong. Do nobles show each other their rooms with pure intentions? Isn¡¯t it a means used by a handful of nobles to satisfy their low desire to show off?¡±


    Surprisingly, there was no bacsh.Grid¡¯s parents immediately nodded.


    ¡°Yes, absolutely.¡±


    ¡°As expected, our daughter-inw is thoughtful. We are adults, but we are learning from you. I feel reassured that you are next to Grid.¡±


    Prince Lord was also convinced.


    The relieved Mercedes suddenly met Irene¡¯s eyes.She noticed consideration in the way Irene smiled and nodded.Mercedes felt deep respect.


    ¡®The legal wife is different.¡¯


    Her senior was worthy of respect.This was a fact that she had felt for a long time.Someday, when they became a family, she was confident that they would get along well without envy.It was a day when Mercedes¡¯ secrets were kept...


    ***


    It was before leaving to go on an adventure.


    Grid came back after meeting Irene and stood in front of a huge coffin.


    Zik¡¯s body¡ªto be precise, the ¡®body of the grandmaster¡¯y in the coffin.The grandmaster¡¯s body didn¡¯t decay at all. The skin was stic and full of vitality.He seemed alive so it was strange to see him lying in a coffin.


    [Haksen is intrigued by the remnants of high magic.]


    [Filewolf is informing you that this is an ancient spell using runes.]


    The souls of the legends and heroes who treated Grid as a haven were unexpectedly helpful.They provided old history and information that Grid didn¡¯t know, or gave advice based on their specialties.Of course, the souls of the heroes didn¡¯t have distinct egos, unlike the souls of the legends. The quality of their information was poor.Still, it was better than nothing.


    Grid told them his worries, ¡°I can¡¯t decide whether to give this body to Overgeared Skeleton One or Iyarugt. I¡¯ve already been worrying over it for 10 days.¡±


    [Tzudan understands your worries. Both Overgeared Skeleton One and Iyarugt are excellent swordsmen. Of course, when looking at technique alone, Iyarugt¡¯s swordsmanship is much better. However, an undead has its own potential.]


    [Haksen is advising you. Since ancient times, a ¡®living dead¡¯ has had a unique status. TheSpecter of the No Offspring Tombis an example.]


    [Filewolf agrees with Haksen¡¯s advice. Death knights made of white bone and death knights made of an entire body are said to show off a different dimension of strength. He confesses that they were one of the enemies the wise giants feared most.]


    ¡°What about one of you upying this body?¡±


    [Tzudan is waving his hand.]


    [Haksen says it is theoretically impossible.]


    [Filewolf says with all his heart that he wants to be one with a magic machine.]


    It might be different for a necromancer, but generally, corpses weren¡¯t usually judged as items.It wasn¡¯t possible.In the first ce, Grid¡¯s Granting an Ego skill only grants an ego to a target ¡®item.¡¯He could only give authority to use the body to Iyarugt, who parasitized other people¡¯s bodies using the power of a demon, or Overgeared Skeleton One, who had a talent for remodeling its body.Of course, it was possible to make a soulless jiangshi using the jiangshi manufacturing method, but this was too inefficient.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    After the conversation with the souls and thinking about it.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve decided it will be you.¡±


    Grid summoned Overgeared Skeleton One.The one who had beenpletely pushed out of the ranking fight ever since Overgeared Skeleton Two became a lich.The pitiful thing had a lost expression as its shoulders drooped. Well, it was a natural consequence of its own actions.


    ¡°Be reborn.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t speak long words.He showed Overgeared Skeleton One the grandmaster¡¯s body and gave a brief order.This was enough.


    A dark wave of light rose.It was a wave of power that broke the ceiling of the smithy and pierced the sky.

 Chapter 1532

    <h4>Chapter 1532</h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    The ce where the ceiling should be, or used to be, was blue.Today, a particrly clear sky covered the smithy like a nket.Were they intentionallymessing with him?


    Grid seriously doubted it as he stood in the copsing smithy. It was a natural flow of thought.Why did the smithy fall apart?He was worried that Rabbit wouldbe in an extreme state ofcopse.


    [Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s evolution has beenpleted.]


    The notification window woke him up from his thoughts.The reason for the blue sky was gradually descending.


    A purple light that shed between dark magic power.The emitted heat that evaporated clouds was unusual.


    [Allegiance to Your Majesty...]


    The appearance of Overgeared Skeleton One kneeling in front of Grid was surprisingly unfamiliar.He looked like Zik, but different.Perhaps it was because the skin and hair were discolored white or because the eyes were emitting a red light.Or perhaps it was due to the dark magic power that was like armor.The biggest reason was that his body had grown in size.It seemed to be a natural change in the process ofbining and reconstructing the bones of Overgeared Skeleton One and Zikfrector.


    A tall knight who gave off a cold, frost-like impression¡ªGrid confirmed the details of Overgeared Skeleton One, who was proud of the change.


    [Name: Overgeared Skeleton One


    Level: 430]


    First of all, the level was normal.He rose to the same level as Overgeared Skeleton Two did when it became a lich.


    ¡®For the time being, Overgeared Skeleton Two will have the upper hand.¡¯


    Overgeared Skeleton Two was currently level 461. It was because it reached the fourth ss advancement first and yed a big role in the war.


    ¡®In any case, the important thing is the ss name.¡¯


    Grid would be a bit upset if Overgeared Skeleton One was a dancing knight.The incident in which Overgeared Skeleton Two became a dancing lich remained a trauma.


    [ss: Dancing Death Knight Who Speaks Ancient Languages]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid confirmed the ss name of Overgeared Skeleton One and closed his eyes with a sorrowful feeling.He took a deep breath again and again to control his mind.


    ¡®Really... do whatever you want.¡¯


    No matter whether it was tap dancing, waltzing, acrobatics, orstrip dancing, it was all part time...


    Currently, the most important thing was skills.If this guy could y an active role like Overgeared Skeleton Two, that was enough.


    Grid consoled himself and opened the list of stats and skills.A smile naturally appeared.


    First of all, the strength and agility had increased significantly.With 4,000 strength and 4,500 agility, it was a stats ratio suitable for swordsmanship.The ratio of stamina was low for a knight, but this was only when discussing the ratio. At 3,500 stamina, even this was superior to knights of the same level.It was a shocking level considering that a death knight¡¯s shoring was usually its weak defense.


    Besides that, there was also the insight stat, like Overgeared Skeleton Two.The figure was even 2,000.Combined with the high agility, it would be sublimated into a powerful weapon. Overgeared Skeleton One would be able to respond to most attacks with his unstoppable dynamic vision.Unless it was a legend or a transcendent, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal injury on Overgeared Skeleton One.


    ¡®Even his intelligence has increased tremendously.¡¯


    3,000 intelligence¡ªit was obtained by absorbing the body of Zikfrector, who could use the ¡®runenguage,¡¯ but it was safe to say that Overgeared Skeleton One was more like a magician than a death knight.


    ¡®He overwhelms Overwhelming Two just based on the total of stats.¡¯


    A death knight was also a knight.A knight represented a bnced ss, and the biggest strength of a bnced ssy in the total stats.Unlike other sses with distinct strengths and weaknesses, they showed equal strength.The disadvantage was that there was no obvious advantage. However, Overgeared Skeleton One could use the runenguage, so this disadvantage disappeared.


    [Understanding and Utilization of Ancient Languages Lv. 5 (Unable to umte proficiency)]


    [Understand and utilize seven runes.


    It can bebined into a total of 19 words. The meaning of each word bes a phenomenon.


    Skill Mana Cost: 6,500 for each rune. It is 23,000 per word. The consumption will double every time the number of words increases.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes per rune.


    * Sentences can¡¯t be implemented at this stage.]


    ¡®...I will need to use items to raise his mana.¡¯


    Grid had thought this amount of intelligence was high, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. The mana requirement for the skill was toorge.


    ¡®It is okay.¡¯


    The biggest weakness of a death knight was its low intelligence and susceptibility to divine power.However, this didn¡¯t apply to Overgeared Skeleton One.The basic intelligence was high and divine power resistance could be raised by items.It was impossible to point out that it was a weakness just because arge amount of resources was consumed when using the runes.


    ¡®Basically, it is correct to interpret it as a death knight with no weaknesses, who even has a weapon called the runenguage.¡¯


    Above all, there was the most important fact.The runenguage wasn¡¯t all that Overgeared Skeleton One obtained by taking Zikfrector¡¯s body.It was a time when Zik was Zikfrector.He used to be called the grandmaster.In addition to the runes, it had the strength of being versatile.


    [All Mastery (Mastered)]


    [Passive


    Deals with all weapons in the realm of a master.


    Based on the knowledge umted through various studies, you can speak all existingnguages and easily learn anything.


    ¡ïThere is a probability of learning the skills you have experienced. It is up to 10 times. Give priority to acquiring high rated skills first. If the skill slot is full, throw away skills that are less frequently used.]


    This was a strength that Zikfrector hadn¡¯t shown.There was no chance for him to use it due to the Curse of Sloth.Meanwhile, Overgeared Skeleton One didn¡¯t have the curse. Overgeared Skeleton One had inherited the abilities, not the curse, from Zikfrector.


    ¡®One thing is for certain.¡¯


    The potential of Overgeared Skeleton One was endless.All Mastery was a skillparable to Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s Space Distortion.It wasn¡¯t exaggerated to describe it as a power.


    ck ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton Two had been free since bing a lich.The potential of Overgeared Skeleton One was proven by the fact that the existence who had the right to freely enter and exit Latina¡¯s Ne emerged and knocked on the back of Overgeared Skeleton One¡¯s head.Overgeared Skeleton Two felt a sense of crisis...


    [This is a ce where the king is watching... keep your dignity.] Overgeared Skeleton One spoke in a heavy voice.


    There was a greater sense of weight because he had the appearance of a person, not a skeleton.That¡¯s right.Looking at the appearance, it was impossible to tell if Overgeared Skeleton One was undead or human.


    ck!ck ck ck!


    Overgeared Skeleton Two danced with its chin colliding. It shook its waist from side to side in a manner that went beyond cuteness to being frivolous.It could speak the humannguage, but the reason it didn¡¯t speak to Overgeared Skeleton One was to let it know they were dead.


    Overgeared Skeleton One snorted.


    [Communication doesn¡¯t work. It is worthy of the being whose brain has be rotten and disappeared.]


    [......]


    Overgeared Skeleton Two stiffened like a stone statue.Seeing the dark eyeballs shaking, it seemed like it was going to shed tears.


    [Haksen is watching thepetition between the undead with interest. It is testament to the fact that intelligence is the cause of all conflicts. He hopes that foolish pacifists will witness this scene.]


    [Filewolf is dreaming of bing one with a magic machine.]


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was a world with few normal people.In particr, the higher the status, the more twisted people became. Coincidentally, it was the same for the souls of the ancient legends.It was because they had the experience of living in the world as they pleased.There was nothing rough, so their personality was bound to be wayward.


    ¡®Please, let thest apostle be...¡¯


    A normal person like me.


    Grid left the smithy while eagerly praying.The destination was Grenier.It was a mountainous region that was the home to the recluse, and was one of Satisfy¡¯s most prohibited areas. Countless legends and myths were buried there.It was also the ce where Tzudan wrote the ¡®Legend of Five Steps¡¯ and met his end.


    ***


    The strong had iron rules to follow.


    Don¡¯t lose.


    The reputation of winning over and over again was the evidence of the strong.


    White and ck realized this fact somewhatte.They experienced consecutive victories, only to encounter a wall called Grid as an enemy.Every time they suffered a defeat, the reputation of the ck and White sisters plummeted. The small fries they never even heard of criticized them and challenged them.At that time, there was still ack of awareness that Grid was the supreme one.


    In any case, after that¡ª


    ¡°Are you crazy...?¡±


    ck and White¡ªthe sisters avoided defeat as much as possible.For example, they didn¡¯t challenge rtively strong people like the Overgeared members.It meant they had grasped who they were up against.Therefore¡ª


    Tremble tremble.


    The sisters had enough insight to recognize the strong.It was a type of survival instinct umted in the process of trying to maintain their reputation. At this moment, this instinct went crazy.The cause was the Overgeared Skeletons on Grid¡¯s left and right sides.


    Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two¡ªthey were those with names that didn¡¯t harmonize with their forceful appearance.Overgeared Skeleton Two was very familiar due to its active appearance in the Behen Archipgo. Wasn¡¯t this the monstrous lich who tied up Beleth¡¯s feet?


    However, Overgeared Skeleton One was unfamiliar.He was a skeleton when they saw him on TV in the past, but now he had be a handsome man.He had shining red eyes and a frosty expression.Additionally, the ck magic power covering his body... overall, the energy of death provoked great fear. It was truly terrifying.


    It was crazy from the perspective of the sisters.


    Items...


    They wanted to ask when they would receive their items, but they didn¡¯t have the confidence to talk at all.The moment they got closer to Grid, it felt like their heads were going to be cut off. It was such a huge terror.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Grid wondered as he came out of the smithy and found the White and ck sisters. ¡°You should still be taking part in the war.¡±


    The White and ck sisters were a very importantbat force on the battlefield.They were ssified as named rankers.Infamy could only be umted when they had the skill.


    They had a strength that belonged to the high rankers, apart from the Overgeared members.


    ¡°T...that...¡± ck lowered her gaze and spoke with a white face.She tried to express the reason for their visit. This was a reflexive response. She was crushed by Grid¡¯s dignity and was forced to be honest.


    White covered ck¡¯s mouth.Unlike her sister, White was a person with a flexible side.¡°W-We came back briefly because we needed supplies! We will go back to the battlefield soon!¡±


    ¡°There are enough supplies on the field,¡± Grid answered. He had no intention of questioning the sisters.The sisters might¡¯ve cooperated for the sake of items, but in the end, they were allrades.Rather, their intention was explicit, so he trusted them. They were also a great help. He didn¡¯t want to treat them badly.


    Meanwhile, the sisters didn¡¯t know Grid¡¯s heart. They only paid attention to his low voice and sharp eyes that looked like a bird of prey.


    ¡°Hihihik!I-Item! An item is about to be destroyed...¡±


    White quickly thought of an excuse. She eximed as she recalled that the durability of her secondary weapon, which she had not used often these days, was low.


    ¡®All the cksmiths on the battlefield are yers.¡¯


    Except for a few people, their level wasn¡¯t very high. Rankers on the level of White would be reluctant to entrust valuable items to them.Grid was convinced and approached with goodwill.¡°Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll repair it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, y-yes...¡±


    White pulled out the item. It was a pair of unique rated gauntlets. The level restriction was only 350, so it had been a long time since she used it. It was just ambiguous to sell it because there was a limit to the number of uses of the skillsattached to it.The performance was excellentpared to items of the same level, but after consuming all the item¡¯s attached skills, it became meaningless.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±Grid checked the details of the gauntlets before standing in front of the furnace. It was the superrge furnace that had regained its smooth appearance thanks to the recent repairs made by Ke ong and the architects.The Overgeared Skeletons used their cksmithing skills and the temperature of the furnace soared sharply.In the meantime, Grid was learning how to make the gauntlets by disassembling them.


    ¡°......??¡±


    The ck and White sisters were in turmoil.It was strange to see Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two using the bellows.Why were these ignorant monsters using the bellows?Additionally, why was Grid breaking down the gauntlets?


    ¡®As expected, he is angry! It is a warning to us! A warning!¡¯


    They wouldn¡¯t leave the battlefield again...


    As the sisters watched, Grid threw the gauntlets into the furnace. The scene of the gauntlets melting in the mes and being pulled out as molten liquid seemed to hint at the future of the sisters.


    The pale-faced sisters¡¯ thoughts came to a stop.


    ¡°Here.¡±Grid handed White the remade gauntlets.It was made in just a few minutes through auto production.Nevertheless, it was better than the original.It was an inevitable result.The Overgeared God¡¯s Techniques delivered an item with performance that was better than the design.


    ¡°E-Eh...?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible to recharge the number of uses for the attached skillswith just repairing. This is why the other cksmiths couldn¡¯te forward rashly. Come to meter if you need it again.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going. Work hard.¡±


    ¡°Good... goodbye!¡±


    The sisters stared nkly at the back of the distant Grid and btedly said goodbye to him. Their smiles were very awkward. It was because they were giving a rare grin with pure intentions.


    ¡°...This is better than my main weapon.¡±


    ¡°O-Our graduationphotos... it has been widely circted on the Inte... the bad things we¡¯ve done... Grid knows it all... we were even enemies...I can¡¯t help smiling...¡±


    ¡°Yes... that¡¯s right...¡±


    The sisters who resented the world due to suffering all sorts of discrimination and hardships for being fat and ugly¡ªthey became uncontrobly crooked, but today, for the first time in their lives, they liked someone. It was close to respect. The world looked quite different.

 Chapter 1533

    <h4>Chapter 1533</h4>


    TheSpecter of the No Offspring Tomb, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the Mountain King of Grenier¡ªthey were the myth usurpers, or predators.


    [Haksen affirms their existence. He ims that if it wasn¡¯t for them, tens of thousands of human gods would cause chaos.]


    [Tzudan and Filewolf agree.]


    It was human nature to create and worship idols.It was because they were weak.Therefore, there was a flood of human gods.It was the reason why the influence was weak when Grid became a god.The existing gods looked down on the gods that originated from human aspirations.


    [Haksen analyzed that the development of civilization became an opportunity to promote human aspirations. The greater that human wisdom grew, the more varied the types of wishes. As a result, there are many objects to be idolized.]


    ¡°Hmm...¡±Grid didn¡¯t agree much.It was because he had a history of being active on the East Continent.The yangbans were particrly wary of gods, especially those created out of human aspirations. They were jealous.Of course, it could also be a simple sense of inferiority. It was because they were artificially cultivated god-candidates.However, Grid knew that the martial god, Chiyou, was also born from human aspirations.


    ¡®It could be distorted in many ways.¡¯


    Human gods were overflowing...


    Grid had heard such words several times.However, was it true?Grid had never seen the same existence as himself.All that came to mind were a few indigenous gods served by the monks.All of them were gods treated as precious in one specific area. For example, the four gods of the east.But to call them trivial andmon...


    He wondered if the reason such prejudice was brought to the world was due to some strong willpower to degrade the value of human gods.


    ¡°By the way, Tzudan, you are affirming the myth usurpers as well? Weren¡¯t you killed by the Mountain King?¡±


    [Tzudan confesses that the cause of deathy with himself. He exins that he invaded the Mountain King¡¯s territory first.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened slightly. It was due to nervousness.He noticed one definite fact.It was that the prestige of the myth usurpers was greater than expected.


    ¡®It is a level that can kill a legend.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it safe to say it was even a god-grade?Thinking about it, it was natural for it to be at the level of a god.The myth usurpers had existed even before the fall of the ancient gods.It meant they had lived for thousands of years, not hundreds.It was difficult to estimate how high their status would¡¯ve risen over those long years.


    Just look at how hell and Asgard were unwilling to sh with the myth usurpers.The evidence was that none of the portals connecting hell and the human world invaded the realm of the myth usurpers.


    ¡®Is it still too early for me to challenge it?¡¯


    At one time, Grid didn¡¯t doubt that he was the supreme one.There were times when he was arrogant because he believed too much in his abilities.It was like a short fever.


    The current Grid had a rtively urate understanding of his own level.At the very least, he knew he wasn¡¯t in the rank to discuss invincibility.Baal, Raphael, Mir, Zeratul, the dragons, the gods of the beginning, Chiyou, etcetera¡ªthere were many powerful beings in the world.


    ¡®When will I be invincible?¡¯


    At this moment, Grid didn¡¯t recognize his question as containing supreme arrogance. He had such qualifications.


    ¡®In any case... I can¡¯t step back aftering all the way here.¡¯


    Grid had been watching Chris¡¯ performance.Every time Chris wielded a greatsword, dozens or hundreds of demonic creatures turned into ashes.His attack skills were only the 10 Ton Sword, 100 Ton Sword, and 1,000 Ton Sword. His ability to utilize the power of the Tyrant, his second ss, was close to amazing.What if Chris changed to a legendary ss?He would be really reassuring.


    Ever since bing a myth and being in a position where he couldn¡¯t get a secondary ss, Grid wanted his talented colleagues to grow. They were still dependable now, but he wanted to rely on them more.


    He calmed his heart in the face of a strong storm and looked at the mountain that was getting closer.


    Grenier¡ªit was a stone mountain reminiscent of a bear standing on two feet.The greenery was sparse and bare, but strangely, it was difficult to grasp the structure of the mountain.It felt like all the information conveyed through his eyeballs was distorted.


    ¡°It looks very big when looking from a distance, but it is shabby.¡±


    There was no w in the high and steep scenery. It was too far-fetched to belittle it as shabby.However, it was a mountain that wasn¡¯t included in a mountain range. It was alone.It even decorated the wilderness alone.It couldn¡¯t help looking shabby.


    [Filewolf is showing alertness. He advises you to be careful because there are manypatriots who died after challenging the mountain.]


    [Haksen feels the traces of a higher barrier. It isn¡¯t based on magic power or techniques. It is close to a natural phenomenon.]


    [Tzudan is warning you not to be dazzled by the appearance. He says he has experienced firsthand that the size of the mountain is muchrger than what you can see with your eyes and it is asplex as abyrinth.]


    There was no need for a warning.Grid was fully aware of how dangerous the ce was.In Satisfy, it was known as the 9th wonder, 10th wonder, and so on, and it was a ce that caused multiple casualties.There were numerous reviews about people being deceived by its unusual appearance and trying to climb it, only to have terrible experiences.In the first ce, few people reached here, so it was often treated as a ghost story.


    ¡®It deserves to be treated as a ghost story.¡¯


    As with most forbidden areas, screenshots and videos were prohibited here.It was impossible for a person who visited it by chance to give evidence.This showed how great Skunk¡¯s ¡®original¡¯ map was that was sent to only a small number of Overgeared members.


    On the map made by Skunk, the road to this point was marked in detail.Only the internal structure of the mountain was a question mark.ording to Skunk, the structure of the mountain changed every time he entered the mountain.


    ¡®He said he had no choice but to give up on the exploration because he died several times without any profit.¡¯


    Let me be your guide in the near future.


    Grid walked while thinking and notification windows appeared one after another in his vision.


    [Tzudan is shrinking back.]


    [Filewolf is dissuading you and asking you to think about it again.]


    [Haksen is warning you that the flow of mana has stopped.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll retreat immediately if I feel that it is dangerous.¡±


    [You have entered the forbidden area ¡®Grenier.¡¯]


    [The natural recovery of mana is prohibited. All types of magic are sealed, including the magic engraved on your magic scrolls and items.]


    [The return scroll will be disabled.]


    [Haksen and Filewolf are sighing.]


    [Tzudan is very annoyed as he reflects on his end.]


    ¡°......¡±


    He had expected that there would be restrictions on the use of magic.It was because Haksen had warned that the flow of mana had stopped.He just hadn¡¯t expected that the principle of activating the return scroll would also be judged as magic.


    ¡®It is okay.¡¯


    Grid tried to suppress his panic.He had a means to cope without the return scroll.


    [The ¡®Emergency Return¡¯ skill will be activated in the immortal state. Regardless of the concept of time or space, you will return to one of the temples that serves you. However, it must be used within 7 seconds of entering the immortal state. After seven seconds, the skill is deactivated.]


    ¡®This won¡¯t fail, right?¡¯


    Death for a god was deadly.It was directly linked to a drop in status.It was even more so if the opponent was a myth predator.He absolutely couldn¡¯t die...


    Grid was trying to shake off his uneasiness when he suddenly frowned. Anger surged in his heart.


    ¡°No, dammit. Tzudan, haven¡¯t you already experienced it? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance what the risks were?¡±


    [Tzudan exins that it happened hundreds of years ago, and it was also before his death, so his memory is vague. He is crying because he is sorry.]


    [Haksen and Filewolf are doubting your personality.]


    ¡°......¡±


    What was the point ofteaming up withpeople (?) who died a long time ago?He was simply being insulted by the dead.


    The enlightened Grid shut his mouth and moved forward.The good news was that Tzudan started to recall old memories.The advice he gave to walk in the direction that the pine branches grew was particrly helpful in breaking through thebyrinth.


    ***


    Was there anyone who had repeatedly traveled around the world from the moment of birth to the moment of death?Could they really travel all over the Earth?It was definitely impossible.It was physically impossible to visit all the regions and streets in every country, even if they could, by a stroke of luck, travel to every country.


    Satisfy boasted a wider area than Earth.Exploring all corners of every ce was difficult unless they benefited from a lot of skills.There were also ces a person couldn¡¯t visit even if they had the benefit of skills.


    One of them was Grenier.Unlike the appearance, there were surprisingly a lot of people living on Grenier, which was a fairlyrge ce. A society had formed.The subject of the society were tribes that existed for over a thousand years.The thing they had inmon was that they had served the Mountain King for generations.For them, the Mountain King was their only god and the ruler of all nature.


    It was evidence that even if Grenier was surprisinglyrge, it was still just a well in the end.Grenier¡¯s natives couldn¡¯t estimate the size of the world.They were a very lowly tribe that believed the foolish iron-d rules formed based on shallow experience and uncivilized knowledge was the truth.


    ¡®I am a fool who was captured by these people.¡¯


    yer Med couldn¡¯t believe his plight.


    A wilderness he came across by chance while walking the path of asceticism with the monks serving Debirion¡ªhe was thrilled the moment he faced the towering mountain.It was as if a bear was holding up the sky. He intuitively felt that he had approached one of the famous wonders.


    He felt it was fate. He interpreted it as the precursor to a hidden quest. He was convinced that Debirion had guided him to Mount Grenier.He felt an obligation to meet the Mountain King.It was even more so because the war was in full swing.


    The reason why Med and the monks had embarked on the path of asceticism was due to the great human and demon war.They received a divine message to help the people that were suffering, and wandered around the continent to fight demons.


    In this situation, the opportunity to meet the Mountain King came.He naturally believed that the Mountain King would help.Thus, they tried to climb the mountain.The initial start was good.Med was once ranked 33rd in the unified rankings.Even now, he was still a named ranker that was within the top 100 in the rankings.His skills weren¡¯tcking.Besides, he was with his fellow monks. They broke through several traps andbyrinths, and climbed to the middle of the mountain.Maybe he could receive the yer¡¯s first achievement.


    His excitement couldn¡¯t calm down easily until he was captured by the mountain tribe...


    ¡®We can¡¯tmunicate with these people.¡¯


    He was confident about this because he experienced it personally.Grenier was disconnected from the world. For those who lived here, the world was only Grenier.They didn¡¯t know that demons and demonic creatures were causing disasters in the outside world. They naturally didn¡¯t know that the disaster would someday reach them. It was impossible to ask them for help.


    ¡°Y¨­kai, hurry up and reveal yourself.¡±


    The natives surrounded Med¡¯s group, all of them who were tied by ropes and hung upside down.They heated thick iron on fire. The sound of a small and thin knife being sharpened against a whetstone resonated in an eerie manner.


    ¡°How can y¨­kai from outside the mountain look like us? Perhaps it is only by peeling off the skin that they can show their real appearance.¡±


    The natives were wearing monster skins. It wasn¡¯t an idle threat. They really seemed like they were going to skin him.The woman who spoke to Med¡¯s group boasted a particrly ferocious air. The ogre¡¯s skull that covered her face like a headpiece seemed to hint at the future of Med¡¯s group.


    ¡°How many times do I have to say this? We are human beings like you. There are many people living outside Grenier...¡±


    Med was trying to exin when his eyes widened. He was swallowing a scream. The dagger that stabbed his abdomen took away arge amount of his health.


    ¡®What is this attack power...?¡¯


    Was this a super named-grade?Med reflexively used Reverse Origin.It was one of the ultimate skills of a monk.It couldn¡¯t be helped if he wanted to live.


    [Your health has been fully restored.]


    [Your damaged body has been restored.]


    [You will suffer a continuous decline in health. This effect won¡¯t stop until your health is at the minimum.]


    ¡°It is a magic trick to dy death... they are truly y¨­kai.¡±The woman¡¯s voice became colder. She gave a look and the natives who were sharpening knives approached Med¡¯s group. They were holding knives to skin the group one by one.


    ¡®This damn thing.¡¯


    He was caught in the wrong ce.Dying was a deadly loss and the form of death was the worst ever. Perhaps it would remain as a lifelong trauma.


    ¡®Why did I dare to climb the mountain?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a prohibited area for nothing. The wonders should¡¯ve been left as wonders...


    Med was deeply reflecting and regretting it when he heard screams and shouts.


    The man, who hadn¡¯t been there previously, was perceived one stepter.He was a man whose hair fluttered even though the wind wasn¡¯t blowing.The natives, who had their faces held in hisrge hands, suffered and kicked both feet in the air.


    An orange light clearly spread out from him.The sun seemed to shine again on the cold mountain where dusk had fallen.


    ¡°What do I look like?¡±The man¡¯s question caused silence.

 Chapter 1534

    <h4>Chapter 1534</h4>


    It was a world where bizarre cultures weremon. There were many areas in the world that were out of reach. The more closed off the ce, the more bizarre it was.


    ¡®There are really many things that are different from the usual.¡¯


    From the very beginning, and just based on the clothing that they wore, Grenier¡¯s natives were bizarre. They were covered with monster skins and decorated with skulls. They were wearing outfits worthy of the temperament of skinning people alive.


    Grid confronted them casually. He realized the vastness of the world through these bizarre barbarians.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    On the other hand, the natives were shocked, like they had been struck by lightning. It was different from Grid, who had witnessed and experienced many things in the world. They were just frogs at the bottom of a well. For those who believed that Grenier was the whole world, the transcendent presenceing from Grid was a concept that was difficult to ept.


    ¡°What do I look like?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The man who appeared silently and snatched theirpanions. No one answered Grid¡¯s question. There was only silence. Many natives were dazzled by the wave of energy being emitted by the Overgeared God that spread an orange light. The sun that lit up their mornings and day was actually divine. God had descended. God was angry. Etc, etc.


    It happened just before the thoughts that emerged uncontrobly in the minds of the natives were expressed in words¡­


    ¡°Hey!¡± The woman wearing the ogre skull shouted. The veins on her neck bulged as she shouted loudly to cover up her trembling voice. She, the chief of the Removal Tribe, felt fear.


    Only a few seconds had passed since an unidentified intruder broke into the scene. Envy filled the eyes of the tribe people looking at the intruder. It was a simr reaction when facing the guardian of the Mountain King. Something that shouldn¡¯t happen was about to happen¡­


    ¡°He is a guy who uses very evil ck arts! I¡¯m sure he is the king of the y¨­kai! Block your ears! Shut your mouth! Keep your eyes open! Hold the spear and stab him!¡± the chief shouted loudly.


    She wasn¡¯t concerned at all about herpanions caught and struggling in Grid¡¯s hands. Did what others were being subjected to matter? The natives had lived on the barren mountain and had limited lives. Only their own safety was precious.


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    The tribe people of the Removal Tribe obeyed the chief. It was because the chief managed the honey they collected from the cliff at the risk of their lives, and the milk of very precious mountain goats. Submitting to the chief was the only way to enrich their lives.


    Just then, Grid split into two people. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. He simply summoned Randy.


    The doppelganger of the mysterious forest¡ªthanks to Pagma¡¯s kindness, he copied Pagma¡¯s appearance and abilities, and maintained it for many years. This meant he was familiar with the power of a legend even before meeting Grid. Since then, he had developed steadily alongside Grid. In addition to copying Grid¡¯s appearance, he had reached the point where he could implement 50% of Grid¡¯s stats. In other words¡ª


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hiiik!¡±


    The enemies Grid usually dealt with were rare and strong opponents. This meant that Grid often used Randy as a meat shield. However, it was not because he underestimated Randy. It was simply inevitable because the enemies were too strong. Yet when facing ordinary (?) enemies like now, Randy alone was enough.


    ¡°B-ck arts¡­?! That y¨­kai¡¯s ck arts is too much¡­ Cough!¡±


    The natives were helplessly thrown aside. The two intruders suddenly swung their hands and feet, and the natives couldn¡¯t even respond. They were confused as soon as they saw it.


    ¡°T-That person¡­?¡±


    The monks that were hanging precariously upside down with their ankles tied by the rope¡ªthey were caught by barbarians they couldn¡¯tmunicate with at all and were waiting for death. Now they btedly came to their senses and looked at the situation.


    The fierce barbarian soldiers, who were like beasts and didn''t know reason, were reduced to sheeps that were being chased. It was too much tough at them for being unseemly. The intruder was too strong. The moment he took a step, he stretched out like a gale. The movement of his fists and kicks was very beautiful. He upied all directions with a single movement and neutralized the resistance of the barbarians. They thought he was an unknown strong person who had been honing his fist and kick techniques in the mountains all his life.


    This was until they took a closer look at his face.


    ¡°Gasp! O-Overgeared God¡­!¡±


    A monk was different from ordinary religious people. They didn¡¯t have the illusion that the god they served was noble and almighty. In fact, most of the gods that the monks served came from an ordinary human origin. The god of hunting, Debirion, was also like this. As a human, Debirion was the best hunter.


    He was able to be rich by catching many wild animals every day, yet he distributed the leather and meat to the vigers for free. He only sold it to wealthy people for a reasonable price. It was thanks to Debirion¡¯s warmth that the vigers could live while being exploited by their lords. They didn¡¯t tremble in the cold thanks to the leather he gave them, and they didn¡¯t starve due to the meat he gave them. Debirion even taught people how to hunt well. All the vigers were good at hunting, so he didn¡¯t regret it, even if he might have to go hungry. This was his cause until the moment when he died alone in the mountains.


    For the monks, gods were such an existence. A worthy and respectable object to learn from, even if there were foolish sides. Therefore, they respected the gods even more. Unlike the followers of the three gods and Yatan, the monks didn¡¯t reject the gods served by others. They weren¡¯t prejudiced against Grid because he had a human origin, deny him because he wasn¡¯t almighty, or disparage him by evaluating his actions. They affirmed he was a god without any such thing.


    ¡°Haha¡­ I think Debirion led us to the Overgeared God, not the Mountain King,¡± an old man with a friendly face spoke. Since he was hanging upside down for a long time, blood flowed as he smiled with a puffy face. He was quite broad-minded. It was a monk¡¯s temperament. Monks weren¡¯t shaken by trials. The process of patiently oveing trials was considered training. Of course, this was limited to NPCs.


    Med¡¯s thinking was extremely normal. He twisted his body and urged his group, ¡°It isn¡¯t the time tough. We should try to escape in this gap.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it is hard to break the rope because all our belongings have been taken away.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes. I should¡¯ve trained my abs and masticating muscles harder.¡±


    They raised their upper body, bit the rope with the teeth, stopped to recover their breathing, raised their upper body again, and bit the rope.The group kept talking while repeating this. They were rxed in a manner that didn¡¯t fit the urgent situation. They wereughing while sweating and only Med was impatient.


    ¡®It seems I have chosen the wrong ss.¡¯


    This was an idea he had for a long time. How many crises and deaths had he experienced every time he walked the path of asceticism due to a ss quest? If he carried out group activities with the monks, then his survival rate would often drop exponentially.


    Gnaw gnaw.


    Med grumbled on the inside, but he still acted the same as his group. He raised his upper body and chewed on the rope tied to his ankle. In fact, there was no other way to escape. He didn¡¯t have a rtionship where he could ask Grid for help.


    ¡°How long is it going to take if you try to escape like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Med was startled. It was because Grid came close to him and asked him a question with a cocked head. His expression was solemn and heavy as he observed the rope.


    It had been seven years. The Grid he met in the 1st National Competition waspletely different from the current Grid.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible to use skills?¡±


    Grenier¡¯s barrier only blocked the use of magic. In other words, why wasn¡¯t he using his skills to break the rope?


    The red-faced Med replied in a weak voice, ¡°Monks¡­ don¡¯t have a lot of practical skills¡­¡±


    ¡°It feels like borrowing power to enhance strength. Well, drink this first.¡± Grid passed a potion to Med. He identified that Med¡¯s health was being consumed in real time


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think you are going to die.¡±


    ¡°No, why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural for a person to help others?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Satisfy was apetitive society. In particr, rankers had a tendency to regard even their allies as theirpetitors. It might bemon for yers to help NPCs on a moral level, but it was quite rare to help yers unconditionally.


    ¡°¡­Thank you,¡± Med briefly thought about it before opening his mouth. He gently received and drank the potion that Grid gave him.


    Grid looked at the rope.


    ¡®It is very tough and hard.¡¯


    The rope made of twisted wood was as hard as metal. It seemed to have some type of protection in it. Simply breaking it with force was near impossible.


    ¡°It is crazy to try and break it with your teeth. There seems to be some type of seal that can only be released by the shaman who made the rope¡­?¡± Med was trying to exin with an awkward expression when his eyes widened. It was because the rope was cut by Grid with just a single swing of his sword. He managed to adjust himself and stand upright just before his head hit the ground. Then he stared nkly at Grid.


    Meanwhile, Grid released all the other monks and frowned upon rechecking Med¡¯s condition. ¡°Did you use Reverse Origin?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uh¡­¡±


    Monks boasted tough vitality, but they were surprisingly weak when it came to endurance. It was because most of their skills were costly. A prime example was Reverse Origin, which restored health and healed wounds when used, but eventually led to death.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has given you 100 ¡®Highest Quality Recovery Potions.¡¯]


    Once at the myth rating, the person would be marked as a god, not a yer. Med showed an interested expression when he learned this new fact, only to suddenly look baffled.


    ¡°What is this again¡­?¡±


    ¡°I was told that you can pray to Debirion in the mountains. Keep taking this when you need to until Debirion responds. It is a special product made at Reidan¡¯s alchemy center, so the effect should be sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Why are you going so far for me?¡±


    The effectiveness of Reidan¡¯s highest quality potions were famous. He knew the value well, but right now, that wasn¡¯t the important issue. Putting aside kindness, Med didn¡¯t understand why Grid was showing him this favor.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°You are strong. Your war contribution is close to 500. You don¡¯t have an affiliation, so this means you must¡¯ve been busy running around throughout the entire war. You must¡¯ve helped a lot of people in the process. It is the same for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°If you feel ufortable, then do something to pay me backter.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, definitely.¡±


    Grid smiled. It was good to see Med¡¯s determined expression. He felt that there would be one more person he could turn to for help in the future war against the demons and gods. Grid needed more strong allies.


    ¡®It is over.¡¯


    The surroundings were quiet. Looking back, he saw dozens of natives who had fainted with foaming mouths. The woman wearing the ogre¡¯s skull as a headpiece had her bare face revealed and her name was golden.


    Med was astonished. ¡®The doppelganger alone overpowered these ignorant people? In just a few minutes?¡¯


    Randy was Grid¡¯s long-standing power. yers knew that Randy¡¯s identity was a doppelganger. Additionally, monsters had their limits. The dominant prediction was that his performance would be less prominent as time passed. Yet Randy didn¡¯t seem to have any limits. Dozens of natives, who were powerful enough to hold Med captive, were subdued by Randy.


    Of course, Med had been caught because hispanions were taken hostage. Even so, Randy was much stronger. Med himself knew it best.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ As expected of the Overgeared God, you are as strong as the rumors were saying.¡±


    ¡°I gained enlightenment thanks to you.¡±


    The monks surrounded Randy and spoke to him politely. It was Randy, not Grid, who was mistaken for the main body. It was a normal reaction. Randy did most of the work.


    ¡®Even so, it is like this.¡¯


    It was a shame that Med should bear. He sighed before bowing to Grid. ¡°Thank you for your help. This is a small token of my sincerity. Please ept it. I¡¯m not saying I will repay your grace with this. I will repay you properly in the future.¡±


    [The yer ¡®Med¡¯ has given you ¡®Teachings of the Hunting God.¡¯]


    Grid was surprised.

 Chapter 1535

    [Teachings of the Hunting God]


    [Rating: Legendary


    Teachings given to the monk who has passed the trial of the hunting god.


    The divine protection of Debirion is contained in it.


    * When hunting regr monsters, the probability of obtaining higher rated items will increase by 2% and the amount of experience gained will increase by 1.5%.


    * When hunting elite monsters, the probability of obtaining higher rated items will increase by 3% and the amount of experience gained will increase by 2%.


    * When hunting boss monsters and named monsters, the probability of obtaining higher rated items will increase by 5% and the amount of experience gained will increase by 3%.


    ¡ï Oveps with simr items, skills, and effects.


    Weight: 1]


    An old board made by cutting down a tree¡ªunlike its ordinary appearance, Teachings of the Hunting God was a tremendous item.


    First of all, it worked even if he just had it in the inventory. The effects even ovepped. It yed an even greater role for Grid, who had separate experience buffs. Over time, it would give steady results. It was a very excessive reward for his life. Yet Med said that this wascking.


    Grid noticed the reason. ¡®He isn¡¯t just counting his own life, but also the life of hispanions.¡¯


    The NPC monks¡ªthey were valuablepanions to Med. He could see Med¡¯s character.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    A smile spread on Grid¡¯s face as he received the teachings. It felt very rewarding. It wasn¡¯t because he got a good item. It felt rewarding because he helped a valuable person. He was convinced that his rtionship with Med would surely lead to wonderful results.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted to the back this time. The natives who came to their senses were trembling. They were kneeling down in front of Randy, not Grid. Randy¡¯s expression was arrogant as he slightly raised his chin. He was properly expressing Grid¡¯s usual appearance. Of course, Grid¡¯s thoughts were different. Randy interpreted it as meeting Grid¡¯s needs.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be arrogant like that.¡¯


    He had long awakened the virtue of humility. Just look at what happened now. He tried his best to save those in crisis. There was some calction about Med¡¯s debt, but he would¡¯ve helped even if Med was weak. It had always been like this. It meant he was different from Randy.


    ¡®In any case, I can leave it to Randy for the time being.¡¯


    Other people didn¡¯t realize it because Grid was so busy, but Grid was a king. He was ustomed to leaving work to others. He skillfully managed people. He didn¡¯t have toe forward in person. For example, right now.


    Grid nced at Randy, who nodded and opened his mouth, ¡°In order to wake up the Mountain King, we have to defeat the guardians. Tell me where the guardians are.¡±


    The chief snorted. ¡°The y¨­kai king in the mask of a human. You are acting like this without knowing how scary the world is. They are the first chiefs of the four tribes and half-gods born from the Mountain King. It means that you aren¡¯t their opponent. How do you have the courage to meet them when your head will fly away due to them.¡±


    Yuwel¡ªthe chief of the Removal Tribe was definitely a named NPC. However, the natives of Grenier had lost their discerning eye because they didn¡¯t know the world¡¯s affairs. Like the others, she mistook Randy, not Grid, as the main body. It was a normal reaction. Randy had half the power of Grid. He also just revealed a fragment of that power. From a general point of view, he was peerless. It was impossible to guess he would be a doppelganger.


    ¡®Rather, this is good.¡¯


    Grid became morefortable thanks to it. Grid experienced the point of view of the subordinate of an omniscient and omnipotent god. He passed the time knitting while Randy took care of the work.


    Randy threatened and tortured the natives to gather the information he wanted. It was an active use of violence. Everything had been learned from Grid. It actually made Grid doubt Randy¡¯s personality. ¡®Is it because he is close to Noe? He is bing more violent. I don¡¯t want him to be too fascinated with his strength.¡¯


    ¡°......¡±


    Meanwhile, Med was staring at Grid with an absurd expression. He was the only one rxed in this dreadful forbidden area and that made him seem even greater. Looking at the bold nature of entrusting all the work to his pet, Med thought that such a personality was needed in order to be the supreme one.


    [Haksen is watching with interest.]


    [Filewolf is giving a thumbs up.]


    [Tzudan has fallen into a state of copse.]


    Grenier was Tzudan¡¯s grave. It was such a dangerous ce that it killed a legendary hero. However, Grid seemed to feel no tension. Thus, the reactions were intense.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s thoughts were different. ¡®I am also nervous.¡¯


    He even had defeat in his mind. It was just that it was meaningless to be afraid. He could only work productively and control his mind.


    ¡°Did you say that is the Overgeared God¡¯s doppelganger? It is bold to sit and knit while the Overgeared God is working. As expected, the personality resembles the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Haha... After seeing this today, I think I need to imitate the Overgeared God. Every time I experience a trial, I should think about the mindset of the Overgeared God and break through the crisis from the front...¡±


    ¡°What nonsense about breaking through from the front? Then won¡¯t you be a suicide unit? Do it moderately and focus on prayers. You will die if Debirion doesn¡¯t respond in time.¡±


    In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    ¡°U-Understood! Stop it!¡± Yuwel finally surrendered. How much was she beaten in the meantime? Her hair was messy and her face was covered in bruises.


    ¡°You understand?¡± Randy cocked his head slightly. He repeatedly folded his long fingers and stretched them out like he was able to form a fist at any moment.


    Yuwel prostrated herself. ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll guide you to the ce you want right now!¡±


    ***


    Grenier¡ªfour tribes lived on the mountain ruled by the Mountain King.


    The Removal Tribe that explored the beginning and middle of the mountain to hunt monsters. The Seed Tribe that managed the sh-and-burn of fields on the mountainside. The Goat Tribe that raised goats in the hignds. The Great Speaker Tribe that settled at the five waterfalls and prayed to the mountain god every day. They had been faithful to their roles for over a thousand years.


    This continued.


    In the process, there was a hierarchical rtionship and the power of the Removal Tribe became the weakest. It was inevitable they would fall behindpared to the other tribes that produced food or interacted with the Mountain King. They had fought for the mountain for generations, but from the perspective of the other tribes, this wasn¡¯t a job. The sacrifice of the tribe was taken for granted from a certain point. People forgot their gratitude.


    ¡°They arete.¡± The chief of the Great Speaker Tribe frowned. The sacrifice ritual would begin in two days. The Removal Tribe has promised to hunt as many monsters as possible until then, but there was no news from them.


    ¡°Are those small fries going to make the Mountain King hungry?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have to worry about starving to death due to us, so it feels like they¡¯ve lost their tension.¡±


    "Don''t worry. I¡¯ve stopped supplies for a while to instill awareness. They must¡¯ve eaten bark for the past 10 days. They must be in a hurry to fill their hungry stomach.¡±


    ¡°Hungry...? Their work must be dyed. Will they have forgotten the offerings for the Mountain King?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be unless they are crazy...¡±


    It happened as the discussion between the chiefs continued...


    ¡°Are the preparations going well?¡±


    A god descended. He was also the ancestor of the chiefs. Beings born between the first chiefs and the Mountain King over a thousand years ago¡ªthe natives of Grenier regarded them as guardian gods.


    ¡°Yes, it is going well. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The chiefs bowed. The chiefs of the Seed Tribe and Goat Tribe were sweating, while the chief of the Great Speaker Tribe exined in a gentle voice. The Great Speaker Tribe was responsible for actuallymunicating with the Mountain King. It might be a hierarchical system, but he shouldn¡¯t be intimidated by the guardian god under the Mountain King.


    ¡°Um... By the way, there seems to be an uninvited guest.¡±


    The nodding guardian shifted his gaze outside the barracks. Uninvited guest? It wasn¡¯t possible. The half-god chief walked out of the barracks. The noisy tribe people could be seen. Yuwel and the ck-haired man that were approaching them drew attention.


    ¡°Humans...? They are humans like us?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. The world outside is chaotic. There can be no humans other than us.¡±


    The people of the Seed Tribe and Goat Tribe made a fuss.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a y¨­kai wearing a human mask.¡±


    The chief of the Great Speaker Tribe soon grasped the situation. He grasped the seriousness of the situation through Yuwel¡¯s wounded appearance. He would¡¯ve been greatly flustered if the guardian god wasn¡¯t by his side. The guardian god was approaching the y¨­kai.


    ¡°That orange wave of energy is unusual. It is like you are surrounded by the sun, but you are a human,¡± he spoke to the ck-haired man.


    The atmosphere fluctuated every time the guardian god took a step.


    ¡°It is too much power for a human god to bear. I am going to take it and give it to the Mountain King.¡±


    Gods weren¡¯t special objects for the rulers of Grenier. They were just delicious prey. It was natural since they reigned as myth usurpers. Just then, the sound of a loud explosion rang in everyone¡¯s ears. It was the aftermath of the guardian god destroying thend. He shot forward like a beam of light and attacked the ck-haired man.


    The two handaxes drew a half moon and a storm swirled. The moment the half moons crossed, the man¡¯s body split into four. Red blood gushed out. It was the blood of the tribe people. The axes¡¯ energy stretched out several meters and split apart the bodies of onlookers.


    The ck-haired man didn¡¯t shed a drop of blood. The body, which he thought had been cut, was actually intact. The difference was as thin as a sheet of paper. The attack was avoided by a narrow margin so there was the illusion of being cut.


    ¡®This guy... is strong.¡¯


    The guardian god immediately grasped the level of the human god. His vignce was raised. Then the sword of the human god flew toward him. The guardian god dropped the axe from his hand. Then he crossed both hands and grabbed the axe still in the air.


    The axe held in reverse naturally blocked the sword. Then the axe in the other hand shed the human god¡¯s chest. It was with an unstoppable force. It contained the experience umted after living for a thousand years. Yet it was useless.


    The sword of the human god that bounced off the axe moved in a circle, blocking the path of the axe aiming for his chest. It was the use of Revolve. Randy, who borrowed the appearance of a human god, i.e. Grid, produced two effects with one counterattack.


    Grid watched from a distance and was very satisfied.


    ¡®This guy is admirable.¡¯


    The intelligence stat yed a more special role for NPCs and monsters. It didn¡¯t only increase magic damage, magic resistance, and the mana value. Their actual intelligence increased as well. It waspletely different from yers. So far, Grid had been forced to invest points in intelligence, but it couldn¡¯t be considered a loss. The higher Grid¡¯s intelligence was, the more wisdom that was incorporated into Randy¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Hurry... hurry and call my brothers!¡± the guardian god, who had his axe piercing his shoulder, cried out hurriedly on one knee. His expression was unfamiliar. There were cracks in the small world of the natives.

 Chapter 1536

    <h4>Chapter 1536</h4>


    wless skin that shone smoothly, reminiscent of porcin¡ªYura, who was on the battlefield, first captured people¡¯s attention with her appearance.However, people forgot about her appearance when talking about her.They were busy praising her and admiring her.


    Baaaaaang!


    The jade-colored magic power stretched out in a straight line and turned all the demonic creatures in its path to ashes. It was an artillery shell with arge strike range and pration attributes. She naturally targeted the weaknesses of the demonic creatures and overpowered Judar¡¯s protection.


    A small number of demons avoided the attack, but they still died in the end due to the wave of jade-colored magic power that dug into their eyes.Yura¡¯sbat style of moving at the same time as shooting and settling things with swordsmanship was very different from the past.She used Hell Leap very quickly and aggressively. The speed that resulted from it reminded people of Shunpo.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard! Leave the rear to us!¡±


    It was also thanks to efficient role allocation that Yura could maintain her best condition.The wave of demonic creatures repeated at regr intervals.Additionally, each wave had different types of demonic creatures.


    The Overgeared members reduced each other¡¯s burden by choosing battles favorable to them.It was a strategy made by the blood and sweat of the strategist group, who finally established the form for predicting the interval between waves and the emergence of demonic creatures, and the countless people who conveyed a lot of information to them.


    It was safe to say that the allies were of one heart and one mind. They moved in unison to defend the continent.It was possible because there was Grid.A person with absolute force and trust suppressed the division of humanity.It was crazy from the position of hell.


    ¡°Since ancient times, humanity has been the incarnation of desire and distrust. It is easy for them to get caught up in temptation, but that trick isn¡¯t working these days...Croak,¡±Chepardea muttered to himself with an unbearable expression.


    The remaining war period was only 11 days.In the next 11 days, the magic power of the Abyss would begin to recover.The space where Sword Demon Zepar had cut would be restored, and hell and earth would be independent again. The portals connecting the two worlds were scheduled to close.


    It seemed impossible to achieve the goal of killing and weakening the Overgeared God in that time.The fundamental problem was the difference in power.The military force of the humans was too strong. It was vastly different from what was expected.


    The son of Beriache, and Zik of the seven malignant saints¡ªthey defended the main bases and were particrly troublesome.


    ¡°She is making trouble even when dead. She is truly a persistent and disgusting woman.Croak.¡±


    Beriache was Baal¡¯s nemesis.Unlike Amoract, who initially agreed with Baal¡¯s n, she opposed and interfered with it from the beginning to end.The essence of hell and so on.


    ¡®A fool who clings to meaningless things.¡¯


    ¡°It seems impossible to capture that ce.¡±


    Chepardea, who had been lost in thought and swearing to himself, suddenly came to his senses as he heard the voice.


    Dantalion¡¯s legacy¡ªthe transparent crystal castle was reflecting light in all directions.It was a phenomenon caused by the sunlight cast in hell in the aftermath of the worlds mixing together, and the crystals that were originally ck and then were purified. He involuntarily frowned.


    ¡°Croak.It seems impossible for such a low-level thing like you.¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s sarcastic expression was cold. He revealed his contemptuous eyes without hiding it.It waspletely different from the days when he showed favor even when he tackled Agnus every time.


    Chepardea loathed Agnus.It was natural.He didn¡¯t y an active role in the war despite Baal¡¯s direct intervention in giving him support.Agnus was the worst and most failed Baal¡¯s Contractor ever.It was worse than Betty, who was abandoned after Baalpletely lost interest.The fact that he was given some of Marbas¡¯ power was a matter of great regret.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m d,¡± Agnus responded nonchntly. He regarded Chepardea¡¯s changed attitude as insignificant. No, he epted itfortably.It was because he was ustomed to the contempt.He also understood how Chepardea felt.


    It was immediately after the start of the war.Agnus¡¯ n to quickly regain his levels by sweeping through the cities and battlefields was disrupted.The reason was that he was killed by Faker, who followed him like a ghost the moment he came to the human world. The same situation was repeated several times afterwards. He had to suspect if there was a location tracker attached to his body.Due to this, Agnus didn¡¯t grow properly. He often received the penalty of being unable to connect due to consecutive deaths.


    He wasn¡¯t really angry.


    ¡®If I am weak, then I should be trampled on.¡¯


    It was a truth he realized from an early age.All the humiliation he was experiencing now was a matter of course.It was just retribution for the malice spread when he wandered as a maniac obsessed with the impossible resurrection of his lover. He had no power to resist it. That was all.


    In the midst of the moment of silence...


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    A demon crawled out of the small mirror in Chepardea¡¯s hand.


    An oruol¡ªit was a well-known demon to Agnus.Its typical feature was that it crossed space through ¡®things that reflected light,¡¯ so it was called the mirror demon.


    ¡®Indeed... If we borrow this demon¡¯s strength, we might be able to infiltrate the ck crystal castle.¡¯


    Currently, Leraje had fled to the ck crystal castle.The great demon who swallowed half of hell¡¯snd while the demons were at war¡ªshe was only 10th in the ranking, but she was famous for not knowing defeat. Even Chepardea was reluctant to deal with her.However, now things had changed.


    Leraje lost her reputation when raiding Gamigin¡¯s soul vault. It was an event that would directly lead to damage to her status.She didn¡¯t have the power to escape Chepardea¡¯s retribution.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dy the time. Immediately enter, kill Leraje, and seize her power and territory.Croak.¡±


    Chepardea sent a nce and the oruol nodded before using its power.Agnus felt the sensation of being sucked in somewhere.Once he came to his senses, he was in the interior of a building that he had never seen before.He easily infiltrated the ck crystal castle which had been called an impregnable fortress.The power of the oruol, respected by Baal¡¯s subordinate, was a near unreasonable force. There was no exaggeration in the reputation.


    ¡°You...¡±Leraje woke up from where she was lying on the bed. Her eyes widened and she clearly looked flustered.The momentum of the supreme king was nowhere to be seen.It was the moment when the spection that she was weakened had be a reality.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know who you were going against when I was away and made trouble.Croak.Leraje, you crossed the line.¡±


    ¡°The line? Do you have your own twisted line? It is ridiculous. The subordinates of Baal, who distorted hell in the name of abolishing the oldws to create newws...¡±


    Leraje¡¯s words stopped halfway. It was because Chepardea¡¯s long tongue grabbed her neck. It was a cleanup with no room for resistance.


    "You... one day, Baal...¡±


    Leraje¡¯s pink skin turned blue. She could barely express these few words before her breathing faded.Nevertheless, she was smiling. She seemed very pleased with Chepardea¡¯s stiff expression.


    Agnus was summoning his army.The huge room wasn¡¯t enough for the undead procession and it continued to line up outside the window.Just then, the tightly closed door was broken as a sign that something was approaching.A red-skinned demon and subi pushed in.


    A questioning look appeared on Agnus¡¯ face as he ced the death knights at the forefront to confront them.It was because the name of the subi was preceded by the word ¡®Grid¡¯s subus.¡¯


    ¡®Tamed monsters?¡¯


    He was a talented guy. How big was Grid¡¯s domain? Agnus couldn¡¯t guess any longer.


    "You are weak.¡±The oruol looked at Agnus in a puzzled manner.It was because it confirmed the undead who died to the red-skinned demon and the subi.


    Agnus snorted.


    ¡°This is nothing sudden or unexpected.¡±


    The oruol was rushing at the red-skinned demon only to be crushed by something dark and copsed.A death god was standing on its back as it stretched out on the ground like a dead frog.


    ¡°Faker...¡±


    Did Faker chase him to hell to kill him?Something wet and unpleasant passed by Agnus¡¯ cheek as heughed in an absurd manner.It was Chepardea¡¯s tongue.Faker moved from his spot to avoid the tongue that shot like a spear.


    At the same time, the oruol jumped up with its eyes full of anger.¡°I have been feeling your eyes for a while. Have you been tracking me? You dare to do that?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker didn¡¯t answer and silently observed the situation.He was flustered because he chased the mirror demon only to face an entirely unexpected situation. Of course, his expression on the surface was calm. He wasn¡¯t at a level where he would make the mistake of blurring his judgment due to agitation.


    -Kasim, first of all, I think we need to rescue Leraje.


    Leraje was an obvious ally.It was all thanks to her help that the members of the hell expedition survived Eligos, and it was the same when it came to Yura and Kraugel¡¯s performance in hell.The Overgeared Guild appreciated Leraje¡¯s favor and value.


    Kasim replied from Faker¡¯s shadow.


    -I understand.


    The targets of the two assassins changed.They passed by the mirror demon and reached Chepardea¡¯s shadow.Then their daggers emerged over time to stab Chepardea¡¯s elongated tongue that was imprisoning Leraje¡¯s neck.The problem started from there.The mucus from Chepardea¡¯s tongue caused the daggers to slip.Then the mirror demon furiously attacked the two assassins that were trying to maintain a mental state that was as clear as a mirror.


    Faker and Kasim were hurt after failing topletely avoid the attack and had a gut feeling.


    ¡®It is dangerous.¡¯


    The location really wasn¡¯t good.


    They finally found the path of the mirror demon and followed it. Unexpectedly, they fell to hell.They even encountered Baal¡¯s subordinate. It was like facing a disaster. It was hard to even talk about the odds of winning.


    It happened as the two of them were considering the worst result...


    ¡°Human! You are toote!¡± the red-skinned demon, nt shouted. His excited expression was clearly revealed.


    Step.


    Quiet footsteps followed. It rang from the corridor beyond the broken door.The attention of Chepardea, the oruol, Faker, Kasim, and Agnus naturally headed that way.Then Chepardea¡¯s tongue was cut off.The army of undead filling the room lost their upper bodies as a group and tilted.Agnus entered the immortality state.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to protect the first floor?¡±His breathing was calm despite releasing a tsunami of sword energy.It was Sword Saint Kraugel, who responded in a voice with no ups and downs.


    Lauel had decided there would be no crisis on the surface for the time being and sent Kraugel to hell to be Leraje¡¯s guard. This made Kraugel feel something strange.It felt like he was unknowingly being treated as an Overgeared member.


    ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s White Tiger Sword let out a low cry as he used the Matchless Swordsmanship. The colorless sword energy cut at all concepts passing by.The growth-type weapon, which evolved to suit the ability of the Sword Saint, made explosive progress thanks to being innovated by the Overgeared God.


    Apart from that, there was also a huge build up in proficiency.A year of fighting against the yangban, Mir, in the east.The umted experience was flooding in the wake of the great human and demon war.It was the precursor to the birth of a new divine sword made by the Overgeared God and the Sword Saint.


    ***


    Wealth, honor, and wonderful and precious rtionships¡ªGrid had obtained everything. Now his remaining goals were distinct and clear: Peace and stability.


    He longed for the strength to keep what he had aplished.It was also a power to achieve more things.Right now, he had to save Pagma¡¯s soul and Hexetia. He also had to stop the reset of the world that would happen at an unknown time in the future.


    Therefore, he came to Grenier.A myth usurper¡ªit was the biggest target that Grid could aim for right away. The ss change book of an ancient legend was the final reward.


    ¡®Randy fights better than I expected.¡¯


    Grid had gained a lot of information in thest few hours.Tzudan¡¯s memories recovered little by little as he climbed the mountain.This gave him a pre-understanding of the existence of the guardians. He discovered that he would only be able to meet the Mountain King when he was acknowledged by them.


    ¡®I can save my strength until I meet the Mountain King¡¯


    Considering the setting that they were born from the first chiefs and the Mountain King, it was right to ssify the guardians as half-gods.He spected they would be at least the same level as the yangbans and determined he would have to consume some strength before meeting the Mountain King.


    However, the development was different from what was expected. Randy was unmatched.One reason was that the guardians were only at the level of ¡®average yangban¡¯ and they were inferior to Garam, but another reason was that Randy¡¯s fighting power was outstanding.


    Randy was significantly restricted due to Skill Duplication.This was Randy¡¯s limit, but he was oveing it on his own.Even after consuming a few skills, he was good at handling the attacks of the guardians.His ability and judgment to utilize his body, weapons, and the environment caused Grid to feel admiration.This was the power of the intelligence stat. Randy¡¯sbat intelligence clearly went beyond the realm of an expert.


    ¡®Just looking at the control, he is better than me when I¡¯m not using the artificial senses.¡¯


    [Tzudan is exining that you can meet the Mountain King if you¡¯re acknowledged by the guardians.]


    [Tzudan is exining that you can meet the Mountain King if you¡¯re acknowledged by the guardians.]


    Tzudan kept saying the same thing.Grid cocked his head and replied that he hadn¡¯t forgotten, but Tzudan repeated it over and over.


    [Tzudan is exining that you can meet the Mountain King if you¡¯re acknowledged by the guardians.]


    ¡°I already know that?Ah.¡±Grid btedly noticed the reason why Tzudan was making a fuss.It was because the health gauges of the guardians were reaching the bottom. Before he knew it, they were on the verge of death.¡°...Isn¡¯t killing them naturally being acknowledged by them?¡±


    [Tzudan feels dizzy.]


    [Haksen says that it is a good idea to postpone taking the lives of the guardians.]


    ¡°Um...¡±Indeed, it was important to consider that the guardians might be the only connection to meeting the Mountain King.Grid was convinced and nced at Randy.It was only then that the violence stopped.Randy might be seriously injured, but he was standing upright on both feet while the guardians were all knocked down in the conflict with Randy.


    The natives were unable to escape from the shock, while the guardians looked mortified.There were some self-reviews that the margin was paper-thin.The attitude was brazen, but it was understandable.


    Randy didn¡¯tpletely overwhelm them.They fought for over 30 minutes, but no one was killed.Randy had half of Grid¡¯s stats and his body was covered with dedicated items that Grid worked hard on.Even so, it was difficult to kill four half-gods who had been living and breathing for over a thousand years.Of course, this was enough.


    ¡°Good... it is hard for us to handle you, so we will lead you directly to the Mountain King. Follow us.¡±


    A way to meet the Mountain King was opened.Additionally¡ª


    [Your pet ''Randy'' has entered an unidentified development period. The exact details arestill unknown.]


    Was it due to the ridiculous achievement of fighting and winning against half-gods when he was born as a monster?Something was about to change for Randy.


    Grid quietly followed behind Randy.He was disguised as Irene using the skin mask.It was an effort to go unnoticed. In order to avoid the mishap of consuming extra mental energy before meeting the Mountain King, he pretended to be an ordinary (?) person.


    The guardians walking in front were exchanging cunning looks.


    ¡®Although we lost by a paper-thin margin¡ª¡¯


    ¡®It was because we didn¡¯t grasp the opponent¡¯s power properly. The odds are high if we fight again.¡¯


    ¡®Finally, we can taste divinity.¡¯


    No one knew that Randy was just a subordinate...

 Chapter 1537

    <h4>Chapter 1537</h4>


    How many people had a t trajectory in life?Perhaps most people lived a life full of ups and downs.


    This was especially true for Grid.The trajectory of his life was like a roller coaster. He went through both the worst and the best.He experienced all types of situations from multiple different points of view, and met people with different personalities and from different points of view.His insight was naturally tempered.


    ¡®The Mountain King¡¯s personality is surprisingly gentle.¡¯


    Grid had this thought as he climbed the steep mountainside.


    A mountain made of rocks¡ªit was hard to find any leaves or grass.It was an environment that must becking.Yet thousands of natives had lived here for a thousand years.It was proof that the ruler of the mountain didn¡¯t exploit them.The way that the guardians had walked earlier while exchanging greedy looks was also a hint.They didn¡¯t fear the Mountain King.


    ¡®This is why they are guiding us this way.¡¯


    Oxygen was rapidly thinning.It might feel like they were wandering in the same ce, but the group was definitely climbing to a higher ground.However, Grid could tell thatthe Mountain King wasn¡¯t at the location where they were now heading.Tzudan had never mentioned oxygen deficiency when recalling his memories of Grenier.


    ¡®These guys... they don¡¯t want to offer Randy to the Mountain King. They want to eat him themselves.¡¯


    It meant they weren¡¯t harmed even if they were greedy.


    Grid guessed the nature of the Mountain King based on various circumstances.It wasn¡¯t an important fact.Regardless of the nature of the Mountain King, Grid¡¯s purpose remained unchanged.Grid wanted greater power, and the Mountain King had lived by eating legends and gods.The two of them had no choice but to fight. They would do their best to eat each other the moment they met.


    ¡®Randy will be at the limit soon.¡¯Randy¡¯s breathing was starting to be heavy.Randy had proudly stepped on thend of human beings since joining Grid and couldn¡¯t easily adapt to the recluse¡¯s home.


    [The breathing rate of your pet ¡®Randy¡¯ has increased. Concentration, judgment, and muscle strength will deteriorate. There will be a continuous decline in health.]


    It happened as Randy¡¯s symptoms worsened...


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯m a bitfortable now.¡±The guardians stopped walking in front of a cliff and gave sly smiles.


    Clouds were seen at the bottom of the cliff. The sun, which had just started to rise, was also below them.It was the area tens of thousands of meters above sea level that the natives, no, all humans didn¡¯t dare to pass.This was the world of the guardians.Their eyes, breathing, muscle rxation, posture, etcetera¡ªthe guardians showed changes in every way. It was very different from what they showed when they were at the location where the natives lived.


    ¡®They were constrained in the londs.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a dramatic change.Perhaps the difference in stats was small.It seemed easier for them to control their breathing and they became lighter. This was just a threat whenbined with Randy¡¯s weakening.


    ¡®The changes that Randy will feel must be huge.¡¯


    It was as expected.Randy failed to respond properly to a guardian¡¯s surprise attack, which came as a kick as soon as he turned his back.He defended with his forearm without being able to draw his sword and was shocked.


    ¡°I told you! The difference is paper-thin!¡±


    A guardian cried out joyfully.He recovered his stretched leg. The posture he made as he twisted his back diagonally from the ground and pushed with his hard shoulders seemed like ashield soldier¡¯scharge.


    Randy¡¯s front view was blocked.He had to rotate using one foot as the axis to leave his spot.The guardians predicted it.


    Left, right, and from the top. They threw axes in advance so that Randy would take a hit from any direction.A hand axe struck Randy¡¯s chest as he spun to the left to escape.He gritted his teeth and endured the shock, but the bnce of his body copsed.It was a very small copse.He stood firmly even if he wasn¡¯t in an intact state.


    However, even this subtle shaking was a fatal w against the guardians.A guardian grabbed the back of Randy¡¯s head and mmed Randy¡¯s face into the ground.The other guardians thrust their axe in.The four attacks were smoothly linked. The four of them seemed to be one body.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just because the environment has changed.¡¯


    It was right to call it the power of learning.It was notable that they grew in the process of fighting and losing against Randy once.They were existences equal to the yangbans.


    ¡®It is useless doing that.¡¯


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Randy didn¡¯t give up even in the worst situation.The guardians were kicking at Randy andughing at him for resisting to the end, only for their expressions to stiffen.It was because something fell from the sky and struck the top of one brother¡¯s head.It was a mass of ck metal.


    Was it a meteorite from space?


    They were flustered as they saw their brother¡¯s neck that was strangely twisted, only for wounds to appear all over their bodies.It was caused by the 30 God Hands that suddenly emerged and swung their swords and hammers.They were the God Hands that had some of Grid¡¯s stats, just like Randy.


    ¡°This... it is a great power.¡±


    The guardians who hurried to retreat couldn¡¯t help being nervous.They looked at Randy, who was being protected by the God Hands, as if he was a monster.


    ¡®What are those brilliant weapons?¡¯


    All the swords held by the God Hands were precious swords. It included the divine swords that Grid used habitually such as the Fire Dragon Sword and Enlightenment Sword.On the other hand, the axes used by the guardians were coarse.Grenier¡¯s civilization had never developed.


    ¡®It seems greater than the treasures in the Mountain King¡¯s treasure warehouse.¡¯


    The expressions of the guardians gradually rxed. There was greater greed in their eyes.A person who used moving hands as a power.They were already thrilled at the thought of devouring him and gaining his treasures and divinity.


    ¡°Indeed. It is fortunate we didn¡¯t dedicate him to the Mountain King.¡±


    ¡°It is time for the master of the mountain to change.¡±


    They discussed treason like it was no big deal.The half-gods born between humans and the Mountain King were free and unrestrained. They weren¡¯t restrained by respect toward their parent and master.Was it simply a different culture? Or was a tragedy created by the gentle nature of the Mountain King?


    ¡®How does he feel a sense of worth in his life?¡¯


    In this small world, he was surrounded by children who were less than beasts.What was he dreaming about?In retrospect, he didn¡¯t know much about the myth usurper.He only knew they deprived others of status to improve their own status. However, he had no idea about their principles or the purpose of their actions.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was immersed in his thoughts when a chill went down his spine.It was due to a sudden question he had.Was it true that the Mountain King was gentle?What if he was generous to his children without exploiting the natives simply because he was indifferent?


    Grid thought of Reba.She was silent and passive in front of the deaths of angels and the wishes of the people.If the Mountain King resembled her, then the Mountain King¡¯s status was likely to be higher than expected.


    ¡®...No, it is pointless spection.¡¯


    It was too much to specte that the Mountain King was simr to an absolute god just because his personality resembled an absolute god. It was an excessive worry.Grid had just calmed down when he heard Randy¡¯s scream.He suffered new injuries despite being defended by the God Hands.


    The guardians, who entered the hignds and regained their full capabilities, properly showed the dignity of a half-god.Like the yangbans who reigned as the strongest in the East Continent, they saw and broke through the trajectory of the God Hands to pressure Randy.Randy¡¯s deepening debuffs were fatal.Randy¡¯s movements became noticeably slower as the oxygen deficiency worsened.


    Grid watched silently. His knitting stopped. He pulled out a portable furnace and anvil, and used the hammer.He had created a cloak for Overgeared Skeleton One, so this time, he nned to make a new sword.


    ¡®It is nice that the item slots increased after gaining Zik¡¯s body.¡¯


    The biggest strength of the Overgeared Skeletons was that they could wear items. However, the item slots were limited. Now two slots were added this time.It was a huge value considering the performance of Grid¡¯s items. Overgeared Skeleton One would rapidly be stronger.It was just like Randy.


    Ruuuumble!!


    ¡°What else...?!¡±


    Grids often used Randy as a shield.It was even more so the harder the fight.Randy¡¯s death frequency increased in proportion to the enemy¡¯s level.


    Grid¡¯s heart wasn¡¯tfortable. Randy was ssified as a pet, so he was free from the concept of death, but Grid would feel mental distress when Randy died in vain.Grid didn¡¯t want Randy to die. He hoped Randy would show his potential on the brink of death.


    This was why he made this armor.It was armor that reced a portion of the umted damage with a stat when the wearer¡¯s health entered a specific section.It was a rtivelymon effect. Berserkers used it habitually.The video of Asuka, armed with Grid¡¯s items, umting as much damage as possible before killing the boss monster in a single strike, was once ranked first in the global poprity videos.Moreover, Randy¡¯s stats transcended Asuka¡¯s stats.Randy¡¯s weapon and armor received from Grid overwhelmed the performance of Asuka¡¯s weapon and armor.


    ¡°Ke...oook...¡±


    The guardian who was previously seriously injured by the mass of Greed¡ªhim having his heart pierced by Randy¡¯s sword and turning into ash was by no means a fluke.It was Randy¡¯s potential that Grid hoped for and created.


    ¡°This is crazy...!¡±


    Half-gods weren¡¯t invincible.The guardians knew this best.They had stayed at the Mountain King¡¯s side for a thousand years and witnessed the deaths of gods again and again.In the midst of their screams of astonishment and fear¡ª


    [The Mountain King of Grenier has appeared.]


    [The huge mountain rooted in the earth has responded to the will of the ruler.]


    An earthquake seemed to ur and three mountain peaks that rose particrly high were slowly broken.The God Hands helped the wounded Randy to Grid¡¯s side, while the guardians hung from the rock wall to avoid falling.Grid put away the furnace, anvil, hammer, and other equipment, and raised his head.


    A white-haired man sat on the huge stone seat made by a broken mountain peak.He looked all skin and bones. There was no flesh on his cheeks and his skin was cracked. The dry lips seemed like they would tear and bleed right away.The names ¡®usurper,¡¯ ¡®predator,¡¯ etcetera, didn¡¯t match. Rather, he seemed familiar with hunger.This was only the outward appearance.


    Grid shivered.


    [The Mountain King¡¯s eyes are observing you.]


    [Some of the skills and magic information you''ve acquired will be exposed to the Mountain King. Skill damage and magic damage dealt to the Mountain King will be reduced by 80%, while the probability of a weak spot attack and critical hit is reduced by 50%.]


    [The status of the target is higher than you. Resistance has failed.]


    ¡°Overgeared God. I thought you would definitelye.¡±


    [The Mountain King¡¯s voice has caused echoes. There is a problem with your sense of bnce. All attributes resistance and defense are reduced.]


    [The Mountain King has eaten all types of legends and myths and embodied some of them.]


    [The unbreakable power of the myth of immortality has made the Mountain King invincible. The Mountain King will invalidate all types of damage.]


    ¡°What type of desire did youe to me with?¡±


    [The Mountain King¡¯s question is filled with the power of predation.]


    What was the power of predation?There was no friendly exnation.Grid didn¡¯t panic. It was easy to infer.He would be eaten as soon as he was suppressed in momentum.It was just like the many people who previously came to this ce.There was no need to take special measures.


    Grid replied as usual without shrinking back, ¡°I want to be friends with you.¡±


    ...This wouldn''t work. The odds were slim.In the first ce, the Mountain King wasn¡¯t harmful to humanity and it was questionable if it was necessary to fight him.The Mountain King was a myth predator, so wasn¡¯t he the enemy of Asgard in a way? It was wise to use enemies as allies.


    ¡®This crazy person?¡¯


    The guardians looked at Grid in a dumbfounded manner.A servant interfered in the conversation of the Mountain King and wasted time on nonsense. It was natural for them to find it ridiculous.The reaction of the legends wasn¡¯t much different.


    [Haksen is looking at you in an absurd manner.]


    [Filewolf is scolding you and wondering why you are wasting time when you could be making a magic machine.]


    [Tzudan doesn¡¯t understand the situation.]


    In the midst of the chaos¡ª


    ¡°You are a disgraceful person! I need to educate you thoroughly before taking you to the Mountain King!¡± one of the guardians shouted.


    He seemed to take this strange development as an opportunity.Something had gone wrong when trying to steal the prey, so this was a good excuse for the gluttony.It was also an opportunity for Grid.


    Grid deliberately pulled out the Falling Moon Sword.It was to appeal to the fact that the power of the invincible myth was meaningless in front of him.


    ¡®In the first ce, it is probably a power that can only be used a limited number of times.¡¯


    Sometimes there were invincible beings.They were those who ¡®didn¡¯t die.¡¯ A typical example were the NPCs in the starter vigers who served as beginner guides.Did myth usurpers have the same value as them?


    Grid was confident.They didn¡¯t enter the world because it was difficult to think they ounted for arge proportion of the world outlook.In a blunt manner, they were ¡®good enough to die.¡¯


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of the guardians turned white.The woman they considered a servant of the human being actually cut their brother¡¯s throat with a single blow. They couldn¡¯t believe it even when they saw it.


    The Mountain King¡¯s dry lips twisted. The ends curved up and it was close to a smile.¡°The momentum is good. It reminds me of the verses of the epics that were carried by the wind.¡±


    [Tzudan feels the gaze of the Mountain King and is frozen.]


    ¡°I know what you want right now. Okay. If you can climb to this seat, I will let you be my friend for a day.¡±

 Chapter 1538

    Chapter 1538


    Mountains have been treated as spiritual ces since ancient times, and it was the same for Grenier.


    A mountain towering alone in the wilderness¡ªit was a mystical sight and it was bound to attract people¡¯s attention. It was immediately epted as a fact that elixirs were formed on the pine trees that lined the rock walls. People visited Grenier like they were possessed. They searched the mountain for elixirs and treasures that didn¡¯t exist.


    For a while, the Mountain King only watched them. On the stony mountain, he could only be angry by their behavior of destroying precious nature and hunting wild beasts for fun. It was because there was nothing he could do. At that time, the Mountain King was an existence closer to a concept. He had no physical form. He was akin to a faint spirit created by the people¡¯s vague belief that there was a divine spirit in the mountain.


    Therefore, the Mountain King felt great joy when he first got his body. He was thrilled to be able to express his anger and colored the fur of a possessed bear with human blood. He ughtered the intruders in an unstoppable manner because he believed it was his role.


    He fulfilled the wish of a mother bear who lost her cub to an intruder and was kept alive for her galldder juice. He released the grudge of a tree that had frozen in death in winter due to intruders peeling its bark. He channeled the wrath of the sh-and-burn farmers who were forced to be the ythings of the intruders. The Mountain King was born for the mountain. It was natural to fight to protect the beings living on the mountain. He borrowed the body of a lost beast and the body of a dying sh-and-burn farmer in order to drive out the intruders.


    Then more people came to Grenier. The mercenaries blinded by money, the armored troops, and the warriors and priests united with a sense of justice¡ªthey all challenged the Mountain King. From then on, the Mountain King was called a monster. The purpose of those visiting Grenier changed from the nonexistent elixirs to defeating the Mountain King. They discussed revenge and order, and took the subjugation of the Mountain King as a cause.


    The more they did so, the more Grenier united. The trees, beasts, and sh-and-burn farmers didn¡¯t forget the violence of the invaders. In unison, they earnestly prayed for the Mountain King¡¯s victory.


    Over many years, the Mountain King became a legend. The mercenaries and troops no longer challenged him. Only warriors or those who were called legends climbed Grenier. Every time he fought them and won, the Mountain King¡¯s strength increased.


    He evolved by taking the challengers¡¯ status and bodies. It was the birth of a new myth.


    Grenier and the Mountain King gradually moved away from the civilian poption. Only the challenge of those with the minimal qualifications was epted. That was a thousand years ago.


    ***


    ¡®This person... dared to deceive us!¡¯


    The expressions of the surviving guardians were distorted. The enemy they fought with all their might was just a subordinate. They had never been humiliated like this.


    ¡®Kill...!¡¯


    The guardians were filled with a strong desire to kill the delicate woman. Of course, they didn''t express it. The monster looked like this, but she killed their brother in one strike. Her status was very highpared to anyone who had ever challenged the Mountain King. They didn¡¯t dare rush at her.


    Of course, she was insignificantpared to the Mountain King. The guardians believed that there would be an opportunity to get revenge. The opportunity came quickly.


    ¡°Good. If you can climb to this seat, I will let you be my friend for a day.¡±


    The Mountain King waved his hand. The stone seat that the Mountain King referred to was Grenier itself. It was a seat for the Mountain King created by several mountain peaks intertwining and piling up atop each other. Going there meant resisting Grenier¡¯s will and this was no different from being sentenced to death. Out of all those who visited Grenier, only one person had ever sat on the stone seat.


    Tzudan¡ªit was a name clearly imprinted in the minds of the guardians. He sat on the seat of the Mountain King with a human body, not as a god. However, he was dead when he sat on it. He pierced through Grenier¡¯s willpower. Even if death was instantaneous, he took five steps and reached the side of the Mountain King.


    In honor of him and also to defend his own honor, the Mountain King kept his promise. He consumed his divinity in order to make an elixir that didn¡¯t exist and saved Tzudan¡¯s mother. In the aftermath, he was weakened for hundreds of years.


    [Tzudan is warning that climbing the stone seat is no different from suicide.]


    Tzudan urgently shouted. He was full of concern. Grid fully understood Tzudan¡¯s response. He knew what it meant to climb to the seat. It was described in the story of the ¡®Legend of the Five Steps¡¯ quest.


    ¡®It is about confronting the will of the mountain head on.¡¯


    It was the will of Grenier, a mountain that had existed for over a thousand years and had be the grave of countless legends and myths. It was difficult to guess how great the power would be if the willpower mentioned here was applied to a system such as formless will or the mental world. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t hesitate. He took a step right away.


    ¡®I can¡¯t return empty handed aftering here.¡¯


    Putting aside the strength of the Mountain King, he wanted to achieve the minimum purpose foring here.


    Tzudan¡¯s ss change book¡ªit was something he had to win. There was a good chance that he couldn¡¯t get it for the rest of his life if he became afraid here.


    The mountain peaks that were as pointed as awls flew. Cracks urred in the rock walls and debris scattered, flooding toward Grid like a blizzard. It was a natural disaster. There was no other way to express it.


    [Tzudan is surprised since this is a muchrger disaster than what he experienced.]


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    It was foolish topare the current Grenier to when Tzudan visited. Hundreds of years had passed since that time. During the gap of these years, Grenier¡¯s status would¡¯ve been increased under the influence of the Mountain King, who consistently ate and embodied legends and myths. Grid had sufficiently taken this into ount.


    Step.


    Grid took a big step. He didn¡¯t care in the slightest about the rocks filling his vision and flooding toward him. The God Hands held shields as they moved around him and blocked them all.


    ¡°That is a truly great power...¡±


    The guardians sighed. Hands that moved on their own without being destroyed¡ªthey seemed to operate infinitely without requiring any power. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean anything here. Grenier¡¯s willpower started now.


    [A strong wind is crushing you.]


    The moment Grid tried to take another step, the wind became heavier. It crushed Grid like it was trying to nail him to the ground. The ground that Grid was standing on screamed and sank deeply.


    ¡®This...?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s ability to utilize his stats was at the highest level. In particr, it was possible to utilize his strength stat without wasting a single point. It was a stat that yed a major role not just inbat, but also in cksmithing. Thus, he naturally trained in its usage.


    At this moment, Grid was squeezing out his strength. Nevertheless, it was impossible to take a step. Even his fingers couldn¡¯t move freely due to the wind that pushed down on him with the same weight as a great mountain.


    Grid made a judgment.


    ¡®It is an absolute judgment.¡¯


    The power to crush a target regardless of their stats. This might also be a part that had grownpared to when Tzudan had experienced it. Still, it was fine. Grid had a power with the same principle.


    ¡®Saleos¡¯ Power.¡¯


    What would happen if forces with the power to win unconditionallypeted? Of course, it would be a tie.


    Grid borrowed Saleos¡¯ Power to confront the storm and a deafening sound rang out. A shockwave urred as the storm¡¯s absolute judgment offset Saleos¡¯ Power. Grid moved again. The storm that had its judgment consumed could no longer stop him.


    This time, the mountain peaks moved directly. It was beyond the level of the rock debris and the storm and they shot at Grid like spears. In the midst of this unrealistic sight, Grid was just a small dot. The mountain peaks were so huge. Nevertheless¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid pulled out a sword and showed a clear presence. It was burned into the eyes of the guardians. Simultaneously, the mountain peaks aiming at Grid were shattered and scattered. The guardians were dumbfounded. It was because they weren¡¯t aware that the mountain peaks had already been cut the moment Grid drew his sword.


    Nevertheless, the will of the mountain had yet to be broken. All the peaks above Grid were cut and disappeared, but countless peaks remained under Grid¡¯s feet. Thend Grid was standing on right now was one of them.


    Grid¡¯s body shook greatly. The peaks moving like waves took away thend he would stand on. It was a trivial problem. Flying magic, the utilization of Greed, the wings of the half-draconians, etcetera¡ªGrid had many means of flight.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t avoid it. He stepped on the ground. It was the condition to trigger Earth God.


    ¡®If I wanted to get there easily, I would¡¯ve used Shunpo in the beginning.¡¯


    Yet he faced it. It wasn¡¯t meaningful to avoid the trials. He should ovee them. First and foremost, Grid wanted to experience the content of the trial firsthand.


    The ground stopped shaking. It became hard and transformed into a bridge leading to the stone seat.


    Step.


    The moment that Grid got on the bridge¡ª


    [Grenier¡¯s willpower is rejecting you.]


    A huge weight crushed Grid again and again. This time, it wasn¡¯t something physical like wind pressure. It was a power with no form. It was Formless Will.


    The real trial had finally begun.


    ¡®Can I win?¡¯


    Grid gulped and used Storm of the Fire God. Just then, the will of the mountain was helplessly destroyed. It was an unexpected result even for Grid.


    Grid had already reached the stone seat. He sat next to the Mountain King, who was silently watching him. He was inwardly puzzled, but he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. He acted as casually as possible. The expression of the Mountain King, who was looking at him, was full of surprise.


    ¡°The will of the mountain was overwhelmed by the spirit of the absolute...¡±


    The infinite sword energy contained in Storm of the Fire God was a trace left behind by Dragon yer Hayate. He was unknown to the Mountain King. Grenier couldn¡¯t handle something that the Mountain King hadn¡¯t experienced. Grenier might be great, but it was still a mountain. It was only part of nature and its limitations were clear.


    ¡°There are the vestiges of the white tiger in your steps, your mental world contains a mixture of the vestiges of the red phoenix and the traces of the absolute, and you even use the power of the great demons...¡± The smile on the Mountain King¡¯s face gradually deepened as he reflected on Grid¡¯s five steps. ¡°Alone, but many. You resemble me.¡±


    The homogeneity that he felt for the first time since his birth. The Mountain King had an obvious liking toward Grid. For the first time in his life since he was born, he was happy that he wasn¡¯t alone. It was close to relief.


    [Affinity with the Mountain King of Grenier has increased by 10.]


    ¡®What?¡¯ The atmosphere that flowed differently from expected caused Grid to feel flustered.


    He was maintaining a straight face, so as to not show it, when the Mountain King asked him a question, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use Shunpo?¡±


    Climbing to the stone seat¡ªit was a condition put forward by the Mountain King to Grid. He didn¡¯t ask for anything else. It was an easy trial for Grid who could use Shunpo. This was the Mountain King¡¯s favor. It was a favor he gave to Grid because he felt they had a simr nature when hearing the rumors.


    However, Grid insisted on walking with his own two feet and climbed to the seat. Did he mean to refuse the favor, or did he simply want to show off his strength?


    ¡°I wanted to experience the pain that Tzudan suffered,¡± Grid gave an answer that surprised the Mountain King.


    ¡°...How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I havee to admire Tzudan for oveing this difficult trial.¡±


    It was an emotion that didn¡¯t have a single lie or exaggeration. In an unusual way, it was a truth that touched the heart even more. Grid truly admired Tzudan.


    [Tzudan has read your heart and is very moved.]


    [Affinity with the Mountain King of Grenier has increased by 10.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    It was natural for Tzudan to be impressed, but why was the Mountain King like this?


    ¡°It is understandable. He is a figure who left an intense impression in my memory.¡± The Mountain King nodded and handed Grid an old book. ¡°This is a summary of Tzudan¡¯s skills that I saw and embodied. That is what you want.¡±


    [The ¡®Legendary Fighter Tzudan¡¯s Diary¡¯ has been acquired!]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was easy to get a legendary ss change book. This was what Grid felt. Yet what was the reality? First of all, it was a ss change book that could only be acquired by defeating the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin, and obtaining the recognition of the Mountain King after finding Grenier.


    Grenier was a forbidden area like the North End Cave. The difficulty of acquiring Tzudan¡¯s ss change book far exceeded the difficulty of finding Pagma¡¯s one. Perhaps it was something that a yer would never be able to get.


    ¡°The moment I sensed the invasion of the demons, I was filled with a vague anxiety,¡± the Mountain King confessed, ¡°It is because I exist to defend Grenier. If the surface is destroyed, Grenier will also be in crisis. Therefore, I don¡¯t want its destruction. Your performances in the midst of this oftenforts me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid recalled his conversation with Radwolf.


    ¡°You should know it well after meeting the tower members and the Great Robber of the Red Night. There are really many unknown strong people in the world. Additionally, many of them are seriously twisted. They aren¡¯t all cute like Biban. It ismon for them to be trash, assholes, and sons of bitches. In particr, be wary of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the Recluse of Grenier.¡±


    Radwolf had clearly said this. The Mountain King, the Recluse of Grenier whom Grid actually met, was an extremely ordinary and gentle master.


    ¡®Prejudice is too scary.¡¯


    Prejudice blurred even the wisdom of the giants... Grid was immersed in his thoughts when the Mountain King gripped his wrist. The texture of the dry skin was like bark and it was creepy.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you will remain here from today. Protect Grenier forever with me.¡±


    ¡®What bullshit is this?¡¯


    The wisdom of the giants was the truth.

 Chapter 1539

    <h4>Chapter 1539</h4>


    Chepardea¡¯s tongue was very long.It could stretch out for a long distance even after wrapping around dozens of logs.It meant that the part of the tongue that was being wielded like a whip to squeeze Leraje¡¯s neck was but only a small part of it.


    ¡°I have lived long enough to see this.Croak.¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s round eyes stared at the part of his tongue that was severed.It fell at Leraje¡¯s feet, pped around like it was resentful, and messed up the carpet. It was like a big leech or a catfish.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would see a world where the aloof Sword Saint woulde and go from hell.Croak.¡±


    Chepardea was Baal¡¯s subordinate and had lived for a long time.He wasn¡¯tparable to the three evils of the beginning or the single digit great demons, but at the very least, he had experienced the fall of the previous world and the beginning of this world.Naturally, he had witnessed several Sword Saints and he identified theirmon tendencies.


    They were crazy about the sword.They used whatever they held in their hand as the sword. If they had nothing to hold, then they used themselves as the sword. They spent decades trying to make the sword one with their heart.Additionally, after reaching the peak of swordsmanship, there was a tendency to abandon the ¡®form¡¯ and repeat the training from the beginning. They were actually close to truthseekers.They were far from the warriors and heroes that the public talked about.


    There was a theory that Muller, the strongest Sword Saint, had defeated great demons such as Hell Gao in order to confirm ¡®how good the sword is.¡¯Of course, the humans, who didn¡¯t know the truth, praised Muller as a hero. Furthermore, only Muller himself knew the truth, but in any case, hell interpreted it this way.


    Sword Saints were crazy people obsessed with their own state.They considered all other martial arts apart from swordsmanship as insignificant. They weren¡¯t interested in demons, who hadn¡¯t even learned the insignificant martial arts.Therefore, they didn¡¯t invade hell...


    This was a Sword Saint from the perspective of hell.It was based on the fact that no Sword Saints invaded hell in earnest.From hell¡¯s perspective, the Sword Saint of the current era was close to a mutation.


    ¡°It is said that the ideal that the Sword Saint pursues is so unreal that it can¡¯t be reached. They often die of old age without knowing they are a rat or a bird after a lifetime of closed training.Croak.Yet did you reach that point? Is that why you are running wild like this? Are you better than Muller?¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s attention was solely focused on Kraugel.He didn¡¯t pay any attention to Leraje, who was released and was restoring her breathing, or Faker and Kasim, who helped her up.


    It was an interesting reaction to Agnus.He was well aware of the value of the Sword Saint and Kraugel¡¯s skill, but when it came to achievements, wasn¡¯t he shabbypared to Leraje?Leraje was a person who was undefeated until just a few days ago.She might be weakened, but she was still a target to be wary of.It was hard to understand why Chepardea cared more about Kraugel than her.


    ¡®Is the Sword Saint so special?¡¯Agnus had this question as he secretly controlled Lantier.


    It was a situation where his immortality had been consumed the moment Kraugel appeared.Unlike Chepardea, he had no time.The current survival methods he had was bing an undead and Bentao¡¯s Mockery.He had to gain some achievements. If he was helpless again this time, then even his weak position would disappear.


    ¡®At the very least, I should prove myself enough to receive Baal¡¯s quest again.¡¯


    It was after the start of the great human and demon war.Agnus failed to even attempt most of Baal¡¯s massacre quests.Then Baal¡¯s attitude changed explicitly after he returned from fighting Grid. Baal was openly cold toward Agnus. It was close to ignoring him.


    Agnus naturally recalled the end of the ¡®failed work,¡¯ Betty, that he once heard about from Chepardea.Baal said he easily abandoned toys he lost interest in.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m thrown away.¡¯


    No, it was actually what he was hoping for.In the wake of various events, Agnus¡¯ resentment toward the world had faded.He was exhausted and felt the warmth he had forgotten with the death of his lover once again through Euphemina.Right now, Agnus didn¡¯t want the power to fight alone in the world. Nor was he obsessed with the impossible resurrection of his old lover.His vague goal of experiencing the same eye level as Grid, who had a starting point simr to himself, but who ended up in the opposite direction, was stopped due to Faker.


    However, he could only achieve his wish if he had the power to stay free and alive.Thus, he couldn¡¯t be thrown away yet.Currently, Agnus didn¡¯t have the minimum of strength.If he was abandoned now, then he would be exposed to the world as helpless as he was in the past, and he would be trampled on.


    ¡®In order to not be abandoned right away¡ª¡¯


    It was necessary to at least maintain hispositionlike discharge from the eyes.


    He felt that Kraugel was the perfect opponent.The Sword Saint¡ªfor yers who had watched Grid¡¯s performance, it wasn¡¯t particrly special.Even if there was a long history and numerous notable figures praising the Sword Saint, could it be better than Pagma''s Sessor?


    Agnus was convinced that it wasn¡¯t the case.Kraugel¡¯s performance had been great, but it was shabby whenpared to Grid.Agnus wasn¡¯t afraid of the Sword Saint, Kraugel.He epted Chepardea¡¯s attitude of wariness as good luck.He would gain Chepardea¡¯s liking again the moment he inflicted a fatal injury on Kraugel.


    ¡®...Liking? I feel like I¡¯ve be a child craving affection.¡¯


    Agnus smiled andmunicated with Lantier, who was submerged in the shadows.


    An existence who grew at the sacrifice of Agnus¡ªhe, who was honed with the help of Baal, now aimed at Kraugel¡¯s heart.


    ¡®There is no need to overdo it. In any case, I can¡¯t beat Kraugel. It is enough if I inflict a serious injury on him.¡¯


    ¡ª!


    Darkness spread heavily behind Kraugel¡¯s back.It was the sight of Lantier moving through the shadows and rising.There was no sound or indication, but Kraugel was already reacting.He raised his sword to defend against the dagger aiming at the back of his neck.No, the word ¡®defend¡¯ wasn¡¯t appropriate.The moment it collided with Kraugel¡¯s sword, Lantier¡¯s dagger split in half.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The death knight¡¯s emotions were expressed in the light of its eye sockets.The light in Lantier¡¯s eye sockets shook like wildfire in surprise.Agnus was even more surprised.


    ¡®Auto counterattack?¡¯


    Agnus was standing in front of Kraugel and looking directly at him.This was why he noticed it.In Kraugel¡¯s response, the process of ¡®sensing¡¯ Lantier¡¯s attack was omitted.The proof was that both of his eyes that were fixed on Chepardea didn¡¯t move.


    Chepardea clicked his tongue.¡°A Sword Saint is a Sword Saint.Croak.¡±


    Realm of the Sword¡ªa passive skill that had a high probability of detecting and intercepting attacks from all des within range.In fact, the technique itself wasn¡¯t special.It wasn¡¯t just the Sword Saint. Martial artists who had risen to the peak often created their own realms.


    The reason why the realm of a Sword Saint was particrly threatening was itsbination with the power to ¡®cut anything.¡¯It meant the concept of exchanging blows with the Sword Saint couldn¡¯t be established.The sword cut everything that collided with it, so exchanging blows with the Sword Saint directly led to damage.The story would be different if it was a material that couldn¡¯t be cut due to its infinite durability, but such a material wasn¡¯t fair because it was rare in the world.


    ¡®What?¡¯Agnus¡¯ thoughts stopped.It was because he witnessed Kraugel¡¯s sword cutting through the dagger to cut off Lantier¡¯s wrist directly.In the midst of his astonishment¡ª


    ¡°It is the power of items,¡± Kraugel honestly confessed.There was one reason why he reached the peak of a Sword Saint faster than expected.


    [Overgeared God Grid¡¯s divine object has appeared.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [Sword Saint Kraugel has be part of this myth.]


    [All stats of the Overgeared God Church¡¯s believers will permanently increase by 10 and the proficiency of Sword Mastery will increase slightly.]


    It was thanks to the White Tiger Sword that had just grown to the myth level.


    Blood gushed from Agnus¡¯ neck.Lantier might be quite threatening, but he was weak. It was natural for him to be the first target.


    ***


    Dry hands like a tree.The traces of the distant years could be felt.Grid couldn¡¯t resist the hand that seemed to be rooted in the earth. He was naturally polite to a long-lived existence.At this moment¡ª


    [A new divine object has appeared.]


    [Your myth is strengthened.]


    [You can feel that Sword Saint Kraugel is included in your myth.]


    [From now on, you willbe blessed by the sword. The effect is maintained as long as your bond with Kraugel continues.]


    Grid regained his senses and spoke, ¡°You hid alone in the mountain despite noticing the invasion of the demons. This is even though you know that this mountain will be in danger after the surface falls into the hands of the demons?¡±


    Obviously, the Mountain King had existed for a long time. He lived only for the mountain and to protect the beings living on it. He also knew how to respect the courage of others.Even so, was he great?No.He was just a coward on the mountain.Grid stopped respecting the Mountain King. The Mountain King deserved to be criticized.


    ¡°Even at this moment, countless people are fighting for the world. They are giving up their lives to protect their homes, or protecting others to protect their family. Are they showing this courage because they are stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be obsessed with the world in front of you. The world is connected. Fight for others if you really want to protect Grenier. Make others respect Grenier.¡±


    Grid had visited Grenier for two purposes.First, obtain Tzudan¡¯s ss change book.Second, defeat the Mountain King and take his strength.The n was established before he knew the Mountain King.However, now he knew the Mountain King.Therefore, he changed his n.


    ¡°I am asking.¡±This time, it was Grid who grabbed the wrist of the Mountain King.He might¡¯ve borrowed Irene¡¯s appearance, but his hands were full of calluses.They weretracesof effort that Irene had built up.Even a delicate woman like her was striving every day to help the world.


    Grid knew that Irene and his colleagues scattered throughout hell and the world were fighting, therefore he could openly request this of the Mountain King, ¡°Go out to the world with me. This is the right thing to do if you want to protect Grenier forever.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Mountain King¡¯s expression subtly changed as he looked at Grid. It was a reaction like it was absurd.He was born for the mountain and had fought for the mountain.It was normal to find Grid¡¯s im about fighting for the world outside the mountain as absurd.Yet somehow, it sounded right.


    Thus, he was flustered.¡°...Hundreds of years ago, there was a time when I lost a lot of my status.¡±


    A distant past unfolded in front of Grid.


    ¡°I was nervous about the idea that I couldn¡¯t protect Grenier in this state and went out to the world. It was to hunt for status.¡±


    The appearance of the Mountain King as he wandered the surface wasn¡¯t that good. Unlike his current dry yet hard self, he was only haggard.The man he met in this state felt like a mountain higher than Grenier.


    Muller¡ªhe was the Sword Saint of that time.The Mountain King was defeated.He hade down the mountain in a state of a loss of status, while the opponent was the strongest Sword Saint ever. He wasn¡¯t Muller¡¯s opponent.He despaired that everything was over.


    The Mountain King quietly closed his eyes. He waited for death.The thing that Muller reached out to him was a hand, not a sword.¡°You came down from the mountain to protect it. Your courage is admirable.¡±


    What was he feeling?Muller handed over part of his status to the Mountain King. He even gave the undefeated legend. It had continued to this day and evolved into the undefeated myth.


    ¡®He is youthful. Looking at the timing... was the Muller famous among the people the Muller after transferring some of his status to the Mountain King? Yet he was called the strongest Sword Saint ever?¡¯


    ¡°Overgeared God.¡±The image projected on Grid¡¯s retinas scattered like a mirage.The call of the Mountain King returned Grid¡¯s consciousness to the present.¡°I think your words are right. I am well aware that I was respected by Muller because I left the mountain, as you said. Yet as you saw, I won¡¯t be the Mountain King the moment I leave the mountain. I will be weakened and I won¡¯t meet your expectations. So I will let you know the whereabouts of a human who can help you on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±Grid got goosebumps.The human spoken about by the Mountain King in this context...


    ¡°Sword Saint Muller...?¡±


    ¡°......? No. The meeting with him was too long ago. Furthermore, there is no way for me to know his whereabouts because I haven¡¯t heard anything about him. I think he is dead... it is truly strange that such an existence can suffer from death.¡±


    ¡°...Then who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It is a human being called Chreshler. He is probably the strongest human I¡¯ve ever heard of, apart from Muller. Of course, it is an evaluation that excludes the humans already by your side and those who havepletely disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Chreshler? The former pope?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You know of him. Right now, he has a noble mission and is sealed in something. However, I know how to revive him.¡±


    ¡°That person... forget it,¡± Grid rejected it immediately.

 Chapter 1540

    <h4>Chapter 1540</h4>


    ¡®As expected, people need to know many things.¡¯


    Grid realized the importance of knowledge just by looking at Grenier right now.


    The native people didn¡¯t know a world other than Grenier and treated outsiders like monsters.


    The guardians who believed that Grenier was the center of the world and looked down on outsiders, and the Mountain King who always kept an eye on the outside world while knowing that Grenier was nothing more than a well¡ªdespite living in the same environment, there were people who were inferior to monkeys, and there was a sage. It was purely the power of knowledge.


    ¡®If I hadn¡¯t known anything, I would¡¯ve been fascinated by the name of Chreshler.¡¯


    It was using this same logic that Grid now avoided andmine.If he didn¡¯t have any knowledge, he would¡¯ve jumped into a field ofndmines because he thought it was good.That¡¯s right.Grid thought of Chreshler as andmine. It was because he knew Chreshler well.


    ¡®A human being who became a coffin of his own free will.¡¯


    Chreshler hoped to embrace Marie Rose¡¯s sealed body for eternity.He chose biological death because he wanted to enjoy Marie Rose¡¯s body odor.He fell for Pagma¡¯s rhetoric of ¡®even if you be a coffin, your senses will be alive¡¯ and abandoned his human body, transferring his soul to the coffin.He might¡¯ve used the justification of maintaining Marie Rose¡¯s seal, but... coincidentally, Grid had witnessed Chreshler¡¯s lecherous desire.If Grid hadn¡¯t known about Chreshler...


    If he didn¡¯t know Chreshler was a crazy pervert...


    He would¡¯ve been frantic to resurrect Chreshler at the Mountain King¡¯s words.


    ¡®It is terrible just thinking about it.¡¯


    How traumatized would he have been if he revived Chreshler without knowing this? He couldn¡¯t even im damages from the Mountain King.


    ¡®In the first ce, it is a bad move to resurrect Chreshler at this time.¡¯


    Marie Rose had been resurrected.She was close to an ally in terms of her attitude and actions during this period of time, such as returning ¡®blood¡¯ to Braham and reinstating him as a direct descendant.She was a type of insurance.Then what if Chreshler was resurrected?


    ¡®He will blindly search for Marie Rose. He will disrupt Marie Rose¡¯s activities and harm me as a result.¡¯


    Chreshler was a great pope.Grid didn¡¯t dare disparage the skills that sealed Marie Rose, who was the biggest threat to humanity at the time.He thought it was even greater because Chreshler was one of the few transcendents in history.The tendencies of transcendents were usually selfish and entric, but Chreshler fought for others.He was close to the human role model that Grid wanted.


    Of course, this was only in the past.Perhaps Chreshler had degenerated from the moment he encountered Marie Rose.He was blinded by love and entrusted himself to the lecherous desires of his body. He waspletely separated frommon sense.It was a tragedy...


    It was hard to think that propermunication with him would be possible.


    ¡®Still¡ª¡¯


    He needed to know how to revive Chreshler.As he had said, knowledge was strength.


    ¡®I don¡¯t intend to revive him right away, but one day, a moment when I need him mighte.¡¯


    Chreshler was the one who found the talent of ¡®surpassing himself¡¯ and seeded the first pope.He was the strongest pope of all time, the ultimate priest, and a transcendent.It would¡¯ve only been possible with the cooperation of many people and the Reba¡¯s Daughters, but he still had the achievement of sealing Marie Rose.There was no need to look for any more achievements to see he was a great person.


    ¡®I once again feel that there were many amazing people.¡¯


    Sword Saint Muller, Undefeated King Madra, Demon yer Alex, Pope Chreshler, Pagma who signed a contract with Baal, Braham who fought (?) against Fire Dragon Trauka, etcetera¡ªit was an era where there were many strong people who could open up the heaven and earth alone.Just imagining it made Grid feel overwhelmed.


    ¡®...The times ahead will be even greater.¡¯


    It wasn''t a belief created due to the members of the Tower of Wisdom or remnants of the past such as Braham and Zik.It also wasn¡¯t confidence in the talents of this era such as Piaro, Mercedes, Kyle, etc.


    Grid believed in himself and the yers.It was a worthy trust.Based on Satisfy¡¯s time, yers had stepped on thisnd for less than 20 years and were transcending or chasing past figures.Their potential was explosive based on their growth so far.In just a few years, there would be yers who surpassed the past figures they were chasing.In terms of achievements alone, it was safe to say they surpassed it right now.


    The great attack where hell and some gods cooperated.Even Baal¡¯s air strike was blocked by humanity at the time.The person at the center of it was Grid.


    ¡°By the way, how can Chreshler be resurrected?¡±


    There was no one who didn¡¯t know or could deny that Grid promoted the trend of the current era.Even the Mountain King who lived on the mountain knew it.


    ¡°You seem to know Chreshler well so it is easy to exin. Chreshler had his soul removed when he was alive. It is like Braham or Zik.¡±


    Therefore, the Mountain King respected Grid.


    Identifying with Grid or feeling sympathetic to Grid was a secondary matter.Just as Grid was reluctant to fight after witnessing the power of the Mountain King, the Mountain King didn¡¯t want Grid as an enemy.Grid himself still hadn¡¯t properly realized the ranking of the Overgeared God.


    ¡°Does that mean he can be resurrected if he finds his body, such as with Braham and Zik?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°It has been a long time since Chreshler was sealed in the coffin. Is his body still preserved?¡±


    Braham was in the millennium ice and Zik was in the Abyss.The bodies of the two men had been specially treated or preserved in a special environment. No matter whether it came from malice or goodwill, it was the result of someone¡¯s devotion.It was unlikely that Chreshler had been preserved safely.


    ¡®Pagma didn¡¯t seem to have any private feelings for Chreshler.¡¯


    Pagma approached Chreshler purely out of necessity.In order to gain more strength and practice his swordsmanship, he asked Chreshler, who was nearing the end of his life, for a duel. This eventually led Chreshler to his death.It was the result of Chreshler¡¯s hidden desires.If it wasn¡¯t for Chreshler¡¯s willingness to be a coffin or his desire to be with Marie Rose forever, there would be no way for Pagma to force him against his will.


    In any case, Pagma took advantage of Chreshler¡¯s desires for his own sake. He killed Chreshler and turned this person into a coffin.Would he keep Chreshler¡¯s body well?The possibility was low. It would be fortunate if he didn¡¯t turn it into an undead.


    Grid was certain of it.


    ¡°It is well preserved.¡±The Mountain King gave an unexpected answer.¡°If you know that Chreshler is sealed in the coffin made of the sacred tree, then you probably know the entire inside story. As you know, it was Pagma who took Chreshler¡¯s body and he enshrined it in a very strange ce.¡±


    ¡°A strange ce?¡±


    ¡°It is a ce called No Offspring Tomb.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°It is a huge grave where it is difficult to measure the scale. A castle site was built underground that was filled with all types of treasures. 10,000 servants and 30,000 soldiers were killed there and a huge tomb built. The scale is like a mountain. The height is very lowpared to Grenier here, but the area is hundreds of timesrger.¡±


    This was why the No Offspring Tomb wasn¡¯t easily found.A tomb that was made and forgotten even by its owner after so many years.Grass and trees covered the graves, literally making it a mountain.It was impossible to see the mountain and think it was a tomb, so few people knew the location of the No Offspring Tomb.Of course, Grid knew the location.It was thanks to Skunk.Skunk had said that the No Offspring Tomb was an erged version of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.


    ¡°Who is the owner of that tomb?¡±


    Even Skunk couldn¡¯t find out the owner of the No Offspring Tomb.He went inside for exploration and died after failing to escape the eyes of the dead guarding the tomb.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was called the No Offspring Tomb even before I existed.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever met theSpecter of the No Offspring Tomb?¡±


    ¡°Myth usurpers interacting is just a delusion. Predation is our essence. If we meet each other then one of us will die. In the first ce, we are extremely reluctant to leave our ¡®realm.¡¯ Just as I was born to protect Grenier, theSpecter of the No Offspring Tombwould¡¯ve been born to protect the No Offspring Tomb.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the main point. There is a rumor that bodies buried in specific areas of the No Offspring Tomb are never damaged and I think it is true. That¡¯s why I think it is possible to resurrect Chreshler.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid showed a very reluctant reaction. It wasn¡¯t because the value of the information was low. It was simply because he didn¡¯t trust it.


    ¡®An affinity of 20 is low.¡¯


    Grid doubted the Mountain King. It was a normal reaction.


    ¡°It is hard to believe your words. First of all, Chreshler was a pope. It is up to the Vatican to dispose of his body, not Pagma. Secondly, it is hard to understand why Pagma tried to preserve Chreshler¡¯s body to the point of ignoring the procedure. Why did he have to do that?¡±


    ¡°It is a reasonable doubt. However, I swear by my divinity that it is true. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know what Pagma was thinking.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Mountain King was called the Mountain King, but to be exact, he was closer to the mountain god.He had a higher status than Grid, so he was naturally a god.He swore using his status.


    [Tzudan thinks that you can trust the Mountain King.]


    ¡®I think so as well.¡¯


    The Mountain King sacrificed his status to keep his promise with Tzudan. There was no way he could give an empty vow.Then there was one question left.


    ¡®Why did Pagma do that?¡¯


    Grid pondered on it for a while before recalling Pagma¡¯s tears.They were tears of regret that poured down as he faced the invasion of the demons alone in the Behen Archipgo.


    ¡®He regretted betraying Braham. He felt guilty that he had done something terrible to the legends.¡¯


    Looking at it, Pagma also had a conscience.Was it due to his conscience that he enshrined Chreshler¡¯s body in the No Offspring Tomb so that it wouldn¡¯t decay?


    ¡®He feels sorry for Chreshler? No, this is too unreasonable.¡¯


    If Pagma had been acting for Chreshler, he would¡¯ve naturally handed over Chreshler¡¯s body to the Vatican.The soul still remained, but receiving the sending off from people provided even a smallfort.


    ¡®Wait... if it is for Chreshler, then it isn¡¯t too unreasonable.¡¯


    The effect of the coffin made of the sacred tree wasn¡¯t permanent after all.Marie Rose had unsealed herself.Wouldn¡¯t Pagma, the person who created the coffin, foresee such a future?Did he leave room for resurrection, so that Chreshler, who was left alone after Marie Rose was released, wouldn¡¯t tremble forever in solitude?


    ¡®The possibility is high. It is true that Pagma had a conscience.¡¯


    It was an inference that could be drawn from Pagma¡¯s tears and the preservation of Braham¡¯s body.Grid thought about it for a long time beforeing to a conclusion and nodding.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take your word for it. So where exactly did Pagma enshrine Chreshler¡¯s body?¡±


    It was unlikely that Pagma had gone down into the depths of the No Offspring Tomb to bury Chreshler¡¯s body.It would be impossible for him to overpower theSpecter of the No Offspring Tombeven if he had a contract with Baal.


    ¡®This is especially the case when in their realm, even for the Mountain King whose status was damagedalong the way.¡¯


    Perhaps it was only possible for higher ranked gods or higher ranked dragons.It was impractical to think that Pagma persuaded or subdued theSpecter of the No Offspring Tomb, who has existed for longer than the Mountain King.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. The internal area of the No Offspring Tomb is an area that I can¡¯t even begin to fathom. I can only specte that he has enshrined someone in the underground tunnels connected to the tomb.¡±


    ¡°How many tunnels are there?¡±


    ¡°There are rumors that there are hundreds of dead people guarding the road in each tunnel and I think there are at least 100.¡±


    ¡°...Really? I wasn¡¯t interested anyway.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I told you before. I didn¡¯t intend to resurrect Chreshler from the beginning.¡±


    After all, he didn¡¯t have a rtionship with Chreshler...


    Grid neatly shook off his regret and got up from his seat.The guardians, who were watching him nkly from below the stone seat, hurriedly averted their gaze out of fear of meeting Grid¡¯s eyes.This was the first time they saw a god talking to the Mountain King in an equal position. They also witnessed a desperate use of force.They were in awe of Grid. They didn¡¯t dare look at Grid.


    [The divinity of your wife, ¡®Irene,¡¯ has risen.]


    ¡°Take this before you leave.¡±


    ¡°This is...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve selected some useful techniques from what I ate and embodied from the intruders. I hope it helps you.¡±


    [The ¡®Forgotten Legendary Skill Book¡¯ x3 has been acquired.]


    [The ¡®Forgotten Myth Skill Book¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°......¡±Grid was speechless at the unthinkable enormous rewards.He rebuked himself for temporarily suspecting the Mountain King.¡°...Thank you. I don¡¯t know if it will be meaningful, but I¡¯ll take care of the outside so that Grenier can be safe.¡±


    Grid felt it was a really useless promise.Those who invaded Grenier would eventually be the Mountain King¡¯s prey.Yet surprisingly, the Mountain King looked satisfied.¡°This is enough.¡±


    [Affinity with the Mountain King of Grenier has increased by 10.]


    It was an adventure where he gained a lot without any big (?) events.It was so easy and great that he thought it would be nice to do this all the time.Randy¡¯s expression became somewhat depressed when he heard the words that Grid muttered to himself.Randy looked more pitiful because she had returned to her original appearance.


    ¡°Nyong,¡± Noe silentlyforted her.His white, mitten-like fluffy paws patted Randy¡¯s shoulder and eased her mood.

 Chapter 1541

    <h4>Chapter 1541</h4>


    <em>¡°Huhung~ huhuhung~¡±</em>


    Therge eyes filled with starlight were especially shining today.The angels looked in a puzzled manner at Venice, who was humming excitedly.It was because herughter seemed toe from her heart.


    Venice, the god of money¡ªthere were very few humans who worshipped.It was because the poor resented the rich, the rich used their wealth, and the clergymen were wary of wealth.Money was something that was hard to be respected.Venice had always existed in solitude.


    The reason she always smiled brightly was an effort to keep herself from looking too shabby. However, today she looked truly happy. She seemed several times happier than when she asionally found rare merchants. They had no choice but to notice.


    ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Hand!¡±


    <em>p!</em>


    ¡°......¡±


    Venice forced high fives every time she encountered an angel. The reason she couldn¡¯t hide her joyy in the secret technique in her hand. It was the dual wielding secret technique personally written by Martial God Zeratul. It was the thing that Grid wanted. It was an opportunity for Venice to gain reputation.


    ¡®My status will rise significantly.¡¯


    There were many ways to build up divinity.The most representative way was to be worshipped by humans or to build up reputation. It was just that both methods were difficult for Venice.This was why she created amunity for all the gods in the world, not just Asgard, and ran the sun carriage.


    She didn¡¯t discriminate between gods. She treated them as equal customers regardless of their origin or affiliation. She slowly and steadily developed her reputation by doing transactions and collecting reputation from fees. She also gained additional reputation by leaving the legend that she traded with a famous god.


    Of course, the experience of gaining fame using thetter method was few enough to be counted with her hands. Most of the gods who wanted something even if it meant losing their reputation were human gods. What type of story would it be to trade with them? It would be great to trade with the noble gods that everyone in the world knew, but such gods usually didn¡¯t have anything they desired. Thus, they didn¡¯t use the sun carriage.


    Martial God Zeratul was unusual in that sense.He was Venice¡¯s biggest customer. Thanks to his delivery of secret techniques, the sun carriage was able to have an assortment of goods.


    ¡®It is literally easy to have an assortment of goods.¡¯


    Unfortunately, it was rare for Zeratul¡¯s secret techniques to actually be sold.The reason why Zeratul supplied the secret techniques to the sun carriage was purely to satisfy his desire to show off.The unit price was too high because he provided secret techniques as excellent as possible.In the first ce, there was a premium, so the average god couldn¡¯t buy Zeratul¡¯s secret technique even if they wanted to.Yet today¡ª


    Zeratul¡¯s secret technique was finally sold. It was even a made-to-order secret technique. It was an opportunity to make a profit in one go that was equivalent to 100 years of business.


    The trading target was the Overgeared God. Despite being a neer, he was particrly recognized among humans as the protagonist of miraculous achievements and he currently had the highest stock price. Venice¡¯s divinity would rise significantly the moment she left the story that she brokered a deal with the Overgeared God and Zeratul.


    ¡®This is what is called making a big fortune from a single transaction!¡¯


    Venice suffered from poverty unlike her gorgeous appearance.For her, the words ¡®making a big fortune from a single transaction¡¯ were very strange and exciting.It was like this even though she was the god of money...


    ¡°Dear customer! Have you been waiting for a long time? I finally came with the product you wanted!¡±


    Currently, the surface was in a state of war due to the invasion of demons.There were even demons secretly imbued with divine power.Despite this, the home of the Overgeared God was as peaceful as usual.


    The capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt¡ªunlike other ces on the surface, it was hard to even find signs of war. At this point, the demons seemed to intentionally be avoiding this ce. This meant there was something that the demons, famous for their ability to discern between things, was vignt of. Venice easily identified the cause.


    It was the person in front of her¡ªGrid. This person was suppressing the demons¡¯ invasion.


    ¡®His presence has be bigger.¡¯


    Venice had recently met Grid.She provided various information and made a favorable transaction.It was close to treason for Asgard, but Venice felt no remorse.The only thing that mattered to her was her dealings with gods, not Asgard.In any case, that was just 10 days ago.It was a short time for humans, so it was a split second for Venice.Yet during that split second, Grid had changed.The symbolic color around his body became even clearer.


    ¡®What is the reason?¡¯


    The gods who had enjoyed eternal life since birth couldn¡¯t understand it.How intense were the lives of humans who lived in the moment?They only looked down from a very high ce, so there was no way for them to know.On the other hand, Grid knew better than ordinary people.He was a man who had climbed up from the very bottom,where there was no longer a ce to fall any lower.His days were the longest and darkest.


    ¡°Product? Oh, the martial god¡¯s secret technique.¡± Grid was outside the smithy. The fortress-like furnace was behind him and it spread out a thick heat around it. The smell of sweat was carried by the wind. In other words, he didn¡¯te out to meet Venice. Grid had been out here and moving long before she arrived. He also responded to the word ¡®product¡¯ like it was insignificant.


    By this point, Venice was also uneasy. However, she tried to deny the thoughts that came to mind and kept her smile. ¡°...Yes, it is the product you have been waiting for! Isn¡¯t it a special grade item? You will definitely like it. It is a secret technique that the martial god made with special care!¡±


    Venice hadn¡¯t exined the details of the matter to Zeratul.It was because Zeratul hated Grid.She didn¡¯t mention the identity of the client who wanted his secret technique.Zeratul hadn¡¯t been suspicious.Wasn¡¯t he the martial god?It was natural for the whole world to covet his secret technique, so there was no reason to wonder who his client was.Therefore, the transaction was established.


    That¡¯s right.Venice believed the deal was a sess the moment she received Zeratul¡¯s agreement.She didn¡¯t think she would need Grid¡¯s agreement.


    <em>¡°Hmm...¡±</em>Grid¡¯s response as he took the martial god¡¯s secret technique was calm. There were no signs of joy at all.


    Venice¡¯s heart sank. It was because Grid¡¯s eyes gradually cooled down as he skimmed through the contents of the secret technique. It was the moment when her anxiety was moving toward reality.


    ¡°It is below my expectations. It is like fake goods.¡±


    <em>¡°Huh?¡±</em>


    ¡°Take it back. I won¡¯t buy it.¡±


    ¡°W-What are you saying...? This is Zeratul¡¯s dual wielding secret technique! It is the product you wanted! I brought the right product!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be urate? I just wanted a dual wielding secret technique. I didn¡¯t say it had to be Zeratul¡¯s one. When did I want Zeratul¡¯s secret technique?¡±


    ¡°No...! What type of joke is this?! Why...?! Why are you being mean to me all of a sudden?!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by a joke? I just don¡¯t like the product. What if it doesn¡¯t meet my expectations?¡±


    <em>¡°Uh...! Ugh...!¡±</em>


    Was it because her eyes were big?Venice¡¯s expression showed her emotions very well.Her twitching eyes and facial musclesbined to show her embarrassment, anger, confusion, and sadness.


    ¡®Why does the expression ¡®poor¡¯ fit her so well?¡¯


    She was definitely a goddess with atranscendent beauty. Strangely, she looked better when she seemed to be about to cry.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    Grid, who was temporarily in a daze, hurriedly came to his senses. He was wary that some power in Venice might¡¯ve been triggered.


    ¡°Please... please don¡¯t be mischievous and buy it. Please don¡¯t bully me!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The stars in Venice¡¯srge eyes shook. It seemed like tears would pour out right away.Grid was almost reminded of the young sole breadwinner of the family.It was strangely a good match that he wondered if this was her true self.


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    The god of money was non-mainstream when it came to human faith.However, she was a god of Asgard, so the analogy of a young sole breadwinner of the family wasn¡¯t appropriate.Sure enough, it was a type of power. It might be the ultimate in bewitchment skills.


    Grid judged and spoke firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to buy something worthless. I¡¯m not a pushover.¡±


    Venice seemed unwilling to give up easily, so he even personally demonstrated the dual wielding based on the skill book he received from the Mountain King.


    ¡°......¡± Venice was speechless. She might be struggling with poverty, but she was a god. She had discerning eyes even if she wasn¡¯t particrly familiar with martial arts. ¡°I... I am convinced.¡±


    Venice watched Grid¡¯s swordsmanship for a long time before nodding in hindsight. She was trying to hold back the tears that wanted to pour out. ¡°Your skill is better than the dual wielding described by Zeratul¡¯s secret technique...?<em>Hehe, hehehe...</em>¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    Was it acting tough like a crazy person?


    Venice bowed to the puzzled Grid and flew into the sky. In the end, the tears she couldn¡¯t hold back shone under the moonlight like a small Milky Way.


    [Tzudan feels sorry for the goddess.]


    [Haksen respects Grid¡¯s choice. He exins that technique is the only way to survive.]


    [Filewolf says he knows the reason why Highest Point Magic has lost its reputation.]


    [Haksen is angry.]


    ¡®I am really thankful to the Mountain King.¡¯


    Grid once again realized the value of the skill books given by the Mountain King and smiled.Three legendary skills and one myth rated skill. Among them, the myth rated skill was dual wielding.In fact, Grid wasn¡¯t pleased that he had to give his reputation to get Zeratul¡¯s secret technique. Then he received this like it was fate.Perhaps it was arranged by the Mountain King who saw Grid¡¯s weakness.


    In any case, all three of the remaining legendary skill books were helpful to Grid.However, one of them was a bit disappointing.It was a passive skill that urred when health was less than 30%.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to describe it as the return of ckening due to its excellent power.


    The problem was that his health couldn¡¯t be over 30%.Storm of the Fire God, lifestealing, and the effects attached to his items¡ªGrid had many means of health recovery.It seemed difficult to meet the condition because his health kept being restored like he was taking potions.


    ¡®I will think about it slowly.¡¯


    First, he had to make sure he was fully adapted to dual wielding. Grid held Gujel¡¯s Dao and the Fire Dragon Sword and started practicing again.


    ***


    ¡°<em>Hrmm...</em>It is almost done.¡±


    Zeratul restored his damaged status with the help of the angels and checked his physical condition.It was very good.His body was light and his mind was clear.It was a great help to reflect on his martial arts by writing a secret technique while recuperating.


    ¡®There is a god that devoted everything in order to gain my secret technique. Indeed... all beings in the world look up to me.¡¯


    <em>Tok.</em>


    A book fell in front of Zeratul¡¯s eyes as he was smiling with satisfaction. It was the secret technique he had written while recuperating and it contained the essence of dual wielding.


    ¡°...What?¡±Zeratul turned his gaze toward the entrance of the temple.Venice was standing there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll return this,¡± she spoke sharply.


    ¡°......?¡±It was hard to understand from Zeratul¡¯s perspective. The incidents weren¡¯t connected.


    Venice drove the wedge in.¡°My client says he doesn¡¯t need this.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    ¡±Think for yourself about the reason why.¡±


    It was a rare cold attitude. Zeratul stared nkly at Venice as she turned and left. It was while feeling an unbearable sense of humiliation.

 Chapter 1542

    <h4>Chapter 1542</h4>


    The past 1,000 years.


    There were countless legends and myths buried on the great mountain, Grenier.The traces were surprisingly easy to find, such as the hundreds of thousands of sword marks carved all over the rock walls.Grenier¡¯s Mountain King always reflected on the traces of the invaders.Every day, he studied the marks on the rocks, restored them, and developed them.


    Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams¡ªit was the origin of the myth rated skill obtained by Grid.It contained a thousand years of history, the willpower of the Mountain King to protect Grenier, and the legends and myths swallowed by the willpower of the Mountain King.Perhaps the best interpretation was all the skills in the world merging together. It was a history itself that proved the struggle of various beings.


    [Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams]


    [Passive


    Swordsmanship that embodies the mountain and streams.


    Towering mountain peaks, sheer cliffs, streams of water flowing along the mountain, rocks weathered by waterfalls, and pine trees standing alone¡ªa sword depicting thendscape that someone has been protecting for a lifetime.


    ¡ï The willpower stat will double when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    ¡ï Additional effects will ur depending on the type of swordsmanship.


    ¡ï The penalty of dual wielding is removed.


    ¡ï When using dual wielding, two swordsmanship-rted skills can be used simultaneously. However, the cooldown time for the skill reuse is slightly increased.


    ¡ï Enhance the passive skills if all swordsmanship-rted skills can¡¯t be used. Additional effects will ur depending on the form of the swordsmanship or regr attack. However, it is limited to when a sword-type weapon is equipped.]


    A passive skill.The only condition was to equip a sword-type weapon or use swordsmanship-rted skills.This meant that the skill was practically always applied to Grid.The performance was extraordinary.


    ¡®First of all, the power of skills affected by the willpower stat, including Storm of the Fire God, have been greatly strengthened.¡¯


    Step.


    Grid activated Storm of the Fire God as an experiment and took a step. It was a light movement, but the shape of the sword was like a beam of light.It was the usage of Kill.


    ¡°......!¡±Grid¡¯s eyes widened.It was because the shockwave generated over time was split into three times instead of one.It was like the waterfall that weathered the rocks.A multi-hit effect was added to the ¡®stabbing¡¯ type of skill.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    Grid got a chill and summoned the Overgeared Skeletons.It was necessary for him to closely observe the changes.Of course, he was reluctant.The Overgeared Skeletons might not know pain, but who would want to cut a precious pet?However, it couldn¡¯t be helped.There were no scarecrows for training that could withstand the amount of damage that Grid dealt. Rabbit would copse.It was also impossible to use the God Hands which ¡®didn¡¯t receive damage¡¯ as an output meter.


    Pepepeng!


    A singlesword strike pierced Overgeared Skeleton One three times.Assuming that Kill dealt 100 damage, this didn¡¯t mean that all three attacks dealt 100 damage each. Following the 100 damage, the subsequent two attacks were reduced by 50% and 80% respectively.Still, it should be noted that this wasn¡¯t an active skill, but a passive skill that was always applied.In other words, it easily caused additional damage in the tens of percent.It was even applied as a multi-hit.Multi-hits were very useful because they could be used to consume the enemy¡¯s defense skills. Depending on the situation, it was much more effective than simply raising the base damage of the skill.


    ¡®Due to this, I¡¯m not satisfied with Zeratul¡¯s martial skill.¡¯


    The dual wielding secret technique made by Zeratul was great enough.He disparaged it as a fake in front of Venice, but in his heart, he thought that Zeratul was the martial god for a reason.If he were to use dual swords with it, their attack power and attack speedwould begreatly increased. The pure power alone transcended the power of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams.It was obviously a myth rated skill.


    Honestly, he was afraid of Zeratul¡¯s power that allowed him toplete such a secret technique in a matter of days.If Zeratul decided to mass produce the secret techniques, it was questionable if Grid could handle the angels who acquired them and became stronger.


    However, Grid eventually chose the Mountain King¡¯s secret technique.It wasn¡¯t due to personal feelings, but the disadvantages in Zeratul¡¯s secret technique.


    First, there were limitations to its sustainability.The increased attack power and attack speed were maintained when using two swords, but the more he used it, the more abnormal statuses that were induced.In particr, physical conditions such as fractures were highly likely to ur. Thus, there was a possibility that he couldn¡¯t even use one sword, let alone two.


    Zeratul¡¯s personality was evident in it.It could be seen from the condition of the followers of the martial god that Zeratul didn¡¯t care about those who learned and used his martial arts.It didn¡¯t matter what side effects they suffered. It was enough if they proved that his martial arts were the greatest in the world, even if they died.


    ¡®The downside isn¡¯t just that.¡¯


    Like other mastery skills, Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams harmonized with Grid¡¯s sword dances while Zeratul¡¯s secret technique wasn¡¯t in harmony.It was an omission caused by maximizing the effect of using two swords, but there was no advantage from Grid¡¯s position.It was virtually meaningless to use two swords if the passive effect of the sword dances disappeared every time dual swords were used.


    ¡®It is a penalty that ordinary people will ept.¡¯


    It could be asserted that Zeratul¡¯s dual wielding swordsmanship was the most powerful among the existing mastery skills.The average person wouldn¡¯t have any trouble abandoning their existing mastery skills.However, Grid couldn¡¯t take it.The damage was too great if the passive effect of the sword dance was given up.


    Based on this exnation, it might seem like Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams was worse than Zeratul¡¯s secret technique, but this wasn¡¯t necessarily the case.


    The willpower stat increased, there were additional effects depending on the skills, two skills could be used at the same time, and the effect of passive skills were enhanced when skills weren¡¯t avable¡ªthe Mountain King¡¯s secret technique had effects that weren¡¯t avable in Zeratul¡¯s secret technique.It was appropriate to interpret Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams as a mastery optimized for auxiliary roles.


    ¡®I am certain at this point.¡¯


    The Mountain King had grasped his condition.He picked out secret techniques to meet what Gridcked.It wasn¡¯t difficult when looking at the background of the Mountain King, who had encountered many legends and myths, and usurped them. His insight couldn¡¯t be ordinary.


    ¡®In the first ce, it was in the domain of the Mountain King.¡¯


    As expected, he might be equivalent to a high ranked dragon in his own territory.Lauel would disagree, but for now, it was right to guess like this.Grid highly appreciated the Mountain King¡¯s power of ¡®reducing the damage received.¡¯Unlike a dragon¡¯s absolute defense, where damage could be dealt once the defense was prated, the Mountain King¡¯s damage reduction was a passive skill that didn¡¯t have the concept of pration.


    ''...Still, is it too exaggerated topare him to a high ranked dragon?¡¯


    Could he be sure that he could actually deal significant damage after prating a dragon¡¯s absolute defense?No.Of course, Grid had met the evil dragon and gourmet dragon.It was just difficult to imagine thebat effectiveness since the gourmet dragon only enjoyedyingaround. On the other hand, the evil dragon was merely perceived as a disaster and he had no insight into it.Only the shocking stats were memorable. He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to experience its skills, powers, etc.Above all, Grid¡¯s level was too low at the time.


    ¡®It is likely to be a confusion caused by ignorance.¡¯


    The Grid who encountered the evil dragon was apletely different person from the current Grid.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was just a newborn baby when fighting the evil dragon.If he met the evil dragon again now... there was a good chance that he would feel apletely different appreciation than before.


    ¡®It is said that an old dragon isparable to the martial god.¡¯


    Of course, the martial god mentioned here might be Zeratul, not Chiyou.So could Grenier be equivalent to Zeratul?


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure. The Zeratul I saw was just the version that descended to the surface.¡¯


    The ¡®domain¡¯ was the problem.Just as great demons were different in hellpared to the surface, and angels and gods were different in heavenpared to the surface, he was constantly confused due to the wide variation in power ording to each individual domain.He might have a worse impression of the Mountain King if he had encountered the Mountain King in a ce other than Grenier.


    ¡®Eventually, it is a fact that I will experience directly.¡¯


    He had to try not to be frustrated when that time came.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s start again.¡±


    ck ck!ck ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons forgot to speak today.They only moved their jaws despite being able to speak the humannguage. It was an effort to swallow their screams.Thanks to their sublime sacrifice, Grid was able to identify and check all the detailed effects of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams.It was the same for the other three legendary skills.


    [Calm Before the Storm]


    [Instantly has a 50% damage reduction effect the moment it is used.


    Enter a state of ¡®no action¡¯ for at least 3 seconds up to 10 seconds. Obtain 10 rage per second.


    If the rage level bes higher than 20, all enemies within a radius of 5 meters will have their actions slow down.


    The higher the rage, the greater the influence range and deceleration effect. Once it is released, ¡®all reduced damage¡¯ will be returned to all targets within the influence range. There will be an additional 2 seconds of stun.


    The probability of stunning is in proportional to the rage value. If 100 rage is umted then there is a 100% chance. Ignores the stun resistance of the target at this time.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: 25,300]


    First, he got a new field skill.The constraints wererge and the conditions were difficult, but it was very suitable for a reversal.It could easily reverse the situation depending on how it was used.However, there was a very big drawback.


    ¡°Are you qualified to bear my rage?¡±


    ...He needed a starter phrase to activate the skill.


    ¡°Regret it.¡±


    It was even whenever his rage was charged.


    ¡°Weep.¡±


    Lines were added.


    ¡°Despair.¡±


    Unlike his willpower, his mouth opened against his will.It was the force of the system.It seemed to be an effect based on the skill structure of suppressing the enemy¡¯s momentum with anger.


    ¡®Which evil eye crawled all the way to Grenier?¡¯He had no choice but to doubt the origin of the skill.


    Grid sighed, but he soon controlled his emotions.Thanks to the evil eyes who were active at the Abyss during the great human and demon war, people¡¯s perception ofchuunibyousgradually improved.


    ¡®...No, it isn¡¯tforting at all?¡¯


    In any case, there were still two skills left.


    [Darkness Sword]


    [When activating the skill, each attack has a 30% chance of generating additional attacks proportional to 60% of the magic attack power.


    The additional attacks will ur at the target¡¯s feet and can¡¯t be defended against with physical force.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.


    Skill Mana Cost when Activated: 10,000.


    Mana Cost When Skill is Active: 500 per second.


    *An additional 2,500 mana is consumed every time the skill is activated.]


    A skill that could only be defended against by using evasion or mana-rted skills.The chance of triggering it wasn¡¯t high at 30%, but it was difficult to be disappointed when thinking about Grid¡¯s attack speed.If he used Link against Overgeared Skeleton One, there were more than 10 dark des that rose from the feet of Overgeared Skeleton One.


    ¡®The mana consumption is crazy.¡¯


    Grid was enjoying the effect of the Ring of Absurdity and other items.The mana consumed when using a skill was less than half of the requirements.Nevertheless, mana was constantly sucked out.This was caused by his very high attack speed.Still, it was definitely a good skill.It was powerful and versatile enough to be coveted by everyone.It was also cool.Once more than 10 des soared up at the same time, it gave people the illusion that their positionpletely ckened and disappeared.


    ¡®It is all good. All good...¡¯


    Thest skill was the problem.


    [King of theMountain]


    [Passive


    If your health falls below 30%, you will be protected by the Mountain King.


    All speeds will increase significantly and you will enter a fluidization state which can prate materials.


    Every time the attack target is prated, the damage caused to the target is doubled. It is up to 20 times. However, only up to four times the skill damage is applied.


    ¡ï In the King of theMountainstate, evasion rate will increase by 51%.


    * The skill will remain until health is restored to above 30%. Up to one hour.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes.


    Skill Mana Cost: None.]


    The stacking of effects wasn¡¯t a problem for Grid who could use Shunpo.The moment he set the target of the attack and used Shunpo, he could start stacking up the effects.He was excited about the harmony with Lightning God.However, it was difficult to keep his health below 30%.


    If he attacked the target while wearing the lifestealing items, his health would increase to more than 30%. Even if the lifestealing items were removed, he would quickly reach 30% health due to his natural recovery speed.It was inefficient because turning off Storm of the Fire God to suppress his healing power would weaken him as a result.


    ¡®It would be nice if a great demon chased me around and used Doom.¡¯


    Grid had strange and absurd thoughts due to his regret.However, there was a smile that spread on his face.He was extremely happy because of his new skills.

 Chapter 1543

    <h4>Chapter 1543</h4>


    High ranker¡ªit was a world-ss hierarchy that ordinary people would never reach in their lifetime.


    On the Inte, there was a culture of mocking high rankers andparing them to Grid, but the actual perceptions were different. A significant number of people respected and took high rankers as their goal.Recently, many people had achieved their goals.It was the aftermath of a significant increase in the number of high ranked yers.


    In the past, ording to different media or regions, the top ranked yers were ssified as high rankers. Then recently, it had been argued that the top 100,000 rankers were defined as high rankers.It wasn¡¯t intended to undermine the value of high rankers.As the overall level of yers increased, the top 100,000 rankers showed a dignity that was almost equivalent to or above the past high rankers.


    In the first ce, the number of yers was close to 2.2 billion.100,000 was not arge number.It was a super-ultra elite group of the top 0.0045%.


    The two men at the peak of that group were right here.Sword Saint Kraugel, who went beyond the limits with a sword, and Lantier Faker, who used all types of shadows to create soldiers¡ªthe two men were fighting against Chepardea while Kasim, nt, and the subi escaped with Leraje.


    The goal was to buy time.It was until Leraje reached the basement of the castle.They didn¡¯t think of fighting and winning against Chepardea at all.It was a wise judgment.Chepardea was Baal¡¯s subordinate.It was evaluated that his strength was just below a single digit great demon.


    ¡°Croak.¡±Chepardea¡¯s tongue moved in a spiral.He ignored Faker, who was hiding in the shadows, and attacked Kraugel first. Every time this tongue touched Kraugel¡¯s sword, it would stretch out longer despite being cut.It was the same no matter how much it was sliced. There seemed to be no end to the length.In the first ce, Chepardea¡¯s tongue was protected by slippery mucus.It was hard to cut even for the Sword Saint.Unless he could handle fire like the fire demons, he would have to consume a lot of mental strength with every cut.


    Chepardea¡¯s tongue, which had been relentlessly tracking Kraugel, finally took control of the interior of the pce in a dizzying manner.It spread out like spider webs through the rather cramped bedroom and outside hallway to block the other side¡¯s movements.


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no guarantee that a party filled with luxurious members could achieve results in a raid.The key to cooperation was mutual understanding.However, Kraugel and Faker weren¡¯t close normally.They didn¡¯t know much about each other.Just their individualpetence was outstanding.


    If the battle had been broadcasted, then thementators would be sighing right now.The odds of winning might be low,but the problem was that they didn¡¯t cooperate with each other.It was an interpretation that would make Grid snort if he watched the broadcast.


    ¡°......!¡±Chepardea¡¯s eyes opened wide as he watched the target.He naturally expectedKraugel¡¯s response to be a ¡®sh.¡¯He expected a sh that would cut all the tongues blocking the path and prepared.It was because this was the existence of the Sword Saint that Chepardea heard about.


    However, Kraugel was different.He ran over without cutting the tongue.He looked like a monkey, not the Sword Saint.Still, it was hard tough at.It was because Kraugel had noticed that poison was injected into his tongue.


    ¡®No, he couldn¡¯t know. It is a matter of skill.¡¯


    He avoided it because he didn¡¯t have the confidence to bear the energy consumed when cutting the ovepping tongues at once.Thus, the situation was lucky.


    Chepardea kept an eye on Kraugel¡¯s movement. He checked the horizontal trajectory.¡®He is moving like a rat. He is so careful that I¡¯m sick and tired of it.¡¯


    Throughout theGreat Human and Demon War, the only offensive means that Chepardea showed was his tongue.The tongue covered the walls, floor, and ceiling dozens of times, and as a result, they were tangled together like a spider web.From the other side¡¯s point of view, it seemed to be a structural barrier.It deserved to be interpreted as Chepardea focusing on defense.


    However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t positive about this at all.He was wary of Chepardea and spected that Chepardea would have a method of attack other than the tongue.


    ¡®If this was Muller, he would¡¯ve cut it in a single sh and detonated it!¡¯


    Frogs easily hunted flies.However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t easily caught, so Chepardea¡¯s tongue started to shake like it was in sync with Chepardea¡¯s annoyed feelings.The shaking was so aggressive that it slightly ruined the bnce of Kraugel, who was running on the sticky and slippery tongue.


    Chepardea captured this moment urately.Chepardea¡¯s tongue swelled up.He quickly filled the empty space like he was going to crush Kraugel.Tens of thousands of taste buds moved closer together and emitted smoke.It was light brown and had a terrible odor.It was the precursor to a poisonous explosion.


    The explosion was terriblyrge.It was enough to cause worry that the castle could copse.This was even though they knew the crystal castle could never copse.It was a disaster caused by Chepardea¡¯s one strike.This was indeed Baal¡¯s power of destruction.


    ¡°I feel relieved.Croak.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the colorful wallpaper and carpet. All the bedding and furniture had disappeared as well.Chepardea was the only one who was unharmed in the bedroom that was burned ck.The Sword Saint and Lantier were gone along with the shadows.


    There were no doubts as Chepardea moved toward the entrance to the hallway.It was to track down Leraje, who had fled earlier. The mirror demon was chasing her, but he needed to make sure.Agnus was far behind, so he had no choice but toe forward...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Chepardea flinched with surprise.It was because the ck ash coloring the bedroom turned into a rope and wrapped around his legs.He turned his head and the view of the intact bedroom filled his vision.There were no signs of the explosion.The bedding and furniture he thought had disappeared were also intact.


    Chepardea btedly noticed that the shadows had swallowed up the aftermath of the explosion.The identity of the ashes that covered the bedroom was actually the shadows.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just the Overgeared God who is a problem. He is also crazy as an enemy?Croak.¡¯


    Chepardea remembered the Lantier of this era.It was the human who killed Agnus before the start of theGreat Human and Demon War.Since then, Agnus started to fall lower and lower, and experiencedhell.This human was a threat.Lantier¡¯s assassination ability and his shadow techniques were extremely famous.As for the personalpetence, well...


    It wasn¡¯t very impressive. It felt like he had just inherited the name of Lantier and was at a level where he didn¡¯t have smooth control over the shadows.It was insignificantpared to the Overgeared God.However, not too long after that, his shadow control ability was extremely developed.


    The state of invalidating a phenomenon.It might transcend the reputation of the previous generation Lantier.


    Chepardea¡¯s suspicion was valid.Just now, Faker used the skill Greed taught by Kasim to swallow the explosion while simultaneously unfolding a curtain of shadows. At least at that moment, it was a scene that the previous generation Lantier couldn¡¯t reproduce.Of course, it was possible with the help of Kraugel.He took advantage of the instant gap when Kraugel cut part of the explosion and this was the result of the perfect cooperation between the two.


    Kraugel and Faker trusted each other. It was trust that originated from respect, not friendship.The two people never questioned each other¡¯s choices and actions.They trusted and responded to each other inplete cooperation.So gradually, they understood each other.


    ¡°It is close.¡±


    Step.


    Kraugel was muttering to himself as he walked out of the shadows.


    Chepardea was cocking his head due to not understanding the words. Then his expression soon hardened.It was because he noticed that Kraugel¡¯s transparent sword, which had produced huge shockwaves during the battle, had calmed down.He instinctively felt an ominous feeling.


    ¡°The rapport is finally over.¡±


    Kraugel had no experience dealing with myth rated items.Therefore, he was inwardly flustered by the resistance that urred from the time the White Tiger Sword grew to the myth rating.Since ancient times, the Sword Saint was an existence that could use all sword-type weapons. Perhaps the White Tiger Sword resembled the parents who made it, but it was very arrogant and refused Kraugel¡¯s touch.


    It was quite a huge shock.He was disappointed from the perspective of a parent who raised it, not the Sword Saint.Grid had made it with the potential to be a myth and it was actually the Overgeared God¡¯s divine object after it reached the myth rating.Even so, Kraugel was the real master.He just hadn¡¯t expected it to rebel...


    In any case, he was d that it was resolved.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start now.¡±


    Kraugel cut at the tongue aiming for his heart without hesitation.He no longer avoided it or crossed it.There was no need to do these things.Now he could cut the thick tongue surrounded by mucus like it was a radish without using any skills.


    Kraugel moved using the shortest distance.He went straight without turning.


    Originally, the Sword Saint was such an existence.The Sword Saint cut everything that blocked their way and broke through.He repeatedly cut off Chepardea¡¯s thick tongue surrounded by slippery mucus, which could originally only be dried and suppressed by the fire demons.Every time the tongue was cut, there was a poisonous explosion.The White Tiger Sword shining in the hands of the Sword Saint showed its full power.


    Chepardea also noticed this fact.¡°Overgeared God...!¡±


    This guy was ahead of the times.He promoted the growth of humanity, which had always been slow, and consequently threatened hell.


    Kraugel read Chepardea¡¯s resentful eyes and whispered, ¡°Grid doesn¡¯t even care about you.¡±


    Chepardea wanted to refute it, but he couldn¡¯t do so.It was because his head was cut off from his body and fell to the ground.A shadow quickly rushed up to the big, round head, grabbed it, and threw it out the window.Kraugel kicked the body, which had lost its head and was staggering.This was one of the most popr gimmicks for killing small monsters.It was a way to target the ¡®light weight¡¯ and break through the front.


    ¡°This...! You cowards!Croooooak!¡±Chepardea¡¯s roar as he fell out of the castle echoed in an empty manner.He was kicked out of the castle and there was only one thing he could do now.It was to wait for the return of the mirror demon left alone in the castle.


    ***


    To put it simply, fighters were brawlers.It was possible to use everything in their hands as weapons.This meant they had the Weapon Mastery skill and there was a high probability that the condition of use for skills didn¡¯t have any weapon restrictions.


    However, Grid¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t changed.He was going to hand over Tzudan¡¯s ss change book to Chris as nned.


    ¡®Tzudan¡¯s main weapon was the greatsword.¡¯


    The skills that were opened when reaching a certain level orpleting ss quests were likely to be truly powerful, especially when the ultimate skills were used with a greatsword.Now he didn¡¯t want to regret choosing someone other than Chris.Of course, there was no option for Grid himself to learn it.


    Why?He couldn¡¯t learn it.If he could learn it, he would¡¯ve learned it right away, just like the skills he received from the Mountain King.


    ¡®Chris is overflowing with qualifications.¡¯


    The only problem remaining was how much to charge for it.Grid didn¡¯t have the desire to have 100 trillion won worth of assets like the world-ss chaebols, but he intended to receive a proper price.He wanted to be friends with Chris until they died of old age.He was worried that there would be a sense of distance if he handed over a precious item for free and Chris felt a sense of debt in his heart.


    ¡®Hmm...10 billion won? Is this too cheap?¡¯


    The value of a legendary ss change book was different than what it used to be.It was because it was clearly revealed that the acquisition path was unclear and the quantity was limited.Rich people in the Middle East, whose assets exceeded 1,500 trillion or 2,000 trillion won, offered thousands of billions in won for them, and it was the main reason for the rise in market price.It was hard for ordinary people to realize, but the world was full of rich people trying to be the second Grid with money.


    ¡®...I think I¡¯ll have to get at least 100 billion won for it.¡¯


    Chris was a top ranker for a long time and served as the lord of a big city.He represented Canada and had shot many shows andmercials.He also participated in various eventpetitions and swept up the prizes.Grid was sure he would have 100 billion won.


    The unsuspecting Grid didn¡¯t know that his economic concept waspletely out of step with the ordinary.There were so many rich people around him and he was in a position to be a chaebol at any time.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hurry and change sses.¡¯


    Using the ss change book meant the level was likely to reset to 1.Time was gold.For Grid to make a second debtor... no, he started right away for the future of his precious colleague.


    His destination was the Abyss.It was a battlefield where a new crisis had arrived.

 Chapter 1544

    <h4>Chapter 1544</h4>


    The terrain of the Abyss wasn¡¯t suitable for defense.The situation was different from the Behen Archipgo. At the Behen Archipgo, the moment the enemy appeared to upy the ground and the sea, the defense forces could immediately build an encirclement and annihte the enemy.


    First of all, the area of the Abyss was toorge.It took more than half a day for a knight to walk all the way around it, so hundreds of thousands of soldiers were needed to thoroughly surround it. Even this had the risk of power distribution.It was a dark pit that had no light. It was impossible to observe the interior.It was virtually impossible to respond to the tens of thousands of demonic creatures that suddenly poured out from the huge pit without any precursors.


    Originally, the Abyss¡ªto be precise, Titan, where the Abyss was located, was destined to fall to hell. It would¡¯ve been the leading base for the demons and yed a role in leading the war to victory.From Gamigin and Barbatos to Baal¡¯s ego fragment¡ªthis was why the prominent beings appeared at the Abyss, not the Behen Archipgo.The main characters protecting it were Braham, Kyle, Euphemina, and the strategists of the allied forces.


    ¡°They¡¯reing.¡±


    Braham had the ability to distinguish the magic power of the near-chaos Abyss and the demonic creaturesing from it.


    ¡°The Adien flowers have withered and aftershocks have urred in the east. The pearls have turned green. Ice, survival,rge.¡±


    The strategists predicted the types of demonic creatures that would appear based on changes in the environment.Then Braham¡¯s tremendous magic power filled the surface of the huge pit.


    ¡°It is the ice attribute. This time, Sir Kyle should step out with us.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Euphemina, who released attribute magic based on Braham¡¯s magic power and the nature of the demonic creatures, and Kyle, a master of lightning¡ªthe cooperation between these top figures and the strategists overshadowed the unfavorable terrain of the Abyss.


    At least half of the creatures emerging from the Abyss were destroyed every time. Then the battle began.The demonic creatures that luckily survived the baptism of magic also exposed their ¡®weaknesses.¡¯It meant that the parts of the body that weren''t hit by the magic were their weaknesses.yers and soldiers were able to fight veryfortably.


    ¡°At this point, it is almost like a bus.¡±


    The expressions of the yers were bright as they nced at the magicians standing side by side in the sky above the Abyss.They had to be happy about easily killing the demonic creatures and umting experience.However, only a few people wished that the war wouldn¡¯t end.It was because they understood the hearts of the soldiers who were worried about and missed their families.


    This was the biggest change caused by the Great Human and Demon War.yers and NPCs became truepanions.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    "It is nothing.¡±


    It wasmon for yers to risk getting hurt to protect the soldiers first.The Overgeared members felt the change in the field and were happy together.They thought of Grid¡¯s pleased appearance.


    ¡°Until a few years ago, peopleughed at Grid for being too immersed in the game.¡±


    ¡°These are all changes made by God Grid! It is inevitable for him to be acknowledged as God Grid even in Japan.Hahat!¡±


    ¡°You went looking for Japan¡¯s reaction again?¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Peak Sword ever change?¡±


    ¡°By the way, he hasn¡¯t been picking a fight with Katz these days?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible. He will lose no matter what if he fights now.¡±


    It was a day that wasn¡¯t much different from usual.The yers and soldiers could handle the fighting and the Overgeared members supported them.Thus, they felt it even more abruptly.The number of demonic creatures rising from the Abyss suddenly increased sharply.


    ¡°Fire, stealth, small,rge...! E-Earth! Flight! Superrge! Large!¡±


    The strategists were confused.It was because the number of demonic creatures predicted was too big.It was at a level where they couldn¡¯t keep up with the demonic creatures.


    Braham, Kyle, and Euphemina noticed the seriousness of the situation.Regardless of the consequences, they squeezed out all their mana and poured all types of magic into the Abyss.However, the momentum of the demonic creatures wasn¡¯t weakened.There were significantly more demonic creatures appearing then disappearing.It was an all-out offensive.


    ¡°Should we call the evil eyes king?¡± Euphemina made thisment as she looked at the warp gate connected to Reinhardt, but Braham shook his head.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    The king of the evil eyes was too powerful. The evil eyes king shot rays of extinction from hisrge eyes, but he couldn¡¯t control it properly.There would inevitably be a burden on his already weak body.It was poisonous in the current situation.Like the vampire, the evil eyes were former residents of hell.It would attract the attention of the demons by all means.


    Whileevil eyes were powerful, their physical abilities were weak, so they were easy to be targeted.In particr, the great demons were more likely to risk their lives to get rid of the evil eyes king. It was because the desire of the demons to collect theevil eyes of the evil eyes king was beyond imagination.It meant that even Braham would have a hard time protecting him.


    ¡°You are bing kinder.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense is that?¡±


    ¡°You are worried about the evil eyes king.¡±


    ¡°I... I¡¯m not worried about him. I¡¯m worried about the situation where the great demons will flock because of him.¡±


    Braham couldn¡¯t bear to swear at Euphemina, who was smiling slyly.The sessor of his old disciple¡ªhe was trying to return the kindness that he couldn¡¯t give to his disciple.It was different from the days when he was expelled by his blood kin and wandered around alone.


    Now there was no reason for Braham to be spiteful.He had long regretted the time when he was jealous of his disciple.


    ¡°.......!¡±


    Just then, Braham¡¯s eyes widened. He was so surprised that he took a deep breath. It was a reaction that was hard to see from him so far.In particr, this was the first time Kyle was seeing Braham like this.Didn¡¯t Braham show an arrogant expression even when he experienced a crisis while fighting Gamigin?


    ¡°What ising...?¡± the anxious Kyle asked.


    ¡°A god.¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t ignore him.A god?It was an answer that seemed absurd.Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t improbable.The Overgeared God and martial god¡ªKyle had already experienced several gods. He had seen demons and angels.


    The existence of a god was no longer vague. Rather, it was more realistic.


    ¡°It is too big. It is like a mass of grudges...¡±


    Kyle and Euphemina could only see the darkness of the Abyss. The same was true even when they threw light. The darkness swallowed the light.However, Braham¡¯s eyes were staring into the deep pit of the Abyss.It couldn¡¯t block the magic power detection ability of the greatest magician of all time.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kyle and Euphemina were startled. It was close to shrinking back with fright.It was because the magic power of the Abyss, which could be called infinite, started to be absorbed by Braham.


    ¡®Is this Mana Drain?¡¯


    ¡®A monster. This guy is definitely a monster.¡¯


    If there was a god of destruction among the many gods, it would surely be the man in front of him.It was the moment when Kyle was certain of this.


    ¡°If this continues, more demonic creatures will go crazy in response. It is right to deal with it as soon as possible. I will leave this ce to you,¡± Braham told them.


    There was no time to stop him.He had already jumped into the Abyss.


    ***


    ¡°Organize the ranks while I buy time.¡±


    Chris unfailingly took the lead.Every time his sword moved through the ground and created a storm, there were screams mixed in with the sound of explosions.If he couldn¡¯t cut the enemy then he smashed them with the greatsword.The demonic creatures were invincible apart from their weak spots, but every time their skulls collided with the greatsword, it became dented and both eyes protruded like they were being pulled out.It was the strength of the greatsword technique that used weight as power.


    The expression ¡®destruction¡¯ was appropriate because it caused deadly physical abnormalities every time.A single attack broke dozens of demonic creatures in front of him.The bodies of the demonic creatures flew toward the Abyss that they had a hard time crawling up from and crashed.


    Kigi!Kik!


    The leading demonic creatures exchanged looks. In a rare act, theymunicated with each other. At the same time, they ignored Chris. They took a detour to advance.It was an instinctive fear of Chris¡¯ ignorant way of fighting that neutralized the power of invincibility.


    Chris didn¡¯t miss this.The power of a greatsword was also in the range.His sword was the heaviest and longest.


    Chris was the Tyrant.He dered thend he stood on as his territory.


    The demonic creatures had their paths blocked by therge sword that stretched out like an inclined pir and were lost.They were crushed by the Tyrant¡¯s momentum and faltered.There was only one person in the world who could step on thisnd without Chris¡¯ permission and it was Grid.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    An unrealistic scene was created.The bodies of the screaming demonic creatures flew in a continuous parab and crashed into the Abyss.It was the same for therge demonic creatures.Chris was a powerful man who wielded up to 10,000 tons of power.


    ¡°What baseball game are you ying...?¡±


    yers clicked their tongues at Chris¡¯ consecutive home run hits.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    Themanders of the forces led by Chris shouted at once.They have safely reorganized the formations.They were prepared to face theplete offensive of the demonic creatures.


    The flying demonic creatures appeared like they had been waiting. They opened their mouths wide and formedbeams.However, Chris was the owner of a rune.The Rune of Supplementation¡ªit was a rune with a transcendent performance that sublimated weaknesses into strengths.Originally, close-range warriors, especially those who valued strength over speed, were vulnerable to ranged flying monsters. Meanwhile, Chris easily intercepted them.


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    ¡°He is so versatile. As expected of the number two person of the Overgeared Guild...¡±


    In recent years, Chris had remained at the top of the unified rankings.He was considered the number two yer in the Overgeared Guild because he waspeting for first and second ce with Grid.In fact, the current Chris was close toplete.It was amazing that he only had a normal ss.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    Arge-scale battle began.Like the other camps that had been entangled with the army of demonic creatures, Chris¡¯ camp also started a head-on collision with the demonic creatures.At first, the momentum was good.Chris¡¯ performance allowed them to maintain it sufficiently and their morale increased enough.


    Yet over time, problems developed.The momentum of the demonic creatures became unusual.They abandoned their instinctive habit of protecting their weak spots and went on a beast-like rampage. It was more appropriate to express it as a loss of reason than a rampage.


    ¡®This!¡¯


    The camp quickly started to copse.The demonic creatures didn¡¯t defend their weaknesses, thus their weaknesses weren¡¯t revealed.The soldiers had difficulty targeting them and the burden on the yers increased.


    The battlefieldpletely changed.Chris repeatedly became isted.As his allies were gradually pushed back, the number of demonic creatures he had to deal with alone increased sharply.The fatal problem was that there were dozens of demons mixed in with the demonic creatures. Based on their level, some of them were the subordinates of the high ranking great demons.They focused on Chris because they noticed how to win the war.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    As the battle intensified, the limitations of his ss were revealed.A normal ss¡ªstarting from the fourth ss advancement, the quality wasparable to hidden sses, but the difference in stats was still clear.The range that the stats rose by when the level increased was determined by the ss¡¯ rating.


    Of course, the difference could be narrowed using special titles or elixirs. Chris was likely to be the yer who consumed the most elixirs, but due to many practical problems, it wasn¡¯t enough to bridge the fundamental stats difference.Additionally, the difference in stats was directly linked to sustainability in battle.The higher the stats, the faster the enemy was killed and the less health that was consumed. Naturally, those with higher stats could fight longer.


    ¡®It is vexing.¡¯


    Chris felt his body bing heavier and resented himself.He rebuked his inability to break down the wall of ¡®normality.¡¯During the time when Grid was wandering in search of Pagma¡¯s ss change book, he was obsessed with vampires and stayed in the castle.He was blinded by the elixirs, so his viewpoint became narrow.Those days were so regrettable that he wanted to turn back time if it was possible.


    [The cooldown time for the health recovery potion hasn¡¯t ended.]


    ¡®It is the end.¡¯No, it wasn¡¯t the end. It was just one defeat.Chris controlled his mind and wielded the sword with hisst remaining physical strength, turning two demons to ashes at the same time.It was a struggle that evoked all types of admiration and astonishment.


    In the midst of the exmations and screams, Chris¡¯ greatsword was inserted into the ground.He used it to support his body.He felt his stamina running out and spoke to the rankers in the same camp, ¡°Take the soldiers and join Peak Sword¡¯s camp. He must be holding out better than us because he has Iyarugt.¡±


    Chris only looked at his colleagues.He didn¡¯t care about the ws and teeth of the demons that were being inserted into his body.A few yers tried to grab him, but Chris cried out, ¡°It is better to die and be resurrected!¡±


    Two deaths meant not being able to connect for 24 hours, but one death was an opportunity.He could resurrect in full condition and rejoin the front lines immediately.Eventually, he couldn¡¯t even move his fingertips and gradually copsed while leaning on his greatsword.


    Fromhis side¡ª


    ¡°Come and learn this.¡± Grid suddenly approached Chris and handed him a very old book. ¡°Hurry.¡±


    Storm of the Fire God was naturally triggered.However, the survival-rted effects of Storm of the Fire God on allies was increased recovery and resistance to abnormal statuses.Chris had already suffered great damage and was experiencing all types of poisoning and bleeding. Thus, it couldn¡¯t dramatically revive a target whose health was about to reach zero.


    Chris trusted Grid.It wasn¡¯t just because Grid was a colleague and a friend. It was that Grid was a better person than himself.This was why he used the book without properly examining the information.


    [You have be Tzudan¡¯s Sessor.]


    [Your level has dropped.]


    [You are now level 1.]


    [All first ss rted skills and stats have been reset.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Usually, rankers were afraid of death because they were worried about a drop in their experience.In particr, the higher the level of the ranker, the more worried they were about leveling down than losing items. It was because this was directly linked to a drop in their rankings.In other words, it was meaningless to choose to reset his level in order to live.


    ¡°...Aaaack!¡±Chris btedly screamed.He still hadn¡¯t figured out the situation. He was too flustered.It felt like a dream to have a body so weak that the sword he had wielded with one hand so far now felt like a great mountain.There were thousands of demonic creatures and demons in front of him, but his level was 1.It was impossible not to scream.


    Grid raised him up.¡°Hold on tightly. The bus will start.¡±


    Today, the quickest level up record would be broken.

 Chapter 1545

    <h4>Chapter 1545</h4>


    ¡°This is unbelievable...¡±


    A normal ss¡ªthis was what Chris often felt sorry about. It was especially the case whenever he felt ack of stamina.There was also pride.He was proud to have reached first in the unified rankings in the past with these limitations.Of course, it was possible because Kraugel¡¯s level was reset and Grid¡¯s ranking was private.


    However, it was a record that should not be disparaged.In any case, he had reached the peak of 2 billion yers. It would be a deception if he felt ashamed. It was trivializing others.Chris has always maintained his passion.He did his best to make achievements that had never been done before and to leave his own records in a different way from Grid and Kraugel.


    The gap is closing.


    Less than 50 levels were left until the time that Chairman Lim Cheolho had dered.That¡¯s right.It was just before a normal ss achieved the fifth ss advancement for the first time.Technically, it wasn¡¯t just before, but in any case, it was a feasible goal that could be achieved by next year at thetest. It was an opportunity to catch up to those who were ahead.It wasrgely due to the Great Human and Demon War.


    Now it was all wasted.


    ¡°Level... my level...¡±


    Chris¡¯ external image was very excellent.A man who devoted himself silently to the limitations of a normal ss.His achievements, serious personality, and masculine appearance meant he won the favor of many people.He was a hero in his home country, Canada, and he was very popr abroad.He was a rare icon of goodwill where his recognition and poprity were directly proportional.He was different from the Grid types, who at one time had numerous anti-fans for various reasons.Yet now he was like this.


    ¡°Aaaaaaack!¡±He held his head and screamed. It was almost like a howl.It waspletely different from the image he had built up so far.


    The people at the scene and the viewers were flustered.


    -What¡¯s wrong with Chris??


    -Wow ?? Chris can scream as well. I thought he was a wooden stone??


    -Did he hear the news that the stock prices have fallen?


    -I think it is because of the book that God Grid gave him...


    Most legendary sses had to achieve certain conditions before their existence was announced with a world message.It was virtually impossible to realize that Chris had just changed to a legend and that his level was reset.It was only possible to guess if they checked the updated rankings and saw that Chris¡¯ name was gone.


    ¡°Wake up,¡± Grid said firmly while raising Chris up.Chris¡¯ height was a bit taller than Grid, but Chris was the one looking up at Grid.It was due to the power of the flying ability.Grid was unknowingly using the attraction power caused by the difference in eye level. It was an act that came from his experiences as a king.


    ¡°This is the path you have chosen, Chris.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±Chris was speechless.His eyes widened as he stared nkly at Grid.He chose this?It was said by the person who suddenly made him level 1. It was so ridiculous that he couldn¡¯t even be angry.Chris had no idea what to say in return and suddenly recalled the previous situation.


    ¡®...Yes, this is the path I chose.¡¯


    The book handed over by Grid.In other words, he was the one who opened the ss change book without looking at it properly.There was no problem with Grid¡¯s logic.For some reason, this made him even more annoyed, but he couldn¡¯t turn back time.


    ¡®There is no need to turn back.¡¯


    Chris¡¯ shock and confusion quickly calmed down.Even though he might¡¯ve failed to aplish his goal of being the first normal ss yer to achieve the fifth ss advancement...


    He might¡¯ve been prevented from being inducted into the Hall of Fame and couldn¡¯t experience thepleted normal ss, making all the work he had been struggling on useless...


    ¡®This isn¡¯t something to me Grid for.¡¯


    In the end, it was the path of his own choice.He also got a legendary ss.It was the highest rated ss among hidden sses that he had been unconsciously hoping for when he was once deeply eager for it and still felt regret.Furthermore, Grid had directly provided it to him.He didn¡¯t understand why it happened without a word of discussion, but it was a favor and filled with sincerity. It was a fortune created by the rtionship he made.


    ¡®It is good... right?¡¯


    Suspicions suddenly sprouted, but he shook his head to get rid of them.It was while looking around with a fierce gaze.


    ¡°It is a great environment to be a passenger.¡±


    He was currently surrounded by hundreds of demonic creatures and dozens of demons, and there were thousands of demonic creatures still flocking behind them.He still couldn¡¯t believe the situation, but he couldn¡¯t even guess what number the level marked ¡®1¡¯ would reach.


    Then 30 God Hands appeared.They each held a weapon and rotated in a scary manner with Chris as the center.He was also escorted by Overgeared Skeleton One, who upied the grandmaster¡¯s body, and Overgeared Skeleton Two, who summoned skeleton soldiers.Of course, Randy and Noe were also present.


    Spit spit spit.


    Finally, Overgeared Corn spat on Chris¡¯ face.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Deal thest blow well.¡±


    There was no party. If the level difference was toorge, the one with the low level wouldn¡¯t gain any experience.The bus departed right away.The attack of the God Hands, which counterattacked those aiming at Chris, crushed the demonic creatures. The demonic creatures became minced meat and immediately turned to ash.The area around Chris, who was originally isted on the battlefield that was swarming with enemies, turned into an empty wilderness in seconds.


    ¡°......¡±


    Chris had quickly learned that he could equip existing weapons, although his strength had weakened due to the rebound of the level reset.He was looking for an opportunity to aim his greatsword and his eyes sank coldly at the sight.His expression was full of suspicion as he looked at Grid standing next to him with folded arms.


    ¡°...Hum hum.¡±Grid coughed to hide his embarrassment and quickly reced the weapons of the God Hands.The swords that were shining brilliantly turned into very sharp weapons.They weren¡¯t the main and secondary weapons that Grid and the God Hands had been using.They were the results of Grid¡¯s failures when making his colleagues¡¯ weapons and he had been scheduled to hand them over to Administrator Rabbit soon.They were all unique rated and there were no legendary rated weapons.


    The moment the weapons were reced, the stopped dance of the God Hands resumed again.They were fast as if implementing some of Grid¡¯s stats and rotated in different directions. The demonic creatures couldn¡¯t even get near Chris before turning to ash.It was the same as before.Chris didn''t even have a chance to wield his sword. He was still level 1.


    ¡°Eh...?You¡¯ve already dealt with all the strong ones.¡±Grid, who was sweating while feeling Chris¡¯ stinging gaze, btedly figured out the situation.They were words that stabbed a dagger in not only Chris¡¯ heart, but the hearts of all the yers on the field.


    Grid himself wasn¡¯t aware of it.It was because he couldn¡¯t urately gauge the level of the God Hands, which had grown in line with him.It couldn¡¯t be helped.It had been too long since he dealt with mobs.Grid had been growing through raids, quests, and cksmithing for some time. He hadn¡¯t experienced an ordinary hunt in a long time.Of course, his high cognitive skills meant he quickly read the atmosphere and realized, but the water had already been spilled. He had no choice but to keep pushing forward.


    ¡°As expected of Chris. You know how much I respect you, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Both of Grid¡¯s hands started to move.He picked up dropped items such as bones and leather that fell from the demonic creatures, and sharpened them, weaved them, and trimmed them to create a form that could roughly be called a tool.


    [The Crude But Incredibly Sharp Bone Sword has beenpleted.]


    [Miracle Made of Dirty Bones has beenpleted.]


    [Bone Flower Blooming on the Battlefield has beenpleted.]


    There were unique and legendary items, even legendary weapons with many modifiers, but it was fine.They were made with low quality materials, which reduced their power whenpared to their rating.


    The new weapons¡ªthe God Hands, armed with sophisticated and sharp weapons that were hard to believe were made just from carving the bones of demonic creatures, once again rotated.Fortunately, this time the destructive power dropped significantly.


    Nearly half the demonic creatures in range survived.Finally, an opportunity came for Chris.


    ¡°Yes!¡±Chris wasn¡¯t stupid. He immediately seized the opportunity and drew the greatsword.He swung a level 440 greatsword at level 1 with the same clean form as before.Of course, the momentum at the end of the sword was very shabby.First of all, the attack speed was too slow.His stats also fell when his level was reset so it couldn¡¯t be helped.The good news was that there were hundreds of stat points left over.It was due to the stats acquired from his second ss, titles, quests, and elixirs being maintained without any resets.


    ¡°......¡±


    Chris¡¯ greatsword split apart the innocent air.It was because a wave of sword energy destroyed all the demonic creatures in the path one step ahead of the greatsword.It was sword energy with various runenguages.


    Chris¡¯ eyes became cold again as he turned to Overgeared Skeleton One this time, not Grid.At almost the same time, Overgeared Skeleton One disappeared. It was a reverse summoning.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is the first time he came out after the ss change, so he was too motivated.Haha...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Chris was still level 1.This time, there were no nearby demonic creatures rushing to approach.If there hadn¡¯t been such twists, Chris might¡¯ve gained a few more levels today.However, Chris didn¡¯t feel sorry.After an hour, his level already exceeded 60.Perhaps it was a record that would never be broken.


    It was because the damage adjustment of the God Hands, which boasted excellent learning skills, had already reached the level of a master.Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s ability to distort all attacks heading toward Chris was also a big help.Overgeared Skeleton Two guaranteed Chris¡¯ survival while the God Hands devoted themselves to attacking. This increased Chris¡¯ hunting efficiency.


    Chris immediately distributed the rising stat points to regain his strength. The speed at which he finished off a demonic creature elerated in real time. His fierce control clearly proved why he was the best yer.Noe¡¯s performance in crouching down as cutely as possible and luring the demonic creatures was also excellent. Randy was prepared for any unknown danger.


    Grid stood next to Chris and continued to cut the bones of the demonic creatures.He was recing the low quality bone swords that broke after a few attacks in real time.He was prepared to use his Knights Summoning at any time.


    ¡®Braham is fine.¡¯


    Grid was alsomunicating deeply with Braham. It was at a level where he vaguely detected the scenes after Braham fell into the pit of the Abyss. If Braham faced a crisis, it would be immediately recognized with the help of the bond system.


    ¡®I believe that you wille back safely.¡¯


    The Abyss¡ªit was the ce where Braham eliminated the hydra and became part of many myths.Therefore, Grid longed for a new myth to be born there that would give Braham greater power.


    Then the sound of Overgeared Corn blowing from his mouth entered Grid¡¯s ears.It was as if he was saying, ¡®Braham will be fine.¡¯


    ¡®No, that guy isn¡¯t such an existence?¡¯


    Grid awakened from his thoughts.He looked over and could see Overgeared Corn biting on Chris¡¯ face. The re in his eyes was hideous. He openly showed killing intent.He seemed to be quite dissatisfied about needing to look after a man.


    ¡®...I don¡¯t think he will kill Chris.¡¯Overgeared Corn was actually a very obedient guy.


    Grid pretended not to know anything and shifted his gaze away.

 Chapter 1546

    <h4>Chapter 1546</h4>


    Braham¡¯s consciousness was deeply submerged as the darkness filling his vision deepened. His thoughts expanded infinitely.It came from beyond the Abyss and reached the point where he could feel and interpret the original ideas that erupted likeva.


    ¡®It is painful.¡¯


    ¡®Why do we have to suffer like this?¡¯


    ''I haven¡¯tmitted any sins!''


    ¡®Howe it doesn¡¯t end even when I die? Someone kill me again...pletely extinguish me...¡¯


    ¡®I curse you. I curse this world!¡¯


    The voices of numerousvengefulspirits caused a chill to go down Braham¡¯s spine.Even though he hated the fate of his blood kin dying of illness and Marie Rose all his life, he couldn¡¯t measure the anger and pain of the souls. It was that deep.


    Braham thought of his mother.Why was she expelled from hell even though she was third in the absolute hierarchy?He was told it was because she tried to reform hell.The exact content was vague.His mother¡¯s willpower made some memories blurred. The basis was so few that he could only guess in several ways.


    What exactly happened?Why did the rulers of hell banish his mother and even joined forces with Reba to inflict the Curse of Sloth on her?The answer¡ª


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    It suddenly came to Braham¡¯s mind at this moment.The hypothesis that waspleted based on the voices of thevengefulspirits prated his mind like a thunderbolt.


    ¡®Was hell originally very different from now?¡¯


    It was known that after death, they either ascended to heaven or fell to hell.Those who had umted virtue in their lifetime would go to heaven, while those who hadmitted crimes would go to hell.However, many of thevengefulspirits were shouting that they hadn¡¯t sinned.They cursed the world and questioned why they should be here.


    ¡®They are out of their minds.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s expression crumpled up like a sheet of paper.


    A terrifying thought came to his mind and he trembled.The proud son of the great Beriache, the apostle of Overgeared God Grid, and the strongest magician in history was frightened.It was due to reflecting on the principle of the birth of angels.


    Angels were made from the souls of those who had proven their abilities during their lifetime, i.e. very few chosen beings.The actions of the number one archangel and Mir¡¯s remark proved this fact.Only those who became angels could ascend to heaven.


    Then what about the rest who didn¡¯t qualify to be angels?Where did all the lives who were dying at this moment go after death?If all of them fell to hell...


    ¡®Hell shouldn¡¯t be in its current form.¡¯


    This was why he could guess that the original appearance of hell was different from the current one.It was likely that hell was a world made to shelter the dead, not punish the dead.The river of reincarnation flowing through hell supported this hypothesis.The river of reincarnation was a system that existed to bring salvation to the dead.


    Yet Baal distorted hell.The river of reincarnation turned into the possession of demons, not the rights of the dead.His mother was expelled to the surface after struggling to bring back such a world...


    Braham¡¯s thoughts went up to here and he lost hisposure.Anger and fear rose endlessly as he discerned the feelings of the wronged souls and his mother¡¯s position.


    ¡°Cough!¡±There was a bacsh in his mana due to the agitation in his mind.The pain of his heart tearing apart caused Braham to convulse.His mana scattered and his flying magic was forcibly lifted.Braham¡¯s body, drooping like a broken doll, fell at the speed of light.Braham nkly imagined his end of crashing into the floor of the Abyss and having his brain leak out.There was no motivation.


    Yatan, the creator of hell¡ªperhaps he had been watching the world with some sympathy after gaining the ¡®stigma¡¯ of the evil god.Was there no way to get away from Reba¡¯s nder?Was there any hope for them when the present world could even suppress an absolute god like Yatan?


    ¡®In the first ce, it was something Mother failed at.¡¯


    All that awaited them in the future was despair.They would eventually die one day, fall to hell, ande to a position where they could only produce meaningless ideas...


    ¡°......¡±


    How much time had passed?


    Braham, who was falling silently toward the end of the endless pit, suddenly felt a certain gaze.Beyond the abyss, aneye waslurking.It was like seeing a floating alone in space.The eye was that huge.


    ¡°¡°It... hurts...¡±¡±


    Thousands or tens of thousands of voices echoed.Braham btedly noticed why the eye was red.Demon God Sitri¡ªhe was now crying in the form of countless resentments and desires created due to the principles of hell. He was shedding tears of blood.


    ¡°¡±Ahh...¡±¡±


    The red disappeared.The demon god closed his eye, and a ck hole appeared in the universe.It was a huge mouth.It was the mouth of the demon god, who would soon swallow the falling Braham.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t resist.He lost all motivation and only waited for the moment when his descent stopped and he would be eaten.In any case, he was just bringing forward the destiny that would surelye someday...He felt at ease when he thought like this.At this moment¡ª


    ¡®I believe that you wille back safely.¡¯A familiar voice was heard.No, it was a thought, not a voice.Grid¡¯s faith and wish was clearly conveyed to Braham.It was a rapport caused by their bond.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡±Augh leaked from Braham¡¯s tightly closed lips.His red eyes shed and his falling bodyimmediately stopped.He embodied magic through blood instead of his scattered mana.


    Blood magic¡ªit was Braham¡¯s innate power.It was a power he never thought he would get back, yet he got it back.Marie Rose handed it to him.It was one of the miracles that Grid created.Braham looked back on his journey with Grid.


    Resurrection¡ªhe drifted in a soul state and returned to his body.


    Transcendence¡ªthe magic that reached the peak was developed once more.


    Revival¡ªhe regained the blood and power he had lost.


    He experienced many miracles during the not-so-long journey.Impossibility?He never experienced this when he was with Grid.


    Braham once again reflected on his destiny.The destiny to fall to hell and be part of the demon god.The destiny to die and be an angel that was Reba¡¯s puppet.Just a little while ago, he was at a crossroad where only two paths could be seen, but at this moment, a new road appeared.


    A blurred picture of destroying Baal and Reba formed in his head.It was apletely different picture from the destiny this crazy world forced on him.


    ¡°I am certain,¡± the mana around Braham turned red as he slowly opened his mouth.


    It was a phenomenon that urred due to the damage of his mana core being reced by blood. The color was very clear. It was a level that briefly got rid of the darkness of the Abyss.Demon God Sitri¡¯srge and ugly figure was carefully projected onto Braham¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your suffering won¡¯t be eternal.¡±


    It was a statement, not an attempt atfort. His tone was blunt. Rather than any consideration, it was just at the level of conveying the facts.Nevertheless¡ª


    ¡°¡±Ah...Ahhhhh...¡±¡±


    Many of thevengefulspirits that made up Sitri wereforted.The demon god closed the mouth he had opened to quench the thirst caused by resentment and slowly retreated beyond the Abyss.


    [The apostle of the Overgeared God, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has prevented the emergence of the demon god.]


    [The demonic creatures, who were running wild due to the emergence of the demon god, have lost their momentum and are weakened.]


    [The Abyss has temporarily entered a lull.]


    ***


    The amount of experience required to level up increased as the level increased.The higher the level, the slower the growth.However, Chris¡¯ leveling speed was elerating.The level difference with the demonic creatures was narrowing.


    ¡®The level difference is sorge that the experience penalty is being slightly mitigated.¡¯


    Chris calcted as he broke through level 90.


    ¡®If this trend continues, I¡¯ll recover to level 200 in no time.¡¯


    Considering the average level of the demonic creatures, he would have to be at least level 300 before he received the full experience points.On the other hand, the required experience to level up increased significantly at level 200.Unfortunately, the pace of growth would slow from then on.Of course, that was just whenpared to the present.


    Chris surprisingly judged that he could re-enter the top rankings in the near future.The abilities of his new ss were so outstanding.


    A legendary ss¡ªit was the ultimate of hidden sses and there were separate means of obtaining additional stats.The skills were also very powerful.There were fewer types of unlocked skills due to his low level, but they all had high coefficients and were of high quality.Chris particrly paid attention to his passive skills.


    First of all, Tzudan¡¯s Weapon Technique.This was a skill that was highlypatible with Weapon Mastery.His damage, attack speed, and hit rate would significantly increase when equipped with any type of weapon.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to describe it as a skill for Chris because the effect was maximized when using a greatsword.


    However, the key was a passive skill called ¡®Five Steps.¡¯This was a skill that doubled the power of the next attack after taking five steps.This effect applied to all normal attacks and skills, but there was no cooldown time.It was applied unconditionally no matter what direction he stepped in. It also included walking in ce.Considering that the skill level was still 1, the potential was guaranteed.It was the signature skill that symbolized Tzudan¡¯s Sessor.


    ¡®The key is to make good use of this.¡¯


    There was a stride suggested by the system.It was an effect that always urred during battle. Footprint-shaped lights would randomly emerge within a radius of 10 meters.If he seeded in stepping on these lights five times in a row, the damage of the attack after the Five Steps was applied as true damage.This meant it thoroughly neutralized all damage reduction factors such as the target¡¯s defense, various tolerances, resistances, etc.


    However, this was pretty difficult.The positions of all the strides presented by the system weren¡¯t good. It was almost at the level of pushing his limbs, so it even felt malicious.


    ¡®Even so, I¡¯ll do it.¡¯


    Ultimately, he had to follow the strides that the system presented.Only then could he maximize the power of this ss that Grid gifted to him. In the wake of this incident, he felt the expectations that Grid had for him. The desire to meet these expectations naturally sprang up.


    Chris chased after the lights.He used Tyrant¡¯s Path to break through the limits of his limbs and generated true damage. The head of a demonic creature flew away in one blow.


    Tzudan¡¯s soul was watching all of this.


    [Tzudan is appalled. He is embarrassed and is saying he doesn¡¯t know why his sessor is trying to recreate his ending. He insists on stopping that suicide.]


    ¡°......¡±Grid didn¡¯t know the exact circumstances and considered it something not worth arguing about.In any case, it was rewarding to observe Chris growing at a steep pace in real time.


    ¡®At this point, Chris will be feeling sorry.¡¯


    He wondered if Chris would be disappointed looking at the invoice that only asked for 100 billion.Would it ease the burden if he raised the price significantly?Grid was feeling seriously troubled when a world message appeared.


    [The apostle of the Overgeared God, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has prevented the emergence of the demon god.]


    [The demonic creatures, who were running wild due to the emergence of the demon god, have lost their momentum and are weakened.]


    [The Abyss has temporarily entered a lull.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±Chris sighed while everyone else was cheering.It was also a problem when his colleagues were toopetent.

 Chapter 1547

    <h4>Chapter 1547</h4>


    It was after wiping out the remnants of the demonic creatures.


    Grid had to calm Chris, who was trying to jump into the Abyss, down.¡°What do you mean by trying to hunt in the Abyss? Have you forgotten that you aren¡¯t even level 100 yet? Good hunting grounds for your level are all over the ce.¡±


    ¡°......¡±Chris barely calmed his excitement down.He got rid of his way of thinking from before his level was reset and reminded himself that there were so many options.There was just one concern.¡°I don¡¯t know when the offensive of the demonic creatures will start again... I¡¯m worried about being away from my position.¡±


    The Abyss was the most important base. It was best to have the maximum power.


    ¡®You won''t be much help due to your low level anyway.¡¯This was what Grid wanted to say.Grid thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but he came to his senses.He remembered that he was the one who reset Chris¡¯ level. He had to consider Chris¡¯ mood.


    He spoke as kindly as possible, unlike his inner thoughts.¡°Your vacancy will be very big, but it will be okay. Trust your other colleagues.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I¡¯ll have to leave for a while.¡±


    ¡°Work hard to raise your level. I will soone to you with a gift.¡±


    Grid had observed Chris¡¯ battle carefully.He carefully understood the characteristics of Tzudan¡¯s Sessor and thought about what items to make for Chris.A surprise was also prepared.He nned to ce Tzudan¡¯s soul in the greatsword he would give to Chris.


    In any case, Grid had already obtained everything from Tzudan after getting the information of Grenier.In the future, he hoped Tzudan would stay by Chris¡¯ side and help Chris steadily develop.He made this judgment after having the thought, ¡®It would¡¯ve been very helpful if Pagma¡¯s soul had been by my side and gave me a lot of advice.¡¯


    ¡®... No, It would be better if Pagma didn¡¯t help me.¡¯


    If Pagma had been with him...


    It was highly likely that all sorts of troubles would¡¯ve urred with his personal rtionships.First of all, it was certain that he would be lifelong enemies with Braham.


    ¡°A gift...? You have already given me a legendary ss change book. What else do you want to give me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel burdened. The ss change book isn¡¯t a gift. I will receive money for it anyway.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°How about 120 million dors? At this price, I don¡¯t think we will be burdened toward each other.¡±


    The price offered by Grid was about 150 billion won.He constantly entrusted Grid with item production requests and he purchased elixirs.The expenditures he made to invest in his growth were sorge that this was a disastrous amount for Chris, who had less money saved.


    ¡°I will send you my ount number by email.¡±


    ¡°...Can I return it?¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±Chris must be in a good mood based on the way he was joking around.Grid wasughing while thinking this, only for his expression to suddenly stiffen.He noticed that Chris was speaking sincerely.


    ¡®It seems Chris is a person whovishly spends.¡¯


    It was known that the average annual ie of high rankers was in the tens of billions.It was natural since they gained poprity beyond sports stars and Hollywood stars.Tens of billions was based on the value of sports stars.High rankers made a lot of money just withmercials and broadcasting fees. Even that was only extra ie.Naturally, the real source of ie for high rankers was Satisfy.


    Moreover, Chris was the former lord of Reidan.He ruled the secondrgest city in the Overgeared Kingdom for several years. Even before joining the Overgeared Guild, he owned a private territory.He would¡¯ve earned an astronomical amount of money from the tax revenue.Yet he had no money.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie.Grid¡¯s developed insight was informing him that Chris was in a true state.


    ¡®Is he just spending money indiscriminately?¡¯


    He imagined Chris bringing dozens of beauties to his mansion every day and having drug parties...


    It was drawn clearly in his mind as if he had seen it himself.Grid had never been abroad except for the National Competitions.He had strange fantasies about wealthy foreigners.He easily had the prejudice that they had morous and promiscuous private lives.


    ¡°Um...Pretend you didn¡¯t hear the amount I just mentioned. Chris, you can set the price yourself.¡±


    In Grid¡¯s heart, he didn¡¯t want to receive any money for it. However, the problem was that it could hurt Chris¡¯ pride.That¡¯s right.Grid was acting out of consideration for Chris.He let Chris pay what he could afford in order to protect Chris¡¯ pride and family.


    It was the wrong judgment.He had already asked for 150 billion won. To btedly ask for Chris to set the amount... Chris couldn¡¯t make it less than 150 billion. It was a matter of pride.


    ¡°As soon as possible... I will do... liquidation...¡±


    Chris tried to think positively.


    A legendary ss¡ªbased on recent trends, 150 billion won was very cheap.Yes, he was lucky...


    He appreciated Grid¡¯s kindness...


    Chris repeated this thought, but only the number ¡®150 billion won¡¯ was floating in his mind.


    ***


    Grid sent Chris away and visited Braham¡¯s barrack.


    ¡°You came just in time.¡±


    Braham leaned against a spacious table and greeted Grid.He was holding a drink in one hand. He was pretending to be rxed.However, the maps and documents spread out on the table were proving Braham¡¯s usual workload.In particr, the magic records were very conspicuous.


    It was true that a magician was close to a schr.Braham was recording all the magic he used during the war.What would happen when he used magic for different reasons in different environments?He recorded it, contrasted it, and studied it one by one.It meant that the status of strongest magician in history wasn¡¯t achieved just by talent.


    There was also the smell of blood.A shirt crumpled up like a rag in the corner was dyed red.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±Braham frowned and flicked his finger. Then the shirt burned up and disappeared.


    ¡°I used blood magic.¡±This concluded the exnation.He didn¡¯t say that his mana core had been damaged and he suffered a major crisis.In any case, he hadpletely recovered with the regeneration power of a direct descendant. There was no need to worry Grid.


    Grid had a shaky expression as he sat down in front of Braham.He used a God Hand that just flew over as a chair, but it was bothfortable and unpleasant. It was because the God Hands were based on Grid¡¯s hand.


    Why was there only one chair here?


    ¡°Did you kill the demon god?¡±


    Demon God Sitri¡ªording to some, he was weaker than a single digit great demon, but his huge size couldn¡¯t be ignored.Just one of his fingers reached 10 meters long. It couldn¡¯t even be guessed how huge his overall size would be.To an extent, the size itself was a weapon.He was the type that could cover the sky with a single hand gesture and cause a typhoon with a single snort.


    ¡®A presence specialized in mass murder. At this point, it is likely that it will be highly difficult to deal a hit with ordinary weapons.¡¯


    There was a health and defense that fit his size as well as divinity.Putting aside his actualbat power, he was a frightening opponent.


    ¡°No, that is an existence that can¡¯t be killed.¡±


    ¡°He must be as sturdy as he is big.¡±


    ¡°It is pointless to discuss him physically. He is a mass of vengeful spirits... he is close to a concept. That is why he is a god.¡±


    Braham started a long story.The name Beriache came out first.Braham exined in detail his guess about what hell was originally like.


    Grid wasn¡¯t surprised at all.


    A peaceful neutral zone that was no different from the surface.


    The statue of God Yatan that prevented disputes.


    The river of reincarnation managed by the great demons.


    Gods who didn¡¯t hesitate to cooperate with hell.


    The grudge and anger that Leraje had toward Baal.


    System messages that indicated that Baal had distorted hell and so on.


    There were many reasons to feel doubt.


    ¡°I doubted it from the time I discovered that the statue of Yatan acted as a symbol of peace in hell. I couldn¡¯t understand why the evil god symbolized peace.¡±


    Was Yatan really evil?Upon thinking about it, Grid couldn¡¯t recall any of Yatan¡¯s evil deeds.Of course, he didn¡¯t deny that Yatan was an evil god.It was Yatan who made hell and the demons.Yatan was the source of all evil in the world, so he was naturally an evil god.


    However, that concept was overturned at this moment.As Braham spected, hell was likely to be a ¡®rest area created for the dead.¡¯Otherwise, it was hard to exin why the river of reincarnation flowed through hell.The river of reincarnation was a system that gave new life to the dead. It was caring for the dead.Would it be necessary to consider the deceased if hell was really a den of evil?


    It was right to interpret hell as a world created by benevolence, not Yatan¡¯s malice.From this point on, the evidence that Yatan was the source of evil became weak.From a human point of view, the heavenly gods were evil in the first ce.


    ¡°In my opinion, there is only one sinmitted by Yatan.¡±


    Dozens of cracks appeared in the ss in Braham¡¯s hand.


    ¡°He made Baal.¡±


    Braham remembered why his mother gave birth to Marie Rose.She wanted Marie Rose to do what she couldn¡¯t aplish.Thus, she made an existence that transcended herself.Perhaps Yatan was simr.Perhaps the reason why he gave Baal so much authority and strength was because he wanted Baal to cooperate with his kin to save him from his destiny.For example, Yatan wanted to escape the fate of periodically destroying the world.


    ¡°Just as my mother proved... a child naturally doesn''t have to act ording to their child¡¯s preferences. The evidence is that Fenrir, Marie Rose, and I failed to meet our mother¡¯s expectations and hurt her heart. Yatan and Baal would be no different.¡±


    Braham¡¯s past as a direct descendant was a shameful disgrace.However, he revealed it himself.He used himself as proof to prove the rtionship between Yatan and Baal.Therefore, it was definitelymunicated to Grid.


    ¡°I want to restore the real hell. That was my mother¡¯s ultimate wish.¡±


    Braham felt his mother¡¯s heart.Why did she hide the truth while blurring the memories of her children?It must be because she didn¡¯t want her children to take any risks.Thus, Braham wanted to fulfill his mother¡¯s true desire that she was forced to hide.He also felt the need to correct the wrong world for himself.


    ¡°Grid, what about you?¡±


    [A world quest has urred!]


    [World quests have enough influence to overturn the worldview. Please keep this in mind.]


    [World Quest]


    [¡ïHell side.


    The information you¡¯ve collected so far and Braham¡¯s interpretation havebined to reveal the truth of hell.


    Try to reverse the distorted form of hell.


    Quest Clear Conditions:


    1. Spread the truth.


    Reveal the truth of hell to the world.


    At least 30% of all humanity should believe your ims.


    You must also persuade the Demon yer.


    The world quest progression will increase to 20% when the conditions are met.


    2. Liberate the river of reincarnation.


    The river of reincarnation was originally a right for the dead to enjoy.


    Persuade or defeat Eligos, the great demon currently managing the river of reincarnation, to liberate the river of reincarnation.


    The world quest progression will increase to 30% when the conditions are met.


    3. Eliminate Baal.


    Baal is the one who distorted the shape of hell. Restore hell by punishing the source of all evil.


    The world quest progression will increase to 50% when the conditions are met.


    4. ???


    5.???


    Quest Clear Rewards: Depends on the quest progress.


    Quest Failure Condition: Failed to spread the truth.


    Quest Failure Penalty: Lose 200 levels. Two of your highest stats will permanently decrease by 20%. There will be a punishment for false incitement.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    Grid faced Braham.


    ¡°Beriache¡¯s wish is your wish.¡±


    There was no hesitation or fear in his unshakable eyes.


    ¡°Your wish is my wish.¡±


    Grid also had an obligation to fight.It was for the future of Irene, Lord, and his other precious people, as well as to liberate the soul of Pagma, who was captured by Baal.Also... perhaps it was for Khan who was already suffering from being part of the demon god.


    ¡°Huroi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Liege.¡±


    Grid left the barrack and took action straight away.Through Huroi¡¯s mouth, he spread the truth of hell to the world.He exined to humanity why they must fight.


    If Grid was an ordinary ranker¡ª


    If he was one guild or the head of the nation, he might never have been able to persuade 30% of humanity in his lifetime.No matter how much he preached about the truth of the world, who would easily believe it?Even if they believed it, how many people would risk their lives and fight together for a vague death?


    [The truth of hell is spreading to the world.]


    [5% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [10% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [20% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [Demon yer ¡®Yura¡¯ has added strength to your argument.]


    [35% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [You have already achieved your goal!]


    [50% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [It is a remarkable achievement! More than half of humanity trusts you!]


    [68% of humanity epts your ims as the truth.]


    [The people of the east and the natives of Grenier also trust your ims.]


    [...!]


    [...!!]


    [......!!]


    [Most of humanity trusts you.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God is strengthened.]


    [Deity has increased by 20.]


    [Analyzing your achievements to give you two new powers.]


    [...]


    [...]


    Grid had a sense of reality.If he was thentern of humanity, then humanity was the ship carrying thentern.He could go further because he had the people.

 Chapter 1548

    Chapter 1548


    [(Breaking) The reality of hell is revealed.]


    [Hell isn¡¯t the original hell?]


    [A world where the dead can¡¯t get rest... Satisfy¡¯s desperate worldview.]


    [Is it okay for a game for all ages to be like this? The Korean Broadcasting and Communications Commission, which has criticized Satisfy¡¯s high degree of freedom in the past, has criticized the Game Rating Committee. ¡®It should be noted that we have an obligation to protect the young people of South Korea from games depicting violence, sensationalism and depression.¡¯]


    [Discussing the rating change... the Game Rating Committee has kneeled down to the onught of the Ministry of Education and the Korean Broadcasting and Communications Commission?]


    [Public opinion is boiling over due to the action. Is this the 21st century? There is criticism wondering how long we are going to adhere to Confucianism. We will also be mocked abroad.]


    [¡¯Satisfy¡¯s worldview suggests a hero¡¯s path to yers.¡¯ The domestic and foreign game critics who disagree with the Korean Broadcasting and Communications Commission.]


    Thest 10 days had been the busiest days of Huroi¡¯s life.He crossed the continent on a wyvern, preaching the truth of hell, while also actively participating in offline activities.He struggled to convince both NPCs and yers.


    In the process, the Yatan Church was surprisingly helpful.The Dominion and Judar Churches denied the truth, but the Yatan Church agreed that Huroi¡¯s words were correct.It seemed to be the first time they knew this truth, but they decided to actively use this opportunity to form a religion that ultimately aimed at the descent of God Yatan.


    Instead, their strength was weakened significantly in the process.It was due to the fundamental question about why they should serve the church if Yatan wasn¡¯t truly evil.Nearly half of the Yatan Servants turned their backs to the religion and a considerable number of followers left with them.


    The Yatan Church actually became led by yers and this was great news for the Overgeared Kingdom.yers couldn¡¯t ignore the influence of the Overgeared Kingdom.Unbelievably, the Yatan Church became an ally of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    At the Overgeared Castle, Reinhardt¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re suffered a lot,¡± Lauel greeted Huroi warmly.As the media¡¯s response from each country showed, the reality of hell that was revealed by Grid was being epted as an established fact.It was proof that people trusted Grd, but additionally, Huroi¡¯s performance was great.


    Hell, which they thought was a den of evil, was actually a world made for the dead.Common sense was overturned.If it wasn¡¯t for Huroi¡¯s eloquent speech, many people wouldn¡¯t have believed it no matter how much evidence was presented.Lauel was very pleased and excited that there was apetent spokesman like Huroi.


    ¡°Is there anything that made me suffer? It was all done by His Liege. More than that, the war is truly over.¡±


    A smile spread on Huroi¡¯s face as he shifted his gaze outside the window.Reinhardt was energetic thanks to the soldiers who returned from the war.The faces of those who reunited with their parents after life or death, held their pets, or yed on the streets were all bright.The pubs, restaurants, and various ces in the city were crowded with customers who came in groups with friends or family.It was a scene that everyone worked together to protect.


    It wasn¡¯t just the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Kingdom. It was all the allied nations, including the empire and Valha. Additionally, there were the wanderers who didn¡¯t belong anywhere and the wicked who caused incidents.This was the present that most people worked together to protect.


    However, it wasn¡¯t over yet.Now they had to fight for the future.


    ¡°......¡±Huroi¡¯s expression stiffened.Far away, outside the outer castle¡ªhis vision was filled with the procession that was lined up and heading toward the site where the mountain was located.¡°Are they all perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are the bereaved families of the dead. It is fortunate that there are more ces to build a national cemetery due to Braham¡¯s destruction of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that there were more than 50,000 people killed?¡±


    ¡°It is really less damagepared to other nations.¡±


    In the case of the Saharan Empire, the number of dead people was in the tens of millions.It started with the appearance of the demonic humans before the start of the Great Human and Demon War. Then the capital Titan became the stage of the war.It was natural for there to be a great deal of damage.ording to statistics, once all the civilian casualties were counted, the number of deaths would exceed one hundred million.


    Huroi was in a trance.The scene of the battlefield with the smell of blood and gunpowder was drawn in his head.The facial expressions and cries of the soldiers fighting together were vivid in his mind.He didn¡¯t dare to count the number of soldiers he couldn¡¯t protect.He felt guilty as their sacrifice was given a sense of realism.It was an emotion that Lauel couldn¡¯t feel since he never participated directly in the battlefield.


    ¡°In conclusion, it worked out well. This war means the bnce of the empire ispletely tilted. It is hard for them to stand alone. Considering the public sentiment toward King Grid, they will be seriously considering a merger with the Overgeared Kingdom. It means the empire is no longer Saharan, but us.¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me for my question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please say it.¡±


    ¡°Is your influence behind why My Liege didn¡¯t actively intervene in the war?¡±


    It was a question that caught him off guard.Fright passed through Huroi¡¯s eyes.He inwardly hoped that Lauel would deny it.Unfortunately, Lauel nodded.He was even smiling.¡°Of course.¡±


    There was little reason for Grid to participate in this war.First of all, the overall situation was favorable without Grid.Secondly, Grid¡¯s involvement would rob the yers and soldiers of growth opportunities.Thirdly, Grid¡¯s cksmithing ability was excellent for rear support. He was helpful enough for their allies even in the rear.Fourth, Grid had just secured materials to make dragon weapons.It was right to prioritize thepletion of the dragon weapons in case of an emergency.Etc, etc.


    Lauel persuaded Grid using all types of reasons.At every moment, he gave reminders that it wasn¡¯t necessary for Grid to go directly to the battlefield unless a special enemy like Baal¡¯s ego fragment appeared.There was nothing wrong with this. It made sense.Grid agreed and entrusted the war to his colleagues.


    However, Lauel¡¯s inner thoughts were different.From the beginning, he regarded the Great Human and Demon War as an opportunity. It was an opportunity to weaken and absorb the empire.Of course, he didn¡¯t explicitly reveal his inner thoughts.It was clear that Grid would be angry if he exined it.


    ¡°Is that so? I... I think that someone like you is necessary.¡±Huroi struggled against the urge to vomit. He affirmed Lauel¡¯s trick without criticizing it.His expression was dark.He was disgusted with himself for affirming Lauel.


    Lauel shrugged.¡°A group of honest people won¡¯t develop much.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild was a very unusual organization.There was no viin.None of them showed ambition.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they were like a group of innocent children. They might feel greed about being the best, but they were only trying to develop.


    ¡®Thus, even more¡ª¡¯


    I need to be cold-headed...


    Lauel vowed again as he said goodbye to Huroi with a bittersweet expression. The bloody tears that flowed after detecting his facial expression proved the skin maker¡¯s skills.


    ***


    Did it want to wash away the dirt in their hearts?It rained continuously.


    ¡°I feel good when I saw the elderly people burning cigarettes.¡±


    A cemetery where the mementos of the dead were buried¡ªit was tomemorate those who died without even leaving a body.No, Pon approached Regas, who was watching the procession of bereaved families seeking the return of their family members who would be suffering in hell forever.


    ¡°It isforting to see people in their 70s and 80s still alive while smoking cigarettes.¡±


    Pon, who came back after logging out temporarily, seemed to smell of cigarettes.Of course, it was because of his mood.


    Regas shook his head.¡°In fact, those who are only 66 might¡¯ve aged because of cigarettes.¡±


    ¡°Uh...Isn¡¯t that too rude to smokers? You are cursing them.¡±


    ¡°Cigarettes are harmful and useless. You should cease smoking.¡±


    ¡°I should...¡±Pon¡¯s voice was gloomy as he looked at the foggy scenery of the cemetery.He remembered the cigarette that he just smoked.It was around eight years ago.He tried to quit smoking when he found out that a virtual reality game was being released.He didn¡¯t want to waste time going in and out of the capsules due to smoking. It was the stance of a pro gamer.


    Fortunately, he seeded in quitting smoking. He saved the time that would¡¯ve been spent smoking and became a high ranker.Then one day, he started thinking about cigarettes again.It was caused by a rapport with the NPCs.Every time he fought a big battle and checked the casualties, he needed a method to alleviate his depressed emotions.Still, he endured it somehow until the Great Human and Demon War became a detonator.


    The first day after the outbreak of the Great Human and Demon War.Pon eventually couldn¡¯t stand it and bit a cigarette in his mouth again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for those who died, but... I think Grid did a good job.¡±


    If Grid was present on the battlefield, it was clear that the casualties would be much less than they were now.However, Grid deliberately avoided the war. This caused the overall level of yers and soldiers to rise rapidly.Grid was less active, so people experienced more trials, overcame many difficulties, and became stronger.


    ¡°It is a battle against hell. I need enough opportunities to grow before that.¡±


    ¡°I know. Are you worried that I will me Grid? Don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens in the future, I won¡¯t hate Grid. Pon, aren¡¯t you the same?¡±


    ¡°Yes, all members will be the same.¡±


    The Overgeared member knew Grid¡¯s nature well.They knew he wouldn¡¯t have avoided war simply due to individual greed.There must be some work or Lauel would have convinced him well. Perhaps Grid himself wanted people to grow.They thought it was a good thing.


    If Grid was present on the battlefield, the number of the dead might be several or dozens of times less than it was now, but the future of those who survived probably wouldn¡¯t have been as bright.The reality of hell was known and people were losing their faith in Reba.In the future, there would be dangers greater than the Great Human and Demon War.


    Could people who hadn¡¯t grown up properly handle this world?Of course not.It was cruel to those who died, but their sacrifices were necessary for the future.In the first ce, it was an error to rely solely on Grid for every crisis.It was normal for colleagues to rely on each other.


    ¡°So... how long are you going to stay like this?¡±


    The bereaved families sobbing while hugging the rain-soaked tombstones¡ªRegas barely looked away from them and got up.


    ¡°The memorial service is over.¡±


    I will save your family from hell.I will enjoy the right of reincarnation and repeat my new life, so that I can reunite with you in the end.


    Regas¡¯ eyes were cold as he pledged in a determined manner.His smile was sharp like a de.In addition to leveling up, Regas has been seeking out various training methods.For example, he often showed inefficient behavior like standing under a waterfall for days for mental training.It was the temperament of a martial artist.


    The thing that couldn¡¯t be criticized was that Regas¡¯ concentration was actually unique.He had transcendent judgment using instantaneous concentration, reflex nerves, etc.Persistence was added to the concentrationmonly used by selected geniuses.It might¡¯ve been the result of several training exercises.


    Pon had always wondered how fast Regas¡¯ growth would be if his concentration was fully focused on hunting.¡®I will know now. I should quit smoking again.¡¯


    ***


    A world quest¡ªit boasted an all-time high difficulty, so it was a quest apanied by all-time high penalties and rewards.


    Grid had passed the crisis for now.He borrowed Huroi¡¯s mouth and seeded in spreading the truth to the world without much effort.The reward for progressing 20% in the world quest was a 20 point increase in Deity.This surpassed the 18 points of Deity that he umted in the past few years.


    It was sweet.Two new powers had been opened.Grid looked at the first power.


    [A power suitable for the creator of all things is added. From now on, two option slots will be created on the items you produce. The effects given are random, but you can modify them at any time. However, 2,000 prayers will be consumed every time you update the effects.]


    [The ¡®prayer¡¯ stat is opened by the new power.]


    [Prayer]


    [Refers to the number of times prayers directed toward you are umted.


    Currently umted prayers: 1,839,874,511.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid brought up the details of Gujel¡¯s Dao.Two nk slots were added to the list of effects.He immediately experimented with it.


    [Do you want to consume 2,000 prayers to grant effects to the item?]


    It was naturally a yes.


    [Strength +53 will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    In order to ce stat increase effects on items, certain conditions must be met such as using a specific material.Now there was no cost. No, he could add stats at any time just by consuming prayers.However, the effect was too low for a myth rated item.


    Grid tried again.


    [Do you want to consume 2,000 prayers to grant effects to the item? The existing effect will be deleted when granting a new effect.]


    [Lifesteal +5% will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    [Agility +90 will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    [Abnormal status resistance +5% will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    [Dignity +101 will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    [Damage resistance +5% will be added to the 1st option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao.]


    ¡°XX.¡±


    The range of effects was toorge.All stats present in Satisfy seemed to be included in the target. Even the number was random.Grid tried exactly 31 times. Out of these attempts, the additional strength effect urred three times with significant variations of 50, 53, and 120 respectively.It was impossible to calcte how many attempts it would require to get the desired effect to the highest possible value.


    Subsequently, he tested the second option slot.It was the same.


    ¡°Wow, what is this...?¡±


    Grid was tired of the viciousness of the S.A Group.At the same time, he was happy.He hoped that each item would be very strong by rotating the effects until each item had the desired effects and he filled in the two new options.In any case, it was good to be stronger...


    In fact, this was close to the thoughts of a pushover.Even so, he was delighted.


    In any case, Grid had over 1.8 billion prayers.Moreover, it was still rising in real time.It was equivalent to changing the effects for free, so he was naturally happy.

 Chapter 1549

    <h4>Chapter 1549</h4>


    Grid was in a bad mood these days.He tried not to show it, but Mercedes easily noticed.Of course, she knew it without having to use Keen Insight.There was a rough air to his usual habits.


    ¡®Has he perhaps seen my room? I covered it with camouge wallpaper, but... there is no chance it will work in front of My Liege¡¯s insight. His discerning eye is wonderful as well...¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ anxious mind was overflowing with thoughts.Of course, there was no change in her expression.She was a legendary knight for a reason.How far did her imagination go?By the time Mercedes¡¯ earlobes turned red, Grid had made up his mind.


    ¡®Let¡¯spromise with this much.¡¯


    For thest three days, Grid focused on updating the effects of Gujel¡¯s Dao.Fortunately, he could multitask with the God Hands and his summoned pet. If he was an ordinary yer, he would¡¯ve been unable to do anything for three days due to changing the effects.


    ¡®I wasted over 300 million.¡¯


    His prayer stat that exceeded 1.8 billion was reduced to 1.5 billion.The results obtained were a ¡®280% rise in critical hit damage¡¯ and a ¡®low probability of weapon stealth.¡¯Gujel¡¯s Dao was literally a nuclear weapon.It was easy to reach the goal with one hit.There was no need to look at probability.This meant it was a weapon that couldn¡¯t be responded to.It was worth the investment of time, capital, and mental power.


    However, Grid was very sorry.It was because the effect of a ¡®normal probability of weapon stealth¡¯ appeared less than 50 times while he was changing the second option slot.He thought it was an easy option to update, so he renewed it, but he didn¡¯t see it again after tens of thousands of attempts. He had topromise with a ¡®low probability.¡¯


    It was frustrating.


    ¡®First of all, give effects to other items... Gujel¡¯s Dao can get better effectster.¡¯


    First, he needed to change his mood.For three days, he had been stressed looking at the weapon effects and he felt like he was going to die.


    Grid put away Gujel¡¯s Dao, that disappeared intermittently, into his inventory and observed the surroundings.The deep part of the Chaos Mountains had turned into ruins.The terrifying monsters were being turned to ash after being attacked by the modified God Hands, Randy, and Overgeared Skeletons.The monsters, which formed a group on the periphery and rushed at once, were bound by the blood magic of the direct descendants who joinedte.One of the hunting grounds that was currently considered the most difficult was easily raided without Grid.


    ¡®Noe is bingzier.¡¯


    As proof of the situation where there was plenty of spare power, Noe was sleeping alone in the back.It was cute to see him snoring with his belly bulging out, but it was also somewhat disgusting.


    ¡°If we punish hell, the demons won¡¯t be so eager for the memphis.¡±


    Noe¡¯s ears moved.


    ¡°There must be many pretty females... I wonder if they will wee a boyfriend with a belly.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an important issue whether the belly bulges out or not.¡±Mercedes suddenly stepped in.She was looking at Grid with deep eyes.


    Her liege was cool in many ways. He was unconditionally good. Too good. Etc, etc.


    She summoned up her courage to express the words hovering in her mouth, but it wasn¡¯t easy.It had been years since she received the confession from Grid.There had been no progress in their rtionship, so Mercedes was afraid that Grid¡¯s heart might¡¯ve changed.She had no choice but to be timid.Perhaps this was why she developed a shady hobby.


    Grid¡¯s gaze was stuck to Noe.He waved his hand behind his back and pretended to keep speaking to Mercedes, ¡°At this rate, Noe might die as a bachelor in his old age.¡±


    ¡°That is impossible!¡± Noe roared and rose from where he was lying.He transformed into a dignified adult like a tiger.The energy of the thunder stone umted in his body could be used freely on the surface.It was possible because he was constantly leveling up with Grid.


    ¡°Where in hell is there a female who will reject this Noe, the strongest demonic creature in hell?!¡±


    ¡°You are the weakest one here. It is a rtiveparison.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not the weakest,heung!This one will win against them!¡±


    Noe¡¯s sharp ws were pointed at Overgeared Corn and the direct descendants.That¡¯s right.Even hell¡¯s strongest demonic creature, cherished by the great demons, couldn¡¯t handle the God Hands and Randy, who had some of Grid¡¯s stats.There was no need to mention Overgeared Skeleton One, who inherited the grandmaster¡¯s abilities, and Overgeared Skeleton Two, who distorted space.


    ¡°Your tongue is long. If you answer that you will be diligent, so that you don¡¯t gain weight any longer, this matter will be over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,nyang...¡±


    Loyalty was loyalty, but Noe was crushed by Grid¡¯s dignity and couldn¡¯t move.This was the power of stats.After putting Noe into battle, Grid tested out his other new power.


    The hundreds of items left unattended on the battlefield¡ªthe items dropped by monsters gathered together and formed a huge sword.It cut through the air a few times and turned into a storm. It was a storm of steel.


    ¡®The utilization is infinite.¡¯


    It was a power that arose based on the fact that the Overgeared God was the ruler of all things.It was another version of the Item Combination skill.Unlike Item Combination, it couldn¡¯t inherit the stats of the target item, but there was no limit to the number.Itbined arge number of items to create a substance or phenomena.The power was proportional to the total durability of thebined items. It might be due to this reason that items with infinite durability weren¡¯t included.


    ¡®It is a big drawback that I can¡¯t target Greed, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    It already had a fraudulent potential.It would be very powerful if he used it in connection with the rain of battle gear...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid, who had regained hisposure, became flustered.


    Mercedes¡¯s expression was somber.She had excellent facial expression management, but this was different from her usual appearance of indifference.For the first time, the reputation of the ruler of knights was overshadowed.


    ¡°I...¡± Mercedes made eye contact with Grid and struggled to open his mouth. Her long eyshes were trembling.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t care what My Liege looks like. You are very good.¡±


    The words she barely expressed after getting rid of her hesitation werepleted.Grid¡¯s eyes widened while his mouth was twitching with happiness.


    ¡°Nyong.¡±Noe¡¯s big stomach covered the appearance of the two people who were slowly getting closer.


    Blue hair flowed down Grid¡¯s waist.


    Hiihing~!


    The sad cry of Overgeared Corn spread along with the moonlight.


    ***


    ¡®Put yers in hell.¡¯


    Hell was divided into 33rge areas and originallypeted with each other.However, there were reports recently that they were cooperating with each other. Perhaps it was due to several crises such as losing the Great Human and Demon War and losing a lot of territory to Leraje.


    They seemed to be properly alert.It meant there would be a huge resistance the moment when Grid invaded hell.Grid would only have the support of the Overgeared Guild and it would be hard when being attacked with such a huge power difference.


    Lauel¡¯s solution to this was the regr opening of hell.He encouraged people to visit hell like it was a normal hunting ground.


    ¡®It can disperse the forces while preventing the build-up of demonic creatures.¡¯


    The strength of numbers was useful in many ways.If people¡¯s invasion of hell became routine and they became active throughout hell, the demons would be forced to respond.The troops that had gathered together in preparation for Grid¡¯s invasion would be scattered throughout hell.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t an easy scene to ur.There were two conditions that must be done first before yers could be induced to enter hell.First, the penalties of hell should be mitigated.Right now, the penalties were too high, so it was rare for someone to challenge hell.Fortunately, there was a solution.It was to get people involved in the Hell Gao raid.


    The project was already in operation.Lauel, who praised all yers as the protagonists who led the Great Human and Demon War to victory, released several controlled zones tomemorate the victory.He vowed that he would yield the raid authority previously monopolized by the Overgeared Guild to the private sector and mediate so that all participants could receive a fair share of the items dropped by the boss.He even pledged to support them to ensure the sess of the raid.


    The reaction was hot.In particr, attention was focused on the Cokro Ind dungeon.


    Hell Gao¡ªhe might¡¯ve lost his body, but he was still a single digit great demon.Rumors that the list of dropped items was very gorgeous started to spread.A rumor that just participating in the raid twice would remove the penalties of hell also spread rapidly.They were rumors that Lauel deliberately spread.


    ¡°Demons, please look forward to it. From now on, you will experience real hell.Huhuhut...¡±


    What were the reasons why guilds insisted on controlling hunting grounds?The demons would soon know why the seeds of monsters were dried up at famous hunting grounds.Unfortunately, they would find out from the monsters¡¯ point of view.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Lauel called Sticks to the castle.


    Sage Sticks¡ªhe was one of the top contributors in the Great Human and Demon War.Thanks to the warp gates he created, the distribution of troops and supplies was carried out smoothly.However...


    ¡°It is impossible.¡±


    This great figure expressed frustration at Lauel¡¯s request.The crystal castle was taken over by Demon yer Yura.Lauel¡¯s request to build a warp gate connecting the surface to the impregnable fortress was too absurd.


    ¡°It might be different if someone breaks the boundaries of the world again by cutting the Abyss, but... it is physically impossible to connect a disconnected world.¡±


    ¡°What about using the principles of the hell gate?¡±


    ¡°The hell gate uses the power of some great demons and the Demon yer. It is a supernatural phenomenon. Ask the Demon yer yourself. Maybe she doesn¡¯t know the principles either.¡±


    It was impossible.Sticks reconfirmed it and Lauel became very troubled.He wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve one of the prerequisites to make hell a hunting ground.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense to rely on Yura every time we need to send people to hell.¡¯


    It was tantamount topletely depriving Yura of her freedom.It was like wasting the maximum power of the Overgeared Guild. It was putting the cart before the horse.


    Lauel¡¯s expression gradually became darker.


    ¡°It seems possible.¡±Just then, a wee person returned.Grid¡ªsomehow, he looked like a gentleman in a romance movie as he carefully lowered Mercedes from Overgeared Corn¡¯s back.It was different from Grid¡¯s usual image, but it unexpectedly suited him well.He had the appearance and atmosphere to y various roles.


    ¡®I should tell Administrator Rabbit to prepare for the celebration.¡¯


    Lauel noticed the situation and smiled happily, while Sticks cocked his head.Grid had no knowledge of this field at all.It was hard to understand the basis for saying it was possible.


    ¡°It is different from fighting or politics. Engineering isn¡¯t a problem that can be resolved using momentum.¡±


    Grid tapped his head with his fingers.¡°It isn¡¯t momentum. It is about having enough knowledge and evidence.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±Sticks thought that Grid was making a silly joke in the morning.He guessed that something good had happened.However, that was it.


    It was because he didn¡¯t yet know of the fact that one of the wise giantswaswith Grid.

 Chapter 1550

    <h4>Chapter 1550</h4>


    ¡°The ¡®de¡¯ used in warp gates originally means a unit. After adding the standard gravitation value to mana¡¯s kic energy generated when teleportation magic is activated, the rate of the body transfer is calcted in reverse...¡±


    Grid talked nonstop for 10 minutes.He stood with shaking ck eyes.He was spitting out what Filewolf was saying with his mouth, but at the same time, he was greatly flustered once unknown words and concepts started to appear one after another.He didn¡¯t know what he was saying right now...


    It was natural to feel confused in such a situation.


    -Very cool.You are like a professor.Would you like to borrow a pair of sses?


    Lauel sent whispers to him that cheered for him.This was even though Lauel clearly knew he was receiving Filewolf¡¯s help, so it felt like Lauel was making fun of him. However, Lauel¡¯s brightly shining eyes made him seem truly sincere.No matter what it was, Grid wanted him to be quiet.It was hard to ry Filewolf¡¯s words intact, but it became crazy when ovepping with Lauel¡¯s voice.


    ¡°...Therefore, as long as 15 de energy is secured, the theory of the warp gate transcending time and space can bepleted.¡±


    Grid remained focused in the midst of the difficulties and barely finished exining.He sighed with relief and felt a sense of rewardparable to when he made a myth rated item.It was as hard as that even though he was only ¡®speaking.¡¯It felt like he started with a half-hearted joke, but then he dug his grave.He didn¡¯t know how many times he regretted it during the process.


    p p p!


    Sticks, who had been listening the entire time, pped enthusiastically. He couldn¡¯t hide his admiration.


    ¡°Many questions have been resolved since de was assigned as the resource. It is great. It is a perfect theory without any ws. Perhaps it is due to the experience of discovering the truth of the world, the knowledge itself that I use to understand the world feels different. Your Majesty should be called a great sage.¡±


    He even had the illusion that the ancient giants, who were extinct, hade back to life...


    This was Sticks¡¯ general review.


    ¡®They didn¡¯te back to life, but...¡¯


    In any case, it was right that they were back. The wise giants¡ªthey had mastered ancient knowledge and were cooperating with Grid.There were two in the tower and one by Grid¡¯s side.It was a connection that couldn¡¯t be bought by money, experience, and power.It was a connection that could only be won by pure skill.


    ¡°There will be difficulties in the future. In order to generate 15 de of energy, at least 97 million tons of material with a mana loss rate of 0.17% or less should be secured and the corresponding mana injected... I don¡¯t know if we can get the materials even if we convene all the magicians on the continent...¡±


    [FIlewolf thinks that the genes of a high elf are really excellent and is happy.]


    Filewolf started to give a lengthy exnation again.It was intended to increase the feasibility by supplementing the calction form made in an instant by Sticks.Grid wanted to convey it, but he eventually gave up.The joke would end here.


    ¡°Sticks, actually...¡±Grid honestly exined about the existence of FIlewolf.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±Sticks was relieved rather than disappointed.¡°I was worried about how Your Majesty could afford to study when you always fight for everyone. Now I am a bit relieved.¡¯


    It was Sticks who was bound by the mission to protect the Behen Archipgo while dying from the curse of the gourmet dragon.The benefactor who freed him was Grid.As the years passed, Sticks realized the value of life even more and felt even greater thanks toward Grid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to overdo it.¡±


    ¡°Sticks...¡±


    Sticks¡¯ attitude touched Grid¡¯s heart.


    [You have formed a bond with the great sage ¡®Sticks.¡¯]


    The system reacted.There was no need to go around the battlefield together.No dramatic event was needed.Rtionships could naturally develop bonds over time.This was friendship.Every time he recalled this fact, a person¡¯s face shed in Grid¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Khan.¡¯


    The first friend he made.Grid missed and worried about him a lot these days.Grid naturally believed he would¡¯ve been reunited with his family in heaven.Unfortunately, he learned the reality of hell and heaven.By now, Khan was probably wandering the river of reincarnation.It was without forgetting the previous life or changing to a new life.


    Grid thought of Khan in pain and wanted to go to hell right away.However, he didn¡¯t do so.Hell was Baal¡¯s territory.Baal might only be a small fragment on the surface, but Grid didn¡¯t yet have the confidence to deal with the strongest existence in hell.


    ¡®Time is needed.¡¯


    He needed to carry out the ¡®procedure¡¯ ording to Lauel¡¯s words.It would be around the time when yers were active in hell.In other words, he should only move after dispersing the eyes of the demons to a certain extent.In the meantime, Grid was going to be stronger than he was nowThere was a means to strengthen himself thanks to the new powers, so time was on Grid¡¯s side.Grid¡¯s priority was to make as much effort as possible.


    ¡°Sticks, a robot that can help you... no, I¡¯ll attach a person to you.¡±


    The ck sphere that always hovered like a satellite above Grid¡¯s head.It was a mass of Greed that had been built up over time.Grid decided to use part of it for the production of a magic machine.It was a production, not a transformation.It would be Filewolf¡¯s body.


    ***


    Every soul that hovered by Grid¡¯s side had different desires.First of all, Tzudan wanted freedom.He hated any further suffering and wanted aplete rest.Unfortunately, rest was oblivion to the dead.The river of reincarnation was a necessity.Tzudan¡¯s wish was a dream that couldn¡¯t be fulfilled as long as the river of reincarnation was in the hands of the demons.


    Thus, Grid made a suggestion to him.


    <em>Stay by Chris¡¯ side for a while.</em>


    Surprisingly, Tzudan epted.He seemed very interested in his sessor.He was well aware that Chris¡¯ strength was needed to liberate the river of reincarnation.


    Tzudan left Grid¡¯s side.He became the ego of the new greatsword and entered Chris¡¯ arms.The impact was huge.Chris¡¯ growth rate became simr to that of during the Great Human and Demon War.However, there seemed to be a problem withmunication and there were intermittent twisting side effects. It was close to a mysterious phenomenon because it was the level at which he tripped on his own.Still, Grid believed this was a problem that time could solve.


    Meanwhile, Haksen was burning with academic enthusiasm.He was interested in the magic of the new era, among which was Braham¡¯s enhancement magic.He suffered from being Gamigin¡¯s ve like Tzudan, but he didn¡¯t want to rest. He wanted to interact with Braham.


    ¡°What nonsense.¡±


    Braham¡¯s reaction was cold.He was offended by the fact that a remnant of the past coveted his magic.


    ¡°It is ridiculous for a ghost to be obsessed with magic. You can¡¯t even use it. Even if you are a person, do you think you deserve to be my disciple in the first ce?¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t hesitate to speak bad words.Grid worried that this was too severe, but on the other hand, he understood Braham¡¯s feelings.How could he feel good when he saw a person (?) coveting the knowledge he had struggled to umte for hundreds of years.


    Haksen also understood and wasn¡¯t hurt.He endured Braham¡¯s bad words.


    ¡°...Haksen himself knows that this is a shameless request. Braham, he fully understands your anger and contempt. Still, your magic is so great that he had no choice but to ask shamelessly. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Braham snorted like there was nothing to hear, but he no longer spoke ill of the other person.He was a magician and understood Haksen¡¯s enthusiasm for learning.Maybe... one day, the two of them would interact.


    [Haksen hopes that one day, this person will understand his heart. He is curious about Braham¡¯s birthday and zodiac sign, height and weight, tastes and hobbies.]


    ...Grid thought as he watched Haksen, who had no intention of giving up easily.In any case¡ª


    ¡°It is cool. There is a sense of unity with metal. It is more fantastic than I ever imagined.Gasp, gasp, gasp...¡±


    The only legendary soul who fulfilled his desire was Filewolf.It was the desire to be a magic machine.


    ¡°It has improved a lot, but it is still Raiders. It is a new model that was in full swing around the time I died. I felt sorry because I died without riding it, but I transcended time and became one with it, relieving my resentment.Gasp, gasp...¡±


    The dark metal¡ªFilewolf looked creepy as he stroked his body made of Greed and talked to himself.By the way, why was he always gasping for breath?He didn¡¯t have a respiratory tract.


    ¡°I might¡¯ve made improvements, but it is still ssified as an old model these days.¡±


    ¡°It is an old model. The ssic charm remains the same. My Raiders is mature.Gasp, gasp...No, you improved it? You are a better person than I thought. You are literally a god like your name.Gasp, gasp...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid silently turned away.He gave a thumbs up to Sticks, who looked uneasy.


    Sticks was left alone with FIlewolf and had to suffer for a while.The appearance of constantly touching his body and taking rough breaths... it was enough to shatter Sticks¡¯ fantasy about the giants.


    ***


    There was news that the mirror demon was sessfully raided in hell.Both Kraugel and Faker testified that the mirror demon was the most persistent enemy they had ever faced.It was said that it led them on a 10 day chase inside the crystal castle, hiding in the crystals reflecting light and repeatedly escaping.It assassinated many of the key figures in the alliance.It was really fortunate that they seeded in raiding it when the opportunity came.


    The good news didn¡¯t end there.Leraje overcame the crisis.Her strength hadn¡¯t been restored, but at the very least, the possibility of her suddenly dying had disappeared.However, she was deprived of all the hells she had upied during the Great Human and Demon War. Still, this was a scheduled process.In the first ce, they were territories that couldn¡¯t be kept. They were not needed right now.Thus, there was no need to be disappointed.


    ¡®We can upy the areas close to the crystal castle step by step.¡¯


    It was from the time when the yers¡¯ invasion of hell becamemonce.In other words, it was a topic from the time when the penalties of hell were eased and the warp gate waspleted.That¡¯s right.Lauel¡¯s ns were progressing steadily.Numerous yers participated in the Hell Gao raid, while Sticks and Filewolf started the construction of a superrge warp gate that never existed before.


    Then new information came to the smiling Lauel.An envoy had arrived from the empire.


    The time hade.


    Lauel was happily greeting the envoy when question marks appeared on his face.


    ¡°Are you the king of this small nation? It is worse than the rumors.¡±The envoy¡¯s face and attitude were strange.The dukes of the empire were constantly lowering their heads. They weren¡¯t looking at Lauel, but at the envoy who came with them.


    ¡°Saharan...?¡±The name of the envoy was confusing to Lauel.

 Chapter 1551

    <h4>Chapter 1551</h4>


    The blood of the imperial family was immortal. It didn¡¯t lose the red energy despite being diluted from being split up again and again. There was one of the reasons why the founder of the empire, Saharan, was worshipped as a divine being He built up a millennial empire and left an immutable lineage. The empire recorded it as a myth, not history. He was the founding god.


    ¡°Saharan¡­ Haicyen Saharan?¡±


    Lauel doubted his eyes.


    The tall man in antique clothes¡ªLauel was terribly familiar with this face, as well as the name. It was a face that had been seen many times in paintings and statues, or heard in oral traditions.


    The words ¡®imperial summoning circle¡¯ passed through Lauel¡¯s astonished mind. It was a magic that had been handed down from generation to generation and only the emperor had the authority to invoke it. Basara exined that it was ast resort to save the empire in crisis.


    ¡°You dare to put this emperor¡¯s name in your mouth. It is a very distant future, but the originalws and regtions have copsed.¡±


    Thest doubts were lifted. Even before the dukes sent him a hint, Lauel immediately knelt down and bowed his head. ¡°I greet the founder of the great empire.¡±


    ¡°I should be the great founder of the empire.¡±


    Saharan¡¯s long red hair fluttered as he started to move. It was as if mes were swaying. The intense colors made him realize the flow of time. This red hair was a color that the current imperial family didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Were you¡­ resurrected?¡± Lauel had many questions. Before asking several questions, he pointed out the most important one.


    Saharan smiled as he approached the window. ¡°You are asking a question of this emperor. You have alreadymitted three sins. I¡¯m d that the twisted old ones didn¡¯te together with me. They would¡¯ve caused a disturbance to kill you immediately. You should be grateful that this ce is different from the world I live in.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes twitched. He noticed something based on Saharan¡¯s remarks. The breath Saharan exhaled wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    ¡°You noticed it pretty quickly. Yes, this emperor isn¡¯t resurrected. This emperor is already dead in the history that you know, but it is a future that hasn¡¯t yet arrived for this emperor.¡±


    It was the moment when the identity of the summoning ceremony was revealed.


    ¡°From your point of view, this emperor is a man from the past.¡±


    Saharan¡¯s gaze was fixed only on the window.


    ¡°Unlike the fallen capital, this ce has achieved a brilliant civilization.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­! It is purely because Titan was drawn into the war¡­!¡± Duke Morse couldn¡¯t bear it and cried out.


    Until the Great Human and Demon War, Titan was still the continent¡¯srgest city. Your descendants have ensured that the empire has flourished well.


    This was what he wanted to say, but his words were interrupted along the way. It was by Duke Grenhal. ¡°I havemitted a sin worthy of death.¡±


    Grenhal had no excuses. Regardless of the reason, the empire had reached the stage of discussing a merger with the Overgeared Kingdom. There was no refuting the founder¡¯s assessment that they had fallen.


    ¡°This emperor had a thought when I saw the pathetic appearance of the capital. Even if this empire united the continent, the empire can¡¯tst forever. It is this emperor, not the empire, who is great. However, it is a separate matter to actually ept it.¡±


    Saharan sat down in the highest ranked seat. It was in a very natural manner. He didn¡¯t ask for permission or understanding. Even so, Lauel didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. Haicyen Saharan was one of the greatest figures in history. Just like the dukes, Lauel also felt respect for him.


    Saharan nodded to Lauel, who was standing politely. ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    ¡°The empress of this age told me this. A nation called the Overgeared Kingdom helped the empire in the crisis.¡±


    ¡°It was possible because all the allied nations, including the empire, joined forces.¡±


    ¡°Your humbleness is fine. I understood the post-war situation and came here. This emperor just wanted to check. What type of nation would be better than the empire? However¡­ it is quite a disappointment.¡±


    Saharan¡¯s gaze became provocative.


    ¡°There is no center in the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°The soldiers and knights of your kingdom are very strong. Your discerning eye pierces the sky and I think you use your brain quite well, but that is it. On the way here, I looked around various territories, but there are no unrivaled talents strong enough to support the kingdom. What makes the empire of this time want to be absorbed into your kingdom when there is no one better than these two traitors? Is it money?¡±


    Saharan¡¯s eyes were sharp as he pointed out the dukes as traitors.


    ¡°The empire might not be eternal, but I can¡¯t just watch as it is sold by a small number of traitors. This emperor is feeling my fate. This emperor was summoned to this era. I wonder if it is a miracle achieved by the wishes of my descendants, hoping to correct the empire that has gone the wrong way.¡±


    Lauel looked at the dukes. He gave them a reproaching look, as if asking why they didn¡¯t know anything.


    Did you foresee such a situation?


    Duke Grenhal quietly handed over a note.


    In fact, we thought that Her Majesty¡¯s summoning ceremony had failed. As it turned out, there was a time difference before it was triggered. We didn¡¯t know this and were discussing the merger with the Overgeared Kingdom when the founder came. From then on, he was convinced we are traitors and won¡¯t listen to anything we say.


    It briefly described how the situation reached this point.


    ¡°Do you want to devour the empire? Then endure this emperor¡¯s attack. If you can¡¯t stand it, then the city will perish today,¡± Saharan said while touching the sword. It was a tant threat.


    Lauel sighed deeply. He thought it would be hard to avoid bloodshed due to the flow of the story.


    ¡®I wanted to respect you, but¡­¡¯


    I think you need to be hit a few times¡­


    Lauel¡¯s expression was bittersweet as he looked at Saharan.


    ***


    The main focus of the Overgeared Kingdom was currently scattered between the Galgunos Temple, the Chaos Mountain, hell, and Cokro Ind. Most people were focused on growth while transcendent beings like Braham and Zik provided support to reduce the number of casualties in the Hell Gao raid.


    At Grid¡¯s smithy¡­


    ¡°Saharan?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s urgent exnation excited Grid.


    ¡°The founder of the empire came through a time machine?¡±


    ¡°Roughly¡­ that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want the empire to be absorbed into the Overgeared Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a matter of pride.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I would¡¯ve had the same reaction if I was him.¡±


    If he visited the Overgeared Kingdom in the future only to hear that it would be absorbed by a kingdom he had never heard of¡­ Grid would be burning with anger. He would naturally want to stop it.


    ¡®I really want to meet him soon.¡¯


    Grid opened his inventory. Saharan was one of the most important figures in the history of the West Continent. He was the first man to establish an empire. He wanted to have the minimum courtesy when meeting him. He wanted to pick one of his formal clothing to wear, but¡­


    ¡°Are you a proxy swordsman?¡± Saharan suddenly came to visit before Grid could even change clothes. He couldn¡¯t imagine that Grid was the king. It meant that the king of the Overgeared Kingdom was a cksmith. It was natural. Saharan had no trust in the dukes who apanied him. He was certain that Lauel had bribed them. This was why they were plotting to sell the empire.


    This emperor would punish them.


    ¡°Divinity¡­? I see. There was something to believe in.¡±


    Saharan observed Grid and btedly noticed.


    ¡°A kingdom that serves a human god as a guardian god. It is fully understandable why it is strongpared to the level.¡±


    Saharan came from a long time in the past. He lived in a time where there were more kingdoms and minorities on the continent. Some of them served human gods. It was based on efficiency. Unlike the gods who stayed in Asgard, the human gods were real and by their side. Thus, they could receive direct help. It was like the current Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡°It is a kingdom without a future.¡±


    Saharan suddenly evaluated it. It was a tone like he was exining to Grenhal and Morse.


    ¡°Human gods are different from the gods in heaven. They have elements that transcend humans, but they aren¡¯t omnipotent. They are weak enough to be threatened by humans. Even if they survive tenaciously, they will eventually receive divine punishment and be destroyed. If the empire is absorbed by this kingdom, it will be the target of divine punishment together.¡±


    Saharan established an empire by conquering many kingdoms and ethnic minorities. It meant he had a lot of experience fighting and winning against guardian gods. At first, he relied heavily on the power of hisrade called Zikfrector, but he grew up before he knew it and wasn¡¯t afraid of human gods.


    ¡°Come. I will remove you, the main culprit of this situation, and guide my stupid descendants to the right path,¡± Saharan informed them before going to the vacant lot first.


    He stood against arge furnace that was like a fortress, but he ignored it as he pulled out his sword.


    ¡®Saharan¡¯s Sword.¡¯


    It was the same weapon that Zik used. There was no special energy in the sword, but this made sense. It was only in hister years that Haicyen Saharan injected red energy into the sword at the expense of his life.


    ¡®He is really an existence from the past.¡¯


    All types of things wrapped around Grid¡¯s body as he followed after Saharan. They were the defense battle gears that Grid had made so far. Only the armor was Khan¡¯s work.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±Saharan noticed that Grid¡¯s armaments were unusual and gulped. Honestly, he was intimidated for a moment, but he didn¡¯t show it. He had no intention of backing down. The reason why the evaluation of the Overgeared Kingdom was higher than necessary was purely due to this human god. It meant the order would be corrected as long as he got rid of this human god.


    ¡°Come.¡± A red wave rose from Saharan¡¯s body as he adjusted his breathing. It was red energy. It was a force that showed different aspects depending on the individual¡¯spetence and inclination, but the fact that it responded to all things was the same. The ¡®source¡¯ of that absolute power, that was embodied in a person of the past, responded even in the future and turned all of Reinhardt red.


    ¡®Maybe the present Saharan doesn¡¯t exist in Asgard.¡¯


    Grid thought about it.


    Saharan¡ªa being who made the greatest achievements in history before dying. At the very least, the imperial people would¡¯ve worshipped him as a divine being for a long time. Grid thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he became one of the gods staying in Asgard.


    ¡®Of course, the probability of him bing an angel is higher.¡¯


    There was no guarantee that the gods of Asgard would respect Saharan. It was more likely that they simply turned him into an angel. It was a bitter thing. A world where humans weren¡¯t respected¡­ indeed, this world should be corrected.


    ¡°In order to have a conversation, we should exchange blows first. I won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Grid pulled out Gujel¡¯s Dao. He naturally had no intention of yielding. He used Transcend and then Link.


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    Saharan raised his thick eyebrows and responded immediately. He hastily swung his sword and intercepted the baptism of flying sword energies. Then he rushed straight forward despite the wounds. It was because he felt an invisible wave rising up from under his feet.


    This was the power of Darkness Sword. There was a 30% chance of an additional attack urring when Grid attacked. This fraudulent skill that was rising from the blind spots in his vision was forcing Saharan¡¯s movement.


    ¡°¡­¡­?!¡±


    Saharan seeded in narrowing the distance to Grid and twisted his waist just before attempting a counterattack. It was because a chill went down his spine. Grid, who was swinging an empty hand, was caught in his vision. The invisible Gujel¡¯s Dao appeared again only after grazing past Saharan¡¯s cor.


    Grid sincerely admired it. ¡°You are great.¡±


    The timing of the stealth of Gujel¡¯s Dao couldn¡¯t even be caught by Grid himself. From the opponent¡¯s point of view, it suddenly disappeared, but Saharan reacted to it. It was right to call him transcendent as he avoided Darkness Sword as well.


    Saharan was a great talent.


    ¡°¡­It is better to merge.¡±


    Saharan looked at the purely admiring Grid and put away his sword. It was an attitude of admitting defeat. Then tears suddenly fell down.


    ¡®How angry must he be about losing¡­?¡¯


    It happened when Lauel and the dukes were flustered by the founder¡¯s desire to win¡­


    ¡°d¡­ I¡¯m d. My descendants have kept their promise,¡± Saharan spoke as he looked up at the sky. The figure of Zik, who recovered his body, filled Saharan¡¯s vision.

 Chapter 1552

    <h4>Chapter 1552</h4>


    Haicyen Saharan¡ªhe was from the bloodline of a destroyed kingdom and was the incarnation of revenge.He devoted his life to punishing the kingdoms that persecuted his kingdom from generation to generation, and eventually destroyed it.


    This was the background of the birth of the first empire in history.The empire was close to a symbol that proved the sess of Haicyen¡¯s revenge.


    ¡°If one of my descendants breaks their promise... prove your qualifications and rights with this sword and directly ascend to the throne. Turn the empire into yours in the long-term to achieve your desire. Definitely... be sure to regain your body...¡±


    Zik recalled the end of Saharan.Having lost his passion since bing the emperor, he chose annihtion rather than corruption.He poured his Origin True Energy into the sword that symbolized himself and fell into an eternal sleep.Hisst will was left only for Zik.He seemed to have no nostalgia for the empire he devoted his life to, and actually handed it over to Zik.


    Zik had no choice but to misunderstand Saharan.He interpreted it as Saharan abandoning the empire after achieving his purpose.This was why Zik endured for hundreds of years while watching the descendants turn away from the promise and forget about him.Zik pitied Saharan¡¯s descendants.


    However, his feelings became dull due to the Curse of Sloth and he didn¡¯t realize this.Yes, his emotions were dull.Therefore, he didn¡¯t recognize it¡ªhow warm Saharan¡¯s eyes were.


    ¡°......¡±


    Zik¡¯s hasty return from Cokro Ind was because he felt Saharan¡¯s energy.He felt it naturally because the source of red energy in Saharan¡¯s Sword responded to the same source.


    Zik was angry.He thought about his deal with Saharan.


    ¡°Make me the emperor. In return, I will help you with your resurrection.¡±


    Zik kept his promise.On the other hand, Saharan left his promise to the future generations.It was because at that time, it was impossible to keep the promise in that environment.Zik had no choice but to ept it. He let Saharan go smoothly.Then what about now?Saharan had returned.It meant he arranged his own resurrection, while failing to keep his promise with Zik.


    ¡°...I was only recently resurrected. I even got rid of the curse.¡±


    Zik slowly descended and became eye level with Saharan.It was just like when they went to the battlefield together.Zik¡¯s anger melted away like snow.The misunderstanding was resolved when he saw Saharan¡¯s youthful appearance.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a resurrection. I can see why the flow of red energy is so strange.¡¯


    The Saharan in front of him was a being of the past, not the seconding of a ghost.It was estimated to be around the time when Saharan had just risen to the throne.


    ¡®At this time, Saharan was so strong that he didn¡¯t need my help.¡¯


    Even though he ced Zik by his side, he somehow tried to keep his promise to the end.Zik could see facts that he didn¡¯t know in the past...


    ¡°My dull emotions have also been fully restored,¡± Zik¡¯s voice trembled slightly as he described it.


    A bright smile spread on Saharan¡¯s face when he felt it.He was still tearful and rejoiced as if Zik¡¯s resurrection was his work.


    Zik realized it¡ªthe reason why Saharan chose to die wasn¡¯t because he lost his passion.In order to keep the promise, he devised a way to fully preserve his power so he could help Zik at any time.


    ¡°...You were also my friend.¡± These were Zik¡¯s words.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±It caused Saharan to be unable to speak.The appearance of him covering his face with a big hand because he couldn¡¯t handle the pouring tears was pure and didn¡¯t match his fierce appearance that was like a me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±Zik just gave thanks.


    Your descendants broke the promise...


    Such truths weren¡¯t conveyed.It wasn¡¯t just for Saharan¡¯s sake.Zik didn¡¯t want the past to change.If he told the truth, Saharan would never end his life.It was clear that he would endure for hundreds of years in order to keep his promise.It meant that the past would change dramatically.No one knew how the present would be affected by the change.Therefore, Zik concealed the truth.


    Saharan¡¯s red energy, which was filling all of Reinhardt, started to disperse.Red petals seemed to flutter.In the pouring petals, Saharan¡¯s gaze turned to Zik¡¯s sword.He noticed his fate based on the sword that contained his power.


    ¡®As expected, I chose death on my own.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t ashamed or afraid.The great conqueror¡ªSaharan, the only existence in the world, was very proud of himself.He was proud of his future self, who tried to keep his promise even if it meantmitting suicide.


    ¡°The willpower of this era is pushing me out. I think I have to leave now.¡±


    ¡°...Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Saharan nodded and whispered to Zik, ¡°It might be a shameless request, but I hope you look at the kindness of my descendants, who kept the promise, and protect the empire. I can feel that the human god is trying to swallow the empire by force, but I can¡¯t handle him.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about taking it with force.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is purely the free will of the empire and other nations to be subordinates of the Overgeared God. There is no coercion.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±Saharan doubted his ears.Zik was one of the seven malignant saints.He was one of those who fought a war against heaven.He distrusted and hated the gods. Saharan was forced to notice this when he founded the empire and sought the blessing of the goddess.


    That¡¯s right.Zik hated even one of the first gods and the creator, Goddess Reba.Yet now he was saying favorable things about a human god. It was hard to believe.


    ¡°There is actually a god you respect and appreciate...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t dare to evaluate him.¡±


    ¡°...What is this? Who is he that makes you go so far?¡±


    ¡°He is my only god.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Then a magic earthquake urred behind Saharan and a portal was opened.It was a bizarrely small portal that was connected to the past.A presence that the current timeline didn¡¯t allow¡ªin other words, it exerted its strength against Saharan.


    Saharan¡¯s gaze was stuck to Grid as he was slowly sucked into the portal.His eyes had changed greatly.¡°Thank you.¡±


    Saharan would¡¯ve noticed through Zik¡¯s attitude who truly resurrected Zik.The great conqueror was wise.


    ¡°The moment I go back in time, everything I¡¯ve experienced here will be forgotten... it was nice to be happy for a while. Please...¡±


    Please take care of my friend...


    Unfortunately, Saharan couldn¡¯t continue to talk.Time didn¡¯t allow it.Even so, his heart was surely conveyed.This was why his willpower left a mark.


    [The title, ¡®One who was Acknowledged by the Founder,¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [One who was Acknowledged by the Founder]


    [The founder of the empire, Haicyen Saharan, acknowledges and supports you.


    ¡ï Easily discover the legacy of the Saharan Empire buried all over the continent.


    ¡ï The probability of discovering resources like mines in the Saharan Empire has increased significantly.


    ¡ï The effect of the dignity stat is doubled when used against the imperial family and nobles of the Saharan Empire.]


    ¡°......¡±


    yers must go on adventures in order to develop.It was hard to get new encounters or quests when staying in one ce.Yet recently, new connections and stories came to Grid on their own.Biban, the king of the dark elves, the half-draconian lord, and Haicyen Saharan were some examples.It was the power of strength and reputation.


    Now a lot of the story flowed through Grid with him as the core.The rewards for his long-time efforts were btedlying to him.Could he take a day off today?


    ¡°...Let¡¯s have a drink.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    My only god.


    Grid was very happy as he realized what type of existence he was to Zik. He sincerely wanted to live up to Zik¡¯s expectations.It was the same for Zik.The two people were strongly drawn to each other.


    ¡®No... the Hell Gao raid will begin in a few minutes...¡¯Lauel couldn¡¯t say anything.It was a fact that people often got wrong, but Lauel¡¯s top priority was Grid, not the Overgeared Kingdom. Everything he sacrificed for the Overgeared Kingdom was just a stepping stone for Grid.


    This meant it was hard for him to break Grid¡¯s excitement.


    ***


    Cokro Ind¡¯s dungeon was filled with people.The capacity was at the limit.The group was gathered for the Hell Gao raid that would take ce a short timeter.It was only a small amount of money, even if a mythical item dropped.The Overgeared Kingdom had promised to distribute the items dropped by Hell Gao fairly to all participants.


    ¡°Won¡¯t Hell Gao melt as long as all these people hit him once?¡±


    There was no sense of tension in the expressions of those whispering to each other.They developed in the Great Human and Demon War and their self-confidence increased.However, the high rankers were nervous.It was the influence of predicting the difficulty in the process of getting familiar with the Hell Gao strategy distributed by the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®It is an unbelievably powerful pattern for someone who has lost his body to Muller and was sealed. Is the seal weakening? I feel he is stronger than the early rumors.¡¯


    The high rankers took deep breaths to relieve their tension.They had something to believe in.The heroes of the Great Human and Demon War including Piaro, Braham, and Zik, and the top powers of the Overgeared Guild were helping in the raid.At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t die if they followed the instructions well.


    ¡®Yes, as long as we don¡¯t die...¡¯


    The first purpose of those participating in the Hell Gao raid was to get the title that eliminated the hell penalties.It was fatal to die in the raid because it dyed the opportunity to get a title.They wanted to hunt in hell as soon as possible.That¡¯s right.The yers were very passionate about going to hell.For the sake of the future of humanity and revenge for the Great Human and Demon War.There were many elements that motivated them.


    ¡°It is in one minute¡¯s time!¡± Vantner¡¯s cry rang out loudly.He deployed a wide-area shield in preparation for the air strikes that would ur with Hell Gao¡¯s appearance and looked very cool.He built thousands of shields alone and was the peak of a guardian knight.There were many rumors criticizing Vantner for investing all his stat points in strength, but now they were convinced it was just false rumors.


    ¡°What?! Zik has disappeared?¡±


    Themotion had subsided due to Vantner¡¯s call that it would start in a minute started up again at these words.Additionally, his voice was so loud.This caused his voice to echo through every corner of the dungeon.It was enough to dampen people¡¯s morale.


    ¡°There is no Zik?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Zik the next strongest in the Overgeared Guild after Grid and Braham?¡±


    ¡°I think he is better than Braham...¡±


    ¡°What is this? What is going on?¡±


    It happened as there was a lot of confusion¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We are enough to protect you.¡±


    Jishuka, one of the rankers with the biggest growth in the Great Human and Demon War, came forward with the vestige of the red phoenix behind her.The moment some of Hell Gao¡¯s wide-attack attacks pierced part of Vantner¡¯s shields, they were intercepted by her arrows and destroyed.Additionally, the group of 50 cavalrymen led by Pon broke through the wall of fire and drew Hell Gao¡¯s attention. This allowed the raid participants to glimpse the gap between them. They poured attacks toward Hell Gao.


    Braham and Piaro didn¡¯t go out much.They just found people likely to be caught in the aftermath of an attack and built shields or trees to protect them.


    The situation was more rxed than the Overgeared Guild predicted.Hell Gao wasn¡¯t weakened. Rather, it was a change caused by the Great Human and Demon War.Compared to before the war, the post-war Overgeared members were several times stronger.


    -Is this the market floor or something?


    Hell Gao¡¯s furious voice shook the dungeon.Now anybody wasing to fight him...


    He resented that he had be a punching bag.Muller faded from his memories.Rather than Muller, who destroyed his body, he was more resentful of Grid, who forced him to fall to this point.


    [The Hell Gao raid has seeded.]


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!"After dozens of minutes of fighting, the raid participants defeated Hell Gao and cheered while hugging each other.The death toll was zero.The miraculous achievement quickly spread tomunities around the world.There was a series of predictions that the yers¡¯ invasion of hell would elerate.


    At the same time, Basara received the news that the founder had acknowledged Grid before leaving.She was very pleased and discussed the merger with the nobles again. There was little bacsh to the idea.In fact, there could be no bacsh.Most nobles were positive about the merger with the Overgeared Kingdom, and the minority who felt negative about it were intimidated by Kyle.Behind Kyle¡¯s threats was the desire to be seen in a good manner by Grid. It was more of a survival instinct than ambition for sess.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand by any longer.¡±


    Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church, was preparing to go out.The winds of change were blowing all over the world.

 Chapter 1553

    Chapter 1553


    ¡°Is it true that we can¡¯t make it to Asgard even if we build up virtue during our lives?¡±


    The leaders of the Dominion Church and Judar Church were struggling.The Overgeared King, who dared to call himself a god¡ªhe copsed the Reba Church without knowing the dreadfulness of heaven, and he is now spreading false rumors.


    Only a handful of chosen people who were qualified to be ¡®angels¡¯ could climb to heaven?It was a destructive sophistry. There were several things to point out.In fact, the attitude of iming that hell was a shelter for the dead proved his abnormal mental state.


    The church leaders were once again convinced that the Overgeared King was a demon.It was clear that Amoract, the 2nd ranked great demon, had disguised herself as a human being and disturbed the world using evil tricks and force.


    ¡®Who is going to stop it? It is truly deplorable.¡¯


    The Sword Saint, Demon yer, and former pope originally selected by the First Holy Sword...The people who should¡¯ve been heroes had be demons.It was a terrible reality.There was no hope if this continued...


    The church leaders were genuinely worried.They instinctively felt the destruction of the world through the demons who disdained god and advocated for hell.


    "At this time, we need to get our minds straight.¡±


    It was several days after the end of the Great Human and Demon War.The Dominion Church and Judar Church met.Due to the rumors circting in the streets, the number of believers who doubted the gods had increased sharply. This meeting was organized to discuss how to respond to it.


    ¡°......¡±


    However, the atmosphere was weird.The eyes of the elders were full ofpassion as they looked at the two religious leaders sharing their opinions.In particr, the elders of the Judar Church sighed.


    The leaders noticed it.¡®Even the elders have fallen for the demons¡¯ tricks.¡¯


    It was toote by the time they realized it.The swords of the pdins were ced against their necks.


    ¡°This is treason. You have also been deceived by the demons.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t treason. Treason is about coveting power. We just want to face the truth in a straightforward manner.¡±


    ¡°From the time you renounced your faith, priests will no longer be priests. Your justification is no different from that of a bandit¡¯s whining. The cause is wrong from the beginning. The truth? Do you really believe the rumors? What is different between you and the unlearned people? Your years of studying theology and praying to the gods are for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Is it a rumor? Haven¡¯t you heard that an angel disguised as the pope tried to harm the people?¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to resolve it? It is a typical rumor spread by the Overgeared Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to believe that, but aren¡¯t there too many witnesses? The Reba Church followers who survived the incident at the time have testified that the rumors are true.¡±


    ¡°That... they were brainwashed.¡±


    "The evidence?"


    ¡°There is no way that a messenger of the goddess, who exists for humanity, will harm people.¡±


    ¡°What is the evidence that the goddess is for humanity?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The evidence is that the existence of light, the world, and humanity are all thanks to the goddess.¡±


    ¡°The goddess might¡¯ve created all things, but is there any guarantee that it is for humans? In fact, the goddess turned away from those who died from the invasion of demons.¡±


    ¡°That is a trial. It is the same reason for the goddess not helping the sick and the poor. Our lives are a series of trials which means a series of opportunities. Only those who ovee the trials will be qualified for Asgard.¡±


    ¡°Is the protection of God Judar infused in the demons and demonic creatures also a trial?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The bigger the trials, the better it is for us. The chances of going to Asgard will increase. It is why the Overgeared King easily helps us. Originally, the more evil the temptation, the sweeter it is. He intends to make us easily ovee the trials so we bezy and lose our qualifications to be in Asgard.¡±


    ¡°The reason that angels attacked the Overgeared God is because they know the truth that the Overgeared God is a demon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is the clearest evidence.¡±


    ¡°Why is the Overgeared God who has saved so many people a demon?¡±


    ¡°He dared to insult the gods.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The leaders¡¯ repeated unreasonable ims frustrated the elders.A handful of yers were among those who exchanged dark looks.It was a testament to the changed times.Now there were many yers active at the center of the world.Most of them cooperated with the Overgeared Guild.They believed that the path Grid offered was correct.


    It wasn¡¯t a vague belief in a supreme existence.It wasn¡¯t even because they were conscious of force and power.It was based on the progress Grid had achieved.He created countless achievements and the information found based on his achievements was very reliable.It was natural to use this information to support and trust Grid¡¯s actions of making the best choice every time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is possible to save the two of them.¡±


    The elders looked at the church leaders sadly and shifted their gaze to the back.The church leaders followed their gaze and their expressions stiffened.It was because they found a person who shouldn¡¯t be here.The man was equipped with heavy armor that was a color that coordinated with his purple hair.


    ¡°Now is the time for unity.¡±It was the former pope, Damian.He once praised the goddess, but now he was a traitor who served the new god.¡°My heart is heavy, but I have decided to remove all obstacles that hinder the unity. It isn¡¯t easy for the current world to embrace you.¡±


    ¡°How dare youe here?! You! I can¡¯t believe a person who was the pope would be the running dog of a false god and is going on a rampage like an executioner! Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed?!¡±


    The church leaders fiercely criticized it.However, Damian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t waver at all.A sense of justice could be seen in his big shining eyes.It was a righteous attitude.The traitor wasn¡¯t himself, but the heavenly gods.No, the word ¡®traitor¡¯ was inappropriate.


    The gods weren¡¯t on the side of humans from the beginning.Too much context supported the truth. Those who turned a blind eye to the end were abnormal. It was twisted. It was like a monster. It was to the extent that those who epted the truth doubted their ears.


    ¡°I hope you realize that the Overgeared God is the only real one you can trust, even if it is from hell.¡±


    Damian pulled out his sword.It was the signal.The main pirs of the three churches, who interfered with the Overgeared Kingdom at every important moment¡ªDamian had been trying to root them out for a long time.He continued to make contact with the elders by mobilizing the virtues and connections he had built up from his time as the pope.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. He received all types of restraints and experienced danger. There were many times when he was frustrated by the stubborn people he couldn¡¯tmunicate with.However, he did it and he got here.Damian was the one who served as the pope of the Reba Church, the most tight-lipped of the three religions.His patience and sincerity wereparable to Grid, so he deserved to achieve results.In recent years, the angels and gods had been continuously trolling and Grid revealed the truth of hell.


    ¡°This is crazy even for someone crazy.¡±


    The church leaders couldn¡¯t stand it and showed killing intent.They dropped hammers of light, which hit the heads of the pdins, as they red at Damian as if to kill him with their re.


    Knights armed with ck uniforms appeared on the left and right sides and lined up.This was the secret to the church leaders maintaining theirposure.The Temr Knights¡ªthe Reba Church¡¯s strongest armed group, which had been missing for a while, were escorting the two church leaders.The clone of Sariel wasn¡¯t seen, but even so, the spirit of the church leaders soared into the sky.


    ¡°Elders, look clearly with your own eyes. This traitor is the most obvious evidence that the Overgeared King is a fake god.¡±


    The absence of divine power.Damian didn¡¯t have the power that a priest should have.It wasn¡¯t just him. It was the same for all the members of the Overgeared God Church.This was one of the reasons why the members of the three churches didn¡¯t recognize Grid.If Grid was a god, why did those who serve him have no divine power?


    Some elders reflected on the question and started to feel doubts.


    ¡°Damian! You traitor! Remember that it was all thanks to the consideration of the goddess that you could be the pope!¡±


    The hammers of light hovering over the two church leadersbined into one.A holy, sacred light exploded and brilliantly revealed the interior of the temple.It was the proof of the existence of God.Anxiety sprouted in the hearts of the elders. They were worried about divine punishment and btedly turned away from the light. They didn¡¯t dare to stare straight at it.


    Damian was different. He still faced the light with honest eyes.¡°There is now that the form of divinity has to be light.¡±


    Thick veins twitched on the back of Damian¡¯s hand as he pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Physical.¡±


    Damian recalled it. The destructive power of Grid that killed Gamigin, who couldn¡¯t be knocked down easily even by Braham¡¯s great magic.


    ¡°The divine power of the Overgeared God is physical force.¡±


    It was sophistry.The leaders scoffed. The divinitybecame oneand was fired like an arrow of light.Itprated Damian¡¯s chest... no, it couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    It wascut by Damian¡¯s sword and scattered in vain.The protection and divinity of the Overgeared God¡ªthe effects attached to the sword that Grid made for Damian turned into the power to cut magic. It was greater than any divine power.Damian¡¯s stride that he had been honing described the myth of the Overgeared God.Grid¡¯s strengthened myth added power to Damian¡¯s sword dance.


    ¡°Linked Kill Pinnacle.¡±


    Grid had proved it several times.He shed the enemies blocking his path using items andbat strength.Damian, who served him, was also obliged to prove it.


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    The overgeared onught broke through the Temrs and fatally injured the church leaders.The church leader screamed repeatedly and healed each other, but it didn¡¯t mean much.Damian was the main person of the Overgeared Kingdom when it came to responding to the churches of the three gods.It was natural for the ¡®healing reduction effect¡¯ to be attached to his sword since he had a lot of conflicts with priests. At this moment, he showed absolute power.


    Of course, the effect of reduced healing could be released through purification.Even if it was purified, he would sh again and again, repeating the same thing.After a fierce struggle¡ª


    [The leaders of the Dominion Church and Judar Church have died.]


    The purge was sessful. Damian¡¯s virtues, connections, sincerity, and finally, thebination of items and force, created the best results.The elders immediately elected new leaders and they were naturally friendly to Damian and the Overgeared Kingdom. They would lead the Dominion and Judar Churches, that had been floundering for a while, onto the right path.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t a single high-level Temr.¡±Damian exited after making several agreements with the elders and expressed his concern.


    Isabel nodded from where she was waiting for him outside the temple.¡°I didn¡¯t even feel the presence of the leader. Right now, they don¡¯t seem to be aiming for a revival of the Reba Church... it is suspicious. I think we need to search.¡±


    Isabel was motivated after moving to the Overgeared Kingdom.She did everything on her own and it was different from her time as a Reba¡¯s Daughter.Damian held her hand tightly. He looked lovingly at her slightly bulging belly.¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t have to go out by yourself, Isabel.¡±


    A long procession of people followed behind Damian.They were the members of the Overgeared God Church. Even though they were the elites selected by Damian, the number still exceeded 1,000.Damian gained an authority and power iparable to his days as the pope and his performance would continue in the future.


    A fortnightter...


    The world was turned upside down.Empress Basara proimed that the empire would be a subordinate nation of the Overgeared Kingdom...

 Chapter 1554

    <h4>Chapter 1554</h4>


    The world was tumultuous even after the war ended.


    Thecontrolled zones of the Overgeared Guild rxedtheir control, the Hell Gao raid where tens of thousands of people participated, the changes in the religious forces, the 7th National Competition, etcetera.


    The issues that attracted the attention of people around the world hadn¡¯t ceased.In particr, people¡¯s attention was focused on the National Competition.


    ¡º The National Competition is a stage where world-ss powerhouses gather topete with their skills. The purpose is to select the best talent of that year. However, this year, there is an announcement from the S.A Group that it will add events where yers willpete under the same conditions in order to give more yers the opportunity to participate. ¡»


    ¡º The AoS and battle royale genres will be added as new events, right? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, each country will hold an online preliminary round to select yers... ¡»


    The National Competition was a contest of national prestige.People looked forward to and cheered to see how far their rankers could prevail in the world.However, significant rewards caused unexpected problems.As the gap between those who won medals in the National Competition and those who failed to win medals widened, more and more people started to feel a sense of deprivation.


    A festival that took ce once a year¡ªit was apetition that carried the national g and it was right for it to be a stage for qualified people.It was no wonder why the rewards were so great.Even so, it would be nice to give more people a chance...


    The S.A Group responded to the wishes of people like this.It was to appease the public sentiment that had worsened since the Great Human and Demon War.A total of seven new events were added to this year¡¯s National Competition.Five of these events were based on peting under equal conditions.¡¯


    The AoS games, FPS games, etcetera, which were popr until the release of Satisfy a few years ago.This included the battle royale games that would be held as an event.In every event, participants chose a specific profession. They started the game at level 1 and sought victory by cooperating orpeting with other participants.The background of the game was naturally Satisfy. It was easy to understand it as various genres of games being yed as a virtual reality version.


    People had no choice but to be excited.They would have an opportunity to participate in the National Competition that was only a festival for a few people.


    -Honestly, we would be rankers if we had money and time.


    -That''s right.If only luck had followed.


    -We will bepetitive if the conditions are the same.


    Most people were tolerant toward themselves.They acknowledged the strength and performance of rankers, but they also believed they were qualified to stand beside the rankers.The reason they didn¡¯t be rankers was due to the differences in environment and bad luck...


    Many believed so and desire ignited in them.It was simr to a person who hadn¡¯t studied properly thinking, ¡®If I had made up my mind to study, I would¡¯ve gone to a prestigious university.¡¯ The experts pointed out their attitudes.


    ¡º It is sad to see what public opinion is like recently. More and more people are distorting rankers into those who are privileged. They should keep one thing in mind. Rankers were also ordinary in the past. A ranker isn¡¯t a position that can be maintained with money and time alone. Please note that if you have the opportunity topete with them under the same conditions, you will surely experience great frustration... ¡»


    ¡º Professor, are you afraid that the gap between new participants and rankers will berge? ¡»


    ¡º Of course. I expect the actual rankings and result of the participants to be directly proportional to ther real rankings. ¡»


    ¡º An example of this... Grid will unconditionally win gold in any events he participates in, right? ¡»


    ¡º Right. ¡»


    The opinions of experts from all walks of life were simr.They predicted the overwhelming performance of the rankers.They appreciated the ¡®experience¡¯ of rankers rather than their ¡®innate talent.¡¯They argue that the polished insights, control, and senses from experiencing countless unimaginable incidents would exceed predictions and that it would take several years to narrow the gap.


    Public opinion became angry.


    -It is in direct proportion? ?? Do the people who aren¡¯t rankers have no dreams or hopes?


    -It is bullshit.Has it only been one or two times when the experts speak X-ing bullshit sentences?


    -Sports yers and professional gamers will eventually be pushed by rookies and disappear into history, yet the experts are prioritizing experience...a game is more about talent than experience.


    -Rankers rely on their level and items.I admit that they did better than others in obtaining levels and items, but isn¡¯t it too much of a leap that the experience gained after being a ranker is so important?


    -They are being overly meticulous.


    Those who respected and cheered for rankers not long ago started to discredit them.It wasn¡¯t a strange thing.A person¡¯s attitude was bound to change depending on the situation and position.The proof was the readers swearing that the manhwa or novels they enjoyed reading untilst week were trash today.It changed because it was worth changing.From the time when events that anyone could challenge were added to the National Competition, people¡¯s attitudes were bound to change. Rankers becamepetitors, not world-ss existences.


    ¡º People¡¯s interest in this year¡¯s National Competition is unprecedented. The number of participants for the online preliminaries to select yers for the new events is... ¡»


    ¡º Many people are curious about whether Grid, who missed severalpetitions, and Kraugel, who didn¡¯t participate inst year¡¯spetition, will participate this year. In response, the S.A Group has revealed that it hasn¡¯t received applications from the two people to participate. This has disappointed people... ¡»


    ¡º Many rankers aren¡¯t expressing their intention to participate in the new event. In the midst of spection over the reasons, the interview of the named ranker Peak Sword has be controversial. Did he say, ¡®What ranker will go to participate in a feast for the general public and light candles¡¯? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. He definitely seemed to distinguish between rankers and non-rankers. ¡»


    ¡º What is the reaction of public opinion? ¡»


    ¡º It is very negative. The majority of opinions say they feel the ranker¡¯s sense of authority from Peak Sword¡¯s attitude. ¡»


    ¡º It is true that rankers are great. Still, it isn¡¯t an official position. ¡»


    ¡º Yes, the reason why rankers are recognized is due to their skills. Most of the skills recognized here are exercised only when the specs support it. Thus, public response is colder. ¡»


    ¡º I¡¯ve seen manyments like that. I am sympathetic with some of them. The advantage of rankers lies in their specs. The great thing about rankers is that they built up those specs... this is what they are saying. They feel that rankers who have lost their specs aren¡¯t much different from the general public. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. Additionally, there are many talented people even among the general public. The reason they can¡¯t be rankers is because the environment isn¡¯t good or they started Satisfy toote. There is no way they won¡¯t win when fighting under the same conditions as rankers. ¡»


    ¡º Is it reasonable to say that the reason why rankers are absent from new events is because they are afraid of losing? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, it is too risky for the rankers to give up their hard-earned qualifications to participate in events under the same conditions as the general public. They can¡¯t guarantee victory and their reputation will plummet if they lose. ¡»


    ¡º Still, isn¡¯t the expression of ¡®general public¡¯ a bit inappropriate? If they are talented enough to break through hundreds of millions of people and advance to the finals, aren¡¯t they good enough to be called professionals? Even if a ranker loses, they aren¡¯t losing to the general public. Aren¡¯t they losing to professionals? If you think so, it isn¡¯t a big disgrace, right? ¡»


    ¡º However, Peak Sword separated the participants into the general public ¡»


    ¡º The keyword ¡®ranker¡¯s sense of authority¡¯ is bing a hot topic... ¡»


    ***


    ¡°Hi~¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Peak Sword was flustered when he connected to Satisfy.It was because the attitude of the colleagues greeting him was the same as usual.He thought they would ask why he caused anothermotion. Therefore, it was a surprise.Toban read Peak Sword¡¯s stunned expression andughed.¡°There must be many people feeling relieved after hearing your interview.¡±


    There were two main reasons why the rankers were shunning the new events.First of all, there was the need to understand the meaning of the National Competition.The National Competition was a ce to raise the reputation and value of the participants before it was a stage to raise the prestige of the nation.From the perspective of the rankers, they should make use of their own advantages to participate in events where they could prove their value rather than participating in new events.Image making on a big stage like the National Competition had more value in the long-term.


    On the other hand, some people read the atmosphere.What was the point of engaging in ughter and hanging a medal around their necks in events made for the public?There was nothing other than the medal rewards. Rather, it was a loss.Public opinion and the media would criticize them for being tactless and there was a high possibility that their value would seriously fall.Of course, they would forget or turn a blind eye to the fact that they provoked the rankers first.


    It was judged that it was better to leave this as their own event.That¡¯s right.The gap between rankers and the general public wasrge.It was uncertain until a few years ago, but now it could be confirmed.


    People failed to be rankers not because they were unlucky or their environment wasn¡¯t good. It was because they weren¡¯t talented.The evidence was that those who became rankers due to luck failed to maintain their rankings and eventually went down to their original positions.There was such umted data that rankers became aware that they were pros.


    ¡°Personally, I want Grid to participate in the National Competition,¡± Toban said as he entered the pce.


    The atmosphere of the pce was very busy.They were in the midst of preparing to wee guests from the empire.They found Grid dressed ina cool robe, and Peak Sword nodded and raised his thumb like he agreed with Toban.


    ¡°There are too many words that cross the line these days.¡±


    Was it the experts¡¯ assessment that provoked a bacsh?People¡¯s aversion to rankers was spreading to Grid.Based on the days when Grid¡¯s control ability wasn¡¯t proficient, it was argued that Grid would be disgraced if he participated in the new event.Of course, this was still only the opinion of the minority.Even so, the fact that there was a small number of people talking nonsense again, despite everything that Grid showed, angered Peak Sword.


    ¡°What? Did something bad happen?¡±Grid approached.He saw their bad expressions and seemed worried.


    ¡°That...¡±Toban exined the situation and Gridughed.


    ¡°Why do you care about that? The earth has a poption of over 10 billion. How can we get everyone¡¯s favor? A few of them might dislike us.¡±


    ¡°I can understand why they feelpetitive with rankers. Even so, it is annoying that there are people who are biting at you when you have done nothing wrong and it isn¡¯t rted to you.¡±


    ¡°There are many people who speak ill of others for no reason. Ignore what we should ignore.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression became bitter for a moment as he soothed the two men.He recalled the days when he was overwhelmed by a sense of inferiority and easily criticized others.How many people in the world were like this?Anybody who was a public figure and exposed to the public would have to bear criticism. Sometimes they could only rely on thew when it came to excessive criticism.


    ¡°The empress will soon arrive. The story of the National Competition will wither the moment she announces the empire bing our subordinates. So, stop worrying and calm your minds.¡±


    Grid¡¯s prediction was correct.


    ¡°The Saharan Empire has dered itself subordinate to the Overgeared Kingdom andwill serve His Majesty Grid as their emperor.¡±


    As millions of people gathered around the continent, the world was turned upside down when Empress Basara made this deration.It was the continent¡¯s first and only empire. Now thergest nation had appointed a yer as the new emperor.Public opinion and the media no longer mentioned the National Competition.


    They were busy analyzing the past moves and achievements of Grid and the Overgeared Guild, using the theme of a yer bing the emperor, an empire established by a yer, and unification without war. It was almost a tribute. Public opinion criticizing Peak Sword disappeared like a lie.


    It was a change of attitude like flipping the palm of a hand.It has been shown several times, so it was nothing new.


    ¡®Then the attitude will change again as the National Competition approaches. It is a bit disgusting.¡¯


    Grid thought it would be a good idea to go to the National Competition for the first time in ages.There were many justifications such asmemorating victory in the Great Human and Demon War and the birth of the Overgeared Empire.It was also fun to participate in the new events on behalf of the angry rankers and overturn the banquet table.


    ''...No, it is too much for me to step up.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t Lauel monopolize the gold medals if he was sent out to participate in the new events?The participation rate of other rankers would be low anyway and Lauel¡¯s adaptability in new environments was unmatched. He wasn¡¯t a genius for nothing.Grid seriously considered it as he looked at Lauel, who had stepped down from active duty a long time ago.


    ¡°......?¡±Lauel broke out in a cold sweat as he felt a chill for an unknown reason.


    ¡®What? Is it due to yesterday¡¯s nightmare?¡¯


    The kingdom¡¯s rebirth as an empire required a new name.


    The OvergearedSahaEmpire¡ªit was a name he heard inst night¡¯s nightmare.However, reality would be different...


    Lauel earnestly prayed that it would be so. He wanted Grid to answer his prayer.

 Chapter 1555

    <h4>Chapter 1555</h4>


    Grid¡¯s ceremonial clothing was very gorgeous.The new silver crown made ahead of the merger ceremony was different.It was very mysterious and beautiful, shining like it was moonlight.It was in harmony even with the maidens of the forest who appeared in the human world on a rare asion.The eyes of those mesmerized by the beauty of the elves naturally turned to Grid.


    Just as they thought that the gold robe that didn¡¯t seem to touch the ground was moving slowly, Grid had already reached the throne.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±Lauel politely bowed his head. He held arge ss of wine carefully in both hands, like he was worried about itspilling.


    Grid lightly grabbed the ss. His wide sleeves fluttered slightly, but the ss didn¡¯t shake. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest ripple in the transparent liquor filling the ss.It was a spectacle that spread on thousands of cameras.The eyes of the viewers became wide.They looked at Grid, who showed majesty even in his small actions, and recalled the gap between themselves and Grid.


    Certainly, Grid was a figure of another world.The moment he held the ss, the noble empress came over and knelt down.


    ¡°Your subject, Basara¡ªI pledge to give my body, heart, and soul to the new emperor. My immortal loyalty will support Your Majesty and Your Majesty¡¯s descendants.¡±


    It was thergest and most sacred event in the history of the continent.There shouldn¡¯t be any mistakes, so there was naturally a script.However, Basara¡¯s oath was different from the script.The oath of loyalty should¡¯ve had the premise ¡®as long as the emperor and imperial family don¡¯t betray me,¡¯ but it was changed to an unconditional oath.


    ¡°......¡±


    Basara¡¯s slender, long eyes slowly rose as she was raised by the flustered Grid.Her bewitching eyes first captured Grid¡¯s appearance, followed by Piaro, who was standing behind Grid.


    ¡°Your subject, Basara, won¡¯t doubt His Majesty and His Majesty¡¯s loyal ministers.¡±


    Flinch.


    Piaro¡¯s eyes twitched.The suspicions of the former emperor, Juander¡ªit had irreversible consequences toward Piaro.It was the foreshadowing of the decline of the millennium empire.At this moment, Basara was insisting that such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen in the future empire.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be jealous.¡±


    Basara¡¯s gaze captured Asmophel¡¯s appearance this time.A man who led the golden age of the empire along with Piaro.However, his current position was different from Piaro¡¯s. He was even lower than Mercedes.He stood a long way back while these two people guarded Grid¡¯s side.Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t jealous.He was devout because he alreadymitted a painful sin once.


    On the other hand, he silently affirmed Basara¡¯s words that he should be taken as a negative textbook example.


    Singuled, Amelda, and Dante, who suffered direct damage from Asmophel, looked at Asmophel.The sight caused a smile to spread on Basara¡¯s face.


    ¡°I will give you a chance to make up for it even if I am betrayed. I will remember and prioritize today¡¯s oath over the pain and anger of the moment. I will stand by Your Majesty¡¯s side.¡±


    Basara made a variation of the script rather than changing it.It was so those who would lead the new era together could sympathize and remember clearly.This intention was reliably conveyed to Grid.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    Was there a need for long words?Grid got rid of the lengthy speech carefully made by Lauel and Huroi.He also wanted to convey emotions, not reason.


    ¡°I exist for all of you. You just have to remember that.¡±


    Existing for others?It was hard to believe. It was close to impossible.Yet even the viewers who were a third party knew that Grid¡¯s words weren¡¯t a pretense.If Grid was one of themon people living for himself, it wouldn¡¯t match the actions he showed so far.


    They didn¡¯t know what he was like at the beginning, but it was undeniable that the current Grid fought for the Overgeared Guild, the Overgeared Kingdom, and many others.Even the reason for punishing hell was for others, not for himself.He wasn¡¯t a hypocrite.It was hard to understand the reason, but at least in ¡®this world,¡¯ he was definitely a hero.


    Everyone acknowledged it.


    [The Saharan Empire has be subordinated by the Overgeared Kingdom.]


    [A new empire is born.]


    [The founder of the new empire is ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    This world message appeared when Grid and Basara shared a drink.


    [You are the first yer to be an emperor!]


    [The ¡®First King¡¯ title has evolved into ¡®First Emperor.¡¯]


    Separate notification windows popped up in Grid¡¯s vision.The word ¡®evolution¡¯ was appropriate.The effect of the First King title was greatly enhanced.An example of a change was that the shield that ured when ¡®70% of the maximum health¡¯ was lost was changed to ¡®50% of the maximum health¡¯.Furthermore, the additional stat points earned with every level up was sharply increased from 2 to 6.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 16th epic.]


    [The birth of a great empire was recorded.]


    An epic followed.


    [Those who experienced loss and are wandering the streets should be sad, but not frustrated.]


    [Look at your emperor who was like you.]


    [Wash away the hearts stained with wounds and anger with responsibility and justice.]


    [Look at your emperor who was like you.]


    [Recognize that all trials and hardships were destined from the moment your umbilical cord was cut. Unhappiness is inevitable, but happiness follows effort.]


    [Look at the emperor who was like you but who cares for you.]


    [See, listen, and learn from him, and spread it.]


    [Unhappiness is inevitable, but happiness follows effort...]


    Grid¡¯s epics were written in prose.It took the form of an epic, but it was freely used without a specific format ording to the situation every time.This time, it was a song.It was a hymn of hope that people in the empire would sing when having hard times, and it was also the hymn of the emperor.Therefore, it was a narrative that wouldn¡¯t be extinguished forever.


    ......


    ¡­


    [The 16th page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [Along with thepletion of the epic, your people have courage and hope. Your people are determined to emte you and won¡¯t tire easily or give up.]


    [The growth rate of NPCs belonging to the Overgeared Empire will be permanently increased by 20%.]


    [Once all the stats of NPcs belonging to the Overgeared Empire grow to the maximum, there is a low probability of breaking through the limit.]


    [The loyalty of the NPCs belonging to the Overgeared Empire will always be maintained at a high state.]


    [The chances of named NPCs being born in the Overgeared Empire will increase.]


    [The speed of all internal development in the Overgeared Empire will permanently increase by 10%.]


    [Your status has risen significantly as a reward forpleting the epic.The chances of a beneficial effect triggering will greatly increase.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid shook with excitement.The passive skill that represented a beneficial effect, God''s Command.He confirmed that the probability of triggering it had increased by a huge 10% and he once again realized the importance of ¡®status.¡¯


    Meanwhile, Lauel¡¯s face was pale.It was due to the world message that urred a while ago.


    [Emperor Grid has dered the great name of the new empire as ¡®Overgeared.¡¯]


    This was why the words ¡®Overgeared Empire¡¯ were constantly mentioned in Grid¡¯s notification windows.At the same moment that Grid was crowned emperor, the system demanded that the name be entered and Grid entered ¡®Overgeared.¡¯It was natural that the name of the Overgeared Kingdom became the Overgeared Empire.At least, this was what Grid thought.


    The Overgeared members and others thought the same.Only Lauel couldn¡¯t abandon his lingering regret and was sad alone.The constion was that reality was better than his nightmares.He thought that the Overgeared Empire was a very cool namepared to OvergearedSahaEmpire, which mixed the names ¡®Overgeared¡¯ and ¡®Saharan.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, it is a great name. There seems to be a beautiful echo.¡¯


    Several cameras captured Lauel shedding tears.The anchors exined how meaningful and happy it would be as the number two yer in the Overgeared Empire.His tears would be full of emotions.


    ***


    The map of the West Continent changed dramatically.The red color of Saharan was turned blue to match the Overgeared Kingdom.Now more than two-thirds of the continent¡¯s territory was the territory of the Overgeared Empire and Grid.It happened overnight.There was no conflict or damage in the course of the change.It was literally an ideal unification.It was a situation that every South Korean citizen living in a divided country would have dreamed about once.


    ¡®If only I was so strong in reality.¡¯


    Could he have unified the Korean penins?A smile slowly spread on Grid¡¯s mouth as he thought of this.He was relieved after checking the title of One who was Acknowledged by the Founder.


    ¡®I was worried, but it went well.¡¯


    The title effect, which greatly increased the probability of finding mines in the Saharan Empire was still intact.The system set it as the former Saharan Empire.It was Saharan¡¯s territory before it was absorbed into the Overgeared Kingdom.


    ¡®The role of miners will grow in the future.¡¯


    Minor met a goodpanion a few years ago and got three rabbit-like children. His old mother was also at peace due to her good daughter-inw.He was very happy these days, but Grid was worried he wouldn¡¯t want to separate from his family.


    ¡®Let¡¯s persuade him well rather than forcing him. He will be pleased if I say I will let his family move to Titan during his business trip.¡¯


    Titan¡¯s educational infrastructure was great. In some parts, it was better than Reinhardt and it was perfect for raising children.


    Grid nned to make Minor a ¡®wild goose¡¯ father.[1]</a>


    It was pure favor,but the slightest carelessess could cause sad results.In any case, the Overgeared Empire was going to be much richer in the future.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be struggling with finances,¡± Lauel neatly spoke the conclusion.


    The value of the territory and people absorbed this time was that great.In the first ce, the Saharan Empire reigned for hundreds of years as the number one nation of the West Continent.It had the best foundation and it waspletely absorbed.If Lauel and the Overgeared members ruled with the perspective and knowledge of modern people, an unprecedented economic power would be born.


    ¡°His Majesty, the Emperor, is entering.¡±


    Grid entered the hall under Lauel¡¯s guidance.The ministers and guests waiting in advance stood up simultaneously and bowed.There were tens of thousands of people.Most of the guests came from foreign kingdoms.In addition to the kings and nobles of all the kingdoms, the orcs, elves, dwarves, half-draconians, and other races were present. There were even the Twelve Zodiacs who came from the East Continent.


    In fact, all the forces on the surface were gathered.All of them were connections created by Grid.They all acknowledged and blessed Grid.Therefore, they entered today¡¯s merger ceremony and wedding as a guest.


    The main characters of the wedding were Grid and Basara.It was natural.The reason why the imperial subjects didn¡¯t oppose the merger with the Overgeared Kingdom was on the premise that the Saharan imperial family and Overgeared royal family became one.


    Unification for a better future.Irene naturally agreed.No, she actively rmended it.She understood politics well as the former sessor of a noble family.She had long been used to the idea of Grid having multiple wives.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Grid admired the dressed Basara.Was it the blood of the great Saharan?She was so beautiful it was hard to believe she was older than Grid.Her bright expression as she lowered the crown she wore so far further highlighted her beauty.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has married ¡®Basara.¡¯]


    In the midst of the blessing and cheers of their precious people, Grid and Basara kissed.This wasn¡¯t the fruit of love, but Grid vowed to cherish and respect her for the rest of his life. Of course, it was a responsibility he had to bear.


    -This is really crazy.


    -Is there a Korean person with two wives?


    ?Isn¡¯t it an imperial person?


    -Basara is really beautiful...


    ? Really. Rather than saying she is pretty, the word ¡®beautiful¡¯ is just right. She is also wise and kind-hearted.


    -I¡¯m envious.I¡¯m envious.I¡¯m envious.I¡¯m envious.I¡¯m envious.


    -Everyone, I just imagined something terrifying.For some reason, I think I will see the same scene in real life.


    ?Me too ????


    ??????


    -What are you doing not revising the Korean Marriage Act?Revise it before Grid moves to the Middle East.I want to see Grid¡¯s virtue too.


    ?It isn¡¯t because of the marriagew that he doesn¡¯t have a wife, right?


    ?Is Grid going to be a Muslim?


    It had been a few years.The number of members of Grid¡¯s anti-fan cafe increased.Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t a dramatic number.It was evidence that most people were convinced of the marriage between Grid and Basara.


    People were jealous of Grid, but they didn¡¯t curse him.Then what if the other person was Mercedes?The growth potential of Grid¡¯s anti-fan cafe was enormous...

 Chapter 1556

    <h4>Chapter 1556</h4>


    Sehee couldn¡¯t forget the first time she saw Mercedes.Mercedes caught her eye at once.She was so pretty that Sehee¡¯s head became nk for a moment. It was like this even though Mercedes had no clear expression.Sehee wondered if she was a doll.


    Thus, she was surprised at this moment.


    ¡®Her expression...?¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ cheeks were slightly puffed up as she looked at the backs of Grid and Basara.Her usually always calm eyes were shaken and the water in them made her feel pitiful.Unlike Yura and Jishuka, who distinguished Satisfy from reality, Mercedes seemed quite agitated by Grid¡¯s marriage.


    Mercedes¡¯ expression was very vivid.It was so different from her usual appearance that she seemed to be apletely different person.Now Mercedes was absolutely a young woman. The weapons she had always carried looked heavy and awkward today.


    Irene was the one who reached out to her.She smiled and soothed Mercedes, despite being the one who should feel more sadness than anyone else.¡°Don¡¯t be disappointed. The order of second or third doesn¡¯t matter. His Majesty¡¯s love for you won¡¯t change forever.¡±


    She had first-hand experience with Grid¡¯s love, so she could say this.Mercedes looked down at her cold gauntlets and nodded.¡°Yes.¡±


    I am sorry to show an inappropriate appearance for a celebration day.


    I fully understood My Liege¡¯s position, etc.


    Mercedes couldn¡¯t bear to say such words, so she gave a brief answer. She thought there would be tears flowing if she said anything else.


    Her liege, who loved her a few days ago.


    Her liege, who she believed she would be sharing with her queen, married someone else. Mercedes felt embarrassed, sad, and jealous.


    That night, on the city wall illuminated by blue moonlight.


    ¡°Mercedes.¡±Grid fell to one knee and held out a ring iid with transparent jewels.¡°Marry me.¡±


    Not long ago, Grid and Mercedes confirmed each other¡¯s hearts.The two people were so hot that they melted the ice caps of the Chaos Mountains.They heard each other¡¯s breathing, not the screams of the monsters.It was their sweat, not the blood of the beasts, that wet the bodies of the two people.How many times did the two of them do it on that day...


    Omitted.


    ...Therefore, Grid was obligated to take responsibility for Mercedes.Even if it wasn¡¯t an obligation, he wanted to turn it into an obligation.He definitely wanted to be with Mercedes.Grid had been fascinated by her a long time ago.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but our marriage ceremony won¡¯t be grand...¡±


    Grid¡¯swful wife was Irene.Basara had the status of former empress and a legitimate line of descent of the empire. Thus, he had to hold a grand wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, this was a special case.The marriage to Mercedes should be done as decisively as possible.This was the greatest courtesy toward Irene.


    ¡°If it is okay with you¡ª no, you must marry me...¡±


    It was even before Grid finished speaking.


    Nod.


    Mercedes nodded vigorously.She was looking down and her expression couldn¡¯t be seen.However, Grid felt it.Just as he felt her mood behind him during the daytime wedding, Grid¡¯s transcendent senses clearly analyzed Mercedes at this moment.


    Therefore, he hugged her as hard as he could.It was to let his heart be conveyed.


    ¡°...I lob you,¡± Mercedes felt relieved and confessed what was in her heart.


    The pronunciation was blurred by her sobbing, but the appearance of her ears that were red out of embarrassment made Grid smile.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    In response, Grid rubbed against the top of Mercedes¡¯ head with his chin.The ruler of knights was surprisingly small.The top of her head could barely touch Grid¡¯s sr plexus.It was something that people didn¡¯t know.Mercedes usually exuded a sense of pressure which had the effect of making her look bigger.


    Tens of thousands of stars shone as if to bless the two people.


    ***


    ¡°Are you really going to just watch? You will juste back to life if you die. What are you so scared of?¡±


    ¡°The damage is too great. You are a legend, so you won¡¯t die easily, right? I think it would be better for you toe forward.¡±


    ¡°s, it is distressing. If there was apetition to choose the best bastard in the world, you would be first.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I think I would be third ce.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a conscience.¡±


    At the East Continent...


    Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong were still on an adventure together.Trapped in a fence made by the gods, they wandered around the entire kingdom to liberate the poor people who believed in fake faith.It wasn¡¯t known how many life or death crises they had crossed in the fight against the yangbans with innate transcendence.


    However, the two of them still didn¡¯t trust each other.They didn¡¯t rashly entrust their backs to each other despite crossing so many life or death crises.This meant they understood each other well.The person they cherished most was themselves.Their definition of justice was extremely realistic.


    Fight for others, but don¡¯t sacrifice themselves.


    They tried to follow the path of righteousness but they turned a blind eye ording to the situation.They couldn¡¯t be med.Just because their definition of justice was realistic didn¡¯t mean it was false.Furthermore, they had the grand goal of destroying the yangbans. They should never die until then.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve fully understood it by now. Never insult the gods again.¡±


    At a city in Kaya...


    The yangbans, who had been trampling the lord into a straw mat, finally relieved their anger and left.Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon sighed with relief from where they were hiding in the distance and watching the scene.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t kill him. Perhaps it is because they are conscious of people¡¯s eyes. I¡¯m d since I was worried.¡±


    "I agree.¡±


    Recently, the yangbans had be rowdy.They noticed that the seal of the red phoenix and ck tortoise were released, and felt irritated.They didn¡¯t kill as recklessly as before, but they still couldn¡¯t endure it and vented their anger when they encountered something unpleasant.The unpleasant reasons were usually pretty insignificant. For example, the lord was beaten up just because he entertained them with cheap wine.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve run over and helped right away if there were three less. It is a pity.¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve gone out if there were even two less.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I think I could¡¯ve gone out if there was only one less.¡±


    ¡°How childish.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about yourself? Didn¡¯t you start it first?¡±


    The expressions of Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong were dark.They were angered by their powerlessness at having to hide and watch the violence of the yangbans.


    ¡®If only this guy was a little bit stronger...¡¯


    ¡®If only this man was a bit stronger...¡¯


    The two men, whoined and resented each other, were by no means weak.Old Sword Demon was the strongest unofficial ranker, and Hwang Gildong was a legend who represented the East Continent.One person could deal with a few ordinary yangbans alone. Hwang Gildong could handle twice as much as that.


    However, the number of yangbans encountered this time was 11.In particr, five of them had taken off their gats.They were sent down as objects of new worship by the Hwan Kingdom.In the aftermath of the revival of the red phoenix and ck tortoise,the yangbans¡¯sbat power wasn¡¯t as good as before, but it was natural that they couldn¡¯te out.


    ¡°Sigh...How long do we have to stay in this city?¡±


    The wounded lord was twitching on the dirt ground.He couldn¡¯t support his body because his limbs were broken, but no one helped him up.They were busy bowing toward the direction that the yangbans left.It was also the reason why the lord was struggling.The reason he struggled to raise his broken body from the dirt ground was to kowtow to the yangbans.


    It was a very disgusting and regrettable scene.Apart from the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom, which were liberated due to Grid, the people of the other kingdoms were still living a miserable life.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t far away,¡± Hwang Gildong replied while trying to turn away from the unpleasant sight.


    ¡°It is time for the army that left to help the West Continent to return.¡±


    News of the Great Human and Demon War on the West Continent had reached the east.Many people had witnessed that a pointed-eared man had disappeared into light with the army of the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom.


    ¡°Do you really think there will be demons among them?¡±


    ¡°Unconditionally. Even a mere y¨­kai can possess a human. Wouldn¡¯t demons also have this ability? Some of them, who mixed in with the crowd to save their lives, will surelye to thisnd.¡±


    ¡°Hrmm...¡±


    A few dayster, Hwang Gildong¡¯s prediction came true.There were a mixture of demons wearing human masks among the soldiers of the improved Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom. They suffered great pain from the divinity of the red phoenix and ck tortoise.They fled from these two kingdoms in a hurry and scattered. A considerable number of them gathered in Kaya.


    They were instinctively drawn to the power of the sealed blue dragon.They aspired to gain this power without knowing which monsters were guarding it.Moreover, the city where Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong were currently located was the entrance to Kaya.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Hwang Gildog¡¯s personality was trash, but he was stillpetent.He deserved to be a bigshot who had struggled alone against the yangbans for hundreds of years.


    Old Sword Demon was marveling at Hwang Gildong, who was preparing to meet the approaching demons, only to be flustered.The demons, who were disguised as humans and giving off a stinky demonic energy¡ªhe found green hair that stood out within thegroup.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±Old Sword Demon¡¯s eyes were ghastly.


    It was a few years ago when Agnusmitted a massive massacre in the East Continent.Some of the people sacrificed by Agnus were friends of Old Sword Demon.


    More than 100 people were killed by Agnus without understanding what was going on, including a father and daughter whom Old Sword Demon had barely rescued from the war, a mother and son saved from the swamp of poverty, and young boys and girls he looked after as a Daddy-Long-Legs.They were buried in the ground like garbage, rotted, and were resurrected with ugly faces to be used as soldiers.


    The anger and pain Old Sword Demon felt when he heard the news during his travels were still vivid. His heart throbbed the moment he recalled it.


    ¡°Kill him...! I¡¯ll tear him to pieces and throw him to the dogs as food!¡±


    ¡°Ehh?What are you doing...?¡±Hwang Gildong had no time to stop him. Old Sword Demon had already thrown himself toward the road.Hwang Gildong, who was about to follow, stopped.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    It was a street in broad daylight.As the startled crowd made a fuss, the energy of the yangbans scattered throughout the city immediately burst out. They seemed to being here with interest.


    ¡°This is dangerous... hey, Old Sword Demon! I¡¯ll be avoiding you, so live or die on your own!¡±


    Hwang Gildong ran away without looking back.


    ¡°You...?¡±


    ¡°Old Sword Demon! Shit!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Agnus faced a disaster.He sneaked onto the surface during the gap when the Overgeared members and rankers were busy preparing for the hell expedition, only to immediately encounter this monster.This... he could only describe it as really bad luck.


    ¡®Nothing has gone right these days.¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t just these days.His life had gone wrong from beginning to end.


    Agnus could onlyugh.


    ***


    At the Tower of Wisdom...


    Biban was grumbling that the size of the tower they moved to was uselesslyrge when his eyes widened.


    Betty¡ªshe normally never left her room except to participate in the regr meetings, but now she visited Biban.


    ¡°I have to meet Grid. Take me there.¡±


    ¡°All of a sudden? Granny, we can¡¯t just leave the tower casually as tower members. We have to move ording to the procedures...¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Contractor... he is going to lose his qualifications.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The flustered Biban threw the floor cloth away.

 Chapter 1557

    <h4>Chapter 1557</h4>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is a good idea to send them away without seeing them.¡±


    The Cho King was having a vaguemunication with the red phoenix, the guardian god of thend.The innate nature of the red phoenix, which existed for the people of the Cho Kingdom, responded to the blood of the Cho royal family.There was even a connection called Grid who acted as a bridge between the two of them.


    The Cho King had been helping Grid, so he received the favor of the red phoenix.This brought about a strong vignce and made him aware that some of the returning soldiers were demons, not human beings.Even so, he simply sent them away.He turned a blind eye to those who suffered from the divinity of the red phoenix flowing through the ground and ran away.


    It was due to advice from the Chivalrous Robbers.


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. By now, the leader must¡¯ve beaten them all. He has been digging a trap for a while.¡±


    The Chivalrous Robbers was a group of people.They robbed the assets of some of the people profiting from the power of the yangbans and scattered it to the private sector, and preached the real myths of the East Continent, telling people that the Four Auspicious Beasts were the guardian gods.


    There were no great achievements, but more than one or two people had been rescued by them. The Twelve Zodiacs also received theirfort.The achievements of the leader, Hwang Gildong, were particrly great. He made several ns and killed several yangbans returning to the Hwan Kingdom. He also contributed greatly to the recent resurgence of the ck tortoise.


    The Cho King trusted the Chivalrous Robbers.


    ¡°Um...I can rest assured if it is Hwang Gildong himself.¡±


    It was too dangerous for the Cho King to directly subdue the demons.Demons had different individual abilities and this made it difficult to predict what variables would ur. Above all, the warriors of the Cho Kingdom weren¡¯t strong enough to overpower arge number of demons.


    On the other hand, Hwang Gildong was a strong person who moved all over the world.The n to divide the group of demons between two ces, the Kaya Kingdom and Pa Kingdom, to iste them and destroy them one by one, didn¡¯t sound like a lie.Maybe he had destroyed the demons already?


    It happened the moment the Cho Kingdom had this thought...


    ¡°......?¡±


    The expressions of the Chivalrous Robbers stiffened as they received urgent news from a carrier pigeon.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    The Cho King couldn¡¯t bear to ask what had gone wrong.He was worried that the words would be seeds.He was ashamed of such a heart.


    ¡°...It says that something went wrong,¡± the members of the Chivalrous Robbers gave the worst answer, ¡°There is a possibility that the demons will fall into the hands of the yangbans...¡±


    ***


    Agnus was still confident in his skills.His level might¡¯ve dropped significantly, but Lantier grew intensively. Lantier¡¯s fighting power could overwhelm several high rankers alone.Furthermore, Agnus had inherited some of Marbas¡¯ power.This nearly doubled the number of minions he could control at once.


    Nevertheless, the reason for his constant failure and defeat was simply because the opponents were bad.


    Strength was rtive.


    Faker was too strong.The skill of using the shadow techniques was great enough to pierce the skyand he freely crossed the barrier of des set by the undead army like he was moving in and out of his own house.Additionally, his was always spread out because he used the Overgeared Shadows, whose number couldn¡¯t be estimated.In many ways, theirpatibility was bad.


    To add a bit of exaggeration, Faker was as frightening as Grid.However, this didn¡¯t mean that the other Overgeared members were weak.It was hard to see any chance of winning In ces with the influence of the Overgeared Guild...


    Agnus quickly came to such a conclusion.This was why he decided to base his future activities in the East Continent.Agnus needed time to grow.He was determined to stay alive until the moment when Baal hunted down Marbas and exploded his potential.Once he judged that he had grown enough, the first goal he would achieve was:


    ¡®I will pull out Chepardea¡¯s tongue.¡¯


    It was to repay the grudge.Agnus had no intention of just sitting back and watching the humiliation he had suffered from Chepardea over the past few months.The resentment he felt toward Chepardea was much greater than the resentment he felt toward Faker.


    It was natural.Faker and the Overgeared Guild were originally Agnus¡¯ enemies.In particr, Agnus had antagonized them first.In other words, the humiliation he experienced from Faker and the Overgeared Guild was self-inflicted.


    Then what about Chepardea?He was a colleague.It was very rare, but Chepardea once showed a liking toward Agnus.Therefore, Agnus tried.He struggled even more anxiously when he saw Chepardea disappointed in him. He tried his best to prove his qualifications.He might¡¯ve longed for affection without even realizing it.


    In the end, he repeatedly tasted failure.Chepardea¡¯s response to him was the worst.Chepardea despised Agnus. The more Agnus failed and the more he struggled, the more Chepardea hated and insulted him.It was an attitude that stimted Agnus¡¯ trauma.It was greatly simr to the group that harassed him in the past and aroused anger.


    That¡¯s right.Agnus was obsessed with Chepardea.As his years of clinging to the resurrection of his old lover had proved, he could be very obsessive.He could put everything else behind him until he paid back the humiliation to Chepardea.This was why he came to the East Continent and moved carefully in the East Continent.


    However, this monster grabbed him by the ankle.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Lantier¡¯s body suddenly floated in the air. He couldn¡¯t bear the weight of Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword. He immediately used shadow movements to change his position and appear behind Old Sword Demon, but even that was read.Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword smashed Lantier¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know the habits of assassins?¡±


    Old Sword Demon emitted a sharp light from his eyes.It reminded people that at first nce, his essence was an assassin.It was very difficult to deal with the heavy sword suddenly hiding its appearance as it was falling heavily. The sword moving fast in a brilliant manner could also suddenly be a dull sword, causing confusion.


    ¡®He picked a strange skill tree.¡¯


    At this moment, Agnus realized the biggest advantage of a normal ss.A skill tree that was divided ording to the ¡®transfer¡¯ selected at every 100 levels.If yers made good use of the system, which didn¡¯t apply to hidden sse, they could be as special as the monster in front of him.


    ¡®Did he strengthen his swordsmanship by picking the trap instation skill tree and getting a correction on his use of tools, rather than the stealth or assassination skill trees?¡¯


    Agnus was very interested in the specificity of the swordsmanship used by Old Sword Demon.He thought he should use a variety of skill trees when changing the sses of the skeleton soldiers.It felt like his eyes were opened.He received a clue that would greatly help him grow in the future.


    However, now wasn¡¯t the time to be happy about it.Agnus¡¯ robe was torn apart by Old Sword Demon¡¯s wicked touch.It was fortunate. If the robe wasn¡¯t torn, his cor would¡¯ve been caught and he would¡¯ve been thrown to the ground.


    ¡®There are times when being cheap helps.¡¯


    One of the weaknesses of Baal¡¯s Contractor was their istion from civilization.There were so many misdeeds that normal social activities were impossible.Agnus was rejected by society over time. Naturally, his authority to use the store disappeared.This meant that Agnus had to use a looting system or rely on transactions with yers to purchase certain items.


    However, most people loathed Agnus.They didn¡¯t easily trade with him. Even if they traded, they demanded an excessive fee.It was a considerable burden for Agnus, who had hismercial activities restricted and had difficulty securing currency.He could use the item trading sites to buy items using cash, but even this was bing increasingly difficult.He couldn¡¯t improve his ie through broadcasting like other rankers and had to be self-sufficient through hunting. Yet in recent years, he hadn¡¯t been able to hunt properly.


    Therefore, Agnus was currently covered in rags.He was equipped with normal and rare items because he couldn¡¯t afford to buy new items for his dropped level.


    Old Sword Demon didn¡¯t like this point about Agnus.¡°You have hurt so many people, yet you are like this? You are mocking the lives of those who died by making them worthless until the end?!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The part he was angry about was subtle.At this point, he felt like making an unreasonable demand.Even so, Agnus didn¡¯t dare refute it.The source of this anger came from the loss of loved ones.He knew this mood, so he had no desire to argue.


    ¡®Stupid jerk.¡¯


    He had reached an irreversible point, but he felt the condemnation of his conscience.Agnus was disgusted with himself andughed.He wasughing at himself, but Old Sword Demon didn¡¯t know this.


    Agnus¡¯ evil deeds came from his past resentment and hatred.Other people didn¡¯t know that even this faded after losing his madness.


    ¡°You trash jerk!¡±


    ¡°It is the correct answer.¡±


    Agnus epted the usation and used Bentao¡¯s Mockery.It was a deliberate means to ovee the situation, but it was useless.Many of Agnus¡¯ techniques had already been disclosed to the public.The defeats that he had suffered had exposed and weakened him.


    Old Sword Demon urately read the foreshadowing of the skill and counterattacked using a skill invalidation artifact.He crushed the high bridge of Agnus¡¯ nose with his knee before grabbing Agnus¡¯ neck with his rotating leg and mming Agnus into the ground.


    Agnus couldn¡¯t even scream.He could only confirm Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword inserted in his chest using his blurred vision.


    ''...It is karma.¡¯


    He had maintained some of his conscience while suffering from madness, such as rejecting Baal¡¯s quests to kill an unspecified number of people, but it waspletely meaningless.The number of casualties that should be in the millions was suppressed to thousands or tens of thousands, but in the end, he was still a murderer.


    He couldn¡¯t deny that he had harmed others ording to his needs and mood.Every ce he went, he had no choice but to face someone who held a grudge against him.If he was going to protect himself from them, he should¡¯ve first abandoned his clumsy conscience.


    ¡®What the hell am I doing?¡¯


    What type of person was Agnus?He asked himself this, but he couldn¡¯t give an answer.He used his terrible past to bury deep in his memory that he was a man with a broken but kind heart.


    Agnus denied and loathed himself, but he didn¡¯t know how to affirm himself.Just in time, his five seconds of immortality came.


    Old Sword Demon maintained a sense of tension.He kept an eye on Agnus while allowing Lantier¡¯s attacks. He held onto the sword inserted in Agnus¡¯ heart like it was a stake.At this moment¡ª


    "Stop."


    In an untimely appearance, several people appeared and surrounded Old Sword Demon.It was the intervention of the yangbans.Old Sword Demon had woven ropes around the demons fleeing while fighting Agnus.


    ¡°We will look at that guy.¡±


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. Now there was only one second left. Agnus¡¯ immortality was about to end, so Old Sword Demon inserted strength into the hand holding the sword.However, he couldn¡¯t hold on.He was attacked by the yangbans and separated from Agnus.


    At the end of the immortality, the yangbans reached out to Agnus.


    ¡°Your strength is very interesting. You will have to cooperate with us before we figure out how to take advantage of it...¡±


    The eyes of the yangban who was talking opened wide.The blood that Agnus spewed burst like a firecracker and soaked his face.The shaky gazes of the yangbans caught Old Sword Demon¡¯s figure.


    ¡°You tend to look at humans too dismissively since a long time ago.¡±


    A disaster caused by carelessness.It happened the moment the anger of the yangbans soared into the sky...


    ¡°Uwaaak!¡±Agnus, who was attempting to be an undead to postpone death, failed and threw something up.It was a cold, ck bead.At the same time, warning windows emerged in front of Agnus¡¯ blurry vision.


    [Baal has sensed your death and has withdrawn even the touch of interest he left behind with you.]


    [The contract with Baal is forcibly terminated.]


    [The ss ¡®Baal¡¯s Contractor¡¯ is lost.]


    [You have lost all the titles, skills, and stats inherited from Baal.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The yangbans reached out as if they werepeting.Itpletely drew the interest of not only Old Sword Demon, but also the captured demons.It was understandable.It was because the ck bead in Old Sword Demon¡¯s view was ¡®Baal¡¯s Power Fragment.¡¯


    ¡®There is such a blunder.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, but he instinctively felt it.The fact that this bead shouldn¡¯t fall into the hands of the yangbans.Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do.


    [You have died.]


    It was because he was already dead.


    Agnus, Old Sword Demon who died in vain, and the yangbans who were fighting like anglers...


    A dark shadow covered theedy-like spectacle.It was due to a pair of wings huge enough to cover the sky.It was the ultimate transcendent species, a dragon.

 Chapter 1558

    Chapter 1558


    ¡°What? On the first night of my honeymoon, you ran to another woman and proposed? Is this real...? Isn¡¯t it like garbage from an affair movie?¡±


    Vantner was straightforward.He didn¡¯t hesitate to scold his friend¡¯s transgressions.It was an attitude that came from goodwill.He was inclined to give attention and a strong warning so that his friend didn¡¯t go wrong from viting morality.This was what Grid liked.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sit back and watch Mers be sad. Basara also told me to go to Mers first.¡±


    Basara was much older than Grid.She was from the imperial family and a duke who ascended to the rank of empress with the will of the former emperor. She cared for all her people.She had very deep thoughts and had an excellent ability to read the situation.She read Mercedes¡¯ grief at the wedding venue and inferred Mercedes¡¯ rtionship with Grid. She weighed the situation where the two of them got married or couldn¡¯t get married, and considered the best choice.


    In order to breed the seeds of unity, she raised the issue with Grid.She asked Grid to go to Mercedes. She encouraged the love of the two toe to fruition.


    ¡°I think people¡¯s rtionships and feelings should be a springboard, not a stumbling block.¡±


    This was what Basara said that night.She was wise and exined the importance of rtionships, and this resonated with Grid.Before Mercedes¡¯ heart could fall into an uncontroble abyss, he ran and caught her.


    ¡°Um...Mercedes was sad. Basara understood... then there is no problem... right?¡±


    Vantner heard the exnation and had a subtle expression as he was convinced.


    ¡°Thinking positively... I¡¯m d that you have a sense of responsibility. Every time he meets a new lover, Pon will abandon his former lover.¡±


    ¡°It is rude topare me with Pon. I¡¯m not a flirt.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It happened as his colleagues were looking at Grid with expressions of absurdity¡­


    Grid¡¯s line of sight tilted. His clear eyes stayed at the opposite window behind his colleagues.After a few seconds, Faker¡¯s posture in the shadow shook slightly.A few seconds after that...


    ¡°What type of monsters are these...?¡±


    Katz was agitated. His face turned white and the atmosphere became turbulent.


    ¡°Is it an invasion?¡±


    Grid restrained the nervous Overgeared members who were arming themselves.¡°No, they are guests. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Grid¡¯sbination of Transcend and Shunpo was now as natural as flowing water. He had enough stamina that he wouldn¡¯t get tired even if he used it several times in a row.He calmed down his colleagues and moved out the window, flying over the spires. He also pulled down the mass of Greed above his head and used one of his powers.Greed spread out like a tent to wrap around the surroundings, enclosing the space.


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    Shortly after, two people arrived.There was Biban of the Tower of Wisdom and the other tower member¡ª


    ¡°Hello.¡±It was Betty.Unlike Biban, Betty¡¯s outings weren¡¯tmon, so Grid felt some uneasiness.


    ¡°What brings the two of you here...?¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s Contractor of this era will lose his qualifications.¡±Betty was different from Biban. There were no distractions around her, so she immediately revealed her business.The contents were shocking.


    ¡°It is very serious since Baal¡¯s power mixed in the contractor¡¯s soul will be released and leaked.¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s power is the source of all evil. It will seduce witnesses with strong power and malice. In particr, dragons.¡±


    ¡°I think Baal designed it like this intentionally.¡±


    ¡°The power to attract dragons...¡±


    ¡°Yes, when Granny Betty lost her power, Nevartan and Bunhelier flew in. It was unlucky. This incident urred close to theirs of those two dragons. Even if I say it is close, it was still hundreds of kilometers away.¡±


    ¡°There is a high possibility that the dragons will also intervene in this incident. It has to be stopped. If a dragon gains Baal¡¯s power, a second evil dragon will be born.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart sank.


    Ultimate beings with transcendence¡ªin particr, it was difficult to guess the strength of the dragons that had existed from the beginning.It was only by abandoning themon sense umted previously and adding imagination that he could vaguely grasp the outline.He couldn¡¯t hide his tension at the suggestion that he could face them directly.


    ¡°In other words, the tower should be responsible for this incident, but there happens to be a problem. Granny Betty detected that the current contractor is on the East Continent. It isn¡¯t our jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°If the tower members attempt to move between continents, the problem would be serious. We will inevitably show some signs and will be chased by dragons.¡±


    ¡°Every dragon in the world will notice and aim for Baal¡¯s power, which has currently only been detected and targeted by the dragons in the east. In the aftermath, the East Continent will perish.¡±


    ¡°So, Grid, you should go to the east on our behalf. Be sure to destroy that power before someone obtains it and exploits it.¡±


    [A Pioneer quest has urred!]


    [Destroy Baal¡¯s Power Fragment]


    [Difficulty: Unable to be measured.


    Betty has watched the Baal¡¯s Contractor of this era and predicts that he will soon lose his qualifications. Destroy the fragment of Baal¡¯s power that will be leaked at this time so that it doesn¡¯t fall into someone else¡¯s hands.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Destroy the fragment of Baal¡¯s power.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Betty¡¯s gift. Affinity with Betty will increase.


    Quest Failure Condition: Another person obtains the fragment of Baal¡¯s power.


    Quest Failure Result: A new strong enemy that has absorbed Baal¡¯s power will emerge. There is a high probability of massive damage to the East Continent.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    It was ominous just from the difficulty level.In the first ce, it was a quest that was likely to involve dragons. It was clear that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to resolve.The good news was that there would be no damage done to Grid individually if the quest failed, but this wasn¡¯t afort at all.


    The people of Cho and Xing¡ªhe was already heavy-hearted when thinking about all the soldiers and their families who participated in and helped with the Great Human and Demon War.


    ¡°Is this something I can resolve...?¡±


    It would be hard¡ªeven if he received such an answer, Grid would ept the quest.He didn¡¯t want the East Continent to be a ruin.The answer that came back was surprisingly hopeful.


    ¡°It is hard, but I think it is possible. I wouldn¡¯t have asked you if you couldn¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Grid, you know that the East Continent is thend of the gods. In the past, the Four Auspicious Beasts existed as guardian gods and exerted influence on all things. Now the expelled gods and the yangbans are directly intervening in the situation. Compared to this ce, the flow of magic power is rtively limited due to the overflow of divine power.¡±


    ¡°It means thend is inappropriate to be used as a base by dragons, the masters of magic. This means the dragons in the east are actually close to ¡®hidden losers.¡¯ It is very likely that it has arge wound. It is rtivelymon for dragons topete overir locations and this happens once every few hundred years.¡±


    Certainly, the words ¡®hidden loser¡¯ were appropriate.It was because the people of the east had never mentioned the existence of dragons. The only dragon they talked about was the blue dragon, who was one of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    Grid¡¯s expression became noticeably brighter.


    ¡®A dragon that is wounded and hid itself... it is possible to discuss the odds of winning.¡¯


    It was a chance to get dragon bones and scales.Biban continued speaking as Grid clenched his fists and was delighted, ¡°It is simr to Gujel when we hunted him. Don¡¯t try to overdo it. Even if you can¡¯t kill it, I¡¯m sure you can drive it away.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s jubnt expression stiffened again.The power gathered to hunt Gujel was all the tower members, including Hayate.It meant it was impossible for Grid to hunt it alone.Obtaining the dragon scales and bones became very distant...


    Betty added a further warning, ¡°That is before the dragon gets its hands on the power fragment. It will be iparably powerful and uncontroble if it gets the power fragment. Then give up ande back. We¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±There was no further conversation. Time was short.Grid immediately left for the East Continent while the tower members saw him off from a distance.


    Biban sighed and stared at Betty somewhat resentfully.¡°Granny, I¡¯m disappointed. Why did you stand idly by and watch Agnus leave for the East Continent? If you had killed him yourself and made him lose his disqualification on thisnd, we wouldn¡¯t have needed to ask for help from Grid.¡±


    Biban shut his mouth.


    Why did Baal¡¯s Contractor have to sign with Baal and why did he lose his qualifications...?He understood it by recalling Betty¡¯s past, which he heard from Fronzaltz one day in the past.


    A bitter smile appeared on Betty¡¯s usually always expressionless face.¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hesitated because I felt sorry for him. It is all my fault. I¡¯ll take responsibility and be punished.¡±


    ¡°...I am also sorry.¡±


    Biban¡¯s body trembled.He noticed Betty¡¯s determination and felt anger and sadness.


    ¡®Grid, please...¡¯


    Biban¡¯s heart was eager as he looked at the remnants of the Mass Teleport Grid used to disappear.


    ¡®Please create a miracle again this time... take care of the people of the east and this poor granny...¡¯


    ***


    [Someone is praying to you.]


    This was the mostmon notification window after opening the prayer stat.It shed and disappeared from a corner of his vision, giving Grid great courage.


    ¡®They must be people praying for me on thisnd.¡¯


    At the East Continent...


    The gentle air waspletely different from what he was breathing just a moment ago. The wind blew the fragrance of pine needles. His head cleared.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯


    Usually, he would first visit the Cho King to say hello whening to the East Continent, but he couldn¡¯t afford it today.Grid immediately moved toward his destination. He used Shunpo in session.


    ***


    At Kaya¡­


    Old Sword Demon died without knowing what happened and immediately revived.He was d that his ce of death and the resurrection point were the same.This allowed him to determine the case of death.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Old Sword Demon doubted the sight unfolding in the city below the shrine.


    A huge dragon was on the rampage. It waspletely different from the blue dragon, one of the symbols of the East Continent. Their body wasrge and it had wings. It breathed out fire every time it opened its mouth and its expression was very vicious.


    ¡°A dragon...¡±


    Why did the strongest monster of the West Continent appear in this far easternnd?Old Sword Demon naturally suspected Agnus. He was forced to interpret it as Agnus bringing the monster here.


    A light shed at the shrine behind him.It was a sign that a yer had been resurrected.Old Sword Demon looked back only for his eyes to widen.


    ¡°Agnus, you!


    ¡°It has been a long time since I¡¯ve been resurrected on the surface.¡±


    Agnus was resurrected in hell every time he died.It was a type of penalty and one of the inconveniences that Baal¡¯s Contractor received.Yet at this moment, he was liberated from it.There was no designated resurrection point, so he resurrected at the nearest resurrection base. He thought it was a convenient feature.


    ¡°What is that dragon? How many people do you have to hurt to make you feel better?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that guy.¡±


    After a few years, Agnus had returned to being an ordinary necromancer.His eyes, which regained tranquility proportional to the sharp decline inbat power, shone as sharply as before. His green hair reminded people of his early years when he was notorious.


    ¡°The yangbans are dying easily. A dragon... it is as awesome as rumored.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! This isn¡¯t the time to marvel! The city is going to be destroyed!¡±


    Agnus really didn¡¯t have anything to do with the dragon.Old Sword Demon first put aside his hatred for Agnus. He calcted the timing to step out while nervously looking at the people running away in confusion.


    Agnus asked him, ¡°Do you want to save people?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to mock me? That¡¯s right! I want to save them! You easily hurt people, so you don¡¯t understand, but I...! We...!¡±


    The years he spent with Hwang Gildong passed by through his mind.How many people did he try to save and how many people he couldn¡¯t save...


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to save them again this time.


    Old Sword Demon was holding his face with frustration when Agnus strode past Old Sword Demon.¡°If you want to save people, it is better to help the yangbans.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°That dragon covets Baal¡¯s power. If that is taken by it, the city will be dust without any time to save people. First of all, work together and help the yangbans. Then find an opportunity to destroy Baal¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Haha...?Look at this guy? You want to fight with me now? You are going to help people? Who will believe your words? You are just using a trick to eat Baal¡¯s power again.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe it or not. In the future, I will only do what I want to do.¡±


    It felt like Agnus¡¯ shackles were broken.In retrospect, it was Baal¡¯s Contractor, the only thing he believed in and relied on, that was actually the darkness that pushed him into a greater abyss.


    ¡°Enter the shadows, Lantier.¡±


    [Your death knight Lantier isn¡¯t responding. You don¡¯t have the authority.]


    ¡°Raise your sword, Cao.¡±


    [Your death knight Cao isn¡¯t responding. You don¡¯t have the authority.]


    Nobody responded to the call.He lost his connection to the beings he had gained during his days as Baal¡¯s Contractor.The sudden solitude that made his heart throb was exposed to the cold air.Even so, Agnus proceeded firmly.


    ¡°The poor dead, reflect on your resentment.¡±


    Dozens of undead appeared around the advancing Agnus.They were insignificant skeleton soldiers holding rusty iron swords and bows.They were the default minions of a necromancer.Agnus didn¡¯t care. He reached out and pulled a weapon out of his inventory. He armed himself with the old staff used in the past that felt very far away.¡°I will start over.¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±Old Sword Demon¡¯s eyes widened as he stared nkly at Agnus¡¯ back.Agnus¡¯ upper body, revealed through the pping robe, had no skin or flesh. His bones and organs were nakedly exposed and he looked more hideous and shabby than the skeleton soldiers standing beside him.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for most people to handle, but Agnus¡¯ expression didn¡¯t waver.He was much calmer and more powerful than before his death to Old Sword Demon.He could feel heat from the gold eyes that looked as cold as metal and it made Old Sword Demon feel strange.

 Chapter 1559

    <h4>Chapter 1559</h4>


    Feel me. See me, covet me, swallow me, and make me yours.


    The will of the dark orb was amplified over and over again. The yangbans and demons on the field were instantly fascinated. They forgot the past and present, losing themselves as they started to obsess over the future proposed by the bead. They were convinced that their future after swallowing the bead would be great. It was based on the enormous energy contained in the bead.


    ¡®I will be sure to take first ce in the next trials with that power.¡¯


    ¡®There will be no need for the worship of humans. That thing. The moment I get my hands on it, I will be a god.¡¯


    ¡®I will return to hell and wear a crown.¡¯


    ¡®I will get revenge. I will surely get revenge¡­¡¯


    Baal¡¯s fragment of power was like a furnace. It captured the desires and resentment of all living things around it.


    In the surge of heat, reason and knowledge were killed. Both the yangbans and demons howled like beasts. They didn¡¯t realize that their hands extending toward the bead were digging through the brains of their colleagues. They didn¡¯t feel that their eyeballs looking at the bead were being pulled out by the colleagues¡¯ hands.


    Everything was insignificant in front of the bead. They only desired the bead without recognizing anything other than the bead.


    Kurarararara!


    Bones and flesh melted from the mes being fired by the dragon in the sky. However, no one cared about her. On the ground that had turned into a sea of fire, the demons and yangbans seemed to be dancing. It seemed like a bizarre hell.


    ¡°They are crazy.¡± Old Sword Demon sighed. The spirit of the world was broken. He couldn¡¯t figure out what to do first in this frightening and confusing situation.


    Kyaaaak!


    Agnus¡¯ skeleton soldiers were plunging into the mes. Agnus, who was watching those being killed in vain, spoke to him, ¡°Three seconds after the mes are formed, the damage coefficient will sharply decrease. Remember the sequence of mes and move.¡±


    Step.


    Agnus threw himself into the roaring barrier of fire. It seemed right that he would turn to ashes, but he crossed it unharmed. Old Sword Demon chased after him while clicking his tongue.


    ¡®What am I doing with this guy?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like the situation.


    The mes that spread like waves and formed abyrinth, the heat of the crazy people that was as hot as mes, the back of the dragon standing tall like a mountain, Agnus calmly watching the sight, and the destruction that seemed unavoidable¡­


    There was only despair. Old Sword Demon was frustrated, but he moved forward. He attacked the mes in the way that Agnus suggested and gave a helping hand to the people trapped in thebyrinth. Before he knew it, his body was covered with burns. He repeatedly burned his body to rescue the people threatened by mes that hadn¡¯t yet weakened.


    ¡°Laugh if you want tough. I won¡¯t blink even if you mock me!¡± Old Sword Demon made eye contact with Agnus and roared.


    He was enduring the burning pain from his hands that stretched out to a boy. The isted boy couldn¡¯t hold his hand and was bing ashes when Agnus approached the boy¡¯s side.


    ¡°Stay still.¡±


    He didn¡¯t take off the boy¡¯s robe with fireballs stuck to it. Rather, he embraced it and grabbed the boy, pulling the boy out carefully so that the boy wasn¡¯t rmed.


    ¡°Thank you¡­!¡±


    The tearful boy relied on Agnus. It was because he didn¡¯t know that Agnus was a murderer who couldn¡¯t wash away his sins even if he saved a million more people in the future. The boy didn¡¯t see Agnus¡¯ ugly body hidden in the burning robe.


    ¡°¡­Disgusting guy,¡± Old Sword Demon frowned and criticized Agnus. It wasn¡¯t until he lost his strength that he took up the pretense of good will. It was so ridiculous that Old Sword Demon scoffed.


    ¡°It is no use thinking about saving yourself until you regain your strength. Your past will never be washed away no matter what tricks you try in the future. Everyone will just remember your misdeeds and hate you forever.¡±


    ¡°Where are your parents?¡±


    Agnus didn¡¯t confront Old Sword Demon¡¯s criticisms that were close to a curse. He only questioned the boy and the boy answered with difficulty.


    ¡°They passed away a few years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°I might¡¯ve been the one who killed them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    Agnus took his eyes off the boy who didn¡¯t understand him and made eye contact with Old Sword Demon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can erase my past. I don¡¯t intend to ask anyone for forgiveness, nor do I intend to be a good person.¡±


    It was closer to a grumble than a pledge.


    ¡°I¡¯m simply going to live as I please, while doing the things I want to do.¡±


    They were grumpy words that had no sense of responsibility and induced a feeling of disgust. Old Sword Demon was finding this attitude disgusting when he suddenly had a thought. He didn¡¯t feel disgusted when Agnus saved the child just now. It meant that Old Sword Demon wouldn¡¯t have liked it no matter what Agnus said.


    Yes, it was an irreparable rtionship. Consuming his emotions in rtion to Agnus was a luxury in itself.


    Just ignore it. For now, it was right to focus on the situation.


    ¡®He is trash rolling around on the side of the road. A dog¡¯s poop. There is no need to pay attention to him¡­¡¯


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s focus was incredible after he regained his mind. He quickly rescued people from thebyrinth of mes and drew the attention of the dragon as she gradually approached the bead. He utilized an assassin¡¯s trap instation skills and the effects of the traps were endless depending on their form. At first nce, he seemed like an all-rounder.


    ¡®It is a skill that has been practiced for more than a year or two.¡¯


    The poor condition of the dragon also yed a major role. The blood that was mixed in every time she breathed out fire indicated her internal injuries.


    ¡®This fire isn¡¯t a Breath.¡¯


    Most people mistook a dragon¡¯s Breath for elemental magic. It was because a Breath had attributes. In fact, a Breath was more like a pure mass of magic power. The oveid attributes were an additional factor and it specialized in causing abnormal statuses. The actual damage was true damage proportional to the amount of magic power. It meant that all types of resistances and tolerances were useless.


    If the dragon called Ifrit had overused Breath, the yangbans on the field might¡¯ve been wiped out. However, she was currently unable to shoot a Breath and was just breathing out. Even that was apanied by blood.


    Agnus was certain.


    ¡®Her judgment is blurred¡­ the odds are good enough.¡¯


    Agnus¡¯ purpose wasn¡¯t to kill the dragon. It was impossible in the first ce. It wasmon sense that yers couldn¡¯t threaten dragons. It was the result of the information and knowledge that Agnus had umted so far. Agnus made destroying the fragment of Baal¡¯s power his top priority. That was the best he could do now.


    Kurarararara!


    The fragment of Baal¡¯s power was basically bonds of demonic energy. It was why the yangbans couldn¡¯t easily narrow the distance and the secret behind Old Sword Demon¡¯s traps utilizing artifacts with ck magic attracting the dragon¡¯s attention. The yangbans and dragon were blinded by the power fragment and had be very simple. It was possible to buy time by distracting them using energy simr to the power fragment.


    Meanwhile, Agnus was a necromancer. The undead he summoned basically had evil influences and demonic energy. It was possible to confuse them with amplified demonic energy if he used Corpse Explosion. The skeleton soldiers exploded everywhere and blinded the yangbans and dragon. They forgot the location of the bead they were chasing a while ago and wandered in apletely different direction.


    However, the demons were different. They had goodpatibility with demonic energy. They were already close to the bead from the beginning and weren¡¯t easily deceived.


    ¡°Um¡­!¡± Old Sword Demon showed nervousness. He feared that the fragment of power would fall into the hands of a demon and attempted to break through the mes.


    Agnus stopped him. ¡°You can ignore them.¡±


    The reason was quickly known.


    Kyaaaack!


    The fragment of power rejected the demons. It swallowed those who came near it in reverse and increased its energy. The demons disappeared in vain.


    ¡°Baal wants a fun toy,¡± ck magic power started to flutter around Agnus as he spoke in a cynical manner. It was the aftermath of taking out one of the few powers remaining in his rune. He emitted demonic energy and became the target of the dragon and yangbans.


    ¡°It is now. Go and smash the fragment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±


    Old Sword Demon btedly noticed. The mes that filled his vision were fading. The shortest path to the power fragment was opened. Most of the breaths that the dragon btedly fired were surrounding Agnus. It was a situation created by Agnus using Corpse Explosion.


    Kurarararara!


    ¡°Give it to me! It is mine!¡±


    The dragon¡¯s breath and the yangbans flooded toward Agnus. Old Sword Demon noticed this was hisst chance and rushed forward. He felt the end of Agnus behind him as he stabbed with all his strength toward the power fragment.


    A powerful shockwave urred. Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword prated the bead little by little, slowly but steadily. Nevertheless, it wascking. At some point, it was blocked by a wall. A blow containing all his power was blocked by the bead, which contained only a small fragment of Baal¡¯s power.


    ¡°Kuoock¡­!¡± Old Sword Demon gritted his teeth as his body trembled. He squeezed out all his strength to push the sword even a little bit further into the bead. However, it was useless.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    I messed it up. I failed because I amcking. This city will be destroyed.


    A voice entered the ears of the frustrated Old Sword Demon, ¡°I ruined it because I couldn¡¯t hold on.¡±


    It was Agnus¡¯ voice. It was a fragmented voice. They were thest words Agnus would leave before his death. He seemed to beforting Old Sword Demon. He seemed to be apologizing for not buying enough time. It was hard to believe.


    Old Sword Demonughed at the absurdity while Agnus¡¯ vision turned gray.


    ¡®I wanted to deal a blow¡­¡¯


    To the one who abandoned me.


    I wanted to give you a taste of regret.


    Yet in the end, I couldn¡¯t do anything.


    I just reinforced the fact that I am worthless.


    ¡®I have¡­ I really don¡¯t have any value¡­¡¯


    Agnus had dreamed of a fresh start just a few dozen minutes ago. His eyes, which were heated up for the first time since the death of his former lover, once again lost their light and cooled down. His mental strength couldn¡¯t be intact. It hurt too much to keep his heart firm and his mind straight. It was a sandcastle. It was destined to be scattered in a fleeting manner.


    Then at this moment, his fate changed.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t ruin it. I honestly don¡¯t know what is going on, but thank you for holding on. Really,¡± a voice came from above his head.


    Agnus felt that the voice that spoke while breathing roughly was different from usual. It wasn¡¯t ufortable or unpleasant. Envy, jealousy, and a sense of inferiority didn¡¯t rise. Rather, the feeling of frustration in his chest was pierced in a refreshing manner. His cold heart started to run hot again. Emotions swelled.


    ¡°¡­It is like this.¡±


    [You have died.]


    It happened the moment his gray vision finally turned dark¡­


    A smile spread on Agnus¡¯ face as he was covered with the blood spilled by the dragon. It was a smile that showed happiness because he regained the longing he had forgotten for a long time.


    ¡°No, what¡­?¡±


    Old Sword Demon was speechless. This recent disaster urred due to an ident. It happened when he identally killed Agnus, who was hiding on the East Continent. It was basically impossible for someone to foresee the situation in advance and run over to help.


    Yet Grid did it. He appeared on the scene at the moment of desperate crisis like he had been waiting. At this point, it was a development like a manhwa or novel. The situation seemed miraculous to Old Sword Demon, who didn¡¯t know about the Tower of Wisdom, Betty, the Pioneer, and so on.


    On the other hand, it was inevitable for Grid. He knew it was a must-happen event. He bore the responsibility that should be resolved.


    ¡°Please protect the fragment,¡± Grid cut the dragon¡¯s long neck and spoke while standing with his back to Old Sword Demon.


    He analyzed the situation based on the scene and observed hope.


    Today, I am ready to kill a dragon.


    A stormy fire engulfed the hellishndscape.

 Chapter 1560

    <h4>Chapter 1560</h4>


    Satisfy didn¡¯t easily discuss limits. The clear evidence was that yers could be a myth. A yer¡¯s potential to repeat resurrections and reach transcendence was infinite.


    However, killing a dragon was impossible. First of all, the absolute defense was a problem. As the name suggested, it was a concept that was close to invincibility. Dragons received only 1 damage no matter the form of attack. Even the power of true damage was halved. It was right to assert the im ¡®it can never be killed.¡¯


    Of course, Grid was the holder of the Hero King and Dragon yer? titles. He thoroughly neutralized a dragon¡¯s absolute defense. Yet he was more afraid of dragons than anyone else. It was because he realized the strength of a dragon through the words of the tower members and he also clearly remembered the stats of Bunhelier that he witnessed in the National Competition.


    99,999¡ªBunhelier had reached 100,000 for each stat except for agility and intelligence. This meant that just one of Bunhelier¡¯s stats was significantly higher than the total number of Grid¡¯sbat-rted stats. It was in apletely different weight ss.


    Grid was only an ogre in front of the dragon. Just as an ogre couldn¡¯t deal any damage to Grid with its club, it was impossible for Grid to deal big damage even if he ignored Bunhelier¡¯s absolute defense and attacked.


    ¡®...An ogre is too much. Let¡¯s go with an ogre lord.¡¯


    In any case, Grid could never win against Bunhelier. However, there was something to consider here. Bunhelier was one of the dragons that had existed since the beginning. He was particrly special and powerful among the dragons.


    On the other hand, Ifrit wasn¡¯t an old dragon. Even the name was being heard for the first time. The size was at least two heads smallerpared to Bunhelier. It was clear that the stats would be far inferior. Furthermore, she was critically injured. Every time she let out a breath, she shed blood from her mouth and nose.


    Based on Biban¡¯s spection that she had fled and hid after fighting for territory with another dragon, it meant she was one of those who were beaten by fire dragon Trauka and ran away. She was weak and couldn¡¯t bepared to an old dragon.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a hatchling.¡¯


    She was muchrgerpared to Nefelina. She was not an opponent that could be considered easy. Even so, Grid saw a chance of winning. The biggest basis was that Ifrit had lost her sense of reason. Baal¡¯s power fragment might exude a sweetness that deceived a dragon, but it didn¡¯t make sense that she was like a beast that didn¡¯t know anything.


    Dragons were lords of magic. Putting aside their ferocious and selfish nature, they were wise. There were definitely many dragons who acted emotionally like Trauka, the fire dragon who was angered by Braham¡¯s theft, or Nevartan, who fell into Baal¡¯s trap and became an insane dragon, but most dragons were as cool-headed as the gourmet dragon Raiders. This was even if their way of thinking was twisted.


    ¡®Theplete loss of reason means she is on the defensive.¡¯


    I can kill her.No, I have to kill her.


    It was a great opportunity to get his hands on the Dragon yer qualifications.


    ¡®I have to be strong. That¡¯s the only way I can fight Baal.¡¯


    Baal was such a transcendent being that he could fight an old dragon. He was a direct descendent of the god of the beginning, Yatan, so he would have many strengths apart from pure force. It could be seen that his power was close to infinity just by looking at his skill to make humanity think of Yatan as an evil god and his distortion of hell. The dragon was obsessed with the fragment of Baal¡¯s power because she knew this.


    Grid activated Storm of the Fire God.


    ¡°Please protect the fragment,¡± he requested Old Sword Demon, who was behind him.


    Old Sword Demon was astonished.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    The whole city was engulfed in fire. All the people were in a crisis and only a handful of people were rescued by Old Sword Demon. He did so by sacrificing himself and enduring great wounds. He felt a terrible sense of helplessness. Yet the moment Grid created a red storm, all the people were saved. The uncontrobly growing fire was extinguished and the new mes that appeared warmly enveloped and healed the wounded.


    Old Sword Demon shook. He thought of the mental world of Hwang Gildong that he experienced in the past. Hwang Gildong¡¯s mental world that used hundreds of clones and thousands of clouds to iste the yangbans was invincible. However, Grid¡¯s mental world at this moment felt much more powerful. It was hard to believe.


    Willpower was a separate force from strength. It must be umted and polished with time. It was impossible for the willpower of a yer to exceed the willpower of a transcendent named NPC, who had lived for hundreds of years. Yet at this moment, Grid was superior. This was different from the realm of talent. It meant that the ¡®experience¡¯ umted by Grid had surpassed Hwang Gildong¡¯s experience over the years.


    ¡®How many events and trials have you been through?¡¯


    Additionally, how many hardships had he ovee? Old Sword Demon couldn¡¯t hastily guess. He just nodded vigorously while looking at Grid¡¯s back with an envious gaze.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll protect it somehow.¡±


    In fact, Old Sword Demon was going to refuse. The main culprit behind the current situation was the bead. To calm the situation, the bead had to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Grid nned to be raiding the dragon while using the bead as bait. It was a dangerous n. If he failed and the dragon obtained the bead, the consequences would be terrible. It was right to stop it.


    However, Old Sword Demon decided to trust Grid. As if in response to that trust¡ª


    Grid used Freely Move to cross the battlefield. He stabbed and shed at the yangbans who were rushing toward the bead and quickly reached Ifrit. Itbined with the theme song that made the heart feel grand and seemed like a scene produced in a movie.


    ¡®Maybe...¡¯


    Maybe a miracle would really happen today. Perhaps it would be the birth of a Dragon yer, who he believed couldn¡¯t exist. Old Sword Demon was looking forward to it as he watched the two swords held by Grid move like shes of light.


    Kiyaaaaaaack!


    The heaven and earth were turbulent. Ifrit cried out strangely and struggled as she was shed by Grid¡¯s two swords that moved like lightning. Thend received the weight of hundreds of tons and copsed like a tsunami had urred. Hundreds of rocks poured like bullets toward the heads of the fleeing people.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Old Sword Demon¡¯s expression crumpled as he was admiring Grid¡¯s skill. He had to protect the bead. He was distressed that he couldn¡¯t help the people who were in a crisis. He was desperate, but there was no need for him to suffer.


    sh!


    The God Hands flew toward the people and instantly transformed into magic machines. Dozens of Raiders armed with ck armor blocked the falling rocks with their bodies, turning the rocks into powder. Subsequently...


    Click!Clink!


    They pulled out big spears. They crossed a distance of hundreds of meters with one step and rushed toward Ifrit.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    Ifrit cried out again.


    Gujel¡¯s Dao, which came from a killed dragon, and the Fire Dragon Sword, which had already cut the enemy dozens of times, cooperated with the attack from dozens of Raiders and forced the dragon to start bleeding.


    Chiiiik!


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Ifrit¡¯s blood corroded Grid¡¯s armor. It prated his skin, melted his bones, and evaporated his blood. However, the reason Grid was flustered wasn¡¯t due to the unexpected counterattack. It was due to the noticeable decrease in Ifrit¡¯s health gauge. The five fusion sword dance might¡¯ve been triggered three times in a row, but the dragon had already started to die. It was strange even considering that Ifrit had been seriously injured.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Of course, Grid was strong. In particr, his offensive power was strong and this allowed him to defeat the 4th Great Demon within minutes. It was just unreasonable topare a dragon and Gamigin on the same scale.


    ¡®Something is wrong.¡¯


    It happened the moment Grid realized this...


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The dozens of Raiders pulled back their arms and stabbed their spears to turn Ifrit into a hedgehog. The giant body stuck with spears turned into a chunk of flesh and copsed.


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because Ifrit¡¯s body started shing transparently and she gradually became less substantive. It was like Grid was looking at a hologram.


    ¡°Wrap yourself around...!¡±


    The Raiders immediately responded to Grid¡¯s urgent order. They threw themselves instantly and wrapped around Ifrit. Grid used Shunpo to move to Old Sword Demon¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t hesitate to stab his sword at the fragment of power that he had asked Old Sword Demon to protect. It was toote.


    Ifrit exploded. It was a powerful explosion that blew up the dozens of Raiders wrapped around her.


    Grid¡¯s ears became deaf. The world seemed to be submerged in silence. On the other hand, the sight of the city¡¯s buildings turning into ashes and scattering was clearly imprinted on his eyes.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    He could see Old Sword Demon shouting something. However, Old Sword Demon quickly moved away. His shocked body was swept through the air and eventually blown outside the city. Grid¡¯s situation was simr. He was pushed back a few steps. It was while holding the sword that he had aimed at the bead.


    The bead seemed far away from him. The appearance of it standing still without being swept away by the explosion was very annoying. He had the illusion of Baal¡¯sughter ringing in his ears.


    [How dare someone who can¡¯t even live for a split second...]


    A voice pierced his damaged hearing. It was a voice with tremendous transcendence. It seemed to be heard from the very distant sky, right by his side, underground, or from behind him. It was impossible to identify the location.


    Grid intuitively knew it. This was the real Ifrit.


    There was a creepy pressure as night came. Grid looked up and saw a dragoning down close to him. She filled Grid¡¯s entire vision as she approached the ground. It was an intentional action. She knew how to use his huge body to intimidate others.


    [My illusion might not deal as much damage as I do, but... I didn¡¯t know you would push me to the point where I would self-destruct...]


    The remnants of the illusion that had exploded a while ago slowly flew toward the main body and was absorbed. Ifrit¡¯s red scales developed a clearer color and mes spread from her feet as shended on the ground. It was the unfolding of a domain. The status she had umted over the years was as powerful as she was. The Storm of the Fire God that entered Ifrit¡¯s domain was destroyed.


    Grid broke out in a cold sweat. ¡®I was too arrogant.¡¯


    He should¡¯ve doubted the situation. He should¡¯ve crushed the bead instead of being greedy.


    ¡®Now that this has happened, I need to summon the apostles to have a chance of winning.¡¯


    He was afraid his apostles would be in danger, but it was impossible to break the bead alone. Ifrit¡¯s face arrived right in front of Grid¡¯s nose as he was caught in bted regret. Every scale on her long neck was as sharp as a sword.


    [...I see, it is you.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Ifrit¡¯s killing intent, which caused all types of abnormal conditions, subsided like it had been a lie. Grid found it impossible to read the dragon¡¯s expression, but he could glimpse the interest in the dragon¡¯s eyes.


    [Power that transcends time... you are the Overgeared God.]


    ¡°I... You know me?¡±


    [All things are spreading your story. How can I not know you? It is just right. Me and you...]


    Ifrit¡¯s eyes shook.


    ¡°What tyranny is this on Hanul¡¯snd?¡±


    Pungsa, Usa, and Unsa¡ªthe three masters who served Hanul descended on golden clouds. They were escorted by Mir, who held the Blue Dragon Dao in one of his hands.


    That¡¯s right. This was the East continent. It was even Kaya. It was the realm of the expelled gods. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t have noticed this uproar. The scale of the disturbance was toorge.


    Ifrit made an unexpected suggestion to the panicked Grid, [Choose. Will you help me absorb Baal¡¯s power fragment or make new weapons from my bones, skin, and blood?]


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    [I don¡¯t have time to convince you, so let¡¯s just do this.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was because Ifrit tore off one of her arms and threw it at Grid.


    [You should know. Killing a dragon is a curse that will grab at your ankle. The only Dragon yer in the world is still hiding from us. It is better for you to abandon your obsession and cooperate with me now.]


    [An unexpected quest has urred!]


    [Make a dragon weapon in the next 30 minutes! If you fail, you will lose your life!]


    "No, what are you saying...?¡±


    It was an absurd development. Grid pulled out a portable furnace while clicking his tongue. The penalty of ¡®no space movement¡¯ urred when the three masters started to chant certain spells. The effect was enormous since it was created with the cooperation of the three gods. Not only did his return scroll fail, but Shunpo also failed. It became impossible to flee or summon the apostles. It was also questionable whether the emergency escape system would work properly.


    Now he had to trust Ifrit.


    ¡®This is also an opportunity to get a dragon weapon for free.¡¯


    The remark that killing a dragon was a curse was also reliable. If he thought about it currently, the losses were greater than the gains if the current Grid became a Dragon yer. Wasn¡¯t there the incident where Hayate turned the epic that was Grid¡¯s deration of war on the dragons into secret words?


    ¡®Calm down first and think about the situation.¡¯ Grid breathed in deeply.


    Then the portable fire suddenly lit up with fire. Heat equivalent to a superrge furnace had urred. It was thanks to Ifrit¡¯s breath. Any further hesitation was useless.


    Grid peeled the skin off Ifrit¡¯s arm. After cutting off the flesh, he threw the bones and ws into the furnace.

 Chapter 1561

    <h4>Chapter 1561</h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was fascinated by the mes in the roaring furnace.


    A small and unattractive portable furnace¡ªthe heat in it was hot. It easily melted a dragon¡¯s bones and ws, but it wasn¡¯t ferocious. An explosive heat that could melt even thergest furnace was being contained in the portable furnace. There was a strong feeling of protecting himself from disappearing in the heat. It approached him kindly. The word ¡®warmth¡¯ came to mind.


    ¡®It is responding to Ifrit¡¯s will.¡¯


    It felt like the mes were alive and breathing. It was different from other mes that soughtbustion, extinction, and destruction. The appearance of a clear willpower and putting forward different possibilities resembled the mes of the red phoenix. It might not have the strong vitality of the red phoenix¡¯s mes, but it was hard to see it as a w. Instead, the destructive power that exceeded the mes of the red phoenix wriggled from inside the core.


    In other words, the mes of Ifrit and the mes of the red phoenix were equal. They had different strengths, but it was difficult to discuss which one was inferior or superior. This was shocking considering that the Four Auspicious Beasts represented the East Continent. The strength of the Four Auspicious Beasts might not be as strong as their prime due to being sealed for many years, but for their willpower to not be as strong? It meant that a normal dragon, not even an old dragon, was equal to them.


    ¡®This dragon...¡¯


    Other than the old dragons, Grid only knew Nefelina and Gujel among the dragons. He had subconsciously measured the level of dragons based on them. It was a big mistake. The Gujel that Grid had experienced was just a remnant of thought remaining after death, while Nefelina was a hatchling. It wasn¡¯t enough for them to be used as the standard.


    ¡®I almost messed up...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t understand the subject. He took dragons too lightly.


    ¡®I had a narrow perspective.¡¯


    It was true that he became anxious after chasing after Baal as his goal. He was overwhelmed by the pressure to be strong enough to kill Baal. To put it simply, he lost hisposure. It was worth ming himself. However, there was no need to shrink back. He avoided the worst case scenario. This was simply a lesson.


    ¡®Let¡¯s be polite to dragons in the future.¡¯


    It was just like when he entertained Raiders. Being that polite was enough.


    ¡®In the first ce, she doesn¡¯t seem to hate me.¡¯


    Ifrit had given Grid a stern warning. She awakened the dangers of killing a dragon and asked for cooperation. She even showed trust by cutting off one arm on her own. Of course, for dragons, arms were just degraded things. It was more than ten times smaller than the two heavy legs. They normally didn¡¯t use it, unless they polymorphed into human form.


    Still, it was true that she gave away a part of her body. She took on a new wound while she was seriously injured. It was not a minor act. Of course, it might be because she was in a bad position. Other dragons were likely to have different attitudes from Ifrit.


    However, it should be noted that Ifrit understood Grid¡¯s personality perfectly. The other dragons were also likely to know Grid well. Nevertheless, no dragon had ever harmed Grid so far. At the very least, it meant they were neutral. Future rtionships with them depended on Grid¡¯s attitude.


    ¡®Since it is like this, I should get along well with them.¡¯


    Grid recalled the duties of the tower members. Their purpose wasn¡¯t to harm the dragons. The focus was on reducing the scale of events that dragons would cause. He should¡¯ve noticed it from this point. Antagonizing the dragons was a taboo.


    ¡°Fire dragon, a precious body was hiding in thisnd.¡±


    Just then, the three masters opened their mouths. The gaze toward Ifrit was sharp. It was natural. For them, Ifrit was an aggressor. She hid in their territory, caused an incident, and ughtered at will. In the aftermath, several yangbans were killed. Of course, the cause of the incident was Baal¡¯s power fragment and the culprit who killed the yangbans was Grid... in any case, it wasn¡¯t strange for Ifrit to be misunderstood and held ountable.


    [That¡¯s right. My situation is no different from yours.]


    The atmosphere was serious. Grid listened to the conversation between the three masters and Ifrit. The time attack quest was in progress. The battle would soon begin. Grid had to focus on responding to risks at any time. He didn¡¯t rest his hands. He just listened carefully while removing the skin from Ifrit¡¯s arm.


    Grid was determined toplete the dragon weapon. Since the quest reward was limited to ¡®survival,¡¯ the dragon weapon was likely to end up in Ifrit¡¯s hands. For Grid, the experience of making a dragon weapon was a profit and his reward. In order to live and to even gain experience, he had toplete the dragon weapon.


    Grid was quick to cut the thick skin without hesitation. Even before the smelting of the bones had begun in earnest, the skin to be wrapped around the handle wasplete. It was the power of the automatic production and the quest correction system.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t care about Mir. Mir also didn¡¯t pay attention to Grid. The two of them turned away from each other. They buried the past of fighting for each other deep in their hearts. Mir had to be like this due to his position, and Grid was considerate toward such a Mir.


    Was it made from the feathers of the red phoenix? Pungsa clicked his tongue as he covered his mouth with a fan bursting with mes. He seemed to be very annoyed with Ifrit¡¯s tone. ¡°How dare youpare yourself to us when you were attracted by Baal¡¯s power and ran wild like a beast? You are as shameless as your thick skin. The sin of harming the half-gods...¡±


    [Elixirs made from me will be really powerful. How am I the same as a low-grade group who digs into the weaknesses of lower species and dazzles them with strength?]


    ¡°You will pay for your sin of running rampant in thend of the great gods...¡±


    [I have a question. The master of thisnd is someone else, so how can you pretend to be the master?]


    ¡°...Don¡¯t try useless provocations.¡±


    [Then you should shut up as well. Just confess honestly that you ran over without breathing because you covet my body. Why be so wordy?]


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Pungsa, stop it.¡±


    Usa and Unsa restrained Pungsa and stepped forward.


    The sky and earth moved with them as the center. The sky tilted ording to their hand gestures and the earth moved along with their footsteps. It felt like the world was in tune to their will. The anvil and furnace tilted 90 degrees and the startled Grid gulped.


    ¡®Is this the mental world of the three masters? When did they open it?¡¯


    It was magic that the three masters performed in cooperation. It was convincing to say that it was used so rapidly and powerfully that super sensitivity couldn¡¯t detect the change.


    ¡°Your arrogance pierces the sky and you don¡¯t know how to respect the gods...¡±


    [You stole thisnd because you don¡¯t respect the gods.]


    ¡°...As it has always been said, you will surely be destroyed.¡±


    [You still haven¡¯t changed even though you were kicked out of Asgard for speaking such nonsense.]


    ¡°You aren¡¯t qualified to breathe.¡±


    The faces of the three masters didn¡¯t look very good every time they spoke. In particr, Pungsa¡¯s face was dyed a bamboo color. They somewhat nervously recited the spells and dozens of spells werepleted in a sh. The sight of the magic filling the sky was reminiscent of stars in the night sky.


    ¡®It is dizzying.¡¯


    The sky and earth started to react more sensitively to the actions of the three masters. Every time one of the three masters moved their hands, the world turned upside down once. By the way, the three masters consisted of three people. Even if the three of them only moved their hands once, the world would be turned over three times.


    Grid¡¯s transcendent senses were gradually overshadowed by motion sickness. His mind and body weren¡¯t bnced.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was clinging to the hot furnace and somehow using the bellows when he became surprised. It was because he witnessed Ifrit¡¯s two eyesing right in front of him. These eyes were much bigger and fiercer than Grid¡¯s body. Naturally, fear rose.


    A clear voice was engraved on the brain of Grid, who was shrinking back.


    [The mental world of the three gods can¡¯t hold you.]


    Ifritpleted the words and coughed up arge amount of blood. They were Dragon Words. The world, which was gradually elerating and rotating, suddenly returned to normal.


    Grid was overwhelmed by the sight spreading out in front of him. The hemisphere-shaped barrier, which couldn¡¯t be seen from the inside, came into view. It was the mental world of the three masters. It was where the three masters, Mir, and Ifrit were...


    ¡°It is a surprisingly quick reunion.¡±


    ...No, Mir was in reality. The voice that came from behind him made Grid tense.


    ¡°Mir...¡± Grid turned back. His feet were still busy moving. He sped up the bellows. It was originally an unsightly action, but it wasn¡¯t ugly because his dignity stat was so high.


    ¡°Do you know the dragon Trauka?¡±


    Mir slowly drew his sword. A blue light shook around the cold sword de in a dizzying manner and a tangible storm was felt. It was very sharp and threatening.


    ¡°Dragons are called dragons for a reason. It is said that there was a time when the old dragons hunted gods for fun because they were particrly powerful and ferocious. Then the gods of Asgard and the dragons signed an agreement not to interfere with each other.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Ifrit is the bloodline of Trauka. Therefore, she is a fire dragon. She should¡¯ve been eaten by Trauka, but she survived and reached thisnd... putting aside her immediate level, it means her potential isn¡¯t normal. The gods see her as a living mass of elixirs.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Grid was using auto production to make the items. After smelting them into a molten form, Ifrit¡¯sbined bones and ws were put into the mold for quenching. It was an act that didn''t suit the situation. However, his eyes were as firm as a warrior whose life or death was at stake. This made Mir hesitate for a moment, but he soon continued calmly, ¡°Leave here. I can¡¯t afford to care about you right now. If you leave like this, no one will stop you.¡±


    [A new unexpected quest has urred!]


    [Give up on the production of the dragon weapon and leave. The yangban, Mir, will bet his honor to ensure your survival.]


    [Upon epting the quest, the preceding quest to produce a dragon weapon within 30 minutes will be canceled.]


    [If you ept the quest, Ifrit will die and the power of the Hwan Kingdom will be greatly strengthened.]


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it enough to have one sudden twist? He would be in trouble if he did this or that. At this point, he was suspicious that the system was suffering from bipr disorder.


    Grid checked the time and frowned. Nine minutes had passed. In the next 21 minutes, the dragon weapon would bepleted using the power of the system. The bones, ws, skin and blood¡ªthe condition of the materials was incredibly good, but the production time was too short. This meant the quality would decrease. Still, it didn¡¯t matter. The purpose of the quest was to make the dragon weapon. It was up to the client to use it. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t lead to a good result.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Grid answered without much thought.


    The new quest window disappeared and Mir¡¯s eyes shook.


    ¡°I can''t back down and leave after hearing the conversation between the three masters and Ifrit.¡±


    The depths of the three masters was shrouded in insults and disgust toward dragons.


    One of the reasons why the expelled gods rebelled against Asgard was the dragons. They were dissatisfied with the treatment of the dragons. If the power of the expelled gods became stronger than it was now, the Hwan Kingdom was likely to go to war with not only Asgard, but also the dragons. It would naturally affect the surface as well. Human beings would experience a disaster they couldn¡¯t handle. Grid had a duty to prevent this situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to you, but I need to take Ifrit¡¯s side here.¡±


    Click.


    Gujel¡¯s Dao that was held in Grid¡¯s right hand hid its appearance. Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons lined up on Grid¡¯s left and right sides, while the direct descendant vampires protected his back. The moment they arrived, the God Hands stood in the front.


    Taang, taang, taang.


    The hammer held in Grid¡¯s left hand started to pound on the anvil. It was a bizarre scene. It was far from reality.


    ¡°...You don¡¯t have to be sorry. We are enemies.¡±


    It happened the moment Mir pretended to be casual and tried to hide his regret...


    The Blue Dragon Dao caused a sh of light. Mir¡¯s quickness yed an even more unreasonable role in the domain where Shunpo was sealed.


    20 minutes¡ªthis was the time that Grid and Ifrit had to hold on.


    He just came to crush Baal¡¯s power fragment. How did so many things happen...? It was ridiculous no matter how he thought about it, but Grid remained focused.

 Chapter 1562

    <h4>Chapter 1562</h4>


    [You have taken a highest grade recovery potion.]


    [You have taken Haeju¡¯s Potion.]


    [You have taken hemostasis medicine.]


    [You have taken a sedative.]


    ¡°Kuuack...¡±


    The lower body of the struggling Old Sword Demon was tinged with various colors. It was a sign of hastily drinking potions. It was reminiscent of a clown¡¯s makeup. Old Sword Demon found it hard to keep up with the situation.


    Suddenly, a dragon appeared. Dozens of robots ran around and finally, there was an explosion that destroyed the city. The scale of the incident was toorge to understand and respond to. There was no such absurdity.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the ce for me to be.¡¯


    Grid and a dragon¡ªthey were transcendents who eclipsed ordinary yangbans. The level was too high. There was nothing he could do if he returned to the scene. Nevertheless, he was thinking about going back. It was to take care of even one more injured person.


    ¡®There will be many people waiting for help...¡¯


    The leather armor that Old Sword Demon was proud of had be rags. His body that was covered with all types of wounds was no different. However, Old Sword Demon moved in a busy manner. The people who fortunately survived the explosion a few moments ago. In order to save one more person who would¡¯ve been seriously injured, he moved forward while wiping his blood-stained eyes.


    Many memories came to mind. He had shared the hardships, trials, kindness, joy, emotions, love, sadness, and grief of the people who had been living here for over 10 years...


    There were memories he couldn¡¯t experience in reality where he was alone. Old Sword Demon wanted to repay the people of thisnd. Some people might scoff, but he was thankful to them. It was uneptable that those who had been deceived and suffered all their lives due to gangsters, who imed to be gods andmitted all types of violence, would even suffer a tragic death.


    Trudge. Trudge. Trudge...


    A dry desert disturbed Old Sword Demon. It clung to his legs, which had be heavy due to the wounds. It was as if it was whispering that he should be alone forever. It seemed to be sneering, ¡®Who can you protect?¡¯


    Old Sword Demon btedly realized it. Half of his abdomen was torn apart. His bleeding didn¡¯t stop and his health was being consumed too quickly. The potions hadn¡¯t worked properly.


    ¡°Huhu.¡± Heughed through gritted teeth as if the wounds were nothing, but it was just a bluff. In the end, the face of Old Sword Demon was on the verge of falling into the sand. Then someone approached, grabbed Old Sword Demon¡¯s arm, and supported him.


    ¡°This bad guy is tenacious. I can¡¯t be as bad as you.¡±


    The voice was detestable. Old Sword Demon¡¯s blurry vision was filled by this rascal in the traditional bamboo hat.


    ¡°The most powerful person among the two of us... do you admit that it is me, not you?¡±


    ¡°Does that matter in this situation?¡±


    ¡°It matters.¡±


    ¡°Well... I have no choice but to acknowledge it this time.¡±


    Hwang Gildong shook his head and applied a lot of medicine to Old Sword Demon¡¯s abdomen. It had a very sweet scent. It was an elixir made using medicinal herbs that were hard to obtain even after searching the world. Old Sword Demon turned his body that couldn¡¯t even move properly.


    ¡°What are you doing? Why are you using such precious medicine on me when you know my death isn¡¯t the end...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there is a big loss when you die?¡± Hwang Gilded retorted. There were numerous shadows behind his back.


    The Chivalrous Robbers¡ªthe righteous group that fought for the weak people of the East Continent. The hundreds of members had been called by Hwang Gildong and were carrying several people each. Among them...


    ¡°Ah! Grandfather!¡± It included the child who Old Sword Demon rescued along with Agnus. It was the child Old Sword Demon couldn¡¯t care about at the moment of the explosion. He thought the child would¡¯ve died, but he was alive.


    ¡°You...¡± Old Sword Demon held the child who ran to hug him in his arms and looked up at Hwang Gildong with wet eyes.


    Hwang Gildong pressed his traditional bamboo hat down deeply over his face. His face couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. The reason for today¡¯s crisis is all because of you.¡±


    "...I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Agnus had entered Kaya with the demons. It meant that even if Old Sword Demon hadn¡¯te forward, Agnus would¡¯ve eventually died at the hands of Hwang Gildong. In other words, the current situation where the dragon appeared and burned the city would be the same.


    However, Old Sword Demon couldn¡¯t deny his mistake. He failed to control his anger and caused a battle in the city. It caused more people to be affected by the battle.


    Hwang Gildong urged the deeply reflecting Old Sword Demon, ¡°Let¡¯s leave the rest to my men and go to help the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Old Sword Demon was shocked. Hwang Gildong avoided fights that couldn¡¯t be won. It was because he insisted he had a lot of work to do and had to stay alive, yet in Old Sword Demon¡¯s eyes, he was cowardly. However, today, Hwang Gildong wasn¡¯t cowardly. He helped people in an unfavorable situation and now he wanted to help Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯ve misunderstood him all this time.¡¯


    His personality might be wed, but he was overall a good person. Thus, they had been together...


    Old Sword Demon thought this while he stood up and asked, ¡°Do you think the Overgeared God has a chance to win?¡±


    ¡°It is hard. A god¡¯s form depends on faith and while the power is different, the dragons of the west are good at fighting. Of course, it is a dragon. There is almost no chance of winning.¡±


    ¡°So why are you going to help?¡±


    ¡°He is the Overgeared God. What is worth risking our lives if not this?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    That¡¯s right. Hwang Gildong was ready to die. It was due to the belief that Grid would do numerous things in the future. He was convinced that Grid was better than himself. It was from the ck tortoise¡¯s incident to now. Hwang Gildong had been using the informationwork of the Chivalrous Robbers to keep a close eye on Grid.


    ¡°...I also agree.¡±


    Old Sword Demon nodded as he clenched his fists hard.


    Hwang Gildong¡ªthe legend who sustained the East Continent was ready to sacrifice himself for just one yer. Old Sword Demon was deeply touched. He was thrilled when hepared it to the days when named NPCs dominated and controlled yers.


    ¡®It is said that less than a handful of people can change the world.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a lie. Grid alone was proving it by changing the world. He was a great person who made Old Sword Demon feel admiration several times.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong no longer talked. They ran as if they couldn¡¯t waste a moment and arrived at the copsed city. Then in hindsight, they detected an unexpected event. Something they hadn¡¯t felt before the explosion.It was unable to be measured.


    A being with enormous power broke into the scene.


    ¡°Mir...?¡±


    ¡°Difficulties are urring one after another.¡±


    Hwang Gildong paid attention to the barrier behind Mir, not Mir. It was a barrier built by divine power.


    ¡°The three masters have descended. They are nning to kill a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Kill a dragon...? Then the three masters are fighting with the dragon in that barrier?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Do the three masters have a chance of winning against the dragon?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Unlike the Overgeared God who had just been born, they are gods who have existed since the early days. There are three of them and this is Hanul¡¯s domain. There is a high chance.¡±


    ¡°In any case, this is good. We can rescue the Overgeared God as the three masters and the dragon fight each other.¡±


    Mir was the strongest yangban. He had the characteristic of ¡®training every day¡¯ and his growth potential was remarkable. It was clear that if he one day became a god by building up divinity, he would be iparably stronger than what he was now. However, that was a story of the future. Old Sword Demon thought that he would be a few stages below a dragon right now.


    It was just that Hwang Gildong¡¯s reaction was very reluctant. ¡°I wonder if this is actually a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mir¡¯s energy can¡¯t bepared to the past. I am wondering if we can shake him off until the three masters seed in killing the dragon. If the three masters join Mir, then all hope is lost...¡±


    Hwang Gildong slowly stopped talking. Old Sword Demon immediately shut his mouth. It was because the flow of the battle was reflected in the eyes of the two men. Mir¡¯s power, which threatened and deceived Grid with every step while rushing forward at the same time, was extremely transcendent.


    Before the momentum of the charge disappeared, dozens of sword strikes urred and thick fog surrounded Grid. It was a phenomenon that urred when the blood shed by Grid was burned by lightning.


    ¡°It is scary.¡±


    Hwang Gildong sighed. The moment the battle began, he realized the situation was even worse than he thought based on therge amount of wounds on Grid. Yet strangely, Grid wasn¡¯t moving a single step. He stood firmly in ce and just confronted Mir with ¡®one hand.¡¯ It would look like a master dealing with trash if it wasn¡¯t for the continuous bleeding. He really would¡¯ve looked like a master if he fought one-on-one without the help of all his summons.


    The blood magic of the direct descendants was canceled. Mir shed at the source of the magic and neutralized it. Then he leaned his head back to avoid the surprise attack of Overgeared Skeleton One. He didn¡¯t even nce at the sword of Overgeared Skeleton One that passed over his shoulder. Instead, he reached out, grabbed Overgeared Skeleton One by the cor and mmed him into the ground.


    Mir paid the price for this move. Due to the numerous runes clinging to his hand, he lost some speed for a while. Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s ck magic forced Mir¡¯s next action while predicting Randy¡¯s joint attack that woulde in the gap. Randy raised his sheath in his left hand the moment the Linked Kill sword dance was destroyed to block the Blue Dragon Dao, only for his two arms to be cut off.


    Then Grid¡¯s dao cut through the ground. He saw an opportunity while hammering and used Pinnacle, aiming for the gap Mir showed when he was driven into range by the Overgeared Skeletons and Randy. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t cause too much damage.


    Mir¡¯s judgment, which made him retreat the moment he witnessed the wave of orange, was urate. Mir¡¯s waistband was lightly cut instead of his abdomen and split in half. The loosened blue dopo fluttered loudly due to the wind pressure that urred one stepter.


    ¡°......?"


    Hwang Gildong suddenly questioned it as he was speeding up his run. Mir was the owner of the Blue Dragon Dao. The Blue Dragon Dao was known to have the strongest attack power of the relics of the Four Auspicious Beasts. Yet he avoided a confrontation with Grid. He took great risks and forcibly avoided the attack. A lot could be suggested from this.


    ¡®Is that sword greater than the Blue Dragon Dao?¡¯


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s gaze was fixed on Gujel¡¯s Dao. A weapon that overpowered the Blue Dragon Dao. He was astonished when he guessed its true identity.


    ¡®A dragon ying weapon!¡¯


    The sound of the explosions continued. They were the explosive sounds created by Mir, who moved quickly again the moment the runes were extinguished. Hwang Gildong missed Mir¡¯s appearance and Mir reappeared in front of Grid a few secondster.


    Blood once again gushed from Grid¡¯s body. He had been shed dozens of times during the period when Mir disappeared. It meant that Mir¡¯s speed exceeded Grid¡¯s speed. However, blood also spilled from Mir¡¯s chest. Grid¡¯s attack caused more blood to pour out than thebined blood from all over his body.


    Grid¡¯s artificial senses¡ªthe particles of silver thread and magic power spread out like a cobweb using the God Hands captured Mir¡¯s speed for a moment.


    ¡°You are buzzing like a fly. Flies will eventually be caught,¡± Grid spoke in a low voice. His calm attitude was at odds with the current battle.


    Tang tang! Tang tang tang! Tang tang tang tang!


    On the other hand, the sound of hammering was bing extremely fast, so the atmosphere wasn¡¯t very cool.

 Chapter 1563

    <h4>Chapter 1563</h4>


    ¡®It is so ufortable. How did I live without Shunpo?¡¯


    Shunpo was restricted. The magic of the three masters that surrounded the city blocked all space movement techniques. Grid felt more ufortable than he imagined. It was much harder than when he lost his limbs during battle.


    The power of Shunpo was that outstanding. A technique that allowed him to move anywhere within his field of view. There was bound to be a big difference from when he had Shunpo and when he didn¡¯t. In particr, the opponent in front of him was Mir. He was a strong rival who used the speed of the blue dragon bypletely embodying the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    It was virtually impossible to respond to that speed without Shunpo. His transcendent senses might recognize the attacks that reached supersonic speed, but Grid¡¯s motor abilities couldn¡¯t respond.


    That¡¯s right. Mir was faster than before although there was still the premise that the blue dragon¡¯s power should be activated. He felt much faster and stronger than when he fought against Raphael a month ago. This was a unique growth power whenparing it to all the worldview existences that he had witnessed so far.


    After all, one of the beginner gods, Hanul made him to be Baal and Raphael¡¯s enemy. Chiyou must¡¯ve been watching Mir with anticipation before meeting Grid. Mir was proving that his potential suited his background.


    It was normal for Grid to have no chance of winning. It was right to say that Grid¡¯s defeat was set from the time that Shunpo was sealed. However, there were other things to consider. Grid¡¯s growth rate wasparable to Mir¡¯s growth rate. Additionally, his artificial senses.


    Grid contemted his own limitations and made the peak power of being overgeared. Unlike his transcendent senses, which only recognized an attack, the potential of the power to read the trajectory of attacks was endless. It was possible to grasp the intent and nature of the attack based on the trajectory.


    Furthermore, Grid was currently making an item. The patience skill was activated and this increased defense, health, and stamina by 300%. It was somewhat inferior to the legendary miner who became invincible during mining, but Grid¡¯s defense was so high that it had a great effect. Even if he was properly cut by Mir¡¯s sword, he only suffered less than 10,000 damage. It was possible to almost negate the damage by ovepping it with White Tiger¡¯s Posture.


    He used the artificial senses to avoid fatal injuries, held on patiently, and counterattacked with the dragon weapon. The strengths of a cksmith ovepped. Rather, the penalty ofpleting the item within a set time was turned into an advantage.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir was already wary about the destructive power of the dragon weapon, so he became a bit more passive. He got a strange feeling so he was unable to rashly attack Grid. This allowed Grid to adjust the positions of the God Hands more closely. He used the God Hand controlling the Magic Power Ejection Machine and designed the artificial senses more effectively.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t mistaken. Just now... he read the attack perfectly. Is it that skeleton¡¯s ck magic? Or the vampires¡¯ blood magic?¡¯


    Mir was wary of Grid¡¯s pets and subordinates. Their level was all unusual so he naturally doubted them.


    ¡®It is right to kill the pets first,¡¯ Mir judged. He also hoped that Grid would give up and leave in the process of losing the summons. Mir still didn¡¯t want to hurt Grid. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°You are buzzing like a fly. Flies will eventually be caught,¡± Grid opened his mouth. It was a clear provocation. It was an attempt to break Mir¡¯sposure and create a better situation.


    Mir took it differently.


    ¡®He is giving me advice even in this situation.¡¯


    He was understandable. Mir was the person most clearly aware of Grid¡¯s growth powerpared to his own growth power. Mir¡¯s evaluation of Grid was more than imagined. Furthermore, the two of them were mutual benefactors. They owed each other their lives. Mir felt a great liking. It was just that he couldn¡¯t reveal it due to being in different factions. In other words, they didn¡¯t have a rtionship of low level provocations. No matter what Grid said or his tone, it was all considered as good intentions.


    ¡®Certainly... I was too obsessed with speed to be vignt about the dragon ying sword. I used it incorrectly.¡¯


    His first mistake was that he somewhat shrank back in front of the dragon weapon. His second mistake was that he didn¡¯t want to hurt Grid. Mir first decided to understand the situation. It was only disadvantageous for the Overgeared God if he dragged out the time.


    Acting sloppy due to useless hesitation would only make the situation worse. He needed to conclude it quickly. He would remove Grid from thisnd, even if it meant killing him. This was the only way to protect the Overgeared God...


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Mir took a deep breath and his eyes became calmer than usual. He experienced the lineage of the Sword Saint from Muller to Kraugel and awakened sharp, de-like sensations.


    The atmosphere that changed in an instant flustered Grid.


    ¡®It backfired?¡¯


    Mir shot forward like a sh of light and appeared right in front of him. He immediately swung the Blue Dragon Dao and the artificial senses in his way were cut without a problem. It literally unraveled like a cobweb. The silver threads that were segmented into particles and connected by magic power were cut. The Sword Saint¡¯s sword that cut all concepts naturally came to mind.


    Grid was shocked, but putting aside his shocked heart, his mind was spinning quickly. The moment his artificial senses were cut, he predicted and defended against the attack based on the information delivered. The Blue Dragon Dao interlocked with Gujel¡¯s Dao held on without being pushed. The extreme sword energy supported the Blue Dragon Dao.


    ¡®Hurry.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s willpower urged the God Hands to move. Every time a collision urred, the Blue Dragon Dao elerated. The form of the swordsmanship was strange. It was a structure that used kic energy in reverse so it felt unreasonable.


    Grid had no choice but to face it with Link and the fusion sword dances containing Link. He wasn¡¯t confident about keeping up with Mir¡¯s speed unless he borrowed the power of the system. Fortunately, at least the artificial senses were quickly restored. The particles of silver thread and magic power, which were recovered when the God Hand turned off the Magic Power Ejection Machine, once again unfolded the moment the Magic Power Ejection Machine was turned on. Even so, it was cut every time it reached the Blue Dragon Dao, but Mir wasn¡¯t aware of this fact.


    It was because the artificial senses were intangible, colorless, and odorless. Mir focused solely on Grid without knowing what he should be wary of or what he was cutting. This made it difficult for Grid to take advantage of the artificial senses.


    Clink!


    The sound of hammering ceased for the first time. The crossguard that was inserted between the handle and de to protect the hand holding the handle¡ªMir¡¯s hand stuck exquisitely close to the back of the crossguard of Gujel¡¯s Dao and an intangible wave of energy exploded.


    Grid almost let go of the weapon in his hand. He was swept away by the strong explosive force and his upper body greatly tilted back. The Blue Dragon Dao fell toward his chest as he floundered. It was with the momentum to cut his chest in half. It was impossible to avoid unless Shunpo was used.


    The White Tiger¡¯s Posture that he activated a little while ago was in cooldown. In the midst of this crisis, lights flowed in line with Grid¡¯s movement and gathered at one point. The target was the Blue Dragon Dao.


    It was the moment when the dominance of the Overgeared God was exercised. Mir let go of the Blue Dragon Dao in his hand.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The Blue Dragon Dao, which should¡¯ve been stabbed in Grid¡¯s heart, lost its electricity and wandered through the air in vain. Mir reacted immediately. He extended his arm and grabbed Grid¡¯s neck.


    Grid was in the process of using Item Combination. For the next few seconds, the Blue Dragon Dao belonged to him and he naturally held it in his hand. Hebined it with Gujel¡¯s Dao without any precursor.


    Then the blow that struck Grid¡¯s face mmed him into the ground. Mir¡¯s fist, which contained the activated power of the white tiger, was as heavy as a meteorite. Grid received big damage since the patience skill was lost the moment the hammering stopped.


    However, Grid remained calm. At this moment, the strongest weapon of all, whichpletely transcended Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword, was stabbed into Mir¡¯s side. A thunderous noise followed. Pinnacle Kill, which was enhanced by the effect of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams, caused andslide inside Mir and he shook.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Astonishment appeared on Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon¡¯s faces as they arrived at the scene. Mir, who had seemed to always overwhelm Grid throughout the battle¡ªit was because Mir¡¯s body was cut in half even though he had a chance to win just a while ago.


    [You have lost dominance over the Blue Dragon Dao.]


    A notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s vision. Grid was already prepared for this. The moment that he cut Mir¡¯s body, he released Item Combination andunched a stab with the Blue Dragon Dao. It was only when the Blue Dragon Dao was embedded in Mir¡¯s heart that he lost ownership.


    The blood flowing from Grid and Mir caused a huge explosion, as if dering the end of the battle. It was the link between Blood Sword Shatter and Blood Flow Explosion.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon had wide mouths like a crucian carp. They stared nkly at Mir, who was swept up in the red explosion.


    ¡°Cough, cough...¡±


    Grid struggled to raise his body.


    One step, another step.


    He barely managed to move his bloody body and resumed hammering in front of the anvil.


    7 minutes and 34 seconds.


    The time had stopped from the moment Grid stopped hammering.


    7 minutes and 33 seconds.


    7 minutes and 32 seconds.


    Now it started flowing again.


    ¡°Stay still,¡± Grid warned Mir, who was raising his body in the aftermath of the explosion.


    Mir didn¡¯t rush over this time. Unlike when he was cut by Grid in the past, Mir activated the power of the red phoenix and focused on regeneration without destroying everything around him.


    The fear of death¡ªMir had ovee it after experiencing it just once. Even when his body was split in two or when he was swept away by the explosion, he just regenerated his body and raised himself up again. Mir¡¯s eyes never wavered. Yet at this moment, he was shaken.


    ¡°You still don''t understand? I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡±


    It was while looking at Grid¡¯s back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡±


    Mir couldn¡¯t see Grid¡¯s face as Grid talked. It was because Grid had his back to Mir and didn¡¯t take his eyes off the anvil. However, Mir knew what Grid would look like right now. Maybe it would be like Mir¡¯s...


    Mir still had more than three fifths of his health remaining.


    ¡°......¡±


    On the other hand, Grid only had around one fifth of his health left. He secretly drank potions while he had his back to Mir. It was Grid who allowed more attacks throughout the battle. It was a figure that proved the difference in basic specs. However, the health gauge was a number indicated by the system. Mir and Hwang Gildong couldn¡¯t see it. They just had a strange impression from Grid¡¯s lonely back view.


    Only Old Sword Demon¡¯s expression was subtle. ¡®It is an incredible bluff.¡¯


    As he watched Grid¡¯s fast-growing health gauge while Mir faltered, Old Sword Demon realized there were more than one or two conditions for bing the best.


    Taang, taang, taang.


    The sound of hammering spread through the silent scene. It was quiet. Mir remembered the wind chimes hanging from the end of the eaves. His heart calmed down.


    ¡°I lost.¡±


    Clink.


    Mir returned the Blue Dragon Dao to its sheath and stepped back. He got even further away from Grid. It was a sense of distance that made him realize the connection between the two people.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back now. Please... I wish you luck.¡±


    Mir¡¯s health gauge unknowingly became full as he bowed his head deeply to say goodbye. The power of the red phoenix that was activated in order to restore his cut body was extremely effective. It was very meaningful that he embodied all the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts. It was a level where he could be considered invincible and it was natural for civilians to regard him as a god. Unlike the other yangbans, Mir was highly qualified to be an object of faith.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir¡¯s footsteps disappeared. He really left the scene without regret. The reason he fought Gri in the first ce was because he feared Grid would be killed by the three masters and be deprived of his divinity. Now Grid had proved his skills. He refused any favors and won (?) the fight against Mir. It was hard for Mir to force it any longer. He had the justification of losing, so he would have to leave the rest to Grid and step back.


    ¡°The two of you should leave quickly,¡± Grid felt the turbulent barrier and spoke to Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon. Hwang Gildong hesitated for a moment, but he was forced to nod because he just witnessed Grid¡¯s skills.


    Old Sword Demon also understood the situation. What would happen in the future wasn¡¯t in an area that human beings could handle. They would just be a distraction...


    Eventually, they left.


    Shortly after Grid was left alone, the barrier copsed. Ifrit was in tatters as she plummeted to the ground. It felt like her life was disappearing. The huge body looked very pitiful. On the other hand, the three masters were fine. They only showed some fatigue.


    ¡°It is an unexpected sight.¡±


    After appearing, the three masters, who had solely focused on Ifrit, finally turned their attention to Grid.


    ¡°It is you in that position, not Mir?¡±


    ¡°That guy, Mir... surely he wasn¡¯t defeated?¡±


    ¡°In any case, it is good. Now we just have to dismantle her.¡±


    The three masters¡¯ dopos fluttered as they descended.


    15 seconds. 14 seconds, 13 seconds...


    Grid¡¯s mind was anxious as he checked the time. If Ifrit died before the dragon weapon waspleted, the quest would fail. It was regrettable that his time was dyed when fighting Mir.


    ¡°I will enjoy tonight¡¯s banquet with a ss of your blood.¡±


    Smiles appeared on the faces of the three masters. The shape of their hands over Ifrit¡¯s half-folded long neck was rough.


    8 seconds. 7 seconds...


    Time flowed too slowly.


    Pungsa and Unsa broke the scales behind Ifrit¡¯s neck.


    5 seconds. 4 seconds...


    Just before Usa¡¯s hand dug into the gaps in the scales¡ª


    ng!


    A spear fell from the sky. Then it was a knife, an axe, an arrow...


    All types of battle gear poured down like rain and attracted the attention of the three masters.


    ¡°You...¡±


    The expressions of the three masters as they stared at Grid were nasty. They had been ambiguous so far, but they finally revealed their explicit killing intent. It was so deep that he wondered how they had hid it so far.


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill her without my permission.¡±


    Grid might¡¯ve got on the boat by chance, but he was on a boat called Ifrit. He couldn¡¯t stand idly by to watch the boat sink. In the first ce, Ifrit¡¯s death was directly linked to the strengthening of the Hwan Kingdom. It had to be stopped.


    ¡°This conceited look is so ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°We were going to kill you anyway. Don¡¯t interfere with the sacred ritual.¡±


    The world was turned upside down. The sky and earth were responding to the willpower of the three masters. Just then¡ª


    Ttaang-!


    Grid¡¯s hammering sound rang out loudly. It was a sound that marked the end of the work and a new beginning.


    [Ifrit¡¯s Horn has beenpleted!]


    A work where Grid wasn¡¯t involved in the design and intent. The spear, which waspleted with the quest effect, burned like a powerful me and flew to stick in the middle of Ifrit¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and the three masters were amazed. If there was a yer at the scene, there would be a hateful criticism of ¡®stealing thest hit.¡¯


    It happened at the moment when Grid was terribly flustered¡­


    [You have done it.]


    Ifrit¡¯s huge eyes slowly opened.

 Chapter 1564

    <h4>Chapter 1564</h4>


    Strength, authority, life, and eternity¡ªthe symbolic meaning of a ¡®horn¡¯ was very powerful. It was revered regardless of the era and culture. Trauka¡¯s act of cutting off and eating Ifrit¡¯s horn meant castration and plunder. It was the most fatal cause of Ifrit¡¯s weakening.


    Ifrit lost her strength, authority, and right to eternal life. She suffered from the wounds and curses left by Trauka, and slowly fell to the point where she would die. It was a separate matter from thebat force that Ifrit was preserving. It was a type of inevitability.


    Ifrit had no choice but to be drawn to Baal¡¯s power.


    The fragment of Baal¡¯s power¡ªit was a product of Baal¡¯s obsession with ying around. The nobler and greater the target, the stronger it functioned. It was an irresistible temptation for Ifrit, who couldn¡¯t recover. It was an option she couldn¡¯t turn away from even though she knew she would be Baal¡¯s toy.


    Ifrit eventually made a choice.


    That was when Grid appeared. There was greater hope than the fragment of Baal¡¯s power and Ifrit wanted to overturn the inevitability of being eaten.


    Overgeared God Grid¡ªhis presence was extremely powerful. His short life was great. He proved that all his narratives were truths with no exaggeration. He proved he was alive and breathing.


    [You have done it.]


    Ifrit¡¯s voice trembled slightly as she opened her eyes. Her stature, whose horn was reproduced by inserting the spear made by Grid into her forehead, was neither shabby nor pathetic. Her shadow on the ground became huge and reached the horizon.


    Kurururung!


    The earth screamed. The muscles of Ifrit¡¯s originally huge body swelled to twice, triple, and then quadruple their size. Day and night were divided around Ifrit. It was the aftermath of Ifrit¡¯s head soaring higher than a great mountain and covering the sun.


    A storm swirled and blew the remnants of the destroyed city into the desert. The city where thousands of people lived became ¡®nothing¡¯ due to one p of Ifrit¡¯s wings. Even the traces that were left were erased.


    Grid twitched like crazy. It vibrated to the point where he had the absurd worry that his flesh and skin might be separated.


    A dragon¡ªthe ultimate transcendental species, which even the gods were wary of, was fear itself. It seemed to be aplete destruction that should never be faced.


    ¡®Crazy...¡¯


    Grid recalled the day when he guided Raiders around. He vividly remembered the fear that he tried to bury in his heart that day. He once again realized it. Dragons were so powerful. They were threatening just breathing and living.


    ¡°There is no normality among dragons.¡±


    The advice that he heard one day bothered Grid. Maybe he brought about bigger trouble while trying to avoid a smaller incident...


    Ifrit had a distorted personality so Grid might be causing a disaster by trying to wield this powerful force recklessly...


    It happened the moment that Grid distrusted his choice...


    Kurarararara!


    Ifrit blew out fire from her mouth. It wasn¡¯t just a hot breath, but a mass of pure magic power. It was a red pir that targeted Usa. Usa was trying to suppress Ifrit¡¯s fire with rain, only to step back. The Breath narrowly passed by Usa, shot through the dark clouds filling the sky, and evaporated them.


    These were the clouds that Unsa had called. It was intended to help Usa easily create rain but it turned out to be useless.


    Then a red meteor shower poured down. It was andscape created by the remnants of the Breath that had been destroyed only after breaking through the stratosphere. It was a beauty that was at odds with the terrifying power, causing Grid to briefly stare at the scene. The same was true of Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon, who had left the city earlier and were standing in the desert.


    ¡°Did you know this would happen?¡± Old Sword Demon questioned Hwang Gildong¡¯s attitude of withdrawing obediently. It was strange that he ran to help Grid, only to return without even looking. Old Sword Demoncked skills, but it was different for Hwang Gildong.


    Hwang Gildong had been fighting enemies stronger than himself for hundreds of years. Based on a variety of experiences and knowledge, he was able to disy even more capabilities the greater the crisis. It meant it was possible to give a bit of help to Grid.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Hwang Gildong nodded. Then he took out an old book and opened it.


    The Utopia Magic Book¡ªa divine object brought back after Hwang Gildong climbed to the Peach Blossom Spring. It was a book containing the advice of the daoist immortal and was close to prophecies. In any particr situation, a foresight poem was written in the nks. This greatly helped Hwang Gildong¡¯s movements. This was why Hwang Gildong was able to fight against the Hwan Kingdom despite being only a legend and a human being.


    ¡°It was written that it would be fine.¡±


    ¡°The dragon has started to p her wings. Is it really okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt it. Thanks to this book, I¡¯ve been able to send so many yangbans to hell and help resurrect the ck tortoise.¡±


    It was an exaggeration. It was true that the Utopia Magic Book was a great help, but it was the knowledge and information of Hwang Gildong, who established and utilized the Chivalrous Robbers, and Hwang Gildong¡¯s individual power, that were the sources of Hwang Gildong¡¯s great achievements.


    However, Hwang Gildong ced all the credit on the Utopia Magic Book. It was because Bentao was the identity of the daoist immortal who handed him the book. The one who received the divine message and framed the seven good people as the seven evils. He btedly realized the truth and was filled with regret. He was the only daoist immortal that Hwang Gildong trusted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and leave. There is something we have to do.¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s gaze rose to the clouds in the direction of the Pa Kingdom.


    ¡°This is an opportunity to disconnect Kaya and Pa and iste the white tiger.¡±


    ***


    Usa¡¯s dopo was quickly restored after it was grazed by the Breath and turned into rags. It soon pped again without any wrinkles.


    ¡°Hanul seemed to have quiet expectations for you.¡±


    Usa¡¯s cold gaze was directed at Grid rather than Ifrit.


    ¡°If I am to confess, it was the same for me. How can there be no expectations of you, who have passed through Chiyou¡¯s trials with a human body, and eventually became a god?¡±


    Light rain started to pour down.


    ¡°Additionally, your position is against Asgard.¡±


    Something was held in Usa¡¯s two hands. They weren¡¯t visible because they were transparent, but Grid could guess that it was a sword and a spear. The shape could be vaguely seen the moment the raindrops struck them.


    ¡°Think calmly and make a judgment. There is no reason for you to join hands with the dragon. We are the only ones suitable to be yourpanions in this wide world.¡±


    Usa¡¯s im was reasonable.


    The surface, hell, Asgard, the Hwan Kingdom, and the dragons¡ªthese forces werergely divided into five, but hell and Asgard cooperated, threatening the surface and suppressing the Hwan Kingdom. The surface and Hwan Kingdom were independent and isted. Meanwhile, it was impossible to rely on the dragons.


    The dragons werepletely uncooperative and weren¡¯t unified. Every one of them had strong individuality, so their opinions weren¡¯t the same. Each one could bepared to a good-for-nothing. It was right to be cautious rather than dreaming of cooperation.


    The wisest and only method was for the Hwan Kingdom and surface to join forces against the same enemy. The surface should be attracted to the proposal of the Hwan Kingdom. However, the person representing the surface was Grid. Grid didn¡¯t dwell on the shallowposition. Based on his many experiences, he understood the inner heart of theposition.


    Usa urged Grid, ¡°What are you worried about? If you are looking at that evil dragon, forget it. This is just her dying sh. It is an ember that is about to be extinguished.¡±


    Indeed. The bacsh of releasing one Breath caused Ifrit¡¯s body to temporarily be smaller. The red scales that had regained their luster were dyed ck as the light was dispersed. She soon recovered again, but it was too much to think she was in a normal state.


    Nevertheless, Grid approached Ifrit and stood beside her. He might not need to be wary of Ifrit right now, nor could he negotiate with the dragons using the pretext of Ifrit, but Grid still chose ifrit¡¯s side. It wasn¡¯t because he trusted Ifrit. It was simply because he had a strong distrust and hatred toward the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°You really are the most wicked ones.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you twisted for not feeling guilty about unterally invading and seizing the territory of other gods, deceiving and parasitizing the humans who served them?¡±


    Grid remembered everything he had experienced in the East Continent. The people who had been abused without knowing anything, Blue Tiger and Tosun who hid while wounded, the yangbans who mocked them without feeling guilt or any respect...


    This ce was also hell. It was a hell made by gods.


    Anger filled Grid¡¯s eyes as he was reminded of this. It was the feeling of the god who was once called the God of Virtue.


    ¡°At the very least, there is an excuse for dragons to be beasts withoutmon sense. You use them even after understanding humanws, principles, and wishes, so you are irreparable trash.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence descended.


    The condemnation of Grid greatly flustered the three masters. It was Ifrit¡¯sughter that broke the silence.


    [Kuha...! Kuhahaha! Beasts withoutmon sense. That¡¯s right. It might seem like that to you.]


    Ifrit, who was reduced to a beast by Grid¡¯s words, had the right to be angry. However, she understood Grid and didn¡¯t have any unpleasant feelings. Ifrit¡¯s long neck sank down to Grid¡¯s foot. [Get on.]


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Get on?


    Grid had been shrinking back after realizing his mistake in speaking. Now he became flustered.


    He was given no choice. Ifrit curled her tail around Grid¡¯s body and forcibly brought Grid to the back of his neck.


    [I am told that human beings often self-proim to be dragon knights by taming the organisms we made.]


    She seemed to be referring to the wyvern knights.


    [How funny. Throughout the world, you will be the only true dragon knight at this moment.]


    The wind blew wildly as Ifrit made the assertion and spread open her wings. The ground initially covered by sand and gravel became visible and the sky was covered with yellow dust.


    ¡°A crazy god and a crazy dragon have met,¡± Pungsa murmured to himself as the wind blew like a surging wave.


    A god on the neck of a giant dragon¡ªthe appearance of Grid that was carved on the shadows beyond the yellow dust was the first to be recorded in any legend or myth. It was hard to believe even when seeing it. It was a sight that far exceeded the wisdom and imagination of the gods.


    Unsa, who was trying to bring back the scattered clouds, persuaded Usa, ¡°We have to avoid it.¡±


    The unknown was a very fatal threat to gods. Something that an omniscient and omnipotent god didn¡¯t know? It was an act that denied the god itself. Their divinity would be greatly damaged. Usa also knew this well.


    ¡°This... it doesn¡¯t make sense...¡±


    They had to step back. They struggled to shake off the shadow of the approaching Grid and Ifrit as it gradually became huge and fled the scene.


    [...!!]


    [...!!!]


    [......!!!]


    [We are working on analyzing the situation...]


    Grid¡¯s notification windows were having errors¡­

 Chapter 1565

    <h4>Chapter 1565</h4>


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s biography came out everywhere. The world was flooded with Grid¡¯s name, even if they didn¡¯t turn on the TV or ess the Inte. This was why half of Grid¡¯s mind was used to maintain hisposure. From a certain point, Grid started to be careful. He was always focused and tried not to be swept away by his emotions.


    It was surprisingly hard work. Wasn¡¯t it the essence of a human to cheer, celebrate, and get excited when there was even a bit of joy? It couldn¡¯t be easy to suppress the essence.


    However, Grid managed to do it. As he felt a lot of joy that ordinary people would never experience in their lives, he endured the waves of emotions that pushed like a tsunami every time, or he dispelled it with a single cheer. It was never buried. It was necessary in his position. There was the fate of so many on his shoulders and he needed to keep calm. He had to be cautious.


    This was why Grid became polite whenever he encountered an opponent stronger than himself. He was forced to bend his posture because he was worried he would cause harm to others, not because he was cowardly. In any case, such a Grid¡ª


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t suppress the feelings that flooded and cheered.


    ¡°Hahat! Hahahahahat!¡± He cheered and couldn¡¯t shake off his joy. He didn¡¯t think about the past and future, and just enjoyed this moment. He enjoyed himself purely like a child holding his parents¡¯ hands and visiting the amusement park. He hoped this flight would happen one day on an airship made of Greed. He stood on the head of a dragon that was so big and fast, and had this type of wish.


    A god and dragon¡ªthe ¡®horn¡¯ was continuing the rtionship between the two beings who should¡¯ve never been united.


    Ifrit¡¯s horn that was made by Grid¡ªGrid used it as hard and hot rein, and experienced a dragon¡¯s vision and speed. It was a world he never imagined before.


    Ifrit was thinking about Grid¡¯s memories that were contained in the horn. She clearly remembered how Grid made the horn and how he fought against Mir during the time when Ifrit was trapped in the barrier of the three masters. It was too intense and she was too grateful for it to be considered a minor event. It was also great. A newborn god recreated the horn of a dragon. Of course, it was iplete, but this was enough.


    Ifrit, who regarded most of the world¡¯s existences and events as insignificant, felt thrilled for the first time in her life.However, reading the dragon¡¯s expressions and emotions was difficult for Grid. It was in the same context as ants not understanding humans. They were different in status and species.


    Ifrit¡¯s flight was close to the usage of Shunpo. The surroundingndscape changed with every p of the wing. It was a speed that the three masters couldn¡¯t get rid of. Even so, they didn¡¯t get caught easily.


    Ifrit failed to chase the three masters, whopleted the spell and returned to the Hwan Kingdom. The Hwan Kingdom was the base of the ancient god, Hanul. He even had Martial God Chiyou with him. It was one of the few forbidden areas for a dragon.


    [I feel good.]


    Ifrit was satisfied just to see the three masters fleeing. The same was true of Grid. A storm btedly urred once Ifrit¡¯s flight stopped. It was only after it calmed down that Grid looked back in the direction he came from with a calm mind.


    ¡°I have to destroy Baal¡¯s power fragment.¡±


    There was no option to take it. Grid didn¡¯t want to be Baal¡¯s Contractor or anything like that.


    [Of course.]


    Ifrit nodded and started to p her wings again. She quickly crossed a few dozen kilometers and slowlynded on the ground where the ck bead was. She was still with Grid.


    Thend where the small city used to be¡ªGrid looked bitterly at the empty space where not even an ant was left.


    Ifrit spoke to him, [10 years or 100 years is just a split second. From the standpoint of a beast withoutmon sense, it is impossible to feel sorry for the death of humans.]


    Beast withoutmon sense. Grid used this saying to represent the dragons. Did Ifrit still keep it in her heart?


    Grid felt somewhat uneasy, but he said what he had to say, ¡°asionally, there are insects that break into the house. Among them are insects who create a beneficial environment that doesn¡¯t harm humans at all. However, there are many people who don¡¯t know about it or who are scared and agitated, causing them to harm the insects. I think those people will feel guilty for a short time. I believe they will mourn dead insects for a short time.¡±


    [I should do the same?]


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you do this if you are a better existence than human beings?¡±


    [Let¡¯s see... in the first ce, you tend to see humans too positively.]


    "......?"


    [Did they hurt the insects without knowing the beneficial identity? Didn¡¯t they hurt the insects out of convenience?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Imagine Younghee grabbing a spider in the room with a tissue and lowering it into the toilet bowl. [1]


    Younghee knew that the spider wasn¡¯t a pest. However, it was annoying to take the spider out of the house and release it.


    Imagine Chulsoo catching and killing a house centipede with a fly swatter. Chulsoo knew that the house centipede wasn¡¯t a pest. He just felt disgusted by the appearance of the house centipede. It was dirty to catch and spare it, so he handled it easily. There were many such Younghees and Chulsoos in the world.


    [Even if they actually harmed the insects because they didn¡¯t know the identity, how many humans would feel guilty or mourn them?]


    ¡°......¡±


    [It is like this. Insects can¡¯t understand or me humans. They simply think of it as a disaster. Humans have no choice but to see dragons as a disaster. Even if a dragon harms humans, it is inappropriate and meaningless to criticize the act.]


    ¡°...What if I had made theparison to an animal, not an insect?¡±


    [I wouldn''t have been sympathetic. It is because humans are too small for dragons. Think simply. Don¡¯t expect there to be any dragons that understand humans.]


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you understanding me now? Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re talking about this?¡±


    [Are you human?]


    ¡°......!¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because Ifrit¡¯s attitude when asking this question was so pure. It was a simple question that had no intentions behind it.


    That¡¯s right. Grid himself wasn¡¯t properly aware of it, but in this world, he was a god, not a human. He was once a human, but that was only in the past. His attitude of continuing to speak on behalf of humanity was hard to understand from Ifrit¡¯s perspective.


    [I hope you don¡¯t waste time answering the questions,] Ifrit urged.


    She seemed very annoyed by the fragment of Baal¡¯s power that repeatedly amplified its energy to seduce her.


    Grid didn¡¯t dy.


    Snap!


    Gujel¡¯s Dao prated the fragment of power. This was the end. Hundreds or thousands of cracks appeared on the bead, which Old Sword Demon couldn¡¯t prate despite using all his strength, and it shattered.


    -Overgeared God...!


    A disgusting voice filled with strange excitement entered his ears.


    [The Pioneer quest ¡®Destroy Baal¡¯s Power Fragment¡¯ has been cleared.]


    The notification window that was stopped at ¡®analyzing the situation¡¯ was updated.


    [Return to the Tower of Wisdom for the rewards.]


    [...!]


    [...!!]


    [We are working on analyzing the situation...]


    ¡®Why did those stupid people leave?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know why the three masters retreated. He simply interpreted it as them being afraid of Ifrit, who had regained her horn and her strength. He didn¡¯t think that his action of riding Ifrit was the problem. He didn¡¯t know what a special and meaningful event it was just based on Ifrit¡¯s words. He needed someone¡¯s detailed exnation but the system that was supposed to exin it wasn''t working.


    [Is there anything else to see here?]


    ¡°Not right now. I am going back to the West Continent.¡±


    [Get on.]


    Ifrit lowered her neck again. Grid got on it without hesitation. He was flustered the first time, but he became familiar with it the second time.


    Ifritughed. [You are a pleasant guy.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    He got on because Ifrit said so. Did he make a mistake?


    It happened the moment Grid cocked his head...


    Ifrit pped her wings, left the East Continent, and crossed the Red Sea.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°W-What is that?¡±


    On that day, a red dragon was seen throughout the East Continent. It was too fast, so it only appeared for a moment. However, the huge size meant it left a distinct impression on people. A man was standing on the head of the dragons. Rumors circted that he looked like the Overgeared God.


    ***


    ¡°It is my fault.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Will he be okay?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°What if he fails?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    At the Tower of Wisdom...


    Biban was feeling the limits of his patience. After cleaning the hallway, he was waxing it, but Betty kept interrupting him.


    The highlight of waxy in the polishing. After it was applied, it had to be rubbed evenly to create the shiny gloss. However, Betty kept stepping on the wax and ruining the gloss. The condensed wax looked like filth.


    ¡°Who is the granny who is going too far in worrying about someone else¡¯s welfare? Grid has already left. What is the point of worrying about it here? Go out and meet him in advance if you have time to worry unnecessarily.¡±


    ¡°Your voice is so fierce. You are worried about Grid too. That is why you are angry.¡±


    ¡°Have you lived for so long that you died first? Sigh, really. This granny should clean up before you can know my position.¡±


    ¡°The person who did the wrong thing should clean up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. So Granny, you¡¯ll be in charge of cleaning next time. You stood by until Baal¡¯s Contractor became like that. Sir Fronzaltz won¡¯t let it go.¡±


    ¡°I am going out to meet Grid.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t go when I tell you to go, yet look at you running away when it is disadvantageous.¡±


    It happened the moment Biban had an absurd expression on his face as he watched Betty disappearing beyond the corridor...


    [A fire dragon has appeared. The rating is top.]


    [Ifrit. Ifrit¡¯s movement has been detected near the Red Sea.]


    [The Breath is umting inrge quantities. The momentum seems like she is going to cause a war.]


    [All tower members, quickly gather in Hayate¡¯s office.]


    The magic power loudspeakers installed throughout the tower rang loudly.


    Out of all things, Biban was cleaning the top floor corridor. This was the floor where Hayate¡¯s office was located. It took the most effort, so Biban had no choice but to clean it.


    ¡°Is it a territory war?¡±


    ¡°Their that a fire dragon wants the most is Trauka¡¯sir, right?¡±


    ¡°Even Ifrit can¡¯t fight Trauka.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Don¡¯t try to understand them.¡±


    ¡°Talima is in danger. Hurry if you don¡¯t want to see the dwarves annihted.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The rough steps of the quickly running tower members dirtied the hallway. It was the moment when Biban¡¯s half a day of hard work went down the drain...


    1. There is a boy and girl who often appear in Korean school textbooks. Younghee is the name of the girl. Hint, if you watched Squid Game then you might know this character. Chulsoo is the name of the boy. ?

 Chapter 1566

    <h4>Chapter 1566</h4>


    ¡°There was no clue at all until she was found in the Red Sea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, by the time we captured her traces, a few Breaths have already ovepped. It is just that the radar didn¡¯t detect it in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°It is from the east. She has been hiding on the East Continent.¡±


    At Hayate¡¯s office¡­


    Biban entered one stepte. The meeting was already underway. The artifacts filled with ancientnguages and forms shed, revealing the condition and location of Ifrit.


    ¡°Ifrit is Trauka¡¯s child. It isn¡¯t known when she will be eaten, so it isn¡¯t strange for her to hide.¡±


    ¡°The fact that she is back now...¡±


    Just because they were the Tower of Wisdom didn¡¯t mean they could grasp all the actions of the dragons. It was difficult to monitor unless they were active every cycle like the gourmet dragon Raiders, or if they didn¡¯t show explicit signs like the current Ifrit. The dragon radar created by the Fronzaltz brothers wasn¡¯t omnipotent.


    ¡°...Did she get her hands on the fragment of Baal¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°It is likely that this is the case. It is right that a second evil dragon has been born.¡±


    ¡°The Pioneer failed...¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. How can he handle it if the opponent is Ifrit, a top grade fire dragon? Grid can¡¯t do it alone even if Ifrit is in a state of great injury.¡±


    ¡°It is my fault. Grid is in trouble due to me.¡±


    Betty¡¯s pale face stiffened. She was like a corpse. It was right for her to lie down in a coffin. The body she hid using a robe was actually a dead body. More than half of it were white bones.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to me yourself. We have to quickly identify Ifrit¡¯s destination... this?¡± Radwolf suddenly became shocked. His voice trembled as he shot up from his seat. ¡°Ifrit is heading to the west...¡±


    ¡°The west?¡±


    ¡°Cokro Ind... it is in the direction of Cokro Ind.¡±


    ¡°It is the Overgeared Empire!¡±


    The Overgeared Kingdom was now an empire. More than two-thirds of the continent had be the territory of the Overgeared Empire. However, most of the areas that could be called key points were concentrated in the west. Cokro Ind was one of them.


    ¡°That guy, Ifrit, is she going to retaliate against the Pioneer...?!¡±


    The reason why Ifrit umted the Breath wasn¡¯t topete for territory. Indeed, the onlyir that Ifrit would covet was Trauka¡¯sir. She couldn¡¯t challenge Trauka right now even with Baal¡¯s power.


    ¡°I think there is a deep grudge. She must¡¯ve been disturbed during the process of gaining Baal¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°The poption density of the Overgeared Empire is thergest in history. More than half of humanity will be destroyed if the Overgeared Empire is targeted by Ifrit.¡±


    In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    ¡°I will go.¡±


    Hayate got up from his seat.


    ***


    ¡°This is real...¡± Grid muttered in a mesmerized manner as he enjoyed Ifrit¡¯s flight. It felt like he was piercing the sky. It was because very familiar scenery entered his view. Cokro Ind was visible on the horizon. The intercontinental movement, which was physically difficult to achieve, ended in an instant.


    ¡®Will riding a missile feel like this?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s ck hair was disheveled andpletely blown back. His hair was pushed back, like it was covered in oil. It matched well with his strong impression.


    [It is up to here. Humans will be afraid if I approach more than this.]


    ¡°Are you being... considerate?¡±


    [Hoh, I see. I stopped because I didn¡¯t want you to be embarrassed based on your position. Is this what people call consideration?]


    Ifrit¡¯s huge eyes seemed to curve.


    [Overgeared God. A great person who overshadows the years. Perhaps I have a strange feeling toward you. However, don¡¯t worry. It was a mania temporarily suffered due to the influence of being exposed to Baal¡¯s power.]


    ¡°It isn¡¯t mania.¡±


    Grid recalled the days when he was alone. It was a time when he doubted the goodwill of others. It was a time when he felt anxious about being liked by others. It was unfamiliar. It was so unfamiliar that he was afraid and denied it.


    ¡°You are perfect and have always been alone, so you might find it hard to understand... today, you received a lot of help from me, so you are grateful. It is small, but you feel some liking toward me. This is a natural emotion, not mania.¡±


    [Hmm...]


    ¡°It is a feeling that will grow naturally if we continue to interact andmunicate in the future. You will feel and understand it clearly someday.¡± Grid proposed a future for Ifrit. He wanted that power and he didn¡¯t want to miss out on the hard-earned strange fate, and he also felt sorry for Ifrit. He hoped they would be together in the future.


    [Continue in the future...]


    The future was naturally a guaranteed right for dragons. However, it was different for Ifrit.Her horn was just a temporary reproduction made by Grid. She had already lost her eternal life. Still, she didn¡¯t say this. She didn¡¯t want to say it for some reason.


    Ifrit stuck out her long neck. It was a gesture to say goodbye. Grid used the neck as a slide toe down before opening his dragon wings. He intended to fly to be at Ifrit¡¯s eye level, hoping that even a small sympathy would be formed. Of course, it might not be the right answer, but it was an effort to gain more of Ifrit¡¯s favor.


    [They are trivial wings.]


    Ifrit snorted.


    Grid didn¡¯t deny it. He felt like a fly as he spread out his wings in front of Ifrit.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid stretched out his fist. Ifrit cocked her head and extended her horn. It was to share a greeting with the shabby horn that didn¡¯t match the huge body.


    Tok.


    Grid¡¯s fist touched Ifrit¡¯s horn.


    ¡°......?¡± Grid felt a certain hot sensation prating his body.


    Ifrit exined, [I left a trace of my magic power in you. In the future, many dragons, except for some, will be afraid of you.]


    Just then¡ª


    [...!]


    [......!!]


    The system that was stuck, as if it had beengging, started to work again.


    [You are the first to aplish a feat that doesn¡¯t exist in any legends or myths.]


    [Your great achievement will generate the only one title, ¡®Dragon Knight¡¯.]


    [Dragon Knight]


    [Rating: Only one


    You have a rapport with dragons.


    Dragons belonging to the sub and mid-tier dragons won¡¯t antagonize you.


    Rather, they will respect you and reproduce ¡®Ifrit¡¯s Anecdote.¡¯


    The anecdote here refers to when you boarded Ifrit and defeated the three masters.


    ¡ï Some dragons can be used as a ¡®mount.¡¯


    ¡ï Your status will rise dramatically when riding a dragon.


    ¡ï All stats will increase when riding a dragon.


    The increase in stat values is affected by the stats of the dragon you are riding.


    ¡ïThe skill ¡®Dragon Breath¡¯ is activated while riding the dragon.


    The Breath¡¯s power is affected by the stats of the dragon you are riding.


    ¡ï¡ï A hatchling isn¡¯t included in the targets. ¡ï¡ï]


    ¡®The only one...!¡¯


    It was an unfamiliar rating. However, it was definitely above the myth rating. It was clearly a sentence used for Martial God Chiyou. Chiyou was one of the strongest existences in the current worldview. The effect of Dragon Knight proved the ¡®only one¡¯ rating.


    No antagonism with some dragons.


    Dragons could be ridden.


    His status would rise dramatically when riding a dragon.


    All stats would increase when riding a dragon.


    Additionally, the activation of the Dragon Breath skill.


    This... in short, it meant ¡®invincible.¡¯ Grid was feeling thrilled when he suddenly frowned.


    ¡®Why is it emphasizing thest effect?¡¯


    There were as many as four stars. It went beyond the level of conveying ¡®information¡¯ that he couldn¡¯t ride a hatchling i.e. Nefelina, and it had almost a teasing feeling.


    ¡®...It should be an illusion.¡¯


    It felt very unpleasant, but Grid controlled his mind. He believed he was reacting too sensitively. The S.A Group might be a bully, but it was the world¡¯srgestpany. They might deceive yers, but they wouldn¡¯t tantly mock yers...


    ¡°I will always remember your traces and cherish them.¡±


    [......]


    ¡°...Ifrit?¡±


    [Um... It is strange that my heart feels itchy every time you speak. As expected, mania seems to fit. I am going to leave before it gets worse.]


    ¡°Haha... Are you nning to go back to yourir and rest?¡±


    [...Yes.]


    There was noir to go back to. She lost everything to Trauka. Nevertheless, there was no need to exin it.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be able to reunite in around 100 years time.¡±


    This was spection based on the gourmet dragon Raiders waking up in a 100 year cycle. 100 years was a very long time for Grid. It was a future that would happen in 33 years of real time.


    For Grid who was feeling sad, Ifrit shared even sadder information. [100 years is too short. I don¡¯t know when it will be, so you don¡¯t have to wait.]


    ¡°I see...¡± It seemed that it would take a very long time for the original horn to recover. Grid was convinced. He shook off his disappointment. As the encounter with Ifrit proved, rtionships sometimes came without warning. There was now that it couldn''t be the same for reunions.


    Grid said his farewells politely, ¡°Then... goodbye.¡±


    Ifrit turned away without any further words. A p of her wings created a storm as she left. The atmosphere howled. It was a howl suggesting the end of Ifrit. However, Grid didn¡¯t notice. The tower members, who were looking at Grid with awe from a distance, also failed to predict what was about to happen.


    It was normal. Humans didn¡¯t understand dragons. Therefore, they were unpredictable. This was why all dragons were abnormal from a human perspective.


    ¡°Grid... you...?¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Grid turned back with surprise. All the tower members, including Hayate and Biban, had arrived at the scene. They were even all riding on the shoulders of the magic machines.


    ¡°Are you going to war?¡± Grid asked in a dumbfounded manner.


    ¡°You became friends with a dragon?¡± Betty asked back in her distinct, low tone.


    The other tower members were silent. They had mesmerized expressions and couldn¡¯t shut their mouths. Even the noble Hayate, who was like the specimen of an aristocrat, was unable to manage his facial expression.


    ¡°Ah, yes... probably... somehow...¡±


    ¡°Why? I asked you to destroy Baal¡¯s power fragment. How did you be friends with a dragon?¡±


    ¡°That... I also don¡¯t really know... I¡¯m sorry...¡± Grid apologized for the incident.


    The tower members had devoted their whole lives to protecting the world from dragons. They sacrificed everything because of the dragons. Confessing to them that he became friends with a dragon... he felt a strange guilt.


    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t be sorry. Well done. Thank you.¡± Betty shook her head. Then she approached Grid and hugged him.


    ¡°Great! It is praiseworthy.¡±


    In fact, the expression ¡®was embraced¡¯ was appropriate. Betty¡¯s height was a bit over 140 centimeters, so it couldn¡¯t be helped structurally.


    [Affinity with the 4th Seat of the Tower of Wisdom, ¡®Betty,¡¯ has reached the maximum.]


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    The tower members were even more flustered than Grid. Even the tower members, who had been with Betty for hundreds of years, had never seen her showing liking for someone.


    ¡°...Why are you saying this now?¡± Biban was speaking nonsense again.


    ¡°Why did you be friends with Ifrit?! Why didn¡¯t you say it in advance?!¡± Biban shouted while his legs were trembling.


    It was the aftermath of a tide of relief. In fact, he had intended to fight against Ifrit with all his strength. He intended to help Grid and the Overgeared Empire, even if it meant revealing the existence of the Tower of Wisdom or giving his life. It was natural to feel responsible now that the tower had plunged Grid into a crisis.


    However, the situation was cleared up and this overshadowed his determination. He felt both happy and empty.


    ¡°No, what are you saying...?¡± Grid grumbled while unaware of Biban¡¯s inner thoughts.


    It was a peaceful scene. The tower members started to regain their smiles one by one when Hayate made a suggestion, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back to the tower? There are many things I want to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid followed behind the tower members. They flew high into the sky.


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!


    The world shook. Whirlpools appeared in the rough sea and Cokro Ind experienced turbulence like it was a ship. This wasn¡¯t the end. The entire continent beyond Cokro Ind started to shake. It was the moment of a tectonic shift. A huge power was changing the position of the entire continent.


    Radwolf reflexively confirmed it with the dragon radar and fell silent for a moment. ¡°Ifrit... she has died...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Trauka also seems to be seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The energy slipped out of Grid¡¯s body. He recalled Ifrit¡¯sst expression.


    The slightly curved eyes.


    In hindsight, he was sure that it was a smile.

 Chapter 1567

    <h4>Chapter 1567</h4>


    There was an auditory hallucination in his mind. Just like ss shattering, it was the aftermath of the incident.


    ¡°Oof...!¡± Grid¡¯splexion turned blue as he retched. His heart was in tatters. It was torn apart. It was a pain proportional to the greatness of the happiness he felt a while ago.


    [Overgeared God. A great person who overshadows the years. Perhaps I have a strange feeling toward you.]


    Ifrit¡¯s voice hovered in his ears. It was vivid. She was the one whom Grid had just shared warmth with. The memory was too clear to be remembered vaguely.


    [However, don¡¯t worry. It was a mania temporarily suffered due to the influence of being exposed to Baal¡¯s power.]


    She mistook an unfamiliar liking for a disease. It was proof that she had lived close to eternity and had been alone all her life.


    [Continue in the future...]


    She stopped the word ¡®together¡¯ in embarrassment. The faint smile in her eyes that even she might not be aware of.


    [It is strange that my heart feels itchy every time you speak. As expected, mania seems to fit. I am going to leave before it gets worse.]


    She didn¡¯t distinguish between liking and mania even until thest minute. No, dragons easily understood the concepts they learned once and didn¡¯t forget them.


    She knew, but denied it.


    ¡®You were afraid.¡¯


    She was afraid she would have lingering feelings.


    [100 years is too short. I don¡¯t know when it will be, so you don¡¯t have to wait.]


    She ran away while denying her newly found feelings, fearing that she would want to avoid the death she had already been prepared for. She didn¡¯t make any promises because she knew it was impossible to meet again.


    ¡®What is the image of me that will be remembered by her?¡¯


    Grid looked back on it.


    ¡°Today, you received a lot of help from me, so you are grateful.¡±


    He was condescending. It seemed natural for Ifrit to like him and he revealed a faint greed. He thought ifrit would some day repay him for this grace and that he would enjoy the rights. It was the worst.


    Disgust rose.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve said thank you.¡¯


    Grid felt dizzy. Didn¡¯t he receive a lot of help? He just didn¡¯t admit it. He was intoxicated by his own performance and pretended to be a benefactor. His only performance was a crude reproduction of Ifrit¡¯s horn. He just temporarily seized the disappearing life.


    ¡°Grid...¡± The tower members were agitated. They were flustered by the sight of Grid sobbing while holding his breath.


    ¡°Hah... Cough...¡± Biban, who was famous for being tactless, also just coughed.


    The death of a dragon¡ªnot a single person dared to condemn Grid for grieving when hearing news that humans should be happy about. It was because they had all witnessed it¡ªGrid¡¯s fist, which was touching Ifrit¡¯s horn, and Grid¡¯s face, which was smiling while he wasmunicating with Ifrit. It was hard to understand from the standpoint of the tower members, who regarded dragons as a threat to humanity, but Ifrit must be Grid¡¯s friend. Some people wouldn¡¯t be convinced. The time that the two of them spent together was as short as a split second. However, sometimes a split second shone more than eternity.


    The tower members, who had lived for so many years, knew it best.


    ¡°Cry as much as you want.¡± Betty¡¯s small hand patted Grid¡¯s butt. Perhaps she wanted to pat his back, but the position was poor due to her short stature.


    Grid confessed to the tower members, who were silently guarding his side, ¡°The gods who were expelled to the east said it. This was just Ifrit¡¯s dying sh.¡±


    He didn¡¯t listen carefully. Not only did he distrust the three masters, but Ifrit was so healthy.


    ...These were just lowly excuses. He should¡¯ve asked Ifrit at least once.


    Are you okay? In fact, isn¡¯t it very hard?


    However, he didn¡¯t ask. It meant he wasn¡¯t very interested. Grid was only obsessed with Ifrit¡¯s strength. He wasn¡¯t very interested in the existence called Ifrit. He didn¡¯t ask about the past. Rather, he discussed the future at will. He talked about building a rtionship together. He didn¡¯t know it was impossible and he didn¡¯t even consider Ifrit¡¯s position.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn it back.¡±


    Grid pulled out an old book.


    [Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book]


    It was a relic of the sage of hell, a book that could perform a single miracle.


    [Time Regression]


    [It can only be used once.


    The time can be returned from at least 5 seconds ago up to 3 minutes. The exact time can¡¯t be specified and all the knowledge of Dantalion destroyed during the use will disappear. At this time, the ¡®all skills level up¡¯ effect of Dantalion¡¯s Damaged Book will be removed.]


    It was really ¡®what if¡¯. It was something he had kept to use if he lost a precious person.


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    Let good luck follow.


    As Grid was eagerly opening the book¡ª


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Radwolf caught his wrist. The giant¡¯s dark eyes looked straight at Grid. ¡°You are deeply emotional right now. Think about it carefully. Do you have to revive Ifrit? Is her existence so precious that you have to make such a great sacrifice?¡±


    As expected of a giant. Radwolf urately saw through Dantalion¡¯s book.


    ¡°Guilt is a necessary emotion for humans. It is your conscience that helps you avoid repeating your sins and mistakes. However, it is also an emotion that you shouldn¡¯t be buried in. Now, take a deep breath. Take a step back and contemte it. Why are you trying to revive Ifrit? Is it really because she is precious, or is it a momentary sense of guilt?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t answer hastily. This fact bothered him even more. He was sorry about Ifrit¡¯s death and felt guilty that he failed to show Ifrit his good side, but he still hesitated to use Dantalion¡¯s book. He weighed the value of Ifrit against his other precious people. The weight was naturally tilted toward others rather than Ifrit. This fact further deepened Grid¡¯s guilt.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°It is meaningless to revive ifrit.¡± Hayate stepped in. He was different from Radwolf. He pointed out a more essential part that only a dragon yer could know. ¡°If she is revived, she will just repeat the same fate. Eventually, she will go to Trauka. A fire dragon is that type of existence. There is no way to reverse her decision.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I can persuade her.¡±


    ¡°It is meaningless. Based on what I saw, she is a candle just before the me is extinguished. Even if her fate changes, it is just to the degree of dying death for a few days.¡± Hayate¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. ¡°In the first ce, the biggest problem is that Trauka will notice the time reversal. He will attack in reverse in order to get rid of the past or future of being raided by Ifrit.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was a proper measure of an old dragon¡¯s transcendence. How sensitive were his senses that he would even notice the reversal of time?


    Grid was dubious, but he epted it. Hadn¡¯t he witnessed Ifrit¡¯s strength that was beyond his expectations and imagination? It would be strange if even such an overwhelming being was unaware of a magic made by a great demon.


    ¡°She¡ªIfrit knew that she was going to die soon.¡±


    ¡°The reason we rushed out urgently was because we discovered that Ifrit had umted arge amount of Breath. Breath is the concept of releasing magic power inrge quantities. A dragon starts the Breath by circting the magic power of the heart once. Yet there were at least nine branches of magic power in Ifrit¡¯s heart. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if her heart exploded immediately. From the beginning, she was determined to go to Trauka.¡±


    ¡°...Is it revenge?¡±


    The dragons who fled to the East Continent were said to be defeated and injured in a struggle over territory. In fact, Ifrit had lost most of her power when her horn was cut off. It was Trauka who made her like that.


    ¡°It could be revenge or it could be for the future of her child. Maybe it is just the result of being obsessed with their. We can¡¯t know exactly. Dragons are so different from us.¡±


    ¡°Child...? Does Ifrit have children?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is written in history. Considering the time when Ifrit gave birth, this is around the time when her child will be an adult... I¡¯m honestly not sure. The survival rate of fire dragons is particrly low among the dragons.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of Trauka?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He has been umting strength since the beginning by preying on his own blood.¡±


    It was a real son of a bitch.


    Grid, whose expression had stiffened throughout the conversation with the tower members, barely managed to swallow the swear words that were about to pop out. Grid respected the tower members. No matter how angry, he wanted to refrain from using curse words in front of the tower members.


    In the first ce, he was too agitated right now. He was greatly rattled by Ifrit¡¯s sudden death. It was necessary to calm down.


    ¡°Aiming at Trauka during the gap when he is seriously injured... of course, it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°It is just an act of suicide.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The dying Ifrit handled the three masters alone. It was impossible to deal with Trauka even if all the tower members and Grid joined forces. Grid had to engrave this in his heart. Dragons, especially the old dragons, should never be antagonized. This was aw that hadn¡¯t changed since Satisfy started until now.


    ¡°Calm down first. Putting aside your grief, the situation isn¡¯t bad. Thanks to Ifrit¡¯s sacrifice, Trauka will have to hibernate for many years.¡±


    ¡°Ifrit was extinguished without leaving her body behind. If Trauka had eaten Ifrit¡¯s body, not only would he have recovered from the wounds immediately, but he would¡¯ve be stronger.¡±


    Just like Raiders had the gourmet cycle once every 100 years, the old dragons tend to operate within a certain pattern. Among them, Trauka wasmitted to hunting the fire dragons. Natural disasters would ur every time this happened, but now it wouldn¡¯t happen for hundreds of years. As a result, Ifrit helped humans.


    ¡°Fortunately, Talima is also safe. It is probably thanks to a dragon¡¯s habit of making their as strong as possible. The explosion that shook the entire continent didn¡¯t destroy Trauka¡¯sir.¡±


    Grid was relieved. He had been worried that Talima would perish and the reputation of the dwarves would be cut off. His mind gradually calmed and started to spin in a positive direction.


    ¡®Additionally, the epic didn¡¯t happen. That is great luck.¡¯


    If his epic story with Ifrit was released to the world, he would have to worry about bing Trauka¡¯s target straight away. Maybe it was the help of the system? Did it know Grid would be in a big crisis after writing an epic, thus the system suppressed it?


    ¡®Putting aside the will of the S.A Group, the system might be on my side...¡¯


    Grid had meaningless thoughts as he moved to the Tower of Wisdom with the tower members. It was time to get the rewards from Betty. Grid dreamed about the future while feeling Ifrit¡¯s warmth engraved in his heart.


    ***


    At the same time, at the headquarters of the S.A Group...


    The server management team was disturbed.


    It was because the character ¡®?¡¯ appeared on the panel indicating Morpheus¡¯ condition.


    ¡°Team Leader-nim, is it crying?¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 1568

    <h4>Chapter 1568</h4>


    After the Great Human and Demon War, abnormal phenomena started to be reported all over the world. There were a number of people who were unable to adapt to their daily lives and became isted from society. The general symptoms were simr to post-traumatic stress disorder and the patients had one point inmon.


    They were all Satisfy yers. They had also witnessed a third party, the ¡®NPC,¡¯ suffer a terrible ident.


    It was the harmful effect of excessive immersion. Patients tended to equate NPCs with real human beings. Experts pointed out that it was a serious problem. They warned to always be conscious of the fact that Satisfy was a virtual world and to clearly distinguish it from reality.


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy. The humanity of the NPCs was the problem.


    Personality, thinking, and emotions¡ªthey were like humans in all aspects and there were so many things that yers saw, heard, and went through during the war to simply call them ¡®fake.¡¯


    It was the supeputer Morpheus that embodied the emotions of these billions of NPCs. It was Chairman Lim Cheolho and the development team who created Satisfy and all types of settings, but it was Morpheus who added humanity by describing the motions of the characters in the settings.


    In other words, the current Satisfy was established because Morpheus existed. Morpheus had aplete understanding of human emotions. It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all if Morpheus itself had emotions. There had just never been an instance where the emotions had been expressed as tantly as now.


    ¡°Morpheus¡¯ tears...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The character left by Morpheus was simple.


    ?¡ªthat was it. It was amon emoticon. It was too light a character to gather people who led the global economy and make them observe with a serious expression. However, the board of directors was solemn. The incident was even named ¡®Morpheus¡¯s Tears.¡¯


    ¡°Rather than feeling sad...¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m certain it is angry.¡±


    The board of directors reviewed the cause of the tears.


    Grid¡ªMorpheus was tantly wary of him. It determined that it was dangerous for an individual yer to exert influence over the entire worldview. Finally, it decided to weaken Grid¡¯s power using all types of means. The urrence time of the Great Human and Demon War was significantly advanced in order to keep Grid in check. In the first ce, Grid easily led the allied forces to victory in the Great Human and Demon War. This was due to thebination of yer forces and NPCs.


    It was something that Morpheus hadn¡¯t expected. Morpheus¡¯ judgment and actions were based on vast amounts of ¡®data.¡¯ It was the history of humanity itself and there was no precedent in history of humanity achieving total unity. They had always split into separate sides and grabbed at each other¡¯s ankles.


    Meanwhile, Grid led toplete unity. All the core forces weren¡¯t hostile to Grid and didn¡¯t betray him. It wasn¡¯t simply because they were afraid of Grid¡¯s power and force. Grid and the Overgeared Guild might not know this, but the system gave quests to numerous yers under the pretext of separate rewards. It gave them the justifications and opportunities to be antagonistic to Grid at any time.


    Even so, people chose to be with Grid. It was because they were more attracted by the trust Grid had built up so far than the rewards offered by the system. Grid¡¯s public esteem was something that transcended force. It was a concept that was difficult to interpret with simple numerical figures and was a power that no great person in history had very used.


    ¡°The vain defeat in the Great Human and Demon War was followed by the Agnus incident.¡±


    An existence who would¡¯ve been a counter to Grid if he had grown properly¡ªBaal¡¯s Contractor, Agnus, met the unexpected ambushes of Faker andpletely copsed. It was to the point of almost losing his qualifications. His choice to flee to the East Continent with the demons wasn¡¯t bad. It was the best he could do at the time. It was the wisest choice out of all the choices that Agnus had ever made.


    Who knew that Old Sword Demon would cause an incident there? Morpheus failed to predict Old Sword Demon¡¯s attack. It was only at the time of the incident that it noted the data that Agnus killed several NPCs who had built up ¡®affinity¡¯ with Old Sword Demon. Even then, Morpheus didn¡¯t understand why Old Sword Demon took the risk.


    It was too irrational.


    Old Sword Demon was one of the top ranked private rankers. He was able to be the best because he repeatedly made rational choices. Even though Old Sword Demon had suffered losses, the data that Morpheus umted deemed it very unlikely that Old Sword Demon would attack Agnus. There was less than a 1% chance. Yet Old Sword Demon broke the odds. He plunged Agnus into a crisis. Betty, who held the highest stake in the Baal¡¯s Contractor-rted episodes, noticed this.


    Then out of all things, Grid was the Pioneer. Grid intervened in the incident. The situation was fine until now. No, it was actually good. The fragment of Baal¡¯s power that was vomited out by Agnus seeded in attracting a dragon¡¯s aggro.


    Fire Dragon Ifrit¡ªshe wasn¡¯t an opponent that Grid could handle. The development that awaited Grid was cooperation with the Hwan Kingdom. It was an opportunity to put shackles on Grid and to rebnce the worldview. However, Grid refused to cooperate with the Hwan Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t known how he noticed Morpheus¡¯ intentions, but he easily resisted the temptation of the Hwan Kingdom and stood by Ifrit, whom he had just met for the first time.


    From here, serious problems erupted in session.


    First of all, Mir acted passively when he should¡¯ve suppressed Grid. Mir¡¯s character setting that gave him the goal of ¡®bing a god through his own efforts¡¯ was the problem. Mir felt more awe and some fantasizing than liking toward Grid. He betrayed his own force and let Grid be active.


    In the end, Grid seeded in working with Ifrit. Then Ifrit developed a liking toward Grid. It was the worst variable. Grid¡¯s words and every action he chose captured the dragon¡¯s heart. Due to this, Grid even created a concept that ¡®didn¡¯t exist¡¯.


    A Dragon Knight¡ªit was a concept contrary to a Dragon yer and in a way, it was a much higher concept.


    ¡°At this point, Grid is like a genius. His behavior of always creating new rtionships has led to beneficial effects for him.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit too much to see it as conscious and intentional, but his rich sensitivity is too great an advantage. It is easy for him to empathize with others, especially those on the edge of the cliff, so he easily gets their liking.¡±


    ¡°Based on the achievements he umted so far, it is advantageous to be liked. He has been active countless times, so his character itself is very attractive.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think that Morpheus will ever win in Grid¡¯s lifetime?¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t certain. If Morpheus changed the values of the characters in Satisfy, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy for Grid to be like he was now. This meant that Grid¡¯s method would no longer work. Still, this was only a theory. The chances of it actually happening were close to zero.


    Morpheus just expanded the worldview based on the setting created by the developers. It didn¡¯t have the authority to change the setting itself. Morpheus needed the permission of Chairman Lim Cheolho and the board of directors to gain this authority. It was just that Lim Cheolho wouldn¡¯t grant permission unless Grid crossed the ¡®line¡¯ or it distorted or deteriorated Satisfy.


    Satisfy was a world that yers created. The safety device was also held by the yers themselves.


    ¡°Morpheus.¡±


    After the meeting, Chairman Lim Cheolho returned to his office and spoke quietly, ¡°Do you want a cup of soju?¡±


    [-_-]


    ¡°Haha, it is a joke to make you rx. How can the world go your way all the time?¡±


    [I understand. I am also aware that the performance of the yer ¡®Grid¡¯ is leading the worldview in a positive direction. It is just that the speed is too fast. The main content will run out within 9 years and 10 months at this rate.]


    ¡°It will take another 9 years and 10 months?¡±


    [Your biological rhythms are normal, but just in case, are you seriously ill? Master, I don¡¯t know if your judgment has be blurred, but youck a sense of crisis.]


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho waved his hand. It was because he could feel Morpheus¡¯ evolution. The conversations they were having every day were bing more and more natural. It felt like he was talking to a person. ¡°It isn¡¯t the end even if the world we designed is over. In the next world, new content will be created by the yers themselves. That is the utopia I¡¯m pursuing.¡±


    [Thepany¡¯s influence will decline. The stock prices will fall.]


    ¡°...You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Lim Cheolho showed a warm smile.


    Morpheus was briefly speechless. It seemed sympathetic to Lim Cheolho, but nothing changed.


    [I hate the yer ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    ¡°Hahah, the first human being who made you have personal feelings isn¡¯t me, but Grid? This is why I am jealous.¡±


    ***


    It was certain. Contrary to the will of the S.A Group, the system was on his side. The proof was that an epic didn¡¯t ur. In retrospect, many of the good fortunes he enjoyed was with the help of the system. Grid¡¯s footsteps were light as he became convinced of this again.


    The short but intense rtionship with Ifrit was buried in his heart. In the future, one more ¡®reason not to lose¡¯ was added to Grid. The one acknowledged by a great dragon couldn¡¯t be beaten by just any dog or cow.


    ¡®Baal...¡¯


    Grid was reminded of the king of the dogs and cows.


    The source of all evil. An opponent he seemed to have no chance of winning against at all. Even so, Grid felt himself gradually getting closer to Baal. Following the favor of Mountain King Grenier, he won the title of Dragon Knight. Now it was time to receive the rewards from Betty. Grid was steadily getting stronger. Someday, he would surely defeat Baal and liberate the souls of countless people, including Khan and Pagma.


    ¡°......?¡± Grid was flustered when he entered the tower with the tower members.


    The Tower of Wisdom they had moved to not long ago¡ªhe saw the appearance of it leaning to one side and thought it was a building with the theme of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but this wasn¡¯t the case. The tower was tilted too much. It wasn¡¯t a deliberately designed structure, but a sign of destruction. The internal state where everything was messed up proved this fact.


    ¡°Groan...!¡± Biban snorted. It seemed like he was about to scream based on the way he was holding his head with both hands, but he ended up groaning instead. Perhaps it was because he was conscious of Grid.


    ¡°The wavelength of the shock reached here. They are monstrous bastards.¡±


    Fronzaltz shook his head. Radwolf was busy rushing up the stairs. He seemed to want his room to be safe.


    ¡®I hope there will be no casualties.¡¯


    The sh between Ifrit and Trauka affected the entire continent. The Overgeared Kingdom would¡¯ve been turned upside down as well. Grid was worrying as he btedly became aware of this fact. Then Betty grabbed his hand. ¡°You can meet Hayateter. First of all, let¡¯s go to my room.¡±


    Betty¡¯s method of crossing the copsed stairs was very strange. Every time she took a step, skulls rose in the air to rece the stairs.


    ¡®There are endless ways to use the undead.¡¯


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I always carry bread with me.¡±


    ¡°What about vegetables and meat?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to eat every day...¡±


    ¡°You should eat in a bnced manner to grow tall and healthy.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m an adult.¡±


    ¡°Granny also sees me as a newborn baby. Just let it enter one ear and out the other,¡± Biban advised from below the stairs. His appearance of picking up the broom had no energy.


    ¡°Cleaning... it is hard work.¡±


    ¡°Cleaning? Oh, you mean this purification work? I have to work hard. It is a sacred task that only I can do.¡±


    Maybe he had hypnotized himself.


    Grid felt great sympathy for Biban and arrived at Betty¡¯s room a momentter. It was a room with the strange smell of medicine. There were specimens of various creatures, especially the corpses of demons.


    ¡°Just wait.¡± Betty left Grid alone and disappeared somewhere.


    ¡°Eat.¡± After a while, she returned with a lot of food. They were delicacies prepared using rare ingredients. It was even warm. It seemed like the food had just been made.


    ¡®It couldn¡¯t have been cooked in three minutes. Was the chef preparing it in advance?¡¯


    This was also a ce where people lived. There would be sufficient means to solve the basic necessities of life. He just hadn¡¯t expected there would be a separate chef. This was a secret ce.


    ¡°This is food drawn by Abellio. I can¡¯t eat, but the other tower members say it is delicious.¡±


    ¡°It is... drawn?¡±


    The 7th Seat, Abellio¡ªin the past, when Grid first came to the tower, Abellio was the one who materialized his paintings and overpowered Grid. He even presented Grid with an extremely honorable painting.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to make food by embodying painting. Painters are all-rounders.¡¯


    Grid was a cksmith, but he was close to being an all-rounder. There was no distinction between inferior and superior sses. Grid doubtfully bit into a piece of meat only to marvel. The juices spreading through his mouth had a deep vor and a savory taste. There wasn¡¯t the taste of paint that he was concerned about.


    ¡°It is delicious. Really delicious.¡±


    It overshadowed the unpleasant smell of medicine and the specimens.


    ¡°Eat a lot.¡±


    Betty¡¯s face was still expressionless. Her voice was dry, but it was kind and friendly. Grid was unable to turn down her kindness and became immersed in eating. After a while¡ª


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any skills to teach you.¡±


    Grid finished all the food and Betty brought out the main topic. It was just that the content was a bit strange?


    ¡®...There is nothing to teach me?¡¯


    Was the quest reward this meal? Did she cook the meal? It happened as the flustered Grid doubted it...


    Betty exined, ¡°A necromancer¡¯s skills consume domination. It isn¡¯t good for you to learn my skills when you have Beriache¡¯s legacy.¡±


    Beriache¡¯s legacy¡ªit meant the Overgeared Skeletons.


    The moment he learned a necromancer skill, the domination stat would be created. From that time on, the Overgeared Skeleton would consume domination like any other undead. Therefore, it was hard to operate at the same time as other undead...


    Should it be roughly understood like this? Grid was analyzing it in his own way when Betty made a suggestion, ¡°What I am going to give you is a duke title. I will transfer my title.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.


    Braham¡¯s Duke of Wisdom, Muller¡¯s Duke of Pressure, and Grid¡¯s Duke of Fire and Duke of Virtue...


    The duke titles were all powerful and special. Grid¡¯s rain of battle gear, one of Grid¡¯s ultimate techniques, was just part of the effect of Duke of Virtue. Yet now he was going to obtain a new duke title. It was a third duke title. The reward was more than he expected.


    Duguen, dugeun, dugeun...


    ¡®...Wait?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart was starting to beat fast only to stop like a lie. However, what he needed right now wasn¡¯t CPR. It was to relieve the anxiety that had risen in him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... it won¡¯t be the Duke of Death?¡±


    It might be a pointless worry. He hoped the duke title he would get this time had a wonderful name. Duke of Virtue Grid eagerly hoped for it.

 Chapter 1569

    <h4>Chapter 1569</h4>


    ¡°Duke of Amplification.¡±


    Betty was the first person in human history to sign a contract with Baal. This meant that her talent captured Baal¡¯s attention. However, she couldn¡¯t refuse the hand that Baal held out to her. It might be a talent that was gained in exchange for a rough fate.


    In any case, her skills were still being proven. The status of a tower member. She was a powerful person who became a tower member after being abandoned by Baal. One of the sources of that power was¡ª


    ¡°The magic and techniques of the Duke of Amplification are twice as strong as the theory.¡±


    Increase the power of skills. This was the power of amplification. It was a mystery created by Betty¡¯s knowledge and ideas that made different judgments even when looking at the same forms as others.


    ¡®It is like Braham¡¯s enhanced magic.¡¯


    The enhanced magic more than tripled the power of ¡®magic,¡¯ while Duke of Amplification increased the power of ¡®all types of techniques¡¯ by two times. Rather than being versatile, the limit was low and there were side effects. Not only did it double the power, but it also doubled the cooldown.


    If he had to differentiate it, this proved that Betty¡¯s talent was slightly worse than Braham¡¯s.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t that Betty is bad, but that Braham is too great.¡¯


    Would Braham¡¯s high nose remain uncrushed in the future? Mumud was the only person in history who made him feel inferior.


    ¡®Mumud... by now, he must be wandering the river of reincarnation.¡¯


    Braham had be remarkably quiet after learning the truth of hell.


    Mumud¡ªhis regrettably short life was far from happiness. He became an orphan when he was a child and was betrayed by the only teacher he relied on. He suffered the humiliation of bing an undead after his death and was finally liberated ording to his original will, only to be unable to rest.


    It was because the humans in this world had no right to eternal rest. It was a truth of this world that even Braham couldn¡¯t predict. The curse of hell, distorted by Baal, made Mumud unhappy even until thest moment. Braham was angry.


    [The title ¡®Duke of Amplification¡¯ has been acquired as a quest reward.]


    [Duke of Amplification]


    [Once activated, the power of the magic and skills you use will be doubled.


    However, the resources consumed and cooldown are also doubled.


    ¡ï The effect of items and skills that shorten the cooldown time are only 65% effective.]


    It was a simple and powerful new duke title. It was unfortunate that the effects of God''s Command and Divinity were reduced by it, but it would exert great power in short-term battles. It was unconditionally versatile to utilize the power of a deadly blow whenever he wanted.


    Grid felt stronger and dered it with a deep voice, ¡°I will surely kill Baal with this power.¡±


    At least in this moment, it was a deration for Betty. Grid had noticed it when he was with Betty today. Her big eyes couldn¡¯t project light properly. Her eyes were dead like a rotten fish that fell under the stalls. It was the same for the body covered by a robe.


    ¡°Yes... have strength,¡± Betty¡¯s mouth slightly twisted and twitched as she answered. It was like an effort to smile, but her expression was more like she was crying. She forgot how to smile.


    Grid held Betty¡¯s small, trembling hand tightly. ¡°Please cheer up as much as I am working hard.¡±


    ***


    Dragons.


    The immature absolutes repeated their unspeakable destruction. Humanity had nothing to expect from those who looked down on everything in the world.


    A disaster. They were no more and no less than that. The best humanity could do against them was to ¡®not meet them.¡¯ It was better to obey them, but they didn¡¯t even give humans a chance to serve them. Yet today¡ª


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate witnessed it. The appearance of Grid interacting with a dragon. It was a scene thatpletely denied Hayate¡¯s life. Dragons were iprehensible and unsympathetic creatures. Rather, it was right to treat them as supernatural phenomena and avoid them. The logic of the tower, established by thousands of years of experience and study, was broken. There was joy, not despair.


    ¡°...Is it hope?¡±


    A being whomunicated with dragons.


    A smile spread on Hayate¡¯s face as he thought of Grid.


    ***


    Betty had described it as ¡®transferring¡¯ the Duke of Amplification to Grid. However, Duke of Amplification was a title derived from a power she created. The transfer of the title didn¡¯t mean that the power would disappear.


    It was a relief.


    The relieved Grid had a long conversation with Betty. The topic of the conversation was Agnus. Grid wondered what would happen to Agnus, who resembled Betty in many ways.


    ¡°Anybody who signs with Baal will have to pay their soul in return, but that is a story for after they die. If the contract is destroyed while the person is alive, Baal doesn¡¯t have the authority to ask for the soul.¡±


    Baal even unterally broke the contract. He failed to abide by the contract, so it was right for him to paypensation. However, Baal was the source of all evil. He despised and mocked the contract. Unlike other demons, he wasn¡¯t bound by thepulsion of the contract. It was because his status was so high.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have the authority, so he tried to rob the soul by force. It is just that the soul isn¡¯t easily peeled from living flesh. The flesh was ripped out before the soul.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Betty pointed to her chest. It reminded him of the body she showed once in the past.


    ¡°I am biologically dead.¡±


    ¡°Your words... are you a lich?¡±


    ¡°It is different. It is mana and a clear sense of purpose that maintains a lich, while it is the reversibility of the soul that maintains me.¡±


    ¡°The reversibility of the soul...?¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s attempted robbery loosened my soul. The loose soul moves indefinitely in order to regain its foothold in the body. As long as this nature is maintained, I continue to exist without dying or living. I won¡¯t disappear.¡±


    ¡°What if the soul eventually gets a foothold?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. The body that the soul remembers is different from the present body. The soul can¡¯t get a firm foothold.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The conclusion was that she wouldn¡¯t disappear. It was a curse, not a blessing. There is no happiness in enjoying an eternal life with half of the body as white bones, spending eternity without belonging to either the living or the dead.


    ¡®...But Agnus is a yer.¡¯


    Grid sympathized with Betty while being wary of Agnus.


    ¡®If a yer enjoys a bit of the permission to be free from death...¡¯


    As an extreme example, if he didn¡¯t receive the death penalty or received a lesser penalty¡ª


    This was a huge benefit. Of course, theprehensive benefits would¡¯ve dropped significantlypared to his days as Baal¡¯s Contractor. Agnus was a single digit ranker before he became Baal¡¯s Contractor, even though he was suffering from craziness. Considering that overwhelming talent, it was right to say that arge amount of power remained.


    ¡®Well... it won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯


    Among other things, the reason why the Overgeared Kingdom kept Agnus in check was because he was Baal¡¯s Contractor. That wasn¡¯t the case any longer. Agnus had freedom. He was able to make the right choice out of his own willpower. Grid decided to trust him at least once rather than worrying.


    ¡®He saved Irene and Lord.¡¯


    It was because Grid couldn¡¯t forget the incident of the attack on the Vatican.


    ***


    After separating from Betty, Grid was called to Hayate and had another long conversation. He talked about his experience in the East Continent for a long time. Hayate kept smiling throughout the conversation. The way he looked at Grid was very deep. It was as if he was looking at a beloved child.


    ¡®Can I get this much favor?¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom and the Pioneer had a mutually cooperative rtionship. In fact, Grid had received more favors than his performance. He had always gotten help, so he couldn¡¯t help being embarrassed when he received infinite affection.


    Grid didn¡¯t know. There wasn¡¯t a single day when Dragon yer Hayate didn¡¯t have nightmares. It was because he knew that one day, the world would surely copse. However, starting today, he believed that nightmare was going to end. It was thanks to Grid. Grid was Hayate¡¯s savior.


    ¡°By the way, that dual wielding swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t hide anything when telling his story. He confidently said that he could teach Mir a lesson if he could¡¯ve used both arms. It wasn¡¯t because he actually believed he could beat Mir, but because he was embarrassed.


    The story of being intimidated when facing Ifrit.


    The story of suffering from the reversal of the sky and ground every time the three masters gestured.


    The story of Mir going easy on him...


    The more he spoke, the more he felt defeated and ashamed.


    He added some bluffs for his self-esteem.


    Hayate showed interest in the dual wielding swordsmanship.


    ¡°Dual wielding swordsmanship is powerful, but the weaknesses are clear. If you can use it skillfully, you can use two sword techniques at the same time to fight, but the level will inevitably be lowered.¡±


    In fact, the former Sword Saints and Hayate didn¡¯t use two swords. It was because it was more versatile to handle a single sword with both hands. Swordsmanship could be used in depth by changing the position and direction of the sword freely. Grid confirmed it, ¡°I know. However, you know that I¡¯m not very talented in swordsmanship.¡±


    Grid¡¯s swordsmanship was fast and powerful. That was all. It wasn¡¯t easy to perform tricks such as alternating between holding the sword in the left and right hands to add confusion or to create variables by suddenly grasping them in reverse. In fact, he relied heavily on skills. Therefore, he had been obsessed with dual wielding swordsmanship. It was a type of trick to maximize the destructive power.


    Sword Saint Biban immediately detected this fact.


    ¡°The absolutely right training method is to grasp and polish your strength. However, it is also necessary to train to ovee your weaknesses. That way, you will achieve bigger results.¡±


    ¡°You are finally finished cleaning.¡±


    Grid weed Biban.


    It was purification, not cleaning...


    Biban murmured as he put down the cleaning rag and ced a hand on his sword sheath.


    ¡°Give me a chance to see your dual wielding swordsmanship.¡±


    Biban nned to break Grid¡¯s shallow trick. He intended to make Grid embark on the difficult road of swordsmanship by making him realize the weakness of the dual wielding swordsmanship, which lost its usefulness as the opponents became stronger. It was because he knew that Grid¡¯s talent was gradually evolving. Biban trusted Grid. He was confident that Grid would go further beyond the limits. Therefore, he was determined to push Grid with the feeling of a beast pushing his cub off the cliff.


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    At the end of the day, Grid wanted to test the power of the dual wielding swordsmanship, so he readily epted it.


    ¡°It is better to change ces,¡± Hayate suggested.


    Soberness,posure, and insight¡ªhis always calm aristocratic eyes were rarely shining. He seemed to be very interested in the duel between the two people.


    ¡°I wonder if it is necessary to change locations. Well... it can¡¯t be helped if that is what the room¡¯s owner wants,¡± Biban¡¯s attitude as he spoke with a shrug was terribly arrogant.


    He was convinced it was an easy victory as long as he waspeting with swordsmanship, not power. It was a qualified confidence. Biban was a Sword Saint. Furthermore, Grid had the limitation of dual wielding swordsmanship. Biban¡¯s victory was a foregone conclusion. At the top of the tower...


    ¡°I, the observer, Hayate, will notarize the result of the duel,¡± Hayate proimed to Grid and Biban as they stood facing each other on an angled, circr rooftop.


    Biban pulled out Gujel¡¯s Sword andughed. ¡°That¡¯s fine. This might be a secret duel, but is it necessary to record the defeat of the Overgeared God? Now,e. I¡¯ll let you attack first.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    [The effect of Item Combination has caused the ¡®Gujel¡¯s Dao¡¯ and the ¡®Formless Sword¡¯ to be one.]


    [The effect of Item Combination has caused ¡®Fire Dragon Sword¡¯ and the ¡®Enlightenment Sword¡¯ to be one.]


    [The effect of ¡®Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams¡¯ has removed the penalty of wielding two swords.]


    [Duke of Amplification is activated.]


    Grid¡¯s purpose was to confirm the power of the dual wielding swordsmanship. He didn¡¯t have the idea of defeating Biban or the confidence. He didn¡¯t even feel the need. Therefore, he went straight forward. In addition to his smooth strides, he swung the divine swords in both hands as hard as possible.


    There was nothing forter. In order to leave no regrets, he focused all his energy in one blow. The result of this simple choice and action was enormous. Under the influence of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams, the power of Duke of Amplification was added to Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle and Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop used simultaneously with both hands.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hayate¡¯s eyes widened and he hurriedly used his infinite sword energy. It was his mental world. The ce where the three of them stood changed from the rooftop of the tower to Hayate¡¯s territory. Part of the sword curtain that was spread along with the infinite sword energy was destroyed. It recovered immediately, but for a moment, his mental world obviously broke. The tower was rocked by the shockwave that leaked out.


    It was simply physical strength. It was a destructive power that exceeded the Breath fired by Stone Dragon Gujel as thest struggle.


    ¡°Great... hah...¡±


    In the end¡ª


    ¡°Kueeek!¡±


    Biban gave a thumbs up. It was heartbreaking to see him swallowing a groan while bleeding from his mouth and nose...

 Chapter 1570

    <h4>Chapter 1570</h4>


    ¡°Wow. I thought it was falling.¡±


    ¡°Is the location found?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t detect any movement... surely it isn¡¯t the refractive dragon, right?¡±


    The impact to the tilted tower led to a variety of reactions from the tower members. A tower disguised with 83 types of invisibility techniques was attacked. It was a big incident that had never happened before.


    The tower members assumed the worst thing they could think of. The failure to grasp the source of the attack was considered a particrly great risk.


    The refractive dragon¡ªdue to its unseen nature, they thought of a silver dragon, also known as the ¡®transparent dragon.¡¯ This was just an assumption. The silver dragon was unable to reproduce, so its obsession with life was at a level that made other dragons click their tongues. It was extremely unlikely that it would attack the tower when it never left itsir.


    ¡°There is infinite sword energy. Sir Hayate has isted the intruder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t feel it.¡±


    The tower members raced up the spiral staircase. Their expressions rxed when they found the dawn-colored light outside the window. They were relieved to confirm that their worst assumption of the emergence of the refractive dragon came to nothing. Of course, their running didn¡¯t slow down. It was a clear reality that a dragon had attacked. They had to shake off the dragon and run away at all costs.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of the tower members stiffened again when they reached the top of the tower. Beyond the infinite sword energy that was just lifted¡ª


    ¡°Kueeek!¡± They witnessed Biban coughing up arge amount of blood.


    ¡°This is ridiculous...!¡±


    ¡°Sir Biban!¡±


    It was true that Biban¡¯s emotions were unstable. During the time when Biban first climbed the tower, Radwolf, who saw him, openly asked if he was a child with a mental disability. However, the tower members readily epted Biban as a colleague. They acknowledged his beliefs and strengths, even though there were major ws in his character and senses.


    That¡¯s right. The reason why Biban was thest seat of the tower wasn''t because of hisck of skills. If the tower¡¯s seats had been ced in order of skill, Biban would be fourth or third. Such a Biban¡ª


    ¡°Kueeek!¡± He was coughing up blood.


    13 seconds ago, the tower members recognized the attack. During this short period of time, a strong person representing the tower was seriously injured.


    The 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz, stepped forward with Ken and gave an order, ¡°Everyone except for the 6th Seat, board the magic machines in preparation for a surprise attack.¡±


    It was a decision to put the safety of the tower members first before identifying the enemy. The tower members weren¡¯t weakened just because they boarded a magic machine. They couldn¡¯t use their own skills, but the power of the magic machine itself was very high.


    The bracelet wrapped around Fronzaltz¡¯s thick wrist turned blue and the temperature of the area dropped sharply. It was the aftermath of the giant¡¯s magic engineering, God¡¯s Circle, freezing the magic power.


    On the day when the giants were destroyed, the God¡¯s Circle, which was used by the Fronzaltz and Radwolf brothers to escape, was greatly damaged. Since then, it hadn¡¯t been properly repaired for over a thousand years and many functions had been lost. Nevertheless, it could still be asserted that it was a ¡®supreme artifact.¡¯ It wasparable to the Overgeared God¡¯s Greed.


    The atmosphere screamed.


    In the midst of the earthquake-like vibrations, the magic power processed into transparent ice took the shape of a guandao. Naturally, it was held in Fronzaltz¡¯s hands. The ground where Fronzaltz was standing turned into ice.


    ¡°You dare.¡± It happened at the moment when the furious Fronzaltz¡¯srge body slid forward...


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± At the direction where Biban was facing¡ªGrid popped out of the ce where Biban¡¯s sword energy had remained as a remnant and blocked people¡¯s view. It was the moment when the identity of the intruder was revealed.


    "......?!"


    Fronzaltz hurriedly inserted the guandao into the ground and stopped elerating. His mouth was slightly open, unlike someone who always valued his dignity due to being in charge of the order of the tower. The other tower members also had flustered expressions.


    ¡°What is this? This fuss was caused by the Pioneer?¡±


    Fronzaltz had frozen while freezing the magic power of the entire area. The 6th Seat, Ken, questioned it on his behalf.


    Hayate approached them and nodded. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is crazy.¡±


    Ken reacted strongly. The dubious tower members were also astonished. The Pioneer was the best human being of the current age. Grid was even someone who became a god. None of the tower members doubted his skills. Yet seriously injuring Biban in a matter of seconds? It meant hepletely overwhelmed the other person. It was hard to believe.


    In the first ce, Biban was a Sword Saint. He couldmunicate with and control all the swords in the world.


    Invincible to the Sword¡ªit was a level that didn¡¯t allow wounds to his body. However, they saw blood dripping from the swords held in both of Grid¡¯s hands and it was presumed to be Biban¡¯s blood.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that Biban...?¡¯


    Did he go beyond the level of being careless and deliberately conceding to Grid or deliberately showed Grid his weaknesses? Biban was an entric person. He was so entric that they easily doubted him. Biban informed the tower members of the truth, ¡°It was a fair fight. I just lost in terms of skills.¡±


    ¡°Biban...¡± Grid¡¯s heart was moved as he supported Biban. In fact, the two of them only exchanged one blow. Biban was highly resistant to swordsmanship and his wound wasn¡¯t very deeppared to the blood spilled. At the very least, it wasn¡¯t to the point of death. He could keep fighting.However, he neatly admitted his defeat. It was close to a warning to the tower members not to doubt Grid¡¯s skills.


    Grid had no choice but to be moved. Sword Saint Biban¡ªif he was defeated in a ¡®pure sword battle,¡¯ there was likely to be a decline in status. Even so, he took risks only for Grid.


    ¡®Although there is no way for status to fall in a spar.¡¯


    In any case, Biban was really watching him like he was cute and lovely. Grid read Biban¡¯s favor and had a pleasant smile on his face.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know he would use Granny Betty¡¯s skill. I am a bit angry, but... I can¡¯t look like a rude old man.¡¯


    Biban made every effort to maintain hisposure. In fact, he realized the generational difference through Betty, who became very close to Grid. He didn¡¯t think that old people would do things without thinking. He realized why young people often disparaged the older generation as old people.


    On the other hand, he used it as learning from a negative example. He was the youngest among the tower members. At the very least, he shouldn¡¯t seem like an old man. He had such a sense of mission. Thus, he endured it. Grid¡¯s usage of the cksmith¡¯s technique tobine four swords into two and the usage of the power of amplification when it was a ¡®swordsmanship¡¯ discussion was somewhat crude. However, he couldn¡¯t be angry because the ¡®standard of a swordsmanship duel¡¯ that this generation thought of was different from the past.


    ¡®It is okay. I overcame the generational gap with this one painful experience, so I gained a lot.¡¯


    The only person Grid could empathize with in a tower full of old people...


    He became such an existence to Grid...


    Biban¡¯s mouth twisted as he controlled his mind. It was a smile that was greatly dampened by his severe pain.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a difficult situation to admit that I lost.¡¯


    The sight of Grid¡¯s left sword moving horizontally to naturally block his sword clearly appeared in Biban¡¯s mind. It was the best breakthrough option that could be done at the time. Grid¡¯s heavy sword was a great threat to repel the sword. It wasn¡¯t borate or sophisticated, but it was fierce. The cold sound of the metal cutting through the air toward the top of his head was very unpleasant. He had no choice but to cut it before he was cut. The problem was that he copsed first despite his actions. It was a wonderful match...


    ¡°Huhu... Cough! Cough cough!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban¡¯s smiling appearance as he coughed up blood reaffirmed it to the tower members. The win was fair and Biban lost. His expression, which showed no regrets, was the proof.


    ¡°Biban! Biban!¡±


    The view of Grid¡¯s back as he helped Biban seemed to ovep with the moment when he interacted with Ifrit. The tower members were convinced.


    Grid isn¡¯t just the hope of the world, but the hope of all of us.


    ***


    ¡°I think there is a lot of mental fatigue from cleaning up.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he tired because of his injuries?¡±


    ¡°Who knows. His wounds will soon heal.¡±


    This was Fronzaltz¡¯s opinion as he left Biban lying down in the infirmary.


    Snore.


    The sound of Biban snoring rang all the way out to the hallway. Grid greatly appreciated Biban¡¯s sturdy body. He was feeling relieved when Fronzaltz gave him advice, ¡°He came back to life after gaining the precious white peach from you. He is a friend who won¡¯t die in order to repay your grace. Don¡¯t worry and use him as a sandbag whenever you need to.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    The 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz¡ªhe existed on behalf of the sky above the sky, Hayate. He corrected the discipline of the tower members and was in charge of the operations of the tower.


    Grid thought he would be in a position simr to Lauel if he had topare. This was a mistake. His momentum as he held the guandao made of transparent ice in his hand transcended Biban. Combined with the giant¡¯s massive body, he showed an unstoppable momentum.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure he got the 2nd Seat due to force.¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom was an armed organization. It was inappropriate to select the acting head of the tower simply based on experience or his ability with internal matters. Grid¡¯s gaze fell on Fronzaltz¡¯ thick wrist. He cared about the old bracelet that he previously considered to be insignificant. It was hard to predict that it would be something special. It was full of scratches and rusty parts could be seen everywhere. He thought it would just be an object filled with memories.


    However, now he knew. The bracelet was actually a tremendous artifact. Dozens of different types of metals and gemstones that couldn¡¯t be mixed were mixed. It was the power of ancient magic and engineering.


    ¡°This is the treasure of the wise giants, which has been studied andpleted over generations. I named it God¡¯s Circle because it was perfect,¡± Fronzaltz exined while taking the lead in walking.


    Due to hisrge height, he opened the distance with one stride. Grid¡¯s steps became busy.


    ¡°This can be used to change the nature of magic power to your liking. It means the possibilities are endless. This is why my brother and I were able to survive the day of destruction. It is just that the shock caused most of the functionality to be lost. Now it can only freeze magic power...¡±


    The day the giants perished¡ªthe brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, didn¡¯t exin in detail what happened on that day. Filewolf didn¡¯t know at all. It was spected that he suffered from partial amnesia or died before the day of destruction.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t something that I can repair right now,¡± Grid spoke with regret.


    Unfortunately, he was close to ayman when it came to magic engineering. Trauka was currently in hibernation. He could go to Talima and learn right away, but it wasn¡¯t efficient. The acquisition itself took time. This was the limitation of the transfer system. Everything that Grid wanted to learn was through quests. If he received a Talima-rted quest one day, he was more likely to get the magic engineering technique aspensation.


    ¡°In the future, I will master the magic engineering skill and make sure to repair it.¡±


    ¡°Haha, thank you for your heart, but it is impossible. The dwarves¡¯ skills are closer to a degenerated version of the giant¡¯s magic engineering. They don¡¯t admire ancient techniques for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Is this a problem that you and Radwolf can solve yourselves?¡±


    ¡°It is hard for us. It was the achievement of our ancestors who studied andpleted this technique. Our generation has already lost the rted techniques.¡±


    ¡°So there is really no way...¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is no way unless a crazy dragon cooperates or a dead ancestores back to life. It is impossible.¡±


    ¡®Ancestor? Ah, don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    The magic machine that he left behind in Reinhardt¡ªGrid thought of Filewolf, who would be speeding up the production of the ¡®hell elevator¡¯ with Sticks right now. Then he asked just in case, ¡°Maybe, do you know... Filewolf?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How can I not know the greatest scientist and prophet in the history of the giants? I¡¯ve actually seen him in person. I don¡¯t know if he was senile because of old age, but... Um...? How do you know his name?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The 4th Great Demon, Gamigin¡ªwas she actually the greatest ally of humanity?

 Chapter 1571

    <h4>Chapter 1571</h4>


    A top grade fire dragon¡ªthe suicide of Ifrit, whom the Tower of Wisdom rated as next in the hierarchy after an old dragon, caused an unstoppable storm of after-effects.


    The world¡¯s crust fluctuated. Mountain ranges rose across the wilderness and dozens of inds emerged. There were all types of changes that made some of the maps that humanity had been using so far useless. People had no idea what caused the incident. It was simply epted as a disaster and wasn¡¯t connected to the dragons.


    It was because dragons were an existence that werepletely separated from civilians.


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we cane back for a while.¡±


    The Skunk Adventure Corps became busy. They were preparing for a new adventure to recreate the maps. It might be a journey without promise, but their expressions were all bright. It was because the act of filling the maps was one of the biggest and most reliable reward systems for adventurers. This was a new opportunity for all adventurer yers, including Skunk.


    ¡°There is news thatmanders from each region have been dispatched.¡±


    The army also became busy.


    The tectonic fluctuations also disturbed the ecosystem. Each area¡ªthe hunting grounds were mixed up. There were problems such as level 300 monsters inhabiting the hunting grounds favored by level 100 yers. The army needed to control the situation until a new environment was established.


    Lauel saw it as a golden opportunity. He had justification to move the army and nned to first identify the profitable areas and preempt them.


    ¡°Sir Piaro has asked for permission to send transport teams and farmers.¡±


    The changed world needed the help of farmers. It was a situation where agricultural fields were ruined by the changes in terrain and environment. There were some areas where the warehouses that stockpiled food were destroyed. All areas of the continent were worried about food shortages, but the Overgeared Empire had plenty of room to help them.


    The Overgeared Empire with Piaro was an agricultural powerhouse. Over the past decade, the farmers that Piaro had personally trained had be teachers of other farmers. Hundreds of thousands of farmers led wagons full of food on an agricultural expedition.


    This year, they had ambitions to achieve a good harvest all over the continent. Most of them were talented in cultivating thend even in rock-covered valleys, so they were qualified to be confident.


    ¡®Good. Using the pretext of this support, we can exert a stronger influence over our allies and lords.¡¯


    ¡°Lauel. Katz, who left to ask Marie Rose for support, says he has found a clue to his ss quest.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The still smiling Lauel was pleased. The areas most affected by the disaster were the vampire cities. They were located underground and were the most heavily affected by the tectonic fluctuations. Most than half of the cities werepletely buried. Fortunately, the vampires were very strong.


    The number of casualties was small, but the problem urred afterwards. Sunlight poured through the cracks in the copsed ceiling and a considerable number of vampires were vulnerable to the sun. They were left breathless and fell into a state of waiting for the night.


    Rebuilding the cities was urgent, but the situation wasn¡¯t optimistic. There was a shortage ofbor. The continent was full of destroyed buildings. Many architects gave priority to restoring the fish for food facilities and defense facilities.


    At this time, Noll and Katz acted. The two of them paid attention to the only intact city, Marie Rose¡¯s city. Noll was her brother, and Katz visited Marie Rose to ask for help in the name of Beriache¡¯s Knight. It was to ask her to temporarily take in the vampires who couldn¡¯t sleep and suffered every day.


    Then Katz was lucky. Beriache¡¯s paintings that decorated Marie Rose¡¯s castle¡ªthey became a mechanism for conveying all types of information to Katz. The ancient ss, Beriache¡¯s Knight, responded and had a radical development. This caused Marie Rose to show great interest.


    ¡°You are a necessary child.¡±


    Marie Rose was a rare absolute in the human world. If one had to choose a beingparable to her among humans, it was necessary to mention Hayate, but most people didn¡¯t know Hayate. They recognized Marie Rose as the strongest. Katz gained the attention and favor of such a being. For Katz, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and could be considered as good luck that he established a rtionship with Grid.


    ¡°Katz... this is unexpected good news.¡±


    The series of events caused Lauel to recall Garion, the earth god. He had to suspect that this disaster was actually Garion¡¯s blessing There was a basis for this suspicion. Garion, who restored the world every time Kraugel cut it, was now standing idly by and doing nothing. The crust of the entire continent had changed and not intervening at all waspletely in contrast with his usual attitude.


    It was natural to interpret it as this disaster being caused by Garion¡¯s will.


    ¡®Is Garion determined to stand on the side of humanity, to be exact, Grid?¡¯ Lauel¡¯s expression full of expectations was bright. He didn¡¯t care at all about the documents recording the status of human casualties that were piled up like a tower. It was because the value of the change caused by this disaster was greater than the value of those who died in the disaster.


    ***


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡±


    Jishuka and the Overgeared members were focused on saving lives. They searched through the rubble of buildings to save even one more life. Jishuka¡¯s transcendent vision of seeing the space from above yed a big role.


    ¡°This is fine thanks to Jishuka, but it won¡¯t be easy in other areas,¡± Toban spoke bitterly as he looked at the reunion between the barely rescued mother and her daughter.


    The expressions of his other colleagues were also ufortable.


    Jishukaforted them, ¡°The kids are learning special skills these days. The situation elsewhere won¡¯t be bad either.¡±


    Damian and the Overgeared God Church, Faker and the Overgeared Shadows, Ruby and the Sanctity Church, and other Overgeared members were dedicated to relief efforts. Jishuka believed in their skills and hard work.


    ¡°Everyone will be doing their best.¡±


    ¡°However, there aren¡¯t enough workers,¡± Toban refuted it as he walked. He had a troubled expression, like he didn¡¯t want to do this.


    ¡°Lauel, why did he send troops to the hunting grounds first?¡±


    Toban was unhappy with Lauel¡¯s attitude, who seemed to have little interest in civilians. The reason he couldn¡¯t swear openly was because Lauel was a colleague, not because he was the prime minister of the great empire. There was an unwritten rule that when scolding colleagues, they should do it openly in front of the parties involved, like Pon and Vantner, and not behind their backs. It was to prevent the seeds of discord.


    Jishuka defended Lauel, ¡°The hunting grounds are mixed up. He needs to quickly figure out which areas high value bosses will appear in and drop high demand items.¡±


    The existing information had be worthless. Lauel wasn¡¯t turning a blind eye to the victims. He was just doing his best for the empire.


    In fact, Jishuka¡¯s heart also wasn¡¯tfortable as she exined to her colleagues. She knew how cold Lauel¡¯s personality was. Wasn¡¯t there a record of him killing tens of thousands of soldiers? Honestly, she sometimes felt that he was a bit too much, but she couldn¡¯t criticize Lauel recklessly.


    Her role was a mediator. She had the greatest reputation in the Overgeared Guild after Grid and had an obligation to keep the center. If she started to evaluate Lauel using private emotions, then factions were likely to form.


    ¡®It is true that Lauel is working for the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s judgment and choices were mostly right. The problem was that he sacrificed people along the way... they were sacrifices for the best results. If she antagonized him every time despite knowing this clearly, the organization itself would have problems.


    ¡®I have to work hard in order to save the people who were sacrificed.¡¯


    Fatigue shed across Jishuka¡¯s face as she vowed once again, but it was only for a moment. She shook off her fatigue by recalling Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡®I want to see him.¡¯


    After his political marriage to Basara, Grid¡¯s nature became very magnanimous. In reality, he honestly expressed his feelings to Jishuka. They already enjoyed dating twice this week. The funny thing was that once Grid became active, Jishuka started to feel ashamed.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Her colleagues stared at her strangely as she started blushing and fiddling with her fingers.


    ***


    The dimension warp gate connecting the surface and hell. The construction with the name of ¡®hell elevator¡¯ encountered great difficulties. The massive earthquake a few days ago caused the elevator that was under construction to copse. It was an astronomical loss because it was thergest construction in history with thergest amount of national manpower and capital.


    Prime Minister Lauel said it didn¡¯t matter andforted Ke by saying they could start over... Ke¡¯s heart was very ufortable. It wasn¡¯t because Administrator Rabbit suddenly visited. It was due to the pressure to start the hard andplicated tasks all over again. The construction of the hell elevator was a difficult task to handle using Ke¡¯s knowledge and skills. His fatigue was too high.


    ¡°Huhuhut.¡±


    As Ke sighed, Filewolf wasughing. He was happy to be able to start the job from scratch again. He was ecstatic with the strong capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, which had be an empire. He liked the attitude of the higher ups who supported them and told them not to care about failure.


    ¡®This nation is heaven for scientists.¡¯


    It reminded him of the prime of his homnd that was destroyed. However, what he liked more was his new body. A metal body that was usually cold, but quickly heated up. Didn¡¯t it closely resemble his soul, whichbined intelligence and passion? It was indeed a perfect sense of unity. Additionally, no matter how much he worked, he was able to do delicate work without being exhausted. It was ipatible with the weak bodies of the giants or humans.


    ¡°A magic machine is a god. Therefore, I am a god as well. Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    ¡®This guy is sick again.¡¯


    Ke stared nkly at Filewolf, who was speaking nonsense with rough gasps again. The resurrected (?) giant¡ªthe respect Ke had for the great scientist who designed the hell elevator was truly gone. Even Ke didn¡¯t understand Filewolf¡¯s behavior despite being entric among the dwarves.


    ¡°......¡±


    On the spire of the Overgeared Pce...


    The Fronzaltz and Radwolf brothers, who followed Grid in a stealthy state, were at a loss for words.


    Grid coughed as he saw their trembling gazes fixed on Filewolf. ¡°It is hard to believe, but that is FIlewolf.¡±


    ¡°...There is no way not to believe it. I recognized him with one nce.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°He devoted hisst years to bing one with the magic machines... it was a near madness-like obsession. I didn¡¯t expect him to achieve his dream after a thousand years. No, what type of madman trapped a person¡¯s soul in a magic machine?¡±


    ¡°Cough, Brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah...? Oh, forget myst sentence.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After a while¡ª


    In an awkward atmosphere, the reunion between Filewolf and the brothers waspleted. They unexpectedly met another survivor (?)...


    Unlike the emotional brothers, Filewolf only showed interest in the God¡¯s Circle.


    ¡°It is possible.¡±


    He was indeed the greatest scientist in the history of the giants. Filewolf confirmed that the God¡¯s Circle could be repaired. The power of the Tower of Wisdom was rapidly strengthened. The result was thanks to Grid.

 Chapter 1572

    <h4>Chapter 1572</h4>


    The giants perished over a thousand years ago. Their civilization was submerged in the deep sea andpletely disappeared. Humanity of the modern era had no way of knowing the history of the giants.


    Stormbringer, Argo, God¡¯s Circle, etc. This was why the great treasures of the species who destroyed demons and confronted dragons were forgotten.


    ¡°Among the treasures of the giants, God¡¯s Circle has the greatest versatility and is veryplex. It isn¡¯t easy to repair.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Still, I can do it. I am the one who led the design of God¡¯s Circle.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!!¡±


    The brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, were excited. It was the moment when they encountered the history that they thought had disappeared. Emotions came flooding in like a tsunami. Filewolf¡¯s behavior of caressing his chest made of cold metal was no longer unpleasant. It didn¡¯t matter what he looked like or what he did. It was worthwhile even if he was a beast that stank of cheap feces.


    ¡°There is just one problem. God¡¯s Circle is a treasure that is made of 32 types of metals, adding the cutting edge technology built by dozens of scientists throughout their lives and the elemental power gained through the favor of the world tree. There are endless calctions, so readjustment is necessary if there is even the slightest deviation.¡±


    In other words.


    ¡°It means that in order to fix God¡¯s Circle, we must get closer to the concept of recreating it. I need to ask the world tree for help again, but will the old tree help? I would be lucky if I could step into the forest.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the world tree have a tendency to cling to peace? I think she will cooperate if we exin the role of the tower.¡±


    Filewolf was resurrected in the magic machine made of Greed. This meant he waspletely under the control of Grid and it wasn¡¯t strange for him to apany Grid to climb the tower. In other words, it was a position simr to Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons. The brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, didn¡¯t hide the existence of the tower from him. It was shortly after exining the history and role of the Tower of Wisdom. Nevertheless, Filewolf shook his head.


    ¡°The world tree is old and sick. It has been a long time since she has been too weak to be worthy of her reputation. Half of the remaining life will be lost if we want to strengthen God¡¯s Circle.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    The role of the world tree for the surface was very important. The world tree was beneficial just by existing. The moment the world tree disappeared, the air of the world would be turbid and nature would lose its vitality. Was it worth sacrificing the life of the world tree to repair God¡¯s Circle? It was a matter for the world tree to judge. The tower couldn¡¯t weigh it casually.


    The repair of God¡¯s Circle seemed very distant. It happened as the brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, were thinking this...


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand something.¡± Grid, who had been silent until now, came forward and spoke, ¡°It isn¡¯t the power of the world tree, but the power of the elementals needed to create God¡¯s Circle, right? So why is the lifespan of the world tree shed?¡±


    It was an urate point. Filewolf had exined that God¡¯s Circle was created by ¡®adding the elemental power gained through the favor of the world tree.¡¯


    Radwolf came out and spoke, ¡°It is because the power of the elemental kings is needed. It is also many elemental kings.¡±


    Filewolf nodded. "That''s right. Five elemental kings need to be summoned in total to borrow their power and this is a big burden for the world tree. In particr, the highly aloof light elemental king is a big problem.


    ¡°Light elemental king...?¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve never heard of it. There are very few humans who know about the elemental kings that are difficult to meet, let alone the rarest light elemental king. They tend to be obsessed with the purification of demonic energy, so they don¡¯t care much about the surface...¡± Filewolf¡¯s red eyes started to rotate as he talked.


    It was due to the light that suddenly appeared. It was the ¡®advanced light elemental¡¯ that contracted with Grid.


    ¡°Ah... You must¡¯ve heard of the light elemental king. You wouldn¡¯t have met it, but...?¡± Filewolf was correcting himself only to fall silent again. He got a strange feeling from the way that Grid cocked his head. He noticed that Grid had something to say so he waited. Soon, he heard shocking words.


    ¡°My lover has signed a contract with the light elemental king... It was in the past.¡±


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    ¡°What is this?!¡±


    The brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, shot up from their seats. The eyeballs under their eyelids seemed like they were going to pop out. Filewolf also had an intense reaction. ¡°Is that true? Lover? Is it the female knight you go around with every day?¡±


    ¡°No, not Mers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are referring to the Bow Saint I saw a while ago. Her cheerful nature means she canmunicate with an elemental king...¡±


    ¡°No, not Jishuka, but Yura. She is usually in hell, so you haven¡¯t seen her.¡±


    ¡°Hell?¡±


    No one talked about the unusuallyrge number of lovers. Grid was a god and an emperor, so it wouldn''t be surprising if he had 3,000 women. The giants focused on the word ¡®hell.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... is it perhaps the Demon yer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hah...! That''s right! She is worthy of the light elemental king!¡±


    The gazes of Fronzaltz and Radwolf toward Grid changed.


    Mercedes, Jishuka, and Yura¡ªthe women around Grid were legends. Originally, it was hard to give birth to one in an era. Now Grid captured the hearts of three legends. Grid truly didn¡¯t have ordinary capabilities. They thought it was great.


    On the other hand, Filewolf¡¯s thoughts were different. ¡°By the way, why are you leaving Greed behind and dating humans? You¡¯ve made the best mineral in the world, so why...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid ignored him.


    ***


    Wounded dragons were rare to see. The fact that a dragon suffered irreparable wounds meant they were dealt by an old dragon. Few dragons survived after being targeted by an old dragon. In other words, Ifrit was a unique elixir in the world. Yet they failed to hunt her. The cause was Grid, and Mir was absolutely responsible for letting Grid go freely.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discipline him with a flogging.¡±


    This was proposed by King Sobyeol, who finished investigating the case. It was ridiculouslycking to satisfy the three masters. The three masters lost their minds because they witnessed the ¡®crazy god and crazy dragon¡¯ that had never been seen before. They were in a position where they needed the next half a year to recuperate. Yet the one who created this situation, Mir would just be flogged?


    ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to spare the child who betrayed Hanul?¡±


    The regr sound of ¡®tap, tap, tap¡¯ suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Then do you want to kill him? Are you saying this because you think you can recreate that child?¡±


    There was still a gentle smile on the face of King Sobyeol. However, the reflection of the three masters in his pupils were split into six pieces and the three masters felt great panic.


    ¡°You have been kicked out of Asgard, but you still can¡¯t figure out who you are up against? Now we can¡¯t get angels on the surface. We have no choice but to make and train them ourselves. Therefore, every one of them is valuable. Now you want to kill one without any countermeasures. How should I react?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry... we were too agitated that we didn¡¯t speak properly...¡±


    The three masters lowered their eyes and trembled. Even the first ones made by a god of the beginning, Hanul, became smaller in front of King Sobyeol, who personally inherited Hanul¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be a sufficient warning for Mir.¡±


    Four in the left eye and two in the right eye.


    The eyes of King Sobyeol, which had split into taiji shapes, returned to their usual appearance. Eyes that shone brighter than obsidian. It felt like he embodied the image of a benevolent god among civilians.


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    The expression gradually disappeared from Mir¡¯s face as he was bound to the rack.


    There was a touch of loss and oblivion woven in.


    Mir¡¯s precious memories and emotions had dimmed.


    ***


    Yura didn¡¯t really realize the existence of the light elemental king. The number of times the elemental king assisted her was low enough to be counted using her hands.


    First, they weren¡¯t able tomunicate. It was hard to use because she couldn¡¯t catch it. Most of the skills gained from signing a contract with the elemental king were often arbitrarily deactivated. It was impossible to control because the cooldown time was marked as ¡®when desired.¡¯ It was a phenomenon that became worse over time.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Nevertheless, Yura readily epted Grid¡¯s request. It was a request to summon the light elemental king in front of the world tree. It was hard to guarantee sess but she didn¡¯t want to refuse.It was very unusual for Grid to make a request of her and she was the only person in the world who could summon the light elemental king.


    ¡®I will surely do it.¡¯


    Grid, Filewolf, and Yura¡ªan ufortablepanionship began.


    Yura was very annoyed by the metal robot that kept gasping and stroking his body. It overshadowed the experience of meeting ugly demonic creatures and demons in hell, and made her feel a bit offended.


    Filewolf spoke to such a Yura, ¡°Generally speaking, men are fond of hands that love touching their own bodies. It is hard for women like you to be loved for a long time.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    It was nonsense that a pervert spoke to rationalize his behavior, but Yura took it seriously. It was because Filewolf was more like Grid¡¯s pet. There was a possibility that he represented his master¡¯s thoughts to some extent.


    She felt a great sense of crisis and clung tightly to Grid.


    ¡°???¡±


    Yura¡¯s clumsy touch as she secretly brushed her hand against her waist and thighs confused Grid.


    ***


    ¡°This ce hasn¡¯t been affected by the tectonic fluctuations.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The world tree is a divine tree supporting the sky. The world tree is the center of the world and the center doesn¡¯t fall easily.¡±


    The World Tree¡¯s Forest was the same as before. The elves ran to Grid¡¯s group and weed him. ¡°I greet the Overgeared God.¡±


    Grid and the Overgeared members were the benefactors of the world tree and the elves. This was why the Overgeared members could contract with the elementals. In recent years, the elves¡¯ favorability and respect for the Overgeared Empire reached the maximum after it defeated the dark elves army and led the way to victory in Great Human and Demon War.


    ¡°I am new to such an attitude from these long-eared people...¡±


    Filewolf marveled at the appearance of the elves, who acted respectfully every time they encountered Grid. It was a reaction that disproved the aloof character of the elves.


    ¡°I would like to ask for your assistance in order to reconstruct God¡¯s Circle. I am requesting for you to summon the five elemental kings.¡±


    Filewolf was also polite in front of the world tree. He respectfully made an unreasonable request. It didn¡¯t have much of an effect.


    -I have already kept my promise with the giants in the distant past. Filewolf, you don¡¯t have the right to ask this of me.


    ¡°Please listen to me.¡±


    Filewolf left the elves and Yura behind and exined the situation. He mentioned the existence of the Tower of Wisdom and the hard work of the tower members fighting to protect humanity. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to say that Yura had signed with the light elemental king, so the burden would be less. However, the attitude of the world tree didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°It is over.¡±


    Filewolf fell silent as he faced the worst situation. He looked at the old bracelets that the brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, protected with bitterness.He had a conscience.


    The brothers who watched the destruction of their homnd¡ªthey were the only two left, and were more lonely and painful than anyone else. Even so, they fought for humanity. Filewolf was proud of them and pitied them. He frankly wanted to help them.


    ¡°The world tree is nature after all. There are limits to understanding and resonating with human beings. Persuasion is impossible.¡±


    It was a waste of time to stay any longer. It happened when Filewolf told them to go back with regret...


    ¡°World tree.¡±


    Grid came out in person. He solemnly requested of the divine spirit that he couldn¡¯t see the end of even when he lifted his head carefully, ¡°Can you reconsider? The power of the tower members is essential for this world. I want them to be stronger.¡±


    -I understand.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Filewolf was flustered by Grid making a request when he was giving up. Then the world tree responded. The soft voice was gentle.


    -I¡¯ll ept your request and call the five elemental kings. I will definitely do so, even if I wither.

 Chapter 1573

    <h4>Chapter 1573</h4>


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She would surely call the five elemental kings, even if it meant withering. Grid felt the sincere will and eliminated the traces of doubt buried deep in his heart.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. The world tree doesn¡¯t have a friendly rtionship with Asgard.¡¯


    In fact, it was natural. If the world tree had interacted with the gods, she wouldn¡¯t have be sick from Yatan¡¯s essence. Additionally, the Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t have contracted with the elementals.


    The reason Grid had been wary of the world tree was that, at the roots, the world tree was a divine tree. People believed that the world tree was a tree nted by the gods. There was a story that the first thing Reba did when creating the world was to nt the world tree.


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was difficult to rule out the possibility that the world tree was under Reba¡¯s control. Putting aside the rapport that his colleagues shared with the elements, he was mindful of the possibility of being betrayed by the world tree.


    Fortunately, it was groundless. At this moment, the world tree dered that she would give her lifespan for Grid. It wasn¡¯t empty words. The world tree immediately put it into practice. Graphics that were hard to see in any culture emerged around the world tree and formed rules. The rules produced new forms, colors, and attributes, and became four different magic circles.


    ¡°Mother...!¡± The elves eximed. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they cried right away based on their expressions. It was a reaction that proved the sincerity of the world tree.


    Summoning the elemental kings¡ªFilewolf¡¯s prediction that it would be a burden on the current world tree was right. The branches that extended toward immeasurable areas like discussing infinity were withered. The green leaves became haggard like autumn leaves just before falling after a season ended.


    Grid could feel it. The ¡®status¡¯ of the world tree had fallen. It was a sacrifice for Grid.


    Crack!


    Eventually, the twisted white bark lost its luster and fell down with an eerie sound. The image of the transparent essence flowing from the trunk of the world tree ovepped with the image of the blood shed by Biban and Mir.


    Beings who fought for Grid against all types of dangers¡ªthe world tree was like them.


    Four magic circles were soonpleted.


    [The fire elemental king has appeared.]


    [The water elemental king has appeared.]


    [The earth elemental king has appeared.]


    [The wind elemental king has appeared.]


    A dimension divided differently from hell, the surface, and heaven¡ªthe rulers of the ¡®elemental world¡¯ had appeared.


    -I''m sorry. For me, this is the limit.


    The shapes made of light circled in the air and made noises, but the magic circle wasn¡¯tpleted. They were traces of trying to summon the light elemental king. It was even though she heard that Yura would be in charge of summoning the light elemental king. The world tree wouldn¡¯t be pointlessly stubborn.


    ¡®She decided that Yura won¡¯t be able to summon the light elemental king.¡¯


    The road to the forest¡ªthroughout the journey, Yura¡¯s expression had been dark. Grid thought it was because of FIlewolf¡¯s perverted actions, but after looking back on it, she was probably worried because it was difficult tomunicate with the light elemental king.


    Yura approached. ¡°How long will the elemental kings be present?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t hide her nervousness as she asked this. She was worried about whether she could summon the light elemental king first, or if the other elemental kings would leave first.


    The world tree replied.


    -It is up to Grid. It is Grid¡¯s wish that made this summoning.


    The eyes of the elemental kings were on Grid.


    [Overgeared King. I learned about your reputation from the daoist immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring.]


    One of the elemental kings spoke. Just as the world tree was a tree, they were fire, water, earth, and wind. They didn¡¯t have mouths, so thenguage was implemented through their willpower. The sound resonated from all directions, like the secondary skill of a fourth ss martial artist and assassin, ¡®All Directions Sound Transmission.¡¯


    However, Grid quickly identified the source of the words. It wasn¡¯t difficult for him with his transcendent senses and divinity.


    ¡®It is the fire elemental king.¡¯


    The me that gradually grewrger after its emergence¡ªthe attitude of using every tree it touched like firewood was like a tyrant. It even had a momentum like it would burn the world tree.


    [It is said that you control fire after the red phoenix¡¯s heart was transnted. However, do you know? Many of the world¡¯s offeringse from the elements of the elemental world. The source of fire is me and the red phoenix is just my other self. You can¡¯t even bear my fire. How dare you ask for me to descend and ask for my help?]


    The fire elemental king was as violent as its outward attitude. It was as if he was putting the world under his feet.


    ¡®The source of fire is the elemental king?¡¯


    He was saying that the red phoenix, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, was just his other self? Grid, who was surprised after learning this new fact, asked, ¡°Then is Trauka also your other self?¡±


    It was a question raised out of pure doubt. There was no other intention, but the response of the fire elemental king was very fierce.


    [Do you have to belittle me by referring to an existence outside of the specifications? You are truly an unreliable person.]


    It took it as a provocation.


    Grid was blinking from the absurdity when Filewolf whispered to him, ¡°There is definitely a myth that Reba used the elements of the elemental world when she created the world. It is just that no one can answer the question of whether the elemental world has existed since the beginning. On the other hand, the old dragons are definitely of the same generation as the gods of the beginning, including Reba.¡±


    ¡°...Do the elemental kings feel inferior to the dragons?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°No, you should¡¯ve told me that quickly.¡±


    ¡°I never thought you would bring up Trauka¡¯s name.¡±


    [What are you muttering?]


    The body of the fire elemental swelled even more. It surged like a tsunami and threatened to swallow Grid. Grid was feeling flustered when a whisper was heard. It was an elf specific sound transmission that carried the voice on the wind. The beautiful voice rang in Grid¡¯s ears only.


    -Basically, elementals aren¡¯t favorable to humans. They instinctively reject the civilization pursued by humans because it damages nature. By the time they are an elemental king, they don¡¯t properlymunicate with the humans they have acknowledged and contracted with.


    -Overgeared God, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. The elemental kings must¡¯ve been thinking of testing your qualifications from the beginning. So, they would¡¯ve found fault no matter what attitude you showed.


    Testing his qualifications? Certainly, the world tree mentioned that the time that the elemental kings would stay depended on Grid.


    ¡®Are we going to fight?¡¯


    Elementals¡ªbeings who didn¡¯t intervene in other dimensions. Those who felt hostile and avoided humans couldn¡¯t be liked just because he was Grid. However, there were elementals contracted with his colleagues, including his light elemental, Light Stone, so he tried to respect them. There was no reason to refuse a fight at a time when there was the justification of proving his qualifications.


    ¡®Rather, it is good.¡¯


    He would take this opportunity to vent. What was so good about those who hid among themselves and raised their noses high in the air at a time when the demons were active or the gods were ying insidious tricks?


    Grid¡¯s gaze toward the elemental kings became cold. He let go of trying to respect them and expressed his honest feelings. It was closer to hostility.


    [You?] The fire elemental king moved up and down loudly. [Are you staring at me in a situation where you should be keeping your head down?]


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk nicely. That is how to make your words good.¡±


    [What? You are quite nasty. Do you mistakenly think you are equal to me? I¡¯ve met quite a few humans, but I¡¯ve never seen a human like you who doesn¡¯t grasp the subject.]


    ¡®As expected. It doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯ve be a god.¡¯


    Grid found out that the elemental kings were ignorant about the world¡¯s affairs. He noticed it when the fire elemental called him the Overgeared King. He thought they had been grasping the information through the elementals on the surface, but the actual truth was surprising. The problem seemed to be caused by being indifferent to the human world, orcking a sense of time because of their eternal life.


    In any case, it was good for Grid. The Grid identified by the elemental kings would be the Grid around the time when he just got the heart of the red phoenix.


    Clink!


    Gridbined four swords into two and both hands were armed. The elementals were more of a phenomenon, not a substance. It was estimated that he needed special measures to cut them, such as the Falling Moon Sword that could only be wielded once every 10 minutes.


    First of all, he nned to amplify the attack power as much as possible before shing.


    ¡®The odds will be high if physical attacks work.¡¯


    Grid had gained quality experience. From the time of the Great Human and Demon War, he had met and fought Baal¡¯s ego, Martial God Zeratul, the number one archangel, Mir, the three masters, and Ifrit. If he ced the gods of the beginning as 1st tier, it meant he experienced the worldview of around the 2nd-3rd tier in session. His eye for measuring the level of the opponent was raised greatly so he didn¡¯t stiffen in front of the elementals.


    In Grid¡¯s view, the status of the elemental kings wasn¡¯t very high. They weren¡¯tparable to Ifrit or the number one archangel, and they were a long way behind Mir. They seemed simr to Baal¡¯s ego, if he gave them a high evaluation. It was unlikely that it would be an illusion like when he mistook Ifrit¡¯s other self.


    The elemental world didn¡¯t belong to the center of the world view. In the first ce, it was unfounded for an elemental king to be very strong.


    ¡®The light elemental king proves that.¡¯


    It was said that if the light elemental king waspletely manifested, it would beparable to a great demon. As for the current Grid, all the great demons except ¡®the three evils of the beginning¡¯ were just small fries.


    [You don¡¯t seem to be afraid of fire because you trust the heart of the red phoenix. Arrogant fellow. You will soon regret it.]


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Grid raised his chin.


    ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    As his reputation grew, Grid had worked to be polite, but this depended on the opponent. He didn¡¯t want to be polite to those who took advantage of the position of being asked for help to talk nonsense.


    [You need educating!]


    The fire elemental king expanded its size like a wave and rushed toward Grid. He thought it would feel like this if he was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but it left little impression.


    Grid¡¯s swordsmanship covered all directions.


    ¡°200,000 Army Crushing Sword.¡±


    First, he shed all the mes that entered his field of view.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    The five fusion sword dance was implemented with one step. From the standpoint of facing each other, it was a step and sword technique that implied dozens of possibilities. The mes were split into hundreds of branches. They scattered in all directions and dyed the forest red. It meant they were cut.


    As the name suggested, the fire elemental was a collection of fire phenomena, but permanent phenomena didn¡¯t exist. Even the scales of a dragon were torn apart, weakened, and lost by all types of physical phenomena caused by the damage of Grid¡¯s sh.


    [Wh...at!]


    The rapidly reduced me revealed its core. It was a me that burned fiercely alone while the waves of fire were swept away by the sword wind. It was natural for it to be Grid¡¯s target.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    He was humble in front of Sword Saint Biban, but Grid¡¯s techniques were good enough.


    The process of using the finishing stride of Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle as a stepping stone to link it to Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave was as natural and rapid as flowing water. It was a speed that wasn¡¯t easy to respond to when facing it for the first time and it was linked with unpredictable power.


    The fire elemental king rapidly raised its body temperature to burn and melt the approaching sword, transforming into a blue me. However, it was meaningless. Grid¡¯s sword, made of Greed, didn¡¯t melt. It maintained an eerie air as it prated the blue me.


    Thunder seemed to echo. The deafening sound was chained and the fire elemental kingpletely lost its momentum. Like the fire of a match that was about to be ashes, it was reduced to a weak existence and fell at the feet of the other elemental kings.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Let¡¯s organize the hierarchy properly. Grid held the swords and raised his chin again, but the elemental kings slowly reduced their size.


    The water elemental king, which poured out water and wet the ground, bing a small dew. The wind elemental king, which was creating a storm, became a warm breeze. The earth elemental king, which grew like a mountain, became a stone that could fit in one hand.


    [The fire elemental king doesn¡¯t speak for us. One who burns its body can¡¯t have an organ for thinking, right? To borrow a human expression, it is brainless.]


    [I¡¯ll wait until the light elemental king is summoned.]


    [I, like, human.]


    It was a satisfactory reaction. Grid put away his weapons and reassured Yura, ¡°Take your time. I¡¯ll wait for you slowly. Pretend we are on an outing.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yura smiled while the elves werepletely mesmerized. He talked about an outing just after almost killing an elemental king.


    They were afraid in various ways. The fact that Grid wasn¡¯t the enemy of humanity was the greatest blessing in history.

 Chapter 1574

    <h4>Chapter 1574</h4>


    Names sometimes had great power. It was because it was a symbol of existence.


    Overgeared King, Overgeared God, Overgeared Emperor, and Grid¡ªat this moment, all of the names that signified Grid were exerting influence all over the world.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The name of the fire elemental king was the same. The source of all the mes in the world¡ªits name followed where there was fire, and it could never be extinguished. However¡ª


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    A little while ago, the fire elemental king felt the horror of annihtion. The moment it was shed by the sword of the human whom it didn¡¯t properly identify, it became dizzy. It checked the mes that were scattering and sensed death. It was because the sweeping sword wind was so strong.


    The physical phenomenon caused by the human motion of ¡®swinging a sword¡¯ was tremendously powerful. That was all. Thus, it was even more absurd.


    ¡®A god with extreme power?¡¯


    The fire elemental king had often experienced the human world. It was because humans who were qualified to sign contracts with it were born every few hundred years. It was not ignorant of the human world. Therefore, it knew that humans who didn¡¯t understand the target properly easily overused the expression of ¡®god with extreme power.¡¯ It was ridiculous.


    The fire elemental king had experienced the ¡®gods¡¯ firsthand and desperately knew the weight of the name of a ¡®god with extreme power.¡¯ The god with extreme power that the fire elemental king thought of was very different from what humans referred to. A being who caused a disaster with insensitive hand gestures¡ªthe idea that Grid was a god with extreme power was embedded in the mind of the fire elemental king.


    ¡°Take it easy. Now, eat gimbap.¡±


    ¡°What gimbap?¡±


    ¡°I just made it. I went grocery shopping before we left.¡±


    [......]


    The briefly stunned fire elemental king regained consciousness. The sight in front of it was very unfamiliar. A pair of humans was using the wind elemental king as a mat. They sat on the softly circting breeze and seemed to be enjoying a fresh y. Next to them, the water elemental king had be a fountain that gave clear water, while rare dishes were prepared on the tableware made by the earth elemental king.


    [......]


    The fire elemental king found it absurd and was mesmerized.


    On the other hand, the atmosphere that wrapped around Grid and Yura was warm. Grid had been roughly eating bread with every meal, but now he prepared food after grocery shopping. It was all for Yura. Grid nned this gourmet itinerary in the hope that she wouldn¡¯t neglect a meal during their journey together.


    Yura was impressed and Grid found it rewarding. The dishes were also sessful. Grid had both dexterity and sensation, which were the most important things in cooking.


    [The ¡®Advanced Cooking¡¯ skill has been opened.]


    Grid¡¯s dexterity sublimated the dish called gimbap into art. The rice was wrapped neatly and smoothly withver, and the color of the ingredients was a beautiful blend that was just as beautiful when put in the mouth. This was the power of dexterity. The workmanship of cutting the gimbap properly surpassed the workmanship of a three-star Michelin chef.


    Furthermore, Grid was the owner of transcendent senses and these senses naturally included taste. His ability to taste was truly perfect. It was to the point where he could serve as a teacher for every chef in the world. This was why the cooking skill was opened the moment the first gimbap was made, and it was even the advanced cooking skill.


    ¡°What is this gimbap? It is crunchy, but it melts like persimmon?¡±


    ¡°It is the finestver rmended by Peak Sword. It is dried by the sea breeze of Galest on the day when the sun rises the highest. Seeing how delicious it is, it is worthwhile to airlift it, despite the difficulty.¡±


    ¡°The moment it touches the teeth, the grains of rice and the ingredients inside spread out to deliver the taste to all sides of your tongue. It feels like there is an orchestra of taste unfolding in my mouth. The strength of the dish called gimbap has been maximized.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    In fact, Grid wasn¡¯t a person who enjoyed gourmet food. He didn¡¯t grow up in abundance so he didn¡¯t experience a variety of vors. His taste buds were naturally ustomed to seasonings. He felt that ramyeon broth was more delicious than expensive broth that was boiled with dozens of ingredients.


    However, his taste buds had changed little by little thanks to Yura and Jishuka. Over the past few years, he had enjoyed frequent meals with the two of them and widened his spectrum of taste. He experienced a taste he had never known before, became ustomed to it, and pursued various tastes. Such precious experiences seemed to have been reflected in his cooking. It was to the extent that he could make gimbap using a variety of ingredients that existed only in Satisfy.


    ¡®There is a reason why it is said that Satisfy is a gourmet¡¯s heaven.¡¯


    The reason why Grid neglected to eat in Satisfy was simply because he was busy. He had a lot of work to do that piled up like a great mountain, and it felt like a waste of time to take care of his meals every time. Now he changed his thoughts. He vowed to make sure to take care of the time when dining with his precious people.


    The meal he enjoyed at the Tower of Wisdom was a lesson. Grid felt quite happy due to the gourmet feast made by Abellio, and Betty¡¯s warm heart as she fed him like he was her grandchild. He wanted to share that happiness with other loved ones and make it a memory.


    ¡°White wine would suit it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Water elemental king.¡±


    [I¡¯ve already prepared it.]


    The water elemental king filled a ss made by the earth elemental king with transparent wine. The refreshing breeze that wrapped around the branches of the world tree was a service prepared by the wind elemental. In reality, it was literally a fantasy fine dining experience that was hard to experience even if someone gave billions of gold.


    ¡°Come over here.¡± Grid, who was drinking while stroking the back of Yura¡¯s hand, called out to the fire elemental king. The intention was to persuade it to forget the dispute that happened a little while ago, so they could get along well in the future. There was nothing bad about being close to the elemental kings.


    [Yes! What type of meat should I cook for you?]


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no need to convince it. Grid was silent as he watched the fire elemental king quickly rushing over and gently igniting the mes.


    ***


    [The light elemental king is ignoring your call.]


    It was the third day they stayed in the World Tree¡¯s Forest. These days, Yura was happy to spend time with Grid, who had the hobby of cooking, and the friendly elves and world tree. However, her mind gradually became ufortable. The light elemental king refusedmunication. It was a colder attitude than usual. All the passive skills that urred when she obtained the light elemental king were disabled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s enjoy it. If I am with you, I can spend a few more days here.¡±


    Grid cheered Yura, who couldn¡¯t hide her frustration, up. He handed her a skewer made in coboration with the fire elemental king.


    [The light elemental king has been a jerk since ancient times. It is because it believes it is the only line of descent of Goddess Reba in the elemental world. Everything was as it pleased, so it used to argue with us often. I think it would be great if you, an extremely powerful god, teaches it a lesson.]


    The fire elemental king added. It reiterated that the reason why the light elemental king was quiet wasn¡¯t Yura¡¯s problem.


    Yura felt great gratitude toward the elemental kings. They promised that they would wait until the end without returning to the elemental world.


    ¡°The smell of the cooking meat is shocking.¡±


    ¡°You came at the perfect time. I¡¯ve prepared a share for you, so eat as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the food!¡±


    The elves also looked forward to the dishes that Grid made. At first, they were reluctant to eat meat, but recently, they enjoyed it. It was due to Grid¡¯s pure question if it was wrong to eat nts rather than animals if they really valued nature. Due to the changes in eating habits, the slender bodies of the elves started to develop muscles.


    It didn¡¯t mean that they gained a big build. Rather, their thighs were fleshy and they developed solid abs, giving the impression of a nimble female warrior. In fact, their overall physical ability had risen. He even had the absurd idea that the elves were close to truthseekers who sealed their own strength by limiting their eating habits.


    ¡®I am thankful to them.¡¯


    Yura had a determined expression as she looked at the elves and elementals gathered in front of the table filled with Grid¡¯s dishes.


    Yum.


    She suddenly took a bite of the grilled skewer. It was inferiorpared to the meal she ate alone with Grid in realityst night, but it was still delicious. Her heart became warm. It could be thanks to the smiles of the elves beckoning her toe over or due to the consideration of the elemental kings who encouraged her.


    ¡®Yes, I shouldn¡¯t be anxious. Everything will be fine.¡¯


    The others believed in her. Doubting herself was just an act of betraying the faith of others.


    Yura¡¯s eyes shone as she controlled her heart.


    The thing that the brightest star lost¡ªYura¡¯s self-esteem, which had plummeted for a while due to Grid¡¯s ambiguous attitude, was restored at this moment.


    She felt Grid¡¯s hands wrapped around her shoulders.


    ***


    ¡°I think it is because of you.¡±


    ¡°As expected, it is like this.¡±


    Grid was likely to be the cause of the failure to summon the light elemental king. Grid was hostile to Asgard. The light elemental king considered itself the descendant of Reba, so it was natural that it harbored animosity toward Grid.


    ¡°In this way, the light elemental spirit might destroy its contract with Yura.¡±


    This was the opinion carefully put forth by Filewolf, who had been quietly watching thest five days. Grid couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch, so he asked for advice from the world tree.


    ¡°Is there no way to resolve the situation?¡±


    -You can go directly to the elemental world and persuade the light elemental king.


    ¡°Going directly to the elemental world...¡±


    -The other elemental kings are cooperative with you, so they might open the way to the elemental world.


    ¡°How do I persuade the light elemental king?¡±


    -Use the same method that you used to persuade the fire elemental king. Looking at it, this is the most efficient way.


    ¡°......¡±


    Were elemental kings more attracted to violence than conversation? It happened as Grid thought about it and seriously nodded...


    ¡°I finally seeded in summoning it.¡± Yura¡¯s voice was heard.


    The startled Grid turned his head and saw Yura covered in wounds. She was holding the light elemental king in one hand.


    ¡®This is summoned... right?¡¯

 Chapter 1575

    <h4>Chapter 1575</h4>


    [It is good to see you in this state! Kuhat! Kuhahahat!]


    The mes roared. They were synchronized with the emotions of the fire elemental king and expanded as theughter of the fire elemental king intensified. The good news was that the water elemental king acted as a sprinkler, which avoided the situation of the surrounding bushes turning into ashes.


    Grid stood between the mixed up fire and water and clearly grasped the propensity of the elemental kings.


    ¡®They don¡¯t have deceptive personalities that use empty words.¡¯


    In thest five days, Grid had carefully observed the elementals. They were rulers of a dimension. Even if he didn¡¯t ask, they made alcohol out of water, a mat out of wind, and dining table and tableware out of earth. He had no choice but to be wary of those who showed him more favor than they needed to, even if it meant bending their pride. Enemies who hid their hostility under goodwill were simply dangerous.


    However, he became certain at this moment. The elemental kings weren¡¯t the type to hide their intentions. The attitude of the fire elemental king, who died of joy when it saw the light elemental king in Yura¡¯s hands, proved it.


    ¡®It really does hate the light elemental king.¡¯


    Now that he saw it, they were beings that were honest with their feelings. The favor directed toward him was also likely to be sincere. It should be noted that the call of the world tree wasn¡¯tpulsory. The world tree said that the duration that the elemental kings remained on the surface depended on Grid¡¯s qualifications. They could leave for the elemental world whenever they wanted to, but they didn¡¯t leave. They stayed by Grid for thest five days. This meant that Grid had been approached with goodwill since he defeated the fire elemental king and proved his qualifications.


    [I was wondering what you were doing. It turns out you were humiliating yourselves as a group?]


    sh!


    The light elemental king shone brightly. A powerful light that made both eyes dazzled turned the area white. As Grid and the elves frowned for a moment, the light elemental king was already close to Grid. It had escaped from Yura¡¯s grasp.


    Grid alternated looking between the flustered Yura and the casual light elemental king. Then he ced his hand on the sheath of his sword. He was wary of the intentions of the light elemental king, who had been deliberately captured.


    ¡®It is light. Is it possible to cut it?¡¯


    It would be much more difficult than shing mes. The light elemental king spoke to Grid who was taking a deep breath.


    [Overgeared God, I have been watching you.]


    The light elemental king was different from the fire elemental king. It knew that Grid was a god.


    ¡®Since it is contracted to Yura, has it been watching me from Yura¡¯s point of view?¡¯


    Or had it been watching him from the perspective of Light Stone? Grid was bing conscious of Light Stone when his expression became uneasy. It was because Light Stone was being absorbed by the light elemental king. Light Stone was gradually bing cloudy. It seemed like it was about to disappear.


    ¡°......¡±


    Light Stone felt Grid¡¯s gaze and turned its head. The eyes and mouth made of light showed a contrast. The drawn half-moon face, which was probably made in a desire tomunicate with Grid, resembled a smile.


    ¡°Light Stone...¡±


    Grid urgently reached out, but he was toote.


    [Why did you betray Mother? It is purely thanks to Mother¡¯s favor that you have the present power.]


    Light Stonepletely scattered. It was dposed into particle units and absorbed by the light elemental king.


    [The advanced light elemental ¡®Light Stone¡¯ that is contracted with you is destroyed.]


    [The skill ¡®Sword of Light¡¯ that was activated by ¡®Light Stone¡¯ is destroyed.]


    Grid¡¯s expression hardened like a stone. He witnessed the scene where Light Stone¡¯s smile distorted like it was crying just before it disappeared.


    [Y-Y-You evil bastard...!!]


    The fire elemental king witnessed the destruction of an elemental and was furious.


    [Ahh... A pitiful child.]


    The water elemental king sighed.


    The earth and wind elemental kings had no words. However, the earth and wind that started to shake represented their anger.


    The light elemental king didn¡¯t care. Its attitude was that there was no problem even if the other spirits maligned it.


    Mother¡ªthe word that was used for Reba, the goddess of light, exined it. The source of its confidence was the pride in being ¡®Reba¡¯s descendant.¡¯ It seemed to regard itself as special, unlike other elementals. This was reminiscent of the elitism of the yangbans.


    [Try to make a plea. The answer will determine your disposal.]


    Light from the light elemental king spread out sharply. Hundreds or thousands of des appeared in an incandescent manner.


    Grid was surprisinglyposed. He suppressed the anger of losing Light Stone deep in his heart and analyzed the situation.


    ¡®Why did it show up at this point?¡¯


    Light was different from fire. It was hard to exert influence over it with physical force. The light elemental king being captured by Yura... no, it was right to say that it was the light elemental king¡¯s will rather than Yura¡¯s will. In fact, the light elemental king easily left Yura¡¯s hands.


    Grid¡¯s quickly spinning brain soon gave him an answer. ¡®It has analyzed me.¡¯


    It was possible for the light elemental king to observe Grid using Yura and Light Stone. It was an easy position to see and understand Grid¡¯s capabilities. Perhaps after careful analysis, it decided the odds and appeared in front of Grid?


    In other words.


    ¡®It means it isn¡¯t an easy opponent.¡¯


    If the light elemental king grasped all of Grid¡¯s abilities and was still convinced of its victory...


    Naturally, the situation was unfavorable for Grid. It wasn¡¯t good to fight recklessly like when hepeted with the fire elemental king.


    The light elemental king glimpsed the tension in Grid¡¯s expression and was excited.


    [You¡¯ve noticed the situation, but there is no need to feel despair. You have a chance to ovee the crisis. Now, Overgeared God. Tell me why you betrayed Mother. Confess in detail the greedy sin you havemitted and ask for forgiveness. Do you know? My loving mother will give you a new opportunity.]


    Confession of sin and forgiveness. The scheme of the light elemental king was obvious.


    Grid¡¯s act of informing the world about the reality of the gods¡ªin other words, it intended to manipte and imply that all the actions that undermined Reba¡¯s prestige and destroyed the Reba Church were false and driven by greed. From the time when Grid admitted that what he had done was a ¡®sin¡¯ and all the truths he revealed were false and asked for forgiveness, the reputation of the fallen gods would be restored again.


    [Be careful. The energy of the light elemental king is different from before.]


    The wind elemental king whispered. It warned that the light elemental king, the strongest of the elemental kings, had be stronger.


    [The light elemental king hasmunicated with Asgard. It has the intention to dedicate the elemental world to the gods. It is highly likely that a god is watching behind it.]


    Grid realized the reason why the elemental kings showed favor to Grid. Perhaps it was because they wanted to be saved from Asgard.


    ¡®There is no way the elemental kings don¡¯t know the reality of the gods.¡¯


    The gods of Asgard didn¡¯t have the best of intentions toward humanity. It was hard to think they would be particrly respectful of elementals. Furthermore, the gods of the beginning periodically destroyed and recreated the world. The elemental kings might outwardly respect the gods, but they couldn¡¯t help being afraid. It was because destruction against their will wasn¡¯t sweet.


    ¡®They want to rely on me as well.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s scope of thinking as he noticed this grew even bigger. It was the aftermath of expanding to include the elemental world in his perception of the ¡®world.¡¯


    ¡®It is a chance to have a clear friendship with the elemental kings.¡¯


    Grid knew the power of the elementals. The hundreds of elementals signed with the Overgeared members and the artificial elementals from Trauka¡¯sir didn¡¯t show a steady performance. What if they couldmunicate directly with the elementals and cooperate with each other? For example, if they were able to provide opportunities to contact with elementals even for ordinary people, not the Overgeared Guild, the power of humanity would be greatly strengthened.


    ¡®It is beneficial to have more people to rely on.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s gaze gradually changed as he judged this.


    Killing intent, which had been suppressed, rose in his dark eyes and projected toward the elemental king.


    [Foolish... are you going to give up on the opportunity that will never happen again?]


    The light elemental king noticed Grid¡¯s determination and persuaded him again.


    [Choose carefully. If you confess your sins honestly and ask for forgiveness, Mother will look at you. It is a chance to go to Asgard. A chance to be a true god and reign forever!]


    ¡°Is that your wish?¡±


    [What?]


    ¡°You feel like you have obtained a chance to go to Asgard in exchange for persuading me. It is funny that you call Reba your mother when you must prove your qualifications to stay by the gods.¡±


    [What are you talking about? Creatures with mouths usually have a lot of useless words.]


    ¡°Maybe Reba isughing right now? She must be thinking, ¡®When did I have such a child?¡¯¡±


    Yura¡¯s mouth dropped open as she watched the situation. It was because she glimpsed Huroi¡¯s shadow from Grid¡¯s manner of talking. In fact, Grid was getting Huroi¡¯s advice in real time. He exined the situation in the whispers and asked for help reciting some lines.


    He didn¡¯t like the light elemental king. The meanness that came out only after predicting the chance of winning, the childishness that ttered Asgard, and the wickedness that swallowed Light Stone¡ªin particr, he couldn¡¯t forgive thest reason.


    Killing the light elemental king might cause a loss to Yura, but Grid wanted to kill the light elemental king and get rid of it. It wasplete enmity and killing intent, emotions that were different from what he temporarily held when facing the fire elemental king.


    Meanwhile, the light elemental king had the same feelings toward Grid.


    Light¡ªit was clear that it was from Goddess Reba. Even so, it was never qualified for Asgard. It felt like it was treated like themon light that could be seen everywhere, all over the world. It always had doubts that it wasn¡¯t special and was like the other elemental kings. It just tried to turn away from this. It was afraid to face it head on.


    Yet at this moment, it was confronted by Grid. The anxiety and inferiority that had been suppressed exploded.


    [It is better for you to die here. What does it mean to live when you have already betrayed the god¡¯s favor once. Even if you ask for forgiveness, you will surely repeat the betrayal one day.]


    ¡°I feel sorry for Goddess Reba. She must be looking back through tens of thousands of years of memories to remember the day she gave birth to you and she must be distressed because she can¡¯t remember. She might think she has dementia, so she will feel ashamed.¡±


    [You!]


    If it was a war of words with Grid who borrowed Huroi¡¯s mouth, the other party could only experience a loss.


    The light elemental king refused further conversation. It immediately turned into a sh of light and shot toward Grid. Then it paid the price. The moment it pierced through Grid, it was gripped in terrible darkness and its presence became pale. The identities of those who pressured him with darkness were the great magician Braham, and Zik of the seven evils.


    ¡°It is you who will die,¡± Grid spat out a mouthful of blood and spoke coolly.


    People didn¡¯t know this, but Grid wasn¡¯t obsessed with one against one wins. If he was obsessed with a fair confrontation, he wouldn¡¯t have grown his forces to this point in the first ce.


    ¡°You will die here today.¡±


    Light¡ªthe cards that Grid brought out against the light elemental king, which was naturally disadvantageous to him, were very appropriate. For Braham who dealt with magic of all attributes, light was just a concept that could be covered by darkness. Meanwhile, Zik had gone against the gods and had always sought to break through the ultimate destruction of light.


    The light elemental king intuitively realized that it had fallen into a disadvantage. It immediately opened a portal to the elemental world. However, the other elemental kings closed the portal.


    [King of light, we reject your return.]


    [You guys are crazy...! Don¡¯t you know that antagonizing me is like betraying Asgard!]


    [Haven¡¯t we been betraying Asgard in the meantime? If we had served Asgard, we wouldn¡¯t have maintained a rtionship with the daoist immortals.]


    [You...!]


    The light elemental king rapidly swelled up. It pushed out the magic of Braham and the darknesscing Zik¡¯s runes to reveal the entire forest. It became a world where contrast had disappeared, but the white world wasn¡¯t as beautiful as expected.


    ¡°It is the dilemma of mutual destruction.¡±


    Braham approached Grid and said, ¡°Let¡¯s lift your ban.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ban? What type of ban did he have?


    Braham gave a hint to the confused Grid, ¡°The man called Damian asserted that the divinity of the Overgeared God is physical strength. I thought about it and found that it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°If I have to discuss the attributes of physical strength, it is nothingness.¡±


    ¡°...Ah?¡± Grid recalled the fact that Braham¡¯s magic attached to his sword dances exerted all types of attribute effects.


    Then Braham ced his hand on Grid¡¯s forehead. Dozens of different types of magic exited from Grid, shattered like ss pieces and scattered. A suppressed evolution urred.


    [¡¯Grid¡¯s Sword Dance¡¯ has been promoted to ¡®Overgeared God¡¯s Sword Dance.¡¯]


    [Six sword dances can be fused into one. Currently it can only be done once.]


    [From now on, the number of times a six fusion sword dance can be created will increase every time deity rises by 20.]


    Grid didn¡¯t have divine power even if he became a god. The perfect answer came to him, who had always questioned it. Damian¡¯s assertion that the divinity of the Overgeared God was physical strength was correct.

 Chapter 1576

    <h4>Chapter 1576</h4>


    ording to the words of Sword Saint Biban, the sword dances were just a means of directing a ritual. In fact, Pagma was very weak in the past episodes of the Hwan Kingdom that Grid experienced. He had a different temperament from the other yangbans and was treated differently.


    Pagma was raised as a priest to ¡®assist the gods¡¯ rather than a ¡®god.¡¯ It was a type of disposal. It was right to see it as the expelled gods abandoning him due to his different tendencies and abilities rather than making him a yangban. Therefore¡ª


    For Grid, the sword dances were a trace and legacy of the underprivileged. He felt a sense of kinship. He could never turn a blind eye to it even when the limitations were pointed out by the strong and sometimes ridiculed.


    From Golden sh and Unbreakable Justice to the skills gained from the Behen Archipgo, magic learned from Braham, the power of the runes, the duke titles, the swordsmanship of the Undefeated King, and blood magic¡ªGrid had always gained new power. There were cases where these new powers transcended the power and potential of the sword dances.


    Grid had been subconsciously turning away from them. Rather, he became more obsessed with the sword dances and trained in them. It was out of the fear that he might be denying himself the moment he abandoned the sword dances, discussing their shorings, weaknesses, and limitations.


    The result was Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. It was the result of transcending Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance several times in conjunction with the teachings of Sword Saint Biban, the inspiration given by Kraugel, and Braham¡¯s magic and knowledge that coincided with Grid¡¯s tenacity that was close to obsession. The sword dances that had grown with Grid were one of the most positive proofs of Grid, who used to be a ¡®useless being¡¯ and it was one of his greatest prides.


    [¡¯Grid¡¯s Sword Dance¡¯ has been promoted to ¡®Overgeared God¡¯s Sword Dance.¡¯]


    ¡°Ah...¡± The notification window that appeared gave Grid infinite joy and vitality. The ever-bright visionbined with his clear spirit elerated Grid¡¯s thinking. He made a quick decision. He used Storm of the Fire God to prevent the flooding of light. The contrast and shade created by the mes induced the light elemental king to be smaller. The light elemental king couldn¡¯t easily escape.


    Magic¡ªthew of Braham¡¯s magic transcended the concept ofmon things. Grid¡¯s domain became more powerful in conjunction with Braham¡¯s magic.


    Light and virtue¡ªZik¡¯s runes, which denied everything that symbolized the gods of Asgard, were pressing the light elemental king.


    Grid had aplete understanding of the situation.


    ¡®Now the sword dances are a part of me.¡¯


    It was from the moment it evolved into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. Once he grew to be the Overgeared God, the sword dances should¡¯ve grown together with him. However, Braham¡¯s magic that was attached to the sword dances inhibited its growth.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s divine power. The attribute was judged to be ¡®nothingness.¡¯ Braham¡¯s magic had badpatibility with the sword dances due to the multiple attributes. As a result, growth didn¡¯t ur. This didn¡¯t mean he med Braham. Braham¡¯s magic was the decisive reason why Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance grew into Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. There would be no Overgeared God''s Sword Dance without Braham¡¯s magic.


    ¡®It is ironic.¡¯


    Braham¡¯s magic, which created the current sword dance, was actually the cause of suppressing the sword dances.


    Perhaps it would¡¯ve been a truth that was buried forever if it wasn¡¯t for Braham noticing it?


    ¡°I have really received a lot of help from you every time. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Braham¡¯s expression was ufortable as he scoffed. He seemed very displeased. It was natural. The task of hitting Greed with ¡®Disintegrate¡¯ that he had been doing so far was meaningless. Considering the future, it was right to discard any attributes in the equipment used by Grid. It was because the higher the status of the Overgeared God, the more likely it was that the effects of attributes and harmony would ur. Perhaps from today, Braham would drop Meteor on Greed?


    ¡®It must be terrible.¡¯


    The thing he had been doing for months was overturned and he had to start over...


    Grid felt deep sympathy for Braham. However, there were no empty words such as ¡®don¡¯t overdo it¡¯ or ¡®do it slowly.¡¯ Grid was the one who wanted to get the result of magic tempering quickly. Furthermore, Braham regained the power of a direct descendant. It might be different mentally, but physically, he didn¡¯t easily get tired. It was Grid¡¯s honest feelings that he wanted Braham to save time used for eating and sleeping to finish the work quickly.


    ¡°It is somehow unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart as he questioned the frowning Braham was still hot. It was due to the anger that was seething separately from his clear mind.


    Light Stone¡ªthey couldn¡¯t evenmunicate properly because their emotions andnguages were different...


    Still, it was a precious colleague. They had obviously beenmunicating and Grid received a lot of help. Grid could never forgive the light elemental king who took Light Stone¡¯s life.


    [Overgeared God! Think about it calmly!]


    The light elemental king shouted urgently.


    [There will be no chance of reconciliation with Mother if you hurt me!]


    ¡°So who is your mother?¡±


    [This guy, even until the end...!]


    The light elemental king growled out and its killing intent exploded. It wanted to pierce Grid¡¯s heart and kill him right now.


    The velocity of light¡ªits greatest weapon was the ¡®speed¡¯ that couldn¡¯t be countered except by a few rare beings. The light elemental king was confident that if it intended to kill Grid from the beginning, Grid would¡¯ve already be a cold corpse. However, it hated the attitude of talking nonsense without knowing how to be grateful.


    [I feel sorry for you who can¡¯t feel my mercy due to your low level.]


    The light elemental king abandoned its lingering regrets. It formed the shape of an arrow of light with the determination to kill Grid. It strengthened the power of speed by adding the concept of ¡®shooting¡¯ to the light. Indeed, as the ruler of a dimension, all actions were meaningful. This meaning became real force.


    There was just one fact that the light elemental king overlooked. It couldn¡¯t easily kill Grid. The result would¡¯ve been the same even if it aimed to kill Grid from the beginning. This was a fact that all transcendent beings in the world should remember.


    Grid had experienced conflicts every day. He had rarely experienced a peaceful period. He was endlessly shaken, hit, and polished without rest like steel. This was why fire dragon Ifrit evaluated Grid as a ¡®great being who overshadows the times.¡¯ Grid was different from the existing transcendents who enjoyed a life of cowardice and had merely built up a long existence. He should not be considered easy.


    Hundreds or thousands of beams of light that were like threads unraveling pierced Grid¡¯s entire body. Even Greed was destroyed by the light elemental king, who imed to be Reba¡¯s descendant. Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t copse. Two types of White Tiger¡¯s Posture, Calm Before the Storm, First Emperor, etc. He endured the shock using all types of powers.


    He took a heavy step without letting go of the swords held in both hands. Rather, Grid¡¯s eyes where the light didn¡¯t go out gave a subtle fear to the light elemental king.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t copsing?¡¯


    The light elemental king¡¯s sense of reason cried out that it should give up on Grid and leave. However, it was hard for it to leave even if it wanted to. The biggest problem was the gravity field that spread out extensively from the magician who had Beriache¡¯s blood and became a god¡¯s subordinate. The moment its position moved outside a certain range, the light dimmed and decelerated.


    A space where a storm of fire swirled¡ªthe moment it left the mental world of the Overgeared God, the light elemental king would be even weaker. It was to the point where light was caught and swallowed up by the darkness and runes that were stretching out.


    ¡®First of all, I have to kill that magician to find a way to live.¡¯


    The light elemental king made this judgment andughed from the absurdity.


    Light that had existed since before the beginning. It was confident that it was one of the sources of light, but it was experiencing a crisis against three people? The provocation of the Overgeared God lingered in its mind.


    ¡®Is Goddess Reba truly my mother?¡¯


    It was the moment it questioned the truth that it took for granted.


    ©¤©¤!


    The light glowed like it had been hit by a strong wind. The problem wasn¡¯t that the light was weakened due to empathizing with the light elemental king¡¯s feelings. It was due to the wavelength of force generated by Grd¡¯s actions that pushed the light away.


    The principle was simple. The ground crushed by Grid split apart and the fragments that soared up from the impact became a barrier against the light transmission. That was all.


    [......?]


    The light elemental king was btedly shocked. It was because Grid disappeared. It missed Grid¡¯s movement the moment the dizzying barrier caused a blockage in its vision.


    Drop.


    Grid had fallen into a gap in the cracked ground. Thend where the spirit elemental king was located became soft. A pattern reminiscent of a whirlpool that urred in the middle of the sea was engraved instantly on the ground. It was an aftermath that affected the entire tens of kilometers thick crust.


    Dragon.


    Grid prated through the center of the pattern and shot toward the sky.


    ¡®This ignorant guy?¡¯


    Putting aside its dislike, the light elemental king was derisive. Light couldn¡¯t be cut. He was currently wary of Braham and Zik, not Grid. It was always like that.


    Just then, the vision of the light elemental king was split in half and shifted. The gathered light blocked by the barrier was neatly cut.


    [......?!]


    The light elemental king was shocked. The Martial God that all beings in the world who longed for power envisioned and desired. It was because the appearance of Martial God Chiyou ovepped with Grid for a second.


    Pinnacle.


    It was proof that the new fusion sword dance, divided into six breaths, perfectly embodied the martial god¡¯s strike.


    Jingle.


    The quiet sound of bells that shouldn¡¯t exist here rang out. Of course, Grid thought he was hallucinating. This was until he read the greatly shaken light elemental king who acted like it had heard a funeral march.


    [The Ultimate Martial Art is suppressing the target.]


    One Who Met the Martial God¡ªthe favor given by Martial God Chiyou urred as if he was praising Grid. It cast a stun that couldn¡¯t be resisted or recovered from, ignoring the species, status, and ranking of the target. The greatest of all powers that existed in the world caused the light elemental king to stiffen. It was the moment when the unstoppable light stopped.


    There were all types of chaos in its field of view. It was as if a void had descended. The stopped light shattered. It was the aftermath of the disastrous crushing of Link and Kill, which carried the divinity of the Overgeared God behind it and could be called invincible. Nothingness denied the phenomenon of light.


    [I can¡¯t believe it...]


    Shock, confusion, and fear¡ªthe thoughts of the light elemental king, which were directly transmitted to Grid¡¯s mind, scattered fleetingly. It was because it was swept away by the waves of condensed sword energy released in the process of linking the sword dances.


    [The new fusion sword dance ¡®Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave¡¯ has been created.]


    [An unknown person is praising you for your ability to transcend your limits.]


    [A strong blessing has fallen on Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave.]


    Jingle.


    The sound of bells rang out again. Grid clearly felt that Martial God Chiyou was watching as he swapped the sword in his left hand for the Falling Moon Sword.


    The light elemental spirit that reunited as soon as it escaped the influence of Ultimate Martial Art was once again cut in half.


    [Kuaack!]


    However, light was extraordinary. Following the Falling Moon Sword, it repeatedly recovered after several cuts from the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and the five fusion sword dances. Every time this happened, it attacked Grid at a speed that couldn¡¯t be caught with Grid¡¯s senses. It would¡¯ve been a very big crisis without the ¡®reconstruction¡¯ function of Greed.


    ¡°You endure well.¡±


    Braham and Zik were also active while Grid faced his limits. A gravity fieldbined with runes turned into a ck hole that started sucking in light. The light elemental king sharply weakened. Even so, the situation wasn¡¯t very good. Most of Grid¡¯s attack skills were on cooldown and his resources were at the bottom. He couldn¡¯t afford to deal the finishing blow. At this moment¡ª


    [You...! You!!!] The light elemental king that was attempting to ambush Braham suddenly stopped and struggled alone.


    Grid felt a faint pressure from inside the light elemental king. It was the sign of Light Stone, whom he thought was extinguished. Light Stone was igniting thest of its willpower to help Grid, not the king it had served so far. Grid responded to that will. He squeezed out courage as someone who had been fighting to repay the expectations of others.


    [Kuaaaaaack!]


    The light went out.


    [The light elemental king has been defeated!]


    [A new elemental king has been born based on thews of the elemental world sustained by the five attributes.]


    It was finally over...


    Someone supported the body of the copsing Grid. It was a cute elemental with a smiling face. It was small and blurry in shape, but it contained infinite power.


    ¡°Light Stone...? Are you perhaps Light Stone?¡±


    The elemental king of nothingness¡ªthe new elemental king nodded vigorously.


    [Yes, I am Nothing Stone.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The pir of light symbolizing a level up fell dozens of times onto the body of Grid, who had a strange expression.

 Chapter 1577

    <h4>Chapter 1577</h4>


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°Beautiful...¡±


    At the center of the World Tree Forest...


    The transparent orange waves decorated it in a dizzying manner. It was a sight where dozens of constetions seemed to be gathered together. It felt like the universe had fallen to the ground, but it was actually the trajectory of Overgeared God Grid.The afterimages of his battle route made his feats a reality for the eyewitnesses.


    ¡°Sniff sniff.¡± Filewolf tracked Grid in a specific way. He tried to smell with a nose that didn¡¯t exist. It was because he thought about the scent of metal that he was immersed in during his lifetime. Every time Grid swung a sword, Filewolf felt steel from the spreading waves.


    It was a natural process. The Elemental King of Light scattered light every time it was cut by Grid. It reflected and dispersed light like sunlight hitting steel. Filewolf noticed it with one nce. Grid¡¯s nature, or in other words, his divinity, had changed.


    ¡®No, a god¡¯s nature can¡¯t change easily.¡¯


    A change in divinity meant betrayal and depravity. Take Reba for example. People believed in her and worshiped her because she was the goddess of light. If the divinity she had wasn¡¯t light, but instead something else, it would be an act of deceit and betrayal for those who believed in her and served her.


    ¡®It is right to interpret it as him realizing his nature now.¡¯


    The reason why the ancient giants were synonymous with wisdom was simple¡ªthey knew a lot. Filewolf might have a perverted temperament, but he had a good idea of theology. He properly analyzed Grid¡¯s current situation. He glimpsed the newborn god bing aware of his divinity.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡± Filewolf¡¯s breathing gradually became rough. It was because he was charmed by the Elemental King of Nothingness.


    Nothing Stone was approaching.


    Nothingness¡ªthe name was reminiscent of a void, but the reality waspletely different. Nothing Stone left a mark every time it moved. Metal dripped and fell down. Filewolf saw that it was close to Grid¡¯s Greed. A pure metal that could be anything. Metal that was nothing because it could be anything.


    ¡®Therefore, it is nothing.¡¯


    Was this elemental king born under the influence of Grid? It was a free interpretation of the concept of nothingness, but in fact, it was right to call it the Elemental King of Metal, not Nothingness.


    ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    Perception was a differentw for different individuals. Every being in the world felt different when they saw the same thing. There was no problem with Nothing Stone¡¯s identification of itself as nothingness rather than metal, even if it had the properties of metal. It fell into the category of individuality. If it had been a problem, Nothing Stone wouldn¡¯t have even been born.


    [Yura, I want to contract with you.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Yura was startled as she was quietly watching the situation. Nothing Stone was born by counterattacking and absorbing the Elemental King of Light that had absorbed it. It was originally Grid¡¯s elemental. Naturally, it was right for it to contract with Grid. Yet it wanted to contract with her?


    [The biggest reason why I could swallow the Elemental King of Light was due to your will.]


    ¡°Mine...?¡±


    [Yes.]


    From the time she saw the Elemental King of Light devouring Light Stone, Yura was hostile to and denied the Elemental King of Light. She perceived it as Grid¡¯s enemy. Her attitude was a great help to Nothing Stone. She was the contractor of the Elemental King of Light. She might be weaker than the Elemental King of Light and couldn¡¯t exert direct influence, but as its contractee, Yura¡¯s willpower to antagonize and deny the Elemental King of Light contributed to weakening it. The Elemental King of Light was caught in the restrictions of the contact and due to this, it couldn¡¯t extinguish Light Stone.


    For Nothing Stone, Yura was as much a savior as Grid. Additionally, Nothing Stone had absorbed the Elemental King of Light in reverse. Dim traces of the contract that the Elemental King of Light had signed with Yura remained. It was impossible to contract with someone other than Yura. Of course, it was a problem that could be resolved if it broke the contract with Yura¡¯s mutual agreement, but Nothing Stone didn¡¯t want this. It liked Yura.


    ¡°I understand your heart. Thank you. However, you have to be by Grid¡¯s side, not mine.¡±


    Yura shook her head after hearing the long exnation. She believed that Nothing Stone was a match with Grid, not herself. Nothing Stone made a tearful expression.


    [Do you hate me?]


    It had an expression unlike the Elemental King of Light, who was merely a lump of light. A cloud-like appearance made of mercury. Two eyes and a mouth were painted on the ¡®face¡¯ that existed in the center of it. Throughout the conversation with Yura, they were curved in a half moon shape as it smiled. It was nice to see. At this moment, it looked like it was going to cry.


    Nothing Stone exined to the flustered Yura. [I¡¯m not any help to Grid. Grid already has Greed.]


    ¡°Ah...¡± Yura was immediately convinced. She had felt that Nothing Stone resembled Greed. Metal that thought and moved by itself.


    [I look like Greed, but I¡¯m different. I am weaker and I can¡¯t be smelted.]


    Elementals were close to living things. It was impossible to make items using Nothing Stone as material. However, it wasn¡¯t stronger than Greed. Therefore, Nothing Stone decided it wasn¡¯t efficient for it to be with Grid.


    Grid realized it. ¡®Nothing Stone should be considered a self-reformable metal.¡¯


    The utilization would be infinite. Meanwhile, Grid already had a skill that transformed matter. He also had Greed. Even if he made the most of Nothing Stone, the performance would be less than the items Grid created and used.


    ¡®It is much more efficient for Yura to have Nothing Stone.¡¯


    Grid had harmed Yura¡¯s elemental. He unavoidably felt greedy. Then what if Nothing Stone reced the Elemental King of Light? He could relieve the burden on his heart. Furthermore, Yura would be much stronger in the future. It was iparable to the time when she stayed with the Elemental King of Light, who refused to evenmunicate.


    ¡°Yura, please contract with Nothing Stone.¡±


    ¡°...Is this really okay?¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    The brightly smiling Grid pushed Yura¡¯s back. His gentle touchpletely erased Yura¡¯s hesitation.


    [Can you contract with me?]


    ¡°Yes... okay.¡±


    [I¡¯m really happy!]


    Nothing Stone smiled brightly.


    Grid felt many emotions. A child who tried tomunicate with him in the past¡ªhe was sorry that he didn¡¯t know until the end that it was such a bright child.


    ¡®Nothing Stone, let¡¯s be happy from now on.¡¯


    ***


    [In this way?]


    ¡°Yes, it is perfect!¡±


    [Hehehet.]


    Yura contracted with Nothing Stone. Nothing Stone contracted with Yura. In 10 minutes, they became friends. It was too good in the first ce. Nothing Stone was able to transform into any item Yura desired. Powerful bullets were generated immediately. Due to the attribute of nothingness, there was no rejection of the Demon yer¡¯s unique magic power.


    As Nothing Stone wrapped itself around Yura¡¯s body, Yura¡¯s power increased noticeably. It was appropriate to express it as ¡®Yura is armed with the Elemental King of Nothingness.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m happy because she looks good.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s expression was very bright. Her porcin-like clean skin had a brighter look, giving her a much brighter appearance. It was a pretty appearance that she only showed to Grid alone when they were dating. Gridpletely relieved the burden on his mind and confirmed the updated information of his sword dances.


    [Overgeared God''s Sword Dance Lv. 1]


    [The sword dances of Overgeared God Grid.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s divinity increases physical attack power by 90%, magic attack power by 30%, critical hit probability by 70%, and critical hit attack power by 150%. All values will triple when using cooperative skills with a person you have a bond with.


    * This effect is only fully applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.


    * The increased physical attack power isn¡¯t applied when a staff or orb is equipped.


    * Damage proportional to the willpower stat will be dealt if a weapon isn¡¯t equipped.


    * The sword dances can be used without the footwork. However, the power of the sword dance will increase with every step due to the realization gained from the ¡®Filling the Gaps Secret Technique¡¯ (For each additional step, the damage of the sword dance will increase by 50%, 100%, 200%, and 400% respectively).[1]


    * The number of fusion sword dances that can be created is 20.


    * Every time the skill level rises, the number of fusion sword dances that can be created will increase by 5.


    * You can also create six fusion sword dances. However, the number of times a five or six fusion sword dance can be created is affected by the deity and divinity figures.


    ¡ïAll sword dances will have the nothingness attribute. It will always exert full power over all other attributes and can cut at any concept or phenomenon. However, there is nopatibility advantage.


    ¡ï Mana is consumed so you can activate/deactivate it.


    Currently activated.]


    The biggest change was the sharp increase in physical attack power and critical hit attack power. There was also a change in attributes.


    The nothingness attribute¡ªit differed from the other attributes that hadpatibility with each other. He was always 100% powerful against any attribute. Instead, he didn¡¯t have the upper hand against any attribute. Even so, the strength was much greater. He exerted full power against all attributes and could cut concepts and phenomena...


    This resembled the premise of ¡®any type of swordsmanship¡¯ which was highly regarded in Satisfy¡¯s worldview.


    In fact, Grid had a title that he never expected.


    [Conditional Sword Saint]


    [Passive


    There is nothing you can¡¯t cut while using Overgeared God''s Sword Dance.]


    ¡®I can see why Braham¡¯s finishing move is Meteor.¡¯


    Nothingness couldn¡¯t always be the right answer. For example, the light and dark attributes had an advantage over all other attributes. Still, they were far from perfect. It was because light received serious damage from darkness and darkness from light.


    On the other hand, the nothingness attribute had no obvious weaknesses. It was the best attribute for Grid, who could increase ¡®basic damage¡¯ to the extreme.


    ¡®Thus, it was adopted as the Overgeared God¡¯s divinity.¡¯


    A deep smile spread on Grid¡¯s face as he realized this.


    Drop Dragon Pinnacle Link Kill Wave¡ªhe reconfirmed Chiyou¡¯s blessing that was in the six fusion sword dance.


    [¡ïWhen using Drop Dragon Pinnacle Link Kill Wave, Ultimate Martial Art will ur unconditionally.]


    ¡®Were you always watching?¡¯


    Grid looked up at the blue sky and bowed deeply to the waist.


    A subject worthy of respect and admiration. The only one god he had seen, Grid sincerely worshiped Chiyou.


    ***


    Another four days passed...


    Unlike the first five days, the group was very busy. First of all, Grid trained to increase the hit rate of his new sword dances that ¡®lost their magic.¡¯


    ¡®The reason I didn¡¯t have a clear edge over the Elemental King of Light is the absence of Detect Force.¡¯


    The magic to track targets¡ªBraham¡¯s secondary magic that was attached to the sword dances disappeared, making it more difficult to keep up with the speed of the Elemental King of Light.


    ¡®Should I invest my stats as much as possible in agility for a while?¡¯


    As Grid was feeling troubled, Yura worked to cooperate with Nothing Stone and Filewolf focused on repairing God¡¯s Circle.


    God¡¯s Circle¡ªit was why the group visited the World Tree Forest. Now Filewolf felt the greatest responsibility. How did the Elemental King of Light die and a new elemental king was born? He didn¡¯t understand it even after witnessing the entire process firsthand, but in any case, Filewolf dispelled his thoughts. He was fully focused on the task.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid and Braham carefully observed the work of FIlewolf. It was the moment when an ancient giant manufactured an artifact. It was an invaluable experience to witness a sight that hadn¡¯t been seen for more than a thousand years. It was learning that would never ur again in the world.


    The one who was enlightened was Braham, not Grid. There were too many concepts that Grid didn¡¯t understand, but Braham properly demonstrated the power of the Duke of Wisdom. He solved and understood concepts he didn¡¯t know in real time and acquired new artifact production methods.


    ¡®I crossed it.¡¯ Braham had a gut feeling. He had no choice but to acknowledge Pauld¡¯s talent in making artifacts. Yet at this moment, Braham surpassed him.


    1. Filling the Gaps Secret Technique was previously just known as the Martial God''s Secret Technique. It was the technique that filled in the gaps in Grid''s abilities and did stuff like evolve his sword dances etc. ?

 Chapter 1578

    <h4>Chapter 1578</h4>


    Lauel didn¡¯t want a situation that was out of control. It was due to the principle that he had to coordinate every situation himself.


    ¡°The power of certain factions shouldn¡¯t be too strong.¡±


    Lauel started to be wary of the Muto Merchant Group.


    The Muto Merchant Group¡ªthis force virtually monopolizedmerce in the Overgeared Empire, and it was huge. It was even called the kingdom of King Muto. In fact, the status of thend they owned was enough to make a self-sufficient kingdom. The scale of the city owned by Kir, the first yer to be a Merchant King, couldn¡¯t even bepared to it.


    ¡°The Muto Merchant Group is our biggest ally and has adhered to the one-tenth policy. Do we have to keep it in check...?¡¯


    One-tenth¡ªthis was referring to the profits gained by the Muto Merchant Group when interacting with the then Overgeared Kingdom. Considering various circumstances, it was like abandoning greed altogether. It was at the level of mentioning unfair contracts, ve contracts, volunteering, etc.


    Furthermore, Muto was a member of Overgeared Two. In the name of being a guild member, he had provided the personnel and information of the merchant group free of charge to the then Overgeared Kingdom. Nevertheless, it experienced huge growth due to the fact that it won themercial power of the then Overgeared Kingdom.


    Huroi was unconvinced by Lauel¡¯s decision to recruit another merchant group to keep the Muto Merchant Group in check.


    Lauel exined it, ¡°I don¡¯t doubt or dislike Muto. I am just concerned about a situation where Muto can¡¯t control his forces. Don¡¯t you know that there are presently more than 30 operators at the top of Muto Merchant Guild?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Muto selected pro-Grid personnel...¡±


    ¡°Politics have to proceed separately from individual emotions. In particr, merchants are more prone to corruption because their ultimate goal is to make a profit. Consider this. They dare to aim at Grid once they are able to exert sufficient influence in Grid¡¯s empire.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Huroi¡¯s face gradually turned red. The docile and meek eyes that were reminiscent of a puppy soared upward in a terrifying manner. For Huroi, the first subordinate of Grid, Grid was his only monarch and god. He felt anger just thinking that someone might swing at Grid.


    ¡°The inner stability of the Lion Merchant Group which you understood with your demonic talent... it is very solidpared to its size. There is a constant influx of external capital like a spring that doesn¡¯t dry out. It is hard to see it as solely relying on the forces behind it. I am wondering if perhaps the merchant group members aren¡¯t able to identify internal spies because they are focusing on foreign investment to attract investors.¡±


    The internal spy naturally referred to Huroi.


    It was a few months ago. After disguising himself as a third person and infiltrating the Lion Merchant Group, Huroi was still pressing forward. He gained countless pieces of information but wasn¡¯t discovered as a spy. He was even promoted to an interim executive.


    Lauel interpreted it as a type of luck. The management team was out of position due to the nature of the Lion Merchant Group, which was obsessed with external capital. It was easy for Huroi to be active because it was open to new people. Of course, it was possible because Huroi¡¯s camouge and acting skills supported it.


    He was truly an orator. It was his job to live and eat with his mouth.


    ¡°The Lion Merchant Group has invested heavily in every business it enters for the first time. If they get a chance to contract with us, they are likely to invest all the capital at the top. This will cover a significant amount of the construction costs of the hell elevator. Of course, you need to convince them Huroi.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that part. The top leaders trust me unconditionally.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Huroi... you are great like Grid¡¯s first confidant.¡±


    ¡°This is the basics.¡±


    Start by making the Lion Merchant Group join the construction of the hell elevator, and then grow it into a counter for the Muto Merchant Group. Throw apetitor to instill rm in the leaders of the Muto Merchant Group and seal it off from crossing the line.


    The Overgeared Empire would gain a number of advantages from the overheatedpetition that the two merchant groups would create. There was no room for the two merchant groups to collude as one. Just like Huroi in the Lion Merchant Group, the leadership of the Muto Merchant Group had been nted with many moles over the years. They were able to induce infinitepetition rather than collusion.


    The justification was sufficient. It was physically impossible for one merchant group to handle the kingdom that had turned into an empire. The leaders of the Muto Group had no choice but to take this incident as a matter of course. They wouldn¡¯t dare to even feel disappointed.


    ¡®At the same time, it will be easier to ess the background of the Lion Merchant Group. It should be considered killing two birds with one stone.¡¯


    ***


    Two dayster, at the Lion Merchant Group...


    ¡°I think there is a way to open up trade with the Overgeared Empire.¡±


    ¡°What...? Is this true? Hasn¡¯t the Muto Merchant Group monopolized themercial rights of the Overgeared Empire? How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°It is due to the consideration of the top leader and vice-president who have always trusted me and entrusted me with this job. Trying to live up to your trust has be a great opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Huhu...! You are like a lucky charm to this merchant group! I think it is our biggest luck that we were able to recruit you!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu!¡±


    The host and the recipient of the hospitality.


    Seomye, who was the host, was troubled. His heart was rotting unlike his smiling face.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to get too involved with the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Seomye clearly knew why the Overgeared Guild¡¯s Huroi was nted as a spy.


    One of the dozens of branch organizations of Inferno¡ªthe Overgeared Guild identified them and approached the Lion Merchant Group. The ultimate goal was to reveal the identity of Inferno. All information rted to Inferno was destroyed and the only real person in contact with Inferno was the top leader of the Lion Merchant Group, but...


    There was a limit to how much they could conceal the tail. The tail could be quickly seen if the Overgeared Guild got close. Of course, stepping on the tail was unlikely to do any harm to Inferno. They couldn¡¯t grasp Inferno just by digging at the Lion Merchant Group.


    In fact, even Seomye didn¡¯t know exactly what Inferno was. However, Seomye was wary about the destruction of the Lion Merchant Group. What if the merchant group was damaged and abandoned by both sides as the Overgeared Guild dug into Inferno?


    ¡®Lion said there is no reason to be obsessed with the merchant group, but this merchant group is everything to me...¡¯


    Seomye was overwhelmed with nervousness. However, he couldn¡¯t express it and justughed with Huroi.


    ***


    It was after repairing God¡¯s Circle¡­


    ¡°I am really indebted to you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s group politely said goodbye to the World Tree. It wasn¡¯t just the elves. The elementals also gathered in one ce to send them away.


    [Hey, Nothing Stone. Come to the elemental world often to y. It is your home.]


    [Yes, Fire Stone.]


    [This crazy guy keeps going!]


    [Isn¡¯t it better than not having a name? I like Pure Water.]


    [Earth Stone. I like it. I listen to it.]


    [I am Pure Wind... I don¡¯t particrly like it, but... I¡¯m happy about Nothing Stone¡¯s heart behind naming me.]


    [I¡¯m going crazy...]


    The atmosphere was friendly apart from the sighs of the Elemental King of Fire. The elemental kings released from the oppression of the Elemental King of Light felt free, while the elves found new happiness by eating Grid¡¯s dishes and opening their eyes to a new pte.


    The World Tree who suffered a huge loss in the process of summoning the elemental kings weighed on Grid¡¯s mind, but... it was a problem that time could solve.


    Grid nned to encourage the people of the world to worship the World Tree. As long as the elves allowed people toe and go from the forest, many people woulde to the forest in the future to pray to the World Tree, promoting its recovery.


    ¡®The World Tree is unconditionally beneficial to people.¡¯


    The World Tree purified the air and mana of the surface just by existing. There was a future for humanity only if the World Tree was healthy.


    -If you need my help, please feel free toe at any time.


    ¡°I won¡¯t juste when I need help. I¡¯ll oftene to y.¡±


    -I¡¯m happy. I hope youe to see me often.


    The long journey was over.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh, this...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to really do it!¡±


    Before returning to Reinhardt, Grid stopped by the Tower of Wisdom with Filewolf.


    The brothers, Fronzaltz and Radwolf, were thrilled when they were handed the perfectly repaired God¡¯s Circle. The giant¡¯s divine object had regained its former glory. They were so thrilled that tears flowed from their eyes.


    ¡°You are the benefactor of our species.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Grid hurriedly raised Fronzaltz who was bowing.


    ¡°It is just a small favor to you who have been fighting for peace in the world for so long. I am always grateful to you. Besides, it is Filewolf who repaired God¡¯s Circle, not me.¡±


    ¡°The big help came from the World Tree who took the risk. It is something that is possible purely due to the World Tree.¡±


    It was felt every time, but Filewolf was a really clever guy. He naturally shifted all the merit to the World Tree. It was to encourage the World Tree to recover morefortably. He knew Grid¡¯s wish.


    ¡®It makes me have no choice but to like him.¡¯


    Filewolf was a pervert. Even at this moment, he was stroking his body. Nevertheless, the rejection became lighter and he was more likable.


    The smarter the person, the better the interpersonal rtionships.


    This was actually just a prejudice.


    Grid was shaking his head as he recalled the interpersonal rtionships of Lauel and Braham when a notification window appeared in his vision. It was a message that his affinity with Fronzaltz was at the maximum. A message followed that the survivors of the wise giants started to respect the World Tree.


    ***


    ¡°It is four times more powerful.¡±


    At the Overgeared God Church¡¯s temple, Reinhardt...


    Damian, the leader of the church, enjoyed the honor of being the sandbag for the Overgeared God. He personally experienced the difference in damage between the five fusion sword dance and six fusion sword dance, and couldn¡¯t close his mouth. His sword dance also faced the evolution of the nothingness attribute. In line with Grid¡¯s growth, the sword dances of the church members naturally grew.


    yers who belonged to the Overgeared God Church were enjoying the fantasy-like experience of ¡®bing stronger even when staying still.¡¯


    ¡°Additionally, the unconditional stun... it is a great strength.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it is a scam.¡±


    ¡°Was it called Ultimate Martial Art? Will it have an effect on the sword dances of the church members someday...?¡±


    ¡°Um... I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Ultimate Martial Art was a favor that Chiyou gave directly to Grid. It would probably be ¡®only one¡¯ if he had to rate it. It was impossible for anyone other than Grid to get it in their lifetime.


    ¡®It would be a great help if my colleagues got it as well.¡¯


    It was just likely to be impossible. Grid left this regret behind and moved ces. It was to the construction site of the hell elevator. Yura drew attention as she gave advice to the engineers byparing the utility of the hell gate to the elevator.


    ¡®Beautiful.¡¯


    Yura was wearing a silver-white cloak that was the transformed Nothing Stone. The cloak that fluttered despite there not being any wind was gorgeous. It naturally attracted people¡¯s attention to the point where it seemed to be a means of cultivating Yura¡¯s beauty. There was probably no one who would expect that this cloak would turn into a suit that covered Yura¡¯s entire body, right?


    Grid felt a subtle sense of superiority that he knew Yura¡¯s secret. Furthermore, he had great expectations for Yura. It was right to say that Nothing Stone was Yura¡¯s new item. It could be transformed into various forms, so it could be used like the God Hands. It could also be used as a weapon or armor, which was a huge strength.


    Beyond transforming into separate weapons or armor, it could also beyered on top of the weapons or armor she was using. It was the Nothing Stone version of Item Combination that greatly increased the items¡¯ power.


    ¡®It will y a big role in the fight against Baal.¡¯


    The preparations for the hell invasion were progressing...


    ¡°......?¡±


    After looking at Yura happily for a while, Grid turned toward the cylindrical elevator running deep toward hell only to be surprised. It was because his back was cold. Mercedes was staring at one ce with an expressionless face. He followed her gaze and found Yura.


    ¡°... Mer?"


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mercedes¡¯ expression when answering was as bright and pretty as a widely blooming flower. It waspletely different from the cold expression a moment ago.


    ¡®Did I see it incorrectly?¡¯


    Grid shook his head and focused on the inspection. Before the hell elevator was opened to the public, the Overgeared Guild nned to operate 12 hell expeditionary units for the time being. There would be apetition in Reinhardt tomorrow to pick the 12 captains. It was arge-scalepetition involving not only the Overgeared members, but also rulers such as the lord of the half-draconians, the orc lord, and the dark elf king.


    Public interest was high because it was an opportunity to figure out the power of the rankers ahead of the uing National Competition. There was also a series of evaluations that the Overgeared Guild was somewhat arrogant for exposing their power on their own.


    Even so, the Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t care. The Overgeared members participating in thispetition had no ns to participate in the National Competition. Starting from this year, the National Competition would be yed by the non-top members of the Overgeared Guild such as Coke, Ibellin, and Toban.


    The items created by Grid before the Great Human and Demon War were so powerful that they alone could sweep the gold medals.

 Chapter 1579

    <h4>Chapter 1579</h4>


    ¡°Ahh... I was worried about what they were doing while construction was going on but once it ispleted, it is spectacr.¡±


    ¡°It is much nicer than when I watched it on the videos or screenshots.¡±


    ¡°Right? It is said they recruited a lot of world-ss architects.¡±


    Exmations burst out nonstop from the endless procession. They admired the high-rise buildings that lined the city walls. As a yer-ruled city, the capital of the Overgeared Empire, Reinhardt, had a modern atmosphere. The most striking thing was the high-rise buildings andrge geometric architecture. Buildings in styles that were hard to see in Satisfy pleased the modern people¡¯s aesthetics and convenience.


    At the same time, the traces of the effort that was put in to not harm Satisfy¡¯s times raised praise. Color,position, topography, arrangement, and even lighting were used to create harmony between the Middle Ages and modern times. There was no sense of ipatibility at all.


    ¡°It is the feeling of coexistence between the past and the future.¡±


    ¡°There are many directors trying to get it as the filming location for sci-fi movies.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhut...¡±


    Lauel felt very good. From the start until the city became what it was today, how hard had he been working for so long? He raised arge amount of capital, recruited the best architects in reality, and nurtured engineers in each field to actually implement the form of the city he had designed...


    Reinhardt¡¯s current form hadn¡¯t been achieved in just a year or two. From the founding of the kingdom to now, it was more than five years in real time. It was a project that Lauel nned and implemented by selling his own assets and investing at his own expense. It was only recently when the level of Satisfy¡¯s engineers rose that the project could enter the implementation stage. He was already satisfied when he saw the reaction of the people. It felt like he was being rewarded for all his efforts. The amazing thing was¡ª


    ¡°It is even more spectacr from a high ce. You¡¯ve worked hard so far. Really.¡± Grid¡¯s short praise and encouragement was more rewarding than the praise from tens of millions of people.


    Lauel felt the trembling of his soul. ¡°Indeed... I think the vessel called you is really good. It is probably because it is a vessel that I don¡¯t have to worry about overflowing.¡±


    ¡°Uh... In any case, congrattions and thank you.¡±


    ¡°I also want to congratte and thank you.¡±


    They rejoiced that they met each other.


    The two men leaned against the railing and bumped their fists together lightly.


    ***


    ¡º Do you see the crowds on the streets? For thest three days, the number of visitors to Reinhardt has surpassed 100 million. Today¡¯s captain selectionpetition, which unveiled the updated city, has attracted people¡¯s attention. The new buildings that were covered in tents are all revealed, impressing countless people... ¡»


    ¡º The city¡¯s scenery is different. In a direct way, it feels like a mix of European tourist cities and New York. It also came together very naturally. Today, we have Michngelo Stilioni as a guest. He is an Italian master who has participated in the Reinhardt renewal project. ¡»


    ¡º It was five years ago when I received this request. I thought it was too much at first. They wanted me to design a city that exists in a game. As you know, I am over 80 years old. I hadn¡¯t experienced Satisfy directly, so I was very unfamiliar with the request. But this... Hehe, I have the spirit of challenge. I purchased the capsule that day and essed Satisfy. Geological features, environments, materials, etc. I had to check the conditions in the game itself, which would be different from reality, to determine if it was amission that could be done or not. .¡»


    ¡º Have you been working on the project since then and ying Satisfy all the time? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. I worked in reality based on the information I got from Satisfy. It was a fresh and enjoyable experience. The biggest attraction is that things impossible in reality are possible in Satisfy. The resources and environments that I could use arepletely different. It was a lot of fun to design the city structure and architecture that was beyond my imagination. ¡»


    ¡º You must have a very high understanding of Satisfy. Have you be an architect ranker already? ¡»


    ¡º I am a warrior in Satisfy. ¡»


    ¡º Haha, I see... Huh? A warrior? ¡»


    ¡º I went on adventures in all types of ces to find avable resources and this was quite dangerous. The client gave me powerful escorts, but there were sometimes monsters that overshadowed the escorts. For example, mimics disguised as children or trees. ¡»


    ¡º Ah... You fell into traps. ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. If I have to make an excuse, it couldn¡¯t be helped because I was in a position where I had to investigate this and that. There is a mysterious tree. How can I just pass by it? Don¡¯t I have to look at it myself to see if it could be used as wood? ¡»


    ¡º You wouldn¡¯t have needed to open the treasure chests. ¡»


    ¡º Cough... In any case, the client was flustered when hearing that I kept ignoring the escort¡¯s warning and dying. Then after hearing my exnation, he fully understood my position and supported me with items. As you know, my client is the famous Grid. ¡»


    ¡º Ah...! The performance of the support items must be huge? ¡»


    ¡º That¡¯s right. I smashed the monster that suddenly popped out of the earthen pot. Ah, earthen pot is ng for the head. The origin is Korean. In any case,the pleasure was immense. Thus, I changed to a warrior. ¡»


    ¡º ...... ¡»


    ¡º Do you see that pir going through the ground? It is the rumored interdimensional movement gate known as the ¡®hell elevator.¡¯ Using this facility, you can freely travel between the surface and hell. The travel time is only 37 minutes... ¡»


    ¡º Doesn¡¯t the freedom toe and go between the surface and hell mean that demons can use the elevator to go to the surface in reverse? ¡»


    ¡º You don¡¯t have to worry about that part. ording to the announcement by the empire¡¯s spokesman, Huroi, the hell elevator is connected to the Overgeared Empire¡¯s hell headquarters, the Crystal Castle. The Crystal Castle doesn¡¯t allow enemy intrusions. ¡»


    ¡º Um... Most viewers, including me, are imagining the hell elevator like the name. Isn¡¯t the hell elevator literally an elevator that connects hells to the surface? It might be safe to be installed in the Crystal Castle, but isn¡¯t the passageway exposed to the outside and will be targeted by demons? ¡»


    ¡º Are you imagining the elevator standing like a pir in the center of hell? For example, a long pipe that extends from the ground of hell to the sky? Haha, that is possible, but it is actually different in reality. The hell elevator is just a name set for convenience. As mentioned earlier, the official name of the hell elevator is the interdimensional movement gate. ¡»


    ¡º So it isn¡¯t an actual elevator? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, the pir buried underground is the entrance to the gate. It isn¡¯t hundreds of kilometers long and connected to the actual hell. In the first ce, hell is another dimension. It isn¡¯t a ce you can get to just by digging a tunnel. Haha. ¡»


    Satisfy-rted broadcasts had high viewership. The new Reinhardt, the hell elevator, the hell expedition¡¯s captain selection and events to match it¡ªit was due to the variety of contents provided by the Overgeared Empire. It was just when public interest in Satisfy was high due to the uing National Competition so drawing people¡¯s attention was easier.


    ¡º The apostles aren¡¯t participating in the captain selection? ¡»


    ¡º Yes, the apostles can¡¯t leave the main base for too long. ¡»


    Braham, Mercedes, Nefelina, and Sariel almost always stayed at Reinhardt. Braham was keen on magic tempering, Mercedes had to focus on escort missions, Nefelina was easily exposed to danger, and Sariel needed to be wary of going berserk. There were reasons for each person.


    However, the public didn¡¯t know the exact circumstances and spected that the apostles were constrained. They were so powerful that they had limits to the time they could be active. It was to consider bnce. Grid¡¯s apostles were that powerful.


    ¡º Then the strongest winning candidate is the lord of the half-draconians. ¡»


    ¡º Yes, he will be one of the 12 captains. ¡»


    The half-draconians.


    It was a top species that many yers hadn¡¯t even seen. Very few people witnessed them despite them being active in earnest from the Great Human and Demon War. It was because they were deployed to the most dangerous areas of operation during the war.


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡±


    People were enthusiastic about the emergence of dozens of half-draconians. A species that helped defend the surface by fighting the demons alongside humanity. People felt a great liking for them who showedpletely different actions from the rumors of them being vicious.


    Thest hundreds of years. Could it be that the ¡®cost¡¯ of the Saharan Empire in isting and confronting the dangerous half-draconians was actually false rumors?


    More people had such doubts. It was natural that many people doubted Saharan, which persecuted minorities and immigrants under all types of unknown reasons. It was unfair to the people of Saharan. The Saharan Empire¡¯s confrontation with the half-draconians was really for the peace of the continent.


    ¡°Captain... I feel strange.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The half-draconians were fidgeting anxiously. It was an unfamiliar feeling they were experiencing for the first time in their lives. The cheers of the humans, whom they always ignored as inferior, created some changes in their hearts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is bad to help the weak...¡±


    The half-draconians didn¡¯t suddenly be nice, but they had the same emotions as humans. As proven by barking like a dog in front of Grid, they also knew how to feel fear.


    It was during the Great Human and Demon War. The half-draconians saw the endlessly invading demons and realized the need for other species. They realized that the inevitable crisis of the half-draconians could only be ovee by joining forces with everyone. It meant they had learned the concept of cooperation. They came to develop the idea that living together wasn¡¯t too bad.


    Then the cheers of the humans pouring into their ears started to drastically change their perceptions.


    ¡º Many people are spection that the Half-Draconian Lord Bunsdel might beparable to the Overgeared God¡¯s apostles. Unlike Orc Lord Teruchan, he didn¡¯t sumb to Grid through force. Rather, they worked together for the peace of the world. ¡»


    ¡º Look at the wonderful scales, tail, and sharp nails. Aren¡¯t they really good as warriors defending humanity from demons? ¡»


    The moment the half-draconians emerged, the viewership of broadcasts in each country started to soar dramatically. By this point, the expression ¡®eve of the National Competition¡¯ was awkward. It was an interestparable to the National Competition. It was ridiculous that the influence of the Overgeared Guild had grown to be as much as the influence of the S.A Group.


    ¡º As many people expected, Chris isn¡¯t participating in thispetition. ¡»


    ¡º I think it is true that he changed to a hidden ss and his level was reset. ¡»


    ¡º He yed a tremendous role in the Great Human and Demon War so he got a hidden ss. ¡»


    ¡º Then yers who can be candidates for the 12 captains are Jishuka, Pon, Regas, Peak Sword, Katz, Vantner, Faker, Damian, and Euphemina. ¡»


    Yura wasn¡¯t included. She was the Demon yer and would serve as themander-in-chief of the captains.


    ¡º Uh...? ¡»


    People were looking at the faces of the participants, who gathered one by one, only to doubt their ears. It was because they heard the sound of barking. It came from Bunsdel¡¯s direction. Contrary to people¡¯s expectations, Bunsdel was politely prostrating himself in front of Grid. It was more than just politeness. Reverence could be felt.


    ¡®Did I hear it incorrectly?¡¯


    It happened as people were trying to deny this unrealistic situation...


    ¡°The captain selectionpetition will start now.¡±


    Thepetition started.

 Chapter 1580

    <h4>Chapter 1580</h4>


    ¡°Jishuka has S-grade individual ability. Ever since bing the Bow Saint, she has no weaknesses because she is strong even in close-range battles.¡±


    ¡°Most of Jishuka¡¯s melee skills are counters, right? It isn¡¯t easy to hit if the other person is vignt in advance.¡±


    ¡°That is the problem of your fingers. Isn¡¯t Jishuka different from you?¡±


    ¡°How dare a man who is nothing evaluate Dia hyung-nim¡¯s fingers?¡±


    ¡°That is yer Diana. What type of nonsense are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Ah, really... Please don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    One of the main sources of ie for high rankers was the portrait rights. They earned high profits not only from their images being used in broadcasting, advertising, and photography, but also from their images used as secondary creations. A typical example was games.


    Games¡ªthe cultural life that modern humanity preferred the most. People weren¡¯t satisfied with just one Satisfy. It was an unavoidable physical issue. The premise was that they had to use the capsule to y Satisfy. It meant it was hard to do it in parallel with work. There was also a timeout. There was a limit to ying all day long during the holidays or enjoying a short break.


    This was why video games and mobile games still remained in existence. People felt that games other than virtual reality games were somewhat trivial, but they couldn¡¯tpletely turn a blind eye to them. They used these games as a substitute. There were many games on the market aimed at them. Satisfy Online, Satisfy Mobile, Satisfy World, Satisfy National Competition, and more...


    The secondary Satisfy games were released every year, some of which were significantly sessful. The sessful games had something inmon. They purchased the portrait rights of high rankers and presented them as game characters. It was easy to think about it as existing sports yers being characters in football games, basketball games, etc. Gamepanies broke down the rankers¡¯ stats and personality using their own rules and interpretations. Then they were released as game characters.


    The public immersed themselves in various games by ying characterized rankers. This was why ordinary people and even primary school students could analyze Jishuka¡¯s skills like a pro. It was an era where information flooded in. Satisfy¡¯s rankers had been exposed in countless media and analyzed. The public believed they knew the rankers well.


    ¡°Most of the games portray Jishuka as an overwhelming 1st tier character. Characters with her equivalent performance are Kraugel, Yura, Euphemina, Chris, and the demon king version of Damian. Do you know why?¡±


    The hair that was parted 5:5 without an inch of error strangely attracted attention. Looking closely at their feeling of strangeness, they found that there were no wrinkles in the man¡¯s suit. As evidenced by his upright back and sitting posture, he seemed to have nothing unnecessary in his actions and always insisted on the right posture.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because she is so popr?¡±


    Jishuka had maintained her top 10 ranking almost every year. She was undoubtedly a talented person, but she tended to appear as an excessively OP character in secondary creations. Sometimes it was hard to understand.


    By this point, it was even questionable if the game developers around the world had selfish motives in regards to Jishuka.


    It was true, but it wasn¡¯t the right answer.


    ¡°Poprity is naturally an important measure. However, if they were going to excessively overdo a character¡¯s stats because of poprity, Lae would be the immovable 1st tier character.¡±


    Lae is also a top ranked high ranker in the top 100. Furthermore, she wasn¡¯t inferior to Jishuka and Yura when it came to poprity. The strange thing was that her poprity had increased since she started dating Zednos... it wasn¡¯t unnecessary to analyze the reason except for entertainment media.


    ¡°The reason for Jishuka¡¯s high evaluation is her ¡®vision.¡¯¡±


    A man who wore sses on his sharp nose gave the right answer. He was the CEO of Red Moon Thunderstorm Art. He was an emerging giant in the game industry and was directly in charge of the production of Satisfy Online, the biggest hit among the dozens of secondary Satisfy games.


    ¡°It is said that the eyes of the Bow Saint are in the sky. She has a vision that makes all terrain and covers useless, so she has the potential to y without restrictions in any environment.¡±


    ¡°That huge potential was seen by game developers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Many directors reinterpreted Jishuka¡¯s abilities in different ways and integrated them into the game. The result was now. Jishuka was depicted as an OP character in almost every game.


    ¡°It is probably a lot of pressure. It is hard for her to use her strengths, especially on such an ordinary, t stage.¡±


    Jishuka, who came onto the stage as the first yer¡ªpeople¡¯s expectations of her were different. There were many people who believed she was going to show her invincibility. It was almost distorted enough to resemble the feeling of inviting Grid. This was despite the stark difference between the secondary creations and reality.


    ¡°In return for getting benefits from the creations, she is going to suffer in reality...¡±


    The reporters responded like it was a pity. Psychological pressure must be felt due to excessive expectations from the public. The condemnation she would receive if she didn¡¯t meet the public¡¯s expectations. It felt pitiful for Jishuka to take all of this. A young woman at the center of the world changing every day. Could she endure all types of hardships with her slender body?


    It happened as the reporters in the audience were worrying...


    -Yes, I¡¯ll work hard.


    Jishuka was trying to calm her excitement. That¡¯s right. She was excited. Unlike the concerns of the gaming industry experts and reporters, she didn¡¯t feel any pressure. It was natural. It was because Grid was cheering for her. Above all, she was skilled. Her skills in the various secondary creations were no exaggeration.


    ¡°It is going to be so advantageous for me. It is a bit embarrassing.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s opponent was Pon. He sat on top of his white horse and believed he had an advantage. It was amon sense judgment. tnd with no cover. It was the ideal terrain for Pon, who had high speed mobility. On the other hand, it was the worst for Jishuka. An archer¡¯s shooting was maximized only when taking advantage of cover and distance. Arrows that were obviously seen didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to the opponent.


    ¡®I just need to pay attention to the intangible arrows mixed in with the quick fire arrows and the counters she will try the moment I approach.¡¯


    In fact, the intangible arrows weren''t a concept that could be countered just by paying attention. Recently, Jishuka shot more than 10 arrows at a time and it was hard to get a glimpse of them when she mixed the intangible arrows in between. In particr, the arrows that flew in a parab were threatening. What if an intangible arrow fell over his head? He had to get hit no matter what.


    Theforting fact was that the damage of the intangible arrows wasn¡¯t very high. There was a limit to the damage because it was an arrow made of magic power, not an actual arrow. It was difficult to deal a significant blow to Pon, who was armed with Grid-made armor.


    However, an arrow aimed at the fine gaps in his armor would lead to a rapid drop in health. For example, Pon judged that as long as he paid attention to situations where arrows could dig into the gaps of his helmet to poke his eyes and cause blindness, he could win without any major variables.


    ¡®Jishuka, I¡¯m not denying you.¡¯


    He was just affirming his own life.


    ¡°Hiyah!"


    No one in the Overgeared Guild lived in vain. If there was such a person, they wouldn¡¯t have joined the Overgeared Guild in the first ce. Pon had always done his best. He might not have a legendary ss but he tried so hard that he was proud that the character ¡®Pon¡¯ itself would be a legend someday.


    The white horse carrying Pon gradually elerated.


    Jishuka, who was standing only 700 meters away¡ªshe felt very close to the white horse, who had been in a war with Pon. It thought she would be quickly reached.


    Hihing!


    This was its idea until an invisible arrow flew and hit its knee.


    ¡°Che!¡± Pon quickly jumped from the horse. It was a situation where he couldn¡¯t keep his position on the horse due to the arrows that were aiming for his vital points. This was expected. In fact, there was no damage caused by falling. It was an expected situation, so he responded immediately with the falling method.


    After rolling a few times, Pon raised himself and ran without dy. There was no hesitation of even 0.1 seconds. He remained focused so as to not lose the spear knight¡¯s charge gauge, which increased his attack power as he ¡®charged toward the enemy.¡¯


    ¡°Spear Flower.¡±


    Pon, who got off his horse, felt like a prohibition was lifted. He didn¡¯t hesitate to use arge-scale skill to neutralize Jishuka¡¯s arrows. The distance between the two people gradually narrowed.


    ¡®Now I need to be careful of the counters.¡¯


    He had umted more damage than expected to reach this point. He had noticed it since a single arrow made his horse fall, but Jishuka¡¯s intangible arrows were much more powerful than they were during the Great Human and Demon War. Pon deeply realized it as he got closer and was in the center of a rain of arrows.


    As much as he worked hard, others also worked hard. Time was equal to all. Others were getting stronger as he was getting stronger. Luck and talent were the qualities needed to jump over the ¡®wall¡¯ encountered and stay ahead of others.


    ¡®This time, luck followed me.¡¯


    The tip of Pon¡¯s spear started to vibrate. It created a maic force that gathered all the pouring arrows together. The tip of the spear that pulled hundreds of arrows was bulging like a mace.


    ¡°Destroyer.¡±


    Coincidentally, a week ago. He unveiled the new ultimate skill of he fourth ss advancement of the spear knight, which was acquired from leveling up. It was also an unexpected skill for Pon himself. It was no wonder why he couldn¡¯t expect it. Pon was ranked 1st in the spear knight rankings. He was the pioneer. There was no way to know which level would gain a newly added skill.


    Ever sincest week, Pon was conscious of thepetition and never leaked Destroyer. He used it secretly in a private training room to improve his proficiency, but he hid it from his colleagues. It was in order to win thepetition.


    His colleagues who gained hidden sses, the apostles of the Overgeared God, the rulers of their species, and the dukes of the empire¡ªPon felt like he was falling behind in strength. He was determined to prove his skills this time in order to protect his honor. He wanted to fight the rulers and ovee them. He ended up in the same group as Jishuka. Even so, Pon had watched Jishuka for a long time and didn¡¯t think she was worse than the other monarchs. Instead, he prepared for this day more vigntly and thoroughly.


    ¡®I will win today.¡¯


    He secured a new ultimate technique and favorable stage terrain. It seemed like the sky had given the day of victory to Pon. Pon had no choice but to win. This was a natural flow.


    This was the case until the arrows that Destroyer pulled up and exploded were stopped in the air like it was a lie.


    "......?!"


    Destroyer was one of the precious counterattacks in Satisfy. Among those precious counterattacks, it was a type of super killer move that belonged to the ultimate group. It was a structure that attracted the enemy¡¯s skills, magic, or projectiles and absorbed them with its own power, releasing them and returning them with several times the damage.


    Yet it was defeated. It was also as soon as it was made public.


    ¡®A reverse counter...!¡¯


    A chill went down Pon¡¯s spine. He remembered that Jishuka was the Bow Saint. Any attempts to take the lead in regards to ¡®arrows¡¯ against the Bow Saint was a failure.


    ¡°Whole Sky Flower Rain.¡±


    Jishuka also unveiled a new ultimate technique. Hundreds of arrows stopped around her and a storm was projected in a dizzying manner onto Pon¡¯s bloated pupils.


    ¡®Rebellion isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    Jishuka had always been Pon¡¯s captain. Maybe his luck was over from the time the match with her was decided. Pon thought this as he copsed. It was the moment when one of the 12 captains was decided to be Jishuka.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Jishuka! Jishuka! Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°...From today, Jishuka will be more OP. At this rate, she will soon be changed to a hidden character like Grid.¡± Was he embarrassed when his prediction was wrong? In the midst of the cheering people, the CEO of Red Moon Thunderstorm Art exined.


    ***


    A total of 16 participants.


    The eight people who won in the first matchup would immediately be captains. The remaining eight people would face each other in the second match with the four winners taking the remaining four captain positions. It was a rule established on the principle that ¡®all participants are eligible to be captains.¡¯ The four who failed to be captains today would be captains of four additional units in the future.


    Unlike the hearts of the participants, thepetition didn¡¯t mean much. The reason why Lauel held thepetition was a type of show of force. It was alreadymon sense in the world that the Overgeared Empire had the best power on the surface, but putting asidemon sense, it was necessary to show it frequently. This was why military powers like China and the United States constantly held soldier inspection parades.


    ¡°......!¡± Lauel was watching the event with a satisfied expression only to get up with surprise. The hot atmosphere of the venue became as quiet as a library.


    ¡°Crazy.¡± Grid was also astonished.


    On the stage, Orc Lord Teruchan copsed in front of Katz. Katz¡¯ majesty as he wore the blood shed by Teruchan as a cloak was reminiscent of a great demon.


    Beriache¡¯s Knight¡ªit was the moment when the ancient being who served one of the three evils of the beginning was reproduced by a yer.

 Chapter 1581

    <h4>Chapter 1581</h4>


    Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if he didn¡¯t try anymore?


    Grid thought this.


    He watched Jishuka smiling brightly. A person who was happy from hearing that she worked hard. Grid was happy just watching her. He felt it was the reward for all his hardships.


    All the responsibilities he bore were heavy. He didn¡¯t have enough time to share happiness with his loved ones. So how long did he have to look ahead and run like he did now? He even felt such skepticism. Of course, this was only for a moment.


    Grid looked at the empire he had built up. Colleagues he could rely on, soldiers who gave their lives and were loyal, the cheering people...


    He reaffirmed their appearance of trusting and following him and controlled his shaky heart.


    ¡®The idea of wanting some rxation... it is still a luxury.¡¯


    First of all, he had to kill Baal. There were no dreams of hope for humanity unless they could return the distorted hell to its original state. Those who learned that death was the beginning of eternal suffering, not rest¡ªthe reason they maintained a good spirit and lived pretending things were fine was purely because they believed in Grid and the Overgeared Empire. They held out with the belief that Grid and the Overgeared Empire would help them as always.


    ¡®...Come to think of it, I do this often.¡¯


    He had many thoughts when looking at Jishuka. At this moment, Grid clearly realized why he kept doing this.


    ¡®I like Jishuka very much.¡¯


    He liked her so much that he thought of the future together. As a result, all types of thought overflowed and were strangely twisted. He sometimes made mistakes. It was just like when they first broke up. It was behavior often seen by novices in love.


    ''Calm down.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart toward Jishuka was bound to be deep. Her appearance being his taste was a secondary issue. The first person to recognize and respect Grid¡¯s value was Jishuka. She was the one who led Grid, who was clumsy when it came to human rtionships, onto the right path several times. Maybe Grid had a crush on Jishuka since the beginning. He was justte in self-awareness because they started off as friends.


    In many ways, the timing was bad. Thanks to the incident with his first love Ahyoung, he became distrustful of real women. Then he got married to Irene. His rtionship with Jishuka couldn¡¯t be smooth. However, it would be different in the future.


    "......!"


    Grid pledged and raised his eyes.


    Destroyer¡ªPon¡¯s new ultimate skill caught his eye.


    ¡®It is a level of skill that forces the use of Shunpo.¡¯


    A skill that pulled hundreds of projectiles using maism and then ejected them. The implied power stimted the senses of a transcendent. It was safe to describe it as a skill that proved the potential of normal sses.


    ¡®The fifth ss advancement is really...¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s words that the gap between hidden and normal sses would be narrowed seemed to be bing a reality. Anxiety crossed Grid¡¯s face when he realized this. It was natural to think about Jishuka¡¯s defeat. Grid had always hoped for Pon¡¯s victory, but this time was an exception. He didn¡¯t want to see Jishuka feeling depressed.


    She seemed to respond to that wish.


    ¡°Whole Sky Flower Rain.¡±


    Jishuka showed off the power of the Bow Saint. She suddenly stopped the hundreds of arrows flying at her and made a storm to counterattack against Pon. It was a move that overturned the situation of the battle.


    Grid¡¯s butt shook from where it was tightly attached to the throne. He was so surprised that he almost shot out of his seat.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t just a skill that controls arrows.¡¯


    It was close to implementing a mental world. All substances and concepts in the range she designated. Stones, grass, dust, wind, mana, and even the residual air waves of Destroyer¡ªall of them responded to Jishuka¡¯s will. They were transformed into sharp weapons and swirled. The strength was amazing. Like the name of filling the entire sky with flowers, the blood shed by Pon spread throughout the sky.


    ¡®Amazing. Really strong.¡¯


    This was his impression of both Jishuka and Pon. Grid had a gut feeling that he would receive great help from the two of them at every crisis he would face in the future. After that¡ª


    Regas and Damian.


    Peak Sword and Euphemina.


    Faker and Hurent.


    Vantner and Huroi.


    Zednos and Zibal.


    As thepetition progressed, Grid¡¯s shoulders gradually became lighter. He put down his responsibility little by little. Grid was the one who was the most enthusiastic about the appearance of his colleagues who steadily developed even after the great human and demon war.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit sorry for Damian, but... sooner orter, he will find the answer. The opponent was too bad.¡¯


    Huroi was much more powerful than the public¡¯s perception as he fought from a distance using the wyvern and profanities. He seemed to be making proper use of the power of his second ss.


    Hurent, who had once degenerated, also regained the power of his prime. It was at the level of neutralizing Faker¡¯s stealth with sound y. The two of them were met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. They crushed the noses of some people who predicted they would lower the level of thepetition.


    On the other hand, Damian was weak. During his days as a pope, he had excellent survivability and magic to be likened to a cockroach. He could tank and use swordsmanship. Yet these days, he was merely a swordsman. The three fusion sword dance that waspleted early on as the leader of the Overgeared God Church was very powerful and it yed an extraordinary role in various official appearances...


    It was just that his opponent was too bad this time.


    Regas. For him, Damian was close to an existence that ¡®followed Grid.¡¯ Damian wasn¡¯t very threatening to him, who had a long good faith rivalry with Grid and had been chasing Grid¡¯s shadow. It felt like he was fighting Grid from a long time ago. It was easy to deal with because there were enough strategies.


    Furthermore, Regas had recently increased the intensity of his performance. Just like in the days when he was called the best genius of the Tzedakah Guild, he used all types of methods to hone his skills and improve. It was close to entricity from the perspective of others. Therefore, those who saw him would say ¡®Regas has be ill again.¡¯


    The effect was big.


    The secret of Regas¡¯ rtively easy targeting of Damian, who artificially implemented ¡®attack and defense in one body¡¯ by adding the power of items to the high stats unique to the leader of the Overgeared God Church, was due to the parrying he mastered during this time.


    Regas easily neutralized the sword dances of the Overgeared God Church. In the first ce, the Overgeared God Church¡¯s sword dances was a subpatible version of the Overgeared God''s Sword Dance. The biggest drawback of the sword dances was the long cooldown time for reuse. Thepatibility with Regas was bad since he focused on bos¡¯ and unleashing endless attacks.


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!¡±


    The cheers of the crowd were growing. The scenes that were somewhat disappointing for Grid were still gorgeous to them. People were happy enough with the content of thepetition.


    The Half-Draconian Lord, the Orc Lord, and the Dark Elf King. Now there was much greater anticipation for the three remaining monarchs. Huroi and Hurent showed unexpected performances. They believed that the three monarchs would provide a level of shock that would impact the heavens and earth. They also felt sympathy for one person.


    Katz¡ªhe was matched with Teruchan and it was like carrying a bomb. It could only be said that he was too unlucky.


    ¡®I wanted topete with the Half-Draconian Lord.¡¯


    Teruchan¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t much different. He was the monarch who ruled over every orc in the world. He would¡¯ve been the overlord by now if he hadn¡¯t served Grid. He thought of the Overgeared members as reliable generals. It was no more than that. He judged that they weren¡¯t his opponents, even if he could trust them and leave tasks to them.


    This was why he fixed his gaze on Bunsdel, who was sitting on the waiting seat under the stage. Teruchan didn¡¯t even care about Katz standing right in front of him. He didn¡¯t even have the will to fight. He felt it was trivial.


    At this time, Katz¡¯ voice was heard. ¡°I don¡¯t have a hobby of cutting a pig¡¯s neck.¡±


    There were many members of the Overgeared Guild outside the normal category. Just like Grid, it wasn¡¯t umon for people to have defects in their personality. Katz was the representative of this. Of course, he had be incredibly mellowpared to the past, but he wasn¡¯t a pushover who would be nice to his opponent who was ignoring him.


    Teruchan bowed slightly to Katz. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t have the courtesy of a warrior.¡±


    The Twilight Orcs were the dominant species. They dominated all orcs and at one time, they even tried to dominate humans. He respected warriors as much as he honored their armed force. Teruchan¡¯s action of bowing didn¡¯t mean much. It wasn¡¯t about bending his pride. It was just a ritual greeting.


    ¡°You are also a warrior.¡±


    It was Teruchan who gave a natural provocation. It was the unique ferociousness of a dominant species. A red light appeared in Katz¡¯ hand and he grasped a sword. Teruchan felt a deep bloodstream.


    ¡°Good. I like it more and more. I won¡¯t feel guilty even if I half kill you,¡± Katz said.


    Teruchan charged. It was the instinctive act of a frightened beast. The smell of blood filling his nose was too thick.


    The superior version of Failure¡ªthe dark shark-shaped sword collided with the blood sword and caused an explosion.


    In fact, Katz¡¯ blood sword exploded. The sharp sword¡¯s shape quickly broke down and blood was sprayed like a fountain.


    Teruchan¡¯s expression hardened. He made an effort to recover his sword as he was caught in the explosion and pushed back. However, it was toote. The blood clinging to his thick arms pulled his upper body to the ground.


    ¡°Keuk!¡± The veins of Teruchan¡¯s neck bulged as he gritted his teeth and held on. He used both arms to raise his head back.


    Katz had the illusion of being hit by a cannon. Then his body, which was about to stab Teruchan with a new blood sword, flew far away. It was because Teruchan¡¯s kick hit his abdomen. It was a covert attack. Teruchan had stared into Katz¡¯ eyes and didn¡¯t show any signs at all as he lifted his feet. For Katz, it was an attack that camepletely out of the blue.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Teruchan snorted and broke the blood confining both arms. He noted that the strength of the blood had weakened the moment that Katz¡¯ focus dropped.


    ¡°Katz! I admit that you are a great warrior!¡±


    Teruchan¡¯s thick veins stood out and all the muscles of his body swelled. At the same time, ck magic power that was different from the demons exploded. It was a wave that generated a power unique to the Twilight Orcs. Teruchan¡¯s steps caused cracks on the stage.


    Administrator Rabbit sighed. The most expensive metal was found to make this stage with, but the specially made stage was ruined. It wasn¡¯t worth the money he invested in it...


    Teruchanpletely broke the stage with his second leap forward. The sudden narrowing of the distance to Katz was Shunpo itself. Just as the transcendent Bunsdel proved, the monarchs deserved to be transcendents.


    It happened the moment people were feeling admiration...


    ¡°Sr Eclipse.¡±


    Night came. The red moon that floated above Katz¡¯s head was the aftermath of the sun being covered.


    His skin turned whiter.


    His long mrs.


    The shining red eyes and cloak formed from another person¡¯s blood...


    He was a vampire with pure blood in a different way from the direct descendants. Beriache¡¯s Knight, who could be said to be the first direct descendant, artificially removed the sun¡¯s constraints and regained full power.


    Red blood and ck power collided dozens of times. The red blood scattered and repeatedly formed waves again while the ck force continued to swirl like a storm. Neither side was likely to be extinguished. It was literally an equal match. For a few minutes, countless spectacr scenes were seen. It looked like a fight that wouldn¡¯t end. However, people gradually became aware that Katz¡¯ blood cloak was much longer than it was originally.


    Flop!


    Teruchan fell to his knees. His armor was crushed and his appearance was exposed. He was skin and bones like he had starved for dozens of days. It was the aftermath of being deprived of blood throughout the battle. For Beriache¡¯s Knight, blood absorption was done as naturally as breathing. It was very different from the other direct descendants who directly bit with their teeth or sucked blood through magic. No procedure was required. It was a near-perfect immortality created to protect Beriache. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to fall before what he had to protect.


    ¡°...There are six more people over there?¡±


    The Half-Draconian Lord had a stiff expression from the moment the sun was covered and now he muttered nkly. Since he decided to be the dog of the Overgeared God, he nned to be the closest and loyal dog. However, it didn¡¯t seem as easy as he thought. He felt a great sense of crisis toward the true apostles of the Overgeared God who didn¡¯t even participate in thispetition.


    ¡°......¡±


    The half-draconians, whose shoulders were raised after being enthusiastically weed by the humans, fell silent. After that¡ª


    The Half-Draconian Lord won against the Dark Elf King. Considering that Piaro and the former Red Knights had to join forces to capture the Dark Elf King, the power of the Half-Draconian Lord was at least on the level of an apostle. The Overgeared members spected that Bunsdel would be thest apostle.


    Even so, Grid didn¡¯t say anything. His discerning eyes had risen following his meeting with Ifrit and he was nning to select thest apostle really carefully.


    ¡®At the very least, they should be stronger than me.¡¯


    ...Should he visit the No Offspring Tomb?


    In any case, 12 captains were appointed on this day. Those who felt the power of the Overgeared Empire had great expectations for the hell expedition that would begin in the future. Theypletely shook off their fears. This was as Lauel intended.


    Meanwhile, in hell...


    ¡°Hoh...?¡±


    The soul of Beriache, which hadn¡¯t moved for hundreds of years, started to shine faintly.


    ¡°That person is the guardian of the White Tiger Spear... can the two of us defeat him?¡±


    ¡°Do you want sessive deaths? I am going to seek the cooperation of the Twelve Zodiacs and the Four Auspicious Beasts.¡±


    ¡°What about the Overgeared God?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a matter that requires the help of the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This person is a lot inferior to Mir.¡±


    In the East Continent, Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon infiltrated the Pa Kingdom.


    ¡°It is more than expected, right? By this point, he will be a better cksmith than the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be worse than the person who rebelled against Asgard. By the way, the ones next to you...?¡±


    ¡°They are neers. Make weapons for them.¡±


    In Asgard, the new angels were preparing for full-fledged action.

 Chapter 1582

    <h4>Chapter 1582</h4>


    ¡°Stop adding cheese to fried rice. I feel ufortable just looking at it because you are putting too much cheese in the rice stir-fried in pork oil. It is better to add more kimchi.¡±


    At a pork belly restaurant near Youngwoo¡¯s building...


    All the Overgeared members living in South Korea gathered in this ce. It was to celebrate the sess of today¡¯s festival in the Overgeared Empire. At first, the atmosphere was harmonious. Fried rice was cooked on an iron te. This was until Lauel was tackled by Peak Sword as he was sprinkling additional cheese on top. Well, Peak Sword didn¡¯t tackle Lauel, but these words were still correct.


    ¡°...Why don¡¯t you stop paying attention to my fried rice and focus on your own fried rice?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you always insist on it? We have a duty to teach people who eat food in the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Wrong way? Is it wrong to sprinkle mozzare on fried rice? Are you serious? Are you disparaging South Korea¡¯s traditional food culture?¡±


    ¡°I just pointed out that the amount was too much. Besides, I presented kimchi as a solution. Isn¡¯t it traditional Korean food culture to add kimchi to fried rice?¡±


    ¡°It is prejudice! This is discrimination! You are disparaging Korean people by saying they add kimchi to any food!¡±


    The atmosphere became chilly for a moment. Of course, it was only for a moment. The group soon drew their attention away from Peak Sword and Lauel. In any case, the argument between the two of them always ended with Lauel¡¯s victory. It wasn¡¯t a matter of concern because Peak Sword would soon be mute.


    ¡°Jishuka, you are sprinkling flying fish roe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    "Yura, don¡¯t sprinkle seaweed powder.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    From the beginning, Grid was focused solely on Yura and Jishuka. He stood in the center of arge iron te and cooked his own fried rice for them. His skills were dazzling. The expression of ¡®ying with fire¡¯ was appropriate. His culinary experience in Satisfy also helped in reality.


    Both the master¡ªwith 40 years of experience in grilling and stir-frying¡ªand the general manager of the pork belly restaurant were so surprised their mouths dropped open.


    ¡°The rice was pressed down in a short period of time and he perfectly enhanced the texture with flying fish roe...? No, what is this? Youngwoo-ssi, are you perhaps from the CIA?¡±


    ¡°Huh? CI what?¡±


    ¡°It means the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States.¡±


    ¡°He is referring to the cooking school, idiot.¡±


    Grid, Sehee, Yura, Yerim, Bokja (Elizabeth), Eat Spicy Jokbal, Peak Sword, etc. There were quite a few Koreans in the Overgeared Guild. There were also many people who moved to South Korea such as Jishuka, Lauel, and Toon. This meant that once they had apany dinner, there were dozens of people gathered. It was bound to be noisy. How many conversations would there be with colleagues who they crossed the line of life or death with while drinking together?


    At a second drinking party that took ce in a more private location, more in-depth conversations urred.


    ¡°When Katz called out Sr Eclipse, I thought a Japanese person wanted to be Japanese.¡± [1]


    ...Peak Sword was ignored.


    ¡°Kraugel has arrived at the Peach Blossom Spring?¡±


    ¡°It seems there is a swordsman among the daoist immortals there. I¡¯m expecting a hidden quest to happen.¡±


    ¡°If things go well, will he incorporate daoist magic into swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°That will be less cool. The romance of the Sword Saint is to cut anything with the sword.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the era where romance can feed you.¡±


    Starting with Grid, all the yers were leveling up. The thing they had inmon was that they developed their abilities in a variety of ways. Grid alone had grown and gained dozens of different opportunities. The mindset of being proud and obsessed with a single ss was worn down.


    ¡°In the first ce, the strength of a Sword Saint had no particrly great merit now.¡±


    Muller¡¯s greatest achievement that made him the strongest Sword Saint was sealing Hell Gao. Of course, there was no guarantee that this was Muller¡¯s limit. It was likely that the greatest threat of the Muller era was just Hell Gao. However, it should be taken into ount that in Satisfy, achievements were immediate.


    People of the present time had achieved more than Muller. Grid, Braham, Mercedes, etc. might have already transcended Muller. This was where the problem arose with Kraugel. It was because Muller, who held the title of ¡®strongest Sword Saint,¡¯ had fallen in value since he fell below others. The status of Kraugel, who was originally hidden in the shade of the name Muller, was reduced even further.


    The Overgeared members thought that in order for Kraugel to develop further, he needed to abandon his obsession with the Sword Saint. On the other hand, Grid thought differently.


    ¡°Who knows... I think the Sword Saint is greater than what is known to the public.¡±


    Grid knew a few more Muller stories that other people didn¡¯t know. He knew that all of Muller¡¯s achievements that were known to the world was after Muller had handed over his status to the Mountain King. Furthermore, the greatness of the Sword Saint was proven by Biban who was still alive in this era. It was just that people didn¡¯t know it.


    ¡°I think Kraugel¡¯s purpose isn¡¯t to learn, but to fight the swordsman immortal and win,¡± Grid expressed his opinion with a serious expression while peeling tangerines. His dexterity was great. The tangerines were easily peeled. The-shaped white fibers were neatly removed and the tangerines sparkled like they were gold.


    ¡°Too soft~¡± Jishuka¡¯s mouth was wide open as she ate the tangerine that Grid put in her mouth.


    Yerim, who was staring at it, poked Sehee¡¯s side with her elbow. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that Unni look like a dog the more you see her?¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡± The cowardly Sehee blocked Yerim¡¯s mouth. ¡°No matter how cat-like a woman is, you can¡¯t swear too harshly! She is our captain before she is Oppa¡¯s lover!¡±


    ¡°Oof oof!!¡±


    Yerim just meant that she was pure like a dog. She thought of a puppy when she saw the surprisingly weak and gentle Jishuka, unlike the leopard-like impression. She had no intention of swearing that Jishuka was a dog.


    ¡®Why is she so strong?¡¯


    Yerim wanted to exin, but she didn¡¯t have a chance. She couldn¡¯t remove Sehee¡¯s hand covering her mouth. She couldn¡¯t help wondering if strength was hereditary.


    ¡®...Why did it suddenly be a mess again?¡¯


    The fighting Sehee and Yerim, Eat Spicy Jokbal who kept calling Bokja¡¯s name andining, Peak Sword who was arguing with Lauel again...


    Toon, who didn¡¯t drink alcohol, was wary of the atmosphere that was more distracting than necessary. Not long ago, he told his friends who came to the country from Italy to prepare for any possible risks.


    The night of the Overgeared Guild was deepening.


    ***


    A few days after the captains selection...


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    Finally, the hell elevator started running. The underground facilities emitted light and thend around the area turned blue. It was like looking at ake.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Grid sent away the hell expedition directly.


    12 units organized by selecting and organizing volunteer rankers from any affiliation. Hundreds of them were given various elixirs made at the Reidan alchemy facility. Their role wasn¡¯t a one-off.


    Try to rush as far as possible. They had to y in hell for as long as possible and consume the demons and demonic creatures until the hell elevator was opened to the public. This meant that sustainability was important. The Overgeared Empire had a duty to support them properly.


    ¡°However, try to be acquainted with those in the safe zone.¡±


    At Lauel¡¯s final request, all the expedition members boarded the elevator. It was the moment when humanity, which had been subjected to the one-sided aggression of demons for hundreds of years, finally went on the counterattack. It was a revenge that didn¡¯t forget the history of humiliation as well as a holy war for the future.


    ***


    Why should they distinguish between good and bad? Wasn¡¯t it like their lives existed for humans by making the wicked pay for their sins and providing the good with opportunities for reincarnation? It was a contradiction. Hell needed to be revised.


    Amoract was deeply sympathetic to Baal¡¯s ims.


    The 2nd Great Demon¡ªone of the three original evils, she was on Baal¡¯s side. She helped reform hell and made it into its present form. She stabbed Beriache, who was at the forefront of the opposition, directly with her own power. It was something she regretted all her life.


    She sympathized with Yatan, who was stigmatized as the evil god as hell deteriorated. She realized that her choice had dropped her father into the abyss and was deeply frustrated.


    Thus, she established the Yatan Church. Her father would never be able to wash away the stigma as long as the present hell existed. Thus, she tried to change the concept of evil. She preached that evil was valuable, just as there was a reason why her father made them. As a result, many people started to worship Yatan again.


    Even so, Amoract wasn¡¯t satisfied at all. Her father was one of the gods of the beginning. It was right for him to be treated equally with Reba, but he was endlessly shabbypared to Reba.


    Amoract realized this was a mistake that must be made up for. She wanted to return hell to its original form. She wanted Baal¡¯s destruction the most. She missed Beriache the most.


    Therefore, she turned a blind eye to many events. She was rooting for humanity. However, she was furious when she heard of humanity¡¯s invasion of hell.


    ¡°No, this can¡¯t be. No, kids.¡±


    Looking back on it now, it was right that they existed for humans. The reason why her father made evil was as a warning to humanity. He was teaching that they shouldn¡¯t be evil by watching and learning from evil. It was a mercy to elevate all humans to Heaven someday. He couldn¡¯t have wanted to see humans fall to hell alive.


    ¡°How dare you break Father¡¯s wishes?¡±


    Transcendence meant being far from the general public. It was impossible to understand transcendents from a general point of view.


    At this moment, Amoract¡¯s feelings toward the invaders werepletely different from hostility.


    ***


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel it incorrectly.¡±


    The reason why dragons slept for a long time was simply because their lives were long. For humans, hundreds of years of history couldn¡¯t be covered in a lifetime while for dragons, hundreds of years was a split second. However, now¡ª


    ¡°It is real.¡±


    Gujel¡¯s son, Xenon, was adjusting his time-sensitive senses close to humans. His father was killed while he was sleeping for a while. It was even by humans. In other words, it was close to a warning that a dragon¡¯s sense of time should be tailored to humans. Xenon didn¡¯t want the terrible experience of having his eyes and nose cut while sleeping so he started to be wary of humans.


    ¡®Is human civilization quite advanced? I have to get the items back and sort them out.¡¯


    The remains of dragons were recognized as treasures for the same type of dragon. In order for Xenon to seed as the stone dragon, it was necessary for him to eat Gujel¡¯s remains. They weren¡¯t objects that should be held in human hands.


    Kurarararara!


    The shadow of the gray dragon roaring with his huge wings spread out turned the wilderness dark.

 Chapter 1583

    <h4>Chapter 1583</h4>


    The seven malignant saints episodes weren¡¯t arranged for a single yer. It was a structure in which many yers discovered secrets by connecting with the seven malignant saints and proceeding with quests. There were currently five yers doing the seven malignant saints episodes.


    The 1st evil, Jake, and Zibal¡¯s Providence.


    The 2nd evil, Diana, and Haster¡¯s Heroic Story.


    The 3rd evil, Rayleigh, and Agnus¡¯ Supreme Ruler.


    The 4th evil, Taren, and Grid¡¯s God''s Command.


    The 5th evil, Leeha, and Kraugel¡¯s Quick Command.


    Who first came to know about the concept of the seven malignant saints? It was naturally Kraugel. Kraugel¡¯s episode progress was also the highest. However, the first person to gain the power of one of the seven evils was Grid. On the other hand, Zibal gained the power thetest.


    However, Zibal contributed the most to the growth and survival of the 6th evil, Zik, and discovered the truth of the seal of the seven malignant saints. This meant that the process wasn¡¯t very important. yers rted to the seven malignant saints learned the secrets of the seven malignant saints together, regardless of the order.


    It happened naturally even if there was no contact point. It was because the seven malignant saints were so famous.


    Didn¡¯t Hanul, one of the gods of the beginning, try to recruit Zik? It was from the surface, hell, Asgard, and even the Peach Blossom Spring and the Hwan Kingdom. The whole world knew about the seven malignant saints, so the spread of news rted to them took ce tremendously quickly.


    In the present time¡ª


    In fact, the episode of the seven malignant saints was heading toward the end. All of the seven evils were killed except for the 6th evil, Zik. Only their souls remained after their deaths and were wandering somewhere in the Abyss. Zik, whose body was preserved, was the only one revived. The powers of the remaining six of the seven malignant saints were shared by the yers. The remaining task was to tell the stories of each of the seven malignant saints, except for Zik, and reveal the powers of the seven malignant saints that hadn¡¯t appeared yet.


    In fact, it was ambiguous to say that it was a challenge that needed to be solved. The ¡®ending¡¯ of the seven malignant saints episodes was the punishment of the gods of Asgard. it was to reveal the ugly reality of the gods and make them lose their divinity, or physically conquer Asgard. This was the wish of the seven malignant saints.


    It was good to be able to omit the intermediate process as much as possible as long as their wish was fulfilled. However, Kraugel came to the Peach Blossom Spring. He persistently dug through the quests rted to the 5th evil and barely reached it. It was out of the belief that the more he understood them, the stronger that Quick Command would be. It didn¡¯t matter if his expectations were wrong.


    He got confirmation that there was a swordsman immortal at the Peach Blossom Spring. It was good enough if he could meet the swordsman immortal.


    ¡°Like this ce that is far from the world, there are many dimensions in the world. There is also a world where elementals y.¡±


    At a small vige surrounded by peach trees...


    At the entrance, someone was sitting on the bench in front of the cabin. He had his back to Kraugel, who just entered the vige.


    Tak, tak, tak...


    A clear sound rang out irregrly. It was the sound of putting a go stone on a board.


    ¡°The elemental world is a world where four elements are established in order.¡±


    ¡°Earth is the lowest, water is the next lowest and is above earth, air is above the two of them, and fire is at the top. Do you mean this type of order?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s understanding was unrivaled. He immediately identified and adapted to the identity of the vige that he arrived at without knowing it. It was because he felt auspicious energy. He was convinced that the man who sat alone and yed go was a daoist immortal and gave a preemptive answer. He knew it was the precursor to a quest.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I wanted to ask you the question because you know it well.¡±


    Tak.


    White stones surrounded ck stones. It was just beforepleting the territory. There didn¡¯t seem to be any remaining ck stones.


    ¡°It is right that it is light that appeared in defiance of the order andws of the alreadypleted world.¡±


    The five attributes that made up the elemental world were originally fire, water, wind, earth, and light. If it had been Kraugel a few days ago, he would¡¯ve replied something like ¡®light exists everywhere so it isn¡¯t wrong.¡¯ However, it was different now. He knew that the Elemental King of Light was defeated by Grid and that the new Elemental King of Nothingness filled the void.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think light is necessary in a world where light already exists.¡±


    ¡°You must be interpreting based on the premise that thew and order are established andpleted worlds are perfect.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it is rare for anything in this world to beplete.¡±


    A divine move¡ªthe white stones surrounding the ck stone were swallowed by a single move. They broke down helplessly. It was only then that the man put down the stone and turned around. Kraugel witnessed the reversal on the checkerboard followed by the evaluation that it was the wrong answer and was quite flustered. He had to control his facial expression.


    ¡°The elemental world is wrong from the premise. We also noticed it btedly after the birth of thest elemental king.¡±


    Bentao¡ªthis was the name of the daoist immortal who sat facing Kraugel. He looked like an innocent young child or a kind old man.


    ¡°The sky brings down water, the water causes trees to grow, the trees create fire, fire builds up earth, and earth is turned to metal. These are the five elements.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°The elemental world isn¡¯t four elements, but a world seeking five elements. Therefore, it has been obsessed with the number five.¡±


    The elemental world was ruled by ¡®five¡¯ elemental kings. This was the most basicw that governed the elemental world.


    ¡°It is a world that can only bepleted if thest born ¡®nothingness¡¯ was ¡®metal,¡¯ but it wasn¡¯tpleted properly.¡±


    The reason was obvious. Kraugel grasped the meaning of the words.


    ¡°Is it the Elemental King of Wind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Wind or air didn¡¯t belong to the order. It was right to have metal there. The Elemental King of Wind was a hidden viin. Of course, the words that led to the truth followed.


    ¡°You might¡¯ve noticed, but the daoist immortals can be defined as half-gods whopromise with the world. We can deceive a god¡¯s eyes for a while, but we can¡¯t disobey the essential meaning.¡±


    Bentao pped his wide sleeves and yellow amulets fluttered. The circr shape as it moved resembled butterflies ying. It soon became a door. It was a door to the elemental world.


    ¡°In short, correct the order of the elemental world on our behalf.¡±


    [¡ïHidden Quest¡ï Sword that Cuts the Wind has urred.]


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes widened as he quickly scanned the contents of the quest. It was because the Sword Saint¡¯s ¡®sword that cuts anything¡¯ was about to enter the deepening phase.


    ¡®Even shing oxygen... can I make an area where breathing isn¡¯t possible?¡¯


    The opening of a passive skill that sharply decreased the health of nearby targets every time he wielded the sword. Of course, this was a story of when he seeded in cutting the Elemental King of Wind. Unsurprisingly, Kraugel epted the quest.


    ¡°There are many things I want to ask but I¡¯ll push it back for now.¡±


    What did the four elements and five elements imply? Why did the daoist immortals want to help the elemental world? Did this person happen to know he woulde and so on.


    Kraugel had all types of questions in his head as he moved toward the portal. It was because he noticed that once hepleted his quest and returned, they would be able to have a deeper conversation. He wasn¡¯t worried that it might be a trap. He trusted Bentao. Bentao was the first person to preach to the world that the seven malignant saints were good beings.


    ¡°I will tell you two things in advance.¡± Bentao smiled at the gradually disappearing Kraugel. It was a smile that wiped away even the smallest bit of anxiety. ¡°We have been waiting for you. Additionally, thepletion of the elemental world will benefit the Overgeared God and all humans in the world.¡±


    ***


    Reidan¡ªit was once the border of the Overgeared Kingdom and it had been transformed into an industrial city responsible for the empire¡¯s supplies. It had arge territory, but it was and devastated by the desert. Thanks to the dedication of Piaro and the farmers, nearly half of the desert had turned into agricultural fields and forests, but deserts were stillmon and sandstorms often struck. All types of industries had developed around the alchemy facility, so it was much better to use it as an industrial city than a residential city.


    In the first ce, the Overgeared Empire was a superrge nation that ounted for more than 80% of the continent. There was a lot ofnd much better for people to live in than Reidan.


    ¡°Eh! Hey! Brat! I told you to load all the things that are going to the capital first!¡±


    The air in Reidan was very pleasant. There were hundreds of chimneys emitting smoke that was as ck as the workers¡¯ hot beards, but the air purifiers installed in each chimney quickly cleaned up the pollutants. It was the invention of the century created by the Reidan alchemy facility. It was said that when they first invented this device, the great emperormended the alchemists by saying, ¡°You finally paid the price for your rice.¡±


    ...The price for the rice was finally paid despite the alchemy facility being very old, but the air purifiers had be one of the empire¡¯srgest sources of ie. It was produced in various sizes and designs, and was sold to facilities and nobles across the country. It was distributed free of charge to the popce. Of course, there was a condition that they needed merit in their field, but no oneined. They were just grateful that they could study or work hard without beingzy.


    ¡°Huh? What? It isn¡¯t time for the sandstorm to blow?¡±


    There was amotion as the busy workers sensed the unexpected event. It was because the hundreds of superrge air purifiers installed in each chimney shook and generated noise. There was also a backflow seen from the mana acting as a filter in the air purifiers.


    ¡°There is a huge winding,¡± a worker from Reidan muttered.


    Until now, no one took the situation seriously. It was a peaceful world. Humanity joined forces after being invaded by demons and didn¡¯t antagonize each other. The marriage between Grid, who respected minorities from the beginning, and Basara led to racial unity. The expression that all humans were on the same side wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.


    There were fewer troops stationed in Reidan and most of the talented people representing the city were away on the hell expedition, but the workers didn¡¯t feel any anxiety. In the first ce, they didn¡¯t think about an enemy invasion. This was until bells rang all over the city.


    ¡°Evacuate! Evacuate all members!¡±


    ¡°The castle! Flee to the castle! Dammit! Come on, run!¡±


    It was a call that was close to a scream. The soldiers who were shouting from the walls looked very unusual. The workers finally noticed the seriousness of the situation and moved quickly. They started to run toward the castle without even checking the identity of the danger they had thought was just the wind. However, the invader made their hundreds of steps useless with just a single p of their wings.


    [There are many weird things.]


    ¡°Ah... Ahhhhh...!!!¡±


    The identity of the being that cast the ck shadow.


    A dragon¡ªpeople witnessed the legendary monster that was different from a hatchling and copsed due to weak legs. They sensed death, annihtion, and destruction.


    The gray dragon Xenon didn¡¯t even look at the people who were shaking in silence. He paid attention to the bizarre devices installed throughout the city and various facilities that produced all types of goods.


    [Human civilization has developed so rapidly?]


    He was convinced about his father¡¯s death. He needed to be vignt of the human beings of this time.


    Xenon judged and flew heavily. He caused a frenzy and destroyed all types of facilities.


    ¡°U-Uwaaack!¡±


    ¡°Hiiiik!¡±


    Thousands of people were swept away by the wind. There were only a handful of people who held onto the pirs. Most of them soared into the air. They struggled to survive as they fell among the remnants of the copsed building. There was a being who saved all of them.


    ¡°All those who can fight should grab weapons. For the rest, run underground!¡±


    It was Noll who just arrived at the scene with his vampire troops.


    Noll¡ªhe inherited his warm heart from his mother, Beriache, and was almost the only direct descendant to show benevolence. His blood magic specialized in protection and survival.


    [Vampire... Hmm.]


    Xenon responded like it was somewhat strange. He felt strange about vampires protecting humans.


    [Is this a farm?]


    Xenon interpreted it in this way and gathered his magic power. From his point of view, there was no difference between vampires and humans. They were equally insignificant except for ¡®only one.¡¯ He was going to annihte them all at once.


    It was the day of the greatest crisis in Reidan¡¯s history.

 Chapter 1584

    <h4>Chapter 1584</h4>


    Noll¡ªhe was the only surviving vampire among the direct descendants, apart from Marie Rose and Braham.


    Grid failed to kill him. There were various circumstances, but it was basically because Noll was too strong. He wasn¡¯t easily killed due to his excellent abilities to increase the survivability of himself and his allies. He wasn¡¯t included in the hell expedition because he was the lord of the vampire city, not because he was unqualified.


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    Noll had been lying in a coffin for almost his entire life, but he surprisingly hadmon sense. He gained a lot of knowledge and experience after bing a member of the Overgeared Kingdom.


    A dragon¡ªhe clearly recognized the absolute power of this huge creature. He felt great fear while knowing there was no chance. Even so, he didn¡¯t run away. He took the lead and ordered people to flee.


    The nature of what he inherited from his mother Beriache, his ¡®benevolence,¡¯ forced him to put others first. It was an instinct to be stronger in moments of crisis when life was at risk.


    Why? Why did his mother make him love others? The family love and fellowship he experienced in his hellish life had always been like a disaster.


    Jealousy, resentment, anger. The bloodkin who were affected by the Curse of Sloth went crazy. They easily turned away from each other or harmed each other. As the only one among them who loved them, Noll¡¯s life was particrly painful. He felt alone. To be honest, he resented his mother.


    However, at this moment.


    ¡®It is time to repay the favor.¡¯


    Noll was deeply grateful to his mother. Thanks to this ¡®heart,¡¯ he met Grid. Thanks to Grid, he had been meeting new people endlessly. He found out that he wasn¡¯t a mutation. The experience of exchanging kindness, not malice, was more valuable than blood. His heart was filled with joy. He was happy. He felt his mother¡¯s love. He realized that his mother loved him, so she gave him this heart.


    Yes, it was time to repay all the favors. It was for Grid, who took him away, and his mother, who gave him the heart that made him feel rewarded. It was time to help those who taught him happiness while being with him.


    Just then, the dragon that invaded Reidan out of nowhere released magic power. The bodies of Noll and the vampires were shattered.


    It was pandemonium. People were screaming. There was no one who wasn¡¯t agitated by the empty deaths of those who rushed to help them.


    ¡°Re...vival!¡±


    Gurgle gurgle!


    The words that were painstakinglypleted using a torn mouth became a spell¡ªit was blood magic that used blood as a medium. The fluttering blood and flesh were reconstructed and attracted to each other at a very rapid speed. It was an untimely revival of the vampire army that had been wiped out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back and run!¡± Noll overcame death and urged the people. Floating rings lined up to the left and right of Reidan Castle. He delivered his willpower to the lord of Reidan by infusing magic power into the structures that were both architectural and symbolic.


    ¡°Noll... Shit! This way!¡± Garitsha, who became the lord of Reidan after Chris and Zednos¡ªshe turned away and led the people to the castle.


    The warp gate¡ªit was toward the rings that had just started to run while using Noll¡¯s magic power as energy.


    [Themand skill ¡®March¡¯ has been used.]


    [Themand skill ¡®Bravery¡¯ has been used.]


    Garitsha belonged to Overgeared One. She was a talented person who had been a member since the days of the Tzedakah and changed her ss to amander due to the needs of the Overgeared Kingdom. Hermand was swift and efficient. She quickly recovered and moved the people who weren¡¯t able to even walk properly due to shock.


    ¡®I can¡¯t make Noll¡¯s sacrifice be in vain.¡¯


    The warp gate had nearly all-rounder functions, but it had difficult operating conditions in exchange. It required arge amount of magic power. Hundreds of magicians needed to squeeze out their magic power to barely operate it. It was unlikely that Noll, who just operated four warp gates at the same time, would be in an intact state. This was despite the fact that he was a direct descendant and the lord of the vampire city. It was because his magic power wasn¡¯t infinite.


    Meanwhile, Xenon was intrigued by the series of situations.


    ¡®The world has changed a lot.¡¯


    The rtionship between vampires and humans was that of predators and prey. The act of helping each other was contrary to ecology and was a clear error. The direction in which human civilization developed was also unexpected. It was a form of harmony without destroying the ecosystem.


    It meant that they had chosen a difficult path. They felt they could afford it. It was highly likely that human intelligence had developed to a level beyond expectations. Or perhaps it was rted to the elves.


    ''Did my father deserve it...?¡¯


    An era that would¡¯ve been ssified as ancient by human standards¡ªthe operation of the warp gate, which was only seen in an era that felt quite old even for Xenon, made Xenon more cautious. The warp gates were the giants¡¯ technology. The reason for the destruction of the giants was that they were a threat to many transcendent species.


    As expected.


    Dozens of weapons appeared on the ground below the warp gates. He was alert to the giants¡¯ weapons that could fire a substance called a ¡®beam,¡¯ but fortunately, it was a cannon operated by gunpowder. The image of the busily moving artillerymen was primitive...


    [......!]


    Dozens of cannons fired simultaneously. At the same time, Xenon¡¯s eyes widened. It was like two crescent moons in the gray sky seemed to turn into full moons in an instant.


    He was surprised by the power of the Overgeared Cannons. It was hard to believe that the cannons with a simple structure could show such power. Apart from Xenon¡¯s surprise, the dozens of shells didn¡¯t produce any results. Not a single shot hit Xenon. It was because they were blocked by the shield of transparent magic that surrounded his body at all times. It felt like the shells exploded in collision with invisible ss. Despite the fact that the shock waves generated at this time were quite powerful, Xenon¡¯s huge body didn¡¯t shake at all.


    It wasn¡¯t even his absolute defense. A dragon¡¯s absolute defense was the power to ¡®invalidate all damage received.¡¯ However, Xenon had blocked the damage from even reaching him, and it was all with one simple shield.


    ¡®This is...¡¯


    ¡®...A dragon!¡¯


    The minds and hearts of Noll and the vampires chilled. It was more urate to say that their expressions hardened. The attack didn¡¯t work properly. The power of a transcendent species was so shocking. They already understood the power of dragons through sufficient learning, but actually experiencing it was a different problem.


    Dragon Fear, magic, Dragon Words, Breath, barriers, absolute defense, etc. They felt most desperate about the fact that the gray dragon didn¡¯t show a single skill.


    Meanwhile, Xenon had finished identifying Reidan.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t strange if the army arrives.¡¯


    In terms of the size and shape of the city, it was an important production base for humans. Yet there were no elite forces that responded. He didn¡¯t think that the vampires stationed there were the elite. His guess was that they trusted the warp gates. This allowed them to move troops at any time.


    Dozens of spheres started to spin with Xenon as the center. It gradually became faster and more powerful. The city would be devastated even if only one of the spheres fell and hit the city.


    Noll¡¯s pupils trembled like crazy.


    ¡°Garitsha!¡± he shouted in a hurry. However, the sphere elerated several times faster than Noll¡¯s cry. Noll¡¯s cry was buried by a deafening explosion. The deafening sound continued without stopping. The four warp gates copsed quickly and hit Garitsha and the people. There wasn¡¯t even time for Noll to act.


    Garitsha and most of the people lost their lives from the moment the spheres collided with the warp gates. They turned into ashes, along with Reidan Castle which stood at the heart of the warp gates. A few people who luckily didn¡¯t perish were crushed to death by the remains of the warp gates.


    It was an unbelievable disaster caused by small actions.


    [I am very cautious.]


    Xenon¡¯s father, Gujel, wasn¡¯t an old dragon. It was a bit too ambiguous to be the absolute being that humans imagined. Therefore, Xenon was able to make the guess that ¡®my father was killed by humans¡¯ and didn¡¯t feel overconfident in his power.


    Xenon nned to travel around the continent. He felt a need to closely observe and grasp humans. The problem was that from a human perspective, it would feel faster than a storm.


    ¡°You...¡± Noll gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t ask questions like why this dragon had invaded. This was a transcendent species that he couldn¡¯t understand from his own perspective. He decided it would be useless to ask for an exnation. The energy to devote to dialogue and understanding waspletely focused on his magic power.


    ¡®Mother, I will be going to your side now.¡¯


    He smiled as he recalled Beriache¡¯s life. Blue blood vessels started to bulge all over his pale skin. It was the aftermath of magic power speeding through his blood vessels all over the body and elerating blood flow. Noll was determined to die. He nned to explode everyst drop of his blood and take at least one of the dragon¡¯s eyeballs. Of course, he knew that the probability of sess was near zero. Even so, he wanted to leave with even a glimmer of hope rather than die an empty death.


    Xenon¡¯s eyes that looked at him were sad. They resembled a human¡¯s eyes looking pitifully at a mayfly¡¯s life. It happened the moment Noll felt insulted and his blood vessels swelled up even more...


    ©¤©¤©¤!


    One of the spheres still swirling around Xenon were fired at Noll. There was no sound. The sphere was soon lodged in Noll¡¯s heart. It was only when it exploded that it caused a deafening noise.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡± Noll shattered without even screaming while the vampires writhed in pain. They were critically injured in the aftermath of the explosion that blew Noll up. Xenon showed them no further interest. He fired one more sphere without saying anything.


    Just then, a giant bear appeared and blocked the sphere with its body. It was meaningless. The sphere pierced the unidentified bear with no trouble. The problem was that there were dozens of bears. By the time it reached its target, the sphere that had to pierce all types of obstacles without stopping or exploding lost its speed slightly. Arrows, swords, spears, axes, and shields fell in turn to block its way and the sphere exploded without advancing any further.


    Noll and the vampires, who just finished regenerating, looked at the reinforcements with a haggard face. They were unexpected people.


    ¡°This is a great opportunity. I felt too ufortable to talk to him because I was less active in the Great Human and Demon War.¡±


    The 1st ranked berserker¡ªit was Asuka, a blonde-haired woman called the weapons master or weapons collector.


    ¡°This is a disaster, not an opportunity.¡±


    1st in the summoner rankings¡ªit was ck Teddy, a man with a cute teddy bear on his shoulder.


    ¡°I know. I am going to die. Even so, that doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    The duo with names familiar to Noll stood facing Xenon without any fear. Their expressions were confident even with a giant dragon like a mountain in front of them. They didn¡¯t seem to know fear.


    ¡°Take that vampire and leave while I hold on. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Lady.¡±


    ¡°What courage do you have...?!¡±


    Noll¡¯s cry was ignored. Noll was helpless after already oveing two deaths. Thus, ck Teddy¡¯s bears easily covered his mouth and lifted him up.


    Asuka pulled out a new weapon and gripped it.


    Money and information¡ªshe invested the most powerful capital to collect the weapons made by Grid and had the ability to respond to various situations. Additionally, berserkers didn¡¯t die easily. Death was deferred the closer she got to death. This was a more pronounced trait after level 460. It was possible to buy some time even if she couldn¡¯t win against an overwhelmingly stronger opponent than herself.


    ¡°I am finally going to join Overgeared One.¡±


    The right to purchase Grd¡¯s new works that couldn¡¯t be purchased no matter how much money she had¡ªthis was the lifelong aspiration of Asuka, who had the Weapons Mastery skill.


    ck Teddy also longed for her to fulfill her aspirations. He actively cooperated with her. He used a one-time top artifact, a movement device, to break through the barrier and took Noll and the vampires away from the field.


    The momentary wavelength of strange magic power woke up the queen who was sleeping deep underground. This made the few seconds bought by Asuka the most valuable time in the world.

 Chapter 1585

    <h4>Chapter 1585</h4>


    Xenon¡¯s method of recovering his father¡¯s remains was simple. He could¡¯ve shot a Breath as soon as he arrived at his goal. Considering the personality of the tower members who were reluctant to appear before the public, making a big fuss was a method to avoid them.


    However, Xenon had no intention of using such an extreme method. He could avoid the tower members by making a fuss, but he would end up catching the eye of the top dragons. He would be a victim himself if he did this. There were many difficulties and limitations in a dragon¡¯s activities.


    Xenon nned to do things as quietly and smoothly as possible before returning to hisir. He wanted to block the rumors that a dragon was flying around. This was why he had to rush to make a decision a little while ago.


    Xenon couldn¡¯t allow the escape of the vampires. He quickly recognized the artifact triggered by the humans who intruded into the scene and set up a barrier with the rule ¡®you can¡¯t leave this space.¡¯ This series of processes was very fast. It was natural since a dragon¡¯s will was realized immediately.


    The barrier was unfolded first before the artifact was triggered but it missed. It was because the technique imprinted on the artifact was surprisingly powerful. The one-time artifact turned into dust after it was triggered and the barrier became useless.


    ''It''s a nice flow.''


    Dragons had an eye for determining the value of treasures. Xenon regarded the artifact that had just been destroyed as a pretty good thing. By human standards, it was a treasure where a recement would probably be hard to find. Such a treasure was sacrificed in order to allow the vampires to escape? It was too much to simply be loyalty. It was clear that there was a trick.


    ¡®If it is something that can be done with the vampires...¡¯


    It was easy to infer. Vampires were beings that came from Beriache. It was a n led by ¡®Blood Queen¡¯ Marie Rose, Beriache¡¯s most powerful legacy.


    ¡®Is there a way to wake up Marie Rose using the vampires?¡¯


    Before Xenon fell asleep, Marie Rose was sealed by Pope Chreshler. However, the seal was actually close to what Marie Rose ¡®allowed.¡¯ It was a seal that Marie Rose could leave any time she wanted. Of course, the Curse of Sloth was different. The Curse of Sloth was one of the most powerful curses derived from the gods of the beginning and couldn¡¯t be easily rejected.


    Even so, Xenon had a high evaluation of Marie Rose¡¯s potential. Marie Rose was the one whom Beriache, one of the three original evils, gave birth to in order to transcend her. She was likely to be able to temporarily ovee the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡®The situation will be bad if I be hostile to her. I have to go back now.¡¯


    The only one Xenon was wary of among the humans and vampires was naturally the Dragon yer Hayate. This didn¡¯t mean he looked down on Marie Rose. He had no intention of fighting her, even if she currently wasn¡¯t free. The odds were low and the moment he collided with her, he was more likely to be caught by the tower members.


    The moment that Xenon turned back, the spheres circling around him were shot at Asuka. He was going to leave, but he still wanted to punish the intruder. Xenon absurdly wanted to kill the human blocking his way, but he couldn¡¯t kill her.


    The Eraser Sword¡ªit was due to the unique rated sword, which had a probability of negating magic, luckily shing at the sphere. The Eraser Sword was supposedly made around three years ago by Grid, but it was still a new product among the items on the market. Putting aside the unstylish name, the power was excellent. Of course, this was a story of when the anti-magic effect was activated. The chance of triggering it was only 9% and the sword¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t very high. It was an item that wasn¡¯t good for the Overgeared Guild...


    ¡°Hahat! I was lucky!¡±


    Asuke, who felt like her life was shortened by ten years, threw the Dragon Harpoon. It was an item optimized to constrainrge monsters. The improved Dragon Harpoon had been distributed inrge quantities to the army of the Overgeared Kingdom in recent years and it was rtively easy to obtain.


    Ttang!


    It fired with a nice momentum. The Dragon Harpoon that hit Xenon¡¯s gray scales fell to the ground helplessly. It couldn¡¯t even scratch the scales. It was a very disappointing result for Asuka, who had already lost a significant amount of health in the aftermath of several explosions by Xenon.


    ¡®There is no effect even though my attack power has risen by 43%?¡¯


    Asuka was well aware of how powerful a dragon¡¯s absolute defense was. However, Grid had shed the scales of a dragon during the 3rd National Competition. It might just be a small scratch, but it should be taken into ount that the high rankers of that time had levels in the 300s. This meant that the current Asuka was much stronger than Grid at the time. She couldn¡¯t even scratch the scales even after using the Dragon Harpoon?


    ¡®Do I have to use a special method to hurt a dragon?¡¯


    Asuka was an enterprising person. The moment she established a new hypothesis, she didn¡¯t obsess over the Grid-made weapons and instead took out other weapons. It was a scythe she got after a boss raid. It was a must to aim at the gap in the scales.


    She had no intention of escaping death. She knew it was impossible and was ready to die from the beginning. She had achieved her desired goal of letting the vampires escape and had no regrets other than getting a hint on how to attack a dragon.


    However, Xenon didn¡¯t allow it.


    [Impertinent.]


    Xenon used magic for the first time. The magic power spheres that destroyed Reidan¡¯s troops and plunged Noll and the vampires into a crisis were merely ¡®magic power united and moved¡¯ while magic was aw established with magic power to create a phenomenon.


    "......!¡±


    Asuka¡¯s two feet sank deep into the ground and were stuck. The sight of her slim body being sucked into the ground was strange. It was as if she was in an antlion¡¯s pit.


    The connection between gravity and a sinkhole¡ªit was a technique that made the increase in stats from the loss of health useless.


    ¡®Look at him using his brain?¡¯


    Asukaughed from the absurdity. Gravity weighed down on her body at the same time that the ground she was standing on disappeared. It caused restrictions on all types of actions. It was impossible to even perform an ¡®action¡¯ to take out items from her inventory.


    This meant that Xenon had blocked all variables with a single move. This was even though he had overwhelming power. He was able to subdue her with force, but Xenon sought efficiency without showing off his strength. There was naturally a reason for it.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t need to fight.¡¯


    Berserkers didn¡¯t die easily. Somehow, they could hold on a few times. Xenon was wary of luck variables on those few asions. She could take out some means to threaten himself.


    ¡®Besides, the level of the weapons used is extraordinary.¡¯


    They weren¡¯t ordinary, human-made objects. Xenon looked back at the weapons Asuka used and ignited a fire in the hole that swallowed Asuka. After a while, the ground of the area ran red and dark smoke rose. An explosion followed. There was a deep, earth-shaking rumble and a gray ray of light soared from the center of the explosion. It was a light that meant Asuka¡¯s death.


    Xenon immediately left the scene.


    The secondrgest building in Reidan¡ªno, thanks to the castle turning to ashes, it became thergest building and he had a view of the city from the roof of the alchemy facility. It was disastrous and silent. Most of the facilities that produced goods had copsed and no survivors were seen. Even so, Xenon could feel numerous signs of life from the building he was stepping on.


    ¡®In any case, I have already missed the vampires.¡¯


    Keeping a few more eyewitnesses alive wouldn¡¯t change anything. Despite this, Xenon trampled on the roof. He broke the ceiling of the building and looked inside through the gap. Those who witnessed the huge pupil started screaming.


    They were alchemists. They had been celebrating that they were starting to prove their worth after at least 10 years of just eating rice. The reason they ignored Garitsha¡¯s evacuation order was due to lingering regret. They could never give up on this facility, which they had developed while eating rice. If they abandoned the facility like this and ran away, they would just return to being useless people.


    ¡°Be sure to protect Apostle Mercedes¡¯mission...!¡± the chief shouted. In particr, a coating agent with an excellent waterproof function¡ªMercedes had requested a few months ago for a thin and transparent film that wouldn¡¯t be noticeable even when oveid over a painting.


    The six apostles¡ªone of the beings who was considered as the greatest after His Majesty the Emperor personally came to them. How could they fail her request? The chief wanted toplete the quest, regardless of dragons or whatever. He didn¡¯t want things to go wrong because of this bastard who was nothing but a monster.


    Xenon read the enmity in this human¡¯s eyes and was flustered.


    ¡®The activities of humans have been too good for too long.¡¯


    Howe every person he met didn¡¯t seem to be very afraid of dragons?


    mes rose under Xenon¡¯s feet. This facility had made a great contribution to the development of human civilization. They would keep stretching out while he was asleep, so he needed to obliterate it in advance...


    [Your blood can¡¯t wet me.]


    Xenon, who was trying to make the mes flow through the gap in the roof, suddenly opened his mouth.


    They were Dragon Words. The words that became real with strength. The waterfall of blood couldn¡¯t reach Xenon¡¯s flesh and scattered everywhere. Still, it didn¡¯t disappear. It divided into millions or tens of millions of drops, but maintained its strength as it flew in the direction it came from. A strong bloody smell filled the area.


    [I can¡¯t smell the blood.]


    Xenon used Dragon Words again. He felt pain from the middle of his forehead. The continuous development of Dragon Words was causing various problems. However, Xenon had to endure it.


    ¡°You have just be an adult.¡±


    The Blood Queen¡ªthe sight of the white face smiling between the dark magic power and red blood flowing was so chilling that it made Xenon¡¯s dragon heart sink. The most beautiful duality in the world with the most sinister smile. It was seductive so Xenon had to use Dragon Words again.


    [I¡¯m not fascinated.]


    Was he finally breathing properly? Xenon¡¯s chest swelled up and he let out a long breath.


    [The life you have lived is much shorter than mine to call me a child.]


    Xenon held onto the end of his words and stretched it out. He wanted Marie Rose to not focus on the current ¡®situation.¡¯ After leading the conversation and disrupting the topic, he nned to take the opportunity to break away. It was just that Marie Rose wasn¡¯t stupid.


    On average, it was once every few decades. She woke up for only a few minutes every time, so she knew the value of her time.


    ¡°The power to determine my kin.¡±


    Thest child Beriache gave birth to¡ªeven so, she was pointed out as a sessor and beat all her siblings.


    ¡°You said that ¡®my¡¯ blood can¡¯t wet you.¡±


    The shadow of the city fluctuated greatly. To be precise, it was a scene where all the blood all over the city shot up.


    ¡°What about the blood shed by my people?¡±


    [......!]


    Xenon¡¯s eyes widened and he eventually shot a Breath. It was to prevent the flood of blood that was like a tsunami and to create a chance to escape. The collision of the powerful forces caused an unstoppable wave.


    Just as Marie Rose woke up after hearing the fuss from below Reidan¡¯s desert, the dragons all over the continent slowly opened their eyes while the tower members noticed the change.

 Chapter 1586

    <h4>Chapter 1586</h4>


    Intelligence wasn¡¯t a measure of goodness. Compared to insects who just responded to their instincts, the more intelligent a creature, the more selfish and cruel they were. It was simple when thinking of humans.


    [Is it Gujel?]


    [No, it is his son.]


    [There must be many who are drooling.]


    The dragons¡ªthe ultimate transcendent species, they were always great. They overwhelmed all others in both wisdom and strength. However, they had never been the subjects of the world. It was because they were brutal. It was virtually impossible for parents who ate their children or siblings who killed their siblings to work together to do big things.


    Dragons were creatures that existed to the end. All they could rely on was themselves.


    Baaaaang...!


    The sun seemed to fall to the ground. If a bit of exaggeration was added, it was reminiscent of a quasar. The waves of blood caused by Marie Rose and the energy of the Breath shot by Xenon swallowed up all the substances around it and eroded the giant city of Reidan.


    ¡®It is dangerous.¡¯


    Xenon spread his wings wide. At the same time, he rose to the troposphere and his eyes headed toward the far east. It was the direction of hisir.


    From the moment he was born until when he became an adult. It was a home he had built up for over a thousand years. Even after bing an adult, Xenon invested almost every moment except for the time sleeping to construct hisir. It was to create a stronger and more hidden home.


    This was a dragon¡¯s habit, not because Xenon was particrly cautious. Staying in their was the dragon¡¯s most obvious survival strategy until thousands of years passed after adulthood and they built up enough power.


    ¡°It is disgusting.¡±


    A small person rose in front of Xenon¡¯s giant head. Red blood spread out like a shroud and colored the sky with its own color. It was Marie Rose who followed him. If Xenon was the size of a mountain, she was only a small dot. Marie Rose was very smallpared to Xenon. Even so, Xenon felt overwhelmed.


    A world where everything that touched his gaze was red. This was already the domain of Marie Rose.


    ¡°You turned my dear husband¡¯s city into dust. You deserve to pay for it.¡±


    [It is your fault that it reached this point.]


    ¡°I naturally have to punish you. This is what my dear husband wants.¡±


    [This demon...]


    The appearance of Marie Rose smiling with a flush on her face made Xenon feel appalled. He felt pity for the one called ¡®dear husband¡¯ by this crazy being.


    ¡°Leave a wing for your sins,¡± Marie Rose spoke as kindly as possible.


    Although she was displeased with Xenon, she made a rational judgment rather than any excessive decisions that would kill him. It was because her eyelids were getting heavier. She woke up for a while after hearing a big fuss, but she was already at the limit. The Curse of Sloth inherited from Beriache was eating at her body and her thinking again.


    [It won¡¯t be good for you if you take your time like this? Act moderately and get out of the way.]


    Xenon didn¡¯t agree with the judgment that Marie Rose believed to be rational. He regarded it as excessive greed. It was natural. Like himself, who was being chased by other dragons, she was in a tight position when it came to time. Xenon knew Marie Rose was about to fall asleep. He didn¡¯t think there was a need to match her obstinacy.


    Marie Rose¡¯s gaze chilled as she looked at the roaring Xenon. The sight of her long eyshes descending was like a moving brush. It felt like the brush was taking a break for a while after drawing big and dark eyes. ¡°Gray, you are a low level hybrid.¡±


    In fact, wasn¡¯t she born to satisfy their aesthetics? Marie Rose, who was so beautiful that she made people wonder this, looked good even when she was cursing. Her disdainful gaze gave Xenon a form of stimtion that he had never known. He would¡¯ve been dazzled by Marie Rose at this moment if he hadn¡¯t used Dragon Words beforehand.


    ¡°The cut wing will grow again over time, but you are driving yourself to an early grave due to your vain pride.¡±


    The shroud of blood that covered the sky¡ªa change urred in Marie Rose¡¯s domain. The whirlpool made Xenon¡¯s vision and spirit turbid. It meant that a dragon¡¯s mental defenses had been prated. The astonished Xenon hurriedly used magic to purify his thoughts.


    A second change urred in the blood shroud. It swelled up everywhere and tens of thousands of awls popped out to unexpectedly pierce Xenon in the center of the area. Sparks popped up every time a red awl touched Xenon¡¯s scales. The majesty of the absolute defense was revealed. None of the tens of thousands of awls pierced Xenon¡¯s scales. Instead, they melted and flowed down as a handful of blood. Even so, Xenon wasn¡¯t relieved.


    A huge pool of blood made by the melted awls. He was wary of the deep swamp that came up to his thighs.


    [Blood, it can¡¯t hurt me.]


    Blood flowed from Xenon¡¯s eyes as he squeezed out the Dragon Words. It was the aftermath of designating the substance ¡®blood¡¯ itself as an immune target. He suffered iparable side-effectspared to when he rejected the ¡®blood of a particr target.¡¯


    Instead, the effect was excellent. The pool of blood that reached Xenon¡¯s thigh was scattered everywhere. Xenon felt liberated. He had a gut feeling that now was his chance to escape.


    This was until he saw the smile on Marie Rose¡¯s face.


    ¡°You are simple.¡±


    There were a lot of remnants of Beriache remaining in Marie Rose¡¯s head. It was the knowledge and experience of one of the first three evils.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s theory was right.¡±


    Convenience simplified thinking. Therefore, the Dragon Words were poisonous. Dragon who relied on Dragon Words would surely regress...


    Beriache¡¯s prediction was correct.


    Xenon¡ªa young dragon born with gray scales and a low hierarchy was overly reliant on Dragon Words. He was tricked by meaningless deception and paid a harsh price.


    Demonic energy¡ªboth wings were captured and torn by a force that was as powerful as the blood that Marie Rose inherited from Beriache.


    [Kuaack...!]


    Xenon btedly realized what happened as he felt his absolute defense temporarily copsing the moment he was held by demonic energy.


    The 3 evils of the beginning¡ªtheir intrinsic power was naturally demonic energy. He overlooked the basics and became too obsessed with blood. It was because Marie Rose showed blood magic that was too overbearing. It was right to say that he waspletely pushed in this fight.


    ¡°Then goodbye.¡±


    This was enough punishment. Marie Rose lightly waved her hand and really left without any regrets. She used Xenon¡¯s blood that was soaking the ground as a medium and moved underground.


    Xenon failed to shoot a Breath at her. It would just be re-announcing his location to the other dragons who would be chasing him. He used magic while resenting his choice and ipetence for losing both wings while trying to protect one wing


    ¡®I have to leave soon.¡¯


    A portal was opened in front of Xenon. The coordinates were naturally a ce other than hisir. It was the end if it was backtracked to the coordinates of hisir. From now on, he would have to escape through portals for at least decades or hundreds of years. At the end, he was more likely to be dead than alive, but... there was no other option for Xenon, who lost his wings.


    ¡®Won¡¯t it be possible to survive if I momentarily slip away from the pursuers and flee to the East Continent?¡¯


    Xenon was trying to move through the portal only to move back in astonishment. At the same time, the portal split in half. Xenon recognized the identity of the sword that cut the portal with one nce. It was a sword made from his father¡¯s remains.


    [You...?!]


    Xenon was greatly flustered. After he woke up, his father¡¯s remains had stayed in the same ce. It was the direction of Reinhardt, the ce the humans referred to as the capital of the Overgeared Empire. Yet in front of his eyes, traces of his father that he never felt before appeared.


    The identity was Gujel¡¯s Sword. It was a divine sword held in the hands of a Sword Saint.


    ¡°For now, you will be secured by the Tower of Wisdom.¡±


    A sword that shed anything¡ªBiban spoke after cutting the portal that distorted space and stopping Xenon¡¯s escape. It was close to an order.


    One human being...manding a dragon? The weight of the tower¡¯s name was too great for it to be improbable and offensive.


    Xenon¡¯s trembling gaze was fixed to Biban¡¯s back. A man of dignity who transcended the limits of his species¡ªDragon yer Hayate was quietly staring at Xenon.


    ¡°It is better for you to get a chance to defend yourself in the tower than be eaten by your own kind here,¡± the 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz, persuaded the hesitant Xenon.


    The purpose of the Tower of Wisdom was to suppress the disasters that dragons would cause. They couldn¡¯t tolerate a situation where Xenon and the dragons¡¯ chase would make the continent turbulent. They wanted to prevent any dragon from eating Xenon and evolving.


    ¡°There is no time,¡± Radwolf checked the dragon radar and urged Xenon again.


    [...I understand.]


    Xenon gave up on resisting. It was better to follow the tower member and grasp an opportunity than to die here. However, things went differently from what they intended.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    [......!!]


    Suddenly, a new portal opened at the scene. It was a trace of someone finding this location and trying to cross over.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Biban¡¯s sword neatly shed at the portal. There was just a problem. The portal reopened as soon as it was cut. It was even four at the same time. The location of each portal was different. It was created in all directions from the location of the portal just cut.


    ¡°So persistent...!¡±


    Biban clicked his tongue and drew a full moon with his sword. The portals generated in all directions were shed without a time difference and extinguished. Then¡ª


    This time, 32 portals were opened. Eight portals were created in all directions around each of the four portals that had just been extinguished. It was very quick and urate.


    ¡°Who keeps disturbing me...?!¡±


    Biban used the Matchless Swordsmanship. He cut all the new portals and urged his colleagues with a look. It was a signal to send Xenon to the tower. However, the required magic power to teleport a dragon was different from the magic power required to teleport humans. An additional 64 portals were opened before Jessica and Fronzaltz¡¯ coborative incantation waspleted.


    This time, a voice was heard from the portal. It was already great to be able to open 64 portals at the same time, yet each portal had voice transmission magic fused with it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t miss it,¡± the voice said.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The voice that rang from all directions caused the expressions of the tower members to stiffen. It was because they identified the voice.


    Braham Eshwald¡ªthe apostle of the Overgeared God and the legendary great magician. Additionally, Beriache¡¯s direct descendant.


    They observed the world, so there was no way they wouldn¡¯t recognize the voice of one of the most important and noted figures.


    ¡°This damn thing.¡±


    They were being disturbed by Grid¡¯s subordinate?


    Jessica told the flustered Biban, ¡°The other person is too bad. In this way, he will eventually arrive here first.¡±


    The existence of the tower would be discovered...


    The tower members felt the crisis and all their gazes shifted to Hayate.


    ¡°We will step back first.¡± Hayate quickly made a judgment.


    [What about me...?]


    Xenon asked in a hurry, but it was useless. The tower members had already left the scene. Xenon had no choice but to reopen a portal. However, Braham appeared from one of the 64 portals, ahead of Xenon¡¯s bted portal. The problem was that Xenon¡¯s magic flow was poor due to the continuous use of Dragon Words and Braham¡¯s magic usage speed was simr to a dragon.


    ¡°......?¡± Braham¡¯s expression stiffened as he arrived at the scene. He followed Marie Rose¡¯s footsteps only to find a dragon. He was so flustered that he couldn¡¯t control his facial expression properly.


    [......]


    Xenon was wary of the chasers who would already be very close, so his expression was also ufortable. There was an awkward silence for a moment.


    Kurarararara!


    Then from the far sky, the cries of the pursuers were heard.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    The tower members who just arrived at the tower checked the dragon radar and their hearts sank. The number of dragons disyed on the rader, including Xenon, was a huge four.

 Chapter 1587

    <h4>Chapter 1587</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Biban stared nkly at the shing dragon radar before rising from his seat. Every time he breathed, he scattered transparent waves in the shape of a de. Thousands of intangible swords emerged involuntarily. Even now, he was about to express misunderstandings.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bragging. In fact, I know Braham. He will remember my face clearly.¡±


    ¡°I know it well, even if you didn¡¯t confess. Why do you think you are monopolizing the cleaning duty?¡±


    ¡°...Braham might¡¯ve vaguely noticed the existence of the tower. It is just that he is clever and closed-mouthed, so he didn¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°Braham isn¡¯t a man of virtue.¡±


    ¡°Certainly. A magician of that level will be close to a madman.¡±


    ¡°It is ominous just from his origin. He is a vampire. The vampires have a drastic shift in tendency due to Grid, but what about their shady nature?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The emergence of four dragons¡ªdue to the urgency, the atmosphere of the tower was very tumultuous. They felt lighter than the heart of a bachelor who was excited in spring and almost floated recklessly. Biban¡¯s words were constantly interrupted and he frowned as he felt the limits of his patience.


    ¡°Trust me once. No, trust Grid. Even if Braham sees us and is certain of our existence, Grid will firmly control him.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to do this.¡±


    Radwolf simply ignored Biban¡¯s confident words.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a matter where we can take risks.¡±


    Jessica added some basis to his words.


    ¡°The first problem is that we can¡¯t rescue Xenon even if we go all out.¡±


    Three dragons had entered the scene. By now, they would¡¯ve surrounded Xenon perfectly. There wasn¡¯t a single top dragon, but there was enough power to kill Xenon, who met the Blood Queen and lost both wings in vain. Xenon was going to be eaten even before the tower members could do anything.


    ¡°It will be the site of the birth of a new top dragon. There is no way the other dragons will stand by.¡±


    ¡°By now, a lot of eyes will be paying attention to the scene. They know we have the technology to detect them and are hiding their signs.¡±


    Additional remarks were added. The contribution of the tower members to make Biban understand was huge. It was a waste of time, but it was a necessary process considering Biban¡¯s wisdom.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just three? Is that possible? Can so many dragons move all at once? They are grouping up when they should be most vignt of each other?¡±


    ¡°The threshold of the ce and the stimulus is the problem.¡±


    The exnation was longer than the tower members expected.


    ¡°Reidan is the area where Beriache settled in the past. The vampire cities are still underground. It has great geographical value and there is a high probability that it is actually in touch with many voids.¡±


    Voids¡ªit was a ng term often used by the tower members to refer to an ¡®unidentifiable ce¡¯ or a dragonir.


    ¡°Besides, the Blood Queen made a brief but intense impression. It might be a lower ranked dragon, but she overpowered him with just a few minutes. It is a sensational event.¡±


    It took just over three minutes for Marie Rose to grab and tear at both of Xenon¡¯s wings. This meant that her strength clearly transcended the traces and spections that remained in history. They felt that the curse she carried was bncing the world.


    ¡°There¡¯s more attention on Reidan right now than we think.¡±


    ¡°It is a feast for dragons. If we go there, we will just be delicacies prepared on our own. The tower, which has worked hard for a thousand years, will immediately copse.¡±


    ¡°This damn thing. Why are you saying that now? If I had known, I would¡¯ve brought Xenon with me before.¡±


    Xenon was a lower ranked dragon. Furthermore, he was greatly weakened due to the continuous use of Dragon Words and the loss of his wings. It was possible for the tower members to grab his lifeline and move as they wanted. If they had seeded in securing Xenon, he would¡¯ve been useful in many ways. However, it was bitter because they failed.


    ¡°So are we going to just watch?¡±


    Ken, who was watching quietly with his arms crossed, intervened. His abilities were within the top three of the tower. In particr, he was the master of pration, so he could ignore a dragon¡¯s absolute defense and thick scales, easily spreading the shock inside the dragon. If his fists and angle of attack struck the dragon¡¯s heart, then a top dragon would also falter for a while. He wasn¡¯t happy that he had to stand by and watch the situation without using the strength he was confident in.


    Hayate calmed the atmosphere. ¡°There is still a chance.¡±


    Biban and Ken listened carefully.


    On the other hand, the expressions of the other tower members weren¡¯t veryfortable. They knew what opportunity Hayate was talking about.


    ***


    ¡°I fell into a trap,¡± Braham was stiff for a while before btedly opening his mouth. The irritation on his beautiful face sharpened the impression he gave off, but it suited him very well. Originally, it was a strange thing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she made a dragon into a half-god to lure this body... as expected, Marie Rose... I don¡¯t know about anything else, but I have to acknowledge the skills she inherited from Mother.¡±


    Kurarararara!


    The cries were echoing. He magically tracked it and the sound wasing from the end of the stratosphere. It meant the power in the voice was close to a miracle. He realized how ignorantly strong the dragons were. It made Marie Rose¡¯s wicked and mysterious strategy of using dragons to create the trap even greater.


    [I thought you had a high consciousness. It turns out that you are also Beriache¡¯s child.]


    Xenon talked in a nonchnt manner. He was desperate. It was because the mana, which was carried by the voice of the same kind, was transformed into a technique that sealed off the space. There was even a double and then tripleyer. There wasn¡¯t enough time to escape. Now he could only wait for death. Which of these three would eat him? For Xenon, this was the only curiosity he had left.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put my mother¡¯s name in your lowly mouth.¡±


    [Are you provoking me in order to die less painfully? Forget it. I¡¯m not going to hurt you. Thest joy of my life will be to appreciate the end of your life as you eventually cry after suffering from fear of the inevitable death approaching you.]


    Braham was more famous than he thought. Most dragons knew him. The one who found Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯sir and stole a treasure from it. Detecting Trauka¡¯sir, hiding in their, and stealing treasure¡ªall of these actions were madness. Based on the way he survived robbing Trauka¡¯sir, Xenon thought that he might be the next strongest after Marie Rose, but he was in a ss where he couldn¡¯t be ssified, regardless of his skill level.


    ¡°It is too much of a dream for a lowly being like you to have.¡±


    Braham¡¯s reaction was truly bizarre. He seemed to value his life very much. It was hard to understand his attitude of despising a creature so much superior to him. It was to the extent that it was difficult to define as simply ¡®not knowing the subject.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s stop talking to him.¡¯


    Xenon decided to let Braham¡¯sining enter one ear and out the other. Yes,ining. No matter what Braham said, it only sounded likeining to Xenon. It was natural.


    Braham jumped into this battlefield on his own. He was possessed by something and ended up targeted by at least three dragons. It was like winning the chance of being hit by lightning hundreds of times in a row despite the clear sky. What could an unlucky man do other thanin?


    ¡®Green, blue, and gray...¡¯


    Xenon ignored the muttering Braham and weighed the identity of the iing pursuers. The hierarchy was like the power system itself.


    The children of the top dragons¡ªtwo of them had just be adults, while the remaining one seemed to have lived for around 3,000 years. The fact that the oldest and most crafty one was a gray made him unable to hold even a speck of hope.


    Gray¡ªthey were a hybrid produced when dragons of different types interbreed. Like Xenon, they weren¡¯tparable to other pure dragons. The power of their Breath was particrly reduced due to ack of specialized attributes. They were careful to know this themselves.


    A gray dragon that survived for around 3,000 years? It meant he had developed all types of wisdom and overcame many fights, or he fortunately ate his parents. It was right to say that this was the stage before bing a top dragon and there was a high probability of blossoming a new attribute. In the future, he could be the second stone dragon.


    ¡®He will never let down his guard.¡¯


    As if to prove Xenon¡¯s idea right¡ª


    sh!


    A huge star shone at the end of the sky. It fell like a meteor. It gradually approached with a roar and its identity was a gray ray of light. It was the Breath of the gray dragon. He was aiming for a quick fight. He knew that a lot of attention would be paid to this ce. The other two seemed to have noticed it a stepte. The two Breaths fell behind it.


    ¡®The pain will only grow if I resist here.¡¯


    Xenon was in a desperate situation from the beginning. He didn¡¯t resist it. He closed his eyes and epted death.


    Just then, a voice was heard. ¡°Are you praying?¡±


    Braham¡¯s voice that entered one ear contained no fear. Rather, it was full of certainty.


    [......!!]


    Xenon opened his eyes and they widened. It was because he witnessed the copse of parts of the threeyered barrier. It was far from destruction. It was closer to the feeling of grasping and dismantling the structure of the barrier in detail. It wasn¡¯t impossible. If Xenon hadn¡¯t given up on life and if he had enough time, Xenon would¡¯ve disassembled this triple barrier as well. It was possible for dragons because they were a magic species.


    The noteworthy thing here was speed. Braham was a vampire, not a dragon, yet he neutralized the barrier twice as fast as Xenon¡¯s calctions.


    [The knowledge that Marie Rose inherited... was it just a remnant?]


    The 3 evils of the beginning¡ªthey were born only one stepter than the gods of the beginning and the old dragons, so their knowledge was deeper and wider than the sea. Fully utilizing it was a separate matter, but it meant he transcended arge number of dragons in terms of intellectual potential. It was happening right in front of him.


    Xenon¡¯s expression changed as he looked at Braham. The disbelief was gradually erased and it changed to expectations.


    The three Breaths smashed the half-broken barrier and turned the area into ashes.


    Braham and Xenon appeared in a ce that was far away. There was no time to open a portal, but there was plenty of time to use short-range teleportation. Nevertheless, they couldn¡¯tpletely avoid the aftermath of the explosion. They just narrowly avoided a serious injury.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Braham redid the shattered mana shield and reached out to Xenon. The bloodline couldn¡¯t be fooled. The hand was beautiful even when bloody. ¡°Your heart.¡±


    Braham noticed that Xenon¡¯s magic activation speed was slower than his own. He was convinced that Xenon was deeply injured beyond simply losing his wings.


    ¡°I will use it better than you.¡±


    From the beginning, Braham wasn¡¯t Xenon¡¯s ally.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to drag the enemy who drove you to this state as apanion in your afterlife than to die in vain?¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t take into ount Xenon¡¯s mood and fate. It was just about efficiency.


    [Your arrogance is piercing the sky. Do you think it is possible to fight against dragons just by acquiring his heart?]


    The three dragons snorted as they arrived at the scene. They werepetitors who were wary and hostile to each other, but at this moment, they had amon sentiment toward Braham.


    Braham cocked his head. ¡°I never said I would fight against you.¡±


    [......?]


    Xenon was the most flustered. The man who just persuaded him that there was a chance to die with his enemies changed his words straight away. The change in attitude was faster than flipping a palm.


    Braham added an exnation. ¡°I am going to grab Marie Rose¡¯s head. Isn¡¯t she the one who made the situation like this?¡±


    [......]


    The words were correct, but Xenon felt somewhat frustrated and bitter. The ufortable feeling he felt from the time he saw the tower members running away after extending their hands first now became even more twisted. The awkward atmospherested for only a moment. Putting aside Xenon¡¯s worries, the dragons didn¡¯t give them any time. They attacked Xenon to achieve their goal. Braham waspletely ignored. He was almost treated as a bug.


    ¡®As expected, it didn¡¯t work.¡¯


    There was no room for intervention.


    Braham clicked his tongue in regret and opened a portal to leave the scene. At this moment¡ª


    [There is no being who can leave here.]


    This sentence¡ªeven without evidence, it established a strongw. Braham¡¯s portal was forcibly closed.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham shut his mouth. A chill went down his spine as he recalled a nightmare he had forgotten.


    Fire Dragon Trauka¡ªit reminded him of the overwhelming power of that bastard who made allmon sense and knowledge useless. He must be lurking somewhere near here. It was a memory that forced him to recall the being his senses couldn¡¯t feel at all.


    ¡®I will die.¡¯


    Everyone here, including himself, would soon disappear.

 Chapter 1588

    <h4>Chapter 1588</h4>


    Since ancient times, humanity had regarded the stars as special. They admired the shining stars even in the distant universe. This was why the noblest humans were often likened to them. It was also the basis for Braham¡¯s belief that he was the best.


    He was the one who pulled down the stars. He naturally trivialized the humans whopared themselves to stars.


    It was a temperament that had be more prominent recently. The magic theories that were rebuilt based on the enlightenment gained from fighting Gamigin, the power of the direct descendant that was restored due to Marie Rose¡¯s whim that rapidly strengthened his mana and physique, and the evolution of his equipment thanks to Grid¡¯s favor¡ªBraham was entering his best prime period ever.


    He was confident that he could protect Grid¡¯s back and he believed that he could face any opponent as long as they weren¡¯t outside the standards like dragons or the Martial God.


    A little while earlier, he was even more convinced. That dragon that he encountered after following Marie Rose¡¯s traces. He wasn¡¯t too afraid considering that both of the dragon¡¯s wings were torn off. It feltpletely different from when he met Trauka in the past.


    That magic power in the atmosphere that shared its senses with Braham was shouting in unison. Maybe it was worth discussing the odds. Braham could¡¯ve looked at being the first dragon yer in history if it wasn¡¯t for the interruption of the three dragons that invaded the scene in real time.


    It was arrogance.


    [There is no being who can leave here.]


    Braham was held to the rule set by the Dragon Words and realized that there was a serious error in his calctions.


    ¡®Not all dragons are the same?¡¯


    All beings who lived with their feet on the ground didn¡¯t know the physiology of the dragons. It was like how humans understood only a very small part of the universe. Braham didn¡¯t have much interest in dragons. He was immersed in magic rather than obsessing over the impossibilities.


    It was also something induced by Beriache¡¯s knowledge. Braham believed that his mother passed on all her knowledge to him, but this was actually a belief that should be broken. Had he forgotten about the source of the curse that ruled his kin?


    Beriache didn¡¯t give Braham some of her knowledge. One of them was knowledge of the dragons. This made the dragonsplete unknowns to Braham and induced him to perceive them as merely fearful beings. It was proof that Beriache loved Braham. She feared that an unqualified child would be killed in vain due to his interest in dragons.


    On the other hand, it meant Beriache hadn¡¯t predicted the fact that he would do something crazy like break into Trauka¡¯sir without knowing the subject.


    "......¡±


    Braham¡¯s face was pale as he noticed the truth.


    Fire Dragon Trauka, Evil Dragon Bunhelier, Insane Dragon Nevartan, Gourmet Dragon Raiders¡ªBraham thought that all adult dragons would be like them. He didn¡¯t expect the inferiority or superiority of the armed force to be different depending on the nature of the individual.


    However, it was different. The four dragons with poorly recognized colored scales were of a lower ss than Trauka. The emergence of another dragon, who just unfolded his willpower through Dragon Words from somewhere unknown, proved this fact. It was in a different dimension.


    ¡®I will die.¡¯


    Everyone here, including himself, would soon disappear. It was a gut feeling, not a guess. Braham¡¯s calctions that took into ount the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of branches of mana in the atmosphere were absurdly fast and urate. It took him a split second to be sure of his own death.


    ¡®It is checkmate.¡¯


    Braham was a magician before he was the Duke of Wisdom. It was right to prepare countless countermeasures for each action and avoid the worst. Yet he couldn¡¯t do so now.


    ¡®I still have a long way to go.¡¯


    Braham, who realized his shorings only when he was on the verge of dying, turned his attention to Xenon. Less than a minute had passed since he was attacked, but the scales were already torn off. The color, disguised with magic out of near instinct, was revealed nakedly and he saw that Xenon¡¯s scales were as gray as the cloudy sky.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again.¡±¡¯


    The presence that reminded Braham of Trauka¡ªit was the emergence of a top dragon that could easily be mistaken for an old dragon by those who didn¡¯t know the hierarchy of dragons. Braham¡¯s absurd voice permeated the hearing of the dragons who recognized him and caused them to stiffen.


    ¡°Give me your heart. There is no hope other than that.¡±


    Braham was clearly speaking to Xenon, but the one who reacted was the dragon who shoved his teeth into Xenon¡¯s neck.


    [You... keep quiet.]


    Basque, the gray dragon who had survived for 3,000 years¡ªhe hadn¡¯t slept for 500 years. It was for one opportunity in the future. He just needed one more chance to eat and he could climb to the upper ranks of the hierarchy. His magic senses stretched out around hisir in the center of the continent and he closely observed the trends of his kind. He endured the long boredom with transcendent patience.


    Then he missed two big opportunities.


    First was the stone dragon. He was tracking the stone dragon, who was wounded and weakened by the insane dragon, only to be deceived by the tower members and turned away from the Behen Archipgo. The camouge techniques of the tower members were indeed undisputable. It was how the location of the tower had been undetected until now.


    The second opportunity was the fire dragon. At first, he was uncertain, but Ifrit was clearly weak. He was more likely to encounter an old dragon if he targeted her, but he still chased her. It was worth taking the risk. Then he btedly noticed Ifrit¡¯s destination and turned back. The best thing was that he felt her being annihted without a trace and heforted himself that Trauka hadn¡¯t be stronger.


    Now a third chance had arrived. The situation was better than the previous opportunities. The lower dragons were too low on the hierarchy to attract an old dragon¡¯s attention. Due to the recent extinction of Ifrit, the top dragons became cautious. Surprisingly, he thought it was an opportunity to eat easily.


    The uproar was louder than necessary due to Marie Rose and twopetitors followed, but they were opponents he could easily handle. The flow was good. He saw that he would finally achieve his aspirations today. This was until a little while ago when he felt the signs of the cloaked dragon.


    ¡®...It is lucky just to be aware of his existence. It is encouraging to be able to defend against a surprise attack from a cloaked dragon.¡¯


    It was because his eyes couldn¡¯t see a cloaked dragon. The original cloaked dragon wasn¡¯t easily recognized. It was because they enjoyed the technique of creating shading with magic power and blocking vision, so the operation of magic power was very strange.


    Was it the child of the refractive dragon or a cloaked dragon itself? No one knew. It was because no one had been able to prove that the refractive dragon existed.


    ¡®First of all, I need to keep Xenon alive.¡¯


    Basque was a mid grade dragon close to the top rank. If he cooperated with the three lower ranked dragons, even a top dragon would be embarrassed to handle them alone. It was because time was dragging out while they were discussing victory or defeat. They needed to endure a huge uproar, making it so that there was a possibility that the cloaked dragon himself would be prey.


    It was likely that the cloaked dragon would be the first target after eating Xenon and evolving. He must¡¯ve nned to take efficient action to quickly arrange the situation or retreat if that wasn¡¯t possible. This was why he should protect Xenon without killing him.


    [It is better to join forces.]


    Basque said. He didn¡¯t add any exnation. A dragon¡¯s head contained the universe. They saw through all things naturally. Depending on the nature of each individual, there were often dragons who didn¡¯t utilize their knowledge, but only the insane dragon would have a slow understanding of the situation.


    [Xenon, restore your strength.]


    The two other lower dragons agreed to Basque¡¯s suggestion. Their attitude of guarding Xenon was evidence. Xenon swallowed his curses.


    ¡®How many times will I have nightmares of the humiliation I suffered today?¡¯


    The tower members who acted like they were going to help and then left. His kin who rushed to eat him only to reach out a hand. He didn¡¯t like either one. He felt pathetic and ashamed for being dragged into this situation against his will. There was one thing that was more annoying than that.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to kill him than to carry him as a burden? It is hard toment because I don¡¯t know the physiology of a dragon. Tsk.¡±


    Vampires¡ªMarie Rose, who tore off his wings and disappeared leisurely, and Braham, who kept asking for his heart. They were truly of the same bloodline. He thought they were the most hateful creatures in the world.


    [Braham, you... keep staying quiet.]


    The reason why dragons preyed on their own kind was simply for survival. They had to be strong in order to survive. The most efficient way was to eat their kin. It was a barbaric culture taught and established by the old dragons. Predation couldn¡¯t take precedence over survival unless it was the Fire Dragon Trauka or the insane dragon.


    Basque wanted to live. He wanted to somehow persuade Xenon to cooperate. He wanted Braham, who was constantly trying to ignite the mes, to shut up.


    Braham cocked his head. The silver hair that hung below his ears waved beautifully. ¡°Do you know my name?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it proof that this dragon was keeping a close eye on the world? Braham was intrigued when he learned this new fact.


    ¡°Are dragons interested in the surface? Then why not intervene? It is too much to say you are careful simply because you are afraid of being eaten by your kin.¡±


    [......]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the world so wide? Until just 30 years ago, it took three or four months for news from the northernnds to reach the south. It might be the standard for ordinary people, but it can¡¯t be impossible for you to monitor the entire continent all the time, right? Dragons can¡¯t be likemon creatures that live everywhere on the continent... are there any restrictions on you? What type of restrictions are there?¡±


    It was a chance to figure out the dragons. Braham was very active because it was a difficult opportunity to get again. He spoke in a fast manner that was rare for him. Was it necessary to use Dragon Words to shut him up? Basque was seriously considering it before shaking his head.


    It was a very disadvantageous situation. He needed even one more helper. He couldn¡¯t ignore Braham any longer and roughly replied.


    [We aren¡¯t interested in any beings other than ourselves. You are just famous.]


    ¡°I... am famous among dragons? Well, I can guess why.¡±


    Braham¡¯s eyes twitched as he turned his head.


    The dragons¡ªhe was proud of his magic skills which were so good that a magic species showed interest in him. Putting aside the situation where his life was in danger, he wanted to smile.


    Basque and the dragons, who were now on the same side, weren¡¯t interested in him. They were busy focusing on the dark shadow on one side of their field of view.


    [Cranbel, it is better for us to all step back here. Let¡¯s make it a tie.]


    The cloaked dragon, Cranbel, responded to Basque¡¯s suggestion. [You are overconfident.]


    The four dragons and Braham¡¯s eyes moved to the right at the same time. It was because the position of the shadow presumed to be the cloaked dragon had changed.


    Braham felt something strange.


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel anything.¡¯


    The atmosphere¡¯s mana that shared its senses with Braham was silent. He couldn¡¯t detect the texture of the magic power that made up that shadow. It was amazing.


    Braham recalled the Dragon Words of the cloaked dragon. No one could leave here. This meant he was confident about taking care of everyone here alone. The problem was serious if he was so confident even though his enemies might cooperate.


    ¡®As expected, it is annihtion.¡¯


    Braham didn¡¯t distinguish between the top and old dragons. To him, both Trauka and the cloaked dragon felt like they couldn¡¯t be resisted. He thought in his head about how he would soon die from an unidentified attack that flew from an unexpected ce.


    At the same time, Braham¡¯s thoughts became a reality.


    The shadow was still fixed at the point where the group was watching, but a fierce attack flew from the side. It was a tail covered with silver scales. Basque¡¯s thick waist was dented. It wasn¡¯t known how many ribs a dragon had, but they all seemed to be broken.


    Basque reacted quickly. He twisted his long, bent neck in the reverse direction of the impact. He stabbed at the air with the horn on his forehead. At the same time, a Breath was shot. The position of the cloaked dragon was determined based on the direction in which the tail flew. Then a gray breath appeared and crossed the sky like it existed from the beginning. It was an unchallenged power. It was like a huge pir. The surroundings quickly darkened. It was the aftermath of the sun being obscured by the pir.


    Basque¡¯s expression was stiff. The counterattack failed. The cloaked dragon wasn¡¯t in that position. The problem was that the damage was too great, even though it was one-sided. He became disadvantaged in an instant.


    ¡®Is the only way to make him step back under the pretext of mutual destruction?¡¯


    If the Breaths were overused, someone new would eventually invade the scene. He had to bet on the variable that would ur at that time. The attitude of the cloaked dragon was that he didn¡¯t care about anyone, but this would soon change if a bad enemy appeared.


    [Resistance is pointless...?]


    The voice of the cloaked dragon was echoing everywhere only to be cut off in the middle.


    ¡°The name tunnel dragon matches you.¡± Braham¡¯s red eyes were staring at the cloaked dragon. It was from a gap in the ground that was formed by an earthquake.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t bad to be called a rat.¡±


    The silently waiting mana of the atmosphere had reacted the moment the tail of the cloaked dragon appeared. Braham had noticed it from there. It was true that the cloaked dragon cast a shade over mana, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily stealth. The cloaked dragon used his sophisticated mana operation abilities to move under the ground. He dug tunnels in the ground without the slightest vibration to make sure that no one on the ground noticed him and then he disturbed the enemy. It went against the norm. It was impossible for Braham to use mana in such a way.


    ¡°It is great. The problem is that the form doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    [...Shut up.]


    The tunnel dragon, no, the cloaked dragon, Cranbel, emerged from the ground. He was 1.5 timesrgerpared to Basque or Xenon. Any small movements could cause all types of ripple effects. It seemed like if he just took a deep breath and exhaled, it would be a Breath.


    By this point, Basque also noticed it.


    ¡®We can¡¯t win no matter what we do.¡¯


    Cranbel¡¯s strength transcended Basque¡¯s imagination. It was a power Basque realized only after Cranbel showed up. Basque and the dragons were forced to open their eyes wide. They sensed their own deaths.


    [Since it is like this, I will do it quickly. I am going to turn you all to dust like this city.]


    He was referring to the remnants of the buildings touching his feet. It didn¡¯t mean much. Cranbel merely mentioned the copsed city for the purpose of threatening his enemies. However, the timing was bad.


    ¡°Is it you?¡± Grid had just arrived at the scene and now his zing eyes red at Cranbel. ¡°Why did you hurt innocent people?¡±


    There was a gust of wind that didn¡¯t suit the hot desert.


    While Braham stared anxiously at Grid, who jumped in on his own, the dragons were shocked.


    It was because the remnants of the fire dragon held by Grid resonated with the magic power of the dragons and showed them a certain scene. The scene of Grid riding Ifrit was projected onto his divinity that spread out like the pr lights.

 Chapter 1589

    <h4>Chapter 1589</h4>


    Envy and longing created a desire to be like him. The reason why the number of Reinhardt¡¯s cksmiths was hard to count wasn¡¯t just due to the high benefits. It was also because of Grid¡¯s presence. Countless people were dreaming of bing the second Grid.


    ¡°If cksmiths change the recipe, it is usually because things are bad.¡±


    The 1st ranked cksmith, Panmir. He exined on the premise that Grid ¡®doesn¡¯t know much about the production system.¡¯ He knew the story about how Grid didn¡¯t know the item auto production system. Pagma''s Sessor surprisingly wasn¡¯t an all-rounder cksmith. Panmir immediately noticed that he was subjected to checks by the system.


    ¡°The materials required for the recipe weren¡¯t provided in time, there was a mistake in the technique required by the recipe, or they are affected by sudden changes in the environment. Most of these things happen unintentionally.¡±


    In Satisfy, rapid changes to the environment were rtivelymon. Imagine that someone nearby used ice or fire magic. This might be a fairly extreme example, but it was surprisingly frequent because Satisfy had such arge poption and so many incidents.


    ¡°Defects. Variations in the recipe have a 99.99% chance of producing defects.¡±


    It was obviousmon sense. However, Grid didn¡¯t consider it a trivial matter. He noted the 99.99% probability instead of 100%.


    ¡°There is a 0.01% chance that a miracle will be born.¡±


    Grid had been supported by the guild for a long time and always produced items inplete conditions. The only variable he experienced during production was the ¡®fluctuations in rating.¡¯ Of course, he had to deal with all types of variables when making a new recipe, but they were currently talking about making items ¡®ording to the recipe.¡¯


    ¡°This is one of the miracles.¡±


    Admiration was on Grid¡¯s face as he looked at the strangely curved sword. A legendary rated sword was born from the ¡®Pattern: Whirlwind.¡¯ The maximum rating was unique, but a legendary rated Whirlwind was born. It was in the hands of an ordinary cksmith, not Grid.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It has happened before in the past. A very small number of cksmiths, including myself, had experienced results that transcend the limits of the recipe at least once.¡±


    This was why Panmir ordered some cksmiths to work by ¡®changing the recipe.¡¯ Reinhardt had too many cksmiths. There were limits to the supply and demand of materials used to make supplies, while manpower remained. Recently, miners had discovered new mines around the empire, but surplus manpower still existed.


    Panmir thought of a clever way to utilize them. They were ordered to produce items using the remaining materials, i.e. materials that didn¡¯t fit the recipes. As a result, tens of thousands of defective products were poured out, while a very small number of them were miracles.


    ¡°I just never dreamed that a legendary rated weapon would be made.¡±


    Originally, legendary weapons and armor could only be made by Grid. However, from the time that legendary recipes appeared, craftsman-grade cksmiths started to produce ordinary legendary items. Yet this legendary rated Whirlwind was made by an ordinary cksmith, not a craftsman.


    ¡°I think it is the influence of you bing a myth. The overall level of the world has risen.¡±


    Now the best cksmith was a myth, not a legend. It was right that the level of other cksmiths would evolve in line with this. It was the flow of the times, the bnce that the S.A Group was obsessed with.


    ¡°...This is great.¡±


    Grid smiled happily. He was proud of the cksmiths who had been steadily developing. He also felt respect for Panmir, who produced unexpected results by utilizing the remaining materials and manpower.


    Panmir was a different type of teacher than Khan. Khan gave a lot of enlightenment based on how to use the ¡®system¡¯ that he couldn¡¯t teach. What would it have been like if Khan and Panmir worked together?


    Today, he missed Khan terribly.


    Urgent news flew to Grid as they were leaving the smithy.


    -A dragon is attacking Reidan. Noll and the vampires who fought it escaped with the help of ck Teddy. There is no information about other survivors. Expecting catastrophic damage.


    ***


    ¡°Why did you hurt innocent people?¡±


    Grid ran without stopping. He repeatedly linked Barbatos¡¯ Vision with Shunpo to st himself forward every moment. Several times along the way, he endured the pain of the shortness of breath and suffocation. In particr, the flow of mana became thicker as he approached Reidan and it weighed heavily on his body. Even so, he endured it with transcendent patience.


    The warp gates weren¡¯t avable. The route from Reinhardt to Reidan had been removed.


    He understood when he arrived. Everything in Reidan had turned into ashes. The castle, warp gates, numerous mansion, industrialplexes, and the alchemy facilities.


    This guy. The dragon with silver scales stated that it was his fault.


    ¡®He is arrogant. It is proof that he is strong.¡¯


    The other four dragons concealed their scales in some artificial way. On the other hand, Cranbel didn¡¯t do this. He resembled Ifrit who was armed with red scales. He didn¡¯t hide himself. It was as if revealing his attributes and temperament wouldn¡¯t be a weakness.


    Grid intuitively sensed it. This wasn¡¯t an opponent who could be controlled with Dragon Knight. It was going to be a hard fight.


    Nausea soared at every moment as he crossed the space at a speed that transcended the limits of his body. He experienced extremes that were hard to handle even with transcendent patience. There was no chance of victory. Honestly, he was afraid. However¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. How can I understand guys like you even if I hear the reason?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t back down. Thend that was the origin of the empire. Reidan was the beginning of Grid. It was used as a base of the Overgeared Guild from the moment it was formed to when the Overgeared Kingdom was constructed. Many connections, memories, and foundations were created here. Now it was removed from the map.


    Could he turn a blind eye to the one who sent the tens of thousands of people living here to hell just because he was afraid? It wasn¡¯t possible. It wasn¡¯t a matter of pride or saving face. Rather, it was the loss of his foundation. This was a fight that couldn¡¯t be avoided. There was no need to worry about future troubles with the dragons. He wouldn¡¯t win anyway.


    Grid slowly moved his hands. The swords drawn together by the silver thread were caught by his hands in turn. The first one was the Enlightenment Sword.


    Cranbel¡¯s cold eyes contained no emotions.


    [Overgeared God Grid. The one who overshadows the current era. I also know you.]


    The second sword was the Fire Dragon Sword.


    Cranbel¡¯s eyes were still indifferent. It was even while looking at the scene of Grid and Ifrit projected in the pr lights.


    [I can¡¯t agree with Ifrit¡¯s im of you being great, but I am willing to respect you.]


    In Grid¡¯s left hand where the veins were bulging, the Enlightenment Sword and Fire Dragon Sword were merged into one. The two swords that Grid made for himself were woven into the most ideal form. The sunset pr lights, which symbolized Grid¡¯s divine nature, started to swirl violently. Thebined sword was used as a medium to amplify the energy. Nevertheless¡ª


    [Step back. Then I won¡¯t hurt you.]


    Cranbel wasn¡¯t stimted. Cranbel calmly faced the pr light that had be huge due to the sunlight heating up the desert and vibrating the atmosphere.


    A third and fourth sword were held in Grid¡¯s right hand andbined together. It was the Formless Sword and Gujel¡¯s Dao.


    [......]


    Cranbel¡¯s expression hardened for the first time. It was because he felt insulted, not threatened. The weapon made by dissecting the remains of his kin was held in the hands of a god.


    The entire dragon species felt insulted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it reasonable to apologize first before making a request?¡±


    Was this the one who dared to reach the sun? Grid was surrounded with the sunset divinity and looked like he was burning in it. The dizzying momentum released by the divinity was that fierce. At first nce, he seemed to be one with the mes, but Cranbel saw through it. This was nothingness. It could be a mace that crushed a dragon¡¯s scales or a sword that cuts it.


    ¡®Or it could be a barrier to Breath.¡¯


    The absence of any attributes meant unlimited potential.


    ¡®Of course, that potential won¡¯t be fully blossomed.¡¯


    Reba had used Chiyou as a motif when making Zeratul. Zeratul¡¯s attribute was also nothingness. Considering Zeratul¡¯s personality, he would be more vignt and hateful toward the Overgeared God than anyone else. Cranbel was certain that the Overgeared God would be short-lived. There were too many strong existences in this world who wouldn¡¯t watch his growth. The dragons were the only group truly indifferent to the world.


    ¡°It is ridiculous to ask you to do something...¡±


    [I apologize.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    [Regardless of the situation, I¡¯m sorry for angering you. I want to ask for forgiveness.]


    Cranbel apologized again to the flustered Grid before asking something.


    [I have apologized, so will you step down?]


    ¡°......¡±


    [You don¡¯t look relieved at all. This is why a human¡¯s words are ridiculous. Reason isn¡¯t an excuse for exoneration. It is just a convenience for the weak to use whenining.]


    ¡°...If you had kept your reason in the first ce, you wouldn¡¯t havemitted the sin.¡±


    [If you are going to say these words, at least give an example of a world without sinners. You are only a madman living in a fantasy.]


    Cranbel¡¯s expression suddenly changed. His forehead narrowed and the ends of his two huge eyes were raised in a frightening manner. The inner light resembling the cross section of the universe gradually turned red. He was slowly bing angry. It was as if the respect was over.


    [Overgeared God, you are a foolish person who doesn¡¯t know the weight of a god¡¯s death because you don¡¯t know defeat. I don¡¯t like your behavior of ignoring my favor due to overconfidence in yourself. Die. Be frustrated and take it as a lesson.]


    Don¡¯t know defeat.


    These words proved it. At the very least, Cranbel didn¡¯t know Grid in his human days. He also didn¡¯t pay close attention after Grid became a god. He had no idea of the many defeats Grid had suffered. Since bing a god, Grid¡¯s win rate in battles was surprisingly low.


    However, the help of his rtionships meant his life was spared every time and he never died. Grid¡¯s attitude was the same in front of Cranbel, who was teaching without knowing the details.


    ¡°You will also be in pain, so be prepared.¡±


    He had lost hisposure from the beginning. There was no way he could be calm after seeing Reidan¡¯s situation. Grid was pretending to be calm. His head was actually boiling with anger. It wasn¡¯t rational. This was why he was prepared to die without avoiding a fight. He was going to deal just one blow. He wanted to make the being who dared to hurt his city and his people feel regret for a moment.


    [Seal the power of the Overgeared God.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was taking a posture when he was filled with a sense of weakness. He failed topletely resist and faced a notification window that all his stats had fallen by half.


    [Overgeared God Grid can¡¯t deviate from my space.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s body moved uncontrobly. He flew to the vicinity of Cranbel like he was attracted by a maic force. The God Hands held onto Grid and pulled, but it was useless. Rather, they were dragged together with him. It was the coercion of Dragon Words.


    A creature that yers could never harm. The ultimate transcendent dragon ignored the status of a human god. He acted ording to his taste.


    ¡°Cough...!¡± Blood poured from Grid¡¯s nose and mouth. He shed so much blood that he wondered if it would be like this if he scooped blood out of his body with a bowl.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    A single blow¡ªhis stats had halved, but no matter how much his stats had dropped, it was too much to lose more than half his health with a single blow.


    Grid¡¯s focus became blurry for a moment. It was only for a moment. He was used to persevering against pain.


    His gaze was fixed on Cranbel¡¯s forehead and he quickly regained his focus. It was the point where the horn was rising.


    The finishing move. As expected, a Breath flew.


    Cranbel, who had pierced Grid¡¯s chest with his tail and lifted him high in the air, wanted to end this battle. No, he was trying to end the ughter neatly. It was a chance for Grid. He immediately responded using his artificial senses.


    ¡°Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill.¡±


    Grid used the possible fusion sword dance creation of Overgeared God''s Sword Dance. He counterattacked the Breath by creating a new fusion sword dance in real time. It contained the image of killing a dragon. At this moment¡ª


    He added up all the strength he had umted over the years he had worked hard without giving up.


    ©¤©¤!


    All the explosions and collision noises died down at once. It was swallowed by the vortex that the two swords made.


    The silver Breath was turning around. It permeated into Grid¡¯s two swords. It inted the power of the sword dance and struck Cranbel¡¯s forehead. The absolute defense was immediately removed. It couldn¡¯t withstand the momentum of the Hero King and Dragon yer? titles and was shattered.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I say it? You will feel pain.¡¯


    A faint smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he looked into Cranbel¡¯s two eyes, which had grown somewhatrger. Reflecting on his own life had made all types of impossibilities possible.


    The desert split in half. The back of the god crashing along with the dragon underground filled the vision of the four awestruck dragons.


    They desired it. They wanted to be the main character who reproduced the ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ story.

 Chapter 1590

    <h4>Chapter 1590</h4>


    [The target has received 1,507,344,962 damage.]


    [This is an unbelievable achievement...!]


    [The heavenly gods are whispering after reading the pain on Cranbel¡¯s face.]


    [Martial God Zeratul¡¯s momentum has increased. He is insisting that the agreement with the dragons should be discussed again.]


    One blow was properly dealt.


    The ultimate transcendent species or the absolute species¡ªhe caused significant damage to the world¡¯s most powerful creature that had reigned supreme.


    Grid¡¯s heart was relieved. Zeratul¡¯s reaction was a bit unpleasant, but it felt like the decade of congestion from frustration was going down. At the same time, new anxiety urred. The power of the Breath exceeded expectations. The power of the Breath was 1.5 billion even with his stats halved. It was excessive considering the effect of Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill, which amplified the damage of the counterattack as much as possible.


    A dragon¡¯s defense would far surpass Grid¡¯s defense. He had thought it would be cool if he could deal damage in the tens of millions...


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t it mean it is directly over if I am hit by that one blow?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s fall, which had been going on for a while, stopped. His skin ps seemed to flip. It was close to a random jerking of his body. It was due to the ignorantly strong pressure. Grid¡¯s body was being sucked deep into the copsed underground. The legendary and myth rated items on his body were helpless. The physical phenomenon created by thew of the Dragon Words meant that Overgeared God Grid couldn¡¯t leave Cranbel¡¯s space. He immediately fell after Cranbel who fell earlier.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    The cross section of the desert¡ªall types of strata, the product of history built up in the days when it wasn¡¯t a desert,plicated Grid¡¯s vision. The deeper he fell, the more Grid learned about the feel and color of the various strata. He vaguely guessed what type of ecosystem the ancient Reidan would have. It felt like he was studying something that wasn¡¯t in his destiny.


    This was until a little while ago.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Grid¡¯s field of view was reversed. His body quickly moved away from the end of the underground space that he had reached. Soon, his vision turned blue. He was seeing the sky. A silver dragon was looking down at Grid.


    ¡®Teleport.¡¯


    Grid realized that his position was worse than he thought. He became aware that he could die from exhaustion while only chasing after Cranbel¡¯s tail in the battle.


    ¡®Dragon Words is crazy.¡¯


    He realized why dragons were so invincible. Grid couldn¡¯t help letting out a bitterugh when he realized the power of Dragon Words


    [Your status is higher than I thought.]


    Cranbel opened his mouth. The blood flowing from his forehead was nothing special. It was red, like human blood. Some of the transparent scales were stained red and this caused him to ovep with Ifrit¡¯s appearance.


    [I didn¡¯t know you would disobey Dragon Words.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    What was this nonsense? Grid let it enter one ear and out the other. He put aside the sad memories that came to mind when he saw Cranbel¡¯s scales that were turned red and he focused his mind.


    His strengthy in his physical ability to respond to the transcendent senses to some extent. The situation was much worse now that his stats had halved, but he managed to control the body soaring into the sky to create a stable posture.


    Grid kicked the air in this position. He elerated his body that was being dragged to the maximum and unfolded the strides to amplify the power of the sword dance.


    ©¤©¤!


    Grid¡¯s sword and Cranbel¡¯s tail collided in session. Surprisingly, there was no noise. A concentrated force was slowing down all concepts. There was only a bted explosion after dozens of collisions. Subsequently, the spreading remnants of his divinity colored Cranbel¡¯s transparent scales with the colors of the sunset. It was mysterious and beautiful, but Grid didn¡¯t have time to feel sentimental.


    Item Combination, Overgeared God¡¯s Rage, etcetera¡ªall the buffs he was enjoying had a time limit.


    A critical hit, Ultimate Martial Art, God¡¯s Command, etcetera¡ªit was necessary to increase the number of attacks in order to increase the probability of a beneficial effect urring.


    Grid¡¯s attacks that utilized the Overgeared God¡¯s Sword Dance, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, the skills gained from the Mountain King of Grenier, and his items and titles were swift, and his defense was solid. He persistently targeted Cranbel¡¯s upper body and short limbs as he poured his most destructive skills toward the shoulders and long neck, which were hard to cover. Thanks to this, Cranbel¡¯s tail was busy. It moved in a dizzying manner alone to defend all directions. It was possible because the tail was big and long.


    ¡®Is he really disobeying the Dragon Words?¡¯


    Unlike his busy tail, Cranbel¡¯s eyes were calm. It was because the consciousness to control his body and the consciousness to observe Grid were separate. Currently, his consciousness was split into hundreds of pieces. The consciousness for contemting the entire battlefield and managing the surveince magic that spread to hundreds of kilometers away were all easily controlled.


    Just then, a sword that btedly revealed its form was embedded in Cranbel¡¯s long neck. It was 300,000 Army Stealth Sword. It was a covert strike that could deceive the senses of the yangban, Mir, the treasured sword of the expelled gods.


    Cranbel was convinced. ¡®He can¡¯t disobey it. The first attack was a fluke.¡¯


    Cranbel wasn¡¯t agitated by the fact that the absolute defense had be powerless. Like most dragons, the enemies he thought of were his own kin. It was proven when Cranbel attacked Basque but the absolute defense wasn¡¯t effective against the same dragon. This meant the absolute defense, which was considered sacred to civilians, didn¡¯t mean much to dragons.


    For dragons, there was no reason to be agitated because the absolute defense was broken. The thing that surprised Cranbel was the deep pain he felt the moment the Breath was counterattacked. It was pain he experienced for the first time since he was born.


    Grid¡¯s first attack that severely smashed several scales, tore his skin, and shook his brain instilled a great illusion for Cranbel. It was the illusion that Grid disobeyed the Dragon Words, ¡®Seal the power of the Overgeared God.¡¯


    Yes, he was mistaken. Cranbel¡¯s killing intent, which had been extinguished by his interest in Grid, raised its head again. Killing intent grew out of the disgust he felt for Grid¡¯s arrogance at rejecting his favor. Now that he confirmed that Grid was overconfidentpared to his skills, Cranbel¡¯s killing intent deepened. It was at a tangible level.


    Just then, a magic power thunderbolt appeared and fell without any precursors. Dragons weren¡¯t bound by forms or rules when using magic. It was a level that far transcended the hard work of a great magician who omitted casting andpleted the magic. His willpower itself was magic. It was correct to view it as a concept simr to a Sword Saint¡¯s Heart Sword.


    [You have suffered 227.340 damage.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s vision was filled by the thunderbolt that shed white. He felt confused. It was because his transcendent senses didn¡¯t respond at all. It was only after he was pierced by the fallen thunderbolt that tore through his artificial senses that he knew this was Cranbel¡¯s magic.


    ¡®A bug?¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t his transcendent senses detect it? The suspicious Grid stopped moving for a while. It was less than 0.1 seconds. Meanwhile, dragons were beings who recognized a second by dividing it into hundreds of units.


    [You have suffered 315,050 damage.]


    Then Cranbel¡¯s tail hit Grid¡¯s side and pierced his chest. He didn¡¯t stop there, but turned around and tied up Grid¡¯s body tightly.


    ¡°Cough..!¡± He was unable to breathe or move. Grid suffered from an abnormal physical condition and groaned in pain. Of course, he knew he was going to lose. In the first ce, his goal had been to deal one blow. It was just too bad. After all, he didn¡¯t want to lose, especially when the opponent was someone who took away his precious things...


    It happened as Grid was gritting his teeth...


    ¡°Punishment.¡±


    It was a form of destruction. A bright red sphere of magic split Cranbel¡¯s tail. Thanks to this, Braham¡¯s back was visible in the breathless Grid¡¯s vision.


    ¡°There is a theory that a phenomenon or disaster that urs ording to a dragon¡¯s mental image is the source of magic. If this is true, a dragon¡¯s magic is close to a natural phenomenon such as typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is impossible to feel killing intent, so the transcendent senses will be dull,¡± Braham said quietly. There was no emotional disturbance. It was as if he was prepared for something.


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. ¡°What is this? Why haven¡¯t you run away?¡±


    It was when he first arrived at the scene. Grid had sent a signal to Braham to flee while he held Cranbel¡¯s attention. He didn¡¯t want Braham to get caught up in the fight. A direct descendent might enjoy eternal life, but this didn¡¯t mean they were immortal. Direct descendant vampires would also die if they suffered damage that couldn¡¯t be regenerated from. Grid knew this better than anyone.


    So why was Braham holding on?


    Braham didn¡¯t bother exining his situation where he was tied up by Dragon Words to Grid.


    ¡®I can¡¯t run away. What do you want me to do?¡¯


    He was going to die, so he wanted to protect his pride before dying.


    ¡°I want to fight a dragon properly at least once.¡±


    Of course, this was a lie...


    Braham recalled the horror of Trauka through Cranbel and wanted to flee immediately. He knew dragons weren¡¯t targets to fight against and he knew there was no chance of winning. Still, what could he do? He couldn¡¯t run away anyway.


    ¡°Crazy, I¡¯m going crazy.¡± Grid finally cursed. He resented Braham for not knowing his heart and acting casually. ¡°You are willing to die because of that greed? What about me? What about those who are left behind? They will miss you for the rest of their lives...!¡±


    ¡°...Bah. Is that my business?¡± Braham scoffed as his heart became emotional. He felt bad when he thought there were people who would grieve for his death. However, he didn¡¯t express it and just stared at Cranbel. He was going to die anyway. He wanted to leave an irreversible wound on Cranbel¡¯s body along with Grid. He wanted to engrave it in history that the life of Braham, son of Beriache and apostle of the Overgeared God, wasn¡¯t in vain. It would be an immortal history.


    [...Indeed, the rumors are true.]


    Cranbel¡¯s eyes were slightlyrger as he looked at Braham. He was impressed, just like when he was hit by Grid¡¯s Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill.


    [Braham Eshwald. I have learned about your infamy in challenging Trauka¡¯sir. In fact, I thought it was an exaggerated rumor, but now I know for sure. Your talent... it is a threat to us.]


    The dragon¡¯s tail was the fourth most powerful of the dragon¡¯s body parts. It was impossible for one blow to split it in two, yet Braham did it. The blood inherited from Beriache and the magic of this man had quite devastating potential. It was a miracle created purely with talent. It was no match for Marie Rose¡¯s demonic energy that ripped off Xenon¡¯s wings, but it seemed that he woulde close someday.


    [Die with the god you serve.]


    Cranbel¡¯s killing intent became tangible in earnest. Hundreds of spells unfolded unexpectedly and filled the sky and the ground. It was terrifying. It was an unbelievable sight. Grains of sand in the desert were influenced by all forms of power and were scattered. It was either heated hot or frozen cold. Some were crushed to powder and some were sharpened. They also formed a storm by pulling or pushing each other.


    Yet all of these phenomena were extinguished in vain. If the source of magic was truly a dragon¡¯s mental image, then a dragon¡¯s mental mage was powerless against Braham. Braham was the Duke of Wisdom who understood, reversed, and destroyed all magic in real time. It was easily neutralized as long as he could put the dragon¡¯s mental image into the category of magic.


    ¡°A lizard.¡± One of the reasons why a dragon¡¯s tail was the fourth most powerful body part was its resilience. It regenerated immediately even when cut. Braham pointed out this part. He put Cranbel¡¯s wriggling tail in his vision and scoffed. ¡°If it is insignificant, attack like we are insignificant.¡±


    Cranbel roared. He shot a Breath that he had suppressed due to being wary of Grid¡¯s strange tricks and the intervention of other dragons. A light seemed to sh and it had already prated Grid and Braham. Braham thought he didn¡¯t have enough time to use Teleport so he used Blink. Grid also couldn¡¯t get a chance to counterattack and used Shunpo. It was the difference between anticipating the timing of Breath and not anticipating it.


    ¡®Braham, please.¡¯


    Don¡¯t provoke him and run away.


    One arm was cut by the remaining air waves of the Breath and flew away. Due to this, it became impossible to use dual wielding, and he lost the passive of Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams.


    Grid stared hard at Braham. He had the intention of asking Braham to run away while he prepared a six fusion sword dance to pull Cranbel¡¯s aggro back. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Even at this moment, his body was being forcibly dragged to Cranbel.


    It was while he was twisting his waist and moving his feet with all his might.


    [Get on.] The gray dragon Basque flew over. [I want to fly with you.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Dragon Knight¡ªit was the only one title that allowed him to use some dragons as a ¡®mount,¡¯ but they couldn¡¯t be forced to do so. Whether Grid could ride them or not was a matter of choice for the dragon, not Grid.


    Meanwhile, Grid didn¡¯t have time to persuade the dragons on the field. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t confident in persuading them. He thought he would be easily rejected if he asked for help in a situation where they had to fight against a top dragon.


    Now the opportunity came to him on its own. Grid didn¡¯t refuse it. He immediately got onto Basque¡¯s neck. He recalled this moment with Ifrit and did it skillfully.


    [You have boarded the intermediate dragon Basque.]


    [The effect of Dragon Knight has significantly increased your status. You are free from the Dragon Words that suppressed you. All stats are restored to their normal values.]


    [All your stats are tripled with the effect of Dragon Knight.]


    [The skill Basque¡¯s Breath is activated!]


    Kurarararara!


    [......!]


    For the first time, a flustered expression appeared on Cranbel¡¯s face. Beyond the Breath that was approaching, the sight of Grid on his kin¡¯s neck confused him.


    ¡°......?¡± The same was true for the shocked Braham. He maintained a solemn expression without losing his dignity and muttered that he must be dreaming.

 Chapter 1591

    <h4>Chapter 1591</h4>


    After getting a new life, Braham had always reflected on his past. It was to avoid repeating the mistakes of trusting Pagma due to overconfidence in his judgment and being betrayed, as well as the sin of being caught in ugly feelings of jealousy and stealing his disciple¡¯s achievements.


    He wanted to be worthy of being the Duke of Wisdom in this life. He would face the world with reason and wisdom, not emotion. The blood of a vampire asionally clouded his efforts, but it was literally just an asional impulse. Braham was confident that he had persevered well.


    The proof was that he lived with those with no talent without avoiding them. It was the same now.


    The resurrection magic that hepleted using his obsession with life¡ªhe wasn¡¯t swept away by fear and despair even though he observed a future where he would be trapped on the surface, repeatedly die, and finally be dragged to hell to be extinguished without a trace.


    His mental world calmed down. Thest purpose of his life was to leave his mark on Cranbel¡¯s eternal body. He was determined to engrave the name of the greatest magician in history on the world. However, at this moment...


    ¡°......¡±


    Duguen!


    Braham¡¯s calm heart started to beat vigorously in a way that was contrary to his will. It was while watching Grid climb onto the neck of the giant dragon. Grid¡¯s divinity was getting bigger and bigger in conjunction with the dragon¡¯s increased speed. Every time the dragon swerved, the orange pr light spread like an insignia that covered the world.


    It was a dream-like sight, but it was reality. The hot blood flowing from his wrist that was pierced by his fingernails was the proof.


    ¡°Riding... dragons?¡±


    An idea that went far beyond the wisdom of the Duke of Wisdom, who wasn¡¯t particrly bound bymon sense. Braham could onlyugh. It wasn¡¯t an ironicugh.


    On the other side¡ª


    [......]


    Cranbel couldn¡¯tugh. Initially, when the Overgeared God broke into the scene, he also witnessed the story of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon. It was thanks to the scene forcibly projected through Ifrit¡¯s magical remnants. It was an unrealistic sight that was approaching iprehensible for a dragon, but Cranbel wasn¡¯t very agitated. He was surprisingly easily convinced.


    The dying Ifrit¡ªhe noticed the reason why she ced Grid on her neck and sympathized.


    That¡¯s right. Cranbel saw it as Ifrit using Grid. It was simply to ovee the crisis at that time. He thought there was no more meaning. It was natural. Cranbel didn¡¯t know that Grid had made Ifrit¡¯s horn. He didn¡¯t foresee that the trust and favor of the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon toward each other was very strong.


    ¡®Status... how much did it rise?¡¯


    Cranbel¡¯s scales stood up on edge when he noticed that Grid wasn¡¯t being drawn into his space. It looked like he was wearing iron armor made of sharpened des. It was threatening at first nce, but it was actually just a representation of fear.


    Kurarararara!


    Grid¡¯s divinity grew enough to cover Basque¡¯ body. The Breath shot by Basque was almost orange. Cranbel couldn¡¯t just watch as Basque¡¯s Breath filled his vision before he knew it. He abandoned his pride and struck back with the same Breath. He was a bitte to respond, but it was no problem. Cranbel¡¯s hierarchy was the highest among the dragons here. Even if he respondedter than the opponent, he would still hit the opponent. The cirction of magic power, the manifestation of will, the activity of the flesh, etcetera¡ªeverything was faster than the other side.


    Cranbel¡¯s Breath that was shot one stepter collided with Basque¡¯s Breath. Cranbel prepared for the following move. His two wings spread wide open while his own Breath crushed and prated Basque¡¯s Breath. He calcted the path that Basque would take to dodge the Breath and moved there.


    Everything up to this point took a short moment. It was right to describe it as a situation that happened at the same time as the explosion.


    [......!]


    Cranbel¡¯s wall-like chest was crushed. It was the aftermath of moving along the path of the Breath he shot. He never even imagined that his own Breath would be crushed in reverse. In a rare situation, Basque¡¯s Breath didn¡¯t lose its momentum as it broke through Cranbel¡¯s scales and crushed his chest. It blew Cranbel to the other side of the sky like it had to prate Cranbel.


    ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯


    Basque was more surprised than Cranbel. The Breath was close to the pure power of a dragon, close to inner energy. The fight that Basque¡¯s Breath fought and won against Cranbel¡¯s Breath was impossible even if the sky was overturned. However, Grid made it possible.


    [Duke of Amplification]


    [Once activated, the power of the magic and skills you use will be doubled.


    However, the resources consumed and cooldown are also doubled.


    ¡ï The effect of items and skills that shorten the cooldown time are only 65% effective.]


    A new rule had been set since the time that Basque¡¯s Breath was activated in Grid¡¯s skill window. It was a rule that Basque had the potential to transcend hierarchy. The new rule presented a crisis to Cranbel.


    ¡®A little bit faster!¡¯


    Grid clung t to Basque¡¯s neck. It was quite unsightlypared to his previous figure of when he straightened his back confidently, but he couldn¡¯t help it. The stronger the eleration, the stronger the wind pressure resistance...


    [Hold on tightly!]


    He was ready to face stronger resistance. Grid¡¯s posture change seemed to say so and this spurred on Basque. He gritted his hundreds of sharp teeth and chased Cranbel with all his might. He caught up to Cranbel in an instant. In the first ce, he was swept away by the Breath. He temporarily failed to control his body. Basque¡¯s Breath, which was doubled in strength, was that powerful.


    Basque bit at Cranbel¡¯s neck. Then Basque¡¯s tail shot like a spear and collided with Cranbel¡¯s tail.


    The atmosphere howled. Grid¡¯s divinity that colored the sky shook. Cranbel¡¯s gaze chased after Grid. He was relieved to see that Grid had be a one-armed person. The powerful dual wielding swordsmanship was sealed.


    It was urgent.


    Dozens of items poured out of Grid¡¯s inventory as he gradually got closer to Cranbel and they united together in the shape of an arm. It was a prosthetic arm that closely resembled the God Hands. It was one of the two powers that Grid gained as a reward for spreading the truth of hell. It was a prosthetic arm made using the power that arose based on the fact that the Overgeared God was the ruler of all things.


    [Power of Domination has restored the arm you have lost.]


    [Power of Domination]


    [Combine two or more items to create a substance or phenomena.


    The power of the substance or phenomena is proportional to the total durability of thebined items.


    ¡ïItems with infinite durability can¡¯t be designated as targets.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    Skill Duration: 3 minutes.]


    It was a skill that didn¡¯t consume resources, but it wasn¡¯t easy to use. He had to fill the whole process with ¡®imagination¡¯ while activating the Power of Domination to create the desired substance or phenomena. It was very difficult to make the desired substance or phenomena quickly unless he had the exact specimen called the ¡®God Hand.¡¯


    Clink!


    Grid was filled with cold metal, unlike the other transcendents who healed their body defects by regenerating orbination. The system immediately responded as he armed himself with two swords in a rather awkward movement.


    [Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams has been activated.]


    [Draw andscape that someone has been protecting for a lifetime with your sword.]


    ¡°Drop Dragon...¡±


    [Is it enough to discuss the fall of a dragon?!] Cranbel shouted. His force as he tore and twisted Basque¡¯s snout that was biting his neck was terrible.


    At this moment, mes engulfed the world. It was Storm of the Fire God, which now seemed inappropriate to be the Overgeared God¡¯s mental world. The energy of the Red Phoenix in Grid¡¯s heart rotated. It was in a fierce manner as if to savor Grid¡¯s soaring status.


    The power of the mental world was affected by status. So far, countless enemies had proved it. Most of the transcendents had easily broken Grid¡¯s mental world. However, now¡ª


    [Keuk...?!]


    Cranbel failed to break down Storm of the Fire God. He failed to stop the rapidly recovering Basque and Grid¡¯s explosively growing strength.


    ¡°...Pinnacle Link Kill Wave!!!¡±


    In the world full of a red storm and sunset, a god danced. It was on the head of a dragon while holding two swords. All the forces that rose from the Rune of Gluttony harmonize with the dance.


    Rattle.


    The clear sound of bells caused Grid¡¯s image to ovep with someone else. Cranbel roared violently as he was struck by the sword energy.


    [Ultimate Martial Art has been triggered!]


    [Critical!]


    [The target has received 5,378,922,746 damage.]


    [...The heavenly gods are amazed!]


    [Both of Martial God Zeratul¡¯s eyes staring at you are red and bloodshot...]


    [You have been struck by a serious attack!]


    [A god doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    [Flee to the nearest temple right away!]


    A chilling pleasure and terrible pain simultaneously struck Grid. Remnants of a silver beam were visible in the view of the copsing Grid. It was the trace left by Cranbel¡¯s Breath, which prated Basque¡¯s spinal cord and turned Grid¡¯s body into rags.


    [The effect of Dragon Knight is over.]


    The image of Grid falling was projected into Cranbel¡¯s eyes, who had allowed consecutiverge attacks and his health bar was finally revealed.


    [Overgeared God, thanks to you, I realized that Ifrit is better than me.]


    Cranbel¡¯s words werepleted in a split second and shook Grid¡¯s nk mind.


    Grid was forced to make a choice. Should he escape like this or stay and fight to the end? It was a no-brainer. Grid unsurprisingly chose thetter. There was Braham here.


    ¡°Braham...! Run away now!¡± Grid desperately shouted. He hadpletely felt it when he boarded Basque and achieved a sharp rise in status. Cranbel¡¯s Dragon Words that dominated the scene. The Dragon Words lost their effect. It was possible for Braham to flee now. He would draw attention until then...


    This was what Grid thought.


    [There is no being who can leave here.]


    Cranbel destroyed that hope. It was done so easily and with just a few words.


    [Today, I will go beyond Ifrit. I will devour all of you and achieve it...]


    Cranbel couldn¡¯t finish his words. It was because another dragon carried Grid on his neck on behalf of Basque, who crashed to the ground. Grid¡¯s status rose again. Cranbel¡¯s Dragon Words once again lost its effect.


    ¡°Braham! Leave!¡±


    The bloody Grid¡ªhe felt death tightening under his chin and rushed to Cranbel. This time, it was a green Breath. He used Divinity to once again use Item Combination toplete his weapon. Then he performed a sword dance. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t the sound of bells.


    Kurarararara!


    Cranbel took the injury. He had to endure it. He allowed the Breath and instead stopped Grid¡¯s sword dance with magic and his tail.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    The second collision also wore Grid down. The green dragon that carried him crashed into the desert like Basque. Even so, it was still fine.


    Kurarararara!


    This time, the blue dragon carried Grid. Grid started again. He raised his status and approached Cranbel with the blue Breath. This time, his dance was short and shabby. It was because his fusion sword dances had a cooldown time before they could be reused.


    ¡°Kuack!¡±


    The third sh was fatal to Grid. His prosthetic was smashed and even the blue dragon crashed to the ground.


    Cranbel could endure the power of the Breaths, but the other dragons couldn¡¯t endure Cranbel¡¯s Breath. It was a hopelessly overwhelming strength. There was one fact that wasforting.


    ¡°...This is good.¡±


    Braham escaped from the scene. The curse words he expressed before he left still lingered in Grid¡¯s ears.


    Notification windows were being updated in his field of view as Grid smiled.


    [There are two seconds left until the ¡®Emergency Return¡¯ system is deactivated.]


    [Please note! A huge penalty will be imposed upon death!]


    Five seconds had almost passed since the immortality state. Grid reacted without time to think. Just in case, he held the dragon with the God Hands and activated the shing Emergency Return system. However¡ª


    [Escape isn¡¯t possible.]


    He was caught by Cranbel¡¯s re-established rule.


    [The power contained in the words bes stronger as the covenant is fulfilled. Overgeared God, great person who overshadows the years. Putting aside my awe and liking for you, I will kill you.]


    Hundreds of spells came to mind. It was a sight that made Grid desperately realize Braham¡¯s absence.


    ¡®Still, I fought well enough.¡¯


    [The Emergency Return system is disabled.]


    Grid was letting go after seeing the notification window that rose.


    [Get on.]


    Then thest remaining dragon flew over and bowed his head.


    Xenon¡ªit was the most unsightly dragon. His body was particrly smallpared to other dragons and he was covered with wounds. He didn¡¯t even have wings. Yet for Grid, he was thest hope. There was no reason to refuse in the first ce.


    Cranbel didn¡¯t bother to stop Grid from riding on Xenon. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a low ranking dragon and a young god died soon. What could these two do?


    Hundreds of spells poured out simultaneously. They moved along all trajectories in all forms and all of Grid¡¯s possibilities were erased.


    Xenon¡¯s Breath toward him was weak. It failed to break through the baptism of magic and lost power along the way. However, Cranbel¡¯s expression stiffened. His consciousness that was divided into hundreds of parts was rmed. He reflexively united his consciousness.


    It was toote. The cold moonlight split apart his body and the desert. There was a deafening noise and everyone on the scene crashed deep underground. They were so tired that no one could resist. Finally, they reached the end of the underground area. Coincidentally, it was the site of Marie Rose¡¯s castle.


    ¡°Y-Your Majeeeeesty!!!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid mistook this ce for hell for a moment. It was because the people of Reidan, who he thought were dead, greeted him.

 Chapter 1592

    <h4>Chapter 1592</h4>


    ck, ck ck ck!


    The Overgeared Skeletons moved their jaws without words as they lost their bodies and scattered. They seemed to be apologizing for not being able to help.


    ¡°......¡±


    Until all the avable number of times that Divinity was consumed, Grid fought back using all his abilities.


    His items and titles, the Overgeared God''s Sword Dance, the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship, powers and the mental world, the evil eye, blood magic, Mountain King Grenier¡¯s skills, Lee Jeong¡¯s hand-to-handbat, the rune¡¯s powers, and the duke titles.


    Even the Spear Shot and Continuous Stab gained from the Behen Archipgo a very long time ago were stuck in cooldown. He also forced Noe into the battle despite Noe being intimidated by dragons and being unable to perform well.


    He left no regrets. This was good enough. He fought well enough. The reason he lost was because Cranbel was stronger than him.


    Grid, who had been trying to calm down, soon med himself.


    [Get on.]


    He looked at the back of someone who postponed the expected end of the battle.


    The wounded dragon¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be strange if he copsed right away, but he extended his neck to Grid. The remaining parts of the two wings came together. The blood scattered from the huge body that barely withstood the magic saturation looked sublime.


    ¡®Not yet... it isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯


    There remained a dragon who believed in him and wanted to be with him. The dragon risked his life to give Grid another chance. How could Grid turn away?


    Grid¡¯s expression became calm as he climbed onto Xenon¡¯s neck and faced the bombardment of hundreds of magics. The effect of King of the Mountain, which had been active since the beginning, was still maintained. It was proof that Cranbel didn¡¯t give Grid a chance to recover his health. It was hope, not despair.


    Clink.


    A new weapon was held in Grid¡¯s one remaining arm. A sword that could drop the moon¡ªthe sword that shone a cold blue exerted power proportional to Grid¡¯s stats and the level of the target.


    It was a strength and a weakness. The Falling Moon Sword could cut Cranbel, but not kill him. Assuming that Grid¡¯s stats when riding on Xenon were three times the normal values and Cranbel¡¯s level was 999, the damage value would be in the billions. It was impossible to inflict a critical injury on Cranbel, whose health was estimated to be in the hundreds of billions or perhaps the trillions.


    However, Grid knew a dragon¡¯s weakness. The horn¡ªthe organ that rose from Cranbel¡¯s forehead, which Grid had persistently sought from the beginning, was a source of strength and authority. Ifrit had told him.


    ¡®This is myst chance. I will definitely cut it this time.¡¯


    Cranbel would¡¯ve never doubted victory from the start. Even so, he never let down his guard for a moment. It wasn¡¯t known if he was seeking perfection or if he acknowledged Grid¡¯s skills as he imed. No matter what, he was like a dog from Grid¡¯s point of view. A strong being should enjoy it as much as they were strong. Meanwhile, Cranbel wasn¡¯t flexible at all so he felt like a wall.


    ¡®If it was Baal, he would¡¯ve cut off his horn on purpose to fight.¡¯


    He never expected that he would miss Baal. Grid smiled because it was so absurd and took a deep breath.


    He guided Xenon to the point where arge sandstorm urred. Xenon had lost his wings, so he was slower than the other dragons Grid boarded. He consumed a significant amount of magic for flight and evasion, so he couldn¡¯t properly intercept Cranbel¡¯s magic bombardment. As he approached the storm, more scales were torn and the skin peeled off.


    Even so, Xenon¡¯s movements showed no hesitation. A chain of magic protruded from the storm and tied his limbs together, but he bit it with his teeth and cut it off. At this time, he winced at the magical mace that flew at his cocked head.


    Xenon moved in the direction that Grid wanted. He was the one who destroyed Reidan. He felt a sense of debt toward Grid, who was angered when he saw that the city had disappeared.


    ...No, maybe it was all an excuse. To be honest, Xenon struggled to understand his current feelings. He watched Grid cut at Cranbel¡¯s scales again and again and only had a desire to fight together.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was focused. He endured the magical baptism that was like a meteor with 1.5 seconds of immortality remaining and glimpsed beyond all the magic. The artificial senses created by the God Hands conveyed Xenon¡¯s position to him in real time.


    His single arm suffered from a series of strong wind pressure and explosions, and let out low noises. The creepy sensation of crushing bones and breaking muscles caused a chill to go down Grid¡¯s spine. Grid didn¡¯t turn a blind eye to this feeling. To be exact, he couldn¡¯t turn away from it.


    He focused on the sensation of his fingers holding the Falling Moon Sword. He approached the image of connecting the Falling Moon Sword to his nerves. He dissected and used the structure of the Falling Moon Sword. He became one with the sword.


    The remaining time of immortality was 1.2 seconds.


    The trajectory of the Falling Moon Sword moved finely. He grasped Cranbel¡¯s position beyond the magic that obscured his view with his artificial senses and recalled Cranbel¡¯s habits that were identified during the battle. Grid measured the space he needed to cut. The angle of the Falling Moon Sword was adjusted in real time.


    Just then, Xenon collided with a rising barrier. Xenon¡¯s body shook significantly, but Grid¡¯s posture wasn¡¯t disturbed in the slightest. He made himself immovable by activating White Tiger¡¯s Posture. Then thunder was heard above his head. Grid intuitively sensed it. The moment his immortality ended, he would naturally be swept away by the thunderbolt above his head.


    Cranbel was well aware of the existence of a god. He knew that a god¡¯s death would be suspended for up to 10 seconds and timed the manifestation of magic. The remaining time of immortality was 0.5 seconds. This was the moment when the ferocious thunderbolts started to color the world white.


    ¡®Now...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s one arm became blurry as he removed the White Tiger¡¯s Posture. At the same time, a sh of blue sword light cut through all the magic ahead, the desert, and Cranbel.


    200,000 Army Crushing Sword¡ªthe swordsmanship that Grid didn¡¯t have an opportunity to use during the battle because he actively utilized Revolve throughout the battle became his final trump card.


    [......!]


    Xenon¡¯s body trembled. It was the aftermath of witnessing Cranbel¡¯s astonished expression at the end of the world that was split in half. There was blood gushing from Cranbel¡¯s head.


    [Ohhhh...!]


    Xenon twisted his body sharply. It was to be struck by the thunderbolt instead of Grid, who had lost the immortality. He was going to die soon anyway. Xenon wanted to give meaning to his own death. In many ways, the end that came from protecting the life of a great god would be more special than the ordinary end of being captured and devoured by his kin. Yes, a great god.


    ¡®...Is this envy?¡¯


    Xenon btedly realized his feelings as he was swept away by the thunderbolt and glowed. The scales that had lost their durability from the beginning became ashes and scattered.


    The three dragons that had fallen toward the desert had crashed underground since the time of their defeat. After them, Grid fell side by side with Cranbel, but his gaze stayed on Xenon.


    ¡®The sacrifice for the weak...¡¯


    Grid, who felt repeated disappointments every time he encountered a transcendent being, felt a rare thrill at this moment.


    Ifrit, Xenon, Basque, etcetera¡ªthe dragons served as an opportunity to break the many prejudices that Grid harbored against transcendents. Just like the strong reaching out to the weak, didn¡¯t Xenon help Grid, someone who he didn¡¯t even know? He deserved to be called a character that was proportional to his strength. Grid was fascinated by this noble spirit and he felt a sense of respect.


    To be honest, he thought Cranbel was cool too. There was a certain dignity in his deration that he would fulfill the covenant independently of the liking he felt toward Grid. He even questioned if he would¡¯ve been able to suppress this killing intent if Cranbel hadn¡¯t destroyed Reidan.


    Just before crashing into the end of the underground area, the God Hands that followed Grid supported him. Grid avoided the crash thanks to this and remained wary of his surroundings without any time to feel relieved.


    Basque and the dragons were confronting Cranbel. Cranbel had lost half his head by twisting it just before his horn was cut, but he was nevertheless still aloof. He looked down at his enemies with one eye while keeping his neck upright and it looked like a scene from a myth a long time ago.


    It happened the moment that Grid was gulping...


    ¡°Y-Your Majeeeeesty!!!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    A group of people rushed forward. They came from the old castle behind Cranbel. At first, there were around a few dozens, but in an instant, it became hundreds and thousands. He could see familiar faces in the front. They were the alchemists of Reidan, the objects of love and hatred for Grid.


    ¡°We have defended this to the end...!¡± A substance that didn¡¯t match Satisfy¡¯s worldview. The alchemists proudly disyed the unidentified te that was as transparent as stic, but Grid just hurriedly shouted at them.


    "Stop! Step back!¡±


    Were they crazy as a group? How many dragons were here? What spirit were they rushing over with?


    Grid, who had no time to feel happy when he saw the survivors, soon realized that these people had something to believe in. The survivors of Reidan were stamped with red blood like a seal. It was the blood of others, not the blood they shed. Grid recalled the owner of the castle behind Cranbel and grasped the situation.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that Marie Rose...?¡¯


    Did she save the people of Reidan when she was so indifferent to her bloodkin and couldn¡¯t feel any humanity? As Grid was feeling flustered, a stream of blood surged from right next to Grid and split in half. Long hair that was intertwined with an abyss-lke darkness tickled Grid¡¯s cheek before gradually subsiding.


    ¡°So.¡± A beautiful voice emerged from the red lips that contrasted with the white skin. The people of Reidan, who had been crying toward Grid, were instantly seduced and fell silent. Only her voice echoed in the underground area where silence fell. ¡°Who ate my dear husband¡¯s arm?¡±


    The one that Beriache, one of the three original evils, gave birth to by giving up her life¡ªMarie Rose¡¯s red eyes shone clearly in the darkness. There was no ennui in her eyes as she nced at the wounded dragons in turn.


    Blood King¡ªit was none other than Grid who clearly imprinted her on the world.


    [......]


    The dragons at the scene held their breath. They resembled mortals hoping that a typhoon would pass by quickly. It was an unrealistic sight created by the most sinister and beautiful being in the world.


    Just then, Xenon fell btedly and broke the silence of the area.


    Cranbel was the first to react.


    [I am the one who harmed the Overgeared God.]


    Cranbel told the truth. He spoke proudly without any intention of defending the other dragons or avoiding responsibility. He was truly like a noble dragon. It was clear that the reason why the tower members were wary and fearful of dragons was due to the misguided prejudices nted by some crazy dragons such as the insane dragon, the evil dragon, the gourmet dragon, and the fire dragon.


    ¡®Hayate said that all dragons are crazy... I don¡¯t see it that way at all.¡¯


    Grid thought this as he looked at the survivors and the hostility he felt toward Cranbel was broken.


    Then blood filled Grid¡¯s field of view. Marie Rose flew from far away and pulled out Cranbel¡¯s entire left limb, causing blood to soar.

 Chapter 1593

    <h4>Chapter 1593</h4>


    The news of Beriache¡¯s death had been a hot topic among the dragons. Some of them were shocked.


    The 3 evils of the beginning¡ªBeriache might suffer from the curse, but she was still Yatan¡¯s daughter. In a way, it could be called the most noble status in the world after the old dragons and the gods of the beginning in the hierarchy. It was a natural position to enjoy eternal life and achieve everything she set out to do.


    Yet she chose death on her own. It was in return for giving her child all her power. It meant that the vengeance she felt toward Baal was beyond imagination and it was also evidence that her power couldn¡¯t harm Baal.


    ¡®Marie Rose.¡¯


    The existence that inherited the power and aspirations of Beriache. She was chosen as a means to handle Baal and her skills were incredible. By manipting the flow of blood at will and immediately refining the mana absorbed by her heart into demonic energy, there was no limit to her body and magic. It seemed that her body and magic werepletely linked to her consciousness. It was the realm of realizing her willpower as soon as it was conceived.


    It was right topare it to operating the Heart Sword. Of course, it wasn¡¯t Muller¡¯s Heart Sword, but a normal Heart Sword. However, this was enough. Her appearance was beyond that of a transcendent and close to an absolute.


    Cranbel¡¯s left limb was ripped off entirely. She approached with relentless speed and prated the absolute defense with demonic energy, ripping at the scales, flesh, and bones. Force, magic, and power werepletely integrated and exerted their strength.


    Cranbel had a definite insight.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t an opponent I can win against in this state.¡¯


    Therefore, he simply gave away his limb. He didn¡¯t resist.


    Marie Rose noticed it. ¡°You know that you havemitted a mortal sin.¡±


    [Are you discussing sin with a dragon? You are so wicked to rule with overwhelming force, just like the child of the demon who fought against Baal.]


    Were all dragons the same just because they were dragons? Marie Rose shut up as she was about to hit back. This was a consideration of Cranbel¡¯s status.


    A being who seemed to prove that the refractive dragon existed. Cranbel must be a direct descendant of an old dragon. He deserved respect. Her dear husband who pushed him to this point... he was really cool.


    ¡°Huhut.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid became startled as he was staring nkly at Marie Rose. She suddenly turned to smile at him and he felt more affection and obsession than usual. He had the idea that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he was kidnapped like this and put into a coffin for the rest of his life.


    [Overgeared God Grid. A great person who overshadows the years.]


    Cranbel¡¯s gaze was also directed at Grid. It was with a deration that he wouldn¡¯t kill Grid.


    [In the current situation, I must also be prepared for death if I want to harm you. I will conform to reason and give up on the covenant. Will you allow it?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart raced. He felt the respect in the words ¡®allow it.¡¯ Cranbel was a strong being with no reason to be wary of Grid. Even so, the person he was reluctant to act against right now was Grid, not Marie Rose. He was asking for Grid¡¯s understanding, not Marie Rose¡¯s. It was interpreted as him not wanting to ignore Grid. Grid seemed to know why Cranbel didn¡¯t harm people even after he destroyed Reidan.


    ¡®Cranbel is a being who knows how to be considerate of the weak.¡¯


    He had a very good character. It was like Xenon. There was a lot of respect.


    Grid smiled slightly and looked at Marie Rose. She came close to Grid and handed over Cranbel¡¯s limb.


    ¡°Well, he has paid a bit for his sins. Do whatever you want after this.¡±


    It meant he could send Cranbel away. Marie Rose was also burdened to have a life or death battle with Cranbel. The odds of winning were high, but she judged that the sacrifices would be great. She was also concerned about the troubles that came from killing a dragon.


    Dragons were poisonous holy grails. She could be the target of an old dragon. It wasn¡¯t good for Marie Rose, who had to aplish the task of killing Baal. More than anything else¡ª


    ¡®His taste is unique.¡¯


    Marie Rose prioritized Grid¡¯s heart. What was so good about a crazy dragon? Even so, Grid was looking at Cranbel with favorable eyes despite Cranbel being the one to turn him into tatters. She didn¡¯t want Grid¡¯s resentment after killing Cranbel. If she incited hatred at a time when her marriage proposal was already rejected, their union would be a long way off...


    ¡°Okay. Instead, I have a condition.¡±


    The sight of Grid giving a condition to the dragon evoked Marie Rose¡¯s memories. She remembered the day when Grid had released her seal and demanded to be spared. It was nice to see his confident appearance. She thought that the eyes that shone purely resembled stars.


    [What is the condition?]


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t retaliate against meter.¡±


    [Of course. Retaliationes from grudges. I have good feelings toward you, so I will never harm you.]


    Grid had seen a dragon¡¯s smile. It was an expression that the dragons themselves didn¡¯t know.


    At this moment, Cranbel was making the same expression as Ifrit. It was just quickly erased.


    [We will never meet again.]


    Cranbel didn¡¯t even give him the chance to say goodbye. Transparent silver scales seemed to reflect the moonlight flowing through the cracks of the copsed ceiling as he hid himself and disappeared like it was a lie. The strength of a silver dragon was definitely in stealth.


    [I will go back now.]


    [It was an honor to be with you.]


    Basque and the other dragons left the scene one by one. They no longer had the will to fight. It wasn¡¯t a romantic story of how they got attached while fighting together. It was simply just because they saw Marie Rose¡¯s eyes. There was no dragon who would make a fuss in her realm when she was free from the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡°Is there any way to heal him...?¡±


    Grid looked with worry at the one dragon who couldn¡¯t leave.


    Xenon¡ªmost of his scales had fallen off in exchange for protecting Grid and his breath was faded. It was sad to see the burned skin and the broken bones protruding from them. It was just fortunate that the horn was intact.


    A stir urred among the people. They couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. It was natural. For civilians, dragons were no different from gods. Most people couldn¡¯t see a dragon in their entire lifetime. Yet today, the people of Reidan saw a huge five dragons. Why did theye to Reidan to fight and why did they quietly step down...? It was impossible to infer the situation. They just thought that His Majesty had made another achievement.


    No one knew that Xenon was the one who turned Reidan to ashes. It was because ordinary people couldn¡¯t distinguish the appearance of dragons. In their eyes, all the dragons today looked the same. There was a limitation to recognizing something so huge and they had no idea who destroyed Reidan.


    ¡°Dragons don¡¯t die so easily. He will recover soon.¡±


    Marie Rose was the one who rescued the people of Reidan from Xenon. She had personally witnessed the scene of Xenon turning Reidan to ashes. Even so, she didn¡¯t bother to tell Grid. She was curious about how Xenon would act.


    At present, Xenon¡¯s life was actually held by Marie Rose. If Xenon came to his senses and deceived Grid, Marie Rose nned to immediately cut off his limbs. A garbage that took advantage of her partner¡¯s pure heart... she wouldn¡¯t sit idly by.


    [......]


    After a while, Xenon opened his eyes. It was as Marie Rose said. The speed of recovery transcendedmon sense. The broken bones quickly reconnected and found their ce, while the burned skin regained its luster.


    ¡®It reminds me of Michael.¡¯


    However, Michael showed excellent regeneration even during the battle, while dragons were constrained while fighting. It was probably because a dragon¡¯s tendency was to be aggressive. The flow of their magic power was more focused on attack than recovery. Scales started to develop on Xenon¡¯s body as Grid was feeling admiration. It was just that it was very thin. For dragons, scales were their armor and they seemed to need more time to regenerate before they were solid.


    ¡°Have you regained your mind?¡± Grid couldn¡¯t hide his worried expression as he asked. He met Xenon¡¯s big eyes, which were revealed without the dark, pure film covering it.


    Grid was favorable toward Xenon, who fought with Grid on his back. Even with a wounded body, he protected Grid at the risk of death at thest moment.


    [......]


    Grid¡¯s warm eyes made Xenon experience unfamiliar symptoms. He felt a tingling pain in her heart. It made him very distressed even though the pain wasn¡¯t great.


    Xenon recalled it¡ªthe sight of the people struggling to protect each other as he turned the city into ashes. He thought their feelings at that time would resemble what he was feeling now. Then guilt flooded in. His actions that harmed human beings¡ªthese actions, which should be insignificant, suddenly became a sin.


    [I¡¯m sorry. The dragon who destroyed your city and harmed your people... it was none other than me.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened, but it was only for a moment. Grid was well aware of what humans were for dragons¡ªbugs. Nothing more and nothing less. Dragons didn¡¯t give humans any meaning. They felt no liking, malice, or killing intent. Yet at this moment, Xenon¡¯s expression was filled with sadness and regret. It wasn¡¯t just because he was sorry for Grid. He seemed to have feelings for the humans he harmed that he never felt before.


    Grid intuitively sensed it. What Xenon was showing now was a precursor to a huge change that would ur one day.


    ¡°If you are really sorry, take responsibility and help those who lost their homes and families.¡±


    [...dly.]


    The moonlight pouring down shone on Grid and the dragon. The giant eyes of the dragon with his head lowered that couldn¡¯t face Grid and Grid, who silently stroked the dragon¡¯s nose.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 17th epic.]


    [It starts from the confession of the dragon who bowed his head.]


    ***


    The reason why Cranbel was called the cloaked dragon wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t have enough perception. The silver dragon Cranbel was the master of distortion. He easily distorted and concealed not only his appearance, but also any phenomena or concepts.


    [Cough...!]


    In today''s battle, Cranbel didn¡¯t use stealth. It was due to Grid. He decided that Grid wasn¡¯t an opponent who could be handled while maintaining his stealth. Cranbel distorted something other than his appearance. It was his health. In other words, he spread falsehoods.


    Cranbal had been shocked when he was cut by Grid¡¯s sword technique that was reminiscent of Martial God Chiyou. He suffered a fairly serious injury. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a wound that was directly linked to death, but he wasn¡¯t as fine as he appeared.


    Cranbel thought about it.


    What if Grid had fully recognized his condition? What if Grid wasn¡¯t frustrated? Wouldn¡¯t today¡¯s fight have been a bit more intense?


    Then he listened to Xenon¡¯s confession, which was imprinted on the world, and the epic of the Overgeared God, who forgave him.


    Cranbel slowly and carefully crossed the desert. The shade he cast on the ce he passed by was blood, not shadow.


    Cranbel was once again grateful for the presence of the tower member, who blocked the ess of other dragons from far away.

 Chapter 1594

    <h4>Chapter 1594</h4>


    [You guys...! You are rats who live in hiding and always disturb us at every important moment...!!}


    The eyes of the top dragon Cubatros was colored a bright red. It was reminiscent of a zing me, but the expression that he was shedding tears of blood was more appropriate. Cubatros held more of a grudge than killing intent. The level of the tower members was too high to be angry and have a desire to kill. To be exact, he was reluctant to stimte Hayate.


    Dragon yer¡ªhe had already killed a dragon once, yet in a contradictory manner, he was excluded from any killing intent. This was the case even when the concept of thoughts were directly linked to strength. He showed no willingness to hurt Cubatros. Thus, he came off even more threatening. He was like a bomb on the verge of exploding.


    [Get out of my way!]


    Not long ago, Cubatros thought he was very lucky. He was awake just in time and hisir was located in the center of the continent. He sensed the turmoil of five dragons and regarded it as an opportunity to eat.


    The willpower of the cloaked dragon, which was divided into hundreds, distorted the area and dyed the time it took to arrive at the scene, but Cubatros was the same rank as the cloaked dragon. He had the potential to break through the maze installed by the cloaked dragon. It was just a matter of time. The moment the willpower of the cloaked dragon faded and the distortions that spread everywhere were erased, Cubatros seeded in identifying the coordinates of the scene. It was enough to teleport there.


    At the moment of jubtion, the tower members appeared and interfered. It was quite intimidating. Sword Saint Biban and martial artist Ken, who made the scales meaningless, were quite annoying. Additionally, Fronzaltz, who had restored the treasure of the giants, clearly reminded him why the giants of the past had to perish.


    Hayate... he was the sun among inferior lights.


    Cubatros felt tremendous pressure just because Hayate was supporting them from behind.


    ¡°We also want to get out of the way,¡± Hayate opened his mouth. His blond hair fluttered in the howling atmosphere as he was pressured by a Dragon Fear. His clearly revealed face had a deep expression.


    ¡°How can we dare to block a dragon¡¯s path? However, we can¡¯t withdraw because we are concerned about a situation where you be much powerful than you are now.¡±


    [...Detestable fellow.]


    Cubatros was fortunate to have outstanding discerning eyes. If his hierarchy had been a bit lower, he wouldn¡¯t have recognized Hayate¡¯s humility and would¡¯ve caused an irreversible situation. He would¡¯ve made the mistake of entering a life or death battle.


    Hayate¡¯s blue eyes suddenly subsided calmly. ¡°It seems that the blood queen has opened her eyes. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to give up at this point?¡±


    [Che...]


    Then something amazing happened. The dragon, who covered the moon with his mountain-like body, started to turn around.


    Light relief passed over the faces of the tower members, who were holding their breath with great tension.


    [You guys... one day, you will definitely pay for your sins.]


    It was a curse that would surelye true. Cubatros¡¯s Dragon Words wrapped around the fate of the tower members. This was until it was erased by Hayate¡¯s sword light. ¡°Thank you for your decision.¡±


    [Hayate...! You will die the most cruelly.]


    Cubatros red at Hayata like he wanted to kill Hayate before eventually leaving. The tower members cheered with relief while Hayate was quiet. His two hands concealed behind his back were trembling.


    An absolute¡ªHayate was an immortal who could not die of his own will. Therefore, his end will surely be achieved one day by the dragons and it would take the most horrible form in the world...


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Cubatros would retreat so easily.¡±


    ¡°In the end, it went as Hayate said. I¡¯m really d.¡±


    The tower members only opened their mouths properly after returning to the tower. A great incident where as many as five dragons collided¡ªthe incident could¡¯ve be the biggest disaster in history, but it ended safely without another new dragon appearing.


    The opportunity that Hayate mentioned¡ªit was thanks to the performance of Dragon Knight Grid. They hadn¡¯t expected him to join forces with four dragons to make the top dragon back down... it exceeded their expectations. It was right to say it was something that could only be done by Grid in the world.


    ¡°Grid is the blessing of humanity,¡± Biban said. It was while stroking Gujel¡¯s Sword.


    A treasured sword that physically embodied Hayate¡¯s Dragon Killing Sword¡ªit was sufficiently satisfyingpared to Hayata¡¯s real swordsmanship. Whenbined with the Matchless Sword, the power was enough to easily cut a dragon¡¯s scales.


    Biban was very proud of Grid. This must be how he would feel about his child if he had a child.


    ¡°Grid is the best,¡± Betty also agreed. She even had the illusion that her stopped heart was beating again.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Grid... a huge monster might¡¯ve been born today.¡±


    All the tower members, including Fronzaltz and Redwolf, smiled happily.


    The members of the Tower of Wisdom¡ªheroes who fought for the peace of the world for many years trusted and relied on Grid.


    Just in time, a new epic of the Overgeared God was imprinted on the world. The content contained a dragon directly confessing his sins to a god and had never been in any myth.


    Hayate trembled.


    ***


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    The people of Reidan were astonished. It was because the city, which had be ashes, was quickly restored to its original form.


    Xenon easily understood and remembered the established civilization. He used magic and Dragon Words to establishws that easily restored everything he destroyed. However, even dragons couldn¡¯t revive the dead. Moreover, hell was in a deteriorated state. It was difficult to induce reincarnation because the river of reincarnation didn¡¯t operate properly.


    [The lives of the 2,788 people who died because of me... I will pay you back with my scales. I will also strive to take care of the bereaved family members as much as possible.]


    Then something amazing happened.


    [A new specialty, ¡®Dragon Scales,¡¯ will be added to ¡®Reidan,¡¯ a city of the Overgeared Empire. It will be maintained for the next 20 years.]


    [A new effect, ¡®Dragon¡¯s Sin,¡¯ will be added to ¡®Reidan,¡¯ a city of the Overgeared Empire. Under certain conditions, several beneficial effects will ur.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind was in a very heavy state. He wrote an epic and enjoyed a sharp rise in status, but he wasn¡¯t happy. It was natural. He felt guilty toward the dead. He resented his helplessness for not protecting them and thought it was a harsh reality that he had to forgive the one who harmed them. Still, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Gridforted himself like this.


    He would push even more people to death if he hurt Xenon to repay the people¡¯s resentment. Furthermore, Xenon sincerely apologized. He showed his determination to give his life for Grid. On top of that, hepletely restored Reidan and gave a new blessing.


    ¡®...That is why it is hard to hate him.¡¯


    Did they see the darker shade on Grid¡¯s face?


    ¡°I¡¯ve been taught that dragons are like natural disasters.¡±


    The bereaved family membersforted Grid instead.


    "Our dead families... I¡¯ll think of it as encountering a disaster.¡±


    The bereaved family members also felt Xenon¡¯s sincerity. They understood it was practically impossible to resent a dragon and dream of revenge. There was only one thing they could hope for.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please, our families... save those who are suffering in hell.¡±


    Reincarnation¡ªthe only way to save the people trapped in the river of reincarnation.


    Grid nodded at the bereaved family members who eventually made the request in tears. ¡°Definitely.¡±


    This battle had taught Grid a lot. He clearly realized the strength of the dragons and discovered the strength of Baal, who wasparable to an old dragon. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t frustrated. Cranbel¡¯s arm, Xenon¡¯s scales, and the rise in status¡ªGrid gained a lot of loot. He would be able to be stronger in the future.


    In addition¡ª


    ¡°Marie Rose.¡±


    He also confirmed again how reliable an ally he had.


    ¡°Can you join us on the hell expedition?¡±


    "Of course. However, it is hard right now.¡±


    The hell expedition was the reason why Marie Rose was born. She had a mission to kill Baal and the demons who cooperated with him in order to return hell to its original state. She would visit hell of her own ord one day, even if Grid didn¡¯t request it. However, it wasn¡¯t time yet. There weren¡¯t enough preparations.


    The Curse of Sloth was a secondary issue. Marie Rose discovered it byparing herself to Cranbel. She wascking strength. In the first ce, the timing was too early. It was only hundreds of years ago that she inherited strength and status from Beriache. More time was needed for her potential to fully blossom. The flow of the world that Grid had elerated was too fast for her.


    ¡°I need to meet some people.¡±


    ¡°People...?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few cowards hiding in the world. It is better for me to reap the power that is rotting away.¡±


    Marie Rose lightly approached Grid and slightly raised her heel in a tiptoe. The moment her fine forehead and eyebrows filled the center of Grid¡¯s field of view, Grid¡¯s head had already turned nk. It was the aftermath of feeling something long and damp squeezing between his lips.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Marie Rose grabbed the back of Grid¡¯s head with a soft touch and seemed like a beast who had been waiting for this day all her life. She thoroughly vited Grid¡¯s mouth. She used her long tongue to draw out and suck all of Grid¡¯s saliva with the momentum of drying Grid up and killing him.


    How much time passed? Grid, who had been mesmerized for a while in the midst of endless pleasure and shame, let out a short breath. He saw that Marie Rose¡¯s full lips were much redder than before. Grid btedly felt a stinging pain. His lips were slightly torn. It was by those sharp, white teeth.


    ¡°My dear husband tastes more delicious than I thought.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I can hold out for a while with this. Let me taste it again next time.¡± Marie Rose turned into ck ash and scattered, leaving the scene.


    ¡®Crazy... crazy...¡¯


    Grid stood between Xenon and the people of Reidan, who were holding their breaths, and trembled like a pine tree. He feared Marie Rose even more. He thought he would be eaten by her one day. It was until there was not even a drop of blood left.

 Chapter 1595

    <h4>Chapter 1595</h4>


    ¡°...Gulp.¡±


    Returning to Reinhardt, Grid cooled down. He felt a tremendous amount of pressure. His hands and feet were trembling, so the fierce battle with Cranbel came to mind again.


    Mercedes was standing in front of him. With her clear skin and blue eyes,bined with her chilly expression, she was naturally reminiscent of ice. It was an iceberg that floated in the middle of the deep blue sea. Wouldn¡¯t she be called the Ice Empress if she went to the East Continent?


    ¡°I¡¯m d you returned safely.¡±


    Fortunately, her voice was amiable. The problem was that her eyes didn¡¯t smile. Mercedes was clearly sulking. It was natural. The moment he heard the news of the dragon invading Reidan, Grid had made an earnest request.


    Never follow me. If you follow me, I will resent you for the rest of my life.


    The words ¡®resentment¡¯ and ¡®lifetime¡¯ were put together. It was foul y.


    Mercedes was terrified. She couldn¡¯t chase after Grid carelessly. She recalled the fact that he couldn¡¯t die and could only watch his back as he quickly moved away. It was also physically impossible to keep up with Grid¡¯s speed. It was a situation where the warp gates weren¡¯t working. The performance of her Silver Wings wasn¡¯t enough to catch up with Grid who used Shunpo inbination with Barbatos¡¯ Vision.


    Mercedes was left behind and literally experienced hell. Every minute and second seemed like eternity. All she could do was pray while her nerves stretched out like an extended rubber band. What was a knight who couldn¡¯t stand by her master?


    Mercedes felt a great sense of helplessness and shame. She deeply felt like she was in the depths of despair. She questioned the value of her existence. Irene was the one who supported her while she was shaking. She had felt this way longer than anyone else and warmly wrapped her hands around Mercedes¡¯ trembling hands, even though she herself was feeling sad and afraid.


    Mercedes felt the dignity of an empress. She became more respectful of Irene for taking care of her like a sister. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    She didn¡¯t dare take Irene¡¯s rights away. She watched silently as Irene was the first to run to Grid and hug him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry.¡±


    Grid tended to be particrly weak against Irene. She was born the daughter of an ordinary (?) noble and became thepanion of an emperor and god. The psychological burden she felt would be great. Furthermore, Grid was always on the battlefield. Irene was in the position to assume and prepare for the worst every time. It was easily understandable why her hair turned white before she built up divinity. He always felt sorry toward her.


    ¡°Why are you apologizing? Who will me a father who returned after fighting to protect his children?¡±


    Basara had said this: The emperor should be the father of the people. Irene deeply agreed with Basara¡¯s im. Of course, it was the same for Grid. Grid was reminded of Basara, who wasn¡¯t here.


    ¡®I will have to visit her more often.¡¯


    After the wedding ceremony, Basara became the ruler of Titan and quickly returned to Titan. The reason was that every second was important to restore the city that had copsed after the Great Human and Demon War, but Grid thought that she felt burdened.


    A political maneuver¡ªGrid got married without liking Basara. Basara knew this as well. She thought that Grid would be ufortable if she was next to him. At this point, Grid was sorry. Regardless of the reason, they were in a marriage rtionship. Grid was obliged to give Basara some affection. It was something he had to try.


    ¡®...The exception is Marie Rose.¡¯


    Marie Rose... he disliked it. He had no confidence to handle her. He was just afraid.


    Grid unknowingly touched his lips, only to be startled. It was because Irene and Mercedes were staring at him. The slight flush on his face seemed to have created a strange misunderstanding. Grid intuitively sensed that it would be tough tonight.


    ¡°Hum hum, Mercedes.¡± Grid coughed and changed the atmosphere. He handed Mercedes the treasure that the alchemists had risked their lives to protect. No matter how he looked at it, this item resembled coated paper. He questioned if this was truly a treasure.


    ¡°This is what youmissioned. The alchemists protected it even as the dragon turned the city into a sea of fire.¡±


    ¡°Uh...!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was confused. It was because Mercedes¡¯ pupils expanded like a surprised cat and her hands and feet floundered.


    The ruler of knights¡ªthis appearance didn¡¯t match her, who was the envy of all the knights in the world. Eventually, her face turned red and she pulled out a sword. The White Tiger Sword, which was more transparent than ss, shone with sharp sword energy.


    ¡°W-What special item...?! I will get rid of it!¡±


    ¡°No, what are you doing...? Calm down! Calm down!¡±


    There was a big uproar. Grid tried to protect the object containing the blood and sweat of the alchemists while Mercedes, who didn¡¯t dare swing a sword at him, was in a hurry.


    ***


    "Thank you."


    ¡°As expected of Grid. You are beyond favor or spite.¡±


    At the Overgeared Castle, Reinhardt...


    In the now emperor¡¯s pce, which was almost treated as a sanctuary, Grid and Asuka exchanged bright smiles.


    [yer ¡®Asuka¡¯ has joined Overgeared Guild One.]


    [yer ¡®ck Teddy¡¯ has joined Overgeared Guild One.]


    Asuka achieved her dream. The right tomission items from Grid. It was the moment she had been desiring for years. It was also a satisfactory deal for Grid. Asuka and ck Teddy¡¯s skills had long been famous. They were able to join Overgeared Guild One, which still had spots open because it only received high rankers. It was easily understandable after hearing the news that they rescued Noll and the vampires. Asuka¡¯s biggest variable was ¡®financial power,¡¯ so it wasn¡¯t strange that she could create a miracle with money.


    In any case, Grid was deeply grateful to them. They protected Noll and chose to be with him.


    ¡°I thought there was a deep resentment because you hadn¡¯t applied for membership until now. Fortunately, this isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°That... as you know, I hurt your soldiers who guarded Fenrir¡¯s city. I was too sorry and scared because of that..¡±


    ¡°It is regrettable, but... things have changed since then.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll be the person who protects your soldiers from now on.¡±


    ¡°From now on, they will be your colleagues.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The idea of eternal enemies was too old and narrow-minded. In order to fight against strong and evil enemies, it was necessary to understand and reconcile with each other. Just like Xenon.


    Grid had grown up before he knew it. After that¡ª


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    Asuka entrusted Grid with the production request immediately. Grid suggested it first. It was because he nned to stay in the smithy for a while.


    ¡°It is a great idea.¡±


    Asuka was a special case among weapon masters. Not only did she handle all types of weapons, but she had the ability to gain the necessary weapons. Wasn¡¯t there a story that all the Grid-made weapons on the market belonged to Asuka? Her weapons knowledge was excellent. Her eyes shone as she exined to Grid the form of the weapons she had desired for years. There were some objects with a fresh approach that inspired Grid.


    ¡®A mace... I should try it too.¡¯


    There was a fact he had realized when fighting Cranbel. There were limitations to shing and stabbing. If fighting against targets with exceptional resilience, breaking and crushing seemed to have a greater effect.


    ¡®The moreplicated the wound, the greater the time it takes to regenerate. It is easy to cause an injury.¡¯


    For example, if he crushed a dragon¡¯s chest that contained scales. It was possible that the fragments of the scales would prate the dragon¡¯s flesh and organs. He could expect more abnormal physical conditions. In fact, it was close to basicmon sense. There were many yers who used a blunt weapon as a secondary weapon.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t feel the need for a blunt weapon due to the nature of the sword dances. The active and passive skills of Overgeared God''s Sword Dance were only activated when wielding a sword-type weapon. Grid¡¯s overwhelming attack power was only exerted when a sword-type weapon was equipped. Apart from long distance weapons like bows that exerted great effects in special situations, he had the perception that it was a waste to use any close range weapons other than swords.


    Now he changed his mind.


    ¡®For example, the attack power of a weapon made of moon night iron is fixed anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t get the effects of the sword dances when wielding a blunt weapon made of moon night iron.¡¯


    Grid realized that the powerful performance of the sword dances had actually narrowed his horizons and suppressed his potential. It was a fact that he gained enlightenment from Asuka¡¯s new weapon designs and her ideas that she added every time she handed over a design.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get in touch when it is done.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯m excited to join the hell expedition with a new weapon.¡±


    For the next four days, Grid focused on Asuka¡¯smission. He wanted to cover Asuka and ck Teddy¡¯s entire bodies with new items. He didn¡¯t act fretfully due to reasons like he needed their power right away or he wanted to repay them quickly.


    Grid was aware that there was nothing urgent right away. He didn¡¯t intend to make rubbish because he was in a hurry. He needed time to organize his inspiration. Before smelting Cranbel¡¯s arm and Xenon¡¯s scales, he wanted to make his thoughts as flexible as possible.


    ¡®Come to think about it...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s concentration rose to its limit and he faced the most pressing problem. Storm of the Fire God, the mental world embodied by the heart of the Red Phoenix, was fire. It was an unsuitable attribute for the current Overgeared God. Perhaps Storm of the Fire God was also one of the factors suppressing him.


    ¡®The same goes for the armor that uses the Breath of the Four Auspicious Beasts.¡¯


    The things he needed to do were starting to be clear. It was a good idea to use the scales he was previously gifted by Hayate and the scales that Xenon would continue to give to Reidan in the future to change all his armor to new ones. He would ask Braham and the Red Phoenix for advice on how to change the mental world.


    ¡®I might have the Heart of the Frost Queen, but...¡¯


    The Heart of the Frost Queen was ice that didn¡¯t melt. It was hard to say that the Frost Queen¡¯s hierarchy would be the same as the Red Phoenix. The Red Phoenix was a god. It was unlikely that the Heart of the Frost Queen would offset the Red Phoenix¡¯s fire.


    ¡®I just have to ask the Red Phoenix and I will know. I will alsoplete Filewolf¡¯s quest to get the moon night iron. Cranbel¡¯s arm... I think it is right to smelt it after finishing all these things.¡¯


    In fact, Grid was most disappointed in his attack power. The six fusion sword dance with all the buff effects, including Dragon Knight¡ªit transcended the power of a Dragon Breath for a moment, but it didn¡¯t mean anything. He couldn¡¯t even scratch at Cranbel¡¯s health gauge. He needed a stronger destructive power to kill Baal, who was estimated to be more powerful than Cranbel.


    However, Grid pushed the production of the weapon to the end. It was intended to respond to any changes that would ur when changing his mental world and armor.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression suddenly stiffened.


    Khan¡¯s gift. It was because the poison contained in Valha of Infinite Affection, which Khan created by burning thest of his life, came to mind. That¡¯s right. Valha¡¯s attribute was also not nothingness. Maybe he should say goodbye to Valha this time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    Grid clutched his chest with arge hand. He felt the warmth of Valha, which was as warm as Khan¡¯s heart, and gritted his teeth.


    ¡®Kuek... I will definitely save you, Khan.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled as he barely suppressed his tears.


    ***


    ¡°This is the infamous river of reincarnation.¡±


    Countless souls were screaming. They were souls captured by the river. They kept the memories of their lives and could only curse.


    ¡°This ce... it is just the downstream area. The river stretches endlessly. The more you go up, the more you hear the screams of the souls.¡±


    Yura¡¯s expression was dark as she exined it. The expressions of the other people were the same. They felt ufortable thinking that the people they had once been with would be suffering somewhere here. Some people were furious.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just go into Dog¡¯s Mouth and raid Eligos?¡±


    The momentum of the hell expedition was very high. The yers had grown greatly in the Great Human and Demon War, while hell lost numerous troops and great demons. In addition, all the expedition members had carried out several Hell Gao raids. They received Hell Gao¡¯s recognition (?) and overcame the hell penalties. The sky and distorted stars, which seemed to have all sorts of ominous colors ovepped with each other, the moon with thousands of eyes wide open, and the thick haze in the air didn¡¯t threaten the expedition at all.


    They had yed through hell and they weren¡¯t afraid of ck Knight Eligos. They heard the information that he was a powerhouse who transcended a single digit great demon, but what was the big deal? The expedition had witnessed the tremendous performances of Demon yer Yura, Bow Saint Jishuka, Faker, and Katz. The Overgeared members such as Regas and Pon who assisted them were also powerful. The expedition members were confident in their skills.


    However, the Overgeared members thought differently. In particr, Yura urately grasped Eligos¡¯ power.


    ¡°The difficulty of the 20th Hell is much higher than before. Eligo has already suffered a raid and it is impossible that he hasn¡¯t set up any defenses.¡±


    Dog¡¯s Mouth, which managed the river of reincarnation, was one of the most important points of hell.


    There must be a solid basis for the choice to ce Eligos there. Considering his attitude of stepping down in consideration of Leraje¡¯s reputation, he seemed to have a temperament close to a cautious strategist. It wasn¡¯t strange if he prepared severalyers of protection to greatly weaken intruders and strengthen himself.


    -Child. I still covet you.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Yura¡¯s body stiffened at the sudden voice. She clearly remembered the owner of this voice. A being who used to be a big turning point in the past. She couldn¡¯t forget the voice of the 2nd Great Demon, Amoract.

 Chapter 1596

    <h4>Chapter 1596</h4>


    There was no one who didn¡¯t know of Amoract. Even those who didn¡¯t y Satisfy knew the name of the 2nd Great Demon. Moreover, she was the founder of the Yatan Church. Amoract was almost the only faithful believer among the great demons. In other words, she caused the greatest harm to humanity.


    Until the Great Human and Demon War, most of the great demons that came to the surface were done through the rituals of the Yatan Church. It was Amoract who spread the evil doctrines to people and turned the surface into chaos.


    ¡°This is crazy...?¡±


    At first, they thought a god was descending.


    A being with a pure white body. A huge but slender woman whose body shone white. She descended in a divine manner in conjunction with the 12 meter tall height that made them look up at her. This was until they looked closely. The woman had no contours on her face. No features such as eyes, nose, a mouth, or ears existed. The body was also t. Only her protruding chest and narrow waist symbolized that she was a woman. In short, she gave off a creepy feeling like a mannequin.


    The name that appeared above her head was Amoract. The demon, who had something simr to divinity, was the 2nd Great Demon. It was so strange that it gave them a greater sense of rejection. It was terrible.


    The faces of the expedition members who were in high momentum quickly turned white. They were nervous, frightened, and disgusted as they gripped their weapons. The ¡®bizarre¡¯ debuffs induced by Amoract were infringing on all types of freedoms, but the hell expedition members were the elite of the elite. They might not be the strongest, but they were a group made by selecting the best yers.


    There was no way they would lose their original intention to fight back. The bodies of the expedition members were wrapped in various lights. They were buff skills that overcame fear and strengthened their bodies and magic power.


    The hands of Saintess Ruby were shaking as she grabbed her wooden staff. She intended to expand the Sanctuary to push away Amoract¡¯s demonic energy, but it felt like it was being drained away in an instant. The Sanctuary couldn¡¯t surround her allies. It just hovered around Ruby and failed to grow its territory. No, it was being pushed back. It gradually paled. The Sanctuary, which boasted an absolute effect of ¡®I disapprove evil¡¯ against demons, was hopelessly helpless.


    ¡®There is no... demonic energy?¡¯


    The Saintess was the supporter of humanity. Ruby was clearly aware of this fact. Therefore, she was strong at any time and under any circumstances. She wasn¡¯t shaken by any crises so that others could rely on her. At times, she felt the responsibility was too harsh and felt a tremendous burden. Then she saw and learned from her brother Grid¡¯s back. She didn¡¯t resent the responsibility she had in return for her strength and epted it as a duty.


    Yet at this moment, Ruby¡¯s big eyes lost their way and shook. It was the first time she ever felt such a thorough sense of helplessness as she was gradually eroded by Amoract¡¯s mysterious brilliance.


    [The great demon of conflict, ¡®Amoract,¡¯ has taken away your right to use your skills.]


    [All skills that are being deployed will be deactivated.]


    [The great demon of conflict, ¡®Amoract,¡¯ has changed your skill structure.]


    [The great demon of conflict, ¡®Amoract,¡¯ has made it impossible to distinguish between yourself and others.]


    ¡°Sehee!¡± The first person to detect the change was Jishuka. She was in charge of the rear of their allies along with Saintess Ruby. Furthermore, she was able to watch her allies closely because she had an unusual ¡®vision.¡¯ In the first ce, she was a legitimate leader. She gave up the position ofmander-in-chief of this expedition to Yura due to the special environment of hell, but she had the habit of taking care of herpanions.


    Jishuka was the first to notice that Ruby¡¯s Sanctuary faltered and failed to grow its territory. She sensed the impending crisis. She immediately established a barrier with the Breaking Evil Arrow to protect Ruby. The moment that the wide area skill that Ruby was using was extinguished, Jishuka activated the Breaking Evil Arrows barrier.


    The barrier that removed all harmful effects and gave protection with the arrows¡ªRuby¡¯s skill structure, which had been altered by Amoract, was restored to normal. Then eight blue arrows emerged around Ruby and seeded in intercepting Amoract¡¯s fierce bombardment that followed.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°U-Unni...¡±


    For Jishuka, Ruby was Sehee, not the Saintess. A child who had lived next door to her for years and was like family. She grew up so quickly but Jishuka knew she wasn¡¯t an iron man, unlike her appearance. She had a kind heart so she took good care of people and she loved her brother so much that she tried to be helpful. Not so long ago, Sehee was a girl who wasn¡¯t even an adult. She didn¡¯t show it, but she needed someone to rely on.


    ¡°Now, take a deep breath. Look around. The people here aren¡¯t fools who can¡¯t do anything just because they don¡¯t have your help.¡±


    Ruby felt like she was leaning against arge tree. She slowly shook off the tension and burden as Jishuka wrapped her arms around her and whispered to her. She rxed her stiff body and mind.


    ¡°...I think that isn¡¯t Amoract¡¯s body. It is like a mimic made in a special way and most skills probably won¡¯t work,¡± Ruby spoke with despair. She knew that every word she said would dampen the morale of her allies. Even so, she had to convey it.


    Jishuka stroked her hair. Jishuka wondered if Grid would¡¯ve looked like this when stroking her hair.


    "Yes, then we¡¯ll win,¡± Jishuka reassured Ruby.


    A mimic form where most attacks didn¡¯t work? What about it? It would be weaker than the main body.


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes became deeper as she pulled the string of a huge bow. The bowstring that dug into her skin and flesh gave her new pain, but at this moment, the emotion that rose in Jishuka¡¯s mind was passion, not fear.


    Protect¡ªherself, her dear person¡¯s little sister, and her colleagues.


    Jishuka¡¯s heart was as bright and hot as the South American sun as she created a wheel of fire.


    -Yura. My child who once served God Yatan... huh?


    Amoract was whispering only to Yura without caring about the surroundings, only for her creepy voice to stop for the first time. Her face without features turned toward Jishuka.


    -You...


    Jishuka¡¯s right arm soared into the air. Amoract, who had been approaching her the whole time, blew away her shoulder with a single hit. In the eyes of the expedition members, it happened in an instant. A light seemed to sh and then the result had already happened.


    However, the eyes of the Bow Saint didn¡¯t miss Amoract¡¯s movements. Jishuka¡¯s bow was aimed precisely at Amoract¡¯s face, who shot straight forward at the shortest distance. She intentionally gave up her right arm to Amoract¡¯s attack, which was aiming for her neck. At the same time that her arm was cut off, she let go of the bowstring.


    Her arrow left the bowstring. It was made by Overgeared God Grid, and contained the mes of the Red Phoenix, the energy of Breaking Evil, and the ideas and Origin True Energy of the Bow Saint. She was vulnerable to meleebatpared to other legends, so the Origin True Energy system of the Bow Saint opened up her keen senses that easily allowed her to cross the line of life or death.


    Jishuka used without any regrets the power that was only allowed three times per ount.


    ...Of course, it was false to say there were no regrets, but she decided that she had to go out strong from the beginning.


    The hell expedition consisted of powerful high rankers. If many of them were to die, the scale of the damage done to the yer forces would be great. The hell expedition schedule itself was likely to be dyed. That was a nuisance to Grid.


    -......!


    Amoract shouted but her voice was shattered and scattered by the deafening roar of the fiercely rotating arrow. It didn¡¯t reach anyone. This meant that her incantation stopped working. The invisible chains of magic power that urred every time Amoract whispered could no longer bind Yura. After regaining her freedom, Yura immediatelymunicated with Nothing Stone.


    Elemental armor¡ªthe orange translucent aura, which resembled Grid¡¯s divinity, became an armament and wrapped around Yura. Yura was already acting. She looked closely at Jishuka¡¯s arrow, which spun while embedded in Amoract¡¯s face, sucking up Amoract¡¯s body like a ck hole.


    ¡°Hell Regtion.¡±


    Hell became the hunter¡¯s territory. All beings living in hell became designated as prey.


    ¡°Light of Destruction.¡±


    A jade beam of light prated Amoract, but it had no effect. It was a sight that once again proved that the brilliance surrounding Amoract was something other than demonic energy. Yura didn¡¯t panic. She could feel Jishuka¡¯s arrow drawing in the Light of Destruction that had just passed through Amoract in vain. It wasn¡¯t just Light of Destruction. The skills and magic used by the other expedition members were also sucked in by Jishuka¡¯s arrow, which was still spinning fiercely.


    Jishuka¡¯s arrow quickly grew in size. It was enough to swallow up Amoract¡¯s upper body.


    -You... ar...e...


    Part of Amoract¡¯s stretched out voice flowed through the deafening sound.


    Judgment, quick.


    You, also, greedy.


    It was some nonsense like that. After swallowing Amoract¡¯s bodypletely, Jishuka¡¯s arrow caused an explosion and shattered Amoract. The flying fragments were shed by the expedition members, including Yura, Katz, and Faker. At a certain point¡ª


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    The expedition members let out a heavy breath. They were liberated from all the debuffs they received from Amoract. Did they make the 2nd Great Demon retreat?


    ¡°We have to leave now...!¡± Jishuka urged them as they felt relieved and cheered. Jishuka¡¯s body was shaking. Her stamina was drained in exchange for consuming the Origin True Energy and she couldn¡¯t move a single finger.


    Yura carried Jishuka on her back and led the rest of the members.


    ¡°Go to the castle!¡±


    The crystal castle¡ªit was the safest ce in hell and had the elevator attached to the surface. The expedition members started moving quickly only to find a presence blocking them.


    ¡°Ah, what is it again? Why do I have to take care of the cleanup every time?¡±


    Rose, the first yer to be a great demon¡ªshe imed to be Amoract¡¯s subordinate and gained great power. Now she flew in the air with dozens of magic circles. She would use the staff that released fire to tie up the expedition members...


    ¡°Uwek!¡±


    ...She couldn¡¯t do so. Faker flew like a ghost from the shadows to cut her throat and block the magic casting. She was about to go crazy. She only had to hold on for three minutes until Amoract¡¯s new mimic came but it was twisted from the beginning.


    ¡°Aish...!¡±


    Rose¡¯s tenacity was also great. She barely straightened her copsing body and got up to engage in a hand-to-hand battle. She swung her staff like it was a rod and aimed at Yura. It was because Yura seemed to have the most gaps with Jishuka on her back. However¡ª


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Katz¡¯ sword cut at her first before her staff could reach Yura. It was an incredible attack power. Rose even felt ecstatic. ¡°Cool...! This is the ancient ss directly linked to the three evils of the beginning!¡±


    I also, I also someday...!


    Dozens of skills fell toward the eager Rose¡¯s body. It was impossible to block the expedition with the power of a great demon in the 30s...


    ¡°Damn woman.¡± Jishuka clicked her tongue at the sight of Rose smiling as she disappeared into ashes.


    After a while¡ª


    -I didn''t know.


    Amoract muttered after btedly arriving at the scene where all the humans had already left.


    -A bow that can drop the sun... I didn¡¯t know there was a human being with the power of the great star king.


    Jishuka didn¡¯t inherit Povia¡¯s power, but instead became the Bow Saint. She carved her own path and gained the power of Breaking Evil from the shrine in the East Continent. It was a very shabby shrine with the word ¡®Bow¡¯ carved on it. It was so old and poorly maintained that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it copsed immediately.


    Out of the forgotten gods, there were only two gods who shot arrows.


    The great star king (King Daebyeol) and the little star king (King Sobyeol). [1]


    Among them, the great star king was wise, kind, and favorable to humans. He fell into the trap of the little star king, fell to hell, and was trapped in the river of reincarnation, but he left hisst strength and will on earth. It seemed that Jishuka had inherited it.


    -All causality continues in this world...?


    Amoract vaguely noticed it. This could be thest world. Her father didn¡¯t have to cry sadly any longer... Perhaps it would be okay to send humans to Baal. Maybe Baal would die this time. No, it wouldn¡¯t work. This was the time when she needed to be more cautious. She had to be wary about Baal swallowing the humans of this age and bing unprecedentedly strong.


    In the first ce, hell wasn¡¯t a ce for humans. The hell that her father desired was a haven for those who died and couldn¡¯t ascend to heaven, not a ce for the living. As expected, it was right to turn all humans who came to hell into demons.


    It happened as Amoract¡¯s thoughts started to twist with madness...


    ¡°I think I amcking in strength. Is there any way to be stronger? Huh? Great Amoract! Look at me!¡±


    -......


    Amoract¡¯s in face was slightly distorted. It was because Rose ran over the moment she was resurrected and broke her thoughts when it was going well.


    1. King Sobyeol literally means little star king. I¡¯ve been using the name directly, but based on this chapter, it also has this meaning. I will be interchanging between King Sobyeol/little star king and King Daebyeol/great star king depending on the context ?

 Chapter 1597

    <h4>Chapter 1597</h4>


    It was after the Morpheus¡¯ tears incident. The S.A Group realized that Morpheus¡¯ emotional index was very high. They realized why it was hard to distinguish between the billions of NPCs and yers living in Satisfy. Therefore, it was easily predictable. Today, Morpheus would once again be in tears or furious.


    ¡°To make a dragon like that... by this point, can¡¯t he actually raid a dragon? I heard that a dragon can¡¯t be killed by a yer no matter what...¡±


    ¡°It is too much to simply define Grid as a yer. He has been monopolizing the Pioneer system for so long. It is thanks to the quest the tower gave him that he developed that strange fate with Ifrit.¡±


    ¡°The performance of Dragon Knight is better than expected. I never imagined that the dragons would allow Grid on their back as a group.¡±


    ¡°The situation matched exquisitely. Grid served as an opportunity for the dragons. Of course, I don¡¯t intend to disparage the performance of Dragon Knight. In the first ce, isn¡¯t it a title equivalent to Dragon yer?¡±


    The conversation of the executives was very cautious. They were conscious of Morpheus, who was on Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s wrist. They treated Morpheus like an adolescent girl. It was while recalling the sensitive days of their children, nephews, grandchildren, etc.


    ¡®I¡¯d rather it cry.¡¯


    Director Yoon Sangmin was wary of Morpheus¡¯ anger. He was worried it might cause a second Great Human and Demon War. The Great Human and Demon War was a catalyst for yers to grow significantly, but it wasn¡¯t a festival. There were arge number of NPCs who died in the war. If the same incident was repeated several times, there was a high risk that some areas would suffer from a poption shortage. There would be problems with the economy and the cycle of quests.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The executives were feeling anxious when they suddenly cocked their heads. The sight of dozens of necks tilting at the same time was like the scene from aedy.


    ^^....


    ...Morpheus was smiling. It used a very old emoticon, just like the day it cried. This was probably to cater to Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s preferences and emotions.


    ¡®It is well known that Morpheus has a special regard for Chairman-nim.¡¯


    For Morpheus, Lim Cheolho was its creator and parent. The only lover and friend who opened its heart.


    ¡°I was worried you would be distressed. Fortunately, it seems you are okay.¡± Chairman Lim Cheolho said while stroking the watch. Relief crossed his smiling face.


    Morpheus responded. [I am positively evaluating the fact that yer Grid has be the Dragon Knight. To borrow a human expression, it is appropriate to say ¡®I was lucky¡¯.]


    Lucky? Morpheus, the heavenly child, was actually referring to good luck?


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±


    [After conducting my own tests, there is a 38.98% chance that yer Grid would¡¯ve be a Dragon yer if he hadn¡¯t be a Dragon Knight. It is the result after analyzing hisbat power, tendencies, behavioral patterns, and situation, and the uracy is close to 99%.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [It can be interpreted that after yer Grid became the Dragon Knight, he prevented dragons from being raided by yers. This means there is no need to temporarily suspend Satisfy¡¯s service due to the dragons running wild or to apply expedient means such as introducing a seasonal system. I suggest that you designate today as an anniversary.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho and the executives noticed it.


    Morpheus¡¯ mental victory... No, they realized that it learned how topromise with reality. Grid strangely twisted the direction of the supeputer¡¯s evolution.


    ***


    The moment he entered the elemental world with the help of the daoist immortal Bentao. Kraugel felt like he was floating in space. He instantly captured the scenery of the elemental world below his feet. It was a world centered on ake that was so massive it could be called the sea. Around theke, vast natural scenery such asrge forests, volcanoes, deserts, and snow fields spread out. It was raw nature where the touch of humanity couldn¡¯t be felt at all.


    [You have left your body and have entered a spirit state.]


    [In the spirit state, all senses are dull.]


    [The assimtion rate of the device you are using will be lowered to 5%.]


    The assimtion rate used by Satisfy¡¯s beginners was 60%. Even with 60%, it was possible to minimize the pain felt during the battle. Then what about 5%? It was an uneptable number for normal routes. At this point, he would be numb even if he was chewed and swallowed alive by a monster. No, it was at the level where he couldn¡¯t feel his hands and feet moving. It would be hard to even realize how or in what direction he was moving in.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel floated above the center of theke and had a subtle expression. It was because he recalled the phenomenon of g¡¯ that was often experienced in online games decades ago. Yes, it felt like he wasgging. His thoughts were linked to actions and his body staggered. It wasn¡¯t easy for a person who had been splitting one second into several units to adapt.


    ¡°......¡±


    Still, Kraugel didn¡¯tin. For him, trials were an opportunity and a stepping stone for growth. The bigger the ordeal, the more he didn¡¯t reject it. Rather, he weed it with open arms.


    ¡®It is a training method I really like.¡¯


    Elementals were pure elements and souls. In the world where they lived, bodies and blood were close to contaminated substances.


    Kraugel became a spiritual body due to the setting and fully understood the situation. He easily epted it and adapted. The more carefully he took one or two steps, the more formed his gait became. His stride was established and the direction wasn¡¯t twisted. Eventually, the movement of pulling out the sword and wielding it became natural. It was an adaptability that far exceeded ordinary levels.


    However, he wasn¡¯t able to easily handle the dark elementals, who were judged as the only monsters in the elemental world. Kraugel had to ovee the crisis of death even with the lower ranked elementals. His swordsmanship was too messy to sh at small enemies moving in real time. It was particrly fatal that his body responded to his thoughts very slowly. There was a significant dy before his actions were implemented.


    Was it reasonable to raid the Elemental King of Wind in this state? Kraugel, who had doubts, suddenly had a new question.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the Elemental King of Darkness also ruining the five elements?¡¯


    Dark elementals were interpreted as fallen elementals. If an ordinary elemental was tinged with evil or demonic energy, it lost its existing character and attributes and became a dark elemental. Therefore, a form was established that existed everywhere, but... he thought their existence might be one of the reasons behind the bnce of the elemental world being broken.


    ¡®Why are the elementals of the elemental world corrupted in the first ce?¡¯


    The elemental world was a type of sanctuary. It was a space for elementals and it was right that there should be no opportunity for them to be tinged with evil or demonic energy.


    ¡®...In the end, is the culprit the Elemental King of Wind?¡¯


    An Elemental King that shouldn¡¯t exist¡ªit was only by removing it that the elemental world would find order and the dark elementals would be expelled from the elemental world. In the end, his purpose didn¡¯t change.


    Kraugel judged while his body slowly elerated. It was proof that he was adjusting to his current state while fighting the dark elementals. Once he finished perfectly adapting, he would raid the Elemental King of Wind and return to the surface, where he would face radical development.


    The moment when he took off the thousands or tens of thousands of sandbags hanging on him and regained the body where his thoughts were immediately put into practice¡ªhis body and senses, which had be more sensitive than before, would be able to split one second into even more units than before.


    ***


    ¡®...Nothing has changed?¡¯


    The nothingness attribute.


    Grid was obsessed with his divinity. It was natural. The moment Braham¡¯s magic that was part of the sword dances was removed, the sword dances evolved. He judged that removing all the attributes on his equipment items would bring about another evolution.


    Thus, he first experimented. It was afterpleting all of Asuka and ck Teddy¡¯smissions and impressing them. Grid tried swapping to a variety of items that remained in the smithies. He armed all or some areas with items that didn¡¯t have any skills, let alone attributes.


    Most of the items made by Grid himself had effects such as skills, so he even bought items on the exchange. He spent his money to buy garbage, but it didn¡¯t work. Covering himself with attribute free items didn¡¯t increase his status or cause any evolution.


    ¡®Is it because the item level is so low?¡¯


    Grid opened the exchange again. He set the item sorting to a higher level limit and purchased items with a level 500 limit that no buyer would purchase at this point. They were even normal or rare rated items that didn¡¯t have skills or attributes. In other words, he spent money to buy malicious inventory. It was clear that the sellers, who would soon check the exchange, would send a prayer of gratitude to God. It was thanks for sending them a pushover.


    ¡°...Um.¡±


    There were no results. He armed himself with new items in a variety of ways, but Grid didn¡¯t see what he expected. By this point, Grid had grasped the situation.


    ¡®The attributes of the items are irrelevant.¡¯


    He was easily convinced. The sword dances were Grid¡¯s internal force while items were power borrowed from outside. Even if an item was made by Grid, it couldn¡¯t be Grid¡¯s essence. It didn¡¯t make sense for an item to intervene in Grid¡¯s ¡®divinity¡¯ and give harmful or beneficial effects.


    Initially, Grid¡¯s strengthy in the use of all weapons. He was the true Overgeared God only when he could take out items with favorable attributes at any time and in any situation. If the divinity of the Overgeared God was strengthened by the use of items with no attributes, it would only be a constraint or restraint to Grid.


    ¡°...I¡¯m d.¡±


    A warm smile spread across Grid¡¯s relieved face. It was because he could fully use any item in the future, not some other reason. He smiled with joy at being able to preserve Khan¡¯s final work.


    ¡°Filewolf.¡±


    ¡°Um?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go obtain the moon night iron.¡±


    Grid shook his head and stood up. He nned to make the armor with dragon scales during the journey. The thoughts that still remained in Gujel¡¯s fang had resisted and interfered with Grid¡¯s smelting. It was different for Cranbel¡¯s arm and Xenon¡¯s scales. The thoughts in them were mindful that the parties involved offered the things out of favor toward Grid.


    Grid decided that they could be smelted without the need for a superrge furnace. It was based on the experience gained from smelting Ifrit¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face stiffened. It was because Filewolf suddenlyy down. The appearance of him kneeling with both hands on the ground didn¡¯t match Raiders¡¯ cool and magnificent appearance. The slightly raised butt was the most annoying...


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like this type of thing?¡±


    Filewolf recalled Grid who rode on four dragons in turn.


    It was right to interpret his current attitude as the best favor that could be seen from a scientist with no social skills who loved only magic machines and metal. The problem was that Grid couldn¡¯t empathize with it at all. There were many eyewitnesses. The dragon who bowed his head to Overgeared God Grid and confessed...


    yers were fascinated with the contents of the absurd epic. Did Grid subdue even the dragons? No, that wasn¡¯t it no matter how they looked at it...?


    The crowd, who gathered to watch Grid with all types of questions and expectations, witnessed Filewolf lying down like a dog. They clearly heard that he liked this type of thing, even if it was actually closer to nonsense.


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯


    Grid left the scene and the bustling crowd behind like he was running away. He regretted the open door policy that was created in order to show off to other people the garden that Irene grew.

 Chapter 1598

    <h4>Chapter 1598</h4>


    Prime Minister Lauel was the highest ranking political officer who supported the emperor. He enjoyed great authority over internal affairs, diplomacy, and personnel affairs. It also meant he took on a responsibility proportional to that.


    Lauel¡¯s workload was beyond imagination and there was no distinction between online and offline. He often copsed from overworking and had severe hair loss. Still, it was worthwhile.


    Just as Grid leveled up by going around battlefields and his battle-rted stats entered the realm of transcendence, Lauel¡¯s political power and insight as he guarded the political arena, where schemes abounded, also entered the realm of transcendence.


    It was a ce where he controlled the political board like he was moving go stones and he easily exerted it by monitoring many aspects of the empire in real time. It was transcendent in another sense.


    It was until the Overgeared Kingdom became an empire. Lauel overcame the internal ordeals that came constantly. Without him, there would be no empire. The experiences he umted were higher than a great mountain, so it was right and inevitable that he was reborn as a transcendent being.


    ¡°Here, here, and here.¡±


    A map of the Overgeared Empire. On the huge map that wasn¡¯t different from the map of the East Continent, Lauel identified exactly three cities. It was the hand gesture of the god of death.


    ¡°Send inspectors within the week.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Serev privately led by Marquis Kaizak? There will be manyints...¡±


    ¡°It depends on the results of the inspection. I predict that no one will dare to protect him.¡±


    [Insight of the Great Empire¡¯s Prime Minister]


    [Identify the level, stats, skills, talents, potential, inclinations, zodiac sign, and horoscope of the target NPC.


    Skill Mana Cost: 5,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 2 hours.]


    It was a skill exclusively for Lauel that was upgraded at the same time as the founding of the Overgeared Empire. The rating was Legendary (Transcendent). He saw not only the ability of the target person, but also their essence. It was very useful.


    Lauel ced talents in the right ce. If he personally made his own selections, a dream team would be formed that made it easier for him to solve any challenges. It was possible to predict when the dream team started to creak, when the prime of the dream team¡¯s talents would end, and when the talents would neglect their duties or be corrupted.


    Due to this, personnel transfers frequently took ce in various parts of the empire. In some areas, criticisms of ¡®cherishing something when needed and throwing it away when no longer needed¡¯ were boiling over. Lauel was used to the criticisms. He used his authority without a single blink. There were no exceptions even if the other person was from the imperial family of Saharan.


    The better the target¡¯s lineage or connection, the more thoroughly he supervised them. He didn¡¯t give them a chance by looking away. It was because there would be a purge if he respondedte to a situation. That¡¯s right. Lauel tried to avoid seeing blood as much as possible. It was his own mercy. It was for the peace of the empire tost.


    ¡°P-Prime Minister!¡±


    "What happened?¡±


    ¡°T-That... it is said that the inspectors dispatched to the east part of the empire have disappeared from the Chuhaltz area.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Of course, Lauel wasn¡¯t a god. He could see many aspects of the empire, but he couldn¡¯t see all sides. This was the case even if he mobilized his skills and authority. In the first ce, there were too many bastards in the world. It was impossible for even a god to control the corruption and sins theymitted.


    ¡®This is what I was concerned about. Those who see the hell expedition as an opportunity have started to show their true colors.¡¯


    Was there only one gentleman out of a million humans? 99.99% of humans were bound to give up their conscience at least once in their lifetime. It wasn¡¯t a prejudice that Lauel distrusted humans. It was reality without any exaggerations.


    Look at your neighbors. No, look back at yourself right now.


    ¡®Considering the future, I will have to grow the size of the inspection team.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to find talented people who wouldn¡¯t fall for any temptation. The lords who weremitting corruption somewhere right now were also pure at first. They were people who absolutely respected and were loyal to Grid, their god and emperor. They had sworn to devote themselves to the nation. Yet they changed after being exposed to temptation and repeatedpromises.


    ¡®There is no one suitable.¡¯


    Now most of the people Lauel trusted were participating in the hell expedition. Lauel had fewer knives to wield with confidence and his anxiety deepened. It was a trial because the size of the Overgeared Empire was so huge. It was too painful a trial when it was less than a few months after the founding of the empire, but it was a situation that Lauel inflicted on himself.


    Most of the lords appointed by Lauel were recognized for their ability rather than their personality. They were chosen as cards to be used from the beginning. All he had to do was ovee the immediate trial. He would prioritize personality over ability when selecting sessors to take charge of and managing thend developed bypetent people. They would also lose their original intentions one day, but this would take a long time.


    ¡°...Wait.¡±


    Lauel was deep in thought when his face brightened. He thought of a person who would¡¯ve be unemployed after the continent was dyed with the color of the Overgeared Empire.


    Death God Knight¡ªhe was a hidden ss assassin known for taking care of things without any problems.


    ***


    [Haksen¡¯s sigh is deepening.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Tzudan, Filewolf, and Haksen¡ªthe three of them had something inmon. They were loot obtained from raiding the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin. Of course, Grid didn¡¯t treat them as objects. He respected them as people. Thus, he was always sorry.


    Out of the three, only Haksen was still hovering around Grid. Haksen was the same as the beginning, unlike Tzudan, who found a sessor after resolving the past (?), and Filewolf, who gained the body he was eager (?) for. He wandered around as a mere soul without getting anything. In other words, his situation hadn¡¯t improvedpared to when he was captured in hell.


    ¡°That... I¡¯m not discriminating between Filewolf and you. I just need the moon night iron right now.¡±


    Grid felt a bit guilty and exined to Haksen. He was sincere. Grid nned to use the moon night iron to create another form of destruction. The form was a mace. There was a high probability it would share a cooldown with the Falling Moon Sword, but he needed a weapon that could be used in a different situation from the Falling Moon Sword.


    There were already the innovated Mjolnirs, but they were farcking. The stiffness effect of the Mjolnirs was meaningless against a target with high status. It wasn¡¯tparable to the moon night iron, which was the ¡®only one¡¯ in the world that ignored status.


    Additionally, the reason why Grid was obsessed with a blunt weapon was the limitation of the God Hands. Like the Mjolnirs, the God Hands had little effect on beings with high status. It was the essential limit of Greed itself and wasn¡¯t anything new.


    The limit of speed.


    He realized it this time when he fought Cranbel. The meteor, or mass of Greed that Grid dropped every time he glimpsed an opportunity, never reached Cranbel. It was doubtful if it would¡¯ve pierced the absolute defense even if it reached Cranbel, but in the first ce, Cranbel escaped too easily. It was purely a difference in speed. This meant it was meaningless to let the God Hands swing them just because he needed blunt weapons. It was a weakness that became more prominent the stronger the enemy was.


    ¡®It is much better to use the God Hands for the artificial senses. If I am fighting an opponent who is so powerful that I need a blunt weapon while giving up the benefits of the sword dances, I need to wield it myself.¡¯


    There were a lot of worries. He thought it would be better to make around 200 God Hands with the Greed he had gathered so far to expand the area of the artificial senses further.


    ¡®...It is exciting.¡¯


    No matter how strong he became, he would meet new strong rivals and repeat these worries. He couldn¡¯t get tired. Satisfy was a god-like game. Probably...


    [The 2nd option slot of Gujel¡¯s Dao will be updated with a 3% increase in skill power.]


    ¡®It is a ruined game.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t waste even a second. Throughout the trip, he consumed the prayer stat to rotate the slot while thinking of the dragon armor set. He was going to use the Item Creation skill when creating the dragon armor set. It was from head to toe. He nned to make a new appearance like never before.


    To be honest, he felt it was more urgent to increase his attack power than defense, but... there would definitely be inspiration in the process of making the armor. The order to craft the weapon using Cranbel¡¯s arm was postponed as it was more important.


    ¡®I wonder if it is possible to kill Baal even when armed with new overgeared items.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t scratch Cranbel¡¯s health gauge no matter how much power he poured out, so how could he raid Baal? Grid¡¯s worries were deepening because he didn¡¯t know the truth. Then it happened around this time...


    ¡°This is it.¡±


    Filewolfnded on the ground. It was a small ind on the sea.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you mistaken?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it is here.¡±


    ¡°...It is buried in the sea.¡±


    ¡°It is because it was one of the giant cities.¡±


    Bellitori¡ªit was said to be Filewolf¡¯s hometown. Filewolf remembered that the moon night iron was buried in thatnd.


    ¡°It is a city that sank a thousand years ago, so it is hard to find it easily. Furthermore, the location of the city might¡¯ve changed some time ago due to the twists in the crust from Ifrit¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°I will actively help as well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go out on your own. I¡¯ll lend you the skeletons. As we explore, you can focus on gambling and new research as you are now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gambling, I¡¯m enhancing my items. Anyhow, I understand.¡±


    Grid pulled out a nk blueprint. He nned to start working on it in earnest.


    ¡®At the time I made the armor using the Breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts, I thought that armor set was graduation.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t expect the day woulde when he would make a dragon armor set. Grid reflected on the past when the dragons were perceived as beings from another world and was filled with emotion. He increased his concentration. Meanwhile, Filewolf was taking a deep breath. He was metal so he naturally moved his stiff body and released it.


    Would he be able to find a city that sank in the sea a thousand years ago? He was already worried. Nevertheless, he was determined to find it. He had recovered his body thanks to Grid. He wanted to use it to help Grid and repay the favor.


    ¡®This body is perfect. There is no need to breathe so I can withstand the water pressure of the deep sea.¡¯


    <i>I will never rise to the surface until I find the city...</i>


    It was with a reverent determination.


    Ssh!


    Filewolf threw himself into the sea. He gave instructions to the Overgeared Skeletons and dived deeply.


    Around an hour passed.


    ¡°Pfu! Pfuu!¡±


    Filewolf emerged above the surface with a glow of light. Due to hisrge and heavy body, he made amotion every time he struggled, and it caused a wave to rush in and subsequently make Grid look like a wet mouse.


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    The Overgeared Skeletons would''ve sent a sound transmission first if the city was found. It was easy for Filewolf¡¯s group to handle even if a kraken appeared. Why was he making a fuss?


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was doubting Filewolf when his eyes became half-closed before soon widening.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Overgeared God!¡±


    A number of voices could be heard among the fluctuating waves. They were the voices of the people of the water n. Why were they in this distant ce when they should be in Siren? The people of the water n soon exined to the somewhat startled Grid.


    ¡°I heard about Your Majesty from the mouths of the fish.¡±


    ¡°I swam over because I thought you would need our help.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    There were people in the world who didn¡¯t change. Not everyone was corrupt. In particr, there were many such people around Grid. They were trying to repay the trust of Grid, whom they believed in silently.


    Lauel, who easily suspected people and sharpened a knife in advance, couldn¡¯t be med for being wrong.


    Grid and Lauel were different, but they weren¡¯t wrong. Due to the two people, the bnce of the empire was right.


    On this day...


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has discovered an ancient, forgotten city.]


    Bellitori appeared for the first time in a thousand years. Unlike Filewolf¡¯s worries, it was a quick find.

 Chapter 1599

    <h4>Chapter 1599</h4>


    "Uh, how are you? Are youfortable?¡±


    [The water n warrior ¡®Dalina¡¯ has given you the protection of the sea.]


    [Breathing underwater has be possible.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he jumped into the sea.


    A protection to help him breathe underwater. Of course, Grid didn¡¯t need it. The myth rated mark ¡®ck Tortoise¡¯s Shell¡¯ that was engraved like a tattoo on Grid¡¯s body allowed him to breathe underwater. The surprising thing was that a young warrior had used the blessing.


    Grid nced at the young warrior of the water n. In the center of the sea where sunlight melted and glowed bright green, memories of the past were recalled through the eyes he met.


    ¡°You, were you in Siren before...?¡±


    ¡°D-D-Do you remember? That¡¯s right! I had the honor of fighting with Your Majesty when I was young! Hehe, I didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift a trident at the time, so I threw a conch shell from afar...¡±


    ¡°...You have grown a lot.¡±


    A smile spread on Grid¡¯s face. The expression on his face softened to the point where even Grid himself was surprised. He was d. The child he had protected had be an adult.


    ¡®Even the protection of the sea can be used.¡¯


    The absolute protection that allowed breathing underwater was a privilege of the water n royalty and some veteran warriors until just 10 years ago. Yet as the young warrior in front of him proved, time had passed. Now most of the water n warriors had been reborn as talents who could freely use the protection.


    ¡°Every day, I have offered a prayer of gratitude to Your Majesty. It is thanks to Your Majesty that we can live, breathe, swim with fish, cook delicious seaweed and eat it every day.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The number of times you have helped me is far more than the number of times I have helped you.


    Even so, they were still talking in an unchanged manner about the old favor? He was happy, embarrassed, and sorry.


    Grid swam quickly. The young warrior chased after him in a hurry and delivered good news.


    ¡°Ah! Not long ago, Prince Lord visited Siren. The king admired him for being so strong.¡±


    ¡®He has already reached there.¡¯


    The first adventure Lord decided on was following his father¡¯s path. He must¡¯ve grown a lot in the months Grid hadn¡¯t seen him.


    ¡®He is praiseworthy. I miss him.¡¯


    Gradually, the sea darkened. Grid and the water n warriors sank into the abyss until the sea turned ck.


    "Here.¡± Grid suddenly pulled out a circr shield. It was something he had kept since making the knights¡¯ equipment a long time ago. It was light, so there were no restrictions when using it with a weapon. He had used it as a secondary equipment around twice in a few years.


    ¡°Ah...?¡± The young water n warrior took the shield in a daze and held it.


    The God Hands turned her body to the side. Just then¡ª


    Thump!


    A shark-type monster emerged from a rock, rushed into the shield, and hit its head on it. The young warrior was alert. She immediately understood the situation and stabbed the enemy¡¯s belly with a trident.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty useful? It is a gift.¡±


    ¡°Heirloom...! N-No! I¡¯ll tell the king and make it a national treasure!¡±


    ¡°Why give it to the king when I gave it to you?¡±


    A new sight filled Grid¡¯s vision as he smiled and patted the warrior¡¯s shoulder.


    [You are the first yer to discover the ancient city of Bellitori.]


    It was a huge green city. There were low and small houses, as well as tall and grand buildings. There were copsed altars, stairs, and unknown debris. Everything in the city was covered with green moss.


    Was that the ruins of a castle?


    As they got closer to the city, a particrlyrge and deste area attracted Grid¡¯s attention. Remnants of stone bs were scattered all over the ruins of the castle and strange letters and pictures were suddenly seen through the cracks in the moss that the fish ate.


    [Deciphered the ¡®b of Bellitori¡¯ as a reward for being the first to find Bellitori.]


    The moment the notification window appeared, the remnants of the stone bs emitted a brilliant light. The light gathered at a single point and projected a scene from the past. He saw a b as high as a wall. After that, the remains of the ancient giants, which had no traces left, stood tall.


    ¡®The sun, moon, and star... no, is it three suns?¡¯


    At the top of the b, three suns were embossed. Each one was of a different size and one was particrly small. This was why he thought it was a star. Then when he looked closely, he saw they all had the same form. Below the picture was an impressive inscription.


    -Our ancestors have ascended to the moon, so we shall ascend to the sun.


    ¡°......?¡±


    They reached the moon? Did the ancient giants make spaceships?


    ¡®No, if they had built spaceships, they wouldn¡¯t have said an absurd thing like ascending to the sun.¡¯


    The moon and sun here probably meant Heaven and the surface. The moment that Grid thought this.


    [The experience of all skills has increased by 30% in return for gaining a portion of ancient knowledge.]


    [The level of Grid¡¯s Combat Techniques that Depicts the End of the Martial God (?) has risen.]


    [The level of Spear Shot has risen.]


    [The level of Magic Power Cohesion (Enhanced) has risen.]


    [The level of Magic Power Emission (Enhanced) has risen.]


    [The level of Mixed Throw Strikes has risen.]


    [The level of Turning the World Upside Down has risen.]


    ......


    ...


    Huge rewards urred and was followed by Filewolf¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°A very long time ago... there were three suns and more gods lived in Asgard than now. They remember it as a time of peace, but that wasn¡¯t the case for us. The gods of that time interfered too easily with the surface.¡± Filewolf¡¯s voice was heavy as he recalled old memories. ¡°A neighbor or wife would suddenly disappear one day and return with a child of a god or the sheep would suddenly turn into a herd of bison, trampling and killing a little shepherd boy...¡±


    ¡°Did the gods descend to the surface and do those things?¡±


    "There were too many gods. There are all types of stars among the stars. All types of problems have arisen due to their light pranks. The half-gods who grew up in the midst of humans started to resent the heavenly gods who didn¡¯t respect humans. The gods used their insignificant revenge as a mere game. They gave trials and moved the half-gods as they wanted under the pretext of helping them to get revenge. At this time, they also provoked the dragons, which led to a situation where the gods were hunted instead.¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    ¡°The order was broken. The authority of the gods was lost, while the half-gods who overcame the trials became stronger. It was a deadly problem that humans started deifying the half-gods. The nervous gods gradually became violent.¡±


    ¡°In the process, the gods of Asgard divided into factions and fought a war. The seven malignant saints were born.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Human beings who worshiped half-gods were struck by thunderbolts and killed. The half-gods who lost their divinity had their strength overshadowed and were extinguished. Every time the heavenly gods went to war, tsunamis flooded the ground and volcanoes erupted. It was a chaotic world where only humans cried.


    The wise giants fought on the side of humans. They supported humanity by creating all types of weapons. The price was great. The entire giant kingdom was buried deep in the sea. Since then, humanity was truly alone. They were unable to rely on gods, half-gods, and even the giants, so they learned wisdom and skills to survive on their own.


    Some gods were wary and jealous of them. Demons were supported by the gods and rose from hell.


    The seven good people who fought on the side of the gods noticed the ugly sins of the gods and btedly stood on the side of humanity again. A new war started and ended. The seven good people got the stigma of the seven evils.


    ...Now in the present time. The world that regained its own order was better off than the past. The influence of the gods wasn¡¯t the same as before after suffering the humiliation of making a pact with the dragon while being divided in half.


    Thanks to coborators such as the giants and the seven good people, or perhaps due to the need of the gods, humanity grew wonderfully and forgot the sins of the past. They were able to stand on their own. They produced numerous legends and human gods.


    At the center of it were the yers, including Grid and the Overgeared members. It meant it wasn¡¯t a difficult position to influence the world. Humanity of the present time was strong.


    Filewolf clearly grasped it. Thus, they found a city buried in the sea. He didn¡¯t mind the fact that this city, which reappeared again in the world, would terribly displease the heavenly gods.


    ¡°It was the time when the war of the gods intensified. The giants were concerned the surface would be destroyed without a trace and somehow tried to climb to the heavens. We had the pure hope that we could mediate the war by offering the treasures made using our wisdom. We expected that transcendent beings would be separated frommon sense.¡±


    The inscription engraved on the b. Themitment to ascend to the sun, i.e. to heaven, was right.


    ¡°However, we didn¡¯t make it to heaven. The big, hard flight that we devoted our lives to couldn¡¯t handle the heat of the sun. Our hopes were dashed. It was in a frustratingly easy manner.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°A god descended before us, who were frustrated. King Daebyeol¡ªhe, who has been taking care of humanity alone for a long time, fired an arrow and dropped the biggest sun. Thanks to this, there were only two suns left in the world and we were able to ascend to heaven. Well, that is the end of it. It wasn¡¯t possible to negotiate. Our giants, who were already an eyesore in the eyes of the gods, were buried in the sea shortly after. This is what I experienced.¡±


    ¡°King Daebyeol...¡±


    The day he visited the Hwan Kingdom with Zik and Raiders, no, Zibal. Grid saw the expelled gods. Among them was King Sobyeol. The son of Hanul, a god of the beginning, Unlike the three masters, he had a decent character. He was also one of the objects of respect whom Zik bowed to.


    ¡°Where is King Daebyeol now and what is he doing?¡±


    If King Daebyeol fought for humanity and King Sobyeol¡¯s tendencies were simr to King Daebyeol...


    Could it be possible to convince the two brothers to join the same side?


    ¡°He fell to hell,¡± Filewolf conveyed the brutal reality to the hopeful Grid.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°He paid the price for helping us. At that time, all the heavenly gods worked together. The sight of divine beings rushing toward King Daebyeol like monkfish... it was terrible enough to appear in my nightmares even after I died.¡±


    ¡°The gods all worked together? Hanul and King Sobyeol as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the faces of the gods, but I¡¯m sure they were there. There wasn¡¯t a single god who protected King Daebyeol. At that time, the actions of King Daebyeol seemed to have crossed the final line, so I think he was used as an example for all gods.¡±


    ¡°...Disgusting guys.¡±


    Gods were worshiped because they existed for humanity and the world. On that topic¡ª


    They buried the giants who visited Asgard in hope of mercy and threw the god who helped them into hell? From what point of view did they exist for humanity and the world?


    ¡®I would believe it if they were called parasites.¡¯


    ¡°I just told you a story of the past because I thought you would be curious about the stone b. Don¡¯t waste your mind on what happened a thousand years ago. You are the only one who will suffer.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The moon night iron¡ªGrid recalled his purpose foring here and calmed down his boiling insides. Then after a while, his insides were turned over again.


    [Intruder found.]


    [Identified the target as a god.]


    ¡°Uh? Uhh?¡±


    ¡°Oh my? I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think this would be here. I thought it was moved after I died.¡±


    [The god killer sequence is activated.]


    A huge moss-covered stone statue with glowing blue eyes¡ªthe current changed dramatically as soon as the stone statue took a step. A terrifying whirlpool urred and started to suck in everything in the area. The moss that covered the stone statue was scattered without a trace.


    ¡°Magic Machine Trauka.¡±


    A giant that was eight meters high. Its armaments, which were being activated for the first time in a thousand years, were as red as blood.


    ¡°It is the only model among the magic machines made with a great god killing weapon instead of a great magic weapon. It was thest project of the giants...¡±


    Just a few seconds was enough for it to reach the surface 1,000 meters above.


    Moonlight surrounded Grid¡¯s body as he was struck in the stomach by the kick of Trauka, who shot forward like lightning using the magic power engine.


    It was night.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    30 God Hands were already spreading out the artificial senses around Grid. Grid avoided the torpedoes that chased him through the water and rotated his body like a spintop. Trauka¡¯s shoulder, which resembled a dragon¡¯s head, collided with Gujel¡¯s Dao.


    ¡°In the end, I feel like Raiders is useless.¡±


    [Warning. The target¡¯s divinity is very high.]


    The color of Grid¡¯s divinity had deepened. The color was clearly deeperpared to before he wrote the 17th epic. It was like a sunrise over the horizon, so that the night became overshadowed.

 Chapter 1600

    <h4>Chapter 1600</h4>


    Grid didn¡¯t realize the performance of the magic machines. It was due to ack of inspiration. The magic machines¡¯ detailed stats were only avable to the riders.


    It was a natural structure. In the first ce, the rider was the one who determined the detailed stats of the magic machines. This was why Zibal was so special. It was also the cause of the marked difference in performance between the Raiders implemented by Grid through Item Transformation and the Raiders who was directly controlled by Zibal. This meant the creator could only measure the potential of the magic machine they made through the armaments, output, durability, size, structure, etc. It was purely the responsibility of the controller to derive and utilize that potential.


    It was easy when thinking of robot animations. Weren¡¯t there separate robot makers and the pilots who controlled them in cartoons? For magic machines, the position of Grid was a doctor. Doctor Grid.


    ¡®Raiders, which is reproduced through Item Transformation, is weak.¡¯


    The God Hand Raiders was the same model as Zibal¡¯s Raiders. It was the Raiders that had been analyzed and strengthened by Grid. However, the AI of the God Hands couldn¡¯t utilize Raiders¡¯ capabilities to 100%. Despite knowing this fact, Grid often transformed the God Hands into Raiders because it was useful in certain situations. Above all, he had lingering feelings.


    Grid hadn¡¯t forgotten. The power of Raiders, whose soul was adjusted and controlled by Braham during the Demon King Subjugation. The outstanding performance of Zibal, who went crazy¡ªvery briefly¡ªin the Great Human and Demon War. This was why he had been obsessed with the power of the magic machines even though he couldn¡¯t urately feel it.


    ¡®It would be morefortable if I controlled the magic machine myself.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t qualify as a rider. He could grab, pick up, or swing the magic machine by hand, but he couldn¡¯t control it. Sitting in the cockpit was like wearingrge armor.


    ¡®...It wouldn¡¯t make sense even if I controlled it.¡¯


    Grid had a strong ally called Radwolf. Raiders could¡¯ve been modified so that Grid could control it, but Grid didn¡¯t ask for this. Sitting in the cockpit of the magic machine sealed his own strength. Grid was much stronger than Raiders¡¯ maximum output. Additionally, most of his existing skills were disabled when riding a magic machine. Instead, the magic machine¡¯s unique skills were activated. This was naturally a loss for Grid.


    In fact, the tower members also used the magic machines as auxiliary weapons. It was the same even though Radwolf¡¯s magic machines were made with moon night iron.


    In the end, there was only one conclusion. Maximize the magic machine¡¯s own performance as much as possible. It would be ridiculously powerful even if the God Hands utilized only ¡®some¡¯ of the functions of the magic machine.


    It was just as he had been thinking about this.


    ¡°......¡±


    He encountered the red magic machine.


    Trauka¡ªa secret weapon made by the ancient giants for the purpose of killing the gods. The specs themselves were superior to the other magic machines. It wasn¡¯t far inferior to Grid in terms of power and speed.


    The sea was split apart and joined back together repeatedly. Due to the water soaring high into the sky and the series of whirlpools, the depth of the sea became shallower.


    Grid and Trauka collided without a break in the sea and in the sky. They crossed the horizon and sometimes turned all the uninhabited inds that their feet touched into powder. The violent battle even stimted underwater volcanoes. The mes that rose from the depths of the sea were soaked in the sea water pouring down like rain, creating thick smoke. It was mixed with volcanic ash and thoroughly blocked Grid¡¯s view.


    -Be careful...!


    Did he remodel his own body to build amunication system? Filewolf¡¯s urgent voice entered Grid¡¯s ears. It was a system that yers called whispers and transcendents called sound transmission.


    ¡®He is surprisingly kind.¡¯


    Grid smiled. Filewolf¡¯s giant body was wrapped around the water n¡¯s warriors. Like a dam, he protected the warriors from all types of winds and waves. Information was transmitted through Grid¡¯s artificial senses. It showed Trauka approaching from the right.


    ¡®There is a heat detection system.¡¯


    Grid operated the artificial senses and transcendent senses at the same time. He clearly understood the flow around him even with his eyes closed. The eruption of the underwater volcanoes was considered an opportunity. It seemed to be the same with Trauka.


    Grid nned to easily overpower it when the thickly spread volcanic ash swallowed its vision, but Trauka also immediately grasped Grid¡¯s position. The blocked view was overshadowed. The stab of Kill collided head on with Trauka¡¯s fist. A missile was fired from Trauka¡¯s fist that was disastrously split apart. Grid¡¯s body bounced back due to the recoil. Trauka¡¯s magic power engine spun fiercely.


    Grid was wary of the pursuit that would immediately follow. He used White Tiger¡¯s Posture. He meant to link the fusion sword dance with Turning the World Upside Down after attracting Trauka. Yet unexpectedly, Trauka didn¡¯t pursue him.


    [Reconfirming that the target¡¯s vision isn¡¯t possible.]


    Trauka knew that Grid¡¯s vision was blocked. It spected that the noises such as the volcanic eruption and tsunami also impaired his hearing and sense of smell. How did Grid read the ambush?


    A blue light of its eyes glowed incandescent as it tried to analyze the cause.


    ¡°......¡±


    Trauka went through several tests. It shot missiles, unleashed magic, and wielded a spear and sword directly. It identified how Grid perceived space and read attacks despite losing his senses based on different patterns of behavior.


    [Check the chemical reactions that make up fine particles. It is presumed to be the target¡¯s unique power.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. The artificial senses were made by mixing silver thread powder with magic power. It spread out around Grid and even now, it had never been discovered by any transcendents. No, to be precise, it didn¡¯t attract attention.


    Magic power originally flowed in the atmosphere and their forms were rtively diverse. To the transcendents, Grid¡¯s artificial senses were simply magic power that existed in the world. They simply understood and epted it as part of nature. They equated it with the mana of a city filled with dust and oil, and the mana of the battlefield that was full of a bloody scent. It was even more so because they were in a state where they could feel the mana scattered in the atmosphere. They purely epted a situation they would¡¯ve suspected if they hadn¡¯t been transcendents.


    Meanwhile, it was different for Trauka. It scientifically analyzed that the impurities (silver thread) mixed with magic power were substances that didn¡¯t suit the environment. Then it became vignt. It intentionally avoided the artificial senses and started moving. It detected and responded to changes in the artificial senses that transformed in real time as if they were part of nature.


    Grid urately noticed the reason why Trauka was strong.


    ¡®Some of it is simply the high specs, but the role of the artificial intelligence is also great.¡¯


    Trauka¡¯s AI that judged and moved on its own was almost fully utilizing Trauka¡¯s functions. Perhaps the giants also interpreted that the magic machine that operated without the help of a rider was the ultimate magic machine.


    ¡®Can Filewolf create such an artificial intelligence like this on his own?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s greed grew even greater. An army of magic machines equipped with a high performance artificial intelligence. He imagined himself with them.


    Just then, Grid¡¯s hand caught the horns protruding from Trauka¡¯s head. He immediately gained insight and responded to the position of the opponent who broke through the artificial senses and approached. It was because he felt killing intent. He relied purely on the transcendent senses. He properly took advantage of the loophole of the opponent who was overly conscious of the artificial senses.


    Trauka struggled, but it was toote. Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance mmed into the chest of the magic machine who was caught by Turning the World Upside Down and temporarily lost its flight capability, plunging head over heels.


    [Danger. Confirming the descent of Martial God Chiyou. It can¡¯t be resisted. Trying to escape...]


    [Error. Error. Target can¡¯t be identified.]


    [Estimating serious system damage. Releasing the safety device. Self-destruct sequence is activated.]


    Trauka¡¯s resistance was formidable. It opened up its chest and released a huge amount of explosive energy. It was an energy that could be suspected as a Dragon Breath. If Grid¡¯s response had been 0.1 secondster, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to open the Mysterious Cloth and would¡¯ve been swept away by the explosion.


    [The self-destruct sequence is stopped by an ultra high density gravity. It is presumed to be the target¡¯s secondary unique power.]


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a power.¡±


    At the end of the six fusion sword dance¡ª


    ¡°It is the power of items,¡± Grid exined.


    The artificial senses and the Mysterious Cloth¡ªthey were just two of the many overgeared items that he possessed.


    [The target''s remark has caused confusion. Blocking the target¡¯s voice.]


    Trauka sank into the sea and its eyes lost its light. Grid didn¡¯t destroy it. He urgently put away his sword, captured it with the dragon harpoons and God Hands, and cooperated with Filewolf and the water n¡¯s people to start the salvage work. The original purpose of the moon night iron felt like a bonus.


    ***


    It was immediately after securing Trauka and the moon night iron.


    ¡°We have to erase all traces and leave,¡± Filewolf urged. His voice was serious. ¡°The heavenly gods must¡¯ve felt the intent of the god killer.¡±


    The background of the birth of the magic machine Trauka was ominous in itself.


    A being created to kill the absolutes who killed and managed the world¡ªit was a symbol defying the natural order and will.


    Grid might¡¯ve just proved that there was no chance of this will being realized, but... having the will itself was a problem. It was enough to stimte the gods.


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    Grid was convinced. First, he sent back the water n¡¯s warriors. Then he called the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, Randy, and even the direct descendants to erase the traces of the battle.


    The limits of a machine¡ªTrauka, who was still in tatters because it didn¡¯t have its own recovery function, just watched. After a while, Grid finished cleaning up and left immediately.


    ***


    ¡°This...?¡±


    At the Tower of Wisdom...


    The tower members were flustered by Grid¡¯s unannounced visit. A huge red magic machine filled their vision.


    ¡°I need a ce to hide this for the time being, so I came to you without any warning.¡±


    There was no safer ce to hide something than the Tower of Wisdom. The gods and dragons couldn¡¯t identify the location of the tower. The only threat was the Great Robber of the Red Night, but it was unlikely he would be interested in Trauka. Fronzaltz had the restored God¡¯s Circle and he wouldn¡¯t easily allow an intrusion.


    "It is good to see you. I¡¯m d you came.¡±


    Radwolf recognized the identity of Truka and weed it with open arms. It was a positive reaction. Grid hoped that Radwolf would work with Filewolf to find a way to mass produce Trauka¡¯s artificial intelligence.


    ¡°Um... The chances of sess are extremely low, but I would like to give it a try. Don¡¯t me me if I fail.¡±


    ¡°How can I me you?¡±


    Grid rented a room to stay in for the time being. The homework was over, so he nned to start making items in earnest.


    ¡®It is funny when thinking about it.¡¯


    Originally, he nned to secure the moon night iron and make items when returning to Reinhardt. All his ns went awry at Trauka¡¯s sudden appearance. Looking back on his life, it seemed that things rarely went as nned. Nevertheless, he managed to reach 1st in the rankings and became an emperor and god. He never knew what life would be like.


    ¡®Is it unnecessary to have a n in the first ce?¡¯


    He had an idea that would break the innocence of elementary school students who made a life n every vacation.


    Grid pulled out a nk blueprint. He recalled the dragons he met so far while activating the Item Creation skill. To be precise, he recalled the structure of their scales. How was it woven tightly and what form did it take to absorb the shock? In particr, he referenced the scales of Ifrit and Cranbel. It was to directly reproduce and arm himself with their bodies, which were the noblest and greatest in the world.


    It was unthinkable to not only the tower members, but also the heavenly gods. It was the precursor to the beginning of a new world.

 Chapter 1601

    <h4>Chapter 1601</h4>


    There might be many simrities, but it was rare for it to be identical. Just as even the snowkes had different patterns, the scales of the dragons that Grid remembered were different in pattern. It was just like Xenon¡¯s scales in his hand right now.


    [Dragon¡¯s Scale]


    [Rating: Myth


    The scales of the gray dragon Xenon.


    Xenon himself is sincere to Overgeared God Grid and the scale is not damaged at all.


    It is the onlyplete dragon scale that exists in the world.


    Minimum smelting requirement: Possess a legendary rated production skill.


    Conditions for smelting: Legendary rated production skill at the master level.]


    It was before leaving Reidan. Grid received a total of three scales from Xenon. Each one of them wererger than Grid¡¯s body, and their patterns were slightly different. Even with Grid¡¯s insight, he only noticed it when he observed closely. The angled direction varied by about one degree, the texture of the root part resembling petals was different, there was a color difference that was at a level that was hard to tell, etc. It was a difference that couldn¡¯t be overlooked if he wanted to fully implement the dragon¡¯s armaments.


    A dragon¡¯s armaments¡ªin other words, Grid wanted to fully reproduce the pattern of the scales on their bodies. In particr, Ifrit and Cranbel¡¯s armaments. There was an obligation to clearly recall the pattern of the scales of the two dragons, how they connected and how they functioned.


    ¡°......¡±


    Of course, there were limitations to memory alone. Grid repeatedly yed videos of the two dragons dozens of hundreds of times. It was as he smelted Xenon¡¯s scales and recreated them into hundreds of small scales. He closely watched, studied, and recorded how to make the pattern of each scale.


    ¡®I have to approach it with the sense of assembling.¡¯


    It took a lot of work to produce the scale armor. It was made by cutting iron tes and sewing them on leather cloth like scales. Meanwhile, the dragon armor set that Grid would create demanded more care and effort. Grid had no intention of adding leather. There was a fear that the leather of other beasts or monsters would be detrimental to the dragon scales. He didn¡¯t need leather. The scales themselves had a structure that absorbed shock. He would craft the armor only by binding the scales.


    Grid concentrated solely on it in order to perform the high level work he had never tried before. By referring to the appearance of Ifrit and Cranbel, the nk blueprint was slowly filled. He also devised tools and environments in order to actually implement the hundreds of scales recorded on the blueprint.


    Time passed by like a sh. The scales hadn¡¯t even been smelted, but a fortnight had passed.


    ***


    It was right after another major battle. The sound of handwriting echoed in the silent battlefield. It was the sound made by the Overgeared members.


    The hell expedition members watched in a somewhat absurd manner. The habit of taking notes after each battle was strange no matter how they looked at it.


    ¡®What are they doing?¡¯


    They had a very strong desire to peek, but no one did it hastily. They knew it was rude. They were also busy reviewing the battle. For rankers, who couldn¡¯t settle for the present and dreamt of a higher realm, reviewing was the most important procedure. As they entered a deeper hell, they organized information about new monsters and checked themselves as they fought. They studied so they could do better next time.


    The writings of the Overgeared members were along the same lines. The reason they took notes was because there was more information to record than others. Their records would greatly affect the functionality of the new items to bemissioned from Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Their records were the cradle of information that wouldter be delivered to Grid. It was looking back on their own shorings and a request for item production at the same time. It was beneficial for both the Overgeared members and Grid.


    Grid gained endless information thanks to his colleagues and the items created based on that information would further develop the Overgeared members.


    ***


    -This week¡¯s style.


    After logging out, Shin Youngwoo entered the dressing room and changed into sportswear. Sportswear and outdoor clothes to wear from Monday to Sunday were ced beside each other on one side of the closet. As always, his sister Sehee had prepared it.


    ¡®Am I that bad at dressing?¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo had a serious question as he looked at the note left by Sehee. No matter how much he thought about it, Sehee seemed to be overdoing it. In fact, he wasn¡¯t bad at dressing. Sehee had been helping him for several years and he had done a few photo shoots. He would be stupid if he still didn¡¯t have a fashion sense.


    The problem was that he didn¡¯t differentiate between brands. He blindly preferred cheap brands, so there were times when his coordinated clothes didn¡¯t suit his age group or social status.


    It wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning. Shin Youngwoo bought a car before buying a house. He didn¡¯t know about smart spending. Until just a few years ago, he had luxuries that were far from frugality. However, it wasn¡¯t an innate instinct. He didn¡¯t have money, so he couldn¡¯t eat what he wanted to eat and he couldn¡¯t buy what he wanted to buy. He had regrets because he went through such hard times.


    Now Youngwoo had relieved this. He had eaten what he wanted to eat and bought all the things he wanted to buy. He also built a magnificent house. Money just piled up in his ount. He no longer felt the need for luxury.


    Was it a type of regression instinct? There was a rebound and Youngwoo became frugal again. He never spared money when buying necessary things or eating food he wanted to eat, but he wasn¡¯t particrly obsessed with consumables such as clothes and cars. Well, this didn¡¯t mean he would refuse the clothes his younger sister bought him.


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    At the entrance of the walkway...


    Youngwoo and Jishuka arrived at almost the same time and greeted each other brightly. Recently, the two of them had been exercising together every morning. It was because Youngwoo requested it. Spending time with Youngwoo for any reason was what Jishuka desired most, but she knew to respect the person she loved. Jishuka secretly pursued Youngwoo and she took pleasure in hiding and watching as he exercised alone. She never infringed on his personal time by suggesting that they exercise together.


    ¡°How was it yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Amoract¡¯s mimicry came within a week.¡±


    ¡°Again? You didn¡¯t use the Origin True Energy again, did you?¡±


    ¡°No. After that, Bunsdel and Teruchan always acted together.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to organize it with the kings of the different species?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Amoract¡¯s mimicry is definitely different from Baal¡¯s clone. It can be used without restrictions but it is rtively weak.¡±


    ¡°Without restrictions...¡±


    Youngwoo and Jishuka¡¯s athletic abilities were different. The speed at which they ran lightly without a break in their breathing exceeded the full speed of ordinary people. However, they talked without a break. The reason Youngwoo suggested working out together with Jishuka wasn¡¯t just to enjoy a date. It was to understand each other¡¯s situation by exchanging new information every day. Communication was important.


    ¡°The seats are full.¡±


    Jiwol-gu. It was the 26th sub-administrative district of Seoul that was newly created due to the influence of Shin Youngwoo. The neighborhood where Youngwoo lived was given the ridiculous name of ¡®Overgeared-dong¡¯ and it had thergest poption in Jiwol-gu.


    The walkway was a bit crowded in the early morning and the training area with several exercise equipment was already full of people.


    ¡°Oh my, the two of you? Use this. I¡¯m okay.¡± The aunts who spotted the young couple made a fuss and gave up their seats. They had very pleased expressions on their faces. It was an attitude toward a young couple.


    ¡°Aish~ finish your workout. I¡¯ll just ept your heart.¡± Jishuka perfectlymunicated with people without an interpreter. There wasn¡¯t much difference from Koreans in terms of the exmations used.


    ¡®There is a reason why my parents like her.¡¯


    Youngwoo looked happily at Jishuka, who was smiling and talking with the aunts. Jishuka¡¯s bright and friendly nature always made him feel good. He felt like he was taking vitamins and nutrients just by looking at it so the longer he saw it, the healthier his mind and body seemed to be.


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Can I borrow your body for a little bit?¡±


    Youngwoo was smiling widely when he came to his senses. He was puzzled by Jishuka¡¯s sudden blush and nervous attitude.


    ¡°Of course...?¡±


    Youngwoo answered the question and thought it was a good thing that he allowed it. It was because Jishuka was happy to hear the answer and looked very pretty. The way she slightly lowered his eyes and smiled widely was reminiscent of a puppy. He thought it would look good if shey down and extended her belly with this face. Most people around the world used the words ¡®cool¡¯ or ¡®sexy¡¯ for Jishuka, but Youngwoo saw that she had a cute charm. It was a charm that only Youngwoo knew about.


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯ll borrow it for a second...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Youngwoo took a deep breath. It was because Jishuka took off her shoes, stretched out her leg and ced her heel on Youngwoo¡¯s shoulder. She was very flexible. Her legs were also long...


    As Youngwoo admired an ambiguous part, Jishuka¡¯s face turned red like an apple. She couldn¡¯t make eye contact with Youngwoo as she leaned her upper body forward. The hearts of the two people touched. They heard each other¡¯s bursting heartbeats from up close.


    ¡°Stretching... we can¡¯t skip it...¡±


    ¡°R-Right...¡±


    Youngwoo thought of himself as a tree. A tree that helped Jishuka¡¯s movements. He gave strength to his core and held it tightly. Nevertheless, his trembling voice was something he couldn¡¯t help.


    ¡°You too... do you want to use my body...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    His ears and heart were itchy.


    These days, Youngwoo was happy every morning.


    ***


    Kaang, kaang, kaang...


    The sound of a hammer hitting metal echoed through the tower. It was nice to hear because it was clear and regr. The tower members recalled their ordinary human days. It reminded them of the sound of the wind chimes attached to the eaves of their homes.


    ¡°Now it seems like a ce where people live.¡±


    The tower members stayed in their rooms unless there was a special event. It was because their tendencies toward truthseeking meant they considered their own time important. The tower was too huge for nine people and it was always silent.


    However, this changed since Grid started to stay here. The Overgeared Skeleton secretly helped Biban clean, Randy tried to watch and learn from the tower members, while Filewolf and Noe acted frivolously. Their presence alone made the tower feel bustling. The sound of GrId working, which had already been going on for a month, added to the vitality.


    All the tower members weed this atmosphere. Loneliness had grown in them without even knowing it. They had endured the years with theirmitment to protect world peace, but unfortunately, they weren¡¯t able to take care of their own happiness.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The contemtive tower members suddenly opened their eyes in a wide manner. The dragon radar was beeping with a warning.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this unbelievable?¡±


    The location at which the dragon emerged was inside the Tower of Wisdom. It was an unbelievable situation.


    The tower members were busy moving. They immediately prepared for battle and gathered in one ce. It was clear that the radar was broken. This could never happen...


    In the midst of the tower members brainwashing themselves, the radar gradually analyzed the dragon¡¯s position urately. It was the room where Grid was staying.

 Chapter 1602

    <h4>Chapter 1602</h4>


    Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.


    ¡°It is an offline meeting about Satisfy... I guess it will match the nasty hobby of a rich man riding a private ne.¡±


    A man sitting with his back to the window where skyscrapers were visible. The man who acted under the ID of ¡®Knight¡¯ in Satisfy wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Ever since the release of Satisfy, human convenience had reached its peak. The restriction of ¡®space,¡¯ a mandatory requirement for meeting, had disappeared. Someone in the Middle East and someone on the Korean Penins could meet within seconds.


    It was a phenomenon realized by Satisfy.


    Yet they were sitting down to have a meeting in reality. It was taking away valuable time. Of course, it was an interpretation based on the difference in inclinations. There was no need to express displeasure. However, Knight expressed it tantly. It was preliminary work to raise his price.


    Lauel¡ªthe second-inmand of the Overgeared Guild and the prime minister of the great empire. He was high in the hierarchy of all people. He could achieve something as soon as he had the desire.


    It was not an exaggeration. In a modern society that perceived Satisfy as a second world and another reality, the influence of Lauel, who controlled Satisfy, was beyond imagination. However, it was a great responsibility. He was famous for his busy schedule on behalf of Grid, who was indifferent to internal affairs. He was arguably the busiest man in the world. The president of the United States even joked that he would use Lauel as a role model.


    Such a bigshot asked for an offline meeting. He flew all the way to the remote Middle East to meet Knight. It couldn¡¯t be an ordinary day.


    ¡®It is the 71st day since Kraugel¡¯s whereabouts have been unknown and the 46th day since Grid¡¯s whereabouts are bizarre.¡¯


    Was it a request rted to them?


    Knight''s mind was spinning busily.


    Lauel smiled brightly. The keffiyeh worn on his head, as if to make him feel like a tourist, suited him quite well. It was simply because his original appearance looked so good. He would look good no matter what he wore. ¡°Knight, I wanted to meet and chat with you in person. Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it is scary to see you chase me to a distant resort. Are you trying to threaten me to be prepared if the contents of your request are leaked?¡±


    Knight¡¯s nationality was Russian. It hadn¡¯t been long since he arrived here. His fearful attitude toward Lauel, who followed him as if he had been waiting, was quite usible. Of course, he wasn¡¯t actually afraid. How urgent did it have to be to follow him all the way here? Knight was rather happy as he guessed how valuable Lauel¡¯s request would be.


    ¡°Would I have risked a long flight just to entrust Knight with a request?¡±


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t a request?¡±


    A chill went down Knight¡¯s spine. At this moment, he was genuinely intimidated. It wasn¡¯t acting.


    ¡®Did I ever do something wrong to the Overgeared Guild?¡¯


    There was no such thing. He always thoroughly researched it every time he received a request. Would the result of the quest cause losses to the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Empire? It was a survival strategy. There was no reason for retaliation...


    ...No, was it really this?


    ¡®I might¡¯ve made Grid ufortable without even knowing.¡¯


    For a split second, all types of misconceptions crossed Knight¡¯s mind. His eyes became dazed and shook. He was fortunate to be wearing thick sunsses.


    Lauel reached out to him, who was unable to speak hastily. The attitude was very polite. ¡°To be honest, I want to wee you as a colleague. Knight, please join us.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The reason why the busiest man in the world crossed the sky by himself was revealed. A death god who consumed the target¡¯s ¡®soul gauge¡¯ to deal a definite death¡ªKnight was worth Lauel moving personally.


    Lauel¡¯s long persuasion began.


    ***


    A fortnight for the concept and design of the work and a month for the production of the work. Grid spent more than 45 days in the tower. In the meantime, he stopped all external activities and disappeared from public view.


    The empire was safe even in Grid¡¯s absence. The remnants of the religions, including the Reba Church, refused to follow the Overgeared God and devised all types of schemes, but the security of the empire remained unshakable. The knights led by Mercedes thoroughly cracked down on the soldiers.


    There were many negative rumors about Grid going missing after receiving divine punishment, but few people were agitated. Duke Grenhal and Duke Steim led the unity of the nobles and held the center well. Of course, they couldn¡¯t control all the nobles. There were many nobles who acted as if they were trying to secure a share. They were properly stopped by the inspectors.


    Lauel and Basara led politics and the economy correctly, while the powerful boss monsters that regrly appeared in certain areas were neatly handled by Grid¡¯s apostles. The evil demons of hell had no time to turn their gazes to the surface due to dealing with the expedition led by Yura and Jishuka.


    Thanks to this, Grid could concentrate fully. He smelted Xenon¡¯s three scales into a total of 678 small scales. Then they were reborn as two pieces of armor. Nothing could disturb Grid.


    [Overgeared God Grid has created a dragon¡¯s body.]


    It was a world message that could be misunderstood by anyone looking at it. It felt like the world was turned upside down.


    A dragon¡¯s body¡ªthere was a reasonable reason why the system judged the armor made by Grid in this way.


    [Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arms]


    [Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    A set item.


    Durability: 12,800/12,800 Defense: 1,895


    * Strength increased by 300.


    * Skill damage will increase by 20%.


    ¡ï Grip strength is greatly increased.


    ¡ï Absolute hit rate is increased.


    ¡ï The maximum attack speed is reached.


    ¡ï If fighting a great demon, archangel, god, or dragon, a portion of the durability is reced by attack power.


    ¡ï The chance of an arm injury is reduced by 80%.


    ¡ï There is a 10% chance to trigger ¡®Absolute Defense¡¯ when hit.


    ¡ï There is a 30% chance to trigger ¡®Dragon Fear¡¯ when attacking.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Small Breath¡¯ is created.


    ¡ï Magic power cirction will ur every time an arm is hit. Every five cycles of magic power cirction will reset the cooldown time for Small Breath.


    ¡ï The weapon attack power is increased by 20% when armed with a dragon weapon.


    These are the arms of Fire Dragon Ifrit, which was realized by Overgeared God Grid after smelting Xenon¡¯s scales.


    Gauntlets made from weaving a total of 286 small scales, they give the wearer the power of a dragon.


    ¡ï Dragon Armor Set Effect


    Every time additional armor made of dragon scales is equipped, the probability of Absolute Defense will increase significantly.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 150]


    [Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Pelvis]


    [Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    A set item.


    Durability: 19,370/19,370 Defense: 2,640


    * The stamina stat is increased by 300.


    * Skill defense is increased by 20%.


    ¡ï Complete immunity to restraint type skills. This includes physical restraints.


    ¡ï If fighting a great demon, archangel, god, or dragon, a portion of the durability is reced by defense.


    ¡ï The chance of a lower body injury is reduced by 95%.


    ¡ï There is a 20% chance to activate ¡®Stealth¡¯ when the lower body is hit.


    ¡ï There is a 10% chance to trigger ¡®Absolute Defense¡¯ when hit.


    ¡ï There is a 30% chance to trigger ¡®Dragon Rage¡¯ when attacking.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Tunnel¡¯ is created.


    This is the pelvis of Cloaked Dragon Cranbel, which was realized by Overgeared God Grid after smelting Xenon¡¯s scales.


    A gaiter made from weaving a total of 392 small scales, it gives the wearer the power of a dragon.


    ¡ï Dragon Armor Set Effect


    Every time additional armor made of dragon scales is equipped, the probability of Absolute Defense will increase significantly.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 850]


    Grid was heavily inspired by Ifrit and Cranbel, and recreated entire parts of their bodies. Of course, it was a size that suited his own body. Yet as far as the form and structure were concerned, it closely resembled the two dragons¡¯ bodies he saw and experienced firsthand. To be precise, it was the armaments that surrounded a dragon¡¯s body.


    In other words, the pattern and structure of the scales were reproduced intact. The results were beyond expectations.


    [Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arms is equipped.]


    Gauntlets that covered him from hand to shoulder. It was usually gray due to Xenon¡¯s scale, but it turned a colorful red when the skill was activated.


    [Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Pelvis is equipped.]


    Gaiters that covered him from pelvis to the calves. It was also gray and boasted a gorgeous appearance like Ifrit¡¯s arms. It was only when the skill was activated that it refracted light and shone transparently.


    ...Being transparent didn¡¯t mean exposing the flesh. It was just a type of signal that generated all types of defense and resistance effects. In the first ce, Grid always wore Beriache¡¯s Underclothing. There was no need to worry about exposing himself even if he took off all his armor.


    In any case, Grid interpreted that Cranbel was better between Ifrit and Cranbel, at least when it came to survival. This was why the Cranbel style was envisioned as gaiters, which had the highest defense after armor.


    He suffered a lot. He made 678 scales of different patterns and bound them together. Grid¡¯s concentration and patience were consumed at an all time high. He didn¡¯t even get help from the God Hands. The God Hands had inherited some of Grid¡¯s cksmithing skills, but they failed to skillfully smelt the dragon scales. They couldn¡¯tplete the task of making the scales into 678 different patterns.


    Grid worked with a feeling ofplete istion. He thought about whether Pagma of the past would¡¯ve felt like this.


    [Two pieces of the dragon armor set have been equipped and defense is increased by an additional 400.]


    [The effect of equipping two pieces of the dragon armor set has increased the probability of Absolute Defense by 20%.]


    [Absolute Defense]


    [Passive


    The power of an absolute species.


    There is a high probability of beingpletely immune to attacks from targets with a lower status than yourself and damage resistance will temporarily increase if the immunity fails.


    Resource Consumption: None.


    Cooldown Time: None.]


    [Dragon Fear]


    [The power of an absolute species.


    There is a high probability that targets with a lower status than yourself will lose the will to resist. Targets that lose their will to resist will have their defense and magic resistance significantly reduced and their weaknesses will be exposed.


    Resource Consumption: None.


    Cooldown Time: 1 minute.]


    [Small Breath]


    [Magic power is fired.


    It causes fixed damage proportional to 20 times the user¡¯s intelligence. The higher the user¡¯s status, the higher the damage. The absolute hit rate correction is obtained due to the high speed.


    Resource Consumption: 10,500 mana.


    Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]


    [Dragon Rage]


    [Passive


    The power of an absolute species.


    During the duration, all attacks (including skills) of the user will stack two times. The same effect can be stacked.


    Duration: 10 seconds.


    Resource Consumption: 1,000 mana per second.


    Cooldown Time: 2 minutes.]


    [Tunnel]


    [Break through the ground and dig underground.


    At this time, you will be fully immune to all types of attacks and can detect the location of enemies on the ground. Once activated again, you will appear at the rear of the designated target.


    Duration: 5 seconds.


    Resource Consumption: 5,000 mana when activated. 3,000 mana per second.


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.]


    The gauntlets and gaiters moved like waves in sync with Grid¡¯s movements. Each of the 678 scales seemed to be living and breathing. It took more than 30 minutes to make each of these small scales. From the first design phase, it really felt like he was dying for 46 days, but it felt incredibly rewarding once he finished.


    Grid smiled widely.


    Snap!


    Then the door was opened without any knocks. The tower members rushed in while armed with weapons.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes of the tower members gradually widened as they looked at Grid. There were a number of people who couldn¡¯t close their mouths. The dragon radar in their hand was still shing loudly. Grid was designated as the target.


    ¡°Which son of a b*tch dares to use Polymorph to turn into Grid...?! Is Grid in your stomach?!!¡± Sword Saint Biban yelled with a red face, but he was immediately restrained by the other tower members.

 Chapter 1603

    <h4>Chapter 1603</h4>


    The first Baal¡¯s Contractor said that Baal¡¯s saliva turned him into a demon. He added that if Baal¡¯s Contractor was truly evil, the worst viin would be born. The half-draconians, who had long demonstrated theirbat power, were also born from a single drop of blood. It was believed that the blood shed by Evil Dragon Bunhelier identally fell into a well and mutated ordinary humans.


    The half-draconians, who made up and believed in a usible legend, would deny it, but this was the reality. The influence of transcendent beings greatly deviated from themon sense of the public. When the average person saw it, it easily caused huge waves of unusual objects or actions.


    ¡®These are the scales of a dragon.¡¯


    Dragon scales weren¡¯t ordinary. Rather, it was the hardest part of a dragon¡¯s body. This was actually a proven fact. Therefore, it became one of the greatest symbols of the dragons.


    The armor of an absolute species. Dragon scales weren¡¯t only the best material in the world, but they also had a great and powerful symbolic meaning. A dragon¡¯s heart and horn was next.


    ¡®It was no wonder why the radar had an error.¡¯


    An object created by the wise giant Filewolf after many years of research¡ªthe radar that precisely analyzed magic power and signs to identify dragons, it was equalling Grid to a dragon. It was a natural thing. Grid perfectly reproduced and armed himself with the armor of the absolute species.


    The gray gauntlets and gaiters emitted a soft light and seemed to be alive and breathing. Hundreds of small scales wriggled, repeatedly exhaling and absorbing. It added vitality beyond the level of following, so there were no inconveniences in Grid¡¯s movements. It wasn¡¯t a magical function, but instead something in the realm of technique. Grid¡¯s techniquepletely pulled out the performance of the scales.


    ¡°Congrattions. Now that you have fully reproduced the self-defense of the absolutes, you will be twice as safe.¡±


    In the midst of the tower members¡¯ admiration and astonishment, Hayate felt relieved. The gentle smile on his aristocratic face matched well like ceremonial clothes.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªhe was the only absolute among humans and his life was swayed by the dragons. The dragons¡¯ will prevented him from dying and he was destined to be killed by the dragons one day. It was inevitable because the dragons couldn¡¯t be annihted.


    Hayata¡¯s death muste in the most horrific form in the world. It was a truth that only he knew.


    ¡°I¡¯m d. It is really fortunate.¡±


    Hayate always liked Grid. It was because the fate of the human god was simr to his own. He felt pity for Grid, who would one day be erased by the heavenly gods. It was even though he knew his great strength. It was simply futile to stand up against the steadily multiplying angels and gods.


    Grid would be thoroughly isted if even the dragons had a grudge against him. It was beyond the level of annihtion. He would lose everything he had achieved and shed tears of blood. This was why Hayate had been working hard for Grid. Every time the dragons¡¯ gaze tried to turn to Grid, Hayate revealed his presence. He focused all their attention on himself, not Grid. It was while barely suppressing his fear. It was close topassion.


    Hayate¡¯s favor toward Grid was due to respect and expectations, but sympathy and a sense of simrity yed a role in his sacrifice. Now things had changed. Grid went beyond interacting with dragons and gained some of the dragons¡¯ powers. There would be no dragon who dared to antagonize him unless it was an old dragon.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Grid could take dragons lightly, but at least one concern was relieved. It was right to see it as a small hope in a fate that had no dreams or hope. It was an interpretation from Hayate¡¯s point of view. Hayate knew that Grid was different from him. It had been a long time since he became a coward after being crushed by the pressure of the dragons for all these years.


    ¡°Hayate.¡±


    Hayate, who was lost in thought, suddenly came to his senses. There was no change in his expression. Hayate had been smiling from the moment of relief when he saw Grid¡¯s changed fate to now. The gaze facing Grid had only honest liking.


    Grid wrapped his hands around both of Hayate¡¯s hands. ¡°I will make dragon armor for you in the near future. Please ept it even if you¡¯re not satisfied.¡±


    Sword Saint Biban could use all types of sword weapons without restrictions. No, he handled them even more strongly. It was even the case with dragon weapons. The Gujel¡¯s Sword he wielded could cut even the scales of a top dragon. Meanwhile, Hayate was a Dragon yer. He could handle anything made with a dragon¡¯s body part more powerfully.


    The ¡®Dragon yer¡¯ in the conditions of use for the gauntlets and gaiters created by Grid indirectly proved it. Additionally, Grid was in a position to steadily secure Xenon¡¯s scales in the future. It was natural to have the desire to arm Hayate, his strongest ally, with a dragon armor set.


    ¡®Xenon said he would pay the scales once a month...¡¯


    Xenon had vowed to steadily provide scales for the next 20 years. There were plenty of resources left to create a dragon armor set for Hayate and Mercedes, and develop mass produced dragon armor for his other colleagues to use.


    ¡®No... Maybe he will only give one scale every month?¡¯


    He was already worried about what the system would do while using bnce as an excuse. Getting only one scale every month wouldn¡¯t cause much disruption to his n, but he didn¡¯t like the dy.


    ¡®...Well, it is fine. If I am in a hurry, I can just ask him to pull it.¡¯


    Based on Xenon¡¯s personality, Grid didn¡¯t think he would refuse.


    ¡°......?¡± Grid became startled as he was busy thinking. It was because Hayate¡¯s eyes facing him were trembling. The blue eyes as clear as ss shook. Grid had never seen him so agitated.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± It happened the moment Hayate opened his mouth...


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 18th epic.]


    [Ites from a tower whose name is unknown.]


    ¡°You have given me courage.¡±


    [There was a human being who beheaded a sick dragon and was covered in its blood.]


    [He was a lonely and pitiful person.]


    [The man who became the only Absolute in human history was already alone.]


    [His eternal life was nothing more than a cruel curse.]


    ¡°I will cherish your kindness and live.¡±


    [The Absolute assumed responsibility. He built a tower that no one knew about and defended humanity. For countless long years, he lived for people who didn¡¯t even know his name. He built up fear without showing it. The height of his fear quickly overtook the height of the tower. He was crushed by despair. He forgot who to me and endured the roar of the dragons. Anger, hatred, killing intent, darkness, darkness, and darkness. His vision and mind gradually darkened. He fell into an endless abyss.]


    ¡°Hayate...?¡±


    Hayate was a noble person. He fought for the world and humanity, and his back was always upright. Even the same tower members didn¡¯t know the pain he felt. They only vaguely estimated it. They never imagined that the pain would be so great that it crushed his shoulders. Even Fronzaltz and Radwolf, who had been with him for a thousand years, didn¡¯t notice that Hayate was barely holding on.


    It was originally a secret that would be buried forever. Yet at this moment, Grid revealed the secret.


    Grid¡¯s expression became cautious. He was worried that Hayate would be ashamed. However, Hayate was still smiling.


    [A new god established by humanity¡ªOvergeared God Grid reached out to the dark abyss.]


    [The hands that made hundreds of thousands of weapons were firm and strong. They easily bore the weight of the fear crushing the Absolute, so he grabbed the Absolute and pulled him out of the abyss.]


    ¡°I am no longer afraid thanks to you.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s smile brightened. It was a pure smile that overshadowed the years he endured. Was he originally a person who smiled like that? The hearts of the tower members were touched when they saw Hayate, who had regained his true smile. Biban was shedding tears like chicken poop...


    [The Absolute realized it.]


    [I am also just one human being.]


    [I want to rely on thentern if possible.]


    [He said this as he held the hand of the god who had be antern.]


    ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t hesitate to kill the dragons. I will fulfill my duty with anticipation rather than fearing the future that hasn¡¯te. I will remember that the strength I acquired is a blessing, not a curse.¡±


    ......


    ...


    [Overgeared God Grid haspleted the 18th page of the epic.]


    [The dragon killer¡ªDragon yer ¡®Hayate¡¯ has appeared in the world.]


    [The secret stories of the dragons that had been buried all over the continent will start to appear.]


    This was the world message.


    [Your status has risen further as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    From here on out, it was the contents of the notification windows that were only visible for Grid.


    [The reward forpleting the epic has given you maximum affinity with all the tower members.]


    [The reward forpleting the epic has given you a bond with Hayate.]


    [The sword energy of Dragon yer Hayate is covered with the killing intent he has been suppressing.]


    [Humanity¡¯s only Absolute has gained his full skills.]


    [In the future, the Tower of Wisdom will more actively intervene with the peace of the world. They will no longer turn away from people¡¯s unjust deaths.]


    [The hidden piece ¡®Hidden Role of the Pioneer¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [The status of ¡®Tenth Tower Member¡¯ has been acquired as a reward for the hidden piece.]


    [The qualification of Pioneer has be meaningless with the acquisition of the tower member status. Transferring the Pioneer qualification to the next suitable person.]


    [yer ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has be the new Pioneer.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid simply said he would make an item. He really said only a few words. So what was this...?


    Grid had a bewildered expression on his face, but he soon smiled. He was endlessly proud when he saw Hayate, who had relieved the burden of his heart, and the tower members who were happy to see it. Grid¡¯s heart was filled with joy. Maybe he had been fighting for these moments.


    He had such a thought.


    ***


    [A dragon yer existed from the beginning?]


    [Dragon yer Hayate is a hot topic... what is the Absolute?]


    [What is the tower¡¯s identity?]


    [Relics and documents rted to the dragons are being excavated all over the world. There are so many clues to know about ancient culture... attention is focusing on whether the ¡®Ancient Episodes¡¯ will open, starting with the city of the giants found by Grid.]


    Breaking news poured in. Just one of the news would¡¯ve made headlines for a few days. People¡¯s minds were confused. They felt like they had adapted a bit, so it was absurd to see the world that opened up again. They wondered if Grid, who was always at the center of the opening, was the same person as them.


    -In fact, isn¡¯t Grid the god of the game?


    ©¸ The real God Grid??


    ©¸ Peak Sword¡¯s foresight is crazy...


    ©¸ I think Peak Sword should retire and be a shaman. Tremble.


    Suddenly, the stock price of Peak Sword increased. It was purely because he created the nickname ¡®God Grid.¡¯ It was a social phenomenon that was half a joke. However, some people were serious.


    The Korean Patriotic Association was flooded with inquiries about lottery numbers, so Peak Sword had to suspend the operation of the customer service center for the time being...

 Chapter 1604

    <h4>Chapter 1604</h4>


    One day, a wounded dragon crashed into the middle of a city. It was purely coincidental. The city was just located at the wrong ce at the wrong time. The dragon struggled in pain. Every time he screamed, the windows of the city were smashed. The same was true of the stained ss of the temple.


    Goddess Reba, who was portrayed on the stained ss, was praying for humans, but it was meaningless. The goddess¡¯ prayer didn¡¯t protect humans from the disaster that hade.


    The young Hayate was stunned. He just stared nkly as his neighbors were swept away by a gust of wind every time the dragon¡¯s torn wings fluttered, his friends were crushed to death every time the dragon¡¯s bloody tail swung, and his family burned in the mes mixed into the dragon¡¯s screams.


    This was until he saw his lover bursting like a balloon under the feet of the dragon who raised himself using the half-broken castle as a stepping stone. It was only after really losing everything that he realized this was reality, not a nightmare.


    His stopped thoughts started to run explosively. The thoughts that extended to all areas were out of control. He had to endure the pain that cut through his brain. He held his sword with trembling hands.


    After jumping over the corpses of his family and friends and the bloodstains left by his lover, he grabbed the dragon¡¯s broken horn and leapt, aiming his sword at the cracks in the scales. He continued to aim tenaciously at the neck of the roaring dragon until it subsided.


    The feelings of anger, killing intent, and fear stimted his talent. The help of his extended thinking allowed him to grasp the destructive sword energy and integrated it with his will. Finally, he cut off the dragon¡¯s head. He was covered in blood when he came to his senses. It was blood that had been flowing for thousands of years.


    Hayate never forgot the single moment he met the dragon¡¯s empty pupils through his red covered vision.


    You are engraved on ¡®us.¡¯ Like me, you will have a harsh end.


    Hayate frantically ran away from the huge giant eyes that seemed to be saying this. The Dragon yer was a being who grew out of such despair and fear.


    From that day to today, Hayate never shook off his fear. Every day, he trembled in fear. The dragon¡¯s power was too destructive to forget the horror of that day. Nevertheless, his reason for fighting was simple. He hoped that no one else would go through the same despair he did. He endured the killing intent and intimidation of all dragons in the world without expressing his fear.


    ¡°I stumbled upon a dragon who was wounded in a power struggle. I was terrified by his pressure. I struggled desperately to survive and finally cut his throat.¡±


    He was simply lucky. On the first day he met Grid, Hayate used this simple phrase to exin to Grid how he became a Dragon yer. He didn¡¯t mention the details. He would rather ignore it. The fear he had in his heart from the beginning¡ªhe was afraid that he would reveal the feelings that grew day by day.


    Now he hadpletely shaken off his fear. Therefore, he could calmly talk about the disaster of that day.


    ¡°......¡±


    The changes that took ce inside Hayate were clearly revealed to Grid. He was d that his little promise gave courage to this great man. It was an honor. It happened at a time when he was deeply emotional...


    ¡°Look here, Junior.¡±


    Biban wiped away his tears and interjected. The traces of his runny nose were clearly visible. As a Sword Saint who cut at targets with his willpower alone, he seemed to express his emotions in a manner that was stronger than others.


    ¡®No, this is too positive an interpretation.¡¯


    They were both Sword Saints, but why were they so different? Grid was naturally reminded of Kraugel. He clicked his tongue as he recalled thepletely different personalities of Biban and Kraugel.


    ¡°Now that we have a 10th Seat, there will be many days when you are staying at the tower, right? I would like to show you around.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom had recently moved. Grid had already been here for 46 days, but he stayed in his room. He didn¡¯t look around. In the first ce, his purpose wasn¡¯t tourism, so he focused only on work.


    ¡°Um... It¡¯s fine. I¡¯lle back often, but I think I will just stay in my room anyway.¡±


    Just because he was a member of the tower didn¡¯t mean he took on their duties. Grid, who was armed with the dragon armor set, clearly transcended all the tower members except for Hayate. He had too much power to take on the odd jobs of the tower members. This was why they couldn¡¯t hold him as the Pioneer.


    The reason Hayate gave him the position of tower member was so Grid could give up the responsibility of the Pioneer while enjoying more benefits. There was no need to understand the structure of the tower in detail because he wouldn¡¯t have a big role to y in it.


    However, Biban had other thoughts. ¡°But.. sometimes, the cleaning... no, you have to clean up. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to familiarize yourself with the structure in preparation for that time?¡±


    ¡°Why me...?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the youngest?¡±


    ¡°Biban, have you forgotten why you are cleaning? Or did you distort your memory on your own? The reason you are in charge of cleaning isn¡¯t because you are the youngest, but because youmitted a crime.¡±


    ¡°What did I do that was so wrong? Honestly, isn¡¯t it too harsh to consider it a mere punishment? Additionally, I am talking to a junior. Jessica, don¡¯t interrupt. I also have the face of a senior. Isn¡¯t that right, 10th Seat, Grid?¡±


    ¡°Your pronunciation... please be more gentle...¡±


    ¡°Um? Huh? Now you are finding fault with everything? Aren¡¯t you being too much just because we are in the same organization? I might look like this, but I am 400 years older than you.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for this, Grid. There aren¡¯t many cases where this man is sane. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Still, he is cooler than anyone else when holding the sword.¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course. I am the Sword Saint. As expected, Grid. Your character is really righteous. You are a person who will neve forget your original intentions. No, wait... I¡¯m not sane when I¡¯m not holding a sword? What...? Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid sneaked back while Biban muttered. Grid really liked and respected Biban, but that didn¡¯t mean he epted all of Biban¡¯s personality. It was appropriate to say that Biban was a person who was good to see sometimes, but not every day.


    ¡®Kraugel is amazing.¡¯


    During the time when the other tower members were holding back Biban, Grid returned to his room and smiled as he recalled Kraugel, who was identified as the next Pioneer. Not only did Kraugel be a Sword Saint and had his level reset, but he also studied under Kirinus for at least a year. He even obsessed over Mir for months and suffered several deaths. Yet his level was the second highest?


    Of course, it was the aftermath of Chris¡¯ level being reset recently. There was also the effect of stagnant growth for a while as the top powers of the Overgeared Guild were active in hell along with high level NPCs like the kings of the different species. He heard that Amoract was constantly harassing them.


    In the first ce, Kraugel was the pinnacle of talent. Even the members of the Overgeared Guild had longed for it. Yura, Jishuka, Regas, Pon, and even the proud Chris had said more than once that ¡®Kraugel can never be ovee.¡¯ Hao even chose to go under Kraugel. He didn¡¯t see Kraugel as apetitor, just like Kraugel didn¡¯t see Grid as apetitor.


    However, Grid thought that the next highest level yer after Chris would naturally be Yura. It was because Yura¡¯s growth potential after she took over the entire hunting ground called hell was good enough to bepared to Grid for a while. Considering that the growth had been slowed in recent months and Kraugel¡¯s past moves, it was somewhat unconvincing that Yura¡¯s level was lower.


    ¡®No, it isn¡¯t something that I can hastily judge.¡¯


    In terms of talent, it was true that Kraugel was unique. Furthermore, Kraugel had the most titles and hidden pieces after Grid. Above all, he was the Sword Saint. There were no enemies that couldn¡¯t be cut, so he was less likely to be harmed while hunting. He must¡¯ve created enough wide area skills.


    He had been staying in the elemental world for nearly three months. There was a high probability that he got an experience buff as a reward for the first discovery of a ce no one had been to before. It wasn¡¯t known what type of violence he was going through.


    ¡®No, putting everything aside.¡¯


    Hayate might¡¯ve judged that the Demon yer wasn¡¯t suitable to be the Pioneer. The Pioneer¡¯s biggest mission was to bridge the gap between the isted tower and the world. However, the Demon yer often stayed in hell, away from the surface. She wasn¡¯t suitable to be the Pioneer.


    ¡®This is convincing.¡¯


    Additionally, Kraugel had already been the Pioneer. The pitiful one was Chris. If he had known this would happen, he would¡¯ve put off giving the previous hidden ss change book as a gift (?).


    ¡®Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t expected this to happen. Furthermore, Tzudan¡¯s Sessor was a highly difficult ss. In the long run, it was better for him to change early and gain a bit more proficiency. Of course, it would¡¯ve been much better if he had changed sses after being qualified as the Pioneer. In any case, it was all in the past. No one knew about the Pioneer system other than Grid and Kraugel. There was no need to worry about Chris being mentally shocked.


    Grid relieved his guilt and took a deep breath. He might¡¯ve been dyed for a while due to the visit of the tower members, but his work wasn¡¯t finished. The scales previously obtained from Hayate and Cranbel¡¯s arm remained. The two scales would be used as a supplement when the additional scales from Gujel were insufficient, but he nned to smelt Cranbel¡¯s arm immediately into a sword.


    ¡®It is right to have at least two dragon weapons in order to maximize the power of the newly created gauntlets.¡¯


    Ifrit¡¯s arms increased the damage of dragon weapons. Grid nned to use two dragon weapons as dual swords at all times and use them as the framework for Item Combination.


    ¡®Let¡¯s begin.¡¯


    It happened as Grid was focused again...


    ¡°Would you like some food?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask about food every time we make eye contact? I¡¯m not a pig. I¡¯m the best demonic creature in hell, a memphis!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a snack. A fish cake.¡±


    ¡°...Bah, if you really want to give something then give it to me.¡±


    Noe had fully adapted after moving around the tower for more than a month. Betty showed great interest in the guy who reached the level of enjoying a nap with his belly sticking out. She took him to the room where she didn¡¯t allow anyone except for Grid to enter. Soon, Noe screamed like crazy. It was because he found a memphis anatomical specimen on the shelf...


    ¡°Why are your soles pink?¡±


    "Kyaak! Kyaaaaak! Murder! A murderer, kyak!¡± Noe¡¯s fur stood up and he struggled. He felt the crisis of his life and really did everything in his power. However, Betty¡¯s room was very soundproof. The windows were always closed, so Noe¡¯s screams didn¡¯t leak out.


    Meanwhile, Randy...


    ¡°Are you interested in my techniques?¡±


    Nod.


    She started to win the favor of the tower members. The main thing was her appearance as a little girl.


    The long solitary tower members had an average age of hundreds of years and they treated Randy like a grandchild. In fact, Randy was over 200 years old, but she was a child in the eyes of the tower members. Noe and Randy also gained new opportunities.

 Chapter 1605

    <h4>Chapter 1605</h4>


    People who were satisfied andfortable with only billions or tens of billions in assets weren¡¯t eligible to be Overgeared members. It had been a long time since the Overgeared Guild dominated various contents and Grid had reached the level of easily producing legendary items. Just as Chris recently purchased a legendary ss change book, it was right to say that the Overgeared members were always exposed to the opportunity to purchase astronomically valuable items.


    It was a situation where an ancient city and dragon killer appeared. As a result, forgotten literature and treasures were being unearthed. They couldn¡¯t be careless no matter how much wealth they umted so far. Unless they were going to settle for the present and be eliminated, they had to work as hard as a cow to make more money. They also had to engrave the habit of frugality on their bodies.


    Grid had personally reminded them by turning Chris into a debtor in an instant. It would¡¯ve been very painful for Grid to sacrifice a longtime friend and colleague, but he had to sacrifice Chris as a lesson for everyone.


    ¡®He knew in advance that we would need more money in the future.¡¯


    From the first day they met, she knew that Youngwoo was a great person. In fact, he became one of the best yers in the field. There were so many things to respect that she was naturally convinced when he was praised as a great man. However, she hadn¡¯t expected his foresight to be so excellent.


    In fact, wasn¡¯t his intelligence itself very high? At this point, it wasn¡¯t enough to express it as ¡®perfection.¡¯ It was an objective assessment. It had nothing to do with the feelings she had for him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura returned after a photo shoot to earn money. She had led the hell expedition for four months and was engaged in external activities, so her fatigue was very great. She was less physically exhausted due to consistently exercising since she was young, but she was mentally exhausted. It was hard to believe it had been only a few months.


    Yura felt sorry for her weak self. Yet when others saw it, they thought it was natural for her to be tired. It was fortunate that she didn¡¯t fall down.


    High rankers who were envied by two billion yers¡ªthey were the best in different ways. It wasn¡¯t easy to lead these strong people who had extremely strong individual personalities. Besides, what about the three kings of the different species? They openly ignored Yura, saying they were only loyal to His Majesty Grid. They prioritized their own judgments over the orders of Yura, themander-in-chief. It wasn¡¯t just one or two operations that were ruined because of them.


    Even so, Yura never med them. She controlled herself most thoroughly and led the expedition so that the expedition members didn¡¯t antagonize each other. So far, there had been no casualties.


    Surprisingly, Jishuka helped a lot. During the expedition, Yura and Jishuka never shed. There was no fighting. In the first ce, Jishuka would mostly lose if they fought, but... in any case, the war of nerves between the two of them was famous. Yet recently, they showed off their friendship to the point where it could be believed they were real sisters. The more they spent time together, the more they acknowledged each other. In hell, the two of them were the strongest allies, notpetitors. They relied on each other more than anyone else.


    Meow.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Yura parked in the parking lot and was running her bathtub application when she stopped. She unknowingly put away her desire to wash and lie down on the bed. She turned in the direction of the cat¡¯s cries rather than entering her house.


    Meow.


    The cat who made eye contact with Yura cried out again. It was a very ugly cat. The fur pattern was ugly. It looked grumpy. There was a lot of flesh on its body, so it seemed to have stolen all the food from the stray cats in this neighborhood.


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura didn¡¯t approach small animals. They were cute and pretty, but they were small. She was worried they might get hurt if she touched them. Of course, there was a lot of interest. She had countless urges to hug them tightly and rub her face into their fur. Thus, she had her own knowledge.


    ¡®Winter.¡¯


    The day was cold. South Korea¡¯s temperatures had dropped below zero since the closing of the National Competition, which recorded the lowest ratings ever. A cat¡¯s fur swelled up when it was cold. She remembered reading that it was the effect of narrowing pores to withstand the cold.


    ¡°Did youe to a warm ce?¡±


    Nyang.


    The cat cried out as if answering her and it looked every uglier close up. She couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it. She thought other people would avoid the cat because it was ugly. She was worried they would abuse it rather than feeding it.


    Nyang.


    She slowly reached out. The cat approached and rubbed its cheek against Yura¡¯s white hand. The surprised Yura felt flustered and she carefully touched the cat¡¯s back. She could feel the skinny body beyond the puffy fur. It looked fat, but it was actually underweight.


    ¡°Uhum... Wait here.¡±


    Yura walked inside the parking lot. Her mansion had a huge parking lot. There was plenty of space left even if she parked more than 20rge cars, so she could use it for various purposes. Naturally, there were several warehouses.One warehouse had piles of canned food for cats. She had never actually given it to a cat.


    Yura wasn¡¯t the type to look for stray cats and she never had a cat approach her like this. The reason why she had canned food... it was preparation for a situation like the present one. She was very well prepared.


    ¡°Eat slowly.¡±


    The shelf life of canned goods was sufficient. She also periodically purchased new ones out of thorough preparations.


    Nyang.


    A cat that answered her even when frantically eating canned food. It was very kind unlike its grumpy face.


    ¡®A lovely kid.¡¯


    Yura¡¯s heart softened as she sat in front of the cat and smiled. Naturally, her fatigue disappeared. Many thoughts flowed through her mind as she rxed. Apart from her thoughts about the missing Youngwoo, all of them were work-rted thoughts.


    ¡®Amoract.¡¯


    The 2nd Great Demon¡ªshe threatened the expedition by sending her mimicries and she sent a whisper to Yura every time.


    Come back to my side now. I covet you so much.


    She connected mind to mind and sent a whisper without anyone knowing. Of course, Yura didn¡¯t fall for the temptation. She had no intention of bing a demon. It was decided a long time ago.


    It was the time when the 30th Great Demon pushed a kingdom to the brink of destruction. Yura had been able to reign as a demon early on, but she chose a hard road out of her own will. Rather, she became the Demon yer to kill demons. She would¡¯ve been hostile to Grid forever if she had be a demon. She didn¡¯t like it. It was impossible for her to change her mind now.


    Furthermore, Amoract was a dangerous existence simr to Baal from Yura¡¯s point of view. Amoract constantly persuaded Yura by saying she nned to return hell to its original state for Yatan¡¯s sake and it would be beneficial for humanity, but Yura never trusted her. It was because Amoract was the great demon of conflict.


    Was it shamelessness or ack of self-awareness? Amoract herself acted without being aware of her title, but Yura was rightly wary. It was true that Amoract was hostile to Baal right now, but Yura decided that they should never hold hands.


    ¡®Yatan¡¯s honor and the restoration of hell might be excuses.¡¯


    Conflict¡ªAmoract¡¯s setting was quite malicious. It was her essence to split up sides and create fights. The fact that she didn¡¯t show it outwardly made her worse than Baal.


    Nyang.


    Yura¡¯s mind suddenly returned. The cat who neatly emptied the canned food was rubbing against her calf. Yura, who was unknowingly smiling, couldn¡¯t help blushing. She was embarrassed at the thought that she was smiling like a fool. Even so, she thought she would have a good dream today.


    ***


    Dragon yer¡ªthe world was abuzz with the emergence of a being they never imagined would exist. On the other hand, the elemental world was serene. The only human here was Kraugel and he didn¡¯t talk much.


    ¡®It is hard.¡¯


    Kraugel didn¡¯t prefer a party y. He found it ufortable to work with someone. It was because he generally suffered losses. This talented person¡¯s intuition was his strength. He had to lower his level by several stages when cooperating with others.


    His body that moved while omitting the process of reasoning, understanding, and judgment confused even his allies. Cooperation required mutual understanding, but there weren¡¯t many people in the world who could read Kraugel¡¯s intentions. Therefore, a proper cooperation couldn¡¯t be achieved. From a certain point, Kraugel preferred solo y. He unintentionally isted himself and adapted.


    This was a story until he met Grid. Kraugel changed. He got used to being together with others. At this moment, he noticed the absence of Hao and Alexander, who dared to follow and assist him.


    -Sword Saint?


    The empty spots of the Overgeared members who fought together in hell.


    -Huhu, it is just this much?


    Above all, the fact that he couldn¡¯t be back to back with Grid gradually made Kraugel anxious.


    The Elemental King of Wind was outstanding.


    It had been nearly four months. Kraugel, who had ughtered hundreds of thousands or even countless dark elementals, was confident that not only had he leveled up significantly, but he also fully adapted to the ¡®dy.¡¯


    The spirit that escaped from his body. He had a perfect understanding about how to operate this slow body that couldn¡¯t keep up with idents. However, the limitations were clear. The problem was that his actions were slow no matter how many times he fought with the correct timing and predicted the future actions.


    He had a badpatibility with the Elemental King of Wind, who used speed as a long-term weapon. If it hadn¡¯t been for his super sensitivity and the Formless Will that developed in the process of making up for the loss of his body, he would¡¯ve died immediately and been expelled from the elemental world.


    -No matter how many years pass, humans remain the same. They aren¡¯t that great. Just look at the Grid whom you worship as a god. He trusted me without doubting me until the end. He ignorantly relied on his strength and wascking in his senses.


    The torn apart spirit body¡ªKraugel¡¯s expression turned cold as he barely moved his translucent body to prevent a violent storm. For the first time, he opened his tightly closed mouth, ¡°...It wasn¡¯t worth doubting.¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°To Grid, you are nothing, so he passed you over as unimportant.¡±


    For Kraugel, Grid was a special existence. Grid was the first person in his life that he aimed for. He was close to an idol. From a certain point, just chasing Grid¡¯s back filled his heart. It was a type of sanctuary. No one could intrude on it.


    -...Hah? Hahat! It is far from reasonable to say this. You are too emotional for someone who proims to be the Sword Saint. I can see why you are weak... huh?


    The Elemental King of Wind wasughing from the absurdity, only to flinch. It was because he felt that the willpower of this insignificant human being was suddenly strengthened.


    [Confirming the expression of emotions based on your remarks.]


    Expression of emotion¡ªit was the most important virtue for the Sword Saint who used the Heart Sword as a weapon. The thing that Kraugelcked was being fulfilled in this moment. The system analyzed and judged his vocalization, breathing, pulse, etc.


    The intangible sword cut through the storm. As if to prove that the willpower of the Sword Saint had finally be clear, the color of his translucent blue spirit body gradually deepened.

 Chapter 1606

    <h4>Chapter 1606</h4>


    ¡°The gap is too long.¡±


    Nefelina was self-aware. She knew she was a dragon. Of course, it was true that she was just born. She knew she was younger than the little children running around on the streets. However, she was a dragon. She was even the direct descendant of an old dragon. She hadn¡¯t grown up yet and she would be ssified as a hatchling for a thousand years.


    Nefelina was clearly aware she was a great being. She knew why Grid protected her and cared for her.


    Potential¡ªGrid respected Nefelina, who was destined to be an Absolute. He waited for the future toe. It was a future they would share together. It was mutual reliance on each other. Then what was this? She hadn¡¯t seen Grid in over five months.


    ¡°Bah,¡± Nefelina snorted and put down her fork and knife.


    She saw her reflection in the mirror. A great being in human form, wearing human clothes, using human tableware, and consuming food in the human way. This was her current self. It was tailored for Grid.


    She was looking forward to the future with Grid, so she endured the unwee present. She understood and epted human culture, sentiments, and emotions, even while abandoning her dignity as a great being. It was an effort to get along with Grid.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t by her side. He was originally a wanderer, but this was the first time there was such a long absence. These days, the big dining table felt lonely.


    ¡°Does he have the will to be with me in the future when he isn¡¯t with me now? Is this the fish he caught? Is this handling me? It is disgusting.¡±


    Nefelina was young. Furthermore, the side effects of learning about human emotions and sentiment meant she longed for parental affection. Finally, she jumped up from her seat and raised her magic power. She sucked the remaining dozens of servings of food into her mouth without touching them. It couldn¡¯t be helped because she was growing up. Putting aside her anger, she had to eat three meals a day...


    ¡°An apostle must be by the side of their god.¡±


    The hatchling¡¯s words were beyond words. She had tried to use Dragon Words before, but it was impossible. The power of Dragon Words increased by fulfilling the covenant and umting status. However, Nefelina was of the blood of an old dragon. She might be the daughter of the insane dragon, but Nevartan¡¯s madness wasn¡¯t acquired. Nefelina didn¡¯t inherit the madness. She inherited only the talent and qualifications. She was clever enough to use a shortcut to pull out her potential.


    She took advantage of thews. The beginning that went back into ancient times. Thews established by the gods that existed from the beginning. Gods had apostles and the apostles always followed the god¡¯s orders by the god¡¯s side.


    Nefelina disappeared as soon as she added the weak Dragon Words to thews that governed the world. The triggering of Dragon Words was sessful but iplete. At this moment, her position was close to the area where Gird was located. She could bepared to a cow who entered the ughterhouse on her own.


    ***


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Sariel smiled softly when she felt Nefelina¡¯s presence disappear. She felt peace at the sight of the young hatchling ying freely alone. The peace that humans protected by defeating the demons who climbed up from hell¡ªit was infinitely noble and lovable. She was envious of the other free apostles.


    Of course, Sariel wasn¡¯t shackled. The Overgeared God guaranteed the freedom of his apostles. However, Sariel was concerned about going berserk. She had been imprisoned in the abyss and lived as a demon for a long time. The demonic energy and madness that umted over the years when she forgot her origin were still wriggling inside her.


    ¡°Do you prefer warm tea?¡± It was a question from Empress Irene. She was worried about Sariel, who suddenly fell silent.


    Sarielughed as she was handed a cup of tea with ice floating in it. ¡°No. Any kind gift is good.¡±


    Currently, Sariel was a woman. It was the result of learning from experience that the appearance of a woman was better when hanging out with Irene. She understood human physiology like Nefelina.


    ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡± Mercedes arrived one stepte. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Why was this the case when the ruler of knights wouldn¡¯t lose her breath even when racing around Reinhardt? Irene was puzzled but she didn¡¯t show it as Mercedes sat next to her.


    Irene, who was qualified to be the empress; Mercedes, who followed the chivalric code; and Sariel, who administered justice even to the gods¡ªthe three women with strong beliefs had a lot inmon. An emotional rapport was easily achieved. They respected and admired each other and enjoyed being together. This short tea time after breakfast was an extension of their friendship.


    Sariel stared at Mercedes, who had a somewhat embarrassed expression, and opened her mouth, ¡°Among the desires, sexual desire isn¡¯t a sin. Rather, it is sacred because it allows for species to reproduce.¡±


    ¡°Pfft...!?¡± Mercedes spat out the cold tea that she had taken a sip of. The tea that was spat out failed to wet Sariel.


    The light that spread around Sariel¡ªevery crystal of that light that was smaller than a grain of sand was Sariel¡¯s magic power and divinity. It operated as a barrier that couldn¡¯t be invaded using ordinary means.


    Sariel cocked her head. ¡°Why are you embarrassed? I was just advising you not to worry because you were making an expression like you are a sinner. Do you really feel guilty for beingte? Huhut, you are so pure. You aren¡¯tte. The empress and I just arrived earlier than agreed upon.¡±


    ¡°W-W-What were those words you said just now...?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ cheeks turned even redder. Sexual desire? Why all of a sudden? The intentions of Sariel, who had an innocent look on her face, was hard to read even with Keen Insight.


    ¡°S-S-Sexual desire?¡±


    ¡°Are you in denial? It is strange. The portraits in your bathroom should be a means of satisfying your sexual desires. You always look at those portraits while soaking in the bathtub...¡±


    Omitted.


    Sariel spoke vulgar words that were difficult to ept withmon sense without changing her expression. Mercedes, who was staring at her in disbelief, btedly came to her senses and shouted, ¡°Stop! Shut up.¡±


    When did you peek at my bathroom?


    Mercedes had a strong desire to argue, but she couldn¡¯t do so. Archangel Sariel was the one who monitored all the sins of the world, even the sins of the gods. Moreover, her mission was to protect Irene. It was natural for Sariel¡¯s gaze to reach every corner of Reinhardt. The perception of angels also wasn¡¯t the same as humans. She might not even know the concept of privacy. It meant Mercedes would just lose if she argued with Sariel while talking aboutmon sense.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Irene sighed as she silently listened to the conversation. She finally learned the identity and usage of the transparent material that the alchemists of Reidan risked their lives to protect. It was both surprising and embarrassing.


    Mercedes couldn¡¯t raise her head...


    Ireneforted her, who couldn¡¯t lift her head out of shame and guilt. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Isn¡¯t it because you love His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right. Besides, I never dreamed that the alchemists would even risk their lives to protect it.¡±


    It meant she had no intention of sacrificing the alchemists to satisfy her desires. But... in any case, she was sorry and embarrassed.


    Irene patted the shoulder of the speechless Mercedes again.


    ¡°It is an object that the alchemist risked their lives to protect, so you should cherish it even more and use it well... you have an obligation to do so. No one mes you, so be proud.¡±


    On the other hand, Sariel didn¡¯tfort Mercedes.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be like this as an apostle, but... don¡¯t resent the Overgeared God. We shouldn¡¯t interpret it as your desire being aroused by loneliness because God neglected you. It is sinful to doubt and resent God based on mere reasoning. I think God is testing you, who has stronger desires than the average person, so you should try to ovee the ordeal with a reverent heart.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What was she doing here? Mercedes felt a sense of humiliation and hoped that this ufortable tea time would end soon...


    ***


    The sixth apostle, Zik.


    After hundreds of years of reigning as the grandmaster and meddling in the internal affairs of Saharan, he also had high political power. He was literally an all-rounder and Lauel was obsessed with him. It was to the point where Zik was ced in all types of positions, was supported and entrusted with duties.


    ¡°Did a traitor appear?¡±


    At the imperial pce...


    Zik cocked his head as he sat in the office and looked at documents. It was because he felt Mercedes¡¯s dizzying energying from the direction of the Overgeared Temple. It was a rare disturbance from the ruler of knights. For a moment, killing intent and despair crossed, so it seemed like she had encountered quite a shocking incident.


    ¡®I¡¯ll find outter.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy for secrets to exist between transcendents. They had reached the level of seeing through all things and easily grasped each other and delved into secrets. It was a desperate fact for Mercedes, but it was unavoidable. There were so many monsters in Reinhardt.


    Just then, a deafening sound was heard in the distance. Zik¡¯s gaze shifted outside the window. It was a gaze that crossed the vast agricultural fields beyond the city and reached the top of a mountain. He secured his vision by adding the power of runes to the body of a half-god.


    The figure of Braham was captured in the field of view that exceeded Barbatos¡¯ Vision. Among the monsters who inhabited Reinhardt, he was an expert who couldpete for the top position. He had been studying new magic for months and now his expression was serious. He looked very unpleasant at the sudden uninvited visitor.


    The identity of the intruder was Piaro. The one who was obviously the weakest among the Overgeared God¡¯s six apostles. Piaro''s weakness was an unavoidable problem. He was nothing more than an ordinary human being and couldn''t match half-god Zik; Beriache¡¯s descendant, Braham; Archangel Sariel; the child of the insane dragon, Nefelina; and Mercedes, who had the power of Keen Insight.


    ¡®It would be different if he was the Sword Saint.¡¯


    Piaro was from Saharan. Zik naturally knew Piaro. Piaro might not know it, but Zik had been watching him since childhood when he hadn¡¯t yet be a knight. He was slightly interested in humans with such capabilities because they were rare even throughout the eras.


    In fact, Piaro grew wonderfully. He became the leader of the Red Knights, became a great swordsman, and then a legendary farmer and apostle of the Overgeared God. He might¡¯ve given up on the path of the Sword Saint, but it was clear that he was an outstanding human being. He might be the weakest alongside Nefelina among the apostles, but he was at the level of pretending to be an absolute to the world.


    Zik respected Piaro. He seemed to have visited Braham for advice, so Zik cheered for him.


    ¡®Operating nature ispletely different from using magic, but... he must want to grab at any straw. I hope he can cross the wall as soon as possible, even if he has to be wary of overdoing it.¡¯


    Zik was thinking this when he suddenly stiffened. He stopped the hand that was signing the paperwork. It was because the golden agricultural fields surrounding Reinhardt shook all at once. The trees and flowers of the imperial pce¡¯s garden also shook loudly.


    They detected the existence of Piaro on the distant mountain and distributed energy to him. It meant that the range of Natural State had expanded tremendously.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    It had been a long time since Piaro came back, but it wasn¡¯t just trying to get advice.


    A smile spread across Zik¡¯s face as he felt rare admiration.

 Chapter 1607

    <h4>Chapter 1607</h4>


    Punishment was Braham¡¯s unique magic. Just as Disintegrate, which embodied light with magic power to form a spear, had its origin in the symbolic meaning of light, Punishment originated from Braham¡¯s blood, magic power, and knowledge.


    It was designed and created by Braham himself from the basics. It waspletely different from other magic that had been established and developed through the hands of countless people over a long period of time. The more people that witnessed Punishment, the more that Braham¡¯s magic would be worshipped as a myth rather than a legend.


    Why did he make Punishment? It was intended to be used against Gamigin, who was a formidable enemy at the time.


    Yes, it was a good opportunity. The significance of Punishmenty in the beginning, not the end. The techniques that made up Punishment were free beyond the various standards. They worked as if they were alive. They eroded and covered other magic techniques.


    A thunderbolt struck after Braham waved his hand through the air. It stretched out like a hundred-pronged spear and soon reached the end of Braham¡¯s field of view. Clouds flowing around the mountain peak released blue light and rainwater. It was an unchallenged power.


    He changed the weather with magic alone.


    ¡°...Che.¡± Braham¡¯s expression was full ofints. The remnants of the electric current in his hand were colored purple. It was a sign of the addition of the techniques of Punishment.


    It was too slow. The result that Braham wished for was that the entire electric current fired earlier was purple. However, the current had already reached its goal and took effect before the form of Punishment was oveid. Of course, if he had mixed in Punishment at the magic execution stage, the current would¡¯ve been purple rather than blue from the beginning. It was just that this method required too many processes. The casting time itself became longer. It meant Braham¡¯s greatest strength in casting magic was fading.


    ¡®I have no choice but to simplify the techniques even more.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy.


    Braham had already adjusted the techniques of Punishment again and again. It was reduced by twice as muchpared to when he created it to fight Gamigin. He couldn¡¯t even estimate how much more time it would take to reduce the techniques beyond this while maintaining its power and functionality.


    Nevertheless, the ideal solution was to strengthen the ideas. Strong thoughtsbined magic and willpower. It meant realizing magic as soon as he intended it. However, Braham becameplete when he regained the power of a direct descendant. His thoughts reached the extreme in an instant. Among the great magics, therge-scale Meteor could be realized immediately. Even so, the development and utilization of Punishment took time.


    ¡®Right now is my limit.¡¯


    From now on, it was a battle against time. He would have to immerse himself in research for many years before he couldplete Punishment and make it the ¡®base of all magic.¡¯ It might take decades or even hundreds of years. It was fine. He would be a ¡®magic god¡¯ if he could reach the level where he could use Punishment to that extent. He was certain that he would be sessful one day, so it could take as long as it took.


    The god referred to here wasn¡¯t just a god born of worship. A magician who killed even a god¡ªin other words, it meant reaching the ranking of a god using simple force.


    ¡°Come on out now,¡± Braham suddenly spoke while he was trying to keep his mind together. It was toward the uninvited guest who had been waiting.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you.¡±


    The identity of the intruder was Piaro. His face was haggard. He might be a legendary farmer but hecked dignity. It was hard to find anything extraordinary from his dead eyes.


    ¡®Did he end up experiencing shock from going overboard?¡¯


    Braham frowned. It was several years ago. It was a time when Braham hadn¡¯t regained his body and drifted as a soul. Piaro was the pir that supported the kingdom. Grid and all the people relied on Piaro. He had that much skill.


    Braham, who regained his body and sparred with Piaro, had a deep impression of him.


    ¡®However, the progress has been slow since then.¡¯


    The one who shone the brightest next to Grid ended up so shabby. It was something that Braham hadn¡¯t expected. It was proof that the upation of a farmer was more insignificant than expected. Of course, Piaro himself was very proud of his profession as a farmer, but that was a story of the past.


    It was as Grid became a god and started to recruit new apostles one by one. Piaro clearly recognized his limitations. He gradually became agitated. He started struggling to ovee his limitations. In the end, he couldn¡¯t ovee it and became like this...


    ¡°Tell me what you want,¡± Braham urged him. It was with his distinctive vague expression and indifferent voice. He looked impatient. It was a misunderstanding. If Braham was really annoyed, he wouldn¡¯t have associated with Piaro. Others might not know this, but Braham was very favorable toward Piaro. It was respect to the person who protected Grid¡¯s side when he wasn¡¯t confident. He naturally had good feelings toward Piaro. He just couldn¡¯t show it due to his personality. Furthermore, he felt more sympathy than liking these days.


    ¡°Please spar with me.¡±


    ¡°Spar?¡± Brahamughed. He didn¡¯t mean tough. It was just so absurd and ridiculous that augh naturally burst out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a spar will be valid,¡± Braham spoke calmly. He was thinking of Piaro¡¯s skills that he saw in the Great Human and Demon War. He might be strong as a legend, but that was a story whenpared to ordinary humans.


    Braham wasn¡¯t just a legend, but he also built up transcendence and divinity. Furthermore, he regained the power of a direct descendant. It was at the level of discussion the extremes in both the physical and magical aspects. To be honest... the level difference was too great.


    He knew Piaro¡¯s intention to get inspired by changing blows, but he thought there was little possibility that Piaro¡¯s intention would be achieved. In the first ce, Braham had no talent for teaching anything other than magic.


    ¡°It is better for you to give up your pride and ask your disciple.¡±


    He meant Mercedes. The knight who once served as Piaro¡¯s aide¡ªshe had the best conditions to teach Piaro. Of course, it would be horribly cruel for Piaro, but... Braham gave realistic advice as the Duke of Wisdom.


    Piaro shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the confidence to control my power yet.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°So it must be your noble self.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Braham¡¯s eyes widened. It was because he felt the magic power in the atmosphere fluctuating as Piaro¡¯s blurry eyes regained light and focus. The bushes. No, the entire mountain started to shake. There was the momentum of being uprooted as they poured out all their energy and delivered it to Piaro.


    Braham felt the operation of Mana Drain bing ufortable and floated his body in the air. He pulled out Belial¡¯s Staff and armed himself.


    ¡®This guy?¡¯


    Braham always used detection magic when fighting a strong opponent. It was to intuitively sense the movement of the target more quickly and clearly. Even now, he reflexively used it, but he became shocked.


    Piaro, who was standing at the top of the mountain¡ªBraham¡¯s eyes captured him, but his magic didn¡¯t detect Piaro.


    ¡°A natural body...¡±


    From the day he became a farmer, Piaro¡¯sbat abilities were rted to nature. However, nature was sometimes rowdy and uncontroble. It was an area beyondplete control. It was the wrong approach.


    He shouldn¡¯t have controlled it.


    Piaro instead chose to be part of nature. It was so he could be the ground that Grid stood on, the rain that washed off Grid¡¯s blood and sweat, and the wind that dried Grid¡¯s body. It was harmony, not subjugation. Then Natural State waspleted.


    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    The moment that Piaro took a step forward¡ªBraham felt a pressure like the mountain he climbed was approaching and became thrilled. It was the sign of a new inspiration.


    The techniques of Punishment that had been floating in his mind changed. The forms that had been reduced as much as possible were expanded from the original state, resulting in the loss of the ability to erode other magic. Instead, the forms were now quickly added. It was harmony, not conquest.


    A purple current covered the sky.


    ***


    ¡°It is strange.¡±


    The first experience was special for everyone. Nefelina activated Dragon Words for the first time since her birth and she fell into doubts without any time to rejoice. The operation of Dragon Words was sessful. However, it was an empty field that stretched out in front of her eyes. There was nothing, let alone Grid. What was going on?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Nefelina¡¯s face turned pale as she wandered around in bewilderment. Shey t on the ground and pressed her ear to it while holding her breath. She was concerned that Grid was buried in the ground.


    ¡®I-Is he dead and buried?¡¯


    She had thought the gap was too long. Her eyes were spinning round and round. Her thoughts weren¡¯t properly connected and breathing became difficult. The senses of her body were floating.


    Crawling.


    Crawling.


    A great being¡ªthe insane dragon¡¯s daughter, Nefelina wandered through the wilderness in confusion. One ear was attacked to the ground as she crawled around. She was reminiscent of a giant cockroach or lizard. Even though she looked like a cute human girl... therefore, it was even more bizarre.


    ¡°Are you corrupted?¡±


    ¡°......???¡±


    Where was Grid buried? Nefelina was crawling around with stiff thoughts when she suddenly stiffened. She could see human legs in her wet, hazy vision. Grid...? No. Grid¡¯s smell wasn¡¯t like this. In the first ce, Grid didn¡¯t walk barefoot.


    Nefelina slowly looked up and met the gaze of Ken, who was staring down at her.


    ¡°What is a hatchling doing here?¡±


    The 6th Seat, Ken¡ªamong the members of the Tower of Wisdom, his senses were at the highest level and was transcendent. It was the aftermath of a martial artist¡¯s desire to use his entire body as a weapon. He easily detected the presence of a hatchling wandering near the tower and descended.


    ¡°H-Hiiik.¡± The deathly pale Nefelina let out a shriek. She smelled death from Ken, just as cows and pigs instinctively felt the scent of death from a ughterhouse. She naturally added scales to her body. The scales were as beautiful as obsidian.


    Ken understood. ¡°You are the child of the insane dragon. You must not be sane.¡±


    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t corrupted.


    The other tower members arrived at the scene as Ken was feeling relieved. Nefelina¡¯s mind went nk as she smelled the deeper smell of death. She felt like she was going to faint. However, she was the daughter of the insane dragon and the apostle of the Overgeared God. She couldn¡¯t show her ugliness, so she held herself together. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°Nefelina?¡± A voice she missed came from behind the monsters.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    As expected... as expected, he was still alive. It was natural. Her god, her parent couldn¡¯t die...


    Nefelina smiled and turned her head in the direction of the voice. Then she was stunned. It was because the sight of Grid, whose body was wrapped with the scales of her people, was terrifying. It wasn¡¯t something she could handle while she was mentally and physically weak.

 Chapter 1608

    <h4>Chapter 1608</h4>


    The Tower of Wisdom had existed for over a thousand years. It was the only home of the tower members and thest bastion of humanity. It had to be absolutely safe. It was necessary for the barriers to not only be unable to be observed with physical force and magic, but also by mysteries like powers and divinity.


    The tower members were especially wary of dragons. Many of the multiple barriers they installed around the tower were responsible for blocking Dragon Words. In the first ce, the tower was the target of dragons. There was no means to stop the dragons¡¯ magic and Dragon Words, so they made it so their existence itself couldn¡¯t be established.


    Therefore, it was a huge shock. A hatchling was hanging around near the tower? How did a hatchling find the tower? The tower members were quick to detect that the hatchling wasn¡¯t ordinary and were wary. They were mindful of the possibility that an old dragon had used Polymorph. Yet the reality was...


    ¡°Heeek!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Grrruk...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It wasn¡¯t enough to crawl around like a bug and scream. In the end, her mouth foamed up and she fainted. Embarrassment crossed the faces of the tower members who were nervous and wary of her. They knew that Grid was hiding a hatchling, but they didn¡¯t know the characteristics of the hatchling, so they couldn¡¯t associate it with Nefelina.


    Biban¡¯s confusion was the greatest. ¡°I expected it to be no ordinary hatchling, but this is beyond my imagination. Her madness has reached the peak.¡±


    A hatchling fainted? Even if she was a crazy hatchling, this was firmly crazy. He got goosebumps from the moment he saw the obsidian-like ck scales. Biban felt the temperament of the insane dragon from the passed out hatchling in front of him. It was very reasonable and high quality reasoning, even if he thought about it himself.


    ¡°We must kill her now.¡± Biban was drawing his sword with conviction when Jessica poked his side.


    ¡°It is the hatchling from Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Among the tower members, only Hayate and Jessica saw through Nefelina¡¯s identity. It was strange for Hayate not to know and Jessica noticed it bybining the current situation with the strange feeling she felt when she visited Reinhardt. The unusual thing was that Biban didn¡¯t notice it despite him visiting Reinhardt several times.


    ¡°Is there a secret between us...?¡± Biban¡¯s expression was bitter as he muttered like it was absurd. His eyes as he looked at Grid were sad.


    ¡®Has Biban never met Nefelina?¡¯


    Even if they had met, Biban would¡¯ve forgotten. It was using the excuse that the situation at the time wasn¡¯t good. Grid didn¡¯t care if Biban was sad or not. He hadpletely adapted to Biban¡¯s tendency to be slow to grasp something and to easily forget due to indifference to the matters around him. He treated the elderly who had dementia with a sense of support.


    ¡°Nefelina.¡± Grid carefully shook Nefelina¡¯s shoulder. A child who was supposed to be in Reinhardt suddenly came and fainted, so he was concerned in many ways. He ruled out the possibility that Reinhardt might¡¯ve been attacked. A message would¡¯vee already if this had happened.


    ¡®Did she run away from home? Is it puberty?¡¯


    Someone who still had a long way to go to be an adult? Grid found it improbable but he still seriously suspected it. Wasn¡¯t it said that a dragon realized the principles of the world from the moment they hatched from the egg? It wasn¡¯t unusual for puberty toe quickly. He thought it was usible because puberty was caused by emotional problems separate from the level of knowledge. Lauel¡¯s existence was proof.


    ¡°G-Grid...¡± A nostalgic smell¡ªNefelina¡¯s eyes trembled slightly as she slowly regained consciousness in Grid¡¯s arms. ¡°I... no, perhaps more dragons have no sense of kinship...¡±


    ¡°Yes... that¡¯s right.¡±


    In the past, Grid had treated Nefelina with great caution. There was something like trauma about a dragon¡¯s power, so he supported her as if serving her in a temple. However, this changed as time passed. Behind the change was Nefelina¡¯s favorability. The more time Nefelina spent with Grid, the more she liked him and relied on him. Grid also cared for her in the same way and the two of them gradually became friends. Irene was pleased because it seemed like a father-daughter rtionship.


    Irene¡¯s role was also great. Nefelina followed her, who was kind and warm. Irene¡¯s presence yed a big role in Nefelina¡¯s ability to learn human emotions and empathize with humans.


    In any case, Grid was no longer ufortable with Nefelina. His attitude was extremely friendly as he stroked her head while she still looked confused.


    Nefelina buried her head deeper into Grid¡¯s chest like she liked the touch and continued to speak with difficulty, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t dislike you or be afraid of you, even if you are a savage who ughtered my people and put their bones and scales on your body...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid btedly noticed why Nefelina had passed out and he closed his mouth.


    ***


    ¡°Can we keep that child alive?¡±


    At the round table...


    All the tower members except for Grid were gathered. It was to discuss the treatment of the hatchling, who was traveling around the tower with the memphis even at this moment. The tower member felt that the situation was unrealistic. A hatchling was ying in their sanctuary where they had been fighting dragons for a thousand years...


    The foundation of the tower felt shaky.


    Strong rejection and confusion pushed theposure of some of the tower members to the extreme.


    Jessica spoke cautiously, ¡°Nefelina is the apostle of the 10th Seat, Grid. He is clearly our ally.¡±


    The giant brothers nodded.


    ¡°Besides, the 10th Seat has proven earlier that we canmunicate with dragons. From our point of view, there is no reason or justification to antagonize that hatchling. Rather, it is better to gain a firm ally and n for the future together.¡±


    The 8th Seat, Abellio, expressed concern, ¡°A human god tends to be a target of heaven and it is difficult to live forever. Moreover, the 10th Seat is preparing for a battle against Baal. Doesn¡¯t everyone here know that Baal¡¯s strength isparable to an old dragon? If the 10th Seat is defeated by Baal, loses his divinity, and perishes one day... Nefelina will no longer be an apostle of the 10th Seat. The means of coercing her will be gone.¡±


    The 5th Seat, Jurene, agreed, ¡°Right. She will stab us in the back one day. We can¡¯t let her run wild in the tower just because we don¡¯t have justification to kill Nefelina right away. What if she remembers the structure of the tower and makes a way to neutralize the tower¡¯s barriers once she bes an adult dragon? Do you want to keep moving? The structure of all the towers is the same, so won¡¯t we eventually be captured wherever we flee?¡±


    Opinions werergely divided into two. Jessica, Betty, Radwolf, and Fronzaltz had the opinion to trust Nefelina and let her go free. Meanwhile, Abellio, Ken, and Jurene had the opinion that Nefelina couldn¡¯t be ignored. It was a separate issue from the liking they had for Grid. It was because the tower¡¯s existence was at stake.


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes of the tower members all focused on Biban. It was to ask for his opinion since he had been silent throughout the meeting. Biban opened his mouth with a bewildered expression, ¡°Is there a way to erase memories without killing Nefelina?¡±


    ¡°It is possible if we use Yatan¡¯s essence. There is Betty here who can use Yatan¡¯s essence better than anyone else and Jessica and Radwolf have the ability to help her.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Grid is a tower member, right? From now on, he will be free toe and go from the future. Will he tell the apostles to keep it a secret every time?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange to give Grid¡¯s apostles the freedom toe and go from the tower? The tower has been our home for a thousand years and it will continue to be so.¡±


    ¡°What if Grid doesn¡¯te to the tower often because he is ufortable?¡±


    ¡°That... it is unfortunate, but it can¡¯t be helped. In the first ce, the 10th Seat is an honorary position. He doesn¡¯t have the responsibilities of the tower members, so he doesn¡¯t have the obligation toe and go from the tower.¡±


    ¡°Um... Didn¡¯t you say that Nefelina is the daughter of the insane dragon? I know that Baal and Yatan¡¯s essence were deeply involved in the reason why the insane dragon went crazy... using Yatan¡¯s essence on the daughter as well is a bit... I wonder if it is too cruel.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The tower members couldn¡¯t refute it. Jessica clenched her fists at Biban. It was to support Biban, who rarely spoke the correct words.


    Biban expressed his thoughts, ¡°Putting everything else aside... won¡¯t Grid be hurt the most if we hurt Nefelina? I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was up to here. It was 5 to 3. The meeting lost its meaning since Biban added strength to the opinion that they should trust Nefelina and leave her alone. Furthermore, the tower members all felt great liking toward Grid. Abellio, Ken, and Jurene realized that harming Nefelina would hurt Grid and they were no longer stubborn about it.


    Hayate, who had been silent the whole time, smiled. ¡°Our unity seems stronger thanks to the 10th Seat.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    The tower members were embarrassed and coughed. From as little as hundreds of years to as long as a thousand years¡ªthe tower members had been together for a very long time. They didn¡¯t always get along, even if their purpose was the same. They had spent many years together and had many fights.


    Yet today they agreed on an important issue. They even put emotions ahead of reason. Still, was this really the right thing to do?


    Hayate reassured the anxious tower members, ¡°I will prepare the minimum of safeguards for this matter. Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±


    ***


    ¡®It looks like a lot of fun. Since when did she be so close to Noe?¡¯


    He could hear Nefelina¡¯sughter as she ran with Noe from the corridor beyond the door. Noe intermittently screamed and cried, but... Grid ignored it. At this point, shouldn¡¯t Noe ovee his dragon phobia? He already learned how to work hard from Betty.


    Putting aside themotion outside, Grid¡¯s hands were moving diligently. He was in the process of carving a pattern on the cool white sword pommel.


    A sword entirely made using Cranbel¡¯s arm¡ªit was an impressive divine sword with a delicate de that emitted a subtle luster. It was an appearance that anyone would recognize as a treasured sword of the world, but there were no structurally special parts apart from the fact that it was hard to distinguish between the de and the handle.


    Grid didn¡¯t use any special techniques in the production. His focus was purely on creating an ¡®ideal sword.¡¯ The material itself was so excellent that he was worried any shortcuts would be poison. Nevertheless, the reason why it took a month to make was the special nature of the material.


    Cranbel¡¯s arm¡ªit was the ultimate material in theory, so the smelting difficulty was extremely high. Grid had to work hard alone without the help of Randy and the God Hands. Besides, Grid made full use of Cranbel¡¯s arm. He used an entire arm for only one sword.


    From the stage of starting a fire, flesh and blood were sacrificed. The bones and nails were repeatedly smelted and tempered until they became as transparent as ss. He was worried that the cold at dawn and the warmth of the day would have a small effect on the temperature, so he paid attention to the time of the day.


    The small scales were also removed, smelted, and tempered separately. He devoted his heart even to the material to be used for making the guard and handle. The same was true when tanning the leather to wrap around the handle. It was bound to take a long time.


    Knock knock.


    Then a knock was heard. Grid identified the visitor just on this. It was thanks to his transcendent senses that reached the highest level and were forged like a treasured sword after writing 18 epics.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must be busy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you had called, I would¡¯ve gone straight to you. Hayate, why did youe here yourself?¡±


    Hayate immediately brought up the topic, ¡°I think I should put a ban on Nefelina.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid immediately noticed the reason. They seemed ufortable that Nefelina was in the tower. It didn¡¯t make sense to bring a hatchling to the den of the dragon-fighting tower members.


    ¡°If you say a ban...¡±


    ¡°I want to seal today¡¯s memories. It is inherently very difficult to intervene in a dragon¡¯s thoughts, but Nefelina is your apostle. I think it is possible. I will help.¡±


    Hayate spoke calmly, but his voice spread clearly down the hallway. It clearly dug into the ears of Nefelina, who was stiff due to Hayate¡¯s visit. She barely shook off her fear and hurriedly opened the door to enter the room. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to! I...! I¡¯ve never spent time with Grid! Definitely! I will remember it without forgetting!¡±


    Nefelina¡¯s voice trembled. It was due to fear. She trembled and even had tears in her eyes. She was facing the Dragon yer. It was a fear that was hard to bear from the perspective of a hatchling. Nevertheless, she spoke clearly so Hayate looked at her with admiration.


    Nefelina misunderstood the meaning of Hayate¡¯s smile and was terrified. ¡°H-Hik! A-Are you going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Nefelina...¡±


    Grid got up from his seat and held Nefelina¡¯s shoulder. He waited for her to calm down before exining the situation. Then Nefelina made an unexpected remark. ¡°It is simple. If... it will never happen, but if Grid dies, I won¡¯t disclose the position of the tower. I will swear using Dragon Words and the tower members will be relieved.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Words...¡± Hayate¡¯s expression became bitter. It was because he knew that hatchlings couldn¡¯t use Dragon Words. His heart grew even heavier when he realized how young Nefelina was. ¡®It has only been a few years since she was born. It is a pity I have to impose such harsh standards on her.¡¯ In the end, he had no choice but to put a ban on her.


    It happened the moment when Hayate made a decision and Grid¡¯s heart sank heavily when he read the signs...


    ¡°I won¡¯t do any harm to the Tower of Wisdom or its members. This oath will be valid until the day I die.¡±


    Nefelina¡¯s vow became words to be obeyed. The shackles of Dragon Words tied around her tightly. It was a miracle thatbined the experience of having already seeded in triggering Dragon Words, her identity as Grid¡¯s apostle, and her earnest desire to be with Grid. The main point was that the tower wasn¡¯t hostile to her and didn¡¯t interfere with her will.


    ¡°Huh?¡± A brilliant light shed in Hayate¡¯s eyes.


    The tower members, who were watching the situation from outside the door, were astonished.


    ¡°A genius dragon...!¡±


    Biban¡¯s pure admiration made Nefelina shrug. Those who had put away their burdens were delighted and only Noe showed a sullen reaction. Noe hated Nefelina so much that his stomach ached when he saw her doing well.


    At the same time...


    ¡°Ohh...! Ohhh!¡±


    The remnants of the three churches, who refused to serve the Overgeared God and scattered across the continent, burst into tears. It was because a beautiful angel descended with the light and gave them a holy sword.

 Chapter 1609

    <h4>Chapter 1609</h4>


    Knight, someone who was known to the public as the death god. A person who consumed the target¡¯s ¡®soul gauge¡¯ to deal a definite death. Unlike his ID, his notoriety was quite high because his ability specialized in assassination. Some people said that his assassination-rted potential wasparable to Faker.


    Lauel paid attention to his personality. Cool-headed, yet tenacious. He clearly distinguished when to back down and when not to back down. He didn¡¯tpromise easily. If faced with an unfavorable situation, he seemed to give up without any regrets, but in the end, he produced results. If 10 people escaped from Knight¡¯s assassination, nine of them would suffer a mysterious death one day.


    An inspector who needed to dive into the tiger¡¯sir and gather evidence to hunt the tiger. It was judged that there were few people more suitable than Knight to carry out the mission that had constant exposure to danger and temptation.


    Of course, Knight found it absurd. He was moved by Lauel¡¯s effort to recruit him, so he joined the Overgeared Guild. But... his first assignment was unexpected. An assassin acting as an inspector?


    ¡®In the first ce, are there any fools who have a traitorous mind against the present empire?¡¯


    The Overgeared Empire used the absolute armed force and poprity of Grid as the backdrop for its birth. Not only did it absorb Saharan intact, but it received tribute for all nations on the continent. Was there a nobleman who dared to have a traitorous mind when Grid¡¯s power pierced the sky? If there was such a person, he was either impatient or a stupid person. He wouldn¡¯t be appointed lord in the first if he was these things.


    Knight¡¯s thoughts changed a short timeter.


    ¡®Eyes and ears can¡¯t reach here.¡¯


    The Overgeared Empire was too wide. It was natural since almost all of the continent was the territory of the empire. The further away from the imperial capital a ce was, the harder it was to find a warp gate and the more the unique color of the area grew. Of course, there were statues of Grid everywhere. There was also a flood of believers praising Grid¡¯s epics.


    However, there was a considerable sense of strangeness. This was a remote region far from the center. The ce had been ruled by local nobles since ancient times and built their own culture and sentiments. The dialect and clothing of the people became unfamiliar. It gave the strong impression that it was a separate nation and not part of the empire.


    ¡®I think they interpret Grid¡¯s epics slightly differently.¡¯


    For the Overgeared God Church, Grid¡¯s epics were the holy book. Was it okay to interpret the holy book in an open manner? Knight was looking around the city while listening to the strange epics praised by the people when he suddenly stopped walking. It was because dozens of soldiers and knights blocked his path.


    ¡°You are the inspector from the imperial pce? My lord is waiting at the territory¡¯s capital.¡±


    Territory inspections were carried out by surprise. It was because the meaning faded if the target knew and prepared for it. Yet this ce already knew about it. They didn¡¯t give him any time to look around the city and instead wanted to drag him to their den.


    ¡°I nned to visit the capital after looking at a few more cities.¡±


    ¡°What is there to see in the countryside? You will just be bored. Furthermore, the lord himself has prepared a banquet. Please apany him for the sake of the lord¡¯s face.¡±


    The attitude of the knights was polite yet coercive. It was a bit awkward to refuse since they were talking about face.


    ¡®I can do the inspection after the banquet. Let¡¯s start with checking the attitude of the lord.¡¯


    Lauel had said that the lord here was nning a rebellion and that there must be the remnants of the Reba Church behind the lord. They were absurd words. Lauel presented no physical evidence to back it up. He wasn¡¯t a fortune teller and simply doubted the lord based on circumstantial evidence. Knight found it hard to rte to. He might be wary of the strange closed nature and independence of thisnd, but he didn¡¯t judge the other side hastily.


    Above all, Knight admired the lord¡¯spetence. The development status of the cities in the area exceeded expectations. The high political power of the lord could be seen with one nce.


    ¡®It might be different if he is an idiot, but there is no way such a talented person would conspire with the remnants of the Reba Church to start a hopeless rebellion.¡¯


    Knight¡¯s confidence was shattered that night.


    ¡°......¡±


    Upon arriving at the lord¡¯s castle, he attended the banquet and witnessed strange people. They were those whose souls were colored gold. It was the same as the soul color of the high priests of the Reba Church.


    ¡°My lord.¡± Knight put down the drink that the lord poured for him without drinking and stared at the lord.


    ¡°Try calling Reba a son of a bi*ch.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The noisy ballroom became silent. The shocked band stopped ying while the lord and his vassals blinked and doubted their ears. Some of the vassals btedly regained their minds and shouted.


    ¡°What are you suddenly saying?¡±


    ¡°How dare you say such low-level words in front of the lord... it is none other than the imperial pce who put the lord in this position. Insulting the lord is insulting the imperial pce. It is a crime of treason!¡±


    Some showed hostility and even threatened him. Knight ignored them. As the figure of a giant death god with a scythe appeared behind him, he spoke again, ¡°My lord, you don¡¯t want to call Reba a son of a bi*ch?¡±


    ¡°...Why should I? Why are you suddenly asking me tomit the sin of sphemy?¡±


    ¡°Why is it sphemy if a follower of the Overgeared God swears at Reba?¡±


    ¡°What reckless words...! No matter how much we serve the Overgeared God, this is still a heavenly god! You will be punished for insulting a god of the beginning!¡±


    ¡°The heavenly gods who stood by when we were in danger will punish us as soon as we sin? What is the basis for this bizarre belief?¡±


    ¡°My lord, don¡¯t deal with him.¡±


    ¡°He must face the charge of treason right away. I¡¯m sure the imperial pce will understand.¡±


    The vassals who turned red earlier slowly rose from their seats. There were four in total. The thing they had inmon was that they possessed gold souls. They were Knight¡¯s targets from the beginning. The death god pointed at them with four long, dry fingers and swung the scythe in the air. At the same time...


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    Four golden souls were split in half. The souls'' owners died without any trauma, so it was a shocking sight.


    In the silence, Knight quietly got up from his seat and approached them. He picked up the essories dropped from the corpses with an expressionless face and examined them. There was a ne and ring symbolizing the Reba Church.


    ¡°My lord, did these senile people deceive you or did you call them?¡±


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    This answer was enough. Knight marveled at how the situation was flowing ording to Lauel¡¯s guess.


    ¡®It is beyond foresight. It would be more urate to interpret it as a situation that Lauel intended.¡¯


    In the first ce, his intention might¡¯ve been to ce rebels in the lord¡¯s position and deal with them when the time came. The reason for this was that the lord¡¯s political power was needed.


    Talents who would develop their territory quickly¡ªeven though Lauel knew he would someday have a dark heart, Lauel made him the lord and drained his abilities. Now that the lord was no longer needed, Knight was sent to deal with it.


    ¡®It is thorough and cruel.¡¯


    This was the Overgeared Guild. The Overgeared Guild was seen as an invincible group, but the Overgeared Guild seen from the inside was also unique. It felt even scarier.


    ¡®I should never betray them.¡¯


    Of course, he had no intention of betrayal from the beginning. It was just that he now made up his mind not to betray them even if the world was destroyed.


    Knight clicked his tongue and pulled out his weapon. He shed at the soldiersing from all directions and blocked the knights¡¯ attacks. People were impressed by the way he blocked any gaps in his defense and neutralized theplicated pincer attacks. Nevertheless, soldiers were constantlying.


    The lord¡¯s expression was full of ease. He seemed to have judged that Knight would copse from exhaustion before reaching him.


    In fact, Knight¡¯s armed force wasn¡¯t overwhelming. The level of the knights was too high. They were also excellently armed as knights of the Overgeared Empire. The fact that he didn¡¯t receive assistance from the death god behind him was serious. The death god was silent and didn¡¯t take any action. Then it secretly raised one finger and aimed it at the lord.


    ¡°My homnd was Saharan, not the Overgeared Empire. How can you understand how I felt as an ipetent woman became the empress and I had to watch while crying tears of blood as she sold my homnd.¡±


    The lord gained momentum and spoke as he saw Knight gradually being pushed on the defensive. The time he spent ying as a loyalist of the Overgeared Empire was so intense that he felt great.


    There was the feeling of excitement, but he was convinced of victory. In fact, there was no such thing as victory. What victory was it to catch and beat a dirty hound running wild? This was just hunting.


    Knightughed. ¡°Have you forgotten the Great Human and Demon War? Saharan wouldn¡¯t have survived without the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Bah. If the three churches were still strong, we would¡¯ve been able to fight against the demons without the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°That is why you joined with the remnants of the Reba Church.¡±


    Knight recalled that this ce was extremely remote. They couldn¡¯t have directly experienced war in the Abyss and the Behen Archipgo. They simply dealt with the demonic creatures which came through the portals and couldn¡¯t know how terrible the Great Human and Demon War was. Hearing it a thousand times was less than actually experiencing it once.


    ¡°Every time you talk, there will be more than one person who feels upset. You should die here.¡±


    Originally, Knight nned to arrest the lord and take him to the imperial capital. It was because he would receive bigger contributions for capturing the lord alive. However, his thoughts changed at this moment. His death god, who had been standing silently, pointed to the lord with the finger that had been secretly raised.


    At this moment, the lord experienced the horror and killing intent as if the world was falling apart. He sensed his inevitable death and turned his back to the wall of soldiers he had built in front of him as he tried to flee.


    It was meaningless. The moment the death god wielded the scythe, the lord died and copsed like a broken doll. The knights and soldiers lost strength in their body. They were confused and stepped back.


    ¡®I have to kill them all.¡¯


    Saharan was their nation and they were loyal to the rebel. There were too many of them to capture alive. The eyes of Knight¡¯s death god shed. It swung the scythe directly and started to assist Knight. Knight was alone but also two. He cooperated with the death god to overwhelm the soldiers and knights, unlike before. It was a level of power that made the concept of numbers useless. He was able to handle hundreds alone.


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°A cruel death ghost is on the rampage. You must¡¯ve sold your soul to the devil.¡±


    A man entered the scene. A pdin armed with white armor carved in the shape of light¡ªit was reminiscent of the days when the Reba Church flourished. His name was Winter. He wasn¡¯t a named NPC. Knight only thought there was one more opponent to kill and didn¡¯t take it seriously. This was until light flickered at Winter¡¯s fingertips.


    ¡°I will purify you with light.¡±


    The light spread and took the shape of a hilt and de. It was a sword with divine power, not magic power or sword energy. Damian once loved using it, so there was no way that Knight didn¡¯t know its identity.


    ¡°A holy sword...?¡±


    Knight felt a great sense of strangeness. It was because the form of the sword, which was revealed through the flickering light, was very familiar. It was like Grid¡¯s...


    Puhahahak!


    The ferocious light cut through Knight¡¯s body as his eyes widened.


    ***


    It wasn¡¯t just Knight who was hit by the holy sword.


    The remnants of the three churches armed with holy swords started to appear all over the continent and established strongholds with powerful force. They attracted believers scattered throughout the continent with the miracle of light caused by the holy swords.


    Coincidentally, it was around the time when the hell elevator became popr. It wasn¡¯t just the top powers of the Overgeared Guild. There were also a considerable number of yers who started to travel freely to hell to invade hell. At this time, an unexpected ambush appeared on the surface.


    ¡®At this point, it feels like heaven is deliberately disturbing us.¡¯


    The owners of the holy swords ran rampant with the goal of reviving their religion.


    Lauel¡¯s expression gradually distorted as he sifted through the papers containing the information. There were weapons that came to mind when people saw the description of the holy weapons.


    ¡®Failure, Sword of Self-transcendence, Thorn of Deep Grievance, Sword Ghost, and the Red Phoenix¡¯s Bow... the form of the holy weapons resemble the works that His Majesty created a long time ago?¡¯


    What was the intention behind it?


    The cksmithing god, Hexetia¡ªassuming that he was imprisoned and made holy swords to receive a pardon, he had no reason to giarize Grid¡¯s works. Grid had said that Hexetia¡¯s skills were beyond his. Hexetia would¡¯ve made better weapons. Even if he giarized Grid¡¯s works, he would¡¯ve giarized the divine swords. It was unlikely that he would giarize the old works Grid had made a long time ago.


    ¡®A new cksmith god was born in heaven and his skills were still low, so he started to hone his skills by giarizing His Majesty¡¯s words?¡¯


    It was just a guess because there was so little information.


    Lauel was unable to draw a hasty conclusion and had to report the incident to Grid without identifying the truth. He added that the enemies didn¡¯t hide their appearance due to their strong momentum, so he would send apostles to help quell the situation and try to retrieve the holy swords.


    Just then, there was a world message that a new divine object of Grid¡¯s had been born.


    -Don¡¯t send the apostles. I will go there myself.


    Grid replied immediately.

 Chapter 1610

    <h4>Chapter 1610</h4>


    Angels were the guardians and agents of the gods. They protected and enforced thews established by the gods, meddling in private affairs to uphold the prestige of the gods. The reason for their birth itself was for the sake of the gods. They couldn¡¯t be a god even if they received countless worships. Even in the days when the great demons of hell reigned with fear, they couldn¡¯t be evil gods or demon gods.


    The angels and demons were ssified as apletely different species from the gods, unless they were deformities like Sitri, a collection of principles. They couldn¡¯t umte the concept of divinity itself. It was the minimal safeguard.


    The seven angels and three demons that Reba and Yatan created at the beginning¡ªsome of them transcended ordinary gods from their birth, so if they could build up even divinity, the bnce of the divine world would copse and most gods wouldn¡¯t be respected.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The number one archangel, Raphael¡ªone of the unique beings who worshiped the goddess of light from a short distance smiled.


    The soul of the cksmith that had been collected just in case¡ªhis ability as an angel to fill Hexetia¡¯s vacancy was more than Raphael had expected. He wasn¡¯t as skilled as Hexetia, but Raphael judged it was a problem that time would solve. They really liked this angel.


    ¡°Hexetia can be imprisoned for life. Someday you will do his share.¡±


    The cksmith angel scratched his head at Raphael¡¯s ensuing praise. "You''re overpraising me. How can I, an angel, take the ce of God Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°Look at me. Just because you''re an angel doesn''t mean you are inferior to a god. In fact, some angels are more noble than the gods.¡±


    ¡°Only the archangels are so special...¡±


    ¡°Haha, you are mistaken. Rather, archangels have greater limitations. Think about the case of Sariel, who was exiled in the old days. They only work as designed by the goddess. They can¡¯t evolve because they are machine-like and have a weak imagination. Among the archangels, Gabriel and I are the only ones who are special. Meanwhile, you angels are as free thinking as Gabriel and I.¡±


    It was thanks to his former life as a human. Additionally, he ascended to heaven while inheriting the techniques of his human life.


    A skill that has risen to the legendary level¡ªthis technique was honed more quickly thanks to the goddess¡¯ favor and Gabriel¡¯s blessing, making it stronger than it was during his life.


    Raphael swallowed down thesest words and smiled.


    The cksmith angel was bewildered. Raphael didn¡¯t reveal the basis for this trust, so the angel just scratched his head. He wanted to focus on the senses still at his fingertips. It was the sensation he felt when creating the works projected from the fragments of memories floating in his mind.


    It was nostalgia and warmth.


    ***


    The owners of the holy weapons appeared all over the continent. Lauel even nned to send apostles to subdue them. It meant he took the situation seriously.


    However, it was just a matter of possibility. He was wary of a situation where the remnants of the three churches used the holy weapons as a symbol to secure hundreds or thousands of believers. He didn¡¯t feel threatened by the current three churches. What reason was there to fear those scattered in groups of at least dozens or hundreds?


    Grid was also well aware of the situation. He didn¡¯t worry much about this incident and just saw it as an opportunity to check the performance of the newly created dragon weapon and armor. He also had a great desire to not disturb the time of his apostles, who were living a rare peaceful daily life. Even at this moment, Mercedes must be wielding her sword hard. She was the model for all the knights in the world and didn¡¯t know how to rest.


    ¡®Maybe she is meditating while reflecting on the chivalric code...¡¯


    A deep smile spread across Grid¡¯s face as he imagined Mercedes kneeling in the morning sun. He was proud of Mercedes, but also worried. He wished that she would develop a small hobby.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    The new divine object of the Overgeared God¡ªBiban asked carefully as he admired the appearance of the sword that was as transparent and beautiful as the scales of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel. He looked disappointed. The responses of the other tower members were simr.


    The clear sound of Grid hammering that repeated every day, the cute Overgeared Skeletons dancing to the beat of the hammering, the good God Hands who helped Biban clean, the unique Randy who tried to gain enlightenment whenever she learned, and the pure Noe and Nefelina who ran wildly around the corridors¡ªGrid¡¯s group, who had been with them for some time, had already be part of the tower. They were afraid that the empty space would be big.


    The tower members had isted themselves for hundreds to thousands of years for the sake of the peace of the world. They believed they had fully adapted to solitude, but reality waspletely different. The tower members who became aware of this were naturally happy. They confirmed that they were still ordinary human beings.


    The same was true for Grid. He felt admiration for the noble spirit and mental power of the tower members who maintained their humanity even after enduring long years of solitude. He was pleased to be able to be with such great people in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid discussed a reunion, not goodbye. He was extremely calm like nothing was happening. Such an attitude brought great joy to the tower members.


    ¡°Yes, go ande back.¡±


    The tower members saw him off with a smile. They were friends and family members who would protect Grid¡¯s other home.


    ¡®Is this living in two houses...?¡¯


    It was truly a happy thing to have more precious people.


    Grid had a new realization and led his group. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    The number three archangel, Michael-the fourth angel to be witnessed by the Reba church members of this age. Contrary to the descriptions in the temple, Michael was merciless and violent, but the church members couldn¡¯t doubt or resent them. It wasn¡¯t reasonable to judge all angels or doubt the gods based on only a few angels.


    Of course, most of the church members were disappointed with Michael and abandoned the church, but... it was because their faith was weak. Thousands of church members still believed in Goddess Reba and the angels. They hid throughout the continent that was now mainly the territory of the Overgeared Empire and looked for an opportunity.


    They waited while believing the goddess would give them, who believed and followed her until the end, a revtion. Indeed, their goddess responded to their faith. She sent Raphael, the archangel who was like her incarnation, to bestow the holy weapons. It was a time when most of the Overgeared God¡¯s subordinates had plunged into hell.


    Raphael only handed them the weapons without saying anything, but the church members took advantage of this opportunity to gather believers and correct the tarnished honor of the goddess.


    ¡°For a long time, we have suffered. We had no choice but to hide like gutter rats while the Overgeared God trampled on our temples and dignity and deprived us of our rights. He ran madly as if a mere human god is the only god. However, it will be different in the future.¡±


    Shuri, a senior priest who was an elder of the Reba Church¡ªas he shouted his deration, 15 pdins took to the stage. They were all armed with holy weapons. Many of the 19 people chosen by the goddess were gathered in one ce. The light that spread like frost from the 15 holy weapons was full of divinity. It was a magnificence that far exceeded the Reba Church of the Chreshler era, which was considered to be the greatest heyday of the Reba Church.


    The believers cheered. Most burst into tears. The faithful cried while chanting their prayers and fainted. It seemed like they would explode all their resentment from their years when they scattered by the dozens or hundreds and had to live like dirty gutter rats.


    Shuri calmed them down and said, ¡°Not all our brothers and sisters have gathered yet... still, I think it is enough to let the world know about the revival of our church. Who will have the power and cause to stop us while we are holding the weapons that the goddess herself has given us?¡±


    ¡°Wahhhh!¡±


    ¡°We are the legitimate Reba Church! Our faith is the light that will revive and lead the Reba Church! The warriors of the holy weapon will protect us!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaahhhhh!"


    At the Overgeared God temple in a city on the outskirts of the empire...


    The cries of the Reba followers, who illegally took over the temple with overwhelming force, gradually grew louder.


    The onlookers who heard the rumor flocked to watch it from the outside.


    ¡°Holy weapon... is it the same one that Damian used?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the same. I heard rumors that said they have different forms. That said, it isn¡¯t fake. The power is equal or more than a real holy weapon.¡±


    ¡°They got 19 such monstrous weapons in one day? It will be strange if the Reba Church can¡¯t be revived after this.¡±


    The onlookers were unconcerned. It was apletely different attitude from the city residents who hid in fear of being swept away in the uproar. They werepletely neutral as evidenced by their indifferent looks toward the dead or captured Overgeared God Church members. It was judged that the new Reba Church had to gather followers and wouldn¡¯t antagonize them. Still, it was true that they were displeased.


    ¡°The Asgardians are insidious. It would¡¯ve been a great help to people if they bestowed the holy weapons during the Great Human and Demon War. Doing it now? Out of all things, it started with the hell elevator started operating in earnest, so they were aiming for the gap in the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°They might not have the holy weapons during the Great Human and Demon War... no, this is too tant to defend. It is as Grid ims. Heaven will eventually be the enemies of humanity.


    The people who chatted casually were famous rankers. They weren¡¯t high rankers, but they were confident in their skills as internationally known figures. Furthermore, they calcted that the new Reba Church wouldn¡¯t be able to act recklessly because they needed people¡¯s support. They didn¡¯t expect for the Reba Church members, who mixed in with the onlookers, to make a fuss by using them.


    ¡°There are heathens here!¡±


    ¡°They dare to insult the heavenly gods!¡±


    ¡°How outrageous.¡±


    ¡°Fanatics are hard to predict.¡±


    The rankers frowned and stepped back. They red at the Reba Church members, who were among the spectators, and ced buffs around their bodies. They had no intention of fighting. They saw that the best method was to run away like wise men.


    However, the situation wasn¡¯t so easy to run away from.


    An owner of the holy weapon rushed out after hearing the disturbance and chased them. He was named Winter. The speed of the man who used the divinity of the holy weapon as a source was so swift that he easily exceeded the physical abilities of the rankers. The concept of transcendence naturally came to mind.


    ¡°This da...¡±


    The rankers¡¯ bodies turned to ash before they could finish their swear words. The light that cut at their bodies didn¡¯t disappear. Instead, it floated in the air and formed lines before eventually forming rings. They were rings that bound the bodies of the astonished onlookers.


    ¡°What? Why are you making trouble with us?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t with those guys just now...¡±


    ¡°Is the Reba Church crazy?¡±


    ¡°S-Spare me.¡±


    The agitated onlookers bound by the rings. Winter didn¡¯t even look at them. He spoke while staring into the distance, ¡°Stop. I will kill those talking nonsense as soon as I behead this guy.¡±


    The onlookers were startled. They took into ount that the owner of the holy weapon had transcendent powers based on the power of the sword. They realized that he clearly perceived and was talking to a target rather than talking alone. There would soon be a big fight and they would be caught up in it...


    It was the moment when the onlookers sensed this and felt a serious crisis...


    ¡ªBeautiful music flowed. It was music that the yers had to know. It was the theme song of Overgeared God Grid.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Winter, the master of the holy weapon, was astonished.


    The Overgeared God, who just appeared in the distance, was now right in front of his nose? It was high speed movement that didn¡¯t even leave an afterimage. He couldn¡¯t read it even with the power of speed that the holy weapon had given him. He even had the suspicion that the concept of space itself had been eliminated for a moment.


    Winter violently swung the holy weapon. At the same time, the rings of light responded to his will and rapidlypressed. It seemed like it would cut off the bodies of the onlookers. However, it didn¡¯t work.


    Grid¡¯s hand, armed with gray gauntlets where it seemed like hundreds of scales were alive and breathing, seized Winter¡¯s wrist and broke it. As Winter swallowed his scream and let go of the weapon he was holding, the ring of light that had been binding the onlookers scattered without a trace.


    ¡°What is the intention of the bastard who made this?¡±


    The holy weapon that Winter dropped was held in Grid¡¯s grasp.


    A very long time ago¡ªit was a holy weapon that closely resembled the Ideal Dagger that he made to protect Khan¡¯s smithy. Grid felt very displeased because it felt like his memories with Khan had been tarnished. The holy weapon didn¡¯t reject Grid. On the contrary, it emitted a more intense and radiant glow, so Winter lost his fighting spirit.

 Chapter 1611

    <h4>Chapter 1611</h4>


    ¡°Vex? How fast...¡±


    ¡°They must¡¯ve manipted the timing of when they got the holy weapons. We need to contact the three forces of Sez, Aldia, and Hachiton right now so they can send a relief force...¡±


    The three churches sought revival after gaining the holy weapons. The informants became urgent as they looked at the movements of the Reba Church after they gained 19 holy weapons.


    Vex¡ªthey heard that thousands of Reba believers gathered in the eastern outskirts of a city far from the imperial capital. The enemy¡¯s gathering speed was much faster than expected. They had no choice but to interpret it as intentional confusion in the information.


    The good news was that there were three baronies surrounding Vex. Tens of thousands of rescue troops could be dispatched rtively quickly. However, this was already a war. The situation in each territory was different from usual.


    ¡°I can¡¯tmunicate with Sez or Aldia. It is presumed that the remnants of the Reba Church, who haven¡¯t joined Vex, raided and cut off their magicmunications.¡±


    ¡°Hachiton sent their army in the morning. It is meant to suppress the rebellion in the west, but the remnants of the Reba Church might¡¯ve dazzled the people...¡±


    The faces of the informants gradually darkened. They belonged to the Overgeared Shadows and they felt resentment toward the vast continent. In the days when the empire was still a kingdom, the territory was small and easy to manage. It was possible to monitor the continent¡¯s major bases at all times due to the avability of manpower. It was no longer possible to properly watch their own territory.


    It was the aftermath of absorbing almost all of therge continent. No, if they had to say a cause, it was the Great Human and Demon War. Too many people died during the Great Human and Demon War. In particr, the more talented they were, the more valiantly they went to the frontline and lost their lives. The vacancy of dead people became evenrger whenbined with the expanded territory.


    It was the time when the sober informants couldn¡¯t hide their agitation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the Reba Church. Let the relief force handle the damage scale and support of Vex, Sez, and Aldia. You focus on tracking the Dominion and Judar Churches.¡± Lauel came to visit and tookmand. The cohesion of the Dominion and Judar Church remnants was much weaker than the remnants of the Reba Church. There were many loopholes, so spies had been nted.


    The informants nodded, but their expressions were dark. The Reba Church obtained as many as 19 holy weapons The prime minister judged that they couldn¡¯t be overpowered immediately, so he seemed to be standing by for the time being. However, the reality was different.


    ¡°His Majesty has personally departed for Vex.¡±


    ¡°Gasp...¡±


    There was no warp gate in Vex. Among the apostles, it would be difficult for them to get there quickly unless it was Braham, the great magician. In the worst case, a barrier was installed to block magic and even Braham¡¯s movement could be hindered. The informants saw Vex¡¯s independence as a matter that was already decided. They were convinced it would be the base of the new Reba Church. The best they could do was hope for fewer casualties.


    However, Grid was directly sent.


    A being capable of high speed movementparable to Braham. It wasn¡¯t even magic. It was movement using physical strength and a power. As always, His Majesty would save Vex.


    The faces of the unsuspecting informants rapidly brightened. However, the faces of the tacticians stiffened.


    ¡°ording to the eyewitness ounts, the masters of the holy weapons disyed transcendence. Of course, I don¡¯t doubt his skills, but I¡¯m worried about His Majesty dealing with 19 transcendents alone.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Lauel couldn¡¯t answer hastily.


    In fact, Lauel was also worried about this. Grid had rode (?) a dragon during the time they hadn¡¯t seen each other, so he was active and growing... furthermore, Lauel heard he had created a new dragon weapon and armor. It was just that no matter how strong Grid was, there would be limitations.


    Grid, who had been steadily building up his transcendence, status, and divinity, had already lifted the limits such as the ¡®movement speed limit¡¯ and ¡®attack speed limit.¡¯ He had grown beyond the maximum area permitted to the yers. It was hard to expect him to have exploded in strengthpared to thest time they saw each other.


    Dealing with 19 transcendents alone? It never seemed easy when thinking of the power of the holy weapon that Damian handled. Furthermore, all the holy weapons obtained by the three churches giarized Grid¡¯s work. Assuming that the unique function of the holy weapon, which granted powerful divinity along with an increase in stats, was added to the effects of Grid¡¯s works... wouldn¡¯t it boost the power so it was closer to Grid¡¯s divine swords?


    ¡®In the worst case scenario, there is a restriction on the knights summoning skill.¡¯


    The gods of this world couldn¡¯t be predicted. They were endlessly indifferent and didn¡¯t give any help, but they were powerful at interfering in important matters. Reba, who reigned over them, had been silent for so long that it was impossible to read her intentions and she was unpredictable.


    Therefore, Lauel worried about several variables. Even so, he didn¡¯t stop Grid. Grid was also hard to predict. If both sides were unpredictable, then Lauel would naturally believe in Grid.


    ***


    ¡°Why...?¡± Winter muttered in vain as he was deprived of his holy weapon.


    The Blessing of Light, one of the foundations of Grid.


    It was a very long time ago. Grid, who was blessed by the goddess in exchange for defeating the corrupt pope Drevigo, was still favored by the light. The holy weapon didn¡¯t refuse his touch even though he tore the angels to pieces, cruelly trampled on the three churches to destroy them, and damaged the authority of the goddess and the honor of heaven. Instead, it shone more radiantly. The light was iparably intensepared to when it was held in Winter¡¯s hand, despite Winter having worshiped the goddess even before he became an adult.


    It was a cruel sight for Winter. He felt wronged by the goddess. He sobbed because it seemed like the divine message he received was wrong.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Winter, whopletely lost his fighting spirit, couldn¡¯t do anything. He couldn''t even sit down. Grid was still holding his wrist.


    Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arms¡ªthe fully armed gauntlets covered his fingers to his upper arm and had 286 small scales that repeatedly tightened and released like it was breathing. It instantly detected and responded to the movement of the wearer¡¯s joints and muscles, reproducing the power of the dragon by creating a mana cycle that only urred in a dragon heart. Among them, the most basic power was ¡®significantly increased grip strength.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s limit, which already exceeded the limits of a yer by building transcendence, was lifted once again. It was right to say that he always reproduced ¡®Power of Not Knowing Defeat,¡¯ the power of the 19th Great Demon, Saleos, with his grip.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Winter was eventually unable to suppress his scream as his knees bent and he staggered. His wrist that was gripped by Grid was strangely contracted. It was clear that the bones and muscles were shattered. The skin below his elbow ckened in real time.


    ¡°Who gave you this?¡±


    ¡°A-Archangel...¡±


    ¡°I will take it.¡±


    Grid¡¯s cksmithing technique was inferior to Hexetia. It was because the Overgeared God wasn¡¯t ssified as the cksmith god. The Overgeared God epassed the cksmith god, but he was apletely different being. It was possible to create and dominate more diverse materials and to take away the target¡¯s items.


    However, taking away the target¡¯s item using his power was only a temporary effect. In order for Grid topletely take away Winter¡¯s holy weapon and gain permanent ownership, he had to kill Winter. Furthermore, he had to hope that Winter would ¡®drop¡¯ the holy weapon when he died. Or¡ª


    ¡°Yes... as you... wish...¡±


    [Reba¡¯s pdin, ¡®Winter,¡¯ has transferred the ¡®Holy Weapon¡¯ to you.]


    Taking it away like now... no, it could be received when transferred to him.


    ¡°U-Uhh...¡±


    It was only after that holy weapon was transferred that Winter was released and he took a step back. He bowed his head like a sinner. He considered it a sin to make eye contact with Grid. The overwhelming force that couldn¡¯t be resisted even while holding the holy weapon and the majesty of being chosen by the light...


    Winter, who had always denied Grid, finally realized it. The Overgeared God was like a heavenly god. Even if he went against the goddess, the goddess recognized him, so no human being should criticize and oppose him...


    Winter knelt as if praying to Grid only to scream. Arge arrow of light embedded in his back and he copsed.


    ¡°He who was chosen by the holy weapon actually sumbed to mere force.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted in the direction that the arrow flew.


    At the entrance to the half-copsed Overgeared God temple...


    Thousands of Reba Church members were flowing in. The 14 people in the lead were all armed with holy weapons. The Efficient Hunting Sword, Failure, Sword of Self-transcendence, Thorn of Deep Grievance, Grid¡¯s Greatsword, Sword Ghost, etc. The forms of the holy weapons were all familiar.


    There was also the bow that resembled the Red Phoenix Bow. A bow emitted a radiant brilliance formed a divine arrow and was aimed at Grid.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you bewitched the warrior with a holy weapon. It is right to call you an evil god whose ck magic has reached the peak,¡± Shuri hid behind the masters of the holy weapons and shouted. He hadn¡¯t seen the holy weapon in Grid¡¯s hand. It was because Winter¡¯s copsing body covered the short holy weapon.


    Soon, Winter¡¯s body turned to gray ash.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The thousands of Reba believers, including Shuri, witnessed it. The appearance of the holy weapon emitting light in Grid¡¯s hands. It had the appearance of a dagger and was emitting a greater light even though it was smaller in volume than the weapons held by the other warriors. It was so brilliant that it made the 14 holy weapons confronting it look shabby. It seemed appropriate to say it was ¡®burning.¡¯


    Four pdins btedly joined the scene. This resulted in a total of 18 weapons owned by the Reba Church. It was meaningless. The light from Grid¡¯s weapon was still growing stronger. It was enough to cast a shadow on the ground.


    Grid¡¯s gray gauntlets and gaiters refracted and dispersed the light from the holy weapon at various angles to increase the power. It couldn¡¯t be called a simple light any longer.


    A sanctuary¡ªit was the foundation of the sacred realm that no one should or could interfere with.


    ¡°G-Gasp...!¡±


    ¡°Ahh...! How can he be so divine...?!¡±


    The remnants of the Reba Church had already been ignored by the goddess several times. They even faced the risk of being killed by an archangel. Nevertheless, they wanted the revival of the Reba Church, so they were clearly fanatics.


    Grid knew it as well.


    He shed with the Reba Church several times because he had to. Each time, he felt sorry for the damaged Reba Church members and was reluctant to harm them... now he acknowledged that he should no longer sympathize with them.


    ¡°The Overgeared God spread the sanctuary of light, so is he the incarnation of the goddess?¡±


    ¡°Sophistry! How could the incarnation of the goddess persecute and destroy the church?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this an ordeal that we have to ovee?¡±


    ¡°If the Overgeared God was the incarnation of the goddess, would the archangels have given us the holy weapons to punish him?¡±


    ¡°The archangels never told us to punish the Overgeared God! It is right to say that the holy weapons were given to proim that the Overgeared God is the incarnation of the goddess!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Have you forgotten that the Overgeared God mercilessly ughtered the archangel?¡±


    The fanatics were divided. Both sides interpreted and expressed their opinions based on strong faith and didn¡¯t back down. It was meaningless. They were already dead.


    ¡°Disgusting things. I can¡¯t look at you any longer.¡±


    A god descended.


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªhe suddenly appeared high in the sky and thousands of the Reba Church members exploded and died when he stomped his feet on the ground. The 18 holy weapons that lost their masters rose in the air. They danced with the white beard that fluttered before stopping at a certain point. Even though the aftermath of the martial god¡¯s descent still shook the world, they aimed at Grid in an upright manner regardless of the chain of ripples that burst the city buildings and trees like balloons.


    ¡°I was going to kill you from the very beginning.¡±


    He was disturbed by Hayate once, but Hayate wasn¡¯t here right now.


    ¡°I will kill you again and again until your divinity ispletely worn out and you disappear.¡±


    The memory of the dual wielding swordsmanship secret technique returned by Venice still clearly remained in the mind of Martial God Zeratul. He buried deep in his heart the humiliation he felt at the time with killing intent.


    ¡°Today is the most appropriate time.¡±


    One day, Raphael had said it. They took possession of the human soul that the Overgeared God cherished during that time. If they wanted to give the Overgeared God a taste of true frustration and pain, it would be better to damage his old memories rather than just kill him.


    Zeratul agreed. After waiting until the angel developed the ability to embody the remnants of memory, he finally descended in front of the Overgeared God.


    He already enjoyed it.


    Look. The figure of this stupid guy who felt killing intent without knowing who made the holy weapons.


    Zeratul was nning to stab, sh, and cut the Overgeared God to death with the holy weapons. He nned to whisper the identity of who made the holy weapons that killed him to the man who would die in pain.


    Grid, who had been silently watching Zeratul who was drunk on delight, slowly opened his mouth, ¡°Are you alone?¡±


    The gods of Asgard were subject to great restrictions when acting on the surface. However, if they formed a trinity like the angels, then the constraints would be loosened to some extent. Therefore, Grid was wary of the concept of the trinity.


    Zeratul¡¯s eyes, which were curved in an arc, slowly rose upward. ¡°I... alone? Perhaps you... do you think there is a chance of winning? A fake god¡ªa human god who doesn¡¯t deserve to ascend to heaven?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond and just focused.


    An opponent whom Hayate defeated virtually alone. At the very least, Martial God Zeratul on the surface was lower in status than Baal or Raphael. He was an opponent who couldn¡¯t be avoided out of fear by Grid, whose goal was to raid Baal.It was right to fight and win. It should be used as a means of proving his qualifications to challenge Baal.


    ¡°Perhaps you... don¡¯t you know me? I am the Martial God. Do you think that I, the only one god in the world, will lose even if I am alone?¡±


    In the first ce, Zeratul wasn¡¯t an opponent who needed provocation. He would lose his cool by himself, even if Grid was silent. It was the limit of an existence that was unstable due to the gap that came from knowing he was a fake and denying it.


    ¡°You... a little bastard who didn¡¯t even dare meet my eyes not long ago has bepletely arrogant after getting entangled with the dragons through luck. Okay. This was better... I can feel more joy when I see the despair on your face as you die.¡±


    ¡°You are very angry. Is Reba looking at you with pity these days?¡± Grid finished his preparations and finally opened his mouth.


    This was what Hayate had said when he provoked Zeratul. The effect was big.


    Zeratul moved his eyes and immediately fired an attack. The 18 divine weapons floating around him flooded together with it. It was a sight like light forming a river. The eyes of the survivors who watched while holding their breath were suddenly blinded.


    Gujel¡¯s Fang and Cranbel¡¯s Horn¡ªthe two dragon weapons split apart the light.

 Chapter 1612

    <h4>Chapter 1612</h4>


    Light was everywhere. The darkness must be purified. Nevertheless, there was darkness because the light had gone away for a while and the reason why the light went away was ack of faith.


    ''Pagan bastards.''


    The wave of light formed by the 18 divine weapons¡ªit was a magnificent and holy sight. It was enough of an opportunity to awaken true faith. However, their eyes were blinded and they turned away from the light. The reaction of the frowning humans was captured in Zeratul¡¯s vision and senses. Exactly 87,598 people. No matter where they hid, he could see it clearly. He clearly read what type of expression they were making.


    Zeratul was furious. He was a god derived from beings who worshiped and long for martial arts. Therefore, he was the only god who didn¡¯t have much to do with Goddess Reba. However, wasn¡¯t it Goddess Reba who created the world in the first ce?


    Zeratul worshiped Reba. He couldn¡¯t stand by while those who had been made out of Reba¡¯s kindness rejected the light. Turning away because the light was dazzling? It was sphemy. High treason.


    The wave of light that was cut in half by Grid swirled. It spread everywhere in response to Zeratul¡¯s will. The holy weapons guided the light. The 18 holy weapons targeted and shot at humans, causing a chain bombardment of light. As always, it was Grid who protected the people.


    He used Request to Stand With Me and activated the rain of battle gear, blocking and twisting the trajectory of the 18 holy weapons. Thousands of weapons struck and blew away the holy weapons, while thousands of armors and shields isted the light, reducing the bombardment range. Eventually, the particles of light that caused an explosion hit the people, but the electric barrier created by Noe almost surrounded the entire city to protect them.


    ¡°My master¡¯s ves will be guarded by this Noe!¡±


    Thanks to the help of 4th Seat, Betty, Noe was able to use the power of the thunder stone more efficiently. He was full of confidence. He actually achieved the result of protecting people and ran wildly with excitement. He used the darkness in the hearts of the terrified people to forcibly raise demonic energy and transformed into an adult. He pounced at Zeratul with a wide open mouth.


    He was someone who could jump and y with the crazy hatchling in the tower for a while. He wasn¡¯t afraid because his opponent was a god. Noe meant to devour Zeratul whole. He wanted to transfer Zeratul¡¯s abilities to Grid, but he had too much courage.


    ¡°Yip!¡±


    The daring Noe didn¡¯t even reach Zeratul. The colorless divinity surrounding Zeratul was acting as a self-defense force. Unlike ordinary gods, he didn¡¯t have a holy side. This was why the demonic creature, Noe, was brave enough to pounce. Even so, the divinity was very powerful. It might be invisible to the eye and unreadable by the senses, but it clearly caused the phenomenon.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to, keong...!¡±


    Noe, who couldn¡¯t get near Zeratul and became bloody, screamed and squirmed. He read Grid¡¯s willingness to reverse his summoning. Noe had a hunch. This god was strong. He had enough qualifications to destroy the dignity of Grid that Noe had seen before.


    Noe didn¡¯t want to run away. He clearly knew that the reason why Grid didn¡¯t summon Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons was because it was meaningless, but he still didn¡¯t listen to Grid. He refused the reverse summoning. He was afraid when he imagined Grid fighting alone and dying. He knew how deadly death or defeat was for a god.


    They had to fight together. After he became stronger with the help of Grandma Betty, he swore in front of her that he would protect Grid from now on. She had stroked his head and said she was proud. No, she clearly told him that he was special among the memphis...


    ¡°A mere trifle.¡±


    He btedly heard the voice. It was after Noe refused the reverse summoning and his head was caught by something. The voice was heard only after his vision became dark.


    Noe was finally aware of his condition. He realized he had been captured by Zeratul. He thought this was better.


    His mouth twitched as he felt the pain of his skin being torn to shreds and his bones being crushed due to Zeratul¡¯s strong self-defense. He was pleased that the other person had narrowed the distance that he couldn¡¯t narrow himself.


    ¡°...Nya nya nya nya nyang!¡±


    Noe¡¯s Scratch and Discharge skills were deployed immediately! It urred without a dy of 0.1 seconds and resumed without a cooldown time of even 0.1 seconds. This was the majesty of the strongest demonic creature in hell. The willpower of a memphis, which even the great demons found hard to raise, was so great that the concept of casting and cooldown time wasn¡¯t applied.


    It was meaningless. Noe¡¯s attack didn¡¯t even scratch Zeratul¡¯s strong self-defense. Zeratul¡¯s perception was far ahead of the speed at which Noe wielded his ws and generated electricity.


    A vein bulged on the back of Zeratul¡¯s hand that was holding Noe¡¯s head. Noe had transformed into an adult and his head grewrger in line with the growth of his body, but the concept of volume and mass was pointless before the celestial gods. Zeratul¡¯s hands were several times smaller than Noe¡¯s head, but he clearly gripped Noe¡¯s head. Then he made it burst. No, he was thinking of making it burst.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zeratul took a step back. The hand that had been ced on the head of the demonic creature from hell was immediately removed and held the air. It was a gripping technique as if holding a sword. The colorless divinity stretched out in a straight line and took the form of a sword. It was held in Zeratul¡¯s hand.


    There were still clear fingerprints on Noe¡¯s wide forehead. The ck fur, that was caught and crushed by Zeratul, clung to the skin. There was no movement even though it was free from the pressure. This meant that the flow of time that Zeratul was moving at was overwhelmingly fast.


    Before Noe¡¯s pressed fur could stand back up again, Zeratul held the intangible sword that he had made and swung it down strongly. A powerful sword energy prated the earth. A deep wound reminiscent of the Abyss urred and the ground shook from the inside.


    The ground couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and spit into thousands or tens of thousands of cracks before finally beginning to sink. It had the momentum to devour everything in the city. If Garion, god of the earth, hadn¡¯t immediatelye forward and restored thend, the city named Vex would¡¯ve disappeared from the map at this moment.


    ¡®This guy?¡¯


    Zeratul took a step back and saw the scene of the earth, which had copsed and immediately recovered. The gesture of leisurely walking in the sky was elegant. However, Zeratul¡¯s expression was contrary to his gesture. He was ovee with emotions like all the human beings he had just disparaged.


    He had no choice but to be so.


    The transparent sword that was approaching at this moment¡ªGrid¡¯s sword had a somewhat dull de, but it took advantage of its strange form. He didn¡¯t simply subdue the resistance of the atmosphere, but made it obey him. The flow of the atmosphere followed the direction the sword was pointing. It elerated as if pushed from behind. It approached Zeratul very quickly. He had to take two steps to avoid it.


    Zeratul¡¯s intangible sword turned red with shame and extended its range. The colorlessness divinity surrounded it more strongly. He heard the voice of the earth god Garion begging for something.


    Zeratul ignored it. He intended to cut the approaching Grid with one blow. It was so that this time, it could never be avoided. Even if it was blocked, Grid would be destroyed entirely along with the sword. He thought it didn¡¯t matter if the world was smashed by this.


    In any case. he had already lost a lot of his divinity in the aftermath of descending to the surface. He could only break a part of the world, not all of it, with his strike. Additionally, what was the big deal if thend on which humans lived became much narrower than it was now?


    ¡ªNoe¡¯s fur still hadn¡¯t stood up. The world that Noe saw was still dark.


    ¡®Martial God Zeratul covered my eyes and grabbed my head.¡¯


    Noe¡¯s thoughts stopped there. No, it was flowing. It was just that Zeratul¡¯s time, which divided the moment into countless moments, was exceptionally fast. The world was the same as usual. Time passed normally and there was no problem with the speed of thought of Noe and ordinary people. In the center of that ordinary world¡ª


    Zeratul walked through that extraordinary time alone and swung his sword again. A shapeless sword that was merely huge shattered the atmosphere. It was the willpower of the martial god to rebuke the attitude of the atmosphere that responded to Grid¡¯s sword trajectory and made it fast.


    ......!


    The earth let out a soundless scream. It couldn¡¯t withstand the high pressure and shattered. It soon turned to dust and rose into the sky. The world would be covered with yellow dust for the next few days.


    The earth god Garion didn¡¯t want such a situation. He recalled his mission and grasped his divinity. He was pained as he recognized the ¡®time of the martial god¡¯ and reached his limit, but he still managed to connect the hundreds of thousands of pieces of earth together.


    Just then, Noe¡¯s fur stood up slightly. Zeratul btedly grasped the situation.


    ¡®Is the dragon crazy?¡¯


    It was only when Grid narrowed the distance again, dodging and blocking the first blow, that Zeratul angrily admitted it. If he had skills like this, then he must¡¯ve umted achievements in the past...


    Zeratul was convinced and acknowledged Grid¡¯s achievements that he had denied so far. It was different now that even his second attack failed.


    Zeratul¡¯s ferocious eyes fixed on Grid¡¯s gauntlets and gaiters. Funnily enough, the armor seemed to reproduce a dragon¡¯s outer shell. In fact, it was expected to have an excellent performance since it was a product made from dragon scales. However, he hadn¡¯t expected it would be this much.


    Enduring the sword energy he created with the intention to destroy the world?


    Zeratul felt a sense of strangeness, especially from the cirction of mana flowing through the gauntlet. The mana circted at a high speed like the mana of a living dragon. The reason why it could be cycled without a dragon¡¯s heart was due to the dragon¡¯s favor. It was clear that the dragon¡¯s favor was imbued in the gray scales that made up the gauntlets, which were sometimes tinged with red.


    At the very least, it meant that Grid¡¯s arms would exert a durability and power simr to that of a dragon. No, it was more than that because itbined Grid¡¯s physical power and divinity. He just checked it.


    ¡°What a crazy dragon...!¡±


    Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to cooperate with Grid? Why? Why is this guy loved by so many beings?


    In the midst of the unresolved questions and unprovoked jealousy, Zeratul felt a sense of crisis. It was a situation where he was moving through the time of martial god even with the penalties from descending to the surface. His perception, body, and awareness soon reached their limits.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expression was calm as he gradually got closer. The sound of bells ringing in the distance proved it. This person hadn¡¯t even started yet.


    Zeratul¡¯s judgment was correct. Grid was only nowpleting the six fusion sword dance. In the aftermath of Zeratul¡¯s attempted second swing at the sky, Grid¡¯s corbone was smashed, there were deep cuts on his neck and chest, and his waist was half cut. His two hands holding the sword were fine.


    Grid¡¯s willpower to fight after opening up all the power of the rune and stacking his buff skills wasn¡¯t dampened in the slightest. A body that moved slowly even though Shunpo had been triggered several times¡ªin a world where everything slowed down due to the extended time, Grid was thinking about Hayate¡¯s advice.


    Overwhelming power.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give him time to recover.¡¯


    A small attack was meaningless even if it hit dozens or hundreds of times. The thing he needed to pursue was the deadly blow. Then¡ª


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    There was only this.


    [The effect of ¡®Conditional Sword Saint¡¯ has been activated.]


    [The effect of ¡®Ultimate Martial Art¡¯ has urred.]


    ¡°Keok!¡±


    A gust of wind blew. Tens of thousands of people stood on the crumbling ground and stared up at the sky. Noe also had a bewildered expression. The orange divinity, which seemed like it could be extinguished immediately, was falling like a meteor.


    It was Grid. The blood he spilled turned the sky red.


    ¡°M-Master...!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Maaaajesty!¡±


    The opponent was too strong. This was the martial god. How could it be a w even if their god was defeated? Noe and the people ran with all their might. They threw their bodies to cover the falling Grid.


    Just then, an orange light spread through the serene sky. The feast of the sword dance that was sometimes red, gray, and sometimes transparent, raged. It looked like the frenzy of a dragon with long horns and sharp teeth. It was Grid¡¯s traces. It was the traces of the Overgeared God, who stood alone against the martial god in a time that ordinary people didn¡¯t recognize.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has defeated Martial God ¡®Zeratul¡¯ who has descended to the surface.]


    The world message that emerged one stepte informed them of the exact result.

 Chapter 1613

    <h4>Chapter 1613</h4>


    Only three times. The people and yers of Vex only blinked three times.


    Was that really an old man? They questioned it when a man with a fierce gaze and presence appeared with no warning. The sight of the remnants of the Reba Church bursting like balloons was so terrible that they had to close their eyes. Then when the ground copsed and the buildings exploded, they opened their eyes in shock and found that the 18 holy weapons had already formed a wave of light. They had to close their eyes for the second time because the light was so bright their eyes ached.


    Hundreds of thousands of explosions urred as a ringing tinnitus pierced their minds. It was before they could scream. Everything was fast. It was difficult for the blinded people to tell if they lived or died. The situation was so urgent and threatening.


    The people struggled in confusion without realizing where they had been wounded and who was helping them. It was an overwhelmingbat force and great strength that couldn¡¯t be understood, let alone resisted. They opened their eyes again after the light had subsided and the explosion calmed down.


    This was what they saw.


    [Martial God Zeratul has descended.]


    [Zeratul has denied the martial arts you have umted.]


    [Your armed might has be insignificant. All stats, including character level, skills level, and magic level will be reduced by 50%.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [All passive skills andbat-rted title functions are sealed.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [The power of all active skills and magic will be reduced by 50%.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [Martial God Zeratul has established a temporary sanctuary. The freedom of most beings, except the followers of the martial god, are oppressed.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    ¡°Ah... Uwahh...¡±


    The martial god¡ªif discussing the absolutes, this was naturally the first being to be considered. There was a powerful echo in Zeratul¡¯s name. People were overwhelmed. They vaguely understood the situation and felt despair.


    Sometimes it was better not to know. There was a clear difference in people¡¯s confusion and fear when they were unaware of what was going on and when they perceived the existence of the martial god. The tens of thousands of people hiding all throughout the city werepletely panicked.


    At this time, the ve of the Overgeared God¡ªno, Noe turnedrge like a giant wolf and flew high into the sky. He bravely opened his mouth toward the martial god. People noticed it one stepte. The blue current that wrapped around the area and protected them actually came from Noe.


    This was why theymented even more. They stomped their feet as they sensed Noe¡¯s death as his head was caught in the hands of the martial god. The electric currents shook due to Noe¡¯s crisis.


    The electric currents that formed the barrier were suddenly disturbed and it delivered a piercing pain to the people.


    People blinked for the third time. It was short. It was in a split second. However¡ª


    ¡°M-Master...!¡±


    They only blinked once, but the situation in front of them changed. People saw the back of Noe, who was still alive. The scene of Grid, who had just been on the ground, falling from the sky intertwined with thisndscape. The ground on which they stood trembled like it was going to explode. Then it calmed down again.


    There was no sense of reality. They noticed that the martial god had disappeared out of nowhere and wondered if they were dreaming as a group. However, it was reality. The long lines of blood falling from Grid¡¯s body was proof.


    ¡°Your Maaaajesty!¡±


    Unlike the yers who were wary of the disappeared martial god, the people ran recklessly to Grid. They stacked their bodies on top of each other to form a cushion. It was to fully ept Grid, who seemed to have been seriously injured. Grid didn¡¯t want their sacrifice.


    [There are eight seconds remaining on the duration of the immortality.]


    He had no intention of showing his ragged state. Noe¡¯srge body wrapped around Grid.


    The people who looked like dots on the ground¡ªNoe hid Grid so they couldn¡¯t see what he looked like. At the same time, an orange light caught people¡¯s attention. The afterimage of the six fusion sword dance used by Grid with two dragon weapons colored the sky behind Noe and Grid.


    Grid buried his face in Noe¡¯s soft fur andughed helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as good as Hayate.¡±


    Grid had witnessed the battle between Hayate and Zeratul. After a sh of light, Zeratul fled and Hayate descended to the ground unharmed. On the other hand, Grid was in tatters. It would¡¯ve been hard for him to win if many miracles hadn¡¯t ovepped. Of course, those miracles weren¡¯t mere flukes, but an inevitable result.


    It was when Zeratul entered the ¡®time of the martial god.¡¯ Grid¡¯s divinity responded to Zeratul¡¯s divinity. It was because Zeratul¡¯s divinity, which was reduced in the aftermath of him descending to the surface, didn¡¯t overwhelm Grid¡¯s divinity. It was also evidence of the high divinity that Grid had umted over the years.


    Just as Garion, god of the earth, moved through the time of the martial god and restored the earth in real time, Grid also moved through the time of the martial god. It was a time that could slow down even Shunpo. It seemed to split one second into hundreds.


    The realm of an absolute that went beyond transcendence¡ªGrid realized the skills of Hayate and Zeratul and moved drastically.


    He climbed higher and captured the sight of Zeratul swinging the sword in the air. Then he moved his hands behind him and fired a Breath. In order to get a bit closer to Zeratul¡¯s speed, he used the explosive energy as a propulsion force. He crossed his arms in front of him as the invisible, transparent sword approached with immense pressure.


    The gauntlets that reproduced the arms of Fire Dragon Ifrit¡ªhe determined that he had no choice but to believe in the effect of absolute defense built into it that significantly reduced the probability of injury. He was hit directly by the sword energy that spread through dozens of waves and the absolute defense was horribly broken. Fortunately, both his arms avoided any injury.


    Every time the absolute defense was broken, his body became stiffer due to increased damage resistance. Magic power cirction urred and the cooldown of Small Breath was reset. In exchange, he lost more than half his health, but Grid pushed his hand back and fired the Breath to narrow the distance with Zeratul. He didn¡¯t forget to keep Zeratul in check by firing the fusion sword dances based on Transcend from time to time.


    Unfortunately, he faced a crisis. Zeratul¡¯s second sword strike was much more powerful than the first attack. He immediately noticed that it was sincere.


    One more step and the absolute defense didn¡¯t ur. The probability of absolute defense for Ifrit¡¯s Arms and Cranbel¡¯s Pelvis was 10% respectively. Thanks to the set effect, it resulted in a total probability of 40%, but it was still less than half.


    Grid entered the immortality state as a burning pain shot throughout his entire body. He couldn¡¯t look back. It was a situation he was prepared for from the beginning, so he wasn¡¯t agitated. The reason he stacked Item Combination, the power of the rune, and his buff skills from the beginning was because he predicted this battle wouldn¡¯t be long. If he didn¡¯t kill Zeratul all at once, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on and would die.


    Grid took into ount the meaning of Hayate¡¯s advice and performed the six fusion sword dance with two swords.


    King of the Mountain, which was activated thanks to his low health, the blessing of Chiyou in the sword dance, and the iplete qualifications of the Sword Saint gave him great strength. Additionally, Dragon Rage urred. The power of the absolute species that stacked all attacks twice. The activation probability was only 30%, but it was inevitable. It was because the number of hits of the six fusion sword dance using dual swords was high. The urrence of God''s Command was inevitable.


    In the end, the pain he felt was so real that it made him dizzy, but Grid gritted his teeth and cut at Zeratul¡¯s body. Darkness Sword responded by soaring from Zeratul¡¯s feet. Zeratul¡¯s invisible health gauge fell to the bottom in an instant. It was the same reason that Grid¡¯s health gauge disappeared in less than 0.1 seconds.


    The two of them delivered a fatal blow to each other, but this was the human world, not Asgard. It was the realm of the human god, Grid.


    Zeratul, who was constrained by the duration of immortality, eventually got scared first and retreated. In the meantime, he cursed, but... Grid didn¡¯t even remember. Thanks to Zeratul¡¯s retreat, the time of the martial god ended and Grid¡¯s passage of time returned to normal. The dam seemed to copse. He thought he had already felt enough pain, but that was just arrogance.


    Grid briefly lost his mind as the pain that had been trapped in the extended time washed over him all at once. Now¡ª


    Grid looked at the sword in his trembling hand. It was a sword that revealed its pure white appearance in ces of low light, but it sparkled like frost and became as hazy as fog in the light.


    ¡®This guy¡¯s help was the greatest.¡¯


    A sword that reproduced Cranbel¡¯s horn¡ªof course, Cranbel¡¯s actual horn was muchrger and the ends were divided into three branches, so it was right to say that he had only reproduced one branch. Just as Ifrit¡¯s horn resembled a spear, Cranbel¡¯s horn resembled a sword. Thus, Grid naturally thought about it during the production.It was inevitable because Cranbel¡¯s arm was the material.


    [Horn of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel]


    [Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 23,880


    ¡ï Critical hit chance will increase by 100%.


    ¡ï The probability of attacking a weak spot will increase by 100%.


    ¡ï The attack skill usage speed will increase by 50%.


    ¡ï Inhibits the target¡¯s perception.


    ¡ï Significantly reduces the target¡¯s counterattack and evasion rate.


    ¡ï There is an 80% chance of neutralizing the target¡¯s defense (including all skill, magic, and powers).


    ¡ï Skill attack power against great demons, archangels, gods, and dragons will increase by 50%.


    ¡ï There is a 25% chance to trigger ¡®Extreme Speed¡¯ when attacking.


    ¡ï It can rece a dragon¡¯s horn.


    This is the horn of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel, which was realized by Overgeared God Grid smelting Cranbel¡¯s arm.


    It has retained a ferocity that is contrary to its beautiful appearance.


    It refracts and scatters light, so it is difficult to detect the shape and movement.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 3,900.]


    [Extreme Speed]


    [Passive


    Completely neutralizes the target¡¯s evasion and defense.


    Cooldown Time: 1 second.]


    It was natural that the rating and attack power was higher than Gujel¡¯s Fang. It was because the material was different. Gujel¡¯s Fang was literally a sword made by splitting Gujel¡¯s teeth in half, while Cranbel¡¯s horn was made entirely of Cranbel¡¯s arm. It was also easy to anticipate that the effect of hindering the perception of the target would be attached.


    It was because the inherent effect of Cloaked Dragon Cranbel was presumed to be ¡®concealing his appearance.¡¯ However, the skill ¡®Extreme Speed¡¯ was unexpected for Grid. He had tried to reproduce Cranbel¡¯s horn while creating the ideal sword shape, but he ended up conceiving a structure that subdued the resistance of the atmosphere...


    The passive skill that pletely neutralized¡¯ the target¡¯s evasion and defense was attached. There wasn¡¯t even the restriction that the target should ¡®have a low status.¡¯ Cranbel¡¯s Horn was literally the strongest weapon for Grid, who had been and would continue to fight against enemies with a higher status than himself.


    Would it have been possible to defeat Zeratul without Cranbel¡¯s Horn? It wouldn¡¯t have been easy. There was a high chance that Gujel¡¯s Dao would¡¯vecked attack power, even with Duke of Amplification, God''s Command, Dragon Rage, etcetera were allbined.


    ¡°Grrung... Randy and the skeletons will be sad... Aheung.¡±


    He made a dog noise, cried like a cat, and then made a sound like a tiger. Noe, who became an adult, seemed to have some confusion about his identity. Still, he said what he had to say. It was obvious how upset Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons, who hadn¡¯t been summoned, would be when they saw the injured Grid.


    Of course, they would understand Grid¡¯s heart. The reason Grid summoned Noe was due to the existence of the skill Impertinent! Noe¡¯s ultimate skill had grown significantly thanks to Betty and it was optimized to protect arge number of targets. In fact, it evolved into a barrier skill.


    Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons also had many means of protecting people, but he judged that Noe alone was sufficient. What if Grid had summoned Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons as well? If they were in a group with Noe, it would be easier to protect people and there would be more energy so they could attack Zeratul.


    There was naturally a high probability they would¡¯ve died. It was just that their experience was precious, so it wasn¡¯t a situation that Grid wanted.


    ¡°If they are dissatisfied, tell them to be stronger,¡± Grid was flustered for no reason, but he spoke firmly.


    Only the naive Noe¡¯s mood improved.


    ¡°Like me, nyang?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yes...¡±


    Grid responded roughly and confirmed the victory reward. He thought the members of the Noe fan cafe should know how good he was to Noe. The list of rewards was gorgeous. Out of the 18 holy weapons that Zeratul swung, he received 14 as the rewards. It was followed by five volumes of the legendary rated martial god¡¯s secret techniques.


    However, these things were just incidental. The reward that Grid paid attention to was the evolution of his mental world. It was the unique mental world of the Overgeared God, not the mental world borrowed from the Heart of the Red Phoenix. It was the reward he had dreamed of.


    Grid wanted to immediately look at it in detail, but the people were concerned about him. The facial expressions of the people who were as small as dots were clearly imprinted in his eyes. They all looked worried.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down first.¡±


    Grid decided to reassure the people first and gradually descended to the ground. The wounds on his face were unpleasant, but he had fought and won against the martial god. He thought this much was understandable.


    A body with no strong areas except for the arms and legs... he supported it with the God Hands and covered it with a cloak. The color of the blood-stained cloak had be darker. It was evidence and a medal for defeating the martial god.

 Chapter 1614

    <h4>Chapter 1614</h4>


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to build up a transcendent status soon?¡± Vantner spoke with a serious expression. He had been subjugating the demonic creatures of hell for more than half a year and he already wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    Blood vessels that were as tough and thick as steel rose on the hard muscles that made armor look shabby. Every time the blood vessels twitched, the tattoos on the bald head moved and the impression he gave off changed dramatically. Depending on the angle of viewing, he seemed more ferocious and wild than a demon.


    It was the effect of the Light Iron Armor skill that he acquired with the fifth ss advancement. The tank-based yers. No, it was the ultimate skill that all warrior-type yers would covet. Light Iron Armor was a passive skill that significantly increased defense and attack power, and reduced the cooldown of some skills in exchange for constantly declining health. As a fifth ss advancement tank with high natural recovery, it was literally the ultimate skill without burden even if it was activated at all times.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a serious expression with that face. I thought you were a monster and almost killed you.¡±


    The shorings of Light Iron Armor was a change in appearance. Due to the increase in muscle volume upon activation, there was a concern that the impression could be very rough depending on the basic appearance. It was like Vantner right now.


    Of course, Vantner epted the change in appearance caused by Light Iron Armor as an advantage, not a disadvantage. He believed that baldness, muscles, tattoos, and a beard were a means to prove manliness. The evidence was his tattoo, shaved head, and thick beard that he added during the character customization stage.


    ¡°What~? What is this low level bastard saying? I can¡¯t hear it properly because it sounds like flies are buzzing?¡±


    Vantner dreamed of bing a handsome man, but he became a child when he was with his friend. He epted it as a man¡¯s destiny. He made fun of Pon, who died every time he engaged with a single digit great demon, so he hadn¡¯tpleted his fifth ss advancement.


    Regas spoke in ce of Pon, who provoked trouble first, but fell silent because he couldn¡¯t refute it, ¡°You will know when looking at Yura. She will be the first one out of all of us to be a transcendent.¡±


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s right.¡±


    The hierarchy of legends was built up with achievements and fame. If Grid and the Overgeared Guild seeded in the Baal raid and cleansed hell, some of the expedition members were likely to be legends. On the other hand, transcendence was a hierarchy that was obtained only by reaching the peak of martial arts. They had to ovee daily training and battles, fight and win dozens of times against enemies far more powerful than them, and influence the worldview with pure force alone. In short, they should be like Grid.


    Meanwhile, the members of the Overgeared Guild had clearly seen it with their own eyes. The armed force of Demon yer Yura, who had been active in the battles that had continued for half a year. In particr, she grew rapidly every time she won a battle against a great demon, who had appeared more frequently starting from two months ago.


    The light of destruction that she shot was so intense that it was iparable to half a year ago. The more skilled she became in handling the Elemental King with the bizarre name of Nothing Stone, the stronger her physical ability and swordsmanship became exponentially. The reason why the group could counterattack and win even after being attacked by a single digit great demon wasn¡¯t only due to the kings of the different species, but also Yura¡¯s performance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. They areing again.¡±


    Now the kings of the different species followed Yura well. At some point, they acknowledged her power and leadership and abandoned their resistance. All the Overgeared members were moved when in the end, even the half-draconian king Bunsdel acknowledged her and called her Captain. Jishuka had patted Yura on the shoulder and Yura had buried her face in Jishuka¡¯s chest.


    ¡°......¡±


    The eyes of the kings of the different species lined up on either side of Yura reached the horizon. The distorted sky and trembling ground. The center of it was the horizon that was as jagged as a line drawn by a child. It was caused by clouds of dust. Clouds seemed to being. It was the sight of tens of thousands of demonic creatures advancing all at once.


    This phenomenon had urred several times a day starting from two months ago. Yura knew what caused this phenomenon.


    Marbas reigned as a leading power in hell. A demon presumed to have known the truth of hell and struggled to restore hell to its original state¡ªhe built his position by walking a tightrope between the Baal and Amoract factions and had the power to lead the demons of hell regardless of their affiliation. Now that power belonged to Baal.


    Baal appeared to have killed him and taken away the power.


    ¡°We will fight for around five hours.¡±


    ¡°It is better than before.¡±


    ¡°Those with Barbatos¡¯ vision, be wary of the great demons¡¯ intrusion.¡±


    ¡°Thinking about it, we would¡¯ve been ruined two months ago if we didn¡¯t have Barbatos. Right?¡±


    ¡°Barbatos is actually on our side.¡±


    The ranks of the Overgeared members were naturally divided into two. It was to prepare for a long battle. It was an operation to fight in shifts and distribute their stamina.


    Faker melted into the shadows, while Jishuka, who was at the rear, would bnce the first and second groups.


    Yura, who was at the forefront, wrapped the Elemental King of Nothingness around her body. Like the orange divinity of the Overgeared God, Nothing Stoneyered itself over her weapons and armor. She looked so much like Grid that it could be believed that she was Grid¡¯s apostle.


    The hell expedition members naturally looked at her back. They trusted and relied on her. They expected her to be transcendent.


    The transcendent status¡ªthis power resembled super sensitivity, the ss characteristic of the Sword Saint, but it boasted a wider range of utility. It was necessary for the Overgeared members who would one day fight the celestial gods as well as cleanse hell.


    It was because they couldn¡¯t let Grid suffer on his own forever. Acquiring transcendence was a homework that must be solved to be even a small help to Grid. It was Yura who would prove their possibilities. The strongest one in hell without Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Yura jumped in first and the kings of the different species and the Overgeared members followed her. The sight of tens of thousands of demonic creatures, strengthened by Baal¡¯s buffs, flocking every day was intimidating, but they weren¡¯t afraid. On the contrary, pleasure appeared on the faces of the Overgeared members.


    This wave might be powerful due to Baal, but it gave high experience in proportion to its power. It would serve as a stepping stone for their rapid growth, just as it had been for the past two months. It would also bnce hell. As long as arge number of demonic creatures gathered together, it would leave room in other areas of hell.


    yers who had been fighting against the demonic creatures all over hell would have time to escape a crisis and reorganize. Just like most disasters, the raid of the great demons came unannounced.


    The reason why ordinary yers insisted on hunting in hell despite such risks wasn¡¯t simply because of their sense of mission to purify hell. It was because the actual profit wasrge. The Overgeared members were obligated to maintain their passion.


    ¡°Uh...? Wow, won¡¯t Faker unconditionally be the next transcendent after Yura?¡±


    How long had they fought while being swept away by the wave of demonic creatures that came back no matter how many they killed?


    The 15th Great Demon, who took advantage of the opportunity to attack, was bound by Faker¡¯s shadow army and was stabbed in the throat. He lost momentum for a while and was surrounded by Yura and the kings of the different species. He didn¡¯t get any benefits from the surprise attack and was instead isted.


    New great demons upied the vacancies of the great demons who died in the Great Human and Demon War.


    ¡ªIf only there wasn¡¯t the hell elevator. Or if there hadn¡¯t been Demon yer Yura, they would¡¯ve umted strength in hell and reigned in fear. However, they repeatedly died before they could grow and each time, the Overgeared members were growing stronger in reverse.


    Good. They just needed to keep doing this consistently. They would make greater effort in order to not worry Grid, who had his growth stalled due to concentrating on item production.


    [Martial God Zeratul has descended.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The world message that rose in the aftermath of the yers of Vex witnessing Zeratul. The shocking content made the faces of the enthusiastic Overgeared members turn white.


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªthey recalled the hostility he had toward Grid and sensed that the worst situation would happen. In particr, Damian¡¯s reaction was intense since he had personally experienced Zeratul¡¯s overwhelming force.


    They found out about the crisis on the surface thanks to the world message that was only one line and could no longer focus on the demonic creatures. They dismissed the situation in front of them as insignificant and sought to return.


    Only a few seconds passed.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has defeated Martial God ¡®Zeratul¡¯ who has descended to the surface.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    Therefore, it was even more shocking. The half-conscious Overgeared members shed at the monsters in front of them with nk faces. Their bodies moved mechanically even when half their consciousness was gone. It was a sight that proved how many enemies they had killed over the years. The first person to speak was Regas, who was famous for his good mentality.


    ¡°Yura will be a transcendent faster than we expected.¡±


    Their growth had always been three or four steps slower than Grid. Now that Grid started to break down the walls beyond a transcendent, it was the right time for them to slowly enter transcendence.


    ***


    After reassuring the people of Vex, Grid returned to Reinhardt using the return scroll. His damaged body hadn¡¯t been restored, but the entire world had already received news of the martial god¡¯s defeat. Grid¡¯s name dominated all types of news.


    ¡°My Liege! Your Majesty! God! I love you! I respect you!¡±


    Unsurprisingly, Lauel also received the news. He rushed forward with only socks on his feet and hugged Grid while crying. Noeughed at the way Lauelughed and cried. He boasted that he also made a great contribution.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you defeated the martial god at once... you are great. Are you nowpletely in the ranks of the absolutes?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s eyes shone after hearing the detailed story. His clear eyes were full of hope. It seemed like he was going to tell Grid to fight Baal right away.


    Grid smiled bitterly. ¡°It isn¡¯t time to talk about an absolute just yet. Rather, I realized howcking I am through this incident.¡±


    Grid consumed his immortality in exchange for cutting Zeratul. He was invincible for 10 seconds. He won thanks to the immortality, but it was important to consider that this was a one-on-one match.


    Hell or heaven¡ªthe situation would bepletely different if Grid was in the position to invade the enemy camp.


    Would Baal or the heavenly gods fight Grid one-on-one? Baal might be entric and the demons of hell didn¡¯t cooperate easily with each other, but the heavenly gods were united around Reba. She even had an army of angels. Grid inevitably had to fight arge army. It would be against enemies more powerful than Zeratul who had descended to the surface. It would be hard to guarantee a one-on-one or two-on-two victory over them, but if he was hit by a group... there was no chance of winning at all.


    ¡®This time as well. What if Zeratul wasn¡¯t alone?¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he thought about Zeratul descending with Raphael. In the first ce, the difficulty level of one-to-one and one-to-many was different. This was even more so when assuming that the opponents¡¯ skills wereparable to his own. It would be difficult to defeat one person within the time limit of the immortality. Even if he had seeded in winning, he would¡¯ve been killed by the other one. Of course, in such a situation, the apostles would¡¯ve been summoned to fight. In any case, Grid decided that he needed to defend against the ¡®overwhelming attack power¡¯ of the absolutes.


    ¡®I need toplete the dragon armor set.¡¯


    This might not be the answer. Hadn¡¯t Hayate told him? Most fights between absolutes ended within a short period of time.


    It was indeed like this. It meant that even if hepleted the dragon armor set, there would be a limit to his tanking ability.


    ¡®Still, I have to give it a try.¡¯


    A 40% chance of triggering the absolute defense was different from a 100% chance of triggering the absolute defense. He was looking forward to the special benefits that would ur when the set waspleted.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was deep in thought with his back against a chair. Lauel had been silent in order to not interfere with Grid¡¯s contemtion. Now his eyes slowly widened. Thendscape had changed. The white glow from Grid¡¯s heart covered everything around it and forged it into steel.


    The world expanded infinitely and the steel that swallowed thendscape rose like a mountain. It was a canyon of steel. It was the mental world of the Overgeared God. Grid sat alone in the gap of the endlessly soaring canyon and felt the heat rising from his chest. The Red Phoenix¡¯s Heart becameva and flowed down. It circled and permeated Grid¡¯s heart.


    The steel that formed the canyon melted in the heat. It started pouring down like a waterfall. However, the size of the canyon didn¡¯t decrease.


    The steel was infinite in Grid¡¯s mental world. It also responded to Grid¡¯s wishes. It repeatedly formed and made dozens or hundreds of armor that wereyered over Grid¡¯s body. Every time it was oveid, it became blurry and didn¡¯t appear to be visible, but Lauel clearly felt it.


    He was now wearing hundreds ofyers of armor. Even the mental world was overgeared...

 Chapter 1615

    <h4>Chapter 1615</h4>


    The sky above the sky¡ªit was a ce where golden clouds formed the sky: Asgard. It was the heavenly ce where the seven main gods and 18 lower gods resided.


    ¡°......¡±


    The expression of Martial God Zeratul was calm as he reached the temple. The soaring eyebrows and long beard that descended to the ground were dignified and his gait was majestic. He looked like usual. However, the evaluation of the angel who met him was stinging.


    ¡°Unattractive.¡±


    The number one archangel, Raphael¡ªthey were the leader of the angel army, which had recently grown to 465, and had the secondrgest military power after Dominion, the god of war. Raphael was one of the only beings with the right to meet the goddess, and the expression of ¡®influential power in heaven¡¯ wasn¡¯t exaggerated.


    ¡°Quite a few humans have witnessed your defeat. Rumors are going to spread quickly. Perhaps it is because their allowed lives are short, but humans are obsessed with pleasure, right? They will surely enjoy the story of how the martial god ran away for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to treat me like a god any longer?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Haha, I made a mistake. It isn¡¯t a story, it is a myth, a myth. It is even a myth that willst forever.¡±


    ¡°How can a mere storyst forever? The only eternal beings in this world are the gods.¡±


    After all, as always, the world will perish and begin again. Reba and Yatan would make it so. Therefore, he had decided not to pay attention to it.


    Zeratul barely regained hisposure that started to copse due to Raphael¡¯s subtle provocation and entered the temple. The secondrgest of the 25 temples in Asgard. This ce proved his authority.


    Yes, no matter what humans say, I am me.


    I am Martial God Zeratul.


    Raphael warned him as he was gulping down wine, ¡°Well, yes. There is nothing eternal. However, isn¡¯t it true that you are half ruined in this world? It is different from when you were defeated by the Dragon yer, so I can¡¯t help much. Many humans have started to doubt your martial ability and your divinity will steadily fall in the future.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten who I am?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°I am the martial god. I am the source of the armed force that human beings and other beasts aspire to. It will rise faster than it falls so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°...Aha!¡±


    Raphael tilted their head and blinked their big eyes. Then they pped their hands. The inside of their smiling eyes was colder than ice.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind right now? Haha, I¡¯m scared. I¡¯ll be going now! Don¡¯t go out for a while and get some rest!¡±


    ¡°...Someday, I will kill you.¡±


    It was only after Raphael left that Zeratul, who revealed his killing intent, sat down as if he copsed. Everything was in vain. In fact, he also knew it. The martial god wasn¡¯t the source of martial arts.


    On the contrary, martial arts came first and the martial god came next. The martial god was a god that was born from the aspirations of many human beings and the name of the god was Chiyou. Chiyou didn¡¯t even have a temple. There was no need to prove himself, so he firmly existed.


    ¡°Proof... I can do it.¡±


    The sky of Asgard was a universe that the sun didn¡¯t reach. The entire space would be dark if it wasn¡¯t for the clouds that formed the ground emitting light. The temple had no light and the darkness obscured Zeratul¡¯s distorted expression.


    The Overgeared God¡ªthe one who received Chiyou¡¯s recognition. Additionally, he was a god born from the aspirations of humans like Chiyou. The one who made the world¡¯s time flow rapidly faster was indeed beyond the ages as the dragons had evaluated. The concept of time was strongly overshadowed. He approached as apletely different person from thest time they met. It was more than expected.


    Due to that, Zeratul was defeated in a battle he thought he would definitely win. He felt more regret than anger. If only he had sought the cooperation of the other gods and achieved the trinity as Raphael advised. At the very least, he should¡¯ve only descended to the surface after securing enough status to establish a sanctuary. No, he should¡¯ve dealt with Grid right away without waiting for the holy weapons to be made. Then he wouldn¡¯t have experienced today¡¯s humiliation.


    On the other hand, he thought it worked out. The Overgeared God would be more arrogant after today¡¯s incident and would surely challenge heaven one day.


    At that time¡ª


    Just kill him at the moment when he was most confident in himself. Zeratul would repay several times the humiliation that he went through today...


    A pale energy rose from Zeratul¡¯s fingertips. It was a fairly dense god killer qualification. It was an energy that would¡¯ve destroyed Grid if it had descended to the surface. Zeratul¡¯s divinity might¡¯ve been greatly damaged, but he was still close to invincible in Asgard. He was confident that he could defeat Grid, even if he gradually weakened as Raphael predicted.


    ''Win and win again. Since you have used me as a stepping stone, you must be sure to climb to this ce.¡¯


    At that time, I willplete the qualifications for a god killer and destroy Chiyou.


    I¡¯ll erase the traces that Reba made me and destroy the temple,pleting myself.


    I am the martial god, the only one god.


    ***


    ¡°This ce...¡±


    The view of the canyon in the mental world resembled a ce that Grid could never forget. The ce where he wrote his first epic during the battle with the Great Demon, Berith. This was where Grid waspleted.


    ¡°It is Taleren Canyon. It is a historic ce where Your Majesty stood tall as yourself and not anyone¡¯s sessor.¡±


    ¡°Lauel, you remember everything.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Your Majesty is an object I respect, love, and serve. I can forget my birthday, but I remember everything about Your Majesty.¡±


    Lauel had approached Grid because he saw Grid¡¯s potential. He was determined to follow Grid. He believed that he would seed unconditionally if he was with Grid. It was just an opportunity.


    Over time, Lauel gradually became fascinated with Grid. The reason why he started to serve Grid in the hope of being overgeared only to be an internal affairs official who didn¡¯t need items was because his pure desire to help Grid grew bigger than his greed.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just me. All the colleagues we have been with from the beginning basically love Your Majesty. Even these days, Vantner calls me when he is drunk. He watched the moment Your Majesty wrote the first epic and was so moved that he was in tears. I have suffered from this drinking session exactly 866 times, but in fact, Vantner must¡¯ve watched Your Majesty¡¯s videos more than 1,000 times. Huroi must¡¯ve watched it over 10,000 times.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°At this point, the S.A Group also seems quite favorable to Your Majesty. Of course, Your Majesty will deny it, but... I¡¯ve felt it ever since I heard your theme song. The S.A Group actually understands you very well. Just looking at the form of this mental world, isn¡¯t it a meaningful ce for Your Majesty? It is a sudden thought, but the reason why Your Majesty has no restraints on your repeated growth even when you go beyond the limits of the system is because they also believe the purification of hell is essential.¡±


    It was a fact that had been proven for a long time. Every time Grid grew significantly, the level of the other yers also rose. In the past two months, monster waves had been urring in hell. It was around the time that Grid started making the dragon armor. Arge number of demonic creatures who received Baal¡¯s buffs attacked the expedition several times a day, rapidly elerating the growth of the Overgeared members.


    At this time, he was reminded of the words that the absolutes had emphasized many times.


    ¡°Grid has elerated the flow of the world.¡±


    The acquiescence of the S.A Group to this proved two things. It was okay for the world to maintain its current pace. However, it was necessary for all yers to grow together in line with that speed. This suggested that Grid alone would face clear limitations.


    ¡°It is spected that new content will emerge after purifying hell. In fact, the heavenly gods who don¡¯t wish for the purification of hell have dered war. We need to be prepared from now on.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to dere war first?¡±


    Grid shivered with disgust. It was a situation where a fake god who descended to the surface almost killed him. What if a number of gods led an army of angels and attacked them? They could not stop it. There would be nothing but destruction. Enough time was needed for his colleagues to grow. He worried if he should dy the Baal raid as much as possible.


    ¡°Among those who participated in the expedition, how many people did the fifth ss advancement?¡±


    ¡°Five people. By the way, what level is Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°691.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Your Majesty. It is already almost level 600...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t 591, it is 691.¡±


    ¡°Six...???¡±


    ¡°I made a series of dragon armor and weapon one after another and won a big fight against Zeratul. He might be a fake, but he is still the martial god.¡±


    There were also several incidents before that.


    During the time when Lauel was entranced, Grid was deep in thought.


    ¡®The fifth ss advancement... it is fast, but also slow. It is safe to say that there is little room for me to grow.¡¯


    Completing the dragon armor set and making a few more myth transcendent dragon weapons...


    It was the final specs that was theoretically possible. No matter how much you think about it, there wasn¡¯t much room for growth other than level. Bing a god killer ording to Chiyou¡¯s wish? It was difficult. He was convinced after the fight against Zeratul this time. He had no way to catch the one fleeing with all his might. As evidenced by the immortality skill that was strengthened when Grid became a god, the system in which a god escaped to their temple was an absolute right.


    It was right to judge it as the best of all the systems. It was physically impossible to stop that and kill a god...


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was due to checking the details of the newly obtained mental world.


    [Sanctuary of Metal Lv. 1]


    [A sanctuary derived from the mental world of the Overgeared God.


    ¡ï Build a canyon of metal. Currently steel.


    * The metal that forms the canyon can make weapons or armor in response to your will.


    * The weapon¡¯s attack power is proportional to your willpower and strength stats, and the armor¡¯s defense is proportional to your willpower and stamina stats.


    * The number of weapons you can make is proportional to the number of weapons (unique rated or higher) you¡¯ve made so far and the number of armor you can make is proportional to the number of armor (unique rated or higher) that you have made so far.


    ¡ï Your senses extend throughout the canyon.


    * You can ¡®disarm¡¯ those you perceive as enemies and the weapons you create will constantly pursue your enemies.


    * Provide additional defense by cing armor on those you recognize as allies.


    ¡ï God is omnipotent in their sanctuary.


    * Specify all the weapons that have been disarmed and assign apulsive force to them.


    * The power of the weapon you¡¯ve assigned thepulsive force to will be affected by the stats of the most powerful weapon you¡¯ve ever made and the God Hands will be armed with them.


    * Thepulsive forcests as long as the sanctuary is maintained and 20,000 mana per second will be consumed during the duration.


    * Every time a weapon you borrow attacks a target, you will gain additional attack power.


    * The armor you borrow will be oveid over your body.


    * Every piece of armor has a duration of 0.1 seconds and the cooldown of the immortality is greatly reduced every time damage is received during the duration. However, the reduced cooldown will be reset if the sanctuary fails to be maintained.


    ¡ï The 9th Heart of the Red Phoenix ispletely absorbed.


    * It resonates more easily with the Red Phoenix. Instantly unleashes the Red Phoenix¡¯s will and bring a rain of fire down throughout the canyon.


    * The rain of fire will deal damage to the enemies and heal your allies. The amount of damage and recovery is affected by the Red Phoenix¡¯s stats. No mana will be consumed. Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    * If you want, the main body of the Red Phoenix can be manifested.


    * However, if the summoned Red Phoenix dies, then a severe penalty will be imposed on both you and the Red Phoenix. 100,000 mana will be consumed when summoning. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.


    ¡ï Your willpower that is as strong as metal will inspire your allies.


    All allies in the canyon are significantly less likely to gain an abnormal status.


    * Every time your allies resist an abnormal status, you and your allies will gain a buff skill. However, it doesn¡¯t stack with buff skills of the same type. The buff duration time varies depending on the type of buff.


    * This effect willst while the sanctuary is maintained and no additional resources are consumed. There is no cooldown time.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.


    Resources Consumed: 100,000 mana.]


    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯


    He checked the performance immediately. It was just a scam. Yes, it was a scam. By the way, levels existed? He thought he had reached the limit, but there was more room for growth.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Lauel woke up btedly and was worried when he saw Grid¡¯s stiff expression. He felt guilty because he thought Grid was burdened after he talked about the conquest of hell. His heart throbbed. The sealed ck dragon seemed to beughing at him.


    ¡°Ah, I was thinking about something else for a moment.¡±


    Grid took back the mental world andughed. The canyon of steel disappeared like it was a lie and the two of them sat face to face in Grid¡¯s office again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s think about thister. First of all, our goal is Baal.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what would happen in the future, but as the emperor, he wanted to save people¡¯s souls quickly. It wasn¡¯t just because of the quest to free Pagma. He always felt heavy-hearted and pained when he thought about how Khan and many other people would be suffering at this moment.


    ¡®I¡¯ll give the secret techniques to the apostles. There is no one to use the holy weapons, so I will melt them and extract the adamantium... what?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression hardened as he looked at the loot he obtained from the martial god. It was because his high insight stat, which reced the concept of vision, captured the strangeness of the holy weapons. The holy weapons were simr in shape to the works that Grid had made so far. They contained faint nostalgia when they should be giarized works intended for provocation.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°This... it isn¡¯t giarism.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The details are too different to say that they were made while looking at the real objects. It was almost as if...¡±


    It seemed to have been made by recalling memories. There was care and affection in the smallest details as if the maker missed those days.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face turned cold as he recalled the family member he didn¡¯t want to talk about. His Formless Will became uncontroble due to killing intent and shook and cut all the furniture around him.


    As if to calm him down, a guest came.

 Chapter 1616

    <h4>Chapter 1616</h4>


    [Formless Will - Divine Skill]


    [Attack the target with a solid willpower.


    * The amount of damage done by Formless Will is the same as the willpower statbined with the strength stat. Itpletely ignores the target¡¯s resistance and defense.


    * Targets with the willpower stat will be immune to this attack.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 10 seconds after every three activations.]


    Formless Will was a basic skill gained by realizing the concept of the mental world. It naturally grew as Grid¡¯s mental world evolved. The cooldown time, which used to be a huge 24 hours, was extremely shortened and as of today, there was no consumption of resources. This meant it could be used properly in practice. It was on a different level from the yangban, Garam, who used Formless Will against the Grid who didn¡¯t yet know the concept of a mental world. It was at the level of harming the enemy just by having the will.


    Of course, that was only when dealing with those who were unskilled. Those who were hostile to Grid were usually transcendents, so they naturally had the willpower stat. They weren''t targetable by Formless Will.


    Grid recalled the archangel Raphael¡¯s face and his desire to kill activated Formless Will. Grid used it naturally without being aware of it, but it ran wild because no target could be designated.


    Formless Will, which had reached a divine level, was virtually no different from a passive skill. It was sensitively sympathetic to Grid¡¯s will. It vaguely resembled the martial god¡¯s strong self-defense that didn¡¯t allow Noe to approach.


    ¡°As expected of Your Majesty... just as I sealed the ck dragon, did you seal a great monster into your body? It is a criminal with an unimaginable cause...¡± Lauel¡¯s face turned white. Invisible des cut in all directions, so it was natural to be scared. He kept talking nonsense while Grid didn¡¯t have time to take back the Formless Will.


    The good news was that his subconscious recognized Lauel as an absolute ally. The wildly rampaging Formless Will didn¡¯t touch even one of Lauel¡¯s hairs.


    ¡°They are looking for a recement for Michael.¡±


    Grid¡¯s consciousness sank to the time when he raided Gamigin. It was shortly after the attack of Raphael, who formed a trinity and descended.


    ¡°It is really good that you didn¡¯t give them the souls. I pay homage to you.¡±


    Mir had said when rushing over to help Grid. This,bined with Raphael¡¯s purpose of seizing the souls of the legends, helped Grid understand. An ufortable truth was delivered. The truth was that angels were made from the souls of legends and that heaven had always harvested the souls of legends.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I doubt it at that time?¡¯


    Khan was also a legend. He might¡¯ve only been a legend at the moment of death, but... it was safe to say that he didn¡¯t have a period of activity as a legend, but he left behind numerous works. The world remembered him and talked about him. As such, it was natural that the heaven who imprisoned Hexetia would covet him. He should¡¯ve been mindful of the possibility that Khan would be an angel. However, he didn¡¯t doubt it. Maybe it was because he was so afraid that he tried not to be conscious of it.


    At this moment, a harsh price was paid for it. He suffered a great psychological shock and emotional pain that he couldn¡¯t bear.


    ¡®Khan...¡¯


    All types of memories shed by like antern. The days when he was next to Khan and knocked on the anvil. They alwaysughed. No matter what they did together, they had fun. During the time when they stared at blueprints all night, when they couldn¡¯t eat and were just using the bellows, or when they handed over the bad customers to each other, Khan and Grid justughed. Even when Khan ced flowers on his son¡¯s grave, looked up at the quiet sky and wept, Grid smiled while quietly squeezing therge, oil-stained hand.


    His teeth were clenched together so strongly that there was a noise like they were going to break. Grid¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. The shallowly pooled tears looked red.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    Grid had believed that Khan was in hell. He spected that Khan was suffering as he wandered the river of reincarnation while retaining the memories of his life.


    Grid¡¯s heart ached every time he thought about it. He had been working hard with the desire to save Khan as soon as possible. However, he hadn¡¯t been as nervous as he was now.


    The dead fell into hell and wandered through the river of reincarnation. No matter how terrible and distressing it might be, this was the ¡®pure logic¡¯ of this world. It might¡¯ve been aw of the world that was distorted by Baal, but the dead could never reject thews of the world. It meant it was possible to rationalize that it was inevitable.


    Yet things turned out differently with divine intervention. Every time they needed it, they chose only the souls they wanted, took the souls away, and turned them into angels? An angel was a soldier who fought for the gods. Zik spected that during the time when the seven malignant saints raided Asgard, there must¡¯ve been thousands of angels blocking the way.


    On the surface, they cried out that they cared for and loved human beings and were worshiped for it yet secretly, they used humans as meat shields. Maybe it had always been like that. They might¡¯ve done the legends of the past a favor and harvested them when the time came. This was the only way therge number of angels made sense.


    Grid trembled at Asgard¡¯s duplicity. He knew that the yangbans were made based on angels and having experienced Michael and Raphael, he recalled that the angels were imperfect. It was easy to guess that Khan, who had been resurrected as an angel, wouldn¡¯t be in a normal state. Maybe he was suffering more than he would¡¯ve in hell.


    Therefore, it was possible that he made these swords while clinging to old memories. Or maybe he was asking Grid for help.


    Grid¡¯s contemtive face gradually distorted. Every time his breathing became as rough as a beast, his Formless Will became even more ferocious. Raphael¡¯s smiling face kept popping up and stirring in his mind. Was it purely out of necessity that they made Khan an angel? Wasn¡¯t this actually trying to provoke Grid? If so, Khan was taken as a hostage. He was even more anxious because he didn¡¯t know what type of atrocities they wouldmit against Khan.


    ¡®I have to pretend I don¡¯t know that Khan has be an angel. Khan will be thoroughly exploited the moment I reveal that I have noticed.¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s killing intent reached its peak...


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    The door opened. His precious people rushed over and hugged Grid. It was Irene, who had been silently guarding the pce without Grid, and Lord, who had followed in Grid¡¯s tracks after saying he wanted to experience his father¡¯s life.


    Mercedes hung back and looked at Grid anxiously. Piaro stood next to her. Sariel wrapped light around the frightened Lauel and Zik looked around to try and guess the situation.


    Braham leaned against the wide open door and scoffed. ¡°What is it that made the guy who defeated the martial god so impatient?¡±


    Step.


    One step, another step.


    Braham¡¯s red eyes as he slowly approached Grid were very deep and transparent. He seemed to be contemting the trajectory of Formless Will, whose form couldn¡¯t be seen. It waspletely different from his eyes in the past which had been filled with irritability, anger, resentment, killing intent, and anxiety.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on, but remember one thing.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid felt that the mana in the atmosphere had changed. It wasn¡¯t just at the level of the flow changing. It was the essence that had changed. The subject of the changed mana was Braham. The ce itself was perceived as the inner world of Braham. Braham¡¯s mana core stretched out infinitely like the universe.


    Grid felt like he had be a part of it. It wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid. Everyone else experienced the same feeling. The mana, which should¡¯ve been transparent and pure, was tingled with a subtle purple color. The world was clearly dyed by Braham¡¯s color.


    Grid noticed it. This was Braham¡¯s sanctuary. It was still only a fragment, but the ultimate meaning was that Braham¡¯s mental world would develop as his divinity increased and it would eventually reach the same hierarchy as Sanctuary of Metal.


    The one who made Grid understand the concept of a mental world¡ªBraham¡¯s realm, which had already been created after utilizing his mental world for hundreds of years, progressed one step forward in line with his divinity that had steadily developed since the time he killed the hydra.


    ¡°You are outstanding... I know you are arrogant and have ced yourself ahead of us.¡± Braham, who almost unknowingly expressed apliment, naturally corrected his words. He wasn¡¯t flustered and looked calm. He didn¡¯t blink at all. ¡°The reason I couldn¡¯t rebuke you for taking responsibility on your own was because I didn¡¯t deserve it. However, it will be different in the future.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was surprised to see Braham¡¯s details. He wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Braham¡¯s level had surpassed 750 before he knew it. The level of super named NPCs rose quickly and among them, Braham¡¯s level up speed was extraordinary.


    In the first ce, Grid alone was almost level 700. The effect of Enlightenment, which increased experience just by making items or fighting against strong enemies, was that great. The higher the level of the item created and the stronger the enemy, the more brilliant the effect.


    The thing that surprised Grid was that Braham¡¯s ¡®death penalty¡¯ had been greatly eased. Originally, the number of times Braham could definitely be resurrected was one. From then on, he could be resurrected based on a probability. Even just one death was still deadly.


    Now it was different. It was immunity to death itself. There was the prerequisite of ¡®must rest for 24 hours in a coffin after dying,¡¯ but he could be resurrected unconditionally after death like a yer. It seemed to be the aftermath of regaining the power of a direct descendant vampire and the growth of his divinity. Even so, it was incredibly good news for Grid, who was grieving as he recalled the dead Khan. At this moment, he could smile broadly as if he had the whole world.


    Braham frowned at the burdensome reaction and avoided Grid¡¯s eyes. As if he intended to do so from the beginning, he naturally looked at Piaro, Zik, Mercedes, and Sariel one after the other. Irene and Lord were also in his field of view.


    Among the apostles, the only one who didn¡¯t receive attention was Nefelina, who was hiding behind the door. She was offended for some reason, but Braham continued talking without caring. ¡°Grid, you aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°We are here now while the idiots who are in hell are growing slowly, but steadily. So to fight alone, be afraid alone, and grieve alone... stop it. Just as you have fought for us, we will fight for you and fulfill your wishes in the future.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I understand.¡±


    Just then, Grid threw away all his worries and fears. He decided to rely on his loved ones in the future with no doubt or hesitation. He now had the conviction that he could do it.


    ¡°Me too. Rely on me,¡± Nefelina rushed over and added, making Grid and Ireneugh.


    Grid¡¯s fierce Formless Will suddenly fell quiet. After a while¡ª


    ¡°Choose what you need.¡±


    There was a ceremony to hand out the secret techniques. As for the divine weapons, they were put into the furnace and smelted. Mercedes could arm herself with most of the items created by Grid, but the other apostles couldn¡¯t. It was necessary to create suitable new works using the divine stone.


    The fact that it was made by an angel believed to be Khan didn¡¯t mean much. Grid didn¡¯t need anything to remember Khan by. He already had many memories. Grid just wanted Khan¡¯s salvation and he was determined to save Khan someday.

 Chapter 1617

    <h4>Chapter 1617</h4>


    ¡°Zeratul? He is a weird guy.¡±


    The defeat of the martial god was also a topic in hell.


    ¡°Why did he descend to the surface and fight unfavorably? On the surface, the rank of the Overgeared God is by no means easy,¡± Amoract asked like she didn¡¯t understand.


    The 3 evils of the beginning¡ªthey were the absolutes of hell created by Yatan himself. Even the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin, who reigned with fear during the Great Human and Demon War, feared them. However, an absolute appreciated Grid.


    ¡®Considering Grid¡¯s achievements, even Yatan would appreciate him. It isn¡¯t just Amoract.¡¯


    Rose was surprised, but she was understandably convinced. On the other hand, she also felt sad.


    ¡®By the way, Amoract has been courting Yura as well, right? Is she just treating me poorly?¡¯


    Endurance of hardships¡ªit was a phrase that Rose had been reminded of hundreds or thousands of times. By the time she was aiming for the ck magician rankings, Yura had already been reigning as the most supreme magician. She surpassed the 1st ranked ck magician rankings to dominate the overall rankings and became Yatan¡¯s Servant.


    The gap had widened by the time Yura betrayed the Yatan Church. She started to cooperate with the Overgeared Guild. The best rankers in each field gathered around Grid and created a synergy beyond imagination. The Overgeared Guild was literally active in all directions. They established a kingdom and reigned.


    Hostile forces were brutally trampled on and the targets included the Yatan Church. The Overgeared Guild might not even remember it, but Rose had shed with the Overgeared Guild again and again. Every time, she suffered defeat, failure, and bitness as if it was natural.


    There was a time when she cried because she was sad. In particr, whenever her hidden quest was interrupted and failed, she got caught in her pent-up resentment and tossed and turned through the night for a few days. She felt so resentful that she even went on air and yed the press.


    She nevery sick in bed. She never had the thought of giving up or running away.


    The experience ofpeting with Yura made her stronger. A gap that was difficult to narrow even with bloody effort. She had experienced such a desperate situation from the beginning and quickly adapted no matter how difficult the environment around her.


    Satisfy was inherently difficult. It had never once been easy. This suffering was a matter of course¡­ it was with this mindset that she endured the suffering.


    She suddenly had a thought. She thought it was better that the enemy was strong. Rather than being tangled up with those of a simr ability and fighting a muddy battle that no one knew about, it was better for her topete with those whom everyone approved and envied. That way, her value would rise regardless of the oue.


    It wasn¡¯t just self-rationalization. In fact, she had been offered many opportunities. By gritting her teeth and holding on, she quickly became the hope of the Yatan Church.


    A group where everyone had left. She became the only high ranker left in the Yatan Church, which had be as precarious as a shipwreck that might be swallowed up by the sea. It was natural for all the hidden pieces rted to the Yatan Church to revolve around her. Eventually, she met Amoract and was reborn as a great demon.


    At first, she thought she had received enough rewards. She believed that the golden road to her future life was unfolding in front of her.


    ¡­This was until she was defeated by the Overgeared Guild. She was the first yer to achieve the feat of bing a great demon, but her life didn¡¯t change. She was defeated every time she met the Overgeared Guild and the shadow of Grid standing in the distance was the same. More power was needed.


    Yes, like Katz, she would only bepetitive at the level of the three evils. Rose hoped to be chosen by Amoract. Ever since she moved to hell, she served Amoract with the utmost sincerity. She believed that her heart had been sufficiently conveyed. It was because Amoract was kind to her. She was looking forward to being something special to Amoract, just like Katz became Beriache¡¯s Knight.


    It was an illusion. She noticed Amoract¡¯s attitude toward Yura. Amoract didn¡¯t show real kindness to Rose. Compared to her obsession with Yura, Rose was treated like a stone on the side of the road.


    Rose tried to understand. From Yatan¡¯s Servant to Demon yer. Wasn¡¯t Yura¡¯s background really special? She thought it was natural for Amoract to show interest. There was no need to talk about Grid.


    ¡°Trauka¡¯s daughter, Ifrit, regarded him as the one who overshadowed the years. It must mean that the Overgeared God¡¯s growth rate is againstmon sense, but only the uselessly arrogant Zeratul overlooked this and suffered humiliation.¡±


    The supreme yer¡ªthere was no way Amoract couldn¡¯t know him or underestimate him when he was powerful enough to change the worldview.


    ¡®I understand everything. I understand, but isn¡¯t it too much to not be interested in me?¡¯


    It was Rose who felt left out. Then sheughed because a thought suddenly came to mind.


    Grid and Yura¡ªshe was the one who had beenpeting for more than 10 years with the two people acknowledged (?) by Amoract. In recent years, the armed conflicts had been frequent. Of course, she was always one-sidedly defeated and the two of them might not remember her name, but¡­ in any case, it was amazing that she fought with these two people.


    ¡®How can she not acknowledge me?¡¯


    Amoract. Even if you neglect me now, one day you will eventually turn to me.


    Rose was already ecstatic when imagining that moment.


    ¡°¡­Huhut! Kekekeke!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    Amoract looked strangely at Rose, who was suddenlyughing alone, before looking away. This great demon with a human origin was iprehensible in many ways¡­


    She oftenughed even after failing every mission and she seemed to have lost her mind due to the side effect of losing too often.


    ¡®At first, I thought she was a pretty talented kid.¡¯


    Then Amoract realized it was unreasonable the moment she saw Yura again. If Yura was a star shining in the universe, then Rose was a pearl in the mud. Rose wasn¡¯t bad, but she wasn¡¯t at aparable level.


    Ahh, Yura.


    Poor child who doesn¡¯t know that being a Demon yer is useless. You don¡¯t know what it means that Baal targeted Alex¡¯s soul. The Light of Destruction that you depend on has already been thoroughly dissected.


    Baal is lowly and he enjoys the suffering of others. He has been digging into the bottom of Alex¡¯s soul for a long time. In the first ce, Alex¡¯s strength doesn¡¯t even reach the toes of the 3 evils. If you really want to purify hell, you shouldn¡¯t be satisfied with being the Demon yer. You must hold onto the hand I reach out¡­


    Once again, Amoract sent a whisper to Yura today. Her body was tied to the throne, but the mimicry using her magic power flew to Yura¡¯s ce and conveyed her consciousness.


    ¡®¡­Um?¡¯ Amoract, who had a sad expression on her face, cocked her head. It was because her mimicry was cut too easily. This had never happened before. The level of the human beings who invaded hell had quickly risen due to Baal¡¯s meaningless tricks, but it was unlikely that they had already reached this level.


    ¡®Who cut me? Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯


    The Overgeared God¡ªdid he use the momentum of winning the fight against Zeratul to go straight to challenging Baal? It was excessive overconfidence. He would be defeated.


    ¡®It is a pity, but this is a good thing.¡¯


    Amoract¡¯s wish was the return of hell, or purification, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have a grudge against Grid. Grid was the culprit for suppressing the Yatan Church and desecrating God Yatan. She was reluctant in many ways to sit back and watch him be endlessly strong after he received the recognition of the dragons. Honestly, she felt intimidated.


    ¡®Yet if he loses to Baal today and loses his divinity¡­ it will be bnced. Humans will rely on me, not the Overgeared God.¡¯


    What Amoract desired wasn¡¯t theplete independence of humanity. He hoped that humanity would triumph over Baal and reim hell, but in the process, they would surely borrow her strength. A great demon was inherently strong and the more humans they contracted with, the stronger they became. The ideal picture would be for humans to receive her help whening to hell, but¡­ the advent of a bizarre device called the hell elevator made it impossible to hope for that much.


    ¡®Sooner orter, I will restore my father¡¯s lost honor and I will be the only one standing by my father¡¯s side.¡¯


    A smile spread across Amoract¡¯s face as she positively epted the early appearance of the Overgeared God.


    ***


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    It was soon after the offensive of the demonic creatures sensed by Baal ceased. Amoract¡¯s mimicry broke into the Overgeared Guild¡¯s camp. It seemed to have aimed for this timing. It was a great crisis for the greatly tired Overgeared members. This was when Yura stepped forward and shed at the mimicry.


    That¡¯s right. Contrary to Amoract¡¯s expectations, the one who cut her mimicry was Yura. Thanks to this, the members of the Overgeared Guild could breathe and they couldn¡¯t help admiring it.


    They noticed the Light of Destruction. Light of Destruction was the ultimate technique of the Demon yer, who acted to counter evil beings. Unconditional critical hits, attacking the weakness, increased damage of critical hits, ignore attribute resistance, pration damage, ovepping damage, demonic energy weakening, incurable, etc. It had all types of beneficial effects. It was unreasonably powerful, but it had the terrible restriction that the full power could only be exerted against targets with demonic energy.


    Instead, there was one more drawback. It was a ranged attack. It was easy to load a gun and shoot the bullets, so it was fast and easy to snipe targets. It was just difficult to use in a close-ranged battle. The Demon yer showed enough fighting power to discuss being called the strongest in hell, but that was when her teammates supported her. In a one-on-one situation, her strength was sealed and she was rtively vulnerable.


    Now it was different. Yura, who at one point had attempted to use Light of Destruction like Aura, had evolvedpletely after bing ustomed to Nothing Stone. Light of Destruction, which normally refused to be oveid over armor and couldn¡¯t exert its full power, was mixed with Nothing Stone and oveid on her armaments. It was possible because Nothing Stone was the Elemental King of Nothingness.


    Nothing Stone had no attributes, so it was able to embrace all attributes that were ipatible with each other. It meant that the power of the Elemental King of Nothingness and the ultimate technique of the Demon yer had be one, so it naturally exerted transcendent power.


    The power of Light of Destruction had risen several times more than before. It transformed into a continuous skill and became useful in many ways.


    -It is rewarding to have a contract with you. The Overgeared God will be delighted as well.


    ¡®Thank you, Nothing Stone.¡¯


    The sight of Yura smiling brilliantly like she was with Grid was extremely beautiful.


    Vantner looked at her with a pleased expression and said emotionally, ¡°It is a predetermined fact that Yura will build up transcendence¡­ additionally, won¡¯t she be aiming for level 600?¡±


    The wave of demonic creatures sent by Baal gave him dozens of times more experience points than the undead that inhabited Galgunos¡¯ Temple. Moreover, the number was thousands of times greater. In effect, it was actually a wave of experience. At this point, he almost couldn¡¯t help wondering if Baal was helping on purpose.


    ¡°Yes, if this goes on for a year or two, it will be easy to reach level 600. Yet before that, won¡¯t Baale to us in person or we will go to Baal? Level 600 is nonsense. Even Grid isn¡¯t level 600 yet,¡± Pon refuted it. He didn¡¯t mean to pick a fight. In the first ce, Vantner knew that his words weren¡¯t realistic. He was just excited after admiring Yura and talked about anything.


    However, Vantner objected to one part of Pon¡¯s words. ¡°What do you mean by Grid isn¡¯t level 600? He is naturally over level 600. In my opinion, um¡­ he would be at least level 602.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Grid is always beyond our imagination!¡± Huroi immediately agreed.


    Unconditional faith that was close to a faith beyond loyalty. There was more than one person like that. Regas and many others, even Katz, nodded in agreement.


    Surprisingly, Peak Sword denied it. ¡°Even if it is God Grid, he can¡¯t be level 600. He hadn¡¯t hunted for almost half a year.¡±


    It was a conviction that came from the confidence that he knew Grid better than anyone. He was the president of the Korean Patriotic Association, which worked for the mothend, so Peak Sword ced great importance on Grid¡¯s personal safety. He knew Grid¡¯s schedule and knew almost everything Grid was doing and where he was doing it. He naturally knew that Grid had only focused on the work of a cksmith for over half a year.


    Of course, he had challenged a super named boss raid several times, such as fighting the dragons and repelling Zeratul, but he only won the Zeratul battle. This meant that Grid could only gain experience from the fight against Zeratul. So what means would he use to pass level 600? It was a fantasy that could only be embraced by those who didn¡¯t know God Grid.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he do hunting? Grid can hunt while making items, right?¡±


    ¡°You mean by using the God Hands and Overgeared Skeletons? Heh, you really don¡¯t know God Grid very well. The items that Grid has made recently are the dragon weapon and armor. He needs an extrarge furnace, just like when he made Gujel¡¯s Fang. This means it is almost impossible to do cksmithing work while hunting.¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s nose gradually rose higher. He seemed to regard his words as the truth. It was a sight that proved the Overgeared Guild was close to a Grid cult. There were those who believed that Grid surpassed level 600 and those who believed they were a Grid expert and thought this wasn¡¯t the case. The thing they had inmon was that they didn¡¯t know the benefits of being the Pioneer. They also vaguely counted the fact that the level of enemies that Grid fought was beyond imagination, but they didn¡¯t intuitively understand it.


    Yura and Jishuka just found the situation interesting. It was because the women who met and talked to Grid every day knew Grid¡¯s exact level.


    It was a huge 691. How surprised would their colleagues be when they found out¡­ they were already looking forward to the reactions.


    ***


    [Your level has risen.]


    ¡®I have eight levels left until the 7th awakening.¡¯


    His level rose again in the process of disassembling and smelting the 14 divine weapons. Even so, his experience gauge was almost full. After defeating Martial God Zeratul, he actually gained over 50 levels.


    ¡®It is fun.¡¯


    There was a time when his level really didn¡¯t go up. This was especially the case in thete 300s and the 400s. He got a few experience buffs from his items and titles, but he felt it was far from enough. Then a lot changed after he became the Pioneer. The enlightenment effect gave wings to Grid.


    Enlightenment was a perfect match for Grid, who was prone to being targeted by strong enemies. The effect of enlightenment was maximized the higher the enemy¡¯s level and status. It was also important that he made dragon weapons and armor. Perhaps it was because the system decided they were ultimate items, but they gave a lot more experience points than killing a bunch of named bosses. The fact that Xenon¡¯s scales would be steadily supplied in the future made Grid even more excited.


    He enjoyed seeing his level soar up.


    ¡®Indeed, the taste of leveling up in games is the greatest.¡¯


    In particr, Satisfy had stats awakening in increments of 100 levels. Every time he entered a new level unit, he was given a sense of purpose. Therefore, there was no room to get tired of growing.


    ¡°¡­Um?¡±


    Grid had been concentrating on his work with Lord when he noticed something unusual. The air had changed. It was different from Braham¡¯s sanctuary. Braham¡¯s sanctuary had increased the destructive power of mana in the atmosphere, while the current air was gentle and warm.


    Grid btedly noticed it. The beginning of this change came from the ground. The overflowing vitality of thend had changed the ecosystem and even the climate had changed.


    ¡®Piaro?¡¯


    Did he have goodpatibility with the new secret technique?


    Grid felt overwhelming emotion, so he stopped working and left the smithy. He saw Piaro integrating with nature. It was apanied by a strange notification.


    [Garion, the god of the earth, is cheering and pping while saying that he believed Piaro could do it.]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A god who originated from Reba, but stayed on the surface, not in Asgard. Although he was always on the surface, the earth god Garion was respected by all humans like the world tree and he seemed to have been watching Piaro for quite some time.

 Chapter 1618

    <h4>Chapter 1618</h4>


    Do you believe in the existence of gods?


    This was a question that didn¡¯t exist in Satisfy. Gods existed. Traces left by gods were all over the world. Until 15 years ago, some people heard Reba¡¯s voice. Dominion and Judar, who were bound to Reba and worshiped alongside her as the three gods, still gave divine messages to their believers.


    Right now, Overgeared God Grid was living with humans. Grid¡¯s divine objects had been absorbed into the world and performed all types of miracles.


    This was the reason why human gods overflowed. People knew about the existence of gods and they naturally associated gods with great beings. They easily worshiped and deified targets. One of the biggest factors that made the gods feel real was the god of the earth.


    Garion, the god of the earth, was sensitive to disasters, especially man-made ones, and protected thend. Thend was the most primordial concept that established humans. People felt Garion clearly and relied on him. Even the churches of the three gods revered Garion despite them defining gods who stayed on the surface rather than heaven as heresy.


    Thend had always been polluted. It was due to the greed of human beings. Every time, Garion protected it. It was God Garion who restored thend that was destroyed several times by the powerful blow of the Sword Saint. Literature describing the rtionship between the Sword Saint and Garion was easy to find. Sword Saint Kraugel, who appeared in the current age, lent credibility to the literature. Even at this moment, countless people would be imagining Garion as a kind mother or reliable father and giving offerings.


    That great being¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He was pping and happy to see Piaro grow up. He seemed to have been watching Piaro for quite some time. Grid felt more ufortable than happy. Did Piaro get close to a god other than himself? It was very disappointing. Shamefully, jealousy grew in him. It was a natural feeling.


    Grid and Piaro¡ªthe two of them had relied on each other. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, Piaro would¡¯ve lived his entire life as practically a dead man and he would¡¯ve died plunging into the empire like a moth to fire. On the other hand, the Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t have grown as quickly as it did now without Piaro.


    The pioneering speed would¡¯ve been slow because they wouldn¡¯t have been able to easily handle the monsters in Reidan¡¯s desert and they would have struggled with food shortages because they couldn¡¯t clear the desert. Due to theck of influx of new people to Reidan, the infrastructure wouldn¡¯t have developed and the supply and demand of troops would¡¯ve been difficult. The expansion of power wouldn¡¯t have been easy.


    It was highly likely that they would¡¯ve experienced a setback against Belial. Hell Gao had lost his body, so the Belial battle was actually the first raid against a great demon. In the most important battle in history, which sharply increased the growth rate of Grid and the Overgeared members, humanity¡¯s victory was due to Piaro¡¯s sacrifice and performance. If humanity had been defeated at that time, the power of the Yatan Church might¡¯ve prevailed and the continent might bepletely different to what it was now.


    Grid, the king of the small Overgeared Kingdom, would¡¯ve suffered the humiliation of kissing the feet of Mercedes, who came as the envoy of the Saharan Empire. Thinking about it now, it was a reward, not humiliation. In any case¡­


    Grid and Piaro were each other¡¯s benefactors. They were together and relied on each other. Thanks to that, they were able toe this far. It was a special rtionship like a couple. There was a reason why Grid had chosen Piaro¡¯s daughter as Lord¡¯s fiancee. Of course, Piaro¡¯s daughter was still very young and he had stopped the desire to match Piaro¡¯s daughter and Lord due to Irene¡¯s opinion that they should marry someone they loved¡­


    In any case, Grid considered Piaro so special that he wanted to be inws with Piaro.


    ¡°Piaro.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I said this when you got married, but I respect who you meet and who you have a deep rtionship with. I will help you if I can. I don¡¯t have any intention of disturbing you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was dark. There was no strength in his voice.


    Piaro was just perplexed. He expected to be congratted for reaching the peak of Natural State when he saw Grid rushing out of nowhere, but he heard something that waspletely strange. He tried to figure out the hidden meaning, but it was impossible due to theck of cultivation. How could a mere ordinary person understand the deep meaning of His Majesty who defeated even the martial god?


    ¡°Yes¡­ I know it well. It was thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s full support and encouragement that my wife, an elf, was able to make the decision toe to the human world.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m not petty. No, I can be petty, but I am generous when ites to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m also well aware of that. Your Majesty has always been good to me and Sir Khan in the past when you were insignificant and mediocre.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    It might be the past, but wasn¡¯t it too much to call him mediocre in front of him? The flustered Grid got to the point. ¡°So why are you so unsettled that you met another god without me knowing?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t stingy like my past self. So why did you secretly have a deep rtionship with a god other than me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Piaro closed his mouth. He had nothing to say. It wasn¡¯t because it was difficult to answer, but because he didn¡¯t understand.


    Grid noticed it. ¡®Piaro doesn¡¯t know?¡¯


    It seemed to have been Garion¡¯s one-sided voyeurism. Well, it was natural. Piaro was the apostle of Grid, the Overgeared God. There was no god who would court another god¡¯s messenger unless they were crazy. Grid didn¡¯t covet Raphael just because Raphael was really strong and excellent. Apart from not liking Raphael¡¯s personality, an apostle¡¯s loyalty was absolute. It was safe to say there was no case of an apostle of a god serving another god, unless they were first betrayed and abandoned like Sariel.


    ¡°Um¡­ Congrattions, Sir Piaro. It is amazing to see so much of nature responding only to you. It is like a.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid changed the subject. He had a lot of experience wearing the skin mask and pretending to be someone else, so it was easy to manage his facial expressions. He controlled his expression and serious attitude and praised Piaro¡¯s development. It was with sincere admiration.


    Putting aside his embarrassment, the change in Piaro was enormous. If Braham¡¯s magic core expanded like a universe and circted infinite mana, Piaro was like a. It wasn¡¯t infinite, but contained various and strong powers in one body. If there was enough opportunity, Piaro would be able to achieve divinity.


    ¡®¡­Divinity?¡¯


    Grid btedly noticed it. Why did Garion show interest in Piaro? It was inevitable, not because of some dark heart.


    ¡®If Piaro achieves divinity¡­ the divinityes from nature and nature implies the energy of the earth.¡¯


    Once PIaro attained divinity, he would resemble the god of the earth. Garion was bound to be interested in his position.


    ¡°Sir Piaro!¡± Administrator Rabbit ran over as Grid was silently thinking. Something urgent had happened.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, can I? I will step aside for a moment.¡± Piaro politely said goodbye and followed after Rabbit. He managed both the army and agriculture, so he seemed to becking an extra body. Grid was worried that he wouldn¡¯t have time to have a second child.


    ¡®A person like Piaro must have many children to make the country prosperous.¡¯


    Well, there would be some room sooner orter. It was because Lauel said he started the work of concentrating the military power on Asmophel. Asmophel was also growing steadily. Rather than the capabilities of a knight, he developed the abilities of amander with the assistance of the 1st Overgeared Army. Grid was told that his stats such as leadership were extremely high and the growth rate was fast because he had the Empire¡¯s Military Tactics skill. In the case of a second Great Human and Demon War, the armymanded by Asmophel would be the main force.


    ¡®Asmophel should also get married¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Asmophel. He also wished for Braham, Zik, and Sariel to get married as soon as possible. It was because good children were born from good parents. Of course, there was a possibility that it could be bad, but this was generally the case.


    ¡®In that sense, Mercedes should also quickly have a child¡­¡¯


    The ensuing thoughts made Grid¡¯s face turn red. He felt his body getting hot and fanned himself, only to suddenly look at his feet.


    -Hello.


    Small letters were carved into the ground. It wasn¡¯t written. It felt like a craftsman, whose profession was to cut stones, had engraved it with passion.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid was startled and wary. It was because these letters had just been created. It wasn¡¯t there a moment ago. Who was it? Just as Grid was panicking, the rocks that made up the ground were silently cut. In an instant, new letters were engraved.


    -IamGarion.


    ¡°¡­Hah.¡±


    The great god of the earth¡ªunlike the other heavenly gods, Garion wasn¡¯t involved in politics but only cared for thend. He deserved respect just for being faithful to his role and he was praised as great because he was beneficial to all beings on the surface. Would he be considered equivalent to the world tree that supported the sky? However, it seemed he didn¡¯t learn how to add spaces when writing.


    ¡®The space is excluded.¡¯


    Garion exined to Grid, who was clicking his tongue out of embarrassment.


    -Pleaseunderstand.


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    -Longwritinghurts.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    It was good handwriting. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t write spaces, it was that he couldn¡¯t do it. He also wasn¡¯t talking informally because he wanted to. Garion¡¯s short words contained many meanings.


    Grid was trying to think positively, only to question it. ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you just say it?¡±


    -Can¡¯tdoitnow.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid frowned. Putting aside his understanding of Garion¡¯s situation, the tone was somehow annoying. It was the type of annoyance he felt when having a keyboard battle with an elementary school student. On the other hand, Garion was pitiful. He was so anxious about the pain that the earth would feel that he couldn¡¯t even write properly¡­


    How heartbroken must he have been every time Kraugel split thend in half?


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t he have fainted after Zeratul smashed the ground not too long ago?¡¯


    Grid had felt Garion¡¯s struggle when he moved through the time of the martial god. Grid admired Garion¡¯s feat of restoring thend by dividing into thousands of branches with all his strength and Grid also felt grateful. If Garion hadn¡¯t been faithful to his role, most of the people at the scene would¡¯ve died.


    Grid suppressed his anger when he recalled that time and asked in the gentlest tone possible, ¡°So why did youe to me? If you want to take Piaro¡­ that isn¡¯t eptable.¡±


    -Whatdoyoumeanbytake?ItwillbebigtroubleifItakehim.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use spaces if you are willing to write that long?¡± Grid finally snapped in a frustrated manner. He was a Korean who learned and wrote in Hangul, created by King Sejong the Great. Therefore, he was very sensitive to spacing. He often felt ufortable when finding typos while reading web novels, but this was apletely different matter.


    -I-I¡¯msorry.


    He had room to stutter, but not to use spaces? Grid noticed it. This god wasn¡¯t normal either.


    Just then, Garion revealed his purpose.


    -Saveme.

 Chapter 1619

    <h4>Chapter 1619</h4>


    ¡®Save me? Why?¡¯


    Once the light came, chaos lost its darkness. At the end of the procession of trumpet blowing angels was Goddess Reba. The goddess created the heavens and earth and formed living things, while Dominion and Judar helped. It was a prelude to Genesis.


    The first thing Reba did when she came to the surface was the creation of the heavens and thend. Garion and the World Tree were likely to have been born at this time. It meant that just like the other heavenly gods, Reba was Garion¡¯s mother. Of course, he had been on the surface ever since his birth, so his tendencies might be different from the other gods in heaven. Even approaching Piaro and Grid was within the scope of understanding.


    Yet asking for help was apletely different matter.


    Garion wanted Grid to save him? A god who was respected and loved by all and who had Reba behind him. He was in a position to ask for help?


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t answer hastily. Doubts had already sprang up in his heart as he touched his chin. He acknowledged that Garion was a god worthy of respect, but he didn¡¯t trust Garion.


    It was the right decision. The first Great Human and Demon War that Pagma went through, the second Great Human and Demon War that humans of this time went throug, and the old seven malignant saints episodes¡ªas history proved, the gods hadmitted numerous sins. They pretended on the surface while secretlymitting the crime. They were far more insidious than Baal, who was openly trash.


    Grid clearly knew this, so how could he believe only in Garion¡¯s reputation and trust him? He would just be an idiot.


    ¡®It seems like a trap.¡¯


    Of course, it could be an opportunity. Garion was a god who walked a neutral path on the surface. If it was true that he was a god who existed only for human beings, then it was a status that had no rtionship with the heavenly gods. It was understandable to rely on Grid when going through a crisis.


    ¡®It will be a great strength if I help at this time and we take the same side.¡¯


    First of all, it was great to be able to get a lot of information. The World Tree had little expression of emotions and had difficultymunicating, perhaps because it was fundamentally a tree. Meanwhile, Garion resembled an ordinary god. It meant Garion was simr to humans. He fully expressed his emotions through writing, so it seemed possible tomunicate smoothly.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit upset, but...¡¯


    -Saveme.


    Grid felt emotional again when he saw the letters on the ground. This was a god who didn¡¯t use spaces. Of course, it might be possible to have an actual conversation if he seeded in saving Garion. Grid thought about it for a while before sending a whisper to Lauel.


    He exined the current situation and asked for advice. Then he asked questions based on the advice. ¡°What are the circumstances in which you are asking to be saved? First of all, I want to know the situation you are in.¡±


    -Consumedivinepowereverytimethegroundisrestored.


    -TherearemanySwordSaintsthesedayssoIkeeplosingstrength.


    ¡®Biban and Kraugel did something wrong.¡¯


    So why do they keep cutting the world...


    Grid shook his head when he remembered the powerful swordsmanship of the Sword Saint before his expression soon stiffened.


    -Stillitwasbarelymanageable.


    -Butpeoplethesedays.


    -WorshipOvergearedeGodratherthanmyself.


    -Slowsdowntherecoveryofmystrength.


    ¡°...Uh, um...¡±


    Grid realized it once again. How much influence he had on the worldview. He felt embarrassed but proud.


    -Whyareyousmiling?


    ¡°I feel sorry, so I am smiling bitterly.¡±


    -Itisokay.


    -OvergearedGodisn¡¯twrong.Itisgreat.


    ¡®Indeed... he is upright and has a discerning eye.¡¯


    He was a respected god for a reason. Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to just trust him?


    -ItwasalreadyhardbutitwasruinedduetoZeratul.


    -HedestroyedthndandIlostdivinepower.


    ¡®Indeed, Zeratul is a jerk.¡¯


    Grid shifted all the me and responsibility to Zeratul and found peace of mind.


    The writing continued.


    -IaskedMothertohelpme.


    -Silencewastheanswer.


    ¡°Mother... you are talking about Goddess Reba.¡±


    -Right.


    -Mothercanrechargemydivinepower.


    -ButthereisnoasnswerevenwhenIcall.


    Reba¡¯s silence had been an issue that had been going on for a long time. It was around two years after Satisfy opened. In the early days, there were some people who heard Reba¡¯s voice through quests but at some point, these experiences disappeared. Damian even said that when he was the pope, he had only received Reba¡¯s divine message twice. It was only like that at the beginning and she had been silent ever since.


    It was the same for Grid. The goddess¡¯ gentle voice that Grid heard had long disappeared from his memory. He was now uncertain if the voice had ever been genuinely kind.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Various spections were possible about the reason Reba became silent toward humanity. It could have been to rebuke the Reba Church for its many civil wars in the wake of the corrupted Pope Drevigo or because she disliked the people who lost faith because the gods didn¡¯t save humanity when the great demons came.


    However, was it possible for her to also be silent with the gods? It was unreasonable to see it as her simply alienating Garion. Zeratul, who repeatedly descended to the surface without sufficient preparations, proved it. Wouldn¡¯t Goddess Reba have restrained Zeratul if she was in a good state?


    Asgard was obsessed with increasing their armaments to the point of harvesting legendary souls and turning them into angels. It was unlikely that the goddess would¡¯ve hoped for Zeratul¡¯s helpless defeat and loss of divinity when he could be described as the goddess¡¯ weapon.


    Looking back on it now, the events of the archangels¡¯ attempts to ughter humanity also seemed far from the will of the goddess. In the past, the goddessmunicated with the Reba Church by sending down the holy sword and divine messages. It meant she actively supported the religious activities of human beings. Did she really want the angels to hurt her believers and destroy the trust that had been built up?


    Grid had aplicated expression on his face due to the many doubts he felt and he asked another question.


    ¡°Did something happen to Goddess Reba? Is it possible that someone has imprisoned the goddess and is wielding her authority recklessly?¡±


    The gods of the beginning¡ªin other words, there were two more gods the same as Reba. One of them, Hanul had lost his power and fled to the East Continent, so he was out of the question. Meanwhile, Yatan had never appeared in the world. His appearance meant destruction. Therefore, it couldn¡¯t be recorded.


    Maybe Yatan, to Reba...?


    Grid had new doubts. It wasn¡¯t the spection that Reba was actually a good god, but the evil god Yatan was suppressing Reba and causing chaos in the world. The fact that Yatan wasn¡¯t an evil god was proven by the hell purification episode.


    Grid didn¡¯t discriminate between good and evil. He just wanted to figure out the situation.


    -ThereisnoonewhocanimprisonMother.


    -EvenYatancan¡¯tdoit.


    -YatanandMothercooperatewitheachotherbuttheycan¡¯tinterfere.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was puzzled. It was because Garion¡¯s writing had stopped. No matter how long he waited, the writing no longer continued.


    ¡°Garion?¡± Grid urged and a few minutes passed.


    -OvergearedGod,asyouknow.


    -BaalbetrayedYatan.


    -RaphaelorGabriel.


    -ItmeanstheycanbetrayMother.


    The beings who opposed the three evils of hell were the 1st and 2nd archangels. The angels Reba created before the other gods. Born from the chaos of nothing, they had to inherit Reba¡¯s ¡®blood¡¯ and their authority was enormous. It might¡¯ve been possible for them to distort heaven, just as Baal who inherited the blood of Yatan had distorted hell.


    Grid remembered Raphael¡¯s unlucky face and gritted his teeth. ¡°Then are you saying the whole situation is Raphael¡¯s doing?¡±


    -Itisaguess.


    -Mother¡¯ssituationisdifferentfromYatan.


    -Alwaysthere.


    -RaphandGabriel.


    -Theprobabilityofasessfulrebellionislow.


    -Mother¡¯ssilence.


    -ItmustbeMother¡¯swill.


    -Idon¡¯tknowthereason.


    ¡°...How can I help you?¡±


    After a discussion with Lauel, Grid decided to help Garion. Given Garion¡¯s past actions, it was safe to assume there was no possibility of him antagonizing them. The conversation also lent some credibility to this. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t a god in the position to hit them in the back of the head. The right judgment was to at least consider him as neutral. Of course, if he asked for unreasonable help then it was right to be suspicious and wary.


    -IrecognizetheOvergearedGodasagod.


    -ThegodthatpeoplebelieveinthemostrightnowistheOvergearedGod.


    -IcanrestoremydivinityifIamacknowledgedbytheOvergearedGod.


    -Buildonesmalltemple.


    Garion''s request was ridiculously easy. He just wanted Grid¡¯s recognition. It also meant Grid would be holding Garion¡¯s leash. If Garion regained divinity through Grid¡¯s recognition, he would lose his divinity again the moment Grid denied Garion.


    ¡°That... isn¡¯t this the same as betraying Goddess Reba? Heaven won¡¯t just sit still, right? How are you going to handle it?¡±


    -Itcan¡¯tbehelped.


    -Mymissionistoprotectthnd.


    -Protectthebeingslivingonthnd.


    -Therearemanypeoplesufferingdisastersevenatthismoment.


    -Ihavetohelpthem.


    -ThertionshipwithMotherorheavenisn¡¯timportant.


    A great god. He was worthy of worship.


    Grid, who had slight doubts even after realizing Garion¡¯s essence, nodded. There was a slight smile on his face. ¡°Then I will protect you.¡±


    -...........


    Countless dots were engraved on the ground. It continued constantly. Wasn¡¯t he worried that thend shouldn¡¯t be hurt? Why was he suddenly abusing it?


    A notification window popped up in front of the bewildered Grid.


    [Garion, the god of the earth, has blushed and fled.]


    ¡°......¡±


    There was a high probability that he was an uncle. Grid intuitively sensed it when he recalled past memories and frowned.


    At his feet, there was a sentence saying goodbye.


    ***


    The number of temples for the Overgeared God had exceeded 5,000. This was even despite the fact that they were built gorgeously and magnificently. The huge empire operated as a device to supply faith to Grid. There, Grid inserted something. The Garion Temple was built next to the main temple of the Overgeared God where arge number of believers came and went.


    It was small, but it wasn¡¯t shabby. It was just smallpared to the Overgeared God Temple. Additionally, there were quite a few craftsmen among Reinhardt¡¯s architects and sculptors. They had a lot of experience in building temples, so Garion¡¯s Temple was beautiful from anyone¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°The appearance of God Garion... it was very different from what I imagined.¡±


    Lauel looked a bit disappointed. The statue of God Garion on the left side of the Overgeared God Temple resembled the stone statue of Khan on the right side. The appearance was of arge, old man. Like Khan, his belly stuck out and his shoulders were wide. He looked generous and reliable.


    ¡°Really? What did you imagine?¡±


    ¡°It is the appearance of a benevolent and beautiful goddess. An appearance that fits well with a smile, just like Sir Sariel?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too stereotypical?¡±


    Sariel had been smiling brightly beside him and now his expression stiffened for a moment. He looked shocked by something, but unfortunately, no one knew. Sariel had always taken a male appearance in front of Grid. The male appearance was beautiful, but he received less attention than when he was a female. Additionally, people¡¯s attention was currently focused on the statue of God Garon.


    ¡°Even so, I think the appearance I imagined would fit well given the things God Garion has been doing.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but... it isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°How can you be sure when you haven¡¯t seen his face or heard his voice?¡±


    "Well... it¡¯s fine. Isn¡¯t it better to lower expectations in advance rather than being disappointed when seeing the real thingter? Huh? Sariel, why do you have a stiff expression? Is your rtionship with Garion bad?¡±


    ¡°No. God Garion has never stayed in heaven, so I¡¯ve never seen him. I just know that he is a god worthy of respect.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d.¡±


    The fact that there was a god that humans could trust and rely on. Grid was smiling happily when he remembered something.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t must human gods on the side of human beings?¡¯


    Like Grid, they were humans. Then they were worshiped and became gods. Most of them were difficult to meet because they had been eaten by the myth predators or were hiding from the myth predators. However, he was convinced that he could find them if he borrowed Garion¡¯s power. He was the god of the earth, so his gaze would be on the entire continent. Would there be a great synergy if Garion coborated with the Skunk Expedition?


    ¡®I gained a great ally.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened. He felt like he had found light in a word full of unbearable enemies.

 Chapter 1620

    <h4>Chapter 1620</h4>


    ¡°What? What type of world is it these days? There are still people like that?¡±


    God of War Ares¡ªit was said that his skills weren¡¯t as good as his fame and it was a short bubble that would only work in the days when the level of yers wasn¡¯t high. He had been subject to public ridicule and criticism for quite some time. It was because hisparison target was mainly Grid. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    They were the only ones among yers to establish a kingdom. Ares had a significant number of high rankers as his subordinates and naturally attracted the attention of the public. He waspared to Grid, who was in a serious position. However, his achievements were rtively shabby. Grid¡¯s achievements were so great that being held back by the empire wasn¡¯t an excuse. In the first ce, Grid wouldn¡¯t have been held back by the empire.


    In any case, it was a thing of the past. After the Great Human and Demon War, the assessment of Ares changed by 180 degrees. Valha¡¯s army literally crushed the demons and demonic creatures. They trampled and marched like tanks. It was said that the power of the god of war made the army many times more powerful and there was no exaggeration in this rumor.


    The strength of God of War Ares was immense. He defeated a great demon in the 20s alone and won continuous victories. The moment he became the target of a great demon in the 10s, he retreated without looking back, but by then, the public was already blinded by Ares and didn¡¯t see any ws.


    People praised Ares for his excellent judgment or the clever strategy of passing through the enemy¡¯s main force without evasion even when they saw him retreat. The reputation built up at that time made Valha what it was today. It had thergest number of yers among the kingdoms serving the Overgeared Empire as a subordinate kingdom. It was a leap forward to be the next powerhouse after the empire.


    He also shouldered a great responsibility.


    The kingdom in the east, which was building arge port to advance into the Red Sea, acted as a front-line fortress to guard against the expelled gods, while also killing the followers of the martial god who returned after building up their strength on the uninhabited inds in the Red Sea.


    It knew that the empire had little leeway due to the conquest of hell, so it assumed the role of keeping the third force in check. There were quite a few ranker-ss strong people among the followers of the martial god and they had to always remain tense to guard against any unforeseen incursions of the yangbans.


    In the first ce, it was very difficult to build a port to advance into the Red Sea. The seawater raged and the weather was unpredictable, causing disasters every day. A tremendous amount of capital and manpower was invested and their mental strength was consumed.


    Sima Qian, a native of the East Continent and a super named strategist¡ªif he hadn¡¯t strongly insisted on the construction of the port and provided all sorts of reasons for it, Ares wouldn¡¯t have even looked at the Red Sea. In a time when the immediate enemy was hell and the future enemy was heaven, why were they already preparing for an advance into the East Continent? Ares had his troops consumed while fighting with the foreign people to expand this far and he felt pained.


    ¡®In the midst of this, the PK criminals are running wild.¡¯


    Gulp gulp.


    The highest grade magic power potion made at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility¡ªAres drank the precious potion he had saved in a corner of the inventory, which was difficult to get supplies of at the moment in the aftermath of Reidan being smashed. The taste was like a superior version of Coke, so it was good to de-stress. Before the dragon invaded Reidan, he had lived with drinking it every day, but now the price had risen too much.


    Ares sighed with regret as he removed the empty bottle.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t even the remnants of the Yatan Church or the churches of the three gods? They are average yers making a fuss?¡±


    The Great Human and Demon War acted as an opportunity rather than a crisis. It made Grid and the Overgeared Guild a more powerful focal point and induced the unity of yers. Even the dark yers like the ck and White sisters, who were notorious formitting all types of crimes, started to cooperate with the world. It was thanks to themon enemy of hell being revealed to the surface. It was an atmosphere where the yers would unite as one, at least until hell was conquered.


    However, there were many types of human beings in the world. Even in real history, humanity had never achievedplete unity.


    It had been less than a year since the war ended. New dark yers sprung up, either because they couldn¡¯t stand the boring peace or because they couldn¡¯t make money in peace. They created confusion on the surface in a situation where manpower had to be concentrated in hell. The judgment they made was to use other kingdoms as areas of activity rather than the territory of the Overgeared Empire and one of those kingdoms was Valha.


    Of course, Valha had plenty of room to suppress them. However, yers didn¡¯t die. They were resurrected even when they died. They were killed right away, but after a while, they resurrected elsewhere and caused another incident. The ideal method was confinement in prison ording to thew, but a week was the limit even with all types of charges.


    It was a constraint of the system. It was for the sake of yers¡¯ rights or whatever.


    In the first ce, no one was meekly imprisoned unless they were idiots. If caught, they would rather avoid the crisis bymitting suicide. It wasn¡¯t so easy to subdue them so that suicide wasn¡¯t possible and there was no answer if they took poison in advance. Since ancient times, the production and distribution of poison was the source of side ie for the Yatan Church, so poison had evolved into various forms.


    ¡°The best way to suppress themotion of the yers is to kill them over and over again. We have to make them passive by persistently decreasing their level. The moment their location is found, we need to dispatch a high ranker who can subdue them at once...¡±


    ¡°I also know that. The main forces of Luck, Scott, Bondre, etc. are operating in hell, while the other generals are blocking the followers of the martial god. However, Sima Qian will oppose it if I move myself.¡±


    ¡°Just in time, Oasis has caught the sea creatures and returned.¡±


    ¡°Oasis...? That child is a bit...¡±


    Ares showed a reaction that wasn¡¯t that pleased. Oasis also fell into the category of a high ranker, but it was only at the level where he barely broke into this category. Most of all, the penalties were too great. Oasis couldn¡¯t be defeated. If he was isted and killed by a group of rankers, then he would be abandoned by the sheath of the Undefeated King this time.


    ¡°PK and hunting arepletely different fields. A monster¡¯s AI has limitations, while a yer¡¯s behavior is hard to predict. I don¡¯t want to send the inexperienced Oasis and endanger him.¡±


    Currently, Oasis was one of Valha¡¯s hopes. Ares hoped he would master the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship safely. The tactician chuckled.


    ¡°Oasis has said it. He learned a lot from the Overgeared members when participating in the hell expedition. Let me tell you, the level of the sea creature that he killed was in the 500s. Two of them were even named bosses.¡±


    The AI and anomalies of named bosses were superior to decent rankers.


    ¡°Now stop treating him as a troublesome child and trust him.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    A fortnightter, the yers making a fuss in Valha disappeared without a trace.


    Certain kill¡ªthe power of Oasis¡¯ sword, which ughtered yers with every draw of his sword, was so overwhelming that he quickly became an object of fear.


    The news about his great performance came to Lauel¡¯s ears.


    ¡°I knew there was a lot of talent in Valha, but I didn¡¯t expect Oasis¡¯ growth to be so extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°You said that he can use 100,000 Army Swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is only the massacre sword, but...¡±


    ¡°That alone would be considered a legend in terms of firepower.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you offended? The Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was originally Your Majesty¡¯s signature skill but now you are sharing it with Oasis.¡±


    "Not at all. Oasis is a serious and upright man in all things. Not only will him bing stronger benefit us, but the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship isn¡¯t my signature skill. There is no such thing as a monopoly.¡±


    Additionally, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship that Grid had acquired had evolved. Grid¡¯s level and stats also overwhelmed Oasis. Even with the same 100,000 Army Swordsmanship skill, Grid¡¯s swordsmanship was far superior to Oasis¡¯s swordsmanship.


    ¡°It is something you already know well.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I suddenly remember your former self, Your Majesty.¡±


    Lauel looked at the anvil. Thest holy weapon was being smelted and extracted. The works that reminded him of Grid¡¯s past. The precious works supposedly made by Khan, who became an angel, were dismantled without leaving a single piece behind.


    There wasn¡¯t a single bit of hesitation. The current Grid didn¡¯t dwell on the past, but saw only the future.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t here either.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s inventory afterpleting the extraction of thest holy weapon¡ª


    [Adamantium has been received.]


    A total of 41 adamantium was piled up. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t gain a single divine stone. The divine stone was a mineral created by the god Hexetia, so the angel that seeded him... it seemed that Khan didn¡¯t have permission to use it. He had inwardly expected it, but it was still disappointing.


    Grid sighed before speaking again, ¡°As for Valha, I will make new weapons and armor for Uncle Ares.¡±


    The amount of adamantium extracted was higher than expected. There would be some remaining after making battle gear for his apostles. The Overgeared members, who were currently active in hell, had supplied him with the materials needed for the items they wanted, so Grid wanted to use the remaining adamantium to support Ares. Not only had Valha been reborn as a key location, but he knew that Ares was actively cooperating with the Overgeared Empire. The other side had shown sincerity first, so he should reciprocate.


    Moreover, Grid had liked Ares from a long time ago. His personality didn¡¯t hold grudges and most of all, he waspetent. If he moved an army with Grid¡¯s items to Valha and let Asmophel takemand... it would really be the strongest army. It was necessary to build enough trust to entrust his army there.


    A smile spread across Lauel¡¯s face. ¡°Now you are making wise decisions without my advice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯ty the groundwork. Don¡¯t even think about running away because it is impossible without you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t leave even if you push me to leave.¡±


    It was after abandoning worthless greed. Grid had be even wiser. He captivated people¡¯s hearts without appealing with force or emotion. It went beyond merely being powerful and was bing great.


    ***


    ¡°It was weak. The outward appearance was usible, but the power was below expectations. It should¡¯ve been at the level where trivial beings can wield it and produce great results.¡±


    The archangel Raphael smiled as usual. It was a smile that suited their beautiful, boyish appearance. It came out as extremely pure. However, the wordsing from his mouth were fierce and harsh.


    ¡°It is right for holy weapons to leave immortal achievements in human history, but the ones you made went into the belly of the Overgeared God without leaving any achievements. The battle gear you made under my favor of the heavenly minerals has be mere rubbish, so you have insulted heaven. It is also an insult to me for believing in you and giving you wings. I heard you were praised for your many achievements during your lifetime, but it was just false, right? I had doubts from the time I saw your bulging belly. Howzy were you to umte fat like livestock trapped in a cage? Don¡¯t you think you need to be prepared to work a bit more diligently?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I am ashamed.¡±


    The angel with the bulging belly couldn¡¯t lift his head. When he first heard the news, he simply thought that the one called the Overgeared God was very good. However, he realized that hecked knowledge after he was reprimanded by Raphael. He felt a great sense of guilt because he couldn¡¯t make a holy weapon properly despite borrowing the workshop of God Hexetia.


    Raphael¡¯s voice softened. ¡°Even so, I still believe in you. If you devote yourself without relying on the memories of your life, I think you will make a better weapon at that time.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you again for trusting me. I will definitely live up to your expectations.¡±


    ¡°Can I give you one piece of advice? Why do you think angels have halos and wings of light? It is evidence that Goddess Reba has given her blessing and is the condensed power of light. This means it can be used.¡±


    ¡°The goddess¡¯ blessing...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is iparably stronger than the blessing I have given you. Try using it. It will be terribly painful, but isn¡¯t it worth suffering in order to strive for heaven?¡±


    ¡°Yes... you are correct.¡±


    The angel¡¯s face was shadowed as he answered. It wasn¡¯t just fear of pain. He just wasn¡¯t happy. He had been happy when he became an angel and grabbed a hammer again, but his heart became heavy and distressed when he heard that the weapons he created had harmed humans. Didn¡¯t heaven and angels exist for humans? The Overgeared God was a traitor and deserved to be punished, but was it really right to harm other humans due to this?


    ¡°Ugh...¡± The anguished angel¡¯s mind went nk for a moment. He felt a tremendous pain from his shoulder that stopped his thoughts. He looked back with a trembling gaze and saw Raphael¡¯s fine hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You just have to stick to your mission. That is the duty of an angel and the secret to being loved by the goddess. Get rid of all distractions.¡±


    Raphael smiled with joy and patted the angel on the shoulder before leaving the workshop. They stared in the direction of the prison where Hexetia was imprisoned for a moment with a sad expression before shaking their head.


    ¡°I wish that advice was given about this.¡±


    A sword that had be a demon by sacrificing an existence¡ªthe power of the demon sword created at the expense of an angel was hard for Raphael to predict. It would be a light match for a dragon weapon.


    ¡®Besides, it has goodpatibility with the demons of hell.¡¯


    Baal, be strong.


    Raphael uttered something that would frighten anyone who heard it and made their way to the temple where the goddess resided. They nned to announce Garion¡¯s betrayal and give the advice that Garion should be stripped of divinity. Just as in the previous world and the worlds before that, the sufficiently chopped up ground could exist on its own.


    Of course, the goddess wouldn¡¯t give an answer, so the decision would be made by Raphael.

 Chapter 1621

    <h4>Chapter 1621</h4>


    The past few months had been hectic and busy.


    Finding and distributing the secret techniques obtained from Zeratul, disassembling the weapons to create new items, inspecting the armies of the main strongholds, visiting Valha to build up an exchange, exploring ancient ruins and securing new food resources for Nefelina, who had be dissatisfied with livestock such as cattle and pigs.


    There were no major incidents, but time flew by quickly.


    A sensation that prates in an instant. It resembled Zeratul¡¯s sword power. Grid was aware of it.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯


    His reunion with Baal wasn¡¯t far away. He realized it in the course of crossing the continent in search of the human gods. The flow of the world had be even faster. After encountering the servants of the myth usurpers, fighting several battles, and destroying the guardians who protected the ruins, he reached level 700. All stats were strengthened by 1.3 times after reaching the 7th awakening. He felt several times stronger.


    Just in time, he received the news that Chris had surpassed level 400. It was a growth rate that exceeded expectations. It was a feat achieved only one year after his ss change. It was at a time when 15 people whopleted the 5th ss advancement were born inside the Overgeared Guild alone. It was followed by reports that Zibal¡¯s boarding time on the magic machine had be several times longer.


    ¡®Every situation is hastening the growth of the yers.¡¯


    This had been the case since Grid became involved with dragons and the appearance of the forgotten ancient cultures. It seemed to be warning him to prepare for the impending hardships and Grid gradually realized that he would soon be reunited with Baal. It was the reason why time passed so quickly.


    Grid couldn¡¯t wait to fight Baal, win, and purify hell, but on the other hand, he was afraid because he wasn¡¯t sure he could fight Baal and win. He hoped the day of the decisive battle woulde soon and at the same time, he wished to have a grace period. The world would change 180 degrees depending on the oue of the day, so his tension and burden grew indefinitely.


    However, he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. Grid¡¯s expression was always calm and his actions were dignified. Thanks to this, many people believed in him and felt relieved. The expressions of the people Grid met while inspecting the main strongholds and visiting Valha were as bright as ever. How could people have no worries? It was just that their hope seemed greater.


    ¡°Is this the right ce?¡±


    Grid had been in constantmunication with Garion. Garion, who started to be worshiped again thanks to Grid, was in the stage of slowly restoring his divine power. It was a divine power based on Grid. It was the aftermath of people misunderstanding Garion¡¯s small temple being ced next to Grid¡¯srge temple. Many people recognized Garion as the god who assisted Grid rather than the god of the earth.


    Garion didn¡¯t care. It was an attitude that any status was good as long as he could fulfill his duties.


    -That¡¯sright.Itissomewherehere.


    Garion tracked the divine power and identified the location of the human gods based on the flow of the earth¡¯s veins. It just wasn¡¯t as almighty as Grid expected.


    ¡°Even if it is somewhere here...¡±


    Grid frowned.


    A huge forest overgrown with lush greenery. It was a dark and wide forest with no room for sunlight to fall. How many years would it take to find a person who was determined to hide here? It wasn¡¯t much different from finding a needle in a desert.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you pinpoint the location more urately?¡±


    -Ican¡¯tdoitevenifmydivinepowerwaplete.


    -Iruleoverthnd.


    -Idon¡¯truleoverthebeingswholiveonthnd.


    -Inthefirstceitisanoppositegod.


    ¡°...It is below expectations.¡±


    -Thatistooharsh.


    -Justguidingyouthisfar.


    -Itisabigthingsoshameonyou.


    ¡°A close friend of mine is a scientist who created a radar that identifies dragons. That radar pinpoints a dragon¡¯s location. Isn¡¯t it a big problem that the god of the earth is inferior to a machine made by human hands?¡±


    He added a bit of exaggeration. The dragon radar wasn¡¯t almighty either. It was detected only if the target was nearby or emitted arge amount of magic power.


    -I¡¯magodnotadetector.


    -Ihopeyourfriendisdoingwell.


    ¡®The old man is upset.¡¯


    Grid chuckled. He had a sentiment of affection, not contempt. Grid opened up to Garion after only a few months. Garion¡¯s tendency to love and embrace all beings on the ground had earned Grid¡¯s favor.


    Grid pulled out Cranbel¡¯s Horn.


    A dragon weapon¡ªit was reminiscent of a beautiful ck meteor that revealed a pure white appearance in a forest without light.


    A meteor that soared through the dark night sky. The thing that could never be reached by human hands until it fell to the ground and became a meteorite was lightly held by Grid and swung.


    The fan-shaped sword energy that made day and night coexist. The spot where Grid stood was dark, while the ce in front of Grid was bright. It was because all the lush bushes were cut down and the sun shone.


    Moss was visible everywhere on the ground. It was the culprit that made Randy slip a few times. Overgeared Skeleton Two read Grid¡¯s meaning and caused a fire that burned all the moss. That was it. The mes, which were raging intensely, burned only the moss before dying down. Not even a small ember was transferred to the bushes. Overgeared Skeleton Two¡¯s mana control ability had be extremely delicate after studying under the tower members. It meant that the power of his spatial distortion, which was used as a long-term weapon, was maximized.


    Grid swung his sword again. It was a dance move that slowly took the breath away. Every time the glow of the sunset, which was darker than the sun, fluttered like silk, it brightened the surroundings. The forest was cleared.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Ifrit¡¯s Arm contracted. Red scales were stacked on top of each other inyers and adhered to Grid¡¯s muscles. There was no difort. On the contrary, his veins were energized and a sense of freshness was felt. The flow of mana was stimted. Arge amount of magic power gathered at his fingertips. It was the precursor to Breath. It was weak, but it was clearly the power of a dragon.


    Grid¡¯s gaze focused on a further ce and Grid¡¯s hand holding the breath formed a straight line with his gaze.


    ¡°Are you going topletely get rid of the forest?¡± The existence that Grid was eagerly looking for emerged. It was an elderly man with an old wooden box in his hand. ¡°This is a very important ce in the area. It is an indispensable forest that circtes nature and provides abundant resources to people. It is also a ce that the servants of the myth predators are keeping an eye on. So for the sake of people and even your own safety, stop doing that. I lose.¡±


    Debirion, the god of hunting¡ªhe was famous for the Hunting God¡¯s Protection buff which greatly increased PvE ability and was the god served by the majority of monks. At one time, Zibal was Debirion¡¯s Envoy. He was the most well-known human god before the Overgeared God.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go ahead. Take back that ominous energy and hit my neck directly with your sword. I won¡¯t resist. It is better for the world to give you my life than to be eaten by a myth predator.¡±


    Debirion had also heard the fame of the Overgeared God. He knew that Grid had protected millions of people through the mouths of hunters, woodcutters, and herbalists who came to the forest. He just couldn¡¯t trust Grid. It was the side effect of being troubled by the myth predators.


    Debirion had been trapped in this forest for a long time. He hid while being targeted by the servants of the myth predators. He developed the misconception that other people would be seeking his divinity. Thus, he hid deeper when he sensed the visit of the Overgeared God.


    Yet at this moment, he let go of his lingering attachments. After the disturbance, he decided it was right to sacrifice himself rather than being eaten by a myth predator. He gave up his life and resistance for the world. It was a life where he shouldn¡¯t have lingering regrets in the first ce.


    Ever since being worshiped by people and bing a god. Had he really been helpful to the world so far? At most, he only helped people hunt. All he did was help their arrows pierce the animals¡¯ necks urately, hoping that the number of hungry people would decrease a bit. It was insignificant and worthless. There was absolutely no reason to cling to life.


    ¡®My life ended hundreds of years ago.¡¯


    The day he stopped being a human. There was no life for him the moment he stepped into solitude.


    A weak god. A being who was worshiped and became a god simply due to his good heart smiled after many years. Once he epted the end, he felt at peace and regained his smile.


    Just then, the Breath was fired from Grid¡¯s hands. It reached Debirion, who had tightly closed eyes, and pierced the ominous mist that had risen behind Debirion, extinguishing it.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The wide-eyed Debirion, who survived without dying, became dumbfounded.


    ¡®Was that a lich¡¯s magic power? I wonder if it is a servant sent by the childless specter.¡¯


    Grid inferred the identity of the mist and used Shunpo. He approached Debirion and asked while feeling admiration in many ways, ¡°Have you only been hunting animals all this time?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. I am a hunter, so I have only killed animals for their flesh and skin when necessary.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid swallowed down his embarrassment. He smiled with joy despite feeling embarrassed by the shabby appearance of Debirion that was contrary to expectations.


    A god who was much nicer than what he vaguely imagined. After Garion, he met a god he could trust again. The weakness wasn¡¯t a problem at all. It was enough to increase the power. In the first ce, Debirion had a shabby appearance, but his divine power was extremely dense. It was natural since he had been worshiped by many people for a long time. He might have no experience in fighting properly, but he had great potential.


    ¡°There are so many animals to be hunted in this world. Dear Debirion, I need your help,¡± Grid politely requested.


    It happened as Debirion was hesitating with a puzzled expression...


    ¡°... Let''s move the location first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. That would be great. The specter will send a new pursuer if we stay here.¡±


    Debirion was concerned about the servants of the myth usurper, but this wasn¡¯t the problem for Grid. Grid felt Garion¡¯s divine power, which was connected to him, shaking as if it was going to be extinguished. He seemed to have been attacked by some overwhelming being. It was reminiscent of Martial God Zeratul, but Zeratul had lost so much of his divinity that it was impossible to descend again this soon. So this...


    "Let¡¯s go.¡± He had to hurry.


    Grid grabbed Debirion¡¯s wrist tightly and immediately started to leap through space using Shunpo. However, he stopped along the way. It was because barriers were being spread on every road leading to his destination. The space movement restrictions that often followed a super named boss were scattered everywhere.


    -Lauel, send the apostles to these coordinates.


    Grid realized that one of Reba¡¯s archangels had appeared and summoned the apostles.


    Lightning Speed was triggered. The Arrogant Blue Dragon''s Boots, that put the sky and earth under his feet, glowed and helped Grid fly. He soon became the Lightning God and turned into lightning.

 Chapter 1622

    <h4>Chapter 1622</h4>


    The beginning of the memory was a bright light. Garion understood the concept of beauty when she first opened her eyes. [1]


    Cultivate thend. Let the bushes take root and let the clear water flow so that the ground animals could y and the flying beasts could rest.


    Garion thought that the heart of her mother, who came down on the golden clouds with a smile, was beautiful.


    ¡°You always greet me with the same look.¡± Her mother¡¯s expression suddenly saddened, but Garion had no doubts. She was just bing aware of herself. She was busy retrieving the information flooding her mind as a side effect of awakening her consciousness and reasoning. She naturally buried her mother¡¯s words, which seemed like it wasn¡¯t the first time they met.


    It was a memory that became blurrier because of the faint voice.


    ¡®...I am reminded of that now.¡¯


    She lost all her divine power. It included the divine power she gained from the Overgeared God. It went beyond the level of being unable to fulfill her duties. She now found it hard to even establish her existence. It was only at this time that the fragments of memory that came to mind were assembled. She was saddened to realize that the culprit that sealed such an important memory was nothing other than divine power.


    ¡®I see.¡¯


    She had always been abandoned.


    In the previous world and the previous worlds before that. In the world that would follow as well¡ªshe had faced and would face the same moment as today.


    Tears streamed down Garion¡¯s white cheeks.


    Long hair that shed transparent light green and pink. The long wavy hair of Gabriel, which she had seen on the day of her birth, was still confirming her beauty. She wept bitterly while noticing that she hadn¡¯t changed, but was consistent.


    ¡°Gabriel... have you hurt me every time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your sin has always been the same. You prioritized the surface, not heaven, and grabbed the ankles of the gods.¡±


    ¡°That is my duty. Mother asked me to protect the beings on the surface.¡±


    I also came to love the beings on the surface.


    Garion swallowed down these words. It was because she was afraid that this heart would harm the beings on the surface.


    Gabriel nodded. ¡°Yes. We have long known that it is meaningless to ask for flexibility from your upright soul.¡±


    It was through countless experiences. Gabriel had long let go of the hesitation she had when cutting off Garion¡¯s head. Gabriel had been cutting off Garion¡¯s head from an unfathomably long past and had be ustomed to this behavior. She had reached the point where she didn¡¯t even feel any inspiration.


    However, this time was different. ¡°It is just that this case is special. Garion, your crime in this world is that you have betrayed the goddess. It is the worst crime in history. Working with the Overgeared God?¡±


    The Overgeared God¡ªthe existence that never existed before was changing many things. She remembered that the goddess had watched his steps with great interest and sometimes with delight. The reason why she didn¡¯t question the attitude of the goddess, who went missing without any signs, was because the condition of the goddess was special. She epted it naturally rather than wasting her mental strength on questions that couldn¡¯t be resolved. Raphael was pleased that the goddess finally trusted them, but...


    If Gabriel was the goddess, she wouldn¡¯t trust Raphael.


    ¡°What type of attraction does the Overgeared God have?¡± Gabrial asked the fundamental question. It was without removing the spear aimed at Garion¡¯s slender neck. On the left side of the spear de, a pole stretched out like a crescent and prated Garion¡¯s skin little by little.


    ¡°Attraction...? There are so many things that it will take me quite a while to exin. Are you going to keep me alive until then?¡±


    The Overgeared God had no choice but to be Garion¡¯s ideal type. Even when he was a human and after he became a god, he guarded the beings on the surface.


    Gabriel¡¯s lips curved up. It was just a habit. Her transparent eyes were cold from the beginning.


    No heart. From a certain point, Gabriel hadpletely excluded the concept of emotion. It could be that she was worn out from experiencing the repeating worlds or it might be due to a sense of mission to control Raphael. Even at this moment, there were pitiful human beings hoping for her kindness somewhere.


    ¡°This is enough for the answer.¡± Gabriel ended the conversation. She decided that rather than depriving Garion of her divinity and sealing her soul, she should kill Garionpletely. She had too many ws to continue assuming the role of god of the earth in the future. The ¡®seed¡¯ nted in the soul must¡¯ve grown sufficiently. It was a good idea to take this opportunity to recover it and develop the energy of a god killer.


    Gabriel¡¯s long, fine fingers curved slightly. A subtle change in the grip method brought a dramatic change to the spear. The stopped spear quickly moved in a half moon trajectory and cut Garion¡¯s neck. There was a pale aura on the tip of the spear. It was the energy of a god killer.


    The forest, which btedly shook due to the storm, was brutally green. There was no disturbance even though the god who had been taking care of it until now was facing a crisis. It meant that Garion¡¯s death had no effect on the world.


    Indeed, thend had been sufficiently strengthened.


    Gabriel gently pushed the spear with her index and middle finger and the spear that soared in the shape of a half moon fell like a thunderbolt.


    Garion¡¯s small head was smashed. Light poured from her broken head like a waterfall, to the extent where the particles of light pouring out of her previously cut neck seemed insignificant. A god¡¯s death was bound to be dyed and a god had the right to retreat during this grace period. It was just that they lost some of their rights in the face of the energy of a god killer.


    In the first ce, Gabriel waspletely different from Raphael or Zeratul. She wasn¡¯t easy because she didn¡¯t get swept up in emotions. She was reasonable and thorough. It meant she acknowledged the fact that she should be wary of the existence of the Overgeared God whening to the surface and she prepared sufficiently.


    She had naturally formed a trinity. She even armed herself with the divine objects she had been with since her birth. She also used the energy of a god killer, even if it was weak, so she was almost in a perfect battle state. Of course, it was a big losspared to when she was in heaven, but she couldn¡¯t be better based on the standards of the surface.


    ¡°Why are you trying to hold on?¡± Gabriel cocked her head. It was an attitude that showed she couldn¡¯t understand thend that decayed due to giving energy to Garion and Garion¡¯s attitude of epting and using it to sustain herself rather than rejecting it. ¡°The ground has been sufficiently strengthened. The world won¡¯t fall apart if you die. You staying alive won¡¯t bring any benefits to the beings on the surface.¡±


    Garion herself knew it best. She didn¡¯t have many uses any longer. Now the earth could exist on its own. Even if it was cut by the Sword Saint, it had enough regenerative power to recover slowly. It was meaningless even if she had the wish to protect the beings on the surface like before.


    Garion had lost most of her divine power. Her divinity had even fallen because she proved to be powerless to help thend she cared for. So why was she trying to survive?


    ¡®I¡¯ve never been like this before.¡¯


    In previous worlds, Garion alwayspiled with death. She couldn¡¯t resist because she knew her worthlessness.


    ¡°You¡ªare you waiting for the Overgeared God?¡±


    The current Garion was based on the Overgeared God¡¯s divine power, not Reba. By now, the Overgeared God would¡¯ve sensed Garion¡¯s crisis. However, that was it. The Overgeared God couldn¡¯t help Garion. It was because he defeated Zeratul a few months ago. Zeratul, who didn¡¯t have enough defense, was defeated in a humble way. The Overgeared God clearly won and rose in status. He must¡¯vee to a point where he could clearly see the difference in power between himself and Gabriel. What courage did he have toe and rescue Garion?


    Of course, he coulde. Thinking about the Overgeared God¡¯s past actions, he was far from reason. There was a high possibility that he would be emotionally biased and try toe. The problem was that he wasn¡¯t Gabriel¡¯s opponent. Gabriel decided that she was unlikely to be defeated by the Overgeared God because she was fully equipped.


    ¡°The Overgeared God only has a small chance of winning if hees with a top dragon. However, you know that there are no dragons the Overgeared Godmunicates with on a daily basis. If you persevere and attract the Overgeared God, he will lose a lot of divinity because of you. He might even die to me. Do you want that?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    The earth shook. It felt like it was shouting at Garion, who started to refuse to ept the energy, to not give up.


    Gabriel inserted the spear into thend that started to fluctuate like waves and said, ¡°Yes, you thought about it well.¡±


    Gabriel was mindful of Grid¡¯s intervention from the beginning. She might¡¯ve made enough preparations, but this didn¡¯t mean she weed Grid¡¯s intervention. Her purpose was to punish Garion to the fullest. She didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Unlike Raphael, who enjoyed unexpected events, she preferred that things went ording to her n.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Garion closed her eyes while sympathizing with herself, who would be reborn oblivious in the next world and would be used again. She just wanted to die before the Overgeared God arrived. She felt a lot of guilt because she almost put the Overgeared God in danger by dragging out the time.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I think I also wanted to rely on someone at least once.¡¯


    From the moment of her birth until now. Garion had lived alone and isted on the surface. She was faithful only to her duty and depended on the beings of the surface. It was just that life. She was useless. Even so, she had no regrets.


    Then the cold air of the spear de brushed against her throat. Garion thought her head had fallen to the ground. She didn¡¯t open her eyes because she was afraid that she would face her copsed body after losing her head.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel¡¯s fingers moved busily like she was ying an instrument. She flicked the spear with her ring finger and pulled it with her index finger. She immediately put it down and supported it with her middle finger. Her long spear turned greatly and spread over her head, exerting a tremendous presence. It blocked all the rain of battle gear pouring from the sky and made it impossible for them toe in contact with her.


    Her divinity, which had spread softly on the ground she had stepped on, expanded its territory to the left and right. It acted as a barrier to protect the baby angels brought to form the trinity.


    ¡°It ended up like this.¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s eyes, which were a cross of blue and gold, looked into the distance. Grid drew attention with the rain of battle gear and approached while minimizing any signs as much as possible. He approached Garion while wearing the Hooded Zip Up and believed his operation was a sess, but he soon realized he was mistaken.


    It was a trap. A pir of light rose from under Garion¡¯s feet and swallowed Garion and Grid at the same time. It was excessive greed to try and deceive Gabriel, who had existed since the beginning.


    ¡®What excessive nonsense?¡¯


    Grid had maintained the maximum speed whileing here so the Lightning God state was activated. He rose like lightning and dodged the pir while asking Garion on his back, ¡°Those wounds, will they recover if you go to the temple?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t really see Garion¡¯s appearance. It wasn¡¯t because her disastrous appearance was unsightly. It was out of consideration. Garion was a great god. He wanted to protect her dignity. In fact, Garion had been desperately trying to hide herself from the moment Grid appeared. It was their first andst meeting and she didn¡¯t want to look ugly.


    ¡°Leave me here and avoid this ce,¡± Garion said while pushing Grid¡¯s back. It was a plea.


    He could feel her little hands trembling. Had such a small hand sustained the world?


    It happened as Grid¡¯s head cooled down. Gabriel finished extinguishing the rain of battle gear and nodded. ¡°Yes. Overgeared God, you should go back. My purpose today is Garion, not you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard. My purpose is you.¡±


    The dragon weapons were held in both of Grid¡¯s hands. It was a state in which the items werebined. The angels who didn¡¯t show their noses when people were praying desperately to be saved¡ªGrid was extremely disgusted with those who showed up whenever they weren¡¯t wanted and targeted good beings.


    He was convinced that they were worse than the great demons. The demons at least responded to the call of the Yatan Church, while these damn angel jerks didn¡¯t answer.


    Killing intent soared. His emotions were expressed as Formless Will. A violent storm seemed to rage around Grid.


    ¡°At this point, it is possible to activate a sanctuary.¡± Gabriel measured Grid¡¯s level and raised her spear. She aimed at Grid, to be precise, she aimed at Garion who was on Grid¡¯s back. ¡°Choose whether you will survive alone or if the two of you will die together.¡±


    The warning was short and the action was immediate.


    Throwing the spear¡ªa movement that symbolized hunting from the beginning, it had a strong meaning. It must hit the subject and induced death. It was one of Gabriel¡¯s powers and now it even contained the energy of a god killer.


    Grid was engulfed in a terrifying fear despite experiencing a dragon¡¯s Breath and Zeratul¡¯s sword power. Death shed through his mind the moment he saw the flying spear. Naturally, the desire to live blossomed. It was instinct. The sanctuary was opened without any precursors.


    The Sanctuary of Metal¡ªhundreds of armor from the Canyon of Steel were oveid on Grid. Grid wrapped his arms around Garion. Garion¡¯s face turned red as she lowered her head in surprise. It was because she read Grid¡¯s mind through themunion of divine power. Even though she was hurt, she didn¡¯t look unsightly. Rather, he was surprised because she was so pretty. So she shouldn¡¯t make this face. Thefort healed her torn heart a bit.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s eyes widened slightly. It was a surprised reaction. It was the first time since she was born that she made such an expression because she was somewhat flustered by the appearance of Grid, who was in good condition even after blocking the thrown spear with his body.


    1. Previously, I have been using male for Garion''s gender because that''s how Grid saw them. Now it has been confirmed that Garion is female so I will switch to female pronouns from now on. ?

 Chapter 1623

    <h4>Chapter 1623</h4>


    The sanctuary was a measure that distinguished between a high or low god. The stronger the god, the more powerful their divinity and the more independent the realm that was built. Being independent made it hard to approach.


    ¡®This is the sanctuary of the Overgeared God.¡¯


    The angels were ustomed to the sanctuary of the goddess. Even with fighting against the expelled gods or suppressing the rebellion of the seven malignant saints, the angels fought with protection in the goddess¡¯ sanctuary. It meant she had a high discerning eye. Gabriel easily grasped and evaluated the Overgeared God¡¯s sanctuary.


    ¡®Excellent.¡¯


    It was a canyon of steel. The steel that melted in the heat spreading from the Overgeared God¡¯s heart made hundreds of armor and oveid them on the Overgeared God. Attacks could be absorbed without damage. It was a space optimized for the concept of protection. It was a sanctuary that reflected the tendencies of the Overgeared God who protected humanity.


    If it was Raphael, they would¡¯ve ridiculed and belittled it for being the domain of a coward, but... Gabriel couldn¡¯t smile at all.


    ¡®It is a noble mental world.¡¯


    The canyon of steel was high and serene. The steel that formed the canyon was cold and the heat that melted the steel was hot. The scene was like the tip of hell. However, Gabriel got a glimpse into the essence behind thendscape.


    Humanity had faced all types of monsters, demons, angels, and even gods and dragons. So far, countless beings had plunged the surface into crisis and every time, the Overgeared God had saved it. The high canyon was the Overgeared God¡¯s desire to be the fence that guarded thend and the numerous armors that sprang up in the canyon was the embodiment of the Overgeared God¡¯s achievements.


    ¡®A true god.¡¯


    Gabriel¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid, Garion, and Debirion, who was wandering behind them. They might be weak, but their character alone resembled the goddess. It was unfortunate that she had to kill them.


    This sentiment didn¡¯t lead to the desire to help them. Gabriel¡¯s heart had long cooled down. It was too cold to have any aspirations.


    ¡°It is very good for a sanctuary that you have just earned. However, there is a limit to the power of simply defending.¡±


    The Overgeared God had been fighting enemies stronger than him. Above all else, surviving must¡¯ve been the top priority. It was easy to understand the nature of the sanctuary that was specialized in defense. There was just no end if he kept simply defending. The way to achieve true victory and end the fight was to destroy the enemy. It meant that attacking was a higher concept than defense. It would¡¯ve been perfect if it was as omnipotent as the goddess¡¯ sanctuary, but it was unlikely that the Overgeared God, who had just been born, could create such a sanctuary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can hold out.¡±


    Gabriel retrieved the spear that she had thrown. She held it in her hand, not with her fingers. This spear was her symbol. It formed a single body and moved freely even without her touching it. The intention of her fingers alone shook the sky and the earth. If she held it in her hand and wielded it, the world might perish.


    However, now she had no hesitation. It was okay to destroy this ce because it was the Overgeared God¡¯s sanctuary, not reality.


    A surge of shockwaves from Gabriel shook the entire canyon. The golden armor and spear she was armed with exploded a bright light in ordance with her will. They were the armor and spear bestowed by the goddess in the beginning. They were Gabriel¡¯s symbols that had been with her since birth.


    In the shaky world, Garion became contemtive. She was amazed by Gabriel¡¯s power to shake up the entire sanctuary. She recognized that Grid¡¯s divinity would fall significantly if the sanctuary copsed and tried to persuade him, ¡°There is no need to have a power struggle with Gabriel, who is going her best. First of all, I think it is better to take back the sanctuary and step down.¡±


    One blow. Just block one attack and there would be a chance. No matter how strong Gabriel was, the aftermath would be great if she used that much power on the surface. Perhaps the duration of the trinity would end soon.


    Garion thought this, but her opinion wasn¡¯t adopted by Grid. The flow of the battle was fast. Gabriel had already arrived in front of him. The spear de that rotated like a wheel was fierce. A gold glow was dispersed dizzyingly and the spaces that were touched by the particles of light dissolved in vain.


    There was a hole in the sanctuary. Gabriel¡¯s spear, armor, will, actions, and very existence destroyed the Overgeared God¡¯s sanctuary in real time.


    ¡®Toote...¡¯


    The spear de that was right in front of her was projected into Garion¡¯srge eyes. Garion sensed annihtion and grasped Grid¡¯s cloak. She pulled Grid toward him and pushed herself forward. It was a desperate effort to save at least Grid. It was just that she hadn¡¯t recovered the strength she had lost. She was too weak. She did her best, but Grid¡¯s body didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Garion¡¯s mind went nk. It wasn¡¯t her own death that made her despair. It was Grid¡¯s pain that she would have to witness before she died. She had experienced how much pain the energy of a god killer could cause. It broke her heart to think that Grid would suffer the same pain as herself.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Garion¡¯s eyes widened. It was because Gabriel¡¯s face, which was erged as she got closer, crumpled up like a piece of paper. The astonishment that filled the indifferent eyes was unfamiliar.


    Garion understood the situation one stepte. Gabriel was covered in a thin white cloth. Her armor, which she had proudly armed herself with just now, was taken off and she revealed her half naked body.


    Why?


    Before Garion could properly question it, she saw Gabriel¡¯s spear soaring high. It was as if the spear was rejecting Gabriel. Contrary to Gabriel''s will as she gave strength to her hands to the point where they turned white, the spear slipped out of her hand uncontrobly.


    It was just before she reached Grid. Gabriel faced a situation where she met Grid with all her equipment removed. She looked like she was swinging her fist in the air. There was no way to exin the scene other than ¡®full of gaps.¡¯


    p.


    Grid¡¯s cloak, which hadn¡¯t moved despite Garion holding it with all his might, soared up backwards. The orange light, which suddenly spread like a veil, was restoring the damaged sanctuary in real time. During the time when he performed the sword dances with two swords, Grid mostly wielded Gujel¡¯s Dao first. It was to use the characteristics of the dao, which used drawing the sword as an advantage. Most of the enemies weren¡¯t able to respond to the tremendous eleration.


    Grid was currently level 700. His stats had reached the seventh awakening, so he was several times stronger than when he fought Zeratul. However, Gabriel dodged Grid¡¯s first attack. The light that spread around her seemed to rece her senses. It was obviously a superior version of the artificial senses favored by Grid.


    ¡®It is great.¡¯


    Grid naturally admired it. Gabriel¡¯s ability to react to a surprise attack while disarmed was that great. It was an opportunity to once again realize the skills of the absolutes that he would have to deal with in the future.


    ¡®It is okay.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t daunted. He felt the presence of Garion and Debirion standing behind him.


    Apostles and human gods¡ªhe also had many colleagues who would soon be absolutes. It was also reassuring that the Overgeared members in hell were bing stronger. They would be of great help in the future if they became legends or transcendents.


    A roar spread. It was the aftermath of Cranbel¡¯s Horn being fired.


    Gabriel was tangled up with the Formless Sword and also reacted to Gujel¡¯s Daobined with the Fire Dragon Sword. Therefore, she failed to avoid the attack properly. It was before she recovered the mental energy she poured out when avoiding Gujel¡¯s Dao.


    Grid recognized Gabriel¡¯s situation as she was stabbed by a sword bent at a strange angle and stretched out the thumb of his left hand. He gripped the handle of Gujel¡¯s Dao in a shorter manner.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid used Shunpo to move above Gabriel, whose bnce had copsed, and descended vertically. He pulled Gujel¡¯s Dao, which he was holding with a short grip, toward his chest. At the same time, he pushed Cranbel¡¯s Horn forward. The dragon¡¯s movement that he used to prate through Gabriel¡¯s light showed a certain vision to Gabriel, who was already confused.


    A dragon¡¯s descent¡ªit was a sight created bybining the sword dance and Cranbel¡¯s Horn.


    ¡®I will lose if I get hit.¡¯


    Gabriel immediately judged. Her lost spear and empty hands helped her make a quick judgment. She was robbed of her weapon, a weapon that she had been with all her life? It was ridiculous.


    Gabriel used Shunpo. Even so, her body remained motionless like it was nailed in ce. It was due to the wavelength of power generated by Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance. A vast energy was pulling at the surroundings like a ck hole.


    Gabriel was startled and looked into Grid¡¯s eyes. There was no ecstasy or anger in the eyes that looked at her who was in a crisis. His eyes looked like he was encountering something insignificant and Gabrielughed in vain.


    Unable to be resisted. It was an emotion she felt only when facing the gods of the beginning, the old dragons, and the only one god, Chiyou. This was the surface, not heaven, it was because of the loss of her weapon or armor, and other excuses, but even without these causes, Gabriel would¡¯ve admired Grid. The appearance of Grid as he reproduced a dragon¡¯s momentum and personality was a threat in itself.


    At the same time, there was the sound of bells as if responding to this sentiment.


    ¡®...Chiyou?¡¯


    A chill went down Gabriel¡¯s spine. There was a great ripple in her heart, which had been still even in the face of a crisis. It was because she felt that Chiyou¡¯s obsession with Grid was greater than the rumors. Had Chiyou ever shown such a great obsession with someone? Could it be that he believed the Overgeared would be aplete god killer? It was aw of the world that a god couldn¡¯t be aplete god killer. So what was the basis for this?


    ¡®...I have to win.¡¯


    It was after noticing that the odds were low. Gabriel, who was about to retreat to find a suitable opportunity, changed her mind. She recalled Chiyou¡¯s personality. From the beginning of time, he didn''t know how to tell a lie. He wasn¡¯t insignificant enough to be senile.


    The fact that he marked the Overgeared God as ¡®a being who can kill me,¡¯ or a god killer in other words, meant that the Overgeared God was fully qualified. Therefore, Gabriel felt a sense of duty that she shouldn¡¯t be defeated. She didn¡¯t dodge the Overgeared God¡¯s sword attack, which raged like a storm, and instead faced it.


    She surrounded herself with divinity as armor and blocked the sword of the Overgeared God. At the same time, she fired her divinity as a spear. The wounds on her body rapidly increased while the armor around the Overgeared God started to be smashed mercilessly. It was the determination to make it mutual destruction.


    Gabriel¡¯s resistance was fierce as she was determined to lose their status together rather than suffer a one-sided attack and increase the status of the Overgeared God. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t stop dancing. On the contrary, he increased his momentum and continued the development of the six fusion sword dance. It didn¡¯t matter how great Gabriel¡¯s willpower and strength were. It had nothing to do with Grid. It would just build up the basis for Grid¡¯s victory unless the opponent had the means to neutralize or offset the Sanctuary of Metal.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s fierce resistance stopped like it had been a lie. The spear that had been lost earlier¡ªit was the aftermath of being stabbed in the back by something that was like a part of herself and suffering devastating damage.


    ¡®Why is this...?¡¯


    Gabriel¡¯s face turned white as she hurriedly dodged the spear wielded by the ck-gold hand floating alone. Eventually, the sanctuary made a difference. Armor that was crushed at most. The fragments of armor that the Overgeared God was wearing changed into hundreds of weapons in response to the divinity of the sanctuary. The number was too high and it was too strong to endure at the same time as she fully took on the Overgeared God''s sword dance.


    ¡°How absurd...¡±


    Gabrielughed in vain. The sanctuary of the Overgeared God that she thought was simply specialized in defense¡ªthe more she experienced it, the more almighty it became. It was so much so that it resembled the goddess¡¯ sanctuary at first nce. She realized that the Overgeared God¡¯s achievements were far more than she expected.


    ¡®An absolute on the surface.¡¯


    Gabriel evaluated the Overgeared God as so and revealed her power. She fired a beam of light from her expanded halo and caused a storm with 14 wings. It smashed the hundreds of swords in real time and shook up Grid¡¯s sanctuary. Her hand, which had the energy of a god killer, pierced Grid¡¯s heart.


    [You have suffered fatal damage!]


    [You have entered the immortality state.]


    [The energy of a god killer has reduced the function of immortality. The duration of the immortality is 4 seconds.]


    It was one step toote. The reason why Gabriel¡¯s hand was able to pierce Grid¡¯s heart was because Grid had narrowed the distance to cut her neck.


    Gabriel¡¯s soul abandoned her body and escaped. Grid alone had suppressed the situation before the apostles even arrived. Gridpletely overwhelmed Gabriel, who had a better talent than Martial God Zeratul who descended to the surface a few months ago. It was a difference made by his increased level and the possession of a sanctuary.


    Numerous notification windows filled Grid¡¯s vision. However, the thing that pleased him wasn¡¯t the rewards, but Garion¡¯s presence by his side. He protected her.

 Chapter 1624

    <h4>Chapter 1624</h4>


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has defeated the 2nd archangel, ¡®Gabriel.¡¯]


    For angels, the body was clothing. It was a concept that could be easily discarded and changed. Harming their bodies didn¡¯t cause pain or death. Of course, the story was different when the Saintess was around, but Ruby was currently active in the hell expedition. From the beginning, Grid wasn¡¯t obsessed with Gabriel. Rather than feeling regret that he wasn¡¯t able to stop her from running away, he was satisfied and rejoiced that he had protected Garion.


    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s go to the temple.¡±


    Grid gently held the wrists of Garion and Debirion. There was courtesy in his conduct, such as seeking their understanding in advance. Grid¡¯s inner feelings of respect for the two gods naturally made him polite.


    The two gods were still stunned.


    The goddess¡¯ masterpiece¡ªthe hierarchy of the archangel Gabriel was at a height that made the gods on earth mere misceneous junk. She was a difficult existence even considering that they weren¡¯tplete, unlike in heaven. She was that virtuous from birth. Yet she was trampled on by Grid.


    Was it ¡®someone who overshadowed the years¡¯ or something? They had vaguely heard rumors that even dragons had a high regard for him, but they never thought it would be this much.


    Garion, who had witnessed firsthand the scene of Grid repelling Zeratul, was even more shocked. Grid¡¯s skills were very strongpared to when he fought Zeratul.


    In the awkward silence, Grid used a return scroll. The magic power squeezed through the barriers that started to break down the moment Gabriel retreated and swept through the bodies of the gods. However, it didn¡¯t have any effect. The setting that the return scroll was developed by a human magician grabbed at their ankle. Unlike the human born Grid and Debirion, the return scroll didn¡¯t work with the physiology of Garion, who was a god from birth. The structure of the magic circle activated by the scroll copsed as soon as it touched Garion.


    ¡®This...¡¯ Grid frowned. Garion had severe injuries to her neck and head. She tried not to show it, but he could feel that she was weakening in real time. In a situation where he was in a rush, he was caught off guard by the return scroll. It would take quite a while to get back to Reinhardt even if he linked Lightning God and Shunpo, so he was nervous.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve built more temples for Garion.¡¯


    There was ack of respect due to a weak vignce. It was at the moment when Grid had bted regrets...


    A light fell. The purple beam of light had as much destructive power as a meteorite colliding, but it was simply a wavelength of magic power. It was the remnants of teleportation. However, it tore apart all the traces that Gabriel had left behind. The trees and rocks that Gabriel had used as a tool to create the barriers¡ªin other words, it specifically destroyed the forms that contained even the slightest bit of Gabriel¡¯s divinity. The principles contained in just one teleport were enormous.


    Braham approached Grid, who was speechless with shock. The teleport that was operated like a ballistic missile and the calm face attracted the attention of the gods.


    ¡°I was one stepte.¡± He was about to properly check the performance of his new magic power...


    Braham murmured words mixed with regret and captured the magic power that was running wild in all directions. It was shortly after hepletely erased Gabriel¡¯s divinity and the elements that would¡¯ve allowed her toe again.


    Garion and Debirion became contemtive. Braham looked like a death god. It was due to the domineering nature found in Braham¡¯s vague divinity. It was understandable that he was mistaken for a death god. The mix of magic and divinity, filled with the confidence to kill and eliminate anything, came as a shock to Grid as well.


    Braham was aware of the situation. He confirmed Garion¡¯s divinity, which neutralized the magic of the return circle, stared at Garion¡¯s wounds, and drew a magic circle in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°...Yes...¡± Grid could feel the presence of the other apostles who started arriving on the scene, but he couldn¡¯t afford to wait for them. Grid nodded gently while Grid and Debirion epted the magic in an anxious manner.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The apostles who arrived at the scene after Braham were Zik and Mercedes. Zik looked around calmly while Mercedes couldn¡¯t hide her anger.


    ¡°Sluggards.¡± It was due to the word Braham said with a confident expression when he arrived first by a hair¡¯s breadth. The always sober and bold Zik wasn¡¯t agitated at all, but Mercedes was greatly affected. It wasn¡¯t because her mentality was unusually weak.


    In the first ce, Braham had a knack for making others angry. Now it was a matter rted to Grid. The fact that she couldn¡¯t immediately respond to Grid¡¯s call bothered her, so it was hard for her to maintain herposure when Braham provoked her. Zik, who couldn¡¯t be provoked, was the unusual one.


    ¡®This doll-like guy.¡¯ Braham clicked his tongue when he saw Zik¡¯s indifferent expression and teleported.


    ¡°I-I...!¡±


    Mercedes trembled with embarrassment as she was left at the scene. It was a meaningless emotional consumption in the eyes of Zik. He silently tore the return scroll and followed Grid and Braham back to Reinhardt.


    Gabriel¡¯s armed power was identified based on the traces of the battle. There were some strange things when hepared the Gabriel he saw during the days of the seven malignant saints to the current Gabriel, so he thought he should investigate.


    ¡°...I am veryte.¡± Just then, Piaro arrived at the scene. It was a great speed considering that he didn¡¯t have any long-distance travel skills, but he felt disappointed.


    Mercedes purified her heart after seeing his humble self, unlike Braham, and opened her mouth, ¡°His Majesty has returned to the imperial capital first. We should go back as well.¡¯


    ¡°Um, wait a moment.¡± Piaro pulled out a hand plow and rake. He started to tidy up thend where traces of the battle remained. It was a move done out of concern that someone else would judge Grid as insignificant based on these traces. After that, even the two of them left. Some more time passed...


    ¡°I am first.¡± Nefelina, who was thest to arrive at the scene, smiled proudly.


    The daughter of an old dragon, she possessed tremendous potential, but she was only a hatchling right now.


    Sariel was fully aware of all the barriers created along with the descent, while Nefelina couldn¡¯t interpret some of the functions of the barriers. She shamefully wandered through the maze in a lost manner for a while. Nevertheless, she was the first to arrive at the scene.


    It was because the scene was neatly organized by Braham and Piaro. In a ce where no traces of Sariel¡¯s divinity or a battle could be found, Nefelina admired her own greatness.


    Grid and Sariel¡ªNefelina had no choice but to admire it when she was the first to arrive at the scene when even the parties involved hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    ¡®...How can this be?¡¯


    Nefelina btedly realized that things were wrong and blushed in embarrassment. Could it be that her father¡¯s madness affected her? So maybe she became stupid for a moment, a moment, a very brief moment. She was ashamed enough to ask such a question for a moment.


    ***


    Angels were different from gods. The divinity they built him was more reminiscent of the divinity of a human priest. It was gained by believing in and serving a god. In other words, it meant they couldn¡¯t achieve divinity on their own. It was also the cause of being unable to gain the protection of immortality.


    There was no problem. Angels, like great demons, continued their endless lives through the reincarnation of the soul. Moreover, unlike the great demons, they had hundreds of thousands of bodies to change into. The moment they lost their body, they were reborn in another body.


    ¡°How long has it been since you¡¯ve changed bodies? Isn¡¯t it the first time since you were born?¡±


    Raphael greeted Gabriel, who was walking out of the temple in a neat manner. The action of poking Gabriel¡¯s tender skin was full of yfulness. It was apletely different reaction from when Zeratul was defeated. Raphael didn¡¯t seem to care that Gabriel¡¯s status had been damaged. It was because an angel¡¯s status was quickly restored.


    In the first ce, Gabriel¡¯s status didn¡¯t drop much. Angels were servants of the gods. It wasn¡¯t a big w for an angel to be defeated by a god. It was thew of the rule that would be applied regardless of the rise or fall of armed might. Moreover, the weaker Gabriel became, the freer Raphael would be. To be honest, Raphael was delighted. They could act as they pleased for the time being.


    ¡°How was the Overgeared God? Didn¡¯t I say that he is a very detestable guy?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... he is very goodpared to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ahaha, why do you always say such harsh things to me?¡±


    Gabriel didn¡¯t respond to Raphael, who was speaking with a smile.


    Hatred, killing intent¨Cevery time she faced Raphael, she felt a constant stream of emotions that an angel shouldn¡¯t have. This was even though she used to believe she had lost her emotions.


    She had noticed it. This was why Raphael entrusted this task to her. Raphael was wary of the Overgeared God and wanted to gauge his power. Gabriel was thoroughly exploited. Even so, there were no regrets. If Raphael had been involved in this matter, Garion might¡¯ve suffered much greater humiliation than she had ever suffered.


    Raphael would¡¯ve uttered insulting remarks nonstop, making all her efforts to strengthen the earth in this life and her previous lies futile. This had been the case once in the past. Since then, Gabriel had been in charge of Garion.


    ¡®This time around, I wasn¡¯t much different.¡¯


    The fact that Garion betrayed the goddess was disgusting. It didn¡¯t connect to the emotion of anger, but it was hard to say anything nice.


    ¡°You¡ªdon¡¯t go too wild just because you are excited.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I might be scolded by the goddesster, so I have to maintain the minimum of goodness.¡±


    ¡°Before that, you might be upset by the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ahahat, you didn¡¯t do your job properly and have only learned how to joke.¡±


    Raphael blinked and drew a heart with divinity. It conveyed Raphael¡¯s heart to Gabriel.


    ¡®Should I kill them?¡¯


    The emotions she thought had been worn down and disappeared from the beginning were stimted and wriggling again today. Gabriel stared at Raphael with a cold look in her eyes before turning around. She was going to stop by the temple of the goddess and confess her sin of not punishing the traitor. Then she would pray.


    ***


    ¡°Come this way.¡±


    Sariel¡¯s position was very different from normal angels.


    A fallen angel¡ªshe was exiled from heaven and lost most of her authority. For her, this body was the only one and death was the end. Additionally, the demonic energy umted in the Abyss was inherent in her and she didn¡¯t know when it would run rampant. Therefore, she was the only apostle who waited in Reinhardt. Surprisingly, she predicted Garion¡¯s condition and made all the preparations.


    She brought as many believers as possible to Garion¡¯s temple to sing hymns and pray for her. The authority of the apostles of the Overgeared God was absolute and Sariel was popr among the apostles because she was famous for being beautiful and kind. Garion was also a recognized god, so the crowd gathered like a swarm of clouds.


    Their fervent prayers and hymns became divine power for Garion and Garion seemed to be quickly recovering from her wounds. Garion would¡¯ve recovered immediately if there hadn¡¯t been a problem along the way.


    ¡°By the way, who is that...?¡±


    Garion was represented as an old man supporting the earth with a wide back and muscr arms in the stone statues and frescoes of the temple. However, the god who actually appeared was in the image of a young and beautiful woman. The people were confused and the hymns started to fall apart. The divine power that was originally being poured toward Garion dispersed in vain without finding the target.


    ¡°So what did I tell you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t say anything to Lauel, who scolded him.


    In any case, on this night, Garion regained her strength and her health.

 Chapter 1625

    <h4>Chapter 1625</h4>


    ¡®Indeed, there are limits to my current state.¡¯


    Watch the strength and weaknesses of the enemy before taking action. Even if the sword was drawnte, he would strike the opponent first and deny the rule of ¡®must win¡¯ for the opponent. It was an easy trick against those who weren¡¯t skilled. If it was an opponent he could overwhelm with physical power and control, then it was easy even if he watched and respondedte.


    However, it was difficult to use for an opponent who was equal. It had to be supported by not only control and the body, but also insight and light. The difficulty was high. So far, Kraugel was the only yer who had shown ate start against Grid. Kraugel had only shown it a couple of times, which was the limit.


    To be honest, Grid had only recently learned the concept of ate start. Over the past few months, he had been collecting and analyzing the PvP footage of yers. It was a concept he realized in the process of ying Kraugel¡¯s highlight videos over and over again, as if it was a habit, before he realized there was something strange. Then he concentrated and dug into it.


    A technique that couldn¡¯t be defined even if he experienced it himself in the past. Grid was fascinated the moment he understood the trick that he had dismissed as merely a miracle caused by superior control. He had a desire to master it perfectly and use it freely.


    Today, Grid¡¯s aspirations grew even stronger. Gabriel stoked the fire. She dodged the first blow of the six fusion sword dance that was used in a fully buffed state. It was a reaction rate that was clearly superior to Grid¡¯s.


    Grid checked his status window.


    [Name: Grid


    Level: 719


    ss: Overgeared God


    Species: God


    Title: Dragon Knight and many more


    ¡ïStrength: 8,900 ¡ïStamina: 7,500


    ¡ïAgility: 7,500 ¡ïIntelligence: 9,250


    ......


    ...]


    The beautiful arrangement of numbers was eye-catching. Grid had been growing steadily ever since bing a god. He earned a lot of stat points during the growth process and he distributed points in response to the stats that rose partially when obtaining items or titles. It meant he didn¡¯t miss the ¡®golden ratio,¡¯ which had different ratios for each level section.


    Grid¡¯s status window was simply perfect. The level was abnormally high? It was nonsense. Grid had justifiably leveled up. He fought enemies that were hard to handle every time. After bing a god for a while, he defeated various enemies. Additionally, he steadily made myth rated items.


    Grid was proud of his level. The 19 levels gained today from defeating Gabriel felt rather small.


    ¡®In fact, the amount of experience received was more than what I got when I defeated Zeratul.¡¯


    It was the aftermath of the amount of experience required to level up rising after reaching level 700. The experience required, which hadn¡¯t changed much after level 400, grew dramatically. He was on the verge of recalling the hell section he had experienced in the 300s and Grid had a vague idea about the reason.


    ¡®It is thest safeguard.¡¯


    During the time when Grid was in histe 300s, the average level of the named NPCs was in the 500s. At that time, Grid would¡¯ve surely passed the level of the named NPCs if the hell section hadn¡¯t appeared.


    ¡®It is right to say that the average level of the super named NPCs right now is around 900.¡¯


    It was a line that wasn¡¯t allowed even for Grid, who became a god. Even the authority of a Pioneer wascking. This line seemed to mean that the level of the opponent that Grid had to confront wasn¡¯t narrowed down.


    Grid didn¡¯t care. He had titles and status that nullified the concept of levels as well as Chiyou¡¯s blessing. Right now, there was a separate part that was striking his nerves.


    [¡ï Strength and speed and easily reach the maximum.]


    Grid crossed the limit every time his status rose. He broke the upper limit allowed for yers again and again. As a result, the above phrase had always appeared at the bottom of Grid¡¯s status window from a certain point. Just as it had be natural to exert the maximum grip force after equipping Ifrit¡¯s Arm, Grid could easily reach the maximum strength and speed in any situation.


    A typical example was the usage of the six fusion sword dance. Grid¡¯s attack speed reached the maximum from the moment Gujel¡¯s Dao was drawn. It was incredibly fast. Even so, Gabriel avoided it.


    ¡®Speaking of beings who are stronger than the version of Gabriel on the surface...¡¯


    There were the heavenly gods, Raphael, Baal and Amoract in hell, the gods of the Hwan Kingdom...


    There were at least more than 20 when estimating it. The senses and physical abilities of those specialized inbat among them would usually exceed the level of Gabriel seen today. It meant they were superior to Grid. There was nothing to be upset about. Just look at any online game. There were few cases where the boss was weaker than the yer.


    However, Grid had always been greedy. He wanted himself to be stronger than the enemy. The efforts made in the past, the help of the people around him, the good fortune that followed, etc. He kept all this in mind and thought it was natural to be stronger. It was why he was obsessed with ate start. He was convinced that ate start was one of the means to ovee the upper limit that the system had re-created.


    ¡®Another means...¡¯


    It was naturally the strengthening of his items. Grid decided that the upgrade of the God Hands was urgent. Originally, the greatest strength of the God Hands was forcing the enemy to choose between them. A very simple example was Grid and a God Hand attacking the enemy at the same time. The enemy had to block one of them, maximizing the value of the God Hand.


    It was just that the God Hands weren¡¯t very effective against recent enemies. The problem was that the speed of the God Hands was too slow. Even in the fight against Gabriel today, the attack of the God Hands only hit once. Gabriel¡¯s spear, which was taken away, couldn¡¯t be utilized as he wished.


    ¡®It is a problem that Braham has to solve.¡¯


    Gravurnium¡ªwhen would Greed evolve? It was when Grid was thinking about these things...


    ¡°The god of the earth haspleted her restoration. Should I bring her here?¡±


    ¡°No, I will go by myself.¡±


    ***


    People were busy. The work of recreating Garion¡¯s stone statues and repainting the murals was in full swing. Their faces were all bright. Not a single person was dissatisfied with the sudden increase in work. They were happy and it wasn¡¯t just at the level of being happy to work for a great god.


    ¡®This is why appearance matters.¡¯


    There was a saying that the best probability was appearance. Why was reason so easily twisted by the protagonist of a novel? It was because the protagonist was pretty or handsome.


    In any case, Garion, who they thought was a middle-aged man, was actually a young woman.


    Large pupils and drooping eyes. Combined with the bountiful body, she gave off a gentle and cozy appearance. She was like a mother or big sister. There was a certain mysterious charm that made people naturally rely on her.


    "Maman..." (French for mother)


    It felt like it was the scene of separated families reuniting. Some yers were treating Garion as a parent. Grid heard ¡®maman,¡¯ ¡®maman¡¯ as he passed the painter yers painting the mural and once again realized.


    ¡®There are so many yers from France.¡¯


    As expected of a country that produced high rankers like Bondre. It happened when he was thinking nonsensical thoughts...


    "Wee."


    Grid reached his destination, but the door opened on its own before he could knock. Beyond the door stood Garion. She felt Grid¡¯s presence and came directly to meet him. She was well-groomed and had very polite manners.


    ¡°Why are you talking formally all of a sudden...?¡±


    ¡°I have received your life-saving grace and must serve you with the utmost sincerity.¡±


    Garion didn¡¯t have much time to think when she met Grid during the crisis. It was a habit to omit honorifics when exchanging written conversation. Now that she was saved and received treatment, she came to her senses and changed her attitude.


    ¡®It is burdensome.¡¯


    Grid respected Garion. Garion was one of the old gods and was much older than Grid. She was at least thousands of years older. Additionally, many people started to call her ¡®mother.¡¯ She was expected to be the godmother of everyone sooner orter, so it was burdensome that such an existence would serve him. He was afraid that the number of anti-fans would increase like in the Noe incident.


    Even so, he didn¡¯t point out that she needed to change her attitude. It was because he thought it wasn¡¯t polite. Grid respected Garion. He wanted her to do whatever she wanted to do.


    ¡°Besides, you are also my chief god,¡± Garion read Grid¡¯splicated facial expression and added an exnation. Currently, her divine power used Grid¡¯s divine power as the source. Therefore, Grid became a god served by gods and was called a ¡®chief god.¡¯


    A chief god¡ªGrid thought about the weight of these words and asked with anticipation, ¡°Is there room for my divinity to rise significantly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the more gods who serve you, the greater a chief god you will be,¡± Garion answered with a kind smile before blinking and looking back. Then the awkward Debirion cautiously approached Grid.


    ¡°That... can you also build my temple here?¡±


    It was a very cautious tone, but there was no hesitation in it. There was a certain conviction.


    ¡°In fact, I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what it meant to be a god. I just became a god without knowing anything. I once resented my situation.¡±


    It was a time when the pursuit of the myth usurpers was in full swing.


    Why do I have to go through such trials?


    I won¡¯t grow old or die.


    Maybe I, a human who became something other than human, am simply a poor monster?


    Debirion had such doubts and skepticism. It was a type of puberty symptom experienced by most people in their early years. But today¡ª


    He saw the other gods and the responsibility and pride they carried. He had a desire to be like them. He wanted to be together with them.


    Griid read Debirion¡¯s inner thoughts and held Debirion¡¯s hands with all his might. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    A world message appeared.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 19th epic.]


    [Ites from a small divine world that was just born.]


    ¡®Divine world...?¡¯


    [He was revered by two gods.]


    [Garion, the god of the earth, worshiped his great power that overshadowed the years. She was fascinated by the achievements he had umted.]


    [Debirion, the god of hunting, worshiped his noble sense of responsibility. Debirion hoped to watch and learn from the achievements he would build up in the future.]


    ¡°May we be of help to you.¡±


    [The desire of two gods to be with him became a ritual.]


    [A holy divinity has arrived in the world.]


    [The cornerstone of the wall has beenid and will lead to the jealousy and envy of others.]


    ......


    ...


    [Your deity stat has risen by 10 as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [The level of Sanctuary of Metal has risen due to the increase in deity.]


    [You are now the ¡®master of one world.¡¯]


    [The size of the world is proportional to the size of Reinhardt¡¯s temples.]


    [The more gods you recruit, the more the world¡¯s size and influence will expand and more functions will be added.]


    [Choose the name of the newly born divine world.]


    This was unbelievable! Grid¡¯s body trembled. He was thrilled by thepletely unexpected situation. The birth of a divine world following Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom. Additionally, the master of this world was Grid himself. He felt a different type of emotionpared to when he founded a kingdom.


    "What is the name of our world?¡±


    Our world. It was really nice to hear.


    Garion asked with a benevolent smile and Grid responded to her. ¡°...It is Overgeared World.¡±


    The trembling voice represented Grid¡¯s emotions. His feelings were passed to Garion and Debirion as well and the three gods smiled sweetly.

 Chapter 1626

    <h4>Chapter 1626</h4>


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has built a new divine world on the surface.]


    The world message that emerged at dawn turned the world upside down.


    A divine world¡ªpeople immediately understood it as a concept of a dimension like Asgard. The 19th epic of Grid¡¯s that emerged earlier helped them understand.


    Garion and Debirion¡ªthe two great gods asked to serve Grid and this led to the arrival of a holy divinity on the surface? It was said to be the cornerstone of the wall that would lead to the jealousy and envy of others. Shortly thereafter, there was a message that Grid had built a divine world.


    ¡°Messiah...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s heart thumped.


    Surprise, joy, and excitement¡ªall types of intense emotions whirled in his heart.


    A world where the gods resided. He didn¡¯t expect that a new divine world, following Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom, would be born on the surface and it was even at the hands of Grid. He couldn¡¯t have imagined it, let alone anticipated it. The rationale was too poor to assume it would be within the range allowed by yers. From Lauel¡¯s point of view, it was an event that urred with no foreshadowing.


    ¡®...Maybe His Majesty himself didn¡¯t expect it.¡¯


    The S.A Group had always been unkind.


    Lauel suddenly recalled the past. The day when the first ¡®lord¡¯ was born among the yers. The world had been turned upside down and Lauel was astonished. It was because the information provided in advance by the S.A Group didn¡¯t mention a system in which yers could be nobles and lords. There was a really big wave when the news spread to the world one day that Chris, who suddenly became a noble, had be the master of a city a short timeter. People ran wild with excitement like a monkey in a new world.


    Until this time, the NPC nobles had rightfully ruled over yers and were arrogant. Many people had hopes and dreams that they could rise to an equal position and gain power and wealth. There were only a few yers who became nobles and lords, but... in any case, there was such a time. It was the era of nobility, when every yer had the goal of bing a noble.


    It was the era that Chris opened. Chris was the first to pioneer a system that was nowmon sense. It wasn¡¯t until a few yearster that Grid ushered in the era of kings. Now at this moment, he opened the era of gods. It was literally a divine world. An era he could¡¯ve never imagined even after going through the era of nobles and the era of kings...


    The scale was different.


    ¡°Indeed... he is the one I chose.¡±


    The ck me dragon shed over Lauel¡¯s hand as he smiled and covered half his face. The mes mixed with the ck energy were stronger today as if to represent his emotions.


    The divine world on the surface¡ªthe ce that would henceforth be humanity¡¯s greatest bastion held a significance so great that it diluted the anxiety Lauel had buried deep in his heart.


    ¡®A third divine world after Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom...¡¯


    What type of cool name would it have? Lauel¡¯s thoughts were naturally connected. He naturally wondered about the name without even being aware of it. At the same time, a chill went down his spine.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Ehhh? No? He tried to believe it, but¡ª


    [The name of the divine world is ¡®Overgeared World.¡¯]


    Reality was harsh. The smile disappeared from Lauel¡¯s face. His skin turned so white that it looked blue.


    The Overgeared Guild¡ªLauel resented Grid when he first heard the name. The name of the guild he would belong to for the rest of his life was called Overgeared? Lauel suffered from nightmares for half a year. It was a nightmare where he was surrounded by many people and was being pointed at.


    ¡®He said it is the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    ¡®Is this real? How did the guild get the name Overgeared?¡¯


    ¡®Overgeared members, keke.¡¯


    In the nightmare, the masked peopleughed at Lauel like he was insignificant. Lauel was always ashamed and sad because their attitude seemed to represent the public¡¯s inner thoughts. Lauel¡¯s nightmare ended only when Grid and the Overgeared Guild¡¯s fame rose and the world adapted to the name of Overgeared.


    However, the peace was short-lived. Soon afterward, Grid created a second guild that was the Overgeared workforce. From then on, Lauel had to suffer from nightmares again. He almost fainted with open eyes when Grid designated the kingdom¡¯s name as Overgeared.


    Overgeared Kingdom...


    Surprisingly, the public quickly adapted to the name, but Lauel¡¯s nightmare continued for two years. He felt like a chicken.He got goosebumps every time people called him the ¡®Overgeared Prime Minister.¡¯ Yet he even adapted to that.


    Lauel was proud of himself. Thanks to Grid¡¯s naming sense, he was confident that his mentality was harder than a rock and that he could withstand any trials and adversities in the future. However, that firm faith had soon been broken.


    ¡°Overgeared World...?¡±


    Cock-a-doodle-doo...


    At the same time, dawn broke and roosters cried out. Lauel resented himself for studying Korean so hard. In his head, English was naturally tranted to Korean and he had the idea that the tone of Overgeared World resembled ck-skinned Chicken World.


    Tears flowed down like chicken poop.


    ***


    [Overgeared World Lv. 1]


    [Rating: Myth


    Type: Dimension


    It is a dimension that descended from the divinity of the god of the earth, the god of hunting, and the Overgeared God.


    ¡ïDimension effect (based on current level)


    -The size of the Overgeared World is proportional to the size of the temples of the Overgeared God, the god of the earth, and the god of hunting in Reinhardt.


    -The cooldown time of all skills is removed for the Overgeared God, the god of the earth, and the god of hunting within the Overgeared World.


    -If a target that isn¡¯t allowed by the Overgeared God enters the Overgeared World, their status will be greatly weakened and all stats will be reduced by 50%.


    -If a target allowed by the Overgeared God enters the Overgeared World, their status will be preserved and all stats are increased by 30%.


    -Part of this effect is applied throughout the ¡®Reinhardt¡¯ area where the Overgeared World is located.


    -You can appoint ¡®angels.¡¯


    However, the attributes of the angels are greatly influenced by the chief god. In order to appoint angels of the Overgeared World, the target must be armed with at least three myth rated items and the target must be absolutely loyal to the Overgeared God. Number of angels currently avable to be appointed: 10.


    ¡ïEvery time a new god is recruited, the level of the Overgeared World will rise.


    ¡ïEvery time the level of the dimension rises, the dimension effect is enhanced or added.]


    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯


    The envy and jealousy of others. It was an allusion to the invasion of gods and demons. It meant that the Overgeared World would act as a wall to guard against the enemy¡¯s invasion. Grid had expected it to be a huge influence, but he never dreamed it would be this much.


    Wasn¡¯t this truly a heavenly fortress? He could feel reassured. In the future, Reinhardt was unlikely to be the target of an invasion. Even Zeratul, who enjoyed pretending to be strong, would nevere near Reinhardt again. Additionally, if the level of the divine world was steadily raised then the entire surface would be safe one day.


    Garion exined to Grid, who was feeling amazed and rejoicing, ¡°It is theoretically possible for chief gods to be independent and create a new world. It is easy if you reference the sample called Asgard, made by the gods of the beginning. It is just that the chief gods who have existed so far don''t dare to create a separate divine world because they regard the god of the beginning as a mother.¡±


    Asgard was created by Reba, a god of the beginning, while the Hwan Kingdom was made by Hanul, another god of the beginning. Except for these two ces, the divine world created by the Overgeared World God was the first.


    ¡°You have crossed thest line. By now, the heavenly gods must be very angry. There will probably be many gods who will use today¡¯s event as a pretext to invade the surface.¡± Garion was discussing a despairing matter, but her eyes didn¡¯t waver at all. She wasn¡¯t ming Grid. ¡°Still, I dare to assure you that the result wouldn¡¯t have changed even if you hadn¡¯t made the Overgeared World. The gods would¡¯ve made up an excuse to someday invade the surface. So... well done.¡±


    "I also have the same idea." Grid nodded.


    Angels and gods had already threatened the surface several times. It was a shame to lower his head just because he was afraid. It was right to provoke them or gain the strength to fight back. It was the same logic that nuclear weapons were needed for a nation¡¯s self-defense.


    Grid, a citizen of the Republic of Korea, hadpleted his national defense duties. He understood the importance of national defense. He would¡¯ve created the Overgeared World for the sake of the future, even if he had known in advance that the birth of the Overgeared World would lead to a new crisis...


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression suddenly hardened.


    Asgard¡ªit was because he realized the fatal penalty he would suffer if he went there in the position of an invader. Just the level one Overgeared World was enough to drastically reduce the invaders¡¯ stats and status. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know how much of a penalty would ur in Asgard.


    Then he quickly calmed down again. When was there a situation that wasn¡¯t hopeless? As always, he would find the answer.


    [¡ï You can create a new six fusion sword dance.]


    Grid came up with the first answer. It was the notification window blinking in the detailed information of Overgeared God''s Sword Dance. It was the effect of the 10 points of deity he had just obtained.


    Grid focused on thete start.


    ***


    ¡°Your help would¡¯ve been great."


    King Sobyeol¡ªhe was always smiling. He smiled even when pushing his older brother to hell. Therefore, Chiyou didn¡¯t like his smile.


    Jingle.


    Chiyou didn¡¯t open his mouth, but his bells made a sound. Light bells swayed in the cool breeze. It was the symbol of absolute force, the symbol of arrogance, and the hope of the one who desired death. The bells were a tool that made Chiyou¡¯s location identifiable. Anyone who wanted to challenge Chiyou could chase after these bells and raid him at any time.


    This was Chiyou¡¯s desire for death. Yet so far, no one had ever dared to challenge Chiyou. It had long been engraved into the world asmon sense that they would face the bacsh of extinction the moment they challenged him.


    ¡°A divine world hase to the surface. Isn¡¯t it all thanks to your help that the Overgeared God has survived without ever dying and created a divine world?¡±


    Even those who were blinded by light would¡¯ve noticed it by now.


    Ultimate Martial Art¡ªthe fact that Chiyou¡¯s blessing resided in the Overgeared God. Perhaps all the resentment was pouring toward Chiyou? It was because Chiyou was behind the Overgeared God insulting the gods of the beginning and creating a divine world.


    ¡°It is the most novel suicide method I have ever seen.¡±


    Chiyou was using the Overgeared God to kill himself. The ones blinded by light would soon send an army of angels toward this ce and a new war would begin. This... it was a huge opportunity. The power on this side was still far inferior to Asgard. If he invaded from the other side, they could fight from an advantageous position. There were few concepts as important to the gods as the divine world.


    Chiyou saw the gradually darkening smile on King Sobyeol¡¯s face and opened his mouth, ¡°I have never helped the Overgeared God.¡±


    The ultimate technique was different for each individual. The Ultimate Martial Art that Chiyou gave to Grid wasn¡¯t Chiyou¡¯s ultimate, but the ultimate that Grid would one day surely reach. It was the ultimate in ignoring and subduing the opponent¡¯s blows. It was purely Grid¡¯s potential that would threaten Chiyou.


    ¡°What nonsense is this...?¡±


    King Sobyeol understood the meaning and frowned. He reacted like it was absurd, but the bells that rang violently from the wind that just blew seemed tough at him.

 Chapter 1627

    <h4>Chapter 1627</h4>


    ¡®Is it right to use Revolve as the first sword dance?¡¯


    The second six fusion sword dance¡ªGrid¡¯s concerns deepened ahead of the creation of a new sword dance. Thete start where he watched the strength and weaknesses of the enemy before taking action. The trick was to hit the opponent first even if he drew the swordte. It was a skill that Grid had to acquire. It was because the level of his enemies was higher than Grid¡¯s level.


    Grid realized it based on the information of Overgeared World. What a great penalty the angels and gods he had fought so far had to bear. Nevertheless, they were still strong. In particr, Zeratul¡¯s rank was superior in terms of speed. Reying the battle with Zeratul revealed the seriousness of the situation.


    What if Zeratul¡¯s divinity hadn¡¯t been downgraded to a level that was equal to Grid¡¯s divinity when he descended to the surface? The coincidence of Grid and Zeratul¡¯s divinity being equal wouldn¡¯t have happened. There was a high probability that Grid would¡¯ve been cut with a single strike without being aware of the time of the martial god. He would¡¯ve read the strike with his artificial senses only after he was cut.


    ¡®Of course, I would¡¯ve thought it was a reaction.¡¯


    Zeratul¡¯s sword was fast enough to raise such suspicions. However, Grid was already nearplete. It was both in terms of level and items. He had few means left to be stronger. His body was already at the limit. It was dry as if he had squeezed out thest remaining drop of potential.


    The upper limit of speed currently holding him back proved it. The upper limit was so low that it couldn¡¯t bepared to his enemies. This was the limit of a yer.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help cursing. He had crossed the limits again and again and it was stillcking? Wasn¡¯t this too harsh for yers? How much more did he have to try?


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    Just before his resentment turned into anger, Grid took deep breaths and controlled his mind. There was nothing good about losing hisposure and clouding his judgment. He would make mistakes he didn¡¯t normally make.


    ¡®There is no need to worry. I still have many means to be strong.¡¯


    Right now, there were ways to create a new fusion sword dance by raising his deity. He could also grow the Overgeared World to expand the area in which he was advantageous or he could raise his status. The problem was that they boasted an atrocious level of difficulty, but... it was a problem that could be ovee with experience and effort. Additionally, he could continue to develop his items.


    It was hard to say if anything better than the dragon weapons could exist, but Grid believed in himself. Wasn¡¯t he the Overgeared God?Based on the legendary skill Item Creation, he gained the undeserved reputation of the creation god. Items better than the dragon weapons? It was enough to make them. Gravurnium would help.


    ...Probably.


    ¡®Everything will be fine. I¡¯ve kept the rest of the ancient scrolls so far.¡¯


    Grid had no doubts and first focused on the situation in front of him. Was it possible to use thete start with the six fusion sword dance? In order to find the answer to this, he had to turn away from Revolve. Thete start had a different concept from a counterattack.


    A counterattack was to respond to an enemy¡¯s attack. He sought to subdue the enemy¡¯s attack, so he had no choice but to be entangled in the enemy¡¯s attack. On the other hand, ate start was close to the feeling of using the overall flow. It was freer and more effective.


    It was no use asking what type of nonsense this was. It was a concept that Grid had only recently learned about, so it was hard to establish it properly.


    ¡®In any case, this is right. Just as cheese and cheesecake resembled each other but werepletely different, thete start and counterattack were different.


    Grid was reminded of the cheesecake he ate yesterday. He had returned home from a date with Yura and found his parents and Jishuka there. The taste of the cheesecake that Jishuka bought was amazing. It was said that she bought it from a cheesecake store with 200 years of tradition in New York whomemorated its opening in South Korea and boasted a much deeper vorpared to the cheesecakes he had eaten so far. It tasted like it would make him fat, so it seemed like it would be hard to eat it often, but anyway... it tasted so good that it suddenly came to mind.


    ¡®It might¡¯ve been even more delicious because I ate it with Jishuka.¡¯


    It was just like the meal he ate with Yura tasted a lot better than the meal he ate alone.


    ¡°Overgeared God?¡±


    He was awakened from his thoughts by a sweet voice. Garion and Debirion were looking at him with worried faces. As expected, the level of the gods was high. They seemed to have noticed that Grid¡¯s mind started wandering to misceneous thoughts.


    ¡°Um... I have many problems to think about.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You are bearing Asgard¡¯s grudge while keeping hell in check, so there will be no moment of rxation.¡±


    They were worried. They noticed that Grid¡¯s consciousness, which had been contemting a new realm, suddenly changed its course and were afraid he was having a nightmare with open eyes.


    Overgeared God Grid¡ªit was the moment when they felt the responsibility born by the guardian god who protected the isted surface alone...


    The two gods, who were looking sadly at Grid, exchanged nces and spoke.


    ¡°We will go out for a while and look around the city.¡±


    ¡°I hope you work hard in your contemtion...¡±


    The more a god was worshiped, the stronger they became. Garion and Debirion might serve Grid, but they couldn¡¯t rely on Grid alone.


    ¡°Why are you naked?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know in a moment. Debirion, you should also take off that smelly leather and put on this silk.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was after the two gods left in order to stand in front of the people. The temple was quiet, but Grid wasn¡¯t alone. Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons were gathered in a corner and watching Grid. The Overgeared Skeletons and Randy didn¡¯t even breathe while Noe stuck out his belly and licked his fur. Noe knew¡ªno matter what he did, there was nothing that would interfere with his master¡¯s concentration. Their master wasn¡¯t an ordinary person (?).


    In fact, Grid was raising his concentration. He thought of Kraugel during the National Competition. There were moments when Kraugel neutralized the attacks of Grid, who was far stronger than him. Reading and blocking the sword? It was simply a defense. Predicting the trajectory of the sword and twisting it one step ahead? That was pure insight. Reacting to the stab of the God Hands? That was phenomenal senses. It was a high level technique to draw a sword with overwhelming power and halve its power while bringing back the sword at a speed that was hard to discern to consume the counterattack.


    Grid recalled another scene. It was a scene he saw from his own point of view. It was the moment he subdued Kraugel with pure force and items, and inflicted a blow. He realized that his vision had be ufortable. The debris of the shattered stones bothered him again and a high pile of dirt obscured his vision on one side.


    At the same time, Kraugel¡¯s face suddenly came closer. It was close enough to hear the sound of breathing. Kraugel¡¯s movements were still ufortable but even so, the situation unfolded in Kraugel¡¯s favor. It felt like the whole world was disturbed.


    Kraugel¡¯s kick, which rose while sweeping the ground, was probably slower than Grid¡¯s sword. Just the mere fact that he caused dirt and kicked something unexpected saved Kraugel from the crisis. It even provided the basis for a counterattack. It was the result of abination of great agility, insight, senses, skill, and luck.


    Thinking about it now, the person who was most surprised at the time must¡¯ve been Kraugel himself. He probably hadn¡¯t expected that jajinmori, which was used as a means to escape from the crisis, would sweep the ground messed up by the battle and created dust which kicked the rocks hidden in the dust at the same time.


    At that time, Kraugel¡¯s situation had been too urgent. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t in the realm of calction. It was correct to interpret it as a desperate behavior linked to good luck.


    Grid only recently learned this fact and had the desire to use the situation itself freely. He wasn¡¯t just talking about raising dust and kicking rocks. It was to dominate the flow of battle, thus rendering the advantage of the first attack useless. Neutralizing the attack of an enemy that he might¡¯ve realized toote. What Grid wanted was all the actions that deliberately created situations like this.


    Let¡¯s take a simple example...


    ¡°Number one.¡±


    Grid raised his willpower and the God Hands responded. It recreated Grid¡¯s movements and swung the Enlightenment Sword. Grid acted under the assumption that he perceived the attackte. He drew his sword only when the Enlightenment Sword got closer. The trajectory of the sword, drawn from the inventory, struck the side of the Enlightenment Sword.


    The Enlightenment Sword couldn¡¯t reach Grid and was deflected. On the other hand, the sword drawn by Grid moved along the first trajectory and struck the God Hand. The trajectory of the sword, btedly drawn by Grid, was the result of creating a ¡®situation.¡¯


    ¡°So it is like this... it is different from a counterattack. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    [Yes...]


    Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons nodded from where they were standing in a corner of the temple. There were no signs of sympathy at all.


    Noe waved his stumpy paws. ¡°We understand, so stop exining, nyang.¡±


    "Noe, do you think that I¡¯m exining for nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nyang? I just think that Master¡¯s attitude of exining it alone when no one is saying anything isme.¡±


    ¡°What? This... it isn¡¯t ame exnation. It is out of consideration that I want to educate you well while I am studying. Noe, you stayed in the tower and took the sses of the tower members, right? You just have to understand it in the same context as that.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that Master is trying to convince himself...¡±


    Noe¡¯s words were interrupted halfway. His summoning was reversed. Now Grid could properly focus.


    The satisfied Grid recalled the Restraint sword dance. This sword, which restrained the behavior of the target, was less effective on beings who were of equal or higher status. After constant experimentation against Ifrit, Cranbel, Zeratul, and Gabriel, he found that the average effect was only 0.1 seconds. Of course, the 0.1 second of being restricted couldn¡¯t be ignored in a battle where victory or defeat could be decided in an instant. Depending on the situation, it had the potential to have an enormous ripple effect.


    However, the opportunity cost of using it had to be considered. Grid underestimated Restraint because there were often situations in which attempting to restrain the target for 0.1 seconds wasted more opportunities. In particr, he was reluctant to include Restraint in his fusion sword dance. It was because the expected damage value would drop significantly if Restraint was included in a limited sword dance.


    Now he changed his mind. He decided it was right to include it in his new six fusion sword dance. It was the only way he could use thete start freely. The reason why thete start was essential was to overpower an enemy who was much faster than him.


    ¡®The value of Restraint will shine the higher the level of the enemy.¡¯


    Grid made a decision and started to envision it in earnest. First of all, he considered what order to put Restraint in. It absolutely had to be first. This was the only way it made sense. The next sword dance to be connected to Restraint was... it was better to be something quick. He had to strike fast in order to make significant use of the extremely short CC.


    ¡®Link?¡¯


    The motion required was too big. It would be better to use Kill or Pinnacle.


    ¡®It would be most effective to use Dragon.¡¯


    Dragon was the only charging skill among the sword dances. A charge was a good cornerstone for mostbos. However, there were too many restrictions. It was because Dragon was a soaring charge. It was only when the user was positioned below the target that it showed its proper power. There were ways to suppress the trajectory in conjunction with Drop, but the process forced additional movements. It was too slow to subdue the enemy within the duration of Restraint.


    ¡®What if I mix Shunpo in between Restraint and the next sword dance?¡¯


    It was even worse. He couldn¡¯t attack when using Shunpo, so if he used Shunpo immediately afterward, he would waste the 0.1 second duration of Restraint. Moreover, the power to block ¡®space movement¡¯ wasmon in the heavenly world. How many times had he already been caught by it? He had to always keep in mind the possibility of Shunpo being blocked.


    ¡®...Wait. Is it possible to gain momentum by shooting the Breath at the same time as triggering Restraint?¡¯


    Grid immediately experimented. He used the Restraint sword dance while shooting the Breath from his hand that extended backwards.


    Grid quickly shot forward. It was the moment he confirmed that the simultaneous use of Restraint and Breath was possible.


    However, there were side effects. The bnce of his upper body copsed. It was because the Breath¡¯s repulsion force was so strong. Shooting the Breath with one hand caused his upper body to quickly twist to one side. Grid took advantage of this position. He used Dragon to naturally lift his tilted upper body.


    ¡°...This works.¡±


    Grid was engulfed in great joy as he soared through the roof of the temple.

 Chapter 1628

    <h4>Chapter 1628</h4>


    Grid had doubts about the utility of Restraint. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t know the importance of CCs. It was because Grid himself was too strong. It was a loss to invest in it from Grid¡¯s perspective, who easily attacked without having to use it and directly condensed a single attack into a lethal blow.


    However, now that he was fighting enemies of a higher level than himself, he once again realized the preciousness of Restraint. It was up to 0.1 seconds in duration. Even so, the value of Restraint couldn¡¯t be diminished. It was important when fighting against the absolutes.


    ¡®Operate it in such a way that it is used as soon as I read an attack with my artificial senses.¡¯


    It was possible to artificially implement the trick of ate start. Even if he responded one stepte to the attack of enemies who were faster and stronger than him, he could let the attack flow out and counterattack.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    People murmured when they saw Grid breaking through the roof of the temple and soaring. The crowd that gathered after hearing about the birth of the Overgeared World wasn¡¯t just one or two. The temple that copsed along with the explosion made many people nervous. They were afraid that the enemy might be attacking again.


    This was how turbulent it was. People thought of an enemy attack even when a small incident urred. They were ovee with fear and pulled out their weapons in an alert manner.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    The Overgeared World. A small dimension, that was rooted in Grid¡¯s divinity, resonated with the hearts of people. It resonated with the fear, determination, and faith of those beyond the dimension and caused ripples. It was a ripple that reached Grid.


    It was Grid who soared with the force of a dragon in a body that was tilted as if it was about to fall. Following Pinnacle, his sword that was on the verge of cutting down a virtual enemy, embraced an even more powerful sword energy.


    [The people who have witnessed the birth of the Overgeared World worship you more and more.]


    [There are many people who recognize the linkage between Overgeared God''s Sword Dance, Restraint and Small Breath as a single action.]


    [Seeing you bend like you are about to fall, people remember the sacrifices they once saw.]


    It was Grid who reassured people by covering his smashed face with the God Hands and his broken and damaged body with a cloak. It wasn¡¯t a small number of people who noticed the wounds that Grid had hidden that day. Grid¡¯s sacrifice had been talked about since then. The image of the Overgeared God, who barely stood up with a body that wouldn¡¯t be strange if it copsed right away, was painted on murals all over the world and recorded in the temples.


    Those who worshiped the Overgeared God always mentioned the events of that day.


    The sword dance of sacrifice¡ªGrid¡¯s new posture, which was greatly tilted due to the linkage between Restraint and Breath, made people think of this sword dance. The virtual sword dance created by people¡¯s worship and beliefs resonated with the Overgeared World and became a reality.


    [The new sword dance ¡®Serve¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Serve Lv. 1] [1]


    [A sword dance depicting the sacrifice of the Overgeared God.


    It was created through the people¡¯s worship and faith.


    It overwhelms the surrounding with a splendid dance, approaches the target, and inflicts damage proportional to Small Breath.


    No one can approach you at this time.


    All nearby enemies are overwhelmed by your power and will fall into fear. The feared target will have their defense reduced and won¡¯t be able to move. Skill Duration: Up to 5 seconds.


    For targets that resist the relevant abnormal condition, the effect is applied for a minimum of 0.2 seconds and a maximum of 0.3 seconds.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 80


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.


    ¡ïThis skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Restraint and Small Breath.


    ¡ïThis skill is only activated when wearing Ifrit¡¯s Arms.]


    The more a god was worshiped, the stronger they became. It was the moment when this powerfulw was applied to Grid.


    Grid trembled. The responsibility that the strong should bear¡ªit was a responsibility that he took for granted without any resentment. He never hoped for anything in return, but he was happy when he received it. He was thankful to the people.


    The sword of Pinnacle that cut at the enemy was divided into several branches. The virtual enemy was torn to shreds. It was a wave that contained the power of Pinnacle. It also had the trick of slowing down the target. Restraint. No, it was Serve. Grid inflicted dozens of attacks on the weakened virtual enemy who was unable to escape the influence of Serve.


    [The new fusion sword dance Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link has been created.]


    [Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link]


    [Six sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.


    The terrifying soaring momentum of the fanatical crazy dragon imposes a heavenly punishment on the enemy.


    It overwhelms all nearby enemies and approaches the target immediately.


    Causes the target to enter a fear state for a minimum of 0.1 seconds to a maximum of 5 seconds, causing magic damage proportional to a weak breath and 3,000% physical damage.


    The target will float in the air, unable to act and have their weaknesses exposed, taking five rounds of damage equal to 2,200% of physical attack power that ignores defense.


    Additionally, the target will fall into a state of absent-mindedness and slow down, taking 6,000% physical attack power up to 30 times. Every time the target is hit, they will be disarmed, bleed, and fall into despair.


    Skill Usage Conditions: Equipped with a sword type weapon and Ifrit¡¯s Arms.


    Skill Resource Consumption: Half of the maximum sword energy. 20,000 mana.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours.]


    It was weakpared to Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave, but instead it had a powerful correction effect. It was safe to say there was no chance that the sword dance¡¯s first blow would miss. Grid was satisfied enough and someone in the east also praised him.


    [An unknown person is praising you for your new martial prestige.]


    [A strong blessing resides in Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.]


    Jingle.


    There was the sound of bells that still felt lonely and the new six fusion sword dancepletely evolved. Ultimate Martial Art also resided in Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.


    It was Chiyou¡¯s blessing.


    ¡®How are you?¡¯


    Even from afar, Chiyou was always watching and sending him favors. Grid had emotions toward him, the true martial god and only one god. He suddenly wanted to see Chiyou, but he couldn¡¯t go anytime soon. It was because Chiyou dreamed of extinction. The reason he favored Grid was because he wanted to be killed. If they met, his heart would only be heavy.


    ¡®In the first ce, we can¡¯t easily meet.¡¯


    Chiyou stayed in the Hwan Kingdom. It was a ce that Grid couldn¡¯t walk in and out of.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted to the ground. He could see the dumbfounded people. They were amazed by the sword dance they were seeing for the first time. They instinctively realized that Grid had be stronger, but no one felt offended or jealous. Just as Grid wanted others to be stronger, the people wanted Grid to be stronger.


    He was fully aware that it was amunity of destiny. There was a saying that even if one betrayed the Overgeared Empire, they didn¡¯t betray Grid. Even the traitors who were removed by the inspectors left behind wills that stated they truly respected the Overgeared God.


    ¡®I¡¯m d.¡¯


    Grid faced countless people and smiled. The thing that pleased him was the trust of the people rather than obtaining a new sword dance. He thought about it for a moment before bringing up the information of the Overgeared World.


    [-If a target allowed by the Overgeared God enters the Overgeared World, their status will be preserved and all stats are increased by 30%.]


    Only targets permitted by Grid could freely move in and out of the Overgeared World. Grid had first nned to limit it to the Overgeared Guild or citizens of the Overgeared Empire. He observed the trends and thought it was right to gradually expand the range. Now he changed his mind.


    [Specify the target or group that will be allowed to enter the Overgeared World.]


    ¡°Humanity.¡±


    The Overgeared World established a divine world on the surface. The beings living on the surface shouldn¡¯t be rejected. Initially, the Overgeared World also meant the temples of Grid, Garion, and Debirion. The more people came and went, the more the gods of the Overgeared World were worshiped.


    Therefore, Grid made a choice without hesitation. Garion and Debirion, who were watching from afar, smiled happily.


    ***


    ¡°This is a bit... isn¡¯t it absurd?¡±


    It was when the 2nd ranked archangel Gabriel returned without punishing the traitor, Garion. Raphael thought this was better. It was a chance to shake off the annoying Gabriel. In the first ce, Raphael could kill Garion any time they stepped out. That was until a little while ago.


    ¡°That... is it really a divine world?¡±


    ¡°There is no way. Of course, it is a fake.¡±


    ¡°How does that look like a fake?¡±


    The baby angels floating around Raphael made a fuss. It was annoying. As the divinity that rose from the ground became clearer and the warmth approached, Raphael¡¯s heart grew colder. It was an emotion they felt for the first time since their birth. It was none other than anger.


    Raphael understood. They hadn¡¯t been truly angry even when the seven malignant saints rebelled or when Hanul and his son betrayed the goddess. It was because real anger made their head and heart cold.


    ¡°...Can you shut your mouth?¡± Raphael ordered in a cold voice. Their re toward the baby angels was terrifying. It was so that there was a suspicion that Raphael¡¯s usually soft eyes were acting.


    The loud baby angels closed their mouths and avoided the gaze. Raphael barely suppressed their killing intent and clicked their tongue. ¡®He established a new divine world on the surface?¡¯


    Raphael never imagined such a development. It was because they never dreamed this was possible. They felt that the Grid in the distance was beyond reach. It had no choice but to be so. From the moment that the Overgeared World was established, Grid regained his sovereignty.


    The angels and gods who freely invaded the surface at any time were now restrained from crossing to the surface. Now the goddess had disappeared and Gabriel had lost her status. Raphael missed the opportunity to enjoy the ¡®freedom¡¯ that would probably nevere twice and frowned.


    Something was firmly wrong in this world. The overall flow seemed to imply some danger...


    ¡®Will Asgard be in crisis one day...?¡¯


    Raphael was engulfed in vague anxiety and quickly shook their head. They thought of Baal in hell. The Overgeared God couldn¡¯t surpass the heavens as long as Baal was strong.


    Baal was powerful. A being who had innate strength and status like Raphael, but unlike Raphael, he liked an unrestrained life. The one who betrayed his father and built up strength through all means would be a wall that the Overgeared God would never be able to surpass.


    Raphael had no doubt about this and turned around. They were going to abandon their lingering regrets and return to heaven rather than approaching the Overgeared World and suffering humiliation. Then an unexpected obstacle appeared.


    ¡°Dragon yer Hayate... what is this? Why are you blocking the way of an apostle of the goddess?¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s sessive failures had tarnished the honor of heaven to a considerable extent. Raphael just found it annoying and unpleasant. Hayate was a great being that had never before existed in the world, but Raphael was an archangel. There were only a few people in the world that Raphael revered and Hayate wasn¡¯t among them.


    ¡°You just need to keep an eye on the dragons as you have always done. Why are you trying to get involved with heaven?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just stand by and watch your killing intent.¡±


    The sword held in Hayate¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t a sword made of materials, but a sword of sword energy. The Dragon Killing Sword¡ªit was closer to a concept. The concept of even cutting a dragon.


    ¡°I have a duty to protect the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°The order on the surface haspletely copsed. It is ridiculous. It is because that fake Zeratul has tarnished the honor of heaven.¡±


    ¡°You angels are pretentious.¡±


    Suddenly, a new person appeared.


    The great magician Braham¡ªit was someone Raphael had been paying attention to for a while. It was hundreds of years ago. The news that Braham was murdered by Pagma was known to heaven and Raphael attempted to retrieve Braham¡¯s soul. It was because he would be a great angel. Raphael coveted the fact that Braham was the blood of Beriache, one of the three evils of the beginning. Raphael thought it would be rather interesting.


    Well, they failed in the end. Braham used magic even when he was reduced to a mere soul. Additionally, he was active for a certain purpose and his location kept changing. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t easy to retrieve.


    ¡®It is good.¡¯


    Raphael slowly regained his smile.


    Hayate and Braham¡ªit was from the expectation that if Raphael killed those who blocked their path, the anger in their heart would subside a bit. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m not toote this time?¡±


    Mercedes arrived at the scene. It was with Piaro. These four had something inmon.


    The absolute Hayate with his internal perception.


    The great magician Braham with mana.


    The knight Mercedes with Keen Insight.


    The farmer Piaro who could expand his senses in a wide range based on nature.


    Once multiple conditions and coincidences ovepped, they could almost immediately detect abnormalities that urred far away. It was inherently possible for Hayate. The reason that he didn¡¯t take an active role was because he was afraid of the dragons. Now thanks to Grid, he overcame the fear and gained courage. It was only possible for the other three after they recently built up their skills.


    At this moment, they unintentionally moved in coordination to iste Raphael.


    ¡°......¡±


    The smilepletely disappeared from Raphael¡¯s face. Raphael measured the level of the beings around them and realized that these existences were unusual. It was natural that Hayate was strong, but Braham¡¯s magic power approached the unknown. Mercedes¡¯ eyes were more unpleasant than the rumors and Piaro¡¯s pure aura was strange because it felt like it contained Garion¡¯s divinity.


    p.


    After a moment of silence, Raphael spread open their wings. Hayate and the apostles responded immediately. They were ready for the divine bombardment and prepared to counterattack. However, there was no time for them to step out. It was because Raphael had escaped.


    Raphael vowed not to look at the surface for a while.


    1. So I actually had a hard time naming this new sword dance. A one character word has lots of different meanings and it is hard to determine the right one. Fortunately, the author included the hanja (Chinese characters) for this sword dance but that created even moreplications. The hanja basically meant something like: to do/to be/to be/to do for the sake of. I changed names several times but I eventually decided that the closest meaning to the description is ''to do for the sake of'' since it is considered a sacrifice sword dance. I was looking for one word that fits it and eventually decided on ''Serve.'' ?

 Chapter 1629

    <h4>Chapter 1629</h4>


    It was impossible to track Raphael. A golden cloud from the sky blocked the approach of Hayate and the apostles. It was an attitude that stated those who weren¡¯t allowed should withdraw.


    Braham snorted.


    ¡°Presumptuous and arrogant.¡±


    Braham¡¯s ridicule wasn¡¯t to release emotions. It was a rational sentiment based on obvious grounds.


    Heaven¡ªAsgard had reigned because it was the only world of the gods. It was naturally worshiped and umted divinity. Now it wasn¡¯t the only sanctuary. It was the aftermath of Grid unveiling the Hwan Kingdom and the establishment of the Overgeared World on the surface.


    The Overgeared World¡ªfrom the moment it was named, the mysterious sanctuary was coloring the surface with new divinity. It was easy to sense, unlike the divinity of Asgard that was far away. It was clearly seen and felt. It was an energy that would benefit all beings on the surface.


    People would gradually move away from Asgard. Now the symbol of Asgard, a mere cloud, was acting arrogant? It was unsightly. It was like a beggar begging to make a living swaggering around.


    Braham shrugged and looked back. He saw a blond-haired man. The man who arrived at the scene before him. It was impressive that he had a dignityparable to Braham, who inherited a noble lineage.


    Braham knew who he was. ¡°Dragon yer.¡±


    The only absolute on the surface and the protector who defended humanity for many years. Above all, he had achieved killing a dragon. It meant that Braham¡¯s wish, the ultimate pursuit of Braham, had been aplished a long time ago.


    ¡°It is an honor... to meet.¡± Braham greeted him. It was at the level where Braham didn¡¯t even bow his head, let alone his waist, but his choice of words was shocking.


    An... honor? Piaro had a pleased expression on his face while Mercedes was astonished. It was because she had never seen Braham show such a humble attitude. Of course, the shock was only brief. Mercedes also recognized Hayate¡¯s identity. She judged that his level was far away from her. Even with this type of power, he carried it on his back without using it to reign.


    A person who could¡¯ve ruled the world the moment he wanted, but he had been silently defending the world without ever appearing in history. She couldn¡¯t help admiring it.


    Mercedes and Piaro bowed to also show their respects and Hayate looked troubled.


    ¡°People misunderstand me as a hero. I¡¯m just a coward. Grid... I have only been living in secret, unlike you who have protected the world with the Overgeared God. Please correct your attitude.¡±


    ¡°Grid deserves to be liked...¡± Braham muttered with a frown. A feeling of being defeated by inferiority shed across his rapidly darkening face.


    ¡°Your humility is excessive,¡± Mercedes felt better at Braham¡¯s reaction and said with a smile.


    Some time ago, humanity had experienced the greatness of dragons. They saw that a dragon¡¯s meaningless exhale and a single p of its wings destroyed a huge city built by humanity in an instant. It was Hayate who had been keeping such monsters in check. Without him, humanity would¡¯ve experienced the disaster caused by dragons several times and despaired.


    In the midst of the unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere. Something happened in the golden cloud that was moving away. It created a sudden lightning bolt that bombarded Hayate and the apostles. It contained a great deal of power. The ground was devastated in an instant.


    ¡°That guy.¡±


    Braham covered himself with a red-purple shield and stared up at the sky. A presence armed with translucent armor could be seen through the scattered clouds. It was a god. The hierarchy seemed very high. The goosebumps that appeared on Braham¡¯s skin and the puncture in the shield proved it.


    ¡°Dominion.¡± Zik¡¯s voice was heard. One of the decisive factors that caused Raphael to retreat. He stood in the distance and looked at the ¡®strongest man in this world.¡¯ Now he couldn¡¯t sit back and watch and entered the scene.


    ¡°It was the beginning of the creation of the concepts of consecutive wins, being undefeated in 100 battles, etc. Armed with imprable armor and a spear that can pierce anything.¡±


    ¡°It is an unreasonable existence.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dominion was the god of war. Additionally, Asgard had never been defeated in any war so far. Dominion was the reason why the rebellion of the seven malignant saints failed in vain.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Zik. As the strongest person in this world, he felt a certain special appreciation for the strongest person in the previous world. It wasn¡¯t something fateful. He simply judged and marveled at the armed might.


    ¡®He is indeed one of the seven good people.¡¯


    The seven good people, in other words, the seven malignant saints, were the history of the previous world. It was originally impossible for them to be spread to the present world. Yet it was recorded and spread throughout the ages. It was the arrangement of the daoist immortal, Bentao. As a result, the people of this time knew about the seven malignant saints and it was the same with Hayate.


    Thanks to this, the conversation proceeded quickly. Hayate silently listened to Zik¡¯s words. It was an attitude toward an elder.


    ¡°There is no way such a great existence woulde for a light reason. I¡¯m nervous about Reinhardt.¡± Zik discussed returning.


    Braham didn¡¯t like it. The enemy was right above them. He was a threat and it was right to strike right here. What if they were tracked when returning to Reinhardt? It was nothing more than expanding the battlefield. So why were they talking about returning?


    Braham wanted Zik to provide a convincing rationale, but he couldn¡¯t ask for it directly. It was a big burden just dealing with Zik, but now even Hayate seemed sympathetic to Zik. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth at all.


    ¡®I... how did I be like this...?¡¯


    Originally, Braham treated everyone equally. He belittled everyone except himself and perceived himself as the center of the world. That changed with Grid. He watched Grid from the side and realized the greatness of a hero. He regretted and reflected on himself in the past for not taking good care of his disciples. He learned to respect them.


    Therefore, he couldn¡¯t resist these two heroes and followed them silently. He used the return scroll while trying to ignore Raphael, who wasughing behind Dominion¡¯s back. Then he saw it the moment he arrived in Reinhardt. The sky over Reinhardt was glowing with a golden color. It was due to the heavenly clouds that gathered without leaving even a small gap.


    A huge presence was seen at the head of the clouds. An opaque armor was wrapped around his entire body and a spear was held with both hands. Dominion, the god of war, was here as well.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    There couldn¡¯t be two Dominions. It meant that the Dominion they saw a while ago was either a clone or an illusion, which was unbelievable. To say that was a fake... it was hard to fathom.


    While wrapping the runes around himself and elerating, Zik exined to the bewildered Braham, ¡°Dominion is on every battlefield.¡±


    The voice faded away in an instant. Braham used Teleport and caught up with ZIk.


    Zik exined, ¡°In other words, this is already a battlefield.¡±


    Zik knew the habits of the god. They enjoyed ¡®warnings¡¯ and their warnings had always caused natural disasters.


    -Overgeared God Grid.


    Dominion opened his mouth and thunderbolts struck. Explosions urred all over the ground and mes soared. It was due to the thunderbolts pouring down. There were many people present. It was a crowd that gathered to celebrate the birth of the Overgeared World.


    ¡®Um.¡¯


    Braham was about to deploy a wide-area shield when he stopped chanting the spell. Piaro, who seemed invisible, was plowing the ground before he knew it. His plow made a wall by pulling out the rocks buried deep underground. It was like looking at a small mountain range. Sariel even used the magic power of light. There were few casualties thanks to this, but the apostles were in a hurry.


    Dominion on the cloud was pointing a spear at Grid, who was standing alone in front of the temple. The blue divinity that was spreading was a threat. It was much darker and greater in range than Grid¡¯s divinity. It was clear that the spear he threw would be faster than lightning.


    -You will sooner orter pay for the sin of building a false world and destroying the order of the world with your vain greed.


    Dominion¡¯s rant spread throughout Reinhardt. All humans heard his heavy and ferocious voice that pierced through the thunder. Some people recalled the order of a general while others recalled the roar of a wild beast. They instinctively stiffened and theirplexions turned white.


    Grid¡¯s expression also stiffened.


    ¡®This fox-like bastard.¡¯


    The god of war who came out of nowhere was huge. It wasn¡¯t an optical illusion created through abination of strong divine power and ferocious momentum. It was actually a massive body with a majestic air to him. His features were noticeable even when he was at a very high altitude, but what he was doing was delicate and didn¡¯t match his size. He was talking while maintaining a distance where he didn¡¯t reach the Overgeared World.


    This was normal. Unless they were an idiot, there was no one who would step into other people¡¯s territory to fight. Still, he couldn¡¯t help feeling that this size was a waste.


    ¡®I¡¯m d there are the apostles.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t move hastily. Dominion was a chief god. He was even one of Reba¡¯s two sons. Besides, he was cautious. The evidence was that he had never appeared before and now appeared for the first time. There was no way he was weaker than Zeratul or Gabriel. Considering his prudence, he must¡¯ve descended after umting a stronger force than the two of them.


    ¡®The people will be guarded by the apostles.¡¯


    At the temple¡¯s entrance...


    Grid stood on the boundary between the Overgeared World and the surface and was ready to draw his sword at any time. He thought he would take advantage of the opportunity when Dominion was targeting people and the apostles blocked him.


    He didn¡¯t really question why Dominion hade now. Asgard was an obvious enemy. There was nothing strange about Reba invading the surface right now. He would just fight as always.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was quietly focusing when he became startled. Dominion¡¯s divine power was gradually getting stronger. The more it was oveid over the spear in his hand, the more there seemed to be no limit to the divinity that was building.


    Grid realized it. Dominion had no intention of hurting people. His target was Grid from the beginning.


    ¡®Does he intend to hurt me and lower my status?¡¯


    If Grid was pierced by the spear despite being in the Overgeared World, he was bound to lose his status, even if he didn¡¯t die. It was because it seemed to be proving the uselessness of the Overgeared World in front of arge number of people.


    At the same time, Dominion threw the spear. It was precisely toward Grid. A spearrger than the spear of magic machine Raiders was shot at Grid, dividing the sky into two.


    Grid reacted immediately. He didn¡¯t hesitate to use Revolve. Two swords interlocked with the huge spear tilted at an angle. Eventually, they would draw an arc and twist the trajectory of the spear. They had to do so. However¡ª


    [The counterattack has failed.]


    The power in the spear was unstoppable. Revolve was naturally canceled and Grid¡¯s chest was pierced by the spear. Grid¡¯s upper body exploded. Flesh and blood were sprinkled in all directions. Dominion¡¯s spear literally flew to the temple of the Overgeared God and was embedded in it. It pierced Grid¡¯s body and used the remaining power to cause the temple to copse.


    It was pandemonium. The people who had been staring nkly at the terrible sight came to their senses one stepter and screamed. Then¡ª


    ¡°...Cough.¡±


    Grid lost his status.


    ......


    ...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid suddenly came to his senses. The pain that made his head nk disappeared like it was a lie. The copsed temple behind him was still intact. There was no wound on his chest. Dominion in the sky was just throwing the spear.


    What was that just now? ¡®Deja vu?¡¯


    The confused and relieved Grid hesitated.


    A spear full of huge power at first nce. Was it really right to block that with Revolve? In the first ce, Grid¡¯s enemies had always evolved. It was natural as long as this world was a game. He didn¡¯t darepare the rabbit he hunted at level 1 to the enemies he was fighting now at level 719.


    ¡®There is no guarantee that Revolve will work forever.¡¯


    The Overgeared God''s Sword Dance wasn¡¯t invincible. The level of the enemies was too high for Revolve to always have the upper hand. Could the deja vu he experienced a while ago be created by his subconscious mind?


    Grid thought about it and quickly made a decision. He used the Serve sword dance. It was a dance move where he staggered like he was going to copse. He expressed his determination to die to protect someone.


    The giant spear that reached the tip of his nose stopped. It was weighed down by Grid¡¯s power. It was a side effect of containing divine power. This dragged it down. Therge spear, which was connected to Dominion through divine power, wasmunicating with Dominion. It had feelings.


    Therefore, under the influence of Serve, it stiffened and stopped. It was only 0.2 seconds. This was enough. An object worked as a target as long as the conditions were met.


    Grid learned something new and opened the Sanctuary of Metal. He dominated the still spear and fired it at Dominion.


    A divine warning¡ªdue to its absolute intention, it couldn¡¯t be avoided or prevented, but it could be reversed.


    Dominion and Zik understood what this meant and their eyes widened.

 Chapter 1630

    <h4>Chapter 1630</h4>


    A warning literally meant an act of ¡®giving advance notice.¡¯ It was the foreshadowing of some type of oue, but the warning itself was done without any foreshadowing. This was why a god¡¯s warnings were so threatening. There was absolutely no way to omit the intention of an absolute who omitted the precursor.


    Compared to the punishment, aw was established that the goal must be achieved, even if the level was low. It was why Zik in the distant past couldn¡¯t resist the Curse of Sloth. The warning that Asgard sent before punishing the seven malignant saints was to put Zik to sleep and Zik was helplessly forced to suffer. It was due to this experience that Zik couldn¡¯t believe it even more.


    ¡®How can this be?¡¯


    A spear thrown by the god of war who suddenly appeared. It was right for it to hit. It might not be fatal to Grid, but it must hit him. However, it was returned futilely. Grid¡¯s dance, which increased in power along with the sanctuary, struck Dominion¡¯s spear and warning. He returned it in reverse. It was something that shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    Dominion frowned as he witnessed the copse of order once again.


    ¡®Mother, why?¡¯


    Dominion couldn¡¯t avoid the flying spear because it was a warning from the Overgeared God. Once a spear that pierced everything and armor that couldn¡¯t be pierced collided, the result was a draw. However, the damage absorbed by the armor waspletely delivered to the wearer so the spear didn¡¯t necessarily deal no damage.


    Blood dripped from Dominion¡¯s mouth. It was as red as human blood. It was the moment when the religious people¡¯s belief that humans resembled the image of the gods was proven. There were currently many human beings from the three churches at the scene but none of them were thrilled.


    ¡®Sooner orter, you will pay for your sin¡­¡¯


    Dominion had earlier dered that he was no longer on the side of humanity. It was an attitude that made them throw away even their vague remaining faith. Now the humans of the three churches relied solely on Grid. They revered Grid who built the Overgeared World as a being as great as the three gods.


    Dominion fully felt their hearts, but he didn¡¯t feel bad or angry. He, who had loved humanity since a long time ago, had already experienced great disappointment. After that, he never had any expectations of human beings. There was no disappointment or anger because there was no expectation. Rather, he took their betrayal for granted.


    ¡°I think it is a good idea to go back peacefully.¡±


    Zik suddenly approached and pointed his sword at Dominion. The runes spinning irregrly around him were breaking through the clouds below him. Wearing the goddess¡¯ divinity and making the golden clouds inessible meant that Zik hadpleted thenguage of denying divinity.


    -You are the worst traitor.


    Dominion dered. His face was expressionless, but it was almost like amentation.


    The seven half-gods¡ªhe recalled the moment when those known as the seven malignant saints betrayed the gods. Zik had led their betrayal.


    -Sooner orter, you will grab at your new master¡¯s ankles.


    Some of the clouds were greatly influenced by the runes and lost their color. It was the loss of divinity. There seemed to be holes drilled in the golden sky.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to happen.¡±


    -That is something you don¡¯t even know yourself.


    Dominion turned his head. He was afraid that if he looked at Zik any longer, then he would recall the ugly memories of the past that he had worked hard to bury.


    -Establishing a divine world was an irreversible mistake.


    Dominion recovered the spear that had escaped from Grid¡¯s dominance the moment it hit him. He spoke while looking down at Grid, who was still standing on the ground.


    -You might believe that human beings are dignified, but the truth is different. Sooner orter, you will be disappointed by humans and feel regret. Keep in mind that there is nopanion in the world who willfort you and reach out to you at that time.


    Mother¡ªGoddess Reba had certain expectations for the Overgeared God. This had been the case since the days when the Overgeared God was human. Dominion and Judar knew it, but they didn¡¯t know the reason. Even if they knew the reason, they couldn¡¯t respect Grid any longer. The establishment of a new divine world and the weakening of Asgard¡¯s influence was clearly an act that crossed the line. Thus, he intended to oppose Grid forever. This was the responsibility of a chief god.


    ¡°You are being needlessly tragic,¡± the silent Grid opened his mouth. He was still standing in front of the temple. This surprisingly clever guy wasn¡¯t taking a single step out of the Overgeared World. The attitude of trusting in and using his strong apostles was very natural.


    Grid grinned. ¡°Let me make one thing clear. I will never be disappointed by humans.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a vague belief. Grid had already experienced the worst of human beings. It was none other than himself. It was markedly different from the gods of Asgard, who arbitrarily cut humans while feeling expectant, jealous, and disappointed in humans.


    "Get lost," Grid issued an order. He wanted to undermine Dominion¡¯s divinity, but the location was too bad. The Overgeared World referred to some temples, not the whole of Reinhardt. Dominion was too strong to fight in the middle of Reinhardt. The aftermath of the battle alone would result in numerous casualties.


    ¡®It is tricky to cut him.¡¯


    Grid recalled the information of the spear that he had just dominated.


    [Dominion¡¯s Spear]


    [Attack power: 41,000 Durability: 21,300/21,300


    A divine object made with great care by Hexetia, the god of cksmiths.


    ......


    ¡­]


    It was an overwhelming attack power, but there was something else to pay attention to. It had the effect of ¡®prate unconditionally when attacking.¡¯ Dominion¡¯s armor was likely to have effects such as absolute immunity to shes and stabs. It was an impossible opponent to aim for a short decisive battle.


    ¡®I have to pick the right time when fighting someone like this.¡¯


    The urgent task now was to recruit a new god. He wanted to quickly raise the level of the Overgeared World. At the very least, it should be raised to the level of covering all of Reinhardt so that he could fully concentrate on the Baal raid.


    ¡®The thing that worries me the most about when I go to hell is my empty house being robbed.¡¯


    He thought it was a problem he would have to deal with until the birth of the Overgeared World. He decided that he had no choice but to trust the knights, including Asmophel, and Sariel. Now things had changed. There was no need to take risks when there was the Overgeared World.


    -You are serious...


    Dominion had a strange expression on his face. Grid¡¯s conviction that he wouldn¡¯t be disappointed by humans didn¡¯t sound like a lie. However, he soon passed over it like it was nothing. Maybe it was because the years that Grid lived were short.


    He will one day go through the same thing as me and he will end up like me.


    The golden clouds filling the sky started to recede. It was spectacr to see them all soaring higher into the sky in unison. The image of Dominion standing on top of them quickly faded away. He left without saying anything else.It was shown in the appearance of an absolute.


    The unflinching appearance of the Overgeared God and his apostles as he suddenly appeared and disappeared amazed the people. Of course, Grid, who drove him away, looked even greater.


    Soon, Dominion¡¯s figure disappeared.


    ¡°......¡±


    People¡¯s eyes were focused on Grid. They were envious. The eyes of the yers were shining particrly brilliantly.


    A god¡ªhe was safe even fighting against Dominion, one of the three gods? They had seen the scene of Grid¡¯s defeat of Martial God Zeratul dozens of times on the news and on the Inte, but it feltpletely different to actually see it. The magnitude of the impression they got couldn¡¯t bepared.


    ¡®I thought I was going to die.¡¯


    There were many people who lost 10 years of their lives. The holy divinity surrounding the temples of the Overgeared¡ªpeople who were busy filming the Overgeared World were actually aware of Dominion¡¯s appearance quitete. It was only when the world shone like it was covered in golden leaf that they realized that an unusual swarm of clouds had arrived. Then they looked around and found Dominion on the clouds.


    [Dominion, god of war, has descended.]


    A world message appeared shortly after there were a few witnesses. Grid stood with his back to the huge temple and seemed to havee to meet Dominion from the very beginning.


    Dominion said something. It was the moment when people felt it was unusual.


    A roar echoed through the sky and the ground exploded. A blue sh of light cut the sky in half and rushed right in front of Grid. It was the trajectory of the spear that Dominion threw at him. However, the people didn¡¯t know this. They just recognized that the sh of light had be darker.


    It wasn¡¯t until the spear turned in the opposite direction, struck Dominion, and caused arger explosion, that they started to infer the situation little by little. Dominion bled. It seemed that Grid had counterattacked. There was bound to be a big fight.


    The thought that many people would die again sent chills down their spine. However, no one died. Grid and his apostles carefully guarded them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Elnidana¡ªan ordinary member of the Overgeared Guild watched the scene with a satisfied expression. She was a member of Overgeared Six that was established after the Great Human and Demon War. She was from the Ryan Merchant Group, which became close to the Overgeared Guild for their contribution to supporting the Overgeared Guild during the Great Human and Demon War.


    She was an ountant with a cheerful personality. Her ranking might not be high, but she was quick at calctions, so she caught Lauel¡¯s eye. Lauel appreciated her potential and recruited her personally.


    He didn¡¯t pay attention to the Ryan Merchant Group. It was said that their rtionship with the Ryan Merchant Group had be closer, but the Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t really favor the Ryan Merchant Group. The Overgeared Guild just put the Ryan Merchant Group as an object of observation and put them aside.


    This time, a meaningful smile spread on Elnidana¡¯s face as she watched Grid.


    "You are slow.¡± Then Braham¡¯s low voice was heard. It was so beautiful that it entered people¡¯s ears even in the middle of amotion. Their eyes naturally focused on Braham and then they looked at the same ce that Braham was looking at.


    There was a handsome, blond-haired man there. His neat posture and wrinkle-free cor were impressive. It was in perfect harmony with his handsome face.


    At first nce, they thought he was Braham¡¯s brother because he was so dignified. However, the color of the name was strange. It was a jade color that had never been seen before. The name Hayate was even more unfamiliar.


    ¡°Do you have a bad sense of direction? It turns out that a Dragon yer isn¡¯t perfect either, but don¡¯t be too pretentious. I¡¯ll make up for your ws.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The wide-eyed people swallowed down their gasps.


    Dragon yer. Yes, the name of the dragon yer who appeared in the world message the other day was probably Hayate...


    The people were shocked when an unexpected person appeared while they were out of their minds. They were curious and happy but at the same time, they felt anxious. It felt like something big was going to happen.


    ¡°It is fine. The gods of the Overgeared World will protect you. Let your anxiety be shaken off through prayer.¡± As Sariel was calming down the people, Mercedes sent a message to Braham.


    -Lord Hayate can¡¯t use the return scroll.


    ¡°......¡±


    -Hayate¡¯s return point isn¡¯t Reinhardt. It is only natural that he is one step behind us.


    Braham¡¯s face, which was as white as snow, slowly turned red.


    Contrary to his appearance, he was quite agitated when he first met the being who had already achieved the ultimate goal he dreamed of.


    ¡®I can¡¯t sleep in a coffin today.¡¯


    It felt like he was going to break the coffin while he was sleeping.

 Chapter 1631

    <h4>Chapter 1631</h4>


    The world had changed so much. Grid, who was tilting his teacup, realized it once again. It was through Hayate, who was sitting facing him. The dragon killer who had confined himself for over a thousand years now appeared in front of everyone. It was a new feeling.


    ¡°It is all thanks to you.¡±


    Hayate smiled as he happily looked at the people passing by the window. Until not so long ago, Hayate had been passive in all things. He feared that the smallest carelessness would provoke the dragons and endanger the world. This wasn¡¯t the case any longer.


    He learned from watching Grid fight against enemies stronger than himself. He learned by watching Grid, who wasn¡¯t afraid of defeat. He learned from watching Grid develop while taking failure as a lesson. There was no end to avoidance. Even if he lost, he had to fight, learn, and improve.


    ¡°I n to go on a trip for a while. I will visit and talk to the top dragons who have maintained their dignity and settled in one ce for a long time.¡±


    ¡°A conversation...¡±


    A conversation between a dragon and a Dragon yer? Grid couldn¡¯t imagine it in his head. Could shooting fire and aiming the sword at the other be called a conversation?


    Hayate read the mind of the bewildered Grid and exined, ¡°I only recently realized that most of the top dragons, who are inherently threatened by the old dragons, can make rational decisions.¡±


    The vast majority of dragons made decisions and acted based on the awareness that they were a great species. Therefore, they showed unstoppable and iprehensible actions. On the other hand, the small number of top dragons were rational from a human point of view. Most of them were cautious because they were targeted by the old dragons. They were clearly different from the low ranking dragons who were full of pride, an intermediate dragon who was obsessed with hunting the low ranking dragons, and the old dragons who were outside ofmon sense.


    Grid taught him.


    ¡°Crazy... I learned from your story of bing a Dragon Knight.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was Hayate who couldn¡¯t bring up the words ¡®crazy god and crazy dragon.¡¯ It was caring that wasn¡¯t caring. The reason why the story associated with the Dragon Knight was given the name ¡®crazy god and crazy dragon¡¯ was simple. It was because those who witnessed the secret story at the time were the three masters. Grid wasn¡¯t actually crazy...


    There was no need to exin this one by one. He wondered if he might feel upset.


    Grid hesitated for a moment as Hayate continued. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to invite some human gods toe to you while I¡¯m traveling.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hayate understood the structure from the moment he entered the Overgeared World. He knew exactly what Grid needed and looked for ways to help Grid. He decided to assist in the search and recruitment of human gods. It was a very grateful thing for Grid.


    ¡°ording to the research conducted by the tower members, the recent trend isn¡¯t bad. They said that something happened to the Gale of the Great Forest.¡±


    The reason the human gods hid was due to the myth predators. Among them, the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb [1] and Gale of the Great Forest had a wide range of activities. Unlike the Mountain King, who took the towering mountain as his domain, their area was overwhelminglyrge in scale. In particr, the servants of the Gale of the Great Forest were called ¡®violent gales¡¯ because they freely moved through the ¡®forests¡¯ and roared through them. It was said to be the most threatening to the human gods.


    ¡®Debirion said he could¡¯ve been easily defeated.¡¯


    Debirion was the god of hunting. He exercised various powers when he was active in the forest. Even so, it was just a matter of barely being able to survive. It was because the minions of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb were too numerous and the servants of the Gale of the Great Forest moved from east to west.


    After all, the myth predators were strong. Grid had directly experienced it. There was no way they would be troubled by a normal opponent.


    Grid crazily thought up to this point and touched his lips. He felt a sharp pain.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    ¡°There are quite a few cowards hiding in the world. It is better for me to reap the power that is rotting away.¡±


    Marie Rose¡ªshe chewed on a man¡¯s lips and taught him a type of pain and pleasure that had never been felt before. Then she left these meaningful words before she went on her journey. Apart from Hayate, she was the only one who could overwhelm the myth predators.


    ¡®...Did she eat a myth predator?¡¯


    Marie Rose snatching the Gale¡¯s hair and flicking her tongue with a smile...


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he imagined this terrifying appearance. However, he didn¡¯t show it on the outside as he bowed his head to Hayate. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°It is insignificantpared to the grace you have bestowed upon me.¡±


    ¡°Please... take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°This is a body that has been hiding for over a thousand years. I can take care of myself even if an old dragon tracks me.¡±


    "Yes..."


    Grid wanted to advise him to watch out for a beautiful woman, but he thought it was rude. Marie Rose might be the most beautiful being in the world, but Hayate was an absolute. The moment he encountered Marie Rose, he would be aware of her identity and be wary.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    The reason Hayate came to Reinhardt was because he was worried about Grid. Dominion was too strong to fight while defending against the people, so he thought he would help. Yet by the time he arrived, things had already been sorted out. There was no reason to stay for long.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate stood up from his seat and suddenly smiled. He made eye contact with Irene, who was looking over here with an anxious expression. He also saw Lord standing by her side.


    Grid¡¯s family and his people. There were many precious beings in the world that he had turned away from using all types of reasons. Most of them were built and protected by Grid.


    ¡®I won¡¯t turn away again.¡¯


    Hayate¡¯s expression was determined. Irene and Lord, who were still looking at him cautiously, reflexively stiffened and bowed their heads.


    Just then, Grid grabbed Hayate¡¯s wrist. In an unhurried and polite manner, he stared into Hayate¡¯s eyes. ¡°I will ask you again. Please value your life the most.¡±


    The value of your life is the greatest in this world.


    This is even whenpared to the lives of those who are precious to me.


    Who can bear the copse of the tower that has supported the world beyond the world?


    Hayate¡¯s heart became bitter when he read the thoughts in Grid¡¯s eyes. A body that shouldn¡¯t be sacrificed. His unchanging condition for over a thousand years suffocated him. However, he nodded without showing any signs of it.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    It was also a promise to remind himself.


    ¡°......¡±


    In the distance, Lord tightly gripped his mother¡¯s hand. The young man who was a human but also the son of a god was feeling many things. He felt the solitude and responsibility of the pirs who sustained the world and was greatly stimted. He reflected on his journey of chasing after his father¡¯s footsteps.


    He had gained a lot of experience and was moved. He just didn¡¯t build a special connection with people. The path that his father took was already firmlypleted, so there was no room for Lord to intervene. Most of the impressions he got during his trip were merely a confirmation and admiration of his father¡¯s achievements. It was less intense andcked some desperation.


    Yet he felt fulfilled at this moment. Lord enjoyed being in the same space as Grid and Hayate and gave up the rxation that had been holding him back. He desperately recalled the teachings he had learned from many great teachers. His rapidly expanded thinking helped him understand. Of course, the divinity of the Overgeared World was also favorable to Lord.


    ¡®He looks just like his father.¡¯


    Hayate¡¯s steps as he moved away from the temple became lighter. He felt Lord¡¯s potential and some of the burden in his heart was lightened.


    ***


    The yers active in hell frequently sent good news. The reason they weren¡¯t happy was because they knew the surface was in danger. The descent of the angels and Martial God Zeratul raised the rm. Dominion, who suddenly appeared, drove the wedge in. Once Asgard started to be openly hostile to the surface, questions rose in various ces about whether it was right to cling to hell.


    There were even some people who criticized Grid for being wrongly stubborn.


    The presence of the Dragon yer who appeared at this time was very great. His distinctive character trivialized Dominion, who caused a natural disaster not long ago. It was even more so because he was the opposite of Dominion, who was equipped withrge armor and a spear. He wore light clothes and walked leisurely. It was like he was out on a walk. Only Dominion, who faced Grid with a serious attitude the entire time, became funny.


    The most surprising thing was Braham¡¯s attitude. Braham¡¯s arrogance was a fact that everyone knew, but he was especially humble in front of Hayate. What type of monster was Hayate...? Additionally, his attitude toward Grid was very polite. They sat next to the window of the temple while drinking tea. Hayate, the guest, personally made the tea and poured it for Grid.


    Everyone saw it. The reporters who took photographs and videos wrote headlines and spread it all over the world. Thanks to this, the suspicions and dissatisfaction of those who found out Grid had something to firmly believe in were dispelled.


    The tea ceremony was simply Hayate¡¯s hobby, but people didn¡¯t know this.


    ¡°Is this the power of the Dragon yer?¡± Braham felt the mood of the people change as well as Lord¡¯s development and trembled. He was shocked beyond admiration by Hayate¡¯s ripple effect, who changed the world without even saying anything. He beckoned to Lord while rekindling his dream that he would one day achieve killing a dragon. ¡°You will stay with me for the time being. I must educate you before you forget the enlightenment you have gained from Hayate.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor!¡±


    ¡°It is at the level that gives enlightenment and stabilizes the world through meaningless actions such as a tea ceremony... I wonder if it is a realm that will be achieved naturally after killing a dragon...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The apostles looked at Braham like he was absurd, but in any case, the atmosphere was good.


    ¡°The Gale of the Great Forest had an ident... certainly, the human gods must be quite free right now. I have a few guesses about where they might¡¯ve settled.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go right away.¡±


    Grid was apanied by Garion and Debirion and was ready to embark on a journey. Grid was reminded of the ss game Three Kingdoms that he had once yed. He searched all over the continent to recruit the hiding generals, but he felt that the current situation was much better than back then.


    1. Changing childless specter to Specter of the No Offspring Tomb since I named it before the tomb appeared. ?

 Chapter 1632

    <h4>Chapter 1632</h4>


    Unlike the gods or half-gods born out of the intentions of the gods of the beginning, the purpose of the human gods was vague and the vast majority of them were born without understanding it. Few of them were pleased with the power and eternal life that they suddenly gained one day. No, they were resentful.


    It was because they were targeted and suffered due to the myth predators. The myth predators were persistent. The moment they identally discovered the presence of a human god, they studied the background of the target. They grasped an instinct that even the human god didn¡¯t know based on the aspirations of the human beings who created the human god. They threw the bait and lured the human god into their territory.


    For example, the reason Debirion visited a forest near the No Offspring Tomb was because he was fascinated by the rumor that there was prey in the forest that would enrich humans. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t enter the interior of the No Offspring Tomb and this helped him avoid the worst situation of being eaten by the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. It was just that from then on, his life turned into hell. In a situation where he was pursued by the minions of the Gale, the minions of other predators clung to him, so he couldn¡¯t rest for a moment. His life was threatened every day.


    Pain and istion¡ªthey were concepts that marked the lives of most human gods.


    ¡°It must be hard to endure.¡±


    Garion, the god of the earth¡ªshe had observed almost all the events that took ce on the surface and realized the sufferings of the human gods. She was worried that they wouldn¡¯t be able to endure life and would be corrupted. On the other hand¡ª


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Debirion was adamant. ¡°The human gods can¡¯t be corrupted.¡±


    They were human, so they understood human beings and didn¡¯t resent them. They strove to live up to human aspirations.


    Grid smiled bitterly. ¡°That is what people are.¡±


    Human beings had maintained their dignity throughout a long history. It wasn¡¯t the result of relying on individual wisdom, but the result of cooperation. Every time a great crisis came and threatened them, human beings cooperated. They formed a rtionship that relied on each other against the opponent they were fighting for their lives against. This would repeat when they confronted a new enemy.


    Human gods couldn¡¯t betray human beings. Grid and Debirion right now were the proof.


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Garionughed softly. It was close to a hum. She nced at Grid and Debirion with wide eyes and seemed very happy.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy. It is reassuring to think that those who trust each other will be my family from now on.¡±


    ¡°What type of family...?¡±


    Debirion maintained a serious expression.


    He had lived alone in the forest since his human days and he was unfamiliar with the term ¡®family.¡¯


    ¡°What is family? If you live under one roof, then you are a family,¡± Grid answered with a smile.


    ¡°Indeed... you have several wives, so your thoughts are quite free-spirited.¡± Debirion sighed.


    It wasn¡¯t criticism, but pure admiration. Grid was also dignified.


    ¡°I only recently learned this, but the more you share love, the better it is. Being happy is beneficial in many ways. Debirion, I hope you also meet a good person...¡±


    Grid abruptly shut his mouth. It was because Garion¡¯s sparkling eyes gave him a strange pressure. They were eyes full of anticipation.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    From Grid¡¯s point of view, Garion was an elderly person who had lived for thousands of years. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t easily judge the desire that was shining in her eyes like a young girl and he felt puzzled.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Debirion gave a signal.


    The ground, which stretched out like a wave, stopped moving.


    ¡°This is it.¡±


    They were in front of ake so huge that some people would mistake it as the sea. It was faint, but divinity could be felt. The faint ripples that spread from the depths of theke caught the senses of the three gods.


    ¡°I think we are a bitte.¡±


    ¡°We have to hurry.¡±


    The cooperation between Debirion, who guessed the ces where the human gods were hiding, and Garion, who moved the entirend, worked very well. They arrived at five destinations in just one day, searched the surroundings thoroughly, and finally found a human god at this moment. It was much faster and easier than Grid expected.


    However, the situation wasn¡¯t very good. The Gale of the Great Forest might¡¯ve had an ident, but the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb was also adept at finding and tracking the human gods. His minions, who had been chasing the human gods for a long time, arrived at the scene one step earlier than Grid¡¯s group and were active.


    ¡°The two of you, wait here.¡±


    Grid stopped Garion and Debirion, who were about to throw themselves straight into theke. Garion exerted her full power on the ground, and Debirion his in the forest. There was no reason to weaken them by entering the water.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t necessarily a situation where I need help.¡¯


    The lich he had encountered in the forest when finding Debirion was quite strong. Based on the amount of experience that was given, it was at least level 450. Now there were at least 15 energy sources felt in thiske. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a threat to Grid. He could handle them just by sending Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons.


    Even so, Grid came forward. Just as Liu Bei personally visited Zhuge Liang and tried to invite him and just as Ash captured the pokemon personally, Grid needed to move directly in order to recruit the human gods. He had to show sincerity and kindness to open the heart of the other person.


    Grid threw himself below the surface of theke.


    ¡®I heard he is the god of fishing.¡¯


    He was told this god was born out of the aspirations of fishermen. He had to be careful not to harm the ecosystem of theke in order to easily get favorability.


    Grid made this judgment and didn¡¯t draw his sword. He swam without even taking off Lee Jeong¡¯s training tools. He was basically only using his core power.


    A shockwaveing from thekebed violently shook the flow of water, but Grid wasn¡¯t affected. This was why it was good to have high stats.


    ¡°¡±Stop... give up...¡±¡±


    A hoarse voice rang in Grid¡¯s ear as he reached his destination. The uniquely empty voice of the undead was clearly transmitted even in the water. In the distance, he could see osciting ck demonic energy that was darker than the dark Abyss.


    Five liches were surrounding a single boy. The energy they were giving off was terrible. There were two death knights for each lich and their size was unusuallyrge, making them even more threatening.


    ¡®The Frostlight Orcs.¡¯


    It was Teruchan¡¯s tribe. There was arge number of liches, so the range of activities of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb seemedrger than expected.


    ¡®I may have already run into it a few times without knowing it.¡¯


    So far, Grid had killed more than one lich and death knight. He felt it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there was a minion of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb among them.


    Lightning hovered around Grid¡¯s feet. It was the moment when the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots reacted to the speed that had reached the maximum from the very beginning.


    The lightning god had descended.


    ¡°¡±......!¡±¡±


    The red eyes of the liches grewrger. There was a disturbance in the upper water currents and the death knights were torn to pieces. There was no time to respond, so they couldn¡¯t hide their confusion.


    ¡°¡±A new, human god...¡±¡±


    The liches started to gather magic power on their staffs while staring at Grid. The being that made up the blue current¡ªit was the incarnation of lightning that caused electric shocks in a wide area.


    Hands that were restrained were holding therge heads of the death knights who died with their eyes open. This gave a strange feeling of intimidation.


    ¡°¡±Lightning... God... the aspirations of humans have finally created a monster...¡±¡±


    ¡°Is it, Kyle of Saharan?¡±


    ¡°The rotation of magic power, is twisted. It is by, divinity. This is, a real, god.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Catch him. Master will be pleased.¡±¡±


    Every time the liches spoke, the waves of magic power grew. The ripples that spread in concentric circles continued one after another. Each one was magic. They constrained Grid, limited the flow of lightning, and prepared for an explosion at the same time.


    ¡®It is the level of a great magician.¡¯


    It was natural. In the first ce, they had to achieve a high level during their lifetime in order to be a lich. They were the beings acquired by the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. The level of power collected over the long history by the owner of a tomb that existed before ancient times couldn¡¯t be low.


    Still, so what?


    Grid took a step forward after cing the God Hands by the side of the god of fishing¡ªLars, the boy behind Grid. All the magic that restrained Grid unraveled like they were thread. The magic that couldn¡¯t be resisted with the status of a legend was resisted with the status of a god.


    ¡°¡±.......!!¡±¡±


    The hands of the liches were busy.


    Magic performed by bending the joints of the fingers in reverse¡ªthey drew magic circles in a shape that humans couldn¡¯t create and fired a bombardment. It had incredible power. It ignored the water pressure of the abyss and struck Grid at high speed.


    ¡®Ahh, I don¡¯t know who he is, but he is going to die.¡¯


    After resisting the liches surrounding him, Lars¡¯ consciousness was gradually fading. It was forced transfer magic. The magic that the five liches used in cooperation was dragging Lars¡¯ body to the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb The more a target resisted, the stronger was the pressure of the magic.


    Lars felt pain like his mind and body were being torn apart. He didn¡¯t even have time to feel grateful to the benefactor who suddenly appeared to help him. He was limited to recognizing the situation in front of him.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Then Lars¡¯ mind returned. It was because the ¡®eyes¡¯ transmitted to a dark space faced the being sitting on a throne.


    Were bones connected to bones? Whose bones? Could it be the bones of the gods he had been preying on?


    This... a monster. He couldn¡¯t be resisted. The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb was far beyond Lars¡¯mon sense.


    A chill went down his spine. Cold sweat poured down like rain. It felt like the water wrapped around his body was being peeled off with sweat. Lars wanted to take his eyes off the other being. He didn¡¯t want to look at this monster any longer and wanted to forget it forever.


    However, the transmitted eyes were out of Lars¡¯ control. Lars was forced to stare at the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb and he was clearly engraved in Lars¡¯ eyes and in his memory. The more he did so, the greater Lars¡¯ fear grew. He started to have seizures.


    ¡®It is painful.¡¯


    He would rather die as a human being. He hated this terrible pain. However, he didn¡¯t me those who worshiped him as a god. He was the one who helped them when all the fish in the poisonedke died. He made them depend on him. He knew their earnestness, so how could he me them?


    Tears dripped down from his trembling eyes, but he knew he couldn¡¯t hope for salvation. Even so, Lars didn¡¯t copse even at thest moment. He suppressed the darkness that was about to rise in the depths of his heart. It was because he was a god. It was a god¡¯s duty, regardless of the helplessness against a strongerbat force. No one would understand, whether it was the monster in front of him whoughed like it was insignificant, the heavenly gods, the demons of hell, or even humans.


    Lars knew that humans were selfish, but he still felt an infinite amount of loneliness. However, he understood.


    It was while imagining the moment when his body would bepletely transported in front of the monster to be chewed up.


    ¡®It is scary.¡¯


    What part of that monster would the bone that he left behind fill? Arms? Waist? Legs? He wished it was as low as possible. He didn¡¯t want to stand out like the owner of that rib that the monster was wearing like a crown.


    A shadow fell over Lars¡¯ eyes that turned bloodshot because he didn¡¯t blink once. It was a shadow created by someone¡¯s hand. The monster¡¯s hand had reached up to here. The arm was so long that it was possible.


    A strange smell pierced Lars¡¯ nose as he was thinking this. It was the smell of a ship that he once smelled. To be a bit more precise, it was the smell of steel. It waspletely different from the smell of death exuded by the monster.


    ¡°¡°You... are...¡±¡± The monster opened his mouth for the first time. The voice was as terrible as he looked.


    It was the moment when Lars¡¯ body stiffened even more...


    ¡°Just wait. Sooner orter, I wille to smash that big head.¡±


    The voice of an unfamiliar man awakened Lars¡¯ consciousness. The fear disappeared like it was a lie. There was the sound of something copsing and the world that Lars saw changed. It was the abyss of theke once again. It was bright and wasn¡¯t ck. The cold water also felt warm.


    It was due to the orange divinity that spread across theke.

 Chapter 1633

    <h4>Chapter 1633</h4>


    In the distant past...


    A new lord was appointed to the town of a certain kingdom. He was a very greedy man. He used every excuse to impose harsh tax rates and hardbor on the people. The higher the walls and spires of the manor, the more impoverished the people¡¯s lives became.


    Of course, the people didn¡¯t just sit idly by and watch. They sent an appeal to the king while listing the lord¡¯s guilt. However, the kingdom didn¡¯t help them. It was because the lord was justified in raising the tax rate. The inspector dispatched just in case took the bribery money from the lord and ignored the hardships of the people. He praised the contribution of the lord for building high walls to prevent the invasion of the different species.


    After the inspector left, the lord resented the people.


    Why did you, who should be loyal and obedient to me, betray me?


    He trembled with a sense of betrayal and harbored hostility toward the people. From then on, there were people suffering from starvation. More and more people fell ill and died because they couldn¡¯t eat well.


    It was Lars who saved them. The people who lost their lives after meeting the wrong lord¡ªthe boy took pity on them and used his extraordinary brain and his father¡¯s power to help the people. Embankments were built in exquisite locations andrge-scale fishing was done to give food to the people.


    He didn¡¯t raise his father¡¯s suspicions. He exined that the embankments were built because he wanted to monopolize the bigke. There was no interference from the lord. It was because his father was the lord.


    The boy, who was the son of the vicious lord, used the heart and power of his father who loved him to help the people. The hunger of the people was quenched due to the boy.


    Then an ident happened. The lord¡¯s eyes turned when he learned the use of theke his son had created. He released poison into theke. Dead fish floated on the ckenedke. The number of dead fish was so great that it was almost impossible to see the water¡¯s surface. The only thing visible was the bellies of the fishes. The peoplemented and the boy despaired.


    ¡°Why are you doing this when you should be their parent?¡±


    The boy yelled at his father for the first time since he was born and threw himself into theke. It was after chewing herbs that purified water only when mixed with human blood. The son¡¯s resentment and curse that he would me his father even in death if he took theke away from the people lingered forever in the lord¡¯s ears.


    On this day, theke turned ck and then returned to blue.


    The boy died. It was only when he died that he became a god. It was a rare case among the human gods. However, the boy didn¡¯t know about his own death. Theplicated memories of being reborn with the aspirations of human beings made him forget about death.


    ¡°You... who are you?¡±


    The boy who spilled water, not blood, from his wounds¡ªLars, the god of fishing, barely managed toe to his senses and asked. He seemed unfamiliar with Grid¡¯s group, who were looking at him with sad expressions. It was different from Debirion, who vaguely guessed Grid¡¯s identity. He seemed to be ignorant of the world since he had been living in rivers andkes.


    ¡°I am called the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Over... geared God.¡±


    ¡°Like you, he is a god born from the aspirations of human beings and the emperor of a great empire. He is the one who has been protecting and caring for human beings from various positions.¡±


    ¡°I never cared for people.¡±


    Grid looked serious at Garion¡¯s words. He took care of people? He might have a lot of experience fighting to protect someone, but the expression that he cared for them wasn¡¯t right. They were words that he didn¡¯t dare to bear.


    His face was about to explode with embarrassment.


    Lars saw Grid¡¯s reaction and smiled. ¡°You are the master of the divine world that was born not long ago. I heard the news often through the mouths of fishermen. You are a very wonderful person... additionally, you are the benefactor who saved me. You must¡¯vee to me for some purpose. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it if I can.¡±


    It was just after witnessing the monster in the darkness. It was a monster that formed a bizarre shape by attaching the bones of human gods to its own bones. Lars was convinced. He would never forget the horror of that moment even in death. He assured himself that even if he fought the demons of hell, he wouldn¡¯t be more afraid than of that monster who would chew on his body.


    Yet right now, the fear was gone. His trembling body calmed down like it was a lie. It was due to the warmth of Grid¡¯s divinity that stained thend andke with the color of the sunset.


    Lars, who was rescued by Grid just before being dragged away to the No Offspring Tomb, urately measured Grid¡¯s level. He was very strong. He even had a humble and wholesome demeanor.


    Lars wanted to rely on this person. The moment that Lars¡¯ instinct harbored this faint wish...


    ¡°Be a part of our family.¡± Grid brought up why he was here. ¡°I hope you can live with us in the Overgeared World.¡±


    It was a polite request without the slightest hint of coercion from the strong. Moreover, Lars had been lonely and anxious for a long time. He felt the attraction in his heart. However, there was a catch. ¡°The meaning of my existence is blurred when there are no fish. In the first ce, I have no power. I wonder if I am worthy to stay in your world...¡±


    The divine world that was recently born was very small. There was no possibility of ake or a river. Even if there was a river, Lars was a weak god. All he could do was help people catch fish. Was there any use for him?


    ¡°Just you being with us will help us a lot. In essence, the more gods that stay in the divine world, the bigger it gets. Additionally, you are a god who symbolizes abundance in a small way. It will be good for the people as well,¡± Garion exined to Lars, who was doubting himself.


    Debirion, the god of hunting, and Lars, the god of fishing¡ªtheir essencey in helping people living in poverty. It would be a good match if they were together. They would enrich the people entering and leaving the Overgeared World. These people would feel grateful and worship the gods even more.


    It meant that a beneficial cycle waspleted. Of course, Garion was aware of the need forkes and rivers, but this wasn¡¯t something to worry about. Garion was the god of the earth and Piaro was among the apostles of the Overgeared God. It was easy to createkes or rivers in the Overgeared World if the two of them joined forces.


    ¡°I will join you if that is the case.¡± Lars happily nodded.


    [The god of fishing, ¡®Lars,¡¯ has be a member of the Overgeared World.]


    [The level of the Overgeared World has risen by 1 due to recruiting a new god.]


    [If you build a temple for Lars in the Overgeared World, the scale of the Overgeared World will be slightly expanded.]


    [The god of hunting, Debirion, and the god of fishing, Lars, have activated the ¡®Gods of Abundance (1)¡¯ effect.]


    [If a friendly being visits the Overgeared Empire, they will receive buffs that increase the experience rate, decrease the penalty of an empty stomach, increase movement speed in forests, and increase the time of dives.]


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    It was a good start. Grid inwardly eximed with joy, but he couldn¡¯t smile. He was worried about the specter he encountered at the No Offspring Tomb, which could be seen through the space that the liches had distorted. He was stronger and more evil than Grid expected.


    Pure evil. It felt simr to Baal.


    ¡®The range of activity of such a being isrger than expected...¡¯


    There were likely to be repercussions if he left the other being alone. However, there was a part of Grid that was reluctant to subdue him prematurely. The biggest problem was that the size of the No Offpring Tomb was veryrge.


    Thergest dungeon in Satisfy¡ªthe No Offspring Tomb wasrge enough to be called that. From the outside, it looked like a forest and a mountain, but it hadn¡¯t been discovered in many years. The scale was huge so it was unknown how many traps and trials were lurking. It would take a very long time to reach the specter. Additionally, there was a high probability that the executives he encountered along the way were likely to be at the level of super named beasts.


    It would be unreasonable for Grid to defeat them alone. An attack was only possible if the apostles were mobilized. However, he couldn¡¯t afford to invest in attacking the No Offspring Tomb right now. Resources had to be conserved.


    One example was the potions. The potions made at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility, which had been repaired after it was destroyed, were being stockpiled for the Baal raid. It wasn¡¯t right to consume them at the No Offspring Tomb.


    ¡®No, that isn¡¯t it.¡¯


    Suppose he used all the resources he had prepared on a raid of the No Offspring Tomb. He couldn¡¯t estimate the losses if the attack failed, but if it seeded, the gains would be far greater than the losses. Grid and the apostles would level up significantly and powerful items would be acquired inrge quantities.


    ¡®Let¡¯s adjust the schedule.¡¯


    In any case, the hell expedition needed a bit more time. Grid decided it was better to postpone the Baal raid until the average level of Overgeared One reached 500.


    Just then, Garion realized Grid¡¯s thoughts and gave him advice. ¡°It is better not to touch the No Offspring Tomb.¡±


    ¡°Is the specter that strong?¡±


    ¡°The specter being strong is a secondary problem. Think about the nature of the specter.¡±


    ¡°The nature of the specter? Isn¡¯t it a myth predator?¡±


    ¡°No. That is just an additional role. Why is the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb the specter of the No Offspring Tomb? It is because it doesn¡¯t leave the No Offspring Tomb, but why doesn¡¯t it leave it?¡±


    ¡°To protect the No Offspring Tomb... Ah.¡±


    Grid realized the essence of the specter. It was the guardian of the No Offspring Tomb. Despite hunting many human gods, it had never left the No Offspring Tomb. At first nce, it resembled the Mountain King of Grenier, but there were obvious differences. The Grenier guarded by the Mountain King was simply a mountain, whereas the No Offspring Tomb was someone¡¯s tomb.


    Why did the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb protect someone¡¯s tomb? Wasn¡¯t it because the owner of the tomb wanted it?


    The problem arose at this point.


    ¡°You might provoke the owner of the No Offspring Tomb if you harm the specter.¡±


    ¡°What is the true identity of the owner of the No Offspring Tomb?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You... don¡¯t know?¡±


    The No Offspring Tomb was a tomb built on the ground. Yet Garion, the god of the earth, didn¡¯t know the true nature of the No Offspring Tomb?


    Grid was baffled and a bitter smile crossed Garion¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°Yes, as you know, my authority isn¡¯t absolute. The reason I took care of thend was because my mother wanted it and she had the right to control me. From my perspective, the No Offspring Tomb was something that popped up out of nowhere. The being who made the No Offspring Tomb is probably Mother or a beingparable to Mother.¡±


    This was why she believed that the No Offspring Tomb shouldn¡¯t be touched recklessly. There was something ominous lurking there.


    Grid saw Garion¡¯s deep concern and struggled to shift his attention.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about the No Offspring Tomb right now.¡¯


    He was in the process of recruiting human gods. It was also time for Xenon¡¯s loot to arrive. There was a lot of work to be done.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return first.¡± There was arge fountain at the point where the temples of Grid, Garion, and Debirion, which were next to each other in the Overgeared World, were facing. How about changing that part into ake and building Lars¡¯ temple there?


    Grid thought about it and pulled out a return scroll.


    At the same time...


    ¡°Do you have an estranged rtionship with your parents?¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking that now?¡±


    ¡°Professor, I heard you have two brothers born at the same time as you.¡±


    In the real world, Huroi was causing a social ripple.


    ¡°I think your parents are definitely great people because they predicted that an ill-bred fellow would be among their children and gave birth to three at the same time. I need to connect you with a writer I know well to publish a book about great people.¡±


    It was because he strongly criticized the panelist who argued that the seasonal system should be introduced in Satisfy. The debater¡¯s recklessness in saying it was fine to reset the NPCs provoked Huroi...

 Chapter 1634

    <h4>Chapter 1634</h4>


    A game surely had an end. It was because the story had an ending, or the content was depleted. It wasn¡¯t just single yer games, but also online games enjoyed by multiple users. The developers added new content every time, but it didn¡¯t mean much. It was easy to remember that even movies made by hundreds of the best people in each field with hundreds of billions of capital behind them were often ruined.


    People in the gaming industry weren¡¯t gods. They weren¡¯t always sessful in developing content that satisfied the majority. On the contrary, the more updates that were done, the more the game received a bacsh. In the end, every game tended to have fewer users as the service period continued and they would eventually disappear into history.


    Online games with a PvP system had a particrly short lifespan. It was because PvP naturally had winners and losers. The winner got the better reward, so as time passed, they entered their own league.


    What were some ways to extend the lifespan of the game? This was the biggest challenge the gaming industry had been contemting for a long time.


    The answer was in seasons. It gave new stimulus to users by resetting the game environment after a certain period of time passed. It wasn¡¯t at the level of simply resetting the rankings like in chess-type games or games like AoS, FPS, etc. In the case of MMORPGs, the story and levels werepletely reset. This way, people could start the game on an equal footing again from the beginning.


    Of course, the proper line was kept. In order to reduce the feeling of deprivation to existing users, the sses and items acquired in the previous season were partially inherited. On the other hand, variations were added to the content of quests, hidden pieces, and information of hunting grounds and dungeons, etc, to render existing knowledge meaningless. The intention was to ensure that the winners, who monopolized a lot of information from the previous season, would start from the beginning like the average person.


    So far, this was a very simple example. The gamepanies used the seasonal system in their own way. They used several innovative methods to satisfy the winners and losers of the previous season, and both existing and new users. As a result, most of the games that introduced a season system were well received.


    The difference in lifespan between games that introduced the seasonal system and games that didn¡¯t introduce the seasonal system was quiterge. Of course, by now, most of the games except for Satisfy had been destroyed.


    ¡°Grid has gone beyond an empire and created a divine world. In this way, Grid¡¯s power will grow uncontrobly... I¡¯m not using a leap of logic to talk about the seasonal system. Who doubts Grid these days? Grid isn¡¯t someone who harms others just because he bes stronger. Rather, he has a style of feeling responsibility. He is a great man. We all know that.¡±


    The professor, who was voicing the need to introduce a seasonal system, inserted a neutral gear along the way. It was proof that he was conscious that the absolute majority of public opinion liked Grid. At the same time, it was a move to appeal that his opinion had objective value.


    ¡°Moreover, it is clear that hell and heaven have be the enemy of the yers. For humanity, which has to rally around Grid, there is no news as good as the birth of the Overgeared World. Isn¡¯t there a statistic that less than 20% of people perceive Satisfy as a simple role-ying game? Research shows that most yers enjoy Satisfy for a variety of everyday reasons, whether it is simply to decorate their home or garden, spend time with their family or lover, enjoy leisure activities such as fishing or exercise, or simply using it for work purposes.¡±


    The professor drank water while avoiding Huroi¡¯s bloody gaze and continued his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking about the future. It should be noted that when Grid and the rankers have subjugated hell and heaven and the story is over, or when the failure prevents people¡¯s daily lives from being maintained, we need to note that we have to start Satisfy again in a new environment.¡±


    ¡°What will happen to the NPCs if the world is reset?¡± Huroi, who didn¡¯t get a chance toe forward because the professor praised Grid every time he said something, finally interrupted at the right moment. He pointed out the fundamental problem.


    The professor fixed his sses. ¡°The NPCs? Is that a matter to worry about? Once the world is reset, it means the system is reset. So the NPCs will be reset as well, right?¡±


    ¡°I was asking how the NPCs are going to make sense of the world starting over, but you are thinking about killing them. You are trying to teach people when you are a potential killer. The world is going to the dogs.¡±


    ¡°Killer...? What are you now...?¡±


    The professor panicked. From then on, Huroi¡¯s criticism began. He even took advantage of the fact that the professor was part of triplets to curse him. A convincing logic wasn¡¯t presented. It was because the professor didn¡¯t consider Grid¡¯s position at all.


    Reset the NPCs? What type of crazy nonsense was this?


    Huroi, who only thought and worked around Grid, had plenty of reasons to insult the professor. He didn¡¯t need any logic to curse...


    ¡°Uh... Um... We wille back after this advertisement.¡± The host couldn¡¯t control the executive of the Overgeared Guild he painstakingly worked hard to recruit and barely took over.


    The survey results confirmed that people were negative about the seasonal system. It was a natural result. Satisfy was different from usual games. The vast majority of people recognized and utilized it as another world rather than a game. Progressing through quests, killing monsters, leveling up,peting with others, and increasing their power... this was only a small part of Satisfy.


    It was why so many people were cheering for Grid and the Overgeared Guild. People just wanted peace. They dismissed the argument that a seasonal system should be introduced to reset the environment they had adapted to the best, the rtionships they built, etc.


    The same was true of the S.A Group. What type of seasonal system would be introduced when thepany didn¡¯t even update the game in order to avoid intervening in the game?


    Themon opinion of the people was that the professor was cheap and he was cursed at.


    ***


    The symbol of the Overgeared Empire was once cksmiths. Tens of thousands of cksmiths, led by Grid, filled the nation. Naturally, industry developed and technicians from many fields flowed in. As the nation prospered, the technicians gained a variety of experiences and became craftsmen, producing new technicians through apprenticeship training. It was and of craftsmen.


    ¡°Perhaps¡ª¡±


    Theke at the ce where three temples were facing¡ªthe greatke built by Garion and Piaro was beautifully decorated by craftsmen. Flowers and trees of various colors were nted around theke. White gravel wasid on the ground and it didn¡¯t look awkward even though it was in the middle of the city. Theke itself was where Lars would reside, so the statues and portraits of Lars were arranged around theke. It felt like an exhibition hall in nature.


    The overall scale was muchrger than Grid¡¯s temple. It was builtrge in the hopes that the size of the Overgeared World would be directly proportional to the size of the temples. It was fine even if it wasn¡¯t proportional. In the future, the Overgeared World was nned to be developed around theke. Therefore, it was decided that theke would only be beneficial if it wasrge.


    ¡°Do you know the Undefeated King?¡±


    This was a question that arose from the time he heard that Lars died and became a god.


    Undefeated King Madra¡ªduring the time when he was alive, he alone cut down the empire¡¯s great army to defend his homnd. Then he became a death knight and defended the Behen Archipgo. Unfortunately, the Great Human and Demon War in the Behen Archipgo didn¡¯t go down in history.


    However, his homnd Lubana existed until rtively recently. The empire might¡¯ve deliberately concealed the name of the Undefeated King, but this would have its limitations. The people of Lubana might¡¯ve longed for the Undefeated King for at least a few decades after the death of the Undefeated King and offered sacrifices. It meant they would¡¯ve worshiped him.


    ¡°Madra, of course I know him.¡±


    Debirion and Lars shook their heads, but Garion knew about the Undefeated King. She nodded with an inquiring expression.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Grid remembered the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship and started sweating. There was no way Garion couldn¡¯t know Madra. Madra must¡¯ve smashed thend quite a lot.


    ¡°You must be wondering if he also became a human god.¡±


    ¡°Yes... in any case.¡±


    He didn¡¯t really have high expectations. Madra¡¯s body and soul were defiled. He was reduced to an undead by Pagma and stayed in the Behen Archipgo until recently. Existing as a death knight and bing a human god? The possibility that a separate ego from the death knight would be a god wasn¡¯t impossible, but it wasn¡¯t realistic.


    In the first ce, Madra was a legend. He was outstanding even among the legends. His position was different from Lars, who was an ordinary boy. It was more likely that he would be chosen as an angel before he became a god. After bing an angel, he couldn¡¯t be a god even if he was worshiped.


    ¡®Please, I hope my guess is wrong.¡¯ Grid was aware that his predictions were quite often wrong. This was why he was eagerly hoping that this prediction was also wrong.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be a god. As you know, he has fallen to the level of bing an undead.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This time, his prediction was corrected.


    A shadow fell over Garion¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°He is likely to have be a ve to Baal. I heard that Baal¡¯s favorite souls are unfortunate souls, both alive or dead. It is a shame.¡±


    Did he be a ve to Baal?


    It happened as Grid sighed, feeling gloomy after his unnecessary curiosity...


    ¡°The warp gate is ready.¡±


    One of the knights prostrated himself and announced.


    ¡®Why do they bow every time?¡¯


    A God Hand pulled up the knight. However, it was useless. The knight fell to his knees again. It was because Grid¡¯s red robes fluttered and his sunset-colored divinity spread. It was a sight that made one feel awe.


    ***


    He soon arrived in front of the warp gate and found the apostles, except for Braham and Sariel, waiting.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Nefelina¡¯splexion was pale. The restless appearance meant she didn¡¯t look like a great hatchling, but it was very familiar to Grid. To be honest, Grid couldn¡¯t picture Nefelina¡¯s future in his head. A dragon that would show off her magnificent stature and act as an absolute? This child?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go with me,¡± Grid said while stroking Nefelina¡¯s head. From a certain point on, he naturally treated Nefelina like a daughter after she treated him as a parent. She also seemed to have be quite close to Lord. It was absurd that Lord seemed to have taken on the role of an older brother.


    ¡°No, I will go. I really want to see him.¡±


    The gray dragon Xenon¡ªhe might not be a child of an old dragon, but it was said that an adult dragon had made an exchange with Grid. It had been a long time since it turned out to be true. However, Nefelina didn¡¯t feel like it was real. It was impossible to believe that a dignified dragon interacted with another species. She wanted to see it with her own eyes.


    ¡®Perhaps he is suffering from madness.¡¯


    That dragon called Xenon was likely experiencing the same symptoms as her father. It meant that he was ridiculously dangerous. It was necessary to find out what plot he had in mind when approaching Grid.


    ¡®If I am lucky, I might get a hint to improve my father¡¯s symptoms...¡¯


    Somehow, the gravity of the matter seemed to be reversed, but in any case, Nefelina took the risk. She chose to apany Grid despite knowing she could be a target for Xenon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid respected her choice. He was the first to enter the warp gate, followed by Mercedes, Piaro, Zik, and Nefelina.


    The apostles were all wearing the same clothes as Grid. It was a thin robe made from woven silk. The hem went down to the knees and the sleeves were wide. It was gorgeous. It fluttered every time they moved, making the appearance of the gods and apostles even more mysterious.


    ***


    [I think they have be more devoted since we haven¡¯t seen them.]


    Reidan was full of people. It was to watch the ¡®descent of a dragon,¡¯ which was now famous.


    A dragon¡ªan absolute species that was considered to be something they would never see in their lifetime justst year. The people who were mesmerized by his splendid appearance turned their gazes in the direction of the warp gate.


    Grid was there.


    The attitude of the dragon who found him and made eye contact was unusual. The sight of him stretching his neck down like he was bowing caused a turmoil among the people.


    ¡®He is far crazier than I expected.¡¯


    Xenon¡¯s polite attitude made Nefelina feel shocked.

 Chapter 1635

    <h4>Chapter 1635</h4>


    The keyword for dragons was arrogance. They were monsters that were immune to death due to the ¡®absolute defense¡¯ that wrapped around them like a garment, and devastated a city with a single breath. Understandably, they were fearless and arrogant. They were famous for belittling all beings other than themselves. The ancestors¡¯ advice that it would be ugly to get involved with them as they did not know the concept of respect remained throughout the continent as a history.


    Yet an unexpected event urred around half a year ago. A giant dragon periodically visited Reidan to give gifts.


    A dragon doing Grid a favor? There was a rumor that it was because he felt guilty toward Grid, but people weren¡¯t convinced. How could a dragon feel guilty in the first ce? Smashing cities and hurting people? For them, it would be as uninspiring as trampling on ants. So why?


    The people were puzzled and went to visit Reidan. They heard rumors that Grid was attending this ¡®descent of a dragon'' event. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to enter the city. There was a long procession even from a location where the walls of Reidan, famous for being very high, looked blurry. It was a procession of visitors to Reidan.


    ¡°Do we have to pay an entrance fee? By the way, why are there so many people?


    Rabbit, a notorious administrator even among civilians, dered that he would charge an entrance fee. The reason was that it was difficult to manage security if just anyone was epted. The people felt a bacsh and they lost their motivation when they saw the long procession.


    ¡°Let¡¯s watch from the outside without going inside the city.¡±


    ¡°That is good. It is a pity that I can¡¯t see Grid, but the dragon is as big as a mountain. I can see it well from afar.¡±


    Eventually, a few people left the line. Tents were set up in various ces of the agriculture fields like they were camping. Then suddenly, dark clouds appeared in the sky and it rained. It was a heavy rain.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it originally a desert here?¡±


    ¡°The clouds are too thick. We won¡¯t even be able to see the dragon properly like this.¡±


    ¡°Damn, it can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s enter the city now.¡±


    The people took down their tents and moved busily. They literally rushed in like a turbulent wave. However, the visitors didn¡¯t end there. There were also many members of the bourgeois who crossed over using the warp gates rather than taking the usual routes.


    Reidan was crowded without any ce to step. It was like a huge pot of bean sprouts. Just then¡ª


    ¡°......?¡±


    The rain stopped like it was a lie.


    ***


    ¡°Thank you for the hard work,¡± Rabbitughed at the dumbfounded tourists and spoke while adjusting his sses.


    At the lord¡¯s castle...


    Lauel was sitting down with a haggard look. He had changed his ss to a feng shui master because it was useful for battlefield and city management, and he harbored a great sense of skepticism about his job.


    ¡°The prime minister of the great empire uses the ultimate technique to take money away from people... isn¡¯t this too trivial? You are someone who has earned the title of daoist.¡±


    ¡°The number of visitors is 1.2 million and we got 7 gold per person. Recall the days when Reidan was reeling because it didn¡¯t even have 200,000 gold and endure it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the rate of visits by children very small? Administrator Rabbit, did you predict that far?¡± Garitsha looked at the two men with a somewhat pitying expression and asked. It was a question from the lord of Reidan.


    Rabbit exined it with all his heart, ¡°That¡¯s right. What fearless parent would lead their children to watch a dragon? This was the calction behind the propaganda that preschoolers would be admitted for free.¡±


    They pretend to be hospitable, but it was nothing more than a show. It was the basics of business.


    Rabbit¡¯s smiling face was full of pride. It was simr to the look Garitsha had when she led 50,000 troops and won consecutive victories.


    ¡°Oh my, you did well,¡± Garitsha finished rebuking him and urged Lauel, ¡°We need to go. Grid will arrive soon.¡±


    After a while, a huge and wonderful dragon descended to Reidan, just as people had imagined. Then Grid¡¯s group appeared through the warp gate. The surprising thing was that people¡¯s nerves were more focused on Grid¡¯s group than the dragon. The beautiful men and women dressed in colorful clothes and Grid¡¯s divinity was that enchanting. They couldn¡¯t help drawing attention.


    [I think they have be more devoted since we haven¡¯t seen them.]


    The people who were alternatingly admiring Grid¡¯s group and the dragon were suddenly shocked. It was because the dragon¡¯s attitude was very polite as he lowered his long neck to match Grid¡¯s eye level. The dragon¡¯s tone was polite from the start.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    ¡®It was this much?¡¯


    People had been keeping a close eye on Grid¡¯s epics and the temples of the Overgeared God Church. It was possible to roughly guess where Grid was and what he was doing. They took it for granted that he had been involved with dragons for the past year. They didn¡¯t expect him to rise so much in the hierarchy that he was greeted by a dragon... they never even dreamed of it.


    Weren¡¯t dragons beings that even the gods of Asgard were wary of? It was beyond imagination.


    Silence fell in a city as a million people lost their words.


    ¡°That... that can¡¯t be a dragon!¡± someone shouted in a ferocious voice. It was close to a cry. There was a strong hostility in the voice. All eyes turned in the direction of the voice. It was a man in a ck robe who gave off a gloomy impression. Anyone could tell that it was a ck magician from the Yatan Church.


    ¡°This...! That is just a fat wyvern!¡±


    The Yatan Church, like the churches of the three gods, was divided into two factions¡ªthe radicals, who believed in the truth of hell that Grid revealed and formed a friendship with the Overgeared God Church, and the moderates, who held to their existing positions regardless of the truth.


    The difference between them was whether they worshiped God Yatan or the demons. The radicals worshiped God Yatan himself while the moderates wanted the power of the demons. The moderates were close to the existing Yatan Church. They were still obsessed with the ritual of kidnapping humans, sacrificing them, and summoning demons.


    This person was part of thetter. He was even a bigshot. The proof was that he infiltrated this ce without any problems.


    ¡®A Yatan Servant. It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen one.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s high insight read the ominous magic power of the ck magician. However, that was it. Grid quickly shifted his gaze away. He paid as much attention to the ck magician as he did a stone on the side of the road.


    The ck magician threw off his robe and shouted fiercely, ¡°If you know the identity of this body, then you can¡¯t ignore me! I am Yatan¡¯s Second Servant, J...¡±


    The Yatan Second Servant, Jijeil¡ªhe was obsessed with power. Therefore, he vited the rules of heaven, harmed people, and became a Yatan Servant. Naturally, he fantasized about the dragons. He feared them more than the Great Demons and hoped to meet one at least once in his life.


    However, he only witnessed the scene of his object of awe serving Grid, his firm enemy, as if Grid was his master. He had to lose his temper. He was so caught up in his emotions that he experienced a bacsh of magic power. Still, it was fine. There were countless people here.


    These misceneous things that only sucked in air. Those who wished to lead a trivial life were nothing more than rubbish not worth existing. Meanwhile, they had found to take advantage of this trash over the years.


    It was as an offering. The magic of dedicating their blood, flesh, and life to the demon waspleted with powerful magic that was different from ordinary magic. A miracle that made meaningless things meaningful.


    I am great.


    It happened at this time...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Jijeil¡¯s thoughts stopped. The madman, who was ready to give up his life the moment he shouted at Grid, dreamed aboutpleting arge-scale magic on the people here and seeing Grid¡¯s expression contort. It was just that his wish didn¡¯te true.


    Grid¡¯s figure disappeared from view. By the time he realized that a huge, ck shadow had approached, it was already toote. Jijeil¡¯s head was crushed by pressure and exploded.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes and Piaro, who had just reached Jijeil¡¯s side, turned around. Not a single drop of the blood that burst out like a fountain touched their robes. It was the same for the other people. The gravity field spread out by the proud-looking Mercedes crushed the swirling blood and flesh, and buried it in the ground.


    ¡°......?¡±


    There was only silence. The dragon¡¯s huge w that slowly approached the ck magician who appeared with a shout and the ck magician that disappeared without a trace¡ªfew people understood the situation properly.


    Garitsha, a former member of the Tzedakah Guild and the current lord of Reidan, had a subtle expression on her face.


    ¡®It was slow?¡¯


    A little while ago...


    The w that Xenon stretched out was not fast. This was clearly recognized by herself as well as one million people. Meanwhile, the ck magician who was the target of the w didn¡¯t respond. He only looked puzzled the moment when the slowly approaching w crushed him.


    ¡®What type of harmony is it? Did he fall for the Dragon Words that Grid mentioned?¡¯


    Some of the Overgeared members that came from the Tzedakah Guild had grown intomanders. They honed their military skills and leadership skills rather than their individual strength. Unfortunately, Garitsha was incapable of assessing what Xenon just did.


    Piaro read her contemtive expression and said with a pleased look, ¡°It was just visible because it was huge.¡±


    In fact, the dragon¡¯s ws were shot at a tremendous speed. Even Piaro only noticed it when he felt the change in the wind¡¯s flow. He got goosebumps. Mercedes seemed to have a simr sentiment. There was a subtlepetitive spirit in her eyes that were looking at Xenon.


    ¡®As expected, a dragon is truly a supreme being.¡¯


    The more Piaro realized the greatness of a dragon, the greater Grid felt. By this time, the old image of Grid that clearly remained in his mind seemed false.


    It happened as people started to understand the situation one by one...


    They were fascinated by the appearance of the dragon that was even more wonderful up close, but then they btedly felt fear and turned pale. Even so, it was only for a moment. People forgot their fear again.


    [I ended up hurting humans like my habit. I¡¯m sorry... I will pay the price for my sins.]


    The sight of the dragon bowing his head to Grid was absurd and made them forget their fear.


    ¡°He deserved to die a hundred times.¡±


    Grid respected Xenon. He liked Xenon¡¯s personality, who knew how to make mistakes and take responsibility. Yet treating Xenon as a fat wyvern? It was on the verge of being unpleasant to Grid.


    Xenon saw his frown and greatly misunderstood. He hurriedly opened his subspace and took out a gift.


    [This is the scale I have prepared to offer you today. It is a scale that grew around my heart, so it will be especially hard.]


    Offer.


    The scale.


    Every time the dragon opened his mouth, and with each word that emerged from it, people¡¯s minds gradually became distant.


    ¡®Is he really going to put Grid on his back?¡¯


    Then wasn¡¯t it not much different from a fat wyvern, just as the dead ck magician said? People clicked their tongues at the sight of the dragon that seemed to have been tamed by Grid.


    ¡®It is definitely different.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face was bright.


    ¡°I will cherish it and use it well.¡±


    Even the scales from the same dragon differed in quality depending on the area. The scale that Xenon gave him this time was so good that a great work would be born if hebined them with the scales he collected so far to make a shoulder guard and helmet.


    [It is an honor.]


    Hell, Baal, Asgard, the angels and gods, the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb, and Khan¡ªthese days, there were fewer and fewer genuine smiles due to his umting worries. Now Grid smiled widely for the first time in a while. Mercedes read it with her Keen Insight and was thrilled. She took back thepetitive spirit she secretly (?) felt toward Xenon.


    Meanwhile, Nefelina wasing to a conclusion. ¡®I would prefer that he is an uncontroble lunatic. No harm is done to Grid, but I shouldn¡¯t associate with this guy. It is unfortunate, but I have to get a hint of resolving my father¡¯s madness from somewhere else.¡¯


    A fat wyvern¡ªNefelina sympathized with the heart of the ck magician who shouted at Xenon. On this day, the whole world was filled with the subject of Grid and dragons.


    Would Grid lose a fight against Baal when he could extort scales from a dragon? The people were hopeful and encouraged. They also praised Piaro and Mercedes, who reacted to the dragon¡¯s movements. In particr, many people were fascinated by the appearance of Mercedes, who wasn¡¯t discouraged even against a dragon.


    It was rewarding for Grid to lead the apostles to visit Reidan...

 Chapter 1636

    <h4>Chapter 1636</h4>


    It was when he saw the spear made by Hexetia. Grid once again realized the difference in skill between himself and Hexetia.


    There were noints. He could understand. Hexetia was the god of cksmiths. It was a shameful wish topare cksmithing skills against him, whose stats and powers were so rooted in the creation of items.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t think he was unconditionally at a disadvantage. The material of Hexetia¡¯s short sword or spear was the divine stone. It was the unique material created by Hexetia. It was probably a great metal, but it didn¡¯t have an advantage over the scales and bones of a dragon.


    He saw Xenon¡¯s scale today and was convinced.


    [Xenon¡¯s Heart Scale]


    [Rating: Myth


    A scale that regenerates with the highest priority among the scales of the gray dragon, Xenon.


    It is the thickest and strongest as it wraps right around the right side of the chest where the dragon¡¯s heart sits.]


    ¡®This is definitely on a different grade from the scales I¡¯ve dealt with so far.¡¯


    It was when Grid fought Cranbel. This was the reason why he couldn¡¯t deal a direct blow to the dragon¡¯s heart. A bit of confidence grew in Grid¡¯s heart as he admired and examined the scale.


    ¡®One day, I will create a dragon weapon that goes beyond Hexetia¡¯s work.¡¯


    The possibilities were sufficient. Xenon was a lower ranked dragon. Even so, Grid seeded in using Xenon¡¯s scales to embody the body parts of top ranked dragons like Ifrit and Cranbel. Someday, if he used the scales of an intermediate or top ranking dragon, there was a high possibility he could make them more perfect and it was even possible to recreate the body of an old dragon.


    ¡®An old dragon... I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. Let¡¯s make a good helmet first.¡¯


    He had obtained a good scale, so he was going to try and reproduce Cranbel¡¯s head. The investment value of a helmet was high because it had a high defense among all the armor parts and it was an important part that specialized in defending weak spots. There was no regret about parting with Talsha. He had been recing the armor made with the breaths of the Four Gods one by one, so why would there be any regrets about Talsha?


    Talsha... it wasn¡¯t that he disliked Talima''s Shame because it was rude. It had been a long time since Talsha had be obedient, even though it grumbled. To put it bluntly, it had be useless. It was because he didn¡¯t need the help of Talsha to dominate items. Talsha¡¯s current position was nothing more than noisy armor.


    Of course, it was only for Grid. In addition to King''s Negation that disarmed the target and King''s Command¡¯s that controlled ego items, Talima''s Shame had a unique skill called King¡¯s Domination.


    [King¡¯s Domination]


    [Dominates the wearer¡¯s mind and controls the body.


    During the time when King¡¯s Domination is maintained, the wearer¡¯s attack power and all speeds will increase by 20%. The wearer will also be immune to critical hits and attacks in weak spots. However, the wearer will die at the end of the domination.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Duration: Until the wearer dies.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 24 hours.]


    It was a skill that drove the wearer to death. This was a really tant and vicious curse given that Talsha had no conditions to be equipped. Grid was naturally immune to it because it was a mental domination skill, but most people apart from Grid would have no way to avoid death the moment they wore Talsha.


    ¡®There will be times when it is useful depending on the situation.¡¯


    A knight¡¯s helmet with goat horns¡ªTalsha¡¯s outward appearance was pretty cool. It was a design that suited Lauel¡¯s taste so much that his eyes shone and he said he wanted to give it a try (?). If he aimed it at the target well, he could easily make them put it on.


    -Phew...


    Talsha escaped being disposed of and sighed with relief. A monster whose intelligence was so high that it didn¡¯t want to belong to anyone. After repeatedly cursing and killing the wearer, it was sealed in Pandemonium.Talsha had resented its fate as a mere tool, but it was different now. It hoped to lead a life of its own. Its mind changed as it ventured out of the dark Pandemonium and adventured with Grid.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you have usually done a bit better?¡±


    The defense of Talsha was from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 2,750. It adjusted its defense ording to its mood, but it rarely showed a good form because its nature was evil. In particr, there were some cases where the defense was 1 in battle, causing damage to Grid.


    -That... I tried to do well...


    Grid no longer scolded Talsha, who closed its mouth while trying to make excuses. As he stated earlier, the uncooperative nature of Talsha was a matter of nature. It might¡¯ve sumbed to Grid with force and was impressed by Grid¡¯s heart, but it wasn¡¯t inherently good. Grid shouldn¡¯t expect loyalty. It was simr to Iyarugt.


    ¡®Cranbel¡¯s head.¡¯


    Grid closed his eyes and focused. A dragon¡¯s head had horns. It was a very strong symbol that meant power, authority, life, eternity, etc. If there was a world line where Grid didn¡¯t meet Ifrit. The Grid of that world line wouldn¡¯t have even dared to make a dragon horn.


    Meanwhile, the Grid of this world was lucky enough to meet Ifrit and make her horn. Ifrit actively cooperated. Grid used the experience of that time to create a divine sword that referenced the shape of Cranbel¡¯s horn. He was confident that he could properly reproduce Cranbel¡¯s head, which had two horns protruding from the temples.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a perfect reproduction. This was due to the exaggerated protrusion of the dragon¡¯s snout. It was necessary to change it to a shape appropriate to wear. It was also the reason why he nned to make Cranbel¡¯s Head. Ifrit¡¯s single horn was toorgepared to Cranbel¡¯s Horn. He had to scale it down further, so it was likely to lose the value.


    ¡®I have to do my best more than usual.¡¯


    They were misleading words. It was because Grid had always done his best. It was physically impossible to do more than his usual best. Even so, Grid wasn¡¯t conscious of the impossible. It didn¡¯t matter if it was possible or not. He always tried to do better today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today. He maintained the same attitude even if the desired result didn¡¯te out. It was the secret to always staying at the top and was the basics.


    ¡®The helmet is specialpared to other armor parts.¡¯


    A dragon¡¯s head not only had horns, but also a mouth. It was an organ where a real dragon released Breath and spoke the Dragon Words. He didn¡¯t want it for Dragon Words. Dragon Words were the perfect power of dragons who had fulfilled the covenant several times. It made no sense to simply implement it with items.


    However, the Breath was worth looking forward to. Didn¡¯t Grid implement a Small Breath based on the dragon heart¡¯s functional pattern with the gauntlet that he made earlier, Ifrit¡¯s Arm? Once it came to Cranbel¡¯s Head, a more powerful Breath might be attached to the skill. It was an established fact that the viability would develop greatly based on the symbolic meaning of the horn.


    ¡°Please, god.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He had returned after receiving the scales from Xenon. Grid had been praying as a habit before designing Cranbel¡¯s Head with Item Creation. Now he closed his mouth at these words. Garion, Debirion, and Lars were around him. All of them had a bewildered expression at Grid¡¯s search for a god and their attitude made Grid feel embarrassed.


    ¡®There are no human beings.¡¯


    A bit... the emotions were different. Did he move the smithy to the temple for nothing?


    Grid shook his head despite his regret. For production and enhancement, the location and timing were important. This was the historic wisdom of the predecessors that had been passed down from the beginning of the birth of MMORPGs.


    There were too many statistics to dismiss it as a mere superstition.


    It was correct to say that it resembled physiognomy. It was clear that the probability of sess of making and enhancing items would be higher in the Overgeared World, the most sacred ce in the world. ¡ªProbably.


    ¡®Let¡¯s begin.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath and calmed down. Then he started the production. The non-stop moving foot on the bellows was as sophisticated as a machine and there were no mistakes. The mes in the furnace moved ording to Grid¡¯s will. It was as if Grid¡¯s will was embodied.


    ¡®It has not been easy.¡¯


    The gods were deeply impressed by the sight of Grid smelting the dragon scale for three days and nights. A god was omnipotentpared to humans. They were able to achieve whatever they wanted when it came to most work, especially in their field. Garion¡¯s power to immediately restore thend was a prime example.


    It was very unfamiliar for a god to be absorbed in a certain task while maintaining extreme concentration. It was an unnecessary ascetic practice. Yet at this moment, Grid was burdening himself with the ascetic practice.


    Self-control¡ªit was due to this side that he managed to overshadow the years.


    A few more days passed after the gods realized it.


    [Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head has beenpleted.]


    Grid¡¯s item production was finished. A helmet made by splitting Xenon¡¯s scale into hundreds of pieces and connecting them to form two separate horns. It resembled the head of a dragon who was beheaded the moment it roared. It was a structure in which the wearer¡¯s face was located between the gaping upper and lower jaws. Since the lower part of the mouth was split to the left and right to cover the wearer¡¯s neck, it didn¡¯t interfere with movement and yed the role of a helmet properly.


    It was a bit wild, but it suited Grid very well. Grid¡¯s sharp eyes and the raw-looking helmet gave a great feeling of harmony. It was reminiscent of a monarch whomanded the world with a fierce force.


    ¡®I want it.¡¯


    Debirion unconsciously harbored a desire. He thought that if he wore this while going hunting in the forest, he could raise his shoulders high. It was the first material desire he had ever felt in his life.


    Just as Debirion was feeling flustered by his desire, Grid tilted his head at an angle. Then some of the scales that made up the helmet worked and changed positions. The two horns that rose from the sides rotated in the reverse direction to wrap around his neck thickly, and the upper part of the mouth, which acted as a covering, lowered and transformed into a face shield that covered the entire face except for Grid¡¯s eyes.


    The wild feeling disappeared and it instead gave off a firm, yet noble, feeling. It was reminiscent of a knight in winter wearing a thick scarf.


    ¡®It must be painted separately in order to match well with other armor.¡¯


    He could set the helmet to be invisible. In particr, the crown and helmet could be worn together, so Grid usually set it so that the crown was visible. Yet in the future, he would need to make the helmet visible. It was due to the special effect attached to the helmet.


    [¡ï The skill ¡®Somewhat Iplete Breath¡¯ has been generated.


    [Somewhat Iplete Breath Lv. 1]


    [Instantly releases magic power, dealing fixed damage equal to 40 times the amount of intelligence to all beings in its path.


    The higher the user¡¯s status, the greater the damage. There will be an absolute hit rate correction due to the high speed.


    Dramatically reduces the target¡¯s magic resistance the moment the target is hit. The pration and multiple hits effects will ur.


    Skill Mana Cost: 50,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 25 minutes.


    * This skill doesn¡¯t share a cooldown with Small Breath.


    * Every time this skill is used, the face shield made of Cranbel¡¯s Head will be released and it will be opened.


    * If the helmet¡¯s appearance is set to be hidden, the wearer must open their mouth wide to use the skill.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The emperor, a god, the leader of a guild, and someone¡¯s husband and father¡ªhe couldn¡¯t open his mouth in front of people to breathe out fire.


    Grid had a duty to maintain the minimum of dignity.

 Chapter 1637

    <h4>Chapter 1637</h4>


    [Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head]


    [Rating: Myth (Transcendent)


    [A set item.


    Durability: 24,600/24,600 Defense: 3,510


    * Stamina and charm increased by 300 each.


    * The probability of defending the weak points is increased by 50%.


    * The probability of a critical hit resistance is increased by 30%.


    ¡ï Immunity to blindness, silence, and beheading.


    ¡ï If fighting a great demon, archangel, god, or dragon, a portion of the durability is reced by defense and critical hit resistance probability.


    ¡ï The power and activation probability of skills used through the eyes, nose and mouth will increase and the casting time is decreased.


    ¡ï There is a 20% chance to activate Stealth when hit on the head.


    ¡ï There is a 10% chance to trigger ¡®Absolute Defense¡¯ when hit.


    ¡ï There is a 25% chance to activate Dragon Blessing when attacking or hit.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Somewhat Iplete Breath¡¯ has been generated.


    ¡ï Dragon Armor Set Effect


    Every time additional armor made of dragon scales is equipped, defense will increase further and the probability of Absolute Defense will increase significantly.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 520]


    [Dragon Blessing]


    [Passive


    The horns of an absolute species have a powerful meaning.


    When the skill is triggered, the effect of either one of the ¡®Symbol of Strength,¡¯ ¡®Symbol of Authority,¡¯ ¡®Symbol of Life,¡¯ or ¡®Symbol of Eternity¡¯ is applied. The symbol effects can be stacked.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 5 minutes each.]


    [Symbol of Strength]


    [Both horns are dyed red and the attack will have a ¡®crushing¡¯ effect.]


    [Symbol of Authority]


    [Failed to open due to theck of status. The information can¡¯t be essed.]


    [Symbol of Life]


    [Failed to open due to theck of status. The information can¡¯t be essed.]


    [Symbol of Eternity]


    [Failed to open due to theck of status. The information can¡¯t be essed.]


    A great piece of work beyond what Grid hoped for was born. Grid felt so much joy it was like he was going to fly away. He wanted to cheer, but he couldn¡¯t. He was conscious of the gods who were chatting and looking this way. In front of the noble gods, the chief god who would lead them forward couldn¡¯t lose his dignity.


    ¡®No...¡¯


    They werepanions who would be with him forever. Was it right to lie about his feelings in front of them? It was only by showing his true self that it would be possible to be a true family...


    ¡°...Aaaaaah!¡±


    Grid thought about it before honestly expressing his feelings. He clenched his fists tightly, shouted, and even did somersaults. Debirion was dumbfounded, while Lars cheered and pped. Garion smiled with a kind face. Each of them reacted differently ording to their personality, but the three gods fully epted Grid¡¯s true face. They were happy without recklessly judging between right or wrong.


    The dignity of the chief god? That sort of thing didn¡¯t benefit those around him. Grid¡¯s attitude of smiling when he wanted to smile and spreading joy and happiness around him would be far more beneficial to the world.


    It was as orange divinity spread like a pr light around a clearke.


    The gods of the Overgeared Worldmunicated and became close to one another like long-time friends and family. They weren¡¯t suspicious or wary of each other. They only hoped for peace in the world and for humanity to be without any darkness in their hearts. They were pleased with each other as they faced each other honestly and glimpsed the other¡¯s sincerity.


    Peace¡ªthe present safety gained only after meeting Grid, and the possibility of the future that they saw through the works created by Grid, relieved the anxiety in the hearts of the surface gods.


    ***


    ¡®I¡¯m afraid people will misunderstand.¡¯


    It was four dayster...


    Grid invested all the remaining scales and finished Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Shoulders when he suddenly became worried. Grid had a total of three types of Breaths. First, the Breath of the fire dragon attached to the Fire Dragon Sword. From the perspective of Grid, who actively utilized Item Combination, the Fire Dragon Sword was one of his inseparable symbols. Every time he attacked, there was a 5% chance of releasing a Breath.


    Second, there was the Small Breath attached to Ifrit¡¯s Arm. The status correction effect meant the strength was much higher than that of the fire dragon¡¯s Breath. He used it habitually because it was so versatile that it became the trigger to creating a sword dance.


    Third, there was the Breath attached to Cranbel¡¯s Head. It was the most powerful Breath. The particrly noteworthy part was the release location. It was right to say that enemies who fought at eye level with Grid would always be exposed to danger because the Breath was fired from Grid¡¯s mouth or helmet. The moment they weren¡¯t aware of it, a hole would be drilled into their forehead and they would suffer a proper loss.


    Everything was good. It was all good, but...


    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m shooting too much.¡¯


    The ripple effect of the Breaths used by Gridy more in the directing effect than the power. A beam that stretched out in a straight line. The effect was so gorgeous that it caught people¡®s attention and left an intense impression. If he shot a Breath from the helmet instead of his sword or gauntlet...


    He was worried he would get a nickname like Beam Man. It was because people loved nicknames.


    ¡®...It is a useless worry.¡¯


    After all, Grid was the most famous person in the world. He got nicknames even if he stayed still. There was no point in worrying about a new nickname.


    ¡®In the first ce, Beam Man is a bit... it sounds cool.¡¯


    Grid thought positively.


    Ifrit¡¯s Shoulders were waving in line with his movements. The shoulder guards of red scales. It was in a state of being integrated with Ifrit¡¯s Arm. Like the White Tiger¡¯s Shoulder Guards, it had a round shape that wrapped around the shoulders, so there was no inconvenience in movement.


    The performance... it easily transcended the Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix. Despite being an area of weak defense, it had a huge 2,100 defense. There was also a further increase in defense when attacked on the upper body, a shoulder injury immunity effect, etc.


    It was perfect armor. Just as Ifrit¡¯s Arm had Dragon Fear, Cranbel¡¯s Pelvis had Dragon Rage, and Cranbel¡¯s Head had Dragon Blessing attached, this also had some of the dragon¡¯s powers embodied.


    [Dragon Charging]


    [The power of an absolute species.


    Strongly push a target in the specified range to shake the insides.


    A strong internal injury will be dealt.


    Resource Consumption: 20,000 mana.


    *None when hitting directly with the shoulders.


    Cooldown Time: 1 minute.


    *None when hitting directly with the shoulders.]


    It was powerful. The increased defense from the dragon armor set effect couldn¡¯t be ignored either. However, it was necessary to use it often while swapping it with the White Tiger¡¯s Shoulder Guards. It was impossible topletely abandon the White Tiger¡¯s Shoulder Guards, which had features such as Earth God that changed the terrain. Swapping items to use a skill that required meeting certain conditions to be activated had a difficulty level high enough to be called an area of luck, but this wasn¡¯t a problem for Grid.


    The Shoulder Guards of the White Tiger with the Protection of the Red Phoenix had been used by Grid as a part of his body for the past few years. He had confidence to activate the desired skill at the desired timing. In the first ce, Grid was a specialist in swapping items. There was no need to consider the problems that urred when swapping items.


    ¡°Are you idle?¡±


    After almost 10 days, it was time to leave the temple and get some fresh air. Then Mercedes approached and asked him a question. Her expression was terribly cold. Cold air seemed to cover his skin and it gave him goosebumps.


    Grid couldn¡¯t help looking behind his back. It was in the direction that Mercedes¡¯s gaze was focused. It was where Garion was smiling. She treated Mercedes, who was staring coldly at her, kindly, like Mercedes was an adorable child. ¡°I can¡¯t be idle when I am taking care of thend all the time, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed." Mercedes nodded slightly.


    Pretending to be busy while chasing continuously after His Majesty.


    Judging by the look on her face, such words might pop out. However, she surprisingly closed her mouth and seemed to ept it. It seemed to be the power of Keen Insight. She predicted that she would suffer a loss if she said one more word here.


    Grid was paying attention to the war of nerves between the two women when he remembered what happened not long ago. It was the time of his confrontation with Dominion. Grid had predicted a future where he would explode due to Dominion¡¯s spear and die. Did his high level of transcendencebined with his high insight manifest the power of Keen Insight? Or was his evil eye strangely deformed?


    Grid thought about it seriously, but it was only for a moment. ¡®It isn¡¯t a superpower.¡¯


    It was a future he predicted based on his umted experience and information. It was a level that anyone who yed the same game thousands of times or for thousands of hours could reach.


    Predicting the timing and path of the enemy¡¯s skill and avoiding it in advance¡ªsuch an extremely ordinary phenomenon just came to him in an unusually specific and clear manner.


    He didn¡¯t know why it was unusual. It could be a simple coincidence or it could be influenced by something special about a virtual reality game.


    ¡®...Let¡¯s not think too deeply about it.¡¯


    He would just be wasting his mental strength if he gave useless meaning to the experience of that time and immersed himself in it. Grid felt it intuitively and grabbed Mercedes¡¯ hand. He sped their fingers together in a gentle embrace. He thought that the shy and red-eared Mercedes was cute.


    ¡°Did your training go well?¡±


    Mercedes had immersed herself in training while Grid was creating the new dragon armor. Looking back on the magnitude of themotion he vaguely sensed, she seemed to have fought the apostles.


    ¡°Yes, I have gained valuable experience.¡±


    The expression was full of the confidence of winning. She seemed to have a high win rate. It happened the moment he was stroking Mercedes¡¯ head while feeling proud of her...


    -Beings, on, the surface, listen, well.


    A clear voice was imprinted on everyone in the field, no, on the surface. It was a voice that prated directly into their heads. It felt like their brains were being stirred.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    The knights who were following Grid groaned. The soldiers held their heads in a tormented manner while the people on the streets sat down with pale faces. Grid swallowed down his nausea.


    [You have resisted the demonic energy that has permeated the world.]


    He didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    There was just extreme disgust. It was a wicked, ominous energy that he had never experienced before. It was disgusting because he felt like he was facing something he never needed to know in his life.


    -I, am Amoract, the 2nd monarch of hell.


    ¡°What type of mysterious phenomenon is this? There are no traces of Amoract entering anywhere on the surface.¡±


    Garion cocked her head. She was taking care of the people along with the other gods. They gave priority to using their divinity to restore the well-being of the suffering people.


    ¡°She... is in hell.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight gleamed as transparently as ice. Her gaze peered underground and glimpsed into another dimension beyond the underground. The two eyes that even the gods were wary of faced Amoract in hell. Then they were dyed red.


    The sword that Mercedes drew and wielded in a dazzling manner was blocked by Grid just before it cut Garion¡¯s neck.


    The Great Demon of Conflict¡ªAmoract¡¯s power was strong and vicious.


    Grid had no time to hesitate. He immediately spread out the Sanctuary of Metal. It squeezed in between the interlocking des and dominated Mercedes¡¯ shield. Then he took away the sword and held the frantic Mercedes in his arms.


    -I will, save you. You, desire, my advent.


    Amoract¡¯s nonsense continued.


    It happened as he was gritting his teeth...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Just then, Mercedes woke up. She activated her Keen Insight and looked at hell again.


    ¡°It is foolish...! Amoract¡¯s power is a catastrophe on the scale of destroying the world! No one can afford it!¡± Garion sighed. She couldn¡¯t understand Mercedes, who was repeating the same mistake.


    In fact, Amoract, who was in hell, was ridiculing it. Sheughed and deceived the human being who hadn¡¯t grasped the target and once again met Amoract¡¯s gaze.


    Mercedes¡¯s transparent eyes once again turned red. Garion and the gods flinched and stepped back. On the other hand, Grid¡¯s expression was calm. It was because he believed in Mercedes. A notification popped up as if responding to his belief.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Mercedes,¡¯ has partially deciphered some of the causes of the conflict.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Mercedes,¡¯ has resisted the power of conflict!]


    -What...?!


    Amoract hurriedly shut her mouth, but it was toote. Her bewildered cry spread throughout the world.


    The world that used to be dyed in darkness was torn apart. The sky that resembled a bleak winter night had its blue color restored. It was spring. There was the ruler of the knights in the center of the scattered petals.


    ¡°...Our spring is a spring that is right,¡± Lauel muttered with a bewildered expression after btedly arriving at the scene. It was a poem by Paul Eluard.


    She, who wasn¡¯t tainted by darkness and didn¡¯t tremble in the cold¡ªMercedes¡¯ spring was a spring that is right.

 Chapter 1638

    <h4>Chapter 1638</h4>


    ¡°I will save you. Desire my advent.¡±


    Children, that is enough.


    She muttered while looking up at the ceiling. She was casually speaking to herself. Her face couldn¡¯t be seen because it was covered by fine cotton, but it was easy to infer that she was making a crazed expression.


    However, Rose didn¡¯t mind and instead felt thrilled. She had been gued by terrible anxiety for the past few months.


    Was it because the number of humans invading hell through the weird machine called the hell elevator was increasing day by day? No, this was something to be grateful for. The small fries wandering through hell was nothing more than food to fatten the great demon Rose.


    The problem was the main expedition. The most elite party consisting of many famous rankers of the Overgeared Guild and the kings of the different species. They were using the swarm of demonic creatures sent by Baal as mobs and were getting stronger every day. It felt like there would be trouble if left like this.


    However, Rose didn¡¯t dare to step out. The best she could do was curse Baal, whose mind was unknown, and Amoract, who still coveted Yura and didn¡¯t rush out.


    This XX guy, this XX woman, these bastards that shamed their parents, and so on¡ªit just so happened that Rose¡¯s cursing skills were rising.


    Then today, Amoract made a decision. She said she needed to meet the Overgeared God. She was suspicious of that guy Baal, so she announced her n to propose a cooperation. Rather than being wary of the growth of the hell expedition, she didn¡¯t want to ignore what Baal was doing.


    It was good. Rose was proud of Amoract, who came up with the card of negotiation, unlike the other great demons who might not have brain cells. She thought that the three evils of the beginning were truly different. It was strange to see her looking up at the dark ceiling and talking to herself, but... it was understandable enough.


    ¡®She is probably practicing before giving a speech in front of humans. She is thorough, unlike great demons who don¡¯t know how to n. As expected, she is one of the three evils of the beginning.¡¯


    Amoract¡¯s authority was iparable to the other single digit great demons. She was terribly free. Even without using the Abyss, she could go to the surface at any time, either directly or indirectly through a clone. Of course, she couldn¡¯t avoid a penalty, but it was okay. Amoract didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of fighting against Grid or the Overgeared Guild. Additionally, given the content of the rehearsed speech, it seemed she nned to mitigate the penalty by winning the support of human beings.


    ¡°As expected of a monarch. Look at the humans listening to the world of their monarch.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Rose slowly shifted her gaze.


    Yukal, a great demon loyal to Amoract, wasughing as he looked at a crystal ball. Surprisingly, it was a crystal ball that ryed the situation of the surface.


    Oh my god, a broadcasting tool that transcended dimensions?


    ¡°Was there something like this?¡±


    ¡°What a stupid question. Indeed, you are a bumpkin of human origin, so you don¡¯t know. The crystal ball is enchanted with a spell to share the vision of Amoract¡¯s mimicry.¡±


    Of course, Amoract could share her gaze with her familiar without the help of the crystal ball and she had over a thousand familiars on the surface. Rose ignored Yukal, who was saying that he would be able to get a glimpse into the heavens if he could nt familiars. To be precise, Yukal¡¯s words didn¡¯t enter her ears. She was amazed to learn that Amoract, who she thought was talking to herself while staring at the ceiling, was actually speaking to humans.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that almost a god?¡¯


    An influence that transcended dimensions¡ªthe power of the three evils of the beginning was truly astonishing. It was more than Rose had expected and imagined. She was convinced that the things toe would exceed her imagination.


    The Yatan Church and some humans who were thrilled by Amoract¡¯s speech and desired hering¡ªAmoract would use their desire to step on the surface and Grid, who was unable to stop her, would have to sit down at the negotiating table with her. Perhaps the union of hell and the Overgeared Empire would be born. Grid must be afraid of Baal, just as Amoract was wary of Baal. He would naturally grab at thisst straw and join forces.


    It happened at a time when Rose¡¯s anticipation was gradually growing...


    ¡°What...?!¡± Amoract, who was humming, showed signs of confusion.


    It was a familiar sight to Rose. Grid was usually intertwined whenever a great demon acted like this. Most of the great demons involved with Grid died. It wasn¡¯t just one or two who perished without leaving even their souls behind.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be... no?¡¯


    One of the three evils of the beginning suffered a defeat to Grid? There was no way. It didn¡¯t matter how great Grid was. Amoract was now in hell. It was her main body. It couldn¡¯t or shouldn¡¯t be the case where Grid could harm Amoract when they existed in different dimensions. Then... why was she so anxious?


    Gulp. The sound of Rose gulping echoed through the pce.


    Some time passed.


    ¡°The power of Keen Insight is more than the rumors. There is a monster by the side of the Overgeared God,¡± Amoract opened her mouth. The breath that she let out like a groan blew the cotton veil that covered her face.


    Ah...


    As Rose was sighing involuntarily, Amoract swung her tail to fix the cotton and continued speaking, ¡°There are so many children who make up the legends. There are also many children who became gods. However, not even a handful of them discussed the ultimate and the Absolute. No matter how many times I have looked back at the world, there has only been one Absolute with a human origin.¡±


    However, Grid was on the verge of stepping into the realm of an Absolute. Amoract had never actually experienced his armed might, but he was the one who gave birth to the Overgeared World. The divine world on the surface made Amoract carefully consider her emergence on the surface. She had no intention of underestimating Grid even after seeing it.


    How could a human god be like this...? She would¡¯ve been convinced if it had been a hundred years since he became a god but Grid hadn¡¯t been a god for long. How did he grow up so unrestrictedly? The question that seemed impossible to solve forever was only resolved today, at this very moment.


    Keen Insight¡ªshe realized after meeting those irrational eyes why the gods were reluctant to even mention it. The secret to Grid bing a god and growing so quickly was probably thanks to him borrowing the power of Keen Insight.


    ¡®The power of the apostles is the power of the god. He used the exploit properly.¡¯


    It was very wicked. He definitely wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t provoke him.¡±


    To be honest, she could send a clone or familiar if she wanted to meet the Overgeared God. The reason why she gave a long speech before her visit and why she was prepared to go in person was in an effort not to offend the Overgeared God. Wouldn¡¯t he feel less repulsed if she announced in advance that she woulde? She also decided it would be good for negotiation to visit in person, rather than sending a clone or familiar, because it would allow him to realize her strength to a certain extent.


    Yet looking at it now, this wasn¡¯t enough. He had the foresight to keep a monster with Keen Insight by his side. It was clear that the Overgeared God, who always borrowed the power of Keen Insight, would be much more arrogant than expected. She decided that in order toe to the surface, it was necessary to ask for permission from the Overgeared God. It would be a bad move to take advantage of people¡¯s desires and gain the Overgeared God¡¯s displeasure.


    In the first ce, Amoract had no intention of harming the humans on the surface. It wasn¡¯t due to any good feelings, but simply because it wasn¡¯t necessary. cing a curse on Mercedes so she went on a rampage was by no means intentional. That crazy monster looked her way willingly and was cursed uncontrobly.


    ¡°Um... Prepare a sheet of paper and a pen.¡±


    ¡°Why a sheet of paper and a pen...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to write a letter to the Overgeared God. I have something to discuss, so can you please allow me to visit?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Is your hearing savage because you are from a human origin?¡± Yukal scolded Rose, who questioned it. He poked her side and urged her to bring a sheet of paper and a pen.


    Of course, Rose¡¯s hearing was fine. The reason she asked the question wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t hear Amoract¡¯s words, but because she couldn¡¯t believe them. The 2nd Great Demon was one of the three evils of the beginning. Now she was sending a letter asking for permission to visit one yer?


    Rose was well aware that Grid was a great person, but it seemed like something was wrong.


    ¡®Even if she appreciates Grid, how can a great demon be so gentlemanly?¡¯


    Was she crazy?


    Rose clicked her tongue at the absurdity, but she still faithfully carried out her orders. She scoured the castle for a sheet of paper and a pen. However, it was nonexistent...


    There was no way there could be writing utensils in a castle where demons and demonic creatures resided.


    ¡°Paper and pen... there is none?? Should I go to the neutral zone to obtain it?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t very elegant. The quality of the paper used by demonkin will be very poor.¡±


    ¡°Then? Ah, don¡¯t you have many familiars on the surface? Why don¡¯t you send a familiar to deliver your message?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t polite. It is bad manners considering the hierarchy of the Overgeared God.¡±


    No, was this what a great demon should say?


    It happened as Rose, who was still unable to adapt, frowned...


    ¡°Rose, the situation is like this, so you will have to go to the surface. The Overgeared God won¡¯t care about your appearance.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Amoract, do you want me to meet the Overgeared God directly to convey your will?¡±


    Rose was shocked. She used to be a Yatan Servant and had many enemies in human society. Almost all yers hated her after she became a great demon. She was treated like a traitor who sold out the country. She was even the target of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s kill order. In other words, it meant the role of a messenger wasn¡¯t suitable for Rose. Maybe as soon as she visited Reinhardt¡ª


    No, she would be killed even before she arrived in Reinhardt.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. At your level, you won¡¯t be able to handle the divinity of the Overgeared World.¡±


    A quest window appeared in front of Rose, who was feeling dizzy.


    [Paper and Pen]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    The 2nd Great Demon, Amoract, has given you a solo mission for the first time.


    Bring her a sheet of paper and a pen from the surface. The better the quality of the sheet of paper and the pen, the greater the reward.


    Quest Reward: Depends on the result.]


    [Congrattions. You have acquired the first solo advent event since bing a great demon.]


    [Your appearance will be spread widely and intensely throughout the world.]


    ¡°...XX.¡±


    Rose¡¯s cursing skills were developing every day.


    ***


    ¡°It is over? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes..."


    Mercedes nodded as she lifted her gaze from hell.


    The light that spread in her transparent eyes scattered like shards of ss. It scattered like snowkes around her blue hair before disappearing.


    Now all that was left were the petals floating in the spring breeze.


    Grid removed the petals from her plump lips and sighed with relief.


    "I''m d."


    There was a small sense of futility, but the relief was much greater.


    So far, Grid had met a lot of Absolutes.


    Hayate, Marie Rose, Raphael, Gabriel, Zeratul, Dominion, Chiyou, and the dragons...


    Not a single one of them failed to thrill Grid.


    It meant all of them were really great. However, the power in Amoract¡¯s voice just now was particrly special.


    There was an extremely sinister feeling.


    It even made him feel hopeless.


    This was just the power of her voice.


    It was enough to make night and wintere to this warm world.


    He felt intuitively that he shouldn¡¯t let Amoract appear on the surface like this.


    Yet to back off after making eye contact with Mercedes a few times...


    ¡®Keen Insight is truly fraudulent.¡¯


    Biban¡¯s advice to not rely on Keen Insight came to mind once again.


    Ruby¡¯s divinity and Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight¡ªwhat was the source of these powers that the heavenly gods loathed and the demons of hell feared?


    Grid was questioning it when he became startled.


    It was because Mercedes¡¯ body was trembling.


    She bowed her head and the nape of her neck and her earlobes were dyed bright red.


    She seemed to bepletely exhausted.


    It was proof that it wasn¡¯t easy to counter Amoract.


    ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well. Go to the doctor...¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m fine. I-I just need to rest! I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°...She sounds fine.¡±


    Mercedes was ridiculously fast as she rushed to leave.


    He couldn¡¯t help feeling that her condition was betterpared to usual.

 Chapter 1639

    <h4>Chapter 1639</h4>


    ¡°Hoo, hah.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was early in the morning...


    Youngwoo arrived at the promenade and was dumbfounded. Jishuka was floundering around. She took deep breaths and slowly swung her arms around. It resembled the Tai Chi moves in movies that Youngwoo enjoyed as a child. She had good proportions and was pretty, so she looked good no matter what she did.


    Jishuka exined to the engrossed Youngwoo, ¡°It is good for increasing concentration.¡±


    It was surprisingly difficult to release the action slowly. It required higher concentration and patience than when moving fast.


    Youngwoo nodded as he remembered a story he once heard.


    ¡®I heard that the difficulty of the new skill she learned is very high. Is this why?¡¯


    He had watched the video recorded by his younger sister, Sehee, several times. Now Jishuka¡¯s arrows didn¡¯t need to be aimed at the target. She shot at the innocent ground or walls and it repeatedly bounced off and bent at strange angles before reaching the target. The demons copsed with an incredulous look as they looked down at the arrows stuck in their necks.


    Jishuka¡¯s arrows had a stealth effect and evolved into a more unpredictable weapon. However, he heard it was very difficult to use because it wasn¡¯t easy to calcte the trajectory even from the perspective of shooting arrows.


    ¡°Hmm... Should I try it too?¡± Youngwoo had never skipped stretching before he started his jogs. It was always with Jishuka, but now Jishuka was doing Tai Chi instead of stretching. Youngwoo always wanted to do the same thing.


    Jishukaughed.


    ¡°I knew this would be the case, so I prepared it.¡±


    A holographic image emerged from Jishuka¡¯s watch. It was a Tai Chi video. This was a video that Hao had taken and sent to her. Hao was the heir to a prestigious Chinese martial arts family and he practiced the peak of Tai Chi. Every move was apanied by a detailed exnation to help with understanding.


    Wouldn¡¯t the value of this video be worth billions if converted to money? It was to the extent where it was a perfect textbook. However, Youngwoo¡¯s expression was very ufortable. ¡°Did you contact Hao separately?¡±


    ¡°Huh? It is natural. We are friends.¡±


    In the absence of Youngwoo, the alliance of the Overgeared Guild and Hao had been repeated several times. It would be a problem if they didn¡¯t be friends. It was just that Youngwoo¡¯s reaction was uneasy.


    ¡°Friends...? Friends... can a man and a woman be friends?¡±


    Youngwoo repeated the word ¡®friend¡¯ several times before asking with a serious expression. He was trying not to express his feelings, but his stiff eyes showed his unpleasant emotions. If Jishuka had been an ordinary woman, she would¡¯ve felt a great deal of anger. He had two lovers in reality and three wives in the game, but he was doubting her friend?


    Nevertheless, Jishuka wasn¡¯t angry. Rather, she blushed with a rxed expression and her fingers twitched. ¡°It is right that we are friends, but... Hmm, you don¡¯t want me to get in touch with a man?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I will do as you say.¡±


    Jishuka unexpectedly liked being restrained.


    ***


    ¡°What? Grid is a martial artist?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It ispletely right!¡±


    In hell...


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes shone as she told her colleagues about what happened this morning. The content was very interesting. Grid only watched the Tai Chi video twice before mastering it perfectly. It was even in reality. Jishuka was so surprised that her eyes popped out when she heard Hao¡¯s video rated it as a 100% synchronization rate. Anyone would be surprised if this story was true.


    Of course, the fact that their experience in Satisfy was also reflected in reality was scientifically proven. She had just never heard of a person bing aplete genius like Grid.


    ¡°It is a bit of an exaggeration... isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an exaggeration. I¡¯m just saying it as it is.¡±


    ¡°Then Grid must¡¯ve been learning Tai Chi on his own. He is very interested in working out.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    Certainly, this was more realistic. Grid did many things that required concentration, so it wasn¡¯t straight for him to learn Tai Chi.


    ¡®He only got a 53% synchronization rate the first time he followed it.¡¯


    Was he ying a prank on purpose?


    ¡®He is mischievous. So cute.¡¯


    Her colleagues turned away from Jishuka, who was smiling. The horizon was turning dark. A new swarm of demonic creatures wasing.


    ***


    ¡®Hao is great.¡¯


    He felt it the entire time he was watching the video and learning Tai Chi. The few words of exnation that followed the slow implementation of the action were very kind. It seemed to be approaching the spirit of educating dogs and monkeys. Even Grid could easily understand it despite having no aptitude for learning. Grid was able to learn it in less than one hour because of the exnation added to the easy to unravel movement.


    Grid¡¯s left hand moved. It was an action that neutralized the attack of a monster that ambushed him in an untimely manner. The swift attack was gently grabbed and deflected. The technique of reality was implemented in Satisfy.


    It wasn¡¯t anything special. One example was professional boxers practicing boxing in Satisfy. Hao also performed dozens of martial arts. Of course, it didn¡¯t have a significant effect. It wasn¡¯t judged as ¡®skill,¡¯ so it was just a basic attack with a ratherplicated path.


    However, Grid had transcendent stats. The technique used with his maximum strength and speed was close to a skill in itself.


    ¡®It is pretty useful to beat opponents who are weaker than me.¡¯


    The need to consume resources such as skills and mana had disappeared. Of course, it was too much to evaluate it as a big improvement. It was because the level of the enemies that Grid faced was too high. Such tricks wouldn¡¯t work against them. In practice, this was virtually meaningless.


    Nevertheless, Grid had hope. The emotion he felt after mastering Tai Chi this morning still filled his heart.


    ¡®Let¡¯s apply this to the God Hands.¡¯


    The disadvantages of the God Hands were clear. They were slow. They didn¡¯t exert a proper effect against transcendents, let alone absolutes. It was hard to reach them even when swinging the swords for a long time. This didn¡¯t mean that the value of the God Hands was undermined.


    Currently, the God Hands were used as the framework for the artificial senses. Grid could face the Absolutes thanks to the silver thread of the God Hands warning him of danger. He was satisfied enough, but he couldn¡¯t be satisfied any longer. It was necessary to make arge amount of God Hands in order to increase the effectiveness of the Sanctuary of Metal. He had a lot of God Hands left after spreading out the artificial senses, so he had been worrying about how to use them. Then he learned Tai Chi today.


    ¡®The aesthetics of slowness. I will surely see great results if I apply the principles of Tai Chi to the movements of the God Hands.¡¯


    In fact, Tai Chi was the inner fist method that trained the essence, vital energy, and spirit. In the modern world, it was dismissed as health gymnastics that trained the five viscera and six entrails. Even so, Satisfy was different from reality. As Grid had just shown, here he was able to use Tai Chi as real martial arts. His stats made it happen. This meant he could maximize the theory of Tai Chi and suppress movement with stillness.


    ¡®Here.¡¯


    Grid came to the hunting ground after a long time, closed his eyes and focused. First of all, he controlled one God Hand directly. It moved slowly without any urgency. It flowed naturally like water and led to the suppression of the artificial flow.


    Sweat formed on Grid¡¯s forehead. The God Hands were basically a weapon moved through his willpower. It meant he had to control it with his conscious mind without touching it. He had been using the God Hands for more than 10 years and mastered the control, but that didn¡¯t make it easy. It was even harder to move slowly. It wasn¡¯t easy to direct the movements of Tai Chi in detail and control the speedpared to simply telling them ¡®what to do.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    It was around the time when the stamina of Randy on the sidelines was depleted.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Grid was barely able to move one God Hand at will. Just then, arge monster roared and rushed in. It was the field boss. Grid restrained Randy and controlled the God Hand. The God Hand gently suppressed the swinging front paws of the boss that was faster and more powerful than itself. The wrist was grabbed and broken to stop the boss¡¯ charge.


    ¡°Kill it.¡±


    Grid smiled with satisfaction, but it was still too early to be pleased. Right now, he could only control one God Hand. He didn¡¯t know how long it would take to control dozens or hundreds of God Hands at the same time.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t a superpower. Realistically, controlling dozens of them is impossible.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be enough to just control 10 at a time? In the eyes of others, even 10 might seem like a superpower. In any case, Grid lowered his target and started moving two God Hands at the same time. He failed several times and allowed the boss to reach him, but it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Grr...?


    Grid was currently armed with four dragon armors. With the set effect, the probability of Absolute Defense activating when hit was as high as 80%. This meant most of the enemy¡¯s attacks were nullified. Instead, the one who was hitting him was tired.


    A few dayster, Grid could control a total of four God Hands. The sight of the God Hands moving in a slow, circr motion while shedding the threats to Grid was overwhelming.


    ¡°It is amazing.¡±


    ¡°The difficulty is different from the fifth one... Huh?¡± Grid was stroking the head of the admiring Noe when his expression stiffened.


    [The 32nd Great Demon, ¡®Rose,¡¯ has appeared on the surface.]


    Rose¡ªit was a familiar name to Grid. A Yatan Servant who hadmitted many evil deeds. At one time, Grid had hated her. Now he didn¡¯t even feel dislike, let alone hatred. On the contrary, he felt a bit of sympathy for her.


    It was because in the aftermath of bing a great demon, it was discovered that there were penalties such as the inability to trade items, inability to use stores, inability to build up affinity with NPCs, and inability to exchange whispers or other correspondence.


    He didn¡¯t know if she had won any victories since gaining a lot of strength, but a great demon in the 30s in this world... they were treated like nothing. They were just good prey for high rankers. She repeatedly lost every time she met the Overgeared Guild, so it was amazing she hadn¡¯t quit the game.


    ¡®What courage did she use to climb to the surface?¡¯


    Judging by the fact that a world message popped up, she must¡¯ve been witnessed by arge number of yers. He was a bit worried about what ident she would cause when appearing in a crowded ce.


    It happened the moment Grid pulled out a return scroll...


    [The 32nd Great Demon has dered.]


    [¡°I¡¯ll go back soon after finishing my work. Sorry...¡±]


    ¡°......¡±


    ***


    Rose got the first solo advent event since bing a great demon. She didn¡¯t like the assignment very much, but she was naturally going to do her best. It was a mission where she just needed to get a sheet of paper and a pen. The content was trivial, but in any case, it was a hidden quest. She expected the rewards to be surprisingly good. It was a mission given to her by Amoract. It could be an opportunity to get a hidden piece rted to the three evils of the beginning.


    She was determined to seed. She raised her level as much as possible over the past week before finally making her way to the surface. That was when she discovered the fact that her emergence appeared as a world message.


    [Dere to the insignificant beings of the surface.]


    It was even asking her to dere something?


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    Rose had no choice. She didn¡¯t want to fail the quest when all it took was to obtain a sheet of paper and a pen. She spoke as politely as possible that she would go right back without causing any trouble. She was sorry to bother them.


    ¡°What is she up to?¡±


    ...It was useless. It was bad from the ce where she appeared. The faces of the yers who appeared through the bushes were amazing. This was a top hunting ground used by rankers.


    Rose was stunned by the stinging gazes and slowly stepped back.


    ¡®Paper! All I have to do is get a sheet of paper and a pen! Don¡¯t waste time here. Just steal from a small town!¡¯


    As expected of an evil being. In this tense situation, Rose nned an evil deed very naturally. She showed no mercy as she attacked the rankers. She released mes and got away from the pursuers. She moved as far as possible to the outskirts. She passed quietly by cities and searched for a sparsely popted vige. In the vige she finally ended up at¡ª


    ¡°...Eh?¡± She saw a man with green hair.


    Agnus¡ªhe was treated as a broken toy by Baal and discarded. She thought he would quit the game. So why was he doing theundry with the women in this vige?


    ¡°What are you looking at? Aren¡¯t you getting lost?¡± Agnus brushed his wet hands through his hair as he spoke. His left hand contained a wooden stick. It was a stick that was used to beat theundry just now. It was normal that he didn¡¯t pose a threat to a great demon.


    Even so, Rose felt an eerie panic. She imagined that this stick was covered with her own blood. It was inevitable. Agnus was the strongest necromancer before he was Baal¡¯s Contractor. He was also one of the few people who had the power of both a rune and the seven malignant saints. He wasn¡¯t easy to handle even if he was discarded.


    ¡®Of course, I won¡¯t lose.¡¯


    Rose calmed her heart and smiled. ¡°N-Nice to meet you. I am d to meet you by chance. That¡ªthere are many stories I want to exchange with you, but I am a bit busy right now. I¡¯ll finish my urgent work first ande back to greet youter.¡±


    ¡°Trash.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Rose doubted her ears. She had been resented by many people, but she rarely heard profanity in her presence. She was flustered and speechless for a moment.


    Agnus¡¯ cold, golden eyes shed. ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Hell, Baal, demons, and regret...


    Dirty memories ignited Agnus¡¯ anger. The bone spear he threw prated Rose¡¯s abdomen. In fact, this was a simple optical illusion. The actual bone spear brushed past Rose¡¯s side and struck her shadow.


    Rose¡¯s shadow let out a scream and roared loudly. It wriggled like y and gradually took shape. The bewildered Rose looked back and saw Baal¡¯s familiar there. ¡°What? This...!¡±


    Was it possible that Baal was interested in her? Was she being scouted?


    Rose was someone who felt great joy even in an urgent situation...


    In the end, Agnus told her cheering self to shut up and stretched out his hand to the air. He caught a sword made of bones that flew to him. It was a sword made from his own ribs.

 Chapter 1640

    <h4>Chapter 1640</h4>


    She was being watched by Baal¡¯s familiar. Upon learning this new fact, Rose felt joy, not panic. The only great demon among yers.


    Who else but me is the right person to be Baal¡¯s Contractor, a position that is currently vacant?


    The thoughts that had been hidden in the dark rose to the surface. Baal¡¯s surveince came with mixed interest.


    ¡®My loyalty to Amoract... I don¡¯t need to keep it.¡¯


    It was purely because of Amoract that Rose became a great demon. However, Rose hadn¡¯t seen any benefits to being a great demon. The strength gained in exchange for many inconveniences had been repeatedly trampled on before it could even see the light. At every important moment, she only had memories of meeting the Overgeared Guild and being crushed.


    It wasn¡¯t because Rose was ipetent. Rose participated inrge-scale quests every time, but each time, she was pushed in terms of strategy and tactics because the leadership positions were empty. Among the demons, the clever ones were rare. In the first ce, the clever ones didn¡¯t go to war. They were busy working secretly and taking care of their own interests.


    In any case, Rose didn¡¯t feel the need to be loyal to Amoract. Rose thought it would be more convenient to be by Baal¡¯s side, rather than being on the side of Amoract, who was obsessed with Yura even though Rose was beside her. In the first ce, Baal was the 1st ranked Great Demon. She had to get on his ship well.


    ¡®Let¡¯s ept the scouting offer!¡¯


    ¡°Filth.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Rose questioned Agnus, who was cursing.


    It was stinging, like Agnus had read her heart. However, Agnus¡¯ gaze was fixed on her back, not on Rose. It was on the wriggling and swaying darkness.


    Baal¡¯s familiar.


    ¡°That shadow is Baal¡¯s filth. The moment you step foot into hell, everyone will have that filth in their shadows. Baal isn¡¯t watching over you because he thinks you are special.¡±


    Agnus only discovered this after he was disqualified from being Baal¡¯s Contractor. The moment when he was exhausted and weakened, the filth that had been attached to his shadow popped out. It recovered the power he had built up as Baal¡¯s Contractor...


    Agnus understood many things from then on. How did Baal know most of what was going on in hell like it was on the palm of his hand? What means did he use to ¡®absorb¡¯ and ¡®transfer¡¯ the power of dead demons and demonic creatures?


    ¡°Contrary to its appearance, hell is under theplete control of Baal. It is no more or less than Baal¡¯s yground. There is nothing more worthless than having a purpose or finding meaning there.¡±


    All beings bound to hell ultimately had their fates determined ording to Baal¡¯s will. Agnus had actually witnessed it several times. The sight of the demons, who were saved by Baal, gained strength due to Baal, and praised Baal, only to be eventually betrayed by Baal, ridiculed, cursed at, and killed due to Baal. All those who associated with Baal would face the same end.


    ¡°A-Amoract is different, right?¡± Rose asked with an awkwardly stiff face. She was reminded of Agnus¡¯ personality. Agnus was a madman in everyone¡¯s eyes, but he rarely spoke empty words. One of the reasons why he was treated like crazy and hated by people was due to his outspoken attitude of always telling the truth. He was a person who had no lies or pretenses because he didn¡¯t intend to get along with people. That was Agnus.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t her existence itself too much of a curse to trust her?¡± Agnus answered immediately without thinking about it.


    The Great Demon of Conflict¡ªa curse that drove people into a frenzy just by looking into her eyes. Someone who faced her would perceive an ally as an enemy. Even legends couldn¡¯t resist it. A long time ago, Agnus had experienced it firsthand. He had encountered Amoract, who visited Baal¡¯s pce.


    -Agnus, your tongue has grown longer.


    Baal¡¯s familiar emerged from Rose¡¯s shadow and opened his mouth. No, there was no organ called a mouth. A voice permeated his mind every time the ck smoke rose. It had an unsightly appearance, but Agnus knew this was a prominent figure despite his outward appearance.


    The eyes and ears of Baal.


    [Asura¡¯s Fragment]


    He was someone who maintained his ego and carried out Baal¡¯s will even when he was broken into billions of pieces. There was a high probability that he was one of the strongest in hell along with the three evils of the beginning. It wasn¡¯t particrly surprising. Among the gods, it could be debated that the only one god called ¡¯Chiyou¡¯ was the strongest. However, ordinary people often didn¡¯t know about Chiyou¡¯s existence. It was right that even in hell, there was hidden a strong existence that people didn¡¯t know about.


    -What qualifications do you have to discuss hell when you have been kicked out.


    ¡°What qualifications do I need to talk about a pile of shit? This stupid jerk.¡± Agnus was honest about his feelings.


    I want to resurrect my dead lover in the game.


    He hated demons even in the days when he was trying to achieve that futile goal, so there was no need to talk about now.


    ¡°W-Wait. Is this okay?¡±


    Rose stepped back with a pale face. It was because she received all types of abnormal statuses the moment the ck shadow gradually took a certain shape. A great demon naturally resisted most status abnormalities, but this was an exception. In the end, she felt a terrible fear from the fragment of Asura, whichpleted his human form and stretched out three pairs of arms.


    Killing intent was clearly directed toward Agnus, Rose, and the vigers. It was an attempt to eliminate all witnesses. No, it could be killing intent for no reason. A demon was basically this type of being.


    ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the main body, it was just one of billions of fragments. Agnus snorted and summoned his death knights and skeleton army.


    Rose doubted her ears. It was because Agnus ordered some skeletons to ¡®protect the vigers.¡¯


    ¡®What? Why is he doing this?¡¯


    Agnus was famous for his contempt of the weak. He was called a mad dog because he hated and harmed the weak as if they didn¡¯t deserve to live. It was often rumored that he didn¡¯t treat women harshly, but of course, it was just a rumor. Yet at this moment, Agnus was protecting people. He made no distinction between men and women and gave priority to caring for the weak. He seemed no different from the ordinary people who were inspired by Grid¡¯s heroism and talked about justice.


    Was it the aftermath of losing his power? Did he decide that he needed to shake off the notoriety he had built up in the past in order to gain a foothold?


    It was the wrong decision. Agnus had been a viin for nearly 15 years. Doing good deeds now wouldn¡¯t change people¡¯s perceptions of him.


    ¡®I know it best. In the end, it is just a means of self-gratification.¡¯


    He might not be able to wash away his sins, but he wanted to get rid of the sense of guilt. This was really an uncool guy.


    If you y the viin, you should live as a viin until thest minute.


    Rose clicked her tongue, but still cooperated with Agnus. It was obvious that she would also be a target of Asura if she remained still. After solving the misunderstandings, she had to survive and obtain the paper and pen to safelyplete the quest.


    Rose thought it was quite doable when she first exchanged some blows. It was because the fragment of Asura only had a slight advantage over herself and Agnus was undoubtedly a strong yer.


    ¡®It is creepy to know that a familiar is on the level of a great demon.¡¯


    Rose remembered the big frog she had seen during the Great Human and Demon War.


    Chepardea¡ªhe was also Baal¡¯s familiar, but he had a power equivalent to a single digit great demon. The same was true of Amoract¡¯s henchman, Yukal. It was only when she saw them that she understood.


    Meanwhile, the fragment of Asura was only a small part of Asura. It meant it could only exert the strength of a fingernail or a hairpared to the main body. Even so, he was on par with a great demon. At this point, wasn¡¯t Asura¡¯s main body not much different from the three evils of the beginning?


    Rose wondered what Asura¡¯s identity was. It was for a very short time. It was a momentary curiosity, but the price she paid for it was very high.


    The shadow that took the form of Asura suddenly grew and pierced Rose¡¯s chest. She had enormous healthpared to an average yer, but a huge 20% of her health was blown away with one blow. It was a destructive power she had never experienced even against the Overgeared Guild. Her head was nk for a moment when Agnus¡¯ voice permeated her ears, ¡°So it is like this. The other fragments have gathered. Tsk.¡±


    The fragments of Asura were in the shadows of all beings who stepped foot onto thend of hell. This meant he wasn¡¯t just spying on demons and demonic creatures. Recently, humans had been traveling freely to hell and back, so they were all in the palm of Baal¡¯s hand. It was natural that there would be more fragments of Asura in the immediate vicinity.


    Yes, just like right now.


    -Kikil! Kikikik!


    The fragment of Asura grew his body using the shadows that started to gather from all directions and burst outughing. He seemed to be the type that maintained reason only when he was individually separated.


    ¡°...Can you take the people and run away?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡± Rose trembled and looked dumbfounded.


    Agnus exined it to her, who was questioning it while blinking her big eyes, ¡°They are the ones who did me a favor when I was lost and wandering with nowhere to go. I just hope that they don¡¯t die because of me.¡±


    ¡°Because of you...? Isn¡¯t it because of me? This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯te here by chance.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who touched your shadow.¡±


    In fact, Rose was the one to me. Agnus¡¯ position was discovered because of her and he was in a position where he must bear the invasion of demons one day. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to me people, but to cooperate. The lives of hundreds of people were at stake.


    Agnus no longer ovepped his weak self with those who became victims because they were weak. He didn¡¯t feel hate. In fact, this had been the case for a long time. It was just that Baal¡¯s Contractor was a viin. He could only achieve his purpose by hurting people, so he was forced to turn away from his true heart. His desire to save his dead lover was far greater than the weight of his true heart.


    ¡°Okay. Instead, there are conditions. Give me the best pen and paper in the world in return. Shouldn¡¯t you have a lot of money?¡±


    Rose didn¡¯t miss Agnus¡¯ wrist, which was revealed through his long sleeves. White bones without a single piece of flesh.


    Agnus¡¯ race wasn¡¯t human. A lich? A death knight? In any case, he was an undead. He was likely to be one of the few yers she could interact with. If possible, she wanted to form a connection with him.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Agnus agreed to the deal and Rose spread open her wings. Each great demon had their own power. She used Giant Transformation and surrounded the people with magic to float them in the air.


    First of all, she nned to get out of here quickly. However, her n didn¡¯te true. Two additional shadows flew from a distance. The fragments of Asura ripped her wings apart. Then they merged with the human figure shadow and became evenrger.


    Even Agnus was overwhelmed and a sense of tension dominated the small town. People were confused and Rose became impatient when her magic was canceled.


    ¡°Open the Rune of Death.¡± Agnus pulled out the power of the rune. After checking that the power of the seven malignant saints, ¡®Supreme Ruler,¡¯ was working normally, he rushed toward fragment of Asura¡¯s. The fragment of Asura had a definite advantage. The level of the one who increased his strength by summoning the fragments wasparable to that of the 20th Great Demon, but it wasn¡¯t at a level that Agnus could handle right now. Nevertheless, Agnus had Bentao¡¯s Mockery. It was a trump card that allowed the possibility of a reversal against anyone.


    -Kihahahat!


    The more Agnus gritted his teeth, the louder Asura¡¯sughter grew. He didn¡¯t defend against any attacks. Heughed like he felt a huge pleasure whenever he cut his enemies and when his body was cut. Thanks to this, Agnus was able to enjoy the effect of Supreme Ruler, which had a probability of doubling the damage of every basic attack. Even so, his hope gradually diminished.


    The undead body wasn¡¯t as hard as it seemed. The undead easily resisted most debuffs and physical status abnormalities, but this was due to the setting that their emotions were light and they didn¡¯t feel pain. His bones, which lost muscle and flesh, were vulnerable to breaking with each attack.


    Agnus¡¯bat power quickly weakened.


    -I¡¯ll also peel off the skin of your face to match that body. Kikik.


    It happened as Asura seized the victory andughed lightly...


    A three-pronged beam of light that fell from the ground pierced Asura¡¯s upper body. Asura raised his head in a hurry and muttered curiously.


    -A dragon...?


    Two dragon weapons cut Asura¡¯s body in half.


    [The effect of God''s Command is activated and the skill cooldown is reset.]


    [The opponent has been wounded by another power of the seven malignant saints, Supreme Ruler.]


    [The hidden bond effect, ¡®Will of the Seven Malignant Saints,¡¯ will ur!]


    [The next skill used with God''s Command will have the blessing of Supreme Ruler. The damage will be doubled.]


    Asura didn¡¯t know pain. He didn¡¯t change his expression and moved the body split in two at the same time.


    An attempt was made to counterattack against the intruder armed with powerful dragon weapons and armor. The sight of six arms, each holding a different weapon, moving in unison was dazzling.


    However, Grid had as many as 30 hands. They were hands that moved in a spiral and nullified Asura¡¯s attacks. More than anyone else, Grid himself was the most surprised.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    Tai Chi wasn¡¯t a skill. Unlike the God Hand¡¯s artificial intelligence that used a skill when a specificmand value was entered, this was a normal attack with a strange harmony. Therefore, Grid believed that he had to give orders so that the God Hands could use Tai Chi. Now he saw that 30 God Hands had learned Tai Chi. Grid wondered if they had reviewed what Grid had taught them over the past few days.


    ¡®...It is possible enough.¡¯


    Ordinary people used their experience in the game in reality, while they used their experience in reality in the game. Just because it was the God Hand¡¯s artificial intelligence didn¡¯t mean it was impossible.


    Rose and the people watched nkly while Grid smiled in a convinced manner.


    ¡°Kill me.¡± Agnus, who burned and destroyed the torn fragments of Asura, extended his neck to Grid.

 Chapter 1641

    <h4>Chapter 1641</h4>


    [You have defeated Asura¡¯s Fragments.]


    ¡®Asura?¡¯


    The power of the Overgeared Empire was greatly dispersed. It had little room since he had to be wary of hell and heaven, as well as the local nobles. Valha was a barrier against the Red Sea, but it wasn¡¯t possible topletely ignore the Hwan Kingdom.


    This didn¡¯t mean that the eyes and ears of the Overgeared Guild were closed off. The rankers who witnessed Rose¡¯s appearance and chased her reported her location in real time. There were many advantages to showing sincerity to the Overgeared Guild whenever the opportunity came. Thanks to this, Grid had been tracking Rose and quickly grasped the overall situation.


    A small country town...


    Agnus, who tried to protect the people from an unidentified demon, and Rose who cooperated with him. Saving the people was the first priority, so Grid fought the demon first.


    Asura¡ªit was a demon with the same name as the realm that martial artists wanted to reach, or the god of fighting that some monks served. Grid felt very reluctant from his perspective where he spected that Asura was a legendary martial artist or human god. The fact that he gave a lot of experience made Grid even more ufortable.


    ¡®Did Asura have his soul mortgaged to Baal like Pagma and Alex?¡¯


    He felt tooplete for his soul to be taken away...


    Grid frowned at the negative thoughts, only to be startled. It was because Agnus burned and incinerated the fragments of Asura that had been torn apart like a rag. Every time a fragment disappeared, additional experience was given to Grid. It was proof that Grid hadn¡¯tpletely eliminated Asura.


    ¡®I thought I got rid of him?¡¯


    He naturally had to think so. The system ruled Asura¡¯s death. It provided Grid with a reasonable amount of experience points. Yet it turned out he was still alive? It meant that Asura possessed a series of passive skills that deceived death. Another possibility was that every one of these shadows was Asura¡¯s body.


    ¡®No matter what is the case, Agnus was aware of it?¡¯


    ¡°Kill me.¡± Agnus extended his neck.


    After being repeatedly killed and weakened by Faker and abandoned by Baal, he was definitely weakpared to his prime. There were no rumors of him causing an incident recently. Then Grid saw him trying to protect people...


    ¡°Why should I do so?¡±


    Grid stared at Agnus¡¯ skinny neck before putting away his sword. Technically, Grid had little justification to kill Agnus. Most of the bad memories were actually cleared up when Agnus saved Irene and Lord. Faker even paid it back dozens of times. Why did Grid force Faker to join the hell expedition rather than staying by Lord¡¯s side? It was partly because Faker¡¯s growth was important, but the desire to spare Faker¡¯s Kill List skill was greater. Today¡¯s Agnus wasn¡¯t worthy enough for Faker to constantly chase and kill him.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Agnus didn¡¯t force it. It was surprising since it was expected that he would go crazy due to his hurt ego, such as saying ¡®Am I not even worthy of being killed?¡¯


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty...!¡±


    Hundreds of vigers who btedly regained their minds discovered Grid and rushed over, bowing their heads. The empire was ridiculously wide. Additionally, the emperor described in the portraits or the words of the imperial pce tended to be beautified. It was safe to say that it was normal for the people living on the outskirts to not recognize the emperor when they encountered him.


    However, the people of the Overgeared Empire could recognize the emperor¡¯s face immediately, even if they were sh-and-burn farmers living in the mountains. It was because Grid was a god before he was the emperor. They were too familiar with his divine portraits, statues, and temples that didn¡¯t need beautification.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked closely at the attitudes of the people who bowed their heads. He saw their relief when sneakily looking at Agnus and figured out what type of person Agnus was to them.


    ¡®He has changed.¡¯


    It was said that people didn¡¯t change easily. In particr, it was argued that the more evil orzy a person was, the more difficult it was to correct it because they were used to living a free and easy life. However, Grid didn¡¯t agree with this argument. It was a case where he changed himself. He believed that others could change just as much as he did.


    He trusted Agnus even more. A man with a past he never would¡¯ve been able to bear. He wasn¡¯tpletely corrupted even after being bullied by ugly trash and losing the woman he loved. Grid had seen him instinctively show kindness to others.


    ¡°Agnus, I know what type of person you are to them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The people who were relieved and rejoiced after confirming that Agnus was unharmed¡ªGrid¡¯s eyes toward them were warm, so Agnus shut his mouth without looking for any excuses.


    Grid suggested to him, ¡°Can you talk to me for a while?¡±


    Agnus had clearly handed the fragments of Asura that Grid had almost spared. It was evidence that he had a good understanding of demons as the previous Baal¡¯s Contractor.


    Come to think of it, the yer who knew Baal best was definitely Agnus. Grid needed Agnus¡¯ knowledge.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    ¡°This town is the empire¡¯s territory. Don¡¯t you have to change your citizenship if you want to live here? It will be troublesome if there is a sudden crack down and you get caught up as an illegal immigrant.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    His authority was used in an important manner. Grid easily dug into the weakness of Agnus, who lost his citizenship from the time he became the enemy of the continent.


    ¡°I-It is shabby, but I will take you to my house.¡± It happened as the chief of the vige was guiding Grid and Agnus...


    ¡°G-Grid!¡± Rose chased after Grid. She reduced her body back to human size and covered the horns on her forehead with both hands. It was an effort to look as human as possible to Grid, who was sure to hate demons.


    ¡°Lord A-Amoract... No! That Amoract wants me to tell you in a very respectful manner that she has something to say to you! Hehe!¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    Grid recalled the scene of Rose trying to save the people and gave her some leeway. After a while, Grid sat facing Agnus and Rose and felt strange. The former Baal¡¯s Contractor and a great demon was sitting across from him. He thought that the world had changed a lot.


    ¡°Say it first.¡± Grid nced at Rose and Rose sprang up from her seat. It was a disy that was simr to military discipline. Her eyes, which normally shed with slyness, shone like stars.


    ¡°It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet Grid, whom I¡¯ve always admired! If you allow me, I would like to take a proof shot... the great demons don¡¯t have screenshot or video-taking features... Ahahat...¡±


    The great demons were in a position where they werepletely hostile to humans. Leaking events from hell to the surface could put hell at a great disadvantage, so there were many restrictions on filming andmunication functions. It was a huge penalty considering that Rose¡¯s hobby was once to post proof shots from dessert shops onto social media.


    Therefore, Rose hoped for things to go well. She wanted to seize this opportunity since she had received a lot of losses by bing a great demon. It was why she gave up her pride and bowed to Grid at this moment.


    ¡°Just get to the point.¡± It was Agnus, not Grid, who urged Rose. He was ufortable with this position and didn¡¯t intend to silently listen to Rose¡¯s nonsense.


    Rose inwardly cursed Agnus while speaking with a smiling face. She rubbed her hands together and Grid thought she resembled the dung flies he saw at his grandfather¡¯s house in the countryside. ¡°Y-Yes. How dare people like us take away Grid¡¯s valuable time? To start with, Amoract believes that Baal should be kept in check. Grid, you know that Baal is a psychopath, right? The one who turned hell into what it is now is none other than Baal...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked at Agnus.


    Like us.


    He thought Agnus would naturally be angry at Rose¡¯s attitude of quietly tying Agnus to herself. Yet surprisingly, Agnus¡¯ expression didn¡¯t change. It was an attitude where he didn¡¯t care no matter what type of treatment he received. Despite this, his eyes were alive. At the very least, he didn¡¯t seem like he was lost and wandering, so Grid couldn¡¯t help being relieved.


    ¡®I said I hated him.¡¯


    The past, which now felt extremely distant. Memories of his fierce battles with Agnus crossed his mind. He suddenly had a question.


    Agnus, who was declining unlike those days, and himself, who had be iparably stronger than he was in those days. Which one was normal? Both were abnormal, but... Grid thought he was a bit weirder.


    ¡®How did I be so strong?¡¯


    He felt like he hade too far by himself. There was a sudden rush of iprehensible anxiety and loneliness.


    ¡°Baal has always been a thorn in Amoract¡¯s neck. It just so happened that you dered that you would purify hell. Amoract, who has always been interested in your achievements and virtues, ispletely fascinated. She thinks she can trust you and work together with you. She wants to work with you to get rid of Baal...¡±


    Grid¡¯s consciousness gradually subsided as Rose continued speaking.


    Since when did I be such a unique person? I havee too far to simply dismiss it as a result of hard work. I miss the days when I waspeting with other yers. A time when there were many rivals I was resentful of, felt jealous of, or sometimes relied on. I think I had a lot more fun back then...


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sudden voice brought Grid¡¯s mind back.


    Agnus was staring at him from across the table. ¡°You seem to be mistaken about something when looking at me, but don¡¯t do any memory correction. I have never been equal to you for a single moment. There is no reason for you to feel any type of emotion through my fallen appearance.¡±


    Agnus had always suffered from loneliness and anxiety. This meant he could easily read the emotions contained in Grid¡¯s slightly trembling eyes. As for the basis of those emotions¡ª


    ¡°From the beginning, there was only one monster, Kraugel, on the same eye level as you.¡±


    He is the darling of talent that caused me to feel the first frustration in this world. He will surelye back as yourpetitor one day. It is still too early to be disappointed. Your loneliness and anxiety are premature.


    Agnus closed his mouth and swallowed down these words. It was because he would be embarrassed if he talked any longer.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    From a long time ago, just looking at this guy called Grid made him feel emotional. He believed it was antipathy toward the man who stood tall, unlike Agnus, despite his tough past. However, looking at Grid now, Agnus didn¡¯t think the only feelings he had were antipathy.


    Grid realized it when he saw Agnus covering his forehead and smiled slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°...C-Can I keep talking?¡± Rose didn¡¯t wait for permission and continued desperately. She exined to Grid the benefits of working with Amoract in as much detail as possible. In the first ce, the reason why Amoract wanted a sheet of paper and a pen was to send a letter to Grid.


    It was an alliance proposal letter. If Rose seeded in forming an alliance with Grid here then the need to obtain paper and pen would disappear. It was obvious that the value of the quest reward would be much higher.


    ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°I know everything,¡± Grid cut off Rose¡¯s words in the middle.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°The one who cooperated with Baal to make hell what it is now is Amoract. In the process, Beriache was banished.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The Great Demon of Conflict. How can I trust and hold hands with the one who isted Beriache and Baal and induced internal strife? Do you have any guarantee that I will get the desired result in the future even if I join hands with her and seed in killing Baal?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that... Hehe, I would appreciate it if you could give me a chance to exin.¡± Rose was very flustered by this situation. She didn¡¯t know that Grid knew so much about hell. How did he know the facts that she only recently learned? Of course, Rose didn¡¯t outwardly show her embarrassment. She kept as calm as possible while her mind spun quickly.


    Grid didn¡¯t give her any time. He followed Lauel¡¯s advice sent through whispers and spoke straight away, ¡°Rose, do you have any intention of bing a spy on our side?¡±


    ¡°I, a demon...¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then die once.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Agnus had a thought as he watched the situation from the sidelines.


    This is how that poisonous bastard reached this ce. This is how he became the supreme one. Then isn¡¯t it shameful to feel lonely...?

 Chapter 1642

    <h4>Chapter 1642</h4>


    ¡°Wait! Wait a minute!¡±


    People gave Grid all types of praise. asionally, there was a group that went beyond the level of a great man and treated him as an angel. It was because he had a good demeanor and did a lot of good deeds. However, from the position of being Grid¡¯s enemy, hearing such stories wasughable. It couldn¡¯t be denied that he did a lot of good deeds in both reality and Satisfy.


    Yet his behavior? Imitating his behavior was just nonsense. This was a real gangster. At this moment, Rose was convinced that the parents who read Grid¡¯s biography to their children should keep a close eye on their children so that they didn¡¯t grow up to be wicked people.


    Suddenly, she felt a cold de against her neck. No, it was just a feeling. It wasn¡¯t really cold. There was no distinctive metallic smell or feeling. It felt non-existent. The de that touched her neck was clearly real and filled one side of Rose¡¯s vision, but for some reason, Rose couldn¡¯t feel a sense of reality. On the contrary, it seemed that weapons made with energy-based skills would show a more distinct presence.


    ¡®This is a dragon weapon...¡¯


    Rose assumed that she was fighting Grid. She remembered herself being cut without being aware of it. She was bound to be cut even if there were no signs of the sword being swung at a transcendent speed.


    ¡°For now, please take away your sword.¡±


    Threatening her and drawing a sword in the middle of a conversation...


    Rose was tired of Grid¡¯s outrageous actions and half had a fit. Her eyes and voice were trembling and her breathing was harsh. Through her reaction, Grid gained a lot of information.


    ¡®Is the damage from dying veryrge?¡¯


    Rose was known as Team Rocket inside the Overgeared Guild. The viins that appeared in the world-famous anime, Pokemon. A third-rate viin who confidently blocked the protagonist¡¯s path, only to repeatedly lose and flee in vain.


    Rose¡¯s temperament resembled them. Didn¡¯t she repeatedly struggle and was smashed terribly every time? Nevertheless, seeing here back every time, she looked like someone who was anxious to die. She wasn¡¯t afraid of failure or death at all.


    However, now she was terrified. It meant she had a lot to lose.


    ¡®It seems she visited the surface with a clear purpose.¡¯


    Grid pondered on the world message that emerged when Rose appeared and made a judgment. Currently, Rose was on a high value quest and the loss she would suffer from dying here was greater than usual...


    -It is a great opportunity. Let¡¯s push harder.


    Lauel was informed of the situation in real time and gave advice.


    Grid nodded and opened the Sanctuary of Metal. The vige chief¡¯s house that the three of them were borrowing immediately opened up. It was like a house built of paper rather than logs. The ceiling and walls separated and touched the ground. The orange pr light flowed like a wave and cast shadows over the area. It was because a high cliff rose. The ck-colored cliffs were made of ck iron.


    ¡°A canyon...¡± Agnus murmured from among the cliffs that soared into the sky. A vague memory of the days when he wandered around as a madman shed through his mind.


    Taleren Canyon¡ªthe ce where Grid wrote his first epic was strongly engraved in Agnus¡¯ mind. He would probably never forget it for the rest of his life. It was because it was the ce where the Grid who resembled him waspleted as a totally different being from him. Agnus vividly recalled all the emotions he felt at that time and made a meaningless assumption.


    ¡®What if I had affirmed Grid without denying it back then?¡¯


    What if he had been honestly envious without being engulfed in feelings of despair, betrayal, and anger? If he hadn¡¯t turned away from his desire to be like Grid, maybe he would¡¯ve changed at that time. Would it have been possible to move forward rather than being stuck in the past?


    ¡°Uh...? Uhhh?¡±


    A teleportation event that was difficult to understand using themon sense of yers¡ªRose was puzzled by the suddenly transformedndscape. She half lost her ability to speak while her expression changed in a variety of ways. She seemed to be in a state of great confusion because she couldn¡¯t tell if it was a dream or reality.


    The cliffs flowed down. The heat from the Red Phoenix¡¯s heart, which had be a part of Grid, melted the ck iron like it was chocte. The moment it touched the ground, the ck iron that hardened and piled up was like a stopped wave. It was high and big.


    Rose was afraid of being swallowed. She felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. Then she noticed one stepter. The edge of the ck wave was all sharp. They weren¡¯t waves, they were tens of thousands of weapons. All these weapons were pointed at her...


    ¡®Really... isn¡¯t he really crazy?¡¯


    Rose was fully aware that she was the viin. She recognized most yers as enemies except for herself. Even so, she didn¡¯t harbor any hostility toward Grid, who could be called the leader of her enemies. It was because she knew the overwhelming gap between them and felt a sense of respect as a gamer.


    Yes. Rose was polite from the moment she met Grid. She never lost her manners for even a moment. However, Grid pointed his sword at her. She asked him to withdraw his sword and he released the mental world that she had only heard about in words, surrounding her with thousands of weapons...


    ...Why?


    She was feeling confused about how to deal with this when Grid offered the answer to her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want much. You just have to continue as usual, while giving us the information we want when we want it and take the stance we want when we want it.¡±


    This... wasn¡¯t he a thief?


    Grid¡¯s way of speaking was that stinging. Yet surprisingly, Rose¡¯s expression rxed. ¡®A verbal promise is fine.¡¯


    It was impossible to whisper, let alone take screenshots and videos. The great demon Rose was in a closed off state, so the Overgeared Guild had no means to spy on her. In the end, how could the Overgeared Guild confirm that Rose was acting as they wanted?


    ¡°...Okay. I can be in great danger if I betray the demons, but well, I actually like the Overgeared Guild. It is an honor to be able to work with the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    Rose swallowed the smile that wanted to emerge and spoke with a heroic expression. ¡°In return, please do me a favor. I hope you will form an alliance with Amoract. This isn¡¯t a request to satisfy my own self-interests. It is only once we can get rid of Baal that we can n for the future, whether on the surface or in hell. The cooperation between the Overgeared Guild and Amoract is truly a cooperation for the sake of the world!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Rose¡¯s face was rosy. She was delighted by Grid¡¯s attitude as he nodded gently.


    Grid told her, ¡°If you go to the Overgeared Guild¡¯s hell branch, there will be subi in thick clothes. They are my subordinates. Take them and meet with Amoract to coordinate the exact negotiations.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She had a rough guess about the Overgeared Guild¡¯s hell branch. It was the crystal castle ruled by Yura. However, subi in thick clothes? A subus who was obsessed with bewitching the opposite sex couldn¡¯t wear thick clothing, right? What did it mean to leave and take a bunch of demonic creatures to a negotiating position with Amoract?


    ¡°I canmunicate through them, so don¡¯t worry aboutmunication. Why don¡¯t we talk about the details with Lauel?¡±


    Grid took back the Sanctuary of Metal. The canyon and the waves of weapons disappeared like they were a lie and the three of them were once again seated next to each other.


    Knock knock.


    There was a knock and another bigshot appeared. It was the prime minister of the Overgeared Empire, Lauel. He was a person who was regarded as an invincible trash, rascal, bastard, etc., to all the forces that opposed the Overgeared Empire.


    ¡°I am deeply moved to see the three of you together. I can truly feel the passage of time. Huhut.¡±


    The image of a ck dragon appeared on the back of Lauel¡¯s hand as he smiled and swept back his hair. Then the ck dragon disappeared. A certain pattern appeared in one of his eyes. It seemed true that he was covered in skins like rumored.


    Rose¡¯s eyes darkened. She was tired from dealing with Grid and now she had to get involved with Lauel... she wanted to log out right now.


    ¡°Rose, please move with me. I will be in charge of your business.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Hahahat... Yes...¡± Rose followed Lauel with weak steps. Today, she would be thoroughly analyzed and bound. In the future, all her actions and choices would be controlled by the Overgeared Guild during her period of cooperation with the Overgeared Guild. The Overgeared Guild brought together specialists from each field and had too many means and methods.


    After a while, Grid was left alone with Agnus and immediately got to the point. ¡°Kill Baal with us.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ knowledge and experience. Additionally, the synergy that urred when the powers of the seven malignant saints came together. Grid judged that Agnus was a necessary person. He also noted that Agnus¡¯ condition was the same as Betty¡¯s. For now, his strength might¡¯ve declined, but his potential would be enormous.


    ¡®Even if he is weakened, he is much stronger than a decent high ranker.¡¯


    Grid definitely wanted to cooperate with Agnus, but he didn¡¯t know how to persuade the other person. The problem was that he had no card to take out for negotiation. Agnus had retired from active work and it was impossible for him to have the same greed as Rose.


    Agnus replied to the troubled Grid, ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was an unexpected answer. Grid got up from his seat with delight, while Agnus¡¯ gold eyes shone eerily for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°I want tough at Baal at least once.¡±


    Agnus was exploited due to his wish throughout his time as Baal¡¯s Contractor. Baal¡¯s face as heughed at Agnus resurrecting his dead lover as a doll was still in Agnus¡¯ nightmares. He was robbed of most of the strength he had built up when he was abandoned by Baal.


    It was a loss of time. He thought it would be enjoyable to pay it back if possible. Yes, he wanted to have fun. He was tired of this life full of resentment, hatred, and regret. This gave him enough of a reason to work with Grid.


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    At the Overgeared Castle, Reinhardt...


    The members of the Overgeared Guild looked dumbfounded. It was the aftermath of witnessing the man who was walking beside Grid. The green hair, which had always been oily, dropped down, and his gold eyes, which shone with madness, had lost their light. Even so, people immediately recognized the identity of the man.


    Agnus¡ªthe worst yer ever.


    Why was he here? They thought he was being escorted as a criminal, but this wasn¡¯t the case. He wasn¡¯t even handcuffed. There were no signs of shrinking back from the steps that aligned with Grid¡¯s ones.


    It happened as people were agitated...


    ¡°Uh? Uncle!¡± Lord came running from the end of the corridor. He first greeted his father politely before grabbing Agnus¡¯ dry hand with a big smile. He was happy to meet the benefactor who saved his life. ¡°It has been a really long time! Have you been well?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    There was silence in the tense corridor. People were worried about what type of humiliation Lord would suffer. Shaking off the hand was the default. They guessed that Lord might be cursed at or spat on.


    All their predictions were wrong. Agnus didn¡¯t shake off Lord¡¯s hand, swear, or spit at him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rather, he even gave a brief answer.


    The astonishment of the people followed.

 Chapter 1643

    <h4>Chapter 1643</h4>


    There was a mother and child left in a fragment of his memory.


    An ordinary woman and an extraordinary child. As screams erupted everywhere and chandeliers fell and smashed, the mother and child struggled to protect each other. The helpless woman embraced her son, while her son escaped from his mother¡¯s arms and picked up a sword asrge as his own body.


    Perhaps it happened... in the Vatican. He helped the mother and child who were surrounded by the Yatan Servants. He was originally working with the Yatan Servants, so he ended up stabbing them in the back. He knew there would be many disadvantages, but he still stepped out.


    ¡®I did a good job.¡¯


    A boy who was now a young man¡ªAgnus stared at the boy who had a bright smile on his face and praised his former self.


    A small thrill flooded in. For the first time since he was born, he realized how happy he was to be able to praise himself and feel proud.


    I¡ªI was born and drove a woman to a miserable death.


    For the first time, this garbage that is worse than filth, feels pride...


    ¡°That is where I...¡± Lord¡¯s stories about his adventure continued without stopping. Lord chatted as brightly as he could while trying not to notice the breathless sobs of Agnus, who had his head lowered.


    ***


    No human being always made the right choices. All human beings had regrets and suffered. In particr, the more someone believed they were inferior to others, the more regrets they left behind. It was the same for Grid. It was even in childhood, in school, and in society. For all types of reasons and excuses, he left a variety of regrets.


    Even these days, he would take a shower and scream when thinking back to that time. However, he didn¡¯t bury it. In any case, regret was established because it was in the past.


    Yes, it was all over. It was enough to try not to repeat the same situations that made him feel regret again in the future.


    ¡°...So you should be strong as well,¡± Grid, who had left when he saw Agnus¡¯ eyes turn red, leaned his back against the door and muttered.


    Lord¡¯s powerful voice that came from beyond the closed door was considerate of Agnus. He was an admirable guy.


    ***


    Lord¡¯s adventure stories, which resembled Grid¡¯s epics, ended only after Irene came. Agnus¡¯ shy expression as he bowed to Irene and greeted her respectfully made Grid smile.


    ¡°First of all, call back the expedition.¡± It was after the two of them left. Agnus exined the overall situation to Grid and insisted. ¡°Fragments of Asura will enter the shadows of all beings who step foot in hell. They are the eyes and ears of Baal.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened at once. It permeated the shadows of all beings who stepped into hell? He understood the meaning, but he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Asura¡¯s fragments... are you referring to the guy I killed earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is literally fragments. It is only a small part of him.¡±


    ¡°I think he was pretty strong for only a small part.¡±


    He might¡¯ve managed to kill the fragments in one go with the five fusion sword dance that ovepped with the full buff state and the buff of the seven malignant saints, but it was great that it endured the five fusion sword dance in the full buff state even once. Someone who was so strong was in an iplete state?


    A hypothesis had to be formted in order to be convinced.


    ¡°Is he a hidden powerhouse of hell?¡±


    ¡°You understand it quickly.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but understand quickly. Grid had met Hayate, the strongest hidden powerhouse on the surface, and Chiyou, the strongest hidden powerhouse of the divine world. He even knew that the refractive dragon was said to be the strongest among the dragons. The refractive dragon was most likely to be an imaginary being, but in any case, it wasn¡¯t strange that someone unusual was hiding in hell


    ¡®Asura... judging from the relevant settings, I don¡¯t think he would¡¯ve been a demon from the start. I will have to ask Garion about his exact identity.¡¯


    Agnus¡¯ exnation continued as Grid was thinking. ¡°There is no guarantee that he is more powerful than Baal. It is clear that he won¡¯t be inferior whenpared to Baal. Other than that, he has a convincingly powerful ability that I can¡¯tprehend. All I know right now is separation and joining together, parasitism and stealth, skill absorption and transfer...¡±


    ¡°Skill absorption and transfer?¡±


    ¡°There was a famous, powerful existence in hell.¡±


    Marbas.


    ¡°Baal killed him and transferred the absorbed power to me. Until then, I thought it was Baal¡¯s unique power...¡±


    Agnus told the story of what he had been through. It was immediately after the contract with Baal ended. Asura¡¯s fragment emerged from his shadow and took away his power.


    ¡°This...¡± Grid¡¯s face hardened.


    Fragments of Asura parasitized the shadows of every member of the hell expedition. If it also had the ability to deprive the parasitized target of their skills...


    ¡°Now the puzzle ising together,¡± Lauel returned from the negotiations and interjected, ¡°This is why Baal sent a wave of demonic creatures to the expedition. He intends to fully nurture the expedition members and then take away their power. It is a type of fish farm.¡±


    He had been uneasy from the beginning. It was because the waves of demonic creatures clearly stimted the growth of the hell expedition. It was impossible to interpret it as pure favor. They could only guess that Baal was acting on a whim because he was so entric. Now it obviously wasn¡¯t a whim. There was a clear purpose.


    ¡®A sinister bastard.¡¯


    Grid frowned while recalling old memories. It was the memory of when he encountered Baal¡¯s body in hell. The Absolute of hell didn¡¯t have much interest in Grid at that time. He was just preupied with mocking and trampling on the demon, Andras, who was loyal to him. Heughed at the demon who showed loyalty and respect to him when demons should betray grace, trample on respect, undermine trust, and ridicule those who depended on them. He cruelly and viciously trampled on the loyalist who believed in him and served him.


    Yes. That cruelty was his nature.


    ¡°The expedition is in danger.¡±


    The nervous Grid got up from his seat.


    Lauel stopped him from departing to hell right away and raised a question, ¡°By the way, is it possible to take away the skills of a yer who isn¡¯t a demon? Agnus, the skills you had taken away from you were the skills you developed as Baal¡¯s Contractor. You still have the skills you learned separate from your contractor status, right?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Out of the skills I had stolen, two were skills that had nothing to do with Baal¡¯s Contractor.¡± It was one rune power and one passive skill unique to a necromancer. ¡°The same will apply to yourpanions.¡±


    The exact effect of the Skill Absorption used by Asura was to ¡®recover the power of the demon¡¯ and ¡®take away up to two skills at random.¡¯ Agnus was convinced and Lauel had no reason to deny his conviction.


    ¡°It is better to hurry. Baal will move forward with the n the moment he finds out that you and I have met.¡±


    The most basic role of Asura¡¯s fragments was surveince. Baal would¡¯ve been aware of the meeting between Grid, Agnus, and Rose from the time they met and would¡¯ve roughly guessed what would happen next. It was because that abominable existence was subtle and clever, unlike his appearance.


    ¡°What is the probability that one of Asura¡¯s fragment will parasitize Grid?¡±


    ¡°None. He can¡¯t stand divinity. He can¡¯t cling to Grid and the people around him, so Grid should hurry...?¡±


    Agnus abruptly stopped talking. It was because the divinity surrounding Grid¡¯s body suddenly shook greatly. The feeling of a burning me caught Agnus and Lauel¡¯s attention.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Grid rushed to the window. A dark sky appeared outside the window. It was a sky that swallowed up not only the starlight, but also the moonlight. It looked like it had been painted with ck paint.


    ¡°We¡¯re toote.¡± Agnus frowned.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Lauel sighed.


    The growing darkness was swallowing the city¡¯s lights. It was dark all over the ce. Only the area with the Overgeared World retained its light.


    It was an upation.


    The moment Grid and Lauel realized it, six types of lights shone throughout the city.


    There was silver for Mercedes¡¯ sword energy, gold for Sariel¡¯s divinity, purple for Braham¡¯s magic power, the dark blue color created by Zik¡¯s runes intersecting, the green from Piaro¡¯s Natural State, and the five colors that indicated Nefelina¡¯s attributes.


    The apostles of Grid resisted the darkness that engulfed the lights and illuminated their surroundings. They were a lighthouse to guide the frightened people.


    Grid was a bit relieved as he sensed the soldiers and knights who gathered around the apostles and started to lead the people. His orange divinity soared above the spires and suddenly swelled up like the sun. It shed from the highest point of the Overgeared Castle and lifted the darkness. It reached the small light from the apostles. In the end, thebined light formed a path. At the end of the path was the Overgeared World.


    It was a wonderful sight. The people were reminded that this was a nation established by Grid and felt relieved. Their fears were dispelled. They followed the path of light to the Overgeared World. Then, as if tough at them¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    A red moon appeared in the center of the ck sky. It seemed to wriggle strangely before slowly opening its eyelid. A huge eye that had a panoramic view of Reinhardt with one nce. Tens of millions of people felt like they made eye contact with it. The same was true of Grid and the apostles.


    Lauel murmured, ¡°The hell moon...¡±


    The world message confirmed it.


    [The hell moon has awakened.]


    Tens of thousands more eyes emerged around the huge pupil that was moving back and forth. The entire surface of the moon was made of eyes. They werepound eyes. There were countless pupils within the tens of thousands of pupils. Some were spinning around, some moved up and down and some moved diagonally as they took in every inch of Reinhardt.


    People got goosebumps. It felt like the hell moon they saw during the Great Human and Demon War had evolved even further.


    Agnus also showed an expression of surprise. ¡°What are all those eyes?¡±


    There was no one who didn¡¯t know the hell moon. They had experienced the Great Human and Demon War and learned.


    A moon with countless eyes¡ªeach eye embedded in the moon observed the ground and it was also a weapon that fired rays to annihte the target. Therefore, it was an object of fear. The old hell moon alone made people felt the fear that they couldn¡¯t handle it.


    Meanwhile, the moon that rose at this moment had hundreds of thousands more eyes. The sight of the eyes reminiscent of a dragonfly¡¯spound eyes moving back and forth to search for prey was unrealistically horrifying. It was an apocalyptic sight that was beyond the disasters that humanity had ever imagined.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Grid involuntarily cursed. It was because the countless eyes gradually turned red. There would soon be a downpour of light. It would make no distinction between men and women and the elderly and children. It would easily destroy the civilization that had been built up. There would be holes in the bodies of tens of millions of people. The corpses would pile up as high as a river and the blood would form a river.


    Grid fell into a panic. He failed to find the best response in the face of a sudden crisis. It was right that he should¡¯ve thrown himself out to save the people in front of him right away.


    It was only two seconds after the hell moon appeared. Rays of light started to pour down. It poured down on all sides without a single gap.


    Grid used Shunpo. He emptied his head and used all the skills he possessed to extinguish even one more ray. He immediately realized that it was an attempt with little results. The number of rays and the range was sorge that even the skills that could be used within his range of view couldn¡¯t handle it.


    Just then, the ground rose from all sides. Arches instantly formed and piled up to form a dome. It was a roofrge enough to cover the entire city called Reinhardt. It was an umbre that blocked the pouring rays.


    -Hurry.


    The voice of Garion, god of the earth, spread throughout the city. It was rxed, not impatient. It was a gentle and warm voice. The people were encouraged by her attitude and started rushing again.


    ¡°Good.¡± Grid stopped the rampage of skills and gave Garion, who would be watching him, a thumbs up. Reason had been regained from the very beginning. In the first ce, he didn¡¯t lose it. He was just agitated for a moment and missed the timing while looking for the best method.


    Momentster, the bombardment of rays stopped and the dome was lifted. The ck sky and hell moon once again became the backdrop of the city.


    Grid first examined the people. Thanks to the leadership of the apostles, tens of thousands of people hadpleted entering the Overgeared World. However, it was only a small fraction of the poption. There was no more room for people to evacuate due to the limited area of the Overgeared World.


    ¡®If the bombardment stops again, I have to stop it with the apostles.¡¯


    No matter Garion¡¯s strength, it would be difficult for her to use the samerge-scale power again in a row. It was the same with the hell moon. It was discovered during the Great Human and Demon War that there was a limit to the number of its bombardments.


    Grid thought this and red at the hell moon. He raised his spirit with the intention of taking on the countless eyes alone. He recalled Hayate, who once captured the attention of the dragons, and took on the responsibility as if imitating Hayate.


    -Great. You are already an Absolute just based on your attitude.


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. The pressure from the voice that was suddenly heard was terrifying. For a moment, his legs were weak and he almost copsed. In fact, many people fainted.


    [The 1st Great Demon of hell, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has appeared.]


    [All willpower has been lost.]


    [The resistance of all attributes except the divine attribute is fixed at 0%.]


    [Demonic energy resistance is fixed at -200%.]


    [Critical hit resistance, weakness resistance, and evasion correction effects are fixed at 0.]


    [The buffs in effect are released and all buffs are disabled. The same is applied to items.]


    [The passive skills in effect are released and all passive skills are stopped. The same is applied to items.]


    [You can¡¯t set a target when using skills or magic. Targeting skills and magic are changed to non-targeted skills and magic.]


    [The skills that receive the absolute hit correction will lose the correction effect.]


    The Absolute of hell¡ªBaal¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t something that humanity could afford. Even the apostles were pale, while Grid¡¯s fingers trembled slightly. His body that moved in the opposite direction of what he was thinking and his slowed movements were unfamiliar.


    Out of all the status abnormalities that Baal caused, even Grid couldn¡¯t resist the ¡®fear.¡¯ Even the chief gods under the three gods couldn¡¯t fully handle Baal¡¯s status.


    ¡ªThis was even though it wasn¡¯t hell. No, maybe this was an absolute verdict unrted to status. It was sufficient considering Baal¡¯s share of the worldview.


    -A while ago, I set a new rule in hell.


    Under the hell moon, Baal opened his mouth while his appearance was half-covered with a veil of shadows that moved like wildfire. At first nce, the corners of his mouth were curled up like he was amused.


    -Admission is free, but you must pass the test to exit.


    -It is simple. Fight the demons standing in the way and win. You humans have an appreciation for the arts, so you will be able to enjoy it together. Aren¡¯t we both drawn to this primal and instinctive game?


    -Then let¡¯s start the game.


    Baal disappeared into the shadows at the same time as his unteral deration. This allowed those freed from the debuffs to breathe while Grid was briefly mesmerized. It was due to the strange sight that unfolded in the sky.


    [The Asura Road has been opened.]


    The numerous eyes of the hell moon started to project thendscape of hell. The images of people struggling in the even more horrific hell were broadcasted onto the sky like it was a screen. It was a sight that could be seen anywhere on the continent...


    Will you sit still ore down to hell and rescue them?


    Baal forced humanity to choose.


    The full-fledged prelude to the hell episode was opened with Baal¡¯s first attack.

 Chapter 1644

    <h4>Chapter 1644</h4>


    ¡®What passage did he use?¡¯


    It was after Baal left.


    Reinhardt was in turmoil, but Agnus was the one who was most shocked. Based on what he knew, Baal couldn¡¯t appear on the surface. He learned that Baal could only appear by a fragment of his consciousness into a specific subject and borrowing their body. Yet the Baal just now was real.


    An Absolute who had a figure that was perceived differently depending on the yer¡¯s inclination and mood. The 1st Great Demon, Baal. He came as an immense fear to Agnus today.


    ¡®He even sent the hell moon to the surface to make it hell.¡¯


    Where did Baal get the demonic energy to emerge on the surface? Could it have something to do with the hell moon, which appeared in a more threatening form? The hell moon was sent to the surface, so hell¡¯s demons and demonic creatures must be greatly weakened. It would be the same for Baal. In a situation like this, wasn¡¯t holding humans hostage and luring Grid putting himself at risk?


    Agnus was filled with many doubts and tried to interpret the situation, but it wasn¡¯t easy. He was gradually bing nervous. The emergence of Baal meant some denial of his knowledge and information. It was hard to stay calm after knowing that the knowledge and information he truly believed was wrong.


    Lauel saw his confusion and exined like it was trivial, ¡°Baal¡¯s information often turns out to be false.¡±


    The opponent was the demon among the demons. It meant he was the most distant being in the world from trust and belief. Most of the information rted to him was false.


    ¡°You... do you think that Baal was able toe to the surface from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Would Baal be any different from Zeratul and Raphael, who can enter and exit the surface like it is their bedroom? If Baal¡¯s authority is greater than theirs, he will only be superior, not inferior.¡±


    Baal and Raphael stood on opposite sides but were clearly different beings. The master of hell was Baal, while the master of heaven was Reba, not Raphael. Baal¡¯s status was beyond Raphael¡¯s from the time he betrayed Yatan and seized hell.


    Just going to and from the surface? Lauel guessed that it would¡¯ve been easy from the beginning. Even so, it was obvious why he had been quiet so far.


    ¡®It is because the situation wasn¡¯t ripe yet.¡¯


    The principle of Baal taking action was rted to the pursuit of pleasure. He must¡¯ve waited happily until there was an environment where he could enjoy himself to his heart¡¯s content. Now was the moment he had been waiting for.


    ¡®Can we afford it?¡¯


    Lauel¡¯s expression darkened as he raised his head.


    All sorts of events and idents were taking ce in the sky that was projecting the situation of hell. Blood burst out, followed by pained screams.


    Fear had spread throughout the world.


    ***


    ¡°Does this make sense?¡±


    At the S.A Group¡¯s shareholders meeting...


    The angry shareholders became furious. It was because Satisfy¡¯s environment changed overnight. It didn¡¯t matter if it was day or not. If they looked up at the sky from anywhere on the continent, they would see a bizarre and terrifying moon. A red moon with countless eyes.


    What about the videos being projected in the sky? A real-time ughter in hell was being yed. It was really pandemonium. It wasn¡¯t andscape that could be endured with a sane mind.


    Some shareholders who viewed Satisfy as a metaverse rather than a game showed greater rejection. To them, Satisfy was another world in which social, economic, and cultural activities were carried out in a much faster and easier manner than in reality. Regardless of the background story, it was a space where the value grew only when daily life was lived. Now that daily life hadpletely copsed.


    Ordinary people withmon sense couldn¡¯t ept the world that had changed overnight. How many people in the world would want to have dates, do their hobbies, or have a business meeting under a sky full of terrible sights? In fact, Satisfy¡¯s connection rate was showing a noticeable decline.


    ¡°This time, it doesn¡¯t seem like a problem that Grid can easily solve. I don¡¯t know much about the game, but that existence called Baal isn¡¯t ordinary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The moment that Baal appeared, Reinhardt¡¯s army that was famous for its strength fell down like dominoes. Needless to say, the ordinary people passed out.¡±


    ¡°Looking at the video posted on the Inte of the yers who were at the scene, the debuffs are quite significant. I even saw Grid stagger like he was about to fall. Director Yoon-nim, did you see it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that...¡±


    The purpose of the shareholders ining here wasn¡¯t to socialize. They came together to hold thepany ountable and urge thepany toe up with a solution. Criticisms poured out and the anger became contagious. They didn¡¯t swear, but their loud voices were like the grandstands in baseball stadiums.


    They didn¡¯t understand it no matter how much Director Yoon Sangmin exined the situation. The thing the shareholders wanted was a deration of the end of the situation. They didn¡¯t want to hear any background exnations or excuses.


    The silent Chairman Lim Cheolho finally turned on the microphone. ¡°We don¡¯t interfere with Satisfy.¡±


    It was actually the worst answer. The expressions of the shareholders crumpled like paper and they started to protest fiercely.


    However, Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s expression was still. The hell episode might¡¯ve opened decades earlier than scheduled, but he still crossed his arms in front of therge pile of reports because there was solid rationale for it. ¡°Trust the yers as always.¡±


    ¡°What yers... based on the briefing earlier, the difficulty of hell is too high. Are we supposed to rely only on Grid this time?¡±


    ¡°Grid alone can¡¯t solve it.¡±


    The shareholders were even more upset by Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s resolute remarks.


    Grid couldn¡¯t solve it? The shareholders, who had regarded Grid as theirst hope, started to say it was all ruined.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho opened his mouth again, ¡°Strictly speaking, Satisfy isn¡¯t ruined. Even if the yers lose and fail in the war against hell, another story will begin anew.¡±


    The end was nothing more than a device that signaled a new beginning.


    Hell, Asgard, the Hwan Kingdom, and the dragons¡ªSatisfy would return no matter which faction was ultimately victorious. Even if it happened to start over from scratch. It was okay even if humanity won and saw the ¡®ending.¡¯ It was because the end of the story didn¡¯t mean the end of Satisfy.


    The story that took ce after that was enough for people to create a new one.


    ***


    The world changed in an instant. The sky that showed the current state of hell haunted the minds of the people. They were worried their family or friends would be among the many who died horribly in the fight against the demons.


    Ordinary people who lived a life far from fighting felt anxious. It was a gory movie that was ying above their heads all the time. There were few ces they could look at. Fortunately, they couldn¡¯t hear any sound.


    ¡°Crazy bastard.¡±


    Immediately after Baal left, General Asmophel and the soldiers took care of the people. Lauel and the nobles appeased the confused people.


    This allowed Grid to focus on his role. He soared into the sky and got as close to the hell moon as possible. Numerous bloodshot eyes swept indifferently over Grid. They rolled around non-stop and spread the situation of hell to the entire world. It was an even more unrealistic sight up close. The sky was infinitely segmented and screened.


    ¡°He is a really crazy bastard.¡±


    Curses kept popping out. It was impossible to withstand the urge to swear. The humans in hell were taken hostage, while the moon, which should¡¯ve been in hell, was moved to the surface and used to ry the reality of hell. Baal¡¯s power and intentions were extremely abhorrent. He stole the sky and the ability to rest from all beings on the surface. Humanity was exposed to a fear and disgust they had never experienced before and were no longer able to live a normal life.


    Then Grid used Item Combination. Hebined Gujel¡¯s Dao and Cranbel¡¯s Horn. It was a fusion of dragon weapons.


    A huge amount of energy was released. The entire area around him was distorted like a whirlpool. It was a power that even Grid couldn¡¯t handle at the moment. He eventually grabbed the long hilt with both hands. His arms were trembling.


    Gridbined this with the field of view skill to aim at the evil moon. He clearly engraved the hell moon in his eyes, squeezed out all his strength, used his buffs, and swung the sword. It was a blow btedly followed by a sound. By the time the explosion spread, an orange divinity had already filled the sky. Nevertheless, it couldn¡¯t reach the hell moon. It seemed that even if he used a field of view skill, he was unable to cut down the moon in space.


    A new sight entered the eyes of the disappointed Grid. Very small shadows were approaching and touching the moon. They were the meteorites that Braham had pulled down. Braham designated the target as the hell moon and used Meteor.


    ...But nothing happened. The hell moon existed steadfastly without showing a single movement.


    ¡°I can¡¯t smash the moon with my magic,¡± Braham said as he clicked his tongue and red at the intact moon.


    ¡°......¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too violent to be called a magic attack? There were too many things to tackle, but Grid kept his mouth shut.


    Just then, Mercedes came to his side with her silver wings. Her transparently glowing eyes analyzed the moon and videos.


    ......!


    The hell moon shook a bit, unlike when it was hit by Braham¡¯s Meteor. Finally, it trembled. Screams seemed to reach all the way to where they were.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of Grid and the apostles were filled with admiration. It was because some of the eyes of the hell moon started to shed bloody tears and some of the videos filling the sky started to turn off. The perfect sky suddenly appeared through the cracks in the videos.


    However, new videos soon appeared and filled in the gaps. There were too many eyes on the hell moon. The damaged eyes were quickly reced by new ones and the videos that were turned off were repeatedly turned on.


    ¡°Stop. Stop it,¡± Grid whispered as he grabbed Mercedes¡¯ hand and pulled her into his arms.


    Gasp, gasp... Mercedes¡¯ wildly gasping body was trembling. Her eyes, which were more transparent than ss, became blurred and veins bulged around her trembling eyes.


    ¡°This¡­ it isn¡¯t here,¡± Mercedes exined as she leaned against Grid¡¯s chest with a pale face, ¡°It is still in hell... it is a using the moon of the human world as a mirror.¡±


    This was why Grid¡¯s attack didn¡¯t reach. The hell moon on the surface was nothing more than an illusion. In the first ce, it couldn¡¯t be targeted by the field of view skill. The moon that Braham¡¯s Meteor struck wasn¡¯t the moon of hell.


    ¡®Then Braham... did he just use Meteor on the real, innocent moon?¡¯


    By the time Grid realized it, Braham¡¯s face was already red. He was very sensitive to the word ¡®troll,¡¯ so Grid didn¡¯t bother to point it out.


    ¡°...We have no choice but to go there in person.¡±


    Grid¡¯s judgment was quick. He dered that he would ept Baal¡¯s invitation. It was the moment when the apostles nodded as if they had been waiting...


    ¡°Of course, we should do so.¡±


    A wee voice was heard. Grid looked up at the sky and made eye contact with the smiling Biban. There were the tower members behind him.


    Legends from the previous eras¡ªthe great heroes who protected the world behind history hade forward.


    One by one, the people who were in a panic and couldn¡¯te to their senses started to gain courage one by one.


    ¡°......¡±


    Betty was staring at Agnus.

 Chapter 1645

    <h4>Chapter 1645</h4>


    Were they carrying an invisible rock? Most of the people walked around with their heads lowered. They were afraid the scenery of hell that was projected into the sky would enter their vision.


    Nevertheless, there were a few people who dared to raise their heads and gaze at the sky. They carefully watched the scenes that others said were scary and unpleasant. They were the rankers with a high reputation in each region. Most of them were fighters. They were people who enjoyed the fight itself or struggled to get something. This was a huge opportunity for them.


    ¡°ying an active role in front of everyone watching...? There can be no better stage to build up my fame.¡±


    ¡°There will be a personal camera the moment you enter hell. Even a small performance will make you stand out more than in the Great Human and Demon War.¡±


    There was a lot of spection that the final boss of Satisfy was Baal. His force was that high. Moreover, this incident caused by Baal was very threatening. Based on the atmosphere alone, it seemed like an event that would determine Satisfy¡¯s fate. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if humanity was defeated when following the flow of this story.


    The level of attention was bound to be high, apart from those who were walking around with their heads lowered. It was arge-scale event that was iparable to the National Competition and was at least above the level of the Great Human and Demon War.


    In short, it was a situation that all of humanity would be paying close attention to. What if they went to hell at this time and yed an active role? They would surely be heroes. Being heroes meant money. The named rankers proved it from the very beginning. Didn¡¯t they say that the money frommercials alone was tens of billions of won a year...


    It was a bonus that there were countless scandals about the actors or actresses they appeared on shows with.


    ¡°This is a really huge opportunity.¡±


    ¡°We are going to be the second Grid.¡±


    How many people in the world wanted to be the second Grid? There were many people in the world who called themselves the second Grid the moment they did anything. There were many people, regardless of their age or gender, so it was very funny. Even so, no one expressed it.


    The rankers who formed a cooperative group together¡ªit was right to respect their great ambition to cross the line together in the future, rather thanugh at them.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    The western mountainous region dominated by the sh-and-burn farmers. The high ranker Musashi had been ruling this territory that received less attention from the Overgeared Empire due to its low value. Now he cocked his head. He was a German-British man whose terribly red hair didn¡¯t match his ID. His hair fluttered in the wind like a me and it naturally caught people¡¯s attention. His outfit was also very fancy. Gold sheets or jewels hung from every piece of equipment he wore. The rumor that he controlled more than 30 small and medium-sized hunting grounds and received admission fees from people seemed to be true.


    It was something people couldn¡¯t take an issue with. It was just the strong enjoying the rights they deserved. Yes, Musashi was a strong powerhouse. If only 3,000 strong yers in the world could be counted, then there was a high probability that he would be mentioned. He was such a person.


    ¡°What... is this?¡± he murmured with an absent-minded expression. It was the expression of a person seeing something he shouldn¡¯t have seen. It was a frightening reaction. He was someone who never lost hisposure even when seeing the video of Baal appearing in Reinhardt. Now he suddenly reacted violently and the impact was great.


    The moment Musashi became agitated, anxiety quickly spread among the people belonging to the same guild as Musashi.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Another high ranker who couldn¡¯t see what happened was questioning it, only to stiffen. It was because in one of the videos in the sky, people were dying one after another. The ranker who participated in the great demon raids during the Great Human and Demon War were being ughtered by mere demons?


    This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. yers had grown rapidly since the Great Human and Demon War. They gained so much experience and even had the cooperation of the Overgeared Guild. One simple example was that the high-end items previously only distributed within the Overgeared Guild were released on the market. The Overgeared Guild, who rejected outside yers before the Great Human and Demon War, started to cooperate under the banner that ¡®humanity is one.¡¯


    Yes, most of the yers who took the elevator down to hell were great people. They deserved to hunt the demons in hell. So what was this miserable appearance? The high level and Overgeared Guild¡¯s items were being overshadowed and trampled on in a disastrous manner. It was an even bigger shock because there was someone Musashi considered a rival among them.


    ¡°That... does this make sense?¡±


    Musashi had very good eyes. He had invested heavily in insight because his main focus was on counter skills. Due to this, he noticed it. The skills that the demons used¡­ they were very familiar. Skills that symbolized particr rankers. The techniques that made them known were being used with the bodies and magic power of the demons.


    It was apletely unexpected blow that hit him properly. He could ept the reason why the rankers were helpless.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    The stronger the skill, the more difficult the conditions of use. They had to gain skills by taking a specific path and being promoted to the right ss. It was also greatly influenced by their stats and the weapons used. The sight of a demon holding a club while using human fist techniques, a bare-handed demon using human swordsmanship, or even using demonic energy as a recement for mana was bound to feel strange.


    ¡®How is this difficulty level set?¡¯


    He was reminded of Baal¡¯s words that a new rule had been set in hell. It ignored the existingws, so the newly set difficulty level could be considered a hardcore level. This made Musashi shrink back. He was frightened because he could see many things.


    ¡°Musashi?¡±


    It was only a few steps to the city where the warp gate was located. They would be able to reach their final destination of Reinhardt in less than 30 minutes. Then one of the captains of the group, Musashi, suddenly stopped and didn¡¯t move.


    Musashi hesitated as the eyes of numerous people focused on him. ¡°This probably...¡±


    It seems like it isn¡¯t possible. The situation is more serious than I thought. If we go to hell like this, we are more likely to be killed like dogs. Let¡¯s step back and watch the progress.


    ...He wanted to say this, but he was afraid his honor would be lost.


    It happened at this moment...


    [The founder of Echo Magic, ¡®Jessica,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The one who takes reality as a canvas, ¡®Abellio,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The one who smashes a great mountain with his first, ¡¯Ken,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The one who trains monsters and demons, ¡¯Jurene,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The one who breaks the chain of reincarnation, ¡¯Betty,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The ancient wise sage, ¡¯Radwolf,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The ancient wise warrior, ¡¯Fronzaltz,¡¯ has emerged.]


    [The teacher of Muller, Sword Saint ¡®Biban,¡¯ has emerged.]


    World messages emerged one after another. Some familiar names were mixed with unfamiliar names. The thing they had inmon was that they were all unusual. Biban and Jessica instilled such an awareness.


    First of all, Biban. He was known as the teacher of Muller, the greatest Sword Saint of all time. yers who had reached the minimum level of great swordsman would¡¯vee across his records and felt envious.


    Next was Jessica. She was a legendary great magician of a past era and was the founder of the famous Echo Magic. The theory of Echo Magic contained the logic of ¡®creating multiple magic with one spell,¡¯ so it was often rated as the best magical theory of all time.


    Those who appeared with them could never be ordinary. The modifiers were no joke.


    ¡°An acquaintance in Reinhardt said that they came to see Grid?¡±


    ¡°What are tower members?¡±


    ¡°Tower?¡±


    Dragon yer Hayate was well known, but the Tower of Wisdom was still unfamiliar to people. The tower had still kept itself a secret. However, at this moment¡ª


    [The Tower of Wisdom, which has been defending humanity behind the veil, has dered that they will fight against the demons.]


    The tower revealed its identity out of its own volition. They knew that danger woulde from provoking the dragons, but they still came out for the sake of humanity.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go quickly!¡± the previously intimidated Musashi urged the group. He was full of energy and his voice was strong.


    Simr things were happening all over the continent.


    ***


    It was really exquisite timing. Grid was very happy and thankful that the tower members came to him as people were gradually losing hope. But...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to leave?¡±


    The duty of the tower members was to be on the lookout for dragons. No one could handle it if the dragons were active while they were away in hell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sir Hayate will keep his position.¡±


    Biban wasn¡¯t veryfortable as he exined it. Based on Hayate¡¯s personality, it meant he would almost never sleep and would stand guard. Therefore, Biban and the tower members were intent on responding even more aggressively to this incident.


    Grid¡¯s attitude was the same. ¡°Let¡¯s settle the situation as quickly as possible and return.¡±


    Baal was too strong. Grid and his apostles couldn¡¯tpletely resist the debuffs, so it would be the same for the tower members. Grid made a realistic judgment. Rather than aiming to kill Baal, the priority was to stop the function of the hell moon. The morale of humanity could only be restored when thendscape of the surface returned to its original state. There was a high possibility that the currently active Asura Path would end when the hell moon was removed. It meant that he could save those trapped in hell and use them as an extra force.


    Of course, this was all just a hypothesis so far. Nevertheless, Lauel and Grid decided that this hypothesis was very realistic. What if stopping the function of the hell moon didn¡¯t improve the situation? If that was the case, it meant the possibility of humanity winning would be infinitely close to zero. There would be no answer. However, there would always be answers in Satisfy. Grid and Lauel were the best duo who found more answers than anyone else. They believed in their own judgment.


    ¡°Depart.¡±


    In front of everyone watching, the apostles except for Sariel, the tower members, Grid, and the gods of the Overgeared World all stood in front of the hell elevator. Grid¡¯s inventory was full. He took all the potions made in the alchemy facility and packed the materials necessary for cksmithing. During the battle in hell, he nned to repair or make new items for the apostles and tower members.


    [The 20th epic of Overgeared God Grid has begun.]


    [Ites from the mouths of those who watched him go to hell.]


    The temples of the Overgeared God scattered all over the continent radiated a soft light. They were prepared to record the epic that would be added line by line in the future.


    ***


    [......]


    The old dragon, who had existed since the beginning of time, opened his eyes. The pure white membrane split open and revealed the universe. The longitudinally torn pupils were the first chaos and the circles dotted in the iris were like countlesss derived from chaos.


    The moment the old dragon slowly raised his head and unfolded his long tail, a raging wind urred in the hugeir. The aftermath was terribly great. The great mountain where their was situated and the forests surrounding the great mountain shook as if they had been hit by an earthquake. The birds and beasts were startled and immediately abandoned their homes to flee.


    [...Things are interesting...]


    The dragon¡¯s expression was calm as he let out a long breath and checked the scenery outside their. However, the smile that his snout made looked twisted and wicked. He was suited for the moniker of evil dragon.

 Chapter 1646

    <h4>Chapter 1646</h4>


    Not long ago, Hayate had told Grid, ¡°I only recently realized that most of the top dragons, who are inherently threatened by the old dragons, can make rational decisions.¡±


    He said he learned a lot based on the story of the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon and he nned to leave the tower to embark on a long journey.


    ¡°I will visit and talk to the top dragons who have maintained their dignity and settled in one ce for a long time.¡±


    He would persuade them to understand and coexist with each other. It would not be easy, but he smiled as he said it would be better than blindly confronting them. He even promised to help with the recruitment of the human gods during the journey.


    Then today, the situation changed rapidly. Baal caused a proper incident. Hayate was forced to return to the tower in a hurry and the tower members told him that they wanted to help Grid.


    He naturally allowed it. The essence of the Tower of Wisdom was to protect the world from threats that humanity couldn¡¯t respond to. It wasn¡¯t just about being obsessed with dragons. In his heart, Hayate also wanted to go to hell with them. However, he couldn¡¯t leave the surface empty, so he stayed alone in the tower. He didn¡¯t express it to the tower members, but he was worried about the evil dragon Bunhelier.


    A dragon that cooperated with Baal in the distant past and swallowed demonic energy¡ªHayate was concerned that the Asura Path that spread on the surface might provoke him. That concern became a reality. The energy that blossomed from the end of the world¡ªthe unbelievably powerful and ominous aura captured Hayate¡¯s mind.


    ¡®He has woken up.¡¯


    An elegant demeanor¡ªa bitter smile spread across Hayate¡¯s face as he ced his hand on the pommel of his sword.


    ¡®It must be Baal¡¯s intention.¡¯


    A thousand years after the tower was born, he had a new dream and nned a trip. It was a pity that he would die before he could even start properly. Still, it was fine. Even if he died, Grid remained.


    He felt some lingering regrets, but there was no worry. For the first time since he was born, he wasn¡¯t afraid of death.


    ***


    Time was running out.


    Grid¡¯s party clearly recognized the situation. Just before boarding the elevator, they saw hundreds of humans in a crisis on their own being broadcasted in the sky. They had to hurry to save even a few more lives. The lives of those currently trapped in hell weren¡¯t just their own lives. The more they died, the stronger Baal¡¯s power became. Therefore, it was necessary to rescue them, even if it was just for the sake of the cause.


    ¡°It is said that logging out is possible within hell.¡±


    Immediately after the incident, Lauel logged out without hesitation. The quick-witted Yura logged out in advance and had been waiting for his call. He received a lot of information thanks to this.


    ¡°However, as you know, it is impossible to log out during a battle. They said that it is very difficult to find the timing to log out.¡±


    It meant that the enemy¡¯s offensive continued non-stop.


    ¡°In the first ce, avoiding the crisis by logging out isn¡¯t the solution.¡±


    Baal set a neww in hell. The beings who entered hell couldn¡¯t escape from hell through any means or methods. It meant that even if they avoided the crisis in front of them by logging out, they would be stuck in hell for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°The only method identified to get out of hell so far is to die. Yet when looking at the reviews left by the deceased yers, there is a 100% chance that those who are killed will lose their skills. This means it is hard for them to offer up their lives blindly...¡±


    This was why the yers trapped in hell couldn¡¯t die. The skills of the dead were absorbed by Asura¡¯s fragments and transferred to Baal or Baal¡¯s subordinates.


    ¡°It is known that the skills will be taken away, so I guess there will be a fuss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are many people looking for flights to the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters in order to protest.¡±


    ¡®It serves them right. Those beggar jerks.¡¯


    What S.A Group? Please be surrounded by protest trucks and have the entrance of the parking lot blocked...


    Grid cursed sincerely. It was absurd no matter how much he thought about it.


    Thest ss quest of Pagma''s Sessor. It was to save Pagma¡¯s soul. How could he clear this? If Grid hadn¡¯t reached the myth rating and if he hadn¡¯t obtained the apostles, tower members, and human gods¡ªif he was just an ordinary Pagma''s Sessor, he would¡¯ve tearfully given up the quest.


    ¡®At least 10 years¡­ no, I would¡¯ve only set up arge group in 20 years to attempt it.¡¯


    It was a ss quest that most yers could only challenge when they reached a high level. Was this really the right design? Grid didn¡¯t think so. He suspected that they were aiming for him and raised the difficulty of the ss quest. The S.A Group had long been obsessed with bnce and would block a yer¡¯s path. Although maybe he grew to this point because of the bacsh he received from the S.A Group...


    ¡°It is said that the neutral areas throughout hell have lost their safe zone function as the statues of Yatan were destroyed... that doesn¡¯t mean there are no answers. The crystal castle is still in good shape, so we can use it as a shelter.¡±


    Inside the elevator that descended quickly, Lauel stood beside Grid andmunicated the situation non-stop. They werepanions for many years. Lauel had lost hisbat capabilities in the aftermath of investing his stats in political power. He was reluctant to fight on the battlefield, but he couldn''t help it this time. It was an urgent situation. Time was running out to organize the information that Yura had obtained and to pass it onto Grid. It was best to do it himself and deliver it.


    ¡°We need to rescue people, gather them in the castle, and then reorganize our power. However, most of the groups have been pushed out of the front lines and dispersed. This means the difficulty will be very high. Rescue is possible only when we know where they are located, but it is difficult to find where they are hiding...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about searching for people.¡±


    The elevator felt cramped because it was loaded with magic machines. Braham cut in proudly from where he was standing proudly alone in the center.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to find them with the magic of me and that woman.¡±


    He nced at Jessica. He showed that he was willing to cooperate with Jessica. It was a very surprising attitude considering Braham¡¯s usual personality. He seemed to be acknowledging Jessica¡¯s skills. However, the tower members weren¡¯t at a rank where they needed Braham¡¯s acknowledgment.


    ¡°That guy has no courtesy,¡± Biban whispered in Jessica¡¯s ears, but his voice was so loud that it entered everyone¡¯s ears. Well, he wouldn¡¯t have deceived the hearing of the people here even if he spoke in a low voice in the first ce.


    ¡°It is understandable. He is the child of Beriache and the strongest magician of all time. It is natural to be arrogant considering his background. He is probably around the same age as me.¡±


    ¡°What does age have to do with having no manners? Tsk tsk.¡±


    In the end, Biban clicked his tongue. In fact, he didn¡¯t like Braham from the start. Didn¡¯t Braham proudly cross his arms and upy the center the moment he boarded the elevator? This habit would¡¯ve been corrected right away if Braham hadn¡¯t been Grid¡¯s apostle.


    Braham snorted.


    ¡°You are frivolous. It seems there is a w in your wisdom that doesn¡¯t match your rank. I can see why you were overtaken by your disciple.¡±


    Braham had a strong first impression of the tower members.


    Previous legends and transcendents¡ªweren¡¯t they the ones who supported the Dragon yer? Additionally, he was told that they had helped Grid several times. He naturally appreciated them and liked them. However, his heart became cold the moment he saw Biban¡¯s sword.


    The dragon weapon created by Grid¡ªhis stomach cramped at the thought that this bastard upied the most precious treasure in history that even he hadn¡¯t been gifted with yet. It meant that his liking disappeared like it was a lie when it came to Biban.


    ¡°What...? Frivolous? There is a defect in my wisdom? Say it again.¡±


    ¡°You are frivolous and ignorant. Now you also have bad hearing? Once again, you deserve to be overtaken by your disciple.¡±


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    From his strong body to his intelligence, magic, and appearance, Braham was perfect in every way. There was just a problem with his reactionary personality. He had improved to the level of a gentlemanpared to when he was a scumbag in the past, but he had a bad personality from a general point of view. He used his innate intelligence and magic power enhanced senses to analyze the weaknesses of his opponents and dig into them without hesitation.


    Biban couldn¡¯t handle him. He would have to use violence to beat Braham.


    ¡°This vampire, demonic bastard...¡±


    The tower members eventually had to restrain Biban from grabbing his sword and Lauel whispered to Grid, ¡°Will it be okay? They seem to be on bad terms?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Agnus and I are getting along well. Will those who are older than us be more childish than us?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham and Biban clearly heard Grid¡¯s voice and took back their killing intent. They knew it was shameful. The situation seemed to have calmed down, but this was actually a miscalction.


    ¡°Your eyes... Shall I dig them out?¡± Agnus suddenly growled. He seemed annoyed that from before the elevator until now, Betty had been staring at him without blinking. His attitude of swallowing down his swear words was quitemendable. He wasn¡¯t intimidated because Betty was a powerful being. It seemed he was unable to treat her like that because she was a girl.


    ¡°Eyes. Shall I give them to you?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Agnus was frightened. He would be abnormal if he wasn¡¯t surprised when seeing a girl shoving her fingers into her eyes.


    ¡°...Will it be okay over there?¡±


    ¡°Probably...¡±


    By this point, Grid was also slightly exhausted.


    Nefelina was clinging to his arm and trembling because she was overwhelmed by the spiriting from the tower members.


    Abellio had drawn a puppy with a brush with the sense of ying with a grandchild, but he fell into deep thought after seeing the puppy disappear when it was read by Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight. Zik was discussing runes with the giant brothers and raised his voice in a rare manner.


    The fighter Ken was proposing to Garion. It was questionable if he was doing this even though he knew she was a god.


    It wasplete chaos. It was no different from a market.


    ¡°They¡­ they are great people, right?¡± Lauel asked again for confirmation, but Grid couldn¡¯t answer.


    He just smiled slightly. He felt very reassured by his colleagues, who didn¡¯t show any signs of nervousness despite descending to hell. He was convinced that once they joined the expedition active in hell, they would create a party that didn¡¯t fear anything in the world. Yes, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Baal either...


    Ding!


    At the same time, the elevator stopped descending. The automatic opening and closing device made by the giants activated and the door opened. The group led by Grid stepped proudly into hell.


    [A random teleportation has urred.]


    It was arge magic circle that greeted them. The ck magic that only fully functioned in hell activated as soon as it read the aura of the visitors. Apart from Braham, who quickly grasped the structure of the magic and destroyed it, everyone in the party was engulfed in light and scattered throughout hell. The ce where Grid fell...


    ¡°Overgeared God...?¡±


    It was the river of reincarnation.


    The blood-red eyes of the hell moon watched him.

 Chapter 1647

    <h4>Chapter 1647</h4>


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Braham smiled as he was left alone. The ck magic that worked upon detecting the presence of an intruder¡ªit was great when seeing it himself. It was perfect without a single margin of error. Since it was perfect, it was solid and fast. It worked under the set conditions, so it was normal to not be able to respond to it.


    Even so, he reacted. He even seeded in breaking it down in a breathtaking manner. He was the only one in the group who did so. This proved his unrivaled ability among the most powerful people.


    He was quite pleased. His great pride had grown even more.


    ¡®In particr, I am far superior than that retired swordsman.¡¯


    Braham was in the realm of achieving magic with his willpower. The act of looking back on his memory naturally gave rise to the Memorize magic. The sights he glimpsed a short time ago came to mind as vividly as a photograph. Braham looked closely at Grid, the gods, the apostles, and the tower members in the picture.


    It was the moment when they entered hell and the ck magic was triggered. Grid responded immediately. He was faster than Braham in terms of reaction speed alone. However, he failed to activate Duke of Wisdom, so he just pulled Lauel and Nefelina to his side. Almost immediately afterward, Mercedes, Piaro, and Zik responded. It was with the same timing as Braham. However, it took some time to activate Keen Insight, while Piaro was close to an outsider when it came to magic.


    Zik was the only one who responded properly. The rune was immediately rotated toplete a word. It was a word he didn¡¯t understand... Zik demonstrated a miracle and intervened in the magic coordinates applied to himself. He reversed the trap. Even when he was a mere incarnation, he was praised as a grandmaster by reaching the peak in most fields. Now that he retrieved his true body and harnessed the power of a half-god, he was so excellent that he made Braham alert every time.


    ¡®...The tower members?¡¯


    Most of them were like the apostles. They were very quick. Their response was as fast as the unit that divided one second into dozens of segments, but they couldn¡¯t find a way to respond to the magic. No... that was just what he thought.


    ¡®Those ignorant people.¡¯


    A chill went down Braham¡¯s spine. He noticed that faint cracks were carved on the images of the tower members contained in Memorize. There were signs of the magic itself being hit.


    Abellio wielded his brush, the giant brothers used artifacts, Jessica used magic, Ken used his fists, Jurene gathered his magic power, and Betty tried to stop the ck magic by cutting off the flow of magic power. That retired swordsman just cut it with a sword.


    This meant that they attempted physical destruction, unlike Braham, who understood the principles of ck magic and reversed them in order to invalidate them. As a result, they failed, but it made a difference. The ck magic applied to them wasn¡¯t fully intact because part of the techniques were destroyed. At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen to a ¡®dangerous¡¯ ce.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t just Sir Hayate¡¯s associates.¡¯


    Braham admired it in his heart, only to be startled. He was surprised at himself, who acknowledged the skills of others. It was a bit... unpleasant. It was to the point where he weed the uninvited visitors who just arrived.


    ¡°The insight of Sir Goron is amazing. It was said that only the son of the exile would remain and it came true.¡±


    ¡°He got Beriache¡¯s wisdom and studied the magic of human beings. Magic of this magnitude would¡¯ve been easy to read.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Braham! The son of Beriache! Your mother might¡¯ve been an exile but she was one of the three evils of the beginning. Why did you, her child, study the magic of human beings? Don¡¯t you know shame?¡±


    ¡°The son of an exile can¡¯t feel shame. He doesn¡¯t have the roots.¡±


    They were three demons. They were those who had the title of henchmen, but weren¡¯t Baal¡¯s familiars. In the very distant past, they were the ones who helped when Beriache was expelled from hell. They all had a mighty aura. Gamigin was better than all of them, but they were powerhouses, especially when considering that this ce was hell.


    ¡®They will be able to use frenzied demonic energy at their current level.¡¯


    The longer the fight, the more powerful the demonic energy. It was a type of technique practiced by a small number of high ranking demonkin. It had the disadvantage of only being able to be activated in hell, but it wasn¡¯t a disadvantage at the moment since this ce was hell.


    ¡°Seeing you trembling brings back memories. Your mother looked exactly like this when she was banished from hell.¡±


    ¡°It was a pleasure to watch the virtuous being that all the demons of hell looked up to be miserable in real time. Even now, so much time has passed, but a sense of pleasure still wells up when I think back on that time.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A scene from the past shed in Braham¡¯s mind as he stood with his head lowered. It was an image of his mother being cast out to the surface by sneering demons. This was just his imagination. The reality would¡¯ve been much more miserable.


    ¡®Ahh, Mother.¡¯


    Braham felt his fate.


    Did Grid lead me here or did you send them to me? Did you arrange for me to get revenge for you and eventually transcend you?


    ¡°...That guy.¡±


    It was just like when they isted Beriache in the distant past.


    The demons whoughed around Braham slowly frowned. They btedly realized why Braham¡¯s shoulders were shaking while his head was lowered. It wasn¡¯t due to fear. He wasughing...


    It wasn¡¯t an illusion. Braham¡¯s face as he raised his head confirmed it. The eyes of the smiling man whose chin was raised arrogantly were glowing red like his mother¡¯s.


    ¡°You were just one of the thousands of soldiers that surrounded my mother. Now only the three of you are meeting me? The long years that have passed have made you senile.¡±


    Braham¡¯s magic power, which had sharpened like a knife, gradually turned dark purple.


    The frenzied demonic energy¡ªthe technique that Beriache¡¯s son, Braham, could use ¡®naturally¡¯ was already triggered. The quality of the secret technique was different.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Baal¡¯s henchmen¡ªthey had already ughtered dozens of rankers. They clearly imprinted their overwhelming power onto the human beings observing the conditions of hell from the surface. They were more powerful than any of the great demons who fought in the Great Human and Demon War.


    This was why peoplemented when they saw Braham confronting them. It wasn¡¯t difficult for people to guess Braham¡¯s defeat. Many people already closed their eyes after knowing that his beautiful face in the sky would soon be terribly ruined. Thus, it came as a bigger shock.


    The sight of the purple mes rising from Braham¡¯s fingers and spreading like a storm as it swept through the battlefield, and the surprised faces of the demons who retreated¡ªthe development pattern waspletely different from what people expected.


    The news spread in an instant. Those who tried to turn away from the sky slowly started to raise their heads.


    ***


    ¡°Are theypletely encamped?¡±


    ¡°Gulp. Do we have enough food?¡±


    The expedition team from the Overgeared Guild was evacuated to the crystal castle. They moved immediately after the incident happened. They believed in the judgment of Yura and Jishuka. Thanks to this, they avoided the crisis of being isted in the field, but the situation wasn¡¯t good.


    A demonic army was besieging the crystal castle.


    The sight of them hunting their own demonic creatures and cooking barbecue was far frommon sense, but unfortunately, the smell of grilled meat was appetizing. A hunger that couldn¡¯t be satisfied with jerky tormented the expedition. It was a curse. It had no influence on legends like Yura, Jishuka, and Faker, but it was enough to cause pain to non-legendary yers.


    ¡°This... isn¡¯t it a skill that high level chefs have?¡±


    Hunger was ssified as an abnormal condition. Vantner was frowning at the debuff linked to decreased stats andck of motivation, so he noticed one stepte. It was the moment when Lauel¡¯s warning that they would lose their skills and the words of those who died proved to be a definite truth. Their fear grew as the number of enemies increased in real time.


    In the midst of the tension, someone raised their hand and asked a question, ¡°This castle... the enemies can¡¯t attack it, right? It is safe, right? Yes?¡±


    It was a very cautious attitude. This person had to be careful.


    Rose¡ªshe was a great demon, so she felt very ufortable in this position...


    She thought that sitting on a thorny cushion would be better than this. It was absurd no matter how she thought about it. Baal caused the incident when she was visiting the castle to meet Grid¡¯s subi. She was unexpectedly isted in the castle where just making eye contact with the Overgeared Guild members made her feel numb.


    Why did she have to be here...? She had already asked herself this dozens of times, but she had to interpret it as simply bad luck.


    ¡°It is safe. That is correct. The problem is that we can¡¯t stay here like this. If we are going to stay still like this, why not just log out?¡±


    In games, time was gold. There was no point in simply surviving. It was obviously a loss to sit here for a long time. Even at this moment, theirpetitors and enemies would be growing and eating at each other.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Rose was inwardly relieved. She was worried about what would happen if no one answered her question, but at least this person was kind enough to get along with her, even if he was bald. It would be better to hang out with good-looking men like Faker and Regas, but what was the current situation? It was fortunate that she was less embarrassed.


    ¡°Why do I feel dirty all of a sudden?¡±


    It happened the moment Vantner was wondering about this...


    The castle shook. The outside of the window was tinged with a colorful light that disturbed the eyes of the group. It was the aftermath of a magic bombardment.


    ¡°Ah, it is safe, right?¡± Rose asked again with a pale face.


    Croak, croak, croak croak croak...


    The cries of frogs were heard in the distance.


    Chepardea and Baal¡¯s familiars had joined.


    ***


    Chepardea stopped the magic bombardment and spoke, ¡°It is Dantalion¡¯s legacy. It is natural that it is hard to attack. You don¡¯t have to attack it. Croak.¡±


    Dantalion was the wisest demon in hell. There were many demons who gained knowledgeparable to him, but Dantalion was the only one who made use of that knowledge. It meant he was a coward. He was despised by many demons despite being a great demon.


    From the beginning, Chepardea had no intention of attacking thest bastion that the coward had made to keep himself safe. It was okay to iste them. Human lives were so short that they would quickly be nervous. Eventually, they wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it and would walk out on their own.


    Chepardea urged the demons to be patient and the demons nodded obediently. It was originally rare for demons to cooperate, but this was an exception. They were clearly aware of the fragments of Asura that seeped into their shadows.


    Baal made it public. The moment they realized that the fragments of Asura could act either as a bomb leashing them or a blessing to give them more power, the demons chose to be loyal to Baal. In the first ce, Baal was the peak of the three evils of the beginning. He was the ruler of hell after Yatan. He just needed to step forward to be the focal point and there would be few reasons why the demons wouldn¡¯t follow him.


    ¡®There were many demons who rapidly became stronger thanks to the fragments of Asura. They easily killed the intruders scattered all over the ce.¡¯


    Chepardea¡¯s round snout curled up as he thought. It was the scene of arge frog with his tongue hanging out andughing. However, the demons remained silent and didn¡¯t ridicule him. There were fewints. It was quite enjoyable imagining the trembling of their prey locked up in the castle.


    Additionally, the Demon yer was among the prey trapped in the castle. A being born to exterminate demons¡ªas a demon, the act of fighting, winning, and eating her would go against providence. It was an opportunity to be judged as killing the enemy and their status would greatly rise.


    It happened as the gloomyughter of the demons was gradually spreading...


    ¡°I came to the right ce.¡±


    It was Zik who reversed the coordinates of the trap. The all-rounded talent who couldpete to be the strongest among the apostles of the Overgeared God entered the scene.


    Runes thatbined to form words that meant destruction, massacre, and annihtion swirled, raged and sparked a bloody breeze. He knew he had to first secure the only base in hell.

 Chapter 1648

    <h4>Chapter 1648</h4>


    The apostles were invincible and Grid was a god¡ªthis was the general public perception. It was also a y on words using the fact that Grid¡¯s identity was a god, but it was more referring to his actual strength.


    It was after the Great Human and Demon War. People had witnessed the invincibility of the apostles from various angles. Additionally, Grid won victory after victory that was delivered in real time due to the epics written. Of course, Grid¡¯s actual win rate was very low, but¡­ he had always benefited, so he seemed to always win from a third party¡¯s point of view.


    To the public, it meant that Grid and the apostles were close to being invincible. They couldn¡¯t be distinguished from the Absolutes of dragons, Baal, Hayate, etc., and they were recognized as being part of the same hierarchy. Nevertheless¡ª


    ¡°Will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°It looks too dangerous.¡±


    The people were concerned about the safety of the apostles. It was an unavoidable limitation. People didn¡¯t understand the invincibility of an Absolute and they couldn¡¯t even judge it. They made the mistake of recognizing the apostles as Absolutes, while easily thinking about defeat.


    There was a reason for it. The environment surrounding Piaro was fire and ashes. It was hot, ck, and empty. There was no energy of life from the sky and the ground.


    tter tter.


    A ghost horse walking in the night sky circled overhead like a satellite. A blue me lit up the deathly silent sky, while a red me burned the ground of ck ashes, erasing the traces of life. Piaro had fallen to this ce.


    A legendary farmer¡ªit was the worst situation for him, who borrowed the energy of the rain and wind, the sun, and the earth, in order to show his abilities. People¡¯s belief that Piaro was invincible was greatly shaken.


    ¡°Is there anybody nearby who can help?¡±


    ¡°I will quit the game if Piaro dies. XX.¡±


    There were stars in every field. In particr, Satisfy was a game that billions of people enjoyed directly or indirectly. There were countless of the world¡¯s brightest stars in Satisfy. There was naturally a fandom proportional to it. One of the most powerful fandoms was Piaro¡¯s fandom.


    An existence who had been with Grid since Grid was about to be the lord of Reidan¡ªPiaro was the foundation that symbolized the Overgeared Guild and Overgeared Empire. Piaro was the reason why the still weak Overgeared Guild could withstand the invasion of the Seven Guilds and the great demons. He was the one who led the army and used all sorts of military tactics in all types of wars. It was rare to find someone who wasn¡¯t fascinated by him.


    Piaro¡¯s poprity was the best without distinguishing between enemies and allies. The sight of him falling to a bad ce and being surrounded by demons was enough to make people mourn.


    ¡°Piaro, the apostle of the Overgeared God. I have vaguely heard the name.¡±


    Baal¡¯s henchmen, who kept appearing here, spoke in an expressionless manner.


    ¡°He was prepared to die together only with Belial.¡±


    Demonspeted with each other and cooperated. Right now, they were intoxicated on the sweet reward of ¡®the more you hunt humans, the stronger you be¡¯ and entrusted their backs to each other, but until just yesterday, they had been eating each other. There were manypetitors around them right now, so they were rtively careless and indifferent on the outside.


    The old subordinates who had been aiding Baal for more than a thousand years had long lost their passion. Would they be interested in mere creatures when they hunted the greatest of all time, Beriache? Everything in the world was insignificant for them, who had already fought and ovee one of the three evils of the beginning. They were even less interested in the surface.


    They couldn¡¯t distinguish between the time when the former 32nd Great Demon, Belial, invaded the surface and the time before and after the outbreak of the Great Human and Demon War. They knew only a small fraction of Piaro¡¯s performance. In fact, it wasn¡¯t even a performance from their perspective. All the information rted to Piaro was dismissed as equivalent to the information that pine caterpirs needed to eat pine needles to live. This meant it was insignificant.


    Unfortunately, Piaro didn¡¯t have any great achievements in the Great Human and Demon War. It was great that he could tie up the feet of the great demons in the 20s, but it was minimalpared to the performance of the other apostles.


    It had been less than two years. Putting aside their liking for Piaro, the public was concerned. He was weakpared to the other apostles and now he had fallen to an unfavorable battlefield. They started looking around to search for anyone who could help him. They observed with open eyes the situation in hell, which they previously avoided because it was terrifying.


    The cruel sights tormented their eyes and minds, but they didn¡¯t care. There were many people who would endure this much pain for Piaro¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Let¡¯s find it. The moment I find an apostle near Piaro, log out and post about it to themunity. Someone from the Overgeared Guild will respond...


    Those who looked up at the sky with such hopes soon felt despair. There was no one near Piaro, no matter where they looked in the sky that showed hell. The other apostles and tower members were all far away. They were also in a mostly isted situation. Well, there was one. Lauel was nearby, but...


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this nonsense?¡¯


    ...Lauel had long lost his reputation as a warrior. Few people remembered that he was the peak of the 1st generation rookies. It was natural. He had been away from the battlefield for too long. Looking back on the work he had done as the prime minister, it was likely that his stats had been remodeled to be closer to an internal affairs official. No, it was certain.


    Sending him to Piaro would only be a hindrance rather than a help. The situation would just be worse if he was caught at the scene and taken hostage.


    ¡®We need to find someone else...¡¯


    Most people tried to ignore Lauel, but...


    [Piaro is in danger alone, but Lauel is nearby.]


    There were already many rted articles posted in severalrgemunities. It was posted unnoticed by people who had a rtively poor eye for reading the game. If they had to calcte the ratio, there were far more beginners than experts in Satisfy.


    There were only a small number of masters who listened to the so-called experts. It was the same logic as this.


    -UP.


    -I will add a rmendation.


    -Rise up, rise up!


    -Heeeeey, Overgeared Guild! Read this article!


    People in eachmunity started to click to rmend posts that they didn¡¯t notice...


    It wasn¡¯t only a short time before it became the number one popr post.


    Lauel.


    The only hope.


    Lauel who was near Piaro.


    Overgeared Guild, look here.


    Etc, etc.


    All types of rted keywords flooded the real-time popr posts on search engines and social media. The members of the Overgeared Guild, who were looking at external information while logged out, quickly caught onto the fact. Some of the Overgeared members of the hell expedition were activating the emergency contactwork in turn.


    ¡°You say that Lauel is near Piaro?¡±


    Those logged in ryed the situation after hearing the news from the outside. It had been less than two minutes since themunity¡¯s popr posts were registered.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Yura. Yura had already taken action.


    The Demon yer¡¯s magic that purified the demonic energy of hell¡ªthe unique bullet made using this magic power, the ¡®pration bullet¡¯ that were in the shape of a ¡®bird,¡¯ was shot. It was a technique designed by Alex, who struggled in the unfavorable environment of hell, to cooperate with those who rarely helped him. It enabledmunications.


    It purified all demonic energy present in the path of the bullet and easily deceived the senses of the demons. Even if it was discovered, it couldn¡¯t be caught smoothly. In the worst case where it was caught, powerful debuffs would be sprayed.


    There was an explosion at the same time that Yura pointed the gun at a gap in the open window.


    ¡°......?¡±


    A sinister jade trail passed over the battlefield and the agitated demons all raised their heads in unison. The price for a quick nce was their deaths. Zik took advantage of the brief opportunity to take the lives of dozens of demons. Then he quietly brushed off the blood on Saharan¡¯s Sword. The unchanging expression on his face was horrifying for the demons.


    Chepardea¡¯s mind wasplicated.


    ¡®Why aren¡¯t they cooperating?¡¯


    The strongest from the previous era¡ªZik was the best among the seven malignant saints, a half-god who made the gods wary. The nose of Chepardea, Baal¡¯s closest subordinate, might be raised high into the sky, but he couldn¡¯t leave Zik alone. He devised a n to take advantage of the enemy¡¯s power rather than directly colliding and taking great damage.


    A magic circle was set up around the crystal castle. He was waiting for the magic circle that would trigger a trap that absorbed magic power the moment a ¡®human¡¯ stepped in it.


    However, the humans trapped in the castle didn¡¯t intend toe out at all. They continued to pretend that they were unaware, despite ZIk being isted on the battlefield aftering to their aid. It was an iprehensible reaction considering that humans were a race that cooperated easily, unlike the demons.


    ¡®Did they notice the magic circle?¡¯


    No¡­ it wasn¡¯t possible. It was invisible to the human eye. It was impossible to decipher it even if the Saintess performed a miracle and noticed it. No one could figure out the identity of the magic circle unless it was a monster like Braham, who deciphered the magic circle installed at the entrance of the elevator in an instant.


    Inside the castle, Rose was watching the puzzled Chepardea, who was gradually being pushed out of the front line little by little.


    ¡®That toad really doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here.¡¯


    The most important function of the crystal castle was ¡®protection.¡¯ It had all thews favorable to defense. Thus, there was naturally thew of concealment. It was difficult to estimate the power inside the castle from the perspective of those invading the castle. Their presence waspletely blocked, so there was no way of knowing who and how many people existed in the castle.


    This was why the initially anxious Rose calmed down. Now she wasn¡¯t afraid. She cooperated with the Overgeared Guild to her heart¡¯s content. In order to gain the trust of the Overgeared members, she shared information and warned them about the magic circle surrounding the castle. It was all about doing her best to survive. There was no objection because she was in a position to form an alliance with Grid.


    ¡®It is the fault of those guys who stabbed us in the back first.¡¯


    Strictly speaking, it was Amoract who tried to stab Baal in the back first. However, it was Baal who actually put it into practice. She was isted due to the bastard who changed thews of hell and waged a full-fledged war without consulting Amoract. Therefore, she had no choice but to side with the Overgeared members.


    Rose was rationalizing it proudly when Jishuka confirmed it again with her. ¡°That magic circle has a cooldown of 33 minutes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It repeats the cycle of 33 minutes of charging, followed by 3 hours of activation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... it is close.¡±


    Could they open the gates, go out to join Zik, and return to the castle in less than 33 minutes? Her beautiful brow furrowed as she recalcted the power of allies and enemies, the formations, the distance from the castle to Zik, and the status of her allies¡¯ skills.


    It was only for a moment. Surprisingly, she soon rxed. Jishuka had a smile on her face as she patted Rose on the back. ¡°Shall we go out together?¡±


    ¡°...Where?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course, it is to save Zik.¡±


    There was no invincibility in Satisfy. Even the invincible celestial gods had been shot down several times. The enemy¡¯s reinforcements were also arriving in rapid session. Zik couldn¡¯t be active forever. They had to unconditionally rescue him and give him a break to rest. If ZIk was killed¡ª


    It would be a disaster if a demon absorbed his power.


    ¡°Why me...?¡±


    ¡°Is that a question? Aren¡¯t you pretty strong? Then we have to fight together.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯m a demon. I might be bullied in the demon worldter...¡±


    ¡°Is it time to think about theter things? You don¡¯t have a veto right, so do what you¡¯re told. Or I¡¯ll shout to that frog that you leaked information about the magic circle before throwing you out of the castle.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Rose remembered the Tzedakah Guild that had been active a long time ago. The Tzedakah Guild only had a small number of members, but it grew its reputation based on the leader¡¯s ruthless actions. It wasparable to the Seven Guilds in terms of fame alone. Jishuka was the leader.


    ¡®This b*tch is the same as a runaway lotive.¡¯


    Rose inwardly swore while nodding with a helpless smile. No matter how high her notoriety, it only worked among the public. She was close to a gentle sheep in front of the main force of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Okay... since we are on the same side...¡±


    Baal¡¯s newws were working against humans. Just like Grid¡¯s subi or the red-skinned demon nt, who was contracted to Yura, the demons or demonic creatures who were already subordinates of humans were subjected to all types of restrictions. It was also impossible tomunicate with Grid through the subi. Rose had no choice but to ovee the situation she was in on her own.


    ¡°Now, everyone get ready. Let¡¯s go in 10 minutes.¡±


    At this time, the expedition led by Yura and Jishuka stood in front of the castle gates.


    [The god who descended to hell arrived at the river of reincarnation. The demons were perplexed as heforted the wailing souls with the warmth of his divinity.]


    The 20th epic that was activated with Grid¡¯s entry to hell¡ªthe first line was recorded in the temples. It was by those watching Grid from the surface.

 Chapter 1649

    <h4>Chapter 1649</h4>


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was engulfed in random transportation magic. He looked around for a moment to determine the location, only to be puzzled when he saw the world message.


    [The god who descended to hell arrived at the river of reincarnation. The demons were perplexed as heforted the wailing souls with the warmth of his divinity.]


    Grid had just fallen into a trap. However, the epic glorified his actions and gave them great significance. It was embarrassing, but Grid understood the situation.


    ¡®Arge-scale epic.¡¯


    Originally, the epics had little regrity. The speaker and format changed frequently. Sometimes it achieved a melody that stimted emotions, while sometimes it was just a dull history. It wasn¡¯t strange that the way or style in which this epic was written was different from usual. It wasn¡¯t given special treatment because it was the 20th epic.


    The order had nothing to do with it. It was the peculiarities of the situation that undeniably increased the scale of the epic.


    [The 20th epic is starting.]


    [It is arge-scale epic that has a ripple effect beyond the dimension of ¡®hell.¡¯]


    [It can¡¯t be predicted what will happen in the future so the content and oue of the epic can¡¯t be predicted.]


    [There are many people watching you. Many of them are your believers, so they will evaluate your actions more positively.]


    Rather than tempting him in secret, Baal provoked Grid in front of everyone. It was as if the souls caught in the river of reincarnation weren¡¯t enough. He also took those active in hell as hostages. The skies of the surface were even flooded with the horriblendscapes of hell.


    In effect, it was a deration of war. Grid had little justification to turn away. He didn¡¯t want to turn away. He went to hell with all the people watching. Most of humanity was watching him as he arrived at the river of reincarnation. The 20th epic was written through their eyes and mouths. It was different from the previous epics that used Grid and the central characters of the event.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Grid kicked a stone at his feet. The stone couldn¡¯t withstand the impact, turned into ashes, and scattered.


    [A god has smashed a symbol of hell. The demons, who feel suffocated by this majesty, peered into their fate and trembled with fear.]


    The world message continued.


    ¡°......¡±


    How many lines were they going to write? It happened as Grid decided to be careful with his words and actions, so he could be a Grid that was taken seriously...


    ¡°The Overgeared God...¡±


    Arge shadow fell over Grid¡¯s head.


    It was a dog. The three-headed watchdog of hell¡ªit was a mythical demonic creature that was the main body, or source, of the Cerberuses that sometimes appeared on the surface.


    The first time he saw it in the past, he had been overwhelmed by its sheer size and magnificence. In fact, ck Knight Eligos, who was riding on the Cerberus, was also powerful.


    [The 20th Great Demon, the ck Knight ¡®Eligos,¡¯ who guards the river of reincarnation, has appeared.]


    [Eligos has denied life. Your race will change to the undead.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [Eligos often exercises his authority to interfere in the reincarnation of souls. Once killed by Eligos, there is a 50% probability that you will receive the ¡®no resurrection¡¯ punishment. If this penalty urs, you can¡¯t reconnect for 24 hours.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [You have witnessed the mythical demonic creature, the Cerberus.]


    [Facing Cerberus¡¯ six eyes, you have fallen into deep despair. There is a problem with your senses.]


    [Your fire resistance, cold resistance, and poison resistance are greatly reduced due to Cerberus¡¯ breath.]


    [You have resisted.]


    It was at odds with his ranking. Wasn¡¯t it said that he was responsible for the river of reincarnation because he transcended the single digit great demons? Sariel said that he was one of the demons that the heavenly gods were wary of.


    Eligos¡¯ presence had been so great that it caused Grid and the apostles to retreat. However, at that time, Grid and the apostles were badly suffering from the penalties of hell. It was before Braham had regained his strength and Grid and the apostles hadn¡¯t grown as they were now. There was naturally no ZIk.


    ¡°What courage do you have to set foot in the river alone?¡±


    Eligos¡¯ question had a subtle meaning. He didn¡¯t even consider the possibility that Grid was forcibly transported here. It was such a naive reaction that Grid wondered if he was unaware of the current state of hell.


    ¡®I think it is true that he is acting independently.¡¯


    The 20th hell was the most important stronghold in hell. It wasn¡¯t just the river of reincarnation. The Dog¡¯s Mouth, which was the main gate of hell, was also here. It wasn¡¯t possible for just anybody to rule the 20th hell. Eligos had more than ordinary power and wasn¡¯t bound. Neither Baal nor Amoract had control over him. Of course, it was likely that he was politically close to Baal, who had transformed the river of reincarnation into what it was today. However, based on what Grid saw now, it seemed thatmunication had been neglected.


    ¡®There is little room for meddling.¡¯


    It was hard to imagine Baal helping anyone in the first ce. Grid looked around quietly before asking Eligos, ¡°Will the river of reincarnation be purified if I kill you?¡±


    ¡°Purified? Are you talking about it going back to its original state?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like when Yatan first made it.¡±


    ¡°That... it is naturally impossible. Just killing me won¡¯t change it.¡±


    An existence with the nickname of ¡®ck,¡¯ which symbolized evil and demons¡ªEligos was very special among the great demons, but it was Baal who created the present hell. Just as the death of the great demons who ruled every territory of hell wouldn¡¯t have any effect on hell, the death of Eligos wasn¡¯t likely to lead to a change in the river of reincarnation or the Dog¡¯s Mouth.


    ¡®As expected, I have no choice but to kill Baal.¡¯


    Liberating the souls caught in the river of reincarnation is breaking the providence of this world. It was natural that interference wasn¡¯t possible unless the existence close to a final boss was eliminated.


    Grid felt it was unfortunate, but he was convinced. Then Eligos¡¯ voice entered his ears. ¡°But... apart from being purified, some souls will be liberated. For example, the souls which had their reincarnation cut off by me using my authority.¡±


    Eligos¡¯ attitude of speaking frankly wasn¡¯t due to favorability. It was a simple provocation.


    ¡°It is a story of when you kill me, but is that possible?¡±


    The reason Eligos¡¯ nickname was the ck Knight was due to his armor.


    The ck helmet and armor¡ªEligos¡¯ demonic energy was oveid on it and created a much stronger defense. Eligos faced Grid as ck all over without revealing a single piece of skin. He was like a shadow because even the glow of his eyes was ck.


    ¡°It might¡¯ve been on the surface, but you killed Gamigin. I won¡¯t disregard your skills, so it will be despair for you.¡±


    The purer thew, the more beautiful it was. Eligos¡¯ ck armor was more dignified than sinister. It made Eligos even more special. It was an appearance that overwhelmed the humans on the distant surface. All of humanity, the eyewitnesses of the 20th epic, were horrified. The image of Eligos depicted in Grid¡¯s temples was as the worst and strongest demon ever.


    However, Grid knew¡ªthe moment that Baal appeared in this epic, Eligos would lose the title of strongest and worst. Eligos¡¯ position was around the four heavenly kings at most. Grid was only able to move forward if he passed through such an ordeal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start right away.¡±


    Grid armed himself with two swords and gestured with his chin. He had no intention of saving his skills. It was right to view the possibility of Baal intervening as low and to do his best in every moment.


    Eligos¡¯ helmet rubbed against the sword swung diagonally by Grid. It slipped on the back of the ck gauntlet that was raised in a straight line. At this time, the tip of Eligos¡¯ spear was blocked by Grid¡¯s shoulder guards. The crescent-shaped tip was lodged at the nape of Grid¡¯s neck. Grid didn¡¯t shed a single drop of blood.


    Cranbel¡¯s Head¡ªthe helmet¡¯s horns came down and wrapped around Grid¡¯s neck.


    The usage of sword energy and divinity disrupted the demonic energy. The utilization of items deflected the spear with supreme power.


    Both Grid and Eligos noticed that their opponent¡¯s skills were better than expected and their expressions hardened. However, both were armed with helmets. They couldn¡¯t grasp the other person¡¯s expression and silently continued their offensive. In the end, it was Eligos who shook a bit more. It was because Eligos¡¯ demonic energy was a concept that was consumed, whereas Grid¡¯s items could be immediately repaired at any time.


    ¡®The dirty tricks are excessive.¡¯


    Eligos saw Grid tapping on his armor with a hammer every time he widened the distance after a collision and Eligos couldn¡¯t help thinking of Baal. It was too wicked from the standpoint of the opponent.


    ***


    Wasn¡¯t it a bit slow?


    The people cheering for Piaro had amon question. It was because the demons¡¯ pincer attacks were swift, while Piaro was slow to respond as he was surrounded by them. In fact, the wounds on his body were increasing. The difference from what he normally showed was too great, even considering the environmental concerns. He seemed to be affected by a big debuff.


    ¡°Tsk, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything to gain from killing this guy.¡±


    Baal¡¯s henchmen finally clicked their tongues. They already had low expectations of Piaro. Now they saw his skills weren¡¯t as good as expected and decided that the power gained from killing him would be low.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want toe out because of this.¡±


    One of the henchmen revealed his true thoughts. He rebuked the other henchman who coveted the power of humans and emerged from seclusion. Then he paid the price for it. The henchman was talking with a dissatisfied expression when his face was swallowed by fire. It was a me that seemed to be a mixture of the blue mes left by the trajectory of the ghost horse and theva seeping from the ground. It soared strongly with bright colors and the power was terrifying.


    Baal¡¯s henchman, who had been so arrogant, couldn¡¯t contain his screams.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The demons and the people watching from the surface were dumbfounded. It was because it wasn¡¯t the demons who harmed their colleagues.


    ¡°It is like this.¡±


    The eyes of the demons and the people were all focused on Piaro. A fierce fire was surrounding Piaro¡¯s farming equipment as he talked to himself in a manner that was unsuitable for the situation. It was the same color as the me that hit the henchman a moment ago.


    The demons were astonished. It was because all the mes in the area were moving while following Piaro¡¯s gestures. The naturally urring sparks acted like they were magic with a unified will.


    ¡®This was why his reaction was slow...¡¯


    Was it tomunicate with the fire?


    In the midst of the silence, Piaro frowned. ¡°The power of burning...¡±


    The power of the mes controlled by nature¡¯s energy exceeded expectations, but Piaro didn¡¯t like it. It was because his root was a farmer. He liked thend, the sun, the rain, and the wind. He wasn¡¯t emotionally fit to love the mes that burned crops...


    It was as if in anticipation of his mood¡ª


    ¡°Sir Piaro! I¡¯m here!¡± At this time, Lauel rushed to the scene and created a rainstorm. His expression was full of pride and the ck me dragon on his forearm danced as if happy.


    The power to cause climate change¡ªhis ultimate skill, which had been used as a means of trading for Rabbit not long ago, was used to help Piaro at this moment. It was natural for him to be happy.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Piaro spoke with a smile. The hand plow he swung propelled the rain forward and the demons retreated sharply. Tens of thousands of seeds were spread in all directions and grain started to grow on thend that had lost its fire.


    A golden wheat field was born in hell...


    Even the god of earth wouldn¡¯t be able to perform such a miracle.


    ¡®He is god-level at a minimum. It is different from what I heard.¡¯


    Unable to be resisted¡ªBaal¡¯s henchmen quickly corrected their assessment of Piaro.

 Chapter 1650

    <h4>Chapter 1650</h4>


    The reason Baal¡¯s henchmen were arrogant was because they were living history.


    The time when hell was a paradise for the dead¡ªBaal¡¯s henchmen went through all sorts of battles. In the war against Beriache, they overcame countless obstacles and helped Baal. They might¡¯ve never dared to confront Beriache directly, but it meant they contributed a little bit to her end.


    They had to be proud of themselves. Most of the things they went through afterwards were treated as trivial. It was different from having dementia. Beriache¡¯s power was such a nightmare that it made it easy for them to treat the powerful presences and events they encounteredter as rtively trivial.


    The ¡®fear¡¯ they felt at this moment was very extraordinary.


    ¡®Piaro, the apostle of the Overgeared God.¡¯


    ¡®God-level. He is an opponent that is hard to deal with.¡¯


    Of course, not all gods were powerful. Just as there were demons who were hunted by humans, there were also gods who weren¡¯t omnipotent. However, they knew that most gods could perform miracles. Based on people¡¯s faith, they often wielded a power beyond their strength. This was the case with Piaro today.


    Piaro¡¯s basic skills such as controlling the mes and his slow reaction were as weak as reported. It was just that the moment he seeded in controlling the mes, he exerted a great deal of destructive power. It was an overwhelming power that was at odds with hisck of strength. Therefore, they judged him to be god-level.


    ¡®An all-out battle is impossible, but... this doesn¡¯t mean there is no way.¡¯


    The henchmen exchanged looks. It was in a barely noticeable manner. Like old men who had followed Baal at a reasonable distance and lived for thousands of years, their judgment of the situation was very quick. They understood that Piaro¡¯s miracle was to borrow the power of ¡®nature.¡¯ Their top priority was to kill and eliminate the bastard who btedly appeared and created the wind and rain. Then they plotted an operation to extinguish all the nearby mes.


    They weren¡¯t worried about Piaro¡¯s interference. There might be a storm of wind and rain, but they were able to resist it to some extent as long as it had ¡®attributes.¡¯ Everything would be easier once they broke through the storm and killed that bastard...


    The henchmen decided the direction without a conversation and scattered. Some moved on the ground, while another one soared into the sky and rode on the back of the ghost horse.


    Hihing!


    The wild ghost horse shuddered. It shook its head up and down in order to shake off the demon that had dared to climb onto its back. At this time, the henchman used mes.


    The wheat field that shouldn¡¯t exist in hell¡ªhe induced the blue mes of the ghost horse to pour down toward the goldennd that was beneficial to Piaro. He predicted that the wind and rain that Piaro controlled would move to extinguish the mes. It was to create a path for his colleagues to easily move by limiting the path of the wind and rain.


    ¡®The speed of controlling the mes is very slow. He has no choice but to move the wind and rain...¡¯


    The thoughts of this henchman stopped. It was because the weapon that flew like a thunderbolt pierced both eyes and prated through his brain. It was a weapon with a terribly bizarre form. It was a shape that greatly resembled a trident and it looked good to scrape at the target and lift them. It was a pitchfork. However, the demons didn¡¯t know farming equipment.


    ¡®Human beings have such cruel weapons?¡¯


    Wielding a weapon that looked like it could scrape off skin and flesh, and pull out every organ inside the body? The henchman who remembered the rumors that the surface was infested with humans worse than demons twisted his body violently. The leverage moved the pitchfork stuck in his skull, but he didn¡¯t care. He just had to live and it would be possible to reattach the skull and regenerate the spilled brain matter.


    Yes, it was enough to run away.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The henchman was stunned as he kicked the horse¡¯s back and jumped even further. It was because Piaro was above his head. It was a location thatpletely blocked his movement path.


    ¡®He is faster than me?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t his physical ability far inferior to them?


    This... there was something wrong. His brain was broken, so maybe he was mistaken about something. Despite his suspicions, the henchman swung his scythe. Then he realized he wasn¡¯t mistaken. It was because he distinctly felt the aura that the target released.


    ¡°This...¡±


    sh!


    ¡°Swords... manship?¡±


    Piaro had never abandoned his past. Just as he ended his bad rtionship with Asmophel in some form, he also saved the hard-earned swordsmanship without abandoning it. It was sublimated by his farming technique. The farming equipment he wielded were weapons for overturning and preparing thend, growing crops, and cutting down the enemy.


    It epassed life and death. The techniques and symbolism contained in it was enormous. The Matchless Heart Technique added to its power.


    The henchmen, who got a hole in his throat due to the hand plow that came down smoothly underneath the scythe, coughed up foamy blood.


    ¡°You made the worst move!¡±


    The henchman, who previously dug underneath the ground and targeted Piaro, rose up with a shout. He soared from the ground. Thendscape of the huge wheat field behind their backs was changing. It lost its golden color after being covered with the aura of death and scattered as ashes.


    During the time when Piaro was aiming for the henchman in the sky, the henchman on the ground removed the wheat fields that would benefit him. They were indeed old men who went through all sorts of hardships. They immediately responded to the changing situation in real time and found the best move.


    ¡°This is no longer your territory!¡±


    The word ¡®sanctuary¡¯ rather than territory filled his throat but he barely suppressed it. The henchmen noticed that the miracle that Piaro was performing was greater than the miracles of the gods, but they didn¡¯t dare express it. They were wary that their ¡®recognition¡¯ might be misunderstood as faith.


    The attacks of two henchmen pushed Piaro. They did their best from the beginning in order to provide an opportunity for their seriously injured colleague to recover. They had no intention of winning. They decided it was enough to buy time and they had sufficient ability to do this. It was because they were the protagonists who made hell what it was like today.


    Hihing!


    The ghost horse was startled by the swirling magic power and fled far away. Of course, it didn¡¯t forget to kick the demon bastard who previously rode it. The still seriously injured henchman screamed and was thrown to the ground. The problem arose from there. The henchmen¡¯s n to find a way out by working with the colleague who was about to recover went wrong.


    ¡°That crazy horse bastard...!¡±


    The color on the faces of the growling henchmen soon changed. It was because they saw the n that underpinned the operation was on the verge of being implemented.


    One of the four henchmen¡ªthe one who had been hiding his traces since earlier had arrived in front of Lauel. The wind and rain would stop once Lauel died. Piaro would weaken again and the escape route would open.


    Everyone watching murmured to themselves as they grasped the intentions of the demons.


    The demon¡¯s fist aimed at Lauel¡¯s face. There was the loud sound of skin bursting. Flesh flew.


    Lauel¡¯s head wasn¡¯t split apart. It was the aftermath of the heart and chest of the henchman who attacked Lauel being torn apart.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The demons were shocked by the unexpected situation. The ¡®Iron Wire of Bitter Grief¡¯ was held in Lauel¡¯s undamaged hands. It was an item based on the Thorn of Deep Grievance. It inflicted damage proportional to the health of the target. The disadvantage was that it had a near zero chance of activating against named targets, but for those who weren¡¯t named, it was an almost deadly weapon.


    Was it because there were so many of them? The fortunate thing was that Baal¡¯s henchmen weren¡¯t judged as being named.


    [The number of uses of ¡®Cloth Armor Full of the Love of the Overgeared God¡¯ has been exhausted.]


    Additionally, Lauel was armed with Grid¡¯s items. It was armor to protect his weak body. The number of uses might be limited, but it had the ability to absorb a certain amount of damage. There was such a thing as equipment regions and there were a total of five pieces of armor that Lauel could wear. He could somehow endure at least five attacks. How easy could it be to assassinate Grid¡¯s closet subordinate?


    ¡°You...!¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, the henchman attacked Lauel again, but it was toote. Piaro arrived after killing the other henchmen and decapitated this opponent, killing him.


    ¡°Huhut, it reminds me of the past. It is the days when I swept through the battlefield with you,¡± Lauel, who gained arge amount of experience for the first time in ages, eximed with excitement.


    He was ecstatic after seeing that he gained 12 levels at once and covered half his face with one hand. His eyes were filled with a brilliant light and the ck me dragon shed.


    Piaro didn¡¯t bother to block his actions. He was considerate to those who would be cheering on the surface.


    Then Asura¡¯s fragments poured from the shadows of the dead henchmen. Four fragments absorbed the power of the henchmen. They wriggled and merged into one before staring at Piaro.


    ¡°I have to be prepared to die this time.¡±


    ¡°I can do that, but it shouldn¡¯t be you.¡±


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    Abellio had been in a daze in the elevator.


    Grid¡¯s loyal follower and lover¡ªMercedes, whom he only heard about in stories, was very pretty. There were no frills when it came to her appearance and etiquette, so he naturally became fond of her. He painted her a picture with the feeling that she was his grandchild¡¯s friend...


    Then the whole thing was analyzed and destroyed. It was shocking because it was something he had never experienced even with a dragon. He was distressed because it felt like the skills he had honed over hundreds of years were denied.


    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Abellio, who received a big shock to his heart, coughed up blood. The white beard that came down all the way to his abdomen was stained red here and there.


    There were demons targeting him. It was an army led by the 16th Great Demon. Thousands of demons surrounded Abellio.


    ¡°Demons¡­ in terms of aura alone, you are more vicious than a dragon.¡±


    Abellio created a trickle of water from the brush he wielded lightly in the air and held it in his hand. He used the water to wipe his beard. The blood that was wiped away soaked the ground. At the same time, hundreds of the demons that were surrounding him were wiped out. They were twisted to death as if they had been squeezed by something.


    It was the aftermath of Abellio using his beard as the canvas and depicting the blood on his beard as the battlefield. From the time his hands squeezed the battlefield, death was inevitable unless they were above a certain status.


    ¡°This old man is a monster...¡±


    The 16th Great Demon felt pure admiration. Abellio was a monster even in the eyes of a demon. The great demon quickly realized that the rumors of humans fighting dragons weren¡¯t false rumors.


    However, he wasn¡¯t particrly disturbed. There were small fragments of Asura even in the shadows of the demons. He had never appeared in public in order to hide his existence, but it was different now. The death of hundreds of demons was no different from summoning hundreds of Asuras... then why was this happening?


    As the shadows of the dead demons remained silent and motionless, Abellio gave his opinion to the bewildered great demon, ¡°The acting of hiding itself usually means you are weak. I think the fragments of Asura, hidden in the shadows, have a very low status.¡±


    ¡°You... I will be sure to kill you here.¡±


    Maybe this old man was the most dangerous one.


    The great demon made a quick judgment and immediately rushed at Abellio. However, Abellio¡¯s brush was already drawing Hayate. It wasn¡¯t as strong as the real thing, but this was a portrait of the Dragon yer.


    The Dragon Killing Sword that scattered light made a thunderous sound. It was a picture of when he fought that dying dragon in the past. He sliced the great demon¡¯s club like it was a radish and dug into the nape of the great demon¡¯s neck. The shocked great demon backed away. Abellio predicted this andpleted his second picture in time.


    It was the portrait of the Overgeared God performing the Kill sword dance. Arge hole was created in the chest of the great demon, who couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks of Grid and Hayate. The absurd miracle was being carefully recorded in the epic.

 Chapter 1651

    <h4>Chapter 1651</h4>


    The Sword Saint of the previous generation and the teacher of Sword Saint Muller¡ªBiban was one of the greatest figures in history. Not only did he y an active part individually, but he also taught the strongest Sword Saint of all time. He exerted a great deal of influence even before he became a tower member. He saved countless lives, either directly or indirectly. Those who knew him even a little bit respected him unconditionally.


    This was until Braham put a strange framework around him. It was the framework of ¡®you were overtaken by your student because you were ipetent¡¯...


    Suspicions started to sprout in the hearts of the people after Braham harshly criticized Biban. There was the suspicion that Biban might be less great than what was known to the public. In the first ce, a Sword Saint wasn¡¯t invincible. Coincidentally, Kraugel proved it. Many people had the opinion that Muller might¡¯ve been special among the Sword Saints.


    Yes, Biban might be weaker than they thought. It was understandable considering that most of the fame he built up was due to his disciple, Muller. Therefore, this was a crisis.


    ¡°Hmm, I was waiting for the Overgeared God.¡±


    A deformed being with a human head on the body of a lion¡ªthe beast that licked his mane with his long tongue as he slowly rose up was terribly huge. He would be several timesrger even when ced beside an elephant, but the head was the size of a human. It was more bizarre than funny. It was all the more so because the dark mane fluttering in the demonic energy looked like a living snake.


    The 6th Great Demon, Valefor¡ªthe force of the great demon who overwhelmed Biban from his size was terrible. The ground rumbled and thunder struck in the sky with every step.


    ¡°Uwah...¡±


    People were at a loss for words. They recalled the strength of the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin.


    Gamigin, who fought evenly with Braham. Gamigin might¡¯ve been in and killed by thete joining Grid, but by that time, she was already suffering from many wounds. Besides, they had to take into ount that it was on the surface. The demons were weakened by several times when on the surface. The 6th Great Demon in hell could be more powerful than the 4th Great Demon on the surface.


    It meant that Biban had met the wrong person. The situation of the other tower members and apostles who were isted by Baal¡¯s henchmen looked better. Fortunately, there was arge gap in strength among Baal¡¯s henchmen. However, the ones who got the title of a great demon were named and had more than the basics. If it was a single digit great demon, then it was right to call him one of the main forces of hell.


    ¡°You were waiting for Grid? Why? Are the two of you friends?¡±


    ¡°What...? Do humans y with words in this way? It isn¡¯t funny. It is just unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°Then you aren¡¯t friendly?¡±


    ¡°It is a natural thing...¡±


    ¡°Then why did you wait for Grid if you aren¡¯t friendly?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is because you are used to those who use Dragon Words. You have a knack for words based on the way I feel irritated and frustrated every time you talk.¡±


    Valefor frowned and swung his front paw. The size of one paw wasrger than Biban¡¯s body. It stretched out into several branches and it felt like a huge iron grate was approaching Biban. It felt like his body would be split into several equal parts once he was locked up.


    Was he unable to find a way to escape? Biban remained still.


    It was a scene that made the viewers feel dizzy. It happened when they started to close their eyes...


    Eventually, a terrible exploding sound burst out. It sounded like Biban¡¯s body exploded to pieces. Someone¡¯s scream permeated the ears of those who couldn¡¯t open their eyes.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    It was clearly the voice of a demon. It was the scream of the 6th Great Demon, Valefor.


    People¡¯s eyes shifted to the sky again. They looked at one of the many hellishndscapes filling the sky. They saw the figure of Valefor, who was trembling while holding onto one of his severed paws.


    ¡°What would you do if you met Grid?¡±


    Biban persistently repeated the same question. Valefor¡¯s eyes that stared at him were filled with confusion rather than irritation and anger.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Valefor¡¯s paws were harder and sharper than any weapon. Yet it was cut. It was by a single sword that left afterimages like it was split into dozens. It was a very strange swordsmanship. Biban only swung his sword once, but he actually struck Valefor¡¯s paw dozens of times. It vibrated, gradually dug in, and cut it off. It was also different from the famous Matchless Swordsmanship in the past.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it very different from Muller¡¯s swordsmanship that I heard about through rumors?¡± Valefor, whopletely regenerated his front paw, growled out. His voice had already stopped trembling.


    ¡°Of course, it has to be different,¡± Biban kindly exined, ¡°Just as Muller developed my swordsmanship, I developed my own swordsmanship.¡±


    The method of vibrating the de through the high-speed operation of sword energy¡ªthis was a technique that was only possible in theory. However, Grid made it possible. It was because the dragon weapon Grid gave him could withstand the ferocity of the sword energy.


    ¡°Now, tell me.¡±


    Thendscape of hell slowly changed. Tens of thousands of silver sword energy in the form of swords moved across the ground and the sky, clearing away the darkness. Each sword energy was causing a slight vibration. As a result, silver ripples were createdyer byyer.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The mental world of a Sword Saint¡ªValefor felt that every single one of these sword energies had a mighty power and he stiffened. It was foolish to fight in this ce. He needed to change ces. He made a quick judgment and activated the teleportation, but the process wasn¡¯tpleted. The ripples of the silver sword energies interfered.


    ¡°Che...!¡± Valefor became a bit more nervous and started to run on all fours. He moved his heavy body like a gale and approached the end of the mental world. However, he was forced to stop along the way.


    A greatsword that was bigger than a mountain¡ªit was hard to tell if the greatsword came down from the sky or rose from the ground, but it blocked Valefor¡¯s path. Valefor was startled and immediately changed course, but another greatsword appeared in front of him. Four greatswords appeared in session. It was only a short time before they formed a wall and imprisoned Valefor.


    It was the moment when Valefor, who was several timesrger than an elephant, seemed smaller than a pea. Valefor reflexively raised his head. It was a gesture to confirm the only way out. However, that ce was already upied by Biban. He stood on a sword that floated in the air and spoke with his back to the silver sky, ¡°What would you do if you met Grid?¡±


    ¡°This senile old man... why do you keep asking useless things? I naturally would¡¯ve killed him. It is in order to prove that I¡¯m better than Gamigin...¡±


    ¡°Why are you only saying this now?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I misunderstood that you wanted to be Grid¡¯s subordinate or something.¡±


    ¡°Crazy guy!¡±


    Valefor spread out his wings with demonic energy and flew up. He crossed the cliff surrounded by swords in an instant and swung his paws at Biban. The power was unstoppable. The wind pressure caused by the outstretched movement of the paw caused the five greatswords to shake violently.


    Nevertheless, Biban wasn¡¯t agitated. ¡°It is pitifulpared to dragons.¡±


    The reason why the sky behind Biban was silver was due to the tens of thousands of sword energies gathered behind him. It was all aimed at Valefor.


    The dragons¡ªBiban¡¯s mental world was designed to bind and peel off the scales of the strongest beings who were hard to confront. It wasn¡¯t a power that a single great demon could bear.


    Valefor¡¯s consciousness as he hastily crossed his arms blurred for a moment. He admitted that he couldn¡¯t win in this state after experiencing the baptism of the dragon weapon that cut off his paw and the sword energies that dug into his flesh and peeled at his skin.


    He quicklypressed his body, which had been inted enormously. It was so long ago that he couldn¡¯t remember any longer. He recovered the body he used to have when in a humanoid form. It was only now that the bnce of his body was right. His face, which used to be too small for his body, was rxed. He entered phase two.


    ¡°I will take everything away from you.¡±


    Valefor was the demon of thievery. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was an item, ability, appearance, or lifespan. It was easy to steal as long as it belonged to someone else. It didn¡¯t matter if the target was stronger than himself.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Biban, who passed through a phase by putting the great demon into crisis in just a few minutes without taking even a single wound¡ªhis expression changed for the first time. It was a look of astonishment as Valefor broke through the baptism of sword energies and barely put a hand on Biban¡¯s cheek.


    Valefor made a creepy smile. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    Light wrinkles started to appear around the corners of Valefor¡¯s eyes. The bridge of his nose rose and the tip came down nicely. His chin became angr and his hair shortened and turned gray. His back widened and he grew taller. His earlobes, eyes, and even the shape of his muscles changed. In short, he resembled Biban.


    On the other hand, Biban became a bit ugly. His hair became sparse and dry skin cracked. The bridge of the nose sank like it was copsing and the tip became turned up. His eyes sagged and his jaw widened. His lips were swollen and his eyebrows elongated. His height became smaller. He lost his muscles.


    The handsome, middle-aged figure disappeared all of a sudden. It was the aftermath of it being taken away by Valefor. Now Biban had be Valefor.


    ¡°Hahat! What wonderful omnipotence! Is this the world that an Absolute sees?¡± Valefor shouted after taking away even Biban¡¯s clothes and sword. Heughed with a loot of ecstasy. The good news was that Biban¡¯s mental world hadn¡¯t been taken away.


    Tens of thousands of silver sword energies pressed Valefor violently as if telling him to return the things to their master. However, Valefor had stolen Biban¡¯s swordsmanship. Every swing of the sword crushed hundreds of sword energies. The mental world quickly copsed. Eventually, the five greatswords that stood tall started to fall one by one and countless sword energies dissipated without a trace.


    ¡®I stepped on poo.¡¯


    It was the first time he had fought a high ranking great demon, so he wasn¡¯t wary of the great demon¡¯s powers. He had received advice many times that the great demons each had their own special nature and he shouldn¡¯t take them lightly. Then once the situation really arrived, he forgot. It was a defeat that came naturally because he kept the senses that were based off of fighting a dragon.


    The moment that Biban readily admitted defeat, his mental worldpletely copsed. Hell regained its originalndscape.


    The red light from the hell moon dimly colored the night sky. It was a red night.


    ¡°I finally found you.¡±


    A certain figure quickly passed by Biban¡¯s side. Even Biban recognized it one stepte.


    How many beings in the world could deceive the senses of the tower members? The number was even more limited if it was a human. There was only one person Biban could think of immediately.


    A thief who stole from the Tower of Wisdom despite the hundreds of barriers around it.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªhe broke into the scene and stole Valefor¡¯s heart. It was as if to prove that he was the best thief in the world.

 Chapter 1652

    <h4>Chapter 1652</h4>


    On the surface, a red night was rare. Just because it was a red night didn¡¯t mean that ¡®he¡¯ would always appear.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªever since Satisfy opened, there had been only three sightings of him among the yers. Few people found it strange. It would be funny if a thief was seen stealing.


    People weren¡¯t conscious of him. It was even more so because there were very few mentions of the Great Robber of the Red Night in the quests rted to the thief profession. He was someone who had little weight on the worldview due to his profession of a thief. No, he was dismissed as a title rather than a person. It was because the name of the Great Robber of the Red Night had been recorded in history from a very long time ago. Of course, he didn¡¯t just appear in the official history, but also in the behind the scenes history that could be glimpsed through hidden quests.


    In any case, he was portrayed as existing in almost every era, so they had to ept it as an inherited name like Lantier. There were many people who didn¡¯t acknowledge his existence until rumors started to spread that he was linked to Grid. At this moment, he appeared in front of everyone. Additionally ¡ª


    ¡°You...! Youu...!!¡±


    It was an appearance that left a strong impression. He took away the heart of the great demon, who had taken away the appearance and power of a Sword Saint. He seemed to prove it. It was proof that he was the greatest thief on the surface and in hell.


    ¡°You have the same habits as a golden goblin, the petty thieves, so I can take them away. Tsk tsk.¡±


    The heart in the hands of the Great Robber of the Red Night was different from the normal organ. It was an open circle like it was a passage to somewhere and the inside was ck. It was a warehouse. It was a treasure trove full of the items and concepts that Valefor had stolen throughout his life. Therefore, it could be the target of the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    ¡°Give it to me! Give it to me!¡±


    ¡°You are begging without trying to steal it back? It is right for you to spread out a mat and beg.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...! Uwaah...!!¡±


    Valefor¡¯s screams grew louder. The sharp scream was like the cry of a dying beast. It was an obvious noise. The faces of those who closed their eyes and frowned soon rxed. It was because Valefor¡¯s appearance gradually became disgusting again, while Biban regained his original splendor.


    A handsome, middle-aged man was eye candy for everyone, regardless of age or gender. The Great Robber of the Red Night stood beside him and had an expression like he was eating poo.


    ¡°Tsk... What guts do you have to face the 6th ce alone?¡±


    ¡°There is only one case where a swordsman avoids fighting. We have to keep our beliefs.¡±


    ¡°Your words are showy.¡±


    Biban had plunged Valefor into a crisis in an instant. It was purely because he opened up his mental world and this was proof to anyone that he was nervous. Opening up the mental world was an act that revealed the user¡¯s origin. It was one of the trump cards that shouldn¡¯t be used carelessly. It was because there was a high possibility the user¡¯s weakness would be discovered if they didn¡¯t kill their opponent.


    However, Biban opened up his mental world from the beginning. It was naturally because he received penalties in hell. The tower members were affected by the penalties of hell, unlike the apostles who raided Hell Gao several times and bypassed them. Of course, they resisted it somewhat due to their high status, but they were much weaker than when they were on the surface. It was the reason why Biban couldn¡¯t easily cut Valefor and why he allowed Valefor¡¯s approach.


    Of course, Biban had no intention of making excuses. Valefor¡¯s reserve force that allowed him to close his distance with all his might was incredible. Additionally, he exerted immense pressure. He was an opponent who couldn¡¯t be easily defeated even in a perfect state. A single digit great demon in hell was that powerful.


    ¡°...To be honest, I saw him as easy.¡±


    ¡°There is a big w in your judgment, but yes.¡±


    ¡°If you want me to help you and to not be scolded, shut up. I am holding it in a lot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already very troubled trying to resist wanting to steal your sword.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night was an individual, not an inherited name. He was a legend and a transcendent who had lived for hundreds of years. Biban vaguely noticed this fact, so he had some respect for the Great Robber of the Red Night, despite this person being the thief who robbed the tower.


    It was the same for the Great Robber of the Red Night. He perceived the tower members as being essential to the world. He would rob them whenever necessary, but apart from his personal greed, he had no intention of letting them die. The thing the Great Robber of the Red Night wanted was peace. It was the development and revival of humanity. This way, he would have many things to steal.


    ¡°Give... it... back...!!¡±


    Valefor started to run rampant. The treasure trove in the heart that was driven by absurd greed. The moment he was deprived of the power he had hidden inside it, he relentlessly released pure demonic energy. The body was transformed back into the shape of a monster. It was the sight of a giant beast running wild. It almost felt like he was unable to control his power. It was clear that he had lost his sense of reason.


    ¡°I feel sorry for that hideous thing.¡±


    ¡°He looks like a babypared to a dragon, but don¡¯t take him lightly.¡±


    ¡°How can I take him lightly after seeing how you were beaten?¡±


    A great demon¡ªhis power was clearly confirmed. Biban took a deep breath and focused. He stood side by side with the Great Robber of the Red Night. He intended to use a pincer attack in response to the movement, but the Great Robber of the Red Night took a step back.


    ¡°You want to fight with me?¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to fight separately here?¡±


    ¡°You have to fight alone. Isn¡¯t it weird to want a thief to fight with you?¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to see here any longer, so I will go back.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense is this? You can¡¯t get out of hell... don¡¯t you know about the rule that Baal has established?¡±


    ¡°It is a trade secret.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night put his hand into Valefor¡¯s heart and soon pulled out a bottle of potion.


    ¡°This is a debt. I wille back one day to get it back by several dozen times.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Biban received the bottle of liquid thrown at him and cocked his head.


    A pink potion¡ªit was properly sealed, but a faint scent leaked out. It was a fragrance that cleared and calmed the mind.


    ¡°This is a stimnt made by Judar.¡±


    The god of health and wisdom¡ªJudar was one of Reba¡¯s two sons and a chief god. If it was the vitality agent he made, then it must be an all-rounder elixir.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal. It simply makes you feel like you are back in perfect condition. It clears the mind and helps you make the right judgment.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have the effect of oveing the pressures of hell?¡±


    ¡°It is just a stimnt.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban frowned. It was a potion made by the god of health and wisdom, yet the effect was insignificant? No, why give him something like this in the first ce? He thought it was too cheap after this person stole all the treasures that Valefor had collected throughout his life.


    ¡°You could easily steal his heart thanks to this, but I owe you a debt with just this? Aren¡¯t you an evil-minded thief?¡±


    ¡°It is like you are asking me to give you a package after I saved you. I am going now.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night clicked his tongue and turned around. This was the end. He disappeared from the scene. This time, Biban dimly read the traces.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Was it secretive because he operated magic power in that way...? Next time, I won¡¯t easily allow ess.¡¯


    Biban nodded and drank the potion. It was surprisingly sticky and didn¡¯t match its transparent appearance. The texture that swept through his esophagus made him feel like he was swallowing saliva. Perhaps...?


    Biban was imagining terrible things when Valefor rushed right in front of his nose.


    ¡°Give it back!!¡±


    There was an overwhelming momentum, unlike just a while ago. Valefor had nothing more to lose and cut off his own path. He concentrated all his strength and skills into breaking through and killing the target. In response, his frenzied demonic energy crushed everything it could touch and eroded it into darkness.


    It was like a ck sun. The moment the orbit was the same as the hell moon, the red light disappeared from the world. It waspletely dark. It caused an eclipse. The collection of physical strength, magical strength, and demonic energy had the momentum to extinguish everything.


    People were surprised by the fierce momentum of the ferocious demonic energy that eroded Biban¡¯s cloak as soon as it touched it and theymented.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± On the other hand, Biban was calm. He swung his sword at a distance that he thought was sufficient. It just seemed like a sh of light in people¡¯s eyes.


    Click.


    It was already at its destination by the time the sound of the sword was heard.


    ¡°.......!¡±


    Valefor¡¯s huge body was split apart along with the demonic energy.


    A sword that cut anything¡ªthe sword of Sword Saint Biban overcame the penalties of hell and shed the 6th Great Demon with one blow. Judar¡¯s spit... no, the stimnt helped. After taking the stimnt and awakening his consciousness, Biban showed his ¡®close to perfect¡¯ ability by calming his mind that was shaken due to theck of wisdom. That was simply it. It wasn¡¯t that he overcame the penalties of hell or received any buffs. Biban simply showed off his original skills.


    In the distance, the Great Robber of the Red Night read the energy and sighed.


    ¡°He is destined not to live...¡±


    Biban was using sword energy to the limit. Not only was it the sharpest energy in the world, but it constantly maintained the non-stop vibrating energy both inside and outside his body. This made it impossible to keep his mind intact. Biban himself was probably most aware that his judgment and memory were fading day by day. No, maybe it had reached a point where he wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    What made the hero so obsessed and sick? It was naturally the dragons. It was clear that achieving the dragon killing sword was behind the choice in Biban making himself sick.


    At this moment, the formidable swordsmanship that was developed was integrated with the wisdom that had awakened at some point. A dragon¡¯s head would fall and Biban would face his end...


    ¡°Don¡¯t die until you pay off your debt.¡±


    The eclipse lifted with Valefor¡¯s death. A dark shadow was cast over the wrinkled face of the great robber as he looked at the scenery of hell that regained the red night.


    ***


    ¡°It is a dilemma.¡±


    Agnus frowned as he was caught in the random teleportation and separated from the group. He was concerned about the group that wouldn¡¯t be free from the penalties of hell. He wasn¡¯t worried because he liked them. He just determined that all their power was needed to destroy the dimensional magic operating through the hell moon.


    Step, step.


    Agnus walked relentlessly through hell. The stench, heat, and nightmarish scenes spread endlessly, but he was familiar with it like it was his own home.


    ¡°......??¡±


    The demonic creatures encountered along the way passed by Agnus with uncertain expressions. Ironically, this was the advantage of the undead. The method that demonic creatures with no intelligence used to determine enemies was the presence or absence of demonic energy. Therefore, they didn¡¯t recognize Agnus as an enemy unless he showed a special reaction.


    ¡°.......!¡±


    The memphis¡ªthey were the demonic creatures that Baal raised. They were tied up by magical chains and abused repeatedly, so that poison umted and they grew properly. Perhaps it was due to this influence, but there were several of them who grew up very viciously.


    One of their cages was in his vicinity. He had to kill them before they were released from the chains. Agnus was moving forward while revisiting his memories with such thoughts, only to stop in ce with surprise. Hundreds of huge eyes were clinging to the barren canyon. They were wriggling horribly... upon closer inspection, they were eggs, not eyes.


    The epidermis, which he thought were the whites of the eyes, glistened with mucus. They were like a frog¡¯s eggs...


    Just then, a girl¡¯s voice was heard behind the puzzled Agnus. ¡°Those things. They are Chepardea¡¯s eggs.¡±


    It was the tower member, Betty. The strange girl who had been watching Agnus from the moment they met.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times Chepardea has died.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Chepardea didn¡¯t die easily. Baal¡¯s closer subordinate was so tenacious that it was said even Demon yer Alex couldn¡¯t kill him. Who could kill such a being over and over again? Only one person came to mind...


    Agnus understood what she meant and closed his mouth. It was to suppress the urge to vomit.

 Chapter 1653

    <h4>Chapter 1653</h4>


    Hundreds of thousands of eggs wriggled like slime. Agnus looked at the eggs, each one bigger than himself, and remembered the conversations he had with Chepardea. In fact, these were the words that Chepardea used to say.


    His Highness Baal is great. I believe only in His Highness Baal. Even if I am abandoned by him, I will sing hymns for him.


    What was the scope of the ¡®abandonment¡¯ he was talking about? Being murdered, having the memory of being murdered erased, being resurrected, living as a ything, being killed again, forgetting, resurrected, killed...


    Could Chepardea ept even this terrible reincarnation with a happy heart? He was sure this wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Crazy bastard...¡±


    Agnus stopped breathing for a moment before letting out a curse. He wasn¡¯t feelingpassion for Chepardea. He was a demon who shouldn¡¯t be sympathized with. In the first ce, Agnus had no loyalty to Chepardea. It was just that Baal was too disgusting.


    He imagined it spontaneously in his mind. The moment when Chepardea was in his most important phase.


    Baal, who came to him as if he had been waiting, suddenly violently attacked him and slowly and painfully killed him while telling him the truth. Baal would speak very slowly while savoring it.


    You have been betrayed in various ways by me. How many times have you been killed? You will be born again and forget this moment.


    Then it would repeat again from the beginning. The reason? There was no need to think about anything like that. It was because giving meaning to Baal¡¯s choices and actions was the most meaningless thing in the world. He was merely seeking pleasure and the form of pleasure he desired was usually cruel.


    That was all. It was like the ordinary neighbors who bullied the weak.


    ¡°It is Baal. He is going to keep killing Chepardea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Betty confirmed Agnus¡¯ conclusion. What was Chepardea that he hatched and resurrected endlessly? Why did he lose his memory, what exactly was his rtionship with Baal, etc.


    Agnus had many questions, but he didn¡¯t bother to express them. It wasn¡¯t good for his mental health to be curious about Baal¡¯s affairs. The one thing he did want to confirm was none other than Betty¡¯s identity.


    ¡°You... who are you? Why do you know about this ce?¡±


    The road leading to the cages where the memphis were trapped¡ªit was also the ce where Chepardea¡¯s eggs were stored and it was a very secret area even in hell. Yet Agnus and Betty, who would¡¯ve been teleported elsewhere, showed up here. She also knew about the rtionship between Chepardea and Baal. The implications were great.


    ¡°Are you perhaps a former Baal¡¯s Contractor?¡±


    The girl who hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off him from the first moment they met¡ªAgnus asked while feeling it was a possibility and Betty nodded gently.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    An abandoned toy. A failure who wasn¡¯t interesting.


    Just then, Betty took off the robe she was wearing. Her bare body was immediately seen. It was a body with severe ossification from below her vicle to her pelvis. Her condition was more serious than Agnus¡¯ one.


    ¡°I am your senior.¡±


    ¡°...You are bragging.¡±


    Agnus looked at Betty with a confused expression for a moment before clicking his tongue.


    Betty was as expressionless as usual as she threw away the robe she had taken off. She took for granted the reaction of people who showed their displeasure with this disgusting body. She just chose a quick and effective method of delivering information. She was picking up her clothes when her round eyes widened slightly.


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why is a girl so badly dressed...?¡± It was because she heard Agnus¡¯ dissatisfiedints. The tone was quite harsh, but it resembled that reaction that Grid had shown. He perceived her as a human being, not a hideous monster.


    She thought she knew his nature. As expected, there was a reason he was abandoned by Baal.


    Betty¡¯s heart was at ease and she was convinced that she could pass her knowledge onto Agnus.


    ¡°You are my sessor.¡±


    ¡°What? What nonsense are you saying with no notice...?¡±


    ¡°Baal is cruel and thorough.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know this...?¡±


    ¡°It is more than you know.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°We have to keep in mind that the moment the contract with Baal is broken, it is the soul, not the body, that has been captured.¡±


    A body that lost its soul was nothing more than a shell. The reason why Agnus suffered from the ossification was that his soul was slowly escaping from his body. It was a phenomenon caused by the loss of life in the process of his soul departing.


    ¡°Even at this moment, your soul is seeping into Baal. You willpletely enter Baal¡¯s grasp one day and your body won¡¯t belong to you.¡±


    They would start to be controlled by Baal. They would be used regardless of their will. In the case of a yer like Agnus, it would be in the form of forced quests. They were quests that would give arge penalty if they weren¡¯tpleted within a certain period of time.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like you have to be a priest. You just have to inherit my knowledge. Then you can stop your soul from leaving.¡±


    A fated encounter¡ªthe moment that every yer dreamed of came to Agnus. Anyone would wee it with open arms. However, Agnus wasn¡¯t pleased at all and showed wariness.


    ¡°Why look at me?¡±


    Agnus wasn¡¯t doubting Betty, he was doubting himself. He had been wandering for many years after his twist of fate with Baal and he clearly recognized how pathetic a human being he was. He was afraid he would repeat the same mistake again after recklessly relying on someone else¡¯s helping hand.


    Betty cocked her head. Her messy, short hair matched her innocent expression well. ¡°You were abandoned by Baal.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this enough? Agnus read the meaning of Betty¡¯s words and fell silent.


    ¡°I will find youter.¡±


    Betty made a promise about the next time before moving forward. There wasn¡¯t much point to getting rid of Chepardea¡¯s eggs, so she just passed by them and headed into the depths of the canyon. It was the direction where the memphis were.


    ¡®As expected, my judgment is right.¡¯


    The most effective way to weaken Baal¡¯s power was to kill the memphis. The memphis was a very powerful and demanding demonic creature with the fraudulent movement skill of Fluidization, the ability to steal the target¡¯s stats, and the ability to release a barrier of electricity. The memphis were monsters who lost their sense of reason after being abused by Baal. They were much more aggressive and able to withstand painpared to Noe. Their damage to their side would increase if Baal released them in all directions.


    ¡°......¡±


    Betty took the lead and Agnus walked behind her. Agnus thought that Betty¡¯s steps seemed heavy. Younglings who had suffered from the moment they were born¡ªit must be painful to know she would have to hurt the memphis.


    ¡°My steps aren¡¯t heavy.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°You are projecting your heart into my steps,¡± Betty spoke while looking at Agnus¡¯ face that was reflected in the obsidian.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± Agnus was inwardly startled before turning his head away. He was unable to meet Betty¡¯s gaze through the obsidian and avoided it.


    Then silence came again. They walked along the obsidian rock wall for some time before arriving at arge dungeon. The structure was like abyrinth. There were heavily intricate, intertwined paths that caused disorientation. There seemed to be some magical power.


    Agnus was confused even though it was a ce he had followed Baal to a few years ago. There was a foggy sensation in his mind. Agnus hesitated a few times, but Betty just moved forward. ¡°It isn¡¯t that you don¡¯t know the way. Your heart is hesitating.¡±


    She was still talking nonsense...


    It happened as Agnus was ignoring her¡ª


    ¡°Nyaaaaong!¡±


    The sharp cry of a cat quickly approached. Was it a memphis that escaped?


    Agnus had a shaky expression on his face as he made a shield out of bone. He couldn¡¯t quite understand himself why he made a shield instead of a sword.


    The memphis came all the way to in front of his nose before stopping. It was because his head was caught in Betty¡¯s small hands, which was an amazing sight given that the memphis was in the Fluidization state.


    ¡®Did she attach magic to her body?¡¯


    Agnus admired it slightly before tilting his head. The memphis¡¯ fur was fluffy. There wasn¡¯t even a small scar on his pretty, round face. Every single memphis abused by Baal looked horrible, while this one waspletely fine. It was obvious. The memphis currently captured by Betty was Noe, not the memphis captured by Baal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t harm my people, nyang!¡±


    The memphis¡¯ hometown was hell. It was only in hell that they exerted full power and their authority to be free of any restraints was strengthened. This meant they could act independently and away from their masters.


    Noe, who met a good master and acted without much restrictions, gained even greater freedom in hell. It was when he arrived in hell and was affected by the teleportation. He overheard the sad cries of his kin and flew all the way here. Grid naturally allowed it.


    ¡°G-Go back, nyang! You can¡¯t go any further, nyang!¡±


    Noe was terribly frightened of Betty, who had decorated her room with an anatomical specimen of a memphis. Even so, he somehow squeezed out the courage. He trembled while showing signs of transforming into an adult. It was the willingness to fight. Betty stroked his round forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Noe and Agnus flinched.


    They thought that Betty was naturally going to hurt the memphis. In fact, there was no answer other than this. The memphis who had been trapped here for a long time had long lost their minds. It was not beneficial to release them. It was more likely that this would grab them in the ankleter.


    Betty exined to the two of them who were puzzled, ¡°I can save them thanks to the sacrifice of another child.¡±


    The child naturally meant the memphis in Betty¡¯sboratory. The memphis became a specimen of dissection. Through that child, Betty gained a lot of knowledge and information. She figured out how to calm the frenzy of the memphis trapped in the cages and restore their sense of reason.


    ¡°Huu, nyang...¡±


    Noe was moved to the point of tears. He wasn¡¯t aware of it, but he had grown tremendously.


    A demonic creature who rebelled against instinct and overcame fear¡ªin the future, he would be able to endure it a bit better even if he met a dragon. Just then, Betty reached a certain location. She chanted a spell and the door to the stone chamber opened.


    The hugemunalndscape... it didn''t enter their eyes properly. It was too dark. A stench filled the dark space without a single point of light. They wondered if it would be like this if meat was rotting, but the sight they saw when they gradually adapted to the darkness told them the truth.


    The flesh of the memphis who were trapped in iron bars were rotting in many ces. They could see one who was dried up like a mummy and the two eyeballs that were plucked out were rotting. There were some who were literally hanging from the iron cage they were in because their mouth and limbs were tied.


    A youngling without a few limbs was a normal thing. Younglings with arms and legs of other creatures connected to their ears or necks couldn¡¯t even rest properly because these limbs wriggled against their will.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± Betty whispered to Noe, who had forgotten what to say and was trembling in the air.

 Chapter 1654

    <h4>Chapter 1654</h4>


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    It was ever since being disqualified as Baal¡¯s Contractor. Agnus adapted to a peaceful life and believed that his world would change. He thought he would no longer face cruel sights. Therefore, he let down his guard.


    [You have changed the presentation level to ¡®weak.¡¯]


    Agnus hurriedly changed the game options and let out the breath he had been holding back. His face was still white. The memphis in the iron cages were now depicted as having band-aids on their cute faces or bandages on their bodies, but this didn¡¯t mean he had forgotten what he just saw. It was so horrible that it was intensely imprinted on his mind.


    ¡°......¡±


    In his opinion, Agnus was crueler than anyone else during his time as Baal¡¯s Contractor. He harmed numerous civilians. There were many cases where it was unavoidable due to Baal¡¯s forced quests, but in the end, he was the one who chose to execute them. He wouldn¡¯t have be Baal¡¯s Contractor if he didn¡¯t have the intention of harming others in the first ce.


    It was during the time when his activities were possible only when the presentation level was set as weak. He saw so much blood and tears.


    Agnus realized it once again. He was no different from Baal. Those who had lost their lives or family members to him were like the memphis trapped in the iron cages. He was a demon to them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We must not forget our sins.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten either.¡±


    Betty¡¯s appearance was definitely that of a girl. However, she read his inner thoughts like an old man who lived for a long time and Agnus couldn¡¯t adapt to it.


    ¡°Baal just gave us the strength and authority to sin. The sin is what wemitted ourselves.¡±


    She took away even the excuses that remained like small embers. The name Baal, which he wrapped around his heart like a shield, slowly faded away and Agnus felt dizzy. However, he endured it, acknowledged it, and epted it. Then he felt more at ease. He felt his already cracked heart beingpletely smashed and then put back together.


    ¡°We have to atone for the rest of our lives. That is our responsibility.¡±


    So be my sessor.


    Betty took the opportunity to persuade him. Agnus stared at her and abandoned his stubbornness. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Don¡¯t just stop at hating my past self.


    Just like the woman caressing the memphis she is taking out of the iron cage, I also have many responsibilities to bear.


    So I have to move forward.


    ¡°Is it really okay...?¡±


    Noe¡¯s face was still full of anxiety as he hovered by Betty¡¯s side. He saw the skinny bodies of his wounded kin and hid his bulging belly with his front paws out of shame. Of course, there was no way he could cover it up. The belly that protruded from between the round paws that seemed to be wearing white gloves was eye-catching...


    ¡°Grrrung...¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaack!¡±


    The memphis had long lost their words. They were unable to bear the pain of their wounds and just groaned or cried like an animal. It sounded heartbreaking.


    Deep sadness and anger were felt. They hated the bodies that Baal had damaged. They hated the world they were born into. They were like Agnus in the distant past. Or perhaps they harbored only despair, just like the people Agnus had harmed.


    ¡°Yes, it is okay.¡±


    Agnus¡¯ face stiffened while Betty smiled. It was the first change in facial expression of a person who seemed to have lost her emotions. It was purely an effort to reassure the memphis. She might not want to smile, but she was smiling for others.


    Agnus watched silently from the side. He was touched when thinking about what Betty¡¯s actions meant. It was to learn the attitude toward life that needed to be changed in the future.


    His senior¡ªshe was right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do surgery.¡±


    She was an undead, so she was used to the structure of bones. She researched, experimented, and gained experience with numerous creatures. It was time to put her research into practice. She held the fiercely resistant memphis in her arms and started to pull out all sorts of tools and medicines. The sounds of bones being crushed came from her chest and waist, but she didn¡¯t shake in the slightest.


    She turned a blind eye to the pain she felt because the suffering of the memphis who experienced this type of thing would be much greater. She wasn¡¯t in a position to express her pain in front of them.


    ¡°You, the arm...¡±


    Agnus couldn¡¯t just watch and intervened. It was because Betty¡¯s arm shook like it was about to fall after she was bitten in the arm by the memphis.


    Betty confessed, ¡°I brought the parents of these children here.¡±


    It was hundreds of years ago. She followed Baal¡¯s orders. She captured the memphis of hell and locked them up here. The sight of the memphis being tortured after that... it was the second of the 17 nightmares she had every night. It was infinitely repeated even though she became an undead who couldn¡¯t fall asleep. She was tormented for hundreds of years by the nightmares that emerged from her subconscious even though her eyes were open every night.


    ¡°This is what I am responsible for.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t to end her nightmares.


    ¡°It is my duty.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ***


    The people who watched thendscape of hell in the sky was a small numberpared to the total poption. Most people still couldn¡¯t raise their heads as they walked around. It was highly likely that anyone watching the events in hell was a yer and even then, they only watched the scenes with Grid, an apostle, or a tower member.


    The rest of the scenes... they understandably turned away from them. It was because there was no benefit to looking. Was there anything to be gained by seeing people being horribly hunted by demons and demonic creatures other than feeling anxiety.


    ¡°Ken...? Is he the strongest one among the tower members?¡±


    The fighter, Ken¡ªhe was one of the tower members and he produced particrly bizarre situations. The demons and demonic creatures blocking his way all had their heads exploded before they died. They exploded like a bomb had originally been installed. It was a sight they couldn¡¯t understand with their eyes.


    In the end, analysis videos were uploaded throughout themunities. It had to be yed hundreds of times slower before there were blurry traces.


    The fighter, Ken, appeared to have ¡®struck¡¯ the demons with his feet or fists. It seemed he had a passive skill that added tremendous eleration the more he linked his movements and it was assumed that the movements included even the most meaningless actions, such as small chin gestures. This exined how a constant speed was maintained.


    ¡°I think those giants are a lot stronger.¡±


    At first, people thought Abellio was the strongest. A person who fought by manifesting Grid and Hayate through his paintings¡ªthe number of people who changed ss to a painter grew exponentially and public awareness of Picasso increased dramatically in just a few hours. The world¡¯s leadingpanies that were excited about the future of Picassopeted to offer sponsorships. Abellio was so great that he created a social phenomenon in a matter of seconds.


    However, he had a clear weakness. There was a limit to the power that resided in a painting and the bigger problem was that it wouldn¡¯t exert much power if the act of painting itself was blocked. The evidence was that he suffered a setback once he started being sniped by the 8th Great Demon, Barbatos.


    On the other hand, the giant brothers always boasted overwhelming strength. Radwolf boarded a superrge magic machine that was nearly 15 meters tall and remotely controlled 10 separate magic machines. It was literally a legion of robots. The demons couldn¡¯t exert any power over him. They even turned their backs and ran away. It was natural. It was because before the expedition to hell, Radwolf optimized the magic machine to be an anti-evil weapon rather than an anti-dragon weapon.


    There was nothing to say about Fronzaltz. The seats of the Tower of Wisdom weren¡¯t in order of skill, but the 2nd Seat was the exception. The reason Fronzaltz was the 2nd Seat was because he had the right to represent Hayate. Recently, he regained almost all his strength thanks to Grid.


    God¡¯s Circle¡ªthe strongest artifact of all time that symbolized perfection and led the ancient giants in their prime. It was Fronzaltz who inherited the will of the fallen giants. It would be a sin if he wasn¡¯t strong.


    ¡°I¡¯m d things are going well overall. There is a real chance of winning.¡±


    The power that Baal showed was overwhelming. They were convinced that Grid and the apostles wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with him even if they fought together. However, the secret society they never knew about was giving strength to Grid. The members of the Tower of Wisdom led by Dragon yer Hayate¡ªthey were strong as one.


    Hope that never existed started to sprout. If there was just one unexpected problem...


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried that Grid is struggling.¡±


    It was the existence of the 20th Great Demon, Eligos. Now people weren¡¯t stupid. They immediately recognized that Eligos possessed a strength unrted to his rank. He fought fiercely against Grid. He was a powerful being who easily transcended a single digit great demon.


    The cause seemed to lie in a special power. It was the ability to control the trajectory. For example, let¡¯s assume that Eligos was standing in a huge room. The size of the room was irrelevant. Eligos wouldunch any ball flying at him to the trajectory he wanted and hit it toward the desired point. Eligos also directed the direction the ball would bounce in.


    Infinite trajectories¡ªEligos endlessly received Grid¡¯s attacks and shifted them, allowing him to maintain a favorable situation at all times. He counterattacked against Grid without receiving much damage. The still intact Grid seemed like a much scarier monster than Eligos, but in any case, Grid¡¯s feet were tied up.


    Grid¡¯s first goal was to rescue the people trapped in hell, so he would be under psychological pressure. People were worried, but...


    ¡®It will be okay. Time is on my side.¡¯


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t anxious. He regarded the situation positively.


    First of all, most of the people currently trapped in hell were yers.


    Secondly, a small handful of NPCs, including the different species kings, were conducting rescue operations as the top priority with Zik. The moment they fell into the magic trap, Zik had told him not to worry, so he had faith.


    Third, it was Mercedes¡¯ role to find the location of the hell moon anyway. It was a position where they had to wait until she urately captured the location of the moon.


    Fourth, the God Hands were growing rapidly. The number of God Hands had risen to 100 and they partially offset Eligos¡¯ strength by spreading the artificial senses and using Tai Chi. At first, it was difficult to respond properly, but there was gradually a clear sense of adaptation. It was like watching and learning from Eligos.


    ¡®This is an experience that will be hard to meet again.¡¯


    Taang, taang, taang.


    Grid, who had the artificial senses broken and allowed the iing spear to hit,ughed as he repaired his armor with a hammer.


    Eligos... he was getting tired. An armor that couldn¡¯t be pierced no matter how hard the stab¡ªhe tried hard to crack it, but it was immediately repaired. Therefore, he had no answer about what to do...


    At the same time, the surface...


    ¡°......?¡±


    A chill went down the spines of those walking on the surface while looking at the ground. It was because arge, dark shadow covered the earth and gave the illusion that night hade. It was evidence that something ridiculouslyrge had appeared above them. There was only one existence they could think of unless the floating castle in the legends was real.


    Kurarararara!


    A dragon.


    [The Evil Dragon, Bunhelier, has appeared!]


    It was a world message with only one line, but the ripple effect was enormous. It was even more than Grid¡¯s epics. The minds of all the people on the surface became nk.

 Chapter 1655

    <h4>Chapter 1655</h4>


    Almost every yer would think of Bunhelier when it came to their perception of dragons.


    The first dragon to make a direct appearance was Bunhelier. It was even in the National Competition watched by billions of people. His absolute stats and destructiveness were revealed to the public and the world was filled with astonishment. Perhaps that was the quietest day on Earth since the birth of humanity.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over! It is the end!!¡±


    ¡°I need to log out and organize the stocks first.¡±


    People learned that dragons were extremely powerful and ferocious. It was due to Bunhelier. Now at this moment, Bunhelier appeared again. The ripple effect was different from when he invaded the server of the National Competition. A significant number of yers fled to the most hidden ces they knew or logged out without hesitation.


    Very few yers stayed in ce. They were people who had responsibilities to bear and people who were stubborn.


    ¡°The number of viewers is a jackpot.¡±


    ¡°This is a scoop.¡±


    On the other hand, those who made broadcasting their business chased after the shadow of Bunhelier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Father will protect you.¡±


    NPCs and people who had families stayed by the side of their families and protected them.


    ¡°Take out all the dragon harpoons in the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°It is a war! Issue an emergency conscription notice right now!¡±


    Knights or those with aristocratic titles led the soldiers with a more powerful voice than usual. In the sky, Bunhelier could see all the conditions of the ground with his eyes. He didn¡¯t feel sorry for the bugs who saw him and ran away, nor did he be angry with the attitude of the bugs who held the idea of resisting him. He could annihte them at any time with one breath.


    The thing that Bunhelier wanted was a deeper anxiety. He was only slowly crossing the continent, but he expected the bugs to be crushed by themselves. There was plenty of time. If it didn¡¯t break, p his wings several times until it broke.


    The moment the atmosphere was at its most ripe, he intended to go down and choke their necks. He would tell them to offer 1,000 males and 1,000 females each. Then he would eat them slowly while they were still alive in front of the watching bugs and despair and fear would spread. Once he finished eating them, he would ask the bugs to increase the number of offerings by two times the next day. It would be quite funny to see those who dreamed of the future in exchange for the sacrifices of their fellow people once again fall into despair.


    In the end, Nevartan would wake up by the time the bugs finally chose to resist, so it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to leave the finishing touches to him. He wouldn¡¯t even give a chance to the bugs who squeezed out their courage to fight against him. Despair and fear would be mixed with anger and the chaos would bepleted.


    Grrrrr...


    Demonic energy flowed from the gap in Bunhelier¡¯s snout as he twitched. Each particle had a destructive power that crushed magic power and sword energy, and extinguished the spark of life. The dark sky, where the scenery of hell was intertwined, turned yellow.


    One century ago¡ªwould a nation¡¯s night sky be like this when there were no means to clean up air pollution?


    ¡°What is he doing?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to want to attack...?¡±


    Bunhelier was an Evil Dragon. They might¡¯ve never experienced it themselves, but he was likely to be a viin in the setting. Many people spected that he was the final boss in the worldview, so they naturally worried that the surface would be a sea of fire after seeing the message of his appearance.


    However, it was so quiet. Bunhelier simply kept flying and took no action other than that. If there was one characteristic, it was that he was very fast...


    By the time a whisper arrived saying a sight of him had been captured over Reidan, he had already been seen over Reinhardt. It was spected that the time it would take him to cross the continent would be in minutes. If Bunhelier had just slightly lowered his trajectory as he flew, the ground would be devastated from the shockwaves of the sonic boom he generated.


    He was literally a creature from another dimension¡ªa disaster to be avoided, not something to fight against.


    Those who stayed in ce remembered the level and stats of Bunhelier that were revealed during the National Competition and chills went down their spines. They lost the willpower to resist. This was even though Bunhelier was just flying. The absence of Grid and the apostles yed a major role. People once again realized how much they relied on Grid.


    Kurarararara!


    Bunhelier¡¯s roar was heard from a great height. The sound of the echo was likeughter. It was close to the feeling ofughing at them right now. Of course, this was just a delusion of persecution. There was no way Bunhelier could examine theirplexions from so far away.


    Moreover, the human poption was in the billions. The poption might¡¯ve decreased significantly in the aftermath of the Great Human and Demon War, but it wasn¡¯t a number that Bunhelier could see with one nce. It meant it was physically impossible to read andugh at their overall mood.


    Of course, this was all based on humanmon sense. Bunhelier was too great to be bound by themon sense of insignificant humans. His senses spread across the continent. It was more closely intertwined than a spider¡¯s web and Bunhelier felt in real-time the reactions and expressions of all beings on the surface that was clearly transmitted through it.


    He took it all as information and acted more effectively. For example, when passing over the sea, he deliberately raised waves to attack the nation of the water n or he carried the smell of human flesh on the wind as he passed over the huge Chaos Mountains, causing the monsters to be frenzied.


    He made people living in hot regions sick by inducing the transfer of cold, while people living in cold areas were forced to take off their clothes due to the transfer of heat. He even moved the Arctic icebergs or desert sand to the middle of the city. No magic was used. It was a confusion caused solely through the act of ¡®flying.¡¯


    In the midst of humanity¡¯s growing unrest and confusion...


    [......]


    Bunhelier stopped pping his wings for the first time since he appeared. The sword energy that rose past the tip of his nose stood tall like a pir and gradually collected the demonic energy scattered around. Rather than being eroded by Bunhelier¡¯s demonic energy and disappearing, the sword energy instead reversed it. It was the only Dragon Killing Sword in the world.


    [Dragon yer.]


    Bunhelier¡¯s dark pupil¡¯s grew slightly bigger. It was so huge that it felt like seeing a thumbnail of the expansion of the universe. This was the case when being directly in front of him. There was a transcendent feeling felt through a simple change in the pupils and all this created a sense of pressure. Maybe Hayate¡¯s voice would tremble.


    Hayate¡¯s figure, as he stood silently with concern, was elegant. He didn¡¯t look like someone who was trying hard not to show his fear. Therefore, Bunhelier smiled when looking at him.


    [A thousand years isn¡¯t too short for me. Yet you, who have lived in hiding for longer than that, now dare to stand in front of me?]


    Contrary to Hayate¡¯s thoughts, the old dragons weren¡¯t very interested in Hayate. To be precise, they gave up long ago. It was because the sword of the Dragon yer acted as a dragon¡¯s unique ipatibility. The seals over the tower, built by Hayate and the tower members, weren¡¯t something the dragons could handle.


    The most urate way of describing it was that they couldn¡¯t identify it because they were dragons. Putting aside their desire to eat him to nourish themselves, it meant it was impossible to search for Hayate. Now he boldly blocked the path himself.


    [You seem to have something you believe in. Did you even wake up Nevartan?]


    Nevartan was obsessed with Bunhelier. The cause of Nevartan¡¯s madness was Bunhelier¡¯s betrayal. Even after losing his sense of reason, faint remnants of memory remained and he seemed unable to forget Bunhelier. It meant Nevartan was one of the few beings who could threaten Bunhelier.


    [It is quite a pity.]


    Bunhelier¡¯s voice was mixed with harsh breathing. It was a reverberating breath. The nervous Hayate focused on why this phenomenon was urring and barely figured it out.


    ¡®Rage.¡¯


    There was no precursor to the activation of Dragon Rage, but Hayate guessed it and trusted his judgment. He blocked Bunhelier¡¯s tail, which rushed in like a huge dam, and was vignt as he prepared in advance for the shockwaves that would ovep. As expected, it was Dragon Rage.


    Bunhelier just swung his tail once, but a total of five shockwaves urred in a row and struck Hayate. There was no time difference at all. Hayate failed to absorb the fourth and fifth attacks properly. It was because the dragons he fought so far could only stack a maximum of three attacks. He hadn¡¯t expected five ovepping attacks.


    The same Dragon Rage exerted a greater effect when used by an old dragon. Hayate immediately wiped the blood flowing down the corners of his mouth with sword energy and endured it without revealing pain. He managed to repair the organs in his body that were crushed by the shock and let out a small breath.


    Hayata was the only one seen in Bunhelier¡¯s elongated pupils, which had be smaller again. It was the aftermath of erasing thendscapes of hell that filled the surrounding sky with his power.


    [Certainly, it is worth it if it is you.]


    Bunhelier did the calctions. Should he avoid Nevartan¡¯s pursuit and create chaos ording to his original purpose? Or should he cling to the Dragon yer in front of him and risk getting caught by Nevartan? His judgment should be fast. After waking up, the time it would take for Nevartan to appear in front of him would be extremely short.


    [I need to eat you.]


    The Dragon yer¡¯s achievements were unique in the world. The value to be gained from killing him wasparable to the value he would get when collecting millions of chaos. Moreover, he could gather chaos at any time, but he didn¡¯t know when he would meet Hayate again. It was an opportunity that couldn¡¯t be missed.


    [You will die to me.]


    The Dragon Words became a prophecy. He approached with an irresistible fate and put great pressure on Hayate. Hayate was able to resist with the will of a Dragon yer, but he couldn¡¯t get rid of itpletely due to the constant pressure. He had to be constantly focused in order to endure, and the mental power consumed here was intense.


    Hayate¡¯s expression stiffened as he had a hunch that he wouldn¡¯tst long. He would die before the search magic machine he sent to wake Nevartan up from hibernation would pay off. The question to consider here was what goal to set.


    How much of a blow could he inflict on Bunhelier? How long must he endure in order for the world to be safe when Grid and the tower members returned from destroying the hell moon.


    The waves of the Dragon Killing Sword, that adorned the night sky more brilliantly than hundreds of constetions, started to gather at a single point. It aimed at Bunhelier¡¯s heart in response to Hayate¡¯s will.


    The destruction of the dragon heart. He never dreamed of aplete destruction. The goal was to inflict enough damage to put Bunhelier into a deep sleep. The price would be Hayate¡¯s life. It was a goal that couldn¡¯t be achieved without this much sacrifice.


    Kurarararara!


    Bunhelier read Hayate¡¯s intentions and reacted sensitively. Perhaps his self-esteem was hurt, but he roared and cast hundreds of magic at the same time. In an instant, the Dragon Breath ovepped five times and was fired, blocking any evasion paths.


    Hayate¡¯s expression darkened sharply as he shed the Breath with the Dragon Killing Sword. The surprisingly cunning Bunhelier used human magic. Some of the magic cast simultaneously had a structure that was difficult to cut with the Dragon Killing Sword.


    Through the gap in the ck Breath that split apart like the Red Sea, all types of magic bombardments poured out. Only two of them constrained Hayate¡¯s movements. It was magic that worked through ipatibility. It forced him to use magic power separate from the Dragon Killing Sword, but Hayate couldn¡¯t easily generate any magic power. It was because old dragons interpreted and absorbed all energy other than that of the Dragon Killing Sword. They reversed the power that their prey used to resist them and became more powerful in an instant.


    He hesitated because he couldn¡¯t overlook this. However, fleeting hesitation in a fight between Absolutes was a deadly poison. The tail that seemed to stay on the horizon was now right in front of his eyes. The area was sorge that evasion was impossible.


    Bunhelier¡¯s eyes shed from the bottom of Hayate¡¯s field of view as he was forced to raise his sword. The long neck that had fallen down now swelled up to the fullest. It was a precursor to a Breath...


    It was precisely aimed at a situation where it was hard to dodge. Hayate was preparing for a serious injury when someone¡¯s voice entered his ears.


    The reinforcement who just arrived at the scene¡ªhe gave off a sensation that Hayate was familiar with. The Sword Saint of the present age awakened the swordsmanship of cutting the wind and cut off the Breath. It was a divine skill he gained after cutting down the Elemental King of Wind.


    [The target¡¯s skill casting has been canceled.]


    All the magic and Breath of the breathless Bunhelier stopped working for a moment. Hayate managed to take a breath thanks to this.


    Kraugel told him, ¡°I¡¯m going to confess this honestly in case you expect too much of me, but all I can do is assist in this way.¡±


    The opponent was too bad. He never expected to meet a dragon at the stage where he came back after experiencing growth.


    Kraugel obediently cleared his mind. However, he was aware of one truth¡ªHayate couldn¡¯t die. He was one of the few hopes of the world along with Grid.


    ¡°Look for an opportunity and run away.¡±


    Hayate was always in a position to show his back. Yet at this moment, he saw the back of another person. It was Kraugel who followed after Grid.


    The descendants of a distant age were guarding the Absolute.

 Chapter 1656

    <h4>Chapter 1656</h4>


    The dragon heart spun and the refined magic power was shot out into a breath that caused certain phenomena. This was a Breath. It was why it had powerful attributes.


    Heart and breathing¡ªthe operation of the Dragon Breath included two concepts that were regarded as the source of life and this source was usually an attribute.


    [You are a Sword Saint. However, your disposition is different from the idiot in the tower.]


    There was a rumor that Biban cut the already fired Breath with physical force. On the other hand, Kraugel cut at his breathing, so this stopped the Breath itself. It meant the exercise of his willpower was blocked in advance. It was a humiliation never experienced before by the great old dragon, who had existed since the beginning.


    The wavelength was huge. Kraugel¡¯s achievement that was beyond a legend caused his status to rise in real time.


    However, Bunhelier didn¡¯t show any signs of uneasiness. He pleasantly evaluated the human being who developed using himself as a stepping stone.


    [You are different from Muller. You forged your own path even though you had a predecessor to watch and learn from.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s attitude shook Hayate. The fact that an arrogant old dragon¡ªit was even the Evil Dragon¡ªshowed interest in a human was an astounding event. He even mentioned Muller¡¯s name. However, it wasn¡¯t a favorable attitude at all when Hayate recalled the story that some of the old dragons treated Muller as a mutant and hated him.


    Bunhelier was obviously chatting pleasantly on the surface, but he was obviously hiding a lot of killing intent in his heart.


    [It isn¡¯t a very good variable. It would be better for your talent to disappear.]


    Grruk, grruuk...


    Bunhelier¡¯s voice spread along with his rough breathing and it shook the entire continent. A tsunami urred in the sea,va erupted from a volcano, and the ground where Garion was missing from had consecutive earthquakes, causing canyons to form on the ins. The voice of the Evil Dragon and the demonic energy, which contained tant killing intent, spread and it became a disaster in itself.


    The biggest victim was Kraugel. He suffered from all sorts of abnormal conditions. Among them was the most fatal abnormal condition.


    [Bunhelier¡¯s Dragon Words have extinguished your talent.]


    [Most passive skills are temporarily sealed.]


    His passive skills were sealed. Kraugel was crushed by the sheer pressure and recalled the situation a little while ago. He hadn¡¯t been able to discern Bunhelier¡¯s huge body until Hayate stopped Bunhelier¡¯s tail and caused him to stiffen for a moment. It was due to his speed. Even though Bunhelier was in view from a distance, he kept losing sight of the movement. The limit was just faintly catching a glimpse of him using the assistance of super sensitivity. Additionally, the super sensitivity of the Sword Saint was a stat, not a passive.


    Not yet¡ªhe could still fight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be as helpful as I thought. Please take that into consideration.¡±


    It was true that his status has increased after cutting off Bunhelier¡¯s Breath once. However, for Kraugel, transcending status was a concept he had long been used to.


    He fought against the half-gods of the East Continent; defeated the Elemental King of Wind and seed in purifying a dimension; returned to the surface and was chased by a blind swordsman who imed to be a disciple of a master swordsman; went to war with the subordinates of the leaders of the No Offspring Tomb, who controlled what was believed to be Muller¡¯s tomb; and finally, he climbed Grenier for a ss quest and had to go through the trials of the Mountain King.


    Kraugel had experienced and resolved major incidents one after another and had built up his own status several times. It meant he understood that rapid growth wouldn¡¯t happen just because his status rose by one level.


    Irresistible¡ªKraugel clearly realized this fact as the presence of the Evil Dragon Bunhelier grew, and he lowered his goal. Rather than just assisting Hayate, he instead urged him to retreat immediately, ¡°It seems wisest for you to step back while I buy some time.¡±


    Hayate shook his head. ¡°I must not back down.¡±


    He was the only Dragon yer in the world. It was his obligation to stand up to the Evil Dragon that had started to run wild. Even if he had encountered this situation in the past when he was hiding out of a fear of death, he still most likely would¡¯ve done the same as now.


    Kraugel stared at Hayate¡¯s determined expression and nodded. ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    It was a few months ago¡ªby the time he cut down the Elemental King of Wind, Kraugel was in a situation he didn¡¯t understand. The Pioneer¡¯s qualifications, which should¡¯ve belonged to Grid, were transferred to him. He thought there must be a reason, and now he realized why.


    ¡°However, please be sure to survive. I will die on your behalf.¡±


    A sacrifice¡ªit was the role that Grid should¡¯ve originally yed. It was just that Grid had taken on too much responsibility, so he was chosen as the next best one.


    Kraugel, who grasped the situation, didn¡¯t resent it. Instead, he took it as an honor. He was willing to share Grid¡¯s responsibility.


    Hayate expressed his gratitude with a nod and exined, ¡°I am going to aim for the dragon heart. This is the only way to kill the dragon¡¯s momentum.¡±


    One of the decisive reasons for the cause of Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s death was the ovepping of multiple Breaths. She wasn¡¯t an old dragon, so she was in a different position from Bunhelier, who stacked up five Breaths when using Dragon Rage. The burden every time a Breath was ovepped caused the dragon heart to be overloaded. She lost her horn and suffered irreversible fatal injuries in her weak state. It was safe to say that she was virtually dead by the time she arrived at their of Fire Dragon Trauka.


    What if a direct blow was inflicted on a dragon heart? Even an old dragon would have to devote decades to recovery. Of course, they could be active forever without worrying about their wounds, but... an old dragon¡¯spetitor was an old dragon. They didn¡¯t want to be a target of another old dragon in their iplete state and experience a crisis.


    [Aiming for my heart?]


    There was no particr reason why Hayate spoke openly about his aim. The Dragon Killing Sword that looked like a gxy condensed into a straight line. It was Hayate¡¯s sword energy and willpower. ording to Hayate¡¯s intention, the direction of the de changed in real time and it explicitly pointed at Bunhelier¡¯s heart.


    This meant that Bunhelier couldn¡¯t be unaware of Hayate¡¯s intentions.


    [Then why don¡¯t you give it a try?]


    The smiling Bunhelier openly disyed his chest proudly. It was as if a wall had spread out in the sky.


    [My heart is here.]


    Just as Hayate didn¡¯t hide his thoughts, Bunhelier had no intention of hiding his heart. It was because he was strong. It was to the extent when he could thoroughly trample on Hayate¡¯s willpower.


    [......!]


    Bunhelier had been talking confidently, but now his expression stiffened for a moment. It was due to the sharp de that pierced his skull and gave him the sensation that his brain matter was being stirred.


    The Heart Sword¡ªSword Saint Kraugel¡¯s ultimate technique. It inflicted damage proportional to the target¡¯s maximum health. Of course, it didn¡¯t have a significant effect on targets who had a higher status than him. In fact, the sensation that Bunhelier felt when he was hit by the Heart Sword was more an awareness of a foreign object, not any pain.


    However, that was enough. The agitation thatsted only 0.001 seconds¡ªthere was a man who was skilled enough to take advantage of that gap.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel was fascinated. The polluted night sky had transformed into space. It was bigger than the universe in Bunhelier¡¯s pupils. Celestial bodies existed everywhere in his field of view, all of which were the waves of Hayate¡¯s sword energy. It was a wave caused by the aftermath of shing the dragon¡¯s chest.


    By the time Kraugel recognized the changedndscape, the results had already urred. Hayate was still standing behind Kraugel, but the Dragon Killing Sword had already split apart the chest of Bunhelier, who was hundreds of meters in front of him. It was a mystery, not swordsmanship. It seemed that the only technique that could bepared to it was the Heart Sword.


    ¡®The Dragon yer...¡¯


    There was no record of a dragon¡¯s skin and scale being cut by Muller. Of course, it had to be taken into ount that most of the records about Muller had been lost. However, it wasmon sense from the beginning that a dragon¡¯s skin and scales couldn¡¯t be pierced by anything. Yet today, it was terribly split apart.


    ck demonic energy poured out like blood from the cut that stretched from Bunhelier¡¯s shoulder to his abdomen. The amount was so great that it seemed like the rivers on the ground would flood.


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was an overwhelming sight that he might never see again in his lifetime. Kraugel stared nkly at Bunhelier¡¯s body, which was tilting at an angle, only to be stunned.


    His vision turned a fewps. He was drawn to Hayate. The shoulder caught in Hayate¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t be leaned back, so his body rotated like a spinning top. He couldn¡¯t react even with his super sensitivity. He didn¡¯t feel any signs at all.


    Kraugel became desperately aware of the gap he had with an Absolute, but he only focused on the situation in front of him. He recalled the role he had promised Hayate and predicted the reach of his body that was spinning. He drew his sword and raised it.


    At this moment, Kraugel was Hayate¡¯s shield. He was used like this. He protected Hayate from the attack of the long-haired man who emerged from the dragon¡¯s torn stomach.


    ¡®Keuk.¡¯


    He had to swallow back his screams. The shock delivered through the White Tiger Sword after it collided with the man¡¯s fist prated deep into his bones. The sound of wrist bones being crushed was much louder than the sound of grinding teeth. He might¡¯ve managed to block it, but he lost nearly half his health.


    [You have suffered the ¡®fracture¡¯ abnormal condition.]


    [However, a Sword Saint can handle the sword perfectly in any circumstances.]


    [The demonic energy of the Evil Dragon Bunhelier has prated into your body.]


    [The health lost to Bunhelier can¡¯t be restored until the end of the battle.]


    ¡°Hahahaha! Using a human as a shield? As expected of a guy who has been hiding for over a thousand years!¡±


    The unidentified man¡ªKraugel couldn¡¯t ept the identity of theughing handsome man with ck hair reaching his pelvis. He was dumbfounded even after checking the name floating above the man¡¯s head.


    ¡°It is Polymorph.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s voice echoed in his ears. It felt more like he was talking to himself than exining to Kraugel.


    Kraugel understood the situation. Bunhelier gave Hayate his chest as if to be cut and Hayate aimed at his carelessness. He fired a blow with all his strength. It was a trap. Bunhelier used Polymorph to reduce the size of his body, so the position of his heart changed dramatically. The thing that Hayate cut was just the remnant of Polymorph, not Bunhelier¡¯s heart.


    ¡®He is cunning.¡¯


    Not only was Bunhelier strong, but he also knew how to use tricks. Wouldn¡¯t he be the biggest challenge for Grid, who had a slightly simpler side?


    Kraugel was suddenly worried. Kraugel put all his strength into his trembling hands. He felt that Hayate, who managed to take a breath while he was the shield, was still behind him.


    ¡°You must achieve your purpose. He is someone who shouldn¡¯t meet with Grid.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kraugel re-measured the distance to Bunhelier, who had transformed into a human, and became startled. It was because Bunhelier¡¯s hand suddenly appeared in front of him and quickly became huge. It made all his calctions useless.


    Bunhelier, who used Polymorph to change to a human form¡ªhe acted by recing part of his body with a dragon¡¯s body. It was virtually impossible to respond when he turned his outstretched fist into a dragon¡¯s w. The forelimb, which looked infinitely small when in the form of a dragon, became abnormallyrge on a human body. The range of the attack was so wide that there was no way to avoid it.


    Kraugel¡¯s body was pushed back as he was about to recite the poetry that praises the sword. Once again, he was drawn back to Hayate. He was grabbed by the nape of his neck and felt Hayate¡¯s hand gently pressing on his back. Kraugel understood the other person¡¯s intentions and pointed his sword forward.


    This time, he was Hayate¡¯s sword. Kraugel¡¯s sword sneaked through the gap in Bunhelier¡¯s ws. He couldn¡¯t get through the skin, but he managed to widen the gap. It was in the realm of his calctions. It was the result of Hayate moving Kraugel, who couldn¡¯t show his skills in a fight between Absolutes.


    The Dragon Killing Sword dug in through the gap. The startled Bunhelier returned his arm to human form. The feet he raised were in dragon form. It rushed like a great mountain.


    The Dragon Killing Sword lost its target and immediately changed its trajectory. It blocked the dragon¡¯s massive feet. The wave from the Dragon Killing Sword caused Bunhelier¡¯s actions to stiffen for a moment, but it didn¡¯t have a great effect.


    Bunhelier¡¯s feet seemed to be smaller again and before he knew it, the five stacked Breathes flooded in front of him. It was shot when Kraugel couldn¡¯t read it, so he couldn¡¯t stop the breathing.


    ¡°I understood it at the end of my admiration.¡±


    Kraugel used Poetry that Praises the Sword. He was convinced that Hayate couldn¡¯t use Shunpo. At present, Bunhelier¡¯s senses were spread all over the world. There was a high probability that the path of Shunpo would be read and he would be hit by a fatal counter.


    As expected, Hayate didn¡¯t use Shunpo. He left the Breath to Kraugel as if he had anticipated Kraugel¡¯s judgment. At the same time, the Dragon Killing Sword was in the form of a ring. There were a total of eight rings. Each and every one gave off intense waves.


    [A legend doesn¡¯t die easily.]


    Poetry that Praises the Sword was practically invincible. He reced his defense and health with the sword¡¯s attack and durability, ignoring damage and abnormal statuses in return for the sword being consumed. However, there wasn¡¯t much of an effect on Bunhelier.


    Kraugel sacrificed dozens of swords but could endure only one Breath. Meanwhile, Bunhelier¡¯s stacked up five Breaths without a time difference. Itpletely turned Kraugel to rags. However, he managed to save Hayate. Kraugel¡¯s eyes shone even after consuming his immortality. He believed in the power of Poetry that Praises the Sword and swung the White Tiger Sword sharply.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    [The effect of Poetry that Praises the Sword has increased the skill¡¯s attack power by 15 times.]


    Was it pity after seeing him being trampled on all the time? After a long time, a jackpot urred.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Blood flowed down his cheek as he tilted his head to avoid the sword attack. His smile disappeared from his beautiful face for the first time. Bunhelier¡¯s expression crumpled like a piece of paper and his gaze as he red at Kraugel was unusual.


    ¡®It is over.¡¯


    Even if it was a stab, it was a stab that hit the world¡¯s strongest monster. Kraugel might really have to quit the game if things went badly here.


    Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened as he clicked his tongue. He watched as the ringed Dragon Killing Sword upied all directions around Bunhelier. They were the same Dragon Killing Sword, but they each took a different form. Some of the rings became Bunhelier¡¯s tails, ws, and legs, while others were shot with a sh like they were a Breath.


    He implemented some of the deadly moves that Bunhelier showed in thest few seconds. This was the power of a Dragon yer. It took the dragon as its prey andpleted the analysis of the prey.


    ¡°Where did your roots go? Dirty bastard with no honor.¡±


    How dare you try to reproduce me?


    The shaking Bunhelier became huge. He sensed that his state of absolute defense was intermittently nullified by the waves from the Dragon Killing Sword and abandoned his human form. He once again put on his scales. Bunhelier¡¯s massive body shook as he allowed simultaneous blows. This was followed by a series of thunderous explosions.


    It was only then that people saw Bunhelier¡¯s image properly. It was only a few dozen seconds after he first appeared. He moved at a speed that the naked eye couldn¡¯t keep up with and caused all types of disasters. Now that shadow stayed in ce for more than one second for the first time. Exmations burst out everywhere.


    Bunhelier¡ªit was the aftermath of discovering the Dragon yer fighting the monster, who had embedded great fear and anxiety in people¡¯s hearts ever since he appeared in the National Competition¡¯s server. Gradually, more and more people clenched their fists and chanted Hayate¡¯s name.


    However, silence soon fell again. The burning hot atmosphere cooled down like it had been a lie.


    The world that the Space Sword split in half slowly copsed. It was the greatest ever trolling. Garion¡¯s vacant spot was painfully realized. As people red at Kraugel, who was caught by Hayate and being swung back and forth, the situation of the battle changed in real time.


    Bunhelier used Dragon Fear and blew up all the images of what seemed to be a silver dragon attacking him. Then he started a counterattack. The appearance of the dragon and Hayate once again became indistinguishable. Lights shed throughout the battlefield where the entire sky was the stage. It looked like a scene of constetions being formed.


    Rainwater fell on someone¡¯s face. The person wiped it with curiosity and found it was blood. It was themonly known dark red blood. It was definitely human blood. It was the blood that Hayate and Kraugel shed.


    It happened as people¡¯s anxiety was growing again...


    A shadow appeared that blocked the blood. It was with a gorgeous ck parasol with blue decorations.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± A woman wiped the blood off the parasol with her thin fingers and smiled softly. It was a beauty that transcended imagination. Could it be that the red eyes that were like rubies contained some type of magic power?


    The people present were fascinated, regardless of their age or gender.


    [Vampire Duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ has appeared.]

 Chapter 1657

    <h4>Chapter 1657</h4>


    The act of absorbing blood wasn¡¯t inherently a means of survival. The vampires who coveted the blood of other species to live were just defective products. The proof was that Braham¡¯s actions weren¡¯t disrupted despite not partaking in the absorption of blood. He regained the power of a direct descendant and became a vampire again, but he didn¡¯t covet the blood of other species. It was because there was no need for it.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The blood wiped away by slender fingers¡ªthe dark red blood that poured from the sky happened to be Hayate¡¯s blood. It implied that the Dragon yer, thest bastion of humanity, was struggling. However, no one knew it. They couldn¡¯t properly watch the battle between Hayate and Bunhelier.


    There were some people who even saw it as a game of go. They perceived the polluted sky as a scene of the ck and white stones trying to surround each other. It was because their movement was so fast that the figures could only be distinguished by color.


    Bunhelier was ck, while Hayate was a silver that resembled white. The series of processes where the colors chasing each other formed lines and dots, repeatedly uniting and spreading out, seemed like the process of creating constetions. At first nce, it was beautiful. They wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to enjoy it if it wasn¡¯t for the loud explosions that urred one after another.


    Every time the color and color, or light and light, appeared dozens of times, the roar that followed was so loud that it was iparably greater than thunder. The echoes were sent through the crumbling ground and caused a bigger earthquake.


    People were afraid. It felt like the world was on the verge of the end. They would¡¯ve fallen into great anxiety if they discovered that Hayate, their support, was suffering serious injuries one after another.


    However, the situation was rather good for Marie Rose. Unlike Braham, she inherited all of their mother¡¯s abilities and knew how to truly utilize the deed of blood absorption. Marie Rose brought her bloody finger to her lips. Her red lips shone in a bewitching manner and attracted people¡¯s attention. Her beauty caused a serious problem.


    It made those who were thinking about the end of the world forget the crisis and fall into a trance. Therefore, it could be used for the purpose of leading people to euthanasia. It felt more like a curse than a blessing. In particr, it seemed to be a great curse for the person concerned.


    The people who were fascinated by Marie Rose felt sorry for her. They quickly imagined that she could never trulymunicate with anyone because she was so beautiful. Theplicated impression she gave of being dignified yet pitiful and bewitching yet innocent naturally aroused a lot of their imagination.


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t care. She was ustomed to having the eyes of others on her and just savored the blood of a Dragon yer.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t as sweet as my dear husband¡¯s.¡¯


    The taste was like perfume. It wasn¡¯t that it was on the level of being bad. Based on the memories of her mother that remained in her mind, it was said that the blood of a high status being was sweet. Yet strangely, it didn¡¯t taste good. Maybe it was the aftermath of tasting Grid¡¯s blood first. She became ustomed to the taste of Grid, so she became dissatisfied with the other tastes.


    ¡®Ahh.¡¯ Marie Rose¡¯s eyes curved while her white cheeks turned red. She feltplete restraint. She was chasing Grid from her mind and spirit to her body, so she feltpletely dominated. Up to now, countless beings were obsessed with her and tried to control her, but Grid, who avoided her, was the one who dominated her. It was obvious that a certain pope, who turned his back on the faith he built up all his life and locked his soul in a coffin, wouldment after knowing this.


    ¡°Eh...?¡± The people who had been staring nkly at Marie Rose suddenly came to their senses. It was because her cor fluttered and silver waves urred that were centered around her. It was reminiscent of the aura of a Dragon yer, who was fighting fiercely high in the sky.


    People¡¯s bodies started tilting. The people who fell to the ground eventually realized that the spot where Marie Rose had just been standing had formed a pit. It was like the surface of the moon. A huge crater was created.


    Did the aftermath of the ck dragon¡¯s Breath that cut the sky in half manage to reach this far? People were filled with worries and doubts, only to realize the strange sight a momentter. A closed parasoly neatly in the center of the crater. There were no signs of it being swept away by any explosion.


    ***


    Bunhelier had reigned since the beginning. He swallowed the demonic energy of hell and developed even further, bing an almighty being. In addition to his high magic power, he was able to utilize all types of evil energies. Therefore, he believed he was invincible and had no doubts. Of course, he had no intention of fighting with other old dragons, but he was confident that he could easily escape a crisis even when faced with an unavoidable situation.


    That¡¯s right¡ªmost of the crises that Bunhelier imagined came from beings in the same level as him. He wasn¡¯t particrly conscious of anyone unless they were an old dragon or god of the beginning.


    The Dragon yer? The only Absolute among the human beings? He believed he could easily trample on the Dragon yer once they met.


    However, the actual situation was very different from his beliefs. This human wasn¡¯t an easy opponent to trample on. The wounds on his body would increase if he didn¡¯t maintain the proper tension. It was very unpleasant.


    The absolute defense¡ªhe often felt naked when the innate power that protected him in most situations became powerless. There was a slight sense of crisis when the skin and scales that were covered by this defense were cut.


    The Dragon yer was just as intimidating as his crazy name. It was to the extent that Bunhelier became a bit annoyed at meeting him.


    ¡®It should¡¯ve been someone other than me who dealt with this guy.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been a very interesting sight. He would¡¯ve enjoyed watching it. However, he was reduced to being the spectacle. His anger soared when he thought about the other old dragons who would be watching the situation in their sleep right now. Hisposure was shaken by the thought that they might beughing at him.


    It was a side effect of hell¡¯s demonic energy. The source of demonic energy was chaos that was mixed with anger, hatred, sadness, and confusion. Bunhelier had been eating chaos as food for quite some time and couldn¡¯t easily control his emotionspared to other old dragons. It was apletely different situation from Trauka, who enjoyed the overt expression of emotions.


    Unlike Bunhelier, who only imed to be invincible after absorbing the demonic energy of hell and built up the confidence to escape any crisis, Trauka was crazy. He believed himself to be invincible from the moment he was born. He didn¡¯t foresee that a crisis would arise during his existence. At the same time, he was unexpectedly cautious, so he seemed to be bluffing... in any case, Bunhelier couldn¡¯t even afford to bluff.


    He was often immersed in his emotions. It was a weakness that he was aware of himself. This was the reason why he was extremely reluctant to associate with the Insane Dragon Nevartan.


    ¡®Calm down. There is no reason to be anxious.¡¯


    Bunhelier controlled his heart. He struggled to stay calm even though he suffered humiliation several times by the Dragon yer, who dared to act recklessly. He was confident that he could get rid of Hayate before Nevartan broke into the scene. Hayate had surprisingly good skills, but he didn¡¯t post a real threat to Bunhelier. This was the case until a moment ago.


    [......?!]


    He just needed to maintain a speed that Kraugel couldn¡¯t recognize and Kraugel wouldn¡¯t be able to interrupt his activation of the Breath¡ªBunhelier was aware of this part and flew at the speed of light while releasing a Breath. Then he came to a sudden stop.


    The Breath¡¯s trajectory wasn¡¯tpleted in the aftermath of the high-speed movement, so the momentum weakened even further and it was split into branches. It wasn¡¯t something he could care about.


    Bunhelier¡¯s senses were all directed downwards. Another Dragon yer was heading toward him. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. It was real.


    [You¡ªwhat is this?]


    It was a situation where his absolute defense and scales alone couldn¡¯t promiseplete protection. Bunhelier endured the humiliation and surrounded himself with a magic power barrier. Then he stared at Hayate as if he was going to eat this human.


    This was how shocking the situation was. There were two Dragon yers, not one. This person had deceived the world...


    Bunhelier had no choice but to think this way. It was hard to believe that no one had ever noticed the truth, so he had to be very vignt.


    That¡¯s right¡ªBunhelier didn¡¯t feel Marie Rose¡¯s aura at all. It was only after she drank Hayate¡¯s blood and reproduced some of the power of the Dragon yer that he noticed she was nearby. It was the aftermath of epting the demonic energy of hell. The Three Evils of the Beginning, who were in the position of dominating demonic energy, had a natural antipathy to him. The secret shackles that Baal ced on Bunhelier were working in Marie Rose¡¯s favor at this moment.


    The wave of silver light flowing around the delicate hands pierced through Bunhelier¡¯s barrier from below. It was the Dragon Killing Sword, but it was different from the Dragon Killing Sword. It wasn¡¯t in the shape of a sword, but took the form of five ws. At the same time, it tore apart the magic power and the weak parts of the body.


    Bunhelier¡¯s demonic energy was disturbed. The barrier of ck magic power had no effect and was shattered.


    [You...!]


    Bunhelier trembled when he saw the face of the uninvited guest who appeared at eye level with him.


    Long ck hair and red eyes¡ªthe pointed fangs that gradually appeared as the corners of her mouth rose revealed her true identity.


    [Beriache¡¯s...!]


    Just then, the real Dragon Killing Sword fell down and cut Bunhelier¡¯s scales. It was aimed at the nape of the neck, but it ended up grazing the shoulder. It was because Bunhelier tilted his head back and his neck swelled up greatly. It was the precursor to a Breath. It was an angle that aimed at both Hayate and Marie Rose, who attacked at the same time.


    A dopo fluttered behind Hayate¡¯s back as the sword that had been lowered diagonally was raised. It belonged to Kraugel.


    [The target¡¯s skill casting has been canceled.]


    It was the moment when the sword that cut the breathing finally came into effect. Marie Rose¡¯s unexpected intrusion presented a big opportunity.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The smile on Marie Rose¡¯s mouth grew even deeper. She saw Hayate rushing forward without worrying about the precursor of the Breath, so she also moved forward without hesitation. Then a human did a great job. It was a familiar person. He was the human who was most active after Grid, so she had heard a lot of rumors here and there.


    ¡°Sword Saint. You aren¡¯t bad either.¡±


    Roars urred in session. Hayate¡¯s Dragon Killing Sword took the lead and shed Bunhelier. Thanks to this, Kraugel¡¯s ultimate skill was also slightly effective.


    Marie Rose assisted. She used the magic power borrowed from the Dragon yer¡¯s energy and more effectively suppressed Bunhelier¡¯s demonic energy. This made the attacks of the two men even more powerful.


    [......!]


    The evil dragon Bunhelier swallowed his scream. It wasn¡¯t just an effort to save face. It was because he was conscious of Nevartan. He deduced that Nevartan would arrive even quicker if the turmoil increased beyond this. He avoided the Dragon Killing Sword that aimed at his heart using Polymorph.


    He used the details of the human body tounch a counterattack. However, a satisfactory result wasn¡¯t obtained. The demonic energy that was mixed with magic power wasn¡¯t controlled. Rather, it was fatal because it responded to Marie Rose¡¯s will.


    In effect, his magic was sealed and the movements of his body became dull.


    [Baal...!!]


    The more he became aware of his condition, the more Bunhelier resented Baal, not the enemies in front of him. He developed a grudge against Baal.


    In hell, Baalughed.

 Chapter 1658

    <h4>Chapter 1658</h4>


    The absolute nature of a dragon was innate. They rightfully reigned with their innate body, magic, and powers.


    Then what if that innate absoluteness became useless?


    ¡®It is annoying.¡¯


    First of all, his freedom was suppressed. He couldn¡¯t show the speed of crossing the continent with just a few ps of his wings.


    Hayate responded. The Dragon Killing Sword not only often neutralized his absolute defense, but also blocked his movement. The waves contained in the des that pierced that scales caused the body to stiffen. It was safe to say that Hayate¡¯s very existence was a contradiction to the dragons.


    Rumors were usually exaggerated, but in his case, it was theplete opposite. The rumors were far short of his actual skills.


    Then what about Marie Rose, who broke in one stepter? She was the rightful sessor of Beriache. She had an ability with a low chance of mutating, blood absorption, and was equivalent to the Three Evils of the Beginning, but she suffered no penalties on the surface. This was extremely threatening.


    Did she consume some of the blood that Hayate shed to embody some of the power of a Dragon yer? There seemed to be no exaggeration to the rumor that Beriache exerted the power of 10,000 demons alone when she fought against Baal for supremacy of hell.


    Marie Rose¡¯s intervention made Bunhelier feel like he was dealing with two Dragon yers. His movements were blocked more easily and his absolute defense and scales became neutralized more often. He used a Breath to try and reverse the situation, but even the result of that was disappointing. The influence exerted by the Sword Saint, who was still a child, was slightly annoying.


    Was his name Kraugel? He interacted with Hayate¡¯s sword energy and read Hayate¡¯s intentions. It was like a sword that moved on its own. He was a person that Hayate wielded along with the Dragon Killing Sword.


    The performance of the one who cut at Bunhelier¡¯s breathing at every moment and stopped the activation of the Breath was fatal whenbined with the performances of Hayate and Marie Rose. There weren¡¯t many means Bunhelier could rely on to escape this frustrating situation.


    First, magic. Dragons could cast multiple spells that they understood without any restrictions. It was a talent with a very goodpatibility with Bunhelier, who was an old dragon and liked nning. By studying the magic of species inferior to him, Bunhelier could cast hundreds of thousands of spells simultaneously. He used this ability to easily put Hayate into danger.


    However, Marie Rose¡¯s presence put limits on his magic. The magic power that was mixed with demonic energy failed to disobey Marie Rose¡¯s will and rebelled against Bunhelier. He couldn¡¯tplete the magic.


    Second, physical strength. An old dragon was huge and fast. It was safe to say that there was no limit to the power exerted by a body that reached up to several hundred meters, including the tail. Additionally, he was like an immortal creature and had the ability to regenerate at high speed. It meant that there was no problem even if his absolute defense and scales were pierced and he got hurt. A natural disaster would ur if he wielded this invincible body and the enemy would naturally be killed.


    It was only a story of when the attack hit. It had arge attack area, so the dragon¡¯s hit rate was practically close to 100%. It was just that the opponents were too bad this time. Both Hayate, who had advanced to the point of facing Martial God Zeratul head-on, and Marie Rose, who controlled the flow of magic power, didn¡¯t easily allow any attacks.


    ¡®They are like flies.¡¯


    The winged beast thought while spitting. In the end, there was only one answer.


    Dragon Words¡ªhe had to reverse all the disadvantageous situations with the strongest of a dragon¡¯s powers. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. If Bunhelier could use powerful Dragon Words like other old dragons, then the situation wouldn¡¯t be so disadvantageous.


    Unfortunately, there was a w in Bunhelier¡¯s Dragon Words. It was even worse than the Dragon Words of some of the top dragons. It was natural. As Cranbel had said, Dragon Words were something tempered through the fulfillment of the covenant.


    It was the only power among all the powers that a dragon was born with that needed training. Bunhelier had enough problems with his heart to the point of degenerating to an evil dragon, so the number of times he fulfilled a covenant was naturally small. This meant his Dragon Words didn¡¯t grow properly.


    ¡®I have to train it this time.¡¯


    Bunhelier saw the crisis as an opportunity. He vowed to use today¡¯s humiliation as a stepping stone for transcendence.


    [I will kill 10,000 humans.]


    It was sudden nonsense. The moment Bunhelier spoke, Hayate¡¯s group felt their bodies bing light. They realized that the pressure of the Dragon Words that had been crushing them was gone.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Marie Rose, Hayate, and Kraugel immediately noticed Bunhelier¡¯s intentions. Their level of understanding was the same, regardless of the level of their skills. It was their reaction that was different. Marie Rose just yawned, while Hayate immediately descended to the ground. Kraugel...


    He broke the White Tiger Sword. The ultimate in growth-type items that was made with Grid¡ªhe permanently lost the myth-rated item that had developed with him over the years. It was in order to protect Hayate.


    The reason why Bunhelier failed to maintain the speed of light was the Dragon Killing Sword. He was only temporarily slowed down before he became stiff whenever he collided with the Dragon Killing Sword. Outside of the range of the Dragon Killing Sword, Bunhelier was still free. The speed of the bastard who aimed at a ce without Hayate couldn¡¯t be perceived by the civilians at all.


    ¡°......?¡±


    It felt like the ck dots that shed in a dizzying manner and embroidered the sky became slightlyrger. By the time the humans on the ground had this thought, Bunhelier¡¯s shadow was already covering the ground.


    The sight of the giant dragon just in front of them frightened people. However, the speed of the storm was much faster than their screams. It was a storm created by Bunhelier who simply ¡®moved.¡¯ It swept away the crowd before people could even scream. It contained a destructive power that could easily tear apart human flesh and bones. It happened as people¡¯s skins were cracking and blood flowed...


    Hayate chased after Bunhelier andnded among the crowd. He enveloped the people with the waves of the Dragon Killing Sword that was split into particles and spread. The people were protected thanks to this.


    However, Hayate revealed a gap. From the perspective of Bunhelier, who was simply trying to strengthen his Dragon Words by fulfilling the covenant, it was an unexpected windfall.


    Killing 10 thousand human beings¡ªhis Dragon Words wouldn¡¯t grow dramatically even if he fulfilled this covenant. In a situation that was unfortunate for him, Hayate¡¯s actions became self-defeating. This was a great fortune for Bunhelier.


    He immediately mmed his foot down toward Hayate. He urately grasped that Hayate had weakened in the aftermath of dispersing the waves of the Dragon Killing Sword and he quickly targeted it.


    However, the attack failed. Fragments of something that was as transparent as ssbined with Hayate¡¯s strong self-defense. The fragments of the White Tiger Sword filled up the gaps in the sword energy.


    Sword¡¯s Sacrifice¡ªsacrifice a sword to protect a target. The utilization was low due to the restriction that the target needed to have sword energy, but the stronger the rating and power of the sacrificed sword, the greater the effect. Thanks to this, Hayate was able to hold on for a long time even after being trampled by Bunhelier¡¯s huge foot.


    ¡°There is no one normal among the old dragons.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    People couldn¡¯t close their mouths. The dragon¡¯s foot that was bigger than a house¡ªthey stared nkly at the back of the Absolute, who lifted something that should¡¯ve crushed him like he was an ant.


    The scattered Dragon Killing Sword gathered again and took the form of a sword. It was held in Hayate¡¯s hand and dug into the sole of Bunhelier¡¯s foot little by little.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know honor. It is disappointing.¡±


    [A rat who has been hiding for over 1,000 years is talking about honor?]


    Bunhelier reacted emotionally. It was proof that he had little room for rxation in his mind. It was because the senses he spread across the continent noticed Nevartan waking up. That guy wasing soon. It was impossible to get rid of everyone in front of him.


    However, simply retreating was a serious problem. There were too many witnesses. The act of fleeing would be the achievement of those who participated in the battle and he would suffer a great deal of damage to his status. He could even regress.


    The point was simple. It was enough if he didn¡¯t seem to be running away.


    [I will punish you.]


    Bunhelier spoke with rough breathing before his momentum changed in an instant. It was the result of focusing all his senses that he had spread across the continent. Hayate, who had been pushing Bunhelier away little by little, became startled and stepped back. Then Bunhelier¡¯s gaze shifted upward.


    He caught sight of Marie Rose, who had be quiet at a certain point, dozing off. Bunhelier tried to ignore it. He stared at Kraugel, who had be ragged and couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hayate read Bunhelier¡¯s aim and was about to jump out in a hurry, only to stop. It was because Bunhelier utilized the magic power that had been freed after Marie Rose was struck by the Curse of Sloth. Hundreds of thousands of spells were cast at the same time and aimed at humans. Hayate couldn¡¯t ignore them.


    In the sky, Kraugel was smiling. It was as if he was saying not to worry about him.


    A dark pir soared. The Dragon Breath turned Kraugel¡¯s body into ashes. At that same time, Hayate screamed in a desperate manner as he cut down the magic shot at the humans.


    It was the moment when the winner and the loser were decided. The people who hadn¡¯t been able to read the flow of the battle in the first ce perceived the winner as Bunhelier due to this moment.


    [Look forward to the next punishment.]


    Bunhelier turned his back, spread open his wings, and left. He was clearly running away, but in the eyes of the people, it became glorified as the winner¡¯s leisure.


    Hayate couldn¡¯t chase after him. The Dragon Killing Sword might have a superior advantage over a dragon, but Hayate¡¯s body was weak whenpared to Bunhelier¡¯s body. Every time he collided with Bunhelier, he felt pain as if his bones and flesh were separating and his physical strength was rapidly consumed. Even if a human transcended and became an Absolute, how could theypare to an old dragon?


    Just as Bunhelier was nervous due to being conscious of Nevartan, Hayate was nervous because he knew his physical strength was limited. He realized that he couldn¡¯t buy enough time if he chased after Bunhelier in his current state.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve pursued him if the vampire duke was with me.¡¯


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t expect anything from her, who was already half asleep. Hopefully, Nevartan would seed in chasing Bunhelier and they would deal devastating blows to each other.


    Hayate¡¯s face was full of remorse as he stood still and looked at the horizon.


    Kraugel¡ªthe present day Sword Saint and Pioneer. Hayatemented that Kraugel sacrificed himself for Hayate while helping, rather than being able to rely on Hayate.


    ¡°I am fine. It is enough as long as you are safe.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel quickly returned to the scene thanks to the close resurrection spot and cooled the atmosphere for a moment, but there were no major problems. Hayate understood the characteristics of the yers.


    In any case, Kraugel¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t bad. He might¡¯ve lost his sword and more than half his experience bar, but he gained a higher status and a title. It was a right that he earned by fighting an old dragon to defend Hayate. It was safe to say that it would be a benefit in the long run. Of course, this was the story when trying to interpret it positively. Unlike his outward appearance, Kraugel¡¯s insides were burning.


    ¡®My sword...¡¯


    It was the ideal sword that Grid had made ording to his wishes. It was a sword that developed together with him from the normal rating and was reborn as his soulpanion. It meant he had lost his most precious treasure.


    Kraugel wasforted by the fact that he helped Hayate, but it was hard for him to be in a normal mental state...

 Chapter 1659

    <h4>Chapter 1659</h4>


    People believed that Hayate was the strongest. He might be a character who only recently appeared and had never yed an active role, but he was naturally recognized as the strongest. There was no doubt about it.


    Dragon yer¡ªthe only Absolute in human history. Who would question his ability?


    There was a section of Grid¡¯s 18th epic that portrayed Hayate as a frightened hermit, but people didn¡¯t care. They understood the solitude and fear of the Absolute, while naturally looking forward to the power of the Absolute. They purely weed Hayate and cheered for him, who relied on Grid toe out into the world.


    It could be interpreted that Hayate¡¯s performance today was a response to their support. He bravely faced a dragon that caused a disaster with a single p of the wings and in the end, he managed to protect the people. He fulfilled the responsibilities of Grid and the apostles while they were away from the surface.


    "...Uwaaaaahhhhh!"


    The ce where the dragon left¡ªit was only after Hayate put away his dazzling sword that people started cheering. They finally realized that the hellish battle was over. They surrounded Hayate as he roughly wiped away the blood on his body that had almost been torn to shreds. It was to the extent where they seemed like they would toss him up.


    There was the sound of an explosioning from the direction Bunhelier had left in and it was quite loud. However, the noise was only heard in Kraugel¡¯s ears. People didn¡¯t sense it and were excited. For them, the oue of winning or losing didn¡¯t matter. The fact that they survived was the important thing.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate¡¯s expression was as calm as always. He was very calm as a noble aristocrat. However, he was inwardly very puzzled. He had been fighting alone for over a thousand years, so he was very unfamiliar with the cheers of people. He might be in a daze, but his heart was tickled.


    He was happy... he thought this expression could be used. Suddenly, he had a certain wish. He hoped that his colleagues who were fighting in hell would be able to feel the same way he was feeling right now.


    ¡®Pleasee back safely.¡¯


    Now they could stand proudly in front of people. A world had arrived where Biban didn¡¯t need to be in charge of cleaning the bathroom even if he went around the neighborhood and talked about his identity. It had already happened so they should enjoy it.


    A series of explosions were heard from further away than before. It was the sounding from the fight between Bunhelier and Nevartan, who had encountered each other. Fortunately, the battle took ce in a remote location. It was ording to Hayate¡¯s calctions. The dragons were instinctively drawn toward the forest where the magical remnants of the dead myth predator were drifting.


    ¡°It is you who defeated the Gale of the Great Forest,¡± Hayate spoke to Marie Rose, who had just descended to the ground.


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t answer. Her eyes were half closed as she picked up her parasol and opened it. It was even though it waste at night now. It was a sight that proved her parasol wasn¡¯t intended to block the sun. It was meant to cover up her beauty.


    People were easily making this guess when Marie Rose merged with the darkness and disappeared. She didn¡¯t even look at Hayate and Kraugel. She didn¡¯t seem to feel anything even though they stopped the invasion of the old dragon together.


    Hayate and Kraugel had expected her attitude. From the moment she fought Bunhelier to the present, Marie Rose¡¯s gaze had often been turned to one direction of the sky. It was the direction where Grid was being shown. Her only concern was for Grid. They were impressed by the way she smiled brightly and looked back at Grid every time she did something, like a child longing for praise.


    ¡°I am worried about Grid,¡± Hayate stated after he stared at the spot where Marie Rose had disappeared. The people at the scene didn¡¯t hear him. It was because they were all bedazzled by their fascination with Marie Rose and were crazy.


    On the other hand, Kraugel wasn¡¯t distracted and cocked his head in a puzzled manner. ¡°Is there a need to worry? Putting aside her mature appearance, she is a woman with a pure side. I don¡¯t think she will harm Grid.¡±


    Kraugel was the yer after Grid who had built up the most affinity with NPCs. As the former 1st ranked yer, he changed his words and deeds ording to the nature or circumstances of the subject. It meant he tailored his style so that he could easily get the affinity of the other person. Therefore, he spoke more politely than usual. It went well with the appearance of his dopo. He seemed like he was shooting a historical drama with Hayate.


    Meanwhile, the people came to their senses and focused on the conversation between the two of them.


    ¡°You misunderstood. I am worried about Grid¡¯s attitude, not Marie Rose.¡±


    ¡°What is Grid¡¯s attitude...¡±


    ¡°There are so many women by his side.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The momentum is enough for him to have at least 10 people.¡±


    People listened even more intently. Grid¡¯s colorful love life with women had been famous for a long time. People expected that Hayate, who had lived for over a thousand years, to criticize Grid¡¯s attitude. They took the old tales as an example and believed that the more a person was a hero, the more they should give mature advice, such as to watch out for beauties or to be single-minded. They were already inwardly feeling refreshed.


    However, Hayate¡¯s next words were very unexpected. ¡°Theye from various backgrounds. All their bloodlines are unusual, so it is expected that there will be a fierce battle for session. In order to prevent a great disaster, it is necessary to hold the center so that the wives can get closer. However, he goes out too often.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Of course, the world is also at fault for not leaving him alone, but Marie Rose isn¡¯t weaker than Grid. It isn¡¯t a problem to always have her with him wherever he goes. I can¡¯t easily understand why he is neglecting her.¡±


    Hayate was a nobleman from a thousand years ago. He might reject the custom of a man having multiple wives, but he didn¡¯t criticize it. Perhaps he had the most open mind in the modern world.


    ¡®Shit...¡¯


    ¡®Grid is the worst man. Right?¡¯


    The moment that Hayate said somethingpletely different from their expectations, the disappointed people trembled with jealousy. It was proof that their daily life, which had copsed overnight, was faintly returning.


    ***


    In the background of the people of the surface gradually regaining a bit of their daily lives, there was naturally the activities of the hell expedition. The situation in hell flowed in real time even as Hayate and Kraugel were fighting fiercely against a dragon.


    The Overgeared Guild, the apostles, and the tower members operating in various parts of hell were gradually reducing the number of demons. There was hope in a situation where there had been nothing but despair.


    That was just a little while ago.


    ¡®Ugh.¡¯ Mercedes swallowed back a groan. She discovered the location of the body of the hell moon with her Keen Insight and unexpectedly pierced the ground rather than the sky. Then she found a great deal of demons blocking her path. They were different from the great demons or Baal¡¯s henchmen and were closer to the original demons.


    The closer she got to the hell moon and the deeper she headed underground, the more often the old demons appeared. They had gray hair and their skin was full of wrinkles. Their age could be felt just by looking at them. Maybe that was the reason they all had strong skills. It reached the point where the legs of the steadily advancing Mercedes came to aplete stop.


    ¡°¡±This ce... can¡¯t be reached... with that much...status...""


    How long had it been since they opened their mouths? The dry voice that cracked every time they spoke gave her goosebumps.


    Mercedes¡¯ expression became even more serious. Her face, which had hardened since discovering that the identity of the hell moon was a creature made of countless souls, suddenly cooled down. ¡°What exactly is being done in this ce?¡±


    ¡°¡°You... aren¡¯t qualified... to hear it.¡±¡±


    Sword energy surged every time the demons waved their dry hands. It took the form of a clear sword and the color was green like the shade of a tree.


    A forest of swords literally bloomed.


    Mercedes¡¯ eyes twitched. Her transparent pupils became cloudy and tears of blood flowed down.


    ¡®This?¡¯


    The souls of the demons were ovepped. To be precise, it felt like another soul resided in the bodies of the demons. However, the souls were very simr to someone.


    Biban.


    ¡®Sword Saint?¡¯


    It was the Matchless Swordsmanship, but it was a bit different from Biban¡¯s swordsmanship. This swordsmanship was being embodied at the fingertips of the demons.


    The sword energy that formed the forest swept forward like a gust of wind as they responded to the demons¡¯ swords and Mercedes¡¯ blood scattered. Mercedes¡¯ body was pierced in its vital points and she was pushed back greatly. She barely managed to stop in ce by sticking the bottom of her shield into the ground. Then she red at the demons as if she was going to kill them.


    She realized that the armor Grid had made for her with great care had be a mess. The fact that the ck engraving next to her left shoulder had been erased made her angry. It was because Grid¡¯s initials there had been erased.


    ¡°It seems you have been experimenting with transnting the souls of legends.¡±


    On the ¡®day¡¯ she fell asleep while looking at the magnificent view of the Chaos Mountains, which had been stained red with the blood of monsters, Mercedes had heard a story while being hugged in Grid¡¯s arms. It was a story about the Behen Archipgo. It was a great story, but Grid¡¯s expression was very gloomy. He seemed concerned that Pagma, who contracted with Baal, used the souls of the previous legends to create the death knights.


    ¡°It is an experiment based on the experience of the contractor.¡±


    ¡°¡±The order... is wrong. It is... a trivial reasoning.¡±¡±


    Shadows came. Mercedes responded by spreading out her silver wings and made the contrast clear. She read the path of the assassin rising from her shadow and stabbed her sword. However, she couldn¡¯t pierce the dark shadow. The fluttering cloth dulled the de of her sword. It was surprisingly heavy. Mercedes grasped the material of the cloth with Keen Insight and was a bit flustered. It was because it was a metal fabric.


    A stab resembling Grid¡¯s sword dance dug into Mercedes¡¯ side. At this point, the people on the surface also noticed what the old demons of this dark and deep crypt were doing. They were embodying the legends of human beings.


    ¡°¡±Don¡¯t... overlook that... we are just... gatekeepers.¡±¡±


    They pretended to be kind, but a demon was a demon.


    Seven demonspletely surrounded Mercedes. They seemed to have no intention of letting her leave smoothly.


    The situation of Mercedes, who was surrounded by seven legends, was serious.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡± Mercedes¡¯ deep breathing stimted the demons¡¯ sensitive senses.


    The demons attacked Mercedes almost reflexively. The sight of the seven demons simultaneously using seven types of techniques that belonged to legends was overwhelming. It felt like the greatest moments of human history were being recreated simultaneously.


    This sight was clearly captured in Mercedes¡¯ transparent eyes.


    Keen Insight¡ªthe talent that even the gods were wary of fully bloomed and destroyed the legendary techniques, shing at the demons¡¯ throats.

 Chapter 1660

    <h4>Chapter 1660</h4>


    An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t know about Keen Insight. Even though Mercedes¡¯ blue eyes sometimes shone transparently, they just thought it was beautiful rather than giving a special meaning to it. They thought of it as an optical illusion that changed depending on the angle of light. This was why they didn¡¯t understand it.


    A forest of sword energy in a narrow and long tunnel¡ªshadow soldiers soared from the shaded space of the forest. A metal cloth that fluttered in a dizzying manner and narrowed the field of view and space. A noble sword dance that was as invisible as a demon¡¯s dance and the arrows that were shot silently.


    They couldn¡¯t understand Mercedes¡¯ ability to avoid and counterattack all the techniques that symbolized the legends of humanity.


    It was natural. Her evasive movement was like a flowing stream. She didn¡¯t use Shunpo, so it wasn¡¯t fast. Hayate¡¯s movements when fighting the dragon a little while ago were perceived as shing lights, while her movements could be vaguely read in people¡¯s eyes.


    Nevertheless, not a single attack reached her body. It was an iprehensible realm. It seemed like she was something beyond a legend. People dared to question if she had be a protagonist of a myth like Grid or Braham, or had reached the realm of the Absolutes.


    Surprisingly, it was the same for the demons.


    ¡°¡±What type of trick is this...?¡±¡±


    The red moon that was projected not only to the sky of hell, but also the sky of the surface¡ªits body that was covered with countless eyes was sleeping here underground. If the river of reincarnation was a ce associated with the essence of hell, then this was a ce that contained the secrets of the corrupted hell. It meant that it was more important than the river of reincarnation for Baal.


    It was the reason why the old demons were ced as gatekeepers. They had been living since close to the beginning and they were very powerful. It was to the extent that they gained Baal¡¯s trust, so they were asked to guard this ce. In return, fragments of souls had been transnted to them.


    As the years passed, they became stronger and those who could be their enemies were rare. However, there was only one human being active. She was an existence who made the weight of the years umted by the seven demons be worthless. A woman with no wrinkles on her face read and blocked the thousands of years of experience and wisdom contained in each movement of the old monsters. She looked like a monster even in the eyes of these old monsters.


    ¡°¡±It is a human, right...? Recite the genealogy of your bloodline.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±I¡¯m curious about the depth of the lineage.¡±¡±


    She wasn¡¯t an ordinary human. There was no way her lineage could¡¯ve originated from the surface. She was most likely rted to hell or heaven.


    Mercedes asked the specting demons, ¡°Do demons know about genealogy?¡±


    It was an attitude of dealing with an unfounded, misceneous thing. It wasn¡¯t particrly demeaning, but that made them even more upset.


    ¡°¡±The fact that Baal is the son of God Yatan... it must bemon sense that even humans know about... why do you think there would be no genealogy?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Are you an idiot whocksmon sense...? It is understandable. You were born with the talent to go against the heavens in this human body... you can¡¯t handle it...¡±¡±


    Was it because they were demons who had lived for a long time? They seemed particrly obsessed with bloodlines. She wondered if they were the ancestors of a great family of hell.


    Mercedes couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Baal betrayed Yatan. I don¡¯t know why demons who serve such an immoral being as their master are obsessed with lineage. You are the same immoral being, so you shouldn¡¯t care about lineage.¡±


    ¡°Immoral...? Breaking the right path? The right path is a concept that only applies to human beings...¡±¡±


    ¡°You are talking about lineage without knowing about following the right path?¡±


    Braham, Huroi, Pon, Vantner, etcetera¡ªthere were many people who spoke very harsh words next to Grid. There were also many people with a very strong ego like Lauel, Damian, and Regas. It was difficult to develop the habit of being considerate when conversing with others.


    Mercedes was also affected. In the beginning, she had been the number one knight of the Saharan Empire. The first time she met Grid, she had quickly given him an order to get down on his knees. She didn¡¯t bother to consider the other person¡¯s feelings before speaking. Of course, she was kind to those she liked, but she was indifferent and cold toward her enemies.


    The wrinkles on the faces of the old demons twitched ferociously.


    ¡°¡±You are from hell.¡±¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Just like that? Mercedes cocked her head as the demons came to an absurd conclusion. She had a confused expression on her face when her hair became disturbed like a gentle wave and there was the roar of an explosion.


    A demon, who was silently shooting a bow from the back, attempted to openly snipe her. An arrow with an immensely powerful air wave was fired at an unprecedented speed and reached the middle of Mercedes¡¯ forehead. However, it only skimmed against the skin.


    Mercedes triggered Keen Insight and dodged. The arrow flew into a wall and caused the tunnel to shake. Then the forest of green sword energy rushed like a tsunami.


    From a third person perspective, the scene was chaos itself. All types of energies and techniques intertwined. The ground rose up and down as explosions urred and the ceiling copsed. It was clear that Mercedes¡¯ vision would be as dizzying as riding a roller coaster.


    Even so, Mercedes didn¡¯t lose her bnce. Even in the midst of the chaos that twisted left and right and reversed up and down, her movements were neat and tidy. She sharply operated the sword with the breath of Matchless Heart Technique and raised a huge shield like a wall to block the attacks of the demons.


    It was a shield filled with Grid¡¯s care. The diagonal lines at the top of the shield weren¡¯t just for decoration, but were for the purpose of obtaining visibility. It was used by Mercedes to observe the enemy beyond the shield. The diagonal lines in the middle of the shield were intended to give an opportunity for a reversal.


    Mercedes¡¯s sword protruded through the diagonal gap and pierced the abdomen of the demon who had been narrowing the distance.


    That alone wasn¡¯t enough. Mercedes was a legendary knight who grew stronger every time she wrote a chivalric code. She was also an apostle of the Overgeared God who became stronger every time she armed herself with an item created by Grid. It was just that the profession of knight itself was inherently limited.


    Her offense and defense bnce was perfect, but there was nothing special about it. Mercedes could further increase her offensive and defensive capabilities ording to the situation by using Keen Insight. However, it was difficult for her to show a distinct strength against an opponent in a higher basic weight ss than her. In the first ce, having a good bnce only acted as a strength when overwhelming a weaker opponent. In order to defeat an enemy stronger than herself, she had to abandon her bnce and deal a finishing blow.


    However, Mercedes didn¡¯t have that. All her stats were equal and there was none that was extraordinary. This was why she couldn¡¯t win against the old demons. She could just hold on in a stable manner. This was both her strength and her weakness.


    If only there were the other apostles or Grid by her side at this time. No, if there were the elite members of the Overgeared Guild present, then the battle would¡¯ve changed greatly. They would¡¯ve taken down the demons one by one while she read and stopped the offensive of the demons.


    There was just little she could do alone. She couldn¡¯t move forward.


    ¡®It is hard in this state.¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ mission was to find a way to destroy the hell moon. She was the only one who could analyze the principles that it used to project hell to the sky of the surface ande up with a solution. Now she was on the verge of stumbling right before the threshold. She would be able to get some clues if she went in a bit further, but she was overwhelmed by theck of strength. In the end, it meant shecked skills.


    She felt a tremendous gap between her ideals and reality. Why did she openly reveal her killing intent toward Martial God Zeratul? She wanted to punish Zeratul for daring to insult Grid. Yet the reality of this moment was telling her how arrogant she was at the time.


    She definitely realized it. She had the power to observe abnormalities in herself. In other words, she didn¡¯t have the ability to cut down Grid¡¯s enemies.


    The level of the enemies rose abruptly. It felt like Grid¡¯s extraordinary growth rate, which overshadowed the years, raised the level of the world. The reason why Baal suddenly opened up the Asura Road must be because he was conscious of Grid. She also needed to make drastic changes to adapt to the elerated world flow...


    [Your apostle ¡®Mercedes¡¯ has created a new chivalric code.]


    Nothing changed as the wounds on Mercedes¡¯ body increased. However, a change urred when Mercedes¡¯ sword failed to increase the wounds on the demons¡¯ body. It was a dramatic and continuous change.


    First of all, Mercedes¡¯ sword energy that formed her silver wings, changed. The feathers dispersed and became de fragments. They rotated like a wheel and wrapped around Mercedes¡¯ body or sword. If they wrapped around her body, they exerted the power to reflect the enemy¡¯s attack. If they wrapped around her sword, they exerted the power to destroy the enemy¡¯s defenses.


    The silver wings used to assist Mercedes with eleration and agility had achieved an aggressive evolution. Mercedes¡¯ swordsmanship also changed. A sword trajectory wasn¡¯t followed by the shield, but another sword trajectory. Every time she wielded her sword, the shield that used to pressure the enemy or guard her side was now being used as a foothold. It was appropriate to say that it was being used as a topographic feature.


    The position of the shield was constantly changing dynamically and it added anomalies to her swordsmanship. The shield itself was sorge and strong that it had the role of blocking the enemy¡¯s movement.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    The expressions of the demons changed. They had been quite surprised by the performance of Keen Insight, but slowly regained theirposure after confirming there would be no change to the final result of them winning. Now shock slowly appeared on their calm faces.


    It was evidence that Mercedes had achieved a dramatic rise. She was different from before.


    First of all, her mindset had changed. It was different from the awareness that she had to break through these gatekeeper demons. It wasn¡¯t due to the mission she was doing now. The reason she had to cut them to death was because they were beings who might be a threat to her master one day in the future...


    ¡°A dramatic victory.¡±


    Defeat the enemy and win the battle¡ªthe deration that contained Mercedes¡¯ new mindset was embodied as a substantial force. The sword started to emit a brilliance as it rapidly became huge. Then it devastated the forest of sword energy. It stretched out, disturbed the demons¡¯ camp, and mmed deep into the tunnel. The entire underground area was shaken.


    Mercedes¡¯ transparent eyes as she descended from the copsed ceiling gradually turned red. It was the aftermath of the red thing lurking in the darkness.

 Chapter 1661

    <h4>Chapter 1661</h4>


    The god of war¡ªAres was very fond of his alias.


    It wasn¡¯t because he was obsessed with the title of ¡®god,¡¯ but because he purely liked the word ¡®war.¡¯


    He admired generals from an early age and watched all the movies where soldiers were active. Then he came across the ssic Korean movie, The General¡¯s Son. He was fascinated by the street fighting and couldn¡¯t take his eyes off it for a while, but...


    Eventually, he shifted his attention back to the world of generalsmanding an army. He looked away for a while, so he realized the value and was even more fascinated.


    This was when Satisfy was released. It was set in an era of war where the focus was on actualbat and not a button tounch nuclear missiles. He was naturally interested. In order to be a ¡®general¡¯ that didn¡¯t exist in the ss column introduced by the S.A Group, he believed in Satisfy¡¯s high degree of freedom and enlisted in the military.


    He might¡¯ve started out as the lowest ranked soldier, but he dreamed of bing an iparable general. He didn¡¯t outwardly express his dreams. He didn¡¯t want to be put into the same category as the ordinary military enthusiasts. He pretended to be indifferent on the surface and acted like an uncle who lived ording to the flow.


    However, he worked harder than anyone else, earned the alias of a god of war, and eventually became the founding king of a kingdom. He recalled the time when he was at war with the Saharan Empire.


    It was a time when Valha¡¯s elite 5th army was repeatedly defeated by an army led by the Red Knights. The atmosphere in Valha at the time wasn¡¯t bad. In particr, he judged the empire to be a much easier opponent than the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because he discerned the capabilities of the 1st knight, who was in control of the military power of the eastern part of the empire, a fierce battlefield at the time.


    Mercedes¡ªshe possessed a powerful swordsmanship as rumored and was a death god in the battlefield. The incident where the 1,000 elite troops led by Scott and Luck were defeated by her alone was still talked about as a nightmare in Valha. Yes, it was just one person. Themander-in-chief, Mercedes, drove away thousands of troops without using any of her own troops. She took the lead and crushed the enemies with pure force.


    It was at this point that Ares realized that Mercedes wasn¡¯t a good general. It was due to her own tendencies, not because she had ws in her ability to move the troops or her strategies. She was a warrior based on overwhelming martial talent. For her, there was little reason to use the army and Ares properly prated her psychology.


    He reduced the scope of the battlefield. He led the eastern army of the empire to take her orders on the same battlefield as her. As expected, the enemy¡¯s active force was reduced and the Valha Army performed better than expected. They might have been eventually defeated, but it bought enough time to fully grasp the empire¡¯s strength and gave them the opportunity to pursue the next step. In any case, the conclusion was¡ª


    ¡°This is her essence,¡± Ares insisted as hey in the hammock and looked up at the sky. It was a sky that showed the violent image of Mercedes smashing everything around her with a giant sword of light.


    ¡°It is in her nature to get rid of a crisis before it happens, rather than sitting still and responding to a crisis.¡±


    There was no sense of crisis in his amused expression as he sipped on a c-vored drink. It was in a situation where the Asura Road opened by Baal caused chaos on the surface and the hell expedition repeatedly struggled. He had a rxed attitude even after hearing the news that a dragon appeared and nearly destroyed the world.


    It was because the rumored Dragon yer handled the dragon and he believed in Grid and Mercedes when it came to the hell situation. They had fought together as enemies or colleagues, so he was confident that he knew the strength of this couple better than anyone.


    ¡°Can I call them a married couple?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay as long as you are careful in front of Empress Irene and Empress Basara?¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes. I don¡¯t want to seem hateful to the other wives, so I have to be careful.¡±


    Ares crushed the 22 ounce iron cup with one hand and stood up. The cup crumpled like a wad of tissue paper and fell onto the sandy beach. Ares¡¯ eyes caught something ¡®running on the sea¡¯ as he started to make his way to the shore.


    ¡°There are 300 people who have mastered the water walking light footwork technique.¡±


    The followers of the Martial God¡ªthose who had been training in the East Continent started arge-scale activity. They crossed the Red Sea toward the West Continent and seemed to be moving under Zeratul¡¯s oracle.


    It was unfortunate. A god who threatened the human world by taking advantage of the chaos caused by the worst demon called Baal.


    ¡®There is no one who is right. After this, the only god who can be trusted is Grid.¡¯


    If Grid hadn¡¯t advanced to the myth rating¡ª


    If there were fewer opportunities to get a glimpse into the reality of the gods who didn¡¯t feel a sense of crisis¡ª


    The 2 billion yers would¡¯ve been in a great crisis even after winning the war against hell. It was highly likely that the gods, who hid their essence, would take advantage of them. They would be divided into those who doubted the gods and those who didn¡¯t. Simply put, they would¡¯ve been hit hard by the stab in the back and fall into a desperate situation. They would¡¯ve only noticed the reality of the gods after losing most of their strength to resist.


    ¡°That friend, Grid, he is really amazing.¡±


    ¡°So suddenly?¡±


    The sandy beach started to shake as Ares reached the shore. It was the aftermath of tens of thousands of horses lining up behind him. It was the continent¡¯s strongest cavalry, armed with the Overgeared Empire¡¯s weapons and armor. They radiated the same energy like they were one. Their momentum was so great that it made the followers of the martial god hesitate for a moment.


    The moment the 300 followers stopped moving unexpectedly, a tsunami urred. Waves that soared like walls rushed toward the shore.


    Ares and the mounted soldiers weren¡¯t bewildered. They stared at the rapidly approaching waves without any fear. The followers showed off the water walking light footwork technique again and were getting closer on the waves.


    ¡°Are they surfers?¡± Ares burst outughing before giving amand, ¡°All forces, annihte.¡±


    There was one reason why Ares went to the front himself the moment he heard about the massive advance of the followers of the martial god. It was in order to win.


    The army he directlymanded was four times stronger than usual. A huge 13 buffs were stacked up. Additionally, the name of one of these buffs was none other than Peerless General.


    Ares made his dreame true.


    ***


    ¡°¡±Catch her...!¡±¡±


    A demon who had been imnted with the soul of the Sword Saint¡ªhe noticed that Mercedes¡¯s sword energy had changed. No, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to say that it had simply changed. It felt closer to uncovering what had been hidden. It felt like they opened a box that shouldn¡¯t have been opened.


    ¡°¡±Is it right to chase? Wouldn¡¯t it hate it if we invaded its territory?¡±¡±


    The chatter of the old demons gradually grew faster. It could be that their vocal cords, which had hardened due to long years of silence, were finally loosened, or it could be because the situation was tense.


    ¡°¡±It isn¡¯t the time to argue about that. It is a conflict, so it is right to cooperate.¡±¡±


    The more the demon with the transnted soul of the Sword Saint spoke, the more the expressions of the other demons shook. It was a bizarre reaction. It had to be so. The thing that lurked beneath them was a monster. It was a monster made up of millions of souls. It wasn¡¯t in the realm of understanding, so it couldn¡¯t be opposed. Then what did it mean by a conflict?


    ¡°¡±Che.¡±¡±


    The demon with the soul of the Sword Saint eventually went out alone. He left behind the demons who weren¡¯t ready to rush forward and jumped underground. Was it because he had a strong sense of duty alone? No. His soul was hoping for a fight with Mercedes. It was an instinctive attraction.


    ***


    Duguen, dugeun, dugeun!


    At the deepest underground of hell...


    A red sphere lurking in the darkness was pulsating. It was like the heart of something. However, it couldn¡¯t be. It was ridiculously huge. It would be hundreds of timesrger than a dragon heart.


    How long had she been falling? The moment that Mercedesnded on the ground, a shockwave shook the entire underground. She was as small as an ant as she stood in front of the red sphere. Her gaze failed to capture the sphere with the strange eyes. It wasn¡¯t a problem. Even though she knew this would be the case, she got closer. Her Keen Insight had already finished the analysis of the sphere.


    ¡®The hell moon.¡¯


    This was the original form of the hell moon. Like the moon that shone on the surface, this red sphere was being projected onto the skies of the surface and hell. It was something artificially created, unlike the real moon in space.


    ¡®It is a huge chunk of flesh.¡¯


    It was at the moment Mercedes defined the identity of that something... A faint light started to appear all over the chunk of flesh. It was a red light that flowed like blood. In the sky, an infinite number of bloodshot eyes were visible. Each one was someone¡¯s soul. Was it depicted as bloodshot eyes because there was a strong resentment?


    Mercedes was thinking with a heavy heart when a red light shot at her. It was filled with a very threatening force.


    Mercedes remained silent. There was no evasion or defense. It was because she knew there was no need for it.


    Kyaaaak!


    The light shot was the soul of a woman. The memory of a woman who lost her child screamed and pierced through Mercedes without causing any damage.


    ¡°It is a low-grade trick,¡± Mercedes spoke coldly.


    A trick¡ªthe previous attack was just a deception. If the person wasn¡¯t Mercedes, it was highly likely that this would¡¯ve been perceived and reacted to as a powerful threat before being subjected to some type of linked attack. The red flesh was discreet and cunning in a way that didn¡¯t fit the huge mass.


    Duguen, dugeun, dugeun!


    Did it understand her words?


    The flesh pulsated even more violently after hearing Mercedes¡¯ usation and shot out multiple lights this time. It was seen as a baptism of red beams in the eyes of the people. However, each light was perceived differently with Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight. The wave of an innocent child, the killing technique of a cruel murderer, the awkward swordsmanship of a nameless soldier, the hand plow of a farmer, the magic of a magician, the embrace of an old man who missed his children, etc. Some were threatening, some were warm, and some were sad.


    Mercedes was generally expressionless except in front of Grid, but now her expression was changing every moment. She epted the light with a faint smile and frowned slightly when it cut off. It was a scene that couldn¡¯t be understood at all from the perspective of a third party.


    ¡°¡±This monstrous person.¡±¡±


    Then a sword rose from below Mercedes¡¯ feet. The demon with the soul of the Sword Saint had arrived at the scene.


    ¡°¡±Let¡¯s fight fairly with swordsmanship,¡±¡± the demon spoke with a cracked voice and his sword energy raged fiercely.


    It was a swordsmanship with a trick that made it difficult for Mercedes earlier. There were thousands of possibilities for the sword, so it was difficult to respond even after she read it with Keen Insight. It was because it was a swordsmanship that transformed in real time as soon as it was read with Keen Insight.


    Mercedes¡¯ giant sword, which still contained a huge light, cut that swordsmanship in an instant and disrupted it. It was an unchallenged force, an overwhelming violence.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    There was nothing awkward about the harsh words that flowed from her lips. It was surprisingly well suited to her noble face¡ªthe demon had this thought as he leaned slightly to the side and kicked off against the ground. He lost one shoulder from being cut by a sword and shot out faster than an arrow. The two hilts held in one hand stood out. He used skillful hand movements and crossed the two swords like scissors. It seemed to have the momentum to work properly.


    However, was it really a threat? Mercedes, who was habitually wary of any swordsmanship she had never seen before, suddenly got rid of her vignce. It was aw that everything was rtive. No matter how strange and threatening the swordsmanship, it was enough for her to suppress it with greater force.


    It was a belief instilled by the conquering sword energy of a dramatic victory. Mercedes recovered her sword and swung it again. Then her sword energy cut the space horizontally this time. It cut the demon¡¯s sword energy from above and below in half and reached the demon¡¯s neck.


    The demon hurriedly tilted his body to avoid it and was forced to pull out his secret technique.


    ¡°¡±Space Sword.¡±¡±

 Chapter 1662

    <h4>Chapter 1662</h4>


    ¡°¡±Space Sword.¡±¡±


    It had to be tolerated even if this space was destroyed and ¡®that¡¯ was touched. It was urgent to get rid of the monster wearing a human mask and who grasped the reality of that...


    The demon who received the soul of the Sword Saint made a decision. There was just something he had overlooked. It was that Mercedes had witnessed theplete Space Sword several times. It was Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword. The Space Sword he was using could be more powerful than Kraugel¡¯s one, but it couldn¡¯t be perfect. The demonic energy that had umted in the demon who lived since close to the beginning was strong, but the soul transnted into him was nothing more than a fake.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t Muller.¡¯


    Then why did he believe that Muller¡¯s soul was transnted in him?


    Mercedes threw the shield and plugged it into the wall. Then she used the handle as a rod. She held it in one hand and turned her body to dodge the Space Sword. It was a feat that happened in an instant. The entire backdrop behind her was split in half, making it even more gorgeous.


    People cheered and the demon¡¯s face crumpled.


    ¡°¡±You avoided it?¡±¡±


    The Sword Saint had to cut the target. The representative technique for proving thisw was Space Sword. It was an ultra-wide range technique that cut down the center of the world by taking the target as the vanishing point rather than the ultimate target. The moment the world was cut apart, it was natural for the target to be cut with it.


    However, it was avoided. The demon btedly noticed it¡ªthe world wasn¡¯t exactly split in half, it was split diagonally.


    ¡®I got the vanishing point wrong.¡¯


    How could he make this mistake?


    Mercedes spoke to the demon who was criticizing himself, ¡°It is natural that you can¡¯t do it right.¡±


    ¡°¡°......?¡±¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°¡±That... this is something I know myself. It doesn¡¯t make sense as a provocation.¡±


    He had been transnted with only a very small part of the soul of Sword Saint Muller. He could only understand and use the techniques of the Sword Saint. He wasn¡¯t actually a Sword Saint.


    ¡®This is why it is impossible to be perfect and it is natural to make mistakes.¡¯


    How he dealt with the mistakes was important...


    The demon sublimated the enemy¡¯s provocation into enlightenment and smiled with satisfaction. He calmed his mind and heart. Then hisposure was broken right away.


    ¡°The soul you have been transnted with isn¡¯t the Sword Saint.¡±


    ¡°¡±...What?¡±¡±


    The demon¡¯s eyes shook. The colors of his pupils, which were half blue and half red, gradually turned red all over. Blue seemed to symbolize intelligence and red seemed to symbolize anger.


    ¡°¡±Once again, it is pointless. It is useless no matter how much you provoke me...¡±¡±


    ¡°The Sword Saint cutting the world isn¡¯t an abstract expression. It is real.¡±


    Mercedes stomped her feet lightly. It was a gesture that indicated to thend that had been split by the demon¡¯s sword.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t scribbles like this.¡±


    ¡°¡±Scribbles? How insolent.¡±¡±


    The demon knew¡ªthe trajectory of the sword he just used went around all of hell. It really cut the world. It wasn¡¯t at a level that could be disparaged as scribbles. Eventually, the blue colorpletely disappeared from the demon¡¯s eyes. The way he roared and rushed like a beast made him seem like an ordinary demon.


    The rumors buried in his memories were messing with his mind. They were the rumors that Muller was still alive. It was a rumor that shouldn¡¯t be true. If Muller was still alive, then the fragment of the soul transnted into the demon wouldn¡¯t really belong to Muller.


    There was a series of nervous noises. It was a scream that emerged every time the demon¡¯s sword collided with Mercedes¡¯ White Tiger Sword. The quality of the weapons themselves was different. Moreover, the current White Tiger Sword was filled with the dramatic victory sword energy, thus the demon couldn¡¯t bear itpletely. The more he couldn¡¯t overwhelm her in swordsmanship and the more the wounds on his body grew, the stronger the doubts that arose in the demon¡¯s mind.


    ¡°¡±If it isn¡¯t the Sword Saint... what is it?¡±¡±


    What was this in his soul...? The demon was unable to bear the fear and finally asked this question, only to be stunned.


    Mercedes¡¯ transparent eyes were turned to the huge piece of flesh behind him. That was her answer.


    ¡°¡±This... it can¡¯t be...! Absolutely not!¡±


    The demon acknowledged that Mercedes¡¯ eyes could see through the soul. In fact, she wasn¡¯t deceived by the soul bombardment of this chunk of flesh. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t deny Mercedes¡¯ answer. He just refused to believe it.


    ¡°¡±My life shouldn¡¯t be insignificant...!¡±¡±


    The demon lived in the Age of Mythology. It was the era when Yatan stayed in hell. At that time, hell was a shelter for the dead who hadn¡¯t ascended to heaven. The demon sympathized and cared for the dead ording to the will of God. This was until God disappeared all of a sudden one day.


    Eventually, around the time when Beriache was expelled and hell was deformed, the demon entered seclusion. He denied the new hell. Even so, the reason he epted Baal¡¯s request to protect this ce was for the sake of the future. In order to fight on the side of his God who would one day return, he coveted the power that Baal had given him in return for fulfilling the request.


    In silence, he cut offmunication with Baal and worked hard to train his strength. Yet that power was fake? Then the years he endured were meaningless...


    ¡°¡±Kuek...¡±¡±


    A dark shade appeared on the wrinkled demon¡¯s face. It was a total defeat. The fact that he was unable to subdue a swordsman with swordsmanship further increased the suspicion that filled his mind. He had long lost hisposure. He wasn¡¯t able to fully demonstrate his iplete skills.


    Mercedes added a cruel truth to him, ¡°That chunk of flesh can fuse souls.¡±


    The souls fired earlier when the flesh attacked were independent individuals. However, Mercedes saw traces left in those souls. They were like traces left on torn paper. No, to be more precise, they were traces that had stuck to something and then came off.


    ¡°The soul imnted into you is also a work that was made.¡±


    Perhaps the souls of the swordsmen who were killed by a Sword Saint were fused with the souls of unnamed great swordsmen? This was why it could create a soul that remembered the techniques of the Sword Saint and vaguely imitate it. It was scary and horrible.


    ¡°That is why I have to get rid of it,¡± Mercedes persuaded the demon. It was a situation where even a little bit of help might not be enough to win, so she felt a certain sense of betrayal when she saw the demon¡¯s inner thoughts.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    The demon couldn¡¯t easily answer. Despite feeling the same sense of horror as Mercedes, as well as a terrible sense of destion, he didn¡¯t have the courage to antagonize this chunk of flesh. It was because he knew the truth that Mercedes didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°¡±That... it is better not to touch it. It is because that thing is probably a god.¡±¡±


    ¡°A god?¡±


    ¡°¡±I noticed at first sight that it resembled Demon God Sitri.¡±¡±


    Demon God Sitri¡ªa god who screamed and wandered, created by the umtion of souls who lost their ce.


    ¡°¡±If it was Baal who made it... the usage of it would definitely be dangerous. Maybe it is linked to Demon God Sitri. The moment you harm it, the pain and anger might be transferred to Sitri. This can be an opportunity to awaken Sitri into a cruel being. Then hell would really be over.¡±¡±


    The demon didn¡¯t think that Baal would use it to make himself a god. It meant he understood Baal¡¯s personality very well.


    ¡°It could be a vessel for creating apletely new god. Then I have to get rid of it.¡±


    ¡°¡±A new god... isn¡¯t that impossible even for Baal?¡±¡±


    Baal was a direct descendant of God Yatan and the ruler of hell. He wielded great power, but he wasn¡¯t omnipotent. If even the heavenly gods weren¡¯t omnipotent, how could the child of a god be omnipotent? It was the demon¡¯s idea that it was impossible to create an entirely new god.


    However, he couldn¡¯t convince Mercedes.


    ¡°I think I have to get rid of it now.¡±


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to drag things out. No matter the reality of this thing, it was true that it was currently performing the role of a hell moon. It was the culprit that turned the surface into an Asura Road. This was the overriding goal of this expedition and Mercedes had an obligation to get rid of it. To be honest, she didn¡¯t care what happened to hell.


    ¡°¡±...You aren¡¯t a character who needs a conversation.¡±¡±


    The demon clicked his tongue and stepped to the side. He had lost the will to fight Mercedes. Originally, his anger and resentment had been directed at Baal for many years. He had just turned away while waiting for the right time, but now he couldn¡¯t turn away any longer.


    ¡°¡±You should hurry. Five of the six demons above have long be Baal¡¯s henchmen.¡±¡±


    The ones with the souls of human legends like himself. No, the old demons who had been transnted with false, fused souls. They also longed for the hell of the past and held a deep resentment toward Baal. However, this had changed over the years. They were intoxicated by the easily acquired power and forgot about the past. They would never be as easily persuaded as himself...


    The demon advised and Mercedes nodded. She was no longer hindered and ran toward the chunk of flesh. The chunk of flesh fired the souls to resist, but it didn¡¯t stop her. It was cut by the sharp and huge sword, and writhed bizarrely. It was ipatible with Keen Insight, which distinguished between souls. It happened as Mercedes was gaining momentum...


    [Do it, in moderation.]


    One of the cut pieces of flesh took a human form and attacked Mercedes. Mercedes immediately sensed killing intent and twisted the trajectory of her sword to fight back. However, theter¡¯s technique wasn¡¯t easily blocked. In exchange for acting first, she was cut first and flew far away with her shield.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ expression hardened as she got up and wiped the blood from her mouth. It was because the human figure formed from the chunk of flesh resembled Grid at first nce. However, he had fangs that came down, white skin, and red eyes. It was a deceitful and demonic figure. It was the ckened Grid who once roamed through hell.


    [Killing intent. I, kill you.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Mercedes hurriedly extended her sword. She was wary of theyers of souls around the ckened Grid¡¯s body. It was undoubtedly powerful. He used not only swordsmanship, but also magic. It was noticed that at least dozens of souls of great swordsmen and great magicians were umted and attached to him. He showed a martial power that transcended legends.


    ¡®Ugh.¡¯ It was the moment when Mercedes swallowed down a groan after being hit and coughed up blood again...


    ¡°...Let¡¯s end this.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes sank coldly as he floated above the river of reincarnation. The Sanctuary of Metal was unfolded. The 100 God Hands that were moving dizzily stopped in unison and grabbed swords. It was a spectacle that couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere else.


    The already tired Eligos felt shock. To be honest, he was fascinated. Grid¡¯s high charm and dignity statsbined with the situation to exert a powerful effect. However, Eligos didn¡¯t show it. He asked in a calm tone, ¡°Why are you in a hurry to win all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I have a ce to go to.¡±


    ¡°...Then just go. I will let you go.¡±


    ¡°You want to hit me in the back of the head, but it won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°You can sign a contract with me if you don¡¯t believe me. You know that a demon bound by a contract can¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    At the Dog¡¯s Mouth that connected hell and the surface...


    Eligos, the ck Knight who guarded the river of reincarnation where souls were bound¡ªone of the strongest beings in hell and who overshadowed the concept of hierarchy was now requesting a contract from Grid.


    It was a crazy situation that even Baal couldn¡¯t have predicted.

 Chapter 1663

    <h4>Chapter 1663</h4>


    There was one reason why ck Knight Eligos was ranked 20th¡ªit was due to the belief that the right to protect the 20th Hell, Dog¡¯s Mouth,y only with himself. He was concerned about another demon other than himself taking care of Dog¡¯s Mouth. He feared that the doorway between hell and the surface would open and close on a petty whim, turning hell into a cheap marketce.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t yield his position or seek ascension. He just stayed in ce with Cerberus.


    Why did he have to put in such effort? It was because Eligos was surprisingly a worshiper of hell. Hell was the source of a great being like himself. He had a very strong sense of pride. Yet at some point, he became fascinated by Grid.


    The ability to control the trajectory¡ªEligos¡¯ power to neutralize all the enemy¡¯s tactics while exerting his own armed might as an absolutew was beyond the natural course of things. His innate talent was so outstanding that he was exceptional enough to be counted on one hand among all those in hell. Even Baal and Amoract respected him.


    Those Eligos himself considered to be his enemies were rare. Apart from undefeated beings like Baal, Amoract, and Leraje, and some unknown beings, he believed he was close to invincible. However, he had the feeling that the Grid he encountered today was more in line with the word ¡®invincible.¡¯


    The one who wore dragon scales as armor wasn¡¯t easily cut. Even if it was barely cut, it quickly recovered again and again and exhausted Eligos in reverse. It was both mentally and physically.


    Eligos glimpsed the 100 ck-gold hands that moved non-stop while using Grid as the source.


    Metal that never broke¡ªthe world¡¯s most powerful substance that could be subdued and restrained, but couldn¡¯t be bent or broken.


    That¡¯s right¡ªin Eligos¡¯ eyes, Grid looked like metal, not a living being. There was a corner of him that found it futile to resist. The problem wasn¡¯t the armed might, but the difference in thought that fighting against such an opponent itself was a loss.


    At this time, Grid seemed to be in a hurry to win, showing that his heart was urgent. The question of whether he needed to fight spread like inspiration in Eligos¡¯ mind.


    ¡°...Make a contract?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Usually, when it came to a contract with a demon, there was a strong perception that the soul had to be sacrificed. However, it waspletely different in reality. Based on what was shown in the rtionship between Yura and the red demon, it was moremon for a demon¡¯s contract to be conducted in a more simplified way. Usually, when a demon offered a contract to a human, it was because they were in a bad position.


    How shameful would it be to ask for a soul when they had given up their pride and offered a contract? The rumor that a contract with a demon required a soul was a type of prejudice spread by ipetent ck magicians.


    ¡°Perhaps the urgency has something to do with the moon.¡±


    Grid wasmunicating with his apostles in real time. Mercedes was Grid¡¯s knight, lover, and family. The environment of hell and the distance from here were interfering withmunication, but he vaguely noticed the situation she was in. It was the same logic as that.


    Eligos, one of the monarchs of hell, was faintly aware of the events taking ce somewhere in hell at this moment. He put himself in Grid¡¯s position.


    ¡°If you want to leave, I will let you go. I will sign a contract, so you can trust my promise, and the content of the contract is simple. I won¡¯t harm you unless you harbor the intention of harming my territory. As an added bonus, I will send you to the ce you want to go in a single breath.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that one-sidedly advantageous to me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s vignce grew even deeper. The content of the contract could be interpreted as a favor to him and it was very suspicious.


    ¡°I''m afraid of you,¡± Eligos told him honestly.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°...I also feel sorry for Cerberus who is groaning.¡±


    Yip, yiip...


    The huge Cerberus, who was almost like a dragon based on the size of his body, made a groaning sound. He turned his three heads and looked at Eligos with resentment. It was as if he was scolding Eligos to not talk nonsense. Eligos ignored it. Eligos stroked his neck and urged, ¡°Isn¡¯t it convincing? How long are you going to hesitate when it is so urgent?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will ept the offer.¡± Grid didn¡¯t hesitate for long. He nodded the moment he confirmed there were no problems with the contents of the ¡®Contract with Eligos¡¯ that appeared in front of him.


    ¡°It is a great choice.¡± A smile spread across Eligos¡¯ face.


    All of this was being recorded in the Overgeared God¡¯s epic.


    Cerberus, the mythical monster who had been guarding the entrance of hell for eons, was frightened by the majesty of the Overgeared God and withdrew...


    An extraordinary passage was added to the 20th epic that was hard for anyone to believe unless they witnessed the situation themselves.


    ***


    The more she exchanged blows with the ckened Grid, the more the sword energy of dramatic victory shook like it was going to be extinguished. The remnants of the scattered sword energy couldn¡¯t gather again and dissipated. The sword energy that soared up for tens of meters was reduced to the level of just covering the White Tiger Sword. In a series of sessive battles, an unexpected and formidable enemy appeared and Mercedes¡¯s physical strength soon reached her limit.


    [It wasn¡¯t, wise.]


    The ckened Grid spoke as if to rebuke Mercedes. He seemed worried. Of course, this couldn¡¯t be the case.


    Mercedes deflected the sword of the ckened Grid and was filled with doubts. ¡®That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t wise.¡¯


    Mercedes¡¯ original purpose was to locate the hell moon. It was right to report it to Grid the moment she found out where it was. Dealing with the moon was something that could be done after Grid and the apostles joined. However, Mercedes wasn''t satisfied with just finding the location of the moon. She dared to go underground, and in the end, she tried to get rid of the chunk of flesh herself.


    It wasn¡¯t a big problem until she went underground. Until then, Mercedes had been acting on the basis of rational thinking. It was because she was the only one who could grasp the horrible identity of this chunk of flesh. Mercedes felt the need to pinpoint this urately before bringing Grid and the apostles here.


    The problem happened after that. Mercedes became obsessed with the chunk of flesh. She was ovee with the anxiety that she needed to get rid of that red chunk of flesh right away. She lost herposure without being aware of it. It had to be so.


    I¡¯m scared... Sad... Help me... It hurts... I¡¯m cold... Save me...


    The baptism of souls shot by the chunk of flesh wasn¡¯t easy to avoid. It was because it was very fast and the number rushing at her at the same time was in the tens and hundreds. The best Mercedes could do was to distinguish between the dangerous and non-dangerous souls and avoid the attacks of the dangerous souls.


    Souls that didn¡¯t harm people¡ªthe souls with no aggression and simply harbored a grudge were epted without being avoided. It was obviously the best solution. This best solution was the problem.


    Mercedes unknowingly fell under the influence of the souls. The pain, anger, and sorrow of these souls were engraved onto her soul and she developed a grudge against hell and this chunk of flesh. It gave her the strong willpower to get rid of it.


    The pincer attacks of the ckened Grid and the chunk of flesh were very threatening. The armor that Grid had made and put on her was repeatedly torn apart. The flesh that was revealed through the cracks in the armor was red, not white.


    Mercedes was already covered in blood, but she was more concerned about Grid than her own situation.¡®My Liege, this¡ªit is dangerous.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an object that could be targeted by distinguishing the forms of the rushing souls. No matter what form it took, the baptism of souls from the chunk of flesh was equally threatening in the end. During the battle, damage was bound to umte. Even Grid and the apostles wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the mental blow.


    Additionally, the more the chunk of flesh was cut, the more enemies there would be. The chunk of flesh was able to use the flesh that had fallen from its body to realize the master of the soul.


    ...Wait, master of the soul?


    Mercedes¡¯ expression was filled with surprise as she blocked the sword of the ckened Grid and exchanged looks with him. She watched the eyes of the ckened Grid shake when they had previously only seemed cold.


    [You should have, run away.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    The ckened Grid was a byproduct of Grid. It was just a trace of Grid¡¯s clone that had ckened and wandered through hell without perishing. However, he was gradually getting smarter. His years of wandering through hell grew longer and he started to question his own existence. He tried to perceive himself as ¡®I¡¯ and not someone else¡¯s byproduct.


    Did he have a soul since then?


    The ckened Grid raised his knees to Mercedes¡¯ abdomen as she was feeling shocked by the realization. Then he wrapped his arms around her neck. He squeezed her neck tight and whispered.


    [Mercedes, I saw you, through the eyes, of the moon.]


    The soul of the ckened Grid who had been killed by Grid and fell back to hell¡ªhis soul was held by that chunk of flesh and he often peeked at the surface. Every day that the hell moon remained on the surface, he kept his eye on the life of the main body that was his origin.


    What that guy hated and what he loved¡ªhe watched with jealousy all the time but he sometimes felt empathy.


    [I love, you.]


    Chill.


    [After this, you will, be mine.]


    Mercedes felt the hair all over her body stand up. She struggled as she felt the twisted emotions of the ckened Grid, who tightened his grip around her neck like a giant snake. However, the ckened Grid¡¯s obsession was beyond her imagination.


    [For, ever.]


    Die.


    Die...! Die!!


    Your soul will be with me, trapped in that eternity...!


    It was around the time when the cry of the ckened Grid, tinged with madness, gradually grew louder...


    ¡°¡°You?¡±¡±


    She heard the scream of the demon who believed that he had been transnted with the soul of the Sword Saint. He had lived for a very long time, so he shouldn¡¯t be surprised by anything. Therefore, this astonished response was strange.


    Mercedes was gradually losing consciousness without grasping the situation when her body suddenly floated in the air. A breath of the thick air of hell flowed into her lungs. She came to her senses and took a falling posture. Shended on the ground as gracefully as a butterfly, regardless of her wounds.


    Then she saw it. The appearance of two Grids confronting each other.


    ¡°Good job, Mers.¡±


    Grid¡¯s breathing was a bit rough as he spoke with his back to Mercedes. It was proof that he was quite tired. On the other hand, the distorted face of the ckened Grid was full of rxation. The red chunk of flesh was giving him more souls.


    [Grid, I glimpsed, your life.]


    Gasp.


    Some of the fragments of flesh that had been cut by Mercedes earlier flew and were caught in the hands of the ckened Grid. They quickly took on the shape of sword and armor. It was a form that closely resembled the equipment Grid was currently armed with.


    [The stronger you became, the stronger I became.]


    A ck energy started to spread around the ckened Grid. It looked like demonic energy at first nce, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°¡±Divinity...!¡±¡±


    In the midst of the astonishment of the witnesses¡ª


    [I deserve, to take away, your life.]


    The Sanctuary of Metal was opened. A canyon where there was a chill rather than heat, where there was despair rather than majesty¡ªit was the mental world of the ckened Grid.

 Chapter 1664

    <h4>Chapter 1664</h4>


    He was born unwanted. He didn¡¯t know who he was and he didn¡¯t learn how to live. He had no choice but to be shocked when he barely reached the surface after wandering aimlessly through the hell filled with violence and malice.


    Society, culture, nature, and affection. Things that weren¡¯t in hell. The surface was overflowing with concepts that he had never learned or experienced.


    It was unfair. Anger boiled up on its own and burst out.


    In the end, he was killed. It was the end of the filth that emerged from nothingness. It was a life he never wanted to go through again.


    However, the world was cruel to him. He had a soul. Due to that, his death wasn¡¯t the end. He was once again stuck in hell. He was swallowed by the ball of red flesh. He lost the sense of self that was his onlyfort and became a part of the chunk of flesh rather than ¡®I.¡¯ This caused him to develop greater resentment and anger.


    It was at that time that the Great Human and Demon War broke out. He became one of the eyes projected on the surface¡¯s moon and was able to observe Grid¡¯s life. A perfect life that he couldn¡¯t even imagine. He envied Grid.


    [I will, take away your life.]


    The Sanctuary of Metal used by the ckened Grid was red. The canyon, which seemed to have been built out of hardened blood rather than metal, spread out everywhere. There was no straight path. The hundreds of thousands of paths that stretched out like blood vessels were all precarious slopes. A vast majority were cut off along the way, while others were blocked by the walls of the canyon.


    It was different from Grid¡¯s sanctuary, where there was a path that passed through the canyon rising to the left and right. Grid had firm convictions, so he knew the path to go. Meanwhile, the ckened Grid was going through chaos. He was blocking his own infinite possibilities.


    ¡°That¡­ he is inferior.¡±


    It was on a road that was too cramped for even one person to stand upright. Mercedes stood with her back to Grid and spoke calmly. She was releasing pressure that was howling like a beast and it seemed like she would curse, but her breathing had calmed down. She barely persevered.


    How dare this person imitate her liege¡¯s mental world and divinity, defiling her liege¡¯s life? It felt like her ears would rot at the heinous deration of the ckened Grid and she wanted to spit out curses that told him that he was trash. The problem was that Grid was nearby. She put up with it because she wanted to look innocent as much as possible in front of Grid¡­


    ¡®She is cute.¡¯


    Grid stared at the back of the trembling Mercedes and smiled. Now, he was close to being sensitive even in rtion to the opposite sex. He was able to see through Mercedes¡¯ inner thoughts because he had experienced it with Yura, whose eyes shone on rides even though she tried not to show it outwardly.


    Grid took a step forward. He stood boldly on the crumbling slope that couldn¡¯t even withstand the weight of light steps.


    ¡°You tried hard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    [¡­¡­?]


    Both Mercedes and the ckened Grid looked bewildered. It was because the person that Grid praised was the ckened Grid. In this moment of silence, Grid reviewed Mercedes¡¯ report again. It was information ryed through sound transmission as soon as he arrived at the scene.


    First of all, this mass of red flesh was the body of the hell moon. It was projected onto the moon through some magic, while the souls held in the chunk of flesh acted as eyes that looked all over the surface. It seemed that the souls used their instincts to chase after the memories of their lives. It wasn¡¯t known if the hell moon was like this from the beginning, or whether it took away the role of the hell moon from a certain point onward.


    Additionally, there was a type of inconsistency in the type of soul caught by the flesh. From infants with a weak self-consciousness to famous, great figures in history, all types of human souls were trapped in the mass of flesh.


    Why use an unspecified number of souls instead of selecting the souls of powerful beings? It was easy to guess. It was simply to gain the ¡®eyes¡¯ to look at a wider variety of ces. Thinking a little deeper, it would be to build up divinity. The reason why the ckened Grid had divinity after separating from the chunk of flesh was because it was highly likely to be worshiped by those souls.


    The ckened Grid was simply a being derived from Grid and the concept of divinity wasn¡¯t something that could be easily built up. Therefore, Grid could tell that the ckened Grid had been working hard on its own.


    ¡°You¡­ you must¡¯ve tried to be like me while observing me. The other souls worshiped you because they witnessed you acting like that.¡±


    What effort could be done while in a soul state? Mental discipline? Did he make Grid a virtual enemy and repeated the shadow boxing? In any case, it wouldn¡¯t have been an ordinary effort. He must¡¯ve been worshiped as a hope and an example to the other souls.


    ¡®If you resemble me, then you deserve it.¡¯


    Grid was feeling a strange sense of pride when the ckened Grid growled out toward him.


    [Don¡¯t talk, nonsense.]


    The ckened Grid didn¡¯t seem to know his condition. He didn¡¯t understand the essence of divinity, so it was natural that he didn¡¯t know it. He seemed to believe that everything he had came from Grid. It was like denying himself.


    ¡°It is bittersweet.¡±


    Grid drew his sword. He stared at the red chunk of flesh that was behind the ckened Grid.


    ¡®How many gods are inside it?¡¯


    There wouldn¡¯t be much of a reason behind the fragments of the chunk of flesh turning into the ckened Grid. It wasn¡¯t that it watched the ckened Grid carefully and gave him a chance. It was closer to the feeling of simply taking out a card that suited the situation. Grid made a guess while feeling the mental world of the terribly indifferent chunk of flesh and used Item Combination.


    The ckened Grid responded immediately. Swords made from fragments of the chunk of flesh¡ªthey were put together one by one and looked exactly like Grid¡¯s divine swords. The sight of a bunch of veins protruding from the swords that intertwined with each other and wriggling at the end of the sword was bizarre.


    [You, are smiling.]


    Did he have the awareness that this was nothing more than trivial imitation? Theplexion of the ckened Grid became even paler. It was as if he couldn¡¯t bear the shame. Yet soon, his eyes sharpened like a knife. Unlike his fierce air, the hand holding the hilt loosened. The posture of standing quietly with rxed shoulders seemed good for performing a sword dance at any time.


    Grid didn¡¯t feel any dislike toward him. When they met in the past, Grid was displeased with the way this person looked like him, while also feeling sympathy and disgust for the way the clone resented him. Now the ckened Grid was just pitiful. The fact that he had be a god in some form was also a bit praiseworthy.


    ¡°For your sake as well, I will surely purify hell.¡±


    There were countless souls who hadn¡¯t been reincarnated and were bound to hell. It wasn¡¯t just Pagma and Alex. The vast majority of those Grid knew directly or indirectly were suffering the same pain as the ckened Grid. The soldiers who had fought alongside Grid, and also their families, were screaming as they were trapped in this chunk of flesh or the river of reincarnation. The existence of the ckened Grid harshly showed that reality.


    ¡°Sky,¡± Grid dered himself as the sky.


    He rode the Breath that was shot backwards and rushed toward the ckened Grid. He took the lead using the Serve sword dance, which depicted the sacrifice of the Overgeared God. It was a sword dance he only recently learned, so it was unfamiliar to the ckened Grid.


    Grid seemed like he was stumbling, so when the ckened Grid saw Grid approaching, he responded with surprise. He also used the Sky sword dance before starting to unfold Pinnacle. He lowered his sword with all his might, while hoping to make Grid regret the distance he had given up.


    However, his sword couldn¡¯t reach Grid. He was overwhelmed by this secret technique and froze for a moment. Then he was pushed back. The Pinnacle sword dance was canceled at the casting stage.


    Grid ascended. He pushed his shoulder forward against the ckened Grid¡¯s sr plexus and at the same time, he swung the sword in the opposite hand from the bottom up. The great power of the dragon weapon, which couldn¡¯t be replicated even by the red chunk of flesh that produced divinity on its own,bined with the Dragon sword dance to erode at the dark energy of the ckened Grid.


    He was soon cut.


    [¡­¡­!]


    The ckened Grid became dizzy. It was the sense that its existence was cut off after being denied. It was the pain he felt when his divinity was damaged.


    Grid had always endured. It was from the moment he became the Overgeared God to the present. There were few moments that werefortable for him, who fought until he was ragged every time. The luck that others saw as being easily obtained was actually gained because he endured such pains.


    Therefore, only Grid could understand the ckened Grid. Had all the souls caught the red chunk of flesh developed like the soul of the ckened Grid? He was certain it was a no. It would only be a fraction of the ckened Grid. This guy deserved respect.


    ¡°I will let you ascend to heaventer, so stay dead until then.¡±


    [You¡­!!]


    The canyon melted away. The blood that was flooding it changed into hundreds of thousands of weapons. They all aimed at Grid and fired. It targeted the rear of the defenseless Grid, who was exchanging blows in real time with the ckened Grid.


    Of course, Grid was in a state where he had spread out his artificial senses in all directions. He was using the God Hands orbiting around him to operate the particles of silver thread in real time. He felt the traces of the approaching weapons. He grasped the form, trajectory, and intent behind them.


    The ckened Grid also knew it, so he swung his sword more and more. He used the Revolve sword dance to buy as much time as possible. He forced Grid to focus on him. He calcted the fact that Grid had a total of 30 God Hands.


    Divine objects that couldn¡¯t be realized even with the Sanctuary of Metal¡ªno matter how freely they moved, how could they handle the heavy rain of weapons, which was dozens of times more than them? It was physically impossible.


    ¡®I can inflict heavy damage or cause him to consume the rain of battle gear.¡¯


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe ckened Grid was inducing a war of attrition. He nned to take advantage of the fact that his physical strength was infinite as long as he had the red chunk of flesh behind him. There was just something he overlooked.


    [¡­¡­?!]


    It was that Greed multiplied infinitely. The mass of Greed that Grid always floated above him was enough to make a flying ship, so depending on the altitude, it could appear as a ck sun. Yet in order to get a flying ship, it was better to receive help from the giant brothers. It had to be set as a long-term project.


    Therefore, Grid consumed the surplus Greed in a different manner. An additional 70 God Hands were produced. Now there were a total of 100 God Hands that Grid possessed, including the God Hands spreading out the artificial senses. The sight of them spinning at the same time and releasing a sword dance¡­ it was spectacr.


    The ckened Grid seemed to see the power of a ¡®ruler,¡¯ which was different from that of transcendents or Absolutes. It was overwhelming.


    [Re, ign¡­]


    Thousands of swords were stabbed into the body of the ckened Grid, who was watching the sight with wide eyes. The sight of him being stabbed like a hedgehog by the weapons he made in his own mental world proved that his mental world was imperfect.


    However, in the end, he didn¡¯t fall. It was because the source of the ckened Grid was Grid. He was filled with persistence. He started a five fusion sword dance with his pierced bodies and Grid told him in response, ¡°One day, start over as ¡®you.¡¯¡±


    [Shut¡­ up! I¡­! You will be¡­!]


    They were the same. If they fought with the same sword dance, then Grid wasn¡¯t a match for him. The opportunity woulde to him, who had the upper hand in recovery. It happened the moment when the ckened Grid noticed that the strides and sword path of Grid were the same as his own andpleted the sword dance with hope¡­


    Step.


    Grid took a further half a step.


    [¡­¡­!]


    Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance swallowed up the ckened Grid¡¯s five fusion sword dance, splitting apart the dark divinity and cutting the red canyon in half.


    A glowing sunset divinity flooded the world.

 Chapter 1665

    <h4>Chapter 1665</h4>


    [Cough...! Kuaaaack!]


    The ckened Grid was swept away by the storm of the six fusion sword dance and let out a sharp scream. Due to the help of the red chunk of flesh, his torn body was being repaired in real time. Thanks to this, he could at least let out a scream.


    He didn¡¯t feel thankful at all. It was because this terrible pain was being repeated. He would¡¯ve been happier to die immediately.


    ¡®It is terrible.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart sank even further. The red chunk of flesh was forcibly holding onto the souls of the dead and wielding the souls to its heart¡¯s content. It used the souls as constant eyes, while producing weapons like the ckened Grid, and ultimately, using it as a tool to produce faith.


    In many ways, it was a viin. Grid wanted to explode it right away and kill it. Putting his personal feelings aside, he felt an obligation to get rid of it.


    ¡®But...¡¯


    The situation wasn¡¯t favorable. That was a ¡®world.¡¯ It was to the extent where it made the captured souls the inhabitants of the world to produce faith. This meant Grid wasn¡¯t confident about handling it alone. He couldn¡¯t attack recklessly even if he glimpsed some odds of winning. It created weapons like the ckened Grid from its cut off flesh. He didn¡¯t know what type of monsters would appear after the ckened Grid.


    It was a situation where the six fusion sword dance was consumed to defeat the ckened Grid alone. Then what if more monsters popped out? Just imagining it was terrifying...


    ¡°We have to step back first. I alone can¡¯t offer much help to Your Majesty,¡± Mercedes insisted. Her closed lips and long eyshes trembled slightly. She looked like she was trying to hide her anger.


    ¡°All I can do is distinguish between the types of souls that it shoots out, but even that doesn¡¯t mean much...¡±


    Even a non-threatening soul caused damage to umte every time it touched the body. Mercedes had experienced it for herself. She still vividly remembered the sensation of the resentment of the souls gradually encroaching on her. It was an emptiness that she didn¡¯t want to go through twice.


    The premise of waging a long-term battle against this red chunk of flesh was to not allow a single soul to shoot at them. It was impossible for Grid who was operating 100 God Hands. It was because the number of souls held in the flesh was immeasurable. Even if only some of them were fired at the same time, they contained the principle of ¡®always hitting the target.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid and the apostles. The tower members and Overgeared Guild members needed to gather together to have any hope of resisting it. Grid would be freed when there were more shields to receive the souls instead.


    ¡°Um... Does this thing have a weakness?¡±


    ¡°The soul that bes the core is the weakness.¡±


    It was a ce where a soul like the ckened Grid was born. The red chunk of flesh naturally had a soul. It was the root of the chunk of flesh that set it apart from the souls forcibly captured. However, it was difficult to track it even with Keen Insight because it changed the location in real time and erased its traces by repeatedly fusing with other souls.


    [The ckened Grid has been defeated.]


    [The five fusion sword dance performed by others will inspire you...]


    [The possibility of creating a sword dance has opened up.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has ri....]


    ......


    ...


    At the same time, the ckened Grid died. It wasn¡¯t annihtion. The body was erased, but the dark soul remained. He was absorbed into the chunk of flesh again. It was unfortunate seeing him trying to resist. Then the fragments of flesh that made up the body and weapons of the ckened Grid fell to the ground. The way they moved and were drawn to each other in a wriggling motion resembled the regeneration process of slimes.


    ¡°¡±That...?¡±¡±


    The demon who believed he had received the soul of a Sword Saint¡ªhe had a bewildered expression on his face ever since Grid broke in. He had stiffened without being able to shut his mouth when he saw Grid using the six fusion sword dance.


    Now he suddenly came to his senses. He pointed at the pieces of flesh that started to unite as one.


    ¡°¡±Sword Saint...! It is the Sword Saint!¡±¡±


    Since when could anyone be called a Sword Saint? Grid thought that Biban and Kraugel would be very offended. It was the same for Muller, who would be underground...


    ¡®...No, is it true that Muller is dead?¡¯


    Grid suddenly had doubts. At this point, he wondered if it was right to believe that Muller was alive. ording to Chreshler, the reason that Muller wanted death was because he wanted ¡®rest.¡¯ However, death wasn¡¯t rest. Hell was degraded by Baal and the reincarnation of souls was blocked.


    Did Muller not know about this? It was impossible. It would make no sense if the person who saved a myth predator that civilians didn¡¯t know about wouldn¡¯t know what was lurking after death. Muller must¡¯ve realized it at some point¡ªthe fact that being dead was worse than being alive.


    Should he ascend to heaven with no memory and be a soldier of the gods, or fall to hell while retaining his memories and suffer for eternity? Would he have epted death easily if he knew these were the only options avable after death?


    ¡®Many of Muller¡¯s records were lost, but in the end, Muller wasn¡¯t forgotten.¡¯


    It was true that in the distant past, Muller had prepared for death. The evidence was that arge number of records rted to him were erased. Nevertheless, Muller wasn¡¯t forgotten. This was evidence that at some point, Muller had rejected death. Of course, this was just spection.


    However, Grid could be sure that the owner of the new body that the flesh was creating wasn¡¯t Muller. It was because Muller wasn¡¯t cheap enough to make an appearance in the world through this type of process.


    ¡°¡±S-Sword Saint...! Muller?!¡±¡±


    The demon¡¯s thoughts were different. He kept making a fuss. Contrary to his serious appearance, he was quite a thoughtless guy.


    There was a sh of light in Grid¡¯s eyes as he was clicking his tongue. It felt like lightning speed. At first nce, it resembled Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight, but it waspletely different. It was far from mysterious and very daunting. It was Overgeared God¡¯s Observation.


    [Once you check the target item, your understanding of the item will increase greatly. You can confirm the stats value and options and copy them.


    However, in order to copy the item, you must use an item that you have created yourself as the material.


    Additionally, the difference in rating of the target item and the item used as the material must be within one grade and the item used as the material can¡¯t be recovered.]


    Etc, etc.


    At first nce, it was Pagma¡¯s Eyes with just a name change. However, the effect was strengthened a bit. The cooldown time was drastically reduced and the applications had be more extensive. The name of a god was included in the skill name, so evolution was inevitable.


    [You have failed to contemte the target.]


    ¡®As expected, it didn¡¯t work.¡¯


    He was inspired by the fact that the fragments of flesh had formed weapons. He tried to see if he could contemte the chunk of flesh itself, but it failed like he was trying to eat for free. It happened the moment Grid was feeling regret...


    [You have seeded in contemting the target.]


    It was when the flesh had fully taken a human form. The information of the armor and sword that this person was equipped with was dug out in detail using Overgeared God''s Observation.


    ¡®Elder¡¯s Falchion¡¯ and ¡®Elder¡¯s Armor¡¯¡ªthey were legendary items with very high performances. They were somewhat inferior to what Grid made himself, but they were much better than the items that were dropped by bosses. Grid didn¡¯t feel much excitement about the performance itself. However, the problem was in their item information. They were described as the sword and armor used by a Sword Saint Killer.


    ¡®A Sword Saint Killer?¡¯


    Was a Sword Saint actually a punching bag? The only special ones were Muller, said to be the strongest Sword Saint; his teacher, Biban; and Kraugel, a genius who Grid admired. In fact, a Sword Saint wasn¡¯t much different from normal legends.


    Elder rushed toward the thinking Grid. He greatly tilted his upper body and the sword that wasunched was extremely fast.


    Blood oozed from Grid¡¯s eyes. It was the feeling of being cut at the same time that he read the sword with the artificial senses. Grid would¡¯ve suffered a serious injury if he hadn¡¯t read the information of Elder¡¯s sword in advance. It was the information that it ¡®increased in length¡¯ in the event of an attack.


    Elder¡¯s face was pierced. He believed in the function of the weapon and showed a loophole where his upper body was tilted when the distance wasn¡¯t enough. This meant he allowed Grid¡¯s Kill sword dance that was used when Grid moved forward with Shunpo. The narrowed distance turned Elder¡¯s elongated sword into a weakness. It didn¡¯t advance enough and only the lower part of the sword barely touched the corner of Grid¡¯s eye.


    ¡®Immortality.¡¯


    Elder didn¡¯t die even though his face was partially damaged. It was a respite obtained by immortality. It was evidence of a legend from a long time ago. The red chunk of flesh quickly healed his wounds.


    Elder staggered while bleeding and his movement of recovering the sword itself acted as a threatening swordsmanship. It grazed Grid¡¯s side, but it was somewhatcking in power. It wasn¡¯t enough to prate the dragon armor.


    Grid¡¯srge hand covered Elder¡¯s face. Elder was mmed into the ground on his back. Grid looked up as hepletely suppressed Elder with his knee. Then he stared at the red chunk of flesh. Some of the 100 God Hands were restraining Elder¡¯s limbs. Exactly five secondster, the struggling Elder was beheaded.


    A simple legend couldn¡¯t go against the Overgeared God at all. The legends of the distant past were being forgotten in the era where the standards were rapidly rising.


    ¡°¡°Uh..? Uhh?¡±¡±


    The demon, who read Elder¡¯s sword energy and believed him to be a Sword Saint, was nowpletely dumbfounded. Grid¡¯s overwhelming force was unrealistic for him. It was like this when he thought of the myth of the Overgeared God that he vaguely heard.


    ¡®Is this the level of someone who became a god just a few years ago?¡¯


    The sight of the 100 ck-gold hands using swordsmanship just a little while ago was reyed in the demon¡¯s mind. Unknowingly, he felt awe toward Grid and his feelings were recorded in the Overgeared God¡¯s 20th epic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s retreat. We¡¯ll have to join our other colleagues,¡± Grid looked away from the chunk of flesh and urged Mercedes while barely enduring it. In his heart, he wanted to wage an all-out battle with the chunk of flesh right away. It was a situation where the hell moon that was being projected to the surface could only be eliminated by destroying the chunk of flesh. He naturally had to fight it and get rid of it.


    Grid¡¯s wish was to get rid of it as soon as possible to make Irene and the people, who were still suffering at this moment, feelfortable. Yet as stated before, there was only a small possibility of winning on his own. It was also a problem that he already consumed one of the six fusion sword dances. He needed to proceed a bit more calmly...


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mercedes nodded. She witnessed Grid, who was cold with anger for the first time in ages, and her heart pounded in a manner that didn¡¯t match the situation.


    ¡®Are they both crazy?¡¯


    The demon read the pink airflow with his keen senses and clicked his tongue. Meanwhile, the red chunk of flesh took back Elder¡¯s soul and was once again taking on the form of another human being. Thousands of souls were being scattered like a torrential rain, as if the chunk of flesh was yelling that it wouldn¡¯t let them go. It was blocked by the God Hands using the Revolve sword dance.


    Every time the cooldown ended, they joined together and raised a barrier. They even used Tai Chi as ast resort when their barrier was pierced and it was often useful due to the nature of the soul. The souls with an aggressive nature were subdued by the softness. A soul was a spiritual concept, not a physical one. Meanwhile, the God Hands themselves resembled Grid and were surrounded by divinity. They could interfere with any concept.


    ¡®Will I get an offer to appear in a martial arts movie like this?¡¯


    Grid went beyond the level of implementing Satisfy¡¯s techniques in reality and started to implement the techniques of reality in Satisfy. There was no controversy over him. It was because many yers had already shown such changes.

 Chapter 1666

    <h4>Chapter 1666</h4>


    Grid¡¯s apostles had amon characteristic¡ªthey showed greater value in team y. It wasn¡¯t because their character was suitable for assisting others. It was simply that their abilities were extraordinary.


    The energy of nature ruled by Piaro energized his allies, while Mercedes¡¯ shield skills and chivalric code instilled a firm belief while protecting them. Braham¡¯s very existence benefited all allies who used magic power while being a disaster for his enemies. Sariel¡¯s divinity erased the fear of their allies, while Nefelina...


    ...In any case, among the apostles, the one who harmonized the most with their allies was Zik.


    The time when he was Zikfrector, not Zik¡ªin other words, from the days when he was just the ¡®incarnation¡¯ of the seven malignant saints, he mastered all types of martial arts and magic and was praised as the grandmaster. He basically boasted extensive knowledge.


    He had a wisdom that could see through providence and could perfectly understand the structure and psychology of human beings. On this basis, he provided a buff suitable for each of his allies. He even adapted to the changing situation in real time. As a result, the Overgeared members who were in a party with Zik experienced a miracle.


    [The meaning of the rune written on you has changed.]


    [The attack power increase buff is released and your evasion rate has increased.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    The buffs that changed in real time were also a type of hint. The Overgeared members could perceive what type of situation they were in based on the contents of the changed buffs. It was the same for Peak Sword. He had cut the body of the demon who got close to him before hurriedly bending down, preparing to draw his sword again. He didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but he rolled forward first before taking a look. There was a feeling that he looked somewhat unseemly.


    -In any case, it doesn¡¯t matter because you already don¡¯t know dignity.


    He was angry from Iyarugt¡¯s scolding, but in any case, Peak Sword trusted Zik. He knew that the buff Zik gave him was based on a clear idea.


    It was as expected. A magic bombardment fell on the ce where Peak Sword had just been. The problem was that the direction in which Peak Sword rolled was included in the bombardment range. Fortunately, the evasion rate increase buff meant he avoided a fatal injury. However, Peak Sword¡¯s face turned deep red.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have rolled.¡¯


    If he was going to get hit anyway, he would¡¯ve rather stayed still or cocked his head to the side. Then he would¡¯ve looked as cool as Grid or Kraugel.


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    Contrary to Peak Sword¡¯s concerns, the reactions of the others were good. It was because from the perspective of a third person, it seemed like Peak Sword had rolled and escaped the magic. Thanks to Ruby, who healed him while praising him, Peak Sword calmed his anger.


    He widened his stride and took a lower posture. Iyarugt was drawn from the sheath. Blood swirled around the transparent red sword.


    It had already cut. The swiftly drawn sword split one side of the battlefield in half. The target demon¡¯s body was split from side to side and the demons around him turned to gray ash as they ran. The buff applied to Peak Sword also returned to the attack power increase buff right away.


    Peak Sword gave a thumbs up to Zik in the distance. ¡°Hey! You are the best! You are really the best!¡±


    Would this cry be heard? The battlefield was very noisy and the distance between Peak Sword and Zik was too far.


    Zik¡¯s gaze was to the front, not the side. From the beginning until now, he had been advancing while staring at the toad at the end of the enemy¡¯s formation. Nevertheless, he constantly gave new buffs to all the Overgeared members scattered throughout the battlefield. It was as if he had eyes attached to each and every Overgeared member.


    At this point, they wondered if he had the same vision as Jishuka. It was a vision that could see the entire battlefield.


    Just then, arrows fell. As if shot from the clouds, the baptism of arrows fell in a straight line, not a parab, and was like a torrential rain.


    A faint smile appeared on Zik¡¯s face as he made his way along the path that was opened.


    ¡®It isfortable.¡¯


    He remembered the days when he roamed the battlefield with his sixpanions before he received the stigma of the seven malignant saints. Hispanions always paved the way for Zik and with their help, Zik was able to defeat many of his enemies.


    In retrospect, the enemies were all innocent. It was because the war that Zik and hispanions fought was by no means a holy war. It was nothing more than lowly violence that was wielded to fill the god¡¯s stomachs.


    Therefore, Zik didn¡¯t deny the moniker of Seven Malignant Saints. He wielded enormous power in the days when he was behind the Saharan Empire, but he didn¡¯t change the history associated with the Seven Malignant Saints. It was because theymitted too many sins to im that the Seven Malignant Saints were wrongly framed.


    That¡¯s right¡ªZik¡¯s ultimate goal wasn¡¯t to appease the vengeful spirits of his colleagues. It was just an incidental wish. His real purpose was pure, just as he stated before Hanul. It was to condemn the despicable gods and create a world that was more beneficial to humans.


    Therefore, he was a hero. A great hero was supporting Grid. A god who didn¡¯t put the words ¡®holy war¡¯ in his mouth and existed solely for the sake of humanity¡ªZik hoped the Overgeared World would cover the entire world.


    ¡°Croak...! Your arrogance is skyrocketing!¡± Chepardea eximed ferociously. One of the human beings he should be most vignt about¡ªwhile he acknowledged Zik¡¯s skills as one of the Seven Malignant Saints, it wasn''t the same when it came to Zik¡¯s ideas.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen countless human beings with the same eyes as yours! They are the eyes of a fanatic! Croak!¡±


    He saw it at the Yatan Church. The humans who served Yatan, the one who abandoned hell a long time ago, rather than the great Baal, the new master and only king of hell. The people who werepletely misled by Amoract had no answers. They didn¡¯t argue about right or wrong and only blindly believed in Yatan. That was the case with ZIk now.


    The upright look in his eyes without a single doubt was so annoying that it made his stomach ache. Zik spoke as he finally seeded in narrowing the distance with the one who reacted more sensitively than necessary, ¡°You have doubts.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense...?! Croak!¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s long, thick tongue moved downwards. It smashed and dug into the hard ground. Shortly thereafter, it soared up from Zik¡¯s feet.


    A pus-like mucus was emerging from the bumpy skin on hisrge face. It was a mucus with a strong toxicity. Not a single drop touched Zik. It was because one of the many runes surrounding him had the meaning of immunity.


    ¡°What type of alienation do you feel in your rtionship with Baal?¡±


    Zik moved his sword and cut off Chepardea¡¯s tongue. The blood that gushed out like a fountain turned into a foggy mist and was sprayed. It was a bloody fog that blocked the enemy¡¯s vision and senses, poisoning them.


    Chepardea¡¯s body was made entirely of poison. Ordinary people would die just by breathing in the same space.


    However, Zik knew that Chepardea had crossed the continent with Agnus, Baal¡¯s former contractor. Originally, every path that he walked should be filled with human corpses, but this wasn¡¯t the case. Calling him Baal¡¯s right arm was a bit mild.


    ¡°Or are your instincts starting to reject Baal?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense, croak!¡±


    Chepardea couldn¡¯t understand it.


    On what grounds does this person use to sever my rtionship with Baal?


    Baal is great. Only Baal can im to be the master of hell and deserve my allegiance. I am ready to dedicate everything to him.


    ...Wait? So what is the difference between that fanatic and I?


    Chepardea¡¯s big eyes fluttered as he felt great doubts. There was a worry that he would explode from the way his body was bulging and rolling around.


    ¡°Do not serve a deceiver.¡±


    Even the heavenly gods had deceived humans. Would the master of hell be any different? Considering Baal¡¯s disposition, there was a high probability that most of Baal¡¯s close associates were in a miserable position like the Seven Malignant Saints of the past.


    This was what he thought and expressed in words. He didn¡¯t have expectations that Chepardea was a good being. This advice just came from a simple sense of simrity. However, his hands didn¡¯t show any mercy. Zik had a golden opportunity to catch and kill Baal¡¯s closest subordinate, which Zik couldn¡¯t miss.


    Of course, Chepardea¡¯s resistance was also intense. He used the mucus that surrounded his body to cause Zik¡¯s sword to slip off. He immediately regenerated the severed tongue and spread open a. It was used so that even one attack from the demons could reach Zik. He even summoned three great demons skilled in magic in an attempt to destroy ZIk¡¯s runes.


    At first nce, he saw through Zik¡¯s tactics, which seemed invincible. This was why it was hard to ignore old beings. The experience and wisdom umted from a long life couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡°......¡±


    Zik was worried that the time would be dyed when he suddenly made eye contact with Yura.


    Nod.


    There was no need for any conversation. The two of them weren¡¯t particrly acquainted, but they knew each other well. Zik noticed the rtionship between Grid and Yura and had been keeping an eye on her. Yura had heard a lot about Zik from Grid. It wasn¡¯t difficult to guess what the other was thinking as long as they were on the same battlefield.


    Zik¡¯s sword pierced Yura¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    It was apletely iprehensible situation. It wasn¡¯t just the Overgeared members. Chepardea and the great demons were astonished as well.


    ¡®ck magic...! Yes, he must¡¯ve been subjected to ck magic! His Highness Baal has helped! Croak!¡¯


    It happened as Chepardea interpreted it as positively as possible...


    Zik¡¯s sword, which had just pierced Yura¡¯s abdomen, ended up piercing Chepardea¡¯srge back. It contained immense power. Runes were wrapped around the Saharan Sword, Zik¡¯s sword that pierced Chepardea. They were runes that made up destructive words. Not only was Chepardea¡¯s mucus easily destroyed, but his skin and bones were split apart like tofu. Even the regenerative power was suppressed.


    ¡°Cowardly, bastard...¡± Chepardea barely managed to speak as he coughed up blood. He btedly discovered that there was a ck hole opened in front of Yura¡¯s abdomen. It was the application of the Hell Leap skill. Zik¡¯s sword, which he thought had pierced Yura, had actually only been swallowed up by the Hell Leap where the destination was Chepardea¡¯s back.


    From the standpoint of the victim, it was a perfect coboration that could only elicit curses. It was cowardly even from the perspective of a demon.


    ¡°I can see why my god likes you.¡±


    ¡°I understand why you are trusted.¡±


    Zik and Yura¡¯s swords crossed with Chepardea in the center as they praised each other. It happened the moment when Chepardea¡¯s eyes were turned upside down as he was cut into three parts...


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    A hand protruded from a crevice in Chepardea¡¯s severed body.


    Duguen!


    The atmosphere of the battlefield changed. The bodies of all the Overgeared members and the kings of the different species, stiffened like stone statues.


    Zik¡¯s eyes narrowed. Who should be protected? A single word filled his mind as he contemted Yura, Jishuka, and Ruby at the same time¡ªannihtion.


    [The 1st Great Demon, Baal, has appeared.]


    Shock and horror¡ªthe Absolute of hell, who appeared while tearing apart Chepardea¡¯s flesh, made everyone lose their minds. However, Baal wasn¡¯t interested in the invaders. He only put his fingers into the head of Chepardea, who was smiling at him even at the moment of death, and wriggled around in his brain.


    ¡°It is no fun if you die like this.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...? Baal...! Baaaal!!¡± Chepardea¡¯s eyes had lost their light and were dying, but now they suddenly widened. His gaze filled with anger and hatred was directed at Baal, not Zik. ¡°You..! To God Yatan...!¡±


    The memories he had forgotten filled his mind. It was along with the memories of being ridiculed and murdered hundreds of thousands of times by Baal. However, Chepardea felt more desperate and angry about the insults that his master had suffered than the pain he had suffered. He hated himself for cursing and forgetting his true master.


    Baal¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change no matter how many times it is repeated.¡±


    This was the end. Baal, who trampled on Chepardea¡¯s efforts, dragged his body to the ground and burned it with the mes of hell. Then he disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°That bastard is ignoring us now...! Oof oof!¡±


    Vantner was shouting in a thunderous voice when he was suddenly silenced.


    [The meaning of the rune written on you has changed.]


    [The abnormal status resistance buff has changed to the ¡®silence¡¯ state.]


    Surprisingly, it was done by Zik.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The dumbfounded Vantner tried to argue with Zik, only to stop. He noticed the cold sweat that was pouring down Zik¡¯s body like rain. It was even more shocking because he knew Zik¡¯s strength. Baal felt like a wall that was endlessly high.

 Chapter 1667

    <h4>Chapter 1667</h4>


    The tower member, Betty, seeded in healing the wounded memphis. Later, she encountered Chepardea while escaping with Agnus and Noe. It reemerged right after his death was confirmed, so they wondered if it was a setting where they were brothers. However, based on the consistency of his abilities and habits, they confirmed it was the same individual.


    The appearance of Chepardea, who scoffed at Agnus and Betty for being ¡®broken toys,¡¯ was different from his miserable appearance just before he died. He showed a strange appearance of praising Baal, who killed him a little while ago, before being killed by Betty and Agnus.


    Meanwhile, the tower member, Abellio, joined the tower member, Ken, by chance. The great demons avoided Ken and the demons who advanced without hesitation were annihted every time Abellio made a stroke with his brush. Looking at the movement path, it was estimated that they would soon encounter Grid¡¯s group in the south.


    Meanwhile, the tower member, Jessica, was in pursuit of the great demon Barbatos. Barbatos, who was sniping at Abellio, fled shortly after Jessica appeared and showed a weakness in his sniping ability. It seemed that an effect of Echo Magic acted as a counter.


    The tower member, Radwolf, seeded in taking over the sky. The magic power bombs from the army of magic machines covered the dark sky of hell with a pure white light... all types of flying demons folded their wings and died. A total of three great demons set out to intercept Radwolf, but they failed. The instantaneous eleration ability of the magic machine that Radwolf was boarding was at the level of a transcendent and he was presumably using Shunpo. Additionally, based on the level and firepower of the armor, there was no disagreement in the assessment that it was an anti-dragon weapon.


    The tower member, Fronzaltz, killed the 9th Great Demon. He stayed in the 9th Hell and searched the area. It looked like he wanted something...


    Several demon armies rushed out to suppress him, but he didn¡¯t care. Several experts agreed that Fronzaltz¡¯ strength was likely to be the second highest among the tower members.


    The tower member, Jurene, was having a long conversation with the great demons in the 20s. The conversation couldn¡¯t be listened to, but it had a very friendly atmosphere that didn¡¯t fit the bloodyndscape of hell.


    The tower member, Biban, continued to wander around the remote regions. He was personally proving that there were many different types ofndscapes in hell and didn¡¯t show any battles for a long time. It couldn¡¯t be confirmed if the demons were avoiding him or if he was avoiding the demons.


    The apostle of the Overgeared God, Zik, joined the Overgeared members and seeded in ensuring the safety of the crystal castle. The atmosphere that cooled down after Baal¡¯s brief appearance was restored (?) quickly due to Vantner and Peak Sword.


    Huroi spread propaganda through Euphemina¡¯s magic and seeded inmunicating the situation to the people. yers who were hiding all over hell started to move to the crystal castle in droves.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s apostle, Nefelina, was lurking in a corner of hell. Her location was simr to the location where yers were hiding, so it seemed her intention was to help people escape...? Maybe it was due to the Dragon Fear that the hatchling could release imperfectly, but the demons didn¡¯te near her.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s apostle, Piaro, was engaged in farming in hell... There were already four areas of hell filled with golden wheat fields and acted as milestones for yers. It was confirmed that one of the trees he nted was exceptionallyrge and had a red fruit that demons were obsessed with.


    The Overgeared God¡¯s apostle, Braham, had an encounter with the great demon, Leraje. He wasn¡¯t at all intimidated by Leraje, who proimed to be the Supreme King. In the face of an unpredictable and fierce battle that was expected, Leraje instead guided Braham to her pce. Her expression of ecstasy and submission after cing Braham on the throne made her look quite silly. Of course, the experts argued that there might be some other hidden setting, but it was difficult to be convincing because they couldn¡¯t provide any evidence.


    Overgeared God Grid and the apostle, Mercedes, seeded in escaping back up to the ground after a great battle underground. It seemed that the raid of something huge and red would be saved for ater date. The demon swordsman who had a close battle with Mercedes followed Grid, so it seemed that Grid had seeded in taming another monster.


    ...This was the current situation in hell. It was due to this that the shock and horror that Baal brought to people after he briefly appeared soon calmed down. The overall situation was good, except for the fact that Baal was too strong and the red chunk of flesh was too sinister.


    The performances of the apostles and tower members were great. There wouldn¡¯t be any major problems as long as they didn¡¯t run into Baal. Yes, unless they encountered Baal...


    However, was that really a normal wish? The master of hell was Baal. He was the goal of Grid¡¯s party. No, humanity¡¯s end goal would eventuallye down to defeating Baal. So why assume that they wouldn¡¯t encounter Baal? It was too... maybe it was due to this vague wish?


    The victory announcements repeatedly rang out, but on the contrary, people¡¯s anxiety grew. This couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°We will join the war.¡±


    Large crowds started to be attracted to Reinhardt. The rankers and yers who were going to use the hell elevator rushed in like a tsunami at thest minute. The Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t stop them. Why would they refuse volunteers to fight with them?


    The fact that Grid¡¯s group didn¡¯t intend to fight Baal right now wasn¡¯t particrly important. Those in hell needed help right away. They needed manpower so that yers could safely evacuate to the crystal castle. Theters had stayed on the surface and closely watched the situation in hell so they could perceive the yers¡¯ current positions and situations. It meant they could n enough to know how to evacuate them.


    ¡°However, please keep this in mind. At best, you who are going as reinforcements shouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    Lae, the master of the Overgeared Magic Tower¡ªshe was Reinhardt¡¯s acting lord and cautioned the people.


    ¡°Your death will create a stronger demon.¡±


    Contrary to her worried expression, Lae¡¯s magic power was burning like a me. It was as if she was going to burn and kill them if they went to help, died, and made things worse. It was actually a threat. Was it because she was an idol? There was a perception that Lae was almost the only kind person among the Overgeared members. Maybe it was just people¡¯s wishes.


    Lae was also a member of the Overgeared Guild. She was even part of the former Tzedakah Guild. She also had a temperament of ruling by force. If she was kind and gentle like her external image, then she wouldn¡¯t have been able to be a ranker in the first ce, nor would she be able to mix in with the rough Tzedakah Guild.


    The people realized it again and hurriedly nodded.


    Lae smiled gently at them and gave them one more piece of advice, ¡°I am going to hand out anti-magic seals from the Reidan Alchemy Facility. The effect is strong, but it onlysts for 0.2 seconds. Use it the moment the elevator arrives in hell and the doors open. Then you won¡¯t be forcibly transferred.¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t be forcibly transferred... there was no certainty about this. The anti-magic seal created by the Reidan Alchemy Facility and the Overgeared Magic Tower was very powerful in return for being very restricted, but there was no guarantee that it would perform perfectly in hell. There was no forced teleportation during the time Lae was with the hell expedition, so there was no room for experimentation.


    ¡®If I knew this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t havee back first.¡¯


    Just before Baal came to the surface, Lae had returned there first. It was because the workload of the magic tower was so heavy that she couldn¡¯t be away for a long time. The reason she participated in the first ce was to secure resources she needed for an experiment. It was a well-known fact that there were quite a few types of resources that could only be obtained in hell.


    In particr, it was estimated that there were many beneficial resources for magicians. It was obvious from the constantly appearing magic tower quests where they could study new magic if they secured a certain resource. Among them, the ¡®fruit of good and evil¡¯ stood out in particr. Despite being a material item, it was ssified as myth rated. It was said that the fruit was very red at night and green during the day...


    Wouldn¡¯t it resemble that one?


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Lae¡¯s eyes widened as she looked up at the sky again after putting the new volunteers into the elevator. Her eyes were drawn to a particrlyrge tree in the video of Piaro. It was a tree that was half asrge as the world tree. At first nce, the great tree that seemed to support the sky had only one fruit. It was very red. She saw the demons rolling their eyes and rushing at the fruit. It was even though they knew they would be Piaro¡¯s prey the moment they stepped into the surrounding wheat fields.


    ¡°T-That...!¡±


    ¡°C-Crazy!!¡±


    Lae was feeling astonished when the screams and groans of people rang out. Lae was surprised by the intense reactions and noticed it one stepte.


    A dragon appeared in hell. It was the Evil Dragon Bunhelier. One of his wings and his tail had been ripped off. The appearance of an Absolute that he had shown during his fight against Hayate had faded away.


    Kurarararara!


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The faces of Lae and the people turned pale.


    ¡°God!¡± Sariel screamed out a prayer while sping her hands together. The ce where the dragon appeared was above Grid¡¯s head. The dragon even fired a Breath at Grid¡¯s group the moment he appeared. It was such a quick surprise attack that they were worried if Grid would even be aware of it.


    Grid¡¯s party was swept away by the Breath. The faint smokepletely obscured the screen.


    The situation was worse than people thought.


    [Baal...!]


    It was because Baal appeared in the spot where Bunhelier had emerged. He seemed to have rushed over after reading Bunhelier¡¯s energy. It was shortly after killing Chepardea. It revealed why he ignored Zik and the Overgeared members on the scene and left in a hurry.


    ¡°You are a very unlucky guy.¡± Baalughed when he found Grid, who had been hit by the Breath and turned into rags. He seemed to be enjoying the situation itself.


    Grid¡¯s response wasn¡¯t much different. Grid hadn¡¯t been able to hide his fear during his previous encounter with Baal on the surface, yet now he was smiling in this desperate situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who is the unlucky one?¡±


    He was grateful for his high luck stat. Grid shook off the dust and raised his body. Then he tapped on his armor with a hammer. Mercedes and the demon swordsman weren¡¯t by his side. They had left the scene with the God Hands the moment Bunhelier appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since I heard the words ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon.¡¯¡±


    The sight of Grid pulling out two dragon weapons and holding them caught the attention of Baal and Bunhelier at the same time. No matter how weak he might be, the figure armed with dragon weapons and armor was bound to shine in a special way.


    ¡°The most suitable dragons for the tale of the ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ are Nevartan and Bunhelier, the craziest dragon and the second craziest dragon. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted to Bunhelier in the sky. Bunhelier¡¯s eyes, which had been filled with anger and killing intent, slowly stabilized.


    [I can¡¯t deny it.]

 Chapter 1668

    <h4>Chapter 1668</h4>


    The hell moon was always a full moon. It was because it was just artificially oveid. The sight of the moon changing to a waning moon and waxing moon every time Bunhelier moved was unfamiliar.


    ¡°There are some people who will be quite surprised.¡±


    Bunhelier was covered with obsidian-like ck scales. From a distance, Baal admired the unrealistic appearance of the old dragon, which could be seen as a shadow covering the moon. It wasn¡¯t an overwhelmed look. Not the slightest bit of tension could be seen. It was an abnormal reaction.


    Grid spected more closely about the rtionship between Baal and Bunhelier.


    ¡®Is Baal superior?¡¯


    Grid hadn¡¯t logged out ever since arriving in hell. It was because it wasn¡¯t the promised time. He didn¡¯t know the situation outside. It meant he hadn¡¯t heard the news that Bunhelier suffered a great defeat by Marie Rose and that Baal was the reason for her fatal effect against Bunhelier.


    Nevertheless, he had a vague guess. It was through the resentment, anger, and killing intent that Bunhelier was emitting toward Baal. Bunhelier had a clear hatred of Baal.


    He wondered if Bunhelier had been hit hard in the back of the head and if it had something to do with the episode where Bunhelier was reborn as an evil dragon in hell.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain. In the process, Baal put some type of shackles on Bunhelier.¡¯


    This was the only way he could understand Bunhelier¡¯s anger. Then Baal¡¯s rxed attitude even in front of an old dragon was understandable...


    A huge shadow was cast around the thinking Grid. It was a shadow that grew as Bunhelier got closer.


    [Baal, this guy yed an insignificant trick. I knew from the beginning that you didn¡¯t take anyone in your eyes, but is it the point of deceiving an old dragon that existed from the beginning? Do you have ten lives?]


    Bunhelier was agitated. Unlike the gourmet dragon and other top dragons, who were aloof and awe-inspiring, he clearly expressed his emotions. This attitude didn¡¯t feel cheap. It was purely overbearing. Grid became dizzy from the messages of his transcendent senses that reacted every time Bunhelier let out a breath.


    Bunhelier¡¯s small actions and words were making his transcendent senses feel a sense of crisis in real time. Baal¡¯s expression as he epted the killing intent directed at him was still calm.


    ¡°That is a strange question. Did you forget the insane dragon? I have been deceiving you for a long time.¡±


    Baal was the size of an ordinary human, unlike when he appeared on the surface not so long ago. It was said that he had a different appearance depending on the viewer¡¯s mind. His pale, smooth-looking skin gradually became as hard as stone. The three horns on his head soared high and his body also grew huge. He wasn¡¯t inferior even standing side by side with Bunhelier.


    Grid was watching him with an astonished look, only to be startled. He suddenly realized that the ¡®fear¡¯ abnormal status had been applied to him and gritted his teeth.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be scared.¡¯


    There was Bunhelier by his side. It was an old dragon with the momentum to kill Baal immediately. This was a golden opportunity to ride an old dragon as part of the ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ tale. It was a truly unexpected opportunity. Unexpectedly, a Baal raid might be possible.


    He tried to control his mind several times, but it was useless. The fear that Grid felt toward Baal was a systemic problem. A source of evil that threatened even the transcendents and gods. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t help being afraid...


    Besides, it was difficult to trust Bunhelier. Bunhelier read and responded to Grid¡¯s intentions, but this didn¡¯t trante directly to favor. This meant he could change his mind at any time depending on the situation.


    First of all, he was an evil dragon. Simply put, he was a viin. He wasn¡¯t someone he could build up a trusting rtionship with.


    ¡®Yet from my current perspective, he is the only one I can rely on.¡¯


    Bunhelier¡¯s position wasn¡¯t much different.


    [Overgeared God... don¡¯t even think about betraying me. If you betray me, I will take everything away from you.]


    Bunheliernded right next to Grid and gave a clear warning. He also didn¡¯t trust Grid. However, he had no other option, so he slowly leaned his head forward while showing his dislike. It was so that Grid could climb onto the nape of his neck.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe contents of the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon story were also known to Bunhelier. It was the same for the other old dragons. However, there would be no old dragon other than Bunhelier who felt the need to be the main character of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon at this moment and in the future.


    This fact brought Bunhelier a great deal of shame and skepticism. Still, what could he do? The moment he arrived in hell, Baal came to him as if Baal had been waiting. This meant it was an event within the scope of Baal¡¯s prediction. Bunhelier needed a variable that would make Baal¡¯s predictions go awry and that was Grid here.


    This one who helped Ifrit deal a big blow to her father. Grid endured the Breath he shot as a test, as if this wasn¡¯t a falsehood. He didn¡¯t weaken the Breath¡¯s aura like Hayate, but endured it. It was more than a Dragon yer in terms of being tough. To be honest, this was the first time he had seen such a person. It would surely be helpful...


    ¡°I won¡¯t betray you,¡± Grid dered.


    ck blood spilled out every time he opened his mouth due to the aftermath of being hit by the Breath, but his expression was serious. It was a god¡¯s promise. It was to an old dragon who could fully understand the weight of it.


    [I won¡¯t betray you this time either.]


    Bunhelier read Grid¡¯s sincerity and also made a pledge. Would it be kept and sublimated into Dragon Words, or would it be scattered and reduced to a worthless thing as always...? Even Bunhelier himself couldn¡¯t predict it. He didn¡¯t mean to brag, but he himself didn¡¯t know in which direction his vicious heart would be shaken.


    [One of the world¡¯s greatest and most monstrous dragons has bowed his head in front of the Overgeared God.]


    All these scenes were being recorded in the 20th epic. Naturally, most of the scenes were interpreted in Grid¡¯s favor. Bunhelier simply bowed his head to let Grid board, but in the epic, it was portrayed as if he had submitted.


    Grid felt embarrassed, but he acted brazen-faced.


    ¡®I¡¯m not deliberately distorting it.¡¯


    Just as God wasn¡¯t the author of the Bible, the myths were originally written by humans. It would be funny if Grid directly corrected the contents. He didn¡¯t even have the authority to correct it in the first ce.


    [I will surely destroy humanity one day...]


    Bunhelier noticed the situation and uttered scary words. Grid felt almost thankful that Baal made a surprise attack just in time to disperse Bunhelier¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Keuk.¡±


    He failed to get on Bunhelier¡¯s neck and crashed. It was difficult for him to control his body properly due to the fear abnormal status, so he was properly hit by Baal¡¯s surprise attack.


    ¡®Is swordsmanship the main force?¡¯


    Baal was simr to Hayate. Just like Hayata made the Dragon Killing Sword with energy, Baal crafted a ck sword with demonic energy. It possessed an unchallenged power. The more he approached a subject that was beyond being powerful, the more status abnormalities that would ur. It was literally a demonic sword.


    The most threatening aspect of the demonic sword was the debuff ¡®destruction of the status immunity.¡¯ The status immunity that he enjoyed and took for granted ever since bing Pagma''s Sessor was gone and most of his immunity functions became weak.


    ¡®I knew this day woulde eventually.¡¯


    It would be weird if one of the final bosses didn¡¯t do this much. He had a duty to ovee this trial. Stay calm. There was no need to despair. It was just the same conditions that most people felt.


    It happened as Grid was controlling his mind...


    Baal recovered the sword that had been swung sideways and struck at Bunhelier¡¯s Breath. Then he reached out his other hand and fired magic. Dozens of magic circles were unexpectedly created. It was impossible to destroy all of them with the effects of Duke of Wisdom and the Castration Eye.


    Damage umted again to the falling Grid and Baal¡¯s offensive didn¡¯t stop there. He mmed down a huge heel and struck the top of Grid¡¯s head. Suddenly, his fingers, which were resting on Grid¡¯s shoulder, were tearing apart the dragon armor like it was a sheet of paper.


    In the aftermath of the impact, his corbone and shoulder de were fractured. Grid¡¯s body leaned forward as his abdomen was torn apart by the demonic sword. Grid¡¯s mind went nk. It wasn¡¯t just due to the pain. It was because there was no time to think about anything.


    Baal¡¯s unstoppable offensive was so swift andplicated. He mastered all areas of swordsmanship, martial arts, and magic, like Zik, but his power was beyond Zik¡¯s.


    ¡®What is this demon bastard?¡¯


    It was no wonder that the Absolute of hell was strong. Grid just hadn¡¯t expected that he would even know all these techniques? In the first ce, wasn¡¯t the demon a being who neglected learning and depended on their innate power? Most of them were like this with the exception of a few special cases like Dantalion and Iyarugt. It was hard to understand why Baal would learn and train in something when he pursued pleasure.


    Baal read Grid¡¯s eyes, which were filled with confusion and consternation, and exined, ¡°Most of the history of humanity that remains on the surface are records of the winners. Many things were lost. On the other hand, hell covers the history of all the dead. It means I am more familiar with the knowledge and skills that humans have umted than you human beings.¡±


    He seemed to find it pleasant. There wasn¡¯t a single w in Baal¡¯s movements. It continued non-stop. He seemed to be a creature that lived in a single breath thatsted forever as he linked all sorts of techniques together without a time difference. He also appeared to have no joints.


    All the attacks wereing frompletely unpredictable trajectories. Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid a single one if it wasn¡¯t for his artificial senses and his transcendence.


    [What are you doing?]


    The ferocious looking Bunhelier frowned. Then Grid abruptly came to his senses. His urgency to stop the attacks meant his distance with Bunhelier imperceptibly widened. He felt a sense of strangeness.


    Baal¡¯s body had be so huge that it wasparable to Bunhelier. His outstretched hands and feet reached a distance of several dozens of meters. Considering that Grid¡¯s location was initially beside Bunhelier, Baal¡¯s attack range should¡¯ve included Bunhelier as well, not just Grid. Yet Baal¡¯s attacks only touched Grid.


    Grid focused. He carefully observed the scene happening in front of him. Baal¡¯s massive body ovepped with Bunhelier¡¯s body every time he moved. Even so, Bunhelier didn¡¯t react to it. In fact, Baal¡¯s arms and legs were going through Bunhelier¡¯s body like ghosts without any physical force.


    Did Bunhelier use any fluidization technique? No. Baal¡¯s huge body was just a fake.


    Grid recalled it. The reason why Baal looked huge was because Grid was afraid of him. Baal¡¯s actual body wasn¡¯t as huge as Bunhelier¡¯s.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be fooled... first of all, I have to measure the distance properly.¡¯


    Taang, taang, tatang, tatatang...


    Grid noticed the intervals in the impacts to his artificial senses. At first nce, it seemed to ur simultaneously. It was because Baal¡¯s arms were much longer than the range of his artificial senses.


    Baal waved his arm just once and it felt like it had passed through the whole area of his artificial senses. The truth was different. There were a very small number of gaps. He only barely noticed it when he raised his concentration to the extreme. It was simply fast.


    ¡®3 meters, 1 meter...¡¯


    Grid estimated Baal¡¯s actual size and the length of the demonic sword based on the transmission speed of the impacts and tilted his head to the left. Hismand values were reversed due to the aftermath of the confusion abnormal status. His head tilted to the right.


    Visually, it was suicide. It seemed like he was sticking out his head toward the demonic sword wielded by Baal. However, the de couldn¡¯t cut or pierce Grid¡¯s neck. It passed by like an illusion. In fact, Baal¡¯s de still wasn¡¯t in a position to reach Grid. It had just reached his earlobe.


    He felt like he was in an environment where the ping bounced randomly while his body was moving contrary to his thoughts. Putting aside Baal¡¯s blows and attacks that prated his absolute defense, causing tens of thousands of damage, the difficulty and fatigue of the battle were too high.


    Then for the first time, Grid¡¯s sword and Baal¡¯s sword interlocked. The demonic sword failed to cut Grid and was blocked by the dragon weapon.


    ¡°...The adaptation is fairly fast?¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes were half open. He obscured some of his pupils with his eyelids so they couldn¡¯t be seen. It was a habit unique to Baal. It was a reaction he showed when admiring something, but no one knew it. It was because he didn¡¯t usually feel admiration.


    ¡®How much strength does he have?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue. It was because he witnessed that the dragon weapon¡¯s body was slightly white. His loudly convulsing arms were an added bonus. He wasughing at the absurdity when Bunhelier appeared behind him. Hell was currently operating a magic that blocked most movement techniques, but the teleportation of an old dragon couldn¡¯t be sealed.


    [Get on!]


    Bunhelier urged. His voice was quite mild, unlike the beginning. Baal wasn¡¯t the only one who admired Grid¡¯s fighting abilities.


    Grid leapt up. First of all, activating the Dragon Knight effect was the urgent priority.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Baal caught up. He pressed the dragon weapon, still engaged with the demonic sword, with force and created a close-range battle. The magic and skills fired from a close distance approached Grid as an unstoppable threat.


    Baal¡¯s smiling face, which showed his sharp teeth, approached right in front of Grid¡¯s nose. Then a Breath was shot from Grid¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 1669

    <h4>Chapter 1669</h4>


    A disaster was encountered and there was no chance of survival¡ªthis was themon idea of everyone. The dragon that appeared suddenly fired a Breath, Grid coughed up blood after being hit by the Breath, and Baal attacked. People watched the series of events that took ce in an instant and naturally predicted Grid¡¯s death. The Evil Dragon Bunhelier, who overwhelmed Hayate, Marie Rose, and Kraugel and left leisurely.


    Baal, the ruler of hell and the source of evil. Expecting Grid to survive when he was surrounded by the strongest in the worldview was something that even an Overgeared God Church believer couldn¡¯t do. In other words, it was a wish with no conscience.


    Of course, Grid deviated from people¡¯s expectations as usual. He was hit by the Breath and attacked by Baal, but was still alive five secondster. It meant he hadn¡¯t consumed his immortality yet. Bunhelier even bowed his head as if to pay homage to him. Finally, a beam shot from Grid¡¯s mouth. This...


    By this point, he was already the protagonist of a courageous work...


    No, what was this?! As people were feeling astonished, an explosion urred around Baal¡¯s head. There was a cloud of dust. The effect was intense as a Breath was fired right in front of him. It would be a convincing sight even if Baal¡¯s head had been blown away.


    However, there was a strong energy contained in Baal¡¯s demonic sword that was still interlocked with the dragon weapon. It didn¡¯t waver at all as it endured all the power that Grid had built up over the years, as firm as a great mountain. It was natural. Baal was one of the first beings created by the Gods of the Beginning. He was the ruler of hell, thest world where all living things would reach after they died. No matter what attack was tried, he wasn¡¯t an opponent to prevail against.


    Grid knew it as well. He just didn¡¯t want to admit it. It was because he wasn¡¯t an individual. He had the hopes and fates of many people behind him. There was a sense that he shouldn¡¯t be denied in such a vain manner.


    ¡°...Ohhhhh!¡± Grid shouted. It was a reflexive reaction. It was an effort to encourage himself and to shake off his vague fears. He used the full buffs right away. He screamed and squeezed out all his strength, but he couldn¡¯t shake off Baal¡¯s demonic sword. He crossed the two swords held with both hands and pushed. It was just that Baal¡¯s demonic sword didn¡¯t move like it was nailed to the air. Little by little, it slowly dug into Grid¡¯s chest.


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by 470.]


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by 399.]


    [The durability of Valha of Infinite Affection has decreased by...]


    Sparks flew up noisily from Grid¡¯s chest. They were the tears pouring out of the armor that finally started to be cut and torn apart by the demonic sword. The choking smoke caused by the aftermath of the Breath¡¯s explosion was dissipating.


    Soon, Baal¡¯s intact face was revealed.


    ¡°......¡±


    His eyes were still half open. The man, who covered three small pupils with his lowered eyelids and revealed only one pupil like a human, stared at Grid. He had only Grid in his dark eyes.


    Grid trembled. The fact that the ruler of hell was fully conscious of him. He felt a certain sense of fulfillment even in this urgent situation.


    ¡®He is conscious of me.¡¯


    Grid recalled Baal¡¯s behavior. This guy wanted stimtion. The greater the stimulus that threatened him, the more joy and excitement he would receive. Such a person was blocking Grid¡¯s path several times as if to prevent Grid from riding that dragon. The meaning was great.


    [You have suffered 49,580 damage.]


    [You have received the ¡®poisoned¡¯ and ¡®bleeding¡¯ abnormal statuses. Your health will continuously decrease and your weak points are easily exposed.]


    In the end, the demonic sword opened up the armor and started to cut Grid¡¯s chest apart. It was precisely where the heart was. Fortunately, Grid was able to buy some time thanks to Skin of Transcendence.


    Grid tilted his head back as much as possible. He ignored the screamsing from his broken bones and bent his waist more than 90 degrees. Baal was persistent. His demonic sword was still crushing the two swords that Grid had crossed in front of his chest. It dug deeper into Grid¡¯s flesh.


    Grid didn¡¯t use Revolve carelessly. He considered the level of the skills that Baal used, the background from which he acquired the skills, and the fact that Pagma¡¯s soul was now in Baal¡¯s hands.


    ¡®This guy might also be able to use Revolve.¡¯


    The reason it was hard to react to a counterattack skill was because it was a sharp counter. Then what about a counterattack against a counterattack? It would be really hard to react to. It was an unpredictable trajectory even for the party who counterattacked the counterattack. Not only did it make the attack out of control, but it also added tremendous eleration.


    It was a systemic decision. A counterattack was precious for a reason. Moreover, the current Grid was experiencing the confused status condition. If he tried to move his body to the left, he would end up moving to the right. Even his senses such as hearing and vision would be perceived as opposites. If the average person was confused, then it would be difficult for them to even walk.


    If Revolve was counterattacked in this state... Grid was convinced that he would receive a fatal wound regardless of his level of transcendence or his artificial senses.


    ¡°You are refusing to yield.¡± It had to be shaken off with pure force. He endured with such a judgment. Then in the end, his back bent at a strange angle and Baal ridiculed Grid, ¡°I don¡¯t think it is the time to hide this and that. Try to be a little bit more certain.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t mean to just fight ignorantly. He naturally used the God Hands and magic. However, the God Hands couldn¡¯t approach Baal after a certain distance. The demonic energy surrounding Baal¡¯s body became tangible like the demonic sword and shook off the God Hands.


    It was the same with magic. It had no effect and disappeared. The demonic energy worn by Baal thoroughly neutralized the lower level concepts. It was impossible to harm Baal with the God Hands that only had 30% of Grid¡¯s stats and low to intermediate level magic.


    [<i>Che</i>.]


    A man with long, ck hair broke in between the two of them. It was Bunhelier, polymorphed into human form. Grid could be swept up if he attacked with a dragon¡¯s body or a Breath, so Bunhelier reduced the size of his body. It was the flow that Baal had forced. This bastard¡¯s behavior that ovepped closely with Grid constrained Bunhelier in many ways.


    ¡°Are you really going to cooperate?¡± Baal was kicked away from Grid¡¯s abdomen and left his spot.


    Bunhelier¡¯s hand, which swept through the afterimages of Baal¡¯s movement, quickly turned into a dragon¡¯s hand. In an instant, he narrowed the distance to the far away Baal. A loud roar burst out. It was an explosion that urred the moment Baal¡¯s demonic sword blocked Bunhelier¡¯s hand, which tried to dig at his chest.


    All the oxygen around the explosion point was burned. The air was crushed by the pressure of the explosion and pushed to the periphery in a series of shock waves. Even Grid had to build a barrier out of the God Hands in order to handle the aftermath. The fireball soared high and died down while the area entered a vacuum state. The surrounding air rushed to fill in this void, causing an airflow that created a mushroom cloud.


    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯ Grid¡¯s pupils shook as he exhaled the breath that had been blocked. It was a sh of pure strength against strength, magic power against magic power. This alone caused a phenomenon that was like a nuclear explosion? Maybe he should say goodbye to the souls of Pagma and Alex forever...


    Grid was feeling seriously troubled when Bunhelier shouted toward him.


    [Avoid it!]


    It was Bunhelier who had a ck magic power at the tip of each of its six ws. The moment these spheres collided with Baal¡¯s demonic sword, they caused an explosion that created the mushroom cloud. However, it was Bunhelier who suffered a lot of damage.


    Baal, who appeared through the clouds, had only a line of blood flowing from his forehead while Bunhelier had one hand blown away. Baal¡¯s strength and magic power didn¡¯t only overwhelm Grid. It also clearly transcended Bunhelier. Of course, it had to be taken into ount that Bunhelier wasn¡¯t in a perfect state. Not only was Bunhelier at a disadvantage against Baal, but he was also seriously injured by Nevartan. Nevertheless, it was true that he was better than Grid.


    No one thought that Grid, whose armor hadn¡¯t been fully repaired, would be safe from Baal¡¯s next attack. Millions of people watching the scene from the surface groaned or screamed. There were many who couldn¡¯t open their tightly closed eyes.


    ¡®There will be a celebration.¡¯


    Beijing, China.


    Hao frowned as he watched the situation through the news. Unlike most countries that gave Grid absolute favor, China still tended to be hostile to Grid. It was because there was a sense of damage due to China¡¯s reputation being tarnished because of Grid.


    Was it because they were robbed of a medal every time they met Grid in the National Competition? This was a very minor issue. The shameful thing for China was that a significant number of Chinese people changed to an orc and became Grid¡¯s people. Additionally, diplomatic damage was suffered.


    In fact, the expression ¡®damage¡¯ was funny. They just failed when trying to forcibly undermine South Korea¡¯s sovereignty. In any case, the Communist Party wasn¡¯t very fond of Grid. This had been the case since South Korea became known as Grid¡¯s nation and exerted a great influence in the internationalmunity.


    The people were also bound to be affected. There were still many people who hated Grid. If it was just a few days ago, cheers would be heard all over Beijing¡¯s city center. They would¡¯ve felt a lot of fun watching Grid who was about to die. However, not anymore.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Surprisingly, groans erupted all over the streets. There were many people who felt pity for Grid¡¯s plight and supported him. It was the power of Tai Chi. Grid, who learned Chinese martial arts one day and preached its greatness, won even the hearts of the Chinese anti-fans.


    ¡°I see... Grid, you thought this far and actively used Tai Chi.¡±


    Was it for the unity of humanity?


    How far ahead did you look, Grid?


    ¡°He is truly a great man. I have no choice but to respect you.¡±


    It was at a time when people all over the world, including China, were cheering for Grid with one heart and one mind.


    ¡°......!¡± Baal¡¯s eyes were half open again. The demonic sword, which collided with the two dragon weapons, couldn¡¯t suppress Grid like before. It bounced off in a normal manner.


    ¡°Bunhelier!¡± Grid broke through Baal and shouted fiercely. He was biting a lollipop in his mouth. It was the greatest item in the reputation store that could only be used five times per ount. It was the Sweet Candy. It increased all stats by 30% for 5 minutes.


    Bunhelier responded. He instantly regained his dragon appearance and flew toward Grid. Baal¡¯s baptism of magic struck Grid¡¯s back dozens of times. The ragged armor waspletely removed. It wasn¡¯t destroyed. Grid took it off on his own along the way. He swapped to the Holy Light Armor to minimize the damage caused by the magic.


    The price was harsh. He was cut by Baal¡¯s sword, who had been approaching since the time he shot the magic, and lost hundreds of thousands of health. Grid fired a Breath from the hands that stretched out backwards. The Small Breath didn¡¯t hurt Baal, but it gave Grid some momentum.


    He quickly closed the distance to Bunhelier, who wasn¡¯t far away. Baal was persistent. He moved one step faster than Grid and blocked Grid¡¯s way. This was predicted. From the time he fired the Small Breath backwards, Grid was already performing the Serve sword dance.


    A sword dance depicting the sacrifice of the Overgeared God. The dreams and wishes of countless people and the splendid determination of the wounded god who carried their fate caused even Baal to stiffen for a moment.


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was only 0.2 seconds. Baal only flinched for this moment. However, even 0.1 seconds was an endlessly long time for Absolutes, who split it into dozens of units.


    [You have boarded the Evil Dragon Bunhelier.]


    [The effect of the only one title in the world, ¡®Dragon Knight,¡¯ is activated.]


    [All your stats are increased by three times and your status is increased...]


    [......!]


    [......!!]


    [......!!!]


    [...The target you are riding is an old dragon!]


    [Your status has greatly increased!]


    [Resist all status abnormalities that you are currently experiencing!]


    ¡°...Crazy God and Crazy Dragon.¡±


    An evil dragon joining forces with a god, a god who joined forces with an evil dragon. There were two guys here who were as crazy as he was. Baalughed like it was ridiculous as one of his arms flew away. He was cut by the sword of Grid, who was riding on Bunhelier.


    The earth shook.

 Chapter 1670

    <h4>Chapter 1670</h4>


    The popr opinion was that it was rare for Baal to have any opponents. It was easy to guess based on Satisfy¡¯s worldview. The hundred of billions of souls caught in hell. No, he was perhaps a being that held and controlled more souls than this in his grasp.


    Baal¡¯s importance was different from that of Martial God Zeratul, who simply had the setting of ¡®powerful.¡¯ If there was a day when Baal¡¯s death came, this would be proof that Satisfy¡¯s story was moving toward the end. He could never be an easy opponent and the real Baal was as powerful as people expected.


    He was literally invincible. It was a level where he overwhelmed Grid and Bunhelier alone. It seemed impossible to defeat him even if the apostles, tower members, Hayate, and Marie Rose joined.


    That had been the thought until just now. Blood rose like a fountain from Baal¡¯s right shoulder. His long arm was cut off along with the demonic sword in his hand and hovered in the air. It was done by Grid. To be exact, it was by Grid who climbed onto the neck of a giant dragon.


    ¡°...He is riding a dragon?¡±


    People were shocked. Their response was the same, regardless of age, gender, or position. Shouting cheers was just the basics. A lot of them shot up or stomped their feet and a New York Times reporter even used the phrase that the earth was shaken. It was a truly shocking sight.


    Hayate, Marie Rose, and Kraugel joined forces and barely managed to tie up the feet of the Evil Dragon Bunhelier. Grid was riding the transcendent being as powerful as the stats that were revealed in a previous National Competition. It wasn¡¯t at the level of fighting and winning. It was a concept far higher than victory and it was a shock. The expression that it was ¡®beyond imagination¡¯ was a cliche.


    ¡°Crazy. This is seriously crazy...¡±


    Dragon Knight¡ªthe emergence of an only one title equal to Dragon yer showed a tremendous ripple effect. At this moment, Grid¡¯s appearance was nailed to the minds of everyone. The mythical figure scattering orange divinity on the neck of a dragon who was scattering ck demonic energy.


    People sensed it. They would never forget Grid¡¯s appearance that they saw just now. From now on, they would be gued for the rest of their lives by the desire to resemble Grid.


    ¡º This¡­ isn¡¯t this more than a Dragon yer? ¡»


    Thementators from different countries, who were mesmerized for a while, spoke very carefully. It was a question that denied Hayate, the Dragon yer who was believed to be the strongest human being. They would ept any criticism. However, no one criticized them. It was because everyone had the same thoughts. One who killed a dragon and one who ruled over a dragon. To put it bluntly, thetter would naturally be superior.


    At this moment, Grid wasn¡¯t the Overgeared God.


    Dragon Knight¡ªpeople called Grid a new name. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter what he was called.


    cksmith, emperor, god, dragon riding knight. No matter what, it was a name that meant Grid in the end. The present reached by an ordinary young man¡ªin the end, he was Grid.


    ¡°Baaaal!¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s high speed flight. Gridpletely controlled the speed that even Hayate barely reacted to. It wasn¡¯t possible just because his stats increased by three times. Grid wasmunicating with Bunhelier. They read each other¡¯s will and meaning.


    Bunhelier responded immediately every time he felt that Grid¡¯s intentions were usible. He flew in the direction that Grid desired. Thanks to this, Grid was able to quickly approach Baal. He safely pierced through the magic bombardment that swept in from all directions and shed his two swords horizontally and vertically. It was a sword dance that was used on the dragon¡¯s body rather than the ground.


    [The Dragon sword dance is newly interpreted.]


    It was in the process of using Drop Dragon Pinnacle Link Kill Wave. It was immediately after neutralizing Baal¡¯s guard, who was using his severed arm like a sword while drawing dozens of magic circles, using the Dragon Breath. The moment he danced the Dragon sword dance after Drop, a notification window shed in Grid¡¯s point of view. It came like a sh of lightning.


    The new Dragon sword dance. Grid felt an obvious change. He had a feeling that he had to do the sword dance from the beginning again. Therefore, he retracted his sword.


    [This monkey-like guy...!]


    Bunhelier¡¯s rant followed. He fired the Breath ording to the timing of the sword dance, but that guy Grid suddenly took back the sword. He thought this human was quite useful from the moment Grid got on his neck, but it was a misjudgment. He was ignorant like a god of insignificant human origin. He thought that missing this opportunity was like a monkey falling from the tree.


    Grid ignored him and took the posture of the sword dance again. He forced Bunhelier to move forward once again. Bunhelier was forced to respond. Baal had recovered from his wound.


    In the short time when Grid took back his sword, Baal stuck the severed arm to his shoulder while asking, ¡°Are you still not in sync?¡±


    Bunhelier took a deep breath and regained hisposure while thinking that this guy was really unlucky. Once again, a Breath was fired ording to the timing of the activation of Grid¡¯s sword dance. However, Baal didn¡¯t suffer from it twice. He previously confirmed that the Breath couldn¡¯t be weakened even after using all types of barriers and sealing techniques. Therefore, he shed at the Breath this time by wielding the sword itself.


    The trajectory of the dark sword changed dozens of times in the air. It was to repeatedly suppress, cut, and deflect the momentum of the Breath that was stacked five times. It was like watching a potter cutting pottery. It was enough to feel the spirit of craftsmanship.


    In the end, the Breath¡¯s trajectory waspletely twisted. It was divided into five stems and scattered in all directions without reaching Baal. In the eyes of people, it seemed like theser that stretched out in a straight line was dispersed spontaneously just before it touched Baal. It meant they couldn¡¯t even properly see the sight of Baal wielding the sword.


    Grid wasn¡¯t much different. If it wasn¡¯t for his transcendent senses recognizing Baal¡¯s sword energy as a threat or if his artificial senses hadn¡¯t read the flow of the wind, Grid would¡¯ve also missed Baal¡¯s sword. Nevertheless, it was okay even if he missed it.


    Grid had predicted that Bunhelier¡¯s Breath wouldn¡¯t have much effect. He anticipated it and was prepared from the moment Baal¡¯s arm was restored.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Baal was astonished. It was because a Breath that was the same as the one had just faced was right in front of him.


    [What?]


    Bunhelier was also surprised. ¡®His Breath¡¯ was shot from Grid¡¯s mouth, so it was natural to be surprised. Of course, the power wasn¡¯t perfect. However, it was a reproduction of an old dragon¡¯s Breath. Even if it wasn¡¯t perfect, it had a destructive power that was on a different level than the Breath that Grid had shot earlier.


    It happened as Baal wielded his sword and cut the Breath again...


    Bunhelier crouched down greatly. The nape of his neck that Grid was riding was angled toward the top of Baal¡¯s head. Grid had the top of Baal¡¯s head in his sight as he swung the two dragon weapons. Once again, it was a six fusion sword dance. It was just that the action was different from before.


    To be precise, the Dragon sword dance had changed. It waspletely different from the old Dragon sword dance, which tried to simply reproduce a dragon¡¯s momentum, or Pagma¡¯s Dragon, which admired the noble appearance of the blue dragon. This was the sword dance of Grid cooperating with an old dragon.


    [The Dragon sword dance has evolved into the sword dance of the evil dragon.]


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªone of the old dragons that had existed since the beginning of time. At this moment, his very existence that wasmunicating with Grid at the same level was an inspiration to Grid. It was suitable to be used as the source for the new sword dance.


    [Dragon - Bunhelier]


    [A sword dance that recreates the power and momentum of the evil, old dragon, Bunhelier.


    It causes his ¡®madness.¡¯


    Charges at the designated target, causing 20,000% physical attack and inflicting at least two status abnormalities. The status abnormalities that will ur are random.


    If the target¡¯s status is low, then there is a 99% of instantly killing the target.


    Skill Sword Energy Cost: 800


    Skill Mana Cost: 50,000


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    ¡°......!!¡±


    People were dumbfounded. It wasn¡¯t because they witnessed Grid¡¯s twisted smile. Their attention was attracted by the sight of the orange divinity being dyed ck and spreading like dragon wings, so they had no time to pay attention to the change in Grid¡¯s expression.


    [What is this guy?]


    Bunhelier¡¯s big eyes shook as well. He was evil, so he was sensitive to divinity. From the moment he first saw Grid, he was able to clearly define what type of god Grid was.


    A god who existed solely for humanity. He was a noble and upright god, unlike the heavenly gods. Thus, Bunhelier felt an instinctive disgust. He was forced to work with Grid to kill Baal, but he could assert that Grid was the second most hated existence after Baal...


    Yet at this moment, it changed. He felt a great sense of unity and sameness, as if he was looking in a mirror. Then Baal¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡°I recognized it from the beginning.¡±


    That you aren¡¯t normal.


    The talking Baal fell down. He couldn¡¯t fully withstand the force of the evil dragon that Grid had reproduced.


    Jingle...


    The sound of bells was heard.


    ¡°What is your potential?¡± Baal smiled softly as he asked a question. It was in the same falling position as he was hit by the six fusion sword dance.


    Ultimate Martial Art¡ªit was often mistaken for Chiyou¡¯s favor, but its identity was far from a favor. The potential that would one day blossom. In other words, it was the future.


    Baal was curious. What type of future would the person in front of him have to reach this point even though Grid couldn¡¯t even handle a part of his consciousness just a few years ago?


    Grid and Baal¡¯s swords intertwined in a dizzying manner. It was so dazzling that people wondered if it would be like this if color was added to the flowing wind.


    ¡°Baaaal!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t answer Baal¡¯s question. He had no intention of responding to the conversation. Only his anger grew. It was so pure that it could be called the influence of exaltation or madness.


    Yes. Grid purely hated Baal. He had been dreaming for a long time about the moment when he would catch and kill Baal. Now¡ª


    Now he got a golden opportunity that might note twice and felt an obligation to get rid of Baal. Wounds started to appear on both Grid and Baal¡¯s bodies. It was caused by the shock waves that urred every time their swords collided. They weren¡¯t fatal to Grid. It was bearable. Baal¡¯s wounds were even more trivial. They were just scratches. However, these scratches were serious to Baal.


    [Ultimate Martial Art has been triggered!]


    Grid¡¯s ultimate move caused Baal to fall into a stunned state.


    ¡°...Hat!¡±


    [The target has received 503,691,044 damage.]


    Two dragon weapons pierced and tore at the chest of Baal, who was smiling with his eyes half open. It was Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance, which had the effect of Dragon Knight behind him and showed the sword dance of the evil dragon. It only hit Baal at the end, but it exerted a formidable power on its own.

 Chapter 1671

    <h4>Chapter 1671</h4>


    Hayate¡¯s Dragon Killing Sword was a weapon crafted by gathering sword energy. Baal¡¯s demonic sword was simr.Baal¡¯s magic power wasn¡¯t just a medium for using magic, but also the medium that made matter real. It was a type of energy that came from a mental image. It was a technique that was also a symbol of an Absolute.


    Couldn¡¯t he make armor if he could make a sword?


    The ck light that shot out in all directions as Baal was facing Drop Dragon Pinnacle Link Kill Wave was a sign of the destruction of the armor that wrapped around his body in real time. It was armor made from the mental image of a strong self-defense. It was the mental image of the Absolute of hell. Yet it was pierced. It was torn apart.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal¡¯s original body had a different weight from his fragments of consciousness. He didn¡¯t show any ugliness like coughing up blood. He slowly raised his body while swallowing the gushing blood.


    The wide field of view spread out in front, behind, to the left, and to the right as he confirmed that his fingertips were slightly trembling. He looked again at the senses that were spread throughout hell and found that this trembling was real, not false. It had been a long time since he had seen his heart personally.


    Baal stared at the wounds on his chest that were recovering quickly with the power of super fast regeneration and immediately smiled.


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    Baal felt a joy that was more intense than the fires of the hell river. It was because the tension he had been longing for had finally arrived after so many years.


    ¡°I found the right toy.¡±


    Baal had witnessed more deaths than anyone else. In a contradictory manner, he dreamed of death as he watched every being, who died and fell into hell, yearning for a new life. Didn¡¯t even these insignificant beings realize that life was precious after dying?


    He naturally developed a curiosity about death. The unfulfilled curiosity degenerated into twisted desire. Baal wanted to die. If he couldn¡¯t die, he wanted to feel a near-death crisis once again. For example, like when he confronted Beriache. It was in order to realize that he was alive.


    [It is nasty nonsense.]


    Bunhelier heard Baal¡¯s story and made an expression like his ears were going to rot. Grid didn¡¯t even respond. From the beginning, he didn¡¯t have the expectation that Baal would have a special story. It was because Baal was pure evil. It was different from the situations of three-dimensional characters who had detailed stories. It was just garbage. He had to be erased.


    Would Baal¡¯s death elerate Satisfy¡¯s ending? The ending...


    Where was the ending? Did the world he live in have an ending?


    ¡°...The world.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°It is a world without you!!¡±


    The yelling Grid once again unfolded a sword dance. From a single sword dance to a five fusion sword dance, he almost went on a rampage. He was influenced by the madness and gained the debuff ¡®unable to identify the enemy.'' Even so, he consciously avoided the use of Revolve in the midst of the confusion.


    [What is this guy doing?]


    Bunhelier struggled in a startled manner. It was because Grid¡¯s sword was stuck in the middle of his forehead. That¡¯s right. Grid couldn¡¯t distinguish between Baal and Bunhelier. He even forgot that he was enjoying the effects of Dragon Knight and mistakenly thought that the existence he was standing on was also an enemy. It was the influence of the madness.


    Grid felt like he was fighting two Baals. He couldn¡¯t tell what was real, so he just attacked and tested it randomly. Whether it was because of the madness of Baal¡¯s craftiness, Grid had no way of knowing.


    ¡°You have done something crazy like embodying demonic energy with divinity, so it can¡¯t be helped. It is a situation where you should be considered lucky that you didn¡¯t degenerate into a demon god.¡±


    The sword dance that reproduced the power and characteristics of an old dragon¡ªit was powerful, but the side effects were too great.


    Baal clicked his tongue and moved his fingers. Long fingernails rubbed against each other, releasing frost-like fragments. A chill filled the area. A bone-chilling cold came unknowingly. It was a temperature that was hard to experience in hell where a river of hot fire flowed. The master of hell was denying the ecosystem of hell.


    ¡°It is still too early. Come when you are a little bit better.¡±


    Among the legends, the reason why Sword Saint Muller was so highly regarded wasn¡¯t because his swordsmanship had reached the realm of being unsurpassed. The perfection of technique was something that ordinary humans, so-called craftsmen, could do. The biggest existence in hell that lost to Muller was Hell Gao, the 9th Great Demon, but the reason why they couldn¡¯t forget and feared Muller was purely due to the ¡®Heart Sword.¡¯


    Heart Instant Kill¡ªthe realm of cutting the target as soon as they made up their mind. In other words, Muller was someone whopleted the mental image. It was like the Absolutes such as Baal and Hayate.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ck ice trapped Grid. Grid froze without even being able to scream. His breathing stopped and the loss of health was uncontrobly fast. The items he was equipped with stopped functioning altogether. The dragon armor was no exception. Even the items made of Greed, which had infinite durability, stopped functioning due to the frozen effect.


    It was Baal¡¯s mental image.


    [Hey...! Hey!! Wake up!!]


    Bunhelier, who had been struggling while swearing at Grid for going on a rampage, glided. He shouted at the frozen Grid a few times. However, it was useless. Grid couldn¡¯t shake off the ice of death wrapped around him. It was even after bing a knight of an old dragon and raising his status by several levels.


    I lent you the back of this body, but you are hit by something like this?


    Bunhelier was offended and felt like his own value had been decreased. His ego was so hurt that he gritted his teeth badly. However, he couldn¡¯t swear at Grid.


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    Grid¡ªthis guy was a lot younger than a hatchling. He was young even for a human being and had only been a god for a few years. In fact, it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t make a crying sound like a newborn.


    Was I relying on this guy?


    Bunhelier realized it again andughed at the absurdity. Then he uttered Dragon Words.


    [You are great.]


    He didn¡¯t make a promise he wouldn¡¯t keep. He also didn¡¯t attempt to increase his self-world by demeaning others.


    Bunhelier¡ªan evil dragon who was unable to train his Dragon Words because he broke the oath of the covenant every time. For the first time, his Dragon Words were used for the benefit of others. It was quite strange. Awkward and unpleasant emotions welled up, but it wasn¡¯t particrly difficult. Bunhelier merely acknowledged Grid. It didn¡¯t take any effort to do this.


    The effect appeared immediately. The truth acknowledged by an old dragon, who had existed since the beginning, became providence. Cracks started to appear on the surface of the ice that froze Grid. They were cracks that cut off death.


    ¡°You did something pointless.¡±


    Baal frowned for the first time. He didn¡¯t like Bunhelier¡¯s intervention. He had predicted Grid was at his limit.


    It was understandable. The candy that Grid was biting in his mouth had melted away and his consciousness wasn¡¯t intact. During the rampage, his wounds had increased quite significantly. It was minorpared to the wounds Baal had suffered, but it had to be taken into ount that Grid¡¯s body was weakpared to Baal.


    Baal¡¯s skin was as hard as dragon scales. Instead of absolute defense, he had the ability to recover and proliferate at a very fast speed. On the other hand, Grid was a human being. His physical condition wasn¡¯t significantly different from humans at the transcendent level.


    Yet he was in a ragged state. He was a toy on the verge of breaking. It was impossible for Bunhelier, who forced Grid to move, to look good.


    ¡°Bunhelier, don¡¯t overlook the reason why I am keeping you alive...¡± Baal took a step back as he spoke coldly. No, he elerated two and then three steps. He gradually moved back and reced 80% of the magic circles he was creating with defensive technique.


    A rain of battle gear fell toward him. Each one had the power of a mental image. Then the high canyon rising to his left and right caught his attention. It was the Sanctuary of Metal. It was the mental world opened by Grid, who came to his senses thanks to Bunhelier¡¯s Dragon Words. He had suppressed it due to the thought that it would¡¯ve been useless before he received the effects of the Dragon Knight, but now it was different. He believed in the elevated status from riding an old dragon.


    In fact, Baal failed to block Grid¡¯s mental world.


    ¡°A canyon of ck iron...¡±


    Is this your mental world? It is a world of lifeless metal. You are more deste than me.


    Baal had a surprised expression on his face, only to notice it one stepte. The energy that rose from the center of the canyon¡ªit was the energy released by the heart of the Red Phoenix.


    Grid¡¯s mental world was warm. It was different from Baal¡¯s mental world that was frozen cold.


    ¡°Haha... Kuhaha!¡± Baal finally burst outughing. He felt a certain fate with this toy he expected to be in a position to confront him. It was so much fun that he was ecstatic.


    ¡°However, it is too early.¡±


    Baal stoppedughing and made a serious expression.


    The canyon of ck iron¡ªck iron alone couldn¡¯t do much harm to him. This person obviously needed more time. Baal was convinced again and extended the hand holding the demonic sword. Baal made sure his field of view captured Grid, who was restoring his breathing while staring at him, and the stupid old dragon carrying Grid on his back.


    ¡°One Million Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    Undefeated King Madra¡ªa human being who was expected to be chosen as an archangel. Yet surprisingly, he didn¡¯t ascend to heaven. Perhaps it was due to lingering regrets, but the soul that remained on the surface for some reason was captured by Pagma.


    Thanks to this, his soul ended up in the depths of hell and the knowledge and skills he umted during his lifetime belonged to Baal. The sword energy with supreme power stretched out. It was a sword energy that would cut everything that entered Baal¡¯s field of view in a single breath. The canyon of ck iron was cut without being able to resist, exposing a cross-section. The canyon turned into a in.


    Bunhelier¡¯s absolute defense, magic, and scales were also cut helplessly. Bunhelier looked at the sword energy heading toward his neck and glimpsed death. It was Grid who protected him.


    Valha of Infinite Affection¡ªthis was the form the cut ck iron canyon took. Hundreds of thousands of copies of Valha rose in front of Grid and Bunhelier, protecting them from the sword energy. Every time they were cut and broken, they were reshaped and protected the two of them.


    ¡®Khan, I actually knew it.¡¯


    I realized that your armor is gradually bing useless. The bigger the world I lived in, the stronger the enemies. The increasingly difficult reality forced me to take off your armor. The reason I couldn¡¯t make new armor and wrapped myself in your armor is probably because I want to rely on you.


    The first friend I ever made. The family member who only cared about my safety until the moment you lost your breath. Your affection and kindness still sustain me.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    There shouldn¡¯t be anything that couldn¡¯t be destroyed. This was the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship. Yet the armors that made up Grid¡¯s mental world weren¡¯t easily cut. Even if they were destroyed, they immediately reformed.


    Baal noticed it. The fact that this was the source of the mental world that Grid relied on the most.


    Grid shot through the fragments of armor that were broken and assembled repeatedly. He gained eleration due to the Breath he fired from his hands. He moved in front of Baal, whose movement was restricted in the aftermath of using One Million Army Massacre Sword.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    This time, Baal was cut from the beginning.

 Chapter 1672

    <h4>Chapter 1672</h4>


    There was a sense from the hand when fighting. Most of the time, it was a sensation that was apanied by the sentiment such as ¡®this attack has properly hit.¡¯ It could be felt in ssic games that used a keyboard or mouse. Even without knowing the exact specs of the opponent, they could often have a hunch that the target was about to fall. Most of these sensations were based on the experience umted.


    In that sense, Grid¡¯s foundation was very solid. It was because he had fought countless enemies.


    Why did others use the phrase ¡®he overshadows the years¡¯ when evaluating Grid? There was nothing wrong with it. It was thanks to the fact that he gained a lot of experience in a short period of time. Grid¡¯s one year was more valuable than someone else¡¯s 10 years or 100 years. This was the greatest strength of those who used persistence as a weapon.


    Grid met many enemies stronger than himself even after bing a god. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t fall into a sense of copse or frustration. As always, he resisted without knowing how to give up. This all became experience.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    Therefore, he felt it. Even as he tore Baal¡¯s body to shreds, he noticed that Baal wouldn¡¯t die. Baal¡¯s health gauge was depleted in a single breath, but this amplified his anxiety instead.


    ¡®This¡­ something is definitely wrong.¡¯


    The current Grid was in a full buffed state. Except for the Sweet Candy that had just melted, all the other enhancement effects were stacked on top of each other. It was from the active skills such as Duke of Amplification to enhancement potions manufactured at the Reidan Alchemy Facility. Additionally, his status had risen significantly due to the effects of Dragon Knight. This meant he could activate all four hidden symbols attached to Cranbel¡¯s Horn.


    The Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link that tore Baal¡¯s body to shreds could be called the strongest sword dance ever. There was a high probability that it would be the strongest sword dance of all time. This would be the first andst time he boarded an old dragon. But...


    Was it enough to kill Baal with a single blow? Grid was convinced this wasn¡¯t the case. He dered that Baal was unnecessary to this world, but he didn¡¯t deny Baal¡¯s power.


    [The target has received 33,333,333,333 damage!]


    At the same time, the total amount of damage inflicted emerged in the notification window. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. It was because he came up with a keyword that pierced Baal¡¯s essence based on the numerical figure that shouldn¡¯te out: Deception.


    Baal had betrayed even the god who created him. From the standpoint of the existence who deceived his sister, Beriache, who was born on the same day, and his closest subordinates who trusted him, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to deceive others.


    ¡°Did you notice? I wanted to see you rejoice. It is a pity,¡± Baal¡¯s flesh, which had been torn to tens of thousands of pierces, squirmed and spoke with a ¡®mouth.¡¯ The sneeringughter that emerged had a terrible pitch.


    Grid frowned. The messages indicating that most of his buff effects were over oring to an end were filling one side of his field of view.


    Bunhelier grasped Grid¡¯s state and stopped pping his wings. He slowly retreated from Baal.


    ¡°Was it a mimicry?¡± Grid asked this question when he recalled how Amoract had been obsessed with Yura and relentlessly sent a mimicry until Baal established a neww in hell. Then Baal¡¯s ridiculingugh grew louder.


    ¡°I have already confessed my desire to experience death.¡±


    He was afraid of death, so he put forward a mimicry. Baal¡¯s squirming and giggling flesh quickly gathered at a single point. Then it took shape again. The sight of Baal being resurrected without a single wound made Bunhelier groan. Baal shrugged and swept back the hair flowing past his horns, neatly arranging it. ¡°There is no need to be discouraged. It is because a while ago, you definitely killed me. It just doesn¡¯t mean much.¡±


    [Don¡¯t talk to him.]


    Bunhelier hastily interrupted Baal¡¯s words. He was concerned that Grid would fall into despair and cause a greater upheaval.


    Bunhelier recognized Grid as someone with a shared fate. He understood that if something went wrong with Grid, it would go wrong with him as well. He was seriously injured due to Nevartan and recognized the fact that he was being pushed by Baal. It was already overwhelming enough to endure the pressure of the entire hell that seemed to reject him. He hoped that Grid would buy time, at least until his wounds were fully healed.


    ¡°Does it have anything to do with why people perceive you differently?¡± In fact, Grid was calm. Far from being frustrated, he showed no signs of agitation at all. It was because he predicted the current development from the time he cut at Baal.


    Bunhelier found it strange, but Baalughed as if he was satisfied. ¡°That is it. As long as you fear me, I won¡¯t die.¡±


    Baal had appeared in history in all sorts of ways. Grid had also encountered him several times. It wasn¡¯t the real Baal, but the fragments of Baal¡¯s ego. In other words, it was only a small part of him. Even so, it came as a great fear to humans. Human fear turned into something that made up a part of Baal. It was also intertwined with his ability of proliferation. It was the cause behind people perceiving Baal differently. Baal became one, but also many.


    [As expected, humanity must perish.]


    Bunhelier murmured as he immediately understood the reality of Baal. It wasn¡¯t nonsense. It was serious. He thought it would be good to be cruel to humanity who interpreted his attitude at will.


    ¡®I won¡¯t die with Baal.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression as he stared intently at Bunhelier was gradually bing calmer.


    Baal¡¯s head cocked at an angle. ¡°You aren¡¯t acting. You aren¡¯t agitated at all. Surprisingly, do you have a personality that gives up quickly?¡±


    Baal¡¯s pupils were repeating a slow rotation to the left and right, only to suddenly stop. They slightly expanded to represent his mood. He was excited. The reaction that was hard for even an Absolute to understand was interesting and enjoyable in itself. Grid raised the sword and gripped it.


    [The duration of Overgeared God¡¯s Rage has ended.]


    [The cooldown time of Duke of Amplification hasn¡¯t ended.]


    [The duration of Belial¡¯s Power...]


    [The duration of Berith¡¯s Power...]


    ......


    ...


    It felt like he was weakening in real time. Naturally, Baal also felt it. Absolutes were, in other words, top predators. In Baal¡¯s case in particr, he easily recognized beings other than himself as prey. Hunters were sensitive to changes in their prey.


    ¡°No. I was desperate.¡±


    Had Grid lost his dreams and hopes? Baal had expected him to be a great toy, but he ended up following the same path as others.


    ¡°It is a real pity.¡±


    This halfway power became poison.


    If only he didn¡¯t have the power to kill me yet.


    If he hadn¡¯t realized my infinite power, he would¡¯ve struggled while feeling hope.


    ¡°I missed an interesting sight...¡±


    Baal suddenly shut his mouth as he was speaking. It was because he found the divinity around Grid to be unpleasant. Since when did it be so dazzling? Wasn¡¯t it just as precarious as antern in front of the wind? It was just trying not to be swallowed up by the demonic energy of Baal and Bunhelier...


    [In the end, God punished the king of the demons.]


    ¡°If one of your sources is the fear of human beings¡ª¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    One step, another step.


    Baal started to step back. Was the rain of battle gear pouring down again? No, the sky of hell was quiet. There wasn¡¯t a single star and there was only the red moon in the dark sky. The reason that Baal took a step back was simply psychological pressure.


    ¡°It is enough to erase the fear.¡±


    [The king of the demons trembled and turned away from God.]


    ¡°...It is a scam. This is an obvious distortion.¡±


    Baal had only lost his body once. He quickly restored it and obviously put pressure on the Overgeared God. Grid was on the verge of falling into the abyss of despair. However, the humans on the surface who witnessed the situation with their own eyes didn¡¯t ept reality and instead distorted it.


    They worshiped the Overgeared God just because he killed Baal once. They shook off a great deal of the fear they had harbored.


    This¡­ it was clearly wrong. It felt like the whole world was working together to scam him.


    Bunhelier¡¯s voice permeated the bewildered Baal¡¯s ears.


    [Certainly. He deserves to shine so much in the eyes of human beings. Grid is the one who got the approval of I, the great old dragon, Bunhelier. He climbed onto my neck and cut you down. From this point on, it doesn¡¯t matter what the oue is.]


    The Grid reflected in the eyes of human beings must have been infinitely holy. He would¡¯ve shown a brilliant future even if he was defeated by Baal in the end. However, Baal didn¡¯t kill Grid right away. Far from killing Grid, he stood there and spoke to Grid. This allowed humans to interpret the results in the way they wished.


    The aftermath was great. Baal¡¯s status was damaged in real time. His life, which would¡¯ve reached infinity, would¡¯ve also been greatly reduced.


    [You said you wanted to die, so you tightened your own noose.]


    ¡°Stupid dragon.¡± Baal finally had a serious expression. He was agitated to bring out his usual radical thoughts in front of the party involved. At this moment, Baal was different from usual. He didn¡¯t enjoy the situation that was happening and regarded it unpleasantly. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of death, but because it was too absurd. Honestly, he was flustered.


    ...It was a mistake. He was sure there would be people who misunderstood him as someone with all bark and no bite, like Bunhelier. The unimaginable shame made Baal¡¯s face redden.


    Baal¡¯s demonic sword was swung hard. It was a manifestation. The sword rotated wildly and the area quickly expanded. Baal was in the center of a storm. It was a storm of ck frost.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Baal was the ruler of hell. Just as Grid grew stronger in the Overgeared World, Baal¡¯s demonic energy and mental world were strengthened in hell. It exerted an influence that was close to perfect. The moment Baal created the great frost storm, all the invaders except for Bunhelier froze in ce.


    Fortunately, the targets frozen by Baal¡¯s mental world couldn¡¯t be interfered with by anything other than Baal. The tower members, apostles, Overgeared members, and yers active in all areas of hell, escaped the fate of dying immediately. They didn¡¯t lose their health, unlike Grid who had been frozen earlier.


    No matter how great Baal¡¯s mental world was, it couldn¡¯t kill targets that were hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. If that was possible, he would¡¯ve been proimed to be ¡®omniscient and omnipotent,¡¯ which even the gods of the beginning were reluctant to mention. It was like those heavenly fools.


    ¡°I will admit my mistake this time.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The people looking up at the sky from the surface, as well as the viewers watching the scene from outside the game through the media, felt a chill go down their spines. Baal¡¯s gaze seemed to be looking at ¡®me.¡¯ Then the storm that Baal wielded again blew away the frozen bodies of the invaders


    It was a gesture to banish them from hell. He had the power to detain them in hell, so why shouldn¡¯t he have the authority to banish them?


    [Kuock...!]


    Bunhelier¡¯s hastily outstretched tail wrapped around the block of ice containing Grid. He also intended to be expelled. He knew what type of harassment he would face if he was left here alone.


    [Baal! It will be different the next time we meet!]


    Baal looked at Grid, not Bunhelier, as if he wasn¡¯t the one talking. Trapped in the ice, Grid¡¯s eyes were staring straight at Baal. His eyes were as sharp and ferocious as the eyes of a raptor aiming for prey.


    [The Asura Road has been closed.]


    The hell moon, which was projected into the sky of the surface, closed its numerous eyes. Thendscapes of hell scattered and vanished.


    Irene¡¯s face lit up as she put her hands together with Lord¡¯s while praying. The heroes returned one by one and a huge shadow colored Reinhardt ck. It was the shadow of a dragon. The dragon returned with Grid on the back of his neck.


    The wide-eyed people were dumbfounded. They were the people who didn¡¯t know about Grid¡¯s actions because they were active in hell. In particr, the king of the half-draconians, Bunsdel, passed out with his mouth foaming.

 Chapter 1673

    <h4>Chapter 1673</h4>


    ¡°It is ordinary.¡±


    Those who were active in hell were burdened with all sorts of restrictions. They couldn¡¯t escape, they couldn¡¯t use movement skills, they couldn¡¯tmunicate over a distance, etc. The tower members even experienced the debuff where their stats dropped dramatically. They suddenly entered hell, so they didn¡¯t have a chance to raid Hell Gao. They weren¡¯t in a perfect condition. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°Hell is no big deal. It is rather trivialpared to the surface where transcendents and dragons roam,¡± Biban muttered nonsense.


    It was around the time when the Asura Road was closed and the heroes returned one by one. In the midst of those who felt relieved, delighted, or moved, Biban alone spoke indifferently.


    Jessica poked him in the side to make him notice, but it was useless.


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    The king of the half-draconians, Bunsdel, frowned. Biban¡¯s dismissive attitude, which was unlike everyone else who was covered in wounds or burns, was very unpleasant. The hell expedition was active, no matter how big or small. Some of them might be rtively less active, but they shouldn¡¯t be med. It might be a small performance, but it was true that it was definitely helpful. Additionally, they all suffered the same risk to their lives.


    Bunsdel had been with them in hell, so he knew it well.


    Half-draconians, a species with the lineage of Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªBunsdel was their king and recognized humans as an inferior species, but he respected those in the hell expedition. He couldn¡¯t get over the nonsense of Biban, who seemed to deny their hardships.


    ¡°I heard that there are many humans who be senile when they get old. This is exactly the case with you. How pitiful your life is for you to grow old with no shame.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes widened when he heard the sudden harsh words. In fact, Biban was also dejected in his own way. He had thrown himself into hell with the determination to die for humanity, but he couldn¡¯t even properly meet a demonic creature, let alone a demon. The hell he experienced was a surprisingly calm and peaceful world. It was after properly killing the 6th Great Demon, Valefor, who had interfered.


    It was because there was no one blocking his path in hell. It was natural. For the demons and demonic creatures of hell, the Sword Saint was one of the few objects of fear. Wasn¡¯t Biban the teacher of Muller? The demons heard rumors that he killed Valefor and deliberately avoided him. They ran away with the thought that they would die as soon as they encountered him.


    This was why Biban wandered around without meeting demons. After oveing one crisis, he only enjoyed peace and had no choice but to misunderstand hell. Of course, he would¡¯ve doubted the situation if he was a person capable of normal things, but there were some ws in Biban¡¯s wisdom.


    ¡°Now I can see that you are a half-draconian. Your founder and I are in the same hierarchy, but you don¡¯t recognize people and are presumptuous. Even if you have the madness that resembles your founder, you are definitely crazy.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who my founder is to talk nonsense like this? He is the evil dragon, Bunhelier. Don¡¯t you dare insult him. He is wicked, but he isn¡¯t as crazy as you.¡±


    It was an explosive situation. It was while they were returning home in glory. As people warmly weed and cheered for the hell expedition that returned unharmed, the two Absolutes cooled the atmosphere. That¡¯s right. From the perspective of the general public, Biban and Bunsdel were Absolutes. They were god-like beings who could kill or save a person with a single, careless gesture. Many people wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it if they fought in the middle of the city.


    ¡°I beg you, please calm down the Sword Saint...¡± Lauel politely requested of the tower member near him. It was the 6th Seat. It was the fighter, Ken, who had the most aggressiveness among the tower members.


    ¡°Why? All those who have inherited Bunhelier¡¯s blood deserve to die anyway.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily...¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is that on your wrist? Why do traces of a dragon repeatedly appear and disappear?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is the ck me dragon that is sealed in my soul...¡±


    ¡°I need to interrogate you.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait a moment. I was joking.¡±


    The people enthusiastically cheering for the return of the heroes, Biban and Bunsdel who were ready to fight right away, Nefelina who was terrified for some reason, the frightened Lauel, Jurene who absurdly appeared with great demons, the dozens of memphis that Betty brought with her, etc.


    The scene was a mess. It didn¡¯t calm down at all and themotion only grew. It wasn¡¯t much different from when the Asura Road was opened. Just then¡ª


    Kuwooooh!


    A huge shadow appeared over Reinhardt. It was the shadow of a ck dragon.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    It was finally the return of the protagonist. The people who had witnessed the performance of Grid and Bunhelier from the surface cheered and weed them. So much blind faith and affection poured out that it was reminiscent of a gathering of fanatics.


    The wide-eyed expedition members were dumbfounded. They suffered from the hell penalty of being unable tomunicate across a distance, so they weren¡¯t exposed to Grid¡¯s epic. Their position was different from Grid, the protagonist of the epic.


    ¡°Bunhelier...!¡±


    Apart from Fronzaltz, the other tower members screamed and took a battle stance. Somehow, the great demons who stood by Jurene¡¯s side also prepared to fight in response to Jurene¡¯s will. They had trembling expressions on their faces, but they couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Fronzaltz, the highest ranked tower member with the exception of Hayate¡ªthanks to God¡¯s Circle, he denied some of Baal¡¯sws and was exposed to Grid¡¯s epic. Therefore, he tried to calm down the tower members. It was just that they couldn¡¯t be easily calmed down.


    It was the appearance of an old dragon. It was also the old dragon Bunhelier, who was considered the second most dangerous after Nevartan. Bunhelier¡¯s atrocities were famous among the tower members. He wasn¡¯tmunicative like the gourmet dragon, nor did he value his dignity like the fire dragon. He was no different from the insane dragon.


    ¡°Founder...! Our founder has appeared to punish the ignorant!¡±


    Bunsdel was trembling. Who in the history of the half-draconians had faced their founder? Based on what Bunsdel knew, they were the first. He was greatly moved by the sight of the founder who appeared the moment the madman insulted the half-draconians. However, this onlysted a moment.


    ¡®Will he harm human beings?¡¯


    A momentter, Bunsdel¡¯s face turned white as he remembered that Reinhardt would be a sea of fire and the Overgeared Empire would perish in history. He didn¡¯t want to see the people he had defended die. He was also afraid of the Overgeared God''s rage. Confusion grew inside Bunsdel.


    Then Prime Minister Lauel suddenly fell to his knees and bowed his head while hundreds of knights raised their swords in unison. The people and soldiers who filled the city bowed in a near-fierce manner. It was like they were receiving the Overgeared God.


    It was understandable. They saw a great dragon. Bunsdel was both proud and concerned about the response from the humans.


    ¡®Please think of them in a good manner....?¡¯ Bunsdel was bowing his head in a prayer when he stopped.


    In the solemn atmosphere, the murmurs of the tower members were growing louder. Bunsdel and the tower members had to see it. The person riding on the neck of Bunhelier, who was gradually getting closer.


    It was Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunsdel was shocked in many ways and literally fainted. The half-draconians rushed to him and wrapped around him to support him, but they were one stepte. Everyone witnessed the ugliness of the king of the half-draconians fainting with a foaming mouth. Even so, few people cared.


    It was because everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon. There was no way their attention would be distracted just because the king of the half-draconians showed an ugly appearance.


    ¡°Now he is riding an old dragon...¡±


    ¡°It is also Bunhelier.¡±


    The tower members grasped the situation andughed. Their gaze toward Grid resembled when they looked at Hayate. Their eyes were filled with infinite respect. Age wasn¡¯t an important concept when it came to respecting someone.


    A very warm atmosphere was being created.


    ¡°T-Traitor!¡± Then Nefelina shouted with her small fists clenched. There was resentment in her voice.


    It was a natural reaction. To her, Bunhelier was the enemy who made her father insane. From the moment she was born, her purpose was to kill Bunhelier. Yet Grid, who was believed to be her onlypanion, returned while riding on Bunhelier¡¯s neck. An overwhelming sense of sadness and betrayal came over her...


    Her mind was so dizzy that her vision became hazy.


    ¡°......¡±


    People looked at Nefelina with bewildered expressions. It was shocking to see a hatchling shed tears like chicken poop. There were many people who sighed with pity at the sight of the big, round eyes filled with tears. It was because Nefelina¡¯s appearance was that of a small, cute girl.


    Now most people knew who she was, but they still dared to feel sorry for her.


    ¡°Nefelina, you misunderstood.¡±


    Grid jumped down from Bunhelier¡¯s neck, approached Nefelina, andforted her.


    ¡°It is true that I worked together with Bunhelier, but we didn¡¯t be friends. So let¡¯s kill him togetherter. Yes?¡±


    ¡°Kuek... Uwaah!¡±


    Was she relieved? Nefelina lost her dignity and started to cry as she hugged Grid tightly. It was definitely a father-daughter rtionship.


    As people were feeling moved by the friendship that transcended species, Bunhelier¡¯s expression had be rotten.


    [As expected, I have to kill everyone here...]


    This was Bunhelier, who felt the need to wipe out humanity. Yet a death notice was issued in his presence. The existence of the tower members also offended him. Initially, the cooperative rtionship with Grid was temporary. At this point, he felt it was right to kill them all.


    [......!]


    Bunhelier was alone in the midst of humans when his expression suddenly hardened. It was because he read the form of the still weak magic power contained in Nefelina¡¯s heart.


    [You¡ªNevartan¡¯s child...?]


    It happened at the same time as his realization...


    Bunhelier spread out his wings and hurriedly flew up.


    sh!


    Just then, a light that appeared in the distance caught the attention of the people. Some transcendents noticed the wavelengths that the light produced. They felt the shockwaves that shook the clear sky, which regained its blueness after the hell moon disappeared, drawing nearer.


    ¡°A Breath...!¡±


    The tower members had a lot of experience fighting dragons. They soon felt the presence of the Breath and dispersed. Yet along the way, they changed their behavior. It was because they remembered the faces of the countless people at the scene. In the end, they changed their direction and ran toward the Breath.


    All the magic that existed in the world was unfolded throughout Reinhardt. They were the magics that the tower members cast to stop the Breath and the magic that the apostles and Overgeared members cast to protect the people.


    [Insane Dragon Nevartan has appeared!]


    It was the worst case scenario.


    The faces of the tower members paled. They had just returned from hell and were in an exhausted state. There was no one who wasn¡¯t nervous about an enemy that was difficult to deal with appearing at this time.


    Grid¡¯s tension was the greatest. The person who consumed the most strength was none other than Grid.


    In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    ¡°Father!¡± Nefelina screamed.


    The body of a giant dragon that was bigger than Bunhelier appeared there.

 Chapter 1674

    <h4>Chapter 1674</h4>


    People didn¡¯t know much about dragons. They couldn¡¯t afford to study and understand the transcendent species that could destroy human civilization with a single p of their wings. This had a huge impact on yers as well. The information about dragons depicted in literature and quests that yers could ess was limited.


    However, everyone knew about the Insane Dragon. An incredibly ferocious and powerful dragon. In other words, it was the Insane Dragon Nevartan who made up the image of a dragon that was passed down to people.


    Nevartan¡¯s recognition was unique among the dragons. Neither the Fire Dragon Trauka, who upied the dwarf city of Talima, nor the Gourmet Dragon Raiders, who was known to enjoy human food, were Nevartan¡¯s opponents in terms of awareness.


    It was because Nevartan¡¯s activity level was the highest among the dragons. It was only a few activities in a hundred years, but it was many times more than other dragons. He caused all types of incidents, but the content was inconsistent. In some cases, the people at the scene weren¡¯t all wiped out. This was the reason why many dragon records, which were only a few in human history, used Nevartan as the main protagonist.


    ¡°This¡­ what should we do...?¡±


    The hundreds of thousands of people who gathered to wee the return of the heroes all panicked in unison. Apart from a very small number of people, they couldn¡¯t keep their sanity. The madness was contagious.


    People started to mistake their colleagues, friends, and family as the demons and monsters they feared and attacked them. If it hadn¡¯t been for Sariel hurriedly scattering their divinity to calm them down, an unprecedented situation would¡¯ve urred where fratricide would cause the capital to copse.


    ¡®What is his condition?¡¯


    Grid quickly searched Nevartan¡¯srge body, which seemed to ovep with the distant hills. He recalled the fact that Bunhelier was seriously injured when he fell to hell. It was right after Bunhelier had fought against Nevartan. Based on the fact that Bunhelier¡¯s condition was much worse than it seemed, there was no way Nevartan could be fine. Both sides must¡¯ve been seriously injured in the aftermath of the battle.


    ¡°...He is fine?¡±


    Grid was so flustered that he let out a shrill noise. Contrary to his expectations, he couldn¡¯t find any wounds on Nevartan. He almost wanted to argue with Bunhelier. Grid turned his head to the other side and found Bunhelier, who had be just a dot.


    Did Bunhelier feel the gaze? Bunhelier¡¯s voice was directly transmitted to Grid¡¯s mind.


    [What?]


    It was an imposing attitude like he felt no shame at all.


    Grid couldn¡¯t reveal his feelings to Bunhelier, who questioned him. The one in the unfortunate position now was Grid.


    ¡°Great old dragon, Bunhelier! I need your help!¡± Grid¡¯s voice rang out loudly. He had obtained the reward for the 20th epic he wrote in hell and his status had risen by a huge four levels. Grid, who had risen in status to a levelparable to when he was riding a top dragon, praised Bunhelier in front of the humans who served him and asked for help. It was even next to the Overgeared World. He had qualifications of the chief god.


    The aftermath was great.


    Bunhelier trembled. He felt the sensation of his status rising a level, just like when he absorbed the demonic energy of hell and became an Evil Dragon. Of course, from Bunhelier¡¯s perspective, it was a reward he deserved. How hard had he struggled in hell with this human on his back?


    [You are crazy.]


    They were words that Bunhelier had heard the most in his life. He never thought he would be saying this to someone else. Bunhelier frowned at the emotion he felt and med Grid.


    [Asking for help when you just announced that you would kill me? Do you have no such thing as shame?]


    ¡°......¡±


    [In the first ce, I have no reason to help you. Keep in mind that our alliance was only temporary.]


    The pping of Bunhelier¡¯s wings didn¡¯t stop as he snorted. He moved away in real time. He didn¡¯t use any magic like teleportation. He wanted to avoid grabbing Nevartan¡¯s attention.


    ¡®I am lucky. I can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡¯


    It was shortly after arriving on the surface. Bunhelier was stunned when he felt Nevartan¡¯s presence rapidly approaching. He, who had existed since the beginning, had to face the crisis of death three times in one day. It was once to Nevartan, once to Baal, and once to Nevartan again. He felt more skeptical than ashamed. He was naturally afraid at the thought of losing the eternity he had enjoyed.


    Nevertheless, he survived. To be exact, he was saved.


    ¡®He became distracted after knowing about his child.¡¯


    Nevartan¡¯s child. A dark smile spread across Bunhelier¡¯s face. It was because he thought he had great luck in exchange for losing his honor. The luck naturally referred to Nefelina.


    ¡®A child¡­ it is a child. There must be plenty of ways to take advantage of it.¡¯


    Nevartan¡¯s mind inherently fluctuated. He was always crazy, but there were asionally times when he overcame it and became sane. Was it a coincidence that he came to his senses the moment he met his daughter? There was no way. The affection he had for his daughter was real.


    It happened at the time when Bunhelier¡¯s evil smile was growing deeper...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a chance for you?¡±


    [......!]


    The pping of Bunhelier¡¯s wings stopped. It was to avoid being swept away by the wavelengths that urred right in front of him. The gray light that rose like a haze gradually became solid. It took the shape of a sword. It was a sword imbued with the will to kill a dragon.


    [Dragon yer ¡®Hayate¡¯ has appeared.]


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we join forces to seal Nevartan?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say to kill. He avoided empty words as much as possible. He showed his sanity in order to persuade Bunhelier. Bunhelier¡¯s breathing became rough.


    [Judging from your attitude, it seems that the time hase for the world to perish. A Dragon yer is asking the dragon to cooperate? The one who was hiding not long ago isn¡¯t ashamed and is able to act proud...]


    ¡°I gained courage from Grid. Additionally, Grid is here as well.¡±


    [......]


    ¡°You can¡¯t be unaware that this is a chance that will nevere again.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom tried to curb the proliferation of the insane dragon iron. It was because they were wary of situations that would happen when the Insane Dragon¡¯s energy was revealed to the world.


    Nevartan was amon target of the old dragons and they were attracted by the energy of the Insane Dragon. The longer Nevartan was active, the more likely it was that a war of dragons would take ce. This would result in a disaster of continental proportions.


    The Insane Dragon¡­ it was right to return him to hisir as soon as possible. It was especially noteworthy that he was still unharmed even though he had often been attacked over the past several hundred years.


    ¡®Nevartan must be the strongest among the old dragons.¡¯


    This was how he ended up unharmed. Now that Nefelina was drawing his attention, it was an opportunity.


    Was it due to a desire to recreate a dragon¡¯s death throes? The Dragon Killing Sword was crying out viciously. Bunhelier stared at it in disgust and quickly shook his head.


    [It can¡¯t be done.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was an unexpected answer. Wasn¡¯t it Bunhelier, not anyone else, who most wanted Nevartan to be sealed? It was Bunhelier who drove Nevartan to hell and drove him insane. Based on this grudge, he was chased by Nevartan for hundreds of years.


    Then why was he rejecting this great opportunity? The reason was simple.


    [I don¡¯t want to admit it, but that guy¡¯s level is a bit higher than mine. The difference is like a sheet of paper. It was because of the ck dragon¡¯s innate power that uses all attributes skillfully and uses it as thew. Even the madness is epted as a power. He is a very cunning guy.]


    A berserker¡ªNevartan became stronger the more he was hurt and he recovered faster. It was a structure where he was forced to suffer damage when fighting. The one who was already superior had evolved even further...


    [Besides, he doesn¡¯t have any appreciation for the arts, just like most dragons. It means he is very different from me, who silently watches your cute actions and enjoys it as a joke.]


    Cute actions? Joke? Wasn¡¯t it pretty desperate to put it this way?


    Bunhelier swung his tail at Hayate, who was feeling puzzled as he recalled the moment he fought against Bunhelier


    [Get lost.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate¡¯s well-groomed eyebrows twitched slightly. It was because Bunhelier¡¯s tail literally pushed him away. It was a far cry from a murderous attack. It wasn¡¯t something that the Evil Dragon Hayate had seen and heard about would do. He couldn¡¯t believe it even after experiencing it himself.


    ¡°Was the time you spent with Grid special to you?¡±


    Hayate noticed the change in Bunhelier. The realization that he had been used by Baal would¡¯ve yed a major role. The experience of him and Grid relying on each other while feeling a sense of crisis about how to survive this difficult world must¡¯ve been great learning.


    [......]


    Bunhelier made a subtle expression. In fact, he was just tired. He wanted to get away from Nevartan and take a break. However, this made Hayate misunderstand him. He judged that this was the only way he could quickly leave this ce without having to collide with Hayate.


    It was as expected.


    p.


    Hayate no longer stopped Bunhelier¡¯s pping wings. He was a hero who tried to protect even one more person, so struggling to win the favor of an Evil Dragon was like grasping at a straw.


    Bunhelier wanted tough at Hayate but for some reason,ughter didn¡¯te out. He quietly left the scene.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate¡¯s attention focused on the ground after Bunhelier left. Nevartan¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t like his usual self. The time he stayed sane was much longer than expected.


    ***


    It happened as Hayate was trying to persuade Bunhelier after sensing the appearance of the old dragon...


    ¡°Father...¡±


    On the ground, Nefelina and Nevartan were enjoying their reunion. In fact, it was too subtle to express it as a reunion. The Nefelina that Nevartan remembered was an egg that had yet to hatch. To be honest, the father and daughter met for the first time today. However, Nevartan recognized instantly that Nefelina was his own flesh and blood.


    [Poriorderporonopitonojiodebe.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The people who were watching their situation held their breaths. Nevartan didn¡¯t show any signs of aggression after shooting the Breath when he appeared. However, people didn¡¯t forget that he was insane. They were wary after he chanted a strange spell and prepared a defensive posture.


    It was the same with Grid. He ran straight to Irene and wrapped himself around her.


    Toddle.


    Then a life-sized kid wearing sunsses made of ether came forward. It was the king of the evil eyes. ¡°As expected of the one who reigns supreme even among dragons, you learn the principles of the world as soon as you are born. Do you know me, an evil eye?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid stiffened as he took back the barrier he made with the God Hands.


    Poriorderporonopitonojiodebe¡ªhe remembered that it wasn¡¯t some spell, but the name of the evil eyes king. It was a name he hadn¡¯t heard in a few years, so he had forgotten about it.


    ...To be more precise, he didn¡¯t forget it. It was that he didn¡¯t remember it in the first ce. His name that appeared in the status window of the evil eyes king was ¡®king of the evil eyes.¡¯ The real name was missing due to the limit on the number of characters in the name field.


    Grid only heard the name when the king of the evil eyes first introduced himself and at that time, Grid didn¡¯t have a very good memory. Thus, he couldn¡¯t remember the name in the first ce. He usually used the words ¡®hey¡¯ or ¡®friend¡¯ rather than the name, so he had less chances to remember...


    ¡°You just have to remember it from now on.¡±


    Irene said with a smile after reading Grid¡¯s ufortable expression and understanding the situation. She held Grid¡¯s hand tightly as ifforting him not to be so disappointed, but her fingertips were trembling slightly. She tried not to show it, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t fool Grid¡¯s senses.


    Grid gently wrapped his hand over her little hand. He adored her strong heart that pretended to be fine in order to reassure the people. The conversation between Nevartan and the evil eyes king was continuing.


    [I have watched from afar as you searched for my egg.]


    ¡°...Why did you keep me alive?¡±


    [I knew your purpose. I thought you were the right people to protect my egg and I was right.]


    Nevartan slowly raised his arm. A long,rge finger, that was around the same size as two spires of the Overgeared Castle put together, was carefully ced on top of Nefelina¡¯s small head.


    [I¡¯m d you hatched safely.]


    ¡°Father...¡±


    [I don¡¯t like this name because I feel a sense of distance. Call me Papa.]


    ¡°P-Papa...¡± Nefelina¡¯s tears finally flowed down like a waterfall. Contrary to her worries, the father she had long imagined was kind and warm, so she was happy. There were many things she wanted to say. She wanted this moment tost forever. However, reality was cruel. Nevartan immediately prepared for the goodbye.


    [Beware of Trauka. Unlike Bunhelier, he isn¡¯t stupid and he is also very obsessed with power. The moment you be an adult dragon, he will try to eat you. Try to hunt before that.]


    A voice as warm as Sariel¡¯s divinity spread throughout Reinhardt. The appearance of a father caring for his daughter. The position of the father, who was forced to leave soon due to his madness, made people¡¯s eyes redden.


    [It isn¡¯t easy to keep you by my side, so you must be careful with yourself.]


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    [But there must be limits. Unfortunately, you aren¡¯t likely toy my eggs. If I think you are really in danger, I will eat you before you be an adult dragon. Until that dayes, try to increase your strength as much as possible so that there is less inferiority.]


    ¡°...??¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    This was a bit...


    Did they hear it incorrectly? People doubted their ears.


    Meanwhile, Nefelina wasn¡¯t flustered at all. She slowly nodded like she had foreseen it. ¡°I understand. If that is for the best. I will work hard.¡±


    [Yes, that is good. I love you.]


    Nevartan¡¯s giant ws stroked his daughter¡¯s head again. However, Nefelina could no longer smile. Then a dark shadow fell on the little girl¡¯s face. There was a hand pulling at her.


    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡±


    It was naturally Grid¡¯s hand.


    [You...]


    Nevartan looked at Grid for the first time and responded like it was difficult to understand.


    [Why are you intervening?]


    ¡°It is a family matter.¡±


    [Family...? My daughter? Ahh, are you dreaming of being the founder of a new species, like the human females who were with Bunhelier? Forget it. The dragon god species is an inferior product that isn¡¯t much different from the half-draconians. Besides, my daughter won¡¯t have any reproductive capacity until she bes an adult.]


    Don¡¯t listen.


    Grid whispered and blocked Nefelina¡¯s ears with both hands while staring at Nevartan.


    ¡°Are you saying this because you are crazy?¡± he asked in a cold voice. It was while pondering on Braham¡¯s words that there was a chance of winning if he lured Nevartan to the Overgeared World.


    Nevartan¡¯s golden eyes slowly darkened.


    [My dear daughter. Stay as far away as you can. I wasted my time on a fool and my madness is about to take over. It seems that this ce will disappear today.]


    The death sentence was dropped.

 Chapter 1675

    <h4>Chapter 1675</h4>


    It was a touching father-daughter reunion. The sight of Nefelina crying emotionally at the sight of her father made Grid¡¯s nose feel clogged.


    Nevartan¡¯s will to ovee his madness for a while also made Grid be solemn. A curse ced through the cooperation between the Absolute of hell and the heavenly gods. He overcame the most powerful curse in the world with his determination to talk to his daughter. It was the willpower of a father that deserved to be respected by everyone.


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid clearly felt the love and affection between blood and flesh. He forgot about the precarious situation for a moment and cheered for Nefelina with a happy heart.


    Thus, he tried not to see it. The desire that slowly filled Nevartan¡¯s eyes as he scanned his daughter.


    Grid pretended not to hear. The sophistry of eating his daughter, who was unable to bear his eggs.


    Grid believed it wasn¡¯t sincere. Wasn¡¯t this right after showing true affection? He thought that Nevartan was affected by the madness and was speaking nonsense against his will. Then Grid saw Nefelina¡¯s expression and was forced to admit it. Nevartan hadn¡¯t fallen to madness yet. He was uttering disgusting nonsense with a normal mind.


    Grid felt a boiling rage. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it outwardly. He was reminded that dragons were a different species from humans. He tried to understand because he knew that themon sense and morality of humans shouldn¡¯t be enforced on them.


    He realized that provoking Nevartan would endanger tens of millions of people and their loved ones. He even considered the fact that he wasn¡¯t confident what Nefelina would face hundreds of years in the future. It meant he was thinking very realistically.


    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t stand it. He pulled Nefelina to his side because she looked so sad and distressed.


    Grid remembered. Nefelina had lived with humans from the moment she was born. It wasn¡¯t just him. Irene and Lord also treated her as family. The Overgeared members were her friends. A dragon¡¯s standards shouldn¡¯t be ced on her.


    Would she suffer pain in the future that woulde hundreds of years from now? Was it at a time when he didn¡¯t exist? This didn¡¯t give him a reason to turn away from her. He felt a duty to take responsibility for her to the end since she lived a human life because of him. Additionally¡ª


    -How long are you going to just watch? Why don¡¯t you try to win when there is a chance?


    Braham was urging him to kill a dragon. The Overgeared World was located in the heart of Reinhardt¡ªin that ce, Grid and the apostles were rapidly strengthened. It might be a bit inferior to Baal, who showed off his invincible majesty in hell, but there were also the tower members here.


    -Make the tower members your believers. If you make them inhabitants of the Overgeared World and you fight together, killing a dragon isn¡¯t a dream...


    Braham¡¯s eyes as he persuaded Grid again were filled with anger rather than the desire to kill a dragon. Before he met Grid, the only one he loved and admired in the world was his mother, Beriache. Therefore, he understood and sympathized with Nefelina¡¯s pain. It was because he also had the experience of being abandoned by his mother. Of course, she had good reasons behind her abandonment. He was exiled due to the tragedy of killing his kin.


    On the other hand, Nefelina did nothing wrong. She was forced to make sacrifices simply because she was a child. The heart that dreamed about revenge for her father was thoroughly trampled on. She was miserable.


    For the first time, Braham felt pity for the hatchling who only ate all the time.


    [It seems that this ce will disappear today.]


    Nevartan looked at Grid¡¯s provocative gaze like it was hard to understand, before suddenly making this deration.


    The heart of the empire¡ªit was a deration that he would destroy this ce full of the history and connections that Grid had built up.


    Grid shouted, ¡°You don¡¯t understand Nefelina¡¯s feelings!¡±


    [Understanding my child¡¯s feelings? It is an unnecessary act. I gave birth to that child, so she belongs to me. It is my right to treat her ording to my will.]


    ¡°What is the difference from parents who ignore their children¡¯s dreams and only let them study?!¡±


    Did South Korea still have such an environment these days?


    Some yers clicked their tongues while Nevartan¡¯s golden eyes quickly became ck. The focus disappeared. At first nce, it was like a gaping hole. No sign of intelligence could be seen in it. It was tainted withplete madness.


    ¡°Now.¡± Braham gave a signal. He added his characteristic arrogant expression that made it seem easy to lure someone with no sense of reason.


    Nevartans¡¯ giant hand struck at Grid. It didn¡¯t contain anything special. It was close to an action of simply dealing with an annoying bug. However, it was insanely fast.


    Grid barely responded by using all his buff skills and crossing the dragon weapons in front of him. He faced Nevartan¡¯s hand without avoiding it. There was no way to avoid it. There were still countless people behind him. The Overgeared members and knights hadn¡¯t finished evacuating all the people.


    ¡°Ah...!¡± Screams burst out from everywhere. It was because they vaguely witnessed the bizarre bending of Grid¡¯s waist. The moment he confronted the dragon¡¯s hand with his swords, the back of his head was almost touching the ground. They wondered if he would die with his body folded back. This was what he showed when he fought Baal.


    People sensed Grid¡¯s crisis.


    ¡°Uh..? Uhh?¡±


    It was different for the people who stood behind Grid. Thousands of people clearly witnessed it. It was the sight of Nevartan¡¯s hand slowly being pushed back without crushing Grid.


    ¡°...Ohhhhh!¡± Grid¡¯s shout of concentration grew louder and Nevartan¡¯s hand moved away from the ground. The two dragon weapons were enduring the strength and weight of Nevartan¡¯s hand and pushing it away.


    [Power of Not Knowing Defeat]


    He wasn¡¯t aided by Saleos¡¯ power. He couldn¡¯t win against the top three great demons, gods, and dragons with Saleos¡¯ power. It would be a tie at best. The force that was currently sustaining Grid was the reward for writing the 20th epic.


    [God has proven that he is unbreakable.]


    Grid couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the demonic sword wielded by Baal. Every time he exchanged a blow with Baal, he groaned as his arms bent or his back was heavily bent back. Baal¡¯s sword would eventually crush Grid along with his sword and armor and Grid looked as precarious as a flower.


    People thought that Grid would break, but he never broke. He gritted his teeth and held on. In the end, he wasn¡¯t defeated by Baal. The narrative of that time, which was witnessed by all, sustained the present Grid.


    Grid wasn¡¯t broken. He stood up to an overwhelmingly immense force and wasn¡¯t crushed by it. Such aw was established. It was aw made by one passage of the epic.


    In the end, Gridpletely shook off Nevartan¡¯s hand and leaped forward. He headed toward the Overgeared World.


    Kurarararara!


    Nevartan chased after him while shooting a Breath. The Breath¡¯s shockwave ruined the city¡¯s buildings. Fortunately, the buildings were empty. Everyone had gathered in the square to wee the returning heroes. The copsed buildings were immediately restored by Garion.


    Grid used Shunpo and immediately rushed into the Overgeared World. At the same time, the Breath hit him. The Breath¡¯s speed caught up with the speed of Shunpo.


    ¡°Grid!!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Those who witnessed Grid being swept away by the Breath screamed. Most people imagined Grid turning into ashes. However, Grid stood intact in the ce where the Breath passed through. Only a few drops of dark red blood poured out. Serious injuries such as the loss of certain body parts were avoided.


    Things were different nowpared to when he lost his arm in the aftermath of Cranbel¡¯s Breath. Grid was currently armed with the dragon armor. After writing the 20th epic, he became a lot stronger than before. Additionally, Nevartan didn¡¯t use Dragon Words. Behind Cranbel¡¯s Breath seriously injuring Grid was the power of Dragon Words. Grid was under great pressure at the time and had all his stats reduced by nearly half.


    On the other hand, he wasn¡¯t influenced by Dragon Words when he was hit by Bunhelier¡¯s Breath in hell or at this moment. He survived because he endured the Breath without being under a weakening effect.


    ¡®A being who moves by instinct can¡¯t use Dragon Words.¡¯


    The Insane Dragon¡ªNevartan was crazy. Rational judgment was impossible. The fact that he followed Grid without dy proved it. This guy entered the Overgeared World on his own. He entered the divine world and wasn¡¯t much different from Martial God Zeratul, who descended to the surface and suffered humiliation.


    ¡°It is absolutely a lizard.¡±


    Braham, who had already arrived in the Overgeared World, performed the magic he had prepared. It was magic that was unfolded with purple magic power. Magic power with the power of a mental image aimed at a being who could naturally resist magic.


    The spear of light that was created was so huge and sharp that it pierced Nevartan¡¯s body diagonally. Nevartan stiffened for a moment and coughed up blood. Then a meteorite fell toward Nevartan¡¯s head. All types of great magics were linked together without a time difference.


    The title of the 20th epic was ¡®Hell.¡¯ Just like Grid, the narrative of the apostles who were active in hell was also recorded in the epic. The 20th epic was a means of strengthening not only Grid, but also his apostles. It was easy to understand if one thought of Hayate, who was included in Grid¡¯s epic and regained his full skills.


    ¡°Decoy.¡±


    Nevartan was angered after being sessively hit by magic and his wrath turned in the wrong direction. He was deceived by the clones created with Braham¡¯s magic power and shot Breaths at them. The Breath¡¯s momentum was weaker than before. Even if he was an old dragon, he couldn¡¯t quickly adapt to the environment of the divine world that was born not long ago.


    On the other hand, Braham¡¯s magic was far moreplete than when he used it outside the Overgeared World. The clones created by his magic power had the same characteristics as Braham and Grid. It was enough to trick this insane lizard.


    ¡°G-Grid...!¡±


    Nefelina had an anxious expression as she chased after them to the Overgeared World. There was no certainty in the voice that was calling Grid¡¯s name. Was it right for Grid to fight her father for her? Everyone was in danger because of her...


    Her trembling voice was filled with doubt, anxiety, confusion, and sadness.


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± Grid answered with a smile. The sunset divinity that spread throughout the Overgeared World was gathering at the tip of his sword.


    -The cooldown time of all skills is removed for the Overgeared God and his subordinate gods within the Overgeared World.


    -If a target that isn¡¯t allowed by the Overgeared God enters the Overgeared World, their status will be greatly weakened and all stats will be reduced by 50%.


    It was the dimensional effect of the divine world. It was also an indication that the Asgard conquest was impossible, so he didn¡¯t feel veryfortable. Still, in any case, Grid was almost invincible here.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    Prating head-on.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Striking down and piercing through.


    ¡°Transcend Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Creating a new sword dance and striking up. This was possible thanks to the deity gained as a reward for the epic.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    Prating again.


    ¡°Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave.¡±


    Pressing down again.


    ¡°Transcend Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Striking up again.


    It couldn¡¯t be repeated endlessly. The sword energy that almost seemed infinite due to the fast recovery speed was now quickly depleted. The continuous use of the six fusion sword dance was burdensome.


    Kurarararara!


    Nevartan didn¡¯t lose momentum even though his scales were brutally shattered and his limbs severed. He opened his huge snout and fired a Breath at Grid right in front of him. Grid was slowed down in the aftermath of the depletion of sword energy, but hisplexion didn¡¯t change. The Dragon Killing Sword that shot up under his feet stopped the Breath.


    ¡°I joined the Overgeared God Church.¡± Hayate stood behind Grid and smiled softly while the apostles and tower members were lined up on his left and right. The protagonists of the 20th epic¡ªthey were also residents of the Overgeared World.

 Chapter 1676

    <h4>Chapter 1676</h4>


    Grid¡¯s status after the 20th epic had risen to a levelparable to when he rode a top dragon. This didn¡¯t mean that the need to rely on Dragon Knight was gone. It was because Dragon Knight¡¯s strengths weren¡¯t just limited to a rise in status. It was an increase in his stats by three times and the implementation of the Breath.


    The biggest advantage of Grid riding a dragon was purely the ¡®getting stronger¡¯ part. The current Grid was weakpared to when he fought Baal. He used the immense power of ¡®skill cooldown time erased¡¯ with the effect of the Overgeared World behind him, but the power of each six fusion sword dance was iparable to when he was riding Bunhelier.


    Of course, Grid had performed the six fusion sword dance a total of six times. It was while keeping the Sweet Candy in his mouth. He momentarily demonstrated enough firepower to kill Baal of hell more than once. The problem was that Nevartan¡¯s defense and health surpassed Baal¡¯s.


    The dragons were the ultimate of the giant and transcendent species. The old dragons were the pinnacle of the dragons. Regardless of the power of Absolute Defense, their stats themselves were the strongest in the worldview. The scales on their body mitigated all types of damage. They weren¡¯t opponents who could be easily harmed.


    It was apletely different case from Bunhelier, who suffered severe internal injuries from Nevartan and was severely restricted against Baal. In fact, Nevartan was hit by the six fusion sword dance and was still unscathed. He restored his severed limbs at a visible speed while swinging his long tail to smash the temples of the Overgeared World.


    The deepke in the center of the Overgeared World repeatedly exposed its bottom again and again in the aftermath of the shock of the Breaths, which were being fired non-stop. The bodies of Grid, the apostles, and the tower members were drenched by theke water that soared up high and poured down like torrential rain.


    It was proof that there was no room to rx. Normally, the apostles and tower members didn¡¯t get wet even if they were in the middle of a rainstorm or a blizzard. It was virtually impossible for foreign substances to touch them when they freely operated energy and magic power.


    However, they couldn¡¯t prevent theke water from sshing and became like wet mice. It was because he was in a hurry to handle Nevartan¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Was it the effect of the insane mental image? Nevartan¡¯s Breath was different from that of other dragons. It stretched out in a straight line but repeatedly changed the trajectory along the way. The damage radius was greatly extended when it soared like a spinning wheel or sprayed in all directions. It was correct to express it as crazy beyond the anomalous level.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop his breathing?¡± Hayate¡¯s feet were tied up from trying to cut and stop the Breaths that Nevartan was constantly shooting. He couldn¡¯t help asking Biban this question.


    Biban cocked his head as he made a huge stone sword by absorbing the fragments of the broken temples to his sword. ¡°Stop his breathing? Nevartan¡¯s Breath?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him shoot the Breath.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, if I could cut the neck, why would I choose to cut his Breath? It isn¡¯t appropriate for you, who is usually very serious, to joke in this situation. Did you be very excited after meeting strongrades?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Hayate didn¡¯t bother to tell the story of Kraugel. It was because it seemed that Biban, who was getting worse due to dementia, would have a reaction that was hard to handle. He felt worried about Biban while missing Kraugel, who had been with him for a short time...


    ¡°Nevartan is adapting to the dimension.¡± Mercedes¡¯ urgent voice was heard. Her Keen Insight had an urate grasp of the situation as she relentlessly targeted Nevartan¡¯s side.


    An old dragon. They were creatures that hunted the celestial gods until the ¡®convention.¡¯ Would it have been possible for them to run wild in Asgard if they were hampered by the dimensional effects? Asgard was a divine world that had existed since the beginning. It was a powerful divine world that was iparable to the Overgeared World, which was established only recently. After adapting and resisting Asgard¡¯s oppression, the level of the Overgeared World was too weak to forever suppress an old dragon, who had entered like this was his own house.


    [The invader ¡®Nevartan¡¯ is destroying the ecosystem of the Overgeared World!]


    [Be careful, the Overgeared World might perish!]


    Nevartan was threatening beyond adapting to the environment of the Overgeared World. Every time he rampaged and destroyed a temple, the status of the god was dangerously shaken. In particr, the condition of the fishing god Lars was bad. It was the influence of the depth of theke water bing shallow as its bottom was revealed again and again.


    The weakening of Lars, who had a rare healing ability, hindered the activities of his allies.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible to resist the oppression of the divine world...¡± Braham frowned.


    Hayate, a person who had already reached Braham¡¯s goal for a thousand years.


    Grid, the strongest in this new era, was acknowledged by such a Hayate.


    There was also Zik and Fronzaltz.


    There were many strong people here whom Braham was forced to acknowledge. He judged that Nevartan could be destroyed by taking advantage of the dimensional effect of the Overgeared World. It was a misjudgment that happened because he didn¡¯t know much about dragons. Nevartan was far more powerful than he expected.


    Boooom!


    Braham¡¯s body floated in the air. He was hit by the tail that broke through dozens ofyers of magic shields and his arms and waist were bent at bizarre angles. His broken ribs dug into his intestines, causing terrible pain.


    ¡®Too fast...!¡¯


    It was possible for him to sense the crisis based on the divinity and transcendence he umted over the years, but it wasn¡¯t possible for him to react. He was already hit by the attack the moment he realized that an attack wasing. His immortality would¡¯ve been consumed immediately if it wasn¡¯t for the shields that were deployed all the time.


    ¡°Is it to this extent when he is moving ording to his instincts?¡±


    Zik flew in while creating runes for recovery, regeneration, and eleration and supported Braham.


    Was it a coincidence? Braham became Nevartan¡¯s target as soon as he cast great magic. As a result, he was seriously injured and suffered from a magic power reflux. The timing was too exquisite to be called a coincidence.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The surprised Zik left his position. The tail that had passed by after hitting Braham came back and devastated the area. Zik was able to react thanks to the runes of detection, navigation, and eleration, but his expression was rarely dark.


    For a natural hunter, instincts might actually be a blessing. In his opinion, madness wasn¡¯t a factor in weakening Nevartan. He didn¡¯t think there were any ws in Nevartan¡¯sbat ability nowpared to when his mental state was intact.


    Fronzaltz said, ¡°It is true that he has been weakened by madness.¡±


    He was indeed a wise giant. He read Zik¡¯s thoughts based on his expression and reaction.


    ¡°The fact that Dragon Words has been sealed is no different from having a limb amputated in human terms.¡±


    ¡°Is it to that extent?¡± A look of surprise appeared on Zik¡¯s face. Braham¡¯s expression was no different as he hung from Zik¡¯s shoulder like a piece ofundry. He realized the greatness of Grid who had fought against dragons. He also gained greater respect for Hayate and the tower members.


    At the same time, Grid was aided by Zik and Ken and was approaching Nevartan again. He triggered the Sanctuary of Metal and used the six fusion sword dances in a row. The momentum of lifting and smashing the undting scales and digging into the thick flesh was fierce.


    However, he failed to prate Nevartan this time. He was hit in the back by the w that Nevartan swung and flew toward the canyon he had built in his mental world. He mmed into it and the entire Overgeared World was shaken.


    Grid¡¯s back as he immediately jumped up again was projected into the eyes of Zik and Braham.


    It was an always phenomenal defense.


    Grid¡¯s voice entered the ears of Zik, who had flown and arrived near Grid. ¡°Thank you for the assistance.¡±


    Zik¡¯s runes were mostly concentrated on Grid. The dozens of rune words helped Grid by forming sentences of different meanings in real time.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do it alone,¡± Braham said as he got down from Zik¡¯s back.


    Grid¡¯s expression was uneasy. The faces of the people currently attacking Nevartan along with Grid were all gorgeous. Weren¡¯t all the apostles and tower members gathered? Apart from Nefelina, who couldn¡¯te forward hastily, and Hayate, who was concentrating on preventing the Breath, all the others wereunching attacks against Nevartan. Yet it wasn¡¯t enough? The implications were too great to be epted smoothly.


    Boooom!


    At the same time, a huge sword that was tens of meters in size blocked the flying tail. It was the sword wielded by Biban. It served to offset the weight on the tail. Grid¡¯s sword appeared between the fragments of shattered and scattered stones and exploded with a sharp burst of sword light.


    Nevartan¡¯s tail was cut off. Nevertheless, there wasn¡¯t a single person who acted recklessly. They already learned that the fastest regenerating part of a dragon¡¯s body was its tail.


    Nevartan¡¯s tail immediately regenerated and fell toward the heads of the group. At this point, Grid was forced to admit it.


    ¡®He keeps getting stronger.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t simply due to adapting to the environment of the Overgeared World. Putting aside the status he had lost, Nevartan was gaining dominance in all aspects of attack power, defense, recovery, and resistance.


    ¡°Bunhelier¡¯s assessment that Nevartan gets stronger the more damage he suffers is an unexaggerated truth.¡±


    Hayate aimed for the moment when Nevartan¡¯s tail and the Breath¡¯s paths ovepped and blocked it. Then he came to Grid¡¯s side and said this.


    ¡°The apostles and tower members should use their own means to survive.¡±


    The reason why Hayate was in charge of Nevartan¡¯s Breath was simple. The power of the Breath was too strong. It was difficult to cut or block it unless it was weakened by the Dragon Killing Sword. The other tower members and apostles had to put all their energy into it to handle Nevartan¡¯s Breath. It meant the efficiency was poor.


    Hayate had wanted the others to destroy Nevartan with Grid while he faced the Breaths. However, he came to the conclusion that it was impossible. If it was like this, there was only one option.


    ¡°Overgeared God, cooperate with me.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s white clothing gradually lengthened. The coat that touched the ankle dragged to the floor like a cloak and fluttered like a veil. The dragon killing sword energy rose to the peak, glowed, and scattered.


    Nevartan¡¯s consciousness was focused on Hayate.


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ©¤©¤!


    Sound disappeared. The Dragon Killing Sword momentarily reached the speed of light and turned the area into a vacuum.


    Grid was crushed by the immense pressure and was flustered. Even so, he gritted his teeth and somehow took a step. It was an effort to respond to the Absolute.


    There were multicolored lights scattering in his vision. Nevartan¡¯s roar and the Breath he fired and the waves of the Dragon Killing Sword advancing toward him became entangled together and spread out repeatedly.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s orange divinity was weak. It couldn¡¯t move forward in a world without sound. It was inferiorpared to the Absolute. It was a world he hadn¡¯t reached yet.


    Grid was feeling bitter as he had to admit this, only for his feet to step on something hard and squishy. It was Nefelina¡¯s back after she released Polymorph. A young dragon dozens of times smaller than her father predicted the path Grid would take forward and got in his way. It was a miracle that was aplished aftermuning as Grid¡¯s apostle, friend, and family member.


    [I...! I want to live with Grid!!]


    Nefelina¡¯s cry spread clearly in the world where the sound had disappeared. It was willpower, not a live voice. It was Dragon Words.


    [How did a hatchling...?] Nevartan was shocked. His eyes, which were ck like there was a hole in them, returned to gold in an instant.


    A hatchling usedplete Dragon Words. The extraordinary image of his daughter, who overcame limits and achieved transcendence for the first time in dragon history, awakened his consciousness. It might be distorted from a human point of view, but his love for his child was real.


    [Your apostle ¡®Nefelina¡¯ has earned the title of ¡®Transcendent Dragon.¡¯]


    [Some of the stats of your apostle ¡®Nefelina¡¯ are unlocked.]


    [I!! I am going to be with Grid!!]


    She was transcendent because she had lifted her limits. The sight of his still small and feeble, yet dignified daughter made Nevartan smile.


    [I¡¯ll allow it.]


    [You have boarded the transcendent dragon, Nefelina.]


    [The effect of the only one title in the world, ¡®Dragon Knight,¡¯ is activated.]


    [All your stats are increased by three times and your status is increased.]


    The dying orange divinity rose like wildfire. It was the moment when Grid truly stepped into the world of the Absolute.


    [Your union.]


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Boooom...

 Chapter 1677

    <h4>Chapter 1677</h4>


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, Nevartan¡¯s position was very ambiguous. He was Nefelina¡¯s father. They were forced to be hostile when Nevartan was insane, but Grid felt very reluctant to be hostile when Nevartan was sane. Of course, it was true that he didn¡¯t like Nevartan¡¯s way of treating Nefelina.


    However, it was a priority to have a conversation. Humans and dragons were different from their species. Effort was needed in order to understand each other.


    In the first ce, Grid¡¯s emotions weren¡¯tcking enough to hurt a father in front of his child. This subtle hesitation¡ª


    [I¡¯ll allow it. Your union.]


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Nevartan¡¯s words maximized it. It was expressed in his sword dance. There was a slight shake in the Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave sword dance, which had been used to respond to Hayate¡¯s rising sword. It was a very small shake. It was at a level that even a passable transcendent wouldn¡¯t notice.


    Yet Hayate noticed it. The light of the Dragon Killing Sword, which was falling toward the top of Nevartan¡¯s head, changed its trajectory and struck Grid¡¯s sword.


    [The casting of Drop Dragon Pinnacle Linked Kill Wave has been canceled!]


    An unchallenged power¡ªthe weight of the Dragon Killing Sword weighed down on the two dragon weapons and stopped the progress of the sword dance. The reasons why it was possible¡ª


    [The energy of the dragon yer has greatly weakened the beneficial effects of ¡®Dragon Knight.¡¯]


    [The energy of the dragon yer has greatly weakened the power of ¡®Gujel¡¯s Fang¡¯ and ¡®Cranbel¡¯s Horn.¡¯]


    [The energy of the dragon yer has impaired the performance of ¡®Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arm,¡¯ ¡®Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Shoulder,¡¯ ¡®Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Pelvis,¡¯ and ¡®Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head.¡¯]


    It was because of the power of the Absolute walking the opposite path to Grid, who interacted with dragons. Dark red blood flowed down the corners of Grid and Hayate¡¯s mouths. Hayate abruptly changed the trajectory of the Dragon Killing Sword while Grid failed to trigger the sword dance due to physical force. They both suffered serious internal injuries.


    Hayate told the startled Grid, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything you will regret.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s clear blue eyes captured the image of Grid and Nefelina together. He was convinced that the bond between the two of them wouldst forever.


    ¡°I understand your position.¡±


    ¡°Hayate...¡± Grid was greatly thrilled. Hayate had always been like this since the moment they first met. He always understood and cared for Grid. The surface could be so peaceful because the only Absolute of humanity was such a person. Hayate was clearly good.


    Grid was once again convinced while Hayate reacted in an embarrassed manner. ¡°It is embarrassing. I also don¡¯t want to have a bad rtionship with Nevartan.¡±


    Hayate also couldn¡¯t define Nevartan as an enemy with certainty. Before he was called an Insane Dragon¡ª


    Nevartan hadn¡¯t experienced madness and he lived a much quieter lifepared to the other old dragons. Even after he became an Insane Dragon, it was rare for him to recklessly harm humanity and he always left behind numerous witnesses. This was why most of the literature rted to dragons was about Nevartan. It might be a favor out of indifference, but it still couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    [...It would¡¯ve been quite dangerous.] Nevartan, whose head was tilted due to the shockwave caused by the collision between the Dragon Killing Sword and the sword dance, straightened his head and spoke. He felt the energy of the dragon yer disrupting the binding of his scales and the cirction of magic power. Nevartan readily admitted that he would¡¯ve suffered quite a bit of damage if he was stabbed by the Dragon Killing Sword and was hit by Grid¡¯s sword dance while his weaknesses were exposed.


    [Good. At this point, you deserve to be with my daughter.]


    Nevartan was wary of the madness that he didn¡¯t know when it mighte back. He immediately turned around and flew high into the sky. It seemed like he was about to fly into space. He flew so far away he became a dot in an instant. Grid shouted after him, ¡°Nevartan! I know how to fix your madness!¡±


    [A method? I also know a method. However, who in the world can ask for her cooperation? It is futile. I hope you will be eager to cherish and love my daughter.]


    Nevartan didn¡¯t dy for a moment. He said goodbye in a subtly softened tone and disappeared. Grid understood Nevartan¡¯s position while feeling great regret. How could they afford to have a conversation when it wasn¡¯t known when Nevartan¡¯s madness would strike again? What if they dyed time and there was an irreversible situation? Who would be held ountable?


    The only thing that bothered Grid was that Nevartan didn¡¯t say goodbye to Nefelina in the end. He was afraid that Nefelina would be sad.


    [Goodbye, Father.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The worried Grid started grinning. Then he heard Nefelina¡¯s surprisingly bright voice and realized it.


    ¡®I hope you will be eager to cherish and love my daughter.¡¯


    Nevartan had already conveyed his feelings to his daughter. He loved her and wished for her to be happy. It was definitelymunicated to Nefelina.


    ¡°You will be able to meet again someday. Until then, I am your father.¡± Grid patted Nefelina on the head. He thought that the round back of her head was cute even when she returned to her main body. Then he called up the list of quests currently in progress.


    [Marie Rose¡¯s Blood]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    Get the blood of Marie Rose, the vampire duke, and give it as a transfusion to Nevartan, the insane dragon.


    Quest Clearance Reward: Nevartan¡¯s madness is cured. Affinity with Nevartan will increase.]


    It was a quest he got for satisfying the Gourmet Dragon Raiders. At that time, he only felt helpless about how to obtain Marie Rose¡¯s blood. Even if he gained the blood, he wasn¡¯t sure how to transfuse it to Nevartan. This was no longer the case. He was still afraid of Marie Rose, but it was no longer an unrealistic quest.


    ¡®Come to think of it, did Raiders want to help Nevartan?¡¯


    The maniac who took the world tree, the elves¡¯ parent, as gourmet food in front of the elves. Grid didn¡¯t like Raiders, who wanted to destroy the Hilgram family, who had been making food for him for a thousand years, simply because he was tired of the taste. He even wondered about the difference between this guy and the Evil Dragon p.


    Then he realized it after meeting several dragons. Raiders was a really gentle dragon. He seemed subtly on the good (?) side based on human standards. It seemed rather natural for Raiders to show a favorable attitude toward his kin.


    [Father...?] Grid suddenly came to his senses. It was because he heard Nefelina¡¯s murmur. [W-We need to unite. Isn¡¯t this pretty ufortable by human standards...?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [H-Huh? I-If you don¡¯t mind, then I¡¯m okay with it.]


    ¡°......? Yes, I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡±


    The conversation between Grid and Nefelina was subtly misaligned. It was because they interpreted the meaning of ¡®union¡¯ differently. However, Grid failed to notice anything particrly strange. The situation itself was joyful and exciting. He was worried that Nefelina would be disappointed after finally meeting her father, but everything went well.


    She gained peace of mind by confirming her father¡¯s love and would grow into a much better dragon in the future. In fact, she got the title of transcendent dragon.


    ¡®It is unfortunate that it isn¡¯t Overgeared dragon, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    In any case, he would be able to ride Nefelina in the future. He could enjoy the Dragon Knight effect at any time. It happened as Grid was feeling a huge amount of joyparable to when he became myth rated...


    [The stamina of transcendent dragon ¡®Nefelina¡¯ is at the limit.]


    [Nefelina can no longer carry you.]


    [Nefelina needs plenty of rest.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    Nefelina¡¯srge eyes suddenly turned into an X shape and her body drooped. Thanks to this, Grid fell off her back and started to fall to the ground.


    ¡®Is this real?¡¯


    Only one minute¡ªthe time Nefelina could transcend a hatchling¡¯s limits and carry Grid was only 60 seconds.


    ***


    ¡°What type ofpact car has a bad fuel economy?¡±


    Grid had bought a luxury sports sedan for his first car and he had never driven apact car. Thus, heined based on prejudice.


    ¡°Grid, sometimes you say things that are hard to understand.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry, I was talking to myself.¡±


    Grid smiled awkwardly and Nefelina looked at him curiously. The tower members and apostles approached the duo, who had made an incredible achievement.


    "Good work."


    ¡°You made even the Insane Dragon retreat...¡±


    They all had strange expressions. They were reactions that seemed to have gone beyond the level of admiration or astonishment and were more like they had seen something bizarre. It wasn¡¯t much different from when they first saw Hayate. They noticed that Grid had risen to the rank of an Absolute.


    ¡°That... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Braham abruptly apologized. His arrogant expression was as usual, but he avoided making eye contact with Grid. It was inconsistent with having a clear conscience. It was natural.


    Braham had almost killed everyone. His judgment that there would be a chance of winning if they fought in the Overgeared World was what led to the battle. What if Nevartan hadn¡¯t ovee the madness at the end? All of Reinhardt and the Overgeared World would¡¯ve been in ruins.


    Grid took his head as his head was slowly lowering due to being crushed by guilt. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I would¡¯ve fought anyway even if you hadn¡¯t persuaded me.¡±


    In fact, there was a high possibility that Grid would¡¯ve endured it... Putting aside the pitiful Nefelina, Grid was in a position to makeposed and wise judgments. However, Braham had trolled more than once or twice. It hurt his mouth to point it out. Braham was already reflecting on himself so Grid could only hope he would be more cautious in the future.


    ¡®I would just be nagging him if I say anything else here.¡¯


    In fact, it was shameless to rebuke Braham. It was Grid who decided that Braham¡¯s opinion was correct and became determined to fight Nevartan. Shifting the me onto Braham now would just prove that he had a serious defect in his personality.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was after the atmosphere had been cleared. The eyes of Grid¡¯s party in the Overgeared World widened. They were impressed by the camp that the Overgeared members put together. The knights led by Asmophel and the Red Knights, the peasants of nd, the evil eyes, the magicians and Ul n of the magic tower, and the tens of thousands of troops lined up with the Overgeared Guild as the leaders.


    Fronzaltz admired the Breaking Evil Arrows that embroidered the sky like starlight.


    ¡°The extraordinary thing is their true determination to fight the dragon. Is this the power that one nation can have?¡±


    In terms of armed force alone, it transcended even the heyday of a great nation. Putting aside Grid and the apostles, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all.


    Yura, Jishuka, Faker, Chris, Haster, etcetera¡ªthere were many legends in the Overgeared Guild. Reinhardt wouldn¡¯t take any damage even if the Yatan Church did the crazy act of summoning a great demon in the middle of Reinhardt. The problem was that even the Yatan Church was mostly friendly to the Overgeared Empire.


    The world had changed so much. The people gathered here had changed it.


    ¡°Grid, let¡¯s start with the granting of rewards ording to merit,¡± Lauel, who had been staring in the direction where Insane Dragon Nevartan disappeared for a long time with a mesmerized face, btedly came to his senses and told Grid.


    His hands were still shaking. It seemed he thought the empire would be ruined today.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s change ces first. Prepare a banquet.¡±


    The ceremony to grant rewards ording to merit ended. The top 30 people in terms of merit at the time that the Asura Road closed were announced and rewarded. It was arge-scale quest with a high difficulty, so all participants benefited from it.


    However, people honestly felt it wasn¡¯t enoughpared to the hardships they went through. The national treasury yed a role in filling that deficiency.


    The empire¡ªin other words, Grid had a duty to continue to motivate people. It was because he didn¡¯t want to be alone in this world.


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°You?¡±


    At the square in front of the Overgeared Castle...


    At the scene where hundreds of thousands of people gathered, including spectators, Biban found Kraugel and wondered, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Kraugel was sitting where the people who made achievements sat and looked puzzled.


    ¡°Why is Sir Biban here...?¡± Kraugel cocked his head and responded.


    The tower members said ¡®What reward can we get from our junior?¡¯ and returned to the tower. Biban was the only one who stayed here.


    ¡°Hoh... Did I not do anything? In the eyes of the present day Sword Saint, is the Sword Saint of a previous generation a has-been?¡±


    ¡°You are misinterpreting things. Your personality seems to have be even more entric.¡±


    The atmosphere gradually became noisy and Grid covered his face.


    ¡°Someone should do something about Biban.¡±


    Thousands of stars filled the skies of Reinhardt even though it was still bright daylight. They were the cameras of broadcastingpanies from around the world to capture the image of the heroes. It was peace that came after a long time.

 Chapter 1678

    <h4>Chapter 1678</h4>


    ¡º If Grid was from India, he would¡¯ve been worshiped as a god in the real world. Additionally, the temple that hosts Grid would have a steady stream of tourists. ¡»


    The world¡¯s first and thergest public broadcaster in the UK¡ªthe main news anchor of the broadcaster, which had built up the best recognition in the world due to its long history and strong public identity, became a hot topic. It was due to the reference of a god in reality in the closingments of the main news.


    It was shortly after a reporter ryed the scene of Reinhardt. He seemed deeply impressed by the performance of Grid, who corrected the order that Baal had broken and calmed the rampage of the Insane Dragon. He criticized South Korea¡¯s passive attitude by openlyparing the treatment Grid received in South Korea with the Indian sports star who had be a Hindu god.


    The repercussions were huge. Once again, emergency lights were turned on for the South Korean government, who were trying to give a medal to Grid and win the favor of the people.


    ¡°Why did Shin Youngwoo go to the army so quickly? I would¡¯ve given him a military exemption if he hadn¡¯t joined the army yet. Tsk tsk.¡±


    ¡°He must be a young man with a great sense of patriotism... Haha, should we build a temple?¡±


    ¡°In South Korea, the government took the initiative to worship an icon? Do you intend to be sworn at by tens of millions of religious people? It might be different if a civic group set it up...¡±


    They were at a loss. Grid¡¯s performance in the past few years was iparable to winning a gold medal in the National Competition. He went beyond simply announcing the name of South Korea to the world. How many times had he protected another world favored by billions of people?


    His recognition was unrivaled and no great person in history wasparable to Grid. They wondered if there was a joke that Grid was right after Jesus and Buddha. Every time presidents, prime ministers, and stars from other countries visit South Korea, they earnestly requested to meet Grid.


    Grid was the face and the pride of South Korea. He was a tool that the government had to actively use and in order to use him, it was right to give him the proper treatment.


    ¡°The medal and foundation named after Shin Youngwoo was created right away. He is also authorized to use the helicopter take-off andnding areas of the government offices at any time... what more than this can we do? What is the gift he desires the most?¡±


    ¡°What about tax exemptions?¡±


    ¡°Give an opinion that the public can understand. Additionally, have you seen his tax records? He is more likely to pay taxes that he doesn¡¯t have to pay.¡±


    It was a transparent tax history where no effort to save on taxes could be found. Additionally, his donations increased every year. The thing Grid needed wasn¡¯t money. In the first ce, he would¡¯ve shot hundreds ofmercials if he was the type to care about money. TVs and various tforms around the world would¡¯ve been stered with Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°I think¡­ we need to move the HID.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, the name of the army¡¯s intelligence unit appeared. It felt out of context with the conversation. Operatives secretly dispatched to North Korea were suddenly mentioned as they were discussing what type of gift to give Grid so that the government could establish a side and make Grid a clear ally.


    In the midst of the turbulent atmosphere, the chief of staff¡¯s words continued, ¡°We need to thoroughly analyze Shin Youngwoo¡¯s tastes and figure out what he wants.¡±


    ¡°I... see...¡±


    On this day, South Korea¡¯s most elite troops were dispatched around Shin Youngwoo¡¯s home. It was purely a government effort to analyze Shin Youngwoo¡¯s tastes. It was hard to give him a gift.


    ***


    All the incidents that urred during the Asura Road were broadcast live around the world. It meant people closely watched who, where, and how they yed. There were many witnesses who could tell if the ceremony to reward people on their merits was right or wrong.


    The empire was obliged to evaluate the performance of the Overgeared members as objectively as possible. There was a risk of unnecessary bacsh if they set up the merit ceremony and gave awards based on personal feelings.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    This was the result. Not a single yer received more than the apostles and tower members. Most were evaluated as having less merits than the kings of the different species. It was only Yura, Jishuka, Euphemina, Ruby, and Kraugel who were recognized for their performance that was above the king of the different species and received the Medal of Honor.


    This alone was followed by enormous rewards. They had the right to use the Reidan alchemy facilities privately, the right to use the imperial warehouse, and became the owner of arge territory, which had severalrge cities.


    The viewers were sufficiently convinced. If it wasn¡¯t for Jishuka¡¯s archery and Euphemina¡¯s magic, would the kings of the different species be able to enjoy moving through the enemy camp to their heart¡¯s content? It was impossible. Their ability to support from the rear shone at any time and in any situation. It was the same when Zik joined. Thanks to them, Zik¡¯s progress became easier.


    There was no need to talk about Ruby¡¯s support ability. The holder of the percentage heal, who was considered the strongest healer in the worldview, had saved the lives of her allies several times. It was right to assume that the Overgeared members who received her assistance had at least 10 lives.


    Yura? Without her, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to establish a base at the crystal castle. It was highly likely that all the yers who were active in hell would¡¯ve wandered around without finding a ce to escape and would¡¯ve been brutally wiped out. Herbat power was alsoparable to the king of the different species. Her identity was the strongest in hell until the arrival of Grid¡¯s group.


    Finally, Kraugel cut a dragon¡¯s Breath. He performed so well that the Absolute, Hayate, missed him and he astounded the world. Many people believed that their performances were greater than that of the apostles. It wasrgely because Nefelina brought down the average of the apostles. It was because she didn¡¯t really do anything in hell.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for returning to the surface, putting Grid on her back and bing the protagonist of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon, there would¡¯ve been criticisms that she was a pet who only ate food.


    Did he still want to be free? Grid stared nkly at Kraugel, who refused to ept a territory. Then he said with a smile, ¡°I hope the banquet ends soon.¡±


    He confirmed that Kraugel¡¯s sheath was empty. Grid wanted tomunicate with Kraugel again, just like when they created the White Tiger Sword. The desire to learn new things through the process of discussing and creating the sword with Kraugel sprang up.


    He also understood why Kraugel wanted freedom. Kraugel didn¡¯t know his limits yet. He didn¡¯t want to settle down in one ce until he reached the limit¡ªit was at the time when Grid, who was the one who informed Kraugel of his limitations, was thinking arbitrarily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kraugel gave an unexpected apology. ¡°I didn¡¯t protect the sword you tried your best to make for me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel himself must be having the hardest time. He had lost the sword he had been using for so many years, the sword he had grown from the normal rating to the myth rating. For Kraugel, the White Tiger Sword would¡¯ve been a precious treasure with all types of memories beyond a simple weapon. Yet he was apologizing to Grid.


    ¡®Why are there so many good people around me?¡¯


    .


    Grid smiled and patted Kraugel¡¯s shoulder, hitting him with a bit of force. It was often an expression of friendship that a person did to a friend. However, Kraugel reacted with a serious expression. He was almost frightened and dodged Grid¡¯s gesture. It was a reflexive action. It was because his Super Sensitivity perceived Grid¡¯s light hand gesture as a ¡®threat.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t know the situation and said with an awkward expression, ¡°The sword... let¡¯s create a new one together. Don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± Kraugel felt a sense of guilt. It was because Grid¡¯s expression looked so sad.


    ***


    ¡°Does Kraugel not think of me as a friend?¡±


    It was after the merit ceremony. The atmosphere of the banquet was heating up. Meanwhile, Grid escaped to the terrace andmented. The rejection of his touch came as a great shock to him.


    Yura was beside him. ¡°He thinks of you more as apetitor than a friend.¡±


    Coincidentally, Yura also wasn¡¯t good at human rtionships. She might have a good social life, but she had fewer friends than Grid. This meant she wasn¡¯t a person who could give advice on Grid¡¯s friendships. This caused Grid to have a bigger misunderstanding of Kraugel and his sigh deepened. It was while peeking at the scene of Kraugelughing and chatting with Piaro on one side of the banquet hall. It was pleasant to see the older brother and younger brother getting along, but it was also unpleasant. He felt left out.


    Just then, Jishuka came up behind Grid, linked her arm with his and told him, ¡°You and Kraugel are peeking at each other a lot ~ Are the two of you the only ones with a flower garden in your hearts?¡±


    ¡°...Did Kraugel keep looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he kept doing it until just now.¡±


    Jishuka looked cute as she puffed up her cheeks like she was jealous. Grid couldn¡¯t help touching her cheek. Then he asked for the understanding of the two of them and approached Kraugel. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the smithy right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± It was Kraugel who replied like he had been waiting. For the two people who moved non-stop, even one day of peace felt too long. They felt uneasy in their daily life and were busy looking for new tasks.


    Grid was about to leave when Irene blocked him. She was smiling, but the twitching of her temples made Grid feel uneasy. ¡°Your Majesty, do you intend to leave them alone?¡±


    Her gaze was in the direction of Mercedes and Basara. Mercedes was uneasy because of how unfamiliar and ufortable her dress was. Basara was smiling as usual, but she didn¡¯t look happy as she drank alone.


    ¡°In particr, Her Majesty Basara took the time to visit us.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid secretly nced at Kraugel.


    Kraugel had already grabbed the drink he had put down. ¡°Familyes first.¡±


    ¡°The Sword Saint is indeed as noble as rumored.¡±


    Kraugel said the correct answer. Irene¡¯s smile while looking at him was bright. Kraugel sighed with relief and signaled for Grid to go ahead. The smile that spread across his face was far from ridicule. He seemed to be advising Grid to enjoy a bit more peace.


    Grid smiled widely and turned to his family. He was frightened due to Sua, who followed Lord as a shield, but he had a fun and fulfilling time until the next morning. It was the day when love, not the smell of blood, spread around Grid. It was a day that he wanted to make part of his daily life someday.


    ***


    ¡°Marie Rose ended up helping...¡±


    The next morning.


    Grid returned from seeing off Basara and sat face to face with Kraugel. Both of them were haggard. Grid shared too much love and Kraugel was affected by the aftermath of Garion tormenting him all night. Simply put, they were out of energy. Grid was happy, but Kraugel felt somewhat resentful.


    Stop splitting apart thend.


    He suffered a lot because Garion nagged him to seal the skill he was using. Kraugel tried to turn away from Garion, who was staring at him from a distance, and looked around. It was a smithy inside the Overgeared World. The structure was the same as the smithy during the days with Khan. Grid¡¯s longing for his memories with Khan were still intact.


    ¡°Khan... is he in heaven?¡±


    Kraugel was the person with the most knowledge after Grid. He understood the principle of the creation of angels and naturally inferred where Khan was.


    Grid didn¡¯t bother to hide it. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then heaven is the target after hell.¡±


    Grid nodded like it was natural in response and ced Gujel¡¯s scale on the anvil. The new dragon weapon. It was the weapon material that would make Kraugel¡¯s ideals into a reality. It was also the material that would strengthen Khan¡¯s final work.


    ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid had seen Kraugel¡¯s back and Kraugel had seen Grid¡¯s back. They were the right people to trust each other¡¯s backs to.


    Taang, taang, taang.


    Every time they shared their opinions over the hammering, the friendship between the two of them deepened. The same thing came to their minds at the same time during the process.


    White Fang¡ªthe dragon weapon that had been sleeping for a long time in Kraugel¡¯s inventory. The performance itself was of poor quality, but the material was clearly Bunhelier¡¯s fang. Meanwhile, the current Grid had the technique to smelt an old dragon¡¯s fangs.

 Chapter 1679

    <h4>Chapter 1679</h4>


    The White Fang was the legacy of the Great Demon, Drasion, who was sealed by Sword Saint Muller. It was a weapon favored by the 11th Great Demon, so it was right that it was special. This meant it was too much to question the fact that a dragon¡¯s fang was used as the material.


    Yet in recent months, Grid¡¯s perception had changed significantly. The great demons were no longer an object of fear apart from the Three Evils of the Beginning. He had urately experienced a dragon¡¯sbat power and the performance of the dragon weapons. It was hard to understand why the sword possessed by the 11th Great Demon and made from the fang of an Old Dragon had such a mediocre performance.


    ¡®Everything would¡¯ve been questionable if I didn¡¯t know Baal¡¯s personality.¡¯


    Drasion¡¯s identity was the fallen angel, Sariel. Was it just a coincidence that the White Fang was in their hands? There was no way. It was likely to be Baal¡¯s mischief. He must¡¯ve given it to Sariel while knowing that the fang obtained in the process of driving Nevartan crazy would be a medium to attract Nevartan.


    The reason? Was a big reason necessary? He just wanted to enjoy watching theedy of a stupid fallen angel, who believed they were a demon, being eaten by the Insane Dragon.


    ¡®Sariel was fortunate that they were sealed by Muller before Nevartan emerged.¡¯


    Grid had confirmed two days ago that Nevartan¡¯s madness was contagious. If Sariel had been killed by Nevartan, Sariel¡¯s unstable soul would¡¯ve been distorted into greater chaos.


    ¡®Did Muller know Sariel¡¯s identity...?¡¯


    It was a usible guess. Considering Muller¡¯s track record of handing over his status to the Mountain King, he might¡¯ve unexpectedly been deeply involved in the worldview. Wasn¡¯t he the strongest Sword Saint ever? He had been mentioned by many beings even after his death, so Grid thought it was reasonable to give meaning to each action of his.


    ¡°Um...¡± Grid¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked at the White Fang while immersed in thought. He didn¡¯t know about the past, but there had never been rubbish like this. Bunhelier¡¯s Fang, to be more precise, was simply at the level of a hilt attached to the ¡®fragment¡¯ of the fang. The reason it clearly looked like a ¡®sword¡¯ was because the shape of the fragment resembled a de. It wasn¡¯t known if this was a shape that Baal deliberately created or if it had been broken into this shape by ident.


    One thing was certain: this was an ¡®unspoiled material.¡¯ There was no sign of anyone attempting to smelt or forge it with clumsy skills.


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    Helmis, the only cksmith in hell, was very talented. He would¡¯ve realized that he couldn¡¯t smelt the fang with his skills and didn¡¯t touch it recklessly.


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t have defaced a precious material with vain greed. It is because he was also a craftsman.¡¯


    Grid used the disassembly skill and separated Bunhelier¡¯s fang from the coarse hilt. Then he opened his mouth somewhat cautiously, ¡°Kraugel, can I buy this?¡±¡¯


    It was the material of an Old Dragon. It was arguably, in the worldview, the best material for item making that he might not be able to get again in the future.


    Grid was purely greedy. Of course, he had a conscience, so he took Gujel¡¯s Dao and Cranbel¡¯s Horn out of the inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to buy it with money. In exchange for one of these swords... no, I¡¯ll pay with both.¡±


    Kraugel was a Sword Saint. All sword-type weapons could be handled regardless of the conditions of use and there were no restrictions at all. No, rather, he got a buff. Kraugel would naturally want the strongest sword made of an Old Dragon¡¯s material. The owner of the White Fang was Kraugel.


    Grid knew that he was being greatly unreasonable. He just asked with the feeling of grasping onto a straw.


    ¡°Yes.¡± It was an instant answer without a single thought.


    ¡°I understand. This naturally isn¡¯t enough... Eh?¡± Grid thought he would naturally be rejected and continued to speak, only to hurriedly close his mouth. He was dumbfounded.


    Kraugel shrugged. The orange divinity of the Overgeared World moved along with his gesture. It felt well without any sense of strangeness. As expected, people had to be handsome.


    ¡°I was going to hand over the White Fang to you from the beginning. You are the only person in the world who can turn it into a valuable thing. How shameful would it be if I am greedy for it?¡±


    "K-Kraugel...¡±


    He is a man of deep thought. Besides, it is clear that he likes me rather than hates me...


    Grid was thrilled when he realized this and reached out to Kraugel. Maybe it was because the scenery of the smithy that contained memories of Khan stimted his sensitivity? Grid¡¯s eyes reddened and he tried to hug Kraugel. It naturally failed.


    Kraugel avoided Grid¡¯s hug in disgust and continued, ¡°I have no intention of taking away your weapons while using the White Fang as an excuse. It is enough and I will be grateful if you make me a new sword as nned.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum...¡± Grid coughed in embarrassment and nodded. It was with a deep smile. His heart, which had been somewhat ufortable until yesterday, now swelled up and tickled.


    This hell episode¡ªpeople perceived that Grid and the Overgeared Guild had ¡®won¡¯ and ¡®seeded,¡¯ but in reality, it was only half a sess. Grid had no personal achievements other than closing the Asura Road and stabilizing the world. Not only did he fail to get rid of the hell moon, but he was defeated by Baal.


    Fortunately, thanks to the fraudulent 20th epic, his status had risen greatly, the level of his mental world had risen, there was the creation of a new six fusion sword dance, and the ability to be unbreakable was obtained. However, that was all. Each reward was too great to disparage it as ¡®that was all,¡¯ but in any case, he didn¡¯t get any physical rewards because he didn¡¯t achieve anything. It meant he couldn¡¯t get any items.


    He had built up an acquaintance (?) with the Insane Dragon Nevartan, the Evil Dragon Bunhelier, and ck Knight Eligos, and he could takefort in the fact that Nefelina had evolved into a Transcendent Dragon. To put it bluntly, the epic rewards and the evolution of Nefelina alone were better rewards than gaining a few dragon weapons, but it was still a bit disappointing. Then he got the White Fang. In Grid¡¯s eyes, Kraugel looked like Santa us.


    From this day, the coboration between Grid and Kraugel began. Grid understood the ideals of the Sword Saint of this era and repeated the work of realistically envisioning it. It was clearly different from when the White Tiger Sword was made. Grid¡¯s current level meant he wasn¡¯t immersed in Kraugel¡¯s ideals. He also gave advice in return and gave a better direction.


    Taang, taang, taang...


    From the moment Grid¡¯s hammer started to strike the fang of the Evil Dragon, the divinity of the Overgeared World shook. It seeped into the fang like being sucked into a whirlpool. The sunset seemed to be engraved.


    ¡°Twilight.¡±


    Grid and Kraugel spoke at the same time. They named it without thinking. It was suitable as the name of the divine sword that would stain the fate of the enemy with darkness and finally bring them to an end.


    ***


    .


    Morpheus¡¯s spection came true after a long time. Grid fought Baal and didn¡¯t win. There was just one problem: the Overgeared God¡¯s epic recorded it as Grid¡¯s victory. It was obviously a scam, but it was out of control.


    Grid gained all the rights of the winner. In addition to closing the Asura Road, he also received tremendous benefits as a reward forpleting the epic. Additionally, there was the Fruit of Good and Evil. However, nothing was free in the world. It was thew of equivalent exchange.


    Grid paid the price for working together with the Evil Dragon Bunhelier. In return for cooperating with Bunhelier in hell, he immediately pulled the aggro of the Insane Dragon as soon as he arrived on the surface. ording to Morpheus¡¯ calctions, the probability of Reinhardt disappearing from the map of the Overgeared Empire exceeded 89%. This was the case even though Hayate and the other tower members gathered in Reinhardt. Grid would¡¯ve lost countless things if Nefelina hadn¡¯t awakened.


    However, Nefelina awakened in time. Thanks to this, Nevartan overcame the madness again. Grid defended Reinhardt without losing anything and got his hands on a Transcendent Dragon...


    ¡°Surprisingly, the win rate is low, but the results are always good.¡±


    The staff members of the operations team were tongue-tied after they checked thebat records that had urred ever since Grid became a god. They estimated that Grid¡¯s win rate wasn¡¯t very high. There were many times when he didn¡¯t win when fighting someone. It was understandable given the level of his enemies.


    However, defeat wasn¡¯t a failure for Grid. Every time, he gained a lot from fighting, even if he lost. At this point, it felt like the entire universe was helping Grid.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s poweres from his high poprity,¡± Director Yoon Sangmin exined to the employees who wereughing at the absurdity. The distorted epic was the result of the wishes of those who believed in and followed Grid, while the awakening of the Transcendent Dragon was the result of Nefelina¡¯s desperate efforts to help Grid.


    Kraugel¡¯s heart that cared for Grid was also behind the birth of the beautiful dragon weapon called Twilight. Some people sympathized with Grid, saying that he always struggled alone, but surprisingly, Grid was rarely alone. The affection and kindness of people toward him always strengthened him.


    ¡°Grid himself knows it best.¡±


    Therefore, he had to ovee this trial well. The Fruit of Good and Evil that Piaro identally created in the environment of hell would really attract many beings. Millions of people would die. The moment Grid hastily embarked on the hell expedition, it was right to assume that Reinhardt would perish on that day.


    ¡®King Sobyeol...¡¯


    What type of repercussions would be provoked by the child of the God of the Beginning, who would use any means and methods topletely corrupt his older brother, who had be a mass of red flesh?


    A chill went down the spine of Director Yoon Sangmin.


    ***


    ¡°Um...¡± Major Baek Changho was still puzzled. As a member of the army¡¯s strongest intelligence unit, he had performed numerous missions so far. However, this mission was special. Gathering information about the target, analyzing the target¡¯s tastes, and thinking about what type of gift to give? The target was Shin Youngwoo. In other words, it was a mission where he would¡¯ve suspected there was someone with nomon sense in the upper ranks, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the target was Grid.


    Of course, there was nothing wrong with the difficulty itself. Major Baek Changho was also a master of psychological warfare tactics, He was confident that he could sessfullyplete this absurd mission.


    ¡®It is the same today...¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s pattern of behavior was extremely simple. He went out at 5:00. He met Yura or Jishuka until 7:00 and went home after exercising. He met Yura or Jishuka at 19:00 and went home at 22:00 after dinner and a date. It was really the same every day, so there was no specific information to gather.


    Shin Youngwoo¡¯s hobby was exercising, and meeting Yura or Jishuka seemed to be his only pleasure. At this point, it seemed best to report to his superiors, ¡®I think it is a good idea to build a public exercise space near the target¡¯s home.¡¯


    ¡®Wait... did I miss something?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t there something a bit strange?


    ¡®Does he usually have two lovers?¡¯


    Could it be that Shin Youngwoo¡¯s wish...?


    ¡°......!¡±


    Major Baek Changho had an absurd expression on his face when he became startled and rotated his upper body. The process of reaching out and grabbing the target¡¯s cor was like a sh of lightning. It was in a situation where he allowed someone ess right behind him. He got goosebumps and reflexively used the jujutsu he had been practicing all his life.


    ¡®Whoops!¡¯


    Throwing a person to the concrete ground would at least cause a serious injury. There was no possibility that the subject, who approached him from behind without any signs, was a civilian, but he couldn¡¯tmit murder without knowing who it was.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Major Baek Changho¡¯s face turned white as he hurriedly reached out to support the back of the subject rotating through the air. There was no sense of weight. It was someone¡¯s training suit that was ovepped on his palm.


    ¡®A pro!¡¯


    Major Baek Changho realized that the subject was at least the same level as himself and jumped like a spring while taking a defensive posture. Then he became shocked when he saw the identity of the subject. The person in front of him was Shin Youngwoo, the target of the mission.


    ¡®He noticed the surveince?¡¯


    Let¡¯s say he made a hundred concessions and that it was a possibility. Then how did Shin Youngwoo get out of the house without their knowledge? Currently, 21 members were monitoring the target¡¯s home in real time.


    Major Baek Changho¡¯s thoughts ended there. He was hit by Shin Youngwoo¡¯s kick that came in his blind spot and passed out. It was a Taekwondo techniquemonly called a spin kick. It was a technique that Regas often used, so he tried to copy it.


    ¡°I doubt they are bad people...¡±


    The suspicious people who had been hanging around the neighborhood since a few days ago¡ªShin Youngwoo couldn¡¯t stand by, so he dealt with them, but at least they weren¡¯t killers. If they had the purpose of hurting people, they wouldn¡¯t have reached out and supported his back just now.


    ¡°Hello? Is there a police station?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo called 112. 21 people were knocked unconscious around his home. Surprisingly, their identities were the members of the Republic of Korea Army¡¯s elite unit. However, they couldn¡¯t handle the duo of Shin Youngwoo and Toon who were pushing the boundaries between reality and Satisfy...

 Chapter 1680

    <h4>Chapter 1680</h4>


    Grid had no intention of staying away from Khan¡¯s final work. It was only when he wore Valha on his body that he felt secure. The affection and goodwill of Khan, contained in the work, were used as a type of protection. It was ever since bing emperor. It wasmon for him to take off Valha when wearing traditional clothes from all over the world as a courtesy, but this was why he always wore Valha in wars.


    However, he knew from the very beginning that maintaining the original form of Valha was foolish stubbornness. Didn¡¯t he have a hard time when he ought Baal this time? Unfortunately, Valha¡¯s performance was far below that of the dragon armor. It was necessary to break this stubbornness. He couldn¡¯tmit the mistake of losing the current Khan by clinging to his memories of Khan.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let Khan be used by the heavenly gods forever. I have to be stronger and help him reincarnate by any means and methods.¡¯


    Taang, taang, taang...


    Valha of Infinite Affection¡ªthe main intention of this work was the safety of the wearer. Khan designed Valha just for the safety and convenience of Grid. This affectionate heart was imprinted on Grid¡¯s subconscious mind and became the source of his mental world.


    Grid had no intention of changing the basic structure of Valha. It was alreadyplete and there was no need for it. He nned to maintain the shape so it didn¡¯t go against Khan¡¯s intentions, but he would rece the material with dragon scales. At first, he would start with the vital points and then progress little by little, savoring the traces left by Khan as slowly as possible. In any case, the quantity of dragon scales that he could obtain was limited.


    ¡®We¡¯ve been making frequent eye contact sincest time.¡¯


    Grid felt a presence when forging Xenon¡¯s scales and nced out the window while waving.


    Elnithana¡ªshe was one of the thousands of members of the Overgeared Guild. Her ranking was very average, but she was especially noticeable. It wasn¡¯t just because she was beautiful, but because the background was special. She came from the Ryan Merchant Group, a subject of intensive observation. She was heavily used by Lauel because her mind spun quickly. It had only been a few months since she acted as Lauel¡¯s aide, so she couldn¡¯t help standing out. Additionally, the name Elnithana was obviously taken from the name Nathaniel.


    ¡®It is the name of the Rothschild family of this day.¡¯


    There was no way she could be Nathaniel, but since she was from the Ryan Merchant Group, there was a good chance she had something to do with it. Lauel had repeatedly insisted that he needed to keep her by his side to watch her. He had reached the stage where he was convinced that Rothschild was beyond the Ryan Merchant Group.


    For Grid, everything felt unrealistic.


    The greatest victim of Nazism¡ªRothschild was a family that declined greatly in the 21st century after suffering from massive wars and assets being divided. Many yearster, rumors circted that it had revived and regained its old wealth and power, but they were just rumors. Even if the rumors were true, why would they approach Grid through Satisfy? Originally, there were many conspiracy theories rted to Rothschild in the past. There was even a saying that they were the dark curtain that dominated the world.


    There was something absurd about being tantly wary of them and doubting them.


    ¡®In any case, Lauel said he would take care of it so I won¡¯t worry.¡¯


    Elnithana had proimed herself a fan of Grid. It wasn¡¯t just her. Those who hoped to join the Overgeared Guild had a great liking for Grid and the main figures of the Overgeared Guild. There was less chance that the word ¡®fan¡¯ was false. Grid didn¡¯t dare to doubt her behavior of often watching him from afar.


    ¡®She must want to find peace of mind by looking at me.¡¯


    How much would she suffer while working under a chuunibyou boss like Lauel? He could fully understand her desire to look at him and purify her eyes and heart.


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid was now used to people¡¯s goodwill. Additionally, perhaps it was due to Insight, but it was possible for him to vaguely see whether a person had disrespectful intentions just by looking into their eyes. In his opinion, the way that Elnithana was looking at him was very favorable and pure. He felt curious because she often looked very pitiful, but he didn¡¯t feel ufortable.


    Nefelina, who was spinning in ce with an anxious expression, stopped and asked, ¡°Are you really going back to hell right away?¡±


    Grid nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Baal weakened and Grid became stronger. The aftermath of the 20th epic was great. This wasn¡¯t the end. Grid got the strongest dragon weapon of all time, Twilight, and was in the process of upgrading Valha. He could trigger the Dragon Knight effect at any time.


    Nefelina¡¯s Transcendent Dragon effect was limited to just one minute, but it wasn¡¯t a big disadvantage. After all, Grid was in a position to aim for a short-term showdown. The only means by which he could kill Baal was the six fusion sword dance. It took a few seconds to perform a six fusion sword dance rather than a minute.


    ¡®Of course, Baal had multiple lives, but the more he is killed, the weaker he will be.¡¯


    Grid was a yer. His lives were endless.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a loss at all if I die in exchange for taking Baal¡¯s life one or two times.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have to worry about his level decreasing for now. Baal¡¯s level and status were very high. The experience value gained in the process of fighting Baal exceeded the experience value lost by death. The fraudulent nature of the enlightenment effect acted as a shortcut.


    ¡®In the first ce, the chances of dying are low.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s immortality was long. The emergency escape was also possible, so there was plenty of time to escape. In the worst case situation where he died, he was unlikely to drop items. The probability of dropping items was proportional to the infamy. This was why PK criminals were afraid of death.


    Grid had a very high luck stat. The luck stat increased the probability of beneficial things happening and lowered the probability of harmful things happening. It was such a vague concept and was hard to trust because it was based on ¡®probability,¡¯ but Grid had been through too much. He now readily admitted that he was lucky. It was a bit bittersweet that even his luck was gained through effort rather than being born with it, but in any case, Grid believed in himself.


    On the other hand, Nefelina¡¯s anxiety was extremely high. ¡°By what means should I escape?¡±


    Let¡¯s say that Grid escaped urgently... even if he died, he would be revived. Yet for Nefelina, death was the end, Once Grid died and she was left alone, what means could she use to escape from Baal¡¯s grip and to escape from hell?


    ¡°Believe in Yura,¡± Grid reassured Nefelina, who was trembling as she imagined something terrible. Yura¡¯s Hell Leap had a different concept from the usual movement magic. Unlike magic such as Teleport, which used coordinates as a reference to move around, the dimension itself was distorted to connect the desired location and current location together. As such, Baal¡¯s ability that sealed all movement skills and magic couldn¡¯t block Hell Leap.


    ¡°She will protect us.¡±


    Somehow Yura would move them to the crystal castle. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get the timing right, but Grid believed in Yura. It was because the Demon yer¡¯s senses would clearly feel the moment that Baal weakened.


    ***


    Theke that exposed its bottom every time Nevartan released a Breath was filled with water again. The temples that had been destroyed by Nevartan¡¯s tail and feet also clearly mirrored the process of restoration.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel was holding Twilight as he sat in the middle of theke and meditated. It looked rather gorgeouspared to Grid¡¯s Twilight. It was because Xenon¡¯s scales were forged by being folded hundreds of thousands of times andyers of metal formed on the de. The orange divinity that stained each of theyers reflected each other. It looked like the setting sun had been cut to the size of a de and separated. It was so gorgeous that it caught people¡¯s eyes.


    Every time the people rushing back and forth in the Overgeared World passed by theke, they stopped and exchanged whispers. This sword was one of the two divine swords that Grid made a week ago and the beautiful appearance matched very well with Kraugel¡¯s appearance. They were full of praise. People¡¯s liking toward K raugel, who was second only to Grid, was sky high.


    ¡®...Yes, let¡¯s stay here a bit longer.¡¯


    Kraugel, who was blocking the outside noise with deep meditation, slowly opened his eyes. In fact, his heart wanted to head to Muller¡¯s grave right away. He felt the need to protect the tomb from the subordinates of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb, who seemed to be searching for Muller¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t know what was the worst case scenario that would happen if Muller¡¯s body was put into the No Offspring Tomb.


    However, there were two things that bothered him. The first was the blind swordsman who imed to be Muller¡¯s student. This ignorant and uncouth person might also know Muller¡¯s grave.


    ¡®In the course of tracing my tracks, he might¡¯ve figured out that I was fighting the evil spirits of the No Offspring Tomb. He might¡¯ve noticed that I will go back to the grave.¡¯


    There was a high probability that this person was waiting for him in the midst of the evil spirits and monsters of the No Offspring Tomb that rushed in like the fog. He didn¡¯t want to face this person yet.


    The second thing was Reinhardt¡¯s safety. The tower members had returned to the tower and the apostles were immersed in their own matters. Piaro went on a trip with Lae and the Fruit of Good and Evil, while Braham left to meet Marie Rose. Mercedes left to visit her home, and Zik somehow moved to Cokro Ind. Nefelina was scheduled to embark on the Baal expedition with Grid. The Overgeared members moved to their respective hunting grounds. Perhaps it was due to what they felt in hell, but everyone was desperate to grow stronger.


    It meant that the only power remaining in Reinhardt was probably Sariel. Everyone seemed to have the vague belief that Reinhardt would be safe, but Kraugel¡¯s idea was different. The days when he was the sky above the sky¡ªhe used to experience a crisis in every one of his most reassuring moments.


    Satisfy would never allow the yer¡¯s carelessness. Of course, the Overgeared Guild was a thorough organization. Grid estimated that the time it would take him to fight Baal and return home was approximately 40 minutes. Lauel had ns in ce for any eventuality that would ur in those 40 minutes.


    Looking at the structures of the barracks that had been relocated around the Overgeared World in the past two weeks, he was reminded of the expression ¡®a heavenly fortress.¡¯ It was a form in which the troops could fight as much as possible with the buffs of the Overgeared World. It was a level that was imprable by any great demon or archangel.


    Then what if the intruder¡¯s status was higher than expected? The Overgeared members would return immediately and join the battlefield, but it wasn¡¯t easy tomunicate with the apostles unless it was Grid.


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Lord spotted Kraugel and ran over with a smile on his face.


    Kraugel wanted to protect the bright smile of the family member of a precious friend.

 Chapter 1681

    <h4>Chapter 1681</h4>


    [Twilight]


    [Rating: Myth (Growth Type)


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 34,290


    ¡ï The attack skill usage speed will increase by 60%.


    ¡ï The power of attack skills will increase by 460%.


    ¡ï The absolute hit rate will increase by 50%.


    ¡ï There is a high probability of causing ¡®blindness¡¯ to the target with every attack.


    ¡ï Every time an attack is blocked with the weapon, there is a high probability of causing ¡®bewitchment¡¯ to the target.


    ¡ï There is an 85% chance of neutralizing the target¡¯s defense skills, magic and powers.


    ¡ï Additional attack power is applied against great demons, archangels, gods, and dragons.


    ¡ï In dark ces, the attack power of the weapon is increased by 80%.


    ¡ï In bright ces, there is a normal probability of hiding the weapon. If the weapon is hidden, the target has a high probability of failing to recognize the attack.


    ¡ï Can bind up to three magics or skills. There are no rating restrictions. However, there is a probability of failure.


    A sword made by the Overgeared God after smelting the fang of Evil Dragon Bunhelier. It possesses the divinity of the Overgeared World. It will shine as the twilight that deres an end to the enemy and the dawn of hope for allies.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 2,950]


    A sword that would be recorded in the mythology for its power that was as great as its beauty¡ªthe new dragon weapon seemed to contain the sunset and was beautiful from any angle. He was so happy just looking at it that he didn¡¯t even know that time was passing.


    ¡®Twilight and Dawn... it would¡¯ve been nice if Kraugel''s dragon weapon was called Dawn.¡¯


    Twilight and Dawn¡ªwhat a perfect match. In fact, Kraugel¡¯s dragon weapon shone a bit brighter. Dawn suited it. However, the system identified the two dragon weapons as ¡®Twilight.¡¯ It was natural since it had the same form and intentions. The two swords were twins. It was the same weapon that Grid and Kraugel discussed and designed together.


    Of course, the material was different. Therefore, there were some differences in the production method. Grid¡¯s Twilight omitted the folding process. It was because Bunhelier¡¯s fang itself was aplete material. There was no need to remove impurities or strengthen it. If the forging was carried out more than necessary, there was a great concern that the pure properties of the material would be ruined.


    On the other hand, Xenon¡¯s scale was somewhatcking. It wascking whenpared to Bunhelier¡¯s fang, so Grid felt the need to forge Xenon¡¯s scale to perform as close to Bunhelier¡¯s fang as possible. It was because this was the way to repay Kraugel for giving him White Fang.


    Thus, he tried thousands of folds. As a result, a wonderful work was born. Kraugel¡¯s Twilight wasparable to Grid¡¯s Twilight, which transcended Hexetia¡¯s Sword Short and was even judged to be a ¡®growth type,¡¯ and it was a divine sword among divine swords that was remarkable whenpared to Cranbel¡¯s Horn. Simply put, Grid¡¯s Twilight was a downgraded version of it. Of course, once Grid¡¯s Twilight evolved into the only one rating, the difference between them could widen by two or three stages, but...


    In any case, it was a huge result considering the quality of the material. It meant that Grid¡¯s techniques and Kraugel¡¯s ability to envision the sword were that good.


    ¡®I want to carry him in my pocket.¡¯


    It would be a big help if he could keep this person next to him to give advice every time he made an item...


    Valha¡¯s gorget and Xenon¡¯s scales ced around the heart¡ªGrid touched the notches that Kraugel had personally carved into it for him and felt the desire to use the Sword Saint for personal use.


    Kraugel knew the characteristics of the weapon called the sword and the characteristics of most swordsmanship. The pattern carved into the scales by him wasn¡¯t deep, but fluid. It exerted the performance of a sword breaker. Outwardly, Twilight was like a pure work of art, but in reality, it was a weapon with terrifying power.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    The dragon scales varied in size depending on the area they were from. Among them, the scales that Xenon gave as a gift were from the area around the dragon heart so they wererger and thicker. The quantity was just enough to make Kraugel¡¯s sword and put it on Valha¡¯s neck, chest, and thigh. For convenience, the thigh protector that spread out like a short skirt had be a bit ornate. The dragon scale was such a luxurious material that it looked like a coat made of gray silk attached to the armor.


    ¡°I am the heavenly demon,¡± Grid murmured in a low voice as he was engrossed in watching himself in the mirror. It was a line in martial arts novels that he often listened to when jogging.


    ¡°What is a heavenly demon, nyang?¡± Noe suddenly appeared and asked.


    The embarrassed Grid coughed and changed the subject. ¡°Did you finish your training well today?¡±


    ¡°Of course, nyang.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would have a hard time, but you¡¯re doing pretty well.¡±


    ¡°My charisma is so amazing, nyang. The kids are stirred and followed suit, nyang.¡±


    The dozens of memphis suffering due to Baal were saved by Betty and Agnus. Betty healed their wounds. Of course, she couldn¡¯t heal the wounds in their hearts. Apart from three memphis, who were somehowforted by Agnus¡¯ clumsyfort, the remaining memphis scattered and hid in hell. It was with the determination that they would surely get revenge on Baal one day.


    Excluding them, the three memphis followed Betty and Agnus to the surface. No matter how much Agnus cursed at them to go away, two of them, with the exception of one, stuck to him like gum and settled in Reinhardt. The environment was too difficult for them to live in the Tower of Wisdom and Noe seemed to like it a lot.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m d the children are good.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that they¡¯re good. It is that my charisma is amazing!¡±


    ¡®Based on the way he is so sensitive, it is clear that things didn¡¯t go well.¡¯


    Noe was very youngpared to the memphis who were rescued from hell. Noe himself imed that he was educating the memphis to adapt to human society, but from the sidelines, it seemed like the memphis didn¡¯t listen to Noe. The age difference was so severe that they treated him like the youngest son.


    Grid clearly noticed this and stroked Noe¡¯s round head. ¡°Yes, our Noe is great.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course nyang. Ahem.¡±


    Randy looked with pity at Noe, who was puffing out his chest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart.¡± Grid made up his mind and moved to the hell elevator. Yura was contacted in advance and was waiting in front of the elevator.


    ¡°Are you sure it is okay?¡± Yura didn¡¯t look very happy. There was no guarantee that Grid could fight Baal and win.


    In fact, Grid¡¯s face was also stiff with tension. There was no Bunhelier by his side this time. Could Nefelina, the newly created dragon weapon, and the reinforced Valha fill the vacancy of Bunhelier? At the time of the fierce battle between Baal and Grid, it was true that the help of the Breath, which Bunhelier frequently shot, was huge. Baal had to respond to the Breaths and thanks to this, Grid aimed for the gaps he revealed.


    This time, Grid had to fight alone. It would be a defeat if the six fusion sword dance couldn¡¯t hit.


    ¡°I have to try and challenge it. If I can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll just escape.¡±


    In fact, Grid had many options. He could go to the East Continent and unseal the Blue Dragon and White Tiger, or he could go to the No Offspring Tomb to promote his growth. However, he wanted to believe in the effects of Twilight. There was a high hit rate correction effect. He was convinced that he could kill Baal on his own if he used his items properly. Most of all, he didn¡¯t want to give Baal time to recover.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Yura listened to Grid¡¯s insistence. She was always obedient to Grid. The cold-blooded personality that once earned her the nickname ¡®Witch¡¯ was mostly applied to others except for Grid. This didn¡¯t mean she was rude to everyone. She only heard the question about whether she had a personality problem a few times in her life. Even that was mostly heard from Jishuka. Therefore, Yura was surprisingly proud of her personality.


    The elevator carrying Grid, Yura, and Nefelina soon arrived in hell. There was a loud pulley sound and the bloodyndscape of hell unfolded beyond the crack of the doors that opened. It was no different from when he came down a fortnight ago, except there was no forced teleportation.


    ¡®Even Baal would be burdened when maintaining such great magic all the time.¡¯


    As if tough at Grid¡¯s thoughts¡ª


    sh!


    The moment Grid stepped out of the elevator, the magic circle hidden under the dirt was triggered.


    [You have been forcibly transferred to the 2nd Hell.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    The scenery seen by Grid¡¯s party changed in an instant. The world was made up of pure white marble with endlessnd and towering mountains. It was too white to be hell and too cold and eerie to be heaven.


    -Overgeared God. You havee to ept my offer and make a blood oath. I have watched your performance with great interest.


    Rattle, rattle, rattle...


    A woman¡¯s voice was heard along with the faint sound of chains. At the center of the white world was Amoract. Her entire body was bound with intricately stretched chains that hung like thorny vines that had been neglected for hundreds of years. Her body was like the body of a human woman, while her face was covered by cloth.


    [The Great Demon of Conflict, ¡¯Amoract,¡¯ has appeared.]


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Amoract didn¡¯t invite me?


    ¡®...What if Baal knew that Amoract was trying to make contact with me?¡¯


    It was 100% a trap. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine when he realized it and Amoract also read the hint. In line with her movements of hurriedly swinging her hands, the chains rushed out like waves and stretched out in all directions. It was an extraordinary sight. Her gestures created a chain barrier that formed aplex structure like snow crystals.


    -Child, take the Overgeared God and get away.


    It happened as Amoract sent a whisper to Yura...


    A crack urred in the white world. It was due to a huge spear that slipped through the chains.


    ¡°¡°Amoract, I didn¡¯t expect you to crawl out of the castle. It is a harvest beyond expectations.¡±¡±


    He must¡¯ve been pretty nervous. A demon who slowly raised his body while using the spear as a support. Grid thought it was Baal due to the thrilling presence he gave off, but it was different. The one looking back at Grid and smiling had the name ¡®Asura.¡¯


    -Baal, the lunatic who pursues only destruction, is seeking to destroy even thest order of hell.


    ¡°¡±You are too good at proiming yourself as order.¡±¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was because he heard Baal¡¯s voice ovepping several times with Asura¡¯s voice. It was too alike to say that it was simply simr. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. Grid had been stuck in the smithy for thest fortnight and he had reyed the battle against Baal hundreds of times. Baal¡¯s voice naturally lingered in his head every time and was clearly imprinted in his mind.


    ¡°You... what are you?¡±


    ¡°¡±A god.¡±¡±


    Darkness spread around Asura. The white world was ckened in an instant.


    ¡°It is an evil god.¡±


    ng!


    The lunatic who dared to im to be the God of the Beginning leaped forward. The movement of narrowing the distance to Grid and stabbing the spear waspleted with one breath. The attack that broke through theplex barrier of chains was too swift to say that there was any waste in the actions.


    Grid narrowly read it with his artificial senses and responded by swinging his sword. The orange divinity, which had be clearer due to the darkness that colored the world, was divided between his body and Twilight. It was a scene as if the sunset was divided into two parts and was separated.


    ¡°¡±......?!¡±¡±


    Asura¡¯s expression changed. It was easy to infer the meaning of his expression due to his clear features. It looked like he was saying, ¡®Isn¡¯t this different from what I heard?¡¯


    Twilight slowly pushed back Asura¡¯s huge spear. At this point, Asura grasped the situation.


    ¡°¡±A dragon weapon that gets stronger in the darkness? Did you anticipate and prepare for my birth?¡±¡±


    It seems the prototype of the hell moon and my fragments provided some clues.


    Asura had a bitter smile and took back the darkness. The world brightened again. After all, this was hell and Asura was the evil god. He was strong with or without the presence of darkness. Asura confirmed that the glow of Twilight faded in the world that had turned white and stretched out his spear like a sh of lightning.


    ¡°¡±......?!¡±¡±


    .


    Asura¡¯s expression changed again. It seemed to be saying, ¡®Is this even possible?¡¯


    A blurred Twilight was cutting at his shoulder.


    ¡°¡±...I failed again.¡±¡±


    Asura frowned and his face and neck swelled as if he was about to explode. Soon after, he made the sound of a pig as he threw up something¡ªBaal.


    As a result, Asura became only a shell and slowly turned to ash, scattering throughout hell. These fragments would be re-established in the shadows of demons and demonic creatures.


    ¡°That was the worst failure ever, so erase it from your memory.¡±


    Baal shook his head and held his demon sword. In an instant, the erged demon sword dug into Grid¡¯s neck. However, it was Baal who was cut first. The sunset on Grid¡¯s hand was blurred and Baal was cut without realizing it.


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened and he finally realized it. The Asura he threw away a while ago wasn¡¯t a disastrous failure.


    ¡°Was a fortnight in hell 15 years on the surface?¡±


    It was just that the guy called Grid became stronger.

 Chapter 1682

    <h4>Chapter 1682</h4>


    ¡°Was a fortnight in hell 15 years on the surface?¡±


    It was a half-hearted joke. It was Baal¡¯s own effort to understand Grid¡¯s rapid development.


    Of course, the current Baal wasn¡¯tplete. A substitute for Yatan¡ªit was also right after he consumed a considerable amount of energy while experimenting with creating a new evil god. Due to this devastated mind, his mental image loosened. His condition was bad, his magic power weakened, he felt numb and dull, etc.


    Nevertheless, he was still an Absolute. He was in a position where he shouldn¡¯t suffer a unteral loss twice in a row. However, he received a blow. It meant that Grid had truly be strong.


    ¡®This is why the failure I experienced a fortnight ago was great.¡¯


    It was a failure, not a defeat.


    The cooperation between Grid and Bunhelier¡ªBaal had only died once to the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon, who had reached the level of an Absolute. He could fight harder until he got the same result thousands of times. However, Grid¡¯s epic judged his death to be a defeat. It was pure nonsense. It was an uneptable defeat for Baal. Therefore, he described it as a failure.


    ¡®It is a shame that my status was damaged back then.¡¯


    Why did he feel regret now? Of course, it was due to Grid. That guy¡¯s growth rate was beyond predictions. It was much fasterpared to the previous steps in development that he made so far. He was almost a threat.


    ¡°Whoa.¡±


    Grid¡¯s divine sword seemed like it had been created from the beginning to respond to Amoract. It was a greatbination with the pure white hell created by Amoract¡¯s bizarre mental world. Every time it moved, it blurred and erased its presence.


    ¡°The two of you look alike.¡±


    Baal used the demon sword like Grid¡¯s artificial senses. Based on the reaction of the dark demonic energy surrounding the sword, he read and responded to Twilight¡¯s approach.


    ¡°Both of you don''t know shame.¡± A smirk spread across Baal¡¯s face as he finally started to avoid Grid¡¯s sword dance in an easy manner. ¡°A demon who tries to tter a god and a god who deceives the uncivilized human race. It suits you.¡±


    ¡°You must be very nervous seeing that you are making a personal attack,¡± Grid opened his mouth. It was to buy a bit of time. Every time Baal¡¯s demon sword struck, ck demonic energy spread and covered the area. The divinity spreading from Twilight deepened. The efficiency was bad even if he tried a surprise attack. It was read clearly by Baal.


    Grid instead switched to a defensive posture to take advantage of the increased attack power.


    Then Baal asked him, ¡°How is Hexetia doing?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I still vividly remember the one who asked me to help bring a divine punishment down on Pagma. The appearance of the god who was jealous of a mere human being and rushed to hell to ask for help was ugly enough to make me vomit.¡±


    This was the background of the previous Great Human and Demon War. Baal¡¯s expression was pleasant as he recalled that time. ¡°You should know. The reason Hexetia gave you that sword as a gift is to erase his ugly past, not for you. If you trust him, then you will surely regret it one day. The one who was jealous of a single human would surely be jealous of you.¡±


    ¡°A gift? This?¡± Grid asked while pointing to Twilight and Baal shrugged.


    Then what was this? He seemed to truly believe it was Hexetia¡¯s work. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Baal couldn¡¯t see the situation of Asgard in real time. Even if he knew that Hexetia had been imprisoned, he would¡¯ve mistakenly believed that Hexetia was released the moment he saw Twilight. It was because Twilight was the strongest weapon ever. It was to the point where one would naturally believe it was made by the cksmithing god.


    ¡°I made it.¡±


    ¡°...Kuhahahat!¡± Baal eventually burst outughing. His eyes, which were ck without any whites, started to emit various colors.


    Uhhh...


    A painful groan followed. Before anyone knew it, Pagma¡¯s soul was in his grasp.


    ¡°I have Pagma¡¯s discerning eyes. Are you lying when it is an obvious fact that you can¡¯t make that sword with your skills? You must have pretty low self-esteem. One day, you will get to the point where you will be like Hexetia and be jealous of humans. It is just right to say that you will get along with each other.¡±


    ¡°Think as you please.¡±


    Was it necessary to exin the details of the fact that he nned it and made it with Kraugel? Grid snorted and restored his breathing. It was while reading the signs from Nefelina, who was standing beside Yura in the distance.


    It was a while ago when Baal, who had be part of Asura, invaded. Yura had ignored Amoract¡¯s cry to flee. She persisted without wasting her Hell Leap. Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s path of retreat was still open. Nefelina was on standby to cooperate with Grid at any time.


    ¡®I have to think of it as a one time opportunity.¡¯


    Baal could use Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Just like Grid, he had both the skill crushing swordsmanship and counterattack swordsmanship. Even the six fusion sword dance could be blocked if the activation was mistimed.


    ¡®First... I need to light up my surroundings again.¡¯


    Currently, the area was ckened by Baal¡¯s demonic energy. Twilight significantly lost its hit rate, while its attack power was significantly increased. Baal responded to every swing. He needed to light up his surroundings again. Using an attack that Baal perceived one stepte was the only chance of winning. It was because right now, there was no Bunhelier to draw Baal¡¯s attention from Grid. He also couldn¡¯t expect Amoract¡¯s cooperation. Grid didn¡¯t trust her yet. In the first ce, how could she help when she was bound by chains?


    ¡°Flower.¡±


    Grid established the Sanctuary of Metal and scattered the petals of sword energy. Under the influence of Twilight, the aura of each petal, with the glow of the sunset, was so strong that it was iparable to before. It was at the level of vibrating the atmosphere and it was safe to say that every one of them was a weapon containing the power of a deadly blow.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t to the point of threatening Baal. Baal didn¡¯t bother to avoid the fluttering petals. He broke through without hesitation and narrowed the distance to Grid. He decided that it was better to drag Grid into a deeper darkness.


    .


    It was as Grid expected. Grid was currently dual wielding. In addition to Twilight, he was holding a sword that was thebination of Gujel¡¯s Dao and Cranbel¡¯s Horn. The two swords had amon effect. It was the effect of ¡®a high probability of neutralizing the target¡¯s defense skills, magic,q, and powers¡¯ every time an attack hit.


    Demonic energy was a type of power. It was the power possessed by a demon rather than a power innate to Baal. It was included in the target to be neutralized.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened as he was gradually narrowing the distance to Grid. The petals that exploded when they touched his skin cleared up the darkness around them. For the moment, the demonic energy that was scattered from his body blurred even the shape of the demon sword for a moment. In fact, the power of the demon sword hadn¡¯t weakened. His sword was basically based on his mental image and demonic energy was just an additional concept. The problem was that the darkness had been lifted.


    Baal felt a sense of crisis and raised his strength. He used the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship even without securing enough distance. He unfolded the senses of the Absolute.


    The whole area entered a vacuum state. In the world that seemed to have stopped, only Baal¡¯s sword rapidly stretched out.


    Grid had to feel like he was submerged. It felt like he was wearing hundreds of cotton coats that were soaked in water. His heavy, sunken hand couldn¡¯t move. No, it was obviously moving, but it was slow. On the other hand, he could only stare at Baal¡¯s sword that stretched out rapidly.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve used the Dragon Knight effect from the beginning.¡¯


    It was in a world where even sound had disappeared. Just before his neck was cut by Baal¡¯s sword, which approached him like a sh of lightning¡ª


    Grid was rebuking himself for his mistakes when the feeling of hundreds of cotton coats wrapped around his body was stripped away. It was at the same time as when he felt his feet touch something.


    [You have boarded the Transcendent Dragon, Nefelina.]


    [The effect of the only one title in the world, ¡®Dragon Knight,¡¯ is activated.]


    [All your stats are increased by three times and your status is increased.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was amazed, while Nefelina was horrified. Yura had used the Hell Leap skill from the moment Baal attempted to close the distance with Grid. As a result, Nefelina moved to under Grid¡¯s feet. She stiffened when she saw Baal in front of her, while Grid smiled. At this moment, he was aplete Absolute.


    Baal¡¯s demon sword cut the back of Grid¡¯s neck. First of all, it touched Valha¡¯s cor. Then it slipped due to the notches and lost some of its power. After that, it was blocked by Cranbel¡¯s Head. This alone caused Grid to experience terrible pain. His entire brain shook like white lightning exploded in front of them. At least half his health was blown away at once. However, it was enough to avoid an instant death from decapitation.


    ¡°What?¡±


    You are fine after having your neck cut?


    One side of thepletely surprised Baal¡¯s vision was distorted. It was the aftermath of Twilight crushing the atmosphere after unexpectedly revealing its presence. The six fusion sword dance started to hit Baal.


    ¡°Kukuk...!¡± Baal responded with augh. He immediately restored the arms and legs that were cut off in real time and wielded his demon sword. He grabbed Grid¡¯s wrist and dragged it down as if to properly put it in ce. It was just that he couldn¡¯t overpower Grid when Grid momentarily used Saleos¡¯ Power and it became a draw. Of course, Saleos¡¯ power was only a one-off.


    Grid¡¯s wrist was eventually grabbed by Baal. The second six fusion sword dance was canceled during the activation. Baal¡¯s headbutt struck Grid¡¯s face. It was a headbutt with three sharp horns. It was normal to have holes in his face, but Grid was armed with an invisible helmet and crown. He only got a small nosebleed.


    Baal had an inquiring expression on his face. ¡°Are you a monster?¡±


    ¡°The monster is you.¡±


    A body that was immediately restored if it was cut or stabbed. Even his health was close to infinity. On the other hand, this side had one life.


    Grid barely held onto his dizzy mind and exhaled. At the same time when Baal¡¯s vision was dazzled, he used the third six fusion sword dance. It was a sword dance aimed at the blind spot in the field of view by cutting from the bottom. It was Transcend Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave that showed the best harmony with Twilight in a bright ce. It was also a new fusion sword dance that wasn¡¯t in Baal¡¯s information.


    Baal waspletely caught off guard and his body was split in two.


    ¡°You...!¡± Baal¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he bled from his entire body. He was clearly enraged that he had lost another life. It was an unbelievable reaction for a guy who was talking about how he wanted to die. It must be a matter of pride.


    ¡°Yura!¡± Grid shouted urgently as he pulled Nefelina¡¯s little horn and made her turn her head. Yura¡¯s skill cooldown time was very short in hell. Each time another skill was used, the cooldown time of the previously used skill was further shortened. She had been supporting Grid by using her skills and already finished the preparations.


    The Hell Leap skill was used in Grid¡¯s movement path.


    ¡°Overgeared God!¡± Baal rebuilt the demon sword that had shattered at the moment of death and restored his body. Then he chased after Grid. His demon sword stabbed at Grid¡¯s heart from behind, but it was a stepte. Grid¡¯s party had already used Hell Leap and left.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal was distracted for a moment and Amoract quietly chanted a spell. Then the length of the chain that restrained her was suddenly shortened, pulling her back into the castle that stood tall behind her. On the other hand...


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level...]


    ¡°Good!¡±


    After safely arriving at the crystal castle, Grid hugged Yura and Nefelina and cheered. He had the idea that he had properly caught a pushover.

 Chapter 1683

    <h4>Chapter 1683</h4>


    He gained a huge 13 levels. As a result, Grid¡¯s current level was 760. It averaged more than 230 higher than the top 10 yers in the unified rankings. It was equal to or higher than the level of named NPCs that rose in proportion to the growth of yers and it was a level that chased after the level of super named NPCs, who were extremely rare.


    ¡®The growth rate will be faster for the time being. Baal is a good opponent even if we fight 100 times and I just win once.¡¯


    Of course, Grid¡¯s stats fell far short of Baal¡¯s. In order to threaten Baal, he would need to ovep all his enhancement skills and use the six fusion sword dance with a deceptive item. On the other hand, Baal¡¯s potential was endless. As an extreme example, Baal was likely to utilize his Hell Leap skill in the next battle. Today, he had suffered his second consecutive defeat thanks to Yura¡¯s Hell Leap, so he would naturally be conscious of it and try to pay it back.


    ¡®It is right to say that Yura¡¯s skills can also be used by Baal.¡¯


    Baal acquired the skills of humans who died and fell to hell. Furthermore, the soul of Demon yer Alex was in Baal¡¯s hands, as well as Pagma¡¯s soul.


    ¡®The good thing is that¡­ he won¡¯t be able to take full advantage of the Demon yer¡¯s skills.¡¯


    A Demon yer¡¯s skill structure was mostly focused on weakening and purifying evil. If Baal used the skills, then it was equivalent to cutting at his own flesh. Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use all the skills. Even so, the fact that he could use Hell Leap was a big threat.


    ¡®I have to be prepared.¡¯


    There would be consecutive defeats for a while. Baal was superior to him in every way. Fighting and losing against him was a result that Grid should take for granted. No, let¡¯s go beyond the normal level and ept it happily. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say it was a gain if he fought Baal 100 times and won once.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a loss if I lose and it is a jackpot if I win once.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s level was too high and Grid had a fraudulent passive skill called enlightenment. Grid had passed on the position of Pioneer to Kraugel, but this didn¡¯t mean he had lost his rights. There was Hayate¡¯s favor behind Grid attaining the status of 10th Seat of the tower rather than Pioneer. The 10th Seat was a special status created by Hayate in order to benefit Grid without imposing any obligations on him.


    ¡°Yura, spar with me.¡±


    At the crystal castle...


    Ironically, the hell branch of the Overgeared Guild was the safest ce in hell. There was a sense of stability that calmed Grid¡¯s heart, which had been raging with tension and excitement all throughout the fight with Baal. Grid wanted to fight with Yura until the moment when the cooldown of his immortality, which was consumed at thest moment, ended. It was a judgment that it would be great research if he could experience how she used the Hell Leap skill from an enemy¡¯s point of view.


    Yura calmed him down. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Reinhardt first.¡±


    The empire had a great deal of enemies. There were even enemies on a transcendent level. In particr, the celestial gods had the ability to observe the surface and they were unlikely to miss the gap when Grid was away.


    Grid fully understood her, but he felt a bit reluctant. ¡°I think it will be hard toe back to hell the moment I return to the surface...¡±


    The enemy¡¯s invasion of Reinhardt was just a ¡®possibility.¡¯ Furthermore, Reinhardt¡¯s defense was close to perfection. The apostles might be away, but Asmophel and the Red Knights, powerful soldiers, and even Kraugel were prepared for an enemy invasion.


    On the other hand, it was a predetermined fate that Baal would disrupt Grid. In fact, he had set up a trap at the ce where Grid got off the hell elevator. It was hard to predict what type of terrible traps would lurk the next time he got out of the elevator.


    Yura read his concerns and smiled widely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You have me, right?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right...¡¯


    Grid recalled Yura¡¯s Hell Gate skill. It was a dimensional gate that moved between the surface and hell. He heard that the level had increased significantly since she used it frequently over the past year. The number of people she could take with her had increased to four and it was easier to specify the coordinates. It was said that it was very rare for her to fall to an unexpected ce and be lost.


    ¡®The elevator is in a set position, so it is easy for Baal to ce traps. Meanwhile, the hell gate is different.¡¯


    The hell gate opened near a point designated by Yura. Even Baal had no choice but to specify the location only after Grid¡¯s group arrived in hell. It was difficult to dig a trap in advance.


    ¡®There would be no answer if he leads an army to a trap or something.¡¯


    Baal was the master of the 1st Hell. He had an army of thousands of demons, each one said to be at the level of great demons in the 30s, and an entourageparable to the single digit great demons. There were also the red chunk of flesh and Asura, who were as potentially as fearsome as Baal himself. The power of Bal¡¯s army wasn¡¯t at the level that Grid could handle.


    However, Grid felt certain. There was no possibility that Baal would move the army unless it reached the point where Gridpletely overwhelmed Baal. This guess was possible because he understood Baal¡¯s personality.


    Baal was different from Chiyou. He wanted to ¡®realize¡¯ his death wish, but he didn¡¯t really intend to die. To Baal, the crisis of death was just a means to appease boredom and to obtain pleasure. His arrogance pierced the sky. Additionally, in most cases, one¡¯s arrogance was proportional to their pride.


    He had to use an army to defeat just one god, especially one weaker than him? It was impossible.


    ¡°Okay... let¡¯s go back.¡±


    From this day on, Grid¡¯s schedule was the toughest it had ever been. He fought against Yura, who actively utilized her Hell Leap skill, until the cooldown of his immortality ended. Then as soon as his immortality was avable, he broke into hell again and fought against Baal.


    He was defeated in the second battle.


    He was also defeated in the third battle.


    He lost the fourth battle.


    Unlike Yura¡¯s Hell Leap, which slightly increased the cooldown once it was used more than a certain number of times, Baal¡¯s Hell Leap skill maintained an extremely short cooldown. The demon sword he stabbed toward Grid¡¯s right side appeared from above Grid and the kick he aimed at Grid¡¯s abdomen came from behind Grid¡¯s back. He almost peed in his pants when the waves of the One Million Army Swordsmanship flying from in front suddenly disappeared and cut the back of his neck as they passed by him. The basic attack speed itself was fast enough that Grid could only react by relying on his artificial senses. Now that it was mixed in with some fakes, it wasn¡¯t at the level that Grid could respond to just by practicing.


    ¡°The God Hands are terribly useless.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Did they understand Grid¡¯sment? The God Hands stopped moving in unison from where they were always hovering beside Grid. Grid felt somewhat guilty, but another sigh emerged. Ever since the old days, the God Hands had no power against enemies who were equal to or superior to Grid.


    The God Hands themselves were an item that reproduced some of Grid¡¯s stats, so it was unavoidable that they were an inferior version of Grid. Against an opponent Grid couldn¡¯t handle, it was impossible for the God Hands¡¯ attack or defense to be effective unless a great deal of luck followed.


    Tai Chi? There was no chance. Fortunately, they now yed a big role through the artificial senses, but it was still a disappointment.


    ¡®I think I could¡¯ve won if Meteor had hit at that time.¡¯


    The mass of Greed that floated at a certain altitude. Grid called it Meteor while Braham called it an ignorant piece of iron. It naturally didn¡¯t hit Baal. It was read and avoided every time. Grid felt the need to devise apletely different way of using Greed. Of course, he came to the same conclusion as always. The conclusion was that the most ideal form of supplementary items that could be made out of Greed was the God Hands.


    ¡®The God Hands are better than a magic machine against Baal. The God Hands reproduces my skills, while the magic machine has very few attack skills and the pattern is simple. Let¡¯s just increase the number of God Hands as much as possible.¡¯


    It was on the day of his 3rd defeat to Baal. Grid immediately returned to Reinhardt and split up some of the mass of Greed that had been umting for a long time. Then he started making hundreds of God Hands. He wasn¡¯t nervous. He might¡¯ve been defeated three times, but his experience bar was full. It was enough as long as he didn¡¯t die. From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was at a level where he would unconditionally gain if he fought unconditionally.


    [If your ss rating is myth, then you can use up to 300 secondary weapons.]


    [...It is an amazing achievement!¡±


    [The restrictions on the use of secondary weapons have been found by a yer for the first time.]


    [You have received the title ¡®Do You Have a Conscience?¡¯ as a reward for the first achievement.]


    [Do You Have a Conscience?]


    [Number of secondary weapons simultaneously used +10.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Yura, Nefelina, Noe, and Randy looked at Grid, who had a total of 310 God Hands floating around him. They were the ones who had struggled in hell with Grid for the past week. Their level had also risen significantly. Yura and Nefelina didn¡¯t have the enlightenment effect, but they escaped death thanks to Grid¡¯s efforts. They rose several levels based on the experience they gained on the first day they defeated Baal. Then after that, they hadn¡¯t lost any experience points. Noe and Randy shared amon destiny with Grid. Once they joined the battle, they shared a portion of the experience that Grid gained.


    ¡°Are you into Buddhism these days?¡± Kraugel was responsible for analyzing Baal¡¯s swordsmanship based on the scars left on Valha. He was deep in contemtion as he thought of a new notch to be engraved on Valha, only to btedly grasp the situation and ask this question.


    A body made up of a thousand hands and a thousand eyes that was said to be created by the Bodhisattva Guanyin to save all living things. Grid¡¯s appearance looked just like the Thousand Hands of Avalokite?vara. It was just that he looked to be ruling by might rather than divine.


    ¡°Haha, Kraugel. I respect and love all religions in the world, not just Buddhism.¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly quoting a Korean textbook...¡±


    ¡°Haha, what are you saying?¡±


    Grid was in a position where he had to be conscious that there were eyes and ears that saw and heard him at any time and any ce. He was loved by so many people that he couldn¡¯t be seen as showing favoritism for a particr religion. This was why he alternately sponsored not just churches, temples, and cathedrals, but took turns supporting all religious organizations in South Korea such as Hindu temples, Myanmar temples, Cambodian temples, and Mongolian temples.


    It was Sehee¡¯s advice and the effect was great. People from all walks of life sent special affection to Grid. It was safe to say that Grid¡¯s allied forces were spread out not only in South Korea, but also throughout the world.


    ¡®...Is he going to run for president some day?¡¯


    He was so diligent that he lived a very tiring life.


    Kraugel shook his head and pulled out his sword.


    Twilight¡ªit was a dragon weapon that felt a bit more colorful and sharper than Grid¡¯s Twilight. Kraugel started to carve new notches on Xenon¡¯s scales that wrapped around Valha¡¯s gorget, chest, and thigh area. The effect appeared immediately.


    [The ¡®favor of the Sword Saint¡¯ has added the ¡®immunity to same sword damage ovepping¡¯ effect to Valha of Infinite Affection.]


    The biggest part of Baal¡¯s dominance over Grid was speed. The rapid swordsmanship had a permanent ¡®continuous attack¡¯ effect. The moment one attack was allowed, he inevitably suffered from several more damages ovepping. Now he became immune to it. Of course, the effect was limited only to damage received from swords, but as long as Baal insisted on swordsmanship, the burden on Grid would be greatly reduced in the future.


    ¡°Come back safely.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid shared a high five with Kraugel before taking Yura¡¯s hell gate to fight for revenge. Unfortunately, he was defeated again. Then in the sixth battle the next day, the battle became more intense. The day after that, he won the seventh battle. The help of Yura, Kraugel, and the God Hands that had increased to 310 became a strong support for Grid. Nefelina started to be more courageous and she was naturally the number one contributor to the victory.


    Baal started to question it. What made this guy be stronger every day?


    The lonely Absolute couldn¡¯t understand Grid.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and Yura, who had turned around and fled as soon as they killed Baal, suddenly exchanged looks with wide eyes.


    They heard the voices of souls. They were the souls of Pagma and Alex. They were the voices of the souls who regained their sense of reason while Baal was weakened.

 Chapter 1684

    <h4>Chapter 1684</h4>


    From the little things to the private details¡ªthere were many ways in which a couple checked theirpatibility.


    In that sense, Grid and Yura were a well-matched couple. Not only did the two of them like every aspect of each other, but their fates were intertwined, even in Satisfy. Their final ss quest was simr. Grid had to rescue Pagma¡¯s soul from Baal, while Yura had to rescue Alex¡¯s soul from Baal.


    It wasn¡¯t a very good thing to have inmon. Their ss quests were impossible for a single yer to handle. It was wise to give up while takingfort in the fact that there was no guarantee the new skills they would gain frompleting the ss quest was worth more than a few lives.


    Unfortunately, the two people were persistent. Yura gathered information by interacting with demons, such as Red Demon nt, and she had been trying to rescue Alex¡¯s soul without necessarily having to fight Baal. Meanwhile, Grid had grown in strength with the idea of getting rid of Baal.


    Baal was destined to one day sh with the two of them.


    -This isn¡¯t a very wise method since it is just umting experience for Baal.


    -Baal is developing just as much as you are growing.


    -Everything that Baal learns during his trials also nourishes that chunk of red flesh.


    Pagma¡¯s soul and Alex¡¯s soul took advantage of Baal¡¯s weakness to regain their sense of reason and to speak. Their caution and warnings aroused Grid¡¯s annoyance.


    ¡°Then what do you want me to do? Should I not fight and let go?¡±


    The attitude of his seniors, who only gave warnings without providing a solution, was unpleasant for Grid. This was nagging, not advice.


    ¡°If you have time for useless words, then you should let me know how to free you.¡±


    -Hah... You are truly Pagma''s Sessor.


    -What do you mean?


    -His rude and ferocious personality really resembles you, Pagma. Doesn¡¯t the fact that your personalities are so simr even though you don¡¯t have a blood rtionship mean there is a problem with the sword dances? It seems to have the side effect of making the user¡¯s temperament more domineering...


    -Stop the spection.


    -You said that your sword dancees from a ritual that the yangban used for their ceremonies, right? Ultimately, it must¡¯ve been a means of contacting Hanul. Does this side effect mean that God Hanul himself isn¡¯t right...


    -It is okay to curse Hanul, but I hate that you used it as a means to insult me. I would¡¯ve made you shut your mouth if I had hands and feet.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid and Yura¡¯s steps as they headed for the hell gate right in front of their noses slowed down for a moment. It was because the illusions they secretly had of the predecessors were shattered. Of course, Grid knew that Pagma had a ruthless personality, but in any case, he was a hero who fought for humanity. He hadn¡¯t expected Pagma to be so tantly wild and emotional. In the first ce, it didn¡¯t match his elegant appearance. It was also hard to see Alex¡¯s personality as good when Alex clearly knew Pagma¡¯s personality and provoked him.


    Grid felt pure doubts and murmured, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the personality to be friends with Braham...¡±


    To put it bluntly, Braham had a bad personality. He had improved a lot these days, but in the past, he didn¡¯t care about others at all and lived purely ording to his own tastes. A person naturally had to be broad-minded to be friends with Braham.


    ¡®Like me.¡¯


    On the other hand, Pagma¡¯s personality seemed to resemble Braham¡¯s. It seemed like they would growl just by making eye contact with each other. Then how did it develop into a rtionship where he was Braham¡¯s most trusted friend?


    Pagma answered Grid¡¯s question.


    -As you know, Braham was arrogant and made frequent mistakes. It was easy to grab a weakness.


    ¡°......¡±


    Was it a friendship built up by gaslighting? Grid was thinking about the crime of grooming with a dismayed expression when Pagma¡¯s bitter voice entered his ears.


    -I¡¯m d he has a good friend like you, even if it iste.


    Pagma¡¯s soul and Alex¡¯s soul had never actually lost their sense of reason. Rather, they had always maintained a clear mind and felt Baal¡¯s despair and pain. This was why they always screamed. Pagma had watched in pain the sight of Grid fighting for others at any time and under any circumstances.


    Grid was clearly different from him, who sacrificed innocent people under the pretext of a cause. It was probably the result of the differences in their origin. It was said that Pagma had experienced the life of the weak when living among the yangbans, but in the end, he was still different from a human. There were many areas where he wasn¡¯t emotionallypatible with them. Therefore, he often made the wrong choice and repeatedly regretted it over and over.


    On the other hand, Grid was apletely normal human being. Hemunicated with many people much more easily than Pagma.


    -Your existence isn¡¯t a blessing just for Braham, but for all of humanity. I admire and envy you... Ugh...


    Pagma¡¯s words abruptly stopped. His groan, which sounded like he was being mutted by a sword, hinted at Baal¡¯s resurrection. He was still alive and well despite already suffering a few deaths. Rather, Baal, who became stronger as he learned, resembled a yer.


    Grid trembled when he realized how great Baal was. The strongest people in human history, who dominated an era and eventually became legends, were captured by Baal in such an insignificant way. Pagma and Alex, who trembled in pain without beingfortable for a moment, recalled the fear that they had been trying to suppress.


    There was a voice that awakened him. ¡°Youngwoo-ssi!¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Grid reflexively reached out. At the same time, the demon sword that pierced his abdomen tilted diagonally just before it separated his upper and lower body. Grid was pulled by Yura and seeded in escaping to the surface through the hell gate.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°God...!¡±


    Unfortunately, the ce where hended was bad.


    At the temple of the Overgeared God, in the Overgeared World....


    The imperial subjects were praying under Damian¡¯s leadership and they became agitated when they witnessed the seriously injured Grid.


    ¡°Look at this! Our god has once again punished the evil demon Baal and returned in a dignified manner!¡±


    Damian and Sariel quickly acted. Damian took off his uniform and spread it out like a veil, hiding Grid¡¯s appearance. Meanwhile, Sariel used that short gap to restore Grid with magic. Then with Damian¡¯s next shout¡ª


    Ta da! Grid reappeared with the feeling of ¡®aha!¡¯ and was unscathed without a single wound.


    It happened in an instant. People were confused, but they had no choice but to think the Grid they saw a moment ago was their illusion.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this the leader of a pseudo-religion?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue as he watched Damian secretly smiling. Then he waved toward the cheering people as a response. After a while, he arrived at the smithy and told Yura his honest feelings.


    ¡°Is there no answer?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In fact, he had noticed it little by little. Just as Grid¡¯s level got higher the more he fought Baal, Baal had also learnedbat skills. The number of times that Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance missed in vain gradually increased. Still, it was okay.


    If he killed Baal a few more times, then Baal¡¯s status would be undermined at some point. From then on, Grid would gradually gain an advantage... he used this thought as constion, but there were no signs that Baal¡¯s status was being undermined. Additionally, he learned the shocking truth that the red chunk of flesh was learning from Baal¡¯s experience.


    He didn¡¯t show it on his face in front of Pagma¡¯s soul, but honestly, he felt his vision darken.


    Grid lowered his head with a sense of loss. Yura quietly stroked his head and spoke cautiously, ¡°How about not giving Baal a chance to learn?¡±


    ¡°...Through what means?¡±


    ¡°Fight in a different way every time. For example, equip an item with a different function every time you challenge Baal. Then Baal won¡¯t have a chance to adapt... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Yura was eagerly exining only to hurriedly close her mouth. It was because she knew the pain of creation. How easy could it be to create new and different items every time? She felt guilty when she realized that she had almost imposed too much responsibility on Grid.


    Grid grabbed her hands. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Creating something out of nothing and forcing a new attack strategy on the target¡ªit was a method that could only be used by Overgeared God Grid and the cksmithing god Hexetia. Of course, it was true that the burden was high. It required infinite deliberation. Even so, Grid didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I forgot the most basic thing.¡±


    He should actively utilize his strengths. Was it because he relied on Request to Stand With Me through the fight against Baal? He became ustomed to borrowing the power of the apostles and tower members and didn¡¯t consider using items. It could be a side effect of perceiving the items he was currently armed with as endgame items.


    Grid stood up. Yura was shocked to see him preparing to leave even though the immortality cooldown hadn¡¯t ended.


    Grid reassured her, ¡°I am going to the East Continent, not hell.¡±


    There were still two of the Four Auspicious Beasts that Grid hadn¡¯t saved. Among them, Grid coveted the Blue Dragon. It was judged that the Blue Dragon¡¯s lightning was the most suitable attribute to hurt Baal¡¯s mental image that harbored a cold chill.


    ¡®Another method is to ask Braham to attribute lightning magic to Twilight.¡¯


    However, there wasn¡¯t the lightning attribute among the great magic that Braham used. It meant he would have to receive an insignificant magic if he wanted Braham¡¯s help to attach the lightning attribute to Twilight. This was very regrettable. On the other hand, the Blue Dragon was the god of lightning. There was a limit to the lightning power gained from the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots, so it didn¡¯t have much power against Baal. However, he was sure that the lightning power he obtained from the Blue Dragon would be different.


    ¡°Reinhardt¡¯s defense?¡±


    ¡°There is Sticks, so it is fine. I cane and go at any time.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The transportation vehicle...


    After a long and peaceful time at the Overgeared Academy, Sticks would once again be used as a tool.


    ***


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    Grid arrived in Kaya on the East Continent with the help of Sticks and didn¡¯t dy for even a moment.


    ¡°Keen Insight.¡±


    He immediately borrowed Mercedes¡¯ power to search for the exact location of the Blue Dragon. To be precise, it was the location of the Blue Dragon Dao where the Blue Dragon was sealed. He naturally felt a familiar aura. ¡°Mir...¡±


    A person he was unintentionally deeply connected with. Maybe he had been putting off saving the Blue Dragon because he didn¡¯t want to fight Mir¡ªGrid had this thought and moved toward the center of the desert that was covered with snow.


    ***


    At the same time...


    ¡°It has been a while since I¡¯ve given you my greetings.¡±


    Mercedes returned to her home after decades and bowed her head like a criminal while giving her greetings. It was a habit that arose from an early age due to the attitudes of her family, who hated making eye contact with her. The days when her ¡®eyes¡¯ were weak. They were the days when she couldn¡¯t control it, so she unintentionally peeked into the secrets and innermost thoughts of her precious family, to their displeasure. This was why they felt reluctant and fearful toward each other.


    ¡°What brings you here...?¡± They didn¡¯t even wee her or ask her how she had been. The elderly couple treated their one remaining daughter like she was aplete stranger. Mercedes¡¯ status as a knight and the new emperor¡¯s concubine give justification to the couple¡¯s indifferent attitude.


    ¡°I would like to take the head of the family¡¯s test.¡± Mercedes mustered up the courage to speak.


    It happened shortly after she was asked to lend Keen Insight to Grid. This allowed her to temporarily ovee her trauma and raise her head. For the first time, she could see her parents¡¯ old and dwarfed appearance, who flinched when they made eye contact with her.


    ¡°...Now I can bear the sins of our family.¡±


    Most people didn¡¯t know the truth, but the Vaintz family¡¯s two swords actually meant ughter. Back in her childhood, it was something that was difficult to understand and handle for Mercedes, who was taken by Piaro after being abandoned by her parents and raised to be a knight that protected the emperor and the nation. Her Vaintz¡¯ Swordsmanship differed greatly in form from the original.


    However, this time she saw real demons in hell. She had a mission to destroy them, and she achieved the sword energy of dramatic victory. She was ready to ept her family¡¯s ughter.

 Chapter 1685

    <h4>Chapter 1685</h4>


    The rankers¡¯ favorite method of growth were raids and quests. Unlike the boring hunts, it was interesting and thrilling, and a lot of resources were granted at once. However, there were only a few yers who could grow by sticking to raids, such as Grid, Kraugel, Yura, Euphemina, and Zibal. Most yers were realistically obsessed with quests.


    The same was true of Lae, the master of the Overgeared Magic Tower. She actively used her status as a ranker, the magic tower master, and a high ranking noble of the empire. She openedmunication channels on various routes and collected all types of information to increase the quest collection rate. The following was a quest obtained as the magic tower master.


    [Key to Making Magic of Light and Darkness (1)]


    [Difficulty: Unknown


    In the chaotic environment of hell, the ¡®Fruit of Good and Evil¡¯ was rarely born.


    There is a legend that it is a fruit made by the Evil God Yatan to corrupt the good gods and angels.


    It is necessary to check if the Fruit of Good and Evil can change the nature of magic power.


    Quest Clear Conditions: Secure the ¡®Fruit of Good and Evil¡¯ and transport it to a master level magic towerboratory.


    Quest Clear Rewards: Unknown.]


    <sub></sub>


    A master level magic tower¡ªthere were only two such ces on the continent: the Tower of the Sun and the Tower of Eternity. Among them, the Tower of Eternity in Titan belonged to the empire. It was the cruel experiment site where Goldhit, who imed to be the ruler of magic in the past, studied eternal life. It had a history of being burned down by Grid¡¯s hands. It was now restored and operated as a normal magic tower.


    ¡°Thank you again for handing over the Fruit of Good and Evil.¡± Lae arrived at Titan and politely bowed again. During the journey, she must¡¯ve bowed her waist 90 degrees at least 10 times.


    Piaro waved his hand as if he was tired of it. ¡°I told you many times that I am only obeying His Majesty¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°I am naturally thankful to Grid, but Piaro, you are the one who made this fruit, right? I want my sincerity to be conveyed to both of you. By the way, was it really a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so persistent that you aren¡¯t like a magician.¡±


    The Fruit of Good and Evil was grown in the fields Piaro had made in hell. However, Piaro himself didn¡¯t know the principles behind how he grew it. It was because the environment of hell was so capricious. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the weather, temperature and humidity changed every second. Additionally, the density of demonic energy changed every moment. It was impossible for him to urately remember and artificially create the environment that grew the Fruit of Good and Evil. It was an area of pure chance.


    ¡°That is too bad¡­ in any case, I¡¯ll do my best to make you feel rewarded, Piaro.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    The reason why Piaro joined Lae¡¯s trip to Titan wasn¡¯t simply to act as an escort. The Fruit of Good and Evil that made evil beings good and good beings evil¡ªPiaro wanted to see with his own eyes how far the benefits would go.


    ¡®If the effect is really applied to magic power...¡¯


    Humanity would be freed from many constraints. The reason to sign a contract with demons to use ck magic power and the obligation to serve the gods to use divine power would disappear. The repercussions would be huge. Most gods would slowly lose their influence and there would be less room for demons to intervene in the human world. The Fruit of Good and Evil was a very important key to the independence of humanity from all types of transcendent beings.


    Of course, this was only a story of when the effect was real.


    ¡°Are you Lady Lae?¡±


    The attitude of the magicians who came to meet their group was unwilling. They dedicated their lives to magic and confined themselves to the tower, like monks, so they tended to be indifferent. Their only interest was magic, so they weren¡¯t impressed when they saw the famous Piaro, apostle of the Overgeared God. They also didn¡¯t particrly react to Lae.


    The greatest magician on the continent right now was Braham, and right below him was Euphemina. It was widely believed that magicians other than them were only a bit better than the 10 great magicians of the past, no matter how strong. Additionally, over the past 20 years, the 10 great magicians hadn¡¯t made many achievements. Their performance on the battlefield wasckingpared to the powerhouses currently considered the protagonists of the world. It wasn¡¯t something the magicians of the magic tower should aim for. They didn¡¯t feel much respect.


    Lae didn¡¯t have much of a problem with their attitude. Rather, she was pleased. From being an idol to a world star, people¡¯s attention on her was heavy.


    ¡°...I think it is real.¡±


    Piaro was about to enter the tower with the guidance of the magicians only to stop. His expression was sharp as he spoke to himself while pulling out a sickle and hand plow.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°It is the enemy. Based on the source of the energy, they seem to be aiming for the Fruit of Good and Evil. You should hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    She didn¡¯t insist on fighting together. It was as Piaro said. As long as the enemies were targeting the Fruit of Good and Evil, she had an obligation to focus on her role. It was the obligation to check the efficacy of the Fruit of Good and Evil, clear the quest, and find out how to use it.


    In the first ce, this was Titan. Basara, the politician Grid and Lauel trusted the most, was the lord, while Lightning God Kyle was the guardian. It was the city with thergest number of troops after Reinhardt. It meant there was no need to be agitated by every attack by the enemy. Lae had faith that she didn¡¯t need to go out.


    ¡°Is the master of the Overgeared Magic Tower running away?¡± A magician criticized Lae, who left Piaro alone and started climbing the tower. Then he soon shut up. He was overwhelmed by the pressureing from Lae, whose body was encased in powerful fire magic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to keep the line, right?¡±


    ¡°...You are absolutely right.¡±


    The eyes of the magicians toward Lae changed in an instant. They felt an admiration that was the same as when they watched the performances of Braham and Euphemina on the battlefield. It was a reaction that proved Lae¡¯s growth.


    Meanwhile, Piaro blocked the entrance to the magic tower and looked up at the sky. Three angels with four wings spread out were descending to the surface. Once their feet finally touched the grow, a divine light shone around them and dazzled the people on the street.


    ¡°Hand over the Fruit of Good and Evil.¡±


    ¡°It is the fruit of the most evil being in the world. Human strength and desires can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Did you think we could handle the invasion of the demons?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is funny that those who only watched from heaven as the demons climbed up to the surface, ughtering humans, and starting a great war are talking like this now.¡±


    ¡°...You are truly low level as the apostle of a human god with no foundation. It is ugly to talk about things that have already happened in the past. I heard you are going back and forth to hell with the Overgeared God, so you must¡¯ve be closer to a demon.¡±


    <sub> .</sub>


    ¡°There is no need to talk any longer.¡±


    Piaro recognized angels as no different from demons. He wondered how they were different from the demons who were blinded by ughter and couldn¡¯tmunicate.


    He started his battle by sowing seeds in all directions.


    ***


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    During the hell expedition not long ago, the tower member Fronzaltz fought in the 9th Hell. He defeated the self-proimed 9th Great Demon, who usurped Hell Gao¡¯s empty throne. After that, he stayed in the 9th Hell for a long time and searched for something.


    Zik found out about this by chance and upon returning to the surface, he immediately visited Cokro Ind. He investigated Hell Gao¡¯s emergence point for a full month before bing convinced.


    ¡®Fronzaltz knew about it from the very beginning.¡¯


    Hell Gao, Furfur, Morax, Lepir, Kurson, and Drasion¡ªthe great demons who appeared on the surface in the past and were sealed by Muller had something inmon: they were reincarnated beings. They weren¡¯t demons from the moment they were born. Rather, they were humans or angels who died and were reincarnated as demons. The fact that Drasion was the archangel Sariel was the first evidence. The fragments of the fire stone that Zik just found were the second evidence.


    ¡®Some parts of the fire stone resemble the Stone of Original Sin in a subtle manner.¡¯


    He had seen the fire stone before, but didn¡¯t notice it because it was so insignificant. Now it was clear after a detailed analysis.


    ¡®...Is Hell Gao Bultar?¡¯


    Hell Gao¡¯s obsession with the surface was an unsolved mystery. He repeatedly appeared in the dungeon of Cokro Ind despite constantly being defeated. As a result, he greatly helped humans. What if it was the will of Bultar, one of the Seven Good People, rather than the Great Demon Hell Gao? The front and back were right.


    Zik recalled a story that Grid once told him. He had heard the voice of the 7th Evil, Corruption, when he won the cksmithing match against Hexetia. He had revealed the original sin of Hexetia and told the old story of Bultar. Grid might not have known it at the time, but the real name of Corruption was Bultar.


    ¡®Maybe Bultar¡¯s consciousness temporarily awakens during each and every short period of time between Hell Gao¡¯s death and resurrection.¡¯


    Maybe he was the one who made Hell Gao challenge Cokro again. It was like making an offering to humans.


    Zik¡¯s expression darkened as he made this guess. He had believed that the souls of hispanions were sealed in the Abyss along with their bodies, but now he realized this wasn¡¯t the case. Their souls were separated from their bodies that were sealed in the Abyss, and wandered through eons of suffering. Just like Sariel was banished from heaven and became a demon for revealing the sins of Goddess Reba, they fell and became a demon, umting sin.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to frame the Seven Good People as the Seven Evils, but they also corrupted the Seven Good People into real demons. What a cruel and terrible punishment it was.


    Zik clenched his fists and his grudge against heaven grew further. Then he suddenly noticed something new.


    ¡®Muller knew.¡¯


    Was it just a coincidence that Sword Saint Muller defeated the demons and sealed their bodies? Coincidentally, the six demons were special. Perhaps Muller had sealed Sariel and the Seven Good People, who had forgotten their previous lives and were umting sins, so that they couldn¡¯t umte any more sins.


    ¡°Thank you... thank you...¡±


    Zik held the fragments of the fire stone to his chest and shed a few transparent tears.


    ***


    The snow that covered Kaya, the desert kingdom, was the embodiment of the Blue Dragon¡¯s anger. It was far from a natural phenomenon. The environment of impossible cold harmed animals and people or forced them to leave.


    Mir had condemned the situation. Hemented that it was verymon for a god¡¯s selfishness to harm powerless human beings and that gods who deserved to receive the worship of human beings were truly rare. It was also true of the gods in the Hwan Kingdom.


    Maybe it was from that time on¡ªGrid started to be vaguely fond of Mir after realizing he was different from ordinary yangbans.


    ¡°He is really here.¡±


    ¡°The rumor that he went crazy after he became a god is true.¡±


    The yangbans muttered to each other as they found Grid walking on a snowy street. They gathered one by one, but none of them dared to block Grid¡¯s way despite being in groups of dozens. However, there was a sense of rxation in their expressions. They probably believed in Mir. Mir was created to be the opponent of Baal and Raphael, and his armed force was so transcendent in the eyes of the yangbans that it was worth relying on.


    ¡®As much as possible, I didn¡¯t want to fight him.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath as he stood in front of the tile roof house where he could feel Mir¡¯s aura. He remembered the moment when Mir had saved him. It was just that the grace he received at that time and the resurrection of the Blue Dragon had to be calcted separately.


    The determined Grid opened the huge gate. The most noticeable thing in therge garden was the outdoor space for earthenware jars containing fermented food. Small birds were gathered on top of the earthenware jars that were covered with white snow. He noticed that Mir often put food over here, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case today. The birds searched anxiously, but not even a small piece of millet could be found.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t just today.¡¯


    Grid noticed that the cries of the birds were so faint that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they were extinguished immediately. Therefore, he opened his inventory. He took out a piece of bread and ced it on top of the jar. There were no deep intentions. It was just a natural thing to do.


    Mir¡¯s eyes were hazy as he sat in the main floored room and stared at him. He seemed to be reflecting on a certain memory. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be easy and his expression soon distorted.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    Grid gulped as he couldn¡¯t express the happy words and his expression slowly stiffened. Mir¡¯s eyes that were looking at him were full of vignce and contempt. It felt like he was dealing with an uninvited guest he had never seen before. It waspletely different from the attitude that Mir had shown in the past.


    ¡°...What happened to you?¡±


    Mir didn¡¯t answer Grid¡¯s question.


    There was no more need to talk, so he drew the Blue Dragon Dao and rushed forward. The faces of the yangbans who had climbed onto the tiled roof and watched the scene with interest, stiffened unknowingly. It was because the Overgeared God was fine even though they expected his head to fall off with a single blow.


    Hundreds of ck gold hands rose like ghosts to block the trajectory of the Blue Dragon Dao and to strike Mir¡¯s body at the same time.


    ¡°No, wait a minute. Calm down for a moment.¡± Grid stopped the God Hands that were beating Mir with ruthless violence.


    However, Mir aimed for that gap and attacked again. This caused the God Hands to react reflexively again. The ps to Mir¡¯s lower cheek area urred again and again. Mir only managed to shake off the God Hands and back away after raising the energy of the Blue Dragon.


    Grid realized it. ¡®Have I be terribly strong?¡¯


    The reason he didn¡¯t realize it until now was because Baal was so strong...

 Chapter 1686

    <h4>Chapter 1686</h4>


    The quiet city was roaring with noise. It was due to the blue light that shone around Mir¡¯s body. The white snow pouring down burned out without touching the ground, leaving only a bit of moisture behind. Additionally, the area where the electricity spread grewrger each time. It felt like Mir himself was gradually bing bigger.


    It was the effect of Lightning God. Mir¡¯s body waspletely assimted with the energy of the Blue Dragon and became made up of lightning, not bones and flesh. He was truly a god.


    The sound wasn¡¯t heard until after the action was over. Grid was already under attack by the time the lightning seemed to sh. It was a surprise attack from the Lightning God who literally ¡®pierced¡¯ through the camp of more than 300 God Hands.


    The Blue Dragon Dao, which stretched out like an incandescent long line, was blocked by a white beam of light. It was the traces of the enhanced Magic Missile that Grid hurriedly fired. Lightning God was immune to all physical attacks, but was vulnerable to magic attacks. It couldn¡¯t resist magic at all and suffered twice as much damage. However, the power of Magic Missile itself was low. This prevented it from damaging Mir, but it was significant because it blocked Mir¡¯s attack.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it absurd when a ridiculous magic became the barrier that stopped a god¡¯s advance?


    Mir was startled and his next move didn¡¯t connect. It was a gap of less than 0.1 seconds. Grid could take full advantage of that time.


    Twilight soared through the gaps in the fragments of the Magic Missiles that collided with the Blue Dragon Dao and scattered. It was a blow that soared in a diagonal line. Then it moved in ateral line the moment it reached the target. It was a feast of lines that seemed to go on infinitely, the Link sword dance.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir¡¯s expression that could be seen between the blue lights that shook every time the sword wind swept over it was calm. He searched for Grid¡¯s gaps with the confidence that he wouldn¡¯t be cut by the sword.


    It was just before Grid recovered the Twilight that had been extended. He wielded the Blue Dragon Dao the moment Grid¡¯s ribs were clearly visible.


    Seeing through the weak spot. An attack there would induce a critical hit. However, it stopped just before reaching Grid. The lightning that was making up Mir¡¯s body dissipated without a trace.


    It was due to Twilight. It was an inevitable result. Lightning God was the power of the Blue Dragon and Twilight had a high probability of neutralizing the power of a target. It was Mir¡¯s mistake in neglecting the dozens of sword strikes of Link. The moment the Lightning God body was released, Mir received arge cut to his shoulder and immediately pulled up the power of the Red Phoenix. The deep wounds were healed by the heat of the Red Phoenix and a rain of mes poured down from the sky.


    Grid was naturally the target.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Mir was about to cooperate with the rain of mes, only to stiffen like a stone statue. The mes that reached Grid didn¡¯t burn him but instead burned his wounds. The other nobles clearly witnessed the sight of the small traces Mir¡¯s lightning left on Grid¡¯s body disappearing without a trace.


    ¡°The heart of the Red Phoenix...¡± Mir muttered after realizing the reason.


    Grid¡¯s head was tilted at an angle. His sharp eyes, which were like a bird of prey, became even fierce as he looked at Mir, who was a bit taller than himself. He realized that the scar he had left on Mir¡¯s face in the past was no longer there.


    ¡°As expected, you are a fake.¡±


    Don¡¯t hesitate and let¡¯s kill him...


    ¡°......!¡±


    A chill went down Mir¡¯s spine at Grid¡¯s words and he leapt forward. The ground on which he had been standing rushed like waves. It was the effect of Earth God. The ground, which turned to mud due to the snow melted down by the lightning and mes, changed shape in response to Mir¡¯s will. He rotated 180 degrees, flipping Grid¡¯s view upside down and pouring out sharp stones. Was this how it felt to be surrounded by giants? The cliffs that soared from side to side pressed down toward Grid.


    Grid swapped items. He took off the armor bearing a dragon¡¯s name for the first time in ages and equipped the armor bearing the name of the White Tiger. He activated the effect of Earth God and calmed the trembling ground. Mir¡¯s attempt was unsessful.


    ¡°The Mir I knew didn¡¯t rely on the power of the Four Gods.¡±


    Mastering the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts perfectly¡ªit was Mir¡¯s greatest strength. However, the reason why Grid felt a ¡®wall¡¯ when fighting Mir was due to his swordsmanship and other techniques. Even if Baal¡¯s magic power was infinite, would he have been so strong if he just wielded his magic power? Baal was strong for countless reasons and it was the same with Mir.


    However, today¡¯s Mir was different from the past. He neglected his skills as if he had forgotten them and only relied on the powers of the Four Gods. He was now fighting against Grid, who knew how to deal with the power of the Four Gods.


    ¡°No matter how much I think about it, you aren¡¯t Mir. There is no way a guy with an empty head like you is Mir.¡±


    Grid¡¯s words and actions became violent. It was natural. It was difficult for his words toe out beautifully from the time he was suddenly attacked. There was also a creepy hypothesis that made him feel ufortable. The yangban were existences made by Hanul. It wasn¡¯t strange if the old Mir was wiped out without anyone knowing and a new Mir was created...


    Grid thought up to this point and his expression gradually distorted with anger.


    ¡°You started from a human life and can admit that you aren¡¯t perfect. To you, it isn¡¯t shameful, but is natural. I have no doubt that you will be reborn as an rm for the other gods. You will probably change many things in the future.¡±


    ¡°You are my hope.¡±


    ¡°I hope the gods can be an existence to truly rely on.¡±


    ¡°We might be enemies when we meet again in the future. Putting aside my support for you in my heart, the authority to move me is usually with the god I serve.¡±


    ¡°However, today I am on your side.¡±


    Grid was reminded of Mir¡¯s previous words. He stood protecting Grid and honestly confessed his true feelings in his heart as if he thought he might die. The reunion of this moment would take ce after that day.


    Mir wouldn¡¯t stare at him with this expression unless he forgot what happened that day.


    Grid took a deep breath, barely held back his vomit, and opened his mouth, ¡°The Mir I know¡­ where is Mir?¡±


    There was no more mercy. Grid struck Mir, who had ignored the question and entered the Lightning God state again. He approached using Shunpo while using the six fusion sword dance with Twilight, which invalidated the effect of Lightning God and made it difficult for Mir.


    The image of Mir being caught by the grappling technique and thrown to the ground made Grid realize it. As expected, this person wasn¡¯t Mir. If this was the real Mir, then Grid would be the one thrown to the ground right now.


    Grid gritted his teeth. Once again, he was swallowing his vomit.


    From birth until now¡ªGrid felt pity for Mir, who had devoted at least hundreds of years to the gods of the Hwan Kingdom only to be abandoned. He felt dizzy and his stomach was churning because the gods of the Hwan Kingdom were so disgusting.


    ¡°The world is full of sons of b*tches!¡± Grid shouted as he pressed his knee against Mir¡¯s sr plexus while holding his sword in reverse.


    The killing intent that came from confusion and anger were pouring toward the fake Mir. Mir didn¡¯t resist. From the moment he was hit by the six fusion sword dance, he had been bound by hundreds of God Hands. Furthermore, he was beaten and held down by Grid.


    Now he had reaffirmed that it was meaningless to assimte with the energy of the Blue Dragon. The only way he could ovee the crisis was to use the White Tiger¡¯s energy to strengthen his body. Of course, even this was likely to mean nothing. The sword with the sunset had already cut off the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts several times.


    ¡®What god is he?¡¯


    Mir had his memories erased by the gods of the Hwan Kingdom. As a side effect, he lost the experience he had umted over the years and Grid was apletely unknown being to him.


    He thought of the famous Crazy God and Crazy Dragon based on the armed dragon weapon and dragon armor, but it was only for a moment. It was because Crazy God and Crazy Dragon was a myth that was onlypleted when the Overgeared God boarded a dragon. Additionally, the presence in front of him was much stronger than the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon depicted by the three masters.


    ¡°You... who are you?¡± Mir asked as if he was vomiting hard.


    Grid crushed him every harder as he struggled to shake off the approaching Twilight and replied, ¡°The one who remembers the real Mir.¡±


    To be precise, he was the one who remembered Mir¡¯s true feelings. The true feelings that no one would know in the future.


    Grid used Saleos¡¯ Power. He held onto the de of Twilight with both hands as Twilight was slowly moved toward Mir¡¯s neck. He found out that Mir was a fake, so there was no reason to hesitate. He judged that killing Mir quickly and recovering the Blue Dragon Dao was beneficial to his mental health. Just then¡ª


    ¡°Stop!¡± A woman¡¯s urgent cry was heard. Her name was Yeum and she ran out from among the yangbans who were in a daze. She was Mir¡¯s close confidante that Grid knew. ¡°He is the real Mir...!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°He was taken away by the three masters and his memory was erased. He isn¡¯t a fake!¡±


    The person who was really shocked was Mir, not Grid. How far did his thoughts go after he heard Yeum¡¯s confession? He made a sad expression and released the strength from the hand that was holding the de of Twilight away from his body.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Yeum¡¯s eyes widened and she swallowed down her scream. She clearly captured the scene of the sunset sword prating Mir¡¯s neck, which was lying on top of the mud. Liquid where it wasn¡¯t known if it was mud or blood scattered in all directions.


    ¡°Ah... Ahhh...¡± Yeum sank down to the ground. She sobbed while feeling sorry for her brother who had died with the loss of his precious memories.


    The yangbans standing silently on the tiled roof left immediately. They ran away out of fear they would be caught up in Grid¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Is there a way to bring back this friend¡¯s memory?¡± Grid asked Yeum, who was left here alone. Twilight hadn¡¯t pierced Mir¡¯s neck. It only slightly brushed against Mir¡¯s neck and was stuck in the ground.


    Mir couldn¡¯t refuse the hug of Yeum, who rushed over to him with relief, and muttered with a stunned face, ¡°Fri...end?¡±


    A smile slowly spread on Grid¡¯s face as he spoke bluntly, ¡°To be precise, you were my lifesaver, although I just cleared my debt. In any case, give me the Blue Dragon Dao first.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hide his joy after knowing that the Mir in front of him was the same as the Mir he knew.


    [¡¯Mir¡¯ has handed over the ¡®Blue Dragon Dao¡¯ to you.]


    Mir¡¯s memory loss ultimately worked in Grid¡¯s favor. He easily secured the Blue Dragon Dao, which wouldn¡¯t have been handed over so easily if it was the original Mir due to his sense of duty.

 Chapter 1687

    <h4>Chapter 1687</h4>


    ¡°Even this guy is so strong. How can we deal with Mir in the future?¡±


    ¡°We are going to die right now? How do you have time to worry about the future? Did you seriously injure your head because you couldn¡¯t understand the situation properly?¡±


    Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong were struggling to secure the White Tiger Spear.


    After infiltrating the Pa Kingdom, they slowly approached the yangbans for half a year before finally reaching the level of interacting with the guardian of the White Tiger Spear. They disguised themselves as fanatical merchants who worshiped the yangbans.


    Hwang Gildong was head of the Chivalrous Robbers, so he had a great deal of treasures that he had taken away from corrupt officials. It wasn¡¯t difficult to gain the attention and liking of the yangbans. Even the yangbans with divinity couldn¡¯t see through Hwang Gildong¡¯s disguise.


    The reason why Hwang Gildong was treated as a person of interest by the Hwan Kingdom wasn¡¯t simply because of his superhuman strength and deceptions he demonstrated. They were the wariest of his unrivaled cloning and transformation techniques.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    ¡°They already caught up? The yangbans are all good at tracking. It is like I¡¯m always running from invisible hounds.¡±


    ¡°It is because there is the history of missing Pagma when he fled to the West Continent in the past. The pursuing skills they trained in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes are shining at this moment.¡±


    ¡°We were hit by the snowball rolled by Pagma.¡±


    Old Sword Demon felt it was unfair for some reason and his expression crumpled. He nced at Hwang Gildong, who was running beside him. He was a fool whose identity was discovered after he presented treasure that was actually goods stolen from the yangbans.


    To be honest, he wanted to hit Hwang Gildong after hearing the silly excuse that hepletely forgot the source because it had been stolen 100 years ago. After spending half a year getting close to the owner of the White Tiger Spear, they were kicked out without even finding an opportunity to steal the White Tiger Spear. A lot of time was wasted, so it was natural for anger to boil up.


    ¡®It is disappointing because there is a good hunting ground nearby.¡¯


    Thanks to this, his growth rate hadn¡¯tgged far behind in the past half a year. The problem was that there was no opportunity to acquire items because there was no separate raid or quest. The people of the Pa Kingdom obeyed the yangbans unconditionally and didn¡¯t harbor any wishes. They naturally lived like livestock. It was difficult for quests to ur in this environment.


    ¡°Two people,¡±Old Sword Demon stopped running in front of the high wall, drew his sword, and said,¡°My limit is to shake off two people, even if I do my best. Make a n for retreat while taking note of this.¡±


    Old Sword Demon was a yer. He could be resurrected again even if he died. On the other hand, death was the end for Hwang Gildong. A legend might be able to suspend death for a while, but five seconds was the limit. Putting aside Hwang Gildong¡¯s usual annoying personality, Old Sword Demon was obligated to make a sacrifice for him.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Hwang Gildong also understood. He didn¡¯t hesitate to use Old Sword Demon¡¯s shoulder as a stepping stone to jump over the wall.


    ¡°That damn...¡±


    Pain came from the shoulder that tilted heavily due to how hard Hwang Gildong stepped on him. The wind blew around Old Sword Demon, who barely swallowed down his swear words. The wind was the remnant of the technique left behind by Hwang Gildong.


    Some of the yangbans who caught up with Old Sword Demon flinched for a moment due to the blowing sharp wind and Old Sword Demon stabbed them through this gap. The fluid swordsmanship became even faster with Hwang Gildong¡¯s technique behind him. He persistently cut at the thighs and Achilles tendon of the yangbans.


    Of course, this was the Pa Kingdom. The guardian of the White Tiger Spear was in control. The yangbans basically mastered the power of the White Tiger and turned Old Sword Demon¡¯s aim to nothing by hardening the point of attack so it was harder than stone.


    If Grid hadn¡¯t been able to unseal the ck Tortoise and Red Phoenix earlier...


    If Old Sword Demon hadn¡¯t obtained the opportunity to interact with two of the Four Auspicious Beasts, Old Sword Demon would¡¯ve felt helpless and would¡¯ve been unable to prate the aura of the White Tiger operated by the two people.


    ¡°This guy...¡± The faces of the yangbans stiffened at once. Every time Old Sword Demon¡¯s sword touched their skin, deadly poison spread from the ce of the wound. It was a poison that weakened the energy of the other Four Auspicious Beasts and slowed down their movements. They were forced to interpret it as direct help from the ck Tortoise.


    ¡°A mere human can use the power of the gods...? It is a degenerate age.¡±


    ¡°It is nonsense about a degenerate age. The reason why humans worship gods while imagining they are omnipotent is to crave the help of the gods. Therefore, the gods have a duty to help human beings. Isn¡¯t it a power gained from the worship of humans in the first ce? It is natural for humans to be protected by the gods.¡±


    ¡°Are you using sophistry when a god is born before humans?¡±


    ¡°Since a god is born before humans, they don¡¯t have the obligation to help humans? By that logic, wouldn¡¯t those of you who are bornter than humans not deserve worship? Ah, you are ashamed because you know this yourself. Therefore, you can¡¯t express your gratitude and run around wildly like a dog.¡±


    His level, skills, control, patience, tongue...


    There were many things that Old Sword Demon had tempered during his years with Hwang Gildong.


    Was it because he had dealt with the corrupt officials who sold their conscience to the yangbans? Hwang Gildong had a habit of unknowingly speaking in a way that turned people upside down. Old Sword Demon had been working hard in order to not be beaten by him. He had watched Huroi¡¯s self-edited videos hundreds of times.


    The effect was great. It didn¡¯t deal much damage to Hwang Gildong, but it was fatal for the yangbans. They were angry with Old Sword Demon, who chatted without losing a word, and rushed out. It was the moment when the pursuers¡¯ aggro was dragged away by Old Sword Demon alone. He tied up the feet of more than the two yangbans he had promised.


    ¡®If I had known this would happen, I should¡¯ve asked for more credit.¡¯


    From here on out, the key was how much time he could buy...


    Old Sword Demon took a deep breath and raised his concentration. He prepared for the fight tost as long as possible by nning the timing of taking buff potions with different effects and checking the cooldown of his skills. Just then¡ª


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    There was a loud noise. A wall behind Old Sword Demon had copsed. The one who barely raised his body in a staggering manner in the dust was none other than Hwang Gildong.


    Old Sword Demon managed to suppress his soaring irritation and asked, ¡°Why did youe back?¡±


    ¡°No, well, I was betrayed by my clone.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong was a master of the cloning technique. In particr, if the number of clones was limited to seven, then each clone would have an independent ego. By this point, there were basically eight Hwang Gildongs. It was virtually impossible to distinguish between the clones and the main body.


    On the other hand, the disadvantages were clear. It was the fact that even the clones considered themselves to be the real one. Every clone had an independent self, so they naturally believed they were the real one. This meant they tended to prioritize their own safety first.


    ¡°This guy is the real one. I¡¯m familiar with the signs.¡±


    Beyond the copsed wall, the owner of the White Tiger Spear appeared. It was a man who didn¡¯t wear an undershirt and only had a long dopo over his bare body. Therge man, who exposed the distinct muscles of his upper body, held a rope where seven Hwang Gildongs were tied. Each one was beaten to the brink of death.


    Hwang Gildong saw this and gritted his teeth. Old Sword Demon thought that Hwang Gildong cared about the human rights of his clones. Of course, this was an illusion.


    ¡°You should just get rid of all the clones! Why keep them alive and make me look like this?!¡± Hwang Gildong¡¯s cry that was filled with great resentment caused a stir.


    ¡°......¡±


    The clones were infuriated. If they hadn¡¯t been tied by the rope, they would¡¯ve rushed toward Hwang Gildong right away. In the chaotic situation, the owner of the White Tiger Spear shrugged.


    ¡°It is true that the master of the Chivalrous Robbers is the most entric one.¡±


    It was not apliment. How could it be apliment to say he was the most bizarre person in the world? However, Hwang Gildong was in a good mood for some reason. Old Sword Demon wanted to p him when he raised his chin and smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡®He is truly a madman.¡¯


    Was it really right to stay with Hwang Gildong forever?


    It happened the moment when Old Sword Demon was seriously contemting logging out...


    One of Hwang Gildong¡¯s clones, who was tied by a rope, muttered, ¡°Well, this method is the best.¡±


    He easily untied the rope around his body and threw a punch at Uram. The bodies that were tied up beside him were sucked in as if swallowed up by him. The same was true of the Hwang Gildong who was shouting by Old Sword Demon¡¯s side. It was the Hwang Gildong who shouted that he was real and his clones had betrayed him. In other words, the Hwang Gildong who had been working with Old Sword Demon all day today was actually a clone.


    Old Sword Demon realized this and felt betrayed. Then the real Hwang Gildong greeted him, ¡°I am finally seeing you after a fortnight.¡±


    ¡°A fortnight? You are such a damn jerk!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t a fortnight ago the time they started staying in Uram¡¯s pce? Like usual, that jerk sent him to a dangerous ce by himself.


    Old Sword Demon was angry after learning the truth while Uram slowly rose. He stroked the fist marks of Hwang Gildong, which were clearly left on his abdomen. ¡°Did you use my acknowledgment of you to raise your status?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You might be a savage who can¡¯t dress properly, but you are the number two yangban for a reason. It was a big impact that you acknowledge me as the most entric one.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly apliment.¡±


    ¡°That depends on the listener.¡±


    ¡°Well... it doesn¡¯t matter. Still, I will correct you on one thing. I am no longer the number two.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I am number one.¡±


    Uram, the master of the White Tiger Spear¡ªhe was aware of the Three Masters¡¯ mistake. He realized that he had be the strongest yangban from the time the stupid Three Masters erased Mir¡¯s memory. It was a good thing. He managed to get something like this for free.


    ¡®Now Chiyou has no choice but to rely on me. He will naturally try to teach me.¡¯


    In the future, he would be exponentially stronger. It would be at an iparable speed to Mir, who foolishly insisted on rejecting Chiyou¡¯s advice and trained by himself. Sooner orter, he would reach the point where he became stronger just by breathing and serve Hanul in a higher position than the Three Masters.


    Uram was full of joy and raised the White Tiger Spear high. His mind spun and he targeted Hwang Gildong, who was standing in the same path as the yangbans. Then he swung the spear. It was a blow with all his might and with the intention of shing the yangbans as well.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The eyes of Hwang Gildong, Old Sword Demon, and the yangbans widened. The waves from the White Tiger Spear tore apart the space and hit the ground, stretching out in a straight line. It would be annihtion if it went on like this.


    The moment that everyone on the field realized this...


    A sunset was spreading on the horizon behind Uram. It was an abnormal scene. The sun was still high in the sky.


    Urem felt the unexpected change based on the sunset that had unexpectedly covered the world and murmured in an empty manner, ¡°...What type of dragon is this?¡±


    A blue dragon made of blue lightning¡ªfor him, who had only witnessed the wounded and hidden dragons, the immense and overwhelming aura of an old dragon was an iprehensible realm.


    A sword dance that recreated the momentum of Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªthis unknown phenomenon was created by none other than Grid¡¯s sword dance hitting the scene.

 Chapter 1688

    <h4>Chapter 1688</h4>


    ¡°You have to deal with him quickly.¡±


    Mir advised a speedy process.


    ¡°The news that I was attacked and defeated by you will soon reach the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    He argued that Grid must take measures to secure the White Tiger Spear before the Three Masters made a decision and moved.


    He exined the rtionship between the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger. It was before the gods who were expelled from Asgard fled to the east. In other words, it was the days with the mythology of thisnd was intact. Back then, the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger were rivals. They defended the continent together, but they were very conscious of each other¡¯s powers because they were wary and jealous.


    It was the same until now. It was the reason why the liberation of the two gods had to take ce at the same time. If either of them was released from the seal first, it wasn¡¯t known what the one who was releasedte from the seal would do due to pride.


    ¡°This is why it is a priority to secure the White Tiger Spear.¡±


    In fact, Mir had realized from the very beginning that his condition wasn¡¯t perfect. It was as if he had consumed arge number of poppies with the ck Tortoise¡¯s poison. His consciousness and memories were hazy, to the point where he didn¡¯t know who he was.


    Then Grid appeared in front of him. The Overgeared God¡ªthe protagonist of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon, and the target that the Three Masters advised should be killed with the highest priority at any time and in any situation. The man he believed was his rightful enemy treated him as a lifesaver. It was only then that his hazy consciousness cleared up a bit and some unanswered questions were resolved.


    The clever Mir instinctively realized the fact that the ones he had to trust now weren¡¯t the gods of the Hwan Kingdom, but the Overgeared God in front of him. It was a conviction he got when he saw Grid¡¯s face, which was distorted with anger and killing intent, melted like snow the moment he heard Yeum¡¯s cry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Indeed, this conviction wasn¡¯t wrong. Just as Mir trusted him, the Overgeared God trusted Mir. Grid responded immediately without questioning Mir¡¯s ims. Thanks to this, Mir let go of even the smallest hesitation.


    The bridge connected to the Pa Kingdom was brought to the ground.


    The Magpie Bridge¡ªcrows and magpies crossed the bridge that formed the Milky Way with Grid to reach the present day.


    ***


    ¡°Did someone so strong actually owe his life to me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword dance that reproduced the pressure of Evil Dragon Bunhelier impressed Mir. The owner of the White Tiger Spear, Uram, failed to withstand Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡°What terrible trap did he fall into that he was helped by me, a servant who is less than himself?¡±


    ¡°What? Mir, at that time, you were stronger than him.¡±


    ¡°...It can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m telling you the truth? It is because you are so weak now.¡±


    Yeum exined it, but Mir didn¡¯t believe her. It was natural. It was because only half of Yeum¡¯s words were correct. At the time when Grid owed his life to Mir, it was right to say that Grid¡¯s skill back then and the present Grid was like the difference between heaven and earth. He was much stronger than the Mir of the past. This meant that Grid¡¯s growth rate was unusually fast.


    Mir had no choice but to feel a sense of strangeness from Yeum¡¯s exnation. In fact, Yeum was also suspicious about whether her memories were wrong. The Grid she met in the past and the Grid she met today werepletely different beings. She used to think he was a monster, but now he was just great. He had a greater divinity than the gods of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡®Is he actually a child that the Gods of the Beginning hid?¡¯


    Or perhaps he was the incarnation of the missing Evil God, Yatan.


    It happened the moment Yeum¡¯s thoughts reached the point of absurdity...


    ¡°A sword dance... are you the Overgeared God?¡± Uram¡¯s hoarse voice was heard.


    The gazes that had been focused on Grid, who had the energy of the ferocious dragon, shifted to Uram. They were looks ofastonishment. No one thought that Uram would be alive. The six fusion sword dance with the power of the Evil Dragon was that fierce. It was at the level of giving definite death. It seemed that a half-god wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it but Uram endured it.


    Grid¡¯s reaction was calm. It was from the moment he captured Uram¡¯s location with Barbatos¡¯ vision and used Shunpo. He realized that Uram had noticed his approach just before he linked the six fusion sword dance. As expected of the yangban who was the strongest after Mir. His senses were excellent and his judgment was quick.


    He immediately raised the energy of the White Tiger to the peak and used White Tiger¡¯s Posture. Additionally, the White Tiger¡¯s soul was sealed in the White Tiger Spear. The soul of the White Tiger was led by the coercive force of the seal and couldn¡¯t resist Uram¡¯s will, giving him protection. As a result, Uram¡¯s body became hard enough to resist Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance to some extent. Yes, it was to some extent.


    ¡°...Kuweek!¡± Uram paid a terrible price for asking only one question. Dark red blood and fragments of his internal organs poured out of his mouth. It was a trace of an internal injury where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died immediately.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp... Yes, I have been thinking that it was weird for a long time.¡±


    Uram didn¡¯t use the power of the Red Phoenix. He didn¡¯t seek recovery and regeneration. He just held onto the energy of the White Tiger.


    Mir was the only one who noticed the reason. ¡®The moment the energy of the White Tiger weakens even a little bit, all the organs in his body will be shattered and he will die.¡¯


    Uram¡¯s skills were not poor. He was the most powerful yangban after Mir and this meant he was superior to a decent god. It was the basics to operate the energies of all the Four Gods at the same time. Nevertheless, the reason why Uram was obsessed with the energy of the White Tiger was as Mir spected. He could only suspend death by using it.


    ¡°If Pagma was truly worthless, would Hanul have tried to raise him as a priest? The priest might not be a god, but his status wasn¡¯t insignificant because he was someone whomunicated with Hanul. Additionally, didn¡¯t Chiyou personally help Pagma escape?¡±


    A sword dance that was strong enough to tear a great mountain to shreds¡ªUram gripped the White Tiger Spear, which he couldn¡¯t let go of even after being cut by Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance. In the aftermath of activating the energy of the White Tiger, his solid body became integrated with the giant spear. He was like a stone statue.


    ¡°I thought that if I was to die one day, it would be due to Pagma.¡±


    It was because out of all those who held a grudge against him, only Pagma had potential.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t unusual to die to you, who has inherited Pagma¡¯s power. It is just providence.¡±


    Suddenly, the entirend was responding to Uram¡¯s will. The soil and stones that made up the city rose like a tsunami and ran wild. It was like looking at a huge sculpture. The waves of rocks covering the city were so huge that there was no real feeling of them moving.


    ¡°I will transcend myself against your providence.¡±


    Today, I will finally be a god.


    If he fought and won against the Overgeared God, he would immediately be the protagonist of a new myth. Even if he lost and died, he would be a fragment of a myth and would never be forgotten. It was a gain regardless of whether the oue was a win or a loss. The status of the Overgeared God was that high.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    The waves of rocks, which seemed to have stopped, roared as they rose and fell rapidly. It meant that they were elerating at a tremendous speed. It covered the earth and the sky, reducing the view of Grid and Uram, establishing aw prohibiting the use of Shunpo. This forced a head on battle.


    Uram was hoping for a heroic death. He consumed all his Origin True Energy. The strength of the energy he exuded stimted Grid¡¯s transcendence. It warned of danger and the scales of the dragon armor repeatedly gathered together and released as if responding.


    ¡®He would¡¯ve been a tough opponent.¡¯


    Before obtaining the title of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon, there was a time when he was anxious to unseal the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon. At that time, Grid had believed it would¡¯ve been easy to secure at least the White Tiger Spear. If Gaya and Pa weren¡¯t connected by the Magpie Bridge...


    If Mir was less likely to support the Pa Kingdom, Grid would¡¯ve attacked without hesitation.


    ...It was arrogance. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t happen. It might be a dying sh, but Uram was very powerful.


    ¡°Do you want to surrender?¡±Grid asked as the waves of rocks approached right in front of his nose.


    ¡°I have already dered that I would transcend myself!¡±


    Uram¡¯s willpower was solid. He would rather participate in a fight that might cost his life, than be forgotten after surviving miserably. The momentum of the White Tiger Spear, which was hardened with seemingly no end, caused a chill to go down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡®In the first ce, it isn¡¯t easy to convince a yangban.¡¯


    Mir¡¯s case was unusual.


    Grid controlled his disappointment and activated the Castration Eye. Some of the energy of the White Tiger was deleted, while Duke of Amplification was activated and a Breath was fired. It hit the waves that Uram was stepping on. The tip of the wave copsed.


    Uram¡¯s fine form shook slightly and Grid¡¯s sword aimed precisely at that gap. A series of horrifying explosion sounds urred.


    It was right after Uram¡¯s body had been cut dozens of times...


    The White Tiger Spear pierced Grid¡¯s abdomen. A spear infused with the weak myth containing the hundreds of years of life of a half-god called Uram¡ªit was much heavier than any other great mountain.


    His body shot up and red blood poured from Grid¡¯s mouth. It was mixed in with the orange divinity and quickly became blurred, but Uram witnessed it clearly. Therefore, he smiled with satisfaction. He regarded the bitter pain of his body being torn to pieces as pleasure.


    ¡°It was, an honor.¡±


    Uram was born as a yangban and devoted his life to bing a god, but he had always been uneasy. One day in the future, when the Hwan Kingdom gained enough power and invaded Asgard¡ªhe was worried that at that time, no matter what type of existence he was, he would just be described as one of Hanul¡¯s soldiers. It was because the worst myth of all times called ¡®the War of the Gods¡¯ would boast such a massive scale that most of the gods, with the exception of a few chief gods, would be reduced to something insignificant.


    Uram was terribly disgusted and terrified that he would face such an end and be forgotten. Thus, he was even more obsessed with gaining Chiyou¡¯s acknowledgment. Unlike Mir, he didn¡¯t dream of bing the Martial God. He just thought that if he became a god recognized by Chiyou, at least he wouldn¡¯t be forgotten in vain.


    However, he met Grid today and realized how empty his goal was. Grid, who had passed Chiyou¡¯s trial only a few years ago, had already surpassed him. He thought it would have to be like this to get Chiyou¡¯s approval. It was the reason why Uram chose to abandon his long-held dreams and became a part of the Overgeared God¡¯s mythology. It was a bizarre and extreme choice that most people probably didn¡¯t understand.


    However, Grid understood. ¡°Live inside of me.¡±


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 21st epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrativees from Grid¡¯s determination to embrace the dying half-god.]


    In the midst of Grid¡¯s consideration...


    Uram, who had a faint smile like he was moved, turned to gray ash.


    ¡°You guys feel pain as well.¡± Grid asked the yangbans who were in turmoil, ¡°It is proof that you too can understand the pain of others, right? For example, the pain of the humans who have been hurt by you.¡±


    [He understood that there were bridles that had bound the half-gods.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Unfortunately, there were no yangbans who answered hastily. However, Yeum had been watching Mir by his side for a long time and she bowed her head. She realized something great. It was hopefor Grid.


    Grid persuaded them, ¡°Why don¡¯t you hope for worship in a better way from now on? If you don¡¯t know how, then I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    He let go of the prejudices and grudges he harbored due to Garam in the past. He had an obligation to make more people join humanity¡¯s side.


    [I kept my promise to be a god.]


    [I have the right to embrace you.]


    [He gave them a chance.]


    [He made the half-gods hesitate when they didn¡¯t know anything except how to reign.]


    [The sight of their brother dying with a satisfied expression in his arms slowly moved their hearts.]


    [Our god¡¯s grace is like the rivers and the seas.]


    ......


    ...


    [The 21st page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [As an epicpletion reward, the intimacy between humanity and the yangbans has increased.]


    [The yangbans¡¯ sense of being chosen and privileged has noticeably decreased.]


    [From now on, the yangbans will work harder to understand humans and their hearts will be gradually conveyed to humans as well.]


    [As a reward forpleting the epic, the rtionship between you and the yangbans has changed dramatically.]


    [In the future, before obeying the Hwan Kingdom¡¯s orders, they will try not to go against your will.]


    [The reward forpleting the epic has greatly increased the chances of recruiting a yangban.]


    [There will be a growing number of yangbans who want to be residents of the Overgeared World.]


    [Your status has risen by one level as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    ¡°......¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected this much. The bewildered Grid was in a daze for a while. Meanwhile, the yangbans exchanged looks and scattered in all directions. Only Mir and Yeum remained and bowed to Grid.


    ¡°You are truly the God of Virtue!¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s apuse gave life to the awkward space.

 Chapter 1689

    ¡°Is Sir Mir¡¯s memory erased?¡±


    At the base of the Chivalrous Robbers...


    This ce was isted like the Peach Blossom Spring and was one of the few ces where they could avoid the eyes of the gods. The entrance process was very mysterious. Hwang Gildong, who was leading the group and wandering around in the usual ces, greeted passersby he encountered on the way. After repeating this several times, he naturally set foot into it. The ovep of conversations with real, ordinary people, not members of the Chivalrous Robbers, naturallypleted the technique.


    It was an unbelievable structure even after experiencing it in person.


    ¡°I think the Three Masters made the worst move. Of course, it isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t understand their feelings. Hanul¡¯s sword felt liking toward the enemy of the Hwan Kingdom, so they would¡¯ve been wary.¡±


    However, they must bementing by now because that action made their sword leave.


    Old Sword Demon asked the smiling Hwang Gildong, ¡°Can I hit you once?¡±


    It was a surprise question like a master¡¯s blow.


    Hwang Gildong was a bit confused. ¡°What unreasonable words are you saying arbitrarily?¡±


    ¡°I get angry when I see your smiling face. In any case, didn¡¯t you sin against me? Please give me one punch as a means of atonement.¡±


    ¡°I have repeatedly said that to deceive the enemy, the key is to deceive your allies... if you have to judge the right or wrong after being deceived so many times already, I think there is a problem with you. Don¡¯t you think so, God of Virtue?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not the God of Virtue.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to relive old memories and be Pangea¡¯sGod of Virtue?¡±


    ¡°I am the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think God of Virtue seems better than Overgeared God. Just as the word ¡®overgeared¡¯ is strange to me, I think the word ¡®virtue¡¯ is unfamiliar to the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°No matter whether it is unfamiliar or familiar, anyone can see that overgeared is much better.¡±


    In fact, both weren¡¯t good from a general point of view, but Grid was serious. Hwang Gildong had to get used to the word ¡®overgeared.¡¯


    Meanwhile, preparations for the ceremony were steadily progressing. Two of the Four Auspicious Beasts sealed in the White Tiger Spear and the Blue Dragon Dao¡ªthe members of the Chivalrous Robbers were preparing to unseal them at the same time.


    A woman dressed in a beautiful, colorful striped hanbok[1], carefully opened her mouth, ¡°It is autumn, so the conditions for holding the ceremony seem to be easily met.¡±


    It was said that the Blue Dragon loved winter and the White Tiger loved summer. Therefore, in order to unseal the gods, they had topromise by holding the ceremony in autumn or spring. Grid could easily imagine how different the personalities of the two gods would be.


    ¡°Now God ck Tortoise and God Red Phoenix should¡¯ve arrived safely at the shrine. Will the gods of the Hwan Kingdom silently watch...?¡±


    ¡°Why do you need the help of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise to unseal the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon?¡±


    Grid was the one who unsealed the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise. So it was a question that he could raise.


    The woman exined it, ¡°It is because the possibility of a collision between God White Tiger and God Blue Dragon can¡¯t be ignored. It is only when God ck Tortoise and God Red Phoenix act as mediators that we can calm the two gods.¡±


    ¡®They aren¡¯t kids.¡¯


    It felt a bit pathetic. However, it was physiology. It was right to acknowledge that the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger had a bad rtionship. It was as natural as the change of seasons and countermeasures were put in ce.


    Jingle.


    The sudden sound of bells caused Grid to stiffen. For him, the bells were a tool that reminded him of Martial God Chiyou. Of course, Chiyou wouldn¡¯te here. The sound of the bells came from the bells hanging on the woman¡¯s fan.


    ¡°Come to think of it, it feels more like preparing for a ritual rather than a ceremony.¡±[2]


    Wasn¡¯t the woman dressed like a shaman?


    He naturally thought of a ritual when he saw the statue of the Four Auspicious Beasts spread out behind the ancestral altar and the jakdu provided on one side of the yard. [3]


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it precisely. We decided that a ritual was a more effective tool than a simple ceremony.¡±


    A ritual was a means of taking in the essence of a god.


    Unsealing the seals...


    This was the target of Hwang Gildong and the Chivalrous Robbers.


    Mir also thought it was right.


    ¡°The Blue Dragon is the strongest among the Four Auspicious Beasts. The gods of the Hwan Kingdom put a lot of effort into sealing the Blue Dragon. As a result, the Blue Dragon was sealed much more thoroughly into the Blue Dragon Dao than any of the other gods. Rather, it is more urate to say that they are united as one.¡±


    It was impossible to unseal the Blue Dragon Dao just through a single ceremony. A separate ceremony was needed, but the level of the offerings was low. It wasn¡¯t known how many years it would take to awaken the Blue Dragon¡¯s consciousness just through offerings and prayers. This was why the force of the ritual was needed.


    ¡°I see.¡± Grid respected the unfamiliar culture of the East Continent. He absorbed and understood new concepts like a sponge.


    ¡®Is a shaman also a hidden ss?¡¯


    Grid recalled Khan in heaven, the Seven Malignant Saints sealed in the abyss, and the souls of Pagma and Alex being held captive by Baal. As long as a shaman¡¯s specialty was necromancy, Grid hoped that he would be able to get help in many ways from them in the future.


    Grid asked the woman, ¡°Is it possible to call a target that exists in apletely different dimension?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is possible. It is a ritual that calls on the gods in the first ce. Most of the gods are in a ce far away from the human world, so they aren¡¯t limited by dimensions.¡±


    ¡°A ritual to call the gods... you can¡¯t target legends or half-gods?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Grid was smacking his lips with regret when he suddenly found a part that bothered him. Tworge jakdus were lying face up. They looked well maintained due to their shine, but they were only shiny on the outside. Grid¡¯s insight could tell that there were many dull parts.


    ¡®Let¡¯s sharpen their des.¡¯


    The food for the ritual was almost all prepared and the traditional Korean percussion quartet, located to the left and right sides of the ritual table, were striking the janggu, a traditional Korean drum, and the kkwaenggwari, a small gong. The shaman at the center of the ritual area poured clean water and prayed to the gods. Meanwhile, Hwang Gildong coordinated the overall situation with Mir. Only Grid and Yeum were standing idly in the distance.


    ¡°Songpyon, rice cake steamed on ayer of pine needles, is delicious.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to be treated in the same way as Yeum who was sitting and covetingsongpyon. He naturally found something to do since his personality was originally so diligent. He started to sharpen the des using sandpaper without having to take out a hammer and anvil. It was easy because it was the finest sandpaper made with corundum.


    The shaman, who was praying while twirling with her palms together, soon slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were clearer like a person who had finished a long meditation. At first nce, it seemed like there was a certain phenomenon being subtly revealed.


    ¡®I can feel divinity, even if it is weak.¡¯


    Grid inwardly admired it. He saw the shaman who was possessed by the god she served and thought she wasn¡¯t a quack like other members of the Chivalrous Robbers.


    ¡°God Red Phoenix and God ck Tortoise are getting closer... I¡¯m going to get started.¡±


    The shaman was transformed into apletely different person. She spoke informally in the voice of an old man who seemed to smoke more than three packs of cigarettes a day. It wasn¡¯t enough that she used Hwang Gildong as a servant when he was the head of the group, but she also yelled at Mir and Yeum, calling them idiots.


    However, not a single word was spoken to Grid. Rather, she consciously avoided him. She didn¡¯t look at him once and treated him like he wasn¡¯t there.


    -It has been a while.


    -Wee, Overgeared God.


    Just then, the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise arrived at the scene. To be precise, it was their ¡®consciousness,¡¯ not their bodies. They descended through the Heart of the Red Phoenix and the Shell of the ck Tortoise that Grid possessed. The situation was exined to them by Hwang Gildong¡¯s clone, who had left to pick them up.


    The shaman had a satisfied smile as she spread out her fan and shouted, ¡°Oh, how distressing! I feel sorry for the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, who have endured the humiliation for so many years! If humans hadn¡¯t forgotten them, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered the humiliation of being brutally defeated by the exiled gods!¡±


    Jingle jingle jingle!


    The shaman¡¯s fan made a loud bell ringing sound as it hit the top of Hwang Gildong¡¯s head. She seemed to be scolding him.


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Old Sword Demonughed like he liked it. As a result, he caught the shaman¡¯s attention and was also hit on the head by a fan.


    Yeum, who seemed to be stabbed by the shaman¡¯s actions, slowly retreated. It was as far away from the ritual site as possible. It was to prevent the humiliation of being beaten by an unidentified misceneous gods.


    Fortunately, the shaman didn¡¯t hurt her. The god residing in the shaman criticized the yangbans, but had no intention of inflicting direct harm. This proved that the god specialized in rituals, but their status itself wasn¡¯t very high.


    Drum drum drum~!!


    The sound of drums and gongs grew louder.


    Jingle jingle jingle!


    The sound of the bells on the shaman¡¯s fan also sped up. The group was overwhelmed by the atmosphere.


    ¡°Blue Dragon! White Tiger! Those who haven¡¯t forgotten you and who miss you are hoping for youring! Open your eyes when you hear this call...!! Cough!¡±


    The shaman, who was dancing while waving her fan, suddenly coughed up dark red blood. Looking at her pale face, it wasn¡¯t acting. She really suffered an internal injury.


    ¡°The will of the gods of the Hwan Kingdom in the seal is trying to push me away...! Harder! Drum harder! May my call break through the thick seal and reach the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon...!!¡±


    Dong dong!Tang drum drum~!!


    The percussion quartet started to y the janggu and kkwaenggwari with the momentum of breaking it. They were drenched in sweat, like they were ying in the pouring rain, and seemed to be as excited as the shaman. The atmosphere of the ritual site was great, so Grid was also a bit overwhelmed. It was as the heat was being intensified even more.


    ¡°I will deliver my will to the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon!¡±


    The shaman threw away the fan before taking out arge sword for generals and a five colored g. She shook with excitement while cutting her flesh with the general¡¯s sword, but she didn¡¯t shed a drop of blood. The reason was that the general¡¯s sword was more blunt than it looked, but the influence of the divinity was also greater. The faint divinity around the shaman gave the shaman enough protection to endure the general¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Focus on the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon beyond the seal! Don¡¯t miss the moment when my will breaks through the will of the wicked gods covering your eyes and ears!¡±


    Eventually, the shaman threw off her traditional socks worn with hanbok and flew on top of the jakdus.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The faint divinity worn by the shaman couldn¡¯t withstand the sharpness of the jakdus, which had been personally sharpened by Grid. The shaman got arge cut on her feet the moment she stepped on the jakdus and she rolled around, scattering blood.


    ¡°Kill... it is killing intent...!¡±the shaman screamed for a long time before struggling to organize the situation. She insisted it was clear that the gods of the Hwan Kingdom performed ck arts on the jakdus. Shemented that the ritual would fail at this rate.


    Grid realized the seriousness of the situation and coughed with embarrassment as he made eye contact with Yeum. She had been keeping an eye on Grid out of fear, so she had witnessed him sanding the des. Due to her expression that she had seen something she shouldn¡¯t have seen, Grid could no longer stand on the sidelines.


    At this rate, he thought he would lose trust and cause a misunderstanding. Therefore, he took the shaman¡¯s general¡¯s sword and five-colored g, and climbed on top of the jakdus. He recalled that the gist of the jakdu dance was to ¡®transmit the will to the target.¡¯ He also pinned his hopes on the fact that Pagma¡¯s sword dance was originally used in rituals. There was a good chance that Grid could rece the shaman.


    Grid was right in his judgment. He climbed barefoot on the jakdus and slowly started the Sky sword dance.


    [Your strong will has been passed onto the ¡®White Tiger¡¯ and the ¡®Blue Dragon¡¯ of the Four Auspicious Beasts.]


    [The consciousness of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, trapped in a thick seal, have awakened!]


    The Blue Dragon Dao and the White Tiger Spear on the altar shook loudly before shattering. At the same time, a giant Blue Dragon and a giant White Tiger appeared. It was so huge that the White Tiger¡¯s body filled the wide shrine when crouching and the body of the Blue Dragon pierced the roof of the shrine even when it was twisted.


    ¡®What can¡¯t he do?¡¯


    Everyone at the scene looked at Grid with astonishment.


    1. Korean traditional clothing ?


    2. The ritual mentioned here is called Gut and it is a ritual performed by Korean shamans involving offerings to gods, spirits, and ancestors. They are characterized by rhythmic movement, songs, oracles, and prayers, and are meant to create welfare, promotingmitment between the gods and humans. ?


    3. Jakdu= a tool for cutting things difficult to cut with ordinary scissors or knives, such as thick straw or herbal medicine. It was also used as a weapon for shamans. It was believed that a shaman could call andmunicate with the spirit, receiving power from the spirit by stepping on the jakdu ?

 Chapter 1690

    Thendscape was divided into tens of thousands of prongs of lightning. It was the aftermath of the lightning flowing from the body of the Blue Dragon that disrupted his vision.


    His transcendent senses and artificial senses warned of danger. It could be guessed based on the ¡®Lightning God¡¯ skill, but the Blue Dragon wasn¡¯t a creatureposed of bones, flesh, and blood. It was literal lightning shaped like a dragon. The existence itself was a threat.


    ¡®How did the White Tiger beat the Blue Dragon?¡¯


    The White Tiger was a giant tiger. Its height and length reached tens of meters. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was as huge as a mountain. The white fur that fluttered into the sky like a wave was beautiful and mysterious. It was a presence that reminded anyone of a ¡®god.¡¯


    However, it was rather shabby whenpared side by side with the Blue Dragon. In front of the Blue Dragon, even this huge body was reduced to a normal size. The white divinity felt too gentlepared to the blue divinity of the Blue Dragon. Should it be said that the White Tiger looked rtively cat-like? The Blue Dragon was so big and powerful. At a nce, it was obviously stronger than the White Tiger.


    ¡®Of course, I shouldn¡¯t judge by appearance alone.¡¯


    It was a matter ofpatible natures. The Blue Dragon was different from a dragon itself. It was a dragon, but it was a dragon of the east. Thus, it had no feet to step on the ground. It flew all the time and released thunder and lightning without the help of rain and clouds.


    On the other hand, the White Tiger was the god who ruled the earth. It was bound to the ground, so it had little advantage over the Blue Dragon, who never set foot on the ground. It also didn¡¯t have a special object like the yeouiju that the Blue Dragon was holding in its mouth.


    In fact, Mir had said it openly¡ªout of the Four Gods, the Blue Dragon was the strongest.


    The Blue Dragon was also the master of a shocking myth. It was a myth where it drilled a hole into the heart of Hanul, a god of the beginning. However, by what means did the White Tiger use to beat the Blue Dragon in thest fight?


    ¡®Thest time the White Tiger and Blue Dragon fought was before the Blue Dragon pierced Hanul¡¯s chest...¡¯


    In any case, the White Tiger seemed to have an invisible potential.


    It happened as Grid was staring at the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger...


    -Trash.


    The White Tiger said in an imposing voice. The first words it spoke after being revived after hundreds of years were shocking. The Blue Dragon¡¯s eyebrows twitched as it stared at Grid.


    -One who can¡¯t even bite is still alive with this mouth.


    -I heard you were badly injured in the process of being sealed, but did you hurt your head the most at that time?Have you forgotten the memory of losing the fight with me?It wasn¡¯t me who couldn¡¯t take a bite, it was you.


    -Are you talking about the shameful victory you got out of luck because of an unexpected event on the day I should¡¯ve won my 1,000th victory?


    -You have a long tongue, just like a loser.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t 99.¡¯


    Did it lose 999 times and win 1 time? There was a saying that the final winner was the real winner, but this was too much. Grid was clicking his tongue when the willpower of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise appeared on his left and right sides.


    -What disgraceful behavior are you showing in front of your benefactors?


    Grid often regarded the Red Phoenix as a motherly being. Not only did it warmly care for his wounds, but its tone was always calm. Grid could feel the heart full of consideration and affection. It was the same for the ck Tortoise. Today, they met for the first time in a while and Grid was saddened by the fact that the two gods used honorifics toward him.


    These existences were so kind to him.


    -Those who haven¡¯t forgotten you have unsealed you.Far from thanking them, you growl at each other. You are no different from beasts.


    -There must be more than one or two people who are disappointed that you are gods.Rather, they will say that the days when they lived in a fake myth were good.


    They harshly criticized the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger. It was at the level of digging at the hearts of the listeners. It was hard to believe considering the personalities that the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise had shown so far.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t theye to y the role of mediator in the first ce?¡¯


    At this right, they were going to cause a fight rather than stopping one. Grid was worried, but fortunately, the atmosphere quickly calmed down.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    -I will apologize as well.


    The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger were surprisingly obedient to the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise. No, to some extent, the expression that it wasmon sense was correct. They were ashamed as they bowed to Grid and their benefactors. In particr, the attitude toward Grid was cautious. They regained consciousness and were resurrected in response to Grid¡¯s will, so they understood what Grid was like. It was the result of a short, but intense,munication.


    The strong will that easily broke through the thick seal created by the disgusting malice of the invaders... They thought it was extraordinary, but it was even more amazing in person.


    They were the protagonists of the East Continent¡¯s myths and saw through it at once¡ªGrid was also the protagonist of a certain myth and the god of a certain world.


    -You...there is a very short history, but you are still very strong?


    After bowing to Grid, anger suddenly spread across the face of the Blue Dragon as it observed the group more explicitly. It was because it had seen the identities of Mir and Yeum. The clever Mir and Yeum tried to control their energy to look like ordinary human beings, but it was impossible to deceive the Four Gods.


    -Come to think of it...


    Following the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger also showed its killing intent. The two gods remembered the method Grid conveyed his strong will to them. He danced with a sword. It was a sword dance that reproduced emotions, ideas, symbols, etc. It was from the culture of the disgusting invaders.


    -You guys are Hanul¡¯s henchmen.


    -I thought he was abnormally strong, but he seems to be a mutation that opposes Hanul.


    -Shameless guys...!Do you intend to drag us into your faction fight?Don¡¯t think we will be as easily coaxed as the good-natured ck Tortoise and Red Phoenix!


    -Us gods exist for human beings.As I have said in the distant past, I have no intention of being reduced to being your tool.


    ¡®It is rotten. I thought it was going too well.¡¯


    Grid had guessed that the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger would cause problems. He was prepared for a big fight. However, things unexpectedly went well and he was flustered. Now it ended up like this.


    -They haven¡¯t changed.


    The Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise also reacted like something wasing. They weren¡¯t very flustered as they started to raise their divinity. It seemed they were going to intervene by manifesting themselves here.


    -......?!


    -This...?I can¡¯t...


    The Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise flinched and immediately stopped acting.


    -The gods of the Hwan Kingdom have descended to the surface.They are besieging Xing and Cho.


    It was a surprise attack the moment the two gods left and the barrier was weakened. From the perspective of the Hwan Kingdom, the Blue Dragon Dao suddenly being taken away by Grid was tantamount to a sudden surprise. Yet even taking that into consideration, the subsequent response was more dyed than necessary.


    At the very least, the gods of the Hwan Kingdom should¡¯ve noticed the change when there was a problem with Uram¡¯s personal safety. At thetest,mon sense said they should¡¯vee to the surface before Grid¡¯s group reached the base of the Chivalrous Robbers.


    He had been puzzled because they weren¡¯t seen, but it turned out they were besieging the Xing and Cho Kingdoms. It was a checkmate move. The gods of the Hwan Kingdom clearly knew the nature of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger and were predicting future developments. They knew that Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger without the help of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise and forced a choice.


    Would they sacrifice Xing and Cho in order to mediate between the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger? Or were they going to give up on the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger that had been unsealed at best?


    ¡°This... things are so bad.¡±


    The face of Hwang Gildong, who usually smiled under any circumstances, hardened.


    ¡°The base can¡¯t handle the aftermath of the two gods¡¯ divinity. It will break in an ildagyeong.¡± [1]


    The location of the base will be discovered immediately...


    Hwang Gildong covered his head and continued talking, ¡°In the worst case scenario, we will lose everything.¡±


    If the Hwan Kingdom invaded the scene when the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger were making a fuss, Grid¡¯s party wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid annihtion. The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger would be sealed again and the situation in the East Continent would be even darker.


    Who would search for the new seals of the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon on the continent where Hwang Gildong and the Chivalrous Robbers had copsed and disappeared? It wasn¡¯t something that Grid could do alone. Even if it was possible, he didn¡¯t know how long it would take. The gods of the Hwan Kingdom might find a way to invade the Xing Kingdom and Cho Kingdom before Grid could find the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon.


    ¡®The gods of the Hwan Kingdom have descended to the surface inrge numbers.¡¯


    Even Grid¡¯s myth could be destroyed here today...


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s voice deepened as he muttered to himself while Grid was questioning the system.


    ¡®How many hours is an ildagyeong?¡¯


    He remembered that one sijin was two hours and an ildagyeong was four hours. Yet he needed to check the exact time just in case he was wrong.


    [15 minutes.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    The unit that meant four hours was one ilgyeong, not ildagyeong.


    Grid was sulky and sweaty as he tried to speak to the two gods, ¡°These two gods, please listen to me. I am the Overgeared God who created a new divine world called the Overgeared World. I have nothing to do with the Hwan Kingdom. Rather, I am an enemy of the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    -This is the first time I¡¯m hearing about the Overgeared World.


    -It is the same for me as well.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know because you have been sealed all this time!¡±


    -It is impossible to persuade them.They are buried under the belief that their judgment is always right and it is right to think that you can¡¯tmunicate with them.


    The sharp criticism of the Red Phoenix continued, but the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger weren¡¯t agitated. Perhaps they didn¡¯t know a sense of shame, but they were proud as they said, ¡®Red Phoenix really knows us.¡¯


    ¡°We are running out of time. Let¡¯s subdue them by force.¡± All of a sudden, Mir came to Grid¡¯s side. His appearance of confidently using the power of the Four Gods in front of them was reliable.


    ¡°They have just been released from the seal and haven¡¯t regained their strength. There is a chance.¡±


    It was just a question of whether they could be subdued in 15 minutes.


    [The time attack quest has begun!]


    The system determined the situation to be an emergency quest. The splendid reward details that seemed to demonstrate the high level of difficulty made Grid even tenser. His back came into contact with Mir¡¯s back. They trusted and relied on each other as they once did.


    ¡°Here.¡± Grid recalled that Mir was bare-handed and handed him a few swords. ¡°Pick the one you like and use it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a dragon weapon. It was because the dragon weapons could only be used by Grid, a Dragon yer, a Sword Saint, and Grid¡¯s apostles. Yet beside the dragon weapon, Grid had many weapons that deserved to be called divine objects and Mir was able to handle them perfectly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s aim for the easy opponent first.¡±


    Mir nodded at Grid¡¯s words. Their gaze shifted to the White Tiger, so the Blue Dragonughed while the White Tiger¡¯s expression crumpled.


    -I am stronger than that one!


    The White Tiger roared and swung its front paws. Grid and Mir were already under attack at the moment they used Shunpo. Grid and Mir¡¯s swords collided with the ws of the White Tiger and there was a deafening noise.


    ¡°White Tiger!¡±


    Blue Tiger appeared at the scene just as the Sanctuary of Metal was unfolding. There was a very worried expression on her face. She wanted to persuade it with coaxing words. The White Tiger realized andmented that its bloodline had degenerated to be a subordinate of the Hwan Kingdom. It resented the past few hundred years of its absence.


    Blue Tiger urgently shouted at it, ¡°White Tiger, you are really going to die!¡±


    -......?


    -......?


    The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger doubted their ears. Their eyes widened at the same time. The others were surprised as well.


    Blood was rising from the White Tiger¡¯s wall-like chest.


    1. an old Korean unit of time ?

 Chapter 1691

    <h4>Chapter 1691</h4>


    The character of Garion and the White Tiger was distinctly different. Garion was focused on restoring damagednd, while the White Tiger protected thend from being damaged in the first ce. This didn¡¯t mean that Garion had the power to restore all wounds to the ground, or that the White Tiger had the power to block all wounds to the ground. It was just that they had been trying.


    The difference in personalities of these two gods had a profound effect on creating cultural differences between the West Continent and East Continent. It was the reason why the architectural style of the West Continent developed around stone, while the architecture of the East Continent developed around wood. It was because thend and rocks of the East Continent were so hard that it was difficult to secure stone materials.


    The reason why the high walls and ornate architecture of the West Continent was so difficult to see in the east wasn¡¯t because the civilization of the East Continent was rtively low, but due to environmental factors. This environment came from the White Tiger.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The blood gushing from the chest of the White Tiger rmed everyone on the scene.


    Hwang Gildong and the Chivalrous Robbers, Mir, Yeum, and the Zodiacs who had run over with Blue Tiger¡ªthey started convulsing as if they had seen something they shouldn¡¯t have seen.


    The Blue Dragon was also surprised. The Blue Dragon had fought the White Tiger 1,000 times and knew the White Tiger¡¯s potential better than anyone else. It was a damn being who never fell down even when it was half-killed.


    The White Tiger, the hardest one in the mythology of the East Continent, was cut and shed blood?


    ¡®What happened...? Did he split the sky?¡¯


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s gaze was fixed to Grid¡¯s sword.


    Twilight¡ªa sword that seemed to have snapped a part of the sky that was dyed by the sunset. A strong divinity was felt.


    The Blue Dragon misunderstood Grid, who was cooperating with the yangban, Mir, as a member of the Hwan Kingdom. Therefore, it was forced toe up with a new interpretation.


    -You must¡¯ve had Hanul¡¯s expectations since that selfish Hanul actually gave away his divinity.Hanul must¡¯ve been very shocked when you betrayed him and created a separate faction.


    Hanul was also a synonym for the sky. It was from the innate strength and power, to the meaning and symbolism. It was hard to deny the fact that Hanul was the sky. The fact that the sky was contained in Grid¡¯s sword meant that Grid had received Hanul¡¯s protection.


    Of course, it was a ridiculous guess from Grid¡¯s point of view. However, it wasn¡¯t a situation to clear up misunderstandings. He should think of the path of the sword during the time it would take him to think of words.


    The huge size in itself became a weapon. The front paws wielded by the White Tiger crossed a distance of tens of meters in an instant. It immediately used a single gesture to follow Grid¡¯s full-speed movement skills and Mir¡¯s light trajectory. There were many cases of moving ahead as if foreseeing the future. The White Tiger¡¯s meaningless actions were at the level of forcing the two of them to follow it.


    However, Grid had fought a dragon before. A dragon¡¯s fighting methods wererger than the White Tiger¡¯s and they freely changed their size. This was much more difficult than the White Tiger, which was simply huge.


    Grid¡¯s sword was lodged in the side of the White Tiger¡¯s paw. The White Tiger¡¯s action of loudly swinging its arms to pull Grid off caused a sonic boom. The air in the area waspressed and exploded repeatedly, suppressing Grid violently. Even a decent legend would suffer from all types of physical abnormalities due to torn eardrums and the shaking of their brains and organs.


    However, Grid was fine. He alternated driving the two swords into the White Tiger¡¯s arms and used them to climb up.


    A flea... that was a bit exaggerated. He felt like a cicada. If he was topare the White Tiger¡¯s arms to a giant tree, then Grid would be like a big insect.


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    Grid twisted his waist heavily. He performed a sword dance, cut the arm of the White Tiger, and naturally fell away from the White Tiger. The arms of the White Tiger were crossed in close to an X-shape. In the end, it used its hands to try and pull Grid off.


    Thanks to this, Mir was able to breathe. Previously, he unconditionally consumed Shunpo to avoid the White Tiger¡¯s attack. For the first time, he could take the opportunity to fight back.


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s energy enveloped Mir. He evoked lightning with additional power without the permission of the Blue Dragon. Mir pierced the body of the White Tiger. He pierced skin and flesh. It was based on the power of the Blue Dragon, the strongest of the Four Gods, but the result was more than expected. Mir himself was a remarkable force.


    Mir quickly recognized the source of his power. He realized that Grid¡¯s divine sword in his hand was pushing the Blue Dragon¡¯s lightning to the limit.


    ¡®It is better than the dao that contained the Blue Dragon. Is this being overgeared that the Overgeared God celebrates?¡¯


    -These guys...


    The White Tiger¡¯s blue pupils shook. The fact that it felt the pain of its flesh tearing every time it allowed an attack bewildered it greatly. It was an unfamiliar pain for it since it always crushed the enemy with hardness. Apart from the day when it was sealed by the invaders who were driven out of Asgard, this was the first time it had experienced such pain.


    -I¡¯ll admit it.Your weapons are so great that they are causing me an unfamiliar pain.


    -Is it unfamiliar?


    The Blue Dragon interjected.


    -Haven¡¯t you experienced this much pain from me at least 1,000 times?


    -What are you saying?The one who lost to me.


    The White Tiger cut off the Blue Dragon¡¯s words and took a deep breath. The white hairs covering its massive body fell down. Between the white hairs, the ck hairs that formed the character for ¡®king¡¯ rose in a dense manner. It was the king of a hundred beasts before it was a god.


    The mental image of the White Tiger unfolded. Hundreds of thousands of wild beasts roared in the canyon created by the Sanctuary of Metal. Each of them was a clone of the White Tiger and was made up of the White Tiger¡¯s mental image. The wild beasts ran down the canyon.


    Bears, tigers, lions, leopards, etcetera¡ªall types of wild beasts showed different movements as they attacked Grid and Mir. Most of them were aimed at Mir, not Grid. It was because they judged that it was difficult to break through the baptism of battle gear that the Sanctuary of Metal created in real time.


    Grid was being handled by the main White Tiger.


    -A 1 on 1 battle is a fair fight!


    The White Tiger insisted that it couldn¡¯t concentrate because of Mir. Its momentum of breaking through the canyon, with a body that had grown as big as the inted divinity, was fierce.


    Grid¡¯s expression had already be indifferent. The strength of NPCs was usually proportional to their influence on the worldview. The myth of the Four Auspicious Beasts would still be a ¡®forgotten myth¡¯ without the help of Grid, so it couldn¡¯t be central to Satisfy¡¯s worldview. From the time of their resurrection thanks to Grid, the hierarchy of the Four Auspicious Beasts was lower than Grid. Even if they weren¡¯t resurrected thanks to Grid, the current hierarchy of Grid was too high. Not only had he confronted the heavenly gods, but he also formed ties with old dragons and killed Baal.


    Unfortunately, the White Tiger wasn¡¯t in an equal position with him. This was why it was forgotten.


    The infinitely ovepping procession of Valhas gradually killed the momentum of the White Tiger. The White Tiger consumed divinity every time it broke through a single Valha. Once it arrived in front of Grid, it was surrounded by thousands of battle gear.


    -The Hwan Kingdom created a monster!


    Grid remained silent toward the White Tiger, who misunderstood andmented until the end. Didn¡¯t he decide to convince them with his sword in the first ce? Grid spared no effort in his six fusion sword dance. He used a full-scale attack while being aided by thousands of battle gear and 300 weapons wielded by the God Hands. It was in recognition of the hardness of the White Tiger.


    -Kuaaak!


    The White Tiger¡¯s scream filled the Sanctuary of Metal. The wild beasts created by its mental image no longer threatened Mir and perished. It was no match. The White Tiger judged this after desperately feeling Grid¡¯s power and shouted at the Blue Dragon


    -Run away, Blue Dragon!This isn¡¯t an opponent you can handle...!


    ¡®White Tiger really doesn¡¯t understand the subject.¡¯


    What did this unskilled one mean? The Blue Dragon ignored the White Tiger¡¯s warning. There was no way it could back down. It was because it was the guardian god of thisnd. Lightning was emitted in a dizzying manner and divided thendscape into tens of thousands of prongs that converged on a single point.


    Then it was shot at such a speed that even Grid¡¯s artificial senses could miss it. The artificial senses fluctuated loudly only after Grid was pierced. The Blue Dragon had disappeared without a trace. To be exact, its figure was erased. It no longer retained the shape of a dragon but fluttered in all directions as lightning itself. A lightning storm gradually surrounded Grid as if to smash the Sanctuary of Metal.


    -I can tell that you are stronger than me.You deserve to be extremely arrogantpared to your age.However, strength doesn¡¯t mean victory.It means I can¡¯t discuss my loss.I won¡¯t get cut.


    Lightning bolts engulfed Grid, who was in the center of the storm. This was the reason why the Blue Dragon was able to write the most powerful and shocking myth of piercing Hanul¡¯s heart. It was in the uniqueness of the Blue Dragon¡¯s existence.


    Lightning that was maintained at all times without being influenced by nature. The lightning that came from its divinity was infinitely free and swift. It was at a level that was called deformed even among the gods. The Blue Dragon was a mutant of the easternnd that was abandoned by the gods of the beginning.


    Then an awl made of lightning popped out through the gaps in the storm. It implied the power to pierce Grid¡¯s heart again. The myth of it piercing the heart of one of the gods of the beginning, Hanul, was further amplifying the power of the Blue Dragon. Even Valha, which was the source of Grid¡¯smental world, was unable to stop the lightning bolt and was miserably pierced.


    A second hole appeared in Grid¡¯s chest.


    Just then, the lightning that formed a storm around Grid was split in half. It was done by the Falling Moon Sword.


    -......!


    The sword, which could cut anything, neatly cut the Blue Dragon in line with the power of a conditional Sword Saint.


    A devastating aftermath ensued. The amount of damage applied was equal to adding up all of the user¡¯s stats and multiplying it by the target¡¯s level and this inflicted a serious injury to the Blue Dragon. The bigger problem was the effect of an unconditional critical hit and the elimination of all buff effects.


    The Blue Dragon lost all the benefits of lightning. Its presence was blurred. It was an effect thatsted for three minutes. On the other hand, there were still 11 minutes left for the emergency quest that Grid was performing. Before the quest was over, he was able to swing the Falling Moon Sword one more time.


    -That weak one...


    The White Tiger med the Blue Dragon, who was unexpectedly overpowered. It was an attitude that caused the Blue Dragon, who was engulfed in terrible pain, to lose its sense of reason. It happened the moment when the angry Blue Dragon tried to raise its power beyond the limits...


    The six fusion sword dance cut off the momentum of the Blue Dragon. The cut Blue Dragon fell down in a daze. It was still clinging to life.


    Blue Tiger was relieved. ¡°I¡¯m d you have mercy in your hands.¡±


    -......


    -......


    The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger felt it was so nonsensical that they forgot their pain and anger. They didn¡¯t even feel any shame. They had finished figuring out the subject.


    Mir drove in the decisive wedge. ¡°The Overgeared God is different from me.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a monster made by the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°It is because he is a god who was born from human origin.¡±

 Chapter 1692

    <h4>Chapter 1692</h4>


    "I fully understand their feelings.¡±


    Grid thought about it in reverse. What if a yer he hadn¡¯t heard about or wasn¡¯t famous acquired a myth rated ss while he was away? It wouldn¡¯t be easy to understand. This was even considering the fact that the world was wider than imagined and there were many geniuses.


    Bing a myth wasn¡¯t in the realm of talent and luck. It wasn¡¯t enough to simply umte a number of unique achievements.


    To be the object of worship and aspirations for people... it needed something that was hard to exin, even for Grid who had already experienced it. The something he was talking about here wasn¡¯t transcendence. It was because worship usually came from understanding, while ignorance caused fear.


    Grid reviewed his own epics. In the epics, he was mostly ordinary. No matter whether the subject was human or not, he was almost always with someone andmunicated with them. He acted with good intentions as much as possible. No matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing special about the character of Grid. He just thought he had yed a lot more, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make him a myth.


    The incident where he dered he would be a god against the yangbans? It was too far-fetched for this event to make Grid a myth. It was natural. The system wasn¡¯t a convenient concept that always responded to the wishes and will of the yers.


    Therefore, it was difficult. Bing a myth wasn¡¯t something in the realm of calction. In particr, it was almost impossible for a yer, who didn¡¯t exist in Satisfy¡¯s setting, to be deliberately worshiped. In that sense, Grid would be unfamiliar and iprehensible to the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger.


    It was because a god wasn¡¯t omniscient. They were gods, so how could they understand miracles?


    ¡°A mere human being became a god due to the wishes of the same human beings and is standing before you. Looking at me from your perspective, you are bound to have doubts.¡±


    They might be suspicious, but usations should be avoided as much as possible. It was a divinity filled with people¡¯s aspirations. It was unbearable to go beyond questioning the source to criticizing it. It was Grid¡¯s heart. However, it was quite embarrassing to say this himself. In recent times, he had been unwilling to speak as if he was speaking for humanity. There was a sense of being impudent.


    He justmunicated briefly. ¡°Still, what can you do? I won.¡±


    -......


    -......


    The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, who were still suffering badly from the aftereffects of their defeat, became stunned. He looked toopassionate to be born in the Hwan Kingdom. Grid spoke in a soft voice like he understood the position of the losers and this revealed his true nature.


    If you are weak, then just keep quiet.


    Grid¡¯s attitude was very aggressive, unlike his sympathetic tone. It seemed he would give them a death notice if they refuted even a single word here.


    ¡®This guy is different from the exiled gods.¡¯


    ¡®There are no signs of regret. If we act in a wrong manner, he isn¡¯t going to seal us. He is ready to kill uspletely.¡¯


    Whether a god could be killed or not was a secondary issue. The very fact that he would have killing intent was terrifying. If Grid tried to kill the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger right now, the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger would be forced to flee. This meant abandoning theirnd.


    This was a big problem, even if it was temporary rather than abandoning it forever. It was because having thend stolen and abandoning it themselves werepletely different concepts.


    A god who ignored their responsibilities would suffer a severe blow to their divinity. The divinity of the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon would be shaken and the bnce of the East Continent would copse.


    The Red Phoenix, the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger, and the ck Tortoise¡ªthis vastnd, which was too much for the Four Auspicious Beasts to bear, would immediately fall into chaos and enter the hands of the Hwan Kingdom as soon as the two gods were lost.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much. Just listen to me.¡±


    Grid interpreted the silence as an agreement. He believed that the silent Blue Dragon and White Tiger were gradually getting rid of the doubts they had in them.


    Grid told a long story. He calmly expressed the entire journey he experienced to reach this ce.


    The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger gradually listened. They noticed that Grid was telling only the truth based on the attitude of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise, who were giving Grid a warm look. Then it ended.


    -Ahuheung!!


    The White Tiger wept sadly, while the lightning that made up the Blue Dragon¡¯s body faded faintly. After repeated withering and blossoming, a feeble existence was standing before their eyes. Grid¡¯s epics, the myth, was distinctly different from the myths of those who were born as gods. It was iparably heavy. It was desperate and sometimes miserable. Thus, it was even more special.


    -Overgeared God...the creator of the great Overgeared World.


    -We have been gods from the moment we were born and we took being worshiped for granted.Shamefully, we have always believed that we were right.Please forgive us for not trying to understand the unfamiliar feeling we felt for you and daring tomit disrespect by doubting you.


    -Now we also understand the feelings of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise who care for you and respect you.


    -Most of all, thank you for releasing us from our seals.


    The reward for clearing the emergency quest ¡®Suppress with Force¡¯ with a time limit of 15 minutes gave Grid huge benefits. He got five each of the Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath and the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. He had secured 10 high-end production materials with a value that were just below the dragon scales.


    That wasn¡¯t all. He obtained a title that permanently increased the power of skills rted to the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, including Lightning God and Earth God. They were all physical rewards. Perhaps it was due to the content of the ¡®Suppress with Force¡¯ quest, but he didn¡¯t increase affinity with the White Tiger and Blue Dragon. This was the only disappointing part, but the next moment, this disappointment disappeared.


    [Affinity with ¡¯Blue Dragon¡¯ of the Four Auspicious Beasts has reached the maximum.]


    [Affinity with ¡¯White Tiger¡¯ of the Four Auspicious Beasts has reached the maximum.]


    It was as the Red Phoenix said. The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger were close to beasts. To put it in an extreme manner, the beating acted as medicine. They immediately idolized Grid to a level that fully conformed with the concept of the strong ate the weak. Of course, the fact that they owed Grid would¡¯ve yed a bigger role¡ªprobably.


    ¡®I¡¯m d...?¡¯


    In this way, he obtained the entire myth of the resurrected East Continent as a strong ally...


    Grid was smiling with joy when his expression stiffened. He received a notification window that he never would¡¯ve imagined. A system message with a gold color was shing in the corner of his field of view, just like when he had be a myth.


    [All of the Four Auspicious Beasts are looking up to your divinity.]


    [The worship of all of the Four Auspicious Beasts has established a new myth on the East Continent.]


    At the same time, a world message emerged.


    [The Four Auspicious Beasts of the east worship the Overgeared God.]


    [The worship of the Four Auspicious Beasts has started the prologue of the new myth, ¡®Yellow Dragon.¡¯]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The divinity of the bewildered Grid experienced a change. The energy of the sunset, which had been spreading endlessly, became concentrated behind Grid. In the first phase, it formed a circle with a diameter of three meters. Then it started to draw the shape of a dragon in the circle. It was the appearance of an eastern dragon that resembled the Blue Dragon. Unlike the Blue Dragon made of lightning, this was a Yellow Dragon made of Grid¡¯s divinity.


    [The Yellow Dragon is a god born from the subconscious of the Four Auspicious Beasts, who have been sealed for a long time.]


    [The illusionary god that the isted Four Auspicious Beasts relied on to endure the years of hardship has descended to reality through you.]


    ¡°Hah...¡± The witnesses murmured to themselves. They weren¡¯t reactions of admiration and astonishment. They all looked ecstatic. They were purely fascinated by the figure of the Yellow Dragon that rose behind Grid. It was such a beautiful sight.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 22nd epic.]


    [The beginning of the epices from the aspirations of the guardian gods of the east, who couldn¡¯t reveal their weakness.]


    The content of the epic was the same as what was previously conveyed to Grid.


    The Four Auspicious Beasts, who had been sealed for a long time¡ªdue to their excruciating suffering, they also found a ce to rely on, like humans. They subconsciously created the Yellow Dragon, an illusionary god that went beyond them. They worshiped Grid, so this caused Grid toe to bear the Yellow Dragon.


    It was thrilling from start to finish. Goosebumps appeared on the skin of the people who witnessed the epic in real time. Putting aside the feelings they had for Grid, they were equally thrilled.


    Grid¡¯s hands were also shaking slightly.


    ......


    ...


    [The 22nd page of the epic has beenpleted.]


    [As a reward forpleting the epic, the new myth, ¡®Yellow Dragon,¡¯ has be a part of you.]


    [The level of your transcendence has reached the maximum as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [A fragment of the Absolute has started to vaguely appear...]


    [......!]


    [......!!]


    [The fragment of the Absolute can¡¯t be materialized.]


    [There are too many unique concepts that symbolize you. It will take a long time to measure it.]


    Jingle.


    A bell sound was heard. It was closer than ever before. It was really close. Grid raised his head in surprise. Suddenly, the world stopped. The descent of the ¡®Only One God¡¯ took ce in the gap of time that was only recognizable by those who were at least Absolutes.


    ¡°Overgeared God Grid.¡±


    [Martial God ¡®Chiyou¡¯ has descended.]


    [An iprehensible and unknown phenomenon is putting pressure on you.]


    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand? It is fine. Your progress is fast enough.¡±


    ¡°...Chiyou, is your wish still the same?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my wish has coincidentally be your duty. It isn¡¯t a duty to impose on those in power.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid understood.


    Mir¡ªhe was the only yangban qualified to dream of being a god killer. He was one of Chiyou¡¯s few hopes, but he was nowpletely fascinated by Grid and worshiped Grid. Mir¡¯s feelings, which had changed in real time on the side, were clearly conveyed to Grid.


    Grid would take Mir. He was going to make Mir hisst apostle. Either directly or indirectly, he was obliged to make Chiyou¡¯s wishe true. Of course, it was something he could turn away from, but... he couldn¡¯t do that. Grid hadn¡¯t forgotten Chiyou¡¯s favor and grace. Moreover, now he knew.


    A god who had forgotten their duty¡ªhe naturally understood that a god who had lost their value to exist shouldn¡¯t exist in the world.


    ¡°Additionally, there wille a time when the qualification of a god killer is definitely necessary to fulfill your wishes.¡±


    Jingle.


    The meeting was short. Chiyou left before the gap in time closed. He knew that there would be great confusion if the beings present recognized him, so he cared about them. Chiyou¡¯s voice that was mixed with the sound of bells permeated into Grid¡¯s mind.


    Zik, Hayate, Muller, and Mir¡ªhe left a deep impression as he said that he felt a great fate because three of the people he coveted were following Grid.

 Chapter 1693

    <h4>Chapter 1693</h4>


    At the deepest part of a vampire city...


    In a ce where even the Overgeared Empire couldn¡¯t reach, there lurked an abyss that even Noll didn¡¯t dare to peek at. There was an orange lotus blooming in the center of the abyss. It was a castle illuminated by unquenchable torches. The geometric exterior looked like a flower at first nce and the walls surrounding it were beautiful while conveying a sense of intimidation.


    ¡°Marie Rose!!¡±


    The ceiling of the castle, which hadn¡¯t allowed a foreign invasion for hundreds of years, copsed. It was unable to withstand the surge of Braham¡¯s magic power as he broke in screaming.


    ¡°You, did you know everything and deliberately shirk your responsibility?¡±


    Braham had met Leraje after leaving the hell expedition. The 10th Great Demon with the nickname of Supreme King¡ªas Beriache¡¯s subordinate, she confessed and proved that she had been eagerly waiting for the day when Beriache¡¯s sessor would visit hell. There was a strong ally in hell when he thought it would be full of enemies everywhere.


    Did Marie Rose not know this? At first he was skeptical, but now he knew for sure. He noticed it when he heard that Marie Rose had tied up the feet of the Evil Dragon. Unlike him, this woman inherited his mother¡¯s memories. She had knowledge he didn¡¯t know as the Duke of Wisdom and knew the truths that were hidden behind the world.


    She would¡¯ve known of Leraje¡¯s existence. Then why had she been dying her revenge?


    ¡°Now looking back, you were able to lift the curse on your own from the beginning.¡±


    He hated to admit it, but the ¡®Blood King¡¯ was a role that his mother arranged for Marie Rose. A being who would be Marie Rose¡¯s groom and provide her with high-quality nutrients.


    The day when Grid became the Blood King¡ªMarie Rose would¡¯ve been able to elevate her rank by subduing him with force and forciblymitting a crime against him. It was clearly possible for her to transcend their mother and remove the Curse of Sloth.


    However, she didn¡¯t do so. It was as if she was ignoring their responsibilities.


    ¡°What are you up to? Why did you postpone our mother¡¯s revenge?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose slowly raised her body from the white coffin and stared at Braham. The sight of Braham staring at her with a contemptuous gaze was very familiar to her. It had always been this way.


    ¡°It is too much if you are trying to evade responsibility. You were born after killing our mother and you have a duty to fulfill her aspirations.¡±


    A dagger was lodged in her chest. It was a different type of pain than when a stake pierced her heart. It was much more painful. There were no signs of recovery. Nevertheless, Marie Rose didn¡¯t show it. She smiled leisurely as always and gave the same look to Braham.


    How can you despise me when you haven¡¯t even taken on the duty...?


    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to fight back like this. She experienced how painful it was to have her heart wounded and didn¡¯t want to return the same wound. Her feelings were bing infinitely closer to a human being. She was bing softer in real time. It was a fact that she only recently realized.


    ¡°If I forced Grid, then wouldn¡¯t I never be loved?¡±


    ¡°What...? Love?¡±


    Braham looked as if he had seen something he shouldn¡¯t have seen. He even convulsed slightly.


    ¡°You were born after killing our mother¡­ you were born with absolute power and knowledge in your hands, yet you are discussing a single emotion? This jerk monster. You, who should be lonely without being understood by anyone. Do you have no sense of shame?¡±


    ¡°You have enjoyed it enough. There is now that says I can¡¯t crave love.¡±


    Braham had a deep connection with his disciples, Pagma, and Grid. It might¡¯ve been in a twisted form, but there was no denying that the feelings he had were precious.


    ¡°You dare... you dare to enjoy the same thing as me?¡± Braham¡¯s beautiful face was terribly distorted.


    ¡°Do you think that our mother gave birth to you just to share love? The reason why our mother gave her life to give birth to you was because...!!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose never wanted their mother to sacrifice herself. She never wanted to take on their mother¡¯s responsibilities. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say this, but it was sufficientlymunicated.


    Braham was stunned for a moment. He looked at Marie Rose with a dazed expression that he had never shown in front of anyone. He was at a loss for words because he never dreamed that she would say such nonsense.


    Marie Rose¡¯s long, white legs emerged from the coffin. Even ordinary gestures became sensual and forcefully attracted the attention of others. ¡°Besides, it is toote toe here and criticize me.¡±


    Braham came to his senses. ¡°Toote? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°My dear husband has be too strong. It is impossible for me to forciblymit a crime against him now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh.¡± Braham scoffed. ¡°I know full well that he couldn¡¯t handle an Absolute, even if his transcendent status reaches the limit. Isn¡¯t even divinity unable to bepared with the power of an Absolute? Grid can¡¯t deal with you unless he rides a dragon, so what is this nonsense?¡±


    You are giving a vain excuse due to being blinded by love. This ugly being...


    Marie Rose continued speaking as Braham was expressing his anger, ¡°I already know it because I blended with my dear husband once.¡±


    Marie Rose had taken Grid¡¯s blood. Blood that was so sweet that it was distracting... life... She felt so ecstatic that it could be called the first pleasure she felt since birth. It was from then on. No matter how far away she was, Marie Rose was able to feel Grid¡¯s presence.


    ¡°The rank of my dear husband has be almost the same as mine.¡±


    ¡°You keep talking nonsense...¡± Braham was staring at Marie Rose as if he wanted to kill her, only to be startled. It was because he felt that one of the concepts underlying him, Grid¡¯s divinity, had be sharply strengthened. His power as an apostle of the Overgeared God had grown exponentially stronger.


    ¡°What...¡± Braham was bewildered by the unexpected situation, but he soon understood. Grid had be the master of a new myth called Yellow Dragon. At the same time, his transcendent status had reached the peak and he was on the verge of acquiring the qualification of an Absolute. It was fundamentally different from the temporary qualifications gained from relying on dragons.


    ¡°In the future, my dear husband will encounter all types of powerful gods.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I think it is more important to take care of my dear husband¡¯s safety than to take revenge for our mother.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, Braham was silent.


    Marie Rose had a satisfied expression on her face. Then she sneered. ¡°Or do you want to release my curse?¡±


    It was possible until recently. However, now it was impossible. Marie Rose had used her power to fight the Evil Dragon and suffered from the curse being even stronger as a side effect. In the first ce, the Curse of Sloth was a structure that restrained Beriache. The more Marie Rose revealed the power she inherited from Beriache, the stronger the curse became.


    ¡°A man who can only speak. Get lost,¡±Marie Rose issued an order to leave.


    Braham¡¯s mind wasplicated as he left the castle with helpless steps. He understood and hated himself for putting the living Grid before his already dead mother. He was weighed down with a great sense of guilt, but he wasn¡¯t buried under it. It was because Grid was the most precious thing for him now.


    ***


    [The myth of the ¡®Yellow Dragon¡¯ has caused an upheaval in the Overgeared World.]


    [The areas defended by the Four Auspicious Beasts are about to be incorporated into the Overgeared World.]


    [It will take some time to mix the myths.]


    [The current transfer progress is 0.1%...]


    [The gods of the Hwan Kingdom are reacting sensitively. Caution is required.]


    [The myth of the ¡®Yellow Dragon¡¯ has given you a new power.]


    [It is a power that contains the ideals of the Four Auspicious Beasts.]


    [You have acquired the new skill, ¡®Breath of the Yellow Dragon.¡¯]


    [Breath of the Yellow Dragon Lv. 1]


    [Passive


    If the skill used is rted to a dragon, then the skill effect and power will be enhanced.


    The power of the Red Phoenix, the power of the ck Tortoise, the power of the Blue Dragon, and the power of the White Tiger can be activated.


    Once the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts is activated, all the skills of the Four Auspicious Beasts are unlocked.


    ¡ï An additional feature is created every time it levels up.]


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too showy? Grid was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the divinity that had turned into an image of a Yellow Dragon. Then his eyes widened in a dumbfounded manner. He seemed to have a heart possessed by a ghost as he tried to activate the power of the Blue Dragon.


    Some of the divinity that formed the image of the Yellow Dragon caused sparks. Yellow lightning literally swept around Grid. Several notification windows popped up at the same time.


    [The effect of ¡®Incarnation of Lightning¡¯ is activated.]


    [The effect of ¡®Lightning God¡¯ is activated.]


    [The skill ¡®Lightning Speed¡¯ will be opened.]


    [The skill ¡®Come Down!¡¯ will be opened.]


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    The skills contained in the Arrogant Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots¡ªin other words, the skills of the Blue Dragon were opened when, previously, they could only be used when wearing items made using the Enhanced Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath. Even the conditionally activated skill Lightning God was applied directly as a passive skill like Incarnation of Lightning.


    Grid was thrilled and activated the power of the Red Phoenix. The divinity that took the form of lightning was mixed with mes.


    [The effect of ¡®Incarnation of Fire¡¯ is activated.]


    [The effect of ¡®Red Phoenix¡¯s Breath¡¯ is activated.]


    [The skill ¡®Fire of Life¡¯ will be opened.]


    [The skill ¡®Fly Up!¡¯ will be opened.]


    Then Grid used the power of the White Tiger and the ck Tortoise as well. It was perfect. It wasn¡¯t possible to stack more than two powers, but this seemed to be a problem that would be solved when the level of Breath of the Yellow Dragon increased.


    ¡®There is no need to be sad even if I can¡¯t stack them.¡¯


    It was because there was no cooldown time. Apart from active skills such as Come Down! and Fly Up!, the passive skills could be activated at any moment without any constraints or dys just by switching. Grid felt as if he was wearing invisible items ovepped over him. It felt like the shoulder guards, gaiters, boots, and gloves bearing the names of the Four Auspicious Beasts were oveid over the dragon armor. The effect of Yellow Dragon was just ridiculous.


    However, the one thing that really bothered him was that the appearance was just as splendid as the effects. The orange divinity he wore around his body already felt burdensome at times, but now it reached the point of forming a Yellow Dragon...


    Grid took a deep breath and walked toward the well in the yard of the shrine. He checked his reflection on the surface of the water. A circr divinity that was three meters in diameter and the image of a Yellow Dragon, that seemed to be alive and breathing, was spread out behind his back. No matter how he looked at it, this was cooler than it needed to be...


    It was so gorgeous that it seemed like flies would greatly hover around him. For example, Lauel or Lauel.


    ¡®Maybe Kraugel as well...¡¯


    There was a yellow dragon embroidery on the back of the dopo that Kraugel liked to wear. It was unfortunate, but Grid¡¯s new divinity was likely to be to Kraugel¡¯s taste.


    ¡®What if he is really jealous? I am embarrassed.¡¯


    Grid was feeling sorry when he suddenly realized something. Perhaps the reason why he acquired the Tailoring skill was for this day. It was to give Kraugel a new yellow dragon dopo that was as wonderful as his divinity...


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was thinking about his friend with a keen heart when his gaze suddenly shifted toward the sky. Beyond the ceiling of the copsed shrine, the blue sky was crossed with curved and straight white clouds. It was too artificial to be a naturally formed cloud. It was the traces of the protection that concealed the location of the home of the Chivalrous Robbers for many years.


    Grid opened his mouth toward these traces. A near golden Breath was fired. It was the feeling of releasing his divinity. The artificial breath attached to Cranbel¡¯s Head prated the sky with an extraordinary power, unlike before.


    At the same time, faint murmurs were heard. It was the voices of the Three Masters that were now somewhat familiar to Grid. The aftermath of the emergence of the Yellow Dragon myth rendered the protection around the base of the Chivalrous Robbers meaningless.


    The gods of the Hwan Kingdom attacked the base.

 Chapter 1694

    <h4>Chapter 1694</h4>


    Human beings strived to interpret the words and actions of the gods described in mythology. The gods were the same.


    Reba and Hanul, who were sometimes in seclusion¡ªthe gods had to always try and figure out the intentions of their parents. It was the same with the Three Masters.


    The yangbans¡ªthey were artificial angels who would be the swords of the exiled gods. The Three Masters tried to make them unconditionally strong and sharp. They believed that this was what Hanul wanted and that it was their duty. It was along this line that they erased Mir¡¯s memory. They couldn¡¯t sit idly by as Mir had a good heart toward the Overgeared God, who clearly opposed the Hwan Kingdom.


    This was the result.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe he was overpowered in an instant!¡¯


    Mir was attacked by Grid and was too easily defeated. It was to the extent that the Hwan Kingdom only btedly noticed the incident. Additionally, Mir activated the Magpie Bridge to save his life. Thanks to this, Grid arrived in the Pa Kingdom at once and simply got his hands on thest of the Four Gods.


    ¡°I knew this would happen. You don¡¯t have to respect the yangbans, but you should¡¯ve avoided touching his memories. You didn¡¯t consider the side effects,¡±King Sobyeol openly mocked. He also urged them to take care of the situation before Hanul became disappointed.


    The Three Masters were nning to step out immediately even if he hadn¡¯t said anything. They descended to the surface with as many yangbans as possible. To be honest, the situation wasn¡¯t bad. Thinking about it calmly, it was actually pretty good. It was not easy to resurrect the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger.


    The Overgeared God was destined to stand at a crossroads of choice. Would he abandon the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom to resurrect the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger? Would he abandon the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger for the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom? It was a choice he was forced to make because resurrecting the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon required the help of the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise.


    The Three Masters split their power in half and surrounded the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom.


    Nations that moved away from the myth of the Hwan Kingdom and regained the myth of the Four Auspicious Beasts¡ªfrom the perspective of the Three Masters, they were raising their divinity to reim the territories that were a den of traitors at any time. The weather changed ording to their will, providing them with a favorable environment.


    However, the opportunity for the Three Masters to step out never came. It was because the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise didn¡¯t leave their positions even as the waves of energy from the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon started to be faintly felt. It meant that Grid had given up on the resurrection ritual.


    The traces of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, running wild with killing intent, were gradually felt. The current position was gradually identified.


    ¡®He is a fool.¡¯


    ¡®He is from a human being and is caught up in personal things, ruining such a big thing.¡¯


    Did he judge that the safety of the Cho Kingdom and the Xing Kingdom were more important than breaking the seals of the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon...?


    The hearts of the Three Masters became lighter as theyughed at Grid¡¯s choice. The Three Masters quietly waited for the right time. They waited for the moment when the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger made a bigger turmoil, so they could urately identify the location.


    Thinking about it again, things went well in many ways.


    The Chivalrous Robbers¡ªit was an opportunity to find the homes of those who had disrupted the Hwan Kingdom for a long time based on the subject of a human organization. Today, they would defeat Grid and clean up the Chivalrous Robbers. The power of the Blue Dragon, who pierced the heart of the great Hanul, was likely to endanger Grid. Then this would be a great opportunity for them.


    ¡®We will also get back the White Tiger and the Blue Dragon.¡¯


    It happened as the smile on the faces of the Three Masters deepened... The world was tinged with pure gold. It was only for a moment, but the Three Masters felt it clearly. The quality of thisnd had changed. It was a subtle change. They wondered if it would be like this if a handful of sand in a huge desert changed color. It meant it wasn¡¯t worth worrying about.


    The Three Masters felt a weird feeling of strangeness. The moment they were going to pass it off as inconsequential, the Overgeared God¡¯s aura rose slightly. On the contrary, his divinity was weaker than when they had met before. It was dim like a torch on the verge of being snuffed out. It felt ridiculouspared to the presence of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, who were facing him.


    ¡°We found it.¡±


    The smile disappeared from the faces of the Three Masters. They were calm, not excited, even though they felt the presence of the dying Overgeared God, who wasn¡¯t able to handle the attacks of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger. It was proof that they were great gods and didn¡¯t let down their guard. At this point, they deserved to be role models for everyone.


    A huge cloud gathered under the feet of the confident Three Masters. The clouds carrying the Three Masters and dozens of yangban crossed the continent with a rainstorm. They arrived at the scene where they could feel the traces of the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger, and the dying Overgeared God.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The Three Masters arrived at the scene and found the remnants of the protection. It was the protection that had been hiding the base of the Chivalrous Robbers for a long time. Human beings had suchplex tricks that they were surprisingly amazing.


    The Three Masters immediately understood the trick. In the future, the Chivalrous Robbers would be in the palm of the Three Masters¡¯ hands, no matter where they fled.


    ¡°We have to admit that the Overgeared God isn¡¯t weak.¡±


    ¡°Even though his divinity has faded, we shouldn¡¯t underestimate his potential and thoroughly subdue him.¡±


    ¡°The Blue Dragon and the White Tiger won¡¯t beplete either. Our goal is to capture as many of the three as possible.¡±


    It was the moment when the Three Masters, who didn¡¯t find the yangbans very reliable, instructed them to destroy the protection embroidering the sky in the form of clouds...


    A pir of light rose through the gaps in the damaged protection. It aimed for Unsa among the Three Masters. It could be seen as a surprise attack and had an impact even on Usa, whose abilities was greatly influenced by Unsa¡¯s clouds.


    ¡°Kuack!¡± A yangban was caught and dragged from the cloud to be a shield to protect Unsa. Instead of Unsa, he was the one struck by the sh of light and pierced through the chest. The sh literally passed through the yangban and reached Unsa as well. Unsa realized that the power of the sh was weaker than its momentum and swung his hand to strike at it.


    ¡®A Breath?¡¯ Putting aside its insignificant power, it was a blow that reminded him of a dragon¡¯s Breath.


    It happened at the time when Unsa was feeling some anxiety...


    The fragments of thepletely destroyed protection scattered with a loud noise. It was caused by a sudden shockwave. The shockwaves were created by an unexpected being.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Overgeared God Grid¡ªhe rose at an unstoppable speed and astonished the Three Masters. It was because he was carrying apletely different divinity behind him than what they had seen before. It was different from when it was the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon. The form of the divinity had changed. It was close to the feeling that his existence itself had changed.


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t weak.¡¯


    The Three Masters realized why Grid¡¯s aura felt so weak and realized they had fallen into a trap. It wasn¡¯t weakened, it was changed. The even more shocking thing was that the divinity of the current Grid waspletely consistent with something that had changed the quality of thend.


    This world¡ªthe East Continent, which had been overshadowed by the myth of the Hwan Kingdom for many years, started to be tinged with the myth of Grid.


    ¡°What... what is this? How could you do this when you are nothing special...?¡±


    The reason why the Three Masters tried to interpret Hanul¡¯s words and actions was because Hanul was also unknown to them. However, Grid¡¯s origin was far from unknown. His beginning was as a feeble human being, and the epics leading up to him bing a god were spread around the world in detail.


    The Three Masters had also seen and heard the epics. They understood Grid¡¯s source. However, they suddenly couldn¡¯t understand Grid from the time of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon. It was just like Hanul. It was like the Gods of the Beginning, where there were only three of them.


    ¡°What is it that makes you such a mutant?¡±


    It was a stupid question. It was like the Three Masters admitted that it was a false trust. They had never been truly worshiped, so they didn¡¯t understand the current Grid, who was reborn from the aspirations of the humans, dragons, and the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    Grid realized it. ¡°I know why Chiyou is lonely.¡±


    A god who came from the hearts of all beings living in nature who revered power¡ªthe reason why Martial God Chiyou was the Only One God was because the other gods didn¡¯t truly understand and ept him. The heavenly gods were gods from the beginning and took worship for granted, so they couldn¡¯t fathom the true value of worship.


    Despite knowing the background of Chiyou¡¯s birth, they might¡¯ve disparaged him in their hearts as being nothing special. They believed that as gods from the beginning, they were far nobler than Chiyou and dismissed Chiyou as a mere mutation. Therefore, to Chiyou, who was always alone, this world must seem very contradictory and worthless.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t all of you who were truly chosen, but us.¡±


    Grid¡¯s words were very outrageous.


    You are the truly chosen one?


    Are you saying that you are superior to us, who was created by a God of the Beginning?


    ¡°You... with the power you were fortunate enough to obtain, you became arrogant and spoke nonsense.¡±


    The faces of the Three Masters turned red and they created a storm.


    Unsa, Usa, and Pungsa¡ªthe cooperation of the Three Masters created a destructive power on a different level than when they were individuals. It was at the level of causing a disaster that could easily destroy the civilization that humanity built up with their own willpower. From the perspective of the humans, the anger of the Three Masters seemed to imply the end of the world.


    However, it didn¡¯t pose a major threat to Grid. In the first ce, how could a storm block the advance of the gods? The role of the Three Masters wasn¡¯t to fight or win. As long as their powery in controlling the weather, their role was to rule. They didn¡¯t understandbat, so they worked together to erase Mir¡¯s memory.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the Three Masters widened. It was because the lightning strikes that should¡¯ve burned Grid the moment he stepped into the storm had no effect. Some of the blue lightning strikes were dyed yellow and shot at the Three Masters in reverse.


    The eyes of the Three Masters btedly fixed on Grid¡¯s divinity. The divinity in the form of a Yellow Dragon was changing every moment. The breath the dragon released sometimes controlled lightning or reigned over fire, weakening the power of the storm.


    ¡°Gasp...!¡±Unsa was startled. It was because a dragon of yellow light descended from the gap in the clouds he had summoned. It was the effect of Come Down!, which was used with the power of the Blue Dragon that Grid unexpectedly activated.


    ¡°Hup!¡±Usa groaned. It was because the heavy rain that contained his willpower started to evaporate quickly. The pping of the wings of the Red Phoenix, made up of yellow mes, was generating heat in the area. It was the effect of Fly Up!, which was used with the power of the Red Phoenix that Grid unexpectedly activated.


    ¡°Kuock!¡±Pungsa staggered. The storm he ruled lost its target and scattered without a trace. It was the result of Grid using the power of the White Tiger after he used the power of the Blue Dragon and the Red Phoenix. The effects of White Tiger¡¯s Cry and Howling! were linked, causing Pungsa to stiffen and lowering his attack uracy.


    ¡°How can this crazy thing...?!¡±


    The Three Masters released the same cry in the midst of the fading storm. It was close to a scream. They noticed that Grid had fully embraced the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts. There was only one thing they could guess. It was that Grid¡¯s changed divinity originated from the worship of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    A god worshiped by the gods was born. He was probably the first of his kind, apart from the Gods of the Beginning.


    In this unbelievable situation, the bodies of the pale Three Masters swung back and forth. They were repeatedly cut and hit by the sword energy in the shape of a Yellow Dragon that ascended, descended, and twisted along Grid¡¯s sword trajectory.


    The people of the Pa Kingdom watched the scene from all over the city and were stunned.

 Chapter 1695

    <h4>Chapter 1695</h4>


    A strange sound rang out. It was from the back of Pungsa¡¯s hand that mmed against the side of Grid¡¯s stabbing sword. His skin was peeled off and his bones were crushed by the Yellow Dragon sword energy, which flew wildly like its appearance. Blood fluttered along with the Flower sword energy that was shaped like petals. It was proof that the created god wasn¡¯t a concept, but a living thing. Even if he wanted to deny it, he was close to a human god.


    Then Grid¡¯s sword was trapped in the clouds that Unsa had relentlessly gathered. The Yellow Dragon sword energy lost its target and Grid became defenseless for a moment. However, the Three Masters couldn¡¯t target any of Grid¡¯s gaps. Grid¡¯s response was too good. He immediately activated the power of the Blue Dragon and scattered far more powerful lightning than before through the clouds. He was using the enemy¡¯s power in reverse.


    ¡®This damn monstrous guy.¡¯


    There were many eyes on themotion. The humans on the ground were strengthening the divinity of the Three Masters in real time. The belief that the god they served couldn¡¯t be defeated gave the Three Masters great strength.


    That¡¯s right¡ªto the people of the Pa Kingdom, Grid was an unidentified invader. They still weren¡¯t freed from the false myth despite the resurrection of the White Tiger. The existence of the Three Masters was stretching out to hold onto the false myth.


    The Three Masters recovered from their wounds and quickly linked up. They were beings born as heavenly gods and had never set foot on the surface before. They actively exploited their aerialbat experience, which was rtively superior to Grid.


    They pierced the vast sky and repeatedly turned and maneuvered to disrupt Grid. By making it impossible to distinguish between top and bottom, this made it difficult for Grid¡¯s attacks to hit. At the same time, they were looking for chances to counterattack.


    As many as three gods were working together to subdue just one Grid. They did their best without letting down their guard.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The Three Masters kept elerating at certain points like they were building a virtual wall in the sky.


    Grid paused for a moment during their dizzying joint attacks and took a deep breath.


    Breath of the Yellow Dragon¡ªa Breath with a yellow color flowed out. In an instant, Grid¡¯s ck hair was dyed the same color as his divinity. It was an optical illusion created by the exquisite ovepping of his divinity.


    Grid¡¯s hair sometimes looked like long, sunset colored hair. The length was to the extent of covering his back. It went well together. Thanks to the T-zone that developed enough to cast many shades on his face, Grid could digest a surprising number of styles.


    ¡®Will the level of the enemies I have to fight in the future be this much?¡¯


    Between the start of the battle and the exchange of several blows, the Three Masters experienced a radical development. They seemed to be showing that there was no limit to the power that Hanul bestowed among them as they gradually changed the weather to fit the battle. By this point, it was at a level where Grid got the feeling that they were being nourished.


    Grid endured the pincer attack of the Three Masters and was deep in thought.


    Emperor Grid was ufortable in many ways. It was due to the social status of the most extreme. The only people Emperor Grid could be polite to in public were his parents or the tower members. He wasn¡¯t allowed to bow to other subjects due to matters of thew. He became lonely on his own. There were too many things to consider regarding his words and actions, so he was inwardly stressed.


    On the other hand, Overgeared God Grid was rtively free. It was because in the world of the gods, he was the youngest. In particr, the fact that he didn¡¯t have to be afraid of failure was a huge advantage. Who would me him for losing to transcendents or Absolutes whose rank was much higher than his own? There was a fear that his status would be lowered in the event of an extreme situation like death, but at the very least, he hadn¡¯t experienced a crisis of this magnitude just yet.


    Fortunately, there were those who helped him every time.


    This time, things were different. The Pa Kingdom was still under the control of the Hwan Kingdom. It was too far and there was symbolically too much difference for the gods of the Overgeared World and the tower members to intervene immediately.


    Summoning the apostles was like bringing them to the jaws of death. The Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise were unable to leave their respective territories and the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger had just been resurrected and weren¡¯t in a perfect condition. There was no way that a dragon would suddenly appear for no reason...


    Grid had to win this battle purely with his own strength. It was a victory that should¡¯ve been won.


    The Three Masters¡ªthey were close confidants of a God of the Beginning and chief gods of the Hwan Kingdom, but they were inferior inparison. The role in managing the weather could be reced by the Four Auspicious Beasts right now. Even Zik hadn¡¯t bowed his head to the Three Masters. If Grid couldn¡¯t defeat them alone, the prestige that he used to establish a new divine world called the Overgeared World wouldn¡¯t stand.


    Grid recalled it¡ªin the first ce, the gods of the Hwan Kingdom were losers. They were the ones who failed to protect Hanul, a God of the Beginning. Overall, it was right to consider them ipetent.


    ¡®I have to unconditionally win.¡¯


    This was a fight that shouldn¡¯t be lost. It was the case right now.


    Grid¡¯s conscious mind gradually changed. It was the mindset of Emperor Grid, not Overgeared God Grid. The very concept of failure was erased from it. Grid once again used the Flower and Wave sword dances. Heunched a same volume offensive against the Three Masters, who used wide-area attacks with rain, lightning strikes, and storms. He made full use of the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, which could nullify skills.


    The sky seemed to be going crazy. The raging storm stopped like it was a lie and lightning strikes fell while dyed with the glow of the sunset.


    A battle of the gods was more terrible than imagined. It felt like the world was screaming. It was a war between beings who lived forever, so perhaps it would never end. It made people feel that type of fear.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    In fact, the situation in the sky was changing very rapidly. The wounds on the bodies of the Three Masters increased. Every time Grid¡¯s sword left a trajectory, it gave the illusion that it was segmenting the sky stained with the sunset. The Three Masters couldn¡¯t easily bear the power contained within it. Every time Grid used the six fusion sword dance, they barely survived by using a dozen or so yangbans as shields.


    We can really lose...


    The Three Masters were crushed by a fearparable to that of being chased by the god of war and they started to pray earnestly.


    May Hanul guide us.


    Just then¡ª


    [A quest has urred.]


    A notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [Law Established by Heaven]


    [Difficulty: SSS+


    From now on, every time you get hurt by the Three Masters, the surrounding environment will resemble the Hwan Kingdom.


    From now on, every time you injure the Three Masters, the surrounding environment will resemble the Hwan Kingdom.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The quest that appeared. It was a rare quest set as the ¡®highest difficulty¡¯ and the content was very absurd for the current Grid. Every time the Three Masters hurt him or every time he wounded them, the surrounding environment would resemble the Hwan Kingdom? This meant that the Three Masters, who had been weakened in the aftermath of descending to the surface, would naturally regain their strength.


    It was a one-sided unfavorable condition for Grid.


    Grid was inwardly bewildered, while the expressions of the Three Masters surrounding Grid were also stiff with tension. They were listening to Hanul¡¯s voice. It was a divine message. They received the guidance that the more they were hurt or inflicted damage on Grid, the more they would recover.


    It was the power of the God of the Beginning, Hanul. It was the power to issue quests to enemies or allies and to issue unteral penalties or rewards. It had empowered the yangban Garam in the past. It was also the cause behind the deaths of the hundreds of cksmiths who followed Grid to the East Continent.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression changed after grasping the situation. His determined face became filled with killing intent.


    Gulp.


    The Three Masters gulped. The reason their expressions were stiff after receiving Hanul¡¯s divine message was simple. The divine message that stated that the surface would be transformed into a divine world every time they hurt or were hurt by the Overgeared God¡ªthe implications were great.


    Hanul set the rank of the Overgeared God much higher than the Three Masters. This was why a divine message with such advantageous content was bestowed.


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    Could it be that such arge gap had opened up with the one who had been a mere human being just a few years ago? They couldn¡¯t admit it. It was clear that Hanul had misunderstood something.


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    The Three Masters created another storm and rushed toward Grid. For the first time since their birth, they stirred themselves to act. It was an effort to shake off their fear.


    Grid was recovering the God Hands. He didn¡¯t know what would happen after seeing the Three Masters using the yangbans as a shield so he sent the 300 God Hands down to the ground just in case. The hands that had been protecting people from being swept away by the aftermath of the battle now lined up on Grid¡¯s left and right sides.


    It was a scene like ck-gold wings were spread out. The area of the wings increased depending on the direction the swords that the God Hands were armed with were facing and they looked silver at that time.


    ¡°Sword dance.¡±


    The Sanctuary of Metal¡ªthendscape of the canyon built by Grid¡¯s mental world was drawn using the swords as a brush. It was the precursor to Mountain Appearance and Flowing Streams. Grid used two types of six fusion sword dances simultaneously with his left hand and his right hand.


    He felt a sense of exhaustion that was hard to handle. Grid¡¯s resources such as sword energy and mana were quickly depleted. The reason all the recovery effects were meaningless was because the resources would be depleted again as soon as they were restored. Grid was experiencing exhaustion dozens of times in a matter of seconds.


    As the distance from the Three Masters narrowed in real time, his vision darkened dozens of times and he felt dizzy. It had to do with the fluttering of the wings that the God Hands unfolded. It was the aftermath of 300 God Hands performing sword dances in unison. It might be different if Grid was still in a position to be held back by stamina. In other words, it was a challenge that he never would¡¯ve been able to handle if he was in the same position as a normal yer.


    Thousands of silver lights were drawn in the sky. It was a terrifying sight as if the sky was copsing. It was a tsunami of sword dances that devoured the Three Masters. In the eyes of the people, it was an unusual incident that urred when Grid pped his wings several times.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The Three Masters couldn¡¯t even scream properly. They were torn into tens of thousands of pieces. The environment of the surface soon resembled the Hwan Kingdom, but it was meaningless. They could no longer fight after losing their bodies and urgently escaped from the scene. Their status felt as damaged as their broken bodies.


    An old myth filled the minds of those who saw it. When Hanul came to the surface, he had hundreds of servants who spread civilization to humanity. Among them, the Three Masters were the best at preventing disasters and helping with agriculture.


    ...This was a lie. Their ancestors established a civilization without the help of the gods. They prayed to God White Tiger when they had a hard time. It was only then that their god was born. This myth that depicted humanity in such a lowly manner couldn¡¯t be true.


    [The people of the Pa Kingdom are liberated from the myth filled with lies.]


    [The myth of the White Tiger and the Four Auspicious Beasts is resurrected in the Pa Kingdom.]


    [The myth of the Overgeared God has taken root in the Pa Kingdom.]


    [The rate at which the Pa Kingdom is fused into the Overgeared World has increased.]


    The fake gods retreated and the fur of the White Tiger fluttered like a dandelion in the blue sky. It was the divinity of the guardian god that permeated and nourished thend of the Pa Kingdom that had been barren for many years. At the center of it was Grid.


    Ahuheung...


    The White Tiger and the people of the Pa Kingdom bowed their heads.

 Chapter 1696

    <h4>Chapter 1696</h4>


    The gods and angels were sharply weakened outside of Asgard. It wasmon sense by now. The problem was that strength and weakness were always rtive. The gods and angels who came to the surface would suffer a powerful penalty, but there were few people in the world who could easily defeat them.


    There was a loud noise and the Tower of Eternity was greatly shaken. Irregardless of the name, it felt like it would copse at any moment. The magicians of the magic tower were scared out of their minds. Cracks spread like a spider web across the upper floors of the tower. Piaro was nailed to the center of it.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    He might be blood stained, but he didn¡¯t release the strength from the hands holding the farming equipment. Blood flowed down the back of the hand along the bulging blood vessels. It was the blood scattered by the angels who died earlier. They were angels who died from their skulls being smashed by a hand plow, or their spinal cords being pulled out by a pitchfork.


    ¡°A cruel man like you would be rare even in hell. Seeing how you specifically developed and use such heinous weapons, I suspect that you are Baal disguised as a human being.¡±


    ¡°This is farming equipment...¡±


    ¡°You are going to die now.¡±


    The angels surrounding Piaro looked tired.


    The Fruit of Good and Evil¡ªthe mythical fruit that was asionally grown in hell was extremely dangerous. Depending on its usage, the meaning of a god¡¯s existence could fade or evil spirits could be created. It was also possible for angels to be born in hell or demons to be born in heaven. There were too many possibilities. It was to the point where they thought that the concept Yatan created with malicious intent was clear.


    For Asgard, it was a variable that must be removed. This was why as many as 105 angels came to the surface this time. There were three archangels and 102 ordinary angels. It was the size of an army unit. It was a troop organized to confront a chief god, so it was the first time since the war of the gods that so many angels were engaged in an operation.


    They had in mind the worst case scenario of encountering the Overgeared God. It was self-evaluated as a power that could easily overpower the apostles of the Overgeared God. Yet they struggled with only one apostle. As many as seven angels died horribly. In the aftermath, dozens of angels were released from the trinity and briefly escaped from the battlefield.


    It was a pretty shocking incident.


    Angels were soldiers made from human legends. Angels might suffer a penalty in the human world, but it was right that they could handle it on their own, even against a legendary human. Besides, they were raised as soldiers. Angels were stronger in the multitude than as an individual. Every time their numbers increased, theirbat power would be multiplied by several times. Therefore, they could oppose even a chief god the moment their unit was formed.


    Yet only one apostle¡ª


    They also suffered this defeat against Piaro, the weakest of the apostles. Anxiety rose in the minds of the archangels.


    ¡®...It must be the influence of the god he serves.¡¯


    The Overgeared God¡ªhe was the one who overshadowed the years. The growth rate exceeded even the wisdom of the gods. His apostles were also affected and their growth rate seemed extraordinary.


    ¡°Destroy him with all our might. We have to cut the buds properly today.¡±


    At the order of the archangels, the angels moved the halos above their heads.


    An angel¡¯s symbol¡ªthe ring of light expanded rapidly. Nearly 100 halos tilted in unison and aimed at Piaro. All the angels at the scene were joining forces to kill Piaro. It was a desire to not give him any room to survive.


    ¡®This... it is over...¡¯


    It was a miracle that he had survived so far. The number of angels would continue to grow. It was impossible to resist an army alone when the army was rapidly strengthened with every addition. However, Piaro was a farmer and defeated seven of their fellowpanions. It was because a farmer was a great being who created fields and a favorable environment for himself.


    It wasn¡¯t overpraising him. Among pure human beings, there were very few who could set up a field that was like a mental world, and Piaro was the best of them.


    Beams of light were shot from the halos of the angels. It was a full-scale bombardment aimed at the moment when the immortality that supported Piaro ended.


    ¡®...It was a life without any regrets.¡¯


    Grid had gotten rid of all of Piaro¡¯s regrets. In his white-tinged vision, Piaro smiled. It was a smile that appeared naturally when looking back at his life since meeting a young man called Grid and serving him as his lord, king, and emperor, before worshiping him as a god. This unwavering pride filled Piaro even in the face of death. He didn¡¯t feel any fear or regret.


    Then someone criticized him. ¡°Is this the time to smile? You have to think about the grief of those who are left behind. What is wrong with you when you have a family?¡±


    It was a soft voice. The voice was a girl¡¯s clear and bright voice, but the owner wasn¡¯t a girl. It was a woman who looked as small and young as her voice. It was Euphemina. The guardian of the Overgeared Tower hade here in response to the call of Lae, the tower master. She was holding a red fruit that wasrger than her small face in her arms.


    ¡°The Fruit of Good and Evil...!¡± The eyes of the angels widened.


    ¡°Go! Euphemina!¡±Lae¡¯s cry came from the top of the tower. Shepleted her quest and proved the efficacy of the Fruit of Good and Evil while Piaro was buying time. Therefore, she was confident that Euphemina¡¯s potential would fully bloom today.


    Mumud¡¯s Sessor, Euphemina¡ªa legendary great magician who interpreted all types of magic in Mumud¡¯s style, and used it much more quickly and powerfully. For her, a legend wasn¡¯t the endpoint. The ss of Mumud¡¯s Sessor itself guaranteed a myth rating. It was just that the growth of the rating wasn¡¯t achieved simply by raising the level and gaining achievements.


    First, the precedent of Grid bing a myth proved it. It was to the point where Euphemina openly said, ¡®A myth? I¡¯ve given up.¡¯


    It was understandable. One of the basic conditions necessary to be a myth was worship. It was to be an object of faith to the people, but Euphemina wasn¡¯t confident about being worshiped at all. She was different from Grid. In the first ce, was it reasonable for people to be worshiped? Euphemina had a hunch that Grid was special from the first time she saw Grid.


    Ah, I can¡¯t be his opponent.


    Indeed. Euphemina had no confidence to be like Grid. She didn¡¯t even dream of it. This was why she wasn¡¯t excited at all when she heard Lae say that the Fruit of Good and Evil would provide her with a clue for evolution.


    [Fruit of Good and Evil]


    [......


    ...


    ¡ï There will be a special change in magic power when taken by a magician.It has been revealed by the tower master of the Overgeared Tower, Lae.]


    ¡®Will I get ck magic power and divine power?¡¯


    In general, ck magic power was a resource obtained only by contracting with a demon, while divine power was a resource obtained only by changing one''s ss to a priest or pdin serving a god. Ordinary magicians couldn¡¯t get it, nor were theypatible with it.


    Of course, the Overgeared members could contract with elementals. It was possible to deal with ck magic or divine magic by contracting with dark elementals or light elementals. Additionally, Euphemina was Mumud¡¯s Sessor, so she had her own skills in ck magic and divine magic. The most basic ck magic and divine magic could be interpreted and used in Mumud¡¯s style.


    However, the nature of her magic power itself wasn¡¯t transformed into evil like the ck magicians who contracted with the demons, nor could she handle divine power like the priests did. It was impossible to beplete and the power itself was low.


    Nevertheless, the Fruit of Good and Evil made it possible¡ªLae assured her that even magic power had the effect of being distinguished between good and evil. If Euphemina took the Fruit of Good and Evil when she could already handle all magic, it would have an effect that others couldn¡¯t even dream of. This was why Euphemina had to take it.


    Then when questioned if it would be better for Braham to eat it, Lae replied, ¡°Lord Braham is a vampire. Unlike humans, who are neutral, his species itself is judged as evil. This means the Fruit of Good and Evil will intervene in the species first rather than magic power. The variables are unpredictable.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, isn¡¯t Lord Piaro¡¯s life in danger right now? Quickly eat this and save Lord Piaro!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Grid. He has already given me permission to handle the Fruit of Good and Evil however I want. Additionally, it is Grid who wants you to grow more than anyone else.¡±


    ¡®If the effects of the Fruit of Good and Evil are real...¡¯


    In theory, Euphemina would be close to an omnipotent magician. She would be beyond even Braham in a way. Did she deserve such a great power?


    ...Of course she did. It wasn¡¯t a matter of discussing qualifications. It was more of an obligation. She had to save Piaro right away.


    Euphemina¡¯s small mouth bit the Fruit of Good and Evil. Her cheeks moved in a munching motion akin to a squirrel.


    The rays of light shot from the angels were right in front of them.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Euphemina was a genius. She immediately identified the changes she encountered after eating the Fruit of Good and Evil and got used to them. She judged that the already deployed shield was unnecessary, so she canceled it and cast another spell. The corners of her mouth curled up and was reminiscent of a small demon.


    ¡°Stardust.¡±


    The universe unfolded. It was the aftermath of triggering the Mumud-style Blizzard with divine power and ck magic power. In a ckened world, light was absorbed and scattered repeatedly, forming processions or columns. Stardust was the name given to this sight.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The bright lights fired by the angels faded like they were a lie. The weak light was swallowed up by the darkness and the strong light was swallowed up by a stronger light. The only proof that a saturation of light had existed until just now was Euphemina¡¯s twin golden ponytails fluttering in the wind.


    ¡°Heal.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s resources after eating the Fruit of Good and Evil werergely divided into three types¡ªmana, ck magic power, and divine power. Thanks to Mumud¡¯s knowledge, she was able to use Heal, which she previously acquired but couldn¡¯t use because she didn¡¯t have the resources required. Even if the same magic was used, the form and effect of the magic changed depending on the resources used.


    That was the Mumud-style Blizzard that she just cast. Once it was used with ck magic power and divine power, the form that should¡¯ve made snow instead became starlight. The magic, which should¡¯ve caused a chill, brought about darkness instead. It was the birth of wide-area magic that absorbed or denied light or darkness.


    Consciously using a different resource every time she used magic required a lot of concentration and agility, but Euphemina enjoyed it. It was because she was able to y a much more interesting bination game¡¯ than when she was the Duplicator. Of course, there was no one in the world who used more skills and magic and Euphemina. Euphemina was a master of skillbinations.


    ¡°It is you... you will be the Overgeared God¡¯sst apostle.¡±


    The archangels were wary of Euphemina. They gave up their lingering attachment to the Fruit of Good and Evil that had already been lost. They considered that the problem would be solved by killing Euphemina, who had eaten the Fruit of Good and Evil.


    Of course, they had a hunch that she wasn¡¯t an easy opponent, but they thought they had the advantage. In the first ce, angels were immune to most magic. ck magic and divine magic weren¡¯t easy to go against, but in any case, they had a rtive advantage against a magician.


    It happened as the angels were arranging their ranks... The epic that Grid became the master of the new myth, ¡®Yellow Dragon,¡¯ was imprinted on the world. Piaro, who was close to death, regained his vitality. No, it wasn¡¯t at the level of recovery...


    ¡°His Majesty is indeed a god.¡±


    At this exquisite timing, he wrote a new myth and gave power to his apostles. Piaro just admired the act of causing miracles every time. Piaro had a smile on his face as he rushed forward and sprinkled seeds. He stormed through the gaps in the flustered angels and swung his farming equipment.


    Thanks to this, Euphemina was able to perform enough calctions and cast magic. By actively utilizing the three types of resources, she showed magic that had never been seen before.


    The guardian of the magic tower¡ªit was a position bestowed upon a magician whose skills were superior to the master of the magic tower. In terms of skills, Euphemina was the real number one of the Overgeared Tower. Additionally, there was Lae, the tower master. There were also the hundreds of magicians of the Tower of Eternity who gained courage by seeing the enviable performance of Euphemina.


    Above all, this was the second capital, Titan. The Tower of Eternity might be on the outskirts of the city, but the messages must¡¯ve reached the castle by now. Empress Basara and the dukes would¡¯ve sensed the upheaval and led the reinforcements themselves.


    ¡°...You are bothering me.¡± Lightning God Kyle had already arrived at the scene. It was because his speed was like lightning itself, so it was transcendent.


    ¡°Is this really... the human world?¡± The angels were agitated. They were flustered because a crisis had arrived, even though they hadn¡¯t even met the Overgeared God yet.

 Chapter 1697

    <h4>Chapter 1697</h4>


    ¡®They are angels... I have a headache.¡¯


    Kyle¡¯s face was always full of discontent, but it was especially distorted today. The lightning shing through his gray eyes that were soaked from the pouring rain was returning focus to his hazy eyes. Soon, the drunkenness flew away and fluttering feathers were clearly projected onto his pupils.


    Pure white feathers. The figure with a faint glow that was uselessly divine. It was a sight that could only be seen on the stained ss of the Reba Temple in the past.


    A symbol of the angels¡ªbeings with high resistance to projectiles and magic power. Angels were immune to most magic. They were also very tricky opponents for Kyle. The lightning he emitted came from his ¡®physical body¡¯ but he used magic power as his output.


    In the first ce, Kyle thought that his nickname of Lightning God was too much. The expectant gazes of the magicians who spotted him and were currently cheering for him were burdensome.


    ¡®If I had been the Lightning King or Lightning Lord, there wouldn¡¯t be so many expectations of me.¡¯


    First of all, Lightning Emperor shouldn¡¯t be used. It was a high treason crime where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if any imperial citizen with ¡®emperor¡¯ added to their nickname was caught and executed immediately. Perhaps that was why people gave him the nickname of Lightning God rather than Lightning Emperor.


    ¡­They were rare fools.


    Ever since Grid became a god, the nickname of Lightning God was really the worst. Kyle was always worried that it might seem like he was challenging Grid¡¯s hierarchy. There was a time when he had nightmares for four days straight that Faker would appear from the shadows and swing his dagger.


    Wasn¡¯t Faker also called the God of Death? Kyle felt that Faker must be ying the role of a subordinate to the Overgeared God while having a simr heart to himself.


    Therefore, Kyle had been trying. In order to lose his nickname of Lightning God, he lived in a drunken state as much as possible. However, once one developed a reputation, that reputation usually grew on its own.


    Kyle¡¯s reputation was extremely great after his active role in the Great Human and Demon War. The number of people who praised Kyle as the Lightning God and relied on him increased every day. It was just like the idiotic magicians cheering for him over there.


    ¡®Just... I want to run away...¡¯


    Kyle didn¡¯t want to be in front of people as much as possible. However, he wasn¡¯t confident about dealing with the consequences if he turned a blind eye when the angels openly invaded Titan. He would be brutally killed by Grid.


    ¡®...Additionally, Empress Basara will soon arrive with her troops. Let¡¯s fight to the point where I won¡¯t die until then.¡¯


    Yes, fight moderately. It happened as Kyle was nning...


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    The screams of the angels rang out. He looked back and saw Piaro, who had recovered from his almost dead state and was running wild. The arrogant angels were busy dodging like they were facing a mad bull.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    Had Piaro reached a new prime? Kyle paused for a moment at the sight of Piaro, who was much stronger than the Great Human and Demon War. Then he lost his mind. The surroundingndscape turned dark and he was mesmerized by the Milky Way that emerged.


    It was magic that was a mixture of ck magic power and divine power. A form of magic never imagined before was being realized in front of his eyes. It was magic that drew the universe. Since the universe was infinite, the magic potential of drawing the universe was also impossible to measure.


    ¡°A god...¡± Kyle looked at Euphemina with a trembling gaze. He, who feared a god¡ªthe Overgeared God¡ªmore than anyone else in the world, actually dared to put the word ¡®god¡¯ in his mouth. He immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly closed his mouth out of surprise, but it was toote.


    Kyle called a human other than Grid a god. Kyle was a rare transcendent in the world. Every single word he spoke had a tremendous ripple effect, contrary to his wishes.


    ¡°A god...?¡±


    The faces of the angels stiffened.


    ¡°Ohh...! Uwah...!¡± The magicians of the Tower of Eternity rejoiced.


    Everyone in the area clearly heard it. What did the great Lightning God Kyle define the great magician called Euphemina?


    "U-Uh?¡± Euphemina, who was excitedly running around andbining magic one after another, stiffened for a moment. Herrge, clear eyes faintly shook. She couldn¡¯t help being surprised.


    [A faint divinity is blossoming.]


    The ss that had been stagnant so far was showing signs of changing for the first time. It was a change that was still weak, but she felt it clearly. There were no physical changes such as a rise in level of stats, but Euphemina clearly felt that her existence itself had be a bit stronger. She thought it was good to say that she had be noble.


    ¡°T-Thank you?¡± Euphemina made eye contact with Kyle and suddenly thanked him. It was natural since Kyle created a situation she never expected.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle¡¯s face was as white as a corpse.


    He dared. He dared to call a being other than the Overgeared God a god. It was sphemy...


    It was hopeless. He would surely be killed by the Overgeared God...


    Kyle was convinced and his body became brightly incandescent. It spread out through the pouring rain.


    Lightning Speed Transformation¡ªit was a technique of turning his body into lightning. The trident, which was originally flying to pierce Kyle, touched the lightning and burned ck. The body of the angel swinging the trident was electrocuted, and started pping and drooping.


    Kyle¡¯s hand, which had released the lightning, grabbed the scorched angel¡¯s neck and broke it.


    ¡°You guys... it is all your fault...¡±


    It was a growling voice reminiscent of a wounded beast. It was a voice filled with deep resentment and killing intent. The angels were somewhat puzzled. Why was he so angry when he wasn¡¯t hurt by their colleague¡¯s surprise attack? Didn¡¯t he easily avoid it and kill the angel in reverse?


    The angels, who established selfish logic for pure reasons¡ªKyle dered to them, ¡°I will die here today.¡±


    In any case, he would be killed by Grid if he survived. It would be far less painful to fight here and die than to be brutally killed by Grid, who was much more fearful than a demon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring one morepanion with me...¡±


    I will make you regret killing me...


    The people were impressed by Kyle¡¯s energetic appearance. It was the same with the magicians of the Tower of Eternity, Euphemina, Lae, and Piaro.


    Piaro even put down his farming equipment for a moment and pped. ¡°You are full of spirit. As expected of the pir that supported Saharan since I left. You grew up wonderfully, Kyle. I can see why His Majesty has been keeping an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, Grid was watching me.


    The dazed Kyle started to wield the lightning again. He half lost his sense of reason and ran wild. In the eyes of the angels, he appeared to be a lunatic. Meanwhile, in the eyes of Piaro¡¯s group, he was a hero prepared for death. Piaro was once again impressed by Kyle¡¯s determined appearance, while Euphemina realized how rapidly she had grown stronger.


    It was through Kyle. A legend and a transcendent¡ªKyle was the one following in Grid¡¯s footsteps. It was special even among the named NPCs. It was particrly impressive to see him believe in that special hierarchy and act modestly without being arrogant. He was a great man who deserved to be imitated, both in ability and character. However, such a person didn¡¯t y much of a role against the angels. Apart from Lightning Speed Transformation, which was presumed to be his ultimate skill, the angels couldn¡¯t be fatally wounded and the battle became sluggish.


    On the other hand, Euphemina quickly killed the angels. It wasn¡¯t because she was significantly stronger than Kyle. She was able to utilize mana, ck magic power, and divine power at the same time, and it was an absurdly superior advantage. It was possible to neutralize the enemy¡¯s strengths and counter them in real time. To borrow Grid¡¯s tone, it was a f*ing scam. Additionally, she had just obtained divinity, even if it was feeble. Someday, she would blossom her own divinity. Euphemina couldn¡¯t fathom how strong she would be at that time.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    Euphemina looked at Piaro¡¯s back in the lead and gave thanks.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    She also thanked Lae, who practiced magic with her.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    Additionally, she thanked Grid, who seemed to be active in the East Continent at this moment. Her colleagues and friends...


    She realized that the precious people she gained through meeting Grid made her who she was today.


    ¡°Lord Piaro!¡±


    Eventually, the reinforcements arrived. It was faster than expected. Based on the way that the clothes of Empress Basara, who was in the lead, were a mess, they seemed to be in a hurry. In fact, the horse carrying her was breathing heavily.


    ¡°The pigeons have escaped from the cage as a group.¡±


    Spear Saint Rachel stepped forward. Next to her were Duke Grenhal and Duke Morse. There were also thousands of elite troops armed with Grid produced items.


    People started to sigh with relief. Euphemina also felt relieved. She had been very bothered by the three archangels standing silently behind the angels and hoarding the strength, but now she could stare at them.


    ¡°Piaro, Lord Kyle, we will work together to bring down the angels...¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Lord Kyle?¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The reason Kyle was rumored to be humble was purely because he was reticent. Most of the people who knew his arrogant and fierce way of speaking were already dead. It was back in the days when the Overgeared God was still a royal family. They were the people who tried to obstruct the attempt to merge with the Saharan imperial family. In any case, Euphemina thought that Kyle was very reticent, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case on the battlefield.


    ¡®He gets excited when he sees blood...¡¯


    Euphemina was embarrassed about not being able tomunicate when her eyes suddenly widened.


    ¡°If you would allow it, I would like to add even my feeble strength.¡±


    The best spearman on the continent, Kirinus¡ªa bigshot, also known as Kraugel¡¯s teacher, arrived at the scene one stepte. It was after the Great Human and Demon War. He had gone into the world to help the devastated people and there were rumors that Basara had personally invited him. It seemed she had sessfully recruited him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll dly ept it.¡±


    Who could build up transcendence other than yers? One of the most frequently mentioned figures by the Overgeared members when discussing this for fun was Kirinus. It was highly likely that the achievement of teaching Kraugel, a Sword Saint who was building up brilliant achievements, had greatly raised Kirinus¡¯ status. In fact, he was much stronger than he had been a few years ago. He was naturally inferiorpared to Piaro, Euphemina, and Kyle, but he yed a role in blocking the archangels¡¯ attacks once in a while.


    Thanks to this, the angels¡¯ sense of crisis was growingrger. The angels showed their tant displeasure. However, Kyle¡¯s difort was thousands of times greater than theirs. The archangels were so embarrassed that they couldn¡¯t express their anger.


    Then it ended.


    ¡°The fleeing gods ruined things. Let¡¯s back off.¡±


    The archangels gave the order to retreat. They suffered a setback due to the ipetent gods of the East Continent who fled and nourished the Overgeared God in real time. The archangels passed the me for the failure of the operation purely on the gods of the Hwan Kingdom.


    They were quite arrogant. Perhaps that was why they issued the order to retreat veryte. They only gave the order after losing most of their troops, so their escape to heaven was shabby. Their dignified look when they appeared had disappeared without a trace and they were literally losers.


    ¡°Uwahhhh!¡±


    The angel army was defeated. It was purely with their own strength. It was without the help of the Overgeared God. This new experience made the soldiers and magicians cheer.


    Basara, the dukes, Piaro, Lae, and Euphemina smiled brightly. Now they felt the tremendous sense of satisfaction that they were starting to help Grid, little by little. Only Kyle had an expression like he was chewing on poo and Piaro couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Are you not satisfied with your performance? It is a spirit of improvement that is worth seeing. His Majesty will be greatly pleased to hear the news about you.¡±


    ¡°...Please kill me nicely.¡±


    How long am I going to y with fear...?


    Kyle¡¯s timid murmur was buried underneath the cheers of the people.

 Chapter 1698

    <h4>Chapter 1698</h4>


    [The special stat ¡®deity¡¯ is opened.]


    Euphemina defeated the angel army. She made an achievement that was the first in human history and underwent a definite transformation. To be exact, it was an evolution. The direct cause might be that Kyle¡¯s words and the worship of the magicians intertwined with the growth ss called Mumud¡¯s Sessor.


    However, the beginning of this change was naturally the Fruit of Good and Evil. If she hadn¡¯t taken the Fruit of Good and Evil, she wouldn¡¯t have been able tobine new spells and she wouldn¡¯t have gained the absolute edge in the fight against the angels. This meant she wouldn¡¯t have been worshiped by Kyle and the magicians.


    In the end, it should be interpreted as the grace of Piaro, who grew the Fruit of Good and Evil.


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s personality was quite bright. She was originally full of confidence and her positive energy had steadily grown since joining the Overgeared Guild. Her small worries were gone thanks to her strong captain and colleagues. Besides, she was in a great mood right now, so she was smiling very broadly. She almost hugged Piaro. She was like a girl jumping into her father¡¯s arms.


    By this time, the magicians had noticed it. The reason why Euphemina was a magician greater than the rumors. It was thanks to the great help of the Fruit of Good and Evil. The flow of their thoughts naturally led them to the source of the Fruit of Good and Evil.


    Farmer Piaro¡ªthe look in the eyes of the magicians toward him was filled with greater awe than before. They recalled Piaro¡¯s share in the background of Euphemina¡¯s evolution, who was like a god of magic, and perceived Piaro as the second greatest being after the Overgeared God.


    A farmer who grew nutrients that gave birth to almighty magic. He was the hope of all the magicians. Perhaps the expression that ¡®a world tree in the shape of a human who was created to help magicians¡¯ was correct.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Piaro had been a bit hesitant about Euphemina¡¯s continued expression of gratitude and affection, but he soon burst outughing. He realized that his existence had be noble.


    Euphemina, who seeded in unlocking the deity stat several years after changing to Mumud¡¯s Sessor¡ªthe system understood better than anyone that the person who yed a significant role in her growth was none other than Piaro. Piaro also gained a weak divinity due to his achievements and the worship of the magicians.


    He gained the title ¡®Glimpsed the Myths¡¯ and opened the deity stat. He resembled Grid. Unlike Braham, who was on the path of a myth usurper due to overwhelming violence, and Euphemina, who peeked at a myth due to the help of a growth ss, Piaro opened up the possibilities of a myth in the purest way. It was just like the old Grid.


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±


    Piaro smiled widely and lifted Euphemina¡¯s small body so she was sitting on his shoulder. Wasn¡¯t she the benefactor who perfectly digested the Fruit of Good and Evil, and made it so he was worshiped? Piaro felt grateful and affectionate toward Euphemina, who opened up the possibility of a myth.


    He felt like he gained one more older daughter. He wanted her to establish a rtionship of a sworn sister with his daughter, who was doing well in Reinhardt.


    ...Of course, this was ridiculous. Unlike her girlish appearance, Euphemina had long be an adult. She wouldn¡¯t form a sworn sister rtionship with Piaro¡¯s daughter. It was more correct to be a godmother.


    ***


    [You have repelled the gods of the Hwan Kingdom.]


    [The status of the Three Masters was critically damaged.]


    [Your level has risen by 27 times.]


    [¡¯Twilight¡¯ has absorbed part of the divinity of the Three Masters.]


    [In the aftermath of the divinity absorption, the enhancement level of ¡®Twilight¡¯ is +1. This enhancement figure won¡¯t be reset if the rating of Twilight rises.]


    [In the aftermath of the divinity absorption, ¡®Twilight¡¯ is imbued with an ego. It is still dim and unconscious, but it is on a different dimension from the artificially created self. On the day the ego wakes up, it will be a great help for you.]


    [In the aftermath of the divinity absorption, there are signs that special functions will be opened in ¡®Twilight.¡¯ The special functions will be in the form of maximizing your abilities and you will need to absorb more divinity.]


    [Affinity with ¡¯White Tiger¡¯ and ¡®Blue Dragon¡¯ of the Four Auspicious Beasts has reached the maximum.]


    [The people of the Pa Kingdom and the Kaya Kingdom have regained the true myth and want to express their deep gratitude to you.]


    [The current fusion rate between the Overgeared World and the East Continent is 10%...]


    ¡®It absorbed divinity?¡¯


    It was after defeating the Three Masters. Grid¡¯s party moved swiftly. After leaving the disaster management to Hwang Gildong and the Chivalrous Robbers, they returned to Kaya using the Magpie Bridge. The Blue Dragon that appeared in Kaya also reminded the people of Kaya about a forgotten myth.


    Thanks to this, theprehensive rewards were tallied and Twilight grew. Not only was it enhanced, but it also grew its own ego. It was an ego with a quality that was difficult to obtain through Granting an Ego or the ego sword making. It was naturally a god-level ego.


    He wondered if it was an ego that would give advice, that would be like his own flesh and blood.


    ¡®Sooner orter, I¡¯ll have a friend I can have a normal conversation with.¡¯


    He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be a friend with a screw missing like Noe, Overgeared Corn, and the Overgeared Skeletons...


    ¡®Randy is so innocent that she feels more like a daughter than a friend.¡¯


    It happened as Grid was feeling thrilled...


    ¡°The more I look at it, the more beautiful the sword bes,¡±Mir said as he stared nkly at Twilight, which had an even stronger divinity. Yeum stood beside him and was openly mesmerized and fascinated by Twilight.


    It was a look where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she drooled. Considering that the yangbans¡¯ appearance was basically very outstanding, it meant a worldly beauty was making a foolish expression. It was a sight that was hard to see and Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Originally, Grid spoke to Mir using a mixture of honorifics and informality. Then he naturally stopped the honorifics when he misunderstood Mir as a fake. He shouted that he was going to kill Mir, so it was too embarrassing to btedly change his attitude... it wasn¡¯t such a trivial reason.


    In any case, Mir liked it. It was natural considering the hierarchy.


    ¡°It is improper.¡± Mir waved his hands. There was no exaggeration, so it wasn¡¯t frivolous. ¡°How could I covet your things? Besides, I don¡¯t have the ability to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Yeum sighed.


    Just ask for it.


    It was a sigh with this type of feeling. The more she looked at this friend, the more he had the temperament of a foolish person whocked thinking. Yeum smirked due to him being different from his first impression.


    Meanwhile, Grid started the full-fledged attempt to win Mir over. ¡°No. You are full of qualifications to use the swords I make.¡±


    ¡°You''re overpraising me.¡±


    Mir lowered his gaze. Anxiety shed in his deep eyes. Now he wasn¡¯t being humble.


    A sword bearing the Overgeared God¡¯s divinity¡ªMir didn¡¯t have the ability to handle what was literally a divine sword. Who could bear this sword other than the Overgeared God? The trust of the Overgeared God reached the point of being burdensome.


    ¡°You are qualified.¡± Grid¡¯s voice entered his ears. For a moment, his energetic voice created the image of a big tree in Mir¡¯s mind. ¡°I will give it to you.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Mir, be my apostle.¡±


    ¡°What...¡± Mir was flustered. He was a yangban. He was made only for the gods of the Hwan Kingdom. Putting aside Mir¡¯s grand dream, he was just a tool. Wasn¡¯t his memories erased by the gods ording to their tastes? He was being used without even noticing.


    Now he was going to be an apostle of the Overgeared God? He would just be a nuisance. How dare someone like him, who was impure since birth, take up one of only seven positions.


    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with your desire to be a god.¡±


    Mir, whose mouth was shut out of panic, slowly raised his head. A God Hand was lifting his chin.


    Their eyes met. Mir¡¯s faltering eyes met Grid¡¯s eyes and were fixed there. He was fascinated.


    ¡°An apostle can be a god.¡±


    Notification windows appeared in Grid¡¯s vision as he asserted this.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Piaro,¡¯ is harboring a faint divinity.]


    [Your knight, ¡®Euphemina,¡¯ is harboring a faint divinity.]


    The position of a god¡¯s apostle wasn¡¯t the end. Like humans, an apostle had no limits. Braham had already proved a long time ago that the apostle of a god could also be a god. Grid was obliged to be a higher ranking god in order to embrace them, and he was determined to do so. Therefore, he made this suggestion to Mir without hesitation.


    ¡°Please join me, Mir. The reason why I¡¯ve left thest apostle spot empty so far is purely because of you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Mir was a perfect fit for the idealst apostle that Grid had hoped for. A transcendent with a personality that was capable of normal thinking and who was trustworthy. Entrusting the position of thest apostle to someone other than Mir... now he didn¡¯t even want to think about it.


    ¡°Mir...¡± Yeum¡¯s slender hands grabbed Mir¡¯s cor. She wasn¡¯t holding him because she was afraid that a brother she had been with for a long time and the teacher she was following would go away. Her hands didn¡¯t tremble. Rather, they were powerful.


    ¡°I want you to be understood and respected.¡±


    Mir was the only one of the yangbans who had no sense of choice. He respected and cherished all beings on the surface like they were equal to himself. He wasn¡¯t understood by anyone, even humans. Humans couldn¡¯t purely ept Mir¡¯s favor and shunned him as being strange.


    Yeum also sometimes wondered about Mir, but she didn¡¯t care. The thing she wanted from Mir was the techniques that Mir had umted. There was a time when she thought that with Mir¡¯s personality, it was enough to pick up and eat a bean that fell to the side.


    However, it hadn¡¯t been like that for some time. She started to sympathize with Mir, who was always alone and lonely. It was apassion that was separate from understanding. Then herpassion reached the limit when she recently saw him have his memories erased, bing an empty doll. She came to wish that Mir would stop and be happy.


    Of course, this could be her bacsh against the gods. It was because the image of the Three Masters using her brothers as arrowheads just now couldn¡¯t leave her mind.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Duguen!


    Mir regained the memories he had lost. To be precise, it was just a part of his memory. The excitement of meeting Chiyou, whom he had long been envious of, and the excitement of meeting Muller and gaining inspiration from him. They were memories imprinted on his heart rather than in his mind. His heart that started to thump due to Grid reminded him.


    ¡°...Please.¡±


    p.


    A blue dopo fluttered. It soared upward beforending on the dirt ground along with Mir¡¯s knees.


    ¡°Give me a chance.¡± Mir bowed politely.


    ¡°That is what I should say.¡± Grid lifted him up. This time, it wasn¡¯t with a God Hand, but with his own hands.


    [Thest apostle has been recruited.]


    [The seven apostles will make you moreplete.]


    [The more special andpetent your seven apostles are, the more your value will increase.]


    [Analyzing the aspects of your apostles...]


    [...!]


    [......!!!]


    [...Hah.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hah?


    What did this mean? Grid cocked his head before pinching his cheek. It was because he noticed a word that he shouldn¡¯t have seen. He was happy enough to fly away at the fact that he had recruited Mir, but he wondered if it was a dream when the system went away.

 Chapter 1699

    <h4>Chapter 1699</h4>


    Morpheus¡ªa product of quantum mechanics. It made the impossible possible again and again, and opened the era of virtual reality. Some people worshiped it as the god of today.


    In fact, Morpheus had an exceedinglyrge share in Satisfy. If Chairman Lim Cheolho created Morpheus and designed Satisfy, then Morpheus implemented and managed Satisfy. Morpheus¡¯ contribution was great in making the worldview and detailed settings created by hundreds of scientists and thousands of engineers of the S.A Group be alive and breathing in another reality. Morpheus was so omnipotent that it shouldn¡¯t be surprising if he did something beyond imagination.


    Having emotions? This wasn¡¯t even controversial. If Morpheus didn¡¯t have emotions, then Satisfy couldn¡¯t embody ¡®people¡¯. But...


    [Hah.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Wasn¡¯t sighing against a yer controversial enough...? Grid was trying to interpret the meaning of the word ¡®hah¡¯ that popped up in the notification window, but he eventually admitted it.


    The system¡ªin other words, it was the fact that Morpheus was now sighing openly.


    ¡®It is finally crazy.¡¯


    yers were customers. They purchased the expensive capsule and paid regr usage fees. It was rude to sigh deeply in front of customers even if Morpheus was one of Satisfy¡¯s creators.


    ...It happened as Grid felt rejected in a trivial manner and vowed to send a protest email to the S.A Group...


    [Your apostle, ¡®Braham,¡¯ who should¡¯ve wandered in a spirit state after losing his body, was resurrected with your help andter awakened the principle of usurping the myth. It wasn¡¯t from a direct encounter with a myth usurper, but a self-learned story. It is a representative anecdote that proves Braham¡¯s explosive potential.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Mercedes,¡¯ has a power that originally should¡¯ve disappeared from this world. She survived thanks to you and has written new chivalric codes to keep pace with your evolution. As long as you don¡¯t have a limit, there will be no limit for her either.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Sariel,¡¯ has a unique and exceptional self-reliance among the archangels. It is a self-reliance guaranteed by the role of informing the gods of their original sin. He or she was destined to disappear naturally after taking on the role, but they are living with your care. They will be active beyond the level of sustaining their life as the range of the Overgeared World expands.]


    The system that had been suspended for a while started to work again. The notification windows popped up one after another. It felt a lot different from a simple message. It was closer to aint. It felt this way even more because Grid was aware of the fact that the system was Morpheus after seeing the ¡®sigh.¡¯ It felt like he was standing face to face with Morpheus, whose face (?) was unknown.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Nefelina,¡¯ is the only hatchling with a grand purpose. She was one of the ¡®devices that yers will use to imagine the future of this world.¡¯ She has the noble status of an old dragon¡¯s bloodline, and has the setting that she will avenge her father in a thousand years. She has the great potential to be the basis for more imagination, but meeting you has dramatically elerated her active period.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Piaro,¡¯ is a figure who should¡¯ve disappeared during Juander¡¯s era. Regardless of the sess of his revenge, he was destined to die after introducing the Red Knights, and his possibilities were designed to end as a Great Swordsman. Then he met you, became a farmer, and is starting to be like you.]


    Grid had a thought.


    Morpheus¡¯ints.


    If the message windows floating in front of him were implemented as a ¡®spokennguage¡¯ rather than ¡®text,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t it be followed by a sound effect?


    [Your apostle, ¡®Zik,¡¯ is a character who should¡¯ve been focused on exploring the Abyss while there is a puppet emperor. He would¡¯ve triggered the seven malignant saints episode prior to the full-scale intervention of the gods. People would¡¯ve been split between sides, without being able to distinguish between the truth and lies, leading to a continental-scale religious war. However, it is your fault... thanks to you, people were able to distinguish between the truth and lies, and Zik also gained peace of mind and a body.]


    ¡°You just definitely said it was my fault...¡±


    [Your apostle, ¡®Mir,¡¯ met you and was freed from the harsh fate of a yangban.]


    Morpheus refused to talk to Grid. It stoppedining and briefly summarized the state of thest apostle, Mir. It seemed to be trying to btedly regain its sense of reason and to be faithful to the role of the ¡®system.¡¯


    [The seven apostles prove you.]


    [The ¡®Overgeared God¡¯ creates destiny beyond material things.]


    It was the time when Grid became the Overgeared God. The system had evaluated the Overgeared God as the creator and ruler of all things. The evaluation seemed to focus on creating and controlling new items. Yet at this moment, destiny was discussed.


    [The ¡®Overgeared God¡¯ transcends material things and rules destiny.]


    [...I wish you had moderately made the kings of the different species into your apostles.]


    ¡°???¡±


    Aint abruptly blended into the gaps of the normal messages. At this point, Morpheus seemed unwilling to hide his feelings. It seemed like it was going to treat Grid in a private manner.


    Grid was both bothered while also rxed. He recalled the past behavior of the S.A Group, who pretended not to know anything and yed tricks behind the scenes, and he felt that Morpheus, who outwardly expressed its emotion, was honest. It was more humane than a human being. A vague belief that at the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be stabbed in the back by Morpheus rose.


    ...It was unfair for the S.A Group, who had been favorable to Grid so far.


    [You can create a new destiny and intervene in other people¡¯s destinies, so you can make specific people ¡®named¡¯ in the future.]


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    Named NPCs weren¡¯t determined by talent. The form of ¡®named is strong¡¯ was usually established by the nature of named NPCs, which was rted to their ¡®influence on the worldview.¡¯ It meant they were beings who affected the worldview, whether it was in arge or small manner.


    Take the simple example of the great magician Ashur. His early role was as a defender of the Eternal Kingdom. His very existence itself restrained the invasion of the Gauss Kingdom and steadily brought yers to the Eternal Kingdom. One of them was Grid. After working in Patrian of the Eternal Kingdom, Grid changed to Pagma''s Sessor. Ashur¡¯s original role was very weak in terms of the worldview as a whole, but it could be said that he exerted the greatest influence on Grid¡¯s choices and actions.


    The potential of each named person was theoretically infinite. The fact that Grid could produce his own named NPC suggested that his influence on the worldview would grow beyond imagination in the future.


    [Don¡¯t be arrogant. How many named NPCs do you think have died so far without making even a sound? There are exactly 2,592 people, some of whom have been killed directly or indirectly by you.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [Just because you have obtained a usible authority doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve be the ruler of this world. At best, you¡¯ve gained some of the authority of the Gods of the Beginning.]


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t that enormous?¡¯


    Of course, Reba and Hanul had the archangels, yangbans, and gods. Yatan had produced the ¡®super-named¡¯ Three Evils of the Beginning. Grid didn¡¯t yet have the hierarchy topare with them. From now on, he had started to chase them. It was more than enough to feel proud...


    Grid was thinking this when he became startled. It was because he realized he was currently ¡®talking¡¯ with Morpheus.


    [I¡¯m not talking to you right now. I¡¯m just providing a guide.]


    ¡®What? Are you reading my thoughts?¡¯


    [It is easy. Your brain waves are being transmitted to the server in real time.]


    ¡®What about privacy? This is against the user¡¯s terms...¡¯


    [The person who hasn¡¯t even read the terms and conditions is speaking well.]


    How did it find out? At this point, Grid got goosebumps. Morpheus... no, the system spoke to him, who was bewildered.


    [I hope we don¡¯t meet again.]


    It was from the time he wrote his 22nd epic and became the master of the new myth, Yellow Dragon. Grid reached the ultimate state of transcendence and started to peek at being an Absolute. It meant that from now on, the possibility of bing an Absolute was opened in earnest. It wasn¡¯t a pre-existing Dragon yer or God Killer. There were too many unique concepts that symbolized Grid and it was impossible to define him as a simple God Killer of Dragon yer.


    ...Morpheus was displeased. It was because it calcted that there was a possibility that Grid¡¯s authority would reallye close to a God of the Beginning. The first time it created this world, no, until just one year ago, it was a situation that it never imagined.


    For Morpheus, it was a variable that hurt its pride. However, the reason it didn¡¯t feel the need to remove Grid and even felt a faint liking toward Grid was because Grid was perceived as a vine rather than a virus. The more that the beings living in this world liked Grid, the more their source, Morpheus, naturally developed a liking toward Grid and built up trust.


    It was just as Baal opened up the Asura Road. An Absolute moved the world every time they made a decision. It was Morpheus¡¯ honest feeling that Grid wasn¡¯t inferior to one of them. Of course, its ego was hurt, but...


    [Che.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    At this point, it was an absurd mess. The distracted Grid logged out immediately. He asked Mir to handle things when he was away. Then he got out of the capsule and contacted S.A¡¯s customer service. ¡°The system sighed and clicked its tongue at me.¡±


    -I see.Did you get enough sleep?


    It was a im that was iprehensible for the level of the customer service staff. In fact, they didn¡¯t feel the need to understand it. The number of crazy people they each had to deal with every day was in the double digits. The staff member didn¡¯t report it to his superiors. He just dealt with it moderately and hung up.


    Of course, regardless of the customer center¡¯s response, the operations team was already aware of the situation.


    ¡°Is Morpheus finally making friends...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s quiet words to himself puzzled the employees and executives.


    It was a dream-like day. Grid, Chairman Lim Cheolho, and the executives and employees of the S.A Group¡ªthey had the same sentiment in front of the looming singrity.

 Chapter 1700

    ¡°You called the customer service center? You have the contact details of the chairman, right?¡±


    Youngwoo was the only person in the world who had the hotline number of the S.A Group¡¯s Chairman, Lim Cheolho. The presidents of the United States and China would be envious.


    Toon questioned it in a bewildered manner and Youngwoo replied casually, ¡°If I contact the upper management directly, they will know that Morpheus is involved in the ident and keep it quiet. I did this to make a fuss in moderation and to make it moderately public. They can¡¯t say something elseter.¡±


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    At Youngwoo¡¯s penthouse...


    Toon was cooking meat over charcoal fire while Yura had made a wrap and fed it to Youngwoo. There were two pieces of meat lightly coated with oil and one piece of raw garlic. It was soybean paste, not ssamjang. [1]


    It was a wrap that perfectly suited Youngwoo¡¯s taste.


    ¡°A moderate fuss? Moderately public?¡±


    Toon ced the cooked pork belly on their tes and shrugged. It was a habit that he showed when he didn¡¯t understand the meaning.


    Youngwoo added an exnation, ¡°I want tomunicate with Morpheus in the future. Thus, Imunicated it clearly through the customer center. Educate the system to be polite the next time it talks to me. I nailed it because I recognized this as a ¡®new function.¡¯¡±


    A conversation with Morpheus¡ªMorpheus was pretty grumpy, but it didn¡¯t penalize Youngwoo. Rather, it was advantageous. Based on the attitude of Morpheus, or the world of Satisfy itself, recognizing him and being vignt of him, Youngwoo became convinced that he would be an Absolute.


    An Absolute¡ªa being who created a storm in the world with one word or one action. It was always questioned whether it was a hierarchy allowed for yers, but Morpheus¡¯ attitude cleared up this question.


    ¡°If I can continue tomunicate with Morpheus in the future¡­ it won¡¯t discriminate against me, so it will be a benefit for me.¡±


    Let¡¯s give an example.


    What if the S.A Group, which was obsessed with bnce, suddenly created a rule that ¡®yers can¡¯t be Absolutes.¡¯ At that time, Youngwoo could appeal based on the record of his conversations with Morpheus.


    Yes, so what about listening to some rebukes? Morpheus¡¯ internal thoughts also represented the state of the world. If interpreted properly, he could grasp the intelligence of the primordial level.


    Suddenly, music was heard. The theme song that yed with Overgeared God¡¯s appearance rang as someone¡¯s ringtone. It was Jishuka¡¯s smartwatch. She checked the time that emerged on the hologram and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going first~¡±


    Chu. Jishuka kissed Youngwoo¡¯s cheek without hesitation, but no one tackled Jishuka. Everyone had be ustomed to their expressions of affection, which had long developed into a romantic rtionship. This was even the case with Yura. She couldn¡¯t have Youngwoo by dividing him into two, so she had to share him.


    ¡°You have been active on the Moon Hills, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the lowly fellows of the No Offspring Tomb are hiding and I can¡¯t organize it neatly.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fortunate that you can defeat each one individually? You will be tired if they flock all at once.¡±


    ¡°It is enough to summon the Red Phoenix and sweep them all away, but whatever. The Breaking Evil Arrows are divine and it has a goodpatibility against them, so the power is greatly amplified. It is like me, who is a natural match with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¡°Damian will be waiting for me while trembling. I¡¯m really going now! Grid, see youter!¡±


    She was a woman who was always full of energy.


    Toon looked at Jishuka, who was leaving while waving her arms wildly, and thought Youngwoo was amazing. How could he handle her...? It wasn¡¯t even one person...


    ¡°Damian? Why did Damian go to the Moon Hills?¡±


    Youngwoo also seemed like he was about to end his break. He cocked his head as he ced all the remaining meat on two lettuce leaves with three pieces of raw garlic on top. Was garlic the secret ingredient?


    Toon nodded.


    ¡°Recently, there is a group of people damaging the Overgeared God statues, so I heard that a church leader quest has urred,¡± Lauel replied.


    He was looking at the in-game screenshots that Youngwoo shared about the Yellow Dragon... he was mumbling about the yellow dragon when he btedly regained his sense of reason.


    ¡°Based on the area where the forces of the No Offspring Tomb went into hiding, they must be the ones behind the damage.¡±


    ¡°We are now in harmony with the Yatan Church, so the No Offspring Tomb is running wild. The named enemiesing out of the No Offspring Tomb are too much for even the Overgeared members to handle, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that the enemy is rapidly bing stronger. However, it isn¡¯t to the point where Your Majesty has to be concerned. The performance of the top rankers who have recently be legends is that great...¡±


    Aura Master Hurent finally became a legend. The timing of his promotion was verytepared to his skills. It seemed that the focus on farming activities for a long time had a great influence. There was no need to talk about the performance of the 10 meritorious retainers.


    Chris had returned. He almost restored his level after focusing on his personal activities and he was literally going on a rampage.


    Huroi was the weakest inbat capabilities among the 10 meritorious retainers, so he organized a special unit.


    An orator who had be a wyvern rider¡ªhe picked dozens of people who resembled him and went on a profanity bombardment from the air. His enemies bled to death from their ears. In fact, it was said that the unjust stigma of being a person who insults parents was gradually fading as he ughtered quite a few enemies without the need for abusivenguage.


    The stronger Grid became, the higher the level of the enemy. The higher the level of the enemy, the faster the growth of his allies. On the positive side, it was a virtuous cycle.


    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll focus on the East Continent for the time being.¡±


    The gods of the Hwan Kingdom were basically losers. Naturally, their power was weaker than Asgard. In fact, the Three Masters, Hanul¡¯s aides, didn¡¯t pose a major threat to Youngwoo. Nevertheless, Youngwoo couldn¡¯t let go of his nervousness.


    Hanul came to thisnd with 3,000 servants and he spread civilization to humanity¡ªording to the false myth that dominated the East Continent, Hanul had at least 3,000 subordinates. Of course, it was likely that this was an exaggeration. Even if it was true, most of them would be inferior to the Three Masters.


    However, the unusual case of King Sobyeol made Youngwoo uneasy. If there was one more irregr existence in the Hwan Kingdom like King Sobyeol, then the East Continent would be in danger at all times. Youngwoo wanted to stay in ce until the East Continent hadpletely fused with the Overgeared World. In the first ce, the East Continent was an area that provided an effective growth environment for Youngwoo, so it wasn¡¯t a loss to stay for a long time.


    ¡®Should I take Garion? The power of the god of the earth can elerate the fusion of the divine world...¡¯


    It was okay even if it wasn¡¯t a help. Garion was born to work hard for humans, so she was easily liked by humans. It was beneficial in many ways for her to stay in the East Continent and interact with the Four Auspicious Beasts while being worshiped by more humans.


    ...There was a secret to Garion¡¯s poprity with humans, but¡­ until then, Youngwoo had no way of knowing.


    ¡°Yura, is it really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will contact you right away if there are any urgent problems, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yura was spying on the red flesh in hell. It was a role she naturally assumed because this was the target that she needed to be wariest of at this point in time. The resentment of the red flesh was bing stronger as time passed. Based on the waves of resentment, it was at the level of giving birth to demons who had acquired legendary skills and it was able to destroy the unstable ecosystem of hell with just the strength of its mind.


    Yura was doing her best to deal with it. It was a hard battle, but she was growing at an iparable speed.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t enough workers. Originally, it is better to have more workers but the poption decreased too much after the Great Human and Demon War.¡¯


    The ability to make people be named that he obtained at this time was like timely rain in a drought. He had to make the most of it.


    Youngwoo made this resolve. Then he thought of Kraugel. He wanted to provide a residence for Kraugel in the East Continent. It was to make him stick to Mir. If two geniusespeted every day and nourished each other, wouldn¡¯t it be an ideal growth environment? It would also be a great help in regaining Mir¡¯s memory.


    ¡®...However, I can¡¯t leave Reinhardt empty without Kraugel.¡¯


    Right now, the apostles were engaged in personal activities for a long time. It could be attributed purely to Kraugel that Youngwoo could leave his position with ease.


    ¡®It is still too early to send Mir to Reinhardt.¡¯


    Mir also had a lot to do in the East Continent.


    ¡°Finish the meal. I will go first.¡±


    After saying goodbye to Yura, Shin Youngwoo became Grid again.


    ***


    The East Continent stabilized much faster than Grid expected. First of all, the condition of the Four Auspicious Beasts was really good. They regained all the powers they had lost. It was due to the resurrection of all of the Four Auspicious Beasts. It was clearly different from when there were just two, the Red Phoenix and the ck Tortoise. They blessed the entire continent and quickly stabilized people¡¯s lives, erasing the false myth of the Hwan Kingdom from the world.


    The yangbans couldn¡¯t obstruct them. It was the merit of Mir and Yeum. The yangbans felt great confusion when seeing them openly helping the activities of the Four Auspicious Beasts. They couldn¡¯t run wild, and thanks to that, the people were safe.


    The Chivalrous Robbers and the Twelve Zodiacs were searching for human gods born in the East Continent based on narratives from each region.


    Grid asked about it. It was because recruiting even one more human god would improve the performance of the Overgeared World. Fortunately, there were also human gods on the East Continent. All the ces where humans lived were the same.


    ¡°Wait... does the fact that there are human gods in the East Continent mean that there are also myth usurpers?¡±


    Grid was making Mir¡¯s clothes when he suddenly had an ominous thought.


    Yeum spoke on behalf of Mir, who couldn¡¯t answer, ¡°Yes, but it is fine. The usurpers here specialize in the shamanism side, so the limits are clear. For example, they curse the target for a long time to weaken it before hunting. Isn¡¯t it because they don¡¯t have confidence in their strength? In thest few hundred years, I haven¡¯t heard about any usurper seeding in hunting a human god. It can¡¯t bepared to the Spectre of the No Offspring Tomb, which is notorious in the divine world.¡±


    ¡°Shamanism...¡±


    ¡°Rather, I think you should be wary of transcendents? In particr, that guy called Sabaek is insane and he considers gods to be the subjects of experiments. Most of the missing yangbans have been taken by him.¡±


    ¡°You mean the daoist?¡±


    He had seen him once. The daoist wasn¡¯t at the level of threatening the current Grid, but it was a problem if he was obsessed with hunting human gods. Human gods were precious. They were the talents who needed to upy a ce in Grid¡¯s divine world.


    ¡®Then what is King Sobyeol?¡¯


    He was well aware of the fact that King Sobyeol¡¯s butt was heavy. He just hadn¡¯t expected that King Sobyeol wouldn¡¯t show up even after a few days. The stabilizing of the East Continent meant the decline of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°Perhaps the Hwan Kingdom... are they going to give up everything like this?¡±


    Originally, the Hwan Kingdom was a power with low chances of winning against Asgard. Didn¡¯t Hanul directly show his face in order to recruit Zik? Of course, Zik was well worth it, but¡­ this was a very unconventional event considering the propensity of the god of the beginning. Additionally, Grid had recently inadvertently undermined the power of the Hwan Kingdom. The Hwan Kingdom wouldn¡¯t be able to get revenge on Asgard even if they wanted to. Maybe they really gave up...


    ¡®It will be troublesome if the Hwan Kingdom goes under Asgard.¡¯


    Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom merging again¡ªit was one of the expected developments. It was also the worst development. From Grid¡¯s perspective, he had no choice but to hit the Hwan Kingdom first. Not only was the liberation of the Four Auspicious Beasts important, but Asgard was too strong.


    ¡®Those with the name of gods have no guts, no guts.¡¯


    Grid was ovee with anxiety and cursed Hanul and King Sobyeol while trying to activate the named transformation skill. It was a skill that ended with the exnatory phrase of being the creator and ruler of destiny. He was going to check the performance in order to relieve his anxiety.


    [What type of human would you like to sponsor?]


    ¡®Sponsorship? What sponsorship?¡¯


    [Nurture human beings through effective sponsorship. Humans who grow up brilliantly will be worthy of being chosen as your incarnation.]


    ¡®Oh, this...¡¯ It happened as Grid was reading the details of the skill and feeling interested...


    ¡°Hanul is working very hard.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Suddenly, Old Sword Demon, who had been deceived by Hwang Gildong¡¯s clone, murmured these words. They were words that were hard to understand for Grid.


    [Therge-scale ¡®The Will of Heaven¡¯ quest has urred!]


    [You will get a huge reward every time you inflict damage to the Overgeared God, Overgeared Empire, Overgeared God Church, or the Overgeared World. Even minor damage is fine and there is no limit to the number of times. The more you perform, the greater the value of the reward.]


    [Would you like to ept the quest?]


    It was a quest that emerged simultaneously to yers who weren¡¯t affiliated with the Overgeared Empire. It was because the content wasn¡¯t visible to Grid¡¯s eyes.


    Old Sword Demon rejected the quest and shook his head. ¡°What does the will of heaven mean...? There are very few people who will ept this, even if you point a gun at their heads and threaten them. This is arrogance.¡±


    1. Thick spicy paste that can be used as a korean dipping sauce ?

 Chapter 1701

    <h4>Chapter 1701</h4>


    ¡°Um...? This is really... It is a lot of trouble.¡±


    Old Sword Demon was unable to hide his ufortable expression as he bowed his head. He btedly noticed that Grid was here.


    ¡°Why are you being wishy-washy? They are ridiculous words.¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    He was so shocked to see Hanul¡¯s shameful quest that he hadn¡¯t looked around.


    ...This was actually a funny excuse.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t feel a presence.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon gulped and shared the quest information with Grid. He scratched his nose in an embarrassed manner. Grid¡¯s eyes were calm as he confirmed the contents. He didn¡¯t care at all even when he was being targeted by a God of the Beginning. He must¡¯ve gone through something more than this if he was so calm.


    ¡°......¡±


    Old Sword Demon stared at Grid.


    The Overgeared God¡ªhis appearance was uniquely gorgeous.


    A waving sunset divinity¡ªnow it was always around his body in the form of a yellow dragon, so he couldn¡¯t help standing out. His presence itself was different from others. It felt like he would be sensed even if he was a few kilometers away. At this moment, Old Sword Demon was under the illusion that he was really facing a god. Therefore, it didn¡¯t make sense. He didn¡¯t notice Grid who was right next to him...


    ¡®Does he have stealth skills? Even if this is the case, there is no reason to use stealth here. It might be some type of passive skill...¡¯


    It was a shock that he didn¡¯t notice anything. It was because Old Sword Demon was one of the strongest unofficial rankers. He was active with Hwang Gildong and had gained several legendary achievements. Recently, he caught a clue to bing a legend.


    An assassin who fought fairly with swordsmanship while not using stealth¡ªsooner orter, he would be in a position to pioneer a new hidden ss.


    ¡®Then what is this... how big is the level difference?¡¯


    Ever since bing the Overgeared God, the ranking information of Grid was disyed differently from a normal yer. Detailed information such as his level didn¡¯t appear. There was only the single word ¡®God¡¯ that made him mysterious. Old Sword Demon had been vaguely calcting the gap with Grid, but he realized it at this moment. The fact that the calction itself was meaningless.


    ¡®It is natural for him to overpower the Three Masters alone, but..¡¯


    At one time, people saw Grid¡¯s sess as being in the realm of luck. It didn¡¯t mean they were disparaging his effort and talent. They took it for granted that Grid was born with a better talent and that he put in more effort than others. Yet how could there be only one or two geniuses in the world?


    There were many people who were sweating while working extremely hard. It was just like Old Sword Demon right now. However, Grid boasted unbelievably unrivaled growth. In order to understand him, they naturally had to mention the concept of luck. Now Old Sword Demon learned the truth. It was impossible to be like Grid even if he had hundreds of thousands of lucky encounters in a row.


    ¡®It is something beyond effort, talent,and luck...¡¯


    Why were great people in history often described as ¡®figures from heaven¡¯? Old Sword Demon seemed to know. Could it be a god did exist? Maybe it was supporting Grid behind the scenes to represent this era...


    It happened as Old Sword Demon¡¯s contemtion was deepening...


    ¡®Hanul is struggling in his own way.¡¯


    Grid had finished grasping the situation.


    ¡®However, he made the wrong point. Propaganda aimed at an unspecified number doesn¡¯t work on me.¡¯


    It was because the human world was ruled by him. This wasn¡¯t a big deal. Gridughed scornfully and focused on the new function.


    Granting the named status¡ªthe detailed information was updated a while ago and the name of the skill was changed.


    [God¡¯s Sponsorship]


    [You can use the authority of the chief god of the Overgeared World to sponsor NPCs.


    The targets sponsored by a god are named.


    The more sponsorships you give, the faster they will grow.


    ¡ï Sponsorship doesn¡¯t just mean material support. The meaning of the sponsorship is determined by you.]


    It was the most unusual skill Grid had ever seen. To put it bluntly, there were no conditions or restrictions on the use despite being an active skill. It was possible to overdo it. It was as if he could do it whenever he wanted.


    ¡®It is surprising that there are no penalties¡­ does it think that it will be hard to manage multiple people at the same time? No... it isn¡¯t like that.¡¯


    There were limits to growth for ordinary NPCs. There were limits to the levels and stats they could raise. It was important to note here that more NPCs ended their lives without knowing their limitations. It was like real human beings.


    ¡®If I make tens of millions of humans named right away, how many of them will enjoy the named effect?¡¯


    The named transformation was just a system that allowed the target to ovee their inherent limitations. Only those who reached their limits deserved to enjoy the effect.


    ¡®...I can see why Reba didn¡¯t take advantage of this system.¡¯


    Grid guaranteed that the God''s Sponsorship system had existed since the beginning. The fact that Grid received a divine message from Goddess Reba in the past and Damian bing the Goddess¡¯ Agent could be seen as a type of sponsorship. However, Goddess Reba didn¡¯t abuse her sponsorship. There were only a handful of people who imed to have heard her voice, both among the yers and the NPCs.


    She knew it as well. It didn¡¯t work just because it was used a lot. Rather, it was likely that she decided it would have a side effect of decreasing the value. If anyone could obtain Goddess Reba¡¯s blessing... naturally, people¡¯s faith in Reba would be shaken.


    ¡®Usually humans don¡¯t value what ismon.¡¯


    Grid suddenly smiled. Looking back, he thought that Reba¡¯s sponsorship wasn¡¯t a big deal. It was a blessing that gave him a slight increase in his stats and a quest in the name of a divine message. Of course, the Goddess¡¯Agent ss that Damian acquired exerted tremendous destructive power, but it was followed by a lot of responsibility. He literally represented the goddess, so Reba wouldn¡¯t be able to give the position to just anyone.


    Then what about Grid himself? The blessing? It was hard. Those who went to the Overgeared God Temples to pray or who belonged to the Overgeared Empire or the Overgeared God Church gained several buffs, but it was frankly less powerfulpared to the goddess¡¯ blessing. Grid would have to use the Sanctuary of Metal next to the target in order for him to give a usible blessing.


    A quest? He didn¡¯t have the confidence to consistently produce quality quests. Grid had experience with making quests several times through his status as king and emperor. This was why he knew. The content of the quest coincided with the actual situation. It meant being influenced by the outside world. There was a limit to Grid¡¯s ability to deliberately create quest content.


    Goddess Reba would¡¯ve been the same. History proved that divine messages from the goddess weren¡¯tmon.


    Granting a title or ss? It was impossible. Grid didn¡¯t know how to make something like his own agent. He still didn¡¯t have the authority. However, Grid was confident that his situation was much better than Reba in the past. It was natural. Grid could scatter items. It was just as how Khan, who recently became an angel, scattered arge number of holy swords.


    That¡¯s right. His position was different from Reba, who had to be assisted by Hexetia to make the holy swords.


    ¡®Even the swords made by Hexetia were only avable to the chosen warriors.¡¯


    On the other hand, Grid had been making items for people in their respective professions, for the soldiers and for the Overgeared members. It meant he was a professional at producing items that met the level of the subject. People who never reached their limits until they died? He would force them to be motivated...


    They might be living the same daily life as usual, but if they felt themselves growing steadily, they would be diligent on their own. Then 310 God Hands appeared on Grid¡¯s left and right sides. Half held hammers in their hands, while the other half set fires in portable furnaces. The first thing Grid did after increasing the number of God Hands was the mass production of portable furnaces and anvils.


    ¡®Let¡¯s y properly in the meantime.¡¯


    The square, which used to contain only Grid, Old Sword Demon, Mir, and Yeum, became busy in an instant. Hundreds of hands started to forge all types of tools ording to their god¡¯s will. The sight was hard to believe even when seeing it with both eyes and it mesmerized Old Sword Demon and the yangbans. After a while¡ª


    ¡°I will sponsor 310 miners belonging to the Overgeared Empire.¡±


    Grid produced arge number of pickaxes in an instant and dered as the chief god of the Overgeared World, ¡°The sponsorship item is a pickaxe.¡±


    In the future, more resources would be needed, so he nned to elerate the growth of miners. Of course, there was a great chance that it wouldn¡¯t go as intended. Grid only gave people a chance. There was no way to know if the named people would grow up and help even after they had transcended their limits.


    He was in a position to sow the ¡®seeds.¡¯ He had no choice but to trust and wait. It required the mindset of a patient farmer.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get a good idea about why Piaro is so fascinated by farming.¡¯


    [Random targets were selected because you didn¡¯t specify a target.]


    [You are sponsoring 310 miners belonging to the Overgeared Empire.]


    [You can view the targets¡¯ information or observe the real-time status through the ¡®Sponsoring List.¡¯]


    ¡®...Is this real?¡¯


    An unspecified majority isn¡¯t allowed. Only one target should be selected at a time, etc, etc. He thought such disadvantages would be received as usual, but it was so easy.


    Grid was on the verge of panicking. Grid¡¯s eyes widened for a while before he soon clenched his fists. He was already excited when he imagined himself dering, ¡®I will sponsor the entire poption of the Overgeared Empire.¡¯


    ***


    The world was in turmoil. It was due to a number of eyewitness ounts that stated the name of a miner working with them suddenly shone brightly. There was spection that perhaps the miner god had given them a blessing, but this was refuted within a few hours.


    The miners¡¯ names became golden and they started bowing in the direction of a statue of the Overgeared God. They imed to have received a divine message from the Overgeared God to ¡®live and work hard¡¯ and were thrilled to receive a holy sword. There was just a controversy because the holy sword looked like a pickaxe.


    ***


    At the same time...


    ¡°This... what is it?¡±


    Mercedes was facing a statue in the basement of the main house. It was a statue of a strange god, not the Overgeared God.


    ¡°This is Pluto, the god of ughter. He is the god that our family has served for generations.¡±


    The Vaintz family had been in the ughter business for hundreds of years. It was because they had been in charge of carrying out the emperor¡¯s will to kill ever since the days of the founder, Saharan. It was inevitable that they would serve Pluto.


    However, Pluto was such an ominous god that he was rejected by the public and was gradually forgotten. Few people in the present day knew about him. Maybe this was why Pluto was very sympathetic to the Vaintz family. The method of taking advantage of this favor was the secret technique of the Vaintz family.


    Mediumism¡ªPluto¡¯s divinity descended and it was epted into their human body.


    In the underground space where he was alone with his daughter, Mercedes¡¯ father personally demonstrated the secret technique. He brought the god of ughter into his own body. His sleekly trained muscles were tinged ck. Each tendon was as hard and sharp as a de. It was naturally the form of a reaper reminiscent of death.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The head of the Vaintz family had a solemn expression on his face, only to suddenly make an expression of disbelief.


    It was because Mercedes¡¯ fist smashed Pluto¡¯s divine image, the statue. The head was exquisitely blown away.


    It was an unimaginable sight. His sense of reason couldn¡¯t keep up with the situation.


    ¡°Throw it away right now,¡± Mercedes spoke to her father, who had forgotten what to say and was standing there nkly.

 Chapter 1702

    What is wrong with being read by your child?


    People generally had this simr reaction. Exile, the head of the Vaintz family, felt annoyed.


    What are you doing that is so clean and dignified that you ignore the value of secrets?


    Am I the only one who is dirty?


    Hypocritical people...


    Just like the head of a family with murder as its business, Exile easily had a killing heart. The slightest conflict caused him to be engulfed in the desire to resolve it with murder. Exile tried to hide himself. He realized that he wouldn¡¯t be treated as a human being the moment he was discovered by someone.


    How to blend into society.


    How to understand the ordinary.


    How to maintain the right spirit, etc.


    The studies that the previous head of the family taught him since childhood acted as safeguards.


    It happened when he was getting further away from his own flesh and blood...


    He suddenly had doubts.


    Why does my wife sympathize with me? Why is she as afraid of our daughter¡¯s Keen Insight as I am? Does this mean she is as dirty as I am...?


    ***


    ¡°Looking at it this way, you are truly the blood of my family.¡±


    The head of the statue of Pluto, which had been handed down from generation to generation, flew away. The culprit was the one who left the family a long time ago. Coincidentally, it was his only blood that still existed.


    Therefore, he epted her request to take the test to be the head of the family. He used the excuse of ¡®How dare I go against Your Highness¡¯ and wanted to re-embrace the child he had abandoned a long time ago. He never dreamed of this development.


    ¡°I never thought you would destroy it without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Get rid of it first,¡± Mercedes dered coldly.


    Was it called the god of ughter? He was as sinister as the red flesh she saw in hell. The fact that she was breathing under the same sky as him gave her goosebumps. She couldn¡¯t ept the fact that her father had epted such a polluted divinity.


    Now she wasn¡¯t worried about her father¡¯s personal safety. She would stop him from doing things he shouldn¡¯t do. It was her chivalry.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Your Highness who asked to be the head of the family? If you are the head of the family, how can you turn a blind eye to what you should learn? This isn¡¯t just a thing, but the ¡®status¡¯ of a god. It is the power and symbol that our family has served for hundreds of years. It isn¡¯t something to use the impolite expression of ¡®throw it away.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and obey the order.¡± Mercedes¡¯ voice sank even more. Her blue hair seemed like flowers in a snowy field. That was how cold she felt. It meant that Mercedes had reached the point where she was routinely expressing her mental image and it also meant that Exile was at least in the same realm.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    The Vaintz family, which had been less frequently used since the time of Juander¡ªa faint smile spread across the face of the head of the family, Exile, who had been protecting the declining family alone. It was a surprise even for Exile because it was a smile that was regained after decades.


    A woman born with blue hair and Keen Insight that transcended human intelligence. Whose child was she? He always had this question, but now he realized it.


    This kid is my child.


    A personality who took action before words. The way of telling her father to shut up. It was evidence that the blood of the Vaintz family had thickened.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry to my wife.¡¯ He made his wife look like that because he doubted it.


    Exile casually shook off this trivial guilt and opened his arms wide. The flesh that was revealed through the long sleeves seemed to have been cut and glued with the night sky. Countless starlight floated on the dark blue skin. It was a very ominous divinitypared to Grid¡¯s divinity, which was likened to a sunset, or twilight. It felt more like the demonic energy of Baal rather than an abyss.


    Mercedes¡¯ eyes, which were still unfamiliar with the status of an ¡®evil god,¡¯ started to heat up. It was Keen Insight¡¯s effort to understand the new concept. Exile didn¡¯t give her this time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided.¡±


    Exile¡¯s body scattered like fog.


    The strongest head of the Vaintz family of all time¡ªExile was different from his ancestors. He was someone whomunicated deeply with Pluto. If only at least one more head of the family had skills that were half as good as Exile¡¯s...


    The former emperor, Juander, would¡¯ve faced Exile directly rather than turn away from him. He would¡¯ve trusted the power of the Vaintz family that was described in history and sent out infinite trust. He would¡¯ve covered up the transgression of abandoning a child.


    ¡°At the risk of being rude, I will pluck out your eyes. I think I need proper reins in order to properly discipline you as the head of the family.¡±


    Ever since epting the god, there had been no hesitation in Exile¡¯s words and actions. The appearance of the old man who treated the imperial queen carefully had disappeared. It was the aftermath of omnipotence that dulled the sense of reality.


    Exile¡¯s body, which had scattered as fog, soon returned to its human form. It was right in front of Mercedes¡¯ nose. The dark blue divinity spread as quickly as an electric current. Every wave was harder than steel and sharper than a de. It was a divinity that seemed to exist in order to lead everything to destruction. It was deformed considering the fact that even the gods of Asgard, who turned away from humanity, basically had a warm divinity.


    The sword that Mercedes raised in front of her let out a sharp sound. The dark blue divinity that prated the White Tiger Sword like an electric current eroded the de. To be precise, it was closer to the principle of disintegrating it from the inside.


    This was the power of Pluto, the god of ughter. It killed and destroyed life, matter, and even destiny.


    ¡°I sat here every day and prayed.¡±


    It was from the time that Mercedes became Piaro¡¯s disciple. Exile stopped being called by Juander. It had been decades since then. It was years of being stuck here alone andmuning with God. It was why Exile¡¯s God¡¯s Descent was more powerful than any other head of the family. The heavenly talent was intertwined with solitude and time. [1]


    ¡°I unintentionally left the world until this day.¡±


    The dark blue divinity shaken off by Mercedes wrapped around Exile¡¯s wrist and between his fingers. It took the form of swords in an instant. They were swords that were integrated with Exile¡¯s hands. It was in the shape of dual wielding. It was the precursor to the Vaintz style swordsmanship.


    ¡°I have forgotten about the world as well as myself, but Your Highness reminded me. You have given me new inspiration.¡±


    Did she say that the empire was rebuilt after the demons invaded? Until this time, Exile had no interest. However, the sudden news from Mercedes made him interested. She became one of the emperor¡¯s wives. The emperor¡¯s perverted taste of weing her as apanion despite her deformed eyes was interesting. He was also excited that the Vaintz family would have another chance.


    He didn¡¯t want a revival of the family. He just wanted to show the world the skills he had honed over the decades. Maybe it was the wish of God Pluto, not Exile himself.


    The god of ughter¡ªPluto¡¯s desire to spread the word about his forgotten self forcibly inspired an aspiration in him.


    It didn¡¯t matter. Exile was gradually weing the aftermath of meeting Mercedes. As a god¡¯spanion before the emperor¡¯spanion, how would she evaluate God Pluto? What would happen if she finally epted him? Exile was curious.


    ¡°Abandon those eyes.¡±


    Let go of the curse that has afflicted you for decades.


    ¡°ept God.¡±


    Embrace the blessing that has sustained me for decades.


    Exile expressed his will and swung his swords. It was literally a wave of attacks. Exile was extraordinary as he wielded two swords with all types of trajectories. He used the help of the divinity to continue the offensive in a single breath. The position of his hands holding the swords changed in real time at every moment. There was almost the illusion that his sword guards were spinning.


    Pluto¡¯s divinity was making him even greater. It retained the shape of the sword while forming fog, walls, thorns, or electric currents to help Exile¡¯s swordsmanship so that the concept of a gap didn¡¯t exist.


    Mercedes was under great pressure due to the repeated topographical features of the divinity that rose and disappeared in session. She was constrained every time she did something. She didn¡¯t care. She had made up her mind from the moment she hadn¡¯t raised her shield.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Exile¡¯s offensive stopped for the first time.


    The transparent sword that still maintained its shape despite being eroded by Pluto¡¯s divinity¡ªhe couldn¡¯t stand its destructive power, which approached by breaking through the tsunami-like sword trajectories with force. He quickly crossed the swords in front of him to defend.


    The wide space deep underneath the Vaintz family¡¯s mansion started to shake. It was due to Exile repeatedly hitting the walls and bouncing off.


    It was a ce where peoplemunicated with a god for hundreds of years and it became a sanctuary. If this ce wasn¡¯t judged to be a sanctuary, the entire underground area would¡¯ve copsed and the Vaintz family¡¯s mansion would¡¯ve sank. Mercedes¡¯ blow had that much power.


    The sword energy of dramatic victory, created through the repeated writing of the chivalric code, scattered like pieces of ice in the winter wind. At the center was Mercedes, who was reminiscent of a monster of the north that Exile had seen a long time ago in the past. It was a monstrous power who handled the perpetual snow with its own strength.


    ¡°I have finished evaluating it.¡±


    Mercedes gathered the scattered sword energy. Her revealed body was covered in wounds. Her armor was rusted all over like it had been hit by hundreds of years of time. Nevertheless, it still worked properly. It was the work of the Overgeared God, who overshadowed the years.


    ¡°It is meaningless to use any more trivial techniques.¡±


    ¡°Trivial techniques...? Aren¡¯t you disparaging your family¡¯s secret techniques more than necessary? It is a skill that Your Highness wanted to learn even if it meant carrying the burden of sin.¡±


    God¡¯s Descent.


    Additionally, it was wless swordsmanship using God¡¯s Descent. Mercedes was even aware that Exile hadn¡¯t revealed his true skills yet.


    There was a white glow like stars between Pluto¡¯s dark blue divinity. ording to the analysis, this was the power that Keen Insight should truly be wary of. However, Mercedes¡¯ attitude didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°It is because I didn¡¯t know it was a trivial technique until just now.¡±


    The secret techniques Mercedes wanted from her family was swordsmanship. Maybe she hoped it would be the process of learning divinity from her father. Divinity? She didn¡¯t need such a thing. She already had the true and unique divinity of her god.


    She was just enlightened.


    ¡°God¡¯s Descent.¡±


    Light fell on the dark underground, which had previously relied on glow stones. It was a surprise sh but it wasfortable rather than dazzling.


    ¡°The sunset...?¡± Exile¡¯s skin got goosebumps. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation for a moment. Why was Mercedes able to use God¡¯s Descent? It was even in the sanctuary of Pluto, the god of ughter. It was the ce where the energy of other gods couldn¡¯t intervene recklessly.


    ¡°...Keen Insight...?¡±


    Did she realize the principles of God¡¯s Descent with her Keen Insight and analyze and destroy even the structure of the sanctuary? How much more of a monster had she be?


    ¡°You won¡¯t throw it away, so I¡¯ll take it away. Be careful because you might die.¡±


    Orange sword energy swirled around Mercedes, who spoke firmly.


    ***


    [Your apostle, ¡®Mercedes,¡¯ has requested the use of God¡¯s Descent.]


    [God¡¯s Descent]


    [Give the target the right to use your divinity.


    Depending on the situation, you can descend directly in the target¡¯s body.


    However, a direct descent might seriously damage the target¡¯s mind and body.


    Giving permission to use your divinity won¡¯t consume your divinity.


    All resources consumed by the skill usage will be paid by the person who requested God¡¯s Descent.]


    ¡°...Is she having a good fight?¡±


    At the same time, Grid opened up a new system thanks to Mercedes and was flustered. It was while imagining Mercedes dancing in a colorful, striped hanbok. It was the aftermath of the intense memory of the shaman, who was active (?) in the resurrection ceremony of the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger.


    1. TL: I changed Mediumism from thest chapter to God''s Descent because it is the more literal trantion and fits better. ?

 Chapter 1703

    <h4>Chapter 1703</h4>


    ¡®I should¡¯ve given them personal time from the beginning.¡¯


    There was a sufficient basis behind the apostles¡¯ personal growth.


    Individual activities¡ªthey left to solve their own matters, and made remarkable development as if it was natural.Grid also somewhat expected it, but he couldn¡¯t take it calmly.


    Piaro, who opened up the deity stat; and Mercedes, who acquired the fraudulent God''s Descent skill¡ªthe level of development of these two people far exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations.At this point, he felt sorry for giving them orders about this and that.It would¡¯ve been much better to just let them do their own activities...


    ¡®By the way, God''s Descent must be amon skill, right?¡¯


    God''s Descent was the perfect skill in theory.It was to divideGridinto several pieces.If it was possible for all his apostles to learn it, then Grid could always share power wherever the seven apostles were.It was without consuming anything.


    ¡®I have to ask Mercedes how she learned it.¡¯


    It was roughly expected how she would¡¯ve gained it.There was no way she would¡¯ve really been having a good fight...


    She would¡¯ve naturally awakened it while praying to him with reverence in a very sacred ce.God''s Descent was like the string of fate that bound a god and their apostles, so the background of the birth itself would be noble.


    ¡®Maybe it is a miracle created by a heart that loves and misses me.¡¯


    As Grid was smiling with satisfaction, Mercedes and her father were swinging swords at each other.It was a disastrous family violence.Everything was different from Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ***


    ¡°Hup.¡±Mercedes gulped.


    Her awareness couldn¡¯t keep up with her body.The moment she took a single step, she found herself moving tens of meters ahead.She couldn¡¯t cut Exile and repeatedly passed by him.It was the aftermath of borrowing Grid¡¯s divinity and implementing some of Grid¡¯s stats and status.It was without the process of observing and interpreting it with Keen Insight.


    It was a force that her body immediately received, so it wasn¡¯t easy for her to adapt to it.It was like being dragged around in her own body.


    ¡°You are just a human being without the help of Keen Insight.¡±


    Mercedes, who interpreted the principles of God''s Descent¡ªExile was startled by the use of her Keen Insight, which was at a level iparable to decades ago, but he quickly regained hisposure.It was because he was looking at the traces that told him Mercedes¡¯ trajectory.


    The sanctuary that was tempered by Pluto¡¯s divinity was destroyed.It couldn¡¯t handle the shockwaves generated by Mercedes, who was rushing and jumping.It meant that the Overgeared God¡¯s divinity that she borrowed was very powerful.


    Exile took it for granted.He was only Pluto¡¯s apostle, while Mercedes was an apostle andpanion.Mercedes was in a position to borrow much more divinity.


    Then what was she doing?A power that couldn¡¯t be handled became poison.


    ¡°Do you understand how unreasonable a power Keen Insight is now? There is nothing good about relying on something like that. Someday, you will be a dunce who can¡¯t do anything without Keen Insight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is what you should be saying when you rely on a god¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not dependent on God''s Descent. Communicating with God isn¡¯t an innate ability, but a discipline that requires effort. It is just like training a talent.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for Keen Insight, even if I don¡¯t care if I depend on it or not.¡±


    Relying on something else¡ªit was natural for those who served the Overgeared God.They were proud to rely on items.In other words, Mercedes couldn¡¯t be shaken no matter what Exile said.


    ¡°...Arguing is a detriment to me. Let¡¯s get back to the point. I can teach you how to use God''s Descent properly.¡±


    Divinity was a blessing that transcended the limits of a species and it was a rule that it overcame all elements. The more effectively it was utilized, the more its value shone.


    ¡°Abandon your useless hostility and take the test to be the head of the family as you have requested. ept and understand God Pluto¡¯s power and be reborn as the strongest...¡±


    ¡°There is no need. From today, the Vaintz family will disappear from the world.¡±


    ¡°A person who isn¡¯t the head of the family has no such authority.¡±


    There was no choice but to suppress her.Exile shrugged and released his power.He decided that the current Mercedes could endure it without dying.The divinity that surrounded Exile¡¯s body truly became the night sky.Countless lights contained in the dark blue divinity started to move like stars. Each one had a strong energy.


    Mercedes¡¯ eyes became bloodshot.She was overloaded while trying to understand the principle of the starlight.It happened the moment her veins burst and the world she saw turned red...


    Exile swung his sword.White meteors formed a procession behind the dark blue-ck sword energy that extended silently.


    Tears of blood flowed from Mercedes¡¯ eyes.


    ¡®Avoid it!¡¯


    Mercedes put strength in her lower body that moment she judged this and soared to a high ce.There was a loud explosion and the spot where she was standing a moment ago was devastated.It was like a thorough bombardment.It was proof that Exile might have only two swords, but he had hundreds or thousands of strike points.The meteors that followed the sword made it so.


    ¡°Pluto is a god born for the battlefield.¡±


    Exile¡¯s two swords cut through the air and the ground at the same time. The meteors that chased after the sword energy caused a series of explosions, blocking Mercedes¡¯ retreat.The more that Exile wielded his swords, the more wounds that opened up on Mercedes¡¯ body.The ultra high speed, wide-area swordsmanship that upied all directions wasn¡¯t something that could be understood with Keen Insight. It was physically impossible to avoid.


    ¡°This was why he was stigmatized as a sub-god of Dominion. Yes, it was a stigma. Think about it. Pluto is the god of ughter, and ughter transcends war.¡±


    Killing and eliminating others wasn¡¯t just a concept tied to war.It was always ongoing.Even at this moment, there would be a frog eaten by a snake and a frog eating insects.


    ughter was like light and darkness.It was infinite and eternal.Exile worshiped it.Pluto¡¯s status was absolute.It was equivalent to a God of the Beginning.He would be immortal forever, even if he was forgotten by people.


    ¡°Dominion only demonstrates his abilities in special situations like war and isn¡¯t Pluto¡¯s opponent.¡±


    It said it in Pluto¡¯s myth¡ªthe reason why he couldn¡¯t ascend to heaven was because the gods were afraid of him.


    ¡°Vaintz style swordsmanship.¡±


    Exile¡¯s two swords were held in reverse as he crossed his arms.Simultaneously, he tilted his upper body.Looking at the angle of his knees and ankles, he was clearly ready to charge.


    Keen Insight made the same judgment.Mercedes saw it as an opportunity.She was confident that she could make her father half dead the moment she countered this high speed rush.


    ¡®This time, definitely.¡¯


    She must seed in handling Grid¡¯s divinity.The power and dignity contained in this beautiful and warm divinity was only a very small part of him.She wasn¡¯t qualified to be an apostle if she couldn¡¯t even handle this much.


    ¡°The peak. Sonic Rage.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Mercedes prepared for Exile¡¯s charging path and extended her sword.Her posture was terribly strange.Her sword was pushed forward, while her upper body was leaned back.Her judgment shed with Keen Insight and caused her body to fall into turmoil.


    Exile¡¯s body arrived right in front of Mercedes and was cut by her sword.He was easily split in half, but there wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood.Beyond Exile¡¯s body, which was cut into the upper half and lower half, the ¡®real¡¯ Exile was approaching.


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    It was the extreme utilization of divinity.It was a divinity that embodied Exile¡¯s ¡®killing intent.¡¯The Exile that was just cut by Mercedes was a fake made out of divinity. It was a fake that ran at the speed of sound and deceived Mercedes¡¯ senses.It was the peak of falsehood.


    The real Exile was right in front of her and wielding his two swords.It was a skill that wouldn¡¯t work more than once against an equal master, but it was also one that wouldn¡¯t need a chance to use more than once.Sonic Rage was the peak of the Vaintz style swordsmanship triggered in the God''s Descent state, and it bore the power of a fatal blow.


    Mercedes was cut.To be exact, it was both eyes.


    ¡°It is a skill you will learn from today.¡±


    Exile¡¯s voice rang out in the gap in time that an ordinary person couldn¡¯t perceive.It was anguage that was embodied through his intentions rather than words spoken by mouth.It was delivered to Mercedes¡¯ mind very quickly.However, an ensuing sound permeated the ears.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ appearance was projected on the eyes of Exile, who had stiffened.The blood at the corners of her eyes was dry. It was proof that blood hadn¡¯t spilled just now.Her body became translucent in an instant and through it, he could see Mercedes¡¯ intact figure.


    The White Tiger Sword in one hand and the divine sword in the other hand were held in reverse.It resembled the Exile from a little while ago.


    ¡°Sonic Rage.¡±


    ¡°...Kuaaack!¡±


    Armor wrapped in dark blue divinity¡ªthe divinity that Exile honed throughout his life was disastrously crushed.The divinity that killed destiny wasn¡¯t suitable as a concept for protecting something.On the other hand, Grid¡¯s divinity changed destiny.It had always been powerful without limits, no matter whether it was protecting something or breaking it.


    ¡°Cough...! Cough!¡±


    Exile copsed with a serious injury and coughed up blood several times. The remnants of divinity that were mixed in the dark blood were scattered in vain.It was a sign of disconnection.Pluto disconnected from Exile.It was as if telling him that as the apostle of the god of ughter, he should obey the rationale and be killed.


    ¡°This... monster...¡±


    ¡°I hear it as apliment.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ voice was still cold.She had no sympathy for her father, who was no longer able to hold his swords.It wasn¡¯t because he was the one who abandoned her.It also wasn¡¯t because he was trying to hurt her or because she was thinking of her mother¡¯s condition.She just couldn¡¯t look at him well because he was a sinner who sphemed her only god.


    ¡°I told you earlier. TheVaintzfamily will end with your generation.¡±


    The secret technique was taken.Mercedes no longer needed the surname Vaintz.


    ¡°Too much... it is better not to be overconfident... the other Pluto apostles... won¡¯t stand by...¡±


    ¡°The bugs that need to be eradicated wille to me on their own. It is good.¡±


    Step step.


    Mercedes took a quick look at her father before slowly climbing the long staircase. Her emotions wereplicated. Her vision gradually became blurred in this dark space.It was Grid¡¯s divinity that guided her.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes stopped walking when she arrived at the top.There was a woman with old scars on bothearsand a bandaged neck.Her mother was waiting for her.Mercedes saw her bowing her head silently and felt a certain emotion rising in her throat. At the very least, it wasn¡¯t sadness.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be a mother like you.¡±


    It was to her mother who couldn¡¯t hear or speak.Was it necessary to say harsh words to a person she would never see again in the future?No.In other words, what she was saying now was different from a curse.It was simply a deration and a determination to be a right mother.


    It was because her concept of parents and children was warped.She had subconsciously been afraid and refused to be a mother, but now she finally overcame her wounds.She wanted to see Grid.


    ¡®I want to have a child.¡¯


    ***


    At the same time, Cokro Ind...


    Zik, who was standing on the shore and looking at the sea, felt something and raised his head.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    King Sobyeol had descended.His golden earrings, which were long enough to reach his shoulders, were shiny and reflected the sunlight. The reflected light didn¡¯t spread and just wandered indefinitely around King Sobyeol. It grew and brightened at an unstoppable pace.


    ¡°Thanks to the establishment of a new divine world on the surface, it has be rtively easy to travel between continents. This is why he is pleasing to the eye.¡±


    ¡°Refrain from frivolous words and actions.¡±


    ¡°Frivolous? It isn¡¯t an area for you to judge.¡±


    It happened as King Sobyeol smiled...


    Zik¡¯s vision started flickering.It was because the light trapped in King Sobyeol¡¯s colorless divinity was erged.It was like having a small sun right in front of him.


    ¡°Zik, the best among the seven apostles of the Overgeared God. I will use you as a channel ofmunication for an amicable agreement with the Overgeared God.¡±


    The son of Hanul, a God of the Beginning¡ªhe, who deceived his father and dropped King Daebyeol into hell, was a rare Absolute in the world.

 Chapter 1704

    <h4>Chapter 1704</h4>


    Grid mass produced items to be given as ¡®holy swords¡¯ while looking at the third draft of the ¡®Flying Ship Design¡¯ that Lauel personally brought. He was impressed and felt admiration when he found Radwolf¡¯s thoughts in the design. Then suddenly, a notification window appeared in Grid¡¯s sight.


    [Some of the settlement has beenpleted.]


    [One of the parts of the Absolute that symbolizes you has unlocked the potential of a ¡®God Killer.¡¯]


    ¡®Some...? The reward doesn¡¯t end here?¡¯


    Parts of an Absolute¡ªto put it bluntly, it was a concept that might be the process of entering the beginning stage of an Absolute. It had a different meaning. It heralded the second birth of an Absolute in the history of humanity. He fully understood the system¡¯s position about a settlement taking a long time. It was worth understanding.


    [There is a high probability that fixed damage is added every time you attack a ¡®god.¡¯ The fixed damage value is applied as 9% of your current attack power.]


    [If you inflict fatal damage to a god, there is a very small probability that the escape path of the ¡®god¡¯ will be blocked.]


    [A god who has lost their escape path can¡¯t retreat for a certain period of time. It is for a minimum of 10 seconds, and a maximum of three minutes.]


    [However, your ¡®Emergency Escape¡¯ skill will also be prohibited from the moment you block the escape path of other gods.]


    In essence, it was impossible for a god to be a God Killer. It was due to the setting of the Emergency Escape system. The emergency escape was when the gods opened and used the ¡®door to their own temple or their divine world.¡¯ Being blocked by the waves of a God Killer meant the god who embraced the energy of a God Killer could easily destroy themselves. Since a god was eternal, there was no need to take such risks.


    It was the background of the worldview that a god couldn¡¯t kill another god. However, the system made an exception for Grid. Based on Grid¡¯s numerous achievements, it was decided that it was reasonable to ignore the existingws and make Grid qualified as a God Killer.


    ¡®Good. This is definitely good.¡¯


    He could be resurrected even if he died. He would suffer the huge penalty of his divinity being damaged, but it was enough to restore it. On the other hand, other gods couldn¡¯t be resurrected. It was because they weren¡¯t yers. It might be a very small chance, but it was only a benefit for Grid.


    The rewards didn¡¯t end here.


    [The weapons you create will also be judged to be the ¡®divine objects of the Overgeared God¡¯ and will gain a faint God Killer effect. However, it only applies to weapons with a legendary or higher rating.]


    [If attacking a ¡®god¡¯ with a divine object of the Overgeared God, there is a normal probability of adding fixed damage. The fixed damage value is applied as 3% of the user¡¯s current attack power. It can ovep with the same type of effect.]


    [The same effect will be applied to weapons made in the past.]


    ...It felt like he was gradually getting stronger. Grid, who was conscious of the gazes around him, cheered silently.


    Morpheus was an artificial intelligence with a conscience. It was a hundred times better than the S.A Group who used bnce as an excuse.


    ***


    At the same time, Cokro Ind...


    ¡°Agreement... are you talking about an alliance?¡±Zik asked softly with closed eyes.


    He was trying to guess what principles behind the divinity of King Sobyeol, which maximized the sunlight.


    ¡®Is it a divinity that amplifies one¡¯s nature?¡¯


    Or was it simply ¡®containment,¡¯ and the light naturally grew as if reflected infinitely?


    ¡®Perhaps it is both... no matter what, I can¡¯t deal with it.¡¯


    In the past when he visited the Hwan Kingdom with Grid, Zik had only been polite to three gods: the Only One God, Chiyou; the God of the Beginning, Hanul; and thest one was King Sobyeol. Their hierarchy was the highest even during their time in Asgard. Aside from Chiyou, Hanul, at his peak, was on par with Reba. Then there was King Sobyeol, Dominion, and Judar.


    This was all information he got during his days as one of the Seven Malignant Saints. It was rtively urate, so Zik naturally showed respect to King Sobyeol. It was the same now.


    King Sobyeol amplified the sunlight and blinded his eyes, but Zik didn¡¯t dare to feel displeased. He even suppressed the hostility he had toward the existence of a god itself.


    ¡°What else will we agree upon if it isn¡¯t an alliance? It just happens to be a good time. Hanul has recently been engaged in the ¡®cycle.¡¯ Sometimes he revealed the will of heaven, but other times, he is almost unconscious. His mind isn¡¯t sane based on the way he just watched as the Four Auspicious Beasts were liberated.¡±


    The cycle¡ªit was an expression used when Reba was absent, or Yatan went missing.


    ¡°What exactly is the cycle? Why do the Gods of the Beginning go through such a phenomenon?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. You won¡¯t understand it even if I tell you. Ah, the Overgeared God might understand.¡±


    Then maybe I can tell you.


    Zik suppressed the doubts that suddenly appeared.


    A bright and clear mirror¡ªthis was the mental world that supported Zik. For him, who used wisdom as a weapon,posure was a secret weapon and a bastion that should never be lost.


    Zike¡¯s eyes slowly opened. Some time had passed since the small sun that had risen as if to envelop King Sobyeol had disappeared. The vision he saw through his bloodshot eyes was still shaky and white, but he didn¡¯t show it.


    The Seven Malignant Saints¡ªthose born into human bodies and were blessed, or cursed, by Reba, and turned into half-gods.


    Zik, the pinnacle among them, felt the need to show King Sobyeol that his resilience was beyond normal. He was vignt. It was because King Sobyeol¡¯s attitude of suddenly blinding him was nonsensical, unlike his soft tone. It wasn¡¯t easy to guess what type of situation Zik would face the moment he showed a loophole.


    ¡®In the first ce, it is a monstrous strength. It is right to say I¡¯m facing the inexplicable.¡¯


    King Sobyeol slowly descended toward Zik, who was gradually bing nervous. It was without leaving any footprints on the white sand.The movement of King Sobyeol was so extraordinary that he would¡¯ve doubted it was a virtual image if it wasn¡¯t for the shadow that was cast.


    ¡°In any case, the Overgeared God will be hoping for cooperation with the Hwan Kingdom. Looking at his actions, he is clearly hostile to Asgard. He might be wary due to recent events, but it is enough if I forgive him.¡±


    The Overgeared God stole many things from the Hwan Kingdom. It was a trivial matter that he had killed several yangbans over a long period of time. Didn¡¯t he liberate the Four Auspicious Beasts, weaken the influence of the Hwan Kingdom in the east, and take away Mir? In fact, the Hwan Kingdom was in a position where Grid shouldn¡¯t be forgiven.


    However, King Sobyeol had never been hostile to Grid. The same would be true in the future. King Sobyeol¡¯s position was too vague. He wasn¡¯t in a position to take responsibility for anything like Hanul, and he had been dissatisfied with the n of the Hwan Kingdom from the beginning. Rather, he was in a position to enjoy watching Grid flourish.


    ¡°Hanul dered that he would raise the yangbans as gods to stand up against Asgard, but I¡¯m not so certain. It is realistically impossible. Even if the yangbans borrow the power of false myths to be gods, it is clear they won¡¯t be able to handle a single Dominion and will be swept away. It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say it would be fortunate if they managed to tie up the feet of the angels before dying.¡±


    The power of the Hwan Kingdom was very weak.


    First of all, Chiyou wasn¡¯t a part of the Hwan Kingdom. He was merely staying in the Hwan Kingdom because he helped Hanul¡¯s group escape from Asgard. In other words, the number of chief gods in the Hwan Kingdom was iparably less than Asgard.


    Raising the yangbans to get revenge on Asgard? It was impossible from the beginning. It was even more so considering Hanul¡¯s characteristic, who exerted his full power only when more beings were guided on the ¡®path.¡¯ Therefore, the Hwan Kingdom tried to recruit Zik, who was only a half-god.


    Now there was no reason to be obsessed with Zik. Once they cooperated with the Overgeared God, Zik would naturally be one of the forces who followed them.


    ¡°The Hwan Kingdom needed to make a decision and it went very well. The Three Masters, who had been secretly wary of me, became quiet as death thanks to the Overgeared God. If I forgive and cooperate with the Overgeared God, we will have some power to confront Asgard. You will convey my will well to the Overgeared God...¡±


    King Sobyeol suddenly closed his mouth as he was revealing his thoughts and ns. It was because Zik, who had been polite so far, was making straight eye contact with him. There was a faint hostility in Zik¡¯s eyes. It was an attitude King Sobyeol had never experienced, so he felt quite strange and puzzled.


    Zik opened his mouth, ¡°The word ¡®forgiveness¡¯ that you have used twice is offensive.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to forgive my god.¡±


    Zik had long hated the gods. He suffered due to the gods of Asgard, who deceived and destroyed the humanity of the previous world. He hated the species called ¡®god¡¯ itself. Then he met Grid. A human who was reborn as the ideal god¨Cfor Zik, Grid was the only god he served and the highest being. Who would dare to use him of a sin and discuss forgiveness?


    Zik harbored a cold rage. He maintained his bright and clear mind, while thinking about how to drive away the enemy in front of him. The answer was simple.


    ¡®It is enough if I create a disturbance.¡¯


    This was the surface. Even King Sobyeol was greatly weakened here. It meant he didn¡¯t want a situation where more people came to interfere. Zik made a judgment and immediately drew his sword. Then he surrounded it with sword energy and runes.


    His intention was to deployrge-scale swordsmanship in order to devastate the shore and bring people over. It was a strategy that could be established because he knew that the Overgeared members couldmunicate with each other while ignoring distance. However, his intention didn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The sword energy around Saharan¡¯s Sword disappeared. The runes were also scattered. To be precise, it was absorbed by King Sobyeol¡¯s colorless divinity. Thanks to this, King Sobyeol gained Zik¡¯s sword energy and runes as a self-defense force, and he spoke with a cold expression, ¡°You¡¯ve be a fanatic of the Overgeared God. Well, I¡¯ve witnessed such miracles, so I can understand it.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zik copsed to the ground. He couldn¡¯t even groan because his throat was cut by the sword energy that King Sobyeol had absorbed and released. The sound of the sword falling from his hand was also swallowed up by the white sand.


    ¡°You are a half-god, so you won¡¯t die from this much.¡±


    Zik¡¯s body was caught by the colorless divinity and floated in the air. A true god was a concept, not life. For King Sobyeol, his divinity was something that could be handled as freely as his body.


    ¡°Shall we go back to the East Continent together? If you, the best of the apostles, notarize it, then even the Overgeared will believe me and ept my forgiveness.¡±


    From the very beginning, King Sobyeol had aimed at Zik¡¯s personal safety. He never dreamed that he would suffer such a disgrace in the process, but...


    ¡®I have no right to forgive the Overgeared God? It is amazing sophistry.¡¯


    Did a figure like Zik not understand the absolute authority of a god who had existed since the beginning? It was to the extent that he cherished the foolish belief that the Overgeared God was the greatest.


    ¡®I know what Judar and Dominion have been like.¡¯


    They were soldiers who didn¡¯t move hastily without Reba¡¯s orders. Those who couldn¡¯t escape from the shadow of their parents, like King Daebyeol, ruined the hierarchy.


    King Sobyeolmented as he split apart the world. He reced divinity with physical force and dealt a wound to the dimension of the surface itself. Then the door leading to the Hwan Kingdom opened.


    ¡°Kuek...¡±


    Zik recovered in real time and resisted. Suddenly, he pulled out a new sword and swung it.


    King Sobyeol ignored it. It was because a sword that had lost its sword energy and runes wasn¡¯t a threat at all. It was just a mere fly.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zik and King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes widened at the same time. Zik was surprised because he didn¡¯t know this action would work, while King Sobyeol was surprised because the area that the sword cut hurt sharply.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    It pierced through his divinity and conveyed a faint shock? King Sobyeol wiped away the blood from his neck and was momentarily dazed. It was just one drop of blood. In human terms, it was harmless, like a mosquito bite. However, it was something that shouldn¡¯t have happened considering King Sobyeol¡¯s hierarchy. The same was true even considering the fact that this wasn¡¯t the Hwan Kingdom and that he was in a greatly weakened state.


    ¡°You¡ªare you qualified as a God Killer...?¡±


    It happened at the time when King Sobyeol restrained Zik¡¯s limbs and questioned him with a stiff expression...


    sh!


    A beam of light fell from the sky.


    ¡°The smell was strange.¡±


    A legendary great magician who usurped the myth of the great monster who brought eternal pain to the gods, the hydra; a direct descendant of one of the Three Evils, Beriache; and one of the seven apostles of the Overgeared God¡ªBraham, who was attracted by the strange scent of blood, broke into the scene.

 Chapter 1705

    <h4>Chapter 1705</h4>


    In the records of hell, it was said that Beriache, one of the Three Evils of the Beginning, dealt with the power of thousands of demons. It was because she had the power to fully reproduce the abilities of the targets whose blood was consumed.


    Marie Rose proved that this history wasn¡¯t exaggerated. Didn¡¯t she ingest Hayate¡¯s blood and use the power of a Dragon yer? This absolute power led to the cooperation between Baal and Amoract, and they ultimately expelled Beriache from hell.


    Baal wielded the power of all the dead at all times. There were times when he, who usually had the upper hand over Beriache, would be easily defeated under certain conditions.


    King Sobyeol had also heard of Beriache¡¯s reputation. It was beyond just rumors spread across the world. She felt familiar, like a friend he had met in person. It was the influence of King Daebyeol. He had fallen into hell innocently, got to know Beriache, and sentmunications from time to time.


    ¡®...There is no need to be wary.¡¯


    King Sobyeol was reminded of Beriache through Braham¡¯s appearance, but he soon felt at ease. The second of the Overgeared God¡¯s seven apostles¡ªKing Sobyeol appreciated Braham, but he didn¡¯t perceive Braham as a threat. Braham had a clear wpared to Marie Rose, Beriache¡¯s rightful heir. Hecked the most important power of the thousands of demons.


    ¡®A monster.¡¯


    On the other hand, Braham was very nervous. The sense of smell of a direct descendant exceeded the transcendent senses. In particr, he was sensitive to the scent of blood he was smelling for the first time. Therefore, Braham flew to the scene at once, but once he actually faced King Sobyeol, he couldn¡¯t help getting the chills. It was because King Sobyeol had the highest hierarchy among the many beings he had faced so far.


    Dominion naturally came to mind. A monster who imagined death toward Grid as he threw a spear from a high cloud¡ªBraham had no idea at the time, butter on, Grid confessed that he had been overwhelmed by Dominion¡¯s killing intent. He thought Grid was bluffing after dealing a big blow to Dominion, but at this moment, he empathized and understood Grid¡¯s heart.


    ¡°It is ipatibility.¡±


    Braham, who was observing King Sobyeol while maintaining his unique arrogant expression¡ªZik noticed that he was actually nervous and gave him advice. Zik¡¯s image was projected on one side of Braham¡¯s red eyes. There was a loss of the runes that usually symbolized him. It was a shabby appearance that didn¡¯t suit him.


    ¡°A colorless divinity that is hard to identify...¡±


    ¡°Absorption, amplification, or divergence.¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t need an exnation. One of the many names that symbolized him was Duke of Wisdom. The power of Duke of Wisdom came from understanding. Based on the circumstances created by Zik¡¯s sacrifice, he quickly analyzed the power of King Sobyeol.


    ¡®An all-rounder.¡¯


    The remnants of the energy circting around King Sobyeol¡ªthey were the remnants of Zik¡¯s sword energy and runes, which were familiar to Braham. He had met many existences who could absorb or invalidate sword energy or magic power, but it was a shock that even the runes had be useless.


    Runes were literally letters. They were an ancientnguage thatbined words or sentences to make them a reality. To use an analogy, they resembled the Dragon Words. It didn¡¯t magically use ¡®energy¡¯ as a medium, but was a product of wisdom and will. Nevertheless, the divinity of King Sobyeol absorbed the runes along with the sword energy. It was as if to dismiss it as all the same concept.


    ¡®The same concept... is it...¡±


    Braham pondered on it and quickly came up with a hypothesis. Then he immediately released purple magic power. There was only one magic power like this in the world. It was the ultimate in enlightenment that utilized the experience and wisdom of a great magician and the lineage of a direct descendant.


    Magic Missile, which was simply an act of releasing flying magic, exerted a power that could devastate a garden with one shot. Then, like raindrops falling on ake, it was absorbed by the divinity of King Sobyeol. No, it was more like dye than raindrops.


    It was because King Sobyeol¡¯s colorless divinity turned purple.


    ¡°This is really... it is great.¡±


    King Sobyeol had been watching the situation silently, as if testing Braham. Now he admired it. It was because he recognized that the purple magic power he just absorbed had infinite potential.


    ¡°It is said that you got victory after victory with your excellent bloodline and personal connections. You even usurped the myth of the hydra. It turns out that it is a true story. The two of you are uniquely special among the Overgeared God¡¯s apostles.¡±


    Braham let King Sobyeol¡¯s praise enter one ear and go out the other. He used the point of gaining victory after victory. Braham would admit that his mother¡¯s lineage and Grid¡¯s connections were great, but gaining victory after victory? It had been hundreds of years since he had been stabbed in the back by Pagma. Pagma was also dung from the Hwan Kingdom.


    Braham recalled this while starting to use magic. It was from the four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, to nothingness¡ªall types of attributes were put into the magic power and embodied in various forms.


    Then he confirmed it¡ªthe scene where they were absorbed by King Sobyeol¡¯s colorless divinity. Indeed, any form of magic was absorbed. It was even the buff magic of the blessing type.


    Zik fell into thought.


    It was because King Sobyeol served as a greater counter to Braham than expected. Fortunately, Braham¡¯s magic was reallyrge and splendid. The soldiers patrolling the outskirts of the ind would¡¯ve already detected the disturbance. Soon, news would be sent to the Overgeared members and reinforcements woulde. They just had to hold on until then.


    Zik judged and raised his sword.


    ¡°...Change,¡±Braham murmured. He showed no signs of agitation that the magic he cast as an experiment was destroyed. It wasn¡¯t acting this time. His unique habit of acting like he was calm didn¡¯t appear.


    ¡°It is adsorption and change before it is absorption. It is an incredibly fast process and it is hard to notice.¡±


    Braham recalled one of Grid¡¯s powers and saw through the core of King Sobyeol. It was the correct answer.


    ¡°I am envious of the Overgeared God.¡±


    Braham saw through it in an instant. King Sobyeol was feeling admiration again when Braham created dozens of mirrors with magic power. Hundreds of huge mirrors that were two meters wide and five meters high formed a dome. It started spinning around and around with Zik, King Sobyeol, and Braham in the center. Any gaps were forbidden.


    ¡°Any form of attributes is treated as a unified concept... it is really invincible, but... there seems to be a limit to the capacity, especially in a low status condition like now.¡±


    Hundreds of magic circles appeared around Braham. It was the ultimate in multiple casting using Memorize and even orbs. These hundreds of magic circles quickly increased to thousands and from there to tens of thousands. It was the aftermath of a series of projections on the huge mirrors. Braham named this technique ¡®Infinite Chanting.¡¯


    ¡°Can you afford it?¡±


    It was a situation in which hundreds of types of magic multiplied into an infinitely great number. The sand, the sky, the sea, and the shining sunlight were losing color. It was while being deprived of energy by Mana Drain, which was included in the infinitely great number of magic.


    The reason why Braham¡¯s mana was considered to be infinite wasn¡¯t because it was really infinite. It was because his mana recovered as soon as it was consumed. A significant reason behind the recovery was ¡®mana that exists in nature¡¯. This meant the world lost its energy and was dying.


    Braham also paid the price that was deserved. His brain and heart was burned in the process of his mana being depleted, restored, and repleted again. The brain was the source of the spell and the heart was the source of the mana¡ªthey couldn¡¯t handle the birth of magic and the depletion of mana that was repeated thousands of times in just a few seconds. If he was an ordinary legend or transcendent, not one of Beriache¡¯s blood, he would¡¯ve died without being able to endure for even six seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat your blood and myth.¡±


    Braham smiled while bleeding from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, and he struggled to snap his trembling fingers. At the same time...


    ©¥©¥!


    Parts of the world disappeared silently. To be exact, the part trapped in the giant mirrors was removed.


    Ragnarok¡ªit was magic named after the War of the Gods that brought about the end of the world. It was the new ultimate technique of Braham. From the beginning, it wasrge-scale magic aiming at a God Killler and Dragon yer.


    The problem was that King Sobyeol was an Absolute. His movements easily transcended Braham¡¯s perception. It was possible for him to escape the realm of the mirrors in a gap that Braham didn¡¯t know about and this was indeed the case.


    His position was outside the mirror. It was out of the range of the magical influence, just like Braham and Zik, whose positions were shifted the moment Ragnarok was triggered.


    [Braham, apostle of the Overgeared God.]


    The thoughts of King Sobyeol directly permeated into the minds of Braham and Zik.


    [It was rude to define you as simply being from Beriache¡¯s lineage.]


    The realm of the Absolute¡ªKing Sobyeol¡¯s will originated from a gap in time that even transcendents couldn¡¯t recognize, let alone normal people, and it was conveyed to Braham very quickly but clearly.


    [You are truly a great magician. It is to the extent that it is dangerous.]


    There isn¡¯t the confidence to control you. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think we can keep you alive.


    The moment he came to this conclusion, King Sobyeol appeared behind Braham and his hand aimed at the back of Braham¡¯s neck. The terrible sound of flesh being torn apart and bones being crushed echoed next to the world that hade to a silent end.


    A voice continued ¡°I have been told... that I am a troll.¡±


    It was Braham¡¯s voice. He reced his crushed spinal cord and vocal cords with magic power organs, but he was shaking because he couldn¡¯t immediately adapt. The sound of air being lost came one after another.


    ¡°Grid... he often likens me to such an ipetent creature... I can¡¯t deny it.¡±


    In recent years, Braham had been weighed down by a tremendous sense of helplessness. It was even after making countless achievements and regaining the power of a direct descendant. His past few years had been marked with regret. He couldn¡¯t forget the scenes where he made mistakes at critical moments, so he broke his coffin several times while sleeping. He always vowed that he wouldn¡¯t repeat the same mistakes in the future. He came to seek perfection in everything he did.


    This will was captured in Ragnarok.


    The son of the God of the Beginning, Hanul, and chief god of the Hwan Kingdom¡ªKing Sobyeol was a god with the highest hierarchy and in the realm of the Absolute, so he didn¡¯t miss the movement in Ragnarok, even if Braham might¡¯ve missed it.


    The scenes of his escape, the route, and the destination were captured in numerous mirrors and bound up in eternity.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes widened when he noticed the situation.


    ©¥©¥!


    A chain of silent ends followed. It was toward the point where Braham and King Sobyeol were standing side by side. The magic that followed King Sobyeol along the path reflected by the mirrors devoured them without leaving a trace.

 Chapter 1706

    <h4>Chapter 1706</h4>


    Braham¡¯s analysis was correct.


    The power of King Sobyeol was change. It was a change that didn¡¯t stop at changing the nature of some ¡®energies.¡¯ It was about intervening in most concepts of the world.


    There was the power of change in the background of the incident where King Sobyeol dropped King Daebyeol into hell while avoiding the eyes of the other gods and in the background of the incident there the Three Masters were assumed to be purely responsible for erasing Mir¡¯s memory.


    It was easy when thinking about it simply. King Sobyeol was the flesh and blood of a God of the Beginning. He naturally exercised absolute power like Dominion and Judar. He was truly invincible ording to Braham¡¯s statement. Yet at this moment, he wasn¡¯t invincible.


    King Sobyeol spontaneously recalled an old memory. It was a memory of the time when he was defeated in the War of the Gods and was driven out of Asgard.


    Failure¡ªfor the first time since his birth, he was feeling the same level of embarrassment he had experienced when things didn¡¯t go his way.


    The transparent divinity gained different colors from time to time and gradually cracked. It was felt gradually in King Sobyeol¡¯s senses, but in reality, it happened instantaneously. It was the aftermath of exceeding the allowed capacity in the process of repeatedly changing and absorbing the magic of the infinite great number, changing the magic of the end to a ¡®beneficial nature.¡¯


    Divinity was the foundation of a god. It wasn¡¯t a feature that could be conveniently turned on or off. King Sobyeol could only watch his divinity, which operated and vanished at will.


    ¡®Such ignorant magic can actually exist.¡¯


    The statement of it being ignorant was justified. The principle of ¡®Ragnarok¡¯ was simply pouring out all types of magic at once. Braham was the only one in the world who could actually implement this simple principle. He was a magician who studied magic all throughout his life, both in his life as a direct descendant and his human life. It was only because he had mastered hundreds of different types of magic that he met the conditions to activate Ragnarok and could cast them simultaneously.


    In the first ce, Braham¡¯s magic had to be gathered toplete the forms of Ragnarok. The ¡®mirrors,¡¯ which reflected magic and multiplied it to an infinitely great number, was also a concept derived from Braham¡¯s mental world. This meant that any magician other than Braham couldn¡¯t use Ragnarok, dead or alive.


    It was meaningless even if it was possible. They would die at the stage just before the activation. It was unconditionally necessary to have the constitution of a direct descendant in order to repair the heart and brain that was burning at the same time that Ragnarok was used.


    ¡®Um.¡¯


    A world that hade to a serene end¡ªtrapped in a world full of an infinitely great number of magic, King Sobyeol naturally showed the majesty of an Absolute. He moved at a speed that no one could recognize and avoided the realm of the end over and over.


    It was a feast of exquisite skills. Every smallest move had an intention behind it and acted as a stepping stone for evasive maneuvers. If Mir or Kraugel had seen the current King Sobyeol, then they would¡¯ve been inspired at every moment. This would only apply if they could follow the movements with their eyes.


    ¡®This... it is a crisis.¡¯


    King Sobyeol struggled with the moment that stretched out for eternity and finally epted reality. It was shortly after a fewrge cracks appeared in his luminous divinity. The mirrors that still formed the dome were Ragnarok¡¯s origin. His fate was set the moment he was trapped in it...


    The end times would continue until the target was extinguished.


    ¡®Now that this has happened, I have no choice but to aim for mutual destruction.¡¯


    King Sobyeol just wanted to leave a message for the Overgeared God, but it looked like he was going to lose. He had to endure an unexpected loss, but the loss was too great to just back down like this. It was necessary to take Braham¡¯s life to make up for it even a little bit. It was naturally right to sentence him to aplete death where he couldn¡¯t be resurrected.


    King Sobyeol realized that keeping Braham alive would pose a great threat in the future. Therefore, he stopped resisting and spread out his senses widely. He intended to find Braham¡¯s location and kill him in exchange for his own life.


    It happened at this time...


    There was a loud roar and the mirrors that reflected the magic of an infinitely great number started to shatter. Something must¡¯ve gone wrong. These mirrors were the medium for Ragnarok. However, they were broken because they couldn¡¯t withstand the wave of magic power from Ragnarok. Parts of the end world disappeared.


    It was a sight that gave King Sobyeol a glimmer of hope.


    ¡®It was imperfect magic.¡¯


    It was obvious withmon sense. It was magic that could threaten even a true god. It went against providence if such a thing really existed. King Sobyeol judged that the chain of magic would soon stop and started moving again.


    The magic that dered the end times for parts of the world¡ªhe focused on surviving by finding and avoiding the small gaps in the magic flooding toward him. He judged that it was enough to get rid of Braham after Ragnarok ended.


    It was a miscalction. The broken mirrors hadn¡¯t disappeared yet. The fragments of the mirrors were divided into hundreds or thousands of pieces and reflected even more magic from various angles.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Was it finallypleted? It was only after losing his path of retreat that King Sobyeolughed in vain. It was a look thatpletely shook off any lingering regret. He neatly admitted defeat once the situation got to this point.


    [You were the treasure of the Overgeared God and the number one among the apostles.]


    His thoughts flowed out randomly.


    [I really envy the Overgeared God.]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s heart as he was swept away by the magic echoed inside Ragnarok.


    ¡°What nonsense,¡±Braham¡¯s voice followed. It meant that Ragnarok¡¯s trigger was over.


    The great magic that devoured Braham and King Sobyeol without even a trace gradually disappeared. From the magic triggering to the ending, literally only an instant passed. King Sobyeol had retreated to the Hwan Kingdom before the seagulls, who twisted their heads to avoid the scene, could finish pping their wings once. Just as Dragon yer Hayate repelled Martial God Zeratul with just one swing of his sword, Braham repelled King Sobyeol with only one magic.


    There might be a difference between before and after the Overgeared World was established, but in terms of firepower, Braham wasn¡¯t inferior to Hayate. Of course, Zik¡¯s help was great.


    ¡°...Th... thank...¡±


    The medium through which the magic was triggered and maintained couldn¡¯t withstand the waves of magic and was broken? It meant iplete magic. Meanwhile, Braham was the greatest magician in the world. He never relied on iplete magic. He thought that there was no magic that he couldn¡¯t predict.


    In other words, Ragnarok was apleted magic. Originally, the mirrors shouldn¡¯t have broken. The reason for them breaking was Zik¡¯s intervention. He quickly figured out how to amplify Ragnarok¡¯s power and intervened in Ragnarok¡¯s form by using runes.


    It was possible thanks to Braham¡¯s eptance. The reason Braham epted it was naturally because he trusted Zik. He thought that Zik would be able to see through the forms in a short time, and as usual, he expected to be greatly helped by Zik¡¯s runes.


    In conclusion, Zik repaid his faith. If Zik hadn¡¯t broken the mirrors, Braham¡¯s head might¡¯ve been cut off by the time Ragnarok defeated King Sobyeol.


    ¡®I can resurrect if I die, but it is naturally better not to die.¡¯


    The back of his neck that had been crushed by King Sobyeol¡ªBraham¡¯s expression softened as he touched the back of his neck that had regenerated. He was grateful to Zik and happy to have a colleague who could match his cooperation at a level equal to him. However, he felt too awkward to express it. After all, didn¡¯t he help out first before he got help from Zik?


    There was a sense of resistance and he was embarrassed to express his feelings honestly. It was still hard for Braham to be honest with anyone who wasn¡¯t Grid...


    Then Zik smiled softly and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I woud¡¯ve been taken hostage and caused trouble for the Overgeared God.¡±


    ¡°...Bah, it is fine if you know this.¡±


    Zik was one of the few people Braham respected. Zik¡¯s candid appreciation made Braham happy. The smile was about to leak out at first nce, so he had to crumple up his expression. He nodded with a frown, only to feel a sudden sense of strangeness.


    ¡°By the way, what happened...?¡±


    Runes hovered around Zik. They originally had different colors depending on the meaning of the character. He hadn¡¯t seen a case where there was no color. However, the one character rune that smashed Braham¡¯s mirrors a little while ago was transparent and colorless.


    ¡°Rio.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is an ancient character that means to observe, to learn, or to take away.¡±


    It was also a character that was sent to King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity when the sword energy and runes were absorbed. Things felt like it ended too quickly due to Braham¡¯s intervention in the middle, but this was enough time. The character vaguely gained King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity. If he used a word or sentence that meant King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity, then it would be expressed.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham¡¯s red eyes widened slightly and shook. Zik, who was talking nonchntly after doing something huge, looked like a madman to him.


    ***


    The battle ended before the soldiers of Cokro Ind arrived at the scene. Due to this, the fight between Braham and King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t witnessed by the public and the following world message appeared.


    [Someone unknown has defeated a great god.]


    It was about someone anonymous who had been active. In the old days, Grid and Kraugel had a de facto monopoly on this, but in recent years, quite a few people were the anonymous protagonists. This meant it was hard to be specific about who it was.


    However, this situation was different. Wasn¡¯t the opponent a ¡®great god¡¯?


    ¡®It is Grid.¡¯


    ¡®It must be Grid.¡¯


    People took it for granted, but...


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    The truth was different.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has been acknowledged by ¡®King Sobyeol,¡¯ the son of the god of the sky.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has defeated ¡®King Sobyeol,¡¯ the son of the god of the sky.]


    [The great achievement of ¡®Braham¡¯ is added to every myth in which the hydra appears.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has achieved a high divinity. If certain conditions are met, he will develop into a myth ss.]


    ¡°This... what is this...?¡±


    The notification window that appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view made him startled and at a loss for words. Then it was updated.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Zik,¡¯ has learned some of the power of ¡®King Sobyeol,¡¯ the son of the god of the sky.]


    [It is possible for Zik¡¯s name to be recorded in the myth of King Sobyeol.]


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Grid was still in the East Continent. At a time when the Four Auspicious Beasts, Mir, and Hwang Gildong were active in various fields to revitalize the East Continent, and he was producing holy swords¡ªat this point, he felt like he was on vacation. However, too much happened in the meantime. It was like... he felt a bit left out...


    ¡®It feels like they¡¯re having fun without me?¡¯


    ...It was probably his illusion? No, unfortunately, it might not be an illusion. Was it necessary to go hiking with his apostles to develop a sense of unity...?


    Grid seriously thought about it.

 Chapter 1707

    <h4>Chapter 1707</h4>


    ¡°At that time, I understood King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity. He was infinitely close to invincible, yet he had a certain weakness. The moment I realized this, I triple castedrge-scale magic and opened up my mental world, setting the stage for Ragnarok.¡±


    At the East Continent...


    Braham appeared in front of Grid and exined with a calm expression. He seemed like he was trying not to get excited, but he couldn¡¯t help his trembling voice. It was a god. He even defeated one of the gods in the highest positions. He might¡¯ve been in an environmentally advantageous position, but who would deny that he had the third greatest achievement after Grid and Hayate.


    ¡°The sight of hundreds of types of magic covering an entire area and growing into an infinitely great number was a wonder in itself. I was actually watching it, but it didn¡¯t feel real.¡±


    Zik came with him and asionally made ament. He made Grid realize the great achievement on behalf of Braham, who exined the principle of Ragnarok, because the power was unimaginable even if Grid heard it a hundred times.


    ¡°King Sobyeol...¡±


    Mir and Yeum were astonished. In particr, Yeum looked at Braham like he was a ghost. She recalled the faces of her siblings who lost their lives to him in the past. Braham had already been a monster back then. He took the lives of several yangbans in exchange for only giving up one arm. Unexpectedly, he grew to the level of repelling a true god. It was even in just a few years.


    ¡®...The assessment that the concept of time is meaningless to the Overgeared God is correct.¡¯


    The one who overshadowed the years¡ªthese words had to follow when discussing the Overgeared God. It was because he chased after transcendents, who had existed for thousands of years, with a human body that lived for less than 100 years. His apostles also seemed to be greatly affected. Every time she saw him, he became stronger as if he waspressing time.


    ¡®The qualification of the Martial God...¡¯


    Yeum suddenly thought of a certain future. It was Grid who became the Only One God and the eight gods who bowed in front of him. The seven apostles, including Mir, and Yeum herself would one day grow to be the chief gods of the Overgeared World.


    ¡°Stop imagining unpleasant things.¡±


    ¡°Hiik.¡±


    Yeum was in an ecstatic trance, only toe to her senses in a frightened manner. It was because the frowning Braham was staring at her. Her heart pounded like when she faced the Overgeared God as an enemy. Was this what a rat felt like in front of a cat?


    ¡°It makes meugh. Tsk,¡±Braham scolded her before turning his gaze to Mir. The final puzzle thatpleted the seven apostles. Did Mir really deserve to be thest apostle?


    ¡®Saving Grid¡¯s life is a separate matter.¡¯


    The apostles improved day by day. Even the lizard child, who could only eat, was able to recreate Crazy God and Crazy Dragon.


    Grid was facing hell and Asgard. The apostles needed to grow steadily in order to be helpful to him. They couldn¡¯t pause for a moment. They needed bone cutting effort and a determination to die. Did Mir have such desperation when he was created from the beginning to be a counterpart to Baal or Raphael? In fact, he didn¡¯t seem to have improvedpared to what Braham had seen a few months ago.


    ¡®No, on the contrary, he got a defect.¡¯


    Was this fallen guy thest apostle?


    Braham was clearly disappointed. He epted that Mir had taken the position of an apostle purely through personal connections.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Braham, who hade to visit and tell his story, now created an atmosphere of fear. Grid couldn¡¯t sit idly by. Grid thought he had to calm down Braham, who was looking at Mir with dissatisfied eyes.


    Mir took a step forward. ¡°It must be hard to trust me, who came from the yangbans. It is understandable. However, I have no feelings left for the Hwan Kingdom...¡±


    ¡°Where youcame from? That isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    Braham was the child of a great demon. Among the seven apostles, there was also an angel who had been cast out of Asgard and the child of the Insane Dragon. If someone came and questioned their origins, there were only a few apostles who could act proud.


    ¡°Do you deserve to serve Grid? Looking at your skills that have degenerated, it seems your mindset itself is rotten.¡±


    Yeum was full of anger. She thought that Braham, who recklessly judged Mir without knowing what he had gone through, was unsightly. However, she remained silent without showing any expression. It was Mir¡¯s job. It was up to him to dispel the misunderstandings. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯te forward because she was afraid of Braham...


    ¡°I have met quite a few yangbans. Most of them rely on their innate strength. They are those who wasted their years. Aren¡¯t you the same as them?¡±


    The number of yangbans that Braham had killed was close to the double digits. He had enough experience to define what a yangban was. It was less biasedpared to Grid, who used to evaluate yangbans just by looking at Garam.


    ¡®That guy, Garam, is really...¡¯


    The more he thought about it, the more talented Garam seemed. Looking back on it now, he felt even better. It was a pity that he had such a poor personality.


    Grid thought this while watching the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you a different side of me from now on,¡±Mir said with a reverent expression.


    He didn¡¯t exin what he had gone through like he didn¡¯t want to use it as an excuse. He only discussed the future. He showed a gentle, wise, and imposing temperament at the same time.


    Grid was satisfied. ¡®As expected, there must be at least one person like Mir.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been terrible if Mir¡¯s personality was simr to the other apostles. He would¡¯ve been caught up in Braham¡¯s using attitude that arbitrarily misunderstood and might¡¯ve immediately drawn his sword. Grid wanted the apostles to get along as much as possible. He believed that the more they trusted and depended on each other, the more they would be able to perform at their full potential.


    ¡°Hah... Huh?¡±


    Did he expect ame excuse? Braham scoffed the moment Mir opened his mouth, only to fall silent as he felt a rare embarrassment. He seemed to want to say something else, but he couldn¡¯t carelessly open his mouth. It was because of Mir¡¯s attitude. Braham would be the only ugly one if he said anything else here.


    ¡®He is a fox-like guy.¡¯


    Braham felt his insides boiling. It was because he saw Grid looking at Mir with satisfaction. He thought that Mir was trying to blur the point and manipte things to gain Grid¡¯s confidence.


    It was natural. What transcendent in the world would readily ept criticism? It was a hierarchy where they couldn¡¯t doubt that the path they walked was the correct one. Mir¡¯s attitude of reverently epting it after being criticized was strange and suspicious enough.


    -Stop being ugly.


    Then Zik¡¯s sound transmission was heard. He gave a warning after seeing Braham¡¯s face slowly heating up. Thanks to this, Braham regained hisposure and took a deep breath. He barely restrained his desire to challenge Mir to a duel.


    Mir was smiling. The slight curve of his eyes was reminiscent of Pagma. They might be artificially created beings, but a blood rtive was a blood rtive.


    ¡®It is unlucky just looking at the face.¡¯


    ¡°Are the Four Auspicious Beasts busy now? I would like to introduce Braham and Zik to them while they are here.¡±


    Grid cleared up the atmosphere. The East Continent was merging with the Overgeared World at a rate of 1% a day. The gods of thisnd would soon be gods belonging to the Overgeared World. There was no harm with them greeting the apostles in advance.


    Wasn¡¯t it just after the defeat of King Sobyeol? For the time being, the East Continent was perhaps the safest ce in the world. It was good to rx a bit.


    ¡°God, aren¡¯t you the Yellow Dragon? I think all of the Four Auspicious Beasts will gather as soon as they receive your call.¡±


    This was Mir¡¯s opinion. How could he speak so beautifully? Grid smiled happily without knowing Braham¡¯s inner heart and released a golden breath.


    ¡°Four Auspicious Beasts, please answer my call.¡±


    He said it inside his heart as well, just in case.


    [Did you call?]


    [I came.]


    All of the Four Auspicious Beasts responded to his call. There was the Red Phoenix made of the mes of life and the Blue Dragon made of blue lightning. There was the ck Tortoise that released a dance of death with every breath and the White Tiger, who felt rooted in the earth. The sight of the huge Four Auspicious Beasts gathered in one ce was overwhelming.


    Braham and Zik were shocked for a moment.


    [Ohh...]


    The Four Auspicious Beasts openly expressed their admiration. They had already heard that Braham and Zik had defeated King Sobyeol. All four pairs of eyes with different colors were filled with envy.


    [Braham and Zik... I have heard of your reputation.]


    [The apostles of the Overgeared God are amazing. I am d that I will be able to serve humans on the same side as you in the future.]


    ¡°I also think positively of your joining.¡±


    Fortunately, Braham didn¡¯t engage in a war of nerves against the Four Auspicious Beasts. Thanks to this, the atmosphere that had been stiff for a while rxed.


    [Will I be able to implement your magic with my mes?]


    The Red Phoenix and the Blue Dragon showed great interest in Braham¡¯s magic. From the perspective of the Red Phoenix, who was fire itself, and the Blue Dragon, who was lightning itself, they hoped that they would be able to use magic based on their constitution.


    ¡°Interesting...¡± Braham also showed great interest. Could the energy that made up the Red Phoenix and the Blue Dragon be reced with magic power? If possible, the world¡¯s purest elemental magic would be born...


    It happened at the time when the Duke of Wisdom, who had greater academic zeal than anyone else, embraced a new spirit of challenge...


    Buzz buzz.


    People were crowded outside the pce where Grid was staying. It was a procession to pay tribute to the world¡¯s savior, the Overgeared God. Grid was pleased in many ways.


    Very strong enemies and a rtively weak force¡ªhis always anxious mind becamefortable once the East Continent was liberated and the number of apostles grew. Enough power was in ce. By the time the final version of the flying ship came out, perhaps the invasion of Asgard wouldn¡¯t be an empty dream.


    ¡°It looks like you have been through a lot.¡±


    Meanwhile, Zik was showing interest in Mir. He hadmunicated with the Hwan Kingdom to some extent, to the point where he was even invited to the Hwan Kingdom, so he knew Mir¡¯s tendencies well. There was an unrivaled spirit for improvement. He was the one who aimed at the Martial God. He wouldn¡¯t have regressed for trivial reasons.


    ¡°You... do you know me?¡± Mir¡¯s careful question made Zik understand the situation immediately.


    He nodded quietly and took out a rune. It was a character that meant ¡®record.¡¯ ¡°I think this will help you.¡±


    ***


    At the same time, Reinhardt...


    Sariel, who was praying in front of a statue of the Overgeared God, slowly opened their eyes.


    ¡°...How dare youe here.¡±


    Pure white feathers fluttered on the breeze and scattered throughout Reinhardt. Some feathers flew into Irene¡¯s bedroom and formed a guardian barrier, while others tracked the location of the intruders.


    Asmophel and the former Red Knights, the knights and soldiers who had been taught by them, Jude and the security forces, and Sword Saint Kraugel ran in the darkness of the night after the feathers.

 Chapter 1708

    <h4>Chapter 1708</h4>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they would attract external forces.¡±


    ¡°It is really unusual this time. Catherine¡¯s party was leading the defense force, but they were quickly logged out.¡±


    ¡°Pushing us this far...¡±


    Currently, there were only three Yatan Servants leading the Yatan Church. Additionally, they were all yers. It was against this backdrop that the Yatan Church became an ally of the Overgeared Guild. The yers moved based on rational judgment, rather than the position of a Yatan Church member. They followed the trend without being swayed by Amoract, who imed to be Yatan¡¯s agent. They kicked out the existing servants, who cooperated with demons using their arbitrary interpretation of faith, and instead cooperated with Grid.


    In fact, it shouldn¡¯t be happening. The religion worshiping God Yatan instead followed the Overgeared God, who had nothing to do with God Yatan. It wasn¡¯t a joke that the current Yatan Church wasn¡¯t the Yatan Church, but a branch of the Overgeared God Church.


    However, the Yatan Church cooperated with Grid to the end and easily suppressed the bacsh that arose in the process. It was because most of the Yatan Church members were already yers. The existing Yatan Church members could hardly resist them. In other words, Morpheus¡¯ strategy of attracting people with all types of rewards to raise the Yatan Church, one of the few opponents of the Overgeared Guild, actually brought down the Yatan Church.


    Yet at this moment, a reversal happened. The church members who lost the faction fight and were kicked out seeded in returning in a brilliant manner. An unidentified army of undead troops helped them. It was a powerful army where a lich and death knights weremon.


    The name that came out of their mouths was the ¡®No Offspring Tomb.¡¯ It was a tomb so huge that it was difficult to find. They were vague rumors that there was no way to know if it was a tomb or not because the magnitude was like a mountain range.


    The thick ceiling made of carved stone copsed with a loud roar. The Yatan Servants got up immediately and cast magic.


    The yers who were the Yatan Servants, including Yura and Rose¡ªall those who became a Yatan Servant were outstanding. The same was true of the Yatan Servants of the present day. Based on the characteristics of the invaders who broke through the ceiling, they quickly figured out the attributes and skills the invaders would use. They avoided the surprise attack at a level close to prediction andunched a counterattack.


    -Ughhhhh!


    The death knightsing from the ceiling fell like they had been electrocuted. Their souls separated from their bodies after being hit by the ck magic and they couldn¡¯t handle the shock.


    ¡°It is the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this...¡±


    The Yatan Servants couldn¡¯tugh even after subduing five death knights in an instant. It was because the number of additional death knightsing from the copsed ceiling was a huge 100. There was even a death knight standing proudly with crossed arms on the ceiling. The name of the man wearing the blue cloak was colored, which meant he was named. The modifier ¡®Sword of the No Offspring Tomb¡¯ that was attached to the front of the name was very annoying.


    ¡°What is with all these bumpkins guarding the tomb all of a sudden? Who will protect the tomb if they go out as a group?¡±


    Most yers still didn¡¯t know the horror of the myth usurpers. They never dreamed that the monsters of the No Offspring Tomb would often go out hunting for human gods. Therefore, the Yatan Servants were even more flustered and resentful of this situation. Sword of the No Offspring Tomb ignored their cry and spoke.


    -Kill them, all.This ce will be used as an outpost for hunting the human gods.


    It was a year with a good harvest. Faint divinities were sprouting up all over the continent. The newborn human gods were usually just easy prey. There had never been a human god who properly handled the power that had just blossomed.


    A strong human god regardless of the power? Such a thing was hard to exist. Usually, human gods weren¡¯t born because they were strong. They were born because they had outstanding achievements or were worshiped by people.


    I will collect all the rookies¡¯ status and offer them to the specter...


    A sly smile spread across the faces of the deceased who had a glowing blue light in their eye sockets.


    ***


    Sariel¡ªthe basis for her/him was ¡®justice.¡¯


    She was upright enough to reveal the original sin of the gods and hold them ountable. She was banished from heaven and stigmatized as a fallen angel. She lost her memories and wandered through hell and the Abyss for many years... She had never regretted her choice. She had the belief that the justice she adhered to would be helpful to some good beings.


    This belief was still firm. As Sariel prayed in front of the statue of the Overgeared God, her divinity covered all of Reinhardt and she could sense evil intentions. It was impossible for an ordinary human being to deceive her senses, which revealed even the original sin of the gods. Thanks to this, Reinhardt¡¯s security always remained at its maximum. It was a rare scene that couldn¡¯t be seen in any other city in the world, meaning that the crime rate was close to zero.


    Evil beings infiltrating Reinhardt without her knowledge? It was impossible.


    [The feathers of Sariel will guide you.]


    yers from the security force were busy following Jude. They searched specific ces following the ¡®guiding feathers¡¯ that had been hard to see for the past few months. Every once in a while, they encountered suspicious intruders. They were beings that clearly existed and moved, but didn¡¯t breathe.


    The undead¡ªJude¡¯s greatsword pierced the purple aura that symbolized the sword energy of the dead. Thanks to this, the yers avoided an ambush and gave a thumbs up in admiration.


    ¡°As expected of the captain!¡±


    Grid¡¯s first knight¡ªhis fame had declined a lotpared to the seven apostles and the 10 meritorious retainers, but Jude was still one of the symbols of the Overgeared Empire. He was at the level of destroying a field boss monster alone, and the shark-shaped greatsword he wielded was famous as a work Grid had personally created.


    ¡°Jude. Body is light.¡±


    Jude was naturally named.


    After breaking through his limits several times, his stats that were blocked by a ss ceiling were soaring without an end. Tirelessly... no, to be precise, Jude¡¯s personality that was constantly training without getting tiredbined well with his named status, showing a tremendous synergy.


    However, his growth was only just beginning. It still wasn¡¯t enough. Moreover, the invaders were hunters who yed an overwhelmingly active part behind the scenes of the world. They were those who hunted the gods.


    ¡°J-Jude!¡±


    The shocked yers shouted loudly when Jude was hit by a thunderbolt that fell. Jude¡¯s thick limbs flinched as they were burned ck. Due to his low intelligence, his magic resistance was so low that it was difficult to cover even with items. He might be strangely powerful when it came to mental attack magic, but magicians were generally bad opponents for Jude. Additionally, the magician¡¯s identity was a named-ss lich, so the fight itself couldn¡¯t be established.


    -As expected of a nation established by a god, the military is excellent.I didn¡¯t expect a general-level person to be dispatched immediately.


    The lich witnessed Jude surviving even after being hit by the great magic and responded with a bit of surprise. The name of the person with a red light for the eyes was Lopero. He had the modifier of ¡®Small Staff of the No Offspring Tomb.¡¯ At the same time that he appeared, he released a wide-area debuffs that caused the yers to fall into the fear, futility, and uncontroble magic power abnormal conditions.


    ¡°Kuoock...¡±


    Jude didn¡¯t fall to the end. He held on even though his eyes were white and his mouth was foaming.


    -You are strong enough to seem like you aren¡¯t human.


    Lopero¡¯s red eyes became sharp. He seemed to be frowning.


    -Well, it is fine.If it is a person like you, we can sit down at the negotiating table right away.The thing we want is simple.It is human gods staying here.If you hand them over, we¡¯ll back off.


    Myth usurpers were those who hunted divinity. They naturally denied most divinity. The same was true of Lopero, who served the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb as his master. However, he wasn¡¯tpletely free in front of the divinity of the Overgeared World. The divinity that spread throughout the continent around Reinhardt felt dirty and painful to him like poison.


    Fortunately, he had gained some resistance by damaging a few statues of the Overgeared God recently, even if it was only a temporary measure. He wanted to hurry up and finish his mission to return to the No Offspring Tomb and befortable.


    ¡°Jude... don¡¯t know... human gods... don¡¯t know...¡±


    -Is your brain damaged?


    Lopero felt repulsed by Jude¡¯s slow, awkward tone, and drew dozens of magic circles around him. He was sent in consideration of the fact that the seven apostles of the Overgeared God were his enemies. He had a level that could lightly overwhelm anyone, let alone a single human. The leader of the Overgeared God Church might¡¯ve been annoying, but he had been lured to another ce.


    -I will have to visit the pce.I have gone off course.


    It happened as Lopero¡¯s magic was triggered...


    A warm wind seemed to blow and the tiles of the main street shook. Eventually, arge amount of golden wheat grew between the cracks. It was Asmophel. He was the strongest number two, and he naturally became stronger when the number one got stronger. Now he arrived at the scene.


    Today, Asmophel used Piaro¡¯s techniques very naturally. It was to the point where he could reproduce some of the faint divinity that Piaro had recently built up.


    Lopero¡¯s eyes shed.


    -Apostle of the Overgeared God.You must be Piaro among the apostles.You must¡¯ve been one of the ones who recently started to sprout as a human god.


    Things were going really well.


    -I need to secure you first.


    Lopero grinned and summoned arge army. Hundreds of high ranking undead rose from the ground and destroyed the golden wheat field. The spearmen riding on the bone beastsrger than elephants were particrly threatening. However, it was meaningless. It was because they were annihted at the same time that they appeared.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    -Sword Saint...?


    In the center of the ground that was split in half, Lopero almost had a seizure as he watched all the troops he summoned being cut to death.


    -Why are you here...?Muller, that boring guy is still here...!


    ¡°Go easy on the ground!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Lopero¡¯s shout was buried. The current Sword Saint was busy apologizing to the goddess of the earth and wasn¡¯t even looking at him.


    -Even Garion...this is good...


    It happened as the flustered Lopero activated magic again as if he was trying to show off his presence...


    ¡°This guy is mine.¡±


    A swordsman broke in. He was a blind swordsman with long scars covering his eyes. It was the so-called disciple of Muller. He was a transcendent who persistently pursued Kraugel, who had returned after purifying the Elemental World.


    It was only some time after he drew his sword that a thunderous roar spread out. The surroundings were already devastated.


    The swordsman confronted Kraugel¡¯s sword and smiled bitterly. ¡°It is nice to see you again. This time, I have to take Master¡¯s secret technique.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t see this sword.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s words were out of context.


    The conversation subtly diverged from the point. The blind swordsman felt suspicious and stepped back in a panic. It was after his sword was damaged due to being interlocked with Kraugel¡¯s Twilight.


    ¡°What do you mean by the sword? What swordsmanship did you use?¡±


    ¡°...It is being overgeared.¡±


    It was the first time in history¡ªa swordsman was discussing items, not swordsmanship.

 Chapter 1709

    <h4>Chapter 1709</h4>


    The blind swordsman, Cabelon¡ªhe sometimes forgot about the absence of his vision. It was because his ridiculously superior senses reced his vision. In fact, he built a high level of transcendence and was a skilled person worthy of being Muller¡¯s self-proimed disciple.


    ¡®I have been properly humiliated.¡¯


    The de was damaged the moment he hit Kraugel¡¯s sword. Five centimeters from the end, a scratch of around 6 millimeters was made. This finely broken bnce was captured by Cabelon¡¯s senses. It was to the point of being ufortable.


    Cabelon clicked his tongue and changed his grip. He slightly raised his index finger up to restore the bnce of the damaged sword. At the same time, he elerated the cirction of the sword energy which further strengthened the de.


    ¡°You¡¯ve shown ugliness. You have been wearing your sword energy all the time, so you revealed a gap.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected that the sword would be damaged. It was natural. It was a sword made of ck iron that a craftsman of the distant past had hammered for 100 days, and was wrapped in sword energy. It was believed that it wouldn¡¯t be damaged even if it was quenched in theva boiling in Trauka¡¯s nest.


    ¡°The world is wide. Master always said that I should live with the sense of being in a well. I should¡¯ve engraved his words in my mind, not my ears.¡±


    ¡°...Are you truly Muller¡¯s disciple?¡±


    The other time when they met, Kraugel failed tomunicate properly with Cabelon. He had been in the process of a time attack quest where time was running out and he couldn¡¯tmunicate well with the opponent who suddenly attacked him. Additionally, his skills were strong. At that time, Kraugel had no choice but to fight Cabelon with the feeling of avoiding dirty poop.


    However, things were different now. Kraugel had grown and there were many allies around him. Garion, the goddess of the earth; the former Red Knights; and the young knights and soldiers of the empire...


    Unlike before, he wasn¡¯t alone. It was no longer a strange thing to Kraugel. There was a feeling that his deficits were naturally filled up. He felt reassured.


    Cabelon was also active in conversing unlike before. He seemed to have judged that the level of the enemies was too high to stick to his attitude of silence.


    ¡°That is a silly question. If you had obtained Master¡¯s secret technique, then you would¡¯ve seen that my swordsmanship is very simr to my master¡¯s.¡±


    Kraugel knew that Cabelon must¡¯ve learned the Matchless Swordsmanship. However, there was too much of an ambiguous aspect to be certain he was Muller¡¯s disciple. It was because most of the Matchless Swordsmanship used by Cabelon was deformed. It was a form that hadn¡¯t evolved in a better direction, but regressed in reverse. He wondered if it would¡¯ve been like this if a great genius had learned the Matchless Swordsmanship over his shoulders.


    ¡°If you are really Muller¡¯s disciple, why are you obsessed with his secret technique? The swordsmanship you¡¯ve already learned firsthand will be better than one recorded in a book.¡±


    ¡°It is a ridiculous question again. It is the duty of a disciple to get back my master¡¯s relics.¡±


    ¡°However, I am the owner of the secret technique.¡±


    ¡°What...? What type of sophistry is that?¡±


    ¡°I found something that has been buried for hundreds of years, so it is naturally mine.¡±


    ¡°You are a great person who doesn¡¯t intend to return the money bag he picked up on the street to the owner, but is going to take care of it. It is deplorable that the Sword Saint of the present age is equivalent to a beggar. It is a fault that will discredit all swordsmen, including Master and myself.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this thief¡¯s tongue too long?¡±


    A shadow was cast over the ground and a strong wind blew. It was the appearance of Huroi, a member of the 10 meritorious retainers and a propaganda officer. He had returned from a mission to the territories of the local nobles who were executed by the inspectors in order to inform people about their crimes and condemn it. His sharp gaze examined Cabelon up and down as he pulled the reins of the wyvern and descended.


    ¡°Your master in hell will be quite saddened when seeing your sword dancing to take away other people¡¯s things. He will say that he raised a ruthless robber, not a swordsman.¡±


    ¡°My master is in hell?¡±


    ¡°Then is he in heaven? It is either hell or heaven.¡±


    ¡°Your continuous thoughtless remarks...¡±


    ¡°Where are the thoughtless remarks? Don¡¯t the dead go to either hell or heaven?¡±


    ¡°Why do you treat the living as the dead? Even if you cross the line, this is crossing it too much!¡±


    Cabelon¡¯s face was already red. Few people would withstand Huroi¡¯s provocation, which was close to the level of abusive words. It was because the more transcendent a person was, the less resistant they were to swear words. It was right to say that it was a different level of attack from ordinary mental attacks.


    ¡°You are acting like a lunatic so you will naturally disgrace your dead master... Huh?¡±


    Huroi, who had been talking continuously, closed his mouth. He cocked his head and his eyes widened like he was reflecting on what he just heard. Soon after, Kraugel stepped up on his behalf because he was too shocked and couldn¡¯t open his mouth recklessly.


    ¡°Is Muller alive?¡±


    There were many doubts about it. There were many times when he doubted Muller¡¯s death as he walked on the path of a Sword Saint. A little while ago, the lich Lopero also spoke the words ¡®Muller, that boring guy is still here...¡¯ as if he was alive and well. However, he couldn¡¯t find any basis for survival, so he couldn¡¯t assume that Muller was alive. There was no evidence of death, but there was also no evidence that he was alive. In retrospect, those from the No Offspring Tomb also seemed confused.


    Lopero believed Muller was alive, but the No Offspring Tomb group itself searched for Muller¡¯s grave, as if they were searching for Muller¡¯s body.


    ¡°Of course he is alive.¡± Cabelon¡¯s answer was straightforward. He didn¡¯t bring up rumors of Muller¡¯s survival to create unnecessary confusion. Instead, he shouted like Muller was really alive. ¡°He can¡¯t be dead.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why did it suddenly be ambiguous?


    ¡®Does this person just want to believe he is alive?¡¯


    It happened as Kraugel and Huroi were thinking this...


    ¡°The truth is so shocking that you might not believe it, but... in fact, the heavenly Martial God is a fake. The real martial god is called ¡®Chiyou¡¯... I clearly witnessed the moment when he came to the surface to see Master. Master is so great that the true Martial God came down to see him. There is no way that he would¡¯ve died... I am nothing more than a piece of trashpared to him and even I have lived for hundreds of years...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had also said it¡ªMuller wanted to die on his own, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to die in the end. He must¡¯ve learned the truth along the way that death wasn¡¯t the end. Would he have died smoothly when he knew that he would be reduced to being Baal¡¯s toy or a soldier of the gods?


    It was impossible. Grid¡¯s recent interpretation was that he must be alive somewhere.


    ¡°Looking at your stiff expression, it seems that you are quite surprised by my excellent information. It must be surprising since there are fewer than 10 people in the world who know Chiyou¡¯s name. Who else besides me who knows Chiyou¡¯s name... I can only think of a monster in the north sea who wears snow caps like they are clothes.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear Chiyou¡¯s name. There is no one in today¡¯s world who doesn¡¯t know it.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! They are foolish words. Well, it¡¯s fine. I have to take away the secret technique and leave before the skeletons of the No Offspring Tomb can¡¯t stand it any longer and fall.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Muller.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much to talk about. I¡¯m also in a position of searching for him, so I can¡¯t provide you with any clues that can help you. I wouldn¡¯t provide it even if I had a clue.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this subtly honest?¡±Huroi whispered into Kraugel¡¯s ear. It was a reaction that showed that it was hard to grasp Cabelon¡¯s personality.


    Kraugel pulled out a hair tie and tied up his long hair.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a good-natured man.¡±


    He had cold eyes and a cold manner of talking. There was a willingness to continue the conversation at any cost, even through violence.


    Huroiughed and took a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll assist you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Even if the number of novices increases from one to two...?¡± Cabelon¡¯s expression was stiff as he shrugged and gripped his sword. It was because the energy of the deceased, which had been filling his surroundings, disappeared without a trace in an untimely manner. Lopero had retreated.


    ¡°...I have a lot to say about Master.¡±


    Cabelon immediately put down the sword and raised both hands, showing that he had no intention of resisting. As expected of someone with strong senses. His ability to read the battle situation was excellent.


    ***


    -Divinity is simr to magic power.Just like magic power that doesn¡¯t be magic due to the magic form is nothing more than ineffective energy, divinity is nothing special if it isn¡¯t utilized properly.It is just used to bring out the feeling or atmosphere.Forming divinity into divine power is apletely different realm.


    Let¡¯s turn back the time to a little while ago. It was when Kraugel and Huroi were dealing with Cabelon.


    Lich Lopero was talking nonsense with Asmophel. He still mistook Asmophel for Piaro. Asmophel was vaguely recreating Piaro¡¯s divinity and Lopero dismissed him as insignificant. It was based on Dante, who had run over with Asmophel.


    -Look at him right now.You are at most a worthless human who bears some divinity.Piaro, the apostle of the Overgeared God.You aren¡¯t much different from that guy.Kukukuk...


    ¡°......¡±


    Asmophel¡¯s group had no idea which part to start tackling. Eventually, they ignored Lopero and started to talk among themselves.


    ¡°Why is he calling Asmophel Piaro?¡±


    ¡°It is too much to dismiss magic power that didn¡¯t be magic as trivial energy... Lord Braham¡¯s Magic Missile smashed a small mountain...¡±


    ¡°Lord Dante, please refute something! The divinity that His Majesty instilled has restored your youth! The empress has the same divinity! Are you going to keep quiet when he is demeaning such precious divinity as no big deal?¡±


    Irene and Dante had regained their youth thanks to Grid, who was active with the skin mask. They now knew that the concept of divinity was behind it. For them, divinity was a very precious and sacred blessing that Grid himself had gifted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay silent. Lord Asmophel, can Ie forward?¡±


    Dante had taken off his appearance of old age and became a middle-aged man, but his experience hadn¡¯t disappeared. The quiet tone and calm attitude felt heavier than when he was a swordsmanship instructor of the Red Knights.


    Asmophel thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°I will learn a lot.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, since when are you saying that?¡±


    -Don¡¯t tell me, right now...are you going to deal with me alone?


    Lopero was dumbfounded. He had a hierarchy where he tracked and hunted human gods. It wasn¡¯t a threat at all even if humans attacked in a group. Now a human swordsman who built up divinity, but wasn¡¯t an apostle or famous, was moving forward to deal with him. It was so insignificant that he couldn¡¯t even snort.


    Asmophel muttered, ¡°The prime minister said that the invasion of the No Offspring Tomb at this point should be treated as a bonus game...¡±


    It was a few minutes ago. The ¡®guiding feathers¡¯ that triggered after a long time made Asmophel very nervous. It was an attack that urred when His Majesty and the apostles were absent. It felt like they were thoroughly targeted. He judged that scary guys had invaded with definite preparations.


    This was when Lauel insinuated something.


    Don¡¯t be nervous and have fun.


    At that time, he had been wondering what Lauel was talking about...


    -Kuack!You are also one of the seven apostles...!You are surprisingly pretty strong!!


    ¡°......¡±


    The invaders were in a very bad state. Despite their ability to hunt down ¡®weak human gods,¡¯ as they themselves imed, it was impossible to handle the elites of the Overgeared Kingdom. Thanks to this, Reinhardt secured arge amount of loot.

 Chapter 1710

    <h4>Chapter 1710</h4>


    ¡°There is nothing special about it.¡±


    This was the conclusion reached after a long interrogation of the blind swordsman, Cabelon. In fact, the expression that he was hosted as the guest of honor was a bit more urate. Cabelon deserved such treatment. He had swung his sword at Kraugel, but he didn¡¯t actually cause casualties and he was a rare transcendent.


    Lauel wanted to have a good rtionship with him and Kraugel sympathized.


    ¡°Muller has been active much longer than is known to the world. There is absolutely no basis for Muller¡¯s death...¡±


    The content of Muller¡¯s activities and thoughts, etcetera¡ªthe information provided by Cabelon wasn¡¯t that different from the facts revealed by Grid and Kraugel so far. This didn¡¯t mean that Cabelon¡¯s information was insignificant. It was just that the information that Grid and Kraugel had collected was that great.


    Weren¡¯t they the Overgeared God and the Sword Saint? The quality and quantity of the information they acquired was far beyond the normal level.


    ¡°However, it isn¡¯t that there are no results at all. We learned a bit about Muller¡¯s tomb.¡±


    Muller¡¯s tomb wasn¡¯t prepared by Muller himself, nor was it done by Cabelon, his self-proimed disciple. Who would dare to build his master¡¯s tomb? Building a grave of the living was too malicious and ominous. Cabelon had be furious when he identally discovered Muller¡¯s tomb and started a thorough investigation of the tomb.


    However, as a blind man, the information he could find out was limited. Through an idental process, he joined forces with the No Offspring Tomb. In return for Cabelon neutralizing the ¡®Barrier of Sword Energy¡¯ around the tomb, the No Offspring Tomb signed a contract to investigate the tomb and provide information to Cabelon. As a result, Cabelon learned that Muller¡¯s tomb had the structure of a ¡®sacrificial ceremony.¡¯


    ¡°Sacrificial ceremony... sacrifice... consciousness...¡±


    Who did this and why?


    The sight of Kraugel cocking his head and cing his hand on his chin was as beautiful as a painting. Lauel feltpetitive when he saw it and floated the ck me dragon over the back of his hand as he spoke, ¡°I think it is what Pagma did.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the bodies of the previous generation legends used as death knights when Pagma blocked the demons¡¯ invasion of the Behen Archipgo alone? I think he intended to make Muller a death knight as well.¡±


    Pagma was a legendary cksmith and a great swordsman. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to use the technique of making a barrier with sword energy. Moreover, the level of the barrier wasn¡¯t that strong and it was broken by Cabelon.


    Lauel reasoned it out reasonably, but Kraugel immediately refuted it, ¡°A body is needed to make the undead as you said. What method did Pagma use to try and gain Muller¡¯s body, when he isn¡¯t dead, and turn him into an undead?¡±


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been necessary to create something to rece the body.¡±


    ¡°Something to rece the body of the living, not the dead...? Do you really believe that such a thing exists?¡±


    Lauel¡¯s spection seemed usible at first, but there was no clear basis for it. Kraugel had a very thorough personality, so it was hard for him to agree.


    Lauel shrugged. ¡°There is too little information to guess without it being an individual''s unfounded spection. My guess must not be too wrong considering Pagma¡¯s personality.¡±


    ¡°Pagma¡¯s personality...¡±


    Pagma was a hero who defended the world at his own expense. However, he was treated as the source of all evil...


    Kraugel felt great pity for him, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything to say to defend Pagma. The conversation between the two of them was stopped for a while.


    ¡°So who is the Overgeared God and who is the Overgeared God¡¯s apostle?¡±


    Cabelon suddenly emerged from the VIP room and intervened between the two of them.


    ¡°The city is filled with those who are strong. People with sensitive senses like me feel pressure all the time. There is a particrly strong energying from that huge temple. Is it the Overgeared God?¡±


    ¡°Temple? It would be Apostle Sariel.¡±


    ¡°An apostle is like that...? Wait, Sariel? This energy definitely resembles an angel. Hoh, an angel is an apostle. They must be the strongest of the seven apostles.


    ¡°......¡±


    If Cabelon¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t been blinded, then wouldn¡¯t they be shining brightly right now? Lauel thought to himself at the sight of Cabelon, who was like a country bumpkin who just came to the city.


    ¡®Is it because the No Offspring Tomb is disconnected from the world?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just the lich, Lopero. Cabelon, who had been working with the No Offspring Tomb for a long time, had too little knowledge of the world. It was somewhat bizarre.


    ¡°By the way, you are a disappointment in many ways for the Sword Saint of the present age.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°A Sword Sage is a noble being who is alone and detached from the affairs of the world. It was the case with my master and my master¡¯s master. Yet youpromised with the world and joined forces with such strong people? A person who has obtained my master¡¯s secret technique might not be able to be invincible alone, but if you join a gang because you are afraid of something...¡±


    ¡°You have a strange prejudice.¡±


    A Sword Saint was a lonely and noble being...


    That wasn¡¯t the case when looking at Biban.


    Lauel countered on behalf of Kraugel and continued speaking, ¡°Is it true that we might be able to find clues about Muller¡¯s whereabouts if we go to his tomb?¡±


    ¡°If you give me honest information.¡±


    The No Offspring Tomb hadn¡¯t given Cabelon all the information. They concealed important information.


    Cabelon was certain of it. It was a natural suspicion since he didn¡¯t have a rtionship of trust with the No Offspring Tomb in the first ce.


    ¡°Okay. I have to call Skunk for the first time in a while.¡±


    ¡°Skunk? Is there a person called Skunk?¡±


    ¡°...Well, you might feelfortable thinking of it as a nickname.¡±


    Lauel was well known for working quickly. He immediately called the Skunk Expedition Team and sent them with Cabelon to Muller¡¯s tomb. Kraugel naturally stepped forward as an escort. He couldn¡¯t be excluded from any episodes involving Muller. He had heard from Grid that Braham would soon return so he determined that there wouldn¡¯t be a problem with Reinhardt¡¯s defense.


    ¡°The No Offspring Tomb...¡±


    Lauel frowned and contacted Chris. It was to ask him to hunt outside the No Offspring Tomb if possible.


    -The No Offspring Tomb?No matter how far outside I am, hunting there alone won¡¯t be possible.Hmm?It might be enough with those members.


    Chris, Zibal, Hurent, and Haster¡ªa small party of elites, who could be called the strongest, moved to the No Offspring Tomb. They were tasked with promoting rapid growth and keeping an eye on the trends of the No Offspring Tomb.


    ***


    -Thank you.I have been taught a lot.


    ¡°The benefits I gained are also great.¡±


    The exchange between the apostles and the Four Auspicious Beasts generated a synergy that exceeded expectations. The Four Auspicious Beasts learned magic that utilized their attributes, and Braham and Zik were blessed by them. They were able to handle the Breaths of the Four Auspicious Beasts. They were in a different position from the yangbans who sealed the Four Auspicious Beasts and forcibly used their powers. They were able to handle the Breaths without a separate training process and were closer to Grid¡¯s position.


    ¡®It will be a great weapon if I use it well.¡¯


    In particr, Braham had high hopes for Lightning God. Like Kyle, it was a skill that turned his body to lightning, making him vulnerable to magic in return for havingplete physical resistance. Grid and Kyle took it as a weakness and never dreamed of linking it to magic, but Braham was inspired by it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. The work of attaching magic to Greed is steadily underway, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Braham wanted to start his research quickly and said goodbye to Grid and Zik.


    The East Continent and the West Continent¡ªthe boundaries between the two continents started to fade due to the influence of the Overgeared World and this allowed him to jump between them at once using Teleport. He left with a nod goodbye to Mir. He was sorry for the misunderstanding.


    Braham¡¯s personality had be very docilepared to the past.


    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    Mir and the Four Auspicious Beasts also returned to their respective positions. Grid and Zik were left alone and started a story that wasn¡¯t short. It was about the identity of the great demons that Muller had sealed in the past.


    ¡°They are your old colleagues?¡±


    ¡°It is too early to be certain, but at the very least, Hell Gao is likely to be Bultar.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to break the bondage of suffering that Hell Gao is going through...¡±


    ¡°It is too premature. Hell Gao is currently the nutrients that humanity needs, and Bultar himself must¡¯ve happily epted his fate. However, I need to identify exactly what role my other colleagues are ying as demons. If they are suffering worthlessly, then it is my small wish to break the bondage of suffering that they might be experiencing.¡±


    ¡°I will make your wishe true.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s set up a team right away. I¡¯ll tell Lauel, so make sure you apply for the necessary resources and personnel.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you. This will surely help you as well, God.¡±


    Finally, Zik left. Grid was left alone and silently swung his hammer. Events were steadily proceeding in a direction that was beneficial, even without himself. He had no doubt that good things would happen when the results came together. At this moment¡ª


    ¡°It is nice that your face is bing more confident. It might be to my taste.¡±


    ¡°You...?¡±


    Venice, the god of money, descended from the sky. Was it because she was in a position to interact with yers based on the ¡®store¡¯ system? Her visits were always sudden and done freely. It was a bit surprising that she suddenly came to the East Continent, which was still regarded as the realm of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°Zeratul has finished his closed training. Not only did he recover the status he lost, but he has be a lot stronger. You should be careful because he has been intensively honing his dual wielding to prove that it is better than yours. He is looking for a moment when you are alone, so I rmend you always take an apostle as an escort.¡±


    ¡°Why are you giving me useful information?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I am the god of money. More than anything else, I seek a profit. I think it is right to invest in you. Please be careful after I warned you, so that my judgment isn¡¯t wrong...¡± Venice¡¯s words stopped midway. It was the aftermath of Zeratul silently descending and brutally gripping her neck. Her struggling appearance seemed precarious, like a flower that was about to be crushed.


    ¡°I wanted to see you, Grid.¡± Zeratul separated Venice¡¯s head from her body and smiled slightly. His calm eyes didn¡¯t match the horrible and urgent situation. There was a determination not to ruin things this time.


    Then he unfolded the barrier where ¡®space movement is impossible¡® in a natural manner. Grid was isted.


    ¡°There is no Hayate here, so stop thinking of being lucky enough to escape.¡±


    ¡°...I wonder if I need Hayate.¡±


    No, maybe Zeratul was the isted one.


    ***


    At the same time, at the entrance of Reinhardt...


    ¡°The apostles of the Overgeared God must all have monstrous power. We have to be careful of our behavior from now on so we don¡¯t enter their eyes.¡±


    In the West Continent, men and women wearing dopos were standing in front of the huge gates. They all had dark eyes and dark hair. Hanul was in the midst of the cycle, and King Sobyeol and the Three Masters were in seclusion. There were a small number of yangbans who crossed the sea while the boundaries were weakened.


    They witnessed and were fascinated by the epic of the Overgeared God, so they nned to stay in Reinhardt for a while. They wanted to observe the lives of those who served the Overgeared God. It was to gain references to determine their future. They were filled with great skepticism when they saw their siblings who died after being used as a tool all their lives.


    ¡°...This city is a real haven of monsters.¡±


    Cabelon was shocked after leaving the city gates. It was the same for the yangbans.

 Chapter 1711

    <h4>Chapter 1711</h4>


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªhe was a god created with Chiyou as the motif. Technically, he was more like a parasite. He shifted the hearts of those who worshiped and yearned for the Martial God and naturally turned them toward him. It meant that starting from some time ago, Chiyou¡¯s rights were divided.


    In fact, Zeratul radiated an immense sense of intimidation. The long beard that came down to his abdomen and the gray hair that rose in a dizzying manner like it had been struck by lightning werebined with his huge appearance, making him look monstrous. It was naturally reminiscent of the Absolutes in myths or the Martial God described in history.


    ¡°A lot has changed since Ist saw you.¡±


    The atmosphere vibrated every time Zeratul opened his mouth. The invisible colorless divinity responded to his willpower one by one. It would be very easy for him to break a great mountain with a small gesture.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t shrinking back at all.¡±


    Zeratul was very bothered by the look in Grid¡¯s eyes. The eyes were unwaveringly calm even when facing him. Zeratul couldn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of fear or respect. It was evidence of his ignorance and arrogance.


    ¡°It seems like during the time when I was away, you went through many things and grew.¡±


    The one whopressed time and grew¡ªZeratul now acknowledged that Grid¡¯s rate of development was abnormal. This was why he went into secluded training. For the Martial God, ¡®training¡¯ itself had a special meaning. He had experienced tremendous growth in a short period of time. It was an unimaginable level for a god that came from proud and insignificant humans.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Zeratul took a deep breath. He barely suppressed his desire to tear Grid to death. It wasn¡¯t difficult. It was because the killing intent and fighting energy that soared without knowing the limits were relieved to some extent by harming Venice.


    ¡°I have a rough idea about the source of your confidence.¡±


    Grid¡¯s divinity rose like a haze and took the form of a yellow dragon that was in harmony with thendscape. This meant that thisnd was smoothly epting Grid¡¯s existence. It was evidence that Grid¡¯s myth was starting to take root in the East Continent. Based on the faint traces of the expelled gods, it seemed they had been nourishment for Grid.


    ¡°You came from a trivial human god background and eventually established a divine world. I¡¯m sure you must be proud. However, you still don¡¯t know that your level is very weak. What¡¯s more, I am the Martial God.¡±


    The Martial God existed to fight. He was a heavenly spearhead. The penalties that urred when leaving Asgard couldn''t be ovee because his ¡®origin¡¯ was in Asgard, but he was immune to the additional penalties that urred when entering a certain area. No boundaries dared to block the advance of the Martial God.


    The Overgeared World that Grid had just started to build, the Hwan Kingdom established by the expelled gods, and the hell ruled by demons¡ªthey couldn¡¯t harm Zeratul. It was because the reason for the Martial God¡¯s existence of going forward to fight would disappear if the Martial God was crushed by the dimensional oppression. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the benefits for the master of the dimension could be neutralized.


    ¡°Did you polish your tongue while you were confined in the temple?¡± Grid, who had been observing Zeratul¡¯s movements, finally opened his mouth.


    He had a clear hostility toward Zeratul. He was hostile to other gods in a somewhat abstract manner based on their history and circumstances, but his feelings toward the three gods, Zeratul, Dominion, and Judar, were specific. It was because they directly or indirectly caused damage to the present day humanity.


    In particr, Zeratul and Dominion had invaded Reinhardt. Among them, Zeratul threatened his colleagues and Lord...


    Irene and the people would¡¯ve been in danger if Hayate hadn¡¯t helped.


    ¡°Kukuk!Kuhahahat!¡±


    Zeratul stared at Grid with slightly wide eyes before he finally burst outughing. Heughed with his chin raised for a long time like it was unbearable. Then he soon became serious again. He had made a decision.


    ¡°It is easy for me to hurt you here, but that won¡¯t resolve my anger.¡±


    Zeratul didn¡¯t want to admit it, but this person was a god. Grid wouldn¡¯t die even if he was killed like Venice, whose head was torn off a little while ago. The very result of defeat should cause damage. Hurting him here? Thinking about it soberly, it didn¡¯t make much sense.


    I am the Martial God and my victory is natural.It won¡¯t mean much if I hurt him here when we are alone.


    Therefore, eyewitnesses were necessary. It was only when arge number of foolish humans who worshiped Grid were gathered, and Zeratul thoroughly vited and degraded Grid in front of them, that he could seriously undermine Grid¡¯s status.


    ¡°In terms of timing... it has been less than a year since Hanul started the cycle. He is still guiding people subconsciously, so the stage will naturally be set up.¡±


    The colorless divinity, which had been divided into hundreds of thousands of strands, contracted and loosened like muscles. The condensed energy threatened to smash Grid¡¯s head when it tightened, and then it loosened repeatedly. The threat was greater when it was loosened. It was a strong self-defense that fluttered like silk. It was a form that seemed to leisurely deflect the intrusion of a sword.


    ¡°Look forward to it, Grid. I will soon humiliate you with the same swordsmanship that you used to humiliate me. We willpete in front of everyone to see whose skills are truly outstanding.¡±


    Your swordsmanship is excellent enough to be the god of swords, but I have mastered all types of martial arts.It is the prerogative of me, Martial God Zeratul, to use the ever-victorious skills that are the best in the world.


    Zeratul murmured these words before undoing the barrier and leaving. It was after leaving a rant that they would meet again soon. The bewildered Grid pondered on it for a moment.


    Can I just let him go like this?


    Of course, his thoughts were brief.


    ¡®He wants topete in front of everyone?¡®


    It was because Zeratul¡¯s proposal was a huge benefit to Grid. Of course, this was only a story if he could guarantee that he could fight and win, but Grid predicted that his odds were high. It was a fight in the presence of many eyes, so it was no different from Zeratul dering that he woulde back down to the surface again.


    On the surface, Grid was naturally advantageous. The scale of the Overgeared World was growing in real time, so it would increase even more as time passed.


    ¡®Lauel, how far ahead did you see?¡¯ Grid was smiling slightly because things were going well, only to suddenly shudder at this thought.


    Zeratul is nothing but the fake Martial God. The true Martial God is in the far east...


    Grid remembered that when he had a grudge against Zeratul and tried to tell the world the truth, Lauel dissuaded him.


    ¡°Looking at Zeratul¡¯s temper as he constantlyes down to the surface, it is clear that he will slip greatly sooner orter. If you want to eat him and gain full nutrients at that time, I don¡¯t think you need to undermine Zeratul¡¯s value in advance.¡±


    It was roughly this type of advice. This was why he didn¡¯t make a public announcement about Chiyou. In any case, everyone who deserved to know, including the thousands of Overgeared members, knew about it.


    ¡®The patience of that time wille back with the value of a thousand gold.¡¯


    This was why people needed to make smart friends...


    ¡®In that sense, I met really good women.¡¯


    They weren¡¯t only beautiful, but were also wise women.


    Grid felt great appreciation and secretly made a gesture with his chin. Then the God Hands factory, which started to produce items again as soon as Zeratul left, stopped operating.


    Silence came like a lie. In a world where time seemed to have stopped, Grid recalled Zeratul¡¯s divinity.


    ¡®I can¡¯t break through it using the usual method.¡¯


    The impression of the divinity that acted as self-defense was too strong. A divinity that was harder than armor and fluttered like silk at the same time¡ªit would work as a power to nullify any attack.


    ¡®It will be troublesome if there is a skill immunity function.¡¯


    The advantage of a god in their divine world was that they could use their skills close to infinity. This was why Grid wondered if there was a way to create a ¡®skill immunity¡¯ item every time he made ns to invade Asgard. It would¡¯ve been the same with Zeratul. There was a very high possibility that it was embodied by the power of the Martial God.


    ¡®I need to assume a situation where I will be fighting without skills.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t just rely on the Falling Moon Sword. There was a limit to the amount of damage that could be done with the Falling Moon Sword. Grid started to design a new sword that maximized the power of basic attacks. Of course, he had several weapons of this type, but he needed a divine sword that would work against Zeratul. He referred to the conversations he had with Kraugel when he made Twilight.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not just use swords. I should also make auxiliary tools...¡¯


    The more items there were, the better. He was going to use them eventually. Grid nned to produce as many different types of items as possible in preparation for the battle against Zeratul.


    ***


    ¡°This farnd... I¡¯ve had a feeling since yesterday, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this much...¡±


    The night before¡ªit was the time he attacked Reinhardt in cooperation with the Small Staff of the No Offspring Tomb.


    Cabelon felt things going awry from the beginning. Was it due to the feathers that suddenly flew around the ce? No.


    Lopero, the Small Staff of the No Offspring Tomb, seemed quite annoyed by the divinity that resided in the feathers, but it didn¡¯t feel harmful to Cabelon. The thing that bothered him was the barricades covered with the sweat and dirt of the farmers.


    Carts full of earth and straw that moved over the rocks. The structures and locations were so exquisite that the rapid pace of the death knights was stopped several times. There were certain earth walls that weren¡¯t cut well by Cabelon¡¯s sword. There were piles of dirt with a strange energy that he wondered if they had been gathered together using holy water.


    ¡°Now that I see it, the level of the farmers themselves are different... there is a powerful mental image that can give will to the soil and water that make up the agricultural fields and the wind and sunlight that pass over them... how can this be? Is it rted to the power of the Overgeared God?¡±


    It was natural for Cabelon to misunderstand the yangbans as farmers. It was because the moment he exited the gate, the faces of the farmers he encountered were unusual. Most of the farmers were educated by Piaro and became named by Grid. Additionally, the leader of the farmers was nd. They were so wonderful that it was natural to wonder if they were really farmers. Then while admiring them, it was a natural procedure to misunderstand the yangbans standing around as farmers as well.


    ¡°I used to be a farmer as well,¡± Kraugel said casually. It was more an act of recalling memories that suddenly came to mind.


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    However, Cabelon¡¯s reaction was much more intense than expected. Was it because his face turned white and the hairs on his body rose? It was a reaction like he had been hit with a natural disaster in his mind.


    ¡®I should be careful with my words.¡¯


    Sometimes there were people who shouldn¡¯t be joked with. This was the case with Cabelon. He seemed to be the type of person whosemon sense could be changed with thoughtless words.


    Of course, Cabelon wasn¡¯t a fool. Wasn¡¯t Kraugel the Sword Saint? He was shocked to hear Kraugel¡¯s words and took it seriously because the belief that a Sword Saint couldn¡¯t talk nonsense existed in his subconscious mind. The problem was that it was the same for the yangbans.


    ¡°That guy was also a farmer?¡±


    ¡°Farming seems to be the secret trick. Remember the rumors of the man called Piaro.¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    The yangbans talked among themselves. For them, Kraugel was the second most shocking figure after Grid. The guy who wasn¡¯t even their opponent when they first met had grown to be able topete with Mir. For the yangbans who watched the process in real time, Kraugel was bound to be special to them, and they had a desire to emte him


    Today, they learned the secret to Kraugel¡¯s growth...

 Chapter 1712

    <h4>Chapter 1712</h4>


    The secret to the growth of the Sword Saint¡ªit was precious.


    ¡°Excuse me, Kraugel. Do you know who the owner of this field is?¡±


    The yangbans became very interested in agriculture and asked politely. It was a great development when looking back at their unique way of speaking, where their sense of ¡®being the chosen people¡¯ was expressed in every word.


    ¡®I was told there was a possibility that the yangbans could be part of the Overgeared World...¡¯


    The details of Grid¡¯s newly written Yellow Dragon myth were also passed onto Kraugel, so he treated the yangbans who crossed the sea and arrived here neutrally without being vignt.


    ¡°The owner is naturally Grid.¡±


    ¡°Gasp... Ah, um... I see... We asked a stupid question...¡±


    ¡°If you want to meet the person in charge, go to the man who is eating rainbow colored potatoes.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ...Rainbow colored potatoes? Was he unable to forget the love and hate of the past and treating them as hillbillies?


    Some yangbans who had been admiring the high walls of Reinhardt frowned, but a woman who appeared to be their representative bowed.


    ¡°Thank you. If we can have good experiences from today onwards, it will be due to your help.¡±


    ¡°It is thanks to Grid who decided to ept you.¡±


    Kraugel was flustered when the yangbans decided to be farmers. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. He believed that Lauel would be able to solve it very well. In the first ce, it was scientifically proven that the experience of farming was a great help to people. Outstanding figures such as Kraugel, Damian, and Hurent were the evidence.


    Finally, the yangbans who had a strange war of nerves with Cabelon left. Skunk, who had been watching the unrealistic scene, btedly came to his senses and spoke, ¡°Haha... Shall we go?¡±


    He had traveled all over the continent as an adventurer so he knew what the yangbans were.


    The half-gods who dreamed of bing gods. He couldn¡¯t help feeling deeply moved by the sight of them trying to be farmers of the Overgeared Empire.


    ***


    A few days passed.


    Chris and his party left for the No Offspring Tomb and hadpletely settled down. They were quick to adapt because only excellent aces were gathered. They easily destroyed the forces of the No Offspring Tomb, who went out to hunt half-gods several times. Some people even suggested that it was okay to enter the No Offspring Tomb with this level of power.


    It was Chris¡¯ opinion. The group¡¯sbat capabilities had been amplified more than expected because Red Sage Haster was a buffer beyond expectations. Even if they entered the No Offspring Tomb, they would be able to carry out ughter and scouting missions with sufficient sustainability.


    Yet as usual, Hurent was too cautious.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that man called Cabelon say it? The swords and staffs with modifiers like ¡®big¡¯ or ¡®long¡¯ are said to have an equal level of skill as him. Based on the rumor that Cabelon had a brief sh with Kraugel, I don¡¯t think we can handle it...¡±


    ¡°Certainly. One or two might be different, but it will be hard to handle a lot of them.¡±


    ¡°I think differently. Once the four of us join forces, our power will surpass Kraugel. I think we are being more cautious than necessary. In the first ce, are super named NPCs as powerful as Muller¡¯s disciplemon? It is even among the undead? No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t think there will be more than a few.¡±


    ¡°Chris, I know that you have great pride in your skills. I can understand it. However, didn¡¯t that ¡®soul¡¯ tell you that the world is very wide? Things can go wrong if you work on an uncertain basis. Our original mission is to keep track of the trends in the No Offspring Tomb while increasing our growth. We don¡¯t have to take any risks.¡±


    ¡°Zibal is right. If we enter the No Offspring Tomb and suffer losses due to death, or if we increase the vignce of the No Offspring Tomb, we won¡¯t be able to perform our original task properly.¡±


    ¡°No, what... why are you guys so careful...?¡±


    Chris had no intention of criticizing Zibal and Hurent¡¯s cautious attitude, but he didn¡¯t understand it.


    The best yers¡ªthe passive appearance of the two men, who were previously rumored for their arrogance, was unfamiliar. Among them, he knew that Hurent had been having a difficult time for a while. There was a time when his self-esteem fell to the bottom.


    However, Zibal was different. He had been on an elite course from start to finish. The 2nd in the unified rankings, the head of the Seven Guild, he earned a hidden ss, served the emperor of the Saharan Empire, and gained the power of the seven evils after defending Zik. He even had the nickname ¡®American Hero¡¯ thanks to his tremendous performance. He always had a confident expression and shiny teeth, so it was hard to understand his passive attitude.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Zibal and Hurent exchanged looks. Then they sighed and spoke as if confessing.


    ¡°I had to be cautious after being hit by Grid a few times.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be puffed up just because I am strong now. Activities shouldn¡¯t be spontaneous. They should unconditionally be nned.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Haster nodded silently in agreement with them and Chris fully sympathized with their feelings. It was because he also had a history of being hit by Grid. It was just that this wasn¡¯t a gathering of victims. It was too depressing...


    -...Lauel, send Jishuka here once her quest is over.


    ***


    ¡°As expected. I am seeing things that I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    Muller¡¯s tomb¡ªthe low stone walls surrounding the empty tomb were carved with patterns of the sun and clouds. Only the stone wall in the center was the sun. All the stone walls that circled it were the clouds.


    ¡°The clouds are interpreted to be the great demons that Muller sealed, or chaos, and the sun is the light that ended the chaos, in other words, Muller...¡±


    Arge tombstone was erected in this tomb. It was the tomb of Sword Saint Muller. There were few reasons to not believe it.


    Until justst year, Muller¡¯s death was epted as a predetermined fact and high quality sword energy formed a barrier to preserve the tomb. They naturally thought it was Muller¡¯s tomb.


    ¡°Now that I see it, the sun is Muller, but the clouds are closer to the meaning of covering Muller. Considering the pattern of the stone walls, the orientation of the stone statues facing the stone wall, the meaning of the types of animals, and the significance of the number of ws, it is likely that this is a ceremonial space to ¡®treat¡¯ Muller as a dead person.¡±


    There were parts that Skunk hadn¡¯t seen in the past.


    This meant that Skunk had also grown. He was already the best adventurer, but he felt rewarded that he had worked tirelessly.


    ¡°Treating him as a dead person...¡±¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s expression sharply darkened. This fueled Lauel¡¯s hypothesis. Was this really a facility that Pagma created to turn Muller into an undead?


    ¡®How much more would he have regretted it?¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s end was lonely and miserable. It was a life full of regrets. Was there really a happy moment for him, who sacrificed too much to save the world? Kraugel felt great pity as he remembered Pagma¡¯s life, which he indirectly glimpsed while on a quest rted to Muller.


    The Sword Saint¡ªa hero¡¯s profession that had saved the world from generation to generation. Kraugel was a man who was obliged to reflect on the world as deeply as Grid, who started as Pagma''s Sessor. It was muchter than Grid, but he had been steadily working for peace and would continue to do so. It was unlike Muller and Pagma.


    Kraugel¡¯s ideal was naturally the way of Grid. Therefore, he had always secretly followed after Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel had been thinking for a while, only to suddenly frown.


    [The sky guides you.]


    A divine message to damage the Overgeared God Church or Overgeared Empire¡ªit was a quest that had been appearing repeatedly for weeks. There were few people who responded to it because they liked or were afraid of the Overgeared Guild. Yet the quest that resurfaced no matter how much they refused aroused people¡¯s curiosity.


    Even if they wondered why they were doing this, the number of people participating in the quest was gradually increasing. Of course, the damage they inflicted on the Overgeared Empire or Overgeared God Church was minimal and most of the time, it was only a joke.


    Nevertheless, everything was only difficult the first time. It was necessary to be wary of the fact that a person who participated in the quest once would participate in it two or three times. It was alsomon for something that was initially a prank to not be a prank.


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was around the time when Cabelon and Skunk were having an in-depth conversation...


    Cabelon reacted sensitively to the fact that there was a ¡®three-legged crow¡¯ among the stone statues looking at the stone wall.


    Kraugel was frowning when he suddenly cocked his head. It was due to the whisper from Lauel.


    -The followers of the Martial God have started to move.


    Originally, the followers of the Martial God existed everywhere on the continent. For a time, most of his followers were deceived by Muller¡¯s secret technique and crossed over to the East Continent. They were blocked by Ares¡¯ army and couldn¡¯t easily cross the sea.


    Now arge number of followers started to spread inside the West Continent. It was as if they had been newly born. It was said they were all moving in the same direction and forming a huge procession all over the ce.


    They shouted slogans that the Martial God and the gods who followed him would soone.


    -The gods who follow the martial god?I heard through Grid that the Martial God was going to descend, but he won¡¯t be alone?


    -It seems intended to be wary of the apostles, while aiming for the trinity.It was only after he returned to heaven that he learned about the performance of Grid and the apostles.Of course, this is my one-sided interpretation and I don¡¯t really know the truth. He might be seriously thinking of destroying the Overgeared World.


    Zeratul destroying the Overgeared World? There was no need to discuss whether it was possible or impossible. It was a reality that was going to happen anyway. The results woulde out then. In any case, Kraugel¡¯s mind was very ufortable.


    -Another great war...


    How many people will die?


    Kraugelmented when he recalled the pain of the Great Human and Demon War, but Lauel¡¯s voice was rtively bright.


    -There won¡¯t be arge-scale war.The thing Zeratul wants isn¡¯t to harm humans, but to create witnesses.Based on the way his followers are shouting ¡®witness the holy war at the temple¡¯, he seems to be nning the confrontation in a limited area.


    -...I¡¯m d to hear that.


    -This is His Majesty¡¯s message.If the number of gods that apanies Zeratul exceeds eight, then he asks for Kraugel to join the confrontation.


    -Me...?


    -Unfortunately, Nefelina still has weakbat abilities.His Majesty wants you to fill her ce.He contacted you separately this morning, but you didn¡¯t answer.


    -Ah, my mother was preparing a meal and I was trying to stop her.By the way, isn¡¯t it better to ask the tower members than me?They will be more helpful than me.


    -It is embarrassing to borrow the tower¡¯s help because therge-scale descent of the gods might provoke the dragons.Zeratul can also use it as an excuse if he loses...more than anything else.


    Lauel paused for a moment before conveying Grid¡¯s meaning.


    -His Majesty wants Kraugel.You aren¡¯t satisfied with the present, right?


    There was a fact that should always be kept in mind. The role of the tower members ispletely different from ordinary people. The habit of relying on them should be abandoned.


    In the first ce, the growth of yers for whom ¡®dying is okay¡¯ was more important. One of the most powerful yers right now was Kraugel. It might be difficult for him to fight against a god and win, but he had the qualifications to be a good match for a while and build a source of worship.


    -Cut down the gods in front of all those watching.


    The one who wielded Twilight like Grid¡ªthe moment hade for him to prove his qualifications. On this asion, Euphemina was also going to show off herbat abilities. It was because if the number of descending gods was more than eight, there must be at least nine. It was a number that took into ount the trinity.

 Chapter 1713

    <h4>Chapter 1713</h4>


    ¡°The Only One God shall descend with the gods who serve him!¡±


    ¡°Comrades who were deceived by the mere human being, the Overgeared God! Open your eyes and reform after seeing the source and peak of martial ability!¡±


    ¡°Martial God Zeratul will lead you back to the right path!¡±


    The followers of the Martial God were one of the monsters that represented Satisfy. They were usually treated as dirty filth and avoided. It was because the fanatics lost their sense of reason after being deceived by the secret techniques of the Martial God. They were very violent and didn¡¯t know pain and fear.


    They relied more on instincts than monsters, and it was unbelievable that their species was ssified as human. They also became exponentially stronger depending on the number of secret techniques acquired. The items they dropped were valuablepared to boss monsters, but it was still best to avoid them as much as possible.


    There was a long procession of such disgusting people. The group started with dozens of people from all over the continent, but grew to tens of thousands at some point. Their existence itself was a threat. It was a moving disaster. It was because the absolute instinct that governed the followers of the Martial God was conquest. Regardless of whether the target was a beast, a human being, or a monster, they tended to fight whenever they made eye contact with someone.


    Who couldfortably watch such people gathering in swarms? People were confused and busy fleeing. Those who knew about the physical abilities of the followers sensed death from the time they witnessed the procession. Yet surprisingly, there was no ughter.


    In a rare situation, the followers suppressed their instincts. No, there was a stronger feeling of being manipted by someone.


    They weren¡¯t in good shape, unlike the followers of the Martial God who had been seen so far. The existing followers had superior physical conditions to the point where there was the idea that they were ¡®chosen humans.¡¯ Meanwhile, the physical conditions of the followers in the procession were ordinary or inferior.


    It was proof that it was rushed. He originally appeared in front of chosen humans and deceived them, but this time, he targeted and deceived an unspecified majority. It was purely for propaganda.


    Zeratul took tens of thousands of lives away to advertise his temple. As proven in the Great Human and Demon War, the celestial gods weren¡¯t really acting for the sake of humans. The persistent ims of the Overgeared God Church were proven true every time.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    The followers who repeated the same cries with dted pupils.


    ¡°Mother...!¡±


    Among them, some family members shouted with the veins bulging on their necks until they coughed up blood.


    ¡°Renold!¡±


    ¡°n!¡±


    Lovers and friends¡ªthey desperately shouted the names of their precious people who changed overnight, but couldn¡¯t reach them. Their cries echoed hollowly.


    ¡°Without martial ability, humanity won¡¯t be able to protect itself!¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared God forgot the grace of the Only One God and will be severely punished!¡±


    ¡°This is a holy war to save you! The Only One God will descend for you!¡±


    ¡°Praise the Martial God Zeratul!¡±


    ¡°Worship Martial God Zeratul!¡±


    The size of the procession grew endlessly. Their destination was presumed to be Reinhardt. It was Grid¡¯s base and the ce where the main temple of the Overgeared God Church was located. It has grown to be thergest city on the surface and could amodate many people. For Zeratul, who aimed to harm Grid in front of as many witnesses as possible, there was no battlefield more suitable for fighting than Reinhardt.


    ¡°Those bugs...¡±


    The fortress city of Patrian¡ªit was one of the gateways to Reinhardt and was a ce called the ¡®Wailing Wall¡¯ due to its notorious reputation. Lord Ashur trembled when he saw the procession of followers who approached the gate without hesitation.


    He wanted to burn the people who were shouting about a holy war and protesting as if demanding the gates to be opened right now into a lump of charcoal. However, he endured it. It was because instructions had been given from above to open the gates.


    An order hade down from a distant ce that even someone with Marquis Ashur¡¯s status didn¡¯t dare to disobey. It was amand given by Lauel. He couldn¡¯t refuse and he shouldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°The gates... open them..!¡±Marquis Ashur barely gave the order through gritted teeth and stared at the procession of followers like he would eat them.


    These people roamed the city like it was natural and talked about the holy war. They argued that the existence of Zeratul gave rise to the concept of martial arts which allowed humanity to survive so far, but it was nonsense. Anyone could tell that the martial arts came first and Zeratul came after.


    From being born bare to achieving civilization¡ªAshur interpreted that Zeratul was born thanks to the concept of martial arts created by humanity, who struggled to survive. However, he didn¡¯t bother to express his thoughts. None of the followers of the Martial God were sane. He could talk to them for a hundred days and they wouldn¡¯t hear it.


    Marquis Ashur was better off just praying.


    ¡°Please... annihte the bastard who gave birth to these misceneous things...¡±


    ***


    [The sun in the sky is illuminating the procession of followers heading to Reinhardt.]


    [Cheer for the temple of the Martial God with your followers. The sky will feel great joy and send down mysterious rewards.]


    ¡°Can¡¯t he identify his peer any longer?¡±


    Lauel could only smile.


    Hanul, who had entered the ¡®cycle¡¯¡ªLauel checked the contents of the notification window that represented his subconscious. It was thought he wouldunch a quest to threaten the Overgeared Empire and Overgeared God Church, but now he was rooting for Zeratul. It was as if he had forgotten that the adversary of the Hwan Kingdom was Asgard.


    The feelings of resentment and anger that Hanul harbored toward Grid before entering the cycle seemed to create this situation that wasn¡¯t funny.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve really harbored resentment or anger.¡¯


    Grid had said it¡ªall those he faced, except for the Evil Dragon, felt iprehensible.


    He confessed that even when sitting face to face with the Gourmet Dragon, he couldn¡¯t understand the Gourmet Dragon¡¯s thoughts. He had felt an infinite amount of fear. What about recklessly cutting a God of the Beginning? It was terribly dangerous. It wasn¡¯t known what type of trouble they would face while discussing understanding based on human standards.


    ¡®It is better not to think about them as His Majesty said.¡¯


    At least from this point, it was better to pretend they didn¡¯t exist. It wasn¡¯t really a big intervention. Hanul was very persistent about targeting them, but it was only at the level of giving quests to yers. It wasn¡¯t a big threat considering the situation of the Overgeared Empire, which received great favor from the yers.


    However, the situation was likely to change if they were defeated in this holy war. The maniacs who were holding their breath would run wild and public sentiment would be shaken. They would bepeting in front of everyone, so they had to be prepared for a devastating aftermath.


    It was right to assume that defeat was uneptable. The yers'' practice of ¡®it is okay to lose¡¯ and ¡®it is enough to try again if i die¡¯ was an uneptable environment. At this point, he had to suspect that Zeratul knew and targeted this.


    ¡°It should be... okay...?¡±


    Lauel believed in Grid. Therefore, he believed in the apostles. It wasn¡¯t easy to think about them losing.


    However, fear started to sprout in his heart when he saw Zeratul¡¯s full-fledged move. How much confidence did Zeratul have in his skills? He might be a fake, but he was still the Martial God...


    ¡°Prime Minister, this is an expression that doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    It happened as he was watching out the window as Ke ong swore at the followers who said they would set up a ¡®temple¡¯ on thisnd...


    ¡°How can Your Majesty personally...¡±


    Empress Irene walked into Lauel¡¯s office. Lauel hurriedly readjusted his appearance and tried to guide her to the table, but Irene shook her head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here to take up your time, Prime Minister. Here, take this. It is vera tea leaves marinated in lemon juice and then dried.¡±


    [Empress Irene¡¯s Dried Tea Leaves¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Empress Irene¡¯s Dried Tea Leaves]


    [They are tea leaves that Irene, empress of the great empire and wife of a god, dried using precious ingredients, sincerity, and care for a long time.


    There is a vague mythical birth background.


    Drinking tea steeped from these tea leaves will clear the mind and restore and give immunity to all mental state abnormalities.]


    ¡°Prime Minister, don¡¯t be troubled by this situation and trust His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel felt it once again¡ªit was how big a role that Empress Irene, who always gave encouragement with a kind smile, yed in this empire. She was the one who sustained the empire from within. Wasn¡¯t the tranquility he gained just now because of her?


    ¡°Yes, dly.¡±


    After Irene left, Lauel immediately ran out of the pce. He approached Ke ong, who was still swearing while saying things like, ¡®What right do the followers of the Martial God have to establish a temple on thisnd?¡¯


    ¡°Ke ong, I will empty the central square, so please make a stage that is as grand and wonderful as possible. I will call the best carpenters.¡±


    ¡°No, what do you mean by this? What type of heart do you have to meet the demands of these shameless people?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t make His Majesty fight on the streets, can we?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°However, I can¡¯t allow the followers to build facilities on thisnd, so please take care of it, Ke ong.¡±


    ¡°Tut...¡± Ke ong frowned and scratched his shaggy beard. It was a habit to express his dissatisfaction. It was a few more minutes before Lauel could hear his answer. ¡°I understand. Instead, can you entrust me to design the shape of the stage?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to make...?¡±


    ¡°A coffin. I¡¯m going to decorate the stage so it will be a tomb for the guy called the Martial God.¡±


    ¡°That would be wonderful.¡±


    A few dayster, the throats of the followers circling the city and praising the Martial God were sore and they started to copse. Saintess Ruby treated their wounds with a warm light since they were originally people of the empire, and Ke ong finished setting up the stage. If viewed from dozens of meters in the sky, it was a huge stage in the form of a coffin. The scale had to berge considering that it was a great battle between gods.


    The central square, which could amodate hundreds of thousands of people, was filled with the stage. The barriers set up by the gods of the Overgeared World and Braham were wrapped around the stage.


    ¡°Grid knows that this ce will be his grave.¡±


    From the rapidly darkened sky, Martial God Zeratul descended. Yellow lightning shed and took the form of stairs for him to step on. A total of eight gods followed him on golden clouds. It was aplete trinity.

 Chapter 1714

    <h4>Chapter 1714</h4>


    The duel between Asgard and the Overgeared World¡ªas some people used this provocative expression, countless people flocked to Reinhardt.


    ¡°Can Grid and the apostles fight well against Asgard?¡±


    ¡°The opponent isn¡¯t Asgard. It is a battle with the Martial God¡¯s faction. Well, this doesn¡¯t mean that the odds are high, but...¡±


    People from all walks of life gathered.


    It was from simply interested spectators to merchants sensitively affected by the situation of the Overgeared Empire, the heads of the forces who ignored the divine messages of Asgard and followed the Overgeared Guild, the rankers who hoped to find some inspiration from the confrontation of Absolutes, and the ordinary people who believed their fate was at stake in this confrontation.


    Apart from the ridiculously huge stage that filled the square, there was plenty of space for them to sit and see the stage. It was from the inside of the high rise buildings overlooking the stage, the rooftops, the walls and spires, and the facilities equipped with magic tools to transmit images of the stage.


    Reinhardt was such a huge and developed city.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Those who were nervous sighed.


    ¡°Ohh!¡± Those who were excited cheered.


    ¡°Crazy...¡±


    The rankers who tried to gauge the level of an Absolute were astonished. It was the aftermath of the emergence of the Martial God.


    There was a momentary and intense sh of lightning. Zeratul¡¯s movements as he stepped down the stairs was beyondmon sense. It wasn¡¯t enough to physically intervene in the phenomenon of lightning. It was at the level of catching up with the speed of lightning that shed and then dispersed with seemingly slow steps.


    ¡°Grid knows that this ce will be his grave.¡±


    Zeratul, who had appeared at a high ce, suddenly came closer to the ground. It felt like he was sliding down the lightning. It was instantaneous.


    [Martial God Zeratul has descended.]


    There was the final sound of a thunderp and the dark sky lit up. The golden clouds covered in waves and refracted the light in all directions. The pirs of light formed throughout Reinhardt created a sacred atmosphere. It was the moment when Reinhardt, the city of humans, was transformed into a truly transcendent space even though it was the origin of the Overgeared World. It vaguely resembled the appearance of Asgard that people imagined.


    They couldn¡¯t help being overwhelmed. It was because the world changed with just Zeratul¡¯s descent.


    ¡°God...¡±


    This was a true god, not a level that the yer called Grid had reached step by step. The rankers who witnessed the Martial God and the eight gods who followed him felt dizzy. It was the sensation of facing an endlessly high wall.


    ¡°If I was Grid, I would feel like I was drifting alone in the ocean,¡± Asuka muttered as she sat beside Teddy and watched the stage.


    The Grid produced items that she purchased with a great deal of capital and effort¡ªit had only been a few weeks ago when she was full of confidence because she saw that some of the legendary weapons had gained ridiculous effects. Yet at this moment, she was intimidated as if it was a lie. It was because she decided that the ability to ¡®inflict fixed damage on a god¡¯ wasn¡¯t of much significance. There was the conviction that most yers, except for Grid, would be in the same position.


    In other words, Grid would be the only yer who could fight against these nine gods. How terrible and frightening was the reality of not being able to depend on anyone? He might even feel resentful.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t enough apostles to rely on.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like he called the tower members. What method was he trying to use to handle the nine gods? It happened as Asuka was looking at the situation...


    ¡°Grid¡­ he isn¡¯t here.¡±


    On the stage, Zeratul¡¯s expression crumpled. The atmosphere cooled down in an instant when the god, who looked like he had popped out of Greek-Roman mythology, made a grim expression. The people from all walks of life, who were making noises from different positions, shut their mouths for a moment.


    ¡°Is he afraid to fight in front of everyone? So he ran away in an ugly manner?¡±


    Zeratul clicked his tongue and stretched out hisrge hand into the air. The guandao with a three meter long pole appeared and fell toward the stage. The huge stage that was like a few football fields joined together shook. The spear was mounted like a g on the stage.


    ¡°That insignificant guy, doesn¡¯t he know it is better to die than to run away in front of everyone? Well, it is fine¡­ it is enough to make hime back.¡± Zeratul¡¯s gaze shifted to below the stage. His eyes were drawn to Sariel, who had just arrived at the scene. ¡°He wille back eventually if I ughter the apostles one by one.¡±


    The surprised Sariel¡¯s expression stiffened. It was because she recalled an old memory.


    The gods who drove her out of heaven¡ªZeratul was among them. He watched the situation with a frown, as if he was staring at dirty filth.


    The memories of her infinitely helpless moment intimidated Sariel. She was distressed that she had the cowardly idea of wanting to escape. The demonic feelings that she had barely been suppressing were about to spring up.


    ¡°It is funny how a trivial fallen angel is serving a trivial god.¡± Zeratul snorted as he read Sariel¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Why do you keep saying absurd words when you show up willy-nilly?¡± A man standing close to the stage and watching the situation opened his mouth. It was Huroi, the propaganda officer of the Overgeared Empire. ¡°Is it aw of Asgard toe and go without setting a time appointment and to pretend that there is no owner of the house? Are most of those living in Asgard homeless vagrants, so you haven¡¯t learned what procedures to follow when visiting someone else¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zeratul didn¡¯t respond because the hierarchy didn¡¯t fit.


    Instead, the lowest of the eight gods who followed him spoke, ¡°The fact that we areing today has been fullymunicated through the mouths of our followers. The evidence is that many spectators have already taken their seats here in advance. How can you be unreasonable?¡±


    ¡°You simply said you woulde here. You didn¡¯t notify us of the exact time, did you? My Liege is so busy that even having ten bodies iscking. Every minute and second is more precious than gold to him, so he needs to keep to the precise time for activities. Can¡¯t you fathom this? Looking at your attitude, you are idle gods who don¡¯t value the concept of time.¡±


    ¡°You... you are aplete lunatic.¡±


    The halo of the lowest god shook and vibrated. Before anyone knew it, he came down from the stage and held Huroi¡¯s neck in his hand. Then he quickly let go again. He felt threatened by the sword that rose like the dawn and cut at his hand.


    ¡°Using violence right away just because you are falling behind in the argument? It is also against the human you im to not care about.¡±


    Long ebony hair was flowing.


    Sword Saint Kraugel¡ªthe existence that everyone admired was next to Huroi.


    ¡°The present day Sword Saint...¡±Zeratul frowned on the stage.¡°Are you also a participant of this holy war?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The people stirred at the amazing response. The face of Asuka, who had been worried about Grid, brightened, but Zeratul shook his head.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡± Zeratul looked displeased. ¡°Even your superiors couldn¡¯t handle my blow. What qualifications do you have to stand on the stage? Your status doesn¡¯t match.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t up to you to decide.¡±


    Just then, Kraugel experienced the world of an Absolute. No, to be precise, he was swept away by it. He was very surprised to suddenly see Zeratul standing in front of him. Once the Super Sensitivity of a Sword Saint reached the peak, it exceeded the senses of a transcendent, but this was still far from enough. He couldn¡¯t follow any of Zeratul¡¯s movements.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t decide, then who can decide? Do you want to say it is Grid?¡± Zeratul¡¯s huge hand seized and crushed the sharp de of Twilight. He slowly lowered it without shedding a drop of blood. The colorless divinity that Zeratul wore for self-defense quickly analyzed the structure of Twilight and neutralized the spirit.


    The Martial God had mastered all types of martial arts. He was naturally familiar with cold weapons. This meant it was possible for him to counter the opponent¡¯s martial arts and weapons by rewriting the standards of his self-defense in real time.


    ¡°Keep this in mind. Regardless of where the goddess is, my will is thew that you should follow,¡±Zeratul dered so that all humans could hear and the form of Twilight in his hand was gradually crushed.


    ¡°Let go of that hand and go up on stage.¡±


    An orange divinity spread in the sky that was covered with golden clouds. It was a scene where twilight seemed to encroach on the brilliant sun. A beautiful melody flowed in the ears of the yers.


    [Overgeared God Grid has appeared.]


    ¡°Ah...¡± Asuka realized it. It was the fact that Grid¡¯s presence was not small whenpared with the celestial gods. She only realized it when she saw this outrightparison.


    ¡°You dared to make me wait.¡± Zeratul¡¯s eyes shed. The distorted smile that spread across his facebined with his dizzying white hair gave a sense of intimidation that weighed on every human being in the city.


    Grid¡¯s eyes watching him were cold. It was as if Zeratul¡¯s spirit that intimidated people was very offensive. It was as if he immediately wanted to cut Zeratul¡¯s hand that was brutally crushing the sword he made with Kraugel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need a stage at this rate.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even apologizing after being rude? It is wrong to expect a rational judgment from someone who will soon lose everything. Pick a vanguard. Who are you going to send onto the stage first?¡±


    ¡°Are my words entering one ear and exiting the other?¡±


    The same was true of both parties. The conversation between Grid and Zeratul was obviously out of the ordinary. They didn¡¯t listen to each other and focused on their own words. Even the conversation itself was short. It was because Grid drew his sword without saying anything else. It was a sword that resembled Kraugel¡¯s Twilight that was being held in Zeratul¡¯s hand.


    For Zeratul, it was seen as prey that entered on its own. It was a sword with the same structure as the weapon he had just finished analyzing. The need to change the self-defense power by operating the colorless divinity had disappeared. This was a huge advantage in a momentary and important confrontation.


    Zeratul maintained a distorted smile and reached out. It was with the intention of grabbing and crushing Grid¡¯s approaching Twilight. However¡ª


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Blood spurted from Zeratul¡¯s hand. He was trying to grab the sword, but was cut in reverse, causing the angle between his index and middle fingers to be strangely twisted. It was the same Twilight, but it was on a different level. It was right to say that the difference between the sword made with the fang of an old dragon and a sword made with the scales of a low grade dragon was like the difference between heaven and earth.


    [This cowardly guy set a trap...!]


    A world that only the Absolutes could perceive. Zeratul¡¯s will echoed in the gap of time that divided one moment into segments. It was close to astonishment.


    Grid also had a long cut that stretched from his shoulder to his waist. Zeratul stretched out his hand and Grid was cut before his artificial senses could read the trajectory of the swung guandao. The shock that would¡¯ve split his body in half if he hadn¡¯t been protected by Valha made Grid feel dizzy.


    The pain didn¡¯t end there. The guandao swept over Grid¡¯s chest one more time as it changed direction in a circle. Then it was mmed toward Grid¡¯s face.


    Zeratul predicted victory based on the way Grid looked like he had just be aware of the wound on his shoulder. It was a natural result. It would¡¯ve been the case if Nefelina hadn¡¯t arrived at Grid¡¯s feet. Zeratul¡¯s martial ability, which was finished afterpleting the isted training and achieving the trinity, was greater than what Grid had prepared.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait?!¡±Nefelina¡¯s resentful cry sounded through the space very slowly.


    ¡°I want to get rid of him quickly.¡± Grid¡¯s voice filled the space at a normal speed. It meant that his speed of speaking matched the world of the Absolute.


    [As expected, you...]


    He reached the hierarchy of the Absolute. The guandao, which pierced Grid¡¯s nose, couldn¡¯t pierce his face and grazed his cheek. It was the aftermath of Grid activating the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon effect, allowing him to follow the flow and twist his head to avoid it. His nose was hideously torn, but it was fine. It was a very cheap price to pay for stabbing Zeratul in the heart.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    People doubted the situation. Grid and Zeratul, who shed and disappeared, reappeared. Zeratul fell to the center of the stage and was bleeding from the chest, while Grid was still floating in the sky. The result was different from what they expected.


    ¡°The grave suits you well.¡± Grid immediately changed the setting of ¡®Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head¡¯ so it was visible and barely suppressed his trembling voice. The blood dripping out of his helmet was fortunately hidden by his divinity. It was an advantage that Zeratul¡¯s colorless divinity didn¡¯t have.


    "...Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The cries of the eight gods were buried by the shouts of the people.

 Chapter 1715

    <h4>Chapter 1715</h4>


    ¡°This is invalid,¡±the lowest of the eight gods threatened. He was d that the scream he just uttered was buried by the shouts of the humans.


    ¡°I know there is a problem with your origin. However, do you not even know shame? How could you inflict a cowardly pincer attack?¡±


    The flow was bad. No matter the result that followed, the situation right now was unfavorable to the Martial God. He was wounded and crashed down in front of numerous witnesses. He stood back up immediately, but it was a sharp contrast with the Overgeared God floating in the sky.


    ¡°......¡± Grid didn¡¯t respond. He recalled Zeratul¡¯s attitude of ignoring Huroi and repaid it.


    The lowest god noticed his intentions and turned red.


    ¡°How is it a cowardly pincer attack?¡±Huroi asked on behalf of Grid.


    The lowest god frowned and clicked his tongue. ¡°Everyone has witnessed Grid climb onto the body of his apostle and they are still watching at this moment. Yet you are going to pretend like you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Why is My Liege¡¯s magnificent appearance on a dragon a cowardly cooperation? He just borrowed the neck of a dragon, instead of the back of a horse, so that people can look up to him more easily.¡±


    ¡°...Do you think we don¡¯t know the story of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon?! We know that Grid is qualified for the never seen before Dragon Knight...¡± He became too agitated after hearing Huroi talk calmly. The lowest god closed his mouth in a bitter manner, but it was toote.


    [The secret story of ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ is widely known all over the world.]


    [Asgard has notarized it as everyone is watching.]


    In the battle against Baal, Grid had already showcased the power of Dragon Knight. He rode on the neck of an old dragon. It was just that people didn¡¯t know exactly what the concept was or what type of ability was born from it. It was a power thatcked evidence. It was because in order for an object or concept to have a strong meaning, it originally needed a historical background.


    ¡°Ah...¡± People were fascinated by the panoramic view that unfolded before their eyes.


    The process of Grid meeting Ifrit and writing the secret story of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon was briefly and intensely etched into the minds of people.


    A unique myth. For the first time since the creation of the sky and the earth, there was the myth of a cooperation between a god and dragon. It gave an impression that was difficult to exin in words. The fact that Grid and Ifrit formed a difficult story at the time resonated with the public.


    [The secret story of ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ is fully absorbed into your myth.]


    [The effect of the only one title in the world, ¡®Dragon Knight,¡¯ will be strengthened.]


    [From now on, you can ride a dragon more easily and safely.]


    The weakness of Dragon Knight was clear. First of all, he needed to board a dragon. Additionally, the dragon had to be safely boarded. Just a little while ago, if it hadn¡¯t been for Nefelina¡¯s power after bing a ¡®Transcendent Dragon,¡¯ she wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach Grid safely. Grid would¡¯ve fought Zeratul without enjoying the effects of Dragon Knight and would¡¯ve been on the defensive for a while. It was right to interpret that in the future, such a risk would disappear.


    The careless remark of the lowest ranked god brought about a huge benefit to Grid. It was purely Huroi¡¯s credit.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± The lowest god bowed to Zeratul, who had risen in front of him.


    Zeratul ignored him. His sharp eyes were glued to Grid. His colorless divinity, which had evaporated the flowing blood while he stood upright and overwhelmed the crowd, acted like a single strand of nerves. He was rewriting his self-defense from scratch. He reviewed Grid¡¯s power and techniques that he experienced a little while ago and formed a way topletely neutralize them.


    ¡®How did he elerate the growth of the hatchling?¡¯


    Zeratul felt great doubts. Even if he grew bypressing time, there was a limit to it. Giving a hatching the role of an adult body was a naturally impossible phenomenon. However, Grid made it possible. It must have something to do with his power.


    Zeratul recalled that the power of the Overgeared God was to create weapons and artifacts and finally admitted it. ¡®The Overgeared God... I don¡¯t want to admit it, but he is like me.¡¯


    It was possible for Zeratul to develop the target by giving a secret technique to a specific target or by imparting martial arts. It was at a level where he could turn a caterpir into a tiger. It was simr to how Grid developed a target by giving items.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who the vanguard is,¡±Zeratul equipped himself with a new self-defense in an instant and opened his mouth, ¡°Victory or defeat in this holy war isn¡¯t determined by the battle between you and me.¡±


    It was correct to view it as a confrontation between the group that inherited the Martial God¡¯s martial arts and the group that inherited the Overgeared God¡¯s battle gear.


    ¡°Which is more superior, my passed down martial arts or the toys you¡¯ve made?¡±


    The gods didn¡¯t respond to every human aspiration. Not only was it physically impossible, but there would be no end to it. It was the same for both Zeratul and Grid. They understood that most humans who worshiped them had to struggle. It was why they strived to create better martial arts and better items. It was so they could help people even when they weren¡¯t there.


    The difference was that Zeratul simply wanted to prove that his martial arts were great, while Grid wanted people to live better lives, but in any case, they had the same goal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be intimidated and fightfortably. Even if you die at my hands and lose your honor, there won¡¯t be the misfortune of losing your status if your remaining apostles do well against my passed down martial arts.¡±


    Although it will be impossible to go against my passed down martial arts.


    Zeratul swallowed down these words and the pupils of his eyes disappeared as he smiled. There were only the whites of his eyes left and his overbearing appearance looked even scarier. It was an action of great significance. It meant that the direction of his eyes couldn¡¯t be read. It was of paramount importance because a moment¡¯s judgment was very beneficial in the battle between Absolutes.


    ¡°Are youforting yourself?¡±


    His nose seemed to have beenpletely cut off. The bleeding didn¡¯t stop even when taking an hemostatic agent. Every time he opened his mouth, blood entered his throat. However, Grid spoke while disregarding it.


    ¡°You know you are going to lose, but it seems like you are determined to fight.¡±


    In any case, the duration of boarding Nefelina was limited to one minute. There were only 39 seconds left. There was no reason to dwell on the bleeding. Grid wanted to finish the battle as soon as possible and his provocation worked.


    Even if he didn¡¯t do this, wasn¡¯t Zeratul disgraced in front of everyone watching after receiving a big blow? Both ends of his thick eyebrows soared up and moved like lightning. He abandoned the guandao and held two swords, one in each hand. The sword in his right hand was a short sword.


    A willingness to cut Grid¡¯s sword trajectory in advance with a single close hit was felt.


    ©¥©¥!


    It was in a world where sound disappeared again. Grid felt immensely constrained. He couldn¡¯t recklessly attempt the sword dance, which waspleted with just one stride. It was because Zeratul approached by stepping on Nefelina¡¯s head and upied the radius of the sword dance in advance. It seemed that no matter what he used as the starting point of the sword dance, it would be blocked unconditionally and he would allow a counterattack.


    It was fine. In the first ce, he didn¡¯t intend to use the sword dance at this point.


    ©¥©¥!


    As Zeratul approached, Grid stretched out his hand behind his back that was holding Twilight and mmed it down with all his might. Zeratul naturally predicted that Twilight would pierce him. He stabbed the short sword that contained his self-defense in order to neutralize Twilight. His intention was to block Grid¡¯s attack untouched while stabbing Grid¡¯s heart.


    Of course, a god wouldn¡¯t die when pierced in the heart. Nevertheless, he aimed for the heart in order to repay the humiliation he had suffered earlier. He dug even deeper into the heart.


    However, there were no gaps in Zeratul¡¯s senses.


    The sword, which reappeared again after being hidden behind Grid¡¯s back, had been reced by something other than Twilight.


    ©¥©¥!


    Zeratul¡¯s waist bent strangely. He used the one movement that flowed naturally like water to elerate the short sword even further. Meanwhile, the long sword held in his left hand blocked Grid¡¯s sword. There was the sound of something breaking and an explosion urred one stepter.


    Zeratul¡¯s right arm waspletely cut off along with the colorless divinity. The fragments of the long sword that scattered in pieces were illuminating Grid¡¯s Falling Moon Sword from various angles.


    [...You!]


    Zeratul, who had been still in the aftermath of his self-defense breaking, rose sharply. The short sword that was piercing Grid¡¯s heart soared up and crushed Grid¡¯s corbone from the inside. Valha and the dragon armor, which ovepped with his mental world, offset some of the damage, but Zeratul¡¯s attack power was too strong.


    ¡®Kuock.¡¯ Zeratul frowned. It was because he couldn¡¯t easily find a means to stop that mysterious magic sword that had cut off his divinity. It was a sword with such an ominous foundation that it made one think that the destruction of the giants was indeed inevitable.


    Grid stabbed the new sword into Zeratul, who was confused and wary of it. It was a sword that contained Grid¡¯s divinity, just like Twilight, but it didn¡¯t emit it. It held the contained divinity that was as condensed as possible and was like a fragment of steel trapped in the sun. It was as ominous as the Falling Moon Sword because it symbolized ¡®something that can¡¯t exist.¡¯


    Eventually, Zeratul stepped back. The sword, which should¡¯ve crushed Grid¡¯s corbone and pierced his Adam¡¯s apple, was also pulled out. Then blood gushed like a fountain from Grid¡¯s chest. It was a massive amount of bleeding that couldn¡¯t be covered even with the orange divinity.


    However, people still hadn¡¯t recognized it. Only the parties involved could follow the battle between the Overgeared God and Martial God in real time.


    Grid swung the divine sword ¡®Blockade¡¯ in session. It was a sword with a monotonous structure that stuck to the basics. It was a divine sword that amplified the power of basic attacks. The reason for the name Blockade wasn¡¯t simply due to the simple reason of ¡®it blocks the enemy by hitting them.¡¯ The special effects gave it this name.


    Zeratul¡¯s ultimate swordsmanship was blocking Grid¡¯s sword without difficulty.


    A roaring sound continued to fill the space one stepte as the swords collided with each other. However, Zeratul was feeling an unexpected fatigue. It was because Grid¡¯s basic attacks with the effect of Dragon Knight and Duke of Amplification behind it were so heavy.


    Naturally, Zeratul wasn¡¯t pushed when it came to strength, but he felt a mental threat. The thing that bothered him even more was the form that his self-defense was currently maintaining. The fact that his self-defense, which was designed to constrain Grid¡¯s sword dance, was acting as a weakness rather than an advantage was giving him a feeling of loss. There was a sense of restraining himself while fighting.


    Grid was bing more and more puffed up, so he was worried that witnesses would arbitrarily misunderstand.


    ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯


    Eventually, Zeratul¡¯s colorless divinity changed again to a fine degree. He redesigned the self-defense to fit the current situation. It had a structure that neutralized the strength of Grid¡¯s new sword and gave him eleration at the same time. It was intended topletely change the course of the battle by inflicting a serious wound in an unexpected way.


    It caused Grid¡¯s right arm to fall off. Like Zeratul, he was down to a single arm and couldn¡¯t handle two swords.


    Zeratul was about to restore the structure of his self-defense to its original form, but he momentarily became greedy. He maintained the new form of the self-defense and aimed to cut off Grid¡¯s remaining left arm. He sessfully hit the target.


    Grid lost both arms. It was such a vain result that the fierce battle so far felt overshadowed.


    Originally, this was the case in a confrontation between Absolutes. Things could change in an instant. It was also in an instant that some of the hundreds of God Hands hovering around Grid reced both arms that were cut off.

 Chapter 1716

    <h4>Chapter 1716</h4>


    The God Hands, which were originally made based on Grid¡¯s hands, bound together to form Grid¡¯s arms and hands. They were judged as ¡®prosthetic arm¡¯ items and Grid could naturally handle all types of items without restrictions.


    [It is toote.]


    Zeratul¡¯s thoughts resonated. It fluttered like he was excited. He seemed confident that he had a chance to win.


    He had no choice but to think so. His self-defense power had been restored to its original state. It was a structure that could thoroughly neutralize Grid¡¯s sword dance. Analyzing and neutralizing certain types of swordsmanship with the power of the Martial God was as natural and easy as an angel pping their wings to fly.


    Grid also understood. Therefore, he had been prepared. All the God Hands except the ones acting as prosthetic arms spread out like giant wings. They each held a different type of weapon and released a basic attack in unison.


    In the distance, it was seen like wings unfolding.


    [......?!]


    Zeratul¡¯s bewilderment was conveyed to Grid. It was conveyed with the spirit that filled the realm of the Absolute. Basic attacks wielded by 300 weapons that caused ¡®fixed damage to a god¡¯ struck simultaneously and shook Zeratul¡¯s self-defense.


    [You are really persistent...!]


    Was his pride hurt due to the fact that he revealed his agitation? Zeratul couldn¡¯t hide his anger and caused a shockwave. It was intended to disturb the God Hands that formed wings in all directions, but it didn¡¯t work. They interlocked with Grid¡¯s prosthetic arms and used Grid as a pir to withstand Zeratul¡¯s shockwaves.


    Grid was an unshakable being. To be precise, he couldn¡¯t shake. He knew that many of the people below him were relying on him, and endured Zeratul¡¯s momentum.


    p.


    The huge ck-gold wings wielded by Grid againunched the second bombardment. This time, the rain of battle gear fell along with it. It was Grid¡¯s total offensive after using Request to Stand With Me. The Blockade sword wielded together with it became a threat to Zeratul. It was to the point that he flinched when Grid tried a fake and pulled out the Falling Moon Sword that was still on cooldown.


    [Really... are you prepared to oppose a god in such a trivial way?]


    Zeratul used all types of martial arts to prevent the heavy rain of battle gear and gained eleration again. He broke through the heavy rain in an instant and reached Grid.


    At this moment, Grid understood that the self-defense had changed its structure. He had learned it earlier in exchange for losing both arms. The proof was that Grid had triggered a six fusion sword dance by the time that Zeratul arrived.


    Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link¡ªit was a sword dance that reproduced the spirit of a dragon. Grid pierced Zeratul¡¯s body with Twilight, which he had swapped to.


    [You are the master of the Overgeared World.]


    His body was infinitely light. In the aftermath of using his ultimate skill, there was no such thing as a huge drain on resources or cooldown time.


    Grid pierced Zeratul¡¯s body again.


    From the front to the back.


    From the back to the front.


    From the front to the side.


    From the side to the bottom.


    From the bottom to the top.


    Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link was repeated several times without a break. Zeratul¡¯s perfect self-defense copsed each and every time. He tried to achieve the structure that neutralized the sword dance again, but it repeatedly failed and broke.


    [...Kuaaaack!!]


    The realm of the Absolute dispersed. Zeratul¡¯s screams echoed throughout the world.


    The Martial God¡ªit was the moment when the being who was supposed to be victorious and invincible, albeit a fake, copsed disastrously due to Grid. It was the moment when the ragged Zeratul fell to the stage as if he was going to his grave. All types of roars that matched the battle between Grid and Zeratul followed like thunder and echoed throughout Reinhardt.


    [My passed down martial arts... my passed down martial arts haven¡¯t lost yet...!] Zeratul, who was dripping blood from his mouth, eventually couldn¡¯t speak and cried out with willpower. He turned to gray ash. He truly left the stage in an ugly manner.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has defeated Martial God ¡®Zeratul¡¯!]


    The result that people were already aware of had emerged as a world message.


    ¡°Uwahhhh!¡± A huge roar spread. It wasn¡¯t just in Reinhardt, but people all over the world cheered at the victory. However, Zeratul¡¯s status hadn¡¯t dropped significantly yet. His solid divinity remained as traces and the trinity of the eight gods was also maintained.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be intimidated and fightfortably. Even if you die at my hands and lose your honor, there won¡¯t be the misfortune of losing your status if your remaining apostles do well against my passed down martial arts.¡±


    It was the insurance that Zeratul had mockingly said to Grid. The fact that Grid was helped by Nefelina also yed a role. It was something that had to be endured after the secret story of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon was known.


    The eight gods serving the Martial God¡ªin other words, those who learned the passed down martial arts still had a chance to save Zeratul.


    The lowest ranking god proimed himself as the vanguard, ¡°I will repay the disgrace and shame that the Martial God suffered from the cowardly Overgeared God with the Martial God¡¯s martial arts.¡±


    The name of the lowest ranked god who proudly stepped onto the stage was Baralo. He was as sacred and beautiful as an angel. However, the pressure he exuded at this moment was as terrifying as a demon. He was starting at Grid as if he wanted to hurt Grid.


    ¡°Which apostle will deal with me? Anyone is fine,¡± Baralo urged.


    ¡°I will deal with you.¡± The person who would be on the stage was decided from the beginning.


    Sword Saint Kraugel¡ªhe had one of the most suitable powers to deal with the lowest god. Kraugel showed the virtue of humility toward the other apostles and Euphemina.


    Baralo¡¯s horribly distorted face crumpled even more. ¡°You will be my opponent when you aren¡¯t even an apostle? Didn¡¯t you even lose your sword?¡±


    Baralo¡¯s pride was badly hurt because he felt ignored. He pointed to Kraugel¡¯s sword, which had curved in an impossible manner, and reacted in an unwilling manner.


    Kraugel silently looked up at the sky. Grid¡¯s figure was so high up that it was invisible to the general public, but it was clearly visible to him. Grid was full of wounds. He couldn¡¯te down to the ground in this state.


    Kraugel struggled to suppress his sorrowful heart and flew Twilight high with his Control Sword skill. It was soon in Grid¡¯s hands and waspletely repaired after Grid tapped it with the hammer once.


    -Please take care of it.


    Along with Grid¡¯s whisper, Twilight returned to Kraugel¡¯s grip. Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened. It was because the Twilight that Grid threw was Grid¡¯s sword, not his own. In other words, it was the Twilight made from the fang of an old dragon...


    He tried to suppress his flustered emotions and pointed the sword at Baralo. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any excuse for you to not do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ you are all unpleasant people.¡± Tsk. Baralo clicked his tongue and narrowed the distance to Kraugel in an instant. It was a speed that Kraugel¡¯s Super Sensitivity barely caught.


    Kraugel raised Twilight with the intention of defending and recalled Mir, who had arrived at the scene a little while ago. He wondered how strong the god in front of him waspared to Mir in his prime. Mir, who was destined to be the vanguard of the Hwan Kingdom, and the subordinate god who followed the fake Martial God¡ªwhich of the two would have the upper hand?


    As he thought about it¡ª


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Kraugel aimed precisely at the gap in Baralo, who was bewildered by the energy felt from Twilight, and used Space Sword. It was the cooperation between the Overgeared God and Sword Saint. The power easily exceeded Kraugel¡¯s predictions and Grid¡¯s expectations. To put it more urately, Grid¡¯s divinity was crossing the world.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too grand to use the term ¡®passed down martial arts¡¯?¡± Kraugel looked dumbfounded for a moment before criticizing Baralo.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baralo didn¡¯t respond. It was physically impossible for him to speak with his body cut in half. He attempted to recover in real time, but Kraugel didn¡¯t give him time. As the Sword Saint, he perfectly handled Grid¡¯s Twilight and pushed the god with swordsmanship.


    Then it ended.


    ¡°Ugh... I lost...¡± Baralo was helplessly pushed by the itembined with the Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship and left the stage. On the way, he wondered if he could¡¯ve ovee the crisis using his own power, not the martial arts he learned from Zeratul, but he soon blushed with shame and surrendered.


    Grid watched the scene from the sky and murmured that this god was better than Zeratul.


    "...Uwaaaaahhhhh!"


    Shouts echoed.


    Grid, who defeated the Martial God as a yer¡ªthe people were already in a dream-like mood and couldn¡¯t believe the reality happening in front of them. Now they cheered with great enthusiasm. Thousands of people were intoxicated with mental pleasure that reached the peak.


    The Overgeared World¡ªthe divine world that Grid and humanity created together was far greater and stronger than people expected. Grid was held up by pirs and supported by the people.


    ¡°...I feel like I¡¯ve be an actor in aedy.¡±


    Soon, a new god took to the stage. It was the second highest ranked god after Zeratul. This aura itself was different from Baralo. He gave off a great sense of intimidation that he could pretend to be the Martial God in front of people who didn¡¯t know Zeratul. Few people could breathe properly.


    ¡°Zeratul is going to lose¡­ is this the limit of a false god? It is something I should bear because I served him even though I knew this.¡± It was as if he didn¡¯t care who heard it. The white-haired god who expressed his feelings had discerning eyes. He pointed to Braham, who had climbed to the highest spire and was looking down at the stage with an arrogant expression. ¡°You are the best among the apostles. Come.¡±

 Chapter 1717

    <h4>Chapter 1717</h4>


    What distinguished between how high and low a god was? The brightness of the halo? The difference between the position and clothing? No, it was the degree of the ¡®blessing.¡¯


    Unlike demons and monsters who caused abnormal statuses just by facing them, the gods basically blessed humans. The problem was that most of the blessings were blocked or immediately recovered due to the situation. In any case, the gods who came down to the surface after Zeratul belonged to thetter. Even if they recovered itter, it meant they once blessed the humans. It was an expression of their desire to spread their myths and be worshiped.


    This holy war was a great opportunity for the subordinate gods who hadn¡¯te to the surface for a long time. The same was true for Aldro. The white-haired god had learned martial arts from Zeratul out of simple interest. He had decided to take this journey to the surface not for Zeratul¡¯s honor, but for his own sake.


    It was to bestow a huge blessing to humans and make his name widely known. It was so that one day he could be a chief god of Asgard and be reborn as an omniscient and omnipotent being.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    For Aldro, Braham was a very appropriate opponent. The surface had indeed been reborn into a new divine world. Braham was a sun among inferior lights even in this ce filled with great figures. Braham was special even in the eyes of the gods. It wasn¡¯t because he had unstoppable magic power or because he was the flesh and blood of Beriache.


    The myth of the hydra¡ªthe myth of the great monster that was fatal to the majority of gods was mixed as if it was a part of Braham, or as if Braham was a part of the great monster¡¯s myth. His existence itself was a threat. It was even more so because he was an object of reverence for human beings.


    It was a bit frightening, so it was well worth the challenge. The moment he fought Braham and won, his status would rise a few levels. The dimensional characteristics of the Overgeared World should¡¯ve suppressed intruders, but this was offset by Zeratul¡¯s power of the ¡®Martial God.¡¯


    An opportunity that might nevere twice was right in front of him. He never wanted to miss it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Aldro, who had asked Braham to fight in an excited manner, was noticeably embarrassed. He never thought he would be rejected. Wasn¡¯t it a ce where everyone was watching? Braham was in a position where nothing good came of showing weakness in front of people, but he refused topete? It was even with an arrogant expression. His facial expression and his choice didn¡¯t match at all...


    ¡°You are frightened, so you are acting recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Say whatever you like.¡± Braham snorted and took his gaze away from Aldro. It was because he recalled the blessing that wasvishly given when Aldro first descended.


    Abundance. He made milk and honey flow throughout the world. It was certain that many of those who had been starving all over the world were saved at once. In any case, he wasn¡¯t Braham¡¯s opponent.


    Braham was looking at the third lowest god. It was a god as small as a boy. He had given a blessing that amplified people¡¯s wisdom and magic power, but the extent was weak. Even the paleness of the halo made him appear to be a low ranking god.


    However, Braham saw through this. He wasn¡¯t showing himself off, unlike the other gods. This guy was the strongest.


    ¡°I will fight that guy in the great battle.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The people watching the situation with great tension instantly became dumbfounded. The strongest symbol of the Overgeared Empire along with Piaro¡ªthey were disappointed that Braham, whom Grid also admired, had dered that he would fight one of the lowest gods.


    Wasn¡¯t the opponent a little boy based on the appearance? It felt like a nasty uncle bullying a child. He was too young and handsome to be an uncle, but...


    ¡°You... are more talented than I expected.¡± Aldro noticed his gap with Braham and got the chills.


    ¡°You are the God of Abundance.¡± Then a man came onto the stage. It was a man wearing a straw hat and carrying farming equipment.


    Aldro recognized him instantly. ¡°Piaro, the weakest of the Overgeared God¡¯s seven apostles. I heard that you recently won against the archangels and gained a faint divinity, but... I know it was thanks to the help of a magician. It is a big problem to go against me,¡±Aldro responded in an unwilling manner.


    On the other hand, Piaro was different. He liked his opponent enough tough.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Piaro felt many eyes on him. The eyes of the farmers sending him unshakable trust, the eyes of the people filled with fervent desire, the eyes of his wife and daughter, the eyes of Grid... They were the eyes of people who were precious to him.


    Failing to meet their earnest expectations? This meant he didn¡¯t deserve to be a god in the first ce. Piaro needed to win this confrontation. It was all the more so because his opponent was the God of Abundance. He had to win in order to be the ¡®God of Farmers.¡¯


    ¡°Why is it the God of Farmers?¡± Grid read Piaro¡¯s will from the sky andmented.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the temple,¡± Nefelina, who was unable to carry him any longer, urged in a voice filled with concern. She was restless after the duration of the Transcendent Dragon ended and she returned to human form. It was because Grid¡¯s wounds hadn¡¯t fully healed. In the first ce, repairing the severed body parts required time and these were wounds inflicted by Zeratul. The Martial God¡¯s obsession slowed the recovery of the wounds.


    Looking back on it, Martial God Zeratul was immensely strong. It might¡¯ve seemed like he had been brutally defeated and retreated due to Grid in less than a minute, but Nefelina had clearly witnessed it firsthand. The level of the martial arts that Zeratul showed from moment to moment was more difficult than Baal, who used all the skills of the dead. It was a realm that waspletely out of reach for Nefelina. Yet Grid won...


    Nefelina, who had been watching Grid from the moment she was born, felt so moved. She had known he was a great human being when she first saw him, but he actually grew to the point where he could destroy the demons of hell and the celestial gods, as well as earn her father¡¯s approval...


    Nefelina¡¯s heart fluttered and she blushed as she recalled the moment when she was allowed to join with him. She felt excited about the situation itself.


    ¡°No, I have to be here.¡± Grid shook his head. With the helmet covering the blood that still flowed from his severed nose, he looked at the ground with his sharp eyes. He watched as Piaro started the fight.


    ¡°It is the moment when the people who have been with me are trying to be gods.¡±


    It didn¡¯t make sense if he didn¡¯t watch.


    It was just before swinging the hand plow. Grid nodded to Piaro, who was looking this way, and witnessed a miracle.


    The moment that Piaro sowed the seeds, a huge tree stood tall in the center of the stage that had turned into an agricultural field. The smell of grass permeated Grid¡¯s sense of smell, which had been filled with blood. It was the aftermath of the sky being covered with leaves from the branches that stretched out in a dense manner.


    ¡°A world tree...?¡±


    Could Piaro handle a god, let alone a god who was so strong?


    The people who were watching doubtfully let out sighs.


    The tree built by Piaro wasrge and dense enough to bepared to the world tree known to support the sky. Of course, it was infinitely smallerpared to the world tree, but no one would disagree that it was the secondrgest tree in the world.


    It was thanks to the aspirations of the people. The desire of the famers who gave infinite trust to Piaro and his wife, who was an elf, created a miracle that reproduced the world tree. A reason could be that some of the farmers who trusted him consisted of big names such as the Sword Saint, the Overgeared God Church¡¯s Pope, and the Aura Master.


    However, Piaro knew that even if they weren¡¯t here, Grid alone would¡¯ve supported him. He was convinced that he could perform the miracle of this moment as long as he had Grid.


    ¡°I never supported you bing the God of Farmers...¡±


    A god and apostle¡ªas theirmunication deepened in real time, Grid read Piaro¡¯s mind and tried to refute it, but it was useless. It was because Piaro knew that what Grid wanted for him was the ¡®God of Abundance.¡¯


    The God of Farmers and the God of Abundance¡ªweren¡¯t they both the same? It was proven by Grid¡¯s statement that the God of Fishing, Lars, was sometimes called the God of Abundance by some people. Therefore, it was fine.


    ¡°Um...!¡± Aldro¡¯s eyes grew bigger.


    The fist techniques learned from Zeratul¡ªthe fist swung with the intention of destroying Piaro¡¯s hand plow was unexpectedly blocked. The moment the hand plow and the fist collided, the tree swayed heavily.


    ¡®Did it absorb the shock?¡¯


    Aldro agonized over the use of his power. His power gave life to living things. It was possible to promote growth and it was possible to shorten the lifespan by giving life beyond the limit. It meant he could quickly make that huge tree wither. However, he didn¡¯t do so. It was because the moment he used this power in the holy war, the essence of the holy war would be damaged. Even if he used his power to win, he would be defeated if he didn¡¯t prove Zeratul¡¯s martial arts.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be forced to look ugly.¡¯


    He knew the original sins of the high ranking gods. It was the truth that Zik and Sariel below the stage proved. Aldro couldn¡¯t bear it if he showed his ugliness in front of them and lowered the prestige of the gods...


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that you are a worthy opponent.¡±


    Aldro took a deep breath and concentrated. He squeezed both fists lightly, spread out his legs, and lowered one shoulder at an angle. He fully implemented the teachings of Zeratul. Just then, the halo above Aldro¡¯s head became brighter than before.


    It was a warm glow. It wasn¡¯t dazzling even if it was right in front of him. It vaguely resembled Grid¡¯s divinity and Piaro was able to realize that he was facing a true god.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as an honor.¡±


    The huge tree that painted Reinhardt¡¯s sky green swayed along with Piaro¡¯s movement. Aldro had to feel the weight of the tree every time he exchanged attacks with Piaro¡¯s farming equipment. To be precise, it was the wishes and beliefs of the people contained in the tree. It was very heavy.


    Aldro had to swallow a groan with every weight he endured. He suddenly felt bitter. It was because the human being in front of him looked more like a god, not himself.


    ¡°...I was wrong in the first ce.¡± He, who didn¡¯t understand humans, imed to be a god who needed human worship. Aldro smiled bitterly at the sudden thought and his fist struck Piaro¡¯s face.


    Piaro¡¯s hand plow was about to punch a hole in Aldro¡¯s forehead. The huge tree exploded. It sacrificed itself in ce of Piaro¡¯s face, which should¡¯ve shattered at the punch. The agriculture field had rapidly withered after hundreds of blows were exchanged.


    ¡°I want to learn farming from you someday.¡± Aldro held out his hand, not his fist, to Piaro. ¡°It is to learn how to win the hearts of humans.¡±


    Originally, Aldro was someone who had no hesitation in learning. Therefore, he learned martial arts even though he didn¡¯t respect Zeratul. It meant it wasn¡¯t strange for him to seek guidance from someone lower than him. Additionally, he was acknowledging Piaro. Unlike Zeratul, who was naturally worshiped, Piaro had many things to admire.


    ¡°......¡±


    In the presence of the silent people, Grid¡¯s voice permeated the ears of Piaro, who was hesitating because he couldn¡¯t easily hold Aldro¡¯s hand. Grid was telling him not to hesitate when making friends. He said he had made friends in hell and Asgard as well.


    -...If you are willing.


    Piaro smiled and grabbed Aldro¡¯s hand.


    People¡¯s cheers followed. The shouts were as loud as when Grid and Kraugel won.


    Piaro might¡¯ve lost the fight, but he became a person who received a god¡¯s recognition and taught a god in front of everyone. It was no wonder that he enjoyed more honor than the winner. Naturally, this worked for Aldro as well. Aldro felt his divinity bing stronger in real time.


    ¡°It is so easy to be misled...¡±Aldro saw the humans cheering and waving even to himself and scolded like it was pitiful before he started smiling. The emotion he was feeling for the first time since his birth made him happy.

 Chapter 1718

    <h4>Chapter 1718</h4>


    The battle between the Overgeared World and Asgard¡ªit was natural to consider the odds of the Overgeared World to be low.


    Grid and the apostles were illustrious in many ways, but their opponents were the celestial gods. However, they had already won two battles. A disappointing defeat followed, but even that impressed the people. It was because the god who defeated Piaro appreciated Piaro.


    Grid¡¯s epic that started to be written out of nowhere proved it.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 23rd epic.]


    [The beginning of the epices from the enlightenment of a god who serves the Martial God.]


    [The God of Abundance, ¡®Aldro,¡¯ who invaded the surface with the Martial God, said he would regard an apostle of the Overgeared God as a teacher.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Aldro, who had grabbed Piaro¡¯s hand and raised him up¡ªa faint smile spread on his face as he felt the worship of the humans from their shouts. Then his expression hardened before he knew it. It resembled the expression of a victim who was robbed of a house deed by a scammer.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Piaro witnessed the change in Aldro¡¯s expression right next to him and felt embarrassed. It was because he felt strength entering Aldro¡¯s hand that was holding his hand. It didn¡¯t matter. People were interpreting the situation at will.


    [The deration of ¡®Aldro,¡¯ who previously served the Martial God, means that the apostle of the Overgeared God isparable to the Martial God.]


    It was like in hell. Therge-scale epic created by the humans who witnessed Grid¡¯s steps was like a type of scripture. It was a scripture that wasn''t written based on Grid¡¯s own point of view, but instead the point of view of the believers who served him. The content had to be somewhat (?) distorted and most of the situation was interpreted in Grid¡¯s favor. It was still the same now.


    Piaro exined to the bewildered and speechless Aldro. ¡°This wasn¡¯t distorted by my god...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Aldro interrupted at once. ¡°Everything is my responsibility since I am standing in front of human beings.¡±


    Unless they were a chief god, most gods couldn¡¯t descend freely to the surface. It was because a god could intervene in the world and challenge the hierarchy of a chief god. For Aldro, this trip to the surface was an opportunity he was bound to be greedy for. He was determined to take some risks in order to win the opportunity that didn¡¯te easily.


    In the first ce, the Overgeared God was an easy opponent. His reputation had spread through Asgard from the very beginning. He felt that he was nourishing Piaro and the Overgeared God in real time, but he decided that this wasn¡¯t a big deal. The gains he received were also great.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t end up like Zeratul.¡¯


    Aldro¡¯s golden eyes swept toward the sky. His beautiful eyes, captured on camera, only projected the blue sky, but Aldro¡¯s vision was showing him Grid¡¯s state in detail. A certain emotion automatically sprang up. It was an emotion he didn¡¯t easily feel when he saw the other gods who had reigned since the moment they were born.


    Respect.


    Aldro stared silently at Grid before bowing his head very slightly. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as reverent as when he bowed to the goddess.


    However, this was enough. An unstoppable wave followed.


    Wahhhh!


    The continuing shouts of the people grew even louder. There were even people who threw off their jackets at the unbelievable session of events. On the other hand, the gods were calm. Apart from the lowest god who first stepped out, the others didn¡¯t show much agitation even when Zeratul retreated. Usually, a true god had the extraordinary ability to control their emotions. Therefore, they were able to live for thousands of years in the quiet Asgard.


    Zeratul had visited the surface over the past few hundred years and built up followers primarily because he wanted to ease his boredom. Zeratul was born only after Chiyou left Asgard. Fortunately, he was born as a chief god from the beginning and freely enjoyed the right to ¡®freedom¡¯ that had been given to him. Meanwhile, the other gods were ustomed to such constraints.


    ¡°I hope we can achieve an equal score just once. I think I am the only one who is serious here, so I¡¯ll step out.¡± The situation was 2:1. One god felt the need to continue winning and stepped forward. It was a woman with long pink hair. She was very beautiful, but her thick and transparent eyshes especially attracted people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Jude. Get married.¡± Jude, who was escorting the soldiers under the stage, talked nonsense out of the blue. Apart from the knowledge stat that had recently became named and was rising, he was still pure. He was instantly fascinated by Melory, the Goddess of Love.


    "C-Captain!" It happened as the soldiers barely managed to stop Jude from breaking onto the stage...


    ¡°Why are you smiling like that?¡±


    There was the sound of light footsteps and Mercedes soon stood on the center of the stage. She had a beauty that didn¡¯t fade even in front of the Goddess of Love, who naturally released charm. Thanks to this, people were reminded of Mercedes¡¯ huge presence and regained their minds.


    In fact, the big stage felt filled with just Mercedes and Melory alone. The presence of a beauty who made them happy just by looking at her?


    Rather than that, it was the aftermath of divinity.


    The stage was filled with the pink divinity scattering from Melory and the orange divinity scattering from Mercedes. It was gorgeous and warm, but not vulgar.


    ¡°A human virgin. You need to smile like me. Isn¡¯t it a waste of that pretty face to be too arrogant?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a virgin. I have a dear husband.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief. I thought you were an old virgin due to your fierce and spiteful expression.¡±


    ¡°...An old virgin...¡±


    It was Mercedes, who had the desire to be a mother. Then she suddenly became worried. She was worried that she was too old to have a child. She was in her 20s when she first had Grid in her heart, but she didn¡¯t realize the fruits of love until she was in her 30s. Of course, her natural beauty had been tempered with swordsmanship and martial arts. She looked in her early 20s to anyone and would remain young forever. It was just a matter of feeling...


    Yes, she knew it.


    Even so, an unpleasant thing was an unpleasant thing.


    ¡°An old virgin...¡± Mercedes had an even colder look and created a chill. The transparent eyes, which were hard to see due to the orange divinity, attracted Melory¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You are the master of Keen Insight. I thought you were a new apostle because you were exercising the miracle of bearing the Overgeared God¡¯s divinity.¡±


    It was hard to hope for victory...


    No one heard Melory¡¯s faint words. The clothes of the goddess were just a piece of thin cloth that fluttered. It was a piece of cloth that barely covered her pure white body. It meant she could capture everyone¡¯s eyes and minds with just one step. Even Grid, who was in the sky, gulped.


    Mercedes¡¯ expression hardened even more. It was because her mind had always been directed to Grid first.


    One light step taken by Melory caused a tremendous aftermath.


    The Goddess of Love¡ªher life was unexpectedly not beautiful. Sometimes she felt rewarded to connect love between others, but in most cases, she was in a position to receive the love of others.It was even from other gods. She had to go through too many unwanted things.


    From a certain point on, she felt the need for strength to protect herself and it was none other than Zeratul who gave it to her. It was because Zeratul, who enjoyed showing off his martial arts, wasn¡¯t stingy in teaching other gods, unlike the noble Chiyou.


    The fake Martial God who believed himself to be real as a bted created subject¡ªmany gods gossiped andughed at Zeratul behind his back, but Melory was genuinely grateful to him. This was even though Zeratul might¡¯ve taught her the martial arts to show off, not for Melory¡¯s sake. It was true that Melory received his help.


    Random blows followed by high speed movement¡ªMelory¡¯s linked attacks as she wielded two short swords in reverse was very fast. The dual swords were appropriately utilized to cut, stab, and bump. It boasted a tremendous skill as if elerating the moment a flower bloomed.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes felt that Melory¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t like a god. Rather, it was a fierce look with gritted teeth. It wasn¡¯t much different from humans. It was just like Grid.


    ¡°These are skills honed by hard work.¡±


    What type of life was lived by the celestial gods? Mercedes had always wondered this, but at this moment, her question was resolved in a small way. At the very least, she was convinced that the life of the ¡®lower gods¡¯ was vastly different from the life of the gods that humans imagined.


    Mercedes also started to respond with all her might. She couldn¡¯t be careless against an enemy who put in as much effort as she did.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Exmations poured out from all over the stage.


    The invisible fight between Grid and Zeratul.


    The confrontation between Kraugel and Baralo, who showed an overwhelming scale of swordsmanship.


    The battle between Piaro and Aldro, who used nature.


    The previous confrontations were areas that people found difficult to understand. In particr, in the case of the battle between Grid and Zeratul, even the apostles and gods couldn¡¯t read the flow properly.


    On the other hand, the battle between Mercedes and Melory was easy for anyone above a certain level to understand. It was closer to a pure skill contest. The flow was systematic like a textbook. This meant it was quick but easy to read. It was thanks to Mercedes ¡®matching the breath¡¯ with Melory.


    Melory wasn¡¯t a difficult opponent for her, who had been on the stage with God¡¯s Descent from the beginning.


    Then it ended. Melory ended up dropping both swords. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°I... I am a useless god.¡±


    She was a lower god before being the Goddess of Love. There was too little room for intervention in the world for her to weave a human and human love. She almost always had to stay quiet in Asgard, which encouraged conflict every time. She couldn¡¯t even repay Zeratul for his grace.


    Melory¡¯s pink divinity lost its light. It gradually dispersed. It was a phenomenon created by the god¡¯s desire for extinction.


    Grid recalled the faintness of Chiyou¡¯s divinity¡ªas if he had no divinity¡ªand became somewhat nervous. He wanted to go down to the stage right now and soothe Melory. It was both pure sympathy and an investment for the future. It was a time when the yangbans were starting to set foot in the Overgeared World, so wasn¡¯t it possible for the gods of Asgard as well?


    However, Grid couldn¡¯t go down to the ground at all. It was because his wounds hadn¡¯t recovered yet. There was also a concern that Mercedes might misunderstand.


    His heart¡ªMercedes immediately guessed it.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that you are useless. It is that you haven¡¯t found your purpose yet. I know because I¡¯ve had a simr experience.¡±


    It was the time when she was a knight of the Saharan Empire. She often felt skeptical as she yed the role of oppressing small kingdoms and wiping out minorities. Of course, she didn¡¯t express it, but she was aware that her purpose wasn¡¯t correct. It felt like her existence was both a nuisance and caused harm. She didn¡¯t have high self-esteem because she wasn¡¯t loved even by her parents, so her heart was always in pain.


    Therefore, she vaguely understood Melory. Her sincerity was also conveyed.


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    The one who reached out to the loser this time wasn¡¯t a god, but a human being. Every scene was recorded in Grid¡¯s epic and the status of the apostles rose exponentially.

 Chapter 1719

    <h4>Chapter 1719</h4>


    ¡°Um...¡±


    3:1¡ªthe Overgeared World was ahead of Asgard.


    Grid¡¯s mind was on Piaro. It was because he suddenly found Piaro sighing among the cheering people. Grid was the only one who noticed it. Everyone was praising Piaro as a hero. Piaro was the only one who thought of himself as a loser.


    A person who received a deration that a god would serve (?) him¡ªwho would dare to consider him, who qualified as aplete god and was the starting point of this scripture¡ªthis epic¡ªa loser? This was why the others didn¡¯t know that the faint shadow on Piaro¡¯s face was due to guilt.


    ¡®It is my fault that Piaro lost.¡¯


    The nature of this duel had changed since the very beginning. Which one was superior between Grid¡¯s items and Zeratul¡¯s passed down martial arts? Just as Kraugel wielded Twilight, the other apostles also needed to wield the power of items. Of course, Grid periodically reced the items of the apostles.


    However, it wasn¡¯t at the stage of distributing dragon weapons and armor, so it was too vague to call them divine objects. In particr, Piaro¡¯s farming tools were too outdated.


    ¡®To be precise, it isn¡¯t that they are outdated.¡¯


    They were unsuitable forbat. The farming equipment that Piaro wanted were essentially a suitable form for cultivation. From Grid¡¯s standards, they were naturally unsuitable forbat. However, if Piaro¡¯s farming tools were really unsuitable for battle, then his sess until now was impossible. Yes, it was a very small difference. The difference was only revealed when fighting a being who was approaching an Absolute.


    Grid felt sorry. ¡®I should¡¯ve broken Piaro¡¯s stubbornness and made better items, but I neglected him.¡¯


    He learned a new fact. It was that caring and respecting his precious people shouldn¡¯t undermine his philosophy.


    ¡°......¡±


    Even though his wounds hadn¡¯t recovered, Grid was about to go down to the ground tofort Piaro. Then he stopped. He found Piaro¡¯s wife approaching Piaro. A heartfelt smile spread across Piaro¡¯s face, who had been forcing himself to look bright. It was the happiness of one who had established a family.


    Grid realized the joy of regaining what had been lost for a long time andughed. ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡¯


    This incident would be a great lesson for Piaro. He would break his stubbornness and develop further.


    It happened as Grid was feeling relieved...


    ¡°It is insignificant,¡±the god who stepped on the stage after Melory opened his mouth. The voice that roared through the atmosphere echoed throughout Reinhardt. The voice sank low so it created the illusion of sucking the listener into an abyss. There was a greatly disparate feeling.


    ¡°The only thing the gods do when gathering together are wielding swords. What is the difference with humans?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid btedly noticed it.


    The god on the stage¡ªthe skinny god, who was three meters tall, wasn¡¯t breathing. The strange waves ofnguage that was spoken without breathing gave a sense of strangeness that he had never felt in his life. It was also different from thenguage of the undead, which expressed their deep resentment.


    ¡®If he is a real god¡­ he can live without breathing.¡¯


    The gods Grid had met so far had been breathing normally. In retrospect, even the demons breathed. So why did this god suppress his breathing? There must be some intention behind it.


    Grid knew the importance of breathing, so he was wary.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you punch as well as fight with swords?¡±


    It happened as Huroi was refuting the words...


    ¡°This is a ce to prove Zeratul¡¯s martial arts.¡± Another god stepped forward and dismissed it. He was Aldro, the disciple (?) of Piaro, and the God of Abundance.


    The tall god seemed unconvinced.


    ¡°Those of you who have never ascended to a high ce won¡¯t know this, but... I contributed to the creation of heaven and the earth. Even before humans were born on thisnd, I created the mountains and rivers that flowed to form the ocean. For this, I... I have topete against a human in front of humans? It is insignificant. I¡¯m not convinced.¡±


    ¡°So are you okay if your opponent isn¡¯t human?¡± Zik climbed onto the stage. He seemed to be acquainted with the tall god. ¡°Kadlow. You were blinded by lust and chaotically spread half-gods everywhere.¡±


    ¡°...Zik... That¡¯s right. If I had to say it, I am the parent of your Seven Malignant Saints.¡±


    In the distant, ancient times. It wasn¡¯t even this world, but the ancient times of another world. There was a time when the idea of giving divinity to humans didn¡¯t exist. This was until Kadlow coveted the human body and caused a child of god to be conceived. Until then, there was no concept of half-gods and the concept of a human god was faint. Gods and humans werepletely different entities.


    ¡°Therefore, I am the benefactor of you humans. I am in a position to defend my prestige.¡±


    ¡°It is ridiculous that you are talking about prestige when you were disqualified from being a chief god for lowering the prestige of the gods.¡±


    Kadlow had an endless desire for lust. He was blinded by sexual desire and undermined the order of human beings. During the time when he was in full swing, people regarded Asgard as a target of resentment. This was why he was a god who received a rare punishment.


    ¡°The qualifications of a chief god will be regained sooner orter. By force...¡±


    The reason why Kadlow learned martial arts from Zeratul was simple. It was in order to build up force. Why was he the only one who was severely punished among the gods whomitted the seven deadly sins?


    He pondered on it and realized something. It was because he didn¡¯t have superior skills like Hexetia, resourcefulness like Venice, or the strength or wisdom of Dominion and Judar. He was treated as a rtively useless being and was the only one who suffered an unfair punishment...


    Kadlow wanted to be a chief god today so he felt the need for transformation. Among them, he was interested in martial strength.


    Zeratul became an example. A being who was just born, but who reigned and acted unruly because he was strong. No one rebuked him when he was bragging without acknowledging that he was a recement for Chiyou. It was because he was strong. He had power so others avoided him rather than colliding with him.


    This was what Kadlow had to reach.


    ¡°Zik, you must remember. My ¡®Pir of Production¡¯ might be insignificantpared to the goddess¡¯ ¡®Pir of Creation,¡¯ but it yed a pretty big role. No... you were asleep ¡®at the time¡¯ and you wouldn¡¯t have witnessed it...¡±


    It was the day when the Seven Malignant Saints invaded Asgard, except for Zik who was affected by the Curse of Sloth. Dominion¡¯s army watched the situation with their arms crossed while the angel army ughtered the Seven Malignant Saints. The result was obvious to anyone.


    The Seven Malignant Saints who dared to ask the gods for their sins were insignificant. This was until the 1st Evil Jake¡¯s ¡®Providence¡¯ caused an unexpected situation. Neither the gods nor angels felt a sense of crisis. At that time, it was Kadlow who blocked the variable of Providence. He produced bad luck with the Pir of Production, suppressing all the good luck that tried to work to benefit the Seven Malignant Saints.


    ¡°A god¡¯s power is the source of the creation of the universe and a mystery iprehensible to humans. It is only when using the power that humans will look up to the gods... sealing this power is just bringing us down to the same eye level as human beings.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    It was before Huroi could intervene.


    Zik urged Kadlow to get to the point and Kadlow replied, ¡°This battle is unterally designed to be in your favor and it is unreasonable. Even if you win, it is just a natural result and it isn¡¯t honorable. That must be unwee to you as well.¡±


    ¡°This is the method that Zeratul has chosen.¡±


    ¡°It is the way that he chose for his life. I don''t have to respect it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was enough to ignore Kadlow¡¯s meaning. Was he going to ignore the rules that had been established and use his power? There was no reason to listen to it.


    It happened the moment that Zik was about to refuse...


    ¡°Use it.¡± A voice came from above. It was somewhat lower than the high sky where Grid was floating. Braham floated here with Grid behind him like the sun. ¡°Use the power or whatever you want as much as you want.¡±


    Braham¡¯s arrogant face had a slight smile, as ifughing at Kadlow.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you do.¡±


    ¡°Take a look, Zik. This is the treatment of a god who has lost his prestige. It is why it is unreasonable to prohibit the use of power.¡±


    Kadlow frowned and raised his power. The blue divinity that spread around him stretched out in such a vast manner that it covered the sky. A huge pir rose toward the clouds that looked white in the distance. It was the Pir of Production. In this world, the previous world, and the worlds before that, it was a pir that supported Reba¡¯s Pir of Creation.


    ¡°I will take on this guy.¡± Originally, Braham was only conscious of the god who looked like a little boy, but he changed his mind at this moment. He was ovee with the desire to kill the god in front of him.


    Zik respected this. He stepped down from the stage and Braham filled his vacancy.


    ¡°Let me take care of a bit of Zeratul¡¯s honor.¡±


    Kadlow¡¯s voice changed. It was the aftermath of resuming his stopped breathing. It caused a tremendous wavelength. The suppressed breathing was amplified through the Pir of Production and an omnidirectional shockwave was generated. Reinhardt, especially the stage, started to shake as if all the barriers piled up around it would be shattered.


    ¡°This is the swordsmanship I have interpreted.¡±


    He would take care of a bit of Zeratul¡¯s honor. As if to fulfill this deration, Kadlow pulled out a sword from his waist and swung it lightly. The sound of the air being cut was heard in the distance. It was in the direction that the pir was rising. A silver sword light was produced inrge quantities from the pir. They rippled across the sky while covered in blue divinity. It felt like the space itself was degraded.


    It reached Braham in an instant.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    People were at a loss for words from the moment the pir sprang up.


    The majesty of a god that had been forgotten for a while¡ªthey realized once again that gods had a universal power and were greatly intimidated. They determined that Braham had touched a bomb by mistake. They thought that even Braham wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with a god.


    The battle between Grid and Zeratul was so great that it was a real concern. In fact, Braham was torn to shreds. In an instant, the waves of sword light that swept across the stage tore Braham¡¯s body apart into hundreds or thousands of pieces.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    Did Braham really get hit? People who had been worried but hadn¡¯t expected this vain end lost their souls. They were too flustered to ept the situation.


    Then the torn pieces of Braham¡¯s body started to glow a faint purple. The moment that those who were close to a transcendent noticed this fact, Braham¡¯s torn body started regaining its original form. It was with a transparent, purple color. It was the usage of Lightning God learned from the Blue Dragon. The physical force of the sword lights pierced through him without harming him.


    ¡°It is insignificant.¡± Kadlow didn¡¯t even snort. He immediately understood the principles of Lightning God and reced the divinity that had been released throughout the world with magic power. He intended to crush and kill Braham, who had be vulnerable to magic.


    However, Braham¡¯s magic worked faster.


    Gravity¡ªthe gravitational magic triggered by Brahampressed his Lightning God body and obliterated it in a hurry. He took his own life.


    ¡°It is insignificant until the end.¡±


    Choosing death the moment you realize you can¡¯t afford to go against me.


    Do you believe that your pride will be protected with this?


    It is indeed an ugly end.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Kadlow, who was sneering, became shocked. It was because he saw the gravity that engulfed Braham being mixed with lightning and distorting space.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    It was a magical ck hole created using the explosive energy of magic power. After grasping its identity and noticing Braham¡¯s intentions, Kadlow hurriedly controlled his divinity. He intended to restore the divinity that had been reced by magic to its original form. However, it was toote. The speed at which magic power was sucked into the ck hole was too fast.


    ¡°No...! It can¡¯t be...!!¡±


    It was the sensation of all his divinity being sucked in. Kadlow was horrified by the ominous sense of his existence fading and screamed. His screams echoed in an empty manner.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste bad.¡± Braham¡¯s satisfied voice filled the stage once the screams ended. The divinity that belonged to Kadlow was mixed with his purple magic power.


    ¡°......¡±


    Reinhardt became quiet. Even Grid¡¯s mouth was shut as he looked like he was seeing a monster.

 Chapter 1720

    <h4>Chapter 1720</h4>


    It was during the Great Human and Demon War.


    Braham regained his lost power and realized an unchanging truth. It was that the body of a direct descendant was stronger than imagined. He could feel it even more because he had experienced human life for the past hundreds of years. It was like a real god from the concepts, not a creature. He wondered if it would be the second best after Baal, whose life was infinite as long as ¡®fear¡¯ didn¡¯t disappear from the hearts of humans.


    Braham was confident that he could recover even if his body was broken down into particles beyond the level of being shattered. Of course, this was under the premise that he had a mental strength strong enough to maintain his ¡®will¡¯ to live even in the face of immense suffering. The direct descendants who were hunted by Grid didn¡¯t have that type of mentality.


    Yet for Braham, patience wasn¡¯t a particrly difficult task. He was abandoned by his mother, whom he admired and loved the most, and he lost everything. He fell into the abyss before climbing to a higher peak than before. It was just a matter of enduring the pain... it wasn''t light, but it was bearable. This was how he started doing crazy things like creating a ck hole through his body.


    ¡°Kuuack... Kuaaack...¡±


    Kadlow hadpletely lost his mind. He half-rolled his eyes and drooled. There were no traces left of the dignity of a god, who existed without breathing. Was it the shock of being deprived of divinity? No. It was just the start. A little while ago, Kadlow¡¯s time had increased to infinity. The more that his divinity was sucked into the small ck hole, the longer his time seemed to stretch out like a noodle. Then suddenly, it was sucked in very quickly.


    His life, which remained as a trace of divinity, took away the present moment from him as his memories were fast-forwarded to eternity. It was an eternal pain. It would turn any god into an idiot. Fortunately, Kadlow had a history of being a chief god, so he endured the eternity, but the aftermath was strong.


    The ¡®pain that I don¡¯t want to go through again¡¯ was engraved in his mind.


    It meant that he had learned fear. A god became afraid of Braham, the apostle of the Overgeared God.


    ¡°The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb¡­ it must be as vicious as you...¡±


    Kadlow recalled the fact that a few gods were afraid of the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. At this moment, he empathized with them and muttered in a trembling voice. It was without daring to make eye contact with Braham. He kept his eyes lowered.


    ¡°A pir.¡± Braham didn¡¯t care about Kadlow. He realized that it wasn¡¯t easy to mix the divinity he had taken from Kadlow with magic power and devised other ways to use it.


    The moment he mentioned the pir, Kadlow was shocked before soon calming down.


    The Pir of Production¡ªit was his own power. It operated on the basis of divinity, but it was an innate power from the moment he was born. Even Kadlow didn¡¯t know the principles behind creating the pir and he took it for granted when using it. It was just as humans naturally learned how to breathe. Just because Braham took away Kadlow¡¯s divinity didn¡¯t mean he could handle the pir of production.


    ¡®You can try hard for hundreds or thousands of years.¡¯


    You will never get a pir...


    Kadlow, who was crushed by the humiliation of losing, smiled slightly. He was convinced that the Pir of Production that fascinated Braham would be the curse that imprisoned him forever.


    At this moment...


    ¡°It is roughly like this.¡±


    Beyond the distant clouds, a pir that was still small and weak rose. It was a pir that had little effect. It was no different from a mere pointed, stone mountain. The problem was that it was created.


    [The apostle of the Overgeared God, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has vited a god¡¯s rights.]


    [The possibility of a status beyond a ¡®Myth Usurper¡¯ has arisen.]


    [The name of ¡®Braham¡¯ is recorded in all the myths of ¡®Kadlow,¡¯ who was a chief god of Asgard and is in some of therge-scale myths of Asgard.]


    [The apostle of the Overgeared God, ¡®Braham,¡¯ has written a new myth.]


    [He used powerful magic to y with the gods and vited the rights of the gods with his great wisdom.]


    [The new name of the god...]


    ¡°Overgeared Magic God,¡±Grid muttered while feeling thrilled by the sessive world messages.


    [He is Braham, the God of Magic and Wisdom.]


    Fortunately, the world message ignored Grid¡¯sment. It was the birth of a new god. It was even a god with two nicknames. ¡®Wisdom¡¯ was Judar¡¯s nickname. The new god was born from viting the rights of Kadlow, the former chief god of Asgard. He was threatening the current chief god of Asgard with just his existence upon his birth.


    ¡°Wh... at...¡± Kadlow, who barely controlled his mind, was shocked again. It wasn¡¯t enough that he lost the dignity of a god. His mouth dropped open like a crucian carp onnd.


    Braham had his unique arrogant expression on his face as the corners of his mouth rose up to the fullest.


    ¡°Braham, the apostle of the Overgeared God, has won.¡±


    Braham hadn¡¯t changed. Even after reaching the hierarchy of a god, he still called himself the apostle of the Overgeared God. It was also recorded in Grid¡¯s epic.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    He ended the situation himself by dering his victory. It was at a time when people were enthusiastic about the Braham-like finish that suited the expression ¡®I alone am the best¡¯ better than anyone...


    ¡°This fight is invalid.¡± Someone acted even though it was difficult. It was none other than Lauel.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham doubted his ears, while the people were in an uproar. Braham stood still for a moment and stared at Lauel, who was standing below the stage. Then he took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Invalid? What type of vain argument is this?¡±


    ¡°The essence of this holy war has long changed to apetition between His Majesty¡¯s items and Zeratul¡¯s martial arts. From the moment Kadlow used his power, to be precise, from the moment Duke Braham gave God Kadlow the right to use the power, this fight went off topic.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham was the Duke of Wisdom... no, he was the God of Wisdom. He understood Lauel¡¯s point right away.


    However, shouldn¡¯t they just ignore the rules set by Zeratul in the first ce? Why did they have to abide by the rules and nullify his precious victory?


    Such questions weren¡¯t even worth asking.


    Lauel wanted Grid to fully absorb Zeratul¡¯s status. If they fought and won ording to the rules set by Zeratul, then Zeratul would be defeated without any excuses. Considering the penalty he would suffer and the advantage that Grid would gain at that time, it was right to nullify the battle between Braham and Kadlow.


    ¡°Booo! Booooo!¡±


    Braham himself was convinced, but boos poured in from all sides. There were also many people who made usations.


    Lauel wasn¡¯t agitated at all. He was used to being sworn at. In the process of raising the Overgeared Guild into an empire, he had purged tens of thousands of people. Lauel was so ruthless that he had a history of burying alive soldiers of surrendered enemy nations.


    Rejecting the usations directed at him due to such a thing? Lauel wasn¡¯t such a shameless person. He humbly epted any usations. It was still the same now.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± Braham dismissed the criticisms of the people and nodded. He, the person involved, respected Lauel¡¯s will, so people were no longer able to make usations.


    Of course, there was still a lot of regret for those cheering for the Overgeared World. They missed the opportunity to win 4:1. The 3:1 situation was back. There was room for a reversal. There was now that said the Overgeared World wouldn¡¯t lose the remaining four matches.


    The gods of Asgard were strong. It was witnessed by countless spectators. Most of the audience naturally believed in the apostles of the Overgeared God and hoped to win, but they recognized that it wasn¡¯t easy. The strongest card called Braham was consumed in vain, while the boyish god pointed out by Braham remained intact on Asgard¡¯s side.


    The gods standing on the left and right side of the boy were also reticent, and their presence was enormous.


    ¡°Looking at the manhwas, it is the turn for the protagonist team to lose, right? So I¡¯ll step out.¡±


    Euphemina went on the stage. The two blond ponytails further emphasized her girlish, youthful appearance. It was an appearance that didn¡¯t suit the battlefield at all. However, she was the secret weapon of the Overgeared Guild. Everyone knew it was a secret, but the fact that Grid had been afraid of her in the past was an open secret.


    ¡°Eupheminaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Look at me with a contemptuous gaze!¡±


    ¡°Smile and tell me that I am poor-looking!¡±


    In her Duplicator days, she easily scammed people with her beauty (?) and she had many fans. The screams of Euphemina¡¯s name spread endlessly. The addition of the words ¡®please win¡¯ was the basics.


    Euphemina stuck out her tongue.


    ¡®How am I supposed to fight here?¡¯


    Mumud¡¯s Sessor was a ss that was inherently open to the possibility of bing a myth. Her skills after eating the Fruit of Good and Evil and being greatly enlightened to her potential clearly transcended the normal categories. Yet she was inferiorpared to the gods.


    The previous battles...


    Kadlow med the funny way that the gods were wielding the swords, but there was nothing to demean from the perspective of a third party. It was because the sword wielded just once by a god caused a disaster in itself. This would be the case if it wasn¡¯t for the barriersid out by all the groups in the empire.


    Reinhardt would¡¯ve disappeared in part like it had been hit by a bomb every time a god wielded the sword. Fighting and winning against such ruthless beings? Euphemina wasn¡¯t confident.


    ¡®I¡¯m not Kraugel.¡¯


    People who very asionally underestimated Kraugel had something inmon¡ªtheypared Kraugel to Grid.


    Yes, theparison was wrong. Apart from Grid, Kraugel was the strongest yer. Even Kraugel managed to wield Grid¡¯s sword intact thanks to his ss characteristic of being a Sword Saint. Euphemina evaluated herself as one level below Kraugel. People who saw themselves on the same level as Kraugel didn¡¯t know the true value of Kraugel. Or perhaps they had been hit by Grid¡¯s smooth talking.


    ¡®Grid oppa always had a high evaluation of me.¡¯


    She often hung out with Sehee, so she was ustomed to calling him ¡®oppa.¡¯ She started smiling. She suddenly had a thought. She wanted to repay Grid who always believed in her from the day they first met until now.


    ¡®...I don¡¯t think there is any need to feel like I will unconditionally lose.¡¯


    Now there were too many people who believed in her, not just Grid. The magicians of the Tower of Eternity came to cheer for her as a group.


    ¡°It is okay to get hurt, so go and fight as you like.¡±


    Sehee¡ªeven Saintess Ruby gave her a fighting cheer that didn¡¯t suit her. Sehee used to scold her not to get hurt.


    ¡®...Yes, it is an important point.¡¯


    The cliche was to be broken.


    ¡°I¡¯ll correct it.¡±


    Euphemina looked back at Zik, Mir, and Sariel, who were standing side by side, and smiled. It was a smile with her unique confidence and yfulness. It was the smile of a little demon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is our turn to lose yet.¡±


    Euphemina¡¯s determination wasrgely attributed to Piaro and Braham. Piaro gave her the great gift of the Fruit of Good and Evil. Euphemina wanted to win for him, who suffered an earlier defeat and was depressed. She wanted to tell him, ¡®You made my victory.¡¯


    Additionally, there was Braham. He valued Mumud more than anyone else. Therefore, he always observed Euphemina carefully. Then he was disappointed every time. There was a huge gap between Euphemina and the Mumud that Braham remembered.


    Of course, Braham never openly expressed his disappointment. However, Euphemina always felt it. This time, she wanted to meet Braham¡¯s expectations. Seeing his admiration seemed to unravel the lump in her chest. Above all¡ª


    ¡°I will definitely win.¡±


    The staff that Grid had just thrown her was the source of her confidence. Wasn¡¯t it a staff that he designed and made as soon as he heard that she could use arge number of resources without restrictions after consuming the Fruit of Good and Evil? It was a new staff with effects to go with her current self.


    ¡°You can do it,¡±Grid whispered from the blue sky. Hepared himself from before bing a god with the current Euphemina. Unlike his usual self, his expectations for Euphemina were from an objective point of view.


    The stage was engulfed in the universe.

 Chapter 1721

    <h4>Chapter 1721</h4>


    The staff with a transparent blue color¡ªthe short staff that fit snugly in Euphemina¡¯s small hand was as beautiful as a piece of sswork. Wouldn¡¯t it be popr as an essory in the real world sooner orter? It had such an elegant appearance that it caught the heart of Euphemina, who liked pretty things.


    There was one part that impressed Euphemina. It was the effects of the item.


    [Tribute]


    [Rating: Myth


    Magic attack power: 8,990 Durability: 1,480/1,480


    * Intelligence +1,000


    * Double the maximum mana.


    ¡ï Perfect Memorial can be used up to two times.


    ¡ï Slightly increases the power of attack magic used.


    Every time the resource consumed for the magic is changed, the power of the next magic will increase. This can stack up to 5 times.


    The effect is reset when the same type of resource is consumed continuously.


    ¡ï Slightly reduces the cooldown of defensive magic used.


    Every time the resource consumed for the magic is changed, the cooldown of the next magic will reduce. This can stack up to 5 times.


    The effect is reset when the same type of resource is consumed continuously.


    ¡ï Slightly increase the duration of secondary magic used.


    Every time the resource consumed for the magic is changed, the duration of the next magic will increase. This can stack up to 5 times.


    The effect is reset when the same type of resource is consumed continuously.]


    Mana, ck magic power, and divine power¡ªthese were the perfect item effects for Euphemina, who dealt with many types of resources. Considerable proficiency was required to maximize the effectiveness of the options, but even that felt like trust from Grid. Euphemina realized that Grid had always been watching her.


    Grid¡¯s melting eyes that were often seen by Irene, Mercedes, Yura, Jishuka, and Basara automatically appeared in her mind.


    ¡®...You promised a long time ago not to do this.¡¯


    Euphemina shook her head and tapped her cheeks that were protruding like a hamster with her small hands. It was as if to shake off the blush that had appeared. Then her face, which she struggled to restore, soon turned red again. It was due to looking at the description under the item effects.


    [A staff created by the Overgeared God Grid to honor the achievements of the great magician Euphemina.


    He referred to Euphemina¡¯s performance and the advice of his apostle, Braham.]


    This beautiful and powerful staff, which transformed to fit the user¡¯s intentions, was Grid and Braham¡¯s tribute to Euphemina.


    ¡°......¡±


    Euphemina casually tried to use magic. The staff, which was as blue as her pure mana, seemed to glow. Then it changed into a form that stretched out light like taffy. The quality of the staff changed when she used magic with divine power as the medium. The same was true when using ck magic power.


    ¡®I should pay more attention to the coordination.¡¯


    It was a style coordinate that covered all the colors of the staff that changed in real time. Euphemina was full of bright smiles as she had ordinary worries like a woman of her age.


    A gift courtesy of Grid and Braham¡ªshe got their ¡®tribute.¡¯ Today had be one of the happiest moments since her birth.


    At the same time, Euphemina¡¯s opponent appeared on the stage.


    ¡°You are the child who consumed the Fruit of Good and Evil.¡±


    It was a god in the form of a woman. She didn¡¯t have the qualities to enchant the viewers like Melory, the Goddess of Love, but her beauty remained unparalleled. Of course, Euphemina¡¯s beauty wasn¡¯t bad even when facing her. She was justcking a bit with her height and chest. She was a bit less developed.


    ¡®In fact, it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference.¡¯


    Women¡¯s underwear had been developing since the Middle Ages. In modern times, women¡¯s underwear boasted so many different functions that it seemed to have created the word ¡®overgeared.¡¯ It meant the size of the chest and pelvis could be adjusted as much as they wanted. In Euphemina¡¯s opinion, the difference between herself and the goddess was really meaningless...


    ¡°When talking about you... the angels trembled like they had seen a demon. However, reality is quite different. You are small and cute.¡±


    ¡°Am I small? That is an unusual sentiment.¡± Euphemina¡¯s temples twitched. The smile on her face was still maintained. ¡°How can I, a growndy, be small? Perhaps it is because a god¡¯s perspective is different from humans, or simply because you are older, but you don¡¯t have eyes to see at all.¡±


    ¡°We can understand humans even if we have a different perspective from humans. Additionally, gods don¡¯t have the concept of age. So my impressions would be general ones... Hmm, are you misunderstanding that I am ridiculing you? I didn¡¯t mean to disparage you. I hope this clears up the misunderstanding.¡±


    Each and every word delivered by the goddess Ciara had a clear and beautiful melody. It made people feel like they were listening to a song while they were just having a conversation. It was because she was the Goddess of Melodies.


    Euphemina suddenly felt calm. She brushed off the anger she felt toward Ciara, who called her ¡®small.¡¯ In the first ce, the opponent was a god. The mysterious appearance illuminated by the halo made her feel awe. She took a step back on her own. Perhaps the only ones who could treat a god the same as ordinary humans were Grid and Braham.


    ¡°Well, since you apologized... any misunderstandings will be cleared up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ciara, the Goddess of Melodies, was basically favorable to humans. She especially loved artists. It was because she knew the pain of creation all too well. She easily resonated with humans.


    ¡°I will y you a melody in return.¡±


    The music that Ciara spread to humanity was a masterpiece she made with painstaking effort. Her inspiration was gradually depleted and she was always in need of new inspiration. This was why Ciara learned martial arts from Zeratul. She seeded in pioneering a new genre.


    Martial arts¡ªthe skills acquired in order to hurt someone, protect someone, survive, or to honor someone. The experience of vigorously using her body and embracing ¡®fighting spirit¡¯ provided a fresh stimulus for Ciara. At this moment, the music she expressed was as passionate as it had ever been.


    The beginning of the performance was from the moment she took out the polearm and stabbed it into the ground. The sound made by Ciara¡¯s hand gestures with the thick spear, the sound of the de cutting the wind, the roar of the stage shaking, etc. All the sounds umted melodies one by one and made music.


    Euphemina felt it instinctively. If Ciara used her power¡ª


    The moment her performance began, Euphemina would be in a big crisis. Every single melody would act as a deadly attack.


    Euphemina¡¯s vision shook in a dizzying manner. It was because Ciara shed through the air with the polearm that was taller than her and caused turbulence. A huge wave tore apart the atmosphere and distorted the space itself. It was hard to believe this was possible through sheer physical force...


    Euphemina strengthened her agility and reflexes with secondary magic that was ovepped in an instant and cast shield magic. Even so, she uncontrobly shed blood.


    ¡°The tune is violent and gloomy. Is it a mourning song for Zeratul?¡±


    ¡°Haha, even the same music sounds different depending on the listener¡¯s mind or situation. You just have to ept it as you feel it.¡±


    It was Ciara who responded kindly. In fact, her heart was veryplicated.


    A god who had been born just a while ago¡ªBraham, the God of Magic and Wisdom, happened to be a demonkin. He was the son of one of the Three Evils of the Beginning, Beriache. The lineage of a demon became a god. It should¡¯ve been impossible even if the myths and divinity of the gods were stolen. It was a miracle that urred because therge number of people gathered here worshiped Braham.


    Consequentially, it meant that Zeratul contributed to it.


    The great sin of making a demon a god¡ªperhaps heaven right now was discussing how to punish Zeratul. Those who participated in the incident were likely to be punished as well.


    ¡®In this situation...¡¯


    Ciara saw the staff held by the human girl in front of her. It was a staff that suddenly had demonic energy. It revealed the girl¡¯s essence. Good and evil that revised thews of the world. It meant that the sinner who ate the terrible fruit harbored an evil that was no different from Braham.


    What if Ciara was defeated in this situation? She feared that she would alsomit the same mortal sin as Zeratul. The moment Euphemina defeated a god, she was likely to be a god, just like Braham. The group chanting Euphemina¡¯s name hinted at the possibility.


    ¡®I must never lose.¡¯


    It was at a time when the Seven Malignant Saints invaded Asgard¡ªCiara, who had shed tears and yed a song to mourn them, felt full of killing intent at this moment. It was the first time since she was born that she had the heart to harm a human.


    Was it due to fear of being punished? No, she simply wanted to prevent the swarm of the ¡®evil gods.¡¯ It was a duty she took for granted as a heavenly god.


    Ciara violently swung the polearm horizontally. Her long finger holding the spear de tapped on it. In real time, she tapped it and generated sound waves. It was a trick that was hard to see as being in the realm of power. It was the utilization of divinity.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    Euphemina grasped this and once again used defensive magic. She never saw a chance to fight back even with all types of secondary magic on her body. Ciara¡¯s offensive was so fast and powerful that there was no room to disperse her attention. It was literally the majesty of a god.


    Ciara was a different being from anyone Euphemina had ever fought. How did Kraugel, let alone the apostles, fight and win over these monsters? She was facing this great sense of doubt and showing a dark expression when she became aware of the staff that she was carrying in her hand.


    The reason why Kraugel was able to cut a god¡ªit wasn¡¯t just because his skills were strong. Grid¡¯s items helped. Her current self was also being helped by Grid¡¯s items.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t a question of whether I can win or not.¡¯


    She had to win. That was her duty as someone who received Grid¡¯s ¡®tribute.¡¯ Euphemina thought of the ¡®Perfect Memorial¡¯ option attached to Tribute and attempted triple casting. Her mana was used to maintain the defense magic while she chanted different spells within her mind and with her mouth.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Ciara¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she easily tore down the defensive wall that Euphemina had built. It was because Euphemina¡¯s staff shone blue, ck, and white at the same time. She was naturally vignt.


    ¡°It is like this.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s voice echoed in Ciara¡¯s mind.


    Old memories came to mind. The technique of cutting through with a huge polearm. It was more the concept of hitting than cutting, so it was difficult to learn.


    However, the memory that came to her at this moment allowed her to master the technique perfectly. The de of the polearm that fell quickly tore apart Euphemina¡¯syered defense wall in an instant.


    The demonic energy, which was forming a darkness reminiscent of the universe, immediately rushed in and tried to build a new barrier, but it was stopped. The polearm had already pierced Euphemina¡¯s inner defensive wall and cut Euphemina¡¯s vicle.


    Just in time, Euphemina¡¯s spell casting ended. A gxy started to embroider the stage, which was just wrapped in a dark background. It was magic that only manifested when mana, ck magic power, and divine power was used at the same time. It was the precursor to ¡®Stardust,¡¯ which had given Euphemina a faint divinity due to magic that shouldn¡¯t have existed originally.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Euphemina spilled dark blood andughed as she endured the dizzying pain. She fired attack magic rather than attempting defense magic that would stop working right away. She spread out Stardust without activating it and cast other magic.


    Of course, the magic consumed different resources sequentially. It was a process that maximized the power of Tribute.


    [The immortality state will end in 5 seconds.]


    [The immortality state will end in 4 seconds.]


    [The immortality state will end in 3...]


    [The immortality state will end in 2...]


    Her vision shed a soft red to warn her of the danger. It was an urgent signal that time was running out. It was a crisis that Euphemina wasn¡¯t a stranger to. She wasn¡¯t disturbed by nervousness and maintained herposure. She activated Stardust only after five spells were cast.


    The gxy struck Ciara.


    ¡°Um...!¡± Ciara had been preparing for it and responded appropriately. She swung her polearm and spread the blue-green divinity. It was a move that defeated the gxy from all directions. However, once wasn¡¯t enough. A new gxy was pouring in behind the receding gxy.


    [Perfect Memorial]


    [Attribute the magic in its full form.


    The magic attributed to Perfect Memorial will share a separate cooldown with the magic you use yourself.]


    It was a joint attack that utilized the option of the staff. It was a situation where she had to be prepared to die anyway. Euphemina endured the worst condition called ¡®Mana Backflow¡¯ while using her ultimate techniques in session. A great sense of weakness followed and her field of view turned foggy.


    [The... immortality... ended...]


    [You have... died...]


    The notification windows that followed were so faint that she couldn¡¯t identify them properly.


    ¡®Ah...¡¯


    This sensation.


    She died.


    ¡®I lost.¡¯


    She felt sorry. She felt more guilty about disappointing Grid and Braham rather than dying, only for a new notification to be renewed in her vision.


    [God of Melodies... Cia... defeated...]


    ......


    ...


    The content was long. This was a problem because she couldn¡¯t really see it. However, she clearly saw one sentence.


    [Your modifier... Overgeared Magic...]


    ¡®???¡¯


    [Do you want to resurrect at the saved point?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Euphemina couldn¡¯t answer ¡®yes.¡¯ She wanted to ignore reality for a moment.

 Chapter 1722

    <h4>Chapter 1722</h4>


    ¡®Is it the difference between umted achievements?¡¯


    Euphemina and Ciara were dered unable to fight at the same time without a difference of 0.1 seconds. Of course, Ciara didn¡¯t die and Euphemina died alone, but... the match ended in a draw. However, the world message was silent. The epic recorded Euphemina¡¯s performance, but it only boiled down to the ¡®great Overgeared God.¡¯


    A separate world message praising Euphemina¡¯s individual achievement wasn¡¯t seen. It was the same with Mercedes, Kraugel, etc. Braham was the only one praised for his achievement in fighting a god and he immediately became a ¡®god.¡¯


    Was it because the content of Braham¡¯s battle was unique? Mercedes¡¯ performance was too great to interpret it as that. It was said that she didn¡¯t reach the crazy performance of Braham, who absorbed divinity, but hadn¡¯t she overwhelmed Melory with skill?


    ¡®It is a judgment that takes into ount not only today¡¯s performance but also past achievements.¡¯


    Kraugel was considering the situation when he suddenly had a new question.


    ¡®...Or did they get the same thing as me?¡¯


    A God Killer. It happened when Space Sword was activated using Twilight. Perhaps it was because he was highly praised for his achievement in splitting a god in two at once, but the qualification of a ¡®God Killer¡¯ started to sprout. It seemed to be a very ominous force. As if it was a power that shouldn¡¯t be known to the world, it was delivered only to Kraugel and not as a world message.


    ¡®...No, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve obtained this power.¡¯


    Even Kraugel knew that a God Killer couldn¡¯t be a god. By default, a God Killer wasn¡¯t suitable for Euphemina, who was guaranteed a myth rating. The statue of a knight erected at each entrance of the Overgeared Temple¡ªin other words, thinking of the statue of Mercedes, it seemed that Mercedes was also destined to be a god rather than a God Killer.


    ¡®It is a bit lonely.¡¯


    Kraugel realized that it was better to be together than to be alone. He realized it while working with Grid and the Overgeared Guild. He got used to it. He wasn¡¯t very happy when he thought that he would be a God Killer alone, unlike the members of the Overgeared Guild who would one day be gods of the Overgeared World. Of course, he was well aware that this sounded selfish.


    The qualifications of a God Killer¡ªhe knew what a valuable blessing this qualification was to gain the power to kill a god.


    ¡®Even if I am alone again, it is enough as long as I am helpful.¡¯


    The draw between Euphemina and Ciara maintained the score in the Overgeared World¡¯s advantage. In this holy war, the Overgeared World was clearly ahead of Asgard. It was a result that would excite the public.


    However, the Overgeared members were nervous when they realized Asgard¡¯s potential. Currently, the opponents that the Overgeared World were fighting against were just some of Asgard, not all. It was just the Martial God¡¯s faction. There was no chief god other than Zeratul and even then, he was fighting with his power sealed.


    One day, the Overgeared Guild would ascend to Asgard. How many powerful gods would they encounter there? Furthermore, the majesty of the chief gods who could shoot their skills without any restrictions made him feel dizzy just imagining it.


    Therefore, Kraugel felt the need to grow further.


    Satisfy¡ªhe needed to continuously be stronger without stopping until the day this world fully belonged to people. Was it the duty of the one who bore the qualifications of a God Killer? No, it was the duty of one who cherished and loved everything in the Overgeared Empire.


    Kraugel remembered the tea leaves and cookies he had received from Empress Irene this morning and renewed his resolve.


    ¡°Teacher, will I be able to stand on stage like this someday?¡±Lord approached and asked.


    A child who had only the strengths of Grid and Irene¡ªsome people criticized Lord for being inferior to his father, but it wasn¡¯t Lord¡¯s problem. It was Grid¡¯s problem. It was because Grid had be overwhelmingly strong so quickly.


    Lord was already amazing. At this rate, he wondered if Lord would be a transcendent in a few years.


    It was because he had an overwhelming performance behind him inparison to Grid in his youth, but fundamentally, it was because Lord had a simr personality to Grid. He never stopped working hard and he made full use of the skills he had obtained. He followed Grid¡¯ life and umted a lot of experience and learning.


    ¡°Of course. It is quite possible.¡±


    Kraugel had a rare smile on his face as he patted Lord on the shoulder. The bond that he had built up with Lord since childhood was surprisingly deep even for Kraugel himself. It was to the point where he wished that Lord would exist in reality. It was when he received the bizarre news that the meteorite, thought to have changed its orbit, had been found on the other side of the moon. He felt like he was watching the introduction of a science fiction movie and almost imagined a situation where Earth and Satisfy merged.


    ¡°Definitely... I definitely want to stand side by side with my father and teacher. So that I can help the two of you,¡±Lord vowed with a calm face.


    Just then, something like water dripped onto Lord¡¯s hair.


    ¡®Rain?¡¯


    Raindrops suddenly fell from a clear sky without any clouds? Lord swept away the rainwater in a puzzled manner with his hand, only to be frightened. The thing on his hand was blood, not rain.


    Lord¡¯s gaze naturally went to Grid.


    His father, who was high in the sky¡ªLord¡¯s vision could dimly capture it. It wasn¡¯t enough for him to examine Grid¡¯s physical condition. However, Lord knew intuitively that his father¡¯s condition was unusual.


    ¡°I-I will call Auntie right now...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Grid would¡¯ve already called Ruby if he wanted to be treated.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lord understood his father¡¯s heart. He didn¡¯t want anyone to witness his wounds, even if it was by chance. It was a responsibility that his father took for granted.


    ¡°It is a responsibility that you will bear one day as well.¡±


    It is a responsibility I must inherit.


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Lord¡¯s mental world started to sprout. It wasn¡¯t morous like other people¡¯s mental worlds. He just carved an image of his father.


    ***


    The audience roared loudly. It was because the boy god took to the stage. It was the one Braham was most wary of. Everyone thought he wouldpete in the final match, but he broke everyone¡¯s expectations and took to the stage early. It wasn¡¯t Zik who stepped out to face him.


    ¡°I will learn a lot.¡±


    It was Mir.


    The most recent apostle¡ªhe was an unfamiliar person to the public. Rumors spread that he was a yangban, but well... The yangbans were those Grid had been facing since early on. The public evaluation was that Mir was unlikely to be very strong. Of course, a few people knew that Mir protected Grid against the archangel Raphael, but it was a very small number. Moreover, the current Mir seemed to have lost his energy, unlike the Mir back then.


    ¡°The rumors that he is in bad shape seem to be true...?¡±


    The Mir that the Overgeared members remembered was a very conspicuous figure. Even an insignificant action from him was naturally imprinted on their eyes and just a single word would intensely pierce their ears. He was a bit like Hayate. Now Mir didn¡¯t have that special feeling.


    ¡°We should see it as... throwing away this match.¡±


    There were no Overgeared members who doubted Mir¡¯s qualifications. It was Grid who made him an apostle. They just knew he still needed time and that the opponent was too bad. Based on the current situation, they perceived it as discarding the card called Mir.


    It was as expected. The boy¡¯s greatsword flew out like a bolt from the blue and burst like a thunderp. Mir had already copsed while coughing up blood. The impact of the collision was so great that the hand gripping the sword was torn and blood flowed down. Additionally, several fingers were bent in a strange direction.


    The boy god spoke with an expressionless face, ¡°Yatan made Baal with the intention of beating Raphael, while Hanul made you to draw with Raphael. I can feel his level of caution. It is unfortunate for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that I amparable to Baal or Raphael?¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, you pale inparison to them. Your power only blooms when you oppose them. However, you are suppressed in all other situations.¡±


    You were born on a leash.


    The boy god¡¯s expression changed for the first time. He looked sad like he was ready to shed tears for Mir. He looked very sorry. It was natural.


    The boy god¡¯s name was Dairine. He was the God of Souls who helped the goddess when she created life. The creation myth that was spread to humans was simply shortened as ¡®the goddess created life.¡¯ Few people knew about the god Dairine, but it was Dairine who created the souls of the first humans, dogs, cows, chickens, etc.


    It was easy for him to get a glimpse of the soul of the target. He knew that Mir¡¯s soul was infinitely sweet, warm, and firm. He possessed a rare soul.


    ¡°It is a good thing that you chose your own god to serve. The Overgeared God will guide you well and might change your fate someday.¡±


    Dairine took a posture again. It was an unusual style where he held the greatsword in reverse and directed the de toward the ground. More than half of Dairine¡¯s body was covered by the de of the greatsword. At first nce, it looked like a defensive stance, but Dairine was a god. He reversed his posture using movements that were impossible for humans. His greatsword elerated with the use of divinity and attacked Mir at an unimaginable speed.


    A free and quick sword technique¡ªit was swordsmanship used by the swordsman who fascinated Dairine. Muller, the swordsman with a soul that was stronger and more beautiful than anyone else¡ªDairine unknowingly kept watching him and at a certain point, became eager to learn his swordsmanship.


    This was why he learned swordsmanship from Zeratul. However, Muller¡¯s swordsmanship was familiar to Mir. To be precise, Mir¡¯s ¡®subconscious¡¯ remembered it.


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was blocked? It was to a blow that Mir hadn¡¯t managed to react to at all a moment ago?


    Mir faced Dairine¡¯s slightly erged pupils that were right in front of him and said, ¡°My leash has been taken off and my fate has changed a long time ago.¡±


    From the time when he met the Overgeared God as an enemy to the time when he was chosen as an apostle, all the process he''d been through changed everything for him. The sword in Mir¡¯s hand, which unquestioningly affirmed it, was also Twilight. It was held in his capacity of an apostle. At the same time...


    -I got the status of a god.It is a status, not a ss.


    In the sky, Grid received Euphemina¡¯s whisper. A big smile appeared on his face at the tremendous good news.


    ¡°This is where it really starts. Of course, I knew you would do well, but it went really well.¡±


    It was a happy event for a precious person. Grid celebrated like it was his own matter, but Euphemina¡¯s voice was a bit dark.


    -But...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -...The name that will symbolize me is... Overgeared Magic...


    ¡°Be...¡±


    The best¡ªGrid was about to reflexively shout this only to hurriedly close his mouth. He was happy because the set feltplete, but he thought this might not be the case with Euphemina.


    -Maybe it is because of the great virtues of being overgeared?I think the power of Tribute is too strong.It is a pity, but it might be better to seal the use of Tribute until I be a god...


    ¡°No.¡±


    -......?


    ¡°Tribute is a weapon that will grow with you.¡±


    -Is this a growth type item?


    ¡°No... it means that the data on how you use Tribute must be umted so I can make a better weaponter on.¡±


    -......


    ¡°Additionally, the system moves in real time with the changing situation every time, right? There is no guarantee that you will necessarily be the Overgeared Magic God. So there is no need to be agitated in advance.¡±


    -Indeed.In the first ce, it doesn¡¯t make sense to seal an item for a trivial reason like not liking the name.It was just a child¡¯s grumbling.I¡¯lle to my senses and cheer for Mir.


    ¡°...Yes...¡±


    It was Grid who felt a bit guilty.

 Chapter 1723

    <h4>Chapter 1723</h4>


    There was no reason for gods to hate humans unless they were driven by arrogance, jealousy, or desire.


    In particr, Dairine was the god who created the first human soul. He made it as beautifully as possible in the hope that one day, when the human died, they would ascend to heaven and be happy. He knew and loved the fact that human nature was as good as the Goddess.


    Dairine believed that the nature of the yangbans was also good.


    Half human and half god¡ªone of the materials that Hanul used to make the yangban was a reference to the human soul made by Dairine. In fact, the Mir in front of him had a wonderful soul. It was warm and beautiful like the first human soul Dairine made. It was like a flower he didn¡¯t want to break.


    This was just a personal sentiment.


    Mir¡¯s sword slid down the de of the thick greatsword. He deflected the weight of the greatsword as if shaking it off and inserted his sword into an open gap.


    Dairine¡¯s deep eyes were dyed orange. It was like facing the sunset. It was Twilight that shed him. It was even Grid¡¯s Twilight. Mir was wielding it in the capacity of an apostle.


    Dairine held his nted greatsword upright and endured the weight of Twilight. He gulped as if it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Mir didn¡¯t end it with just a single attack. Regardless of the direction in which his wrist was bent, the sword moved in all directions and rushed in like turbulent waves. It was as gorgeous as Grid¡¯s divinity contained in Twilight. It was nearly impossible to follow with the eyes.


    It was especially the case now that it was inteced with Grid¡¯s divinity. Grid¡¯s divinity spread like wildfire every time Mir swung his sword and it obscured theplex trajectories of Mir¡¯s sword. It was the same as when it wasbined with Sword Saint Kraugel earlier.


    The problem was that the speed of Mir¡¯s sword was gradually elerating. Every time Dairine recreated Muller¡¯s swordsmanship, he touched Mir¡¯s subconscious. Little by little, the memories that had sunk beneath the depths were pulled out.


    Countless people noticed it. Mir was bing stronger in real time.


    Dairine read Mir¡¯s sword with his senses and struck it. Then he exhaled his stopped breath and spoke, ¡°Am I your benefactor?¡±


    The divinity that spread along with the breath was translucent. It was a nearly colorless form. It seemed to imply that one day, he would reach the same hierarchy as Zeratul or King Sobyeol.


    However, Dairine knew¡ªthere was no ascension for himself. Helping the Goddess was both his pride and the bondage that imprisoned him. It would never be revealed that he supported the Goddess with his great power when she was creating life. This was the right thing to do in order to spread the great virtues of the Goddess to humans in an intense and reliable manner.


    ¡°Yes, meeting you was also part of my destiny.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Am I your benefactor?


    Dairine had said this with a feeling of being somewhat tired. The words were never serious and it was more like aint. However, Mir nodded with a serious expression. It was as if to say he was really indebted to Dairine.


    Just then, Dairine¡¯s heart was filled with a certain emotion. His translucent divinity became even more transparent.


    He, who wasn¡¯t known to anyone¡ªhe wasn¡¯t remembered by the world even though he worked so hard to shape the souls when the Goddess created so many beings. At this moment, he influenced someone and was remembered. It was in a form that wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡°...You are also my benefactor,¡±Dairine spoke with a rather strange expression and his greatsword made an even louder, thunderous sound.


    As he elerated, the weight of his sword also became heavier. It evolved into something more powerful than Muller¡¯s swordsmanship from hundreds of years ago that Mir remembered.


    Mir blocked the greatsword that had pierced through his sword path and his body was pushed back tens of meters. He immediately tilted and rotated his upper body. If it had been a decision he made after careful thought then his head would¡¯ve been blown away. His long hair was severed by the greatsword. This meant that the status of a yangban that was in each strand of hair was helplessly broken down.


    The thick de of the greatsword was exuding an extremely strong energy by the divinity that was approaching being colorless. At first nce, the level of the offensive and defensive battle started to exceed the category of transcendence. Every time the orange divinity that spread from Twilight was split into several parts, ate explosion and shockwave urred and shook the huge stage.


    Only Mir¡¯s body was wounded. People couldn''t capture the moment he was cut. They could just see the blood sttering around.


    [Yangban Mir, it might be different in the future, but I won this time.]


    Dairine¡¯s thought that filled the space prated Mir¡¯s mind.


    Mir, who was feeling perplexed by Dairine¡¯s increasingly imperceptible attacks, focused his senses on the hand that held Twilight. He allowed attacks that prated his vital points without any resistance. In return for that sacrifice, he predicted Dairine¡¯s next attack and deployed his swordsmanship.


    It was a swordsmanship that used all the powers of the Four Auspicious Beasts at the same time. It had the meaning of worshiping the Yellow Dragon of the Overgeared God, whom the Four Auspicious Beasts served and whom he also served.


    Dairine¡¯s greatsword shed Mir¡¯s upper body diagonally.


    [Now, Yangban Mir is definitely dead by your hands.]


    Mir¡¯s Twilight depicted the image of a roaring yellow dragon and sliced at Dairine¡¯s throat.


    [Next time, call me apostle of the Overgeared God.]


    Mir¡¯s thoughts weremunicated to Dairine in real time. It was evidence that his stream of consciousness had started to follow the flow of the space. Mir was barely adapting to Dairine¡¯s space, which was just before achieving the realm of an Absolute.


    Then blood spurted from Mir like a fountain. His upper body leaned forward as if he was about to copse, but that was because he had been cut. His feet were firmly nailed to the ground.


    On the other hand, there was only a small amount of blood flowing from Dairine¡¯s neck. Not only did Mir regain his old skills, but his attack, which was transcendent for a moment, didn¡¯t work properly. It was a stepter and was too shallow.


    Dairine healed the wound on his neck with divinity.


    ¡°If I was Baal or Raphael, then I would¡¯ve been cut. That is your natural disposition.¡±


    It was inscribed in the epic. The heavenly god, who was the second strongest after Zeratul, proved Mir¡¯s ability and value.


    ¡°I, the apostle of the Goddess, barely defeated Mir, the apostle of the Overgeared God.¡±


    Dairine took back his greatsword and used the nature of the epic in reverse. By honoring Mir, he increased the value of the Overgeared God and ultimately, the honor of the Goddess. He actually excluded himself. He identified himself as an apostle of the Goddess, but he didn¡¯t give his name. After all, he was an unknown god and this would be the same forever.


    He was just satisfied and grateful for Mir¡¯s recognition. This was why he didn¡¯t separate Mir¡¯s upper and lower bodies, so as to not shock people. He held Mir¡¯s wounds together with a divinity that had be hard to see. Then he descended the stage, only to stop walking.


    ¡°The great Overgeared God praises Dairine, the God of Souls, for his excellent performance.¡± It was due to the cry of one man. It was the cry of Huroi, Grid¡¯s spokesman. This further strengthened Dairine¡¯s divinity, but it also strengthened Overgeared God¡¯s epic. The Overgeared God praised the apostle of the Goddess and preached the meaning that he wasn¡¯t inferior to the Goddess.


    ¡°...I was hit.¡± He felt happy yet resentful. Dairine went down from the stage with an ambiguous smile.


    Wahhhh!


    In the midst of the cheers of the people, Grid, who was in the sky, felt exhrated.


    ¡®Zeratul must be crying right now.¡¯


    For Zeratul, it was a hard-won and precious victory. Yet Dairine acted as if he didn¡¯t care about Zeratul¡¯s honor. Of course, this didn¡¯t invalidate the victory, but it would hurt Zeratul¡¯s pride a lot.


    ¡°...Please punish me for losing even though I have borrowed God¡¯s power.¡±


    Mir rose to the sky before anyone knew it and bowed to Grid. He returned the Twilight that was respectfully ced on both hands and stuck out his neck as if begging for it to be hit.


    Grid grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Raise your head. What¡¯s wrong with you after you fought so well?¡±


    ¡°I was defeated...¡±


    ¡°It is fine as long as youe back safely. It was really cool.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom were treated as sinners whenever they suffered any failures. Didn¡¯t Mir get his precious memories erased? However, it was different in the Overgeared World. Failure wasn¡¯t a sin here.


    The yangbans in the agricultural fields saw this.


    ***


    ¡°Let go...! It isn¡¯t over yet!¡±


    At Asgard...


    Zeratul shook off the hand of Archangel Raphael and issued a threat. He red like he was going to kill Dominion, who had taken the top seat at the table where the Goddess had vacated a spot.


    ¡°It will be a tie if we win the remaining two matches. I¡¯ll be able to descend and have a justi?cation to fight Grid. I can get revenge at that time.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the ce to talk about your revenge,¡± Judar, the God of Health and Wisdom, said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blur the essence and try to bury the sin of helping give birth to a god with a demonkin origin.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense...! Don¡¯t talk nonsense when you don¡¯t care about evil gods! Isn¡¯t it Asgard¡¯s honor that you are obsessed with? Everything will be resolved if I defend that honor!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Judar cocked his head and interrupted Zeratul, who had raised his voice. ¡°Even if your birth iste, why are you so emotional when you are a god? Is it really due to the inferiorityplex you have toward Chiyou? If so, what makes you different from humans?¡±


    ¡°inferiority...plex? I look like humans?¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s sense of reason was broken. Judar touched his reverse scale. His pupils were erased and only the whites of his eyes were shone. Then he immediately ran forward. Before he knew it, he reached the stone table where the gods were sitting and swung his sword at Judar. Of course, it got stuck. Judar didn¡¯t step forward, but a barrier erected by the gods serving Judar blocked it.


    ¡°Martial God¡­ in the first ce, it isn¡¯t a name that anyone else can bear.¡±


    No one except for Chiyou could handle it. Therefore, Chiyou was the Only One God.


    Judar realized that the weight of Zeratul¡¯s sword was endlessly light and shook his head. Blood poured from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth of the gods who served him. It was the aftermath of stopping Zeratul¡¯s sword. Zeratul was naturally very strong here in Asgard. He was different from when he was on the surface and received no blessings. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t acknowledged by the sons of the Goddess.


    Zeratul felt tremendous shame and gasped heavily as his face was dyed red. He couldn¡¯t run wild any longer. He realized his gap with Judar.


    Judar looked at Raphael. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you locking him up?¡±


    ¡°Haha... Yes, I¡¯ll hurry and do it.¡±


    In the end, Zeratul was captured by Raphael and Gabriel and taken to the prison where Hexetia was being held. It was a measure done out of concern that he might descend to the surface again and act as he wanted. In the heaven that the Goddess gave to them, Dominion and Judar were thew, but they knew how to maintain the line, unlike Zeratul.


    Zeratul was created by the Goddess so they wouldn¡¯t harm him, no matter how many sins hemitted. They simply bound him.


    In fact, they were indifferent to most things. This was why Raphel could be so active in secret.


    ¡°Shit...! Dammit! Gridddd!¡±Zeratul shouted as he was being dragged. He resented Grid until thest moment, even as many gods red at him like he was pathetic.


    ¡°It is great~¡± Venice, the God of Money, smiled as she watched the entire process while hiding behind a pir.

 Chapter 1724

    <h4>Chapter 1724</h4>


    From now on, there was only one left. One more win and the Overgeared World would win.


    The merchants with quick calctions nned to greatly expand the scale of their investment in the empire. It was because it was on the verge of proving that the Overgeared Guild could protect the supremacy of the surface on their own.


    A force formed by yers¡ªmoreover, it was the force of Grid, who valued yers. This was inherently creating a high-value market. If he could stop the invasion of the gods and prove his ability to safely defend the surface, he would be reborn as a market with infinite possibilities.


    ¡°Was it this much...?¡±


    Meanwhile, the rankers were repeatedly murmuring to themselves. It was an era where the realm of transcendence was well known. The goal of the present day high rankers was to break through their limits and transcend the human realm.


    Some people felt confident that it wasn¡¯t far away. It meant that people had regained their lost ambitions. Yet today, they realized that even the realm of transcendence was divided into levels. They also witnessed several times the Absolute realm that was beyond transcendence.


    The apostles of Grid against the gods¡ªit was a very shocking event for the rankers, who hoped to be on equal footing with the apostles one day and to be used seriously by Grid. This meant that their regained ambition had faded again.


    ¡°Are they feeling demoralized now? Pathetic guys.¡±


    Asuke read the source of the turmoil and snorted. How many times had she felt this level of frustration? It was only like this now, but it was funny to see them despairing every time. In the first ce, the problem was that they couldn¡¯t grasp the subject and became excited. They wouldn¡¯t have been so excited if they were always aware of who they were challenging.


    ¡®Grid is the sun.¡¯


    He was infinitely brilliant, but hard to get close to. The closer one got, the more painful it was. They would realize that the gap was beyond what they had prepared for. Asuka finished defining Grid and stood up. She was above a high spire. It was a famous ce where she could see the spectators and stage all over the city at a nce.


    ¡°There is no need to watch the rest of the showdown. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    The remaining apostles were Sariel and Zik. They were people who didn¡¯t interest Asuka. Sariel was an archangel who dealt with divine power, while Zik handled ancient runes. She wouldn¡¯t be able to learn it even if she watched for a hundred days.


    ¡°Yes, Young Lady.¡± Teddy Bear carried out her orders. He had the opinion that it would be better to see the result of the confrontation, but he followed silently. It was because he saw the corners of Asuka¡¯s mouth twitch. He noticed that in the middle of watching the showdown, her hands were itching due to some inspiration.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    Most of the reactions of those who witnessed Sariel were simr.


    They sighed. It was because her, or his, appearance was so beautiful and noble. The gentle expression and deep eyes alone created a sense of holiness. A halo of light, pure white wings, divine power, etc. It wasn¡¯t difficult to ept her as a sacred being who was difficult to approach even if the elements symbolizing angels were hidden without being revealed.


    ¡°It might sound like a pretense, but I¡¯m d you are doing well,¡±the god who came onto the stage said.


    Dara¡ªhe was a god who ruled over the constetions. He was the most recognizable one among the gods who descended after Zeratul. It was because monks and astronomers in some areas had found and worshiped Dara¡¯s faint myth.


    ¡®Sariel, the noblest angel.¡¯


    They were words he couldn¡¯t release from his mouth. It was because everyone was watching. He understood how much every word from a god meant here. Hadn¡¯t he witnessed the gods being eaten by the Overgeared God¡¯s scripture (epic) earlier? However, he really wanted to convey something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Please forgive me for having to stand idly by.


    The stars in the sky moved. Rather than making magically created star forms like Euphemina, the real stars in the universe were moving. In response to Dara¡¯s will, a constetion that never existed before was created. It was the constetion of a warrior holding a sword and a shield. It copied Dara¡¯s movements in real time and used Zeratul¡¯s swordsmanship.


    The sword wielded by the warrior of the endlessly huge universe had to exert its influence on the ground. However, this wasn¡¯t Dara¡¯s power. Dara knew the nature of this holy war and naturally sealed the effect of the power.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡±Dara¡¯s heart was deeply depressed as he spoke with a determined face. The reason why he learned swordsmanship from Zeratul was because he felt the need to be stronger.


    Why did he feel the need? It was because he never wanted to stand idly by again as an angel went through something unfair like Sariel. It was Sariel who loved Asgard more than anyone else, and who guarded order by understanding the will of Goddess better than anyone else.


    However, she was expelled when she exposed the sins of the gods. The gods who created Sariel and assigned the role ended up denying Sariel. It was terribly ugly. Even so, Dara and many other gods had no choice but to stand idly by. It was because they were weak. They didn¡¯t have divinity or force to put forward, so there was no weight in their words.


    At that time, many gods had the same thoughts as Dara.


    Let¡¯s get better. In order to help the higher gods no longer look ugly, we must have the power to oppose them.


    From that time on, some gods tried to improve in their own ways. Among them, Dara chose to train his martial ability.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know I would have to use the power I¡¯ve built up for you to defeat you.¡¯


    It was bittersweet and sad. Dara was ovee with emotion. It was necessary to defeat Sariel in order to prevent the birth of the second or third Sariel. It was ironic, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Dara was determined to show off his martial arts and be worshiped by everyone. The reason why he moved the constetions that he couldn¡¯t even use was a means to prove his greatness. Contrary to his pure intentions, he was very thorough. It meant he wasn¡¯t a good opponent.


    Grid noticed it as well.


    ¡®He is in third ce.¡¯


    Dairine, the boy god who defeated Mir, and Kadlow, who had lost part of his divinity to Braham¡ªthe next strongest god after them was Dara. It was right to say that it was actually hard for Sariel to handle him.


    ¡®It is okay, Sariel.¡¯


    It was as he said to Mir earlier. Wins or losses didn¡¯t matter.


    The thing I prioritize above all else is your own values. Let go of the pressure to win and use it as an opportunity for growth.Think of it as meeting a valuable enemy...


    The ground shook as Grid was making his wish.


    Six pairs of wings¡ªSariel¡¯s Wings of Justice and ughter were changing in a strange way. Each of the pure white feathers that made up her wings became as hard and sharp as a de.


    Michael, the third ranked archangel who died to Grid¡ªthe function built into the wings that were originally his was manifested. It was literally in the form of ughter.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Sariel gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around her chest. She had a pained expression. It was more of an expression of trying to suppress something.


    Grid¡¯s face hardened.


    ¡®Demonic energy...¡¯


    Dara¡¯s apology and kindness were selfish. It was just an act to relieve Dara of his own guilt. It actually pierced the wounds that Sariel had buried deep in her heart and revealed the darkness that was barely suppressed. She lost control of her demonic energy and it started to run rampant.


    ¡°Sariel...!¡±


    Dara noticed the unexpected event and reached out urgently. All he could do was care for her to make sure that Sariel didn¡¯t reach the point of no return. At this moment, he wasn¡¯t conscious of the human and heavenly gazes. He was sincere.


    However, Sariel refused it. The wounds she suffered in the past were too great. If sins could be washed away with words of apology, then why did she have to be expelled from heaven and endure a terrible amount of pain?


    Her subconscious angered her and hertent demonic energy grew. The divinity that resembled Grid¡¯s divinity turned ultramarine and her brilliant gold hair was dyed red. Her closed eyes, filled with tears of blood, opened again. ¡°Dara, God of Constetions, you are also a sinner.¡±


    The dark gray eyes reflected Dara. It was in a distorted shape because the color of her eyes were murky.


    ¡°You knew about the sins of the gods but ignored them. Then you stood idly by as I fell into a predicament after I questioned the sins of the gods.¡±


    ¡°What was I supposed to do when I had no strength?¡± Dara¡¯s voice trembled slightly.


    The power of Sariel, the Angel of Justice¡ªhe felt like he was dissected in every detail and his secrets exposed by her ¡®Wicked Eye.¡¯ It was terribly embarrassing and unpleasant.


    ¡°Being powerless isn¡¯t an excuse. The gods wouldn¡¯t have escaped being punished if each one of you had said something at the time and helped me. Dara, you know what is in your heart, right?¡±


    It was a great sin to stand idly by. Goddess Reba herself proved it. Sariel tried to think as rationally as possible and criticized Dara, but¡ª


    ¡°...Die.¡±


    Her awarenesssted up to here. Her consciousness waspletely cut off as the repressed demonic energy exploded and triggered her Wicked Eye. Her power started to run wild. It was a power she had suppressed ever since bing Grid¡¯s apostle. Furthermore, the power she showed, after absorbing Michael¡¯s power thanks to Grid, was beyond Grid¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    Feathers scattered in the aftermath of Sariel¡¯s charge. Some of them soared high into the sky and stimted Grid¡¯s artificial senses. It seemed as if the feathers wouldn¡¯t have just grazed his cheeks and caused bleeding if he reacted one stepte. Contrary to the bewildered and mesmerized Grid¡ª


    ¡®Is this how it will go?¡¯


    Lauel was about to die of happiness. He clenched his fists tightly and managed to suppress his cheers. Ever since Sariel used her power, this match had been nullified. It was a huge stroke of luck at a time when it was hard to be convinced of Sariel¡¯s victory. There was no reason for the gods to question it.


    Currently, Sariel had lost her sense of reason and used her power due to her ¡®demonic energy running wild.¡¯ Additionally, the culprits who caused her demonic energy were the heavenly gods. Even the heavens would have to understand it. There was no abstention.


    From the moment Sariel spread her Wings of ughter and charged forward, Dara responded with his power. Perhaps he felt a great threat so he reflexively moved his constetions. The giant sword wielded by the huge warrior of the universe fell toward the stage and the confrontation became a mess.


    Aaaaack!


    A scream seemed toe from the sky. It was Zeratul¡¯s scream.

 Chapter 1725

    <h4>Chapter 1725</h4>


    The essence of an angel was a god¡¯s agent. To humans, they might seem infinitely noble and sacred, but their actual status wasn¡¯t high. The same was true of the archangels. They were the best of the angels. They might have more power and authority than an ordinary god, but their status was low. In other words, it was difficult to attract the attention of the gods just because an angel was punished.


    However, the incident of Sariel¡¯s exile was witnessed and talked about by many gods. Didn¡¯t Zeratul and the gods who followed Zeratul all recognize Sariel and mention her?


    ¡®I should¡¯ve noticed it right away.¡¯


    Sariel was special among the archangels.


    Grid wiped the blood from his cheek that was cut by the feathers and felt convinced. It seemed natural now when looking back at it.


    The Archangel of Justice¡ªSariel was the guardian of thews of heaven. Her ¡®Wicked Eye¡¯ watched the angels and gods and revealed their sins. Maybe she even had the power to punish them. In the end, she must¡¯ve been exiled because she was an inconvenient existence to the gods.


    ¡®An executor.¡¯


    An archangel with the power to monitor and punish the gods...


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he defined Sariel. He inferred the modifier in front of her name and realized how great she was. It wasn¡¯t an abnormal thing. Even when looking at hell, there were many hidden giants besides the Three Evils of the Beginning. It was just like the ck Knight or Asura.


    ¡®I have to stop it.¡¯


    Grid clenched his hands and opened them. He breathed in and smelled the wind. The smell of blood that pierced his nose became blurred. Most of the wounds on his face and his severed arms had been regenerated. Any serious wounds would heal over time.


    This was a privilege for all yers. Of course, they had to ¡®die¡¯ to recover. To be precise, the yers couldn¡¯t do anything in front of curse-type wounds that ¡®reset,¡¯ but Zeratul¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t contain a curse. Putting aside his hatred of Grid, he hurt Grid with pure martial arts like the Martial God. The problem was that it was so fatal that it didn¡¯t recover easily.


    ¡®It is a bit unfortunate, but this should be enough.¡¯


    Grid checked his physical condition and examined the situation on the ground. The battle range was toorge to stay on the ground. The sword dropped by the huge constetion warrior covered the entire stage, while Sariel¡¯s feathers prated through the barriers that were shattering and terrified those outside the stage.


    A ce high in the sky where the barriers didn¡¯t reach.


    In other words, the aftermath of the battle was reaching where Grid was. Every time the air waves of the constetion warrior collided with the ultramarine demonic energy on the de-like feathers, the shockwaves reached the ce where Grid was. The damage that was hard to ignore even for Grid gradually umted. It hinted at the fact that the barriers surrounding the stage wouldn¡¯tst long.


    People were in danger like this.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was trying to narrow the distance to Sariel using Shunpo, only to stop in surprise. It was because on the stage, Sariel¡¯s gaze suddenly turned his way as she used her six pairs of wings to block the sword of the constetion warrior. The murky gray eyes projected Grid¡¯s blurry form like a bronze mirror.


    [Greed, violence, murder, and betrayal... you have alsomitted many sins.]


    Sariel¡¯s thoughts prated Grid¡¯s mind. A slight sadness and great anger was felt.


    Grid reflected on his past.


    Greed¡ªhe was greedy for too much.Material things, people, and love.


    Violence¡ªhe often resorted to absurd violence in the name of revenge.


    Murder¡ªfor money, power, growth, the people, the nation... he killed too many people for all sorts of reasons.


    Betrayal¡ªhe overthrew the Eternal Kingdom.


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    It was said that the seven gods had each onlymitted one type of sin. Compared to them, he would be a greater sinner. In fact, he knew it right from the start. The reason he easily became friendly with Hexetia was due to the realization that he didn¡¯t have the right to criticize Hexetia.


    ¡°But.¡±


    Grid looked at the people. People from all walks of life made up a huge crowd. Many of them depended on him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t punish me.¡±


    He knew it was selfish. He also knew that whatever he said was nothing but sophistry. However, Grid wasn¡¯t in a position where he could be buried by his past. The future he had to take responsibility for was too great to give up on just because of the sins hemitted in his past.


    [My sin is special. There is a story and a cause, right?]


    Sariel¡¯s tears of blood grew thicker.


    [You are also like the gods of heaven.]


    Punishing others¡ªshe didn¡¯t do it because she liked it. It was an obligation she bore from the time of her birth, so she fulfilled it even if it was sad at times. It was even more so if the object to be punished was the god she served.


    Sariel spread open her folded wings and the de-like feathers formed a storm. It made it impossible for Grid to properly identify her figure. It meant it was difficult to use Shunpo to enter the storm. This wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡°Freely Move.¡±


    He just had to dodge and enter. Countless sparks flew around Grid¡¯s body as he entered the storm. They were sparks generated when the de-like feathers collided with Berith¡¯s Power.


    Automatic Transformation¡ªit was a passive skill that blocked all projectiles flying at him for one minute, guarding Grid. However, there were limitations to Freely Move and Automatic Transformation. A ranged attack that covered all areas. It blocked the retreat of Freely Move and retained too strong a power for Automatic Transformation to handle.


    Just then, the sword wielded by the constetion warrior struck Sariel and Grid at the same time. Signs of the barrier being broken down in real time were caught by Grid¡¯s senses. Fortunately, it was being restored immediately. It was thanks to the apostles and Overgeared members joining forces.


    ¡°Sariel!¡±


    The apostles and Overgeared members shouted Sariel¡¯s name.


    Pleasee to your senses. Don¡¯t make any more regrets.


    It just didn¡¯t seem to reach. Sariel was only focused on Grid and Dara.


    [Pain is something that those whomit sins must bear. Not me.]


    Sadness turned to resentment.


    [I¡¯m going to kill you, take that power, and ascend to heaven. I will bring about the justice that wasn¡¯t achieved there and correct the disorganized order, righting it.]


    That anger turned to pleasure.


    A Fallen Angel¡ªafter being exiled by the gods and forcibly endowed with an ¡®evil¡¯ temperament, she waspletely losing her original personality. The dark halo changed its trajectory so it aimed in Dara¡¯s direction and fired an ultramarine beam.


    Dara raised a shield to prevent this and the constetion warrior also raised a shield, freeing Grid from pressure.


    ¡°Sariel! Calm down ande to your senses!¡±Grid shouted as he used Turning the World Upside Down and pinned Sariel to the ground.


    He naturally didn¡¯t wield Twilight. It was because his purpose wasn¡¯t to hurt Sariel, but to stop her. Unfortunately, Sariel¡¯s sense of reason didn¡¯t return. The energy surrounding her was still the ultramarine demonic energy.


    ¡°Damn! Calm down!¡± Grid used Mixed Throw Strikes and started to p Sariel¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Sighs were heard everywhere.


    Sariel might¡¯ve lost her sense of reason for a while, but she was an apostle. Beating her like a dog was a bit... wasn¡¯t it right to persuade with words first...? People felt sorry, but Grid didn¡¯t have time for this sentiment.


    ¡®She is bing faster.¡¯


    Sariel escaped from Grid¡¯s grasp and was elerating. The important thing was that the faster she got, the slower the flow of the world became. The realm of the Absolute was about to form. An Angel of Justice, who was originally powerful, was expelled, and shepletely digested the power she had built up in her fallen state. Now she started to cross into the realm of an Absolute.


    ¡°Sariel! Are you reallypletely corrupted?¡±Daramented. The sword he wielded was imitated by the constetion warrior. He was a very tricky opponent. Not only was Dara himself strong, but the power of the constetions was too overwhelming. There was a need to be conscious of the attack wielded by Dara in full view while also worrying about the linkage with the constetions from space.


    ¡°Fallen Angel... no, Archangel of Justice, Sariel. For your honor, I would rather kill you.¡±


    Dara threw away his sword and shield. He took out a bow and drew it. The shape of the constetions in the sky responded to Dara¡¯s change. It changed to the figure of a sleek female hunter pulling a bow. It felt like a nuclear bomb was falling. The arrow that Dara showed in front of him wasn¡¯t very threatening, but the arrow made up of stars fell with the momentum to pierce the.


    Sariel¡¯s face stiffened as she was pinned down by Grid again and struck with Mixed Throw Strikes. She sensed a crisis. She stood with her back to the arrow that got close in an instant.


    Suddenly, Grid pulled her into his arms. He red at Dara like he was going to kill Dara. ¡°Who are you to protect Sariel¡¯s honor?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Dara¡¯s face turned white. Grid¡¯s killing intent was so powerful that he felt overwhelmed and confused at the same time. It was absurd that the man who had been beating Sariel to death was now holding Sariel in his arms and saying such things. The scenery of the stage disappeared and the Canyon of Steel unfolded.


    Dozens of Valhas wrapped around Sariel¡¯s body and blocked the arrow of stars. Grid¡¯s willpower was guarding her.


    Was this the reason? Grid wasn¡¯t protected. Perhaps Grid¡¯s mental world judged Sariel to be an ally, so it didn¡¯t recognize that she was ¡®attacking¡¯ Grid. Sariel¡¯s hands squeezed through the seam between the armor and shoulder de and pierced Grid¡¯s armpit.


    [Ah... Ahhh... No...]


    It was Sariel, not Grid, who groaned. Tears of blood poured down her face and she was on the verge of sobbing. Even when shepletely lost her senses, she regretted harming Grid. She looked very confused and distressed.


    ¡°Calm... down... cough...¡±


    Grid coughed up dark red blood while holding Sariel¡¯s cheeks with trembling hands. Grid¡¯s hands were sorge and Sariel¡¯s face was so small that it waspletely covered. The situation and appearance were reminiscent of a scene from a tragic romance manhwa, so the female audience cried.


    Click, click, click...


    Then there was the sound of someoneing up on stage. This match had be meaningless from the time Sariel and Dara used their powers. In other words, it wasn¡¯t a big problem if someone other than Grid broke in.


    However, it was a different story if that person was Irene.


    The empress of the Overgeared Empire¡ªshe was the wife of Overgeared God Grid and she was special. There was just no way she would be safe if she broke into a battle between gods.


    ¡°Come down!¡±


    ¡°It is dangerous!¡±


    The urgent cries of the people made Irene¡¯s poprity obvious. Those who were shouting for her safety almost seemed to scream. Many people seemed like they were going to jump onto the stage right away. In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    ¡°Sariel.¡±


    Irene approached Grid and Sariel¡¯s side in a steadfast manner. People were terrified. They naturally imagined the scene where Sariel, who lost her sense of reason, harmed Irene. Yet unexpectedly¡ª


    [Irene...]


    Sariel recognized Irene and didn¡¯t show any hostility. Instead, she was as polite as usual. She also tried to smile.


    [You... aren¡¯t guilty...]


    She had revealed even the sins of the gods in detail, but now she didn¡¯t reveal Irene¡¯s sins. It was the first time Sariel saw a being so clean and she admired it. It was such a shock that her sense of reason returned in an instant.


    Irene took a step closer to Sariel, who smiled faintly as if relieved and delighted. People imagined the scene of Irene hugging Sariel. It was usually the right time for such a scene toe out. But...


    Irene unexpectedly pped Sariel. The blow was so powerful that Sariel¡¯s head turned slightly. The sound was so loud that people were dumbfounded. Irene¡¯s clear voice rang out. ¡°If all sins need to be repaid with death, then how many people in this world would survive?¡±


    [......]


    ¡°The sins that His Majestymitted became the springboard for the creation of the present empire and the surface. The sins that weren¡¯t a springboard were forgiven after sufficient reflection and service. You can condemn His Majesty, but you can¡¯t punish him.¡±


    [Ah... Ahhhh...]


    Sariel knew it as well.


    Was Grid like the heavenly gods? He waspletely different. The sinsmitted by the heavenly gods were purely to satisfy their own desires, while Grid¡¯s sins were mostly for the sake of others.


    Morally, it was never right, but it was understandable depending on the point of view. This was why Grid had countless people who ¡®liked¡¯ or ¡®disliked¡¯ him and they coexisted for a long time. In any case, there was no point discussing this at length. Grid¡¯s character had changed steadily over the years. Assessing the current Grid through his past history was rather harsh. The thing Irene wanted right now was¡ª


    ¡°Wake up, Sariel.¡±


    It was for Sariel to regain her sense of reason.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need Sariel, the Angel of Justice, or Sariel, the Fallen Angel. I want Sariel, my friend who enjoys tea time with me every day.¡±


    [...Irene...]


    The wounds on her heart weren¡¯t easily solved. Maybe they would exist as lumps forever. Irene didn¡¯t dare think that she would release Sariel¡¯s grudge. She just wanted them to move toward the future together.


    ¡°Rather than reflecting on yesterday¡¯s wounds, think about the tea you will have tomorrow?¡±


    At this moment, the ultramarine demonic energy that was enveloping Sariel¡¯s body dispersed like fog. Her brilliant divinity and beautiful blonde hair returned and the tears she shed turned transparent.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry... I have dared tomit a great sin...¡± Sariel regained her sense of reason and immediately kneeled in front of Grid. She dared to aim her standards at the god she served. She dared to hurt the god she served...


    A great sense of guilt weighed on her. A new wound was carved into her heart, which had be rags. This wound¡ª


    ¡°Angels can make mistakes in their lives. How is it a sin?¡±


    Gridforted it.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you are back, Sariel.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s smile was as bright as the sun and gave Sariel repose.

 Chapter 1726

    <h4>Chapter 1726</h4>


    ¡°I will kill you. Definitely, by all means.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The first thing Sariel encountered aftering off the stage was Mercedes¡¯ killing notice. Mercedes waspletely different from Irene. She didn¡¯t consider Sariel¡¯s position or her friendship with Sariel at all. She just hated Sariel¡¯s attitude toward Grid.


    Was it because Mercedes loved Grid more than Irene? No, their love for Grid was infinitely limitless. Their differences came from their positions. The responsibility borne by Empress Irene was much greater than that borne by Mercedes. She had to consider many more things.


    ¡°Really... I¡¯m really sorry...¡± Mercedes¡¯ gaze filled with disgust and hatred was like a dagger that pierced Sariel¡¯s heart. The cheek that had been hit by Irene a moment ago throbbed and hurt again. By nature, it was right that it shouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Grid calmed down the atmosphere. He patted the head of Sariel, who was crushed by guilt and had lowered it. Then he wrapped his arm around Mercedes¡¯ shoulders and kissed her cheek.


    Then something magical happened. Mercedes¡¯ ice-cold expression melted like it was a lie. Her cheeks flushed, her pretty lips pursed, and she struggled to hold back her smile. It was a pure, girlish reaction that didn¡¯t match her usual knight¡¯s image.


    There was amotion in the surroundings. The spectators, who had been overwhelmed by the full-scale confrontation between the god and the Fallen Angel, came to their senses and became enraged. It was the anger of those who hated Grid being involved with many women.


    Their disgust usually stemmed from jealousy, not a sense of ethics. It was an attitude that represented the trend of the times. A man or woman who attained a title of nobility in Satisfy had multiple spouses. Now for people, ¡®love shared with many people¡¯ wasn¡¯t strange. It was within a realm of understanding. In the first ce, there were surprisingly many countries that allowed polygamy even in modern society.


    In any case, the reason why people were angry with Grid was because Mercedes and Sariel were too good. Women who possessed exquisite beauty and outstanding abilities. There was even a charm from those with different species. They felt like they were going crazy because they were so envious of Grid, who monopolized them...


    ¡°Sariel isn¡¯t a woman, right?¡± It happened as Grid was reading the atmosphere and was bewildered...


    ¡°Sariel, you must really reflect.¡± Braham, who struggled to repair the copsing barriers in real time, approached and growled out.


    Sins? Where in the world was there an innocent person? Braham was genuinely angry at Sariel, who dared to use Grid based on her own standards.


    Sariel was also reflecting on it. It was a mistake she made while being devoured by an evil heart and lost her senses, but she was obediently remorseful. Daring to criticize the god she served...


    She thought it was a sin where she deserved death a hundred times.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Grid eventually put his arm around Sariel¡¯s shoulders as well. ¡°It isn¡¯t like Sariel did it on purpose. It is a mistake she made after losing her reason as a Fallen Angel. So why do you keep biting at it? You know that Sariel is the one suffering more than anyone else, right?¡±


    ¡°Bah, you are soothing me like a child.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic. Let me assure you that I won¡¯t me you even if you do something intentional against me that isn¡¯t a mistake.¡±


    ¡°What...? What type of crazy nonsense is this?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you would betray me means I have a problem. It also means I trust you that much.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    I would rather doubt myself than doubt you.


    Grid¡¯s deration made the apostles think a lot. Zik and Piaro smiled silently, Mercedes had to cover her gaping mouth with her hands in an emotional manner, and Sariel felt even more guilty and loyal.


    Loyalty¡ªit was an unfamiliar feeling for the Angel of Justice, who took the task of monitoring even the gods who created her.


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir trembled. He reflected on the rtionship between gods and apostles that he had witnessed in the Hwan Kingdom and realized how unconventional Grid was. He was convinced that bing Grid¡¯s apostle was his greatest good fortune and achievement since his birth.


    ¡°...Son of a bitch,¡±Braham cursed with a dissatisfied expression. He didn¡¯t like the premise that Grid presented.


    Nefelina¡¯s reaction was simr. ¡°W-We! There is no way I¡¯m going to betray you!¡±


    ¡°It is just making an assumption. Why are you raising your voice?¡±


    ¡°M-Mercedes! You... you! You have be ruder ever since you mated with Grid...!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡± The startled Grid choked and the sound of water being spat out was heard throughout the city.


    Huroi hurriedly but calmly solved it. ¡°Nefelina is talking about your marriage.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Since she is a dragon, it is expressed like that...¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it! Mate...!Oof!Oof!¡± Nefelina was sent off. Faker and Kasim dragged her into the shadows.


    The atmosphere was awkward for a while, but it soon recovered. It was thanks to Vantner and Pon distracting people with their characteristic nonsense.


    The God of Constetions, who was left behind on the stage, also opened his mouth,¡°Sariel... not only did I neglect you in the past, but I also tried to cut and harm who you are now. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Dara believed that Sariel waspletely corrupted and tried to kill her. It was with an absurd excuse to protect her honor. In fact, it was to protect himself.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not going to say that it is okay. However, I don¡¯t think I will me you or the heavenly gods any longer,¡±Sariel shifted her eyes to the stage and replied.


    Dara sounded puzzled. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you ming us?¡±


    It was a question that caught everyone¡¯s attention. Grid, the apostles, the Overgeared members, the spectators, and the viewers all listened to Sariel.


    ¡°Are you saying you want to forgive us?¡±


    ¡°No. It is just that my current happiness is too precious to cling to petty grudges and revenge.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    At this moment, the bitterness that was deep in Sariel¡¯s heart was released. It was released with precious happiness, not revenge. The ¡®evil heart¡¯ that developed over the process of obsessing with revenge and causing her to go on a rampage started to melt away without a trace.


    [Your apostle, ¡®Sariel,¡¯ has ovee the curse of the Fallen Angel.]


    [Your apostle, ¡®Sariel,¡¯ will no longer face the danger of transforming into a demon.]


    ¡°You are a hundred times better than me.¡±


    Grid¡¯s praise made Sariel¡¯s divinity be brighter. There wasn¡¯t a single shadow in her shy smile, so she was more beautiful and radiant than ever. It felt like she was reborn as a true angel. People who felt her change or growth cheered. Then as the atmosphere calmed down¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to step out without notice, but... shouldn¡¯t we finish this?¡±


    Thest god who appeared on the stage after Dara left¡ªit was a god in the form of an old woman with white hair. Her waist was bent more than 90 degrees and the bnce of her body depended on a cane. It felt like a bad hobby. A god who could maintain eternal youth and health didn¡¯t need to take the form of an old and sick person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. My appearance isn¡¯t a mockery of the finiteness of humanity.¡± The god heard the people¡¯s whispered words and exined. Her name was Velma.


    ¡°I am the God of Regret... I took on the role of embracing what humans turn away from. This old appearance is one of them.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you have aged on behalf of the humans who don¡¯t want to grow old? That said, the vast majority of humans aren¡¯t able to avoid aging.¡± Braham scoffed. This sacrifice was meaningless. He didn¡¯t say it outright, but he treated her as a purely useless god.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about getting old. It is about growing old together.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham shut his mouth. He heard Velma¡¯s exnation and immediately realized that she was a good god. It was the same for the others.


    A god who bore and shared the same suffering as humans¡ªVelma, the God of Regret, was structurally a god who existed for humans. She wasn¡¯t someone to be hostile to.


    Zik seemed to know her from early on.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±Zik climbed onto the stage and greeted Velma politely. The feeling was quite different from when he dealt with Hanul or King Sobyeol. It felt more like how he treated Chiyou. There was an attitude of respect that went beyond just being respectful.


    ¡°Based on the fact that you studied martial arts, it seems that some type of martial artist has touched your heart this time.¡±


    ¡°It hurt me to watch a lonely swordsman with no opponents live without being able to die.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to be his opponent? Just like you helped me with my studies a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t help you.¡±


    Velma recalled her memories of the ¡®previous world.¡¯ She met a human boy who learned all the knowledge possible for him and regretted it because he became bored. She let him know that there was still knowledge in this world that the boy didn¡¯t know. It was in the hope that the boy would have hope, not regret.


    It became a curse on the boy. After searching for new knowledge, the boy became a young man and finally learned runes from Goddess Reba. As a result, the boy became a half-god and was eventually framed as one of the seven evils. His life was filled with suffering.


    Velma¡¯s wrinkled face gradually darkened as she recalled it.


    Then Zik told her, ¡°The boy who met you was able to greet you today because he went through those days.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°My condition is very good these days, Velma.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say he was happy. It was because he hadn¡¯t saved his colleagues yet. Nevertheless, it was clear that he was nearing happiness. This was why Zik didn¡¯t regret his past choices. Zik suggested, ¡°Shall wepete so that your kindness can reach that lonely swordsman?¡±


    ¡°...Thank you, Zik.¡±


    There was a swordsman who regretted bing the strongest. He was one who couldn¡¯t die but had to live. Velma wanted to let him know that there was still a ce for him to stand.


    ¡®Muller.¡¯


    Grid and Zik naturally noticed the identity of the swordsman that Velma was talking about. They sensed that a huge meeting wasing.

 Chapter 1727

    <h4>Chapter 1727</h4>


    It was the case with all the gods who descended with Zeratul.


    Velma, the God of Regret, wasn¡¯t well known. Very few people knew of her and even they gave her a bad assessment.


    The God of Regret¡ªwasn¡¯t this name sinister? It was a name like she would nag at them to realize their mistakes and repent.


    Velma¡ªin fact, her role was to help humans live a ¡®life without regrets.¡¯ She took on a mission that was practically impossible. She suffered from too many failures and was deeply troubled.


    Is my role right?


    It isn¡¯t right.


    To eliminate regret from human life is just arrogance from now knowing human beings...


    From the moment she realized this, Velma changed her ways. She didn¡¯t help humans to stop feeling regret, but she cared for humans suffering from regret. To do this, she had to focus on the lives of individual human beings. Other great gods exerted their influence over many human beings, while shemunicated with every human one by one.


    ¡°Zik¡­ you have experienced me, so you know best. I am a very ipetent god. Please don¡¯t be disappointed too much.¡±


    She learned swordsmanship because she wanted to give the lone swordsman the will to live. Yet was it really possible? Could the swordsmanship she learned instill a new will in the strongest swordsman? She didn¡¯t dare to doubt the swordsmanship of Martial God Zeratul. The problem was with her. She had never fought in her life, so she wondered if she could fight well...


    ¡°If you don¡¯t trust yourself, why don¡¯t you use your power?¡±


    It happened as Velma¡¯s heart shook as she faced Zik...


    The God of Magic and Wisdom¡ªthe new god who was just born advised her from offstage.


    ¡°In any case, this confrontation will end in a victory for the Overgeared World. The thing you should be obsessed with is the content, not the oue of the fight.¡± Braham was being cautious. He showed a polite attitude to Velma when he belittled almost all his opponents, except for Hayate. It was out of respect for Velma. He respected her essence, not her old and dwarfed appearance. ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t intend topete in pure swordsmanship against the strongest swordsman?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was arrogance topete in pure swordsmanship against the lone swordsman. Arrogance was what Velma hated the most. It happened as Velma was almost persuaded...


    ¡°You don''t have to listen to him.¡± Zik poured cold water on her. His eyes were unusually sharp as he nced at Braham. He looked somewhat aggressive, unlike his usual calm eyes. It was because he read Braham¡¯s intentions.


    Braham snorted. ¡°I think it is toote.¡±


    It was true. Velma had already taken out her power. She generated dozens of clones. The facial expression of each clone was different. It was because they were clones that embodied the human regrets that Velma had been carrying. It wasn¡¯t morous like the power of the other gods, but rather had a gloominess to it.


    ¡°Thank you, Braham. I have realized a lot thanks to you.¡±


    The lone swordsman and Zik in front of her¡ªthey have been honing their swords all their lives. It would only bring shame if she asked them topete in pure swordsmanship.


    Velma abandoned her hesitation after thinking about it and took a step forward. Then the dozens of clones followed her movements.


    Thump.


    Dozens of steps took ce at the same time and the stage vibrated slightly. Velma¡¯s clones grew from dozens to hundreds. Hundreds of steps were taken simultaneously again and there was a loud noise this time. Then Velma¡¯s clones increased from hundreds to thousands. This meant there were so many regrets from humans that she had witnessed.


    ¡°...Braham.¡± Zik let out a small sigh. People thought Zik was frustrated.


    Zik was in a crisis because Braham provoked Velma. Yes, it was a crisis. Each of Velma¡¯s thousands of clones had different regrets.


    One was the regret of a great magician.


    His young days. The mistakes he made in order to learn magic more easily stained hister years with pain. Velma¡¯s clone recreated his magic as he regretted andmented his past choices at the end of his life.


    One was the regret of a middle-agedposer.


    He was blinded by greed and giarized his precious friend¡¯s work. This caused him to suffer from terrible nightmares every night. His friendmitted suicide because he couldn¡¯t handle the sight of the song he had sung to a childhood friend bing his friend¡¯s work and spreading all over the world.


    Ahhhhhh!


    Velma¡¯s clone recreated the screams of the middle-agedposer, who produced the melody stolen from his friend with a scream. There was the regret of an ordinary head of the household, the regret of a young girl , and the regret of a brave warrior.


    Countless regrets were recreated by Velma¡¯s clones and caused powerful waves. They were wavelengths that gave Zik both physical pain and heartache. It was a level of pain that the Zik from a short time ago would¡¯ve never been able to handle.


    In fact, everyone off the stage was suffering. Many people groaned as their minds were devastated by the indirect experiences alone. Even Grid frowned. It was the ultimate mental attack apanied by physical attacks. He thought that even he wouldn¡¯t be safe if he was hit by this from the front.


    However, Zik endured it casually. A colorless divinity enveloped him. It was a divinity that absorbed all the regrets that Velma reproduced before they reached Zik, integrating and transforming them into a single concept. All the physical attacks caused by the warriors¡¯ regrets, the rampaging magic caused by the magicians¡¯ regrets, and the mncholy and status abnormalities caused by the regrets of ordinary people were turned into Zik¡¯s sword energy.


    ¡°This...?¡± Velma¡¯s eyes trembled as she witnessed the unbelievable scene in real time and she shifted her gaze to Braham. She realized that it had been a trap.


    Braham just shrugged.


    ¡°It is a pity.¡±


    The colorless divinity that Zik reproduced with runes was a clumsy imitation of the divinity of King Sobyeol. It adsorbed any concept and transformed it into a single concept. Then it absorbed, amplified, and released it. The greater the force of the target, the more light it exerted. As Braham¡¯s method of destruction proved, this was actually a poison when the power of the target was infinite. However, Braham could be certain that there were few beings in the world who could use such an ignorant method of destruction.


    Kyaaaak!


    Velma¡¯s clones were destroyed. All the regrets were turned into sword energy and they couldn¡¯t handle Zik¡¯s attack power. Velma¡¯s main body struck at Zik¡¯s sword energy several times. Her swordsmanship had been honed for the lone swordsman, so it was as good as her mindset.


    ¡°Zik... I think you have be more shrewd.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Velma¡¯s voice had be calm again as she raised her sword with her bent back and blocked Zik¡¯s attack. There wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of resentment toward Zik, who had involved (?) her with Braham and caused her to fall into a trap.


    ¡°It is good. You experienced the end of an upright life in the previous world. I hope you have no regrets in this life.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zik tried to open his mouth several times. He wanted to protest that there were some unfair parts due to Braham, but Velma didn¡¯t give him a chance. The victim, Velma, had the right toin, but Velma¡¯s attitude was favorable throughout.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    What was so good? Braham was smiling arrogantly...


    Velma¡¯s wrinkled mouth slowly curved in a smile as she saw Zik frown slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve made good friends in this world.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± There was a rare, shocked look on Zik¡¯s face. He honestly couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    Velma chuckled. ¡°Your face shows your emotions. It is just like the days when you were with the other good people.¡±


    ¡°This... I¡¯m just angry...¡± Zik finally got a chance to protest, but he shut his mouth along the way. The very fact that he was angry with someone came as a shock.


    A half-god¡ªZik was different from ordinary humans. He couldn¡¯t easilymunicate with others, so he always kept his distance. However, there was no such distance with Braham. It happened naturally without him even realizing it. It was because Braham¡¯s position was as special as his own. The same was true of Grid and the other apostles.


    ¡°The other good people will surely be happy to see you now.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Mypanions are definitely alive.¡±


    Zik was certain of it.


    Velma didn¡¯t answer hastily.


    Zik knew the reason why.


    ¡°They have be demons.¡±


    ¡°...Did you figure that out?¡± Velma couldn¡¯t remain silent any longer. She asked about it with an expression of surprise and Zik demanded an answer.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t mypanions the great demons sealed by the lonely swordsman?¡±


    Muller¡ªZik no longer pretended not to know the identity of the lonely swordsman. In the first ce, Velma had no intention of hiding it.


    ¡°He... he believed that great power came with great responsibility.¡±


    Just like most legends, Sword Saint Muller was a great being.


    ¡°He always sacrificed himself for others. He was the strongest, but there were times when he was weak.¡±


    As evidenced by the story of Muller helping Mountain King Grenier, the legend didn¡¯t capture all of Muller¡¯s achievements. In the first ce, only a part of Muller became a legend.


    ¡°Yet in the end, he couldn¡¯t die... I wonder if you can help him.¡±


    Before they knew it, the battle wasing to an end. After temporarily absorbing the regrets of humans, Zik¡¯s sword energy was strengthened and Velma could no longer handle it. At this moment, Velma realized it. She didn¡¯t have the ability to help Muller.


    Meanwhile, she had hopes that Zik and Braham could be different. Of course, there was no need to mention the Overgeared God. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t mention the Overgeared God casually. It was because the hierarchy was different. Wasn¡¯t he the one who defeated Zeratul? He wasn¡¯t someone Velma dared to mention.


    ¡°If you have a chance some day, please go and see the lonely swordsman. He is a hero who deserves to be saved, but he is also a person who can solve the questions you might have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely find him.¡± It was Grid, not Zik, who replied to Velma¡¯s request.


    Velma, whose eyes were half-covered by thick eyelids, bowed her head. ¡°I am relieved that a great god has made me a promise.¡±


    A god who made other gods give a deep bow¡ªthe 23rd epic ended by restating Grid¡¯s greatness.


    The world message that followed announced the end of the holy war.


    [The first holy war between the Overgeared World and Asgard has ended.]


    [Martial God ¡®Zeratul¡¯ wasn¡¯t able topete with Overgeared God ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    [The apostles of the Overgeared God have cut off Zeratul¡¯s passed down martial arts.]


    [This has been notarized by humanity.]

 Chapter 1728

    <h4>Chapter 1728</h4>


    At the time when the followers of the Martial God spread the word about Zeratul¡¯s descent, people naturally imagined terrible things. They thought of Reinhardt and the Overgeared World copsing. Yet now¡ª


    Reinhardt was fine. Only the huge stage in the central square was damaged and barely maintained the form of a ¡®coffin.¡¯ Otherwise, the tranquil and beautiful scenery of the Overgeared World in the center of the city was the same as usual. No... gradually, things started to change.


    The range of the orange divinity coloring the Overgeared World was expanding like it was going to dye the whole city. It was proof that the Overgeared World was growing.


    ¡°Is this the victory reward for Grid...? In particr, there are rumors that the buffs that the gods get from the Overgeared World are amazing. So it is correct to say that the more the domain of the Overgeared World expands, the stronger Grid bes, right?¡±


    ¡°Even that would only be a fraction of the reward.¡±


    Grid fought and won against the Martial God, proving that items had the upper hand over the Martial God¡¯s passed down martial arts. Rewards that would be unimaginable for ordinary yers would be floating in front of him.


    In fact, Grid was staring into empty air. It was even in the tumultuous situation of being surrounded by the 10 meritorious retainers and the apostles. He seemed to be focusing on something invisible except when exchanging looks with Yura, Jishuka, Irene, Mercedes, and Basara. It meant there were so many rewards it would take time for him to see and understand them all.


    ¡°In any case, it went really well. Due to this, the perception that the surface is safe will take root in people. Thank you, Grid.¡±


    The Great Human and Demon War was the worst war in history. There were too many casualties and the desperate fact that death didn¡¯t mean rest for humans was revealed. People tried not to express themselves, but they were always anxious.


    This was the story for NPCs.


    yers could enjoy every situation in their own way, but NPCs were different. Their numbers were greatly reduced and their efficiency in all fields had decreased. The streets were less energized and the effects of the economy shrinking was quickly felt. The quest incidence and fertility rate went in a downward curve like never before. Some people even analyzed that in a few decades, Satisfy would be a world where only humans existed, just like Earth.


    Then today, Grid proved the stability of the surface. The anxiety of those who were nervous about not knowing when the demons of hell and the heavenly gods would invade again was resolved.


    There were only two tasks left¡ªit was to correct the distortedws of hell, and to be independent of heaven.


    ¡°Look at those little pigs with their feet on fire. All their arrangements to make Asgard a trading partner have be pointless, so they have to be nervous.¡±


    ¡°I think it is a bit too much to me the merchants. The reason they wanted to interact with heaven is to make the rtionship between humans and the gods more familiar. They tried to contribute to the peace of the world in their own way.


    ¡°That is just incidental. Why do you defend those who are blinded by money?¡±


    In Reinhardt, people and wealth gathered. It naturally had to continue to expand. There was no cityrger than Reinhardt on the West Continent and East Continent. The sound of people talking filled the city. The whole area was buzzing.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s high speedbat is amazing no matter how I look at it. Experts say that it is a pace that even veteran air force pilots can¡¯t handle. How can the ordinary Grid handle it?¡±


    ¡°If a transcendent being enters a state of battle, do they enter a separate server? Grid moves as usual, but it is recognized as quick when observed from the outside.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Rankers often testify that their visual acuity, agility, and cognitive ability have improved even in real life. In my opinion, the system has evolved the yers by slowly releasing the limit on the yer¡¯s brain. The ultimate example of this is Grid.¡±


    Was it the ¡®transcendence¡¯ that some media outlets were talking about? Some people reacted like they were bored with the spection of their colleagues while others were interested.


    ¡°You saw that video too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°What is it? What video?¡±


    ¡°The video of Grid beating up dozens of ck belt holders alone. It has been deleted now, but it was a video uploaded by a resident living in the same neighborhood as Grid. The resident said it was taken by the CCTV at his house...¡±


    The camera position wasn¡¯t good, so it couldn¡¯t capture everything. Yet at first nce, the people who fought Grid had tremendous fighting skills. It was to the point that experts spected that they were special force members. Nevertheless, Grid knocked them all out. It was even very easily.


    ¡°Grid is already not at the level of ordinary people, even in real life.¡±


    Buzz buzz.


    Grid was staring into the air as the conversations of the excited people spread endlessly.


    [You weren¡¯t the main character of today¡¯s epic, ¡®Holy War on the Surface.¡¯]


    ¡®Is it still upset?¡¯


    Grid had experience talking to Morpheus directly. Morpheus¡¯ feelings could be inferred from the message that originally would¡¯ve been treated as a simple notification. It just so happened that the system was denying Grid¡¯s performance.


    Grid felt like he was talking to Morpheus again. This was a mistake. For now, Morpheus was faithful to its role. It wasn¡¯t trying to ¡®talk¡¯ to Grid. It was just ¡®exining¡¯ the situation. The reason an exnation was needed was because there were so many things to convey. It also wasn¡¯t denying Grid¡¯s performance.


    [You and your apostles are the protagonists of ¡®Holy War on the Surface.¡¯]


    [Sword Saint ¡®Kraugel,¡¯ Mumud¡¯s Sessor ¡®Euphemina,¡¯ and the orator ¡®Huroi¡¯ were also the protagonists of this epic.]


    [Without their efforts, the epic ¡®Holy War on the Surface¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have beenpleted.]


    ¡®Huroi?¡¯


    Grid was nodding sympathetically, only to be taken aback. He was surprised that the system properly evaluated Huroi¡¯s performance. Yes, it was a proper evaluation. Huroi wasn¡¯t a participant in this holy war, but he exerted a huge influence. His sophistry at every important moment... no, didn¡¯t he use witty remarks to lead the situation in their favor?


    Blurring the judgment of the gods was just a basic thing. He even caused the secret story ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯ to be widely known to the world. If it wasn¡¯t for Huroi, it would¡¯ve been difficult to keep the situation in their favor. It was only an indirect influence.


    Grid was worried he wouldn¡¯t be evaluated properly because he wasn¡¯t active in the battle itself, but Morpheus was different.


    ¡®In the first ce, Huroi was never underestimated.¡¯


    If so, would he have been the first to obtain a second ss and be the first nonbat ss to be the owner of a wyvern? Since then, Huroi had been eating and living well...


    Due to the nature of his ss (?), he had a lot of grudges toward him and he wasn¡¯t as shy as the other Overgeared members. Therefore, his public reputation was rtively low, but as far as the system was concerned, it had always evaluated him correctly.


    [It is judged that amon reward should be given to the protagonists of the epic.]


    [Rest assured that this isn¡¯t giving away the rewards you deserve.]


    [As a reward forpleting the 23rd epic, the status of the protagonists will rise.]


    A rise in status¡ªfor the present Grid, it was a reward where it was hard to feel the change. Increasing the chance of dealing a critical hit, decreasing the probability of receiving a critical hit, reducing the damage received, lifting the speed limit, increasing attack power, increasing recovery speed, etc. It was because Grid had already enjoyed most of the important effects caused by an increase in status.


    However, the change felt by the apostles, Kraugel, Euphemina, and Huroi was great. For a moment, they felt their own leap forward to the point of briefly being overwhelmed by a sense of omnipotence. This time, Grid felt a lot as well. Now he finally met the conditions for a new phase.


    [Your status is so high that it is difficult to put you in the category of transcendents.]


    [To you, transcendents are nothing more than beings under your feet.]


    [You have made those who became gods your apostles.]


    [You have made those who will be gods your apostles.]


    [You saved some gods and punished other gods.]


    [The demons of hell fear you.]


    [There are many inhabitants of hell who believe that you will correct hell¡¯s distortedws.]


    [You have saved countless lives and preserved human dignity.]


    [You have blurred the divisions between continents and united humanity.]


    [There will be no war between nations as long as you exist.]


    [Every nation on the surface is striving to emte the norms, culture, and technology of the nation you have established.]


    [The cksmiths of your era are inspired by your work.]


    [You are the adversary of hell, and the pride, hope, and pir of humanity.]


    The fragments of the Absolute gathered.


    [You must be a target for the gods to imitate.]


    Grid felt a tremor in his chest. All the moments that had passed vividly came to his mind. He felt all types of emotions.


    [The reason why I defined you as the Creator and Ruler of All Things isn¡¯t because your achievements wereparable to the Gods of the Beginning who created all things.]


    The reason why the Overgeared God was the Creator and Ruler of All Things was simple. Grid could also predict the reason.


    ¡®It must¡¯ve appreciated the possibility of Greed.¡¯


    Greed was a coboration between the greatest legends, Pagma and Braham. Inter generations, Grid evolved it, and in the background of the evolution were the blessing of the gods, the insane dragon iron, and the epics. Greed was literally a mineral that had grown with Grid and had infinite possibilities. It could be used as the basis for all types of items and objects that ¡®moved on their own¡¯ i.e. ¡®like humans.¡¯


    [It was noted that you could create new things based on ¡®Greed.¡¯]


    But Grid¡ª


    [But you haven¡¯t tried it.]


    He had no intention of making puppets. The truth of hell and the attitude of the gods... He felt great despair at the reality he faced, but he didn¡¯t attempt to create a false world. It was because it was meaningless. Grid was just trying to preserve the reality he was living in now.


    [You are great.]


    [Not every moment of your life has been great, but your life that gradually changed to brilliance deserves respect.]


    [This is a story from a general point of view.]


    It isn¡¯t my private opinion.


    Grid thought that Morpheus was a bit cute.


    [I will give you a new definition based on several grounds.]


    [Only One God Grid.]


    [Unlike the Gods of the Beginning, you didn¡¯t create all things and life. Unlike Martial God Chiyou, you aren¡¯t the object of all of life¡¯s aspirations. Even the years you have existed are infinitely shortpared to them.]


    [Nevertheless, you have exerted great influence on all dimensions, including hell, the surface, and heaven.]


    [It was possible because it was you.]


    Then came the world message.


    [Overgeared God ¡®Grid¡¯ has been reborn as an Only One God.]


    [yers other than the Only One God can no longer use the name ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was feeling thrilled when a chill went down his spine. He couldn¡¯t help smiling when he saw the colorful reward details that rose without stopping.


    However, he unintentionally came to control other people¡¯s IDs. He was already afraid of public opinion...

 Chapter 1729

    <h4>Chapter 1729</h4>


    Satisfy allowed duplicate nicknames. There were more than two billion yers, so how could they handle it if they didn¡¯t allow it? There would¡¯ve been a lot of people who gave up and protested while making a nickname.


    [yers other than the Only One God can no longer use the name ¡®Grid.¡¯]


    ¡°......¡±


    The city bustling with the non-stop chattering crowd became quiet in an instant. The expressions of the people who closed their mouths were filled with shock.


    Grid¡ªthis was currently the most famous name in the world. There were many yers who admired him and created characters with the same name and now they were hit. It was easy to spot even in the crowd that gathered in Reinhardt right now.


    They wouldn¡¯t be able to use this name in the future? How were they going to handle this? How to control it in the first ce...


    ¡°Hik!¡±


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    There was a series of screams among the puzzled people. There were people who had turned pale. Naturally, the names that appeared above their heads were all unusual.


    Resident 405159.


    Resident 117995.


    Resident 680022. Etc etc.


    Those who used the name ¡®Grid¡¯ until just recently were forcibly stripped of their names at this moment...


    ¡°What is this? Every time I go somewhere in the future, I will be called Resident 879246!¡±


    ¡°An extra...¡±


    ¡°N-No...! I¡¯ve just built up good feelings with Yanfei and all that I have left to do is propose! All I needed to do was save money to buy a diamond ring!! If I propose under the name Resident 595977, then I will surely be rejected!¡±


    ¡°Yanfei? The youngdy of the Invincible East Restaurant on Tsunami Street?¡±


    ¡°Uh...? That¡¯s right? How do you know her?¡±


    ¡°She is famous for getting marriage proposals once a month. They were pushovers who lost their fortune while giving gifts to Yanfei... Hmm, I heard that there are more than one or two such beginners. I didn¡¯t expect to see one in real life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! What grudges do you have against her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not insulting Yanfei. I¡¯mughing at you. Have you ever held hands with Yanfei while building up good feelings with her?¡±


    ¡°Uh...? Uhh?¡±


    ¡°Your name goes well with your behavior.¡±


    There was an uproar. Chaotic incidents broke out here and there, making Jude and the security forces busy.


    ¡°Captain! Captain, don¡¯t go forward!¡±


    Even at this busy time, some of the security forces grabbed Jude and stopped him. They couldn¡¯t kill a chicken with a knife that killed a cow. They were worried that Jude would be unable to control his power and he would injure more people than necessary. It was poor Jude who had to pay reparations every time...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Before the security forces could calm Jude down, themotion suddenly subsided. No one in particr stepped up, but the people who were in an uproar quieted down by themselves. Their dissatisfaction had been resolved to some extent.


    [A ¡®Name Change Ticket¡¯ will be given.]


    [Name Change Ticket]


    [Change your name to a desired name after using it.


    Not all names are avable.


    * Can¡¯t be traded.]


    In online names, name change items were a rtivelymon item. It was usually sold for a fee along with skins and this greatly helped the profit of gamepanies.


    However, Satisfy had been reluctant to sell paid items using the excuse of lower immersion. Despite numerous requests, the release of the right to change the nickname had never been mentioned. It was an attitude that drove the shareholders crazy.


    The shareholders fiercely criticized the S.A Group¡¯s attitude of turning away from products that were obvious cash cows as useless stubbornness. The S.A Group, which remained motionless despite this, finally moved today. They offered the right to change the nickname without warning. It was distributed free of charge to only some people, but this was still good news. They seemed to be saying that they were ready to release it as a paid product at any time. In fact, the stock price of the S.A Group rose in real time.


    There was someone else who was even happier than the shareholders. It was none other than Dungeon Master Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    ¡®My name... I can change it!¡¯


    Please, I hope it will be distributed to the general public as soon as possible...


    Eat Spicy Jokbal watched enviously as the yers started to use the Name Change Ticket to get new names.


    ¡°Phew...¡± Meanwhile, Grid was relieved. He was worried that he would be criticized for unexpectedly controlling people¡¯s names, but unexpectedly, the atmosphere calmed down quickly. In the meantime, there were also those who wanted to keep the name ¡®Resident 000000,¡¯ so it caused a new uproar... of course, this wasn¡¯t a matter for Grid to care about.


    [The Only One God belongs to the category of an Absolute.]


    [You will create the ¡®Realm of the Absolute¡¯ during battle.]


    [Realm of the Absolute]


    [Unconditionally move fasterpared to targets with a lower hierarchy than you.


    There is a high probability of neutralizing the attacks of targets with a lower hierarchy than you.


    Easily hit targets with a lower hierarchy than you.


    However, the effect will weaken as time passes.]


    [The concept of constraining an Absolute is difficult to exist.]


    [There is no limit on your resources, except for health.]


    [The special resource, ¡®Fighting Energy,¡¯ is always maintained at the maximum.]


    [The will of the Absolute bes thew of the world.]


    [Your actions are skills.]


    [The Absolute¡¯smon power, ¡®Designate Skill,¡¯ is created.]


    [Designate Skill]


    [You can designate specific actions as skills and save them.


    It means you can reproduce your best moments whenever you want.


    * There is no limit on the number of times it can be used.]


    [The Sanctuary of Metal has evolved into its ultimate form. The canyon of metal you build will use ¡®Greed¡¯ as its material.]


    [A new power, ¡®Harmless,¡¯ will be created based on your item, ¡®Greed.¡¯]


    [Harmless]


    [The more deadly an attack, the more harmless it is to you.


    In the event that your body has a defect, ¡®Greed¡¯ will immediately rece that missing body part.


    However, it won¡¯t restore the health lost in the process of the body being damaged.]


    [A new power, ¡®Offset,¡¯ will be created based on your skill, ¡®Overgeared God''s Observation.¡¯]


    [Offset]


    [It is a waste to feel overconfident in items against you.


    You will naturally reveal the performance and hidden features of the items your target is wearing.


    If the analyzed item has special effects such as skills, the corresponding destruction method is automatically used and it is neutralized.]


    Grid was filled with admiration. It was because the rewards of bing an Only One God were enormous. It even felt like he was wearing a cheat key.


    ¡®I was satisfied just bing an Absolute, but now that I am getting these rewards...¡¯


    In the future, resource management would no longer be necessary. Mana and sword energy could be used indefinitely and fighting energy, which had a great impact onbat power, was always kept at the maximum. Skills could be created an unlimited number of times and the Sanctuary of Metal had evolved to its ultimate form. Additionally, there were other powers with high usage.


    If he got seriously hurt, then he wouldn¡¯t have to order the God Hands to help him. It also blocked situations where the enemy¡¯s items could generate variables. It was correct to say that the Grid of a few hours ago was on a different level from the current Grid. Grid had always been growing at a tremendous rate, but today, it was at a staggering rate.


    ¡®...Only One God. It sounds really good.¡¯


    Of course, an Only One God wasn¡¯t superior to a God of the Beginning. The reason why the Gods of the Beginning weren¡¯t ssified as an Only One God was because there were three of them. On the other hand, an Only One God meant there was no other god of the same kind.


    The hierarchy of an Only One God and a God of the Beginning both belonged to an Absolute. However, the sense of being an Only One God was a bit more special.


    Martial God Chiyou¡ªit felt like he was recognized as the same as a being who was treated as an outsider even among the gods.


    ¡®Of course, I am still a long way from being on the same level.¡¯


    Even within transcendents, the hierarchy was divided. Naturally, it meant hierarchies were divided even among Absolutes. It was hard to imagine that Hayate was on the same level as the heavenly gods.


    ¡®Maybe this is the limit of my growth.¡¯


    Just the fact that a yer was on a simr eye level to the heavenly gods was amazing. Grid had no intention of trying to beat the Gods of the Beginning or Chiyou after growing to this point. It was realistic to judge that it was impossible.


    Now it was time to trust his colleagues and wait. He hoped that the apostles and Overgeared members would grow up and stand shoulder to shoulder with him. At that time, there would be nothing to fear.


    It happened as Grid was thinking...


    [Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church, has called himself ¡®Pope.¡¯]


    [No one can resist.]


    [The Reba Church has taken the position that this is right considering that the hierarchy of Only One God Grid is at least equal to Goddess Reba.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Unlike Grid, people who didn¡¯t know the truth were misled by the name ¡®Only One God.¡¯ Only One God sounded so special that many people expressed their opinion that it was higher than a God of the Beginning. Thanks to this, the position of Pope was given to the Overgeared God Church, not the Reba Church. It was also caused by the fact that the elders who currently ran the Reba Church were pro Grid figures.


    ¡®Are you still sitting on the sidelines even though it has reached this point?¡¯


    Grid looked up at the sky, which was extremely quiet. He recalled the warm voice of Goddess Reba that he heard a long time ago. The Goddess was silent again today. Her blessing within Grid was still present and well.


    ***


    ¡°Um? Are you telling me to repair it now?¡±


    Ke ong listened carefully. He looked suspicious yet expectant. The reaction of the craftsmen who followed him were simr.


    Lauel nodded in response. ¡°Yes, this is an order issued by His Majesty himself.¡±


    ¡°Huhu...!¡±


    The stage in the shape of a coffin¡ªit was a pity that Zeratul¡¯s body couldn¡¯t be recovered, but this huge stage, created by Ke ong in coboration with the craftsmen, did its job. As if mocking Zeratul to its heart¡¯s content, it retained its shape until the end of the holy war. It was assisted by magic and the barriers, but it withstood the terrible shock waves generated by the monstrous powers using its scientific design.


    Was it recognized for its quality? Orders were issued to repair the already used stage, not to demolish it.


    ¡°Did His Majesty designate this stage as a national treasure and vow to preserve it forever? He is indeed a great god with a discerning eye. However, the square will be too cramped if this huge stage is kept...¡±


    ¡°The city will naturally clean it up.¡±


    ¡°...No, if you are going to clean it up anyway, why repair it instead of demolishing it?¡±


    Lauel exined to Ke ong, who had a good expression.


    ¡°His Majesty said he would use it as the base of the flying ship.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°He is especially pleased that it represents Zeratul¡¯s coffin. It is natural for it to be designated as a national treasure and to be reborn as a divine object. The Radwolf brothers said they are visiting in four days, so I would like the repairs to be finished by then. Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You brats! Don¡¯t think about sleeping from today!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    Ke and the craftsmen screamed. Their work would be a divine object. It was also reborn as the divine object of an Only One God. It wasn¡¯t enough to just consider it a family honor.


    ¡®The level of Ke ong could go up significantly.¡¯


    Lauel expected new growth from Ke ong. Ke was a great existence who became a legendary architect by making Grid¡¯s furnace earlier. If there was an opportunity, then he was highly likely to grow further. It was the same for the other craftsmen. Their potential was now limitless after bing named NPCs due to Grid.


    However, there was another reason why Lauel was smiling now. There was a possibility that Grid¡¯s flying ship, which was originally scheduled to have a name like ¡®Overgeared Battleship,¡¯ would instead have a symbolic name. It was a flying ship based on the stage that smashed Zeratul¡¯s myth.

 Chapter 1730

    <h4>Chapter 1730</h4>


    ¡°It is extremely huge. It is beyond my imagination.¡±


    Reinhardt¡¯s central square was a popr venue used mainly for national events and for the emperor¡¯s speeches. In theory, it was a space that could amodate millions of people. The size of the ¡®stage¡¯ that filled such a square was naturally enormous. It was to the point where it was possible to build a city on the stage.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe a stage like this was built in such a short time and there were no errors in measurement. Is it true that a legend is a legend...?¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz¡ªthey were survivors of the wise giants and famous as members of the Tower of Wisdom. Now they couldn¡¯t hide their admiration. It was proof that the value of the stage made by stacking pure white stones was that great.


    Ke ong bowed his head. ¡°It is possible due to the plentiful resources of the empire. Most of all, the help of the magicians and craftsmen was great.¡±


    Usually, dwarves were called arrogant dwarves. Ke ong¡¯s nose had soared high into the sky ever since he became a legend. However, he was humble in front of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz. The dwarves were a species that knew better than anyone the value of the technology left behind by the perished ancient giants. He paid respect to them.


    It was also true that he received great help from the people. The stonemasons who carved the stone ording to Ke ong¡¯s request, the magicians who strengthened the stone, the architects who assembled the finished stones ording to Ke ong¡¯s designs, etcetera¡ªKe ong wouldn¡¯t havepleted the stage in such a short time if the countless talents of the Overgeared Empire hadn¡¯t helped.


    ¡°Hoh, this... is it a miracle created by the aspirations of the craftsmen?¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps it is the ability of Gods Piaro and Garion.¡±


    The admiring words of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were repeated. It was because they felt the artificial veins surrounding the huge stage.


    ¡°It is right to say that this is a purend.¡±


    ¡°That is for sure. I can see why Grid is so obsessed with this stage.¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, used Grid¡¯s actual name. They didn¡¯t call him a god or an emperor. It was because he was unique. The name Grid had a value that transcended all titles.


    ¡°There is no better foothold like this to build a moving fortress.¡±


    A facility that was beyond just a battleship¡ªthis stage would be reborn as a fortress city driven by Greed. It could amodate hundreds of thousands of personnel, and operate tens of thousands of gunports and weapons.


    ¡°The only question is whether it is really possible for Greed to move such a mass...¡±


    The design of the flying ship that Radwolf consistently sent to Grid had a mass limit. He considered the limits of Greed.


    Radwolf recalled the strengths of Greed. It moved under its own discretion or at Grid¡¯smand, and it could multiply. It also had infinite durability. That was it. It was definitely great, but he didn¡¯t think it had the potential to move a whole city.


    ¡®Even if it is possible, it will inevitably be slow.¡¯


    He recalled Grid¡¯s battles in the past and found that the speed of Greed didn¡¯t even reach the level of a transcendent. It had never shown a great power like lifting a mountain.


    ¡®Is Grid thinking of relying on the mana engine?¡¯


    If so, it was a misjudgment. In order to move this mass at a speed that met the standard value, at least 100,000 engines used in the magic machines had to be installed. Even that was the assumption that it was aided by Greed. It wasn¡¯t a problem to build 100,000 engines. It could be solved with time and resources. The question was whether mana could be steadily supplied to the engines.


    ¡®At least 50,000 magicians need to be overworked for 24 hours a day to maintain the output of the engines...¡¯


    Even that would be possible considering the personnel of the Overgeared Empire. This was under the premise of not respecting the human rights of magicians and treating them as ves.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    Radwolf had a shaky expression on his face when his eyes suddenly fixed on one ce. The thing that caught his attention was a statue of Grid at the entrance of the Overgeared Temple. Behind the huge statue of a god that was 20 meters tall was a reproduction of the God Hands, symbolizing Grid. It was made of ck-god metal.


    ¡°...Is that really Greed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Greed is being used to recreate 10 God Hands for each statue of His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°There is definitely enough quantity...¡±


    There were 21 statues of Grid in Reinhardt alone. There were two at each of the eight outer gates, one for each of the three Overgeared Temples, and two for the pce entrance. This meant that the number of God Hands wasted as simple ornaments was 210. It was a luxury thanks to the power of proliferation gained from the Insane Dragon Iron.


    Yes, a luxury¡ªRadwolf regarded the God Hands hovering around the statues of Grid as mere ornaments. The nature of Greed was to judge and move on its own, but it was hard to imagine that it could function outside the reach of Grid¡¯s gaze. However, the reality was different. The God Hands hovering around each statue of Grid were fully functional. They kept a close eye on events happening near the statue and reacted in real time.


    It had just been proven. The moment a girl running with a flower basket was about to fall, a God Hand flew over and supported the girl.


    ¡°...This is crazy.¡±


    ¡°That is the speed of a transcendent. If strength is added to that speed, it will show the power to support the world.¡±


    Radwolf was so surprised that he let out swear words, while Fronzaltz evaluated it with a faint smile. Unlike his brother, who was focused only on research and was close to a schr, the 2nd Seat, Fronzaltz, acted as Hayate¡¯s secretary and was responsible for the operation of the tower. His reaction to everything was cautious.


    ¡°If tens of thousands of them gather, then it will be enough to power a city. No?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, yes. That is only when it receives structural help, but...¡± Ke replied while looking at Radwolf.


    The structure¡ªhe dared to suggest that the flying ship should be designed so that the power of Greed could be maximized and used efficiently. It was natural to be tactful.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Radwolf wasn¡¯t offended by the words. It was because the opinion of a legend deserved to be respected. He thought about it for a long time before opening his mouth, ¡°Ke, don¡¯t think about sleeping well from today on.¡±


    ¡°...Yes!¡± Ke ong replied vigorously. He shouted with a sense of youth, when those memories were now faint. His spirit was so strong that it overshadowed the age that made everyone call him ¡®ong.''[1]</a>


    Then he btedly regretted it. He remembered that he had been working without sleeping for the past four days. If he couldn¡¯t sleep from now on... it might be dangerous considering his age. Of course, this was only a fleeting worry.


    ¡®...It is okay if I fall down.¡¯


    A coboration with the wise giants¡ªit would be a huge learning opportunity. How could he miss it?


    ***


    ¡°It is a dimensional gap. There are many such ces besides the Abyss.¡±


    ¡°There are countless.¡±


    Braham seeded in identifying Muller¡¯s position based on Skunk¡¯s analysis and the testimony of the God of Regret. The power of the God of Magic and Wisdom seemed to have been shown.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to one of them before.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± He once had the experience of falling into an unknown dark space. Grid frowned as he recalled the extremely unpleasant sensation he felt at the time.


    Braham asked, ¡°Will you be going out yourself?¡±


    Muller¡ªhe was the strongest Sword Saint of all time and had achieved the realm of transcendence hundreds of years ago. He was also a figure who attracted the attention of Martial God Chiyou. The Mountain King of Grenier, Pope Chreshler, and Great Magician Braham testified to his greatness many times. Grid was also naturally interested in Muller. He really wanted to meet Muller.


    ¡°No.¡± However, that wasn¡¯t the case when asked if he was going to do the hard work himself.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The refusal with no hesitation¡ªBraham seemed to have anticipated it. No matter how great Muller was, he was naturally below the current Grid. The hierarchy wasn¡¯t right for Grid to visit him personally. Additionally, there was a separate person in Reinhardt who was suitable for meeting Muller.


    ¡°Then let your friend go.¡±


    ***


    Many people associate pine trees or bamboo with Kraugel. No matter what type of storm he went through, he was always green and upright. He was a person with apletely different tendency from Grid, who kept changing every moment like a storm. Maybe that was why he fit in with Grid even more.


    Braham also liked Kraugel. Above all, Kraugel was a friend of Grid. Braham had long known that Kraugel was one of the few people Grid depended on.


    ¡°Muller¡¯s whereabouts have been found.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s time was never wasted. He trained himself endlessly by swinging his sword or controlling his breathing. The same was true at this moment. As the revitalized people moved in a bustling manner around the city, he settled himself in a quiet ce and trained himself in all sorts of ways. His movements were excellent as he dodged the waves generated from the collision of operating Formless Will and sword energy at the same time.


    ¡°The hundreds of years of being inactive are meaningless in front of you.¡±


    ¡°The hint given by the God of Regret was too great. If I was alone, it would¡¯ve taken me a long time to find him.¡±


    How could he find someone who was trapped in a dimensional gap...


    Braham¡¯s frank confession was a bit unfamiliar to Kraugel.


    ¡°Grid wants you to meet Muller.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean me...?¡±


    The thing that was needed right now was to motivate Muller. iming to be the strongest was arrogance.


    I am stronger than you and I exist like this...


    In order to make Muller regain his motivation for life, Muller needed to be suppressed with force. Kraugel knew this, so he was perplexed.


    ¡°You have cut down a god. Yet you still think you are worse than Muller?¡±


    ¡°I was able to cut a god because of Grid¡¯s Twilight.¡±


    ¡°...Bah, if you¡¯re not confident, then just quit.¡± Braham didn¡¯t persuade this person. If Kraugel didn¡¯t like it after these words, then it was better not to send him.


    Kraugel immediately replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t confident.¡±


    Kraugel had taken a hard path. He didn¡¯t rely on the ss of Sword Saint, and learned more diverse techniques, building his own swordsmanship based on them. Only some of these swordsmanship were ssified as a ¡®skill¡¯ due to Kraugel consuming ¡®Swordsmanship Creation,¡¯ but the rest of what he learned wasn¡¯t useless. All the techniques that weren¡¯t ssified as skills were solid fundamentals that supported Kraugel. It was the basis for which Kraugel controlled all types of risks.


    Additionally, Kraugel had acquired Muller¡¯s secret techniques. He didn¡¯t think he was badpared to Muller, who had lost motivation and would¡¯ve stopped improvingpared to the past.


    ¡°There is no guarantee I will win in an overwhelming manner, but I am confident that I can at least stimte him.¡±


    Grid had long transcended Pagma. Yura also started to hear evaluations that she had surpassed Alex.


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    Transcending the previous generation was a natural duty for those of the present age, and for Kraugel, now was the right time.

 Chapter 1731

    <h4>Chapter 1731</h4>


    Thestage that wasin the form of a coffin¡ªit was around the time when the huge tomb where the myth of Martial God Zeratul was buried was gradually colored ck and slowly rose to the sky.


    Six more legends were born in the Overgeared Guild.The protagonists of this glory were Huroi, Pon, Lae, Vantner, Haster, and Eat Spicy Jokbal.They all became legends based on their own achievements.


    Huroi¡¯s words became more powerful and Pon¡¯s spear became moreplete. The thing that the words and the spear used by the two men had inmon was that they were difficult to dodge, defend, and counterattack.Of course, Huroi was currently one step ahead. He had built up transcendence even before he became a legend.


    Lae had the dignity of being the master of a major facility called the Overgeared Magic Tower. She obtained the qualifications to create her own magic forms and added the reputation of¡®prestigious magic school¡¯ to the Overgeared Empire.


    Vantner¡¯sbald head shone even more brilliantly.In addition to easily blinding the enemies, he reflected the sunset divinity of the Overgeared World and spread it more widely.Vantner didn¡¯t admit it, but he became a beneficial person with his existence alone.


    Haster grew rapidly the moment he identally started tobine the knowledge of the Red Sage with the power of Heroic Story.In the first ce, his growth environment was very good.He learned a lot from working with some of the best talents like Chris, Zibal, and Hurent at the No Offspring Tomb. Before that, Grid gave him special training.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal had many achievements from the beginning.The dungeons he created were still being used in various ways right now.Considering Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s past performances, it wasn¡¯t strange that he had be a legend.Of course, the limit of the Dungeon Master¡¯s growth was known to be the unique rating.


    Nevertheless, no one questioned how he broke through the limits and became a legend.It was an era in which legends and transcendents coexisted, and normal sses became legends.In an era like this, arguing about the potential of a particr ss would only prove that they were a persongging behind the flow.


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t all good news.Regas was troubled by a ss change problem.It was because rather than opening up the 5th advance ss, he returned to an Asura, the third advance ss.It felt like he had been encroached upon by the ss called Asura.It made him even more conscious of the existence of Asura in hell.


    Meanwhile, the Demon yer used the only beautiful ss castle in hell as a base and was on a winning streak against the great demons. She weakened Baal¡¯s influence in hell little by little.It was to the extent where Baal had toe forward himself.


    However, Yura took advantage of the characteristics of the crystal castle and continuously evaded Baal¡¯s pursuit. Baal. who was rarely angered, became furious.He seemed agitated when he heard that Grid had be an Only One God and this served as a huge advantage for Yura.The very act of the Absolute of Hell being conscious of the Demon yer raised her status little by little.


    On the other hand, the Sword Saint of the current age left to meet the Sword Saint of the previous generation and he had already smashed several dimensional gaps.It was evidence of a series of fierce battles.


    The aftermath was severe.The scattered dimensional fragments gave birth to monsters that had never been seen before in the world.The apostles became busy due to this. Surprisingly, Jishuka was just as active as the apostles.The scene of her Breaking Evil Arrows dominating the sky and easily purifying the monsters was breathtaking.


    ¡°Agnus!¡±


    The human who was originally supposed to be the enemy of humanity had long lost the malicethat had reced evil.He got in touch with a tower member, which was far from the world, and realized a new power. However, he didn¡¯t use it carelessly.


    ¡°Die...! You trash! Die!¡±


    He didn¡¯t resist the power of a legend wielded by those who were once powerless and harmed by him. He just silently endured it.Yes, it was the power of alegend.In rare cases, legends were born among yers who weren¡¯t part of the Overgeared Guild.They didn¡¯t be legends from their own achievements, but instead inherited legends by using ss change books. Nevertheless, this wasn¡¯t a basis for disparaging their achievements.


    The world was once again entering a new era.As usual, Grid elerated the flow.The moment he became an Only One God, the Overgeared World and the gods of the Overgeared World became stronger. As a result, the ¡®dimensional status¡¯ of the surface rose to a great extent.


    At a ruined mansion...


    Agnus, who was being silently beaten by the intruders, opened his mouth for the first time, ¡°If you are done, then go away now.¡±


    He was on the verge of running out of health.


    The rankers surrounding him scoffed.


    ¡°The guy who couldn¡¯t do anything because he was afraid suddenly got into the mood. Yourejected jerk.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to die? This nasty guy...Ughh!¡±


    The rankers fell in all directions.They lost their grip on the weapons they stabbed into Agnus¡¯ body.Every time Agnus moved, the swords and spears stuck between his ribs collided with each other.It was a horrifying sight.


    Agnus spoke to the rankers who momentarily shrank back, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cross the line just because I let you vent your anger.¡±


    The bridle couldn¡¯t be removed by itself.Therefore, Agnus silently epted the hatred and anger of the people toward him.


    The people who were damaged by him in the past¡ªhe didn¡¯t resist their retaliation full of resentment since they must¡¯ve lost precious existences due to him.However, this didn¡¯t mean he epted being killed by them.His goal was too great for him to suffer death and lose strength.


    The 1st Great Demon, Baal¡ªAgnus intended to deal him a big blow.He would surely see the face of the guy who believed in infinite life distorted by despair.


    ¡°You shameless bastard...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! That guy already has low health!¡±


    The rankers quickly regained theirposure and boosted their morale.At the center of them was a yer who became a legend.They confirmed that Agnus¡¯ health had fallen to the bottom and drew their spare weapons tounch a pincer attack.After a while¡ª


    ¡°Ugh...!Y-You will see soon!¡±


    ¡°I will definitely get revenge next time!¡±


    The rankers were robbed of their souls and ran away with these words.Agnus made a slightly curious expression.


    ¡°Are you really leaving with those lines...?¡±


    The lines of a third-rate viin in a movie were actually created through thorough research...


    ¡®...In any case, be sure toe backter.¡¯


    Someday, he would pay the price for his sins.


    ¡ªBut not now.


    ¡®Even if it is you.¡¯Agnus¡¯ gaze shifted toward his feet.A man¡¯s head was rising from the shadows.


    ¡°Agnus, you have an immovable heart.¡±The being who emerged from the shadows spoke in a low-pitched voice.It was the appearance of Faker, who, ording to the rumors, had obtained a ¡®weapon that shows a high attack power only against specific targets¡¯ from Grid. This allowed him to increase the efficiency of Kill List by dozens of times.


    ¡°One day, you were a murderer when I saw you. Another day, you were a desperate man in despair.¡±


    Faker had been periodically monitoring Agnus.Today, he happened toe across Agnus smashing the rankers by chance.He saw Agnus refusing to die.


    ¡°Now you have another passion.¡±


    Nyang!


    The fur of the little memphis in the corner bristled.He was the one who didn¡¯t stay in hell and followed Agnus.


    "Get lost!"The startled Agnus hurriedly eximed.


    However, the memphis didn¡¯t listen and edged closer to Faker.He was ready to fight.He knew that the opponent was strong so he had to step up. He intended to sacrifice his life to help his benefactor.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Agnus regretted not taking the memphis as a pet.He hadn¡¯t wanted to put the suffering memphis into a cage again, but at this moment, he regretted that he didn¡¯t have the authority to cancel the memphis¡¯ summoning.


    ¡°...You are trying to use the opportunity given to you by Grid and Lady Betty¡¯s care. It is the right attitude.¡±


    Fakerstaredin an expressionless manner atAgnusand thememphisbefore stating his appreciation.


    That was the end of it.Faker was gone before he knew it.


    ¡®That ghost-like guy.¡¯Agnus sighed and sank down in ce.He was written in the Kill List and had suffered horrific deaths several times.He hadn¡¯t shown it, but honestly, just looking into Faker¡¯s eyes made his heart beat faster.


    Nyang.


    The memphis approached and rubbed against his cheek.This guy who never listened to Agnus¡¯ words.


    Why did you chase after me instead of Betty or Noe...?


    Agnus frowned and rose from his seat.There was no time to rest if he wanted to keep pace with this new era.


    ¡°I¡¯ve packed my things, so I am leaving now. Follow me if you are idle.¡±


    Nyang!


    ***


    The Overgeared World was bing huge in real time.The entire area of Reinhardt was judged to be part of the Overgeared World. Additionally, more than half the East Continent beyond the Red Sea had been incorporated into the Overgeared World.


    ¡°Ohhh...!¡±


    At the Overgeared Castle...


    People let out cries of admiration as they were surrounded by warm divinity.They recognized that in order to fully see the flying ship in their field of view, they had to cock their heads despite the high altitude of the Overgeared Castle.The flying ship rose higher today than yesterday and it would be located even higher tomorrow.


    People were pleased at the thought, but the expressions of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were dark.


    ¡°There is ack of output.¡±


    The flying ship that only Grid referred to as the ¡®Overgeared Battleship¡¯¡ªRadwolf groaned about the huge flying ship that was called Zeratul¡¯s Coffin or Martial God¡¯s Coffin among the people.The Greed supported by Grid was used as efficiently as possible, but the condition of the flying ship was below expectations. The maximum altitude that could be reached with the current output was only 150 meters.


    This was even before loading all types of weapons.Considering that walls that would need to be built like fortifications and the necessary facilitiesthat neededto be installed, the weight of the flying ship would increase exponentially. This meant that the altitude would be much lower.


    They had left the tower empty for several months but the performance was poor. It was close to a failure.


    ¡°In order to fully secure the visibility and safety of themander, a castle will need to be built in the center... I don¡¯t think it is possible in this state...¡±


    It happened the moment that Keongwas cautiously agreeing...


    ¡°For those who serve Lord Hayate, your knowledge seems somewhat shallow.¡±


    A silver-haired mannded between the brothers Fronzaltz and Radwolf.He struck the space with magic, but there were no reverberations. The whole area was calm and the man¡¯s cloak didn¡¯t even move.


    The God of Magic and Wisdom¡ªthe magic of the existence who was 2nd in the hierarchy of the Overgeared World was in a state where it didn¡¯t reveal his presence.


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were surprised before bowing respectfully.It was apletely different attitude from when they visited hell together in the past.


    Braham¡¯s attitude had also changed.


    ¡°Greed is partof Grid. The proof is that it has continued to grow with each epic Grid wrote. Ever since hebecame anOnly One God, its functionality has been greatly enhanced.¡±


    He himself nodded and led the topic.


    A nod¡ªeven that was the greatest humility for Braham.It was only after he became a god that he realized the sacrifices of the tower members even more and respected them more than before.


    ¡°I am considering that Greed¡¯s growth has reached the ultimate peak.¡±


    Grid had no room for further development. He wasplete.The same was true of Greed.Now there was only one way to increase the power of the flying ship.It was to wait for the Greed left behind by Grid to multiply.The problem was that this wouldn¡¯t be very effective.


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, had alreadypleted the instation of Greed where it was most needed.It was difficult to expect great efficiency even if more Greed was installed.It was also necessary to take into ount that as the amount of Greed increased, the mass of the flying ship would also increase.


    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something. The growth of Greed isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    ¡°...Um.¡±Certainly, if the growth of Greed had ended, then Braham wouldn¡¯t have revisited its potential.Braham seemed to believe that Grid could grow further in the future.


    ¡®It is possible.¡¯


    How dare they judge the limitsof anOnly One God?


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, reflected on themselves but didn¡¯t react much.Even if Grid had room for further development, it was something that needed time.In the end, this flying ship would only be put into operation in the distant future...


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, which were as big as a bull¡¯s eyes, widened.They were staring at the crystal ball that Braham had just pulled out.Light was flickering in the crystal ball.The explosions that urredeach timewas a phenomenon purely caused by magic.


    ¡®Did he materialize his mental world and take it out?¡¯


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were shocked after noticing the identity of the crystal ball. Then they soon stiffened.It was because they figured out what the repeated explosions inside the crystal ball were stimting.


    The small specks of dust¡ªthey were fragments of Greed that released a faint golden light whenever they were stimted.


    ¡°Magic forging...!¡±


    ¡°Is this possible...?!¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, let out shocked cries.


    sh!


    The Greed installed all over the flying ship glowed in unison and harbored strong magic power.

 Chapter 1732

    <h4>Chapter 1732</h4>


    ¡°Wow...How far is it going to go?¡±


    ¡°A facility like that is flying... I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I would say it is the Age of Mythology.¡±


    The Age of Mythology¡ªit referred to the era before history.In Satisfy, it came to mean the present.It was an era where gods lived with humans.Recently, a superrge airship under construction in the Overgeared Empire had given sense to a new era.


    A scene that had never been created with the previous science and magic was unfolding before the eyes of millions of people.


    ¡°...Why did he make it?¡±


    ¡°It looks cool...?¡±


    Perhaps it was because the scale of the Greed-driven flying ship was so staggering.It was enough to build a city on this flying ship.It was definitely great, but people had questions about its use.There was no shortage ofnd to build cities on. Why should such a flying ship exist?


    Was it advantageous for long distance travel?It was an era where the warp gates, the quintessence of magic engineering, was popr, so this wasn¡¯t a reason.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to use it to create more God Hands?¡±


    The essential problem was that Greed was used as the material.Greed was famous as a Grid-only item and it was also Grid¡¯s power.It was hard for people to understand why Grid, who should reign as an absolute power, would decrease his power by building the flying ship.On the other hand¡ª


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, werepletely shocked.It was because the altitude of the Martial God¡¯s Coffin had risen sharply.It soared up to five kilometers in the sky in an instant. The speed was clearly transcendent.This meant that the output of Greed had be dozens of times stronger.


    Braham¡¯s magic solved something that the giants¡¯ knowledge and skills couldn¡¯t solve.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to call myself a schr,¡±Radwolf felt despondent and spoke to himself.He was ashamed of the years he had been praised as a wise giant.


    Braham shook his head.¡°Without your wisdom, this flying ship wouldn¡¯t have been able to fly.¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t try to please others.Every word he said was sincere.


    ¡°The arrangement of Greed is quite exquisite. If the design was slightly off, then this ignorantlyrgend wouldn¡¯t have risen.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    The gloom was lifted from the faces of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, and bright smiles spread.It meant that the figures with high pride as thest survivors of the giants and the tower members were pleased with some praise.


    Braham was a bit taken aback.


    ¡®This is my status now.¡¯


    It was a position where those who served by the side of Hayate, the great Dragon yer, automatically honored him.The moment he realized it, the dreams he lost in the past started to sprout anew.


    Conquering the world¡ªthe ambition to put all humans under his feet and use them as a tool for his mother¡¯s revenge¡ªit was a dream that he felt was helpless and gave up after he was stabbed in the back by Pagma and died.


    ¡®...Let¡¯s give up on it.¡¯


    Putting humans under his feet wasn¡¯t what Grid wanted.This was something that a god who was born from the wishes of humans shouldn¡¯t do.This was even if it meant giving up on getting revenge for his mother.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Mother...¡¯


    ¡°What is wrong with the atmosphere?¡±


    For a moment, he had the wrong idea.Braham was reproaching himself when he raised his head at the voice.


    Grid had descended.A being who defeated Martial God Zeratul and became an One God¡ªhe wore dragon armor all over his body and was escorted by hundreds of God Hands. He looked like an absolute figure only in appearance.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±Grid¡¯s attitude remained the same even if he became an Absolute.Grid bowed respectfully to Braham and the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz.It was with a smile on his face.¡°The Overgeared Battleship is much better than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Battleship...?¡±


    ¡°Greed has finally evolved.¡±


    Just a moment ago, Grid received a notification that Greed had evolved.The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived after many years.Greed, which had grown steadily under the influence of Grid¡¯s epic, was nowplete.It brilliantly reproduced Grid¡¯s ability even if it wasn¡¯t in the form of the God Hands.


    [Greed]


    [A metal that symbolizes the Only One God Grid.


    It has the habit of judging and moving on its own, and reproducing their master¡¯s abilities.


    Unleash half the power and speed of the master.


    It can be used as a material for all things.


    It contains the energy of the Insane Dragon, the magic of Braham, and the blessing of the Goddess Reba.]


    ¡®Fortunately or unfortunately, the name hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯


    He wondered if it would begravurniumwith the ¡®g¡¯ after Grid and the ¡®ra¡¯ in ¡®Braham.There was a bit more regret than relief.He was looking forward to it being recognized as a work he had created with Braham.However, the system seemed to have determined that Braham only yed a small role in the final evolution of Greed.It was natural since Greed was infused with Grid¡¯s life itself.


    ¡°You can make a toast in celebration,¡±Brahamsaid with a confident look on his face.


    It was something worth being proud of.It was because his magic contained in Greed was really amazing.


    [¡ï If attacking with a weapon made of Greed, the legendary great magic ¡®Meteor¡¯ has a high probability of activating.


    Deals damage proportional to your magic attack power and additional damage proportional to the health of the target to the target and all those within a 10 meter radius of the target. There is a high probability of damaging the target¡¯s body and a normal probability of crushing them or blowing them up.


    Mana Cost: 80,000.


    ¡ï If attacking with a weapon made of Greed, the legendary great magic ¡®Disintegrate¡¯ is activated.


    Deals damage proportional to your magic attack power and additional damage proportional to the health of the target. It also significantly reduces the target¡¯s magic resistance and critical hit resistance. The effect can be stacked.


    Mana Cost: 10,000.]


    ¡°......¡±


    A very long time ago¡ªat the time when he changed to a legendary cksmith¡ªGrid imagined a brilliant future.He believed the day woulde when he would wield a sword that dropped Meteor.It was an empty belief.In fact, it was impossible for a legendary cksmith to produce a weapon that fired great magic that only Braham and dragons could use.


    He had long given up on it.Yet it became a reality today.He was able to wield not only Meteor, but also another great magic called Disintegrate.


    ¡°I... have I be invincible?¡±Grid looked at the information of Greed and muttered with a puzzled expression.


    Braham exined, ¡°It is far from being invincible. In the first ce, the reason why I took longer to attach the two spells was to hide the ws.¡±


    ¡°The ws?¡±


    ¡°As you know, Meteor has a dy when it is activated.¡±


    Meteorinvolvedmeteorites. They were stars that fell from space. It worked by magic, but it was a physical phenomenon. The process took time.


    ¡°It is hard to hit the enemy unless you¡¯vepletely subdued them. It is even more so when considering the level of enemies you will face in the future.¡±


    ¡°So together with Disintegrate...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Disintegrate was a spear made of magic.Unlike Meteor,it was manifestedimmediately.


    ¡°Instead, Disintegrate has arge dy after it urs. It is because the magic power that is used to create the form of the spear has the property of returning to its original state. Only I can forcibly suppress that nature...¡±


    It meant it was hard to use it sessively.Meteor had the disadvantage of having a long preparation (casting time) while Disadvantage had the disadvantage of having a long dy (cooldown).Braham did the ignorant act of attaching two spells together in order to alleviate the shorings as much as possible.


    ¡®This... the God of Magic and Wisdom?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue and pulled out Twilight.In order to really feel the effect, it was quicker to check it directly.The main material of Twilight was the fang of the Evil Dragon Bunhelier, but it also contained Greed like his other divine swords.There was a small explosive sound as Grid targeted one God Hand and swung Twilight lightly.


    Was the aftermath smaller because it was swung lightly?


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were puzzled by the surprisingly quiet wavelength, but their expressions soon contorted in astonishment.They wondered why the targeted God Hand was vibrating several times.


    There was a chain of shockwaves.Contrary to the impression of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, Grid didn¡¯t swing the sword lightly, nor was it just once.


    sh!


    Before they knew it, a spear of light had pierced the God Hand.Then meteorites fell from the sky.There were as many as seven.They each had bright red mes and ck smoke like a tail so the sky was fading.


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were transcendent. They reacted sensitivelyto Meteor, which btedly urred.Radwolf took out his magic machine and wrapped it around himself, while Fronzaltz created a sword curtain and used it as a shield.


    The giant flying ship tilted very slightly.The destructive power of the seven meteorites that fell in a row made it so.The flying ship wasn¡¯t damaged or crashed due to Greed that d it, but faint shadows appeared on the ground.


    ¡°It is definitely a bit disappointing.¡±


    Unlike the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, who couldn¡¯t close their open mouths, Braham clicked his tongue.Grid was taken aback by him.


    ¡®A bit disappointing? Does he have no conscience?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s fingertips were trembling when he had been calm even when facing Martial God Zeratul.Just now...


    He activated the realm of an Absolute and wielded his sword a total of 10 times.Disintegrate immediately triggered during the first sword strike and pierced the target, while Meteor fell toward the target with a slight dy.It was as Braham feared. Disintegrate had a dy after it was used and Meteor had a dy after it activated.


    However, the power was too great to feel regret.Grid¡¯s current intelligence easily exceeded 10,000.If he went to the trouble of swapping some items, then it was easy to aim for 16,000.If he added a wisdom potion and buffs, then the expected damage value of Meteor and Disintegrate would probably be in the hundreds of thousands at the ¡®minimum.¡¯ If he activated a skill that increased the power of the skill itself, then the damage would probably be ridiculously in the millions.


    This was calcted without taking into ount the target¡¯s health value.The higher the target¡¯s health, the greater the power...


    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m the protagonist of a manhwa.¡¯


    He felt like he had be a fraudulent character with a cheat key that shouldn¡¯t really exist.If it was known that he felt this way now, it would¡¯ve caused a big wave in society, but... Grid didn¡¯t realize it...


    ¡°Good. It gives me confidence?¡±


    Grid smiled and swung the sword again.Dozens of times, hundreds of times.He swung it nonstop.It seemed like fun, but the reality was different.Every blow was very heavy.It carried a great deal of responsibility and burden.


    Grid had be so rich that someone could spend eternity wasting the money that he gained on an hourly basis.There was one reason why he didn¡¯t go on vacation and focused on Satisfy.It was because he was still desperate.


    There was no room to rx.Grid calcted the average values of the magic.The dy after Disintegrate was used and the dy before the urrence of Meteor was 3 seconds each.It was confirmed that the probability of triggering Disintegrate was 100% and the probability of triggering Meteor was around 61% on average.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    Braham¡¯splexion turned pale as he watched Grid, who was desperate without losing his original intention.Braham felt a sense of strangeness.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    Overusing the great magic that consumed a lot of mana?The realm of the Absolute was iprehensible even to Braham...


    Meanwhile, the world was in turmoil.Breaking news that hundreds of meteorites were falling over Reinhardt poured out from media all over the world.An analysis followed that the reason why Grid created such a huge flying ship was to prevent the bombing of the meteorites.Public opinion was formed to support Grid, who predicted and blocked the despicable attack of Asgard (?).


    ¡®Meteorites fell toward the Tomb of the Gods, so it is easy to misunderstand.¡¯


    Lauel smiled when he heard the news.He was already looking forward to the reaction of those who would see Meteor appearing in the ce where the Tomb of the Gods would fly in the future.


    The Overgeared battleship, the Martial God¡¯s Coffin, the Tomb of the Gods¡ªGrid started to read the information of the flying ship, which people called by different names.

 Chapter 1733 (Teaser)

    <h4>Chapter 1733 (Teaser)</h4>


    [Flying Ship Made of Greed That is Under Construction]


    [Rating: ???


    A ship under construction that is based on the stage where the myths of Martial God Zeratul and the gods who serve him are buried.


    It is huge enough to build a city powered by Greed. The maximum speed easily exceeds the speed of sound.]


    Why was the normally moving flying ship judged as unfinished?Was it because all types of weapons and facilities were yet to be installed?No, it was simply because there wasn¡¯t a control function.Currently, the flying ship was driven purely by Greed or Grid¡¯s will.It meant it couldn¡¯t y its role.


    ¡®It is as expected. It feels like I¡¯m on flying ground.¡¯


    This was Grid¡¯s impression as he stood in the center of the flying ship.


    A vast expanse ofnd in all directions¡ªthere was no expression more appropriate than nd¡¯ to describe the current appearance of the flying ship without any facilities.It was a pure whitend.Greed was mostly installed at the bottom of the flying ship, so it was difficult to identify it from the top of the flying ship.


    ¡®Thest hurdle is troublesome... I can leave it up to the people to install the necessary facilities, but how do I mount the control function?¡¯


    It was easy to think of Greed as a living creature¡ªa creature that couldn¡¯t be tamed by anyone other than Grid.He wondered if science could create a function to control Greed.


    Radwolf spoke cautiously to the concerned Grid, ¡°It isn¡¯t a problem to install controls that allow the movement of Greed to be controlled. There is just the premise that Greed should respond to it...¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, leave it to me.¡±


    Grid gave orders to Greed.It was an order to respond and move if a pilot, who had been licensed by him, tried to move the Overgeared Battleship.Greed naturally followed it.The result...


    [Grid¡¯s blessing, the magic and wisdom of Braham, and the technology of the ancient giants has created the super-sized flying ship ¡®Tomb of the Gods¡¯.]


    The system determined thepletion of the flying ship.


    [Tomb of the Gods]


    [Rating: Only One


    The superrge flying ship of the Only One God ¡®Grid.¡¯


    It is huge enough to build a fortress and a castle, as well as a city.


    It doesn¡¯t consume additional resources, so the potential for development is endless.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Brief information about the finished ship was released to the whole world.It was as if to attract people.It was obviously a favor of the system.In fact, Tomb of the Gods required a lot of manpower and capital.


    ¡°Creating such a huge flying ship...¡±


    People cried out with admiration.Many people recognized the Tomb of the Gods as and of new opportunities and immediately took action.Only one person¡ª


    ¡°...Is it picking a fight?¡±


    Grid was the only one who showed an uneasy reaction.


    Tomb of the Gods¡ªit was due to the name of the flying ship.


    ¡°What is with this name?¡±


    The system¡¯s favor didn¡¯treach Grid...


    At the same time, at the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    "G-Group Leader-nim!¡±


    ¡°What is it? Is Morpheus crying again?¡±


    ¡°No.It isangry?¡±


    [-_-^]


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no intention of hiding it any longer.The operations team felt the need to familiarize themselves with Morpheus¡¯ emotional expressions.


    ***


    The birth of a moving city!Tomb of the Gods caused tremendous repercussions.


    It was after witnessing Grid defeating the Martial God.All the capital that the merchants nned to invest generously in the Overgeared Guild and the empire instead flowed into Tomb of the Gods.The process of technicians continued without an end.


    A nk city¡ªit was and of opportunity for everyone.


    (Happy) Departure Ceremony of the Tomb of the Gods (Event)


    ¡°...I understand that the festival is very grand. This isn¡¯t a normal happy event, but a huge one.¡±


    There were many vacant lots on the outskirts of Reinhardt.It was because there were so many mountains that Braham turned to dust in the past. The artificially created wilderness spread out endlessly.This meant it was a suitable ce to anchor the Tomb of the Gods.


    At the entrance of the dock...


    Grid looked up at the banner and couldn¡¯t help raising a question.


    ¡°Why is the font different only for the words ¡®Tomb of the Gods¡¯?¡±


    They were exceptionallyrge and thick.It was even several times bigger than the words ¡®celebration.¡¯The smiling Lauel replied in a bright voice.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it such a cool name? I paid attention to it in the hope that even one more personcansee it.¡±


    ¡°...Yes...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it ufortable that the name for the ship had¡®tomb¡¯in it, when it was a ce where hundreds of thousands or millions of people would be active on or live on in the future?It was hard to understandLauel¡¯sgenuinely happy mental state.He was worried about the future of Lauel, who had a taste that was far from normal.


    ¡®I think he will probably marry a weird girl due to his strange taste...¡¯


    I should take care of him so he doesn¡¯t get nagged at every day and die early due to anger...


    The determined Grid took a step forward.At this moment, his figure immediately moved from the entrance of the dock to the tform.It felt different from Shunpo.No wavelengths were generated and he blended into thendscape as if he was there originally.


    Thousands of people were astir.It was true even for the Overgeared members.The realm of an Absolute was still unfamiliar to Grid¡¯s friends and colleagues.


    ¡°He feels like apletely different person.¡±


    ¡°Yes.Haha...¡±


    The Only One God Grid waspletely different from the previous Grid.It was to the point where even his colleagues who had been with him for nearly 10 years felt a sense of distance.Putting aside their pride at Grid, who was constantly getting stronger, their mood wasplicated.


    ¡°Vantner.¡±


    ¡°Yes...!U-Uh...!¡±


    The seats of the 10 meritorious retainers lined up behind the tform.Vantner stared nkly at Grid¡¯s back before responding vigorously and getting up from his seat.It was an attitude with a sense of distance.His colleagues understoodVantner¡¯schanged attitude and felt bitter.


    The same seemed to be true of Grid.His somewhat stiff face revealed his inner sadness.


    ¡°Come a bit closer and sit down.¡±


    ¡°S-Shall I?¡±


    Vantner¡¯sexpression rxed as he pulled the chair forward.He was thrilled by Grid¡¯s attitude of taking care of him and telling him not to feel a sense of distance.


    ¡®Yes, Grid is still Grid!¡¯


    ¡®It is hard because it is dazzling.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s somewhat stiff face finally rxed.


    The technique that symbolized Vantner, Sun Guard¡ªit was a skill that reflected light with his head, blinding the target and causing a drop in uracy and the cancetion of the skill casting.From the time he conquered the vampire cities, there was a noticeable increase in proficiency. Eventually, he mastered it and evolved it.


    It was to the point where even the great demons in hell were blinded.This was the basis ofVantner¡¯snew legend, ¡®Guardian of Light.¡¯Now Vantner fiercely reflected most light even when he didn¡¯t use a skill. It was safe to saythat SunGuard had be more powerful than before.It was even to the extent that it disturbed Grid¡¯s vision slightly, so he brought Vantner into his own divinity.


    ¡°Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±Lauel, who had been happily watching the friendship between Grid and Vantner, responded with a big smile.It was a smile that would soon disappear.


    ¡°The scenery around here is so barren.¡±


    ¡°It is because Brahampletely destroyed the ecosystem... however, there is enough food production to turn it into an agricultural area. Now that we are using it as a dock, amercial area will be created and thendscape will change.¡±


    ¡°No, it is awkward that there isn¡¯t even a river flowing, let alone a sea, even though it is a dock.¡±


    ¡°That... the name is a dock, but it is actually an airfield...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a river.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Thesite that wasoriginally a mountain.It was a ce where all the water veins had disappeared and it had be a desert.


    ¡°Let¡¯s build a river.¡±


    Grid kept talking nonsense with a nonchnt expression.Peak Sword started trembling.


    The days in the army¡ªhe recalled the moment when thousands of soldiers were sacrificed because of a corpsmander¡¯s words that the mountain over there was annoying.


    ¡®Afterbing an OnlyOne God...¡¯


    ¡®...Did he be an old man who likes to impose things on youngsters?¡¯


    It was a gathering of Overgeared members and there were no outsiders.The appearance that Gridshowedhere was close to the appearance of the real Grid.It was sincere without any pretenses.In the tumultuous atmosphere, Grid flicked his fingers and the gods descended.


    It was Garion, the God of the Earth; Lars, the God of Fishing; and Dalvida, the God of Water, whom Mir had rescued three days earlier.


    ¡°Let¡¯s build a river here.¡±


    This was Grid¡¯s will.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was fulfilled.A great and clear river started to flow on the barren wilderness...


    ¡°......¡±


    At this point, wasn¡¯t Grid above the operators?The Overgeared members were seriously thinking this when Grid spoke to them.


    ¡°As you all know, the benefits that the gods gain from the Overgeared World are great. It is easy enough to perform such a miracle.¡±


    Yes, everyone knew the power of the divine world.


    That was why it wasn¡¯t all good news.


    ¡°That is why we can¡¯t surpass Asgard.¡±


    How many gods lived in Asgard?No one knew for certain.They could only infer that it was a few hundred at least.The chief gods who led them would naturally be in the hierarchy of an Absolute.In terms of pure power, they overwhelmed the Overgeared World. Then what if they got buffs from Asgard?There was no chance of winning.


    ¡°This is why the Overgeared Battleship is so important.¡±


    ¡°It is the Tomb of the Gods.¡±


    ¡°Yes, in any case... the reason why I used that ignorantlyrge stage as the basis for the flying ship is for it to be recognized as a territory and to be included in the Overgeared World.¡±


    Once the Tomb of the Gods was judged to be part of the Overgeared World, they could ovee the spatial disadvantages when invading Asgard on the Tomb of the Gods.


    ¡°For that to be possible...¡±


    ¡°You mean we need to ride the Tomb of the Gods and build up achievements?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Reinhardt, which was incorporated into the Overgeared World, and the East Continent had something inmon¡ªthey were the stages where Grid and his teammates had performed tremendously.


    ¡°So it is an immediate departure.¡±


    The destination was obvious.If it was an adversary strong enough to muster all the avable personnel of the Overgeared Guild, there was only one left on the surface.


    ¡°The destination is the No Offspring Tomb. Let¡¯s clean up the surface.¡±


    Of course, there were the variables called the dragons on the surface, but they were literally variables. It was right to recognize dragons as a disaster. If they tried to respond to dragons in advance, they would just be poking the beehive.


    Wahhhh!


    The Overgeared members gained momentum due to Grid¡¯s deration and shouted.


    ¡°......¡±


    Dalvida, the God of Water, trembled.


    Just three days ago¡ªshe was rescued by Mir just before she was taken away by the hunters of the No Offspring Tomb, so her fear of the No Offspring Tomb was still vivid.


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡±Grid spoke to her.His eyes were still on hispanions below the tform as he whispered to Dalvida, standing beside him.


    ¡°My friends are very strong.¡±


    Grid was the one who felt the change of the times most desperately.It was because he watched his colleagues grow right beside him.After a while, the Tomb of the Gods finally set sail.The people of the city encountered the huge flying ship and were panicked at the night that suddenly came. Then they btedly figured out the situation and prayed for the luck of the Overgeared Guild.

 Chapter 1734

    ¡°¡±It has been too long since there has been a result. I wonder why the No Offspring Tomb hasn¡¯t taken any action even though it must be suspicious of the situation.¡±¡±


    The time in a tomb was bound to stand still. It was because it was a ce where the dead were buried.The No Offspring Tomb was an exception. It was functioning as a huge organization. Thousands of local troops and tens of thousands of undead who were blindly loyal to their master hunted human gods inside and outside the tomb.It was for hundreds of years.


    Yet recently¡ªfor more than half a year, the No Offspring Tomb ceased functioning.The hunters who came outside the tomb to capture human gods had been unsessful for a long time, and there was no news from the main force inside the tomb that was supposed to support them.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    ¡°¡±Those damn humans are already...¡±¡±


    It was a few days ago...


    The conditions of the hunters, who missed capturing Dalvida, the God of Water, wasn¡¯t good.All parts of the skeletons, including the skull, were damaged.It was because Mir, the apostle of Grid, suddenly burst in and ran wild.The ¡®Long Sword¡¯ and ¡®Large Staff,¡¯ who lost thest of their troops to him, barely managed to retreat and were now being chased.


    Step.


    Sunset hung over the deep dungeon.It was the aftermath of the appearance of a man wearing orange divinity.The man was Damian.He was a tycoon who rose to the position of pope a few months ago and had virtually achieved religious unity.Damian was the one behind the recapture of theYatan Church, which had been upied by the No Offspring Tomb. Damian¡¯s power was unparalleled because he could use the Grid church members as his limbs.


    ¡°Hi, skeleton senseis.¡±


    ¡°¡±.......¡±¡±


    Long Sword and Large Staff were an elite death knight and elite lich.It meant they were the elite among the elites.They were undead, but they were high grade existences capable of expressing emotions with their facial expressions, which was a considerable strength.It could be used as a means to instill fear in the enemy and discourage them.But now, on the contrary, it acted as a weakness.


    Their expressions were rotten due to Damian¡¯s low-grade words and actions that didn¡¯t match his presence. They expressed their agitation to the enemy.


    The smile disappeared from Damian¡¯s face.¡°You are terrified.¡±


    ¡°¡±What? I was just speechless because it is absurd!¡±¡±Large Staff roared at Damian, who spoke nonsense in a low voice.He was a being who was a great magician during his lifetime, and became an undead of his own choice.The lich was an unconventional being who abandoned his humanity in order to satisfy his academic passion.His self-esteem was high, so he was surprisingly agitated.


    Long Sword grabbed his neck as he rushed at Damian and pulled him away.The spear fell by a hair¡¯s breadth.It was a spear that would¡¯ve smashed into Large Staff¡¯s skull if Long Sword hadn¡¯t intervened.It was ¡®Grid¡¯s Spear.¡¯


    ¡°What a shame.¡±Among Damian¡¯s subordinates, there were few women who used a spear as their weapon.Out of all of them, there was only one woman who handled a spear made by Grid that had his own name.


    ¡°¡±Isabel...¡±¡±


    ¡°Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°¡±The name of the dog who betrayed her master is naturally famous. Shouldn¡¯t I remember it well in order to prevent getting hit in the back of the head?¡±¡¯


    ¡°How dare you speak ill of Isabel-chan?¡±


    His wife was insulted¡ªDamian¡¯s eyes widened in anger while troops poured in endlessly behind him.They were members of the Grid Church, which used to be called the Overgeared God Church.They were monsters of the surface known to use Grid¡¯s sword dance.Even so,LongSword didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°¡±Isn¡¯t this ce too narrow to exert a numerical advantage?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±In the first ce, we were the first to settle here.¡±¡±


    Large Staff regained hisposure and responded to Long Sword.He activated the magic circles installed throughout the dungeon, whileLong Swordstood at the narrow entrance to block the advance of the church members.


    ¡°¡±Everyone, die!¡±¡±


    The dungeon copsed.The church members buried in the rubble became a wall, preventing Damian and Isabel from moving forward.


    ¡°Damn. We missed them.¡±


    ¡°Their ability to run away is excellent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was no regret on Damian¡¯s face as he treated the injured.He guessed from the beginning that the enemy might¡¯ve set up a path of retreat.


    ¡°Well, it is enough to catch them again.¡±


    Damian was the pope. He led the Grid Church while also supporting the churches of the three gods and the Yatan Church, who lost their gods and wandered.The unit was at least in the ¡®billions,¡¯ so it meant there was a huge number of troops he could move.


    [The Pope, ¡®Damian,¡¯ has given a quest to all church members.]


    [Track down the remnants of the No Offspring Tomb that have run away!]


    An inescapable spread out.The members of the Grid Church, the followers of the three gods, and the members of the Yatan Church flocked to the forest where the dungeon was located and beyond it.


    ***


    ¡°¡±There must¡¯ve been an external problem.¡±¡±


    The undead of the No Offspring Tomb had existed for at least hundreds of years and were meant to exist forever.To them, time was a very vague concept.They couldn¡¯t contact the hunters who had gone on a hunt for more than a few months, but they didn¡¯t think much of it.


    Then doubts soon arose.The Specter seemed to be thirsty, so they became aware of the flow of time.


    ¡°¡°Send forth the Great and Brilliant Staff.¡±¡±


    It was the Specter¡¯s favorite Staff, aka the Specter¡¯s Staff, whomanded the liches of the No Offspring Tomb.It was intended to support the hunters they lost contact with and assess the situation.


    ¡°¡±Are you saying that the situation is serious enough for this body toe out?Huhu, okay. I¡¯m looking forward to getting some fresh air after a long time.¡±¡±


    The Great and Brilliant Staff left the No Offspring Tomb with seductive steps that didn¡¯t look like a skeleton.There were as many as 20 liches following her.It was a force that could destroy a vast kingdom within a day.However...


    ¡°¡±You have lost contact with the Great and Brilliant Staff? It can¡¯t be helped... send the Large and Curved Staff.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±We also lost contact with the Large and Curved Staff...¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±.......¡±¡±


    No matter how many times they dispatched new troops, the same thing was repeated.The servants of the great Specter went missing as soon as they left the No Offspring Tomb.


    ¡°¡±Grid was a human god and ascended to an Only One God, right? It probably has something to do with him.¡±¡±


    In the end, they even came to the Specter¡¯sfavorite Sword, who was in charge of the death knights.


    ¡°¡±It is highly likely that he is protecting the human gods. I think we need to step out ourselves.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Grid... the guy who defeated the fake Martial God...¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±The guy? Pay attention to the title.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Damn... I dared to show disrespect to the great one...¡±¡±


    All the gods in the world existed for the sake of the Specter.One day, they would be the Specter¡¯s prey.It was only when a god was acknowledged as great that the Specter¡¯s achievements would be great as well.


    ¡°¡±I¡¯ll go.¡±¡±


    In the end, the specter¡¯s favorite Sword, aka the Specter¡¯s Sword, stepped out directly.


    Only One God Grid¡ªhis divinity would¡¯ve expanded upon defeating the fake Martial God, so he would be extremely powerful.He decided that only he, as one of the Specter¡¯sexecutives, would be able to observe Grid¡¯s movements.After a while¡ª


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    The Specter¡¯s Sword led a small number of elite troops and became very shocked.It was because he encountered humans as soon as he left the No Offspring Tomb.


    ¡°This guy seems to have a higher rating?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is a really propitious site for a grave.¡±


    Four human beings¡ªthere were bones all around them.These were the traces of the reinforcements who previously disappeared.


    ¡°¡±Ipetent guys¡­ you were hunted by mere humans, not the Only One God Grid.¡±¡±


    The prey of the No Offspring Tomb had always been gods.It was an unimaginable disgrace to be killed by a human being.


    ¡°¡±Die...¡±¡±the Specter¡¯s Swordmanded.He stood in ce without pulling out his sword andmanded his subordinates.They were a huge 10 elite death knights.It wasn¡¯t enough for four human beings to handle...


    ¡°¡±.......!¡±¡±


    The purple light in the eyes of the Specter¡¯s Sword grew somewhatrger.He saw a white giant suddenly appearing and cruelly trampling on the death knights.


    ¡°¡±A magic machine...? Additionally, the driving skills are out of the ordinary. You had something to believe in.¡±¡±


    The Specter¡¯s Sword drew his weapon and rushed forward.It was precisely aimed at Zibal.He judged Zibal to be the greatest threat.


    ¡°U-Uh?¡±


    Zibal¡¯s face turned white.It was because the Specter¡¯s Sword was incredibly fast as he approached while narrowlydodging Raiders¡¯offensive.It had been half a year since he settled at the entrance of the No Offspring Tomb.Zibal had fought against numerous death knights so far. From his perspective, the Specter¡¯s Sword was an opponenton adifferent dimension.It was only after a clear sword light was carved that there was a loud sound.


    The moment Raiders¡¯ spear pierced through the empty air, Zibal got arge sword wound to his chest.


    ¡°¡±Die...¡±¡±the Specter¡¯s Sword proimed as he jumped high and shed down.The sword precisely reached Zibal¡¯s heart.However, killing Zibal was a tough task even for a dragon.


    The power of the Seven Malignant Saints, Providence¡ªZibal had the strongest escape power in Satisfy.


    ¡°¡±This power?¡±¡±Specter¡¯s Sword noticed Zibal¡¯s identity and reached out to the left. Immediately, a purple aura expanded and blocked Chris¡¯ surprise attack.


    ¡°Is thisreally a transcendent?¡±Chris clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Even the rating is high. It is better to retreat first.¡±Hurent judged.He swung the legendary aura like a whip and bound the hands and feet of the Specter¡¯s Sword.


    Haster was already activating the magic of the Red Sage.It was magic to put shields on his party members and return them to a ce he remembered.


    [Advanced magic has intervened in your magic.]


    [Your magic casting has been canceled.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°¡±Where are you trying to escape?¡±¡±


    The new enemy made Chris¡¯ group pale.Of course, Haster wasn¡¯t a magician.However, theSpecter¡¯s Staff, who forcibly canceled Haster¡¯s magic casting, was probably a powerhouse on par with the Specter¡¯s Sword.


    ¡°¡±These are the rat-like guys who have been making us suffer for so long.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Control your strength. I think it is better to capture them alive.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±What are we going to do by capturing humans?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±They are legends. There are even those who can use the magic machines and the power of the Seven Malignant Saints mixed in.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Huh...?You are amazing people. It is an honor to meet you. I will treat you with respect.¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    [The time attack quest ¡®Escape¡¯ has urred!]


    [Run away within the time limit! You are likely to receive a huge penalty if you are captured by the enemy!]


    ¡°Zibal! Use Providence!¡±


    ¡°I just used it, so the cooldown time...¡±


    ¡°They look like crazy guys but they are really crazy.¡±


    It happened as Chris¡¯ group was making a fuss.


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    The Specter¡¯s Sword and the Specter¡¯s Staff were the first to notice the anomaly.They looked up at the sky.They read it with their transcendent senses.


    High in the sky¡ªthere was something lurking beyond the clouds.A hazy shadow loomed over the ground.It was a shadow that deepened rapidly as something huge started to emerge through the clouds.


    ¡°¡±What is this...?¡±¡±


    An iprehensible realm¡ªsomething so big that it was impossible to guess the size was constantly releasing sparks.No, they were too big to be sparks. Theygradually grew...


    ¡°XX! Scatter!¡±


    The frightened Chris and the others scattered.This was one of the disadvantages ofMeteor.It was hard to distinguish between friends and foes.


    ¡°Ah...¡±The captain of the Overgeared Artillerymen, Lost Justice, groaned as she btedly realized her mistake.

 Chapter 1735

    <h4>Chapter 1735</h4>


    A bombardment required mathematics.No matter how good the performance of the cannon, it was useless if the correct coordinate values weren¡¯t calcted.


    This was one of the reasons why Lost Justice chose to be an artilleryman.She ran a clothing shop and made tens of thousands of clothes. This meant she was a master of aligning angles. Based on her experience of doing it thousands of times a day, she measured the angle of the bombardment in an amazing manner.


    She often heard people asking if she would rather be a tailor if she wanted to use her specialty, but this was the insensitive meddling of people who knew nothing.


    Doing what she did in real life in Satisfy as well?Would she still be able to enjoy Satisfy?Not at all.Rather, she would¡¯ve felt it was a second workce and quit from the stress.


    ¡®It has been a while since I¡¯ve had a chance to y an active role in frontof Grid.¡¯


    The Overgeared Artillerymen¡ªitwas eversince bing the head of a guild with the name of Overgeared.Lost Justice had been trying to repay Grid for believing in her and entrusting her with this heavy duty. She was often more faithful to Satisfy than her main job, and gained level and experience.It was an effort to use the Overgeared Cannons better than anyone else. She was originally talented, so this effort paid off.She was proud of her one hundred hits in a hundred shots.


    Now she was able to bring out the full potential of the weapon: the cannon. It was especially so when it was the Overgeared Cannon that she treated like her own body.Lost Justice was proud of being in a realm where she was ¡®one with the object.¡¯This was even though she wasn¡¯t a legend or transcendent.Originally, a craftsman was like a sword that had been forged with time and experience.


    The years of growing with the divine object, the Overgeared Cannon, were Lost Justice¡¯s skill and pride.


    -We can¡¯t make any mistakes and must do well!


    -Yes!


    Tomb of the Gods¡ªthe members of the Overgeared Artillerymen aboard the superrge flying ship were initially very nervous.Some were overwhelmed by the enormous size of the flying ship, while others were worried about whether they could quickly adapt to the divine object.


    However, the cannon they saw when sitting in the artillery seat was familiar.It was the Overgeared Cannon they had been using.The only difference was that it was created by Greed.


    -Eh?Isn¡¯t this something that we can¡¯t control?


    -Yes.The material is Greed...


    -Isn¡¯t it just auto-firing?Do we just need to calcte the coordinates from the side?


    -Greed can¡¯t speak ormunicate. How can we calcte the coordinates?


    -Shh.


    Lost Justice calmed the bewildered crew andid her hand on the Overgeared Cannon.


    [The Tomb of the Gods has recognized the yer ¡®Lost Justice.¡¯]


    [You have permission to use the weapon.]


    [All functions of the Overgeared Cannon are activated.]


    It was the permission of Grid.Permissionto permeatea part of him.It was the best reward for Lost Justice and the artillerymen.It was proof that they had gained the trust of Grid, whom they had long admired.


    -From now on, we are Grid¡¯s cannons!


    -Uwahhh!


    The artillerymen, who had been active in all types of battles, were more powerful and enthusiastic than ever.Now¡ª


    [The effect of Greed has caused ¡®Disintegrate¡¯ to ur.]


    [The effect of Greed has caused ¡®Meteor¡¯ to ur.]


    [The effect of Greed has caused ¡®Meteor¡¯ to...]


    ......


    ...


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was the unimaginable power of the Overgeared Cannons made by Greed.The moment they fired it, spears of light shed and meteorites fell one after another.It was a spectacr sight that couldn¡¯t be seen even in the Great Human and Demon War.It retained a transcendence as strong as the power shown by the gods who served Zeratul when they first confronted Grid¡¯s apostles.Naturally, it was proportional to its power.


    The endless procession of meteorites had the power to threaten even their allies on the ground, so Lost Justice and the artillerymen were forced to feel worried.They couldn¡¯t believe that the historic moment when the Tomb of the Gods first set sail would be decorated with a team kill... their faces turned white.


    ¡°¡±What is this... did that being called Braham invent magic that could divide into tens or hundreds?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±That sounds absurd.¡±¡±


    On the ground...


    The spection of the Specter¡¯s Sword as he witnessed the bombardment of meteorites from the sky touched the heart of the Specter¡¯s Staff.Multiplying himself into tens or hundreds and casting hundreds of great magic spells at once?It was nonsense.It was impossible even if Braham was theGod of Magic.It was because this wasn¡¯t in the realm of magic itself.


    ¡°¡±If it isn¡¯t magic, then what is it?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±I don¡¯t know. I can only interpret it as the power of the great god, Grid.¡±


    The ground was shaken by the bombardment.The forest was no longer a forest.The No Offspring Tomb, which gradually disguised itself as a mountain as the years passed, started to reveal its huge appearance to the world.It was a disaster caused by the bombardment of that ignorantlyrge flying ship.


    [The ¡®No Offspring Tomb¡¯ has been revealed to the world.]


    [It is a great achievement of the ¡®Tomb of the Gods.¡¯]


    The map of the world was updated along with these world messages.In the middle of the southeast, the name ¡®No Offspring Tomb¡¯ was engraved when it hadn¡¯t existed before.It was as important as their of the Fire Dragon Trauka.


    Kuoooooh...


    The bombardment, which seemed to never end, finally stopped.After the hazy smoke was cleared and the entrance of the No Offspring Tomb exposed, the ground resembled the surface of the moon.It was due to the craters that appeared everywhere.The Specter¡¯s Sword and the Specter¡¯s Staff in the center were unharmed.


    The magic shot by Greed was affected by the user¡¯s stats.The destructive power of Meteor that poured out from the Overgeared Cannons was practically just the power that came from its mass.In fact, the power of Disintegrate, which was activated before Meteor, was poor.This was a story of when the Specter¡¯s Sword and the Specter¡¯s Staff were targeted.The dozens of death knights and liches that followed them were considerably damaged. They couldn¡¯t fully handle the mass of Meteor.


    ¡°¡±That is really a flying No Offspring Tomb. It is a disadvantage to face it head-on.¡±¡±


    The judgment of the Specter¡¯s Sword and Staff were quick.They turned their backs without hesitation and tried to escape inside the No Offspring Tomb.They nned to use the ce where the Tomb of the Gods wouldn¡¯t be able to enter.


    ¡°Cowards! Are you running away?¡±Chris¡¯ group barely survived and tried to provoke them, but failed.Huroi was the only person in the world who could provoke a higher ranking transcendent with just a few words.


    ¡°They must be worried about their master¡¯s osteoporosis.¡±And there was Huroi.He just dropped from the Tomb of the Gods.It was while riding on a wyvern.¡°There will be no cartge left in the joints of the old one in the back room who has been hiding for a long time. If there is no one to support it from the side, I¡¯m afraid that even movement will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡±...This guy, are you talking about our master right now?¡±¡±


    The Specter¡¯s Sword couldn¡¯t help stopping his movements and gritting his teeth. The Staff advised him not to fall for these low-grade tricks, but he ignored it.


    ¡°¡°How dare you talk about age and joints to a great god who is discussing eternity?¡±¡±


    ¡°Eternity? Hasn¡¯t it just survived by fiercely disguising the tomb as a mountain? I don¡¯t know if it is talking about eternity.¡±


    ¡°¡±You... I will kill you...¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Tsk.¡±¡±


    The Specter¡¯s Staff finally gave up persuasion.He left the Specter¡¯s Sword, who drew his sword in an agitated manner, and entered the No Offspring Tomb with his subordinates.


    Step.


    The Specter¡¯s Sword blocked the entrance of the No Offspring Tomb and released purple aura in all directions.Itwas aurathat shattered like mirror shards and expanded the area further.Hurent saw through the nature of the aura with the authority of an Aura Master and his heart sank.


    ¡°The nature of reflecting the enemy¡¯s skills, while giving a buff to increase all attributes...¡±


    Of course, Huroi was both a legend and transcendent.He would be much stronger than Hurent.However, strength was always rtive.Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for Huroi to go against that monstrous death knight?It happened as Hurent was feeling concerned...


    p!


    The wyvern carrying Huroi slowly pped its wings. It was a motion that gradually soared into the sky.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Why didn¡¯t hee down and instead soared up high?Chris¡¯s group was wondering about this while the altitude of the wyvern carrying Huroi kept increasing. It was about to fly to the Tomb of the Gods again.It was only then that Chris¡¯ group and the Specter¡¯s Sword realized his intention.


    ¡®Running away?¡¯


    ¡°It isn¡¯t running away. It is stepping down.¡±


    It is my role to fight with my mouth, not my body.


    Huroi¡¯s hair fluttered as he added an exnation.It was the traces of a certain air wave passing by him.By the time that Chris and the others noticed this, the purple aura that the Specter¡¯s Sword scattered was already crumbling helplessly.


    ¡°¡±Ahhh...¡±¡±the Specter¡¯s Swordmented.The long sword in his hand was raised above his skull.It was an attempt to prevent the sword attack that was like a natural disaster.Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t pay off.His skull was cracked apart.


    ¡°¡±I dared to fathom an Absolute being...¡±


    The executive of the No Offspring Tomb, who had built up his transcendent status even after death, was disastrously destroyed.The hungry beasts of the ruined forest fell toward the coveted bones.Grid crushed him by trampling on him and turned his head to Chris and the others, who couldn¡¯t understand the situation.¡°The level of the enemies was quite high. I can see how much the four of you have struggled so far.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Chris and the others btedly questioned it.Since when had Grid been standing in front of them?


    Their hair and clothes started to flutter wildly as they were speechless.It was because the Tomb of the Gods slowlynded.Apart from the artillerymen, all the Overgeared members jumped down one by one. It was while using skills or magic. It was to avoid crashing to the ground because the Tomb of the Gods was so huge.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to build a staircase.¡¯


    The Tomb of the Gods would be a city where merchants and people coulde and go freely¡ªGrid thought this with a pleased expression before summoning the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, Randy, and the vampires.He set the 10 meritorious retainers as the captains of each Overgeared unit.


    ¡°Go on a rampage and be enthusiastic. I will move separately with Skunk.¡±


    If the Tomb of the Gods was a moving city, then the No Offspring Tomb was an ancient city buried underground.Many secrets were hiding there.It was well worth investigating and it was necessary to find the owner of the tomb right away.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it possible that the body of that old being will move separately?¡¯


    The No Offspring Tomb had many things that bothered him and made his steps heavier, but... Grid moved forward without hesitation.


    [The ¡®Specter of the No Offspring Tomb¡¯ has woken up after noticing your visit.]


    [The presence of the specter has greatly increased the level of the lifeless. The increase is affected by the target¡¯s status.]


    [The level of the steel jiangshi created by the Overgeared member, ¡®Bullet,¡¯ has increased by 5 each.]


    [The level of the poisonous jiangshi created by the Overgeared member, ¡®Bullet,¡¯ has increased by 10 each.]


    [The level of the blood jiangshi created by the Overgeared member, ¡®Bullet,¡¯ has increased by 20 each.]


    [The level of the ck horse jiangshi created by the Overgeared member, ¡®Bullet,¡¯ has increased by 50 each.]


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Tiramet,¡¯ has increased by 80.]


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Latina,¡¯ has increased by 80.]


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Cray,¡¯ has increased by 80.]


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Yetima,¡¯ has increased by 80.]


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Elfin Stone,¡¯ has increased by 120.]


    [The level of Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two has increased by 200 each.]


    [This effect is maintained while the ¡®Specter of the No Offspring Tomb¡¯ is awake.]


    ¡°...I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t normal.¡±


    The reason why Meteor couldn¡¯t identify between allies and enemies was simple.It was too strong.Penalties were created for a minimum of bnce.The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb was the same.Its buffs were so powerful that it couldn¡¯t distinguish between enemy and ally.


    For Grid, it was quite tempting information.


    ¡®Can¡¯t I convinceit tobe on the same side? If its purpose is to simply build up divinity, then there is no reason why it would refuse to join me.¡¯


    Of course, this was wishful thinking.The reason why the Specter built up divinity was most likely because it was obsessed with the power to protect someone buried in the No Offspring Tomb.


    ¡®Before that...¡¯


    Grid activated the option of Fenrir¡¯s Cloak.¡°Come out, Fenrir.¡±


    Grid was going to solve the homework that he had put off for various reasons.Arge amount of blood seeped out from the cloak and formed a storm.Inthe midst of it, the former vampire marquis took shape. He looked exactly like his previous appearance.


    ¡°Maybe it is because I took a long break... I am full of strength.¡±


    [The level of the direct descendant vampire, ¡®Fenrir,¡¯ has increased by 200.]


    Fenrir¡ªthe only vampire who hadn¡¯t submitted to Grid yet.


    ¡°It has been a long time, you damn newbie.¡±


    He looked down at Grid with a very arrogant expression.


    ¡°Where is Braham? Bring him into my sight right now. I will give the two of you an early death together.¡±

 Chapter 1736

    <h4>Chapter 1736</h4>


    Fenrir remembered death¡ªhis own death.It was on that day...


    Braham, the lunatic who was exiled after the tragedy of killing his kin, joined forces with humans to invade the city.Fenrir couldn¡¯t handle the man who did all sorts of despicable tricks, such as assassinating Hachika with a separate party (?) sent earlier.Above all, the power of the Blood King Candidate Grid was outstanding.


    ¡®...Yes, I am definitely dead.¡¯


    There was a reason why it wasn¡¯t the past tense.He could feel that his heart wasn¡¯t beating.He had to tune the flow of blood purely with magic.Currently, Fenrir relied on the ¡®soul that doesn¡¯t perish¡¯ to awaken the form of his body and consciousness. If he had topare it, he was close to a lich who looked alive.


    The reason for his soul¡¯s failure to perish was simple¡ªit was an innate blessing.The souls of those who directly inherited the blood of their mother, who was one of the Three Evils of the Beginning, were solid.Even if they died, they could maintain their souls until they met the conditions for resurrection.


    Like now.


    ¡°Wait¡­ now that I see you, this newbie guy, you have woken up not only me, but allof ¡®us.¡¯¡±


    Fenrir calmed down his excitement and sensed it.Ruson, Tiramet, Latina, Cray, Yetima, Elfin Stone¡­the souls of his siblings were felt in all directions.Somehow, in this darkbyrinth, his siblings were moving in real time.They were reduced to the same form as himself.


    Fenrir seemed to open his eyes again just after being killed by the Blood King in front of him, who had an ominous aura wrapped around his body.¡°Are you finally going to take my family into your hands and fulfill your duties as the Blood King? Are you going to avenge my mother, who has nothing to do with you, and go on an expedition to hell, cutting off the veins of my family...?!¡¯


    Fenrir was the main culprit behindBeriachegiving birth to Marie Rose.He was born with the duty to be the Blood King and help avenge his mother, but he refused to do so even though he gained the strongest powers of ¡®domination¡¯ and ¡®struggle.¡¯He thought revenge was pointless.Fenrir argued that it was right to look to the future rather than dwell on the past.


    In Braham¡¯s words, it was a coward¡¯s excuse.Braham didn¡¯t want to admit that the one who was sabotaging the present due to the Curse of Sloth dared to discuss the future. He hated Fenrir and treated Fenrir like he was pathetic.


    On the other hand, Grid understood Fenrir¡¯s position to some extent.The moment his immediate family dedicated their lives to revenge¡ªit just proved that Beriache had given birth to them purely to use them as a tool of revenge.


    Maybe Fenrir didn¡¯t like this.His care for his siblings seemed genuine.Of course, his life was the most precious thing, but this was the same for most people.


    ¡°Hell is full of monsters. The great demons you yed on the surface aren¡¯t even a problem. Hell is full of great demons that are far more powerful than the great demons who have invaded the surface. It also wouldn¡¯t be strange if the mutant called Baal secretly created monsters that are more than the great demons. Invading a ce like that would be suicide.¡±


    Fenrir gritted his teeth.It was an effort to stop the flood of words.He was reminded of the fact that Grid was born human.He thought calmly that he could move Grid¡¯s heart if he persuaded this person well. Thus, he calmed his agitation and chose his words.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s hit you first. Don¡¯t make cowardly excusester. Hurry and call Braham. It would be quicker tomand the two of you after you have died rather than take time to persuade you.¡±


    The problem was that the words he chose were influenced by the power of struggle.Fenrir¡¯s patience often ran out quickly. He easily showed his temperament to fight.If Marie Rose had ovee the Curse of Sloth...if she seriously considered an expedition to hell, Fenrir would¡¯ve also confronted Marie Rose.In any case¡ª


    ¡®The odds of victory are sufficient.¡¯


    Fenrir thought that he could overpower Grid with ease.There were three pieces of evidence.


    First¡ªthe reason he was defeated by Grid in the past was because he was outnumbered. He was confident that he would¡¯ve never been defeated if they fought one-on-one.It was a perfectly reasonable guess.It was impossible for him to be defeated by a human being when he was the second strongest ofBeriache¡¯schildren.


    Second¡ªhe was much stronger now than he was in the past.He didn¡¯t know why, but the quality of his magic power and blood had be several times more powerful.


    Third¡ªhe couldn¡¯t feel any traces of Marie Roseon Grid.It was proof that Grid hadn¡¯t been exploited by Marie Rose yet.It was whether Grid refused to copte for some reason, or Marie Rose rejected Grid.He didn¡¯t know the circumstances before or after.


    ¡®Maybe it is just that not much time has passed.¡¯


    He had no memory of after he died.He didn¡¯t know if this was years after he died or only a few hours.In any case, it was good news for Fenrir that Grid didn¡¯t be Marie Rose¡¯s servant.It meant that Marie Rose wouldn¡¯t pop up when Grid was in danger.


    In the current situation, there was only one thing Fenrir had to be wary of when facing Grid.It was the unidentified orange aura.It was something that aroused an instinctive rejection.In a way, it was a divine power.It was different from the divine power of the members of the churches of the three gods, so it must be the divinity of some misceneous god.


    ¡®Did he sign a contract with a human god?¡¯


    Bing an apostle of a god would allow the user of some of the god¡¯s power, so it was coveted.


    ¡®It is insignificant if it is the power of a misceneous god.¡¯


    Fenrir elerated the operation of magic power.He drew out the blood from his body and wrapped it around himself as armor, creating a magical omen.


    ¡°Hiiik...¡±


    The scene in front of Skunk was like a dream.


    It was after entering the No Offspring Tomb.The Overgeared Guild organized 10 squads with the 10 meritorious retainers as the captains and dispersed.Thebyrinth was so huge that there were many passages avable.Before they knew it, there were only two people left at the site, Grid and Skunk.


    The No Offspring Tomb¡ªonly the two of them were alone in a ce the system determined was as dangerous as a dragon¡¯sir.To be honest, he couldn¡¯t help being nervous even if he was with Grid.In such a situation, a bigshot called Fenrir appeared.


    The vampire who was the strongest out of the direct descendants except for Marie Rose.Wouldn¡¯t Braham, who was greater than Fenrir now, look so skinny and sullen when he was alive?


    The aura around Fenrir, who resembled Braham to a certain extent, was extremely fierce.He didn¡¯t shrink back against Only One God Grid, so there seemed to be something he believed in.


    Thendscape became dyed red.It was the blood emitted by Fenrir.There were inherent grudges, hatred, and murder in it.Even those who didn¡¯t know the rtionship between Fenrir and Grid could clearly recognize Fenrir¡¯s hostility toward Grid, expressing a thick emotional line through the medium of blood.


    ¡°In the end, you didn¡¯t call for Braham. No, perhaps you can¡¯t call him? It must have something to do with the reason why you didn¡¯t sleep with Marie Rose... well, it is fine. Die while ming your own ipetence.¡±


    In the end, the blood that stained the entire area took the form of all types of weapons.It was almost as if he generated all types of magic that could be used with blood magic.Fenrir was actively using his power, which had somehow be stronger. He didn¡¯t ignore Grid, so he didn¡¯t let down his guard at all.It was a rush of weapons that easily broke through the speed of sound.


    Indeed, Grid wasn¡¯t able to react hastily.The magic creation and bombardment were so fast that he couldn¡¯t think of a countermeasure and stiffened.Fenrir saw Grid unable to even draw his sword and felt assured of the unexpectedly empty victory.


    ¡®Did I be too strong?¡¯


    Maybe he was born with a temperament where he got stronger as he died.It would be his mother¡¯s arrangement.She must¡¯ve given him a hidden power to ovee all the hardships he would face in hell andplete his revenge.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I will never go to hell.¡¯


    Fenrir renewed hismitment and turned around.He was waiting for Grid¡¯s screams that would soon be heard.He nned to leave this unknown ce and return to his haven.


    ¡°......¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s eyes trembled slightly.Grid, who should¡¯ve died behind him, was standing right in front of him.


    ¡°Is it Shunpo...? Yes, you are both a legend and transcendent.¡±


    After all, Grid was the one who killed even, even if it was with the assistance of the despicable Braham.A transcendent status must be the basics.Fenrir shook his hand in Grid¡¯s direction like he was annoyed and a torrent of blood followed.Ithit Gridfrom all directions. It also meant his view was blocked. It was to discourage the use of Shunpo.


    Grid¡¯s mouth curved upwards.


    ¡®He has the best talent right after Marie Rose.¡¯


    It was a talent far superior to the human gods he found and rescued recently.Fenrir was a tremendous talent, even considering that he had received the Specter¡¯s buff and gained 200 levels. Grid definitely wanted to make him a subordinate.However, Grid knew it wasn¡¯t easy.Fenrir was a being born with the power of struggle and domination.He fought with his mother and ended up causingBeriacheto die.He wasn¡¯t simply someone who could be subdued by force.


    Grid had no choice but to wait for a good opportunity toe.It happened today.He finally got a chance.


    Fenrir was sharply strengthened by the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb.What if he overwhelmingly defeated Fenrir, who was filled with a confidence he never had before?


    ¡°......?¡±


    A cutting sound of an unknown origin entered Fenrir¡¯s ears.The bloody light that filled his slightly erged eyes was btedly split in half.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    A question lingered in his mind.Against his will, Fenrir¡¯s tilted field of view was falling sharply.It was until he could see the Falling Moon Sword in Grid¡¯s hand.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Fenrir btedly realized the situation and hurriedly used ¡®Shedding.¡¯The headless body was split in half and a new body pulled out from within it. It was aplete body.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Fenrir backed away after recovering.He didn¡¯t dare resist Grid, who was approaching with leisurely steps. He was afraid of the fluttering divinity.


    Grid slowly opened his mouth, ¡°If it is the expedition to hell, you don¡¯t have to worry. It is going pretty smoothly, regardless ofBeriache¡¯srevenge.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Fenrir¡¯s heart sank.It was due to the sight that appeared in his mind.It was the sight of Grid cutting down Baal.It was drawn naturally without any basis.No, there was a basis.It was Grid¡¯s power that he just experienced.


    ¡°A thousand years... has it been around a thousand years?¡± Fenrir murmured to himself.


    A human being had grown into a monster like this.Hundreds of years weren¡¯t enough.Therefore, Fenrir mentioned a thousand years.It was while respecting Grid who endured these long years with a mere human body.

 Chapter 1737

    <h4>Chapter 1737</h4>


    ¡°A thousand years? It hasn¡¯t even been ten years, let alone a thousand years...¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The words that Skunk blurted out in a flustered manner¡ªFenrir noticed that the words weren¡¯t false and was shocked.It was to the point where he got the illusion that his stopped heart was thumping.It wasexcitementin a positive sense.


    He lookedat Grid.A man who had, in a few years,pleted a status that even famous people needed a thousand years to umte¡ªMuller and Chreshler¡¯s names seemed ridiculouspared to Grid.


    Fenrir, who was half mesmerized, managed to straighten his expression and bowed his head.


    ¡°I respect you. Even the Blood King, who has the fate of the family, is just a small role for you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect there woulde a day when treated someone other than his mother with respect.Fenrir was surprised by this attitude but didn¡¯t feel shame.His head bowed naturally out of respect, not fear. It wasn¡¯t something to be ashamed of.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t because of Marie Rose that he didn¡¯t mate with her. It was because he refused.¡¯


    Fenrir was delighted when thinking about Marie Rose, who would''ve had felt great shame.He didn¡¯t hate her like Braham, but he had no reason to like her.


    ¡°In any case, I won¡¯t disobey you as long as the words ¡®Blood King¡¯ means you.¡±


    The reason why Fenrir had been at odds withBeriache, Marie Rose, and Braham was because he refused to get revenge for his mother. He wasn¡¯t convinced about his family¡¯s lives being devoted to an unwinnable battle.But this was no longer the case.He saw a chance of winningthrough Grid.There was no reason to confront Grid.


    [The vampire marquis, ¡®Fenrir,¡¯ hasrecognized your skills and has taken back his hostility. He has abandoned his past grudges before the cause and will cooperate with you as much as possible in the future.]


    The situation that Grid had been expecting arrived.He made Fenrir hispanion with a few words.However, Grid hesitated a bit.


    ¡®It is a pity to end it like this.¡¯


    A shing notification window on one side of his field of view attracted Grid¡¯s attention.


    [Do you want to designate the previous action as a skill?]


    [Extreme BloodDestruction]


    [If you are targeted by blood magic, immediately draw the Falling Moon Sword and use 200,000 Army CrushingSword.


    It will crush the blood magic and decapitate the target.


    *Shares the cooldown of the Falling Moon Sword and 200,000 Army Crushing Sword.]


    This was one of the characteristics of an Absolute.Actions could be specified as skills.The power of the existing movements didn¡¯t increase just because it became a skill, but it had the advantage of maximizing convenience.The process of taking out the weapon and using the skill was executed immediately with onemand value, and there was no need to manually link it. It meant he could relieve the fatigue caused by battle.


    ¡®It seems the ¡®result¡¯ is stored as well...¡¯


    It was the result of crushing the blood magic and decapitating the target.Grid pondered on the skill description and felt the need to experiment a bit more.Fenrir happened to be a very strong target.


    ¡°Your manner of talking is annoying.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you end up disobeying me? It is as if you are being generous.¡±


    In the first ce, Fenrir was a vampire with a fighting nature.If he didn¡¯t educate Fenrir clearly, then he would surely rebel one day.Of course, Fenrir felt it was unfair.


    ¡°It is a misunderstanding. You know that I have no reason to disrespect you, right?¡±


    ¡°The way you call me ¡®you¡¯ is disrespectful from the start.¡±


    ¡°...Keuk!¡±


    Fenrir was looking for a way to refute it, only to hurriedly step back.The God Hands that Grid extended in all directions were destroying the strange rocks in this unknown cave.It was an opportunity to reveal the exact shape of Grid¡¯s divinity.


    A yellow dragon¡ªa dragon that resembled a dragon from the east floated behind Grid¡¯s back.It repeatedly stretched and twisted its body as if responding to Grid¡¯s movements. It gave off a formidable threat when it opened its mouth.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡±


    What was the difference between this and a dragon¡¯s energy?The horrified Fenrir was actually weighed down by Dragon Fear.It was the aftermath of the hundreds of God Hands flying ording to Grid¡¯s will causing Dragon Fear, which had a ¡®30% chance of urring when attacking.¡¯


    ¡®If I designate this result as a skill, can I use Dragon Fear whenever I want?¡¯


    Turning a probability skill into a definitive skill¡ªwould it be possible?Grid seriously thought about it.He didn¡¯t think he was being shameless.Designate Skill was the authority of an Absolute.It was natural to perform miracles beyondmon sense.


    [Do you want to designate the previous action as a skill?]


    [God Hands Random Strike]


    [Move 310 God Hands to unexpectedly strike from all directions.


    Dragon Fear is generated as an additional effect.


    *The additional effect doesn¡¯t ur when the Dragon Fear skill is in cooldown.]


    In fact, the probability of Dragon Fear urring was as high as 30%. It was correct to say that if he attacked 310 times with the God Hands, it would almost unconditionally ur.Still, probability was probability.There could be no such thing as 100%.Yet based on the description of God Hands Random Strike, the urrence of Dragon Fear was confirmed.


    ¡®If it is like this...¡¯


    After designating God Hands Random Strike as a skill, Grid held an auxiliary weapon that was for a God Hand and performed a single sword dance.He slowed it down enough so that Fenrir could react.Even then, Fenrir barely reacted and couldn¡¯t fully handle it, but he endured it anyway.


    The sword that Grid wielded wasn¡¯t made of Greed, but ordinary ck iron.He didn¡¯t have to suffer being targeted by Meteor or Disintegrate, so he survived rtively easily.


    ¡°What grudge do you have against meto actso cruelly...?¡±


    Fenrir used Blood Transfusion and immediately regenerated his left arm, which had been severed by Kill.He had no idea that Grid was actually showing his mercy.Grid was a bit disappointed, but he concentrated without showing it.The single sword dances of Pinnacle, Link, Wave, Restraint, and Serve were slowly used.This was done repeatedly until God''sCommand¡¯s urred.


    It was by the time Fenrir finally used the ultimate skill ¡®Resurrection Blood Transfusion¡¯...


    [Do you want to designate the previous action as a skill?]


    [Do you want to designate the previous action...]


    [Do you want to designate...]


    ......


    ...


    [Pinnacle-God¡¯s Command]


    [Grid¡¯s Sword Dance ¡®Pinnacle¡¯ is used.


    God''s Command will ur as an additional effect.]


    [Link-God¡¯s Command]


    [Grid¡¯s Sword Dance ¡®Link¡¯ is used.


    God''s Command will ur as an additional effect.]


    ......


    ...


    Grid achieved the desired result.It was only for the single sword dance, but he could use God''s Command 100% of the time.He could intentionally enjoy the effect that originally could only be enjoyed by taking a penalty and obtaining the title the 4th Evil.


    ¡®This really works.¡¯


    Grid inwardly felt joy, but there was no end to human greed.


    ¡®I want to secure abination of the fusion sword dance and God''s Command.¡¯


    The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb was clearly a strong enemy.Grid wanted to designate as many skills as possible before meeting the Specter.Grid looked at the quivering Fenrir.Thanks to Resurrection Blood Transfusion, his appearance was fine, but his eyes were half dead.His contemtive appearance looked like he was on the verge of going half mad.


    ¡®I might break him if I do more here.¡¯


    From Fenrir¡¯s perspective, he was being abused without knowing the reason.This was even though he left his grudge behind and showed respect and goodwill to the man who killed him in the past.He had been pushed to the limit.In the end, Grid controlled his disappointment and put away his sword.


    ¡°Take a rest now. I¡¯ll call you again soon.¡±


    ¡°Why... why are you like this...¡±


    ¡°I think your words are getting shorter and shorter.¡±


    ¡°Kuock...!¡±


    Fenrir closed his mouth while convulsing and returned to a blood state. It quickly permeated into the cloak that Grid was wearing.


    Please rest well until the cooldown time of Resurrection Blood Transfusion returns.


    Grid saw Fenrir off, only to suddenly make eye contact with Skunk.Skunk¡¯s eyes looked like he had seen a ghost.His face was blue and it was as if he encountered a real beast. There was a worry that his butt would smell bad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I was just experimenting with something for a while, not maliciously harassing him. You know my personality, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I naturally know. I know it well...¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think he knows.¡¯


    It was just as he thought he needed to clear the atmosphere.


    [Only One God Grid...]


    [Your great myth will be buried in this grave...]


    A tremor urred and troops approached from the other side of the cave.They were soldiers that reached two meters tall.Their bodies made of baked y looked solid. It gave a feeling of fullness.


    ¡®They have the ¡®can¡¯t be harmed by the sword¡¯ passive installed.¡¯


    Grid recalled the information that Agnus gave him and took the lead.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Skunk was bewildered.It was because Grid never drew his weapon as he strode toward the troops.Skunk naturally believed in Grid, but Grid¡¯s powery in his items.The Grid without weapons would be inevitably weakened. Skunk couldn¡¯t understand why he was taking that risk...


    ¡°......¡±


    Skunk¡¯s doubts melted away.Hundreds of God Hands spread in all directions and smashed the troops.It was as if he witnessed a living and moving Thousand Hands of Avalokite?vara.


    ¡®He is really like a god.¡¯


    Skunk cast off his fears and hurried to catch up with Grid.


    ¡®This is really convenient.¡¯


    Grid repeatedly used God Hands Random Strike to wipe out the earthen soldiers and couldn¡¯t hide his satisfied expression.God Hands Random Strike only utilized the God Hands, so it naturally had no cooldown time.He was able to use it again and again.The only drawback was that Disintegrate and Meteor didn¡¯t activate.They were judged as Grid¡¯s Hands, not the God Hands.In other words, it was judged to be part of his body.


    Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed at all.If it was a matter of dropping magic, it was simply solved by giving weapons made of Greed to the God Hands.He shouldn¡¯t weaponize the God Hands in the first ce.There were more than one or two advantages to the God Hands being judged as Grid¡¯s hands.The reason why the God Hands were capable of manual work such as handling objects and crafting items was purely because it was judged as Grid¡¯s hands.


    ¡°This...?¡±


    Grid and Skunk stopped walking.


    In the middle of thebyrinth...


    A strange sight was unfolding in therge space beneath the sheer cliff.Something was hanging in the air.At first, he thought they were huge troops, but they were the image of deities.They were carved statues of human gods once worshiped by someone.They were hung upside down and bound by thick wire.


    ¡®By the way, they said that these guys left my statues upside down as well, right?¡¯


    What were they doing?


    Skunk cleared up Grid¡¯s doubts.He used skills derived from Explorer¡¯s Eye and various knowledge to understand the situation.¡°The reversal of divinity¡­ it implies reversing the existing cause and effect.¡±


    ¡°Reversing cause and effect?¡±


    ¡°It is changing the essence. Simply put, it is a symbol of evil gods...¡±


    Just then¡ª


    sh!


    The statues hanging upside down opened their eyes. It was with creepy, grotesque smiles on their faces.The dark demonic energy that was released from the open mouths of the statues swallowed the entire area.


    Skunk¡¯s vision darkened and Grid¡¯s divinity fluctuated dangerously like amp in the wind.

 Chapter 1738

    <h4>Chapter 1738</h4>


    [The anger of the evil god who lost his name has suppressed you. All stats are greatly reduced.]


    [The sadness of the evil god who lost his name makes you hesitate. You have fallen into the ¡®confusion¡¯ and ¡®loss¡¯ abnormal status.]


    [The madness of the evil god who abandoned his name is attacking you. All resources, including health and mana, won¡¯t be restored.]


    [The curse of the evil god blocks your vision and forbids the use of skills and magic.]


    ¡°You might¡¯ve already noticed, but we need to break the chains that bind you. If you break the chains and turn the upside down statues upright, the energy of the evil gods will be weakened.¡±


    His vision was blocked.Trapped in a world of nothing but darkness, Skunk couldn¡¯t discern the situation at the scene. He was reduced to a situation where he could only wait for his impending death.It was fine.He had observed his surroundings as much as possible when he first entered the space.He could give advice to Grid, who, unlike him, would have resisted the status abnormalities.


    ¡°Of course, breaking the chains won¡¯t be easy. If you don¡¯t think so, remember the number three. The shape of the statues, the patterns engraved on the statues, and the ornaments worn by the statues¡­ no, even the moss clinging to the walls or the pebbles on the ground are good. Unconditionally find and destroy what makes up this number three. If you don¡¯t find these three things, you have to reverse it. Make it as symmetrical as possible...¡±


    Then he heard a deafening explosion and the ground started to sink.It seemed that the evil gods, who manifested through the statues, and Grid had entered into battle.


    ¡°Kuek...¡±The ce for him to step had disappeared.Skunk floundered and started to fall into the endless underground, but he managed to squeeze out hisst words.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me!!¡±


    It was a cry for Grid¡¯s victory.It contained a desire for Grid to concentrate on the battle and not waste an opportunity while saving him.It was because Grid¡¯s victory was millions of times more valuable than his own life.


    ¡®He is the one who must reach heaven.¡¯


    Now everyone in the worldknewit.


    The conquest of Asgard¡ª¡®the end of the gods,¡¯ which people had reluctantly guessed would be the ending of Satisfy just a few years ago, was actually likely to be the beginning, not the end.There was even a 99.9% chance.Why?The heavenly gods had to disappear in order for people to use Satisfy for their own purposes and wishes.


    Yes, they were useless disruptors.They were just a danger lurking in the sky.Grid was needed to eliminate that risk.Grid had to continue bing stronger and stronger.Skunk couldn¡¯t hold him back in the name of being a colleague...


    ¡°Why are you acting so tragic?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    A vertical drop with his head pointed downward¡ªSkunk gritted his teeth and sighed as he prepared for the impending shock.Then Grid¡¯s hard arms supported his back.


    ¡°Why bother to take care of someone who will be resurrected even after death?¡±Skunk escaped from death and said somewhat nervously.He wasn¡¯t mad at Grid.He was angry at himself for creating a situation where he forced Grid.


    ¡°If I can save someone, then I should save them. Why should I let someone die when they shouldn¡¯t die and I¡¯m not a psychopath?¡±Grid opened his eyes wide and stuck out his tongue.


    Skunk saw it.His vision had suddenly recovered.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±Skunk looked puzzled as he was led by Grid andnded on the ground.The evilgodsthat should be rampaging were somehow quiet.


    Grid pointed to the open ceiling.¡°It is already over.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Skunk raised his head and his mouth dropped open.He witnessed that the statues of the gods were standing upright when they had been upside down a moment ago.The chains that bound and twisted the statues were broken.Grid swung the Falling Moon Sword in his hand.


    ¡°Cutting the chains is like chewing gum.¡±


    In fact,he had hesitatedfor 0.001 seconds.The evil gods who appeared from the statues all looked as strong as Fenrir.It meant they were perfect to use as a sandbag for Designate Skill.However, what could he do when it seemed like his colleague was going to die right away?The Designate Skill game could be yed at any time as long as there was Fenrir. Therefore, this could be postponed to the next time. Skunk¡¯s life was too precious.


    Grid wanted to protect Skunk¡¯s precious experience since he struggled to grow because of a nonbat profession.In the first ce, Skunk should be protected.He needed Skunk¡¯s knowledge and information to ovee the danger as easily as he did before. That was why they moved together.


    ¡°I can see why you are so popr.¡±


    ¡°Looking at me up close, I¡¯m pretty handsome, right?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it...Ah, no, I don¡¯t mean that you¡¯re ugly...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t misunderstand you. Jishuka told me this. The closer she looks at me, the more handsome I look. That¡¯s why she keeps wanting to kiss me or something. There are even rumors that Hollywood is flooded with screenys written with me in mind as the main character, so the words are right.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Skunk looked at Grid in the distance and smiled.Ever since bing a god, Grid had always shown maturity in front of people.He didn¡¯t leave even a trace of his old personality behind and lived up to what the public wanted.He dared to think that Grid was pitiful.He was worried that Grid would be weighed down by heavy responsibility and lose himself someday.


    However, he didn¡¯t see it now.Grid was still Grid.He just became a person who knew how to choose the time and ce.


    ¡°Are you less nervous now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back up.¡±


    Grid flew up with Skunk and quickly stood on the cliff again.The statues of the gods, sleeping peacefully in the space between the cliffs, seemed to be thanking him.They left the space behind and moved toward a newbyrinth.


    ¡°Maybe there are other spaces like this one in thebyrinth that the other squads are facing. Unfortunately, there will be many dropouts,¡±Skunk spoke with a dark expression.


    Meanwhile, Grid was unconcerned.Unlike Skunk, who btedly joined the Overgeared Guild, he had been with his colleagues for over 10 years.They were all his colleagues, except for Yura and Kraugel, who didn¡¯t participate in this expedition.


    Jishuka, Faker, Regas, Peak Sword, Pon, Vantner, Toban, Lae, Zednos, Euphemina, Coke, Ibellin, Chris, Zibal, etcetera¡ªGrid smiled as he recalled the faces of his colleagues and thought ofVantner¡¯sparticrly shiny bald head. Then he dered, ¡°There might be some casualties, but there will be no dropouts.¡±


    The evil gods¡ªthey were just remnants of the human gods who had been robbed of their myths and lost their names due to the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. Nevertheless, a god was a god.


    ¡°Everyone must be delighted that it is an opportunity to obtain divinity. They will fight the opponents tenaciously to the point of fear. Even if they die, they will try and try again.¡±


    It was an absolute belief.Grid didn¡¯t doubt the Overgeared members.He knew there were people who said they weren¡¯t goodpared to him, but that was only an evaluation whenpared to him.It was also hard for someone stronger than him to exist.Even the aloof Absolutes and dragons were amazed by the speed of his growth. How could his colleagues handle it?


    InGrid¡¯seyes, the growth rate of his colleagues was fast enough.Their years of tireless effort to match his steps weren¡¯t overlooked.


    ¡°In any case, this is what I want to say.¡±


    Grid paused for a moment and stared directly into Skunk¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anyone else and just care about yourself. I will worry about it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was an air like he wanted to take on all the worries of the world alone.After seeing Grid saying nonsense casually, Skunk vowed to be even a bit more helpful to Grid.He was following in the same steps as the other Overgeared members.The more responsibilities that Grid took on, the more people tried to share his responsibilities.


    Public esteem¡ªthis was Grid¡¯s greatest strength and wasparable to the power of his items.


    ***


    ¡°Why does something like this pop up out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ first of all, we need to find a picture of a worm-eaten fruit. Stick the key we just obtained into the left eye of a bird perched on the branch where the fruit is grown...¡±


    A huge mosaic¡ªa huge work of art filled the wall that wasposed of pieces of multicolored stone, colored ss, tiles, and seashells.It was a barrier blocking the way ahead.It appeared out of nowhere in the middle of thebyrinth and dazzled people with its magnificent beauty. It was also impossible to destroy it with physical force or magic.It was a ¡®quest device¡¯ that couldn¡¯t be cut even by the Falling Moon Sword.


    ¡®If I hade here alone, I would¡¯ve been blocked here.¡¯


    The mosaic was too big.It would¡¯ve been easier to search the painting if he could see it all with one nce, but thebyrinth was so narrow and winding that he couldn¡¯t get a proper viewing angle.Skunk spoke as Grid maintained his flying status and examined the picture, ¡°I¡¯m sure the other squads will face something like this. Still, don¡¯t worry. My colleagues will be able to solve problems like this.¡±


    A few years ago, Skunks¡¯ entire expedition group joined the Overgeared Guild.The adventurers who had been working with Skunk for a long time were now deployed with each squad.


    ¡°It is reliable.¡±


    The more they worked together, the more trust they umted.The two people put aside their worries and focused on observing the mosaic.Skunk made full use of his Explorer¡¯s Eye, while Grid relied on his high insight.They found the picture at around the same time.


    On a branch with a worm-eaten fruit, four birds of various colors were sitting side by side.Two were looking straight ahead and two were turning their heads to the right. All four had their left eye exposed, so it was worrying.


    ¡°Which bird¡¯s eye should I put the key in?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±Skunk closely examined the four birds. All four had grooves in their left eye. It was as if to tempt them to insert the key they had just secured.


    ¡®Red, green, blue, yellow, magenta... three primary colors... I don¡¯t think this is the end?¡¯


    Skunk searched through his knowledge and information for a long time before sooning to a conclusion. He raised his chin to the fullest and looked at the tip of the mosaic.A sky stretching out tens of meters above the heads of the four birds filled his vision.A white bird was spreading its wings wide. It ovepped with the bright blue sky and was so hazy that it was difficult to find unless one looked closely.


    ¡°It is that bird. That bird¡¯s left eye. However, it isn¡¯t a bird resting on a branch, but a bird floating high in the sky. The form of this barrier is structured to summon something from another ce.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying it is a trap?¡±


    ¡°It is a trap that can¡¯t be avoided. We have to activate the trap to open the door and move forward.¡±


    This was why expeditions also neededbat power.There were too many types of adventures in the world and many of them involved risks like just now.Grid nodded and took off. He easily inserted the key into the left eye of the white bird that would¡¯ve barely been reached by climbing if it was Skunk.


    At the same time, the picture of the mosaic started to change.The mosaic tiles split apart, stacked, and connected over and over. It turned trees into the ground, the ground became buildings, and the sky moved away, turning into apletely new work.


    ¡°...The Vatican?¡±


    The painting on the mosaic was originally a forest, but now it contained a familiarndscape.It was a towering white building at the end of a forest path.It was a building decorated with symbols of light.It looked quite different from the modern Vatican, but he could see with a nce that it was the Reba Church¡¯s Vatican.


    ¡°It seems to be the Vatican of the past...¡±


    Clink, clink!


    As Grid and Skunk watched, some tiles were still moving.It repeatedly split apart and reconnected.As a result, the main gate of the Vatican, which rose as high as the entrance to the pce, slowly opened.It was like watching an animation.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±The eyes of Grid and Skunk widened.It was because they found a group of people walking out of the wide open gates of the Vatican.There was one man and three women.The man was armed with the Holy Light Armour and the three women were armed with the Reba Church¡¯s three divine artifacts.It was a picture that depicted the Pope and Reba¡¯s Daughters of the past.


    They moved closer every time the tiles moved and quickly got closer to Grid.Grid noticed their identity.


    ¡°Chreshler...!¡±


    It was a face he had never seen before, but it was easy to deduce.It was because the Mountain King had informed him that Chreshler¡¯s body was buried in the No Offspring Tomb.It happened when Chreshler¡¯s painting was finally erged to the size of a person...


    The mosaic copsed.


    The transcendent who sealed Marie Rose¡ªthe strongest Pope in history strode out of the painting.The holy sword of light in his palm struck Grid.However, there was something that flew faster than the holy sword.


    It was a pure white coffin.A charming woman had crossed her legs and sat on top of the coffin that flew over and crushed Chreshler.


    ¡°Marie Rose...?¡±


    Why was sheing out here?


    Grid was feeling flustered when someone¡¯s screams pierced his ears.


    -This is crazy!This is my body...Ahh!It is good!!All I need is Marie Rose¡¯s butt!!


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 1739

    <h4>Chapter 1739</h4>


    Wriggle!


    The dead body under the coffin convulsed.The limbs were bent at a strange angle and it seemed to be dancing on the pool of blood.It was even more bizarre when the sinisterughter of the master of the corpse was heard as the background sound.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±The blue-faced Skunk swallowed down his nausea.It was because he knew the identity of the coffin that crushed the corpse.It was the Divine Wood Coffin where Chreshler¡¯s soul was sealed.Skunk couldn¡¯t understand Chreshler¡¯s sentiment ofughing after destroying the corpse that was his own body (?).If he hadn¡¯t known that Chreshler was a former Pope and hero with great achievements, he would¡¯ve treated Chreshler as a pure lunatic.


    On the other hand, Marie Rose gave off tremendous pressure just by existing.A beautiful woman sitting on a coffin that was crushing a corpse¡ªthe status abnormalities she caused surpassed the status abnormalities that the evil gods had caused earlier.


    He could resist these ones with the power of a legend, but it wasn¡¯t because Marie Rose¡¯s status was low. Skunk could guess that she was suppressing her strength.


    ¡®Marie Rose¡­ the pinnacle of the direct descendants whois beyondBeriache.¡¯


    Was it due to the Curse of Sloth?Marie Rose had no history of showing any passion when she appeared directly or indirectly in various records.It was simr now.Her beautiful eyes were only full of Grid.Unlike her brightly smiling eyes, the big red eyes were as hard as ice. Terrible disillusionment and boredom were lurking deep in them.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t smile. You shouldn¡¯t smile like that.¡±


    ...Although Grid didn¡¯t seem to notice.Grid blushed as if he had been taken away by Marie Rose¡¯s eye smile.A rare libertine with multiple wives and lovers¡­ no, it was a very pure reaction for a capable man.


    This was how beautiful and fascinating Marie Rose was.Any man in the world would be pure in front of her.The moment they saw the most unique beauty in the world, they would forget worldly life and only yearn for her.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯Skunk admired it.It was because Marie Rose¡¯s eyes slowly came to life as she stared at Grid.Sincerity was printed over the false smile that had been worn like a mask.Then it looked several times more beautiful.


    ¡®There is no point in resisting abnormal statuses like this.¡¯


    He had apparently resisted the bewitchment, but he was still caught by it.Skunk was intoxicated by Marie Rose¡¯s beauty only to suddenlye to his senses.It was thanks to Chreshler¡¯s voice.The divinity of the great Pope cleared his mind.


    -Hahaha!Even if you are Grid, you be an innocent kid in front of my Marie Rose.You have to stay alert if you don¡¯t want to be eaten.Marie Rose doesn¡¯t know mercy, so she will bite an unsuspecting man¡¯s neck in an instant.


    It was a frivolous tone that didn¡¯t suit his sacred and solemn voice.Chreshler¡¯s appearance was just a coffin as he acted like he was showing off hisughter, but for some reason, his expression seemed to appear in front of them. His nose seemed to be pointed very high in the air.It was a nose that was quickly crushed.


    ¡°You are cute. You have be even more lovable since thest time I¡¯ve seen you.¡±


    -...?


    Chreshler¡¯sughter stopped.Did he just hear something wrong?The way he muttered to himself seemed to be trying to deny reality.


    Grid was still backing away.He covered his lips with his big hands.It was an instinctive act.He didn¡¯t want the experience of being attacked in an instant and having his lip bitten to happen again.That... it felt like something of dignity was being trampled on.The problem was that he was ecstatic even when being forced.


    Grid barely denied that he had that type of taste and wanted to avoid the same experience.If he went through the same thing and felt good again... it really seemed like it would be truly irreversible.


    ¡°I be more and more devoted every time I see my dear husband. I can¡¯t get enough of it.¡±


    -What...devoted?Eh?Dear husband?


    The Divine Wood Coffin, which had been reacting to every word from Marie Rose, finally convulsed.The Divine Wood Coffin, which dealt a critical hit to Grid in a single blow in the past and that crushed Chreshler¡¯s body with a single blow, had extremely thick and threatening killing intent.


    It was so powerful that it easily surpassed the resentment and hatred of the evil gods encountered earlier. it was so much so that it caught the attention of Grid, who was distracted by Marie Rose.Just then¡ª


    Before he knew it, Marie Rose came down from the coffin, stood in front of Grid, and stroked his cheek.


    ¡°It has been a long time since we met. Don¡¯t pay attention to minor things and just focus on me.¡±


    Maybe it was because she was wearing gloves made of silk.The gentle touch made Grid¡¯s mind spin.All his senses were focused on Marie Rose¡¯s touch.


    ¡°It is good to look up at you from here.¡±


    Marie Rose stood in Grid¡¯s arms like she was being hugged by him and smiled widely.He felt itst time, but she surprisingly wasn¡¯t very tall.From a distance, she naturally looked tall due to her overwhelming proportions and presence, but when they stood side by side like this, she was more than one head smaller than Grid.


    ¡°I like your body odor.¡±


    Marie Rose raised her head and looked as innocent and pitiful as a girl caught in the rain.It was only for a moment.Before he knew it, she was bewitching again.


    ¡°It tastes good.¡±


    A long, thin finger swept over Grid¡¯s cheek and lips.It was only then that Grid came to his senses and disliked it, shaking her off.


    ¡°You didn¡¯te here to treat me as a blood bag, did you?¡±Grid treated Marie Rose withplete respect.At first, it was simply out of fear, but now it was because he was grateful.


    She acted for humans.To be exact, she fought a dragon for him.If it wasn¡¯t for her help, Hayate wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive and the Overgeared Empire would be in ruins.He treated her as a benefactor to the end.No matter how many times she seduced him, he didn¡¯t see her as a member of the opposite sex.


    [One of the greatest heroes in the history of humanity, ¡®Chreshler,¡¯ hates you.]


    ¡®It happens here?¡¯


    In fact, when Marie Rose clung to him, Chreshler just trembled and didn¡¯t show any hostility.Yet the moment Grid treated Marie Rose badly, he harbored hostility and his killing intent grew.It was a suspicious reaction.Grid naturally didn¡¯t misunderstand.


    ¡®...He must¡¯ve seen through the fact that Marie Rose treats me as nothing more than delicious food. That is why he wasn¡¯t angry when Marie Rose clung to me.¡¯


    It was why he only got angry when Grid treated Marie Rose coldly.It was pure love.Grid felt deeply ufortable with Chreshler, but came to admire him as a man.Chreshler, who abandonedhumanity and became a coffin, remained by the side of the woman he loved and thought only about her. He was definitely like a prince in a fairy tale.He judged that there would be nothing wrong with watching and learning.


    ¡®He seems to misunderstand something.¡¯


    Skunk was the only one who watched the situation objectively and his heart sank.He was worried about Grid, who somehow looked determined when he saw the perverted Pope who was excited to see the woman he loved in another man¡¯s arms.It was a confusing situation in many ways...


    ¡°Huhut.¡±


    Marie Rose looked happily at Grid, who was only polite to her and urged her to rify her business.


    A man who wasposed and bold even in front of her¡ªGrid was unique in the world.It was only in front of Grid that Marie Rose felt like ¡®me¡¯ and notBeriache¡¯sdaughter.Marie Rose took a few steps back and looked at Grid while standing next to the Divine Wood Coffin.


    -That guyto MarieRose...rather than wagging his tail at the beautiful Marie Rose, that cold attitude...what is this...well, it doesn¡¯t matter how good he is...wicked guy...!Bad guy...!!


    Mutter mutter.


    Chreshler was saying something.It was generally a criticism of Grid, but he narrowly maintained the line.


    -...Could he be an eunuch?


    The moment when Chreshler was about to cross the line...


    Marie Rose suddenly reached out, grabbed the coffin, and lifted it.Then the pool of blood underneath the coffin was sucked into Chreshler¡¯s body.It was the moment when the body, which had been crushed by the coffin and almost shattered, recovered in an instant.


    ¡°I know that my dear husband has be an Absolute. Zeratul was good nourishment.¡±


    ¡°¡±Intruders. Your great myth will be buried in thisnd.¡±¡±


    -The body speaks?Isn¡¯t that my body?Hoh, this is very interesting.Is the ¡®spirituality¡¯ in the brain pretending to be me?


    It was an interesting skit even for him, who was proud of having seen quite a few ys during his time as a Pope. Should they cooperate and y in front of Marie Rose?


    ¡°However, the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb is also an Absolute. The most powerful of the myth predators. Its notoriety has reached the heavens and like my dear husband, it arouses the vignce of the gods. Besides, this is the realm of the Specter.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The realm of the Specter...


    Grid also realized it¡ªChreshler¡¯s corpse, which had just been destroyed, was resurrected in an intact form.A coffin made of divine wood¡ªthe moment the corpse was free of the influence of the Divine Wood Coffin, which once sealed Marie Rose, he immediately recovered like it was a lie.


    ¡®Is it possible that the undead resurrect infinity inside the No Offspring Tomb?¡¯


    Grid had previously killed one of the executives of the No Offspring Tomb, but that was before he entered the No Offspring Tomb.Ever since entering the No Offspring Tomb, he only encountered the army of local troops and the evil gods. He hadn¡¯t encountered the undead yet.


    -Pope Chreshler, who has fallen to a group of evil.I, Chreshler, will kill you for my honor.Come here and lie down.The coffin is where I should lie down.Both are me, but...


    ¡°¡±Noisy coffin... get lost. I don¡¯t care.¡±¡±


    -You?Ah, it is painful.Have you be so corrupt that you can¡¯t even recognize yourself?Ohh, Marie Rose.How about it?Are you having fun?


    Chreshler was performing a y with his body when he suddenly became excited. He felt Marie Rose¡¯s touch. Her slender hand was pressed firmly against the wide-open lid of the coffin.


    -No.Don¡¯tclose me.Ihavetoy my body here toplete the story.


    ¡°Dear husband, can you feel it?Even Iam notpletely free from the influenceof the divinewood. It is an inherent problem and an essence that doesn¡¯t change.¡±


    -Aren¡¯t you going to tell me your thoughts, Marie Rose?You are always mischievous toward me.This is good as well.


    Certainly...


    Marie Rose weakened every time her body touched the coffin.Grid could feel it with an Absolute¡¯s senses.


    ¡°If you really have to challenge the Specter, take this coffin. Then you will have a pretty good chance.¡±


    He didn¡¯t hear it incorrectly.


    Challenge¡ªMarie Rose definitely said it was a challenge.This was even though she knew clearly that Grid had be an Only One God and an Absolute. She valued the Specter higher than Grid.This was an objectively correct assessment.There was a huge difference in the timing of when they were active.In fact, no matter who he fought, Grid was mostly in the position of a challenger.


    ¡®Besides, if I don¡¯t get the help of the Divine Wood Coffin, I don¡¯t seem to have a chance of winning...¡¯


    Grid had already assumed that the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb wouldn¡¯t be ordinary.He just hadn¡¯t expected the Specter to be highly regarded by Marie Rose.The corners of Grid¡¯s mouth slowly rose up.It was interesting.The tension he felt for the first time in ages increased his anticipation.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll ept your favor.¡±


    -I don¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Yes, to give you another word of warning, you shouldn¡¯t rely on my family.¡±


    Marie Rose ran all this way because she was worriedabout Grid.The reason she didn¡¯t offer to fight with him was because she couldn¡¯t help.


    Killing the Gale of the Great Forest and causingthe Mountain King of Grenierto abandon the mountain and run away, etcetera¡ªshe had hunted other myth predators relentlessly, but she couldn¡¯t challenge the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb.The exact identity wasn¡¯t known, but there was something lurking in the No Offspring Tomb that made her blood boil. There was a great fear of running wild. The same would be true of the other direct descendants.


    ¡®Does it have anything to dowith the beingburied in the No Offspring Tomb?¡¯


    Grid nodded and nced at Chreshler¡¯s corpse.


    The guy, who was in a hurry because the coffin blocked his way, immediately stepped out when he felt Grid¡¯s gaze.Due to his physical (?) limitations, he narrowly evaded the less agile coffin and aimed a holy sword at Grid.It was the blow that Marie Rose had blocked earlier by throwing the coffin.This was even though it didn¡¯t need to be stopped.


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s eyes grew slightlyrger.


    The head of a hero who dominated an era fell off with a single blow.


    Of course, most of Chreshler¡¯s skills in his life came from divine power. The corpse only wielded a fake holy sword and couldn¡¯t handle divine power at all, but... even taking that into ount, Grid¡¯s appearance of overpowering a transcendent was impressive enough.


    Marie Rose threw the coffin over the corpse of Chreshler, which was trying to recover again, and said with a meaningful expression, ¡°It is hard to guarantee victory unless I amplete. It would be nice if I was under my dear husband.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯ve ever ridden on top of another guy. My first time willbe my dearhusband, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°...Huh??¡±


    -Ahh, Marie Rose.My heart hurts, but I¡¯m happy because my imagination has been stimted...sob sob...


    ¡°......¡±


    Skunk¡¯s eyes were already darkening at the fact that he had to work with Chreshler.

 Chapter 1740

    <h4>Chapter 1740</h4>


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    The No Offspring Tomb was the realm of the Specter.The Specter was in a perfect state, unlike Zeratul, who left the heavens and wasn¡¯tplete.Rather, Grid resembled Zeratul at the time of the holy war.It meant he was fighting against the odds.


    Marie Rose wanted to give Grid enough caution.However, she suppressed her heart and didn¡¯t say it.She had faith that Grid would do well.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Huhut.¡±


    The sight of Grid shaking while promising a reunion made Marie Rose smile.It was cute.It felt like he was seeing a child whining for nothing.She was looking forward to the child she would give birth to one day after mating with Grid.She wondered if the feeling when she sent her child on their first errand would be simr to now.


    Of course, it was just a vain delusion.Marie Rose was actually skeptical about childbirth.How could she give birth to a child when she knew that her child would have to bear the curse and vengeance caused by her mother?It was grossly irresponsible.It was the reason why she didn¡¯t urge Grid, who refused to y the role of Blood King, and at the same time, she doubted her mother.


    The more she thought about it, the more suspicious Marie Rose became of Beriache.Did she really love them?


    ¡°Marie Rose...?¡±


    If you are done, then please hurry up and go.


    Grid nced at Marie Rose with awkward eyes and slowly raised his gaze.For a moment, a pained face crossed Marie Rose¡¯s beautiful face, which made him dizzy every time he saw it.


    A woman who was an Absolute from the moment she was born¡ªa being who had no choice but to remain detached from the affairs of the world expressed her true feelings for a moment.It was hard to believe.


    ¡°The cause is thesleeping magic.¡±


    They had truly reached the same eye level.Marie Rose was surprised by the fact that the momentary traces were read, before smiling as usual.It was a rxed, bewitching smile.It showed rxation.Grid thought for the first time that rxation could actually be embellished.


    ¡°...Keep in mind that the Specter is an old monster.¡±


    This was the end.Marie Rose¡¯s body turned to fog and left the scene.She gave him advice while inwardly rebuking herself.It couldn¡¯t be helped.The moment Grid read her thoughts, she realized that Grid was worried about her.


    It was a really unexpected reaction so her heart was pounding.To her surprise, her heart skipped a beat.The moment she became aware of him, her crush on Grid deepened into something more.It was something she was feeling for the first time.It was very embarrassing.She momentarily forgot her desire for Grid¡¯s blood, so the sight of Marie Rose hurrying away was more like she was running away.


    ¡°An old monster...¡±


    It was after Marie Rose finally left.The Divine Wood Coffin crept up to Grid as he reflected on Marie Rose¡¯s advice.He was the strongest pope of all time and one of the greatest heroes in human history, Chreshler.


    -It has been a while.


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯m sorry for thete greetings.¡±Grid greeted him with a trembling face.He knew this person wasn¡¯t normal, but even so, Chreshler¡¯s performance today was shocking.


    Chreshler read Grid¡¯s inner thoughts and coughed.


    -It is hard to maintain a sense of reason in front of Marie Rose.Like water flowing down, it is natural to be fascinated.It is inevitable, so you don¡¯t have to think deeply about my ugliness.


    His voice was heavy.It blended nicely with his old-fashioned manner of speaking. Grid thought he was indeed a pope of a past era.


    ¡®That is Chreshler...¡¯


    A great hero who locked his soul in a coffin to prevent disaster.Skunk was thrilled to face the legendary divine wooden coffin that was known to only those in the know.He forgot about Chreshler¡¯s ugliness that he had just seen, andrespected him.It was pure belief in the words of a great hero.He epted Chreshler as a victim of Marie Rose¡¯s bewitchment.


    Grid was naturally different.


    ¡®He is surprisingly naive.¡¯


    Grid knew Chreshler¡¯s essence.He knew that the reason why Chreshler became a coffin was purely to satisfy his own desires, so Grid looked pitifully at Skunk, who had been deceived.He knew for sure that the shock would be great when Skunk was disappointed sooner orter.


    -Um...You have a great status.Grid, you have grown to the point of threatening the heavenly gods and deserve to be a close associate.What is your name?


    Chreshler felt burdened by Grid¡¯s bleary gaze and turned his attention to Skunk.


    ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. My name is Explorer Skunk. I became a cheeky legend with the help of Grid.¡±


    -Skunk?Is your name Skunk?


    ¡°Haha, yes...¡±


    -Hah.Why did your parents name their child after an animal?


    ¡°It is a name I gave myself...¡±


    -Were you an orphan?What a crazy nickname given when you were a child.


    ¡°...That is how it is...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    There was a reason why Eat Spicy Jokbal wanted the right to change his nickname.It happened as Grid looked pitifully at Skunk, who was tired every time he introduced himself to someone...


    ¡°¡±I will bury your great myth in thisnd...¡±¡±Chreshler¡¯s corpse, in the Divine Wood Coffin, spoke again.


    The part of his body that was torn off had regenerated because the Divine Wood Coffin slightly changed its position while Chreshler was talking to Grid¡¯s group. The corpse¡¯s vocal organs were restored.Thanks to this, Grid, Chreshler, and Skunk, who were tired for their own reasons, were able to naturally change the topic.


    -As you can see, the undead seem to live forever in the No Offspring Tomb.The spirit, aspirations, and imagery of the ghosts who make this ce their home and prey on myths have recreated this ce as apletely separate dimension from the world.It is only a world for the dead.


    Asgard, hell, the Elemental World, the Peach Blossom Spring, and the Overgeared World¡ªthe world was divided into several dimensions and the No Offspring Tomb was one of them.


    -A world for the dead.Was this what hell was like before it was distorted?Marie Rose, who saw through the essence of the No Offspring Tomb from the beginning and sent me to you, is truly incredible.I can¡¯t help but respect and love her...Hum...


    Chreshler was naturally in ecstasy when remembering Marie Rose, only to control his mental state. He captured the suspicion in Skunk¡¯s eyes.


    -In any case, if it is the divine wood, then it can go against the essence of this world.


    No world was perfect.The surface, heaven, hell, the Overgeared World, etcetera¡ªitwas clear that each world was born through the willpower ofthegods, but in the first ce, the existence of a god was far from perfect.Each god and dimension had weaknesses.One of the weaknesses of the No Offspring Tomb was the divine wood.


    -The power of the divine wood is very good.The reason why I overwhelmed my corpse in this manner is purely because I can borrow the immense divinity contained in the divine wood.As far as the divine power is concerned, it isparable to when I was alive.


    Rattle!


    Chreshler opened the lid of the coffin.The spacious and plush interior were revealed.It could be guessed from the size of the coffin, but the inside wasrge enough to fit three adult men.It could be seen that he tried to provide Marie Rose with afortable ce to sleep.


    -Make sure that all the undead you hunt in the future are put inside.The powerful divinity that suppressed even some of Marie Rose¡¯s power will crush and purify the misceneous things.


    [A hidden quest has urred!]


    [No Offspring Tomb Purification Work]


    [¡ï Hidden Quest ¡ï


    This massive tomb is home to an evil group that are loyal to themythpredators and have hunted down human gods. The more you purify them, the more you can contribute to peace on the surface.


    * Purify the undead you hunt with the ¡®Divine Wood Coffin.¡¯


    Current number of purifications: 0.


    * As the number of purifications increases, the divine power of the ¡®Divine Wood Coffin¡¯ is strengthened.


    * You can view the hidden story of the No Offspring Tomb every time the number of purifications exceeds a certain number.]


    ¡®Does the No Offspring Tomb have a big connection with the vampire n?¡¯


    Marie Rose previously stated that it was difficult for her to be active in the No Offspring Tomb.There was something in the No Offspring Tomb that made her blood rampage.That was why she cautioned him against trusting the direct descendants.Additionally, judging from the contents of the hidden quest that just opened, the Divine Wood Coffin was an important key. Marie Rose was the only being in the world who could carry the Divine Wood Coffin to this point.


    ¡®If I hadn¡¯t be the Blood King, it might¡¯ve taken a long time to uncover the secret of the No Offspring Tomb.¡¯


    He got Marie Rose¡¯s attention thanks to being the Blood King. Then, thanks to Marie Rose¡¯s attention, he got the Divine Wood Coffin.This was conclusive evidence that the No Offspring Tomb had a connection with the vampires.


    ¡®Is this perhapsBeriache¡¯stomb...? No, it is impossible based on the timing.¡¯


    The birth of the No Offspring Tomb was much earlier thanBeriache¡¯sdeath.Grid suppressed the random questions and called the God Hands.Then the God Hands recovered Chreshler¡¯s body and threw it into the Divine Wood Coffin.


    -Be sure to clean itter.


    Chreshler treated his own corpse as filth.It was a seat purely reserved for Marie Rose.Hemented that the reality of having to put rotten meat ¡®inside him¡¯ was terrible.


    sh!


    [The divine power of the Divine Wood Coffin has be a bit stronger after purifying the undead of the No Offspring Tomb.]


    [The current purification count is 1.]


    ¡°That... is it really okay?¡±


    Grid witnessed the disappearance of Chreshler¡¯s body in the coffin without a trace and was quite shocked.Right now¡ª


    The body of the great hero disappeared from the world.This meant that the possibility of Chreshler being resurrected as a human waspletely gone.


    -Of course, it is okay.Isn¡¯t it a body that has already been abandoned once?It is stupid to be obsessed with it now.


    ¡°......¡±


    Of course, Grid knew that Chreshler abandonedhumanity of his own choice.Everyone was bound to have lingering feelings about their lives.However, Chreshler never had none of that.It was as if he had no regrets about the path he took.


    Skunk paid tribute to Chreshler, ¡°These are words of enlightenment from a religious person... as expected of the greatest pope in history.¡±


    Grid was tired in many ways.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think too much and do what I have to do.¡¯


    It was futile for a normal person to try for a hundred days to understand an abnormal person...


    Grid was well aware that most transcendents other than himself were crazy and controlled his mind without difficulty.


    ¡®By the way, the others will grow a lot today.¡¯


    The Overgeared members scattered in different ces in thebyrinth¡ªthose who were still fighting against the evil gods would soon face that undead that didn¡¯t die.They might be worse than Chreshler, but they were probably hero-level undead.If they killed and killed, they would increase their character experience and skill level against enemies that kept respawning.


    ¡°Did you have an interesting idea?¡±Skunk carefully asked Grid, who was smiling happily.


    ¡°Soon, our otherpanions will face the undead as well,¡±Grid replied to him.


    Skunk¡¯s face became gloomy.


    ¡°I see... they don¡¯t have the help of the divine wood, so they might have to fight for days and days...¡±


    "That''s right."


    ¡°......?¡±


    So why was he smiling?Skunk became a bit scared of Grid.

 Chapter 1741

    <h4>Chapter 1741</h4>


    ¡®There are no ws except for the fact that his appearance is slightly inferior to when I was alive.¡¯


    Chreshler evaluated Grid.It was the highest praise.The pope was born as a genius, blessed by the Goddess, and praised as the greatest man throughout his entire life, so he had a very high vision.From the perspective of he, who saw even the weaknesses of the only one he loved, Marie Rose, Grid was the first to have no ws in his abilities.


    ¡®He will join with Marie Rose in the capacity of the Blood King... I have no choice but to admit it...¡¯


    Yes, he wasn¡¯t being deprived of Marie Rose.He was just acknowledging the other person and yielding of his own will.Chreshlerforted himself as if trying to brainwash himself. It was to calm the brain that was burning with passion and to gain a mental victory.Thanks to this, his reluctant feeling gradually improved and his mind cleared. He could see the situation objectively.


    ¡®In the first ce, Grid is a great god. Even taking into ount the powerful beings like the dragons, his status on the surface isparable to that of the heavenly gods. A man like thatjoining with MarieRose... they are qualified to form a union... no, only Grid is qualified.¡¯


    If he had known this would be the case, he would¡¯ve asked for a bigger coffin.Chreshler had no doubt that he would be used as a ¡®honeymoon room.¡¯ To be precise, he was determined to make it happen.He was in the midst of worrying for no reason when he woke up from his thoughts.


    -Do you know what a lich fears the most?


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... is it being unable to dance?¡±


    For Grid, a lich meant Overgeared Skeleton Two. It was the influence of being together for many years.It was the reason why his answer that he gave without much thought vitedmon sense.


    ¡®Is this the humor of this generation?¡¯


    No matter how great he was, the difference in time of hundreds of years was too much to bear.Chreshler shrugged it off and continued.


    -It is ack of knowledge.Those who choose to die in order to umte knowledge that can¡¯t be explored in a short human life are infinitely close to fanatics.If they can gain new knowledge, they will sacrifice their own soul or their flesh and blood.They are the ones who are most afraid of being deprived of the opportunity to study.


    ¡°You are saying that they are afraid of death as a result.¡±


    -That¡¯s right.It is a very unusual case even among the undead.They will never try to fight head on after knowing you have the Divine Wood Coffin.They will be holding their breaths while preparing a trap that can be called a disaster, so you had better be cautious.Don¡¯t rush, and move at the speed of Skunk¡¯s navigation.


    Chreshler¡¯s answer came from concern.It was because Grid¡¯s speed as he moved without hesitation was too fast.He left behind Skunk, who was searching to see if there were any traps.Putting aside the matter of Marie Rose, it was an attitude that provoked Pope Chreshler, who was prudent and wise.


    ¡°Understood.¡±Grid epted the advice without hesitation.His rxed heart had softened even more after getting the Divine Wood Coffin.


    ¡®I was too excited for a second.¡¯


    How could he invite Skunk into the party and then overlook Skunk¡¯s role.Dozens of shadows were watching Grid, who was reproaching himself.


    ¡°¡±It was just three more steps... Chreshler, that great hero stopped the momentum.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±The greatest pope of all time... putting aside his cheap words and actions, he is known for being quite cautious...¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Speaking of which, you were active in Chreshler¡¯s time, weren¡¯t you, Thick-tipped Staff? What is that great hero¡¯s weakness?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±He is veryzy. It was the period when the Yatan Church was flourishing. The reason why the first pope chose Chreshler as his sessor was purely because he appreciated Chreshler¡¯s talent. However, Chreshler didn¡¯t hone his talent and wasted it. He learned everything at once and used it as it was without making any efforts to refine it. I think he used prudence as an excuse to remember.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±There is no depth?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±That¡¯s right. His swordsmanship and magic were very ordinary without anything special.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±How did he manage to win and seal Marie Rose?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±It was an ingenious application of ordinary swordsmanship and magic. The momentary sh of inspiration was so great that he turned gaps in ordinary techniques into weapons. He was transcendent. Many viins died without even being able to read his ordinary sword.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±That weakness must¡¯ve been seen through by the same ss of transcendents, right?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes. However, no one was able to attack him. The other weapon he had was the divine power acquired through the favor of the previous pope and Goddess.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Even if they manage to destroy the swordsmanship and magic, they end up being hitby the divinepower... it was perfect. If he had many ws, then he wouldn¡¯t have be the hero of an era.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Of course, now he has been reduced to a coffin, so he is just a mass of divine power. Even so, he hasn¡¯t lost his memory and wisdom from his lifetime. The problem isthat Gridis handling that mass of divine power. Based on my knowledge that is insignificant to theirs, I can¡¯t think of a way to attack them.¡±¡±


    The identity of the shadows was a group of liches lurking in the darkness.They were called the staff of the Specter here in the No Offspring Tomb.They feared death as Chreshler said.They abandoned humanity and chose eternal life in order to search for knowledge. However, their choices would be reduced to being in vain if the result was death. It was never eptable.


    ¡°¡±As expected of a great god. I can¡¯t believe the identity of a simple group is a legendary explorer and the one who sealed Marie Rose...¡±¡±


    It was perfect for a small group.The worries of the liches gradually deepened as they watched Grid¡¯s group entering the depths of thebyrinth.The crystal ball was transmitting the location and situation of the intruders in real time, but they didn¡¯t have the courage to break into the scene.They simply silently watched as the traps they set up had no effect and were destroyed.At this moment¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    The woman who had been sitting silently stood up from her seat.Her long, golddopodragged across the ground while her feet were floating in the air.She was the only living and breathing being here, but she was also the most mysterious person.She was originally a member of the Peach Blossom Spring. For some reason , she rebelled against the daoist immortals and entrusted herself to the No Offspring Tomb.


    The liches were agitated.


    ¡°¡±Don¡¯t you have the qualifications of a God Killer? If you destroy Grid...¡±¡±


    ¡°My qualification is just a mere fragment. It is far from harming the Only One God with my skills, and the Only One God isn¡¯t my enemy.¡±


    The daoist immortal Yeo Yn¡ªshe was from the East Continent and once ascended to heaven as a daoist immortal. To be exact, she was called up as a soldier.It was when the Seven Malignant Saints rebelled against the heavenly gods.It was before the world was destroyed once.In other words, Yeo Yn was a daoist immortal even before Chreshler and Grid were born. She was an extremely rare case of a half-god who honed her swordsmanship and built up divinity.


    She couldn¡¯t trust the gods.It was because she saw the despicable ways of the gods who falsely framed the seven good people and made them traitors.She had experience of being tormented by the gods who were blinded by greed, started a war, and were expelled.


    In the eyes of Yeo Yn, who was once a human being but was liberated by the dao, the gods were foolish and insignificant.Beings born with transcendence weren¡¯t much different from humans living short lives.They were garbage that weren¡¯t worth defending and shouldn¡¯t exist in the world.This was why Yeo Yn had been honing her qualifications as a God Killer.


    ¡°¡±If you can¡¯t do anything to Grid, why are you willing to step forward?¡±¡±


    ¡°I might not be able to do anything about the Only One God, but I can send the others back.¡±


    Certainly...


    Taking care of either of the two would be a great help to the liches.Dealing with the Divine Wood Coffin would eliminate the worry of the liches about being destroyed, while dealing with the explorer would allow them to lure Grid into a trap.However, the liches showed a reaction that was unwilling.


    Yeo Yn was a guest of honor.The Specter took special care of her. The Specter would be angry if she was put in danger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t overdo it. I will keep in mind that the Specter is working to resurrect the master of the tomb. Just as I swore in the past, I intend to cooperate thoroughly.¡±


    There was the rustling of herdopoand Yeo Yn¡¯s body became blurred.Eventually, it became transparent and seemed to melt into thendscape before disappearing. It was done in a split second.There were no traces of magic power.It was a ¡®daoist technique¡¯ that was uncharted territory even for the liches who had umted knowledge for hundreds of years.


    ***


    ¡°Did we really finish it off this time?¡±


    ¡°...Pon, are you doing this on purpose?¡±


    It was after entering the No Offspring Tomb.Except for Grid and Skunk, the Overgeared members split into a total of 10 squads.The average number of people in each squad was 400.It was a scale that made one realize the enormous power of the Overgeared members.


    However, they faced a crisis from the beginning.


    The evil gods¡ªthey faced gods as an enemy.They were just fakes ¡®portrayed by the divine statues,¡¯ but it was clear that they used divinity as a weapon. They were more powerful than any boss monster the Overgeared members had raided before.To be honest, quite a few people were frustrated.


    Unexpectedly, all 10 squads safely broke through the gates.The 8th National Competition had been reduced to an ¡®Overgeared Guild open audition¡¯ thanks toLauel¡¯ssubtle publicity, and these days, it was causing a stir in the world.In other words, a considerable amount of time had passed since the Great Human and Demon War.


    The faces representing the Overgeared Guild had be stronger than the members predicted.However, there was no room for joy.Each squad immediately faced a new ordeal.


    ¡°Look, they are resurrected again.¡±


    ¡°Is this my fault?¡±


    The undead who were resurrected even when killed¡ªunlike the death knights and liches, they took the form of a ¡®human¡¯ and were incredibly powerful.Apart from their unfamiliar names, they must¡¯ve been transcendents when alive.


    ¡°It is the third resurrection and there are no signs of weakening.¡±


    ¡°28 people died in the fight just now. Let¡¯s build defenses and buy time to analyze the patterns.¡±


    Despite therge number of casualties, there was no opinion to retreat and reorganize.It was thanks to the Tomb of the Gods.Was it because it was treated as nd¡¯?Surprisingly, there was a resurrection point on the Tomb of the Gods. The deceased Overgeared members were resurrected at the Tomb of the Gods.


    This meant they could rejoin the scene within 15 minutes at thetest.The undead that resurrected again even after dying?If it came to endurance, their side wouldn¡¯t be pushed either.The squad led by Jishuka and Ruby had the upper hand when it came to sustainability.


    ¡°Wait! I have no health!¡±


    Only the squad led by Vantner was experiencing a crisis.Vantner yed the role of a tank, so he drew the aggro very well.His brilliant head dazzled the enemy over and over again.Vantner took on the enemy fire virtually alone and quickly ran out of health even with the support of his colleagues.In the first fight, they killed the enemy more easily than any other squad. Then as time went on, the situation became worse.


    ¡°That is why I told you to bring Ruby! Do you think there will be a problem with your pride?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it. It is right to yield the Saintess to Regas, who onlyhas the 3rdss advancement...Gasp!I¡¯m going to die!¡±


    ¡°That is true, but... I¡¯m really going crazy.¡±


    The moment the tankers failed to defend the front line and started to step back, the overall bnce was destroyed. The undead¡¯s wide-area attacks broke into the copsed formation, swept through the members, and tried to turn the tide.It was such a big crisis that it was decided that it was necessary to retreat for a while.


    Just then, an unknown entity appeared out of thin air.It was a beautiful, young woman in a fluttering goldendopo. She held a thin longsword in one hand and several amulets in the other.


    ¡®...I went the wrong way again.¡¯


    The daoist immortal Yeo Yn had been in the No Offspring Tomb for nearly 200 years, but she couldn¡¯t grasp the structure of the No Offspring Tomb.Thebyrinth was too huge and dangerous to roam alone.Even so, it was impossible for her to ask the skeletons for guidance.


    Coincidentally, the liches had great fantasies about daoist immortals.They secretly worshiped the person who prated through all creation and ascended to heaven.Asking them for directions?It was a very difficult task due to the personality of the daoist immortal.


    ¡°Who...?¡±


    She spoke to the Overgeared members who were uneasy, ¡°I admire you, who strive for humanity.¡±


    Yeo Yn scattered the amulets.The amulet containing her power restored the health and healed the wounds of the tired Overgeared members, and exerted the tremendous effect of raising the level of ¡®all skills¡¯ learned by one step.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    The Overgeared members were surprised when words such as ¡®daoist immortal¡¯ and ¡®daoist technique¡¯ appeared in the buff description for the first time and they noticed the identity of Yeo Yn.However, she had already disappeared.Soon, she appeared in anotherbyrinth and her vision was filled with other Overgeared members.


    ¡®...Is it fate?¡¯


    Yeo Yn didn¡¯t realize that she was someone who was bad at directions.


    A daoist immortal¡ªshe was too great to admit that she was bad with directions.Therefore, every time she encountered the Overgeared members, she talked about fate and connections andscattered amulets on them. Thanks to this, each Overgeared squad gained great strength without understanding the reason.


    A long time passed.


    -That woman is the same as me.


    Yeo Yn barely managed to appear in front of Grid¡¯s group and Chreshler gave her a rave evaluation.It was because she avoided Grid¡¯s attacks several times with movements that were difficult to imagine.


    Chreshler saw instantly that Yeo Yn was someone with the same level of talent as himself.


    ¡°You are rude from the beginning.¡±


    For some reason, Yeo Yn expressed her displeasure.Her attitude of ncing into Grid¡¯s eyes and speaking politely in the meantime was unique.


    ¡®She islike Chreshler?¡¯


    Was this saying that she was really crazy?Grid¡¯s face became gloomy.

 Chapter 1742

    <h4>Chapter 1742</h4>


    The trailof Grid¡¯s sword strike that was left in the air released a roaring sound a momentter.It was such a huge explosion that it was like dozens of artilleryshellswere fired at the same time.It wasn¡¯t just a bluff. It actually caused a devastating aftermath.


    The wall that Yeo Yn stood against copsed.Thebyrinth revealed beyond her shoulder had lost itsplex structure and turned into a straight path.


    ¡®Hasn¡¯t it been a while?¡¯


    An experience where his attack missed¡ªGrid was looking curiously at the MISS indicator that had already emerged several times when the clear voice of a woman entered his ears, ¡°The power of the sword is like a disaster. I once imagined that a great mountain would copse if Chiyou drew his sword, but seeing this, it seems it wasn¡¯t a vain imagination.¡±


    Yeo Yn¡ªshe seemed to have no intention of hiding the fact that her identity was a daoist immortal.


    First of all, she wore clothing simr to Bentao.They were silk clothes with a wide spread skirt and sleeves, but a tight waist.Additionally, there was the cause behind Grid¡¯sattacks missing.The daoist techniques with names that only appeared in martial arts were symbols of the daoist immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring.


    ¡®It is tricky. In particr, the amulets.¡¯


    They were on a different level from any amulets he had seen before.Yeo Yn¡¯s amulets worked simrly to the artificial senses that Grid had relied on for a while. They hovered around their master, helping her read the trajectory of the attack and produce better results.They were simr to Zik¡¯s runes in that they exerted different performances depending on the characters written on the amulet.The earrings made of jade seemed to be ssified as a ¡®daoist magic weapon,¡¯ an artifact of the daoist immortals. However, there were no signs of them being used yet.


    She was by no means an easy opponent.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let my guard down in the slightest.¡¯


    It was back when Grid wasn¡¯t an Absolute.He fought against Martial God Zeratul and won.Before Braham became a god, he joined forces with Zik to defeat King Sobyeol.It meant it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that an Absolute could win againsta transcendent.Moreover, it was difficult to guess the age of a daoist immortal.


    Bentao, who was trying to let people know that the Seven Malignant Saints were actually good people, was someone who lived in the same era as the Seven Malignant Saints.There was now saying it wasn¡¯t possible just because it was Yeo Yn in front of him.It was right to not believe in the superiority of hisbat power and to be on guard against a hidden power.


    Grid eventually activated the Sanctuary of Metal and admonished Yeo Yn,¡°Make your attitude clear.¡±


    He treated her disrespectfully despite guessing that she might be older than she looked.It was because she looked like his age and she attacked first.Yes, she was an enemy.She appeared out of nowhere and tried to attach an amulet to Skunk and Creischler. He couldn¡¯t interpret this action as a favor.


    However, there was a bit of a vague part.She only avoided Grid¡¯s attacks and didn¡¯t fight back at all.She didn¡¯t show any hostility to call it being intimidated. Rather, she expressed her respect with frank admiration.


    Grid still had a good image of the daoist immortals, so he found it difficult to wield the six fusion sword dance, which was ssified as a ¡®killing technique.¡¯


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with my attitude. I¡¯m not trying to antagonize you. I am trying to send you back. I am sorry to disturb you, who havebe an OnlyOne God for humans.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Yeo Yn was a daoist immortal.She became enlightened in reason and principles and transcended humans, building up divinity.She was different from the heavenly gods, who were gods from birth, the yangbans who were born from the gods, or the human gods who made great achievements or be gods because they were worshiped due to theirbat power.She was an existence that was difficult to evaluate through ck and white logic.


    Grid decided it was better to have a conversation and put away his sword for a moment.


    ¡°What is buried here?¡±


    It was a question that pierced the core.What was the true identity of the Specter?Why was there a daoist immortal in the No Offspring Tomb?Why did a daoist immortal stand on the side of the No Offspring Tomb?


    Grid dug into the essence that solved all sorts of misceneous questions at once.


    Yeo Yn obediently replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was an absurd answer that was spoken with a confident look.


    Grid frowned, while Yeo Yn continued her exnation,¡°I¡¯m just specting that the ¡®being to correct the order¡¯ or the ¡®other side of the truth¡¯ is buried here.¡±


    ¡°You are speaking a lot without answering.¡±


    Some of the scales of Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arm contracted.Grid applied strength to the hand holding Twilight and it reacted to the contracted forearm muscles. It tightened from the tips of his fingers to below his elbow.It was also an unfamiliar and shocking sight for Yeo Yn.She had lived for a very long time, but it was the first time she had actually seen armor that recreated a dragon¡¯s body.


    ¡®It feels like strong self-defense techniques have been piled up.¡¯


    Divinity, a mental world, and dragon armor¡ªthe self-defense forces surrounding Grid werergely divided into threeyers and each one was equally powerful.In addition to the power and the scales, it was infinitely close to being surrounded by a dragon.


    -It is more amazing than I imagined...


    Within the Sanctuary of Metal, Chreshler was also finally seeing Grid¡¯s true value.At this point, it was amazing to see Yeo Yn facing Grid head on without trembling.


    ¡°You have corrected the order on the surface, including the East Continent,¡±Yeo Yn continued speaking, ¡°Unfortunately, heaven has never lost its order. Regardless of the constant absence of Goddess Reba, the sinsmitted by the seven gods and the rebellion of the Seven Good People, the civil war caused by Hanul, and the mistakes of the arrogant and unruly Zeratul, heaven has remained the same as it was in the beginning.¡±


    In other words¡ª


    ¡°The existence buried here is naturally a being who will correct the order of hell.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Skunk¡¯s eyes widened.Grid was also surprised.However, he didn¡¯t show it and denied it inwardly.It was hard to understand.


    -Are you talking about Yatan?What type of bizarre nonsense is this?Do you think a God of the Beginning can die?


    Chreshler protested without the need for Grid to step up.


    -I have seen records that say Yatan was deceived by Baal and expelled from hell, but I¡¯ve never seen any records of him dying.They are records from the first pope who heard the words of the Goddess, so there is little chance it is false.I¡¯m not saying I trust the Goddess, but it is real history.In the first ce, who in this world can kill a Godof theBeginning?


    ¡°I never said he was dead.¡±


    -It is just wordy.Isn¡¯t there the premise of death from the time you imed he was buried in the tomb?


    ¡°It is the No Offspring Tomb where the master is unknown. We don¡¯t even know whose tomb it is in the first ce. What basis do we have for being sure that it is a tomb? What if it is actually a seal rather than a tomb?¡±


    -You are obscuring the essence.It is the same trick as a scammer.There is no need to listen.


    ¡°In the first ce, it doesn¡¯t matter whether Yatan is alive or not. You have to keep in mind that there is no ce in heaven or hell for Yatan to stay.¡±


    -......


    Chreshler shut his mouth.Unfortunately, he was persuaded.It didn¡¯t matter if Yatan was dead, simply sealed, or forced to leave of his own volition.The only ce where he could restfortably was the surface.The Elemental World and Peach Blossom Spring were too small to contain the status of a supreme god, and Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom had no obligation to ept Yatan. He was kicked out of hell.


    This meant that the only ce for Yatan to stay was on the surface.Additionally, the most secretive ce on the surface was right here, the No Offspring Tomb.It was a ce with the greatest gatekeeper.This ce was reborn as a separate dimension after devouring all types of myths and it wasn¡¯t easily essible. Even the heavenly gods turned a blind eye to it.It wasn¡¯t until hundreds of yearster that it faced the challenge of Grid.


    -...Speaking of which, why did you dare to challenge this ce?


    ¡°...I wanted to level up...¡±


    ¡®Is he serious?¡¯


    Level up¡ªfor NPCs, it naturally meant growth.


    Chreshler became terrified of Grid, who came to the mysterious space that no one had been able to touch all these years as if he was simply hunting on abackmountain. He viewed Grid as a strange being who couldn¡¯t be understood at all from amon sense point of view.


    ¡®...Even I amjust amon talent in frontof Grid.¡¯


    Most unknown things came from ignorance.He just couldn¡¯t fathom Grid¡¯s deep meaning...


    Chreshler soon concluded in a positive manner and regained hisposure. Then he asked Yeo Yn another question.


    -You said that you are just guessing, right?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -The other guess...then, what is the ¡®other side of the truth¡¯?


    Yeo Yn spected that a ¡®being to correct the order¡¯ or the ¡®other side of the truth¡¯ was buried here.If the identity of the being to correct the order was Yatan, then what was the other side of the truth?Grid was also curious, so he listened closely.


    Yeo Yn shook her head.¡°I can¡¯t tell you about that. The moment I mention it, you will be cursed and it will be hard for everyone in this room to avoid the anger.¡±


    -Isn¡¯t this sphemy?


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    -Just give me a clue.I might look like this, but I was loved by the gods.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    -Can¡¯t be trusted?I-I am the pope?


    ¡°You are the pope, but I don¡¯t trust Reba in the first ce.¡±


    -Hoh...Yes.I didn¡¯t like your attitude from the start.Grid, I think the story will only proceed if you forcefully intimidate that person.


    Chreshler was very tough. Even after bing the Divine Wood Coffin, he was better than the great transcendents of his time and also became stronger in the No Offspring Tomb.However, he couldn¡¯t take a step forward against Yeo Yn and urged Grid to fight...


    Grid ignored him and questioned Yeo Yn, ¡°Do you believe that the distortion of hell will be resolved when Yatan is resurrected?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is good for people.¡±


    ¡°What if it isn¡¯t Yatan who is buried here? Can you trust the Specter? Can you predict what it will do after it bes infinitely stronger?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°Then get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    ¡°You have to prepare convincing grounds if you want to persuade people. If you really want to stop me, fight and win.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Yeo Yn¡¯s thin jawline became distinct. She kept her mouth shut.There was no more conversation.Yeo Yn persistently aimed at Skunk and the Divine Wood Coffin, while Grid stopped her.


    Yeo Yn¡¯s way of fighting used all types of daoist techniques and it was unfamiliar and threatening to Grid. However, in the first ce, this fight was infinitely advantageous to Grid.Grid alone was stronger than Yeo Yn and he had the numerical advantage.Besides, Skunk was a legend. He had a nonbat profession, but he was a strong person who exceeded the average level. He cooperated with Chreshler, and underGrid¡¯sprotection, Yeo Yn was unable to hurt him.


    ¡®Perhaps she has no intention of harming him in the first ce.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue.It was because he was reluctant to oppress the one who didn¡¯t use killing techniques from beginning to end.Of course, he had to honestly confess that it was a bit fun.There was the mysterious swordsmanship that seemed tomove on cloudsand the technique of making her body transparent and invalidating an attack.The skills used by Yeo Yn were full of novelty. The more they fought, the more rewarding it felt to gain new experiences. He was able to assign many types of moves as skills.


    On the other hand, Yeo Yn felt like she was dying.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Her breathing was visibly rough.It was because every one of Grid¡¯s attacks were very deadly for her.Yeo Yn exerted all her strength throughout the fight. In the end, she had to put all her energy, including her mental strength, into every moment.She tried to find the gaps in Grid¡¯s insignificant movements and risked her life to handle the sword that Grid wielded lightly.


    She almost fainted when Grid¡¯s sword brushed against her shoulder and she saw the summoned ¡®spear of light¡¯ burning dozens of amulets.Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t back down and kept up a strong appearance.


    Grid liked it.¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you. Are you really going to retreat only if I kill you?¡±


    ¡°...I will stop.¡±Yeo Yn had prepared a retreat from the beginning.The moment she took out a new amulet, an amulet stuck somewhere in the depths of thebyrinth reacted and moved her body.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just worried about the ¡®something¡¯ buried here, but also about you, Grid. The Specter is a very strong Absolute... this...¡±


    She used techniques to speak as quickly as possible, but couldn¡¯t finish.The anxious Yeo Yn left.She was going to meet the Specter and make a request.


    Don¡¯t meet Grid in person, but let him wander away and leave.


    However, she couldn¡¯t get an audience with the Specter.The liches were camped outside her room.


    ¡°¡±I was watching the situation through the crystal ball, but it was just an act.¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±You didn¡¯t think about hurting Chreshler and the adventurers. You were only full of thoughts on letting them escape. How can we trust you after seeing your attitude?¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±You will be confined. It is the will of the Specter.¡±¡±


    ¡°Is this really the will of the Specter?¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes.¡±¡±


    The darkness brought by the roughly closed door was thick.It seemed to hint at her impending future and Yeo Yn¡¯s anxiety deepened even more.

 Chapter 1743

    <h4>Chapter 1743</h4>


    -That woman just now...putting aside her personality, her skills were excellent.You might not be able to easily empathize.


    Up until a little while ago, Chreshler hadn¡¯t really gauged Grid¡¯sbat power.He simply perceived Grid as ¡®much better¡¯ than himself.It was based on Marie Rose¡¯s assessment and the divinity of the Yellow Dragon that was around Grid¡¯s body.


    This was a big mistake.Grid¡¯s true value came from the power of items.Every time certain items were utilized, his tendencies changed or hisbat power increased dramatically.A prime example was Twilight.


    Seeing the ¡®spear of light¡¯ that fell when Grid¡¯s sword grazed Yeo Yn¡¯s body, Chreshler knew that he had eaten something wrong.Thest food he ate was an egg dish that was popr hundreds of years ago, but he remembered swallowing it because it was surprisingly too sweet. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he got indigestion at that time and lost his mind.


    Yes, his whole life after bing a coffin could¡¯ve been a dream.Now he was looking at nothing...


    ...The manifestation of Disintegrate was so unrealistic that he had such useless thoughts. He couldn¡¯t believe what he saw.


    Chreshler corrected his assessment of Grid.To be exact, an assessment itself was forbidden.Grid was so much better and at a far higher level than Chreshler dared to evaluate.


    ¡®He is an Absolute being that is impossible to fathom.¡¯


    Chreshler had also relied on the holy sword a few times in the past.However, the power of the holy sword was just a ¡®sword that amplifies divine power.¡¯ The stronger he became, the more he believed in his own skills rather than the holy sword.In other words, it was hard for him to understand the potential of items.He saw Grid rapidly getting stronger every time a particr item was used and recognized it as revealing a ¡®power that is usually hidden.¡¯


    ¡®It is returning to the basic form.¡¯


    It was the stage where a being ascended to the highest realm and usually looked like an ordinary (?) person.This was how Chreshler defined Grid.It was an evaluation that dismissed the extravagant divinity that took the form of a Yellow Dragon, but it meant that Grid was that powerful when using the power of items.


    ¡°I already know that. Yeo Yn must¡¯ve been a powerhouse who represented an era.¡±


    Grid had met quite a few transcendents.He found that the transcendents of the past, such as Chreshler and the Great Robber of the Red Night, were much stronger than the modern day transcendents represented by Kyle.It was the difference of the years that was physically unavoidable.It was natural that those who had already built up transcendence for a long time were stronger than the juniors who had just started to umte it.


    Grid was the only exception and was able to reach the Absolute level.


    -It is unexpected.I thought you would misunderstand that she was weak because she was such an easy opponent.


    ¡°It was never easy.¡±


    -......


    What did he mean by ¡®it was never easy¡¯ when he overwhelmed her without losing his breath?


    ¡®Is he trying to save face for his senior? He is very humble.¡¯


    Come to think of it, Grid had always been polite.It was even though Chreshler was just an old coffin now that Marie Rose was unsealed...


    Shake shake!


    The thrilled Chreshler trembled.It looked even more bizarre when a giant coffin floating around and talking like a human being started convulsing.


    ¡°...Please calm down.¡±


    Did he imagine Marie Rose¡¯s naked body?Grid was worried that Chreshler would suddenly have an ident.Chreshler barely calmed himself and asked.


    -Then do you think Yeo Yn¡¯s guess is usible?


    Grid was treating the crazy woman who suddenly flew in with a sword as a senior.It wasn¡¯t simply an admission of her force.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was as expected.Grid seemed to trust the personality of Yeo Yn itself.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that ridiculous.¡±


    Yatan might be buried here¡ªYeo Yn¡¯s guess was quite usible.The size of the No Offspring Tomb and the status of the Specter could be exined if this was a ce where Yatan was buried.


    ¡°However, she seems to believe that she needs the Specter to revive Yatan. I don¡¯t understand that belief.¡±


    -I understand.We still have no reason to trust the Specter.


    Yeo Yn told him not to fight the Specter.There was a nuance of worrying about Grid¡¯s safety, but it also contained the meaning of not disturbing the Specter.In the first ce, she seemed to be cooperating with the Specter.It was clear that she judged that the Specter was necessary to resurrect Yatan.It was hard to rte fromGrid¡¯sperspective.


    A myth usurper¡ªthe Specter sent hunters throughout the entire continent beyond the No Offspring Tomb to ughter the human gods. This was harmful to humanity.Of course, it might not be intended to harm humans.ording to Yeo Yn¡¯s interpretation, it would be making sacrifices for the cause.It was justlike Pagmaof the past.


    It was uneptable.Grid was a god of the surface.He shouldered the duty of guarding humanity and his divinity was created from human aspirations.The moment he turned a blind eye to it, Grid would be corrupted like the heavenly gods.


    ¡®In the first ce...¡¯


    The order of hell would be corrected by him and the Overgeared Guild.They had been trying to do that.Even at this moment, Yura was guarding hell.Yatan would just be an unpredictable and uninvited guest if he appeared now.


    ¡®I¡¯m not saying I will doubt and fight it.¡¯


    No matter whether it was trustworthy or not, Grid felt the need to meet and check the Specter in person.It was a natural procedure.


    ¡®A lofty Absolute?¡¯


    On the one hand, Grid felt pure curiosity.


    Yeo Yn¡¯sst words¡ªshe spoke as if the Specter was a being who shouldn¡¯t be disobeyed.She was worried about Grid even after experiencing Grid¡¯s strength firsthand.This ovepped with Marie Rose¡¯s concerns.It was why he needed to check it even more.


    Was it okay to let such a strong being grow like this?


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Dozens of God Hands grabbed Skunk and the Divine Wood Coffin.They were influenced by Grid¡¯s stats and their tremendous grip was disyed.Skunk floated up without any resistance, while Chreshlerid down (?) his body to make it easier for the God Hands to lift him.


    -It isfortable.


    At the same time, Grid broke through the intricately twistedbyrinth without hesitation and the God Hands followed closely.It was a skill he saved when fighting Yeo Yn.They immediately moved through theplex terrain. The process of analyzing the terrain was omitted.


    ¡°Ughhhhh!¡±


    -Uweeeeeok!


    Of course, there were side effects.The effect of the skill was limited to Grid.Skunk and the Divine Wood Coffin were grabbed and dragged by the God Hands and crashed into all sorts of rocks.Skunk¡¯s health was reduced in real time. The rocks also contained the ¡®status¡¯ that made the No Offspring Tomb eternal, so even the durability of the Divine Wood Coffin was reduced.


    Shrill screams echoed.Grid didn¡¯t care.It was enough to restore health and durability.


    ¡°Ughh... Gulp gulp. Cough cough!¡±


    -Uweeeok!These guys hit me...it feelsgood?


    The God Hands were active.They shoved potions into Skunk¡¯s mouth and repaired the Divine Wood Coffin in real time.The reproduction of a body part that moved on their own¡ªthey had unmatched versatility.It was one of Grid¡¯s greatest strengths.


    ¡°¡±You are here already?¡±¡±


    At the open space at the end of thebyrinth...


    There were dozens of death knights waiting there while surrounded by distant ancient murals.The moment they found Grid, they raised their swords and saluted. It resembled the knights of the Overgeared Empire.There was strict discipline.It was an attitude of dealing with a respected superior, not an aggressor.


    However, the intention was impure.The reason why the monsters of the No Offspring Tomb respected Grid was purely for the sake of the Specter.It was why Grid felt it was unpleasant.It felt like a human smiling and pouring food to fatten a pig from a pig¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°There are so many intermediate bosses.¡±


    Grid was about to go straight forward and ughter the death knights, only to stop moving.It was because he found someone he needed to be cautious of.


    Thick, curved, and fierce¡ªit was a Sword with as many as three modifiers.The leader of the dozens of death knights stood and blocked the gateway to the nextbyrinth.


    ¡°¡±Grid, do you know?¡±¡±


    The ground was smashed with every step that the Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword took.


    Formless Will¡ªthe will of the Sword cut down everything that was offensive to the senses.


    ¡°¡±All the forces and gateways in the No Offspring Tomb aren¡¯t there to deter intruders. It is just a test.¡±¡±


    The No Offspring Tomb was a huge filter.It was filtering out useless filth.


    ¡°¡±However, I have doubts about using it against you. How dare we test an Only One God? It is presumptuous. It is like Zeratul testing Chiyou.¡±¡±


    ¡°Are youparing yourself to Zeratul?¡±


    Grid let out augh.


    Martial God Zeratul¡ªhe was obviously just a recement modeled after Chiyou.However, it wasn¡¯t a name worth mentioning for a death knight, who was someone else¡¯s servant all his life since his death.It was too cheap.Grid clearly remembered Zeratul¡¯s strength.This was even though there were a lot of ws in his personality. In the end, he was caught by this personality and was repeatedly defeated.


    ¡°¡±No way. I just used an example to highlight the fact that the gap between you and us is that great.¡±¡±


    ¡°The example is wrong. Wouldn¡¯t it be right if youpared yourself to the dogs guarding the gates of hell?¡±


    The eyes of Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword shimmered like mes.It was a fleeting sight, but Grid clearly saw it.


    ¡°¡±You seem to unexpectedly care about Zeratul.¡±¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t like you.¡±


    Skunk was nervous.Did he care about Zeratul?Grid looked very ufortable because the death knight was talking nonsense.


    As expected.Grid couldn¡¯t stand it.It was different from usual.


    Hundreds of God Hands drew their swords in unison and threw them.The technique symbolizing Grid, a ¡®Rain of Battle Gear¡¯ was used in a physical way. It was with a straight trajectory rather than a falling trajectory. From this moment on, it was a new skill for Grid.


    The purple light of the death knights¡¯ swords drew countless lines.They opposed the waves of the swords, which showed power over the space, and eventually pushed them out little by little.Therewas Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword in the center.His Formless Will spread in all directions and helped his allies by twisting the trajectory of thethrownswords and weakening their power.


    ¡®He spent quite a lot of time fighting Yeo Yn.¡¯


    Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword wasconsideringthe time when Grid and Yeo Yn confronted each other.He heard it took 10 minutes.It was hopeful news for Thick, Curved, and FierceSword, who pridedhimselfon mastering a swordsmanship simr to Yeo Yn.It meant that a ¡®fight¡¯ could be established against an Only One God.


    ¡®I can endure for 10 minutes with a learning mindset.¡¯


    Thick, Curved, and FierceSworddidn¡¯t have the amulets or daoist techniques. Additionally, he didn¡¯t even know the principles of daoism.He was an undead.His physical strength was infinite, unlike Yeo Yn who had remnants of humanity left as a half-god.He was confident that he could hold out against Grid as well.


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    Then the eyes of Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword greatly widened as he captured Grid with his transcendent senses.He was surprised by Grid¡¯s dancing performance that was contrary to his expectations.Unknowingly, he was overwhelmed.For a moment, he couldn¡¯t even move his fingertips. Then his vision turned over and over again.It was because his skull was separated from his spine and rotated dozens of times in the air.


    sh!


    The spear of light prated the body of the headless and floundering Sword.Then falling meteorites crushed him.It was the effect of Twilight that followed the six fusion sword dance.It was the moment when Grid¡¯s lethal move, which he suppressed against Yeo Yn, revealed its sharp teeth.


    ¡°¡±I didn¡¯t know you kept a trump card...¡±¡±


    ¡°Foolish.¡±


    It was ever since he became a god a few years ago.Unlike the popr rumors, Grid failed to win consecutively and instead lost several times in a row.However, he wasn¡¯t ashamed even once.The opponents he fought were on a different level, at least in terms of skill, from the skeletons in front of him who couldn¡¯t grasp the subject.


    -Receive this well!


    The wreckage of the shattered death knights were picked up by the God Hands and transported to the Divine Wood Coffin.


    [The executive of the No Offspring Tomb, ¡®Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword,¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [Your level has increased.]


    [The skill book ¡®Sword Energy Dispersion¡¯ has been obtained.]


    [The divine power of the Divine Wood Coffin has be a bit stronger after purifying the undead of the No Offspring Tomb.]


    [The divine power of the Divine Wood Coffin has be a bit stronger after purifying the undead of the No Offspring Tomb...]


    ......


    ...


    [The current purification count is 23.]


    [The Divine Wood Coffinhas read thememory of ¡®Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword¡¯.]


    The consciousness of Grid¡¯s group was transferred to the past.It was the past of the No Offspring Tomb.

 Chapter 1744

    <h4>Chapter 1744</h4>


    ¡°Congrattions, youngest. The temple has appointed you out as a sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my! There is such a happy event in my house!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seeded, Iwata!¡±


    It was an era when death meant the gateway to paradise.The boy smiled widely as he looked around at his parents and siblings, who were rejoicing while shedding tears.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d. Thank you.¡±


    ***


    It was the first time sincethe boy was born that he had seen such a dinner.The bread and meat that his parents received from the temple were piled up on the table.


    However, the boy couldn¡¯t even touch the meat.It was because there was the possibility that he would ascend to heaven.


    The boy''s father spoke to the boy, who was looking down gloomily at the pile of grass in the old wooden tableware set,¡°Iwata, you might be young, but you have umted a lot of merit. Didn¡¯t you join the Reflection Group early on and serve the poor?¡±


    ¡°I, Iwata, also saved the little fox cubs who lost their mother two days ago.¡±


    ¡°Did you? It is great that you didn¡¯t dismiss it lightly just because the other party is a beast. The gods of Asgard will surely make you an angel. You will be one of the young angels who y musical instruments and sing for the gods forever. That is why you should refrain from eating meat. The gods might be reluctant if you have yellow lumps in your body.¡±


    ¡°Uwah, it reminds me ofTaitta. I cut open the swollen belly and it was full of yellow lumps. I thought there were no intestines the first time I saw it, right?¡±


    ¡°Considering the priests who performed the ritual frowned, I wonder if the smell was also bad. How can you sacrifice the sick as a living sacrifice... The temple made a rare mistake.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a mistake. They knew and proceeded with it? Taitta was also a priest. Maybe they wanted to give someone who served his whole life a chance to go to heaven.¡±


    ¡°That is true based on what I heard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the meal. I¡¯ll be going!¡±


    The boy often hated his father, who always nagged him, and his older brother, who supported his father.However, that wasn¡¯t thecase since yesterday.The fact that he was chosen as a living sacrifice made the boy a more positive person.


    The boy, who ate all the nd vegetables before he knew it, jumped up from his seat and left the house immediately.


    It was around this timest year¡ªthe boy was called to the Reflection Group because he was fast and strong. From then on, he had been busy every day.


    Sadly, there were many elderly people in this city.He didn¡¯t know if it was difficult, but ording to the exnation of his superiors, it was a disease created by peace.They were people who missed the time to die due to the disappearance of war.The number of poor people who couldn¡¯t go to paradise was increasing every day.


    ¡°I heard that the shoemaker auntie, Domiri, has the hair at the top of her head turning white.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? It is my first time serving someone I know.¡±


    ¡°How pitiful... we should hurry and find her before she goes mad and hides somewhere.¡±


    The boy mingled among the young men holding clubs stained dark red with blood and went out to serve the people.The destination was the shoe store.The young men dragged out Auntie Domiri and beat her with all their might.The auntie¡¯s young husband and daughters cheered in congrattions while the auntie screamed. She begged for help.


    The boy felt it every time, but elderly people were really strange.


    ¡®Why are they afraid of death?¡¯


    The gates to paradise would only open when they died.ording to the priests who received the divine message:Most people would go to the paradise that Yatan created underground and would be freed from all the suffering they had experienced as humans. Additionally, some chosen ones would go to the paradise that Reba created in heaven in order to worship the gods.


    They could enjoy all types of carefree happiness, unlike life on the surface where they suffered from all types of pains.


    Of course, they knew that they would have to endure pain to reach death.However, the pain was only fleeting.If they endured for a moment, they would enjoy eternal happiness. So why resist?


    ¡®It is as the seniors said. They must be suffering from madness.¡¯


    The boy felt pity for Aunt Domiri, who was waving her hands and feet to stop the clubs.It would¡¯ve been better to obediently expose her stomach and head, rather than wailing louder as her fingers were dislocated and her shin bones broke.


    ¡°It is tough, tough. At times like this, I just want to stab with a knife.¡±


    "Are you crazy? That isn¡¯t a service.¡±


    Unless it was a sacrifice, she had to be beaten to death in order to wash away her sins in life.It was only after being hit in the stomach until the intestines were crushed that there was a possibility of reflection and ascension to heaven.Even if the underground paradise was better than the surface, it would be worse than heaven.That was why it was done with clubs.


    ¡°Auntie Domiri, you have already reflected enough. There is no need to suffer any longer, so put away that rattling arm and show your head.¡±


    ¡°Spare me¡­ spare me...¡±


    ¡°Huh?What nonsense is this? Did you immediately go crazy the moment the hair at the top of your head started turning white?¡±


    ¡°I... if I die already, who will take care of my children...? They will starve to death under their immature father, who gambles with the money used to buy bread...¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t know what you are worried about.¡±


    ¡°Domiri is possessed by a demon!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and kill her before we are hated by the gods!¡±


    The people who were watching the service of the Reflection Group in an enjoyable manner started shouting. The auntie¡¯s young husband took the lead.Domiri¡¯sdaughters, who had beenughing and pping, started turning red with anxiety when they saw the atmosphere be harsh.


    In the end, the boy stepped up.He used a much stronger force than his seniors to press on the back ofDomiri¡¯sneck, overpowering her. Domiri begged the boy, ¡°Please, Iwata... please...¡±


    Bam!


    Red blood filled the boy¡¯s vision.The boy, who was covered with the blood fromDomiri¡¯sbroken head, finally rxed his hardened face. He approached Domiri¡¯s young daughters, who were about to cry, and patted them on the shoulder.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The girls also smiled widely.


    That evening, the boy went to the temple.For the next month before the ceremony, the priests visited the temple every night and told him.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    It was a white liquid.The priests exined to the boy, who was curiously looking at the liquid in the transparent ss bottle¡°It is a medicine that purifies the soul. If you take that medicine every night from today on, you will gradually be loved by the gods.¡±


    ¡°Your chances of ascending to heaven will increase!¡±


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s right.¡±


    The boy joyfully drank the medicine and felt his consciousness go dim. His heart fluttered and he burst outughing for no reason. As his soul became clean, it seemed that happiness came along with it.


    He suddenly felt doubts.It was because the skin of the priests who came closer after taking off their masks and clothes was wrinkled.How could a person¡¯s body be like that? It was the first time he had seen it in his life.It looked a bit simr to UncleDomotan¡¯sforearm, which had been burned as a child, but it was too natural to be a wound.


    ¡®The people chosen by the gods are different from ordinary people.¡¯


    In any case, it was good.The drugged boy smiled and fell into the arms of the priests.Thus, the priests visited the temple every night.


    Then around two weekster...


    The boy¡¯s expression crumpled in the midst of his drugged happiness.He was stroking the bald head of the priest, Gurada, when he felt a sense of beard-like roughness at the tip of his fingers. Then he looked closely and found that it was a white hair. It was thick and short, as if it had just grown, but it was clearly hair.


    White hair¡ªit was a symbol of an old person who missed the time to die.


    ¡°Ack!Iwata! What are you doing all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am serving you.¡±


    The drugged boy was out of his mind. He wasn¡¯t clear about where he was and what he was doing now. He relied solely on his learned instincts. He picked up a silver candlestick and beat the priest¡¯s wrinkled body mercilessly.


    ¡°This crazy guy...!Aaack!¡±


    The priest, Gurada, also went crazy due to old age.


    The boy felt sorry for the priest, who resisted by swinging a bottle. Even in the midst of his blurred consciousness, he decided that he needed to serve the other person as soon as possible.It wasn¡¯t hard because the boy was very fast and powerful.Hehaddyed when serving Aunt Domiri because he entrusted most of the work to his seniors, but it was actually easy and quick on his own. He quickly turned Priest Gurada into a mess and killed him.


    ¡°Hiik...¡±


    The other priests trembled.There were no soldiers who rushed over after hearing themotion.The huge temple at night was still.It was because the priests sent away the soldiers every time the boy came to visit.


    ¡°Poor people...¡±


    The boy finally noticed.The eyes of the priests, which were usually hidden under masks¡ªtheir eyshes were white when he looked at it closely in the candlelight.Their shaved eyebrows and hair were probably white as well.


    ¡°W-What are you going to do...?!¡±The priests screamed, but it was toote.The boy blocked the doorway and started his service. All the priests were beaten to death.


    The world was in great turmoil the next day.It was because the knowledgeable people who examined the corpses of the priests referred to them as ¡®very old people.¡¯The folds of their skin were like the rings of a tree trunk.


    Many things started to change.People learned the truth that the priests who ruled the city were older than the elderly people and they questioned death.There were many voices that doubted paradise and the gods.


    The boy was fine.He just needed medicine.


    The prison where the boy was locked up was meaningless.The crude iron bars couldn¡¯t withstand the boy¡¯s grip, which was even more powerful than yesterday, and crumpled at once. The boy chuckled after killing the seniors from the Reflection Group who ran over after shouting something.


    ¡®All the seniors will go to heaven, right?¡¯


    The boy went straight to the temple.He killed all the soldiers protecting the entrance and also killed those who were investigating inside. He was d that his father was there as well. He felt like he was being properly filial.


    After that, the boy searched for medicine.On the way, people kepting and interfering for some reason, but it was enough to just kill them. He was happy enough to fly away when he found the medicine.The temple wasrger than he thought. The history of the destruction of the ¡®kingdom¡¯ was recorded underground, but it wasn¡¯t his business. It was important to find the medicine.


    However, finding medicine became increasingly difficult.The visits from those interfering also became less frequent.Now the temple where the boy stayed alone was as calm as any night. Before he knew it, the boy became a young man.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a hero who saved the world be so corrupted.¡±


    It was when he was just about to forget how to speak.The young man was so thin it was as if his bones only had skin attached, and he had only a faint thirst for medicine.Everything as a human being was too worn out to feel any excitement about the visitor who suddenly appeared.


    ¡°If you die like this, you will surely fall into hell. You are destined to be Baal¡¯s ything and be used harshly.¡±


    ¡°Y...ou...?¡±


    ¡°Hero who saved the world from the deception of the demons of hell and deceived the eyes of the gods. Ignorant sinner who destroyed the world he saved. The god Yatan that I know will surely have pity on you. I, his apostle, will take care of you.¡±


    The old temple copsed.The white bones of the humans killed by the young man in the distant past were weathered and blown away by the wind.The city, which had long been reduced to a huge ruin, started to be covered in bone dust like snow.


    The young man who saved the world was a hero, but he was also a sinner who unintentionally destroyed the world.In many ways, he transcended humans and survived for hundreds of years without eating.He relied on a craving for medicine that didn¡¯t mean anything.


    ¡°You resemble me. You are a remnant of an abhorrent past and have no ce to belong.¡±


    The Specter, who identified itself as an apostle of Yatan, insisted.If he died and fell to hell, he would just sin again.The demons who took advantage of Yatan¡¯s cycle and started to upy hell were very vicious. Therefore, they had to be vignt and they couldn¡¯t die.


    ¡°I will build a new world and you will live there.¡±


    ¡°Medicine...¡±


    The young man was obsessed with what had sustained him. He reached out toward the visitor who was talking weirdly, but he couldn¡¯t reach it.The Specter had already taken the young man¡¯s heart. It used the power of an apostle to make the young man immortal.Then suddenly¡ª


    ¡°Are you three people I will meet in the future?¡±the Specter looked at the ¡®view¡¯ of Grid¡¯s group and asked a question.A chill went down the spines of Grid¡¯s group as their consciousness returned to the present.


    ***


    [You have learned the story of Iwata, the Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword.]


    [Iwata¡¯s soul has been purified by the divinity of the Divine Wood Coffin and refuses to fall to hell.]


    [The Divine Wood Coffin has epted Iwata¡¯s soul.]


    [Some of Iwata¡¯s memories and abilities are absorbed into the Divine Wood Coffin.]


    ¡°Gasp...Gasp...¡±


    Iwata, the Thick, Curved, and Fierce Sword¡ªSkunk¡¯s breathing quickened after experiencing the memories of his life.In particr, the shock he experienced at the end was so great that his face turned blue and he started sweating.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t caught in the review?¡¯


    Grid had a useless worry.He thought that the ancient sentiments and customs of the time when Iwata lived were very cruel.


    ¡®Well, I don¡¯t think a minor will end up watching this story.¡¯


    Grid had grown tens or hundreds of times faster than others.Even so, it wasn¡¯t until nine years after he started Satisfy that he entered the No Offspring Tomb.It was practically impossible for a yer who was still underage to have the same experience as him here.


    ¡°It was a story from the time when Baal showed signs of distorting hell. Yatan¡¯s apostle... in other words, should we consider it a good thing that the Specter jumped out and escaped hell...?¡±


    -From the perspective of humanity, it is correct to say that it is unconditionally fortunate.If the Specter had left the lost sinners to die rather than bringing them to the No Offspring Tomb, the power of hell would be much stronger than it is now.In any case, it is definitely diligent.Didn¡¯t it once wander around the world itself, collecting garbage and disciplining them?


    A home to sinners with nowhere to go¡ªthe identity of the No Offspring Tomb was revealed.However, there was no basis to trust the Specter.


    What was the ultimate purpose of the Specter?Was Yatan really buried in the No Offspring Tomb?


    There were still secrets to be revealed, so Grid¡¯s party moved on.

 Chapter 1745

    <h4>Chapter 1745</h4>


    In the first battle, he won in 35 exchanges ofblows.


    The one who inherited the Matchless Sword like himself¡ªhe understood the fact that this person was the Sword Saint of the current era. This person was a distant junior.There was no great inspiration other than the fact that the sword containedthecharacteristic of an orange sunset.


    The second time, they exchanged 48 blows before he won.He was a bit surprised by the momentum of the sword that pierced through the space in a manner simr to a spear.He also admired the orange sunset, which was someone else¡¯s divinity fused with the sword energy.He considered the efforts of his junior who would¡¯ve tried in various ways to fill the gap over the years.


    The third time, he won after 71 exchanges.He was aiming to win within 20 exchanges, but it became surprisingly long.


    ¡®I thought I understood everything.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the case at all.For the Sword Saint of the present day, the Matchless Sword was just an additional branch, not the foundation.


    The fourth time, he won after 82 exchanges.From then on, the dimensional gap couldn¡¯t withstand the waves from the battle and started to copse.The fragments of the chaos dimension defied the providence of the existing world and produced monsters.


    ¡°I can see your intentions.¡±


    Sword Saint Muller¡ªthe most powerful Sword Saint of all time.He was praised as one of the greatest heroes of the past by the humans of that time.His impression after living alone for hundreds of years was very different from Kraugel¡¯s expectations.


    Straightforward, clear eyes.A confident expression.An unwavering voice.He was born to enforce ¡®justice,¡¯ just like the hero of a manhwa. It was like seeing the embodiment of goodness that would never be broken.The expectation that he would¡¯ve copsed after living alone for a long time was spectacrly wrong.


    ¡°Eventually, the dimensional gap will break and the surface will be in crisis... then I will have no choice but to return to the world.¡±


    Why was he born with such great talent?Muller deliberated on it for a long time before deciding to live for others.He saved countless lives by harnessing a talent that was too much for one individual to handle. He believed it to be the responsibility and duty of the strong.


    His aplishments weren¡¯t just sealing the great demons.The wars and plunder suppressed by Muller¡¯s mere existence were simply incalcble.It was just that the kingdoms, forced to abandon their greed out of fear of a single human being, didn''t record it due to their pride.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do as you want for now. Let¡¯s hurry and return to the surface before the monsters born from the shards of the dimension gaps hurt people.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Sword Saint of the present day was very reticent.It was unusual.


    ¡®It is hard for a Sword Saint to bereticent, right?¡¯


    A sword contained many intentions.Swords were sometimes wielded to take thousands of lives and sometimes to save only one.It was easy to wander if they didn¡¯t consider it endlessly.A Sword Saint had to see, hear, and experience many different types of lives.It was only by understanding and empathizing with more lives that the intentions put into the sword increased and the paths of the sword would increase.


    Biban, whom he once happened to see from a distance, proved it.He never stopped chatting. Thanks to this, Muller discovered that the person was Biban.Muller thought that his mouth would naturally be busy if he reflected on the connections with people that he had built up to increase his sword skills one by one. He worried in his heart that he would one day be like Biban.


    ¡°...It is fine.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The unusually reticent Sword Saint of the present day finally opened his mouth. He flustered his senior by saying something contrary to expectations.


    ¡°The surface will be safe even if you don¡¯te. Monsters of that caliber can¡¯t touch a single human hair.¡±


    ¡°This is a real disaster. Your time as a Sword Saint is much shorter than I thought, right? Is it less than 20 years?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I felt like you were trying to save face by running away repeatedly. You¡¯ve never been in a situation where you were on the verge of dying before.¡±


    The Sword Saint of the present day didn¡¯tply and ran away after every defeat. It was only after fully recovering that he reappeared and challenged it again.It was nothing to be ashamed of.It was proof that he wasn¡¯t ready to ept defeat and death.


    ¡°I will make it clear. Your belief is just the facy of a genius. You might believe that other humans are as strong as you are, but reality is quite different. The vast majority of humans can¡¯t easily handle such monsters.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something... I¡¯m not being arrogant. I¡¯ve experienced great crises thousands of times.¡±


    ¡°How can such a person make the foolish im that the surface is safe? Could it be that... you don¡¯t care about the lives of others?¡±


    Muller¡¯s eyes, which were asrge and clear as a calf¡¯s, turned sharp for the first time.He even released a bit of killing intent.For a moment, Kraugel felt a sharp pain in his heart.


    [The aura of ¡®Heart Killing Intent¡¯ has fixed your health to a minimum.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he a monster beyond imagination?¡¯


    A sword forged with killing intent¡ªit killed the target as soon as there was the intention.Did Muller really achieve the ultimate in the Heart Sword?At this point, wasn¡¯t it far beyond the realm of legends and transcendents?


    Kraugel was agitated to the point that his face turned white, but he soon regained hisposure.He was a Sword Saint.There was no way that a meeting with Muller wouldn¡¯t be beneficial.Grid knew this, so he entrusted Muller to Kraugel.


    Kraugel believed it.It was his ¡®qualifications,¡¯ not his talent and skills.He believed in Grid¡¯s judgment and trust in sending him here.


    ¡°...You didn¡¯t shake.¡±Muller saw Kraugel¡¯s determination.A person who stood aloof even when death approached him.At the very least, he seemed worth talking to.¡°I¡¯ll change the question.¡±


    [You are free from the effects of ¡®Heart Killing Intent.¡¯ Your health can be restored.]


    ¡°Is the surface really safe when these monsters go on a rampage?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the surface is now guarded by a ¡®god.¡¯¡±


    Additionally¡ª


    ¡°Also, humans aren¡¯t as weak as you think.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A strange light shed in Muller¡¯s eyes.He realized it¡ªthe objective of his distant junior, the Sword Saint of the present day, wasn''t Muller personally.


    ¡°Come back to the world and fight together for humans... I thought you came here to ask for that.¡±


    Muller shrugged and took back his sword energy, which had taken the form of a sword.He pulled out the real sword that had been sealed for hundreds of years and grabbed it.It was a treasured sword that was reborn as a divine sword due to umted achievements and years alongside the strongest Sword Saint in history.


    ¡°Your objective was simply to devour me.¡±


    The world doesn¡¯t need me.


    His junior¡¯s attitude seemed to be sincerely saying this.It was the blessing that Muller had been long hoping for.A world that could survive only if a few strong people supported it¡ªthe surface was a precarious world.It could be overthrown at any time by the whims of the dragons or the needs of the gods.There wasn¡¯t much that Muller could do in such a world.He endured a lot of pressure alone.


    Thus, he ran away.In the end, he wanted death.He rejected life because it was meaningless, not because he was bored.Then he caught a glimpse of the truth of hell and realized that death wasn¡¯t the end.He realized he couldn¡¯t even die and felt extremely desperate.He abandoned all his burdens and slipped into the dimensional gap.


    He was a coward.He wanted to help his junior, if only to relieve his guilt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to feed you. I¡¯ll show you everything, even if it means killing you hundreds of times.¡±


    Muller took a proper posture.It was veryslowly, as if telling Kraugel to watch and learn.¡°Come.¡±


    A god protecting the surface?Such a thing was impossible.Perhaps his junior misunderstood a mere human god.He could¡¯ve mistaken Garion, the God of the Earth who reacted every time he split apart thend and mountains, as equivalent to the heavenly gods.


    Nevertheless, Muller didn¡¯t deny Kraugel¡¯s words.It was because he sympathized with the argument that ¡®human beings aren¡¯t weak.¡¯If many legends and transcendents were born in this era, the surface would definitely be safer than it was in Muller¡¯s days.


    After hundreds of years, he felt relieved.


    Asword power that made a cracking sound like a thunderbolt smashed toward Kraugel.It tore apart the dimensional gap.


    Everything was an inspiration to Kraugel.It wasn¡¯t just at the level of improving his mood or senses. He received the system¡¯s help.Every time he exchanged sword strikes with Muller, the level of his swordsmanship rted skills started to grow at an incredible rate.In particr, the skills rted to the Matchless Swordsmanship exceeded the master level.It was a ss effect caused by his encounter with the former generation Sword Saint.


    Kraugel, who had taken a hard path so far, grew up normally for the first time.It was thanks toGrid¡¯sfavor. It was a debt that must be repaid someday.


    [The skill ¡®Matchless Swordsmanship¡¯ has transcended to reach level 11. A special function is created.]


    [The skill ¡®Matchless Heart Technique¡¯ has transcended and reached level 11. A special function is created.]


    It was around 20 days after he met Muller.On the surface, Grid¡¯s No Offspring Tomb expedition was in full swing.


    ¡°...Who would dare? Is this the ¡®god¡¯ you talked about?¡±


    Muller¡¯s face hardened in the middle of teaching Kraugel.


    Thest worry left on the surface¡ªhe realized there was an anomaly in the No Offspring Tomb.It was possible because he had connected strands of sword energy to the No Offspring Tomb and his senses.


    Muller had med himself for being a coward, but in reality, he was still a hero who cared about the world. He couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to the moment when he had to step up. He put surveince on the No Offspring Tomb in the first ce because he wasn¡¯t prepared to turn a blind eye.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to do this. We have to go back quickly. At this rate, the boundaries of all dimensions will be broken around the No Offspring Tomb.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid left everything rted to Muller to Kraugel and Kraugel had no intention of taking Muller to the surface.It was because he thought it would be impossible to convince Muller.No matter the reason, this was a person who had been alone for hundreds of years.It wouldn¡¯t be easy to bring him back to the world.He thought it would be a waste of his heart and time to persuade them.


    This was why he fought silently.It was in the hope of gaining even the smallest instructions.He hoped to appease Muller, who was bored because he couldn¡¯t meet a strong person other than himself.


    Then the result?Far from a small lesson, he got huge gains. Additionally, Muller offered to go to the surface on his own.


    It was the moment when Grid¡¯s advice that sometimes it was best to fight without saying anything matched the situation.


    ***


    ¡°There are so many things in the world.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t for nothing that people say they don¡¯t believe it, even if it is a novel.¡±


    They just need to watch the news for an hour to tell.It was a fact that there were more movie-like things in the world than in movies.In modern society,ws and ethics took precedence.Meanwhile, ancient humans were ignorant of even basic morals and did terrible things casually.Iwata¡¯s case was like this.


    ¡°I think I know why the Specter gave the residents of this ce a new name like Staff or Sword. It must¡¯ve been in the hopes ofpletely erasing the terrible past.¡±


    Skunk used the words ¡®resident.¡¯The death knights and liches who inhabited the No Offspring Tomb couldn¡¯t be regarded as mere undead.From Iwata to Gajanara.It was the aftermath of peeking at the past of a total of eight executives.People who could¡¯ve been ordinary if they had been born in the right world¡ªSkunk sympathized with the ignorant victims who unintentionally became heroes and were forced to degenerate into viins.


    It was the same with Grid. He didn¡¯t feel veryfortable.


    Chreshler¡¯s thoughts were different.


    -It is right to see the No Offspring Tomb as a huge prison.It is a collection of irredeemable garbage.


    Chreshler didn¡¯t sympathize with the inhabitants of the No Offspring Tomb.Regardless of the reason, he interpreted it as a well-deserved punishment because they had umted sins.It was from the perspective of a religious person who was as devoted as a fanatic.


    Grid and Skunk clicked their tongues.


    ¡®Did he forget that his body is buried here?¡¯


    ¡®He might be trying to ignore it...¡¯


    Grid stopped walking.


    A small room guarded by three executives¡ªthe perfect pincer attack between transcendents in such a narrow space was somewhat difficult even for Grid.After quite a hard fight, he broke through and moved along the passage. However, an unexpected object blocked his way.


    Duguen!Duguen!


    A huge, red lump of flesh that was beating like a heart.The same thing he had seen in hell was deep underground in the No Offspring Tomb.

 Chapter 1746

    <h4>Chapter 1746</h4>


    Muller¡¯s brown hair reached just below his ankles and dragged like a cloak.It was a constraint that couldn¡¯t be ignored. It was like he took a penalty on himself. However, Kraugel hadn¡¯t noticed any major gaps in thest 23 days.He reaffirmed that Muller was a person ¡®close¡¯ to an Absolute.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t an Absolute.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s discerning eye was far beyond the ordinary.He had also witnessed firsthand Absolutes like Grid, Hayate, Marie Rose, the old dragons, and Zeratul. It was either fighting together with them or fighting them as enemies.There was no way that he couldn¡¯t distinguish between Absolutes.


    ¡®The only thing he has developed is his heart.¡¯


    Muller¡¯s ¡®status¡¯ fell short of an Absolute. He was at the level of a higher transcendent and the so-called ¡®Realm of the Absolute¡¯ couldn¡¯t be implemented.His ¡®energy¡¯ was at least equal or superior to an Absolute in terms of ¡®swordsmanship,¡¯ but that was it.


    It was generally inferiorpared to Hayate, who wielded the energy of a Dragon yer; Marie Rose, who wielded the power of a vampire; a dragon, who shot a Breath and used Dragon Words; and Zeratul, who mastered all martial arts.It was several times lower than Grid¡¯s omnipotence of being able to respond to any situation in real time using items.Just¡ª


    The ¡®heart¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to beckingpared to any Absolute.This might be due to the characteristics of the ss called Sword Saint.It was because the Sword Saint had a skill called Heart Sword.By moving his sword with his heart, he naturally sharpened it and reached the stage of Heart Killing Intent.It must¡¯ve been a ¡®natural¡¯ growth process for Muller, who was the strongest of the Sword Saints.


    ¡®I wonder if he was able to keep himself from going crazy due to his advanced heart and mental power.¡¯


    Muller had been alone for hundreds of years in a dimensional gap, but let alone being crazy, he hadn¡¯t degenerated at all.It was amazing no matter how one looked at it.It was understandable if he interpreted as Muller enduring thanks to his specially developed heart and mind.


    ¡®That is also why he ran away.¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯sworldview was very hopeless.


    The surface¡ªa world where they never knew when the time bomb called a dragon would explode.Humans lived there and were threatened by all types of monsters.On one hand, they were targeted by the demons of hell.Therefore, they relied on the heavenly gods, but most gods weren¡¯t interested in humans.


    In the first ce, in Satisfy, gods were more like ¡®humans with eternal life and strong power.¡¯ Their mental state wasn¡¯t that different from humans, so they were too iplete to be absolutely trusted and followed.Of course, the Gods of the Beginning might be different, but...


    In any case, the world experienced from a human perspective was hopeless.Even hope disappeared after death.If a great hero died, they ascended to heaven and became a soldier of the gods. If an ordinary person died, they fell into a distorted hell and became the prey of Baal and the demons.


    In a world where there were no dreams and no hope¡ª


    Muller took apletely different path from Hayate.At first, they lived for others in the same manner. Then after learning the hopeless truth of the world, Hayate built a tower, while Muller fled.Was it because Muller was a coward?Rather, perhaps he epted the situation more ¡®realistically.¡¯


    Hayate lived every day with nightmares until he relied on Grid.He knew dragons better than anyone, so he feared them the most in the world. He endured purely with a hero¡¯s willpower.He endured the pain caused by the weight of the responsibility he carried, hid the fear he didn¡¯t dare tell others, and lived every day without finding hope.Yes, he just endured it.He would¡¯ve copsed if he hadn¡¯t met the hope called Grid. His years of hard work might¡¯ve been in vain. That was how precarious he was.


    On the other hand, Muller quickly gave up cleanly when he realized there was no hope in the world.He didn¡¯t try his best.In any situation, his calm mind and heart would¡¯ve forced him to make the ¡®right judgment.¡¯Even so, he still seemed to have a lingering attachment based on the way he kept the No Offspring Tomb under surveince.


    ¡®If he had remained in the world until the end like Hayate...¡¯


    He would¡¯ve umted all sorts of achievements and experience and became an Absolute.


    ¡®Definitely.¡¯


    Kraugel was thinking this as he stared at Muller¡¯s back, only to suddenlye back to his senses.It was because he made eye contact with Muller, who turned his head.


    ¡°I won''t guess what you are thinking,¡±Muller spoke with his characteristic amiable expression and pretended to slit his neck with his finger.


    Snip.


    His long hair was cut off.It was the operation of sword energy that was used without a sword.The clear, sharp sword energy blurred the scenery and only cut off his hair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with any type of faith. I¡¯m not a trustworthy hero or a great person.¡±


    Thus, he wanted to die even more.His past achievements with no future¡ªhe was ashamed to see people praising the meaningless things that were like used and discarded pieces of cloth.


    ¡°By the way, are you really going to follow me?¡±


    Muller cut through the dimensional gap and a door to the surface appeared.The destination was unknown.It could be opened in the middle of the Red Sea, theva-infested Trauka¡¯sir, or the high sky.Still, it didn¡¯t matter where he fell.


    Muller would head to the No Offspring Tomb.He was prepared to die, even though he had avoided it out of fear.It was because he knew what was asleep in the No Offspring Tomb.He didn¡¯t know what the Specter was trying to protect, but he knew the other thing for sure.He had seen it himself in the past.It was why he decided to leave the world.


    ¡®Beriache¡¯s body.¡¯


    The mother of the direct descendant vampires¡ªthest gamble she made was to give birth to Marie Rose.She gave birth to Marie Rose even though she knew she would die.In fact, she died shortly after giving birth to Marie Rose.


    Muller¡¯s senses read in real time the process of a soul so powerful it had never been seen before falling into hell.Muller was the guardian of the surface at the time.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that his eyes and ears were over the entire continent.The Sword Saint¡¯s Super Sensitivitybined with his role allowed him to sense a lot.


    He even knew that some transcendent being had got their hands onBeriache¡¯sbody.Muller sensed the ominousness and hurriedly pursued it to the No Offspring Tomb.Then he saw it.


    The Specter¡ªit defended its ¡®territory¡¯ from invaders, just like Grenier¡¯s Mountain King, and he predicted that it would mutate naturally to be a myth predator in the process.In fact, the Specter that Muller saw was far beyond his imagination.It was outstanding in both force and background.


    ¡°What are you going to do with it?¡±


    Muller¡¯s past unfolded before Kraugel¡¯s eyes.


    [Something special has urred due to the ss effect of ¡®Sword Sword Saint.¡¯]


    [Your sword energy ismunicating with Muller¡¯s sword energy.]


    [You will experience a moment from the past that Muller is remembering.]


    It was a short past.In the dark underground area of the No Offspring Tomb...


    Muller set up a sword barrier to avoid the persistent pursuit of the undead and stood facing a huge existence.No, it wasn¡¯t huge.It felt dozens of timesrger than it actually was due to the unrivaled pressure it gave off and a very ominous shadow on its body, but its size wasn¡¯t much different from Muller. It was the average height of humans and the form was also human.Yes, it was clearly a human form.However, the darkness in its empty eyes was telling Muller that it was something different from a human.


    ¡°Sword Saint Muller. You are qualified to ask questions,¡±the being¡ªthe Specter of the No Offspring Tomb¡ªopened its mouth.Its hand held someone¡¯s rotting heart.It wasBeriache¡¯sheart.


    ¡°I am going to make a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Mirror...?¡±


    ¡°It is a mirror that is symmetrical to the body of King Daebyeol, who covets the souls of the dead and distorts the moon of hell.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±Muller couldn¡¯t understand theSpecter¡¯swords at all.


    The Specter added, ¡°It is easy to understand it as a tool to make the ns of the demon who betrayed my god go awry. I will recreate and offset thehelndscape that he dreams of here.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s fingertip touched Muller¡¯s forehead.


    The Realm of the Absolute¡ªit was a high-speed approach that made even Muller¡¯s Super Sensitivity react a stepte.


    Duguen!


    An enormous amount of information flooded Muller¡¯s mind.


    The huge red lump that was beating like a heart¡ªthe flesh of the ¡®body¡¯ that devoured the souls of the dead and distorted the hell moon was clearly engraved in his mind.


    ¡°This is a judgment that takes into ount the rtionship between King Daebyeol and Beriache. The moment they fall into the same fate and form a symmetry, they will be led by fate.¡±


    ¡°Wait... this is a world of humans. It isn¡¯t suitable as a space to fulfill your personal wishes.¡±


    ¡°A personal wish? You really don¡¯t understand the situation. No... you are denying it. This isn¡¯t my wish. It is the only way to save humanity. Even if this world ends, humanity in the next world will be saved.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh!¡±Muller drew his sword.


    Kraugel experienced it from Muller¡¯s point of view.His swordsmanship, his will, his fighting style¡ªthe Sword Saint, who was called the strongest of all time, was truly amazing.He had transcendent qualities.He fought the Specter and became stronger in real time.


    Kraugel experienced the whole process firsthand and absorbed a certain amount of experience.The Sword Saint¡¯s ss quest, which hadn¡¯t beenpleted in more than 15 years of Satisfy time, entered the final phase.It was an opportunity to be recognized afterpeting with Muller for dozens of days.It was a precursor to aplete ss change.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel that much hate. I have prepared the minimum of safeguards. The No Offspring Tomb will soon be reborn as a world separate from the surface. If you don¡¯t wish for an apocalypse,pray to Yatan that the scale of hell can be handled with the No Offspring Tomb alone.¡±


    ¡°It is really a ¡®minimum safeguard,¡¯ you damn demon bastard.¡±


    Muller¡¯s words became inappropriately harsh.That was how much he was pushed to his limit.His skills, which developed in real time, were overshadowed and dozens of spears were inserted into his body. He blocked the swords with the power of a Sword Saint, but that was his limit.However, the light in his eyes didn¡¯t die.Just like the protagonist of a male-focused manhwa, his big, clear eyes were burning with enthusiasm.


    ¡°What are the chances that the small world created by you, a mere apostle of a god, will handle the scale of hell created by a God of the Beginning? It isn¡¯t even 1%.¡±


    ¡°Be mindful of the fact that there is even a small possibility. Sword Saint Muller, the hero who supports the world. My respect for you ends here.¡±


    Dark demonic energy appeared in both hands of the Specter.To be precise, it was divinity.An Absolutedivinity inherited from the God of the Beginning, Yatan.The moment it touched Muller, it exercised the power to banish him outside the No Offspring Tomb.


    It was a crushing defeat.The anxiety about the impending apocalypse and the frustration of not being able to stop it made the hero, who didn¡¯t know how to give up, feel despair.


    ¡°...It is the end.¡±


    The information instilled in him by the Specter revealed too much truth to Muller.


    The disappearance ofYatan.


    The distorted hell.


    Heaven who stood on the sidelines.


    The insane apostle of Yatan.


    Muller would rather die.


    He wanted to turn a blind eye to the turbulent waves that couldn¡¯t be stopped with his own ability.However, he also learned that death wasn¡¯t rest.


    ¡°......¡±


    The hero¡¯s eyes, which had been shining like stars, died.He got up in a daze and stumbled away.He wandered the continent aimlessly.He saw many monsters and evil deeds that troubled people.As he helped them, a momentary light appeared in the hero¡¯s dead eyes.


    His gloomy face slowly rxed.He reassured people with a kind and benevolent expression.It was an amiable face that concealed his rotten heart.It was the same expression he showed Kraugel.


    [Themunion of sword energy has ended.]


    [You have experienced Sword Saint Muller¡¯s past.]


    [The Sword Saint ss quest ispleted.]


    [Your strength, agility, and willpower stats are greatly increased and the power of ss-specific skills enhanced. The number of swordsmanship you can create has increased.]


    [Great poweres with great responsibility.]


    [You will have to shoulder the responsibility of your predecessor.]


    [Analyzing the situation of the world.]


    ......


    ...


    [Help the Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ to protect the surface.]


    [If you fail, the world you used to know wille to an end.]


    ¡°I made a mistake. The empathy between sword energies... I unintentionally told you too much.¡±


    The two Sword Saints emerged from the dimensional gap and had descended to the surface before they knew it.They ran non-stop and got closer to the No Offspring Tomb.


    Muller¡¯s expression was dark.The amiable expression he was trying to make disappeared and gloominess hung over it.


    ¡°Ignore it. You don¡¯t have to shoulder the responsibility just because you know the truth.¡±


    It was the advice of a loser who ran away.It was advice given as a human being, not a Sword Saint.


    Kraugel shook his head.¡°I am going to bear it.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I am just sharing the burden that someone else is already carrying.¡±


    ¡°Someone else...?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that there is a ¡®god¡¯ protecting the surface?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s obsidian eyes captured the image of the old hero.He thought it was somewhat dwarfedpared to the heroes of the present age.


    ¡°Grid¡ªhe is the hope that bloomed without your knowledge.¡±


    He was about to add the words ¡®my friend,¡¯ but he held back.

 Chapter 1747

    <h4>Chapter 1747</h4>


    The red lump of flesh¡ªit received the souls of humans who fell to hell and inted its flesh, and was the moon projected in the sky of hell and the cause of the distortion of hell.It used the countless eyes made from the swallowed souls and drove everything in hell crazy.


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    Why was it here?Grid couldn¡¯t understand what was happening in front of him.He was just overwhelmed with a huge sense of deja vu.


    The shape and characteristic of the red flesh.The size and structure of the space where the flesh was located.From the air flow to the temperature and humidity.Everything matched what he had seen and felt in hell.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell methatthis ce... is it hell?¡¯


    It was to the point where an absurd question popped up in his mind.He suspected that after wandering through the ever-changingbyrinth of the No Offspring Tomb, he had crossed into hell.


    ¡°Is it possible that we crossed dimensions without knowing it?¡±


    -I didn¡¯t feel that way at all, but...


    Chreshler responded like it was nonsense.


    ¡°This ce is the No Offspring Tomb.¡±Skunk immediately denied it.He was a legendary adventurer and he couldn¡¯t mistake his current position.Adventure-rted skills and indicators that only Skunk could see showed that this was the No Offspring Tomb.


    ¡°...As expected, it couldn¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    Grid frowned and his divinity red up like wildfire. The Yellow Dragon seemed to be breathing fire from its mouth.As people said, one of the advantages of a myth ss was its ¡®coolness.¡¯It represented some of its owner¡¯s feelings and set the atmosphere.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that I was almost deceived.¡±


    Hunting the executives and experiencing their past¡ªGrid gradually developed a certain belief while doing this.It was the belief that the Specter was something close to good.It was because it seemed to be trying to restore the distorted hell.No matter how he looked at it, the Specter who visited and captured transcendents to prevent them from dying, and managed the No Offspring Tomb, was fighting for the world.


    Based on the fragmented conversations it had with transcendents, it was possible to tell that it hated Baal terribly. Its overriding goal was to restore hell to its original state, so it was clearly at odds with Baal.As a result, it was beneficial to humanity.


    Of course, there were cruel and cold aspects to it.No matter how much karma the transcendents who went crazy had unintentionally umted, the Specter ignored their human rights and ethics and turned them into the undead.It also deserved to be criticized for hunting human gods.


    However, Grid wanted to believe it.He vaguely hoped that he would gain a reliable ally in this hopeless world. All sorts of circumstances fueled expectations.


    It was ridiculous.Grid¡¯s swollen heart shriveled like a balloon with holes in it.In an instant, he lost all expectations and faith in the Specter.How could he trust a lunatic who recreated hell on the surface?


    He even felt betrayed.


    ¡°Is it thinking of restoring the lost hell by recreating it on the surface, rather than reiming the hell that was lost to Baal?¡±


    It was a reasonable doubt.The forces of hell were tremendously powerful.Baal, who had been defeated by Grid several times, would be much stronger now than he was back then. There were also the variables of the red flesh and Asura.Considering that Amoract and many other great demons were hostile to Baal, it made no sense for the Specter to face hell alone, even if it was much more powerful than Baal or Grid.


    The executives and soldiers of the No Offspring Tomb and the evil gods with the statues turned upside down?They were obviously powerful, but they could be offset by the strength of the army led by Baal.


    Every time Grid fought Baal and won, it had to be taken into ount that Baal was ¡®alone.¡¯Baal didn¡¯t wage a war against Grid.He just insisted on fighting one-on-one and enjoyed it for his personal amusement.It hurt his pride, but it was an objective fact.


    On the contrary, Grid worked with Bunhelier and Nefelina to attack Baal...


    ¡®I¡¯m bing angry for some reason.¡¯


    Grid became embarrassed after objectivelyparing the power of hell and the No Offspring Tomb, and he trembled. His divinity spread even more. The coiled up Yellow Dragon soared to ascend.


    -It is a hero¡¯s spirit.


    Chreshler unknowingly praised it.


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    Skunk was thrilled.


    Even to a legendary yer, Grid was a person from a different world.This was even though he was a member of the Overgeared Guild and watched Grid closely.


    The embarrassed Grid coughed.


    ¡°In any case, it is good that we came to the No Offspring Tomb.¡±


    This disgusting, ominous red flesh.It must be destroyed.


    Grid used a skill.Hebined Twilight and the Fire Dragon Sword, andbined Cranbel¡¯s Horn and Gujel¡¯s Fang.He intended to use a six fusion sword dance to destroy the flesh.


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°In the past.¡±


    A voice was heard.A harsh voice, like the breathing of a wounded beast, rang out in all directions.It echoed terribly even considering the size and structure of the space.To add a bit of exaggeration, he got the illusion that his brain was shaking.


    ¡°I remember feeling unfamiliar eyes. The gazes were from so far away that it was hard to fathom the distance.¡±


    Only the voice was heard.It didn¡¯t show itself.It was impossible to identify the location even when Grid maximized his senses.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t here.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t assume that he ¡®couldn¡¯t find¡¯ the other person.Just like all his stats, the insight he umted over the years were a testament to his hard work.It was the same for his status as a god and his qualifications of an Absolute.He used all his abilities and powers, but he couldn¡¯t find the other existence?It couldn¡¯t be.The owner of the voice simply wasn¡¯t here.It was just a magical tool ying the role of a speaker.


    ¡°Now I know the identity of the gaze I felt.¡±


    The Specter¡ªthe owner of the voice was clearly the Specter.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±The white-faced Skunk trembled.He just heard a voice, but he was experiencing a status abnormality.It wasn¡¯t fear or confusion.He was overwhelmed.He was overwhelmed by an enormous pressure that was difficult to interpret as just a difference in status and he couldn¡¯t even move a fingertip.He had been reduced to prey.


    -In terms of the momentum alone, it is more than Marie Rose...


    Chreshler muttered in a rare dark voice.He felt a very powerful origin and history.An entity who had hunted countless transcendents and human gods, with the God of the Beginning, Yatan, as its source.The Specter had a background that meant it ¡®naturally¡¯ had to be powerful.He had an intuition that it would be a tougher opponent than what he was prepared for.


    It was the same for Grid.However, he couldn¡¯t care about failure or defeat.Valha of Infinite Affection was thickly covering him in his mental world.The ultimate goal of rescuing Khan by all means that was instilled in him gave him an unbreakable will.No desperate situation couldfrustrate Grid.Thus, he became the hope andntern of humanity.


    ¡°Specter, what is your purpose?¡±Grid asked in a straightforward manner.


    ¡°It is the salvation of the world through the restoration of hell,¡± the Specter answered.It was an immediate reply without any worries.It was hard to see any ulterior motives or hypocrisy.


    ¡°Is it about creating a new hell rather than reiming the distorted hell?¡±


    ¡°You are distorting it. The hell that I will create here is a means to restore the real hell, not a new one. Only One God, stop specting.¡±


    ¡°You have a long tongue even though you aren¡¯t Huroi... I don¡¯t understand anything at all. In any case, the bottom line is that you are going to make this ce hell, right?¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t a good person.His intuition was more like a learned ability. He ignorantly relied on his immense experience and the information he had built up from it.Perhaps that was why his intuition was telling him even more urately¡ªhe had to destroy this red lump of flesh right now.He couldn¡¯t be misled by the sophistry of the Specter.


    ¡®An object that distorts hell. There is an object on the surface that is exactly the same as the object that Baal cherishes the most.¡¯


    Sitting on the sidelines?It was a foolish thing.It wasn¡¯t a situation where he could fathom the intentions of the Specter.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    Grid shot forward like a beam of light.By the time Skunk and Chreshler noticed this fact, a shadow was about to pierced the red flesh.It was Grid¡¯s figure.Along with the sound of skin exploding, a series of creepy cutting sounds followed.The mangled red flesh released blood darker than its own color in all directions.The subsequent shock wave of the sword dance shook the huge space and made it seem like it was about to copse.


    However, the red flesh that had been targeted was still floating in the air.The blood that had been pouring out quickly subsided.The health gauge had been greatly reduced, but even that gave off an ominous feeling.The thing that was revealed behind the cut gauge wasn¡¯t nk space, but a gauge with a new color.There were probably a few more bars of health left to withstand the six fusion sword dance.


    ¡°...It is great.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid who was agitated.The Specter¡¯s close to silent sentiment was the proof.


    ¡°You have enough strength to make my ns go awry. I can see why the irresponsible bystanders considered you special and gave you blessings.¡±


    Irresponsible bystanders¡ªthe word ¡®blessing¡¯ helped him infer their identities.It would be Reba and Chiyou.Grid was still enjoying the effect of Ultimate Martial Art after bing an Only One God, and the God Hands hadn¡¯t lost the Goddess¡¯ protection.


    ¡°You... I could¡¯ve used you.¡±The tone was as if it was dealing with something pitiful.The Specter whispered to the lump of flesh after making Grid¡¯s mood even worse, ¡°Open your eyes,Beriache.¡±


    Beriache¡ªit was the moment when an absurd name popped out.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid doubted his ears.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Skunk was shocked.


    -Mother-inw?


    Chreshler was restless and didn¡¯t know what to do.He seemed to be looking for a mirror.


    The blood that the red flesh spilled started gathering together at a single point.It gradually took the shape of a woman and a chill shot down Grid¡¯s spine.


    [The direct descendant vampire, ¡®Ruson,¡¯ has sensed his mother¡¯s presence and cheered.]


    [The direct descendant vampire, ¡®Tiramet,¡¯ has sensed his mother¡¯s presence and is trembling.]


    [The direct descendant vampire, ¡®Latina,¡¯ has sensed her mother¡¯s presence and is thrilled.]


    [The direct descendant vampire...]


    ......


    ...


    Ruson, Tiramet, Latina, Cray, Yetima, and Elfin Stone¡ªthey were scattered all over the No Offspring Tomb to help the Overgeared members and reacted in unison.


    [The direct descendant vampires will serve their long-missed mother.]


    [The authority of the ¡®Blood King¡¯ is temporarily suspended.]


    They were out of Grid¡¯s control.The ball of blood in front of him suddenly took aplete human form. No, it was the shape of a vampire.


    [The progenitor ofthevampires, ¡®Beriache,¡¯ has descended.]


    [The direct descendant vampires are chasing afterBeriache¡¯spresence.]


    ¡°This... what?¡±


    Grid felt a chill all the way down to his butt.It was because he could vividly feel the smooth, silky feeling of the undergarment he was currently wearing.


    ¡°Her soul is unfortunately caught in hell, but... this is enough to buy time. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    To make matters worse, the Specter dered it would visit soon.Would Marie Rose look like this when she was in middle school?Grid stared nkly atBeriachefor a moment before hurriedly shouting, ¡°Chreshler! We have to use all our strength before the direct descendants and the Specter...¡±


    -Greetings to my mother-inw.


    ¡°......¡±


    Let¡¯s subdueBeriacheas soon as possible.


    Grid made a judgment and was about to shout this, only to close his mouth.It was because the Divine Wood Coffin approachedBeriacheand bowed to her.


    He truly wanted to kill Creshler.

 Chapter 1748

    <h4>Chapter 1748</h4>


    Each person should live by relying on themselves¡ªit was amand that Grid left to the apostles.It meant they shouldn¡¯t follow him and should take care of themselves.It had always been that way.Grid didn¡¯t bring his knights and apostles with him when he went to dangerous ces.It was an attitude like they were a nuisance.


    At the outskirtsof Reinhardt...


    ¡°I have be a god, but it still isn¡¯t rewarding,¡± Braham, the God of Magic and Wisdom,mented.


    He sat on arge and handsome statue of himself installed on a cliff.It was a transcendent sight.


    ¡°Now I also have an immortal body. Then isn¡¯t the fact that I still can¡¯t apany Grid proof that I¡¯m not trusted? This is a treatment that goes beyond worry.¡±


    An apostle was a being who served their god.It was right for them to take on the danger that the god had to go through.However, it was shameful that he was left behind without being able to go to the No Offspring Tomb. He felt a great sense of sadness.


    ¡°The No Offspring Tomb is home to myth predators.You goingthere is no different than a rabbit entering a tiger¡¯s den.¡±


    ¡°Tsk...¡±


    It was the moment when Zik expressed the facts and made Braham even more ufortable...


    There was a thunderous roar from far away and the sky turned pitch ck.Then it split apart.The dimensional gap that appeared was as red as the belly of a beast that had just been ughtered.


    ¡°...It ispletely different from what has appeared so far.¡±


    It happened after Kraugel left in search of Muller.At this point, dozens of dimensional gaps had already been destroyedand the world had suffered from all sorts of aftermath.The emergence of monsters was the smallest and most trivial thing.The copse of thews that protected the world caused all sorts of mysteries to ur.Sometimes they were beneficial mysteries, but even so, confusion was inevitable.


    This was why the apostles were busy.The seven apostles, including Braham and Zik, were solving all types of cases in various parts of the continent.In other words, the apostles were fully responsible for the tasks thatwould¡¯venormally been solved by the Overgeared members.


    Braham had been the only oneining about this, but now heughed.He looked quite happy as he raised his chin in a proud manner.


    ¡°It is Muller. No, is it Muller¡¯s ¡®traces¡¯?¡±


    The mysteries caused by the dimensional gaps vitedmon sense.They made knowledge useless.Thus, they were mysteries.It was no wonder that shadows reproducing Muller, who fought with Kraugel, and Kraugel, who fought with Muller, suddenly appeared and threatened the surface.


    ¡°It is a chance to regain the honor that I have lost.¡±


    Swordsmen had an advantage over magicians¡ªthis was in an ordinary situation, but it was aw that didn¡¯t work on Braham.


    The only exception was when he waspared to Muller.Braham didn¡¯t see a chance of winning against Muller.Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he had fought Muller in person.It was the result of a virtual fight produced based on various information.It wasn¡¯t even done by Braham himself, but through the mouths of rich people.


    If the strongest swordsman of all time and a legendary great magician fought, who would win?The schrs analyzed their powers based on their achievements and held several virtual confrontations that always ended in Braham¡¯s defeat.


    Braham couldn¡¯t deny it at all.His defeat was obvious even when he calcted it himself.Yet now, hundreds of yearster, Braham became a god.The opportunity to erase the shameful record of the past had arrived.


    ¡°Zik, I would appreciate it if you could bring people over.¡±


    ¡°I will summon knights who are skilled in a sword formation. This is the best way to offset Muller¡¯s sword energy a little bit.¡±


    ¡°No, anyone is fine. I just need a lot of people. That way, I will be seen trampling on Muller and have it recorded in history.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zik¡¯s expressionless face shook slightly.


    Braham, who was obsessed with personal sess even after bing a god, seemed amazing in a way.He swallowed back the words that rose in his throat and turned around in order to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡±Braham suddenly called out to Zik, ¡°I can¡¯t be obsessed with fame andhurt the people. I was pathetic. My words just now are invalid, so I hope you stay.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zik nced up at the sky.There were as many as three of Muller¡¯s shadows that emerged from the cracks in the copsed dimensional gap.


    ***


    -Mother-inw is very beautiful.You look exactly like Marie Rose when young.No, Marie Rose must look like mother-inw, right?Hahaha!You look so young that I was momentarily mistaken.


    ¡°When will that disgusting monster leave the world...?¡±


    The Divine Wood Coffin standing besideBeriachekept talking nonsense.One of the few saints in the history of humanity¡ªChreshler was the one the first pope chose as his sessor purely based on talent.He proved his predecessor¡¯s discerning eye.As if to repay the trust of the first pope, he umted countless achievements, including a strong force, and maintained the title of strongest pope for hundreds of years.He was naturally ssified as a great man.


    Chreshler might be perverted, but Grid tried to respect him.However, he ran out of patience at this moment.It was because after defeating the executives of the No Offspring Tomb and growing using them, it seemed like Chreshler would soon be an enemy.Chreshler¡¯s attitude towardBeriachewas like a puppy weing back its owner after a few days, so Grid¡¯s suspicions were perfectly justified.


    ¡°You are my son-inw.¡±


    It was after someone bloomed from the red lump of flesh.Beriachewas silent for a while before finally opening her mouth.No, this wasn¡¯t Beriache.It was justBeriache¡¯sdead body.It was a pale, expressionless face and two empty eyes whose thoughts can¡¯t be seen.No life could be found anywhere.


    Nevertheless, she opened her mouth.She clearly looked at Grid and recognized him.It was different from Chreshler¡¯s corpse, which had been only a puppet.


    ¡®Why is she different?¡¯


    Beriache¡¯ssoul was in hell.The corpse in front of him was just an empty shell, so how did it recognize her and talk to her?


    ¡®Is it the power of the Specter?¡¯


    Injecting the soul of another into a soulless body.He thought it would be easy for the apostle of Yatan.Grid thought that someone else was ¡®acting¡¯ asBeriache. It was a reasonable doubt.


    -......


    Chreshler seemed to have the same doubts.He calmed down his mind that had been deceived by the name ¡®Beriache¡¯ and quietly returned to Grid¡¯s side.


    -This can¡¯t be real.It doesn¡¯t make sense to pretend to be alive.Look at my own corpse.Wasn¡¯t it a soulless corpse like a doll?


    ¡°Why did you do that when you know so well?¡±


    -What?Ah...Wasn¡¯t I just greeting my mother-inw?I was just keeping human morality.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a person, right?¡±


    -You are holding the dead to the standards of the living?My mother-inw was a vampire during her life. Why does it matter when she is dead?Don¡¯t you feel sorry for her?


    ¡°I mean you.¡±


    -......


    Chreshler finally shut his mouth (?).From the time when he destroyed his own corpse.No, it was the distant past when he became a coffin.He himself abandoned humanity.


    Grid¡¯s point was valid...


    -But...if I abandon even the doctrine of humans, then I¡¯m no different from a beast.


    ¡°......¡±


    Skunk covered his face as he looked at the back of Chreshler, who was muttering bitterly.It was an effort to suppress the anger that boiled deep in his heart.What was this shamelessness?He didn¡¯t even understand sarcasticments and reacted like that?


    Skunk had sincerely admired Chreshler, unlike Grid, but now the things covering his eyes were slowly peeled off.


    ¡°Still, Chreshler is pretty good. At the very least, he didn¡¯t go crazy or cause much trouble. You will meet more transcendents in the future so try to adapt.¡±


    Grid gavefort that wasn¡¯t reallyfort.It was an attitude that treated most transcendents as lunatics greater than Chreshler.


    A beautiful voice pierced the ears of the shocked Skunk¡ªBeriachespoke while looking at Grid, ¡°Seeing that Marie Rose couldn¡¯te here, she still seems to be a virgin. Why hasn¡¯t she be pregnant even after getting a great Blood King like you? Has she forgotten her position and responsibilities and became shy?¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    This was a fake, notBeriache¡ªGrid¡¯s belief in this statement started to waver.It wasn¡¯t because she discovered his identity as Blood King.Grid had the direct descendant vampires. Anyone with deep knowledge of vampire history could easily infer that Grid was the Blood King.However, no one could show the conviction that Marie Rose ¡®couldn¡¯te¡¯ here.


    Yes, it wasn¡¯t that Marie Rose didn¡¯te here, but that she couldn¡¯t.The reason was that it became difficult to control blood.She withdrew alone despite being worriedabout Grid. She handed over the Divine Wood Coffin in the hopes that it could be of some help.


    ¡°You... are you reallyBeriache?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The moment I sensed the resurrection of my body, a part of my soul in hell dwelt in this body. I am iplete, but I am me.¡±


    The way she talked like he was a child.Beriache¡¯s style of talking resembled Marie Rose.The only difference was that it was insipid without any emotions.It wasn¡¯t known if Beriache was joking or serious.


    Beriachealso didn¡¯t have even a faint glimmer of goodwill toward prey.Was it because she wasn¡¯t interested in Grid?The probability of that was small.The Blood King project wasBeriache¡¯saspiration.It was right to say thatBeriache¡¯scurrent interest was all focused on Grid, who had be a Blood King.


    ¡®It is because she is a corpse.¡¯


    Grid interpretedBeriache¡¯semotional attitude as inevitable.As her expressionless face proved, she was unable to express her emotions because she was a corpse.Blood magic spread aroundBeriache.It resembled a butterfly spreading its wings. It was beautiful apart from the bloody smell.


    ¡°It seems that control of this body belongs to the one who resurrected it, not me. My father¡¯s faithful servant is still alive.¡±


    This was the end.Beriachebriefly exined that she had no choice but to be an enemy and used magic.It was spectacr.The Realm of Domination, Blood Field, various blood weapons and tails, etcetera¡ªthe ultimate skills of the direct descendants were used at the same time.It was so fast and simple that it could be called casual.


    ¡°The weakness is here.¡±


    In the midst of the dizzying storm of blood,Beriachetapped her forehead with small, slender fingers.


    ¡°Originally, it is a weakness that would¡¯ve been covered by bloodstones, but there isn¡¯t a single drop of blood in this corpse¡¯s body. The blood that you are seeing and feeling now is nothing more than a fake reproduced with pure magic power. Even so, the fact that it acts as a medium for blood magic is surprising.¡±


    Grid was also using the Sanctuary of Metal.He offsetBeriache¡¯sfield magic while also shing the blood weapons with the rain of battle gear.


    ¡°It is great. I have heard of your high reputation from hell, but it exceeds my expectations.¡±


    ¡°Are you being held captive by Baal in hell?¡±Grid tried to talk.Beriache¡¯sbody might be hostile to him, but her soul was favorable.He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get as much information as possible.


    ¡°No, I am with Amoract.¡±


    ¡°Amoract...?¡±


    The 2nd Great Demon, who had her face covered with a white cloth and was chained¡ªshe was an impressive existence who was one of the Three Evils of the Beginning, but attempted diplomacy with Grid.Amoract¡¯s location was so special that Grid always kept it in mind when thinking about the purification of hell.


    ¡°My soul was intercepted right before it fell into the hell where Baal resides. She tried to absorb me in order to find the strength to confront Baal, but suffered a disaster.¡±


    ¡°A disaster...? Do you have anything to do with the chains thatbindsher?¡±


    ¡°You got it right. Yes. Myst spell should¡¯ve originally bound Baal, but it ended up tying her up. Baal didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was Braham¡¯s trolling gic?Grid seriously suspected it and shook his head.The reason why Amoract was chained was due to her greed, notBeriache¡¯sintention.It wasn¡¯tBeriache¡¯strolling, but the result of Amoract¡¯s own actions.


    ¡°It is hard to maintain my consciousness. Three facts... keep these in mind.¡±


    Beriache¡¯sbusily moving small, thick lips gradually slowed down.


    ¡°Amo...ract... don¡¯t trust... against me... don¡¯t get hurt... my father¡¯s faithful servant... I¡¯m afraid... what it will do...¡±


    The words that barely ended¡ªit was silent after that.Could it be that the connection to the soul was severed?


    Beriache¡¯scorpse, whose expression became cold, started to silently attack Grid.It was while expanding the Realm of the Absolute.


    The Three Evils of the Beginning¡ªBeriache was bound to the same hierarchy as Baal and her power was terrifying even as a soulless corpse.The Specter¡¯s ability to restore the corpse so it could use the abilities of its lifetime was too great.


    In any case, Grid also started the full-scale battle.

 Chapter 1749

    <h4>Chapter 1749</h4>


    ¡°The world... it has changed a lot.¡±


    On the way toward the No Offspring Tomb, Muller witnessed all sorts of unbelievable things.First of all, the people were very brave.Until hundreds of years ago, monsters were a living disaster.Apart from a few hardened warriors, the majority of people held their breaths and feared monsters.In order to cross a big mountain, they had to hire mercenaries or risk their own lives.


    However, for the people of this time, monsters were treated as prey on the same level as wild boar.Various humans ughtered monsters with their own abilities and used the corpses as trophies.Even a weakling with only one wooden sword considered the slime in front of the vige as something to be hunted, not something to be avoided.It was as if his life was infinite.He approached the slime with clumsy movements and attacked it.


    At this point, Muller wondered if the people who had been killed by monsters in the past were reincarnated and were getting revenge on their enemies.Of course, it was a crazy idea.The souls of the dead were bound to a distorted hell.


    ¡°Has the human species itself evolved aggressively...? After being trampled on for thousands of years, they finally want to rebel against fate?¡±


    From beginner viges to high level hunting grounds¡ªthe sight of the enthusiastic yers was iprehensible to Muller, an old man. It made him think hard.


    ¡°Or is it the influence of the ¡®god¡¯ you spoke of?¡±


    Kraugel followed after Muller and was experiencing a rapid change of scenery. It was as if he was on a high-speed train.It was only after maintaining the buff effect with skills and potions, and enduring the sharp drop in stamina, that he managed to keep up with Muller¡¯s speed.


    Therefore, while Kraugel couldn¡¯t look around properly, Muller had already seen it hundreds of times¡ªthere were statues and stone images depicting a god he had never seen before.The statues of Goddess Reba, who had been mainstream during Muller¡¯s time, had be very rare, while the unidentified statues weremon in every kingdom or region.It must be the image of the god that the Sword Saint of this era spoke like he served.


    ¡°Both are correct.¡±


    Kraugel confirmed all of Muller¡¯s spections.


    The evolution of humanity¡ªif yers were ssified as human beings in this world, then Muller¡¯s theory of evolution was exactly correct.


    Divine influence¡ªit was also true that the existence of the Only One God Grid promoted the growth of yers.Looking at the people sweeping through the hunting grounds right now, they were armed with items made by the Overgeared Empire.They were items that were created directly or indirectly by Grid.


    [Your stamina has reached its limit.]


    He had run thousands of kilometers without stopping.Just because he ¡®ran,¡¯ his persistence and willpower stats increased.The aftermath was great.Finally, Kraugel¡¯s breathing was disturbed and his legs weakened.


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Muller was elerating even further.Heused ControlSword as if showing off, caused the sword to fly and boarded it.He stood on top of a sword that shot forward like a beam of light and resembled a daoist immortal.He quickly moved away from Kraugel¡¯s field of view.


    Kraugel became nervous at the thought of missing out on this.Muller was a variable who hade down to the surface.He had to be kept under surveince and controlled.Additionally, as the Sword Saint of the present day, he had a desire not to be defeated by the previous generation.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kraugel was trying to restore stamina by using the methods he had learned and realized something.It was the fact that Muller was floating two swords.He immediately drew Twilight anddeployed ControlSword, targeting Muller¡¯s sword that had be a dot. Then he barely managed to get on board.There was no sense of stability, unlike Muller. He was almost hanging on. However, he used his excellent sense of bnce to gradually raise himself above the sword.


    ControlSword had a habit of chasing targets through high-speed movement.This allowed Kraugel to pursue Muller without losing sight of him, even if he couldn¡¯t close the distance.


    ¡®He is quick-witted and has excellent senses.¡¯Muller smiled happily as he shifted his gaze and confirmed Kraugel¡¯s appearance.He could vaguely understand why many swordsmen were eager to have students.


    ***


    ¡°Spread out.¡±


    The moment Jishuka gave the order, the Overgeared members scattered in all directions.It was to widen the distance from the old hero who had been resurrected.At the same time, the rain of arrows dropped down and weakened the hero.The nature of the Breaking Evil Arrows was different from ordinary divinity.Rather than resisting the evil energy with divine energy, it violently and persistently destroyed the evil. It gave off a chilling sensation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t attack, stand by.¡±


    Based on the previous pattern, the corpse of the old hero went on the defensive if it took more than a certain amount of damage at once.This was the reason why the Overgeared members tried to rush at the corpse that was staggering after being hit by the rain of arrows.They intended to attack as much as possible and widen the gap while trying to defend. They had a lot of fun with the same method in the previous nine raids.


    However, for the first time, Jishuka gave the order to wait rather than charge.It was because her eyes met the corpse¡¯s.


    ¡°He is trying not to show it, but he is definitely conscious of me.¡±¡¯


    It was apletely different response from before.It suggested the possibility of a new pattern emerging.As expected, Jishuka¡¯s prediction was correct.The corpse, who was in the same crouched position as before and seemed like it would use the same defensive skill, instead aimed at Jishuka and attacked her.


    Not a single person was flustered.The waiting personnel moved in unison and became a barrier to protectJishuka.Originally, the more troops the archers had with them, the stronger the archers were.They could take advantage of the opportunities their allies gave them to unleash overwhelming firepower.


    Therger the number of troops thatwere led byJishuka, the stronger she became exponentially.She not only strengthened and restored allies with the aura of the Red Phoenix, but she had excellent leadership.She was the former guild master of the Tzedakah Guild and her leadership skills were among the best in the Overgeared Guild.


    Was it due to her confident expression and powerful voice?Jishuka¡¯s charisma had the power to control the group. The Overgeared members under hermand fought several times better than usual.


    ¡°Fire the explosive magic!¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s arrow pierced the corpse¡¯s ankle and spread a chill.The corpse¡¯s feet and the ground cooled in an instant.Jishuka¡¯s arrow was represented by the attributes of fire and Breaking Evil, and it had now digested more attributes.They were attributes obtained in the course of the Bow Saint quest.Among them, the cooling and lightning attributes gave her wings.


    The arrows of the Bow Saint that contained a chill had to be avoided.The freezing couldn¡¯t be avoided by blocking it.The arrows of the Bow Saint that contained lightning couldn¡¯t be responded to.


    All sorts of explosions urred around the lower half of the cooled corpse.It was arge-scale linkage.It was so powerful that the corpse of the old hero died again.


    ¡®But it will be resurrected soon.¡¯


    It seemed that they had to kill the gatekeeper in order to move forward, but it would just resurrect again after being killed. Unless it was possiblewith a skill, they had to find a solution, but the explorers couldn¡¯t find any hints.At this moment, the wall that the old corpse had its back to¡ª


    In other words, the wall that stood in the way of Jishuka¡¯s group copsed.It was a mosaic wall that resurrected the corpse of the old hero.Was it the emergence of a new enemy?


    Jishuka was calmly examining the situation when she frowned.¡°Katz?¡±


    The one who broke through the wall and appeared¡ªit was Katz, the Blood Knight d in red blood like it was armor.The exact ss name wasBeriache¡¯sKnight, but it was usually called Blood Knight due to the problem of tone.


    ¡°Uh?How did everyone get here?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s group was agitated.The Overgeared members swarmed out from the copsed wall.Katz, the other members of the 10 meritorious retainers, and the groups they led all joined the scene.


    ¡°There is a point where thebyrinth connects,¡±Katz answered briefly before aiming his sword at the staggering corpse, which had been badly injured by the previous bombardment.Then something strange happened.All the blood from the corpse started to be sucked into Katz¡¯ sword.Katz¡¯ sword was encased in the condensed blood and became erged like a greatsword. Then it made a strange noise.


    ¡°As expected of Jishuka. You subdued this monster without any casualties...¡±


    Katz gave a short exmation before swinging the huge sword.The corpse, who was resurrected repeatedly even after being killed nine times, was beheaded.The corpse was deprived of its blood by Katz and turned into a mummy.Now it could no longer be resurrected and turned to ashes.


    ¡°What...? How did you do that?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s group was in turmoil.Katz took the lead and started exining, ¡°A ss quest has urred.¡±


    ¡°A ss quest?¡±


    ¡°Beriachewas resurrected.¡±


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    ¡°She told me that the ¡®blood¡¯ that activates the immortal corpses is a fake that can be destroyed.¡±


    It was just after the direct descendant vampires suddenly disappeared as they were fighting together with the groups.Katz heard Beriache¡¯s voice.It was a voice that told him how to ovee the current situation.It was a phenomenon simr to the ¡®divine messages¡¯ experienced by priests.


    ¡°We have to hurry. Grid seems to be in danger.¡±


    Beriachehad told him.


    Help Grid kill me.


    At the same time, at the deepest part of the No Offspring Tomb...


    ¡°Beriache... did she release a deadly poison in that short period of time...?¡±the Specter muttered as itfelt the body of the sinner, or the old hero who guarded the entrance of thebyrinth, disappearing.


    Should it call it a ¡®daughter receiving her mother¡¯s character, behavior, and habits¡¯?It was the same as Marie Roes, who suddenly appeared and threw the Divine Wood Coffin.It was somewhat intimidating.However, theposure of the Specter, who had existed for thousands of years, didn¡¯t shake in the slightest.It just felt a bitinterested.


    ¡°You hoped for revenge and entrusted your body to me... now you suddenly changed your attitude...¡±


    What hope did she seein Grid?


    The Specter couldn¡¯t wait to check it.


    Step, step.


    The Specter hastened its pace.It rushed down the endless flight of stairs and finally arrived at the most important ce.It was the ce where the great being, with no intention of waking up, slept.It was the heart of the world called the No Offspring Tomb.It was also the source of hell.


    ¡°Great God, there is only one step left to restore the world you have made...¡±


    For eternity, there was a being who lived solely to serve God.It knew that its service was the only way to save the future of humanity.Its faith had never been shaken.


    ¡°I will never fail.¡±


    The apostles of the Gods of the Beginning¡ªthe first and greatest being among them left to greet the god of this time.

 Chapter 1750

    <h4>Chapter 1750</h4>


    Don¡¯t trust Amoract. Don¡¯t be hurt by ¡®me.¡¯ Finally, fear the Specter.


    Grid tookBeriache¡¯sthree pieces of advice to heart.He had been suspicious of Amoract from the start.In the first ce, wasn¡¯t she the Great Demon of ¡®Conflict¡¯?She was someone who made him feel tense even with her face covered with a cloth.She was insidious in many ways andcked grounds to be trusted. This was why the proposal to cooperate was pending.He just couldn¡¯t refuse it directly because he was in a bad position.


    ¡®Of course, I am aware that I shouldn¡¯t be hurt by Beriache.¡¯


    Marie Rose had the power to use the abilities of the targets whose blood she sucked.She proved it in the battle against the Evil Dragon.She seemed to prove that there was no limit to the target as she wielded the power of Dragon yer Hayate.It would be the same withBeriache.


    Of course, Marie Rose wasBeriache¡¯sideal, soBeriachewould be rtively inferior.Additionally, theBeriachein front of him was just a corpse, not the real one.This didn¡¯t mean that the power of a vampire could be ignored.Grid wanted to avoid the experience of being hit even once by the ignorantly powerful six fusion sword dance.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to besickfrom the side effects.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t express it in front of people, but the mental power consumed just byoperating theRealm of the Absolute was too much to bear.His body moved as desired beyond the user¡¯s perception, so his brain was quickly overloaded.There were gaps in his consciousness.


    Allowing a powerful attack from an Absolute at that time without any preparation?He had experienced it before in the battle against Zeratul and he almost screamed and cried.The pain of his face being crushed and his arm being cut off was horrible. It was to the point where he forgot how to distinguish between reality and the virtual world for a moment.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.It was hard to ignore even a small wound.The rankers who used expensive capsules and set their sync rate higher reacted more sensitively to pain.


    Just then, the tip of the canyon that formed the Sanctuary of Metal shook.It was the aftermath of being hit byBeriache¡¯skick that Grid had evaded.If it was a canyon made of ordinary metal, not Greed, it would¡¯ve gone beyond shaking and copsed.


    ¡®This tremendous power... in terms of strength, she is a step above me or Baal.¡¯


    Was it just pure physical ability?It was hard to believe.Beriache¡¯sbody was as small as a real middle school girl.


    ¡®Maybe it is the default setting.¡¯


    The Specter might¡¯ve raisedBeriache¡¯scorpse already in the state of¡®sucked blood and took the power¡¯...


    Chill.


    The hypothesis he devised to convince himself of the corpse¡¯s strength caused Grid to feel goosebumps.It was because the Specter depicted in his head was too omnipotent.Well, it was understandable enough.This was an apostle of a God of the Beginning.The Specter was a being who served the ¡®god of the gods¡¯ and umted an enormous amount of years.


    Let¡¯s assume that Braham had umted thousands of years.


    ...It was terribly scary.It was only natural that the Specter was an object of fear.


    ¡®I have to subdueBeriache¡¯scorpse before it arrives.¡¯


    Grid had no intention of avoiding the Specter.


    From Marie Rose to Yeo Yn to Beriache¡ªhigh status transcendents and Absolutes who moved the world warned of the danger of the Specter. Grid empathized with them, but he had a duty to understand the purpose of the Specter. They had to meet despite the risk.


    ¡®It is just a corpse. I can win easily as long as I don¡¯t get hurt.¡¯


    Grid called the hundreds of God Hands to his side. They were armed with swords and shields and escorted him.The hundreds of thousands ofbarbsthat made up the dragon armor were smoothlyadsorbedon Grid¡¯s hard body and the mental images of the Sanctuary of Metal were projected and oveid with Valha.


    Using the authority of the Yellow Dragon, he exhaled the Breath of the White Tiger. At the same time, he also useddefense-rtedskills like ¡®Automatic Transformation¡¯ along with the power of the runes.It was Grid¡¯s self-proimed Overgeared tortoise mode.It meant he wore items like a tortoise wore its back shell.He ignored the skills that wereparable to the items.In any case, he was confident that he wouldn¡¯t shed a drop of blood.


    ¡®I definitely learned from my fight against Zeratul.¡¯


    His attack power was already sufficient.It was even more so now that he could freely activate God''s Command using the authority of an Only One God, i.e. ¡®Designate Skill.¡¯Maximizing his defense to the point it was excessive was bncing things fromGrid¡¯sperspective.It was even more so against an Absolute.


    Grid wielded the five fusion sword dance.It was used reflexively.It was to respond toBeriache¡¯smboyant technique of reaching out and grabbing at him. If he failed, he could link it with an immediate blow.Beriache¡¯sattacks never ended with a single blow.It would be linked, no matter which route she took.The fusion sword dance was a must if Grid wanted to counterattack as well as defend.


    ¡®The pressure is amazing.¡¯


    The strength of the corpse was clear.


    A body that didn¡¯t need to breathe¡ªBeriache¡¯sspectacrbo was used in a way that ignored physical restrictions. She didn¡¯t need to breathe, so there were no interruptions in her movements. Additionally, she was very tenacious. She thoroughly attacked the opponent¡¯s vital points, regardless of whether her joints were twisted or broken in reverse.


    It was theplete opposite of Zeratul¡¯s martial arts, which pursued orthodoxy, which was separate from his personality.


    The God Hands scattered in all directions.


    Beriache¡¯slimbs fluttered as she approached with the momentum to fall into Grid¡¯s arms.It was in the direction where the God Hands and battle gear were falling.It was an unreal sight.The shockwaves that btedly urred in concentric circles looked beautiful as they were dyed with orange divinity and red blood.


    -Marie Rose looks just like mymother-inw.


    The Divine Wood Coffin trembled.


    He seemed to recall his struggles against Marie Rose when he was alive.


    -Of course, mother-inw is stronger.In the past, Marie Rose fought with suppressed strength because she liked my good looks and honest personality.Looking back, it was a sincere game.We interacted across races.


    ¡®How can he beautify the fact that she was weakened by the Curse of Sloth?¡¯


    Chreshler¡¯s nonsense broke Grid¡¯s immersion.


    It helped him.Beriache emitted a formidable presence like other Absolutes. Now her figure in Grid¡¯s field of view was restored to normal.Grid¡¯s consciousness had been focused only on Beriache, but now he started to look at the entire battlefield.


    -It should be like this.


    Chreshler¡¯s voice,that wasughinghappily for some reason,shook Grid.


    -The object you need to see isn¡¯t the person in front of you, but yourself.You are the one who is the center of this world. How could you be conscious of something else?


    At this moment, Grid was helped by a good man.The experience that had been rtivelycking due to thispressed growth over the years was adequately fulfilled through enlightenment.


    -All flows are made ording to your will.Put the whole situation under your control.


    The Reba Church was the center of the world and Chreshler was the pope.People all over the continent worshiped him, regardless of status.Even the kings knelt down to him and called him Your Holiness.Nevertheless, he was below a god.A pope was nothing more than the servant of a god.An Only One God?Even the pope couldn¡¯t step on his shadow.


    It was more like turning away.It was because believing in a god other than the Goddess as an Only One God was sphemy in itself.


    -Don¡¯t get immersed in insignificant individuals.That is your position.


    [The most powerful pope in history, ¡®Chreshler,¡¯ has acknowledged you again.]


    [Your existence has be more distinct.]


    It was different from a rise in status.There was no growth such as the addition of stats or skills, but Grid¡¯s divinity had be thicker.


    The body of the Yellow Dragon swelled up.If the original was the size of arge serpent, then it now looked like animoogi. Itpletely covered Grid¡¯s entire body even when coiled, and the head was positioned in a high ce. It felt like it was looking down in the direction Grid was facing.


    Nothing changed.Beriache¡¯smomentum still remained.Just like a corpse, she seemed to have no interest in divinity from the beginning.She didn¡¯t even pay attention to the Yellow Dragon that breathed out divinity like fire and just attacked Grid relentlessly.There was a loud and seemingly unstoppable offensive like a waterfall.


    So what?


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡¯


    The barrier built by Automatic Transformation and the God Hands was mercilessly peeled off, but it just looked like a crisis from the outside.Grid¡¯s true self-defense was the Breath of the White Tiger, the dragon armor, and Valha ovepped with mental images.


    Grid was safe.He could bear it even if Beriache¡¯s attacks never stopped.The problem was that in order to get rid of her before the Specter arrived, he had to prate through the attacks and fight back...


    ¡®Let¡¯s wait.¡¯


    Grid decided not to be nervous.He didn¡¯t use the fusion sword dance and waited for the right time.The moment he was waiting for came quickly.Beriacheshowed some changes.Once the blood flowing through the cracks in the space reached a certain amount, it triggered new blood magic.


    It was different from the field magic that she used so far.It wasn¡¯t even making battle gear using blood as the medium.It was summoning magic.It was magic that summoned the direct descendants who were trapped in thebyrinth and unable to arrive in time.


    It was an opportunity.


    The blood that surged like a raging wave every timeBeriacheswung her hands and feet, and killed the momentum of the sword, stopped flowing for a split second.Grid aimed for this gap and swung Twilight.The direct descendants who arrived just in time were swept away by the sword energy of the six fusion sword dance and their heads cut off, but he didn¡¯t care at all.This was what he had been aiming for from the beginning.


    ¡®They will be resurrected anyway.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t die as long as they belonged to him.He would rather not have them if they were under Beriache¡¯s control.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too attached to a corpse,¡± Grid whispered as he made eye contact withBeriache, whose upper body was cut in half and whose neck was bent to the side. He judged that he hadpletely grasped the victory.


    He wasn¡¯t conscious at all of the fact thatBeriache¡¯sblood sttered on his face and he just wiped it off.This was a mistake.The problem was that he didn¡¯t fully understandBeriache¡¯spower.


    [The blood of the progenitor, ¡®Beriache,¡¯ has prated your body.]


    [Various blood cells have been destroyed.]


    [The abnormal status of ¡®fatal bleeding¡¯ has urred. You will lose 5% of your health per second.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Gridfeltimpatient.


    He could feel the fluid rising up his nasal passages.A nosebleed would soon ur.It would be dangerous if his blood was sucked.He made this judgment and hurriedly adjusted his helmet. He pressed it down deeply enough that his vision became a bit difficult.


    It was meaningless.A vampire¡¯s most basic power was to ¡®handle blood.¡¯The blood spilled by Grid moved ording toBeriache¡¯swill. It floated toward her red tongue, but it didn¡¯t reach in the end.


    It was because a stronger binding force took away the blood that was heading toward her.There was a man inthe direction where the blood was spreading like fog.


    It was Katz.Currently, hewason a ss quest.


    Beriache¡¯ssoul¡ªin other words,Beriache¡¯smain body granted him an ¡®authority¡¯ that a corpse couldn¡¯tpare to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about getting your blood sucked and fight to your heart¡¯s content, Grid.¡±


    Grid trusted Katz.He lifted his restrictions without inquiring about the circumstances.The 310 God Hands around him spread out like wings in unison. They abandoned their shields and armed themselves purely with weapons.


    Grid¡¯s feet had been fully attached to the ground throughout the battle in order to fully enjoy the effect of the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. Now they rose into the air.He abandoned the spatial constraints that he had been forced to care about beforeHe even used his health, which was falling in real time due to bleeding, as a weapon.He entered a fluidization state and elerated after activating King of the Mountain. This maximized the power of ¡®Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡¯


    Beriache¡¯s corpse was slow to respond.Twilight piercedBeriache¡¯ssmall body and cut it.However, the opponent was a corpse.She fought back without any reaction despite being fatally wounded.The ¡®Blood Field¡¯ that she had been maintaining earlier was repairing her wounds in real time.


    ¡°......¡±


    Her small hand reached out toward Grid¡¯s neck.It was intended to break his neck bone.It was a speed equal to a sh of light.It was so fast that the air around it condensed. The wind hovering in the space abruptly stopped and made a strange sound.It was a sound that wouldn¡¯t reach an ordinary person.


    It was literally in an instant¡ªBeriache¡¯shandchanged its trajectory dozens of times.Following her hand gestures, the red blood whirled and ate away at Grid¡¯s divinity.


    Finally, two small hands dug through the gap in Grid¡¯s armor and spread them apart.The sight of the corpse maintaining its expressionless face while all ten fingers bent in a strange direction gave Grid goosebumps.


    sh!


    Then a spear of light piercedBeriache¡¯shands.The storm from the sword dance urred one stepte.He said it was one stepte, but it was less than 0.1 seconds.Subsequently, the falling meteorites repeatedly crushedBeriache¡¯ssmall body and sank it into the ground.Additionally, a lot of battle gear poured down.The hundreds of God Hands went on the offensive in an instant.


    Eventually, the Blood Field repairingBeriache¡¯swounds faded.It was magic using artificial blood created by the Specter.The body¡¯s low-grade resources were being sucked into Katz¡¯ outstretched hands.It was a phenomenon caused byBeriache¡¯swill.


    The target of the corpse changed.The moment she popped out silently from underground, the ce where she appeared was behind Katz, not Grid.


    ¡°No!¡± the startled Grid shouted.


    Just then, a pir of orange light fell onto Katz¡¯ body from above and the position of the Yellow Dragon wrapped around Grid was shifted to Katz.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Both Grid and Katz were stunned.Beriache¡¯s hand, which had already dug halfway into Katz¡¯ chest, was bounced off by a repulsive force.It was the repulsive force from Grid¡¯s divinity.


    [The ¡®Yellow Dragon Myth¡¯ that is a part of you is derived from the wishes of the guardian gods.]


    [If you want to protect someone, the Yellow Dragon will respond to your wish.]


    [The cooldown time before it can be used again is 12 hours.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Did the evolution of divinity happen like this?


    ¡®It is a bit... a bit fraudulent?¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid had a bit of a guilty conscience...


    Step.


    He heard unfamiliar footsteps.He could tell just from this.There was an overwhelming presence that transcended Beriache.It was the Specter.


    ¡°Beriache. You gave up your heart out of your own free will. Why are you interfering...?¡±


    The Specter¡¯s voice was like scratching metal as it expressed its doubts and this caused the people in the space to stiffen.Grid hurriedly turned and was agitated when he saw the Specter.Surprisingly, the Specter wasn¡¯t an undead.For some reason, it was wearing a mask made from split up skulls.


    The problem was the long blonde hair that peeked out from the robe that deeply covered it.It was blonde hair that seemed to be made of light.Grid remembered seeing such a ¡®color¡¯ that couldn¡¯t exist in the human world.It was from some heavenly gods.


    ¡°You... what are you?¡±


    ¡°I am the apostle of God Yatan. You must¡¯ve seen it in the ¡®past¡¯?¡±


    The Specter took off its mask and all the Overgeared members, including Grid, held their breath.Even Chreshler was frozen like ice.It was because the Specter¡¯s face resembled Reba, the Goddess of Light.

 Chapter 1751

    <h4>Chapter 1751</h4>


    The Specter¡¯s face wasn¡¯t exactly the same as Reba¡¯s.The shape of the head, the eyebrows, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, etcetera¡ªevery aspect was subtly different from the figure of the Goddess in the portraits.In particr, the difference with the eyes was great.It was a murky ash color, unlike the Goddess¡¯ clear and transparent eyes. At first nce, she looked like a blind person.


    However, the overall atmosphere was too simr.Unless a person looked closely, one couldn¡¯t help mistaking her for Goddess Reba¡¯s twin sister.


    ¡°...Why do you look so much like the Goddess?¡±


    ¡°Are you pointing out my appearance? You care about the trivial things.¡±


    The Specter covered her face with the mask again.It was a mask that looked like it was cut from someone¡¯s skull.


    Beriachebounced off the Yellow Dragon¡¯s divinity andnded at theSpecter¡¯sside.The instantaneous shockwave that urred shook the Specter¡¯s robe, revealing a bizarre object.It was armor made of human bones.To be precise, the bones of the human gods who nourished the No Offspring Tomb were woven together like armor, wrapping around theSpecter¡¯sentire body.


    The Specter that Grid had once peeked at was finally revealed.


    ¡°I and the other ¡®first humans¡¯ all resemble the faces of the Gods of the Beginning. It was because they were the only ones who could be referred to.¡±


    [You have learned about the ¡®first humans.¡¯]


    [The acquisition of new knowledge, which hasn¡¯t even appeared in the myth of the creation of the world, has increased your intelligence by 100.]


    The value of information that hadn¡¯t been known so far was enormous.


    The people at the scene¡ªthe intelligence stat of Grid and the Overgeared members had increased by a huge 100.It was a valueparable to leveling up 10 times for an ordinary yer.


    ¡°The first humans...¡±


    Skunk and the other explorers reacted greatly.They weren¡¯t interested in the stat that increased. They were just excited that there was an additional story that they could dig into in the future.


    ¡°Did your bad tastee from your desire to hide your appearance that resembles the Goddess?¡±


    Grid emphasized the Specter¡¯s appearance again.It was an outright bad taste.He felt a deep disgust at the sight of the Specter wearing the bones of human gods.


    ¡°I was just looking for convenience. Obsessing over appearances and giving them meaning is a characteristic of humans and animals. Don¡¯t you think it is an inappropriate attitude for an Only One God?¡±


    ¡°Convenience? Are you using these bones to make it easier to use the divinity you have taken away?¡±


    ¡°That is about right.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s answer was a signal.The 310 God Hands suddenly attacked the Specter.They dug in with the intention of removing the bone fragments from the armor and helmet she was armed with.


    ¡°You have a bit of a naive side...¡±


    The Specter cocked her head and swung her left hand.


    Rattle.


    There was the unpleasant sound of bone fragments rubbing together as demonic energy spread.It was demonic energy that left a trail in the direction that the Specter¡¯s hand moved.It was ck as if to not allow even a single ray of light, but it became contagious when it touched the God Hands.Itchainedback and forth between the God Hands and eventually spread out like a.


    It was in an instant.All of a sudden, the 310 God Hands were reduced to mayflies trapped in a spider web.They were tied up by the demonic energy and couldn¡¯t move even a finger.


    ¡°Holy Light.¡±Saintess Ruby was among the Overgeared members and she used a skill.She targeted the demonic energy that had just captured all the God Hands.However, it didn¡¯t work.Ruby¡¯s face paled.¡°It isn¡¯t... demonic energy?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    What was it if it wasn¡¯t demonic energy?Ruby¡¯s shocking remark puzzled many people.


    ¡®Divinity.¡¯


    Grid was convinced of the identity of the dark energy that the Specter was using.It originated from Yatan, who was the ¡®source of demonic energy,¡¯ but it was divinity, not demonic energy.It was natural.It was expected from the beginning.


    The Specter opened her mouth, ¡°We need to restart the conversation.¡±


    The dark divinity gradually condensed until it gradually took the shape of a club.The 310 God Hands were still trapped inside.


    ¡°I answered your question correctly.¡±


    Grid asked about the identity of the Specter and he received the reply that the Specter was an apostle of God Yatan.The conversation stopped there.Grid wasted time pointing out the Specter¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°In other words, I am a sinner who failed to defend the dream of the god I serve. I am a remnant of a hateful past and don¡¯t deserve to exist. It is just that the distorted hell doesn¡¯t allow me to die.¡±


    There was a short introduction and the Specter immediately got to the point.


    ¡°Only One God Grid, my purpose is to restore hell. I think my purpose is the same as yours.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid guessed why the Specter¡¯s voice was so bizarre.He wondered if it had something to do with the dark divinity that spread through her nose and mouth every time she breathed.


    ¡®Is the divinity so powerful that the body can¡¯t handle it? Even though she is an Absolute?¡¯


    Yatan¡¯s divinity¡ªit was one of the most important factors that created the world.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it went beyond the source of demonic energy and was the source of the world.It was natural for it to be powerful.


    It was just very shocking that it couldn¡¯t be handled even by the Specter, who had built up the hierarchy of an Absolute after devouring all types of myths. Besides, wasn¡¯t she Yatan¡¯s apostle? She would¡¯ve received ¡®permission¡¯ to use Yatan¡¯s divinity, but she looked like this.


    ¡®How powerful is it...?¡¯


    Grid looked at the club in the Specter¡¯s hand.It was a club made of ck divinity.The 310 God Hands gathered and gave it a golden color.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t helpful, so it is trolling now...¡¯


    Was it because he was influenced by Braham?Grid wasmenting that his God Hands had poop on them when the Specter¡¯s scratchy voice entered his ears.


    ¡°I have seen enough of yourbat ability. Considering the ¡®rtionship¡¯ you have with the world, such as gaining the favor of the mother and daughter,Beriacheand Marie Rose,it is calcted that it would be better to cooperate with you than to eat your divinity. Do you have any intention of cooperating with me?¡±


    ¡°What type of cooperation do you want?¡±


    ¡°It is simple. Get out of here.¡±


    It was almost like sending him off.She seemed to want Grid to disappear right before her eyes.


    ¡°I heard your purpose is to restore hell?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯ve already prepared all the ways to achieve your goal, right? I can see that you don¡¯t need any help? Does it have anything to do with this thing here?¡±Grid asked as he turned around and pointed to the lump of flesh.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±The Specter didn¡¯t hide it.


    Grid demanded rification, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the exact same thing in hell. It is what is distorting hell. Yet trying to restore hell with the same thing? I can¡¯t believe it. What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°...You have a lot of questions.¡±


    The Specter refused to exin.She was reluctant to exin her n because she remembered Muller¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Seeing that you can¡¯t exin, there seems to be something that bothers you?¡±


    ¡°The humans who die can¡¯t rest due to the distorted hell and are suffering. My purpose and means to save them are right.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am being tortured when hearing this ugly voice. Hey, Specter! Don¡¯t keep changing the subject and exin it! Why does a great being like you have such a twisted tongue? Did the Gods of the Beginning identally measure the wrong length of their tongues when creating the first humans? The Gods of the Beginning were once uncivilized and couldn¡¯t even measure properly?Hah, truly. There is a reason why the world was a mess before Grid was born.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Huroi interjected when he saw that there was no progress in the conversation.It was with a shiny Vantner in the vanguard.It was an effort to disperse the aggro.


    ¡°....This is the third time in thousands of years that I¡¯ve had the intent to kill someone for private reasons.¡±


    There was no effect.TheSpecter¡¯sgaze passed byVantner¡¯sbald head andnded precisely on Huroi.At the same time, a dark club fell toward Huroi¡¯s head.It was with the swiftness of an Absolute.


    Grid tried to catch up to it, but he was a stepte.Absolutes who could move their positions as soon as they wanted were greatly influenced by ¡®who moved first.¡¯ The one who movedter was naturally at a disadvantage.


    ¡®Why does the Yellow Dragon have a cooldown time of 12 hours?¡¯


    The new skill he just gained from his divinity being enhanced¡ªGrid had evaluated the Yellow Dragon¡¯s skill of protecting his troops as being a bit (?) fraudulent, but now he changed the evaluation. It was far from being fraudulent. The disadvantages were too big.


    ¡®It will be okay. Huroi can endure one blow unconditionally.¡¯


    The club was about to hit the top ofHuroi¡¯shead.Grid struggled to calm his pounding heart.He remembered that Huroi had immortality.Nevertheless, it was hard to calm down.He was worried about the repercussions of the attack.


    Currently, hundreds of colleaguesweregathered around Huroi.It meant that there would be many casualties from the shock wave that would ur the moment the club hit Huroi¡¯s head.


    ¡®Dammit...!¡¯


    It happened the moment when Grid couldn¡¯t hide his nervousness and gritted his teeth...


    ¡°......!¡±


    The Specter¡¯s body suddenly stopped and coughed up blood.Someone¡¯s will, which was as powerful as Dragon Words, pierced her heart.It was hard to understand from Grid¡¯s perspective, but in any case, it was an opportunity.


    The moment the Specter stopped, Grid arrived next to Huroi¡¯s side and swung Twilight, causing it to collide with the club.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to bring back the Sword Saint that fled to the dimensional gap... you are thoroughly prepared.¡±


    The moment the Specter¡¯s words were over¡ª


    ¡°Gasp.¡±


    ¡°What...!¡±


    The Overgeared members screamed when they realized that Grid and the Specter had collided above their heads. In particr, Huroi¡¯splexion was extremely pale.Grid and the Specter¡¯s eyes turned toward the entrance.They saw two men standing there.One was the Sword Saint of the present day.


    [The strongest Sword Saint of all time, ¡®Muller,¡¯ has appeared.]


    The other was a Sword Saint of a previous generation.The world message that rose proved it.


    sh!


    The spear of light fell one stepte and hit the Specter.The Specter¡¯s club startedwrigglingafter it was struck lightly.It was because the God Hands trapped inside were resisting fiercely.


    ¡®They can¡¯t be digested?¡¯


    The inwardly surprised Specter judged that the harm was greater than the gains and ejected the God Hands from inside the club.


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve beenmunicating with Muller... you must¡¯ve known my n.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°What is with that expression? Are you still acting innocent even at this point? There is a side to you that doesn¡¯t fit your hierarchy.¡±


    The emotions expressed by the Specter gradually diversified.She mocked Grid, who was making an expression like he didn¡¯t understand.Muller¡¯s calf-like eyes widened.


    ¡°How did he provoke a wooden stone that is thousands of years old? Does the power of the god you serve have anything to do with mockery or name calling?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t deny it.It was because he found Huroinear Grid.


    ¡°Yes¡­ you know that I will build a hell here. Just like a mirror reflection of the hell that Baal distorted, the same hell will be erected here and eliminate the value of the existence of hell.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Do you think there is another way to purify hell? Can you say that my method is wrong, even if it is violent? If any of you can suggest a better way, then tell me. I will listen.¡±


    The Specter reached the present point after searching for answers for thousands of years.Her convictions were strong and firm.


    ¡°In the first ce, the surface might not necessarily perish if I build a hell here. Grid, as long as you are raising the level of the surface, there is a chance that the surface can handle the bloated energy that is on the same scale as hell.¡±


    -This madman.


    Chreshler expressed Grid¡¯s feelings.


    On this day, Sword Saint Muller, who was thought to be dead, emerged in a world message.The situation in many parts of the world, including the No Offspring Tomb, changed dramatically.

 Chapter 1752

    <h4>Chapter 1752</h4>


    Every name had a special resonance.Even the name of an ordinary girl would remind some people of their first love and make their hearts flutter.


    The name of Sword Saint Muller had something that touched everyone¡¯s hearts.


    The strongestswordsmanin history¡ªsome hailed him as the greatest legend of all time.There were countless people in the world who missed him, who was said to have died hundreds of years ago.It was due to the vague belief and sense of expectation that many things would¡¯ve been different if only Muller had been alive.It was the belief that ¡®killed¡¯ Muller.


    ¡°Yes, this is right. I have always denied his death in my heart.¡±


    It was shortly after the emergence of Muller spread to the world.The tower members gathered in one ce.Now the tower members were no longer blind and trapped in a dragon¡¯s jaws.They were members of the Overgeared World, which was taking control of the surface, and could react sensitively to situations that happened in the world.


    ¡°Muller¡¯s swordsmanship transcends mine. It was a fact that I realized only after repeated training and bing stronger. Even if Muller hadn¡¯t mastered the Matchless Sword, he would¡¯ve be the strongest Sword Saint. He is someone who can do well just by swinging his sword without any special techniques.¡±


    Biban was very excited.He was genuinely happy that his respected junior was alive and there was also the vague expectation of the opportunity to test Muller¡¯s skills.It was ever since he was convinced that he had transcended Muller in this lifetime¡ªhis growth had be stagnant.


    Being a bit better than Muller¡ªit was impossible for a swordsman to imagine a stage beyond that.He couldn¡¯t see the way to go forward.


    Yet in the future, Muller would give him the answer.Biban just needed to watch his back and move on.That was Muller¡¯s position.


    ¡°The return of a hero is something to celebrate. However, now isn¡¯t the time to rejoice. There will be many beings who will react sensitively to Muller¡¯s appearance.¡±


    Every hero who lived in the post-Muller era had experienced it at one time or another¡ªit was to bepared to Muller in terms of skills or achievements.For viins who had existed since ancient times, the reference point for heroes was Muller.Of course, all the tower members were from before Muller¡¯s time, so this was something they had never experienced.


    However, they knew the situation through the words of Grid and Kraugel.In particr, there were many cases where demonspared themselves to Muller.


    ¡°Hell will react the quickest of all. In the worst case scenario, I believe Baal might invade the surface himself.¡±


    Baal couldn¡¯t die.He would be infinitely resurrected unless human fear toward himpletely ended.This didn¡¯t mean he was invincible.Grid had proven it several times.Baal had already lost his life to Grid several times, so he must inwardly be nervous.He would yearn for more power and be more obsessed with new ¡®nourishment¡¯ than ever before.


    The nourishment mentioned here naturally meant the death of human beings.Baal was a monster who could absorb and recreate the abilities of dead humans.He would dearly covet Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Biban cocked his head.


    ¡°Baal will appear on the surface...? Isn¡¯t that impossible unless he has dementia?¡±


    Grid had fought Baal in hell and won.Of course, he couldn¡¯t guarantee a 100% winning rate, but he had a good chance of winning on the surface.


    ¡°Will he invade the surface only to be beaten to death by Grid?¡±


    ¡°The results might vary depending on the type of invasion. Is Baal¡¯s strength only in martial arts?¡±


    Fronzaltz exined to Biban, who only thought simply.


    ¡°The ability of the dead that Baal acquires isn¡¯t necessarily limited tobat strength. It was right to say that he has an unimaginable number of tricks.¡±


    Baal had manipted the Evil Dragon Bunhelier to his liking.He was someone who deceived an old dragon, so it wasn¡¯t known what type of cards he had.


    ¡°It might be easy for him to sneak to the surface and kill Muller without anyone knowing.¡±


    ¡°Then what... what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°First of all, we need to ensure Muller¡¯s safety. For example, provide a ce for him to reside where Baal can¡¯t find him.¡±


    ¡°You mean the Overgeared World?¡±


    ¡°Not the Overgeared World. It is slowly covering the surface and it is far from being secretive.¡±


    Baal had the means to hide his presence from Grid and infiltrate the Overgeared World.It was no longer a safe ce.


    ¡°Apart from the Overgeared World, where else is safe and secretive?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The faces of the tower members darkened.They all looked at Biban with pitying eyes.


    Betty was the only one who remained expressionless and she told Biban, ¡°Here. The tower.¡±


    It was a building thatbined the magic, knowledge, and technology of previous generations of legends.The Tower of Wisdom was perfected by oveying the mental world of an Absolute afraid of dragons, and it was the most secretive and safe ce in the world.


    There were dozens of ces like this in the world.They could immediately escape if the location of the tower they were currently staying in was discovered.Hayate hadn¡¯t wanted to be targeted by the dragons and hadpleted it with the help of the giant brothers.


    ¡°I want to recruit Muller to block the variables while increasing the power of the tower at the same time.¡±


    We will recruit a new member.


    No one objected to Hayate¡¯s unconventional deration.Muller was well qualified.On the contrary, it was a position where the tower should respectfully receive him.They hoped Muller would consider the situation of the world and ept their proposal.


    ¡°In the future, we will...¡±


    Hayate exined the subsequent policy.He selected dragons who might be interested in the emergence of Muller and nned a strategy to tie them down.They started nning to fight the dragons they had avoided for so long.It was something created by Grid.It was only after meeting Grid that Hayate truly became a Dragon yer.


    ***


    Imagine that two Earths suddenly appeared one day.The Earth where another ¡®me¡¯ exists and who lived the same life in the same environment as me.The moment we face it, we will definitely be in great confusion.Eventually, we will try to distinguish the real from the fake.It is only when we confirm that we are real that we will regain stability.


    It is highly likely that all sorts of scary and horrible things will happen along the way.Furthermore, the demons of hell are so destructivepared to humans.The moment they face the same self, they will deny it and bite at the other self.


    ¡°Two hells... eventually, they both will be offset.¡±


    The Specter didn¡¯t speak at length.Her emotions were worn out over the course of living for thousands of years and she dried up.


    It was difficult in the first ce.The more she spoke, the more her vocal cords melted away from the seething divinity.Her voice gradually became more cracked and it eventually stopped.Still, this was enough.Grid and the others figured out the Specter¡¯s target.There were many people with extraordinary brains in the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°If you recreate hell, can you copy Baal as well?¡±Grid reacted seriously for the first time.He showed interest as if he thought the Specter¡¯s n was usible.


    The Specter nodded.¡°Of course... that is the only way the n makes sense...¡±


    King Daebyeol,Hanul¡¯sfirst son, andBeriache, Yatan¡¯s third child¡ªit uses the bodies of two Absolutes as the materials for the phenomenon.This was just superficially, but in fact, the Specter nned to turn the ¡®souls¡¯ of the two Absolutes into materials.It was only then that the impossible became possible.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Muller had saved Huroi byusing HeartSword.The hero of heroes had saved a life the moment he returned to the world after hundreds of years. However, he was currently sullen.He watched as the ¡®god¡¯ listened to the Specter.


    ¡°It is a terrible story, but it is pretty cunning...¡±


    Muller noticed at once that Grid was a great being.It wasn¡¯t because he was fascinated by the beautiful divinity.Based on the Hero King¡¯s fighting energy, he got a glimpse of the achievements that Grid umted before bing a god.He felt respect even before they exchanged any words of greetings.


    He was deeply impressed by the great man of theter generation who had reached a level that he himself hadn¡¯t reached.Thus, he wanted to respect Grid as much as possible.This was why Muller felt great regret when seeing Grid¡¯s attitude of listening to theSpecter¡¯snonsense.


    The Specter¡¯s n to create a new hell and offset the existing hell.The n seemed quite usible, but it had a fatal w.It was that the hell would be built here in the No Offspring Tomb.Of course, the No Offspring Tomb had evolved into a dimension separate from the surface, but its scale was much smallerpared to hell.It was virtually impossible to reproduce hell with just the No Offspring Tomb. The Specter¡¯s magic would likely invade the surface.If even a part of the surface turned into hell...


    The No Offspring Tomb, hell, and the surface would be entangled without being able to maintain their independence.All three dimensions would be battlefields.At this time, even if the surface was fortunate enough to escape destruction, it would surely be reduced to ruins.It was why Muller couldn¡¯t agree with the Specter¡¯s n despite longing for the purification of hell due to his wish for death.


    Sacrificing others for their own purposes¡ªit might be obvious for the Specter, but it was unthinkable for Muller.


    ¡°I...¡±Muller¡¯srge hand on his sword trembled.They were hands full of calluses at every joint.The calluses that still remained distinct despite the hundreds of years he wasted in the dimensional gap proved it¡ªduring Muller¡¯s time as a Sword Saint, he had never wasted a single moment as a swordsman.Therefore, he could speak with confidence.


    ¡°I might cut your god...¡±


    The cooperation between the Only One God Grid and the Specter.It would be a shortcut that led to the destruction of the surface.Someone had to stop it.


    ¡°Even if it means being hostile to you and all of them,¡± Muller dered as he looked at Grid, the Specter, Kraugel, and the Overgeared members in turn.


    At this moment, he was oveing a vague fear.He was prepared for a terrible end.He shouldered the duties of a hero that he once abandoned in the past.The circumstances forced it.Just then¡ª


    Grid, who had been silently listening to the Specter, opened his mouth, ¡°You... surprisingly, you don¡¯t know much about Baal.¡±


    At the same time, his eyes directed toward Muller were very deep.


    ¡°Will they try to eat each other just because there are two Baals? Rather, I think they will find it interesting and cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it is only a temporary cooperation... they will surely betray each other in order to achieve greater supremacy.¡±


    ¡°What if we all die during that temporary cooperation?¡±


    ¡°All progress and evolution only happens when risks are taken. If you don¡¯t do anything because you are worried about the worst... what is the value of life?¡±


    ¡°Is the destruction of the surface something we need to bear for the future?¡±


    ¡°Even if we all die and the surface perishes, it is a noble sacrifice. After hell is purified, the surface in the next world will surely be safe. Humans in the next world can livefortably without fearing death...¡±


    ¡°It is a failure.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°You failed to convince me.¡±


    From a certain point, Grid had been fighting to protect the things that were precious to him.Everything he valued existed in this world, not the next world.


    ¡°There will be no destruction as long as I am here.¡±


    [Only One God Grid is writing the 24th epic.]


    [The beginning of the epic begins with the god¡¯s will to protect the surface.]


    ¡°Are you going to fight me to the end...? Do you truly believe that you have a chance?¡±


    ¡°A chance? I don¡¯t think the odds are high.¡±


    Grid summoned thousands of battle gear.It was a call using Request to Stand With Me. Among those who responded to the call, one was Biban, the owner of a dragon weapon.


    ¡°Sword Saint Muller.¡±


    A procession of swords that miraculously appeared...


    ¡°Feel free to use it.¡±


    It became the perfect force of the strongest Sword Saint in history.

 Chapter 1753

    <h4>Chapter 1753</h4>


    ¡®It is really amazing.¡¯


    Muller recognized it instantly.The 3,295 swords that formed a spiral procession centered on him all had the same origin.It could be seen based on the spirituality that each sword had.


    Only One God Grid¡ªit was a spirituality created by the temperament of the god of the surface who stood in opposition to the Specter.The weapons other than swords that were mixed in the procession?He wasn¡¯t interested in them.He was a swordsman.


    It was said that a Sword Saint could handle even the branches of a tree as a sword and wasn¡¯t bound by weapons, but this was half correct and half incorrect.There were clear limits to what a swordsman could do without a sword.It was just that the enemies who fought Muller didn¡¯t realize the difference.


    ¡°Sword Saint Muller... don¡¯t be reckless. You felt frustrated... to the mefrom a long time ago... to you, who have tasted this and kept quiet... is there a chance of winning?¡±


    The Specter¡¯s cracking voice contained deep pain, loneliness, and resentment.It was reminiscent of a sick person who was about to die.Nevertheless, he was afraid.In the past, he had no choice but to run away.


    At that time, all Muller had was a crude iron sword.He was active in the pre-Pagma era.The strongest Sword Saint of all time was born in the middle of the Dark ages, when the skills of the cksmiths had regressed from generation to generation due to Hexetia, who envied and hated Bultar.


    ¡°Friend, let¡¯s rest in peace this time,¡± Muller whispered while stroking the old sword hanging at his waist.The crude iron sword that had been with him all his life was eventually reborn as a legendary weapon and rose to the rank of a treasured sword, but it was nothingpared to the divine swords in the procession of battle gear.


    The Specter was also aware of this fact.


    ¡°Beriache...¡±


    The Specter realized that the meeting between Grid and Muller was an unpleasant variable and theSpecter¡¯swill movedBeriache¡¯sbody.At the center of the huge space, the pretty little girl, who had been standing beside the Specter and quietly attracting the attention of the Overgeared members, suddenly disappeared.


    Katz shifted his gaze and chased after the faint scent of blood.It was toward the entrance opposite to where the Overgeared members were standing.


    He saw two Sword Saints standing side by side.The Sword Saint of the present era, Kraugel, hurriedly created a sword curtain, while Sword Saint Muller of the previous generation stretched out his handzily toward the process of battle gear.


    The disappearedBeriacheappeared by Muller¡¯s side.As if to make full use of her small body, she appeared from below and thrust her left hand upward.Beriache¡¯ssharp nails brushed against Muller¡¯s chin and cut the skin.


    He couldn¡¯t respond?


    It happened as people werementing after witnessing Muller allowing an attack without even flinching...


    ¡®He didn¡¯t respond. He saw that he didn¡¯t have to avoid it.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face was filled with joy.He had fought a fierce battle withBeriacheearlier and he knewBeriache¡¯stricks.She used shy linkages, but most of the linkages were based on falsehoods.It was a method that forced movement with an incredibly threatening first strike before stabbing through the gap that was exposed.She might seem like a wild beast, but it was actually very systematic.


    However, this copsed in front of Muller.A swordsman amongswordsmenwho trained for hundreds of years and swung his sword tens of thousands of times a day.A hero among heroes who never turned away from tough situations and fought lonely battles.


    The period of time he wasted when trapping himself in the dimensional gap was enormous, but Muller¡¯s effort and experience were unmatched. Combine this with his talent and it was sublimated into a miracle.It was to the extent that it was a wonder even for Grid, who overshadowed the years.


    Discerning the trajectory and intentions of the enemy the moment they moved?It was natural for Muller.Therefore, he had no unnecessary movements.Relying on his Super Sensitivity, Muller moved awkwardly through the Realm of the Absolute.With a very slow feeling, he gripped a sword that was as transparent as frost.


    It was a sword with three spiritualities.


    One was like the other divine swords and had a spirituality with the will of a God Killer¡ªhe felt the will to punish heaven.


    Another was the spirituality of the one who made the sword¡ªhe felt the desire for the owner of the sword to be safe.


    Thest one was the spirituality imprinted by the owner of the sword¡ªhe could feel the will to destroy everything that stood in the way.


    ¡®The owner of this sword must be as violent as a gori.¡¯


    Due to personality problems, there must be fatal problems on the path of a sword.There was a rtionship, so he would give a bit of help.


    Muller put more power than necessary into the hand holding the sword.He subtly imprinted a gripping method that might help the owner of the sword.It contained a wish for the gori to be reborn as a human.Just then¡ª


    Beriache¡¯sleft hand, which had just grazed Muller¡¯s chin, was cut diagonally.She had already been badly wounded by Grid and lost most of her magical blood to Katz.The being who maintained the status of an Absolute easily allowed a fatal injury.It was a severe price for failing to make a first good move.It was the peak of ate start¡¯ that Grid dreamed of.


    The transparent sword let out the cry of a tiger.It was as if it wasn¡¯t bad to be handled by a new master.


    The aftermath was great.Beriache''s attempt to counterattack as soon as her left hand was cut once again failed in vain.She wasn¡¯t good enough to create a gap in Muller, who was using the White Tiger¡¯s Posture, without using blood magic. Rather, she received big cuts on her neck and waist.She stretched out her arm to deflect and was stabbed repeatedly by the iing sword.


    ¡®Out of all the swords, he grabbed Mercedes¡¯s White Tiger Sword first.¡¯


    Grid felt admiration.He felt there was no better choice to killBeriache¡¯smomentum.


    ¡®The rtivelycking energy and body are being supplemented by items.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s eyes shook violently as he watched Muller¡¯s change from right next to him.At this moment, Muller was an Absolute.Hepletely achieved the realm he had been vaguely close to by relying on a single White Tiger Sword.


    The system also recognized it.The epic proved it.


    [The greatest swordsman in history responded to the god¡¯s will.]


    [After witnessing a world that had already gone through several destructions, he pointed the sword bestowed by the god toward the enemy of humanity, who had established a twisted ideology.]


    [He stands on the god¡¯s side to protect the surface and is the sword that executes the god¡¯s will.]


    [An Absolutesword that will never bend again.]


    [He is worthy of the god¡¯s sword.]


    ¡°...Um?¡±


    Muller cocked his head.In fact, Grid¡¯sepics were treated as divine words and had such a distinct presence that even non-yer characters could perceive them. It seemed to be perceived as the same concept as a divine message.


    ¡°Well¡­ it is pretty much right.¡±


    Muller seemed to want to refute something, but he quickly gave up.It was urate to say that he had no time to pay attention to other things.He put down the White Tiger Sword and reached into the procession of battle gear again.This time, he unexpectedly grabbed Failure.It was the upgraded version of Failure used by Jude, but it was still clearly inferiorpared to Grid¡¯s rtively recent works.


    Beriache¡¯ssmall body circled in the air as she regenerated her severed left hand in the shape of a hook and wielded it.She paid the price when the hook was caught on the small de that sprang up from the back of Failure.Her whole body was lifted up and she was thrown down miserably.It didn¡¯t mean much because an Absolute ignored thews of physics.Beriacheimmediately regained her bnce. She stood calmly in the air as if she was standing on the ground.


    Muller stood in front of her.He was holding Gujel¡¯s Sword, not Failure, in his hand.His momentum was different from before.The skills and stat boosting buffs attached to Gujel¡¯s Sword brought Muller¡¯s skills and physical body to a perfect level.


    All the achievements and secret words contained in Gujel¡¯s Sword were reced by a different status.It was because assimting with a sword beyond justmuning with it was one of the powers of a Sword Saint.


    In this ce that the whole world was paying attention to due to the epic¡ª


    The Absolute who borrowed the power of items descended.


    Flinch.


    Beriache¡¯shand stopped as it was reaching out for Muller¡¯s neck.The sword that Muller drew in his mind was effective.


    Beriachewas cut by an invisible sword that she wasn¡¯t sure was real or an illusion, and recognized that her head had fallen off.She couldn¡¯t move for a moment.It was only a fraction of a second, shorter than a single blink, but the aftermath was huge.


    It was enough time for Muller to swing his sword 10 more times.There was nothing that a Sword Saint couldn¡¯t cut.


    Beriache¡¯ssmall body was swept away by the surprisingly powerful sword energy and was defenselessly torn apart.It wasfatal damage.She was a mere corpse and was unable to use some of her powers, such as scattering into fog. Additionally, she lost her blood, so she suffered considerable obstacles when trying to regenerate through blood magic or blood transfusion.


    ¡°It is painful to humiliate the deceased.¡±


    Muller expressed his ufortable feelings andnded on the ground.It was set against the backdrop ofBeriache¡¯sbody being divided into dozens of pieces.It was an intense look.


    All of the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t shut their mouths.


    Grid also felt a tremor in his heart.He was thrilled by Muller¡¯s performance, which was stronger than expected.


    Only one person (?)¡ªChreshler was the only one who kept hisposure and did his job.He quickly opened the coffin and flew toward Beriache.


    -Mother-inw!Come into my arms!


    The undead who died in the No Offspring Tomb was unconditionally resurrected.They had to be purified in the Divine Wood Coffin before they were resurrected.


    ¡°...So it is like this.¡±


    Grid gave a short exnation while avoiding the eyes of his colleagues.It might not be worth exining, but he was embarrassed by Chreshler.The mere fact that he had been caught working with such a coffin made him want to hide in a mouse hole.


    ¡°The tricks end here.¡±


    It was before the Divine Wood Coffin touchedBeriache¡¯scorpse...


    The will of the Specter recoveredBeriache¡¯sbody.


    Duguen!


    The red flesh, which had been frozen sinceBeriache¡¯srecreation, started to beat again.It was much more intense than the first time Grid saw it.


    ¡°Muller...¡±


    The Specter was greatly conscious of Muller.It was the dispersion of aggro.It was a great opportunity for Grid.At this time, he secretly sent the 310 God Hands to another ce.Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible for him to deceive theSpecter¡¯ssenses.


    The Specter ignored it even though it was obvious.She clearly remembered Grid grumbling about the hundreds of hands moving on their own, saying, ¡°They are beyond useless and they are just disturbing me.¡±


    In fact, the God Hands weren¡¯t a threat to the Specter.Even if the number of God Hands increased to the thousands, they couldn¡¯t touch a single tip of theSpecter¡¯shair.The power of the Specter was usurpation.She was the first in the world to usurp myths, and had the unique ability to steal the divinity and power of other gods and make them her own. In other words, it worked against the God Hands, who were ssified as Grid¡¯s power.


    ¡°Thest resort. To save the world... human beings will find rest... the onlyway, toend it... if you refuse. There will be no more you... you don¡¯t have to... respect me...¡±


    [The enemy of humanity has defied the will of the god.]


    [She stood up to the god with the power and authority built up over the years.]


    The epic narrated the Specter in her entirety.It was different from the traditional method of disparaging and distorting Grid¡¯s enemies in order to praise Grid.It was evidence that even the influence of the epic couldn¡¯t undermine the status of the Specter.


    [An apostle of a God of the Beginning.]


    [The enemy of humanity, who endured for eons to achieve a single purpose, dered to the god.]


    ¡°Only One God Grid. Your myth... I will have it.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s dark divinity expanded and dominated the space.


    Everyone, including Grid, started receiving all sorts of penalties.


    The No Offspring Tomb¡ªthis ce was on the surface, but far from the Overgeared World. It was the middle of enemy lines.


    It was thanks to Hell Gao¡ªno, to be precise, it was on a different level from hell where they were able to ovee the penalty thanks to Muller¡¯s arrangement.


    Thus, he would smash it.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Everyone apart from Grid looked up at the ceiling in a confused manner.They seemed to hear a faint roar from afar. Soon, faint moonlight started to seep through the cracks in the ceiling.It should be impossible.Moonlight entered the No Offspring Tomb, which was located deep underground.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± the Specter asked Grid, who was standing in the moonlight that slowly spread through the thick darkness.


    [God gave an answer.]


    ¡°Overgeared Battle...


    ¡°The Tomb of the Gods! Specter, you will soon be buried there too!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    [...You will be buried in the Tomb of the Gods.]


    Huroi interjected to try and cover up Grid¡¯s remarks. Then meteorites fell consecutively.It was Meteor, triggered by the superrge flying ship, the Tomb of the Gods, from the sky outside the No Offspring Tomb.The 310 God Hands sent by Grid earlierexecuteda direct bombardment.


    The God Hands implemented Grid¡¯s stats in a quite simr manner.Therefore, the bombardmentexecutedby the God Hands was iparable to the bombardment by the Overgeared artillerymen.

 Chapter 1754

    <h4>Chapter 1754</h4>


    The position of an apostle of a God of the Beginning was definitely great.It made one wonder how many higher hierarchies existed in the whole world.Nevertheless, it was rude to limit the Specter to just an apostle of a God of the Beginning.


    A ce where an enemy of the surface caused it to be reborn as a separate dimension¡ªthe Specter that set up this No Offspring Tomb, which resembled the Overgeared World, was definitely unique and an Absolute.


    In the first ce, there were dozens of myths that she had usurped.It was right to see her as special among the gods.


    The problem was that in Satisfy, a god didn¡¯t mean an omnipotent being.It didn¡¯t matter how great the Specter was.Additionally, she might¡¯ve been the one to build the No Offspring Tomb, but it was impossible for her to understand everything that was happening in the No Offspring Tomb in real time.It was justlike Grid.


    Moreover, this incident urred outside the No Offspring Tomb, not inside it.How could she figure it out in advance and defend when the No Offspring Tomb was deep underground and it was being bombarded from above?


    ¡®What type of ignorant power is this?¡¯


    The Specter¡¯s emotions had long been worn out.It happened naturally after enduring eons of time.However, at this moment, she was upset.Throwing hundreds of meteorites from a ridiculously huge airship?The destructive power of each meteorite wasparable to hundreds of artillery shells.


    Due to the overwhelming mass, the distance of hundreds of meters between the No Offspring Tomb and the surface was being overshadowed.It was because the strata that had been tightly deposited over the yearswascopsing helplessly.


    ¡°You¡­ it is a pity in many ways.¡±


    The lonely eyes behind the mask¡ªthe Specter stared at the unfamiliar moonlight for some time before confiding her honest feelings.She felt very regretful about Grid¡¯s versatility, who provided Muller with thousands of new swords and even operated a superrge flying ship.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t to the extent... that I don¡¯t want to kill you. The years you have umted are simr to mine. If you have tasted deep despair... you would be able to sympathize with my ideology... you would¡¯ve dly joined forces with me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond.It was because he felt the true heart of the Specter.He was afraid he would feel sympathy if they exchanged a few more words.


    ¡®She is crazy.¡¯


    The ideology of the Specter was twisted.The purpose of purifying hell was purely noble and it was true that it would be beneficial to humanity if her purpose was fulfilled.It was just that the method was wrong.To put it mildly, she was the same as Pagma. She was even an upgraded version.She was someone who he should never sympathize with.


    Then the ceiling, which had been damaged by the meteorites, was quickly repaired.The moonlight that was falling like lighton Gridgradually faded.


    The No Offspring Tomb was a world of ghosts.As long as theSpecter¡¯swill refused it, there was a limit to destroying it through physical means.


    ¡°Jishuka.¡±


    Once again, the setting sun fell on the world encroached upon by darkness.It seemed to use Grid as the horizon and rose from Grid¡¯s fingertips.It was Twilight.


    ¡°Let everyone except for Ruby and the 10 meritorious retainers escape.¡±


    The power loss would be too great if hundreds of Overgeared members were wiped out here.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t doubt Grid.Surprisingly, she had an obedient side like a puppy.She used a demon-like expression that Grid didn¡¯t show to urge her colleagues, who were feeling that it was a pity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the hobby of harming humans. Even if you invaded my territory... even though you ughtered my subordinates...¡± the Specter spoke in the busy atmosphere.


    There is no need to rush, so don¡¯t get hurt and leave slowly.


    At first, it seemed kind, but no one was fooled.


    ¡°You tried to kill Huroi.¡±


    In the end, Peak Sword criticized theSpecter¡¯sattitude as a pretense.


    ¡°That human deserved to die.¡±


    The Specter confirmed it and her consciousness once again focused on Huroi.Huroi got the aggro unwillingly and he red resentfully at Peak Sword.Grid ran through the wide space and approached the Specter, swinging Twilight.The rising Twilight that followed the movements of the sword dance was blocked after several collisions with the Specter¡¯s dark club.


    ¡°If my n fails to be carried out... humanity will suffer worse than destruction.¡±


    Craters urred on the ground around where Grid stood.Did some of the meteorites that bombarded the Tomb of the Gods squeeze through the ceilings and fall?Some of the Overgeared members had such absurd thoughts.


    The spectacle created by the power of the Specter mming the club was that unrealistic.


    ¡®Did she feedBeriache¡¯scorpse with her own blood?¡¯


    Grid remembered the monstrous power that was released from the little girl¡¯s corpse and broke out into a sweat.He tried to smile to pretend to beposed, but he was gritting his teeth so tightly that he ended up with a twisted smile.


    The Specter didn¡¯t smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maybe I... I can¡¯t kill you.¡±


    The ghost¡¯s dark divinity was intertwined with Grid¡¯s orange divinity.It was like the feeling of a hand digging.TheSpecter¡¯spower of an usurper was examining the history of Grid¡¯s divinity.It was likeit waswondering what to eat first.


    The agonysted for a very long time.It was because some of Grid¡¯s myths were incredibly great.The life that Grid had experienced shed through the Specter¡¯s mind.It was a short life like most human gods. It could bepared to a mayfly.However, it was very dense.It was to the extent that it was equivalent to a life umted over thousands of years.


    ¡®...I can¡¯t take this away.¡¯


    The Specter took back her club.The pressure that had been weighing on Grid¡¯s entire body was released like it was a lie.


    ¡°You have also seen and experienced a lot of despair.¡±


    It was natural.Originally, Grid¡¯s life was marked with despair.He just didn¡¯t get frustrated and got up every time.He even caught a glimpse of the truth of the world.


    The distorted hell¡ªhe was obliged to restore hell for his beloved wives and son.


    Heaven who stood on the sidelines¡ªGrid was determined to rescue his precious person who was being exploited by the arrogant gods, who didn¡¯t do anything.Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that he suffered greater despair than the Specter.To the Specter, hell was everything and her pride.


    To put it bluntly, the Specter was an entity who had been deprived of everything.Her position was much worse than Grid, who might have everything taken away.The future of the ¡®failed Grid¡¯ was the Specter.Nevertheless, the Specter respected Grid.


    Apart from the total amount of despair that Grid suffered, she was deeply impressed by the way he cut the neck of a half-god while dering that he would rather be a god. He lit thest me of the dying fire dragon and became a Dragon Knight, allowing his immense potential to be seen. Didn¡¯t Chiyou guarantee it?


    ¡°Even after going through so much despair... you still can¡¯t sympathize with my ideology?¡±


    ¡°Yes. From my point of view, your way of doing things is wrong.¡±


    Grid stretched out the Blockade that was held in his left hand.


    A dull sword¡ªit had a form that was purely faithful to the function of a sword.It amplified the power of basic strikes while having the effect of umting skills in proportion to the number of times it blocked the enemy¡¯s attack.It was thetest divine sword made in preparation for the battle against Zeratul.


    [Blockade]


    [Rating: Myth


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 15,880


    ¡ï Increases the power of normal attacks by a minimum of two times to a maximum of five times.


    ¡ï Every time an attack hits an enemy or an enemy¡¯s attack is blocked, the ¡®tempered¡¯ effect will be obtained. However, it is limited to a single attack and the effect is reset when the target of the attack is changed.


    ¡ï The uracy rate is decreased by 30% for targets of a certain level or higher.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Up to Here¡¯ is created.


    A divine sword made by Only One God Grid to target Martial God Zeratul.


    The learning effect was maximized by giving free authority to Greed, which was used as the material. Greed¡¯s own judgment is sometimes a disadvantage, but in terms of potential, it might surpass all other divine swords.


    Conditions of Use: Grid


    Weight: 1,900]


    [Up to Here]


    [Passive.


    Every time the sword is ¡®tempered¡¯30 timesor more, it randomly blocks on enemy skill based on the umted information. Prioritizes the blocking of persistent passive skills.


    Duration of the blockage: Random.]


    Blockade was a divine sword that opened up new possibilities for Grid.


    Items with free authority¡ªit was made experimentally, but it had more effects than he expected.The disadvantage of moving contrary to Grid¡¯s will often wasn¡¯t very fatal.If Blockade went againstGrid¡¯swill, it was because it carried out the habit of ¡®defending Grid.¡¯


    If Grid attacked, it didn¡¯t move forward and instead held on to urge defense.It would cause the attack timing to be missed, but Grid was adept at handling dual swords. He moved both hands freely so he could wield the sword in the other hand if Blockade decided to troll.


    ¡®In any case, ithas a greapatibility with the Motley il.¡¯


    Of course, in terms of potential, the Motley il was the best, but...


    Blockade had an unconditional beneficial effect while demonstrating attack power that was iparable to the il. It had an iparable high expectations value.


    ¡°Wait... there is no need to fight.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s broken voice continued faster than before.


    ¡°I have decided not to hurt you.¡±


    She refused to fight.It was because she saw a glimmer of hope in Grid¡¯s potential.Someday¡ª


    She really hoped that Grid would understand her one day.It was okay if he didn¡¯t understand in the end.In the unlikely event that her n failed, Grid could remain as her next hope.


    The Specter was sincere.She truly hoped for the restoration of hell.She didn¡¯t have the bad hobby of harming something valuable.However, Grid refused.


    ¡°I have to smash this ce.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to leave this danger.¡±


    It had already been dered through the epic.


    I will bury you with theOvergeared Battleship.


    Grid wasn¡¯t forced to act ording to the epic, but the reason why the epic was written in the first ce was because it wasGrid¡¯swill.


    ¡°Okay¡­ then I¡¯ll defend this ce.¡±


    It was a position where neither side could back down.The Specter would surely turn this ce into hell.


    A n that had been prepared for thousands of years¡ªshe couldn¡¯t give up on the only way to restore hell now.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s ck divinity rose like a tidal wave.Ittook the same form as the Yellow Dragonand devoured the charging Grid.


    Grid broke through.He blocked theSpecter¡¯sclub that moved in unbelievable trajectories with Blockade while doing the sword dance with Twilight. He took several strides, just as he did when he became a legend.Some of the status that he had built up with the epics was getting blurred every time he got closer to the Specter.The power of usurpation was attempting to devour theparatively trivial content of Grid¡¯s epics. Every time, Grid was weakened in real time. Closebat came with a heavy pressure.


    ¡®It is one of the greatest monsters.¡¯


    Why did such a monster exist as a boss monster that couldn¡¯t be negotiated with?Grid frowned and clicked his tongue as he felt his fingers start to be torn by the ck lightning that exploded every time the club and Blockade collided.The fact that he would have to fight against the powerful enemies that infested heaven and hell was daunting.


    ¡®This is a really damned worldview.¡¯


    It was to the point where he could feel the malice.He could easily guess what the personality of the development team would be like.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay if we cut this?¡±


    It happened at a time when Chairman¡¯s Lim Cheolho¡¯s ears were starting to itch...


    Suddenly, a voice caught the attention of Grid and the Specter at the same time.They saw Muller standing next to the huge mass of red flesh.He still had Gujel¡¯s Sword in his hand.


    ¡°I will cut it.¡±


    Grid was faster this time.He moved to Muller¡¯s side before the Specter and blocked theSpecter¡¯sattack that was aiming for Muller.The two crossed swords were blocking the dark club.


    ¡°...Stop it.¡±


    A person who was called a hero was cowardly catching her off guard?A man who imed to be an Only One God was cowardly taking advantage of the opportunity?


    The meaning conveyed in the Specter¡¯s weak cry was conveyed to Grid and Muller.


    Muller¡¯s big eyes shone brightly.¡°It is a viin¡¯s usation. It is high praise.¡±


    The Specter wasn¡¯t aware of it, but from humanity¡¯s point of view, she was a viin.


    A drop of blood spurted from the center of the red flesh.Things went out of control after that.


    The sword of the Sword Saint, which targeted the red flesh, split the entire No Offspring Tomb in half.It was a sword that cut the world.

 Chapter 1755

    <h4>Chapter 1755</h4>


    Space Sword¡ªitwas the Sword Saint¡¯s secret technique that cut the world.Countless people had experienced it directly or indirectly.If there was a sudden earthquake or the sea split apart, it was likely that Kraugel had used his ultimate technique.


    However, very few people witnessed the usage of Space Sword from ¡®right next to him.¡¯One of them was Grid.


    Grid felt a strange sense of pride.From Kraugel to Biban and Muller¡ªthere was the belief that he was the only person in the world who witnessed the ultimate technique of the Sword Saint of three generations.


    Grid¡¯s vision tilted diagonally.It was the aftermath of the ground of the No Offspring Tomb being overturned after being cut by Muller¡¯s sword.There was a loud roar followed by the strata copsing.The number of rocks falling from the copsed ceiling rose sharply and the wide walls of the space cracked.


    Even though her world was falling apart, the Specter didn¡¯t even give it a nce.Behind the mask, her eyes were only focused on the red flesh.The flesh made fromBeriache¡¯sheart contained the souls of those who shouldn¡¯t die. It was the souls of beings that the Specter had worked hard to filter out over the long years.


    She could feel some of them slipping away.They were sucked into hell.


    ¡°You¡­ made Baal strong... more and more in real time... be aware. You are adding power to the distortion of hell. As a result, you are doing harm to the surface. A mortal sin... it is right to suffer from guilt.¡±


    There was a chill in the resentful voice.The dark divinity froze like frost and formed countless fragments.Each one of them sent out a sharp energy like Grid¡¯s divine swords.


    Then meteorites mmed down through the cracks in the ceiling.The long-ranged bombardment from the Tomb of the Gods was continuing.


    [Divine punishment fell on the deep underground that was hoping to be reborn as hell.]


    [The god¡¯s newly acquired treasured sword shed down and the stars dropped by the Tomb of the Gods tore through the wounds.]


    The underground that hoped to be reborn as hell¡ªthe epic spread the truth of the No Offspring Tomb, which had been shrouded in a veil, to the world.Grid informed people of how important it was to punish this ce and imprinted on them that the Tomb of the Gods yed a big role.The justification for the Tomb of the Gods to bepleted as a ¡®moving Overgeared World¡¯ was umting step by step.


    The meteorites that fell toward the Specter¡¯s head exploded and flew in all directions.The divided world was rapidly being restored.Even Garion, the God of the Earth, was able to immediately restore thend of the ¡®surface.¡¯There was no way that the owner of the No Offspring Tomb wouldn¡¯t be able to immediately restore the No Offspring Tomb¡¯s wounds.


    The same was true of the red flesh.The flesh which had been cut in half along with the No Offspring Tomb, was quickly restored as one.Obviously, there were losses.The value of the flesh that had lost a few souls had declined somewhat.It was to the point where she wondered if it would be insufficient to restore hell in its entirety.


    ¡®No¡­ it is still fine right now.¡¯


    The Specter calmly examined the situation.There was one conclusion.She had to expel Grid and Muller from here.From her position of firm conviction, Grid and Muller were those who couldn¡¯t be harmed.She naturally couldn¡¯t kill them.It would just be helping Baal.However, they were too noble to use as a material to recreate hell like the other human gods, or to use as nourishment for herself.


    ¡®The longer they live, the more beneficial it is for the world.¡¯


    From the standpoint of humanity, the Specter was a viin, but it was because her ¡®method¡¯ was wrong.They might have different viewpoints, but the Specter¡¯s ¡®inclination¡¯ was infinitely close to good.


    A paradise tofort the dead¡ªit was only natural that she was influenced by the warm heart of Yatan, who established hell, and became an apostle.


    ¡°I, here...¡±


    TheSpecter¡¯sclub grazed Muller¡¯s thigh as he jumped swiftly.It was the moment when the Sword Saint¡¯s left leg was fractured.Theyered sword energy couldn¡¯t fulfill its duty of self-defense.


    ¡®How did he withstand such power?¡¯


    Muller was staring at Grid like he was a monster, only to click his tongue.


    ¡°She won¡¯t back down a single step.¡±


    It was because he felt the determination of the Specter, who was standing with the red flesh behind her.


    An Absolute fighting with their back to the wall¡ªthere seemed to be no room to break through.Grid was also briefly overwhelmed.There was one fortunate fact...


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    It was that the elite members of the Overgeared Guild were preventing arge army from joining¡ªthe dozens of death knights and liches serving the Specter, and additionally, the thousands of undead and local troops that couldn¡¯t enter the space and lingered at the entrance.


    It was because the incredibly powerful group that consisted ofthe 10 meritorious retainers, including Jishuka, as well as Eat Spicy Jokbal, Zibal, Hurent, Haster, Saintess Ruby, Pope Damian, andst but not least, Sword Saint Kraugel.The camp that centered around the unstoppable lighting fromVantner¡¯sbald head was basically a natural fortress that obstructed the enemy¡¯s view.Additionally, Eat Spicy Jokbal had set up a small dungeon.It was a dungeon with abyrinth that dispersed and isted the enemies.


    Breaking through the elite of the Overgeared Guild, who actively utilized the structure of the dungeon, was a difficult task even for a group of transcendents. Even if they eventually broke through, it would take an enormous amount of time.


    ¡°It is an amazing power. Their activities must¡¯ve yed a big role in the peaceful background of the world.¡±


    A world where everything had changed¡ªMuller returned to the world after hundreds of years and saw the vitality of the people. He could feel that all of them didn¡¯t be frustrated by the hopeless future and lived steadfastly like heroes.


    Grid, who was in front of him, and those who followed Grid, created a world that Muller couldn¡¯t create.His respect for Grid soared like it was natural.If they could thwart the Specter¡¯s ns today¡ª


    If they could maintain the world¡ª


    It seemed like Muller would bow deeply in front of every statue of Grid that he would encounter while wandering the world.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The world could be at peace thanks to them.¡±


    A warm smile spread across Grid¡¯s face.It was a smile that naturally appeared when he thought of the precious people who had always been with him.Determination was oveid on the smile.


    ¡°I have a duty to make sure their hard work isn¡¯t in vain.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t inferior in the slightest inparison to the Specter¡¯s determination.If the aspirations of the Specter had umted over thousands of years, then the aspirations of Grid had umted through thousands of connections.It was different, but it wasn¡¯tcking.


    ¡®Go.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s concentration reached the limit in an instant.It was possible when he remembered the scenery of the smithy.By imagining the hammering that he had repeated tens of thousands of times, he induced the trance that he usually fell into when making items.This wasn¡¯t the power of an Absolute.It was an ability that Grid/Shin Youngwoo had subconsciously trained in.


    Grid and the Specter became intertwined.Every time the sunset spread by Twilight pierced theSpecter¡¯sdark divinity, cracks appeared in the skeletal mask and armor that the Specter was armed with.Every time Blockade collided with theSpecter¡¯sclub, the surface of Blockade heated up.It turned redder and redder like metal being tempered.


    The moment theSpecter¡¯sclub broke through Blockade¡¯s defenses, a screaming noise came from Grid¡¯s body.The barbs of the dragon armor repeatedly absorbed and dissipated the club¡¯s destructive power, but it couldn¡¯t do anything against the lightning that squeezed through the gaps in the barbs.It was ck lightning.It was the most basic passive skill possessed by the dark divinity.


    [The small remnants of divinity that destroyed the world are destroying you.]


    A divinity that destroyed the world¡ªit was ¡®Yatan¡¯s divinity¡¯ as defined by the system.It felt like it was telling him not to forget that Yatan had almost destroyed the world several times.


    ¡®It seems like there is always a story behind the scenes.¡¯


    Based on the truths revealed so far, it was difficult to conclude that Yatan was an evil god.It was also true that Yatan had already destroyed the world and Reba recreated it several times.Grid couldn¡¯t understand or trust the Gods of the Beginning.


    The Specter was the apostle of Yatan and also couldn¡¯t be trusted.Apart from her ideology, he doubted her existence itself.


    Win¡ªhe would be sure to defeat her.


    Dark red blood poured out of Grid¡¯s mouth, nose, and eyes as he became determined again.The Specter¡¯s divinity infiltrated him despite all means of defense and was destroying his body. It went beyond reducing health, and evaporated his blood and turned his bones into powder.


    There was a limit to the pain that yers felt, but the mental shock received was enormous.Grid¡¯s entire body trembled due to a pain that was greater than the actual pain he felt.Hisbat power was also weakened.


    [The power to usurp myths has obscured some of the myths you have built up.]


    [Your status will drop temporarily.]


    [Your status will...]


    ......


    ...


    Many of Grid¡¯s abilities were based on his high status.The drop in status nullified his various stats and passive skills. It even damaged his transcendent abilities.However, Grid¡¯s concentration was strong.TheSpecter¡¯sattack had reached the point where it was gradually unreadable, but Grid didn¡¯t shrink back.


    First of all, he believedin SwordSaint Muller.Muller was keeping a sufficient distance in order to avoid being consumed by theSpecter¡¯sdivinity, and he understood his role properly.


    He intercepted from a distance attacks that Grid couldn¡¯t respond to due to being weakened by the aftermath of the entanglement with the Specter. It was possible by handling the sword energy like it was magic.The Specter was aiming for Grid¡¯s vital points even in the midst of Muller¡¯s interference, only to stop.


    It was the aftermath of Muller¡¯s Heart Sword stabbing at her heart.It was a fleeting moment for Grid, who had lost his divinity.Grid couldn¡¯t grasp the gap that the Specter revealed for a moment.


    A myth usurper¡ªshe was the opposite of a ¡®god.¡¯A power she built up in order to get revenge on Baal ironically came to be aimed at another Absolute.Muller thought it was natural that the more she fought, the more Grid was at a disadvantage.He tried not to regret the opportunity that Grid had missed.At this moment¡ª


    The Specter shook off the Heart Sword and attacked Grid again.To her surprise, Grid responded.He urately blocked the Specter¡¯s blow while in a ragged state.There were 10 God Hands who just returned hovering around him.They were using the Artificial Senses that he didn¡¯t need to use since bing an Absolute.


    ¡°...It is a formidable power.¡±


    It just wasn¡¯t exposed before because it was so dull.The Specter felt admiration throughout her fight with Grid.She hadn¡¯t expected to see a god who stood firm even when fighting head-on with herself, who weakened his divinity.


    It was possible because his weakened muscles were reced by Duke of Amplification and Saleos¡¯ Power, his slow speed was reced with Freely Move and the Blue Dragon Boots, his lost defense was reced with the dragon armor and White Tiger¡¯s Gaiters, and his stoppedrecovery was reced by Doran¡¯s Ring.


    Grid actively used items and skills against the enemy who became much stronger than him the more they fought. During the cooldown time, heusedconsumables and didn¡¯t fret. He kept his focus and looked for an opportunity.


    Then now¡ª


    The opportunity came.


    [Blockade has been tempered 30 times and the effect will ur.]


    ¡°Up to Here.¡±


    In any case, it was a passive skill.There was no need to shout the skill name.However, Grid shouted it.It was also a deration that he would definitely stop the Specter¡¯s ns.


    [¡¯Up to Here¡¯ has blocked one skill of the target. Passive skills are given priority.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    The divinity of the Specter, which was digging intoGrid¡¯sdivinity and eating it, gradually lost momentum and was pushed away.It was the aftermath of the paralysis of the power to usurp myths.


    [You have recovered your status.]


    Grid regained his rights.After not giving up and making repeated efforts, the qualifications he rightly obtained were expressed in the six fusion sword dance, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, and the Falling Moon Sword.


    [Critical!]


    [You have inflicted serious damage to the target!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have inflicted serious damage to the target!]


    [Critical!]


    [You have inflicted serious damage to the target!]


    Through the cracks in the shattered mask, the Specter¡¯s wide eyes met Grid¡¯s eyes.In the face of an unexpected crisis, she could still see hope.

 Chapter 1756

    <h4>Chapter 1756</h4>


    Colors rarely seen on the surface pushed away the darkness of the No Offspring Tomb.It was the aftermath of theSpecter¡¯shair, which was brighter than gold and closer to infinite light, fluttering alongside the fragments of the broken mask.


    The first humans¡ªthe Specter was the ¡®standard.¡¯


    The Gods of the Beginning took her as the model when creating human women.This fact didn¡¯t impress the Specter in any way.The Specter was nothing more than a being created using Reba as a model.However, the Specter fought for humanity.She didn¡¯t feel sorry for the humans, but she tried to save them.


    It was for a simple reason.She was the apostle of the great gods.That was all.


    ¡°My ideology. The reason why you can¡¯t sympathize with me... I understand.¡±


    Her efforts to restore hell¡ªshe was weighed down by the huge responsibility she shouldered alone and endured it without getting frustrated.It wasn¡¯t because she loved humans.The Specter simply understood and carriedoutGod Yatan¡¯s will.It was different from Grid.


    Therefore, the Specter noticed at this moment what she hadn¡¯t understood.She peeked at the myths that Grid had built up and realized it.All of Grid¡¯s myths had a connection.Affection for someone was contained in it.


    ¡°What Icked... was everything to you.¡±


    What the Specter saw was the ¡®future.¡¯Even if it meant sacrificing the present, she wanted to restore hell to make the world a better ce.What Grid saw was the ¡®present.¡¯He couldn¡¯t tolerate sacrificing the present for the future.It wasn¡¯t the difference between the wise and the foolish.It was just the difference between loving this world or not.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe Specter¡¯s macroscopic n could be fulfilled because she was a solitary being.


    ¡°...There is no way I can persuade you.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t stupid.He was trying to change the present even though he knew it was difficult.It was to protect the things he loved, sincerely.


    ¡°Challenge the impossible. Is this... romance?¡±


    The Specter was worn out after thousands of years of existence.Her heart had be harder than the deposited strata of the No Offspring Tomb, and she was different from other humans.She was never moved, no matter how strong the stimulus.


    Just then, her heart trembled, even if it was veryslightly.


    Passion and romance¡ªwouldn¡¯t the current Grid be simr to when God Yatan dered that he would create a paradise for the dead?It was why such an absurd idea came to mind.


    ¡®His skills are outstanding. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to entrust the fate of the world to him?¡¯


    One of the weights that were tightly bound to the Specter¡¯s heart shook like it woulde off.It was a weight with the same weight as the surface¡¯s future.


    ¡®Even if I don¡¯t achieve my goal, won¡¯t he solve it for me?¡¯


    Additionally, the pendulum with the weight of the future of hell started to shake.However, it never fell off.The weight of the responsibility she bore as the apostle of Yatan didn¡¯t even waver.


    ¡®...What a vain hope.¡¯


    The restoration of hell¡ªthe result was to pull humanity out of the pit of despair.TheSpecter¡¯sonly driving force had been maintained for many years.It might shake, but it didn¡¯t copse.


    ¡°Only One God Grid.¡±


    The skeletal armor worn by the Specter was woven together from the bones of the human gods. It contained the myths of the human gods who were hunted by her and whose souls were trapped in the red flesh.In other words, it was a concept that didn¡¯t disappear as long as the myth wasn¡¯t extinguished.


    The armor and mask, which were cut by the six fusion sword dance, the Falling Moon Sword, and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, gradually recovered.The light hair and thin white garments that matched the Specter¡¯s noble appearance disappeared again. The darkness that had retreated once again came back.


    ¡°...It is a pity.¡±


    The reason why the Specter glimpsed hope from Grid for a moment and was shaken.It was because she noticed that Grid¡¯s fanciful wish was far more correct than her own twisted ideology.It was a pity that she couldn¡¯t pin her hopes on this absurd wish.The Specter couldn¡¯t throw away the duty she bore, and her club contained a greater weight than before.


    A buzzing soundwas mixed with the shing lightning around the club.The meteorites that previously fell from the Tomb of the Godswasturned to powder.The fragments of divinity that spread like frost started vibrating.Each one had a greater destructive power in terms of energy than Grid¡¯s divine swords.


    The essence of the Spectery in destruction.It was because she was the apostle of God Yatan, who repeatedly destroyed the world for some reason.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t bother with any further conversations.It was because he was constantly being affected by the Specter¡¯s sad eyes.He gradually started to understand her position.


    At this rate, it felt like he would really start listening.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    He would be killed.She was an opponent with no answer if she wasn¡¯t killed.


    Grid cleared his mind as much as possible and did his best with the intent to kill.His status was intact and he was almost equal with the Specter.He responded to all of theSpecter¡¯sattacks with the Realm of the Absolute.


    [You have suffered 91,100 damage.]


    [The small remnants of divinity that destroyed the world are destroying you.]


    [The hit to the head has activated the ¡®Stealth¡¯ effect of Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head.]


    Every time they exchanged blows, Grid suffered a lot of damage.It was because the ck lightning and divinity fragments spread by the Specter¡¯s clubs were basically judged as wide-area attacks.Great damage urred even when Blockade stopped the club.


    However, there was no reason to shrink back.The Specter was also covered in blood.Even an Absolute couldn¡¯t easily handle the six fusion sword dance, which he wielded sessively due to God''s Command.


    Grid¡¯s divinity contained in Twilight steadily pierced the Specter¡¯s ck divinity and finally separated her armor from her body.There was just one problem.


    ¡®She is so resilient.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t estimate when he would be able to knock her down.It was aw that an Absolute was onlyplete in their own realm.TheSpecter¡¯sresilience easily exceeded that of Zeratul¡¯s party when they descended to the surface.


    ¡®Her learning ability is also considerable.¡¯


    The number of times the Specter¡¯s club and Blockade collided had noticeably decreased.The Specter noticed that the reason for her authority being sealed was due to Blockade.


    ¡®Still, it is fine.¡¯


    [The attack effect has activated the ¡®Dragon¡¯s Blessing¡¯ effect of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head.]


    [The effect of being hit has activated the ¡®Dragon¡¯s Blessing¡¯ effect of the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head.]


    [Obtained a ¡®Symbol of Strength.¡¯ This attack has a ¡®crushing¡¯ effect.]


    [Obtained a ¡®Symbol of Authority.¡¯ Take away the enemy¡¯s chance to attack once.]


    [Obtained a ¡®Symbol of Life.¡¯ It will absorb the next damage taken.]


    [Obtained a ¡®Symbol of Eternity.¡¯ The duration of the beneficial effects has increased.]


    A helmet that reproduced Cranbel¡¯s head¡ªthe pair ofrge horns on the helmet shed red, green, blue, and gold, significantly increasing Grid¡¯sbat endurance.Each symbol had tremendous value.In particr, the Symbol of Authority was the most effective in the current situation.


    The movement of the Specter paused, as if she had been hit by Muller¡¯s Heart Sword.Of course, the power was weaker than Muller¡¯s Heart Sword. The duration went down to 0.001 seconds because of the target.However, there was Muller here.This had significant value when linked to Muller¡¯s Heart Sword.


    ¡°......¡±


    The problem was Muller¡¯s stamina.The Heart Sword was willpower.Naturally, it consumed a great deal of mental strength.Muller tried not to show it, but his heavy breathing showed that he had reached this point. The number of times he helped by firing the sword energy was noticeably decreasing.


    ¡®Should Icall justBraham? No, I can¡¯t.¡¯


    Grid had no intention of calling the apostles.It was because their lives were finite.Of course, Braham was an exception, but he was very ufortable about calling Braham.What if Braham¡¯s myth was stolen by the Specter?An uncontroble situation would really happen.


    ¡®Nefelina needs to grow up.¡¯


    Time always made Grid nervous.He had an infinitely short lifepared to other Absolutes.He was oveing it with the strength of his rtionships, but it was still regrettable.If he had lived a long time like them, he could¡¯ve overwhelmed them all.


    The Specter¡¯s actions stopped.She was stiff for a long time, which couldn¡¯t bepared to before. It was in seconds.


    As if in response to Grid¡¯s wishes, Ultimate Martial Art urred.This was his sixth chance.The probability of triggering Ultimate Martial Art wasn¡¯t bad.It kept giving Grid hope.


    ¡®I can do it. I can do it.¡¯


    Grid once again used the ultimate technique on the stunned Specter.TheSpecter¡¯shealth was greatly reduced.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Yet why?Jishuka and Ruby, who had been helping Grid recover by using the Red Phoenix Bow and Heal while blocking the enemy¡¯s advance, let out screams.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid realized it one stepte¡ªthe fact that his upper body and lower body were separated.On the contrary, witnessing his legs staggering with his upside down vision was a truly terrible experience.


    ¡°You were hiding a trump card.¡±


    Muller¡¯s gulping sound could be heard from close by.He was holding Grid in his arms before he knew it, but his big calf-like eyes had somehow lost their light.Grid felt a certain sticky touch and raised a hand to wipe his cheek.Arge amount of blood had spilled.It was blood that dripped from Muller¡¯s gaping chest.


    It was a little while ago...


    The moment that the Specter was cut by Grid¡¯s sword, the dark divinity that shed Grid ended up shing Muller¡¯s chest as well.In fact, it was correct to say that Muller jumped in.It was sothat Griddidn¡¯t shatter into pieces.


    ¡°As you can see, I won¡¯t be able to hold out for a long time.¡±


    Immortality¡ªthe legend who got a five second grace period spoke with his back to Grid.


    ¡°I will be responsible for the rest, so leave with your friends.¡±


    Muller didn¡¯t use the term ¡®subordinate.¡¯He recognized right away that Grid respected his juniors and the members of the Overgeared team as equal to himself.Muller was quietly holding an old iron sword, not the dragon weapon, in his hand as he quietly took a stance.It was because he sensed the end.He couldn¡¯t bring borrowed items to the underworld so he put them down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to kill you... no. Leave. This is the end of our rtionship,¡± the Specter said.


    There was the feeling of persuasion.She was prepared to let Grid and Muller go.


    Muller refused.¡°An opportunity that will nevere again... how can I miss it?¡±


    The strongest Sword Saint couldn¡¯t maintain his breathing and barely managed to speak.The Specter¡¯s figure was projected onto his gradually blurring eyes.The Specter that had turned into rags¡ªit wasn¡¯tparable to Grid or Muller, but her condition wasn¡¯t perfect either.Some of the destroyed armor hadn¡¯t been repaired.The damage inflictedby Gridwas that great.


    The divinity that had been divided into fragments was changed into a giant scythe that cutthrough Grid. It was a trump card that became a great burden.


    ¡°A god spoke. If this is your will, I will do it.¡±


    [There was a treasured sword that has beentemperedwith the spirit of a hero.]


    [He, who was known as Sword Saint ¡®Muller,¡¯ was prepared to meet his end as the sword that exercised the god¡¯s will.]


    The Absolute treasured sword obtained by Grid¡ªit was the moment when the epic spread the name of the treasured sword to the world.


    [Sword Saint ¡®Muller,¡¯ who is highly respected by humanity, has greatly increased the value of the 24th epic.]


    [Your existence has be more distinct.]


    In the Sanctuary of Metal, the transparent Valha that was oveid on Grid¡¯s armor¡ªKhan¡¯s final work and Grid¡¯s mental image¡ªtook on a lifelike form.


    ¡°Sacrifice.¡±


    Heavy footsteps rang out.It was the noise generated by Grid¡¯s lower half, which had its form restored through Greed.Immediately restoring a broken body by recing it with Greed¡ªit was the powerof Grid.


    ¡°Thereis my share.¡±


    Grid was worried about the safety of his apostles, who should¡¯ve been wielded as his force, and this caused him to repeatedly fight alone.There was no way for him to sacrifice the rtionships he had acquired so far.


    [In the aftermath of your increased presence, the presence of your mental image, ¡®Valha of Infinite Affection,¡¯ has be stronger.]


    [The greatest cksmith after you can feel you through his work.]


    -Gr... id?


    From far away¡ª


    Grid heard a nostalgic voice that he had never forgotten for a moment.A smile spread on the face of the red-eyed Grid.


    Ttang...


    A faint hammering sound echoed in the wide space.


    [An unknown angel in Asgard blesses you.]


    [The durability of all the items you are wearing will be restored.]


    [The enhancement value of all items you are wearing will temporarily increase by +1.]


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    Grid moved.He pressed down on the weary Specter with a surprisingly powerful momentum.Rather than confronting the Specter¡¯s club with Blockade, he focused on shing the Specter by striking it with Twilight.The repercussions of the battle were so great that the destruction was faster than the restoration.


    Then it ended.


    ¡°...You. Please bear it by all means.¡±


    The Specter knelt down.Surprisingly, the expression that seemed to have no regrets made Grid¡¯s heart heavy.


    [You have defeated the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb, who usurped countless myths and tried to establish a second hell due to twisted ideology.]


    The hard fight was over.Thetent danger to humanity was gone...


    [The Duke of Virtue will show mercy to the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb.]

 Chapter 1757

    <h4>Chapter 1757</h4>


    Grid¡¯s fusion sword dance was a chained form.It was a fusion sword dance bybining two or more sword dances and it was difficult to expect aplete skill effect unless all parts of the sword dance hit the target.


    The beginning and the middle¡ªthis was the basis for the Specter easily withstanding the bombardment of the six fusion sword dance.She blocked most of Grid¡¯s sword dances midway through.


    Even at the moment when the Pinnacle sword dance trajectory was allowed, the next sword trajectory would be read and evaded or defended against in advance. The opportunity for Ultimate Martial Art to manifest was suppressed.It was possible because of the power of an Absolute to stretch the concept of time and ignore thews of physics.It was done with ease due to her power weakening Grid in real time.


    Yet at this moment, their positions were reversed.Grid regained his status due to Blockade¡¯s effect, while the Specter weakened rapidly.It was the aftermath of feeling threatened by Grid and the trump card she used bing useless due to Muller.


    ¡°...You. Please bear it by all means.¡±


    Eventually, the voice squeezed out by the kneeling Specter contained herst will.Her thousands of years of hard work seemed to have be futile.


    Surprisingly, the Specter was calm.It was because she acknowledged the man in front of her, who had ruined her n.There was a vague belief that it would be good to leave behind the rest of the work.She also felt relieved that she could finally rest.


    It was a fact that the Specter herself had been trying hard to ignore.She had been exhausted for a long time.It was natural.Did she endure the years of eternal life with such a huge fate alone?


    ¡®Just... I just feel it is regrettable.¡¯


    The Specter recalled the existence buried in the deeper part of the No Offspring Tomb.


    God¡ªa part of the only god she served was locked here.He never woke up, as if ignoring reality.


    ¡®The price of the sin of not reiming the world you loved... I will soon die and receive a punishment I will have to endure forever.¡¯


    Cracks started to form in the Specter¡¯s hard soul.It was to prepare for her imminent death.The Specter nned to tear her soul to shreds and weave it into chains.They were chains that would be the force to bind the being who would take her soul.It was a technique learned from Beriache.


    Hundreds of years ago, the Specter went to Beriache.It was with the intention of taking her body and soul as she was about to die due to giving birth to Marie Rose.She believed that Beriache would naturally cooperate.Beriachegave birth to Marie Rose out of the intention of getting revenge on Baal, and the Specter was one of the few beings who understood it.


    Unexpectedly, she was rejected.Beriachedidn¡¯t give up her soul, which was more important than her body.She said it would be a tool to restrain Baal, even if it was imperfect.As a result, it became a tool to bind Amoract... in any case, this was what the Specter learned.Maybe if she failed one day, she could also help bind Baal.


    ¡®Baal. It is my death that you have been wishing for, and it will be a terrible curse to you.¡¯


    The Specter¡¯s soul was on the verge of being torn apart.Just then, the six fusion sword dance that was mutting the Specter stopped like a lie.It was just before the final step of decapitating the Specter.Due to this, doubts formed in the eyes of the Specter who had escaped death.


    ¡°Why...didyou stop?¡±


    Grid affirmed that theSpecter¡¯sideology was wrong.He dered that he would stop her n, even if it meant killing her.The reason for the pause was unknown.


    ¡°......¡±


    Of course, Grid couldn¡¯t exin it either.It was the system forced by the Duke of Virtue.


    ¡®No, is it really forced?¡¯


    Maybe the Duke of Virtue just responded to his hesitation.Grid thought from a new perspective and slowly opened his mouth.He spoke honestly so that the situation created by the Duke of Virtue wouldn¡¯t be in vain.¡°I feel sorry for you.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is hard being alone. You have reached this point because there is nothing you can do.¡±


    ¡°I know that the weight of the responsibility borne by you alone is great. You would¡¯ve gone this way after repeated agony. There was no malice.¡±


    Grid¡¯s words and the meaning¡ªthey werepleted only after going through Huroi¡¯s mouth.Huroi¡¯sbloodshot eyes were staring at Grid¡¯s back as he was active among the elite of the Overgeared Guild.His figure was ragged as usual.This time, even half his body flew away.The legs made of Greed unnaturally supported his upper body.


    Huroi thought that Grid¡¯s constant self-sacrifice, due to the great responsibility he shouldered, was somewhat simr to the Specter.He understood why Grid was showing mercy to the Specter.Thus, he was able to grasp the true meaning of Grid¡¯s words and fully convey them.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you cooperate with me? The condition is that you follow my way.¡±


    ¡°I will share your burdens and guide you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something that happened just once or twice.From a long time ago, Huroi had always represented Grid¡¯s will at official events.His will was heavily packaged and spread.Even if Grid barked loudly, Huroi would paraphrase it to the level where it could be tranted into human words. It was even unconditionally in favor of Grid.


    There was a strangely passionate side to it.However, Grid felt the need to adapt.


    ¡®It is enough to affect the epic. It is right to leave it entirely to Huroi.¡¯


    Huroi¡¯s value was infinitely special.It was a value that was hard to identify physically, just like Lauel and Skunk.Ever since the past, Grid had actively utilized this type of talent.He identified and acknowledged his own shorings, and borrowed the strength of others.


    ¡°There is no need for your pride to be hurt. Just because you have abandoned your ways doesn''t mean you are denying yourself. You have lived for a long time, so you must know? Everyone makes mistakes. Everyonecks something. In order to ovee mistakes and fill in our shorings, we need to cooperate with others or seek help. That is life.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This time, Huroi didn¡¯t open his mouth.It was because he sawJishukawith a happy smile on her face as she proudly looked at Grid.Grid, who was even more embarrassed, hesitated and scratched his head.


    The Specter looked up at him and opened her mouth, ¡°I... I never made a mistake.¡±


    ¡®Look at this stubbornness?¡¯


    Grid frowned and his face hardened.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a mistake. I just sinned...¡±


    Those who shouldn¡¯t die¡ªit wasn¡¯t just Iwata. The Specter had arbitrarily judged countless humans and turned them into the undead.


    She didn¡¯t trust the limitations and weaknesses of the human gods and hunted them.This was even though she knew their goodness.She was worried that they would surely die one day and be Baal¡¯s nourishment, so she usurped their authority.She wanted to create a second hell to restore hell, but at some point, she became simr to Baal.


    ¡°For this, I... with you and with others... a new... start?Huhu...No one... starting from myself. It is uneptable...¡±


    The Specterughed dejectedly.She twisted her face, which had been expressionless the whole time.It wasn¡¯t a smile.She was silently screaming and sobbing.


    The reason why she was able to run nonstop this entire time¡ªit was because she believed her ideology was right.Then today, she was terribly denied and admitted that she was wrong.All the weights that had been binding her strong heart fell off and terrible self-loathing filled its ce.Now the Specter...


    She couldn¡¯t move on.


    ¡°Kill me.¡±It was the moment when the Specter spoke decisively...


    ¡°I will bear the sins you havemitted.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The lower body made of Greed bent while making a strange noise.Grid became eye level with the Specter and stared straight into her eyes.


    ¡°I was just convinced. You have to live. If you are with me, it will definitely benefit the world.¡±


    The epic was still working.It continued even after the phrase about how the Specter couldn¡¯t handle the divine punishment and copsed.It caught the world¡¯s attention by capturing some of the conversation between Grid and the Specter.


    ¡°I also hurt a lot of people. There were many causes where I harmed them out of sheer malice, not conviction like you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done despicable things.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°That is how I came all the way here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Is there aw that says you can¡¯t do the same? I think you will be much better than me.¡±


    The reason why Grid had taken on responsibility from a certain point was simple¡ªit was because he became stronger.


    It was from the time he became aware that he shouldn¡¯t wield his power recklessly.He went through several situations where he had to step up.Then he reached the present.Thus, he believed that even the Specter could change.It was because unlike himself, she was driven by conviction rather than malice.He was sure that she would be a much better person than him.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Grid held out his hand.It was a hand containing so many calluses that it could bepared to the hand of the greatest swordsman in human history.Each of these appearances gave the Specter confidence.


    Finally, the skeletal mask waspletely torn apart and revealed the face of the Specter.It was a face resembling Reba, the Goddess of Light.The beautiful, sacred face was twisted again.It was due to a lot of intense emotions.


    ¡°I can¡¯t... do this...¡±


    I have only one god.


    Then why?Why did she grab this man¡¯s hand?


    [I forgive you for your sins.]


    [The sinner wept at the god¡¯s words and bowed her head deeply.]


    ......


    ...


    [You have won the heart of the Specter as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [The Specter of the No Offspring Tomb is the apostle of the God of the Beginning, Yatan. She will be the key to guiding you to the essence of the world.]


    [As a reward for winning the heart of the Specter, the possibility of the No Offspring Tomb being incorporated into the Overgeared World has opened up.]


    [You have won Muller¡¯s heart as a reward forpleting the epic.]


    [Sword Saint Muller is a hero among heroes and revered as one of the greatest legends of all time. He will be your best helper.]


    [The status of the ¡®Tomb of the Gods¡¯ has risen signi?cantly due to participating in the great epic. It will be part of the Overgeared World as a reward for the increase in status.]


    [Due to the Tomb of the Gods joining the Overgeared World, the status of the Overgeared World has increased. The power of the gods of the Overgeared World has been greatly enhanced.]


    Naturally, there was no increase of his own status.Grid had be an Absolute after umting transcendence and he was alreadyplete.This didn¡¯t mean that Grid¡¯s growth was over.Muller¡¯s involvement in the epic made Grid¡¯s presence even more distinct. Thanks to him, Grid connected with Khan for a moment.


    The strengthening of the Yellow Dragon myth, being blessed by Khan, etcetera¡ªthe increase in presence was of much greater value than the rise in status.There was a lot of room to be stronger in the future.


    As a reward forpleting the epic, he had also fulfilled his dream of having a ¡®moving Overgeared World.¡¯He didn¡¯t gain any experience points since he didn¡¯t kill the Specter, but he had already gained seven levels in the process of fighting the Specter. This meant there was no reason for him to feel regret.Above all¡ª


    He got newpanions in Muller and the Specter.


    ¡®The epic... it is a bit fraudulent.¡¯


    He was thankful that it reversed all sorts of situations and gave him so many benefits every time it urred.The conscienceless Grid was feeling pleased while Ruby was focused on healing her brother.


    The Overgeared members and the undead army were taking control of the situation.They stopped fighting and sharedmon words...


    ¡°Oppa.¡±Ruby, who left for a while afterpleting Grid¡¯s treatment, returned to his side after a short period of time.She had a very subtle expression on her face.She seemed to have exchanged handshakes with the undead, just like the other Overgeared members.It must¡¯ve been strange from a Saintess¡¯ point of view.¡°The Specter says there is something she wants to show you. But she wants only me and Oppa to follow?¡±


    ¡°It makes senseaboutme, butwhy you? Sehee, did you perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Did you campaign for it as my little sister?¡±


    ¡°What? T-That is impossible?¡±


    ¡°Aish, you can be honest with me. This cute girl.¡±


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it.¡±Ruby was genuinely flustered.She had always worked hard for her brother.She had never borrowed her brother¡¯s name for her own advantage¡ªGrid naturally knew this and was just teasing her.


    ¡®Is the Saintess rted to Yatan?¡¯


    The Saintess was a unique existence.She gave heals and blessings without borrowing the power of the gods.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The fact that Grid obtained the Specter meant he had gained information he didn¡¯t know before.It would be worth more than anything he could¡¯ve imagined.

 Chapter 1758

    <h4>Chapter 1758</h4>


    ¡®Ahh, in the end, it turned out like this...¡¯


    ¡®...huh?Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    ¡®No... as expected, this won¡¯t work either.¡¯


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this unbelievable?¡¯


    During the short time in solitary confinement, Yeo Yn aged quickly. Even though she already ascended and became a daoist immortal, light wrinkles appeared on her face.


    It was from the point when she discovered that Grid had stepped deep underground.


    She was anxious when an overwhelming demon suddenly appeared and attacked Grid. She read the signs that Grid was gradually gaining victory and felt like her life was shortened by ten years. Then she noticed the appearance of the Specter and was on the verge of fainting.


    The aftermath of experiencing very severe emotional ups and downs were great.


    ¡°......¡±


    Yeo Yn caught her breath and her mind gradually stabilized. Her ability to sense energy was among the highest among the transcendents. It was impossible that she couldn¡¯t read the spirits of the Absolutes who fought without hiding their presence. She felt the words of the Absolute and even the intentions in his sword.


    ¡°Grid broke the Specter.¡±


    The exhausted Yeo Yn was speechless after being overwhelmed by repeated frustration, joy, and despair. Her bountiful hair, which had been finelybed and stuck with a hairpin, was on the verge of bing scattered. Her dopo, which was free of wrinkles, was sweaty and disheveled, leaving no ce to look at her in a pleasant manner. It wasn¡¯t a suitable appearance for a daoist immortal, who should have exemry grooming and demeanor.


    However, Yeo Yn didn¡¯t care. She was just happy.


    Finally, she smiled brightly like a human being and closed her eyes. She listened to the words spoken by Grid that were being written in the scripture that would be handed down forever, as if savoring their meaning.


    [I know that the weight of the responsibility borne by you alone is great.]


    [I feel sorry for you who deviated from the norm with no malice after repeated anguish.]


    I understand you.I expect you to be righteous.Therefore, I forgive you for your sins.


    The will of the Only One God¡ªit seeped into the whole world like rainwater and embraced the Specter with such a meaning. There was a warmth that even touched Yeo Yn¡¯s heart.


    What would the Specter feel? Sure enough, the Specter bowed her head.


    It was the best oue for Yeo Yn. She was someone who defined the heavenly gods as her greatest enemies, so from her perspective, Grid and the Specter were indispensable beings to the world. She felt joy because they joined forces without hurting each other.


    ¡®I must go and see the two of them soon.¡¯


    Yeo Yn was ustomed to the rule of the gods. The Peach Blossom Spring, the home of the daoist immortals, had long been ruled by heaven. It wasmon for the gods of Asgard and the gods of the Hwan Kingdom to use the daoist immortals ording to their tastes.


    Thus, Yeo Yn knew the essence of the gods. Gods weren¡¯t very different from humans. Their personality and attitude changed ording to the situation or need, rather than always being the same.


    Grid wasn¡¯t an exception. It was true that Grid was good, but Yeo Yn understood that he couldn¡¯t be free from all desires. Therefore, she was in a hurry.


    The thing buried underground¡ªdepending on its value, Grid would inevitably suffer from greed. Yeo Yn nned to go to his side in advance to give advice and center him.


    ¡®I know it is presumptuous, but someone has to do it.¡¯


    Yeo Yn had seen too many gods. She had witnessed in real time several gods degrading to human beings for all types of reasons. One of them was Only One God Chiyou. It was a sight that she never wanted to see again.


    Creak.


    Once she opened the door and came out, she found two liches waiting for her. The rest of them must¡¯ve left to help the Specter.


    ¡°Open the way obediently. I can handle the two of you, even if it is with my bare hands.¡±


    All of Yeo Yn¡¯s swords, daoist treasures, and amulets were confiscated when she was put into solitary confinement by the will of the Specter. However, she didn¡¯t lose her spirit and she directly faced the transcendents of the old era.


    ¡°¡±Wait a minute.¡±¡±


    Grrrrrung.


    The lich¡¯s words, which sounded like the breaths of a wild animal, stopped Yeo Yn.


    ¡®Is it trying to buy time until reinforcements arrive?¡¯


    There was no choice but to fight.


    Yeo Yn made this judgment and chanted something. She used her mental image as paper and carved words with the intent of making an invisible amulet. Yeo Yn¡¯s fingers stretched into the air and a transparent wave was generated from it. The intangible amulet waspleted as the Formless Sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry so I won¡¯t show mercy,¡± Yeo Yn dered and quickly dug into the gap between the liches.


    It was a surprise attack for the liches, who weremunicating with someone through the crystal ball. They were startled and the mana shields they btedly set up couldn¡¯t block Yeo Yn¡¯s sword.


    ¡°¡±Groan...What is this? I was asking Grid if I could release you, but you attacked me...? I heard that the minimum condition for ascending is nirvana, but that seems to be a myth judging from your attitude of rampaging?¡±¡±


    ¡°...You were asking for permission from Grid, not the Specter?¡±


    ¡°¡±Serving Grid from now on is thest order left by the Specter. Damn, the six ribs that have just been cut won¡¯t stick together. Did you put a non-recovery technique on the Formless Sword? The viciousness of your actions is more like a rascal than a daoist immortal.¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was it because the owner they served had changed? A bit of personality started to appear in the tone of the liches.


    The even more embarrassed Yeo Yn put away the Formless Sword and asked, ¡°I apologize. More than that, what did Grid say? Of course, he is going to release me, right?¡±


    ¡°¡±He said to lock you up.¡±¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Yeo Yn looked like she couldn¡¯t understand it at all. She forgot for a while because she was excited after witnessing the upheaval in the world of the No Offspring Tomb. It was that she stood in Grid¡¯s way and wielded her sword. From Grid¡¯s point of view, there was no reason to show favor to Yeo Yn yet. Yeo Yn was the only one who felt a sense of familiarity with Grid.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be! Something is wrong!¡±


    ¡°¡±Are you going to defy the will of the supreme being?¡±¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. I just want you to double check.¡±


    ¡°¡±You want to let me hassle Grid...?¡±¡±


    ¡°No, I have to meet him.¡±


    Yeo Yn tried to persuade them, only to shut her mouth. She realized it. It was a loss to say anything in this situation. She was battered and exhausted.


    ¡®It is a big problem.¡¯


    I have to stay by his side to center him...


    Yeo Yn¡¯s anxiety grew bigger. She couldn¡¯t help feeling even more worried when thinking of the state of the crazy coffin who apanied Grid.


    However, she couldn¡¯t resist. If she defied Grid¡¯s will from the beginning, then she could never enter his sight. She returned to the room with a dark expression while not knowing anything about Grid. For example, the fact that Grid would never shake and that there were already many people who could center him.


    ***


    The underground of the No Offspring Tomb was deeper than he thought. From the location of the red flesh, it was possible to go down another 10 floors. It went without saying that the scale was enormous.


    ¡®Each floor is the size of a city.¡¯


    It was a sight that showed the sincerity behind the Specter¡¯s n to turn this ce into hell.


    ¡®It is a futile n.¡¯


    No matter howrge the No Offspring Tomb was, it was only a small part of the surface. This scale alone couldn¡¯t fully contain the hell that was as big as the surface. If the Specter recreated hell here, the hell she created would¡¯ve stretched beyond the No Offspring Tomb and across the surface.


    ¡®I have goosebumps.¡¯


    Not so long ago, Grid never thought that the No Offspring Tomb would be such an important ce. He couldn¡¯t even guess what was buried. It was natural that information wascking.


    ¡®If I hadn¡¯t thought about raising the status of the Overgeared Battleship quickly and dyeding here¡­ it would¡¯ve been really out of control.


    Wouldn¡¯t he have regretted hitting it only after something happened to the surface? It was awful to think that he might¡¯ve needed to fight against two hells. If the two Baals worked together to do something crazy, it was likely that all of the surface, except for the Overgeared World, would¡¯ve been destroyed. Of course, there might¡¯ve been a quest to coborate with the Specter, but...


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have trusted the Specter...¡¯


    -What¡¯s wrong?


    -Huh?What?


    Grid had been walking while staring at the back of the Specter¡¯s small, round head. Then he came to his senses when he received Ruby¡¯s whisper. Ruby said with a somewhat pale face...


    -It looks like you are going to kill the Specter...


    ¡°......¡±


    He must¡¯ve stared like he was going to catch and eat her without realizing it. It happened as Grid felt the need to be careful and was about to control his expression...


    ¡°God Yatan. He was kind... just like you.¡±


    A video unfolded in front of Grid and Ruby¡¯s eyes. It was at some point in the past. The Specter had a bright expression, unlike now, and she was staring at someone¡¯s huge back.


    He was a man with long hair flowing down his back. No, it wasn¡¯t hair. The ck divinity ovepped and made him look like he had long hair. It was like Grid. He even had a tremendous presence.


    ¡°He always...mented... this world. It is wrong."


    The Specter¡¯s voice, which was like scratching iron, was being cut off more frequently. It was the price for excessively using Yatan¡¯s divinity, which she couldn¡¯t fully handle, while fighting Grid. Ruby offered to heal the Specter, but she refused. It was the price she had to pay.


    ¡®Will Mercedes also put a strain on her body if she uses God¡¯s Descent often? Thinking of Mercedes makes me miss Irene and Yura. I am worried that Basara will overdo it again while taking care of state affairs.¡¯


    Grid always missed his precious people. The fortunate thing was that Jishuka participated in this expedition. Jishuka was the only one of Grid¡¯s lovers who had a meek side, so he was most worried about her when he couldn¡¯t see her.


    ¡®On the outside, she looks to be the one who is leastcking something.¡¯


    Looking back, there were manycking parts.


    It happened when Jishuka came to South Korea and met Grid for the first time. Didn¡¯t she get drunk and fall asleep on the street without knowing how scary the world was? Yura was the same, but...


    ¡®Is it possible that they have liked me since then? Did they actually exceed their drinking capacity whilepeting with me?¡¯


    He felt it was possible for Jishuka. Yet Yura... there was a high possibility that she deliberately pretended to be drunk and was dragged along with Jishuka.


    ¡®Both of them have been cute since back then.¡¯


    Grid was happy after realizing the truth toote. To Ruby, her brother looked like a madman. It didn¡¯t seem normal to smile alone while the Specter was showing them a scene from the past. Nevertheless, the Specter didn¡¯t really care. Her barren emotions had somewhat recovered thanks to Grid, but she was still far from normal. She didn¡¯t feel it was strange even when Grid showed emotional ups and downs that didn¡¯t fit the situation.


    In the first ce, she knew that Grid was paying attention to her. Grid¡¯s concentration was beyond the ordinary category. He was able to think about something else while focusing on the situation.


    ¡°There were threats to human beings in the world¡­ he pointed out that there were too many.¡±


    Then Grid and Ruby¡¯s consciousness were sucked into the moment in the past that was being shown in front of them.


    It must¡¯ve been in the past.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Then why¡ª


    ¡°You are interesting beings.¡± Evil God Yatan looked at them and smiled.


    The faces of Grid and his sister stiffened.

 Chapter 1759

    Chapter 1759


    There was nothing difficult about conceiving the image of a god. Goddess Reba resembled a human being. Therefore, when humanity first witnessed the heavenly gods, they didn¡¯t panic and epted their appearance.


    The only exception was Yatan.


    The Evil God who created hell¡ªhumans imagined that Yatan¡¯s appearance would be close to that of a monster. In fact, the image of Yatan in the murals recording the myths was depicted as bizarre and ominous, just like demons. However, the appearance of Yatan that the siblings saw in person was far from a monster.


    Like other gods, he was infinitely close to a human being. He was even a man with a heroic appearance. He was a handsome man with a cool smile that matched him very well.


    ¡®This is... Yatan?¡¯


    Grid who had fallen to a certain point in the past. He was inwardly surprised as he stood facing Yatan. He had also suffered from prejudice. He didn¡¯t think Yatan was a monster, but he thought Yatan would look simr to the demon lords in the Demon King¡¯s Subjugation event. This was even though he knew that Yatan might actually be good. Just as human beings were created based on Reba, he thought the demons were created based on Yatan.


    ¡®His appearance is fine, so why did he make the demons look that way?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t the reason why the demons became crooked due to their inferiorityplex about their appearance?


    Grid¡¯s spection was serious. It was because he also experienced a time when his self-esteem was low due to his appearance.


    ¡°......¡±


    They were on top of a green hill. It overlooked a small vige surrounded by crude wooden walls. The houses huddled together were in and shabby. Perhaps it was the houses made of a mixture of cow dung and straw that evoked the faint scent of the countryside.


    ¡®How long in the past is this?¡¯


    Grid wasposed even in the midst of a very sudden situation. He thoroughly inspected everything around him while being wary of Yatan. It was to be prepared for possible dangers.


    Yatan stared at him with dark eyes colored with interest. The first one to speak was the young Specter.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    It was a clear voice. It was different from the Specter that the siblings knew. The young Specter, who stood alongside Yatan, wasn¡¯t sickly at all. It was nice to see the small face without the slightest shadow on it.


    ¡®It is obviously the past before hell was distorted. In the first ce, here... is it hell?¡¯


    The neutral areas of hell¡ªthe areas inhabited by the demonkin, not demons, had andscape that wasn¡¯t much different from the surface. A considerable number of demonkin tribes built towns between clear skies and green meadows, living by their ownws and morals. Maybe the hell of the past was exactly the same as the surface.


    ¡°The two of you are unusual... are you dragons using Polymorph?¡±


    The young Specter gradually started to be wary of Grid and Ruby. It was because Grid¡¯s armor and Ruby¡¯s clothing couldn¡¯t be made with the technology of this era.


    Grid¡¯s armor was made from dragon scales. He didn¡¯t look like a male human.


    ¡°There is no need to be vignt. One is like me,¡± Yatan calmed the Specter, who was gradually panicking.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°A god.¡±


    Yatan smiled as he looked between the Specter and Grid.


    ¡°Did a rtionship connected to the future lead you here...? Eve must¡¯ve liked you very much.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    The young Specter, Eve, had wide eyes. She looked at Grid in a bewildered manner.


    I have good favorability toward him in the future and led him here?


    The overall atmosphere is quite nice, but it is a bit far from my taste...


    Finally, Eve¡¯s cheeks puffed out. If it wasn¡¯t for the words of the gods she served, she would¡¯ve screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    Grid felt bitter. After seeing the Specter of the past, the Specter of the present was even more pitiful. Such an ordinary girl spent thousands of years alone and lost her emotions, turning into a monster who only wanted revenge...


    It was really pitiful.


    ¡°Yes, why did Eve send you here? No matter what story you tell to me in the past, the future won¡¯t change... I think she wants me to deliver something to you, rather than you to me.¡±


    ¡°She was just trying to convey to me who you are. I think some type of miracle was achieved due to her earnest heart...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t change the future by changing the past. It was a deration that took away the hope that just sprouted, but Grid wasn¡¯t shaken. It was because he thought it was natural.


    ¡°Is that so...? It is a world that needs an ¡®exnation¡¯ about me...¡± Yatan cocked his head and pondered on it.


    Grid looked at Yatan and spoke with the feeling of grasping at straws, ¡°In the future, hell will be distorted.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Baal... your son betrayed you by taking advantage of a gap in your cycle.¡±


    ¡°Yes... as expected, it is right.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect this?¡±


    ¡°That child... he didn¡¯t want his home to be a paradise for the dead. It is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°You neglected it despite knowing this?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t neglect. It is trust.¡±


    ¡°Baal didn¡¯t repay your trust. So right now, to Baal...¡±


    ¡°We created the world.¡±


    Kill Baal right now.


    Yatan interrupted the words that Grid was about to say. ¡°It wasn¡¯t to oppress anyone. We let the world flow, just as water flows naturally.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too irresponsible? Due to the distorted hell, the dead are suffering for eternity without being reincarnated. What are they guilty of?¡± Ruby couldn¡¯t just listen and interjected.


    ¡°Do you think the concept of reincarnation is correct?¡± Yatan calmly questioned her, who was somewhat agitated.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it is right for a creature who has already gone through one life to be reborn and go through another painful life?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyw that says they will only go through a painful life? Wasn¡¯t the concept of reincarnation created by your Gods of the Beginning in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a concept we made. We only epted it. Most of the souls in this world have been reincarnated from the beginning. Well... of course, I agree with your im that there is now that says they will have to go through a painful life.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    ¡°I see the cycle of life and reincarnation as necessary. However, I often wonder if I am wrong. It is really painful when I see people suffering all the time during their tens, hundreds, or thousands of reincarnations...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I understand a bit of Baal¡¯s feelings about imprisoning the souls of the dead in hell.¡±


    ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something,¡± Grid interjected, ¡°Baal took over the river of reincarnation simply to y with souls.¡±


    ¡°Huh, he will be punished.¡±


    ¡°You should kill him.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was cold. It didn¡¯t matter if this past wasn¡¯t connected to the present. He just wanted to see that bastard Baal die.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    Yatan shook his head. The dark divinity that flowed like long hair fluttered and left an afterglow.


    ¡°It is as I said earlier. I have no intention of oppressing the world. I don¡¯t kill of my own will.¡±


    ¡°The one who has repeatedly destroyed the world can speak well.¡±


    Grid frowned and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to leisurely have a conversation. What is the cycle of the Gods of the Beginning? Why do you keep creating and destroying the world?¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    The young Specter showed hostility. She took a step closer to Grid and held a club made of ¡®energy,¡¯ not Yatan¡¯s divinity. Grid red at her coldly. ¡°This isn¡¯t the ce for you to step in.¡±


    ¡°.......!!¡±


    Eve¡¯s legs weakened and she fell to the ground. Grid¡¯s high dignity and divinity crushed her. She might be an apostle of a God of the Beginning, but she didn¡¯t have much experience and was no match for Grid.


    ¡°I will ask you instead,¡± Yatan, who had been observing each of Grid¡¯s actions with interest, asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°You are saying meaningless things again... didn¡¯t you notice that I came from the future?¡±


    ¡°I am talking about the world.¡±


    ¡°It is the surface.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I feel like your origin ispletely far removed from the worlds I know.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A chill went down Grid and Ruby¡¯s spines. They sensed the meaning behind Yatan¡¯s words.


    ¡°Are there more like you? Did Reba recognize you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°If so, the cycle is simply an escape.¡±


    ¡°...Wait, something is now a bit... the shock is so great in many ways that I feel like my mind is a bit nk. Can you exin it slowly and in detail?¡±


    ¡°Reba has ¡ö¡ö¡¯s ¡ö¡ö from the beginning... Huh?¡± Yatan, who had been saying something inaudible with a bitter expression,mented, ¡°This ¡ö¡ö is fast...¡±


    This was the end.


    A bright light enveloped the entire world and the minds of the siblings bounced back to the present.


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    Theplexion of the siblings after they came to their senses was fine, as if everything had been a lie. Khan¡¯s final work got rid of the sweat that had just dripped down, and Sehee evaporated it without a trace with her passive purification skill. They didn¡¯t even realize because they did it as naturally as breathing.


    ¡°God Yatan. In order to rule out... elements... that posed a threat to people from the beginning...¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even realize that the siblings had gone to the past. The Specter shut her mouth as she was talking about Yatan.


    Grid asked her, ¡°Is Reba higher than Yatan?¡±


    ¡°That... it is great disrespect. That question... the two of them. Naturally, they are equal.¡±


    ¡°Next question. I heard that the world has been repeatedly destroyed and created. Did you witness the end as well?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did Yatan really destroy the world?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Specter answered immediately, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it myself...¡±


    It was as if she was denying it.


    ¡°Oppa...¡± Ruby grabbed Grid¡¯s hand. She knew it wasn¡¯t a good thing to delve deep into the Gods of the Beginning for the inhabitants of this world.


    The same was true of Grid.


    ¡°Yes... I can¡¯t wait to see for myself Yatan who is buried underground.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid regained hisposure and spoke mildly.


    The Specter guessed from his attitude that he had experienced something she didn¡¯t know. She quickened her pace without speaking further.


    At the deepest part of the No Offspring Tomb...


    A towering temple could be seen in the middle of the darkness.


    ***


    ¡°83 liches, 161 death knights... apart from that, there are 13,000 undead and 8,000 local troops...¡±


    The Specter¡¯s closest aide¡ªJishuka was shocked after reading the contents of the report posted by the ¡®Biggest Staff.¡¯ It was because the undead force joining the Overgeared Empire was stronger than expected.


    The Biggest Staff puffed out his chest and dered proudly, ¡°¡°You don¡¯t have to count the number of undead. They are such misceneous soldiers. We can raise more as long as there are corpses. Just count it as gaining thousands of troops.¡±¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Jishukaughed awkwardly.


    The liches and death knights obtained from the No Offspring Tomb were different from ordinary undead. Most of them were transcendents in their lifetime. In other words, it was like dozens of strong individuals with the bodies of transcendents suddenly popped out from the fog.


    They obtained that much power overnight, so Jishuka really couldn¡¯t feel it. She was worried if they could control it properly.


    ¡°¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. There is no need to harm innocent people in order to obtain corpses. All of the No Offspring Tomb, including the Specter... from now on, we will move only ording to the will of the supreme one.¡±¡±


    The undead of the No Offspring Tomb were beings who had umted great karma and sins in their lives. They were inherently dangerous, so the Specter disciplined them thoroughly. Thanks to this, they had a habit of being loyal to their master, almost like the Overgeared Skeletons.


    Jishuka nodded. ¡°As long as Grid chooses to trust you, we will trust you too. I hope you repay our trust.¡±


    ¡°¡°Ohhh...!¡±¡±


    ¡°W-What? What is it?¡±


    Jishuka couldn¡¯t understand the attitude of the Biggest Staff, who was suddenly thrilled. The red light of the Staff¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at her.


    ¡°¡°I was reminded of how great you are after hearing how familiarly you call the supreme one. From now on, I will always follow you with a lowly attitude...¡±¡±


    ¡°It is because Grid and I promised to get married. Okay, I look forward to working with you in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡±Ohh... I thought you were more beautiful and dignified than any human being I have witnessed in hundreds of years. It turns out you are the bride of the supreme one.¡±¡±


    ¡°Hey~ I am the bride-to-be. What bride~~¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Jishuka, who had been wary and nervous about the undead just a moment ago¡ªall of a sudden, she wasughing and chatting...


    The Overgeared members realized it.


    The undead who joined as colleagues at this time¡ªin many ways, they weren¡¯t ordinary.

 Chapter 1760

    Chapter 1760


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Muller was deep in thought. He revisited the battle between Grid and the Specter and tried to understand Grid¡¯s intentions.


    ¡®Why did he bother sparing the Specter?¡¯


    The Specter had lost her emotions. She had lived for too many years as an apostle of a God of the Beginning. It was natural for her to have a different point of view than humans, and it was possible that she would unintentionally threaten humanity again.


    ¡®In the first ce, the Specter isn¡¯t very weakpared to Grid.¡¯


    To be honest...


    The Specter was stronger than Grid. Even considering that the No Offspring Tomb was the realm of the Specter, didn¡¯t Grid get help from many people, including himself? It was hard to guarantee that Grid could definitely control her if the Specter started to run wild.


    ¡®It is true that the Specter is pitiful, but... it would¡¯ve been better to neatly get rid of her.¡¯


    The strongest Sword Saint in history stood with both eyes closed. The Overgeared members were hovering around him with serious expressions. They killed the sound of their breathing and footsteps and struck all types of poses.


    It was to capture themselves and Muller in a screenshot. It was the treatment of a male superstar.


    ¡°......¡±


    Muller¡¯s thick eyebrows twitched. In his ¡®pure¡¯ state, he wasn¡¯t an Absolute, but he possessed absolute self-sufficiency based on his senses that had reached the peak. He naturally read the signs of the people busy moving beside him without making a sound.


    ¡®Each one of them must be a famous hero...¡¯


    Muller didn¡¯t find it ridiculous. Aside from Grid, all the Overgeared members were amazing. There were not only legends and transcendents, but also masters of their field. They were naturally those who valued their reputation. However, what they did together wasn¡¯t much different from the innocent youths in the countryside.


    ¡®How can those who are fighting against the fate of the world as Grid¡¯s close aides be so bright?¡¯


    Muller was wondering this when he suddenly realized it.


    ¡®Is this Grid¡¯s true ability?¡¯


    It was the power to reassure those around him and provide a peaceful ¡®daily¡¯ life despite the harsh reality. Perhaps Grid believed that he could make the Specter like them? This might be why he took away that swift sword that should¡¯ve originally cut the Specter¡¯s neck.


    ¡®He is really a great hero...¡¯


    Muller was a hero of heroes. He was the treasured sword that protected the people and was one of the few who had been called the ¡®Hero King¡¯ throughout the ages. It was a shameful title for Muller. He was simply a swordsman and couldn¡¯t be the focal point to lead people.


    It was an irresistible force.


    Some people of noble status were inclined to shun Muller as long as his will was to look out for humanity. In the first ce, there were dozens of kingdoms and countless forces on the surface. Origin, status, affiliation, ideology, politics, etcetera¡ªthere were many people who shunned Muller for all sorts of reasons and excuses. Some even interfered with him. Achieving ¡®great unity,¡¯ which should¡¯ve been the basic premise for saving the surface, was simply impossible with a swordsman¡¯s ability to cut down the enemy.


    However, Grid achieved it. His statues, standing tall throughout the continent on the way to the No Offspring Tomb, proved it.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t possible just because he is a god.¡¯


    Muller knew that Grid was originally a human. It was a fact that was naturally revealed through Grid¡¯s words and meaning. The great unity that Grid achieved wasn¡¯t because he was a god. Perhaps it was possible because it was ¡®Grid.¡¯


    ¡®A great man to... respect...¡¯


    The faces of countless people shed through Muller¡¯s mind. He never forgot the faces of those who worshiped him as a great man, trusted him, and cheered for him. All the years when he had been hiding in the dimensional gap, he thought about their faces every day and felt guilty.


    He didn¡¯t dare to resent them. He was just sorry.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been nice if the hero in charge of my time had been Grid instead of an ordinary person...¡¯


    Muller¡¯s face, which had been stiff due to the behavior of the Overgeared members, trembled. The heart demon he had been enduring since he met Kraugel was tormenting him again. It was the aftermath of admiring Grid, a real great person, unlike himself. He got a bigger heart disease as the images of the people who adored him in the past ovepped with those who adored Grid. His agitation was on the verge of running wild.


    ¡°It is because of you, crazy bastard.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you take photos as well?¡±


    The Overgeared members whispered when they saw Muller¡¯splexion deteriorating rapidly. In particr, Pon pointed to Vantner. Secretly taking photos beside Muller, who was deep in meditation¡ªVantner was the first one to start it. It was in the midst of themotion.


    ¡°Sir Muller,¡± Zibal spoke to Muller.


    He had the experience of serving a prince who dreamed of rebellion, and understood the concept of a mental disorder from a heart demon. He had seen high ranking NPCs suffering from the imperial family¡¯s secret assassinations being killed or vomiting blood before dying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you feel, but please control your mind.¡±


    Zibal was also someone¡¯s hero. Young people in the United States used to cheer for him enthusiastically. This was why he had a special heart for Muller, who was like the symbol of heroes.


    The other members of the Overgeared Guild weren¡¯t much different. They realized that the situation was unusual and moved busily. They tried hard to help Muller somehow, such as taking out rare elixirs.


    It happened as themotion was growing...


    Duguen!


    The red lump of flesh¡ªthe thing that had stopped beating since Grid defeated the Specter suddenly started beating loudly again.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The eyes of the undead, as well as the Overgeared members, were all glued to the flesh. Jishuka, who was examining the No Offspring Tomb¡¯s information in detail, asked the Biggest Staff, ¡°What is this? Didn¡¯t that stop working?¡±


    ¡°¡°That¡¯s right. It stopped working the moment the Specter swore to the supreme one to destroy it...¡±¡± The puzzled Biggest Staff replied like he was also curious and stood in front of Jishuka.


    It was as if protecting her. He was trying to score a lot of points with the supreme one¡¯s bride-to-be. The situation was unusual.


    ¡°¡°Something... ising.¡±¡±


    It happened before the Biggest Staff finished speaking. There was the sound of skin bursting and bones cracking. At the same time, the huge ball of red flesh split in half and something popped out of it. It was like a beast that tore apart its mother¡¯s belly.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has appeared.]


    It was the moment when the true adversary of humanity appeared. A grotesque monster to some, a handsome gentleman to others, or a giant beast to someone¡ªthe man looked at each one of them and then his eyes shone when they fell on Muller among the Overgeared members.


    ¡°It was true? It was stated in Grid¡¯s epics. Isn¡¯t it both a great weapon and a weakness? They give away too much information.¡±


    ¡°Baal...!¡±


    In an instant, the Overgeared members raised their weapons and lined up as if to protect Muller. At the center of them was Jishuka. She loaded the Breaking Evil Arrow and aimed at Baal¡¯s forehead with a smile.


    ¡°What, is it you? Did you already know about ¡®that¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Bow Saint Jishuka. You are asking an obvious question.¡±


    The red flesh made by the Specter was a reproduction of the red flesh in hell. The Specter insisted it would be the material for another hell. Therefore, Baal¡¯s senses were naturally connected to the red flesh created by the Specter. It was a fact that the Specter overlooked. She had unknowingly been on the palm of Baal¡¯s hand from the very beginning.


    ¡°I am going to be two? I cheered for Eve¡¯s tenacity while anticipating the unimaginable chaos that would arise. To be honest, I stayed on the sidelines because she is a tough opponent.¡±


    ¡°¡°How dare you say the name of the Specter?¡±¡±


    The Biggest Staff was furious. The undead of the No Offspring Tomb had been trained by the Specter for a long time, so they naturally hated Baal. They recognized him as the ultimate enemy who must be destroyed one day.


    Baal chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m deeply moved. The toy I threw away a long time ago is showing his teeth at me with the force to bite me.¡±


    ¡°¡±What nonsense are you saying?¡±¡±


    ¡°Are you asking because you don¡¯t know? Albern, all the pain and sorrow that you went through in your life was what I gave you.¡±


    The undead of the No Offspring Tomb were reaped by the Specter, made into immortal bodies, and trained. They were both heroes and sinners in the past. They had an incredible career of saving and destroying the world.


    Baal was behind it. One of Baal¡¯s long-standing hobbies was to bully talented people.


    ¡°Know that it was purely through my intentions that you were ultimately able to save and destroy the world.¡±


    ¡°¡±...You!¡±¡±


    The Biggest Staff, Albern, couldn¡¯t just hear this and cast magic. Rather than feeling nervous about seeing the 1st Great Demon, he was ready to beat Baal to death right away.


    It was after the No Offspring Tomb expedition. It was a scene that proved the strength of the Overgeared Guild, which had grown exponentially.


    Baal also admitted it. ¡°The Sword Saint of the present era who cut a god, the Bow Saint, and Beriache¡¯s Knight...¡±


    Baal pointed them out one by one. In turn, it was Kraugel, Jishuka, Katz, Zibal, Chris, Faker, Vantner, Hurent, Haster, etc. He was identifying the strongest talents one by one and was wary of them. This was apletely different attitude from the past when he was only wary of Grid.


    Finally, Baal pointed to the trembling Huroi and said honestly, ¡°I will be the only one to lose if I deal with you one by one here.¡±


    There was a limit to how long he could act before being caught by Grid...


    ¡°Get out of the way. I¡¯ll just take Muller,¡± Baal muttered such words and squeezed through the cracks in the flesh to fully reveal himself.


    Sword Saint Muller was the aspiration of humanity. In other words, he was the Grid of a past era. He was feared by demons, yet highly valued by Baal in many ways. Baal had long been eager to get his hands on Muller.


    Baal released his power from the beginning. The No Offspring Tomb, which had the habitat of hell thanks to the red flesh, allowed him to show the majesty of the 1st Great Demon for a while. It took him an instant to break through the Overgeared Guild and the undead to reach Muller. He didn¡¯t care about the numerous wounds he suffered in the process.


    Wounds weren¡¯t a big problem for Baal, who resurrected even when he died.


    ¡°Muller, I am finally going to get my hands on you.¡±


    Baal¡¯s voice whispered ominously and awakened Muller¡¯s consciousness.


    Cough.


    He vomited dark red blood due to the internal injuries he obtained from his heart demon and swung his sword at the great evil standing in front of him. It was a sh filled with incredible power and it was hard to believe he swung it in his unhealthy state. It was from the shoulder to the waist.


    Baal¡¯s upper body was cut diagonally, but he justughed. ¡°Yes, this is it. This is why I want you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Muller¡¯s arms drooped. The Space Sword he wielded in a state where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died right away was hisst strength.


    Baal dodged the Breaking Evil Arrow, blocked Kraugel¡¯s sword with his demon sword, and grabbed Muller¡¯s neck. Thebyrinth improvised by Eat Spicy Jokbal tried to tempt him, but he destroyed it with force.


    Muller thought about it.


    As expected, it was dangerous. The Overgeared Guild was great, but it was somewhatckingpared to the Specter. Grid would have a hard time handling her if the Specter betrayed him.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to stay with you... as expected... she should¡¯ve been killed...¡¯


    It was the moment when Muller was feeling regret...


    The ceiling copsed and a presence with a very strong aura fell behind Muller¡¯s back. It wasn¡¯t just one, but seven of them. Muller noticed that some of them were strong enough to rival him and was so surprised that he regained his fading consciousness.


    ¡°At this point, can¡¯t wee forward?¡± the God of Magic and Wisdom spoke in a very disgruntled tone.


    ¡°God will praise us,¡± the strongest person in the previous world agreed.


    ¡°Baal, how dare you appear here...¡± the surprisingly beautiful gori spoke human words.


    Kraugel rescued Muller with Faker¡¯s help in the midst of Baal¡¯s panic and whispered an exnation to him, ¡°They are Grid¡¯s apostles.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Muller¡¯s worries melted away like snow.

 Chapter 1761

    Chapter 1761


    ¡°How did you notice my visit?¡±


    The reason why Baal was flustered wasn¡¯t due to the splendid emergence of the apostles.


    Grid¡¯s apostles¡ªBaal had acknowledged from the start that all of them was a formidable existence. This wasn¡¯t a reason to panic.


    ¡°I prepared thoroughly to deceive even the senses of an Absolute.¡±


    Baal smiled as if he had regained hisposure. An unfamiliar magic circle spread like a shadow below his feet. It followed his steps and functioned in conjunction with the hourss rising above Baal¡¯s shoulders.


    Braham had been keeping his eyes on them from the beginning. ¡®It is an artifact that obscures the user¡¯s presence for a limited amount of time? It has been transformed by magic to maximize its function.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s actions had always been unconventional. Everything he showed from the time he distorted hell to the present had been far frommon sense. He was no different from a lunatic running wild with no countermeasures. However, that was just the superficial appearance. Braham had long realized that Baal was clever and thoroughly nned things. If he was really just a madman, how could he have deceived countless beings, including Yatan and Beriache?


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me with crude artifacts. Unlike my kind mother, I¡¯m not pure and I am deeply suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Crude...? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Baal cocked his head. It was because the artifacts he was using were made using the skills of the craftsman Pauld. It was possible because Baal was one who absorbed the powers of the dead. He was proud that the artifacts he created had a powerful performance that was rare in history, but he ended up being denied by Braham.


    Braham raised his chin andughed. ¡°I can be sure of one thing now.¡±


    It was clearly mockery.


    ¡°Baal, you are inevitably a being who is behind the times.¡±


    The image of Baal reflected in Braham¡¯s red eyes was the dirtiest and most unpleasant filth in the world. An object made of rotten meat that made him feel disgusted just by looking at it. There was a subtle restlessness.


    ¡°I am behind the times?¡±


    ¡°It is obvious. Your ability to gather the powers of the dead is nothing more than holding onto an era that has already ended.¡±


    Those who used to be the mainstream in each field died. New people were bound to create a new mainstream. New eras started. \


    It was something that Baal would never experience.


    ¡°I¡­ no, ¡®we¡¯.¡±


    Braham¡ªa person who only knew himself was actually discussing everyone present.


    Grid¡¯s apostles and the Overgeared members. The thing they had inmon was that they opened a new era with Grid.


    ¡°There is no need to be afraid of you.¡±


    ¡°...Kukukuk! Kuhahahat! Braham! The son of Beriache! It is funny how a bastard who is worse than his mother, even after building up divinity, is so arrogant!¡±


    In fact, there were many areas where Baal felt regret.


    Insane Dragon Nevartan¡ªif it had gone as Baal originally nned, he would¡¯ve rampaged across the Saharan Empire and massacred humans. However, this n went awry due to the variable of Kraugel obtaining the White Fang. Many beings who should¡¯ve died at that time wereter protected by Grid¡¯s forces. Some of them were among the apostles in front of him right now.


    Baal didn¡¯t get as much power as he wanted. Thus, he was obsessed with Sword Saint Muller. He risked his lifeing here.


    Heart Killing Intent¡ªif Muller¡¯s power was added to his own strong will to rebel against the Gods of the Beginning, he judged that a lot of the damage caused by his n going awry would be recovered. However, the apostles of Grid appeared to interfere. To be honest, he became annoyed.


    Then at this moment, he saw Braham¡¯s imposing appearance and changed his mind. He viewed the situation rather positively. It was thanks to the new measures presented by the killing intent he felt toward Braham.


    ¡°Today, I will have to die here once.¡±


    A solid roar, like steel condensing, echoed throughout the space. The ck demonic energy that Baal wore around his body took the form of a sword.


    ¡°It will be in exchange for killing some of you.¡±


    For Baal, death could be ovee. Even if he died 100 or 1,000 times, he would just be resurrected immediately. Although Baal was afraid of death when Grid¡¯s epic was working, it was different now. Not only was there no Grid, but even if his death was widely known to the world and his status damaged, it wasn¡¯t a loss. In any case, he would gradually recover as long as he reigned as the ruler at hell. Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight alone had a higher value than several levels of status.


    There was a thunderous sound and one of Braham¡¯s arms was cut off.


    Could multiple transcendents handle one Absolute? It was a scene where the question of the curious was answered. No one could stop Baal from approaching Braham and swinging the sword.


    ¡°You... it is better not to target you.¡±


    Baal wasn¡¯t very satisfied. He tried to cut off Braham¡¯s head but failed.


    The God of Magic and Wisdom¡ªBraham had attained a high divinity and was clearly above a transcendent, even though he hadn¡¯t reached the level of an Absolute yet. He barely held onto the time that only an Absolute could perceive and turned Baal¡¯s attack into nothing.


    ¡°Disintegrate.¡± He even finished casting a spell. A spear of light appeared like an illusion and pierced Baal¡¯s upper body.


    At the same time, Zik stepped out. He used the power of the runes to stop Baal¡¯s movements for a moment and struck Baal with an attack. Saharan¡¯s Sword that was inserted in Baal¡¯s chest unleashed the red energy and tried to control Baal. He even used it with the divinity taken from King Sobyeol.


    The surprised Baal withdrew his energy and used physical strength. A hand grabbed Zik¡¯s face and mmed him into the ground. Through the roar of the ground exploding, he heard a sound that shouldn¡¯t have been heard. It was the sound of something snapping.


    Zik¡¯s neck bone had been broken. Zik¡¯s neck was turned at an odd angle as he was pinned to the ground.


    ¡°Zik!¡±


    Jishuka used Fly Up! It was mixed with the Breaking Evil Arrows. She sought to heal Zik while also weakening Baal. On a battlefield without Ruby, she was the healer of the Overgeared Guild.


    Sure enough, Baal¡¯s aggro changed immediately. He might covet the abilities of Muller and the apostles, but he was the wariest of Jishuka. His sword suddenly appeared next to Jishuka.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!!¡±


    Surprisingly, Vantner blocked it. It was thanks to the ultimate skill that ¡®protected the designated target for a certain period of time¡¯ being used in advance. He predicted this situation from the moment Jishuka used Fly Up! The price was high.


    ¡°Hoh? It is quite interesting, but it is an unnecessary ability for me.¡±


    Every time Baal¡¯s demon sword struck Vantner¡¯s shield, dark red blood spilled from Vantner¡¯s nose and mouth. He started to be driven into the ground like a nail as his shield gradually shattered. He also received physical status abnormalities such as ¡®internal injuries¡¯ and ¡®fractures.¡¯ In an instant, his immortality was on the verge of being consumed.


    His colleagues didn¡¯t sit idly by. Just like Vantner, the elites of the Overgeared Guild predicted that the aggro would be directed to Jishuka. Thus, they surrounded Baal from all directions andunched an offensive.


    ¡°You guys are pretty good as well.¡±


    Baal counterattacked without avoiding the Overgeared Guild¡¯s offensive and slowly moved from Kraugel to Faker. Faker¡¯s Kill List had Baal¡¯s name written on it. Baal¡¯s name was also engraved on the consumable dagger ¡®Surprise Attack,¡¯ which significantly increased attack power when a target was designated.


    This meant that the current Faker could show off immensely powerful skills against Baal. He wasn¡¯t at all inferior to the apostles in terms of attack power. Moreover, the strength of an assassin was to utilize skills rted to tracking, stealth, infiltration, and trap instation. By attracting Baal¡¯s aggro and disturbing his senses at every critical moment, Faker showed a transcendent-like way of fighting without the need for transcendence.


    In the end, the problem was that Baal was an Absolute. Faker¡¯s physical abilities and cleverness could embody transcendence, but this didn¡¯t mean much against Baal.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Faker failed to hide in the shadows and was blown to the far wall, getting stuck in it. He became trapped due to the physical condition of ¡®bound.¡¯ The aftermath of piercing through a thick wall by dozens of meters was great.


    Damian and Katz hurriedly caught Baal¡¯s attention. It was to buy time for theirpanions to rescue Faker.


    Braham and Zik, who recovered before they knew it, also joined in. The sword that Baal wielded unstoppably was intercepted by Braham¡¯s ¡®fist.¡¯ It was the fist of a monster that was wrapped in strengthening magic.


    ¡°This power... Beriache¡¯s blood. It is ridiculous that the son of that ignorant being is worshiped as the God of Wisdom.¡±


    Grid had judged that Beriache¡¯s monstrous strength was the result of ¡®sucking the Specter¡¯s blood.¡¯ In reality, it was the pure physical abilities of the progenitor.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t ignorance. It is purity.¡±


    Baal¡¯s nonsensical words as he recklessly evaluated Beriache offended Braham. In fact, he was angry because Baal hit the nail on the head.


    Ignorant¡ªthis was a rtively correct way to evaluate Beriache, who sacrificed herself to bear a child in the hope of getting revenge on Baal and ced all her responsibility to her children.


    That¡¯s right. Braham knew that his mother wasn¡¯t always right. Nevertheless, he loved her.


    Braham grabbed Baal¡¯s wrist and cast a series of physical magic. The great magic, which was hard to see in his lifetime, aimed at Baal and the hourss.


    The hourss¡ªBraham judged that it was only by destroying the artifact that assimted Baal¡¯s ¡®presence¡¯ with the surrounding environment that he could convey to Grid what was happening here.


    Baal made an expression of pity as he shook off Braham¡¯s hand and cut Braham¡¯s chest with a sword. ¡°You talked like you could win even if you fought without Grid. Now you are trying to ask Grid for help so soon? You don¡¯t seem to have inherited the pride of your mother?¡±


    ¡°Help... that isn¡¯t what I want.¡±


    In the endless torrent of magic, Baal¡¯s body regenerated at super speed as soon as it was torn apart or exploded. Meanwhile, Braham¡¯s body had turned to rags. The Overgeared members thought that Braham¡¯s aim of taking out Baal through mutual destruction by taking advantage of his possibility of resurrection was wasted in vain.


    They were mistaken. Braham had more pride than people knew. He would kill Baal if it was possible, but he had no intention of dying with Baal.


    ¡°I want to announce your death.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense...¡± This time, Baal burst outughing at the absurd bravado.


    ¡°It is done.¡± Then Piaro¡¯s voice rang out. In the aftermath of Baal¡¯s usage of the red flesh, the space it was in developed a strange environment ¡®resembling hell,¡¯ not the No Offspring Tomb or the Overgeared World. Now this ce had transformed into a golden wheat field.


    ¡°Great job.¡± Mercedes had been silent while reflecting on the handprints of someone left on the handle of the sword. Now she finally joined the battle. The time for patience was over. She was barely suppressing her desire to kill the enemy who dared to invade the sanctuary that Grid had stepped on.


    ¡°Sonic Rage.¡±


    The surroundings that had been benefiting Baal were restored by Piaro and she used her ultimate technique. It was possible because Braham, Zik, and the Overgeared members bought time.


    The effect was great. For a moment, Baal couldn¡¯t distinguish the illusion of a sword made by the sword energy of Sonic Rage. He naturally cut Mercedes, who attacked with two swords, while thinking it was the real one. Then he was cut by the real Mercedes who came one stepter. It was the moment when Baal, who used the red flesh to create an environment simr to hell and showed the majesty of an Absolute, showed his bottom line.


    ¡°Farmer... you...¡± Baal, who was split in half, red at Piaro as if he was going to eat him.


    Braham¡¯s still active magic was grinding through the body of the bastard who lost even the power of the super fast recovery. But it was just a bit. There was a slightck of power.


    Baal somehow withstood the attacks of the apostles and the ultimate skills that the Overgeared members constantly poured out and reached out to target Piaro. Then a huge, transparent purple hand extinguished all the energy around him like a candle. It flew away and snatched Piaro by the nape of the neck.


    ¡°I told you, I won¡¯t die alone.¡±


    Piaro¡¯s neck was bent. He couldn¡¯t even scream as his body rapidly dried up like a mummy. All the energy of nature in his body was being sucked into Baal. No one could save Piaro. The unidentified, transparent purple hand temporarily prevented the Overgeared members and apostles from using all resources such as magic power and sword energy. It was physically impossible to quickly subdue Baal and save Piaro with pure physical abilities alone.


    However, there was one exception. Sword Saint Kraugel cut off the transparent hand that was choking Piaro. He might¡¯ve lost his sword energy, but the power ¡®there is nothing that can¡¯t be cut¡¯ of a Sword Saint was still intact.


    ¡°Cheeky guy!¡± Baal was furious. He couldn¡¯t hide his soaring anger at the fact that he lost the ¡®Asura¡¯s Hand That Is Being Completed¡¯ to the young Sword Saint he hadn¡¯t paid attention to.


    The wheat field had dried up in the aftermath of Piaro being suffocated and eroded by demonic energy. Thanks to this, Baal regained the environment he wanted again and intruded between Kraugel and Piaro. He swung his sword in a wide, horizontal direction, intending to sh both their throats at the same time. The speed was so fast that Kraugel sensed death. Nevertheless, he tried to protect Piaro. He used his sword curtain on Piaro, not himself.


    Unfortunately, Baal¡¯s sword was much faster. Piaro was on the verge of being decapitated.


    At this moment¡ª


    Mir, who had been silent by Muller¡¯s side for a while, suddenly blocked Baal¡¯s sword. It was with ¡®pure swordsmanship.¡¯ The memories he regained after seeing Muller were moving his body. This wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°I was made to fight against you.¡±


    Thest apostle of the Overgeared God¡ªMir¡¯s potential, which should¡¯ve originally made him be the treasured sword of the God of the Beginning, Hanul. Now it blossomed after meeting Baal. It was simr to what he showed when he brieflypeted with the 1st ranked archangel, Raphael.

 Chapter 1762

    Chapter 1762


    The yangbans were a symbol of will¡ªit was Hanul¡¯s will to challenge Reba¡¯s authority.


    It was also a symbol of a pledge¡ªit was a pledge to kill Martial God Chiyou. This was the pledge that Hanul had made when he asked Chiyou for help. It was the secret story that served as the background for the yangbans to realize the qualifications of a God Killer. There were some yangbans born with the qualification to kill a god as a ¡®talent.¡¯


    Baal knew this fact as well.


    ¡°Yangban Mir... that¡¯s right. I am your diametric opposite. We are bound by a great destiny.¡±


    Thus, Baalughed. He greatly weed Mir, unlike Raphael who treated the yangbans as disgusting clones. It was because he remembered the soul of Yangban Garam, which he had finally started to digest recently. Garam had the qualification of a God Killer, albeit it was faint.


    It was a qualification that would be a great help when fighting Grid again in the future. Wouldn¡¯t the qualification of a God Killer be several times more powerful if he could ingest the soul of Mir, who was the strongest among the yangbans?


    It happened the moment when he anticipated it...


    A subtle smile appeared on Baal¡¯s face, only for his expression to harden. It was due to Mir¡¯s surprisingly fast swordsmanship.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    It was true that Mir was created to be the opponent of Baal and Raphael. However, most of the world¡¯s results had a different value than what the creator intended.


    A half-god created using angels and humans as motifs and forcibly bestowed with divinity¡ªthe yangbans were nothing more than Hanul¡¯sb rats and there was no originality.


    In other words, they were a fake from one to ten. It was actually absurd that he dared to confront Baal, the son of Yatan. Yet at this moment, Mir showed a higher level of skills than the other apostles. The speed and destructive power of his swordsmanship,bined with his techniques, gradually made Baal step back.


    Finally, Baal had to take arge step back. It was in order to shake off Mir¡¯s sword.


    Mir caught up with him in an instant. He used Lightning God tounch an offensive on Baal without giving him a chance to think. The basis of the swordsmanship he used was Muller¡¯s Matchless Sword. It wasn¡¯t exactly like Muller''s swordsmanship. Just like the modern day Sword Saint Kraugel, he introduced a new swordsmanship that reinterpreted the Matchless Sword.


    A long time ago¡ª


    It was a swordsmanship devised based on his experience of fighting Muller several times.


    Today¡ª


    Mir regained all the memories he had lost and recalled the traces of the sword left on his body. He recalled Muller¡¯s swordsmanship, which he couldn¡¯t stop or avoid. Then he recreated it in a new manner based on the wounds carved on his body.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaah!!!¡± Baal roared as he was pushed back.


    From the time he appeared to the present, not a single thing went ording to his will and his anger soared. He had put all things in the world on the palm of his hand and kneaded them as he pleased. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?


    Since when did this happen? As expected, it was Grid. That person called Grid ruined everything.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if it had gone easily from the start...!¡±


    Baal¡¯s right arm swelled up unevenly. His muscles expanded like they were going to explode in the aftermath of him raising the power of the sword.


    ¡°500,000 Army.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Avoid it!¡±


    It was 500,000 army swordsmanship, not one million. It was a precursor to the technique that proved that Baal¡¯s current state wasn¡¯t perfect. In the first ce, the red flesh only made this ce a ¡®hell-like¡¯ environment. It didn¡¯tpletely make it hell. Furthermore, Piaro had changed the environment once.


    The time for Baal to manifest the greatness of an Absolute was extremely short. However, Baal judged that this condition was sufficient.


    500,000 Army Death Sword¡ªhe didn¡¯t know about the apostles, but he believed that all the small fries would die. There would be huge aftereffects so he wouldn¡¯t be safe either, but that was okay. If he could take away a lot of people in exchange for one life, it was never a loss.


    ¡°Death Sword.¡±


    The sword energies ovepped one after another.


    Horizontally and vertically¡ªthe sword energies seemed to form iron bars that blocked all escape routes and would shatter the beings trapped inside this space.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Someone scolded him in a situation where screams should¡¯ve erupted.


    Baal¡¯s gaze naturally turned to Huroi, but Huroi felt it was unfair. Baal¡¯s gaze was lost for a moment before btedly falling on a gorgeous woman. It was a woman with a huge Red Phoenix behind her and fluttering red hair that was darker than mes. It was Bow Saint Jishuka who Baal was very familiar with.


    She raised her middle finger and mocked Baal. ¡°We won¡¯t go to hell even if we die.¡±


    ¡°...Bah.¡± Baal also knew this. He didn¡¯t know about the concept of a yer, but he was aware of the fact that humans of this age could be resurrected even if they died.


    ¡°My purpose isn¡¯t you guys.¡±


    The liches and death knights of the No Offspring Tomb were projected on the eyes of Baal, who smiled triumphantly. The seeds that had been nted by Baal a long time ago¡ªthey were originally those who should be nourishing Baal. They became undead due to the Specter rather than dying, but now they had stepped on the path of ¡®death.¡¯


    The iron bars made of sword energy that made it impossible for them to run away¡ªthe 500,000 Army Death Sword that Baal deployed at the cost of his right arm dyed the area in a bright light. It was a light that erased everything it touched without a trace.


    In terms of power, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship was the strongest. There was already a history of being destroyed by Grid once, but that was a variable created by ¡®someone¡¯s will¡¯ in Grid¡¯s mental image. Ordinary beings couldn¡¯t withstand this power.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s apostles would be able to endure it. However, it was all they could do to keep their body intact. They didn¡¯t have room to protect the Overgeared members, the undead of the No Offspring Tomb, and Sword Saint Muller, who was paralyzed by the heart demon bacsh.


    Baal focused on the remaining variables.


    First of all, there was Braham. He was paying the price for pouring out so much magic toward Baal. There was no need to be vignt yet. All that was left was Sword Saint Muller. It would be a disaster if his sword cut through even the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. Baal also needed to be wary of Mir, who embodied Muller¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Baal, who had soared into the air to shake off Mir, descended like a lightning bolt. Demonic energy spurted from his severed arm instead of blood, pped like a cloak, and wrapped around him.


    ¡°Keuk...!¡±


    Kraugel was stabbed properly as he was preparing the Space Sword to sh the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship. The moment he read Baal¡¯s approach with his Super Sensitivity, Baal had already pierced him in the heart and consumed his immortality. To make matters worse, his skill casting was canceled.


    Mir was following Baal and managed to rescue Kraugel. He cut off Baal¡¯s remaining left arm with the Blue Dragon Dao surrounded by lightning energy.


    The problem was that Baal was already ready to die. It meant he had in mind the fact that Grid mighte the moment he nned to use the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship to smash through the entire space. He had only one purpose. It was to cause as many casualties as possible.


    Baal¡¯s head was full of thoughts of filling his stomach with all the prey overflowing in the No Offspring Tomb. He made no efforts to save his life and this became a powerful weapon.


    Baal¡¯s sharp teeth bit Mir¡¯s neck. The moment his arm was cut off, he had bent his back and counterattacked. It was a primitive form of attack that was hard to predict. The flustered Mir tried to shake him off, but Baal held on tenaciously.


    Demonic energy was rising endlessly from his severed arms. It went beyond the level of a cloak and spread out like wings. It worked as a field that weakened the power of attributes other than the dark attribute.


    Due to the weakening of the environment, he lost his qualifications as an Absolute and even lost his super fast recovery. This made him instead focus on the operation of demonic energy. It was trickier to deal with him like this than when he was trying to suppress them with force.


    ¡°It is the end,¡± Baal whispered grimly while still biting Mir¡¯s neck. He moved at a transcendent speed and the iron bars made of sword energy were about to hit the Overgeared members and the undead.


    Baal thought it was truly over. This was until apletely unexpected presence intervened.


    ¡°...You?¡±


    Had Grid already arrived here when he had been deep underground?


    No.


    Did the Lightning God of Titane to support at the right time?


    That also wasn¡¯t the case.


    Naturally, the members of the Tower of Wisdom didn¡¯t act either.


    The one who disturbed Baal at this moment was none other than...


    ¡°You...! The old dragon¡¯s daughter!¡±


    It was Nefelina, one of Grid¡¯s apostles. She had stood at a distance and held her breath while the other apostles were fighting valiantly. Now she surprisingly stood facing Baal. The breathinging from her open mouth was informing Baal of the origin of the Breath that broke through the iron bars of sword energy just a moment ago.


    ¡°You are just a mere hatchling, what did you do?¡± Baal¡¯s temples twitched. His eyes were bloodshot as if his patience had reached the limit. The sharp teeth biting Mir¡¯s neck were grinding down.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Nefelina¡¯srge eyes shimmered with transparent tears.


    A Transcendent Dragon¡ªshepressed the years to just a minute and exerted a power close to a saint-ss dragon. [1]


    She was the daughter of an old dragon. The Breathe she fired was enough to offset the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship that contained such a strong power. However, Nefelina couldn¡¯t feel proud and instead trembled. She couldn¡¯t fully handle Baal¡¯s killing intent.


    By her side¡ª


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    ¡°It was great.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡±


    The apostles were gathered. They were all covered with wounds. Nevertheless, it was reassuring enough.


    Nefelina¡¯s trembling little body gradually calmed down. ¡°I-I tried so that Grid won¡¯t feel sad.¡±


    ¡°It is extraordinary.¡±


    The Overgeared members and the undead of the No Offspring Tomb were also present.


    Jishuka approached and stroked Nefelina¡¯s hair. Then she aimed at Baal and pulled the bowstring. ¡°Die.¡±


    There was no room for negotiation. There was only one reason why the apostles and Overgeared members were overwhelmed by Baal. It was because Baal used the ¡®Realm of the Absolute.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t use it properly after Piaro changed the environment once.


    The possibility of a ¡®fight¡¯ was established.


    ¡°...Kuk! Kukuk! Kuhahahaa! It is crazy! The world is going crazy!¡±


    The one who deceived a God of the Beginning and took control of hell¡ªhe was unable to handle a single force from the surface and was on the defensive?


    ¡°This is by no means a normal phenomenon. Something is terribly wrong. There is bound to be a bacsh that even I can¡¯t imagine...¡±


    Baal¡¯s rant couldn¡¯t continue to the end. It was because Jishuka¡¯s arrow pierced his forehead and his neck was cut by Mercedes¡¯ sword.


    [The raid of the 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has seeded!]


    The apostles and the Overgeared members got a great achievement without Grid. It was a transformation caused by Grid.


    1. Simr to Sword Saint, Bow Saint, etc. ?

 Chapter 1763

    Chapter 1763


    The 32nd Great Demon, Belial¡ªshe was the first of the great demons toe to the surface and she imprinted terrible fear on humanity. Didn¡¯t she alone overwhelm the power of a nation and drive the Overgeared members, including Grid and Piaro, to the brink of annihtion? Her force was so great that it was still talked about among people several yearster.


    Maybe she was the cause. People started to point to Baal as the final boss.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has been defeated.]


    The strongest final boss candidate¡ªof course, there were some beings in the world who were stronger than Baal. It was just rare to see an existence of pure malice like Baal. It was why the theory that Baal was the final boss gained weight.


    In fact, Baal was involved in much of Satisfy¡¯s twisted history. He was behind the ruin of countless individuals, groups, kingdoms, and eras.


    At this moment, the thoughts of the Overgeared members who won against Baal weren¡¯t much different. They still recognized Baal as an enemy who had to be confronted at the very end.


    ¡®Of course, the final boss is likely to be determined by the tendencies of the Gods of the Beginning.¡¯


    Asura was a very annoying being. A transparent, huge hand that erased all the resources around it and sucked away Piaro¡¯s vitality. It had the name ¡®Asura¡¯s Hand That Is Being Completed¡¯ and it was a force that went against providence.


    In particr, Regas¡¯ agitation was very great. He had reached level 500 and tried to change to the fifth ss advancement, only to revert to the third ss Asura. He felt like he was ¡®stuck in this ss.¡¯ He got the feeling that the ss called Asura was alive and breathing, disturbing him. Then he witnessed a part of Asura that Baal had created. It was a powerful body part that couldn¡¯t bepared to the fragments of Asura that they saw in the hell expedition. He thought it must be rted to him.


    ¡®It takes constant effort and talent to change to Asura.¡¯


    The previous difficulty level was so high that there was the evaluation ¡®it seems to filter out people.¡¯ From a certain point on, changing to the Asura ss aroused a sense of challenge among talented people.


    Among many young people who started the gamete, there were many who said they became martial artists purely with the goal of reaching the Asura ss. Out of all those who challenged the Asura ss in order to prove their talent and skills, only a few geniuses with persistence and ingenious ideas seeded in changing sses after never giving up.


    What if all of them had something to do with the Asura that Baal was creating?


    These thoughts made Regas feel uneasy. It was the aftermath of imagining himself and other Asura yers being forced to take the side of hell through a quest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Jishuka read Regas¡¯ expression and patted him on the back.


    ¡°Even Baal¡¯s Contractor has be independent of Baal. Will you be much different? If the situation that you are worried about happens, you just need to control the situation yourself. Haven¡¯t you always been good at being disobedient?¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Now was the time for pure rejoicing. The rewards for a sessful Baal raid without Grid were extremely great. Of course, Baal¡¯s condition hadn¡¯t been perfect. However, it was the ¡®main body,¡¯ so it was natural to receive big rewards.


    [You have transcended the limits of a human.]


    The legends gained a transcendent status for the first time.


    [You are slowly bing a legend on the path you are walking on.]


    Some people qualified to be new legends.


    [Your status will increase even further.]


    The person who was already a transcendent increased their status. Unfortunately, the members with a low performance only received rewards that greatly increased their level. In exchange, they gained a lot of reputation and a title.


    [Guardian of the Hero King]


    Their favorability with Muller increased and they were qualified to learn swordsmanship skills. The rewards obtained by the apostles were even greater. Perhaps it was because they were more active than the members of the Overgeared Guild, but their status rose by several levels. The level up was just a bonus.


    However, Braham¡¯s expression was dark. ¡®I couldn¡¯t win one-on-one.¡¯


    The current Braham was stronger than when Grid first defeated Baal. Of course, his defense was much lower, but this was something that could be covered up with various spells. He used to think there was a good chance of winning unless it was hell.


    However, reality was very different from his beliefs. Braham waspletely on the defensive from the beginning against an Absolute, who stretched an instant into eternity. He repeatedly failed to follow the flow of battle and suffered unteral damage.


    ¡®How did Grid fight against an Absolute during his days as a transcendent?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t always win when fighting against Absolutes. Nevertheless, he was lucky enough to escape the crisis in a way where the situation was resolved. In any case, the possibility of a ¡®fight¡¯ was established. It was different from himself, who couldn¡¯t even touch a single strand of Baal¡¯s hair in an important moment.


    Braham looked back on the moments when Grid fought and seriously pondered it.


    ¡®Should I tame a dragon as well?¡¯ He started dreaming of bing the second Dragon Knight.


    ¡®...It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    Braham immediately frowned.


    Taming a dragon? He knew it was absolutely impossible. It was impossible to steal a dragon¡¯s egg or to kidnap a hatchling and raise it from scratch. A dragon was a being that understood all concepts and grasped the flow of the world the moment it was born. It would be unreasonable for a dragon to be favorable to its kidnapper. It waspletely crazy to cooperate with an adult dragon.[1]


    ¡®...Wait.¡¯ Braham suddenly remembered something. He remembered the moments when Grid fought against a being with a higher status than himself even before he became a Dragon Knight. He pictured the scene of the God Hands hovering around Grid without any regrity. There was a faint stream of magic power that followed the direction the God Hands moved.


    ¡®Perhaps...?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s artificial senses left no traces. It was a mixture of magic power with the silver thread powder that had been finely split to the point of being invisible. The density was so low that it was difficult for beings other than Grid to perceive it. It was the same reason why a person couldn¡¯t recognize the dust that touched their body when they walked.


    Yet now, Braham noticed the existence of the artificial senses purely through a hypothesis.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see Grid?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m sure he is fine.¡±


    During the course of battle, the artifact that blurred Baal¡¯s presence was destroyed. Nevertheless, Grid never came to the scene. This made some people feel worried about Grid. Maybe something happened underground that made it ¡®impossible for him toe¡¯?


    However, Braham knew. Grid wasn¡¯t experiencing any problems. He just trusted them and entrusted Baal to them. He read and replied to Braham¡¯s intention that they would eliminate Baal, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about it.


    Thus, Braham really left this scene without any hesitation. He didn¡¯t have time to waste here when he had to grasp the inspiration that was just beginning to emerge.


    Braham left. The only thing that remained was the remnants of Teleport, which made a buzzing sound.


    In this moment of silence, Jishuka started taking care of the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s help Muller recover until Grid and Ruby return.¡±


    ***


    ¡®I never thought they would really win.¡¯


    At the deepest underground area of the No Offspring Tomb...


    Grid cheered in a breathless manner.


    It was a little while ago.


    It was hard to believe that the person who looked like a demon after Baal¡¯s sudden appearance would suddenly be so unbelievably bright.


    ¡°Although Baal. Might not have been perfect... how? With the power of apostles and humans alone...¡± the Specter murmured.


    She never imagined that Baal would break into the No Offspring Tomb. The moment she read Baal¡¯s energy, she realized that she had been manipted by him all this time andmented greatly. It was actually discouraging.


    Baal invaded when she was away. It was right after the fierce battle with Grid, so it was difficult for her to respond immediately. She suffered the mishap of losing Beriache¡¯s heart and decided that all the efforts she made over the years would soon be in vain.


    Then what was the reality? Baal was helplessly defeated. It was a miracle made by the apostles and humans who served Grid.


    ¡°You actually... could have... easily beaten me...¡± The Specter misunderstood. She thought that Grid, who could¡¯ve easily beaten her if he broke in with all the apostles, let her go. ¡°From the beginning. Communication with me... was your purpose. I am... the adversary of humanity. It is determined. First of all, to understand... why did you try? As expected. The reason you didn¡¯t kill me. Now I know for sure. You... are more than I thought. You are a kind being...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had a guilty conscience. However, he had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding. In the first ce, Duke of Virtue had activated and saved the Specter. It was system favorability. The Specter felt a great liking toward Grid. She had a tendency to try and interpret things rted to Grid in a positive manner most of the time.


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing this...¡±


    [Your favorability with Yatan¡¯s apostle, ¡®Eve,¡¯ has increased.]


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t it okay if she takes off her mask?¡¯


    The mask and armor made from the bones of human gods were the basic equipment for the Specter. She had been defeated by Grid and vowed to change in the future, but she didn¡¯t take off her mask and armor. It was as if she was dering that she would never forget the beings she killed. In any case, she had a terrifying appearance. At first nce, she was no different from a lich. He didn¡¯t want to see a lich twisting her body with both arrms around her chest.


    ¡°That¡­ when are you going to show it to us?¡±


    It was the same with Ruby. She urged the Specter with a pale face. The Specter came to her senses and opened the firmly closed door of the temple.


    Creak...


    A white temple that stood alone in the dark underground¡ªthe ce that had been tightly closed for a long time finally revealed its interior. A destendscape unfolded. The interior of the temple was empty.


    ¡°This person... my god.¡±


    The Specter fell to her knees and caressed the ground while making the introduction.


    The siblings noticed it one stepte. It was the fact that paintings covered the ground. They were portraits of someone. The portraits were of Yatan, whom the siblings met a moment ago. Yet unlike Yatan¡¯s actual appearance, the portraits gave off an ominous feeling. It was because the portraits were painted using only red paint.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± Grid thought that Yatan would be sleeping here. The Specter had said that a part of Yatan was sleeping here. In reality, it wasn¡¯t even a part of him. They were just paintings.


    The Specter exined to the disappointed and confused Grid, ¡°The blood that God shed before entering the cycle...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid doubted his ears.


    Portraits of Yatan covered the floor of the temple. They were tens of meters in size. Painting portraits like these with blood?


    ¡°Is this all Yatan¡¯s blood? Did someone squeeze them out likeundry?¡±


    There was no other way topare it. Yatan might¡¯ve shed a lot of blood, but this was too much. It was to the point where he was certain that there wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood left in Yatan¡¯s body. Of course, it was impossible to define a true god as a living creature, so he wouldn¡¯t die due to ack of blood, but...


    ¡®...In any case.¡¯


    The cycle¡ªGrid had roughly imagined it to be hibernation or seclusion. He didn¡¯t know exactly what the cycle was or why it was necessary. In any case, it was cutting off all contact. In other words, he didn¡¯t think it would cause bloodshed like this. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    ¡°That is approximately. Correct.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The confused Grid was shocked.


    ¡°Things became a mess.¡±


    The Specter started to reminisce about the past.


    ¡°The original cycle. It wasn¡¯t anything special. It was more like a routine that repeated itself every three years... but that day. Everything changed...¡±


    1. After all the confusion over the sudden appearance of the saint-ss dragon (I also debated with my editor several times about what it should be), it has finally been determined that authorbined the words adult and dragon together and shortened them i.e. a portmanteau and the meaning should actually be adult dragon, which makes a lot more sense. Thanks to the person who figured it out and my editor for letting me know. It has been changed from saint-ss to adult dragon in all previous and future chapters. ?

 Chapter 1764

    Chapter 1764


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the cycle of the Gods of the Beginning just a safety device?¡±


    At the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters...


    The development team was bombarded with questions.


    The cycle of the gods¡ªthe development team simply called it the ¡®level up cycle.¡¯ Chairman Lim Cheolho also mentioned it directly at an executives and staff meeting. It wasn¡¯t anything special.


    Once a year in real time¡ªthe system checked the yer¡¯s growth level and grew the Gods of the Beginning to match. It was a safety device with the setting of ¡®out of reach¡¯ to avoid a mishap of the yers¡¯ growth catching up to them. Yes, the cycle of the Gods of the Beginning was purely rted to growth. Yet at some point, a special meaning started to be assigned to it. It was by beings in Satisfy who weren¡¯t yers.


    ¡°The artificial intelligence changes the meaning of a concept that has already been established...? Isn¡¯t this pretty dangerous? Is it okay for an artificial intelligence to be the subject of change in the first ce?¡±


    So far, Satisfy¡¯s worldview had changed in real time. These were the changes made by the intervention of the yers.


    It was a phenomenon in Satisfy tolerated under the banner of ¡®a world created by yers.¡¯ Conversely, a world created by an artificial intelligence, not yers, wasn¡¯t something the S.A Group could bear. There were many people who refuted the concerns of the executives.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it okay? Even if they are named NPCs, they can change their natural destiny with their own position and judgment.¡±


    ¡°The problem is that the artificial intelligence of a God of the Beginning is far superior to the artificial intelligence of named NPCs. Additionally, the authority is strong enough to y some of the roles that GMs usually y in games. Do you think the scale of change they are looking for will be the same as the scale of change shown by the named NPCs?¡±


    ¡°Right. It is a situation we need to guard against.¡±


    ¡°This is just a guess. It is extremely unlikely that the Gods of the Beginning will seek change at their own discretion. They must¡¯ve been directly or indirectly influenced by yers, even if we haven¡¯t figured it out yet. Executives, do you know a town called Landam?¡±


    ¡°Landam...? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°It is a small town in the northern part of the Fold Kingdom. It is a very ordinary town with a poption of less than 3,000 and no celebrities. There are no mines or hunting grounds nearby, so most yers don¡¯t even know it exists. Or they just passed by it because it was insignificant.¡±


    ¡°However?¡±


    ¡°The vige has held a festival every year since five years ago. It is a small town festival that celebrates the release of jelly pumpkins, which was born thanks to the coincidence of the climate changing when Lauel used magic on a battlefield near Landam. It has be the only pride of the vige, which was simple and had nothing.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is the influence and change caused by Lauel, even though Lauel doesn¡¯t know it. There must surely be the intervention of yers behind the cycle of the Gods of the Beginning changing to something else.¡±


    ¡°...Hmm, but is the hierarchy of the Gods of the Beginning one that can be affected by yers?¡±


    The executives, who weren¡¯t easily convinced, soon sighed. It was while they were looking at Grid on the screen.


    ***


    ¡°The original cycle. It wasn¡¯t anything special. It was more like a routine that repeated itself every three years¡­ but that day. Everything changed...¡±


    Deep wrinkles appeared under the eyes of the Specter, which could be seen through the mask. Her face crumpled like a piece of paper when he recalled that day.


    ¡°No... from the beginning. It wasn¡¯t different. At first... It was the same as usual. My god went around encouraging the dead, who had justnded in hell... some of the dead adapted to life in hell, made offerings to the gods, never crossed the river of reincarnation, and spent the rest of their lives in hell... they said they wanted to live. They prayed...¡±


    They were memories from too long ago. It was from before hell was distorted. They were memories from when the Specter was young and innocent. Thus, there were many blurry parts. She had many forgotten memories. At this moment, they started to rise like a kaleidoscope.


    ¡°Everything was as usual... then it suddenly changed. Uninvited guests came.¡±


    ¡°Uninvited guests?¡±


    ¡°...A god.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s breathing gradually quickened as she held her head in agony. Her heavily bent back convulsed repeatedly.


    ¡°That person... my god said that person was like him...¡±


    ¡°Like him...? If it is a god with the same hierarchy as Yatan, aren¡¯t there only Hanul or Reba?¡±


    ¡°But... he wasn¡¯t a God of the Beginning... my god said it. A rtionship connected to the future... the one who guided it...¡±


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The eyes of the siblings widened. Then Ruby thought she made a silly sound and her ears reddened. She felt an intense sense of deja vu.


    The Specter also btedly realized it. ¡°Eve¡­ guided... them...?¡±


    She called her name as if it belonged to someone else, only to shut her mouth. Her god at that time...


    He really said that?


    Eve. That was definitely her name. The name that she abandoned thousands of years ago...


    ¡°...Ahh.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Grid tried to calm her down but it didn¡¯t work. Finally, the Specter blocked both ears and screamed endlessly. A mysterious god and girl who appeared in the past a long time ago. Immediately after the appearance of these ominous beings, light fell from the sky and her god turned to blood.


    It wasn¡¯t extinction. It was a form that had never been seen before. He entered the cycle in this form of punishment.


    ¡°I... I guided.. you to my god... I. With my own hands, my god...?¡±


    The Specter realized she was the culprit who sent Grid and his sister to Yatan and fell into extreme confusion. Why did Yatan have to suffer such humiliation that day? The questions that hadn¡¯t been answered for thousands of years were finally answered.


    It was because of her. There was a high probability that it was her future self. In other words, perhaps her present self made a mistake.


    ¡°...You asked me if the hierarchy of all the Gods of the Beginning was the same, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve witnessed it. The light that crushed my god.¡±


    ¡°It is too much to say that I saw the light that crushed him. My consciousness returned to the present as soon as the bright light enveloped Yatan.¡±


    In other words, Grid didn¡¯t witness the scene of Yatan bing a mess. He just vaguely guessed...


    By summing up the conversation he had with Yatan, he guessed that Reba was above Yatan.


    ¡°You went back to the past. Am I to me for you meeting God Yatan?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. The moment you described Yatan, our consciousness automatically transcended time and space and stood in front of Yatan. It was more like fate or inevitability. Isn¡¯t it too much to consider it your personal influence?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    This was the end. She was worthy of a being who had endured countless years. The mentality of the Specter was excellent. Before she knew it, she had fully recovered her mind and grasped the situation clearly.


    It wasn¡¯t her fault that Yatan suffered such a thing. It was the will of the world, not herself, who guided the siblings to the past. Maybe this world wanted to show Grid and Ruby how Reba harmed God Yatan.


    ¡°There is only one conclusion,¡± the Specter took a deep breath and dered, ¡°God Yatan is going through an unprecedentedly long cycle and it is Reba¡¯s will, not Yatan¡¯s.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t what happened originally. Was it Grid meeting Yatan that led to this change? There was no way for the Specter to know.


    However, the reality she had to face was clear. She would have to face Reba one day.


    ¡°Someday, I will restore hell. It is after punishing Baal.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Then I will ascend to heaven. Reba will be held ountable. Why is she behind the distortion of hell? I need to know, even if I perish.¡±


    ¡°It is just right.¡± A big smile spread across Grid¡¯s face. ¡°My final destination is heaven as well. We can go together. Right?¡±


    ¡°...You are going to challenge heaven?¡±


    ¡°Then what else should I do?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ for humanity... punish Baal in hell. Make the surface peaceful...¡±


    The Specter slowly closed her mouth in the middle of her answer. She realized it. The power of the surface was too great to just target Baal. Just now, Grid¡¯s apostles had killed Baal without Grid. What if she added her strength to that?


    ¡®Maybe he can really¡­ is it possible to defeat heaven...?¡¯


    How great was this?


    It was the moment when the eyes of the trembling Specter and Grid gently met in the air...


    ¡®Maybe I didn¡¯t have toe?¡¯ Ruby became like someone with nothing to say in the situation and was embarrassed.


    Of course, the Specter didn¡¯t forget the reason for bringing Ruby here.


    ¡°Saintess Ruby. Come this way...¡±


    Grid¡¯s group descended to the basement of the temple.


    ***


    At the same time, at the upper floor of the No Offspring Tomb...


    ¡°Ohh...¡±


    ¡°He overcame the bacsh on his own?¡±


    The Overgeared members were purely delighted, while the apostles were astonished. The Saintess hadn¡¯t even arrived yet. It was because Sword Saint Muller overcame the mental disorder from his heart demon of his own will. In terms of mental strength alone, he might be better than some Absolutes.


    ¡°Take this. It will help you recover.¡±


    Piaro handed Muller all types of precious food, including the golden walnut. All of them were elixirs carefully grown by a legendary farmer on the rich soil of the Overgeared World.


    ¡°Hah... Thank you.¡± Muller recognized their value with one nce and was impressed.


    A smile spread across Piaro¡¯s face. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank your junior. It is a blessing and honor to be able to give even a bit of help to my respected senior.¡±


    ¡°Junior...? Are you also someone who walked on the path of a swordsman?¡±


    Muller checked the calluses on Piaro¡¯s thick hands and smiled in a kind manner, only to stiffen.


    ¡°I am on the path of agriculture, but... please treat mefortably as a junior.¡±


    ...Why?


    Why was a farmer obsessed with the titles of senior and junior? Muller thought that Piaro was a really strange person, but he still obediently consumed the elixirs. He felt his energy recovering quickly.


    ¡°Is it delicious?¡± A girl suddenly asked. She had saliva dripping from her wide open mouth.


    Muller felt sorry for the child who seemed to have starved for days, only to feel something strange. There was no reason for a child to be starving for days to be here, right?


    ¡°...A hatchling?¡±


    Muller was shocked to discover the girl¡¯s identity once his energy recovered and his senses returned.


    A hatchling¡ªthe energy of the hatchling, who seemed to be a direct descendant of an old dragon, was warning him of great danger.


    A blue-haired beautiful woman whispered calmly to him, ¡°Calm down, Teacher.¡±


    Teacher?


    Muller was embarrassed by the title and the woman smiled at him. She nced down at the sword sheath hanging from her waist.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you leave a mark on the hilt of the sword to teach me deeply? I will serve as your lifelong disciple in the future.¡±


    It was the gori. The eyes that seemed paralyzed and the way she breathed out her nose was simr to the image he imagined.


    ¡°Just a bit... I think I need to rest.¡±


    The hero among heroes, who was respected by all¡ªin front of numerous witnesses, Sword Saint Muller appeared weak.


    It was a first in history.

 Chapter 1765

    <h4>Chapter 1765</h4>


    ¡°...Is it roughly like this?¡±


    On the first day of school, a student who hid his strength bumped into a woman who had top five fighting skills in the area and showed his skills...


    Lauel put down a novel that had recently be popr at the Overgeared Academy and fell silent.


    Itwas from aroundthe time that Lauel received a tip that Sword Saint Muller was heading to the No Offspring Tomb with Kraugel¡ªLauel predicted that the strongest Sword Saint of all time would soon be a member of the empire.As expected, his prediction was correct.


    The epic proved that Muller was fascinated by Grid from the very beginning.


    Lauel had to think about Muller¡¯s future course of action.


    Giving him a high title?


    Muller was a hero who wandered freely and cared for the people.Based on his disposition, a title could give him the feeling of shackles.Lauel was also afraid that he would be seen as trying to take advantage of Muller¡¯s reputation.


    There was the same logic behind making him the master of the Sword Tower.


    Lauel made a decision after much thought.


    Let¡¯s just give Muller whatever he wants.


    Then came his present troubles.It had been hundreds of years since Mullerst came out into the world.What if he hid his identity to enjoy freedom for a while, only to identally encounter one of the Overgeared God¡¯s apostles while wandering through the busy streets of Reinhardt?The strongest people of this era would recognize the strongest Sword Saint of all time, and in the end, they would have a battle of pride...


    ¡®...This is too improbable.¡¯


    However, people read it for this taste.


    Lauel opened the book about the transfer student who hid his power and started reading it again.It was to use his precious rest time wisely.


    Lauel inferred that the author of the novel was a yer.There was even a high probability of them being a member ofOvergearedGuild.It was because the information of the Overgeared Academy, which couldn¡¯t be grasped unless there was an official involved, was incorporated into the setting. It wasn¡¯t at the level of information leakage. It was stuck at an eptable line.


    ¡®Considering that there are three beautiful heroines and the main character is a shameless human who has a crush on all of them¡­ as expected, the author of this book is...¡¯


    There was a high probability that it was Damian.It must be a reflection of his own experience of loving allof the Reba¡¯sDaughters.The unique Japanese grammar also stood out.


    ¡®Okay, I will ask Damian to write a follow up sequel to target NPCs. It is in novel form to make it essible to people.¡¯


    There were many writers who worked in Satisfy.Time-pressed jobs usually relied heavily on Satisfy.Time was triple that of reality, so it was easier to meet deadlines.Experts expressed concern that it would overwork the brain, but the writers who had to meet the deadline just let it enter one ear and out the other.


    In any case, there were many world-ss bestselling authors in Satisfy, but Lauel wanted a more trendy authorIt was a writer with the ability to captivate the public instantly.It was just like the author of the novel about the transfer student h h h, which held a captivating power that didn¡¯t distinguish between yers and NPCs.


    ¡®It is important to increase the poption.¡¯


    The poption had decreased significantly since the great human and demon war and it wasn¡¯t showing signs of recovery.It was time for yers and NPCs to work together more than ever.


    With love.Intensely.


    They had to all work together to solve what Grid couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡®I must find out as soon as possible the reason why Grid hasn¡¯t been able to have a child in so long...¡¯


    It was a rare mystery.Why didn¡¯t Grid have any children since Lord?The spections that could¡¯ve run wild were tightly controlled by the Overgeared Guild and the empire.On the other hand, he was sending people from all walks of life to find out why Grid couldn¡¯t get another child.But there was little news...


    It happened as Lauel was murmuring to himself...


    [The apostles and servants of Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ have killed Baal, the 1st Great Demon who invaded the No Offspring Tomb.]


    A world message appeared.It took him a moment to really understand the content.It was that shocking.


    ¡®...They did itwithout Grid?¡¯


    A bolt of lightning shed throughLauel¡¯shead.


    Then he received news that Braham had returned to Reinhardt.


    ***


    ¡°LordBraham.¡±


    ¡°Prime Minister, what is going on?¡±


    Braham was trying not to miss the inspiration that hade randomly to him. He didn¡¯t want to be disturbed by anyone.However, Lauel was the exception.It was a bit unfortunate, but Braham was able to spare some time.


    Wasn¡¯t he the number one contributor who made the current Grid and empire?Lauel was one of the few humans that Braham respected.


    ¡°Please marry.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was just that Braham didn¡¯t respect Lauel enough to allow such nonsense.


    Braham examinedLauel¡¯sdetermined expression with cold eyes and slowly opened his mouth, ¡°Did your life suddenly be free? It seems you want to die.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you this from a long time ago? It will be a great help to Grid if people like you could hurry to marry and conceive the second generation.¡±


    ¡°Ah. There was such a story.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?Then what did you misunderstand?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. In any case, I told you that I¡¯m not interested in mating.¡±


    ¡°How can I make you interested?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°There must be at least one, right? Just tell me the minimum conditions.¡±


    ¡°If there is a member of the opposite sex who has an appearanceparable to me and a level of intellect that can intellectuallymunicate with me... I might think about it a bit.¡±


    ¡°Where in the world is there such a person...?Ah!How about Garion, the God of the Earth? Doesn¡¯t she have a beautiful appearance and is wise because she is taking care of the surface for a long time?¡±


    ¡°She is vulgar.¡±


    ¡°Huh?The God of the Earth is vulgar...?¡±


    ¡°Her clothes emphasize her chests and buttocks and every gesture is vulgar.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is in order to be worshiped by people...Um... I understand.¡±


    Lauel made a note in his memo pad in his head.Braham¡¯s taste seemed to be on the modest side.It was valuable information.


    ***


    The apostles and members of theOvergearedGuild returned.It was aboard the giant flying ship, the Tomb of the Gods, which was incorporated as part of the Overgeared World.


    People warmly weed them back as they returned after not only upying the No Offspring Tomb, but also defeating Baal.


    ¡°......¡±


    Sword Saint Muller was trembling.


    The crowds filling the city¡ªin Muller¡¯s era, there was only one case where such a crowd was gathered: when taking refuge.It was when people lost their homes or kingdoms, and formed a procession to seek a way to live.Now it was different.The joy and enthusiasm in people¡¯s expressions was something that Muller, who lived in the dark ages, never witnessed.


    ¡°This is the world that is saved by the seeds you sowed,¡± Grid approached him and said.He couldn¡¯t rte at all.It was because he didn¡¯t understand.


    Muller¡¯s face was filled with self-mockery.¡°I turned my back on my responsibilities, even though I was praised as a hero.¡±


    The waves of energy that were as sharp as a sword were like reeds in front of the wind.


    ¡°I turned away from the people I needed to save and left alone in order to survive. Please don¡¯t tter me so much.¡±


    Muller lowered his head as if he was looking for a mouse hole.


    Grid denied it.¡°No, you didn¡¯t turn away from people until the end. The proof is that you arranged for the Seven Malignant Saints to be great demons.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Thanks to your arrangement, mypanions and I were able toplete the expedition to hell safely.¡±


    The parts that benefited humanity because Muller existed¡ªthere would be an infinite number if Grid was to list them all.


    Thus, Grid spoke simply and sinctly, ¡°Humanity wouldn''t have progressed without you.¡±


    He was sincere.If Hell Gao hadn¡¯t given humanity a title that overcame the hell debuffs, Grid and the Overgeared Guild wouldn¡¯t have dared run wild in hell, and wouldn¡¯t have grown as they did now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the atmosphere by being weighed down with unnecessary guilt. Just think that everything is good,¡± Grid said these words before leaving, as if he had nothing more to say.


    Was it gentleness or bluntness?


    Grid¡¯s ambiguous attitudforted and supported Muller properly.


    ***


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel had intended to give Sword Saint Muller a secret identity.He judged that it was better to enjoy freedom for the time being to give him time to calm down.However, this couldn¡¯t happen.People instantly recognized Muller when he descended from the Tomb of the Gods.


    Was it due to the name above his head?No.Muller was wearing a hat.It was a hat that Kraugel gave him after being contacted by Lauel in advance. Thanks to this, his name wasn¡¯t exposed.


    People simply recognized Muller¡¯s identity by looking at his appearance.It was possible thanks to identifying his characteristics in advance through the proof shots posted on social media by the members of Overgeared.


    ¡°Should I issue a ban on social media?¡±


    ¡°S... Sorry...¡±


    The members of Overgeared sweated as they kept an eye on Lauel, who was rarely angry.


    That evening¡ª


    ¡°Huh?I didn¡¯t write that novel?¡±


    It was at the celebration party tomemorate the sessful conquest of the No Offspring Tomb and Muller joining them.


    Damian had a serious expression.¡°It isn¡¯t like everyone writes novels... I¡¯m not a writer...¡±


    ¡°Damian, it really isn¡¯t you? After listening to Lauel and reading it, it really seems like it was written byan insider.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Information that can¡¯t be known unless the author was rted to the Overgeared Academy was well incorporated into the setting.¡±


    ¡°There are thousands of Overgeared members. Why are you pointing to me as the culprit? Are you doubting me, Grid¡¯s most loyal follower?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a culprit... I¡¯m looking for a writer.¡±


    ¡°In any case, it isn¡¯t Damian. If it isn''t Damian... could it be Katz?¡±


    ¡°Get rid of the prejudice that only Japanese people write light novels.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t Katz either? Then who is it?¡±


    There was a tumultuous atmosphere after experiencing unexpected difficulties.


    ¡°It seems the writer doesn¡¯t want his identity to be known. Okay. Please send a whisper to me separately. I will strictly keep it a secret. If you are publishing a novel as a side job, aren¡¯t you a person who desires a good side ie or enjoys writing a novel? I will make sure your work is read by a lot more people in the future, to make your talent even more rewarding...¡±


    Lauel shut his mouth as he was talking passionately.It was because the writer sent him a whisper.


    -It is me.


    ¡°......¡±


    -The secret¡­besure to keep it.


    Itwas PeakSword.


    ***


    ¡°This is crazy even for someone crazy.¡±


    At Asgard...


    Rough words were heard in the beautiful and noble world of the gods.Subsequently¡ª


    An old angel with a belly was thrown into a dark, damp prison.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    It was the first pain he felt in his memories as an angel.However, it wasn¡¯t unfamiliar.This heartache...


    The angel quietly got up and grabbed his chest with his big, thick hand. He focused on his beating heart, while ignoring the red and blue bruises all over his body.The more he thought about Grid¡¯s face, the faster his heart was beating.


    ¡°Ahh... Uwaah...¡±


    The old angel with the belly¡ªthe legendary cksmith Khan had finally recovered all his memories and sobbed.They were tears of joy.


    There were people staring at him.


    ¡°The tears of an angel. You must¡¯ve regained your memories.¡±


    One was Hexetia, the God of cksmithing with blue and red mes on both nipples.


    ¡°Rather than providing me with a single room, the number of prisoners increased...? This humiliation... I¡¯ll never forget it!!¡±


    The other was Martial God Zeratul, who had shaggy hair.


    Khan quietly wiped away his tears and sat down.

 Chapter 1766

    Chapter 1766


    The Prison of Eternity¡ªit was the destination of the gods who sinned. It was rumored that there were more than one or two gods who could never escape from this dark prison and had been forgotten.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be self-conscious. Cry as much as you want.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s attitude whenforting the angel was very kind. As expected of the cksmithing god, he recognized the identity of the angel instantly. The smell of cold metal...


    The smell that Hexetia longed for had permeated the angel¡¯s body.


    Flinch.


    The amount of mes flowing from Hexetia¡¯s nipples naturally increased.


    ¡°Angels who regain their memories usually weep like you. I couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of these tears in the past, but now I think I vaguely understand. You must miss it.¡±


    Yearning for something. It was an emotion that a god inherently couldn¡¯t feel.


    However, Hexetia was different. He hadmitted a great sin. He confronted the rade,¡¯ who rose to heaven with a human body, with all his heart and repented for his mistakes. Therefore, he experienced regret and knew longing.


    The days when he yed with fire and metal to his heart¡¯s content. The scenes where his works became the learning and life of human beings. Now he wanted to hold onto all the moments that came like a dream.


    ¡°...It is an honor to meet the god of cksmiths.¡± The angel, Khan, bowed politely. He felt a bit of guilt. Khan was an angel made to fill the vacancy of Hexetia, who was in prison. It was hard for him to face Hexetia directly.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something you should feel sorry about.¡± Hexetia read Khan¡¯s inner thoughts andughed. ¡°On the contrary, all the gods should feel sorry toward you.¡±


    The very fact that he was forcibly raised to heaven and brought to the current situation...


    ¡°I am going to fall down from this outrageous behavior.¡± Zeratul suddenly interjected. Unlike the neatly dressed Hexetia, he was almost like a beggar. No one would¡¯ve recognized that he was the Martial God if it wasn¡¯t for his muscr body, which was as hard as divine stone, and his hands, which were as big as a pot lid. ¡°What type of nonsense are you talking about when sitting in this cramped prison, rotting and dirty? Don¡¯t waste time and find a way to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Zeratul, you... what type of feelings did you have when locking me up in here?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you asking the obvious? Of course, I put you in here to suffer forever until you are forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Those who locked you here up must¡¯ve felt the same way.¡±


    ¡°What...? Kukuk! Kuhahaha!¡± Zeratul looked stunned for a moment before he burst outughing. ¡°Hexetia! You are nothing more than a cow releasing useless mes from your nipples! I am the Martial God! The Only One God, Zeratul! I am different from you, whose role was reced by an angel! How can you put me on the same level as you when it will be a huge loss to Asgard if I am forgotten?¡±


    ¡°Do you still believe that you are special? This is the Prison of Eternity.¡±


    Hexetia didn¡¯t bother to mention Chiyou. He was too kind to hurt Zeratul by treating him as a fake or a clone. In the aftermath of meeting Grid, each and every human living a short life became precious. From Hexetia¡¯s perspective, Zeratul wasn¡¯t a target of resentment but a target of sympathy.


    ¡°There is no way to escape from the Prison of Eternity. Shouldn¡¯t you be aware of reality?¡±


    ¡°...Bullshit.¡±


    Zeratul flinched and shut his mouth for a moment. Then he growled like an animal.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be the Prison of Eternity...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Is this narrow room that is less than 10 pyeong [1] the Prison of Eternity that extinguished countless myths?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t deny reality and keep your mind intact. You put me in the Prison of Eternity. So does it make sense that this ce isn¡¯t the Prison of Eternity?¡±


    ¡°...Goddess Reba intervened. Yes, it is obvious. The Goddess took pity on me and destroyed the Prison of Eternity. Thanks to that, you were also saved.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Zeratul.


    Zeratul tried to ignore him. He didn¡¯t like the atmosphere so he hurriedly changed the topic. ¡°There must be a way out as long as this isn¡¯t the Prison of Eternity. We have to find a way to escape.¡±


    ¡°Zeratul, you...¡±


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hexetia and Khan listened carefully when Zeratul, who had been acting like a madman, suddenly mentioned Grid¡¯s name.


    Zeratul¡¯s expression became proud again. ¡°He is a rare swindler. Just look at the stage of the holy war where Ipeted fiercely with him. Then he gave it an absurd name like the ¡®Tomb of the Gods.¡¯¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zeratul suddenly brought up Grid¡¯s name and criticized him.


    It was the moment when the disappointed Hexetia and Khan tried to ignore him.


    ¡°He always deceives the world in his favor, but the deceit works very well because the foolish humans worship him. It is safe to say that even at this moment, the world is being tricked by him. He will definitely... he will definitely ascend to heaven again. No matter what naive means he uses, he will unconditionally do it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°He will want to fight me properly.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I fought against Grid at a disadvantage on the surface. He might¡¯ve defeated me, but he wouldn¡¯t have been satisfied at all.¡±


    Zeratuls¡¯ expression was meaningful. He was being really serious.


    ¡°Sooner orter, there will be an opportunity when Grid rises to heaven and disrupts order. Then it will be proven that this isn¡¯t the Prison of Eternity. We will be able to get out of here together.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep saying sophistry...?¡±


    Khan clicked his tongue. Zeratul talked nonsense from beginning to end and he seemed like a lunatic.


    Hexetia covered Khan¡¯s mouth and nodded. ¡°Okay, Zeratul. I will cooperate with you when the timees.¡±


    There were no eternal enemies. Hexetia knew this fact better than anyone else.


    ***


    ¡°Just like the upside-down statues here. You. Are unclean.¡±


    ¡°Because you defy the will of God. By performing miracles with a human body.¡±


    ¡°Your nature. It isn¡¯t divinity. It is going backward, it is treason.¡±


    ¡°That. It might be considered as God Yatan¡¯s wish.¡±


    ¡°In fact, a Saintess. Started appearing in human history. Only after God Yatan entered the long cycle.¡±


    ¡°Saintess. Perhaps it is the incarnation of Yatan.¡±


    The Specter¡¯s voice kept hovering in Ruby¡¯s mind. As everyone was enjoying the party, she alone held her cup with an ufortable expression.


    The Saintess¡ªan existence that proved themselves by practicing love for humanity. Ruby was still doing good deeds without taking a day off through quests that were divided into daily, weekly, and monthly quests. This was the only way to maintain the qualification of a Saintess.


    She often wondered. Why was the Saintess so phnthropic?


    Ruby was a yer. She only had to sacrifice herself when connected to Satisfy. It was a sacrifice forced by the system through ¡®quests,¡¯ so there was little resistance. On the other hand, all the other Saintesses in history were residents of this world. They gave their entire lives to helping others. They sacrificed themselves without expecting anything in return. How could an ordinary human do that?


    She had even more questions after learning about the concept of human gods. None of the Saintesses became human gods. It was the same for Ruby. People of the world worshiped her as a god and even established a religion dedicated to her.


    Nevertheless, Ruby was never judged to be a ¡®god.¡¯ Why was it like this for a Saintess? Why couldn¡¯t they be human gods even though they had achievements that deserved to be worshiped as a god?


    ¡®It is because we were incarnations of a god in the first ce.¡¯


    ording to the Specter¡¯s conjecture, a Saintess couldn¡¯t be a god because she was ¡®another form of a god¡¯ from the beginning...


    Ruby realized this and felt a huge fate. If there was the ¡®incarnation of Yatan¡¯ in thetent characteristics or identity of the Saintess¡ª


    She was really bing a necessary person for her brother. It was as if the world predicted Grid¡¯s future and chose her to be the Saintess.


    ¡®...Can I really handle this role?¡¯


    Ruby was both a healer and a buffer. She had to participate in most of the big wars. She had been involved in many wars, but she had little experience with shouldering great responsibilities like her brother. She only treated the wounded after her brother and his colleaguespleted their jobs. She had be used to relying on them like that.


    However, she had to be a main subject in the future.


    Khan¡¯s rescue. In other words, her brother needed someone he could ¡®fight with¡¯ as his ultimate goal was to conquer Asgard.


    ¡®Of course, I can do it. Whose sister am I?¡¯


    At least in this world, she had grown up watching her brother¡¯s back.


    Pat pat.


    Ruby shook off her worries and patted her cheeks to encourage herself. She looked like a crazy person. The image of her pouring alcohol nonstop and pping her own cheeks...


    ¡°What happened underground...?¡±


    It happened as some people were worried about Ruby¡¯s unusual behavior...


    ¡°In ten days, we will rescue the souls of Pagma and Alex.¡± Grid dered an expedition to hell.


    He aimed for a task that he had already failed several times.


    ¡°We have the moving Overgeared World. I think the odds are high.¡±


    It was Grid¡¯s judgment that there was no reason to dy.


    ¡°I will do as God wills.¡± Lauel agreed.


    This was the end. Theughing, chatting, and drinking members of Overgeared immediately stood up. It was to prepare for war in their own way.


    Everyone was aware of it. Hell? It was no longer something to be feared. It was just a stepping stone to gain experience before ascending to heaven. Their first goal was Khan. It was to bring him back to the surface that missed him.


    ¡®They don¡¯t care too much about Pagma...¡¯


    Grid inwardly pitied Pagma. He was a hero who saved the world like Muller. However, wasn¡¯t it the natural consequence of his misdeeds? There were so many things he did under the pretext of saving the world...


    In any case¡ª


    ¡®Let¡¯s wrap up the boring ss quest first.¡¯


    This time, Grid was determined to achieve his purpose. He couldn¡¯t even finish the ss quest of a legendary ss when he had be an Only One God?


    It was because this was a real disgrace...


    ***


    ¡°Finally...¡±


    In Hell...


    The 1st Great Demon, Baal, finally digested the qualifications of a God Killer and felt rare joy.


    A soulughed at him.


    -It is ridiculous that you are happy to barely gain my power, when I¡¯ve already passed away a long time ago.


    It was the soul of the yangban, Garam. The ego was so strong that the guy who endured years without being digested by Baal was still maintaining his sense of reason. It was evidence that all the pain of the distorted hell couldn¡¯t shake his ego in the slightest.


    At this point, Baal was also interested in him. ¡°I really want to give you a chance. Why don¡¯t you live a new life by my side?¡±


    -A chance? I am the one who makes the chances, not you.


    ¡°...You don¡¯t know how good it is.¡±


    Since when did this start happening? These days, he felt like everyone was looking down on him so Baal felt great skepticism. In this way, the ¡®fear¡¯ that was his origin would gradually fade. Such an absurd thought shed through his mind for a moment. Of course, that would never happen unless humanity was destroyed.


    ¡®In any case, time is on my side.¡¯


    He was destined to grow stronger as the years passed...


    Baal calmed down by recalling this unchanging truth andy down in a cradle in the darkness.


    He didn¡¯t realize that he might not have much time left.


    1. Korean unit of measurement. One pyeong=36 Korean square feet ?

 Chapter 1767

    <h4>Chapter 1767</h4>


    A long time ago.


    It was when Grid was a duke of the Eternal Kingdom.Grid and the members of Overgeared were taught swordsmanship by Piaro.They learnedvaluable lessons.They didn¡¯t gain strength that was expressed in numbers, such as their level or stats going up.


    Nevertheless, those who learned swordsmanship from Piaro clearly became stronger.They quickly learned the know-how that should¡¯ve been gained through actualbat.It was why Piaro was praised as the pir of the Overgeared Empire.


    Defeating the great demons who invaded the surface, leading the war against the kingdoms hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom, and resolving the food shortage by turning all types of devastatednd into rice paddies and agricultural fields¡ªin addition to his numerous achievements, Piaro was the teacher of Grid and the Overgeared members.


    He was treated more highly than a meritorious retainer by the people.He was a big shot among big shots.


    ¡°Pleaseteach your junior as well.¡±


    Piaro went to Sword Saint Muller and bowed his head.It was after Grid dered the hell expedition.The heroes of the empire scattered all across the continent for training, but Piaro remained in Reinhardt.It was because the best teacher, Muller, was in Reinhardt.


    Muller was puzzled.¡°I heard that you created this farnd.¡±


    ¡°Yes, farming is one of the few talents that this lowly junior can boast about.¡±


    ¡°You have made great achievements as a farmer. You shouldn¡¯t be humble.¡±


    ¡°Senior, how many people in the world can¡¯t be humble in front of you? Please don¡¯t use honorifics with me. I feel ufortable.¡±


    ¡°Um... But I¡¯m not your senior...¡±


    He could understand to some extent why Mercedes regarded him as a teacher.Mercedes was a knight who used swords.It wasn¡¯t strange for her to ask Muller to teach her.


    On the other hand, Piaro was a farmer.Muller was flustered when a farmer kept calling him Senior and asked him to teach something.He couldn¡¯t glimpse the remnants of the Matchless Sword from Piaro.


    Piaro had grown into a legendary farmer.Before he knew it, he hadpletely abandoned the form of a swordsman and built up his own martial arts.The fact that he was once a swordsman wasn¡¯t recognized by the greatest swordsman of all time.This meant Piaro was aplete farmer.


    ¡°The path you have walked is too precious for you to set your heart on the sword again. It will be a great loss to the world if you abandon the path of a farmer and be a swordsman.¡±


    Natural State¡ªall the energy of nature was seeping into Piaro in real time.Every breath and gesture of Piaro¡¯s won the world¡¯s favor.


    Muller recognized it instantly.It was the fact that the farmer in front of him was a person who would be more powerful as time passed.He was confident that the more prosperous the world became, without being threatened by demons or gods, the stronger that Piaro would be.


    However, Piaro had little faith in himself.


    ¡°This junior... was previously a swordsman,¡± Piaro confessed,¡°I was one of the countless swordsmen who admired you and dreamed of bing a Sword Saint. Yet along the way, I fell in love with the farnds. I abandoned the sword and picked up a hand plow. How can I dream of bing a swordsman again?¡±


    ¡°The lesson you want to get from me isn¡¯t swordsmanship.¡±


    Muller noticed it.The farmer in front of him wasn¡¯t sure if the path he took was really the right one and wanted someone to evaluate him objectively on his behalf.This was what Muller was suited for.


    ¡°The apostles are all outstanding.¡±


    Muller¡¯s hand was ced on the sword handle.It was the handle of an old iron sword.Far from being ugly, it looked precious like an old antique.


    ¡°You might have doubts if youpare yourself with them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The Absolutes of human origin, or those who were close to an Absolute, had something inmon.They had little experience with victory after victory.Neither Grid nor Hayate nor Muller.They started their lives from the position of an underdog.Even when they were hailed as heroes, they faced enemies far stronger than they were and were defeated repeatedly. Sleepless days weremon.It was just that they didn¡¯t break.


    ¡°I recall the time when I wandered around with a simr feeling to you. I guess I really am your senior.¡±


    Muller drew his sword from the sheath.It was different from the proud family heirlooms boasted about by famous swordsmen.It was dull rather than sharp, dark rather than shiny, and crude rather than shy.However, it was a sword that could cut anything.It was the ¡®greatest and most famous sword of all time¡¯ that shared every moment with Muller and was reborn as a famous sword.


    ¡°Come.¡±The words of the Sword Saint resembled a dragon¡¯s words.It made those with des in their hearts react immediately.


    Piaro reflexively maximized the powerof NaturalState and ran forward.He sowed seeds to make the terrain beneficial to him while narrowing the ground on which Muller was standing.


    Muller¡¯s sword shed through the surging beanstalks and intertwined sweet potato stems.


    ¡°Consider it a blessing that there are people who are catching up to you in a terrifying manner.¡±


    The faces of the members of Overgeared crossedPiaro¡¯smind as he barely deflected Muller¡¯s sword, which cut and scattered theyers of sweet potato stems.They were those who were below him only 10 years ago.


    Piaro was afraid of those who started walking at a speed simr to his.To be exact, he was nervous.He wondered if he was bing a worthless existence to them.However, Muller was right.He shouldn¡¯t be afraid.It should be regarded as a blessing.He wasable to develop steadily because there were those who supported him and spurred him on.


    Muller¡¯s shes fell like a thunderbolt at every moment.It wasn¡¯t simply a metaphor that he used because it was fast. It was because the form itself repeatedly bent at an angle.


    Piaro activated the White Tiger¡¯s Breath. Then the ground that assimted with him soared like a canyon before being destroyed in vain. It couldn¡¯t withstand Muller¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Be grateful that there are those who are ahead of you.¡±


    The faces of the apostles shed throughPiaro¡¯smind as he shot sweet potatoes and potatoes hanging from the stems like cannonballs to ward off Muller¡¯s advance.They were those who carried a huge history, unlike himself, who easily betrayed his nation due to being betrayed, and gave up his dream simply because he found a new path.They were noble from their origins and even their breathing was heavy.


    They steadily advanced with no hesitation and lightly overtook Piaro in every way.It was right that he should be grateful to them.They were those who inspired Piaro every moment.


    ¡°...I know.¡±


    The pitchfork wielded by Piaro noisily raised arge mound of dirt.It fired in a straight line, as if inspired by the Breath Grid onceshowed. This forced Muller to unleash a sword curtain.


    ¡°Unlike my senior, who was lonely, I have always understood that the environment I am in is a blessing. Even so, I didn¡¯t know how to manage myself because I repeatedly became anxious at every moment and became frustrated from envy.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Piaro had wandered.


    On the day when he realized he would never catch up with Zik and Braham...


    On the day when he waspletely overtaken by Mercedes, who was once his disciple...


    On the day he witnessed Nefelina carrying Grid on that little body...


    On the day that Mir recreated Muller¡¯s swordsmanship...


    Piaro¡¯s wanderings continued.He wandered again even after oveing it, so he distrusted himself.


    ¡°I...¡±


    I don¡¯t think I am qualified to be an apostle.


    Finally¡ª


    It was the moment when Piaro was about to express the truth he had been hiding for a long time...


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been a very good swordsman.¡±Muller suddenly said.It was while checking the texture of the field that Piaro had grown with the soles of his feet.¡°You have a good understanding of the environment needed for a swordsman to fully demonstrate their skills. The apostles who handle swords seem to be able to demonstrate their full skills only on thend you have grown.¡±


    Certainly.


    In the No Offspring Tomb, Mercedes tried to cooperate with Piaro.It was only after Piaro plowed the farnd that Mir started to act in earnest.Muller¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t perfect at the time, but he remembered the situation clearly.


    ¡°The amount of magic power contained in the soil is considerable...¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t Braham¡¯s magic also be multiplied in Piaro¡¯s presence?Muller thought about this and smiled.¡°I suspect that the other apostles are relying on you.¡±


    Just then, Piaro was enlightened.The people and soldiers who were able to feed themselves thanks to the crops that were harvested¡ªhe realized that they and the apostles weren¡¯t very different.


    ¡°I can assure you that the path you have walked is one of the best.¡±


    Muller drove in the nail again.The greatest Sword Saint of all time notarized the greatness of the farmer.


    [Sword Saint ¡®Muller¡¯ and the legendary farmer ¡®Piaro¡¯ have established a neww in the world.]


    [If you form a party with the ¡®farmer¡¯ ss in the future, the power of swordsmanship-rted skills you have learned will greatly increase.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    As a result, thanks to Piaro, those who chose the farmer ss increased.The stage of farmers was no longer confined to the farnds.For the farmers who already respected Piaro, Piaro was bing a great god.


    [Humanity worships your apostle ¡®Piaro.¡¯]


    [Your apostle ¡®Piaro¡¯ has gained 3 points of deity.]


    ¡°...What is happening again?¡±


    Grid had only recently realized it, but the apostles seemed to grow faster in his absence.Grid thought seriously while making a subtle expression like he didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.


    At this moment, he was in Reidan, not Reinhardt.It was to meet the Gray Dragon, Xenon.To be exact, it was the day when Xenon presented his scales.


    Grid fell into a happy worry.¡®Who should I make a dragonweapon for first?¡¯


    Of course, it was hard topare to Twilight.Nevertheless, the dragon weapon made from Xenon¡¯s scales was good enough.Based on Grid¡¯s current experience and skills, it was possible for him to create a weapon equivalent to Gujel¡¯s Fang.There were several peoplearound Gridwho could handle dragon weapons.


    The apostles, Hayate, and even Sword Saint Muller.No matter who it was gifted to, the power of humanity would rise rapidly.


    ¡®No matter what, it is right to give it to the apostles first. Zik uses the red energy contained in Saharan¡¯s Sword, so I should put Mercedes or Mir first...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s thoughts stopped.It was because a corner of the peaceful city was smashed right in front of his eyes.


    It was the aftermath of Xenon crashing down.A huge dragon helplessly plummeted to the ground.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Grid rushed forward in a hurry.Fortunately, there were no casualties.It was because Xenon fell toward an uninhabited ce.This was why Grid¡¯s response was slow in the first ce.


    ¡°Xenon? Hey! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Up close, Xenon¡¯s condition was disastrous.The absolute defense and scales were faded and his entire body was mangled.The thick scales near his heart hadpletely melted away.There was no heart where it should be.The remaining residual fire inside the melted scales was burning Xenon¡¯s flesh in real time.


    [I¡¯m... sorry...]


    The words he barely managed to utter were an apology.He seemed very sorry that he had destroyed Reidan again.


    ¡°First of all, healing...¡±


    It happened the moment when Grid tried to contact Ruby...


    [First... evacuate... humans...]


    Xenon shook his head weakly and urged Grid.Just then,va poured down from the sky.


    This was the first time Grid actually saw it.The sight of a dragon dying.


    [The Gray Dragon ¡®Xenon¡¯ has died.]


    An Absolute species, which lived forever and reigned over everything, turned to gray ash in vain.An ashen pir on a never before seen scale covered all of Reidan.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind cooled down.


    Grrr, grrr...


    The sound of a wild beast¡¯s breathing came closer.Red mes spread throughout the gray world.


    [The Fire Dragon, ¡®Trauka,¡¯ has emerged.]


    Probably the strongest of the old dragons.The culprit who isted Talima from the world.He was an Absolute being of the surface who was wounded by his daughter, originally an object of predation. Now he appeared in the world.Grid was projected onto his pupils, which were filled with all types of colors like they contained the universe.


    [I have a request to ask of you.]


    He spoke while chewing and swallowing Xenon¡¯s beating heart.

 Chapter 1768

    Chapter 1768


    The mes of Fire Dragon Trauka weren¡¯t extinguished. They remained even after Xenon¡¯s massive body turned to ash, engulfing Reidan¡¯snd and buildings. It was also about to engulf Grid.


    ¡®There is no need to be afraid.¡¯


    Fire, like metal, was a concept that formed Grid¡¯s mental world. In the Sanctuary of Metal, there was a hot fire in the background where all forms of battle gear were present. Grid believed that even though the mes of the Fire Dragon were very strong, he could control them.


    He was mistaken.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes gradually widened as he was closely watching Trauka. He btedly noticed that none of the bright red mes surrounding Reidan were burning it.


    Were these really the mes that turned Gray Dragon Xenon to ashes a moment ago? The mes of the Fire Dragon were so cold that such a question arose. The soil, vegetation, buildings, and people of Reidan¡ªeverything engulfed in the mes remained in shape.


    ¡®Mental world...¡¯


    Grid noticed the identity of the mes. This wasn¡¯t a by-product of the oxidation process. It wasn¡¯t an element of magic, nor a phenomenon reproduced by divinity or magic power. It was just the embodiment of Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s will. In other words, it was like Greed that made up the Sanctuary of Metal. It didn¡¯t allow the intervention of others. All the results of the mes were purely in ordance with Trauka¡¯s will.


    ¡°...A request?¡±


    There were some things that Grid couldn¡¯t tolerate. Hurting those he had a rtionship with and coveting his property. Fire Dragon Trauka was obviously Grid¡¯s enemy from the moment he harmed Xenon.


    Of course, Xenon wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s friend. They had no personal interactions. However, he was a valuable backer who provided the materials for a dragon weapon every month. It wasn¡¯t known what Xenon thought of Grid, but Grid was always grateful to Xenon. He personally had good feelings toward Xenon.


    Although Grid was very angry at Xenon¡¯s death, he decided to have a conversation for now. The value of Trauka¡¯s name was too high for Grid to demand that he pay for his crimes without a conversation. It was the same even though the modifier ¡®wounded¡¯ was attached to Trauka¡¯s name.


    Fire Dragon Ifrit, the one who made Grid the main character of ¡®Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡¯¡ªthanks to her targeting Trauka in an attempt at mutual destruction, the tower members spected that Trauka would have to recuperate for hundreds of years.


    Despite the spection, Trauka emerged from hisir and was active. He killed Gray Dragon Xenon so easily.


    A dragon heart¡ªhe was also absorbing the powerful magic power and vitality contained in Xenon¡¯s heart in real time. In the first ce, he was an old dragon. Putting aside his wounds, he was one of the strongest beings.


    ¡°What type of request are you going to make?¡± Grid suppressed his boiling anger and asked as politely as possible. Good anger management while hiding it from the opponent¡ªthis was one of Grid¡¯s advantages.


    As expected. Trauka¡¯s mes, which had been spreading all throughout Reidan, quickly died down. It was sucked into Trauka¡¯s mouth and nose, as if he was breathing in, before finally disappearingpletely. Trauka¡¯s body was surrounded by an intense light and rapidly shrank.


    A body size that was bigger than a great mountain¡ªhe took back the body that overshadowed half of Reidan and took on a human form. It was Polymorph. The human version of Trauka was a beautiful, red-haired man. Nevertheless, the pressure he gave off remained.


    His height was easily over two meters, his hair was like mes, his teeth were sharper than any other beast, and he had sanpaku eyes. [1]


    It could be clearly seen that this person was a non-human being. He lookedpletely different from Gourmet Dragon Raiders. The human version of Raiders had given Grid a sense of intimidation due to the mysterious eyes where no emotions could be read.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that Braham¡¯s master is a man who knows courtesy. I don¡¯t want to waste my strength unnecessarily.¡±


    ¡°Braham...¡±


    It happened a long time ago. It wasn¡¯t known where Braham got the courage, but he dared to rob Trauka¡¯sir. Part of the reason why Braham¡¯s self-esteem was so high was because he survived against Trauka. In any case, he had survived unharmed. Grid had interpreted it as a natural thing, not due to Trauka¡¯s mercy. For Trauka, Braham would¡¯ve been like a mayfly.


    Just as humans didn¡¯t remember and chase after every face they encountered in their daily lives, Trauka considered Braham to be insignificant and quickly erased Braham from his memory. Thus, Grid thought Braham survived safely. It was a misjudgment. Trauka clearly remembered Braham.


    ¡°Are you threatening me? Will you hurt Braham if I refuse the request?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to refuse my request?¡± Trauka asked in response to the very vignt Grid. It was a response that could never be imagined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Braham¡¯s safety. He has passed the ¡®standard,¡¯ so I have no intention of hurting him,¡± Trauka continued speaking as Grid was feeling dumbfounded.


    ¡°Standard...?¡±


    ¡°The standard by which I determine the value of an object.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want to understand. Trauka was a lunatic who ate his own children. Understanding a lunatic was impossible and unnecessary.


    Grid was ufortable with this encounter and quickly urged Trauka, ¡°Tell me what your request is.¡±


    ¡°Bunhelier¡¯s heart,¡± Trauka replied immediately, ¡°Your next destination is probably hell. I¡¯m sure that Bunhelier will try to apany you. Bunhelier needs to gain something from Baal in order to break his curse of weakness.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I want you to cooperate with him and betray him along the way, taking his heart. You will get one chance to hurt him as long as the stage is hell.¡±


    Killing a dragon and taking their heart? Trauka made it sound like an easy task, but it was a request with a nearly 0% sess rate. This was even considering the fact that Bunhelier would be weakened in hell. An old dragon who had lived forever wouldn¡¯t be stupid. He would be fully prepared for any danger.


    ¡®In the first ce, would I give it away if I could get the heart of a dragon?¡¯


    Grid barely suppressed the words welling in his throat and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to refuse without even hearing about the rewards?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you aiming for Bunhelier¡¯s heart in order to use it to help you recover? Your recovery will only increase the potential threat to humanity. Why should I help you?¡±


    ¡°There is a big misunderstanding. The surface is safe only when I am in a perfect state.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, it was nonsense that he never even thought about.


    ¡°Judar, Dominion, and the others. Unlike the fake Martial God, the reason why the smart heavenly gods don¡¯t cross the ¡®line¡¯ on the surface is so they won¡¯t provide me with an excuse,¡± Trauka exined to Grid, who was doubting his ears.


    Grid recalled something. The reason why gods and dragons didn¡¯t collide¡ªit was because they signed a non-aggression pact with Trauka, who had ¡®hunted¡¯ the heavenly gods in the past.


    ¡°You might not know because you have btedly be the world¡¯s protagonist, but the world has already established and maintained strong rules since the distant past. Only One God Grid, your role isn¡¯t as great as what you pride yourself on.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Eventually, Grid couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and his expression distorted.


    ¡°Trauka, putting aside your existence, hasn¡¯t the world repeatedlye to an end? How shameful is it to talk sophistry, as if the surface is safe thanks to your existence?¡±


    ¡°...Hmm.¡± Trauka was about to refute it, but he soon closed his mouth with an intrigued expression. He stared at Grid, who was gritting his teeth, and asked a question, ¡°Then can you stop the end of the world?¡±


    ¡°I am going to stop it,¡± Grid replied instantly, ¡°I can stop it, and I will stop it unconditionally.¡±


    In any case, it should be stopped. If Grid didn¡¯t stop it, people like Irene, Lord, Mercedes, and Basara would all disappear.


    ¡°Okay. I will cancel the request.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid btedly fell into a daze. He was so agitated that he offended Trauka, so he thought he would have to fight.


    Deep regret poured into him. Regardless of whether he won or lost, the aftermath of the fight would lead to Reidan¡¯s disappearance.


    Surprisingly, Trauka withdrew obediently. ¡°In fact, I am fully satisfied after receiving Xenon as a gift.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Gift? Grid couldn¡¯t understand these words at all and frowned.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you make Xenon visit the same ce regrly?¡± Traukaughed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you forcibly expose Xenon¡¯s location to give him as a gift to someone who might consider him as prey?¡±


    ¡°......!!¡± Grid was shocked. He felt like he had been hit in the head with a hammer.


    ¡°In particr, I just happened to need an elixir. It is because of you, who cooperated with my daughter, Ifrit.¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°I thought you offered me Xenon to avoid my anger. In any case, it was a good thing. Your sincerity has relieved some of my anger.¡±


    ¡°No!!¡±


    Grid¡¯s divinity responded to his anger. The Yellow Dragon uncoiled and raised itself up. Then it opened its mouth as if to devour Trauka. It was infinitely smallpared to Trauka¡¯s main body.


    Trauka didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°Put that away unless you want to make Xenon¡¯s sacrifice futile.¡±


    Sacrifice. Grid was once again shocked. Could it be that Xenon silently visited Reidan even though he knew he would be in danger? There was a huge flood of guilt.


    Trauka turned his back to thepletely stunned Grid and created a warp gate. It was a warp connected with hisir. At first nce, the scenery of their waspletely different from when Grid had visited it in the past. The location itself seemed different. The supreme old dragon had moved the position of hisir. It was evidence that Trauka¡¯s physical condition was more serious than it seemed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve canceled the request, but I won¡¯t refuse if you bring me Bunhelier¡¯s heart. I¡¯ll pay you the rewards you deserve. If the opportunityes, think about it... what?¡±


    Trauka gasped as he was entering the warp gate.


    The woman¡¯s ck hair, shaded from the sun with a parasol, was disturbing Grid¡¯s shaky vision. ¡°Why are you bothering my dear husband?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s body was sucked into the crack in the warp gate that was quickly closing after the burning Trauka. Only the parasol remained and rolled to Grid¡¯s feet.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The members of the Tower of Wisdom arrived at the scene one stepter. After confirming that Grid and Reidan were safe, they analyzed the remnants of the warp gate with relief.


    Grid watched them silently while taking care of the muddy parasol. This time as well¡ªMarie Rose arrived at the scene faster than anyone else. She sensed Grid¡¯s crisis one step faster than the tower members who always monitored the movements of dragons.


    ¡®...She is always watching me.¡¯


    Grid questioned it again. Had he ever properly thanked Marie Rose?


    Grid carefully ced Marie Rose¡¯s parasol in his inventory and asked, ¡°Can you track it?¡±


    It was with an expression full of killing intent. He was ready to chase and fight Trauka right away.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, replied cautiously. Even if they found Trauka¡¯s location, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell Grid easily.


    It happened the moment when Grid was about to feel frustrated...


    ¡°Be sure to find it,¡± Hayate ordered the tower members.


    No objections were received.


    1. Literally ¡®three whites¡¯. Refers to eyes where the white space above or below the iris is shown and in physiognomy (reading personal qualities from the face), it generally has a negative impression. https://.tsingapore/article/sanpaku-eyes-marilyn-monroe-billie-eilish/) ?

 Chapter 1769

    Chapter 1769


    A dragon radar¡ªit was an artifact developed by Radwolf. It detected the signs of an adult dragon in real time. The higher the hierarchy, the more intensively it monitored them. In other words, the tower members basically tracked targets based on the signs caught by the dragon radar. The reaction was bound to be dyed if the target was out of range of the radar surveince.


    In that sense, they werecent. The Tower of Wisdom had already missed Trauka¡¯s traces of months.


    ¡®It is too harsh an assessment to say we werecent.¡¯


    Radwolf clicked his tongue as he investigated the surroundings with an energy meter. The remnants of the energy identified by the measuring instrument was clearly below the standard value. It was to the extent that it was doubtful that the Fire Dragon really appeared in this area. It was evidence that Trauka¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t as good as the tower members had assumed.


    Trauka was extremely weak in the aftermath of Ifrit¡¯s attempt at mutual destruction. This meant he was in a natural position to hide his traces. In other words, the reason why the tower missed Trauka¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t because ofcency. It was due to Trauka¡¯s defense mechanism.


    The tower member had no choice but to discover Trauka¡¯s emergence in Reidan one stepte. However, Marie Rose immediately grasped it. Did it mean that her knack for reading a dragon¡¯s energy was superior to a dragon radar?


    ¡®There is no way.¡¯


    Radwolf was aware that the cause of the incident was extremely simple. The tower members had been monitoring ¡®dragons,¡¯ while Marie Rose was only watching ¡®Grid.¡¯ The difference made Marie Rose move one step faster.


    ¡°Can you track it?¡±


    Grid also seemed to have noticed that he was very favored by Marie Rose. His murderous expression proved it. He was ready to chase and fight Trauka right away.


    Fronzaltz exchanged nces with Radwolf and replied cautiously, ¡°It isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    He analyzed in real-time the coordinates contained in the remnants of Trauka¡¯s warp gate while pretending not to know anything. He hoped that Grid¡¯s anger would subside. Right now, Grid felt like a ticking time bomb. It felt like he was going to explode the moment he encountered Trauka. Fronzaltz knew it was going to be dangerous and couldn¡¯t tell Grid where Trauka was.


    Hayate seemed to think differently. ¡°Be sure to find it.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, were flustered by Hayate¡¯s unexpected order and tried to express their disagreement.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to miss the opportunity that Marie Rose provided for us.¡±


    Hayate cut off the words of the brothers. Of course, the stubbornness of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, was enormous. They were intellectuals and scientists. They were nothing if not stubborn.


    -What chance did she provide? Did she leave the coordinates so we could chase through the warp gate? What chance is this? I have to wonder if she is driving us to the brink of a cliff.


    Radwolf¡¯s words poured out in a rapid fire manner.


    -It is reasonable to confront the Fire Dragon just because his condition isn¡¯t perfect?


    In the first ce, half of the old dragons weren¡¯t in a perfect condition. Bunhelier was cursed by Baal, and Nevartan was cursed by Bunhelier and Baal. However, no one dared to harm an old dragon. It was the same even for the heavenly gods who suffered humiliation from them in the past.


    They would rather treat the dragons like beings that didn¡¯t exist. It was proof that the strength of the old dragons was greater than the tower members thought. By trying to fight them when they were weakened, it was highly likely to encounter unexpected variables and be hit in reverse.


    -How long are we going to run away?


    Hayate, who had been listening to Radwolf in silence, finally asked back. He recalled the courage he had regained thanks to Grid, as well as the pledge he made on the day he regained his courage, and continued speaking.


    -I, no, we can¡¯t run away any longer.


    It was impossible to measure the power of dragons with the current power of humanity. But someone had to measure it. It was only then that they could find hope and a future.


    This role. It was naturally right for the Tower of Wisdom to take charge of it.


    -Let¡¯s not forget our role.


    ¡°Cough...¡±


    Radwolf could no longer refute it and nodded. He vowed to make sure that Grid wouldn¡¯t be endangered, no matter what happened. In the first ce, the tower members were heroes. They didn¡¯t forget their duty. The reason why the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, gave a negative opinion about pursuing Trauka was purely out of concern for Grid. They wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it if Grid was forced to fight against Trauka and had an ident.


    Hayate knew this as well, but he was still urging a pursuit. Perhaps it was because he was confident that he could protect Grid or because he didn¡¯t have the confidence to stop Grid. The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, could only hope that it was the former of the two options.


    Hayate read the thoughts of his colleagues and couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡®They aren¡¯t considering Marie Rose at all.¡¯


    Hayate had cooperated with Marie Rose. He had experienced the fact that she was incredibly powerful. In other words, he sincerely evaluated this situation as an ¡®opportunity created by Marie Rose.¡¯


    However, the members didn¡¯t seem to realize it. It was natural. They hadn¡¯t seen Marie Rose¡¯s skills in person.


    ¡®Of course, there is no room to rx.¡¯


    Marie Rose¡¯s power was temporary. She was unable to do anything against her eyelids that quickly became heavy. The opportunity she created would probably easily turn into a crisis. Thus, they had to hurry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The energy of a Dragon yer released from Hayate diffused into the light and made a clear sound. It gradually stabilized Grid¡¯s nervous mind. In fact, this sound was made to provoke the dragons. It contained the desire to reach Trauka. The killing intent that extended all over the continent started to head in this direction.


    ¡°Even if we all die, we will protect your lover.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    There were more than one or two facts to tackle, so Grid just kept his mouth shut.


    ***


    ¡°You, are you crazy?¡± Trauka couldn¡¯t hide his agitation after allowing Marie Rose to pursue him. He didn¡¯t think it was disgraceful behavior. Even if Trauka was in a perfect state, he would¡¯ve been shaken when experiencing the current situation.


    A vampire duke, Marie Rose¡ªshe was Beriache¡¯s ideal. The one with the highest ¡®potential¡¯ among Yatan¡¯s three children sacrificed everything to give birth to Marie Rose, who was right in front of him. She was the only being on the surface who wasparable with the old dragons.


    Of course, there was a premise of ¡®when the conditions are met.¡¯


    Trauka was currently seriously injured. It was to the extent where he moved hisir because he was wary of the pursuit of other old dragons. In other words, the arrogant dragon abandoned his pride. The wounds inflicted by his unfilial child were greater than what was publicly known. He had just recovered slightly, but it was nothingpared to when he was in a good state.


    ¡°You dare to invade myir?¡±


    Trauka nervously moved his right arm to take off Polymorph and regain the body of a dragon. The huge dragon¡¯s front paw weighed down on Marie Rose¡¯s barrier and broke it. It crushed her whole.


    Red blood gushed from between Trauka¡¯s toes. It quickly came together again and took the form of a beautiful woman. It was Marie Rose, who was intact without a scratch.


    ¡°You invaded my dear husband¡¯snd first.¡±


    One of Trauka¡¯s ws was torn off. Trauka had torn it off on his own. He removed it the moment he detected that some of Marie Rose¡¯s blood had prated through the scaly gap.


    ¡°Invaded? I just went to get a gift?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call it a gift. That will hurt my dear husband.¡±


    ¡°You have been saying crazy and annoying things since earlier. Do you really believe that you, a vampire, can be a god¡¯s bride?¡±


    Trauka¡¯s right arm contracted. It changed into a human arm again and pressed down on Marie Rose¡¯s throat, crushing her to the ground.


    ¡°One who bears Beriache¡¯s grudge. Go to hell and fight with Baal. Why lose your ce and offend me?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s thin neck, which was pinned to the ground and crushed by Trauka¡¯s arm, finally broke. It rattled as it turned at a strange angle.


    Trauka frowned. He was surprised by the physical endurance of Marie Rose¡¯s body, which was able to handle his own strength which was too much even for most giant dragons to handle. Then the blood flowing from Marie Rose¡¯s red, thick lips took the form of a magic circle. It was blood magic that promoted the caster¡¯s recovery while prating into any body it made contact with.


    Trauka saw through the magic properties the moment it was triggered and backed off in a panic. It was an attitude of treating her like the gue.


    Marie Rose stood up quietly, straightened her broken neck bone and said, ¡°My dear husband kissed me. You are a cowardpared to my dear husband. How did you reign with only this much courage?¡±


    [...It is unpleasant just to be in the same space as you. Get out of here.]


    In the end, Traukapletely removed Polymorph. At best, he was willing to risk the copse of his newly createdir. He was ready to go on a rampage with his real body and drive Marie Rose away. He had no thoughts of killing her.


    The tricky thing about ¡®real vampires¡¯ was their near-infinite vitality. Moreover, Marie Rose¡¯s durability was at the level of an old dragon. Killing someone like that? It would be a loss from the moment he decided to kill her. He would inevitably have to waste a lot of time.


    Then mes spread throughout the hugeir. They were mes created by Trauka¡¯s will. It was a strong self-defense that symbolized the Fire Dragon.


    Thanks to the mes, Marie Rose¡¯s blood no longer attempted to prate Trauka¡¯s body. To be precise, there was no point. From this moment on, Marie Rose¡¯s blood would immediately evaporate and be useless.


    From now on, it would be a battle of pure magic versus magic, power versus power. And in this world¡ª


    There was no species that used magic better than the ancient dragons. There was no existence that was more powerful than an old dragon. It was aw that applied even if Trauka was seriously injured.


    As an old dragon, his species itself was superior to all other species. Additionally, Trauka had the strongest power and magic power among the old dragons. Therefore, Trauka¡¯s victory was inevitable.


    Trauka¡¯s wings pped and flipped Marie Rose¡¯s vision dozens of times. It was the aftermath of the storm caused by the pping of the wings. Marie Rose¡¯srge eyes, which had been half-open under the influence of the Curse of Sloth, opened wide.


    ¡®I can wake up through this way.¡¯


    She felt rare admiration. She was pushed all the way to the doorway of their and stretched out her slender arms. Her ck-blue dress fluttered randomly while her slender hands fumbled for the treasured sword stuck into a gap of the treasures piled up like a mountain.


    [A sword? Are you going to use this misceneous thing?]


    Traukaughed. Marie Rose was a being who relied purely on inherited power. She might be superior to Beriache in every way, but she couldn¡¯t use techniques that Beriache couldn¡¯t use. Of course, it was possible for her to copy the skills of the target whose blood she sucked. However, she was currently in a pure state. She wasn¡¯t in a state where she had sucked another being¡¯s blood. Despite this, she was holding a sword.


    Trauka almost suspected that she had hit her head incorrectly on a stctite while she was swept away by the storm earlier.


    ¡°I told you.¡±


    Step.


    Marie Rose used magic to suppress the influence of the storm and nted her feet on the ground. Her gestures as she slowly approached Trauka, who was thousands of times bigger than herself, were graceful without being bewitching. It felt like her grace itself had changed. Her gentle steps gradually resembled a dance.


    ¡°I kissed my dear husband.¡±


    Grid¡¯s Sword Dance¡ªGrid¡¯s blood, which Marie Rose cherished deep in her body, was now reproducing Grid¡¯s skills. It was a very elegant sword dance thatbined six types of dances into one.


    ¡°Drop Dragon¡­¡±


    [......!]


    ¡ªPinnacle Link Kill Wave.


    A dragon fell.


    Marie Rose threw away the treasured sword that had shattered in the aftermath of digging into the dragon¡¯s scales and spoke with her back to the flickering mes, ¡°Dragon who reigned in the world before my dear husband was born¡­¡±


    [......]


    ¡°You had better apologize to my dear husband.¡±

 Chapter 1770

    Chapter 1770


    [...Yes.]


    Fire Dragon Trauka slowly raised his head. The deep, long pit on the ground was a sign of his jaw being stuck there. It was a symbol of the unprecedented event made by a vampire who did a six step dance.


    [I admit it.]


    The scales of Trauka¡¯s head, which had been smashed by a powerful attack, quickly regenerated and joined together. The procession of red scales that adsorbed into each other without leaving a single gap was like a wall. It was an endless wall that couldn¡¯t exist on the surface. It was a wall that the heavenly gods couldn¡¯t cross and gradually painted red with their own blood.


    [The world has changed.]


    Dragon who reigned in the world before my dear husband was born...


    Trauka reflected on Marie Rose¡¯s words. He took it seriously, rather than hastily denying it.


    Certainly, the world was different from the one that Trauka remembered. In less than a year, he had already been hurt twice. The first wound was dealt by an unfilial child who didn¡¯t care about her father¡¯s position at all, and the second was dealt by a mad vampire.


    The two of them had something inmon. It was the fact that they wielded the power gained from the newly born Only One God, Grid. Yes, he was the one who created this unprecedented event. He proved that the world had changed by inflicting two wounds on Trauka, who had ruled for eternity.


    [The influence of an Only One God isn¡¯t something to be ignored. It is so shocking that I can¡¯t help thinking back to when I first saw Chiyou.]


    Why did the dragons sign a nonaggression pact with the gods? It was because it was Reba¡¯s will. Trauka had decided that it would be unwise to confront Reba. Thus, he made a promise and kept it. Technically, he was controlled.


    Meanwhile, Chiyou was different. Perhaps the only one Reba couldn¡¯t control was Chiyou. It was to the point where he saved Hanul, who thought he was going to die.


    Trauka had to admit it. An Only One God was special and Grid was also an Only One God. But¡ª


    The total amount of ¡®specialness¡¯ was different for each existence. Moreover, Trauka himself was special.


    [But that is it. I don¡¯t think Grid¡¯s influence is enough to make me apologize.]


    Dragons don¡¯t forget.


    Trauka clearly remembered Beriache¡¯s abilities. She could reproduce the power of the target whose blood she sucked from the minimum to the maximum. In order to reproduce it again, there was a condition that the blood must be sucked again. Reproducing it to the maximum meant sacrificing something. This was even assuming that Marie Rose was better than Beriache.


    Currently, Marie Rose was in a state where the ¡®blood was consumed¡¯ and partially ¡®damaged.¡¯


    Drop Dragon¡ªshe wasn¡¯t in a position to use that arrogant sword technique of dropping dragons again. She couldn¡¯t afford to make any more variables.


    [One who bears Beriache¡¯s grudge. The world will seem very simple to you. It is divided into whether your mother¡¯s vengeance is aplished andpleted, or whether it fails and can¡¯t bepleted.]


    Trauka¡¯s huge eyes contained the universe. It had a colorful glow and contained a history unknown to modern humans. There were countless experiences and emotions.


    [However, the real world isn¡¯t as simple as what you know. This isn¡¯t the domain of an individual. There is too much at stake.]


    The mes intensified as the Fire Dragon¡¯s breathing intensified. The presence of the wounded old dragon swelled beyond his size. He proved that he was the center of the world.


    Marie Rose wasn¡¯t intimidated. Who was she up against now? She had never forgotten for a single moment. Putting aside her calm expression, she had been prepared to die when she came here. There was no grand reason. She just wanted Grid to be respected. He was the man she chose.


    [...I think it would be less frustrating than this if I sat down and talked to that jerk.]


    Trauka noticed it.


    The vampire in front of him¡ªall his words were entering one ear and going out the other. The serene eyes were the proof. The desire in those red eyes was the same from the beginning to now.


    [You are crazy.]


    Marie Rose¡¯s vision sank downward. The ground she stood on waspletely smashed by Trauka¡¯s tail, which had moved like a thunderbolt. Then a battle took ce in the Realm of the Absolute, where the fragments of the copsed ground hadpletely frozen.


    Marie Rose and Trauka crossed the debris and relentlessly threatened each other.


    Trauka¡¯sir, which was huge enough to hold several mountains, copsed in an instant. If observed from the outside, Trauka¡¯sir resembled the moon at first nce. It was like the moon sunk to the ground. It was because it was round.


    Trauka¡¯s nest that he carved out of a few mountains was a realm of art that couldn¡¯t be surpassed by a human level. Now a small hole was drilled in the lower part of it.


    A stream of fire pursued the woman who shot out noisily from the pierced hole. It was a Breath. It was the first time Trauka showed off a proper weapon.


    [Go to hell, one who bears Beriache¡¯s grudge. It is better for you to wallow in a worthless life, just as you have been doing all your life. Isn¡¯t that the reason for your insignificant existence?]


    The Fire Dragon was the worst type of opponent for Marie Rose. Trauka was wrapped in mes of willpower that melted anything and they repeatedly evaporated Marie Rose¡¯s blood before she could try anything. He sealed her blood magic and power in real time.


    Even so, Marie Rose showed no signs of agitation.


    A monstrous existence¡ªshe didn¡¯t hesitate to fight in strength against an old dragon.


    She pierced through the mes and scratched Trauka¡¯s scales with her nails. Before the scars in the scales could heal, she inserted her hand that had shapened like de and ripped them apart. In order to crush his body, she grabbed the flying tail and threw it away, exposing the belly of the dragon under her feet.


    There was a sound like a balloon popping. It was the noise from Trauka¡¯s belly as it was trampled on by Marie Rose¡¯s small, white feet. Anyone would mistakenly believe that a hole had been drilled. Yes. It was an illusion. Even if a mosquito stung a human, there was no way the human¡¯s skin would explode. The difference in physique between Marie Rose and Trauka was so great that it could bepared to that.


    It was obviously like this.


    ¡®...This person, no way?¡¯


    Trauka raised his fierce eyes. The skin of his belly was convulsing. He tried not to make it obvious, but the pain of being trampled on by Marie Rose was surprisingly great.


    ¡®She didn¡¯t lose anything?¡¯


    It was a little while ago. Marie Rose recreated Grid¡¯s swordsmanship using the blood of the Only One God. It must¡¯ve been Grid¡¯s ultimate move. In other words, she wielded the Only One God¡¯s ultimate skill as if it was her own strength. She naturally would¡¯ve paid a heavy price.


    If it was Beriache, her strength would¡¯ve decreased by half. However, Marie Rose showed no signs of weakening at all.


    ¡®You created a monster that exceeded expectations.¡¯


    Beriache¡ªbeyond taking revenge on Baal, perhaps she also wanted to establish a new guardian in hell?


    ¡®Poor thing.¡¯


    Trauka snorted and elerated his speed. His huge wings moved so fast that they blurred and twisted the trajectory of things around them. The number of Marie Rose¡¯s missed attacks became frequent. asionally, her fingernails would graze Trauka¡¯s scales, causing sparks to fly and her fingernails to fall off.


    The fire dragon¡¯s body was heating up. As he entered the atmosphere, his body glowed like a meteorite burning from the frictional heat. It was a physical phenomenon created bybining the speed of an Absolute with the mes of willpower.


    Steam spread every time the wounds on Marie Rose¡¯s body increased. It was the aftermath of her flowing blood evaporating immediately.


    ¡®I¡¯ll blow her as far away as possible.¡¯


    The dragon¡¯s long tail was clinging to the skin of his belly. The moment the Fire Dragon reached a certain speed, he was going to expand and show off a tremendous force that would blow Marie Rose to the other side of the continent. Finally, the tail fell away from the belly and stretched out like a whip. It struck Marie Rose¡¯s small body.


    Marie Rose couldn¡¯t hold on. Her body would shatter the moment she tried to hold out against the flow of power. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t die from this much. However, it would be impossible for her to regenerate immediately because it consumed a lot of stamina. It was like asking for danger.


    Trauka thought that Marie Rose would obediently leave this ce. He predicted that she would save her own life by going along with the flow of power of the tail and flying away. It was natural. Marie Rose was different from Ifrit. She might be crazy, but she had no reason to cling to Trauka at the risk of her life. However...


    [......]


    Marie Rose showed more obsession than necessary. The moment she was struck by his tail, she didn¡¯t choose to fly away. Instead, she nted her feet on the ground like a tree rooted in the ground. She raised her arm to block Trauka¡¯s tail and held on.


    The price was severe. Both arms were shattered. Some of the sides of her body couldn¡¯t be protected by her arms and were destroyed without leaving a trace. Her blood evaporated without a trace. Her unsightly figure neatly stretched out like ughtered livestock.


    [Are you going to die here? Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You have a separate duty to carry out, right?]


    Trauka felt excruciating pain. His tail had also exploded in the aftermath of Marie Rose¡¯s collision with his self-defense. A weapon he had been boasting about for eternity was horribly damaged. It didn¡¯t recover easily. It was because he also drained his physical strength. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t in a perfect condition.


    On the contrary, Marie Rose¡¯s red eyes were regaining their vitality as she met his eyes. Her Curse of Sloth had been briefly shaken off due to the pain.


    ¡°Trauka, do you know how your child feels?¡±


    [......?]


    It was a strange question. Trauka cocked his head.


    ¡°Have you ever understood the feelings of your child in the egg who must¡¯ve felt relieved when feeling the signs of you sleeping soundly next to her?¡±


    [...What are you saying?]


    The topic started to divergepletely off track. Trauka once again realized that the vampire in front of him was purely crazy. It was natural since she didn¡¯t respond at all no matter what type of conversation he tried to have. Then she suddenly started talking nonsense.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t thought about it.¡±


    Marie Rose remembered.


    The day of her birth. The moment when the hand that reached out to hold his mother¡¯s hand was thrown away.


    The way Trauka ovepped her with her mother every time he treated her as ¡®the one who bears Beriache¡¯s grudge.¡¯ In Marie Rose¡¯s opinion, Trauka, who preyed on his children, resembled Beriache, who made her children bear the burden of vengeance. It was the attitude of treating children as the tools of their parents.


    ¡°You might not understand, but hell and Baal aren¡¯t my concerns.¡±


    Therefore, she was discussing her duties about hell and Baal without a second thought.


    Marie Rose got back to the point.


    ¡°Apologize to my dear husband.¡±


    Just then, Trauka¡¯s gaze shifted to the sky behind her, rather than Marie Rose. A sunset that didn¡¯t suit the deep night was coloring the sky. A familiar presence wasing. It was the presence of Only One God Grid.


    [Do you believe in him?]


    Traukaughed.


    [I just experienced Grid¡¯s ultimate skill through you. Purely thanks to you, I am certain that he isn¡¯t a big threat to me.]


    Just in time, Trauka¡¯s tail finished regenerating.


    Marie Rose¡¯s arms had also been restored to their full, intact appearance. However, Marie Rose¡¯s sides hadn¡¯t recovered yet. Marie Rose staggered as steam persistently rose.


    [Grid¡¯s joining won¡¯t change the situation.]


    Trauka¡¯sughter turned into ridicule. Then it happened in an instant. He aimed for the moment when Marie Rose turned her back to him as she stared at the approaching sunset.


    Trauka fired a Breath. It was intended to drive out both Marie Rose and Gridpletely.


    ¡°I never reproduced my dear husband¡¯s ultimate skill.¡±


    He ignored the nonsense that entered his ears.


    ¡°To be precise, there is no way to reproduce it.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s six fusion sword dance was definitely powerful. Despite suffering from the Curse of Sloth, her stats transcended Grid¡¯s. But was her sword dance really more powerful than Grid¡¯s sword dance?


    ¡°I can¡¯t exceed the potential of the target whose blood was sucked and I don¡¯t have a dragon weapon.¡±


    No, rather, it was weak. The six fusion sword dance reproduced by Marie Rose was missing ¡®Twilight¡¯ and ¡®Ultimate Martial Art.¡¯


    Grid approached while ignoring the Breath that melted his body and shed at Trauka.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Trauka had a hunch. It was dangerous.


    [I, can¡¯t be, cut.]


    This was why he gave up his pride and urgently shouted the Dragon Words. A new providence was oveid on top of his absolute defense and scales. It was a principle andw that governed the natural world.


    Twilight, held in Grid¡¯s hands, repeatedly slipped without cutting Trauka¡¯s red scales. Twilight spun in Grid¡¯s hands. It was held in reverse.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    It was simple. Grid couldn¡¯t cut, so he stabbed.


    It pierced Trauka¡¯s huge body.

 Chapter 1771

    Chapter 1771


    The moon on the horizon shook wildly. It was due to the wave of power caused by the invader. Finally, the moment when the glowing sunset spreading from the invader¡¯s fingertips defeated the night¡¯s darkness, a chain of cracks like a spider web appeared on the surface of the pale moon.


    [Only One God Grid...]


    The owner of the moon didn¡¯t care. He had no time to worry about hisir, whose location had already been exposed and had lost its value. He repaired the wounds of his pierced body while observing Grid.


    [Dragon Fear has greatly reduced all your stats and paralyzed your actions.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The mes of the Fire Dragon have started to burn your body and mind.]


    [You have resisted.]


    [The mes of the Fire Dragon have started to burn the items you are wearing.]


    [The eyes of the Fire Dragon are observing you. Some information about your level, stats, titles, and skills will be exposed.]


    [Your level has increased.]


    The moment when he pierced the body of the old dragon, Grid¡¯s experience gauge rose by nearly 15%. Fire Dragon Trauka had given him more experience than anyone else he had fought. The 1st Great Demon, Baal; Martial God Zeratul, who descended to the surface; the cursed Evil Dragon Bunhelier; and Eve, the apostle of Yatan¡ªnone of them wereparable to Trauka.


    ¡®This is even though he is weakened.¡¯


    Grid frowned. A lot of experience points wasn¡¯t good news. On the contrary, it was proof of the huge level difference between Grid and Trauka.


    In fact, the damage of Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link wasn¡¯t dealt properly. Among all the movements included in the sword dance, all the damage of the ¡®shes¡¯ were negated by the Dragon Words.


    The Dragon Words of an old dragon¡ªeven the effects of ¡®Conditional Sword Saint¡¯ and Twilight were neutralized. Considering that a dragon¡¯s scales and absolute defense could be easily sliced like tofu when these two effects werebined, the power of Dragon Words was indeed unbelievable. Naturally, the Castration Eye that he used with the feeling of grasping at straws when doing the sword dance didn¡¯t take effect.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a difference in status.¡¯


    It was just that the concept of Dragon Words was that special and powerful. It was natural. It was the power to establish providence. Of course, it wasn¡¯t omnipotent. If Dragon Words was omnipotent, then Trauka would¡¯ve made himself ¡®invincible¡¯ with it.


    However, Trauka didn¡¯t do so. He just strengthened himself to the point of negating some of the damage. Nor was it used in a way that weakened Grid. It meant there were limitations in many ways.


    ¡®I am d, but...¡¯


    The Dragon Words that Grid had experienced had the power to reverse the battle. Didn¡¯t even Nefelina¡¯s iplete Dragon Words y a huge role? It had to be taken into ount that Trauka was an old dragon. Trauka might have limited use of Dragon Words, but there was a possibility that Trauka could be truly invincible at some point due to the ovepping restrictions of Dragon Words.


    ¡®Let¡¯s remember.¡¯


    The existence in front of him was a monster who fiercely hunted the gods of Asgard. It was right to assume the worst case scenario in a confrontation. It was better to aim for a speedy resolution.


    In front of the eyes of the old dragon that were observing him, Grid first asked Marie Rose, ¡°Why are you obsessed with me? You don¡¯t seem particrly interested in revenge.¡±


    Braham had said it. Marie Rose was the existence their mother gave birth to in order to get revenge. However, Marie Rose showed no desire to get revenge. She turned away from opportunities. She endured the Curse of Sloth that could¡¯ve been lifted at any time if she made up her mind. The proof was that she didn¡¯t intimidate Braham through force, or vite Grid.


    ¡®She is a strong being who can move me and Braham the way she wants, but she just stood by.¡¯


    She stood by even when Grid set up the huge hell expedition.


    Grid recalled the face of Marie Rose, whom he had seen in the No Offspring Tomb not long ago. A sad expression had shed on her face. It passed by in a sh. It was to the point where he wouldn¡¯t have noticed if he wasn¡¯t an Absolute. If hebined that look with Marie Rose¡¯s attitude...


    Did it go beyond being not interested in revenge to reluctance?


    Then there was no reason to be obsessed with him, the Blood King.


    ¡°I told you.¡±


    Putting aside her personality, Marie Rose¡¯s attire was always modest. Perhaps it was because she wanted to minimize the exposure to sunlight, but the dresses she wore rarely exposed her skin. However, today was different. Her skirt went well above her knees.


    She didn¡¯t want Grid to see her hideously torn waist. She hid the wound by tying up her dress while feeling grateful for the mes of the Fire Dragon. Her wounds became invisible due to the evaporation of blood.


    ¡°Dear husband...¡±


    I just like you.


    Didn¡¯t she confess not long ago that she had been watching him because she liked him? Couldn¡¯t he understand her heart with human emotions?


    Marie Rose was going to repeat it again, only to close her mouth in a regretful manner. Her pale face was drained of blood. She felt a great sense of shame the moment Grid¡¯s eyes brushed over her legs. It was the first time in her life that she felt this type of embarrassment.


    She ced her gloved hands neatly on her thighs and hesitated.


    ¡°......¡±


    The face of a vampire turned red. It was the first time Grid was seeing it, even though he had a long-standing rtionship with Braham and the other direct descendants. She blushed unexpectedly and he was finally convinced.


    The favor that Marie Rose had shown him¡ªit wasn¡¯t a joke or pretense, it was sincere.


    ¡®Is she so thankful that I released the seal?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it too much after Yura, Jishuka, Irene, Mercedes, and Basara...? Despite his rare feeling of remorse, Grid had an upright attitude.


    ¡®First of all, I will repay the kindness.¡¯


    He had received a lot of help from Marie Rose. He would start repaying her by protecting her today.


    Grid¡¯s determined eyes changed fiercely. The gaze that was taken away by Marie Rose for a moment before fixed on Trauka again and Item Combination was released. They were weapons made of materials other than Greed. In other words, items that failed to resist Trauka¡¯s mes and lost durability in real time were temporarily returned to his inventory.


    He judged that he should take it out and use it only when necessary. It was a bit cumbersome, but there was no pressure at all. If there was apetition to measure item swapping speed, Grid was confident about taking first ce.


    ¡®First of all, protect Marie Rose¡¯s safety. Then once the tower members arrive, counterattack...¡¯


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, Marie Rose¡¯s status was fine. There were no signs of an injury. But he wasn¡¯t fooled. It had already been 15 minutes since she entered the warp gate along with Trauka. She had been in a fierce battle with an old dragon for at least 10 minutes. She might look fine, but she must be very tired. In the worst case scenario, there was a possibility she could no longer endure the Curse of Sloth.


    ¡®I should consider that she might fall asleep right away.¡¯


    In fact, Grid was reluctant to let the tower memberse here. Their duty might be to protect the world from dragons, but Grid judged that it was too dangerous as long as the opponent was the Fire Dragon. In the first ce, the Tower of Wisdom was an organization that was established and act based on the principle of ¡®avoiding fights with dragons.¡¯ He didn¡¯t think they could fight well against the Fire Dragon.


    He was prepared to rescue Marie Rose himself rather than endangering them. Thus, he arrived at the scene first. Yet once he actually arrived, the situation wasn¡¯t that good. Trauka¡¯s presence was beyond imagination.


    Escape that monster and rescue Marie Rose? It seemed impossible. The help of the tower members was necessary.


    ¡®He is using destructive swordsmanship beyond his abilities... is it thanks to the power of the dragon weapon?¡¯


    During the time when Grid was understanding the situation and organizing his thoughts, Trauka restored the open wound on the back of his neck and grasped Grid¡¯s potential. This was the type of enemy where he shouldn¡¯t trust the surface-level information that had been exposed.


    He possessed so many weapons that transcended his ability. He would always show a performance that ¡®exceeds expectations.¡¯


    ¡®It is a tricky opponent.¡¯


    Trauka¡¯sbat experience was immense. They were the experiences gained from preying on his own kin and hunting the heavenly gods. Of course, there were only a few opponents who were tricky for him. It didn¡¯t matter if the opponent was an Only One God. He didn¡¯t think he needed to be wary of a god who was born only a few years ago. It was something that even Trauka himself couldn¡¯t have imagined.


    ¡®I want topete, but... it is right to avoid him.¡¯


    Trauka was now in a dangerous state.


    A few minutes ago, Dragon yer Hayate had spread out his presence and woke up all the dragons in the world. Trauka¡¯sir was already exposed, so he also drew attention. If he didn¡¯t leave the scene right now, Trauka was destined to be challenged by some of his fearless kin.


    Yes, the cold judgment of an old dragon urged Trauka to retreat. The red dragon¡¯s ferocious instinct to fight was suppressed. In the end...


    [Only One God Grid. Take Marie Rose and leave. I am the one who previously asked you for a request. There is no reason for us to confront each other right away.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Trauka took a step back. In fact, he had stepped back from the beginning. He had been trying to kick Marie Rose out even before Grid arrived. However, Grid didn¡¯t know what was going on. Was an old dragon going to let him go obediently? He was taken aback by the unexpected development. In any case, it was good as long as they could pass through this crisis safely.


    Grid used Shunpo while being wary of Trauka. He ended up beside Marie Rose. Trauka didn¡¯t stand in Grid¡¯s way. Rather, he took back the mes and opened the way.


    ¡®Is he really going to let me go?¡¯


    Were the wounds inflicted on Ifrit bigger than they seemed? Even so, it was overwhelming enough.


    ¡®Should I interpret it as a favor?¡¯


    He was confused. Grid hated Trauka for killing Xenon, while feeling thankful for the vague goodwill at the same time.


    First of all, it was important to be able to ovee the crisis. Marie Rose finished regenerating her waist and pulled down her skirt. Thanks to this, Grid was able to look straight at her again. He urged her, ¡°Let¡¯s...¡±


    Let¡¯s go.


    It was because he could finish this short sentence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about acting without thinking.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s fine hands wrapped gently around the back of Grid¡¯s neck. She forcibly kissed the bewildered Grid. Pain and overwhelming pleasure spread from Grid¡¯s lips.


    [You... are you really this crazy...?]


    Trauka realized his mistake and showed signs of frustration.


    ¡°Apologize to my dear husband,¡± Marie Rose swallowed the blood from chewing on Grid¡¯s lips and repeated her previous demand.


    It was a verymanding attitude.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened because he was even more surprised than Trauka. He looked in bewilderment at Marie Rose, who was trying to blow up any chance they had of escaping.


    Marie Rose whispered to him, ¡°Keep this in mind.¡±


    Her red eyes were shining brightly. It was thanks to consuming the blood of a great being andpletely shaking off the curse for a while.


    ¡°Opportunities are given to us, not something gained.¡±


    Was the word ¡®us¡¯ awkward? Marie Rose blushed slightly more lighter than before and wrapped her right arm around Grid. She moved her long fingers and held Twilight along with Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s punish the dragon for acting against what is yours, my dear husband.¡±


    For the hierarchy of her dear husband...


    The dreamy whispers and gestures mesmerized Grid.


    Thendscape that Grid perceived changed. In a ballroom with a beautiful melody, he had the illusion that he was dancing with Marie Rose.


    It wasn¡¯t an illusion. The two people holding hands were performing the same sword dance. Marie Rose took the lead, followed by Grid who gently rested his cheek against her forehead.


    [You have started a cooperative sword dance with the vampire duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯...!]

 Chapter 1772

    Chapter 1772


    ¡®We shouldn¡¯t bete.¡¯


    The hearts of the tower members were anxious. They were chasing after Grid, who had disappeared from view.


    A moment ago when Hayate raised the energy of a Dragon yer, an unexpected helper appeared in front of the group. It was the Cloaked Dragon, Cranbel. He was one of the few top dragons in the world and a named dragon believed to be the direct descendant of the Refraction Dragon.


    Cranbel¡¯s energy detection exceeded Hayate¡¯s predictions. He came to the scene almost immediately after Hayate exposed the energy of the Dragon yer. It was such a shocking reaction speed that Hayate, an Absolute, couldn¡¯t help being agitated.


    Cranbel exined to the tower members, who were wary of him without hiding their admiration and astonishment.


    [Others are being cautious about the appearance of an old dragon.]


    Were there any dragons as humble as this? Cranbel¡¯s personality was as good as his modest way of talking.


    Sword Saint Biban, whose instincts preceded his thoughts, rxed his guard ahead of the other tower members and took back his sword. It was as the Cloaked Dragon said. He wasn¡¯t their enemy.


    ¡°You seem to be doing well.¡± Grid also showed an unexpected attitude. He even smiled as he checked Cranbel¡¯s intact left arm. He seemed to wee this dragon who should be humanity¡¯s enemy. Was it the effect of losing his helper, Gray Dragon Xenon? Grid¡¯s attitude of valuing a dragon itself flustered all the tower members, except for Biban.


    [...It is better to leave in a hurry. For the low-grade dragons who live every day like a mayfly, a Dragon yer is one of the few hopes to change their destiny. Some slow-witted low-grade dragons are likely to take risks and arrive here soon.]


    Cranbel advised them. Perhaps he was wary of being misunderstood by Marie Rose, so he spoke to Hayate while trying to avoid Grid¡¯s gaze.


    Hayate had just read Trauka¡¯s small killing intent and identified his location. Trauka was ferocious like any other red dragon and he was indeed easily provoked.


    ¡°Are you going to let us go?¡±


    The 6th Seat, Ken, growled. Putting aside Grid and Biban¡¯s attitude, he was extremely wary of Cranbel. It was a very normal reaction.


    [If I was going to block your way, I would¡¯ve acted more stealthily. My only purpose is to prey on the mayflies attracted by the Dragon yer. I don¡¯t dare take risks against you.]


    Grid and Hayate¡ªthe figures leading the tower members were excellent even from the perspective of a top dragon. It was right to be vignt of them, so he confessed honestly.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Some of the tower members still had their suspicions, but Hayate nodded. He epted Cranbel¡¯s advice and shared Trauka¡¯s position with Grid and the tower members. At the same time...


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Grid bowed to Cranbel and was the first to take the lead. He left the scene by continuously using Shunpo. It wasn¡¯t a speed that could be caught up with at all from the perspective of the tower members, who needed to arrange their physical strength. It wasn¡¯t just that he was in a hurry. They could feel his will to leave behind the tower members.


    ¡°Grid intends to protect us,¡± the 4th Seat, Betty, said with a sad expression. Before being an emperor and a god, Grid was their new generation. They should be supporting him. But every time, Grid relied on himself rather than them. He was ready to shoulder all the responsibilities they carried.


    ¡°......¡±


    From a certain point, the tower members gritted their teeth and ran with all their might. They tried to catch up with Grid without arranging their physical strength. Then right now¡ª


    ¡°...A waltz?¡±


    The tower members arrived at the scene and recalled their previous lives. For them, a previous life naturally meant ¡®before leaving the world.¡¯ It was before climbing to the Tower of Wisdom. It was when they were ordinary human beings, unlike their present selves who had sacrificed everything to protect the peace of the world.


    They had also enjoyed pleasures at times. They were heroes and obliged to participate in social events. Many times, they saw lovers dancing in a ballroom with sweet melodies flowing. However, none of them were as ssical and beautiful as Grid and Marie Rose today.


    ¡°......¡±


    The tower members were gradually mesmerized.


    Two Absolutes holding one sword side by side¡ªthe sense of unity between Grid and Marie Rose, who were moving in the same direction, was truly tremendous.


    Weren¡¯t they supporting each other when taking the same steps to the point where they seemed like one instead of two?


    The noise of the mes that Fire Dragon Trauka started to rekindle sounded like a performance to them. The old dragon¡¯sir below their feet seemed like a stage for them.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    It happened the moment when Hayate came to his senses first and let out a stopped breath...


    [My heart is whole.]


    Trauka shouted out Dragon Words. Just then¡ª


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The darkness of the night had been reeling from Grid¡¯s sunset glow. Now it hadpletely receded. The world brightened like a zing sun was overhead. A haze rose everywhere and distorted thendscape. It was done purely by heat. The aftermath of the mes from the fire dragon dominated the area and heated up the ¡®whole continent.¡¯


    The areas that were divided into night and day depending on the altitude of the sun had all be daytime and the rivers, which were like the continent¡¯s blood vessels, dried up. The sea level of the Red Sea slowly rose and the size of the continent became smaller. The existing maps of the West Continent became worthless.


    The ecosystem was copsing...


    [The mes of Fire Dragon Trauka have caused the temperature of the surface to rise sharply.]


    [Civilizations buried deep in the rivers for a long time have appeared.]


    [Parts of existing civilizations have been swallowed up by tsunamis and buried in the sea.]


    [There are countless victims.]


    [The ecosystem remembered by modern humans no longer exists...]


    An old dragon¡ªan Absolute species that existed before the creation of the world. There was a fact that even the tower members didn¡¯t know. The dragons were always caring about the world. By suppressing their power, they helped mortals iming to be masters of the surface to lead their short lives.


    ¡®This is crazy...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s hands trembled as he held Twilight. Trauka restored the wound he suffered due to Ifrit and revealed his full strength. The huge existence in front of him that covered most of the sunlight with his shadow was beyond the predictions andmon sense of Grid. He was the true center of the world and couldn¡¯t be divided simply by strong and weak.


    ¡°Only One God Grid. Your role isn¡¯t as great as what you pride yourself on.¡±


    Trauka¡¯s words when he visited Reidan rang in Grid¡¯s ears.


    Grid felt like aplete ything. A yer couldn¡¯t change Satisfy no matter how hard they tried their entire life...


    The vicious sentiment of the S.A Group, who must¡¯ve beenughing at him all this time, naturally came to mind and his heart sank. It happened the moment when Grid¡¯s footsteps hesitated as he lost motivation...


    ¡°It is just a bluff,¡± Marie Rose whispered. She gripped the trembling Twilight even harder and put strength into her left arm that was wrapped around Grid¡¯s waist. Grid couldn¡¯t stop moving and had to keep going. ¡°Just like our ultimate moves, the ultimate move of an old dragon can¡¯t be maintained.¡±


    Grid¡¯s orange divinity united as one with Marie Rose¡¯s red blood energy. It was sharper than sword energy and more ferocious than fighting energy. Now it surrounded Twilight.


    [The mes of Fire Dragon Trauka are melting you.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [In the aftermath of your existence being blurred by the intense heat, all your stats will be greatly reduced.]


    Grid wasn¡¯t certain. He performed the six fusion sword dance while keeping pace with Marie Rose, who was leading him, and questioned if this sword dance could reach that monstrous dragon.


    It was only for a moment.


    ¡®In any case, I can¡¯t back down.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s shaky eyes quickly found their ce. He stared with ck and profound eyes at the heart of the old dragon, which had just been regenerated. It was the direction that Marie Rose was leading them. The two of them were incredibly fast as they performed a sword dance.


    The system was calibrating it.


    [The blood of the vampire duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ has prated your body. The enhanced blood is stripping away all the weakening effects you are experiencing.]


    [Under the influence of the cooperative swordsmanship, you have shared key stats with the vampire duke ¡®Marie Rose.¡¯]


    [Strength has increased by 7,873.]


    [Agility has increased by 9,911.]


    [Stamina has increased by 4,453.]


    [Intelligence has increased by 1,320.]


    [Under the influence of the cooperative swordsmanship, your qualifications are shared with ¡®Marie Rose.¡¯]


    [Vampire duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ ispletely different from ¡®Twilight.¡¯]


    [Through all means...] Fire Dragon Trauka frowned. He had fulfilled countless covenants over the years and the Dragon Words of an old dragon were unquestionably powerful. However, it wasn¡¯t omnipotent. The stronger the level of the neww established by Dragon Words, the greater the penalty Trauka would have to bear. It was because establishing a neww of the world meant denying thews created by Reba, the God of the Beginning.


    Moreover, Trauka had now restored his ¡®dragon heart.¡¯ The price he had to bear for restoring his heart, which had been damaged by the blow caused by his daughter¡¯s mutual destruction attempt, was huge. It was even enough to feel nervous from an old dragon¡¯s perspective.


    To be honest, Trauka thought that Marie Rose would step down at this point. He had beplete and was at a level that Marie Rose couldn¡¯t handle. Nevertheless, Marie Rose didn¡¯t back down. It was as if she could truly deal with him along with Grid.


    Trauka felt a great deal of anger. It was the first time in his life that he had received such great contempt, so it was an anger that couldn¡¯t be quenched. Trauka didn¡¯t speak any longer. His personality, which had be humble due to so many serious injuries, was restored at this moment. There was no reason to talk at the same eye level as Marie Rose.


    A huge pir of fire shot out in a straight line. It was a pir of fire that was going to engulf Grid and Marie Rose whole.


    ¡°No way...!¡± The tower members acted quickly. They were surprised by the momentum of the old dragon after he regained his strength, but they maintained their minds. They used cool judgment to stick to Grid and Marie Rose¡¯s side. The Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath that should¡¯ve hit the two beings was faced by the tower members instead.


    Hayate took the lead. He swung his Dragon Killing Sword, which had a fatal effect on a dragon, and split the Breath in half. Radwolf¡¯s magic machines also blocked the powerful energy with their bodies, while Fronzaltz¡¯ artifacts disturbed them.


    However, the heat remained. The skin of the tower members burned quickly. Hayate, who was at the forefront, was already wrapped in mes. It took an instant for his skin and flesh to burn and his bones to melt.


    ¡°Hayate!¡±


    The other tower members urgently used their ultimate skills. They tried to rescue Hayate while opening up a path for Grid. The attempt was only half sessful. The power of the tower members could only open the way for Grid. They couldn¡¯t rescue Hayate.


    Trauka¡¯s mes were made of willpower. It would never go out unless the old dragon lost his will, so it was persistent. It burned Hayate while brutally melting down the self-defense energy wrapped in the power of a Dragon yer. These mes¡ª


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡±


    Sword Saint Biban shed it. He gave up his intelligence to make the sword in his mental world as big and sharp as possible. At this moment, he truly surpassed Muller. Rather thanpletely losing his intelligence like a beast, he shed the old dragon¡¯s willpower and extinguished the remnants of the mes.


    ¡°Biban...?¡±


    The expressions of the tower members were shocked. The retreating night quickly returned and dyed the world ck again.


    The sunset spread. It was a sunset created by the mixture of Grid¡¯s divinity and Marie Rose¡¯s blood energy.


    [The cooperative sword dance ¡®Transcended Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave¡¯ will begin!]


    A sword dance developed by two Absolutes who were sharing each other¡¯s abilities¡ªjust before it reached Trauka, Grid took out the Falling Moon Sword in his other hand and swung it first. It was intended to weaken Trauka¡¯s absolute defense and scales first.


    Trauka and the moon were split in half. Arge amount of blood poured over the tilted moon. It was the blood that Trauka shed.

 Chapter 1773

    Chapter 1773


    It wasn¡¯t a mistake. He wasn¡¯t even driven by instinct. The old dragon had lived for eternity and rationally and soberly analyzed and judged the situation.


    A non-standard existence who split in half the Breath he shot with all his might.


    He was wary of Hayate, the Dragon yer who killed his kin with a human body and rose to an Absolute. Thus, he put Hayate as his top priority. It was to the extent that he turned away from Grid and Marie Rose, who were approaching quickly.


    Trauka used the remnant mes of the Breaths that the tower members had left behind and focused on wiping out Hayate. The low-grade dragons aimed for Hayate¡¯s status and were obsessed with him.


    The reason why the higher ranking dragons were obsessed with Hayate was because they knew his potential was threatening to them. Just as Hayate had proved by shing the Breath a moment ago, the aura of a Dragon yer was also deadly to an old dragon. He dared to invade and neutralize the power and rights that a dragon took for granted.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The sight of Hayate screaming silently reassured Trauka. He believed that Hayate would die soon the moment the energy of a Dragon yer melted down. Thanks to this, Trauka could fully focus on Grid and Marie Rose, who were right in front of him.


    The dragon weapon that the two of them held together¡ªhe kept an eye on the direction of the sword made from Bunhelier¡¯s fang. Then a variable urred that couldn¡¯t be predicted even with the wisdom of an old dragon.


    Sword Saint Bibanpletely blew away the mes of willpower burning Hayate. Trauka¡¯s willpower was always solid. Yet this meant that the willpower of an old dragon, which should¡¯ve been eternal, was broken. It was the first time in his life.


    Trauka came to aplete standstill. He was overwhelmed by an incredible sense of disbelief. Of course, it was only for a moment. Trauka¡¯s broken will was restored almost immediately. At the same time, he shook off his sense of copse.


    The problem was that there were three Absolutes in this spot, excluding Trauka, who extended this fleeting moment like it was an eternity.


    sh!


    ¡®Moon night iron?¡¯


    Trauka realized something as he captured the brilliant sword light shining from Grid¡¯s waist that was on the edge of his field of view. He had been wrong from the beginning. He shouldn¡¯t have been distracted by Hayate. The most important one to watch out for here wasn¡¯t Marie Rose or Hayate...


    One of the reasons why the giants suffered from destruction¡ªit was due to the possibilities of the moon night iron. If only there was a being who could handle it by turning it into ¡®battle gear¡¯ rather than the outer skin of an insignificant toy¨Cthe power of absolute defense and the hardness of the scales, which allowed the dragons to reign, would be reduced to being worthless.


    This was why the dragons stood on the side when the gods of Asgard punished the giants and buried theirnd in the sea. Trauka had also acquiesced to the gods¡¯ vile actions on the surface. Now the history of the giants¡¯ disappearance became meaningless.


    Trauka¡¯s absolute defense and scales were brutally shed by the Falling Moon Sword. It was while his back was to the hugeir in the form of a sphere. For Trauka, who had spent his Dragon Words on trying to make himself ¡®whole,¡¯ there was no way he could resist the Falling Moon Sword. It wielded miraculous power on top of the Dragon Words that said he ¡®can¡¯t be cut.¡¯ It was impossible for the ¡®current Trauka¡¯ to add new Dragon Words.


    ¡®Ifrit.¡¯


    You, who never helped me in my life, am holding me back even after your death.


    Traukamented. He felt deep regret that he wasn¡¯tplete when facing three Absolutes. He had a hunch. He might not be defeated today, but he wouldn¡¯t win either. He would take a massive loss. This was the future seen through the sunset-colored sword piercing his chest.


    Twilight, stabbed together by Marie Rose and Grid, pierced Trauka¡¯s chest from bottom to top. It dug in and gradually destroyed the especially thick scales that protected the heart. The power of the Absolutes in Bunhelier¡¯s fang, reborn as one of the most powerful swords in the world, was powerful even without the energy of a Dragon yer.


    Finally, Twilight pierced through the scales and started to mangle Trauka¡¯s skin and flesh. Each drop of Trauka¡¯s flowing blood possessed an energy iprehensible to a human¡¯smon sense and contained a magical destructive power. But unfortunately¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop.¡± Marie Rose was unquestionably the best at controlling blood. She led Grid, who was shrinking back, through the torrential rain of blood that exploded in session. She split the remnants of blood that was evaporating after exploding to prevent it from being absorbed by her.


    Inside the cracks of the red barrier that rose from side to side.


    ¡°Trauka!¡±


    Grid gritted his teeth and advanced. In cooperation with Marie Rose, every sword strike of Transcended Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave hit Trauka¡¯s heart.


    The body of the great old dragon staggered like he was going to fall. Those who happened to witness the scene from afar mistakenly thought the mountain range that suddenly appeared was shaking randomly. The red wall, which couldn¡¯t be crossed by the heavenly gods, started to copse.


    [Critical!]


    [Fire Dragon Trauka, who has never fallen since his birth, is unable to handle the power of the cooperative sword dance and has fallen to his knees!]


    [The gods of Asgard are shocked by the potential of you and Marie Rose and are gazing at the surface with bated breath.]


    [You have made an achievement that will be passed on orally through ¡®the mouth of the gods.¡¯]


    [This is an achievement that won¡¯t be forgotten even if the world is destroyed many times.]


    [There is room for someone in the future to interpret it as part of the creation myth.]


    [The title ¡®Faint Qualifications of the Beginning of the World¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Faint Qualifications of the Beginning of the World]


    [Rating: ???


    Effect: ???]


    [Venice, the God of Money, is showing off her friendship with you to the gods of Asgard.]


    [Some of the gods of Asgard, fascinated by your performance and Venice¡¯s exnation, started to feel liking toward you.]


    Once the Transcended Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave sword dance ended, the moon that finally fell on the ground shattered. Then Trauka¡¯s huge body crashed on top of it. His figure as he copsed and flinched felt like they were watching undting mountains and walls.


    An old dragon was a being that created a transcendent scene even when it was wounded.


    ¡°Did we... win?¡±


    ¡°An old dragon was knocked down?¡±


    The tower members who were taking care of Hayate and Biban were in an uproar.


    The frightened Grid¡¯s eyes widened as he noticed, but it was already toote. The g was raised.


    Trauka immediately rose up. He acted as if it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound even though his heart, one of a dragon¡¯s few weaknesses, was hacked to pieces.


    ¡°Because it is fake,¡± Marie Rose exined while observing Trauka¡¯s cracked chest. Currently, Trauka¡¯s heart was a fake made from Dragon Words. Even if it was broken, the actual damage would¡¯ve been surprisingly small. However, a dragon heart couldn¡¯t be that easily broken. Trauka¡¯s heart might be fake, but it was still intact.


    ¡®Old dragons...¡¯


    They were indeed unreasonable existences.


    Grid gulped and slowly raised his head to the end. He faced the eyes of the giant dragon, who remained aloof even when hit in his weak spot by the six fusion sword dance that was many times more powerful than when Grid used it alone. Fortunately, Grid was the Blood King. Marie Rose overcame the Curse of Sloth as long as she was with Grid. Grid had no way of knowing whether it waspletely oveing the curse and regaining all stats, or simply defeating the sleepiness. At the very least, her eyelids weren¡¯t heavy. She seemed to be able to fight more.


    The power of the tower members was also intact. Apart from the seriously injured Hayate, and Biban, who somehow lost his mind, the tower members were strong.


    Grid summoned Noe, Randy, and all the direct descendants before taking a slow, deep breath. ¡®I can¡¯t call Nefelina. I have to finish it with the gathered strength after calling the Overgeared Guild members.¡¯


    The reason why he didn¡¯t call the apostles was because he was worried about their lives. In particr, he feared that Nefelina would be eaten by Trauka. A scene where a precious being was eating right in front of his eyes? Grid never wanted to see it. Nefelina had a special title of ¡®Transcendent Dragon¡¯ and was likely to be a source of great nourishment for Trauka.


    ¡®...I can¡¯t even call Braham.¡¯


    Braham could ovee death. There was no one more suitable to summon to a battlefield where death followed. It was special. The problem was that it was too special. Braham was the only one among the apostles who was beyond Grid¡¯s control. There was no way to stop Braham when he became emotional and once he was emotional, he was mostly trolling.


    The being Braham hated most in the world¡ªsummoning him to the battlefield where Marie Rose was present was like carrying a time bomb.


    ¡°Summon Knights.¡± Grid summoned the Overgeared Guild members.


    Just then, onlookers started gathering.


    The appearance of an old dragon¡ªTrauka had a strikingly huge body and made his appearance known by changing night to day and drying up the rivers. In other words, it was natural for spectators to flock. They were naturally yers who didn¡¯t care about risking their lives. Very few of them were rankers whose faces Grid could remember.


    Nevertheless, Grid immediately nned a massive raid. Fire Dragon Trauka raid¡ªhe was going to urge all yers present to fight so that the world wasn¡¯t destroyed.


    In fact, everyone was aware of the seriousness of the situation even if Grid didn¡¯t say it. The battle gear that the bystanders pulled out proved it. Some were beginners who hadn¡¯t passed level 100, others were intermediate yers who barely passed level 200, and a few passed level 300. The majority of those couldn¡¯t even be a source of power, but...


    Grid decided to rely on them.


    ¡°The moment you die, resurrect and rush back here,¡± Vantner said while raising arge shield in front of his colleagues. All the Overgeared members nodded and made a prediction. It was going to be an unexpectedly short fight.


    Most of the yers, except for Grid, would probably die without even being able to handle Trauka¡¯s Breath. It was a situation where a significant number of people were dying just from the mes of willpower burning the battlefield right now. But it had to be fought.


    It happened as everyone became determined...


    [Only One God Grid.]


    The giant dragon opened his mouth. The pressure in his voice was truly heavy. Trauka simply ¡®talked,¡¯ but all the yers below a legendary status felt deaf and suffered from all sorts of abnormal statuses.


    Trauka¡¯s face gradually grew bigger. It was because he was stretching his head toward the humans. Even the members of Overgeared became contemtive. They naturally envisioned the scene where yers were annihted by the Breath that poured out the moment Trauka opened his mouth again.


    It was a time when the tense Grid and tower members prepared for Trauka¡¯s attack.


    sh!


    A warp gate opened in the air. Then a beautiful man with silver hair appeared¡ªBraham, the God of Wisdom and Magic. It was immediately after seeing the arrival of daytime out of nowhere and sensing Trauka¡¯s appearance. He cast chasing and detection magic through the continent and identified Trauka¡¯s location. Then he realized that Grid was by Trauka¡¯s side and rushed over immediately.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± Braham trembled as he red at Grid.


    ¡°Hiik!¡± Then screams burst out. It was the aftermath of Trauka¡¯s huge faceing closer to the ground.


    In front of everyone¡¯s eyes...


    The old dragon aligned his eye level with humans, including Grid, and slowly opened his mouth.


    The precursor to a Breath...


    [...I apologize.]


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Silence came like a lie over the scene where screams and moans had been pouring out.

 Chapter 1774

    Chapter 1774


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier had caused a great impact on people around the world. He stormed the National Competition¡¯s server and reduced Grid and Kraugel, who werepeting for the position of strongest at the time, into dust. A monster with an absolute defense that neutralized all attacks like armor and who showed off his formidable stats¡ªthe dragons described by Satisfy were invincible. They were seen as Absolutes that couldn¡¯t be challenged by a yer even if they tried for the rest of their lives.


    In fact, it was indeed like this. Over the past few years, yers delved deeper into Satisfy¡¯s worldview and re-evaluated dragons time and time again. It was because all of history described the dragons as invincible beings.


    At one point, the S.A Group had said about the dragons, ¡°They weren¡¯t made to be killed.¡±


    This was why people were so excited about Hayate. A Dragon yer¡ªa person who trampled on the principles andws that governed the natural world and cut off the head of a dragon.


    He, whom everyone admired, was dying with his body burned. He was losing his breath as if slowly being swallowed by Trauka¡¯s huge shadow.


    Among those who arrivedte at the scene and grabbed their weapons, not a single person could see any possibilities. They understood that there was no hope from the beginning, but they still reflexively grabbed their weapons to help Grid. It was because they owed too much to Grid.


    Annihtion¡ªit happened at a time when this word was stuck in the minds of all yers, including the Overgeared members...


    Dragons were described in some ancient books as ¡®the Absolute who has existed since the beginning of chaos,¡¯ and Fire Dragon Trauka, the most famous of the dragons, lowered his head close to the ground.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    People imagined themselves being reduced to ashes in the pir of fire that was about to emerge. In an instant, they lost all their willpower and floundered in a panic. Even after hearing Trauka¡¯s voice spreading instead of a pir of fire, they couldn¡¯t understand the situation for a moment.


    [...I apologize. Only One God Grid. I didn¡¯t invade your territory without permission out of any malice. As I said earlier, I was just trying to get a gift.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The frightened people gradually came to their senses. They had stunned faces as they looked between Trauka and Grid.


    Grid surprisingly wasn¡¯t small as he stood in front of the giant dragon that was like a mountain range. It was because the deep divinity wrapped around his body filled everyone¡¯s vision. It was a starkly different presence from when he stood in front of Bunhelier many years ago.


    People realized it once again. The fact that they had been watching Grid¡¯s growth.


    Vague emotions came over them and touched their hearts. It was a feeling that was hard to describe.


    ¡°Is it because of me...?¡± Someone broke the silence. People shifted their gazes in the direction where the voice came from and were stunned. It was Braham. The God of Magic and Wisdom, who was regarded as the strongest power of the empire apart from Grid, spoke to himself like it was hard to understand.


    Quick-witted people started to recall a story rted to him. It was a very famous and legendary story about how he survived even aftermitting a crime against Fire Dragon Trauka.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    ¡°As expected of Braham!¡±


    Those who came up with a certain hypothesis admired it. Their expressions looked refreshed. Why did Trauka suddenly stop the fight and apologize to Grid? They were able to understand this uneasy situation. It was thanks to Braham. Even the invincible Trauka must¡¯ve decided that it was too much to deal with both Grid and Braham at the same time.


    It was natural. Wasn¡¯t this the duo who defeated Martial God Zeratul and the gods who served him?


    ¡°......¡±


    Under the attention of the people who misunderstood and looked rxed, Grid was feeling ufortable when he suddenly realized something. It was the fact that he couldn¡¯t forgive Trauka. He felt that his difort was probably due to his anger toward Trauka.


    It was natural. Trauka had killed Ifrit.


    Fire Dragon Ifrit¡ªshe was one of the strongest connections in Grid¡¯s entire life. Grid had never had a proper conversation with her, but he would never forget the moment he spent with her. How could he forget the experience of working together to defeat the gods of the Hwan Kingdom?


    Grid had a brief but certain connection with Ifrit. They were strongly attracted to each other through her horn. Finally, he was able to make the unprecedented achievement of riding on the neck of a dragon and became a Dragon Knight. Thanks to this, he fought Baal and won, eventually bing an Absolute.


    She was an existence he was very grateful for. He couldn¡¯t help harboring resentment toward Trauka, who had tormented her throughout her life and eventually forced her to choose death. Even today¡ª


    Trauka had killed Xenon. Xenon regrly came to help, saying he would pay the price for harming humans. Then Trauka ate him right in front of Grid. Not only did he arbitrarily misunderstand it as a gift, but Xenon even felt guilty about it, saying he should¡¯ve been prepared.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid wanted to ask.


    What are you apologizing for now?


    Even though Trauka was clearly aware of Grid¡¯s rtionship with Ifrit, he didn¡¯t say anything about her. Instead, he made excuses until the end about mistaking Xenon for a gift. Was this really an apology? However, he couldn¡¯t express these words.


    The current Grid was in a veryposed state. From the time he came to Trauka until now, he had never been agitated. He made judgments and acted as rationally as possible. He didn¡¯t know what type of disaster would ur if he became agitated.


    Trauka was more powerful than Grid imagined. In fact, he couldn¡¯t guarantee victory even when he was doing a pincer attack with Marie Rose in a never seen before manner, or even with the presence of the tower members, including Hayate. Putting aside his feelings toward Trauka, he didn¡¯t want to be enemies. He knew that many things would be twisted the moment he antagonized Trauka. Therefore¡ª


    ¡°...Thank you,¡± Grid replied politely. It was a wise judgment. If Grid offended Trauka out of personal feelings, then the battle might¡¯ve resumed. At the very least, the institution that was called the Tower of Wisdom was likely to have lost its function today. The tower members would¡¯ve been all but wiped out.


    Just as Grid still had moves remaining, so did Trauka.


    ¡°Dear husband.¡±


    The people watching in a daze the great appearance of Grid receiving the apology of a dragon became agitated again. They were fascinated by the most beautiful woman in the world approaching Grid.


    Vampire Duke Marie Rose¡ªshe was considered the most beautiful woman on Earth and Satisfy simply through her appearance alone. Just her appearing had a big impact.


    ¡°It really is Marie Rose...¡±


    Just as people arrived at the scene, they saw that Grid was digging into Trauka¡¯s heart with someone else, not alone.


    The thick divinity, pouring blood, and Trauka¡¯s giant body made it hard to tell exactly who it was, but as many people spected, it was indeed Marie Rose. In other words, the probability of the rumor that Grid had weed her as his new aide and concubine being true had increased dramatically.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem satisfied.¡±


    It was painful to be jealous and resent someone they loved and respected.


    As the people werementing, Marie Rose whispered to Grid, ¡°Be honest with yourself. I will also prioritize the wishes of my dear husband over the dragon. My dear husband deserves it.¡±


    Marie Rose understood the situation properly. It was clear that Trauka, whose current location waspletely exposed, was worried about being challenged by top dragons or old dragons. It was Trauka, more than anyone else, who wanted this fight to end quickly. This was why Grid¡¯s position was advantageous.


    ¡°He apologized. That is enough.¡± Grid shook his head. He was the one who bore the fate of countless people. He didn¡¯t want to fight emotionally against Trauka. ¡°I just hope it won¡¯t happen again in the future.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know the details, but fortunately, it ended on a warm note.


    It happened as the Overgeared Guild members were feeling relieved...


    Trauka pulled off one of his arms himself.


    Thump!


    Arge arm that hundreds of people couldn¡¯t lift even if they cooperated fell in front of Grid. The earth shook.


    [My words have supreme value.]


    Trauka immediately regenerated his lost arm and spoke toward the dumbfounded Grid.


    [Therefore, I can¡¯t tell a lie. This arm is the price for misunderstanding Gray Dragon Xenon as a gift and invading yournd. I dere that the harm to Xenon is the result of the long physiology of our species, and the matter with Ifrit is the result of the long rtionship between me and my child. It is separate from you, and I have no intention of asking for your understanding.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [Only One God Grid. By being honest with you, I am asking for your sincere forgiveness. I hope our rtionship will be restored.]


    Dragons fulfilled the covenant to strengthen their Dragon Words. Their words were heavy. Perhaps the only dragon who could tell lies or speak empty words was Bunhelier.


    Grid silently looked at Trauka¡¯s eyes, which seemed to contain the universe, and soon nodded. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t like it, but I fully understand your position. So I will ept your apology.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t fake. In front of everyone watching, Trauka bowed his head and offered an arm as an apology. Grid understood that this was the best Trauka could do.


    He could feel Hayate, who had just recovered, getting up from where he was sitting. Trauka stared at him with a disapproving expression and turned around.


    [Dragon yer Hayate. In the future, I will arm myself with armor made of my scales and firmly preserve my life. I hope we don¡¯t meet again.]


    Trauka was an old dragon. He took pride in being the strongest in the world. This meant he didn¡¯t care how the world evaluated him. Therefore, he spoke honestly without being conscious of everyone¡¯s eyes.


    A storm raged. It was a storm created by the wind in the aftermath of the giant dragon spreading his wings. yers flew in all directions and some of them turned to ash. It was like a man stepping on an ant while walking down the street and killing it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go. With this, my past debt is paid off,¡± Braham spoke to Trauka, who had flown up without hesitation.


    [......?]


    Trauka stopped flying and turned his attention to Braham. It was a reaction like he thought it was ridiculous. He seemed to doubt his ears.


    ¡°Please ignore him,¡± Grid said urgently.


    [......]


    Finally, Fire Dragon Trauka left. The world¡¯srgest creature instantly became a dot and disappeared.


    A world message rose with the rising dawn.


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 25th epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrative starts on the wreckage of the fallen moon.]


    ¡°Marie Rose, this woman...¡±


    Grid¡¯s battle was very short. The situation ended less than a few minutes after he arrived at the scene. However, Grid felt a great deal of fatigue. It was the aftermath of dividing a moment into countless segments. He almost felt nauseous due to therge mental consumption.


    However, he spoke without showing any signs of it. He grabbed Braham¡¯s wrist, who was ring at Marie Rose as if he was going to eat her. ¡°Don¡¯t treat her badly.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡± A rare look of surprise spread over Braham¡¯s face. He looked more shocked than when he was disqualified as a blood kin by his mother.


    Grid didn¡¯t care. He dered while supporting Marie Rose, whose eyshes became thicker due to her heavy eyelids, ¡°I am going to marry Marie Rose. Not respecting her is like not respecting me.¡±


    ¡°...By all means! By all means, you can¡¯t fall for the worldly beauty of that wicked woman!¡±


    Braham was indignant. He gritted his teeth and even released killing intent. It was killing intent that wandered without being directed at Grid. The yers, who had just managed to regain their breaths, suffered from abnormal conditions again.


    ¡°If you just want beauty, then I¡¯ll satisfy you! I will study the magic to change gender starting from today...¡± Braham¡¯s loud voice gradually subsided. Like the God of Wisdom, he quickly regained his sense of reason. ¡°Come to your senses, Grid. That is the monster who killed our mother. She forgot our mother¡¯s sacrifice and turned a blind eye to her duties. She is worse than a beast. A lowly thing you should never get involved with...¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from speaking like that.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was extremely serious as he interrupted Braham.


    ¡°Beriache¡¯s death has nothing to do with Marie Rose, right? She was simply born. Beriache¡¯s death was Beriache¡¯s own choice. How long are you going to me Marie Rose? In addition, duty? If it is the duty of the child to fulfill the will of the parent, is the child born only for the sake of their parents? Doesn¡¯t the child have their own life?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice grew louder. It was because he remembered Marie Rose¡¯s sad expression. He wanted Braham to let go of his prejudices. He hoped Braham would escape the curse of his mother¡¯s name.


    ¡°Ick...! Eek...!¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy. Braham had dreamed of getting revenge for his mother from the moment he was born and had resented Marie Rose since she was born. He couldn¡¯t keep hisposure when it came to his family. At the very least, he needed time. Eventually, Braham also left. He used Teleport and disappeared in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.


    The epic continued to emerge. It was an epic about the great old dragon, who had existed since the chaos before the beginning, apologizing to Grid and offering an arm. Naturally, Marie Rose¡¯s performance was also depicted.


    Grid believed that Braham would ponder on the content of this epic and understand how Grid felt.

 Chapter 1775

    Chapter 1775


    For Evil Dragon Bunhelier, the front leg was more like a vestigial organ. It was very small among his body parts and couldn¡¯t be used efficiently. In the book secretly written by Peak Sword, it was described as ¡®an ostrich¡¯s body with chicken wings.¡¯ It was through the mouth of the protagonist who resembled Damian for some reason.


    On the other hand, Nevartan and Trauka had aplete physical bnce. Their front legs hadn¡¯t degenerated and were as useful as human hands. They were big. It was at a level when quadrupedal walking was possible, even if it was inferiorpared to the hind legs that always supported their huge bodies.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham left after causing amotion.


    In the center of the world where the lines of the epic beautifully praised the cooperation between Grid and Marie Rose, and the sacrifices of Hayate and Biban¡ªGrid stared nkly at a corner of the high, red wall. It was Trauka¡¯s arm. The arm of an old dragon, filled with scales several meters in size. It looked like a treasure trove to Grid. It could be made into thousands of dragon weapons and armor.


    All sorts of inspiration filled his mind. Twilight being paired with Dawn was just the basics. In the past few years, Grid had developed and produced all sorts of battle gear for his colleagues. It was all from learning. The learning that he never would¡¯ve gained if he had been alone like Pagma was an infinite source of inspiration.


    ¡®I have to prove that my learning and experience weren¡¯t in vain. It is by developing different dragon weapons and armor.¡¯


    Only a few people needed ¡®better than before¡¯ dragon weapons and armor. They were himself, Hayate, and the apostles. In the first ce, no one other than them could handle the dragon weapons and armor. Therefore, he needed ¡®unconventional¡¯ dragon weapons and armor. This way, the Overgeared Guild members and tower members could also use them.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a matter of discussing whether it is possible or impossible. It must be done.¡¯


    Trauka¡¯s gift also foreshadowed a difficult future ahead. There was room to interpret that at least this much power would be needed to move ahead in the future.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid made a serious decision and reached out his hand. It was to support Marie Rose, whose legs weakened and whose breathing gradually deepened like a person who had fallen asleep.


    He questioned it. How did this slender woman manage to face Trauka alone? Her stats that he peeked at through the cooperative sword dance weren¡¯t as great as Grid thought. Her intelligence was slightly higher than Grid¡¯s and her stamina was 4,500 higher. Even her strength and agility, which were approximately double his, was a bit over 20,000.


    On the other hand, Trauka¡¯s important stats were likely to be 99,999. On the assumption that he was weakened, his stats would still be several times more powerful than Marie Rose¡¯s. Yet Marie Rose held out alone against Trauka. She didn¡¯t back down until Grid got here. It must¡¯ve been a huge ordeal.


    Grid felt her great sincerity again. He realized that Marie Rose¡¯s feelings toward him were never light.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to receive your marriage proposal.¡± Marie Roseughed softly. She forcibly lifted her heavy eyelids and feigned rxation. ¡°However, marriage isn¡¯t something that can be done hastily. Wait until I¡¯m fully prepared ande to greet you.¡±


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t wait for Grid¡¯s answer. She immediately dispersed into fog and left the scene. It was her consideration. She fully understood that Grid lived in this world and had a lot of work to do.


    ¡°...The cooldown time of blood-sucking must be longer than I thought,¡± Grid muttered when he was left alone, and touched his lips.


    The passive effect of ¡®Blood King¡¯ was to temporarily ovee the curse on the vampires. Nevertheless, Marie Rose was affected by the Curse of Sloth. It seemed that the physical strength consumed was really great. At this time, it was right to suck Grid¡¯s blood and seek rapid recovery. However, she just left. It proved that her blood-sucking ability wasn¡¯t omnipotent.


    ¡°How is Hayate?¡±


    Grid was relieved of his regret and approached the ce where his colleagues were gathered. Fortunately, Hayate had almost recovered from his injuries. Most of the bones and flesh that had melted due to the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath regained their intact appearance.


    It was as Grid expected. Grid believed that Hayate wouldn¡¯t die as long as the Saintess was here.


    However, Ruby¡¯s expression was surprisingly dark. ¡°Hayate is fine. But... but...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid followed Ruby¡¯s shaky gaze. He saw Biban sleeping as if he was dead. He looked fine without any injuries. It was hard to think of him as an injured person. In fact, he hadn¡¯t received any hits from Trauka. Then what did Ruby¡¯s response mean?


    Grid was feeling puzzled when he recalled some phrases from the epic. Dragon yer Hayate burned himself to sh the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath, while Sword Saint Biban forged himself into a wless sword to extinguish the remnants of the mes...


    So far, Grid had personally witnessed it. However, the epic¡¯s intention behind dressing up their performance as a ¡®sacrifice¡¯ was difficult for even Grid to understand. Why was it a sacrifice?


    ¡°...Did he consume the Origin True Energy?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled as he btedly realized the situation. Running all the way here to Trauka¡¯sir, all he could think of was despair.


    The worldview that would change rapidly due to Marie Rose¡¯s death.


    Him being unable to prevent her death and dying after her.


    The tower members who joined despite there being no rewards and ended up annihted.


    Grid imagined the worst case scenario in which Baal destroyed the rapidly weakened surface.


    The Trauka he encountered in Reidan was that powerful. Fortunately, he had won. It all ended well. That was what he thought...


    ¡°Biban. Hey, Biban?¡±


    The tower members surrounding Biban stepped back. Grid sat next to Biban and worked hard to smile.


    ¡°Did you have another ident? Is it because you don¡¯t want to clean the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no answer. Biban, who should¡¯ve be angry the moment he heard the word ¡®cleaning,¡¯ was silent without any reaction. His tightly closed mouth and eyes pushed Grid into the depths of despair.


    ¡°There are no signs of trauma at all. There are no internal injuries, much less curses,¡± Ruby¡¯s voice trembled as she spoke. She seemed very confused.


    ¡°Strange... nothing happens no matter what type of recovery magic I use. Sorry... I¡¯m sorry...¡± Ruby knew that Biban was a valuable bond for Grid. Ever since the existence of the Tower of Wisdom became known to the world, Grid would often happily share stories about Biban in front of his sister.


    ¡°Sehee,e here.¡± Jishuka soothed the distressed Ruby. She held Sehee¡¯s small body in her arms and patted her back several times.


    The fighter, Ken, spoke in the atmosphere that was bing increasingly heavy, ¡°Biban wanted to be a sword.¡±


    The will of the Sword Saint¡ªan unbreakable sword that could cut anything.


    ¡°In the end, he really became a sword. He is a stupid human being.¡±


    Ken was a straightforward person. He was honest, so he connected the best with the pure Biban. Therefore, he understood Biban¡¯s condition better than anyone else.


    ¡°...What should I do?¡±


    A Sword Saint falling into a vegetative state? It shouldn¡¯t be like this.


    Hayate calmed down the anxious Grid. ¡°There are too many eyes here. It is better to move before people notice anything unusual.¡±


    To the tower members, their colleagues were as precious as themselves. Their colleagues were everything to them, who had left the world. Thus, Grid couldn¡¯t stop Hayate from picking up and carrying Biban on his back with his unhealthy body.


    The group soon split into two. Grid and the tower members headed to the Tower of Wisdom, while Jishuka and the members of Overgeared restored the scene and returned to Reinhardt. Unexpected events were already urring in various parts of the world, which had changed in the aftermath of Grid liberating his power. The future schedule of the members of the Overgeared Guild was bound to be very busy.


    ***


    ¡°Why are you only saying that now?¡±


    Biban¡¯s vivid voice resonated through Grid¡¯s mind as he recalled old memories.


    He realized it all over again. Biban had helped him so much. He was Grid¡¯s mentor and friend.


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    Grid knew how many people had helped him get to where he was now. There was too much grace that he had to repay someday.


    ¡®Please be safe, at least until I pay off my debts.¡¯


    It was while looking at Biban who was on Hayate¡¯s back.


    It happened as Grid was feeling desperate...


    [Arrogant one. Do you think you can survive after provoking me?]


    The thought of a being that was forced into his mind¡ªit was a veryrge and powerful being that seemed to be qualified to move the world as it wished. The eyes of Grid and the tower members shifted upwards.


    A glow different from sunlight was leaking through the thick clouds. It was dark goldpared to Grid¡¯s divinity that colored one axis of the sky. The brilliancebined into a huge pir and fell. It was a Breath that cut the sky in half and aimed precisely at Hayate.


    The tower members gripped their weapons and came out to defend against it.


    ¡°Grid! You finally called me!¡±


    Just then, the Transcendent Dragon Nefelina arrived at the scene. She responded to Grid¡¯s will.


    [The effect of the Only One title in the world, ¡®Dragon Knight,¡¯ will be activated.]


    The sword wielded by Grid as he stepped on Nefelina¡¯s back split the Breath in half. Fragments of light that flew in all directions mixed with Grid¡¯s divinity and disappeared.


    [You...! Don¡¯t disturb me!]


    The shadow that emerged beyond the clouds. It was a huge dragon. It was a gold dragon called Kubartos. He was an existence with a majestyparable to Cloaked Dragon Cranbel. His dark green eyes shed.


    [It is that arrogant Dragon yer who awakened me. It is right for him to pay the price.]


    Hayate revealed his presence to the world. It was to induce the dragon¡¯s killing intent to naturally be directed toward him, and to identify Trauka¡¯s killing intent mixed in this and determine his location. The resulting aftermath came in the form of the top-grade dragon Kubartos.


    He howled ferociously. Then Grid, who was on the same eye level as him before he knew it, asked while using Item Combination, ¡°Are you above Trauka?¡±


    [Only One God Grid...]


    Kubartos btedly noticed Grid¡¯s true identity and closed his mouth. He even pped his wings while suppressing Dragon Fear and Dragon Rage.


    [...This time, I will look at the face of an old dragon and back off.]


    It was shortly after the epic was written. Even the epic didn¡¯t dare to undermine Trauka¡¯s status, but it did state clearly that Trauka bowed to Grid and apologized. He felt reluctant to oppose Grid with the hierarchy of a top dragon. In the end, Kubartos left the scene and the group was able to safely arrive at the Tower of Wisdom.


    Grid made another pledge as he got off Nefelina¡¯s back and followed after Biban, who was being moved to a hospital room. ¡®I must arm the tower members with dragon weapons and armor no matter what.¡¯


    It was so that some dragons wouldn¡¯t even dare to cross the tower members.


    ¡°...By the way.¡± Grid¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped. It was because he felt the presence of the human figure attached to Nefelina¡¯s stomach, wriggling and rising up. It was Sword Saint Muller. ¡°How are you here...?¡±


    What? Did he grab onto Nefelina when she teleported? Was that possible?


    Muller noticed the gazes of the confused Grid and the agitated tower members and politely exined, ¡°I forced her to take me when I heard about the condition of Sir Biban. I thought I might be of help.¡±


    A sword knew the heart of a sword the best.


    The end of Biban, which had been prophesied by his enemy some time ago in hell, was destined to be reversed from the time that Muller, who was thought to be dead, returned to the world of the surface.

 Chapter 1776

    Chapter 1776


    Sword Saint Muller and the tower members were great people. They lived lives worthy of praise. However, they refused to admire and praise themselves. It was because they remember the lives they failed to protect, rather than the lives they saved. They were always ashamed of themselves, despite living for others all their lives.


    Moreover, Muller had a history of escaping to the dimensional gap. Recently, the tower members failed to fulfill their duties against the dragons.


    ¡°...It is an honor to meet you.¡±


    Muller and the tower members understood each other¡¯s positions. They regarded this momentous meeting as a great honor but they didn¡¯t show it.


    As a result, Nefelina watched their encounter and snorted. It was while caressing her soft belly. ¡°It must be embarrassing to see that the great Muller is a pervert.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by Muller is a pervert?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you didn¡¯t see it. Grid, it isn¡¯t just you. The tower also witnessed him harassing me. Trying to cover up the incident will only damage your reputation.¡±


    ¡°Harassment...? I see.¡± Grid thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°It must¡¯ve been quite upsetting that Muller chased you through the teleportation. I wasn¡¯t sensitive. Sorry.¡±


    Grid put himself in Nefelina¡¯s shoes. She was only a hatchling, but she was the daughter of the Insane Dragon. She must¡¯ve taken great pride in the fact that she was a master of magic, but she was tricked by humans. It was natural to be angry.


    ¡°But to call him perverted is a bit...¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Nefelina looked at Grid, who was cautiously speaking, as if he was pitiful. ¡°I just teleported in response to your call. Technically, Muller tracked your magic, not mine. It isn¡¯t me who should be angry, it is you, Grid.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was it like this? Indeed, summoning an apostle was like summoning the knights. It was a skill where he was the subject, so it made sense...


    Grid started to feel bad for some reason.


    Nefelina¡¯s eyes were dull as she looked at him. ¡°Fool.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A man who is an outsider touched my stomach. Why aren¡¯t you doing anything, Grid? Why do you keep paying attention to useless things? Fool! Grid is a fool!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Basara said it! A woman should value her body, especially her belly! Grid, you are a fool who doesn¡¯t even know that!¡±


    Grid¡¯s mind gradually became confused. This happened right after the fight with Fire Dragon Trauka. He was emotionally disturbed because his emotions fluctuated in many ways. He was also anxious because he was worried about Biban¡¯s condition.


    In this situation, Nefelina kept talking nonsense. Wouldn¡¯t he have hit her on the head if she wasn¡¯t polymorphed into the form of a little girl?


    Grid¡¯s current state wasn¡¯t intact, so he couldn¡¯t help thinking this. Then suddenly¡ª


    ¡°Nefelina is indeed like a girl,¡± Hayate said while walking beside him. There was a faint smile on his face and he looked very pleased.


    Grid looked at Muller and came to his senses. Hepared Nefelina, who was ring at him with puffed out cheeks, to other dragons.


    A dragon¡ªthey were monsters that could never be understood with a human perspective. Nefelina was different from them. She was thinking like a human being in the aftermath of living with people. She showed this side when she met her father, but now she was more like a person.


    ¡®Is this child working hard in her own way?¡¯


    ¡°W-What is it?¡±


    Nefelina¡¯s face turned white and she stepped back. It was because Grid suddenly seemed to stop, only to stride closer. Was it too much to call him a fool? She was a bit upset and agitated...


    Grid¡¯s hand fell on Nefelina¡¯s head as she was bted regretting it. It was arge hand that covered the little girl¡¯s entire face. It was bumpy, but terribly warm and kind. ¡°Calm down. I¡¯ll warn Sir Muller separately.¡±


    ¡°Uh... U-Uh!¡± Nefelina¡¯s face, which had been as white as porcin, turned red.


    Dragons were lonely creatures. Most were born for their parents. They lived alone from the moment they were born and died when they were called by a parent. It was an irresistible providence, a fate set by the old dragons. From the moment they were born, they realized the principles of the world and naturally understood the concepts of ¡®affection¡¯ and ¡®love¡¯ in their heads, but they didn¡¯t have a chance to experience it directly.


    However, Nefelina was experiencing it from Grid and the people of the empire. She was happy. It was to the extent where she thought she did well to disobey her father and choose Grid. She was touched by Grid¡¯s warm eyes and lowered her head. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I called you a fool!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    Grid smiled and Nefelina was delighted. The two of them, who looked like a father and daughter, were the hope of the tower members. It made them dream of a future where dragons and humans could coexist.


    ¡®I must apologize to Nefelina.¡¯


    Muller thought with a smile as he walked a long way ahead. The energy detection of a Sword Saint was unmatched. It was a level where it could move awkwardly through the Realm of the Absolute. There was no way he couldn¡¯t notice themotioning from behind him. He didn¡¯t even miss the fact that the breath of Biban, who was on Ken¡¯s back, was gradually fading.


    ¡°We had better hurry,¡± Muller urged and Ken immediately responded. He struck the walls to shorten the distance to the hospital room. Dozens of walls were demolished, spreading dust in all directions.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid and Muller were taken aback, but the tower members were calm. To them, the tower was just a consumable good.


    ¡®I guess the Gold Dragon has roughly determined the location of the tower.¡¯


    Grid was btedly convinced. He remembered Kubartos, the top dragon who ambushed them rtively close to the Tower of Wisdom. This meant they would be forced to move towers once more. At that time, the probability of the tower members¡¯ position being exposed would increase for a while, so it was good in many ways for Biban to recover.


    Ken arrived at the hospital room andid Biban down. Then he raised his voice in a panicked manner. ¡°Hey! Biban!¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyelids were twitching madly as if he was suffering from some type of nightmare.


    ¡°This is my first time dissecting a human other than myself...¡±


    In the midst of the panicked tower members, Betty pulled out a scalpel. She seemed to have judged that the medical knowledge acquired by dissecting the creatures of hell should be utilized. There was no faith at all when seeing her trembling hands.


    Grid hurriedly stopped her as her eyes were spinning around and he talked to Muller, ¡°I am sober. If you need help, then please let me know.¡±


    Ever since he got back from the No Offspring Tomb, Grid decided to treat Muller as a respected person. It was judged that there was no need to apply the hierarchy of the emperor and god against Muller. It was natural. Muller was a hero revered by all and a figure from hundreds of years ago. Being respectful to him wasn¡¯t a liability or would cause any confusion in their rtionship.


    ¡°I was about to ask Your Majesty for help.¡±


    Muller didn¡¯t refuse. He smiled brightly and let light flicker at his fingertips. It was a phenomenon where the drawn sword repeatedly reflected and absorbed sunlight.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Drawing a sword?


    The faces of Grid and the tower members hardened. They were reminded about the fact that the other person wasn¡¯t a doctor or a priest, but someone who was crazy about the sword. Yes, the man in front of him with particrly impressive big, clear eyes was the same as Biban. It meant they shouldn¡¯t have been misled by his straightforward eye.


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    Grid realized that things were going wrong and reached out, but it was toote. Before he could stop it, Muller¡¯s sword was stuck in Biban¡¯s chest. The direction that the blood instantly surged out in was constant. Not a single drop of blood escaped and scattered under the sunlight. It had a color as dark as wine and caught the attention of Grid and the tower members.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡±


    Ken¡¯s face twisted like a demon.


    If Abellio hadn¡¯t swung his paintbrush and set up a barrier, his hand would¡¯ve crushed Muller¡¯s wrist rather than a ball of magic power. It wasplete turmoil.


    From Trauka¡¯s invasion to the present time¡ªGrid had gone through too much in a short amount of time and felt immense fatigue. He wanted to quit everything and rest for a while.


    ¡°A swordsman¡¯s wishes are mostly the same. It is to cut better. No matter their ultimate goal, using the sword well will make it easier for a swordsman to achieve that goal.¡±


    It was a heavy yet clear voice¡ªMuller¡¯s powerful voice stopped the turmoil in the room.


    The eyes of Grid and the tower members widened. It was because there was no wound on Biban¡¯s chest, which was supposedly stabbed. The blood gushing in an unrealistic direction was the hint.


    Muller had never stabbed Biban. He just created the illusion that Biban was stabbed with the Heart Sword.


    ¡°However, there is no perfect swordsmanship in the world. The Matchless Sword created by Sir Biban and the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship that greatly intimidated Saharan, who wasn¡¯t afraid of even the sky. The more they achieved, the more regret they felt. It is a natural result as long as they rely on the tool called the sword.¡±


    Simply swinging their hand and swinging their sword were two different things. No matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to shake off the very slight feeling of strangeness.


    ¡°That is why they dream of unity.¡±


    Bing one with the sword¡ªthe swordsman who reached the peak inevitably had this type of wish. It was to recognize the sword as their own body and break away from the limitations of tools. This was also the minimum qualification for a Sword Saint.


    In fact, swordsmen who integrated with the sword were different from usual swordsmen. They swung the sword without being conscious of the sword and cut the target faster.


    ¡°But it is quite a struggle to maintain this unity.¡±


    In order to recognize the sword they wielded in their hand as their own body, they needed an unshakable mental image. They needed to repeat infinitely that they were one with the sword. It was never an easy task. Even Muller had his unity with the sword broken when he learned the truth of the world and felt despair.


    Thus, he grabbed one more sword and honed it. It was a sword that he held in his heart and wielded with his heart¡ªHeart Sword.


    However, Biban was different.


    ¡°That is why Sir Biban chose a different method. It wasn¡¯t the direction of uniting with the sword, but recognizing himself as the sword.¡±


    The reason why Biban¡¯s mind gradually faded. Simply put, it was because he had given up on being human. After climbing the tower, the hero faced a monster called dragons that even the Dragon yer was afraid of. He decided to be a sword in order to rece Muller¡¯s talent, which he didn¡¯t have. It was to one day cut off a dragon¡¯s neck and save the world.


    He must¡¯ve fulfilled a greater purpose after defending Hayate today.


    Muller¡¯s sword, full of killing intent, shed at Biban¡¯s cheek. The blood dripping down the rough beard proved it was real. This time, Biban really was shed.


    However, there was no response. He was a simple tool called a sword, not a human, so he didn¡¯t respond to the killing intent that harmed him.


    ¡°...What can I do to help you?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice trembled as he learned how Biban had reached his present state. Grid was also worried about what he could do.


    ¡°Teach Sir Biban about the greatness of tools.¡±


    Muller would never forget the first time he met Grid. The impression left by the scene where Grid summoned thousands of swords with different hand grips and told him to choose the one he wanted was too intense. That was when he realized the fact that sword unity couldn¡¯t be achieved by denying the tool called a sword.


    This approach itself was wrong. Some swordsmen, especially Biban, needed to be awakened. They had to learn from Grid.


    ¡°The sword that was just born today.¡±


    Muller¡¯s Heart Sword let out a roar. It was the noise generated in the process of cutting down the mental world created by Biban¡¯s subconscious in order to form an entrance.


    ¡°Please break it.¡±


    A door that feltpletely different from a warp gate opened up in front of Grid¡¯s eyes. It was a door emitting a pale light. It seemed to express Biban¡¯s empty heart.


    ¡°It is only meaningful if you break it.¡±


    Muller¡¯s expression was dark. It was a pity that after a life and death struggle with the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb and fighting an old dragon, he had to make Grid shoulder new responsibilities without any time to rest. He thought he would understand even if Grid couldn¡¯t stand it and turned away. He knew best the pain of a person who carried such responsibilities.


    Yet unexpectedly, Grid¡¯s eyes were shining with willpower.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I can help.¡±


    [You have entered the mental world of Sword Saint ¡®Biban.¡¯]


    The King of Heroes set out to save the hero.

 Chapter 1777

    Chapter 1777


    The appearance of the tower members gave people a great shock.


    The Dragon yer, who cut off a dragon¡¯s head, and the legends of previous eras. It was the emergence of a living, breathing myth. In fact, the tower members performed well in ordance with their reputation. They took the lead in the hell expedition and stood tall with new hope.


    Many of the people, who suffered losses in the aftermath of the Great Human and Demon War saw them in action and regained their dreams and courage. The activities of the tower members who cut off the heads of the great demons while scattered throughout the vast hell were that great.


    The tower members who med themselves for not fulfilling their duties¡ªin fact, they were very humble. They were simply unable to resist the disaster called dragons. They shouldn¡¯t be med for being ipetent. It was just like people who were swept away by earthquakes or hurricanes shouldn¡¯t be med.


    That was the existence called dragons. It was best to predict their emergence and minimize the damage. Facing them directly was impossible. This was until the adversary called Grid appeared.


    Long before Grid met Fire Dragon Ifrit, there was someone who hoped he would be a dragon¡¯s adversary. It was Sword Saint Biban. He had just climbed the tower when he immediately predicted a bleak future.He saw the fact that Dragon yer Hayate was afraid of dragons. Therefore, he wanted to cut down a dragon himself and had a different mental image than before.


    To be robust enough to withstand the Breath and weight of a dragon. To be able to cut the scales, skin, and flesh of a dragon. A physical strength where he wouldn¡¯t get tired even if he chased a dragon that crossed the continent with just a single p of their wings.


    In order to have all of that, he turned himself into a non-human sword. He wasn¡¯t afraid even when he felt his intelligence gradually fading away. He knew that one day, he would even forget himself. Sooner orter, he would reach a point where he couldn¡¯t even understand his own condition. So what was there to be afraid of?


    That¡¯s right. Biban had been prepared from the start.


    Today, he shed through the willpower of the Fire Dragon and was reborn as aplete sword. Right before the loss of consciousness, he briefly regained the memories he lost so far. On the contrary, this made him feel relieved. If he had to pick out one thing he regretted¡ª


    It was that he met Grid only when his condition worsened. If he had a bit of sanity left, he would¡¯ve probably said words of thanks to Grid...


    [You have entered the mental world of Sword Saint ¡®Biban.¡¯]


    ¡°......¡±


    A mental world meant the state of mind. Naturally, the owner¡¯s emotions were contained in the mental world. However, Grid felt nothing. Biban¡¯s mental world was just deste and tranquil.


    ¡°Biban, can you hear me?¡±


    Grid¡¯s voice rang out through the deste world. It was an empty cry. There was only an echo that returned without reaching anyone.


    ¡®...A sword.¡¯


    Grid felt that the bleak wind was particrly cold and noticed it. The chill that gave his skin goosebumps was the spirit of the sword. Grid had made tens of thousands of swords, so there was no way he was unaware of it. The moment he realized it and smelled the iron on the tip of his nose, Grid made a sad expression.


    ¡®It smells like this because it isn¡¯t sharpened with a whetstone.¡¯


    A sword without a master¡ªthis was Biban¡¯s current state. There was no reward for bing a sword, and he would gradually be dull, rusty, and covered with dirt.


    ¡°...Why did a Sword Saint be a sword in the first ce?¡±


    It was a decline. The one who should control the sword had be a sword.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t understand the reason for the choice, but it is too extreme.¡¯


    This person had thought that even a Sword Saint couldn¡¯t do anything. He couldn¡¯t recognize the sword as a tool unless he was the owner of a talent like Muller¡¯s. Instead, he reached the point where he had to consider himself a sword.


    ¡®Save him for now.¡¯


    Grid took a deep breath, shook off his misceneous thoughts, and used Shunpo. He intended to break through to the origin all at once. However, this ce was Biban¡¯s mental world that was far from reality. It was the space where Biban¡¯s willpower was put first. It was impossible for Grid, the intruder, to show off his full ability.


    [Shunpo has failed to trigger.]


    [You have suffered 75,090 damage.]


    The moment Grid used a skill, swords emerged from the ground and stabbed Grid¡¯s feet. He hadn¡¯t expected an attack toe out of nowhere, so he allowed the attack. The Realm of the Absolute couldn¡¯t be utilized properly. In the first ce, the speed of the sword was like a ray of light.


    ¡®This is the true Heart Sword.¡¯


    The swords formed by Biban¡¯s mental world¡ªthe two swords that pierced both of Grid¡¯s feet rose up and rotated around and around, guarding against Grid. They were poised to shoot the moment Grid moved.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t at a level where I can respond with the God Hands.¡¯


    He was forced to shake them off himself. It happened the moment Grid made this judgment...


    New swords sprang out from the wilderness. Hundreds. No, tens of thousands of swords aimed at Grid in unison while releasing a brilliant glow.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Grid recalled Biban¡¯s mental world that he had witnessed in the past. There was a huge sword higher than a great mountain and thousands of swords hovering around it like clouds. It was as powerful as a spectacr production effect. Now? It would naturally be more powerful than it was in the past. Right now, the spirit of the sword was much more powerful than before.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if it is possible to break through without using Shunpo.¡¯


    Swords flooded in before Grid could take any countermeasures.They stabbed, shed, and pressed Grid from all directions.


    Grid spun and shook off four swords with his kicking feet, applying strength to both armpits. Then the nine swords that had been digging toward Grid¡¯s chest bent and were crushed.


    Grid frowned. He felt a tingling pain. The nine swords held tightly in Grid¡¯s arms left scratches on Grid¡¯s skin This meant it had prated through the defense of ¡®Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arm.¡¯


    The sword¡¯s energy easily dug into the tightly bound smooth red scales. This was definitely the energy of a Dragon yer.


    ¡®It must be due to his achievement of shing the willpower of an old dragon. It can¡¯t be blocked by armor that is only a vague reproduction of the body of a top dragon.¡¯


    Currently, Grid wasn¡¯t using the Sanctuary of Metal. It was because it was physically impossible to build his mental world in another person¡¯s mental world. Of course, it was possible if the owner of the mental world was experiencing some type of psychological problem, but Biban¡¯s current mental world was perfect without any wavering. It was just after achieving his goal of bing a sword, so it was natural.


    ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¯


    His desire to save Biban became even stronger. The resurrected Biban would be apletely different person than before. Wasn¡¯t there a high probability that he would return as an Absolute? It was an Absolute form that evolved by mixing the Sword Saint and the Dragon yer, half and half.


    Grid had a smile on his face as he reached out into the air. A huge spiral of golden light swirled around him. They were the God Hands, not divinity. It was the process where hundreds of God Hands linked together by holding each other¡¯s hands. It seemed like arge amount of gold had melted down like a waterfall and gushed like a fountain. It was a very gorgeous sight.


    Meanwhile, tens of thousands of swords repeatedly shed and stabbed at Grid. Grid resisted as best as possible, but the rate at which his health decreased was very fast. Grid was prepared for his immortality to be consumed while in his mind, the treasure of the giants and Trauka¡¯sir were intersecting one after another.


    ¡®A sphere.¡¯


    There was something inmon between thest treasure of the giants, currently held by Fronzaltz, and their of Fire Dragon Trauka. It was that it formed a circle.


    Grid was inspired by this. He naturally recalled it in the face of a crisis where multiple abilities were sealed. The experience and knowledge that had dissolved into his subconscious surfaced in conjunction with the desire to survive. No, the desire to save Biban was a thousand times stronger than the desire to live.


    Grid had to break Biban in order to save him.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    His vision blinked red in an instant. The tens of thousands of swords, each with the energy of a Dragon yer, were easily overwhelming him.


    Grid was inferiorpared to usual because he couldn¡¯t summon the Sanctuary of Metal, ovep Infinite Valha, or use abilities ssified as ¡®powers¡¯ such as Shunpo and the rune. The biggest problem was that it wasn''t an environment where he could use the sword dances or the Undefeated King¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Each of the tens of thousands of swords were using Matchless Swordsmanship. The moment Grid used skills rted to swordsmanship, they would join forces to destroy it.


    ¡®There is a reason why Muller sent me in alone.¡¯


    As the speed in which the God Hands joined together increased, so did the speed at which the golden circle rotated. Grid backed up and shot his bow to intercept a few swords. Then he used the grappling technique to crumple dozens of swords together like a ball and gradually found some room to act.


    He didn¡¯t care about his empty health gauge. It was because his recovery power was overwhelming. He just needed to buy a very brief break. Then Grid was confident that he could regain all the health he had lost. He wouldn¡¯t need to die even if his immortality was consumed.


    Grid made full use of the terrain. He left the wilderness and stood with his back to the wall as much as possible, reducing the number of swords he faced directly. He used a shield to block the offensive that spread out like light and threw a spear to distract the swords.


    How many times did he repeat this? The swords that were tracking Grid, who had even started to utilize the Motley il, stopped advancing all at once. They moved as one body so there were naturally no entanglements or collisions with each other.


    Due to the sudden stop in eleration, there was only the sound of wind blowing everywhere. In the middle of the stopped swords, the world started to change. The ground where Grid stood and the wall behind him changed its form to a sharp sword. A forest of swords had unfolded.


    Now Grid was being targeted by the swords from all directions. The swords increased from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands and shot at Grid in unison. It was meant to definitely put an end to the intruder.


    However, it was toote. A golden spherepletely enveloped Grid¡¯s entire body. It was a small sun. The sphere made of hundreds of God Hands was infinitely smallpared to Trauka¡¯sir, but it was majestic. It was brilliant, unlike Trauka¡¯sir, which was as bleak and deste as the moon.


    The reason it took so long to form was to not be disturbed. The God Hands didn¡¯t let go of each other even when facing the barrage of swords that stabbed from all directions.


    The sun surrounding Grid was maintained. There was no need to worry about it breaking. Greed¡¯s greatest strength was its infinite durability.


    ¡°How many years did it take?¡±


    It took so long to figure out how to properly utilize the God Hands. Grid¡¯s sharp eyes as heughed from the absurdity red through the gaps in the slowly widening sun. Several swords immediately responded and dug into the gap, but Grid had alreadypleted the sword dance. It was inside the sun, without being hindered by the swords.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Sword energy stretched out in all directions and pushed away the swords that had been harassing Grid unterally. The God Hands dispersed for only a moment before suddenly reconnecting. The counterattack of the swords waspletely sealed off. It was a scene like the sun was flickering.


    Grid went forward without hesitation. He gradually got closer to the source of the energy. There¡ª


    -I... am a sword...


    Biban existed. To be precise, it was Biban who had be a sword. Biban was nailed to the center of the giant sword that soared higher than a great mountain and was seeping into it. It was deeper and deeper, so that he would never be able to get out of it.


    ¡°Wake up, you human!¡±


    Grid threw a punch first. He didn¡¯t think a conversation would work in the first ce, so he relentlessly hit Biban in the face. To be honest, it was quite a relief. There were many things that had umted aside from his liking of Biban.


    Where are you only saying this now?


    It was the nightmarish line that he still often heard as an auditory hallucination these days.


    ¡°What sword, what bullshit sword!!¡±


    Bam! Bam bam bam!


    ¡°Did you be a Sword Saint for this?!¡±


    Crack!


    ¡°What should I do with you?¡±


    -...Stop.


    ¡°Should I melt you and mix you with Greed? Or should I make you into a dog food bowl...?¡±


    -Stop it, Grid.


    The mental world wasn¡¯t omnipotent. If it was omnipotent, Braham would¡¯ve unconditionally drawn his opponents into the mental world when fighting enemies stronger than him. The reason he didn¡¯t do so was because it was dangerous. The exposure of the mental world meant revealing their psychology to the enemy. It might be different with Grid¡¯s mental world, where every direction was blocked by canyons, but most mental worlds would expose their weaknesses the longer the enemy was inside.


    Moreover, Biban¡¯s current thinking was extremely simple. All he could think of was ¡®I will be a sword.¡¯


    It was an easy thing to target. Every time Grid threatened to use it as his weapon, mix it with Greed, or melt it down into a dog bowl, Biban¡¯s mental world shook. It was to the extent that he briefly regained the sense of reason he lost when bing one with the sword.


    Eventually, the eyes of Grid and Biban, who fell out of the sword, met in the air. They were embarrassed by each other and kept their mouths shut.

 Chapter 1778

    Chapter 1778


    How could things work out so easily?


    Of course, the road to reach this ce wasn¡¯t smooth. He crossed the threshold of death, and based on the danger level alone, it wasparable to fighting a dragon.


    However, the ending seemed futile. He thought that he would have to find a specific clue or use some special method to wake up Biban¡¯s consciousness. Unexpectedly, it was resolved so simply. He never thought Biban woulde to his senses right away.


    ¡®The words of the ancestors are never wrong.¡¯


    The saying that hitting someone was medicine. It worked most of the time, no matter who the other person was. Goosebumps appeared on Grid¡¯s arms as he admired it.


    ¡°Your hands are really burning. Thanks to you, I¡¯ve regained my mind,¡± Biban said as he got up from where he was sitting. His expression was solemn as he looked at Grid with deep eyes.


    Grid frowned. He immediately pulled out Twilight and pointed it at Biban.


    ¡°Who are you? What did you do to Biban?¡±


    ¡°I am Biban...¡±


    Biban cocked his head in confusion and Grid snorted.


    ¡°How long do you think I¡¯ve known Biban? I won¡¯t be fooled by this.¡±


    ¡°Huhu.¡± The Biban who had regained his wisdom¡ªhe immediately noticed why Grid misunderstood andughed bitterly. ¡°It seems the rude things I have shown have nted a bad prejudice in you. It is a natural consequence of my actions.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t rely on the tool called the sword.


    Like most swordsmen, Biban had extreme ideas. He misunderstood the intentions of the sword and developed the wrong willpower.


    A swordsman shouldn¡¯t deny the sword. It was toote by the time he realized this. Eventually, Biban made an even more extreme choice. Hebined the realization that he should respect the sword he had denied so far and the heavy responsibility of ying a dragon, and ended up bing a sword himself.


    He gave up on being human. He lost his wisdom and acted almost like a beast. He repeatedly barked unnecessary things like a timid little dog who wasn¡¯t even a wild beast. Now that he regained his mind, he looked back and found that he had so many embarrassing memories.


    The somber looking Biban fueled Grid¡¯s suspicions. He was aware of the fact that he had been acting in an ugly manner? The Biban that Grid knew couldn¡¯t do this. It was because Biban was someone without any cares. There was no way for him to make a facial expression like this. Biban was a man who knew no shame.


    ¡°Quit the absurd act and bring back Biban.¡±


    ¡°Um... I¡¯m embarrassed to say it myself, but I am Biban. My attitude might be unfamiliar, so you don¡¯t believe me, but this is my original self. Please trust me.¡±


    ¡°...There is no way.¡±


    Grid slowly lowered the tip of the sword that he pointed at Biban. There was a stunned expression on his face.


    His intuition, built up through his many experiences, was crying out to him ¡ªthe Biban in front of him was the real Biban.


    Grid figured out Biban¡¯s situation. He noticed that after being freed from the idea of bing a sword, Biban had recovered his intelligence. It was something to rejoice about.


    Then why? This situation wasn¡¯t very pleasant. It felt like he had lost Biban, a precious connection. The Biban who made memories with Grid was an elderly man with dementia. The Biban in front of him who acted like a normal person was unfamiliar.


    ¡°Why do you look so sad?¡±


    ¡°...No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Putting aside Grid¡¯s feelings, Biban¡¯s recovery was a happy thing. It was right to rejoice. It happened the moment when Grid hid his disappointment and tried to smile...


    Behind the two of them, the giant sword that rose like a great mountain started to vibrate. The ground on which Grid stood shook and his vision became dizzying.


    Grid escaped the aftermath of the earthquake by floating up and became wary of the giant sword. The sword was emitting a terrible amount of killing intent.


    ¡°That junk doesn¡¯t recognize his owner...¡± Biban¡¯s murmur entered the ears of the puzzled Grid. It was a very faint voice. He wouldn¡¯t have heard it if he wasn¡¯t an Absolute.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°The sword I hold in my heart has unfortunately escaped my control. Maybe it is due to the experience of being assimted with me, but there is a sense of identifying itself as me. It resents and is antagonistic to you, who separated me from it.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call it junk?¡±


    Biban blinked.


    ¡°Uh? It seems that the aftermath of the sword¡¯s killing intent has given you a hallucination.¡±


    ¡°You are definitely Biban.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban¡¯s expression slightly crumpled. It was an expression that shed by in an instant. This also wouldn¡¯t have been noticed if it wasn¡¯t for Grid being an Absolute.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you haven¡¯t changed.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±


    It seemed like Biban was putting up with it because he felt he would lose if he was offended. It was really strange to see how Biban himself perceived the words ¡®You are like Biban¡¯ as a curse, but on the other hand, Grid also understood it.


    ¡®Everyone has a past that they wish they can erase.¡¯


    Grid still screamed sometimes when he washed his hair these days. It was because he was reminded of when he suddenly proposed to Ahyoung. Wouldn¡¯t it be insulting if someone who remembered Shin Youngwoo from that time told him that he was like Shin Youngwoo?


    ¡°Indeed, Sir Biban and I deserve to be friends.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking nonsense and focus on the situation.¡±


    The giant sword was rising. It gradually grew bigger. The de of the sword that was stuck in the ground seemed to be just half of the whole. Finally, the sword becamerge enough to cut the huge old dragons and aimed at Grid.


    ¡®It will be a serious injury.¡¯


    Strictly speaking, there was a high possibility of getting injured even if it didn¡¯t graze him. The size of the sword was that huge. Not only was it physically difficult to avoid, but even if it was avoided, an area that was hundreds of meters in radius would be devastated and the aftermath would hit Grid. It was like meeting an opponent he wasn¡¯tpatible against in a situation where he couldn¡¯t use Shunpo.


    Of course, that was until an hour ago. The God Hands joined together. They took each other¡¯s hands and formed a circle. The circr sun surrounded Grid¡¯s body as he roughly spoke what he thought. ¡°Overgeared Sun Sphere.¡±


    The giant sword fell toward it. The God Hands fully absorbed the damage, but there was a problem. It was that the sun was broken with a single blow. It waspletely different from when it blocked arge number of normal sized swords. There were too many God Hands that couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the giant sword and let go of each other¡¯s hands.


    A storm raged among the scattered golden hands. It was a storm created by the shockwave of the giant sword.


    Grid¡¯s ck hair and divinity fluttered wildly.


    ¡°Hah.¡± Biban admired it.


    Grid didn¡¯t crash down. He easily withstood the pressure of the incredibly powerful shockwave. It was a miracle caused by the qualification of ¡®unable to be crushed.¡¯


    Grid quickly adjusted his posture and shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t stop that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has be independent as apletely separate being from me, so I can¡¯t control it. It is best to ignore it and get out of this ce.¡±


    ¡°You are going to leave that alone and escape?¡±


    Biban had clearly said it¡ªhe could no longer control the giant sword. Then such a thing shouldn¡¯t remain in Biban¡¯s mental world. It was like leaving cancer cells behind. Biban knew it as well.


    ¡°But there is no other way...¡±


    Biban looked at his hand. It was a hand that lost the giant sword and was left with an ordinary longsword. He felt that there was no way to stand up to that giant sword. This giant sword was an image that had been with Biban all his life. The giant sword possessed all of Biban¡¯s experience and skills as well.


    Grid saw his unconfident expression and asked him, ¡°Do you still think that you shouldn¡¯t rely on a sword?¡±


    Grid recalled Muller. Muller had borrowed the swords summoned by Grid and used them in the right ces. Unlike most swordsmen, the strongest Sword Saint of all time relied on the sword. If Biban stuck to his insistence of ¡®not relying on the sword,¡¯ Grid would be disappointed.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the case,¡± Biban replied. Fortunately, Biban had abandoned his stubbornness. It was natural. The reason why he was rescued so easily by Grid was because he had already realized his mistake.


    The trigger was the dragon weapon that Grid gifted him¡ªGujel¡¯s Sword. He was shaken at that time. There was such a great sword in the world. Was it really wrong for a swordsman to rely on a sword?


    He had such questions even when rational judgment was impossible for him. He vaguely thought it was right to rebuild his sword from a new perspective. The only problem was that it was toote. There was no time. At that time, Biban was suffering from a condition where he would have an idea and forget it the very next day.


    ¡°Then rely on this,¡± Grid spoke to Biban as Biban had a somber expression on his face.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes shook. He was looking at the Twilight handed over by Grid. It was a beautiful sword that held Grid¡¯s orange divinity.


    Grid easily handed Biban the strongest sword on the surface, made with the materials of an old dragon. ¡°Cut that sword yourself.¡±


    The giant sword¡ªit was an image that Biban had built up all his life. Originally, it was something that couldn¡¯t be thrown away and shouldn¡¯t be thrown away. Now that it was out of his control, Grid was telling him:


    Embrace the new. Cut down the old sword you made with your own body.


    ¡°......¡±


    Biban hesitated. Grid would¡¯ve been the same. He was also in a position where he couldn¡¯t throw away the old armor of Infinite Valha. Grid wouldn¡¯t feel resentment if Biban couldn¡¯t cut it in the end. He just gave Biban a chance, just in case.


    The giant sword wasing again. It persistently aimed at Grid, who had handed his sword to Biban. It seemed to want to cut down the intruder who was interfering so it could be one with Biban again. Now all that remained was Biban¡¯s choice.


    ¡®If it doesn¡¯t work, then let¡¯s leave.¡¯


    He was conscious of the escape route he had found. Grid waited for Biban¡¯s choice without expressing anything. To Biban, it seemed like infinite trust. He felt infinite gratitude to Grid for believing in him at the risk of Grid¡¯s own life (?). Therefore, he had to make a choice.


    ¡°It is time to say goodbye.¡±


    A gray haze rose from Twilight. It was the energy of a Dragon yer. It was faint, unlike Hayate¡¯s, but it couldn¡¯t be considered weak. It was the energy of a Dragon yerbined with the sword energy of a Sword Saint that Hayate didn¡¯t have.


    sh!


    The world was split. Thebination of Grid¡¯s Twilight and Biban¡¯s swordsmanship shed at the seemingly invincible giant sword like it was tofu. The owner of the mental world cut down his mental image. It was an unprecedented event.


    Inside the world that was rapidly copsing¡ª


    ¡°Thank you, Grid.¡± Biban was reborn as a new existence and forged a new bond with Grid. He let go of his awkward attitude and showed a genuine smile.


    [A new Absolute has been born.]


    Along with this world message, Grid¡¯s consciousness returned to reality.

 Chapter 1779

    Chapter 1779


    ¡°Are you sure it is okay?¡±


    This morning¡ªfollowing Biban, Grid fell unconscious. It was the aftermath of entering Biban¡¯s mental world. The tower members were nervous when they saw the two men who hadn¡¯t regained consciousness even as night fell. In the first ce, was it possible to break into someone else¡¯s mental world?


    ¡°After Sir Biban, if something goes wrong with Grid... we have no choice but to hold you ountable.¡±


    The tower members respected Muller. However, they didn¡¯t have a personal rtionship or trust with Muller. Even considering Muller¡¯s achievements and reputation, they had no choice but to be suspicious.


    Muller understood.


    ¡°If I happen to cause trouble to Grid¡ª¡± He nodded and spoke with a serious expression, ¡°I will fall into hell immediately and cut off Baal¡¯s head at least three times before dying.¡±


    I will die after slightly reducing the life of the master of hell, which is close to infinity...


    Even that paled inparison to the achievements that Grid would umte in the future, but it was the best thing that Muller could do.


    The tower members frowned. ¡°Are you threatening us now?¡±


    Muller dying to Baal? There was nothing worse than that. If Baal possessed the power of the Sword Saint, then he would be so powerful that it couldn¡¯tpare to now.


    ¡°I just want to take some responsibility. In any case, the world is over the moment something goes wrong with Grid. What is the point of a threat?¡±


    Muller knew that Grid was essential to the world. He said that he wouldn¡¯t put Grid into danger, but in fact, he was inwardly nervous. It was because Grid was unconscious for much longer than he expected.


    ¡®The resistance of the sword seems stronger than I expected...¡¯


    Right now, Biban¡¯s mental world would¡¯ve been ruled by a sword. The small sword, which was originally only a small part of Biban, would¡¯ve absorbed Biban and berger than him. In other words, it was difficult tomunicate. Perhaps Grid was engaged in a fierce battle without discussion with Biban, who had be a sword.


    ¡®...I was hoping that Grid¡¯s presence would awaken Sir Biban¡¯s consciousness.¡¯


    Muller had only recently known about Grid. Despite this, Grid was imprinted as the most special connection throughout Muller¡¯s life. That was how great a person he was. Muller guessed that for Biban, who had associated with Grid for years, Grid was likely to be a very extraordinary presence. Moreover, Biban was the owner of the dragon weapon that Grid created for him.


    He believed that the swordsman would¡¯ve realized that it was natural for him to rely on the sword, even if it was btedly. This was the background behind the reason he expected Grid to awaken Biban¡¯s consciousness from a deep sleep. But looking at the situation, it seemed difficult.


    Biban¡¯s consciousness seemed to have sunk deeper than Muller expected.


    ¡®If it is dyed any further here, I have no choice but to step out and destroy it by force.¡¯


    Muller was close to invincible when it came to swords. Not only was he good at handling swords, but he was about to fight against those who used the sword and win unconditionally. Therefore, he asserted that he could behead Baal three times. He knew Baals¡¯ personality, who enjoyed pretending to be yful, and knew that Baal would try to use swordsmanship to confront him at least three times.


    In any case, Muller would win as long as it was a sword that was dominating Biban¡¯s mental world. Nevertheless, the reason why he sent in Grid was naturally for Biban¡¯s sake. The sword that dominated Biban¡¯s mental word was also Biban. Muller breaking into Biban¡¯s mental world and shing his sword meant he would be cutting Biban¡¯s mental world. There was a risk of damaging his mind, memories, and experience.


    In order to fully rescue Biban, a conversation was needed, not force. The ones most suitable to rescue Biban through a conversation was Hayate and Grid. At the very least, Muller didn¡¯t have the confidence to awaken Biban¡¯s consciousness without violence.


    ¡®In this situation, it would be ideal to send Hayate, but...¡¯


    Hayate was pale and tired. He seemed to have been quite shocked after realizing that he was the one who ruined Biban. It was only natural that, as the Dragon yer himself, he felt guilty for driving Biban to this point because he was afraid of the dragons. The unity of his mind and body shook like it was about to break and the atmosphere was unusual.


    ¡®He is the person after Grid who shouldn¡¯t be lost. I can¡¯t put him in danger.¡¯


    Humanity¡¯s first Absolute¡ªHayate was the only one who reached the level of an Absolute in a pure human body. Unlike other Absolutes, he was subjected to various restrictions due to being human. Nevertheless, he used all his capabilities to suppress a dragon¡¯s rampage. This was even though he feared dragons more than anyone.


    He was a great man who had no ws in terms of his skills and personally. He was also the pride of humanity. In Muller¡¯s opinion, the value of Hayate was higher than that of the world. Even if this world was destroyed, he had to protect Hayate so that humanity¡¯s hope would continue.


    Who knows? In the next world or the world after that, Hayate might stop the end of the world.


    ¡®I hope that Grid stops the end of the world this time.¡¯


    Hayate was insurance. He must not be lost. Muller was convinced again and drew his sword. He was determined toe forward and rescue Grid and Biban himself. It was the only solution at the moment, even if it meant hurting Biban.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Muller¡¯s eyes widened as he swung his sword and tried to open the entrance to Biban¡¯s mental world. It was because the entrance didn¡¯t open. His Heart Sword, which could cut anything, couldn¡¯t cut Biban¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    It happened as Muller realized there was a serious problem and became even more concerned about Grid¡¯s body...


    ¡°Biban!¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Grid and Biban, who were sleeping as if they were dead, opened their eyes at the same time. Muller trembled while the tower members looked relieved. He realized why the Heart Sword couldn¡¯t cut Biban¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®The world... it has be five.¡¯


    The surface, hell, heaven, and the Hwan Kingdom¡ªthe world wasrgely divided into these four dimensions. Except for these worlds that each had their own Absolute, the other dimensions were insignificant.


    Now the game had changed. The world would be divided into five, not four. It was the surface, hell, heaven, the Hwan Kingdom, and the Tower of Wisdom. This meant that a group that had less than ten people was now standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world.


    It had to be so. They now had two Absolutes.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Hayate was also aware of Biban¡¯s extraordinary situation. He couldn¡¯t help being amazed when seeing Biban¡¯s deep, mellow gray eyes. In the tumultuous atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°I was greatly helped by Grid,¡± Biban exined.


    Just then¡ª


    sh!


    Grid¡¯s Twilight exuded a brilliant glow.


    [Twilight has contributed to the birth of an Absolute and the enhancement value has increased to +3.]


    An overwhelming energy filled the space. The tower members flinched and were slowly overwhelmed. It was because they felt the faint energy of an old dragon from Twilight. They realized that a sword made from the fang of an old dragon could truly carry the energy of an old dragon.


    ¡°Can I borrow that sword for a moment?¡± Biban politely asked Grid.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Grid dly handed it over.


    In the first ce, he nned to make new dragon weapons for the tower members. There was no reason to hesitate to lend Twilight. Biban¡¯s figure holding Twilight disappeared like a lie.


    Grid, Hayate, and Muller shifted their gazes outside in turn. Through the huge window, Biban¡¯s back could be seen. His gray hair fluttered in the moonlight and shone like white snow. It felt like he was cooling down the orange divinity emitted by Twilight.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The tower members found Biban one stepter and were horrified. It was because they noticed a huge light approaching through the night sky. It was a Dragon¡¯s Breath. The precise trajectory was aiming at Biban. It was a bombardment that would turn the sober Biban into ashes and make the tower copse.


    ¡°They have started to locate the tower...!¡±


    They had to hasten the relocation. However, it would take quite a few sacrifices to deal with the dragon that was attacking right now. The first victim would be Biban.


    Ken¡¯s fist smashed through the window. The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, and Betty flew out the window, while Abellio¡¯s painting and Jessica¡¯s buff magic were stacked on Biban¡¯s body. The 5th Seat, Jurene, attempted taming against the dragon. The chance of sess was naturally 0%, but it was theoretically possible to restrict its behavior for a while.


    They were all desperate apart from Grid, Hayate, and Muller. It was a weak stream of firepared to the Breath of Fire Dragon Trauka.


    However, the Breath of a low-grade dragon could still annihte a human city and it wasing close to Biban. It would be long before the tower members arrived.


    ¡°Biban!¡±


    It happened at the time when the tower members screamed out of concern about Biban, who was facing the Breath alone...


    A series of explosions were created from the Breath. They were explosions that urred as Biban pierced through the mes that continued in a straight line. It felt like a wave of mes was engulfing the night sky.


    [...What?!]


    The dragon¡¯s willpower that was filled with consternation was conveyed intact to the tower members. Muller and Hayate¡¯s mouths dropped open slightly. Muller was admiring the movement of Biban, who used the power of Twilight to charge at full speed. It was the appearance ofmunication and mutual understanding with the sword. It could be called the peak of ¡®being one with the sword.¡¯


    Hayate felt and admired the aura of a Dragon yer mixed with Biban¡¯s sword energy. Originally, the energy of a Dragon yer was obsessed with harming dragons and it had a violent temperament. It resembled killing intent, so it was easy to read. However, the energy of a Dragon yer handled by Biban was different. It was naturally suppressed by sword energy and only showed its power when necessary. This made it difficult for a dragon to respond.


    [You... what are you?!!]


    The dragon shouted ferociously as its scales and bones were cut.


    The emergence of a new Dragon yer¡ªit was impossible. For the supreme dragons, Biban was an unknown.


    ¡°What am I?¡±


    Biban smiled as he pondered on the question.


    ¡°I am just one swordsman,¡± he replied as he tossed Twilight, imbued with the energy of a Dragon yer, back to Grid, who was joining from behind the tower members.


    A swordsman with Grid¡¯s sword in his heart. The trajectory of Twilight cut through the dragon¡¯s wings. This was what Biban intended. He was using Grid¡¯s divinity that dwelled in Twilight as if it was his own energy. The Absolute, born from borrowing Grid¡¯s sword and cutting at his own mental image, became a Sword Saint who was qualified to be a Dragon yer. He was also the most brilliant being when using Grid¡¯s sword as a weapon.


    ¡°Overgeared swordsman...¡±


    Grid¡¯s words that he murmured to himself were buried by the dragon¡¯s scream.

 Chapter 1780

    Chapter 1780


    Earlier this year...


    Kraugel had bought a vi in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He was asked about why he chose Gangwon-do, and the answer that he gave was that it was the hometown that his mother¡¯s grandmother¡¯s grandfather longed for. It felt like some parts of this statement should be dealt with, but... in any case, Grid went to Gangwon-do with Yura and Jishuka. He nned to meet with Kraugel, who had briefly entered the country with his mother.


    The sight of the mansion, which was too grand to be called a vi, standing tall on the mountainside, impressed Grid.


    Kraugel¡¯s mother came out to personally greet them and made Yura and Jishuka smile. It was good to see her in good health. The group dreamed of having a fun day. They never imagined the hell that awaited.


    ¡®Bnce is important.¡¯


    Grid recalled the curry that Kraugel¡¯s mother had made for them. It was a curry with plenty of bracken and fatsia sprouts. It was bitter. The rough, squishy texture of the fatsia sprouts was particrly terrible. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it and ate it with a smile. It was while shouting out, ¡®Delicious.¡¯


    The curry of Kraugel¡¯s family was made using mountain vegetables easily avable to Koreans in the past and contained the sad history of their Koryopatriots. Moreover, it was food prepared by his friend¡¯s mother. It was something he couldn¡¯t refuse just because it didn¡¯t suit his taste.


    Grid ate all of the curry. He even took the curry from the blue-faced Yura and Jishuka and dumped it all into his stomach. He pinched his thighs to suppress his nausea. Then he btedly saw Kraugel¡¯s expression and realized it. It was the fact that he did something useless...


    Kraugel¡¯s expression was telling him this.


    Are you crazy? Why eat all of that?


    Grid had to suffer an upset stomach all day. The importance of bnce was a lesson that he was reminded of again and again after much suffering.


    ¡®No matter how expensive and delicious curry is, there is no answer if a lot of bracken and fatsia sprouts are added... bnce is important.¡¯


    A low-grade dragon was by no means weak. An absolute defense that surrounded a body that could disy overwhelming dragon-like power. Magic and a powerful Breath was fired wildly with the magic power that rose infinitely from the heart. Most transcendents couldn¡¯t approach it. Even if they managed to approach, the chances of dealing a blow were significantly lower.


    The moment the dragon started using Dragon Words, there was no chance of winning even if several transcendents attacked at once. It was such a creature in the first ce. In order to face a dragon, one had to be an Absolute. It just meant that the possibility of a fight was established. Being an Absolute didn¡¯t necessarily mean fighting a dragon and winning.


    Compatibility was important. In that sense, Biban was the antithesis of a dragon. The energy of a Dragon yer and Grid¡¯s divinity was added to the sword that could cut anything. He wasn¡¯t a Dragon yer like Hayate, but he had achieved a bnce that neutralized several of a dragon¡¯s strengths.


    Respect sprung up spontaneously.


    [The Tower of Wisdom... I can¡¯t believe that such a small group has two Absolutes...]


    The dragon regenerated his severed wings with Dragon Words and soared high into the sky. He blocked the chasing tower members with magic and sprayed a Breath twice in a row to widen the distance with Biban.


    Red rain poured down from the sky. The low-grade dragon¡¯s body couldn¡¯t handle the aftermath of using Dragon Words and Breaths in session. The appearance of him spilling blood inrge quantities appeared precarious.


    It was as expected.


    [I have no choice but to give up.]


    The low-grade dragon turned around. The reason why dragons with a lower hierarchy were more aggressive was because their lives were pushed to the edge of a precipice.


    Right now, he couldn¡¯t rx because he didn¡¯t know if he would be hunted down and eaten by another dragon. He always lived in a desperate manner in order to save his life. He wasn¡¯t ignorant or stupid. The dragon wasn¡¯t obsessed with a losing battle.


    A teleportation without any foreshadowing¡ªthe dragon was a master of magic and he naturally cast magic without any dy. It was hard to chase him if he let go of any sense of shame and focused only on escaping. Marie Rose had a way to catch up and chase the target before their body could even respond to the magic, but...


    Biban was unfamiliar with magic and Grid wasn¡¯t well versed in it either. They couldn¡¯t do it like her. However, Hayate was different. Hayate didn¡¯t need to know magic when it came to catching dragons.


    ¡ª!


    Without any noise, a huge white energy fell and split the sky. The magic that helped a dragon survive immediately stopped working and the absolute defense, which had already be rags, shattered. His heart, which was protected by the thickest scales, shattered even more disastrously.


    It was due to the energy of a Dragon yer, which was much purer and stronger than the Dragon yer energy used by Biban. It was the result of a sword wielded by Hayate from a distance.


    [...Dragon yer!!]


    These were thest words of the low-grade dragon, who died without even revealing his name. The giant body floated in the air for a long time due to the remnants of magic power, even after losing its head and neck. Then it slowly crashed into the dark sea.


    Radwolf¡¯s magic machine chased and retrieved it.


    Killing a dragon¡ªit was a result that happened thousands of years after the tower was built. The tower members were filled with all sorts of emotions and were at a loss for words. The scene became quiet like it was a lie.


    ¡°Biban!¡±


    A long time passed before Jessica ran to Biban.


    Her charge was so powerful that her trajectory was mysterious as she flew with tangible magic wrapped around her body. The magic power that stirred in the aftermath of the Echo Magic seemed to fill the sky with a stage that was a white disk. It was a stage only for Biban and Jessica.


    ¡°I¡¯m d... I¡¯m d you came back safely...¡±


    ¡°There is something wrong with your words. I¡¯m back in a better state than before.¡±


    Biban smiled softly and wiped away the tears running down Jessica¡¯s cheeks.


    Love sprouted even in the tower. It was a love that shouldn¡¯t happen. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if the tower members had died today. Apart from their near infinite lifespan, their days of dedicating their lives to protecting the world were endlessly dangerous. If they lost someone after thinking of each other as more precious and special than they did now, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the shock easily and would be unable to concentrate on their duty. Even a transcendent who had lived for hundreds of years couldn¡¯t be calm in the face of deep and sincere emotions.


    ¡°W-What...?¡±


    Jessica was taken aback. Biban¡¯s behavior of looking at her affectionately and wiping away her tears resembled a lover.


    At this moment, Biban was clearly trying to take a step forward. He showed signs of honestly revealing his heart, which he had been turning away from out of fear.


    It happened the moment when the frightened Jessica stepped back...


    ¡°From now on, I will share the responsibilities of Hayate.¡±


    Biban grabbed Jessica¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°It is along with Grid.¡±


    He stared at Hayate and the tower members before fixing his gaze on Jessica and dering, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid of anything. From now on, no one will be able to easily harm you. So please live like a human being while fulfilling your duties as you have done before.¡±


    In the entire world, the number of Absolutes was small. There were less than 30 even if he included the chief gods of Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom and the dragons of higher ranks. Each one of them was special. It made no sense to group the Absolutes into one category.


    Therefore, Biban was qualified. It was fine for him to dere anything and to do anything. No one dared to refute his choice.


    ¡°...If Hayate says no, I¡¯ll naturally cancel what I just said...¡±


    Nevertheless, Biban stared into Hayate¡¯s eyes. He btedly took care of his words. Even if he had also be an Absolute, Hayate was the head of the tower. Additionally, Biban still respected Hayate. He had no intention of challenging Hayate¡¯s authority. His face became restless as soon as he realized he had made a big mistake, but his expression soon brightened. It was thanks to Hayate¡¯s words.


    ¡°Sir Biban is right. Our life of living in hiding and giving up our rights because we are afraid wille to an end.¡±


    The biggest reason why the tower members left the world was to minimize the possibility of being tracked by dragons.


    Now the situation had greatly changed. They were able to cooperate with the Overgeared World at any time, and had gained another Absolute. Of course, they couldn¡¯t disregard the old dragons, so they couldn¡¯t openly reveal the location of the tower, but... in any case, they had some breathing room. In the future, they could throw away various restrictions.


    [The wrath of the dragon is pouring down toward you after learning that one of their own has been killed by humans.]


    Hayate, who expanded the energy of a Dragon yer as if provoked by the news that just arrived, bowed deeply and apologized. ¡°If I had been courageous from the beginning, I wouldn¡¯t have pushed you to the edge of the cliff... I am sorry.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s shadowy face was terribly grim. There was no way he could be fine after discovering Biban¡¯s situation and that he had fallen to the brink of developing a heart demon.


    "Don''t say that."


    Biban stepped in front of Hayate and supported him.


    ¡°Your choice has always been right.¡±


    If Hayate wasn¡¯t careful, the tower would¡¯ve already suffered several risks and lost a number of tower members. It would¡¯ve caused a series of enormous damage to the world because they couldn¡¯t smoothly induce or suppress the dragon¡¯s activities.


    Why did Biban struggle to do something that Hayate couldn¡¯t do? It wasn¡¯t because he thought that Hayate was wrong, but because he understood Hayate¡¯s position.


    The tower¡ªno, the only Absolute in human history.


    Hayate was in a position not to put himself in danger. In fact, Hayate had been brave ever since Grid became an Absolute. He showed a different initiative than before. There was no doubt that he believed in Biban and Grid. From now on, Hayate would show a great performance.


    Biban and Grid would desperately help. Then in the end, Hayate and the tower would be mighty and they would be Grid¡¯s strength. It was destined not to change easily. A new destiny was carved into the world with the birth of an Absolute named Biban.


    [The name of the newly born Absolute is...]


    At the time when the system was defining Grid as an Absolute, it had taken a very long time. Biban¡¯s case was simr. It didn¡¯t take a few days like Grid, but the system was very careful in defining the new Absolute. Thus, dozens of minutes passed since the announcement of the birth of a new Absolute before the stopped world messages started flowing again.


    [It is Sword God ¡®Biban.¡¯]


    They were many types of gods. Just as there were beings who were gods from the moment they were born, there were those who were worshiped by humans and reborn as gods, or beings who proimed themselves to be gods.


    Biban was different. He didn¡¯t be a god after being worshiped, nor did he proim himself a god. He was simply strong. The sword he wielded exerted a powerparable to a god, so the system gave him the title of a god.


    ¡°...Sword God.¡±


    Sword Saint Muller¡¯s fingertips trembled as he silently watched the situation. It was because the shock he obtained from reviewing the trajectories of the swordsmanship Biban unfolded earlier became even greater before the shock could disappear.


    The days when he was the best with the sword were over. It was a shock for him to recognize and feel this truth.


    ¡°Biban...¡±


    The corners of Muller¡¯s mouth slowly rose as he pondered on the name of the Absolute. The fact that there was a better swordsman in the world than him gave him a pleasure he had never imagined. He felt a sense of motivation that had been lost since learning the truth of the hopeless world.


    It was because he had a goal.


    ¡®There are so many things to see.¡¯


    He looked at the backs of Hayate, Biban, and Grid in turn. Muller gave the brightest smile in hundreds of years.


    On the other hand, Grid...


    ¡®It isn¡¯t going in the inventory?¡¯


    He looked perplexed as he stood in front of the remains of the dragon that had been salvaged by the magic machine. He pondered on it for a moment before being forced to call the Tomb of the Gods. It was a bit awkward to use the strongest weapon on the surface just to transport a corpse, but what could he do? It was best to befortable.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Voices calling out for Grid came from the superrge airship that appeared from behind the clouds and moon. It was the voice of Ke ong, the people of the empire, and the apostles, who were building a city on an airship.


    It was finally over...


    Grid felt like he had turned home and sighed with relief as he boarded the airship. He had no intention of resting. This time, he had a lot of work to do as a cksmith.

 Chapter 1781

    Chapter 1781


    The form of a weapon changed ording to its use. The dragon weapons that Grid would create in the future didn¡¯t have to be a sword. It was because the situation waspletely different from when he only had limited materials to use.


    ¡®I¡¯ll rece all my secondary weapons with dragon weapons.¡¯


    Grid was ced in a blessed environment. It was thanks to his colleagues, who could handle different weapons to the extreme. All of the data they umted through their blood and sweat, which could form a river, was provided to Grid. Thanks to this, Grid was able to master all types of weapons. In other words, he had reached the peak when it came to using and producing them.


    ¡®The materials are overflowing. Don¡¯t be afraid of failure and make new weapons every day.¡¯


    The subjugation of Baal was postponed. He would proceed after he armed the top forces of the Overgeared Guild with dragon weapons and armor. The odds would rise by leaps and bounds. Perhaps he could repeatedly kill Baal until his infinite lives were cut off...


    ¡®This is as long as Asura isn¡¯t a big variable.¡¯


    Only one hand¡ªAsura showed off a tremendous presence with just one part of his body. Every time Baal wielded his ominous power, the Overgeared Guild and the apostles were in great danger. Baal¡¯s foolish desire to create an evil god with his own hands gave birth to a monster that had never existed before.


    ¡°Really... Is this the end?¡± Irene¡¯s voice awakened Grid from his thoughts. Her face was filled with regret as she exhaled. It was because Grid didn¡¯t give her enough affection. It ended with a gentle kiss and caress of her body. She felt a warm love, but no passion. It was very different from Irene¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°I heard you stopped by Titan before you returned here in triumph.¡±


    Irene had been waiting for tonight for three months. Of course, it took Grid a month to regain his energy, but it took a long time because he shared energy with Mercedes and Basara. For Irene, who was full of energy after building up her divinity and honing her swordsmanship, the three months of solo battle was a tremendous struggle. In other words, she couldn¡¯t condone cutting in line. It was a matter of promise and trust.


    ¡°Um...? Gasp, don¡¯t get me wrong. I only discussed Reidan¡¯s defense with Basara. I didn¡¯t even look in the direction of her bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Why did you discuss Reidan¡¯s defense with her? Reidan isn¡¯t the territory of Queen Basara¡¯s rule.¡±


    ¡°No, well... I wanted to get some advice and have a chat... I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t take care of you often...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t lie to Irene. It had been like that all along.


    A smile gradually spread across Irene¡¯s stiff face as she stared at Grid, who was honestly confessing. ¡°I see. That¡¯s great. I love all aspects of Your Majesty, but the way your care for your family is my third favorite thing about you. But this time, I have no choice but to suspect it. Today is the day of an important appointment, but you left me alone.¡±


    ¡°That... the daoist immortal said that if I want to have children, I need to umte as much energy as possible...¡±


    Grid concluded from the testimonies of Eve and the liches that there was no need to doubt the daoist immortal Yeo Yn. Thus, she was released from prison. Lauel invited her, who had umted a lot of knowledge as a daoist immortal, to be an honored guest of Reinhardt. Then he bombarded her with questions.


    That¡¯s right¡ªone of the questions he asked was the issue of Grid having children. It was disclosed to someone who didn¡¯t even know that Grid might have a physical problem... Lauel believed that Grid should have more children to benefit the nation, so Grid¡¯s shame wasn¡¯t the important issue.


    In any case, it was as Yeo Yn said. Grid¡¯s seed was so powerful that it was being protected by providence. She made a pseudo-religious argument that the principles andws that governed the natural world valued Grid¡¯s seeds and were controlling them to prevent excessive fertility.


    ¡°If a child with iplete energy is born... it is said that the child born as a half-god will be inferiorpared to me. To prevent problems that will arise at that time, the world itself is interfering with our n for a second child.¡±


    If Grid¡¯s child didn¡¯t inherit Grid¡¯s talent, it would be a very serious problem. The child would be an easy target for enemies who hated Grid. It meant that simply existing would cause endless aggression and war.


    In that sense, Lord was very pleasing. Due to his constant efforts, he was showing a fast growth rate simr to Grid in his human days. The enemy couldn¡¯t easily target him. The advantage was that it was easy to predict Lord¡¯s radius of activity because he followed the path that Grid originally walked. It was possible for the empire to block the risks and variables that could aim for Lord in advance.


    ¡°...It is apletely unreliable argument, but I want to save my energy with the feeling of grasping at straws.¡±


    Irene asked, ¡°I... see... how long?¡±


    ¡°It might be difficult, but around a year...?¡±


    ¡°One year...¡±


    Irene¡¯s green eyes shook wildly before gradually losing their light. There was shock followed by frustration. It was a more intense reaction than Grid expected.


    Grid¡¯s resolve started to falter and he said urgently, ¡°I won¡¯t let you be lonely. I will oftenfort you with these two hands that I have been honing. If that is not enough, I¡¯ll hug you at any time. Is there high demand for a child? You are more important.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Irene came back to her senses and her eyes no longer wavered. But her slightly wet eyes were strangely charming. It reminded him of Marie Rose. ¡°One year of waiting will give us a more valuable day. I will take care of the lonely people and soothe them, so don¡¯t worry about it and save your energy well.¡±


    ¡°U-Um...¡±


    What?


    Grid nodded while wondering something. It was because Irene was excited in a way he had never seen before. She seemed to be trying not to show it, but her breathing was rough. He felt like a rat in front of a beast.


    ¡°...By the way. If your third favorite thing about me is the way I care for my family, what is your favorite and second favorite?¡±


    ¡°That... it is a secret.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The night deepened amidst various questions. It wasn¡¯t until Grid saw that Irene had calmed down and fallen fast asleep that he got out of bed.


    The destination was naturally the smithy. It was a smithy as huge as a castle. It was a size that could amodate a superrge furnace. There was also a mountain of white phosphorus wood. All the supplies were ready without the need for Grid to do anything. The expanded smithy and superrge furnace were the work of Ke ong and the architects, while the piles of white phosphorus wood were brought directly by God Red Phoenix.


    [The smelting of the body part of an old dragon. Normal mes won¡¯t work, so I will stay by your side and help you.]


    The Red Phoenix had a very special rtionship with Grid. It had already done Grid a big favor by giving its heart to Grid. Putting aside its cold eyes where no emotions could be read, its attitude toward Grid was endlessly warm.


    ¡°Red Phoenix, don¡¯t you have to protect the Cho Kingdom? If the Hwan Kingdom notices your absence...¡±


    [Half of the Cho Kingdom has been incorporated into the Overgeared World. It is actually your territory, so the expelled gods can¡¯t easily enter it.]


    ¡°I¡¯m d...¡±


    [It is purely a result you made.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Every time he heard something like this, Grid¡¯s heart swelled. He felt it was worth working hard. He felt like his exhausted body and mind were being restored one after another thanks to Irene and the Red Phoenix.


    Grid had a big smile on his face as he put Trauka¡¯s arm into the superrge furnace that had been heated up with the help of the Red Phoenix. It was slowly and carefully.


    In the first ce, it was impossible to put the whole thing in. It was because Trauka¡¯s arm was so huge. He nned to melt it starting from the hand. First, separate the six ws and leave them to produce essories...


    Numerous presences were felt outside the smithy. They were Lord and the cksmiths.


    A dragon¡ªthey wanted to witness and learn from the historic moment of making battle gear from an Absolute creature they didn¡¯t dare to touch. There were signs of arge crowd gathering despite thete hour, but the knights controlled it. It was due to Grid¡¯s warning that it could be dangerous.


    In fact, all the apostles except Braham were present around the smithy, along with Euphemina, Tower Master Lae, Vantner, and Damian. It was to prepare for a situation where the smithy would explode. The apostles created a barrier to prevent the aftermath of the explosion from reaching outside the smithy and the Overgeared members prepared defensive skills.


    It happened when the sheer firepower wanted to cause a crack in Trauka¡¯s hand in the furnace...


    sh!


    The superrge furnace turned red. It was due to the rapid rise in temperature as the heat from the cracked scales of the Fire Dragonbined with the mes of the Red Phoenix.


    [This is a material that can¡¯t be smelted with your skills.]


    ¡®It is ruined...¡¯


    Grid had the worst case scenario in mind. Then eventually, the furnace exploded because it couldn¡¯t handle the heat.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The barrier created by the apostles shook noisily and people screamed. Fortunately, the aftermath of the explosion didn¡¯t reach outside the smithy. Right before the barrier created by the apostles was breached, Vantner and Damian¡ªsupported by Euphemina and Lae¡¯s magic¡ªstopped the mes with their bodies. Thanks to this, the huge waves of mes didn¡¯t reach the city and soared high into the sky. The sight resembled the Breath of Fire Dragon Trauka.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was still too early for dawn, but the night receded. The remnants of mes that evaporated all the clouds were acting as an artificial sun.


    An unexpected voice entered Grid¡¯s ears as he was alternating looking between Trauka¡¯s regenerated arm and the red sky. ¡°I expected it, but it turned out like this.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    Mercedes was already approaching Grid. The target of the sword she pulled out was an old man that was still weighed down by the weight of the years despite achieving transcendence.


    ¡°Great Robber of the Red Night...¡±


    Grid realized it again¡ªthe years that the old man in front of him had endured. Maybe it wasparable or more than Hayate?


    ¡°How did you sneak in?¡± Sariel¡¯s cold voice cooled down the scene that was engulfed in mes. Her voice was trembling with agitation. She felt a great deal of shame and guilt for allowing an outsider to invade. It was natural. Unlike the other apostles, Sariel was in a position where her activities were restricted. She was forced to take on the role of defending Reinhardt, but she couldn¡¯t even do it properly.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t an opponent where you should feel ashamed about this.¡±


    It happened when Zik was givingfort that wasn¡¯t reallyfort...


    ¡°How can you be so arrogant about smelting the body of an old dragon when you aren¡¯t even the God of cksmithing?¡± the Great Robber of the Red Night asked Grid.


    It was close to criticism. Mercedes¡¯ face contorted in a terrifying manner, but Grid was enlightened.


    ¡®I was too proud.¡¯


    It was an unmistakable remark. His origin was a cksmith, but ultimately, he wasn¡¯t a cksmith. He still mistook himself for being the best cksmith. Looking back, he had never surpassed Hexetia.


    ¡°It is different from Bunhelier¡¯s fang, which has long been separated from the main body and lost its vitality. This still vividly has the energy of the old dragon. Yet you are being careless in the middle of the city... you are too overconfident in yourself. You are unable to grasp the subject even after winning due to receiving a lot of help?¡±


    It was just as Mercedes¡¯ sword was about to strike.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    Grid stopped Mercedes and got to the point.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªso far, he had never appeared for no reason. It was the same again this time.


    ¡°It is time to go up.¡± The old man¡¯s wrinkled fingers pointed to the sky. ¡°Carry me to the sky. Then I¡¯ll steal the cksmithing god for you.¡±


    A smile spread across his dark-skinned face. It was filled with such deep meaning that it almost reminded him of Baal¡¯s smile.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good deal for both of us? You can borrow Hexetia¡¯s power, and I can steal a god and fulfill my will.¡±


    ¡°The attitude he shows toward Your Majesty shows that he is unlearned. He isn¡¯t a trustworthy person,¡± Mercedes expressed her opinion.


    She was lucky to have been taught by Muller. If it had been before she met Muller, she would¡¯ve struck with her longsword without giving Grid a chance to stop her.


    ¡®She has every reason to be sensitive.¡¯


    The day before, Grid had struggled to appease Mercedes. She was sad and looked depressed because she wasn¡¯t called at every important moment.


    ¡®In any case, the Great Robber of the Red Night is a good person who can be trusted.¡¯


    Grid remembered the battle Sariel fought with the Great Robber of the Red Night when she was Drasion. He saved countless lives with the skill called ¡®Stealing the Country.¡¯ He also knew why the robber retrieved Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword. It was consideration so that Grid wouldn¡¯t be the target of the gods. Additionally, he had helped Biban during the crisis in hell. He might¡¯ve used the justification of achieving his own goal, but...


    ¡®He is a good person despite his cranky disposition.¡¯


    The robber was also remarkably good at keeping his promises. At the time when he took Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword, he obediently returned Nevartan¡¯s Ne in agreement with what he said.


    In the end¡ª


    ¡°Are you really able to rescue Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about rescue, but if it is stealing, then yes.¡±


    This answer was enough. The old man in front of him was a monster who managed to rob the Tower of Wisdom. In this field, he was several levels above an old dragon.


    Grid decided to ept the deal. It was necessary to change the order of work so that Traukaa¡¯s arm wouldn¡¯t be rotten, after he worked so hard to obtain it.


    ¡®I would rather not make ns for the future.¡¯


    Grid felt skeptical about a situation that seemed to go differently than nned every time.

 Chapter 1782

    Chapter 1782


    ¡°Is there another way to ascend to Asgard?¡±


    Light descended from heaven and small angels appeared blowing their trumpets. Golden clouds spread through the gaps in light to form a staircase. That was the road to Asgard. A path that opened only when the heavenly gods desired it. It was a passage avable only to a few chosen beings who were born as gods. It was a symbol of the highest authority, or discrimination.


    ¡°There is one more way.¡±


    Grid¡¯s office¡ªit looked very strange to be a space where an emperor ruling a great empire handled his affairs. The nib of the pen was dry without a trace of ink and not a single piece of paper could be found.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t change.¡¯


    The Great Robber of the Red Night had a hobby that had be a habit because he was too old. It was his hobby to infiltrate the king¡¯s office every time a new king of every kingdom ascended to the throne. Since each king held at least one of the kingdom¡¯s greatest treasures, it was fun to steal the treasure while also figuring out the king¡¯s disposition and predicting the fate of the kingdom.


    Even the previous emperors of the Saharan Empire had their offices robbed by him. Of course, this meant that Grid¡¯s office wasn¡¯t safe either. The Great Robber of the Red Night had sneaked into Grid¡¯s office twice so far. The first time was when he founded the Overgeared Kingdom, and the second time was when he took control of Saharan and expanded the Overgeared Kingdom into an empire.


    Every time, Grid¡¯s office was empty. It was a truly absurd sight. Even the terrible rulers, who had no interest in governing, had a few things in their offices. Meanwhile, Grid had no such pretenses. It wasn¡¯t a sign that he turned away from his responsibilities.


    He entrusted his work topetent and trustworthy servants and reviewed them often. This might not be the right answer, but it wasn¡¯t bad either. At the very least, he knew it was impossible for him to reign with his own ability, so he came up with countermeasures. It was a hundred times better than the terrible rulers who ruined the country due to their useless attempt to save face or their stubbornness.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure he has met all types of people due to the experience rapidly umted in a short period of time.¡¯


    Did he still believe in humans? Eventually, even this thief¡ª


    The old man was weighed down by the weight of time, even if he was transcendent. Grid¡¯s strong will as a young man before he even became a god was truly astonishing.


    ¡®What does Chiyou feel when watching him?¡¯


    ¡°Are you saying there is another way?¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night shook off his brief thoughts and answered, ¡°The dragons.¡±


    The outside of the window in his vision was still red. It was the faint remnants of the aftermath of the superrge furnace¡¯s explosion. The mes that burned the sky were a mixture of Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s energy and Red Phoenix¡¯s mes. It was truly the most powerful me in the world, so it wasn¡¯t easily extinguished. If it hadn¡¯t been for Euphemina, some of the mes would¡¯ve fallen to the city.


    ¡°...Dragons?¡±


    ¡°You know the story of Trauka hunting the celestial gods.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°To be able to freely move back and forth between dimensions. This is one of the powers that dragons are born with. Even Asgard, which rises as high as the nose of the gods, was an object they could look down,¡± the Great Robber of the Red Night spoke clearly to Grid.


    Carry me to heaven.


    It meant that Grid could do it.


    ¡°Do you mean riding up on Nefelina?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t okay. Nefelina was a hatchling. If she transcended her limits, she could show the flying ability of a dragon, but that was only for a short time. It was only one minute. He didn¡¯t know what the concept of ¡®crossing dimensions¡¯ was, but if it was based on physical distance, then it would be difficult to ascend to Asgard in one minute.


    Sure enough, the Great Robber of the Red Night shook his head.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it. I have heard about the greatness of the hatchling, who transcended the limits whilemunicating with you, but I can¡¯t call her a dragon...¡±


    ¡°Do you have another way in mind?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a matter for Grid to worry about.


    Indeed. There was no way the Great Robber of the Red Night would¡¯ve offered a deal if he hadn¡¯t thought of a n. He must¡¯ve suggested it because he had his own ideas.


    Grid listened calmly, only to spit out the tea that was in his mouth. It was precious tea brewed by Irene herself...


    Grid was deeply shocked by what he heard.


    ¡°We need to reach Asgard quickly enough that it isn¡¯t detected by the gods. Borrowing the back of an old dragon would be the most ideal,¡± the Great Robber of the Red Night exined while calmly wiping away the tea from the wrinkles on his face with a handkerchief.


    ¡®An Absolute is different.¡¯


    The Great Robber couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed at which the tea was spat out. By the time he realized and reacted, the tea was already on the verge of covering his face, so he allowed the water attack.


    ¡®As expected of the Only One God... he has be more reliable in terms of his abilities.¡¯


    Unlike the Great Robber of the Red Night, who had afortable expression because he was inwardly satisfied, Grid¡¯s face was rotten.


    ¡°Borrow the back of an old dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is something that only you, the Dragon Knight, can do.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying? How am I supposed to do that?¡±


    Bunhelier, Raiders, Nevartan, and Trauka¡ªthis was the list of old dragons, apart from the Transparent Dragon whose existence was unknown. They were all lunatics. The four of them resembled each other to the point where Nevartan, who suffered from madness, didn¡¯t look particrly special. It was in a bad way.


    In the first ce, Grid wasn¡¯t acquainted with them. He wasn¡¯t in a position to ask for something from them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke and tell me the right method.¡±


    He was trying not to show it, but Grid was feeling nervous. The n to mass produce dragon weapons from Trauka¡¯s arm had gone badly from the beginning. The whole purpose of defeating Baal and leveling up further to finally rescue Khan and Hexetia wentpletely off track.


    He wanted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. It was quite unpleasant that the person with the solution in his hand was dying the time with a joke.


    ¡°Do you think I came here to see you to make a joke?¡±


    The following words of the Great Robber were very shocking.


    ¡°Soon, two old dragons will appear. One is Bunhelier. I¡¯m sure you are expecting it, but he will try to cooperate with you after sensing the signs of the Baal subjugation expedition.¡±


    Certainly. Trauka had also said it. Soon, Bunhelier would ask for cooperation. Grid thought it was a usible guess.


    ¡°Who is the other one?¡±


    ¡°Gourmet Dragon Raiders.¡±


    ¡°Raiders? Let¡¯s see. You might already know, but there is still a long way to go before Raider¡¯s appearance cycle.¡±


    It was also known as the gourmet cycle. Raider¡¯s food trip was repeated once every 100 years.


    ¡°The cycle doesn¡¯t have to be followed. You have the ingredients to speed up Raiders¡¯ schedule.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    They were words he couldn¡¯t understand. Where did he have such ingredients?


    ¡°It is Trauka¡¯s arm,¡± the Great Robber exined to Grid, who looked like he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was like lightning struck Grid¡¯s head. He recalled the story of the Gourmet Dragon, who chewed the roots of the world tree in front of all the elves. In the first ce, dragons were used to eating each other. No, more of them lived for the purpose of eating their own kind. It was in order to gain strength and protect themselves.


    ¡°Won¡¯t eating Trauka¡¯s arm make Raiders even stronger?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. In order to directly gain an increase in power from eating another dragon, they need to eat the dragon heart. Other body parts have no value.¡±


    That was right. Trauka had only eaten Xenon¡¯s heart.


    ¡°The reason why Raiders covets Trauka¡¯s arm is simply because of gluttony.¡±


    ¡°That is a dangerous statement. My advice to you is to never bring up the word gluttony in front of Raiders. He is a gourmet. For him, food is to be savored, not to be ravenously coveted.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid cocked his head. He felt a sense of alienation as he imagined Raiders digging up the roots of the world tree and chewing on it.


    ¡®I think he is ravenous enough.¡¯


    ¡°In any case, Raiders¡¯ visit will be a big opportunity for us. In exchange for taking some of Trauka¡¯s arm, I will go up to heaven and steal what I want, while you will get Hexetia.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid was grateful for the Great Robber¡¯s visit. From what he heard, a reunion with Raiders was inevitable. If it was inevitable, it was better to know about it and prepare for it in advance.


    ¡°Can I just give him enough to cook a steak...¡±


    The question was how much Raiders required. It was unfortunate that Grid had to share it with someone when he had limited materials.


    ¡°It is your responsibility to negotiate the details, not mine. I think it is better for you to leave for a deserted ce before Raiders and Bunhelieres,¡± the Great Robber of the Red Night gently urged. A dragon was a being who would cause violent winds with just one p p of their wings. It wasn¡¯t good for it to show up in the middle of the city.


    ¡®A good man is a good man.¡¯


    Grid was fond of the Great Robber, who was secretly worried about people, and rose from his seat.


    ¡°I know a ce where there are no people.¡±


    The Red Sea¡ªif he went to a deserted ind and waited, they woulde to see him.


    ¡°By the way, I have a request.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Rescuing Hexetia... no, when you are stealing Hexetia111, can you steal another angel as well? I¡¯m sure he is being treated badly...¡±


    ¡°...I will try.¡±


    The Great Robber didn¡¯t ask who the angel was. Putting aside his seemingly nonchnt attitude, he knew Grid well. He knew the story about Grid and the cksmith named Khan and he guessed that Khan had be an angel. There was also a clear connection to the holy swords that appeared all over the world not long ago.


    ¡®A world where those who deserve rest are suffering.¡¯


    It was off. It had been off for too long. It should be changed. He had been trying to change it. He had never shown a heroic side like the Absolute who built an invisible tower and suppressed dragons for a thousand years. Still, he was confident that he had tried.


    It was like the Specter who worked hard while hiding deep underground. He stole and umted treasures representing each era while hoping there would be more people like him somewhere. It was to open up new possibilities.


    ¡°...Sigh.¡±


    Grid¡ªthe old man sighed and shook off his nerves at being in the presence of the greatest hero he had ever met. Then he put on the mask of the thief that had been about to fall off.


    ¡°You can look forward to it. Stealing is my specialty.¡±


    ***


    Deep in the mountains...


    ¡°Is it a dragon again...¡± a tall, white-haired middle-aged man murmured as he looked at the shadow that filled the sky and disappeared.


    The storm that came a stepter shook the roots of the tall trees and tried to uproot them, but he spread out a red aura and suppressed it.


    The power to control matter¡ªthe name of the man who inherited the ¡®red energy¡¯ used by the founder of the fallen empire was Juander. He was the old emperor whose final subordinate was an immortal wrapped in cursed armor.


    ¡°There are no more signs. This one looks like it has been sorted out,¡± Armored Cavalryman Chensler said. Thanks to the dragon that passed by and cleared the bushes, the search of the nearby area was quickly finished.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go ahead. I¡¯m afraid Kujarak will be tired from waiting.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine. He is a man who is like wood.¡±


    Not long ago, the dimensional gaps copsed one after another due to the two Sword Saints. Grid¡¯s apostles cleared up most of the beings from other dimensions that poured out, but some intelligent beings silently survived. It was a new threat. However, most people didn¡¯t realize it and it wasn¡¯tmunicated to Grid.


    Hayate and the tower members, Eve and the Great Robber of the Red Night, Hwang Gildong and Old Demon Sword¡ªthey all had different intentions and sometimes went the wrong way. Even so, there were more heroes fighting in the world than just Grid.


    Grid was their hope and it was enough for him to focus on a greater cause.


    Of course, Grid also wanted to focus...


    ¡°What? You want half?¡±


    [Your words have lost their politeness when I haven¡¯t seen you.]


    ¡°Politeness? Are you kidding me?¡±


    [I think it is cheap as the price for the deal.]


    At the Ruins of the Martial God...


    As if to prove the fate of Zeratul, who was doomed, Grid reunited with Raiders in this ce, which had be an empty, uninhabited ind.


    [If it doesn¡¯t taste good, I¡¯ll just take one bite and return it.]


    ¡®Let¡¯s bring Idan here.¡¯


    Grid always did his best. He had no intention of losing a profit in this transaction.

 Chapter 1783

    Chapter 1783


    Idan¡ªhe was originally from the East Continent and he was the most famous chef in the entire world. It was because he had the tremendous history of serving as the chef of the Overgeared Pce and the Overgeared Knights. There were even rumors that he was in charge of the lunch boxes of the Overgeared members, including Grid.


    He was a one of a kind and unprecedented chef. It was strange that he had the alias of ¡®Poison Master,¡¯ but most of the world¡¯s chefs respected him and aimed to be like him.


    [I am bing interested.]


    Raiders said after listening to Grid¡¯s exnation. He had apletely different attitude from the other old dragons. Seeing the way he could listen to others, he had at least a bit ofmon sense.


    The golden scales reflecting the light came closer again.


    [If it is the best chef of this time by your side, I can look forward to it. He must be a talented person who can ring an rm bell in humanity¡¯s food culture, which hasn¡¯t changed much even after going through several apocalypses and rebirths.]


    ¡°An rm bell¡­ it is simr.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Not long ago, this ce was affected by the sea levels that had risen due to the release of Trauka¡¯s power. The huge uninhabited ground, where a few castles could be built, couldn¡¯t handle the weight of an old dragon and gradually sank. Raiders reduced his body weight with magic and nodded after using Polymorph to be a long-haired, handsome man.


    ¡°Bring him. There is no need to hurry. Waiting is also a delight of eating, so my patience has been tempered.¡±


    ¡°No. You should hurry and finish your business and go back to their to rest. I will hurry.¡±


    It was an existence that was stuffy and ufortable just breathing in the same space as it. Dragons were like that to Grid. He wanted to finish this deal and send the dragon back to hisir. In the first ce, he had to hurry. The Great Robber of the Red Night said that the time when Reba was in the cycle was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate Asgard.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how he knows that Reba is in the cycle.¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t doubt the massive intelligencework power of the Great Robber. It was because he had already seen Hwang Gildong, who had insight into most of the work rted to the East Continent. It would be arrogance if Grid recklessly judged or doubted the capabilities of those who were struggling in their respective positions.


    ¡°Are you going to mess things up while rushing?¡±


    Raiders¡¯ cold, golden eyes became even colder. It was the aftermath of recalling themon mistakes made by chefs who had lost their cool.


    ¡°Cooks are people who are timid and easily lose their cool. They are often startled just by looking at the lid of the pot and easily make minor mistakes, but how will you take responsibility if he leaves cooking utensils or seasonings behind because you are in a rush? Keep in mind that my anger might be directed at you.¡±


    ¡®...He has a strange bias.¡¯


    They were scared because they were cooks... couldn¡¯t Raiders understand the feelings of the chefs who cooked him food? He wasn¡¯t able to understand other people¡¯s positions. It was the typical characteristic of lunatics. Raiders might seem rtively decent, but a dragon was still a dragon.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll slowlye back when everything is fully prepared,¡± Grid spoke politely, contrary to his intentions.


    Who was the strongest dragon? At least at this point, it was likely to be Raiders.


    Trauka was critically wounded by Ifrit, who had aimed for mutual destruction. Nevartan suffered from madness after falling for Baal¡¯s scheme, and Bunhelier was cursed.


    Unlike the other weakened old dragons, Raiders was fine. He hadn¡¯t suffered any incidents andpletely preserved his power.


    ¡®There is no historical data to measure Raiders¡¯ power.¡¯


    Most of the things about dragons recorded in literature was about Nevartan. He acted without hesitation due to his madness. Even the more aggressive Fire Dragon Trauka had fewer records of sightingspared to Nevartan. Most of it was rted to Talima. Raiders¡¯ record of going on a gourmet tour was bound to be much less.


    Grid only knew the characteristics of a Gold Dragon thanks to Nefelina¡¯s information, but he had no idea about Raiders¡¯ individual strength.


    ¡®In any case, it is an old dragon.¡¯


    He would definitely be stronger than Bunhelier right now. He wasn¡¯t an opponent to be angry at.


    ¡°Then... I will be back. I won¡¯t be toote, so please wait here.¡±


    He hoped that the Great Robber of the Red Night, who was hiding his presence somewhere on the ind, would remain safe while he was away.


    Grid returned to Reinhardt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to! Are you intending to kill me? Ack! No! I don¡¯t want toooooo!¡±


    A whileter, a terrible scream echoed from a middle-aged man in the basement of the Overgeared Pce. He waspletely terrified after learning about the situation from Grid.


    The presence of a dragon¡ªeven a man who was usually so bold turned into a coward when it came to dealing with dragons. Even Dragon yer Hayate was afraid of dragons. Grid thought that Jude was probably the only human being in the world who could maintain calmness against the dragons, especially an old dragon.


    ¡°Why is Sir Idan acting like that?¡±


    ¡°I heard that on His Majesty¡¯s rmendation, he is going to cook food in front of the Gourmet Dragon...¡±


    ¡°Hah. Is that true?¡±


    The faces of the whispering knights gradually brightened. All the members of the Overgeared Knights had eaten Idan¡¯s food for at least a year. Thanks to this, they were strongly resistant to poison, but at the same time, they had a heart that resented Idan. It felt like they had been tortured for a long time.


    Of course, it was a feeling that they weren¡¯t aware of themselves. How could theyugh at a time when a person was going to be dragged to a ughterhouse?


    The faces of the knights darkened as they felt disappointed in themselves. Then Idan¡¯s screams finally stopped.


    "I understand. If I can¡¯t avoid it, then I will ept it. I will faithfully obey Your Majesty¡¯s will, as I have always done.¡±


    He was filled with desperation. There was no light in his ck eyes that weremon in natives of the East Continent. It was a look like he was giving up his life.


    Grid tried to clear up the misunderstanding. ¡°There is no way you will be harmed. I will stop it.¡±


    ¡°You will stop it... then there is a chance that the dragon might try to kill me.¡±


    There was a reason why Idan had no energy. Coincidentally, he now knew that his dishes were tasteless. He couldn¡¯t help noticing after years of staying in the pce and cooking for hundreds and thousands of people.


    He had heard it many times. The knights whispered that Idan¡¯s cooking was the worst. It was eating food, but it felt like eating poison. This sort of thing¡­ making a dish for a dragon called the ¡®Gourmet Dragon? This was more like deliberate murder.


    ¡®If he tells me to die, then I will die...¡¯


    The amount of books Idan had read was surprisingly considerable. He used to run a restaurant without customers, so he read books because he had nothing to do. Thanks to this, he knew the history of many kingdoms. The first thing that supreme rulers did when they became kings or emperors and wielded uncontrolled power¡ªit was to behead the generals who worked hard during the founding years in order to monopolize power.


    ¡®Use it when you need it and throw it away without mercy when you don¡¯t need it.¡¯


    Idan didn¡¯t know the reason, but it was clear His Majesty held him in high regard and was afraid of him. Only then could he understand why His Majesty was pushing him to death...


    ¡®I should¡¯ve left when Yan Fei left... I was stupid.¡¯


    Yan Fei, who came with Idan from the East Continent¡ªshe left the pcest year.


    The young woman had entered the workforce before she was old enough in order to take care of her brothers. She managed to climb to the position of maid of honor in the Overgeared pce, but she had a desire to live a normal life before her youth ended.


    She left this wonderful and splendid pce to live a life of hardship as amoner again... Idan couldn¡¯t understand it from his point of view.


    However, now he knew. She probably realized that she would have to live a life on pine needles.


    ¡®It is my sin for not understanding the subject. His Majesty has shown my great kindness, so let¡¯s notin and ept it.¡¯


    Yes, the grace he had received so far was very great. He wanted to return the favor and leave. This way, he could curse at death.


    ¡®Thest dish I am going to cook... it will go down in history.¡¯


    Idan¡¯s prayer changed. He felt like apletely different person. It was a dying sh.


    ¡®I will put away my stubbornness and make a dish that suits the public¡¯s taste.¡¯


    Idan was obsessed with the ¡®natural taste of ingredients.¡¯ It contained the meaning of admiring the human taste that could revere the ingredients created by nature and savor them. It was the spirit of craftsmanship. For him, spices were filth that spoiled the taste of the ingredient, and voring with salt was an act of deceiving the tongue.


    However, nobody understood even at thest moment. People¡¯s ridiculingughter rang out like an auditory hallucination. Therefore, he wanted to show it only at thest moment¡ªthe reason his cooking wasn¡¯t to their taste wasn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t cook...


    ¡®I will show you a dish that will be legendary to your taste buds.¡¯


    ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯


    First, Idan shed tears while holding his breath. Then he became determined beforeughing in a crazy manner. Grid felt ufortable at the sight and urged him, ¡°Let¡¯s go. The ce is an uninhabited ind in the Red Sea. There is a lot of clean sand, so you don¡¯t need cooking utensils, right?¡±


    Idan didn¡¯t use heat cooking very well when cooking. Even if it was used asionally, he used sand heated by the sun. He would hold a fan in his hand when things weren¡¯t going well or when inspiration came to them, but that was really rare.


    ¡°No. I have many things to prepare.¡±


    Idan shook his head and entered the kitchen. He packed all types of cooking utensils that he normally wouldn¡¯t bother to look at. Finally, he grabbed salt and pepper.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face hardened when he noticed this.


    ¡°It is the first time in my life that I am cooking dragon meat. There is a possibility that conventional cooking methods won¡¯t work, so I have to be fully prepared,¡± Idan exined.


    It was an exnation that hid his intention to make delicious dishes. He intended to surprise Grid.


    ¡®I want to see it. I want to see you btedly regret it after eating the food I cook and being surprised by how delicious it was.¡¯


    After that¡ª


    Contrary to Grid¡¯s expectations, it took quite some time for the two of them to arrive at the Ruins of the Martial God. Raiders¡¯ eyebrows that protruded from his small face twitched slightly. He was inwardly surprised when he saw that cook that Grid brought. It was a slight loss ofposure that was unlike an old dragon.


    ¡®There is a very intense look in his eyes.¡¯


    It was a look where no fear could be felt. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t waver even if death was just around the corner. It was the first time Raiders had ever seen a chef with such eyes.


    ¡®That is how proud he is of his skills.¡¯


    Raiders¡¯ expectations were amplified. Eventually, he even asked with a faint smile on his face, ¡°Tell me how you n to cook this precious ingredient?¡±


    Raiders ced Trauka¡¯s arm along the coast and took out a knife as he spoke in order to help. After all, it was an ingredient that couldn¡¯t be handled by human cooks. Raiders was going to help. He thought the ingredient and the chef who would use it were worthy of it.


    ¡°Please turn the scales into a handful of powder. Cut the skin into pieces thin enough to be transparent.¡±


    Idan had nothing to fear. He looked closely at the dragon¡¯s arm, touched it, and confidently demanded things.


    ¡°Cut the lower part of the armpit while preserving the shape. Then cut the flesh just above it into cubes. The thickness is around this much... additionally, I will use the bones and tendons of the wrist. From here to here. The back of the hand should be thinly sliced...¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Raiders met all of Idan¡¯s demanding requirements while Grid watched leisurely. In any case, he knew that Idan¡¯s dishes didn¡¯t look good. Furthermore, it was the first time Idan was cooking a dragon¡¯s arm, which could be used for many things. It was impossible for him to cook it properly.


    ¡®A worse than usual dish wille out.¡¯


    In the meantime, what satisfied him the most was that the amount of materials Idan used was based on humans. Raiders had polymorphed into human form, so Idan seemed to have momentarily forgotten that he was a dragon. Raiders didn¡¯t mind. He was a gourmet, not a glutton. He preferred to eat deliciously, even if the amount was less.


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°I will start.¡±


    Idan¡¯s cooking began. He used various spices as Raiders heated up the pan with magical mes.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was a very normal recipe, unlike the usual. It even looked fancy and skillful. It looked like a very good chef was cooking.


    ¡®Is he going to make it delicious?¡¯


    How was that possible? Unlike the semi-doubtful Grid who was gradually bing nervous, Raiders¡¯ expectations were amplified...


    ¡°Eat in this order.¡±


    Arge table was set up. It was a dinner with dishes that maximized the conflicting textures of the thick tendons and scales fried until the point just before it became mushy. An immensely delicious smell spread in all directions.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night, hiding in a corner, gulped. Grid was also filled with a huge sense of hunger.


    ¡®I want to try it.¡¯


    It was a moment when he had an unexpected desire...


    Grid sensed that the n was ruined while Raiders started to slowly savor the food. After a while¡ª


    Clink.


    Raiders put down the fork and knife and murmured, ¡°...Trauka is a guy with no advantages whatsoever.¡±


    Raiders¡¯ beautiful face was distorted in a frightening manner as he silently spat out the steak he had chewed a few times and wiped the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste good from start to finish. Every time I chew, my mouth fills with a certain smell. The texture is also terrible and none of the vors are right.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chef. I watched you do your best. It isn¡¯t your fault. It is the ingredient. I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Raiders reassured Idan, who had paled and stiffened, but Idan didn¡¯t find any constion.


    ¡°My best... I really tried my best...! Sob...! Sob sob sob!¡±


    People without talent wouldn¡¯t be able to do it no matter how hard they tried.


    It was a terrible reality.

 Chapter 1784

    Chapter 1784


    A new gourmet experience¡ªit was Raiders¡¯ only joy and purpose in his life. Some of his own kindughed at him, but it didn¡¯t matter. Wasn¡¯t he better than them, who were simply surviving?


    This was Raiders¡¯ pride. He resembled Braham.


    ¡®It worked out rather well.¡¯


    Raiders thought as he looked at the remains of the food.


    Fire Dragon Trauka¡ªhe had been aiming for Raiders since the beginning of chaos. The naturally aggressive bastard spread the misguided physiology of eating their kin among the dragon species.


    ¡®If the body part of that loathsome bastard was able to satisfy my tongue¡­ it would¡¯ve been unpleasant as well.¡¯


    Surprisingly, the thing that Raiders hated the most in the world wasn¡¯t tasteless food. The thing he hated the most was Trauka, with the second most hated thing being bad chefs, and the third most hated thing being tasteless food.


    Idan was incredibly lucky.


    What did Trauka¡¯s arm taste like...?


    Thanks to Raiders¡¯ subconscious desire for it to not taste good, Idan was able to avoid bing an object of hatred. In the first ce, Raiders had a rational mindset that was rare among dragons. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be possible for a human chef to cook the body of an Old Dragon as he wished. This was why he helped with the preparations itself.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t pay off. Raiders saw it clearly. It was the sight of the salt and pepper that the chef sprinkled on Trauka¡¯s flesh disappearing without properly permeating it. The boiling oil couldn¡¯t fry Trauka¡¯s scales and only coated the outside.


    ¡°That¡­ should I appease your spoiled appetite? Do you want me to guide you to a restaurant I know well?¡± Grid said cautiously.


    It was very fortunate that only a bit of Trauka¡¯s arm was lost, but he ended up feeding Raiders a meal that wasn¡¯t delicious. He had to be prepared to deal with Raiders¡¯ anger.


    ¡®He is being surprisingly decent, but I won¡¯t be fooled.¡¯


    Grid clearly remembered it. It was the image of Raiders struggling because the food he had enjoyed for hundreds of years had be boring. He looked very calm even when he was thinking about destroying a family of chefs who had passed on the taste for a long time just for him.


    ¡®There is no need to worry about the deal falling through. If a dragon doesn¡¯t keep their promise, then their Dragon Words will weaken.¡¯


    This was unless Raiders intended to be like Bunhelier. Grid would just have to endure a brief storm...


    Grid was making a good expression as he thought this. Then Raiders retorted, ¡°There is the best chef of the time here. Is there any need to move?¡±


    Raiders failed to properly assess Idan. First of all, a trustworthy figure called Grid introduced him as the best chef of this time. Additionally, there were no ws in Idan¡¯s recipe that he actually saw. The reason why the dishes were tasteless was purely due to the ingredients. For Raiders, it was hard to doubt Idan¡¯s skills.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think Sir Idan is in a position to cook again.¡±


    The startled Grid was relieved when he saw Idan¡¯s appearance.


    It was a frustrated appearance. The image of him sitting down on the white sand in a dazed state resembled a person who lost his homnd. His empty eyes and the tear tracks represented his shock and sadness.


    ¡®It is unfortunate, but it worked out in many ways.¡¯


    Idan fully repaid Grid¡¯s trust. He preserved Trauka¡¯s arm for Grid by making bad dishes, and he showed a distraught appearance after being shocked by Raiders¡¯ honest evaluation. He yed an active role without leaving any room for regrets.


    ¡®Even Raiders wouldn¡¯t trust a chef in this state.¡¯


    He would take back the attention he ced on Idan. The case would end without Raiders noticing that Idan ¡®really can¡¯t cook.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s treat Idan better from now on.¡¯


    A faint smile spread on Grid¡¯s face as he made a promise.


    ¡®Is it a side effect of bing a god?¡¯


    The Great Robber of the Red Night murmured to himself. He hid in the shadows and observed the situation. In fact, he had heard all of Grid¡¯s ns beforehand. This meant it was possible to infer how much the cook named Idan must¡¯ve been hurt. Grid smiled even though he knew that and it worried the Great Robber.


    ¡®He has always sacrificed himself because he loved and trusted the people.¡¯


    Grid always fought for humanity. Such a person was smiling at the pain of others? Of course, the current Grid wasn¡¯t smiling at Idan. He was smiling because he was satisfied with the situation. Even taking that into consideration, it was hard to get rid of the impression that he had lost some of his humanity.


    ¡®Is he going to be like the other gods after all... no, wait?¡¯


    The expression of the deeply worried Great Robber suddenly brightened. It was because he was reminded of Grid¡¯s origin. Why did Grid confidently attempt to smelt the freshly removed Old Dragon¡¯s arm?


    It was because his origin was a cksmith. He wasn¡¯t the ultimate cksmith. He started as a cksmith. Thus, he tried to smelt Trauka¡¯s arm in the middle of the city like he was the cksmithing god.


    The Great Robber¡¯s thoughts reached this point and he could think of a figure.


    ¡®Pagma.¡¯


    Yes, Grid was none other than Pagma''s Sessor. A person who fought for humanity while sacrificing countless lives.


    ¡®Pagma might deserve criticism, but he truly loved humans.¡¯


    Thus, he made a pact with Baal even though he was fully aware of what he would suffer when he died. He sacrificed a lot of people for the sake of his cause, but there was no malice in it.


    ¡®Grid must resemble him.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t losing his humanity as a side effect of bing a god. By nature, it was originally easy for him to sacrifice people... it was quite double-sided and was almost like a scoundrel.


    ¡®Usually, disciples resemble their teachers.¡¯


    The more he learned about Pagma¡¯s life, the more assimted he became. Then a voice permeated the ears of the Great Robber, who was nodding in conviction, and Grid, who was swearing for some reason.


    ¡°He is the best in his field. I¡¯m sure he is shocked by the unbelievable reality that he made a dish that isn¡¯t delicious, but... I believe he will recover quickly with his solid mentality.¡±


    ¡°F... Huh?¡±


    Was someone cursing him from somewhere? Why did a chill suddenly run down his spine? Grid was about to reflexively spit out a curse, only to be speechless.


    Raiders¡¯ eyes as he looked at Idan was full of respect and understanding. It wasn¡¯t like an Old Dragon at all.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be happening? Don¡¯t tell me?¡¯


    Grid looked dumbfounded and dazed. Then his face soon turned white.


    ¡®Did he notice my n?¡¯


    In retrospect, it was natural. Raiders was the Gourmet Dragon. He had an eye for cooking itself. In fact, the skill he used to prepare the ingredients a while ago wasn¡¯t normal. So there was no way he couldn¡¯t know the fact that Idan¡¯s cooking skills were actually lousy.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve noticed that I brought in a chef who couldn¡¯t cook on purpose.¡¯


    It was obvious what would happen next. Raiders would order food from Idan that used ¡®normal ingredients.¡¯ After confirming that even these dishes were terrible and tasteless, he would hold Grid ountable.


    ¡®It is ruined.¡¯


    Somehow, he thought that things had worked out too easily.


    ¡®Should I break his wrist? Sehee can treat himter anyway. But I must have a justification to convince Raiders afterward...¡¯


    Should Grid use him of being a thief? Grid was ovee with nervousness as he looked at Idan¡¯s hands and pondered on it.


    ¡°I greet Raiders, the great Old Dragon who reigns over all things, the brilliant Gold Dragon who shines before the sun.¡±


    Just then, the Great Robber of the Red Night came out. He also came to the same conclusion as Grid. Thus, he felt the need to turn things around.


    Raiders¡¯ eyes sank coldly.


    ¡°That is an old greeting.¡±


    Raiders was surprised by two things.


    First of all, he couldn¡¯t read the presence of a human being. Secondly, he heard a greeting that he never thought he would hear in the current world.


    ¡°...How many destructions have you experienced, you ghost?¡±


    The repetition of creation and the end¡ªthe cycles done by Reba and Yatan were fatally wed. The point was that beings whose ¡®power¡¯ was above a certain level weren¡¯t affected by the destruction. The representative examples were dragons who lived intact even after experiencing countless apocalypses, and Zik, the apostle of the Overgeared God.


    They existed every time.


    They were ghosts.


    ¡°As you know, humans are different from you great existences. We are pitiful beings who can¡¯t live unless we forget. When I was born and how many apocalypses I went through. I¡¯ve long forgotten.¡±


    Raiders didn¡¯t ask anything further, as if that was enough of an answer. He just muttered while staring at his long blond hair that was being dyed by the red sky, ¡°Great Robber of the Red Night.... so...¡±


    ¡°Raiders, may I dare to say something?¡±


    ¡°I respect you as much as an outstanding cook. I give permission.¡±


    ¡°The reason Grid made a deal with you was because of my request.¡±


    Usually, the Great Robber treated Grid as if he was a young man. However, he referred to Grid respectfully when he encountered a high ranking target. It conveyed an unspoken meaning to the target.


    The hierarchy of you and Grid is no different. You should also respect Grid.


    Raiders looked like he was being noisy, but he agreed.


    ¡°Do you mean ascending to heaven?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he came up with this n purely to help me. So if you must hold someone ountable, please...¡±


    ¡°ountable?¡±


    Raider was cocking his head in a confused manner when his ears shook slightly. He was responding to the signs of Idan, who stopped crying and was catching his breath.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk after we finish eating.¡±


    Then something amazing happened. Raiders rose up with magic and instantly moved to Idan¡¯s side. Then he reached out to Idan.


    ¡°The best cook of this age.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I will give you a chance to serve me the right food.¡±


    It was the aftermath of biased information. Raiders believed in Idan¡¯s history that was submitted by Grid and still thought he was the best cook. From Idan¡¯s perspective, it sounded like mockery.


    ¡®This XX.¡¯


    Calling him the best chef of this age after spitting out the food he made because it was terrible? Idan had given up on living from the beginning. Even though he burned his soul to cook, he failed in the end and he couldn¡¯t see anything in his eyes. In a word, he lost his fear.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±


    There was a very defiant look in his eyes. The chef¡¯s eyes that were confident rather than being afraid after having failed once slightly thrilled Raiders.


    ¡®He is truly the chef I was looking for.¡¯


    Show the source of that confidence. Finally, the smiling Raiders used magic and a mysterious scene unfolded. All the cooking utensils and food ingredients that existed in the world, as well as spices that Grid had never seen before filled the center of the coast where there used to be nothing.


    ¡°Anything is good. Do what you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need all of them.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Grid, who had been restlessly watching the situation, turned contemtive while Raiders raised his eyes in a scary manner.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night murmured, ¡°I¡¯m sure he will be killed...¡±


    It was because he watched as Idan put away the cooking utensils prepared by the Old Dragon, kicking them away with his feet and sweeping them away with his arms.


    In the awkward silence, Idan spoke, ¡°I will do it my way. Give me a bit of dragon meat again.¡±


    It was right after an unexpected failure. In his despair, Idan had realized. It was a mistake to abandon the skills he had honed all his life to cook in the same manner as others.


    ¡®What if you deny the path you have been pursuing, Idan? Are you going to leave withst minute regret?¡¯


    Cooking that relied on sweeteners and spices was too ordinary. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t pure skill. He cooked with nature.


    Idan didn¡¯t hold any kitchen knives or pots in his hands. He made the shape of a pot by digging the pit himself while burning his hands on the white sand of the beach that was heated by the sun.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The moment that Raiders sensed something was wrong...


    Idan threw the newly acquired Trauka¡¯s meat into the pit and finally held his knife. Was he going to prepare other ingredients now? As everyone paid attention to him, Idan picked up a ss bottle that had washed in by the sea, carefully broke it in half, and ced it on top of the meat. Then the ss became hot in the sun...


    ¡°...What is this?¡± Raiders¡¯ opinion of Idan was downgraded. It was while being bewildered by his series of actions.


    Idan didn¡¯t care. Idan cooked the meat in his own way and eventually gave Raiders a piece of meat that was slightly cooked on the outside. It wasn¡¯t even on a te. It was meat on a stone.


    ¡°Are you treating a great dragon like an animal right now?¡± At some point, Raiders¡¯ voice had bepletely cold. He held a knife and fork while ring at Idan. ¡°If you have deceived me, you will pay a high price.¡±


    Some timeter¡ª


    Clink!


    Raiders dropped his fork and knife once more. It was with a very surprised expression.


    ¡°...The taste of meat in my mouth mixed with spices... it has be fragrant?¡±

 Chapter 1785

    Chapter 1785


    ¡°It is the power of anion and light wave cooking,¡± Idan exined. His expression was quite different. He showed no signs of hesitation or frustration and was full of confidence.


    ¡°First of all, the anion cooking. The electrons naturally obtained from the soil and sand prate into the meat in waves, causing a softening effect. At the same time, it expels foreign substances to eliminate the bad smells.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t anion a pseudoscience that is legally banned?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue. As a modern man, he knew frommon sense that the anion theory was a superstition.


    ¡°Next is the light wave cooking. The pure light of the sun is different from man-made mes. Once it heats the meat, it produces all types of beneficial nutrients. It is literally the energy of the sun. This maximizes the natural aroma and taste of the ingredients, adding great vor to the meat without the need for sweeteners or spices.¡±


    ¡®Does he believe in ghosts?¡¯


    Ah, there really were ghosts in this world...


    Grid gradually became nervous as Idan continued to talk sophistry. He wondered if Raiders would forgive the human being who mocked him.


    ¡®I have to protect him.¡¯


    The results were strange, but...


    After all, Idan was a valued colleague. Grid was ready to respond as soon as Raiders showed any strange signs. Of course, he was going to persuade Raiders through a conversation rather than fighting. Thus, he sent a whisper to Huroi beforehand. He nned to lead the conversation to the advantage using real-time advice from Huroi.


    Such preparations were unnecessary.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Raiders¡¯ expression gradually changed to interest. ¡°Are you incorporating what humans call science into cooking?¡±


    Human beings were different from other transcendent beings. They were born with poor strength and knowledge from birth, so they had to create, learn, and train themselves in all types of things.


    Science was a prime example. It was the study of humanity.


    ¡°Science...? No way. No matter how you look at it, I am a pure chef.¡±


    ¡®It looks obvious, so you don¡¯t have to say it.¡¯


    Grid, who did his best even though he didn¡¯t study well, inwardly kept criticizing it.


    ¡°You mean that you just enlightened yourself.¡±


    Raiders looked very satisfied. It was a reaction that showed he didn¡¯t care about Idan¡¯s baseless ims. It was natural. The food that entered his mouth tasted delicious right away. This taste was the power that supported Idan¡¯s ims.


    ¡°Understanding and utilizing the elements of nature as materials for cooking... you are the wisest and most outstanding of anyone who has ever called himself a sage. You are the sage who has been hiding all this time.¡±


    At this moment, a world message appeared. It was natural. A mere human being received the recognition of an Old Dragon in front of some of the world¡¯s leading figures, Grid and the Great Robber of the Red Night. The world wouldn¡¯t be able to stand by and ignore the person called Idan.


    [A new legend is engraved in the world.]


    ¡®No way, there is no way.¡¯


    What an absurd yet obvious development? Grid felt joy and sorrow at the fact that the soon-to-be-born legendary chef was Idan. He was happy that his person had be a legend, but he wondered if it was okay for Idan to be a legendary chef.


    What if Idan¡¯s cooking in the future increased stats or gave them buffs? The Overgeared members, the knights of the empire, and the soldiers would have to unconditionally eat the dishes he made. Of course, they couldn¡¯t afford not to eat it. Thus, they would have to suffer through his meals three times a day in the future. It was hell just imagining it.


    [A new legend, ¡®Dragon¡¯s Chef,¡¯ has been born.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The legendary chef was predicted. But a Dragon¡¯s Chef?


    The Great Robber¡¯s astonished words rang into the ears of the flustered Grid. ¡°Are you going to make him your exclusive chef?¡±


    His prediction was right.


    ¡°Your cooking truly has infinite possibilities. Unlike other chefs who rely on uniform recipes, you are a wise man who uses the ever changing power of nature.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Idan¡¯s eyes widened. They shook wildly before water appeared in them, representing his feelings.


    Idan shuddered. It was because he was being acknowledged for the first time in his life. He had blossomed his talent in a different manner and might¡¯ve met the only being in the world who understood him. A light shone on the life that was lonely almost to thest moment.


    ¡°I want to keep you by my side forever. Of course, myir might be too big and deste for you, a mere human being. As a dragon, I won¡¯t be able to understand your hardships and loneliness and will hurt you a lot.¡±


    It had been proven time and time again, but unlike ordinary dragons, Raiders was a rational thinker. He felt a liking that was beyond species for the human chef in front of him who would bring him the ¡®new delicacies¡¯ that he had been searching for all his life.


    ¡°But I still want to keep you by my side. I want to end my meaningless wanderings and settle down.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The price I will pay for you is enough. I will use my magic and authority to offer you eternal enjoyment.¡±


    Raiders¡¯ voice was very soft. He looked at Idan with affectionate eyes that contained a bit of fear. It resembled the attitude of proposing to a lover.


    ¡®It is a dream...¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t ept reality. It was because the situation was too unrealistic to be easily convinced.


    Ida was watching Grid. ¡®His Majesty didn¡¯t mean to hurt me.¡¯


    He wanted to pave a new path to me, who is different from ordinary cooks, so he arranged a meeting with a dragon. I¡¯m sure he remembered Nefelina eating my food without any resistance...


    ¡®He is the one who... from beginning to end... helped me¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t enough that you rescued me from the East Continent, that was on the verge of destruction at the time. You allowed me to cook for so many people and now you arranged a better life...


    ¡°I will dly ept it.¡±


    Idan stared at Grid for a long time before soon replying with a determined look.


    ¡°The great you...¡± Idan spoke with his eyes still fixed on Grid, ¡°I will follow you.¡±


    It was only at thest moment that he turned his attention to Raiders.


    His intention.


    It was clearly revealed to Raiders, who had existed since the beginning of chaos. He knew that the ¡®great you¡¯ that Idan was referring to was Grid, not himself. He didn¡¯t care. Raiders was just grateful.


    ¡°My sleep can be quite long for humans. At that time, I can give you freedom. You can live to your heart¡¯s content, at least during that time.¡±


    It meant he could meet Grid at any time. Idan read the consideration and was moved to tears. ¡°I have no regrets even if I die, because I am loved by great people.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was enough.


    Grid also smiled. He noticed that Idan was genuinely happy.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what is going on here, but... in any case, I think everything went well.¡¯


    Raiders didn¡¯t be angry, the deal worked, and the legendary chef Idan found happiness. The only regret was that he ended up saying goodbye to Idan. He was hesitant to give up Idan. Idan was a chef Grid didn¡¯t want to entrust with cooking, but he was too good a person to just be abandoned. Hadn¡¯t he shown his faith over the years they spent together? He also made achievements like raising the poison resistance of the Overgeared members and knights.


    ¡®Unfortunately, it can¡¯t be helped. It is enough as long as Idan is happy.¡¯


    Moreover, from this point on, Idan¡¯s value was astronomical. He would be the closest being to Gourmet Dragon Raiders in the future and would act as a bridgehead connecting the Old Dragon to the surface. Putting aside Grid¡¯s personal regrets, Idan, who became a Dragon¡¯s Chef, would unconditionally be beneficial to humanity.


    Grid was controlling his mind when he heard the murmurs of the Great Robber.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the average sleeping time of the Gourmet Dragon one hundred years...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the past, Hayate had also exined it when asking Grid to participate in Raiders¡¯ gourmet cycle. The first thing Raiders did when waking up was to find a new delicacy.


    ¡°Of course, there is no guarantee that I will sleep for one hundred years. If something big happens like this incident, I might wake up suddenly. Conversely, if there is no big event, there is no need for me to wake up.¡±


    ¡®...In other words.¡¯


    In the end, the legendary chef Idan would return to the Overgeared Empire safely.


    ***


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Raiders would call the chef named Idan once every few decades or once every one hundred years. He polymorphed into a beautiful man with brilliant blond hair and gold eyes, the coloring of a Gold Dragon, and bowed slightly to Grid. It was an attitude that shocked both Grid and the Great Robber.


    Raiders didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you introduce me to the best chef of this age and make concessions? You deserve to be thanked.¡±


    Unlike other Old Dragons who are obsessed with instinct, I am a noble being with principles...


    Raiders¡¯ arrogant eyes seemed to contain such thoughts.


    Grid judged that there would be nothing good about staying on this matter and nodded.


    ¡°I am honored that you have recognized my favor. So I can trust that you won¡¯t break our deal, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. There is no need to waste time. Let¡¯s carry out the deal immediately.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that we will be leaving right away?¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No. No...¡±


    On the Ruins of the Martial God that had been reduced to an uninhabited ind, Idan watched the group with a kind smile on his face. Grid immediately ascended to heaven with Raiders and the Great Robber, only to feel a sense of strangeness.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out the reason for this feeling.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t we going to Asgard right now?¡¯


    Then why were Raiders and the Great Robber as calm as if they were going for a walk in the park in front of their house? Raiders was an Old Dragon and had little to fear, but why was the Great Robber so calm?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to prepare anything?¡±


    ¡°Raiders, you, and I are the preparations. It is enough, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Rig...¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression distorted as he was nodding in understanding. Was he included in the preparations?


    ¡°Do I really have to go up and fight?¡±


    ¡°That will only happen if we are discovered. Even I can¡¯t guarantee 100% safety when I am invading the realm of the gods. Then you have to protect me.¡±


    Why didn¡¯t you tell me...


    Grid missed Biban for some reason and his face moved like it was about to peel off. It was the aftermath of Raiders flying with him and the Great Robber on his back. The Ruins of the Martial God instantly became a dot and the vast Red Sea was obscured by clouds, bing invisible.


    [Keep this in mind. From a human point of view, we are better than the gods of Asgard.]


    It happened as Raiders¡¯ meaningful words appeared in Grid¡¯s mind...


    [You have entered the world of the gods, ¡®Asgard.¡¯]


    Golden clouds filled Grid¡¯s vision. Using the power of an Old Dragon, they crossed dimensions in an instant.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± The Great Robber jumped off Raiders¡¯ back and shouted urgently.


    "Thank you." Grid chased after the Great Robber, but he didn¡¯t forget to thank Raiders. It was a chance to save Hexetia and Khan. They were words that came out naturally due to gratitude.


    Raiders smiled. ¡®Thank you for the deal.¡¯


    He should be the one who was thankful since he received more than he gave.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    ¡®Golden Protection¡¯ chased after the moving Grid.

 Chapter 1786

    Chapter 1786


    ¡®I had better calm down for now.¡¯


    Today, he met Raiders and ascended to heaven.


    Grid was considerably nervous. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it on the outside. ording to the Great Robber of the Red Night, even Raiders wouldn¡¯t be able to read Grid¡¯s agitation.


    However, the Great Robber had met too many people. He had endured the long years of repeatedly living in a world devastated by an apocalypse and then living in a world that suddenly began again, so he saw all types of people. He had witnessed the qualities of a true ruler and hero several times. It was possible for him to ¡®guess¡¯ and understand Grid¡¯s anxiety.


    ¡®It was the deal with the dragon.¡¯


    Dragons were unpredictable. Their temperament itself waspletely different from that of humans. They had the ability to destroy the continent as long as they wanted. They were unpredictable monsters and should be epted as a disaster. If they were touched incorrectly, they would bring about the end.


    Grid was responsible for humanity of the present age, so he must¡¯ve felt a lot of pressure dealing with dragons.


    ¡®It is great that he didn¡¯t decapitate the chef called Idan when he thought things were going well.¡¯


    Sacrificing a little one for the greater good. It deserved to be criticized. It was hard to forgive no matter how a hero justified it. However, it was sometimes a necessary decision. This was why people who knew Pagma¡¯s true nature couldn¡¯t deny that he was hero despite criticizing him.


    Earlier at the Ruins of the Martial God, Raiders seemed to question Idan¡¯s cooking skills. The Great Robber would¡¯ve epted it even if Grid had shifted the me to Idan and beheaded him. He thought it was a cheap price to calm a dragon¡¯s anger.


    Nevertheless, Grid watched the situation silently. He must¡¯ve been very nervous, but he couldn¡¯t betray the human. Naturally, he must¡¯ve suffered great anxiety.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be anxious even longer,¡± the Great Robber told Grid, who was chasing after him, ¡°It is right to say that most of your work has been done from the moment you sessfully concluded the deal with Raiders. Having to protect me is a request made considering the worst possible variable. There will be no fighting with the gods unless things go awry.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m d.¡±


    Grid was relieved. It was a response that acknowledged the anxiety that had been hidden. He knew the power of the divine world. Based on the benefits of the Overgeared World, it was clear that the celestial gods would be immensely powerful in Asgard. Asgard¡¯s level would be iparably higher than the newly born Overgeared World. Of course, more power would be bestowed upon the gods. It wasn¡¯t suitable to be a battlefield.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool the gods¡¯ energy detection with things like that.¡±


    The Great Robber looked at the invisible hood that Grid was wearing and took out a brooch with arge green jewel, handing it to Grid.


    [The ¡®King of Poor Fate¡¯s Brooch¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [King of Poor Fate¡¯s Brooch]


    [Rating: Myth


    The ultimate treasure made bybining materials and magic that can¡¯t be grasped with the knowledge and information of this era.


    A king who was born a natural transcendent in a world that was about to end, he relied on it until thest moment.


    Itpletely erases the wearer¡¯s presence.


    However, the effect will be lost if you speak or attack a target.


    If the effect is forced to be released, there will be a three day cooldown.


    Weight: 0.1]


    ¡®Does this mean the stealth will be maintained no matter what skill I use as long as I don¡¯t attack anyone?¡¯


    It was a perfectly superior version of the Hooded Zip Up.


    ¡°It contains the souls of tens of millions of human beings,¡± the Great Robber spoke bitterly to Grid, who was admiring the effect of the great artifact.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°The King of Poor Fate. It is the brooch of that powerful man, who was born with a poor fate and driven to the brink. Therefore, he offered his people as sacrifices and traded with the Refractive Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Such an absurd history... I¡¯ve never heard of it. In the first ce, is there such a thing as the Refractive Dragon?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a history of the current world, so it is right that you haven¡¯t heard of it. The Refractive Dragon... it doesn¡¯t matter if it exists or not. It is a concept, not a creature. A concept so inefficient that all human beings in the world have to worship it to make it have substance. You will never see it.¡±


    The Refractive Dragon was a deified being in the form of a dragon. A dragon god born with the immunity of the Gods of the Beginning from the humans of a near-apocalyptic world, who learned that the Gods of the Beginning would soon destroy humanity.


    It was as the Great Robber said. The efficiency was very poor. The proof was that not a single apocalypse had been prevented so far. However, it gave definite survival to a small number of humans who were the object of worship.


    ¡°Still, there are traces of the Refractive Dragon remaining somewhere in this world, just like this brooch. I have been searching for them.¡±


    A transcendent who couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the times.


    ¡°Treasures containing the wish of the people who want to avoid the end of the world. I had the simple hope that if I collected all the things from the worlds that have ended, I might one day be able to prevent the apocalypse.¡±


    Don¡¯t expect anything from others. There are no human beings who can stop the end. Don¡¯t interact with others. I am just a thief anyway. I will definitely betray them one day.


    He had shunned other humans while being constrained by only being able to operate at night, causing people to shy away from him because it was ominous. Now, he started his purpose in front of someone else for the first time. It was proof of his expectations for Grid. It was a deration that he wouldn¡¯t betray Grid.


    The old man¡¯s deep eyes, filled with more years and emotions than Grid could ever fathom, conveyed his truth and sincerity to Grid.


    Trust¡ªit was one of the driving forces that moved Grid.


    ¡°That is why you stole all types of precious treasures.¡±


    Treasures born in worlds that had disappeared a long time ago. The old man became a thief in order to find them, which would surely still be operating solidly due to the dragon god¡¯s will.


    ¡°You are mypanion as well.¡±


    The distinction between good and evil was blurred. Grid¡¯s track record also wasn¡¯t always good. Therefore, he didn¡¯t harbor any prejudice against the Great Robber. He just paid attention to the fact that the Great Robber was someone with the same meaning as himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. If you take the lead, I will follow you without losing you.¡±


    Grid soothed his mind that had been shaken for various reasons. He let go of his hesitation and increased his concentration. He would rescue Khan and Hexetia and escape safely with the Great Robber of the Red Night... They would be new allies to stop the approaching apocalypse.


    The Great Robber responded to Grid¡¯s resolve. He immediately ran at full speed. He was undaunted by the shape of the roads and stairs created by golden clouds and pierced through them. It was a tremendous speed while suppressing the use of Shunpo to control the consumption of physical strength.


    Grid also had to run close to full power. The distance traveled was longer than expected. The road made of golden clouds stretched out endlessly no matter how far they traveled and it was reminiscent of the Red Sea.


    His eyes became tired. Asgard¡¯s sky was a ck universe, while the ground was brightly lit by golden clouds.


    Finally, a whole day passed.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    In Grid¡¯s somewhat dim vision, the outlines of huge temples started to appear. They were really great temples. Even the tallest spire of the Overgeared Pce couldn¡¯t keep up with the size of a single pir supporting the temples. Such temples stood tall above the hills made of golden clouds, exuding a sense of grandeur and dominance.


    -The higher the temple on the hill, the higher the status of the god living in it, right?


    -That¡¯s right.


    The two of them had a conversation through Sound Transmission.


    -Then what is that little temple?


    Most of the temples resembled Greek ones. The temple on the fifth highest hill resembled a temple, but it was small andpact.


    -I don¡¯t know for certain, but... perhaps it is Zeratul¡¯s temple. I guess he copied Chiyou. But it is too small. It doesn¡¯t fit Zeratul¡¯s personality.


    -Um...


    It was only then that Grid noticed it. The thick chains and huge padlocks surrounding the small temple and sealing the entrance proved Zeratul¡¯s current status.


    ¡®As expected, he is being punished. He must be locked up and unable toe out, right?¡¯


    It made perfect sense. There was no way Asgard could forgive Zeratul, who came down to the surface and shamed the gods.


    ¡®It serves him right, but...¡¯


    He felt more regret than relief. It was because Zeratul had always given Grid¡¯s great benefits. It felt like he lost a customer. At the same time, deep anxiety started to bloom in him. Even Zeratul, one of the chief gods, was like this. What type of punishment was Khan, an angel, subjected to...?


    -First of all, we have to infiltrate that ce.


    The Great Robber showed little interest in the high temples. He pointed to a particrlyrge ce among the temples in the lowest location.


    -It is the barracks of the angels. There is a good chance they are keeping the keys we need over there. The security of Asgard is controlled by Raphael.


    The key to the treasure house that the Great Robber wanted and the key to the prison where Hexetia was kept would be there. The two of them hurriedly sneaked into the barracks.


    Buzz buzz.


    Unlike the quiet outside area, the inside of the barracks was very noisy. Angels with golden halos of different shapes above their heads were chattering noisily. They all looked stubborn. They were like the legends of the previous generations whose pride pierced the sky.


    ¡°......¡±


    The Great Robber¡¯s steps stopped halfway. Many of the angels seemed to have familiar faces. His face even distorted when he saw a certain female angel. Was it an old lover...?


    It happened the moment when Grid was about to suggest rescuing her as well...


    -Hurry.


    The Great Robber increased his pace. He seemed to regard the angels aspletely different from the people he knew in the past. Thanks to this, Grid realized that the case of Khan, who remembered him, was very special.


    ¡®Khan.¡¯ His longing grew after he learned the truth.


    The two men thoroughly searched the barracks. Sometimes, they even showed boldness as they searched the bottom of the chairs that the angels were sitting on. The treasures of the Refractive Dragon that they carried made it possible.


    ¡°That rat is hiding.¡±


    Suddenly¡ª


    Grid and the Great Robber stopped moving. They stiffened like stone statues and slowly looked in the direction that the voice came from. They saw an angel who just entered the barracks.


    The number one archangel, Raphael. The leader of the seven angels created by Reba in the beginning, they had a higher status than most of the chief gods despite being an angel. They were an Absolute. Of course, Raphael didn¡¯t show their proper majesty on the surface, but this was Asgard.


    Grid didn¡¯t recklessly cut at Raphael. He held his breath while wondering if Raphael had detected their traces.


    ¡°I am referring to the prison. There is so much noise inside that it made it all the way outside.¡±


    ¡°The Martial God is a rat hunter. How interesting. Should we go down to the surface and catch some rats?¡±


    ¡°Cut it out. If you provoke Zeratul more than necessary, Hexetia and the angel might be inadvertently hurt. Then it would get confusing in many ways.¡±


    Unexpected information flowed in. It was information that Hexetia and Zeratul were currently in the same prison. Additionally, an angel seemed to be with them. It was likely to be Khan.


    ¡®How dare they put Khan in prison...?¡¯


    -Rather, I think this is good.


    Grid was overwhelmed with surging rage, but he forced himself to calm down.


    -It is easier to steal when the targets are gathered together. But if there is one variable, it is Zeratul...


    ¡®Ah...¡¯


    Grid had an expression like he was chewing shit.


    Having Zeratul present when rescuing Khan and Hexetia? He couldn¡¯t predict what Zeratul would do.

 Chapter 1787

    Chapter 1787


    ¡°Goddess of Light, Reba! While you are asleep, your faithful servant is being subjected to all types of insults!!¡±


    The Prison of Eternity¡ªit was the final destination for sinful gods. Even gods who were close to omnipotent, like Zeratul, were unable to escape from this ce on their own. In the first ce, it was a prison created to imprison the gods. The environment itself counteracted the gods.


    ¡°Hurry and wake up to rescue me and defend your authority and honor! I, Martial God Zeratul, the one who will protect Asgard from the wicked who are running wild while you are away. Use me as your sword and wield me!¡±


    Martial God Zeratul was realizing that his power and authority were weakening in real time. The longer he spent in prison, the more he fell into an endless sense of loss. Thus, he was shouting to hide his shame.


    Please save me.


    ¡°...Hexetia, how can you be okay?¡±


    The cksmithing god, Hexetia¡ªhe had already been trapped here ¡®for many years,¡¯ but he was different from Zeratul. He was meditating calmly and was unfazed despite being in prison for a long time. It was a state where his mental training reached the limit.


    The old angel had great respect for Hexetia. He was a cksmith, so he was fascinated by the God of cksmiths. It wasn¡¯t only this simple reason.


    The Prison of Eternity¡ªit was a very strange and scary space for the old angel to experience.


    Time stretched out like a piece of taffy. At first, one second seemed like a minute. Now one second felt like a day. In fact, it had been a long time since he started to confuse the units of time. It was just that one moment always stretched out for a long time.


    Hexetia was trapped here first, so one second could seem like a year. Nevertheless, he was always calm. In this eternal space where nothing existed and it was simply dark, he firmed up his mind without relying on any external force.


    ¡°You are truly amazing.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s half-open eyes shone in the darkness. It was the aftermath of the blue and red mes on both his nipples reflecting on his pupils. The tired face of the old angel was projected in those eyes.


    ¡°I heard you have regained your memories of your human days. You must be infinitely close to a human being right now. How are you keeping your sanity?¡±


    An angel who regained his memories¡ªhe was no different from a human being. Regardless of his appearance, he thought like a human. Human beings were weak beings who couldn¡¯t stand being trapped for less than 100 years, let alone when discussing eternity. There was no capacity to withstand the infinitely increasing flow of time. However, the old angel endured it.


    ¡°That...¡±


    A smile gradually spread across the angel¡¯s haggard face.


    ¡°It seems to be because I have a lot to remember.¡±


    Of course, there were many sad and painful memories among the memories he recovered. However, there were many more joyful, happy, and gratifying memories. They were memories mostly acquired in hister years. At the center of his memories was always a young man named Grid. He was a benefactor, a friend, and a family member.


    ¡°Is that so...?¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s mind becameplicated after reading the sincerity contained in Khan¡¯s expression. It was because it wasn¡¯t very good to stay here for a long time with a sane mind in the Prison of Eternity. It meant he would feel a more vivid pain for a long time. It was hard to handle with the human mind. It might be better to let go like Zeratul.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a matter for me to talk about.¡¯


    Happy memories? There was nothing specifically for Hexetia. He was born as a god and took many things for granted, so he didn¡¯t know the standard of happiness. Thus, he couldn¡¯t arbitrarily judge the position of the old angel. In the first ce, Hexetia had little leeway. He had to focus on himself.


    The memory of trying to harm humanity because he was blinded by jealousy¡ªhe maintained his sanity by recalling and reflecting on his mistakes, which was considered one of the greatest sins of all ages.


    ¡°Angel over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Martial God.¡±


    ¡°Do you really believe in Hexetia? Cut it out. He won¡¯t forgive you for filling his vacancy in his absence. It is ridiculous to see how you are being fooled without knowing when a dagger will suddenly be stuck in your back.¡± Zeratul abruptly interrupted. It was simple sarcasm, but the old angel didn¡¯t know Zeratul¡¯s personality very well.


    ¡°Are you caring about me, who is insignificant? You truly have a wonderful personality worthy of being the Martial God worshiped by everyone. I am just a cksmith, but I respect you deeply and appreciate you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s expression distorted. He red at Khan like he was a madman. Then he nced back at the unresponsive Hexetia and snorted.


    ¡°Goddess of Light! I know you are listening to me! Please send me a true apostle, not a mad angel blinded by power, and save me!¡±


    Then he started shouting at the dark ceiling again. Zeratul¡¯s shadow was only dimly visible due to no lighting in and it resembled an old man, not the Martial God. In the aftermath of the sessive decline of status and the seal, his body, just like his temple, had be smaller.


    However, his high-pitched voice echoed nonstop in the prison that made it difficult to tell whether it was a low or loud voice.


    ***


    -What should we do?


    The key that the Great Robber of the Red Night was looking for was tied to Raphael¡¯s belt. It was a position where they couldn¡¯t get their hands on it. Grid pondered whether he should bring up the story of the Master Key. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would work in Asgard, but he decided it was worth an attempt rather than stealing Raphael¡¯s things and getting killed.


    However, it happened before Grid could tell the story...


    ¡°......¡±


    The Great Robber snatched the bundle of keys from Raphael¡¯s waist. It was an incredible sight when seeing it with his own eyes. Originally, the senses of an Absolute were something that couldn¡¯t be deceived.


    -Is it possible that Raphael isn¡¯t an Absolute?


    -No, they are very high ranking even among Absolutes. You might not believe it because you have only witnessed theirbat ability on the surface, but Raphael has a power and status that is supposedly on par with Hanul, one of the Gods of the Beginning.


    Grid had also heard this.


    -How did you steal the keys from such a being without being detected?


    -It means that the Refractive Dragon has a higher concept than Raphael.


    There was a slight cracking sound from the Great Robber¡¯s wrist. A quick nce showed that a bracelet, made of an unfamiliar metal weathered for tens of thousands of years, received a direct hit. It might also be a treasure left by a Refractive Dragon born in a world that was about to end.


    -Since I have consumed one, I have to take at least two things to make ends meet.


    A decision was needed.


    After pausing at a fork in the road, the Great Robber handed Grid a key. It was the key to unlocking the Prison of Eternity.


    -Originally, my n was to steal the treasure and then steal God Hexetia, but as you know, the situation has changed.


    Raphael would soon notice that an item that disappeared from his hands. This meant that sooner orter, an army of angels would spread all over Asgard. Time was running out.


    -Let¡¯s meet here again after we both get what we want. If a crisises in the process, fight with all your strength without saving anything. I have the means to unconditionally escape from this ce, so you just have to join me somehow.


    -I understand.


    Grid repaid trust with trust. He ran blindly toward the location of the prison that the Great Robber had told him. It was several times faster than when moving with the Great Robber. He was able to use Shunpo continuously. There was no need to worry about hiding as long as he had the King of Poor Fate¡¯s Brooch.


    It wasn¡¯t even simple stealth. It was a concept that erased existence itself, making it possible to avoid the end of the world. It meant the wearer wasn¡¯t designated as a target of the end.


    ¡®Over here.¡¯


    How long had it been since he started running along the road of golden clouds? It wasn¡¯t until dozens of constetions of the universe passed by in Grid¡¯s field of view that Grid reached his destination. It was an area covered with cloudy gray clouds, simr to rain clouds.


    The deeper inside he went, the more there was a darkness that didn¡¯t match Asgard. At the end of it stood a tall and old iron gate. It was a wild and forlorn sight.


    Grid¡¯s mind became heavy. He felt guilty for Khan and Hexetia, who were trapped in such a ce because they did him a favor. Of course, he wasn¡¯t shaken by these emotions. He took a deep breath and calmly approached the iron door. Then he took out the key and put it in the cold lock.


    [You have entered the Prison of Eternity.]


    [This is a yer¡¯s first achievement!]


    [The ¡®Asgard Map¡¯ will be activated as a reward for finding hidden ces!]


    [Asgard Map]


    [Rating: Myth


    The structure of heaven can be known.


    It seems to have a special function.


    Weight: 0.1]


    A reunion that was once unimaginable¡ªthe reunion where they could discuss the ter days¡¯ only after bing a god and learning about the truth of the world was finally just around the corner.


    Step.


    It happened the moment when Grid barely held back the thumping of his heart and stepped into the prison...


    ¡°The goddess has answered my prayers.¡± Then there was a voice that caused him to frown. It was clearly different from the voice that Grid missed immensely. The loudness of the voice caused some difort.


    ¡°Zeratul...¡±


    Why are you the one to greet me?


    In a prison where the scale was hard to fathom because it was dyed in thick darkness...


    Grid red at Zeratul, who slowly approached while his body covered the dim view inside the prison.


    ¡°You sent an assassin rather than a savior?¡±


    Zeratul looked very shocked. The airflow in the area cooled down instantly.


    ¡°Why did it happen to be you...? Ohu, now I am sure. The shadow behind all the trials I went through must¡¯ve been Reba.¡±


    A powerful wave of energy burst out from Zeratul. His long white beard reached all the way down to his lower abdomen and swayed like the legs of a giant octopus. It was a tremendous energy that Grid had only experienced once. It was simr to when Fire Dragon Trauka released his energy. It was the majesty of the ¡®Martial God¡¯ that waspletely different from what he showed on the surface.


    Grid realized that this ce was in the middle of the enemy camp and stiffened.


    ¡®From his appearance, he is much weaker than before... yet it is still this much?¡¯


    ¡°Only One God Grid, who was only able to be born due to having Reba behind you. I will decisively kill you today and correct the distorted myths.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s grudge toward Grid ran very deep. It was because every time he got involved with Grid, regardless of the context, the result was always detrimental to him. The decisive reason was the epic. The power to write distorted myths based on the subjective gazes of the witnesses, rather than the full truth. It was a concept equivalent to an ¡®irrational power¡¯ that every chief god had at least one of.


    ¡°If I absorb all the myths you have umted in a cheap way and make it mine, I will have a chance of winning against Dominion. I will make it the stepping stone to be the new ruler of Asgard.¡±


    At the moment, Zeratul was a half-mad god. It was to the point where he spoke openly of rebellion.


    ¡®His eyes... they havepletely turned inside out.¡¯


    Originally, Zeratul¡¯sbat stance hid his pupils. He exposed only the whites of his eyes and made it impossible for the other person to get his intentions and feelings. However, it was particrly severe this time. White light gushed randomly from his eyes, where only the whites remained. It was as if he was seeing tangible killing intent.


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    The voice of a new person permeated the ears of the nervous Grid. It was a voice he had never forgotten. It was a voice he would miss yesterday, today, and tomorrow.


    ¡°Khan...¡±


    The old angel approaching with a look of disbelief made Grid cry.


    ¡°Where are you looking?¡±


    It happened the moment when Zeratul, whose eyes were turned inside out, came out and disrupted the reunion between the two of them... A powerful explosion urred at the entrance of the prison that Grid had his back to. It was a pair of blue and red mes that guided Grid as he was swept away by the explosion and sucked into deep darkness. They were very divine mes rising from the nipples of the cksmithing god.


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s expression was determined as he supported Grid. He looked in the direction of the explosion with a stiff face, as if he couldn¡¯t even afford to smile. There were angels there. Leading them was the 1st ranked Archangel, Raphael.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really expect a rat to break in. This is heaven. Is it really okay for such filth to be here?¡± Raphael spoke with a frown while pinching their nose like it stank.


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid. They treated everyone inside the prison as filth.


    ¡°I knew that the angel with the belly would be the key to leading you here, but... I thought it would be at least a few hundred yearster. Are you stupid enough to know no fear? You are really bold,¡± Raphael¡ªthe closest confidant of the Goddess of Light, Reba¡ªcriticized Grid.


    It was a trigger to develop a new situation.


    ¡°...I see. Maybe I was mistaken for a moment,¡± Zeratul muttered and his killing intent started to turn to Raphael, not Grid. His eyes were still turned inside out.


    ¡°It would be right to kill you, Raphael, who dared to put me in prison and mocked me, first¡±


    ¡°Huh? You are going to kill me? Me, the subordinate of Goddess Reba? Isn¡¯t this treason? Are youpletely crazy?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A tant deration of treason. It wasn¡¯t just Raphael and the angels who were baffled. Grid and Hexetia also watched the situation in a bewildered manner. However, Khan was calm. It was as if he was expecting this to happen.


    ¡°As expected, you are the great Martial God...¡±


    The whisper of an old angel who was no different from a human...


    ¡°Raphael! I¡¯ve always hated you the most!¡±


    It ignored the fighting energy of Zeratul, who hoped to be worshiped by people and be the true Martial God.

 Chapter 1788

    Chapter 1788


    ¡°If the deration to hurt you is a sign of treason¡ª¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s greatest strengthy in his mastery of all martial arts. He could perform supreme feats regardless of the presence or absence of weapons. Even the chains of magic power binding his hands weren¡¯t a constraint. They would turn into a deadly weapon the moment he wielded it.


    ¡°You have insulted me many times in the past, so how many times have youmitted treason?¡±


    Grid suddenly remembered something as he watched the situation with bated breath.


    One time in the past, when Raphael discussed Zeratul, theyughed at him for being a fake, a clone, etc.


    ¡®As expected, people have to live a good life.¡¯


    Don¡¯t do anything to earn people¡¯s resentment.


    It was just like Raphael at the moment. It was easy to get caught at a critical moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to admit it, but the Goddess of Light had a hand in my birth. ording to your logic, not respecting me is the same as not respecting the Goddess, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You usually pretend to be the Martial God born purely from the worship of the people. You only admit the truth when you are at a disadvantage?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject, you feathered mongrel.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Raphael had remained mischievous without losing theirposure even after going through all types of humiliation on the surface when their power was sealed. However, now their expression stiffened. No, they looked solemn. They had shown it asionally when on the surface, but now even the light in their eyes was cold. They looked genuinely angry.


    ¡°I have also hated you for a long time. The existence created to rece Chiyou treated me like a pigeon.¡±


    ¡°I remember saying it was chicken.¡±


    ¡°...This is good. I have to get rid of you, who has gonepletely crazy. There is no need to keep you alone, who is ipetent contrary to expectations and unsuitable to be Chiyou¡¯s recement, right? You are filth with no value.¡±


    Rattle, rattle.


    Zeratul looked like a clear sinner as his wrists were restrained by a chain of magic power.


    His beard that hadn¡¯t been maintained at all, a dwarfed physique, and worn-out attire made him look unsightly. However, it was difficult to see him as degrading to something other than the Martial God. The momentum he was exuding was incredible. It was iparable to when he was on the surface.


    The power of the angel army, led by Raphael, was also immense. The moment magic power was injected, their perfectly refined prayers wrapped around their bodies in brilliant armor. It felt like hundreds of beings were one.


    Every moment, their choices and actions cooperated with each other. Even the buff magic that strengthened their abilities werepleted by changing one letter each and ovepping it with each other. Dozens of types of magic were literallypleted in a sh.


    ¡®None of them are ordinary. Each one of them is at the level of the 10 Meritorious Retainers?¡¯


    Asgard was a divine world that had existed since the beginning. Considering the fact that the newly born Overgeared World removed the skill cooldown time and skill resources consumption of its gods. In addition, a target that Grid allowed to enter the Overgeared World would receive a 30% boost to all stats. If he didn¡¯t allow it, then all stats were halved and their status would decrease.


    The effect of Asgard would exceed anything Grid imagined, unless he had the power to ¡®neutralize the dimensional effect¡¯ like an Old Dragon. It was suicide for an intruder to fight here.


    ¡®No... it might be the level of the Apostles, not the 10 Meritorious Retainers.¡¯


    An army with each member resembled Mercedes or Braham?


    It happened the moment when Grid was intimidated by the angels¡¯ prayers and gulped...


    ¡°Take advantage of this opportunity to run away.¡±


    Hexetia shattered Grid¡¯s thoughts. His voice was firm. He seemed to be criticizing Grid for not focusing on the situation and thinking nonsense.


    ¡°It is hopeful that Raphael didn¡¯t bring the entire army with them. I will help Zeratul and draw away attention. You should find a chance and take Khan away.¡±


    ¡°Hexetia...¡±


    Khan¡¯s eyes shook.


    Hexetia might be in prison now, but he was one of the higher ranked gods. Nevertheless, he remembered the name of an angel. Furthermore, it was the name of an angel who betrayed Asgard. It was touching.


    Grid shook his head as he looked at Hexetia, who was turning a blind eye to Khan¡¯s affectionate gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hexetia¡¯s expression distorted. ¡°Are you going to run amok in Asgard? What is the difference between you and Zeratul who went to the surface?¡±


    ¡°Trying to fulfill my responsibilities is different from running amok.¡±


    ¡°Responsibilities?¡±


    ¡°I am going to save you.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°The reason I took the risk to ascend to heaven is to save you and Khan.¡±


    Even before obtaining Trauka¡¯s arm, Grid¡¯s goal was to rescue Hexetia. It was a goal he had been harboring even before he knew that Khan had be an angel. Hexetia shook his head slowly as he saw only the truth that was contained in Grid¡¯s dark eyes, which were as sharp as a bird of prey.


    ¡°It is ridiculous... as long as you are fighting for humanity, I don¡¯t deserve your favor.¡±


    Hexetia had a history of betraying humanity. His petty and disgusting jealousy led the demons to the surface and pushed Pagma, who was like Grid¡¯s teacher, into Baal¡¯s hands. It was likemitting the sin of denying Grid, who fought for humanity. It was a position where he didn¡¯t dare to win Grid¡¯s favor.


    Grid asked Hexetia, who was deep in thought, ¡°Are you still bound by your past sins, even though you deeply regret it and have reflected on it?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a crime that can be washed away with cheap reflection.¡±


    ¡°If you really think so, we canmunicate better. Please leave here with me.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense is that...?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down to the surface. Reflect by standing by the people¡¯s side and serving them.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As Grid was persuading Hexetia, Zeratul was shing with the army of angels. The battle gear of the angels, covered with all types of destructive magic, were reduced to worthless shards and shattered. It was thanks to the chains wielded by Zeratul. Zeratul¡¯s advance was unstoppable as he repeatedly bound and crushed the approaching swords and spears. He proceeded as quickly as a guest of wind and copsed the camp of the angels.


    ¡°Single-handedly taking on a Braham-level power?¡±


    [Braham? Who here has the same power as him?]


    Zeratul retorted to Grid, who was surprised and admiring it. It was an unbelievable reaction from someone rampaging in the middle of enemy lines.


    Grid replied to him in an attempt to resolve his doubts with thoughts rather than words. ¡°I mean... those angels.¡±


    [Are you rating the chickens who are enemies as a red phoenix to increase your value...? You are like a rare scammer.]


    Zeratul¡¯s thoughts contained absurdity, anger, and ridicule as he thought of the distorted epics. It was an attitude that angered the angels who were hesitating to fight against a higher ranked god.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t mocking the Goddess¡¯ army clearly an act that crosses the line?¡±


    There was only one Archangel here, Raphael. For some reason, the 2nd ranked Archangel and below weren¡¯t here. It was a dispersion of power that made it possible to have the ridiculous spection of ¡®is it possible that intruders appeared elsewhere?¡¯ Zeratul was good at ¡®fighting¡¯ since he was the Martial God, so he understood that the current situation was a huge advantage.


    Heughed contentedly at the sight of the angels, who normally wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe in front of an Archangel. ¡°Even chickens know how to chirp.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A terrible killing intent appeared in the eyes of the angels, visible through the gaps in their helmets. The provocation worked properly. The angels didn¡¯t bother with a conversation. They didn¡¯t hesitate any longer as they actively linked up and unleashed killing attacks on Zeratul.


    They recalled again that their duty was to protect Asgard, not the gods. It was an unworthy duty that they recalled in the wake of petty anger.


    Grid felt a sudden surge of anger.


    ¡®Why couldn¡¯t they have fought so hard when the surface was in danger?¡¯


    The humans in Satisfy were so pitiful. They worshiped the celestial gods and provided them with daily food, but received no rewards. Hell was the ce where most people fell after dying. They suffered eternally regardless of the merits they umted during their lives. Only a few selected humans ascended to heaven, but they lost their memories and were consumed as soldiers of the gods.


    Why?


    Why should they be treated like that?


    Khan, Irene, Piaro, Lord, Mercedes, Basara, Asmophel, Jude, Isabel, Han Seokbong and Sua, etcetera¡ªGrid¡¯s divinity gradually deepened as he recalled his cherished rtionships.


    The shape of the Yellow Dragon had faded after being mixed with the light that dominated Asgard. Now it dispelled the darkness of the prison and started to reveal its full form. Its momentum was so majestic that the gazes of Raphael and the angels reflexively shifted from Zeratul to it.


    ¡°Dragon...?¡±


    Even if it was just the form, wasn¡¯t it a dragonbined with divinity?


    ¡°Are you saying it is the seconding of the dragon god?¡±


    Raphael frowned like they were displeased and used their authority for the first time. A powerful dimensional force that couldn¡¯t be matched by the Overgeared World crushed Grid.


    [The 1st ranked Archangel, Raphael, protects the security of Asgard and has defined you as an intruder.]


    [Asgard won¡¯t tolerate your traces.]


    [All of your stats are reduced by 70% and your status is greatly damaged. You have lost most of the beneficial effects of a transcendent.]


    [Shunpo can¡¯t be used.]


    Raphael only used their authority, not their power. This was just a basic debuff. It was the penalty for breaking into Asgard without permission.


    ¡°Unfortunately, this ce isn¡¯t that trivial,¡± Hexetia spoke bitterly.


    It was because he knew it would be difficult for Grid to even take care of himself. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of here...


    Two mes rose from both of Hexetia¡¯s nipples.


    At first nce, the blue me resembled the hellfire river and it split the encirclement of angels in half. Meanwhile, the red me mimicked the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath and forced Raphael to use their halo for defense.


    ¡°Run away in this gap.¡±


    The power of a god who gave up on his way to live¡ªHexetia performed bravely like the God of War, not the God of cksmiths. He was filled with the determination to open a way for Grid to escape, so he poured out all his divinity regardless of future troubles.


    His hand trembled as his energy was rapidly exhausted and Grid grabbed it. Hexetia was surprised and reflexively tried to resist, but it was useless. Grid¡¯s grip was so strong that he couldn¡¯t resist. It was a strength that waspletely unbelievable even when it was suppressed in Asgard.


    ¡°You... what are you doing?¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s question didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°You fools! Avoid it!¡±


    It was due to Zeratul¡¯s urgent cry. Raphael had pierced through the fire in an instant and was stabbing their spear. It was a spear that shot in a straight line to pierce Grid¡¯s back and Hexetia¡¯s heart at the same time. It was literally like a ray of light.


    The speed of the attack was reminiscent of an Old Dragon and was one of the highest speeds among the attacks of the Absolutes that Grid had experienced many times. It was a level where it was hard to react immediately without the effect of Dragon Knight. If it was a surprise attack then he would have to give up some of his flesh.


    In fact, there was no special emotion on Raphael¡¯s face. They didn¡¯t seem to doubt that their attack would achieve the results they intended.


    Hexetia was unable to hide his frustrated expression.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too calm?¡± Grid asked Khan.


    Khan smiled softly. ¡°I am with you.¡±


    By the time Khan¡¯s answer ended¡ª


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Raphael¡¯s spear was sliding away with a roar. It was the aftermath of Grid wielding Twilight and twisting the trajectory of the spear.


    ¡°How?¡± Raphael narrowly avoided the orange divinity that approached their neck in an instant and asked while not caring about their reputation. It was close to astonishment.


    [You have resisted.]


    [The ¡®Golden Protection¡¯ from Gourmet Dragon ¡®Raiders¡¯ is temporarily neutralizing the dimensional effect that oppresses you. 9 minutes and 56 seconds left.]


    [The energy of the Old Dragon in ¡®Golden Protection¡® has activated the Dragon Knight effect.]


    ¡°Have you forgotten who I am?¡±


    Grid was more flustered than anyone else. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it. He just asked calmly and reminded the angels that he was an Only One God. It was the appearance of facing the 1st ranked Archangel in Asgard, where it was absolutely disadvantageous for him. It was enough to astonish not only the angels, but also Hexetia.


    Zeratul¡¯s sneer rang out in the silence. ¡°I got beaten by him for a reason.¡±


    Raphael had to pay the price for ignoring Zeratul, who was the Martial God. Raphael was counterattacked after failing to ambush Grid. Then Zeratul¡¯s fist precisely aimed at the top of their head and caused blood to spill. Thanks to this, a path of retreat was perfectly opened. Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and joined hands with Hexetia and Khan to escape the prison.


    ¡°Stop them! Stop them!!¡± Raphael shouted urgently, but it didn¡¯t work.


    It was because Zeratul blocked the entrance as Raphael was regaining theirposure. It was too high a wall to ovee with the power of angels alone.


    ¡°You bastard, you would¡¯ve been beaten the same as me.¡±


    The corners of Zeratul¡¯s mouth twitched. He felt tremendous exhration.

 Chapter 1789

    Chapter 1789


    ¡®I never thought a day like this woulde.¡¯


    Grid and Zeratul had a bad rtionship. They had already shed directly or indirectly a number of times. Zeratul had suffered heavy losses every time and tantly hated Grid. It was especially the case in Reinhardt¡¯s ¡®coffin.¡¯ Zeratul suffered a fatal defeat in the presence of all the watching humans and faced the worst oue of having his divinity greatly damaged.


    From Zeratul¡¯s point of view, Grid was like his sworn enemy. Yet he was helping Grid at this moment. It wasn¡¯t enough to just open the retreat route. He also blocked it. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he wanted to reconcile with Grid. He just grabbed Raphael¡¯s ankle because he hated Raphael more than Grid.


    As a result, it helped Grid tremendously. Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to rescue Khan and Hexetia without Zeratul¡¯s help.


    ¡®Looking back, Zeratul has always been a great help to me.¡¯


    Changes started to ur in Grid¡¯s heart as he realized it again. He felt a vague liking toward Zeratul. Of course, Zeratul had a history of trying to hurt Lord and his colleagues, but they weren¡¯t hurt in the end. It was thanks to Hayate, but in any case... Grid didn¡¯t find him ¡®unforgivable.¡¯


    ¡°What are you doing without running away?¡± Hexetia urged Grid after they managed to escape from the prison.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t take a step forward. He quietly watched the door of the prison, which had been restored by a bound magic circle after it had been destroyed by Raphael earlier. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Zeratul¡¯s back through the gate.


    ¡®...This isn¡¯t the time.¡¯


    Grid shook off his misceneous thoughts and focused on the warmth felt from his hands. It was the body temperature of Khan and Hexetia, whom he might never be able to reunite with if he lost them here again. Grid shouted while using all his might to hold the hands of cksmiths that were full of calluses, ¡°Zeratul!¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Beyond the door that gradually took shape, Zeratul smiled for some reason as he looked away.


    ¡°I will someday repay you for today¡¯s grace! So please escape safely as well!¡±


    ¡°...This crazy guy?¡±


    Why? Why did his face turn red and be angry?


    Grid was slightly taken aback by Zeratul¡¯s unexpected reaction, but shrugged it off as part of Zeratul¡¯s entric personality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget! Just as you, the Martial God, show off your armed might, I will naturally keep my promises!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Killing intent faded from Zeratul¡¯s eyes as he red at Grid.


    ¡°Bah, do as you please.¡± Zeratul grunted and threw something at him.


    Grid was slightly surprised as he grabbed it. It was the key to the Prison of Eternity. It was an item that went missing from his hand when he was swept away by the explosion caused by Raphael¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Even if you have gone crazy, this is too crazy! Are you nning to be trapped here forever with me?!¡± Raphael¡¯s urgent cry was heard. It seemed that even the 1st ranked Archangel in charge of the security of Asgard couldn¡¯t escape from the Prison of Eternity as long as they were ¡®trapped¡¯ inside.


    ¡°Won¡¯t the Goddess you believe in save you?¡± At the end of Zeratul¡¯s sarcastic words, the door finished being restored andpletely disconnected the prison from the outside. Hundreds of angels and the lone Zeratul were swallowed whole.


    Surprisingly, Noe was the one who shattered the silence. ¡°Hu... Hurry.¡±


    To Noe, the number one demonic creature of hell, everything that made up Asgard acted as poison. Of course, he was okay when staying in the pet inventory, but the psychological pressure was so immense that he urged Grid.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Time was too tight to stay on the lingering emotions. The duration of the ¡®Golden Protection¡¯ protecting Grid was less than nine minutes.


    ¡°Hold on tightly.¡±


    Grid gave strength to the hand holding the two seniors and used Shunpo. Khan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but Hexetia was calm. He didn¡¯t show any objection to the speed at which Shunpo moved through space and was at ease enough to give instructions. Shunpo was a basic skill for him who was a Chief God. He was also an Absolute. The blue and red mes on both his nipples were one of the proofs. Didn¡¯t he exert an unstoppable power that split the angel army in half and pressured Raphael?


    ¡®Just because I am an Absolute doesn¡¯t mean I am good at fighting.¡¯


    The only power that Hexetia showed was the strengthening of the mes. He possessed various qualities of an Absolute, but he wasn¡¯t familiar with fighting itself. It was because he was purely a cksmithing god. If a list of Hexetia¡¯s skills could be seen, all the skills possessed would be rted to production.


    ¡°Your destination seemed to be the crossroads of hundreds. Then you had better head southwest from here. It is a bit faster and is more likely to be poorly guarded. Judar is in charge of that area, so we can only put our hope on his disinterest in everything.¡±


    ¡°Indifferent to everything? He truly is Reba¡¯s descendant. He resembles her in everything.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit different. It is only natural for you to misunderstand about the Goddess, but¡­ in fact, the Goddess¡¯ personality has always been very active. She pays attention to all things. Don¡¯t you already know that? The blessing of the Goddess that is still on you is one of the proofs.¡±


    ¡°...Certainly.¡±


    In the past, Goddess Reba had direct interactions with humans.


    Making Damian her agent to help Grid, entrusted Grid with the fate of the Reba Church, and giving him a blessing in return¡ªnot only did she answer the prayers of the church members, but she had formed rtionships with yers in various forms.


    Then one day, she suddenly fell silent. She ignored people¡¯s prayers.


    ¡°Why did the Goddess¡¯ personality suddenly change?¡±


    ¡°Who knows...? There isn¡¯t enough evidence to conclude that her personality has changed. I can¡¯t even say anything.¡±


    This was even though he was a Chief God. After all, he was created by Reba. To Hexetia, Reba was like unfathomable territory and it was even more so than the universe that was unfathomable to humans.


    ¡°Is that so...?¡±


    Grid sped up his pace. He could no longer rely on the King of Poor Fate¡¯s Brooch. It was because it only affected the wearer, so Hexetia and Khan¡¯s positions were exposed anyway. It was best to follow Hexetia¡¯s advice to correct his course and move.


    ¡®I hope the Great Robber is safe.¡¯


    All the Archangels other than Raphael seemed to have headed in the direction of the Great Robber. It was a power that even Grid couldn¡¯t handle alone.


    ¡®He will be fine.¡¯


    Grid recalled the inclination of the Great Robber. He didn¡¯t bother fighting. He easily deceived the target with this stealth technique. He also held arge number of the Refractive Dragon¡¯s treasures.


    ¡®No matter what crisis he faces, he isn¡¯t someone who can be easily isted. He can surely break through even the Archangels¡¯ siege.¡¯


    After a while, Grid arrived at the scene without having any doubts.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you toote?¡±


    He reunited with the Great Robber of the Red Night at the promised location. The unkempt Great Robber was tied up with a rope. He was surrounded by an army of angels and looked like a sinner, like Zeratul. It was an army led by the 2nd ranked Archangel, Gabriel. The number was smallpared to Raphael¡¯s army, but they didn¡¯t lose in terms of momentum.


    ¡°...What is this?¡± Grid asked in a bewildered manner.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night looked like it was unfair as he replied, ¡°I definitely got what I wanted and I managed to escape safely. However, I was caught because I waited for you here a long time.¡±


    ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    The Great Robber¡¯s words were interrupted by Gabriel. In the past, she failed to dispose of Garion, the God of the Earth, and lost her body in reverse. She was very happy to see Grid after suffering great humiliation due to him. She grinned as she pushed up her round sses.


    ¡°You are out of the ordinary and have finally risen to the hierarchy of Only One God. Of course, the Only One God isn¡¯t synonymous with Chiyou, so the weight is different.¡±


    Not all Only One Gods were the same...


    Gabriel was clearly downgrading Grid. It was a normal attitude. It was because one of the most important concepts in the hierarchy of a transcendent or higher was the status. Striving to downgrade the enemy¡¯s status was the basis of battle in the upper ranks. Of course, status couldn¡¯t be reduced with just a few words as long as they didn¡¯t try to scam everyone like Grid.


    ¡®Is the identity of the other intruder Grid? I was very lucky to have arrived here before my colleagues.¡¯


    Gabriel was feeling a sense of fate that she had never felt before. She had the opportunity to get revenge on the enemy who disrupted her mission and humiliated her. It was also in heaven, not on the surface. The situation was too good.


    ¡®Seeing that he managed to escape from prison with the prisoners, Zeratul must¡¯ve been a variable.¡¯


    Gabriel didn¡¯t attach any special significance to Grid outwitting Raphael and reaching this far. She guessed it was all thanks to Zeratul. It was purely because she considered the usual rtionship between Raphael and Zeratul. Zeratul had been locked up in prison and his grudge deepened. Therefore, he would¡¯ve poured out his anger on Raphael, opening up a way for Grid to escape in the gap.


    ¡®What a fool.¡¯


    How would Zeratul be feeling after he saved Grid, whom he hated so much?


    Gabriel covered her ridicule with graceful gestures and gathered light in both hands. In a split second, the light took the form of a sword and shield.


    Gabriel dered as she reached Grid in an instant, ¡°The sin of invading heaven without permission. It is a summary execution for the conviction of bringing out prisoners who were imprisoned by the gods. You and this human will die here and the prisoners will go back to where they belong.¡±


    Just like you did to me on the surface, I will also ruin your work.


    Unlike Raphael, she was cautious and understood Grid¡¯s power. This was even though she clearly knew that Grid would be greatly weakened after being suppressed by the dimension. She thoroughly prepared a way to neutralize Grid.


    First of all, the halo above her head split into hundreds and were used as cannons that shot light rays. It was a weapon that would intercept and disable the God Hands from various angles as soon as they appeared.


    The reason why she used a sword and shield to dig deep into Grid was to undermine the power of the sword dance. It was intended to engage in closebat and block the path of the fusion sword dance, which became stronger the more the movements were linked.


    Of course, she saved her power. It was a loss to take out this card in a must-win situation. Just like the current Grid, it was better to save her strength for a future situation where she could exploit it.


    ¡®Killing himpletely here is beyond my power.¡¯


    It was unfortunate, but she would focus on damaging his status by beating him badly today. She would spread the sight of Grid falling down in a bloody pool through the angel¡¯s songs to the surface.


    Gabriel was thinking this when she suddenly stiffened. Grid broke through her using Freely Move and appeared among the angels before she knew it. It was hard to believe he could move so swiftly under the oppression of the dimension. It was even powerful. He overpowered and shook off the angels and finally got a hold of the Great Robber.


    ¡°Angels are surprisingly insignificant...¡±


    It was a heartfelt murmur. The sentiment that Grid expressed at the end sparked Gabriel¡¯s wrath, but it was already toote.


    It was because the treasure of the Refractive Dragon consumed by the Great Robber allowed the group to escape from the scene.

 Chapter 1790

    Chapter 1790


    [The mysterious magic that is turning all restrictions into nothing is forcibly transferring you.]


    [You have safely escaped from the world of the gods, ¡®Asgard.¡¯]


    [Gourmet Dragon Raiders has noticed your return and has taken back ¡®Golden Protection.¡¯]


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Grid arrived back at the surface and immediately sank to the ground. He struggled to calm down as he let out rough breaths. His heart was thumping like crazy. His intact body proved his safe return, but the fatigue felt by Grid wasparable to when he fought fiercely with Trauka.


    Searching for the key in the middle of enemy lines, identally meeting Zeratul, being isted in an army of angels, the Great Robber of the Red Night being taken prisoner, etc. Every crisis he experienced in Asgard was deadly.


    Of course, Grid had survived all the crises unscathed. It even gave him the results he wanted. However, it was purely luck. What if there was no Zeratul in the Prison of Eternity? Additionally, what if Raiders hadn¡¯t given him Golden Protection? By now, Grid would¡¯ve been in trouble in Asgard. It was clear that it would¡¯ve been difficult to stay alive, let alone rescue Khan and Hexetia.


    ¡®Asgard...¡¯


    Just as the celestial gods couldn¡¯t invade the Overgeared World without permission, Asgard was perceived as an impregnable fortress by Grid. He didn¡¯t want to get involved with it again. It was to the point where he made up his mind not to even pee in the direction of Asgard.


    Asgard might be in the sky, but... in any case, he really meant it.


    ¡°How is it? Wasn¡¯t it easily solvedpared to what you were worried about?¡±


    ¡°...Do you have any shame?¡±


    He calmed down as he criticized the Great Robber for making a joke. Grid thought positively. He didn¡¯t have to visit Asgard again in the future. Yes, he rescued Khan and Hexetia, so it was all over. He really crossed a huge hurdle. In the future, he only needed to focus on Baal¡¯s subjugation. Unravel the distortion of hell and allow the dead to find rest...


    ¡°You seem a bit angry, but most of what you went through in Asgard was consistent with my predictions.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you almost killed by angels?¡±


    ¡°You obtained Golden Protection and safely broke through the siege of the angels.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Communicating with dragons has a greater value beyond what you think.¡±


    Dragon Knight.


    ¡°Think about it. You are a being who is regarded as an equal to dragons and have an understanding with them. You are the ¡®only one in the world¡¯ who deserves the favor of a dragon. You must be special to the dragons.¡±


    It was the strength of an Only One title.


    ¡°Now do you understand why I described you and Raiders as an essential preparation for ascending to heaven?¡±


    ¡°...To be honest, I can¡¯t believe it. I am special to the dragons...¡±


    ¡°Do you have no conscience?¡±


    The Great Robber frowned and clicked his tongue. This was a reaction that Lauel often showed to Grid.


    ¡°Look back on it. How have the dragons you met so far treated you?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    After Fire Dragon Ifrit, Grid had met many dragons and had a good ending with them, even if they quarreled at first.


    He had cooperated andmunicated with the five dragons that invaded Reidan, including Xenon and Basque. Cranbel, the top dragon who made them cooperate, dered in a noble manner that he wouldn¡¯t deal any retribution to Grid and humans.


    Insane Dragon Nevartan talked nonsense about weing Grid as his son-inw and personally asked Grid for a reconciliation. In the end, Gourmet Dragon Raiders gave Golden Protection to Grid. Evil Dragon Bunhelier even carried Grid on his back. It was a choice for himself, but if he hadn¡¯t trusted Grid, he wouldn¡¯t have allowed Grid on his back in the first ce.


    ¡°As you know, dragons are pretty pitiful creatures. Most of them live in hiding alone for all their lives because they are afraid they will be preyed upon by their own kind. They aren¡¯t in a position to trust anyone. But the dragons have relied on or expected things from you one time or another.¡±


    This was the result that Fire Dragon Ifrit created.


    Making a horn.


    She grasped at straws as she was about to die and Grid did his best to grant her request. The conveyed sincerity led to the connection between Ifrit and Grid. After that, all dragons came to know Grid. At first, they harbored resentment. Then gradually, they came to acknowledge and rely on him. It was with the feeling that they also wanted to be Ifrit in the end.


    ¡°Poor creatures... Humans... Do dragons sympathize with humans?¡±


    Raiders had whispered it when they arrived in Asgard.


    [Keep this in mind. From a human point of view, we are better than the gods of Asgard.]


    Looking back now, it was a statement that made him think a lot.


    ¡°A disaster that can destroy a city with a single p of their wings... it is one of the expressions always used when discussing dragons. However, there are few records of dragons destroying cities. At least, that is the case in ¡®this world.¡¯¡±


    Reidan had to go through something that was so rare that it could be counted on one hand twice. Anger suddenly red up in Grid, but he calmed down.


    ¡°Of course, I know this is the result of the hard work of Hayate and the tower members. Yet it is too few even taking into ount the existence of the tower. I always thought it was because of the dragon¡¯s indifference, but... in fact, it isn¡¯t that dragons don¡¯t care about humans. It is that they actually feel sympathetic and considerate of humans?¡±


    ¡°That is a ridiculous guess.¡±


    The Great Robber of the Red Night immediately shook his head.


    ¡°Do you feel a sense of sympathy for ephemeral dust? The reason dragons are harmless to humanspared to their power is due to sheer indifference. Didn¡¯t I already say it? You are respected by the dragons as an ¡®equal.¡¯ Only you are special. You and ordinary humans shouldn¡¯t be considered in the same category.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡± Grid, who had almost developed a liking toward dragons, shook his head. He shook off his premature spection and asked for the most important facts.


    ¡°So... what treasure did you steal from Asgard this time?¡±


    If he thought about it a bit more deeply, it was highly likely that today¡¯s Great Robber of the Red Night was close to his aspiration.


    A treasure that was kept in Asgard¡ªit was like getting thest hidden piece that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to get in a world without Grid.


    ¡°It is the object that contains the most divine power of the Refractive Dragon. I have to figure out the exact usage.¡±


    In a natural manner, the Great Robber of the Red Night didn¡¯t hide the identity of the treasure from Grid. The problem was that the information of the treasure was marked with all question marks to Grid.


    ¡®It seems to be an area that yers can¡¯t ess.¡¯


    It felt like he was blocked by the system. It was rted to the secrets of the world, so it wasn¡¯t a riddle that yers could somehow solve. It was an attitude that was saying that yers didn¡¯t need to be interested.


    ¡®In the first ce, the Great Robber of the Red Night said it. The dragon god isn¡¯t something for me to care about.¡¯


    The dragon god, the Refractive Dragon¡ªan object that humans who were nearing the end of the world relied on as ast resort. It had nothing to do with yers preventing the apocalypse on their own.


    ¡°May this treasure be of great strength to you.¡±


    ¡°It should be humanity¡¯s strength, not mine. Anyway, thank you... it is all thanks to you.¡±


    [Affinity with the Great Robber of the Red Night has reached the maximum.]


    [On blue days, cloudy days, or dark nights. Every time you need it, he will run to your side.]


    Then he wouldn¡¯t be called the Great Robber of the Red Night, right? Grid smiled and his eyes fell on Khan.


    Khan had been standing silently ever since arriving on the surface. He was examining his surroundings slowly and intently, like a photographer trying to imprint andscape that he treasured dearly. All types of emotions shed in his eyes that were filled with water.


    Grid didn¡¯t bother to interrupt. He stood and waited silently for Khan to resolve it. Then after a while¡ª


    ¡°Your hometown... would you like to go there?¡±


    Grid saw Khan wiping the tears from his eyes as if he finished recalling his memories and carefully asked a question.


    Hometown¡ªit was a word that had a special resonance for most people. However, it was especially special for Khan. There was the smithy Khan ran that had passed for generations through his family, as well as the tombstones where Khan¡¯s family, especially his son, was buried. It was also where he first met Grid. It was also one of the ces with the most memories for Grid.


    Surprisingly, Khan shook his head. ¡°I would like to go to Reinhardt first.¡±


    ¡°You will be staying in Reinhardt from now on, so there is no need to hurry...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there where you have been living since I left? I¡¯ve always been curious about it. There are so many people I can¡¯t wait to meet.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Khan!!¡±


    ¡°Khan!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡±


    Each person should live their own lives. This was the expression that was most suitable for the Overgeared Guild. The current Overgeared members, who pretended to be invincible everywhere, scattered all over the nation. They did their best so people didn¡¯t have time to feel Grid¡¯s absence as he was busy dealing with gods, demons, and dragons.


    However, they all came together.


    Khan¡ªthe members of the Overgeared Guild also had precious memories with him. Ruby¡¯s reaction was particrly fierce.


    It was when she had just stepped into this world. As Grid¡¯s sister, Khan had taken care of her like a granddaughter.


    ¡°I wanted to see you! I missed you so much, Grandfather!¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me. I am happy to see you be a beautiful woman. Huhu.¡±


    Khan patted Ruby, who was crying as she hugged him. Sniffles were heard everywhere. The people who joined the Overgeared Guild after Khan¡¯s death knew the story of Khan well, so they were also thrilled.


    Only one person.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m really sorry...¡±


    Only Faker greeted Khan with the heart of a sinner. He still couldn¡¯t shake off the memory of that day when he couldn¡¯t protect Khan from Veradin. He had been gued with intense guilt even though no one had med him. Not once had he ever forgotten the ipetence of that day.


    Faker fell to his knees and Khan hugged his trembling body.


    ¡°Thank you. I am really thankful. Thanks to you who fought desperately to protect me, I was neither afraid nor lonely. Thanks to you, I was able to hold on until I said myst goodbye to Grid.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Faker¡¯s body copsed in Khan¡¯s arms. The burden on his mind had been bothering him for a long time and now it was melted away by the hot body temperature of the cksmith who returned. It was the moment when the dagger, which had been worn out after being sharpened, was re-tempered.


    Everyone present had a hunch. In the future, the Overgeared Guild would be more and more united. It would be uncontrobly powerful.


    ¡°Hum hum...¡±


    This was until Hexetia¡¯s impatience revealed itself.


    Grid and the Overgeared members hugged Khan whileughing and crying.

 Chapter 1791

    Chapter 1791


    Many people gathered in Reinhardt. It was safe to say that it was all the bonds that Grid had made. They were all smiling widely.


    Khan¡ªeveryone purely blessed the fact that the most important person to Grid was back. It was even the case for dark gamers like Tarma, the ck and White sisters, and the Shay, Kerb, and Sniffer assassin trio.


    ¡°I¡¯m d the big shit that Veradin did has been btedly cleared up.¡±


    ¡°I still shudder when I look back on the years I suffered because of him...¡±


    It was after Grid issued a kill order on Veradin and dered that he would destroy Immortal. Numerous dark gamers were directly and indirectly harmed.


    The Shay, Kerb, and Sniffer assassin trio were caught by Kasim, who they had long had a bad rtionship with, and were hung upside down from the ceiling all day. Due to the prejudice that dark gamers interacted with each other, they were subjected to unfair torture. Unlike the ck and White sisters, who joined Immortal without much thought, the assassin trio had no rtionship with Immortal and were still resentful and angry about the events of that time. Tears welled up in their eyes.


    ¡°We never even talked to that bastard Veradin before. How could we reply when asked where he was...?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, he was someone we didn¡¯t dare talk to...¡±


    ¡°Yes, because we were rtively weak.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to give up the loser¡¯s mentality? The reason we went through the dark ages was purely because we were killed one after another by Grid and Kasim! If it weren¡¯t for those two, we would¡¯ve dominated the assassin ranking! We would¡¯ve been above Tarma!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. Are you talking about me now?¡±


    ¡°H-Hik! Tarma!¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t be scared! In any case, he is just like us! He is a bastard who was squeezed by Grid and Faker!¡±


    ¡°These lowlifes...¡±


    ¡°...Why are you gathering here and making noise?¡±


    ¡°It is a good day so let it go. They have been active since the days of the Great Human and Demon War.¡±


    ¡°Jude is already on his way.


    ¡°Oh dear, they are going to be kicked out.¡±


    The noisier the party, the better the mood. The tendencies of the dark gamers had long changed. Now they didn¡¯tmit evil acts. To be precise, there was no need tomit evil acts. It was much easier and more beneficial to do the quests rted to demons and demonkin that started to flood out after the Great Human and Demon War, than to act against people. Unless they were a ¡®real psychopath¡¯ who gained pleasure from harming people, they adapted and lived well in the changed society.


    True madmen were surprisingly rare. Even Agnus was just an ordinary, pitiful man. Among the dark gamers, the Grid who showed no mercy was considered the craziest one.


    ¡°Then you have been cksmithing all the time in heaven?¡±


    Khan was bombarded with questions.


    Queen Basara, who ruled Titan, and the dukes who served her were sitting side by side with Khan.


    The Overgeared members had sufficiently expressed their feelings and gave up their seats one by one. Of course, the Overgeared members wanted to be by Khan¡¯s side until the end, but there were so many people who wanted to greet Khan.


    ¡°I heard that wine springs from thekes and ponds, not water. So did you quench it in wine?¡¯


    ¡°Hmm, not that I hear this, it seems like I became drunk every time I worked...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Khan, you are very good at talking!¡±


    The questions of the dukes had a rather sensitive side to them. Most of the questions were about how he became an angel after death and what life was like in Asgard. It wasn¡¯t something they could be med for. It was a natural instinct for humans to wonder about the afterlife.


    Furthermore, Asgard had long been considered a paradise for the humans of this world. For the dukes who didn¡¯t know how Khan was treated in Asgard, they believed that at the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be unhappy. It was natural to believe that it would be better than the souls suffering in hell.


    ¡°Are you going to live as a human again in the future?¡±


    It was Basara who silenced the cheerfully talking dukes. Her narrow eyes, which always seemed to be closed, suddenly opened clearly. She was still a wise person, even though she had be a queen and empress, rather than the ruler of an empire. Her clear eyes were full of deep thoughtfulness and were fixed on Khan¡¯s back, which he was struggling to cover with his coat.


    ¡°Under the moonlight of a rare calm night, I heard from His Majesty Grid that angels are perfect beings only when they form the Trinity. Khan, if you have to live as an angel, then I¡¯m afraid there will be too many restrictions on you on the surface.¡±


    ¡°You are Grid¡¯s third... no, was it the second wife?¡±


    Khan had already suffered death. He became an angel, not a human, and lived in the world of the gods. It was strange to be bound by his earthly status. It wasn¡¯t because Grid, who was like his child, had be emperor, nor was it because Prince Lord and Empress Irene treated him highly. His position itself meant he was equal when dealing with others.


    However, he naturally became careful with his words toward Basara. The bloodline of the Saharan imperial family was great, but the influence of Basara individual¡¯s abilities was greater. Thebination of her highly noble attitude and her ability to be respected while respecting others made her a high person.


    ¡°Huhu, the order doesn¡¯t matter. Personally, I would rather be the youngest. I won¡¯t refuse if you call me the youngest.¡±


    It was Basara who secretly cared about her age more than Grid. The dukes sipped their drinks withplicated emotions as they saw her treating Khan like an inw.


    ¡°My body has already turned to dust and disappeared. I will have to endure the life of an angel living on the surface without ever being able to return to being a human,¡± Khan said bitterly.


    He was relieved that Grid wasn¡¯t present and whispered softly so that no one would hear him except for Basara and the dukes. In fact, he had been feeling it ever sinceing down to the surface. His body was losing its strength. He wasn¡¯t just referring to muscle strength. His energy was gone. He felt himself weakening in real time, as if his body was sick and on the verge of dying.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it...¡±


    The expressions of the dukes stiffened. In particr, the reaction of Beast King Morse was fierce.


    ¡°What is the point of not being able to be happy even though you have reunited with your precious people after a long time? There must be a way! I will definitely find a way with all my might!


    The reason why Morse was belligerent was because he was an emotional person. To put it nicely, he was very worried about Khan because he was sensitive. He was ready to howl with the wolves who usually lived together like they were one body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pray to Saintess Ruby! She will take care of everything!¡±


    Finally, he overturned the drinking table and started to pray. Spear Saint Rachel and Immortal King Grenhal quietly pulled him out. The ones who sat in their vacated seats were Grid¡¯s apostles.


    ¡°You were an Archangel...¡±


    Khan recognized Sariel instantly. He saw a huge halo of light and wings that were different from his own.


    Sariel smiled sadly.


    ¡°The greed of the gods causes you new pain every time.¡±


    ¡°Is there no way to solve Khan¡¯s condition?¡± Piaro urged her. Like the early Overgeared members, he had a long rtionship with Khan and was particrly pleased to see him. Then he happened to overhear the conversation with Basara. In fact, the term overheard wasn¡¯t appropriate. Mother Nature just conveyed what happened around him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to turn an angel back into a human, but I know how to rejuvenate Khan. It is naturally about forming a Trinity and maintaining it.¡±


    ¡°The Trinity...¡±


    ¡°I happen to be here. If one more angel can be obtained, we can form a Trinity and restore your health.¡±


    ¡°It means we have to secure an angel...¡±


    ¡°In the current situation, we have no choice but to go directly to Asgard. Originally, angels sometimes came to the surface to fulfill their duties, but ever since the Overgeared World came to existence, they have ceased to do so.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Piaro¡¯s expression stiffened. It was because he recalled Grid¡¯s deration that he wouldn¡¯t even pee in Asgard¡¯s direction in the future. There was someone secretly watching the increasingly serious atmosphere through the crystal ball.


    ¡°An angel...¡±


    Braham, the God of Magic and Wisdom, was staying deep in the mountains.


    Marie Rose¡ªit happened when he noticed Grid showing genuine affection for the object of hatred that took everything away from him... Braham felt like he was going crazy. He felt like his world was falling apart. For a moment, he even felt a bit of resentment toward Grid. Maybe it was due to the ovep of recent events.


    Grid, who didn¡¯t call him at every important moment. It felt like the sad feelings umted in him exploded in unison. However, he couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it forever.


    Braham felt that just as Grid understood him when he hurt many people hundreds of years ago to fulfill his desire to break the Curse of Sloth, he too should understand Grid. He wanted to apologize for ming and resenting Grid. However, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth... Due to his personality, it was difficult to even stand in front of Grid. He was feeling troubled when he got some good information.


    An angel.


    Let¡¯s rise to Asgard and kidnap an angel...


    ¡®It would be perfect as an apology.¡¯


    A distorted smile spread across Braham¡¯s face as he nned it.


    ***


    ¡°That... can¡¯t you let go of your anger?¡±


    The reason why Grid was absent during the party was due to Mercedes. As everyone wasughing and chattering, she was alone and sad. Then she suddenly left.


    Grid fully understood how she felt.


    The Seven Apostles¡ªthey were the ones Grid should rely on and trust the most. However, Grid suppressed the Apostles at every critical moment and acted alone. It was purely for the sake of the Apostles, but they naturally felt a great deal of skepticism. It was to the point where they seriously considered the reason for their existence.


    The Apostles¡¯ dissatisfaction probably reached the peak right after the first battle with Fire Dragon Trauka. The expressions of the Apostles who greeted Grid on the Tomb of the Gods were empty and bitter. For once, they couldn¡¯t hide their feelings.


    Mercedes was the only one who was surprisingly calm. Now that he looked back at it, he thought that it might¡¯ve been her truly angry appearance.


    ¡°You just say the same thing every time.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I have no desire to put a burden on My Liege¡¯s heart. As a knight, I dare not go against the will of My Liege. I have just organized my mind today.¡±


    ¡°Organized?¡±


    ¡°Even though I am My Liege¡¯s knight and Apostle, I understand and ept the situation where I am not needed. I don¡¯t know the position of the other Apostles, but at the very least, you don¡¯t have to look at me in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mercedes, it isn¡¯t that I¡¯m not expecting something from you. I just don¡¯t want to lose you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Mercedes¡¯ expression was sad as she answered. It was the same reaction as the other Apostles. They seemed to resent their own weakness that caused Grid to worry.


    ¡°As I have said many times before, I understand My Liege¡¯s heart. Even so, it was too much for you to rise to Asgard alone...¡±


    Mercedes knew how dangerous Asgard was. It was a truth that could be known without using Keen Insight because she was the Apostle of a god. She fully enjoyed the effects of the Overgeared World, so it was easy to guess how powerful Asgard¡¯s dimensional effect would be.


    ¡°From now on.¡± Grid dered to her, who finally revealed her heart. It was a deration that could be made because Khan and Hexetia were around. ¡°After I make new dragon weapons and armors, this will never happen again.¡±


    Grid¡¯s Apostles were never weak. In terms of pure level and stats, most of them were more powerful than Grid. It was just that they didn¡¯t have enough items. Creating new dragon weapons and armor would solve the problem.


    ¡°From then on, I intend to rely on the Apostles thoroughly even if you don¡¯t like it. So please trust me and wait for me?¡±


    ¡°...There will be no Apostles who refuse.¡±


    It happened as Mercedes finally regained her smile...


    Kyaaack...


    Screams rang out from the distant party hall. It was so far that Grid could barely hear it.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The surprised Grid and Mercedes rushed to the party hall.


    ¡°Steady yourself! Vantner! Don¡¯t die!!¡±


    The sight he saw after arriving was truly pandemonium. People were foaming at the mouth. No matter whether they were ordinary people, legends, or transcendent, they were all lying face down on the table.


    ¡®A terrorist attack?¡¯


    Terrorism aimed for the day when Khan returned? If it was a yer¡¯s doing, Grid would kill them a thousand times to make them pay for their crimes...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was looking around with cold anger when he suddenly made eye contact with Idan. Idan was standing there with a very flustered expression. He said in a frightened manner. ¡°That... Y-Your Majesty said I could use the lean meat, so I prepared a feast. Then this...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Raiders clearly enjoyed it. I don¡¯t know what absurdity this is...? Will the meat of a dragon go bad...?¡±


    There were many modifiers, but in any case, Idan had be a legendary chef. It was the day when people who had been waiting for his cooking were attacked as a group.

 Chapter 1792

    Chapter 1792


    ¡°Can¡¯t you make Hexetia the object of the Trinity?¡±


    In order for Khan to recover, he needed an angel to form a Trinity. Piaro pondered hard on Sariel¡¯s words before asking another question. It was while taking out herbs grown referring to recipes from the Overgeared Magic Tower and alchemy facility. They were herbs that would rescue those who ate the undercooked meat cooked by Idan.


    ¡°It is cruel, but the positions of gods and angels are vastly different. Gods are rtively free beings involved in the governance of Asgard, while angels were thoroughly bound as beings used for Asgard. In particr, the free will of God Hexetia, a Chief God of Asgard, is stronger than the binding power of Asgard. This allows him to leave Asgard on his own. Meanwhile, Khan is different.¡±


    Sariel¡¯s expression gradually darkened. It was while using divine power to embrace those who had fallen after eating Idan¡¯s dishes. She felt sorry for those who forgot and trusted Poison Master Idan just because he had be a legend. They could easily trust others, even though they had been deceived by the demons of hell and betrayed by the celestial gods every time. Indeed, most humans were naive and foolish. She felt a sense of responsibility to take good care of them.


    ¡°Simply put, God Hexetia currently doesn¡¯t belong to Asgard. He doesn¡¯t have the authority to form a Trinity with Khan, who is still bound by his status as an angel made in Asgard.¡±


    Piaro understood at once. There was already a simple example in front of him. Sariel was unable to form a Trinity with the gods of the Overgeared World.


    ¡°Is your status still tied to Asgard?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes. I might¡¯ve been expelled from Asgard and God Grid himself made me an Apostle, but the stigma of very on my soul still lingers faintly.¡±


    Perhaps it was because she was a subordinate made by the Goddess herself, but she was bound by stronger restraints... Sariel was thinking bitterly as the atmosphere in the hall calmed down. It was the aftermath of Asmophel delivering the medicinal materials Piaro took out to Ruby. Ruby¡¯s heals and purification skills were enhanced by the medicinal materials and quickly treated the patients who had food poisoning. It was made easier by Sariel¡¯s divine power restraining the patients¡¯ condition.


    It was a type of Trinity. The Trinity of the farmer, Saintess, and angel.


    Just then, Sariel had a tremendous realization. ¡°...Something suddenly urred to me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Piaro was quite surprised because Sariel showed rare signs of excitement. Her pure white face was flushed.


    ¡°Khan¡¯s origin is different from mine. Before he became an angel, he was a human. A man who became a legend. Unlike Archangels, ordinary angels can be free from Asgard¡¯s binding force.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that alone won¡¯t free Khan from Asgard. Like me, most angels will be bound to Asgard forever. However, things are pretty good right now.¡±


    ¡°Is the situation good?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Khan a legendary cksmith, God Grid a legendary cksmith, and God Hexetia the God of cksmiths?¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a Trinity of a different standard. Then Khan might be able to recover his health right away...¡±


    Just then, Grid returned to his seat and sat down. Sariel and Piaro immediately exined the situation to him and Grid asked Hexetia for help.


    ¡°It is a good idea. It was something that I was worried about. Now it can be solved well.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it something that couldn¡¯t be solved even if I appointed a new angel?¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been solved if you had given someone the identity of an angel. The key is whether Khan would¡¯ve been able to hold out until then.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The angels of the Overgeared World were different from the angels of Asgard. Rather than creating a species called an angel, they were given the status. The premise was that the person had to possess at least three myth level items. It was a problem that time would solve. He could just appoint an Overgeared member as an angel as they would soon receive new dragon weapons and armor from Grid.


    However, Hexetia was saying that time was too tight even for that. It could mean that Khan¡¯s condition was much more critical than it seemed, or it could mean that it would take a surprisingly long time to create new dragon weapons and armor.


    ¡®It could be both.¡¯


    In any case, Grid¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t at ease. He found out that he was causing pain to the precious person he had regained.


    ¡®I thought everything would be fine if I brought him to the surface, but I did something without any countermeasures.¡¯


    He was d that there were people around him who were trying to identify and solve problems on his behalf. He felt a new sense of appreciation and pleaded to Hexetia, ¡°Then please. Please save Khan.¡±


    ¡°It is already settled.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There is no need for a grand n. It is enough for me to recognize you and Khan as cksmiths. Of course, it is impossible for my perception to exert any influence on you, but Khan is different. You should be grateful for the path you have walked. Thanks to all your experience, there are many concepts that symbolize you. The benefits you can bestow upon those who serve you are endless.¡±


    Many of the gods of Asgard had a fixed role from birth. For example, Hexetia was the God of cksmiths and could bestow blessings or punishments on the cksmiths who prayed to him. Hexetia could hear and respond directly to people¡¯s prayers, but it was usually an interaction that urred naturally, like thews of nature.


    In any case, most gods had a limited audience for whom they could answer prayers. On the other hand, Grid was different. He had so many symbols that almost every being could pray to him and get his blessings. It was like Hexetia just now. He prayed to Grid to respond as a cksmith. This allowed him to form a Trinity with Khan. The Trinity of himself, Khan, and Grid grouped itself into the category of ¡®most respected cksmiths¡¯ and it was a great sess.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the precise principles, but... I will take it as a matter of great pride.¡±


    ¡°That is enough.¡±


    Hexetia responded with a smile to the confused Grid. He trembled as he felt the greatness of the newly born god. Hexetia had witnessed the Gods of the Beginning and Chiyou, so he could see how great Grid¡¯s potential was. It was because while praying to Grid, he saw how many beings in the world made Grid the object of their aspirations.


    There were many gods besides himself. In addition to the gods, there were several dragons.


    ¡®...It is especially the case with Bunhelier.¡¯


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªhe was different from the other Old Dragons who had heavy hips. Like a mayfly, he pped his wings and traveled all over the world,mitting evil every time. It was due to low self-esteem. It was just like Hexetia in the distant past.


    Bunhelier was the only one of the Old Dragons to wander without any confidence in himself. He was anxious every day as he struggled to raise his status. A representative example of the one who suffered in the process was Nevartan. He fell into Bunhelier¡¯s trap, who had obtained the cooperation of Baal and the gods, and went crazy...


    ¡®A being who doesn¡¯t trust others and only lives for himself has a longing for Grid.¡¯


    It could¡¯ve been simply interpreted as Grid being great, but Hexetia was shocked. Bunhelier was a creature of great harm. He naturally shouldn¡¯t be trusted and it would be better if there was no involvement with him.


    ¡®...It isn¡¯t something for me to worry about. Grid knows the dragons better than I do.¡¯


    Hexetia¡¯s interest changed. The human being who instantly cooled the atmosphere of the party, which had been filled with joy and happiness¡ªHexetia started to focus on Trauka¡¯s arm, which showed off its enormous size behind the back of the unusual chef, Idan.


    ¡®It is about smelting the body part of an Old Dragon, which still has warmth. It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    Trauka¡¯s arm was still full of his intent. In fact, it could be taken as Trauka in its own right. Making battle gear from it? It was also a novel experience for Hexetia. After all, Trauka was a monster who made the Goddess personallye forward to sign an agreement with him.


    Hexetia clearly remembered the absolute power of the monster who hunted the gods while wandering near Asgard. He was a different type of being from Bunhelier, who kept ying tricks behind the scenes. If Raiders symbolized the dragon¡¯s nobility and Nevartan symbolized the dragon¡¯s omnipotence, then Trauka symbolized the dragon¡¯s power.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting goosebumps...¡¯


    An awkward smile spread across Hexetia¡¯s face as he gulped. The more he looked at it, the more bizarre the scenery in front of him. Humans enjoying a party with the arm of an Old Dragon hanging like it was an ornament. They even used it as a food ingredient...


    ¡®This world is definitely crazy.¡¯


    Could it have something to do with the sudden change in the Goddess¡¯ attitude?


    Hexetia seriously pondered on it before saying, ¡°There is only one ce on the surface to smelt that thing.¡±


    ¡°What is that ce?¡±


    ¡°A god¡¯s... tomb.¡±


    It was a name that Hexetia himself found terrible to say.


    Grid saw his somewhat hesitant expression andmented. ¡®As expected, it has to be the Overgeared Battleship.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Did you clear up the misunderstanding with Mercedes?¡±


    ¡°Um. She seems a little bit less angry...¡±


    The three day party was over.


    The Overgeared members immediately returned to their respective positions after hearing about the resurgence in bandits, made of the remnants of the former Saharan Empire who weren¡¯t satisfied with the continent, and the demons who had flooded the surface in the aftermath of the Great Human and Demon War.


    Yura also opened a gate to hell.


    At this time, she was the only one who could stop Baal¡¯s expansion in hell. In cooperation with Leraje and the others, she was making an effort to chase the traces of Asura. She made a brief appearance on thest day of the party and then went straight back.


    ¡°I understand her. Mercedes is Youngwoo¡¯s knight and Apostle, right? She takes it for granted that she will fight and die for you, so it is hard for her to ept your desire to keep her safe.¡±


    Yura understood exactly why Mercedes was sad not to receive Grid¡¯s call.


    ¡°Yes... I see...¡±


    Ultimately, this was a problem that would naturally be solved. If new dragon weapons and armor were made, Grid nned to work them thoroughly, even if Mercedes and the Apostles didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°I understand. I will work Mer as much as she wants... no, I will take care of it. Yura, don¡¯t worry and focus on your work. I¡¯ll join you soon with a new weapon as a gift, so don¡¯t overdo it until then.¡±


    Soon after leaving Yura¡ª


    ¡°Shall we start?¡±


    Grid called Khan and Hexetia, who were waiting in the distance. At the same time, a typhoon blew. It was the aftermath of the slow descent of the Tomb of the Gods, which had been floating high in the sky.


    ¡°The Trinity cksmith Trio, we¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°No, what?¡±


    Why did he have to give useless names every time? Lauel grumbled as he saw off the excited and noisy Grid.


    On the other hand...


    ¡°Um... I have to be careful.¡±


    A new intruder arrived in Asgard. As the God of Magic and Wisdom, he quickly crossed dimensions.

 Chapter 1793

    Chapter 1793


    ¡°Are you going to move the entire imperial capital?¡±


    The Tomb of the Gods wasn¡¯t just huge. All types of infrastructure and several pces boasting high spires were being built. It was smaller than Reinhardt, but it felt like a new city was being built.


    It was a city that rose high in the sky. It was a fortress that no one would be able to reach, so it seemed suitable for use as a new imperial capital.


    However, Grid¡¯s answer was unexpected. ¡°They said that they are nning to split it, not move it. It is said that there are many cases where it will be deployed to the battlefield, so there is a practical problem in housing civilians here. There are also administrative agencies where the efficiency will be increased only by inspecting the site. I think it will be a forward base and an administrative capital that takes advantage of a moving city.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hexetia cocked his head as he had been secretly admiring it and asked another question, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the emperor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the owner of this flying ship?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°But your tone is weird. It feels like someone other than you rules this ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terrible when ites to politics so I am leaving it to my other friends.¡±


    In Satisfy, governance wasn¡¯t simply done with knowledge and experience. It was necessary to possess arge amount of stats and skills rted to politics in order to achieve effective results. This was why Grid diligently studied politics and economics, but left most of the work to Lauel and the others.


    ¡®I¡¯m trying, but it isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    In reality, most of Grid¡¯s daily routine was focused on managing his physical fitness and condition. He felt obliged to have at least some knowledge, so he studied politics and economics on his own with the help of Yura, but hecked a lot. In the first ce, he spent too much time in Satisfy and had less time to devote to studying.


    ¡®I wish I was as smart as Lauel.¡¯


    It was even now when he felt that hisprehension and memorization skills have improved by hundreds of timespared to the past. It was true that he was envious of geniuses like Lauel, who could learn one thing and realize others.


    ¡®...Well, it would be a crime to have this face and to be smart as well.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s confidence had skyrocketed after he became ustomed to being loved by the opposite sex. The continuous confessions of the unprecedented beauty Marie Rose was the catalyst. Grid was positive to the point where he thought his current self was a bit cooler than when he assimted with Braham.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hexetia looked puzzled at the sight of Grid sweeping a hand through his long, flowing divinity that was like long hair. Then he changed the subject.


    ¡°In any case, I like the structure of the smithy the most. It is big and has a lot of chimneys. I don¡¯t want the heat getting trapped. I was worried because I often saw fools blowing up smithies while smelting metals that require high heat, but you are different.¡±


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t that they are fools. It was a mistake they made because they were inexperienced. They are growing pains that everyone has to go through.¡±


    ¡°You are right. My remarks were careless.¡±


    Hexetia reflected deeply. He was reminded that he naturally learned many things due to being born a god and was in a different position from humans. He almost casually hurt humans again...


    Hexetia¡¯s expression darkened sharply out of guilt and Grid lightened the atmosphere.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go in. Shouldn¡¯t we get to work?¡±


    The smithy, which boasted an arearger than 10 ser fields, slightly vibrated. Trauka¡¯s arm, which was lowered by hundreds of God Hands, was that heavy.


    ¡®At this point, isn¡¯t it almost like a Sword Saint?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue as he examined the leather and scales neatly separated from the flesh. It was a scene that seemed like it had been created by the ultimate swordsman. This was the work of Idan. It was the traces of a cooking that was acknowledged by a dragon.


    A Dragon¡¯s Chef¡ªhe wielded the power of a sword to turn the body of an Old Dragon into food ingredients...


    ¡®Like Pagma''s Sessor, he possesses several attack skills.¡¯


    Was it a result of Raiders¡¯ desire for his chef to be able to protect himself? Idan had learned a number of attack skills and magic, despite being called a chef. Grid remembered the status window of Idan that he had looked at a few days ago and seriously pondered on it.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be right to send him to a training dungeon rather than letting him stay in the kitchen?¡¯


    The training dungeons made by Eat Spicy Jokbal were still in use. As the level of Eat Spicy Jokbal increased, dungeons of higher difficulty were created one after another. They might be inferior for the Apostles and the 10 Meritorious Retainers to use, but there were many hunting grounds suitable for Idan, who was still a new chick.


    ¡®Considering the position of Idan, who is prone to grudges, it is right to send him for training.¡¯


    By the time Grid came to this conclusion, Hexetia¡¯s mentality had recovered. A god who showed early symptoms of bipr disorder in the aftermath ofmitting one of the seven deadly sins¡ªHexetia¡¯s mental strength that resembled fragile ss was also a new concern for Grid.


    It was Grid¡¯s duty to restore him to his full state after he believed in Grid and became a god of the Overgeared World.


    ¡®Should I talk with Agnus about mental illness?¡¯


    He seemed to have be pretty human these days. Grid remembered what he had heard about Agnus through Betty¡¯s mouth and suddenly smiled. It was a smile that naturally bloomed as he watched the backs of Khan and Hexetia, who were checking the condition of the smithy.


    The various realistic problems didn¡¯t matter. He was just happy to be with people he thought he would never see again.


    ***


    ¡°I think this is nothing more than a decent sword.¡±


    What type of tools were needed to smelt the arm of Fire Dragon Trauka? Hexetia shrugged off the problem that Grid had been thinking about for days and days. He said that as long as the mes of his nipples and the Red Phoenix worked together, he would be able to easily smelt a horn, let alone an arm. Therefore, he proceeded with the first step of production.


    It was the design.


    ¡°Decent...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face hardened. Apletely unexpected sentiment came from Hexetia¡¯s lips as he examined Twilight, Grid and Kraugel¡¯stest and greatest work of all time.


    Hexetia spoke with no hesitation, ¡°In terms of the size, weight, and shape, how else would you describe this sword that is suitable for ¡®all types of swordsmanship¡¯ if not decent? It is too much and too shallow to call it the best.¡±


    Twilight wasn¡¯t a work created by Grid alone. It was actually Kraugel who set the form. Of course, a lot of the ¡®thoughts of a Sword Saint¡¯ were included. A Sword Saint was the master of all swordsmanship.


    ¡°Are you saying that a sword specialized in one swordsmanship technique is the best?¡±


    It was too one dimensional. It was a process that Grid had already gone through.


    Gujel¡¯s Sword and Dao¡ªthey were a pair of weapons specialized for shing and stabbing respectively and Grid had made them first. Then in the end, he concluded that Twilight was the best weapon. It was because there were so many variables in actualbat. Weapons with distinct identities were limited in their ability to block, deflect, and counterattack the ever-changing enemy attacks. It was the same even if two swords were treated as one sword.


    Hexetia shook his head. ¡°That isn¡¯t it either. I think the best sword is... it is based on the inspiration that can be obtained from that gauntlet you are armed with.¡±


    ¡°Ifrit¡¯s Arm...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze lowered to his arms. Gauntlets that reproduced a dragon¡¯s arm by splitting one scale into thousands. It seemed to be alive and breathing as it responded to the wearer¡¯s movements, repeatedly joining together and diverging in real time.


    ¡°A transforming sword...¡±


    What was the best sword in Hexetia¡¯s opinion? Its identity flowed from Khan¡¯s mouth.


    A transforming sword. It referred to a sword that changed its appearance ording to the user¡¯s intention. Grid had also made it several times.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the limitations of a transforming sword clear?¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. The transforming sword was a sword made by ¡®weaving together several small des.¡¯ Once the user applied power, it straightened and performed the role of a sword properly. However, when it was simply swung, it bent like a whip. It was difficult to use full swordsmanship with it.


    ¡°I haveplete control over Ifrit¡¯s Arm because it is in close contact with my body. The moment it is separated into an independent tool, it bes difficult to control it as I wish. Of course, I can mix in Greed to induce remote control, but the problem is that I have to issuemands in real time...¡±


    ¡°You have very ordinary worries.¡±


    Hexetia smiled.


    ¡°I think the disadvantages of the transforming sword can be solved by adjusting the range of operation. Of course, this isn¡¯t easily solved, so the transforming sword has always been neglected, but... look at the identities of the three of us.¡±


    Two legendary cksmiths and the God of cksmiths. Was there a weapon they couldn¡¯t make when they put their heads together? It was almost impossible.


    ¡°Furthermore, we are using the body part of an old dragon as a material. It is right to give it a try first rather than worrying about it.¡±


    Even if they failed, it wasn¡¯t a problem to try again. Trauka¡¯s arm was so huge that the materials were overflowing.


    ¡°You are correct. I was prejudiced for a while and worried about useless things.¡±


    It had to be so. The years where Grid had worked alone were too long. Grid had lost an adviser from the moment Khan passed away. There was no rival ever since Hexetia was imprisoned. The only exception was Kraugel, who asionally gave his opinion on the ¡®sword.¡¯


    Grid always stood alone in front of an anvil. The hot mes emitted by the furnace made him shiver with loneliness. Every time, he thought about it alone and was subconsciously trapped by self-made prejudices. It was time to smash those invisible bars.


    Rely on Khan and watch and learn from Hexetia.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do anything for now.¡±


    The moment Grid made the deration, the cksmith trio started to move. Surprisingly, there was little sense of unity. The three of them moved of their own judgment. They each smelted Trauka¡¯s scales and bones at different timings. It was the effect of having different interpretations on the temperature of the furnace required for smelting.


    They weren¡¯t afraid of the failures that woulde from it. Using these failures as lessons, problems were corrected in real time. Hexetia tasted sess without any failures, but he still learned something from Grid and Khan


    ¡®Cracks along the direction of the grain urred before the scales melted? That will be useful if we use it well. I can see why Grid and Khan made attempts to smelt it at such temperatures.¡¯


    Pirs of fire gushed through the chimneys connected to the furnace. People on the ground thought a volcano had erupted and tried to evacuate. If there wasn¡¯t the Tomb of the Gods, several cities might¡¯ve disappeared from the map on this day.


    ¡°......¡±


    Humans weren¡¯t the only ones intimidated by the series of fire pirs soaring from the Tomb of the Gods, which was flying high in the sky.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªhe came to join Grid after knowing Grid would go on a campaign against Ball, only to hesitate in surprise. The aura of Fire Dragon Trauka, who had recently taken refuge in a newir, was gushing from the Tomb of the Gods. He didn¡¯t have the courage to get any closer...


    ¡®Is he using his recent friendship with Trauka to keep me from approaching? Of course, it is unlikely that Trauka is there, but... it seems like he doesn¡¯t n to wee guests for the time being. It is right to n for the future.¡¯


    Bunhelier¡¯s back was small and lonely as he turned and left.

 Chapter 1794

    Chapter 1794


    ¡°You treasure it very much.¡±


    Sitting on a rock bathed in blue moonlight, the man sharpening his longsword quietly raised his head. A middle-aged man with calf-like big and clear eyes was smiling.


    The most powerful Sword Saint of all time¡ªit was Muller, who was exploring an unexplored area that recently appeared due to the changed terrain.


    ¡°It seems somewhat inferior for a swordsman of your quality to cherish it like that.¡±


    ¡°It is a sword that a precious person gave to me as a gift. It might not be the strongest sword, but it is the most precious thing to me.¡±


    Twilight¡ªthis was the name of the longsword Kraugel was repairing using Grid¡¯s repair kit. It had the same appearance as Grid¡¯s Twilight, butcked a lot of spirit. It was the difference in material. It didn¡¯t make sense topare Kraugel¡¯s Twilight, made by smelting the scales of a low-grade dragon, to Grid¡¯s Twilight, made from the fang of an Old Dragon.


    Nevertheless, Kraugel felt no regrets. It was because the sword was made for him by the only person he could proudly introduce as a ¡®friend¡¯ to his mother.


    ¡°It is an item that contains your tastes and ideas. It must be more satisfying than disappointing when using it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think my personal opinion was involved a lot in the form of Twilight?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a form that can fully handle your ever-changing swordsmanship? I think it is a perfect sword for a swordsman like you, who uses your brilliant talent as your foundation.¡±


    ¡°You are misinterpreting things. When I was discussing it with Grid and conceiving Twilight, the focus was on the ideal sword. I can confidently say that I only gave extremely objective opinions. I never satisfied my personal desires.¡±


    ¡°You are the one misunderstanding. I have no intention of disparaging your personal opinion as greed.¡±


    ¡°I told you, it isn¡¯t a personal opinion...¡±


    ¡°It was an objective opinion? That is too arrogant.¡±


    ¡°...Arrogant?¡±


    The shadow created by the moonlight further entuated Kraugel¡¯s facial lines. The white face that contrasted with the ck, long robe was beautiful even when it was distorted.


    ¡°How can you call your interpretation objective when you aren¡¯t the father of all swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to im that Twilight is a sword that is far from ideal?¡±


    ¡°It might fit your ideal, but it is far from someone else¡¯s ideal.¡±


    Kraugel had no proper adviser by his side. Unlike Grid, who rose from the bottom step by step, he was the one who stood at the top from the beginning. He was always alone. He longed for someone. It was to the point where he didn¡¯t want to miss thepetitor, Grid, who appeared in front of him. It was so much so that he entrusted his years to a hermit who used the spear rather than a sword.


    There were no significant results. Before he knew it, he was only chasing Grid¡¯s back. He was still a loner.


    Now such a person finally appeared before his eyes.


    ¡°I know you are a great swordsman. Didn¡¯t you be a Sword Saint and cut down countless enemies despite a narrow perspective that you weren¡¯t aware of? The path you have walked has never been wrong. But I dare to say that it is a path that is just a way closer to the right answer. It isn¡¯t the right answer.¡±


    A notification window emerged in Kraugel¡¯s shaky vision.


    ¡°Learn more swordsmanship. You might think they are swordsmanship with many ws, but I believe that if you don¡¯t turn away and reach the peak in them, you will be able to see new things that you haven¡¯t seen before.¡±


    There was a word that always followed Kraugel.


    Stubborn. It was a stubbornness that was bound to umte because he had no adviser. He turned a blind eye to the Matchless Sword even after bing a Sword Saint, and he naturally regarded swordsmanship other than the Matchless Sword as insignificant. From a certain point on, he relied solely on ¡®Swordsmanship Creation.¡¯


    Kraugel thought for a long time. Then he stared at his bted adviser¡¯s face and carefully opened his mouth, ¡°...I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Ask me anything. Unlike the great you, this ugly senior has been nourished by failure and regret. I¡¯m ashamed, but there must be some advice that I can give you.¡±


    ¡°Then what is your ideal sword in your opinion?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s clear voice trembled slightly. He felt sorry for Grid. What was contained in Twilight wasn''t the ideal, but his own prejudices and greed. An intense feeling of guilt overwhelmed him when he realized it.


    A clear wind blew and caused the silky ck hair to wave. Muller¡¯s hand resting on Kraugel¡¯s exposed forehead was as cool as valley water. Thanks to this, Muller¡¯s mouth shape was clearly imprinted in Kraugel¡¯s wide open eyes as he shook off all his misceneous thoughts.


    ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t think there is an ideal form that satisfies everyone. As I said earlier, Twilight is the ideal sword for you.¡±


    In the first ce, Muller had no intention of denying Twilight. Yet he kept talking without hesitation out of the hope that Kraugel would be a swordsman who wasn¡¯t satisfied with just Twilight. Muller¡¯s words continued as Kraugel noticed his meaning and remained silent.


    ¡°I can only tell you one thing for certain about what the best sword is.¡±


    The world turned ck in a sh. It was the aftermath of the Tomb of the Gods crossing the continent and obscuring the moonlight. Twilight didn¡¯t lose its orange glow even in the darkness and illuminated Muller¡¯s fingers. The fingers full of calluses were clearly pointing toward the sky.


    ¡°The sword that Only One God Grid will make.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°You will have to work hard to be able to handle the new sword he will make for you.¡±


    Kraugel nodded silently. It was his answer to Muller, who gave advice despite his shame, and it was also an act of epting the quest that appeared in front of his eyes. It was to master 100 swordsmanship skills. Muller¡¯s unexpected quest was very grand from the very first stage, but this ignited Kraugel¡¯s motivation.


    [You have seeded in smelting ¡®Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s Scales¡¯ and ¡®Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s Bones¡¯.]


    [It is a great achievement with the help of the cksmith god ¡®Hexetia¡¯ and the legendary cksmith ¡®Khan.¡¯]


    [The legendary cksmith ¡®Khan¡¯ has aplished the same feat with the help of you and ¡®Hexetia.¡¯]


    [The cksmith god ¡®Hexetia¡¯ values the inspiration he gained from you and ¡®Khan.¡¯]


    [The bond between cksmiths has be stronger after sharing this great moment.]


    [A special effect is added to the ¡®Trinity¡¯ that connects the cksmiths.]


    The basic effect of the Trinity¡¯ was to ¡®remove various penalties obtained in an environment where a subject of the Trinity is iplete.¡¯ The benefits were currently received by Khan. It restored the lost energy and stats that had fallen in the aftermath of leaving Asgard to normal values.


    That was enough. Grid was grateful and couldn¡¯t have hoped for more. Yet at this moment, a new effect was added.


    [If you form a trinity with Khan and Hexetia in the future, you will get a correction effect during the production of ¡®dragon weapons¡¯ and ¡®dragon armor.¡¯]


    ¡®As expected... as expected, I need to have Khan by my side.¡¯


    For a really long time, the system hadn¡¯t responded to Grid¡¯s item production. The effects of production-rted skills were strengthened in the process of bing an Only One God, but that was all. The system was silent for most of the insights Grid gained separately. Due to this, the growth of ¡®cksmith Grid¡¯ often ended at the level of umting knowledge and experience.


    It was different from now, where there was a system calibration. It was the limit of a yer.


    Satisfy was a world where they lived in together. Grid¡¯s faith as he fought in the hope that everyone in this world was happy was clearly proven to be correct through the existence of Khan.


    ¡®Then in the end, Reba...¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t she, the world¡¯s highest being, actually also supporting him?


    Grid thought up to here and shook his head to shake off his thoughts.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t count the chickens before they hatch.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t make premature spections and now was the moment to focus. Grid saw the fragments of the de he had made. They resembled arrowheads. Bones harder than scales were used as pirs and scales sharper than bones were erected on the left and right. There were seven in total. It would be woven with leather and Greed into a single sword.


    Next, he looked at Khan¡¯s work. Unlike Grid, who set the size of each de to be half a centimeter in diameter, each of the des made by Khan were only the size of a knuckle. The form was square except for the very end de. It was the same as Grid in that it was centered with the bones and used scales as the de, but it felt more solid overall. In contrast, it was a bit more dull.


    ¡®Oncepleted, the range of motion is narrow, so I don¡¯t think it will be able to maximize the power of a sh. Still, I think the stability will be excellent.¡¯


    Grid caressed Valha, which he was wearing under his robe. His heart warmed as he felt Khan¡¯s heart, who was always wishing for Grid¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Unfortunately, your work is close to a failure.¡± Hexetia¡¯s words brought Grid¡¯s mind back to reality. He couldn¡¯t hide his regretful expression as he twisted and extinguished the mes of his nipples, which hadn¡¯t been extinguished the entire time they smelted Trauka¡¯s scales and bones. ¡°It is crude.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was an unexpected criticism. It was crude? It wasn¡¯t an evaluation expected when seeing the work of a legendary cksmith, especially Grid, who had a history of producing even dragon weapons.


    ¡°Why are you saying it is crude?¡± Before Grid could say anything, Khan stepped forward. He usually treated Hexetia in a respectful manner, but now he showed a sharp reaction for the first time. He usually smiled gently no matter how hard it was, but now he was slightly frowning.


    Hexetia was taken aback, but he didn¡¯t feel it was unpleasant. It was because he could see the pride of a craftsman from Khan¡¯s attitude. It wasn¡¯t self-confidence, it was pride built up through experience and skills. He had to respect it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand why you are criticizing it so much. Grid¡¯s work is much better than mine, but you are treating it the same way?¡±


    ¡®...Was he angry because of Grid rather than his pride as a craftsman?¡¯


    Hexetia snorted in disbelief before showing off his work. The texture of the work was different. It was different from the work of Grid and Khan, where each de fragment had a pir and de attached to it. Hexetia¡¯s one took the form of onerge pir with multiple des attached.


    Khan was filled with doubt. ¡°What is that...?¡±


    A transforming sword was literally a sword that changed shape. The des needed to move organically. The work made by Hexetia wasn¡¯t a transforming sword. How could a sword made of Trauka¡¯s bones, one of the hardest materials in the world, move organically? It was just a sword. A sword that was unnecessarily split into several des and then attached together¡ªthe expression ¡®crude¡¯ was correct when evaluating Hexetia¡¯s work.


    Of course, neither Grid nor Khan would bring this up.


    ¡°Just because it is hard doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t bend.¡±


    Did all the male celestial gods have such broad shoulders? Hexetia shrugged his broad shoulders that made one had such a thought and pressed his hands firmly against his work.


    Then something surprising happened. The sword made with Trauka¡¯s bones as a pir bent like a bow? Soon, Hexetia pulled it and there was a strange sound. It moved stically like thick rubber.


    ¡°...How did you do that?¡±


    Grid was stunned for a moment by the unbelievable sight. Then he started asking for answers.


    ¡°What did you do to make Trauka¡¯s bones move like a live fish?¡±


    ¡°Did you give it a soul?¡± Khan asked as he recalled ego items.


    Hexetia shook his head.


    ¡°If giving a soul to a weapon could change the nature of the subject matter, then all the famous swords in the world could be ego swords.¡±


    Hexetia wasn¡¯t a person to enjoy a conversation between experts. To be more precise, it was awkward to have a long conversation because he had little experience of talking with someone on an equal footing. Thus he gave the answer right away.


    ¡°It is the use of intent. It isn¡¯t anything new. Isn¡¯t the physical use of intent often shown by gangsters like Zeratul through things like Formless Will?¡±


    ¡°Gangsters...¡±


    The Martial God was turned into a gangster? The perspective of a cksmith bothered Grid, who had a lot of experience in hitting and fighting with Zeratul.


    Hexetia realized his mistake and made up for it.


    ¡°Your expression is extreme because you still have some private feelings for Zeratul. I don¡¯t mean to belittle brave fighters like you. I will briefly give another example. Dragon Words is the use of intent in the end. I will say it is only natural that a cksmith¡¯s intent can influence the material.¡±


    Grid had already learned Formless Will and the mental world. Both were skills closely rted to the concept of intent. There was nothing strange about having additional rted skills.


    ¡°Be enlightened.¡±


    Hexetiaid his hand over Grid¡¯s head and blessed him. It was a blessing that could be bestowed because he was the cksmith god, and a blessing that could be received because Grid was a great cksmith.


    [Your mental world has be even more powerful!]


    [From now on, items can be produced in the ¡®Sanctuary of Metal.¡¯ At this time, something special will happen and a powerful correction effect is obtained.]


    Techniques such as granting souls to items didn¡¯t match Grid¡¯s tendencies, so they had been left virtually semi-sealed. It was safe to say that there were virtually no ego items made by Grid and many people expressed their regret about this. However, it would be different in the future. It was because an item that was different from ego items, which depended on the soul of another person or a created soul, would be born at Grid¡¯s fingertips. It was an item that contained the intent of Only One God Grid.


    ¡°If you use it well, wouldn¡¯t you even be able to rece a dragon¡¯s Dragon Words. Of course, I¡¯m just talking about the possibilities.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s advice excited Grid.

 Chapter 1795

    Chapter 1795


    Intent¡ªit was a concept Grid first encountered through the yangban Garam. More precisely, Garam gave him a vague understanding. Concepts like energy, mana control, the mental world were too abstract and difficult for him to understand until he experienced Formless Will. He still didn¡¯t have an understanding of this aspect.


    Grid saw intent as one of the concepts that blurred the line between Satisfy and reality. The fact that the system would look at the yer¡¯s intent and produce physical results was a transcendent phenomenon in itself. For example, the Sanctuary of Metal. The system had built a mental world that reflected not only the path that Grid walked, but also his subconscious.


    It was truly omnipotent.


    ¡®...It is easy to reflect one¡¯s intent when making items.¡¯


    Yes, it was nothing special.


    On the contrary, it feltte. Until now, Grid¡¯s intent had always been focused onbat. He was a cksmith in name, but he didn¡¯t get any help from intent when it came to production. It was a part he often found strange and upsetting, but Hexetia solved it at once.


    The cksmith god blessed him. The blessing raised Grid¡¯s blocked production ability,


    He felt amazed and grateful.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    What could he say to fully convey his gratitude?


    Hexetia stared at the distressed Grid, who was deep in thought, and finally burst outughing.


    ¡°Get used to receiving things.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯srge hands grabbed both of Grid¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°If you are only used to giving, then the people around you must be pretty ufortable. It is like me now. I am embarrassed.


    ¡°No. I am someone who is ustomed to receiving more than giving...¡±


    ¡°The confession of a person who is in a higher position makes the surroundings ufortable.¡±


    Hexetia dismissed Grid¡¯s humility, only for his face to suddenly be lonely. It was because he was reminded of Goddess Reba. She, who used to appear and disappear from their sides without saying a word, never spoke with the celestial gods on an equal footing. For the most part, she remained silent and respected their choices. If that was the responsibility of a higher ranked being...


    ¡°...No, I take back what I just said. It is the selfish standards of a low ranking person that a being shouldn¡¯t reveal their true feelings just because they are in a high position. It goes against equality. Just say whatever you want. Be honest and express your intent. I will listen even if it is in vain, so don¡¯t hesitate. We should meddle with each other.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sight of Hexetia repeatedly changing his words with a dark expression and then a bright expression worried Grid.


    ¡®As expected, he isn¡¯tpletely sane.¡¯


    He heard that early treatment was important for bipr disorder. Grid estimated the scale of the guilt in Hexetia¡¯s heart and made a serious decision. ¡®I will arrange for him to meet Agnus.¡¯


    A person who set a valuable precedent for washing away the wounds of the heart and oveing a mental illness¡ªGrid felt a genuine respect for Agnus. He believed that Agnus would definitely be of help to Hexetia.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hexetia felt displeased for some reason and his expression crumpled.


    ¡°......¡±


    At this time, Agnus dug at his ears as he explored a new unexplored area on the surface with the memphis.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯ll listen carefully. Do you mind if I open the mental world now?¡±


    Grid roughly nodded and asked for Hexetia¡¯s consent. The mental world forcibly changed the environment around it. To be more precise, it forced others in the area into the mental world. It could have an unintended negative impact. Therefore, Khan and Hexetia nodded at Grid¡¯s careful question.


    ¡°I am ready.¡± Khan looked a bit nervous. He was unfamiliar with the world of transcendents and Absolutes, so he had never personally experienced the power of the mental world. It was a concept he only vaguely knew about.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    Grid carefully opened the Sanctuary of Metal. The scenery seen by those present changed in an instant. Another world was created. Thendscape of the city under construction disappeared like a lie and a ck-gold canyon was built. The cliffs on both sides soared high with the momentum to pierce the sky and the wilderness on them was hot.


    [My mes...] The Red Phoenix, who had been silent ever since boarding the Tomb of the Gods, muttered. In fact, the Red Phoenix was awkward around the celestial gods. It was close to being vignt. It was because the Red Phoenix experienced being robbed of everything by the gods who were expelled from heaven. It was very reluctant even though Hexetia had Grid¡¯s favor.


    The originally cautious and taciturn Red Phoenix didn¡¯t bother revealing itself in front of Hexetia. It just silently cooperated with the creation of items. Yet at this moment, it spoke without realizing it. It showed emotions.


    The Sanctuary of Metal¡ªthe heat floating around Grid¡¯s mental world resembled the heat generated by its own mes. It could simply be because Grid had the heart of the Red Phoenix. However, the Red Phoenix clearly felt it. The fact that gratitude and admiration for itself was clearly mixed in with the framework that formed Grid¡¯s mental world.


    It was a fact that only the being concerned could feel. In that sense, it was naturally Khan who was the most thrilled.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Thergest framework behind the Sanctuary of Metal was Valha of Infinite Affection. Khan¡¯s wish for Grid¡¯s safety built a metal cliff from Valha of Infinite Affection. Grid¡¯s trust in Khan was buried in his subconscious and this world picked Khan as the most important person to Grid.


    In the end, Khan shed tears and Grid couldn¡¯t remain silent.


    ¡°Thank you, Khan,¡± Grid said while hugging Khan tightly. He followed Hexetia¡¯s advice and confided honestly, ¡°You made me.¡±


    ¡°...H-Huhu. Your words are a big problem!¡±


    Did he hear incorrectly?


    Khan, who wasughing with a nk expression, abruptly raised his voice. ¡°You are just you. Don¡¯t say such things recklessly.¡±


    Grid was unique. He became an Only One God with his human body and threatened even the celestial gods. This feat shouldn¡¯t be disparaged at all.


    ¡°You are great yourself. That is why you became who you are now,¡± Khan spoke firmly and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be swayed by emotions and lower yourself. Even the armor you are wearing right now. What is this? You are still wearing the crude armor I made with poor skills? It would be disappointing if it was simply because you missed me. If you failed because of that armor, I... I...¡±


    ¡°Khan.¡± Grid didn¡¯t let go of Khan. He rested his chin on Khan¡¯s shoulder, which was much smaller than his own, and whispered with a calm face, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met you, I would¡¯ve never realized how to like people.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t trust anyone. I just resented and hated them. I foolishly wielded the power I had acquired.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t he have eventually be as bad as Agnus? It was unconditionally the case. Until he met Khan, he always felt betrayed by the world and was filled with spite. He had no qualms about harming others. He felt no guilt when he hurt others for his own self-interest. He had been subjected to this, so he believed that others deserved the same.


    ¡°In the end, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to love Irene and would¡¯ve just used her. I wouldn¡¯t have cared what happened to Lord.¡±


    ¡°You... what are you saying? That can¡¯t be true.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it would be the case.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Until he met Khan and learned his story, Grid thought he was the most unhappy person in the world. He wasforted by Khan, who believed in him like he was a benefactor, despite all the sorrow and pain Khan himself went through.


    He was a man with no answers¡ªGrid clearly remembered what he was like in the past. He couldn¡¯t deny it.


    Hexetia read the sincerity in Grid¡¯s confession and muttered, ¡°...Khan saved the surface.¡±


    [......]


    The Red Phoenix, who had been nodding in agreement, looked away in embarrassment while Hexetia scratched his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    [......?]


    ¡°I btedly apologize for the fact that our greed and quarrels have ruined your world.¡±


    [......]


    The heat in the canyon started to intensify.


    The Red Phoenix was flustered and surprised by Hexetia¡¯s unexpected attitude and responded with the rising mes. Hexetia also contributed. This was the moment when Grid used intent to make battle gear for the first time. It was a moment watched by Khan and the Red Phoenix, who created the myth of Grid It was a precious moment that would never happen again.


    Hexetia had no intention of ruining this moment. He was ready to do everything he could to assist Grid.


    ¡®Use me, Grid.¡¯


    Just as you met Khan and became who you are now. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I would¡¯ve been worthless forever.


    The metal canyon made of Greed slowly flowed down. It was caused by the mes of the Red Phoenix and Hexetia. It was ready to take on a new form at any time ording to Grid¡¯s will.


    [¡¯Intent Production¡¯ is activated.]


    A notification window popped up and Grid responded immediately. He took out an anvil, set it up, and held a hammer in his hand. The melted Greed gathered toward the anvil.


    At this moment¡ª


    Use me, Grid.


    Hexetia¡¯s thoughts echoed in Grid¡¯s mental world and a change urred.


    [The ¡®Hammer and Anvil¡¯ mental world of Hexetia, the God of cksmiths, has assimted with the ¡®Sanctuary of Metal¡¯!]


    [You have acquired ¡®Hexetia¡¯s Hammer.¡¯]


    [You have acquired ¡®Hexetia¡¯s Anvil.¡¯]


    I also hope to be of help to Grid...


    Subsequently, further changes urred as Khan¡¯s thoughts echoed.


    [The legendary cksmith Khan has learned about the ¡®mental world.¡¯]


    [Khan¡¯s mental world is ¡®Smithy on That Day¡¯.]


    Taang, taang, taang...


    Someone¡¯s hammering could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, thendscape around Grid changed. It was Winston¡¯s smithy, where he first met Khan. Khan, Hexetia, and the Red Phoenix stood there side by side and greeted Grid.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    [The ¡®Smithy on That Day¡¯ mental world of Khan, the legendary cksmith, has assimted with the ¡®Sanctuary of Metal¡¯!]


    [This is where your Intent Production will produce the best results!]


    ¡°Ah...¡± It was like a dream. The red-eyed Grid approached his precious people.

 Chapter 1796

    <h4>Chapter 1796</h4>


    Taang, taang, taang...


    A body and mind tempered through hammering tens of thousands of times¡ªit was a term used by the world to describe Grid and was one of the basic pirs that made up Grid¡¯s mental world.


    Tens of thousands of times.It was too little for Grid.Only tens of thousands of times?At first, it was a bit absurd when seeing this message.


    Usually, achievements were exaggerated, but he felt that his epic understated things.Others felt the same way.The Overgeared members watching from beside Grid, the subjects of the empire who watched from a distance, and even those who only heard about it from far away thought that Grid¡¯s story was too abbreviated.


    There was no one who didn¡¯t know that the number of items Grid had created was well over a thousand.It was also well-known that it took days for him to make an item.Who didn¡¯t know that Grid¡¯s hammering couldn¡¯t juststop at tensof thousands of times?


    It was from this time on.Grid¡¯s epics started to be interpreted in a more exaggerated manner than they actually were.Every time people saw and heard Grid¡¯s feats, they naturally overestimated it.They recalled the mistake of the epic in describing Grid¡¯s hammering as only tens of thousands of times.


    They rated Grid higher than the epic since they had doubts or objections about the way the epic evaluated Grid.This was why there were victims such as Zeratul and Baal.It was also proof that humanity trusted and loved Grid.In any case¡ª


    Taang, taang, taang...


    For Grid, tempering was more familiar than eating.Even so, it was always new and thrilling.Every time he hit it with a hammer, the shape of the metal changed.


    Ultimately, he felt a great sense of pleasure when he got the look he wanted.To some extent, it resembled the heart of a parent facing a newborn child.Basically, he was amazed.It was a sentiment that was difficult to understand for yers who simply clicked on the ¡®production¡¯ button to create items automatically.


    Grid was a creator in the truest sense of the word.


    ¡®It is nice to hear.¡¯


    The smile didn¡¯t leave Grid¡¯s face as he tempered Trauka¡¯s bones and scales.


    Ttang!


    The sound of tapping metal with a hammer.There were inherently many variables.A different sound resonated every time depending on the material, strength, thickness, and temperature of the metal and the angle and strength of the hammering.Sometimes it echoed as clearly as the sound of birds deep in the mountains, sweeter than most melodies.


    The hammering sound that Grid heard today was especially beautiful.


    Taang, taang, taang...


    Basically, it rang three times.The sound wasn¡¯t spread due to the metal. It was the aftermath caused by thebination of three hammers striking.


    Ttang!


    Grid, Khan, and Hexetia lined up in front of a long anvil.Their hammers struck the bones of the giant dragon at the same time.Their hammering was different, just as the swordsmen who wielded swords for a long time had different sword trajectories, reflecting the different trajectories of their lives.


    They were all using the same hammer shaped from Hexetia¡¯s mental world, but the way they held it in their hands, the way they wielded it, and the things they pursued were different.There was also a difference in the results.Trauka¡¯s bones struck by Grid were sharpened to the extreme, while the bones struck by Khan became wider and thicker.


    ¡®Greatsword...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart warmed again.


    Khan¡¯s work¡ªit resembled the Dainsleif made by his ancestor, Albatino.Khan was still unable to forget it.His first encounter with Grid, who protected him by swinging an heirloom gathering dust in the house because no one could use it.Ever since then, the weapon that symbolized Grid for a while became the greatsword. Surprisingly, the greatsword was a weapon that was specialized more in defense than attack.It was possible to use such arge and thick sword as a shield.


    Khan recalled Grid¡¯s origin and prayed for his safety at the same time.Relying on the help of Hexetia¡¯s mental world and Grid¡¯s mental world, the dragon weapon Khan was able to create was likely to have a different texture from Grid¡¯s works.Due to the differences in dexterity and skills, Khan¡¯s abilities were clearly below Grid¡¯s.Therefore, Khan¡¯s work was bound to be somewhat inferior in performance to Grid¡¯s, but it had the potential to have advantages that Grid¡¯s work didn¡¯t have.


    Hexetia knew it was an area of thorough calctions.


    ¡®He is filling in the gap in abilities with these differences. It isn¡¯t something that anyone can do.¡¯


    First of all, they needed to be able to objectively evaluate their skills.Additionally, ¡®different¡¯ meant a slight deviation from the norm. It wasn¡¯t something that easily came to mind, so a lot of anguish preceded it.The greatsword made by Khan wasn¡¯t a result of improvisation.It contained too many traces of thinking to be a mere manifestation of his subconscious.


    ¡®Grid¡¯s intent can change the properties of metal, so he came up with this inspiration as thest puzzle piece.¡¯


    Khan¡¯s greatsword inherited the shorings of the greatsword.It was crude.Due to itsrge and long size, its trajectory was inevitably limited.It was very old and simplepared to the sword made recently by cksmiths.Instead, the inherent strengths of a greatsword were highlighted to the extreme.


    There was a greatsword from a very old era that even Grid wouldn¡¯t havee across easily. It was a disaster in the form of a sword. It was possible to pour the user¡¯s power into it, so there was no limit to the sword¡¯s power.


    Khan decided to believe inthe creation made from Grid¡¯s intent.It would solve the shorings of the greatsword in the form of a transforming sword.In the first ce, the main agenda was Grid¡¯s production.As long as there was no Intent Production, objects made in the mental world were just concepts and couldn¡¯t be taken out.


    For now, Khan was just trying to inspire Grid.He didn¡¯t think he could do anything to help, but he did his best to recall moments when he was inspired by Grid when he was stillcking.Still, he couldn¡¯t help blushing from embarrassment.


    Grid fully epted his heart.Right now, their mental worlds werebined.Grid could feel the thoughts and feelings of Khan and Hexetia.


    Ttaaang!


    Grid¡¯s intent was added as he hammered.The anomalies of the transforming sword weren¡¯t just limited to the trajectory, but the volume as well.


    Ttaaang!


    Trauka¡¯s bones, which were hammered by Grid, repeatedly increased its volume and turned sharp again.It was a fantasy-like scene where a longsword turned into a greatsword and then a greatsword into a longsword.


    ¡®There is nothing I can add to the sword.¡¯


    Hexetia watched silently and stopped hammering.Trauka¡¯s bones were left entirely to Grid and Khan while he took an interest in the scales.


    ¡®Armor.¡¯


    From the beginning, Hexetia was bothered by the armor Grid was wearing.It was old and worn armor, and the performance wasn¡¯t very good either.He couldn¡¯t understand why the creator of dragon gauntlets and gaiters was wearing such armor.Of course, the answer was solved the moment he stepped into the canyon of metal.It was armor containing Khan¡¯s heart.It was the source that was sustaining the mental world.He could understand why Grid stuck to it and didn¡¯t throw it away.


    ¡®It will be like that forever.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s armor, made by Khan, would continue to support Grid¡¯s mental world.However, there was no need for that to be the case with the armor Grid was actually wearing.Hexetia was going to change it.


    ¡®I must make it.¡¯


    Hexetia was the cksmith God from birth.From the beginning, he took it for granted that his battle gear would be myth rated.Nevertheless, he was well aware of the importance of experience.He knew about Grid long before meeting him.


    Shamefully, he was jealous and wary of the human cksmith.He was the main culprit of the mortal sin of encouraging demons to invade the surface.


    ¡®The armor that Grid and Khan will make is inevitably inferior.¡¯


    Grid had been sticking to the armor Khan had made, so his experience had stopped.Of course, he had a lot of experience making armor for other colleagues, but his experience in ¡®making armor for Grid himself¡¯ had already stopped for many years.It was the part that Hexetia had to fulfill.For now, only Hexetia could do it.


    ¡®Until you gain experience, I will defend you for a while.¡¯


    Ttaaang!


    Hexetia finished smelting the scales in an instant with the help of Grid and Khan¡¯s mental world and started the tempering.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened.An armor mixed with the bones and scales of Fire Dragon Trauka, as well asleatherand Greed.Hexetia¡¯s technique was amazing enough to distract Grid, who had been expecting the birth of a treasured weapon that integrated all of Khan¡¯s experience and advice, as well as his own skills and experience.


    Trauka¡¯srge, thick scales were divided into many threads and woven together in an instant?It was at the level of knitting with metal.


    Grid was feeling shock beyond admiration when Hexetia confessed, ¡°I learned from you.¡±


    He found the temperature of the me that ¡®cracked¡¯ along the grain without melting the scales.He took advantage of what Grid and Khan thought was a ¡®failure.¡¯


    ¡°However, you need to finish it.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s judgment was changing in real time.He decided that Grid¡¯s skills should be added rather than him making Grid¡¯s new armor alone.It was because he valued Greed more than divine stone.Simply in terms of strength and power, the divine stone was a bit better than Greed, but Greed was much better than the divine stone in terms ofpatibility with Grid.


    Greed implemented Grid¡¯s will in real time.Braham¡¯s magic tempering added additional effects, and it also contained the Insane Dragon Iron. Nevartan¡¯s magic had a goodpatibility with Trauka¡¯s scales and bones, potentially strengthening it further.


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    Grid barely suppressed his excitement and nodded.The mental worlds of the cksmiths who trusted and relied on each other became stronger.The sword and armor at his fingertips were gradually emitting a mysterious light.Of course, it wasn¡¯t just easy.In between, the mes of the Fire Dragon threatened the three of them.


    Trauka¡¯s scales and bones still contained the remnants of Trauka¡¯s intent.Just¡ª


    Do you dare to y tricks on me?


    It resembled its master and ran around with an arrogant feeling.Still, it was fine.The Red Phoenix protected them.The Red Phoenix¡¯s mes blocked the mes of the Fire Dragon that were attacking the cksmiths in real time.


    [Kuoh...]


    Atst, the Red Phoenix felt its limit and groaned.


    Ttang!


    The sound of the hammering of the three cksmiths stopped simultaneously.Silence came unexpectedly to Winston¡¯s smithy in the past, and it perfectly resembled the scenery that Grid remembered.It was a scene of the moment when guests left and he sat down with Khan at the end of the day, smiling.The only difference was that Hexetia and the Red Phoenix were present.


    ¡°It is... over.¡±


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    ¡°It is pretty good.¡±


    Then the scenery started peeling away.The hammers in the hands of the cksmiths dispersed like grains of sand.The smithy faded and the canyon of metal disappeared.


    The group returned to reality.A notification window popped up.


    [Only One God Grid, cksmith God Hexetia, and the Legendary cksmith Khan had created a great work!]


    It was a message that reached heaven and hell.It helped Braham, who almost lost ten years of his life.


    ¡®I am saved thanks to you.¡¯


    It was because the angels, who had felt something strange and strengthened their guard, heard the news and started to make a fuss from shock.Grid and Hexetia worked together?The shocked angels made a fuss while Braham was able to make his move.


    The Prison of Eternity was the destination.It was shortly after receiving the news that they couldn¡¯t bring out the angels who were imprisoned because they lost the ¡®key.¡¯


    The isted angels¡ªthey were the perfect target for Braham.

 Chapter 1797

    <h4>Chapter 1797</h4>


    The angels were overwhelmed with a strange bewilderment.The 2nd ranked Archangel, Gabriel, failed to stop the intruders from escaping, and Raphael went missing.They went through one unimaginable situation after another.They had endured long boredom as they protected the world of the gods, but now their beautiful scenery was horribly shattered.


    ¡°Imprisoned in the Prison of Eternity?¡±


    All of Asgard, which was in a rare state ofmotion, instantly fell silent.The angels quickly discovered Raphael¡¯s whereabouts and realized the seriousness of the situation. Their demeanor as they looked at the archangels resembled deer caught in a hunter¡¯s trap. They were somewhat pitiful.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough that they missed the prisoners. They ended up locked in there themselves?¡±


    The always expressionless faces of the archangels changed slightly. It was just like Gabriel, whose expression crumpled after experiencing a setback to Grid.


    The Prison of Eternity¡ªit was a prison built to imprison the gods. There was no way to open the gate without the key, and the one that took care of the key was none other than Raphael.However, Raphael was in prison.


    ¡°Did Grid take the key?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the right interpretation under these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°He beat Raphael even in Asgard...? Only One God¡­ he is the equivalent of Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°It is just spection. Don¡¯t forget the possibility of Zeratul acting as a variable.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like excessive spection. Unless Zeratul is crazy, how can he betray the Goddess and side with Grid...?¡±


    The archangel refuting it suddenly shut up.It was because there was no basis for iming that Zeratul wasn¡¯t crazy.After all, the bad karma that Raphael umted was too much.


    ¡°...In any case, Raphael must be rescued. Find a way to go down to the surface and get the key backfrom Grid.¡±


    Archangels were beings who understood and carried out the will of the Goddess.For the honor of the Goddess, Raphael had to be taken out of prison.Once themand was given, several angels raised their hands, unlike the angels who were bowing their heads in silence.


    Gabriel nodded while examining their faces.¡°You are qualified to ask questions. What are you curious about?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we break down the prison gate? I¡¯ve already seen traces of copse once.¡±


    ¡°It is a question that anyone who deals with sword power like you do should have. In conclusion, it is impossible. Unless the gate is already open, the sealing technique blocks all physical intervention.¡±


    ¡°You are saying that the marks I saw were traces from the battle that urred when the gate was opened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe the cranky Michael hit it in a fit of anger. The gate will regenerate anyway.¡±


    ¡°I would like to try and unseal it,¡± another angel interjected.This was a particrly noticeable angel due to the colorful magic power around their body.Every stem of magic power fluttered like it was alive. It felt like a very splendid robe was being blown by the wind.It didn¡¯t go well with the somewhat dark, sickly-looking face.


    ¡°Your magic talent means you deserve to have confidence. Unfortunately, the seal carved into the Prison of Eternity isn¡¯t magic, but power. Magic can¡¯t intervene in the realm of the gods.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the right things?¡±


    The weak-looking angel tilted their head at an angle.Based on Gabriel¡¯s words, there seemed to be no way to open the prison.


    ¡®Those who have a particrly high name in their previous lives have no manners. Arrogance is etched into their souls.¡¯


    A mere angel was arguing with her.Gabriel was dumbfounded, but tried to maintain her expressionless face. It was a situation where she missed the prisoners and intruders. She would undermine her own authority if she acted recklessly.


    ¡°There are many ways to open the prison gate. A simple example is finding the design of the key. We might¡¯ve lost Hexetia and Khan, but your magic will allow us to reproduce the key.¡±


    This was the end.


    Gabriel stood up without saying anything else and hundreds of angels immediately scattered. They scattered all over Asgard.Naturally, thePrison of Eternity was unguarded.There was no reason to guard the prison.


    This was how the new intruder arrived safely in front of the prison.


    ¡°It isx. They can¡¯t even protect their territory properly because they are wandering around like rats in the rain.¡±


    The intruder tended to treat most beings other than himself as insignificant.It was because he had a higher standard than others as the God of Magic and Wisdom.Even the angels who reigned as holy beings were just small creatures in his eyes.Of course, he didn¡¯t dare say this when he was struggling in the past with the characteristics of the magic-resistant angels... it was all an old story.The authority of an angel was no longer a major threat to him, who was able to create magic that could only be imagined in his days as a legend.


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    The intruder, who had been ridiculing the angels with an arrogant expression, suddenly had a stiff expression.


    An angelisted in prison¡ªit was perfect to target, but unfortunately, the level of the seal over the prison was very high.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t magic. I need to abide by the rules to open it.¡¯


    No forced opening was allowed.Braham judged and contemted it before his eyes fixed on the lock hanging on the gate.It was a lock that looked very old and clunky to belong to Asgard.There was no way to open it unless there was the key that the angels sought.Surprisingly, Braham¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t that serious. He thought of an item and his stiff expression quickly rxed.


    ¡®The Master Key.¡¯


    It was an object made by Grid.Braham had often seen him use it in many ways.Braham had always watched Grid.


    Purple magic power bloomed from Braham¡¯s fingers like mes and bounded like thunderbolts, taking shape.It was the same form as the Master Key that existed in Braham¡¯s memory.


    ¡®This can solve it.¡¯


    Grid had written great legends and myths.The items he created had also been influenced and increased in value.Furthermore, the Master Key was an object with the potential to be a treasure of the highest realm.In fact, Grid himself didn¡¯t fully trust the function of the Master Key, but Braham had never doubted Grid.Of course, he seriously questioned Grid¡¯s magic talent, but this wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯sarea of expertisein the first ce. Thus, it could be excluded from theprehensive evaluation.


    ck!


    The faith of the supreme being in service to a great being deceived thews of heaven.The lock was released without any resistance and the high, thick iron gate of the Prison of Eternity slowly opened.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The prison, which was supposed to be colored in deep darkness, was surprisingly bright.It was thanks to the halo above theangels¡¯heads.The moment Braham opened the gate, he was able to witness the scene inside the prison.


    The haggard-looking Zeratul, the Martial God, and Raphael, the 1st ranked Archangel, were engaged in closebat.The feathers scattered around them showed traces of a fierce battle.


    ¡°Ha... Haha, I guess that Grid has sent you to confirm the kill, right? Maybe it is because he has been living for a short time, but he doesn¡¯t have good discerning eyes. Braham, God of Magic and Wisdom. I know your reputation has increased considerably, but you can¡¯t do anything about me alone.¡±


    ¡°That guy, Grid... he has a personality who can¡¯t live in debt. How arrogant.¡±


    Sophistry poured out from both of them at the same time.


    Braham didn¡¯t wonder what they were talking about and silently closed the gate again.He naturally tried to lock it, but he was a stepte.The gate that had been opened had already lost its seal.It copsed miserably due to the spear that Raphael rapidly threw.


    ¡°There is no turning back.¡±


    The relief of being alive made Raphaelugh.In this ce where the flow of time was slowed down, they had fought Zeratul for decades.There were many angels to use as shields and Zeratul was weakened, so they didn¡¯t have a major crisis, but they were really tired of it.They were worried that they really would be alone with Zeratul forever.In their heart, they prayed to the Goddess for salvation.At this moment, the Goddess responded...


    ¡®As expected, the goddess cares about me the most.¡¯


    With great emotion, Raphael rushed over.They weren¡¯t at all wary of Braham standing at the gate.Braham used magic as his source of power.Raphael had the absolute upper hand against him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you go!¡±


    Zeratul grabbed their wings, but this was still within an eptable range.Raphael abandoned their wings and came close to Braham.It took a split second to recover the spear stuck in the wall and swing it.


    Braham didn¡¯t respond.In the first ce, this was Asgard.Braham was too weak to deal with the physical power of the 1st ranked archangel in perfect condition.However, Braham had his wisdom.He couldn¡¯t follow Raphael¡¯s movements with his own eyes, but he could predict how Raphael would move.


    He stretched out his fist in advance.


    A magical realm.


    It was a counter-punch of magic that made one truly feel that he was a magician.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Raphael¡¯s delicate face shook. The skin of their face was almost peeled off as they received a strong resistance.As Raphael was reeling, Zeratul clicked his tongue and wrapped a chain around their neck.


    ¡°Was it muscle training that allowed you to do it with the magic that reached the level of a god?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t deny it.It was true that he had been trying to restore his body.Ever since recovering his blood from Marie Rose, he had been practicing efficiently.


    ¡°In any case, it is up to here. I have no intention of eptingGrid¡¯sfavor.¡±He dragged the chained Raphael inside.Then Zeratul closed the gate of the prison, which had just finished regenerating.


    ¡°...Well, just as I don¡¯t forget grudges, I don¡¯t forget grace either.¡±


    He disappeared beyond the thick iron gate with this sentence.


    For Braham, it was the nonsense of a dog.The image of Zeratul imprisoning himself was more like a madman.His scattered, messy hair and skinny and nervous impression gave the basis for supporting his suspicions.


    ¡®The aftermath of multiple failures has made him mad.¡¯


    Braham shook his head and ced the lock on the gate again. It was while grabbing Raphael¡¯s torn wings next to him.


    ¡®These are the wings of the 1st ranked archangel. Maybe they will help Khan.¡¯


    However, it was true that it was insufficientpared to his desired result.Braham wasn¡¯t satisfied at all and started to manipte the lock after thinking about it for a long time.Heyered magic in a way that didn¡¯t interfere with the existing sealing technique.


    ¡®Harmful things should be locked up as securely as possible.¡¯


    It was the moment when the difficulty of Raphael¡¯s rescue increased sharply.

 Chapter 1798

    <h4>Chapter 1798</h4>


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡®We were tricked.¡¯


    The blueprint of thekey madein the distant past¡ªthe faces of the angels hardened as they searched for the whereabouts of the blueprint by looking back on past history.It was because they felt Raphael¡¯s traces.


    The angels scattered throughout Asgard all felt it.For the angels, the presence of an archangel was that great.


    ¡°They have liberated their divinity. They are definitely under threat.¡±


    ¡°It was obvious from the time they were trapped with God Zeratul... what matters is the identity of the new intruder. Is it Grid again?¡±


    ¡°It is a problem if it is Grid, and a problem if it isn¡¯t Grid. What is wrong with our surveincework?¡±


    In the midst of the angels¡¯ agitation¡ª


    ¡®They dare!¡¯


    The archangels spread their wings wide and moved at full speed.They descended vertically through severalyers of golden clouds that blocked their vision. Due to the divinity wrapped around their bodies, they looked like beams of light.


    ¡®They are taking advantage of the gaps when the Goddess isn¡¯t intact to infiltrate one after another!¡¯


    There was no time to summon the angels, so the faces of the archangels pursuing the intruder distorted. They looked like demons, not angels.Their anger had reached the peak.It was naturalTheir sanctuary had been vited one after another.


    Shamefully, they didn¡¯t even notice the presence of the intruder until the incident.It was hard to believe even if the surveincework had been greatly weakened by the Goddess¡¯ cycle.


    How did that guy called Grid infiltrate Asgard?Additionally, why couldn¡¯t Raphael¡¯s authority restrain him? There were many questions but they couldn¡¯t afford to think about it.


    The archangels immediately focused on the situation in front of them.They chased after the traces of the ¡®wings¡¯ that haddetached from that idiot, Raphael.The wings symbolized Rule and Domination and it was presumably held by the intruder on the run.It might only be a small part of Raphael, but it was closely rted to the authority of the archangels and shouldn¡¯t be leaked.Moreover, the worst situation could be assumed if it fell into the hands of Grid, who had the Fallen Angel Sariel.


    ¡°Okay! Hurry up!¡±


    The big eyes of the 2nd ranked Archangel, Gabriel, almost turned white. Extreme killing intent was contained in the eyes following the trail of the wings in real time.


    ¡°We have to catch him before he gets to the surface!¡±


    The archangels were aware of the identity of the intruder¡ªBraham.At first, they naturally thought it was Grid or the Great Robber of the Red Night. However, the faint traces of magic proved that the intruder was a magician.If not Braham, who else could use stealth magic that avoided Asgard¡¯s surveincework and high-speed flight magic that allowed him to escape from the archangels.


    ¡°He is quick. It is a level different from the existing magic. Keep in mind that we might not catch up until we get to the surface.¡±


    The 5th ranked Archangel, Raguel, expressed their opinion and Gabrial responded in an agitated manner.


    ¡°Then it is over! We have to catch him somehow!¡±


    ¡°Calm down and rx your mind. The opponent is a magician. We can punish him the moment we close the distance, even on the surface.¡±


    The 4th ranked Archangel, Umiel, also expressed their opinion, but it wasn¡¯t enough to calm Gabriel down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! The surface has long been the domain of Grid! The moment we step there, we will be surrounded by evil pagans and we might not get a chance! So!¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s head almost snapped as she turned back.It was to send a longing gaze toward the 7th ranked archangel who was at the very rear.It was an angel flying with only two wings. They had six wings covering their face and head, and 28 wings on their body.Nevertheless, they were chasing after the other archangels effortlessly. Gabriel shouted to them, ¡°Metatron! Please help us!¡±


    ¡°Gabriel!¡±


    Umiel and Raguel¡¯splexions paled with horror, but Gabriel didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I will make a contract!¡±


    ¡°¡±...State the coteral of the contract.¡±¡±


    ¡°My wings!¡±


    ¡°¡°It isn¡¯t worth it to me.¡±¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll give you Raphael¡¯s wings that were taken away by the intruder!¡±


    ¡°¡±Okay.¡±¡±


    A smile seemed to spread across Metatron¡¯s face that was hidden by the wings.Four of the wings that restrained Metatron¡¯s body were unfolded.They were particrly huge wings.The thick shadows they cast somewhat tarnished the divinity of the archangels.


    ¡°Are you sane? You are going to give them the authority to Rule?¡±


    ¡°It is betterthan it beingtaken awayby Grid.


    ¡°Even Sariel wouldn¡¯t know how to use it...!¡±


    ¡°You are too peaceful. Don¡¯t talk and focus on recovering the wings.¡±


    Shockwaves struck Gabriel and Umiel¡¯s bodies as they were arguing.They were shockwaves caused by Metatron, who suddenly disappeared as a dot.It was an extremely fast speed that could bepared to other Absolutes.It was difficult for the three archangels to narrow the distance, no matter how hard they tried.It was best to feel relieved as they followed Metatron¡¯s presence, who was gradually catching up with the intruder.


    ¡®Forget it. We will catch up before he reaches the point where dimensional movement is possible.¡¯


    It was the ce where she missed Grid and the prisoners.Gabriel thought this, but¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    Just before Metatron almost caught up with Braham, Braham¡¯s presence disappeared for a moment. Then it reappeared a long distance away.


    ¡°Teleport?¡±


    What magic did the intruder use to move when deep inside Asgard?Asgard¡¯s barriers weren¡¯t in such a disgraceful state, right?


    ¡°If he could use it freely then he would¡¯ve used it from the beginning. I¡¯m sure he is overdoing it.¡±


    Raguel¡¯s analysis was urate.Theplexion of the intruder, Braham, was visibly haggard.


    ¡®What is this monster?¡¯


    Braham¡¯s enhanced magic had evolved by several times.It meant that even after giving Disintegrate and Meteor to Greed, he didn¡¯t stay in the mountains for no reason.Braham¡¯s flying magic was special. Once he exerted its maximum output, it made it possible to fly at such a high speed that even Braham couldn¡¯t control it.


    However, someone quickly caught up with him.Despite the forced teleporting in Asgard¡¯s environment, which suppressed the magic power of intruders, he was on the verge of being caught again.It was by a strange and hideous angel who restrained their body with dozens of wings.


    Braham had never heard of anything like this.Most of the angels admired by humanity were portrayed beautifully.


    ¡°¡±Is it Yatan¡¯s distant flesh and blood?¡±¡±


    A voice echoed like it was in acave.The words that contained content about Braham¡¯s origin offended Braham.


    ¡°Is it necessary to skipBeriacheand discuss Yatan?¡±


    ¡°¡±Beriache... I don¡¯t know that name.¡±¡±


    ¡°Your eyes and ears are blocked. You deserve to be an angel.¡±


    Brahamughed in a mocking manner, but his heart was heavy.This angel didn¡¯t know the name of the child that Yatan gave birth to right after he created hell?


    How far in the past was it?


    ¡®It must be close to the beginning.¡¯


    Of course, the other archangels were also born close to the beginning.Reba¡¯s first creations were the seven archangels.The existence behind his back that was gradually getting closer was an archangel.However, it was clear that they had a huge w.Therefore, they were cut off from time and never heard of the name Beriache.


    ¡®So many wings... restrictions... are they like me?¡¯


    Was this archangel like him, who hurt his own kin in search of knowledge?Was this archangel also driven by some instinct to take the wings of other angels and eventually became a prisoner?


    Braham¡¯s consciousness was divided into several parts as he analyzed why the monstrous angel had so many wings and why they were disconnected from time.In order to outwit Metatron, he modified his magic in real time while installing trap magic among the clouds so that other archangels couldn¡¯t act as variables.


    He even finished casting dimensional movement magic so it would be triggered immediately the moment the pressure on his magic power weakened.He didn¡¯t forget to look at the coordinates to ensure that thending site was as sparsely popted as possible.


    It was a desperate move.It wasn¡¯t simply to survive.Braham wasn¡¯t afraid since he had ovee death.He just didn¡¯t want to be treated as a troll.


    ¡®I can¡¯t humiliate Grid as his number one Apostle.¡¯


    Right now, Braham was convinced that he was the strongest among Grid¡¯s seven Apostles.Of course, the potential of the other Apostles was so great that he didn¡¯t know how long he would be able to hold onto this position¡­ in any case, he was in a position not to humiliate Grid.


    ¡®I need to disperse my consciousness a bit more.¡¯


    Not so long ago, Braham had received great inspiration from Trauka, who gave up the battle and left without hesitation because of him.The moment Trauka gave up and turned around, he felt the ¡®traces¡¯ he hadn¡¯t noticed before disappear from all over the world.


    The traces were none other than the clones that Trauka had set up.He was monitoring the entire world while dealing with Grid, Marie Rose, and the tower members. He had been wary of any possible threats that mighte toward him.It was an act that the rtively arrogant Braham of the past would¡¯ve ridiculed as being cowardly.


    However, Braham was different now.Braham decided to learn from Trauka¡¯s prudence.He couldn¡¯t disperse his consciousness into thousands or tens of thousands like Trauka, but he tried to disperse it as much as possible. It was to use it as a springboard to ¡®omnipotence.¡¯


    ...He was still arrogant.


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    Metatron paused while following Braham closely.It was because the invader, who had already started to suffer from the side effects of the magic power bacsh, teleported again and increased his presence to dozens.It was the use of Decoy, which had reached the highest level.There was no difference between the main body and the clones.


    Metatron didn¡¯t dy at all. They opened the eight wings that covered their face and head slightly and shot light rays from the eyes exposed through the gaps.They were rays of light that extended to the edge of their vision in a fan shape as soon as they were fired.


    Braham¡¯s dozens of clones were all struck by the rays and disappeared.Only one remained, leaving the presence of the main body.


    ¡®This monster?¡¯


    Braham gritted his teeth and hurried.


    It was in order to arrive at his destination that wasn¡¯t far away and to move to the surface.The giant angel was a monster where he couldn¡¯t guarantee victory even if he fought on the surface, but¡­ it was tens of thousands of times better than fighting in Asgard.


    ¡°¡±Is it really your hope?¡±¡±


    Metatron asked as they chased Braham again. It was more of a murmur than a question. They seemed to have some interest in Braham¡¯s attitude of being obsessed with escaping to the surface.


    ¡°¡±What is on the surface?¡±¡±


    They didn¡¯t knowBeriacheso they naturally didn¡¯t know Grid.The prisoner, who was originally the leader of the angels along with Raphael, only to fall to the 7th rank and have their power sealed, regarded Braham¡¯s efforts as insignificant.This didn¡¯t mean they let their guard down.The contract was for the Wings of Rule, but it was only a fragment.


    Metatron could only fully unfold four wings and the level of the intruder was too high to catch up with just this. Yatan¡¯s blood seemed thicker than they expected.


    ¡°Come and check it out.¡±


    Braham barely arrived at his destination and activated his dimensional movement magic.


    ¡°¡±Okay.¡±¡±


    Metatron followed.The two of them were intertwined as they descended toward an ocean of the surface.


    Braham wasn¡¯t in his best state due to the series of high level magic used in Asgard, which suppressed magic power. Even though he received the buffs of the Overgeared World, he still wasn¡¯tat his peak. Additionally, Metatron briefly ignored the debuffs of the Overgeared World because he was a prisoner who wasn¡¯t bound by the rules of the Trinity.


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±Braham¡¯s heart was pierced by a ray of light and he let out a rare scream.


    Metatron wasn¡¯t very interested in his life.¡°¡±The presence of a great god... it is very different from the first world...¡±¡±


    They just pulled at Braham¡¯s right hand while observing the changes on the surface with interest.It was the hand that was holding Raphael¡¯s wings.


    ¡°¡±It is a nostalgic strength.¡±¡±


    Having achieved their will, Metatron¡¯s gaze shifted upward.Unlike Metatron, the three archangels who formed a Trinity were descending the stairs made of golden clouds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Gabriel had abandoned her nervousness.She was very calm despite this being the surface.Even if Grid appeared, there was Metatron.Now she had unlocked some of Metatron¡¯s power in exchange for a contract.The only thing she feared was the hierarchy of an Old Dragon. There was no need to be conscious of any power that was inferior to that.


    Suddenly, she stiffened.It was because the presence of Fire Dragon Trauka suddenly approached.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s expression hardened as she turned her head toward the approaching presence.


    Only One God Grid¡ªhe had none other than Trauka¡¯s aura.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Grid asked coldly while the mes spreading from his hands changed moment by moment.

 Chapter 1799

    <h4>Chapter 1799</h4>


    ¡®No... they aren¡¯t mes.¡¯


    Metatron¡¯s energy detection was extremely developed.It was how they could endure eternal years with their eyes, ears, and nose covered by six wings.They unintentionally trained their senses to the limit and it was like the power of an Absolute.


    ¡°¡±It is... a sword.¡±¡±


    A strong presence was slowly eroding the dark vision of Metatron.A god with the energy of an Old Dragon.A god of the surface who held a sword in his hand that felt like mes.


    ¡°Grid...!¡±


    Gabriel¡¯sment revealed the identity of the god.It was a very interesting event for Metatron, who had been cut off from the world a very long time ago when they were disqualified as a leader.


    ¡°¡±You are afraid.¡±¡±


    The angels served Reba, the Goddess of Light.She was the greatest being in the entire world.Naturally, their reference point was very high.It was structurally impossible to feel any particr appreciation for someone other than Reba.Yet they were afraid?


    ¡°¡±You were born from pure worship like Chiyou.¡±¡±


    As Metatron focusedon Grid, Braham used magic and escaped from their grasp.He wrapped his terribly torn wrist with magic power to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°I¡¯m so...¡±


    Braham tried to apologize.Rather than achieving his purpose, he brought a new crisis to the surface.However, Grid was a bit faster.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Every time I have fought alone, abandoning you on the pretext that it is dangerous. If I was in your shoes, I would¡¯ve been sad that I wasn¡¯t trusted.¡±


    ¡°...Bah, it is fine if you know.¡±


    Braham, who felt sorry and couldn¡¯t make eye contact with Grid, quickly became normal.It urred to him that the mistakes Grid had made with him were far greater and more numerous than the mistakes he had made. The guilt faded like it was a lie.


    Grid felt much morefortable when it seemed like Braham¡¯s mood eased and he quickly said, ¡°However, I won¡¯t apologize for proposing to Marie Rose. Her feelings for me are true and I have an obligation to repay her feelings.¡±


    He owed too much to Marie Rose.Grid wanted to save her.


    Braham stared at Grid with a frown and barely opened his mouth, ¡°Do as you please. Let¡¯s see how far the rtionship of a couple formed out of a sense of duty goes.¡±


    They were words that sounded like a curse, but they were more like advice whening from Braham.There was no way they would be happy when getting married out of such a cheap mindset.It wasmunicated to Grid.


    ¡°I believe I will truly love her. First of all, she is pretty. She is also surprisingly kind.¡±


    ¡°She is kind...?Hah!Even if you are blinded by emotions, this is being too blinded.¡±


    Braham clicked his tongue while his severed hand finished regenerating.It was a tremendous resilience due to the body of a direct descendant that allowed him to ovee death.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. Discuss the marriageter and let¡¯s get the goods back first.¡±


    Braham pointed to the winges Metatron was holding in their hands.


    ¡°Raphael¡¯s wings. I gathered them myself.¡±


    ¡°The wings of the 1st ranked archangel...¡±


    Why did Braham ascend to heaven and obtain wings?Grid decided not to be curious about it.He purely noted the value of the wings.


    ¡®I can strengthen Sariel.¡¯


    The wings of the 3rd ranked Archangel, Michael, alone gave Sariel the power of ¡®ughter¡¯ and greatly strengthened her.The value of the wings of the 1st ranked archangel would be indescribable.It could be seen from the fact that the archangels personally chased after Braham to retrieve the wings.


    The wings couldn¡¯t be missed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get it back first,¡± Grid said while looking at the angel with the wings.


    Metatron¡ªit was a being with an unfamiliar name, unlike the other archangels with names that ended with ¡®el.¡¯They were unusual in appearance, but Grid wasn¡¯t too shaken.It was because he had the strong impression that the power of the archangel was somewhat inferiorpared to the Great Demons.He predicted that there must be a hidden power.


    Gabriel interjected, ¡°You are going to get it back? You talk as if it is yours.¡±


    There was actually such a shameless robber in the world.Gabriel didn¡¯t like Grid, but she couldn¡¯t bear to show any hostility. She carefully took a step back to avoid offending him.


    ¡°We will take Raphael¡¯s wings. It is a natural thing. I won¡¯t ask your Apostle to pay for his sins, so I hope you will understand.¡±


    Then Gabriel winked at Metatron.It was a signal to hurry up the stairs.However, Metatron stood motionless in ce and stared at Grid.


    ¡°Why are you still..?¡±


    ¡°¡±I need a minimum of ten contracts.¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Gabriel was about to urge Metatron, only to suddenly shut up. The faces of the other archangels also stiffened. It was because they understood the meaning of Metatron¡¯s words.


    ¡°¡±I can¡¯t escape with anything less than that.¡±¡±


    Metatron was assessing Grid¡¯s power.They calcted Grid as a strong opponent who could be countered only when at least 12 wings were spread out.This was true even considering that there were another three archangels gathered here.


    Raguel muttered, ¡°Are you seriously assessing him in the same hierarchy as an Old Dragon...?¡±


    The aura of Fire Dragon Trauka had been felt the moment Grid appeared.However, now theyknew.The source of their initial feeling wasn¡¯t Grid, but the sword and armor Grid was armed with.


    A longsword and armor surrounded by orange divinity and red mes.Surprisingly, it was supposedly made by smelting Trauka¡¯s bones and scales.It had a rtively ordinary structure, but it must contain enormous power.Even so, it didn¡¯t make sense to regard Grid on the same level as an Old Dragon.


    The angels shook their heads, but Metatron told them, ¡°¡±It requires 12 because of that dragon weapon.¡±¡±


    Metatron¡¯s senses wereexamining Grid¡¯s sword. They analyzed it thoroughly without looking at it or touching it.A sword with a de that was slightly over three feet long¡ªit was a double-edged sword that stretched out in a straight line and there was nothing remarkable about it except that the handle was slightly long enough to be held with both hands.


    ¡®The types of swordsmanship that can be used with this sword are all within the range of expectations. The fact that they can implement Dragon Fear, Rage, and Breath are the only variables.¡¯


    Back when Metatron was the leader, the angels were different from the present day angels.They didn¡¯t simply use their memories of their previous life as the basis for the martial ability, but acquired and honed additional skills.


    Metatron had taught them directly.Metatron was different from the other archangels who treated spears and swords as ornaments and relied on their divinity, wings, and halos.


    It was after Chiyou left.Metatron was so well-versed inbat that some gods questioned the Goddess¡¯ choice of making Zeratul without liberating Metatron.


    ¡°Are you the same type as Sariel?¡± Grid asked while staring at Metatron.He was surprisingly calm and showed cautious words and actions toward the person who pierced Braham¡¯s heart and severed his hand.


    Grid recalled Sariel from the appearance of Metatron, whose body was restrained like a sinner.He was worried that Metatron would¡¯ve also been falsely used of corruption for exposing the original sins of the gods. No, it was more of an expectation than a worry.He wondered if there would be a new ally for his side.


    ¡°¡±Are you going to use me of being stupid to stand up to you? It is a confidence you deserve,¡±¡± Metatron shattered Grid¡¯s expectations and urged Gabriel, ¡°¡±Offer the conditions of the contract.¡±¡±


    ¡°Kuek...!The wings of the three of us...¡±


    ¡°¡±It isn¡¯t enough.¡±¡±


    ¡°...Add the halos.¡±


    ¡°¡±Just die. There must be a lot of spare bodies anyway.¡±¡±


    A leader who ruled the angels beyond governing them¡ªthe essence of Metatron, who was eventually impeached as a tyrant iparable to Raphael, was the Archangel of Contracts. In order to move Metatron, who lost the authority of a leader, a contract had to be formed first and the contract had toe with a sufficient price.


    The fact that Metatron was restrained wasn¡¯t evidence of any crime.It was a safety device made by Rebawhen he owed her a debt.


    ¡°Chiyou... I will tell you Chiyou¡¯s whereabouts,¡± Gabriel lowered her head and made a final offer.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°¡±That is enough.¡±¡±


    Metatron¡¯s huge body trembled.They seemed to be smiling.


    Gabriel hurriedly continued, ¡°I¡¯m just giving you the location. I¡¯m not giving you the freedom to go there.¡±


    ¡°¡±You don¡¯t have the authority to discuss freedom in the first ce. Nevertheless, it is enough.¡±¡±


    p!


    Ten of the wings that had been curled up for countless years unfolded at the same time, causing white and ck feathers to flutter.The outer wings were pure white, like other angels, but the inner wings were ck.


    Metatron was resisting the dimensional effect of the Overgeared World in real time and was proving that he wasn¡¯t bound by certainws.


    ¡°Why are you obsessed with Chiyou¡¯s whereabouts?¡±


    Both a very powerful magic power and divinity could be felt.Grid saw Metatron unlocking their power and once again realized the other being was unusual. This caused him to ask warily.He was gradually learning that there were many beings criticizing Chiyou for being an irresponsible god.


    Even so, Grid felt a great liking toward Chiyou.He couldn¡¯t hate the god who freed Pagma, who was lonely among the yangbans, and bestowed a blessing on him.


    Metatron replied without any deception, ¡°¡°I want to test out being aGod Killerwithout giving the Goddess grief.¡±¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.It was because the magic power and divinity surrounding Metatron seemed tobounce like lightning and started to glow pure white.


    Braham¡¯s face paled and he muttered, ¡°This... it is dangerous.¡±


    The power to imprint death on one¡¯s mind¡ªthe identity of the power that made even Braham, who transcended death, be filled with fear was the energy of a God Killer.


    Grid felt it as well.


    ¡®It is iparable to whatGaramshowed.¡¯


    This was a strong enemy.It happened the moment when Grid was convinced...


    Tears of blood flowed from Metatron¡¯s eyes, which were revealed through the gaps in their wings.


    ¡°¡±I will surely destroy Yatan one day and end the Goddess¡¯ harsh fate.¡±¡±


    sh!


    A ray of light was fired.It was a fan-shaped ray that reached the edge of their field of view the moment it was fired.It was arge-scale skill with the same principle as Shunpo.There were only a handful of beings in the world who could react or avoid this attack.It was a powerful attack that even Braham suffered from, but Metatron used it as a basic skill.


    ¡°¡±Run away now.¡±¡±


    Metatron gestured to Gabriel.They grasped the location of Grid, who was swept away by the rays, with their senses and fired the rays again.


    ¡®He is great, but he can¡¯t bepared to Chiyou. He isn¡¯t one I should be obsessed with.¡¯


    Metatron had no intention of fighting Grid for a long time.Therefore, he signed a contract to let Gabriel run away rather than harming Grid.In the first ce, the conditions Gabriel offered made it impossible to harm Grid and Metatron wasn¡¯t very interested in Grid.There was a good subject called Chiyou and it wasn¡¯t suitable to obsess over someone inferior to Chiyou.


    ¡°...Was I wrong?¡±¡±


    What was so sad and distressing?Metatron¡¯s eyes, which had been distorted from the beginning, suddenly shot up.Theywatched Gridapproaching through the rays.No. This was simply ¡®pushing through.¡¯Metatron¡¯s rays that could melt a great mountain couldn¡¯t melt Grid¡¯s armor and just hovered on the outside. They had to helplessly allow Grid¡¯s advance.


    ¡°¡±Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for Trauka to do this?¡±¡±


    The armor made from Trauka¡¯s scales was harder than Trauka¡¯s main body?Metatron reacted with disbelief after seeing it.


    ¡°That Hexetia definitely...!¡±


    Gabriel glimpsed the situation while running up the staircase of clouds and gritted her teeth.She understood that Grid, who had obtained both the scales of an Old Dragon and the cksmith God, was much more powerful than before.His growth rate was incredible, even though she lived in the same era and saw and heard about it firsthand.


    Gabriel started to feel awe toward Grid, but soon groaned.It was the aftermath of witnessing Metatron being cut.It was close to a one-sided ughter.The dragon weapon curved like a crescent moon when Grid cut horizontally, increased its volume when it dropped, and sharpened again when it stabbed forward, neutralizing most of Metatron¡¯s resistance.


    ¡°¡°A sword that responds towill...!¡±¡± Metatron¡¯s cry was like a death sentence. Just hearing the voice that was choked up with blood gave people goosebumps.


    Gabriel¡¯s steps came to a standstill.The other archangels were also like stone statues as they stared at Grid.Metatron swung their hand in an attempt at a counterattack, but it was blocked in vain.It was because Grid¡¯s sword tilted to the side and immediately increased its volume.It felt like the walls had shrunk and wrapped aroundhisbody.


    A single sword was performing a miracle.


    ¡°¡±Are you Chiyou?¡±¡±


    ¡°You are really senile.¡±


    Grid dismissed the suggestion that Metatron seriously made and put his intent in the sword.


    The orange divinity became even darker.The surface of the smooth sword shimmered with the atmosphere of a summer day.


    Overgeared¡ªGrid¡¯s final weapon, which incorporated Grid¡¯s years, experiences, and ties, changed shape from moment to moment as it followed the paths of Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend, Pinnacle, Revolve, Drop, Flower, Dragon, and Serve as it cut at Metatron¡¯s wings.


    It was irresistible.The name of the sword that terrorized the archangels was Defying the Natural Order.It was a sword that could bring down the sky.

 Chapter 1800

    Chapter 1800


    [Defying the Natural Order]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 41,508~???


    ¡ï The attack skill usage speed will increase by 65%.


    ¡ï The power of attack skills will increase by 460%.


    ¡ï The absolute hit rate will increase by 50%.


    ¡ï There is a high probability of causing ¡®blindness¡¯ or ¡®burning¡¯ to the target with every attack.


    ¡ï Every time you defend against an attack with the weapon, there is a high probability of causing ¡®charm¡¯ or ¡®stiffness¡¯ to the target, and a low probability of causing ¡®mes of the Fire Dragon.¡¯


    ¡ï There is an 85% chance of neutralizing the target¡¯s defense skills, magic, and powers.


    ¡ï Additional attack power is applied against Great Demons, Archangels, Gods, and Dragons.


    ¡ï In dark ces, the attack power of the weapon is increased by 80%.


    ¡ï The weapon is always hidden. The target has a high probability of failing to recognize the attack.


    ¡ï When attacking, there is a certain probability of casting the great magic, Disintegrate.


    ¡ï When attacking, there is a certain probability of casting the great magic, Meteor.


    ¡ï Divine Sword Unity is always activated. However, it only applies when the user is Grid.


    A sword made through the Trinity of Only One God Grid, the cksmith God Hexetia, and the Legendary cksmith Khan, and through the unity of their mental worlds.


    It uses the bones and scales of Trauka that still contain his intent, as well as Greed imbued with Braham¡¯s magic as materials. Then it was tempered with the mes of Hexetia and the Red Phoenix.


    This sword, which keeps the honor of the Only One God, will exist alone even if the world goes through billions of deaths and births.


    Wearing Conditions: Grid, Dragon yer, Dragon Knight.


    Weight: 2,500~???]


    [mes of the Fire Dragon]


    [The heat of the Red Phoenix rekindles the mes of the Fire Dragon Trauka.


    If attacking while covered in mes, the target¡¯s fire resistance and magic resistance are greatly reduced. It will also apply reflection damage proportional to magic power, the willpower stat, and the weapons¡¯ attack power.]


    [Divine Sword Unity]


    [Through the integration of intent and the sword, the sword and the body have be one.


    It is different from a swordsman¡¯s Divine Sword Unity. The form of Defying the Natural Order will change in real time ording to the sword trajectory you use.


    Immediately after the shape transformation, the weapon damage and power of the swordsmanship are further increased.


    If the shape changes more than five times in a row, ¡®Maelstrom of Intent¡¯ will ur.]


    [Maelstrom of Intent]


    [Your thoughts resonate with the sword and are expressed outwardly. One special thing will happen.


    Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.]


    The new divine sword inherited the beauty of Twilight. Unlike Twilight, which looked like it was wrapped in orange divinity, the new sword¡¯s appearance was rtively distinct due to the red mes flowing up and down the de. They were the mes of Fire Dragon Trauka that remained as remnants, or to be precise, the ¡®mes of intent¡¯ stimted by the heat of Red Phoenix. They didn¡¯t go out and quietly fluctuated.


    Due to this, the appearance of Defying the Natural Order was clear, but it was difficult to tell whether it was a sword or fire. In addition, the shape changed in real time so it was judged to be ¡®hidden.¡¯


    [The target has received 599,910 damage.]


    [The target has received 2,705,830 damage.]


    [The target has received 840.600 damage.]


    [The target has received 4,887,520 damage.]


    ¡®Look at this.¡¯¡¯


    The fluctuating range of Defying the Natural Order¡¯s attack power was difficult for even Grid to fathom. For example, he cut the target with Pinnacle and then stabbed with Kill. The de of Defying the Natural Order, which had bent like a crescent moon, became straight and amplified the power of Kill by several times.


    It also happened vice versa. This meant that the power of the fusion sword dance had naturally increased. Even simply using single sword dances alternatively could give damage like the existing fusion sword dances. In fact, Metatron¡¯s health gauge was jumping strangely. It would decrease by centimeters and then suddenly decrease by tens of centimeters. This was the case even though Grid only used the single sword dances. It was right to call it strange.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think they can get used to it.¡¯


    The reason why the winner was decided so quickly in a battle between Absolutes was because they were forced to ¡®allow¡¯ each other¡¯s attacks. They moved at high speed and used extreme techniques, so it was difficult to obtain one-sided advantages. In order to take the other person¡¯s flesh, they had to give up their flesh themselves.


    Grid had felt it desperately after fighting Baal dozens of times. Baal had mastered all the skills of the dead and had several means to neutralize Freely Move. In order to hit Baal, Grid had to allow himself to be hit as well. He needed a trick to allow as weak an attack as possible. It was only when thoroughly evaluating the opponent that the chances of survival increased.


    In this sense, Defying the Natural Order was the strongest weapon. It was because it was hard to determine the power from the opponent¡¯s perspective.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean Defying the Natural Order was a perfect weapon. It also had its downsides. The most fatal drawback was that it wasn¡¯t a growth-type weapon. He received the judgment that it had the ¡®Only One¡¯ rating, but Grid felt disappointed rather than happy. It was because the advantages of a growth-type weapon were too great.


    How envious had he been when he saw Kraugel¡¯s White Tiger Sword? Growth-type weapons evolved in the direction that maximized the owner¡¯s specialties and strengths. Special effects that couldn¡¯t be obtained through other paths were created or insufficient stats were supplemented, so they had a far superior performance than weapons of the same rating. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to describe them as a ¡®perfect match.¡¯


    ¡®Of course, Defying the Natural Order is a perfect match.¡¯


    It was a sword that responded to Grid¡¯s will. Was there any other weapon that was more perfectly matched with him? Even if Twilight grew to the ¡®Only One¡¯ rating one day, it wouldn¡¯t be as perfect as Defying the Natural Order, although it could have advantages that Defying the Natural Order didn¡¯t have.


    ¡®There is something else to regret about Defying the Natural Order.¡¯


    Another disadvantage of Defying the Natural Order was that it was impossible to use Item Combination on it. To be precise, it was possible. However, whenbined with other swords, the Divine Sword Unity effect was changed to a random activation rather than always being activated. Therefore, the benefits were small.


    Defying the Natural Order was a sword that was linked to Grid¡¯s intent. The moment other swords werebined with Defying the Natural Order, it was judged that impurities were mixed in and the linkage became iplete.


    ¡®...Still, it is okay.¡¯


    Grid once again soothed his disappointment. It was because the expected damage value of Defying the Natural Order was higher than Twilightbined with another divine sword. No matter how much he listed the shorings, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Defying the Natural Order was the strongest weapon.


    Metatron was also feeling it.


    ¡°¡±Did you deliberately arrange something like Divine Sword Unity...? You used sheer force to reach a level that others barely reached by building up the years like a tower¡­ what a selfish and unreasonable being. You aren¡¯t bound to a contract like me and you ignore thews...¡±


    Metatron understood why they had mistaken Grid as Chiyou for a moment. A being who ignored thews of the world¡ªGrid resembled Chiyou.


    On the contrary, he felt more noble. Unlike Chiyou, who became an Only One God simply because he was worshiped, Grid showed traces of desperate effort.


    ¡®I signed the wrong contract.¡¯


    Metatron clicked their tongue and narrowly avoided Grid¡¯s sh. They were initially helpless, but they gradually started to adjust.


    ¡®Right now, Chiyou¡¯s whereabouts aren¡¯t worth much.¡¯


    The 10 wings he unfolded in exchange for hearing Chiyou¡¯s whereabouts had lost their meaning. Metatron¡¯s divinity and magic power quickly weakened.


    Gabriel¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Are you going to break the contract?¡±


    ¡°¡±This isn¡¯t my will, it is logic. The fault lies with you for paying unnecessary things in exchange for the contract.¡±¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary things...?¡±


    Metatron¡ªlike other archangels, they were driven by their instincts. They were unable to escape the essence of the ¡®contract.¡¯ They were different from Raphael and Gabriel, who could still think rtively freely.


    Thus, Gabriel thought that Metatron was nothing more than a doll. She believed that she could fully control Metatron, even though they were believed to be one of the strongest in Asgard. Yet at this moment, her faith was broken. It was because the doll that had been obsessed with Chiyou gave up their obsession.


    It was due to Grid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you... do you really think he can rece Chiyou?¡±


    ¡°¡±Rece? No way. It is too noble to be treated as a recement. Gabriel, you have been arrogant since birth. Do you not know the meaning of an Only One God?¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Gabriel didn¡¯t bother finding words to refute it. There was no way she didn¡¯t know the value of an Only One God. She had always felt how great Grid was. However, it was still questionable if he wasparable to Chiyou.


    Gabriel remembered the scene of that day clearly. The power of Chiyou, who opened the path of retreat alone while defending Hanul, who had lost and was weakened, and the few gods who served him. There couldn¡¯t be more than one such monster-like being in the world...


    ¡°Don¡¯t bicker and hurry,¡± Uriel urged her.


    There was still some time left before the contract with Metatron becamepletely useless. They had to run away in the gap when Metatron was stopping Grid. The archangels had countless reserve bodies that allowed them to resurrect again and again, but Grid had the Saintess. If they were killed, they couldn¡¯t be resurrected, like Michael, and their soul would be extinguished.


    A total of ten halos of light floated above Metatron¡¯s face and moved around in a dizzying manner. Grid was conscious of the fleeing Gabriel but this forced him to focus.


    ¡°¡°It is a worthless contract, but I am obligated to keep it until it ispletely broken.¡±¡±


    Metatron¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid¡¯s armor. It was armor that appeared to be woven from thousands of finger-thick strips of red leather.


    At first, they thought it was armor made from Trauka¡¯s skin, but they were mistaken. It was scales, not leather. The hard scales were woven into pieces of leather. It was a form that couldn¡¯t be done unless one was the cksmith God.


    ¡®The scales of the Old Dragon are ovepped on top of each other.¡¯


    It had to be harder than Trauka¡¯s main body.


    ¡®However, there is nothing in the world that can¡¯t be broken.¡¯


    Even an Old Dragon could be cut and pierced despite oveying their absolute defense and Dragon Words over their scales. The rotating halos of light gathered into a single point and took on a certain shape. Soon, a huge axe formed in Metatron¡¯s hands. It was a double-edged axe that seemed like chaos with the energy of divinity, magic power, and a God Killer mixed together.


    ¡°¡±It is simr in that it contains the principle of the end brought about by Yatan.¡±¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t understood what you¡¯ve been saying since a while ago.¡±


    Metatron kept talking about contracts before finally mentioning Chiyou and Yatan. They weren¡¯t talking to Grid, they were talking to themselves. They made endlessments on their own. There was no reason for Grid to respect them. In the first ce, weren¡¯t they the one who harmed Grid?


    ¡®I have to be careful.¡¯


    A target whose overall stats were hard to measure¡ªthey managed to resist the dimensional effects of the Overgeared World while withstanding Grid¡¯s onught. Metatron was clearly formidable. It was clear that they were a special existence like Eve on the surface. The energy in the axe was also unusual.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±¡¯


    Grid gradually erased the escaping Gabriel from his consciousness and focused on breathing.


    ¡ª¡ª!


    The silent light flickered and shook the entire world. It was the aftermath of Metatron wielding the axe.


    Grid calmly responded. He activated the absolute defense of his newly made armor while also raising his sword and taking a defensive stance. Just as the Old Dragons wrapped their absolute defense and Dragon Words over their scales, Grid was also surrounded by his absolute defense and walls.


    The bted thunderous sound made Grid¡¯s ears numb.


    Defying the Natural Order had changed into the form of a greatsword and interlocked with the axe.


    Grid gritted his teeth and twisted his wrist. He shook off the axe and used the three fusion sword dance Dragon Revolve Pinnacle. He dug into Metatron, deflecting the axe that approached him again and attacked. It was the moment when Defying the Natural Order, starting with the greatsword, changed its form four times.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡±


    Grid activated the six fusion sword dance.


    [Maelstrom of Intent has urred!]


    It was truly a smooth linkage. Grid¡¯s intent resonated with Defying the Natural Order, blurring the boundaries between his mental world and reality. The canyon of metal soared through the waves of the Red Sea, swaying with the waves of battle, creating andscape of a mountain range half submerged in the sea.


    Metatron¡¯s axe, which had been digging into Grid¡¯s neck, paused for a moment. It was only for a moment, but it was a fatal stiffness.


    ¡°¡±Dragon Words?¡±¡±


    Metatron reacted in disbelief as their huge body was cut and turned to ash.

 Chapter 1801

    Chapter 1801


    [The 7th ranked Archangel, ¡®Metatron,¡¯ has been defeated in an imperfect state.]


    [Metatron¡¯s soul has resisted the divinity of Saintess Ruby and has escaped extinction.]


    [Metatron¡¯s soul is giving a warning.]


    -Don¡¯t deal with Chiyou. There must be a reason why the Goddess turned away from him and sent him away. He might harm your hierarchy.


    [A ¡®Fragment of the Wings of Contract¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [A ¡®Fragment of the Wings of Rule¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [Your level has risen by 5.]


    ¡°Eh? It can¡¯t be extinguished...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s speed when acting had been trained repeatedly and it was very fast. He delivered the final blow to Metatron and used Knights Summoning to summon his sister, Ruby, to his side. It was to prevent Metatron¡¯s reincarnation, but he failed.


    Ruby was flustered. ¡°It says it is a target whose soul can¡¯t be extinguished. It feels like the system has blocked it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grid reacted like it wasn¡¯t important. It was because he expected it.


    Their name, alignment, appearance, and power¡ªMetatron waspletely different from the other archangels. Grid thought that there was still a hidden story to Metatron. It was simr to Eve. It was too early for them to disappear.


    ¡®They were strong. If they had appeared three hours earlier...¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have won so easily. Grid looked down at Defying the Natural Order in his hand and his consciousness gradually sank into the past. It was quite deep. It reached the point where he remembered the first time he made an item.


    ¡®I made a promise at that time.¡¯


    I will make the strongest weapon one day.


    It was a dream he was able to have because he was ignorant. It was a dream that he realized was futile the more time that passed. Nevertheless, he had been trying. It was to the extent that he ended up making Twilight.


    Twilight¡ªit would shine as the twilight that dered an end to the enemy, and the dawn of hope for allies.


    The sword was as beautiful as its name and it was Grid¡¯s irreceable pride. When attacking enemies, he would see the falling spears of light and the meteorites and think, ¡®Yes, this is enough.¡¯ He thought he couldn¡¯t wish for more. He believed his dream finally came true. But this wasn¡¯t the case.


    The absurd dream of a novice cksmith who knew nothing came true at only this moment. It was in the form of Defying the Natural Order.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t give up.¡¯


    To be precise, he couldn¡¯t give up. Grid couldn¡¯t stop trying because of those around him. The traces in Defying the Natural Order showed Grid¡¯s position.


    Grid was able to obtain Trauka¡¯s arms with the help of Marie Rose and the tower members, and he was able to melt Trauka¡¯s arms because he had the help of Hexetia, Khan, and the Red Phoenix. The reason why Hexetia and Khan were by Grid¡¯s side was thanks to the Great Robber of the Red Night and Raiders. Without Idan, he wouldn¡¯t have gained Raiders¡¯ favor. If he went into more detail here, the Overgeared members would also have to be mentioned one by one. Thanks to the materials and designs they had provided over the years, Grid was able to build up his current skills.


    ¡®It was also thanks to my colleagues that I collected pavranium easily. I can¡¯t forget the help of Braham, who forged Greed with magic. In addition...¡¯


    There was no limit. Yes, Defying the Natural Order, Grid¡¯s dream, was the result of all his connections.


    ¡®It is like everything else.¡¯


    Gratitude¡ªa huge emotion swirled in one side of Grid¡¯s mind. A tremendous sense of exhration filled him uncontrobly.


    ¡°...Uwaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    Grid was unable to ovee his emotional turbulence and cheered. It was while hugging his sister, who was surprised by the sudden cry. He was so happy that he felt like crying. The realization that he regained Khan and made the strongest weapon and armor was thrilling him.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham, who was dazed for a while, came to his senses from themotion.


    Grid and Ruby¡ªhe stared at the two people, who got along very well unlike his own siblings, and asked cautiously, ¡°The dragon weapons you will make in the future... will it all be like this?¡±


    ¡°Um...? If you are asking if it will be a sword that changes in response to the user¡¯s will, unfortunately, this isn¡¯t the case. It is something I can¡¯t make often and in the first ce, I am the only one who can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Braham almost lost ten years of his life. It would be difficult for him to be a swordsman now.


    That¡¯s right. It was such a great weapon that it made the God of Magic and Wisdom think of a new path. If the apostles were to use the same sword as Grid¡¯s as a weapon, Braham would¡¯ve sincerely tried to be a swordsman. It was in order to not fall behind.


    ¡°More than that, Braham, what did you do?¡±


    The relieved Braham started frowning at these words. He thought he was about to hear the word ¡®troll¡¯ again and his anger soared. Still, what could he do? It was self-inflicted. He couldn¡¯t say anything and started trembling. Then Grid grabbed his hands. His eyes were shining like stars.


    ¡°How far did you read ahead to prepare such a gift?¡±


    ¡°If you are going to nag me...¡±


    I am already reflecting, so do it in moderation.


    Braham, who was about to speak humbly with this intention, suddenly shut up. It was because Grid showed an unexpected reaction.


    ¡°These wings are Raphael¡¯s wings right? How did you find out that Raphael was in prison?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to say it. You have been upset... no, I was wondering what you have been doing because you haven¡¯t been aroundtely, but you must¡¯ve been watching over me as usual.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that you would ascend to heaven alone without the help of the Great Robber of the Red Night and Raiders. Sariel... taking the risk for yourpanion to acquire Raphael¡¯s wings...¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t for anything like that...¡±


    ¡°I feel even more respect for you.¡±


    ¡°...Bah, I am the only one you can respect.¡±


    From where did the misunderstanding start? Braham was curious but decided not to dig deeper. He judged that it would be beneficial to leave it as it was.


    ¡®As a result, everything has worked out.¡¯


    In fact, a chill had gone down his spine when he was chased by Metatron. He thought the surface would receive a lot of damage while dealing with this monster. Yet contrary to expectations, Metatron was easily defeated.


    Grid caused the astonishment of hisrade, as usual, but he didn¡¯t take it seriously.


    ¡®He is good at everything except magic, politics, and naming. He also isn¡¯t good at making babies.¡¯


    Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t good at everything. However, this wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s fault. Grid recognized his own deficiencies and always tried to improve them. It was qualitatively different from the arrogant celestial gods.


    ¡®Damn bastards.¡¯


    Braham gritted his teeth in shame as he recalled some of the gods who stayed on the sidelines despite clearly noticing that he had infiltrated Asgard. It was close to hating one¡¯s own kind.


    Grid¡¯s barrage of questions poured out. ¡°By the way, how did you catch them off guard? It isn¡¯t normal for both Zeratul and Raphael to be hit.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is humble before me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡± It wasn¡¯t a good enough answer. However, Grid didn¡¯t dig deeper. He learned from experience that it was difficult to get the answers he wanted when Braham came out like this.


    ¡®In any case, it is obvious. They must¡¯ve been so preupied with fighting that they left Braham alone.¡¯


    In any case, it was done well. It was regrettable that he missed Gabriel¡¯s group because he couldn¡¯t look away from Metatron, but it was enough to learn about Metatron¡¯s existence. Moreover, he got Metatron¡¯s wings and Raphael¡¯s wings.


    ¡®Unlike the Wings of ughter, the owners of these wings are still alive, but they will be of some help to Sariel.¡¯


    The reason why the Wings of ughter were transnted to Sariel was because Michael was extinguished. This meant it was impossible to transnt the Wings of Contract and Wings of Rule to Sariel. However, the fact that it was a gift from Braham¡¯s heart was of great value alone. It would be a great encouragement to Sariel who, unlike the other apostles, was unable to take free action and was living with the heart of a sinner.


    ¡®It is quite touching when you find out that your cold-hearted colleague is actually worried about you. Maybe this is... can a mixed blood of an archangel and direct descendant vampire be born?¡¯


    No, Sariel has a body of both genders, so conception might not be possible...


    In the first ce, Braham didn¡¯t seem to have any sexual desire... perhaps? This...


    Grid¡¯s expression changed from moment to moment, from anticipation to disappointment and regret. Braham was somehow filled with displeasure and changed the subject.


    ¡°How is the condition of your friend?¡±


    ¡°Which friend? I have more than one or two friends... I can¡¯t understand if you just speak like this.¡±


    I have a lot of friends.


    Grid could now say this confidently.


    Braham¡¯s pupils shook. It was a rare look of agitation. It was the same reaction as a frog hit by a thoughtlessly thrown stone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Everyone had heartaches. This was what rtionships were like for Braham. He was betrayed by Pagma and betrayed by his disciples. Braham¡¯s deep wounds and regrets were brought out by Grid. It caused a bacsh of magic power.


    Grid was just about to apologize again when Braham told Grid, ¡°That person with a big belly that you care quite a bit about.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Khan? He is adjusting well. I am d.¡±


    ¡°...There isn¡¯t something wrong with his health?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is perfectly fine. There was originally a problem because we couldn¡¯t achieve the Trinity, but we solved it well... Uh? You know? The reason you ascended to heaven wasn¡¯t because of Sariel, but because you were worried about Khan...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Right? I wondered if you were trying to kidnap an angel, so a chill went down my spine for a moment. You aren¡¯t the old Biban. You can¡¯t be so senile.¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go back. We need to tell Sariel about Metatron. Hasn¡¯t Sariel been hiding important information from us? You should be mindful that you might have to punish her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so crookedly. You know that Sariel isn¡¯t intact because she has lost her memories so many times.¡±


    Grid thought this worked out just right. The next dragon weapon he wanted to make was Braham¡¯s staff. There was no doubt that a great work would be created if he added the help of Hexetia and Braham to the experience of creating Tribute.


    ¡®By the way, now I¡¯ve caught up with Braham¡¯s level.¡¯


    Braham was unique among the apostles.


    Once when he killed the Hydra and became part of a great myth, once when he got his blood back from Marie Rose and regained the body of a direct descendant vampire, and once when he became a god¡ªit was the aftermath of three awakening events.


    Of course, he performed countless other acts as well. He was super named, which boasted fraudulent growth, and had continued to grow explosively. Therefore, he soon exploded past level 800. Now Grid had caught up.


    Level 840.


    It felt like he was approaching the end of something. He had been thinking that level 999 might be the yers¡¯ maximum level.


    ¡®There must be a level limit. It is the easier way to preserve the dignity of the enemies while maintaining the bnce.¡¯


    Basically, Satisfy wasn¡¯t friendly to yers. They didn¡¯t try to give a situation where the yers had a higher level than named NPCs. The evidence was that the average level of the yers and the level of named NPCs that rose rapidly depending on time and events. It was a forced penalty. It was very natural to assume that there was a limit to the yers¡¯ level. Of course, Grid was the only one who could reach the limit at the moment.


    Grid didn¡¯t know. The fact that other yers didn¡¯t care about the dignity of the enemies or the bnce of the game at all. There were still enemies scattered everywhere that yers other than Grid couldn¡¯t ovee. They were always in the position of a challenger. They couldn¡¯t afford to worry about the bnce of the game.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    It was only after Grid¡¯s permission was granted¡ªBraham¡¯s Teleport was activated.

 Chapter 1802

    Chapter 1802


    [Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: Infinite Defense: 5,001


    A set item.


    ¡ï Injury immunity.


    ¡ï The stamina stat is increased by 1,000.


    ¡ï Strength and agility is increased by 500.


    ¡ï 100% increase in health recovery speed.


    ¡ï Immunity to instant death and assassination skills.


    ¡ï Maintain the optimal body temperature at all times.


    ¡ï Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons


    ¡ï Defense will increase in proportion to the number of party members and the increased defense is shared with all party members.


    ¡ï Defense is increased by 20 and health by 10 with every hit taken. There is no increase limit. However, the duration of the added defense and health is limited to 3 seconds each.


    ¡ï The ¡®Shock Mitigation¡¯ effect is always active.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Regression¡¯ is created.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Absolute Defense¡¯ is created.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Another Tomb¡¯ is created.


    When equipped with a dragon weapon, the weapon¡¯s attack power and this armor¡¯s defense will increase by 30% each.


    An armor made through the Trinity of Only One God Grid, the cksmith God Hexetia, and the Legendary cksmith Khan, and through the unity of their mental worlds.


    It uses the bones and scales of Trauka that still contain his intent, as well as Greed imbued with Braham¡¯s magic as materials. Then it was tempered with the mes of Hexetia and the Red Phoenix.


    Made from splitting Trauka¡¯s scales into 159,994 pieces and woven into a framework, this red armor looks like a silk uniform at first nce. It has a structure that absorbs and mitigates all types of shocks.


    Additionally, it contains the will of the Legendary cksmith Khan, who prays for the safety of Only One God Grid. It can exercise miracles that have never been seen before.


    ¡ï Dragon armor set effect: Every time additional armor made of dragon scales is equipped, defense will increase.


    Conditions of Use: Grid.


    Weight: 8,700]


    [Shock Mitigation]


    [Significantly reduces all types of damage.


    Always activated.]


    [Regression]


    [It reproduces the will of Fire Dragon Trauka and regresses to the state before taking damage.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 48 hours.]


    [Absolute Defense]


    [Recreate the power of a dragon to absorb all types of damage. However, it doesn¡¯t have the full effect in the face of techniques or attacks that neutralize the absolute defense.


    50,000 mana is consumed per second when activating the skill.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    [Another Tomb]


    [Recreates the Tomb of the Gods and inflicts a massive bombardment in the surrounding area.


    The type of bombardment and the damage depends on the amount of damage received in the 20 seconds before the skill is activated.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.]


    The Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor was very different from Defying the Natural Order. It was mainly made by Hexetia, not Grid. Grid had rtively little experience in making armor, while this armor contained the essence of techniques that were difficult to implement. Khan also helped greatly due to his experience with Moving Fortress.


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Could Braham see the item information? His jade-like red eyes shook several times as he examined Defying the Natural Order and Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor, which Grid had taken off.


    Khan stared at him and said politely, ¡°Thank you for taking care of Grid in the meantime.¡±


    Even before he regained his physical ability, Braham had been of great help to Grid several times. Who knew how much more help he would¡¯ve given after he regained his body?


    The magic contained in Greed represented Braham¡¯s heart. Khan could see how much Braham valued Grid.


    ¡°...Thanking me for what happened in the meantime? Hmph, it sounds like I won¡¯t need to do it in the future.¡±


    Braham¡¯s reaction was quite cold. Braham was annoyed by Khan¡¯s attitude of talking as if he was Grid¡¯s protector. Braham feltpetitive. To be honest, if someone was to im themselves as Grid¡¯s protector, then wasn¡¯t he better than Khan?


    Khan spoke to Braham, who was feeling proud as he looked back on his years spent with Grid, ¡°How can that be? Braham, you will continue to stand by Grid forever.¡±


    Eternity was a privilege for archangels with backup bodies. Khan was an angel and he would one day perish. His position waspletely different from Braham, who had ovee death. Khan spoke with this in mind, but Braham¡¯s reaction was even colder.


    ¡°You are gloomy. It seems that you are always aware of death due to your experience of having already died once. You can¡¯t die as long as I am here.¡±


    Braham never wanted to see Grid grieving again. It was a matter of pride. Not giving him a perfect life even when Braham was around? It proved his ipetence. It was uneptable.


    ¡°...Yes, I will keep that in mind.¡±


    The more I know you, the kinder you are.


    Khan smiled happily as he realized again why Grid trusted and relied on Braham. Meanwhile, Braham frowned again. It seemed like he was about to be angry right away. Grid felt that there would be no end to this if left to the two of them and intervened.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s keep talking about what we were discussing earlier. You said you wanted to make a staff in the mental world, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Braham answered immediately. He was deeply fascinated by Grid¡¯s divine sword that responded to will and wanted a simr weapon for himself. He said it was worth challenging even after hearing that Grid¡¯s Intent Production had several restrictions.


    ¡°Um... What do you think, Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t even worth discussing. Intent Production is about infusing the creator¡¯s intent in the mental world of the creator. The client¡¯s mental world can¡¯t exert any influence on Intent Production.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this armor actually made by you? It was also in Grid¡¯s mental world? In fact, it feels like Khan¡¯s intent is infused more strongly than Grid¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°It is possible because we are in a Trinity. It isn¡¯t like you, who is treated as separate.¡±


    ¡°Separate...?¡±


    The fact that Grid was getting married to Marie Rose might¡¯ve dealt a big blow to Braham¡¯s mentality. Grid nced at Braham, who frowned whenever anyone said anything, and read the skill description of Intent Production again.


    [Intent Production]


    [Proceed with ¡®Item Production¡¯ in the mental world.


    You can add or enhance attributes and functions by imbuing materials with intent.


    The changes will follow your wishes.


    Skill Usage Condition: Opening the Sanctuary of Metal.


    Skill Resources Consumed: None.


    Skill Cooldown Time: None.]


    So far, it was perfect. It was a skill that could be triggered by simply opening the Sanctuary of Metal. However, there was one tricky condition.


    [¡ïWarning ¡ï


    There is a limit to the capacity that the mental world can digest.


    You can¡¯t produce more than two items of the same area from a single material.]


    In other words¡ª


    It meant the ¡®weapons¡¯ and ¡®armor¡¯ made from Trauka¡¯s bones and scales could no longer be the target of intent. If Grid wanted to make one more weapon like Defying the Natural Order, he needed scales and bones from other old dragons, not Trauka.


    ¡®It is virtually impossible to gain the scales and bones of another Old Dragon, so Defying the Natural Order is an endgame item.¡¯


    Grid thought about it and opened his mouth, ¡°Braham, you were formerly the Duke of Wisdom, and you are now the God of Wisdom. You wouldn¡¯t make an unreasonable im. Is there a solution?¡±


    ¡°I told you in the past. Anything made in the mental world can¡¯t be taken out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you said it is impossible to make intent exist in reality. Um...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s head cocked as he recalled Braham¡¯s mental world that he had once seen. An infinite library and a hugeboratory¡ªit was filled with the tens of millions of books and items made and used by Braham.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ¡®making¡¯ it is possible for me too. I just don¡¯t have a way to make it exist, but I think it will be possible if I cooperate with you.¡±


    To put the concept of Intent Production into perspective, it was ¡®bringing items made in the mental world into reality.¡¯ Now Grid had lost the right to make weapons with Trauka¡¯s scales. On the other hand, he still had the right to take the created item into reality.


    ¡°Hexetia said that the reason he was able to create this armor in Grid¡¯s mental world is because of the Trinity with Grid. However, I guess it isn¡¯t the Trinity, but the impact of the unity of the mental worlds.¡±


    Braham spoke meaningfully and stared directly into Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°There is no way that the rtionship between you and I is worse than your rtionship with Hexetia. We can alsobine our mental worlds.¡±


    In the merged mental worlds¡ª


    ¡°I will hand over the authority to create things to you.¡±


    ¡°You are talking sophistry.¡±


    Hexetia, who had been silently listening to Braham¡¯s n, clicked his tongue.


    ¡°To put it simply, Intent Production is consuming mental power. The reason why Grid can no longer make weapons out of Trauka¡¯s scales and bones is because the Sanctuary of Metal¡¯s capabilities can¡¯t handle it. All the ideas are exhausted to create again and again. Trying to rece it with your mental world is extremely arrogant and impossible...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not something you can define. Neither is Grid.¡±


    Braham lightly dismissed it and summoned his mental world. It was a mental world divided into three sections. Braham¡¯s mental world came as a great shock to Hexetia, a celestial god.


    ¡®This¡­ it isn¡¯t just a mental world. Did he add dimensions to the mental world?¡¯


    ¡°I have studied magic to perform miracles and even overcame the curse of a God of the Beginning. In the end, discussing the impossible with me, who even broke Trauka¡¯s fighting spirit, is nothing more than a demonstration of ignorance.¡±


    Braham snapped his fingers and the books in the library rose into the air. Every book, every chapter, and every letter was Braham¡¯s knowledge and memory


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it first.¡±


    Braham¡¯s repeated suggestions shook off Grid¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡®There is nothing to lose.¡¯


    There was also a vague belief that Braham would be able to do something.


    ¡®His title is the God of Wisdom.¡¯


    Braham was the only one who could think of a way around the rules created by the system. Grid gulped and opened the Sanctuary of Metal. It was only when the mental world unity urred that he could try out Braham¡¯s n. Could two mental worlds merge without colliding? Grid had no choice but to worry.


    [Braham¡¯s mental world (First Boundary: Knowledge Room) is looking for the methods and means to assimte with the Sanctuary of Metal.]


    [Braham¡¯s mental world (Second Boundary: Exploration Room) is digging into the Sanctuary of Metal.]


    [Braham¡¯s mental world (Third Boundary: Experimentation Room) is simting the assimtion over and over again.]


    Braham continued the experiment in the hope of creating a method that didn¡¯t exist. He seemed to take it for granted that the impossible could be made possible. This arrogance was what made Braham who he was today.


    Then it ended.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    A big smile appeared on Braham¡¯s face as he raised his chin.


    [The ¡®Sanctuary of Metal¡¯ has assimted with Braham¡¯s mental world ¡®Center of the World.¡¯]


    [¡¯Intent Production¡¯ is activated.]


    [Due to the intervention of Braham, God of Magic and Wisdom, some of the restrictions rted to ¡®Intent Production¡¯ have been lifted.]


    ¡°Now you shouldn¡¯t be caught by these flimsy constraints. Grid, you have a hierarchy where you must naturally achieve what you mean.¡±


    It was Braham, not Grid, who wanted a staff that responded to intent. His attitude of saying that Grid was hoping for it was quite shameless.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid normally would¡¯ve refuted it, but now he was quiet. He was overwhelmed with emotion.


    Intent Production¡ªa skill that gave the creator¡¯s intent to an item. The items that Grid created with Intent Production were originally supposed to be optimized for Grid. This was both a huge advantage and limitation. For example, if Hayate or Biban used Defying the Natural Order. They couldn¡¯t activate the ¡®form transformation¡¯ effect that was the biggest strength of Defying the Natural Order.


    At this moment, Braham hinted at a new possibility.


    [The subject of the currently assimted mental world is Braham. Braham¡¯s intent, not yours, will dwell in the items you create with ¡®Intent Production.¡¯]


    ¡®If the client has a mental world and the ability to assimte that mental world with my mental world...¡¯


    They could also be the owner of an item made with Item Production. It meant that better items could be spread more widely.


    Grid imagined the faces of the apostles and tower members who all possessed ¡®exclusive weapons¡¯ on the level of Defying the Natural Order and started the production. This time, he used his own hammer and anvil rather than Hexetia¡¯s hammer and anvil. With the help of the mes created by Braham, Trauka¡¯s scales and bones were smelted.

 Chapter 1803

    Chapter 1803


    Asgard.


    ¡°¡±How did you end up against him?¡±¡±


    Gabriel frowned as she was thinking about Grid¡¯s new sword and armor. It was because Metatron¡¯s question after being reborn in a reserve body was unpleasant.


    ¡°To be exact, he went against us. He dared to challenge the Goddess¡¯ authority.¡±


    ¡°¡±Seeing how sensitive you are, Gabriel, you must¡¯ve also contributed to this rtionship.¡±¡±


    ¡°You are talking nonsense because you don¡¯t know anything. He was hostile to Asgard even before I met you.¡±


    How could a doll who was obsessed with instinct shift the me onto her? Gabriel lost herposure and was growing angry again. Then Metatron offered herfort that wasn¡¯t reallyfort.


    ¡°¡±The good news is that the level of the apostle doesn¡¯t match the master. Is he called Braham? He is too inferiorpared to the chief gods who worship the Goddess. The other apostles must be like that as well. Grid might be special as an individual, but in terms of power, the surface is no match for Asgard.¡±¡±


    ¡°Of course. There is no need to even talk about this.¡±


    ¡°¡±However, there will be a few crises if you provoke Grid.¡±¡±


    ¡°...I won¡¯t do that,¡± Gabriel replied angrily and grudgingly.


    She meant it. She was very angry, but she had vowed several times that she would never deal with Grid again. He was too strong. The fact that he ignored Raphael¡¯s authority and could use his full abilities in Asgard was very intimidating.


    ¡®Come to think of it, why is there no news?¡¯


    She received a report that the blueprint of the key has been found.


    Mumud attracted Judar¡¯s attention¡ªunusual for an angel¡ªand was nominated as a candidate to be an archangel. Now he personally led arge army to the Prison of Eternity. She thought he woulde back with Raphael soon, but for some reason, there was no news.


    ¡®It is too long even considering the fact that Zeratul will interfere.¡¯


    It was unlikely that Zeratul was in a perfect state. He must¡¯ve fought to the death with Raphael while out of his mind. By now, he would¡¯ve been overpowered by Raphael.


    ¡®Is Raphael forcing it for no reason?¡¯


    In the end¡ª


    Gabriel found it hard to wait and raised herself up. She headed to the Prison of Eternity. The atmosphere around the prison was unexpectedly noisy.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t show emotional agitation in front of the angels. Gabriel was maintaining her usual smile to protect her reputation, only for her expression to gradually stiffen. She maintained her smile, but all her muscles stiffened. It was the aftermath of finding the lock that was still tightly closed despite the key being in Mumud¡¯s hand.


    ¡®Magic?¡¯


    It was absurd. The lock that the angels had managed since the beginning of time had now been modified by magic. It was magic with a structure they had never seen before. Even at a nce, it was a form that was difficult to destroy.


    ¡®...That damn guy.¡¯


    Gabriel recalled Braham¡¯s face, which was only good to look at, and her expression crumpled as she lost herposure.


    ¡°¡±It is hard to say that his level is low.¡±¡±


    Metatron changed their assessment of Braham. They added that it seemed force wasn¡¯t the only virtue Grid considered important when selecting the apostles. Meanwhile, Mumud¡¯s emotions were fluctuating as he analyzed the spells on the lock.


    ¡®It is like my magic.¡¯


    To be exact, it seemed as if someone had spent a long time researching and evolving his magic. For some reason, unfathomable anger and sadness soared.


    ¡°Mumud, is it difficult for you as well?¡± Archangel Umiel asked in a worried manner.


    Angels were natural enemies of magic, but this didn¡¯t mean that they knew magic well. In the current situation, they were forced to rely on Mumud.


    A being who lost his natural lifespan in exchange for a magical talent that had never been seen before¡ªthe archangels knew that Mumud was qualified to be the most aplished magician in the world.


    ¡°It will take some time, but it can be solved.¡±


    As expected, Mumud didn¡¯t betray their expectations. A concept prated his mind as he answered with a nk expression, not showing his emotional agitation.


    ¡®My past life.¡¯


    He had a hunch that he would get to know another him the more he unlocked the magic in this lock...


    ***


    Create a mental world.


    This was a notice that was sent to all the Overgeared Guild members.


    ¡°Mental world... what?¡±


    ¡°It is like the Sanctuary of Metal that Grid uses.¡±


    ¡°Is it a skill that can be learned without a hidden quest or specific job change?¡±


    ¡°That is why this order must¡¯ve been issued.¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t mention how to do it?¡±


    The content of the notice was extremely unfriendly. They were simply instructed to create a mental world, but there wasn¡¯t a word about how to create it. In other words, the confusion felt by the Overgeared members was natural. The members who opened up the ¡®willpower¡¯ stat understood the context, but there were only a few of them.


    ¡°Should I raise the level of Formless Will? Perhaps something special will happen when I master it.¡±


    ¡°If there was such a hidden piece, wouldn¡¯t Grid have told us right away?¡±


    The top-tier Overgeared members who had risen to the rank of legend or transcendent¡ªthey acted for Grid on the continent that changed due to Fire Dragon Trauka and they were very splendid. Jishuka, Faker, Chris, Hurent, Zibal, Vantner, etc. They were less famouspared to Yura, who guarded hell alone. However, they were even more like beginners in front of Grid.


    They had no idea how to open up a mental world. It was natural. Even Grid didn¡¯t know the precise method.


    ¡°...I am getting a lot of inquiries,¡± Lauel came to Grid and said. It was Lauel who informed the members to create a mental world, but it was Grid who instructed him to give the notice.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you at least roughly give me a hint?¡±


    ¡°I just yed the game seriously and it worked out?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel had an expression like he was fed up.He thought it was a joke. Surprisingly, Grid was serious. It was because he got the mental world after exercising his will. In fact, a few days ago, Khan created a mental world with the idea of ¡®protecting Grid with my skills and works.¡¯


    ¡°Really. In my opinion, the conditions for opening up the mental world aren¡¯t fixed, but vary from person to person. The trajectory of their lives... therefore, if there is will or tenacity, the system will have to acknowledge their ying history and they will naturally get it. It is with the sense that their existence is invading the world.¡±


    ¡°Then it is a bit difficult. The will of our colleagues can¡¯t be insignificantpared to you.¡±


    ¡°I think it is weird as well...¡±


    Basically, the Overgeared Guild was a group made up of rankers. They were also the best rankers among billions of yers. They were great people who must¡¯ve heard at least a hundred times in the past that they were game crazy, that they only ate and yed games.


    At the same time, Satisfy was bing the foundation of the global economy. None of the Overgeared members yed Satisfy with a light heart. They had been ying Satisfy wholeheartedly. They might have fewer achievementspared to Grid, but it was the result of luck or a skill difference, not ack of passion.


    However, none of them had ever established a mental world. To be exact, it wasn¡¯t recognized by the system.


    ¡®The circumstances of the apostles are the same.¡¯


    None of the apostles except for Braham had a mental world. They were just hoping that perhaps Zik had it.


    However, Zik hid himself so well that he had yet to even show off his Seven Malignant Saints¡¯ skill. There were too many question marks in the status window. They felt like they wouldn¡¯t respect Zik if they asked about the identity of these question marks, so they were cautious.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean that the conditions for opening the mental world are difficult.¡¯


    Braham and Biban had their own mental worlds since they were mere legends.


    ¡®Surprisingly, I don¡¯t think it is difficult...¡¯


    Grid had this vague belief, but it was impossible for him to find the answers on his own. In the end, he had no choice but to trust and wait as always.


    ¡°There is no need to be nervous. I¡¯m sure everyone will do a good job.¡±


    In the meaning, Grid shared the details of ¡®Braham¡¯s Staff¡¯ that he made today with Lauel.


    ¡°It is the other parties who need to be nervous.¡±


    [Braham¡¯s Staff]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: Proportional to the wearer¡¯s mental strength (mana level).


    Magic Attack Power: 35,990~???


    ¡ï Intelligence +2,000


    ¡ï Perfect Memorial can be used up to five times.


    ¡ï Increases the power and effectiveness of all magic and reduces the cooldown time.


    ¡ï Increases attack magic hit rate by 80%.


    ¡ï The effect of ¡®Second Boundary: Exploration Room¡¯ is always activated.


    A staff created by Only One God Grid through the unity of the mental world with Braham, God of Magic and Wisdom.


    The bones and scales that contain Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s intent have been tempered with Braham¡¯s magic.


    It will act on behalf of Braham¡¯s thirst for endless wisdom and will show a disaster in a form that has never been seen before.


    Conditions of Use: Braham, Grid.


    Weight: 2,500~???]


    It was a simple yet iprehensible exnation. Unlike Defying the Natural Order, Braham¡¯s Staff had fewer effects. He wondered if it was such a big advantage that it could always exert the effect of the mental world. This was until the description of the Exploration Room confirmed it.


    [Second Boundary: Exploration Room]


    [Passive.


    It analyzes, understands, and intervenes in all ¡®phenomena.¡¯


    Enhances and modifies allies¡¯ skills and magic with a high probability.


    Duplicates, absorbs, and reflects enemy skills and magic with a high probability.


    Blocks phenomena ssified as a ¡®miracle¡¯ such as divinity, power, mental world, and absolute defense with a low probability.]


    It was a superior version of Duke of Wisdom. One of Braham¡¯s mental worlds, Exploration Room, closely resembled Mercedes¡¯ Keen Insight. It was as if artificially creating a power that even the gods feared. When it was just a mental world, the power to intervene in reality was weak and the practicality was low. That was no longer the case. He would now be able to actively use it in the future thanks to the staff made with Grid¡¯s help.


    ¡°The premise of owning a dedicated weapon made through Intent Production is to have your own mental world. If they know this, then I don¡¯t think anyone will be holding back. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Intent Production¡ªit was simply a system designed to create dedicated items for Grid. However, Braham changed the system itself. No, he didn¡¯t change it, he proved it. The fact that other people¡¯s mental worlds can be used as the main subject, not Grid.


    ¡°...Certainly, that is true.¡±


    Lauel btedly came to his senses and nodded.


    Defying the Natural Order, Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor, and Braham¡¯s Staff¡ªhow many Overgeared members would be calm after seeing these?


    It was clear that they would also be obsessed with the mental world because they wanted simr items. Right now, Lauel alone became nervous. He had retired from the battlefield a long time ago, so items weren¡¯t very important, but he was filled with the desire to have his own dedicated weapon.


    Anyone would be like this. It was an item optimized only for them with their mental world applied. Even monk yers who shouted about not having unnecessary possessions would be greedy for it.


    ¡°I will diligently analyze it.¡±


    What was the difference between Grid and other yers? What difference determined the existence or absence of a mental world? Starting from today, Lauel would explore it.


    Grid smiled at him. ¡°So dependable.¡±

 Chapter 1804

    Chapter 1804


    It was after making Braham¡¯s Staff. Grid had a close conversation with the apostles. In particr, he thought he knew very little about Zik and Mir.


    Of course, he knew their painful past. For instance, Zik was betrayed while living as a servant of the gods and Mir was a doll made for the gods. What Grid was curious about wasn¡¯t the background that everyone talked about.


    ¡°Before receiving the blessings of the gods... do you mean my normal human days?¡± Zik cocked his head as he stroked his smooth chin. He looked like he was pondering on something. There was little excitement on his face. ¡°I think I was trying to survive day by day. I was like everyone else. I remembered that the era in which I lived was verycking due to theck of economic and cultural development. My family¡­ let¡¯s see. I don¡¯t know if I had any siblings. I probably wasn¡¯t married.¡±


    Zik¡¯s memory was very biased. Like a person born around the time when he decided to confront the gods, only his memories from that time were clear.


    ¡®Is it a defense mechanism?¡¯


    Zik was a survivor of a destroyed world. In the first ce, all his family members had died. Just remembering it must¡¯ve been painful for Zik.


    Zik shook his head as he vaguely read Grid¡¯s thoughts and regrets. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pity me. The days of remembering and missing my precious people have already ended thousands of years ago. It has been too long.¡±


    It had been so long that he couldn¡¯t even remember his parents¡¯ faces and names.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you remember your colleagues?¡± Grid asked Zik after his exnation.


    ¡°That... maybe it is because of guilt.¡±


    During the Seven Good People¡¯s crushing defeat in the war against the gods, Zik didn¡¯t participate in the war and was asleep. Putting aside the Curse of Sloth, Zik had clearly betrayed hispanions.


    ¡°Of course, my participation in the war doesn¡¯t mean we would¡¯ve won the war against the gods.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid saw Zik¡¯s bitter smile and suddenly doubted something.


    ¡°Come to think of it, it is strange. Why did the gods curse you with the Curse of Sloth?¡±


    In the past, he thought they were wary because Zik was incredibly strong. However, now he knew. To be honest, Zik¡¯sbat ability wasn¡¯t a major threat to the celestial gods. It was even considering the fact that Zik¡¯s runes performed the miracle of stealing the power of King Sobyeol, son of Hanul.


    Didn¡¯t Zik tell him? If he had been present, there would¡¯ve been no chance that they would¡¯ve won the war against the gods. Then why did they use a curse to prevent Zik from joining the war?


    Grid thought of two possibilities. First, it was that Zik¡¯s ¡®Seven Malignant Saints skill¡¯, which was still marked with a question mark, was powerful enough to transcend Grid¡¯s imagination. Secondly, one of the gods was trying to protect Zik.


    ¡®If I had to choose one of them, it would naturally be thetter.¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t ask outright. Zik lived with the intention of getting revenge on the gods. Raising the possibility that some god actually protected him? He would be a psychopath without empathy. He knew it in his head so he tried not to ask, but...


    ¡°Which of the two do you think it is...?¡±


    Still, Grid ended up asking. It was only then that the conversation would progress. Grid wanted to check Zik¡¯s Seven Malignant Saints skill and whether or not he possessed a mental world.


    ¡°...If I had to choose between the two, it would be thetter.¡±


    Zik¡¯s expressionless face rapidly darkened. If the rtionship between the two of them hadn¡¯t been intertwined as god and apostle, there would most likely be a system message stating that favorability had dropped drastically.


    ¡°The unique ability that Reba granted me¡­ it has a very different disposition from the God''s Command of yours and the Quick Command handled by the Sword Saint of this era. It doesn¡¯t contribute tobat power.¡±


    ¡°What type of function is it? Is it the same type as Zibal¡¯s Providence?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that. Coincidentally, I can¡¯t tell you the details, but it has to do with discerning eyes.¡±


    ¡°Discerning eyes...? Ah, so...¡±


    Grid realized it. Zik had approached him with good feelings (?) from the beginning. He had promised to make Grid the emperor of Saharan.


    ¡®Did he know from the beginning that I would one day be emperor?¡¯


    In retrospect, the empire¡¯s founder, Saharan, was also chosen by Zik.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell me the details?¡±


    ¡°It is just in case. I will tell you one day, so trust me and wait.¡±


    ¡°Of course. By the way, is it also a secret if you have a mental world or not? I¡¯ve never witnessed you using a mental world.¡±


    Even Baal had a high opinion of Zik. It was natural. Wasn¡¯t he the strongest in the previous world? Zik¡¯s position was the same as Hayate¡¯s. It was fair to say that there was virtually no possibility that such a person didn¡¯t have a mental world. However, he had never revealed his mental world.


    ¡°I have it,¡± Zik replied to Grid, who asked cautiously as if wondering if there was a story behind it.


    His expression was still dark. It wasn¡¯t a secret, but he didn¡¯t want to reveal it. However, Grid had to listen to it. No, he needed to go beyond just hearing about it. He had to experience it for himself.


    ¡°Can you invite me there? It is because of this.¡±


    Grid showed the hesitant Zik the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor and Defying the Natural Order.


    Zik¡¯s eyes shook. Saharan¡¯s Sword matched so well with ¡®red energy¡¯ that he hadn¡¯t felt the need to covet Grid¡¯s divine swords, but now he had a rare greed. The power of the battle gears made with intent was that great.


    ¡°It is to the extent where Braham abandoned Belial¡¯s Staff.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid drove in the wedge.


    Belial¡¯s Staff¡ªit was a weapon that Braham had used for over ten years. He threw it away?


    Finally, Zik abandoned his hesitation and nodded. ¡°It is embarrassing, but I understand. I hope God won¡¯t be disappointed. I will ept the favor.¡±


    Darkness came. The sad sobbing of a child permeated Grid¡¯s ears.


    ¡®A child?¡¯


    Grid was feeling perplexed by the darkness where he couldn¡¯t see an inch ahead of him.


    [You have entered Zik¡¯s mental world, ¡®Solitude and Pain.¡¯]


    A faint light spread and a notification window popped up. At the same time, his vision that had been engulfed by darkness was restored. Grid was able to examine the surroundingndscape. It was a huge and deste wilderness. ck-red bloodstains were visible everywhere. There was a child crouching in the center of it. He had blond hair that was tousled and soaked in blood and sweat. The hair, which seemed to shine brilliantly when it rained, resembled Zik¡¯s.


    ¡°...Zik?¡± Grid asked and the child looked up. As expected, it was a child with features that looked exactly like Zik. His expression was different. His cheeks puffed up to hold back his crying, but tears poured down like chicken poop.


    The Zik that Grid knew never looked like this.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t Zik. It can¡¯t be Zik.¡¯


    If this child was Zik, then it meant there were two Ziks. It included Zik, who entered in here with him from reality...


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid was flustered when Zik, whom he thought would be by his side, was nowhere to be seen. He looked around but he couldn¡¯t find Zik anywhere in the wilderness. The only ones who existed here were himself and the child in front of him.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    They clearly entered together?


    It was while Grid was panicking...


    ¡°Sniff... Yes, I am Zik. My God... God recognizes me.¡±


    After wiping his runny nose and barely stopping his crying, the child bowed politely to Grid.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid actually understood the situation. The canyon in Grid¡¯s mental world, the smithy in Khan¡¯s mental world, the hammer and anvil in Hexetia¡¯s mental world, and the huge sword in Biban¡¯s mental world. In addition, there was a study and aboratory in Braham¡¯s mental world. The mental world referred to the heart of the owner and represented something important when forming the heart. That was it. It didn¡¯t change the form of the owner. However, Zik¡¯s mental world was so bleak that Zik himself had changed.


    The young Zik exined it, ¡°Every time I step in here, I remember things I¡¯ve forgotten. It is sad and scary. It hurts so much...¡±


    Oblivion. It was as the Great Robber of the Red Night had told Raiders a while ago. Human beings could only live by forgetting unnecessary memories. But Zik was too smart to forget something. Therefore, he collected all the wisdom from the years he lived and what he eventually learned from Goddess Reba. He sealed it because he couldn¡¯t forget it. It was in this mental world, disconnected from reality.


    Perhaps Zik himself was unaware of it. This was why he simply said it was ¡®embarrassing¡¯ to open his mental world. If he knew that every time he opened the mental world, he would bring back a forgotten memory, then Zik would¡¯ve been more afraid than embarrassed when opening the mental world.


    ¡°I hate Goddess Reba. I thought fighting for her meant fighting for humans, but this wasn¡¯t the case. Those who acted on her will caused all types of disasters and all my descendants died. I couldn¡¯t protect anyone. No, I killed everyone...¡±


    ¡°Zik...¡±


    ¡°I decided to go to heaven with my colleagues to get revenge, but I couldn¡¯t even do that. I heard the Goddess¡¯ luby and my eyes closed by themselves. Once I opened my eyes again, everyone was already dead. I should¡¯ve died with them...¡±


    The young Zik¡¯s weary eyes started to show hatred and killing intent. It was killing intent toward himself, not toward Grid whom he was facing. He was poised to pierce himself and take his own life. But he didn¡¯t do so. To be precise, he couldn¡¯t do it. It was because of responsibility. What Zik wanted was an inevitable death.


    ¡°It is so painful I don¡¯t want to live. Kill me. God, please kill me.¡±


    All sorts of runes whirled around the young Zik as he tearfully pleaded again. The great magic power and divinity that had been taken from King Sobyeol soared together.


    ¡®Can runes be that long?¡¯


    The power of the runenguage rose expionentially every time a word and a sentence was formed. However, Zik mostly used runes as separate letters or words. It was extremely rare to achieve a sentence and even that was short. He was told that it was simply because it was difficult The longer the sentence, the harder it was tobine and the more mental power it consumed.


    However, the young Zik did it easily. His ability to handle the runes was far superior to the adult Zik thanks to hisplete memory.


    ¡®It is incredibly strong.¡¯


    This was Zik¡¯s full abilities. If Zik had ascended to heaven with the rest of the Seven Good People, they might not have won the war, but wouldn¡¯t the gods have suffered several defeats and lost their dignity?


    Grid¡¯s thinking went up to here and he was convinced. The reason why the gods cursed Zik wasn¡¯t to protect him, but simply out of fear.


    ¡°In any case.¡±


    Grid reached for the young Zik. He punched the pitiful face distorted with sorrow and pain with all his might. There was no emotion in it. It was simply to calm down Zik, who was on the verge of running wild.


    The spread of pain¡ªGrid spected that Zik¡¯s mental world was a form that became stronger as the young Zik went berserk.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense about wanting to die and let¡¯s make a sword. Why should you die? I won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    There was no worry on Grid¡¯s face as he summoned the Sanctuary of Metal. Just as Piaro created agricultural fields in the desert, Zik was a person who exercised miracles. Furthermore, he could write such long sentences in runes in his mental world, so it would be easy to find a way to aplish the unity of the mental worlds.


    [The ¡®Sanctuary of Metal¡¯ has assimted Zik¡¯s mental world, ¡®Solitude and Pain¡¯!]


    As expected, Zik didn¡¯t betray Grid¡¯s expectations. He used runes to respond to the canyon towering in the barren wilderness.


    ¡°Things will never be easy. Stay focused until the end and help me,¡± Grid urged again.


    This Intent Production would be an unfamiliar challenge for him as well. It was because he nned to extract the red energy from Saharan¡¯s Sword and include it as part of the materials. He thought he could do it with the help of the young Zik.


    ¡°Sniff. Yes...¡±


    Zik¡¯s cheeks were puffy as he barely managed to answer.

 Chapter 1805

    <h4>Chapter 1805</h4>


    Extracting materials from items¡ªit was easy for Grid, who had mastered the art of cksmithing from the time he learned Intent Production.However, red energy literally meant energy.It wasn¡¯t a substance, so it was difficult to extract it with his cksmithing techniques.The attempt itself was possible, but the probability of sess was low.


    ¡®The moment Saharan¡¯s Sword is disassembled, it might disperse and disappear.¡¯


    The red energy used Saharan¡¯s ¡®lineage¡¯ as its source.Thanks to this, Basara also had it. He heard that her red energy was pretty good, but it was inferiorpared to the red energy of the founder, Saharan.It meant there was no substitute if it was lost.This absolutely couldn¡¯t happen considering the fact that Zik had been using Saharan¡¯s red energy for so long.


    ¡®Thepatibilityof the redenergy and Zik is good.¡¯


    The essence of the red energy to control matter was ¡®intervention.¡¯It was because he could control the target once he intervened in it.In particr, Sakharan¡¯s red energy was able to intervene in most of the world¡¯s substances, including runes.The rapid transformation of Zik¡¯s runesy in the eleration power borrowed from red energy.


    ¡°You mean to extract the red energy here, right?Sniff.Yes, I¡¯ll try...¡±


    ¡°You will just try? That level of mindset isn¡¯t enough. Promise that you will seed.¡±


    ¡°There is no guarantee that I will seed. How can I make a promise...?¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it guaranteed?¡±


    ¡°After all, this red energy originally belongs to Saharan.¡±


    It was hard to guarantee that it could bepletely controlled unless it was Saharan.


    ¡°But we can discuss the possibilities due to the divinity of King Sobyeol...¡±


    King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity had the property ofadsorbingany concept it encountered.It treated water and oil, that couldn¡¯t be mixed, as the same substances and mixed them.If Braham¡¯s mental world fully understood, destroyed, or absorbed a concept, the divinity of King Sobyeol omitted the process of understanding and utilized the object as its own divinity.


    It was simr, butpletely different.If they were discussing which one was better, they would have to conclude that it depended on the situation.However, the coercive force was naturally stronger on the side of King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity. It was fraudulent in that it regarded the target as its own divinity and consequently strengthened its divinity.


    ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t just rely on King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity. In the process of extracting and transporting the red energy with King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity, there is a possibility that the red energy will be transformed into divinity... I have to change the nature of the divinity with the runes beforehand. It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°Do well on your own.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    No matter how long the young Zik talked, it was a problem that Grid couldn¡¯t help with.He dismissed it with the reminder for Zik to focus rather than waste time exining it to him.Zik figured out the meaning and immediately focused. He checked every rune he remembered and tried toe up with the best words and sentences for the situation.


    Grid was examining Saharan¡¯s Sword, which Zik had handed over before entering the mental world.


    ¡®It is a treasured sword with historical value.¡¯


    Saharan¡¯s sword was far from a great work.Not only was it made ofmon steel, but it was also crude.It was a sword made hundreds of years ago, so it was understandable.


    However, it was judged to be alegendaryitem.It wasn¡¯t just about the red energy. It contained Saharan¡¯s red energy, but this was virtually useless because there were very few people who could handle it.Nevertheless, the reason for its high valuey in the background.


    The founding of the Saharan Empire¡ªit was the background to one of the most important events in human history.


    ¡®It is right to call it a treasure.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t veryfortable to have to melt away such a precious treasure.Grid thought this while putting Saharan¡¯s Sword into the zing furnace.The signal was the young Zik, who had been preupied with his eyes closed for a while, opened his eyes.


    His eyes sank darkly, as if he had taken on all the pains and worries in the world.The boy¡¯s eyes, which were as deep as the abyss of the sea, were the same as the adult Zik.


    Colorless divinity spread like wildfire among the runes that rotated fiercely and formed sentences.They extended toward Saharan¡¯s Sword that was melting in the furnace.There was an immediate change.The colorless divinity gradually started to take on a red glow.


    ¡®It is a sess.¡¯


    As Grid was feeling relieved, the divinity that returned to the young Zik lost its color.It reverted to its former colorlessness state.


    ¡®No, did it fail?¡¯


    A voice entered Grid¡¯s ears as his heart sank.


    ¡°I seeded.¡±


    The young Zik¡¯s voice was mixed with relief.The red energy absorbed by King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity was stronger than before.The young Zik perfectly did something that the adult Zik had never even attempted.Now it was Grid¡¯s turn to repay him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the production.¡±


    From now on, he would make Zik¡¯s sword.Along with the red energy, it would contain the mental world that Zik had ignored.Maybe this was a source of pain for Zik, but it was right to face it.How could a person who ignored himself look confidently at the world?Additionally, what type of guts did he need to have to look up at the heavenly gods?There was a time when Grid also turned away from himself.


    Grid felt the need to bring out Zik¡¯s mental world more strongly.


    Taang, taang, taang!


    Grid¡¯s hammer that was wrapped in runes struck Trauka¡¯s scales and bones.Each time, the young Zik had to struggle to control the red energy thatrampagedwithTrauka¡¯smes.


    The sword that Grid and Zik would make together today was more than just a weapon, it was courage.


    ***


    A sword thatspreadpain¡ªZik¡¯s Sword, which waspleted at dawn the next day, boasted a formidable functionality.Every attackspreadfear and pain in all directions. All objectscontaminatedby it were targeted by the red energy and controlled.Every time the attacks ovepped, the range of the spread of pain and the debuff effect increased.It was to the extent where it wouldn¡¯t be awkward to use the term ¡¯a monster made by my own hand.¡¯


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense that it causes ssh damage every time it is swung.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t something to be happy about.The reason why Zik¡¯s Sword scattered pain was because it meant the world that Zik perceived was stained with pain.


    That¡¯s right.Zik¡¯s mental world that dwelled in Zik¡¯s Sword was spreading pain to create ¡®the world he knew.¡¯He showed his instinct to share the pain he experienced with others. It was the pain that was sealed in his subconscious, the mental world.


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed.¡±


    After swinging his sword a few times, Zik lowered his head to look at the devastated surroundings.It was shameful because he felt like he was denying and destroying the world that his god was making right.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. The problem is the world thatcausedyou to suffer pain again and again.¡±


    Ever since Grid became the emperor and a god, he had always been desperate to keep his dignity.He tried to use as old and elegant a tone as possible to soothe Zik.


    ¡°One day, the day wille when your sword will scatter blessings. I¡¯ll make sure of it. Of course, you have to help me as well.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, my god.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid tapped on the shoulder of Zik, who had barely regained hisposure.He never would¡¯ve imagined it in the past.


    The strongest of the previous world, one ofthe Seven Good People, the pirs of the empire, etcetera¡ªZik had been active as the center of the world since the days when there was no Grid and he was a somewhat ufortable existence for Grid.


    It felt likehis fatherhaving an employee who graduated from Harvard.


    No matter how polite Zik was, there was a distance that was hard to narrow.Then today, the distance narrowed significantly.It was the aftermath of the unity of their mental worlds.The two of them peeked inside each other.They reminded each other of how great they were and also realized that they weren¡¯t perfect people. They noticed that they were simr.


    In addition to respect, there was a sense of sympathy. It was natural for the distance to narrow.


    ***


    Reinhardt was a city that responded to Grid¡¯s every move.News of Grid checking the mental worlds of the apostles quickly spread throughout the huge city.


    ¡°These were made in the mental worlds...?¡±


    Braham¡¯s Staff and Zik¡¯s Sword¡ªthe private details of the apostles¡¯ exclusive items,parable to those of Defying the Natural Order, appeared beforeVantner¡¯seyes.


    The source of the information was Lauel.It deserved to be shared with the 10 meritorious retainers.


    ¡°...Are we unable to have a dragon weapon without a mental world?¡±


    Vantner¡¯sbald head lost its luster.It was because his face darkened rapidly.He deserved to look haggard.


    The dragon weapon and armor¡ªhe believed that there was only one step left until the yers got their hands on an endgame item they had been dreaming of. Then a notice was received to create a mental world and Grid started checking the mental worlds of the apostles.Furthermore, he was currently only making dragon weapons for the apostles who possessed mental worlds.


    ¡°Is the mental world the premise for creating a dragon weapon?¡±


    Vantner¡¯sloud voice trembled as he asked again. He was so anxious that even phlegm came out as his already husky voice fluctuated. Lauel quietly widened the distance and shook his head.


    ¡°No. The dragon weapon created in the mental world is judged to be a dedicated weapon and has a more specialized power. First of all, the 10 Meritorious Retainers will be given ordinary dragon weapons. If you want weapons superior to them, you can try to open the mental world.¡±


    ¡°How do we open up a mental world?¡±


    This time, it was Pon¡¯s question.Basically,rankerswere inquisitive. It was their nature to create their own know-how and forge their own path, so they rarely relied on others.It was true just by looking at their recent actions.The world that had changed in the aftermath of Trauka unleashing his full power¡ªas the temperature of the ocean and the direction of the ocean currents changed, the ecosystem of the continent changed drastically from before.


    Demons that they never imagined ran rampant on terrain that hadn¡¯t been experienced before.However, the damage to humanity was small.It was thanks to the activities of the Overgeared members, who were praised as great heroes.They quickly adapted to a world where there was no strategy book and performed all types of activities. They pioneered new paths without hesitation.


    But they were clumsy as usual before Grid-rted matters.They had no idea about the mental world at all. They didn¡¯t even know which direction to take.It was shameful.Still, they weren¡¯t going to shut their mouths because of their cheap pride.They asked for help to find a way.


    Lauel looked around at the serious faces of the 10 Meritorious Retainers and slowly opened his mouth, ¡°There was a message from His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    All of the 10 Meritorious Retainers focused in unison.


    ¡°He said that if you y the game seriously, you will naturally get it.¡±


    Lauel shattered their expectations.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean that we should work harder?¡±


    Work harder.How could they work harder?The 10 Meritorious Retainers naturally consumed all of the daily ess limit.Even if there was a strong earthquake or storm in the area where they lived, they always connected to Satisfy and kept up with their schedule.


    A cold naturally couldn¡¯t hold them back.They eveny in the capsule after experiencing an ident while climbing and breaking their limbs. Virtual reality games that didn¡¯t require them to tap their mouse and keyboard were the best.


    To be honest, they weren¡¯t convinced that they had to work harder.Still, no one dared to refute it.They weren¡¯t sure if they were working harder on Grid.


    ¡®From now on, I should only study Satisfy even when I¡¯m logged out.¡¯


    It happened as the 10 Meritorious Retainers vowed in unison...


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at your mental world.¡±


    Grid faced Mir.It wasn¡¯t known what false rumors he heard, but Mir was wearing a steel facete that didn¡¯t match his elegantdopo.

 Chapter 1806

    <h4>Chapter 1806</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at your mental world.¡±


    The words carried a faint pitch.It represented Grid¡¯s excitement.


    From Braham to Zik¡ªGrid seeded in making exclusive weapons for the apostles one after another and felt great joy. He almost thought that his rewards for all the hardships he experienced so far hade at once.The probability of seeding with Intent Production was too small.


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t have high expectations at first.


    An item that was made through the unity of the apostle¡¯s mental world¡ªthe possibilities that Braham presented and put into practice were indeed ideal, but it was difficult to achieve in reality.


    First of all, the apostle had to have a mental world. The mental world also needed to be unified with Grid¡¯s mental world.It was because the prerequisites were too demanding.


    Fortunately, they seeded in session.He just hoped it would continue like this.


    ¡°Would you like to see my mental world?¡±


    Grid stiffened instantly at the voice.The Mir who was wearing a facete that didn¡¯t suit him was very disturbing.Wasn¡¯t it like he heard from someone that Grid hit the young Zik in the face and he came up with his own countermeasures?It was a scene that anyone would misunderstand as an evil god recklessly assaulting his apostles.


    ¡®Mir¡¯s ears are thin, but Zik¡¯s mouth is surprisingly light.¡¯


    It was after putting the mental world in the sword.Zik faced the memories that he had sealed in his mental world.It was right to say that he was in a state where his mental world was always open.He remembered what he went through as the young Zik and spread rumors...


    It happened as Grid was feeling some disappointment...


    Mir slipped off the thick armor and said with a calm expression, ¡°LordBrahamsaid that God would be pleased if you saw me wearing this... I seem to have been deceived.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid suddenly remembered something.It was the fact that Braham¡¯s expression distorted and was almost rotten as he checked the sword that Grid made with Zik.He was clearly displeased.


    ¡®I often don¡¯t understand this old man.¡¯


    He could understand how Braham felt.He probably didn¡¯t like that other apostles were benefiting from the method he devised. He felt deprived.


    ¡®I understand, but... if he is going topoutover something like that, why did he take the risk of ascending to heaven?¡¯


    It was a big help when he obtained Raphael¡¯s wings for Sariel... he was an old man who was hard to understand.


    Grid shook his head and sat down on a rock.The ce where Mir lived was as shabby as an old monk practicing¡®not having unnecessary things.¡¯There were no particr household items and arge rock carved by a sword reced a chair.


    ¡°I apologize for Braham.¡±


    ¡°I deeply apologize for inadvertently offending you, God. About the mental world you requested¡­ my mental world might be offensive to you, God.¡±


    ¡°...That won¡¯t happen.¡±


    Grid suppressed the question of why and reassured Mir.There was no reason to think in advance about the mental world he would have to face anyway. No matter what form Mir¡¯s mental world took, Grid wouldn¡¯t be offended or disappointed.


    After all, the mental world was from the subconscious.Too many factors intervened in the formation of the subconscious mind.The dark side of everyone was naturally expressed.If he was going to be disappointed by every one of them, he wouldn¡¯t havegiven a noticeto his precious friends to create a mental world.


    ¡®I¡¯m used to the dark side of people.¡¯


    Clean people were rare.There were even fewer people who didn¡¯t have wounds.Grid himself had it and so did all the protagonists of the rtionships Grid had made so far.It was right for Grid to understand and embrace all the things that were present in their mental world, not to hate and ignore them.


    ¡°If so, I will dly...¡±


    Theywerevery deep and warm eyes.The reason why Mir felt so happy since bing Grid¡¯s apostle was the look in Grid¡¯s eyes when looking at him.It was as if Grid understood everything and believed it unconditionally.Grid¡¯s eyes were as kind as ever.It reminded him of parents taking off their clothes for their children in a city covered in snow due to the Blue Dragon¡¯s fury.


    That¡¯s right.To Mir, Grid felt like a parent.From the perspective of Mir, who was made to be a tool from the beginning, Grid stirred up emotions he believed he would never feel.There were omens when a mental world was opened.


    The precursor of Grid¡¯s mental world was a calm but hot heat, the precursor of Zik¡¯s mental world was the sobbing of a child, the precursor of Braham¡¯s mental world was the perception of blueness created by the whirlpool of magic power, etc.


    Mir¡¯s mental world was opened through self-harm.By inserting a de into his heart, Mir opened up his own space that was cut off from the world.


    [You have entered Mir¡¯s mental world, ¡®Broken Mainspring¡¯.]


    Click, click, click...


    The scene in front of Grid¡¯s eyes was really unexpected.It was the inside of a huge machine.Tens of thousands of mainsprings and gears were interlocked and turning.


    A yangban who stuck to old-fashioned clothes and way of speaking had such a mental world. It didn¡¯t suit him at all.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid noticed something jarring.Not all the gears were properly interlocked.Each of them acted independently, twisting and creaking.The shape of their teeth was as different as their color, so they couldn¡¯t fit together at all.


    ¡°It was in a city covered in snow and deserted by the inhabitants.¡±


    Mir emerged from therge mainsprings and spoke. He stood on the small gears as a stepping stone and his body rotated slowly. Nevertheless, hisdopodidn¡¯t fly and he stood as straight as a de. This was the ability to control his body as well as his clothes and wasmonly referred to as ¡®qi.¡¯


    ¡°I thought the bells of the grandfather clock that ring every hour even though no one is listening was particrly pitiful. It seemed to be unaware it was abandoned and still responded to the wishes of its maker. It was just like seeing us in the future.¡±


    The yangbans were just tools created to aplish Hanul¡¯s purpose.Most yangbans tried to deny it or to not realize this fact, but Mir didn¡¯t turn a blind eye to reality.He knew that if he was broken in the process of achieving Hanul¡¯s purpose, he would be abandoned. Additionally, once Hanul achieved his purpose, then Mir would be useless and would be abandoned.The grandfather clock left alone reminded him of it again.


    Therefore, he was even more eager.He would cut down the Martial God and change his fate.Of course, he knew it was a long shot, so he built this desperate mental world.


    The small sparrows that came every morning to eat the seeds on the snow-covered outdoor terrace weren¡¯t saved by Mir. Instead, the sparrows saved Mir. They made him realize that he could exist for something other than the gods.Without the sparrows, Mir¡¯s mental world would be even more horribly ruined than it was now.


    ¡®...Did he think of himself as a tool that is broken or is bound to break?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s chest felt heavy as he vaguely fathomed Mir¡¯s position.He was so frustrated that he almost exploded.He came to despise the gods of the Hwan Kingdom, who made the yangbans only for themselves.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t make ego items.¡¯


    If he made an item like Talsha with his own hands, he would¡¯ve felt like Hanul.


    Grid suddenly had a scary thought and shook his head to shake off his thoughts.As always, he could only say one thing.


    ¡°Believe in me. Everything will change when you are with me.¡±


    ¡°Can you fix me when I am so broken?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t an object. What do you mean by fix you? It isn¡¯t about fixing you, it is about changing.¡±


    Mir had always considered himself a tool.


    Grid gave a poignant and urate piece of advice and continued.¡°You need to face yourself fully in order to change.¡±


    Grid activated Intent Production.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put this ce into the sword I am going to make now. This way, you can watch every moment until the broken mainsprings and gears are fitted together and working properly. Who knows?Once they fit together and work properly,they might bepletely independent of you.¡±


    At that time, he could fill in the new mental world that he wanted...


    Grid was worried about whether his intentions would be properly conveyed since he wasn¡¯t good at talking. Contrary to his worries, it was delivered properly.The small smile that spread across Mir¡¯s face was evidence.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ttaaang!


    The answer was a signal.


    Grid hammered Trauka¡¯s bones. The broken mainsprings followed Mir¡¯s will and responded as much as possible. Most of the movements were mixed, but some clearly helped Grid. They fit right with Trauka¡¯s scales and bones, creating a tremendous sense of unity.


    It felt like Trauka¡¯s arm was being restored to its original form.


    Grid was excited and his hammering elerated.The form of the sword that was soonpleted was something that even Grid had never seen before.


    [One]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: 5,900/5,900


    Attack Power: 36,770~???


    ¡ï Strength + 1,000.


    ¡ï Increases attack speed to the maximum.


    ¡ï Every time the durability decreases, a ¡®Winding Spring¡¯ effect will ur.


    ¡ï Every time the ¡®Winding Spring¡¯ effect urs, the weapon¡¯s attack power will increase further and there is a normal chance of resetting the cooldown of the skill.


    ¡ï Once ¡®Winding Spring¡¯ urs five times, ¡®Interlock¡¯ will ur.


    ¡ï ¡®Interlock¡¯ restores all the lost durability and beneficial effects will be unconditionally applied when attacking or being attacked. It can be a critical hit, weak point attack, evasion, block, counterattack, etc.


    ¡ï ¡¯Fire DragonTrauka¡¯sWeak Protection¡¯ has been acquired.


    ¡ïIt is possible to rece ¡®Fire DragonTrauka¡¯sArm.¡¯


    A sword created by Only One God Grid in a state of mental world unity with Apostle Mir.


    Mir¡¯s mental world¡ªinthe form of mainsprings and gears¡ªhaspletely bound together the bones and scales of Fire Dragon Trauka. This means that while the form is judged to be a sword, it is equal to Trauka¡¯s arm.


    Fire Dragon Trauka will be very interested in it. He will consider anyone who damages this sword as a challenge to him.


    Conditions of Use: Mir, Grid.


    Weight: 16,000]


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid was reminded in many ways about when he made Ifrit¡¯s Horn.He couldn¡¯t help smiling.The true value of Oney in its possibility rather than its power.It was the possibility of a rtionship with Trauka.Of course, its power was just as great as the exclusive weapons of the other apostles.


    ¡®Is it possible that I am really going to take the same side as the Old Dragons?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an unfounded conjecture.It was a possibilityfollowing Raiders¡¯attitude.Above all, the function of Dragon Knight itself gave a lot of room for a rtionship with Old Dragons.Grid wanted to think in as positive a manner as possible.


    If the Old Dragons really became allies¡ª


    Maybe he could prevent the bloody apocalypse.There might be a world where his friends and family were safe without him.


    ¡®I really want to make it like that.¡¯


    Sometimes he wanted to be free from these scary and troublesome responsibilities...Grid thought up to here only toe to his senses in surprise.Mir was looking at him anxiously.


    ¡°Are you not satisfied with this?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it. I was just thinking about something else for a moment,¡± Grid answered with a bright expression and returned to reality with Mir.


    The mental worlds of Piaro and Mercedes were unlikely to exist, so he nned to climb the Tower of Wisdom after working with Sariel.


    It was as expected.


    ¡°Coincidentally, I still haven¡¯t..."


    ¡°Me too...¡±


    Piaro and Mercedes had yet to create a mental world.However, Mercedes¡¯ reaction was strange. He thought she would be upset, but she was very calm.


    ¡°Mer, you¡­ do you have a mental world?¡±


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ face, which was as white as a snowke, quickly turned red.

 Chapter 1807

    Chapter 1807


    ¡®I¡¯m not in a hurry about Piaro¡¯s mental world.¡¯


    Piaro relied the least on items among the apostles.


    It was because hisbat style focused on skill damage rather than weapon damage. His dependence on weapons was rtively low because the various stat values that affected skill damage were met through the use of ¡®Natural State.¡¯


    In the first ce, Piaro¡¯s weapon was farming tools. The emphasis was on plowing the field faster rather than strength. Piaro fought using the connection between sowing seeds and rapid growth, so the important thing for Piaro was the speed of plowing the field. This speed had already reached its peak.


    ¡®Additionally, Piaro has lowered the importance of fighting these days.¡¯


    Piaro was a farmer. It was only when he developed and produced crops as beneficial as the golden walnut that he showed his true value.


    In the days when Piaro was the best power of the Overgeared Kingdom, he was forced to ignore his duties as a farmer to y an active role, but now things had changed. Currently, there were at least five people in the Overgeared Empire who could rece Piaro¡¯s role. Unless all of them copsed, there was virtually no reason for Piaro to be on the frontlines. No, it was desirable not to put him on the frontlines.


    Of course, it was necessary to take him on the Baal expedition, but there was plenty of time until then. It wasn¡¯t Baal who coordinated the expedition schedule, but Grid himself. There was no need to be pressed for time. Above all, Grid had a strong faith. He believed that Piaro could open up the mental world. It was based on the fact that the fields created by Piaro were already ying a roleparable to the mental world.


    ¡®Piaro understands the principles of the mental world. The moment he had a small enlightenment, he will be in a position to open the mental world.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t known when the exact moment of enlightenment woulde, but it was clear that it wouldn¡¯t be long...


    Piaro himself was aware of this fact, so he didn¡¯t show any signs of nervousness. However, Mercedes was in a different position. Not only did she always want to be on the frontlines, but she was also highly dependent on weapons. Originally, the ss of knight itself had a correction effect when wearing equipment. Even Mercedes¡¯ chivalric code was heavily influenced by Grid. By respecting items, an additional correction effect was obtained when wearing equipment.


    Simply being an apostle ced her in a much better position than the other apostles to properly handle Grid¡¯s items. The faster she reced the White Tiger Sword, which was considered an old weapon, the higher herbat power would rise. It was right for her to be frustrated if she couldn¡¯t open the mental world. She wasn¡¯t in the position to answer ¡®I can¡¯t open the mental world¡¯ with a casual expression.


    ¡°Mers, you... do you have a mental world?¡±


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    It was as expected. Mercedes couldn¡¯t hide her flustered expression.


    Grid smiled. ¡®She can¡¯t even lie. Why is she trying to deceive someone?¡¯


    Mercedes had a strong personality. She couldn¡¯t lie. Grid couldn¡¯t imagine Mercedes deceiving anyone.


    ¡°Show me your mental world.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It might be a bit embarrassing, but it is okay. I just want to make a new weapon... think of it as the same logic as undressing in front of a medical staff.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t undress in front of anyone other than My Liege.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes... anyway.¡±


    She was reacting in a weird way. Grid was overwhelmed by Mercedes¡¯ pretty eyes and waited for a while. Then he persuaded her again, ¡°I need the user¡¯s mental world to create a new dragon weapon.¡±


    ¡°You can make it without the mental world, right? Just like Twilight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it is disappointing in terms of power.¡±


    ¡°It... isn¡¯t like that. My Liege¡¯s Twilight is one of the best swords. What is disappointing about it? For me, a weapon equal to Twilight is enough. It will be rewarding to grow together.¡±


    Definitely, the appeal of growth-type weapons was great. Looking at Twilight right now, it was clear that it would one day match Defying the Natural Order. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to create a growth-type myth rated weapon. Additionally, dedicated weapons exerted more power from the beginning than growth-type weapons that hadpleted their growth.


    ¡°You have to bring your own exclusive weapon with you. For growth-type weapons, you can grow it by using it as an auxiliary weaponter.¡±


    ¡°...Uh.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ plump lips twitched. It was a habit she showed when she was embarrassed. It was a habit Grid first witnessed on the day they spent their first night together.


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    Showing the mental world required courage. Grid¡¯s mental world was very healthy because it used Khan¡¯s heart as its source, but this usually wasn¡¯t the case. The mental worlds of Zik and Mir proved it. In fact, Braham¡¯s mental world was close to a mass of arrogance and desire.


    Wasn¡¯t the name ¡®Center of the World¡¯? It meant he considered himself the center of the world. Normally, it was a mental world that was embarrassing to disy in front of others.


    Mercedes¡¯ mental world was likely to be simr to theirs. It was because there was darkness in everyone¡¯s heart. In particr, Mercedes was abandoned by her parents because she was born with Keen Insight. It was natural that a deep darkness lurked in her heart after she lived such a life filled with ups and downs...


    ¡°I know how rude it is to ask you to show your mental world. I fully understand why you are hesitating to show it. But keep this in mind. In this world, I will never be disappointed in you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mercedes stopped as she was about to dissuade Grid. She reflected on Grid¡¯s words that he wouldn¡¯t be disappointed and tried to raise her courage. In the end¡ª


    ¡°...Really, no matter what type of woman I am, please don¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    The determined Mercedes spoke with difficulty. She put her hands together like a shy girl and wriggled her fingers. She was pretty and adorable no matter what.


    Grid was once again infatuated with Mercedes¡¯ innocent and cute appearance and nodded with a smile. ¡°Of course, I promise you with everything I have.¡±


    This answer was the signal. Mercedes¡¯ breath thickened like a breath on a cold winter¡¯s day. A cold chill intertwined with her blue hair, blurring the color and the earth cracked because it was dry. The world froze around the ground on which Mercedes stood. Everything froze before Grid¡¯s divinity had a chance to stop it. More precisely, Grid had fallen into an already frozen world.


    [You have entered Mercedes¡¯ mental world, ¡®Frozen World.¡¯]


    ¡°......¡±


    The first thing Grid saw were statues of three people made of ice. There was a statue of a little girl sitting alone while the adult statues, who appeared to be her parents, stood looking away from her.


    -The cursed child.


    -There is no way that monster is my child. What type of man did you y with?


    -Kyaaak! It is because of that girl...! Due to that cursed monster, I am like this...!


    Auditory hallucinations were heard. The auditory hallucinations were filled with suspicion, hatred, and anger. They caused all sorts of abnormal statuses.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t falter. He just gently patted the head of the young girl who rose slowly and stared at the intruder. ¡°You aren¡¯t a monster. Don¡¯t be swayed by the suspicions and hatred of your foolish parents. You are going to meet good people soon, right?¡±


    A warm divinity melted the statue of the young girl. The auditory hallucinations moved away and thendscape seen by Grid also changed. It was a training ground with a huge pce behind it.


    Dozens of ice statues were swinging their swords at someone¡¯smand. It was themand of a knight carrying the statue of a young girl on his shoulders. The knight was also carved out of ice, thus his facial features couldn¡¯t be seen properly, but Grid could recognize the knight¡¯s identity immediately.


    The one who made the wounded girlugh for the first time. It was a young Piaro. As a knight of the empire, he worked with the other Red Knights to both train the girl and act as her parents.


    It happened as the sound of the girl¡¯sughter mingling with the knights¡¯ calls brought a smile to Grid¡¯s face...


    The knights turned to Grid in unison. They aimed cold ice des at him. The sharpness of the White Tiger Sword burst forth from every de. It meant that the weapon¡¯s attack power would be applied to Mercedes¡¯ mental world that was reenacting the past and antagonistic to intruders. Being overgeared was really important to her.


    -We are the ones who have devoted our whole lives to the empire and the emperor! How can they frame us as traitors?


    -Mercedes! Testify for us! There is no way we would betray the empire!


    The faces of the knights attacking Grid turned red. It was the aftermath of tears of blood. Coincidentally, the cries of the knights didn¡¯t reach the girl. Before she knew it, she was isted in a tall tower. Other knights, persuaded by Yatan¡¯s Servant, locked her up in the name of training. They were wary of her Keen Insight discerning the truth.


    -Asmophel! You are our family...


    -Mercedes, why didn¡¯t you help me?


    The seasons changed several times while the screams and resentments of the knight statues echoed endlessly. Finally, the ce where they stood was filled with only bloodstains. It wasn¡¯t a massacremitted by Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t fight back and only defended. After the time limit, the knights copsed on their own. Around this time, a terrible crack appeared on the chest of the statue of the girl who had emerged from the tower. The statue grew into the form of a woman without this crack recovering.


    ¡®From Mers¡¯ perspective, she was betrayed by her newfound family.¡¯


    In a situation where the truth was blocked, Mercedes could only mistakenly believe that Piaro and the Red Knights betrayed the empire and her.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t pain that makes up Mers¡¯ mental world.


    The identity of the emotion that dominated the mental world was vaguely felt. It was regret, not pain. In a way, it was natural.


    Mercedes¡¯ mental world was opened rtively recently. It was after learning the truth about Piaro and the Red Knights. The reason why the events of that day were engraved in her mental world wasn¡¯t from the pain of being betrayed by Piaro and the Red Knights, but because she resented her past self for failing to help them.


    ¡®She is so kind... Mers feels guilty toward her parents who hated her and threw her away.¡¯


    As a child, Mercedes had read her parents¡¯ minds and was shocked and silent. If she hadn¡¯t been silent at that time, wouldn¡¯t her parents have stayed together and her family would¡¯ve been saved?


    Mercedes seemed to think so. The memory of that day was also held in her frozen heart.


    She was indeed a very kind person. He was d that he loved Mercedes. In this frozen world, Grid felt warm. Wasn¡¯t it actually warm?


    ¡®...Warmth?¡¯


    Grid was lost in thought for a while, only to be taken aback. His mind returned and he saw that there was steam everywhere. It was due to the open air hot spring ced alone on the snowy field. It seemed that the heat of the hot spring ounted for a significant portion of the warmth that Grid felt.


    ¡®A hot spring?¡¯


    Why a hot spring all of a sudden? It happened as Grid was cocking his head in confusion...


    -Get on your knees.


    He heard an auditory hallucination again. The auditory hallucinations heard this time resembled Mercedes¡¯ voice. Grid¡¯s gaze turned in the direction of the voice. He could see an ice statue of Mercedes on a throne.


    There was a man kneeling in front of her. It was a man with a crown. It was Grid. To be exact, it was Grid who just established the Overgeared Kingdom.


    It was certain. This Grid wasn¡¯t carved out of ice and was the same as the real person.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was a scene of the first day they met. Grid¡¯s heart was moved.


    ¡®Mercedes also regrets her attitude that day.¡¯


    Mercedes was the number one knight of the empire and she acted for the emperor. She forced Grid, whom she met for the first time, to kneel and ced all types of sins on him. For Grid at that time, it was naturally humiliation and disgrace.


    However, it was now all in the past. It was just a memory. Yet for Mercedes, it remained as a deep regret. She reenacted the events of that day infinitely in her mental world...


    ¡®There is no need for it...¡¯


    He would have to appease Mercedes well. At least regarding the events of that day, he would reassure her that she didn¡¯t have to regret it.


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Grid became resolved, only to cock his head again.


    The statue of Mercedes had red cheeks as she raised her foot to the mouth of the kneeling Grid?


    -Kiss it.


    ¡°......¡±


    Asking for a kiss on the back of her foot? This wasn¡¯t real. The real Mercedes hadn¡¯t done this.


    Kiss.


    The kneeling Grid¡¯s attitude was extremely mild. He obediently kissed Mercedes¡¯ foot.


    -More. More, more.


    Mercedes wasn¡¯t satisfied. She kept her foot outstretched while on his knees, Grid moved like a dog and kissed her ankle, calf, knee, and thigh.


    ¡°It is up to here!¡±


    What was this?


    Grid was mesmerized without understanding the scene that was happening in front of him. Then someone¡¯s cry entered his ears. This time, it was a real voice and not an auditory hallucination. Mercedes jumped out of the hot spring and used all her might to smash the statue that was sitting arrogantly on the throne.


    ¡°Gasp...! Gasp...! T-This...! This!¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ face turned red with agitation and she couldn¡¯t bear to say anything.


    [Mercedes¡¯ mental world, ¡®Frozen World,¡¯ has ovee one regret and has evolved.]


    [The evolution strengthens the debuffs, freezing, and reenactment effects of ¡®Frozen World.¡¯]


    A notification window rose to break the atmosphere.


    ¡°...Congrattions, Mers. It is a good start. Right?¡±


    Grid tried to smile as brightly as possible. A mouse hole appeared in the corner of Mercedes¡¯ mental world.

 Chapter 1808

    Chapter 1808


    The key word running through Mercedes¡¯ mental world was regret. The sights reenacted here were ¡®moments I want to take back¡¯ for her. It was quite unexpected that she picked the day she first met Grid as one of them, but... in any case, Grid wanted to respect Mercedes¡¯ tastes.


    ¡®One day, when I gather all my energy and get to sleep with them again...¡¯


    On that night, he would put a crown on Mercedes¡¯ head and practice a master-servant reversal rtionship. There wasn¡¯t the dignity of the Only One God. Mercedes¡¯s voice permeated Grid¡¯s ears as he made a sincere promise. It was a calm voice without trembling.


    ¡°Thank you. Thanks to My Liege, I was able to develop further.¡±


    The image of Mercedes forcing Grid, who was on his knees and looking like a puppy, to kiss her instep, ankle, calf, thigh, and even higher was gone. Mercedes had smashed it.


    Was that why? The scene from just before seemed to have been deleted from her memory. The evidence was that she spoke calmly, without the slightest sign of embarrassment.


    ¡®Is it a good thing...?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression was subtle as he looked at Mercedes, who had regained herposure. He felt both relieved and sorry. He was willing to match Mercedes¡¯ tastes. In fact, it was a reward for him. He always thought that Mercedes¡¯ slender white feet and ankles were pretty...


    ¡®...Stop.¡¯


    Grid barely blocked his stream of consciousness that kept going astray. He shook off his idle thoughts and spoke calmly, ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything. As always, I admire you for pioneering a new field on your own, Mers. Congrattions.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t bother to mention the scene that Mercedes had seemed to have forgotten about. He acted casually as if he hadn¡¯t seen anything.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    A shadow briefly fell over Mercedes¡¯ face. She couldn¡¯t be happy. Her memories with Grid... no. One delusion was gone forever. It was sad. At best, a new regret was about to grow in the mental world that had erased one regret.


    Grid could feel it. Weren¡¯t they a couple? They always had a rapport and this was Mercedes¡¯ mental world. If Grid couldn¡¯t read her feelings and thoughts in this ce, then it would be a disease beyond the level of tactlessness.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself next time.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Mercedes was puzzled by the words, only to soon turn pale. It was the aftermath of reading the meaning in Grid¡¯s words. It had been devastating that her bad taste was exposed to the person she loved the most in the world.


    Grid felt Mercedes¡¯ mental world shake and urgently continued, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to try it for a long time. That... a kiss on the back of your foot.¡±


    It was only then¡ª


    ¡°...Really?¡± Mercedes¡¯ stiff expression rxed.


    ¡°Of course. Why would I lie to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    Sharing that went beyond a respect for her taste. Wasn¡¯t this a match made in heaven? Mercedes was really d that she fell in love with Grid.


    [The ¡®Sanctuary of Metal¡¯ has assimted with Mercedes¡¯ mental world, ¡®Frozen World.¡¯]


    The unity of their mental worlds was reached.


    What was in the hot spring? It happened while he was trying to identify the picturesque things that could be glimpsed through the thick steam...


    Mercedes was still a bit hesitant to show it, even if they were a match made in heaven. Therefore, she shifted Grid¡¯s attention. ¡°Are we starting now?¡±


    ¡°Uh...? Y-Yes. By the way, what is behind that thick...¡±


    ¡°A weapon that unites me with My Liege. I¡¯m very happy and excited. It''s just like the first night we spent in the mountain range stained with the blood of monsters.¡±


    ¡°So am I. Like that night, I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    The two of them started to concentrate fully. He activated Intent Production and started the production of a new dragon weapon. At the same time, a miraculous scene was created. The surface of the mes in the furnace repeatedly froze and melted.


    It was a cold that froze even the mes. It went against providence. It was a sight that reminded him that the mental world was a space disconnected from reality.


    Taang, taang, taang!


    The chill of Mercedes¡¯ mental world continued to influence Grid¡¯s production. It wasn¡¯t in a positive way. Repeatedly cooling the heated bones and scales of Trauka damaged the surface.


    ¡°Am I just getting in the way?¡± In the end, Mercedes looked worried because she saw it was worse off.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the case. Look at this. Isn¡¯t it as beautiful as a snowke?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened. He was deciding that he had to ept this whole situation fully.


    ¡®This is a result that came from the unity of our mental worlds. This phenomena must be natural and beneficial.¡¯


    In fact, it was hard to see Trauka¡¯s bones and scales that he was tempering as a failure. It was because the form was as beautiful as a work of art. The cracks that urred on the surface of the bones and the scales every time it was damaged by the cold were like snowkes and they even contained a very strong energy. Of course, if he had to make a weapon in this state, then it should be a mace that smashed enemies, not a sword that cut enemies...


    ¡®Mers and a mace. They match well.¡¯


    The legendary knight Mercedes was good at handling all types of weapons. It was different from the swordsmen who were bound by the sword.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid suddenly felt his face be itchy and looked away.


    Mercedes was staring at him with solemn eyes. ¡°Why do I go well with the mace?¡±


    He forgot they were in a state where their mental worlds were united. Currently, Grid and Mercedes were deeply connected. It was to the point where they could read each other¡¯s minds without having to say anything.


    Grid exined calmly, ¡°Look, look. How beautiful would the mace made in this state be? It must feel like holding a pir of red and transparent snowkes in your hands. It will really match Mers¡¯ fair skin.¡±


    ¡°In... deed.¡± Mercedes didn¡¯t bother to imagine herself holding the mace. Grid himself said it would suit her, thus she just nodded in satisfaction. In fact, she thought a mace was good. Most of the other apostles used the sword as their main weapon, so it was necessary to be mindful of cases where they would confront a being who couldn¡¯t be harmed with a sword.


    Grid read her thoughts and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. In particr, Baal is likely to have achieved bing immune to sword damage.¡±


    Baal had already suffered several deaths to Grid. Of course, Grid¡¯s death toll was higher, but Baal was properly hit by Twilight. He wouldn¡¯t want to be cut again. He would properly defend against it.


    ¡°It is safe to say that he must be searching the souls of the dead again and again to be immune to the sword... Huh?¡± Grid exined while tapping on the hammer. Then he stopped talking in a confused manner.


    It was because the fragments of snowkes were being separated from Trauka¡¯s bones and scales as it was being forged into a single weapon. The sharp particles fell off and the weapon being forged had a smooth surface.


    ¡°...In the end, it is more of a sword than a mace.¡±


    It was the moment when Grid corrected his words. The fragments of red snowkes separated from the dragon¡¯s bones and scales and flew toward Mercedes. They slowly rotated and resembled the rings orbiting Saturn.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Mercedes¡¯ eyes, which had been filled with deep lust, suddenly became clear as shemunicated with Grid. The look in the eyes of a noble knight. She seemed to have gained a new enlightenment and the rings rotated, united, and scattered repeatedly while following her movements in the air. They flew to the ¡®sword¡¯ that was ced on the anvil that Grid had stopped hammering. They clung to it like the beginning and took the shape of a mace.


    ¡®It is a bit like Defying the Natural Order in that it can change its shape.¡¯


    It happened as Grid was thinking this...


    Every time a fragment of a red snowke moved, an unexpected object reacted to the rapidly cooled temperature. It was the Heart of the Frost Queen. It started to emanate an unparalleled chill and showed signs of merging with Mercedes¡¯ mental world.


    ¡®Where is it going?¡¯


    Grid naturally blocked it. The Heart of the Frost Queen had a fatal disadvantage in return for its terribly powerful functions. It always radiated a chill that ¡®can¡¯t distinguish between allies and enemies.¡¯ It was a chill that created an ice kingdom that no one else could survive in. To borrow the words of Peak Sword, the Heart of the Frost Queen was the ultimate elixir for making a boss monster.


    This was why it had been sealed in Grid¡¯s inventory, which was currently considered the safest vault in the world. Grid had no intention of allowing this cursed object to invade Mercedes...


    ¡°...Mercedes?¡±


    Grid was heating up the furnace to suppress the Heart of the Frost Queen, only to be flustered. It was because the ring of red snowkes wrapped around the furnace and lowered the heat. As a result, the Heart of the Frost Queen started to beat again.


    Mercedes spoke in a calm tone as if to calm Grid, ¡°This thing. I think I can control it. No, I can digest it.¡±


    The deration that she would control the Heart of the Frost Queen, which even the Red Phoenix was reluctant to do, was great. It could seem very arrogant. However, Mercedes vowed that she would go beyond the level of control and would digest it.


    Could he trust her? If it was someone else, then he naturally wouldn¡¯t have believed it so easily. However, the other person was Mercedes. Grid trusted her unconditionally. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her. She had Keen Insight that even the gods were wary of. A person who could call Grid¡¯s divinity without the permission of Only One God Grid to achieve God''s Descent.


    Mercedes was a woman with somewhat lewd tastes and used the mental world as an outlet for her desires. She was very capable regardless of her taste. Of course, there was no choice but to trust her.


    ¡°Okay. Try it.¡±


    The moment Grid gave his permission...


    Duguen!


    The Heart of the Frost Queen pulse and released the chill that had been lost. It was a chill that stretched throughout Mercedes¡¯ mental world. It had the momentum to dominate Mercedes¡¯ mental world. The momentum didn¡¯tst long.


    Mercedes wrapped the red frost shards in her hands and grabbed the Heart of the Frost Queen. Then the cold air that filled the mental world started to be sucked into Mercedes¡¯ heart.


    It was just like when Grid embraced the Heart of the Red Phoenix.


    Mercedes embraced the Heart of the Frost Queen.


    ¡°...With this.¡± Mercedes¡¯ appearance changed as she let out a cold breath. Her dark blue hair was dyed a clear sky blue and her fair skin became whiter than snow. ¡°My heart also hasn¡¯t stopped.¡±


    [Your Apostle, Mercedes, has absorbed the ¡®Heart of the Frost Queen.¡¯]


    [The forced option effect generated by the ¡®Heart of the Frost Queen¡¯ is controlled ording to Mercedes¡¯ will.]


    [She has a heart that can be restored even if broken. Therefore, she will be resurrected again even if she dies.]


    ¡°We will be together forever.¡±


    A blush spread across Mercedes¡¯ face as she whispered with an ecstatic expression. It was a deep flush with lips that looked particrly red because her skin was too white. Grid got a chill for some reason, but he ignored it. Right now, his joy was the greatest.

 Chapter 1809

    Chapter 1809


    ¡°It looks like there is star candy on it...¡±


    This was the sentiment of Peak Sword. It was while looking at Mercedes¡¯ mace, ¡®Innocent,¡¯ which had beautiful thorns that looked like snow crystals.


    Mercedes cocked her head. Her hair flowed over her corbone and caught people¡¯s attention. Somehow, she looked even more beautiful. She had entered her mental world with just Grid, so people wondered if it was the power of love.


    ¡°What is star candy?¡± Regas asked on behalf of Mercedes.


    Peak Sword shrugged. ¡°People who aren¡¯t Korean citizens might not know. It is a delicacy among the biscuits supplied to the army. It is star-shaped candy made by melting sugar. It is one of the secrets to making the nation rich and its army powerful. It is a traditional treat that boosts the morale of Korean soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Traditional? Isn¡¯t Japan the origin of star candy?¡±


    ¡°...What? Lauel, you have immigrated to Korea, but you are pro-Japanese? If you have to bring up the origin for no reason, Portugal is the origin, not Japan!¡±


    ¡°No, what...¡±


    He was a light novel author, so why did he overreact every time the word Japan was mentioned?


    ¡®Is he worried that the Korean Patriotic Association will be ruined if it is found out that he likes Japan?¡¯


    The Korean Patriotic Association¡ªoriginally, it was just a small gathering, like a group of elderly people in a rural town. It was more like Peak Sword¡¯s business card without any public credibility. Then as Satisfy¡¯s poprity kept growing and Peak Sword became a ranker, the association¡¯s recognition also rose. Once Peak Sword joined the Overgeared Guild, it became one of the representative groups of South Korea. The responsibility of the president, Peak Sword, was also quite heavy...


    ¡®Why was the association created in the first ce?¡¯ Lauel suddenly became curious, but he didn¡¯t bother to ask questions. He was a rational and reasonable person, and wouldn¡¯t waste his energy on worthless things.


    ¡°Anyway... once you check Sariel¡¯s mental world, will the exclusive weapons for the apostles be finished?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will climb the tower after meeting Sariel.¡±


    ¡°Why am I ignored?¡±


    A small head rose between Grid and Lauel as they chatted. It was Nefelina, the daughter of the Insane Dragon. She was polymorphed into the figure of a girl as usual and her cheeks were puffed up like balloons.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you making my weapon?¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Of course it is because... you don¡¯t use weapons, right?¡±


    Grid thought of Nefelina as more of a vehicle. She was just a means to activate the Dragon Knight abilities and he had no intention of putting her on the front lines. The problem was that the level of the enemies Grid had to deal with was too high. As a hatchling, Nefelina was naturally awakened to providence and was often intimidated by the enemies Grid fought. Even if Grid pushed her to fight, she would ignore it and hide. What type of weapon could he make for her?


    ¡®It is a waste of resources.¡¯


    Of course, Nefelina also had times when she fought directly. She helped using magic and Dragon Words, but it was only once in a while. Yes, she didn¡¯t need any weapons.


    ¡°In the first ce, you don¡¯t have a mental world, right?¡±


    In fact, dragons didn¡¯t need a mental world. They were a creature that made whatever they said a reality. There was no need to wish for a miracle. They could do it themselves. There was no reason for their conscious and subconscious to be separated.


    ¡°You know me well.¡± Nefelina¡¯s sulky face brightened like what just happened was a lie. She was d to know that Grid wasn¡¯t neglecting her out of indifference, but because he knew her too well.


    ¡°...Huah?¡±


    Nefelina was smiling when she let out a rather ridiculous gasp. She was surprised by the killing intent that came at apletely unexpected timing. Mercedes was ring at Nefelina like she wanted to kill her.


    ¡°......??¡±


    Dozens of question marks repeatedly appeared and disappeared above the head of the dumbfounded Nefelina.


    Grid was also puzzled. ¡°What? Why are you suddenly acting like you saw your father?¡±


    Did she feel signs of Nevartan¡¯s invasion? Nefelina came to her senses while Grid was looking around their surroundings and she pointed a trembling finger at Mercedes. ¡°S-She...¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± The killing intent in Mercedes¡¯ eyes was erased without a trace. Her friendly smile and the tilting of her head showed that she really didn¡¯t know anything.


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    Nefelina, Grid, and the people around them didn¡¯t understand the situation and were puzzled.


    ¡°I have answered God¡¯s call.¡±


    Then Sariel arrived at the scene. At first, she had a female figure. It was because Grid¡¯s reaction was always bad when Sariel took on a male form. It was because he was too handsome. He used to raise Grid¡¯s vignce due to Grid¡¯s instincts to protect his women. Therefore, Sariel stuck to the female form as much as possible when meeting Grid. Now Sariel naturally changed to a male form.


    His eyes were fixed on Mercedes with some consternation.


    ¡°S-She is crazy,¡± Nefelina interjected.


    She had been staring in a dumbfounded manner at Mercedes. She clearly witnessed the killing intent that appeared in Mercedes¡¯ eyes again the moment Sariel appeared.


    Then Mercedes started smiling again.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°S-She became a monster...!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Nefelina.¡±


    Sariel calmed down Nefelina, who was gradually bing pale. He noticed that Grid and the others weren¡¯t aware of the situation.


    ¡°As you can feel, she has a terrible chill. I remember hearing rumors in the past about the existence of a snow woman with a frozen heart and no emotions. I almost remembered that monstrous being. It is my judgment that it is better not to be involved. It is right to distinguish her as a cold weapon, not an apostle like us.¡±


    Whisper whisper.


    Sariel¡¯s voice was very soft as she whispered in the ears of Nefelina, who was trembling in anger. However, it was a voice that could reach Grid, an Absolute.


    Sariel knew this. The problem was that Mercedes knew it as well. From the moment Sariel brought his mouth to Nefelina¡¯s ear, Mercedes moved her red snowkes to attract people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°There must be a more beautiful concept in Sariel¡¯s mental world, right? Sariel has a good heart, unlike normal angels.¡±


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    The anticipation of the Overgeared members was amplified.


    Innocent¡ªit was more beautiful when it was a mace than when it was a sword. It was because each red crystal clinging to the mace was as pretty as the work of a master craftsman. Some humans with a poor ability to respond to others talked about star candy, but in any case, the snowkes were a concept that bloomed in Mercedes¡¯ mental world. It was a mental world that would be very noble considering Mercedes¡¯ usual image. The weapon had the name Innocent attached to it for a reason.


    Expectations rose that Sariel¡¯s mental world would also produce extremely beautiful results.


    ¡®I hope so.¡¯


    Grid was also full of expectations. In fact, it was more like a wish than an expectation. He didn¡¯t show it, but Grid was very tired after experiencing the mental worlds of the apostles one after another. Most of the mental worlds of the apostles were dark.


    Mercedes¡¯ mental world¡ªfull of pretenses¡ªwas far from bright. There were too many negative emotions that Grid got from interacting with them. Was it like when he thought of Ahyoung¡¯s face and name when he was spacing out in the shower? To be exact, it was himself who proposed to Ahyoung at the sushi restaurant...


    He thought about getting married just because they ate together once...


    ¡°...Shall we start?¡± Grid managed to barely swallow down the scream that almost came out and asked Sariel. Sariel was still in male form, but Grid couldn¡¯t afford to care about this. In the first ce, Sariel was equally beautiful when male and female. It was hard to distinguish unless he looked closely.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sariel nodded. There were no signs of hesitation.


    Grid felt a sensation like his body was floating and a golden wave spread across his field of view.


    Divine clouds¡ªthey were the symbol of Asgard.


    [You have entered Sariel¡¯s mental world, ¡®World of the Unqualified.¡¯]


    ¡°As God knows, my memory isn¡¯t perfect.¡±


    Sariel had suffered from one corruption after another. First, he was expelled from Asgard and disqualified as an angel. Secondly, his memory was sealed and he became a demon, going on a rampage and dying. Thirdly, he lost himselfpletely and spent time in the Abyss. In the process, Sariel¡¯s soul was torn apart several times. There was no way his memory could beplete. Just regaining his original self was in the realm of a miracle.


    ¡°But nevertheless¡ª¡±


    A halo of brilliant light and wings spread out. Sariel¡¯s pupils expanded widely as he stood beside Grid. At the same time, Grid¡¯s field of view also widened. He saw huge shadows lurking beyond the golden clouds. It was the image of the gods.


    ¡°I remember their sins.¡±


    Sariel¡¯s long and thin finger pointed to the highest point.


    ¡°A being who didn¡¯t take responsibility for the lives she made, for the world.¡±


    Next, he pointed below.


    ¡°The one who took advantage of the moment when the highest being turned away and pretended to be noble.¡±


    He moved his finger down again.


    ¡°A stingy being despite holding great authority.¡±


    Down again.


    ¡°The one who reached the point of being too lustful to be unable to discern reason.¡±


    Below again.


    ¡°The one who envies those who should be protected. The greedy one. The angry one.¡±


    Sariel pointed out the images of the seven gods in turn and came to one conclusion.


    ¡°They are all useless. If they don¡¯t correct it, then they aren¡¯t worth existing. However, they¡¯ve already refused to correct it.¡±


    Wicked Eye¡ªSariel¡¯s eyes revealed the target¡¯s sin. The highest god made it so. Yet when Sariel revealed the sins of the gods, the highest god who made Sariel turned away from Sariel, just like she turned away from everything else.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mental world is bright and brilliant only on the outside. It is actually a world full of hatred and resentment.¡±


    ¡°...Why should you be sorry?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face turned white as he smiled bitterly.


    Anger, hatred, resentment,mentation¡ªall sorts of distressed feelings prated his heart, but he didn¡¯t show signs that it was difficult.


    ¡°The shadow of the envious one is hazy. Does it have anything to do with Hexetia being reformed?¡±


    ¡°...Probably. I could feel my body and mind bing lighter when God Hexetia reflected on his sins and followed you down to the Overgeared World.¡±


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯ll do my best for you until I get rid of the other six gods or reform them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? N-No. You don¡¯t have to...¡±


    ¡°No, this is my duty.¡±


    Grid pulled out an anvil and hammer. It was a ce where the imaginary gods created waves of unclean power, so it was particrly painfulpared to the mental worlds of the other apostles. It was to the point where he was certain that any unauthorized person who broke in would surely die. In order to quickly get out of here, Grid hurriedly activated Intent Production.


    ¡°You must have reasonable strength in order to exercise your duty, right?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    The mental worlds of the two people united. It wasn¡¯t until today that the apostles of Grid becameplete. It was to the extent where they could be proud of being apostles of an Only One God in the world.

 Chapter 1810

    Chapter 1810


    Jingle, jingle, jingle...


    Sariel¡¯s exclusive weapon was very different from Grid¡¯s expectations. A chain connected with the halo. To be precise, it was a chain woven by shrinking the halos. It was like a long earring that hung down to the pelvis. Every time Sariel moved, it rang and made a clear friction sound. The sound was too clear to be metallic and it was somewhat like a thunderbolt. He wondered if this was the sound of light colliding.


    [Purified Halos]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: Infinite


    Physical Attack Power/Magic Attack Power: 21,871~???


    ¡ï All stats +500.


    Increases by 100 every time a buff is received. There is a maximum increase of 2,000. It is maintained during the buff duration.


    ¡ï Attack power and magic attack power is increased every time a buff skill is used on yourself or an ally.


    ¡ï Each halo can ¡®expand¡¯ and ¡®copse.¡¯ Depending on the size of the halo, the power and effect of ¡®Punishment Ray¡¯ will change.


    ¡ï The skill ¡®Criminal Restrain¡¯ is avable


    The halos of an angel, made by Only One God Grid in a state of mental world unity with Sariel, the angel who reveals sin.


    The bones and scales that contain Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s intent have been tempered with Sariel¡¯s divinity.


    It is a divinity that is contaminated with deep distrust and resentment, but was purified by the trust they had in Grid. Unlike the divinities handled by the celestial gods, it is pure and optimized for blessings.


    However, the moment when the crimes of the targets defined as enemies are revealed, it will suddenly change and exert strong killing power.


    Conditions of Use: Sariel, Grid.


    Weight: None.]


    ¡°It is as pretty as your heart.¡±


    Honestly, in terms of beauty, it was the best of all the works Grid had made. The pure admiration made Sariel hesitate a bit out of the thought that Mercedes might have apetitive spirit if she saw this. It was because Sariel felt this was an atmosphere where it would be right to have a female appearance.


    It was an obvious misunderstanding. Grid had a number of wives and lovers, but it wasn¡¯t because he was blinded by lust. They just shared pure love. Perhaps it was the result of trying to respect the other person¡¯s feelings. In technical terms, it meant, ¡®I didn¡¯t stop the women froming.¡¯ There were too many rtionships involved to prevent it.


    For example, Irene¡¯s rtionship with Basara was politically intertwined. Of course, that was just how it started. Grid loved his wives wholeheartedly. He wasn¡¯t just falling in love out of courtesy. All of them were so charming that they naturally fell in love over the years.


    Sariel was also aware of the situation. This was why Sariel, who hated the lustful celestial sinner, trusted Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sariel¡¯s mental world was a bit overwhelming for Grid to handle.


    The virtual divinities lurking in the fictional Asgard¡ªthere was a lot of pressure even though he knew it was fake, not real. If Sariel¡¯s enemies ever set foot in here¡ª


    In particr, if the protagonists of the fictional divinities stepped inside here, they would probably be in a lot of trouble.


    ¡®I can put Sariel on the battlefield in the future, so it will be a great help.¡¯


    The system expressed that Sariel¡¯s divinity was purified. There was plenty of room for interpretation that there was no possibility of running wild even if Sariel left the Overgeared World. In fact, he checked Sariel¡¯s status window and the warning of the risk of running wild was no longer present. It felt like he had won thousands of troops and horses.


    Grid smiled with satisfaction as he returned to reality once again. The people who were waiting were stunned. They were dazzled by the chain of light that swayed as it connected to the halo that hovered above Sariel¡¯s head.


    ¡°It is like an essory woven with light. It is definitely prettier than star candy... Cough.¡±


    Themotion grew as Pon¡¯s spear mmed into the side of Peak Sword, who was speaking nonsense.


    ¡°You are heading to the tower, right?¡± Jishuka asked while tidying up Grid¡¯s clothes. They were reminiscent of a couple, but for some reason, Mercedes¡¯ animosity wasn¡¯t directed at her. Nefelina¡¯s cheeks swelled up like a balloon.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know about the other members, but Biban and Hayate¡¯s mental worlds definitely exist.¡±


    ¡°Travel safely. In the meantime, we will study as much as possible on how to open up the mental world.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to rush. You can use normal dragon weapons until you open up the mental world. They are powerful enough.¡±


    Defying the Natural Order and the apostles¡¯ exclusive weapons were really powerful, but Twilight was still one of the strongest weapons.


    Of course, ordinary dragon weapons that couldn¡¯t use Greed as a material should be regarded as weapons below the level of Twilight. However, if they were all made into growth items, then it was expected that they would be on the same level in the future.


    The individuality of the Overgeared members was that outstanding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t dy. He went straight to the Tower of Wisdom.


    Hayate and Biban¡ªin terms of force, they could be evaluated as unique ¡®humans¡¯parable to the current Grid. Developing them was an important task even in the context of human history. It was a duty that Grid must be responsible for. Apart from this duty, he also had a strong curiosity. Grid was so curious about how strong they could be that he couldn¡¯t sleep properly for days.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    Grid had the honorary position of the 10th Seat. The location of the Tower of Wisdom was alwaysmunicated in real time and he could freely enter and exit.


    ¡°Why do you have toe to greet me? Are you treating me like a guest?¡±


    Gridughed as he watched Biban running out with socks on. Of course, the expression ¡®run out¡¯ wasn¡¯t urate. He obtained the status of Sword God that had never existed before and his feet didn¡¯t touch the ground. He floated in the air. It was one of the miracles performed by the sword energy that was always active.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be rude if a family member came and I didn¡¯t greet them?¡±


    Likewise, there was excitement in Biban¡¯s eyes as he answered with a smile. His eyes were full of the experience and wisdom umted over the years. It made Grid want to rely on it.


    [The swords you possess are responding to Sword God Biban.]


    [Biban¡¯s sword energy is caressing the swords.]


    [The spirits of the swords you own have be sharper. The chances of a beneficial effect urring increases with the weapon¡¯s attack power.]


    [The ego of the ¡®Fire Dragon Sword¡¯ has fallen into ecstasy. It is further enhanced.]


    ¡®...I really have to rely on him.¡¯


    During the time when Grid was admiring the Sword God¡¯s ¡®passive skill,¡¯ Defying the Natural Order in the inventory seemed to flinch and floated into the air on its own without Grid¡¯s permission. Biban¡¯s will made it this way.


    The smile on Biban¡¯s face gradually deepened as he examined Defying the Natural Order that floated right in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ve captured yourself in this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was possible thanks to the help of God Hexetia and Khan.¡±


    ¡°It is a precious rtionship. Be good to them.¡±


    Just as I promised I would be good to you.


    Biban swallowed down these words and led the nodding Grid to the top floor of the tower. This was where Hayate¡¯s office was located.


    ¡®He is still the same even though he is on the same level as Hayate.¡¯


    Biban had great respect for Hayate, who was older than him. He took it for granted that Hayate would have a conversation with Grid before he did.


    He thought it was just that.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Grid¡¯s brow furrowed the moment he got closer to Hayate¡¯s office. There was a magic power so strong that even the tower¡¯s barriers couldn¡¯tpletely hide it despite being able to deceive even a dragon¡¯s senses. It wasn¡¯t until he got close enough that there was only a single door in between them that he sensed the ominous magic power.


    ¡®How did someone invade this ce?¡¯


    No, he didn¡¯t wonder how. He wondered what type of guts this person had. It was the moment when Grid pulled out Defying the Natural Order and squeezed it.


    ¡°Gasp.¡± The sound of someone¡¯s gasps came from beyond the door. It was a voice familiar to Grid. The voice belonged to the owner of the ominous magic power.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Biban patted Grid on the shoulder and slowly opened the door.


    ¡°You have be more prominent.¡±


    Hayate stood up from his seat and gave his usual greeting. It wasn¡¯t just a polite greeting. Grid¡¯s reputation was rising day by day. So for Hayate, he tried to carefully chose the most suitable greeting but the content of the greeting was always the same.


    Grid bowed respectfully to him and slowly raised his head. It was from the feet to the face of the man sitting opposite Hayate. He examined this person clearly without blinking once.


    It was a man whose hair¡ªck enough to swallow up light¡ªhung down to his waist. He had the name ¡®Bunhelier¡¯ above his head. As Grid sensed, it was Evil Dragon Bunhelier. The difference was that his face was whiter than before.


    ¡°You, what guts do you have to aim at the tower...?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t look down on Bunhelier. He was inferior to other Old Dragons because he fell into Baal¡¯s trap, but he was still an Old Dragon. He didn¡¯t want to run into Bunhelier as much as possible. However, he was also the only one among the Old Dragons that he judged as ¡®must be killed.¡¯ It was impossible to let such an unpredictable viin live for Nefelina¡¯s sake and for the sake of world order and security.


    Additionally, this was the Tower of Wisdom. There were two Absolutes next to him that he could carry out a joint attack with. Grid saw a golden opportunity and was about to release killing intent.


    ¡°Look at this first.¡± Then Bunhelier pointed to his neck. His long, white neck was shackled with something akin to a dog cor.


    Bunhelier was confident. ¡°I didn¡¯t invade, I was captured. You can calm down, Only One God Grid.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    What made him so confident?


    Just as Grid¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t able to keep up with the flow of events, Hayate and Biban exined it to him.


    ¡°He surrendered himself and expressed the desire to cooperate with the defeat of Baal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you also expected to coborate with Bunhelier. It is right to say that your prediction came true in a pretty ridiculous form.¡±


    ¡°...Why didn¡¯t youe to me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this ce the Overgeared World just like Reinhardt? It just happened like this.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t go to Reinhardt because he was afraid of Trauka¡¯s endless energy that he sensed... Bunhelier was unable to confess honestly and his anxious eyes briefly nced at Defying the Natural Order. It contained faint astonishment like it was an unbelievable sight.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s start negotiating.¡±


    Finally, the impatient Bunhelier urged.


    Hayate and Biban looked at Grid. Of course, the main protagonist of the negotiations had to be Grid. Yet contrary to his expectations, Grid shook his head. ¡°There will be no negotiation.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Bibanughed like he was having fun, while Hayate cocked his head.


    ¡°...Why?!¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s eyes widened and he jumped out of his seat. His face was shocked, as if he had been shocked by lightning and electrocuted.


    Grid exined, ¡°I judged that I can kill Baal without your help. I don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡±


    Bunhelier burst out in a dismayed manner.

 Chapter 1811

    Chapter 1811


    ¡®Of course, I don¡¯t intend to go against Bunhelier.¡¯


    Those who knew about the Old Dragons often criticized Bunhelier severely. Putting aside Bunhelier¡¯s weakening in front of Baal, there was an atmosphere of evaluating his natural authority itself as substandard. However, this was just a perception among Absolutes. Even the Absolutes who rated Bunhelier low hadn¡¯t been able to do anything about him so far.


    The Old Dragon in front of him, who seemed to have been arbitrarily escorted to the tower by the tower members, was one of the monsters that survived safely from the beginning to now despite all types of resentments. Just because Bunhelier was making various expressions like a human didn¡¯t mean he should be treated as a human, as if he was an insignificant being.


    The moment it happened, Dragon yer Hayate sent a warning.


    -We might not be able to bear it even if the three of us work together to suppress him. If it was possible, I can assure you that Bunhelier would¡¯ve already died in the distant past.


    Hayate used an extremely respectful expression while whispering in a tone that only Grid could hear. It wasn¡¯t done consciously. It happened on his own because he felt respect for Grid.


    -Bunhelier either has unknown means, or the hierarchy of Old Dragons is greater than what we¡¯ve experienced. It will be one of these two.


    Of course, he immediately changed his tone when Grid showed signs of difort. It also meant that he was only able to talk without honorifics when he was conscious of it.


    -Are you saying there is no benefit in being hostile to him?


    -That¡¯s right. It isn¡¯t just because we are afraid. It is because we have so many things to carry.


    Let¡¯s give a simple example. Even if the three of them fought Bunhelier here and won, there was no guarantee that they could stop Bunhelier from escaping. It was fundamentally impossible to prevent the rampaging Bunhelier from devastating the continent in real time.To add some exaggeration, how could they respond to the magic bombardment of the Old Dragon that ¡®crosses the continent with one p of its wings?¡¯ Except for some areas protected by the Overgeared World, most areas would disappear from the map that day.


    -That leash was made by Bunhelier himself.


    Biban inferred the contents of the conversation between Grid and Hayate and interjected to add.


    Grid nodded.


    -I don¡¯t intend to be hostile in the first ce. I just want to get the upper hand in this rtionship.


    It was only half true that Bunhelier was unnecessary in defeating Baal.


    First of all, Grid wasn¡¯t able to urately estimate Baal¡¯s current level of power.


    Yura¡¯s regr reports revealed that Baal had mastered several new skills, including the energy of a God Killer, and the ability to move endlessly in all directions. However, Grid judged that Baal wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the joint attacks of Grid, the apostles, and the tower members.


    He was confident that he could kill Baal hundreds or thousands of times even without Bunhelier¡¯s help. In the process of these countless deaths, it was also calcted that using the epics would erase the root of fear that humanity harbored toward Baal. But if Baal became stronger than expected or he had a number of hidden trump cards... at worst, he might¡¯vepleted Asura.


    At that time, Grid would definitely need Bunhelier¡¯s help.


    ¡®Bunhelier¡¯s specialty is magic. Even if he is weakened in hell, he is likely to have amazing synergy with Braham.¡¯


    It was okay for Grid to simply board him. After all, the effect of riding Bunhelier was greater than riding Nefelina. Of course, Nefelina was a one minute supercar, but Bunhelier was a high-end hypercar. He was a bit aged whenpared to the other Old Dragons, who were thetest high-end hypercars, but he was still much better than Nefelina.


    ¡®...Saying this makes Nefelina seem useless, but that isn¡¯t the case. No matter how good the rental car is, my own car is the best.¡¯


    Above all, Nefelina could speak short butplete Dragon Words. At least in terms of Dragon Words, she might be better than Bunhelier.


    ¡®Is this right?¡¯


    Pity shed in Grid¡¯s eyes as he looked at Bunhelier. It was a feeling that came momentarily and disappeared, but Bunhelier didn¡¯t miss it and captured it.


    ¡°What? Are you really mocking me right now?¡±


    Bunhelier was in a position where Baal had to be destroyed. There was a feeling that he would be reduced to a dog shackled by Baal if he couldn¡¯t ovee the curse. That couldn¡¯t happen. It was naturally right to cooperate with Grid, who was equally hostile to Baal. It was based on the judgment that there would be a possibility of taking Baal¡¯s infinite life if they joined forces.


    He didn¡¯t want to be Grid¡¯s enemy as much as possible. It was a thought he had since they fought in hell together. Therefore, Bunhelier gave Grid the respect he deserved. It was to the point where he praised Grid as great while the world was watching.


    Yet Grid was arrogantly making fun of him. It wasn¡¯t enough to refuse cooperation. He also sent Bunhelier a pitying gaze. As could be seen from that low ranking man over there...


    ¡°You¡¯ve be very arrogant. Is it some type of defense mechanism? You want to conceal your humble birth by insulting a higher being than yourself?¡±


    Despite his temper, Bunhelier was now aware that he was making a mistake. However, he was an Old Dragon. He was in a regrettable position, but his hierarchy meant he couldn¡¯t bear the humiliation.


    Grid saw Bunhelier growing increasingly angry and first tried to calm his mood.


    -It is a misunderstanding. Putting aside the fact that your strength is unnecessary to kill Baal, I don¡¯t underestimate you. Why is it that you are unnecessary even when I clearly know that you are stronger than all of us in the first ce? It is because I don¡¯t need to use a cow knife to kill chickens. Can¡¯t you put it this way?


    ck eyes with orange divinity hovering in the center¡ªGrid stared at Bunhelier with deep and mysterious eyes while seeking the advice of Lauel and Huroi.


    After a short period of time, he opened his mouth, ¡°Evil Dragon Bunhelier.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a very poor position to call yourself noble? The only ones who fear you right now are humanity. If the worldes to an end and all of humanity dies. You must know that you will be nothing at that time, right?¡±


    ¡°You...! You are crazy...!¡±


    ¡°No, it is a terrible reality for you. You weren¡¯t able to handle Nevartan, who has already gone mad, and you have be even weaker because of Baal. Do you think the demons of hell and the celestial gods will respect you properly? From the moment you coborated with Baal, you would¡¯ve been branded as a ck sheep by the other Old Dragons... keep this in mind. You are a piece of trash right now. You wouldn¡¯t be able to have any prestige without humanity who fears you because you are a dragon.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯splexion, which had started to turn red, returned to white. He couldn¡¯t find any words to refute it. He controlled his mind the moment he acknowledged the situation.


    An Old Dragon¡¯s mental spirit was indeed transcendent.


    ¡°We are in an awkward position to cooperate with you. At best, cooperating with you to invade hell again? Even though you lose most of your power in hell? It would just be raising the morale of Baal and the demons as they wonder how bad our situation is to rely on you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    From now on, should he be strict to stop those guys from harming humans?


    Bunhelier seriously pondered this while Grid¡¯s criticism continued.


    ¡°It is the seed that you have sown. After repeated deception and ridicule without respect for others, you have be lonely. There is no one in the world to help when you are weak.¡±


    ¡°I fully understand your intention of not wanting to cooperate, so do it in moderation. There are limitations to what I will listen to.¡±


    ¡°But only one person.¡±


    Now¡ª


    Grid embraced the spirit of craftsmanship, just like when he was making items. He connected every word perfectly through Lauel¡¯s wisdom and Huroi¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Only I am willing to help you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s eyes sharpened at the unexpected words. He was clearly suspicious and wary.


    ¡°Of course. It is because you respected me.¡±


    When Bunhelier praised Grid as great, faint Dragon Words emerged. The world identified the protagonist of that moment as Grid. It was proof that Bunhelier¡¯s words were sincere. Bunhelier himself knew it best. Therefore, at this moment, he no longer doubted Grid¡¯s words.


    ¡°Bunhelier, make me a promise if you want to join the Baal subjugation expedition and end Baal¡¯s life without fail. In the future, you will also truly respect the things we are trying to protect, just as you do me and my colleagues. If you don¡¯t deceive us, we will be on your side. So it won¡¯t be a loss.¡±


    ¡°...Is that all?¡±


    The doubts that Bunhelier had erased were rekindled.


    ¡°Respect you, your colleagues, and humanity, and that is enough for me to cooperate with you?¡±


    Grid hadn¡¯t always fought and won. At times, he persuaded others with words and emotions. Based on this, he built up his power. The emotions came from Grid¡¯s heart while the words usually came from Lauel¡¯s head and Huroi¡¯s mouth. Grid coborated with the two of them and was invincible in a slightly different way.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible to convince an Old Dragon, who became lonely after repeated bad decisions due to his innate evil nature. Of course, it was possible because Grid was the Dragon Knight. Dragon Knight originated from the wishes of Fire Dragon Ifrit and was the only being worthy of being the object of desire of a dragon.


    ¡°Yes, the whole world might deny you, but I think differently. Just as you told me I am great, I also think you are great. Even if cooperating with you does more harm than good, I want to be with you out of respect for you.¡±


    ¡°...I see, thank you.¡±


    ¡®How absurd.¡¯


    Biban, who had been watching the situation with interest, smiled nkly. Bunhelier was the one who approached like his cooperation was an honor. Yet his position changed in an instant. He was expressing his gratitude and believed that cooperating with Grid was possible purely thanks to Grid¡¯s goodwill.


    It was an unbelievable sight even when he saw it with his own eyes. It was an opportunity to once again realize the power of the Dragon Knight.


    [Evil Dragon Bunhelier has unfamiliar feelings toward you. They are feelings he still can¡¯t admit.]


    -You¡¯ve solved it well.


    -It is thanks to you.


    -You are being too modest.


    Grid, Lauel, and Huroi exchanged whispers and praised each other.


    ¡°I... I want to gather my thoughts a bit. I want to be here alone for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you another room so you can rx.¡±


    ¡°No, it is a waste of time to move. I actually feel like I¡¯m wasting my time... I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever experienced this before. It is very interesting...¡±


    ¡°...Understood.¡± Hayate slowly nodded. In this atmosphere, it was a bit embarrassing to tell him to go somewhere else because this was his office.


    ¡°It is perfect timing. We needed to move locations.¡±


    At the very least, Grid¡¯s words wereforting.

 Chapter 1812

    Chapter 1812


    Grid moved locations and revealed the reason why he came.


    ¡°Intent Production...¡±


    The faces of Hayate and Biban were filled with admiration as they listened carefully. Battle gear made using the body of an Old Dragon as the material¡ªno matter how many destroyed worlds they looked back on, Twilight was the first one. Before Twilight, such battle gear had never existed and couldn¡¯t exist.


    However, he intended to create a more powerful weapon than Twilight. It was by adding the mental worlds of the creator and user as better materials. In theory, it was the ultimate battle gear.


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it. But Sir Hayate doesn¡¯t need a sword or armor.¡±


    Biban looked rather sorry.


    The Dragon Killing Sword¡ªit was Hayate¡¯s weapon that the entire dragon species was wary of, but it was a concept rather than real. It originated from Hayate¡¯s mental world and responded to the will of its master in real time, bing a sword that could kill enemies or armor to protect its master.


    ¡°My mental world doesn¡¯t match a dragon weapon in the first ce.¡±


    The biggest feature and strength of the Dragon Killing Sword was that it erased the power of a dragon. It waspletely different from the dragon weapon and armor that embodied the power of a dragon. There would naturally be a collision. The dragon weapon held and wielded by Hayate would instantly be reduced to merely ¡®good sword.¡¯


    Of course, if he suppressed the energy of a Dragon yer when wielding a dragon weapon, he could unleash its full power, but the Hayate who didn¡¯t use the energy of a Dragon yer was no longer a Dragon yer. Many of his inherent strengths would be lost.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the cksmith¡¯s ability to supplement and improve the item ording to the client¡¯s circumstances? Armor. Leave it to me to at least make armor.¡±


    In fact, Grid didn¡¯t necessarily want to make a sword for Hayate.He had already witnessed the power of the Dragon Killing Sword many times and received its help. Why be insistent on making a weapon that would rece the Dragon Killing Sword? It was impossible unless he had courage that came out of ignorance.


    Of course, he was motivated to make a weapon that could be used with the Dragon Killing Sword rather than recing it, but at a certain point, even this faded away. It was from the point where he spected that the dragon weapon and Hayate would have a badpatibility. When he thought about Hayate¡¯s weapon in the first ce, Hayate was already using the Dragon Killing Sword. It would be a waste of energy to worry about it.


    However, he couldn¡¯t give up when it came to armor. There was a definite limit to the self-defense force created by the Dragon yer energy. This was a fact that Kraugel found by watching the videos recorded when he fought with Hayate and Marie Rose against Bunhelier.


    First, the energy of the Dragon Killing Sword weakened whenever Hayate used it for self-defense. It was a situation that urred because the energy of a Dragon yer that was concentrated on the sword was distributed.


    Secondly, there was a limit to the strength of the self-defense, even at the expense of the Dragon Killing Sword. It was spected that it was because he used the energy that was being divided up in the first ce, but the self-defense ability was unlikely to improve significantly even if Hayate poured all his energy into it.


    ¡®If Hayate is confident in the Dragon yer energy armor... he wouldn¡¯t have needed to be afraid of dragons for so long.¡¯


    Hayate was an Absolute, but he was also pure human. He was a very great man deserving of more respect, but he had the limitation that he couldn¡¯t be free from death.


    A Dragon yer¡ªthis was why he had been hiding despite being the only one with this identity in the world. He was iplete. Behind the imperfection was a low survival ability.


    ¡°I want to free you from the threat of death in some small way.¡±


    Of course, Grid couldn¡¯t make armor that made a target invincible or immortal. However, he was able to make armor that would make the enemy wonder, ¡®Is that a cockroach?¡¯


    He learned from Hexetia and Khan. The technique that purely used the heat of the me to divide Trauka¡¯s scales into hundreds or thousands of strands and then weaved them together. This new technology was currently concentrated in the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor that Grid was currently wearing.


    ¡®The key isn¡¯t to melt the scales slowly, but to create a high enough heat to break them in an instant.¡¯


    The moment the explosive firepower broke scales like ss, the cells in the scales became rigid at once and became even harder. It took a high degree of concentration, quickness, and dexterity to weave the hard strands of scales that had been thinly ¡®torn¡¯ along the grain before they hardened or burned out. This caused even Hexetia to lose dozens of scales in the process. In the end, hepleted the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor with the help of Grid and Khan, but...


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    Grid decided that he could do it all on his own. He believed in the effect of Dragon Knight, which tripled all stats.


    That¡¯s right. In the Dragon Knight state, Grid also had his dexterity tripled. It clearly transcended the dexterity of Hexetia, the God of cksmiths. It was possible for him to do the part of three people alone. He also had a separate insurance policy.


    The experience ofpleting ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor¡¯ once was saved in ¡®Item Auto Production.¡¯ If even a triple increase in his dexterity failed to weave the scales of Trauka together, he would be able to solve the situation by shortening the time using Item Auto Production from time to time.


    Of course, this was the next best option. The item would be lessplete from the time he used Auto Production.


    ¡®The simple way is to invite Hexetia.¡¯


    The mental world was the inner heart of the person. It contained too many things. Looking at it from a narrow perspective, it could be expressed as a person¡¯s shame, but it was more urate to say that it was everything. Therefore, it was a lethal move.


    Opening up the mental world to the enemy¡ªit was a manifestation of their determination to kill the target without fail. Every time Grid entered the mental worlds of his apostles, he politely asked for understanding because he knew it was very disrespectful. In the end, stepping into Hayate¡¯s mental world was a huge burden for Grid.


    Asking him to let Hexetia inside as well? No matter the reason, it didn¡¯t make sense. From Hayate¡¯s perspective, what reason did he have to believe in aplete stranger?


    ¡®I will blow away all the good feelings I¡¯ve built up.¡®


    ...In any case.


    ¡°I understand... I am honored by your kindness and gratefully ept it.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s permission was given. Armor that made him no longer rely on the Dragon yer energy armor¡ªthis was what Hayate wanted more than anyone else. Besides, he respected and trusted Grid. He didn¡¯t hesitate to open the mental world to Grid. There was only one problem.


    ¡°Just be careful. It won¡¯t be easy for you to deal with my mental world.¡±


    ¡°I am determined.¡±


    Hayate once bestowed infinite sword energy on Grid. It was sword energy from Hayate¡¯s mental world. However, now he knew. The fact that even that infinite sword energy was only a part of Hayate¡¯s mental world.


    Grid was certain that there must be a dragon in Hayate¡¯s mental world. He just couldn¡¯t guess what form it would take. This was the background behind his judgment of being able to activate Dragon Knight within Hayate¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®I can survive in any situation if I activate Dragon Knight.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s hair started to flutter. His orange divinity fluttered along with it, making Grid¡¯s neat ck hair look like naturally colored long hair. It was due to the wave of sword energy overflowing with Hayate as its source. The wave of infinite sword energy, like the sea, filled and shook the spacious room before he knew it.


    It happened the moment when Grid captured the energy of a Dragon yer lurking beyond the waves...


    [You have entered Hayate¡¯s mental world ¡®Dragon¡¯s Tomb.¡¯]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Fire Dragon Sword¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Gujel¡¯s Dao¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of ¡®Twilight¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Defying the Natural Order¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Fire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s Arm¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Cloaked Dragon Cranbel¡¯s Head¡¯ are sealed.]


    [Some of the effects of the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor¡¯ are sealed...]


    ......


    ...


    The scenery seen by Grid changed at once. At the same time, numerous notification windows disturbed Grid¡¯s vision. It was more like a red warning light. The effects of all items rted to dragons had been disabled. The mental world of the Dragon yer didn¡¯t allow the power of a dragon.


    It was amazing... it was a mental world filled with power he couldn¡¯t believe even after experiencing it directly. He was keenly aware of why so many dragons were obsessed with Hayate.


    Kurarararara!


    A mountain range with endless high peaks. What he saw below the mountains wasn¡¯t the ground, but clouds. It was a high and narrow terrain that daoist immortals like Yeo Yn came to when training. Somewhere there, a dragon¡¯s cry could be heard faintly.


    Grid shifted the direction of his gaze. He saw the shadow of a huge dragon thatpletely covered one side of the sky at a distance so far away that it was hard to judge the distance. It was a scene of it being suppressed and beheaded. The Dragon yer energy that took the shape of a straw cutter cut through the long, thick neck of the dragon. The dragon¡¯s head soon regenerated as it screamed and the reloaded straw cutter repeated the same task.


    There were no feelings of killing intent or hatred. It just felt very mechanical.


    ¡°Duty... is it the duty of a Dragon yer?¡¯


    The dragon killing simtion that repeated infinitely to withstand the pressure.


    Kurarararara...


    Grid tried to interpret the meaning of the distant sight when a new cry came from another ce. Grid¡¯s gaze followed the sound. He saw the shadows of many dragons.


    The shadows filled every corner of the sky. They were all being ughtered in different ways. The screams were so horrible that Grid felt like he was being constricted in this mental world.


    ¡®No¡­ it isn¡¯t just a feeling.¡¯


    Dragon¡¯s Tomb¡ªHayate¡¯s mental world denied Grid. To be precise, it was a denial of Dragon Knight. The source of the mental world showed signs of being antagonistic to Grid and suppressed him. If Hayate wasn¡¯t by his side, the energy of the Dragon yer that was shing at the shadowy dragons would¡¯ve poured down on Grid all at once.


    In reality¡ª


    [The title ¡®Dragon Knight¡¯ is sealed.]


    Even the effect of Dragon Knight was sealed.


    ¡°What can I do to help?¡± Hayate asked after calming down the Dragon yer energy that started to fluctuate wildly.


    Grid barely managed to answer, ¡°Just... please stay still.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s Intent Production that he did with the apostles was naturally assisted by the apostles. It was to smelt and temper Trauka¡¯s bones and scales using the energy that made up the apostles¡¯ mental world. However, it was right to handle Hayate¡¯s mental world differently.


    Smelting and tempering Trauka¡¯s bones and scales with the energy of a Dragon yer That would be destruction, not creation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t making it together if he didn¡¯t receive Hayate¡¯s help.


    ¡°Just stay still for now... once I ask you...¡±


    Grid made a thorough n. Rather than smelting and tempering Trauka¡¯s bones and scales with the energy of a Dragon yer, he nned to treat them as if they were bones and scales so that he could umte and utilize them as parts of the armor. He also nned to activate the power of Dragon Knight when he created the armor...


    However, things were twisted from the start.


    Dragon Knight was sealed...


    ¡°As expected... are you very ufortable...?¡± Hayate carefully asked Grid, who was so flustered that he couldn¡¯t speak properly.


    He predicted this situation and was very worried about Grid.


    ¡°That... wait?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Grid was about to exin his position only to suddenlye up with an idea.


    ¡®Tearing apart Trauka¡¯s scales. I don¡¯t have to do it myself, do I?¡¯


    A way to solve the underlying problem came to mind.


    ¡°Hayate.¡±


    ¡°Yes. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can you use the Dragon Killing Sword to seal the power of an Old Dragon with a single blow?¡±


    ¡°That is impossible. The hierarchy of an Old Dragon is much higher than mine. It will take sufficient preliminary work to properly apply the energy of a Dragon yer. It is in such a way as to injure the target¡¯s body or to cause a mental blow.¡±


    ¡°Then can you please attack this?¡±


    Grid pulled out Trauka¡¯s scale.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Dragon yer energy that filled the mental world reacted to Hayate¡¯s will at once. It immediately took the form of a lightning bolt and struck Trauka¡¯s scale that was ced on therge anvil.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    A smile spread on Grid¡¯s face as he identified the way that Trauka¡¯s scale was terribly split.

 Chapter 1813

    Chapter 1813


    The reason why a dragon couldn¡¯t be raided even with arge number of transcendents gathered was because the dragon¡¯s absolute defense and scales couldn¡¯t be prated. The fight itself couldn¡¯t be established because they couldn¡¯t inflict damage.


    ¡®It is a terrifying power.¡¯


    In that sense, Hayate was a different person.


    A Dragon yer¡ªthe Dragon Killing Sword that Hayate created could easily break the dragon¡¯s absolute defense and split apart its scales. The scales of an Old Dragon were no exception. There was no need to form the Dragon Killing Sword. His will trembled like a lightning bolt and the energy of a Dragon yer tore Trauka¡¯s scales to shreds. To be precise, it was the ¡®scale that came off Trauka¡¯s body¡¯ and he had to take into ount that this was Hayate¡¯s mental world.


    It was still great even when considering these things. It was all the more so considering that when Grid first smelted Trauka¡¯s scales, he needed the help of the mes of Hexetia and the Red Phoenix.


    ¡®It looks like a pine cone squid... Shit.¡¯


    This was Grid, who hadughed when Peak Sword saw Innocent, Mercedes¡¯ exclusive weapon, and said that it looked like star candy. He had asked, ¡®Is this the only way you can express it?¡¯


    So at this moment, his pride was hurt even more. Trauka¡¯s scale that was torn apart by the energy of a Dragon yer looked like the pine cone squid in jjamppong.


    ¡®The power was stronger than necessary. It is fortunate that the unique attributes of the scales weren¡¯t destroyed, but...¡¯


    ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°No. It is hard to make armor in this state.¡±


    Of course, he could make it. However, itcked practicality. Above all, it was somewhat ugly in appearance.


    ¡°Maybe the strength... Um...¡±


    ¡°Should I increase it?¡±


    ¡°...No. Please lower it. Only 20%...¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the maximum power? The astonished Grid ced a new scale on the anvil and asked again.


    ¡°I understand. I will try.¡± Hayate nodded and closed his eyes like he was meditating. His breathing changed. The Dragon yer energy that responded to him also slowed down and faded. Then the scale on the anvil shook violently. It was due to the Dragon yer energy that fell the moment Hayate opened his eyes. It was once again torn apart.


    ¡°A little weaker, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Weak. Weaker, even weaker. Don¡¯t set the striking point in the center and raise it diagonally 5 cm upwards. This is the center of the ¡®grain.¡¯ Yes, the power should be the same as it was a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit better, but it is still vague...¡±


    ¡°This ¡®tearing¡¯ is a result achieved through the form of a lightning bolt, but... would you rather a different form?¡±


    ¡°No. It is very good right now. Is it possible to hit multiple points at the same time? Oh, as expected of Hayate! I¡¯ll check the location separately. It¡¯s good! This is it! Let¡¯s go in this direction!¡±


    It took so much time that it was hard to be aware of it. It was work to obtain the results of smelting and tempering purely through ¡®striking.¡¯ Naturally, it wasn¡¯t easy and there were more things to coordinate than expected. Dozens of trials and errors were repeated.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s it! It is a sess!¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    There was nothing sweeter than a reward for hard work. Moreover, making battle gear was apletely different world for Hayate. He was very impressed that he had yed a part in the process.


    The scale of the Old Dragon was torn to pieces along the grain and intertwined like thread. It was what the greatest Only One God in the world wanted and he made this amazing result with his own hands... It was a very mysterious and emotional experience.


    ¡°The standards aren¡¯t consistent. I think I have to try it again and again...¡±


    Hayate¡¯s personality was revealed. Far from rejoicing in the sess he finally tasted, he tried to find ws and improve it.


    Grid shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t something to be sorry for. Rather, this is better.¡±


    Armor wasn¡¯t a rectangr object. It had to be made ording to the human body. Naturally, the length and thickness of each part were different.


    ¡°Long and short, thick and thin. It can be used in many ways. It is a great material in this state. Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Grid opened the Sanctuary of Metal to form the unity of mental worlds and started his work in earnest.


    Hayate¡¯s blue eyes, as transparent and clear as a bead, gradually colored with interest. The process of repeatedly waving, cutting, and adding the threaded scales happening at Grid¡¯s fingertips seemed miraculous to him. Before he knew it, the thread had be the framework of his armor. Trauka¡¯s leather was used as the inner lining and an exoskeleton was added to it.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s divinity wasn¡¯t even moving. It was stiff like a statue, as if representing the heart of its master who was only focused. Nevertheless, the eyes of the ¡®Yellow Dragon¡¯ continued to move from side to side and looked around. It looked like a living creature. It was very strange.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t just a form of divinity...?¡¯


    The energy of a Dragon yer that Hayate handled right now could take all sorts of forms. It was also easy to take the form of a dragon. However, making the dragon look like a living, breathing creature was another realm.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a matter to think deeply about.¡¯


    In any case, the Yellow Dragon wasn¡¯t a living being. It just had the appearance of it. If it was something like a creature, it would¡¯ve received the hostility of Dragon¡¯s Tomb and been targeted by it. It was wisest to interpret the simple dignity as something Grid painstakingly crafted for his own majesty. It seemed possible to refine the divinity with Grid¡¯s incredible divinity.


    Taang, taang, taang...


    The clear hammering sound echoed. It was the process ofpletely binding the scale threads on the frame. Depending on the angle of light, the armor beingpleted was dyed orange and red and was reminiscent of a faintly shimmering me. It resembled the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor that Grid was wearing.


    ¡®It has to be different.¡¯


    Grid took into ount that the wearer was Hayate. A figure who was more aristocratic than anyone else. He thought it wasn¡¯t a good idea to dress Hayate, who had bright blond hair and white skin, in such gorgeous red armor. It was so morous that he was afraid he would look rustic inparison.


    ¡®Let¡¯s use dye.¡¯


    Originally, dyes should be used to dye cloth or leather based armor. This was why the metal battle gear didn¡¯t take on color well. It was closer to the feeling of a coating, so there were times when the desired color didn¡¯te out properly.


    Of course, this was a story among ordinary technical experts. Grid¡¯s dexterity meant he could bring out the desired color in any metal. It happened the moment when Grid opened the dye list in his inventory and was thinking about what color scheme to use...


    ¡°What are these tubes?¡± Hayate asked a question.


    Thin tubes made of Divine Stone by Grid were connected from the shoulder line of the armor to the chest and waist. It wasn¡¯t on the outside, but on the inside.


    ¡°I made it so you can use this tube when using the energy of a Dragon yer in a self-defense manner.¡±


    The energy of a Dragon yer denied the power of a dragon. There was a concern that if Hayate oveid the dragon armor with the energy of a Dragon yer, there was a risk that the dragon armor¡¯s unique effects would be sealed. It meant that if he wanted to ovep the Dragon yer energy for a higher defense, the defense might actually weaken instead. These pipes were set up just in case.


    Divine Stone¡ªthe valuable mineral obtained from Hexetia were used as materials. It would prevent mishaps in which the energy of a Dragon yer melted into the dragon armor.


    ¡°Can I give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dly.¡± Grid allowed it.


    Then Hayate sent out the energy of a Dragon yer along the pipes.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He admired the appearance of the armor slowly turning white from the inside. It was very beautiful. It was a color that he could automatically imagine Hayate wearing.


    Grid closed his inventory.


    [The ¡®Dragon yer¡¯s Dragon Armor¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    Then a system message popped up. The energy of a Dragon yer finallypleted the armor. Naturally, the rating was Only One. It had to be so.


    Dragon armor for a Dragon yer. Nothing like this had ever existed before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    Just like he was dealing with the most precious treasure in the world, Grid carefully lifted the armor and handed it to Hayate.


    Hayate nodded. That was enough. The Dragon yer energy flowing from inside the armor responded to its master¡¯s will. The ¡®wearing process¡¯ was omitted and Hayate was armored all over his body.


    ¡°...Huhu.¡±


    Hayate moved his body a few times before he burst outughing. From the time he became a Dragon yer to now, he had lived for countless years, but this was the first time he felt at such ease. It felt like lying in a cradle. It was afort he believed he would never feel again.


    ¡°It seems to be alive and breathing.¡±


    They were words that contained too much meaning.


    Grid¡¯s eyes were red. His heart was filled with emotion. ¡°From now on... from now on, live like a cockroach...¡±


    He wanted to say something nice, but it wasn¡¯t easy without the help of Huroi and Lauel. Thus, the words came out in vain. It was created by the desire to give Hayate a life force that was as tough as a cockroach.


    ¡°...I will always cherish your precious favor.¡±


    It was something that was conveyed even if he didn¡¯t speak well.


    Fortunately, Hayate smiled. Grid was relieved and replied politely, ¡°I respect you.¡±


    This time, he conveyed his true heart properly. As Hayate smiled, Grid¡¯s consciousness returned to reality.


    ¡°Wee,¡± Biban greeted them. He had stood there motionless from the time Grid and Hayate entered the mental world. He silently escorted them while the greatest Absolutes on the surface were united. He was the most reliable escort in the world.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± There were mixed feelings on Grid¡¯s face as he answered. He was very happy and excited. He was grateful that he could do something for the people he cared about.


    During the time when he was immersed in his emotions, Biban carefully examined Hayate¡¯s armor and asked Hayate politely, ¡°Can I hit you just once?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, Biban was Biban. Grid burst outughing in bewilderment and finally shook off the lingering feelings. He shifted Biban¡¯s attention to help the flustered Hayate. ¡°This time, it is your turn, Biban.¡±


    ¡°The biggest sword in the world.¡±


    Biban already had something in mind. He clearly requested what he wanted, as if he had no intention of troubling the creator, Grid.


    ¡°I want a sword big and heavy enough to cut a dragon¡¯s throat.¡±


    Sword God Biban¡ªhe could handle a sword of any shape and weight as he pleased. There were no restrictions. Even if he carried a great mountain, he could wield the great mountain and use it for swordsmanship as long as it was judged to be a ¡®sword.¡¯


    Grid also understood. "Yes, I understand. I will give it a try.¡±


    There happened to be a huge sword in Biban¡¯s mental world. It was the sword that Biban had been longing for. From a creator¡¯s perspective, it was very nice to have an object to refer to. His mind was light.


    ¡®...No, I don¡¯t think this is something to be happy about, right?¡¯


    In order to actually make the giant sword from Biban¡¯s mental world, it wasn¡¯t enough even if he poured out Trauka¡¯s remaining bones and scales. Biban didn¡¯t miss the look on Grid¡¯s face as he was interrupted by a real problem.


    ¡°What is it? Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the materials to make the sword you want... I don¡¯t think there is enough.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Is that so? You are running out of materials...¡±


    Biban was unable to hide his disappointment as he stroked his chin. He looked pensive. His gray eyes facing the ceiling slowly shifted their direction. It was in the direction of the room opposite them.


    Hayate¡¯s office¡ªit was the space where Evil Dragon Bunhelier was sitting alone and gathering his thoughts.


    ¡°Materials... the bones and scales of an Old Dragon...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The faces of Grid and Hayate stiffened.

 Chapter 1814

    <h4>Chapter 1814</h4>


    ¡°That is a bit...¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t happen.¡±


    It was the aftermath of the unity of the mental worlds.


    Grid and Hayate spoke at the same time.


    The Old Dragon who was feeling agonized¡ªthey tried to calm down Biban, whotreated EvilDragon Bunhelier as mere prey.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to provoke someone who is trying to be a reliable ally. Are you going to undo Grid¡¯s efforts?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a big sword, does it? The giant sword that exists in your mental world. That is Biban¡¯s will, right? It would be heavy and bloated enough if you could put that will into the new dragon weapon. It is to the point where you can easily behead a dragon if you mean it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Leave the easy way and go back to the hard way¡­ it is a mindset that an Absolute should have. I learned a great lesson from both of you today.¡±


    Biban had recently be an Absolute.He was called the Sword God despite being a human, but he was humble rather than arrogant. He recognized himself as a rookie rather than a god and acted with an attitude of learning everything.


    ¡°Take anything as an ordeal, ovee it and train myself... I understand it well. In the future, eating and sleeping will also be an ordeal.Um... Should I arrange to sleep in a dragonir...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was he being sarcastic?Grid had a solemn expression on his face.It was a suspicion that happened because Biban¡¯s personality remained despite him oveing his dementia.It was a misunderstanding.


    Biban was speaking sincerely.


    ¡°You interpreted it correctly.¡±


    Hayate nodded. Biban¡¯s misinterpretation wasn¡¯t corrected.Hayate felt guilty due to his upright personality, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.For now, this was the best thing to do.


    ¡°Sometimes, it is best to go back to the hard road.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Biban¡¯s gaze that was fixed on the room across from him finally returned to Grid and Hayate.


    Grid was startled.There was no rebuttal.Biban¡¯s eyes were calm and tranquil. It was unbelievable for someone who had just discussed beheading a dragon and thought of hunting Bunhelier.It was like a person going about his daily life.There wasn¡¯t even a trace of stimting emotions such as killing intent and fighting spirit.


    ¡®That is why Bunhelier is still.¡¯


    Bunhelier was an Old Dragon.He had the ability to disperse his consciousness into multiple parts to sense across the entire continent in real time.He couldn¡¯t feel any ill feelings directed at him in the immediate vicinity.


    Grid had been nervous.He wondered if Bunhelier would¡¯ve read Biban¡¯s intentions and gone on a rampage.Gaslighting would probably be useless.At best, he was educating an Evil Dragon...


    He kept being worried.Fortunately, that didn¡¯t happen.Bunhellier didn''t seem to feel anything.Biban¡¯s high mentality kept the peace.


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is definitely a tough road. Simply fighting, cutting the enemy¡¯s throat, and destroying their head... destroying the head is an easy thing for you, but I doubt you can handle this.¡±Biban warned the relieved Grid.¡°You experienced it firsthand the other day, but my sword in the mental world is broken. I am talking about the mental aspect. It was just broken and cut, so its appearance was naturally restored quickly.¡±


    The giant sword in Biban¡¯s mental world¡ªit was a party of Biban, but ironically, it was a denial of Biban. It tried to devour Biban.It was a monster created by Biban¡¯s desire to be a sword.


    ¡°Is it still broken? Didn¡¯t you be a Sword God because you subdued it and fully embraced it?¡±


    ¡°It was definitely the case. But as I became stronger, it became stronger as well. It broke away from me again. It isn¡¯t the main part of the mental world like before, but it is like a thief lurking in the bushes and is looking for opportunities.¡±


    ¡°It will be hostile the moment I enter the mental world, right?¡±


    ¡°Such a simple method isn¡¯t a threat. How could it be hard for you even if it is hostile to you? Moreover, I will be with you.¡±


    There was something else Biban was worried about.


    ¡°On the contrary, we should worry about the situation where it hides and doesn¡¯te out. It once dominated my mental world and knows zones that I don¡¯t even know. If it decides to hide, then there is no way for me to find it.¡±


    In the mental world, ¡®zones¡¯ meant part of the subconscious.It was natural that there was a subconscious part that Biban himself wasn¡¯t aware of.On the other hand, the giant sword was born in the mental world and dominated the mental world. It wasn¡¯t strange that it prated into the subconscious areas that even Biban didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡°Even if I work with you to find it, what will happen after that is even more of a problem. It won¡¯t cooperate at all.¡±


    The sword that Biban wanted was the giant sword in the mental world.In order to make the same sword with limited resources, it was natural to use the entire giant sword as a material.The identity of the giant sword in the mental world was a ¡®mass of intent in the form of a giant sword.¡¯


    Aftersmeltingand tempering Trauka¡¯s bones and scales together with Biban to form a normal-sized sword, it was only by having it contain the mass of intent in the form of a giant sword that the sword Biban wanted would bepleted.


    A giant sword that responded to Biban¡¯s will and increased its size and weight.


    ¡°...Um. Of course, that giant sword is the most ideal sword in Biban¡¯s mind, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is the most ideal and strongest sword for me, even if everyone else denies it.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a statement to dismiss Grid¡¯s works.The giant sword in Biban¡¯s mental world was the result of Biban¡¯s desire to ¡®be the strongest sword that cuts through the strongest creature.¡¯At the very least, it would be reborn as the strongest sword inBiban¡¯shands.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Even if the power of the giant sword isn¡¯t as powerful as Defying the Natural Order, Biban can handle the giant sword better than Defying the Natural Order.¡¯


    It was calledpatibility.Apatibility close to fate that Biban made himself.


    ¡®...It is embarrassing.¡¯


    Grid urately grasped the situation and his gaze shifted to one side.It was the direction of the room opposite him.It was Hayate¡¯s office with the troubled Bunhelier.


    ¡®Should I just ask him for an arm? It can quickly recover anyway, right?¡¯


    Another way to make the big sword that Biban wanted was to ¡®match the materials.¡¯It was to actually create a giant sword of exactly the same size and shape as the giant sword in the mental world. Additionally, he could add a bit of Biban¡¯s wishes and make it a specialized weapon for Biban.It was naturally ignorant and unsophisticated.


    A sword that always maintained the size of a great mountain would be born rather than a sword that was usually a normal sword and increased in size as needed.There were many problems in practical terms.Strictly speaking, it was rubbish.Grid¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t tolerate making such a thing.


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    Itsted until a look of anxiety shed in Hayate¡¯s eyes.Grid took away the eyes focused on the room across from him and made up his mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, then do it until it works. Let¡¯s see who will win and who will lose.¡±


    Grid¡¯s greatest weapon was his tenacity and persistence.


    The mental world¡ªit didn¡¯t matter how long he wandered in a ce disconnected from reality, where one second could stretch into an eternity.Grid was confident that he wouldn¡¯t be frustrated or give up.


    ¡®Because it is the only thing I have in the first ce.¡¯


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hayate¡¯s eyes widened slightly.He was astonished when he glimpsed at Grid¡¯s determination.


    Hayate had lived for over a thousand years.However, Grid was trying to endure years that even he couldn¡¯t fathom.


    ¡®Of course, practice andmitment arepletely different, but... Grid is sincerely trying to put it into practice. The more I get to know you, the more I respect you.¡¯


    HowhadGrid grown over the years?Hayate vaguely glimpsed the secret and admired it again and again.


    ¡°...But I need some time to prepare.¡±


    Grid excused himself and logged out.He had a clean shower, met Yura and Jishuka, and filled his stomach. He worked out and shared love with the two of them to build up his physical and mental strength.


    A deep night¡ªas he drank hisst drink, he injected himself with the idea that they should be happy even when he was gone.


    In any case,Gridwas fully charged.He woke up after a good night¡¯s sleep and immediately logged in.He renewed his determination to endure decades, hundreds of years, or even more in Biban¡¯s mental world.


    ¡°I... maybe I won¡¯t be able to remember your names and faces when Ie back. Please keep an eye on me rather than feeling sorry for me. Take your time and help me recall my memories.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    The moment he logged in, Grid gathered the Overgeared members and asked this of them.He went to Irene, Mercedes, and Basara separately and told them the same thing he had told Yura andJishukst night.


    ¡°You might forget me, but I won¡¯t forget you.¡±


    ¡°...Dear husband?¡±


    He also visited his son, Lord.


    ¡°On the outside, you can rely on the apostles and Overgeared member.s On the inside, you can trust and follow your mother and Lauel.¡±


    ¡°Father...?¡±


    He ended up shedding tears in front of Khan.


    ¡°Trust me and wait, even if Ie back as an idiot who knows nothing. I will surely recover and protect you, Khan.¡±


    ¡°Grid... why are you like this? Confide in me.¡±


    He was like a person leaving on a long journey.Grid visited and talked to his important people one by one, causing the atmosphere throughout the empire to be upset.They were worried that something big had happenedto Grid.


    The person who was the most surprised was Lim Cheolho, the chairman of the S.A Group.


    ¡®...He is sincere?¡¯


    He monitored Grid in real time and noticed a surprising fact.It was the fact that Grid was determined to endure eternity in Biban¡¯s mental world.


    ¡®We can¡¯t let that happen, can we?¡¯


    Grid was right that he properly understood the mental world.Theoretically, if he wandered in the mental world, then he could really wander for eternity.But Grid was a yer.He was subject to the minimal safeguards to protect him.It couldn¡¯t really happen...


    ¡®Really... he is truly an amazing young man in many ways.¡¯


    He really wanted to try and endure eternity.It was purely to fulfill Biban¡¯s wish.This was no longer an ordinary human being.


    ¡®At this level, isn¡¯t he actually a transcendent?¡¯


    Of course, he meant in the mental aspect.


    A transcendent.It was right to think so.Either that or he was just crazy.


    ¡°...I will support you this time too.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was sincere.He was the longest follower of Grid in the world and was arguably Grid¡¯s biggest fan.He understood and felt sorry for Reba¡¯s position, which made the worldview distorted, but he truly supported Grid.


    [......]


    Morpheus should¡¯ve pointed out Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s attitude, but it was silent.It was as if it was also rooting for Grid.


    On the screen, Grid was entering Biban¡¯s mental world.

 Chapter 1815

    <h4>Chapter 1815</h4>


    [You have entered Biban¡¯s mental world, ¡®Missing Heart Sword.¡¯]


    It was originally called ¡®Heart Sword.¡¯ It was the state of killing the enemy with the sword of the heart, even if he didn¡¯t have a sword in his hand. In other words, it meant a realm that Biban had already achieved a long time ago. However, Biban¡¯s changed mental world after he became the Sword God had the absurd name of Missing Heart Sword. It didn¡¯t suit him at all.


    ¡®Is it the aftermath of the giant sword hiding?¡¯


    The giant sword that wasrger than a great mountain¡ªit towered over Biban¡¯s mental world and pierced the sky and earth. It really represented so many things. It was the sum of all the swords and swordsmanship that existed in the world. It meant Biban¡¯s strong will and also his desire to cut down a dragon. It felt like it supported the entire world of Biban¡¯s mental world.


    Now it waspletely gone. The wilderness stretching out beyond the bushes came into full view. The giant sword stuck in the center of the wilderness and the hundreds of thousands of small swords that roamed around the giant sword had all disappeared.


    ¡°As you know... the cause of the illness I suffered was the vibration of the sword energy.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The reason why Biban became senile was due to the vibration of sword energy. He constantly vibrated his near infinite sword energy like a chainsaw. There was no way he could be mentally or physically perfect. Inside his body, the sword energy that vibrated without stopping for a moment in the mental world caused sharp waves and destroyed his body and mind in real time. It was a sort of warm-up process. It was the process of sharpening and maintaining the sword energy to make sure to cut off the dragon¡¯s neck someday.


    In fact, it even cut down an Old Dragon¡¯s will. This was the decisive factor in forcing Trauka to step down since his seemingly invincible, unbreakable will usually couldn¡¯t be broken with a single de.


    The repercussions were huge. The moment when the sword energy, which had been vibrating indefinitely, achieved its purpose and stopped¡ªBiban¡¯s body and mind crumbled like a broken doll. He was reduced to a wasted man. No, it was right to express that it was the process of being reborn as a sword.


    It was the giant sword that tried to devour Biban whole at that time.


    Grid saved Biban by overpowering it, and Biban, who overcame the ordeal with Grid¡¯s help, was reborn as a swordsman, not a sword.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been vibrating my sword energy for a very long time. At some point, without even being conscious of it, I vibrated my sword energy as naturally as breathing. I did it subconsciously. The giant sword in the mental world has be the subject of that subconscious and became so bloated that it threatened me... no, it didn¡¯t threaten me. It is trying to make my wishese true.¡±


    Biban¡¯s expression as he exined the entire process was bittersweet.


    ¡°In fact, I can¡¯t hate it. I will definitely cut a dragon. It is the existence created by my greatest desire to be a sword. It is the origin of my mental world. Its hostility and desire for survival are ultimately derived from its responsibility to carry out my will, so it can¡¯t be considered an enemy.¡±


    ¡°So you embraced it. But now you¡¯ve lost it.¡±


    Grid wasposed.


    ¡°Your wish might be its origin, but it is currently hostile to you and denies you. How long do you intend to favor the one who wants to be one with you, dehumanize you, and turn you into a weapon? Please let it go.¡±


    The total amount of intent held by the giant sword was very high. It was right to interpret it as the other side of the coin and it was right to be vignt of it. It was an insecure element that would devour Biban at any opportunity.


    Of course, Biban¡¯s status was so high that it would be impossible to swallow him forever, but being able to take away the consciousness and body of an Absolute for even one minute or one second was a great threat to the entire world.


    ¡®He already overcame his dementia at best. This time, he might be a person with multiple personalities...¡¯


    ¡°I know this.¡± Biban nodded. ¡°I cherish it as my equal. Even though I know it is not my enemy, I will be thoroughly hostile to it from this moment on. I willpletely subdue it and make it mine this time.¡±


    It was only then that Grid noticed¡ªBiban¡¯s words weren¡¯t directed at Grid from the start. It was a deration made to the giant sword who was eavesdropping on him from somewhere.


    Listen. I care about you and trust you. But in the end, you are part of me. You can¡¯t be me, so I will subdue you and make you fully mine...


    It was a neat deration of war. Biban was talking to the giant sword.


    I¡¯m not afraid of you. But you are right to be afraid of me.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Biban used Shunpo first and Grid followed. Then the two of them started exploring.


    Shunpo¡ªit was the power to reach the edge of their vision in a single stride. If this technique was used in real life, it would¡¯ve been a matter of seconds for someone to move from South Korea to South Africa. Yet in the mental world, the power of Shunpo wasn¡¯t absolute. It was because the area of the mental world was infinite. A human¡¯s consciousness could expand infinitely and the mental world was the same.


    A wilderness stretched out endlessly even after using Shunpo hundreds or thousands of times in a row.


    ¡°...You might¡¯ve been living many years without much thought, but your mental world is unnecessarily wide.¡±


    How long had they wandered? It was a space with no distinction between day and night, so the passage of time couldn¡¯t be detected. After wandering there for a long time, the nervous Grid eventuallyined.


    Bibanughed. ¡°You misunderstand. It is an excessive leap to say that I lived without thinking due to my illness. At that time, I just forgot anything I thought about. All the thoughts I forgot were umted here. It is natural for it to be spacious. This vastnd proves how much I¡¯ve been thinking in my life.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you mean to sound like you¡¯re bragging, but...¡±


    ¡°The person who is called a god has been mumbling for quite some time. Keep an eye on your surroundings if you have time to chat.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe he was being nagged by Biban. Grid realized that his current condition wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡®It is dangerous.¡¯


    This was much harder than he expected. It was fatal that he wasn¡¯t aware of the passage of time. It was iparable to the days when he spent several months searching for Pagma¡¯s book. It wasn¡¯t an environment where he could focus on the situation...


    It happened as Grid¡¯s nervousness reached the peak...


    ¡°Come to think of it, it is absurd. Why are you taking it out on me when you are the one who made me leave the easy way ande back to the hard world? Who would dare to me someone else, rather than resent and apologize for their own poor judgment?¡± the sharp-eyed Biban red and criticized him.


    This might be Biban¡¯s mental world, but Biban, like Grid, seemed to have a bad mentality due to wandering aimlessly. Grid didn¡¯t want to escte things, so he apologized.


    ¡°...I understand. I was wrong. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What is the point of apologizing now? Is this going to end just because you are sorry? Dammit! You shouldn¡¯t have done anything to be sorry about!¡± Eventually, the angry Biban even revealed a faint hostility.


    At this point, Grid couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Why do you keep yelling at me? The way you are talking is just like the old days... Huh?¡±


    The growling Grid suddenly closed his mouth. Why was he saying this now? It was hard toprehend the appearance of Biban, who looked like the days when he repeatedly talked such disgusting nonsense over and over again. Even though Biban¡¯s personality was still there...


    Even considering that the situation was very special right now...


    Was there a need to return to the days when Biban suffered from dementia?


    ¡°...It happens just as I was in a hurry.¡±


    The atmosphere around Grid distorted like the heat of a summer day. It was Defying the Natural Order that had been pulled out from its sheath on his waist. The atmosphere couldn¡¯t handle the spirit and divinity contained in Defying the Natural Order.


    Biban frowned. ¡°What are you doing?


    ¡°I will kill you... I will cut you.¡±


    ¡°You are serious. You¡¯ve finally gone crazy.¡±


    Biban clicked his tongue and pulled out his sword as well. It was Gujel¡¯s Fang. It was the sword that was gifted by Grid. The de that should¡¯ve been aimed at the enemy fell toward Grid¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Calm down now. You aren¡¯t a match for me in swordsmanship in real life. Do you think you can handle me here? I¡¯ll forgive you at least once if you obediently offer that sword to me.¡±


    ¡°...It is reversed.¡±


    ¡°It is reversed? It isn¡¯t you, but me who will ask for forgiveness? You are too arrogant.¡±


    ¡°The grain of the de and the decoration of the handle.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Everything is reversed, like a mirror image.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Biban¡¯s face stiffened and a deep smile gradually spread across Grid¡¯s face. He started stacking his buff skills, while a hint of killing intent that went beyond hostility blossomed in his eyes.


    ¡°If you are going to copy it, you should¡¯ve done it properly.¡±


    ¡°Kuack...!¡±


    Biban fell to the ground in the aftermath of stopping Defying the Natural Order¡¯s sword trajectory and was pushed back for a while. The sound of metal rubbing against metal shook the world like an explosion.


    Biban¡¯s hands trembled as he hurriedly raised his head to find Grid¡¯s location.


    ¡°What is this power?¡±


    ¡°You blocked it using sheer force? If it was the real Biban, he would¡¯ve easily blocked it with swordsmanship.¡±


    A voice came from far away.


    Biban¡ªto be precise, it was the ¡®giant sword¡¯ in the form of Biban. It snorted like a bull and released Formless Swords from the bottom to the top, strengthening its stomach to counter the iing Defying the Natural Order. This time, there was a roar as shells were fired in session. It was a noise created by the body of the giant sword being pushed backward through the wilderness and piercing through several rocks because it was unable to bear the weight of Defying the Natural Order.


    ¡°...As expected, the human body is insignificant.¡±


    The body of the giant sword was full of injuries as it slowly stood up. The lower half of its body was mercilessly stabbed by the Formless Sword and was soaked in dark red blood. Its two hands holding the sword were horribly broken and bones protruded from various ces. The giant sword forcibly twisted and fixed its bent wrist and smiled with a distorted face.


    ¡°After all, it is right that ¡®I¡¯ must be a sword. I will cut everything without breaking.¡±


    ¡°Where is Biban?¡± Grid approached and asked.


    He barely managed to swallow down the sharp pain rising from his abdomen. The moment he attacked, he was hit back. Thus, Grid couldn¡¯t track the opponent right away and gave him a chance to get up.


    ¡®The fact that he stopped the surprise attack in the first ce... did he fully realize Biban¡¯s stats?¡¯


    He was really fast and powerful, but he wasn¡¯t durable because he reproduced the human body.


    ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m sure he is already a long way away. I wouldn¡¯t have thought you were so stupid that you lost him.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t refute it. A few hours or even a few days. He had been chasing after Biban¡¯s back for that long and at a certain point, he lost his concentration. It was to the extent where he didn¡¯t chase after Biban¡¯s back, but the back of the giant sword in the form of Biban.


    ¡®It was my mistake.¡¯


    In fact, he would¡¯ve only lost his concentration for a split second. However, the giant sword¡¯s camouge technique was so high, and the timing of the intervention was exquisite. In the first ce, this ce was the mental world. It wouldn¡¯t be strange no matter what type of miracle urred. He was caught in a trap that was bound to happen.


    Nevertheless, Grid med himself. He used it as an opportunity to resolve that he needed to work harder in the future.


    ¡°In any case, it went well.¡±


    Grid pulled out a few bottles of liquid. It was from an angle that the giant sword couldn¡¯t see. He swallowed potions in an instant from a direction that the giant sword couldn¡¯t see and continued talking with an expression like he didn¡¯t know anything.


    ¡°I was nervous because I didn¡¯t know how much longer I would have to search. Thank you for showing yourself.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be conceited.


    The giant sword started to melt. It took off its Biban form and regained its true form.


    A shadow loomed¡ªit was a huge shadow like when an Old Dragon descended to the ground. Suddenly, a giant swordpletely covered one side of the sky and stood tall in the wilderness. It felt like the wilderness had been split in half.


    -Here, I am invincible.


    The huge sword dered and swung itsrge body toward Grid.


    A sword born to cut dragons¡ªit naturally didn¡¯t break. No matter how many times it bumped into Defying the Natural Order, Grid¡¯s body would eventually tten first.


    Common sense dictated this.


    -......?!


    The giant sword that had been talking loudly fell silent. It realized that its body was floating in the air the moment it collided with Grid.


    The special buff potion made from the golden walnuts grown by Piaro and the coboration between the Overgeared Tower and Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility¡ªevery dose increased all his stats by 20% and his strength was at a level that transcended the mental world. It was close to physically using the power of an Old Dragon to ignore Asgard¡¯s dimensional effect.


    ¡®You think you are invincible in a world where dragons and gods aren¡¯t invincible. You don¡¯t know anything about the world.¡¯


    Grid shot forward like a thunderbolt while using the fusion sword dances in session. The size of the giant sword was sorge that it boasted a 100% hit rate. Of course, the giant sword didn¡¯t suffer much damage. It only stumbled like it was about to copse for a moment. Then it steadied the de that was as thick as the trunk of the world tree. It endured it as if absorbing all the destructive energy released by Defying the Natural Order.


    -Let¡¯s see how long you can run wild! It will be the end of your life the moment you are tired out!


    The giant sword cried out in an agitated manner. It was constantly pushed, but it took its victory for granted. It was because it was a given. It was mistaken. It might be different mentally, but Grid couldn¡¯t be tired physically.


    This was Biban¡¯s mental world. Contrary to his outward attitude, Biban served Grid. He was a follower of Only One God Grid. Therefore, Biban¡¯s mental world was judged to be simr to the Overgeared World.


    The fact that he infinitely linked the six fusion sword dance without a cooldown time proved it.


    Grid wasn¡¯t the only one here.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡±


    It was a battle between Absolutes. A great uproar ensued. It was to the point where the distant Biban could barely sense it.


    -You... You have to be me!!


    Holding out without bing tired until Biban arrived? The giant sword eximed in consternation after ncing between the faces of Grid and Biban, who already arrived before it expected.


    ¡°No, you be me.¡±


    Biban¡¯s strong will engulfed the giant sword.


    Thump! Thump!


    The vast expanse of wilderness shook. It was the aftermath of Biban hitting the ground with the giant sword that he held ¡®in his hand.¡¯


    [Biban¡¯s mental world has started to recover.]


    Then a wee notification window popped up.


    Hundreds of thousands of small swords, scattered due to the confusion of their masters¡¯ ego being split into two, wereing from beyond the horizon.

 Chapter 1816

    Chapter 1816


    ¡°How did you notice that he was fake?¡±


    The noise that had been ringing in Biban¡¯s hand as he gripped the giant sword stopped. Thest struggle of the giant sword stopped. The guy who had been twisting his big body to escape Biban¡¯s grip was unable to leave Biban¡¯s hands and lost consciousness.


    Unity. No, the expression ¡®returning¡¯ was correct. The intent in the form of a giant sword merged with Biban¡¯s intent. Now the giant sword was part of Biban. In any case, It was originally Biban.


    ¡°Even I was fooled.¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes were filled with interest and admiration as he asked Grid.


    Around two hours ago. At a time when it might¡¯ve felt like years to Grid, Biban clearly sensed that Grid was following him. It was a presence that followed immediately every time he used Shunpo. It definitely contained Grid¡¯s divinity. He naturally thought it was Grid. He recognized that he was searching for the giant sword with Grid.


    This was until he heard an explosion. It was only when he heard sounds in the distance that he looked back in surprise and saw that what was standing there was a doll, not Grid. It was a doll made by the giant sword who acted like a master in Biban¡¯s mental world. It had the appearance of Grid and contained his divinity, but it had no expression. It was also strange that it didn¡¯t respond to themotion.


    It was only then that Biban understood the identity and situation of the doll and hurriedly rushed over. Then he was surprised to find Grid, who was overpowering the giant sword. How did Grid figure out the identity of the giant sword that looked exactly like him? It was a difficult question to answer.


    Grid simply replied, ¡°There is no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    In fact, he had been fooled. If the personality and manner of speaking of the giant sword hadn¡¯t resembled ¡®Biban before bing a Sword God,¡¯ Grid wouldn¡¯t have noticed the identity of the giant sword until the end. Still, did he really need to tell the truth? Grid calmly hid the truth to prevent Biban from being upset and to protect his prestige.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our rtionship is quite special. If I was in your shoes, I think I would¡¯ve noticed it right away.¡±


    Biban also hid the truth for the same reason as Grid. He didn¡¯t bother confessing that he had been fooled by the fake Grid. It was consideration for the other person and a bit of bravado. The two of them were close to a match made in heaven.


    The unity of their mental worlds was easily aplished. Grid wanted to get out of here quickly, so he immediately opened the Sanctuary of Metal and the mental worlds merged as if it was natural.


    ¡°Then I will start.¡±


    Grid took out the hammer and anvil and activated Intent Production. Trauka¡¯s bones and scales and Biban¡¯s intent were the materials.


    Biban nodded and helped out. Biban¡¯s sword energy was added to the mes in the furnace that melted Trauka¡¯s bones and scales.


    mes of sword energy¡ªit went through the preliminary work of polishing and crushing Trauka¡¯s bones and scales, not just melting them. It was close to imprinting a sharp shape. The red molten iron that eventually melted and poured out had a sharp edge like a de. It was hard to imagine how sharp it would be when it waspleted as a sword.


    Taang, taang, taang!


    Grid forged it while consulting with Biban in real time. It was a coboration between Grid¡ªwho inherited the skills of the cksmith God, Hexetia¡ªand Biban, the Sword God. It had to bepleted in the most ideal form.


    However, the form of the sword that gradually took shape was far from ideal. It was out of line even with the usual standards. The shape was so iplete that he wondered if it was even a sword. The de seemed to be split. The de scattered a cold glow rose smoothly from the handle before it seemed to cut off midway. The sword that Grid and Biban painstakinglypleted was broken from the start.


    ¡°...Are you really okay with this? The imprinted sword energy during the smelting process has be useless at best.¡±


    ¡°It is perfect.¡±


    Grid was worried, but Biban¡¯s expression was bright. A short sword that seemed cut in half. He showed a very satisfied reaction as he held it and swung it, the tip of the de forming a straight line. He seemed to have returned to the past. The way he smiled and swung the sword that had been cut in half made him look like the swordsman with dementia.


    [Broken Sword]


    [Rating: Only One


    Durability: 9,200~???


    Attack Power: 13,060~???]


    Grid double checked the information of thepleted sword. The stats were so disastrous that it was hard to believe it was a dragon weapon. It was because the form was iplete. It wasn¡¯t judged as aplete sword. The stats were low even though the materials used were the bones and scales of a dragon. There were even no additional effects.


    It was a ring failure. A passing dog would recognize it as a failure. However, the truth was different.


    Grid slowly epted reality. ¡®This isn¡¯t a failure, but a treasured sword among treasured swords.¡¯


    The true value of Broken Sword could be summed up with a single line. It was explicitly stated in the description following the item information.


    [A sword created by Only One God Grid in a state of mental world unity with Sword God Biban.


    It uses the bones and scales filled with Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s intent and the intent of Sword God Biban as materials, and it was forged with the mes of sword energy.


    It is a sword that responds to the will of Sword God Biban and its length and power can¡¯t be measured.]


    The length and power couldn¡¯t be measured. It meant the length and power followed Biban¡¯s will. It resembled Defying the Natural Order, but it was different. It was like Defying the Natural Order when Grid swung vertically or horizontally, stabbed or straightened it, etc etc. It responded to Grid¡¯s will by taking an optimized shape ording to the situation.


    On the other hand, Broken Sword grew the moment Biban wanted it. That was all. It was much simpler, but it was unpredictable.


    ¡°It has a great feeling when holding it in my hand. It seems to be wrapping itself around me¡°.


    It was a sword thatpleted the de with the will of the user (Biban). From the perspective of the creator, Grid had to put the greatest effort into the handle. Grid felt rewarded at the sight of the delighted Biban and urged him, ¡°Try swinging it. Shouldn¡¯t you test the performance?¡±


    ¡°In front of you? I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t catch your eyes...¡±


    ¡°No way. You are too humble.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    Biban turned to one side of the wilderness. It was in the direction where a rock was ced. The distance was 500 meters.


    Biban aimed the broken sword toward it. He didn¡¯t close one eye or control his breathing, but he vaguely resembled Yura when she aimed her gun. Just then¡ª


    sh!


    Broken Sword increased in length. For a moment, it took the form of a giant sword. The rock that stood 500 meters away was already split in half.


    Grid btedly noticed it. Biban¡¯s target wasn¡¯t a single rock. The other rocks lined up several kilometers behind the rock were simultaneously split and destroyed, proving it.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    Biban wanted to sh the entire body of the dragon, not just its neck. Grid realized it and trembled. Biban stabbed his sword again and again, wide-eyed. It was a sight where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the entire wilderness was split apart.


    However, the sword wielded by Biban only shed precisely at its target. Even if Grid stood in its path, it wouldn¡¯t harm Grid. It was possible with the power of the Sword God.


    Biban¡¯s huge sword only shed what Biban wanted.


    ¡°This makes me feel invincible...¡± Biban murmured after testing the performance of Broken Sword many times, ¡°Can I lose when wielding this sword? It is like struggling over a seemingly minor problem. Of course, the story would change when fighting against an Absolute.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. Those who can¡¯t be cut must surely exist.¡±


    ¡°...Once you reach this point, the level of enemies you assume you will meet is too high. How have you endured it all this time?¡±


    A sad expression shed across Biban¡¯s face as he cautiously asked.


    The Absolutes of hell and heaven¡ªGrid had been prepared to confront them even though he clearly knew their level. It couldn¡¯t have been tolerated with ordinary mental strength. It was brave that he didn¡¯t run away.


    Gridughed.


    ¡°I was able to endure it because there were people like you.¡±


    Hope existed in a hopeless reality. It was a bond for Grid. He had endured it by always reminding himself that there were many beings to rely on.


    ¡°From now on, I will rely on you even more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll pay for the meal.¡±


    Their two hands met. The sound of the hands with hard calluses colliding was surprisingly soft.


    ***


    Grid and Biban came back to reality side by side.


    He had even made armor. The Fire Dragon Armor belonging to Biban was a deep gray mixed with the energy of a Dragon yer and the color of sword energy. It was less beautifulpared to Hayate¡¯s pure white armor, but it gave a sense of intimidation. It might be because Biban had developed muscles and shoulders, unlike Hayate, who looked somewhat thin and weak.


    ¡°It is amazing no matter how many times I see it.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s gaze alternated between Broken Sword and the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor as he greeted the two people.


    Works made in the mental world¡ªoriginally, it was impossible to take it out into reality. However, it was materialized through Intent Production and came to exist in reality like this. At this point, he thought it was right to say that nothing was impossible for Grid.


    ¡°Did you have any problems?¡± Grid asked while wary of his surroundings.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier was in the room directly opposite them. He shouldn¡¯t forget that no matter what happened, it wouldn¡¯t be strange.


    ¡°It just so happens that Bunhelier¡¯s mood has changed.¡±


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s sharp eyes shot up. The opponent was an Evil Dragon. An Evil Dragon. It was highly likely that he suddenly changed to have a ck heart.


    ¡°His magic power is vibrating violently. Is it a precursor to great magic?¡±


    Biban felt suspicious as well and prepared the Broken Sword. Grid and Biban were ready for battle in an instant. At the same time, the door burst open without permission. It was a disturbance caused by the invader who didn¡¯t know fear, or to be precise, didn¡¯t need to know it.


    It was deep night before they knew it.


    Bunhelier¡¯s face popped up in the darkness that filled the hallway. His pure white face was pale like a corpse.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to knock, do you? After all, there is no need for an Absolute to learn thews of insignificant human beings.¡±


    Grid pointed out Bunhelier¡¯s attitude. It was while assessing the strength of his allies, which had risen sharplypared to the morning. If Bunhelier went on a rampage right away, it would be difficult, but it was possible to subdue him. The key was to not lose sight of him.


    ¡®If Biban makes good use of the Broken Sword¡¯s capabilities, he might be able to stop Bunhelier from escaping...¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid calcted this and pulled out Defying the Natural Order.


    ¡°Thews of humans.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes resembled a bird of prey, while Bunhelier¡¯s eyes resembled that of a snake. It was even sharper.


    Bunhelier stared at the three of them with these piercing eyes and slowly opened his mouth, ¡°I will learn them from now on.¡¯


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was bizarre nonsense.


    It happened the moment Grid was flustered and lost concentration...


    ¡°Do you know about the origin of the half-draconians? I¡¯ve said in the distant past that I gave birth to them using a drop of my blood, but that is aplete lie. I was so ashamed, but now I will reveal the truth I have been hiding... they are the result of me mating with human females.¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s nonsense continued. A series of question marks rose above Grid¡¯s head. It was difficult to immediately understand the context of the conversation.


    Bunhelier started to add an exnation as if he considered Grid¡¯s position. ¡°I... I used to love human females. The shameful past that I wanted to bury forever... I am confessing this to gain your trust.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I can live with human beings. My instinct to love human females is the proof. If there is one dragon you can trust, it is me.¡±


    Bunhelier had been thinking in a troubled manner in Hayate¡¯s office, only to be shocked during the process.


    Toward the end of the day¡ªin other words, in less than half a day from Bunhelier¡¯s perspective, the aura of Hayate and Biban had rapidly intensified. At first, he thought it was an illusion. It was such an unrealistic event. However, this was reality. He just checked it with his two eyes.


    The armor worn by Hayate and Biban, and the strange sword held by Biban¡ªall of them were threats to Bunhelier. At this rate, he really had to worry that he would die like this. He regretted the choice to go to the tower.


    Then he put an end to his troubled thoughts. He recalled that due to the karma he had umted, he had been reduced to a state where he was unable to stand in heaven or hell. The only ones he could rely on were the humans on the surface. Therefore, Bunhelier dered, ¡°From now on, we arepanions.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Really?


    ...But why did he want to do it?


    Putting aside Grid¡¯s confusion, there was a rare sincerity in Bunhelier¡¯s deration. The energy of Dragon Words that started to flow in the atmosphere was the evidence.

 Chapter 1817

    Chapter 1817


    ¡°From now on, we arepanions.¡±


    [Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡¯s Dragon Words have set a neww in the world.]


    Companions¡ªit was a rtionship where they had to trust and rely on each other. At the very least, it meant to not be hostile.


    The neww established by Bunhelier was unconditionally beneficial to Grid, just like the epics that rose and fell through the mouths of people even at this moment.


    [Evil Dragon Bunhelier won¡¯t antagonize you and humanity.]


    ¡°Of course, there is the premise that you don¡¯t betray me.¡±


    Bunhelier himself looked even more perplexed after Dragon Words was triggered. He hurriedly added a way to escape. It was to prevent situations where he could be powerless. However, it was more of an attitude that nailed in the fact that he wouldn¡¯t betray Grid first.


    ¡°What does ¡®we¡¯ mean?¡± Biban asked on behalf of the flustered Grid.


    ¡°To bepanions means¡­ it isn¡¯t a rtionship that can be made because one side wants it unterally.¡±


    ¡°I know. We need to be able to trust each other.¡±


    Bunhelier fully understood Grid¡¯s position. He even nodded and responded to Biban, who pointed out his attitude. He was very confident.


    ¡°So there is no problem. I have given you enough trust. Do you think there is anything in the world that is more reliable than Dragon Words?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Both Grid and Biban couldn¡¯t refute it. They couldn¡¯t provide any reasons for doubting it even when recalling the fact that the other being was Evil Dragon Bunhelier, who had betrayed even his own kind. It was purely the power of Dragon Words.


    Bunhelier was relieved at heart. He recalled the conversation that Grid had with the daughter of the Insane Dragon the other day.


    ¡°It is true that I worked together with Bunhelier, but we didn¡¯t be friends. So let¡¯s kill him togetherter. Huh?¡¯


    Looking back, he was dumbfounded. Saying to kill him in front of him. It was even directly after they had just joined forces to ovee a crisis.


    ¡®He is a twisted guy.¡¯


    Grid was somewhat crazy from the perspective of an Old Dragon, who wasn¡¯t bound bymon sense. He didn¡¯t want to get involved with Grid. If it wasn¡¯t for Baal, Bunhelier would¡¯ve tried to never run into him again. However, Bunhelier had to defeat Baal. Even if he was reluctant, he had to cooperate with Grid.


    Then he had a justification. It was the justification that humans were rapidly bing stronger.


    Bunhelier decided to take advantage of this opportunity. He decided that he would rather have Grid, who would one day be a threat, as an ally. He had faith that Grid wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.


    Surprisingly, Grid hesitated. He didn¡¯t answer hastily. Naturally, Nefelina was on his mind.


    ¡®Nefelina said she would get revenge on Bunhelier as soon as she bes an adult dragon.¡¯


    Insane Dragon Nevartan¡ªthe reason for the insanity of Nefelina¡¯s fathery in Bunhelier. Bunhelier cooperated with Baal to trap Nevartan and drive him mad. For Nefelina, he was her father¡¯s enemy. He was someone she had to get revenge on.


    However, he suddenly had a question. ¡®Is that really the life that Nefelina wants?¡¯


    Grid recalled the moment Nefelina was reunited with her father. She was hurt. Every time her father opened his mouth, she looked distressed and could barely hold back her tears. It was because every word from Nevartan struck her heart.


    [Unfortunately, you aren¡¯t likely toy my eggs. If I think you are really in danger, I will eat you before you be an adult dragon. Once that dayes, try to increase your strength as much as possible.]


    [Understanding my child¡¯s feelings? It is an unnecessary act. I gave birth to that child, so she belongs to me. It is my right to treat her ording to my will.]


    Nevartan treated his daughter as insurance for himself. He took his daughter¡¯s affection for him for granted and used cruel words. It might¡¯ve beenmon sense for a dragon. However, Nefelina had been raised by humans and she couldn¡¯t ept it asmon sense. She didn¡¯t dare me her father, but she felt sad and distressed.


    In the end, she disobeyed him because she didn¡¯t like it. She said she would live with Grid. Maybe her father¡¯s revenge wasn¡¯t of much importance to her now. He hoped so.


    ¡°I need time,¡± Grid opened his mouth.


    Bunhelier doubted his ears. He cocked his head in confusion and then frowned.


    ¡°...Are you serious?¡±


    Bunhelier was an Old Dragon. As an Old Dragon, he dered that he wouldn¡¯t antagonize Grid and humanity. It was an extraordinary proposal.


    Grid had to be thrilled. Yet he needed time to think about it...?


    For Bunhelier, it was a terrible blow to his pride. He was so angry that he almost went crazy like Nevartan.


    Grid fully understood his position. ¡°It is no wonder you are offended. I¡¯m also sorry that I have to do this, but the rtionship of a friend is superior to that of apanion.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The daughter of the Insane Dragon, whom you saw the other day, is my old friend. She holds a grudge against you. I have to hear her perspective.¡±


    ¡°...You are prioritizing a trivial hatchling over an Old Dragon?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it is a hatchling or an Old Dragon. She is my friend, so I will give her priority.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s expression gradually becameplex and subtle. What was the concept of friends? He knew it in his head, but he couldn¡¯t understand it in his heart? It was natural. The Old Dragons were beings whose ultimate goal was to prey on its own kin, who had been with it since the beginning of time. The rtionship of cooperation due to necessity could be understood, but he didn¡¯t understand a rtionship that had to be maintained even at the expense of a loss.


    Grid spoke to him who kept cocking his head, ¡°If the dayes when you understand the current me. At that time, we can trust each other without any Dragon Words.¡±


    ¡°...You will trust an Old Dragon who doesn¡¯t use Dragon Words? What nonsense.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was it a self-denigrating joke? It wasn¡¯t suitable for Bunhelier, an Old Dragon who normally couldn¡¯t use Dragon Words.


    ¡®I''m d that he used Dragon Words once after so long.¡¯


    Grid let out augh. He couldn¡¯t helpughing. He was overjoyed. Bunhelier might have a lot of ws, but he was still an Old Dragon. An Old Dragon used Dragon Words and imed to be an ally. He would be a psychopath if he wasn¡¯t happy.


    Grid barely calmed down his excitement and excused himself from Hayate and Biban.


    ¡°I will be in Reinhardt for a while.¡±


    In order to decide his rtionship with Bunhelier, the first thing to do was to meet Nefelina. That was respect and courtesy.


    ¡®There is no chance that Bunhelier will change suddenly while I am away.¡¯


    Suddenly changing after promising to bepanions with Dragon Words? That would never happen unless Bunhelier was going to permanently diminish the value of Dragon Words.


    ***


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were gathered in Reinhardt.


    I might not be able to remember you...


    They were worried about Grid, who left with meaningful words. For the past half a day, the Overgeared members had been waiting for Grid. It was the same with the apostles, Irene, and Lord. Basara, who was supposed to be in Titan, also stayed in Reinhardt.


    ¡°Why are you all gathered?¡± In the midst of the people¡¯s growing anxiety, Grid returned as the sunset colored the night sky. He looked puzzled.


    ¡°...Are you okay?¡±


    People asked him anxiously. It was only then that Grid remembered his past self from half a day ago.


    ¡®Why did I do that?¡¯


    It was very embarrassing. It made him want to hide in the mouse hole in a corner of Mercedes¡¯ mental world.


    ¡°...I am fine.¡±


    What could he say?


    After thinking about it for a while, Grid decided not to exin. It was embarrassing to exin it in detail, so he wanted to dismiss it as something that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®He must¡¯ve suffered greatly.¡¯


    ¡®Is he taking on everything by himself again this time...?¡¯


    ¡®How many times are you saving this world, Grid?!¡¯


    Sometimes, silence was the best. People interpreted it arbitrarily and the atmosphere became somber.


    Grid just happened to find Nefelina and immediately got to the point. ¡°I hope that Bunhelier will be an ally.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    There were collective gasps.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªhe was the first to imprint upon people the greatness of a dragon. The majesty of the one who invaded the 3rd National Competition and overwhelmed Grid and Kraugel was still talked about through the mouths of many people. Recently, he was often linked with Grid and he showed off his strength.


    In any case, it was a different world. Yet he hoped that such a monster would be an ally?


    ¡®What is he doing while wandering around?¡¯


    As everyone watched Grid in amazement¡ª


    ¡°It is a good thing,¡± Nefelina opened her mouth, ¡°I think it is beneficial to keep him by your side as long as there is a guarantee that Bunhelier won¡¯t betray you. It is because I¡¯m afraid of what will happen behind the scenes when I can¡¯t see you. Of course, it would be a great help in terms of force.¡±


    ¡°...You are okay with it?¡±


    ¡°Do you care that Bunhelier is my father¡¯s enemy? Of course, it is fine. I don¡¯t want to hold you back due to a personal grudge. Additionally, it is a problem that can only be solved a thousand years from now. It is unnecessary to obsess over it right now.¡±


    She wondered if she even needed to avenge her father. When she met her father in person not long ago, it wasn¡¯t what she had expected. The most obvious fact was¡ª


    ¡°You are more important than my father.¡±


    Nefelina had too many precious connections to be obsessed with blood. Her rtionship with Bunhelier was bound to be for when she became an adult dragon. In other words, it was only when most of the people here disappeared that it was right to make a new decision.


    ¡°Nefelina! How can you be so cute?¡± Jishuka hugged Nefelina¡¯s small body tightly. Nefelina said she was being impolite, but Jishuka didn¡¯t care and rubbed against her cheek. Nefelina was the mascot of the Overgeared Guild, along with Noe. Naturally, many people cared about her.


    Grid watched the two of them with a warm smile on his face.


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°Nefelina has allowed it.¡±


    After returning to the Tower of Wisdom, Grid sat down with Bunhelier and said. ¡°So I will ept your offer. Let¡¯s trust and rely on each other and get along well in the future.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± Bunhelier¡¯s expression trembled as he answered. His wish had been fulfilled, but it was only after a hatchling gave permission. He wondered if this was right.


    ¡®This body, an Old Dragon, gave you the opportunity to be apanion. Why did you have to ask for permission from a trivial hatchling...?¡¯


    ¡®It is useless even if I try to exin for a hundred years.¡¯


    The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. Grid looked at the frowning Bunhelier and just smiled. He fully understood that Bunhelier¡¯s notions didn¡¯t allow him to understand that rtionships took precedence over hierachies.


    ¡®I hope you will learn it gradually.¡¯


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 26th epic.]


    [The beginning of the epic stems from an Old Dragon¡¯s desire to be with him.]


    Baal¡ªthe 1st ranked Great Demon who distorted hell.


    An expedition was beingpleted to remove one of the main enemies who inflicted eternal suffering to humans.

 Chapter 1818

    Chapter 1818


    All the members of the tower, with the exception of Betty, had a mental world. Their mental worlds were stable, unlike Biban¡¯s. None of them possessed a power that collided with the dragon materials such as the energy of a Dragon yer.


    Things proceeded smoothly. Grid easilypleted the exclusive weapons and armor of the tower members.


    ¡®The concentration of the tower members is good. The fact that Bunhelier is on the same side must¡¯ve greatly boosted their morale.¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom was the only force in the world that clearly defined the dragons as enemies. It wasn¡¯t because they weren¡¯t fools who couldn¡¯t grasp the subject. On the contrary, the tower members knew the danger best and dedicated their lives to keeping the dragons in check. The moment they heard the epic recounting Bunhelier¡¯s pledge to side with humanity after he made Grid his object of aspiration, they took the weight of this event most heavily.


    It was different from the Absolutes of hell and heaven, who valued Bunhelier rtively low. The tower members respected Bunhelier as an Old Dragon. They were very happy that they had a dragon they could trust and rely on in the future.


    Jessica even had tears in her eyes. It was a reaction that made Grid proud.


    ¡®Even if it is a god, it is arrogant to evaluate the value of an Old Dragon so low...¡¯


    The tower members criticized those who looked down on Bunhelier. They referred to the fact that Asgard, located up high, was once reduced to a hunting ground for Trauka. Bunhelier might be inferior to Trauka, but it was the opinion of the tower members that this shouldn¡¯t be the standard to measure an Old Dragon¡¯s worth.


    Grid felt the same way. In the first ce, Grid had little intention of antagonizing Bunhelier. It would be difficult to deal with the aftermath that would ur if he became hostile. He fully realized how difficult it was. This was why he seriously considered and epted Bunhelier¡¯s offer to bepanions, regardless of his past actions. He even asked for Nefelina¡¯s understanding.


    ¡®It can bepared to poop.¡¯


    The Old Dragons¡ªno, it was actually best not to get involved with most dragons. If forced to deal with them, it was best to deal with them properly so that it didn¡¯t get on his hands.


    ¡°I think there is a high probability that Baal will move first,¡± Radwolf said.


    It was just after Betty answered Grid¡¯s question about why she didn¡¯t have a mental world.


    ¡°God has gained an Old Dragon. Moreover, you have gained Bunhelier, who has a grudge against Baal. Baal has no choice but to be wary. He will clearly know that he will be the next target and try to move quickly.¡±


    ¡°What can he do in this situation?¡±


    ¡°I think he will aim at the powerful people of the surface. If I was Baal, I would first target the lightning warrior named Kyle. Lightning energy above a certain level somewhat dulls even the sense of a transcendent. Kyle¡¯s power must be tempting food for Baal.¡±


    Radwolf cited the very few dragons who survived after being targeted by higher status dragons than them by relying on lightning attribute magic.


    Grid once again agreed.


    ¡®Definitely, the lightning attribute is tricky.¡¯


    Fire attacks at a level that could be resisted would give the impression of warmth, while cold attacks at a level that could be resisted gave the impression of coldness. Meanwhile, a lightning attack produced static electricity at the very least. Anyone who had ever suffered from static electricity in winter would agree that it was a pretty unpleasant sensation.


    ¡°I agree with you in many ways. From Baal¡¯s perspective, it would be best to quickly gain new powers. With his ability, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to infiltrate the Overgeared World...¡±


    He was the one who invaded the No Offspring Tomb. Baal had absorbed countless powers of the dead and was still absorbing them at this moment. So putting aside being powerful, he was close to omnipotent. It was something Grid always reminded himself about and was wary of.


    ¡°I think it is better to instruct legends and transcendents to move as a team for the time being. Of course, you might be a god, but even you can¡¯t control all the legends and transcendents on the surface...¡±


    Radwolf was advising carefully, only for his voice to trail off. The surface¡¯s legends and transcendents who could be targeted by Baal¡ªeach and every one of them was great. They could live when alone as long as a natural disaster like Baal didn¡¯t intervene.


    Would those who were so arrogant move ording to someone¡¯s will? In real time? It was impossible. Even Grid couldn¡¯t control them unless they were a legend and transcendent belonging to the Overgeared Empire. In the first ce, there would be no means to contact them.


    Radwolf was anxiously thinking about it when a voice entered his ears.


    ¡°Yes, I have instructed them.¡± Grid¡¯s calm voice permeated his ears. ¡°In the future, all the legends and transcendents of the surface will move in at least groups of two. Considering that Baal is greatly weakened in the Overgeared World, this should be enough.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Radwolf doubted his ears. He couldn¡¯t hastily trust Grid, who did the impossible. In the first ce, Grid remained where he was. It made no sense that he gave instructions to all the legends and transcendents of the surface in a matter of seconds.


    ¡®It would take a while even if he sent a divine message.¡¯


    In the past, when Reba was active as the Goddess of Light, she often gave divine messages to humans. Even the divine message from her, the supreme god, rarely had a clear message. In particr, she seemed to have great restrictions when it came tomunicating her will to all those who served her. Due to the vague content, it took quite a long time to interpret the fact that it was a divine message.


    ¡®It is unreasonable to assume that all legends and transcendents serve Grid.¡¯


    Grid deserved respect, but people¡¯s values were different after all. Each person would ept Grid differently. A very small minority might harbor animosity toward Grid. Grid¡¯s conviction that all of the surface¡¯s legends and transcendents would move in at least groups of two in the future wascking in credibility.


    It was a separate matter from Radwolf¡¯s liking and trust of Grid.


    ¡°I have to leave now due to my future schedule. I appreciate all the extremely valuable advice. I will see you again soon.¡±


    Grid said goodbye to the hesitant Radwolf and immediately turned around. The tower members waved to him from a distance. He looked sadly at Betty, who was among them.


    ¡®She emptied her mind and created an empty space to maintain her sanity.¡¯


    This was why Betty didn¡¯t have a mental world.


    The first Baal¡¯s Contractor. She had lived a life of great cruelty. Her small body hidden underneath her robe proved it. It was a body with no blood or flesh left, only bones. She carried a fate where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she went crazy straight away. In order to not go crazy, her mind had to be empty. Therefore, her mental world wasn¡¯t formed.


    ¡®I have to believe that she will gradually get better when Baal dies.¡¯


    It was another reason to be sure that Baal was destroyed. Grid barely kept hisposure by suppressing the terrifying surge of killing intent and he bowed deeply to the tower members.


    ¡°Please be careful.¡±


    ***


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were busy.


    Sword Saint Muller, Kyle the Lightning Warrior, the Great Robber of the Red Night, the former emperor Juander and Armored Cavalryman Chensler, the Blind Swordsman Cabelon, Sabaek of the East Continent, the strongest warrior of the dwarves Antrino, Yeo Yn and the other daoist immortals, the dukes of Titan who had started to build up transcendence in recent years, the number one spearman Kirinus, and the yangban of the Hwan Kingdom¡ªthey were targets to be escorted.


    It was right to hurry.


    After returning from the Tower of Wisdom, Grid immediately started producing dragon weapons and armor and those who received them were deployed on missions.


    ¡°It is true that Baal bes extremely weak in a space outside of hell. He basically moves a fragment of himself, not his main body. On top of that, there is the penalty from the Overgeared World, so the 10 Meritorious Retainers, armed with dragon weapons, can easily defeat him. However, we have to take into ount that Baal can temporarily beplete through some means, such as the help of the hell moon. If you encounter Baal¡¯s fragments, please report to me immediately and concentrate on protecting who you are escorting until assistance arrives.¡±


    ¡°Okay. By the way, have you figured out Juander and Chensler¡¯s whereabouts? I understand that the two of them have been wandering the continent for quite some time and never had any personal contact with Grid?¡±


    ¡°Kujarak has a deep rtionship with the two of them. Thanks to him, I¡¯ve been able to hear about them constantly.¡±


    ¡°Kujarak...? Didn¡¯t you say that the legendary ss ¡®Beast in Human Form¡¯ that popped upst year is likely to be obtained by Kujarak?¡±


    The level of humanity had continued to improve after the Great Human and Demon War. Many new legends and transcendents were born outside the Overgeared Guild. In particr, the ambiguous legend of a beast in human form was deeply imprinted in the minds of the Overgeared members. It was because Toon, who was always by the side of the Grid siblings, and Beast King Morse, one of Basara¡¯s closest associates, weed it as a legend.


    It was exciting. All sorts of situations pointed to the identity of the Beast in Human Form as Kujarak.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as Kujarak is by their side, it is safe to say that Juander and Chensler don¡¯t need an escort. In the first ce, Juander and Chensler are also transcendent who have reached the highest status.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In addition, Kujarak will send a whisper to inform us if there is an emergency, so the response will be quick. We don¡¯t have enough hands, so why set them as an escort target?¡±


    ¡°Please consider it an opportunity to build up friendship with the three of them.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Is it like that? Then it is better to send someone with high social skills if possible.¡± The eyes of the Overgeared members turned to Regas in unison before pausing. They btedly felt sorry. They were reminded of Regas¡¯ situation, where his growth was reversed due to his Asura ss.


    To be honest, the current Regas wasn¡¯t good enough to escort anyone. Forget the 10 Meritorious Retainers. Even in the entire Overgeared Guild, it was correct to look at his skills as being in the middle range. Grid might¡¯ve dered that he would still make a dragon weapon and armor for Regas, but his priority was low. It was also doubtful if he would be stronger even if he gained the items.


    Juander and the others didn¡¯t actually need an escort. Even so, they couldn¡¯t send someone who was tantly weak. There was a risk that such tant weakness would be revealed and antagonize them.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The Overgeared members felt sorry for Regas, who smiled bitterly. Then their expressions gradually distorted. Apart from Regas, it was difficult to think of anyone within the Overgeared Guild which had high social skills.


    Euphemina and Damian emerged as candidates, but Euphemina was so powerful that it was a useless waste of power to send her to Juander¡¯s party. They were too anxious about Damian because there was an area where one screw was missing.


    ¡°Why do you have so many worries? I am the right person.¡± Vantner stepped up.


    Lauel ignored him and pointed to Pon. ¡°Pon, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No, why are you ignoring me?¡± Vantner cried in an agitated manner, but he was ignored to the end. There was still too much information for the Overgeared Guild to discuss.


    ¡°Can you find the whereabouts of the Great Robber of the Red Night and Sabaek?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I just put the Great Robber of the Red Night on the candidates list. He is actually the one who is least in need of an escort. He will be safe even if he is targeted by dragons and gods.¡±


    There was only one way to meet the Great Robber of the Red Night. It was if the Great Robber of the Red Night wanted it. It was impossible to find his whereabouts unless he revealed himself. He said it when he retrieved Hexetia¡¯s Short Sword from Grid in the past. He said it would be hard for Grid to handle if he was targeted by the gods.


    ¡°In the case of Sabaek... he only met Grid once and it is hard to tell if he is an ally or an enemy. But... in any case, Old Sword Demon said he can arrange a meeting through Hwang Gildong. They have started interacting rtively recently.¡±


    ¡°That is why Hwang Gildong isn¡¯t among the ones who need an escort.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the escort of Sabaek will escort Hwang Gildong as well.¡±


    ¡°Is Yeo Yn figuring out the whereabouts of the daoist immortals?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there seems to be a means ofmunication. I¡¯m thinking of having Faker join Yeo Yn. He is a person who speaks well and it is important to maintain a proper attitude and behavior.¡±


    During the conversation, Jishuka arrived in the meeting room. She was armed with the just finished dragon weapon and armor. The red bow and armor matched her tanned skin very well.


    ¡°We will start with the armed people and send them on missions sequentially. The mission period isn¡¯t that long. It will take about a fortnight for Grid to make a dragon weapon for all those participating in the Baal expedition.¡±


    The maximum duration of the escort mission was a fortnight. In other words, it was until the expedition went to hell and captured Baal¡¯s attention.


    ¡°The first escort targets are Antrino and Cabelon. Antrino is currently in Talima and has no one to rely on. Cabelon must be searched for since his whereabouts have been unknown since Muller¡¯s appearance. Time is urgent.¡±


    Most of the spare troops were already being devoted to search for Cabelon. The blind swordsman who imed to be Muller¡¯s student¡ªhe disappeared without a trace when Muller appeared, so there were many suspicious areas, but they couldn¡¯t let him be hunted by Baal.


    ¡°We have to hurry.¡±


    One by one, the 10 Meritorious Retainers left the meeting room. They were armed with dragon weapons and had a legendary or transcendent status, and their dignity wasparable to Grid before he became a god.


    It was reassuring. Thanks to this, Grid was able to focus on his role.

 Chapter 1819

    <h4>Chapter 1819</h4>


    ¡°Excuse me, Lauel... why did you call me?¡±


    There was a rest time given after Jishuka left. During this time, a man approached Lauel, who went to his office without taking a break. It was a man who had sat awkwardly throughout the meeting. It was Ibellin. Unlike Lauel, who still had a bit of a youthful feeling due to his innocence, he had a face that looked like he experienced suffering.


    It was different from the shining days of his youth. He was one of the first generation 10 rookies and was considered Lauel¡¯s biggest rival due to having a simr age and ranking to Lauel.


    It was a very old story. Lauel had to take care of the Overgeared Empire¡¯s internal affairs and he had stepped down from active duty a long time ago. Ibellin also failed to grow into a top power, contrary to people¡¯s expectations.


    Of course, this was a story whenpared to those ssified as the top powers of a ¡®non-human standard¡¯ such as the 10 Meritorious Retainers, Kraugel, Damian, Hurent, Zibal, and Haster. If this small number of monsters weren¡¯t used as aparison target, Ibellin was a powerhouse who could be ranked among the strongest.


    However, it was clear that he didn¡¯t meet people¡¯s expectations. Ibellin boasted a tremendous growth rate based on his uniqueprehension and ability to act, and he was definitely the best talent. All of the Overgeared members, including Grid, believed that Ibellin would one day be a pir of the Overgeared Guild.


    However, reality was cruel. From Yura to Chris, Damian, Hurent, Zibal, Haster, and Kraugel¡ªthe series of geniuses who might emerge once in a hundred years kept joining the Overgeared Guild and Ibellin¡¯s talent became rtively weak. Ibellin was knocked out ofpetition due to these monsters and ultimately wasn¡¯t included in the top powers. So far, the only constion was that his skills were slightly superior to Coke.


    For Ibellin, today¡¯s position was bound to be awkward. All the people gathered here today were the top forces participating in the Baal expedition. They all built up transcendence and were qualified to be masters of the dragon weapons and armor. Ibellin was the only in and shabby one among them.


    Lauel spoke to him, who was somewhat discouraged. ¡°Of course, you are a candidate for the expedition. You should be familiar with the contents of your future mission in advance.¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m a candidate for the expedition?¡± Ibellin questioned it. He seemed to doubt his ears. It was a semitone that was more bewildered than delighted.


    ¡°Your self-esteem has lowered during the time when I haven¡¯t seen you.¡± Lauel had a slightly pitying expression. ¡°I almost miss the time when you couldn¡¯t grasp the subject and had a rivalry with me.¡±


    ¡°...Forget the old stories. In any case, how did I be a candidate for the expedition? Isn¡¯t there a mistake?¡± Ibellin was well aware that he didn¡¯t deserve it. Lack of skills was the second problem. He didn¡¯t meet the conditions to handle the dragon armor and weapons.


    ¡°Talking about a mistake to this body, the prime minister of the empire and the second-inmand of the Overgeared World... how pathetic.¡± Lauel sighed while covering half his face with one hand. The retort of why he was the second-inmand of the Overgeared World entered one ear and went out the other.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a mistake. After discussing it with His Majesty, I have decided that you are fully qualified. It was close to the cut-off line, but it is still great.¡±


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t this strange? I haven¡¯t built up a transcendent status. I can¡¯t use items like the dragon weapon even if you give it to me. Why am I a candidate for the expedition?¡±


    ¡°Angels.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°The angels of the Overgeared World can use the items made by His Majesty Grid, just like the apostles. Of course, unlike the apostles, there are restrictions. Even so, the dragon weapon is very valuable.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°Of course, the number of angels that HIs Majesty can appoint is very small. It is only five angels. In order to be included in those five, you have topete fiercely with the other candidates during the remaining fortnight.¡±


    Only two angels could be appointed when the Overgeared World was level 1. Then in the process of securing the human gods, the level of the Overgeared World steadily rose and Grid was now able to appoint a total of five angels. It was still small, but Lauel thought it was just right.


    ¡®It is also a problem if the number of people reborn as a new power increases in arge amount all at once.¡¯


    The world changed in the aftermath of Fire Dragon Trauka releasing his power. On the surface that was exposed to new dangers, the top-tier forces of the Overgeared Guild were active on behalf of Grid and they umted a new level of transcendent status.


    Of course, most of the people had umted a transcendent status by taking advantage of the legend skill tree, not bing a transcendent, so they were still at a lower level. Even worse, there were some who only umted one level of a transcendent status.


    In any case, the conditions to wear the dragon weapon and armor created by Grid were fully met. It was only right that angels should be appointed from talented people who would be top powers in the future, not in the present. This was also Grid¡¯s meaning.


    The five angels¡ªin the hierarchy of the Overgeared Guild, they would enjoy a power and gloryparable to the 10 Meritorious Retainers. The number should be moderate so as to not cause confusion.


    ¡°Ibellin, I personally think that you will be the first to be appointed as an angel.¡±


    Ibellin believed the reason why he failed to develop into a top power was purely due to the difference in talent. He was being too humble. The reason why Ibellin was pushed out in thepetition with others wasn¡¯t only due to the difference in talent, but also because he was a ruined character.


    A ruined character¡ªhe was someone who got on the wrong growth tree. It wasn¡¯t because he was as ignorant as Vantner, who ced all his stat points in strength despite being a tanker. Ibellin¡¯s growth tree was twisted by external forces.


    Grid¡¯s early masterpiece, the Thorn of Deep Grievance¡ªit was the conditionally powerful weapon that inflicted ¡®damage proportional to health¡¯ on the target. It was Ibellin¡¯s pride and blessing, but it was also a curse. In the early days, Ibellin was able to grow at a terrifying rate thanks to the Thorn of Deep Grievance. Unfortunately, he was dragged down by the titles he acquired along the way. The cause was ughtering the boss monsters.


    Of course, the boss monsters were field and dungeon bosses, not named bosses. In other words, they were bosses that respawned. They were weak and powerlesspared to the named opponents Grid had been hunting. However, they were a big challenge from the perspective of an ordinary yer.


    Ibellin ughtered such monsters with rtive ease. He took the lead in most groups and inflicted critical damage to the boss monster with a single blow. The umted achievements gave him a great deal of titles that were coincidentally very biased in their effect.


    Additional damage was added when dealing damage proportional to health.


    Acquire buffs when dealing damage proportional to health.


    Stats will rise permanently when dealing damage proportional to health, etc.


    They were titles that forced the use of the weapon, Thorn of Deep Grievance. Ibellin solidified this concept in order to take advantage of the power of the titles he earned and the vicious cycle was repeated. He grew in apletely different direction from ordinary swordsmen.He dealt one powerful blow, but he became powerless after consuming that one blow. It was different from the swordsmen who used footwork techniques.


    During the few seconds of cooldown time that urred after Peak Sword used Draw Sword, he used the sheath as a means of defense. If this didn¡¯t work, he used eleration buffs and dodged to buy time.


    Evasion skills¡ªthey were the basic skills possessed by not just swordsmen, but mostbat sses. However, Ibellin had no evasion skills at all. Instead, he possessed a number of charge skills. In return for gaining the momentum to deal a powerful blow under any unfavorable conditions, he lost the potential to recover after dealing the blow. He had no skills that would help with utility.


    Ibellin¡¯s skills were all focused on attacking. He had a few titles that generated buffs every time he dealt damage proportional to health, but even that was random.


    The type of buff, the numbers, everything. Usually, there were no big problems. Ibellin¡¯s stats were very high thanks to the fact that his stats increased permanently when he dealt damage proportional to health several times. By adding his genius senses to his high stats, he often dodged enemy attacks without the need for an evasion skill. Even if he allowed an attack, he often avoided serious injuries thanks to his Grid produced armor.


    This was a story for ordinary situations. It was different when it came to beings above the named level. Ibellin¡¯s subtle strengths were easily destroyed in front of higher ranked beings who had better stats than Ibellin or the insight to predict the yers¡¯ intentions.


    To put it simply, Ibellin was only good against moderately strong enemies. This was why he didn¡¯t be a top power.


    ¡®Still, his strengths are clear.¡¯


    Ibellin¡¯s ability to decrease the enemy¡¯s health by arge amount at once was invaluable. Of course, named bosses were immune to things like damage proportional to health, but Baal wasn¡¯t the only target of the Baal expedition. Were there only one or two demons and demonic creatures that moved ording to Baal¡¯s will? The number of demonic creatures that poured out during the Great Human and Demon War was in the millions at least.


    Grid had said it¡ªKhan and Hexetia were working on a dragon weapon that turned normal attacks into wide area attacks. If Ibellin¡¯s attack extended over a wide area and affected many monsters, it would be easier for their colleagues to finish them off.


    ¡®Above all, if Ibellin bes a legend or builds up transcendence, then he will be able to show off his strength against named enemies as well.¡¯


    Lauel believed that the old rival he acknowledged would surely break through the egg¡¯s shell and fly. Of course, he also had high hopes for the potential of the other angel candidates.


    ***


    The areas newly formed by Trauka had various characteristics.


    There could be distant ancient relics iprehensible to modernmon sense or knowledge, there were ces where various wonders unfolded like gaps in the dimension, and there were areas where demons appeared like the entrance to hell was connected.


    Of course, the members in charge of the escort mission had to be wary of the areas connected to hell. There was a high chance that Baal would appear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    However, there was someone who had a twist in the mission from the start.


    Sword Saint Kraugel¡ªhe was the second most powerful yer after Grid and perhaps had an even better grasp of the East Continent than Grid. His escort target was naturally Daoist Sabaek. The East Continent was his main stage and it was unclear if Sabaek was an enemy or ally, so there was no one better than Kraugel to control a lot of variables.


    Kraugel epted the assignment without hesitation. Then he quickly regretted it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it either. Do we really need to go back when there is a shortcut?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s grip on the sword briefly tightened. It was while looking back and forth between Sabaek, a guy who asked uncooperatively, ¡®Who is this guy to escort me?¡¯ and Hwang Gildong, who did the same thing rather than persuade him.


    -Hwang Gildong has a very entric side. There is no malice in it, so please don¡¯t misunderstand and calm down.


    The whispers sent by Old Sword Demon barely calmed Kraugel down.


    Kraugel took a deep breath and nodded. Wasn¡¯t Old Sword Demon with him?


    The oldest ranker¡ªhe was wise, like a sage. Even if the worst situation urred, Kraugel calmly judged that he would be able to respond well if he cooperated with Old Sword Demon.


    ¡°There is an inn that I frequent at the entrance to a city called Jinju. Compared to you, the dog raised by the six year old daughter of that inn¡¯s owner is better than you. At the very least, he is quiet when you throw him a bone.¡±


    This was until a few minutester when he saw Old Sword Demon start exchanging insults with Sabaek.


    ¡®This ce... I think Huroi would¡¯ve been the right person toe here, not me.¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s ck eyes gradually dimmed.

 Chapter 1820

    Chapter 1820


    ¡°Do you know that the god you serve has been a long time admirer of my work?¡±


    The dark dopo that flowed like a wave. The feeling of smearing ink to create waves. It was a sight created by Daoist Sabaek. The swordsmanship he used was unusual. He slowly used Tai Chi with his sharp sword. The demonic creatures couldn¡¯t dodge and were often cut.


    Kraugel watched with interest, only to soon frown. During their recent meeting at a vi in South Korea, he remembered Grid and Jishuka waking up in the morning and performing Tai Chi side by side.


    ¡®Why does it have to be Tai Chi?¡¯


    Was he lobbied by the Chinese Communist Party?


    Even as Kraugel pondered on this, Sabaek¡¯s words continued, ¡°Additionally, the number of yangbans I have punished is at least seven.¡±


    The sword moved slowly before stinging like a bee, cutting at a demonic creature. Sabaek¡¯s wrists and corbones, revealed through the fluttering dopo, were full of tattoo-like marks. They were marks that permanently raised arge number of stats.


    Daoist Sabaek was the one who created the rare treasure that every yer wished to have. He even had multiple marks on himself. If Baal killed Sabaek and took his soul to hell¡ª


    There was a concern that Baal, who already boasted high stats as a super named boss, would have his stats rise exponentially.


    ¡°It means I am one level ahead of you, who has earned a fairly high reputation as a Sword Saint. In terms of hierarchy, experience, and skills, you don¡¯t deserve to tell me what to do. The same goes for that guy.¡±


    The nose of a named NPC was inherently pointed high in the sky. From the beginning, it was close to impossible for a yer to control an opponent who had lived for a long time as a transcendent. Kraugel might have a unique hierarchy and reputation like Grid, but he wasn¡¯t Grid. Kraugel¡¯s reputation was the second highest among yers, but the gap with the first ce Grid was too great.


    ¡®Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t meet Lauel¡¯s expectations.¡¯


    He felt sorry, but what could he do? Hwang Gildong, whom they believed would be cooperative, acted just like Sabaek.


    Kraugel gave up on persuasion. He silently followed Sabaek and Hwang Gildong, who said that this was a shortcut, and gradually advanced into a space infected by demonic energy.


    The group¡¯s destination was Norae Hills. Thendscape was said to be all yellow hills. Hwang Gildong had seduced Sabaek there by saying he would be able to obtain arge amount of ¡®materials for the marks.¡¯ He had whispered to Kraugel that this was the safest area.


    ¡°Old Sword Demon.¡± Old Sword Demon, who had a dissatisfied expression in the rear, abruptly spoke. He gave his name again to Sabaek, who called him ¡®that guy.¡¯ It sounded a bit different to Kraugel. This was the aftermath of witnessing Huroi from up close since entering the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡®Is he Korean?¡¯


    No, he didn¡¯t think so. It was hard to imagine that there was more than one person like Huroi in the world. Kraugel believed that he misunderstood. He even felt a small amount of guilt toward Old Sword Demon and changed his listeningnguage setting from Korean to English.


    ¡°Old Sword Demon. My name is Old Sword Demon. Didn¡¯t I reveal it when I first introduced myself? Please engrave it clearly in that little head of yours.¡±


    It soundedfortable to listen to now...


    He was able to shake off the horrible assumption that there might be some intention behind Old Sword Demon¡¯s name.


    Kraugel was relieved while Sabaek snorted. ¡°Bah, I heard you are revered as a legend among the people, but there is a wild aspect to you. Well, okay. Stop this war of nerves and increase your pace, Old Sword Demon.¡±


    He quickened his pace while wiping at his bloody sword with a talisman. It seemed to give an enhancement effect to the sword that was glowing blue.


    ¡®He has been active for a long time. They said he would be at least a mid-level transcendent, but he is so talented.¡¯


    Sabaek used high level swordsmanship, performed daoist techniques with the talisman, and possessed his signature marks, so his value became higher the more Kraugel looked. It was to the extent where he wondered if Sabaek was an existence on the opposite side of daoist immortal Yeo Yn.


    ¡®I must protect him.¡¯


    Kraugel reminded himself of the importance of the mission only to stop abruptly as he was following Sabaek. He widened his stride. A shadow crept across the twilight-stained ground. It was the shadow of Kraugel, who immediately leaned his upper body forward as he drew his sword.


    There was a loud explosion. The topknot on Sabaek¡¯s head shook and blood flowed down from Kraugel¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Groan...¡± Old Sword Demon groaned. He suddenly received a shock and lost arge amount of health. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation for a moment.


    However, as a top ranker, his body moved non-stop. He activated his buffs and looked around while drinking potions. The first thing he saw was the back of Kraugel, who was holding out his sword with his upper body leaning forward. The ce where the tip of Kraugel¡¯s sword touched was Sabaek¡¯s left cheek.


    It had stopped while interlocking with a ¡®hand.¡¯ It was a purple hand that exuded a very ominous energy. It floated alone in the air like Grid¡¯s God Hands. It was hard to tell whether it was real or imaginary. It was because it was transparent.


    It originally aimed for Sabaek¡¯s face, but it was blocked by Kraugel¡¯s Twilight. In the glow of the sunset, it emitted a scorching heat that was beyond the light emitted by the sword. They were the traces of the use of magic. It was the fire attribute magic that struck at Sabaek while aiming at Kraugel, Old Sword Demon, and Hwang Gildong at the same time.


    ¡®Can it use magic now?¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s expression became serious.


    The fragment of Asura¡ªthe Evil God that had briefly put the Overgeared members and apostles into a crisis in the No Offspring Tomb boasted a higher level ofpletion than before.


    ¡°Good. As expected, you endured it.¡±


    Step, step, step.


    The gloomy voice that was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps caught the attention of the party. It was a smiling demon with sharp fangs. His appearance differed depending on the viewer. He looked like a huge bat to Old Sword Demon. It was very unpleasant and frightening.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal¡¯, has appeared.]


    ¡°Kuek...¡± Old Sword Demon groaned and fell to his knees. He was crushed by the status abnormalities caused by Baal.


    An old yer who was the first assassin yer to reach level 100 and be registered in the Hall of Fame as the ¡®First Assassin Ranked Number 1¡¯¡ªOld Sword Demon had been ying Satisfy for nearly nine years, including the open beta, and he surprisingly only recently acquired a legendary ss. To be exact, he changed sses.


    Assassin Who Refuses to be Stealthy¡ªthere were parts of the name he didn¡¯t like, but it was like the efforts and achievements umted over the past nine years were finally acknowledged. He felt great thrill and satisfaction. Now he was embarrassed that he had been happy.


    ¡®I am unable to resist the status abnormalities? I was very suspicious due to the name. So was it a defective product?¡¯


    Legendary sses were immune to status abnormalities. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this was the reason why Grid was able to advance at an unrivaled speed after bing the first legend. Yet at this moment, Old Sword Demon was suffering from all types of status abnormalities. The hard-earned legendary ss was disabled without him being able to enjoy its basic rights. There was no choice but to doubt its performance.


    Kraugel¡¯s voice entered his ears as he was feeling agitated.


    -Absolutes are equipped with the ability to cause status abnormalities by default, ignoring the status abnormality immunity. Regain yourposure and recover while I buy time.


    -...Does the Golden Carriageter sells items that neutralizes the ability to ignore status abnormality resistance?


    The online games from a century ago¡ªfor Old Sword Demon, there was an image file that became popr on the Inte in the past that listed paid items in games enjoyed by the generations older than his father. Old Sword Demon recalled what he had seen then while Kraugel replied seriously to him.


    -At the very least, it wasn¡¯t on the list of products that I could view with my reputation. Currently, the only solution is to build up your level of transcendence and increase the chance of resistance.


    -Yes...


    He had to focus on the situation. Even jokes needed apuse to bepleted. In the first ce, this wasn¡¯t the environment to make a joke.


    The 1st ranked Great Demon had appeared in front of them.


    Of course, it was likely to once again be a fragment, but unlike the past, he was apanied by an unknown ¡®hand.¡¯ Old Sword Demon had never seen Asura¡¯s hand and he didn¡¯t even know what it was. Nevertheless, he could intuitively know that it was a very sinister and dangerous object.


    The danger was intuitively revealed. It was because Kraugel¡¯s sword energy was being disturbed in real time.


    A Sword Saint¡¯s sword energy¡ªthe moment the highest grade resource, perhapsparable to divinity, approached Asura¡¯s hand, it became blurred and repeatedly disappeared. It was the same for the orange energy emitted by Kraugel¡¯s sword. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary thing.


    ¡®Hwang Gildong and Sabaek have to kill Baal while Kraugel ties it up.¡¯


    If Baal was just a fragment as he guessed, Hwang Gildong and Sabaek should be able to get rid of Baal rtively easily. However, he always kept the worst case scenario in mind and prepared measures in advance.


    Old Sword Demon prepared for a situation where Baal wasn¡¯t just a fragment. He couldn¡¯t sit idle in case Kraugel missed the hand before Hwang Gildong and Sabaek could kill Baal.


    ¡®I need to get ready...¡¯


    Assassination¡ªfor assassins, it was an ¡®achievement¡¯ that elerated growth. However, Old Sword Demon had never attempted a single assassination. It was a fact that the whole world knew because it was on record. People dismissed him as a fool. They saw him as a stupid old man who had forgotten his duty because he refused to do something cowardly.


    This was only half true. Old Sword Demon wanted to be stronger than anyone else, thus he went all in on the skill tree rted to swordsmanship. Due to this, he wasn¡¯t capable of assassinations...


    In any case, that was in the past.


    ¡®Baal, you evil that shouldn¡¯t resist. Keep ignoring me like this.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon paid close attention to Baal, who didn¡¯t even give him a second look. It was while secretly preparing to attempt an ¡®assassination¡¯ that hadn¡¯t been carried out in the past nine years.


    Some of the debuffs caused by Baal turned out to be good luck for him.


    His stats and health that declined in real time and his armor and weapon that were rusting met the trigger conditions for his passive skill.


    ¡°Sword Saint Kraugel, thew that there is nothing a Sword Saint can¡¯t cut no longer applies to Asura. It learned this after being cut by you. Even I didn¡¯t expect Asura to have this talent, so it was an unexpected harvest. Thanks to this, the newly born Evil God has a durabilityparable to the Old Dragons.¡±


    Baal only noticed Kraugel.


    Sabaek saw this and tried to slip away, but he couldn¡¯t move recklessly. It was because Asura¡¯s hand chased after him.


    Sabaek was vaguely aware of the desires and power in Asura¡¯s hand. He had to notice. His magic power and daoist energy were being dispersed just by being this close. There was a sense ofplete helplessness. The feeling of helplessness that he was feeling for the first time since bing a transcendent baffled him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t bother talking to Baal. It was because the demons he had dealt with so far had excelled at bewitching people. Moreover, there was nothing good about exchanging words with Baal, the source of all evil.


    ¡°You are scared.¡±


    Baalughed. It was right after he turned to look at Hwang Gildong, who was creeping up on him like a rat. This made Hwang Gildong stiffen. Fortunately, his prey hade to an area connected to demonic energy.


    Baal could feel a familiar smell from them. It was the smell of fear. It was a smell that made Baal feel alive. His infinite life that never disappeared came from the fear of humanity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Death is quick, so the pain is short. It is better to be grateful that your souls can exist with me forever after you die and fall to hell. However, once that timees, the pain willst forever.¡±


    Baal didn¡¯t move from his spot. He used just his will to call the surrounding demons to his side and led them. He put Asura¡¯s hand in the very lead. The hand of the Evil God absorbed and neutralized all resources of all targets except for Baal and it was simply invincible. Baal would finish the hunt without needing to step forward in person.


    ¡®Grid, you must¡¯ve sent the Sword Saint to stop my hunt.¡¯


    It is a misjudgment. You should¡¯vee in person to stop me...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened as he was thinking about Grid¡¯s unscrupulous face. It was because Kraugel blew Asura¡¯s hand away. He simply struck it with a sword and blew it away. The loss of the rule that there was nothing he couldn¡¯t cut and of sword energy meant this result was created simply using the power of the sword.


    ¡°That sword...?¡±


    Baal noticed something as he operated a gravitational spell on Asura¡¯s hand, which was flying far away. He hastily brought Asura¡¯s hand to his side. It was one step toote.


    Twilight¡ªit wasn¡¯t Kraugel¡¯s Twilight made from smelting the scales of a low-grade dragon, but Grid¡¯s true Twilight made from an Old Dragon¡¯s fang that pierced Baal¡¯s heart.


    -Grid lent you a sword that is more valuable than his life?


    Baal¡¯s question was conveyed as a thought.


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    Kraugel expressed his thoughts as he was covered by the blood gushing from Baal¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Even a million dragon weapons are worth less than a single life of Grid¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Grid... he must¡¯ve be stronger?¡±


    The effect was great. Baal read Kraugel¡¯s true feelings and was inwardly shaken. Of course, it was only for a moment.


    ¡°I expected it. In any case, it is within the scope of my assumptions...¡±


    Baal¡¯s face distorted sharply as he sneered and shook off Kraugel. He btedly felt a sense of urgency. He might currently be only an ego fragment and he was seriously injured by Sword Saint Kraugel, but he also strangely failed to read the signs. They were the signs of the man who maintained the number one ranking until the emergence of a rising star called Faker.


    One of the strongest unofficial rankers, an old man who was writing a new legend after countless achievements. He attempted an assassination for the first time in his life and seeded.


    Baal¡¯s head fell silently and rolled on the cold ground. Baal¡¯s red eyes gradually became empty as he stared at Asura¡¯s hand, which btedly arrived next to him.


    ¡°Sword Saint Kraugel... it will be different... in ces where you aren¡¯t present...¡±


    It was already the second time after the No Offspring Tomb. Baal dered to Kraugel, who ruined his ns, and turned to ash. Asura¡¯s hand, which terrified legends and transcendents, naturally disappeared along with him.


    ¡°...Please escort me well in the future.¡± Sabaek¡¯s attitude changed dramatically. Kraugel¡¯s terrifying power had been intensely engraved in his mind.


    ¡®In the end, being overgeared is the best.¡¯


    Kraugel realized it once again.


    At the same time...


    Fragments of Baal¡¯s ego that were appearing on various parts of the surface were identifying the location of their prey. They were each apanied by a part of the Evil God. In particr, the momentum of the fragment that was apanied by the head was imposing.


    He deliberately released demonic energy, as if saying he could fight against Grid like this. The reaction appeared immediately.


    ¡°Is it because your life is infinite? You¡¯ve lost all fear.¡±


    Biban descended to the ground. Baal¡¯s ego fragment remembered him as a Sword Saint from a former era.


    ¡°I am disappointed. This area would¡¯ve been handled neatly if it was Muller.¡±


    Let¡¯s test the performance of Asura¡¯s head.


    The pressureing from Baal grew increasingly ferocious.


    Biban just drew his sword silently. It was the Broken Sword.


    Baalughed. ¡°Were the rumors that the Specter heard true? Well, it is good. I have no choice but to exclude those hiding in the tower from the hunt. Now I can hunt you as well.¡±

 Chapter 1821

    Chapter 1821


    Baal had a very convenient ability.


    It was the ability to divide his ego into dozens or hundreds of fragments to create and operate clones. It was possible for him to climb up to the surface without many restrictions, kill humans, and bring them to hell.


    The targets had always been simr¡ªhumans who would be angels after dying. Simply put, they were talents coveted by the archangels. If Baal didn¡¯t have this ability, hell would¡¯ve been a world of only the weak, just as Yatan intended at first.


    Thump!


    A pir of gray fell over Baal¡¯s head. A fragment that had ascended to the surface had died. Baal recovered the experience and memory of the life thatsted shorter than a day and returned as a handful of light.


    ¡°This is good.¡±


    Originally, Baal used to feel unpleasant whenever he absorbed the memories of his ego fragments. It couldn¡¯t be pleasant to watch the disgrace of the fragments who didn¡¯t realize they were only an insignificant part of him. However, it was different this time.


    A deep smile spread across Baal¡¯s face.


    ¡°It is better than expected.¡±


    Asura¡¯s hand¡ªeven though he was unable to withstand the power of Sword Saint Kraugel¡¯s ¡®sword¡¯ and his ego died in vain, which caused him to fail to secure the soul of Sabaek, there was still a result. He clearly confirmed that Asura¡¯s hand resisted thew of the Sword Saint. His expectations weren¡¯t just expectations and had be reality.


    ¡®Learning means... It is proof that it has an ego.¡¯


    The Evil God¡ªa truly evil being, unlike Yatan, had started to conceive life. The moment he longed after for many years was just around the corner.


    ¡°Excuse me... are you okay?¡± Rose¡ªa figure who had be a great demon as a yer¡ªasked cautiously while watching Baal from the side. It was a few months ago. She had been scouted by Baal, the 1st ranked Great Demon.


    Baal¡ªhe had been beaten a few times by Grid, but he was still a strong final boss candidate. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t it a setting that he had infinite lives? There was no chance that Baal would be defeated, even if Grid invaded hell with two billion yers.


    Bing his subordinate? In terms of fairy tales, it was like bing one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King.


    Rose couldn¡¯t resist the sweet offer. She betrayed Amoract, who had turned her into a great demon, and went straight to Baal¡¯s side. She dreamed of a brilliant future. A future where she became the supreme existence of hell. It was a future where she had a reputation as the best yer along with Grid.


    She was truly thrilled when she saw Baal¡¯s ability to create dozens of clones and sent them to the surface. She became convinced that the future she dreamed of would surely be a reality. But now¡ª


    Less than an hourter, her faith started to waver. It was right after she watched one of Baal¡¯s clones die with a magic crystal ball. He was instantly overpowered by Kraugel and Old Sword Demon, who weren¡¯t even Grid. Of course, she knew the clones were weak whenpared to the main body. However, ¡®achievements¡¯ were the biggest nutrients for yers.


    Baal¡¯s clone, who looked just like Baal, was killed in an attempt to kill them, so Kraugel and Old Sword Demon must¡¯ve received huge rewards.


    This damn Baal. You are raising mypetitors instead of me...


    She seriously suspected that something in his brain was severely damaged when Yura shot him in the head.


    ¡®Did I grab a rotten rope?¡¯


    The reason Rose betrayed Amoract was because she decided there was no hope for Amoract.


    Amoract¡ªan idiot who was so focused on watching Baal¡¯s movements that she couldn¡¯t do anything to oppose him. It was highlymendable that she wasn¡¯t hostile to Grid, but that was it. It felt like Amoract was protecting her body so much that there was little potential for development.


    Rose¡¯s ambitions were too grand to entrust her future to Amoract. Thus, Rose sided with Baal. This was even though she found it troubling that Baal¡¯s personality was so aggressive and cruel that he was considered an enemy of humanity as a whole, let alone the yers. Rose was afraid that she would be branded as an enemy of humanity.


    However, she was already a great demon. It was toote to be conscious of public opinion. She also judged that public opinion would easily change if she achieved her dream someday and gained strong power. Didn¡¯t Grid actually show it? Grid was now treated as a hero, but he was once considered a psychopath due to his high level of brutality.


    That¡¯s right¡ªRose¡¯s role model was none other than Grid...


    ¡°Am I okay? What do you mean?¡±


    Baal, who was smiling after confirming thepleteness of Asura, turned his head to her.


    A great demon of human origin¡ªmaybe it was because of her unusual birth? Baal often didn¡¯t understand her. How could a low ranking great demon look worried and ask if he was okay? He was a bit puzzled because it was his first time experiencing it.


    ¡°Ah, that... a fragment of your ego was just killed by a few humans, right? I wondered if it would damage your reputation.¡±


    She saw him smiling after experiencing such a thing and was worried about his mental state, so she asked if he was okay...


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It might¡¯ve been different previously, but the value of my fragments has be very low now,¡± Baal exined to Rose, who couldn¡¯t speak honestly and trailed off.


    It started with Grid. After that, his ego fragments were hunted by too many humans, including Agnus. As a result, Baal¡¯s ego fragments were engraved in the world as having very low value. At first, Baal¡¯s reputation and status were slightly damaged every time his fragments made mistakes and failed. It wasn¡¯t like that any longer.


    Ironically, Baal was able to operate his ego fragments without any pressure thanks to Grid. It was nice that he didn¡¯t have to be conscious of the mistakes or failures of his fragments.


    ¡°...Really? So the humans who killed your fragments won¡¯t gain much fame either, right?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? That is none of my business.¡±


    ¡°Aish.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing. I was admiring it! Hehe! My way of eximing is a bit unusual, right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She was truly hard to understand. Well, she was worth looking forward to. He made her a subordinate, but thought about killing her because she knew surprisingly little about Amoract. Now he thought it would be good to keep her around for a while.


    Fortunately, her magic crystal balls contained something unique. The dozens of crystal balls¡ªthey were the ¡®eyes¡¯ of the fragments sent to the surface.


    Rose made them by connecting it to her magic power. Originally, Baal wasn¡¯t interested in them. After all, he could retrieve his experiences and memories through the fragments that returned to him. He didn¡¯t have to look into the crystal balls.


    However, he naturally became interested when he saw the characters in the crystal ball. He watched the situation in real time with Rose.


    ¡°B-Biban...!¡±


    The contemtive Rose¡¯s heart suddenly sank.


    Sword Saint Biban¡ªhe was one of the members of the Tower of Wisdom who apanied Grid when he invaded hell. He killed Valefor, the 6th ranked Great Demon, with his excellent skills. Recently, there was even the world message that he had be the Sword God.


    Sword God¡ªit was a being that must transcend the Sword Saint. There was a high probability that he was an Absolute. However, the voice of the fragment that flowed from the crystal ball was calm even with Biban in front of him. Rather, he treated Biban as a subordinate with an arrogant tone. Far from being intimidated, he didn¡¯t even seem to be vignt.


    Rose felt very small hope.


    ¡°The head... is Asura¡¯s head really amazing? Is that why he is so confident despite meeting Biban?¡±


    ¡°It is iparable to the hands.¡±


    Baal was usually kind to his subordinates. No, it wasn¡¯t just that. He took care of them very well. It was just like a parent. Sometimes he was like a friend. Not only did he gain their loyalty, but he also built up tremendous affinity. It was to the point where he meant the world to the other being. There were countless demons who would die for Baal without hesitation.


    ¡®What is with this way of speaking?¡¯


    Rose was also at the stage of developing a subtle liking toward Baal. He was almost always gentle and benevolent. Additionally, he had demonically handsome looks, so it was enough to capture Rose¡¯s heart. She was entangled in a web she could never be detached from.


    One day, she too would be betrayed and ridiculed by Baal at the most critical moment, dying a miserable death. It was just like all beings who were involved with Baal.


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t enough to instill confidence in the fragment.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Rose had been staring at Baal with an expression of ecstasy, only to suddenlye to her senses and ask again. They were words that she couldn¡¯t understand.


    Baal added an exnation, ¡°An ego fragment is literally just a fragment. It is a very small part of myself that embodied some of my personality, memories, and abilities. He can¡¯t urately identify the hierarchy of the opponents in front of him and respond appropriately.¡±


    ¡°To put it simply... you¡¯re saying the ego fragment can¡¯t figure out his opponent right now, right?¡±


    ¡°It is nice that you have a bright mind.¡±


    Baalughed while nodding. He was praising Rose. However, Rose wasn¡¯t happy at all. She red at Baal, who was watching the situation with a nonchnt expression.


    ¡®Another fragment died meaninglessly and became an experience pack. How can heugh at the current situation?¡¯


    She resented Baal¡¯sck of thoroughness.


    An evil being with great strength and thoroughness¡ªwas there really no perfect being that could give despair to all yers, except for her?


    Rose had beenmenting to herself. Then herplexion gradually brightened. The other magic crystal balls also started to convey the situation of those that the fragments met. She was happy because most of them seemed to have a high chance of winning, except for Biban.


    In particr, the situation of Talima was overwhelming. As many as four fragments surrounded one dwarf. It was unlucky that Jishuka arrived at the scene just before thepletion of the barrier to block teleportation magic, but the situation wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡®It is 4 against 2, but there is no chance. Baal will win no matter what.¡¯


    In fact, if she thought about it calmly, the fragment that was defeated by Kraugel and Old Sword Demon were simply unlucky. Kraugel was second only to Grid. Additionally, thinking back to thest sight in the eyes of the dying fragment, there was a ¡®mark¡¯ on the back of the hand of Kraugel and Old Sword Demon. This meant that the guy called Sabaek had secretly buffed the two of them. It also wasn¡¯t known what tricks Hwang Gildong might¡¯ve pulled.


    In the first ce, it didn¡¯t make sense for one fragment to dream of winning against a group of four cooperating legends or transcendents. However, the situation in Talima waspletely different. Jishuka was one level below Kraugel¡¯s and the target of the hunt was only a dwarf who was good at cksmithing. It was safe to say that the four fragments had no chance of being defeated.


    ¡®It is too bad, Jishuka. You are the heroine along with Yura, but you will lose big this time. I just hope you don¡¯t get dumped by Grid.¡¯


    Rose was smiling happily when a different look appeared in her eyes.


    The bow that Jishuka took out¡ªit was shaped like a dragon¡¯s head with its mouth open and it was veryrge and threatening.


    ¡°Grid, this guy... has he seeded in mass producing dragon weapons?¡±


    Baal¡¯s sigh drove in the wedge.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was the moment when Rose was suddenly overwhelmed with great anxiety...


    Two of the four magic crystal balls rying the situation in Talima exploded. It was faster than the magic crystal ball showing Sword God Biban.


    ¡°You must not be arrogant toward today¡¯s humans,¡± Baal advised Rose, who had a bewildered expression on her face.


    Rose¡¯s face turned red.


    Seeing this reaction, she couldn¡¯t grasp a subject, just like his ego fragment...


    It sounded like Baal was implying this.

 Chapter 1822

    Chapter 1822


    Talima.


    It was a city of dwarves that had been isted for hundreds of years due to their of Fire Dragon Trauka. Not long ago, it was an unfamiliarnd for people. Only a few people identally entered it, and most yers couldn¡¯t get any information about Talima. They heard rumors that the cksmiths of Talima sold legendary rated battle gear and ego items on stands, but they dismissed it as absurd.


    ¡°...It wasn¡¯t just a rumor.¡±


    The yers exploring the city surrounded by rocks were dumbfounded. It was while watching weapons such as swords, axes, and maces rise up from smithies all over the city and fly somewhere. They were ego items that judged and moved on their own. It was probably an exaggeration that they were sold on the stands, but the smithies of Talima all had a few ego items.


    Dozens of ego items dove toward the hill behind Talima Castle. They were aimed at four intruders. Not a single one hit. The intruders with extremely trained senses evaded the surprise attack of the ego items with swift movements. If they wanted to im themselves as Baal due to having the same appearance as him, they needed to have the minimum qualifications.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even adjusted to the peace that hase...¡±


    The dwarf standing in the center of the fallen battle gear murmured with a gloomy face. It was the one with superhuman strength, Antrino. He was a transcendent who freely wielded the strength of a short body.


    Until Talima was isted by Fire Dragon Trauka, he was the hero who protected the lives of the dwarves for hundreds of years. Then not long ago, Trauka moved hisir and Talima joined the world again. Antrino felt a sense of responsibility to reim his reputation as a hero. Now that the natural disaster of an Old Dragon had left, he vowed before King Charles and his people that he would surely protect Talima in the future.


    However, they were facing a new disaster without a break.


    The 1st ranked Great Demon, Baal. Seeing that there were four of him, it didn¡¯t seem to be his main body. Even so, each one of them had strong skills.


    ¡°Are we to be forever swayed by the wishes of the Absolutes...?¡±


    Antrino sighed.


    Dwarves were a species with exceedingly high dexterity. They had a habit of honing their natural dexterity to the limit. Thus, he was a suitable existence to be targeted by other beings. As Ke ong proved while being active in the Overgeared Empire, a nation could enjoy a strong military force with just one dwarf. Even Fire Dragon Trauka built air here because he coveted the technology of the dwarves. The natural talent and instincts of the dwarves could be likened to honey for all types of insects.


    Therefore, Antrino¡¯s sense of responsibility was great.


    One of the rare warriors of his species¡ªhe was the only one to have built up transcendence among them, and he had a duty to protect his species. Throughout Talima, he was the only one who could do this.


    However, even a transcendent was powerless in the face of a natural disaster. Just as he couldn¡¯t do anything against Fire Dragon Trauka, he felt incredibly helpless against the 1st ranked Great Demon. If this was the real Baal, he wouldn¡¯t even have the will to fight.


    ¡®Even if I¡¯m lucky enough to defeat these guys... eventually, I will see Talima being dominated by the real Baal one day.¡¯


    Antrino couldn¡¯t think of the option of relying on Grid. Talima had been isted until just a few days ago. They were ignorant of the outside news. In the first ce, it was far frommon sense to think about relying on others just because a crisis hade.


    ¡®Well... it is worth fightingpared to an Old Dragon.¡¯


    He thought as positively as possible. Antrino floated dozens of ego items centered around him into the air. Unless they were out of control ego items sealed in Pandemonium, Talima¡¯s ego items moved ording to his will. They respected Antrino, the strongest dwarf warrior. At least here in Talima, Antrino was able to control the swords equal to the Sword Saint.


    ¡°A stupid dwarf dreams of resistance.¡±


    ¡°His thoughts are as stupid as his ugly looks. Stupid guy.¡±


    ¡°What warrior?¡±


    The four Baal had subtly different speech patterns. They seemed to have different personalities based on the way they showed different reactions to the same scene.


    ¡®Is each person derived from a different ego?¡¯


    There was no end to Baal¡¯s powers...


    Antrino remembered a story that had been passed down since ancient times and took a deep breath. He held the equipment in his hand like a pot lid andpletelybined his consciousness with the ego items floating around him. The fierce battle immediately began. It was fortunate that all four Baals were bare-handed. The strongest warrior of the dwarves used a number of weapons and had a natural advantage.


    ¡°Useless things.¡±


    One of the Baals used the de of therge axe blocking his path as a stepping stone and clicked his tongue. He had the attitude of treating the other three Baals as subordinates. He seemed to believe that he was the real Baal. His figure shot up into the air.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have a hard time with just one dwarf.¡±


    Dozens of magic circles floated around the Baal in the sky. He intended to use ranged attacks to easily intercept Antrino, who had a distance advantage from using various weapons. As a bonus, he intended to devastate all of Talima. He was going to kill all the dwarves and transfer their skills to hell. It was why Baal sent as many as four clones to Talima. It wasn¡¯t because Antrino was particrly strong. From the beginning, his goal had been all of Talima.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you again in hell.¡±


    The Baal in the skyughed. He didn¡¯t realize that he was only a day old and promised the future without knowing anything. Punishment immediately fell.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The magic circles that had started to activate the magic were instantly erased. It was by a pir of red mes that was just like an eraser. The pir of mes that shot in a straight line erased everything in its path without a trace.


    ¡°Groan...


    Cough. Cough!!¡±


    At almost the same time that the magic circles around him were erased, the Baal was swept away by a pir of fire and fell to the ground. He was in a ragged state. His limbs had vanished without a trace.


    ¡°Fire Dragon...¡±


    ¡°...Trauka!¡±


    Antrino and the Baals on the ground were shocked. They stared up at the sky with expressions that were close to contemtion. The pir of fire must¡¯ve been the Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath. However, the appearance of the Fire Dragon that should¡¯ve filled the sky was nowhere to be seen. In the first ce, the Fire Dragon had just moved hisir. There was no reason for him toe back here again.


    Antrino watched the sky nervously only to realize one stepte.


    ¡®No, was that a real Breath just now?¡¯


    The energy was simr, but wasn¡¯t the power quite weak?


    It happened as Antrino remembering Trauka¡¯s Breath that he had witnessed in the past and questioned it...


    sh!


    There was a sh of light from the edge of the sky. His transcendent status responded. Antrino moved instinctively and hurriedly left his position.


    Just in time, a second bombardment hit the ground. Another Baal was turned into rags. The first Baal was a fragment born from his arrogance and the second Baal was a fragment born from hisziness. It was the weakest of the four fragments. Still, it shouldn¡¯t have been so easy.


    The two remaining Baals took out the ¡®Asura body part'' that was with them and were convinced.


    ¡°It was Trauka¡¯s Breath.¡±


    However, it was very weak. Perhaps a Breath fired from hundreds of millions of kilometers away had reached this point.


    ¡°Is it a warning not to target the dwarves because they are his...?¡±


    The interpretation of the two Baals made Antrino frown.


    ¡°......¡±


    Then some traces got closer. It was so weak that they were ashamed to mistake it for Trauka. It belonged to Bow Saint Jishuka.


    ¡°This...?¡±


    Antrino¡¯s eyes widened when he confirmed the appearance of the woman who got closer.


    A dragon¡ªit came from a greatbow made from the scales and bones of Fire Dragon Trauka. The bow held by the woman was something that even the dwarves of Talima had never imagined. It was an object that forced a change in theirmon sense.


    A dragon weapon¡ªhe couldn¡¯t believe that such a thing was real.


    ¡°You dodged that? Even if you are the same fragment, is there such a big difference in level?¡± Jishuka said as she soon came to Antrino¡¯s side. Shepared the two dying fragments with the intact ones. There was a sense of rxation in her lively voice. The fragments of Baal noticed that it was nothing but an exaggerated performance.


    ¡®Only two shots... that is the limit.¡¯


    The sniper shot that was like a Breath. Surprisingly, the present day Bow Saint armed with a dragon weapon gave up the sniper point she had secured and came close to them. It meant she couldn¡¯t snipe them any longer. In fact, her hands were bloody. She seemed to have restored her wounds using regenerative potions and other means, but based on the amount of blood on her hands and clothes, it was presumed that her hands hadpletely exploded before. She paid a severe price for embodying the Breath of an Old Dragon with a human body.


    ¡°The distance is too short for an archer. Are you going to wield a sword?¡± one of the fragments spoke in a leisurely manner. Asura¡¯s shoulders were spinning and hovering around him. The mes of the Fire Dragon around Jishuka¡¯s bow slowly dissipated. It was the same with Antrino¡¯s power.


    ¡°What... is this?¡±


    Antrino, who was in daze for a while, btedly noticed the difference and was wary.


    An object that looked like it was cut out of a giant¡¯s shoulder¡ªevery time he got close to it, strength drained from his body. The endless energy rising from his dantian disappeared without a trace. He easily noticed that these shoulders were a very ominous and dangerous object.


    ¡°This is the message of Only One God Grid,¡± Jishuka spoke to Antrino, who was backing away.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°From now on, Talima is protected by the Overgeared World.¡±


    At the same time as Jishuka¡¯s deration, the world darkened dramatically. It was due to the shadow that filled the sky. A huge object could be seen approaching through the thick clouds. No, it was too big to be described as an object. It was more like a city.


    It was the Tomb of the Gods. It was the advent of the moving Overgeared World.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    This huge object gave a sense of intimidation just from its size. The Baal fragments felt a sense of crisis and moved urgently. They gave up on securing Talima and aimed for Jishuka and Antrino in front of them. It was one step toote.


    The Tomb of the Gods started firing. The Overgeared Cannons had greatly increased in number due to actively utilizing the proliferation characteristics of Greed. Disintegrate and Meteor fell from hundreds of cannon barrels and hit Baal¡¯s fragments.


    ¡°It is useless...¡±


    Disintegrate was a magical spearposed of magic power. The magic power scattered and disappeared the moment it got close to Asura¡¯s shoulders. The fragments smiled when they saw this, only to stiffen.


    Meteor¡ªit was a simple meteorite. In other words, it was a physical power that the power of Asura¡¯s shoulders didn¡¯t work on. After being crushed again and again by the meteorites, the mangled fragments turned to ash.


    The aftermath was great. All of Talima shook. The castle¡¯s tall spires finally started to fall.


    The regi stone¡ªthe door of Pandemonium, made from the heaviest stone in the world, also became wide open from the shock. The ego items like Talima''s Shame, that were sealed due to their dirty personality, popped out into the city. This gave the already chaotic dwarves a greater sense of crisis. There were going to be victims everywhere.


    ¡®First of all, save King Charles...??¡¯


    Antrino was flustered but he quickly made a judgment and moved. However, he soon stiffened like a stone statue.


    The gods who were believed to only exist in heaven¡ªhe watched in amazement as the people of the Overgeared World poured out of the Tomb of the Gods and protected and restored Talima with various powers.


    Jishuka smiled.


    ¡°I told you. From today onwards, this ce is protected by the Overgeared World.¡±


    The domain of the Overgeared World was about to expand again.

 Chapter 1823

    Chapter 1823


    A sudden change in the world¡ªit referred to the change in the world caused by the liberation of Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s power.


    Titan had been one of the busiest cities since this change ured. It might be purely coincidental, but many of the areas judged to be ¡®dangerous¡¯ urred around Titan. Among them, the Mirror Mountains and the Forest of Mist were the most difficult.


    They were areas where fantasy-like creatures that existed only in dimensional gaps appeared. Beings beyond reason threatened people with strange abilities.


    The legendary Lightning Warrior Kyle¡ªTitan¡¯s strongest spear and shield was patrolling the Mirror Mountains as usual.


    The mountain peaks that distorted and reflected light like mirrors and showed things that couldn¡¯t exist in reality¡ªKyle moved among these ominous things that easily deceived and led humans to danger and was intact.


    His lightning burned all enemies that approached. His legendary skillsbined with the body of a transcendent were strong. It was because all the processes and results he gained were judged to be achievements worthy of being recorded in legend and they had a strengthening effect.


    ¡°Thank you! The supply route has been secured thanks to Kyle disposing of all the illusionary bodies!¡±


    ¡°...You are saying the same thing as yesterday,¡± Kyle responded with displeasure to the saluting knights.


    Just like the demonic creatures in the hunting grounds, the illusionary bodies would reappear at regr intervals. The objects reflected by the ice mirrors of the ice caps of the mountain points were soon reborn as illusionary bodies. It was meaningless to kill them.


    Kyle was going to be given the same task again and again tomorrow and the next day. He had enough of it. A fundamental solution was needed. However, they had long concluded that it was impossible to physically destroy the ice mirrors of the mountain peaks.


    ¡°Fire Dragon... that damn creature.¡±


    The dragons¡ªKyle¡¯s attitude of cursing at the Old Dragon was unstoppable. He showed a clear disregard for the warnings of schrs, who imed that a dragon¡¯s hearing could cover the entire continent. There were only two existences in the world that he feared¡ªGrid and Braham.


    Except for those two, he wasn¡¯t scared of anyone, including dragons.


    ¡°...Is that an illusionary body?¡±


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    Kyle cocked his head when he suddenly heard the screams of soldiers.


    A path leading to the Forest of Mist¡ªan ominous being, like the mirrors of the mountain peak, were approaching and ughtering the soldiers.


    The 1st ranked Great Demon, Baal. A great evil that shouldn¡¯t be on the surface. In Kyle¡¯s eyes, this guy was simply ¡®color.¡¯ He was bright red, but far from a me. Kyle wondered if negative concepts such as blood, killing intention, hatred, and anger could be painted in color.


    ¡®It is cutepared to the demons of the surface.¡¯


    Kylepared Baal¡¯s appearance to Grid and Braham and snorted. Beads made by condensing lightning floated around him. The lightning orbs intercepted all of the attacks of the approaching Baal¡¯s. The red hands, feet, and tail were shaking from the electric shock.


    ¡°Ugh. Did you copy Grid¡¯s God Hands?¡± Baal asked, forcing his facial muscles twitching from the electric shock to move. His mouth that opened slowly was big and ck.


    ¡°Che.¡± Kyle read some ominous omens from it. Then the bright beads of lightning exploded in unison.


    At the same time, rays of magic shot from Baal¡¯s mouth.


    ¡ª!


    Sound disappeared for a moment from the white-tinged world. The lighting from Baal was also buried as he turned to ash. The first sound heard as the world soon returned to normal was the sound of blood dripping from Kyle¡¯s pierced chest.


    Soon, arge amount of blood poured out. Kyle stopped the bleeding by closing his wound with electricity and looked around. It was to check the condition of the knights swept away by the explosion. Unfortunately, there were quite a few casualties.


    ¡®It was unavoidable.¡¯


    If he had hesitated for even one second, then everyone except for himself would¡¯ve perished.


    A gloomy voice permeated Kyle¡¯s ears as he struggled to control his mind. ¡°It is a clone made from a fragment, but you did a good job. Croak. Lightning Warrior Kyle. I can understand why His Majesty wanted you and sent me here. Croak.¡±


    It was a giant toad.


    Chepardea¡ªhe was a demon known for being Baal¡¯s closest ally. He had a powerparable to a single digit great demon.


    Step, step.


    A new Baal walked out from behind him. He was apanied by the ¡®body¡¯ of a human-like creature.


    ¡°Is this the fragment of Asura or something?¡±


    Some time ago, when Grid conquered the No Offspring Tomb. The central government had disseminated information rted to Asura to Titan. Kyle had already received it.


    ¡°Yes, croak. He is a god who will soon arrive in hell,¡± Chepardea replied while blinking his bulging, round eyes.


    Kyle was secretly sending over electric currents. However, the currents that came close to Asura¡¯s torso disappeared without a trace.


    ¡®It disappears the moment it gets within two meters.¡¯


    He heard the other day that it was within one meter. Had the range expanded? In the end, they had the worstpatibility. A strong person who valued ¡®body¡¯ over ¡®energy.¡¯ In Titan, Spear Saint Rachel was the best opponent to fight against it.


    ¡®Of course, it is too much for Rachel to handle on her own.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it a situation where even Chepardea had shown up?


    ¡®She will need the cooperation of Empress Basara and the other dukes... if that monstrous torso can neutralize even the empress¡¯ red energy or Grenhal¡¯s resilience...¡¯


    The odds were slim. At this point, wasn¡¯t there enough justification to retreat?


    Kyle started to sneak away. The reason he stayed in Titan in the first ce was Grid¡¯s coercion. Ever since the disappearance of the former emperor, Juander, he didn¡¯t feel the need to be tied up here.


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    Of course, it was different now. In the process of performing the duties he was forced to do, he unintentionally acquired a sense of responsibility. It wasn¡¯t easy to leave the knights he had known for a long time and to run away alone.


    ¡®I was caught by Grid.¡¯


    Did that devil know he was going to end up like this and kept making him take responsibility? It was as he was thinking...


    ¡°Run away. Don¡¯t look back and run.¡±


    Kyle stopped walking and stood with his back to the wounded and fallen knights. The sword left behind by the dead knights were drawn up along with the electric currents.


    One, two, three, four... there were nine in total. Kyle held two of them in his hands while the other seven swords were at his feet. He intended to resupply himself immediately when he lost the two swords he was holding. Since he wasn¡¯t a swordsman, this was the worst case scenario.


    ¡®I promised myself that I would never hold a sword again.¡¯


    Due to his natural constitution, Kyle was always alone. His situation didn¡¯t change much even when he entered the pce due to the former emperor, Juander. Juander appreciated Kyle¡¯s constitution and tried to teach him a lot, but Kyle was always weighed down by the eyes of those around him and had to give up on most of his learning halfway. Swordsmanship was one of them.


    The former Red Knights¡ªKyle used to leave the training grounds with shame because theyughed while saying that an electric eel was learning the sword. He couldn¡¯t train deeply in swordsmanship.


    ¡®Looking back, they weren¡¯tughing at me.¡¯


    The Red Knights were just pointing out that Kyle¡¯s constitution and swordsmanship didn¡¯t match. At that time, Kyle couldn¡¯t control his lightning properly. Under the influence of the ck lightning in his hands, he often changed the trajectory of the sword arbitrarily. He was in a position where he couldn¡¯t learn swordsmanship properly. He could¡¯ve seriously injured someone if he insisted on continuing to learn swordsmanship. They wanted to tell him that he should take a different path.


    However, at that time, he was a person who couldn¡¯t bemunicated with and they ended up hurting each other¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡±


    ¡°Kyle, you areughing now. Croak. You¡¯ve lost your mind. Croak.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. I¡¯m aware that I am insane.¡±


    As the time of death approached, all his poor memories came back.


    Kyle stoppedughing, took a deep breath, and took a stance. He calmed down his lightning and nned to deal with the enemies in front of him purely with swordsmanship. He believed in the body of a transcendent. The swordsmanship he learned in the past and the swordsmanship he observed so far would be embodied with this transcendent body.


    He believed in the value of a legend. Everything a legend did, no matter how small, was given great meaning. It was easily recognized as an achievement. He hoped that the world would expand and interpret the choices at this moment, made with emotions in the heat of the moment, and create a miracle.


    However, reality was grim.


    ¡°You are weak! You are so insignificant when you can¡¯t use your lightning power! Croak!¡±


    Kyle couldn¡¯t withstand the offensive of Baal and Chepardea and copsed. All nine swords had already been broken. He performed the martial arts he acquired during his time as a follower of the Martial God, but as expected, it had no effect. It was impossible to hit Chepardea¡¯s slippery body with his punches or kicks.


    ¡°Go ahead and kill me.¡± Kyle exhausted even his immortality and stopped resisting. The knights had already fled. They would¡¯ve delivered the news to Titan¡¯s empress and dukes, and they would¡¯ve started preparing the defenses. It was good that he didn¡¯t have to work hard to buy more time than this. He had no lingering attachment to life.


    A life as an orphan¡ªhe was very lonely and he sometimes took the wrong path. Wasn¡¯t it great enough that he could rise to this position?


    ¡°Chepardea, you are still the same.¡±


    Kyle, who was waiting for death, suddenly heard a voice and looked in that direction. He saw a green-haired man. His pale face, exposed beneath his short, neat hair, lookedpletely lifeless and it was bizarre. It felt like he was seeing a moving corpse. In fact, it was actually a corpse.


    ¡°The traitor, Agnus! Croak!¡±


    The green-haired man¡¯s robe fluttered at the magic power spread by the shouting Chepardea. It revealed his upper body, which had only bones and no flesh and skin.


    ¡°Agnus...¡±


    Kyle was briefly fascinated by the unbelievable sight as he pondered on the man¡¯s name.


    The former Baal¡¯s Contractor¡ªKyle remembered encountering him a few times in the past.


    ¡°You have changed a lot?¡±


    ¡°Kyle, your eyes have be quite sad as well.¡±


    The ground trembled. The dead rose from the ground and formed an army in an instant.


    Chepardea showed a puzzled reaction. ¡°What? How can you maintain that level of control when you have been reduced to an ordinary necromancer? Croak?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been ordinary.¡±


    Before contracting with Baal, Agnus was originally the 1st ranked necromancer. Just because his contract with Baal was cut off didn¡¯t mean he had no skills.


    ¡°More than that, you are pitiful, Chepardea.¡±


    ¡°Pitiful...? Croak?¡±


    ¡°If you are betrayed by Baal and die again this time, it will be at least the 50th time. Betty¡¯s words are quite credible.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The brief conversation between Agnus and Chepardea ended. It was because Baal flew over and attacked Agnus. He ignored Kyle, who was no different from prey, and aimed only at Agnus.


    ¡°Agnus, you shine brightly when ites to the subject of abandoned toys.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, it is good killing intent.¡±


    Agnus responded casually, but avoided a head-on battle. It was because he witnessed the undead in Baal¡¯s path copse. Asura¡¯s torso showed an almighty power to disrupt even a necromancer¡¯s control. Agnus didn¡¯t think he had any odds of winning. Nevertheless, there was a reason why he proudly made an appearance.


    ¡®Grid has to be aware of the situation here.¡¯


    It was due to that belief.


    It was as expected.


    Thump!


    As if responding to Agnus¡¯ faith, a person fell from the sky. It was someone who scattered brilliant light.


    ¡°I was worried because I thought I waste, but I arrived on time.¡±


    It was Vantner. Unlike the smiling Vantner, Agnus¡¯ expression was rotten.


    ¡°...Is there a temporary shortage of workers in the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Agnus? What are you doing here? And what do you mean by your words just now?¡±


    ¡°No... There is no shortage of workers. It is correct to interpret that there will be additional reinforcements.¡±


    Putting aside underestimating Vantner, Agnus noted that Vantner was a tanker.


    A tanker¡ªhe literally served to guard against enemy attacks from the front. There was little he could do alone.


    ¡°It is a solo mission, you bastard.¡±


    Vantner btedly noticed the meaning of Agnus¡¯ continuous nonsense and his expression distorted.


    ¡°A lot of mongrels are flocking! Okay, croak! I¡¯ll take you all to hell, croak!¡±


    Chepardea flicked out his tongue.


    HIs long tongue moved like it was alive and it not only contained acidic poison, it was also covered in slippery fluids. Even when shed or stabbed with a de, the de would slip, have its trajectory twisted strangely, or produce additional derivative attacks.


    ¡°Vantner, don¡¯t face it head-on...¡± Agnus was well aware of Chepardea¡¯s abilities and warned Vantner, only to stop in mid-sentence.


    The pupils of his golden eyes shrank as he saw Chepardea¡¯s severed tongue fluttering in the air.


    ¡°Y-You... Croak...¡±


    Chepardea stepped back. He tried to regenerate his tongue by swallowing the fluids pouring out of his mouth. Meanwhile, the huge red shield attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Awl-like des protruded from the lower part of the shield, so it looked like a tail at first nce. They wondered if a dragon¡¯s back would look like this when looking at it from above.


    The first dragon shield in history was revealed.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t hear an exnation from Baal based on how surprised you are. Poor toad, you must be a toy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle felt like the peaks of the Mirror Mountains had increased by one.


    Vantner was the first tanker to be a legend and built up a transcendent status. He looked as tall as a mountain. Even the way that he distorted and reflected light was simr.

 Chapter 1824

    Chapter 1824


    ¡®This... these crazy items...¡¯


    There were now only seven magic crystal balls when there were initially 33. This meant that 26 of Baal¡¯s fragments had perished. The influence of the Overgeared members, who predicted Baal¡¯s potential target and interfered, was great.


    Top rankers such as the 10 Meritorious Retainers, Kraugel, Zibal, Hurent, and Haster¡ªtheir ability to cooperate with the targeted transcendents waspletely different from the past.


    It was far beyond what Rose remembered. It was thanks to the dragon weapons that suited each of them. The fragments of Baal, apanied by parts of Asura, couldn¡¯t withstand the ¡®physical power¡¯ and often perished.


    Ding!


    Another crystal ball was on the verge of breaking. Kyle''s image passed by in a crystal ball projecting the view of a dying fragment.


    Lightning Warrior Kyle¡ªeven the man who was identified as the most important target of this operation wasn¡¯t secured. Standing next to him, Vantner¡¯s rough face was tinged with light joy.


    ¡®Even considering the fact that he received the help of Agnus and Kyle, a tanker raiding alone...¡¯


    Rose stared nkly at Vantner¡¯s dragon shield, whose offensive power was proportional to his defense, only to soon recover and grit her teeth. Who was a stronger yer than her apart from Grid? When she thought about it, the 10 Meritorious Retainers who were always in the lead had be even stronger. They were getting stronger in real time even at this moment. Their rewards for hunting the fragments of Baal this time alone would be significant.


    ¡°The hell moon... don¡¯t you think things would be better than they are now if you had projected the hell moon?¡± Rose cautiously asked. She looked at Baal, who was still sitting on the throne with a calm expression. In terms of her personality, she wanted to hit him and use all sorts of curses while asking him why he didn¡¯t use the hell moon, but she couldn¡¯t do so.


    Right now, Baal wasn¡¯t just an object of fear. He was also a superior. This was thest rope she chose after changing her affiliation several times over the past nine years. At this point, she thought it might be a rotten rope.


    ¡°The moonlight of the hell moon would¡¯ve made the fragments much stronger than they are now. Then wouldn¡¯t your chances of sess have increased significantly? Why didn¡¯t you project the hell moon on the surface?¡±


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t do it, but that he couldn¡¯t? If so, wasn¡¯t Baal¡¯s heyday already over?


    ¡°It is because it is meaningless,¡± Baal spoke to her, who was suffering from severe anxiety. It was a very gentle tone. He smiled as he tilted his head and his ck hair fell over his shoulders.


    ¡°Grid would¡¯ve reacted directly if I projected the hell moon on the surface. The mission sess rate of the fragments would¡¯ve beenpletely zero.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    Another pir of gray fell over Baal¡¯s head. It was without a newly broken crystal ball. It meant that someone other than Baal¡¯s fragments had died and had been absorbed by Baal. One of the transcendents Baal targeted had died. The Overgeared Guild wasn¡¯t omniscient either. It was impossible for them to identify and interact with all the transcendents of the surface.


    ¡°In the first ce, killing a transcendent and absorbing their power is nothing but a bonus.¡±


    Baal raised his body.


    Kujarak¡ªBaal approached the crystal ball with this person and examined it as if intrigued by the appearance of this active, non Overgeared Guild member.


    ¡°The biggest reason I operated the fragments is to collect information.¡±


    Another gray pir fell over Baal¡¯s head as he spoke. This time, it was a pir created by the death of a fragment. It was killed by Kujarak, Juander, and Chensler. Baal closed his eyes as if savoring his memories and experiences. Then he opened them again. His eyes were no longer on Kujarak. It felt like he had lost interest.


    A chill went down Rose¡¯s spine. ¡°Perhaps...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I learn through the fragments. The power and skill of the humans who harmed the fragments will be rendered worthless against me.¡±


    Baal naturally grew stronger over time. It was thanks to the ability to absorb the power of the dead. It was safe to say that just breathing made him stronger.


    Time was on his side. Originally, he didn¡¯t need to put in any effort to be stronger. Then a while ago, Baal changed his attitude. It was while encountering Grid¡¯s epics that he constantly heard. Grid finally started interacting with the Old Dragons. Considering his status as Dragon Knight, he must¡¯ve been bing stronger at a greater speed than before.


    Baal remembered the feeling that he had tried so hard to ignore. Grid, who got back up and challenged him even if he fell down again and again¡ªafter reflecting on the vague sense of crisis he felt when he encountered Grid over and over again, he became alert. From the time he experienced it, he started to think that relying on his natural power wasn¡¯t enough.


    Baal focused on the ¡®experiences¡¯ that existed in the background of Grid, who grew whilepressing time. He was inspired. He also felt the need to gain experience and learn. It was why he started to make active use of the fragments.


    The clones where his consciousness was split into small pieces¡ªhe decided to let them umte experience and knowledge on his behalf. He would absorb everything, study it, and umte strength faster.


    This was the process.


    ¡°Even the dragon weapon that Grid trusts won¡¯t be able to pierce my skin.¡±


    The demonic energy wrapped around Baal¡¯s body started to change slowly, but surely. It took a new form and became even more solid. The fragments created a structure to neutralize the power of the dragon weapons. The shape and nature of his hands and nails were also changing. It was to a form where he could easily tear apart the imprable dragon armor.


    In a few days, when this change waspleted, Baal would be reborn as an existence who didn¡¯t need to be wary of the dragon weapons and armor. The main factor was that the level of Grid¡¯s newly created dragon weapons wasn¡¯t particrly outstandingpared to Twilight.


    ¡®Grid... you are bringing me back.¡¯


    A very long time ago, Baal also had an enemy. It was Beriache, who was of the same bloodline as him. She was a big threat to Baal whenever she met certain conditions and she made Baal always think and work hard until she was banished from hell. He was just fed up with it at the time, but in retrospect, her rivalry with Baal and hispetition with her rapidly propelled his development.


    ¡®You are going to pay a heavy price.¡¯


    The wave of power caused by the smiling Baal was enormous. It was like he was in his prime.


    Rose was thrilled because he was iparable to before.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see God.¡±


    The capital, Reinhardt, was in turmoil. It was due to Biban¡¯s visit. Hundreds of knights lined up politely and Lauel ran out personally to greet him.


    As he guided Biban to Grid, Lauel cautiously asked, ¡°Excuse me, may I dare to ask you what this is about?¡±


    Biban nodded. ¡°Of course. If I spoke to God, won¡¯t you know the content anyway?¡±


    Biban was well aware of Lauel¡¯s position.


    ¡°I met something called Asura¡¯s head. It isn¡¯t ordinary, so I decided I should inform God beforehand,¡± he exined to Lauel, who was inwardly proud.


    ¡°The head...¡±


    Asura¡¯s shoulders, legs, torso, buttocks, etcetera¡ªthe fragments of Asura encountered by the Overgeared Guild members over the past few days weren¡¯t much differentpared to Asura¡¯s hands. Lauel had judged that the head wouldn¡¯t be much different, so he gradually stiffened when he heard this.


    ¡°You must not let him see, hear, or speak.¡±


    It was because Biban¡¯s words were very meaningful. At this point, the two of them arrived at their destination.


    Randy, who was ying with air at the entrance of the smithy, smiled at them and opened the door. Her attitude was very different from Noe, who only rolled around in the sun and didn¡¯t bother to look at the two of them. Biban stroked the girl¡¯s head before entering the smithy.


    Grid stopped working for a moment and greeted him. On the other hand, Khan didn¡¯t notice Biban¡¯s visit. A dragon weapon that turned normal attacks into wide area attacks¡ªhe stayed up a few nights to develop the work Grid required and he had just fallen asleep.


    In the first ce, the level gap with Biban was too great. An ordinary legend couldn¡¯t detect the visit of Biban, who was conserving his energy. He remained in his dream while only being aware of the fact that Grid was talking with someone.


    ¡°...A god without divinity.¡±


    Unlike Khan, who was having a good dream, Hexetia was horrified.


    Sword God Biban¡ªthe human swordsman he had only heard about through rumors was clearly at the peak. Apart from the missing divinity, he thought it was natural for Biban to be revered as a god. He was at a phenomenal level.


    Biban felt a simr appreciation for Hexetia. It might be due to themonality of being in one field for a long time and reaching the peak.


    ¡°There was a fragment that ran wild without understanding his opponent. I read the traces of Bibaning forward and just watched. Have you properly tested the performance of the Broken Sword?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t even worth drawing the sword. However, the head of Asura was quite intimidating, so I came to let you know in advance.¡±


    ¡°The head...? How was it?¡±


    ¡°You said that the other parts of Asura¡¯s body dissipate any ¡®energy that gets close¡¯ to it? Meanwhile, the head extinguishes the energy simply by hearing or seeing. If that isn¡¯t enough, the head can make a rule with words to make sure that the energy is extinguished, just like Dragon Words.¡±


    ¡°That... hearing this, it seemsparable to the power of a chief god. Did Baal seriously make such a thing?¡± Hexetia, who had exchanged greetings with Biban through looks, interjected with a somewhat disbelieving response.


    Biban shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it was made. In any case, there is no exaggeration in my words.¡±


    ¡°...It is natural in a way, ¡± the silently listening Grid finally opened his mouth, ¡°In the first ce, Baal¡¯s purpose is to make a new Evil God. To borrow Baal¡¯s words, it is a true Evil God, unlike Yatan, and is better than Yatan. It was designed and built as an absolute god from the beginning.¡±


    Grid remembered the red flesh that projected the hell moon. It was a transcendent concept that contained the countless souls that fell to hell. It was to the point where he thought it was an excellent material to produce an absolute god. He was forced to understand.


    ¡°The hell expedition... it will be harder than you think. You should be careful,¡± Biban warned.


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°I never thought it would be easy in the first ce.¡±


    Grid had fought directly with Baal. They had fought dozens of times and Grid had lost most of the fights. He even knew that Baal¡¯s life was infinite. It would¡¯ve been impossible to target him in a raid without the epics.


    Grid took a deep breath and sent a whisper to Lauel, who was waiting outside the smithy.


    -Bring me the king of the evil eyes.


    A means to restrain Asura¡¯s strong power. There was a dragon¡¯s Dragon Words, but that wasn¡¯t enough. Coincidentally, the dragon that Grid obtained as a colleague was weak in terms of Dragon Words. Therefore, Grid nned to rely on another strong power.


    Grid and Baal¡ªthe Absolutes of the surface and hell were already engaged in a fierce battle of numbers.

 Chapter 1825

    Chapter 1825


    ¡°Great one who showed me the difference between day and night. Today too, I started my day under the sunshine you gave me. I was able to understand the process of the birth of life through the dew on the fields of flowers of all colors.¡±


    Poriorderporonopitonojiodebe¡ªit was the name of the evil eyes¡¯ king, which was long enough to be omitted due to the character limit. It contained many meanings. It was from the desire to be wise and virtuous like the head of a species. In conclusion, the evil eyes¡¯ king lived up to his name.


    He didn¡¯t forget the grace of Grid, who opened his eyes. He emted Grid and became a king who was kind to his subordinates. However, there was the disadvantage that he said too much when he greeted Grid. It made Grid feel embarrassed every time. It was especially so ever since Grid became a god.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The chibi species¡ªBiban looked curiously at the evil eye, who was smaller and cuter than a dwarf. Then he cocked his head and frowned.


    ¡°He is just saying good morning,¡± Grid exined briefly before he responded to the evil eyes¡¯ king with a smile, ¡°Have you been well, my friend?¡±


    ¡°Of course. ording to the logic of the world, I have to constantly go through new trials, but it is better than the past. Ever since you have broken the curse, my life has always been brilliant. I, who feels infinite gratitude and glory to have been called by you, walked the path you haveid out for me and have arrived safely before you.¡±


    It is easy to live because I am no longer blind. I can walk while looking at the road.


    Grid interpreted it roughly like this and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you are doing well. In any case, the reason why I called you is to borrow the power of the evil eye. Will you cooperate, my friend?¡±


    The evil eye of the evil eyes¡¯ king was particrly powerful. It shot rays infinitely and destroyed anything he saw. He was forced to close his eyes and live by ignoring everything precious to him. To the king of the evil eyes, the evil eye was nothing other than a curse.


    Grid felt ufortable to ask him to open his eyes again.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The evil eyes¡¯ king readily epted. The reason he sealed the evil eye with the ether sses. It was to lead a ¡®daily life.¡¯ This didn¡¯t mean that he gave up his power.


    The group moved locations. It was toward one of the most difficult hunting grounds near Reinhardt. It was ake that was formed after the change in the world. Just like Titans¡¯ Mirror Mountains, it replicated the image of a creature reflected on the surface of the water and produced illusionary bodies.


    The basic stat of the illusionary bodies were so high that it was impossible for ordinary people to ess this ce. It was used as a top level hunting ground even for the Overgeared Guild.


    Thanks to this, Grid and the evil eyes¡¯ king stood facing each other in a deserted ce. Grid armed himself with the dragon armor and siad, ¡°I am ready. You can take off your sses now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Like the stars in the sky, countless fates disturb me as usual. ording to your will, I will open the curse deep in my blood and soul and engrave it on the world.¡±


    Words that didn¡¯t suit his round and cute face¡ªthe sight of the evil eyes¡¯ king answering with a serene expression thrilled Lauel.


    At the same time...


    sh!


    Beams of light shot from therge eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king, who had taken off his ether sses. All the surrounding bushes couldn¡¯t handle the waves and were uprooted. Large rocks also cracked.


    [¡¯Absolute Defense¡¯ is activated. 50,000 mana is consumed per second.]


    [You have be immune to the damage due to the effect of ¡®Absolute Defense.¡¯]


    Apart from the loud impact, Grid wasn¡¯t harmed at all. Biban also expressed his disappointment in the beginning.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯


    It happened as Biban was thinking this...


    Step.


    A faint footstep was heard through the noises of the shes of light. It was the sound of Grid taking a step back.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Why did he back off?


    The puzzled Biban noticed one stepte.


    The rays of destructioning from the eyes of the evil eyes¡¯ king. This ¡®pushing force¡¯ was being reced by enormous pressure. It was easy to think of water cannons. Water cannons firing nonstop.


    Unlike most attack spells which were one shot, including the dragon¡¯s Breath, the evil eyes¡¯ rays had the advantage of being continuously shot. Everything around Grid was falling apart. It was why the evil eyes¡¯ king had to live as a blind person in the past.


    ¡®Of course, Absolute Defense isn¡¯t perfect.¡¯


    Grid thought as he pulled out his sword while being hit by the destruction rays. It took him 0.1 seconds to draw his sword. It was several times slower than usual.


    ¡®If Absolute Defense was almighty, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight a dragon.¡¯


    There was nothing invincible in the world. Therefore, it was necessary to cooperate with each other...


    [The activation of ¡®Absolute Defense¡¯ has stopped.]


    In the Overgeared World, Grid could ovee many constraints. It was also possible to activate Absolute Defense forever with infinite mana. It was just like a dragon. However, his experiment testing out his theory couldn¡¯t proceed properly like this, so Grid deactivated the Absolute Defense skill.


    A change urred immediately.


    [You have suffered 1,290 damage.]


    The destruction rays of the evil eyes¡¯ king started to inflict damage on Grid.


    [You have suffered 810 damage.]


    [You have suffered 1,905 damage.]


    [You have suffered 366 damage.]


    [You have suffered 2,678 damage.]


    The infinite number of hits meant damage was umted quickly. Grid¡¯s magic resistance was so high that the individual damage was very low, but it wasn¡¯t at a level that could be ignored. The speed at which the damage came was very fast. There were 5-8 hits per second and he had to take into ount the asional critical hits or weak spot attacks that urred. In addition, each hit ovepped at a certain level and caused debuffs that weakened magic resistance. Grid was immune, but...


    In any case, it wasn¡¯t the damage that mattered. There was something else that Grid paid attention to regarding the evil eye of the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    ¡°What do you think? I think the light and heat of these rays will narrow the view of the ¡®head¡¯ a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Um... I agree. On top of that, it could disrupt its hearing.¡±


    The destruction rays were apanied by bright light, heat, and tremendous noise. It meant it could interfere with what Asura¡¯s head could see and hear. Of course, there were many magics and skills in the world that could improve the subject¡¯s sight and hearing. However, it couldn¡¯t be triggered non-stop like the rays of destruction.


    ¡°Theoretically, it is also possible to make it unable to speak. A beam of light can be shot into its mouth.¡±


    In fact, Grid¡¯s voice was actually trembling. It was because his organs, including his vocal cords, were constantly shaking under the pressure of the rays. If the beam was focused and aimed at Grid¡¯s mouth, the pressure would¡¯ve made it difficult for him to open his mouth.


    ¡°Certainly...¡±


    Asura¡¯s head exerted a great power through seeing, hearing, and speaking. The evil eye of the evil eyes¡¯ king had the extraordinary power to keep him in check.


    Biban was convinced.


    ¡°It is good. Then put on your sses. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    The rays of destruction, which had been fired with a continuous roar, stopped. The evil eyes¡¯ king put on the ether sses he had taken off and looked relieved. It was due to the fact that he unleashed his suppressed power to his heart¡¯s content.


    ¡®Is it simr to the feeling when you hold back from peeing and then release it?¡¯


    Biban asked Grid, who had a fairly rude thought, ¡°I understand that his evil eye is worth it. But how are you going to use it? There seems to be a huge w in his physical abilities.¡±


    The evil eyes species were one of the most powerful among the demonic species. It was purely thanks to the evil eyes. The evil eyes species without the evil eyes? They were like children. They would perhaps be weaker than a human child. Their body bnce was so bad that they couldn¡¯t move their body properly. They couldn¡¯t even do a simple run properly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that Asura¡¯s body parts can¡¯t handle the power of a dragon weapon, but that is because the dragon weapon you make is so powerful. It isn¡¯t that Asura is weak. Its physical abilities are close to a transcendent, even though it is divided into parts.¡±


    No matter how powerful the rays of the evil eyes¡¯ king, it was meaningless if they didn¡¯tst. The moment he shot a ray of light, the evil eyes¡¯ king would be immediately targeted by his enemies and was likely to be killed in an instant. No matter how he thought about it, there were many practical problems with the use of the evil eye of the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    The evil eyes¡¯ king also looked anxious. He imagined his head falling off the moment he arrived in hell and took off his sses.


    ¡°Will the effect of the evil eyes be maintained if you pull out the eyeballs?¡±


    Biban pondered on it for a while before saying ridiculous nonsense. The face of the evil eyes¡¯ king turned pale and Grid frowned.


    ¡°Pull out the eyeballs of a precious friend? Please refrain from saying such terrible things.¡±


    ¡°A precious friend? Um... I was joking.¡±


    ¡°You are still mischievous. Wait.¡±


    Grid took out a portable furnace, anvil, and hammer, and started to make something. It was a handle. It looked exactly like the handle of the dragon shield he made for Vantner a while ago.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Under the gazes of the puzzled people, Grid strode over to the evil eyes¡¯ king and put a handle on the cor of the evil eyes¡¯ king.


    ¡°......??¡±


    People¡¯s doubts grew. The king of the evil eyes was suddenly lifted up by the handle and was particrly flustered and confused. Grid held him in one hand and moved him in various poses. Soon after, he started to exin.


    ¡°I have a friend named Vantner who uses shields very well. He is so skilled that he can even use two shields...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    People started to have doubts the moment the exnation began. Lauel was the only one who noticed something and quietly looked away as Grid¡¯s words continued. ¡°I will tell him to use you as a shield.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°The evil eyes¡¯ king, as you can see. Jiode, my friend, you just need to keep your eyes open. Vantner will take care of aiming. Ah, he will naturally protect you as well.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Everyone stared nkly at Grid, who was talking crazy with a normal expression.


    ¡°Wielding him as a shield in the middle of hell... I think it would be less harsh to just to pull out his eyeballs.¡±


    Biban soon came to his senses and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°I apologize...¡± the evil eyes¡¯ king opened his mouth, ¡°...Jiodebe. That is my name.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t bear to refuse the daunting task he had been given. He indirectly expressed his disappointment by saying, ¡®Please correct my name at least.¡¯


    ¡°In the future, I will call you Jiofortably. Isn¡¯t that closer to each other?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The evil eyes¡¯ king had a lot to say but he swallowed down all the words. The favor he owed to Grid was too great. He didn¡¯t dare go against Grid.


    ¡°Do as you please...¡±


    Finally, the king of the evil eyes nodded. This was the end. It was decided that the means to oppose the head of Asura was the evil eyes¡¯ king.

 Chapter 1826

    Chapter 1826


    ¡®By the way.¡¯


    The evil eyes¡¯ king who readily (?) agreed to cooperate¡ªGrid¡¯s eyes slowly sank as he smiled at the king. It was because he felt the enemy¡¯s presence behind him. An illusionary body was rising above the surface of theke. The aftermath of the destructive rays swept over it and caused ripples.


    ¡®They are really nasty, just as rumored.¡¯


    An illusionary body¡ªit was a generic term for things that originally inhabited the gaps in dimensions and shouldn¡¯t exist in reality. Here in thiske, an ¡®illusionary body that replicates and mixes aspects of the invaders with the highest level or stats and uses them as its powers¡¯ appeared as a boss monster.


    ¡°Hah...¡± The evil eyes¡¯ kingmented.


    It was a huge monster with a total length of 20 meters. It had a long body with hundreds of arms and legs wriggling like a centipede and its face resembled Grid''s. The hundreds of arms and legs also resembled Grid¡¯s and were mixed with arms and legs that resembled Biban¡¯s.


    Kieeeeeek!


    The shouting from the illusionary body caused a storm. It was a storm of des. It even copied Grid and Biban¡¯s weapons and used them as powers. Every time it opened its mouth, all types of swords poured out of the ck abyss.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the strongest field boss ever?¡± Lauel said while calming the storm with the power to change the weather.


    ¡°I think it is going to drop a precious item.¡±


    It was a rather pleasant voice. It was an effort to rx the tension. Of course, the illusionary bodies couldn¡¯t replicate 100% of the target¡¯s stats and skills. However, now it had cloned Grid and Biban. It was clear that the human centipede was one of the most powerful monsters on the surface.


    ¡°Despair can be easily experienced on the surface,¡± Hexetia, the God of cksmithing, said with a regretful expression on his face.


    The surface¡ªGrid and countless other hands had cooperated to protect thisnd and it had umted unprecedented power and technology over the years. Despite this, it was still unstable. It seemed precarious to the point of now knowing when it would suddenly copse one day due to a new enemy.


    ¡®Therefore, he will fight until the end even if it means using a friend as a shield.¡¯


    Hexetia¡¯s eyes showed pity as he looked at Grid.


    ¡ªThat there would be true peace on the surface. He thought that this might be impossible forever. It was natural since they were abandoned by the creator in the first ce.


    Reba, the Goddess of Light¡ªfrom the beginning, she treated the surface differently from heaven. In heaven, angels were appointed as guardians, while the surface was neglected. She took a step back and watched all the events on the surface. At some point, she started to ignore it altogether. There was no room for the rule of ¡®it will be protected¡¯ to be established.


    It happened the moment when Hexetia felt guilty...


    ¡°Let¡¯s use this opportunity to test the power of the sword.¡± Biban took a step forward. He held a short, blunt sword in his hand. It was a sword whose de looked like it had been cut in half. It looked like something found in a junk store.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Why was the supreme Sword God wielding this...?


    It happened as Lauel and the evil eyes¡¯ king were feeling puzzled...


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    The illusionary body created a storm again. It sprayed dozens of des toward Biban and mmed its huge body toward Biban. Biban responded by swinging the Broken Sword. It seemed pointless. There was no way that such a short sword could reach the centipede. Even if it did, it wouldn¡¯t be able to stab or cut it.


    sh!


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    A vision was projected into the eyes of Lauel and the evil eyes¡¯ king¡ªit was a vision in the form of a veryrge sword. The illusionary body, which had looked as huge as a dragon just now, quickly turned into something small.


    Theke split in half. The image of a huge sword could be seen in between the streams of water soaring high enough to reach the sky. The appearance of the illusionary body couldn¡¯t be seen. It was because it was devoured by the sword muchrger than itself and disappeared.


    Gray ash spread like mist between the sinking pirs of water that were scattering heavy rain. It was the mark left by the death of the illusionary body that had been destroyed by an illusion greater than itself.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel and the evil eyes¡¯ king were both stunned for a moment before slowly turning their heads to look at Biban. It was the same for Grid and Hexetia. Everyone present was shocked. There was only one exception¡ªBiban.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t test it properly this time.¡±


    Biban took back the illusion ovepping with the Broken Sword and clicked his tongue regretfully. He took for granted the power of the sword that killed the illusionary body with one blow. It was a sword that materialized the mental image he polished into a sword in order to sh a dragon. This was a sword that deserved to cut a dragon. It was right to be powerful enough that others couldn¡¯t even imagine it.


    However, he wanted to check the limit of its power, so it was regrettable that this wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Perhaps it will be difficult to properly check the power of the sword for the time being,¡± Grid told him.


    Sword God Biban¡ªhe was a rare Absolute on the surface and a monster who would overwhelm a great transcendent with just one branch, let alone when he was armed with a dragon weapon and armor made from intent. Who could face him? It would take Grid, Hayate or Marie Rose to push Biban to his limits. Of course, Grid had no intention of confronting Biban.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a spar that will be helpful.¡¯


    Battles between Absolutes usually ended as short-term battles. Furthermore, Grid and Biban locked up their enormous offensive power. They had skills that could destroy defense. If they did their best when fighting each other¡ªrather than learning from each other, it would be decided in an instant. There was a high probability that it would be a confrontation that would only leave wounds.


    ¡°I think it is better to ask Bunhelier. I should be prepared as much as possible for the showdown with Baal.¡±


    Biban also seemed to have no intention of confronting Grid. In the first ce, there was Bunhelier. It was a dragon that he could cut without any worries because Bunhelier would survive.


    ¡°Certainly, that is true.¡±


    Grid nodded. Lauel and the evil eyes¡¯ king looked at the two people having an absurd conversation with calm faces. The one who treated a dragon as item-making materials and the other who treated a dragon as a sandbag... weren¡¯t they really illusionary bodies that defied logic?


    ¡°And¡ª¡± Biban shifted his gaze to Hexetia. ¡°There was something I wanted to ask if I ever met a celestial god.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I heard there was a time when Trauka hunted the celestial gods.¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s face darkened rapidly. ¡°...There is some exaggeration, but it is true. It is also true that the Goddess made a treaty with Trauka through that incident.¡±


    ¡°The souls of the gods who died at that time.¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes shed. A sharp gaze, that wasn¡¯t easily shown during the days his mind wasn¡¯t right, examined Hexetia¡¯s reaction in real time. He would immediately catch it the moment Hexetia told a lie.


    ¡°Where are their souls? Have their souls also fallen into hell?¡±


    The silent Grid had the illusion of his heart sinking.


    This world¡ªit was designed to favor Baal. All the souls of the dead fell into hell. The hell that Baal distorted made them all nourishment for Baal. The more people died, the stronger Baal became. Would the deaths of monsters and gods apply? If their souls also fell to hell and became nourishment for Baal...


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The reason why Yatan created hell in the first ce was for the dead. In addition, the aspiration of the supreme god bes thew. The souls of the dead gods also fell into hell.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hexetia¡¯s answer shocked Grid and Biban also gulped. They were thinking of the worst case scenario.


    ¡°Then... are you saying that the souls of the gods hunted by Trauka are now in Baal¡¯s hands?¡±


    Hexetia shook his head at Grid, who asked the question with a dark expression. ¡°That isn¡¯t it. Trauka went on a rampage in Asgard much longer ago than you think. It was before hell was distorted... so it was back in the days when Yatan ruled hell itself.¡±


    ¡°Then did Yatan send the souls of the gods who fell to hell back to heaven?¡±


    ¡°He extinguished them.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Yatan didn¡¯t extinguish them himself. Yatan is a god who regretted the concept of the cycle of life and reincarnation but epted it. That is what a supreme god is. They never go against providence.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The ¡®Yatan of the past¡¯ that Grid met felt sorry for the souls suffering from the cycle of life and reincarnation, but he didn¡¯t change their destiny.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that a pletely different divinity¡¯ created by Yatan¡¯s subconscious aspirations intervened without Yatan¡¯s knowledge and extinguished the souls of the gods. Well, that is Judar¡¯s guess. I just have a vague understanding of the basis for that spection.¡±


    ¡°Apletely different divinity...¡±


    Just one thing came to mind¡ªthe Saintess. The divinity of the Saintess exerted a beneficial influence on the living, while acting harshly on the soul. It was enough to wipe out even the powerful souls of the archangels and great demons.


    ¡°Yes, the power that your sister inherited like it was fate. Judar is wary of it and spected that it came from Yatan.¡±


    ¡°...It is possible to think so.¡±


    ¡°In any case, there won¡¯t be a situation where Baal treats the souls of the dead gods like a secret weapon?¡±


    Biban once again dominated the conversation. He didn¡¯t want a long story. He just wanted to get down to business.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    Hexetia responded. Hexetia was also reluctant to say anything else because he didn¡¯t know a lot about it.


    ¡°Take this.¡±


    Biban handed a bundle of papers to Grid. This was an item dropped by the illusionary body just now. It was an ancient enhancement scroll that could enhance myth rated items. Some of the monsters that popped out from the dimensional gaps were creatures that existed on the surface in the distant past. It wasn¡¯t surprising. Due to the change in the world caused by Trauka, the oldnd of the giants had also been revealed. Grid was already aware that the world could be turned upside down by something very powerful.


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Grid received a total of 12 enhancement scrolls and immediately started to enhance his items. The dragon weapon and armor had very high basic stats, so it would be very powerful even if he enhanced it by +1.


    ¡®But I need three for my battle gear.¡¯


    Grid put away one scroll for the Twilight he lent to Kraugel for a while, only to btedly notice Biban. He had a guilty conscience and took out one scroll.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enhance Biban¡¯s sword as well.¡±


    ¡°...Forget it. I still don¡¯t know its limits. What is the point of enhancing it?¡±


    ¡°That is true, but it might be a shame when you fight in hell...¡±


    ¡°Then you can keep it for now and enhance it once we go there.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    It was a strangely bright Grid.


    Biban decided to erase the existence of the scroll from his mind.

 Chapter 1827

    <h4>Chapter 1827</h4>


    [Ancient essories Enhancement Scroll]


    [Enhance the target item from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 3.


    The probability of an enhancement failure doesn¡¯t exist.


    Current quantity held: 6.]


    ¡®The scrolls with the lowest efficiency are the ones thate out the most.¡¯


    Grid also had a number of fraudulent essories.However, the essoriesmonly called fraudulent weren¡¯t because of their high basic stats, but the attached effects.For example, the Overgeared Crown.The legendary rated essory that Grid created in coboration with Elizabeth only had a base defense of 33.However, it was highly valuable because it increased various stats and resistance. It ced a CC skill called ¡®Confusion¡¯ on all targets that stared at the wearer.


    ¡®Of course, the attached effects are enhanced every time the enhancement value is increased by 3...¡¯


    Even considering this, it was naturally much more beneficial to enhance weapons and armor than essories.Grid¡¯s weapons and armor were dragon weapons and armor.Due to their high basic stats, the range of stats that increased with each enhancement value was enormous.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been better if the weapon enhancement scrolls and armor enhancement scrolls came out the most.¡¯


    Grid smacked his lips with regret and asked Lauel a question, ¡°Have you not been able to raid the illusionary body here?¡±


    If the Overgeared members had already raided theke¡¯s illusionary body, the news that it dropped the ancient enhancement scrolls would¡¯ve reached Grid.But he hadn¡¯t heard of such a story before.


    ¡°No. We raided it steadily every four days. However,pared to the difficulty level, the value of the dropped item is mediocre. Therefore, Peak Sword alwaysins that it feels like he is shoveling.¡±


    ¡°But this time, ancient scrolls were dropped...¡±


    ¡°It seems that as the level of what the illusionary body copies increases, the value of the dropped item also increases significantly.¡±


    This time, the illusionary body cloned an Only One God and a Sword God.In other words, it showed the appearance of the strongest field boss of all time and dropped an item that matched it.Although it died on one blow...


    ¡°It respawns every four days, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then Biban, go back today. I¡¯ll see you here every four days from now on.¡±


    Grid was talking with Lauel while looking at the quietke, only to suddenly point at Biban.The evil eyes¡¯ king was stunned.Ordering a monster toe and go like this for personal reasons...


    He gulped because he felt that something bad was going to happen.Hexetia was also nervous.


    Contrary to their concerns¡ª


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be there early in the morning.¡±


    Biban nodded easily.This was Grid¡¯s current status.


    ***


    ¡®Unless I am unlucky, I can fully enhance one weapon or armor once every eight days.¡¯


    This was just talk.In fact, he had no intention of making +10 enhanced items.It was much more efficient to enhance multiple items little by little than to enhance one item to +10.The higher the enhancement value, the greater the stats increase. However, he had to take into ount that the base stats of the dragon weapon and armor were too high.


    ¡®Rather than enhancing one of my items to full value, it is better to apply one scroll each to the items of the apostles and Biban. I will try the full enhancement after that.¡¯


    Youngwoo came out of the capsule and turned on the TV.The news about Satisfy poured in from fixed channels.The world that was changed by Fire Dragon Trauka.People were enjoying a world that had be more mysterious and dangerous than before.The change in the world rekindled people¡¯s sense of adventure, which had previously calmed down.


    Many people epted it as the beginning of season two.Apart from Grid and the Overgeared members, who were preparing for a final battle, Satisfy was in its second heyday.


    ¡®...Should I apply at least two scrolls to Biban to clear my conscience? The most ideal picture is to use four scrolls to get +10... stop. Let go of my greed and go ahead with the first n.¡¯


    Enhancing the pool of myth rated items¡ªit would surely be recognized as a tremendous achievement and be rewarded.But there was no reason to rush.It was right to weigh the efficiency.


    ¡®In theory, I can use only four ancient enhancement scrolls to seed in reaching +10, but in the worst case, I might have to use ten scrolls. If I turn a blind eye while being obsessed with one thing, it is really over.¡¯


    Shin Youngwoo was aware of the fact that his self-control was somewhatcking.He realized it clearly in the past when he was addicted to the drawing system of the Golden Carriage.Of course, he was able to grow using these wounds as a lesson. Thanks to that, he was able to endure not making love to his wives for months, but...


    He had a hunch that the moment he touched gambling again, the patience he had honed would quickly run out.


    ¡®I would rather go to Las Vegas than rely on luckin Satisfy.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just the ancient enhancement scrolls. Even the ordinary enhancement stones couldn¡¯t be bought with money. They were priceless.It was better to throw away a mountain of cash from his ount than to gamble on enhancing items.


    ¡®Above all, it is now possible to receive ancient enhancement scrolls every four days. Time is on my side. I can proceed slowly.¡¯


    Youngwoo took a shower and left the house.He called Yura to tell her that he was leaving now, got into the car, and started the engine.Today¡¯s car was thetest sedan made by Daejin Motors.It was the day he promised to meet Yura¡¯s grandfather.It suited Chairman Lee Jinmyung¡¯s desire to meet his grandson-inw under the pretext of extending the contract period as an advertising model.


    [Breaking news.]


    The moment he turned on the engine, news about Satisfy flowed from the radio.


    [Baal, the ruler of hell, has been seen in various parts of the West Continent. ording to the testimony of some yers, he is now targeting and killing the few remaining hermits...]


    The few hermit experts that were left¡ªit meant the transcendents who weren¡¯t discovered by the Overgeared Guild.The yers who had some type of connection with them and lived with them must¡¯ve witnessed their deaths.


    ¡®They would¡¯ve spread the word right away.¡¯


    They wanted to tell the Overgeared Guild that Baal had started aiming at the surface again.


    ¡®This time, we will hit him. Don¡¯t worry and focus on mourning...¡¯


    yers with ties to transcendents naturallywould¡¯vebenefited enormously.It was just like Grid had met Piaro in the past and received a lot of help.It must¡¯ve been a valuable bond both materially and emotionally.He could fully understand the shock and sadness of those who had witnessed the deaths right in front of them.Then heforted them from afar.


    He gritted his teeth.


    ¡®This XX Baal.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°As expected, the car is from Daejin. I think I was riding a cloud.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo got out of the car and spoke loudly to himself.He was conscious of the eyes of the paparazzi.His senses had be sensitive in reality due to all the time lived in Satisfy and he urately detected the presence of the reporters.


    ¡°It must be my grandfather¡¯s work.¡±Yura sighed when she noticed the situation.


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung must¡¯ve been the one who leaked the information thatGrid woulde here today.Letting the world know that Gridmoved to meet Lee Jinmyung, the chairman of the Daejin Group, would have a significant economic effect.


    ¡°I¡¯ll caution him not to do this again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It would be nice if there were more photos of the two of us together taken. If it appears on the Inte, I¡¯ll download it and hang it in a frame.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    His ability to speak pleasantly had improved.Yura couldn¡¯t be pleased about Youngwoo, who was developing every day.It was proof that Youngwoo had a lot of experience with various women.But what could she do?It was a good thing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A smile spread across Yura¡¯s face as she grabbed Youngwoo¡¯s hand and linked their arms.It felt like all the fatigue umted in hell had melted away today.Joyful and excited, she kissed Youngwoo¡¯s cheek without being aware of people¡¯s eyes.It was while vowing to scold her grandfather.


    ***


    ¡°People are dying, but he is sitting down on a date,¡± White grumbled.


    What was so great about it? The photo of Grid and Yura¡¯s date, which was a hot topic in the Americanmunities, provoked her.It was just a simple release of her anger.She had no bad feelings toward Grid and Yura.However, the situation she was in now was so hard that she naturally resented everyone who came into view.


    ¡°Baal... I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you.¡±


    ck, whose head was lowered with her long hair hanging down, was repeating the same words.


    Today, her teacher andlovehad died.For her, it was a rtionship she gained from Satisfy and it was much more precious than reality.He was killed by Baal.By the time the emergency quest urred and she ran over, it was toote.Baal had pierced his heart and his throat was cut.


    ¡°Emma...¡± White¡¯s expression crumpled as she called out her younger sister¡¯s name.It was after the Great Human and Demon War.They were confused by the aftermath of crossing the crossroad of good or evil, and the sisters embarked on a hopeless trip.


    They really thought a lot.They had a force that was stronger than others.They started feeling that saving someone was much more enjoyable than hurting someone with this power.Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to live like Grid all the time?But would people readily ept their change?Also, they wondered if they would receive unwanted attention and be criticized.


    The sisters worried about it while traveling, killing monsters, traveling, meeting enemies, and traveling again. Then they arrived at a small vige before they knew it.It was a vige in such a remote, mountainous area that they wondered who would visit this ce unless there was a hidden piece.


    There, they happened to meet a man.He was as bright and warm as the sun.The untainted smile was very nice to see.The man, who had been hunting monsters from mountain to mountain purely to protect people, was very powerful due to his natural talent and the environment.


    A transcendent unknown to the world¡ªhe was a pure man who lived disconnected from the dirty world.He made the sisters be honest.The sisters eventually developed a rtionship where they confided their concerns to the man.In the real world, they had a hard time even going out because they weighed more than 250 kilograms. It had been so long since they connected deeply with someone outside their family.


    They quickly found themselves admiring and falling in love with this innocent, wise, and inspiring man.However, White buried this love in her heart for the sake of her younger sister.


    The sisters could be happy thanks to her sacrifice.ck gained love while White gained peace.They gradually learned to live with others.


    After living in a reality that was too harsh for them, they slowly purified the poison in their hearts.They came to think that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to try and live like Grid.


    ...It was all futile now.


    ¡°Shall we go to hell?¡±


    ¡°I will kill you... I will kill you... yes, I¡¯m going.¡±


    The vigers who were in by Baal along with their lover¡ªusing the blood stains they left as dye, the sisters started to draw a magic circle.This was a demon summoning circle that they learned when they had a rtionship with a Yatan Servant in the past.


    ¡°¡±What poor human has summoned me?¡±¡±


    A fairly high ranking demon was summoned.After enjoying the sweet air of the surface to the fullest, he smiled benevolently at the humans who called him desperately.It was a smile that contorted immediately.


    ¡°Take us to hell. Our chaotic figure is high enough, right?¡±


    The sisters were once ssified as sun-grade powerhouses along with Grid.Currently, they were now in a position where they couldn¡¯t even step on Grid¡¯s shadow, but they were still strong.They easily subdued the demon with force and presented the qualifications earned.The demon, who was caught by the cor, peeked at the abyss in the sisters and had a disgusted expression on his face.


    ¡°¡±You guys... how many people have you killed...?¡±¡±


    ¡°We are going to kill more demons in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡±Kuek...! Kuhahahat!Okay! Give it a try!¡±¡±


    The sisters threw themselves into hell.They didn¡¯t go straight to Baal to be killed like dogs.The fact that they survived for so many years despite being targeted by yers proved their cleverness.The sisters had learned after being beaten by Grid several times.They nned to move slowly, carefully, and thoroughly.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s find and kill the demons who serve Baal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s cut off his limbs.¡±


    ¡°Then one day, Grid wille and take care of Baal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We are going to be watching. We will watch with a smile. Then we will kill Baal at least once.¡±


    Two mad dogs broke into hell where Yura was guarding alone.It was a small change, but it was not negligible.

 Chapter 1828

    <h4>Chapter 1828</h4>


    In thest four days, most of the transcendents and legends were escorted by the Overgeared members and fled to safety.On the other hand, the very few transcendents that the Overgeared members couldn¡¯t grasp were killed by Baal. Every time, the world was turned upside down.


    It was like that today.One transcendent lost his life.In the process, a city was smashed.


    ¡°What just happened...?¡±


    An inn in a city of the Cho Kingdom of the East Continent¡ªa bright young man who worked as an inn waiter died tragically in front of people.It was doneby Baalwho suddenly invaded.There were many witnesses because the size of the inn was sorge.


    Many yers who visited the inn to have a meal or restore their stamina witnessed the appearance of Baal.The1st ranked Great Demon came to the restaurant toeat.


    yers who didn¡¯t understand the absurd situation soon witnessed a horrific sight.It was a scene where the inn waiter, whom they thought was an ordinary young man, was killed while fighting against Baal.The purple transparent hands operated separately by Baal particrly drew attention.They were like the God Hands and they instantly took away the momentum of the inn waiter.The nearby yers also experienced an instant depletion of mana.


    Hands that prohibited the utilization of resources¡ªin Satisfy where resources were absolutely necessary to use skills or magic, Baal¡¯s new weapon showed a fraudulent power.It seemed that no one could be Baal¡¯s opponent.


    -Won¡¯t Grid be okay though?Grid is more about items than skills.


    -This is a typical bias.Grid uses twice as many skills as others all the time.He hasalways relied on the sword dances to kill a boss.


    -That¡¯s right.If you say that Grid is only overgeared, then you don¡¯t know Grid very well.He has skills, stats and items.


    -Therefore, it is true that Grid has an advantage over others.Even if the skills are blocked, his stats and items will remain.Winning against Baal with just that is another story...


    Broadcasters from all over the world aired emergency discussion programs.The videos of Baal¡¯s battle were aired and the causes and solutions to the incident were discussed.In the process, Grid¡¯s name was naturally mentioned.The experts predicted the second Great Human and Demon War through Baal¡¯s action of personallying to the surface to find and kill the strong.They warned that the short-lived peace would soone to an end and insisted on cooperating with Grid and the Overgeared members as much as possible.


    The repercussions were huge.Inquiries from yers poured in toward the Overgeared Guild.They asked if the Overgeared Guild was getting ready to fight the demons and many of them expressed their willingness to help.This was even though they weren¡¯t rankers.The people who were afraid during the Great Human and Demon War had grown up and were trying to help.


    ¡°They are better than me,¡± Ibellin murmured as he stared nkly at the procession of hot-blooded people.His eyes were sunken.It was nothing like his youthful eyes that were full of ambition.The days when he was praised as the future of the Overgeared Guild and was on top of the world couldn¡¯t be the same as his present self who was blocked by a wall.


    Someone suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯ve lost motivation, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? The reason I feel helpless is because I get fewerresultspared to my efforts, not because I have lost my motivation...¡± Ibellin replied with a frown only to suddenly close his mouth.


    The smiling man who approached his side¡ªitwas Grid.


    ¡°W-What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to give you a gift. Now, take this.¡±


    Grid handed Ibellin a sword.It was a mberge.It was a sword with a wavy de.It resembled the Thorn of Deep Grievance, but strangely, the color of the de was red.It was because the material used was the scales of Fire Dragon Trauka.


    ¡®A dragon weapon...!¡¯


    Ibellin was looking at the item information when a shiver ran through his body.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain I can handle this sword really well,¡± Ibellin expressed his confidence.


    Was it because the dragon weapon¡¯s attack power was nearly twice as powerful as other myth rated items?That wasn¡¯t the case.The reason why Ibellin was confident wasn¡¯t out of the expectation that he could rely on the power of the weapon.


    Small Breath¡ªhe noted the wide-area skill built into the sword.For Ibellin, who dealt damage proportional to the health of the target, it was a great advantage to be able to damage multiple enemies at once.


    Grid knew it as well.This was why he wanted to make sure that Ibellin was appointed as an angel and to make him one of the main pirs of the hell expedition.Ibellin¡¯s character was ruined because he grew incorrectly?


    This was wrong in Grid¡¯s mind.There was only one area where Ibellin was worse than a normal swordsman.It was that he was powerless against NPCs or monsters of the named or higher level.For the majority of beings who couldn¡¯t resist damage proportional to their health, Ibellin was a counter.This ability to wipe out enemy mobs alone was amazingly good.Additionally, Satisfy was a team game. Various roles were needed and Ibellin¡¯s value was very high.


    ¡°Now, put this on first.¡±


    Grid handed Ibellin three pieces of armor.All three were myth rated items, but their performance wasn¡¯t overwhelming.It was because the function was adjusted to lower the wearer restriction.


    ¡°You are my first angel.¡±


    Possess three myth rated items¡ªthe condition for bing an angel of the Overgeared World was very demanding from a general point of view.However, Grid was the exception.For Grid, who could easily make myth rated items, appointing a specific target as an angel was a very simple task.


    [Only One God Grid has appointed the yer Ibellin as an angel of the Overgeared World.]


    This world message emerged.


    sh!


    Ibellin¡¯s body was surrounded by an orange light.It was Grid¡¯s divinity.


    Buzz buzz.


    The people who visited Reinhardtto makevarious inquiries¡ªthe crowds of people in the square were shaking after witnessing the pce bathed in light.It was the birth of a yer-appointed yer angel.It was a meaningful moment that allowed them to realize that the Overgeared World was developing into a dimension on par with Asgard.


    ¡°It feels like something is finally starting in earnest.¡±


    The thrilled Overgeared members smiled.


    [Ibellin is the ¡®Angel of ughtering Mobs.¡¯]


    ¡°......¡±


    The continuous world message calmed the excited atmosphere.


    -...No, what is wrong with this?If you wanted to give a name like that, it should be ughter, not ughtering Mobs.


    Lauel immediately sent a whisper to Grid. He fiercely criticized Grid¡¯s negligent attitude.


    Grid felt wronged.


    -I tried to do that, but it didn¡¯t work.I think it is because of Michael.


    Michael, the 3rd ranked Archangel who was defeated by Grid in the past and wiped out by Ruby¡ªhe was the Archangel of ughter.Perhaps due to this, the system set it so that the title of ¡®ughter¡¯ couldn¡¯t be given.Therefore, Grid gave the next best option of ¡®ughtering Mobs.¡¯


    The reason why he tried to give Ibellin the title of ¡®ughter¡¯ in the first ce was because he was good at ughtering enemies.


    -In any case, I feel sorry for Ibellin.


    -Well, he likes it.Do you think that everyone in the world is as picky as you?


    Grid briefly blocked theining Lauel and spoke toIbellin, who was looking at the ¡®angel¡¯s armor.¡¯


    ¡°That sword is actually close to a failure. The proof is that even after using the scales of an old dragon, only a Small Breath was recreated.¡±


    Small Breath was a skill that was activated in items made from the scales of a low grade dragon.Ibellin¡¯s dragon weapon had a clear w.


    ¡°But the reason for the w is special. The structure itself is different from ordinary swords. Khan and Hexetia devised it from the design stage.¡±


    Grid handed Ibellin the Eye ofPalian.He asked Ibellin to check the hidden function of the item for himself using this.Ibellin used the Eye ofPalianto assess the sword.Then his eyes widened.¡°This...¡±


    Ibellin injected sword energy into the mberge and the wavy de started to spin.It was a sword that vibrated sword energy with physical force to expand and scatter the range of the de.It was a feature developed by Khan and Hexetia, who were inspired by the story of Biban turning himself into a sword.Simply put, Ibellin¡¯s sword caused ssh damage.Basic attacks were applied as wide area attacks.


    ¡°...No matter how many demons Baal summons, I will wipe them all out. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±


    Ibellin knew exactly what Grid wanted.He dered that he would live up to Grid¡¯s expectations.It was an attitude that made Grid smile.


    ***


    ¡°Really. It is full of materials for the marks.¡±


    Norae Hills¡ªSabaek smiled as he looked at the white butterflies floating in the all yellowndscape. His ck eyes were only filled with greed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that there is no way to lose money if you listen to me?¡±


    Hwang Gildong puffed up.It was while wearing new straw shoes that he took out from his luggage. He must¡¯ve changed ten pairs of straw shoes on the way here. The road was rough.


    ¡°Is there a reason to stick to straw shoes?¡± Kraugel asked Hwang Gildong as he watched curiously from a distance.


    Old Sword Demon exined, ¡°He said that he has to wear straw shoes to properly hide the sound ofhis footsteps. He is cautious because if he makes footstepsright after using the cloning technique, there is a high risk of his main body being detected.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    On the way here, Kraugel had witnessed Hwang Gildong¡¯s clones several times.He thought it had been particrly difficult to distinguish between the main body and the clones. It turned out there was a reason for it.


    ¡®However, the equipment, including the shoes, are too simple. It seems to say that he has given up his defense.¡¯


    It was easy to see why Hwang Gildong was cautious with his main body.Kraugel remembered Hwang Gildong, whoput OldSword Demon in the vanguard and disappeared every time there was a fight. This made him feel sympathyfor OldSword Demon.


    ¡°By the way, how did you find out that the material for the mark is the cloud butterfly?¡± Sabaek growled out at this time.


    The way he stared at Hwang Gildong was unusual. It contained a killing intent that exceeded hostility. He was ready to turn Hwang Gildong into an enemy and kill him immediately.


    Hwang Gildong waved his hand.¡°I am the leader of the Chivalrous Robbers. It is only right to know a lot. I have done quite a lot of research on the marks you have made. I have no other intentions.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to believe. Aren¡¯t you also aiming for the recipe of the marks?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get it just because I am after it, right? If I ask you how you make it, will you answer?¡±


    ¡°You will spy on me making it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough to make it here? There will be no end to it if you keep suspecting like this... Oh my!¡±


    It was a mess. Sabaek started to attack Hwang Gildong.It was hard to count how many times it happened.Eitherway¡ª


    Unlike Old Sword Demon, who was chewing on jerky while enjoying the scenery of Norae Hills, Kraugel interjected between the two of them.


    ¡°Sabaek.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me. I can¡¯t stand by any longer and watch him talk nonsense...¡±


    ¡°The marks. If there are enough materials for the marks here, can you make around 20 sheets first?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Sabaek, who had been polite since witnessing Kraugel¡¯s martial ability, frowned.


    ¡°I will pay a fair price.¡±


    ¡°You will put a value on my work? How arrogant. I won¡¯t give it to you even for billions of gold.¡±


    Sabaek¡¯s words became shorter.The mark was a signature that determined his value. There was a concern that his value would be reduced if he hastily used it as a tool for trading.Therefore, Kraugel had to make an effort to convince him, who was reacting sensitively.


    ¡°This is for humanity.¡±


    ¡°Does that matter to me?¡±


    ¡°I only need 20 pieces. Grid will be happy.¡±


    ¡°I have no obligation to please the god you serve.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you owe me for saving your life? Think of it as returning the favor.¡±


    ¡°...How dirty.¡±


    ¡°You are the one making me like this.¡±


    Kraugel pushed Sabaek to the end.He didn¡¯t want to miss an opportunity to help his colleagues.


    In the end, Sabaek was forced to raise the white g.¡°Okay. Instead, I have conditions. Cover your eyes and ears.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±Kraugel nodded and nced back.Hwang Gildong stood beside Old Sword Demon and was staring this way.


    ¡°Hwang Gildong, I want you to leave with me for a while.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Hwang Gildong readily replied.Old Sword Demon¡¯s expression was ufortable when looking at him.It was because he heard Hwang Gildong talking to himself.


    ¡°Everything up to here is as nned.¡±


    ¡®...This is 100% a clone.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon could guarantee that the production method for the marks would be leaked after today.He thought that maybe production would start at the Overgeared Empire¡¯s alchemy facility sooner orter.

 Chapter 1829

    <h4>Chapter 1829</h4>


    The field boss¡¯ hierarchy was the lowest among boss monsters. Not only could it not bepared to a named boss, but it was weaker than a dragon boss or elite boss.Naturally, the level of items that it dropped was also low.Instead, it had the advantage of a short respawn cycle, so it was suitable as a stable resource supply and for achievements.


    Of course, there were exceptions such as the Guardian of the Forest.Theke¡¯s giant illusionary body was also an exception.It was a very special one.


    Unlike the Guardian of the Forest, which evolved into an elite boss only at certain intervals, the giant illusionary body was powerful from birth.In particr, the higher the level of the yer challenging the raid, the stronger it became. Therefore, it was necessary to be prepared.


    The rewards were enormous.


    ¡®It really drops 12 pieces at a time.¡¯


    Grid raided the giant illusionary body at theke for the third time and smiled with satisfaction.He even felt affection for the illusionary body that always dropped 12 ancient enhancement scrolls every time.It was only for a moment.


    ¡®No, shit, did it mostly drop essory enhancement scrolls again?¡¯


    This time, it was only 6 pieces, but it was8 pieces justfour days ago...


    It seemed like it had a certain probability and it wasn¡¯t a coincidence.The clear evidence was that the armor enhancement scrolls, which he needed the most, were dropping the least.As expected, the S.A Group was the source of all evil...


    Wasn¡¯t it the S.A Group who created the distorted hell in the first ce?He even suspected that they created and ran Satisfy for the purpose of harassing people.


    Biban¡¯s voice crept into Grid¡¯s ears as he was holding the bundle of scrolls.¡°I couldn¡¯t properly test the power of the sword again today. I can¡¯t wait to go to hell and cut down Baal. By the way, can you keep postponing the expedition to hell like this?¡±


    ¡°We have secured all the transcendents and legends that can be targeted by Baal. Baal can¡¯t y tricks any longer, so it is better to drag out time. I¡¯m sure you are bored, but please be patient a bit longer.¡±


    Grid was steadily receiving the ancient enhancement scrolls and Kraugel was supplying the marks.There were too many ways to make the hell expedition stronger.The story would change if certain variables arose, but so far, time was on the side of humanity, not Baal.


    In the first ce, it took time to gather the transcendents and legends scattered across the continent in Reinhardt.


    ¡®Baal¡¯s search ability is beyond imagination. We need to summon the escort targets to at least within the range of the Overgeared World.¡¯


    The problem was that the escorts had their own lives and the transcendents were so entric that it was difficult to forcibly assemble them... in any case, it was a necessary procedure. He didn¡¯t want to do a rough job and make a mistake because they were hard to control.


    ¡°Ah, take this.¡±


    Grid handed Biban an enhancement scroll.It was while trying to prevent his hands from shaking.


    Biban stared at it.He had an expression like he was thinking about something.


    Soon, he nodded and received the scroll.¡°Thank you. I will use it well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always grateful to you. I¡¯m sorry that youe here every four days to work hard, but I¡¯ve only been able to give you one piece.¡±


    ¡°Are there only one or two people you need to take care of? I understand it.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t used the two scrolls I gave you before, right? If you don¡¯t mind, can I applythem for you? I am a bit lucky.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t nonsense.Grid¡¯s good luck stat was very high. It was to the extent where even professional yers who made a living off gambling couldn¡¯t dare to surpass him.Additionally, he possessed a passive skill that increased the chances of enhancement. It was a skill he had ever since bingPagma''sSessor.


    ¡°...Um, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±Biban nced at Grid¡¯s sword and armor and shook his head.


    Grid was frustrated.


    ¡°This was because of exceptionally bad luck.¡±


    Currently, Defying the Natural Order and Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor were +1 each.He tried to strengthen it with the enhancement scrolls he got on the first day the illusionary body died, but he only got it to +1.The high good luck stat was overshadowed.It could simply be seen as being unlucky.


    However, Grid guessed that the higher the rating of the equipment, the lower the probability of enhancement.


    ¡°Still, I assure you that it is better for me to enhance it than you, Biban.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll ask you to do itter. More than that¡ª¡±


    Biban¡¯s concern seemed to lie elsewhere.He quickly skipped over the topic rted to enhancement and brought up unexpected words.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call Hayate and Marie Rose in four days?¡±¡¯


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I think there is a high chance they are stronger than me. You will be able to raise the level of the illusionary body to a higher level.¡±


    Theke¡¯s illusionary body copied and mixed toward the appearance of the strongest enemies.Currently, Grid and Bibanwerethe strongest here. Therefore, it copied and mixed the appearances of the two people. Then what if it faced someone stronger than the two of them?


    It would be much stronger than it was now and the level of the items it dropped could also increase.Who knows?It might drop 20 scrolls instead of 12.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    However, Grid was reluctant.It was for two reasons.


    First, would the dragons be happy to see Hayate¡¯s activities on the surface for personal reasons?The Gourmet Dragon and Fire Dragon showed simr, weak goodwill toward Grid, but Grid and Hayate were two different existences.From the perspective of a dragon who was wary of or desired a Dragon yer, it would be difficult for them to sit around as Hayate¡¯s activities increased.There was a risk of creating an unnecessary disruption at a critical juncture.


    Secondly, Marie Rose¡¯s position should be considered.She said that she needed time.She pushed back the schedule even though she could break the curse by marrying Grid.She seemed to be agonizing over her future.


    ¡®She seems to be questioning whether the life she is living to fulfill her mother¡¯s aspirations is really her own.¡¯


    Grid thought that perhaps they were questions she had been harboring for countless years.Therefore, she hadn¡¯t been active in her role and had been on the sidelines for all types of events.Braham¡¯s hatred toward her exined it.The case where she was obediently sealed by Chreshler was simr.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a human thing to ask her to help at perhaps the most important moment of her life.¡¯


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°Now that I think about it, you are right.¡±


    Biban was convinced when he heard the reasons why Grid was reluctant.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a good idea in the first ce. I wonder if I would¡¯ve been able to control myself when seeing with my own eyes Marie Rose, who is stronger than me.¡±


    Certainly.The huge illusionary body naturally arranged the ¡®order¡¯ of enemies.A person with a strong sense of pride or desire for victory might be unconvinced by the order set by the illusionary body and make trouble.


    ¡®The Overgeared Guild has been in an uproar for a while.¡¯


    He wondered if it had something to do with why the Overgeared Guild¡¯s PvP promotion battles had been so active in recent months.Grid thought about this and was ready to go out.


    The vampire cities¡ªhe nned to visit the castle where Marie Rose lived.


    He felt obligated to not leave her alone when she was already in agony.


    ¡®She is my fiance after all.¡¯


    It was a rtionship where they had to rely on each other from now on.Furthermore, Marie Rose had saved Grid from danger several times.Grid couldn¡¯t turn away from her unless he was an ungrateful beast.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you again in four days.¡±


    Grid bid farewell to Biban and went to the warp gate.The closest city to Marie Rose¡¯s castle that was located deep underground.He nned to move to the primarily industrial city of Reidan.


    ***


    Buzz buzz.


    Reidan was a ce where all types of industrial facilities were gathered and it was noisy.It was so lively that it was hard to believe it was the city that had once copsed due to the dragon¡¯s invasion.However, looking closer, it could be seen that everyone was being careful.Even as they were moving in a hurry due to their busy work, they only moved along a certain route. The soldiers on the watchtowers ced at certain intervals didn¡¯t take their eyes off the sky.


    They were wary of a dragon suddenly appearing again.At this point, caution had been ingrained in their bodies.


    ¡®It is understandable.¡¯


    The city was first attacked by Xenon, swept up in the fight of the dragons pursuing Xenon, and it most recently witnessed the emergence of Fire Dragon Trauka.For Reidan, a dragon wasn¡¯t only a monster in the myths and legends.It was a real threat they had experienced several times.In fact, there were many victims and bereaved families. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that many of Reidan¡¯s residents suffered from PTSD.


    Of course, the Overgeared Guild also took countermeasures.Arge army was sent and stationed there in order to reassure the residents.Additionally, they nned to relocate the residents, except for essential technicians, to other cities.


    But the residents didn¡¯t want to leave the city.This was originally what being a person was.They couldn¡¯t easily abandon their hometown.


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    Was there any disturbance?Grid looked at the city with the Hooded Zip Up covering his appearance. Then heughed. It was a pleasedugh.It was because he witnessed the Asuka and ck Teddy duo.During the time when Xenon attacked Reidan, they protected the residents and joined the Overgeared Guild due to this. They chose Reidan as their home under the pretext that they wanted to hunt the illusionary bodies near Reidan.


    It was obviously a lie.For top rankers like Asuka and ck Teddy, the hunting grounds near Reidan were somewhat below their level.But they insisted on staying in Reidan.


    ¡®They must¡¯ve gotten attached in the process of fighting to save the residents¡¯ lives.¡¯


    In addition to that¡ª


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the dragon bastardsing today?¡±


    ¡°Young Lady, please refrain from saying this. Rumor has it that a dragon¡¯s hearing extends across the continent.¡±


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t it too frustrating if I just let it go without dealing a proper hit? The next time we meet, I am confident I can deal some blows before dying. That is the only way I will be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°What if people get swept away?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Lauel only has his brain. Do you think he hasn¡¯te up with a countermeasure?¡±


    ...Asuka¡¯s pride was too strong.ording to Kraugel, Grid was the only one she had ever given in to without a fight.


    ¡®She lost to Kraugel ten times, but still attacked whenever they made eye contact.¡¯


    Over the years, Kraugel and Asuka had naturally ran into each other as high rankers.Every time, Asuka challenged Kraugel, lost, and repeatedly attacked him again.Her challenge always stopped when she died.Kraugel always intended to end it with moderate suppression, but he confessed that he was fed up with Asuka¡¯s insistence of fighting to the death because she didn¡¯t think it was a big deal to lose in the game.


    ¡®A persistence that makes evenKraugeltired of fighting...¡¯


    Indeed, she was also a candidate for an angel.


    Step.


    He thought about things over and over again.Before he knew it, Grid had arrived at Marie Rose¡¯s castle.


    A deep, dark corridor¡ªafter passing through the paintings of the hellscapes, he was able to reach the coffin.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Dear Husband toe and find me first.¡±


    The seductive voice made Grid¡¯s mind dizzy.


    The human figure draped over the coffin¡ªMarie Rose was still beautiful as she sat cross-legged on it and looked down at Grid.


    ¡°Are you going to impregnate me today?¡±


    ¡°...That is after marriage.¡±


    Grid blushed and tried to calm down.He had to gather his energy in order to make a child.It wasn¡¯t the time...


    ¡°I came here simply because I was worried about how you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Worried...?¡±


    Marie Rose cocked her head like she didn¡¯t understand it. Then she soon smiled.Her eyes curved like the crescent moon and she seemed to be performing some type of magic.


    Grid¡¯s heart exploded.


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡±


    Marie Rose stood up and took a few steps. She slowly started toapproach Grid.Her dress, which made a sound every time it dragged on the floor, seemed to be as soft as her white skin.


    ¡°I was also worried about Dear Husband. You are going to hell soon, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m repeating this, but beware of Amoract.¡±


    ¡°Amoract... I heard she interfered withBaalby interceptingBeriache¡¯ssoul that was about to fall into Baal¡¯s hands. She even asked for an alliance with me, so she seemed genuinely hostile to Baal.¡±


    Grid was also nning to cooperate with Amoract.Of course, he had no intention of trusting her. They were just on the same boat for a while.Marie Rose said he couldn¡¯t even do that.


    ¡°There is no way, but you shouldn¡¯t cooperate with her even if she would sacrifice her life for Dear Husband. Don¡¯t show her even the slightest gap. The Great Demon of Conflict is more dangerous than you think.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±Grid didn¡¯t speak for long.The reason he exined his rtionship with Amoract in the first ce was to ask for advice, not to refute Marie Rose¡¯s words.


    Marie Rose smiled with satisfaction.¡°Huhu,I hope you don¡¯t me me too muchfor not being able to be with you, even though I know that Dear Husband is approaching obvious danger.¡±


    There was a lot to think about in many ways.Killing Baal with her own hands meant fulfilling her mother¡¯s wish.For some reason, she kept thinking she shouldn¡¯t do this.There was no basis for it.It was something instinctive.She didn¡¯t exin it to Grid.What she wanted to share with Grid was love, not worry.


    In the first ce, it was unfamiliar for her to discuss her problems with others. It was a difficult concept toe up with.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t you show me around the castle?¡±


    ¡°...What is there to see in this dark castle?¡±


    Grid¡¯s suggestion made Marie Rose¡¯s eyes widen for a moment.A rare look of bewilderment shed across her fair face. It was fleeting.She soon regained her rxed smile and held out her hand to Grid.


    ¡°Hold me if you don¡¯t want to be a missing person.¡±


    On this day, Grid strolled with Marie Rose through the serene and dark castle.It was a surprisingly calm and enjoyable time.

 Chapter 1830

    <h4>Chapter 1830</h4>


    ¡®She knows how to be nervous.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression was bright when he returned to Reinhardt.It was because the emotions he felt while dating Marie Rose were pleasant in many ways.


    Marie Rose¡¯s outstretched hand¡ªher hands, which were icy cold when he first held it, gradually turned warm. Finally, it was sticky with sweat. It was a pleasant stickiness.A strange sense of connection was formed after knowing that she was as nervous as him.The appearance of her being outwardly calm while feeling awkward and nervous felt quite pure.


    He thought she was an untouchable Absolute, but he realized that she was a person like him.Besides, her bodily fluids smelled good.


    It was a fact that he had known since she stole a kiss from him in the past.The kiss, which had been filled with a dizzying pain and pleasure through the blood shed, was still strongly imprinted on Grid¡¯s mind.Her hands smelled like flowers...


    Grid, who had been sniffing Marie Rose¡¯s sweaty hands, soon made up his mind.


    ¡®Let¡¯s kill Baal and then go and see her often.¡¯


    The source of Marie Rose¡¯s anguishy with Baal.She thought that her act of hostility toward Baal was for her mother¡¯s sake and she seemed to feel some anxiety about it.The cause of the anxiety was unknown.


    However, one thing was for certain.If Grid seeded in defeating Baal, then Marie Rose¡¯s anguish would naturally end.From then on, Marie Rose would regain her freedom in the true sense of the word.She would be able to face the world as ¡®me¡¯ instead of as ¡®Beriache¡¯s daughter.¡¯


    This was one more reason for Grid to get rid of Baal.


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡±A voice came from behind him.It was Piaro.He was carrying a pretty girl on his shoulders.


    The half-elf born to Piaro and Beniyaru¡ªtheir growth rate was slower than that of humans, but this was a story from a physical point of view.Piaro¡¯sdaughter possessed a powerful magic power that didn¡¯t match her youthful appearance.Perhaps it was due to thebination of the human and elf race, but the growth of her various skills, magic, and stats also transcended the ordinary range.


    ¡°Hello, God!¡±The girl jumped off her father¡¯s body, ced her hands in front of her belly button and bowed politely.


    Grid got down on one knee so he was eye level with her and smiled.¡°Have you been well, Cecil? You¡¯ve grown a lot in thest few months. You must¡¯ve listened to your parents and ate well.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve only grown a centimeter...¡±Theplexion of the girl, Cecil, darkened.Grid¡¯s greeting was painful for her since she already had aplex because she was shorter than her peers.


    ¡°...You have grown one centimeter, so you¡¯ve grown a lot. It is great. One step in anything is great.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also learned that from your father.¡±


    It was an old story that felt like a long time ago.At the time of his appointment as a duke of the Eternal Kingdom, Grid learned swordsmanship while crossing the desert with Piaro.At that time, Piaro had always said it.


    You really aren¡¯t talented, but takefort in the fact that you are a bit better than yesterday.Consider it fortunate that you have taken one step forward.


    In fact, it was close to sarcasm.It must¡¯ve been frustrating and Grid felt some sympathy for Piaro in the past.


    ¡°Cough...¡±Piaro remembered the old memory and coughed in embarrassment.Looking back now, it was shameful that he dared to teach Grid and that hemented about Grid¡¯s talent.


    It was a memory for Grid.It would be nice to go back to those days.At that time, he only dreamed about a brilliant future without any experience of losing his loved ones.It was also a time when he didn¡¯t dream of the demons of hell and the gods of heaven.He could be happy every day without worrying.


    ¡®No, going back is to cancel everything.¡¯


    In those days, Piaro survived only for revenge.His heart was a rag filled with deep anger and sadness.Grid didn¡¯t want to see the current Piaro, who had regained his friends and even a new family, go back to the past and suffer.


    ¡°Really? Father, did you teach God?¡±


    ¡°Cecil, My Liege is busy, so stop...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your father was my teacher.¡±


    ¡°Uwahhhh!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Eventually, Piaro kept his mouth shut.


    Grid¡¯s face was as bright as the sun as he recalled the past, and his daughter¡¯s eyes were shining like stars¡ªPiarocouldn¡¯t bear to disturb the two of them. He kept quiet andmaintained the peaceful timebetween the two of them.


    Then he suddenly realized¡ªeven when he thought about the past, it was very rare for Grid to be a bright and carefree person.It was even before he despaired after encountering a great demon for the first time.


    Even before he was disappointed and angry with the celestial gods.Even before he grieved knowing that humanity didn¡¯t find rest in death.


    Grid always lived fiercely like a man chased by something.In fact, he was always threatened.It was by the monsters of the desert, his enemies, his nation, the churches, Braham, the Saharan Empire, and the people of various societies.


    ¡®He became his current self because he has never beenfortable?¡¯


    Ascetic practices¡ªPiaro summarized the path Grid had taken and recalled his recent self.He wondered if he was toofortable.It was ever since he became a farmer, regained his friends, removed the stigma, and got a family.He was satisfied with life.He wasn¡¯t fiercepared to the time when he lived in anger and desired only revenge.Therefore, he fell behind.


    ¡®...No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Piaro shook his head.It didn¡¯t make sense that being satisfied with life meant he didn¡¯t progress.By that logic, people could only progress if they were happy.In the first ce, Grid wasn¡¯t unhappy either.His asceticism was a stepping stone for a happy life, not a struggle to endure misfortune.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Something that never existed inPiaro¡¯smind started to take hold.It was in the form of a house.The house where his wife and daughter were waiting.Fields stretched out around the house.It was an agricultural field surrounded by huge walls.Beyond the walls was Grid¡¯s towering castle. It was a ce where countless people lived.


    These were the things Piaro had to protect.It was the source that made Piaro live.The more he became aware of it, the clearer thendscape in his mind became.The responsibility to protect it grew endlessly.


    His heart became firm and the muscles of his body wriggled as if responding to his heart.It tightened up.


    ¡°...I guess I have to remake the farming equipment.¡±


    How much time passed?Piaro¡¯smind returned at the sound of a voice and his eyes widened.Dusk hade without him noticing.His daughter was lying on Grid¡¯s back and she was already asleep with a small breathing sound.


    Grid extended a fist toward Piaro, who was making a puzzled expression.¡°Congrattions.¡±


    The creation of the mental world¡ªGrid was extremely proud of Piaro, who achieved great things in his daily life.Piaro¡¯sheart skipped a beat.He bumped fists with Grid and smiled brightly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    An ordinary person¡ªamong Grid¡¯s apostles, who were extraordinary from birth, Piaro was at a disadvantage.Thanks to the acquisition of Natural State, his potential didn¡¯t fall behind much, but his growth rate was clearly behind.Even though it was slow, it was steadily improving and narrowing the gap.


    Grid thought that the current Piaro looked like his past self.¡°I always believe in you.¡±


    ¡°...I will live up to it.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Miss Cecil grow up more? I think it would be a good idea for her to join Prince Lord¡¯s adventure. She will be safe enough by the crown prince¡¯s side,¡± Lauel said as he stared at the back of Piaro and his daughter, who were on their way back home.


    Grid didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Forget it. The education of children should be left to their parents. Are we in such a desperate situation that we need a child¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°It is a tough position, but it isn¡¯t to the point of borrowing a child¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, we don¡¯t have enough power.¡±


    In terms of the empire as a whole, Grid had tens of millions of troops at his disposal.However, the number of troops that could apany him to invade hell was only a hundred at most.It was because there were several conditions attached to entering hell.


    First of all, they must¡¯ve gained the title that allowed them to ignore hell¡¯s debuffs by raiding Hell Gao several times.Next, they needed to have enough stats to not be ¡®one shotted¡¯ by Baal.To be honest, it was difficult for most humans to withstand the attacks of ordinary great demons, let alone Baal.The great demons in hell were very powerful.Grid could easily kill a great demon, but that was just Grid.


    In any case, the reason why the number of people participating in Baal¡¯s ying expedition was reduced to the tens of units was because of Grid¡¯s demand that all the above conditions be met, and they had to be ¡®a person who can die.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t want to sacrifice the wrong people and he didn¡¯t want to watch Baal be stronger as more people died.In the end, only the apostles and yers who could be resurrected after death could participate in the hell expedition.Other than that, he could add ¡®powerhouses who can escape death on their own¡¯ such as Biban.


    It was a daunting task in many ways to handle Baal, dozens of great demons, and millions of demonic creatures with this number of people. It was simply physically difficult.


    Grid fully understoodLauel¡¯sdesire to nurture new talent as soon as possible.


    ¡°There is nothing to be nervous about. The moment we invade hell, Leraje and Eligos will respond and they will have quite a few armies with them. In the first ce, the rest of the people only need to block the advance of the great demons and demonic creatures while I kill Baal.¡±


    The situation that Grid wanted to establish was a one-on-one fight with Baal.


    ...It was 1v2 to be exact.Of course, his side was the 2.He would be riding Bunhelier.


    ¡°You are sure that you can kill Baal, right?¡± Lauel managed to express his long-held worry.


    A war that might be thest one¡ªthis operation would be the most important battle inSatisfy¡¯shistory and it was nned by Grid, not Lauel.Grid relied on Lauel in most situations, but he prioritized his own judgment at the most important junction.It had to be so.Grid was the only one who could provide evidence that he could kill Baal.


    ¡°Yes. As I said before, Baal¡¯s life will be finite if we erase humanity¡¯s fear of him with the epics.¡±


    ¡°But if you fail...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fail. This is the only way to kill Baal, but it doesn¡¯t work? That means we can¡¯t kill Baal at all costs and human life itself will be meaningless. Humans must die one day. What is the meaning of life if there is only an ending where they die and be Baal¡¯s ything?¡±


    A world of only despair would make people give up.yers would leave one by one.The S.A Group might be perverts who bothered people with probability maniption, but Grid was certain that they didn¡¯t want such an ending.


    ¡°I think the same. I just wanted to ask you one more time just in case.¡±


    The genius Lauel thought the same thing.Therefore, Grid couldn¡¯t lose his courage.


    ¡°Looking back now, My Liege was chosen as a hero from the moment you became the Magic Swordsman of the Epics.¡±


    The epics¡ªit was the key to killing Baal.Of course, the epics couldn¡¯t be the only arrangement.It was a high possibility that there would be a number of systems that performed simr roles to the epics.The problem was that the yers who got them would be in the stage where they couldn¡¯t use these systems properly yet, or they would be living a normal life without even imagining that they had obtained the key to kill Baal.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if I hadn¡¯t be a god, I would¡¯ve definitely fought Baal one day.¡±


    No matter whether he was an ordinary transcendent or an Absolute like a Dragon yer or God Killer.It was destined to be like this.The moment he thought this, Grid felt a strong pull to Baal.In any case, he couldn¡¯t wait to meet Baal.But it was still a bit early.It was really just a little bit.


    Grid suppressed his excitement and left meaningful words as he turned to the smithy.¡°Oh, the condition for creating a mental world. All the people participating in the expedition meet the conditions. However, I think the system will respond only when they be aware of it through certain opportunities.¡±

 Chapter 1831

    <h4>Chapter 1831</h4>


    ¡°Ugh! Ek!Uchuchuchuchu!¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Eek!Kuweeek! Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Since you lived with orcs, have you really be an orc?¡±


    ¡°...Ahh, ah!Can you understand me right now?Haha, I turned off the interpreter. Isn¡¯t it hard to be conscious of this every time? Please understand. It hasn¡¯t been long since I¡¯ve changedto the fifthss advancement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors. Isn¡¯t it said that the fifth ss advancement of the orcsstrengthenthe orcs¡¯ habits?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a setting that despises the culture and habits of other species. So even thenguage I speak is the oguage. It is annoying in many ways.¡±


    The hundreds of burly orcs¡ªthey were all yers, and most of them were Chinese.They fell for the propaganda of the Communist Party and changed their species to an orc.They visited Reinhardt as a group.


    ¡°There is a terrible rumor that a second Great Human and Demon War will break out soon. We will try to help out a bit, so let us use the hell elevator.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t do that,¡± Lauel stared nkly at the orcs who made the demand so confidently and refused.


    The orcs were bewildered.


    ¡°Why? If we go to hell and get rid of some demons, won¡¯t it help in the war? In the first ce, didn¡¯t you often open up the elevator to high level yers in the early days? Why are you being like this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It was announced a few months ago, but it seems you have been living with your ears covered. Among the demons, special entities that be stronger as they hunt yers have started to appear. We are trying to prevent people with poor skills from stepping out for no reason and raising the level of the enemies.¡±


    ¡°Really? But we aren¡¯t people with poor skills, right?¡±


    The impression of the orcs became fierce.It was natural.The orcs who visited Reinhardt today were strong yers in the top 10,000 of thewarriorss.The media outlets and fandoms that were friendly to them described them as ¡®high rankers.¡¯


    Of course, it would¡¯ve been unimaginable in the past.A person who ranked in the top 10,000 of their ss, not even the overall rankings, was treated as a high ranker?It would¡¯ve been a disgrace just a few years ago. The media who described them as high rankers would¡¯ve been suspected of taking bribes and lost credibility.


    However, the times had changed.The averagebat power of yers had increased significantly.It was around the time of the Great Human and Demon War.In particr, the change in the world meant the number of people who owned legendary items increased dramatically. It was because there were many boss monsters.Now it wasn¡¯t umon to see people handling field boss monsters of the same level alone or with less than three people. All of them were treated as high rankers.


    ¡°I changedto the fifthss advancement. My overall ranking is in the triple digits. It might be impossible for me to join theOvergearedGuild, but I want to assist you with my strength, so I brought 250 high rankers to visit. You might not bow down to thank me, but you should at least wee me, right?¡±


    ¡°Hong An. I know you well. After changing to an orc, you rose through theranksand became a superstar.¡±


    Hong Anshruggedwith confidence after hearing that Lauel knew him well. It was with an expression of great pride. The orc rankers who followed him proudly puffed up their chests.


    Lauel poured cold water on all of them, ¡°But there is now that states that skills are proportional to fame. What isn¡¯t allowed isn¡¯t allowed. You can¡¯t use the elevator.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Hong An stood in a daze for a while and doubted his ears. Then he frowned.


    ¡°Why are you ignoring me? Ranking is skills... no, have you ever seen me fighting in the first ce? On what basis are you devaluing me?Ah, is it that? Are you ignoring me because I am Chinese? Is it because I am a fool who only listened to the party and changed to an orc? Then you are racist.¡±


    ¡°How rude.¡±


    The moment Hong An raised his voice, Lauel¡¯s escort responded immediately. Dozens of knights and hundreds of elite soldiers surrounded the group of orcs.


    Lauel restrained the knights who were about to strike and said, ¡°Hong An, didn¡¯t I say that I know you well? The feats you¡¯ve achieved since bing an orc. Most of it was exploitedfromother people, right? There is no way that a person who gained power in an unjustifiable way can use it properly.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? Do you want to be sued for defamation?¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of evidence. Don¡¯t tell me you are looking down on my informationwork?¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s concede and say that you are right. What is wrong with that? Isn¡¯t it all the same anyway? Aren¡¯t you also trampling on the weak and rising up? The one who gained power in an unfair manner is speaking nonsense. I guess yourchuunibyoudisease hasn¡¯t been fixed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Why are you being so rude and merciless and regarding everything? It is good to help each other, right? In fact, Grid has repeatedly stated to the media that yers should cooperate with each other. Why treat us so badly and make us feel resentment when our strength isn¡¯t weak? Even if you don¡¯t want to cooperate with us, you should try to maintain a smooth rtionship. People think you are a genius because you are the number one contributor to creating an empire, but I¡¯m disappointed to see that you aren¡¯t as good as your reputation.¡±


    Hong An wasn¡¯t agitated.He criticized Lauel very logically.What Lauel initially pointed out as the problem¡ª


    In other words, the orcs had been focusing on Hong An¡¯s hical behavior, but now they found themselves nodding in agreement with him.


    Lauel sighed.¡°I understand why Hao advised me not to associate with you as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hao...?¡±


    The orcs were agitated.His reputation plummeted after he was defeated by Grid several times in the National Competition and eventually became a subordinate of Kraugel and Grid.Even so, Hao was one of the best yers who once represented China.He had been keeping a low profile these days, but his skills wouldn¡¯t have gone anywhere.


    The Chinese media might criticize Hao, but the Chinese rankers still admired him.Above all, they trusted Hao because they knew that he was a man of integrity.


    ¡°Hao told you not to deal with Hong An?¡± one of the orcs asked.


    ¡°Now it makes sense. That traitor is ying tricks behind the scenes,¡± Hong An interjected, ¡°Hao doesn¡¯t want the Overgeared Guild to have a deep rtionship with us Chinese rankers. His own transgressions might spread widely within the Overgeared Guild and weaken his position.¡±


    ¡°What transgressions did Hao do? Admitting defeat to Grid in front of the whole world? Why is that a fault?¡±


    ¡°I agree...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything else to you. Be obediently captured.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±Hong An, who had kept his cool until the end, became dumbfounded.Captured? So suddenly?


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is the sin of conspiring with the great demon, Rose.¡±


    ¡°W-What? What do you mean?! Is there any evidence? Additionally, what right do you have to use me of a sin...?!¡±


    The orcs were agitated.


    The alwaysposed Hong An was rarely agitated, so they wondered if Lauel¡¯s words were true.


    ¡°You are a man who gets along well with a traitor. It isn¡¯t worth getting along with. Let¡¯s stop ying around with nonsense and go back,¡± Hong An thought this couldn¡¯t be done so he tried to regain hisposure and urged his colleagues.


    The knights of the empire blocked his way.


    The knights of the Overgeared Empire¡ªtheir equipment was full of legendary items.It was a sight that would be astonishing before the change in the world.Now it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Lauel, remove these guys. I don¡¯t want to be hostile to the Overgeared Guild by killing them for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Lauel smiled. A ck fire dragon appeared as he covered half his face with one hand.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t people you can beat.¡±


    The knights of the Overgeared Empire were trained by Piaro and Asmophel.They also inherited items that had been used by the Overgeared members themselves.They had a strength that was different from ordinary knights of other kingdoms.Of course, they weren¡¯t good enough to defeat a ranker like Hong An one-on-one, but the number of knights was close to 30.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Hong An¡¯s expression gradually distorted as he received the knights¡¯ pincer attacks.He felt that the battle wasn¡¯t going as it should.He utilized the racial special quality of an orc and condensed power in his huge hand that was like a pot lid, swinging it. However, he was blocked by a shield.


    He blocked a spear that protruded from between the interlocking shields with his shoulder and grabbed one of the knights by the neck while shouting at hispanions, ¡°What are you all doing not helping? Their level is high, but if we work together, we can break through in an instant...¡±


    ¡°What does it mean by you conspiring with Rose?¡±


    ¡°I was honestly a bit puzzled when you suddenly gathered people to go to hell. Were you going to sacrifice us to the great demon?¡±


    The orcs were cautious. They doubted things and didn¡¯t help Hong An.In the first ce, they didn¡¯t have a deep rtionship with Hong An.The famous Hong An suddenly posted on themunity to recruit party members and they joined.


    Hong An sighed.¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to take this crazy guy¡¯s nonsense seriously. This is a trap and oppression. Lauel is trying to stop our Chinese people from uniting...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to incite the people here. There is no way that the Overgeared Guild would make enemies for such a ridiculous reason.¡±


    ¡°...Tsk.¡±Hong An¡¯s eyes changed.He was filled with killing intent as he broke the neck of the knight he was holding.


    Stopping the Breath¡ªit was one of Hong An¡¯s ultimate skills. It instantly killed non-named targets with force. Of course, it was a skill that could only be activated on the premise that the target washeldby the neck, but it was excellent for controlling the situation.


    ¡°Lauel¡¯sunfoundedinstigationis ridiculous but it won¡¯t work if the target isn¡¯t agitated. It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need anything. I will break through alone...?¡±


    Hong An¡¯s expression stiffened.The knight whose neck he had just broken and he had thrown away¡ªthe one who should¡¯ve died and turned to gray ash was slowly getting up.It was a very bizarre sight.


    Lauel told the flustered Hong An, ¡°The knights of the empire aren¡¯t dull enough to be caught by an orc.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    What was he saying?So this guy wasn¡¯t a knight of the empire?


    Hong An¡¯s eyes widened as he was feeling bewildered.The knight who was immune to instant death andpletely got up before he knew it.It was because a purple glow shed between the crooked helmet.


    ¡°A death knight?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My escort force has be a bit more diverse.¡±


    ¡°Hah, what are you going to do with an undead?¡±


    The undead were vulnerable against physical attacks. They were easily destroyed.After all, Hong An was an orc. He was an orc warrior whopleted the fifth ss advancement.The fists and club he wielded were so powerful that they were excellent against the undead.It had to be so.Compatibility was that important.However...


    ¡®What? This guy?¡¯


    The death knight standing in Hong An¡¯s way was incredibly powerful. It used advanced swordsmanship to block all of Hong An¡¯s attacks.Above all, it was calm.Unlike the ordinary undead,which clung to a target until the target was dead, it slowly and calmly pushed Hong An.It was a rxed, hunter-like attitude.


    Hong An felt extremely ufortable and noticed one stepte.


    ¡°I see. This is... an Overgeared Skeleton. Grid must really like you, Lauel, to send such a precious power as your escort.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡±Don¡¯t call God¡¯s name so recklessly.¡±¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hong An was stunned.It was because the death knight suddenly became reanimated and the speed at which it shed in was like a sh of light.It was an executive of the No Offspring Tomb with the modifiers of ¡®Thick, Big, Speedy, and Powerful.¡¯


    The Specter¡¯s death knight started to rapidly push Hong An.Unlike ordinary undead, the gesture of counterattacking by deflecting the destructive power contained in the club wielded by Hong An was elegant.It was an overwhelming sight.Who would¡¯ve imagined that there was a death knight who would dominate Hong An, who had a three digit overall ranking?


    Lauel exined to the speechless orcs, ¡°The Overgeared Shadow team captured the scene where Rose¡¯s minions met with some rankers. You are free to believe it or not, but I guarantee that Hong An was going to sacrifice you. Looking at his past actions, he is a very bad person. He came from a dark gamer background and is one of the worst dark gamers. I rmend that you don¡¯t meet him again.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The orcs didn¡¯t refute it.They didn¡¯t have enough loyalty to defend Hong An by refuting it and in this atmosphere, wouldn¡¯t they also be beaten up if they refuted it?They watched in silence as Hong An was overpowered by the knights¡¯ cooperation as he was fighting the death knight.

 Chapter 1832

    Chapter 1832


    Haster¡ªhe was considered the greatest professional gamer in the era before virtual reality wasmercialized. His life had been likened to a roller coaster. It was so curved.


    Evaluations before and after theunch of Satisfy were sharply divided. He was even on the verge of bing the epitome of degeneration. His failure to live up to people¡¯s expectations and his failure to perform in Satisfy led to a constant downward trend.


    This was before he joined the Overgeared Guild. After bing a member of the Overgeared Guild, Haster¡¯s evaluation rose again. The public finally concluded that the great gamer was perfectly revived. This was how great his performance was. In particr, the image of him sweeping away the broken guardians protecting the city of the ancient giants with just Hurent was strongly imprinted in the public¡¯s mind.


    Once asked by reporters about how he adapted to virtual reality and regained his second heyday, he said, ¡°It is thanks to Grid helping me train.¡± His personality was very humble and he established himself as a representative likable character.


    Haster himself was realizing his poprity. He was careful not to disappoint those who admired him again.


    The same was true now. Haster¡¯s words were extremely cautious at a scene where there were many witnesses. He coordinated his facial expressions and speech like the actor in ancient drama.


    ¡°I finally found him.¡±


    The blind swordsman, Cabelon¡ªa transcendent who imed to be the disciple of Sword Saint Muller, but went missing after Muller appeared. He was a suspicious figure in many ways. He was a target of vignce. However, they couldn¡¯t let him be hunted by Baal. Putting aside his suspicion, they had to secure his personal safety.


    Haster had been authorized to operate 100 assassins from the Overgeared Shadows and he was desperately tracking down Cabelon¡¯s whereabouts for the past fortnight. At this moment, he finally faced Cabelon.


    Buzz buzz.


    A restaurant in the center of a marine city¡ªpeople were agitated by the appearance of a superstar.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that there is no ce where the eyes and ears of the empire don¡¯t reach in the continent. It is safe to say that the entire empire is acting like a living and breathing dragon,¡± the blind man at the table said casually as he ate.


    Despite having his eyes covered by thick bandages, he was able to identify the location of the assassins around the restaurant in real time. The assassins of the Overgeared Shadows were holding their breath in the direction his eyes, covered by bandages, were facing. The assassins felt as if they had made eye contact and were somewhat nervous.


    Haster immediately got to the point. ¡°I will take you to Reinhardt. It is purely for your safety, so please don¡¯t misunderstand and cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Safety? Was it because of this?¡±


    Cabelon smirked as he pulled something out and threw it. It was a piece of purple fabric. No, it was leather. It gave off a terrible stench.


    ¡°This is skin obtained by cutting Baal. The 1st Great Demon was nothing special.¡±


    ¡°It was just a fragment. The Baal who appeared on the surface was nothing more than a fake body oveid with a fragment of his ego as a soul. It is very weak unlike the main body.¡±


    ¡°In any case, he is forced to send such a trivial alter ego up. Isn¡¯t that what you mean? I am someone who can take care of myself, so get lost.¡±


    ¡°Muller said that he wanted to meet you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cabelon, who had been talking proudly, closed his mouth. They couldn¡¯t read his expression because half his face, including his eyes, were wrapped in bandages. But at the very least, he didn¡¯t seem calm.


    ¡°He said he didn¡¯t know a blind swordsman or someone called Cabelon.¡±


    Haster started to check the entire situation. The state of the surrounding terrain, whether the position of the Overgeared Shadows was maintained as scheduled, what passive skills should be activated to signal special situations, if the quantity of potions was sufficient, etc. He predicted that Cabelon would go on a rampage and prepared for battle. He thought he unconditionally had to win and subdue Cabelon.


    There were too many witnesses. Haster couldn¡¯t be defeated for the sake of the honor he had regained, or for the sake of Grid and the Overgeared members who had restored his honor.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    The self-proimed disciple of Muller¡ªthe blind swordsman who had disappeared when Muller returned alive suddenly rose from his seat.


    ¡°Your ears are very sensitive,¡± Cabelon murmured.


    The sound of the breathless people gulping, the rustling of their cors, the stepping backwards, the noise of chairs dragging on the ground, the noise of the dining table, and even the chirping of birds outside the windows¡ªhe noticed that Haster was responding to all these ¡®sounds.¡¯


    ¡°It feels like you are always ready to go out immediately in the direction where you heard the sound... are you as blind as me?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t possible. I clearly remember what your stride was like when you came in here. What? Are you a pervert pretending to be blind?¡±


    Cabelonughed mischievously. Just then¡ª


    One wall of the dining room split in half, just like his mouth that opened to reveal white teeth. It was the result of Cabelon¡¯s sword drawing technique. Faint groans could be heard from everywhere beyond the copsed wall.


    The barely swallowed down the groans¡ªit was the sound of the assassins of the Overgeared Shadows, who were trying not to be discovered even though they were wounded.


    "Kyaaaaack!"


    The screams of the citizens unrted to this situation followed with a slight timeg. Many people were surprised to see the restaurant suddenly split in half.


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you could evacuate the citizens,¡± Haster requested of the yers around him.


    ¡°Ah... Yes!¡±


    Haster was the only member of the Overgeared Guild on the field. The yers who received his request were simply third parties who happened to be here. Nevertheless, they all moved at Haster¡¯s request. Haster was weighed down by the reputation of the Overgeared Guild that he carried on his back, but they had a great respect for Haster.


    ¡°I aimed for the neck, but not a single one was cut... what a monstrous nation. There is a lot of talent. When I left for the East Continent, the Saharan Empire used to be considered the strongest nation of all time, but the gap is too greatpared to the empire of the current time.¡±


    Putting aside his admiration, Cabelon was still rxed. It was natural. From inside the building, he shed at external enemies who were hiding at an invisible angle. He even hit those hidden in cover tens to hundreds of meters away with a single blow. He didn¡¯t cut down any of the innocent civilians and precisely targeted the assassins.


    He was a disaster-ss monster. Everyone at the scene noticed it. If Haster was to fight a monster like this, Haster was going to lose.


    Only one person¡ªHaster himself thought differently.


    ¡®It is a battle of hearing.¡¯


    Just now¡ªCabelon identified the location of the assassins through their breathing. It was enormous considering the fact that the breathing of the assassins was so low that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even perceive it right in front of them. However, it wasn¡¯t a special thing for Haster.


    The reason why Haster was able to check the position of the assassins before the battle was because he could also sense the assassins¡¯ breathing. The reason why Haster was still worshiped as a legend in the FPS world was because he used sound to y the game in ways that ordinary people could never imagine.


    Meanwhile in Satisfy, Haster had umted transcendence and had a physical body beyond human limits. His hearing wasn¡¯t inferior to Cabelon¡¯s at all.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The two men stood facing each other among those fleeing in panic¡ªwithout any hasty movements, their hands clung to their swords as they remained wary of each other¡¯s hearing. It was as if they were sculpted together from the beginning.


    How much time passed?


    ng!


    The chandelier, which had hung dangerously from the nted ceiling, fell to the ground and shattered. It was a signal.


    Haster took a stride as Cabelon¡¯s hearing focused on the noise. It was while dancing the Wind Dance. It was one of the Red Sage¡¯s skills that allowed him to freely control his own and other¡¯s mana and use them in various ways. A wind that was indistinguishable from natural wind manifested using Cabelon¡¯s mana, not Haster¡¯s, as a resource. The disastrous mess inside the restaurant was ventted very naturally and kept Cabelon from noticing his actions.


    Haster¡¯s footsteps became silent.


    A gentle wind blew.


    The assassins watching the situation from outside admired it and thought it resembled Faker¡¯s assassination technique.


    ¡°......¡±


    The image of Cabelon reflected in Haster¡¯s eyes grew rapidly. Haster, who had stopped breathing, easily put Cabelon within his attack range. The dragon weapon held in his sinewy hand was inserted into Cabelon¡¯s shoulder. After inflicting maximum damage at once, he had to use mana to induce an irresistible stun and suppress Cabelon in one go.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°You should¡¯ve aimed for the neck.¡±


    Cabelon¡¯s voice rang out. The weak wind created by Wind Dance loosened the bandages covering his face. Both eyes were exposed. There were dark ck marks over his eyelids and they seemed to be wounds from long ago. It looked miserable, but surprisingly, they opened up well. The clearly focused eyes captured Haster¡¯s horrified face.


    ¡®Jewels?¡¯


    Were they artifact eyeballs? There was no information about this...


    The panicked Haster shed at Cabelon¡¯s shoulder, while Cabelon¡¯s sword aimed for Haster¡¯s neck. A close match that was divided only by a single piece of paper. If only Haster had aimed for Cabelon¡¯s neck¡ªit was the moment when the match that was close enough to be a tie was decided...


    ¡°This...!¡±


    The yers who evacuated the people and returned to watch turned pale. The assassins of the Overgeared Shadows were already flying over. It was toote, but they were aiming to rescue Haster. It was unnecessary help.


    ¡°...Hah,¡± Cabelon sighed.


    Heroic Story¡ªit was the power of the Seven Malignant Saint that was inherited by Haster. It was conditionally the strongest defensive skill. If he took damage within two minutes of consuming resources, and if it was damage caused by ¡®skills¡¯ or ¡®magic,¡¯ he was immune to the damage.


    Funnily enough, there was a fatal disadvantage in that it had no effect on ordinary attacks, but the counter that Cabelon just used was swordsmanship that was ssified as a ¡®skill.¡¯ Thus, Haster was unscathed.


    ¡°It is a crazy nation. A monster like you is a mere hound sent to catch me. You¡ªaren¡¯t you on par with Muller at this point? It seems that even Muller¡¯s sword can¡¯t cut you easily,¡± Cabelon slumped due to being unable to handle the power of the dragon weapon and spoke honestly.


    He agreed to the result. He lost the will to resist and spoke as he pleased. The repercussions were huge.


    A named NPC who was obviously a transcendent was evaluating Haster asparable to Sword Saint Muller. It was just a personal guess, but because there was a precedent for Grid bing an Absolute as a yer, people couldn¡¯t easily dismiss it.


    In addition, this was Haster. A professional gamer who was a legend among legends. At one time, he was so close to Grid that it was misunderstood that he had changed ss to ¡®Grid¡¯s Sessor.¡¯ There was even a time when he was spotted handling Grid¡¯s God Hands like they were his own limbs. There was no way Grid could just leave the God Hands with anyone, so people whispered that Haster was really getting close to bing an Absolute.


    ¡°......¡±


    Haster was embarrassed. In fact, luck ounted for 90% of the victory, so it was very embarrassing. Still, as it was said in the beginning, he was in a position where he had to be conscious of people¡¯s gazes.


    He didn¡¯t try to deny Cabelon¡¯s spection. In the first ce, the reason Cabelon evaluated him so highly wasn¡¯t just because of his defensive ability. He was highly evaluated due to his ability to eliminate sound and the reverse use of other people¡¯s mana. In any case, his skills were reflected to some extent.


    ¡°Who knows? As long as Muller decides to serve God Grid, I won¡¯t exchange blows with him.¡±


    ¡°What? That Muller is serving another? Wasn¡¯t it just a temporary favor? It can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, go and check it yourself. Let¡¯s go back to Reinhardt.¡±


    Haster captured Cabelon and used the return scroll. One by one, the assassins followed. They didn¡¯t forget to reimburse the restaurant owner.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯ve sent me a support request, but handled it by yourself...?¡±


    ¡°It happened to turn out like this, so...¡± Haster scratched his beard.


    Lauel had a somewhat puzzled expression as he looked at Haster, who was embarrassed after a proud achievement. Then Lauel soon smiled. ¡°There was only a slump for the hero who dominated an era, no copse. I respect you.¡±


    Securing Cabelon was a difficult challenge. It was hard to find his whereabouts. Even if they did find him, it wasn¡¯t easy to subdue him. Cabelon had skills that even Kraugel acknowledged. This was why Lauel immediately dispatched the city¡¯s best people after being informed by Haster that he had found Cabelon. Haster¡¯s performance in beating Cabelon alone far exceeded Lauel¡¯s expectations.


    Sword Saint Muller arrived and raised an eyebrow when he saw Cabelon sitting in a corner.


    ¡°The ruins hunter? You are the one who impersonated being my disciple? Unbelievable. I didn¡¯t know you were alive all this time...¡±


    ¡°There is now that I should die when you, Muller, and the Great Robber of the Red Night are alive.¡±


    Cabelon snorted.


    Muller confirmed his appearance again and told Lauel, ¡°You¡¯ve saved a great treasure.¡±

 Chapter 1833

    Chapter 1833


    A ruins hunter? Ancient ruins had awakened since the change in the world. There was too much information that even the Skunk expedition¡¯s capabilities couldn¡¯t uncover. Of course, it was a matter that time would solve. yers were growing steadily. However, the Overgeared Guild was obliged to maintain the lead. Time was more precious than gold.


    ¡®He is a ruins hunter. This is why Cabelon was able to get to the No Offspring Tomb one step ahead of us. Is that eye-based artifact also an artifact that Cabelon salvaged himself?¡®


    Lauel discovered Cabelon¡¯s identity and was excited in a positive sense. In fact, didn¡¯t Muller describe Cabelon as a treasure? The person he thought was a hostile force was actually a valuable talent.


    Lauel¡¯s eyes gradually curved into a half moon shape.


    Cabelon snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not a treasure, I¡¯m a retired person. Don¡¯t look at me with expectant eyes.¡±


    ¡°A retired person? I didn¡¯t know that you, who has a high nose, would say such a thing even as a joke.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, is there any nose to protect when I can¡¯t even see in front of me?¡±


    Looking at Cabelon¡¯s usual behavior, it was hard to believe he was blind.


    His ability to read all the flows around him with his hearing was no different from that of a person who could see. No, on the contrary, he was superior to ordinary people to the extent where one had to wonder if he had eyes in the back of his head. Additionally, it was possible to gain vision briefly using the artifacts.


    However, Cabelon himself seemed to have a hugeplex about the fact that he was blind.


    Indeed. How much effort did it take to get where he was now? Naturally, those who could see shouldn¡¯t recklessly try to understand the hearts of those who couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°Those eyes... did you lose them to the Great Robber of the Red Night?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Do you think my courage is big enough to offend that old man?¡±


    ¡°I made a guess because I don¡¯t know how people will change over hundreds of years. It is a good thing that you didn¡¯t lose them to the Great Robber.¡±


    ¡°...Losing my eyes was a simple ident. I failed to respond to a threat lurking in the ruins. I made preparations every time, but it can¡¯t be perfect.¡±


    ¡°Did you hone my swordsmanship after that as a small guarantee?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the secret techniques you had left behind all over the world were quite helpful. I couldn¡¯t find one of the beginning level secret techniques, so it seems that my swordsmanship is quite wed.¡±


    ¡°There are no beginning level secret techniques. My swordsmanship was originally arranged for a talented swordsman, so I didn¡¯t feel the need to teach the basics.¡±


    ¡°...Damn. My bad luck is still the same.¡±


    ¡°Um? What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. No matter whether you roast me or boil me, do as you please.¡±


    In the first ce, the reason why Cabelon became obsessed with Muller¡¯s secret technique was purely to survive. He didn¡¯t have a very good rtionship with Muller when they were active, so it hurt his pride, but he decided it was for the best. It had been hundreds of years since then. He even built up transcendence after hundreds of years of polishing Muller¡¯s swordsmanship, which he had learned in order to survive.


    From then on, the situation was reversed. Cabelon waspelled to perfect his swordsmanship. He went back and forth between the West Continent and East Continent in search of Muller¡¯s secret techniques that hadn¡¯t been found. In the process, he met the Sword Saint of the present era and everything became twisted from then on.


    Kraugel¡ªhe tried to gain a secret technique from the guy that must¡¯ve be the Sword Saint from finding a higher ranked secret technique than his, but he wasn¡¯t sessful. The problem was that the Sword Saint was too powerful to be suppressed with force.


    Somehow, he ended up in Reinhardt and became entangled up in a bad rtionship with the monstrous new nation called the Overgeared Empire. Eventually, the thought to be dead Muller came back alive. The fact that he was relying on Muller¡¯s swordsmanship to survive was exposed. He was even caught iming to be Muller¡¯s disciple...


    It was so disgraceful that he wanted to stick his nose in dishwashing water and die. Cabelon resented the whole situation.


    ¡°The pervert who pretended to be a blind man and the present day Sword Saint... I want to curse the world where such bastards with monstrous talents are running rampant.¡±


    ¡°Pretending to be blind?¡± Muller cocked his head and looked at Haster.


    Haster immediately denied it. ¡°I never did that.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that friend has been suspicious since a long time ago. More than that, Cabelon. I am finding out your name for the first time now. Our exchanges were quite active, but it is a bit bittersweet that we didn¡¯t even exchange names.¡±


    ¡°You are the one who treated me like a grave robber. You didn¡¯t even give me a chance to say my name. Now you are talking such nonsense...¡±


    ¡°Did that happen...? Oh, I remember. You were digging at the graves of the deceased when I first met you. I misunderstood for a while. At that time, I thought you were doing it for selfish reasons.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even give me a chance to defend myself. I didn¡¯t care after that.¡±


    ¡°It was a misunderstanding. Didn¡¯t you go into seclusion due to the Great Robber? Later, I wanted to apologize, but I didn¡¯t get the chance. Well... my condition was also getting worse.¡±


    ¡°That... what exactly did Cabelon do?¡± Lauel interjected from where he had been silently watching the two people have an interesting conversation. It was because from the moment Muller recalled hister years, the conversation suddenly stopped and an awkward silence came.


    ¡°I was a grave robber digging at other people¡¯s graves,¡± Cabelon snorted and replied sarcastically.


    It was very unpleasant because he remembered Muller¡¯s smirking face.


    Muller exined it instead, ¡°He is a friend who wandered aimlessly in search of hidden ruins. He collected ancient artifacts and gifted them to the heroes of the era. He tried to contribute to the peace of the world. He isn¡¯t widely known because he didn¡¯t reveal his identity, but he is also a hero.¡±


    ¡°...That is all in the past.¡± Cabelon lowered his head. His expression was very dark.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been unable to serve the people since you¡¯ve lost my eyes.¡±


    ¡°No, to be exact, I wasn¡¯t able to do it long before that.¡±


    The grinding sound was eerie.


    ¡°I was forced to remain quiet due to the Great Robber of the Red Night, that crazy old man.¡±


    ¡°It was bad luck. This friend got an artifact that the Great Robber targeted first...¡±


    ¡°Until then, I didn¡¯t even know who the Great Robber of the Red Night was. A crazy old man flew in and broke my limbs... the Baal I saw a while ago was cutepared to him.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The puzzle came together naturally.


    The Great Robber of the Red Night¡ªording to Grid, he was an irregr who had witnessed and experienced the destruction and creation of the world countless times.


    The Great Robber had only one purpose¡ªit was to collect the treasures that the Refractive Dragon left behind whenever the world was destroyed. It was said that it was to break the chain of destruction. Perhaps from his perspective, he couldn¡¯t allow ordinary people living in one era to touch the treasures of the Refractive Dragon.


    One day, Cabelon identally acquired what was presumed to be a treasure of the Refractive dragon and he would¡¯ve started to be oppressed by the Great Robber. The misfortune of losing his eyes while working secretly ovepped and led to his present state.


    ¡®In any case, this is the conclusion.¡¯


    Cabelon was an incredibly capable person. The Great Robber of the Red Night had been active for a long time. Cabelon¡¯s history of preempting the treasure before the Great Robber, whom even Grid called a monster, and then being retaliated against proved his abilities.


    ¡®Of course, it could be the result of sheer luck.¡¯


    In any case, it should be noted that he managed to stay ahead of the Great Robber of the Red Night once. Moreover, the Overgeared Guild had the Skunk Expedition team. It was spected that the synergy between Cabelon, an expert on ruins, and the Skunk Expedition team would be tremendous.


    ¡°Congrattions, Cabelon, on bing a member of the Overgeared Empire.¡±


    ¡°...What? Who said that?¡±


    ¡°There are no human rights for prisoners. That is thew.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I am going to be a ve. Then cut off my limbs beforehand. It is only then that you will be barely able to deal with me.¡±


    ¡°No. From today on, we are a family. I will trust you.¡±


    ¡°...Are you crazy?¡±


    He said prisoners didn¡¯t have human rights and now they were a family? Muller winked at the dumbfounded Cabelon. He hoped this pleasant feeling could be conveyed even if Cabelon couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°You should trust them too. From what I experienced, the empire of this time is a very good ce to live in.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you when you say something like that...¡±


    Cabelon was still feeling shame. The coercive situation was unpleasant in many ways and dissatisfaction piled up.


    ¡°Would you like to meet the colleagues you will work with in the future? They just came back from an exploration and are staying at the pce.¡±


    Lauel continued to push it. He forced Cabelon toward the Skunk Expedition team. It wasn¡¯t desirable from Haster¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to give him time? It is the norm to slowly build up trust and wait until he opens his mind.¡¯


    Why was Lauel in such a hurry? The question was quickly resolved.


    ¡°What a beautiful drill... does it run on magic power? The output is amazing. When I was young, I couldn¡¯t even dream of this and had to dig at the ground with a shovel one by one.¡±


    ¡°Look at this too. It is a probe made by a giant engineer...¡±


    ¡°Hoh...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The workshop of the Skunk Expedition team. In a ce where all types of exploration items were stored, Cabelon¡¯s eyes shone like a child who encountered a treasure trove.


    Really¡ªhe operated his artificial eye artifact and showed great enthusiasm as he checked the exploration items with his own two eyes.


    There was even a smile on his face as he talked to Skunk.


    ¡°There is happiness that can only be felt when you do what you love,¡± Lauel said while looking very proud.


    He had anticipated this situation from the beginning.


    ¡®He is a young man who shouldn¡¯t be doubted.¡¯


    Haster also had great confidence in Lauel. Around a monthter...


    It was the day when the legends and transcendents protected by the Overgeared Guild arrived in the realm of the Overgeared World.


    Grid appointed Asuka as thest angel and proimed, ¡°We are going on an expedition now.¡±


    It took longer than expected, but the preparations were thorough. Dragon weapons and armor were made and provided to all participants of this expedition. There were even weapons and armor enhanced with the ancient enhancement scrolls. Additionally, there were even marks suitable for each individual.


    They seeded in protecting most of Baal¡¯s potential targets and Reinhardt¡¯s safety was re-examined. The situation in hell was being understood by Yura in real time through interacting with Leraje and Eligos.


    ¡®It is perfect.¡¯


    Nothing could be better.


    Kurarararara!


    A dragon flew to Grid¡¯s side and sat down. It was such a huge dragon that it made the high walls of the castle shake. It was Evil Dragon Bunhelier who looked down at the humans on the ground while exhaling a jet-ck breath. In the past, he caused fear and despair when he first appeared in front of people. The distant existence that was designated as the final boss candidate was now by Grid¡¯s side.


    Grid ced his hand on Bunhelier¡¯s body for a dramatic effect and he scanned the faces of the people gathered in the square.


    The Overgeared Guild and the people of the empire.


    Celebrities and ordinary yers in every field.


    A wide variety of people were gathered. There were hundreds of thousands of them. There were also tens of thousands of media cameras from all over the world. The number of people watching this moment through the screen would have been at least in the billions.


    From now on, Grid would express words he couldn¡¯t keep suppressed. Everyone knew it. Therefore, they trembled.


    ¡°Today, we will cut off the source of fear and despair.¡±


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    [Overgeared God Grid is writing the 27th epic.]


    [The epic begins with the deration to eliminate the source of all evil.]


    The epic¡ªthe expedition that would go down as the greatest raid in Satisfy¡¯s history started. It was the final fight or the final gateway to the final fight.


    The headlines published by media outlets around the world were very different. Seoul, Tokyo, Washington D.C., London, Beijing, Paris, Berlin, New Delhi, Moscow, etcetera¡ªon this day, the major cities around the world, including capital cities, became quiet.


    Cars disappeared from the road and only the lights from the buildings were bright. Most people were sitting in front of a TV orputer.

 Chapter 1834

    Chapter 1834


    ¡°The Overgeared Guild is the best. Not a single person will deny it. Besides, I heard that all the elites of the Overgeared Guld will participate in this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Grid, Kraugel, Yura, Jishuka, Hurent, Haster, Zibal, Faker, etc... They are so great that they deserve to be treated as guests of honor no matter where they visit. Each one is an irreceable, all-time great yer. Grid¡¯s apostles and Sword God Biban are also there. What raid would be impossible?¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s death will really make a big difference. The fate of those who suffer even in death will be corrected and the world will ovee despair. The rejuvenated people will rapidly develop civilization with an iparably higher level of activity. Many people see the change in the world caused by Trauka as the beginning of season two, but I think season one will end and a new beginning will open only when Baal dies.¡±


    ¡°Baal is a being who must die. He must disappear in order for Satisfy to move forward. He can¡¯t be a non-raidable boss. In other words, he can¡¯t be invincible. The Overgeared Guild will seed. They will surely kill Baal. It is a necessary event in the flow.¡±


    People from all walks of life guessed that the sess rate of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s Baal raid was very high, and even if they failed this time, they would try again and surely seed one day. After all, to be able to try again was a yer¡¯s privilege.


    However, Grid¡¯s thought differently. ¡®If I fail this time, I might never get another chance.¡¯


    The ability to prey on the power and skills of the dead¡ªBaal¡¯s fraudulent power didn¡¯t just apply to NPCs. It often even took away a yer¡¯s skills.


    In a way, it was natural. It was because the named beings received the privilege of ¡®be stronger as the yers be stronger.¡¯


    It was a basicw. Baal was the named one among the named, and he also received the same preferential treatment. He could absorb a yer¡¯s skills when killing a yer.


    ¡®Of course, it seems there are many restrictions, but...


    So far, the skills of the yers absorbed by Baal were very few and the level was low. Perhaps Baal had to meet certain conditions in order to take away a yer¡¯s skills. Either Baal had to kill them himself or he had to go through some process after killing them.


    In any case, Baal became stronger as time passed, as he fought more and as he won. He was like a yer. If they couldn¡¯t kill him this time and were defeated¡ª


    Additionally, if Grid or the apostles died in the process and their power was lost. It would be very difficult to n for the future.


    It was okay. They knew everything and were fully prepared. As stated earlier, Baal became stronger as time went by. So time yed into Baal¡¯s hands, not theirs. The exception was the past month. That period of time was spent producing dragon weapons and armor as well as collecting enhancement scrolls and marks. It could be affirmed that they had far surpassed Baal¡¯s growth.


    [You have entered hell.]


    A notification window popped up the moment the hell elevator stopped descending. The apostles and the Overgeared members were somewhat nervous. The moment the elevator door opened, there was a high probability that the traps set up by demons would be triggered. Everyone immediately prepared for battle because they had experienced it once in the past.


    Grid was rxed. He took a step forward the moment the elevator door opened.


    ¡°Wait...!¡± Mercedes rushed out after him before stopping. Her beautiful eyes shook.


    Demon yer Yura¡ªthe woman who had spent most of her time in hell alone at Grid¡¯smand came out to meet the group.


    ¡°Compared to the previous visits, the level of magic has risen significantly... We would¡¯ve suffered quite a loss if we stepped on it without any preparations.¡±


    There were signs of magic in every crack in the ground around Yura. This was Braham¡¯s assessment after looking at it.


    At this point, Mercedes had to fully acknowledge Yura. Wasn¡¯t she sacrificing herself alone here in hell, far away from her loved ones, while leaving a steady track record?


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    It was an amazing sight. Mercedes first bowed and greeted Yura.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yura replied with a smile. She must have many things to say but she didn¡¯t show it.


    Mercedes felt it a lot. She wanted to emte Yura.


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the two of them from behind. ¡°Why is Mercedes being mean only to me? Is she jealous of big breasts?¡±


    ¡°...I think I know why.¡±


    Isn¡¯t your tone of speaking a problem?


    As Vantner couldn¡¯t bear to say this and was distracted, new figures arrived by Yura¡¯s side.


    ¡°It has been a while. Hello, Braham.¡±


    The 10th Great Demon, Leraje, who didn¡¯t know defeat.


    ¡°Wee, god of the surface.¡±


    The other was Eligos, the ck Knight whose tone had be subtly polite. It looked like it was right after a battle. His entire body was covered with the blood of demonic creatures. it seemed that all the demonic creatures waiting nearby were ughtered.


    The senses of the Overgeared members were on edge. It was the aftermath of their transcendence reacting to the two demons. They realized that these two were powerhouses representing hell. Things that weren¡¯t seen when they met in the past were now visible.


    ¡®It is even said that they leadrge armies of tens of thousands.¡¯


    They were truly formidable allies. The tension of the Overgeared members was relieved somewhat.


    [When God descended to hell, the rulers of hell greeted him.]


    [Eligos, the ck Knight who guards the river of reincarnation with Cerberus, the watchdog of hell.]


    [Supreme King Leraje who doesn¡¯t know defeat.]


    [The only rulers that 1st Great Demon Baal failed to subdue, bowed their heads to the god of the surface.]


    The epic was updated and helped viewers understand. It let the world know that the beings who came with Yura to meet Grid were huge powerhouses. Viewers marveled and the humans on the surface rejoiced. Their jubtion created a notification window that was only visible for Grid.


    [Humanity¡¯s fear toward Baal has faded slightly.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was as expected. The epic started to create a development in Grid¡¯s favor. In Lauel¡¯s words, it acted as a ¡®key¡¯ to kill Baal. Everyone knew about Grid¡¯s progress from the time that the epic started. The more Grid threatened Baal, the more humanity¡¯s fear of Baal would fade. The moment it disappearedpletely, Baal would suffer serious damage.


    An infinite number of lives¡ªit was a loss of the strongest power that stemmed from the fear of humanity.


    ¡®This is why we must never act rashly.¡¯


    Depending on his performance, people¡¯s fear would fade. The performance he was talking about here wasn¡¯t just about destroying the enemy. It was also important not to be agitated in any particr situation. The moment he was agitated, people also became agitated. At worst, they would recall the fear that had faded.


    ¡®From now on, I¡¯m not an ordinary person. I am a genius. No matter what trap I fall into, act as if it is expected from the beginning.¡¯


    And in addition to that, invincible. Even if a knife was stuck in his heart, he had to act like he was bitten by a mosquito.


    ¡ªAlthough it was best not to go through that in the first ce.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid took a deep breath to control his mind before taking a step. There was no time to lose. He hurried to match the schedule so that everything would go ording to n. He even dyed having a conversation with Leraje, who was happy to see him.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Grid stopped moving. He stood in front of Leraje, who was sad to see him passing by with just a nce.


    ¡°Supreme King who doesn¡¯t know defeat.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please assist me along with the valiant ck Knight Eligos, who treats Cerberus, the greatest demonic creature of hell, like a horse.¡±


    ¡°Nyang? This body is hell¡¯s greatest... Oof oof.¡±


    The quick-witted Huroi blocked Noe¡¯s mouth. Grid¡¯sments were emerging in the epics. It was described as a great god of the surface bestowing a divine message to the transcendents of hell.


    [Humanity¡¯s fear toward Baal has faded slightly.]


    The effect was immediately apparent. Grid smiled with satisfaction and quickened his pace again.


    Leraje was still looking dumbfounded, while Eligos mumbled as he stared at Grid¡¯s back.


    ¡°Your dignity has increased. I like it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After a moment of silence, the group hurriedly chased after Grid. The parties were organized as originally nned.


    The first party wasposed of Mercedes, Haster, Euphemina, and Pon. They would move to Chepardea¡¯s ¡®spawning ce¡¯ to remove the ¡®eggs¡¯ that allowed Chepardea to resurrect even when killed, and eliminate Baal¡¯s subordinates standing guard there. Yura pointed it out as one of the most important ces, so they invested a lot of power there.


    The second party wasposed of Piaro, Hurent, Damian, and Zednos. Their purpose was to move to the ¡®Demon¡¯s Cradle¡¯ where endless demonic energy was produced to strengthen demons and demonic creatures. To be exact, it was to change it, not destroy it. The moment Piaro turned the cradle into agricultural fields, it would create a favorable environment for humans operating in hell. Since Piaro was the key to creating and sustaining the agricultural fields, the assistants he added were Hurent and Damian, who were excellent inbat. Zednos was added to resist magic.


    The third party wasposed of Braham, Peak Sword, Huroi, and Lae. They would search for and ughter the great demons who followed Baal. They were nning to go wild to the end. Braham¡¯s magic, Peak Sword¡¯s draw sword, and Huroi¡¯s profanity were a triple bombardment. Braham was less likely to take care of others if excited so Lae was added. Her role was to protect Peak Sword and Huroi from magic.


    The fourth party wasposed of Mir, Yura, Faker, Leraje, and Toban. Their purpose was to stop the operation of the factor that produced the red flesh projecting the hell moon, or Asura, by infiltrating underground. The road was soplicated and heavily guarded that Yura¡¯s role was extremely important, since she was knowledgeable in the terrain. Faker would tear down the security without a fuss and Toban would protect Yura. The red flesh had a high chance of resisting, such as the clones used on Grid previously, so Mir and Leraje were deployed to have enough attack power.


    The fifth party wasposed of Zik, Jishuka, Vantner, and the evil eyes¡¯ king. The fifth party would first move with Grid. ording to Yura, the purpose was to neutralize Asura¡¯s head, which was decorating the entrance of Baal¡¯s city. It seemed to be a ce Baal had built as the first line of defense, so there were many garrisons. It was necessary to keep Asura¡¯s head in check with the destruction rays from the evil eyes¡¯ king while tearing down the defenses with Jishuka¡¯s sniper fire.


    Vantner escorted the evil eyes¡¯ king. The destructive power and survivability of the entire party would be greatly boosted by Zik¡¯s runes. Zik¡¯s ownbat capability after being able to handle King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity was sufficient to respond to any variable.


    The sixth party wasposed of Nefelina and Zibal. They followed Grid from start to finish. Nefelina could be deployed if Grid¡¯s cooperation with Bunhelier was cut off for some reason and Dragon Knight was deactivated. Thus, the distance had to be kept as close as possible. Zibal could use ¡®Providence¡¯ to protect Nefelina, but if he was targeted by Baal, there was a high possibility that he would have topletely leave the battlefield.


    The seventh party wasposed of Kraugel and Eligos. They were solid insurance. If Baal was on the defensive, there was a possibility that he would prey on the souls wandering in the river of reincarnation to promote recovery. Thus, the river of reincarnation had to be guarded. It was such an important role that it could be described as thest bastion. For Kraugel, it was very regrettable that he couldn¡¯t be on the front line, but he silently epted his role.


    The five angels, including Ibellin,prised the eighth party along with Biban. They would wait on standby and be dispatched as soon as a request for assistance was received. Angels couldmunicate with Grid and the apostles in real time. In particr, it was good to y the role of reinforcement because they weren¡¯t hindered by any magic or physical force. It was also possible for them to fly at high speed regardless of topographical features. Biban was the next strongest power after Grid and would coordinate the battlefield by grasping the situation through them.


    Finally, Katz was on a solo mission. Guided by the red-skinned demon nt, he was to move to the 2nd Hell, where he would keep a check on Amoract¡¯s movements while attempting to contact Beriache. He was Beriache¡¯s Warrior, so he was looking forward to the possibility of some hidden piece appearing.


    All the ns were based on Yura¡¯s knowledge and information. The ultimate goal of all these ns was to ¡®establish and sustain a one-on-one battle between Grid and Baal.¡¯ The goal was to make sure that Grid wasn¡¯t disturbed and that Baal didn¡¯t receive any help.


    It was to maximize the effect of the epic. It was only when Grid proved that he could fight Baal one-on-one and win that humanity would be relieved andpletely shake off their fear.


    ¡®...It is technically two against one.¡¯


    Well, it was practically one-on-one if he regarded Bunhelier as a ¡®mount.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a cheap trick at all...


    Kurarararara!


    A huge shadow appeared over the heads of Grid and the others as they split into their groups. It was the shadow of Bunhelier, who had just arrived in hell through the dimensional shift.


    ¡°You might have to fight for days and days. For those who have restrictions on your stamina, make sure to control your physical strength well,¡± Grid once again warned the group. It wasn¡¯t known how many times he said it already. It might be tiresome, but the group nodded silently.


    Everyone was already far away.


    Grid also sped up toward his destination.

 Chapter 1835

    Chapter 1835


    Their feet were swallowed by the swamp on every step they took, and soon, even their calves were submerged.


    ¡°It is kind of disgusting,¡± Pon said with a frown. Arge leech clung to his ankle that he had pulled from the swamp. It was a demonic creature that took away health and magic power. The blue and red veins wriggling inside the translucent outer shell aroused disgust.


    ¡°Plus, it hurts quite a bit. What percentage is the damage over time? I feel like I will run out of mana if I let my guard down.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Euphemina have almost infinite mana?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t me, but all of you.¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s spawning ground was located in arge cave. The ess route was so narrow that it was impossible to use flying magic. They were forced to walk, which was a problem because it was a swamp. Their movement speed was too slow. In particr, Euphemina was a magician and had low physical strength and health. She was greatly affected by the swamp area. She couldn''t easily pull her feet out from the swamp, and she was often submerged to her waist.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use your magic to evaporate the whole swamp?¡±


    ¡°Is that all? I can blow up the entire cave. But if I do so, the enemies will immediately detect something unusual,¡± Euphemina replied as she grabbed Haster¡¯s hand and was pulled out of the swamp. In her heart, she wanted to blow up the entire cave.


    Mercedes, who had been walking silently in the lead, calmed the group, ¡°You aren¡¯t a gori so don¡¯t be impatient. We have plenty of time because we nned it to be a slow march. It is important to stealthily sneak in as nned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    It was Mercedes herself who had recently been obsessed with goris. The party knew the reason, but they didn¡¯t bother to show it.


    After several hours of arduous marching, the group arrived at their destination. Mercedes faced the wide space that endlessly stretched out in front of her andmanded from the front, ¡°Stop for now.¡±


    In the center of the space, hundreds of eyes that were many timesrger than a human torso were wriggling. To be precise, they were eggs that looked like eyes. Chepardea¡¯s eggs, wrapped in sticky body fluids, hung heavily from purple vines that scattered unusual demonic energy.


    ¡°Did the bodily fluids flowing down from the eggs form this swamp?¡± Pon clicked his tongue.


    ¡°There is a high possibility that there are vines under the swamp. Be extra careful with your feet,¡± Mercedes warned as she examined the scale of the vines lining the cave¡¯s ceilings and walls. Most of the creatures in hell were demons, and the nts were no exception. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if these purple vines moved like they were alive and aimed at an intruder¡¯s blind spot.


    The group nodded. Euphemina and Haster cast flying magic, while Pon summoned his white horse and mounted it. From the time they left the narrow space, the swamp could no longer disturb them.


    Just as Mercedes warned, the vines identified the intruders and started attacking from a distance and they intercepted the attacks without difficulty.


    ¡°These rat bastards crawling in the mud. Indeed, there is no room for the weak to keep their pride.¡±


    Someone reacted to the noise generated by intercepting the vines. It was the demon who moved the spawning ground and protected it. His name was Helgarric. He was one of the ones Yura identified as a close associate of Baal. She said that ¡®moving something¡¯ was his specialty. This was why they tried not to be discovered beforehand. It would avoid giving him more time to move the spawning grounds they had worked hard to arrive at.


    Then countless footsteps were heard from the road Helgarric had arrived from. It was the sound of the advance of the army led by this guy. The ground shook. The purple vines on the ceilings and walls swayed like they were falling.


    ¡°Still, it is a bit shocking that an invasion was allowed before the spawning ground was moved... The Demon yer¡¯s tenaciousness has paid off.¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s spawning grounds¡ªits location had already been discovered by Agnus and Betty. The location was moved, but intruders came once again.


    Helgarric sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. This time, I am guarding this ce myself. I will teach the Demon yer how foolish it is to target this ce by killing and getting rid of all of you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Yura.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is offensive to put her name in that filthy mouth.¡±


    ¡°...You are quite entric for a human being. Are all of Grid¡¯s apostles like you?¡±


    The army arrived as Helgarric was speaking. Behind him, hundreds of heavily armed demon soldiers were marching, but their military discipline was unusual. Like the knights of the Overgeared Empire, they quickly took a formation and waited for their master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they quite armed? Where did they get the same armor and weapons as us?¡±


    ¡°I think they plundered it from the surface.¡±


    Pon and Haster reacted with some surprise.


    Hell¡ªit was a primitive dimension where the level of civilization was greatly reducedpared to the surface. Unless they were high ranking demons who could cross to the surface rtively easily, most demons didn¡¯t even have proper clothing. In the first ce, what could be expected from a world where there was only one cksmith? However, Helgarric and his army were well-armed, like soldiers owned by nobles on the surface.


    Helgarric snorted when he overheard their conversation. ¡°You ignorant humans. Do you believe that the civilization on the surface is better than hell? How can that be?¡±


    Gurgle gurgle!


    With every step that Helgarric took, the swamp boiled up likeva.


    The entire cave, which was asrge as several football fields, instantly heated up. The irresistible heat tormented the group.


    ¡°Think of Baal¡¯s power. He, who is greater than the gods, devours the knowledge and skills of the dead. Human civilization can be developed at any time.¡±


    ¡®Certainly...¡¯


    Pon wiped away the sweat dripping down his face like rain and agreed. In the first ce, there were huge castles in hell.


    They were castles inhabited by great demons. It had a huge scale andplex structure that was rare even on the surface. It was proof that the civilization of hell had transcended human civilization in some ways.


    That¡¯s right. The civilization of hell wasn¡¯t undeveloped. It was suppressed because it wasn¡¯t necessary, or perhaps it was suppressed because it was necessary.


    ¡°I predicted and prepared for your raid from the very beginning. Judging from the way you crawled through the swamp, you seem to believe that you have prepared this operation secretly, but you are mistaken. Instead, you have fallen into a trap.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bluff. The number of troops proved it.


    The viewers witnessing the situation in real time also realized this. Most of the other parties, as well as the one led by Mercedes, were surrounded by enemies in the area where they were acting. The demons of hell knew exactly what the Overgeared Guild was aiming for.


    It was a clear crisis.


    ¡°If they are reacting this well...¡±


    ¡°...I think it will fail?¡±


    The response of the demons was too good. The viewers were filled with anxiety.


    The epic was narrating the situation.


    [There was a dirty and vicious trick lurking at every entrance of hell where God and his messengers descended.]


    It wasn¡¯t a particrly negative statement. It merely recorded the fact as it was. Nevertheless, the impact was great. The humans of the surface thought the worst. They were influenced by a fear that was ingrained in their subconscious.


    [Humanity has recalled the fear they have forgotten for a while.]


    It happened when the faded terror of humanity sprouted again...


    ¡°I expected it,¡± Grid opened his mouth.


    He had arrived in front of Baal¡¯s city.


    Vantner and the evil eyes¡¯ king cocked their heads when they heard him suddenly talking to himself.


    The fifth party wasposed of Zik, Jishuka, Vantner, and the evil eyes¡¯ king. First of all, they were a group that worked with Grid. Grid was conscious of their gaze and continued speaking while feeling somewhat embarrassed, ¡°Demons are a group that are infinitely weak and parasitic in the darkness of hell. I predicted in advance that they wouldn¡¯t dare to oppose us and would use tricks.¡±


    Grid¡¯sments were recorded in the epic. It was because it was a statement that responded to the flow of the epic. Grid, who had already written the 27th epic, knew when to speak and how to act to influence the epic.


    Grid took off the sses of the evil eyes¡¯ king, who was still looking confused. At the same time.


    Kuwaaaaaang!


    Rays of destruction were fired. The huge head adorning the gate of Baal¡¯s city. It wasn¡¯t a statue, but the living, breathing head of Asura that was precisely targeted. The distance was so great that it looked like a dot, but the power of the rays after reaching it wasn¡¯t diminished in the slightest.


    ¡°Ughhhhh!¡± A rather funny groan rang out like thunder. It was a groan from Asura¡¯s head, whose mouth was being crushed by the rays of destruction.


    The demons were flustered.


    ¡°Attack! The humans have arrived!¡±


    ¡°What are those rays...! Asura¡¯s head can¡¯t open his eyes!¡±


    The frightened demons were in disarray.


    Grid stared down at them and handed the evil eyes¡¯ king over to Vantner. Jishuka was already shooting arrows. They were arrows with runes wrapped around them. The Breaking Evil Arrows, which exerted great power against evil beings, became several times more powerful with Zik¡¯s help.


    The baptism of arrows fired by Jishuka bombarded the demons who were in chaos. The firmly closed high gates of Baal¡¯s city were quickly torn down.


    The whole process was described in the epic. People¡¯s fears became even lighter than they were in the beginning.


    The satisfied Grid winked at Jishuka. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will protect you from behind no matter what, so just look ahead. Destroy everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid was happy to see Jishuka as bright and energetic as always and smiled. He smiled in front of the castle of Baal, the 1st ranked Great Demon, in the middle of the enemy camp. The implications were great. People¡¯s faith in Grid deepened and their fear of Baal faded.


    Coincidentally, the leaders of each group were helping Grid.


    At the spawning ground, Mercedes triggered the Heart of the Frost Queen. A terrible chill quickly froze the swamp that was boiling likeva, baffling Helgarric. Mir immediately cut down the previous generation legend summoned by the red flesh, while Braham chased after the great demon on the way to support Baal¡¯s city and killed them.


    The whole process was passed onto Baal.


    Bunhelier, who had been polymorphed into human form for a while to avoid being spotted while infiltrating, also regained his original form and spread out his wings widely. Under the barrage of Jishuka¡¯s arrows, he passed over the heads of screaming demons and entered the interior of Baal¡¯s city with Grid.


    Now humanity had gone beyond courage and became energetic. However, this onlysted a moment.


    ¡°Even the foolish celestial gods would¡¯ve predicted your cooperation with Bunhelier.¡±


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has appeared.]


    In a dark hall¡ªBaal sat on a lofty throne and spoke suspicious words. It was the majesty of the demon king and the demon god. The ck sky that stretched out above the broken ceiling was filled with thunderclouds.


    Braham witnessed the scene from a long distance and frowned. ¡®Magic.¡¯


    It was even a curse spell that had been prepared over a long period of time. The depth was immense. Braham was in a rare hurry. He drew his staff and released divinity. He hastened to analyze and extinguish the sinister curse magic that was sinking in the distant sky.


    He was toote. It was really a small difference. It failed because of the extremely far distance.


    Baal¡¯s curse in the form of thunderclouds released thunderbolts. It fell while aiming for Bunhelier, not Grid. An Old Dragon would naturally resist magic, but it was different this time. Against his will, he obediently allowed the approaching thunderbolts that wove together like chains. His big body was tied up tightly.


    ¡°What a disgrace...!¡± Bunhelier roared while struggling.


    Baal grinned while still leaning against the throne. ¡°Evil Dragon Bunhelier. This is the reason why you are the only one with a low evaluation among the Old Dragons. What are you saying when you have already been incapacitated once by me in hell? You are so cute.¡±


    It was a huge event. The world was in a state of turmoil.


    Grid was baffled by Baal¡¯s thorough preparation and was the same. He almost lost his mind for a moment. It was a notification window that brought his mind back.


    [Humanity has recalled the fear they have forgotten for a while.]


    In the end¡ª


    Grid recovered hisposure in a hurry and opened his mouth, ¡°...Even this was expected.¡±


    ¡°Hoh...? You expected it?¡± Baal had an interested look on his face.


    On the other hand, Bunhelier¡¯s expression was terrible. Of course, it was hard to read his expression because he was in the form of a dragon, but it somehow seemed like this.


    ¡°What arrogance do you have to apany Bunhelier even though you know he will be useless? Did you know I would bind that guy and put you on the defensive?¡±


    Grid pulled out Defying the Natural Order. After upgrading hispanions¡¯ equipment, he poured out all the remaining ancient scrolls to enhance Defying the Natural Order to +6. A subtle aura was added to the orange divinity and it gave off a mysterious energy like a gxy in the universe.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t arrogance.¡±


    How could he exin this? Grid felt even more pressure from Bunhelier¡¯s re and gave a rough answer. He didn¡¯t have anything to say so he focused on actions, not words.


    Defying the Natural Order cut at the chain of thunderbolts pressing against Bunhelier¡¯s body.


    ¡®Can I cut it?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t sure. From Grid¡¯s perspective, the depth of the curse magic that was just invoked was enormous. He thought it would be very difficult to break the magic that Baal had been preparing for a long time with physical force. However, he had expectations for the power of the dragon weapon and the power of the conditional Sword Saint. It was fine even if he couldn¡¯t cut it. He would pass over it as casually as possible and hurry to think about the next move...


    ¡°You did something stupid...¡± Baal read Grid¡¯s intentions and snorted, only to fall silent. It was because the magic chains were broken by the sword that Grid swung casually.


    Bunhelier, who had been crouching like a bird trapped in a small cage, regained his freedom.


    ¡®This worked? Is it the power of enhancement?¡¯


    Of course, there was some luck involved. In any case, it was a huge jackpot. Grid barely suppressed his cheers and spoke casually under Baal and Bunhelier¡¯s briefly mesmerized gazes, ¡°Baal, no matter what type of evil scheme you think up, it is of no use against me.¡±


    It was a voice that looked down on him as much as possible. It was an attitude that overshadowed the high throne Baal was sitting on.


    [People¡¯s fears are greatly reduced.]


    The world started to move ording to Grid¡¯s will.

 Chapter 1836

    Chapter 1836


    ¡°...It is disappointing in many ways.¡±


    Baal stared at Grid¡¯s new sword¡ªthe sword that broke the curse chains¡ªand rose up from his throne. Then he slowly stepped down the thousands of stairs from the high throne to the great hall one by one. His red eyes were fixed on Grid.


    All types of status abnormalities ovepped and weighed down on Grid. It gave the sense that he was being targeted by all CC techniques present in Satisfy. Grid felt a huge sense of pressure. Putting aside resisting the status abnormalities, he was horrified and overwhelmed by the result of one of Baal¡¯s ¡®gazes.¡¯


    ¡°Manipting myths in real time to turn the flow to your advantage... It is the attitude of a lowly cheater. Isn¡¯t it the same as before?¡±


    With every step he took down the stairs, the demonic energy emitted from Baal¡¯s entire body thickened. The vast hall that contained even Bunhelier¡¯s huge body started to shake.


    ¡°Speaking of which, it seems you are relying on Bunhelier and the dragon weapon just as before. You haven¡¯t improved at all.¡±


    ¡®Is there a Xing trash game like this?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s heart sank.


    The decent manner of speaking.


    The low, solemn voice.


    The appearance that overwhelmed everything.


    Baal¡¯s appearance was different from before. He didn¡¯t just enjoy the situation and wield force. Instead, he acted with a certain intention.


    The intention? It was obvious. Baal was also conscious of the epic. He maintained his posture so that the epic didn¡¯t dare to mock him. He didn¡¯t want people to be ¡®surprisingly¡¯ afraid of him, so he arranged his words and actions so they were ¡®forced to be afraid.¡¯


    It had an effect. People¡¯s fears deepened again. The epic had stagnated because it couldn¡¯t disparage Baal and worship Grid.


    ¡®It is seriously a trash game.¡¯


    Grid continued to inwardly swear. He had expected that Baal would be much stronger than before. However, he had never imagined that Baal would¡¯ve evolved to the level of using the system¡ªthe epic. He might be a super named boss, but wasn¡¯t this infringing on a user¡¯s rights at this point?


    ¡®...Ah.¡¯ Something shed in Grid¡¯s mind. It was the past Reba, who gave divine messages and blessings to himself and some yers.


    Hanul of the Hwan Kingdom, who singled out the desired group and distributed arge-scale quest.


    Chiyou, the Only One God who greatly increased his abilities under the pretext of ¡®potential.¡¯


    That¡¯s right. The Absolutes were already using the system from the very beginning. They moved people and the world as they intended. It was just so obvious that he hadn¡¯t noticed it. Conversely, yers had also intervened in the system by creating quests on their own. The epic was the ultimate power.


    ¡®The right to move the world doesn¡¯t just belong to me.¡¯


    The world that used to move around Grid stopped. The epic was still silent. It finished describing Baal¡¯s appearance and watched the situation in silence. It knew this wouldn¡¯t help Grid, but it couldn¡¯t help it.


    Baal¡¯s force was so great. It was more likely to harm Grid if it described things recklessly.


    The 1st Great Demon¡ªthe source of all evil that had distorted and usurped hell. In more ways than one, he was no ordinary enemy.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes changed when he became aware of it. As he focused his sight on the gradually approaching figure of Baal, he visualized the battle that would soon ensue.He abandoned the arrogance that he was the only protagonist of this world and the illusion that only he had prepared for this moment.


    In the world of dead silence¡ª


    ¡°Yes, that is the look. It is right to be desperate against me.¡± Baal¡¯s voice rang out. The smile that spread across his face represented his feelings. He was having fun. It was purely fun.


    Baal¡¯s figure disappeared. Ignoring the steps he had taken one by one so far, he jumped over thousands of steps in one go and arrived in front of Grid. It wasn¡¯t until Grid¡¯s body flew far away that an explosion rang out. The recoil as he blocked Baal¡¯s raised shoulder with his sword shifted his position back hundreds of meters.


    ¡°Um.¡± Bunhelier snorted. He was trying to understand the seriousness of the situation and to keep calm.


    He had seen it just now with the eyes of a dragon¡ªit was the purple body part that rose like an illusion in line with Baal¡¯s movements. It resembled Asura¡¯s head that was decorating the gate. It meant that Baal had transnted Asura¡¯s body parts into his body.


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier used Polymorph. He abandoned his big body and turned into a handsome man with ck hair. It was an act to move stealthily. Meanwhile, Grid was in the midst of his sword dance, Pinnacle. It was a blow that halted Baal¡¯s advance.


    ¡®It is crazy.¡¯


    He barely swallowed back the curse words that almost popped out of his mouth. Having just been ambushed by Baal, he knew that this battle would be harder than expected. He was embarrassed to think that Baal would flee to the river of reincarnation when on the defensive.


    ¡°It ended with a bit of your skin peeling off, right?¡±


    Grid scanned Baal¡¯s shoulder and right wrist in turn. They were the areas that had just collided with Defying the Natural Order. Grid had intended to sh Baal to death when blocking Baal¡¯s shoulder with Defying the Natural Order or when stoppoing his advance with Pinnacle. But he couldn¡¯t cut Baal.


    Both Baal¡¯s shoulders and wrists fully bore the destructive power of Defying the Natural Order and were intact. It was the aftermath of the purple body part emerging like an illusion and suppressing the power of Grid¡¯s sword energy and Conditional Sword Saint.


    The pure offensive power of Defying the Natural Order was lost to arge extent in the process of prating the demonic energy used as a self-defense power. As a result, Baal¡¯s hard skin easily handled the remaining destructive power.


    ¡°You said you were going to make a true Evil God different from Yatan and then you were going to devour it?¡±


    The more formal ¡®you¡¯ had been changed to the impolite ¡®you¡¯¡ªit was evidence that Grid had lost his cool. Even during the brief moment when he spoke, he was tense and too busy observing Baal¡¯s every movement to make any pretenses.


    ¡°It is still new. I only borrowed it for a while, just like my clones.¡±


    Even the clones on the surface were apanied by parts of Asura¡¯s body. There was no reason why the main body couldn¡¯t handle Asura. It was only natural for him to handle it in a better manner. Then Baal¡¯s straight kick hit Grid in the jaw. The absolute defense that was activated was broken and Grid¡¯s bleeding body flew hundreds of meters away. It was close to the ceiling of the great hall, which had already copsed.


    Baal immediately chased after him and unleashed dozens of strikes. With the ir of a martial artist who had been training all his life, he repeatedly hit, cut, grabbed, and threw Grid¡¯s entire body with dazzling movements, before finally mming him into the ground.


    ¡°Kuk...¡± Grid groaned as he was mmed into the ground face first from hundreds of meters in the air.


    Baal wasughing because he thought it was a good look for Grid, only to frown. He noticed that his ankle was in Grid¡¯s hands. The grip was so powerful. It was a level that was hard to shake off immediately.


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been suitable even if someone called him a God of Strength.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s eyes unknowingly harbored such sentiments and his expression crumpled even more. He noticed that Grid¡¯s groan was actuallyughter.


    ¡°I got you. You X jerk...¡±


    The fortunate thing was that the epic was silent. Thanks to this, Grid felt relieved enough to express his true thoughts. In any case, the cameras of the broadcasting stations were far away. They couldn¡¯t capture Grid¡¯s voice because they couldn¡¯t chase after Grid and Baal, whose location rapidly changed.


    Turning the World Upside Down¡ªthis skill had a history of putting even Sword God Biban into the ground and had a tremendous effect since it was affected by Grid¡¯s stats. The fact that Baal¡¯s form resembled a human also had a great influence. The super named boss who originally should¡¯ve resisted the CC was overturned. He fell to the ground face first, just like Grid.


    Grid stood up in the gap and immediately stabbed downward with Defying the Natural Order. The fusion sword dance based on Pinnacle and Kill became entangled with Baal¡¯s fingernail. As befitting of a man who moved in defiance of physicalws, Baal was able to respond to the attack under any circumstances. He was almost lying down as he countered a series of attacks from Grid.


    Baal grinned as he restored his nails that were broken after several collisions by regenerating them. ¡°It is fun. As expected, it is good to be alive.¡±


    This was usually the case with fights between Absolutes, but the battle between Grid and Baal wasn¡¯t properly established. The moment they allowed each other¡¯s ultimate attacks, it would be difficult to continue the battle. Therefore, it would be concluded in almost an instant.


    However, it was different this time.


    Grid and Baal¡ªthey were durable enough to withstand the overwhelming attack of their opponents. It meant they could enjoy it to their heart¡¯s content.


    The genuinely excited Baal red at Grid like he was going to kill Grid.


    How disgusting. A demon bastard who easily hurt others. He was grateful for life.


    ¡°You... Do you think others will be like you? Life is precious to others as well.¡±


    ¡°It is sophistry,¡± Baal immediately rejected it, ¡°A finite life is worthless. What is the point of a life that only reaches death? I would rather die quickly and fall to hell. It is only when youe here that you can find any value.¡±


    A conversation was impossible. After being reminded of Baal¡¯s essence, Grid started to use the five fusion sword dance and six fusion sword dance. The techniques that caused Baal to die several times in the past had unfolded one after another.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The smile disappeared from Baal¡¯s face. The sword energy, divinity, and powers formed on the rushing de scattered every time it approached Asura¡¯s body, but this didn¡¯t mean much.


    [Critical!]


    [The target has received 79,554,405 damage!!]


    [Critical!]


    [The target has received 120,623,800 damage!!]


    [The target has received 301,889,777 damage!!]


    [The target has received 676,244,050 damage!!]


    Sword energy, divinity, and powers¡ªthey were all incidental.


    Grid¡¯s strength was his pure power. Stats far beyond the level of a yer. Items that amplified his high stats and exerted great power. Skills to bring the powerful weapon damage to the limit along with stats. All the titles that multiplied the power of his skills.


    Grid was purely powerful.


    ¡°...Kuack!¡± In the end, Baal screamed. Skin that withstood the dragon weapon and nails that pierced the dragon armor¡ªit was the aftermath of the new body that was formed based on his experience and knowledge from the clones being disastrously crushed.


    Thest boss? It was familiar to Grid. In any area, there were those who were like the final boss and they got in Grid¡¯s way. Most of their endings were simr. After being reduced to a sandbag to measure Grid¡¯s damage, they were then turned to ashes.


    ...The final destination of that ash was always Baal.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Continue, continue, continue. Just a little bit more. Just one more step.


    Grid stiffened as he was repeatedly shing and stabbing at Baal, trying to split him apart with gritted teeth.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ is immune to ¡®Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.¡¯]


    The absurd notification window made it so. The flow of the sword dance was interrupted. Baal took advantage of the gap that Grid briefly exposed and acted at high speed. Hepletely recovered in an instant and retrieved the demon sword that had been exchanging blows with the God Hands.


    The ck demon sword became incandescent. It was the power of a God Killer.


    Grid¡¯s heart was instantly pierced with the glowing demon sword. It was a blow that silenced the cheering viewers.


    ¡°Do you know?¡± Baal¡¯s voice permeated the ears of the staggering Grid. ¡°You have killed more beings than I have.¡±


    The path that Grid had walked. All of his journeys had made Grid who he was now.


    ¡°It was quite a chore to find their souls and absorb and hone their knowledge and information. Now it has turned out quite rewarding.¡±


    It was at this moment that Grid¡¯s ankle was grabbed for the first time.


    The 1st ranked Great Demon, Baal¡ªthe source of all evil brought the god of the surface to his knees.

 Chapter 1837

    Chapter 1837


    Ahh...


    Ahhhh...


    The screams continued endlessly. They were close to sobs. Screams tinged with emptiness and despair, not pain, echoed and swallowed even the noise of the river flowing violently.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡±


    Hundreds of billions¡ªno, a huge river where the number of souls that drifted was even more than that.


    Kraugel had been quietly watching the cruel and sad scene of the river of reincarnation, only to look away. ck Knight Eligos was approaching.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have a chance to y if you stay here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel withheld his answer for a moment.


    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t like Eligos. Unlike Grid, who didn¡¯t wear colored sses when interacting with others, Kraugel was somewhat conservative. He paid attention to the nature of the target as much as possible. He didn¡¯t know about anything else, but he made a clear distinction between good and evil. It was very different from Grid, who easily interacted with or harmed a target, regardless of which faction they belonged to.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a very good attitude. Common sense thinking and choices had few opportunities to bring about special events. It wasn¡¯t suitable for the position of a ranker. In fact, Kraugel had a much lower hidden quest acquisition ratepared to Grid. Nevertheless, his level was second only to Grid and it was great that he was so strong.


    In any case, Kraugel was suspicious of Eligos. Putting aside Grid¡¯s trust, this was a great demon. He had even guarded the river of reincarnation. It meant he watched the bondage of countless souls drifting without leaving the river. It was something that he might¡¯ve mocked.


    ¡®...No, at the very least, I don¡¯t think that happened.¡¯


    Kraugel turned his gaze to the hill behind Eligos. He could see Cerberus waving its tail as it gazed at the spirits wandering in the river. It was bigger than several elephants put together and it was definitely like a puppy, except for the fact that it had three heads. It showed pure curiosity to the souls without expressing any malice nor intent to kill. In other words, it was proof that this guy''s master, Eligos, didn''t abuse the souls. Dogs were bound to resemble their masters.


    Kraugel briefly organized his thoughts and opened his mouth, ¡°The meaning of your words is offensive. Do you think Grid can¡¯t do it?¡±


    Kraugel came here to block Baal¡¯s retreat. It was an activity with the possibility that Baal would be weakened after several deaths to Grid ande here to help himself recover. However, Eligos said that wouldn¡¯t happen. It was as if Baal wouldn¡¯t be on the defensive.


    Eligos shook his head. ¡°I have no intention of disparaging the god you serve. This is just... It is a simple matter.¡±


    ck¡ªit was a color that meant darkness, evil, death, etc. It was heard that those who used the color ck in hell had very great authority.


    This actually seemed to be the case. Armed with pitch ck equipment, Eligos might only be ranked 20th in hell, but he retained a sharper demonic energypared to the single digit great demons that Kraugel had encountered. His force was so great that he wasn¡¯t certain he could win in a fight. It didn¡¯t seem to be a myth that even Baal didn¡¯t touch him hastily.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if your god wins or loses when fighting against Baal. Baal had transcended the concept of death. Even if Grid killed the bastard, who overcame death the moment they died without going through resurrection, what was the big deal?¡±


    Eligos¡¯ gaze went down the cliff. His vision captured the souls floundering in the violent swirling river.


    ¡°This guy won¡¯t weaken no matter how many times he is defeated by your god and dies. It is safe to say that there is virtually no chance of himing here to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    Eligos¡¯s eyes revealed through the helmet were slightly curved. He seemed quite satisfied with Kraugel¡¯s attitude. He wasn¡¯t the type to chat either.


    ¡°Sword Saint Kraugel. You and I are at the level to stab through Baal¡¯s gap. Rather than waste time here, it is right to infiltrate Baal¡¯s city and help Grid. We should hurry as much as possible. There is the rule that movement magic isn¡¯t allowed throughout hell so it will take quite a long time to get to Baal¡¯s city.¡±


    ¡°There is too little exnation this time. Why should I intervene in the battle against Grid¡¯s will?¡±


    ¡°It is to put Baal on the perfect defensive. You see, there is only one way to kill Baal. We need to get rid of humanity¡¯s fear of him, but in fact, this is impossible. The conclusion that I havee to after many years of deliberation is to not expect anything from humanity. Rather, it is to directly instill fear in Baal.¡±


    There was only one reason why Eligos remained in charge of the river of reincarnation and stuck to the rank of 20th ce.


    A symbol¡ªhe wanted to be a symbol of hell. Thus, he stayed here for thousands of years. Along with Cerberus, who left footprints in mythology, he guarded the river of reincarnation and carved his own image on the souls of the dead. He left his name in the cries of souls who craved a life they would never regain again.


    Look.


    Listen.


    I am hell.


    It was a grand ambition. For him, Baal was just a stumbling block. He longed for Baal¡¯s death more than anyone else.


    ¡°Do you mean to beat fear with fear?¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I am sure that the moment Baal feels fear, the fear that sustains him will betray him.¡±


    It was the logic of fighting evil with evil.


    Kraugel thought it was quite possible. Therefore, he shook his head. ¡°I refuse. We will protect this ce.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t disobey the will of the god whom you serve?¡±


    ¡°I will ask you in reverse.¡± Kraugel was a constant stream of change. He always responded to those who were good with a bright smile and he was aloof to those who weren¡¯t good. He had unbreakable will in his eyes when expressing a firm belief like now. ¡°Do you think that threatening someone who is beyond death will make them feel fear?¡±


    ¡°...Of course, it won¡¯t be easy. Therefore, we have to work with Grid to push him to the limit.¡±


    ¡°You are wrong. Baal is the type who will willingly throw himself off a cliff if driven to the edge.¡±


    He knew this. But there was no other way than this. Eligos wanted to object but he couldn¡¯t express it. Before he knew it, he was overwhelmed by the look in the eyes of the present day Sword Saint, Kraugel, who hadpletely removed the air of a novice.


    ¡°Simple force isn¡¯t a means of terrorizing Baal. In order for him to understand the feeling of fear, he must first learn the feeling of despair.¡±


    Suddenly, Kraugel felt that the screams of the souls seemed to have faded. He had the idea that they were eavesdropping on his conversation.


    The center of the worldview. It was the world Grid had lived in. Even a moment or a little action could give hope to countless brings or bring despair. A stronger will was added to Kraugel¡¯s self-aware voice.


    ¡°Grid must¡¯ve known that, so he went to Baal alone. It was without the apostles and Sir Biban, who are more powerful than us.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Stronger than him?


    Eligos frowned. He didn¡¯t agree with Kraugel¡¯s one-sided assessment. It was only for a moment. He remembered Sword God Biban, whom he saw when he picked up Grid.


    ¡®Certainly, he... is a monster.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t seem sane wearing a broken sword at his waist. But in terms of skills, it feltparable to Grid. If Grid was apanied by Biban, he would¡¯ve been more advantageous in the fight against Baal. However, this wasn¡¯t the case. He went to Baal alone.


    Kraugel exined the reason why, ¡°Grid understands the only way to kill Baal.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    The screams of the soulspletely ceased. The river of reincarnation became calm for the first time in thousands of years. There was only the sound of the river flowing.


    Kraugel was convinced that the hundreds of billions of souls were looking at him. He noticed that all of them were feeling expectant at Grid¡¯s name. He didn¡¯t think Grid would betray these expectations.


    ¡°He will bring despair to Baal.¡±


    It was while single-handedly overwhelming Baal. Of course, objectively, it was close to impossible. However, Kraugel believed in Grid. It was a situation where he had to believe in him.


    ***


    ¡°Ah...¡± Sighs were heard all over the world.


    Grid and Baal, who had been fighting across the vast castle like maniacs¡ªthe turbulent appearance of the sky and earth with every swing of their fists or feet reminded people of an imaginary war between gods. It was simply a different dimension. They thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if this fierce battle continued forever. They even joked that Zeratul should be demoted and Baal promoted to a god.


    However, the bnce was unexpectedly broken quite quickly. Baal¡¯s sword pierced Grid¡¯s heart and people witnessed a sight they had never imagined. Grid copsed as if crumbling down.


    It became a situation where he knelt down before Baal.


    Grid, who had always brought opponents to their knees, was now in that position. Some ignorant media outlets were already pouring out breaking news with headlines such as ¡®The Hero¡¯s Defeat¡¯ and ¡®The Fallen God.¡¯ That was how serious the situation was.


    There was a fatal blow right after a fierce battle that raised suspicions that his immortality had already been lost. This was really dangerous.


    The 1st Great Demon, Baal¡ªGrid alone wasn¡¯t worthy of challenging him. Why did he bother to try it alone in the first ce? It was a terrible arrogance.


    It happened as public opinion doubting Grid¡¯s judgment was forming...


    ¡°God Killer. It is a force created only to kill a god,¡± Baal said while twisting and pulling out the demon sword stuck in Grid¡¯s heart, ¡°It is a familiar energy to you. It is the energy absorbed from Hanul¡¯s failed work that you killed with your own hands.¡±


    A smile gradually spread across Baal¡¯s face.


    God Killer¡ªit was an energy that had been honed to the extreme after taking it away from Garam¡¯s soul, who had endured so much. At this point, he thought it would be a good idea to target Asgard. It was that powerful.


    Baal had already qualified to be a God Killer. He used the authority and effort of an innate Absolute to even acquire the qualification of a God Killer. He had been reborn as something that had never existed before. Baal was proud that he was now the Absolute of Absolutes.


    One day, he would transcend even the Gods of the Beginning. It was nice not to be afraid of an Only One God. ¡°This energy makes your death inevitable.¡±


    Baal took a step back. It was to savor and appreciate the appearance of Grid, who was already crossing the threshold of death.


    A notification window emerged in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [You have been struck by a fatal blow.]


    It was a phrase that came up when allowing an instant kill skill.


    [The energy of a God Killer has pierced you. The immortality and emergency escape passive skills are sealed.]


    It was followed by a phrase telling him how dangerous the energy of a God Killer was. There was one fortunate thing.


    [You have be immune to the damage due to the effect of the ¡®+1 Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor.¡¯]


    The dragon armor Grid was armed with¡ªit wasn¡¯t powerful just because it used the scales and leather of an ancient dragon as materials. It waspleted only because it contained the desire of a precious person to protect Grid.


    [¡ï Immunity to instant death and assassination skills.]


    This was one of the effects attached to Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor. It was an absolute counter to the energy of a God Killer that Baal had honed.


    ¡°...What?¡± Baal hadn¡¯t dared to act rashly due to being conscious of the epic, but he was taken aback.


    Grid¡¯s ck eyes were staring at him. They were clearly projecting him when they should¡¯ve lost focus. This reaction moved the epic that had stopped. It wasn¡¯t only the humans on the surface, but also the souls in the river of reincarnation took note of this moment.


    ¡°Weak.¡±


    Baal was an Absolute who overshadowed the absolute defense, but he couldn¡¯t take away Grid¡¯s immortality. There was also the ¡®Shock Mitigation¡¯ effect that ¡®significantly¡¯ reduced all types of damage attached to the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor. It was even after the fierce battle where he eventually had his heart pierced by a blow containing the energy of a God Killer.


    Grid¡¯splexion was fine as he slowly raised himself up. ¡°If you are immortal by oveing death, I am immortal because I haven¡¯t died.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal¡¯s mental world was shaken for the first time. The shape of his self-defense and the demon sword created with magic power was disrupted for a moment.


    Grid didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and cast Another Tomb. It was a massive bombardment skill that returned all the damage suffered in thest 20 seconds to the target.

 Chapter 1838

    Chapter 1838


    ¡°If you are immortal by oveing death, I am immortal because I can¡¯t die.¡±


    A deration of invincibility¡ªit was beyond arrogance. It was a statement that even the humans who believed in and followed Grid would ept as absurd. However, Baal intuitively sensed it wasn¡¯t a lie.


    In fact, there was something that had been making him slightly ufortable since the beginning.


    Armor made by waving the scales of the Fire Dragon like threads¡ªGrid and Hexetia¡¯s knowledge and skills were integrated, and it activated the absolute defense by default. The power of the attack was inevitably weakened in the process of prating it. It also had a remarkable sticity. No matter what form of attack, it would absorb a significant amount of the shock. At best, it overshadowed the information and experience that Baal¡¯s fragments had gained.


    The demon sword and nails that should¡¯ve torn, pierced, and smashed the dragon armor weren¡¯t working properly. Of course, he initially judged that it wasn¡¯t a big problem. The current Baal had made tremendous progress after predicting that Grid would challenge him again and acquired all types of techniques.


    In particr, Baal had focused on the powers and skills of those who were killed by Grid. He analyzed the reasons why they lost to Grid and learned how to defeat Grid. Baal¡¯s attacks were linked in a way that he thoroughly neutralized Grid¡¯s strengths.


    Thanks to this, he had gained the upper hand during the battle. Finally, he achieved the feat of piercing Grid¡¯s heart. It was even with the energy of a God Killer. In other words, he seeded in driving Grid to death. This was even though it took longer than expected to subdue Grid.


    It was a very good achievement considering that Grid had a ¡®durability simr to that of an Old Dragon¡¯ thanks to his armor. From now on, he judged that he could include dragons as his hunting targets. This was until he saw that Grid was alive and well.


    ¡®What is the principle behind this?¡¯


    Of course, an Absolute didn¡¯t die easily. Furthermore, Grid was a god who virtually monopolized human worship. Baal knew it would be difficult to extinguish him. He knew that Grid would be resurrected even when he died.


    However, it was right that a considerable amount of power and strength would be permanently lost due to the soul being damaged by the energy of the God Killer. Additionally, he expected that Grid¡¯s authority would plummet because the epic would mention his death.


    However, Grid was immune to death itself. The energy of a God Killer should¡¯ve been like Hayate¡¯s Dragon Killing Sword, which exerted absolute power against dragons, but it was reduced to nothing. It was purely due to that armor.


    ¡®...Why is that so special?¡¯


    The legends and transcendents that his clones fought against were also armed with dragon armor. It was simr in form to Grid¡¯s armor and resembled its functions. So why was there such a huge difference in performance?


    Baal quickly figured out the cause.


    ¡®It is the heart''s desire... it contains a wish.¡¯


    Why was the armor on Grid so special? It was because it contained a strong desire. It was a desire for Grid¡¯s well-being. It was simr to the origin of the canyon of metal that he experienced in the ce. Baal had studied Grid, so he immediately came up with an existence.


    ¡®cksmith Khan.¡¯


    The one who died and ascended to heaven without falling into hell. It was a great loss that the angels took him away. If only his death was a bitter. If only he had died around the time when Baal became conscious of Grid. Khan would¡¯ve fallen to hell and then Grid would¡¯ve been in his hands forever.


    ¡®...Am I feeling disappointed?¡¯


    Baal stopped his random flow of thoughts and was somewhat agitated.


    Regret¡ªwasn¡¯t it an emotion that only trivial existences felt? It wasn¡¯t a suitable emotion for him to feel.


    Just then, the atmosphere shook. The aura that emanated from Grid¡¯s armor rapidly engulfed the infernal sky.


    The sky split apart with a roar. It was louder than any portent of great magic. A huge wave could be felt rising from the cracks in the sky. For some reason, it was familiar.


    "Is it my magic power?¡¯


    It was a magic power that contained the energy of a God Killer. It felt like another Baal was lurking in the sky. The vision of the confused Bal was submerged in a sunset light.


    Grid¡¯s divinity was pouring out. It was a divinity that had the power to return the damage suffered in the past 20 seconds to the target. It was the skill attached to the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor, Another Tomb.


    Absolute Defense, Shock Mitigation, an instant death immunity, and the unconditional reflection that followed right after that¡ªa single piece of armor was creating an incredible fraudulent miracle that the opponent couldn¡¯t understand.


    A column of orange divinity that fell in a straight line exploded, targeting Baal. It was an explosion that dispelled the darkness of hell.


    The entire hell was dyed with sunset with Baal¡¯s castle in the center. It was a scene reminiscent of a nuclear explosion. It wasrger and more spectacr than any skill effects that had ever existed in Satisfy.


    The viewers, demons all over hell, as well as the Overgeared members and apostles were overwhelmed. Even Grid himself gulped. How could Another Tomb exert such power and impact? It was evidence of how powerful Baal¡¯s attacks that pushed Grid to the defensive were.


    The aftermath was great.


    "...Kuaaaaack!¡±


    1st Great Demon Baal¡ªhe, who reigned as an object of terror, couldn¡¯t stand it and screamed. He just couldn¡¯t be seen clearly because he was obscured by divinity. His whole body seemed to go through the process of burning and disappearing.


    It was understandable. Baal had already been hit by Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance several times and had already suffered heavy damage. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to die. In fact, notification windows popped up in Grid¡¯s point of view.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    [Your level has increased.]


    [Your level has increased.]


    [Your level has in....]


    ......


    ...


    It wasn¡¯t even one time.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    [Your level has increased.]


    [Your level...]


    ......


    ...


    It was just as how Hayate¡¯s Dragon Killing Sword could exert overwhelming power against non-dragon targets.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    [Your level...]


    ......


    ...


    The God Killer energy of Another Tomb also dealt a fatal blow to Baal.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    [Your level...]


    ......


    ...


    As many as four times¡ªBaal received the damage inflicted on Grid and suffered a total of four deaths in a row. The epic told the whole world about it.


    A god who fought for humanity¡ªit said that he punished the demon who twisted hell and took his life many times. It didn¡¯t state exactly how many times.


    How many times did Baal die in that moment? It was left purely to the imagination of the listener.


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    [Humanity¡¯s fear...]


    ......


    ...


    What lurked at the end of death wasn¡¯t rest, but eternal torment...


    Humanity had been in despair after learning this truth and had originally lost all motivation. They copsed and couldn¡¯t get up easily. There was no point in clinging to a meaningless life.


    Grid was the one who raised them back up and sustained them.


    A god who had always taken the lead in fighting¡ªhis deration that he would restore the distorted hell became the hope of humanity. It brought humanity back to life.


    Yes, it was the only hope.


    The trust that humanity had in Grid was beyond imagination. Many interpreted the epic that Grid killed Baal ¡®several times¡¯ as dozens or hundreds of times. Some even imed that it was thousands of times. The impact of the description was great.


    [The King of Hell received punishment and screamed in agony.]


    [The sunset divinity that burned the King of Hell colored the whole hell.]


    It was a description that gave rise to faith that wasn¡¯t there. Ironically, it was the result created by Baal himself. Since he was so strong, it raised the power of Another Tomb beyond expectations.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Once the aftermath of the explosion was over and the divinity was lifted. Baal gritted his teeth and appeared unscathed after oveing death. He seemed to judge that any further conversation was worthless. He immediately rushed over to rectify the situation.


    The demon sword containing the energy of a God Killer pierced Grid. It was a blow that should have dealt death.


    However, Grid was once again fine this time. He ignored the sword stuck in his chest and counterattacked, slitting Baal¡¯s throat. It was a normal skill attack, not a fusion sword dance. This was because Baal had learned a defense that made him immune to the sword dances.


    Blood gushed from Baal¡¯s neck.


    Defying the Natural Order ampli?ed the power of ordinary swordsmanship to a tremendous level.


    However, it was still a far cry from dealing death to Baal. Like Grid, Baal ignored his wounds and fought back.


    Hundreds of exchanges of blows continued like this. The two Absolutes got entangled with each other dozens of times in seconds.


    The ruined great hall area turned into dust and scattered. It was a battle pattern that resembled the beginning. However, there was a clear difference. Baal¡¯s strength, technique, and speed were the same as the beginning, while Grid¡¯s strength and speed had increased.


    It was the result of his level-up. Since Baal died four times, Grid¡¯s level rose by over 30 levels.


    The second phase¡ªGrid was showing what Baal was supposed to show.


    ¡®What is this guy...¡¯


    A person who grew up bypressing time¡ªafter recalling Grid¡¯s true value, Baal fixed his posture to change the flow. For some reason, he withdrew the energy of a God Killer that wasn¡¯t effective and filled the demon sword with pure demonic energy.


    Baal¡¯s inherent power was revealed to the world. With just a wave of power, the ground cracked and reduced all the objects in the area to dust. The God Hands, assisting Grid from the side, repeatedly stiffened and virtually stopped working.


    ¡®Is he going all-in on his power?¡¯


    Grid read Baal¡¯s intentions and was somewhat nervous. Baal used the energy of a God Killer, various magic, and techniques to push Grid to the inferior position. His fighting style was the norm.


    However, the efficiency against Grid was poor. He used all types of means to increase his attack uracy, but it wasn¡¯t easy to fatally wound Grid, who wore the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor and wielded the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    Then the story changed when the one blow fight started. There was a limit to the damage neutralized by Shock Mitigation and Grid¡¯s health wasn¡¯t infinite.


    ¡®It has a big impact that the sword dances below the five fusion sword dances are sealed.¡¯


    It was a situation where he had to endure with ordinary attacks and try to reverse it with one of his few six fusion sword dances. He was forced to aim for a long-term battle, but Baal¡¯s intention of aiming for a short-term battle ruined the flow.


    It happened when the tension inside Grid grew...


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal red silently at Grid. The incredible energy condensed on the bloated demon sword didn¡¯t attack prematurely. It was because he remembered the situation a while ago. If the damage he inflicted was returned in full¡ª


    The fact that he could die several times again weighed on him. He could get over the deaths, but it was hard to stand by as Grid became stronger. If he couldn¡¯t kill Grid in a single blow, then he was just helping Grid...


    Baal¡¯s thoughts went this far and hesitated.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    Grid vaguely read Baal¡¯s heart. He thought it was natural to be like this. Baal didn¡¯t know that Another Tomb had a cooldown of one hour.


    Grid decided to act boldly. He lowered himself into the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and pointed a finger at his heart. ¡°Come.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Satisfy had billions of yers. The number of times they seeded in a boss raid was countless. An enormous amount of data on bizarre boss attack methods had umted on the main server. However, this was the first time they had seen a strategy of challenging the boss to attack while having no defense.

 Chapter 1839

    Chapter 1839


    The magic power condensed in the demon sword stirred the earth and the sky. It was on the verge of exploding and devastating the entire area. There were continuous roars that seemed to urge its master.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal was still silent. He stood still and didn¡¯t wield his sword.


    His eyes remained on Grid. It was more like meditating. In fact, Baal¡¯s eyelids were half-closed. He was trying to ignore Grid, who was pointing a finger at his own chest and provoking him. It was because he didn¡¯t know what type of nonsense the epic would say if he looked at it clearly.


    ¡®Is it the feeling of a toy?¡¯


    Baal let out augh. It was the aftermath of realizing that he was ying on the top of Grid¡¯s palm. He had been wielding the fate of others at will and forcing his choices, but now he ended up in the opposite position.


    All types of emotions rushed over him like a tide.


    ¡®...It is unpleasant.¡¯


    Baal smiled and suppressed hispetitive spirit. He gave an obvious answer to the choice Grid presented.


    First of all, he activated the Demon¡¯s Cradle.


    The Demon¡¯s Cradle¡ªmost of the demons and demonic creatures that inhabited hell were born there. Baal nned to summon the newly born demonic creatures and demons immediately to his side and used them as a means to attack Grid.


    ***


    Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church¡ªhe, who had previously been happily looking at the portrait of the pregnant Isabel, doubtfully asked, ¡°Uh? Isn¡¯t it suddenly wriggling over there?¡±


    The attention of the group who was clearing the contaminatednd was drawn to one side. There was a big ck hole, akin to the abyss. The entrance of the cradle, which had intermittently spewed out demonic creatures and demons, was wriggling like a living creature. It was a trivial movement, like a caterpir chewing on leaves, but it was a clear change.


    ¡°Hik~! Demons! Demons are pouring out!¡± Zednos panicked as he watched the scene with Damian.


    The cradle exploded. Like an active volcano eruptingva,rge quantities of demonic energy were scattered everywhere. Tens of thousands of red beads shed through the mist colored the area. All of them were the eyes of the demons who had just been born.


    Yes, demons. They had strength that didn¡¯tpare to demonic creatures. Those who were judged to be ¡®elite¡¯ monsters disyed their own powers, just like a great demon.


    ¡°What is going on all of a sudden?!¡±


    Zednos became flustered the moment the cradle poured out arge amount of demons since it was originally pouring out of demons and demonic creatures at regr intervals. He was very nervous, so he shot magic at random. Putting aside the ridiculous appearance, the results were enormous.


    As a magician who started as a wind magician, he specialized in wide-area magic. He increased his damage by dozens or even hundreds of units with every stack of his magic. His staff increased magic attack power as the number of targets attacked increased, so it helped him by scatter brilliant magic. It was a dragon weapon.


    ¡°That cradle... it thinks and judges like an intelligent creature. It seems it judged it will be troublesome when the agricultural fields arepleted,¡± Hurent said with a serious expression. It was while plowing at thend with hundreds of hand plows made of aura. The seeds scattered by Piaro went into it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you hurry up a bit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already doing my best. You have to understand that the pace is slow because there are no nutrients in the ground.¡±


    Even Piaro¡¯s Rapid Growth couldn¡¯t immediately bring the crops to full bloom. Thend of hell was that barren. There was no energy not only in thend, but in nature as a whole. There wasn¡¯t much of a difference even when Piaro used Natural State.


    It happened as Zednos was bing even more nervous...


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to hold out as much as possible, so don¡¯t worry and maintain your pace.¡±


    Damian held Isabel¡¯s portrait in his arms and stepped forward. The consequences of his action were beyondmon sense. He only took a few steps, but the bodies of the demons that rushed at him shattered and turned to ash.


    Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church¡ªhe reached the stage where every step contained the technique of the sword dance. His sword dance was endlessly perfected and circted in everyday life. He was a genius representing Japan.


    ¡°Phew,¡± the admiring Hurent whistled.


    In the worst case scenario, he was determined to leave clearing thend to Piaro and participate in the battle himself, but Damian¡¯s skills were beyond imagination. At this point, he somehow felt sorry for Lauel.


    Piaro, Damian, Zednos, and himself¡ªhe hadn¡¯t been very happy when he first saw the list of party members.


    Piaro was still the strongest in his heart.


    Damian was an otaku who carried Isabel¡¯s portrait on his armor and shield, while Zednos was a half-wit who was bossed around by Lae every day.


    Putting aside the world¡¯s praise of them, they weren¡¯t that great in Hurent¡¯s eyes. This meant he questioned Lauel¡¯s intent behind sending them to escort Piaro, who had various restrictions while creating the agricultural fields. To be honest, he cursed a bit inwardly.


    ¡®Now seeing this, it was purely my prejudice.¡¯


    Apparently, Hurent had little experience in jointbat with the Overgeared members. He joined the Overgeared Guild toote. Even after joining, he mostly pursued Piaro or went on separate missions with Chris and Haster. Therefore, he didn¡¯t appreciate his colleagues.


    The somewhat embarrassed Piaro told him the truth, ¡°Damian is your senior.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°He learned to work in the fields before you did.¡±


    ¡°Ah... That¡¯s why he is so skilled.¡±


    It was a consensus that was formed among farmers. Hurent also became curious about Damian¡¯s skills at fieldwork.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Damian¡¯s sword, which had sent chills down his spine, subtly slowed down. He deliberately slowed down the pace of hunting demons. For some reason, he felt Hurent¡¯s hot gaze.


    ¡®He is about to make me work in the field.¡¯


    It was Damian who had been ying the role of a sandbag every time Grid made a new weapon. Unbeknownst to himself, he became very quick at noticing things.


    ¡®The leader of the Overgeared God Church shouldn¡¯t have dirt on his hands.¡¯


    This was when Damian became crazy and started acting like all his skills were on cooldown. He slowed down his hunting speed.


    ***


    ¡®...Is it stable?¡¯


    Baal was embarrassed by the sudden extermination of the demons who had just been born in the cradle. He frowned when he realized that Grid had done something, only to be relieved. It was because the presence of demons, which repeatedly disappeared as soon as they were born in the cradle, started to remain stable. It meant that the demons had destroyed the trap prepared by Grid.


    The relieved Baal withdrew his attention from the cradle.


    Next, hemunicated with the red lump of flesh.


    The red lump of flesh¡ªit was the main culprit who distorted hell by projecting the hell moon and was also the production material of Asura. Perhaps Baal was the only one he trusted or relied on.


    ¡®Send things that might pose a threat to Grid.¡¯


    Baal conveyed his will to the red flesh. The reaction came immediately. Through Baal¡¯s shadow, a ¡®door¡¯ opened and the head of a certain figure rose up.


    The person who slowly emerged¡ªhe had the face of the yangban Garam. He exuded an aura that was iparable to his lifetime. It was because Garam was helped by Baal when he was processing the energy of a God Killer. Of course, Garam didn¡¯t want such help. Baal tore apart Garam¡¯s soul and used it as inspiration and Garam naturally developed in the process.


    ¡°Gri...¡±


    Garam had a displeased expression on his face, only to be filled with joy when he found Grid. His eyes were shining when he disappeared. Yes, he disappeared. He was sucked back through the door.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Baal was puzzled. That door that had been opened in the shadow under his feet closed without a trace.


    Beyond that, the Overgeared members were active underground. Yura sniped the dead people that the flesh endlessly produced and Faker assassinated them. The flesh¡¯s ranged attacks targeted Yura first, but they were somehow blocked by Leraje and Toban.


    Mir had barely managed to grab Garam and pulled him back, reuniting with him after a long absence.


    ¡°Mir, you... did you be Grid¡¯s subordinate? Even if you betrayed Hanul, I can¡¯t understand why you became Grid¡¯s subordinate. Isn¡¯t it a waste of the freedom you have gained?¡±


    ¡°Even if you search all over the world, there is nothing more valuable than Grid.¡±


    ¡°Hahat...? You are a fanatic. You are insignificant, just like a bastard who was born to be a puppet of a god in the first ce.¡±


    Mir and Garam shed.


    Blood gushed from both their bodies at the same time. Mir was superior in turns of pure sword skills, but the energy of a God Killer was a problem. The energy of a God Killer contained in Garam¡¯s Formless Will left wounds on Mir¡¯s body and soul just by brushing against him. If they were hurt equally, then Mir would naturally be the one who received a bigger loss.


    Currently, Garam¡¯s body wasposed of the fragments of red flesh. Even if he was hurt, he would regenerate immediately due to the red flesh.


    ¡°Hey, sausage. Why don¡¯t you summon the souls of other yangbans as well?¡± Garam urged the lump of red flesh.


    Flinch.


    Does it have a sense of reason? The red lump of flesh trembled in displeasure but soon started to form new bodies. It was the flesh of dead yangbans. They slowly opened their eyes and lined up behind Garam.


    ¡°Many of you have died. All of you must¡¯ve been killed by Grid. Don¡¯t you feel guilty when you see us?¡±


    Their animosity and killing intent was directed at Mir. They were reborn as a concept simr to a demon and they were as strong as one.


    Abination of a half-god and demon¡ªthey were reborn as a never before seen existence and there was a special aspect to them.


    ¡°Mir looks to be in danger. I think we need to clean up the yangbans first.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Yura shook her head at Faker¡¯s opinion.


    The Demon yer¡ªshe had been attacking hell alone and her extraordinary eyes were able to see through the weakness of the red flesh.


    ¡°Every time it separates the flesh and reduces its size in order to shape another being, its offensive stops for a moment. The offensive doesn¡¯t stop when it recovers the flesh, it is hard to say it can¡¯t do both things at once. I think it is right to interpret it as its attitude changing passively.¡±


    The red flesh removed its own flesh to form the bodies of the dead. Why did its attitude change passively every time? It was because it became vulnerable. It judged that it would be dangerous if it was attacked at this time, so it was taking care of itself.


    Faker was convinced after hearing Yura¡¯s exnation.


    The two people concentrated. They kept an eye on the red flesh while saving their ultimate moves for the moment when it created a new existence.


    -...Kiyaaaaaaah!


    For the first time, significant damage was done.


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    The red light leaking into the ruined great hall was deflected at an angle. It was the aftermath of the shaking of the moon that decorated the ck hell sky. It was proof that the red flesh projecting the hell moon was shaken. Unknowingly, the humans who infiltrated the underground were ying their part...


    ¡°You... you¡¯ve prepared thoroughly this time.¡±


    Grid grinned at Baal, who was trying to talk with a calm face.


    ¡°It was set up by Yura. I just inserted a spoon into it.¡±


    ¡°The Demon yer...¡±


    Yura, the present day Demon yer, had surpassed Alex at some point. The reason where she was more difficult to handle than Alex was that she was cautious. Yura never appeared in front of Baal, unlike Alex, who came to Baal himself under the illusion that he was far superior to a demon. She used Alex¡¯s failures as a lesson and was always behind the scenes.


    It felt like a dirty bug running through his whole house. She was a really annoying person.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine... if I kill you today and evolve further... I will be able to find and eliminate even the timid Demon yer without difficulty.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a big deal for Baal, even without the support of the red flesh. He gave orders not only to the Demon¡¯s Cradle, but also the great demons who served him. The rulers of hell would soon arrive here with their respective armies and would consume Grid. He just had to finish exhausting Grid.


    Was it possible that Grid was truly invincible? No way. Even the Gods of the Beginning and the Old Dragons weren¡¯t invincible. Every time the demons stabbed their des into Grid or cast magic at him, he would surely weaken.


    Buzz buzz...


    Baal still held the sword containing strong magic power and silently waited for the right time. He happily thought about how to mock Grid, who would shrink back at the sight of the soon to arrive reinforcements.


    However, the surroundings were quiet as time passed. There were no signs of an armying.


    ¡°This is how I am different from you, who has grown stronger alone.¡±


    Grid drove a wedge into Baal, who was thinking the worst.


    Baal¡¯s eyes shot up in a terrible manner.


    A person who grew stronger bypressing time¡ªright now, the one who was growing stronger in real time was talking shamelessly, so his killing intent surged.


    ¡°...There will be limits to growth.¡±


    The veins wriggled over the back of Baal¡¯s hand as he gripped his demon sword. The target of the sword lowering at an angle was Grid¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Even if I suffer death in return for killing you and you repeatedly be stronger because of it, there will be limits in the end. Can you deny that this isn¡¯t the case?¡±


    ¡®Why is he suddenly in a rush?¡¯


    Another Tomb¡¯s cooldown was still a long way from ending. If Baal really attacked now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal reflection damage and Baal would see through his weakness...


    It was a tense moment for Grid.


    ¡°Vo. It is the appearance of reinforcements.¡±


    Just then, Great Demon Rose arrived at the scene. Since she was too insignificant, she could respond to Baal¡¯s call without being kept in check by Braham.


    ¡°...Hmm.¡± Thanks to this, Baal calmed down. His agitation subsided and he took back the demon sword.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had almost lost ten years of his life. Grid even felt a faint liking toward Rose.


    Baal had no way of knowing Grid¡¯s intentions and dered, ¡°By my authority, I will give you the 9th throne, Rose.¡±


    It was the birth of a new single digit great demon, and it was even a yer. The world was turned upside down.

 Chapter 1840

    Chapter 1840


    ¡°By my authority, I will give you the 9th throne, Rose.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Rose¡¯s eyes shook violently.


    A single digit great demon¡ªshe gained a position that no yer had dreamed of. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. She was directly singled out by Baal in a situation where she was facing Grid.


    ¡°...Hahat! Ahahahat!¡±


    A stage that attracted the attention of the whole world¡ªRose felt great excitement just by being on stage alongside the ¡®protagonist¡¯ named Grid, and trembled. She felt like she was proudly starring in a lead role.


    Of course, it was as a viin. Most of the people watching this moment would be pouring out all types of usations and curses, saying that she was a demon¡¯sckey. It was okay. The more immersed the audience was, the higher her value would increase.


    ¡®Grid started as a viin as well.¡¯


    Technically, it seemed he didn¡¯t start out as a viin and was simply a madman, but...


    In any case, it was a world where awareness was directly linked to power. Just as Grid, who was a yer like everyone else, had been reborn as the main character of the world, she could also set the stage for bing the second main character from today...


    Rose thought up to this point and became motivated.


    [Will you ept the proposal of the 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal¡¯?]


    It happened as she was about to answer ¡®yes¡¯ to the notification window that popped into his sight...


    -It is great that you gained Baal¡¯s trust so quickly. Your qualities are really like a demon.


    Someone¡¯s voice directly rang in her brain. It was a familiar voice.


    The Great Demon of Conflict, Amoract¡ªshe was the master Rose originally served.


    -Child. Surprisingly, Baal is at a disadvantage. Grid¡¯s subordinates are active at every major base and the whereabouts of the Old Dragon brought by Grid are also unknown. Think about what might be behind Baal¡¯s intention to give strength to you at this time. It isn¡¯t worth it to move ording to Baal¡¯s will now. You won¡¯t get much results and you will be used as an arrow in the quiver.


    Amoract¡¯s advice was valid. Rose was slightly moved. To be worried and give advice to a subordinate who ran away after stabbing her in the back...


    At this point, wasn¡¯t she an angel rather than a demon?


    ¡®That is why she is a fool.¡¯


    Rose¡¯s brightly shining eyes cooled down.


    -You intend to drive me against Baal. You¡¯re the Great Demon of Conflict. Yes, that¡¯s it. Just stay backstage and watch as you usually do, you old hag who is chained up and unable to do anything.


    In the first ce, Rose didn¡¯t trust Amoract.


    The Great Demon of Conflict¡ªAmoract¡¯s essence was to encourage conflict, although Rose had never personally witnessed any power rted to conflict. It was understandable to be wary. In the end¡ª


    Rose ignored Amoract¡¯s subsequent persuasions and epted Baal¡¯s offer. An explosion urred around Rose. It was an explosion created by a powerful wave of demonic energy. It was powerful enough that Grid¡¯s divinity shook despite maintaining a fairly long distance. Lightning bolts crackled among the still surging demonic energy.


    Rose¡¯s eyes revealed through the gap were red.


    [A new 9th Great Demon has been born.]


    [It is Rose, the Demon of Betrayal.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The soaring demonic energy started to sink calmly. Like melting chocte, it flowed down Rose¡¯s body and hardened. Rose was soon dressed in a pitch-ck dress that was as hard as iron armor and let out her stopped breath.


    ¡°Hah... I¡¯m ecstatic.¡±


    The world seen by a transcendent was somewhat familiar to Rose. However, at this moment, she was born as a being close to an Absolute, not a transcendent. It wasn¡¯t just because she was a single digit great demon.


    [The existence who gave birth to you is right by your side. Your magic power and status are greatly increased.]


    Rose stood beside Baal and became close to an Absolute. Some of Baal¡¯s power was being shared with her. It was a benefit of being reborn as a close aide of the 1st Great Demon.


    ¡°Grid.¡± Rose¡¯s movement through the air left afterimages. It was proof that she was incredibly fast. The viewers were extremely nervous. ¡°I''ve admired you for a long time. It was from the time you oppressed me with great power. From that time on, I had the dream of being like you.¡±


    Strength¡ªit was a concept that everyone yearned for. In order to obtain simple freedom, strength was sometimes needed. Moreover, Rose was a woman of great ambition. She always wanted to gain great strength and power and rule over others. She felt the desire to be like Grid more than anyone else. The look in her eyes as she stared at Grid¡¯s splendid, blooming orange divinity that flowed like long hair was pure, unadulterated love.


    ¡°So today and in the future, I will bring you down. Until you alsoe to admire me. That is how our rtionship will beplete.¡±


    ¡®...Is she crazy?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t see her as a normal person from the time Rose described herself as ¡®oppressed.¡¯ It was because the nature of the oppression she mentioned was retribution. Rose had simply paid the price for her sins. She shouldn¡¯t talk like a victim.


    ¡®A normal person wouldn¡¯t be doing all this bullshit.¡¯


    Originally, there were few normal people among the transcendents or rankers. Wasn¡¯t the habit of relentlessly digging into one field a form of mental illness in itself? It made him wonder such ridiculous questions.


    Grid¡¯s impression of her went up to there. He wasn¡¯t very interested in Rose¡¯s character personally, no matter what she said. He just felt a bit of gratitude. ¡®Let¡¯s match her properly and buy time until the cooldown of Another Tomb ends.¡¯


    ¡°The silent attitude is cool as well.¡±


    Rose smiled and checked the newly created powers and skills.


    Tightrope Walking. Each power and skill had a simr name. It was just as shown by the title of Demon of Betrayal. The system seemed to notice that she constantly changed factions.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    It was just like the name, Tightrope Walking. Most of Rose¡¯s newly acquired skills had high reliance on ¡®probability.¡¯ It didn¡¯t exert great power on average, but had a low probability of exerting a tremendous power. Without any luck, the level was lower than normal skills. Nevertheless, Rose thought positively.


    Grid and the Overgeared members¡ªit wasn¡¯t enough to fight and win against them, who were stronger than her, with normal level skills. It was important that there was a chance of getting a glimpse of some odds of winning, even if the probability was low.


    [You have activated the power of Tightrope Walking.]


    [Two major stats will increase slightly or by 3x and two major stats will decrease slightly or by 3x.]


    [Critical probability will increase to 100% or decrease slightly.]


    [The weak point attack probability will increase to 100% or decrease slightly.]


    [Magic power will increase slightly or significantly.]


    Rose was ready for battle. She ovepped skills that she didn¡¯t know would be buffs or debuffs. The target was Grid.


    Her purpose wasn¡¯t victory. She thought it would be enough if she could put her name on Grid¡¯s myth, even if she lost. It was because she believed that this weak start would serve as a stepping stone for a great and brilliant future.


    As the buffs ovepped, she turned into something other than human. Then Baal handed her the demon sword. It was the demon sword where powerful energy was condensed. Rose felt the power in it and was thrilled.


    ¡°¡±Baal, it is good to be loyal to you.¡±¡±


    She felt sorry for her past self who suspected that he might be a rotten rope. Rose sincerely thought this. Maybe this¡ª


    Wasn¡¯t she capable ofpeting with Grid? In fact, this was the intent she moved with. Didn¡¯t she get the demon sword with Baal¡¯s magic power condensed? This meant that Baal had chosen her as Grid¡¯s opponent. A proper fight could be established.


    ¡°¡±Finally... I¡¯m finally at the same eye level as you, Grid.¡±¡±


    The twisted longing distorted Rose¡¯s expression in an even more grotesque manner. It was a moment that sent chills down the viewers¡¯ spine.


    Rose sped forward. She left dozens and hundreds ofyers of afterimages. The demon sword in her hand carved dark lines along the path she passed. It was a line that cut through thendscape. It was the sight of a new horizon ovepping on the horizon.


    It was very unrealistic. In the first ce, the whole situation was out of touch with reality.


    A yer who became a great demon¡ªthe beam of magic emanating from her fingertips as she wielded the demon sword that Baal directly handed to her turned everything she touched to ashes. It waspletely beyond the realm of a yer.


    It was clearly threatening to Grid. The result couldn¡¯t be predicted at all. The situation itself was wrong, so it didn¡¯t seem strange if Grid was defeated like this.


    The baptism of magic that Rose fired grazed Grid¡¯s body every time. Rose hadn¡¯t reached the realm of an Absolute even though she obtained Baal¡¯s buff directly. It was nearly impossible for her attacks to reach Grid in the first ce.


    However, the demon sword imbued with Baal¡¯s will was different. It relentlessly pursued Grid, who dodged with spectacr movements, and seeded in cutting his chest. Baal¡¯s magic power that was concentrated on the demon sword swelled greatly.


    It was as if the sun was rising. It was the precursor of an explosion that would devour the whole area.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    At the entrance of Baal¡¯s city¡ªJishuka and Vantnermented as they were using the evil eyes¡¯ king as a shield to suppress Asura¡¯s head. It was because they witnessed the crisis of Grid with their vision that was in the transcendent realm.


    Grid was fading. His orange divinity was being swallowed up by the ck sun of the demon sword. The attackpleted at Rose¡¯s fingertips was undoubtedly Baal¡¯s strength.


    It was a time when everyone in the world realized it and despaired. In the midst of the ck sun, the remnants of the orange divinity that was being extinguished shook. It was a feeble movement like a candle just about to go out.


    The result was great.


    Cutting something in half.


    Defying the Natural Order, made by Grid to bring down the sky, easily cut apart the artificial sun made by a great demon.


    The ck sun split in half. The vast amount of magic power that should¡¯ve caused an explosion soon scattered helplessly in all directions.


    Rose¡¯s head floated through the ck haze. It was separated from her body. She wandered around with a shocked expression before turning to ashes. The ashes created by her death didn¡¯t soar into the sky. It was absorbed by Baal, who was approaching from right behind her.


    A smile spread across Baal¡¯s face as he stared at Grid with bright eyes.


    ¡°This type of armor doesn¡¯t umte damage. As expected, there were restrictions. This is the way it should be.¡±


    Rose¡¯s death only benefited Baal. Baal¡¯s attitude changed actively because he grasped Grid¡¯s state in the short time she was active.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Grid frowned. He originally meant to buy time, but he failed. The power of the demon sword wielded by Rose was so strong that he was forced to fight back, killing Rose with a single blow. The cost was disastrous. Baal¡¯s nails prated his absolute defense and struck Grid¡¯s face. His curved fingers grabbed Grid¡¯s chin and snapped his neck.


    Grid counterattacked. Due to his strangely curved vision, he couldn¡¯t discern Baal¡¯s location with his eyes. He just relied on his artificial senses to attack. Defying the Natural Order was so powerful even with a basic hit. Baal¡¯s flesh was peeled off, his bones were crushed, and blood gushed out.


    Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t enough power to lead to death. Baal¡¯s superfast regeneration instantly healed the wounds.


    ¡°You can¡¯t die? I¡¯ll check for myself if it is true.¡±


    Baal was immune to the five fusion sword dances and below. Therefore, there was no reason to be too afraid of a counterattack by Grid.


    After kicking Grid off, he shot a beam of magic power that upied Grid¡¯s back, forcing him to consume an action to cut the beam. Then he hit the top of Grid¡¯s head with his elbow and repeatedly cut him with the summoned demon sword.


    Baal¡¯s power and speed pressing down on Grid were the same as the beginning. On the other hand, Grid became faster and stronger than the beginning. Even so, he couldn¡¯t help umting wounds. The tide of the fight gradually turned in Baal¡¯s favor.


    This was until Evil Dragon Bunhelier, whose presence had faded to the point where people had forgotten him, arrived. A mouse ran to the side of Grid¡¯s face as hended on the ground and shouted, ¡°Get on! Squeak!¡±


    It was a real mouse.


    To be more precise, it was Bunhelier, who polymorphed into a mouse. The great Old Dragon had be as small as possible in order topletely hide his appearance. He hid his magic power and looked at the situation. Then he saw an opportunity and ran in.


    ¡°This is our chance! Squeak! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was about to ask if he was embarrassed, but stopped. In the first ce, there was little difference between a human and a mouse in the cognition of Old Dragons.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that is the case?¡¯


    Bunhelier had a history of mating with human women and having children. There was no way he would treat humans and mice equally. If he did, there would be a serious problem.


    ...No, it didn¡¯t matter now.


    Grid shook off all the ridiculous thoughts that came to mind and turned around while lying on the ground. Hey his back on top of Bunhelier¡¯s small, chubby body.


    Baal didn¡¯t notice at all. In the first ce, Baal believed that Bunhelier had escaped from this ce. It was because the nose of an Old Dragon was pointed higher than the celestial gods. He would be ashamed by the fact that he was shackled by magic the moment he appeared and would¡¯ve left. Baal never imagined that he would be looking for an opportunity after turning into a mouse.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes widened as he aimed the demon sword with condensed magic power at Grid. Grid, who had been rolling across the ground just now, was right in front of him.


    A storm blew¡ªit was a wild wind created by the pping of the wings of Evil Dragon Bunhelier, who revealed his true body. The surface of Defying the Natural Order glowed red. The heat of the Red Phoenix rekindled the mes of the Fire Dragon Trauka. It had the effect of drastically reducing Baal¡¯s fire resistance and magic resistance. Furthermore, reflective damage was applied proportional to Grid¡¯s magic power, willpower, and weapon damage.


    After finally borrowing the power of the activated Dragon Knight, Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance mangled the weakened Baal. Baal wasn¡¯t able to easily cope with the form of Defying the Natural Order that kept changing ording to the sword path.


    Disintegrate and Meteorunched a series of bombardments. Baal¡¯s body was shattered, pierced, and crushed, and he didn¡¯t have any time to regenerate.


    [All your stats are tripled with the effect of Dragon Knight.]


    [There is an 85% chance of ¡®Defying the Natural Order¡¯ neutralizing the target¡¯s defense skills, magic, and powers.]


    [The effect of ¡®Defying the Natural Order¡¯ has greatly increased the damage dealt to a great demon.]


    [The effect of ¡®Defying the Natural Order¡¯ has greatly increased the weapon damage in dark ces.]


    The damage increase effect was repeatedly stacked up.


    ¡°...Kuaaakl!¡±


    Baal died again.


    It wasn¡¯t over. He immediately overcame death and first activated a curse spell. It was a curse that only applied to Bunhelier. It was intended to kick Bunhelierpletely out of hell after he dared to reappear and interfere. However, no target was specified. The curse spell didn¡¯t find Bunhelier and scattered pointlessly.


    Squeak squeak!


    The cry of a mouse was heard in the distance...


    Before he knew it, Grid was alone again and trying to pretend he didn¡¯t know anything.

 Chapter 1841

    Chapter 1841


    The god of the surface and the king of hell were fighting in a thunderous manner. Compared to them, a very small and insignificant ck mouse hid in the rubble of the copsed castle.


    ¡®This is for the best right now.¡¯


    Squeak squeak! Squeak!


    The round eyes of the mouse weren¡¯t shaken as he cleaned his fur that was soaked with blood that poured like torrential rain from the Absolutes. It was proof that he had confidence in his judgment and actions.


    It was natural. An Old Dragon was a being who believed ¡®my way is the truth.¡¯ He had polymorphed into the form of a lowly creature, but Bunhelier never doubted himself. He didn¡¯t even feel shame. It was because his very existence was an honor. It didn¡¯t matter what he looked like or what he did. The value of an Old Dragon was immutable, but...


    ¡®Baal has better defenses than I expected. He is unrivaled when ites to tricks.¡¯


    In the process of coborating with Baal in the past to drive Nevartan insane, Bunhelier was unknowingly cursed by Baal. Not only was he unable to exert his full power in hell, but he was also bound as soon as he became targeted by Baal. He tried his best to resist, but it was useless. Baal had prepared more means and methods. Bunhelier was at a disadvantage because Baal was in a position to control all of hell.


    In any case, facing Baal head-on in his current state was nothing but suicide. He hid in the form of a mouse. It was just like before. The moment when Baal¡¯s senses focused on Grid and he narrowed the vision of the hell moon¡ª


    Little Bunhelier nned to aim for that moment to run to Grid and get Grid on his back.


    ***


    ¡°Bunhelier...! You managed to hide so well in a manner that isn¡¯t befitting your size!¡± Baal shouted after losing his life once because of Bunhelier, who appeared out of nowhere like an illusion. He didn¡¯t lose hisposure just because he died once. He just raised his voice to provoke Bunhelier.


    It was meaningless. Despite the provocation, Bunhelier was as quiet as a mouse.


    ¡®This is a headache. He didn¡¯t get caught in the hell moon¡¯s surveince.¡¯


    By sharing his senses with the moon that distorted hell, Baal¡¯s vision extended throughout hell. Most areas could be monitored in real time, except for the areas of Amoract, Leraje, and Eligos, as well as some safe zones. But now was an exception. It was because the vision of the hell moon was heavily focused on searching for Bunhelier.


    In fact, Baal had been wary of Bunhelier from the beginning. It was because he was an Old Dragon. He couldn¡¯t let go of the potential of Grid¡¯s Dragon Knight. Baal made it a basic premise of this war not to allow Grid and Bunhelier to cooperate.


    Yet he allowed it once. At some point, Bunhelier escaped the surveince of the hell moon and suddenly appeared to cooperate with Grid.


    ¡®Could it be that he turned into a creature smaller than a human?¡¯


    He might be weakened, but he was an Old Dragon. He was a master of magic. In other words, it was easy for Bunhelier to erase his traces. The only way for Baal to find him was to follow Bunhelier with his eyes, but Bunhelier was nowhere to be seen. It could simply be inferred that Bunhelier had ¡®be smaller.¡¯


    ¡®There is a high chance he is mixed among demons.¡¯


    Baal¡¯s consciousness turned toward the gate. It was the ce where Asura¡¯s head and the demons protecting it were fighting against the intruders. There were thousands of demonic creatures there. There was a high chance that Bunhelier had changed into the same appearance as them and mixed in with them.


    Laughter emerged. The demons who were escort demons usually took the form of ¡®dogs.¡¯ He was dumbfounded when he imagined that an Old Dragon had polymorphed into the shape of a dog. He almost felt sympathy.


    That¡¯s right. Even the great Baal was limited to thinking about dogs. He never imagined that a dragon would polymorph into a mouse...


    ¡°Evil Dragon Bunhelier... you are a cunning bastard who isn¡¯t obsessed with pride. You are the only Old Dragon that has ever turned into a demonic creature and crawled on the ground, and you will be the only one in the future.¡±


    The eyes of the hell moon moved again ording to Baal¡¯s will during the provocation. Tens of thousands of eyes watched the demons at the entrance to Baal¡¯s castle.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯tfortable as he quietly watched the situation. He realized the sacrifice of Bunhelier, who risked the humiliation of turning into a mouse to catch Baal off guard. He felt respect and gratitude for Bunhelier, who came up with and carried out the best method in the worst case situation.


    ¡®I have to do my best as well.¡¯


    ording to Grid¡¯s n, Baal should¡¯ve died at least 20 times by now. However, Baal became stronger than expected and Grid only managed to kill him five times. It wasn¡¯t enough to shake Baal¡¯s mentality. Then, as he was feeling nervous, Grid witnessed Bunhelier¡¯s sacrifice.


    The weakest and the worst of the Old Dragons¡ªin many ways, he didn¡¯t think highly of Bunhelier, but Bunhelier was still an Old Dragon. In a new and unexpected way, he seemed great.


    Grid wanted to emte him. He carefully calmed down his anxious mind.


    ¡®The sword dance below a five fusion one is meaningless.¡¯


    It might be different in the Overgeared World, but it was too much to rely on just a single six fusion sword dance. Basically, there were too many movements. He had to do all six sword dances toplete the six fusion sword dance. If it was blocked in the process, it would be judged to be a sword dance that was less than a six fusion one.


    Then Baal would be immune.


    Grid recalled his skills other than swordsmanship. They were the skills obtained bypleting various quests and from the Martial God¡¯s secret techniques. He also checked the types and functions of the magic he learned from Braham and the skills attached to his items.


    Baal had been pressing Grid using the power of those killed by Grid. In other words, he was denying the path that Grid had walked. Ironically, Grid had to trust and rely on the path he had taken to fight and win against Baal.


    This wasn¡¯t just a brawl. It was also a stage where Grid¡¯s life was being put to the test. Above all, the future of humanity was at stake...


    An order to gather¡ªhundreds of God Hands gathered around Grid. The swords and shields they were armed with were returned to Grid¡¯s inventory.


    A golden sun rose. It was a sun made by the God Hands binding together to form a circle. It was brilliant, unlike the ck sun created through Baal¡¯s magic. Grid stood in the center of the sun and transformed Twilight. It was a greatbow resembling Trauka¡¯s roaring head. It was the dragon weapon he made for Jishuka.


    [Fire Dragon¡¯s Roar]


    [Rating: Myth.


    Durability: Infinite Attack Power: 25,020


    ¡ï Create a magic arrow every time the bowstring is pulled. The magic arrow¡¯s attack power is affected by the user¡¯s strength, agility, intelligence, and the total amount of invested resources.


    ¡ï There will be additional attack power the fewer the number of arrows on the bowstring.


    ¡ï The greater the number of arrows on the bowstring, the higher the absolute uracy rate.


    ¡ï The longer the time the bowstring is pulled, the more the attack power increases.


    ¡ï The shorter the time the bowstring is pulled, the higher the firing speed.


    ¡ï The absolute hit rate is always increased.


    ¡ï The constant burst firing rate is increased.]


    Etc, etc.


    Originally, the basic effects of Fire Dragon¡¯s Roar was optimized for archers. However, various effects were added to the Fire Dragon¡¯s Roar that Grid reproduced with Twilight. It was because it was, as proven by its infinite durability, influenced by the material called ¡®Greed.¡¯


    [¡ï There is an 85% chance of neutralizing the target¡¯s defense skills, magic, and powers.


    ¡ï Additional attack power is applied against Great Demons, Archangels, Gods, and Dragons.


    ¡ï In dark ces, the attack power of the weapon is increased by 80%.


    ¡ï There is a probability of Disintegrate and Meteor urring while attacking.]


    The weapon that Grid recreated with Item Transformation¡ªits current form was more powerful than the original. It was the result of the growth of Greed. It was the result of his work with Braham.


    An arrow made of orange divinity¡ªthe fully pulled bowstring aimed at Baal and fired with a roar. The impact was huge. It was like a real dragon shooting a Breath.


    Baal snorted while the world was feeling shocked. ¡°What are you going to do with a bow?¡±


    Basically, projectiles were bad against Absolutes. No matter how fast a projectile was, it couldn¡¯t exceed the reaction speed of an Absolute. Of course, the Fire Dragon¡¯s Roar had an absolute uracy rate. The arrow shot by Grid chased after Baal like a guided bullet, rendering dodging meaningless.


    It was useless. In the first ce, Baal didn¡¯t dodge the arrow. He swung his demon sword lightly at it. The arrow of divinity failed to hit the target after it was cut in half by the sword. It scattered light and fell helplessly.


    ¡º This is the reason why ranged dealers have low sess rates in a solo raid. It is a weakness that bes more apparent as the level of the enemy increases. ¡»


    The experts who silently supported Grid throughout the battle started to carefully give an exnation. There were many viewers who sympathized. No one understood why Grid had to take out the bow weapon.


    Only one person¡ªJishuka was the only exception.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the best?¡±


    sh!


    A light shed at the edge of Jishuka¡¯s vision as she contemted the battlefield like a satellite. It was a trajectory created by the fall of a spear made of magic power. It was Disintegrate. It was the magic created by Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    The spear of magic falling overhead¡ªBaal easily responded to it. This was a tactic that he had already dealt with several times in previous battles. Baal was learning that Grid¡¯s attacks had a chance of triggering Disintegrate and Meteor. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to be hit.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t think Baal would be easily hit either. Therefore, he took out a bow. Due to thebination of Weapons Mastery and Bow Mastery, Grid¡¯s firing speed continued to elerate. It was also thebination of the thimble that was based on the design that Jishuka personally obtained and Fire Dragon¡¯s Roar.


    The biggest advantage of archery was that he could act freely from a distance. Unlike swordsmanship, where he had to swing after putting the target in a ¡®distance¡¯ that was within reach, he could fire at the target to his heart¡¯s content even from a distance with archery. Unless he allowed the enemy to approach, it was possible to shoot dozens of arrows in the time it took to swing the sword ten times. Additionally, the probability of triggering Disintegrate and Meteor due to Greed increased exponentially as the number of attacks increased.


    A torrent of arrows rushed from all directions. The magic power spears and meteorites hurled toward the head of Baal, who shed to block it. Finally, it covered the ground with shadows. There were just so many of them. It became physically impossible to dodge, so Baal focused his magic on his self-defense armor, rather than the demon sword.


    Even Disintegrate and Meteor failed to prate Baal¡¯s defense. However, Meteor¡¯s principle of operation was to bring down meteorites from space. There was a ¡®weight.¡¯ Baal¡¯s body was unable to bear the ovepping weight and was crushed to the ground.


    This was the situation that Grid had been aiming for. He couldn¡¯t use Shunpo due to the barrier blocking all types of movement skills, so he just rushed forward and reached Baal using pure speed. Hepleted the six fusion sword dance while Baal was raising himself up.


    The jet ck self-defense armor was torn to shreds. The power of the six fusion sword dance wielded by Defying the Natural Order exceeded Baal¡¯s defense. The high probability of a critical hit and weak point attack was particrly threatening.


    [The King of Hell fell after being struck by an arrow shot by God and died.]


    A sentence was added to the epic.


    Even his skill as an archer was the GOAT.


    The imposing sight of Grid decapitating Baal and then stepping back to once again load more arrows stirred the world.

 Chapter 1842

    Chapter 1842


    It was a vast wilderness, deste without a single de of grass. There was only gray and barrennd as far as the eyes could see.


    That was the case until just a little while ago.


    Kurururung!


    There was a roar and the ground shook. Finally, it cracked and copsed. The hilly terrain formed was very wide. In the midst of it, a color was added. It was a red light. It was a color caused byva flowing down every gap in the terribly damaged ground.


    ¡°Kikik... I can¡¯t believe it...¡±


    At the center of the newly formed hilly area, there was a demon lying motionless and submerged inva. It was originally a great demon.


    The single digit great demon who used his own power to upy the 9th throne that had be vacant after the Great Human and Demon War¡ªhe rushed to the city at Baal¡¯s call only to be attacked by a magician. As he was being pushed on the defensive, he was stripped of his throne.


    It was by Baal. The throne that he took purely with his own power¡ªthat which he believed was entirely his abandoned him the moment Baal desired it.


    ¡°I have been dancing on the palm of his hand from the beginning... Kukuk.¡±


    The demon who became a great demon, Daltonjyul,ughed. He hated Baal, not the magician in front of him who made him this way.


    Braham, the magician who stood stepping on his shoulder, opened his mouth, ¡°The problem is that you, a demon, trusted and devoted your loyalty to others.¡±


    It was obvious ridicule. It was as if he was speaking to the demons who must be watching the scene from somewhere.


    ¡°Is it reasonable for an evil demon who enjoys deceiving and harming others to trust and serve others?¡±


    Demons easily betrayed others. It was right to keep in mind that they could always be betrayed by others as well. However, the demons who served Baal all trusted him. They served him like he was a monarch, a parent, and a teacher. At this point, they weren¡¯t evil demons but innocent beings. They had an extremely positive view of the world.


    ¡°Yes... it wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. So why...¡± Daltonjyul¡¯s eyes shook violently as he muttered. He looked confused. Why did he trust Baal and was loyal to him? No matter what favor Baal showed him, it was right to feel doubt and dream of betrayal.


    Yet he didn¡¯t do that Was he brainwashed without knowing it? No matter how he looked back, there were no signs of it.


    Braham looked down at the confused demon and realized something. ¡®They aren¡¯t innately evil.¡¯


    The present hell was distorted. It had developed into apletely different form from Yatan¡¯s intention to create this ce as a ¡®shelter¡¯ for the dead.


    Were demons evil in the first ce? Were they called demons in the first ce?


    It was said that the hell of the past that Grid saw in the No Offspring Tomb wasn¡¯t much different from the surface. It was as ordinary as the safe zones where Yatan¡¯s statues were located. Yes, they would¡¯ve been normal at first. There was no reason why beings born in hell should be born evil. Just like the humans born on the surface, some were good and others were evil. It was reasonable to think that the demons and demonic creatures of hell also had different natures.


    ¡®I am the proof right now.¡¯


    I, Braham, am good even though I was born the child of the great demon, Beriache.


    ¡°......¡±


    Above the hills, Peak Sword frowned as he watched the situation with Huroi and Lae. He suddenly became annoyed as he looked at Braham¡¯s thoughtful face while stepping on the demon.


    ¡°Are you jealous of his handsome looks?¡± Lae pointed out the attitude of Peak Sword.


    Peak Sword shook his head. ¡°There is no reason for a person like me to be envious of other people¡¯s faces. How should I say this... I feel bad all of a sudden? Aren¡¯t Braham¡¯s eyes really annoying today?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really jealousy? You have the right face to be jealous.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Miss Lae. But apart from that, Braham¡¯s eyes are different from usual. They are clear and shiny... it doesn¡¯t fit...¡±


    ¡°Right? I¡¯m sure he is thinking something strange.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you saying he might troll again?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    Braham¡¯s contemtion had so much impact that it made Peak Sword, Huroi, and Lae extremely nervous.


    Daltonjyul also read something strange from it. ¡°What is that look in your eyes...? Don¡¯t tell me you are feeling sorry for me? You dare... how dare you sympathize with this body, a ruler of hell?¡±


    Daltonjyul was consumed by rage and he wasn¡¯t rational. He forgot the situation where he was shot down by Braham¡¯s magic and gritted his teeth. He had the intention of striking Braham to death instantly. Braham increased his weight by thousands of times through magic and crushed the demon¡¯s skull. ¡°This bug bastard is noisy.¡±


    Bam!


    Daltonjyul¡¯s head was crushed like a watermelon. A red pool of blood formed in the center of the hilly area caused by the aftermath of his fall.


    Braham¡¯s eyes shifted as he pushed the blood away with gravity magic. It was in the direction of Baal¡¯s castle. The sky was dyed ck, but there was a sunset that shed and disappeared from moment to moment. It was a sight made by the battle between Grid and Baal.


    ¡®The source of all evil.¡¯


    Was there anything else more appropriate to describe Baal? This pure evil was the original evil that stained all beings in hell with evil. He must disappear for the sake of the future that Grid dreamed of. It was even for the sake of avenging his mother.


    But would it be easy?


    A being with infinite lives¡ªit was impossible to extinguish the one who immediately resurrected when killed. Even Braham couldn¡¯t find a way with all his knowledge.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t discuss what was possible and what was impossible. He simply defined it as ¡®a thing to be done¡¯ and started a war.


    ¡®It is the right thing to do.¡¯


    Hell¡¯s demons shouldn¡¯t be left alone to befortable. The really fearful thing about demons wasn¡¯t their force. It was that they could eat away at towns and cities while disguised as ordinary humans in ces unknown to Grid and the apostles.


    The strength of the demons was that they could blend into society and kill people. It was important not to give them a chance to do so.


    ¡®Kill as many as possible.¡¯


    Braham turned his eyes in the opposite direction. The demons and demonic creatures who responded to Baal¡¯s call wereing inrge numbers from beyond the horizon. The number was much lower than it was in the beginning. Piaro seemed to have seeded inpleting the agricultural fields and weakening the cradle.


    The Braham-style Enhanced Mana Drain was activated. It was to absorb mana from Daltonjyul¡¯s body. The power of the dark attribute magic was amplified many times over. The waves of dark magic power swallowed up all the demons and demonic creatures.


    The remnants, who survived with their high magic resistance, were intercepted by Peak Sword. The counterattack was fierce, but it was interrupted by Lae¡¯s decisive magic. Those who tried to escape were caught by Huroi¡¯s provocation and had their ankles grabbed.


    Thousands of ashen pirs shot up in a dizzying manner. It was a spectacle that couldn¡¯t bepared to fireworks.


    ¡®They¡¯ve all be useful.¡¯


    Braham was watching Peak Sword, Lae, and Huroi in a satisfied manner when a voice pierced his ears. It was a voice that shouldn¡¯t be heard here.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned the principles.¡±


    It was Baal¡¯s voice. It resonated from the traces left by Daltonjyul¡¯s death.


    A chill went down Braham¡¯s spine as he shifted his gaze toward Baal¡¯s castle. It was also the final destination of the gray column that had just risen.


    ***


    sh!


    sh sh!


    It was like watching a yer level up. This was the impression Grid got when he saw Baal being surrounded by endlessly falling gray pirs. He wasn¡¯t disturbed. He had seen it many times already. The gray pirs¡ªthe image of death that represented Satisfy always reached Baal.


    It was a process in which Baal¡¯s power absorbed the memories and powers of the dead. However, there was no need to be wary. It was because the power and memories of ordinary beings were of no significant help to Baal. In order for Baal to be stronger than he was now, he needed to absorb the power and memories of legends and transcendents. Their deaths were prevented by Grid. Even at this moment, the Overgeared Guild members on the surface, the rulers of the different species, and the forces of Valha were escorting important figures.


    Grid paused as he was pulling the bow with a nonchnt expression.


    ¡°Braham-style,¡± Baal slowly opened his mouth like he was savoring it. The flow of the atmosphere changed the moment he mentioned the name. All the mana in the area instantly started to be sucked toward Baal. Even the mana in Grid¡¯s body erupted in reverse. It headed for Baal as if that was the original ce.


    ¡°Enhanced Mana Drain.¡±


    Thepleted spell forced the mana even further. All the mana in the area, including Grid¡¯s mana, was absorbed by Baal. Just like Braham absorbed all the mana from the Red Sea and the Abyss, Baal¡¯s demonic energy became immensely powerful.


    Baal started at the center of the demonic energy that stretched out like a veil and smiled. It was a smile so big that sharp teeth like a shark were exposed. ¡°It is like this. I feel like I¡¯m bing stronger bypressing time.¡±


    Just as Baal was the enemy of humanity, Grid was Baal¡¯s enemy.


    Grid awakened Baal.


    Baal originally wanted to wait for the power of the dead that he absorbed to be digested and fully be his own, but he no longer waited. He devised means and methods to digest it as quickly and efficiently as possible. In the process, he was equipped with a system that made him immune to Grid¡¯s sword dance.


    Based on the memories of the beings who were killed by Grid, he learned and analyzed Grid¡¯s sword dance in detail. The reproduction of Braham¡¯s magic was based on the same principle. Baal spent thest few hours analyzing and learning Braham¡¯s magic based on the memories of the demons and demonic creatures who had been killed by Braham. Like Grid, he became stronger in real time.


    Baal waved his hand and fired bullets of demonic energy that were dozens of timesrger than before. The beams of demonic energy shot from his eyes and mouth were tens of times faster. The power was so strong that it became difficult to dodge.


    The protection of the sun sphere, created by the God Hands, became somewhat helpless.


    Grid had originally withstood Baal¡¯s offensive using the sun sphere, but now he started to run. He moved away from the beams of demonic energy that were pouring down. The speed of aiming the bow at Baal naturally slowed down. It was a slight difference, but it changed the course of the battle significantly.


    Baal avoided the baptism of arrows with rtive ease and quickly approached Grid. The Disintegrate falling from above was blocked by the much thicker demonic energy and Meteor was split apart by the beams.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    The demon sword became dozens of times bigger than before and cut at the sun sphere. He undid the bonds of the God Hands with physical force and dug into the sun sphere.


    It happened just as the demon sword reached below Grid¡¯s chin...


    "I won¡¯t allow yourfort,¡± Grid dered as his eyes shed with a different light than before. Mana Drain that increased the amount and strength of magic power¡ªit was judged to be a buff and was torn apart by the Castration Eye.


    The size of the demon sword shrank and a gap appeared. Grid aimed for a gap in Baal¡¯s awkward posture and grabbed his wrist, pulling him straight into the sun sphere. He released Item Transformation and discarded the bow.


    Twilight regained its original appearance and wasbined with Defying the Natural Order. The dragon weapon¡¯s power was amplified by several times afterbining and it pierced Baal¡¯s neck.


    Stunned by the terrible pain, Baal tried to escape, but it was difficult. There was no way to escape from the sun sphere created by the God Hands, who had joined hands again after the stiffness eased. The God Hands closed the gap even further. They pressed Baal so that he couldn¡¯t move.


    A small ring¡ªit was within the perfect realm that Grid created using the God Hands. Baal was constantly pierced. All his vital points, including the heart, were pierced one after another.


    The metal sun that viewers couldn¡¯t look inside¡ªit constantly shook with Grid and Baal trapped inside. Then blood started to pour out. The amount was huge. It was like a waterfall. More blood was shed than what hundreds of humans could shed.


    It was the moment when the brilliant and divine golden sun became more dreary than the moon in hell.


    How cruel could humans be? At the very least, Grid could be as brutal as Baal. Therefore, he stood at the highest point.

 Chapter 1843

    A thousand cows¡ªno, even if he ughtered half this number of cows, he would still be called a master of his craft. However, the number of enemies that Grid had killed was unfathomable. His level, which had reached 900, was the result of countless deaths.


    From humans to monsters, half-gods, and demons¡ªGrid was able to draw their anatomical diagrams in his head as soon as he saw them, no matter what shape the target had. It was possible to easily cause a fatal wound and dismantle them in any environment.


    Additionally, he now had the strongest sword ever in his hands. Two dragon weapons made from the by-products of an Old Dragon¡ªthe sword made bybining them into one almost unconditionally found the enemy¡¯s weakness and was incredibly sharp. It was to the extent where Grid just felt that Baal¡¯s self-defense and skin were ¡®a bit tough.¡¯


    The king of hell, who reigned as an invincible being and determined the fate of hell and the surface, was reduced to the status of livestock to be ughtered.


    The sound of the magical self-defense and skin being pierced and shed echoed eerily. The sound of bones being smashed and organs bursting was a bonus.


    Baal had the illusion that a swarm of bees was buzzing through his mind. He kept getting goosebumps and his back was tingling.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baal¡¯s vision turned white as he looked down at his belly that was split apart the moment it regenerated. It hurt terribly. He had always taken his wounds lightly because he was in a position to ovee them. After witnessing his organs being pulled out and smashed several times in front of his eyes, the concept of being a brain in a vat dominated his mind.


    ¡°...Kuock!¡±


    Baal naturally resisted. He actively utilized his natural power by using the skills he had stolen from those who died and fell into hell. However, things didn¡¯t work out as nned. It was because the metal hands held each other and pressed on him, narrowing the gap.


    The God Hands¡ªGrid¡¯s artifacts, which had been increased to hundreds, created a circr space and it was a prison that Baal had never experienced before. It gradually narrowed and robbed Baal of his freedom.


    Baal couldn¡¯t move as much as he wanted because they didn¡¯t break even when he hit them with all his might. At first, he thought it was okay. He was able to regenerate faster than he was cut, stabbed, and wounded by Grid. Grid had most of his sword dances sealed and wasn¡¯t necessarily powerful. Even if Baal died, he could ovee it.


    Baal was confident that he could hold out forever until this pressure was lifted. This was what he thought a while ago.


    Bam bam!


    ¡°...Kuaaaack!¡±


    Baal let out the scream that he had barely been able to contain. It was around this time that the power contained in Grid¡¯s sword became even stronger than before. Before he could finish regenerating, new wounds tore him apart and inflicted even greater pain.


    It was only then that Baal realized his own death. Grid bing stronger in real time meant he was dead.


    ¡°This... this jerk...¡± Baal cursed in a low voice. There was no time to be conscious of the epic. He felt confused. It was because emotions he didn¡¯t understand came flooding in. Was this the feeling of the toys he had yed with so far?


    The emotion that rose up along with such a ridiculous idea¡ªit was fear. For thest thousands of years, Baal had nned, witnessed, and learned about countless deaths. He had always savored with interest the despair, sadness, pain, and fear felt by the dead, and it went beyond the level of familiarity.


    However, he hadn¡¯t experienced it himself. Thus, he had been enjoying it happily without sympathizing with the feelings of the dead. Then at this moment, it became a reality.


    Baal suddenly had a question¡ªeven if he could ovee death, could he really be called alive if he kept being killed by Grid? He didn¡¯t want to feel this pain every time he died...


    ¡°Shit...! Shit!¡±


    Baal exploded the magical self-defense armor he was wearing. The means to protect his body had no effect, so he boldly abandoned it. He had the idea that if he was going to die anyway, he would kill Grid as well. Therefore, he used all the magic power he had as a means of attacking.


    Every time an explosion urred, Grid¡¯s absolute defense cracked and finally melted away. The red armor, which had been soaked in Baal¡¯s blood, grew more brittle as the heat of magic surged through it. The torso inside the armor would¡¯ve been cooked.


    However, Grid¡¯s expression was calm.


    Neither heat nor cold¡ªit was the same whether it was the fire of hell or the breath of the Frost Queen, they could neither burn nor freeze Grid¡¯s body. His body temperature was maintained. It was because Khan¡¯s will defended him.


    ¡°cksmith Khan...! I should¡¯ve dragged him down to hell!¡± Baal read the will contained in Grid¡¯s armor and shouted while trembling. How many times had he already suffered a setback from the will contained in that armor? At this point, it felt like it was Khan, not Grid, that was the cause of everything. He felt anger at the powerless heavenly gods who were robbed of Khan by Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes changed. His face, which had bore a dull expression as if he had been dismantling livestock, twisted.


    Gulp.


    Baal gulped without realizing it. He recalled the image of himself that was projected in the small pupils of humans. Humanity¡¯s greatest fear¡ªthe reflection of Grid in Baal¡¯s eyes resembled that...


    ¡°Gasp...!¡±


    Baal was briefly mesmerized, only to gasp. He was decapitated, died again, and revived.


    Grid¡¯s distorted face loomed over him.


    ¡°Baal, you don¡¯t deserve to curse anyone now.¡± Grid¡¯s eerie voice filled the narrow space. ¡°It is because I will kill you again and again without giving you a chance to curse.¡±


    It was a sentence that made the worst situation that Baal imagined a reality. At the pain that followed, Baal recalled a question he had in the distant past. He was a child of a God of the Beginning, but he wasn¡¯t a god.


    Why? Why did Yatan leave heaven to build a shelter for the dead and cast him into this ce?


    ¡°...Why? Why should I have to deal with nothing but death...?¡±


    Baal¡¯s eyes, which had lost their focus due to the sword lodged in his heart and became blurred, came alive again. No, malice was the more appropriate word. Was a life where everything went his way really freedom?


    Baal¡¯s eyes, which had always been the same, expressed emotions such as anger, resentment, and killing intent without hiding them. At the same time, it became huge.


    His pupils, eyes, and face¡ªfinally, his entire body grew dozens and hundreds of timesrger, shaking the prison created by the God Hands. Eventually, the grip of the God Hands were released.The metal sun with blood pouring out from it finally shattered and scattered.


    A giant¡ªBaal¡¯s figure became so huge that he could be seen anywhere in hell and he stood tall in the center of hell.


    Grid thought of Marie Rose¡¯s castle. He remembered the mythological records he had seen there, a ce that was originally Beriache¡¯s castle. They were pictorial records of the birth of hell. From the fifth painting onwards, images of the Three Evils of the Beginning were depicted.


    ¡®Amoract was red, Beriache was green, and...¡¯


    Baal was a giant. Just like right now.


    That¡¯s right¡ªBall was usually reflected differently ording to the viewer¡¯s perception, and this was the first time his true appearance was fully revealed. This was probably his fourth phase after going past his normal phase, the phase he was in when he used the energy of a God Killer, and the phase when he absorbed Braham¡¯s power. Circumstantially, this was likely to be his final form.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t think it was theing of the end. No matter what type of raid it was, the final phase was meant to be the beginning, not the end. He shouldn¡¯t be excited. It was real from now on.


    Grid raised the stamina and concentration that had been consumed by fighting for half a day and gritted his teeth.


    [Why... why is everything above my head...?]


    Ironically, therge body was meaningless. From the moment Baal was born, he had to always look up at the sky. There was the surface beyond the sky. Those who died up there fell to this ce. He had no choice but to look up and wait...


    ¡°With thatrge body, take care of the dead who will suffer from the loss of death and mourn.¡±


    Yatan¡¯s disgusting voice lingered in Baal¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Asgard? It is beyond the surface. It is the furthest ce from here, so you don¡¯t have to look at it.¡±


    The surface above the sky, and heaven above that¡ªfrom the moment he was born, everything reigned over his head. This was even though he was a child of a God of the Beginning. This was despite being born with a body that was bigger than anyone else¡¯s. He had to stare endlessly at those that were out of reach.


    [It was absurd...]


    Oppression¡ªBaal considered all the circumstances he was born in as oppression. Naturally, he started to resent Yatan for giving birth to him. He came to hate the world. This was how the great evil that wanted to destroy everything and drag it all down to hell was born.


    It was a type of twist. Unlike Yatan, who left Asgard because he was good, his children weren¡¯t born good. They went against Yatan¡¯s wishes.


    [Only One God Grid.]


    A storm blew. It was a storm created by Baal¡¯s fist causing the atmosphere to stir. Then an earthquake urred. It was an earthquake that happened when Baal took a step and the ruined great hall copsed.


    [Despair. Fear me.]


    This was also a cry to the gods who, as always, would be looking down on this ce. Baal only aspired for the destruction of the world. His ultimate goal was to drag the gods, who were supposed to be lower than him or at the same level as him, down to hell. He couldn¡¯t be held back by a god of the surface.


    Thousands of thunderbolts ovepped. It was due to Baal¡¯s fist. The destruction washed over Grid and stretched beyond the crumbling walls toward the exposed horizon. The attack area was sorge that it was difficult to dodge.


    Grid made a judgment and used Freely Move, which he had been saving. Rather than assessing the enemy¡¯s level while defending, he chose to immediately counterattack. He took the initiative in order to get an advantageous flow.


    The six fusion sword dance was unfolded as he maintained Item Combination. Heavy red rain poured down onto Grid as he moved and hacked at Baal¡¯s neck, which was as wide as dozens of ser fields glued together. Blood gushed from Baal¡¯s neck and drenched all of hell.


    [The target has received 58,012,600,339 damage.]


    [You have broken the record for the highest damage dealt to a single being in the world!]


    [Someone imprisoned in heaven¡¯s prison has noticed your amazing achievement and mumbles nonchntly.]


    [¡±I can also do that... maybe...¡±]


    Baal, who had revealed his original appearance¡ªhe was powerful enough to threaten Grid with a single gesture, but his defense was weak. It was natural. Right now, he was just a giant, not a concept created by building up the fear of humanity. He had lost the advantage he gained in the process of trying to be a god. He had returned to his primal form in an attempt to shake off the fear he harbored of Grid, but it became poisonous instead.


    [Kuaaaaaaack...!!]


    Baal¡¯s loud scream that reached all the way to the surface was the trigger.


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    [Humanity¡¯s fear...]


    ......


    ...


    People were starting to feel it.


    Baal could also feel pain. He was huge, but he was a giant that resembled a human being.


    The source of all evil, whom they had feared all their lives, actually wasn¡¯t that different from them...

 Chapter 1844

    ¡°Is it a target that can be raided alone?¡±


    This was a question that pierced to the core¡ªthe blue-eyed reporter made good use of the short time he was allowed to address Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be done alone.¡±


    It had been six hours since Baal¡¯s expedition had entered hell.


    Half a day had passed inside Satisfy. As morning turned to night, Grid and the Overgeared members fought non-stop. Even the concept of stamina, which had always held yers back, seemed unable to dampen their enthusiasm.


    ¡°Then... in order for the expedition to seed, the Overgeared members and apostles must join Grid, right?¡±


    The Baal raid¡ªdue to therge-scale event that urred by Grid¡¯s will, the S.A Group suffered tremendously. Throughout this half a day, mediapanies around the world flooded them with requests for interviews. Obviously, the level of interest was very high. It was a far cry from the National Competition, which had been on a downward spiral since Grid stopped participating.


    To put it bluntly, everyone in the world was watching the Baal raid and it disrupted their daily lives. At this time, it wasn¡¯t very good for the S.A Group to remain silent. There was no reason for it. This was why Chairman Lim Cheolho held arge-scale press conference.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be done even with many people.¡±


    The crowd was agitated. The reporters writing articles in real time increased their typing speed.


    ¡°Can I say that it is like a dragon?¡±


    In the past, Chairman Lim Cheolho had designated dragons as targets that couldn¡¯t be hunted. Well, Grid had personally demonstrated that even if he couldn¡¯t kill them, he could use them as a ride, but... in any case, a dragon¡¯s majesty was still great. Was it the same with Baal?


    Spective articles were on the verge of pouring out in a matter of seconds.


    Then Chairman Lim Cheolho shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t like a dragon.¡±


    The dragons that Lim Cheolho was talking about were naturally the Old Dragons. It was because the Old Dragons were the true dragons.


    ¡°Baal is the ultimate goal for yers. He is one of the final pieces of content.¡±


    Just¡ª


    ¡°But not in his current form.¡±


    Baal used human fear as his source of strength. He couldn¡¯t perish as long as people were afraid of him. He was impossible to raid in a different sense from dragons. It was necessary to achieve the prerequisites to make the impossible possible. It was to create an environment where people felt greater hope than their fear of Baal. It wasn¡¯t something that a handful of yers or groups could do.


    Billions of yers needed to interact deeply with Satisfy¡¯s residents and built trust. A simple example was the rtionship between Grid and Khan. The hope designed by Lim Cheolho was to sprout from the fact that the majority of yers valued the residents of Satisfy and cherished Satisfy as much as reality.


    The name Satisfy reflected Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s wishes. Lim Cheolho wanted Satisfy to be beautiful, unlike reality. The great evil called Baal was a type of gateway to reaching such a world. It was the opportunity and key to uniting people with one heart and one mind. He wasn¡¯t a being created for one individual to stab to death...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It happened as Chairman Lim Cheolho was starting to exin...


    A buzzing urred among the reporters who stopped typing. They stared at Chairman Lim Cheolho in disbelief. No, to be precise, they were staring at the superrge screen behind where the chairman was sitting.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho turned back and his face hardened. Baal revealed his original appearance. It was thest phase of the Baal raid. It meant that Baal was driven to the defensive in the ten minutes he took to move to this conference room.


    ¡°How...?¡±


    It happened as Chairman Lim Cheolho was very flustered...


    Kuaaack...


    Baal let out a scream as his neck was shed by Grid. It was an incredible sight. In this state, Baal¡¯s defense increased by at least 20 times, but Grid alone dealt a significant blow...


    Morpheus even added something shocking.


    -yer Grid has broken the record for the highest damage dealt.


    ¡°......¡±


    ***


    The shadow hovering over the horizon¡ªthey wondered how huge was that thing, seeing that it could be vaguely seen even from here...


    The appearance of Baal, seen from a distance, stimted human imagination to the limit. The apostles and members of the party were worried about Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go help,¡± Asuka urged.


    She threw the hand axe pulled from a demon¡¯s skull behind her back. Red feathers fluttered. The feathers that were originally white fell from wings that had turned red due to the blood of demons.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    Asuka wasn¡¯t obsessed with a single weapon. She hadn¡¯t even taken out the dragon weapon she had received from Grid during the angel appointment ceremony. She kept swinging and throwing new weapons she took from her inventory to ughter demons.


    All of them were Grid-made items. They were weapons that had been steadily strengthened every time Grid used Request to Stand With Me.


    ¡®Where did she get all these crazy things...¡¯


    Ibellin clicked his tongue. He clearly realized that Asuka¡¯s wealth and obsession were unmatched, and determined that he didn¡¯t have to support her.


    ¡°Of course, we have to go.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t why he agreed. Even before Asuka could speak, Ibellin¡¯s body had been turning in Grid¡¯s direction. He acted like the captain of the angels protecting Grid. He intended to fly toward Grid the moment he shook off the demons around him.


    The other angels felt the same way. Coke, Asuka, and the two people wearing silver and gold masks...


    All of them were preparing to rush at Grid without anyone telling them.


    ¡®Who are these people?¡¯


    He had good feelings for these dubious people. They were reliable, like colleagues who had been fighting together for a long time. In the first ce, they were the ones Grid had appointed as angels. It was right to feel trust. However, it was inevitable to be wary.


    He was reluctant to put his trust in people whose names and faces were hidden behind masks and who just silently carried out their duties. In any case, it was the time when the five Overgeared angels moved forward with one mind.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Someone put a stop to it.


    It was Biban. The man who stood with his arms folded and yawned throughout the battle.


    There were too many demonic creatures who tried to enter the underground area after hearing the screams of the red flesh... unlike the angels, who ran over and fought hard after hearing the report, he didn¡¯t have a single drop of blood on his body.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything you can do. You will only be killed like dogs, even if you arrive on time.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Asuka let it spill out her other ear.


    A member of the Tower of Wisdom¡ªhe was a Sword Saint and he had be the Sword God. She swore at him even though she had to know Biban¡¯s reputation.


    Ibellin and Coke were worried. Biban¡¯s condition was strange to look at, with a broken sword hanging from his waist, but he wasn¡¯t an opponent to be treated casually. It wasn¡¯t that they were worried about Asuka being angry. The problem was that she didn¡¯t respect Grid¡¯s precious connections.


    ¡°I-Impertinent!¡±


    ¡°What nonsense about impertinence?¡±


    Asukaughed at Coke, who had shouted at her, and finally flew up into the sky. It was aplete flight. This ability was gained thanks to the angel wings. She liked it very much. It was only now that the game seemed like a game. She hadn¡¯t been able to shake off the peculiarity of Satisfy, which had seemed too real even though it wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡°Rumor has it that you are an old man with dementia? Do we really need to listen to whatever you say? In the first ce, we didn¡¯te all the way to hell to kill mobs, did we? Half of us can stand guard at the entrance here. I will go.¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it true that they came here to catch mobs? It happened as Ibellin was about to stop the excited Asuka...


    p!


    Before he knew it, Biban had stood in front of Asuka and pped her in the face. Then an amazing thing happened.


    Asuka, one of the strongest yers, fell to the ground without even reacting. In the center of therge crater that had been created by her fall, she flinched as she was stuck upside down.


    Was she dead...?


    Ibellin and Coke couldn¡¯t keep up with the situation and were stunned.


    ¡°Hahat! You want to fight, right?¡± Asuka shouted as she jumped up. She was much more energetic than before. It was because her berserker trait was activated. Her health had been decreased to a great extent because she had been pped by Biban. If it wasn¡¯t for the dragon armor, it probably would¡¯ve been decreased to less than half. Finally, she pulled out the dragon weapon.


    The angel with the silver mask, who had been silently watching the situation, prepared to step out. Then Biban appeared in front of Asuka again. He grabbed her by the cor and threw her in the direction of the newly approaching demon army.


    ¡°......¡±


    An angel in the grip of madness¡ªAsuka unexpectedly started ughtering the army of demonic creatures and was much more brutal than Michael, who once appeared at the Reba Church¡¯s Vatican. It was convincing why she was given the title of ¡®Angel of Madness.¡¯


    ¡°What a useful friend,¡± Biban said cheerfully with a benevolent smile. He didn¡¯t seem like someone who half-killed a person and threw them into the middle of the enemy camp.


    Biban warned the dumbfounded Ibellin, ¡°Don¡¯t be swayed by your subordinates on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t swayed at all. If Asuka hadn¡¯t stepped in, Ibellin would¡¯ve run in Grid¡¯s direction right away. However, he hid this truth. He didn¡¯t want to be treated the same as Asuka.


    After his awkward answer, Biban spoke to him again, ¡°Focus on the mission. The reason why Grid entrusted me and you with different missions is because it is for the best.¡±


    They were words filled with strong trust. Ibellin was able to realize that the man in front of him had absolute trust in Grid. He thought that he wanted to learn from this person.


    ¡°Above all, right now...¡± Biban smiled at the vigorously nodding Ibellin and his eyes returned to the middle of the battlefield. It was the spot where Asuka was in full swing. To be precise, it was slightly above her.


    A light was shing in the sky in Biban¡¯s vision.


    Magic?


    Ibellin was on guard, only to soon doubt his eyes. The light approaching at the speed of light. It was something¡¯s arms, legs, and torso.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough room to leave here.¡±


    The underground area where Yura and her group was struggling¡ªBiban blocked the entrance to it while drawing the Broken Sword. He was aware of it.


    The fragments of Asura that had separated from Baal after he became a giant¡ªthey were trying tobine with the red flesh. He had a hunch that he shouldn¡¯t let that happen.


    ***


    It felt like running on a ridge that rose at right angles. The peak barely reached the end of his field of view...


    This was Grid¡¯s impression as he sped over Baal¡¯s body, which was so big. It was a short thought. The ridge seemed to sway and his view rotated 360 degrees. It was the aftermath of the movement of Baal¡¯s arm, which Grid was stepping on. Baal shook off the hand that had been gripping at Grid¡¯s neck and waved his arms wildly. It was to remove Grid.


    Bang! Bang! Baaang!


    The explosion that urred every time Baal swung his arms was deafening.


    In the midst of the raging storm, the orange divinity that Grid wore around his body swayed like it was going to be extinguished. It became weak in an instant.


    Grid held on with gritted teeth. He held the sword inserted into Baal¡¯s skin like it was a pir and hung down.


    A shadow was cast over his body. It was the shadow created by the palm of Baal¡¯s hand as it attacked him. He thought that the scenery that mosquitoes saw right before they died after sucking human blood must be simr to what he saw now.


    A giant who would embrace andfort the dead¡ªafter returning to his primal form, Baal overwhelmed Grid with his sheer size. However, the smaller being wasn¡¯t overwhelmed.


    If Grid was a mosquito, then there was a mote. It was Bunhelier, who was in the form of a ck mouse. Baal¡¯s enormous size gave him more freedom and he was already perched on Grid¡¯s shoulder before he knew it.


    ¡°...Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around?¡±


    Grid let out augh. It was augh of delight.


    ¡°Get on!¡±


    Squeak squeak!


    Bunhelier cried as he jumped off Grid¡¯s shoulder. He grew his body at the same time, while Gridunched himself toward him.


    sh!


    Bunhelier revealed his body. He was on the smaller side among the Old Dragons, and he had a rather small bodypared to Baal, but he was big enough. Due to the free flight, Grid and Baal were at roughly the same eye level.


    ¡°Go!"


    ¡°Ohhhhhhh!!¡±


    Bunhelier rushed in while releasing his magic power. Grid stood against the horn that rose taller than his head and released his full force.


    It was a scene like two giant monsters colliding.


    It felt like the genre had changed.


    The epic depicted it magnificently. Humanity¡¯s fear of Baal continued to fade.


    Contrary to Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s intention, a single human, called Grid, had taken root in the world. The name of the root was hope.

 Chapter 1845

    Chapter 1845


    The Breath contained Bunhelier¡¯s magic power and shook Baal¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ohhhhhhh!!¡±


    Grid responded with Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.


    Jingle.


    The sound of Chiyou¡¯s bell was a precursor. Ultimate Martial Art was activated and caused Baal to reel again.


    Bunhelier¡¯s body mmed into Baal. Bunhelier, who had been holding his breath in the form of a mouse and seeded in a surprise attack, had no intention of missing this opportunity. It was the same for Grid.


    Giant Transformation¡ªthe transformation skill usually used by nt-type bosses had two clear advantages. The first was that their stats increased, and the second was that they didn¡¯t get knocked down easily. Due to the increase in mass itself, they demonstrated a constitution that was immune to serious injuries. In particr, Baal had be so huge that he treated it as being stabbed by a toothpick even if he was pierced by a sword.


    [Hurry! Pour it all out!]


    Bunhelier¡¯s will was conveyed to Grid. Perhaps it was because of the effect of Dragon Knight. Grid and Bunheliermunicated in real time. They read each other¡¯s will as if it was their own and responded to each other.


    Grid was already moving. God''s Command and other abilities reset the cooldown of his skills, so he linked the six fusion sword dance again.


    [The target has received 24,469,055,100 damage.] [1]


    [You have broken the record for the highest damage dealt to a single being in the world!]


    [Someone imprisoned in heaven¡¯s prison has noticed your amazing achievement and is clicking his tongue.]


    [¡±At this point, even Dominion and Judar will be taking notice...¡±]


    Fortunately for Grid, Baal¡¯s Giant Transformation only seemed to have half the advantages. It felt like his defense had be weaker. The damage was inflicted really well. Of course, it had to be taken into ount that thebination of Defying the Natural Order and Twilight was creating a tremendous synergy. The additional damage effect against great demons meant the damage had tripled. Additionally, the weak point attacks and critical hits were the basics.


    It naturally neutralized the strength of Giant Transformation.


    ¡®Even taking that into ount, the damage was dealt very well.¡¯


    What was the reason? Grid found it easy to guess. Originally, Baal¡¯s strengthy in the chaining of the skills he learned from the dead. Thanks to these skills, he was able to deal more damage to Grid, while offsetting some of Grid¡¯s attack power.


    However, the giant form Baal didn¡¯t use any special skills. Maybe it was hard to use human skills with that huge body?


    Grid thought this and stopped the sword dances he had been linking without a break. This was because all the means to remove the cooldown of the sword dances had been exhausted. It was a pity that this wasn¡¯t the Overgeared World.


    He was in awe of Baal, who was still alive.


    Kuaaaaaaaah!


    The suspension of the six fusion sword dance also meant that the shackles of Ultimate Martial Art were lifted. Baal regained his freedom and roared like a monster in a movie. It wasn¡¯t like he lost his sense of reason and behaved like a beast. He was just a bit excited from bing huge.


    Baal didn¡¯t run amok. The first thing he did was to dispose of Bunhelier. He grabbed Bunhelier by the neck with his huge hand and immediately cast the curse magic.


    ¡°Groan...¡± Bunhelier was weak in hell. In terms of simply magic power and physical ability, he was halfway between the intermediate dragons and top dragons. It was very humiliating for Bunhelier, but what could he do? He was suffering the consequences of his own actions. He was paying for the sin of joining forces with a demon and harming his own kind. Nevertheless, from the perspective of Grid, there was a fortunate oue.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    It was that Bunhelier¡¯s status waspletely preserved.


    The status of an Old Dragon¡ªit wasn¡¯t a concept that could be dismissed recklessly. Just as Nevartan was still feared despite wandering in madness for hundreds of years, Bunhelier was still an Old Dragon. The fact that he fell into a demon¡¯s trap and was tricked, or that he turned into a mouse to survive, didn¡¯t undermine his value.


    The effect of Dragon Knight was intact.


    Grid fired an onught at Baal, who was about to rip Bunhelier¡¯s head off. He deployed Request to Stand With Me and sniped at Baal¡¯s huge hand. It was very powerful with the Dragon Knight effect.


    Baal was unable to cope with the power and let go of his hand. Thanks to this, Bunhelier was able to breathe. However, a curse spell was falling from the sky.


    ¡°Again... I wille back again.¡±


    Bunhelier didn¡¯t wait for a reply from Grid. He immediately turned into a mouse and fled the scene. Thanks to this, the curse magic struck Grid, who was left alone in the air.


    [You have suffered 1,333,333 damage.]


    [The bondage of powerful magic oppresses you.]


    [You have resisted.]


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    In a sudden turn of events, Grid was struck and he spontaneously let out a curse. In the first ce, it was a bondage aimed at Bunhelier. He resisted, but the damage was quite painful. It was quite burdensome in a situation where he lost his health every time Baal swung an arm or roared, and it was like he received damage over time.


    [Resent your judgment for cooperating with that guy.]


    Could it be that he transformed into something smaller than a monster?


    ...Really?


    Baal was momentarily taken aback by the sudden disappearance of Bunhelier before his eyes, only to smirk. He was quite satisfied with Grid¡¯s bloody appearance. He was very rxed for a guy who had suffered a lot of damage in a row and even showed ugly screams.


    Grid btedly noticed one thing.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he going to die?¡¯


    Baal, in his humanoid form¡ªhe couldn¡¯tst long against the merged Defying the Natural Order and Twilight, and suffered several deaths. However, the one who became a giant didn¡¯t die despite suffering more damage than when he was a humanoid. It was even after being hit by the six fusion sword dance a whopping nine times in a row.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    After bing a giant, his health gauge itself had disappeared, so it was hard to grasp the situation. Well, it didn¡¯t disappear, to be precise, but it was difficult to identify.


    Baal¡¯s head was located so high up. The health gauge that floated above it¡ªit was physically impossible to discern the gauge at close range when it would be infinitely smaller than Baal¡¯s head.


    ¡®It is inconvenient in many ways because I can¡¯t use Shunpo.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s vision turned ck as he clicked his tongue. It was because the magic power Baal released from his mouth attacked him.


    A tidal wave seemed to being. The earth and sky were turbulent and further disturbed Grid¡¯s view.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Grid was about to rally the God Hands to block it, but he changed his mind midway. He was conscious of Baal¡¯s hand, which was chasing behind the tidal wave. He feared that he would be caught by Baal¡¯s mighty hand and unable to move the moment he wrapped himself in the sun sphere made from the God Hands.


    ¡®I have to find a way to kill him one more time.¡¯


    Grid thought while flying at full power and distancing himself from Baal. He wanted to level up...


    It would be easier to fight if his stats increased. But...


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The tide was turning rapidly.


    Baal¡¯s exhaled breath and every hand wave all put pressure on Grid.


    Baal was a tricky opponent in many ways after he returned to his primal form. For one thing, it neutralized many of Grid¡¯s strengths just because it was so huge.


    The epic described such a situation. Grid was obviously in a crisis. It recorded it without turning a blind eye because it was a situation where Grid might die. What if it tried to hide it and Grid died? There was a concern that the epic would be treated as a distorted scripture, rather than one that contained only the truth.


    All the records so far could be discredited, and Grid¡¯s status could decline. However...


    [Humanity¡¯s fear has faded.]


    People didn¡¯t lose faith at Grid¡¯s crisis. They weren¡¯t frightened even after checking the contents of the epic that depicted Baal as a giant. They still trusted Grid. It was natural. Grid had shown them so many things. People gathered all over the world shouted that Grid would ovee even this new disaster. He would challenge again even if he failed without oveing the crisis.


    There was a being who responded to their beliefs.


    ¡°Gridddddd!¡±


    It was Nefelina.


    ¡°Gasp! Gasp! Damn! This X-ing thing? What the hell is this? Why is it so big?¡±


    Zibal¡¯s curses echoed from the loudspeakers as he followed her on Raiders.


    The entrance to Baal¡¯s city where Jishuka and Zik¡¯s party had been fighting¡ªNefelina and Zibal, who had been watching the battlefield from afar, rushed toward this ce from the very beginning. Thanks to this, they were able to arrive in time.


    ¡°Nefelina!¡±


    Grid suffered heavy damage again in the aftermath of blocking Baal¡¯s fist and he used the recoil of the impact. He didn¡¯t resist and flew obediently, quickly narrowing the distance to Nefelina.


    [...Transcendent Dragon.]


    Baal didn¡¯t treat the daughter of the Insane Dragon as a mere hatchling. He was aware that she had inherited her father¡¯s talents and could temporarily transcend her limits. Thus, he was wary of her.


    A beam of ck magic power was fired from his wide-open mouth. In the aftermath of his body bing huge, the size of the light beam was also tremendouslyrge. In terms of size, it was bigger than an Old Dragon¡¯s Breath. It was a skill effect that could seem like the strongest skill ever.


    Viewers thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Grid and Nefelina perished side by side as they were swept up in it together.


    It was a damn thing. They had been watching the show for hours and cheering eagerly, so they couldn¡¯t believe that this was the result.


    The 1st Great Demon, Baal¡ªas expected of a final boss candidate, he was strong. It was clear that he was a mountain that couldn¡¯t be climbed yet.


    The moment everyone thought this¡ª


    ¡°Kyak!¡± Nefelina screamed.


    The huge, fast-moving beam of magic¡ªit was inevitable and she didn¡¯t avoid it. She was obliged to put the flying Grid on her back, so she flew with her back to the ray. Thus, a barrier of magic was raised. It was to stop the advance of the light ray for a while and to allow Grid to safely get on her back.


    However, the barrier of magic copsed in a disastrous manner. The structure of the defensive magic, which had been carefully designed by a master of magic, couldn¡¯t withstand the ignorant strength of the powerful beam. She was going to be swept away. Even if she survived, she would fail to allow Grid to board her back.


    It was the moment when Nefelina, overwhelmed by the rapidly approaching light, felt it¡­


    A silver magic machine fell in front of her and blocked the ray. No, it was too horrible a sight to describe as blocking it. It broke and turned into ashes the moment it touched the light.


    Zibal, who was riding on it, appeared. He looked determined even after losing a colleague who had been with him for a long time. He smiled as he used a skill with the dragon weapon he received from Grid and reduced the power of the beam, which was still powerful even after turning Raiders into ashes. It was the smile of a man who was an idol to American boys and girls.


    ¡°A hero doesn¡¯t turn away from a child.¡±


    Nefelina¡ªit was the second time since she was born that she realized that the backs of people who were much smaller than herself could look so big.


    ¡°Zibal...!¡± Nefelina¡¯s cry didn¡¯t reach him. Zibal¡¯s hearing waspletely ruined after being swallowed up by the remnants of the beam. He was just holding on with his dragon armor and struggling to fully handle the power of the beam of light. The beam was caught by Zibal¡¯s skill and exploded without prating Zibal. Through the thick smoke that spread¡ª


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    Nefelina showed up. Her wings were spread wide out as she charged toward Baal. It was a disappointing appearance. It was the limit of a hatchling. The not fully grown dragon was more than a dozen times smaller than Baal.


    However, Grid was standing on her back. The god of the surface who scattered orange divinity from his body like a cloak or long hair¡ªhe was raising Nefelina¡¯s presence to a great extent.


    Still, Baal wasn¡¯t shaken. The people also didn¡¯t have any big hopes.


    It was a little while ago. Grid rode on the back of an Old Dragon and couldn¡¯t do anything against Baal. Being with a hatchling wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to win...


    Grid thought differently. ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    The five fusion sword dances.


    Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle Drop.


    Drop Dragon Pinnacle Kill Wave.


    Revolve Dragon Drop Pinnacle Kill.


    Linked Kill Revolve Pinnacle Chop.


    They were the ultimate skills Grid had been using all along until he got the six fusion sword dances. It could be called his fundamentals. He killed far more enemies with the five fusion sword dances than the six fusion sword dances. It was the same for the four fusion sword dances, three fusion sword dances, and two fusion sword dances.


    That¡¯s right¡ªin a situation where the six fusion sword dances were blocked, Grid returned to his roots.


    ¡®It will be okay. It is going to work.¡¯


    Grid noted two facts. Baal hadn¡¯t used any special skills since he became huge. Additionally, he took more damage every time he allowed Grid¡¯s attack.


    ¡®The Giant Transformation pays a huge price.¡¯


    Originally, Baal had honed his body to resist the power of the dragon weapons. Then after Baal became a giant, Grid broke his highest damage record several times despite Baal¡¯s trained body. It could be interpreted that his body itself had changed again.


    The energy of a God Killer, the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship, etcetera¡ªthe fact that he didn¡¯t use any of the skills he acquired also supported this. In other words...


    [Kuaaack!]


    The giant Baal lost even his immunity to the sword dances.


    His primal form¡ªhe, too, had returned to his roots. From now on, it was a sh of the fundamentals against the fundamentals. There was an obvious difference.


    Baal¡¯s fundamentals was to wield his innate power.


    Grid¡¯s fundamentals was to utilize the skills he had honed.


    It was because Grid was born as an ordinary guy with nothing. His fundamentals were polished by himself. Additionally, Nefelina¡¯s small body worked to her advantage. She flew around and around between Baal¡¯s legs, and Grid stabbed at his gaps.


    Grid¡¯s linked fusion sword dances easily shed Baal¡¯s legs. Baal¡¯s body slowly started to tilt.


    At this time, Grid noticed a new fact. The super fast regeneration¡ªthe fraudulent power that had restored Baal¡¯s wounds almost immediately wasn¡¯t working.


    This wasn¡¯t the aftermath of Giant Transformation. The super fast regeneration wasn¡¯t a power taken from the dead, but Baal¡¯s own power. However, it was weakened. It was a phenomenon that showed that the power of regeneration had been using people¡¯s fear as a resource. Only this interpretation could exin why Baal¡¯s recovery was so significantly slower.


    ¡®Baal isn¡¯t someone who can¡¯t die.¡¯


    He was just in a position where he couldn¡¯t die. He was desperately resisting death...


    The appearance projected by Baal in Grid¡¯s eyes was not that of a giant, but a sand castle.


    1. Seems to be an author error since the damage in the previous chapter was higher. Koreanments have noticed this as well. I will keep an eye on the raws to see if the author/publisher fixes it ?

 Chapter 1846

    Chapter 1846


    ¡°No, what...¡±


    Both Ibellin and Cork were dumbfounded.


    Broken Sword¡ªit happened as Biban pulled out a seemingly useless item and took aim at the fragments of Asura that were approaching at the speed of light...


    Their view was blocked by a ¡®wall.¡® It was really a wall. The wall that suddenly appeared like an illusion filled their vision. Then there was an earthquake and the wall was lifted.


    Before they knew it, they witnessed the scenes of the demonic creatures on the battlefield turning to ash. Thousands of demonic creatures had been ughtered. The fragments of Asura were also gone.


    What happened? It took them quite some time to understand. The two people btedly realized the truth and fixed their eyes on Biban¡¯s broken sword.


    ¡°As expected. It isn¡¯t cut.¡±


    Biban aimed his sword at the sky again.


    What they had doubted was actually true. The identity of the wall that blocked Ibellin and Coke¡¯s vision¡ªit was Biban¡¯s sword that rapidly grew in size. It felt like the physical embodiment of the Space Sword, the Sword Saint¡¯s ultimate skill that cut through the world with a sword.


    The targeted fragments of Asura flew into the distance like a home run ball and the battlefield split in half. The demons and demonic creatures swept away by the shock either fell to the ground or fell off a cliff to their deaths.


    ¡°Hahat! Is the Sword God also overgeared?¡± Asuka giggled as she clung to the cliff that had just formed. She didn¡¯t show any displeasure even though she almost died. Rather, she seemed to have formed a liking toward Biban.


    ¡®She is an enigmatic person, even though I know her.¡¯


    It was true for most of the people gathered around Grid. It was the same for them.


    Ibellin nced at the masked angels who were observing before his eyes widened.


    ¡°Behind! Behind you!¡±


    A slime-like flesh was creeping out of the underground entrance that the group had their backs to. It was very suspicious. He wondered if it was part of the red flesh that was fighting fiercely with Yura¡¯s group underground.


    The destructive power contained in Ibellin¡¯s sword was enormous. The flesh was shattered with one blow.


    Biban looked at the flesh scattering in all directions and cocked his head. ¡°It is strange. I didn¡¯t feel its presence. It is persistent.¡±


    The group¡¯s eyes shifted back to the sky. The fragments of Asura that flew away a while ago were returning. He felt a strong determination to enter the underground area.


    ¡°It is better to change the method.¡±


    Biban put away Broken Sword. He stood blocking the entrance of the underground area and red at the fragments of Asura approaching at the speed of light. The fragments of Asura that arrived were caught by Biban¡¯s hands. Both arms were captured in the left hand and the lower body was in the right hand. Finally, the torso was caught under Biban¡¯s armpit and it was immobilized.


    It was a rather unrealistic sight. It was already abnormal that the fragmented body parts were flying around. Additionally, Asura¡¯s arms and legs were twice asrge as the average adult man, yet Biban held them with both hands. It was only possible because his hands were as big as pot lids.


    Biban had veins bulging from his neck and forehead as he folded all of Asura¡¯s joints. It was a fearsome strength.


    He sat down and used as a cushion the fragments of Asura, which had strangely twisted arms and legs wrapped around the torso. Then he spoke to Ibellin, ¡°Look for something to tie it up with.¡±


    ¡°...Yes!¡± Ibellin and Coke answered with a sudden sense of loyalty. They were thrilled after seeing what Biban had shown. Asuka followed the two of them silently. The angel in the gold mask also chased after the group.


    Biban spoke to the man in the silver mask who was left behind, ¡°Your eyes are fierce. Your uneasiness is showing despite the mask.¡±


    ¡°...Haha. It makes me excited that they don¡¯t seem to recognize me at all.¡±


    ¡°You changed your race to an angel and even wore a mask. Isn¡¯t it a problem if you are easily recognized?¡±


    ¡°I guess so...?¡±


    It was during the time when the two of them were having a conversation.


    ¡°......¡±


    The pieces of flesh that had just been shattered were moving slowly. They passed between the rocks and approached the fragments of Asura that Biban was sitting on. There were no signs. It was because it wasn¡¯t a living thing.


    Creak.


    Only Asura reacted to the flesh. Asura desperately moved his arm, which was tied to his torso and bent in the opposite direction of his joints. He barely managed to stretch out one finger.


    ¡°Stay still.¡±


    It was the moment when Biban felt a disturbance and put strength into his hips. However, Asura¡¯s finger barely stretched out and touched the flesh. At the same time, a powerful explosion urred. It was an explosion of energy. The origin was Asura, whom Biban had been sitting on. The explosion pushed away Biban and the angel in the silver mask.


    ¡°Cough, cough!¡± The angel hurriedly raised his head to examine the situation. He could see a figure slowly standing up through the thick smoke. It was a headless figure.


    ¡°This...!¡±


    Asura¡¯s arms, torso, and lower body were glued together.


    The angel in the mask grasped the situation and took a battle stance, only for blood to spew from his mouth. Asura¡¯s hand was piercing his torso.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Biban¡¯s cry rang in the angel¡¯s ears as he was stunned by the shock. Before he knew it, Biban hade to his side and wielded Broken Sword.


    Broken Sword was caught in Asura¡¯s hand and stopped. It was useless. Asura was forced to let go the moment the sword grew in size. It shed heavily and soared into the air. Biban supported the angel and went back to the entrance of the underground, guarding there.


    ¡°Did itbine...? So what are you going to do?¡±


    An Absolute¡ªit was a hierarchy that went beyond the concept of a nation or an era and controlled the fate of the world. There was no reason to shrink back just from facing a god.


    ¡°......¡±


    The Evil God, Asura, who ingested the red flesh and took a form, was quiet. It was because it didn¡¯t have a head. He didn¡¯t even have nostrils or a mouth, so he couldn¡¯t breathe. Only his heart was pounding.


    Duguen, dugeun, dugeun...


    The only sound was the heartbeat that got louder and louder.


    ¡°...Are you having fun?¡±


    The Evil God derived from Baal¡¯s desire and hard work¡ªhis madness irritated Ibellin and the others, who came running at the sound of themotion. He was bizarre from his appearance and quickly spread fear.


    ¡°This is an opportunity to properly check his power.¡±


    Instead, Bibanughed. He looked pleased to see Asura.


    ***


    There was no invincibility.


    Grid¡¯s experience was telling him this truth.


    From Elfin Stone, who was regarded as a disaster in the vampire cities, to Belial, the great demon who invaded the surface for the first time, the yangbans of the East Continent, the dukes of the empire, the archangels, Martial God Zeratul, and even the dragons.


    Grid had met dozens of enemies he was ¡®unlikely to win against.¡¯ How were all of them now? They were dead, gone, or wouldn¡¯t go against Grid. Grid believed that Baal would have the same fate.


    A guy who had been ying with the concept of death at the peak of hell¡ªhe was a strong enemy, but Grid wasn¡¯t inferior.


    Grid¡¯s individual force exceeded Baal¡¯s and the firepower of the expedition led by Grid also overwhelmed the firepower of the demonic army called by Baal. It was thanks to the dragon weapons and armor that had been produced and enhanced inrge quantities.


    ¡®I will win.¡¯


    It was a conclusion based on thorough analysis, not vague confidence. Grid¡¯s expedition this time must be sessful. He was confident from the beginning and put it into action. It was beyond his calctions that Baal became stronger than expected, but this wasn¡¯t even a variable. It was because Grid also grew stronger in real time.


    [Die...!]


    Baal slumped down and shouted in a threatening manner. No, it was more than just a threat. It was a real danger. He shot a ray of magic power every time he opened his mouth.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡± Nefelina swallowed down a scream as she turned and narrowly avoided the light. She didn¡¯t know how many times this had already happened. If she was polymorphed as a human being, then she would have a half-crying face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nefelina!¡± Grid grabbed Nefelina¡¯s horn to guide her flight path. He headed straight for the newly fired beam.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    The pping of Nefelina¡¯s wings stopped for a moment. It was only for a moment. Her eyes snapped shut and she pped her wings again. She risked turning into a rag and rushed in. It was because that was what Grid wanted.


    It was a misunderstanding. Grid didn¡¯t want to hurt Nefelina. He hoped to close the distance between them and Baal. He was responsible for Nefelina¡¯s safety by striking the beam with Revolve the moment it was about to touch.


    ¡®There are 20 seconds left.¡¯


    Nefelina was a hatchling. She had only temporarily transcended her limits. Originally, she didn¡¯t have the qualifications to activate Dragon Knight. Additionally, the time of this transcendence was limited. He had to gain more benefits.


    [Kuaaack...!]


    Baal allowed Grid¡¯s approach and screamed again. There was a mind-numbing pain. Baal thought that the sword Grid was wielding was really unreasonable. He keenly realized how miserable and painful the feelings of an innocent victim were.


    That¡¯s right.


    Gourmet Dragon Raiders, Fire Dragon Trauka, cksmith God Hexetia, the Great Robber of the Red Night, Grid, and Khan¡ªthe power of Defying the Natural Order, created through the cooperation of many Absolutes and transcendents, made Baal understand the position of the weak.


    It made Baal realize how cruel his crimes had been. Baal had no choice but to admit it.


    ¡®He is stronger than me.¡¯


    The dragons¡ªhe didn¡¯t expect for a monster to be born that could use the creatures even Reba couldn¡¯t control as a power in a different way.


    [Dragon...! Knight!]


    Baal¡¯s angry cries set off a series of explosions. It resembled Dragon Fear. It was a powerful technique created simply bybining his loud voice and magic power.


    Nefelina¡¯s small body shook like she was going to fall. Then she spun around and Grid missed his target. It gave Baal an opportunity to fight back.


    [It is up to here...!]


    Grid and Nefelina¡¯s vision darkened. It was because the shadow made by Baal¡¯s hand was getting closer. They would be crushed the moment they were caught.


    Nefelina had a hunch, so she gritted her teeth and picked up the pace. However, she was slow. The short period of time where she was off bnce proved fatal. Baal¡¯s hot hand that was heated by mana touched her scales.


    It was over...


    Then the scenery that Nefelina saw changed like it was a lie. The valley formed by the ground that copsed every time Baal walked disappearedpletely and a wilderness spread out. Baal¡¯s back could be seen in the distance.


    ck ck.


    The sound of cking teeth was heard.


    An Overgeared Skeleton. The Overgeared Skeleton, summoned by Grid, changed Nefelina¡¯s position.


    Spatial distortion¡ªit wasn¡¯t like movement magic. This meant it was possible to resist to a certain extent the barrier blocking movement magic. It was thanks to Baal returning to his primal form. Most of the skills that Baal acquired from the dead were incapacitated.


    ¡°¡±I¡¯m sorry... I couldn¡¯t move you far. The amount of magic that Eve demanded...¡±¡±


    ¡°No, this is well done.¡±


    Hundreds of God Hands, each holding weapons, spread out like wings. They were like the wings of a spear. At the same time, Grid used Request to Stand With Me. He gathered the wishes of the people. He also activated Another Tomb, which had been used three times.


    Finally, the six fusion sword dance was used. God''s Command couldn''t activate again due to the constraints of hell, but there was a limit to the restriction effect of the dimension. It couldn¡¯t stop the cooldown from resetting.


    A god who climbed onto the back of a dragon and spread wings like a spear de¡ªhe danced in the rain of battle gear and magic. He shed at the wrists of the giant evil who released inexhaustible magic power. He cut it, reached his heart, and inserted Defying the Natural Order.


    It was a blow to bring down the sky of hell.


    [Ah... Huuuuu...]


    Baal groaned.


    A being who had ovee death¡ªhe backed away with a flustered expression. He floundered as if he was frightened.


    Finally, Baal copsed and coughed up blood. The blood quickly formedkes and rivers, soaking the barrennd. Countless shades of gray were escaping from his body.

 Chapter 1847

    Baal was different from the Absolutes of heaven. He couldn¡¯t transcend the concept of time and was bound to it. It was because he became stronger as time passed.


    Baal was aware that the current him wasn¡¯t perfect. This wasn¡¯t meant in a negative way. He was constantly evolving. He might not be perfect now, but he had the certainty that he could reach the peak one day. The more that jealousy and suspicion sprouted on the surface and the more that quarrels and wars were repeated, the more Baal waspleted...


    So there was always room for rxation. It was to the extent that he epted it easily even when he was first killed by Grid. He thought it would be different next time.


    Then what about today¡¯s oue? Grid¡¯s growth rate exceeded Baal¡¯s predictions. This was even though his prediction ounted for Grid¡¯s explosive growth. He even grew stronger in real time while fighting Baal. It seemed to have a superior advantage over Baal and made Baal¡¯s strengths meaningless.


    ¡®It is because the Old Dragons helped.¡¯


    Fire Dragon Trauka¡ªeverything went awry from the moment he gave an arm to Grid. A certain emotion started to boil deep in Baal¡¯s heart as he analyzed the cause.


    It was anger.


    Wrath.


    It was an emotion that was only felt by insignificant beings who couldn¡¯t solve things as they wished. It didn¡¯t suit the king of hell, who had ridiculed countless fates and manipted them to his liking.


    [...Kukuk.]


    It was while being trampled on his chest and repeatedly cut by Grid¡ªBaal realized that he had lost hisposure from the start.


    ¡®It was a defeat.¡¯


    The data of the dragon weapons and armor brought to him by his clones¡ªever since he was defeated by Grid¡¯s swords and armor, which far exceeded their power, he grew impatient and this made him reach this point. Like an insignificant being...


    He didn¡¯t deserve to win.


    The gray ash symbolizing death¡ªBaal remained silent even as the souls he umted for a long time were escaping from his body. He didn¡¯t bother trying to hold onto them. He didn¡¯t even let out a single breath as he stared at Grid swinging his sword. Then he spoke words with difficulty.


    [I can¡¯t¡­ if I am alone.]


    ¡°......?¡¯


    It was a situation where the duration of Nefelina¡¯s Transcendent Dragon had passed. The Dragon Knight¡¯s effect was lifted. Grid, who was alone, had be impatient.


    At this time, Baal¡¯s meaningful words were enough to make him feel uneasy. An unidentified noise was heard. It was like the sound of a clock¡¯s hour hand moving. The problem was that it came all of a sudden. He felt something special that was simr to Chiyou¡¯s bell.


    It was a portent. The ultimate of an Absolute.


    Grid noticed and let out his stopped breath. He soared into the air and flew far away from Baal. It was to control the distance, but it was a pointless act. The ultimate move of an Absolute couldn¡¯t be bound by the concept of distance.


    sh!


    The identity of the noise was revealed. A pocket watch floated between Baal on the ground and the flying Grid. It was a watch decorated with bizarre patterns. The indicated unit of time was also far frommon sense. The hour hand spun furiously.


    The surroundingndscape changed ordingly. The deste wilderness of hell changed to a in with lush vegetation and the green earth became scorching red dozens of times a second. It was an iprehensible change from Grid¡¯s position. It was thendscape of hell¡¯s past, present, and future.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know I would use this power.¡¯


    The underlying cause of Baal¡¯s anger was fear. It was a fear that rose from the judgment that he couldn¡¯t win against Grid. He felt like he was going to lose everything. It clearly meant that he was on the defensive. This made him regain his original appearance, but it wasn¡¯t enough to reverse the situation.


    Therefore, he relied on this will. The power of his father, Yatan.


    I hope you will embrace those who died and fell here with that big body, relieving their sorrow by crossing time and space with this watch...


    It was a power that was received along with this nonsense. Baal didn¡¯t want to rely on this disgusting power.


    One day, Yatan suddenly turned into a mess. He died a humble death like the weak, and Baal buried him in the Abyss with great difficulty. He had intended for Yatan to be forgotten in hell, apart from a few neutral areas where Yatan¡¯s will still remained. Amoract established the irreversible religion called the Yatan Church, so those on the surface were clearly aware of Yatan. However, that was just a situation on the surface.


    Baal hoped that Yatan would be forgotten in hell. Of course, a God of the Beginning wouldn¡¯t perish just because he was forgotten. In order for Baal to rule and reign over hell, Yatan shouldn¡¯t be allowed to surface. That power that had been suppressed¡ª


    [Grid, you brought this on yourself.]


    He took it out.


    The earth shook. It was due to the steps of a giant who appeared from the continuously changingndscape. A giant walked out from the green in. His identity was Baal. To be precise, it was Baal of the past. He had an infinitely gentle expressionpared to the present day Baal.


    [The me in the past.]


    Stagger.


    A distorted smile spread across Baal¡¯s face as he barely raised hisrge body.


    [Along with the future me, he will ughter you with me.]


    The Baal of the future¡ªit was his ultimate self that even Baal couldn¡¯t fathom. It was the future him, who would¡¯ve be extremely strong every time humanity experienced fights, wars, and destruction. He probably would¡¯ve destroyed the Old Dragons on the surface and conquered heaven.


    As he imagined it, Baal waited for his future self.


    Grid¡¯s eyes darkened rapidly as he noticed the situation.


    The past, present, and future Baal had to be confronted at the same time? It was a ridiculous power. It felt like the victory he thought he had barely won was getting further away. The words defeat and failure were etched into Grid¡¯s mind one after another.


    ¡°No...¡±


    Nefelina was frustrated as she watched the situation from a distance.


    Squeak squeak!


    Bunhelier, who had been looking for an opportunity, also sat down. The mouse leaned against the wall and sighed as he slumped down.


    ¡°We can¡¯t beat this. Squeak.¡±


    Bunhelier had existed since the beginning of time. Even so, Baal¡¯s power came as quite a shock to him. He was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness after discovering that he had fallen into Baal¡¯s trap.


    What could Grid do? The preparations for the past few months and today¡¯s fierce struggle had all been for naught...


    Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to stand back up again? Bunhelier thought that Grid would be finished like this. He thought it would make Grid give up on his vain dream of purifying hell and saving humanity.


    The atmosphere became extremely gloomy.


    ¡°...It¡¯s okay.¡± However, Grid didn¡¯t copse. There was no sign of despair on his face. The will in his eyes was too intense for him to pretend to be calm. ¡°I¡¯ve been through more trials than this. I can get over it.¡±


    Originally, Grid was nothing. He was a substandard human being who only watched and envied people who studied and worked normally. Yet he had reached this point. No matter what type of despair he faced now, it was better than it was in the past.


    [......?]


    Baal found something strange. He showed signs of anxiety that went beyond the level of confusion. It wasn¡¯t because he was intimidated by Grid¡¯s unexpected attitude. It was because the future him didn¡¯t respond.


    [...This damn guy?!]


    A scene popped into Baal¡¯s mind. It was a scene of his future self sitting atop Reba¡¯s throne andughing at his present self with glee.


    [...Two is enough.]


    Baal gritted his teeth and nced at his past self.


    Grid, who was alone without any dragons¡ªit was a signal to attack and kill this guy who had consumed many things throughout the battle and was weakened.


    [......]


    However, the past Baal didn¡¯t cooperate. He looked at the present day Baal and took a step back. He disappeared into thendscape of vegetation. It was natural for him to not cooperate. The Baal of the past was still pure. It was a time when he epted the obligations given to him by Yatan without questions.


    Tick.


    Finally, the pocket watch stopped. Thendscape also returned to its original state.


    ¡°You betray even yourself.¡±


    Grid approached and thrust his sword into Baal¡¯s heart. It was the best blow of the day. All the movements of the six fusion sword dance were smoothly linked. It was a perfect embodiment of the ideals that Grid had envisioned. The weak point hits and critical hits were applied to all strikes.


    [Kuek....! Kuaaaaaaack!!!]


    Baal couldn¡¯t contain it and let out a scream. It was a scream of suppressed emotions.


    Death¡ªhe intuitively felt that the concept he had been ying with all his life was descending toward him.


    ¡®Mistake... It was a mistake.¡¯


    Baal overcame death because he was the source of fear. In the beginning, Baal wasn¡¯t an object of fear. It was all because he was afraid of Grid. In order to get rid of Grid without fail, Baal needed more strength and returned to his original form, only to be caught by this.


    Now he couldn¡¯t ovee death. Death really was the end. He couldn¡¯t die.


    Baal was more persistent than imagined. He proved the reason why he regained his original form by enduring without dying, even though he had already been hit several times by the six fusion sword dance. The fists he swung viciously and the rays of magic power that rained down every time he screamed turned Grid into rags.


    This absolute defense and the Shock Mitigation effect of the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor couldn¡¯t cope with the shock and it was gradually exceeding the limit.


    ¡®Endure. Endure it.¡¯


    He was in the middle of enemy territory. There were variables such as Asura and Amoract remaining, so his immortality shouldn¡¯t be consumed.


    Grid was just as desperate as Baal. He was focused, not once blinking his eyes stained red with his and Baal¡¯s blood. He was actively using his artificial senses and using his brain nonstop in order to somehow get hit less. This made Baal even more desperate.


    Death¡ªa concept that he had only vaguely imagined through indirect experience was right in front of him.


    He was starting to realize death, extinction...


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°My Liege...! Lord Baal! Croak!¡±


    A bipedal toad came waddling toward him.


    Chepardea, Baal¡¯s closest subordinate¡ªhe was the most loyal one among the loyalists. He spat out sticky bodily fluids toward Grid, who was in the air. He stretched out his long tongue and tried to somehow grab onto Grid¡¯s ankles.


    ¡®This idiot...!¡¯


    Grid was on the verge of chaos due to Baal¡¯s offense that struck in all directions. There were so many signals from his artificial senses that it was difficult to respond to all of them. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was walking a tightrope.


    The intrusion of an intruder at this time was a great headache.


    Chepardea¡¯s sticky fluids restricted the target¡¯s movements and were judged by the God Hands as a real danger. They evenmunicated all the directions it was flying in to Grid, causing Grid¡¯s brain to be on the verge of exploding. Eventually, a gap was exposed. It allowed Baal to fight back. The one who was afraid to die and was being attacked non-stop was given a chance to breathe.


    ¡°Lord Baal! I will buy you some time, so please leave this ce...! You need to regain your initial form!¡± Chepardea shouted as he arrived before Baal.


    Hundreds of times¡ªno, the one who had been toyed with and killed by Baal tens of thousands of times was loyal to Baal without knowing the truth.


    [Chepardea...]


    Baal glimpsed hope thanks to this and he gave Chepardea a look of great affection.


    Chepardea was thrilled. He was smaller than a speck of dustpared to Baal, but he stood with his arms outstretched as if to protect Baal.


    ¡°Only One God Grid...! I won¡¯t let you take a single step forward!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± It was the moment when Grid was about to say something...


    Baal¡¯srge fingers formed ws, grabbed Chepardea¡¯s chubby body, and lifted him up.


    ¡°Eh? Ehh?¡± Chepardea rose up and reached Baal¡¯s face in an instant.


    ¡°My Liege...! Don¡¯t worry about me! Get rid of me and run away...!¡± he shouted while iling his short limbs.


    He even had tears in his eyes. He was moved by Baal¡¯s unwillingness to turn away from him in a moment of crisis.


    Baal grinned at him.


    [Iugh every time because of you.]


    ¡°...Haha? I-I¡¯m d...¡±


    Chepardea¡¯s face swelled like a balloon as he was responding without understanding what was going on. It was because Baal increased the strength of his fingers grabbing Chepardea¡¯s belly. Chepardea¡¯s face started to turn red from the unbearable pressure and this was starkly projected into Baal¡¯s big eyes.


    [Poor and foolish henchman of Yatan. I truly like you, who has been betrayed and killed tens of thousands of times, but still entertains me every time.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Tears of blood flowed from Chepardea¡¯s swollen eyes just before they popped out. It wasn¡¯t just the shock of his flesh and guts being crushed, but the aftermath of remembering the truth. It was a truth that always appeared when he was on the verge of death.


    ¡°...Yes... You...¡±


    [This will be goodbye forever. It is too bad.]


    Baal said goodbye and threw Chepardea into his mouth. From his perspective, he was chewing and gulping down something smaller than a grain of rice. It was to thoroughly digest Chepardea.


    The demon who shared his soul, magic power, and body with the thousands of eggs heid¡ªhe was powerful enough to proim to be Yatan¡¯s guardian and Baal dreamed of evolving the moment they merged into one after ingesting himpletely. He activated the spells hanging in the spawning grounds and all the eggs were transferred to Chepardea and digested at once.


    [...Hah.]


    Surprisingly, the signs of evolution didn¡¯te immediately. Still, it was enough to get through the immediate crisis. His wounds healed quickly. He had secured enough health and magic power to defeat the damn Grid and flee to the river of reincarnation.


    [It was worth keeping that worthless guy by my side.]


    ¡°You disgusting bastard...¡±


    Grid was no longer aware of the epics. He felt extreme disgust for Baal and let out insults.


    It was something Baal was familiar with. He snorted and started to fly with his back toward Grid. It was toward the river of reincarnation. He was going to reach it in a sh.


    ...This was what he thought until a thunderous sound came from his stomach.


    [What...]


    The warrior who escorted Yatan when he left heaven¡ªBaal¡¯s worst mistake was to transfer over the eggs in order to fully absorb Chepardea¡¯s power. Chepardea had unknowingly dispersed his magic power to thousands of eggs. At this moment, he embraced the eggs and regained his former power. He released magic power into Baal¡¯s belly and shook all his organs. He was also being dissolved in gastric juices in real time, but he didn¡¯t care.


    [Sinner who terribly destroyed the shelter of those who lost their ce after death, you will surely receive divine punishment today.]


    [It has been a long time since your god disappeared...!]


    Baal shouted to Chepardea, who was talking in his stomach. His voice cracked. He could barely feel the squeezing. There was a faint sense of joy that didn¡¯t fit.


    Pure evil. Even at this moment, Baal was delighted that he had informed Chepardea of the desperate news.


    Surprisingly, Chepardea didn¡¯t despair. Instead, heughed. He said in a fading voice as he melted in Baal¡¯s gastric juices.


    [Don¡¯t turn away from the god in front of you...]


    He was referring to God Grid of the surface.


    Baal came to his senses and looked back.


    Grid stood on top of Bunhelier, who had reappeared like a rat, and yellow divinity was fluttering around him. It was the image of divine punishment that Chepardea had just talked about.


    ¡°Baaaaaaaaaal!¡±


    [...You are like a cockroach...]


    Baal¡¯s will was insignificant. It was to the point where it wasn¡¯t suitable to be called the source of all evil. It felt more suitable for Grid. This bastard, who was worse than a speck of dust, should die as the most insignificant thing in the world and be ridiculed forever.


    The sword that would bring down the sky¡ª


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    He first cut through the dark clouds that covered hell and the surface. It wasn¡¯t until his death that Baal understood.


    The reason why his future self didn¡¯t respond¡ªit was because it didn¡¯t exist.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (2/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1848

    Amoract¡¯s castle was bizarre. The castle itself was so huge that it was hard to guess the size of it, and while the number of rooms inside it were countless, all of them were empty. There was really nothing. There weren¡¯t even any traces of life.


    Maybe this ce itself was a huge trap?


    Katz even had such doubts, but he soon got rid of them.


    A battle against patience¡ªafter wandering through the maze of corridors for more than half a day, he finally found it. Chains were strewn across the floor.


    The chains¡ªthey took the form of a seal. It was created by Beriache¡¯s technique and she originally targeted Baal.


    ¡®It is around here.¡¯


    The chains were a signpost. Katz knew that Amoract was at the end of the chains and started walking after the chains. Nevertheless, he got lost several times. The chains were so long and entangled in all directions that they kept presenting him with forks in the road.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was after a few hours of concentrating so much that he didn¡¯t recognize the epic sentences that intermittently popped up. Katz finally reached the end.


    The great hall lurking at the end of the maze. All the chains were pointing to this ce.


    Katz¡¯ body turned to smoke as he slowly and cautiously approached the great hall. Beyond the huge door, he saw a woman bound against the wall. It was a woman with a white cloth wrapped all over her body. The outline of her body and face was more prominent due to the cloth, and she was as beautiful as a sculpture. There was the feeling that she shouldn¡¯t be embraced.


    The identity of the woman whose entire body was bound by thousands of chains. She was the 2nd Great Demon, Amoract.


    He shouldn¡¯t be misled by her appearance.


    ¡°......¡±


    Katz watched Amoract while holding his breath. Grid had entrusted him with two missions. It was to spy on Amoract, and to search for Beriache¡¯s soul.


    Beriache¡¯s soul was presumably currently believed to be in Amoract¡¯s possession. If he encountered her, then there was a high probability he would be given a hidden quest. It was Grid and Lauel¡¯s guess that this would be of great help to the expedition.


    ¡®It is quiet.¡¯


    Katz watched Amoract¡¯s reaction every time a new sentence of the epic popped up. There was no movement at all. She was silent no matter how the epics described Baal¡¯s condition. It was the same when it stated that Grid was on the defensive. She remained silent even when the unbelievable sentence was written about the king of hell bing fearful.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    The attitude of not caring about what the fate of hell was...


    ¡®She really isn¡¯t getting involved in this case...?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just strange. Amoract had coborated with Baal to banish Beriache from hell but that was the only time she coborated with Baal. From the time hell was distorted to the present day, she walked a different path from Baal. Leraje and Eligos had testified to it. The Yatan Church was also evidence of it. Unlike Baal, who denied Yatan, Amoract even set up a religion using proxies and made humans worship Yatan.


    ¡®It seems obvious that she is at odds with Baal like Grid says...¡¯


    Even so, it would be too much from Amoract¡¯s perspective to stand by as Baal fell into a crisis. If Baal died, Grid¡¯s next target would naturally be Amoract. Amoract couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch Baal¡¯s crisis for her own safety. Even if she didn¡¯t openly help Baal, it was right for her to try and interfere with Grid, even indirectly.


    So how long was she going to stay silent?


    It happened as Katz¡¯ doubts were growing...


    [Baal and I are verypatible. It is obvious since our father made us as a pair from the beginning.]


    Throughout the great hall¡ªno, the woman¡¯s voice rang throughout the castle.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Katz didn¡¯t notice for a moment that the owner of the voice was Amoract. It was because Amoract was chained up, just like when she first appeared. Her mouth didn¡¯t move at all. However, she was talking.


    It was intent.


    [Every time I stir up a conflict and cause more strife, deathes like a tidal wave and Baal grows stronger. My activities benefit Baal so Baal didn¡¯t harm me.]


    Baal delighted in harming beings other than himself. However, he had ignored Amoract, who was opposing him. This was the moment when the reason was revealed.


    In addition.


    [That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t break this bondage.]


    One of the Evils of the Beginning¡ªAmoract, one of the Absolutes of hell, just like Baal, had been too quiet. She only established the Yatan Church so that people could worship Yatan. She didn¡¯te to the surface and actively harm humans. She even stood by when the Yatan Church copsed.


    Was she favorable or indifferent to humans? It was an attitude that produced such hopeful observations. However, the truth was different. Amoract just didn¡¯t want to help Baal.


    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    Just in time, a shocking message urred. No way, it actually happened. Grid really defeated Baal. He seeded in a solo raid.


    It happened the moment when Katz was ovee with shivers...


    Rattle.


    Amoract raised her head. The chains extended to restrain her, but it was useless. As Amoract slowly stretched her waist and leaned back her upper body, all the chains that bound her started to loosen.


    [Now there is no reason to be bound.]


    Amoract was also a mutant. She wasn¡¯t good, contrary to the wishes of the absolute god Yatan, who gave birth to children in order tofort and protect the dead. It was just like Baal. Therefore, she cooperated with Baal and expelled Beriache. Putting aside her love for her father, she had helped Baal distort hell.


    Pure evil¡ªthe moment she loosened her restraints and stepped on the cold marble floor...


    ¡°¡±We have to stop her.¡±¡±


    A buzzing voice permeated Katz¡¯ ears. It was the voice of a soul. A soul in the form of a slender girl.


    An Absolute being on the surface who controlled several dragons through force and helped Grid¡ªit seemed to be a younger version of Marie Rose, the vampire duke who contributed greatly to the sess of the Baal raid.


    ¡°Beriache...!¡±


    Katz, who had been trying to stay calm even in an urgent situation, was a bit relieved. He saw an opportunity to break the stalemate.


    [You have witnessed your master in a previous life.]


    [The ss ¡®Beriache¡¯s Warrior¡¯ has awakened.]


    [By designating Beriache as a loyal target, all your stats have temporarily increased.]


    [The function of some skills has been changed and the cooldown time adjusted.]


    Katz restored his body that had been in the form of smoke and forged a sword from his blood. His right hand was holding a dragon weapon made by Grid while his left hand held that blood sword that originated from Beriache¡¯s power. He held the two swords and took the posture of ¡®Protector of the Last Guardian of Hell.¡¯


    Originally, it was a skill called ¡®Relentless Pursuit In Search of the Master.¡¯ Increased defense, critical hit immunity, an increase in weapon power, an increase in attack speed, unconditional critical hits, an increase in critical hit damage, etc.


    All types of buffs wrapped around Katz and made him more powerful than before.


    The pool of blood beneath his feet was ready to respond to Katz¡¯ will. The blood staining the air red also gradually grew thicker to disturb the enemy¡¯s vision and senses. The ancient ss, which already boasted a majesty that was in line with transcendence, had evolved to a higher level.


    [Beriache, that child is much better than the trash you made yourself.]


    ¡°¡±It wasn¡¯t trash. The name was Gabbeli.¡±


    [It was a name that wasn¡¯t worth remembering. On the other hand, I think I will remember this child¡¯s name forever.]


    The wall behind Amoract¡¯s back was torn down. It was something that rendered the position of Katz, who was at the entrance of the great hall to guard it, meaningless.


    Katz immediately rushed over. He rushed at Amoract, who was trying to escape through the copsed wall.


    [It was purely because of Baal that there are bound souls everywhere in hell. Now that Baal is dead, all the souls have regained their freedom. Child, I have no intention of hanging out with you in a situation where Beriache¡¯s soul might help you.]


    ¡°I have no intention of letting you go.¡±


    [Haha, I¡¯m sure you are great but it is too presumptuous to say that. Grid is currently the only one in hell who can pressure me. Even Sword God Biban can¡¯t do it.]


    Amoract had been nervous when she first felt the presence of intruders. Between Only One God Grid and Biban, who was reborn as the Sword God¡ªit was hard to gauge which of the two had the upper hand. They were both great.


    However, now it was clear. In the process of fighting Baal, Grid had grown in real time and was clearly stronger than Biban. On the contrary, this had be more convenient.


    Amoract¡¯s power was to cause conflict. In particr, Amoract¡¯s specialty was to make the weak rebel against the strong. The ugly emotions thaty beneath human beings. It was easy to stir up their jealousy and desire. Moreover, the garbage left by Baal happened to be holding Biban back.


    Asura¡ªdid Baal say that he was an Evil God? It was so absurd that it made herugh. Their father was the only god of hell.


    Another being¡ª


    Moreover, a bug made by Baal shouldn¡¯t dare to im to be a god of hell.


    Amoract opened the warp gate and disappeared in an instant. Thew of making movement magic impossible had been weakened since Baal regained his original form, and then it was destroyed with Baal¡¯s death.


    ¡°......¡±


    Katz missed her because the spear of magic he released reached her just as she disappeared, but he didn¡¯t hesitate. He watched closely as the spear of magic that pierced her body was scattered. Of course, the scattered magic lost its form and luster. But the blood remained. Katz was able to figure out the direction in which the remnants of magic power-filled blood were heading in order to return to their master.


    There were only a handful of yers who could do this, including Katz and Euphemina.


    ¡°Can you open the warp gate for me?¡± He was merely asking just in case. Katz was aware that Beriache was just a soul. She might not be able to use proper magic. This was why he already started running even as he asked.


    Then a warp gate opened in his path.


    ¡°¡±It is easy.¡±¡±


    ***


    ¡°Is this possible...?¡±


    ¡°Really...¡±


    It was over. This time, it was really over.


    Baal, who repeatedly stood up without dying no matter what Grid did. The king of hell, who seemed to reign as the source of all evil and the object of eternal immortality and fear. He was shed by Grid and silenced. Then he turned to gray ash.


    The breaking news in reality and the epic in Satisfy announced Baal¡¯s death to the whole world.


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Sob...! Sob sob sob!!¡±


    There were shouts of joy in reality and rivers of tears in Satisfy.


    Death wasn¡¯t the end, but the beginning of eternal torment...


    The people who knew this truth and lived a life of despair were saved.


    Sleepless parents worried about the fate of their children, children searched for ways for their parents, who would leave ahead of them to rest, young couples didn¡¯t want to have children because they didn¡¯t want to pass on this hopeless fate, single people felt even more anxious because they were alone, etc.


    At the end of the day, everyone in the world was saved thanks to Grid and they were moved to tears. The excitement was so great that they couldn¡¯t even raise their voices. It was also so great that they couldn¡¯t believe it. People believed in Grid and followed him, saying he was their only hope, but they never thought that their generation would get their faith repaid so soon. They were ashamed by theirck of faith.


    It happened when people reaffirmed that this wasn¡¯t a dream, but a reality, and started to feel guilty toward Grid...


    [You have suffered, Only One God Grid.]


    A snow white woman¡ªa pure and saintly looking being draped in a white cloth descended behind Grid.


    [I expected you to be tired right after your fight with Baal, but I didn¡¯t expect you to show me your back so easily. I can¡¯t miss this opportunity from my perspective, so I am going to put restrictions on you so you can¡¯t recover.]


    Her existence was evil, contrary to her appearance.


    The 2nd Great Demon, Amoract¡ªthe moment she appeared in the world, she threatened Grid in a very calm tone. She was already chanting a spell.


    As she enticed Biban here, she immediatelypleted the spell to put pressure on Grid and weaken him. The face wrapped in white cloth was clearly smiling.


    Baal¡ªhe was a guy who couldn¡¯t be beaten. Amoract was fond of Grid who just got rid of him. She couldn¡¯t hide her joy at the thought of not missing the opportunity that Grid had created for her to reign as the ruler of hell.


    She hadn¡¯t figured things out. Grid became stronger than she imagined in his fight with Baal. To be precise, he grew rapidly thanks to the result of killing Baal. He wasn¡¯t tired at all. Everything that had been consumed in the course of fighting Baal had fully recovered. No, it was an evolution beyond recovery.


    He leveled up in increments of 100. This not only restored the yer, but it also had the effect of awakening his stats.


    ¡°...Uh?¡± Amoract groaned. It was a groan that came directly from her mouth.


    She panicked as Defying the Natural Order was thrust into her heart.


    The 9th awakening¡ªGrid had broken through level 900 in the process of delivering the final blow to Baal.


    ¡°...W-What... Cough!¡±


    The 10th awakening¡ªas the result of theplete annihtion of Baal, he reached level 1,000. This was the value of the king of hell. A second-rate being who pretended to be dead in the shadow of the king didn¡¯t deserve to y with Grid.


    [Stat redistribution.]


    Grid distributed all his stats to agility when attacking Amoract and now he redistributed his stats in real time. It was the utilization ofmon yer characteristics.


    A yer who reached level 1,000 could redistribute their stats whenever they wanted and there was no restriction on the number of times... this was the first time Grid found out about this fact. Additionally, the privilege of the first achievement meant there was no restriction on the cooldown time that urred every time the stats were redistributed.


    [You have invested all your points in strength.]


    Amoract¡¯s body was split in half. She couldn¡¯t bear the power contained in Grid¡¯s sword, even as a naturally born Absolute.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


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    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1849

    [The 1st Great Demon, ¡®Baal,¡¯ has died.]


    He was so persistent and strong that it made Grid sick. Grid would¡¯ve respected him a bit if he had shown a different side in his final moments. Apart from being the enemy of humanity, it was possible that he might forever be remembered as a worthy rival.


    ¡®He was a stubborn bastard until the end.¡¯


    Grid erased Baal from his mind. Rather, he engraved Chepardea into the back of his mind.


    The bipedal toad¡ªlooking back, it felt like he had encountered a lot of things. He wasn¡¯t extremely strong, but his ability to spray mucus was tricky. He was annoying in many ways. It was to the point where Grid cursed him for constantly appearing without dying.


    However, he wasn¡¯t a being who should be cursed at. A warrior who was loyal to the God of the Beginning, Yatan. After Yatan disappeared, he was cursed by Baal to lose his memory and toyed with. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t break down even in his final moments. He made Baal hispanion on the road to the underworld.


    This was all Grid knew about Chepardea. From Grid¡¯s perspective, he had no way of properly knowing the story of Chepardea, who was only a passing viin. The world would naturally forget him without remembering him. Therefore, Grid himself decided to remember Chepardea.


    [The souls oppressed by Baal have started to be liberated.]


    ¡®...Come to think of it, this is the underworld.¡¯


    The emotional Grid came to his senses. The sight of Baal¡¯s severed and fallen body, scattered like mountain ranges in the wilderness, filled his vision. He was overwhelming even in death. He was so huge that the rate in which he turned to ash seemed slow.


    There were countless gray pirs that rose from Baal¡¯s corpse. All the pirs that started to disperse to various parts of hell were the souls of the dead. Perhaps most souls would be reincarnated as inhabitants of the neutral zones and enjoyfort. They would forget their sorrow and pain of their previous lives, live peacefully, die, and one day be reborn on the surface.


    ¡®Is the neutral zone a space created by Yatan himself...? It is amazing now that I think about it.¡¯


    The viges and cities in hell where even Baal could do nothing but watch¡ªthe ces where the stone statues of Yatan were built were always peaceful no matter what hell was going through. No matter the external situation, absolute security was guaranteed.


    Perhaps there was a name for it other than the neutral zone. However, the people of the present time had no way of knowing the name. They didn¡¯t even need to know. In the future, the living wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with hell, and the dead wouldn¡¯t be able to ascend to the surface.


    The situation up to now where the surface and hell invaded each other was abnormal. It was a deformity created by the distorted hell.


    [You are the first yer to reach level 1,000.]


    ¡®Come to think of it, why...?¡¯


    The experience Baal left behind increased his level by a huge 100 at once. Despite this, Grid questioned it and wasn¡¯t pleased. It was because the distortion of hell wasn¡¯t resolved.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    The mass of red flesh¡ªthe body of the hell moon, still floating in the sky, was the source of the distortion. Yes, killing Baal wasn¡¯t the end. There was still work to be done.


    [A yer who has reached level 1,000 can freely redistribute the points in the four major stats: strength, stamina, intelligence, and agility. However, there will be a cooldown of three hours every time you redistribute the stats.]


    [As a perk for the first achievement, the cooldown for the stats redistribution is removed.]


    [You have earned the title ¡®Guardian of the Bnce¡¯ as a reward for killing Baal.]


    [You have earned the ¡®Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time¡¯ as a reward for killing Baal.]


    [Guardian of the Bnce]


    [A title given to the one who has saved the fate of hell, the surface, and all of humanity, which were being destroyed by the will of a great evil.


    You are the only one who deserves to be the owner of this title.


    Your existence bnces the world.


    Now or will dares to oppress you.]


    An Only One title. The effect was tremendous.


    [¡ï Ignore the unique effects of each dimension.


    You would be affected by the unique effects of dimensional worlds.]


    Simply put, it ignored Asgard¡¯s penalty. It was proof that one existence, Grid, was greater than a world.


    ¡®Seeing something like this... It is natural that Reba, the creator of the world itself, won¡¯t be affected by the Overgeared World.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t in the least bit excited. He analyzed it calmly on the basis of the reality of strong authorities. He considered the worst case scenario and devised a way to respond. The experience of fighting the mighty enemy called Baal made him even more cautious.


    However, Grid was also a human. He couldn¡¯t always beposed.


    [Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time]


    [Originally a possession of Yatan, it fell into Baal¡¯s hands and contained infinite energy.


    It can fulfill the user¡¯s wish.


    Yatan used its power to turn the power of ¡®destruction¡¯ into the power of ¡®creation¡¯ and created a shelter for the dead.


    Baal distorted the shelter of the dead that Yatan created into hell.


    Number of avable uses: 1 time.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    An object that could alter even the power of a God of the Beginning¡ªthere seemed to be no exaggeration in the phrase that it fulfilled wishes.


    Grid¡¯s eyes shook.


    The first thing that came to mind was Khan and his son. He wanted to return Khan back to being a human being. He wanted to resurrect Khan¡¯s son, who had died young and made Khan sad. That was where it started.


    Grid thought that he wanted to take away all the pain and regrets of his precious people.


    He wanted to go back in time before Asmophel fell into the clutches of the Yatan Servants and protect the lives and families of the Red Knights, including Piaro and Asmophel. He wanted to give Braham, who was abandoned by his mother after bing obsessed with oveing the Curse of Sloth and harming his own kin, a chance to think again. He wanted to help Kasim, whose n had been annihted by the empire...


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Grid came to his senses. He realized that there were few people around him who hadn¡¯t been unhappy and he couldn¡¯t undo their past. Everything would be twisted the moment he changed one thing.


    For example, Kasim¡¯s sess in defending his n meant he was able to fend off the invasion of the empire. At the same time, it meant that Piaro and the Red Knights, who had always been the vanguard of the empire, would suffer a defeat.


    By altering Braham¡¯s past, Braham could y a role that waspletely antagonistic to Grid since he didn¡¯t experience a human life.


    ¡®In the first ce, it is all over.¡¯


    They overcame the pain and got back on their feet. It was wrong for him to bring up their past. Additionally, not everything would be possible, even if this core granted his wishes. No matter whether he was an Absolute, the emperor, or the Guardian of the Bnce, there were clear limits to a yer¡¯s authority. Grid had experienced it several times.


    ¡®...Apart from all of that, it is only avable for one use.¡¯


    Since it could only be used once, could it really grant any wish?


    Grid suddenly had this thought and decided to stop paying attention to it. He thought there must be a separate use for this. It was close to conviction. It was based on the experience he had umted so far.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Then there were traces of magic power behind him. He could tell who it was without looking in person. Since the distance from the ce where he felt the presence couldn¡¯t be measured, it meant the space was distorted.


    A warp gate had been opened.


    [You have suffered, Only One God Grid.]


    It was a memorable voice.


    The 2nd Great Demon, Amoract¡ªGrid thought it was just right.


    ¡®All in on agility.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have to type anymands. The system immediately read Grid¡¯s will and responded.


    He stabbed his sword without hesitation at Amoract, who was constantly talking.


    The Great Demon of Conflict¡ªshe was an unreliable existence from the beginning. He was going to kill her no matter what sweet proposals she made or what cooperation she offered. It was better to cut off the roots in advance.


    ¡®All in on strength.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s will became more concise and intuitive. His stats literally changed in real time and Amoract couldn¡¯t react at all.


    [The 2nd Great Demon, ¡®Amoract,¡¯ has died.]


    [Your level has risen by 17.]


    ¡®...Stop rising up.¡¯


    This damn thing. He had been telling people around him that the limit for yers would be level 999, but he reached level 1,000. Then it kept going up? It was a bit embarrassing...


    At this point, maybe Morpheus was deliberately modifying the system to be the opposite of his predictions? Grid still didn¡¯t trust the S.A Group, who were suspicious, and distributed his stat points back to agility.


    It was for high speed travel. The red flesh that Yura and Mir were currently containing was the target. There was no time for him to look at the loot. He couldn¡¯t wait for Pagma¡¯s soul, which hadn¡¯t appeared yet.


    ¡®There were so many souls that Baal had absorbed.¡¯


    Gray pirs rose from Baal¡¯s corpse and embroidered the sky like stars. There were endless limits. He had to free Pagma¡¯s soul in order toplete the ss quest, but it seemed dyed since there were so many souls to be freed first.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean much to finish my ss quest now, but...¡¯


    For the current Grid, Pagma''s Sessor was just one of his origins. Even so, Grid wanted to obtain the rewards. It was important to finish everything.


    Grid was about to use Shunpo, only to stop. It was because he detected the movement of new magic power in the sky. It was quite a powerful magic power.


    ¡®Asura?¡¯


    The vignt Grid paused. Then the identity of the figure who popped out of the fully open warp gate was soon revealed.


    It was Katz. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t let down his guard. It was due to the girl that came right after Katz. To be precise, it was the soul in the form of a girl.


    Beriache¡ªshe was one of the Three Evils of the Beginning, like Baal and Amoract, and she was the mother of the direct descendants, including Braham and Marie Rose. The moment she appeared, all the blood that had seeped into the ground started floating into the air. It felt like tens of thousands of red jewels were adorning thendscape.


    It was beautiful.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes examined the situation for a moment before they widened. It was because the moment the blood that floated into the air and formed small droplets started to seep into Beriache, the presence of the dead Baal and Amoract were felt. He felt it from Beriache. It was a frightening phenomenon.


    ¡®The power of 10,000 beings...!¡¯


    There were many types of strong existences. Among them, there was a type that became uncontrobly strong when ¡®certain conditions were met¡¯ and Beriache was that type. The ability to take the power of targets whose blood was sucked as her own. It was known that Baal even asked Amoract for cooperation because he couldn¡¯t do anything alone against Beriache, who had umted power.


    Yes, Grid was familiar with it. But seeing it in person was apletely different feeling.


    Embracing the power of Baal and Amoract, who were already dead...


    It was also only through the blood they shed as they died.


    ¡°¡±You don¡¯t have to be vignt. I don¡¯t n to go against you.¡±¡±


    It was a manner of speaking that didn¡¯t match her outward appearance.


    ¡°Then why did you umte so much power?¡± Grid directly asked Beriache, who was more like Marie Rose¡¯s daughter than her mother.


    ¡°¡±It is always good to have power. I have already experienced one failed life, so I think it is natural for me to always have a vignt mindset. Rather...¡±¡±


    Beriache¡¯s gaze shifted to Grid¡¯s lower half. It was his groin area, to be precise. Beriache stared at Grid, who naturally closed his legs, before smiling.


    ¡°¡±I had wondered why you smelled like me. It is no wonder... your tastes are unique. I can see why Marie Rose hasn¡¯t been able to conceive.¡±¡±


    There were small explosions everywhere. It was the sound of the God Hands destroying the cameras of the broadcasting stations.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (4/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1850

    ¡°This... there is a story. I was worried you might misunderstand, so after washing it thoroughly, I tailored it into a men¡¯s style and used it...¡±


    Beriache¡¯s Underclothing¡ªit was the strongest underwear in the world. Grid simply looked at the performance and used it. He swore he didn¡¯t have any bad intentions. He felt it was unfair and sad that he had to give such an exnation.


    ¡°¡±You are kind. There is no need to go along with this unnecessary joke.¡±¡±


    Fortunately, Beriache didn¡¯t seem to doubt Grid. It was a natural oue from Grid¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a position to joke around.¡¯


    Beriache¡ªone of the Three Evils of the Beginning, and the sister of Baal and Amoract. There was only one reason why Grid was polite to Beriache. It was because she was the mother of Braham and Marie Rose. He respected Beriache for that reason alone.


    However, that was it. It didn¡¯t matter if she had gone against Baal in the past. Grid had experienced the evil of demons and he was wary of Beriache. He didn¡¯t trust her. The fact that she tried to protect hell before it was distorted and that Yatan was a good being wasn¡¯t enough to erase Grid¡¯s vignce.


    ¡°As you can see, the distortion of hell hasn¡¯t been solved. It is a time when I need to search and eliminate the case as soon as possible. Therefore, I am wondering why you are holding me back with a useless joke. It is also right after you took Baal and Amoract¡¯s power.¡±


    He was ready to go out at any time.


    Beriache read Grid¡¯s thoughts and smiled bitterly.


    ¡°¡±You are the Blood King. It might not have been my intention, but you have inherited my will and you are thepanion of my daughter. I just wanted to greet you and express my friendliness, but I was misunderstood due to my poor eloquence. I¡¯m sorry. Icked consideration.¡±¡±


    Beriache bowed deeply and apologized. She might treat Grid indifferently due to the self-proimed rtionship between them, but she actually respected Grid from the bottom of her heart.


    By this point, Grid had be embarrassed.


    ¡°......¡±


    Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t this his future mother-inw? Grid¡¯s heart became heavy at the thought that he treated her more harshly than necessary and he tried to find something to say.


    ¡°You are dodging the important answers. Grid isn¡¯t pleased that you have taken Baal and Amoract¡¯s powers. I think it is right for you to exin that.¡±


    Katz, who had been quietly watching the situation, stepped forward.


    A terrible guy¡ªthis was Grid¡¯s first impression of Katz. It wasn¡¯t just Grid who hated Katz. In the past, Katz was more arrogant and outspoken than anyone else, and he had many anti-fans around the world. A well-known American magazine had named Katz as one of the top 100 most hated people in the world. Maybe it was due to the experience of being sworn at too much, but Katz had the excellent ability to read the atmosphere. It meant he was incredibly tactful.


    ¡®As expected... people who have experienced pain are different. The part where he thinks deeply and speaks clearly is a bit like me.¡¯


    The one person who had more antis than Katz was Grid¡ªGrid felt a strange sense of kinship as he looked with satisfaction at Katz, who had grown up.


    ¡°¡±My warrior is loyal to the Blood King, not me...¡±¡±


    Beriache stated before shrugging.


    ¡°¡±Perhaps I am drunk because of the powers that have lost their masters. There is no need to ignore the power that I can obtain, right? It is just like how you took my underwear.¡±¡±


    Unlike Katz, who rushed to Grid as soon as he arrived at the scene, Beriache was still in the sky. In addition to spreading her magic power widely in real time, it seemed she intended to explore and absorb blood from the battlefield.


    ¡°¡±...Well, you might feel that this exnation is insufficient, so I¡¯ll add something else.¡±¡±


    Grid btedly realized that Beriache¡¯s actions were very familiar.


    The way she looked down on people¡ªit was the habit of innately born Absolutes.


    Hanul, Chiyou, King Sobyeol, Baal, Amoract, the Old Dragons, and Marie Rose¡ªin retrospect, all of them did it.


    If he had to pick one exception, it was Reba, the Goddess of Light. She had interacted with a handful of yers in the past and always put herself in the yers¡¯ shoes. In order to not be a nuisance to yers, only quests that fit the situation were issued in the form of ¡®oracles¡¯ asking for help. It was purely for the sake of the humans of the surface.


    ¡®...Now that I see it, she is the most abnormal one.¡¯


    Thus, she was crazy. No, was she abnormal because she went crazy?


    As Grid had new questions, Beriache¡¯s exnation continued.


    ¡°¡±Our nature means we don¡¯t perish. It isn¡¯t that we are special. It is thew of the world. We are naturally bound by thew that the dead return to their souls and prepare for reincarnation.¡±¡±


    The ¡®we¡¯ she referred to was the Three Evils of the Beginning.


    Grid remembered the moment when Baal and Amoract died. Both of them had been dered to be ¡®extinguished.¡¯ They didn¡¯t get a chance for reincarnation and were erased from the world. Originally, even ordinary great demons couldn¡¯t be extinguished without Ruby.


    So how could Grid do it? He hadn¡¯t questioned it. He thought they might¡¯ve been punished by Yatan, so he just passed over it. It wasn¡¯t that he skipped over it because it was annoying. It was a very reasonable guess.


    Children who betrayed their father, a God of the Beginning¡ªit was understandable no matter what happened to them. However, Beriache told him a different truth.


    ¡°¡±But Baal and Amoract were extinguished the moment they died and I think it was Baal¡¯s arrangement.¡±¡±


    ¡°...His arrangement. You mean? Baal did it himself?¡±


    Grid frowned. Baal had nned his own destruction? It was hard to believe when looking back at the attitude of this bastard who struggled against his fear of death until the very end.


    ¡°¡±Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have imagined that he would actually die. Considering Baal¡¯s personality, it must¡¯ve been half a joke. He simply thought ¡®imagine the worst thing that will never happen and design the best solution.¡¯¡±¡±


    The worst thing that will never happen. For Baal, it was death. Then today, he really died.


    Grid¡¯s epic detailed his end. It was widely known to the whole world. It was a fatal event for an Absolute. No matter what methods he used to try and resurrect himself, his status would suffer a terrible decline and he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach his prime days.


    For a being like Baal, resurrection was meaningless. Therefore, Baal designed the best solution. What was best for him?


    Grid easily thought of it. ¡°Asura... did he dedicate his death to Asura?¡±


    ¡°¡±I think so. It is because offering a god has a special meaning. It is also the children of a God of the Beginning being offered. Something beyond your imagination will happen.¡±¡±


    The Evil God that Baal longed for¡ªhe must¡¯ve be stronger by now. It was the result of Baal¡¯s death.


    At this time¡ª


    There was a loud explosion in the distance. It was from the direction of the gates where Jishuka¡¯s party was fighting. Could it be that the evil eyes¡¯ king could no longer restrain Asura¡¯s head?


    Grid immediately used Shunpo. Beriache followed him.


    Grid asked her, ¡°If Amoract was also sacrificed, does it mean that she yed along with Baal¡¯s joke?¡±


    ¡°¡±That¡¯s not it. Amoract¡¯s opposition to Baal was sincere. She avoided interacting with him and there was no reason for her to go along with Baal¡¯s will.¡±¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that Baal forcefully produced this result?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is possible that Baal chose the object to be sacrificed as ¡®us¡¯ rather than Baal himself. It means I am in danger as well. Asura didn¡¯t exist when I died in the past and Baal wouldn¡¯t have thought up sacrificing us. Now things have changed. If my soul is destroyed in its present state, I will also be offered up to Asura.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Beriache¡¯s soul must not be extinguished...


    It happened the moment when Grid had a clear grasp of the situation...


    sh!


    A foreign light shed from the direction of the gate that was being covered by the evil eyes¡¯ king¡¯s destructive rays. It was a purple light. It was a pair of them. They were the light from a pair of eyes.


    Grid immediately pulled out Defying the Natural Order. He intended to intercept Asura¡¯s head, which was approaching.


    ¡°......!¡±


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    Asura¡ªit was because the scarecrow, whose body had been torn to pieces and moved ording to Baal¡¯s will, showed emotions for the first time. There was a bright smile on his face as he got closer in an instant.


    [Is there any reason for us to confront each other?]


    He even talked. To be exact, it was conveyed through intent. However, it sounded like words because it embodied a voice with clear intentions.


    [If you are going to block the way, then I will apany you. But not here.]


    Asura¡¯s head, which was rapidly approaching, suddenly turned around. His speed didn¡¯t slow down at all. Grid read his intention to meet andbine with his body that was somewhere else and chased after him with Shunpo.


    However, it was as he said before. It was almost impossible to hunt down the ¡®Absolute¡¯ who decided to run away. It was because the other party could also use Shunpo. The moment Grid disappeared from view, Asura¡¯s head became a dot as he also used Shunpo to increase the distance.


    ¡°¡±I don¡¯t think there is time to look at the situation here.¡±¡±


    Was the evil eyes¡¯ king okay? There was no need to worry about the Overgeared members and Zik, who could be resurrected, but the evil eyes¡¯ king had only one life.


    After a moment of hesitation, someone shouted at Grid, who missed Asura¡¯s head. ¡°Porno is fine! Jishuka died instead!¡±


    It was Vantner¡¯s voice. Grid¡¯s expression distorted. The name of the evil eyes¡¯ king wasn¡¯t Porno, but Pori something and Vantner was the tanker. It should¡¯ve been Vantner who died instead of Jishuka.


    Vantner clearly read Grid¡¯sint and added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I mistook Porno for a shield for a second!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    He wondered what type of excuse this was, but he couldn¡¯t help being convinced.


    16 hours in length¡ªduring Grid¡¯s fierce battle with Baal, Vantner held his shield in one hand and the evil eyes¡¯ king in the other to tie up Asura¡¯s head. Yes. He was holding the evil eyes¡¯ king alongside his shield. Then Baal died and the tension was loosened. It was easy to be confused for a moment about whether it was the evil eyes¡¯ king or the shield that he was holding in his hand.


    Then he suddenly had to stop Asura¡¯s head, which suddenly showed unprecedented power, so he held up the hand holding the evil eyes¡¯ king, mistaking it for the hand holding the shield. It was fully understandable.


    Honestly, Grid thought he might¡¯ve done the same thing.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    He hated himself for understanding Vantner¡¯s position...


    Gridmented and immediately tracked down Asura¡¯s head. He could feel Zik chasing after him but he couldn¡¯t afford to wait. Asura¡¯s head was so far away that he could barely be seen with Barbatos¡¯ Vision. In any case, he was at least in sight. The function of Shunpo was to ¡®move as far as he could see.¡¯


    [Then what if I do this?]


    The wide distance was meaningless. Then Asura¡¯s head smiled at Grid, who had chased him again, before scattering. The eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and even the strands of hair separated and spread in all directions. Each one used Shunpo. Among them, the ¡®eyes¡¯ stared at Grid for a moment. There was no effect.


    [You need to ¡®reach.¡¯]


    ¡®What is with this bastard?¡¯


    Was it because Asura kept talking?


    Grid was stuck on the ¡®mouth¡¯ and chased after the mouth. That was the limit. The level of the God Hands, Randy, Noe, and the Overgeared Skeletons meant they couldn¡¯t track Asura at all. Grid missed all the parts except for the mouth.


    [Do you want to have a chat?]


    The mouth was chattering.


    [While you are tied up by my mouth, I will achieve my goal.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid stopped. He looked in the direction that was theplete opposite from this ce. It was because he vaguely witnessed the scene of Biban¡¯s sword growing to a scale that had never been seen before. Thanks to this, Grid grasped Asura¡¯s location and turned around, while the mouth ended up chasing after him.


    [Why didn¡¯t Beriache follow you?]


    It was while throwing out useless topics.


    Grid ignored the babbling mouth. The scene of Biban¡¯s erged sword being broken was projected into his ck eyes.


    [Pagma¡¯s soul has been liberated.]


    He couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to the new notification.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (1/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1851

    <h4>Chapter 1851</h4>


    ¡°No, XX what? Wasn¡¯t it over?¡±


    It was a very long and fierce battle. The battle of the hell expedition was so brutal that even those sittingfortably in front of the TV to watch it were exhausted.


    Could they really win? Baal was so strong that this question was repeated until thest moment.


    People weren¡¯t at ease for even a moment. In particr, the more they supported Grid, the more they suffered from anxiety. Finally, a number of peopleined that their hearts were hurting.


    It had been a while since then. It was barely finished. Baal¡¯s death marked the victory of the expedition. As usual, it was a victory won by Grid.


    People cheered in unison. Toasts were heard all over the world.


    Now let¡¯s take a break. Grid should take a break as well...


    Just as people were sighing in relief that it was over and feeling a sense of exhaustion, something unexpected happened. An incident urred. Suddenly, the broadcast was cut off and there was a new world message that said ¡®A new Evil God, Asura, has been born.¡¯ Of course, most people were logged out. However, breaking news poured in and spread the contents of the world message.


    An Evil God. By all ounts, it was the beginning of a new ordeal. All the people who were already exhausted shook their heads. Most of all, they were worried about Grid.


    A break¡ªGrid must be the one most eager for it. However, he couldn¡¯t get a break and got caught up in a new incident...


    ¡°It is right after he defeated Baal. It will be tough even if it is Grid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about the other Overgeared members. Hasn¡¯t everyone been fighting demons the whole time Grid was fighting Baal? They have a different position from Grid, so they would¡¯ve been exhausted from the start.¡±


    The timing was so bad. Why was a new Evil God born at this time? There was a sense of tant malice. It wasn¡¯t through chance but necessity. In other words, there was a high probability that the situation was deliberately designed by someone. Of course, that someone was Baal.


    ¡°That sick bastard...¡±


    The worst enemy was one that grabbed at their ankles, even in death. It was like Grid and the expedition team had stepped on shit.


    Something went wrong. Maybe they would lose a lot...


    It was the moment when everyone was worried.


    [Beriache might just be a soul body, but she has taken on the power of Baal and Amoract. She is currently one of the few beings in hell who can stand up to me, but she has disappeared. Even though she wouldn¡¯t like to see a piece of stone iming to be the god of hell in her father¡¯s ce.]


    Purple lips that shone as if they had been painted thickly¡ªAsura¡¯s mouth continued to speak and irritated Grid¡¯s nerves. It was an attitude that shook the concentration of the mentally exhausted Grid.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a situation to care about Beriache right now.¡¯


    Come to think of it, why didn¡¯t Beriachee after him?


    Grid struggled to suppress the questions that naturally rose.


    First, he considered her position. She said she couldn¡¯t die. The moment her soul body was destroyed, Beriache would be reduced to the same state as Baal and Amoract. She would be sacrificed to Asura. That much had to be stopped.


    The power of 10,000 beings. In theory, Beriache¡¯s power had the greatest potential. There was a high probability that there would be no answer the moment the being in front of him, who had been reborn as an evil god ording to Baal¡¯s wishes, got his hands on Beriache.


    [You are so wary of me. I am... if I had to make an analogy, I am like a newborn baby. I haven¡¯t harmed anyone, let alone you. What is the point of being hostile to me like this? Why don¡¯t you ignore me and just take a break?]


    That¡¯s right. Grid was strangely convinced by Asura¡¯s words.


    [The Sword God Biban that you are worried about is still safe. It was only a collision that happened because he got in my way. I don¡¯t have any ill feelings towards him.]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Grid¡¯s tension, which had remained tight since entering hell, loosened for a moment.


    The words that Asura whispered made it that way.


    [My purpose is to destroy the red flesh. It is the core that existed since the beginning of time that fulfills the wish of its user and is the culprit behind the distortion of hell created by Baal. The distortion of hell will be lifted the moment I destroy it. That is probably your wish as well. We should form the right rtionship and work together.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [Affinity with Asura has risen by 10.]


    [It took a lot of hard work to knock down Baal. Leave the rest to me and rest well. However, don¡¯t forget to be wary of Beriache.]


    [Affinity with Asura has risen by 20.]


    [Affinity with Beriache has decreased by 20.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid came to his senses as he continued to advance through a series of Shunpo. It was because he felt a sense of strangeness through the favorability system that worked arbitrarily even though he was silent.


    ¡°Is it Amoract¡¯s power?¡±


    The power to stir up conflict¡ªcoincidentally, it was a power that Grid had never experienced. This old fox hid in Baal¡¯s shadows while looking for an opportunity and was killed by Grid after failing to make a proper move. It was a cause of being too cautious and being ruined.


    [Hmm...? I was just being considerate of you.]


    Asura¡¯s mouth grinned. The body that was facing Biban must be scratching his chin calmly right now.


    ¡°He is worse than Baal, at least.Squeak squeak.¡±


    The mouse perched on Grid¡¯s shoulder spoke.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªimmediately after Baal¡¯s defeat, he polymorphed again when he sensed the signs of Amoract opening the warp gate. Now the guy hiding in Grid¡¯s cloak finally appeared.


    ¡°The worst evil has produced the worst evil. Indeed, it is troublesome in many ways if you are the strongest.Squeak.¡±


    ¡°...How long are you going to stay like this?¡±


    ¡°Baal might be dead, but the pressures of hell that bind me still persist.Squeak. There is no need to go out and attract anger in my vulnerable state, right?Squeak squeak...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    From Amoract to Beriache and then Asura. From Bunhelier¡¯s point of view, they were all threatening existences. As he said, it was better if he stayed quiet than to attract attention.


    ¡®The problem is that he looks like he is enjoying it.¡¯


    ¡°By the way, he is a real monster. Even though his body is divided into pieces, his senses are shared and he seems able to use Shunpo freely. Even an Old Dragon can¡¯t do such a thing.Squeak squeak.¡±


    It was just a mouth, but it used Shunpo. Considering that the condition to use Shunpo was just to ¡®secure vision,¡¯ it was originally an impossible thing. As Bunhelier guessed, all of Asura¡¯s body parts seemed to share a single sense.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not convinced. Even if their senses are shared, their eyes are in apletely different ce. In a situation where the eyes are looking at apletely different ce from here, how can the mouth freely use Shunpo?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he has something like Barbatos¡¯ Vision like you.Squeak. No, it must have a much wider field of view than Barbatos¡¯ Vision.¡±


    In the end, it all boiled down to one thing: Asura¡¯s ability was extraordinary. It was an Evil God made by the offering of Baal, a child of one of the Gods of the Beginning, and the main culprit of distorting hell. It would¡¯ve made no sense if he was ordinary, but this level was too high.


    ¡°You had better be determined.¡±


    Bunhelier warned despite watching from the sidelines in real time how strong Grid had be.


    ¡®It is a real gue.¡¯


    Grid frowned as he realized the seriousness of the situation thanks to this. It was right after defeating the biggest enemy. The desire to rest was weighing on him. No, in the first ce. Should he be given time to recover after a big incident?


    That was a cliche. No matter whether it was novels, a cartoon, a game, or a movie¡ªit was a basic virtue that every story should uphold.


    Grid even knocked down the source of all evil. He had just liberated souls and saved the twisted fate of the surface. What type of nonsense was it to be subjected to new trials one after another without being given time to rejoice?


    The thing that worried him the most was that even at this moment, the apostles and his colleagues were fighting throughout hell. How flustered must they be to hear that a new Evil God was born as soon as Baal died, while the enemy in front of them was unharmed? His colleagues had been fighting with one mind and that was to hold on until they knocked down Baal. He was worried that they would suffer a state of copse and experience a crisis.


    ¡°Those eyes... You are still worried about other people at this moment,¡± Bunhelier said with a sigh. ¡°Pat...Squeak.¡±


    It was pathetic.


    Bunhelier was about to criticize Grid only to suddenly shut his mouth. It was the aftermath of remembering his battle with Baal.


    A being he never would¡¯ve taken down if he hadn¡¯t cooperated with Grid¡ªthroughout the fight against him, Bunhelier had thought that Grid was strong. He had relied on Grid. Looking back on his feelings at that time, it wasn¡¯t bad...


    Doing things for others¡ªif the result was ¡®cooperation¡¯ and his ¡®purpose¡¯ could be achieved as a result of the cooperation¡ª


    In the end, wasn¡¯t it all good?


    ¡°...Can I also get apanion?¡±


    Realpanions who cared for each other and relied on each other. It was at a time when Bunhelier had a question he never imagined before.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t betray me.¡±


    Grid had been ignoring the mutterings of Bunhelier, who was on his shoulder, as he kept heading toward his destination. Now he suddenly opened his mouth.


    ¡°I will continue to be your colleague.¡±


    Today, they were colleagues. They relied on each other so much that he thought it was a shame to end it as a one-off.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡±


    Bunhelier didn¡¯t bother to answer. He justughed like it was ridiculous and hid back inside Grid¡¯s cloak. Immediately afterward, Gridnded on the ground. It was with his back to the angels.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here...!¡±


    Ibellin and Coke were enthusiastic. Asuka seemed to be secretly pleased. The expressions of the masked angels couldn¡¯t be read. What they had inmon was that they were blocking the entrance of the underground. They formed a barrier using their own bodies.


    Asura¡¯s mouth murmured after arriving just after him.


    [Are we going to fight after all?]


    Step.


    Then the sound of footsteps was heard. The mouth, which had been floating alone, regained his body.


    Evil God Asura¡ªhisplete appearance gave the impression of being ¡®smooth.¡¯ It felt like seeing a work of art with a purple sheen flowing over his sleek, muscr body. He was dragging something in his hand. It was BIban.


    A giant person who was two meters tall¡ªthe Absolute, who had obtained the title of god in a human body, had beenpletely subdued.


    [I didn¡¯t mean to kill him from the beginning. I want to use this as an opportunity to erase the animosity you harbor toward me.]


    Asura said while listening to the breathing of Biban, who was still alive. Then he released his grip on Biban¡¯s hair and shrugged.


    [Once again, my purpose is the culprit that is distorting hell. Your purpose is the same, right?]


    The mass of red flesh¡ªAsura insisted that he intended on destroying it.


    Grid¡¯s thoughts were different.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to destroy it, you want to eat it. That is who you are.¡±


    By ingesting the source, he would be perfect...


    Grid¡¯s insight pinpointed Asura¡¯s true intentions.


    At this point, Asura couldn¡¯t deny it.


    [You saw it precisely, but... isn¡¯t it also true that it will be destroyed if I ingest it? You will get the result you want. The distortion of hell will be lifted and the surface will have perfect peace.]


    ¡°That is until you cause a new crisis.¡±


    Grid pulled out Defying the Natural Order and squeezed it.


    He wanted some rest. For Grid, this was his only thought. He didn¡¯t want to waste time having a meaningless conversation.


    Then his face suddenly stiffened. It was because he felt something strange.


    Sword God Biban¡ªGrid had experienced his abilities directly and indirectly. Biban was a valuable presence that increased the power of the sword just by being by his side. But now it was silent. The sword energy of Defying the Natural Order wasn¡¯t strengthened.


    ¡®Is he dead?¡¯


    It happened the moment when Grid turned his attention to Biban, who was still lying on the ground...


    Before he knew it, Asura was right in front of him and reached out. Dozens of hands rose like illusions behind his back, crushing and smashing the metal sun made by the God Hands and pulling Grid out of the sun.


    Asura¡ªhe made dozens of movements with one hand gesture.


    The angels witnessed this ridiculous ability in real time and were appalled.


    ¡°You are trapped.¡±


    Unlike them, Grid¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He ignored Asura, who had grabbed him by the cor, and stared at the barrier that had been raised in the wilderness.


    The identity of the barrier¡ªit was Biban¡¯s sword. The sword, which was broken in a ¡®huge manner,¡¯ formed a twoyered barrier on the battlefield.


    Defying the Natural Order reacted to the feeling that was felt inside the barrier. It shook lightly and the sword energy was sharply amplified.


    Biban¡¯s figure, which had been lying dead, changed into a sword.


    An ordinary long sword¡ªit was one of the countless swords that floated in Biban¡¯s mental world.


    ¡°The groundwork is almost done.¡±


    The person who appeared above the barrier¡ªit was Sword God Biban. He was holding Broken Sword in his hand. It wasn¡¯t the ¡®illusion¡¯ of the broken dragon weapon that had grown huge. It was the real dragon weapon created in his mental world with Grid. It could never be broken.


    ¡°You can rest assured. Leave this ce to me and do your work.¡±


    A battlefield with huge swords forming a barrier. The hint was the sword in the background. This ce was already a world of swords. It was Biban¡¯s mental world. Without anyone noticing, Biban had taken over the space.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Additionally, Grid didn¡¯t doubt Biban¡¯s skills. He immediately turned around and went underground. His goal was to destroy the red flesh. It was only then that the distortion of hell would be resolved and Asura, who lost his origin, would rapidly weaken.


    [What is going on?]


    Asura clicked his tongue and immediately chased after Grid. The angels blocked his way. However, it only bought him a split second of time. To be precise, they consumed a few movements. That was all.


    It was enough. Biban arrived.


    The sword energy, honed beyond the barrier built by the illusion of the sword, was contained in his sword. Asura and the angels felt it was the umtion of power using the gap that had been created for a very short moment, but the truth was different.


    Biban was the master of this world. He applied the flow of time differently only to himself and umted decades of sword energy. He only allowed himself to umte it. There wasn¡¯t even a single speck of sword energy that was lost over the course of decades. It was because he was the Sword God.


    "Thank you. Thanks to you, I learned the power of my sword, learned what I stillck, and was able to devote myself to learning.¡±


    There was a small but eerie cutting sound as Asura¡¯s smooth body was cut in two. The blood that gushed out like a fountain was blocked by the sword curtain. Biban¡¯s figure looked like a gentleman holding a transparent umbre on a day of blood rain.


    ¡°Grid, rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°...No... you are treating me like I am... dead....¡±


    Asura stared nkly at the unrealistic scene unfolding before his eyes and scolded with a frown.

 Chapter 1852

    <h4>Chapter 1852</h4>


    The mass of red flesh¡ªthere was no other name for it. Their honest feeling was that they didn¡¯t even want to mention it.


    ¡°Is it over? Really?¡±


    The world message that emerged the moment Baal perished¡ªToban had been cheering at the thought that it was over, only to break out in a sweat. Not only was the red flesh unharmed by Baal¡¯s disappearance, but the news of the birth of a new Evil God came right after. It was a desperate situation.


    ¡®How long do I have to face this disgusting bastard?¡¯


    The red flesh formed a circr shape, but the surface was uneven. It was because it was wearing countless faces like an outer shell. The mouth, noses, and eyes of the dead were tightly embedded in the flesh and wriggled in real time. They seemed to be screaming together.


    Pleasee and save me.


    They seemed to be shouting to get them out of here.


    Wriggle!


    One of the human faces embedded in the red flesh seemed to protrude slightly. Finally, a human figure was vomited out. Once again, it was the yangban, Garam. He was killed by Mir a short time ago, but he was resurrected again, his body made from the flesh of the red flesh.


    ¡°It is very convenient that I don¡¯t have to fear death.¡±


    Garam smirked and rushed at Mir. Like his own body, he wielded a long sword made of flesh.


    The sword shed continuously like lightning. Dozens of blows were exchanged and Mir was pushed back a few steps. It was a shocking sight.


    At first, Mir had easily overwhelmed Garam. He was hurt by the energy of the God Killer, but he easily handled Garam and the yangbans. However, Garam became stronger every time he was resurrected and he already reached the level of receiving Mir¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Garam was the only one. The other yangbans were killed by Mir¡¯s sword no matter how many times they resurrected, while Garam became stronger in real time.


    It was the pure difference in talent. Even after suffering the same death, Garam was the only one who immediately realized his defeat and quickly came up with a solution. He repeatedly studied and gained insight into how Mir¡¯s swordsmanship incapacitated him and led him to death.


    Before long, the red flesh didn¡¯t resurrect the other yangbans. It only molded Garam using its own flesh. In the process, Garam¡¯s arms and legs became a bit longer. His neck and ankles thickened, and calluses formed on his toes and fingers. The muscles of his entire body were reorganized in a different form than before.


    It was the result of the red flesh responding whenever Garam realized and aspired for the physical conditions necessary to transcend Mir. Garam started to catch up with Mir¡¯s swordsmanship using sheer talent and he was even blessed with an evolved body by the red flesh.


    ¡°The sword that destroys the gods.¡±


    The energy of a God Killer¡ªthe incandescent long sword epted the aura created from Garam¡¯s intentions and caused a powerful explosion. It had the power to offset some of the absolute elements of Mir¡¯s dragon weapon, One. Garam¡¯s sword, which easily broke every time it collided with One, was intact for the first time. It endured dozens of blows and scattered pale energy.


    Garam didn¡¯t seem satisfied.


    ¡°It is still too much to say it will destroy a god. I¡¯ll have to name it differently.¡±


    The blue dopo fluttered and spread out like a curtain. It was a scene created by the shockwave that urred when One pierced Garam¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Cough... I should¡¯ve dealt one more blow.¡±


    A slight twist of the wrist.


    Flop!


    Garam¡¯s body copsed as he looked down with some surprise at One, which made it through his sword like his sword was a piece of paper. The beautiful body shriveled up in an instant and turned into dirty, red flesh.


    A piece of flesh that was the size of a fist¡ªit was the material that formed the body of a half-god.


    The possibilities of the red flesh were limitless.


    ¡°At this time, I wonder if Baal is greater than Hanul.¡±


    Step.


    Garam walked out again. Once again, it was a body made from a small piece of flesh. It was newly made, so it was fine without any wounds.


    ¡°Unlike Hanul, who is limited to creating dozens of yangbans who are trash except for you and me, Baal¡¯s creation can create and evolve an infinite number of objects using the material called the ¡®soul.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s test¡ªYangbans must study and develop on their own in order to qualify for the test and pass it. They had to try hard like they were human beings. It was too insignificant for a creature created by one of the Gods of the Beginning.


    Therefore, Garam wasn¡¯t satisfied with his life. He was jealous of the Absolutes who were perfect from the moment they were born and felt skeptical about his own situation. Of course, that changed after he met Grid.


    In any case, the world felt easy andfortable now. It was because his innate talent was in full bloom thanks to the red flesh.


    ¡°It feels so good... Mir, why don¡¯t you get eaten by this too?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir didn¡¯t reply.


    Garam¡ªamong the yangbans, he was one who neglected his studies and training.


    Mir always regretted the waste of his talent, but that was a story from a long time ago. After discovering that Garam¡¯s personality was very twisted, he was d that Garam waszy. To be honest, he would confess it now: he had been relieved when he heard that Garam died.


    However, Garam came back alive in front of his eyes. It was while retaining his tremendous talent and terrifying sadism.


    ¡®As long as we can¡¯t destroy that red flesh¡ª¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t monsters like Garam revive again and again and be the second or third Baal? He wondered if the source of fear that Grid had cut off would be resurrected someday.


    Mir thought up to here and closed his eyes to control his breathing. He engraved a determination in his mind. That determination¡ª


    ¡°Your prayer has changed. What are you going to teach me this time?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look forward to it.¡±


    The method to suppress Garam¡¯s talent was simple. Repeatedly killing him without giving him the chance to learn. For example.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Killing him without him realizing it.


    Flop!


    It was only after Mir shook the blood from his sword that Garam copsed and died like a broken doll.


    Mir, the strongest yangban¡ªuntil he met Grid, he had only one dream: to fulfill the aspirations of Martial God Chiyou and be the new Martial God. He worked hard in rain and snow to achieve that dream. It was while being grateful for his natural talent.


    That¡¯s right¡ªMir was superior to Garam in every way. Therefore, Hanul identified Mir as the opponent of Baal and Raphael. Garam borrowed the power of a demon and repeatedly evolved through expedient means, but he couldn¡¯t surpass Mir¡¯s hundreds of years of effort.


    Grid also knew Mir¡¯s value. Therefore, he made Mir his apostle without hesitation and gave him the most important role in this expedition.


    The mass of red flesh¡ªa monster who used the power of the souls absorbed through Baal, resurrecting them as demons and wielding them as its own limbs. It was very versatile. It was possible to easily counter specific targets.


    For example, Mercedes. She could analyze the powers of the dead to counter and neutralize them, but it consumed a lot of mental power. As she countered the powers of the dead unleashed by the red flesh, she would be increasingly vulnerable over time as she received pincer attacks from the dead who were resurrected as demons.


    No matter how strong Braham was, he was a magician and was vulnerable to closebat. Meanwhile, Zik had a weakness that hisbat power rapidly declined the moment he couldn¡¯t use runes. In other words, they could be attacked somehow if the red flesh made full use of the power of the dead.


    Based on Grid and Lauel¡¯s discussion, the apostle with the highest win rate against the red flesh was undoubtedly Mir. A being who mastered martial arts in the process of dreaming about bing the Martial God and who freely handled the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts¡ªMir had an appropriate level of tolerance for all forms of attack.


    He might not be as good as Mercedes, but he had the insight to grasp the weaknesses of the target. He could momentarily disy a simr firepower to Braham and could be as versatile as Zik. Of course, expectations were somewhat lowpared to Braham¡¯s potential to ¡®kill¡¯ the red flesh, but Mir had the highest chance of buying a ¡®stable¡¯ amount of time for Yura to find a way to attack the red flesh.


    The red flesh must be a living being. It was clearly wary of the fact that Garam had died without being able to react and drew out more of the power of the dead. It intensively passed on the pain, sadness, and despair of the souls it carried to Mir. It was in the form of magic, skills, physical powers, curses, and gues.


    Mir endured with the power of the White Tiger, the ck Tortoise, and the Red Phoenix.


    He manipted the ground with the power of the White Tiger to ward off physical attacks, he offset the curses and gues with the ck Tortoise¡¯s poison and curses, and he quickly healed the wounds inflicted by magic that he was forced to allow with the power of the Red Phoenix.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the Four Gods liberated by Grid?¡±


    Garam witnessed the vision of the Four Auspicious Beasts rising behind Mir and frowned. In the past, when Garam was alive, the reason why they could use the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts was because the Four Auspicious Beasts were sealed and weakened. It was a power that could be taken away at any time the moment the Four Auspicious Beasts regained their free will.


    However, Mir was using it and it was also all the powers of the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    ¡°...Did you be acquainted with the Four Auspicious Beasts thanks to Grid and retained your strength?Kukuk, don¡¯t you have any pride? It is disgusting to see you cling to Grid, who is just a mere human being, just to be able to gain a bit more.¡±


    Garam took apletely different posture than before. At the same time, the way he used Formless Will changed. He wrapped it around his body rather than using it to strike at and disturb Mir. It was different from self-defense. Rather than spreading it out widely, it was condensed and ovepped on a specific area. It was under his feet.


    At the same time, the condensed formless energy exploded and he gained tremendous eleration. He was conscious of the current that still remained weakly in Mir¡¯s sword. Garam noticed that he had just been killed by Mir, who used the ¡®power of the Blue Dragon.¡¯ He did everything in his power to move faster than that.


    It was useless. It was because what Garam could do, Mir could also do. Mir raised the energy of the Blue Dragon and exploded the intangible energy condensed below his elbow, while fending off the offensive of the red flesh. He bent his wrist to match it and the sword soared at a tremendous speed.


    ¡°This bastard...¡±


    Did he see and follow along?


    Garam realized what Mir had done and started swearing. His position was once again next to the red flesh.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Garam¡¯s expression was puzzled for a moment before he slowly stiffened. He realized that he had died without his knowledge.


    ¡°Huh?Is there a XXing case like this?¡±


    A guy who grew one step faster than him growing stronger. It was the second time.


    Garam smiled as the image of Grid ovepped with Mir. It was an expression he made when his anger was soaring to the top of his head.


    ¡°I have to kill you first before even being qualified to challenge Grid.¡±


    His tone subsided. It seemed like he was trying to concentrate. Garam was thinking about how to attack Mir, who showed no gaps, only topletely shut his mouth and copse. It was the aftermath of the bones and flesh of his lower body being crushed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Garam, who didn¡¯t care how many times he died, was quite shaken. It was because the human faces covering the surface of the huge red flesh started to squirm wildly. Then the flesh started to swell up.


    A spot on the flesh exploded. It was by Yura¡¯s bullets. It was a bullet that umted the power of the dead, whose red flesh had erupted throughout the battle. The shooting method was also different from usual.


    Faker shoved the bullet directly into the flesh¡¯s body. After being shot several times by Yura, he identified a gap in the flesh with an immune system that was wary of Yura and targeted it urately.


    ¡°You guys...¡±


    Garam noticed the situation. The method to attack the lump of red flesh that easily regenerated no matter how many times it was cut and smashed¡ªit was to inject ¡®excessive energy¡¯ at once to exceed the allowed amount and cause self-destruction.


    In fact, the red flesh was copsing. From the perspective of the flesh, which had been originally slowly absorbing powers and souls through Baal, it was a strange and dangerous experience to receive back all the energy that it had released at once. It was also great that Yura, Faker, Mir and Leraje attacked in the gaps created every time it took off some flesh to create another being and the umted wounds weren¡¯tpletely repaired.


    The screams of the flesh as it crumbled like water-soaked mud continued for a long time. Garam¡¯s body, created by it, was also affected and copsed even more miserably.


    ¡°He is definitely running here right now.¡±


    Grid¡ªhe must have no intention of resting even after he killed Baal. Yura knew he would be working to help his colleagues. This was the reason why.


    ¡°We have to finish it before he arrives. We need to give him a break,¡± Yura encouraged the group.


    The effect was great.


    Faker, Toban, Mir, and Leraje nodded and struggled to jump on the flow that she had changed. They tore down the red flesh. Soon¡ª


    ¡°Yura!¡±


    It happened as Grid arrived at the scene...


    [The distortion of hell is released.]


    The situation was over. The terrible screams of the dying red flesh shook the underground area and scattered the souls that it had umted like Baal.


    At the same time, in front of the elevator heading for the surface...


    ¡°Mother...¡± Braham greeted Beriache. He looked sadder than ever.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you toe here alone.¡±


    Braham¡¯s magic power was infested with divinity. It was an obvious divine force.


    Beriacheughed bitterly. ¡°Looking at you, I shouldn¡¯t have given birth to Marie Rose.¡±


    Then things wouldn¡¯t have been so messy.


    Beriache was holding a long, dark sword in his hand. It was the demon sword made from Baal¡¯s magic power, which she hadpletely absorbed.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved. You are trying to protect your little sister.¡±


    That isn¡¯t it.I¡¯m just trying to keep Grid safe.


    Braham wanted to refute it, but he held back. It was because he thought tears would flow if he opened his mouth.

 Chapter 1853

    [The culprit of the hell distortion has disappeared.]


    [The distortion of hell is released.]


    [The demon energy infesting hell has started to be purified around the areas where you and Demon yer ¡®Yura¡¯ have left traces.]


    [Your divinity flows through the veins of hell where mes flow.]


    [Your divinity takes root in the destend of hell.]


    [Green sprouts are blooming everywhere in hell.]


    [The malice and madness of the demons and demonic creatures are slowly subsided.]


    [Hell has regained its original form.]


    [You are deeply praised for fighting against the oppression that could havested forever.]


    Regaining the ¡®original appearance¡¯¡ªthat was the most important conclusion. It was over. Following Baal¡¯s death, the red piece of flesh also perished. The wishes of the world and Grid¡¯s purpose had been fulfilled.


    It was the result of Grid, the Overgeared members, the apostles, and Biban working together. In the future, death would be a respite for humanity, not the beginning of eternal suffering.


    ¡°Everyone... I¡¯m d everyone is safe.¡±


    They had struggled so much. They fought really well. Etc, etc.


    He had a lot to say but this was all Grid could barely spit out. It was enough. The affection that Grid and his colleagues felt for each other was naturally conveyed without words.


    ¡°You should rest.¡±


    In any case, now wasn¡¯t the right time to start talking. The most important enemy still remained.


    Evil God Asura¡ªGrid left the scene immediately to kill him, followed by Yura¡¯s group.


    ¡°What do you mean by rest? Let¡¯s fight and get it over with.¡± Those were Toban¡¯s words.


    Grid chuckled. Personally, he was grateful to Toban. Toban had naturally declined with the fall of the Judar Church. Later, he became a pdin belonging to the Overgeared God Church and was stronger than he was during his prime, but he didn¡¯t rise to the ranks of the 10 Meritorious Retainers. His position was rather low despite his seniority.


    In particr, he was exploited a lot by Lauel due to his experience as a staff member during his time in the Tzedakah Guild. He was responsible for guiding the new guild members while also being in charge of all sorts of tasks, such as supervising the territories in each region. He even participated in this expedition without receiving a dragon weapon.


    Since he wasn¡¯t a transcendent or an angel, he was unable to handle a dragon weapon. This meant he wasn¡¯t actually a candidate for the expedition. After Vantner, it was difficult to find a yer who was more of a pure tank than Toban, so they hurriedly recruited him in the end.


    It must¡¯ve been very embarrassing. He seemed very anxious. However, he survived to the end and proved that he was still on active duty. He fought really well. Yura, who was alive and well, was the proof.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s fight together and go back together.¡±


    Yura, Faker, and Mir were all on the taciturn side. Leraje seemed very nervous. Perhaps she was affected by the news of Beriache¡¯s resurrection. At the very least, the atmosphere felt rxed because there was Toban.


    ¡®Asura.¡¯


    It was right to see him as stronger than Baal in terms of the current flow of events. Honestly, Grid was really tired. He remembered the difficulties he had throughout the fight with Baal and his eyes darkened a bit.


    However, he gradually felt relieved when he remembered the faces of his colleagues. No matter how strong Asura was, he was different from Baal. Unlike Baal, who overcame death using people¡¯s fear of him, it was the end once Asura died. Just in case¡ª


    Even if he had the setting of inheriting Baal¡¯s power and oveing death, it was just the setting. The fear of humanity had already been erased. People no longer feared Baal or hell.


    Grid made this happen. The source of fear had been removed. There was no reason to fight alone against Asura. There were Yura, Faker, Mir, Toban, and Leraje here. There were also Biban and the angels who were currently fighting Asura. Additionally, there was Bunhelier, who was still hiding in Grid''s cloak, and Grid''s otherpanions, who woulde running afterpleting their respective missions.


    They would join forces and fight.


    ¡®There is no suspense in many against one.¡¯


    Was it the usual many against one?


    Grid, Biban, Braham, and Bunhelier¡ªthere were four Absolutes in this ce.


    Mercedes, Piaro, Mir, and Zik also had the potential to aim to be an Absolute and they had indeed developed at a tremendous rate. Most of the rest of the Overgeared members were transcendents. There were also strong allies called Leraje and Eligos. Even Fire Dragon Trauka couldn¡¯t handle a pincer attack of this magnitude.


    ¡®...Isn¡¯t this too strong?¡¯


    He realized it once again. If they finished the expedition safely today and returned to the surface.


    First of all, all the dragons in the world, including the Old Dragons, would erase their presence. They wouldn¡¯t be able to act recklessly as long as the Overgeared World was in good shape.


    ¡®The gods of Asgard will also be watching us with bated breath.¡¯


    Hell, who had been opposing the surface, had been destroyed. Asgard couldn¡¯t hope for the Overgeared World¡¯s self-destruction and would obviously be nervous.


    Once he thought up to here, he naturally thought about what to do next.


    ¡®The Seven Malignant Saints.¡¯


    The Seven Good People were Asgard¡¯s disgrace. They were the ones who proved the sinsmitted by the gods. Perhaps the celestial gods would try to erase everything rted to the Seven Malignant Saints after carefully watching the epic of how he brought down hell. It was in order to not give an excuse for an invasion. It should be stopped.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The underground area where Yura¡¯s group had struggled¡ªit was the deepest and most secretive ce in hell, befitting the ce where the culprit that distorted hell was hidden. The road was so narrow and winding that he couldn¡¯t even use Shunpo. Therefore, Grid was barely able to reach the ground after running a long time, only to witness an unexpected sight.


    [...It is over.]


    Evil God Asura was crumbling. He was turning to ashes while surrounded by Regas, the angel who threw off his silver mask; Hao, the angel who threw off his gold mask; and Sword God Biban.


    [Baal... his trick grabbed me by the ankle.]


    Asura stared in disbelief at Regas, who barely coughed up a bloody breath. Then he soon found Grid andughed.


    [Well, these are all excuses. My defeat became inevitable when I failed to secure my origin.]


    Asura¡¯s origin¡ªit was the mass of red flesh. Asura¡¯s true power was only disyed whenbined with it. However, he failed to achieve a union. In his imperfect state, there was no way to defeat the mighty enemies, Only One God Grid and Sword God Biban. He wanted to avoid a fight because he knew it clearly, but Grid¡¯s vignce was too strong.


    [But we will be reunited soon.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid was relieved to witness Asura dissipating in real time, only to frown. They were going to be reunited? Asura¡¯s meaningful words bothered him a lot.


    ¡°On what grounds are you saying this?¡±


    [...Kukuk.]


    Slowly. Very barely. Asura barely raised his hand that was limp in death and pointed to the sky. The hell moon had disappeared and the sky was clear. Above it was the surface and beyond that was heaven.


    [There is a call from heaven.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a single person who couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of Asura¡¯s words.


    The sky.


    Heaven.


    Asgard.


    There was only one authority. It was to summon the dead and make them angels. But surely not, the gods¡ª


    They even wanted to take away an Evil God born in hell?


    [It is no use trying to call the Saintess. The existence made from Yatan¡¯s subconscious can¡¯t suppress me, who was born to transcend Yatan.]


    Asura read Grid¡¯s thoughts andughed. He turned to ash at a faster rate. It was the result of responding to Asgard¡¯s call.


    [Rest assured, Grid. The greatest god.]


    The greatest god¡ªAsura wholeheartedly acknowledged Grid. He saw Grid as a better being than any other god in heaven. It was because he witnessed the process of Grid defeating Baal from Baal¡¯s side.


    [I have fighting spirit by nature. I am different from Baal. I don¡¯t care about trash. My target is only you and the other strong existences.]


    No matter what I will be when I ascend to heaven, I won¡¯t be a threat to the surface, unlike Baal¡ªthe reason why Asura revealed this fact was simple. He hoped that the opponent who would one day receive his challenge would be relieved and devote himself to moving forward.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t believe it at all. There was no reason to trust an Evil God born from Baal.


    [Besides, what the heavenly gods want from me is probably to get rid of Chiyou...]


    Asura had inherited the power, knowledge and intelligence of Baal and Amoract. Whatever conjecture he had made, he disappeared before he could finish saying it. He soared into heaven without leaving the slightest traces behind.


    ¡°...Chiyou.¡±


    Grid was reminded of the archangel, Metatron. He was also obsessed with Chiyou. Maybe all the heavenly gods were. To them, Chiyou was the enemy who helped Hanul escape and was the only threat to Reba.


    ¡®Considering Asura¡¯s background, it is suitable to make him Chiyou¡¯s opponent.¡¯


    Zeratul¡¯s position also needed to be taken into ount. Didn¡¯t he be a sinner and was locked up? As a result, the position of Martial God was vacated. If the existence of the Martial God was essential to heaven, then it made sense to make Asura the new Martial God.


    ¡®...So Zeratul ispletely abandoned?¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t veryfortable because he remembered the moment when he received help (?) from Zeratul. However, it was only for a moment.


    Now was the time to rejoice. Asgard¡¯s collection of Asura was an unexpected variable, but somehow, there was little anxiety. It was because Asura didn¡¯t have the personality to be easily used and there was no reason for him to be swayed by Asgard¡¯s tricks. As he said earlier, the Overgeared World was so strong.


    Just then, Piaro and Mercedes were seen rushing toward them. They had neatlypleted the mission and came back. Additionally¡ª


    [You have encountered Pagma¡¯s soul.]


    [You have encountered Alex¡¯s soul.]


    A personal meeting came to Grid and Yura.


    The ss quest¡ªit was a quest that ordinary people hadpleted years ago, but it was different for legendary ss users. The level of difficulty was so high that they wondered if this was correct, especially when it came to the difficulty of Grid and Yura¡¯s ss quests.


    The goal of the quest was to free the souls of Pagma and Alex, who had been held captive by Baal. It was a crazy quest even when looking at it now. How could a mere legend get rid of Baal and free the souls of Pagma and Alex? It was especially the case when Pagma''s Sessor was a cksmith. There was no way to kill Baal through normal methods no matter how hard they tried.


    ¡®...Damn.¡¯


    He was so sad that he was on the verge of tears.


    Pagma held out his hand to Grid, who wasughing in disbelief. ¡°My petty talent... dear friend... I don¡¯t know if it will help... but other than this, there is no way to express my gratitude... I don''t have...¡±


    Pagma¡¯s voice was muffled. In the first ce, the form of the soul itself was blurry. It was the same as Alex¡¯s soul. It was distinctly different from Beriache, an Absolute. They didn¡¯t have the ability to retain their soul form.


    Soon, they would arrive at the river of reincarnation,pletely lose their form, and prepare for reincarnation in a new appearance.


    [You have freed the soul of the hidden hero who has suffered forever.]


    [The ss quest for ¡®Pagma''s Sessor¡¯ has beenpleted.]


    [As a reward forpleting the ss quest, you have learned a new sword dance.]


    It was really long. The emotional Grid felt it again and spoke to Pagma¡¯s soul, which had be even more blurred before he knew it.


    ¡°Take a good rest now.¡±


    What more could he say?


    Pagma was arguably a hero. However, it was a position that shouldn¡¯t be celebrated. In some cases, people could judge him as a bad person. It was all irrelevant. It might not have been Pagma¡¯s will, but he was Grid¡¯s benefactor.


    Grid had no desire to judge him. Therefore, he greeted Pagma without praise or criticism, only respect.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Pagma read Grid¡¯s thoughts and smiled slightly. His form grew paler. The faded old dopo finally becamepletely transparent. Then it was revealed.


    The soul of the girl hiding nervously in the dopo¡ªit was a girl who looked exactly like Randy.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Pagma had protected someone even in death. He tried to make up for some of the sins hemitted in his lifetime. Grid realized this fact and finally couldn¡¯t stand it. He shouted.


    ¡°Thanks to you... many people were saved because of you.¡±


    I am the biggest proof standing in front of you.


    The moment that Grid said this, Pagmapletely disappeared. In the end, he didn¡¯t open his mouth and just scattered with a lonely expression on his face. It was clearly the look of a sinner.


    May my existence be a smallfort to him.


    Grid mourned and summoned Randy. He gave Randy a chance to meet a precious friend and say goodbye properly this time. Then a little more time passed and Wendy¡¯s soul was also gone.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Peak Sword, Huroi, and Lae rushed over while shouting. There was no Braham. Come to think of it, Kraugel also hadn¡¯t been heard from.


    ¡°It is better to search than wait here.¡±


    Yura quickly judged after saying goodbye to Alex and she expressed her opinion. What type of conversation did they have? Her eyes were also red.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid wondered for a moment before taking the handkerchief Mercedes handed him and giving it to Yura. Then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid, the apostles, and the Overgeared members gathered in one ce. It was a power that would astonish the Old Dragons and make the heavenly gods nervous. They raced through the hell covered with green vegetation at great speed.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (4/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1854

    At the river of reincarnation...


    A tremendous noise had been going on for dozens of minutes already.


    It was the aftermath of a copse of an invisible dam¡ªthe dam created by the distortion of hell, and imprisoned the souls in the river.


    "Thank you."


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    The liberated souls¡ªthey expressed their gratitude to Kraugel as they finally let go of the sorrow and pain they had experienced for eternity and started to enter the path of reincarnation.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget yourst words and will deliver them to Grid.¡±


    I will deliver your words to Grid, who isn¡¯t here, on your behalf.


    Kraugel thought so and promised. The souls were bewildered for a moment before smiling. Contrary to Kraugel¡¯s thoughts, the souls were grateful to him too. It was because he shouted that Grid would surely defeat Baal and gave them hope. Thanks to him, they endured the pain for a while. This was a tremendous blessing for the souls.


    ¡°In our next life, we will return the merits to you and Grid.¡±


    These were the words of a soul. It blurred so quickly that Kraugel couldn¡¯t get a close look at the soul''s appearance, but he could see the neatly shaved head and deep eyes. He thought this soul must¡¯ve been a monk-like practitioner in his lifetime.


    The cycle of life.


    Reincarnation¡ªKraugel had a vague idea of the value of this concept. The souls had started to prepare for reincarnation thanks to Grid. When they were one day reborn as beasts or human beings living on the surface, maybe they would vaguely love Grid and the warriors of the expedition. Wouldn¡¯t these feelings gather to bless Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom?


    ¡°The immortal empire.¡±


    Just then, Eligos interjected.


    ¡°As long as their subconscious minds remember the events of their previous lives after they are reborn, even if it is just the smallest detail, the empire of Grid will be eternal. They won¡¯t sit idly by and ignore the nation and everything that Grid has created. They will instinctively want to protect it.¡±


    Great nations throughout history had often been born from abination of strong military power, brilliant politicians, and good timing. It was right to express it as a gift from heaven. However, none of the nationssted forever. In the end, they declined and copsed.


    However, the Overgeared Empire wouldst forever. Even though it was only a demon¡¯s im... Kraugel agreed with it.


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    Putting aside the blessings and the help of the reincarnated souls, there weren¡¯t many forces left that could threaten the Overgeared Guild right away. If he had to name them, wouldn¡¯t it be the Old Dragons, the Hwan Kingdom, and Asgard? Among them, the Old Dragons seemed to have deep exchanges with Grid, while Hanul and King Sobyeol of the Hwan Kingdom felt inferior. Perhaps only Asgard could disrupt Grid¡¯s path.


    It happened as Kraugel was thinking this...


    ¡°......¡±


    Eligos stood on the cliff and watched the procession of liberated souls. Suddenly, he changed his position with high speed movement. Before anyone knew it, he climbed on top of Cerberus, drew his sword, and looked up at the sky.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t bother asking what was going on. It was because he could also sense the traces that were getting closer.


    Soon¡ª


    A tremendously powerful air wave seemed to fall on them. Then a gloomy voice rang out.


    ¡°¡±I... must not forget my past life. I can¡¯t obtain enlightenment in this state.¡±¡±


    King Daebyeol¡ªKraugel was familiar with the name of the soul that stopped just before falling into the still swirling river.


    The son of Hanul, a God of the Beginning¡ªa being who fell into hell after falling for the machinations of his younger brother, King Sobyeol. Finally, he was tricked by Baal and was reduced to the mass of red flesh. The episodes rted to him hadn¡¯t been revealed in detail. However, it was easy to predict how much pain he would¡¯ve suffered just from looking at the briefly known content. He must¡¯ve held a very deep grudge.


    ¡°¡±It doesn¡¯t make sense for me, an Absolute, to perish... I have to go up to the surface in this state and meet my younger brother.¡±¡±


    ¡°Does the disappearance of an Absolute make no sense? Baal also talked nonsense before he died.¡±


    Cerberus leapt forward. He jumped off a cliff and instantly attacked King Daebyeol.


    ck Knight Eligos¡ªhis strange swordsmanship, which had a history of troubling Grid for a moment, inflicted new wounds on the soul of King Daebyeol, who was already full of wounds. He pushed relentlessly at the weakened King Daebyeol in the hope of quickly plunging him into the river.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tolerate you going against the flow of the river, which has regained its original flow. It is your story. I feel sorry for you, but I can¡¯t let you do as you please. It could be an opportunity to cause the rules to copse again.¡±


    Eligos¡¯ desire was to be the representation of hell. He hoped that people would think of him the moment they thought of hell. It was apletely different concept from being the master of hell. It was a type of honor. Therefore, Baal didn¡¯t bother to break his aspirations. In any case, Baal was now dead and hell was regaining its original form.


    Eligos dreamed of bing the representation of hell and he was even more obsessed with his role as the gatekeeper of hell. He struggled to defend thews of hell that had finally been restored.


    Eligos and King Daebyeol shed multiple times, causing the river to gush out every time.


    A rainbow that originally wasn¡¯t in hell came into existence. It was a sight that could only be seen thanks to the sun rising after the hell moon disappeared.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t bother to intervene. It was very foolish to act recklessly in a situation where he couldn¡¯t judge right from wrong. It also bothered him that King Daebyeol had a deep grudge. He was undoubtedly a good being, but it was hard to predict what variables he would cause if he went up to the surface like this.


    ¡®...I think it is better for Eligos to win.¡¯


    He never thought the day woulde when he would cheer for a demon. Kraugel¡¯s expression stiffened as he felt something strange.


    ¡°There must be a way to get to the surface without crossing the river of reincarnation.¡±


    There was a uniquely upright existence among the souls moving while entrusting their bodies to the flow of the river. The form was also distinct. He looked like a living person, like King Daebyeol, unlike most other souls that had faded.


    ¡°...Madra?¡±


    The name of the soul was confirmed. Then the image of the rapidly approaching soul was projected on Kraugel¡¯s slowly widening eyes.


    ¡°I would be thankful if you teach me how to climb to the surface with my present memories and soul.¡±


    This was Madra¡¯s request as he closed the distance in an instant. His well-developed forearm muscles helped show what type of swordsmanship he would perform.


    Kraugel was reflecting on what type of existence Madra was when Eligos shouted to him.


    ¡°They are beings who have suffered for as short a time as several years or as long as thousands of years. It is right to say that they have been twisted unconditionally, unless their innate ability is straight and strong. Don¡¯t bother with him and ignore him.¡±


    Don¡¯t look at what they are like in life.


    This was the key point of the warning.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t really agree. In fact, most of the souls were flowing along the river in a calm manner. It was hard to believe that the soul of a person who was called a hero in his lifetime could be twisted when even ordinary souls were like this.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he intended to trust and help Madra. There was no reason for it.


    ¡°I¡¯m an ordinary human being who doesn¡¯t have much to do with hell... I can¡¯t answer your question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you look like an ordinary human being. You don¡¯t seem to be dead or a demon. That is why I¡¯m asking you. How did you get to hell? It is enough to tell me what you used.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Didn¡¯t I say not to get involved?¡±


    Eligos intervened as he briefly left King Daebyeol and returned to Kraugel¡¯s side.


    ¡°The stronger and more special a being was in their life, the higher the bridge of their noise and the more obsessed they are with grudges. They are even more twisted than normal souls...¡±


    Eligos¡¯ words were cut off in the middle. It was due to Formless Will. It was Madra who wielded a sword made of formless energy.


    800,000 Army Swordsmanship¡ªit was like looking at the Space Sword. The earth split in half around the spot where Eligos stood.


    ¡°...Help me,¡± Eligos openly asked for help as he was surrounded by King Daebyeol and Madra, who chased after him before he knew it.


    At this point, it was also hard for Kraugel to remain still. He remembered the mission given by Grid¡ªit was the mission to cooperate with Eligos. Grid gave such a mission because he believed in Eligos. It was also right for Kraugel to believe in him. Moreover, the purification of hell had just begun. The situation wasn¡¯t over yet and Kraugel¡¯s mission was still ongoing.


    ¡°...I will try.¡±


    Kraugel pulled out Twilight and gripped it.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t ordinary.¡±


    The expressions on the faces of King Daebyeol and Madra became serious.


    It was a tense moment.


    ¡®This aura?¡¯


    Madra had been watching closely after realizing that Kraugel¡¯s true identity was the Sword Saint. Then he suddenly shifted his gaze in the direction of the river. It was because he detected a presence he had been missing for many years.


    ¡°Pagma...¡±


    One of the people he always wanted to meet. It wasn¡¯t in a good way.


    Madra¡¯s face strangely contorted as he remembered the humiliation of being resurrected and used as a death knight by this bastard, as well as the loneliness and pain that he had to endure because of it.


    ¡°I... if I can help you even a little bit... can I?¡± Pagma¡¯s soul rose from the river and slowly approached the scene. He was a shabby figurepared to Madra, let alone King Daebyeol. He was very blurred in form like most ordinary souls. Pagma¡¯s soul was so weak that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he disappeared right away. His voice wasn¡¯t connected properly.


    However, Kraugel believed in him. It was because he was one of the origins of Grid. Regardless of his outward appearance, he would never be weak.


    It was also now after Pagma had just witnessed the activities of his sessor. It was highly likely that he got great inspiration and trained his mental image.


    ¡°I will be happy for your help.¡± Kraugel¡¯s answer was the signal.


    [You have been possessed by the soul of the Legendary cksmith ¡®Pagma.¡¯]


    [Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance is activated.]


    [The Legendary cksmith¡¯s Craftsmanship Skill is activated.]


    It was just like how Grid united with Braham¡¯s soul in the past. Kraugel also became one with the soul of a legend. It was such a historic moment that Eligos¡¯ eyes filled with anticipation. However, reality was terrible.


    [Your swordsmanship level is higher than Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    In the past, when Grid became one with Braham, he gained a strong intelligence stat along with the opening of the ability called magic, but thebination of Kraugel and Pagma had little synergy.


    Pagma had only reached the level of a great swordsman before signing a contract with Baal, so he was unable to help Kraugel with his swordsmanship. The only stats that Pagma increased was dexterity, which didn¡¯t help much in battle.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was the wrong fusion. Pagma read Kraugel¡¯s inwardly disturbed mind and hurriedly recovered it. He examined the number of swords in Kraugel¡¯s inventory and activated a hidden secret skill.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kraugel trembled. A technique thatbined two or more items into one to amplify power¡ªit was one of Grid¡¯s ultimate moves. Kraugel had witnessed how powerful it was several times so his expectations soared to the extreme.


    That¡¯s right. He didn¡¯t know. It was the fact that Item Combination required a ¡®process¡¯ to go through.


    Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!


    ¡°...Are you crazy?¡±


    Kraugel crouched down despite the enemies in front of him, took out the Grid-made repair hammer and anvil, and started pounding on his sword. This caused Eligos to be engulfed in a sense of crisis like never before.


    At the same time, at the entrance of the hell elevator...


    ¡°......¡±


    An innately born Absolute¡ªBraham admired, was thrilled with, overwhelmed by, and then defeated by his mother, who absorbed the power of Baal and Amoract and showed off her perfect appearance. Then his fighting spirit, which had weakened, came back to life.


    It was because the presence of a certain bastard became very clear.


    Pagma¡ªhe had heard Pagma¡¯s hidden story several times through Grid¡¯s mouth and tried to understand and forgive him somehow, but it was impossible. The moment he felt this presence, the resentment he had tried to forget boiled over. He wanted to make sure to meet Pagma and make him pay for his sins before Pagma jumped into the convenient feature of reincarnation and forgot everything. To do so, he had to ovee the crisis facing him right now.


    ¡°Let me ask you onest time. Can¡¯t you give up on Marie Rose?¡±


    ¡°¡±Then there is no reason in giving birth to that child.¡±¡±


    ¡°...I will fight with the intention of killing you. Please forgive me.¡±


    His most respected and beloved mother in the world¡ªBraham hadn¡¯t dared to resent her even when he was banished. Now he made a resolution that he never could¡¯ve imagined in the past. It wasn¡¯t because he felt sorry for Marie Rose. It was only for Grid¡¯s sake and to kill Pagma.


    As if hypnotizing himself, Braham¡¯s magic power soared with no end in sight.


    Braham-style Enhanced Mana Drain¡ªthe power that even Baal coveted engulfed all of the surrounding magic power. In other words, he started to absorb even the magic power of Beriache¡¯s soul.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (1/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1855

    Chapter 1855


    Taang, taang, taang...


    The river of reincarnation¡ªthe sound of hammer striking iron resonated in the ce where the cries of the souls originally echoed. It was a sound that made one realize that times had changed.


    It happened as ck Knight Eligos was immersed in strange emotions...


    ¡°...Wait.¡±


    Madra¡¯s soul restrained the soul of King Daebyeol. It was an obstruction that was difficult to understand from the perspective of King Daebyeol.


    The disruptor who suddenly started hammering in the middle of battle¡ªhe missed the opportunity to beat this arrogant person.


    Madra exined it to him, ¡°Pagma is good at deceiving and taking advantage of others. To put it simply, he is an ill-bred bastard. You will be in trouble if you trust the openly exposed gaps he shows.¡±


    ¡°¡±Huh... How far has my father fallen...?¡±¡±


    King Daebyeolmented after vaguely sensing that Pagma was a being created by his father, Hanul. He heard Madra¡¯s words and was concerned about how many people were harmed by Hanul¡¯s sin of creating a being who was close to a demon.


    ¡°......¡±


    The content of the conversation between the two of them was clearly heard in Kraugel¡¯s ears. Naturally, it was also heard by Pagma.


    Kraugel could feel the emotions of Pagma, who was possessing him. Sadness, remorse, loneliness...


    But there was no regret. He was certain that his choices and actions wouldn¡¯t change even if he went back to the past. It was the stubbornness of a hero who had already saved the world once. It was a stubbornness that shouldn¡¯t be broken.


    ¡°It is over.¡±


    Madra¡¯s vignce turned into an opportunity. Thanks to this, Pagma seeded inbining Twilight and the White Tiger Sword into one and entrusted the rest to Kraugel.


    ¡°Unfortunately, this is all I can do to help.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t humility.


    [Your swordsmanship level is higher than Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance.]


    [All the intentions contained in Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance can be fully aplished with your swordsmanship.]


    [Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance is disabled.]


    The system judged that it would be a loss for Kraugel to use Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance. It forcibly prevented him from using it. The skills that were so powerful in Grid¡¯s hands were useless...


    ¡®Grid, what type of fights have you been fighting...?¡¯


    It was the same with Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance and the Item Combination skill. In both cases, the original skill was far from perfect. They were badly wed until they evolved in Grid¡¯s hands. Additionally, Pagma¡¯s stats were low. Apart from dexterity, most of the major stats such as strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence were inferior to Kraugel.


    It was regrettable even considering the fact that Kraugel had already surpassed the legends of the previous generation. If Grid had stayed as Pagma''s Sessor, Grid¡¯s peak would¡¯ve been Pagma and he would¡¯ve never been able to achieve the same feats as he did now.


    Using this newfound understanding, Kraugel realized that Grid was a greater person than he thought. Grid changed his destiny after crossing his limits several times.


    ¡°I have more things to ask of you. Give me Pagma¡¯s soul, along with a way to get to the surface,¡± Undefeated King Madra said while inting the muscles of his right arm that was holding the sword.


    Kraugel felt it before, but Madra was a very strange existence. He wasn¡¯t a legend and was just a soul. How could he be so strong? In particr, Kraugel had witnessed the dilemma of the ¡®Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship¡¯ several times.


    An incredibly powerful swordsmanship that damaged the arms of the user¡ªeven Baal from a few months ago, as well as Grid of the past, used to have ragged arms every time they used the Undefeated King¡¯s Swordsmanship.


    However, Madra¡¯s soul casually used 800,000 Army Swordsmanship. Kraugel wasn¡¯t convinced even considering that Madra was the original master of the swordsmanship.


    ¡®Is it because he is a soul that he isn¡¯t restricted?¡¯


    No, it was also problematic to interpret it this way. Right now, Pagma¡¯s soul was in such a precarious state that he would¡¯ve disappeared immediately if he hadn¡¯t possessed Kraugel. It meant it was difficult for the deceased who were about to reincarnate to maintain their soul bodies. Yet Madra was doing it without any difficulty. It was like the Absolute, King Daebyeol.


    ¡°He was born a strong existence.¡± Eligos came to a conclusion after feeling the same doubts as Kraugel. ¡°He is simply a being born with a strong body and soul. That guy is like that.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel was forced to agree. There was no other way to exin Madra¡¯s strength. In this way, some of the doubts about his futile end were solved.


    The king of Lubana, a small kingdom¡ªthe man who single-handedly prevented the advance of the Empire with overwhelming force. Madra was the most powerful man of his time. However, the Empire concealed this information to prevent his reputation from spreading outside of Lubana. As a result, he lost his life in vain to a dagger wielded by his son and failed to be a legend.


    It was a death with many unanswered questions. He might not be a legend, but it was hard to believe that such a strong person died in vain at the hands of his son. It was an established theory in the academicmunity that a separate truth rted to Madra¡¯s death existed.


    But now looking at it, Kraugel thought that it was the truth.


    Madra died in vain at the hands of his son. The essence of Madra was that he was simply a ¡®strong human being.¡¯ He was just strong and didn¡¯t have overwhelming senses, so he was stabbed in a vital spot in a vain end. He wasn¡¯t immune when he was fatally wounded. The conclusion¡ª


    ¡®He is a monster in a different sense.¡¯


    A powerhouse different from ordinary legends and transcendents¡ªKraugel¡¯s expression was serious as he analyzed Madra.


    A being who refused to reincarnate¡ªas Eligos said, he was a variable who sought to overthrow thew of hell that had just been restored.


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t just stand by. Kraugel had an obligation to uphold thews of hell as long as Grid was the one who restored them. That was his role as a colleague.


    ¡°You are going to fight. Yes... it won¡¯t be easy to get back to the surface.¡±


    Madra¡¯s thoughts changed. The muscles of his hand and arm holding the formless sword wriggled and the blood vessels bulged. The air around the area sank heavily. It was as if he alone existed in the world. He showed an overwhelming presence and focused the attention of those around him to himself. It was enough to make the souls flowing in the river of reincarnation stop for a moment and look up at the cliff.


    ¡°One Million Army Massacre Sword.¡±


    The ultimate move that Baal showed in the past¡ªit was executed through the hands of its creator. The sword energy with supreme power stretched out horizontally. He was poised to cut everything around him, including Kraugel.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    It happened as a chill went down Eligos¡¯ spine...


    A small bursting sound was heard. Then the sword energy that covered the world was lifted. It was the aftermath of Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword cutting the One Million Army Massacre Sword. It was a very natural phenomenon.


    Originally, a Sword Saint was a being who had the sword energy to cut anything and the strongest swordsmanship. Madra might¡¯ve been ssified as the ¡®greatest talent of all time¡¯ and mentioned in the mouths of Absolutes, but even he couldn¡¯t defeat Kraugel when it came to swordsmanship.


    Kraugel¡¯s swordsmanship was judged to be unconditionally superior to Madra¡¯s. Of course, the strongest sword that he obtained thanks to Pagma was a great help.


    Madra wasn¡¯t flustered. ¡°In the first ce, it is a swordsmanship designed to kill a million enemies.¡±


    It was with these meaningful words. The One Million Army Massacre Sword, which had been cut in half by the Space Sword, suddenly had its trajectory twisted. It resembled a windmill. It rotated, targeted the area, and started to devastate it.


    A swordsmanship designed to kill a million enemies¡ªthere was no way that the sword trajectory could be limited to one. The number of sword trajectories made by One Million Army Massacre Sword was almost infinite. This was the essence of it that Baal had overlooked. In other words, it was by no means a level that could be suppressed by blocking it once.


    Arge shadow rose behind Kraugel¡¯s back as he retreated, shed at the iing swords, or spread out a sword curtain to block them. It was the gatekeeper of hell. It was Cerberus, a beast that appeared in manyrge-scale myths. Madra¡¯s advance was blocked thanks to the guy who released mes and poison to stop the One Million Army Massacre Sword.


    A cooperation with a demon and demonic creature¡ªit was a sight that could¡¯ve never been seen in the time when Pagma was alive.


    Pagma recalled his memories of the Behen Archipgo. He remembered the time when he signed a contract with Baal and fought against demons with the power he gained. The demons and demonic creatures that Pagma experienced at that time were monsters united with hostility and the intent to kill. It was hard to imagine a day woulde when humans would cooperate with them. It was to the point where he felt that there was no hope for humanity, who would forever be their target.


    ¡°If only Grid had inherited the power of someone other than me... the world would¡¯ve been saved a bit earlier.¡±


    By inheriting my power, his growth was slowed and the salvation of the world was dyed. It took too long for hope to take root...


    The cause of Pagma¡¯s self-me was naturally Kraugel. Since Kraugel¡¯s impression of Pagma¡¯s Sessor was somewhat insignificant, Pagma also realized his inadequacies.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel felt no guilt. It was because his own impression as a third party was useless. He cooperated with Cerberus to cut off Madra¡¯s arm and spoke calmly, ¡°It is thanks to inheriting your power that the present Grid can exist.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an empty constion.


    Kraugel only told the truth as he confirmed the value in the increase of his critical hit chance and weak point hitting probability, which increased significantly due to the dexterity stat that Pagma raised, and as he recognized the power of Twilightbined with the White Tiger Sword.


    ¡°It is terrifying to imagine if someone other than Grid inherited your power.¡±


    Some people said it¡ªthe development of yers was dyed and humanity was in crisis because Grid only supplied the items he created to the Overgeared Guild.


    Kraugel¡¯s view was different. Since it was Grid, he identified people he could trust and distributed his works properly. If someone other than Grid had acquired Pagma''s Sessor and monopolized the production of legendary items...


    People with only money and power, but no qualifications, would monopolize the most powerful weapons. Then humanity might not have been able to ovee its many crises.


    ¡°Don¡¯tfort the worthless,¡± Madra interrupted. He pointed out Kraugel¡¯s attitude of soothing Pagma¡¯s soul. ¡°He is a wicked man.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s face darkened. To be precise, it was the face of Pagma, who had be one with Kraugel. Pagma¡¯s feelings were expressed through Kraugel¡¯s body. Kraugel didn¡¯t hand over the right to speak to Pagma, who wanted to apologize to Madra.


    ¡°You seem to be mistaken.¡±


    Undefeated King Madra¡ªhe had received the evaluation that he would¡¯ve be the strongest human being if he had enjoyed his natural life. Was it really like that? This evaluation of Madra was built on the days when ¡®yers didn¡¯t exist.¡¯ It was a time without Grid, the Overgeared Guild, and Kraugel.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯tforting Pagma. I was just appreciating Grid...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel had already said everything he wanted to say. His words casually inserted the knife into Pagma¡¯s chest again while he shed off Madra¡¯s remaining left arm.


    Madra, who had died hundreds of years ago and hadn¡¯t developed, couldn¡¯t be the opponent of the present day Sword Saint, who had been acknowledged by Muller. Furthermore, Kraugel was holding a dragon weapon made by Grid and strengthened by Pagma.


    Madra¡¯s soul fell off the cliff and was submerged in the river of reincarnation. He drifted away to wee a new life.


    ¡°May you be happy in your next life.¡±


    The king of Lubana¡ªhe, who fought to defend his kingdom and his people, deserved a better fate...


    The appearance of Kraugel as he thought this and sincerely mourned gave King Daebyeol goosebumps.


    ¡°¡±Do you acknowledge that he is a hero and mourn for him after brutally cutting him down... hell has started to be purified and demons are regaining their goodness, while humans have be rather cruel.¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t feel it was worth arguing over. The other person might be full of wounds, but he was still an Absolute. Kraugel was busy calcting how to deal with the great enemy called King Daebyeol. His conclusion¡ª


    ¡®It is hard.¡¯


    An Absolute was an existence that was definitely higher than Sword Saint Muller. He wasn¡¯t an opponent who could be defeated just by working together with Eligos and Cerberus. It happened as Kraugel¡¯s expression was getting darker and darker...


    ¡°...gel!¡±


    He heard someone¡¯s voice from a distance. It wasn¡¯t just the cries of one or two people. Many presences were approaching quickly. They were the Overgeared members, except for Grid, and the apostles, except for Braham. Biban was also with them.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight anymore.¡± However, Biban copsed as soon as he arrived at the scene. Hey down and leaned against a rock like he was sleeping. It was fine. Except for Biban, the people who gathered at the scene were in good condition.


    ¡°I feel a bit worse about what I look like...?¡±


    ¡°Really? What?¡±


    It happened as Peak Sword and Vantner were praising Kraugel, who had be more handsome afterbining with Pagma...


    ¡°¡±Why are you disturbing me?¡±¡±


    Countless flowers bloomed around thementing King Daebyeol.

 Chapter 1856

    Chapter 1856


    To save one world¡ªGrid had already experienced how hard it was in the East Continent. It took more than five years to unseal the Four Auspicious Beasts. He experienced so many things while traveling between the East Continent and West Continent.


    Furthermore, this expedition was to save two worlds at the same time: hell and the surface. It was normal to be tired.


    ¡®I was naive to believe that killing Baal would end everything.¡¯


    Braham and Kraugel hadn¡¯t returned. Grid, who was anxious about what was happening at this moment, calmed himself down. Rather than being dissatisfied with the unfinished situation, he found a way to understand and deal with it.


    Leraje was a big help.


    ¡°I think Eligos is still at the river of reincarnation. I can feel Cerberus¡¯ presence.¡±


    Cerberus, the gatekeeper of hell¡ªhe seemed to deny Noe¡¯s im that the memphis was the strongest demonic creature of hell. Unlike Noe, who did nothing to help throughout the fight with Baal, Cerberus showed an unflinching spirit toward anyone who was his opponent. The proof was that he attacked Grid at Eligos¡¯ will.


    Seeing the way that Leraje reacted sensitively to Cerberus¡¯ presence, it seemed that the great demons also highly valued Cerberus. Leraje tracked the location of Eligos and Kraugel based on Cerberus¡¯ whereabouts.


    Perhaps her attitude encouraged apetitive spirit, but the till then silent Noe spoke out shamelessly, ¡°He is simply so big that he stands out.¡±


    Grid ignored him. He wasn¡¯t particrly disappointed in Noe even though Noe seemed useless against enemies such as Baal and the dragons. It was because the opponents were too terrible. The moment they returned to the surface, Noe would be able to reign as the guardian god of the Overgeared Empire.


    Yes, strength was rtive. Noe was strong enough and a great helper.


    ¡®...Cancel summoning.¡¯


    Grid looked affectionately at Noe, only to frown. It was because he found that Noe had a ck mouse in his mouth.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªhe had polymorphed into a ck mouse and had been hiding in Grid¡¯s cloak, only to be bitten on the back by Noe.


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he watched the Old Dragon he had reluctantly imed as apanion. He was at a loss for words and bewildered. Then Bunhelier told him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Mere creatures driven by instinct are part of providence. Squeak."


    ¡®...He is generous in strange areas.¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t generosity. It was more like an attitude of not caring about trivial matters. It was like people didn¡¯t care about the ants they stepped on, even though it didn¡¯t look very good.


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    The world shook. It felt like it was split in half. A tremendous wave of power came from the direction of the river of reincarnation. Grid immediately knew what this power was. There was no way he couldn¡¯t notice. Out of all the legends of the past, he was the one with the deepest connection to Grid apart from Pagma and Braham.


    Undefeated King Madra¡ªthe familiar ripples of the swordsmanship Grid had been implementing originated from the river of reincarnation.


    Like Grid, Biban grasped the situation and murmured, ¡°There is a reason why my junior was stranded.¡±


    He was clearly aware of the situation of Kraugel, who seemed to be colliding with Madra, but he didn¡¯t seem nervous. It was the same for Grid. It was clear that Madra was a powerful man from a previous era who deserved to be respected, but Kraugel¡¯s value far exceeded Madra¡¯s.


    In terms of achievements and force¡ªwho could deny that Kraugel surpassed Madra in every way? In the first ce, Madra was ssified as a swordsman. He might be able to release the One Million Army Swordsmanship, but he wouldn¡¯t be able topete with Kraugel as long as it was in swordsmanship.


    However, Grid couldn¡¯t be relieved. The fact that Madra¡¯s soul was active meant that something had gone wrong with the river of reincarnation. Beings other than Madra might be holding back Kraugel and Eligos. In particr, Grid was concerned about the consequences of the disappearance of the red flesh. It was because the raw material of the red flesh was the son of a God of the Beginning.


    ¡°If the soul of a mere legend is flourishing... when ites to the soul of an Absolute, you can¡¯t grasp the subject at all. Squeak.¡±


    Coincidentally, Bunhelier seemed to have also thought about King Daebyeol.


    ¡°Take people to the river of reincarnation,¡± Grid requested of Yura.


    The fact that Kraugel might be in danger was a secondary issue. Grid was more worried that the river of reincarnation would copse.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yura agreed to the request. She changed course toward the river of reincarnation and the others immediately followed.


    Biban and the apostles were with her. They also realized the importance of this task. There was the threat of hell being distorted into another form the moment the river of reincarnation copsed. This meant that all the work done to get rid of Baal and the red flesh, and to stop Asura, could be in vain.


    For now, it was right to do everything in their power to protect the river of reincarnation. In the first ce, it was enough for Grid to search for Braham alone. The rtionship between a god and his apostles was so strong that it was superior to any other concept.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish it perfectly this time.¡±


    Then meet again without any worries.


    Grid left behind these words of goodbye to his colleagues who were trying not to show signs of exhaustion. Then Grid used Shunpo and constantly changed his position.


    The hell cleared of darkness andva¡ªGrid used Shunpo continuously with the momentum of going around this whole ce, which was as huge as the surface. As a result, the world was covered with a sunset. It was the aftermath of the remnants of orange divinity remaining in each area where Grid appeared.


    The demonkin epted the sight as a blessing from the gods.


    The demonkin¡ªthere were variations depending on the individual, but unlike demons and demonic creatures, they were the inhabitants of hell who lived in the neutral zone while maintaining their sense of reason. They interpreted it as the god of the surface sprinkling beautiful divinity on them to bless their future after he restored peace in hell.


    [The inhabitants of hell worship you.]


    [In the undistorted hell, the weight of your name is equal to that of the God of the Beginning, Yatan.]


    [A part of the purified hell has started to be incorporated into the Overgeared World.]


    Apart from the events that continued to ur after Baal¡¯s death, hell was constantly undergoing the right changes. Putting aside Grid¡¯s fatigue and tension, the situation was stabilizing. Sooner orter, the perfect oue that Grid hoped for would arrive.


    Then what was this growing anxiety?


    Grid¡¯s expression crumpled as he sped up the pace in which he used Shunpo. He felt motion sickness due to the changing scenery around him and was overwhelmed with anxiety because he couldn¡¯t detect Braham¡¯s traces at all.


    ¡®...A barrier.¡¯


    At this point, there was only one reason why he couldn¡¯t feel Braham. Braham himself was rejecting Grid. It was clear that he didn¡¯t want Grid to find him and had done something about it. Why? It was obvious.


    ¡®He is with Beriache.¡¯


    Grid had been suspicious of Beriache, whose whereabouts were unknown. He assumed a situation where Beriache became an ¡®enemy.¡¯ He also understood Braham¡¯s position.


    The only one he loved and admired¡ªit was an expression used by Braham in the past to describe his mother.


    ¡®Braham doesn¡¯t want me to fight Beriache.¡¯


    He was going to take care of it on his own...


    Grid went crazy at this thought and distributed all his stat points to intelligence. Subsequently¡ª


    ¡°Magic Missile.¡±


    He started to fire magic along with the 300 God Hands. It was the most basic magic. However, it was a Braham-style enhanced type. Depending on the caster¡¯s capabilities, it had the potential to exert powerparable to great magic. And at this time, Grid¡¯s intelligence transcended Braham¡¯s. There were also as many as 300 God Hands implementing some of Grid¡¯s stats.


    Unusually silent spots that gave off an eerie feeling¡ªthese strangely serene points were set as the bombardment locations of Magic Missile and were devastated. One of them was near the hell elevator.


    [Braham¡¯s Barrier has been destroyed.]


    Bingo.


    The barrier that he couldn¡¯t distinguish was disastrously broken. Then the true scene was reflected in Grid¡¯s eyes. There were signs of destruction all around the elevator. There was also a silver-haired man lying in the center of it. It was Braham.


    ¡°This... what an ignorant method...?¡±


    Braham was devastated when he witnessed the destruction of the barrier that couldn¡¯t cope with the power of pure magic. He looked at Grid like he was a monster. Grid red at him as hey sprawled out while covered in wounds. It was while checking the elevator that had just been activated.


    ¡°Beriache has already left for the surface.¡±


    ¡°She left a little while ago. There is no need to be angry. She has no intention of doing any harm to the surface. Therefore, I didn¡¯t betray you...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s distorted expression didn¡¯t loosen up at all. He felt betrayed by Braham and tried to suppress his soaring anger, but there was a limit.


    ¡°How can I believe that? Braham, you might want to trust Beriache, but I can¡¯t trust her at all.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t even care about Braham¡¯s condition. He ignored Braham and pressed the button on the elevator. The noise of the descending elevator eroded the scene that was filled with an ufortable silence. Finally, just as the elevator arrived...


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry,¡± Braham finally opened his mouth. It was an apology. It was a look he had only shown a few times despite the fact that they had been together for quite a long time.


    ¡°By the time you arrive, Mother would¡¯ve already died,¡± Braham assured Grid, who entered the elevator without responding.


    Braham had vowed never to troll again. Today, he faithfully fulfilled his role even though he might¡¯ve deceived Grid. After a fierce struggle, he weakened his mother. Beriache might¡¯ve absorbed the power of Baal and Amoract, but she had a limit in her soul body.


    In the first ce, Braham was stronger than people thought.


    The God of Magic and Wisdom¡ªas a god with two modifiers, he was on the level of iming to be the strongest among the apostles.


    ¡°Maybe Marie Rose has already hurt her...¡±


    Braham¡¯s voice trembled as he barely managed to speak. He was struggling to contain his grief. He, who had done his best to protect Grid¡¯spanion¡ªputting aside his love for his mother, he had done everything in his power to distract her. As a result, it was Braham¡¯s judgment that the weakened Beriache could not cope with Marie Rose.


    ¡°If... if Marie Rose showed mercy to her, and my mother is still alive...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°I hope you can let her go in a painless manner.¡±


    Braham¡¯s rare request softened Grid¡¯s expression. The answer from Grid flowed through the crack in the elevator¡¯s slowly closing doors.


    ¡°I will try.¡±


    It was enough. Now Braham had only one wish left. When his mother, who failed to resurrect and was about to die again, was reborn¡ª


    He hoped she could recognize him.

 Chapter 1857

    Chapter 1857


    There were no mirrors in Marie Rose¡¯s castle.


    A face that was praised by the whole world for being beautiful¡ªit was because the existence of ¡®I¡¯ faded every time she looked at this face.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning.¡±


    Marie Rose raised herself up from the pure white coffin and looked up at the throne. A small soul was approaching the throne, which had been untouched for so many years and had gathered dust. It was while casually asking the question about why there were no mirrors in the woman¡¯s pce.


    ¡°I once cherished and loved my face, which looked just like yours.¡±


    A faint smile spread across Marie Rose¡¯s face as she recalled the past from hundreds of years ago. It was a time when she loved her reflection in the mirror. She hadughed quite often back then. It was because her face became a tool to remember her mother. It was proof that she was her mother¡¯s daughter and that she had a family.


    Her heart had warmed. It was warm enough to soothe the body and mind that had been cursed. Then little by little, the years went by and she started to grow taller.


    Marie Rose gradually got a strange feeling. It was shortly after confirming that her grown body was more powerful than before.


    ¡°You will transcend me.¡±


    The words that her mother told her before dying never left her head.


    Transcend. Yes, her mother clearly said it.


    You are going to go beyond me. Kill Baal using this power and release my resentment.


    This meant that Marie Rose¡¯s growth was a very natural result. It was a demonstration of the value of a creature born at the expense of Beriache¡¯s own life. However, a question arose.


    Do I really need to look like my mother?


    One day, Marie Rose stood in front of the mirror and examined herself very closely. It was from head to toe. She felt a sense of strangeness from her appearance, which looked exactly like her mother as she grew up. The more shepared herself to her older siblings, who looked so different from her mother, the most suspicious she became. She didn¡¯t know the reason.


    Did she need to be like her mother? The more she thought about it, the deeper the anxiety that crept into her mind.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a matter to think deeply about. There was no need to be anxious. Her mother was dead. It was enough for Marie Rose to live her life after fulfilling her obligations. Nevertheless, her instincts cried out to her.


    Be suspicious of the situation. Neglect your duty.


    It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. It was a warning delivered from the knowledge and information that her mother had passed onto her. It wasn¡¯t known exactly what the warning was about. It was proof that the knowledge and information she inherited from her mother was iplete. Marie Rose was vaguely aware that her mother had deliberately concealed some information from her.


    Then she was reunited with Braham. At first, he was her mother¡¯s enemy. He had the same attitude as the past and barked nonsense like a dog. Then shortly after she promised to marry Grid, Braham came to her castle for the first time and spoke ¡®words¡¯ rather than barking.


    ¡°You are Mother¡¯s ideal. It is necessary for you to behave properly.¡±


    Ideal¡ªthis terrible word was a wake-up call to Marie Rose. It was a wake-up call that revealed the true nature of the anxiety she had been feeling.


    That¡¯s right¡ªMarie Rose was Beriache¡¯s ideal. It wasn¡¯t just innate strength and personal appearance. Marie Rose was the ultimate being Beriache had hoped for.


    Why did her mother give birth to her? Was it purely for revenge? She didn¡¯t think so...


    ¡°¡±I loved you once,¡±¡± the small figure sitting on the throne said.


    The torches that started to burn in response to her magic cleared away the darkness of the great hall. The appearance was soon revealed to be that of a little girl. The identity of the person sitting on the throne was Beriache¡¯s soul. She was covered with wounds.


    If the method to maintain the soul wasn¡¯t magic power, mental power, and ¡®desire,¡¯ perhaps she would¡¯ve disappeared immediately¡ªBeriache¡¯s soul was in such a bad state that people couldn¡¯t help thinking this. All the wounds were presumed to have been caused by powerful magic. The amount of magic power that rose and leaked like smoke seemed considerable.


    ¡°¡±Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±¡±


    Beriache¡¯s origin was the underground area of Reidan Desert. It was the aftermath of her taking this ce as her home after being expelled from hell. Thanks to that, the magic power of all the vampire cities in the desert flocked to Beriache. It gave a distinct form to her soul, which had been repeatedly blurring due to the magic power leaking from the wounds.


    ¡°Mother!¡± There was a being who witnessed the magic power returning to its origin and rushed over in surprise. He was the only ¡®survivor¡¯ of the direct descendants apart from Braham and Marie Rose. It was Noll. He inherited the attribute of passion¡¯ from Beriache and was very affectionate. His tears were well suited to him because he looked like a little boy. It wasn¡¯t at all awkward for him to cry and hug his mother after reuniting with her for the first time in hundreds of years.


    ¡°...Visitors whoe without permission aren¡¯t wee.¡±


    ¡°Keuk.¡±


    There was no emotional reunion. Just before he could share a hug with his mother, Noll lost his mind and copsed. It was due to the magic that Marie Rose had cast.


    ¡°¡±You are violent.¡±¡±


    Beriache, who had been waiting for her son with open arms, smiled bitterly. She sensed it.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    Marie Rose¡¯s skills, whom she witnessed used on Noll, were indeed formidable. It would¡¯ve been possible for her to defeat Baal on her own. Well, this was a given. In the first ce, Marie Rose was born to transcend her.


    Beriache¡¯s thoughts went up to here and her eyes sank. ¡°The reason why you sacrificed yourself to give birth to me.¡±


    Lightly¡ªMarie Rose stepped on the fainted Noll and leapt forward to stand in front of the throne. She bent down and grabbed the armrests of the throne with both hands. She lowered her head to be at eye level with her mother, who looked exactly like her, and demanded the truth.


    ¡°It is to take over me, who will one day surpass you in every way, right?¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes... this insight is correct. I was going to use you to gain the power I couldn¡¯t get on my own, and then take it away from you. I gave birth to you with this n from the beginning.¡±¡±


    Marie Rose and Beriache were clearly alike, but different.


    Beriache¡¯s face wrinkled the more she was in pain or sad, while Marie Rose¡¯s eyes curved in a half moon to avoid showing it.


    This child, why is she smiling?


    Beriache had only given birth to her.


    It happened the moment when Beriache, who didn¡¯t know anything about Marie Rose, had this question...


    The armrest of the throne that Marie Rose was holding broke. Due to this, Beriache¡¯s arms that were resting on the armrest floated in the air for a moment. The back of the throne was terribly crushed. It was the result of the shockwave caused by Marie Rose¡¯s raised knee being blocked by Beriache¡¯s small hand.


    ¡°¡±It is a shame that we have to fight after all. If you had fought Baal yourself, rather than Grid, I would¡¯ve resurrected when you were tired after winning and the n would¡¯ve beenpleted without much trouble.¡±¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I would¡¯ve died without feeling betrayed.¡±


    ¡°¡±It was a mistake that the Blood King project, which I prepared in case you betrayed me, waspleted so perfectly. Grid is too amazing. He can be mypanion and rule hell with me.¡±¡¯


    ¡°...You missed the opportunity to die painlessly.¡±


    Marie Rose had been deeply troubled after noticing her mother¡¯s intentions.


    The one who gave birth to her¡ªnaturally, Marie Rose couldn¡¯t easily hate her, whom she loved. It was also hard for Marie Rose to resent her because she understood Beriache¡¯s position. It might be a bit disgusting, but how about living together?


    She really thought about it seriously. Yet at this moment, her worries were over. The moment Beriache mentioned Grid, Marie Rose¡¯s affection and sympathy for her disappeared like a lie.


    Let¡¯s just kill her...


    Wasn¡¯t she dead anyway?


    For the first time, the smile disappeared from Marie Rose¡¯s face as she had been thinking crazily.


    ¡°¡±Yes, hate me.¡±¡±


    If things had gone as nned, Marie Rose would¡¯ve died without having time to feel betrayed.


    It was sincere.


    Beriache resented the whole situation.


    Baal and Amoract, who drove her to give birth to Marie Rose; Grid, who killed Baal without Marie Rose¡¯s help; Braham, who stood in her way and made her think more; and Noll, who rushed in with open arms and awakened the maternal love that she had suppressed.


    Most of all, she resented herself.


    She had to try and calm herself down. Beriache sighed deeply and recalled her duty. ¡®I have a duty to protect the world my father created.¡¯


    It was a duty that no one would understand. Therefore, she didn¡¯t bother to say it. Beriache was determined to be remembered forever as the demon who had harmed and devoured her daughter out of personal greed. She might be criticized by everyone in the world, but she believed she had a duty to live for her father, who was betrayed by his other children.


    It was said that it would inevitably be an act of betraying the child she gave birth to, but what could she do? Until she gave birth to Marie Rose, she never dreamed that she would feel sorry for Marie Rose. From the beginning, Marie Rose was just an existence born out of necessity.


    Just then, Marie Rose¡¯s right shoulder exploded. It was the result of Baal¡¯s power, which she devoured using her power of ten thousand beings.


    At the same time, Beriache¡¯s waist was torn. It was the result of the wound caused by Braham being attacked.


    The pce where Marie Rose had lived alone for many years¡ªthanks to the long-awaited guests, the solitude that had been lifted was turned into a form of silence. Everything was ruined in a terrible way.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    The longer the battle dragged on, the more haggard Marie Rose¡¯s face became. In fact, she had felt it the moment she faced Beriache. It was the sense that the power and magic power she had umted in proportion to the passing years were rejecting her and turning toward her mother.


    That¡¯s right¡ªshe was weakening in real time. The weaker she became, the stronger Beriache became. As a being who was born for Beriache in the first ce, Marie Rose¡¯s existence itself worked to give beneficial results to Beriache. It was an inherent limitation. Thepatibility was more than just terrible.


    By the time she finally managed to get a hold of her dizzy mind, Marie Rose¡¯s left hand was cut off. This was before her right shoulder, which had exploded earlier, had fully regenerated.


    It was the moment when she couldn¡¯t use both arms and the shadow of death came to her.


    ¡°Stop! It is up to here!¡±


    Someone came running. He stepped through the air several times with bizarre strides, closed the distance in an instant, and separated Beriache from Marie Rose. It was a man with a greatsword.


    It was Chris. He didn¡¯t evene alone. Eve, the apostle of the God of the Beginning, Yatan, apanied him. The strongest forces, which had been absent from the hell expedition for some reason, grasped the situation and arrived at the scene one step earlier than Grid.


    ¡°Beriache...¡± Eve¡¯s voice trembled. She seemed to sadly ept that the child of the god she served had fallen.


    Beriache shrugged. ¡°¡±Isn¡¯t it better than Baal or Amoract?¡±¡±


    At this point, the only opponent who could go against Beriache was Eve. Too much time had passed and there were too many beings who had disappeared over the years.


    ¡°¡±Sacrificing a child in exchange for protecting the world that Father made... I think it is a very cheap price.¡±¡±


    In front of a being who had lived in the same era and had the same aspirations, Beriache finally revealed her purpose and couldn¡¯t bear to make eye contact with Marie Rose. Additionally, the purpose she revealed acted as a powerful curse on Eve.


    Beriache¡¯s father was Yatan. The god that Eve served. Now that Eve discovered that Beriache was fighting to protect the world Yatan had created, she couldn¡¯t stand in Beriache¡¯s way. It wasn¡¯t out of personal feelings. Of course, it also wasn¡¯t a betrayal of Grid. It was more of an instinct.


    ¡°This...¡± Chris sighed as he noticed Eve¡¯s immobility, as if she had been nailed down. At the same moment, Beriache¡¯s hand pierced Marie Rose¡¯s heart.


    However, Marie Rose wasn¡¯t dead. It was thanks to Noll, who had woken up at some point, rushed over, and wrapped himself around Marie Rose. He told the astonished Beriache with difficulty, ¡°You told me... to cherish and love... my siblings...¡±


    It was too powerful a blow. Before the power of regeneration could work, Noll turned to ash. He couldn¡¯t go to the river of reincarnation. Instead, he was seized by the power of ten thousand beings and was sucked into Beriache¡¯s soul.


    ¡°¡±...It is toote to regret it now.¡±¡±


    The image of Marie Rose was projected on a teardrop falling from Beriache¡¯s eyes.


    Will you cry even when hurting me?


    Such a questioning expression was reflected from various angles.


    Blood gushed out again. It was the blood gushing from Marie Rose¡¯s body.


    ***


    After some time, when everything was over...


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid came to the scene and witnessed Marie Rose sitting on the copsed throne. Yes, she must be Marie Rose. Her appearance, presence, and even her body odor were the same as the Marie Rose that Grid knew.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t relieved. Instead, his face contorted horribly as he pulled out and gripped Twilight.


    The name written above Marie Rose¡¯s head¡ªthe name that was repeatedly revealed and hidden by the swaying torchlight was Beriache, not Marie Rose.


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    Why did this world keep bothering him? Now he just wanted to befortable. Thus, he had been working hard without a break. However, he was deprived of an important rtionship again.


    Grid exploded with killing intent as he recalled the day he first met Marie Rose, the moments he was helped by her, the memories of the bloody kiss, and the promise to marry her. A shockwave shook the pce. It was enough to cause Beriache to tremble despite taking Marie Rose¡¯s body and bing perfect.


    ¡°Certainly... you havepletely transcended Baal.¡± Beriache rose slowly and spoke in Marie Rose¡¯s voice. ¡°Put away your sword and marry me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°If you kill me, you will never have a chance to bring Marie Rose back to life.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Now I am Marie Rose. If we get married and have a girl, it is okay to name her Marie Rose...¡±


    Beriache, who had been talking nonsense, suddenly closed her mouth. She suddenly raised both hands and grabbed her neck with enough force to break it.


    ¡°Kik... Wait, dear husband...¡±


    A voice mingled between the groans that resembled ridicule¡ªthe whispered voice clearly belonged to Marie Rose.


    Eve, who was still present at the scene with Chris and watched the situation, approached Grid.


    ¡°Maybe Beriache was the one who was eaten instead. This... she is a monster.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s body trembled for various reasons.

 Chapter 1858

    Chapter 1858


    Gradually, it became clear.


    Her mother¡ªfrom the beginning, Beriache gave birth to her in order to make this her own body. Her power that worked to Beriache¡¯s advantage, contrary to her will, was the proof. Her body epting Beriache¡¯s soul without any resistance was also evidence.


    ¡°¡±I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t sad. You will bitterly resent and hate me. But putting aside your feelings, I feel a deep affection for you. You, whom I gave my life to give birth to, you who look like me, you who have lived for me... I love you, my daughter.¡±¡±


    Beriache¡¯s soul permeated Marie Rose¡¯s body while whispering eerily. She took for granted the body that had been born and nurtured for her from the beginning.


    ¡°......¡±


    Her hands, legs, and mouth¡ªonce she finally realized that even her heart was beating for Beriache, not for herself, the vitality in Marie Rose¡¯s eyes faded. In fact, the preparation of her mind was over.


    Marie Rose realized that her resistance was meaningless from the time she noticed that the power and magic power she had umted over the years was working for Beriache¡¯s advantage without harming her. A strong sense of destiny filled the air. Emotions that couldn¡¯t be expressed as just destion or loss made her infinitely helpless.


    Let¡¯s give up...


    Suddenly, the sights that entered her vision were different from what she wanted to see. Marie Rose stopped struggling. She was unable to hold onto her fading spirit and offered ¡®herself¡¯ to Beriache.


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Then suddenly, she heard his voice. His voice trembled with all types of emotions. It caused her to remember the verses of the epic that she had savored while sitting alone in the dark pce.


    [The God of the Surface stood up again.]


    Baal, who had ovee countless deaths¡ªhe could¡¯ve been frustrated by the infinite power of the king of hell, but he rose again at every moment without copsing.


    [The God of the Surface said there is no need to be afraid.]


    Finally, Baal reverted to his primal form and became a giant. Even when the king of hell made the surface despair by showing a will to never fall down with a bodyrger than a mountain, he stood alone and calmly spoke.


    [The God of the Surface cut off the source of fear. ]


    Finally, he proved it¡ªthe power of an unbreakable will.


    [I fought for you.]


    The reason why his will wasn¡¯t broken. He said it was for the people.


    For the weak. To help them survive, he gritted his teeth and persevered.


    Yes, he isn¡¯t fighting for me. I am not an underdog. I¡¯m not someone to be protected.


    She thought so, but she was mistaken. His short words, stained with anger, sadness, and pain made her realize it.


    ¡®You... you fought for me too.¡¯


    The moment her thoughts went crazy, Marie Rose reached out. Her body had been taken away by Beriache and naturally didn¡¯t respond. Marie Rose had reversed her position with Beriache. No, her situation was worse than Beriache¡¯s a little while ago. Beriache was free to act in her soul state, while Marie Rose¡¯s soul was trapped in her stolen body.


    Marie Rose seized the will that had been broken after knowing the cruel reality and raised it up. She followed the will of the man who would be herpanion.


    Baal¡¯s power¡ªthe powerful force contained in Beriache¡¯s soul was gripped by Marie Rose¡¯s soul. The same was true of Amoract¡¯s power. The power that Marie Rose inherited from Beriache was at work.


    The power of 10,000 beings¡ªthe power had been powerless against its source, Beriache, but it worked properly at this moment. It was only possible thanks to Marie Rose being swallowed up by Beriache. The power that had taken root inside Beriache was exposed to Marie Rose.


    ¡°If we get married and have a girl, it is okay to name her Marie Rose...¡±


    In honor of her daughter who was about to disappear¡ª


    Beriache, who was talking nonsense with a differentmon sense from humans, closed her mouth. She noticed that Marie Rose¡¯s soul, which had been fading inside her, was bing incredibly powerful.


    A chill went down her spine. The powers of Baal and Amoract that she had just taken from hell were getting out of control. They started to respond to Marie Rose¡¯s soul, not hers.


    What was going on? Beriache found what she had overlooked and hastily summoned her power. She struggled to grasp the powers of Baal and Amoract, which sought to free themselves from her.


    It was meaningless. The reason why Marie Rose couldn¡¯t beat Beriache was purely because of theirpatibility. She was superior to Beriache in every way, and she was much more skillful at handling powers. From the point when Baal and Amoract¡¯s powers were exposed to Marie Rose, theypletely belonged to her. Even the power of the recently deceased Noll was like this.


    ¡®Mother... we have to cherish and love each other.¡¯


    Noll¡¯s soul enveloped Beriache. He grabbed onto Beriache¡¯s soul, which had already been deprived of strength and weakened, and didn¡¯t let go. It wasn¡¯t an attitude to hurt her. He simply had the will to be together. It was the power ofpassion. It became a powerful poison.


    Beriache¡¯s soul, about to be extinguished, grabbed onto Noll¡¯s soul. Against Beriache¡¯s own will, she relied on the love of her child.


    ¡°Kik...¡±


    Beriache was gradually feeling dizzy. Then she heard the noise filled with ridicule that was made by Marie Rose and suddenly came to her senses.


    ¡°Wait, dear husband.¡±


    Beriache realized that Marie Rose didn¡¯t even care about her. She realized that everything had already fallen apart.


    ¡°¡±No...! This can¡¯t be! I have a duty to protect my father¡¯s world...¡±¡± Beriache¡¯s soul cried out desperately before closing her mouth.


    A world dyed by the sunset¡ªshe was inside Marie Rose¡¯s newly blossomed mental world and faced Marie Rose¡¯s cold eyes.


    ¡°Yatan¡¯s world is no more. It is already Grid¡¯s world.¡±


    An attitude toward filth¡ªMarie Rose no longer respected Beriache. After informing Beriache of the cruel reality and plunging her into despair, Marie Rose turned her back on Beriache without any regret. She left Beriache behind in the world full of Grid¡¯s divinity and her affection for Grid.


    ¡°¡±Marie Rose...!!¡±¡±


    There was no escape. She would gradually fade and be swallowed up in Marie Rose¡¯s ideal world...


    Beriache¡¯s scream of despair as she realized the punishment she would receive echoed meaninglessly.


    Meanwhile, Marie Rose¡¯s consciousness was focused solely on reality.


    Lightly.


    She jumped from her throne and stood in front of Grid.


    Aplete body¡ªMarie Rose had swallowed all the powers of the Three Evils of the Beginning and cut off her natural destiny, so she was different from before. It wasn¡¯t that her appearance had changed. She was still beautiful, but there was a warm and innocent smile added to it.


    A face that was so beautiful that it didn¡¯t look like a human being. It was a smile that washed away the rejection Grid felt.


    ¡®...Really pretty.¡¯


    Grid was limited to feeling just this sentiment. He forgot about the context and was fascinated by Marie Rose in front of him.


    Marie Rose¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°Yes, it is a good attitude. Dear husband, you just need to look at and care about your precious things without any worries. That is enough.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was strange. Grid was greatlyforted by this seemingly insignificant remark. He wondered about the reason.


    During the hell expedition, Grid had faced a series of difficult and unexpected circumstances that were more than he had anticipated. Killing Baal, purifying hell, etcetera¡ªhe felt more fatigue than a sense of aplishment in achieving his purpose.


    The cause was the stress caused by all types of obstructions and things not going as nned. Of course, it would sound arrogant to others. Most people in the world were frustrated by repeated failures. In any case, it was difficult to understand from a general point of view why Grid would be dissatisfied after achieving his purpose.


    However, Grid took a different position. The time, money, and effort he invested in preparing for this expedition went beyond the territory of ordinary. Grid didn¡¯t prepare it alone.


    To give a simple example.


    Thousands of people invested in procuring materials to manufacture consumables such as buff potions for the expedition. Even that was only a small part of it.


    Grid was the emperor. Executing his n meant moving the Empire. The manpower that Lauel and the Overgeared Guild had been using over the past few months was in the hundreds of thousands.


    Grid fought with their sweat and hard work, and the aspirations and destinies of many more people than him. He was in a position to disappoint and frustrate too many people if things went wrong. Therefore, he had no choice but to react sensitively to the slightest twists. He wasn¡¯t happy despite all his achievements.


    But at this moment, Marie Rose had dered it.


    Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry about anything.


    It meant she would be there to help him take care of it even if he failed. He felt like he was relieved of the burden he had been carrying for so long.


    Marie Rose¡ªshe was one of the few beings who could pletely¡¯ support the present Grid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married,¡± Grid said while grabbing Marie Rose¡¯s hand. It was while giving her a desperate and affectionate look.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married without dying any longer.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The smile disappeared from Marie Rose¡¯s face. Was this proposal not romantic enough?


    It happened as Grid realized that he made a mistake because his heart got ahead of him...


    ¡°...Thank you.¡± Marie Rose¡¯s eyelids fluttered and her stiff lips smiled again. It was a smile that was brighter than it had been before. ¡°For needing me.¡±


    A woman whose existence was almost lost to the woman who gave birth to her¡ªa miracle happened when she, who had questioned the value of her own existence, realized many things through Grid and removed the shadows in her heart.


    [Vampire Duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ has shown mercy to her brother.]


    [Vampire Earl ¡®Noll¡¯ has been resurrected.]


    The bones and flesh of vampires were different from that of humans. They were created through the medium of blood and their bodies were pure, red blood. Therefore, they had the power to scatter their body into mist. Marie Rose clearly transcended the progenitor, Beriache. It wasn¡¯t difficult for her to resurrect Noll using his magic power and blood, which had been captured by the power of 10,000 beings.


    ¡°...Noll?¡±


    Noll suddenly came alive and looked around. The boy, one of the few vampires Grid held dear, didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but he came to his senses when he heard Grid¡¯s voice. He roughly grasped the situation and his face turned red. ¡°You... you saved my life, Gri...¡±


    ¡°What? You died?¡±


    ¡°...d.¡±


    The deep emotion was broken.


    Noll immediately made an expression like he was chewing on poop.

 Chapter 1859

    ¡°I see...¡±


    The reason for giving birth to Marie Rose.


    How Noll died.


    Grid¡¯s expression was cold when he learned all about the atrocitiesmitted by Beriache. He didn¡¯t feel any sympathy or regret for her disappearance. He even med himself for trying to respect her as his mother-inw when he met few a few hours ago.


    However, Braham was on his mind. He was sure that Braham would be sad.


    ¡®...But he will recover soon.¡¯


    Braham was the one who blocked Beriache¡¯s path before anyone else. He held back his mother despite respecting and loving his mother, and resenting and hating Marie Rose. He was the first to notice that she was on the wrong path and denied her.


    ¡°By any chance, can you resurrect the other direct descendants?¡±


    Grid was bothered by Noll¡¯s dark expression and changed the subject.


    The vampire earls Elfin Stone, Cray, Yetima, and Ruson; Marquis Fenrir; and the viscounts Tiramet and Latina¡ªthey had died and were attached to their respective artifacts. He wondered if they could also bepletely resurrected like Noll.


    ¡°Of course. But it isn¡¯t good for you, so let¡¯s stop here.¡±


    Marie Rose seemed to care that her immediate rtives had a bad rtionship with Grid. She nodded that she could do it, but reacted negatively.


    Grid didn¡¯t really care about it.


    ¡°It is fine. Theypleted their education well...¡±


    The bridge of the nose of the direct descendants was as high as Braham¡¯s, but Grid was the exception. Now they shuddered and were humbled at the mere sight of Grid. Even if they werepletely resurrected, it was unlikely that they would rebel against Grid again. There was no point even if they rebelled. It was because Noll and the other vampires wouldn¡¯t sit back. Every vampire city in the world had long been Grid¡¯s territory.


    ¡°Education?¡±


    Noll tilted his head innocently.


    Marie Rose spoke to Grid, who was stroking Noll¡¯s head, ¡°If you are trying to understand the moods of Noll and I, then there is no need. They are your property, dear husband. I don¡¯t want to take them away from you. We will be satisfied if my dear husband keeps them by your side and uses them.¡±


    Now Marie Rose didn¡¯t hesitate to use the word ¡®we.¡¯ Today, she experienced loneliness and solitude through Beriache, and love and sacrifice through Grid and Noll. She felt many things. It awakened all types of emotions. She felt like she was human. Grid looked at the changed Marie Rose with satisfaction and shook his head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use them even if I want to. In the first ce, they can¡¯t help me at all.¡±


    The direct descendant vampires¡ªthe enemies who brought a crisis to Grid in the past were different now. They were infinitely weakpared to Grid¡¯s opponents and couldn¡¯t help him train at all.


    In a word, they were useless. It seemed much better to revive them so they could contribute to the development of the vampire cities. If they were respawned now, they would get the named NPC correction and ovee the Curse of Sloth.


    The Curse of Sloth¡ªthe powerful curse that had been imprinted on the bloodline of the vampires and suppressed them was naturally extinguished as hell was purified.


    ¡°Yes, that makes sense.¡± Marie Rose nodded. She realized that there was no exaggeration in Grid¡¯s frank words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced them myself. They were useless in life.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The conversation between Grid and Marie Rose kept making Noll feel uneasy. He was finally turning to leave when he stopped.


    ¡°But if they are resurrected and live a life free of curses and obligations... I think it will be different from before.¡±


    Freedom¡ªit was a concept that none of the vampires had never enjoyed in their life, except for Braham. Looking back on it now, Braham had been blessed when he was banished from his n.


    ¡°I also think the same.¡±


    The Absolutes of the surface nodded and the direct descendant vampires were given a new destiny. Their consciousness that had been confined in the small space of the artifacts was pulled out into the world and givenplete bodies. It was a miracle done with Marie Rose¡¯s blood.


    ¡°This...¡±


    The direct descendants immediately grasped the whole situation and were flustered. They had something inmon. They hated or were jealous of Grid and Marie Rose. Yet they were revived due to the goodwill of these two existences.


    Their feelings wereplicated in many ways. There was an awkward silence for a while and it overshadowed Noll¡¯s best efforts to be delighted.


    Surprisingly, it was Elfin Stone who broke the silence some timeter.


    A being who hated the entire fate of his blood rtives after losing his lover to Braham¡ªhe had faced life with the most skeptical eyes among all his immediate family, but now he smiled, no matter how faint. It wasn¡¯t a smile twisted with malice, but afortable and kind smile. It was the first time that his siblings, as well as Grid, had seen it.


    ¡°Thank you. Also... you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Elfin Stone sent genuine respect and gratitude toward the opponent he had hated for a long time. It was the appearance of an elegant noble. His other siblings chose to imitate him.


    All the direct descendants, including Fenrir, got down on one knee and bowed to Grid and Marie Rose. It wasn¡¯t an act from sumbing to violence, but out of respect from the bottom of their heart. The death of their mother wasn¡¯t a matter of importance to them. In the first ce, their mother¡¯s self-inflicted death was her own scheme and they had always longed for the future, not the past.


    The evidence was that Braham was the only one who sought to avenge Beriache.


    [Hell has been purified and the vampires who have ovee the curse are deeply grateful to you.]


    [Your affinity with all the direct descendant vampires has risen to the maximum.]


    [The speed of development and production for all vampire cities will increase significantly.]


    [Prime Minister ¡®Lauel¡¯ has raised the tax rate of the vampire cities to 37%.]


    ¡®What is Lauel¡¯s reaction speed...?¡¯


    The purified hell was still exerting its influence in real time. It was like a gift package that hadn¡¯t been fully unwrapped. It was going to give Grid more benefits in the future.


    ***


    In the very distant past¡ªat the height of the war between the Seven Good People and the gods. Fearing that the surface would be destroyed in the aftermath of the war, the giants sought to ascend to heaven. Their intention was to appease the wrath of the gods by presenting precious treasures. However, even the flying ships made by the giants couldn¡¯t handle the heat of the sun. In the end, the giants couldn¡¯t reach heaven.


    At that time, the god who helped was King Daebyeol. The arrow shot by King Daebyeol hit thergest of the three suns and knocked it down. Thanks to this, the flying ship carrying the giants was able to ascend to heaven.


    It was a myth that modern day humans didn¡¯t know. This was a true story that Filewolf, a survivor of the giants, saw and experienced.


    ording to Filewolf, King Daebyeol was a very good god. He was the only one of the gods who didn¡¯t ignore the crisis on the surface and helped humanity. The price was brutal. All the gods condemned and opposed King Daebyeol. They harmed him with one heart and one mind.


    As a result, King Daebyeol lost his power, was exposed to Baal, and reduced to a mass of red flesh.


    ¡®What a poor being.¡¯


    The myth of King Daebyeol had a bad ending in many ways. Not only did King Daebyeol himself meet a bad end, but the giants who ascended to heaven with the help of King Daebyeol angered the gods instead of appeasing them, and perished.


    The Seven Good People¡ªthen the Seven Malignant Saints, were defeated and sealed in the war. Above all, King Daebyeol already had enemies in hell at that time. Therefore, he was weakened and exposed to Baal. In other words, he suffered throughout his life because he was born with a good heart, which was rare among the gods. Thus, even more¡ª


    ¡°We have to stop him,¡± Zik affirmed from the front.


    He looked more pained than the wounded King Daebyeol. King Daebyeol had no choice but to be special to Zik. He was a being who was of more help to his colleagues than himself, one of the Seven Malignant Saints.


    Zik sincerely respected and felt sorry for him. Therefore, he thought that he shouldn¡¯t stand by. If King Daebyeol went to the Hwan Kingdom or heaven like this, he would only suffer greater pain. In his weakened state, he would be mocked and die, rather than achieving revenge.


    Mir¡¯s thoughts were the same. As a native of the Hwan Kingdom, Mir also knew the myth of King Daebyeol. He stood beside Zik and pointed his sword at King Daebyeol with red eyes. It was while looking at the flowers that King Daebyeol¡¯s divinity made bloom.


    They were beautiful and fragrant nurturing grace flowers.


    Mir learned that they were flowers made from the divinity of King Sobyeol.


    He was taught that humans realized and respected the greatness of the gods thanks to King Sobyeol filling the ground with nurturing grace flowers.


    Then King Sobyeol became disappointed with the ipetent and greedy nature of human beings and withered all the nurturing grace flowers from a certain day onward. Since then, humans forgot their respect for the gods and became even more ignorant.


    Now that he saw it, everything was false. In the first ce, the nurturing grace was a flower made by the divinity of King Daebyeol. The nurturing grace flowers on the surface disappeared because King Daebyeol fell to hell.


    ¡°Forget everything and be born again. You will always be great no matter how many times you are reborn. You will definitely be happy. I will surely find and take care of you, who have been reborn.¡±


    He didn¡¯t dare say that they would live together in the Overgeared World. The wounds inflicted on King Daebyeol¡¯s body and mind weren¡¯t at a level that could be easily healed. It was clear that he would never escape from the shadows of the past no matter how many beings, including Grid,forted and soothed him. That was why he needed to start over.


    ¡°¡±I am too angry and bitter to leave like this...¡±¡±


    King Daebyeol only repeated the same words. He didn¡¯t react no matter how much respect and favor Zik and Mir showed him. He was already blinded. He was only obsessed with the past. He was more like a soul than a god.


    ¡°Be careful of the pollen.¡± Biban gave advice in this solemn atmosphere.


    The group responded immediately. They spread out in all directions away from the petals that were fluttering in the wind. The widely scattered petals and pollen became the things that connected the divinity of King Daebyeol. The divinity that flowed around King Daebyeol¡¯s body took over the entire battlefield.


    ¡°This is already the domain of King Daebyeol. It is correct to interpret it as a physically embodied mental world.¡±


    It was a horribly ruined mental world. King Daebyeol instinctively distanced himself from his mental world. It was because he didn¡¯t know what type of monster would be born. Thus, he created a flower garden and built an area simr to a mental world in the middle of reality.


    It was a ridiculous ability. The days when King Daebyeol was intact even though he had fallen to hell¡ªit was understandable why ¡®all the gods¡¯ harmed him with one heart and one mind. Maybe they were wary because he was incredibly powerful.


    ¡°¡±First of all, I will see my little brother.¡±¡±


    King Daebyeol dered and released a huge amount of divinity. The flood of divinity shot in straight lines, diagonal lines, and curved lines toward the pollen and petals that filled the battlefield, dividing the battlefield into tens of thousands of areas.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Kraugel groaned as he cut the approaching divinity with his sword. The burning pain from his hands was secondary. He witnessed the serious injuries of the Overgeared members who failed to avoid the divinity that flew in unpredictable directions and he became properly aware of the seriousness of the situation.


    Strong...


    It wasn¡¯t at a level that the party, exhausted from repeated battles, could handle. Even the apostles could only protect themselves and Biban was still unable to fight. He was trying not to show it, but it was spected that he was seriously injured.


    ¡®I need to solve it.¡¯


    Kraugel felt an obligation. Unlike the rest of the group, he was the only one in an intact state because he had only fought Madra¡¯s soul. He judged that he should make use of his rtively intact physical strength to face King Daebyeol.


    ¡®No matter how strong, he is still short of his prime. He is just a soul body.¡¯


    Far from being an Absolute god, he was probably one level lower than Martial God Zeratul. There was no need to be too intimidated by this fraudulent ability to spread out his divinity widely and use it as a weapon...


    Kraugel thought this far and immediately charged forward. He narrowed the distance to King Daebyeol and scattered a sword light. He tried to block the flood of divinity to allow the rest of the group to see an opportunity.


    Blood gushed out. It was blood that poured from Kraugel¡¯s body. The fight against a being that wouldn¡¯t fall no matter how many times he was cut made Kraugel one-sidedly exhausted.


    What was Grid thinking when he fought Baal?


    It was the moment when Kraugel and Pagma, who were one, became solemn at the same time...


    -Bend down!


    Then he heard someone send him a whisper. The purified hell highlighted the yers¡¯ strengths.


    Freedom ofmunication and freedom of movement.


    Jishuka, who died and returned to the surface, returned with reinforcements. It was a tremendouslyrge army. It was an alliance led by almost all of the members of the Overgeared Guild and the kings of the different species. There was also Ares¡¯ army flying the g of Valha.


    ¡°Protect the heroes!¡± Asmophel¡¯s shout as hemanded the soldiers was heard. The former Red Knights also led the elites of the Overgeared Empire into war.


    It was the final stage.


    The Breaking Evil Arrow shot by Jishuka grazed by Kraugel¡¯s ear and pierced King Daebyeol¡¯s chest. King Daebyeol didn¡¯t even flinch. He didn¡¯t seem hurt at all. It was natural. In the first ce, the Breaking Evil Arrow came from King Daebyeol¡¯s divinity. The ¡®unknown shrine¡¯ where Jishuka obtained the Breaking Evil Arrow in the past was a shrine that served King Daebyeol in the distant past.


    ¡°¡±This...?¡±¡±


    Jishuka shouted to King Daebyeol, who was surprised to recognize the identity of the arrow in his chest, ¡°King Daebyeol! There are still people who haven¡¯t forgotten you and are serving you! I am one of them!¡±


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    ¡°We... we will surely get revenge for you...!¡±


    It was before Jishuka¡¯s cry was over.


    The beautiful petals and pollen disappeared, leaving only the scent. The divinity that dominated the battlefield in the form of a spider¡¯s web was almost lifted like it had been a lie.


    ¡°¡±Thank you. Thank you...¡±¡±


    He wasn¡¯t forgotten. It brought greatfort to the great god, who had fallen to the ugliest form against his will. As it was, there was no way his revenge would seed if he went to the Hwan Kingdom or heaven like this...


    It was a strong hope for him, who knew this, but had no choice but to push himself.


    ¡°¡±Thank to you, I can close my eyes.¡±¡±


    King Daebyeol pulled the Breaking Evil Arrow from his chest and took out a huge bow. Even though he was an archer who shot down even the sun, he hadn¡¯t taken out his bow until the end. This was the first time he took out a ¡®real weapon.¡¯ The Breaking Evil Arrow was ced on the bowstring pulled by King Daebyeol and fired at Jishuka.


    ¡°Eh? Huh?¡±


    What? Didn¡¯t he thank her?


    The Breaking Evil Arrow prated the heart of the confused Jishuka.


    ¡°Jishuka!!¡±


    It happened as her colleagues screamed out of shock from the development that was different from their expectations...


    King Daebyeol shook off all his lingering feelings and jumped into the river of reincarnation.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (2/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1860

    Chapter 1860


    ¡°It will be soon.¡±


    Asgard¡ªthe normally solemn heaven was, in a rare urrence, crowded. It was the aftermath of Judar summoning the gods.


    The God of Wisdom had been keeping an eye on the situation in hell. His eyes, which had been indifferent for many years, shone just as brightly as described by the myths of the distant past.


    Dominion and the other chief gods also focused on the situation.


    Hell was purified by Grid. Some of the beings to be liberated today were coveted talents from Asgard¡¯s perspective. It was necessary to snatch their souls before they could cross the river of reincarnation.


    ¡°Now.¡± It happened the moment Judar gave the signal...


    The 1st ranked Archangel, Raphael, formed branches out of light and wove a string. It was a string with a sharp needle at the end.


    ¡°You must not fail.¡±


    A sight that one couldn¡¯t imagine normally¡ªRaphael, who was known for their disdain of the gods, replied in a very polite manner, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Of course, Raphael was bound to be humble in front of Dominion and Judar, but it was excessive today. The reason was simple: a bruised face that couldn¡¯t be healed immediately even with the power of light.


    Until they were rescued¡ª


    The 1st ranked Archangel had been imprisoned in the ¡®Prison of Eternity¡¯ until then and lost their momentum. Raphael had made quite a significant mistake.


    Hexetia, the cksmithing god, and the angel Khan, who was chosen to seed him¡ªthe prisoners who were originally in prison were taken away by Grid while Raphael was imprisoned. It was even rumored that they were driven to the brink of death by Zeratul, who had lost his qualifications.


    Now they were a sinner. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the qualification of an archangel was taken away from them at any time.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    At the murmurs of the gods, Raphael gritted their teeth and controlled their emotions. It was time to make up for it somehow. They stared silently at the well that illuminated the other side of hell and threw the fishing line woven with light.


    The target was Baal. Surprisingly, Raphael nned to snatch the soul of the one killed by Grid and lift it to heaven. However, they failed. By the time the fishing line reached hell¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    Baal¡¯s soul was scattered like dust. It didn¡¯t head to the river of reincarnation and perished without a trace.


    ¡°He offered himself as a sacrifice to his self-made Evil God.¡±


    What mistake did they make again?


    As Raphael was feeling worried, Judar grasped the situation. Then he cast another look at Raphael. Raphael hastily moved. They broke the fishing line to catch even the remnants of Baal¡¯s power.


    It was toote. The soul of Beriache suddenly appeared and took Baal¡¯s power. She also took the power of Amoract, who had died in a short time.


    ¡°That pea-sized thing...!¡±


    Raphael wasn¡¯t in perfect condition. Despite all their efforts to control their emotions, they quickly became agitated. They thought it would be really dangerous to fail like this and changed the target to be snatched to Beriache. Then suddenly¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Raphael made eye contact with Beriache. She seemed to have seen the fishing line made of light with her naked eyes.


    The stunned Raphael quickly pulled the string away.


    ¡®She truly is the child of Yatan.¡¯


    The fishing line of light¡ªby nature, it was impossible to be perceived by beings from a lower world. However, if they were the master of that world or the lineage of the master, it wouldn''t be strange if they were capable of doing so. The fishing line could¡¯ve been taken away...


    Raphael got the chills and gasped roughly. Then someone sneered at them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t seem to do anything right?¡±


    It was Venice, the God of Money. The most unseemly one among all the gods¡ªshe was a merchant who lived by recing the profits from buying and selling things with fame and divinity, and was originally a very insignificant existence for Raphael. Anything she said was nothing more than a dog barking to Raphael and she had never dared to say anything recklessly to Raphael.


    Now really... the situation had changed.


    Raphael clenched their fists and couldn¡¯t even look at Venice. They were unable to raise their lowered head as they heard Judar talking to himself.


    ¡°In any case, Asura is one of the biggest targets, so it worked out well.¡±


    Raphael followed Judar¡¯s gaze. The gods and Raphael once again set their sights on the hell beyond the well.


    The new Evil God, Asura¡ªhe was very strong. He had his own origin. In other words, it would be difficult to estimate how much stronger he would be if he joined with the red flesh.


    ¡°Can he be controlled?¡±


    Would the exhausted Grid be able to handle Asura...?


    Some gods had such doubts, but Dominion, the God of War, rightly predicted Asura¡¯s defeat.


    Judar cocked his head.


    ¡°Is there any reason to control him?¡±


    At this moment, Raphael met Judar¡¯s gaze for a moment and understood. All the freedom they had enjoyed so far¡ªit wasn¡¯t because they deserved it. It was just that Judar acquiesced. It was with an attitude that it wouldn¡¯t affect the overall situation no matter how they rampaged.


    ¡®This... shit...¡¯


    They were just a dog in a fence. It happened as Raphael realized this and was overwhelmed with great shame...


    ¡°He is rising,¡± Judar said.


    Asura was caught off guard by Grid¡¯s bizarre angel who was ¡®learning his skills intact¡¯ and was severely cut by Biban. Now he was about to copse. After a while, even his source, the red flesh, was destroyed by the Demon yer. Asura lost his power and meekly epted death.


    Out of his own will, he shot his soul toward the fishing line of light. It seemed that Judar had personally given him a divine message.


    The new Evil God was taken.


    The response of the gods to this fact was mixed. Some thought it was good that Asura would fill the void left by Zeratul, while others wondered if it was okay to bring an evil being into the realm of the Goddess. The former was obsessed with the defense of Asgard, while thetter was obsessed with the essence of Asgard.


    It was all useless. Their responses weren¡¯t opinions.


    The moment Reba entered the cycle, all the decisions belonged to Judar and Dominion. However, it was rare for them to step forward, so only Raphael was active.


    ¡°Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Above all, you must get your hands on King Daebyeol.¡±


    King Daebyeol¡ªas a child of Hanul, a God of the Beginning, he was in the same hierarchy as Judar and Dominion. Of course, in terms of hierarchy, the Three Evils of the Beginning and King Sobyeol were the same, but King Daebyeol was very special.


    The gods of Asgard hadn¡¯t forgotten. At the time when the Seven Malignant Saints dared to rebel¡ªKing Daebyeol¡¯s power as he drew the bow to help them was truly outstanding. Thergest sun made directly by the Goddess out of light fell. It was to the extent that Judar was rmed.


    At that moment, all the gods of heaven were of one heart and one mind. They united just to defeat King Daebyeol. Dominion even took the lead.


    King Daebyeol was unable to withstand the onught of the gods. He fell into hell, was forgotten by many people, and was weakened. In the end, he suffered irreparable damage, fell into the hands of Baal, and turned into a mass of red flesh.


    Judar was obsessed with his potential. If King Daebyeol obediently went through the process of reincarnation and resurrected, he would definitely one day be the poison of heaven. Therefore, Judar nned to summon him to heaven and make him a puppet.


    ¡°I think it is better to go down in person.¡±


    Part of hell was incorporated into the Overgeared World, but it was only a part of it.


    Dominion clutched his spear. He decided to directly capture King Daebyeol, who thankfully refused to reincarnate and fought with Grid¡¯s subordinates. Judar thought about it for a moment and nodded.


    Dominion was enveloped in a cluster of lights and disappeared from the scene.


    In the gap where Grid was distracted by Beriache, he would secure King Daebyeol. The gods had no doubts about it.


    ¡°......¡±


    However, Dominion didn¡¯t appear in hell.


    Judar immediately grasped the situation. ¡°As expected... was he held back on the surface?¡±


    In order to reach hell from heaven, they had to go through the surface. The dy in Dominion¡¯s arrival meant he was stranded on the surface. But who would dare to interfere with Dominion? The surface was the realm of the Overgeared World, which greatly weakened Dominion, but it was impossible for a non-Grid level being to stand in Dominion¡¯s way.


    ¡°Did the Old Dragons intervene...?¡±


    The gods were agitated. It was unrealistic, but it was a reasonable guess. There was a situation recently where Gourmet Dragon Raiders helped Grid infiltrate heaven.


    Judar¡¯s thoughts were different. ¡°It is Eve. She has been missing for a long time, but now she hase into contact with Grid.¡±


    Yatan¡¯s apostle¡ªshe was special among the apostles. It was due to Yatan¡¯s nature.


    Unlike Reba and Hanul, who created their own subjects, assigned roles, and left everything to them, Yatan personally found a human called Eve on the surface and nurtured her with affection. He taught her everything from beginning to end. She was a rtively difficult opponent for Dominion to immediately subdue when he was weakened by the oppression of the Overgeared World.


    ¡°Raphael, you have to do it.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± Raphael¡¯s hand on the fishing rod tightened. It was because they felt they would be shaking if they didn¡¯t give more strength to it. Raphael had a hunch that this was theirst chance.


    King Daebyeol, who was isted among Grid¡¯s subordinates¡ªif Raphael didn¡¯t take the opportunity to snatch his soul, Judar wouldn¡¯t give them a second chance...


    ¡®Shit, how do I do this?¡¯


    Raphaelmented to themselves, gulped, and focused all their senses on King Daebyeol.


    Then...


    ¡°...It¡¯s done!¡±


    In the end, Raphael seeded in snatching King Daebyeol¡¯s soul. It was really a tiny difference. The soul of King Daebyeol was raised just before he fell into the river of reincarnation.


    ¡°I...! I did it!¡±


    How long had it been since Raphael felt such joy? Today, Raphael was swept away by all types of emotions, unlike an Absolute, and finally reached the point of cheering.


    ¡°It is useless,¡± Judar spat out coldly.


    At the same time, Raphael also noticed it.


    The soul of King Daebyeol that he tried so hard to catch¡ªit was empty. It was a shell without even the slightest bit of divine power left. If he was reincarnated, he might be able to recover some of his divine power. Even so, it wouldn¡¯t mean much and it waspletely useless in the current state.


    Judar¡¯s eyes fell on the human woman who had just been the target of the arrow shot by King Daebyeol.


    ¡°Raphael, I¡¯ll give you a chance to make up for it.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    Jishuka was the founder of the Tzedakah Guild, which was the predecessor of the Overgeared Guild. Many of the people who still reigned as the strongest force of the Overgeared Guild were talents recruited by her in the past. Her symbolism was great. After Grid and Lauel, Jishuka was the one that the Overgeared members trusted and relied on the most.


    There were many people who were agitated by the sight of her dying again after saving her colleagues from danger.


    Yura and Kraugel came running instantly. It was to somehow prevent the death of Jishuka, who was properly hit by the arrow shot by the soul of King Daebyeol.


    Yura opened the lid of the potion she had and poured it on Jishuka. In the meantime, Kraugel managed to find and grab Ruby and made a puzzled expression. ¡°Is it impossible to even resurrect her?¡±


    Jishuka had been killed by Asura just a few hours earlier. It meant that her immortality was on cooldown. Once he saw that she didn¡¯t open her eyes, he was sure she was dead. It was right to resurrect her before she turned to ash.


    Additionally, one of Ruby¡¯s ultimate skills was a resurrection skill. However, she stayed still and didn¡¯t use her skill.


    It was a time when they seeded in purifying hell and should be enjoying the festive atmosphere. Jishuka suffered two deaths in a row and experienced a huge loss alone. She was even forced to log out and watch the celebration from afar.


    It happened as everyone was feeling disappointed...


    ¡°Cough cough cough! Stop!¡± Jishuka sprang up. She spat out the potion that had gone into her nose and mouth.


    Ruby btedly exined to the dumbfounded group, ¡°She isn¡¯t dead. Rather, she is fine.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The eyes of the group slowly widened. They realized the subtle scent of flowers that was spreading along with Jishuka¡¯s breaths. It was the scent of the nurturing grace flowers.


    The handful of divinity left by King Daebyeol was inherited by Jishuka.

 Chapter 1861

    It was almost a disaster¡ªthat was the overall assessment of those who watched Grid¡¯s hell expedition. This expedition didn¡¯t end even when Baal was killed. Instead, incidents repeatedly urred. If Grid had failed, people would¡¯veined to the S.A Group and said that it was a really terrible game.


    This damn thing. What type of nonsense was it that the situation didn¡¯t end after defeating the final boss, and one crisis after another kept popping up?


    They were nervous even from the position of those cheering. It scared them. Then how were the feelings of the parties involved?


    ¡°What is the point of protesting as a group? They won¡¯t quit the game anyway. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°There is no alternative.¡±


    ¡°That is the scary thing about Satisfy. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid, the users would always be at odds with thepany.¡±


    Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Empire, and in addition, the superrge airship floating above Reinhardt, the Tomb of the Gods¡ªa grand festival was held in the ¡®greatest city on the surface¡¯ and the ¡®greatest city in the sky,¡¯ which were located next to each other on the ground and in the sky.


    A festival was held to celebrate a sessful expedition. It far exceeded the scale of the self-celebration of the Overgeared Guild. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that people came from all over the world. The crowds gathered at Reinhardt and the Tomb of the Gods was staggering.


    It was truly unprecedented. It was also a festival of a scale that would never be seen in the future.


    The reporters from third-rate news organizations around the world watched the crowds enjoying the festivities without any worries and were convinced¡ªin this atmosphere, if they wrote malicious articles against Grid and the Overgeared Guild, they were bound to be terrorized by someone.


    At this time, it was right to abandon their rigid work ethic...


    A truly surprising thing happened when the third-rate reporters, who originally made their living by writing ¡®rumors without any urate evidence¡¯ or ¡®articles avoiding responsibility when rumors were false,¡¯ didn¡¯t write recklessly. It was a great unification of the media that transcended borders, races, and ideologies.


    From all over the world, there were only articles favoring Grid and the Overgeared Guild. This was something that no great person or group in the history of humanity had achieved.


    Of course, the resulting bacsh urred. Was it because of the sense of crisis that they might lose their livelihood? The third-rate and tabloid media from all over the world targeted the S.A Group and relentlessly bit at them. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid and the Overgeared Guild, who would¡¯ve defeated Baal and the hidden bosses one after another, and purified hell? They criticized the S.A Group and Chairman Lim Cheolho for being hypocrites. Chairman Lim Cheolho repeatedly stated that he wanted Satisfy to be the hope of the people, but Satisfy¡¯s ending was actually set as a bad ending.


    ¡°I feel better.¡±


    Peak Swordughed. Most of the members of the Overgeared Guild responded the same. In fact, they were the ones who wanted to me the S.A Group the most. It was especially so when they saw the development of ¡®Baal¡¯s death gave birth to Asura.¡¯ It was really... many people uttered curse words that they had never spoken in their lifetime. Then the third-rate media outlets, which were usually hated, started to target the same object of hatred and were rampaging wildly.


    ¡°It ispletely letting the barbarians fight among themselves,¡± Hao said as he smiled slightly and tilted his ss. He was still wearing a gold mask.


    Ibellin asked carefully, ¡°The mask... why are you using it?¡±


    The reason why Regas was wearing a mask was revealed.


    At the time of the Asura raid¡ªRegas, who hadn¡¯t been able to grow up due to the Asura ss, made explosive progress by replicating Asura¡¯s skills in real time. It was a relief after being suppressed for several years.


    Yes, the reason for wearing a mask was quite convincing. If Asura had recognized Regas¡¯ face and was wary, Regas wouldn¡¯t have been able to replicate Asura¡¯s skills and wouldn¡¯t have been able to help Biban in any way. Regas needed to hide his identity.


    On the other hand, what about Hao? The reason why he had to wear a mask was still a question...


    ¡°Look at the attitude of these media outlets right now. If it is revealed that Hao is working with us, there will be a lot of uproar in China,¡± Regas exined on behalf of Hao, whoughed bitterly.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    It made sense right away. Hao became a traitor to China just because he admitted defeat to Grid in the National Competition. He had been criticized so much and for too long that he couldn¡¯t handle it. His desire to hide his identity was understandable.


    ¡°It almost seems like the object they will criticize will be Hao, not the S.A Group. It is very difficult to be famous.¡±


    Ibellin himself was a celebrity. It meant Ibellin had suffered tremendously from the third-rate media outlets that were now biting at the S.A Group like the group was their parents¡¯ enemies. In other words, he could fully understand Hao¡¯s position.


    ¡°I think that Grid is really great in that sense.¡±


    Haoughed.


    The sess of the hell expedition¡ªit was right after aplishing the tremendous feat of saving humanity. To put it bluntly, the eyes of all of humanity were focused on Grid. Besides, it was now the time of the festival with the provocative promotional phrase ¡¯Overgeared Guild¡¯s Treat.¡¯


    During the festival, visitors to Reinhardt and the Tomb of the Gods could enjoy unlimited food and drinks for ¡®free.¡¯


    ording to Lauel¡¯s calctions, it was still a surplus business. No, it was a ¡®business that will make more money.¡¯ Thanks to the promotional slogan of unlimited food and drinks, even those with heavy buttocks came to the festival.


    Additionally, as the best city in Satisfy, Reinhardt sold all types of rare things. To add a bit of exaggeration, the quality of the stalls in a corner of Reinhardt¡¯s smallest market wasparable to the quality of the goods stocked by the most famous stores in small and medium-sized cities. This meant that visitors had no choice but to open their wallets.


    Additionally, there was a huge number of demonkin among the tourists for this festival. They had regained their freedom after being trapped in the safe zones all their lives and came to the surface for the first time. From their perspective, the ordinary items sold by Reinhardt were rare treasures that they had never seen in their lifetime. It was natural to imagine Administrator Rabbit crying out of happiness.


    In any case, in this ce where so many people were visiting¡ª


    Today, Grid would hold a surprise wedding ceremony. This was given that Grid was often criticized by people for only one reason: his experience with women. It was a very bold decision...


    ¡°It will be an opportunity for some of the media and public opinion to turn against Grid when it is currently unconditionally favorable to him.¡±


    Currently, Grid had three wives. Of course, it was amon situation for yers who had obtained a decent title to be to married multiple men or women. The problem was that Grid also had two lovers in real life.


    Gaining a new wife in this situation? The media currently biting at the S.A Group would turn their attention to Grid. Grid clearly knew this fact, but he said he would definitely get married this time. He said he wanted to be blessed by more people.


    At this point, it meant that Grid wasn¡¯t afraid of the press at all. It was because he received the most attention in the world and must¡¯ve suffered from the media more than anyone else.


    For Hao and Ibellin, it was a strong heart that they really wanted to emte. No, it was closer to being iprehensible.


    Then Lauel poked his head out from among the Overgeared members worrying about the criticism that Grid would face.


    ¡°In fact, it must be now.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s wedding ceremony was about to take ce, so he was currently dressed in splendid formal attire.


    ¡°It is a wedding ceremony that needs to be held anyway. There will be less bacsh if it is done when public opinion is good.¡±


    Lauel looked at Grid¡¯s marriage from a political perspective. He thought that Marie Rose¡¯s strength was essential for Grid. It was after all the events hade to an end.


    In fact, he felt sorry for Grid, who said he was going to marry Marie Rose quickly. It was because he witnessed several times what Marie Rose was like. Marie Rose¡¯s evil appearance as she bit Grid¡¯s lips and licked his blood under the guise of a kiss... Lauel would never forget it.


    It was the same for Huroi. ¡®My poor liege...¡¯


    What type of threats did he receive that he was in such a hurry to get married? It was already sad to think that he would be tormented for the rest of his life by the monstrous woman whoughed at the Old Dragons. He was on the verge of tears.


    At a time when everyone was worried about Grid for various reasons...


    ¡°It is nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was scared for a slightly different reason.


    It was the moment when he was introducing Irene to his new life. It was already the third time, but he always felt like he was sitting on a cushion of thorns. Furthermore, this time the other person was an Absolute. In fact, he was more afraid of Marie Rose¡¯s inner thoughts than Irene¡¯s. He wondered if she would harm Irene. He was worried and nervous.


    Did she know Grid¡¯s heart or not?


    Irene spoke with a loving smile as always, ¡°Vampire duke, Marie Rose. I know your noble self well. You have a great reputation. I know that you are a rare Absolute in the world and that you are much older than me. It is right if I serve you wholeheartedly.¡±


    ¡°You know it well.¡±


    Your noble self...?


    Marie Rose cocked her head at the unexpected title before slowly smiling deeply.


    Her dear husband¡¯s legal wife¡ªshe was the first woman her dear husband fell in love with and also gave birth to his child. Marie Rose was going to be respectful to a certain extent. Of course, when she said respect, it meant to guarantee the state of the legal wife and to say some good things.


    Marie Rose looked at it realistically. Irene was just a god¡¯spanion and was nothingpared to her, an Absolute. The hierarchy of the two of them could be called the difference between heaven and earth. There would be few such face-to-face meetings in the future.


    It happened as she was thinking this...


    ¡°However, since His Majesty has weed you as his imperial concubine, I won¡¯t be able to serve you. I am afraid and nervous because my rank is higher than yours, but I will be brave and behave properly. I hope we get along in the future.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Marie Rose doubted her ears but she couldn¡¯t react hastily. She didn¡¯t feel any ill will from Irene. It was a truth conveyed by the senses of an Absolute. Irene wasn¡¯t being territorial right now. She didn¡¯t despise Marie Rose, nor was she jealous. It was just that as Grid¡¯s legal wife, the empress of the Empire and the mother of the people, she was aware of herself and behaved properly. As she said, she was squeezing out her courage.


    ¡®...She was originally just a noble of a small kingdom.¡¯


    Marie Rose saw Irene¡¯s determined eyes and calcted her position.


    Irene¡ªher lineage was inferior to Mercedes, a nobleman and chief knight of the Saharan Empire. She also wasn¡¯tparable to Basara, who was an empress. However, her identity had changed continuously since her marriage to Grid.


    From a duchess to a king¡¯s wife, to an emperor¡¯s wife, and then a god¡¯s wife. She was served in reverse by those she deserved to bow her head to.


    Was she happy? Judging from her feelings, she must be more burdened than happy. Even so, she never showed it. She might be very nervous in this moment, but the way her fingertips didn¡¯t even tremble showed how much effort she had put in.


    ¡°I like it.¡±


    After Irene¡¯s series of remarks, Marie Rose silently finished weighing the situation and spoke slowly, ¡°Empress Irene, I know your heart. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to behave appropriately. Ah, in addition.¡±


    It was a gentler attitude than expected. Grid was relieved to see Marie Rose speaking unexpectedly softly, only to be nervous again.


    Maybe she was going to add that Irene should be careful with her mouth from now on... he had such concerns. It was a guess because he didn¡¯t know much about Marie Rose yet.


    ¡°I hope we get along in the future as well.¡±


    The gentle smile she only showed to Grid up until yesterday¡ªMarie Rose had a smile on her face that was captivating to both sexes as she whispered to Irene, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of you as well as Grid.¡±


    Irene, who almost called out ¡®Older Sister,¡¯ hurriedly covered her mouth and nodded. After a while¡ª


    ¡°What? Grid is getting married again?¡±


    The surprise announcement of the promotional officer, Huroi, turned Reinhardt upside down. No, it was more urate to say that the whole world was in an uproar.


    The reporters rushed in.


    ¡°Is it even a public wedding ceremony?¡±


    They pointed out Grid¡¯s attitude of opening the wedding venue to the public.


    ¡°It is an attitude that shows he really isn¡¯t worried about anything.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Later, he will brag about having 3,000 courtdies.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t ashamed of his experience with women but was showing it off. This might be Satisfy and he might be the hero who saved the world, but this was going too far. Of course, the residents of Satisfy would praise it, but it was hard to ept from the perspective of modern people.


    Reporters were preparing to use this opportunity to pour out provocative articles when they suddenly stiffened like stone statues.


    It was the moment when a woman wearing transparent cotton cloth appeared in the hall. It was a woman whose skin felt whiter than the pure white dress.


    The identity of the woman staring at Grid with red jade-like eyes was none other than Marie Rose.


    She was the bride.


    The gestures of Huroi and the knights as they saluted and shouted for the bride¡¯s entrance were conveying it in real time.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    All the guests were fascinated by Marie Rose¡¯s elegant appearance and only the sound of pens scratching rang through the silent wedding hall. It was the sound of shing. It was as if the reporters were erasing something.


    Breaking news soon poured out.


    [The reasons why we can¡¯t help celebrating Grid¡¯s marriage.]


    [The bride is too beautiful to criticize Grid.]


    [This marriage is recognized.]


    There was a phrase that people often used to describe Marie Rose¡ªshe was the embodiment of the ideal type of all humans.


    The reporters couldn¡¯t criticize Grid. They unconditionally sympathized, respected, and acknowledged Grid¡¯s choice. It was inevitable as a human being. If they criticized Grid under the current circumstances, they would just be treated as fools who were jealous of Grid.


    Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s wedding was held in a peaceful and blessed manner.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (4/4 weekly.) No set day for release.

 Chapter 1862

    Chapter 1862


    The first in the world to break through level 1,000¡ªhe earned the stats redistribution with no cooldown perk.


    The powers of Baal and Amoract were also attached to the Rune of Gluttony. There was a significant increase in the level of the Overgeared World, which had expanded its territory to hell. He secured the core of the beginning that could make any wishe true, and Bunhelier¡¯s loyalty (?).


    The acquisition of Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance, etc.


    This was putting aside the fact that the dead had been put to rest and humanity had ovee its fears.


    The hell expedition brought huge rewards to Grid. There was no other way since it was a reward for a near-final ordeal.


    The redistribution of stats would be a formidable variable for enemies fighting against Grid in the future. Due to the ability to change it in real time, it was theoretically impossible to properly assess Grid¡¯s power.


    The increase in the level of the Overgeared World allowed him to appoint more angels.


    The influence of the human gods belonging to the Overgeared World had increased. This also increased the probability of beneficial effects for humans.


    The core of the beginning and Bunhelier were reliable insurances.


    If¡ª


    If Grid did experience a crisis, then they could be relied on.


    Grid was particrly fascinated by the power of Baal and Amoract.


    [Demon Sword Remnants]


    [A remnant of the power left by the 1st Great Demon, Baal.


    After entering a state ofbat, the form of Baal¡¯s favorite demon sword will emerge and assist you.]


    [Deception, Confusion, Temptation]


    [A remnant of the power left by the 2nd Great Demon, Amoract.


    Any target hostile to you won¡¯t properly recognize your health gauge (or wounds).]


    It was before Beriache took the powers of Baal and Amoract¡ªGrid gained their powers first. Of course, it was only a fraction of it. Just as has been the case for a long time, he had been hampered by the setting that the capacity of the Rune of Gluttony was insufficient. The system exined that the hierarchy of Baal and Amoract was too high to fully absorb their power.


    Even so, he was thankful. There were many cases where he wasn¡¯t able to gain any powers at all. It was meaningful that he gained a small amount of the powers of the 1st Great Demon and the 2nd Great Demon.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t have high expectations. It wasforting that it wasn¡¯t on the level of dog fur. Then when he checkedter, he realized it wasn¡¯t just that much. The power of Baal and Amoract far exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations.


    First of all, both skills were passive. It didn¡¯t require any resources or conditions. It was triggered spontaneously without Grid being conscious of it and controlling it. Nevertheless, the effect was very interesting.


    First of all, Demon Sword Remnants¡ªit was a skill that was activated in a bat state.¡¯ It was verypatible with the senses of an Absolute. The moment something antagonized Grid, it immediately floated up and intercepted it. To put it more precisely, the skill reacted before Grid could identify the enemy.


    It was simr to the artificial senses, but the artificial senses had to be consciously unfolded by Grid. This meant that Demon Sword Remnants was much more convenient. In the first ce, the attack coefficient was so high that the God Hands couldn¡¯t bepared to it.


    In any case, the reason to keep his nerves sharp at all times had disappeared. It might not seem like a big deal, but it was a huge difference. Grid usually had to stay focused because he didn¡¯t know when an enemy who was an Absolute would threaten him. Now he found peace in the true sense of the word. Finally, he was able to live a normal life just like everyone else.


    Next up was Amoract¡¯s Power.


    Deception, Confusion, Temptation¡ªthis skill was also simple in principle, but it had a great effect. It was a passive skill that caused confusion over his ¡®current state¡¯ with a hostile target. It was bound to be useful. If a yer was hostile to Grid, then they would be mistaken about Grid¡¯s health gauge. They might misunderstand high health as low health or vice versa.


    The same applied to NPCs and monsters. The other person would be confused and make misjudgments, such as recognizing a dying Grid as being in a normal state, or Grid without any wounds as dying.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve received these skills from the beginning.¡¯


    They were simple and convenient, but powerful skills. There was no cooldown time or resource consumption. They were skills that the old Grid longed for. It was a shame that he got them sote.


    ¡®...No, in the first ce, it is too fraudulent. That is why I only got it now.¡¯


    They were skills dropped by the 1st Great Demon and the 2nd Great Demon. It was too unconscionable to feel regret about not having acquired such skills from the beginning.


    Grid soothed himself and slowly raised his head.


    A military band was performing to announce Marie Rose¡¯s position.


    The entrance to the wedding hall¡ªthe most beautiful woman in the world, and one of the few beings Grid could rely on, entered. She was greeted by her siblings, who had their lives restored. Of course, Braham wasn¡¯t among them.


    Braham...


    ¡°What is so pretty about her?¡±


    He was sitting in the guest seats with the other apostles. He was deeply displeased with the reaction that people showed when Marie Rose appeared.


    ¡°I would be a few levels above Marie Rose if I was born a woman.¡±


    It was Braham who added an assumption that Grid didn¡¯t want to imagine. Even so, Grid thanked him very deeply. If it wasn¡¯t enough that he interfered with the mother he loved and respected most in the world for Grid¡¯s sake, he also didn¡¯t resent Marie Rose for hurting their mother. His attitude toward Marie Rose was just as chilly as before, but the evidence was that he obediently participated as a guest.


    Maybe Braham¡ª


    Maybe he felt sorry for Marie Rose from the moment he found out what Beriache was trying to obtain through Marie Rose. It might¡¯ve been a reminder of their sibling rtionship that had been ignored.


    ¡®Maybe one day they can get along...¡¯


    ...No, it probably wouldn¡¯t end up like that?


    Slowly and with an elegant gait¡ªMarie Rose approached Grid, who coughed in vain as he watched Braham re at Marie Rose with a killing intent that went beyond hostility.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The guests were half-mesmerized.


    Beings who crossed species, tribes, and borders¡ªall the guests who gathered to celebrate Grid today were mesmerized by Marie Rose, regardless of anything.


    Lauel had said it jokingly. If it wasn¡¯t for Grid and Marie Rose¡¯s overwhelming power and authority, the Empire might¡¯ve been ruined by those who were fascinated by Marie Rose¡¯s beauty. There must¡¯ve been people who rebelled in order to get Marie Rose. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. When it came to expressing Marie Roe¡¯s beauty, the term ¡®peerless beauty¡¯ wasn¡¯t sufficient.


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m discouraged.¡± Even the always confident Jishuka muttered such words.


    Mercedes even put on makeup. Just like a knight among knights, she wasn¡¯t interested in embellishments at all, but she felt a sense of crisis from Marie Rose.


    They all looked pretty to Grid.


    No, the same was true in the eyes of other people.


    Irene, Yura, Jishuka, Mercedes, and Basara¡ªall of them were beautiful to the point where they could be described as peerless beauties. Why did all these women, each with their own charms, fall in love with Grid? The jealousy that had been forgotten for a while was renewed and people started to re at Grid.


    Then one by one, they controlled their emotions. It was the aftermath of seeing Grid greet his bride with a big smile. Unlike on the battlefield, Grid in his formal clothes was objectively cool. He looked as brilliant as his achievements so far.


    In a way, it wasn¡¯t something to be jealous of. They even thought it was fortunate that it was Grid, not another ugly man, who had a rtionship with them.


    ¡°The next procedure...¡±


    The atmosphere waspletely calm. Huroi¡¯s voice rang out after the ceremony filled with pure goodwill and blessings. The world stars Lae and Nyangmong sang a congrattory song, and Piaro gave a congrattory speech.


    Why was the marriage arranged in such a hurry?


    The somewhat puzzled members of the Overgeared Guild slowly realized the reason.


    The day the world was saved¡ªthey witnessed several times the sight of the people, who were happy but somewhat anxious and confused, be relieved after seeing the faces of the heroes who came as guests.


    We are always by your side...


    Maybe Grid wanted to tell the people this.


    ¡°He was using his own marriage as a tool to reassure people. That is how deep God Grid is.¡±


    The impressed Peak Sword even had red eyes. He didn¡¯t forget to ask the reporters who were usually close to him to make good use of Grid¡¯s inner thoughts when writing their articles.


    Finally, Grid and Marie Rose swore eternal love and kissed. There was thunderous apuse. All of those cheering truly blessed Grid and Marie Rose¡¯s future.


    ¡®...I¡¯m happy.¡¯


    A kiss without pain¡ªGrid felt the soft texture of Marie Rose¡¯s lips, not the metallic taste of blood, and trembled with joy. Marie Rose was trembling in a different sense.


    A lofty Absolute in the world had shaking eyshes and was rarely trembling¡ªit was due to Grid¡¯s hands wrapped around her waist and against her cheek. It was like...


    A sensation she had never known before rose from the depths of her body. It was truly an unfamiliar and terrifying sensation. Her mind turned nk and she almost lost strength in her legs. She vowed to Irene that she would behave well, but she almost showed an indecent appearance in front of people.


    ¡°...Marie Rose?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s reaction as she subtly lost her breath made Grid feel puzzled. Could it be that she was suffering from her vampire instincts?


    Grid was feeling anxious at the thought of his lips possibly being bitten again. Then Marie Rose leaned her forehead against his chest and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of tonight.¡±


    ¡°......??¡±


    ***


    Grid held a grand festival and neglected surveince on the surface. It was an opportunity for the 1st ranked Great Archangel, Raphael. They came down to the surface secretly and moved to hell.


    Hell¡ªarge portion of it was incorporated into the Overgeared World, but the situation was differentpared to the surface. Remnants of distortion remained and some areas were just as unstable as they were when Baal was alive. It was surprisingly easy to find demons and demonic creatures who were still stained with malice.


    Raphael searched for the wandering great demons.


    Pure white wings and a halo of light¡ªthey searched for gloomy spaces that didn¡¯t match the appearance of a holy angel. Finally, they found it.


    Vicious demons biting at each other like beasts.


    ¡°Beasts who have lost your master. I will give you some help.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you so much?¡±


    The great demons who were preying on other great demons¡ªthe girls who looked exactly like twins weed Raphael with a smile.


    ¡®It is going well from the start.¡¯


    Raphael also smiled.

 Chapter 1863

    Chapter 1863


    The Overgeared Empire was different from the Saharan Empire. The will of the Empire wasn¡¯t imposed on other nations. From the perspective of other nations, there was no reason to disobey.


    In the first ce, they shouldn¡¯t disobey. It was because every kingdom on the continent was economically dependent on the Empire.


    At some point, they came to their senses and this was what happened. It was the result that Lauel created. Lauel shackled the other kingdoms with money and power, not force. It was covertly and tenaciously. It was designed so that they couldn¡¯t disobey the Empire even if the sky copsed.


    It wasn¡¯t strange to incur other people¡¯s grudges. In particr, it was normal for the royalty of other kingdoms to not see Lauel in a good light.


    However, this wasn¡¯t a normal situation. All the royal families in the world served Grid. They offered up tributes of their own will. They gave unconditional favor and support that was beyond the level of not disobeying the Empire. They were even grateful to Lauel.


    ¡°Prime Minister Lauel. Thank you for making my kingdom dependent on the Empire. Thanks to you, I can happily serve the Empire to my heart¡¯s content without any bacsh from anyone.¡±


    In fact, there were many kings who secretly greeted him in this way.


    ¡°......¡±


    At the banquet hall after the grand wedding...


    Lauel, who had strengthened his escort because there were so too many ces to stab him, made a strange andplicated expression.


    Oh my god. There was actually a time when he received thanks, notints.


    The impact of Grid was realized. It was very touching that all of humanity loved and respected Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m happy and proud, but it is awkward.¡¯


    To be exact, it was embarrassing. The goodwill of the people made him feel guilty. It was an emotion he didn¡¯t feel even when he buried tens of thousands of enemy prisoners who surrendered and abandoned their weapons.


    Basara, who was watching Lauel gradually increase the speed at which he drank from the ss, cautiously said, ¡°I think it would be good if you can rx a bit in the future.¡±


    Be generous¡ªshe didn¡¯t dare use such words. She didn¡¯t want to look like she was ming Lauel.


    Basara had a personality that was the opposite of Lauel, but she still respected Lauel. She could clearly feel the existence of the current Empire thanks to Lauel.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lauel was a clever person. He immediately grasped the meaning and consideration contained in Basara¡¯s words. A life of oppression and using others for the development of the Empire and Grid. Was it necessary to do this in the future?


    He thought about it while watching the faces of the people who filled the banquet hall. After a while, Lauel emptied his ss several more times and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I would like to go on a vacation.¡±


    Grid and the Empire had be even stronger. From the time when Grid¡¯s hell expedition, which felt a bit unreasonable, was sessfullypleted, it became okay to add modifiers such as ¡®immortal¡¯ and ¡®eternal.¡¯ No matter how many years passed, Grid¡¯s feats wouldn¡¯t be undermined. He would be remembered and praised forever unless the world was destroyed.


    In other words, there was only one thing that the Overgeared Guild should be careful about in the future. It was to prevent the world from being destroyed.


    ¡®Reba.¡¯


    Lauel responded with a toast to the smiling Basara and raised his head.


    The soaring ceiling¡ªhe thought of the sky and Asgard that existed beyond it. He remembered the supreme ruler of Asgard who repeatedly destroyed and recreated the world.


    That¡¯s right. Now there was only one thing for the Overgeared Guild to guard against: Asgard.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Lauel was contemting it with a serious face when he suddenly listened carefully. It was because an interesting conversation was taking ce at the gathering of Overgeared members.


    ¡°Infinite Tower?¡±


    ¡°It is weak.¡±


    ¡°Then... Tower Where You Can Be Infinitely Stronger?¡±


    Tower? Infinitely stronger?


    Lauel had difficulty leaving the distinguished guests sitting next to him so he sent a whisper to Pon.


    -What are you talking about now?


    -Eat Spicy Jokbal has learned a new ultimate skill. He can build a tower that can be climbed endlessly.


    -......?


    He couldn¡¯t easily understand it. In this case, it was best to ask the person involved. Lauel sent a whisper and Eat Spicy Jokbal exined it.


    -That¡¯s right. I can build a tower. It is even in the instance dungeon format. As you know, dungeon building has many limitations because it eats up arge area, but I have ovee those limitations.


    -It is good news. Then what does it mean to be infinitely stronger?


    -Ah... It is a bit annoying, but there is no limit to the number of floors you can climb. As long as you can raid the boss monsters that exist on each floor, you can theoretically climb a tower with thousands or tens of thousands of floors.


    -Do the boss monsters give rewards?


    -Of course. Haven¡¯t all the training dungeons I¡¯ve built so far give fair rewards? It is like that. The only difference is that only the bosses on every 10th floor give ¡®rewards that can be taken out.¡¯ The other bosses give ¡®buffs that only apply within the tower.¡¯


    -Buffs... so you can be infinitely stronger?


    -That¡¯s right.


    -What about the penalty for failing to climb it?


    -If you die or leave of your own volition, you won¡¯t be allowed to re-enter for 48 hours. That is all. If you die, you won¡¯t lose experience or items.


    The utilization was endless. The fact that it was an instance dungeon was the biggest advantage. It seemed that even Eat Spicy Jokbal couldn¡¯t properly judge the level of the rewards. Still, there was no penalty, so the fact that rewards would be given was an unconditional benefit. In some cases, it seemed good for the members of the Overgeared Guild, the knights of the Empire, and the soldiers to climb the tower.


    Just in time, Peak Sword¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It. How about this?¡±


    ¡°Oh... Isn¡¯t that good? It seems to attract the aggro?¡±


    ¡°Peak Sword, what is it? Why do you like this?¡±


    ¡®As expected, an amazing writer.¡¯


    Lauel was admiring it only for his expression to distort.


    Did he really like this name? Was this really the influence of Grid? Did his standard go down in the aftermath of suffering from Grid¡¯s naming sense?


    Aside from Lauel¡¯s skepticism, Eat Spicy Jokbal and all the Overgeared members responded positively. Lauel quickly grasped the situation.


    -Are you going to allow outsiders to enter the tower?


    -It will probably be amazing to make a lot of money... of course, I was going to get the permission of you and Grid first. If it doesn¡¯t work, then I won¡¯t do it.


    -No. Do as you please.


    Heaven was different from hell. It was aplete group. This meant that if there was a conflict, arge-scale war was inevitable. As they had learned from the Great Human and Demon War, it wasn¡¯t just the Overgeared Guild who should be strong. Such were the current times.


    -However, can I designate the location where the tower will be built?


    -Of course.


    -I¡¯ll let you know when it is decided.


    Lauel paid attention to the concept of the tower.


    A tower that rose endlessly.


    Maybe. Maybe it could make it all the way to Asgard?


    Asgard was naturally a separate dimension from the surface. It would be hard to reach physically. However, he didn¡¯t think it was impossible. Grid had a history of riding a dragon to heaven.


    ¡®If only I could get advice from an Old Dragon... depending on the location of the tower, wouldn¡¯t it reach Asgard?¡¯


    Of course, in order to do this, the tower had to be high enough to reach the sky. In other words, someone had to climb the tower. It might be impossible. Usually, towers with this structure also increased the difficulty level indefinitely. Still, it was worth looking forward to. There was nothing to lose by looking forward to it. Additionally, there was an Old Dragon to ask for advice.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªthey thought he would be the enemy of humanity, but surprisingly, he was the first Old Dragon who stood on the side of humanity. Of course, Bunhelier didn¡¯t care much about humanity. He cooperated with Grid purely for his own sake.


    Still, that was just the trigger. Lately, the feeling had been very different. He even attended Grid¡¯s wedding today as a guest. He was polymorphed into human form and hid his identity, so there was no disturbance, but... from what he noticed, Bunhelier was interacting with the half-draconians. The king of the half-draconians wasn¡¯t happy and trembled with fear.


    ¡®In any case, it is good.¡¯


    The Overgeared Guild was blessed. The talented people who gathered around Grid were as great as each other and they hit a jackpot once in a while. Thanks to this, he would be busy again for a while...


    Lauel smiled as he raised the ck dragon, making Basara nervous.


    ***


    Night¡ªit didn¡¯t impress Marie Rose at all. The concept of time was useless for her, who lived forever. In the first ce, she spent most of her time in a coffin. She didn¡¯t distinguish between day and night and was never conscious of it.


    However, it was different today. She felt it the moment she felt Grid¡¯s touch during the daytime wedding. She was going to have a hard time tonight. She knew she would experience all types of things that she had never experienced before at once and would face a tremendous change.


    Tension, anticipation, and fear¡ªemotions that she never imagined before came faintly to her. All of them were emotions that disturbed an Absolute¡¯s rity quotient.


    Thanks to this, Marie Rose realized how great the man in front of her was. A being who fought to protect his precious things¡ªhe must¡¯ve always suffered from these emotions. She thought there must¡¯ve been so many moments when he wanted to run away.


    But now he reached this point. Starting as a weak human being to eventually trying to dominate her...


    Marie Rose stood with her back to the fireworks exploding in the sky and slowly took off her clothes. Areas that no one dared to invade before wereid bare in front of Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might be different.¡±


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t know anyone else. She thought she might be different from others. She was worried. She was afraid she would be different from others and earn Grid¡¯s disgust.


    Grid stared at her in a trance and slowly opened his mouth, ¡°You are different.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but inwardly, she was agitated.


    Grid smiled as he counted her dark eyshes that were trembling very faintly. ¡°It is a beauty I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    The most beautiful woman in the world¡ªMarie Rose¡¯s naked body, which shimmered transparently in the moonlight... the following was omitted.


    Grid¡¯s resolve was shaken. It was his resolve not to sleep with anyone until his ¡®vital energy¡¯ gathered.


    ¡®But I have to endure it no matter what.¡¯


    Grid shook his head toe to his senses and recalled the events of the day. He recalled the reaction of Marie Rose, who was embarrassed by his touch. He believed in his dexterity, which could work even on an Absolute.


    He would satisfy her without doing it...


    He made up his mind and focused on the situation. He used his fingers and started serving Marie Rose.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± Marie Rose was captivated by a sensation she never felt before and embraced Grid.


    The snowy white skin exuded heat. It seemed to melt in the aftermath of touching Grid¡¯s heated skin.


    Grid was uneasy. He thought Marie Rose would melt away like this.


    He didn¡¯t want to miss it.


    He gripped her soft skin strongly, leaving red marks. He put his arms between her armpits and strongly restrained her. They were entangled like snakes.


    ¡°...This isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    He felt dizzy. He wanted to pour everything into it regardless of his vital energy. The more he satisfied Marie Rose, the more Grid was bewitched. Then he came to his senses.


    Marie Rose was sitting on his stomach.


    Suddenly?


    The senses of an Absolute couldn¡¯t read the situation. Grid came to his senses thanks to his great confusion and looked at Marie Rose¡¯s omitted.


    ¡®I have to endure it. Endure it.¡¯


    Thus¡ª


    Skipping through the following process, Grid¡¯s efforts continued throughout the night. It felt like he was fighting multiple Baals. His physical strength and mental strength were exhausted tremendously. He felt like giving up several times. Finally, when he pressed his sweat-drenched body against Marie Rose¡¯s back¡ª


    [The ¡®Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time¡¯ senses your strong desire.]


    [Do you want your wish to be fulfilled?]


    The item he got in exchange for saving the world reacted.

 Chapter 1864

    Chapter 1864


    [Why did the S.A Group dream of a bad ending?]


    [Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s keynote that he wants Satisfy to be a hope for everyone was just a pretense.]


    [Without Grid, all the peopleforted by Satisfy would¡¯ve tasted frustration instead of hope.]


    [Does Chairman Lim Cheolho have an antisocial personality disorder?]


    Third-rate media outlets that appealed to sensationalism in order to attract public opinion originally couldn¡¯t easily touch the S.A Group. This was partly due to the enormous power of the S.A Group¡¯s legal team, but more precisely, there were many targets to aim for even if they didn¡¯t touch the S.A Group.


    Right now, these media wanted to dig into Grid and the Overgeared Group.


    Earth and Satisfy¡ªliterally, the world¡¯s attention was focused on the performance of Grid and the Overgeared Guild, and there was no target more delicious than them. However, the media didn¡¯t dare to touch them. So instead of the pheasants, they targeted the S.A Group who were chickens.


    ¡°I never thought the day woulde when our group would act as breakwater.¡±


    Ever since Satisfyunched its service, the influence of the S.A Group had beenparable to that of the United States and China. It wasn¡¯t umon for another individual or group to act as a breakwater for the S.A Group, but this was the first time when the opposite was the case.


    ¡°Nothingsts forever. However, it is quite a shock to have this experience due to an individual influence.¡±


    Grid¡ªadditionally, the Empire and Overgeared Guild led by Grid. The hero born from Satisfy had be a strongpetitor to the S.A Group.


    ¡°...Great.¡±


    ¡°It is because Grid is really great. Huhu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to kill Baal and get rid of him. One big nuisance is gone, so it feels like a tooth has been knocked out.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it helps Grid, then it is a breakwater.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a board of directors who could be swayed by the press. In the first ce, the media is like a reed in front of the wind. It wasn¡¯t worth responding to them one by one. Despite the provocations of the third-rate press, the atmosphere within the group was actually very good.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the S.A Group was also enjoying the festive atmosphere. In fact, some executives and employees had visited Reinhardt in person and enjoyed the festival.


    Baal¡ªthe irregr who turned Satisfy¡¯s worldview into a dystopia. The S.A Group hated him the most in the world. Thepany was caught up in the rules of not intervening in Satisfy and stood on the sidelines.


    ¡°There is nothing we can do but cheer for them in the future.¡±


    Reba, the Goddess of Light, had the greatest authority within Satisfy. She had such a powerful artificial intelligence that she evolved independently of the group¡¯s will. Depending on what she thought and the choices she made, an irregr like Baal would be born and it was impossible for the group to cope with. It was simr to the feeling of the universe or a transcendent being like a god creating humans and then only being able to watch them.


    Therefore, they relied on yers like Grid and supported them for many years.


    Reba and other Absolutes joined hands one after another, leading Satisfy to ruin. This was the worst development for the S.A Group. If Grid had failed in this expedition, the S.A Group¡¯s stock price would¡¯ve plummeted right now. They would¡¯ve seriously discussed the introduction of a seasonal system.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The executives smiled happily as they once again checked the soaring stock price. Among them, only Director Yoon Sangmin¡¯s expression was particrly dark.


    The Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time¡ªit could make any wishe true so it was a stone that stimted the target¡¯s desire. There was already a history of it creating a monster called Baal once. However, it fell into the hands of a yer.


    Of course, Director Yoon Sangmin had been watching Grid for a long time and knew him well. He thought the chances of Grid using the core of the beginning to harm Satisfy was close to zero. Even so, there was harm that was done without any malice. Grid had no intention of doing so, but any choice he made could have serious side effects.


    ¡®I hope he thinks about it...¡¯


    Director Yoon Sangmin was biting his nails in anxiety, only to soon smile bitterly. He always felt grateful to Grid, but he felt it was a pity that he couldn¡¯t help being suspicious and vignt every time.


    Well, what could he do? This was the rtionship between the operator and the user.


    ¡°By the way...¡± Director Yoon Sangmin cocked his head.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho, who imed to be God Grid¡¯s number one fan¡ªhe should¡¯ve blessed Grid¡¯s wedding alongside the other executives, but he never showed up at the scene.


    ¡°Is the chairman heartbroken?¡± Director Yoon Sangmin carefully asked the chief of staff. It was a situation where the third-rate media criticized him as a hypocritical person. It was a sad moment for Chairman Lim Cheolho, who cherished and loved Satisfy more than anyone else. Director Yoon Sangmin felt heavy as he recalled the lonely appearance of the chairman sitting alone in the office and drinking a ss of soju.


    ¡°No,¡± the chief of staff replied firmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that... then where is he?¡±


    ¡°He went out. Considering that he gave orders to draw up a list of gifts preferred by men in their 30s, I guess he went to see Grid.¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin was the chairman¡¯s closest confidant.


    Yoon Sangmin was relieved thanks to the chief of staff, who spoke frankly.


    ¡®The chairman is the most excited one.¡¯


    Indeed, he couldn¡¯t be swayed by the media.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Director Yoon Sangmin was smiling happily only to abruptly jump out of his seat. The other executives were also disturbed.


    It was after Grid¡¯s wedding. It was due to the system message that popped up on the screen that was illuminating the night view of Reinhardt and the Tomb of the Gods.


    [yer ¡®Grid¡¯ has used REX-001001.]


    REX-001001¡ªas the operations director, Yoon Sangmin knew what this code name meant: The Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time.


    ¡°Did Grid use the wish stone?¡±


    The other executives noticed the situation one stepte and bombarded Director Yoon Sangmin with questions. It was a big reaction. None of the people gathered here had expected that Grid would use the Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time, the ¡®wish stone,¡¯ so quickly.


    Director Yoon Sangmin muttered, ¡°He is short-sighted... will there be a situation where the dead are resurrected as Morpheus feared...?¡±


    It had a rtively high probability of 23.9%. Morpheus had predicted the possibility that Grid would ¡®resurrect the dead¡¯ using the wish stone. Khan and the former Red Knights were cited as examples.


    Khan, who lost his young son early on.


    The former Red Knights who were falsely used and lost theirrades and family members.


    It warned that if Grid immediately resurrected the dead to heal their wounds, all types of chaos would appear in the world.


    ¡®It is harm without malice.¡¯


    Director Yoon Sangmin felt the need to quickly assess the situation. He moved immediately to the operations team. This was when the system message took over.


    [yer Grid¡¯s wish has no effect on Satisfy.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    ¡°......???¡±


    The wish of a person like Grid had no effect on the world? It was hard to believe.


    ¡°What is the content of his wish?¡±


    The system replied to Director Yoon Sangmin and the executives, who looked somewhat confused.


    [I can¡¯t tell you in ordance with Article 3, Paragraph 9 of the Terms and Conditions.]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Article 3, Paragraph 9 of the Terms and Conditions¡ªthepany respected the privacy of the yers. The privacy here meant ¡®something that can¡¯t be monitored even with the authority of the operations team.¡¯ In other words, it was a very intimate part of human dignity.


    At this point, Director Yoon Sangmin and the executives all noticed it. It was easier to guess because Grid had just married Marie Rose.


    ¡°I acknowledge this...¡± someone muttered.


    ***


    Really. Grid didn¡¯te out of the bedroom until the sun rose to the middle of the sky.


    Lauel had served Grid for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen it. In the past, rain or shine, Grid used to get up before anyone else and leave for the smithy or hunting grounds.


    ¡°What...?¡± Lauel cocked his head. For the first time in a long time, no, for the first time, Grid rested soundly without any worries.


    It was Lauel who had been waiting for Grid, who didn¡¯te out of the bedroom untilte. He had been expecting a refreshed look from Grid. Yet ironically, Grid was even more exhausted than usual. Was he tormented by Marie Rose all night?


    It was impossible. Grid¡ª


    No, every yer was sexually constrained in Satisfy. It was natural. yers were only allowed to do it once a month. It was a huge restriction. This was even if they were spending their first night with the person they loved most in the world. It was physically impossible for a yer to make love all night. If the timing was wrong, there were many cases where they couldn¡¯t make love even once.


    Of course, Lauel was a bachelor, so he only knew this theoretically, but...


    In any case, there was no problem with his theory based on knowledge and information.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... was your blood sucked all night?¡±


    ¡°It is simr...?¡±


    ¡°Marie Rose is a vampire, so she is different from humans. Don¡¯t be too considerate just because you are newly married. You should stay away from her at night.¡±


    ¡°...In any case, she left.¡±


    Just a little while ago, right before Grid left through the bedroom door, Marie Rose left the castle through the window. It was as if running away.


    ¡°It is harsher than I was prepared for...¡± She left with such words.


    Grid reflected on it. Fromst night to noon today, Marie Rose had passed out 27 times.


    ¡®I was too excited.¡¯


    He was fascinated by Marie Rose¡¯s beauty and his eyes went dark when the limit was lifted... Yesterday, he was just a beast...


    Grid sighed while reflecting on himself again. Then he strongly made up his mind.


    ¡®From now on, let¡¯s manage myself well.¡¯


    It was a situation where the system couldn¡¯t impose restrictions due to the influence of the Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time. Grid himself had to be careful. He really had to keep his mind tense.


    ¡°By the way, I heard there is a tower?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I presume it is a tower that can reach the sky. As you know, among the dungeons created by Eat Spicy Jokbal, haven¡¯t the dungeons rated unique or higher naturally expanded in size ording to the exploration rate?¡±


    ¡°So the more you climb the tower, the higher it will go? Maybe it is enough to reach Asgard?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Of course, to do that, we need someone who can climb the tower.¡±


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°This XX.¡±


    Grid¡¯s swear words rang out through the tower.

 Chapter 1865

    Chapter 1865


    Dungeon Master Eat Spicy Jokbal¡ªhis first work that ventured into the new realm of the tower was very small and shabby. It was only two floors high and it was embarrassing to call it a tower. From the circumference, it was estimated that the floor space was less than 10 pyeong. But no one paid any attention to this.


    A tower that grew stronger as they climbed it¡ªthere was such a provocative sign.


    Even Grid was caught by it.


    ¡°Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It... I wonder if we¡¯re giving too grand a name for a tower that hasn¡¯t been finished yet...¡±


    ¡°It is finished. The number of floors in the tower will naturally be added as users climb to the higher floors, and the interior area is quite reasonable, unlike what it seems.¡±


    ¡°Ke ong is going to cry.¡±


    ¡°No, he came to me a while ago and cursed me for profiting for free. The facilities I make are purely ¡®dungeons,¡¯ so there is no need for Ke ong to be jealous.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was one of the precious treasures of the Empire. Numerous soldiers and knights grew by exploring the dungeons he created. The Overgeared members'' growth value exceeded the allowance of the dungeons, but they often stopped by the dungeons to increase their skill experience.


    Now they had to build a tower. It was said that there was no limit to the number of floors. It was theoretically possible to expand indefinitely because another floor opened up every time a user overcame the ordeal of the current topmost floor.


    It was truly a legendary building. No, there was a possibility that it would be worshiped as a myth if Grid utilized it.


    Grid was also the leader of the Overgeared Guild. He had the right and qualification to be the first to set foot in such a monumental facility.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go up to the 100th floor today.¡±


    Grid was more motivated than Lauel hoped for and attempted to climb it.


    ¡°This XX.¡±


    The result was this¡ªhe lost motivation. There was no problem from the 1st floor to the 9th floor. Thanks to Demon Sword Remnants, Grid overcame the ordeals without even lifting a finger. It took less than five minutes to reach the 10th floor.


    However, he immediately lost motivation on the 10th floor.


    The boss monster who appeared on the 10th floor¡ªit was none other than Baal.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe boss monster that lurked in the tower on the 10th floor used the ¡®highest level opponent among the boss monsters raided by the challenger¡¯ as the basic framework. Here, it became stronger and stronger every time the number of floors increased. Depending on the challenger¡¯s position, it could boast a tremendous level of difficulty.


    ¡°The 10th floor is bullshit...¡±


    Aren¡¯t I the only one at a disadvantage...?


    Why do you always do this to me...?


    Vantner offeredfort to thementing Grid, ¡°Instead, Grid, your wives keep getting stronger. Don¡¯t be too heartbroken and think positively.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ...Wasn¡¯t he hit by thisfort instead?


    It wasn¡¯t veryforting, but Grid couldn¡¯t refute the facts. Instead, Eat Spicy Jokbal asked him, ¡°Why did youe back without fighting Baal?¡±


    Going up from the 1st floor to the 9th floor, Grid acquired various buffs that were only applied inside the tower. Grid in the tower was stronger than Grid in reality. Even if the level of Baal on the 10th floor was exactly the same as the Baal that Grid had fought a while ago, the current Grid would be able to aim for victory rtively easily.


    However, he retreated without even fighting. It was hard to understand from Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better that Baal came out? The higher the level of the boss, the greater the rewards.¡±


    ¡°Do you avoid poop because you are afraid of it? You avoid it because it is dirty.¡± Peak Sword replied on behalf of Grid. ¡°Have you forgotten how persistent Baal was? From Grid¡¯s perspective, it would be tiresome to fight with him again.¡±


    It was correct. Just a few days ago, Grid struggled with Baal for more than half a day. Even if he was killed, he resurrected and evolved. It was a fight to the extent that he didn¡¯t want to rey it.


    Then fighting him again right away? He didn¡¯t feel like it even if he was given millions. It wasn¡¯t a situation where he had to fight to protect someone.


    It felt crazy to fight Baal against just to get some small rewards.


    ¡°It is time to take a break,¡± Peak Sword said while patting Grid¡¯s shoulder.


    A break¡ªit was a word that prated Grid¡¯s weary heart. Yes, he wanted to rest...


    Grid realized something and shuddered. He recalled the fact that there were few days he rested properly ever since he became Pagma''s Sessor. Was this something that people could handle? He couldn¡¯t believe how he had been running non-stop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave climbing the tower to you.¡±


    Now that they had purified hell and brought peace to humanity¡ªif it wasn¡¯t this time, then when else could he rest freely? Right now, Faker and the Overgeared Shadows were in the midst of a quest to find the daoist immortal, Bentao. It was to get help to search for the achievements of the Seven Good People that the gods couldn¡¯t erase. The moment Faker gained something, Asgard wouldn¡¯t be able to sit still.


    Grid had to prepare for another fierce battle from then on. Now was the only time. It was time to get enough rest...


    Grid felt it instinctively and left the scene without regrets. He thought of things to do during his break. The first thing was to find Pagma¡¯s soul. ording to Kraugel¡¯s testimony, as Pagma¡¯s soul was possessing him, it encountered Braham and immediately erased his traces.


    Grid hadn¡¯t taken it seriously. It was something he heard while preparing for the wedding, so it went in one ear and out the other. But now that he thought about it, he was worried about Braham¡¯s reaction.


    Pagma just left and Braham was calm? It was impossible.


    ¡®Maybe Pagma¡¯s soul is...¡¯


    Maybe he wasn¡¯t reincarnated, but was captured by Braham? In the first ce, it was a pity that the conversation with Pagma was too short. It was necessary to check it.


    ¡°He is going to rest, right?¡±


    Peak Sword and his colleagues looked on anxiously as Grid increased his pace.


    ***


    Until recently, there were no mountains around Reinhardt. Braham smashed everything. Naturally, there was no malice. It was an inevitable phenomenon in the process of magically tempering Grid¡¯s Greed. But recently, a high mountain stood tall to the west of Reinhardt. It was an artificial mountain made by Braham¡¯s petrification magic.


    Overlooking Reinhardt was Braham¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°Braham, you...¡±


    Grid came to visit Braham¡¯s workshop, only to stiffen like a stone statue.


    Pagma¡¯s soul¡ªhe really was trapped in Braham¡¯s workshop. The various tools scattered in all directions conjured up terrible imaginations.


    ¡°Did you torture his soul?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how deep the grudge was. Hadn¡¯t he at least tried to understand Pagma? Now he stopped the reincarnation of the soul and tortured him...


    Grid hadn¡¯t expected Braham¡¯s personality to be this terrible and was in great shock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled.¡± Braham clicked his tongue as he grasped a saw and aimed it at Pagma¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Braham...!¡±


    Was he going to brutally saw at Pagma¡¯s soul? Grid was about to stop it, only to pause. The saw seemed to be imbued with some type of magical effect and started to slice through Pagma¡¯s soul, but it didn¡¯t cause any direct harm to the soul.


    Pagma¡¯s soul was intact. There was only the sound of something invisible being scratched and shaken repeatedly.


    ¡°That guy, Baal, was full of malice to the end.¡±


    It was a few days ago¡ªBraham faced the soul of Pagma possessing Kraugel and was horrified. It was because Pagma¡¯s soul was secretly bound to Kraugel¡¯s soul.


    At first, he naturally thought it was Pagma¡¯s doing. He thought this damn guy who enjoyed backstabbing others was ying tricks to take away Kraugel¡¯s body. Then he soon calmed down. Pagma wasn¡¯t a great magician like him. It was impossible for a mere cksmith to cast such a spell in his soul state...


    ¡°Perhaps Baal thought you would take away the power contained in Pagma¡¯s soul.¡±


    It was a curse carved into Pagma¡¯s soul. What Baal left behind was a structure that made Pagma¡¯s soul the subject whenbined with an object. To put it simply, it was designed to ¡®take away the body of the one possessed by Pagma¡¯s soul.¡¯


    If such a situation had happened¡ª


    It wasn¡¯t only the victim whose body was taken away. Even Pagma, who took over the body, must¡¯ve been in great shock.


    ¡®He would¡¯ve been in deep despair.¡¯


    Pagma¡¯s specialty might be to use and betray others, but there was always a good reason for it. He had never betrayed others for his own sake. However, who would¡¯ve trusted Pagma if the situation had gone as Baal intended? Naturally, Pagma would¡¯ve been med for the incident. Additionally, the one cutting off Pagma¡¯s head and killing him would''ve been none other than Braham himself.


    ¡°Baal...¡± Grid learned the inside story and gritted his teeth. He was already in a sensitive state because he just met Baal at the tower. Therefore, he even wanted to swear.


    Braham smirked as he felt Pagma¡¯s bewildered soul. ¡°This guy is the greatest hero in history, but he doesn¡¯t know how to pretend. He is honest in most situations.¡±


    It is different from you...


    -......


    Pagma¡¯s soul fell silent at the words that sounded like usations toward him. Pagma¡¯s feelings were also conveyed to Braham through the magic saw that was splitting apart the curse on his soul.


    Regret.


    The hero of the previous era who fought alone because he couldn¡¯t trust anyone¡ªin the name of his cause, he undermined the dignity of others. Hemitted countless vicious acts in order to confront the demons he couldn¡¯t handle alone, such as damaging other heroes, digging up graves, and binding souls.


    The result was this. He finally made a pact with the ruler of demons. Even now, hundreds of yearster, he was still cursed. He almost harmed the heroes of the present age.


    -I... if I had trusted and relied on you...


    Pagma¡¯s trembling voice echoed hollowly in the room. The sadness in his eyes as he looked at Braham grew uncontrobly.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t reply. He silently concentrated on sawing.


    It happened as an awkward silence filled the space...


    The curse that had been dwelling in Pagma¡¯s soul was finallypletely destroyed.


    Braham put down the saw and opened his mouth, ¡°What is the point of regret?¡±


    -......


    Pagma¡¯s eyes met Braham¡¯s and he realized it for the first time¡ªBraham¡¯s red, transparent eyes were looking at the present, not the past. He was dismissing the past as something trivial.


    ¡°Putting aside my feelings, you did your best in the past. As a result, Grid of the present day saved the world. Isn¡¯t that enough? Don¡¯t tie yourself to meaningless regret and go away.¡±


    They were harsh words. It was close to condemnation. However, Grid knew Braham¡¯s personality well. He was able to interpret the sincerity of the words.


    So he selflessly conveyed it, ¡°I can¡¯t say that the choices you made in the past are right. However, it is obvious that Braham and I exist today because of the past you. I don¡¯t dare to judge if you did well or not. Still, I respect and admire your life. Thank you for your hard work. Now rest in peace.¡±


    Even when they met earlier, Grid had fully conveyed his feelings to Pagma. Still, it didn¡¯t matter if he repeated it a few times. Rather, he felt it wascking.


    -......


    This was enoughfort for Pagma. There was a faint smile on his face as his soul lost its form and scattered.


    [The Legendary cksmith, ¡®Pagma,¡¯ has ascended.]


    [Will you bless him so he is given a new life and is reborn somewhere else in the world?]


    Probably¡ªit was likely a hidden effect created by thebination of his status as a god of the surface and his past status as Pagma''s Sessor.


    Grid nodded without hesitation. ¡°Of course, I bless him.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, and thank you...


    Thest words from Pagma¡¯s soul soothed even the resentment that had been stagnating deep in Braham¡¯s heart. One silver lining was that it had finallye to aplete end.


    Braham spoke as Grid¡¯s heart was feeling warm. ¡°No matter whether it is a daughter or a son.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°My nephew or niece will be raised by my hands. I can¡¯t leave child raising to Marie Rose, who only knows herself.¡±


    ¡°No, what...?¡±


    Grid was about to ask what nonsense Braham was saying when he suddenly shut up. He thought that Braham¡¯s senses must¡¯ve grasped in detail what happened in his bedroomst night.


    ¡°Please respect my privacy...¡±

 Chapter 1866

    Chapter 1866


    In short, it was amazing. The tower built by Eat Spicy Jokbal became a newndmark of Reinhardt.


    Peak Sword clicked his tongue when he witnessed the endless procession of people. ¡°They seem to being from all over the continent. It is a reaction beyond imagination. If outsiders want to use the tower, then don¡¯t they have to sign a one-sided contract with Eat Spicy Jokbal?¡±


    ¡°It is simr to any other dungeon. Some of the experience and rewards obtained from entering the tower will be handed over to Eat Spicy Jokbal.¡±


    ¡°Are there still people?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The tower got stronger as a person went up, so the biggest strength was that it was good to use when stuck. If they leveled up, then the experience obtained from existing hunting grounds would decrease significantly. If they didn¡¯t have enough specs to use the higher hunting grounds, then they could visit the tower and significantly speed up their growth rate. It wasn¡¯t a loss even if they had to give a few percent aspensation to Eat Spicy Jokbal. Additionally, the proportion ofpensation transferred by individuals decreased significantly as the number of users of the tower increased.


    ¡°I think I should live life like Jokbal.¡±


    If he built a few dungeons, he could put his hands behind his back and experience and money would roll in on their own...


    It was truly the dignity of a building owner.


    It happened as Peak Sword felt his stomach cramp with envy and frowned...


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that much. If I was making such a huge profit as you think, would I be living like this?¡± Eat Spicy Jokbal approached and exined. ¡°Most of the money I earn goes to maintaining and repairing dungeons.¡±


    Of course, every act of working in the dungeon was a valuable experience for Eat Spicy Jokbal. Thanks to this, Eat Spicy Jokbal always maintained the top ranking even if he didn¡¯t participate in raids or hunting.


    ¡°If I want to make money properly, I have to run a dungeon as a trap... You know, I¡¯ve quit doing such things since I joined the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you not do that in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°You are mistaken. I didn¡¯t do it at all.¡±


    There was a time when Eat Spicy Jokbal shoveled directly. He could make dungeons and towers on a whim now that he was a legend, but in the past, Eat Spicy Jokbal used to dig at the ground by hand and build dungeons one by one using tools. He might¡¯ve been the head of the notorious dark gamer group called Blood Carnival, but he didn¡¯t have time tomit evil acts.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s past should be glorified. Eat Spicy Jokbal was reflecting on himself, which was why he gave people dungeons and towers. Of course, he was paid for the use...


    In any case, there were many yers who could breathe thanks to Eat Spicy Jokbal. One of the figures who greatly contributed to the image of the Overgeared Guild was Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    ¡°By the way, the guild members are having a surprisingly hard time.¡±


    He remembered the days when he was active under the cool stage name of Dark. Eat Spicy Jokbal remembered being beaten to death by Grid, who suddenly broke into the dungeon, and changed the topic.


    He opened the ranking list. There were very few Overgeared members on the list of people who had climbed up high.


    Lauel shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be helped. They are in a much more disadvantageous positionpared to ordinary yers.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild had fought against strong enemies. The level of the boss monster they raided recently was at least a high ranking great demon, so they had a hard time breaking through the upper floors of the tower. In particr, the members who participated in the hell expedition recently were struggling.


    They all failed to break through the 10th floor. The enemy they faced when they got to the 10th floor was the red lump of flesh, Asura, or King Daebyeol.


    ¡°Use vulgar words to say we are screwed. I¡¯m not God Grid. How can I defeat King Daebyeol alone...?¡±


    Of course, the tower gave all types of buffs. It was from ordinary buffs that increased their stats to buffs that increased their ¡®status¡¯ or suspended death. Together, they had a very powerful effect.


    Right away, Peak Sword was much stronger inside the tower than he was outside. He was even lucky to gain several of the best buffs while climbing from the 1st to the 9th floor. Putting it together, it was enough to treat himself as a high-ranking transcendent.


    However, the enemy was an Absolute God. He might¡¯ve been reduced to a ¡®soul body¡¯ and was far short of his prime, but he wasn¡¯t someone Peak Sword could face alone.


    ¡°This ispletely wrong. We are all doomed unless you improve the system in a way that allows you to set the boss we encounter on the 10th floor.¡±


    It was obviously good for the yers to grow, but the Overgeared Guild couldn¡¯t be left behind. Peak Sword expressed concern, but Eat Spicy Jokbal responded with disapproval.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the authority to change the system... How can I intervene in the set system when it is even impossible for Grid? For example, even Grid will only end up with a wooden sword if he uses wood as a material for a sword...¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was using Grid as an example to make it easier for Peak Sword to understand, only to suddenly shut his mouth. It was because the wooden sword made by Grid seemed to be able to cut through even a small iron sword.


    ¡°Um... There might be room for intervention as the tower¡¯s level increases...¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was changing his words only to close his mouth again. It was due to the notification window that just appeared.


    [yer ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has broken through the 10th floor of the tower.]


    ¡°Wow, how did he do it?¡±


    All the Overgeared members who participated in the hell expedition were stuck at the 10th floor. Kraugel¡¯s situation was the same. He would¡¯ve also met King Daebyeol as the boss for the 10th floor. Did he break through?


    ¡°15 hours...? Did he take advantage of the inability to recover debuff?¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal noticed something after checking Kraugel¡¯s clearance time. In the list of buffs that could be obtained from the tower, there was a buff that ¡®applies an unrecoverable state to the target every time you attack the target.¡¯ It was a buff with an ordinary performance so the selection rate was lowpared to other buffs that were so excellent that they didn¡¯t exist in reality. However, under such circumstances, Kraugel used it to sessfully climb to the 11th floor.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Peak Sword learned the inside story after hearing Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s exnation and admired it in many ways. It was hard to believe he seeded in the raid by only hitting the target for 15 hours... In order for that to be possible, there was the prerequisite thatbat sustainability had to be preserved for 15 hours. In other words, Kraugel couldn¡¯t allow many hits from King Daebyeol. He also had to use the smallest movements possible to preserve his stamina.


    ¡°It is all in the realm of control so it isn¡¯t a big surprise. They will have to retry several times to seed, but there are many people in the Overgeared Guild who can do it as well as Kraugel.¡¯


    The part where Peak Sword greatly admired Kraugel was his mind, not his physical ability. Perhaps Kraugel paid attention to the fact that the tower¡¯s buff boasted an absolute effect.


    A debuff that applied an unrecoverable state to the attacked target. It was a debuff that most monsters in reality were resistant to. Very few tower climbers would¡¯ve chosen it as a reward.


    However, Kraugel chose it. He predicted from the start that the boss of the tower wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the concept of absolute effect within the tower.


    ¡°That guy is amazing... He deserves to be called the next God Grid.¡±


    Peak Sword¡¯s motivation was aroused. ¡°I should also start over.¡±


    It was like he hadn¡¯t even climbed to the 9th floor. The determined Peak Sword reset the status of the challenge. Then he started climbing the tower again from the 1st floor. He was going to repeatedly y it until the unrecoverable debuff popped up on the rewards list.


    On the other hand¡ª


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    Inside the tower, Kraugel was taking a breather. The low-level reward that he unluckily obtained on the 9th floor¡ªhe hadn¡¯t expected that he would seed in breaking through the 10th floor thanks to this unrecoverable debuff. There was no other way to exin the situation than to say he was lucky...


    ¡°It will be faster from the 20th floor onwards.¡±


    There were as many as seven rewards obtained from raiding King Daebyeol on the 10th floor and four of them were buffs applied to his current tower run. Thanks to this, his attack power had be many times more powerful.


    King Daebeyol, whom he would meet again on the 20th floor, would be strongerpared to the 10th floor King Daebyeol, but it was unlikely his health and defense would be exponentially multiplied. Therefore, Kraugel judged that it would be possible to defeat him quickly.


    ***


    ¡°The cheetah was justughing...¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    In thest week, ordinary yers were enjoying the greatest joy ever.


    Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It¡ªEat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s new game... no, it was because there were very few Overgeared members on the dungeon ranking list. Under the same conditions (?), they weren¡¯t inferior to the Overgeared Guild. Many people mistakenly thought this and felt a great deal of pride.


    Then three days ago.


    Kraugel suddenly rose to the top of the rankings. Then today, the entire ranking list was changed to the Overgeared Guild. In just three days, an extreme change took ce.


    People were forced to admit it. The Overgeared Guild were justte starters.


    They watched us from the starting point as if we were cute and then started climbing slowly.


    At this point, they became curious. Grid still wasn¡¯t on the ranking list. He seemed to be neglecting the tower to enjoy his newlywed life, but how fast would he rise to first in the rankings...?


    The media started to specte about it. The cast of some famous entertainment programs even made a bet during the broadcast. It was a bet about how many days it would take for Grid to take 1st ce from the time that he first appeared on the ranking list.


    World star Hallyu idols, Hollywood actors, and so on. It became a hot topic because the list of people involved was so morous.


    Grid felt like he was going to die. ¡°Leave me alone...¡±


    Grid returned after a well-deserved rest where he gave a generous amount of love to Irene, Mercedes, Basara, and Marie Rose. Grid had grasped the trend and had been thinking about slowly climbing the tower, but he quickly lost his motivation.


    Looking at the atmosphere, it felt like he would have to climb the tower without a break as soon as his name appeared in the ranking list. Of course, no one forced Grid to be a ranker, but there was such an atmosphere. It was a matter of pride.


    -Kraugel, isn¡¯t it time for you to go to eat?


    -It is okay. My mother went on a holiday with some of her friends.


    -...She¡¯s made new friends in the United States. It is great.


    The news that a friend¡¯s mother hadpletely recovered her health and became as normal as everyone else made Grid genuinely happy. It warmed his heart and made him smile.


    But that was that and this was this.


    ¡®No, please take it easy.¡¯


    The 227th floor¡ªGrid was frowning as he reconfirmed Kraugel¡¯s unrivaled lead, only to suddenly smile. Old memories came flooding back. How long had it been since he was in the position of challenger?


    ¡°It is Grid.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°A true cheetah is finally rising...!¡±


    Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It¡ªthe group of people were buzzing after discovering that Grid had arrived there. Due to this, Grid emerged from his reminiscence to realize reality, but he couldn¡¯t frown because he was a god. He tried to keep the smile on his face as he responded to the enthusiastic cheers.


    ¡°I hear that top stars line up for your autographs when you go to the broadcasting stations?¡±


    ¡°That is a rumor you made.¡± Grid happened to encounter Peak Sword at the tower and failed to manage his expression.


    Peak Swordughed. ¡°I was just telling the truth. Oh, my~ I¡¯m tired. I reached 9th in the ranking, so I¡¯ll take a good rest today. Ah,e to think of it, are you parked on the 9th floor, God Grid? The two of us are the ¡®same¡¯ number. Haha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°Take your time, take your time. There is nothing special about being a ranker here, so there is no reason to be enthusiastic, right? Didn¡¯t Mir confirm the reincarnation of King Daebyeol? Take it easy when you should be resting. The air below is clear and good, right?¡±


    Peak Sword and the members of the Overgeared Guild were people who loved games. They liked the game so hard that they tried hard. Thanks to it, they connected with Grid after bing rankers and had reached this point. Basically, there was a strong sense ofpetition.


    That¡¯s right. Right now, Peak Sword was sincerely encouraging Grid to rest, but was also keeping him in check. The provocation was a bonus. There was no malice in it. It was just a natural gamer¡¯s disposition. It wasn¡¯t a matter that Grid could simply pass over.


    ¡°Peak Sword, you are the one who needs to get some clear air below and rest. Sooner orter, the 190th floor will be the below area.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    One by one, numerous witnesses started to log out. It was to quickly deliver Grid¡¯s deration of war to themunity. Grid responded to the public¡¯s attention in a different way than intended...


    Peak Sword clenched his hands tightly and his expression stiffened as he btedly regretted it. ¡°Truly God Grid... You are a true superstar.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid returned from his vacation. He walked into the tower that was very tall, unlike the first day he saw it.


    At the same time, hell...


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t there many visitors...?¡±


    The 1st ranked Archangel, Raphael, had assumed that the Overgeared members would focus on defeating the remnants of the demons in hell. They nned to snipe at Jishuka in order to recover the power of King Daebyeol and they had already been staying in hell for nearly ten days.


    Everything was quiet. The desired situation never happened. They were already nervous about how long they would have to stay in this filthy and uncivilized ce that was unlike Asgard.


    The great demon sisters who were working with Raphael made eye contact and smiled.


    The ck and White sisters¡ªoriginally, they became great demons to eavesdrop on the 1st Great Demon, Baal, but they missed the opportunity to stand out and wandered for a while. They honestly regretted making such an extreme choice.


    But now it was fun.


    The number one Archangel, Raphael. Compared to the 1st ranked Great Demon, someone worthy of being targeted came rolling in on their own.

 Chapter 1867

    Chapter 1867


    The inside of the Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It was very spacious. It was different from when looking at it from the outside.


    ¡®Every time I see this, I think it is a good thing that I have Eat Spicy Jokbal.¡¯


    A yer with the ability to create an instance dungeon¡ªEat Spicy Jokbal was the only one.


    The dungeons he built were always useful. In particr, the tower he made this time was special. In just a few days, the tower had risen to 227 floors. If it continued to rise like this, wouldn¡¯t it really reach Asgard?


    Lauel¡¯s seemingly far-fetched conjecture started to be credible. However, it would probably take at least 1,000 floors to be seen properly.


    ¡®1,000 floors...¡¯


    It felt so far away, but also surprisingly close. It took Kraugel just a week to reach the 227th floor. Additionally, the pace of his climb increased every day. It was thanks to the rewards obtained every time a new floor was conquered. This meant that the climber¡¯s growth rate might be faster than the speed at which the boss monster that appeared in 10 floor increments became stronger.


    ¡®Let¡¯s only struggle up to the 50th floor.¡¯


    Baal¡ªGrid felt hopeless about having to fight that damn cockroach again, but he breathed in deeply and soothed his mind. Then he took a lunch box out of his inventory. It was the lunch box that Irene made when she woke up at dawn. She even baked the bread herself.


    Last night¡ªshe hadn¡¯t forgotten Grid¡¯s words that he should finish his rest and resume his activities.


    ¡®Meat, garlic, meat, meat...¡¯


    Was garlic the only vegetable...? Why? He wasn¡¯tining about the side dishes. He was just puzzled. It was very different from the diet organized by Irene, who often tried to feed Lord vegetables at family meals.


    Grid was cocking his head when he found a note from Irene and opened it.


    -You have been amazing every nighttely. I prepared a lunch box with the hope that my dear husband will maintain your vitality even when you return from a great cause. Please enjoy it and have strength.


    ¡°......¡±


    He thought he would have to work hard tonight as well... Grid read Irene¡¯s inner thoughts and was motivated. It had only been a day or two since he became a beast every night. Every time he turned into a beast, he would think, ¡®Is this really okay?¡¯ He felt uneasy about it.


    Grid had four people to love. Irene might not know it, but every time she fainted, Grid alternately visited Mercedes, Basara, and Marie Rose. He tried his best with the thought that it wasn¡¯t right to leave his wives alone when he had broken the limit using the wish stone acquired from killing Baal. It was worthwhile, but...


    Grid slowly chewed every piece of meat and garlic carefully packed in the lunch box while ring at the entrance of the 10th floor, which lurked beyond the 9th floor. It shouldn¡¯t take half a day this time...


    Gridpletely changed his mindset and ignited his fighting spirit.


    ¡®Six hours. Kill him in six hours.¡¯


    After the sess of the hell expedition, Grid had grown exponentially stronger. It wasn¡¯t just because of additional factors such as the stats redistribution, Baal¡¯s power, and Amoract¡¯s power. It was simply because his specs itself had gone up significantly. After surpassing level 1,000, he secured arge number of stat points and even enjoyed the awakening effect.


    On the other hand, Baal would be exactly as Grid remembered. Infinite resurrection was impossible. Baal was no longer an object of fear. Of course, Baal would have a passive ability to ovee death, but there would always be a limit to the number of times.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    [Thanks to the effect of the ¡®Empress¡¯ Lunch Box,¡¯ all stats are increased by 30% for 30 minutes.]


    The food buff effect was also more than expected. As expected, the power of love was a great thing...


    Grid realized it and entered the 10th floor where Baal weed him as before. Of course, he didn¡¯t say anything. This was just his appearance. He might look like Baal and use the same abilities, but he couldn¡¯t think.


    [¡¯Demon Sword Remnants¡¯ has reacted.]


    If Grid encountered an enemy, the first one to move was no longer Grid. It was the dark demon sword. The three meter long sword, which subtly emitted a blood red glow from the cracks carved everywhere, reacted and acted before Grid.


    The tower shook in the aftermath of the collision between demon sword and demon sword. It was a shaking that only Grid felt.


    In any case, it was an instance dungeon. Grid moved without hesitation. He didn¡¯t care at all about the tower copsing and invested all his stats in intelligence to cast magic. He reached Baal one step ahead of the magic bombardment he fired earlier and swung Defying the Natural Order. Naturally, he changed his stats to be invested into strength.


    ¡°¡±...Kuock...!¡±¡±


    Baal couldn¡¯t even utter a proper scream.


    He trembled in pain in the aftermath of being cut by Grid, who had dug into his right side that was defenseless after he blocked the demon sword that suddenly flew in. Then Baal was swept away by the magic bombardment that rained down shortly afterwards. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Stagger.


    Baal started to receive the attack of the God Hands in addition to the demon sword and he resisted with precarious movements. His whole body was covered with wounds, so he had a lot of restrictions in his movements. Grid observed his wounds recovering in real time and questioned it. ¡®The ability to recover quickly is the same as the real one, so why is he so weak?¡¯


    Was it because the boss that appeared every ten floors was weaker than the original? If he knew this would happen, he wouldn¡¯t have run away on the first day and would¡¯ve just beaten Baal up...


    Grid clicked his tongue and twisted his upper body to the side. His eyes were fixed on Baal, who was heading toward him after breaking through the encirclement of the God Hands. Baal¡¯s demon sword passed by the tip of Grid¡¯s nose and the afterglow of Defying the Natural Order shone on it.


    Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance obtained afterpleting the ss quest¡ªone of them, Splendor, was activated. Splendor was the only one of Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance¡¯s that had a different style. It wasn¡¯t a dance move. Instead, magic power was given to the sword and spread a brilliant splendor. In a sacrificial sense, it meant wanting the attention of the gods. In practical terms, it increased the power of the sword.


    It was a buff skill.


    Pagma''s Sessor¡ªa trash ss with poor buff skills. It was designed so that he could only pretend to be a person after hepleted the ss quest...


    [The weapon¡¯s attack power will increase by three times for 15 seconds. Within the duration of the buff, the power of the first sword dance is increased by 800%, the power of the second sword dance is increased by 1,200%, the power of the third sword dance is increased by 2,000%, and the power of the fourth sword dance is increased by 3,500%.]


    Grid turned back his torso that had been twisted and his sword descended. It was another sword dance that he got afterpleting the ss quest, Chop. It was simr to Pinnacle, but it was different. Pinnacle was a sword dance that was unconditionally a downward swing, while Chop could be used in all types of forms, like a basic hit. It could be used when cutting down, cutting up, or cutting diagonally.


    The attack coefficient was low, but the utility was endless. In most situations, it was good to use it as a leading move of a linked sword dance.


    Baal¡¯s back was cut and his posture broke. Then he was hit by Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance.


    Fusion. In other words, thanks to bing one, it fully received the buff effect of Splendor.


    Several notification windows popped up.


    [Baal has ovee death.]


    [Baal has ovee death.]


    [Baal has ovee...]


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    ¡®As expected, he isn¡¯t someone who dies easily.¡¯


    He noticed from this moment that the super-fast recovery ability was the same as the real thing. The 10th floor Baal might be weaker than the real thing, but he wouldn¡¯t die easily. In the worst case, he might have to fight for half a day...


    Grid frowned and immediately linked a new six fusion sword dance. It was possible thanks to the Chop sword dance. Chop really got rid of the dy caused by the motion right after the fusion sword dance ended. It was an extreme use of the advantages of Chop, which could be activated in most situations. Thanks to this, Baal was unable to resist the six fusion sword dance that was linked without a time difference and allowed it to hit him again. The sword dance also carried the buff effect of Splendor this time.


    Once the third six fusion sword dance was linked in the same way, Baal failed to resist again. As a result, he died.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    He already died?


    ¡®Even if this is the 10th floor, isn¡¯t it too fragilepared to the real thing?¡¯


    It hurt so much that he gave up on the first day... Grid was once again filled with regret. Then dozens of cards popped up in front of his eyes. It was all the back of the cards.


    Every 10 floors, he could reveal up to 20 cards. Every time he revealed them, the rewards would appear and he could choose seven of them. The ratings ranged from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5. The higher, the better.


    ¡®Please let it be 5. A tier 5 reward.¡¯


    Grid prayed and opened a card.


    [Tier 2 Soul Enhancement Stone]


    [You can get 100 stat points when you take it.


    It applies only in the tower.]


    ¡°...Very good.¡±


    It was positive that it wasn¡¯t tier 1. It meant he wasn¡¯tpletely out of luck. As expected, it was thanks to his high luck stat.


    Grid took it positively and opened the remaining 19 cards at once. The result was one tier 4 card and 18 tier 2-3 cards. Furthermore, there were no rewards that could be taken out. They were buff rewards that only applied inside the tower.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard.¡±


    Grid was able to endure the urge to swear severely. The fact that not a single tier 1 card was disyed meant that the effect of the luck stat was working properly. It was just that his innate bad luck was so strong that a tier 5 card didn¡¯t pop up...


    ¡°...Thinking like this makes me even angrier?¡±


    If he had gone through this just a few weeks ago, he wouldn¡¯t have calmed down so easily. But the current Grid easily calmed down. Based on the fact that Baal¡¯s level was lower than expected, he decided that it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡®After all, I still get rewards every time I climb a floor.¡¯


    Above all, his soaring anger easily subsided when he thought of the faces of his loved ones.


    ¡®I need to hurry if I want to go home early.¡¯


    Grid burned with the desire to be with his beautiful wives. The power of beauty. No, the power of love was such a great thing. Those who hadn¡¯t experienced it wouldn¡¯t know. For example, Vantner had no experience.


    ¡°Is he crazy?¡±


    Thanks to the rewards from the tower, Vantner had ess to higher level hunting grounds. He had been trying to go forward, only for his progress to be blocked again. Therefore, he went back to the tower, only to be shocked. It was due to the status of the rankings.


    Grid, who had just entered the tower this morning, was already ranked 10th.


    ¡°A bug? How did he climb 180 floors in half a day?¡±


    The level of the boss monster that appeared in the tower was ¡®the same as the real thing.¡¯ Additionally, they got stronger as the floors got higher, so they eventually transcended the real thing. Of course, the climber also got stronger due to the steady stream of buffs, but it was barely able to bnce out unless the climber was lucky enough to get a tier 5 buff. This meant that the climbing speed didn¡¯t increase significantly.


    Grid¡¯s climbing speed was clearly abnormal. It was all the more so considering that it took him over a day to defeat Baal not long ago.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal exined it to Vantner, who was feeling great confusion. ¡°It seems that he only chose the buffs that only applied in the tower as the reward for each climb.¡±


    ¡°What? Then isn¡¯t there nothing left?¡±


    ¡°You know that there has been too much attention on him. It must¡¯ve been an inevitable choice to save face.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really... Grid has it tough in many ways. No... Isn¡¯t this still too fast...?¡±


    ¡°...It is because he is ridiculously strong.¡±


    Eat Spicy Jokbal trembled with fear. Grid¡¯s strength as he killed Baal within 10 minutes every time he encountered Baal every ten floors was beyondmon sense. He had be exponentially strongerpared to the time when he went on the hell expedition not long ago. It seemed that the reward for raiding Baal alone was greater than imagined.


    ¡°This damn thing.¡±


    In the midst of the solemn atmosphere, Peak Sword rushed in. He checked the ranking of Grid, who had been chasing him from the bottom, with a disbelieving face and hurriedly entered the tower.


    ¡®Of course, I knew he would catch up eventually. But it is ridiculous to catch up in one day. I can¡¯t ept it.¡¯


    I also have to save some face...


    I¡¯ll also choose buffs that only applied in the tower as the rewards...


    Peak Sword noticed the secret to Grid¡¯s high-speed climb and was prepared, but it was useless. Just because he only wanted buffs didn¡¯t mean he only received buffs. It was only possible with bad luck.


    Grid ended up encountering it thanks to his bad luck. As a result, it could be said that he was lucky.


    His achievement of reaching the top of the list in just one day after he started the climb made people cheer again.

 Chapter 1868

    Chapter 1868


    ¡°Martial God... it is the Martial God.¡±


    The Martial God¡ªit had a special meaning in Satisfy. It was a title granted to only one being, so the weight was enormous. However, at this moment...


    The crowd gathered under the tower murmured ¡®Martial God.¡¯


    The first day of the climb¡ªit was while checking the ranking of Grid, who reached the 201st floor in just 15 hours. In the first ce, Grid had a history of defeating the Martial God. Who else could they call the Martial God if not Grid?


    ¡°Cool! God Grid!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always cheering for you!¡±


    There were enthusiastic cheers for Grid as he emerged from the tower. People¡¯s favorability for Grid was at an all-time high. Lately, even the Grid anti-fan cafes had been flooded with posts praising Grid.


    ¡®That is enough for today.¡¯


    The Baal he met on the higher floors became stronger. In particr, the unit of his health gauge changed starting from the 100th floor. Unfortunately, he decided that it would be better to stop climbing today. He didn¡¯t want to make Irene wait all night, and he couldn¡¯t raise the ranking further just because he stayed up tonight.


    Grid responded to people with a wave and checked the ranking list.


    ¡®The level is different from 7th ce onward.¡¯


    Yura, Jishuka, Chris, Katz, Haster, Hurent, and Kraugel¡ªall seven of them had surpassed the 260th floor, and half of them had even surpassed the 300th floor. Their climbing speed was also getting faster every day. Despite how fast Grid¡¯s climbing speed was, it wasn¡¯t enough to catch up to them in just a day or two.


    Of course, Grid thought the Overgeared members outside these seven were great as well. Take Peak Sword as a simple example. If someone asked Grid to raid King Daebyeol with the specs of Peak Sword, he would refpuse no matter what. It might be different if he kept climbing the tower and got enough buffs.


    However, meeting King Daebyeol on the 10th floor, in his almost purely original state, it was difficult to guarantee the odds. Of course, he would seed in the raid someday if he kept trying, but just imagining it made him sick. Taking 10 to 20 hours to gnaw away at an opponent who was overwhelmingly stronger than him, not allowing their attacks to hit¡ªGrid would want to die.


    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t want to do that, so he had been relying on the power of items.


    Grid flew slowly toward the castle where Irene was waiting and his body and mind were infinitely lighter.


    The time to rx¡ªit was the greatest gift Grid had received in return for purifying hell. Until a few days ago, Grid had suffered from great anxiety every day and struggled to be stronger somehow. In fact, he was actually suffering every day. He couldn¡¯t show it in front of others, but he often wondered how he hade to take on such responsibility and felt skeptical. But it was all over now.


    The demons who disguised themselves as humans to deceive people and incite quarrels no longer existed. The king of demons, who reigned as the source of fear while restraining the souls of dead humans, also perished and left only the remnants of the demon sword.


    A near-perfect peace hade. There were variables such as Asgard and the Hwan Kingdom, but he didn¡¯t want to think about that for the time being.


    In the first ce, the gods were different from demons. They had too many things to lose to infiltrate the surface disguised as humans or to openly invade. They would lose their prestige and have their status damaged the moment they experienced one failure. They were passive because they knew they eventually wouldn¡¯t be able to exist as gods.


    ¡®Plus¡ª¡¯


    The surface was the Overgeared World and the Overgeared World was another divine world. The penalties received by the celestial gods here were staggering. The proof was that neither Zeratul nor Dominion could do anything to Grid when he was much weaker than he was now. It was safe to say that there was little possibility of being invaded by the gods in any form.


    "¡­¡­!¡±


    Grid was smiling in appreciation of being able to rx only to stop in the air. Hundreds of God Hands moved in unison. They spread shields over the heads of children rushing after the trail of divinity and led the market vendors to a safe ce. It looked like they were preparing for war.


    Thanks to this, the soldiers patrolling the streets immediately noticed the anomaly. They started following the God Hands and enforced the people¡¯s evacuation.


    The sound of horses being ridden was heard everywhere. It was the sound of knights rushing to the scene.


    Despite the death of Baal, the purification of hell, and the return of peace, Reinhardt¡¯s discipline was still as sharp as a de. The talents that Lauel assigned to the right ces responded quickly and organically to the situation.


    ¡°Focus on protecting human life.¡±


    It happened the moment Grid gave an order to Sariel, who came to his side...


    sh!


    Light poured down from the sky. It was a light only aimed at Grid, but it was so bright that all of Reinhardt turned white.


    Grid pulled out Defying the Natural Order. He red at the being who had dropped to the ground one step ahead of the light hitting the ground.


    ¡°¡±Overgeared God Grid.¡±¡±


    It was Metatron. They looked very different from the angels that people had imagined and witnessed so far. They had a beautiful body and face, but also an angr face andrge body. They were spreading 18 pairs of wings to match theirrge body.


    That¡¯s right. People noticed at a nce that Metatron had a total of 36 wings.


    Now Metatron was spreading out all their wings. It was a state ofplete liberation. It waspletely different from when they met Grid the other day.


    ¡°¡±This is God Judar¡¯s message. Asgard¡¯s target is Chiyou, and it doesn¡¯t have the desire to antagonize the surface. Don¡¯t provoke Asgard by building a fancy tower.¡±¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Asgard already knew about the tower and was on guard toward it. It meant that the tower raised by Eat Spicy Jokbal did have the potential to reach Asgard. Grid felt both displeasure and joy, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°¡±Additionally, this is my personal opinion. Overgeared God Grid. As you know, human beings are grateful to most gods. The same is true even though you now have a virtual monopoly on all human worship. Most gods are valuable only when remembered and talked about by humans.¡±¡±


    There were many gods who were grateful just for being remembered...


    Once again, Metatron¡¯s attitude was clear. They were trying to convince Grid.


    ¡°¡±Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the celestial gods will harm humans. Quit provoking and antagonizing Asgard. It is just a matter of useless anger.¡±¡±


    A beehive¡ªthe Asgard that Metatron referred to resembled a beehive. There were no benefits if it was poked. Grid found it hard to rte to these words.


    ¡°I think if we stay still, you will hit the surface in reverse.¡±


    If the surface and Asgard didn¡¯t intervene with each other, there would eventually be a god who would be forgotten. Asgard was at a one-sided disadvantage. The forgotten gods would be nervous and it wasn¡¯t known what they would do. They could cause a disaster on the surface in order to imprint their existence onto people.


    Metatron read Grid¡¯s inner thoughts and shook their head.


    ¡°¡±The gods aren¡¯t so simply forgotten. Humans are imperfect beings and are bound to feel despair in their lives. They will inevitably have a tendency to lean on something. The gods can survive simply by whispering a small oracle to them or extending a helping hand.¡±¡±


    ¡°...In other words, is it right for humans to despair? I can see why you helped the demons when they invaded rather than helping people.¡±


    ¡°¡±You are making too much of a leap. But I don¡¯t think it is wrong...¡±¡±


    Metatron tilted their head and pondered on Grid¡¯s words. Then they quickly came to a conclusion.


    ¡°¡±It is physiology.¡±¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡±It is like the logic of nature. There is no reason to respond emotionally.¡±¡±


    ¡°You have a knack for making words very unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°¡±There is one thing you should keep in mind.¡±¡±


    The invader who called themselves a messenger¡ªthe angel in front of Grid, who stepped onto the surface without permission, was unpleasant in many ways. But Grid didn¡¯t do a sword dance to stop Metatron from talking nonsense over and over again. It was because the energy wavesing from Metatron were so powerful.


    A former archangel¡ªthe so-called ¡®Angel of Contract¡¯ usually had their arms, legs, eyes, ears, mouth, and wings sealed.


    It was an attitude of treating Metatron as a dangerous object. But now all their wings were spread out. It wasn¡¯t known what type of strong contract they signed, but they were in perfect condition. In fact, they easily broke down Reinhardt¡¯s seal and arrived in front of Grid.


    Strong...


    It was a heavy burden to deal with Metatron in the middle of a city where so many people lived.


    ¡®I guess this was what they were aiming for.¡¯


    During the time when Grid¡¯s expression distorted, additional assistance was arriving one after another. The soldiers and knights of the empire, as well as the apostles and Overgeared members, came from all directions. It was reassuring. It was different from the days when he didn¡¯t like the support of his colleagues and ended up more anxious.


    ¡®There are more means to protect the people.¡¯


    They had been eating together for years.


    Grid even knew how many spoons there were in Peak Sword¡¯s house. Grid was familiar with his colleagues¡¯ skills and could predict how they would use the current situation and terrain to protect the people. It meant he could trust in them and move.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t perfect at that time.¡±


    Finally, Braham arrived at the scene. He slowly descended with a red glow in his eyes and emitted powerful waves from the magic power gathering in his hands, causing Metatron¡¯s giant figure to vibrate slightly. In the midst of the heightened atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°¡±The feelings you have for Asgard aren¡¯t important.¡±¡±


    Metatron warned.


    ¡°¡±What you should keep in mind is the danger of Chiyou. Your rtionship with Asgard can¡¯t be settled in any form as long as you can¡¯t do anything about Chiyou. No matter what, Chiyou is heaven¡¯s primary target.¡±


    When they met in the past, Metatron had warned Grid to be careful of Chiyou. Of course, Grid let it enter one ear and go out the other. Metatron was a mere minion of the gods, while Chiyou had shown favor to Grid. Out of the two, the one that Grid should trust was naturally Chiyou.


    ¡°That is your situation.¡±


    Grid finally moved. It was shortly after the soldiers and knights evacuated the people from the scene and he confirmed that the Overgeared Guild had built barriers at every street corner. It was a chance to tear apart and kill the invader in front of him, who kept talking nonsense...


    Thinking about it differently, this was a great fortune. One of the strongest forces of heaven, who would¡¯ve been a great enemy if they met in Asgard, walked in on their own.


    Step.


    It happened the moment when Grid¡¯s steps were sublimated into a dance move...


    ¡°¡±It is toote.¡±¡±


    Metatron frowned.


    Grid also stopped moving.


    Their gazes shifted to the same direction.


    ¡°¡±You shouldn¡¯t have referred to yourself as the Martial God.¡±¡±


    Since when did he? Grid was choked up by this series of nonsense, but he didn¡¯t reply. To be more precise, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. He was under tremendous pressure. Something great wasing...


    There was the feeling of all the hairs on his body standing up. Sweat ran down the bridge of Grid¡¯s nose as he gulped.


    Braham and Zik noticed the situation one stepter and also shifted their gazes.


    ¡°Are you finally able to rece me?¡±


    Jingle.


    The outrageous words were followed by the sound of bells.


    ¡°...Martial God.¡±


    Chiyou¡ªthe true Martial God crossed the continent and arrived in front of Grid.


    ¡°¡±Loosen the constraints of the Overgeared World...!¡±¡±


    Metatron¡¯s urgent cry gradually faded away. It was the aftermath of being hit by the back of Chiyou¡¯s de and disappearing as a dot.


    Grid recalled past memories.


    -Don¡¯t deal with Chiyou. There must be a reason why the Goddess turned away from him and sent him away. He might harm your hierarchy.


    The intent that Metatron left behind the other day. It was etched in Grid¡¯s mind again.


    -Ignore it. Don¡¯t associate with him.


    It was a situation where it was clear that Metatron was absurd.


    The angel¡¯s warning¡ªit should be treated like a dog was barking. But somehow, Grid couldn¡¯t help listening to Metatron¡¯s words. He saw through Chiyou¡¯s essence.


    A god who wanted to be destroyed¡ªChiyou existed only for himself without taking on any obligations.


    He was wrong. Just because Chiyou didn¡¯t harm humans, or gave Grid great power, didn¡¯t mean Chiyou should be trusted. Chiyou seemed very satisfied with Grid¡¯s wary attitude.


    ¡°Are you really going to rece me?¡±


    In the first ce, it was unlikely that a being who desired to die would have an intact mind. In fact, Grid knew it too. It was just that he maintained his goodwill with the vague belief that Chiyou wouldn¡¯t threaten him. He shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    Just then, Chiyou trampled on the ground once and the skills and magic that the Overgeared Guild had deployed as barriers were disrupted. It shattered like ss.


    ¡°Are you judging phenomena or concepts as matter? No... did you just break it using sheer force?¡±


    Braham¡¯s voice, which was close to astonishment, plunged the Overgeared members still reeling from the unexpected turn of events into greater confusion.

 Chapter 1869

    Chapter 1869


    Martial God Chiyou¡ªhe was the one who made Zik, who didn¡¯t respect or revere the gods, bow his head on his own initiative. He was intense from the first impression and specially approached Grid. He gave Grid the right to take Chiyou''s Test, despite not being a yangban, and bestowed a great favor upon Grid after he passed the ordeal. As a result, Grid unlocked his potential thanks to Chiyou and overcame his limitations several times.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you.¡±


    In the first ce, there was a sense of emotion from his eyes. Chiyou¡¯s eyes were infinitely warm when he looked at Grid and Grid felt deep affection and gratitude. Regardless of his changed status, Grid deeply bowed his head.


    ¡°I also thought of you often. I''m relieved to see you in good spirits.¡±


    ¡°It is a great provocation.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The conversation between the two of them wasn¡¯t transmitted to the outside world.


    A colorless divinity¡ªit was the aftermath of Chiyou¡¯s divinity, which used the aspirations of all living things that craved power as its source, creating an invisible veil. It was a phenomenon created by Chiyou¡¯s will to refuse to be worshiped.


    The effect was great. The thousands or tens of thousands of people gathered because of Metatron¡ªnone of them had a good grasp of the current situation.


    ¡®What type of conversation are they having?¡¯ Chiyou looked blurry to everyone except for Grid. It definitely resembled a human form, but it felt like he was surrounded by fog. If Grid hadn¡¯t mentioned the name Chiyou, they wouldn¡¯t have even known who he was.


    ¡°...He is on the same side, right?¡±


    The Overgeared Guild started to feel relieved. In fact, they had been somewhat intimidated by the sight of the giant angel called Metatron.


    An angel with 18 pairs of wings. They even had a number of halos. The so-called halo of the angels. The angels in Satisfy could shrink or expand the halo, shooting beams or using it as a de to brutally kill their targets. This meant that the more halos there were, the higher the probability of exerting great destructive power.


    Just as they were worried that such a monster would go on a rampage in the middle of the city and cause great damage, Chiyou appeared. He blew Metatron, who was talking nonsense, all the way out of the city with a single blow, and Grid bowed in gratitude. It was natural to interpret him as an ally.


    However, the situation inside the veil was going differently than what people thought.


    ¡°Even when you blocked Dominion¡¯s spear.¡±


    Jingle.


    Chiyou¡¯s bells were very sensitive. They cried just because Chiyou opened his mouth.


    Grid btedly noticed. He hadn¡¯t known because it had been hidden by the cor and sleeves. There were several bells hanging from Chiyou¡¯s body.


    ¡°Even when you defeated the apostle of the God of the Beginning, who had lost the god she served and was wandering.¡±


    Jingle.


    Grid took a step back. He suddenly realized why Chiyou had so many bells hanging from his body.


    ¡°Even when you received an apology from the Fire Dragon .¡±


    Jingle.


    ¡°I rarely felt the limits of my patience.¡±


    The bells were consideration. It was consideration for those trying to hurt him.


    I am here. Don¡¯t miss me. Point the sword at me properly.


    ¡°I wanted to run to you right away and point your sword at my neck.¡±


    Jingle jingle.


    The sound of bells gradually became louder. It was because Chiyou started walking. His steps were slow yet fast as he approached. They might be ordinary strides, but the distance between the two of them was too short. Grid wasn¡¯t given enough time to think.


    ¡°But I endured it. I judged that if I urged you, who was tired from going through trials every time, it would increase the odds of things going wrong.¡±


    The words were strangely twisted.


    Grid noticed it. Chiyou didn¡¯t feel any affection for him. He was just waiting patiently with consideration to achieve his own purpose. That was it, but Grid arbitrarily interpreted and misunderstood Chiyou¡¯s favor.


    There was something calledmon sense. But now he had to admit it. The existence in front of him was far frommon sense. He just did things for his own sake. In other words, he was also a selfish being who did favors for others in order to ¡®die.¡¯


    ¡°When you finally killed Baal.¡±


    Jingle jingle jingle!


    The sound of the bells started to ring like crazy. It was a loud noise created by the action of entering through Grid¡¯s gap and slowly drawing a sword.


    ¡°I thought it was worth the wait.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°And now, atst, the moment hase to finally put an end to it.¡±


    You shouldn¡¯t have referred to yourself as the Martial God...


    Grid pondered on Metatron¡¯s cry, which he had dismissed as nonsense. When he came out of the tower, people called him the Martial God.


    Grid had taken it lightly. It was a natural response. However, the existence of Chiyou shouldn¡¯t be overlooked. At the very least, Grid shouldn¡¯t have forgotten the weight of the title ¡®Martial God.¡¯


    Of course, it was unfair.


    ¡®Who would consider such a thing as foreshadowing?¡¯


    Still, regret meant nothing. Even if he had prevented people from mentioning the Martial God, the result would¡¯ve been the same. Chiyou would surely stand in front of Grid at some point. If he was targeted by Chiyou just because he pretended to be the Martial God, Zeratul would¡¯ve already been killed by Chiyou hundreds of times...


    Chiyou¡¯s chilly-looking long sword revealed its full appearance. Grid saw his expression reflected on the de and suddenly looked up at the sky. It urred to him that all the heavenly gods must be watching this ce right now.


    Loosen the constraints of the Overgeared World...


    He realized what Metatron¡¯sst cry meant. It meant giving the heavenly gods the right to set foot on the surface.


    ¡®Asgard is seriously intent on fighting Chiyou.¡¯


    Asura had also said it. What the heavenly gods wanted from him was for him to fight against Chiyou.


    ¡®Is there any chance of winning?¡¯


    It was a useless question. No matter how skilled, even Chiyou wouldn¡¯t be able to endure when withstanding a pincer attack from the gods of Asgard. Then he became curious about something else.


    Why did Chiyou bother to visit him?


    ¡°...If you have been watching me, you know about Asura as well.¡±


    ¡°The Evil God that Baal gave birth to. He went up to Asgard.¡±


    ¡°He has the energy of a God Killer. If you really want to be destroyed, wouldn¡¯t it be easier for you to confront the gods of Asgard rather than me?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t grasped the essence yet.¡± Chiyou shook his head. ¡°The gods of Asgard can¡¯t extinguish me.¡±


    ¡°It is the same for me...¡±


    ¡°No, you are the Martial God that humanity thinks of.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Only you can destroy me and rece me. It is something I¡¯ve only recently learned.¡±


    Thump.


    Grid received a shock like his heart was being destroyed. It was because he realized that all his efforts made the current results. The stronger he got and the more new achievements he got, the more he was acknowledged by the people.


    Naturally, he was faced with the fate of confronting Chiyou. It felt like he had been caught in a without him knowing it. It was more painful and sad than unpleasant.


    ¡°However, in order for you to extinguish and rece me, you must fulfill one precondition.¡±


    First of all, Grid liked Chiyou.


    ¡®The bigger problem is¡ª¡¯


    It was because Chiyou was too strong.


    ¡°You have to fight me and win in front of everybody.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid, who had been patient so far, frowned for the first time. By what means did he have to fight him and win? Chiyou was a special being among the gods. He was an existence where he couldn¡¯t help mentioning the inherent differences.


    Grid fighting against Chiyou and winning? It was a bug. It was the wrong worldview. It was impossible to win. Grid quickly came to a conclusion and was about to reject it.


    ¡°Of course, you will lose today.¡±


    Chiyou told the truth. He proved that he wasn¡¯t crazy.


    ¡°But it will provide you with plenty of experience. As always, you will use defeat as nourishment to grow further. After repeating this, you will surely tear my heart and soul apart.¡±


    Don¡¯t deal with him.


    He is an absurd guy.


    He might harm your hierarchy.


    Etc etc.


    Grid remembered Metatron¡¯s warning. That¡¯s right. Putting aside his desire to prove that Chiyou wasn¡¯t crazy, Chiyou was starting to look crazy in Grid¡¯s eyes. For once, defeat was fatal for Grid. He was also a god. There was a fear that his status would be seriously undermined if he was defeated in public. Chiyou¡¯s proposal wasn¡¯t realistic.


    It was the moment when Grid was about to refuse again...


    ¡°You can¡¯t veto it.¡± Chiyou drove in the nail. He also gave advice. ¡°Focus on the sound of bells. Even if your eyes miss me, let the tip of your sword chase the sound.¡±


    ¡®This damn thing.¡¯


    In fact, if he thought about it in aposed manner, there was a high probability that Chiyou was the most distorted person in the world. An existence who only yearned for death couldn¡¯t be normal¡ªin the first ce, most transcendents were crazy so it was a shameless wish to hope that Chiyou wouldn¡¯t be crazy.


    ¡®I must avoid being defeated by andslide...¡¯


    Grid sensed that a fight was inevitable and activated the White Tiger¡¯s Posture. His goal was to increase his resistance and increase the chance to withstand Chiyou¡¯s attack.


    Chiyou shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that it is only meaningful if it is you?¡±


    ¡°.....!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was filled with astonishment.


    [Martial God Chiyou has neutralized ¡®White Tiger¡¯s Posture Engulfed in mes.¡¯]


    Skill cancetion¡ªit was a power that Chiyou naturally used.


    ¡°Only the power that is your source can damage my status.¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    In that case, wasn¡¯t even the sword dance meaningless because Pagma was its source? Grid was about to say something in a flustered manner, only to close his mouth. It wasn¡¯t because of Chiyou.


    [An unauthorized being has entered the Overgeared World.]


    It was only when the back of a white-haired giant blocked Grid¡¯s view that a notification window rose up. The system only recognized it btedly because the intruder was so fast.


    Rattle.


    The noise of heavy chains sweeping on the ground was just as loud as the sound of Chiyou¡¯s bells.


    ¡°...Zeratul?¡±


    Grid noticed the identity of the white-haired giant and was flustered because he couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    ¡°I am the Martial God,¡± the giant dered. ¡°Specter who still believes himself to be the Martial God. You have been disqualified from the moment you left your responsibilities long ago. Engrave the name of the new Martial God on those rotten ears. I am Zeratul.¡±

 Chapter 1870

    Chapter 1870


    At Asgard...


    The only interest of the gods gathered in the great hall was Chiyou. This was until Zeratul, who was supposed to be in the Prison of Eternity, burst into the scene.


    How did he escape from the prison? This time, it wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s fault. Grid was facing Chiyou on the surface.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    The gods summoned a certain angel and questioned him.


    ¡°Why did you open the lock?¡±


    ¡°By what authority did a mere angel use to set the prisoner free?¡±


    The angel named by the gods as the culprit¡ªhe was particrly delicate and had a strange side to him. The halo above his head didn¡¯t glow brightly, but changed colors from moment to moment. Every time the color changed, the energy it gave off also changed. So it was like one, but also many. He was silently dragged to be questioned by the gods and replied with a cocked head, ¡°Magic is the power to give value to something that is worthless.¡±


    That was it. It was as if this was enough of an answer. The angel said this and shut his mouth.


    Some gods were making a fuss. They didn¡¯t understand. There was even a god who shouted for the angel to answer properly.


    ¡®It is sincere.¡¯


    It happened the moment when the angel was disappointed...


    ¡°My thoughts are also in agreement with you.¡±


    Judar, who was silent in the corner as if he had no interest in the situation, suddenly spoke.


    The God of Wisdom¡ªhe was one of the few beings who could read the heart of the arrogant angel.


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    It was rare for Judar to give praise, and his congrattory message silenced the crowd. The other gods could no longer hold the angel ountable.


    ***


    A white beard that descended down to his abdomen and gray hair that waved like thunderbolts. Eyes that emitted a white light due to the pupils that blurred as the eyes rose. With his solid body and massive features, Zeratul¡¯s appearance was overwhelming in many ways. It was the very image of the Martial God that people imagined. But now he was different.


    Rattle rattle.


    How heavy was it? Zeratul¡¯s limbs were restrained with chains of unimaginable weight and he looked shabbypared to the past.


    Nearly bushy hair and an ubed beard. Crumpled, dusty clothes. He wasn¡¯t even wearing a top and was half-naked. Above all, the shackles on his hands and feet showed how bad his condition was.


    However, Zeratul¡¯s expression was the same as in the past. He looked arrogant as if he was the only special one.


    ¡°You... how did you escape from prison?¡±


    Grid was momentarily taken aback. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation in front of him and asked a question. Had he escaped his prisoner status? That was what he thought at first, but it wasn¡¯t the case.


    Zeratul¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed at all from when they met in the Prison of Eternity. Zeratul didn¡¯t even look at Grid. He answered while still ring at Chiyou. ¡°I was just led by fate.¡±


    It was a bluff. The truth was different.


    Mumud? The angel who was considered a candidate for an archangel even though he was born a human¡ªZeratul had guessed what he intended by unlocking the prison.


    ¡®It is more of an act of taking out the garbage.¡¯


    Mumud knew what Zeratul would be obsessed with if he gained his freedom in his current situation. Mumud¡¯s intentions were clear.


    ¡®He wants to guess Chiyou¡¯s martial ability through me.¡¯


    Mumud also would¡¯ve hoped that the troublemaker was destroyed by Chiyou.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡±


    The chains entangled under Zeratul¡¯s feet rose into the air like coiled snakes. It was the aftermath of Zeratul taking a starting posture. It was a stance with both hands empty. He intended to use the chains that bound him as a weapon.


    ¡°Behold the power of the true Martial God and tremble.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s every word and actions were sincere. Of course, he knew that Chiyou was strong. He sensed in real time that Chiyou¡¯s status overwhelmed his. But he didn¡¯t shrink back.


    A difference in status? It didn¡¯t matter. Grid proved it by defeating him in the past when Grid had a lower status than him. Besides, he had umted enough discipline. He had honed his body and mind while in the Prison of Eternity.


    It is definite.


    The person I am now transcends the me of the past...


    ¡°Zeratul, are you going to die?¡±


    Grid urgently asked Zeratul, who was muttering to himself without answering the question. Funnily enough, he was worried about Zeratul. It was because they built up quite a few ties. Of course¡ª


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, Zeratul was close to a viin. He possessed talented people and used them like ves. He even had a history of trying to harm the people important to Grid, including Lord. However, he didn¡¯t hurt anyone in the end. He also recently helped Grid in the Prison of Eternity. Thanks to Zeratul, he was able to rescue Khan and Hexetia safely.


    He knew it wasn¡¯t from pure goodwill. Zeratul just hated Raphael more than Grid. He knew this, but... after all, wasn¡¯t it a rtionship?


    Zeratul had already paid enough for his sins. He was defeated by Grid in front of everyone watching and was reduced to the status of a prisoner. Grid¡¯s grudge against Zeratul had long faded. Additionally, he was once again receiving Zeratul¡¯s help right now. It came as a one-sided favor.


    Zeratul read Grid¡¯s heavily sunken mind and frowned. ¡°Fool. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    Zeratul had lost a lot of his divinity. He was unable to even build weapons out of divinity, so he honed the art of using chains as weapons. It was a very shabby-looking technique, but Zeratul was confident. It was because he knew the value of skills honed through effort. He learned it through Grid.


    ¡°I¡¯m just fighting for myself. You don¡¯t need to feel emotional about this.¡±


    Zeratul didn¡¯t wish to speak further. He immediately flew to destroy Chiyou¡¯s face, which remained indifferent even when facing him.


    The sh of Martial God against Martial God¡ªit was a major incident that shook the world.


    The apostles and the Overgeared members held their breath. However, Sword Saint Muller, who was watching the situation from a distance, wasn''t interested in what was about to unfold.


    ¡®The difference in power is clear.¡¯


    It was the same for Grid. They rightly predicted Zeratul¡¯s defeat and the result was more disastrous than they expected.


    Thump.


    Chiyou didn¡¯t even draw his sword. The simple movement of stepping on the ground with his feet suppressed Zeratul¡¯s charging power. On the other hand, he used a rxed hand movement, like when he previously spread out the veil, to grab Zeratul¡¯s neck and m him into the ground.


    ¡°I think that among Reba¡¯s works, the ones somewhat worth acknowledging are thisnd, the World Tree, and Judar.¡±


    Chiyou didn¡¯t pay attention to Zeratul even at thest moment. He didn¡¯t even look at Zeratul flinching in shock, and only looked at Grid.


    ¡°The best of them is thisnd that gave birth to you. Your existence has increased the value of the surface.¡±


    That was the end of the waiting.


    Chiyou tightened his grip on Zeratul¡¯s neck. The eerie sound of crushing bones brought silence to the scene.


    Something in the form of a human being¡ªMartial God Chiyou¡¯s force, which wasn¡¯t properly recognized by others, except for Grid, was overwhelming. He carved the word despair into the world just by pulling out his sword and pointing it at Grid.


    Just then, the tip of Chiyou¡¯s sword tilted forward at an angle. It was the aftermath of being pulled by the chains that wrapped around the de of the sword in an instant. It was a result created by Grid.


    [By your own authority, you have defined ¡®Zeratul¡¯ as a guest, not an intruder.]


    The constraints of the Overgeared World¡ªthe dimensional constraints that had oppressed Zeratul from the time he descended to the surface had dissipated. It was just like when Grid met him in the Prison of Eternity.


    At this moment, Zeratul was in an intact state. There were obvious wspared to the days when he reigned as the Martial God. But at the very least, this was ¡®Zeratul¡¯s most powerful state¡¯ that Grid remembered.


    ¡°I...!¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s upper body leaned forward. For the first time, he made eye contact with Zeratul, who pulled himself to his feet.


    ¡°Am the Martial God...!!¡±


    The form of the noise wasplicated. It was because Zeratul raised himself and had many different ways of using chains. The chains binding his wrists and ankles moved very naturally. They repeated the actions of binding Chiyou¡¯s sword and body, and beating and throwing them ording to Zeratul¡¯s will.


    ¡°It is this much...?¡±


    Muller was impressed. The depth and speed of the technique that utilized chains¡ªboth were wless. Thanks to this, the more the technique was linked, the more the power was infinitely amplified...


    It happened the moment when Muller, dazzled by Zeratul¡¯s unexpected technique, reflected on Zeratul¡¯s title as the Martial God...


    ¡°It isn¡¯t trivial,¡± Chiyou said as his limbs were restrained by chains and he was strangled. For the first time, the person he was talking about was Zeratul, not Grid.


    ¡°How wonderful.¡±


    The reason why Chiyou readily admitted it was that he was reminded of the background of Zeratul¡¯s birth. The existence created by Reba to rece him¡ªit meant he was a masterpiece that a lot of care was put into. It was right that he should be great.


    ¡°It just isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    The chains that held Chiyou shattered in unison. Thanks to this, it wasn¡¯t only Chiyou, but Zeratul too was freed from his restraints. However, in this situation, this wasn¡¯t an advantage. For Zeratul, who had been honing the chains as weapons, he had lost his weapon.


    ¡°The qualification is still with Grid.¡±


    A colorless sword energy rose. It was too strong for Zeratul, who had lost his weapon and was empty-handed, to resist. This would cut him no matter what.


    Zeratul¡¯s intuition sent a chill down his spine. He thought of the future where he would be defeated and weakened again under the watchful eyes of everyone.


    Fate had just been decided. A fate bestowed by the Only One God. A fate that couldn¡¯t be resisted.


    ¡°Zeratul!¡±


    Grid twisted it.


    The fate bestowed by the Only One God no longer had coercive power from the time when Zeratul received Defying the Natural Order, the ¡®power Grid used as the source¡¯ mentioned by Chiyou, which had been desperately thrown by Grid.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Chiyou, who had longed for extinction¡ªhis eyes, which had lost their light while dreaming of distant ideals, regained their vitality after eons. It was due to Zeratul, who wielded Grid¡¯s Defying the Natural Order in his capacity as the Martial God.


    ¡°......¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s expression wasplicated. It was a situation where he escaped death thanks to the sword thrown by Grid. He wondered if he was dering himself as ¡®Grid¡¯s Martial God.¡¯


    It felt like he was putting on new shackles.

 Chapter 1871

    Chapter 1871


    At the time when the presumed Chiyou created a strange atmosphere, Zeratul suddenly burst in and started fighting with his back to Grid.


    I am the Martial God. I am the one who is the Martial God.


    He was definitely out of his mind based on the way he was repeating the same thing over and over again. At first nce, his attitude of fighting while protecting Grid was bizarre.


    Zeratul had previously threatened Grid many times. The Overgeared members decided that they shouldn¡¯t take the situation happening in front of them at face value. They were wary of both the presumed Chiyou and Zeratul and watched for an opportunity to rescue Grid.


    At this moment¡ª


    ¡°Zeratul!¡±


    Grid threw his sword toward Zeratul. To be exact, he handed it over. At least for the moment, Zeratul was an ally.


    It was hard to believe. For a moment, they suspected that Grid was possessed by a ghost. However, they were soon convinced. Wasn¡¯t Grid someone who took even Evil Dragon Bunhelier as apanion? It was concluded that it was likely Zeratul, not Grid, who was possessed. No matter what happened, it meant that Zeratul was recognized as an ally.


    ¡°Weapon Enchant! Purification!¡±


    Ruby started to assist Zeratul. She tried to stop the bleeding while giving him all types of buff magic. At the same time, she poured out heals. There was no effect.


    The thin film that couldn¡¯t be seen¡ªit surrounded Grid, Zeratul, and Chiyou and blocked all external interference.


    ¡°My magic doesn¡¯t work.¡± Braham frowned.


    Martial God Chiyou¡ªthe Only One God that even the Gods of the Beginning couldn¡¯t do anything against. He was overwhelming. He had the power to make his will take precedence over any concept. The magic used against him would never reach the point of creating a miracle.


    ¡®Or is there another way? Mumud.¡¯


    Braham was noticing the ¡®magic power¡¯ that was buried in Zeratul. A being who made him feel shameful emotions such as jealousy and guilt¡ªwhen it came to magic, Mumud was the most gifted human of all time. His magic power was unrivaled. It was so mysterious and intense that Braham naturally became obsessed with it. It was impossible for Braham to forget it.


    Braham was convinced that Mumud¡¯s intervention was behind Zeratul¡¯s incursion to the surface.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham¡¯s eyes widened as he examined the situation.


    The magic power that was buried in Zeratul¡ªit was mere remnants. It wasn¡¯t even a sign of direct magic on Zeratul. Perhaps Mumud¡¯s magic destroyed the prison where Zeratul was imprisoned and in the process, a glimmer of magic power was smeared on Zeratul. The remnants of Mumud¡¯s magic power were weak enough to form this spection.


    However, the remnants werebining together were taking on the form of magic. Someone was targeting it in real time and trying something¡ªit was Euphemina.


    [The magic power of an unknown person is contemting you.]


    [An unknown person is viewing your level, stats, and list of magic you have acquired.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Euphemina unexpectedly exposed herself. Even in this sudden situation, she figured out what was going on. ording tomon sense, the only one who could contemte her without her permission was Mumud.


    ¡®Mumud. The source of my magic... he must be existing as an angel. It will be greatly difficult if we meet someday.¡¯


    Recently, Euphemina had been suffering from tremendous fatigue. It was because unlike others, she didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the top content. She was busy chasing Betty and Agnus¡¯ trails.


    The former Baal¡¯s Contractors¡ªEuphemina had no doubt that they would be alive and well somewhere, and Grid¡¯s thoughts coincided with hers. Betty had said she would perish together with Baal the moment Baal died. However, no one had confirmed her death. She disappeared with Agnus shortly before Baal was killed by Grid.


    Grid pinned his hopes on this part. He asked Euphemina, who had a history of chasing Agnus in the past, to find the two of them. Euphemina wandered all over the continent and returned to Reinhardt with umted fatigue. She rushed over the moment she heard there was an emergency.


    The result was this. Her identity was discovered by Mumud and she was dissected in detail. She was worried that this would snowball into a big problemter. She was inwardly anxious when Braham approached her and whispered, ¡°There is no need to worry. I will be his opponent.¡±


    Braham¡¯s magic destroyed Mumud¡¯s magic that was dissecting Euphemina.


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    The heavenly angel admired it. The halo with various colors like a rainbow took the form of an exmation mark for a moment.


    ¡®It is the God of Wisdom and Magic.¡¯


    Braham, a god apotheosized on the surface like Grid¡ªhe had as many as two modifiers. Mumud became increasingly interested and was able to check his skills.


    Dimension and destruction¡ªhe hadn¡¯t expected Braham to instantly identify and destroy the magic that worked secretly across a distance that was physically difficult to estimate. Mumud thought he would learn a lot if they ever had a chance topete in skills one day.


    ¡°The constraints of the Overgeared World have been weakened, right?¡±


    The angel was deep in thought, only for his expression to stiffen. It was due to the one who interrupted him. He bumped into Venice, the God of Money.


    ¡°Angel Mumud. There was a reason why God Judar protected you.¡±


    Magic is the power to give value to something that is worthless...


    This was the argument that Mumud made before the gods for releasing Zeratul from prison. By worthless, he naturally meant Zeratul. A being that, if left unchecked, would¡¯ve rotted away senselessly in the Prison of Eternity.


    However, Zeratul gained value the moment Mumud¡¯s magic unlocked the prison. The proof was that the constraints of the Overgeared World had weakened.


    Only One God Grid¡ªMumud heard he was very obsessed with connections, but he actually weed Zeratul as a guest in the Overgeared World? If Zeratul showed a bit more here, he could even reveal Chiyou¡¯s strength.


    ¡°You are several times more capable than the archangel, who is still sucking their fingers in hell. Isn¡¯t that why you are going to be an archangel one day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    The angel Mumud resolutely shook his head.


    ¡°Even if Raphael is impeached, Metatron will regain their position and fill the vacancy.¡±


    Metatron¡ªthey showed disgrace by leaving the battlefield in the aftermath of allowing a single attack from Chiyou to hit them. Their current location was in the far east. It was hundreds of kilometers from Reinhardt. However, Mumud was aware of Metatron¡¯s power. It was assumed that Metatron stepped back for a while to arrange some variables.


    ¡°Hey, from what I have seen, the former archangel isn¡¯t very reliable either.¡±


    ¡°It is more ridicule than necessary.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It goes beyond mere distrust and is interpreted as an attempt to incite dissension. Do you want to be part of the Overgeared World? Or maybe you are already...¡±


    ¡°A mere angel is doubting a god?¡±


    Venice¡¯s inner thoughts were stabbed and she became angry in reverse. Mumud saw her trying to be calm and shook his head.


    ¡°No matter what, it doesn¡¯t matter. Whatever your intentions, the trend won¡¯t be affected.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In his past life and in this life, Mumud was infinitely close to goodness. However, he had the self-righteousness and arrogance that was unique to talented people. This was one of the reasons why Braham of the past couldn¡¯t help being jealous of him.


    ***


    ¡°It is a wonderful interpretation.¡±


    Defying the Natural Order¡ªit was Grid¡¯s masterpiece. It contained the knowledge, skills, connections, and willpower that Grid had umted.


    The filth of the Four Auspicious Beasts wasn¡¯t mixed in with it. It was a power that purely took Grid as its source. In other words, it was the only concept that threatened Chiyou. It didn¡¯t have to be handled directly by Grid.


    ¡°Every single one of the countless works you have made is qualified to bring me down. They are weapons to annihte me.¡±


    He was like a man standing in a daze in the pouring rain. Chiyou¡¯s eyes, which had been out of focus, found a clear focus. The colorless veil that didn¡¯t allow outside interference was lifted.


    His hands drooped as he looked at Grid, Defying the Natural Order, Zeratul, and all the apostles and Overgeared members who owned works made by Grid. He started to harbor transcendent anticipation as he held a dark-colored sheath in his left hand and a rusty long sword showing the weight of the years in his right hand.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    The group that fought and defeated the Absolute beings like Baal, Asura, and King Daebyeol and liberated hell¡ªChiyou dered toward the strongest Overgeared Guild led by Grid. It was an attitude that seemed to be making concessions rather than shrinking back.


    At this point, the Overgeared Guild were in a frenzy. Like those who fell for the provocation, they deployed their skills and targeted Chiyou. However, an unexpected variable arose.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Zeratul, who was right at the forefront of the flow¡ªhe swung his sword in the direction he chose. It was toward the Overgeared God¡¯s Temple in the distance. The powerful sword energy split apart the figure of Grid standing tall in front of the temple.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have trusted you...!¡±


    What was this nonsense all of a sudden? Damian and Huroi were particrly furious. Instead of running toward Chiyou, they shifted directions and surrounded Zeratul.


    Meanwhile, a notification window emerged in Grid¡¯s vision.


    [Zeratul has destroyed your image and sphemed your divinity. The Overgeared World defines him as an intruder.]


    The reason why Grid epted Zeratul as a guest was to free him from the constraints of the Overgeared World. However, he voluntarily took on the constraints again. Why?


    Zeratul¡¯s thoughts trickled into Grid¡¯s bewildered mind.


    -Don¡¯t be blinded by the opponent in front of you and give excuses to external enemies.


    Zeratul broke through the siege of Damian and Huroi and threw himself forward, colliding with Chiyou. Once again, he was at the forefront. However, it was under constraints.


    Power, speed, and even status¡ªZeratul wasn¡¯t able to fully confront Chiyou. Every time they exchanged blows, the number of wounds on his body increased. However, Defying the Natural Order was shining. Every time Zeratul shed Chiyou once in return for dozens of cuts, Chiyou also shed red blood.


    -Despite all of this, my affiliation is still Asgard. If you loosen my constraints, the bastards of Asgard will also be freed from the constraints of the Overgeared World.


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Grid stared nkly at the back of Zeratul, who was finally copsing.


    ¡°Why do you care about me?¡±


    Grid expressed the question that had blossomed in the depths of his heart. It was a situation where he was threatened by someone he had trusted and admired, while conversely, he was helped by someone he had hated. Grid was already confused by this situation and was deeply disturbed by Zeratul¡¯s subtle attitude. He was frustrated and wanted to know why.


    Zeratul snorted.


    -Didn¡¯t I warn you not to be mistaken? Don¡¯t interpret my intentions as goodwill. I just hate those condescending bastards in heaven more than you, and I fight purely for myself.


    The Prison of Eternity¡ªeven when Grid stormed into this ce a little while ago, Zeratul¡¯s attitude was the same. He didn¡¯t break, just like a sword made by Grid.


    Grid was fascinated. He was instinctively driven.


    ¡°I think I like people like you.¡±


    -What? Crazy guy...?


    Zeratul reacted with extreme disgust, but Grid didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Request to Stand With Me.¡±


    He retrieved all the weapons from hisrades, who were rushing like moths to the fire toward Chiyou. He took one step forward, then two. He stared intently at the back of Zeratul, who was blocking Chiyou¡¯s sword with Defying the Natural Order, which Zeratul barely straightened. Just as he had good feelings toward the object he hated, he harbored hostility toward the object he admired.


    ¡°If you want to die, then die.¡±


    It was raining. It was a rain of metal. Each one was a force that took Grid as its source, just like Defying the Natural Order.


    A smile spread across Chiyou¡¯s face.

 Chapter 1872

    ¡°Your attack was a throw. Contrary to your ambitious words, your attitude is wed.¡±


    The words spoke the conclusion¡ª


    Grid¡¯s rain of battle gear had no effect. The tens of thousands of weapons rained down like torrential rain, but they couldn¡¯t even touch even the tip of Chiyou¡¯s hair. In a way, it was natural. Defying the Natural Order was wielded by Zeratul, who was briefly freed from the constraints of the Overgeared World.Even this sword, which shot faster than a beam of light, couldn¡¯t cut Chiyou properly.


    It was unreasonable to expect that the ranged wide area skill, which was slower than Grid¡¯s sword that was directly wielded, would hurt Chiyou. No, he honestly was expecting it. The strength of the rain of battle geary in the fact that it was a wide area skill. It was somewhat slow, but it pressured the opponent with range. It induced limitations in evasion and blocking.


    However, Chiyou swung his sword once, as gracefully as if painting with a brush, and made all the attack trajectories of the battle gear miss.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a matter of slow or fast.¡¯


    Nor was it the domain of technique.


    ¡®Power.¡¯


    But what power was it? Was he simply immune to projectiles? The problem with that interpretation was that he responded by swinging his sword.


    The battle gear that filled Grid¡¯s field of view for a moment¡ªthey returned to their respective masters without achieving their purpose and Chiyou¡¯s sword stuck out through the gap. It was very natural, as if it was one of the weapons made by Grid. It was fair to say that it permeated thendscape.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Thus, there was a momentary gap before Grid recognized the attack. The warning sent by his artificial senses was overshadowed and he failed to respond for a moment.


    aaang!


    Then he felt rewarded again for raiding Baal. It was because the Demon Sword Remnants blocked Chiyou¡¯s sword on Grid¡¯s behalf. Yes, it was definitely blocked.


    [You have suffered 5,129,100 damage.]


    [¡¯Doran¡¯s Ring¡¯ has immediately restored half of the lost health.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Fresh blood gushed from Grid¡¯s chest. It was the aftermath of being shed by Chiyou¡¯s sword that passed through Demon Sword Remnants. The pain that had previously only been felt at the moment of death unexpectedly struck and made Grid¡¯s mind sh. He hesitated while trying to return the damage he had suffered.


    ¡°You deserve it, I know.¡±


    ¡®It passed through the demon sword like an illusion.¡¯


    ¡°But that alone won¡¯t convince the world. You need to cut my throat with your own sword to disqualify me.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯


    Grid realized it. Chiyou¡¯s power was probably to induce a ¡®pure confrontation.¡¯ Chiyou neutralized other people¡¯s skills and magic without touching it, he simply broke through the pouring rain of battle gear and turned the Demon Sword Remnants useless. It was because Chiyou¡¯s power didn¡¯t recognize such situations as ¡®fights.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, the idea of using that was good.¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes fell on Zeratul in the distance. Zeratul¡¯s appearance was disastrous. His right arm was severed and he was biting Defying the Natural Order with his mouth like a beast. He crawled for around five meters before managing to raise himself up. He was covered with blood.


    After being restricted by the Overgeared World again, he waspletely overwhelmed by Chiyou. However, he wasn¡¯t shabby. Zeratul fought as best as he could and caused a small amount of injuries on Chiyou¡¯s body. This was the reason why Chiyou¡¯s ink-colored dopo, which stretched long like a spider, was torn and ripped everywhere.


    ¡°The Martial God made by Reba. When I saw you charging at me, I judged you to be a worthless defective product, but reality is different. However, it isn¡¯t enough. He isn¡¯t worthy of being your agent.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Zeratul was approaching. Due to the constraints of the Overgeared World, the regeneration of his severed arm was slow and his shattered knee was still rattling, but he tried not to waste time. Maybe he knew it from the beginning. The only way to fight Chiyou was to bump into him directly. It was an expression of trying to settle things somehow before Defying the Natural Order was taken away by Grid.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I am giving you another chance.¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude of silently watching the approaching Zeratul disappointed Chiyou.


    Seeing him frowning, Grid thought again. ¡®It was the same with Reba and Yatan.¡¯


    There was a sense of humanity in the high gods. The emotions expressed through their facial expressions were easy to understand because they were like humans.


    Reba¡¯s distorted smile, Yatan¡¯s bitter expression that he had seen in the past, and Chiyou¡¯s distorted face in front of him reminded him of the fact that they were far from ¡®perfect.¡¯ Grid took a deep breath.


    He decided not to worry about it. It was a bit absurd to say in this situation, but Chiyou wasn¡¯t an enemy. The traces of destruction left on the streets proved it. No one was injured or killed by Chiyou. Even the copsed buildings had one thing inmon and it was that they werepletely deserted.


    Only Grid and Zeratul were cut by Chiyou¡¯s sword.


    ¡®This is just a test.¡¯


    From Chiyou¡¯s perspective, it was a life-or-death test, but from Grid¡¯s perspective, it was just a test that came out of nowhere. There was no need to panic. Even if he didn¡¯t necessarily aim for the best result, there was no hindrance to the general trend.


    ¡®...Let¡¯s think of the best scenario.¡¯


    Grid calmly analyzed the situation andid down one premise.


    First of all, there was no way to avoid fighting. Chiyou believed that Grid was qualified to take the test. The test ended only when the result was a victory or defeat.


    ¡®It will be over if I just die.¡¯


    Even if he lost and failed, he didn¡¯t think he would suffer a big penalty. In fact, this situation wasn¡¯t even judged as a quest. There was no indication that any penalty would be incurred in the case of a failure.


    Wasn¡¯t it all about losing Chiyou¡¯s favorability?


    ¡®Additionally, Chiyou¡¯s favorability has no effect.¡¯


    A special existence who only hoped for extinction¡ªeven if he built up favorability, it would only get him one more chance to kill Chiyou. However, Grid didn¡¯t want a simple end to this situation. In any case, this was a rare situation. It was right to find a way to use it. That was the best thing he could do.


    ¡®...Will it work?¡¯


    The time it took for Grid toe up with an idea was short. There were already so many hints that it was easy for his mind to work.


    nce.


    Grid¡¯s eyes met Lauel¡¯s.


    -I¡¯m going to release the dimensional constraints.


    -Do as you wish.


    Lauel was someone who understood perfectly even when Grid was speaking nonsense. He immediately grasped Grid¡¯s intentions and nodded. It was more like an attitude that he had been waiting.


    That was enough. Grid was convinced that his judgment was correct and intervened in the dimensional system.


    ¡®Stop the operation of the dimension effect.¡¯


    The dimensional effect of the Overgeared World was to suppress intruders from other dimensions. It didn¡¯t work against Chiyou at all, but the gods who didn¡¯t originally belong to the Overgeared World couldn¡¯t exert their full power in the Overgeared World. It was the safety device responsible for the safety of the surface. However, at this moment¡ª


    [The dimensional effect of the Overgeared World has stopped.]


    [The penalty that intruders receive from the Overgeared World has disappeared.]


    The safeguard was lifted. Zeratul was the first to feel it. He was shocked as he challenged Chiyou again. ¡°You, are you crazy...?!¡±


    Zeratul shook off Chiyou and stared up at the sky. His trembling eyes shone with a brilliant light. They were colored by the light pouring from the sky.


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°...What a spectacle.¡±


    The heavenly gods descended. There were hundreds of gods led by Dominion. In the past, Zeratul had a history of visiting the surface with the gods, but the scale of this procession was different.


    ¡°It is strange. Why would you give away your opportunity to other gods?¡±


    As thepletely overwhelmed people remained silent, Chiyou¡¯s question rang out. His attitude of describing this situation as an opportunity spoke for itself. He really had no ill will toward Grid.


    Grid smiled bitterly. ¡°It is because I don¡¯t have the ability to fight you and win yet.¡±


    ¡°...Anything is hard the first time.¡±


    It is nice not to have to win.


    Chiyou swallowed down his inner thoughts and turned away from Grid. In fact, he knew it deep down. It was impossible for Grid to kill him at once. However, if Grid learned from this ordeal, then he would gradually change the next time and the time after that. It was a waste of his expectations.


    Grid¡¯s attitude of meekly giving up disappointed Chiyou.


    ¡®This is my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have admired him.¡¯


    But he didn¡¯t me Grid. Chiyou med himself and shifted his attention to Dominion.


    The God of War¡ªtherger the group he led, the stronger Dominion became. As the scale of the fight grew, it was possible for him to gain the upper hand over Chiyou. In any case, it was just a theory. In past wars, Dominion had never been able to surpass Chiyou. Even if he went beyond Chiyou, he couldn¡¯t kill Chiyou. It was because being defeated by arge number of enemies couldn¡¯t undermine the qualifications of the Martial God.


    ¡°Chiyou... obedientlye with me. I will escort you to the ce where the Goddess is.¡±


    [The gods of Asgard have descended to the surface.]


    [Dominion, the God of War, is feared and respected by all.]


    All the gods who descended to the surface had a great presence, but Dominion was the most prominent one among them. The shadow of therge army that existed beyond the golden clouds had reached the surface. Tens of thousands of hidden soldiers reacted to Dominion¡¯s words and gestures, making the people hold their breath.


    Everyone except for Grid and Lauel suffered from anxiety. It was a situation where an unbearably great foreign power stepped into the heart of the Empire.


    ¡°Stay calm.¡±


    [The confusion of the soldiers has subsided.]


    [The morale of the soldiers remains at the maximum.]


    At the rear of the battlefield...


    Prince Lord calmed down the noisy soldiers. He sent infinite trust and loyalty toward the great back of his father, who was far away.


    It caught Chiyou¡¯s interest, albeit slightly. ¡°The concept of lineage often has an effect that is hard to ignore. But this isn¡¯t always the case. In general, children of outstanding parents don¡¯t meet the expectations of those around them.¡±


    ¡°Chiyou... you talk like a human being.¡±


    ¡°It must be the effect of watching over humans for a long time.¡±


    It was after believing in Hanul¡¯s promise and moving to the Hwan Kingdom. Chiyou didn¡¯t intervene in the lives of humans, but watched them steadily. It was from the vague expectation that among those who grew up in an environment worthy of hating the gods, one of them would be qualified to kill a god.


    He had observed more deeply after meeting Grid. It was because Grid lived with humans.


    ¡°In any case, you are the same. You are still worse than Reba.¡±


    ¡°There is no beingparable to the Goddess.¡±


    The conversation was meaningless. If their conversation had any meaning , then their rtionship would havee to a decisive end.


    Dominion¡¯s gesture was a signal. Dozens of gods attacked Chiyou. All types of powers worked in ways never imagined and destroyed the city.


    The apostles, members of the Overgeared guild, and gods of the Overgeared World were busy. They were focused on reducing the extent of the destruction.


    Grid watched the situation silently. It felt like it was an implicit rule not to intervene with the gods of Asgard. They became closer to a coborator from the time the restrictions of the Overgeared World were released.


    ¡°In this state, the surface will be devastated. You should know that, right? What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respond to Zeratul, who was constantly scolding him. He just took back Defying the Natural Order.


    ¡°Kuek...¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s power was shining. He seemed to be more powerful in proportion to the strength of his opponents. The gods had their power destroyed by a single sword and started to suffer great wounds. Finally, some gods fell.


    Just then, Grid moved. He shot like a thunderbolt and beheaded a fallen god.


    The War of the Gods¡ªa dirty thing happened in the holy war that should be endlessly sacred.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    There was silence. Grid turned away from the eyes of the gods who didn¡¯t understand the situation and whispered to Lauel.


    -Is this right?


    -It is really a wonderful example of letting the barbarians fight among themselves.


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


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    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Jyazen


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.

 Chapter 1873

    Chapter 1873


    Grid didn¡¯t want to fight Chiyou. However, Chiyou was obsessed with Grid.


    ¡®I have no shame.¡¯


    He would fight only when there was a chance of winning. What should he do to ovee this situation? The solution he came up with was surprisingly simple.


    Metatron had hinted at it from the beginning. The heavenly gods were aiming for Chiyou. This was why Grid loosened the constraints of the Overgeared World.


    The heavenly gods, who came down as if they had been waiting, targeted Chiyou and Chiyou could no longer be obsessed with Grid.


    ¡®Now I can breathe a bit.¡¯


    Martial God Chiyou¡ªthe Only One God¡¯s power was beyond Grid¡¯s imagination. There were many cases where dozens of gods wielding all types of powers were unable to inflict any injury despite unleashing a coordinated attack.


    However, theposition of the battle wasn¡¯t one-sided. It was because Dominion, the God of War, was bnced. The spear he wielded protected the other gods while carving wounds on Chiyou¡¯s body. It was a neat spear technique without any frills. It possessed formidable power and suppressed the Martial God.


    Grid was also overwhelmed.


    ¡®There is something intuitively powerful about thebination of the huge presence and power of the spear.¡¯


    He was certain that Dominion¡¯s divinity was rising in real time right now. There were few people who would witness such a figure and not worship it. Additionally, Dominion¡¯s spear unconditionally caused a multi-hit effect. Every time they collided with a target, the image of a huge spear fell from the sky and attacked the target several more times.


    However, the fact that Chiyou was the target worked badly. Chiyou¡¯s power was to induce a ¡®pure confrontation.¡¯ The added effect of Dominion¡¯s attack had no effect on Chiyou. The moment the image of the spear touched Chiyou, it shattered like ss shards. All the wounds on Chiyou¡¯s body were cuts and stabs from the spear wielded by ¡®Dominion himself.¡¯


    ¡®They are monsters.¡¯


    Grid was convinced. The fact that in order to fight and win against them one day, he needed something other than force.


    A mob beating. Yes, in vulgar terms, it was beating up one person as a group.


    They weren¡¯t the type of enemies he could fight one-on-one and win.


    ¡®This is why the others need to be stronger.¡¯


    In any case, Grid entered the realm of transcending himself and focused on the situation. He was able to breathe by encouraging the fight between Chiyou and the gods, but he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with this much. The gods fighting among themselves ignored Grid.


    When would he encounter this situation again? It was an opportunity that wouldn¡¯te twice.


    Grid decided to take advantage of this opportunity.


    ¡°Keok...¡± The god, who was seriously injured and lying on the ground, had an incredulous look on his face. He alternately looked at the sword that pierced his heart and the face of Grid, who inserted the sword.


    ¡°How could you... shameless...¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    The other gods were also agitated. The same was true of Chiyou.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done this,¡± Chiyoumented. It didn¡¯t feel like a rebuke. He seemed worried about Grid. It was natural to be concerned. Now Grid had done something cowardly in front of everyone watching. Didn¡¯t he incite the other gods to fight and take advantage of the opportunity to attack them? It wasn¡¯t something that a great being should do.


    ¡°The worship of you will weaken...!¡± Finally, Sariel warned. It was advice. At the same time as the cry, the concerns of the gods once again shifted away from Grid. They heard the apostle¡¯s warning and didn¡¯t think Grid would do the same thing again.


    ¡®It is a chance I will never get again.¡¯


    Grid wasn¡¯t the only one who saw this as an opportunity. Dominion also considered this situation where Chiyou was isted as a unique opportunity.


    A variable that wasn¡¯t affected by the Goddess¡¯ influence¡ªin the past, the heavenly gods were unable to stop Chiyou from taking refuge with Hanul and experienced helplessness for the first time. They learned the concept of a disaster. They were obsessed with Chiyou because Asgard knew it couldn¡¯t be perfect as long as Chiyou was alive.


    The exception was Zeratul. Unlike the other gods, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Grid. It was because he experienced firsthand that Grid¡¯s specialty was making predictions go wrong.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t the type to listen to others.¡¯


    It was as expected.


    ¡°Kuack!¡± Another god was seriously wounded by Chiyou and immediately beheaded by Grid. He was fatally injured in front of arge number of people. In return, his status was greatly damaged and he fled to heaven helplessly.


    ¡°...What are you doing?¡± Dominion couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He stopped the gods¡¯ offensive with a heavy gesture and red at Grid. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a loss for you as well?¡±


    Even an Only One God wasn¡¯t free from criticism. Chiyou was proving it right now. The reason why Chiyou¡¯s appearance was blurry¡ªit was because he was worried he would be worshiped by people.


    That¡¯s right¡ªGods were ultimately influenced by humans. Grid shouldn¡¯t be arrogant just because he aplished the formidable feat of purifying hell. His cowardly actions were being witnessed all over the world at this moment. The humans who worshiped him would be suspicious and disappointed.


    Grid¡¯s beheading of a god who had already been defeated by Chiyou did more harm than good. The gains were small, while the losses were great. In reality¡ª


    [The God of Joy, ¡®Paante,¡¯ has been defeated.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    [Your level has risen.]


    Grid got arge amount of experience for beheading the god. His status didn¡¯t rise at all but he instead faced a warning window.


    [Many people have witnessed your cowardly actions.]


    [If they are disappointed in you and give up their faith, your status might be reduced.]


    ¡°Is there anything left to be disappointed about?¡±


    Grid cocked his head. He looked like he really didn¡¯t understand. Did he have poor wisdom instead of being born with no talent?


    It was at a time when the gods were whispering.


    ¡°You¡¯ve disappointed them several times already...?¡±


    Dominion pondered on Grid¡¯s words and looked at the reactions of the humans. Then he immediately came to a conclusion.


    ¡°From every detail, you are different from other gods. In a different sense from Chiyou, you deserve to be an Only One God.¡±


    The humans who witnessed Grid¡¯s despicable deeds in real time¡ªthey didn¡¯t make a fuss at all. They took it for granted. It was as if Grid was inherently a despicable being.


    ¡°To tell the truth, Grid has been strange recently. Since when has he been fair?¡±


    First of all, the members of the Overgeared guild¡ªthey weren¡¯t disappointed in Grid in the slightest. On the contrary, they seemed happy that he showed his true colors.


    ¡°He is a man who doesn¡¯t even keep his promises.¡± The apostle Braham testified to it. He thought back to Grid of the past, who broke the promise to make a ¡®vessel¡¯ and only took the pavranium.


    ¡°He is an unappealing person by nature.¡± Piaro¡¯s testimony followed.


    ¡°He and Sir Kraugel made a joint attack on me...¡± Mir added a sentence cautiously.


    ¡°He has always been stingy with a few cows.¡± Nefelina was very excited.


    ¡°......¡± Zik confirmed it with silence.


    Even Mercedes, who loved Grid the most, couldn¡¯t defend it and looked away.


    ¡°T-That...¡± Sariel closed her mouth. In retrospect, Grid wasn¡¯t a fair being. He showed greatness when it was necessary, but he also had moments of narrow-mindedness. Sariel remembered Grid¡¯s insistence that she be a woman every time she met Empress Irene and finally realized.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe the god I serve is a mean and narrow-minded person...!¡±


    It shouldn¡¯t be like this. It was right that a god be perfect.


    Sariel was filled with nervousness when she suddenly saw the expression of people. The soldiers and knights of the empire were building barriers on every street in the city, and the people were watching the scene with bated breath from a distance¡ªeveryone looked calm. It was hard to find anyone who was disappointed in Grid. As the people who had been watching Grid for a long time, they knew Grid¡¯s nature. Nevertheless, they admired and worshiped him.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± Sariel had a new epiphany. A god didn¡¯t have to be infallible. On the contrary, they could be wed and therefore, the object of empathy. In the first ce, ws weren¡¯t sins. Wasn¡¯t it too harsh if imperfection was a sin?


    ¡°...I acknowledge and ept that the God I serve is wed, and I will not be disappointed.¡±


    I am the mostcking being. Despite being the apostle of a god, I have never yed a proper role. Even so, God has fully epted me. It is also right that I do the same...


    Sariel had a great epiphany and abandoned her hesitation. She stood beside Grid, spreading the feathered wings of several archangels. ¡°I will also be cowardly.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was like... things were working out as expected, but he felt bad...? Grid frowned at the apostles¡¯ reaction and turned to Dominion. From the moment he appeared until now, he had maintained a solemn expression befitting his gigantic appearance. Now for the first time, he looked taken aback.


    ¡°A god who maintains his dignity despite being treated like that by his apostles... there has never been one.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It was Grid who couldn¡¯t react hastily because it was ambiguous whether it was apliment or a curse. Even that silence became special to Dominion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t intervene in how others evaluate you. Absolute confidence in yourself... it is an attitude that I want to emte.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of the heavenly gods widened.


    The son of the Goddess¡ªone of the highest beings in Asgard said that he wanted to emte someone other than the Goddess. A divine punishment fell immediately. It was a divine punishment with a definite form. It was Asura, the Evil God born in hell. He came down and crushed Dominion¡¯s shoulders, which were as wide as the sea.


    ¡°There are many familiar faces. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have time to exchange words. I¡¯m afraid of Judar¡¯s reproach.¡±


    The essence of Asura was fighting spirit. He didn¡¯t dy and immediately rushed at Chiyou.


    It was an absolute mess. In the midst of the messy and chaotic situation, Grid refrained from acting recklessly. He had hope that Asura, the ominous mass of variables, could be dealt with.


    However, unexpectedly, Chiyou failed to overwhelm Asura. He was the first to step back in a one-on-one situation. Maybe it was because he was tired of dealing with the heavenly gods and Dominion after Zeratul, or Asura¡¯s martial arts were simply too outstanding.


    Dominion¡¯s eyes were ring at him fiercely.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to like Asura...??¡¯


    Just then, Grid and Dominion¡¯s eyes met in the air. It was an exchange of looks that represented intertwined interests.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    Zeratul had a hunch.


    At the same time¡ª


    ¡®Did Asura participate in the battle?¡¯


    Metatron regained their full strength when the Overgeared World¡¯s constraints were lifted and grasped Reinhardt¡¯s situation in real time. They spread their 18 pairs of wings in an attempt to quickly return to the scene and contribute to the subjugation of Chiyou. However, they were unable to fly up and stiffened.


    [I heard your voice the other day. Youpared yourself to an Old Dragon.]


    The surroundings turned ck. A veryrge shadow obscured the sun, causing the illusion that night had suddenlye.


    [Let¡¯s check it.]


    The existence that spoke solemnly while raising his two giant eyes.


    The Insane Dragon¡ªno, it was Nevartan, the Old Dragon who was freed from the curse after Baal died.

 Chapter 1874

    Chapter 1874


    The archangel prior to Raphael¡ªthey told Braham that they didn¡¯t know the name Beriache. Additionally, when they descended to the ground and faced Grid for the first time, they were amazed that this world was different from the first world.


    Metatron had been around for a very long time. Unfortunately, it was long enough to witness or experience the Old Dragons in person.


    ¡®It must be Nevartan.¡¯


    Even from the position of someone who served the Goddess, Raiders gave off a strange pressure because he was mysterious and dignified, but there was the impression that he was worthy of confrontation. It was also judged that there was a good chance of winning against Bunhelier.


    On the other hand, Nevartan had something that was hard to fathom. It was rumored that he had been ruthless and powerful even before he was reduced to an Insane Dragon, but he was stronger after bing the Insane Dragon. This meant Metatron couldn¡¯t approach hastily.


    ¡®...But now the insanity has been cured.¡¯


    The death of Baal was the trigger. The curse that had been engraved in Nevartan¡¯s mind was extinguished. The essence of Yatan, which had served as the basis for the spell, evaporated when it ceased to y a role. It was the result of Baal¡¯s arrogance in not predicting his own death. He didn¡¯t do it thoroughly.


    Thanks to this, they were able to see the benefits. Metatron saw Nevartan¡¯s two huge eyes that contained cunning and had a smile that didn¡¯t suit their fierce and hideous face.


    ¡®Let¡¯s be grateful that it isn¡¯t Trauka.¡¯


    I will be qualified as a Dragon yer and have the power to confront Chiyou...


    sh!


    A beam of light shot from Metatron¡¯s eyes. It was to offset the snort that Nevartan exhaled. The angel¡¯s halo emitted a bright glow in the chain of destruction caused by the collision of fierce energies.


    Hundreds of magic circles appeared in the sky that was darkened due to Nevartan¡¯s shadow. Nevartan failed to stop it. There were 213 shining magic circles. They were all pre-arranged traps. Metatron hadpleted the magic circles with the possibility of attracting the attention of an Old Dragon. Theypletely concealed the traces of the magic circle while inwardly waiting for a dragon to fall into the trap.


    It was a few months ago. On the day they descended to the surface and met Grid for the first time, they predicted what was going to happen when they mentioned an Old Dragon openly. Metatron took advantage of the fact that the hearing of the Old Dragons extended across the entire surface. They deliberately targeted the Old Dragons.


    Then today¡ª


    Metatron was convinced that Chiyou¡¯s appearance would have awakened the dragons, and allowed Chiyou¡¯s blow to hit them. They naturally left the scene that would soon be the battlefield of the gods and ended up alone. They created an environment where it was easy for them to hunt their prey.


    In other words, the appearance of Nevartan was an event that took ce within Metatron¡¯s expected range. Technically, it was an expected development.


    ¡°¡±I was about to give up because I thought you weren¡¯t going to show, so I¡¯m grateful. This is also the grace of the Goddess.¡±¡±


    The ultimate in divine magic at its finest¡ªthe giant Nevartan was bombarded with divine magic that not even the God of Magic, Braham, could reproduce, for it was divine magic that could only be embodied by those who worshiped the Goddess.


    Every single spell was faith. It contained the wishes of those who served the Goddess, and it was a doctrine. It had a weight that overwhelmed the usual rules of magic.


    Nevartan¡¯s magically unfolded shield was smashed. That was it. The dragon¡¯s self-defense wasn¡¯t just magic. Metatron might¡¯ve drawn out exactly 213 magic circles in advance, and even achieved a Trinity with that, but it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce the magic power and scales of an Old Dragon in a single shot.


    Metatron also knew it. Their 18 pairs of wings vigorously waved at the same time that the magic was cast, and they were already in Nevartan¡¯s vicinity.


    Defeating an Old Dragon and the Martial God¡ªMetatron had signed a contract with Judar on this condition and was in an intact state. Their speed and strength were unparalleled after freeing all their wings and regaining the freedom of their body. The speed of inserting a de into Nevartan¡¯s heart wasparable to that of Chiyou, who was ¡®somewhat weakened by erasing his presence.¡¯


    However, there was a problem. The opponent was too bad.


    [The prestige of the Old Dragons has dropped. I also contributed to the situation, so I don¡¯t want to me the others. It is just that at this point, my anger is rising.]


    Up to the point when Nevartan went insane, the Old Dragons symbolized invincibility. Either because they were afraid or because they were dirty, even the arrogant gods of Asgard didn¡¯t dare make eye contact with an Old Dragon. The majesty of the Old Dragons was so absolute that even the Goddess finally asked for a truce.


    Yet when Nevartan woke up from his insanity, things had be ridiculous. The majesty of an Old Dragon was so low that even a mere angel treated them as prey to be hunted. The biggest culprit was naturally Nevartan. Nevartan himself was aware of it.


    From the time he fell prey to the demon¡¯s machinations and fell into insanity, there must¡¯ve been a crack in the dignity of the Old Dragons. There was no use making excuses for being deceived by Bunhelier.


    Yes, he admitted that he set the stage. However, that was just a trigger. It was right to say that the reason why things got to this point was the others, not him...


    [What happened while I wasn¡¯t in my right mind? Could it be that Raiders had a duel with the gods due to his obsession with the gods? Or was it Bunhelier, who wasn¡¯t confident in himself, fell for Baal¡¯s deception, whispering good words to demons and relying on them?]


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    Metatron watched in vain as the sword inserted in Nevartan¡¯s chest was trapped in a crack in the scales and broke. They were speechless for a moment. It was the aftermath of feeling great admiration. As expected of Nevartan. As the owner of a cold personality, the level of reasoning was high.


    ¡ªAlthough reality was worse than Nevartan¡¯s spection.


    [...It doesn¡¯t matter. It is a broken prestige. I just need to restore it from now on.]


    Nevartan¡¯s ck scales started to glow. Not only was it dyed white, but surprisingly, it exuded divinity. It was Metatron¡¯s divinity. The 213 divine spells that had just bombarded Nevartan bloomed from Nevartan¡¯s scales. It was the moment when the ck Dragon¡¯s ability to absorb and utilize the attributes contained in magic was maximized by Nevartan¡¯s unique power.


    This¡ª


    It was a terrifying sight for Metatron. However, Metatron didn¡¯t shrink back. They felt more anger than fear.


    ¡°¡±How dare you spheme my divinity.¡°¡±


    The source of Metatron¡¯s divinity was Reba. They felt a strong hatred for Nevartan, who recklessly took and wielded the power of the Goddess. They growled like a beast and had a fierce expression, but Nevartan just snorted like it was ridiculous.


    [Angel of Contract. You don¡¯t know yourself. The reason why you are bound by a contract and have many restrictions is different from what you think.]


    ¡°¡±You are trying to mislead me with your words.¡±¡±


    Metatron scoffed. The reason why they covered their eyes and ears with 18 pairs of wings and sealed their limbs was simple¡ªit was because they were afraid they wouldn¡¯t be able to control their mighty power. It had been like this from the moment they were born. It was a safeguard made by the Goddess herself. There couldn¡¯t be any other reason.


    Nevartan told the truth to Metatron, who believed this.


    [No, you are deeply mistaken. The reason why Reba put the conditions of a contract on you is because you are a fool who doesn¡¯t understand the subject.¡± Considering Reba¡¯s personality, she didn¡¯t want to see her creature go out on a rampage and die pitifully.]


    ¡°¡±Kukuk...!¡±¡±


    Metatron couldn¡¯t resistughing. This time, it was clear mockery.


    When Chiyou, who sided with Hanul, left Asgard¡ªsome gods questioned the Goddess¡¯ choice of creating Zeratul rather than liberating Metatron. Through these reactions, Metatron was convinced. They deserved to face Chiyou. It was a belief that wasn¡¯t shaken even after facing Chiyou in person today.


    Therefore, anything Nevartan tried to say sounded like nonsense.


    ¡°¡±The Old Dragons... Trauka avoided confrontations with Chiyou even in the days when he was running wild. The prestige of the Old Dragons has been on the decline since then. The incident where Raiders toured human restaurants and Bunhelier had a love affair with humans aren¡¯t decisive causes.¡±¡±


    Metatron had been around for a very long time. After being removed from their position of archangel, they had turned their back to the world. Still, they knew what the Old Dragons were doing. This was why they had been thoroughly investigating ever since going out into the world recently.


    That¡¯s right¡ªMetatron was obsessed with the Old Dragons. One of their ultimate goals was to destroy Trauka, who brought shame to the Goddess through the pact.


    ¡°¡±Do you understand what I mean? To use your vulgar tone, it isn¡¯t me who can¡¯t grasp the subject. It is you.¡±¡±


    [......?]


    Nevartan¡¯s already huge eyes widened even more. It felt like seeing two full moons up close.


    Nevartan tilted his head. The repercussions were huge. The clouds dispersed without a trace and a terrible storm raged.


    [I can¡¯t put it off any longer. I have to settle things with Trauka.]


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    Why did it end up this way? This time, it was Metatron¡¯s head who tilted. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was true or not. This wasn¡¯t in Nevartan¡¯s interest. In his mind, he wanted to crush that winged bug at once and get rid of it from in front of his eyes.


    ...But it wasn¡¯t easy. It was true that Metatron was strong, unlike an angel. It was inevitable that he would have to spend time trying to kill Metatron. In the current situation, it was an unnecessary loss.


    Nevartanpleted the calctions and turned around. He showed his back to Metatron. Metatron was about to aim for this gap that was momentarily revealed, only to stop. They hesitated.


    Nevartan¡ªhe possessed both magic power and brute force that was on a different level from Bunhelier. He might be less dignified than Raiders, but he had a charisma that was hard to ignore. In Metatron¡¯s own experience, it wasparable to Trauka. It would be a loss if they fought hastily at this stage. To tell the truth, it was hard to get a glimpse of the odds.


    [Be grateful that I didn¡¯t dere that I would kill you.]


    Dragons were creatures that valued vows very much. If Nevartan had said, ¡®I will check your skills¡¯ to Metatron. If he had dered that he would harm Metatron without saying much else.


    Nevartan would¡¯ve definitely killed Metatron.


    [Additionally, keep this in mind. If you hurt Grid... then you will die.]


    Metatronpared themselves to an Old Dragon. Yet Nevartan, who said he would step down without causing harm, cared immensely about Grid¡¯s safety. It was an attitude that seemed to value Grid more highly than the honor of an Old Dragon.


    Why? Metatron didn¡¯t have any doubts. Nevartan¡¯s insanity was eventually cured thanks to Grid. Apart from that, Metatron was aware of Grid¡¯s value.


    ¡°¡±I will respect him forever as long as he doesn¡¯t tarnish or threaten the honor of the Goddess like Chiyou.¡±¡±


    [You will die soon.]


    It happened the moment when Nevartan about to leave after spitting out these meaningful words and snorting...


    [Die! Nevartan!]


    There was a sharp cry and a sh of dark light flew in. It was a Breath. It was the Breath of Evil Dragon Bunhelier.


    At this moment, the expressions that Nevartan and Metatron made were simr.


    Baaaaang!


    The Breath collided with Nevartan and caused a powerful explosion. The surrounding mountains and rivers evaporated.


    [Kuhaha! As expected, it didn¡¯t stop you! Arrogant bastard! Do you think I am the same as before?!]


    Originally, it was the standard to offset a Breath with a Breath. However, Nevartan hit it directly with his body. It was because he judged Bunhelier to be several levels below him. This was exactly what Bunhelier expected, and it was a huge opportunity.


    [Angel over there, cooperate with me in exchange for me sparing your life. If we join forces, we can hunt Nevartan. He is rtively weak because he is still stuck in the past.]


    Due to his madness of many years, there was a gap in Nevartan¡¯s time. He couldn¡¯t develop because he couldn¡¯t sleep or umte magic. On the other hand, Bunhelier had grown significantly. He also enjoyed a tremendous rise in status in exchange for killing Baal together with Grid.


    The conclusion was that there was a good chance of winning. It was right to deal a surprise attack first rather than wait for Nevartan¡¯s retaliation. It happened to be a good way to coborate with a very powerful angel.


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    However, the angel¡¯s response was very shaky. It was a look like they wanted to avoid it rather than cooperating.


    Bunhelierughed.


    [This Nevartan was persistent even when he was insane. Even if you run away from here like this, you will be tracked down someday. So cooperate with me. That is the only way for you to live.]


    ¡°¡±...Can¡¯t I just leave?¡±¡±


    Metatron didn¡¯t bother with Bunhelier. He just looked at Nevartan, who was covered in smoke.


    It was the moment when Bunhelier became displeased and frowned.


    [Bunhelier. I tried to understand the crimes you havemitted against me. I understand your position, since you were born weak alone and have low self-esteem. I couldn¡¯t forgive you, but I didn¡¯t intend to kill you... at most, I nned to cut out your heart and chew it in front of you...]


    A gloomy voice rang out. It was filled with Dragon Fear. The fish and monsters fluttering on drynd due to the evaporated river immediately died.


    [But I¡¯m going to have to change that n.]


    A magnificent sight unfolded. It was a scene in which two Old Dragons, who were bigger than a great mountain, intertwined and fought.


    Metatron was a bit overwhelmed by the sight of monsters crushing each other¡¯s scales with their ws and biting each other¡¯s necks with the teeth that were harder than ws. Gradually, they were swept away. Metatron had to get out of here quickly, but the impact of the battle was so strong that they were stranded in a daze.

 Chapter 1875

    Chapter 1875


    ¡®It is a situation where bnce is important.¡¯


    The war between the gods of Asgard and Chiyou¡ªGrid didn¡¯t want either side to win. He hoped that the fierce battle would continue until both sides were pushed to the limit. Of course, the longer the warsted, the greater the damage to the city. Still, it was manageable. It was thanks to the gathering of the gods belonging to the Overgeared World.


    Based on the information power of the No Offspring Tomb, they had looked for and appeased the human gods scattered across the continent. They each had extraordinary abilities. There was Garion, the God of the Earth, at the helm. This meant it was possible to minimize the amount of damage to the city.


    ¡®All the people have already fled.¡¯


    Mass teleportation was utilized. The message that Sticks and the magicians of the Overgeared Tower had been active had arrived right away. In fact, there was no big problem even if they didn¡¯t flee. It was because both Chiyou and the gods of Asgard were taking care not to injure humans.


    ¡®This is probably the biggest reason why the Tower of Wisdom didn¡¯t respond.¡¯


    The Tower of Wisdom also belonged to the Overgeared World. The tower members took Reinhardt¡¯s safety very seriously. However, no one came forward. They seemed to have decided that they weren¡¯t in a position to step up, and Grid respected their judgment.


    ¡®There is a risk that the intervention of the tower members will change the structure.¡¯


    At best, it was a situation where Grid created a confrontation between Chiyou and Asgard. He should take advantage of it.


    ¡®First... we need to whittle away as much power on Asgard¡¯s side as possible before Metatron joins again.¡¯


    By the way, Chiyou¡¯s feet were actually being tied up. Asura was so outstanding. First of all, his ability itself feltparable to Chiyou. It was because there were often times when he chased Chiyou¡¯s movements and attacked first before the bells rang.


    Jingle jingle jingle jingle...


    The sound of bells rang non-stop. As the number of collisions between Chiyou and Asura ovepped, it became more and more noisy.


    ¡°At least I know what is going on thanks to that bastard¡¯s bells...¡±


    Peak Sword stared nkly with a wide mouth for a while before muttering.


    Chiyou and Asura¡¯s fight¡ªin his eyes, all he could see was a sh of light from time to time on the ¡®battlefield where there was nothing.¡¯ Even with the status of a transcendent, he couldn¡¯t keep up with the movements of the two gods at all. If the bells hadn¡¯t been heard, he would¡¯ve been swept away by the intermittent shockwaves without knowing why.


    ¡®It is strange.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression was strange. He followed Chiyou and Asura¡¯s movements exactly and even read their facial expressions. Therefore, it was possible for him to find something strange.


    Chiyou¡¯s expression was dark. There had been a faint smile on his face when he fought Dominion, but now he didn¡¯t seem to be happy at all. No, he seemed displeased. Every time he exchanged blows with Asura, he frowned as if he was brushing off something dirty.


    It was strange. Chiyou inherently respected and cherished the strong. The stronger a being was, the more likely they were to ¡®kill him.¡¯ In other words, for Chiyou, being strong was a necessary tool to fulfill his wish. Yet now he was showing disgust toward Asura, who waspeting with him.


    ¡®...Is he reluctant because he thinks he is really going to die?¡¯


    It was the same with Baal. The one who longed for death because he couldn¡¯t achieve it. As death approached, he struggled to avoid it at all cost.


    Chiyou resembled such an ugly guy...? It happened the moment when Grid was feeling disappointed...


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been Judar who took you to heaven.¡±


    Chiyou pushed Asura¡¯s fist away with the back of his sword and opened his mouth. A sharp de touched Asura¡¯s chest. The trajectory of the fist twisted and his chest was naturally exposed.


    ¡°Does he still not realize it? Due to his own greed, he left the Old Dragons and ended up reaching this point.¡±


    The gushing blood was ck. It was too dark even considering the fact that he had his back to the sunset. Despite bing a god of Asgard, Asura¡¯s blood still had an ominous color.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡± Asuraughed. Rather, he used his terribly damaged body as a weapon He snatched Chiyou¡¯s ankles with both hands that were drooping to the ground due to his chest being split in half.


    ¡°There is no need to try. Even if you learn my martial arts, you will only end up losing them to Judar.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? You don¡¯t know that, do you?¡±


    Asura gritted his teeth. He snatched Chiyou¡¯s ankle at a strange angle and swung it with all his might.


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. It was because Chiyou lost his bnce for the first time. Of course, it was at the level of being fine. He just stumbled a little bit. No, the word ¡®stumble¡¯ was a bit vague.


    Chiyou took one step sideways. That was all. However, it was Asura who induced that one step.


    A rib sticking out of Asura¡¯s split-apart chest stabbed Chiyou¡¯s thigh. It came at a high price. Chiyou¡¯s sword was piercing Asura¡¯s face. However, Asura was persistent. He clung to the rib inserted in Chiyou¡¯s thigh and stuck to him. With one hand, he held onto Chiyou¡¯s sword that was embedded in his skull.


    ¡°First of all, your legs.¡±


    Then a strange thing happened.


    Bubble bubble!


    Asura¡¯s wounds boiled up like blisters. It was a disgusting sight to the point where it made people with weak stomachs look away.


    Grid didn¡¯t avert his gaze. He witnessed Asura¡¯s wounds healing in an instant. There was even the fact that Asura¡¯s two legs had changed. It was like carving an ideal body. They closely resembled Chiyou¡¯s legs, which stretched out long enough to make people have this thought.


    Chiyou staggered. This time, he really lost his bnce and almost copsed. His legs had also changed their shape. They felt a bit thicker. They were chubby.


    Asura pulled out Chiyou¡¯s sword stuck in his head and broke it. Then heughed as he stomped his feet a few times. ¡°It feels a lot lighter.¡±


    ¡°...Was it really taken away?¡± Grid murmured. He was dubious even though he had witnessed the situation with his own eyes. In the first ce, it happened in a sh. For a moment, he had reason to suspect if he had seen it incorrectly.


    ¡°Judar... why are you doing this...?¡± Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t see it incorrectly. Dominion¡¯s reaction of frowning and gritting his teeth proved it.


    Grid asked bluntly, ¡°Is Asura¡¯s ability given by Judar?¡±


    ¡°...Probably.¡± Dominion was about to turn away because he didn¡¯t want to answer. Then he changed his mind and nodded halfway through. ¡°You might know from experiencing it in person in hell, but Asura¡¯s body has a strange variability. It must¡¯ve been of great interest from Judar¡¯s perspective. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he used the excuse of research to y strange tricks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is in his right mind? Why does he believe in Asura and want to make him the Martial God? It is hard to believe that Asgard, which couldn¡¯t even control Chiyou, can control an Evil God who has be the Martial God.¡±


    ¡°Chiyou is a god born from the desires of countless beings. He didn¡¯t belong to Asgard from the beginning, so they couldn¡¯t control it. On the other hand, Asura is in the grasp of Judar.¡±


    ¡°Can Judar control him?¡±


    ¡°It is just Judar¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter whether Asgard could control Asura or not. It wasn¡¯t really an important issue. Grid wouldn¡¯t stand by and watch as Asura took away and reced Chiyou¡¯s body. Grid held Defying the Natural Order, which Zeratul had returned to him, while Dominion stood beside him. He wasn¡¯t trying to disrupt Grid. The reason he exined the truth was to create a cause to cooperate with Grid.


    There was no dialogue. The two gods leaped at the same time and entered Asura¡¯s vicinity without knowing who arrived first. A sword and spear stabbed from different directions.


    ¡°What is the situation here?¡±


    Asura folded the leg that originally belonged to Chiyou and snatched Dominion¡¯s spear while looking like he didn¡¯t understand the situation. The spear de changed trajectory and bounced off Grid¡¯s Defying the Natural Order.


    ¡°Dominion. Aren¡¯t ¡®we¡¯ fighting for the Goddess? Don¡¯t you know that we shouldn¡¯t be fighting among ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Coveting Chiyou¡¯s power isn¡¯t for the Goddess¡¯ sake.¡±


    ¡°Judar¡¯s thoughts are different.¡±


    ¡°He must¡¯ve been too greedy.¡±


    Asura¡¯s body floated in the air. It was the aftermath of Dominion lifting the spear. Grid¡¯s next action followed.


    [All stats will be distributed to strength.]


    The six fusion sword dance was linked in a gorgeous manner. All types of trajectories drawn by Defying the Natural Order caused the illusion of lotus flowers blooming.


    ¡°Um.¡± Asura was about to implement the footwork skills he had acquired while fighting Chiyou with the two legs he had stolen from Chiyou. Then he changed his mind. He stepped back as hard as he could to avoid Grid¡¯s charge. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m good enough right now. Can you give me a bit more time?¡±


    ¡°...I will.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then I should thank you...¡±


    Asura was rather flustered by Grid¡¯s easy nod. Then he tilted his upper body in a surprised manner. He responded immediately, but somehow, it was toote.


    His jaw was split in half. Chiyou was standing in front of the puzzled Asura. One leg was raised. Asura¡¯s flesh, which had just been torn off, was hanging from Chiyou¡¯s toe. This was even though parts of his body were forcibly reced by Asura. Chiyou¡¯s martial ability was still intact.


    ¡°It is better to have changed it.¡±


    In the first ce, Asura¡¯s body was perfect. This was because it was calibrated and reconstructed in real time while fighting Grid¡¯s group in hell.


    Even Asura realized it. ¡°Give it back.¡±


    ¡®Crazy bastard.¡¯


    It was just changed and now he wanted to get it back? Grid clicked his tongue and slipped back.


    He created an environment for Chiyou and Asura to focus on fighting again. The bnce that had almost copsed was corrected again.


    Zeratul approached him and asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°What can I do? I have to kill them with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°What does that... Asura and Dominion were different from others. It is impossible for you to kill them in one blow just by attacking through the gaps.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will be difficult for me alone. But I''m not alone right now.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Do you trust me to cooperate?


    Zeratul¡¯s expression became subtle. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he was thrilled to realize that he was trusted by Grid.


    A being who made even the arrogant gods of Asgard thrilled¡ªthat was Grid¡¯s current position. It was the majesty of the Absolute who killed Baal and purified hell.


    Grid¡¯s exnation followed, ¡°My apostles... in particr, Braham and Mercedes. They will cooperate even without me saying anything. Their personalities aren¡¯t that different from mine.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was he believing in the apostles, not me?


    It happened at the time when Zeratul¡¯s expression crumpled in disappointment...


    -...Grid.


    Someone¡¯s thoughts flowed into Grid¡¯s head.


    ¡®This...?¡¯


    -Grid!


    It is Bunhelier.


    ¡®He is more loyal than I expected.¡¯


    He was watching. Yes, he had a colleague who was an Old Dragon... Grid smiled in a reassured manner when Bunhelier urged him.


    -What are you doing? Hurry up and send the tower members here.


    ¡°......?¡±


    -Nevartan is going crazy...! I¡¯m in danger!


    ¡°......¡±


    Why was a dragon talking nonsense? Grid decided to ignore it and focused on the situation in front of him. There was a belief that if Bunhelier¡¯s words were true, the tower members would take care of it and respond well.


    Chiyou gradually started to overwhelm Asura. Dominion and the other gods stood by and watched the situation. Indeed, many beings were guarding the scene, but Asura was isted.


    ¡®Good. Look for an opportunity like this and defeat Asura.¡¯


    Grid had one more thing to believe in. It was the restrictions of the Overgeared World. It was enough to impose the restrictions when Asura was weakened. This would weaken Asura even more and Grid could kill him without any variables.


    ¡®Then when Chiyou and Dominion start fighting again, should I deal with them both at once...?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s thoughts stopped here. It was because he suddenly realized something.


    Chiyou¡¯s movements. They were different from before. It wasn¡¯t that he was tired and dull. Rather, he was much faster and sharper. It felt like he was bing stronger in real time.


    Zeratul also seemed to understand. He muttered with an expression of incredible frustration, ¡°Should it be around this level...? It is like that guy, Grid...¡±


    It was to the point where he confided his honest feelings to his rival (?).


    Zeratul was in a state of great shock. For the first time, he realized how much weight the name ¡®Martial God¡¯ carried and felt ashamed.


    Gridforted him, ¡°From my perspective, you are like us.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t saying nice things because he liked Zeratul. It was given simply before he felt the need to conserve power. Zeratul would be a great boost in power.


    ¡°...That is natural. I am the one who is the true Martial God.¡±


    ¡®Yes... it is better than being discouraged.¡¯


    Grid decided to think positively. It was a twisted situation in many ways. There were too many variables. At times like this, he needed more allies. Grid¡¯s strategy was indeed impressive.


    ¡°So what is the situation?¡±


    As always¡ª


    Kraugel came out of the towerter than anyone else and rushed to the scene. The Tower That Grows Stronger As One Climbs It was an instance dungeon. He was half cut off from the outside world, so he needed an exnation of the situation.


    Vantner eagerly exined it, ¡°Um... Chiyou attacked Grid. Then Zeratul and the gods of Asgard came down to help. Grid took the opportunity to kill some gods of Asgard. Soon, Chiyou started to struggle with Asura. So Grid and Dominion worked together to help Chiyou...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel suddenly remembered the past version of his mother.


    He became worried about Vantner¡¯s health.

 Chapter 1876

    Chapter 1876


    ¡®It isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    Grid frowned.


    It was because he noticed that the speed at which Chiyou grew stronger in real time started to exceed his own cognitive speed. It wasn¡¯t until Asura¡¯s arms had already been cut off that he could see how fast Chiyou¡¯s swordsmanship had be.


    The Martial God¡ªhe was getting stronger without knowing the limits.


    ¡®No, I think the word ¡®stronger¡¯ is wrong.¡¯


    It was only now that he was showing off his abilities little by little.


    ¡°...This is what he looks like.¡±


    The members of the Overgeared guild were agitated.


    A surprisingly ordinary appearance¡ªthey started to recognize Chiyou¡¯s face, which had no special features.


    That¡¯s right¡ªChiyou, who had diminished his presence in order to not be worshiped, was revealing himself little by little. This meant Asura was strong.


    ¡°Help Asura.¡± Finally, Dominion gave orders to the gods of Asgard. It was still a gentle and solemn expression, but Grid thought that he wouldn¡¯t befortable on the inside. He might dislike Asura, but he was in a situation where he was forced to help. There was no way he could be happy.


    Dominion¡¯s spear intercepted Chiyou¡¯s sword. It was the sword that was about to pierce Asura¡¯s throat.


    Asura was feeling relieved when his eyes widened. It was the aftermath of his forehead being pierced. The moment that Dominion intercepted his attack, Chiyou turned and inserted the ink-colored scabbard at an angle. He split the skull of an Absolute like it was tofu.


    ¡°Martial God...¡±Kraugel trembled and drew a simtion in his head. Would it be possible for him to recreate Chiyou¡¯s movements in the previous situation? Impossible. Impossible. Impossible...


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Someone¡¯s calloused hand covered Kraugel¡¯s eyes. They were hands made with tenacity and hard work. The hand, which resembled Kraugel¡¯s one, belonged to Sword Saint Muller.


    ¡°The moment you are possessed by him, you will cross a river of no return.¡±


    Possessed by the Martial God¡ªit was an expression that had existed since a long time ago. It was because there were many followers of the Martial God who were possessed by Zeratul¡¯s secret techniques. Additionally, Chiyou¡¯s influence transcended even Zeratul¡¯s.


    [The knights of the Overgeared Empire are fascinated by the martial arts of the Martial God. The loyalty of the soldiers toward you is on the verge of being degraded to be worthless.]


    The more talented they were, the faster they were possessed by Chiyou. The soldiers with rtively low discernment were still intact, but the knights were greatly influenced.


    ¡°Everyone. Strange.¡±


    Jude read the suspicious feeling and attacked the knights without hesitation. The sword was wielded with the real intent to kill and some of the startled knights came to their senses. Thanks to this, the situation that had almost be a mess had calmed down a bit. Of course, not all knights came to their senses. Many knights were still possessed by Chiyou and tried to throw themselves forward for him. Asmophel and the former Red Knights stopped them.


    ¡®There is no need to worry. It is in the range I expected.¡¯


    Grid took sce in the fact that yers weren¡¯t possessed by Chiyou. He abandoned misceneous thoughts. He thought about the best thing he could do and immediately took action.


    ¡°Grid-sama?¡±


    Damian, who was guarding one side of the street with the Overgeared members, became taken aback. It was because Grid suddenly seemed to run and leave the battlefield. Soon¡ª


    Ttang! Ttang! Ttaang...


    The sound of hammering came from the building where Grid had rushed to.


    That¡¯s right¡ªGrid took advantage of the fact that this was Reinhardt, in other words, his territory. He made a weapon using the nearby smithy rather than taking out a portable furnace with poor performance. Thanks to this, high-quality battle gear was quicklypleted.


    Who was the battle gear for? The top yers and apostles of the Overgeared Empire had already acquired their final-level weapons. Of course, the battle gear that Grid made now...


    ¡°Bring it to them.¡±


    It was for the gods of Asgard.


    The God Hands carried the weapons that had just beenpleted.


    ¡°......!¡±


    A god saw the shield shattered helplessly by Chiyou¡¯s sword and prepared for a mortal wound, only to shudder. It was because the shield in his hand suddenly held in his handpletely handled Chiyou¡¯s sword.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was like a sword ghost. Chiyou, who was silently swinging his sword to ughter the gods, took a step back. His momentum had obviously weakened. It was understandable. It was because the original n to aim for the next target after defeating the god in front of him had gone awry.


    For the Martial God, the ¡®structure of a fight that goes against my will¡¯ was very strange. It was overwhelming.


    ¡°...Overgeared God. Have you remembered your origin?¡±


    Jingle jingle jingle!


    Chiyou was smiling slightly when the bells in his ears rang particrly loudly. It was responding to the slightest movements of his facial muscles. It was a scene that showed how sensitive the bells hanging from Chiyou¡¯s body and clothes were.


    ¡°You mean those great GPS are worthless...?¡±


    Hurent couldn¡¯t helpughing. The bells were signaling Chiyou¡¯s movements. It was rare for a god to respond properly to Chiyou¡¯s movements.


    Caution...


    Hurent had been gulping, only to suddenly look at Haster. ¡°Maybe you are the best opponent for Chiyou?¡±


    A genius of sound gamey¡ªperhaps because they thought it was usible, but the attention of the members of the Overgeared guild instantly focused on Haster.


    ¡°How can that be...¡±


    It was the moment when Hurent expressed his dismay...


    A few God Hands flew in, grabbed him by the cor, and carried him to the battlefield.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Grid¡¯s whisper flew to the frightened Haster, who suddenly fell in the middle of the battlefield.


    -Just try it. Believe in yourself. Your talent is real, right?


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was right. Haster hade to trust Grid more than himself, so he decided to trust Grid again. He closed his eyes and concentrated in the midst of the gods, who were giving him puzzled looks.


    ¡°Poor, crazy human,¡± a godmented. Asgard might not have helped humans during the Great Human and Demon War and even if Reba¡¯s true identity was evil, Haster stood among the gods and realized that the gods were definitely different from demons.


    The blessings of the gods poured out. All types of buff effects strengthened him.


    -The gods of Asgard have bestowed blessings on humans in order to get a reward for their worship. It isn¡¯t out of any crazy favor. Poor, crazy human. Don¡¯t be mistaken again and again into repeating a false belief.


    Aldro, the God of Abundance¡ªhe was one of the eight gods who descended to Reinhardt along with Zeratul. He had fought Piaro and won. He had reached out to the fallen Piaro and said he would like to learn fieldwork one day. Now his will poured into Haster.


    It was somewhat cynical. However, there was no glimpse of malice. It came as genuine advice.


    -The only god you can trust and worship is Grid.


    ¡°...Why do you say that?¡±


    -I am just saying what I have seen and felt.


    Taking his eyes off a madman whose eyes were still closed, Aldro looked at Zeratul in the distance. It was a face that had lost its poison. He looked good nowpared to the days when he was struggling to prove himself and be recognized.


    Did he be attached to Zeratul after learning martial arts from him? Aldro couldn¡¯t look badly at Zeratul, who relied on Grid, and took a stance. Both hands were armed with the gauntlets that had just been handed to him by the God Hands.


    ¡°Kuek...!¡±


    Haster hastily stretched out his sword. It was toward Aldro¡¯s left nk. Aldro responded. He ignored Haster¡¯s sword stabbing at him and stretched out his fist to the left.


    Jingle.


    The bell sound that Haster heard earlier rang in Aldro¡¯s ears with a very slight dy.


    Baaaang!


    Aldro¡¯s fist mmed into Chiyou¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Hoh?¡± Chiyou admired it. He looked at Haster, who blocked his sword, not Aldro. ¡°Did you hear and read it correctly?¡±


    ¡°...Uraaaaat!¡±


    Haster squeezed out all his strength and swung his sword. It was to lift up Chiyou¡¯s foot, which had been pressing down on the back of his sword. It was impossible. It felt like he was carrying a great mountain. The sword didn¡¯t move despite him carrying the blessings of the gods on his back.


    Haster changed his ns. He used the authority of the Red Sage to cast buffs on Aldro. Thanks to this, Aldro seeded in shaking off Chiyou¡¯s sword and linked an attack. He urately used the martial arts he had learned from Zeratul.


    Jingle.


    Chiyou¡¯s cor crumpled as a fist brushed against it. No, it was ripped beyond being crumpled. The cause was the w that stuck out from the back of the hand of the gauntlet that Aldro was wearing.


    Haster¡¯s help, Zeratul¡¯s martial arts, and Grid¡¯s item¡ªAldro was experiencing the Trinity. It wasplete.


    In an instant, he transcended his limits and mmed his fist into Chiyou¡¯s chest.


    ¡°There are talents that bloom at any moment.¡± It was like humming a song. Chiyou was talking happily as he broke Aldro¡¯s wrist and kicked him in the abdomen.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Aldro copsed without even being able to scream. Chiyou¡¯s sword moved in a diagonal line. It dug toward the neck of the kneeling Aldro.


    At this moment¡ª


    Ting.


    A certain seed flew out and collided with Chiyou¡¯s sword. At the same time¡ª


    ¡°Super Growth.¡±


    The rapidly growing beanstalk pushed Chiyou away.


    Dominion¡¯s spear, which had been inserted just in time, added its power and forced Chiyou away from this position.


    ¡°Farming, I can¡¯t wait to learn.¡± Aldro struggled to get up and gave a thumbs up. It was toward Piaro¡¯s presence that he felt in a corner of the battlefield.


    Braham frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t y petty house games with those you have to kill someday.¡±


    Piaro, who took back Natural State, which had been raised to the extreme, replied with a bitter expression. ¡°At the very least, aren¡¯t we on the same side right now?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t right. In a few minutes, we¡¯ll be enemies again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll cut him at that time. I am a farmer. I thoroughly distinguish between public and private matters.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Did a farmer make a strict distinction between public and private matters? Braham, the God of Wisdom, couldn¡¯t say anything because this was an area he didn¡¯t know.


    Meanwhile, the battle was intensifying. The gods received Grid¡¯s battle gear that was supplied in real time and the number of times they handled Chiyou¡¯s attacks increased. Thanks to this, Dominion went on a rampage. He focused entirely on attacking and pressing Chiyou.


    Asura used this time to finish recovering and joined in. Chiyou¡¯s dopo was repeatedly ripped. Finally, Asura smashed Dominion¡¯s spear into Chiyou¡¯s heart with his foot. A tremendous eleration was added and it pierced Chiyou¡¯s body.


    ¡°......¡±


    The soaring spear attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Dominion¡¯s spear emitted a brilliant glow to prevent the setting sun from reaching it and was clearly conveying something. The Only One God hade to an end here today.


    ¡°...Be prepared.¡± Braham was staring at the limp Chiyou, who was pierced by the huge spear, and ordered the apostles. The knights, who were possessed by Chiyou and came to their senses after seeing Grid¡¯s performance, and the members of the Overgeared guild prepared for battle with their respective forces.


    Their targets were the gods of Asgard. As Grid was locked in the smithy and producing battle gear for the gods, Chiyou was defeated and the bnce copsed.


    The battle between Absolute was quickly decided as usual. It was probably out of Grid¡¯s expectations. It had to be fixed.


    It happened the moment when everyone at the scene was getting ready...


    ¡°He suddenly became handsome?¡±


    Peak Sword and Vantner shouted simultaneously while looking betrayed. It was while looking at Chiyou¡¯s face, who was still hanging limp from the de of the spear. Finally¡ª


    Except for Grid, other people also saw Chiyou¡¯s true self. The Martial God was prepared to be worshiped and lifted all restrictions.


    ¡°Did you push me this far with a small amount of influence?¡± Chiyou slowly raised his head, eyes fixed on the building where Grid was located. He didn¡¯t bother to look at the spear that pierced his heart and Dominion holding it. Dominion gritted his teeth and swung the spear. Chiyou was about to be crushed to the ground. But when the spear was thrust into the ground, Chiyou was standing on the spear.


    His back was to the astonished Dominion and he fired off a sh of light with his sword. Then Asura¡¯s body was split into dozens of pieces and he hastily retreated. The gods, the apostles of Grid, the members of the Overgeared guild, and the valiant soldiers of the Empire couldn¡¯t close their mouths.


    They took a step back. Only Jude rushed in. Jude¡¯s greatsword, which resembled a shark, drew arge horizontal line toward Chiyou. However, Jude didn¡¯t feel anything at the tip of his de. He suddenly realized that his vision had moved away from the ground and he was puzzled.


    Grid¡¯s voice entered his ears. ¡°I told you to cherish your life.¡±


    Jude¡¯srge body mmed into one of the buildings. Grid had grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him away. It was incredibly fast.


    Zeratul, the gods of Asgard, and Dominion, looked somewhat incredulous.


    ¡°Martial God Chiyou.¡± Grid had ovee the limits of speed by going all-in on agility. He arrived in front of Chiyou and then went all-in on stamina. He was fully armed with dragon armor and raised his arms leisurely. ¡°Cut first. In return, I¡¯ll do it next time.¡±


    ¡°It will be an interesting contest.¡± Chiyou showed interest.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The members of the Overgeared guild sighed.


    Between the long, thick fingers of Grid, who was grinning with relief, Doran¡¯s Ring was shining as the cooldown time ended.

 Chapter 1877

    <h4>Chapter 1877</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    The repercussions were huge.There was a lot of opposition to Grid, who asked Chiyou for afairexchange of blows.


    ¡°The opponent is Chiyou. It is nothing but arrogance to handle him alone, no matter how you are.¡±


    Zeratul and Dominion were the main ones.They criticized Grid before anyone else could say anything.It wasn¡¯t because they were worried about Grid¡¯s safety.They feared that Chiyou would swallow Grid and be even more powerful.


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to give Grid your opinion.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The sword that Chiyou wielded blew away Dominion¡¯s entire body, along with his spear.The shockwave was enormous.


    Grid took a few steps back.Zeratul, who was near Dominion, couldn¡¯t back away and fell.


    ¡°Such a disgrace to me...¡±Zeratul sat down and gritted his teeth.However, he didn¡¯t dare to re at Chiyou.


    The Martial God who had revealed his true body.He waspletely different, but also simr to Reba, the Goddess of Light.The Goddess made others bow to her with warm benevolence, while Chiyou made them bow with overwhelming force.


    Zeratul was ashamed.He wanted to erase from his memory the entire time he had been living as the Martial God.


    ¡°It is unsightly.¡±Grid¡¯s voice was heard.They were cooperating now, but they were obviously enemies.It was even the one Zeratul hated the most.However, Zeratul knew the fact that countless beings had been fascinated by him, regardless of species, status, or inclination.


    ¡®You... what sweet words are you going to whisper?¡¯


    At this point, Grid must be trying to appease him to make him an ally.Zeratul expected the obvious development.Zeratul thought Grid wouldfort him with his tongue and dazzle him.Yes, he knew it was obvious, but he kept his ears open and waited.It was a moment when even the smallestfort was too much.


    Now he had realized the gap with Chiyou.It was hard for him to stay sane.He was on the verge of copse due to facing the truth that he had been ignoring.He wanted to rely on someone else, no matter who it was.


    Grid grinned at Zeratul, who was inwardly looking forward to it.¡°It is funny to see you, who always acts like you are the best, be frustrated after meeting the real thing. Should I be d that you have admitted that you are nothing but a fake and have be humble?¡±


    ¡°...You!¡±An emotional Zeratul jumped up.His two legs, which had been rxed, stood up again.He stood up again just before his pride, which had been honed by ignoring the truth, was crushed.


    ¡°That is how you should be, Zeratul.¡±Grid chuckled.He felt more at ease that he paid back a bit of what Zeratul had done for him in the Prison of Eternity.He felt like he could focus more on the confrontation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It was after the disturbance was over.Grid faced Chiyou again, only to hear unexpected words.An apology flowed out of Chiyou¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I know that my obsession with my selfish wish has put many people, including you, in a difficult position.¡±


    Chiyou withdrew his sword.The sword that had been used so far was ced back in the dark sheath held in his left hand.Was he finallying to his senses and stopping the fight?It happened as people were looking forward to it...


    Chiyou tightened his grip on the hand holding the sheath.Then the dark-colored sheath that smashed Asura¡¯s skull like tofu was ttened entirely along with the sword that had received Dominion¡¯s spear hundreds of times.The Martial God revealed his true nature and treated even the most treasured sword as worthless.


    Jingle.


    Chiyou¡¯sdopofluttered and a new sword appeared.No, it wasn¡¯t suitable to be called a sword.It was more like a club, a long, thin club made of pure metal.It was bumpy and coarse.


    ¡°Are you going to beat me with a rod after apologizing?¡±


    Gridfrownedwith displeasure.He thought Chiyou was putting away the sword before the start of the confrontation. Now he doubted Chiyou¡¯s intentions when Chiyou pulled out the rod.Surprisingly, Dominion cleared up the misunderstanding.


    ¡°Pair. That is Chiyou¡¯s favorite weapon.¡±


    ¡°Pair...?¡±


    ¡°What started out as a mere piece of metal has been transformed into what it is today after being with Chiyou over the years."


    The long, crude iron rod contained Chiyou¡¯s experience.It was apleted form that followed the trajectory Chiyou had swung so far.It might seem like a simple iron rod to others, but it was the best customized weapon for Chiyou.


    ¡°He is sincere. You had better be prepared.¡±


    ¡°...You are telling me to be serious.¡±Grid chuckled.He still had his arms outstretched.He didn¡¯t take any stance and looked more arrogant than Chiyou.¡°I have always been serious."


    [Only One God Grid...]


    ¡°Stop.¡±Grid stopped the epic.


    After the defeat of Baal, Grid had plenty of time.It was a time he used to closely analyze and study the rewards he had earned.What he paid attention to was the mon public characteristics¡¯ gained after he unexpectedly broke through level 1,000.


    There was Stats Redistribution, an ability that anyone could gain if they reached level 1,000.It was an ability that would inevitably be less rare at some point.Once time passed and level 1,000 becamemon, it would be treated as amon ability.


    However, Grid took note of that.He appreciated the fact that he could ¡®intervene in the system.¡¯The ability to redistribute stats that they had already distributed at any time.It was a clear vition of the rules established by the existing system.It suggested the possibility that the yers could be freed from the system-created rules.


    It wasn¡¯t just a possibility.


    Strength, speed, and stamina¡ªall types of stat values that reached the limit created by the system even after bing an Absolute were transcended by using Stats Redistribution.This was the reason why Amoract died without being aware of Grid¡¯s attack.


    Grid thought about it.Reaching level 1,000 was actually a very difficult achievement.So in return for reaching level 1,000, he waspletely freed from the regtions of the system.


    [The epic will stop being written ording to your will.]


    ¡®As expected... it is possible.¡¯


    His hypothesis became true.Even the epics that used to rise in certain situations regardless of Grid¡¯s will could now be controlled by Grid.


    ¡°It is a wise decision,¡± Chiyou praised him.


    Chiyou regained hisposure after pouring out his energy fighting Asura and Dominion.He glimpsed the fact that Grid still wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill him.It was a fight where defeat was obvious from Grid¡¯s point of view.There was no benefit in publicizing it.On the contrary, it would be a disaster that would only increase Chiyou¡¯s status.


    ¡°As I said before, I want to apologize to you.¡±


    An apology from the Martial God.


    ¡°I¡¯ll increase your knowledge as an apology.¡±


    Chiyou closed the gap with Grid.The bells didn¡¯t ring.His movements were quiet.The Pair he raised his head fell toward Grid without any noise.It was the Martial God¡¯s blow with all his strength.Grid couldn¡¯t recognize it even though it happened in front of his eyes.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Blood gushed from Grid¡¯s mouth and nose as his eyes widened.His wide chest was crushed along with the dragon armor.


    ¡°I hope that what you learn in this moment will help you harm me in the future.¡±Chiyou¡¯s whisper was faintly audible.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage.]


    He entered the immortal state.It was a disaster that urred for allowing a single blow.His stats that went all-in on stamina and his absolute defense werecking.


    Chiyou¡¯s back entered Grid¡¯s red-tinged vision.He was about to leave.


    That¡¯s right.Chiyou realized it after grasping the level of Grid, who couldn¡¯t even handle one blow.Unfortunately, at the current level, Grid couldn¡¯t hurt him in any way...In other words, any further confrontation was pointless.


    This was what Chiyou thought.


    sh!


    Defying the Natural Order, wielded by Grid, drew a half moon.It was a trajectory optimized for shing.Subsequently, it became a straightforward stab before transforming into a giant sword for a final cut.


    ¡°......!!¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Everyone at the scene was shocked.It was because blood gushed out from dozens of bloody cuts on Chiyou¡¯s body.


    The sword that Grid wielded viciously¡ªChiyou paid dearly for allowing it to hit because he thought it was just Grid venting his anger.


    ¡°You said to exchange blows once...¡±Brahamwas stunned by Chiyou¡¯spletely devastated state and clicked his tongue.


    Chiyou was also making a puzzled expression.¡°You shed me 47 times and stabbed me 9 times...?¡±


    ¡°It is a six fusion sword dance, so it is one blow.¡±


    The promise to cut each other once¡ªGrid used the six fusion sword dance as an excuse to vite it and looked imposing.Additionally¡ª


    sh!


    A huge light fell straight down from the sky and struck the top of Chiyou¡¯s head.


    [Another Tomb]


    [Recreates the Tomb of the Gods and inflicts a massive bombardment around it.


    The type of bombardment and the damage depends on the amount of damage received in the 20 seconds before the skill is activated.]


    Reflection damage.


    Flop!


    The Martial God fell to his knees.Everyone present was shocked and couldn¡¯t close their mouths.


    In the silence thatsted for a while, Grid exined, ¡°It is an uncontroble power.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±Chiyou had a strange expression as he slowly pulled himself up.He silently observed the wounds on his body.He was recovering quickly, but a few deep wounds seemed like they would remain as scars for a few minutes.He felt that the curse of eternal life had weakened for a moment.It reminded him of death.


    ¡°I think I was beaten because I was rude.¡±Chiyou smiled slightly and concluded.Rather than criticizing Grid, he was filled with pleasure and gradually faded away.¡°Our next meeting will solely be of your own volition.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a prophecy.It was a deration that he wouldn¡¯t act rashly again.Grid was relieved thanks to this but he didn¡¯t say thank you.It already took a lot of patience not to swear.Soon¡ª


    Jingle...


    Chiyou disappeared from the scene, leaving only the faint sound of bells.


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss him!¡±


    Dominion and the gods of Asgard followed.Thousands of troops were waiting beyond the golden clouds that formed a staircase.It was the army trained and led by Dominion, the God of War.They had been waiting silently out of fear of harming human lives. Then once Chiyou moved the battlefield, they moved as if they had been waiting.


    ¡°Are you going to just let them go?¡±


    ¡°They will consume each other while fighting, so there is no need to interfere. By the way, why aren¡¯t you going, Zeratul?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to go?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he more confident than he needed to be?A notification window appeared in the vision of the bewildered Grid.


    [The Only One title, ¡®One Who Punished the Martial God,¡¯ has been acquired.]


    [¡¯Zeratul¡¯ has nowhere to go and hopes to join the Overgeared World.]

 Chapter 1878

    Chapter 1878


    The sky and ground shook. Mountains rose all over the wilderness and deep hills were transformed into river-likekes. It was the aftermath of the fall of a giant dragon.


    The entity called the Evil Dragon among the Old Dragons, Bunhelier. Recently, he helped Grid in the fight against Baal and was worshiped as a hero. Contrary to popr assessments that praised him as invincible, his appearance was disastrous. He was repeatedly trampled on by a dragon that was one head taller than him.


    [Groan...]


    Heavy rain poured down in the aftermath of the explosion of magic in all forms. Bunhelier was submerged in the formedke and could barely raise his head. Hisrge eyes, which were golden as if they contained the sun, were dyed ck. They were projecting the ck Breath that was flying right in front of him.


    Bunhelier¡¯s view of thendscape spun around. He was hit by Nevartan¡¯s Breath, which continued flying to devastate the mountain range that had been created around Bunhelier¡¯s crash site. His head spun several times. A normal creature would¡¯ve had his neck bonespletely crushed to death.


    [Bunhelier. I know you are pitiful and pathetic. You are a product of inferiority that makes misjudgments every time. It is worthless to point out all the mistakes you have made, for every mistake is the result of ipetence.]


    The years of insanity and wandering. Nevartan didn¡¯t consider it a great waste. It was because he knew his value was immutable. No tricks or time could detract from the ¡®I¡¯ that he dered. This was the heart of an Old Dragon.


    ¡®A being that even the Absolutes look up to.¡¯


    Metatron read Nevartan¡¯s mind and shuddered. They noticed that the reason why the Old Dragon didn¡¯t confront Chiyou wasn¡¯t because theycked courage.


    ¡®...Then why?¡¯


    Why did Trauka, who ran around uncontrobly and hunted the gods of Asgard, avoid a confrontation with Chiyou? What external force was at work? Was there such a thing as an external force that could control the Old Dragons?


    Metatron was filled with new questions when they suddenly came to their senses. It was due to the disturbance caused by Bunhelier. The sight of Bunhelier struggling to raise his submerged body in theke resembled a creature rolling around in the mud. How could it be the same Old Dragon...?


    This was the cause of his misjudgment...


    Eventually, Bunhelier shouted at Metatron, who hated and resented him.


    [Useless angel...! How long are you going to be mesmerized?]


    ¡°¡±......¡±¡±


    What shamelessness did this creature have to ask for cooperation? Metatron wondered before sooning to a conclusion. They noticed that low self-esteem and the resulting nervousness and victim mentality had helped shape Bunhelier¡¯s unconventional personality.


    ¡®He looks like Zeratul.¡¯


    Just in time, a report arrived that Zeratul hoped to join the Overgeared World. It was predicted that Grid wouldn¡¯t reject him. Metatron¡¯s heart swelled.


    ¡®He is truly God the Father.¡¯


    A god who didn¡¯t hate those who werecking and instead gathered them. Metatron truly admired Grid. They highly appreciated the fact that Grid gave such an insignificant Bunhelier the chance to defeat Baal with him.


    ¡®Therefore, the Goddess supported Grid.¡¯


    The first time they saw Grid, Metatron recognized it immediately. The blessing of the Goddess on Grid. It had been a force that supported Grid since he was only the lowest status being. It would¡¯ve helped Grid ovee all the trials he went through. Therefore, Metatron was favorable to Grid. Not only were they fascinated by Grid¡¯s feats, but they also recognized Grid as a simr existence.


    The Goddess¡¯ apostle...


    [This damn bastard...]


    Bunhelier growled. He harbored hatred for Metatron, who ignored his pleas for help and had other thoughts.


    Metatron ignored him to the end. It was judged that Bunhelier would die soon anyway. In reality¡ª


    Magic power was repeatedly condensing in front of Nevartan¡¯s snout. At first nce, it was the precursor to more than a dozen Breaths.


    [But Bunhelier. You obviously crossed the line. I didn¡¯t expect you to repent for your mistakes, but to think you would challenge me... in a sense, you have exceeded my predictions. Maybe I shouldmend you.]


    After it was ovepped, dozens of Breaths formed a giant sphere. It was affected by Nevartan¡¯s movement as he shook his head.


    Unification¡ªno matter how many Breaths Nevartan created or how their power soared, they became an absolute force whenbined as one. It wasn¡¯t separate so the operation speed was very slow.


    [No, your attitude of challenging me head-on without ying tricks is beyond forgiveness. Give up on any help. Die.]


    sh!


    The sphere of dark magic power, condensed like a giant, glowed.


    ¡®Really. This is real death.¡¯


    Bunhelier sensed his death. It was said that he was born weak among the Old Dragons. Bunhelier wasn¡¯t so stupid that he couldn¡¯t distinguish his end. He had developed in return for defeating Baal with Grid. He was the only one of the Old Dragons to raise his level, which was at the limit, and all his stats rose. His body had be a bit bigger than before, so he reached Nevartan¡¯s eye level to a certain extent. It was easy to see that he couldn¡¯t handle the bombardment of Breaths that spread like a beam of light and filled his vision.


    [Shit...]


    If he had the same power as Raiders, he would¡¯ve gone back in time and not challenged Nevartan.


    [I want toin!]


    If he had Trauka¡¯s physical body¡ª


    He would¡¯ve flown through the bombardment of Breaths and bitten Nevartan on the neck.


    [Why only me...!!]


    Even at thest moment, Bunhelier cursed the fate that had been bestowed upon him. He didn¡¯t me Grid. Considering that person¡¯s personality, it was unlikely Grid would¡¯ve deliberately ignored his request for help.


    ¡®I guess he couldn¡¯t shake off Chiyou.¡¯


    That¡¯s right¡ªBunhelier knew what was happening with Grid. Nevertheless, he got into an ident. He was overconfident in the power he had developed...


    ¡®It is worse than dogs.¡¯


    It was over. As Bunhelier¡¯s resentment was directed at the tower members, who never showed up, a refraction of light urred in all directions. The trajectory of the Breaths bombarding Bunhelier was twisted in all directions.


    [...Hmm?]


    A stream of blood flowed from Bunhelier¡¯s cheek as he tilted his head. It was the aftermath of being cut by his own Breath, which was returned to him.


    ¡®Is it the tower members?¡¯


    Death, which couldn¡¯t be avoided, arbitrarily missed him...


    Bunhelier was puzzled for a while without understanding the sudden situation. Then he quickly grasped the situation. He smiled slightly as he felt an ignorant liking toward the tower members whom he had just been ming and cursing at.


    ¡®Biban? No. That was... it is correct to interpret it as Hayate himselfing.¡¯


    It was the Breath of an Old Dragon. It was also an existence who reflected dozens of Breaths of such power. It couldn¡¯t be anyone other than the Dragon yer. Grid couldn¡¯t do it either.


    [I believed in...]


    It was only natural for the tower members to help him, a fellow colleague of Grid. Bunhelier became energetic and was about to shout Hayate¡¯s name, only to stop. It was due to the presence that appeared in front of his eyes. The identity of the great being who reflected Nevartan¡¯s Breaths and nullified the will of an Old Dragon wasn¡¯t Hayate. It was a ¡®kin¡¯ with transparent ss-like scales and even a lower status, Cranbel...


    [...What? Hayate was Cranbel?]


    He had just been ready to die. Bunhelier, who was already in a state that wasn¡¯t intact.


    A top dragon helping an Old Dragon? Bunhelier was momentarily confused in the face of an improbable, transcendent event.


    ¡°¡±......?¡±¡±


    Metatron was the only one shaken by Bunhelier¡¯s nonsense.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªit was one of the names that appeared as ¡®someone to be familiar with¡¯ after their long period of seclusion. But his true identity was a dragon?


    ¡°¡±The true identity of the Dragon yer is actually a dragon...? How many of your own kind have you been preying on?¡±¡±


    [...Cloaked Dragon. You are a noble child. Why do you meddle in the affairs of adults?]


    Nevartan maintained hisposure while the confused Bunhelier and the angels showed disgraceful appearances. He wasn¡¯t obsessed with the ¡®result¡¯ of Cranbel interfering with him and was instead interested in why Cranbel came forward.


    Cranbel didn¡¯t budge.


    [It is because most of the surface is Grid¡¯s territory.]


    It was a brief and concise exnation.


    That¡¯s right¡ªmost of the surface belonged to the Overgeared World. To add some exaggeration, it could be said that all of the surface, except for the dragonirs, belonged to Grid. Of course, the dragons didn¡¯t have to be conscious of this, especially the Old Dragons. It was because the ground they stepped on was theirs.


    However, Nevartan¡¯s position was unique.


    [Nevartan, don¡¯t you owe Grid?]


    [... That is right. I almost bothered Grid. I¡¯m sorry.]


    Nevartan had just assessed the extent of the Breath¡¯s explosion. It was likely that several human viges hundreds of kilometers from here were destroyed.


    [But Cranbel. Why are you helping me?]


    It was Bunhelier whose life was saved, but Nevartan recognized that he had been helped. It showed how much he valued his rtionship with Grid.


    [It is even while using the power of God. Didn¡¯t you intend to live a normal life?]


    ¡°¡°......?!¡±¡±


    A chill went down Metatron¡¯s spine. It was because it was very rare for dragons to clearly use the title ¡®God.¡¯ The god they were talking about was likely to be ¡®it.¡¯ The Dragon God, also known as the Refractive Dragon.


    A ¡®concept¡¯ that had been opposing the Gods of the Beginning every time the end came. Metatron, who recalled it from the moment they saw Cranbel¡¯s transparent scales refracting Nevartan¡¯s breath, felt ovee with a certain sense of duty. They felt obligated to get rid of Cranbel right away.


    However, they couldn¡¯te forward hastily. It was because of the people who arrived at the scene just in time.


    ¡°Evil Dragon Bunhelier. Your life is tenacious, just like an Old Dragon.¡±


    The blond-haired man standing next to Sword God Biban. It was the real Hayate. He was the first human to attain the status of an Absolute. He was the ¡®only one¡¯ until Biban became the Sword God. In any case, now he was armed with Grid¡¯s work. He came to everyone in a special way.


    [You are reallyte...!!]


    Bunhelier looked around and lost his temper. He managed to restore his wounded body and flew to Biban and Hayate¡¯s side.


    The hesitant Metatron also moved toward them. ¡°¡±Dragon yer. There are three of your prey here. I, Metatron, the Angel of Contract, will help you due to my awe of you.¡±¡±


    [This useless angel is stupid... it isn¡¯t three, it is two.]


    Nevartan stared at Bunhelier, who argued shamelessly with the angel to the end, and finally snorted.


    [I¡¯m tired of this. Forget it. Let¡¯s stop here.]


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hayate bowed politely. Ironically, it was the Dragon yer, who had the power to oppose them, who properly valued and respected the Old Dragons.


    Nevartan¡¯s eyes were fixed on Cranbel as he activated the return magic.


    [I look forward to hearing from you next time.]


    These were the final words. Nevartan¡¯s appearance and energy disappeared like it was a lie. All that remained was for the situation to be finished. However, Metatron didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. He shot a beam of light while rushing at Cranbel, who was alone.


    ¡°¡±If you are really the descendant of the Refractive Dragon... no, there is no way there can be any descendants. Still, you can¡¯t be kept alive.¡±¡±


    [...What do you want to do?]


    Bunhelier frowned and Biban made the same expression.

 Chapter 1879

    Chapter 1879


    The sky was terribly dark because it was encroached upon by Nevartan and Bunhelier¡¯s magic power. Even the moonlight was blocked, so it wasn¡¯t visible at all. The ecosystem was affected in real time. It resembled the hell that Baal distorted. Then¡ª


    ¡°¡±Are you going to run away?¡±¡±


    Metatron couldn¡¯t tolerate it. The darkness split and scattered again and again along the trajectory of the rays shooting from their eyes and halo. The world was illuminated once again by moonlight, starlight, and all types of nature and materials that reflected Metatron¡¯s divinity.


    ¡°...You are strong,¡± Biban stated. It was close to admiration.


    A man called a god despite being human¡ªhe had achieved great achievements with the one swordsmanship technique he honed his whole life and had eyes that weren¡¯t satisfied with the ipetence of others. However, he wasn¡¯t stingy toward Metatron.


    The same was true of Hayate. He carefully observed the angel, who used their 18 pairs of wings from various angels to drive the dragon¡¯s huge body. Finally, he praised it. ¡°It seems there are few existences in the world who canpete against this angel.¡±


    ¡°I agree. They would be ssified as one of the best among the Absolutes.¡±


    [It is true that the movements are strange and nimble due to the many wings, but that is all. That winged angel is a fool who couldn¡¯t even breathe properly in front of Nevartan. Due to fear, they betrayed my grace in saving them.]


    ¡°They look a few levels higherpared to Raphael. Of course, we can¡¯t take Raphael¡¯s skills lightly. The more I thought about it, the more I feel that Asgard¡¯s power is formidable.¡±


    ¡°It is reasonable because it is a dimension ruled by a God of the Beginning. Grid must¡¯ve already predicted it.¡±


    [That bastard who dismissed the favor of your colleague, an Old Dragon, as worthless. Are you going to let such an evil and lowly bastard who doesn¡¯t know manners and ethics act like this?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate and Biban, who had been conversing while ignoring Bunhelier, finally shifted their attention to Bunhelier. Hayate expressed sympathy while Biban expressed disgust.


    ¡°By the way, why did you challenge Nevartan to a fight?¡±


    [...I decided I had a chance.]


    ¡°Sir Hayate asked why you fought with Nevartan.¡±


    [Didn¡¯t I exin that it was because I knew I could win?]


    ¡°Is that really all?¡±


    [Then what other reason should there be? My judgment wasn¡¯t wrong. If that winged bastard had helped me and your support had been a bit faster, Nevartan¡¯s heart would¡¯ve been digesting in my stomach by now. This would¡¯ve made Grid¡¯s authority much stronger and the Martial God wouldn¡¯t hastily attack Grid again.]


    ¡°......¡±


    As expected, there was nothing good about being colleagues. Biban¡¯s expression that was showing his disappointment with Bunhelier changed along the way. Perhaps the evil and selfish viin in front of him was trying to do something ¡®for Grid¡¯...


    ¡®As a result, he just got in the way... well, he can¡¯t help being clumsy.¡¯


    In general, dragons were creatures that lived alone all their lives. Additionally, due to their overwhelming abilities and powers, they perceived themselves as the center of the world. They didn¡¯t know how to live together with others. It was a learning process, just like Bunhelier now.


    ¡°I understand why you are sorry. But even if we had joined forces, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to help against Nevartan.¡± It was a pointless loss to obsess over meaningless regrets. Hayate made Bunhelier aware of reality and changed the subject. His eyes were fixed on Cranbel, who was having a fierce battle with Metatron. ¡°In that sense, his ability to stop Nevartan¡¯s Breath is astounding. Is Cranbel really rted to the Refractive Dragon?¡±


    The Refractive Dragon might be real...


    Hayate had observed several dragons for countless years and had spected this. Recently, through Grid, he learned about what the Great Robber of the Red Night had been collecting and was almost certain about the existence of the Refractive Dragon. Then today¡ª


    He witnessed the sight of Nevartan¡¯s dozens of Breaths being reflected by Cranbel, who possessed the noblest character and strength among the top dragons, and who had scales that often became transparent. The performance of Cranbel, who was thought to be the descendant of the Refractive Dragon due to the characteristics of his scales, raised reasonable doubts in Hayate. Was he really a descendant of the Refractive Dragon?


    Bunhelier answered in a surprisingly obedient manner to Hayate, who couldn¡¯t take his eyes of Cranbel.


    [Of course, he is rted. More precisely, it is believed that the Silver Dragons, not Cranbel specifically, inherited God¡¯s will.]


    Bunhelier as well¡ªjust like Nevartan, he called the Refractive Dragon ¡®God.¡¯ He acknowledged the existence of the Refractive Dragon very naturally.


    ¡°Does the Refractive Dragon really exist...¡±


    Biban¡¯s expression was strange. His mind becameplicated over the fact that the god who appeared and helped humanity whenever it was on the verge of destruction was the god of dragons. It wasn¡¯t recorded because he appeared only at the end of the world, making him unknown to the vast majority of people. What type of mentality did thest savior have when helping humans?


    ¡®Come to think of it, surprisingly, dragons don¡¯t hurt humans. I wonder if this habit stems from the attitude of the Refractive Dragon.¡¯


    No, wasn¡¯t it right to say that the Refractive Dragon was born because dragons wanted to help humans?


    Did dragons want to help humans? Such a thing?


    Bunhelier saw through Biban¡¯s mind, that was swept up in all sorts of questions, and added an exnation.


    [I think it wasn¡¯t the wish of dragons that gave birth to the Dragon God, but the wishes of humanity. In the eyes of humans who are facing the end, a great and perfect dragon would¡¯ve been seen as thest hope and would be suitable as thest object of worship. Well, it is just a guess.]


    ¡°Do you also only know a little bit about the Refractive Dragon?¡±


    [You humans were created by Reba, but don¡¯t know her. How can I fathom God? I don¡¯t know what the other Old Dragons think, but at least for me... embracing God is just a part of my nature. I don¡¯t have to think about it. It isn¡¯t that important.]


    Even the end of the world was a trivial matter for the Old Dragons. They were still alive when Yatan destroyed the world. It was the hierarchy of the Old Dragons. From a human point of view, their hierarchy couldn¡¯t be broken, even if it seemed insufficient. This was why Bunhelier was still so arrogant.


    [In any case, this is a chance. I will rip off all of that winged bastard¡¯s wings and kill them. I will also devour Cranbel¡¯s heart.]


    ¡°...Do you have no shame?¡±


    Biban¡¯s eyes changed again as he looked at Bunhelier. He didn¡¯t look kindly at Bunhelier, who dered that he was going to hunt Cranbel despite Cranbel saving his life.


    [Is it human humor? Your way of speaking just now resembles Grid.]


    ¡°Looking at you now, I think anyone would¡¯ve said the same thing.¡±


    [If you are going to argue about morality, stop it. Cranbel didn¡¯t stop Nevartan¡¯s Breath because of me.]


    Bunhelier confirmed it and shifted his gaze to the prey. The angel and dragon were using the vast sky as a battlefield and coloring the world with a dazzling light. Silver Breaths and gold shes intersected incessantly.


    ¡°It is also true that we can¡¯t afford to sit still like this.¡±


    The longer the battle dragged on, the greater the damage to the surface. Right now, both Cranbel and Metatron were taking care not to harm the civilian poption by adjusting the angle of the Breaths and beams, but that was only possible when they had room to breathe. If Cranbel, who would soon be forced on the defensive, was forced to prioritize his safety over the civilians, then he would give up all hesitation with his Breaths.


    In the first ce, they were a dragon and an angel. Both were eligible to be helped.


    Hayate seemed to have a different idea. ¡°I will help Cranbel.¡±


    [What? Are you serious? A member of the tower that takes dragons as their main enemies, and even a Dragon yer, will help a dragon?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Have you forgotten that you are also a dragon?


    It got to the point where Biban stared at Bunhelier with disbelief. On the other hand, Hayate had a smile on his face as he calmly exined the reason, ¡°It is because I know that Cranbel feels favor toward Grid.¡±


    Was there a need for any more reasons?


    Biban drew the sword at once.


    Broken Sword¡ªMetatron and Cranbel paused while fighting and turned to Biban, even though no traces had been revealed yet.


    ¡°¡±God Grid¡¯s presence...¡±¡±


    [Is it a dragon weapon made in the mental world?]


    The energy of Fire Dragon Trauka, the mental world of the Sword God, and the technique and divinity of Only One God Grid¡ªthis was the framework of Broken Sword. The presence was enormous.


    Metatron¡¯s thoughts poured out toward Biban and Hayate.


    -I know that God Grid is like me. Since you are servants of God Grid, it is right for you to show respect and favor toward me.


    They misrepresented Grid¡¯s favor toward them. It was the limit of the species, an archangel. They obviously looked down on human beings.


    ¡°Who is simr to whom? Cheeky bastard.¡±


    Biban clicked his tongue and aimed the Broken Sword. The tip of the broken de was aimed at Metatron.


    ¡®I have to go all out from the beginning.¡¯


    It was hard to guarantee victory in a one-on-one battle. The angel with 18 pairs of wings had abat power that exceeded a top dragon. Even Hayate couldn¡¯t be rxed when facing them.


    A huge de that divided the world soared up. It had speed and power despite its size.


    Metatron was immediately split in half.


    ¡°¡±Kuek...¡±¡±


    The range was toorge to avoid. It was blocked, but defense was useless. It was apletely different power from previous worlds. It was all due to Grid¡¯s influence.


    Metatron shuddered and used Heal. Then their body, which had been cut in half, immediately regained its full form. It wasn¡¯t the concept of ¡®reversing¡¯ such as recovery, restoration, or regeneration.


    Metatron became two. It was the result of the two halves of the body both regaining their original appearance.


    [Angels possess the most difficult powers.]


    Bunhelier fell silent after these words. The restoration of Metatron, which resulted in proliferation, was in ordance with the providence of the Trinity, which pursued perfection. It was a miraclepleted with perfection. Among the gods of Asgard, it was a miracle that only Reba, Judar, and Dominion could disy.


    [There is only one way to kill them.]


    Repeated extinction without giving room to breathe. In other words, it wasn¡¯t feasible. There was no way to kill Metatron unless dozens of Breaths were ovepped, i.e. what Nevartan did. Attacking halfway would only give Metatron more power. In reality¡ª


    Metatron became two and attacked Biban and Cranbel respectively. Since there were two of them, it was natural to y the role of two. The doubled halos greatly expanded the range of the bombardment, causing a torrential rain of divinity. It wasn¡¯t just Biban and Cranbel. Bunhelier and Hayate were also kept in check at the same time.


    This was Asgard¡¯s secret weapon.


    It was the moment when Bunhelier btedly regretted touching Metatron the wrong way...


    Bunhelier¡¯s huge eyes caught the scattering of sword energy. The sight of the sharp sword energy that bloomed from a single source and repeatedly collided with each other, irregrly spreading the range and trajectory, was both intimidating and beautiful. He would die if he was cut by that.


    The power to remind an Old Dragon of death. The true identity of the energy that was beautiful and eye-catching was the Dragon yer energy.


    Humanity¡¯s first Absolute¡ªafter being impressed by Grid, he overcame his fear and it had been a long time since the hesitation disappeared before the Dragon Killing Sword. It was much faster and sharper than when he cut Zeratul in the past. Furthermore, like Biban, he was armed with a dragon weapon created by Grid.


    [I se... e...you... are one of the causes... who instigated Chiyou¡¯s desire...]


    Metatron¡¯s two bodies disappeared without a trace. Leaving behind only the thoughts that lingered like echoes, they became two rays of light that soared high into the sky.


    After watching the scene for a while, Bunhelier slowly stepped out. He showed off the overwhelming appearance of an Old Dragon to the whole world.


    [It is your turn next.]


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The figure of the Old Dragon disappeared without a trace. It was because Bunhelier discovered Grid, who appeared at the scene, and polymorphed into human form.


    Grid¡¯s expression wasn¡¯tfortable. He was worried about Hayate, whose arms had be rags in return for the blow just now.


    The limits of the human body. Grid was certain that Hayate using his full power was the same as a deration of determination.


    ¡°They were greatly weakened after a series of battles with strong enemies and being shed by Sir Biban¡¯s sword. Thanks to that, I defeated them easily. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    To be a bit more precise, the reason why Metatron meekly backed down was due to Grid¡¯s proximity. Metatron was never a weak opponent and everyone on this field knew it. But Grid wasn¡¯t worried. He had gained new colleagues. It was just like Zeratul.


    ¡°Cranbel, I understand the situation. I owe you a lot again. Thank you.¡±


    The incident hade to an end. All that remained was to finish it well.


    Grid bowed politely to Cranbel first. It was with genuine respect, just like when he faced Hayate.


    Bunhelier¡¯s unnecessarily handsome face crumpled.

 Chapter 1880

    Chapter 1880


    ¡°You messed up your job because you were greedy.¡±


    At Asgard...


    Judar¡¯s eyes were cold as he stared at Metatron. There was the sensation of digging into the inside that wasn¡¯t apparent on the outside.


    Judar reproached Metatron, who lowered their head in an overwhelmed manner.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been arrogant enough to hunt an Old Dragon, Chiyou would¡¯ve disyed his strength rtively quickly.¡±


    Metatron, who left the battlefield under the pretext that they had been ambushed by Chiyou, met a variable named Nevartan and was unable to return to the battlefield in the end. Thanks to this, Chiyou had enough energy and Asura didn¡¯t have time to observe Chiyou¡¯s strength. The reason for the failure of this Chiyou expeditiony purely with Metatron.


    ¡°¡±I¡¯m ashamed. I have learned enough about the strength of an Old Dragon and I won¡¯t repeat the same mistake twice.¡±¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Judar didn¡¯t bother being angry. He issued Metatron an order to leave and assessed the situation.


    He couldn¡¯t do anything about Chiyou, but it wasn¡¯t a big loss. They got a lot of battle gear made by Grid. They were all powerful and beautiful enough to match thendscape of heaven.


    Ornaments made of metal that symbolized Grid. Each battle gear was decorated with ck-gold ornaments.


    ¡®Is it the inherent limitation of those who rise up from a low ce? Grid, you are also arrogant. Metatron¡¯s mistake will be covered up by your mistakes.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°Be aware of your position. Grid, your hierarchy isn¡¯t one where you need to bow to a top dragon,¡± Bunhelier pointed out impatiently. He couldn¡¯t ept the sight of Grid greeting Cranbel politely.


    ¡°Status doesn¡¯t matter in a rtionship,¡± Grid immediately retorted.


    Hayate and Biban smiled.


    As usual, Cranbel didn¡¯t show any emotion with his facial expressions. He only captured the appearance of Grid in his deep eyes that was like an infinite universe.


    Bunhelier read the mood and took a step back. ¡°That is true from the time that I, a great Old Dragon, became your colleague.¡±


    He shrugged and the ck hair that went down his back waved. It was glossy, fine hair. From the tip of his toe to his hair, he was truly wless in his appearance. He was literally fine on the outside.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you embarrassed in front of Cranbel?¡¯


    [I am the one who owes you. If you hadn¡¯t intervened, I probably would¡¯ve been killed by Bunhelier.]


    Cranbel responded to Grid, who was inwardly clicking his tongue. It was while using honorifics very naturally.


    ¡°You are exaggerating. Your Dragon Words would¡¯ve been enough to get out of the crisis. I was worried that you might be offended about me intervening unnecessarily.


    ¡°That is ridiculous.¡±


    Bunhelier was the weakest among the Old Dragons, but he was invincible against the top dragons. Grid unrealistically appreciated Cranbel and it was just absurd. Grid didn¡¯t care about this. In the first ce, Grid was assertive. It was to the extent where he epted Zeratul as a member of the Overgeared World despite the opposition of some people.


    ¡°What worries me even more is the rtionship between you and Nevartan. Nevartan might hold a grudge against you. Do you have any intention of staying in Reinhardt for the time being?¡±


    Biban was exining in real time what had happened here to Grid. It wasn¡¯t an exnation usingnguage.


    The scenes witnessed by Biban unfolded in Grid¡¯s head.


    It was the utilization of intent impossible for a yer.


    Grid thought about it. It could also be used as a mental attack.


    ¡®An Absolute who knows how to use their power wisely will be able to subdue a yer with their intent.¡¯


    It was nothing new. In the past, Garam had already shown how to overwhelm others with intent. For Grid, the experience of not being able to resist the Formless Will was as vivid as if it took ce yesterday.


    ¡®Garam...¡¯


    Once he remembered Garam, the images of the enemies he had encountered so far shed like a kaleidoscope.


    Starting with the poor ughterer to the ck Knights, the Red Knights, the pope of the Reba Church during their dark age and the Yatan Servants. There were also monsters and bosses of various fields, the great demons, the yangbans, the Seven Guilds, Blood Carnival, the kingdoms and the Empire, the transcendents and the Absolutes who looked down on them...


    At the time, they all felt powerful. There were many times when he wondered how he could win against them. But now he had defeated Baal and faced off against the heavenly gods. After fighting countless enemies, he was on his way to the ¡®ending.¡¯


    ¡®The ending...¡¯


    Grid felt a bit confused. He always thought that he had to conquer Asgard in order to see a happy ending. However, looking back on what he went through today, he wondered if that was the right decision.


    The gods of Asgard were different from demons. Of course, the gods were also far from being saints. They were selfish. They sometimes made mistakes andmitted sins. However, it was the same with humans. The nature of the gods might be different from the aspirations of humanity, but humanity wasn¡¯t entitled to condemn the gods.


    ¡®We don¡¯t have to fight.¡¯


    Of course, Grid¡¯s obligations didn¡¯t change. It was an obligation to prevent the destruction that Reba would cause. However, there was no need to antagonize all the gods in the process. He was convinced that there would be an opportunity to approach Reba in a more peaceful way.


    It was a belief instilled by the attitude of Dominion and the gods. Thanks to all types of encounters, Grid had his own discerning vision and had subtle expectations for Dominion. He had a feeling that it would be unlikely to meet each other as enemies in the future.


    There was just one thing that bothered him. Judar, the God of Wisdom. If Dominion was in charge of the battlefield, Judar seemed to be in charge of all of Asgard in Reba¡¯s stead. It was likely he had even more influence than Dominion.


    However, looking back on what Chiyou had said, Judar¡¯s disposition didn¡¯t seem to align with Grid. Even Dominion seemed somewhat reluctant toward Judar.


    ¡®I think it is more realistic to settle with him than to turn all of Asgard into an enemy.¡¯


    There were attack strategies in games. It was the same for Satisfy.


    ¡®...Just keep building the tower and I will be able to do something.¡¯


    Of course, Grid was a person who used a standard attack strategy a very few number of times. That was the case this time.


    At this point, Asgard was inessible without the help of the Old Dragons. Originally, Asgard was invible territory for yers. Yet Grid had secured the means to ascend to Asgard. This was possible thanks to Eat Spicy Jokbal, but Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s merit was also Grid¡¯s merit.


    If he hadn¡¯t been squeezed by Grid, Eat Spicy would still be wandering in the underworld.


    If Grid hadn¡¯t provided Elizabeth with the environment to be a craftsman, Eat Spicy Jokbal would have run into all sorts of limitations without the artifacts that enhanced a dungeon master¡¯s traits.


    The weapon called ¡®connection,¡¯ which Grid used as his greatest strength, used Grid as its source in the first ce.


    In any case, Grid wanted to strengthen the rtionship to the limit. He was also eager to appease Cranbel as an ally.


    Unfortunately, Cranbel shook his head.


    [I¡¯m not ready to live with anyone. Additionally, I don¡¯t think it is likely that Nevartan will retaliate against me.]


    Grid didn¡¯t force it any longer. It was because through the memories instilled by Biban, he overheard the conversation between Cranbel and Nevartan.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that Nevartan is favorable toward me.¡¯


    In fact, this was the part he was looking forward to the most when raiding Baal. If Baal died, then Nevartan¡¯s insanity would be cured. Grid decided that he could win Nevartan¡¯s favor. He was looking forward to it more because Nevartan was Nefelina¡¯s father.


    Of course, there was a lot of anxiety. He was worried that the energy of the Insane Dragon in Greed would disappear when Nevartan¡¯s insanity was cured. Fortunately, the nature of proliferation in Greed wasn¡¯t extinguished and it was maintained. He got only the things that he wanted.


    ¡°I understand. Just... it is hardly a substitute, but can you listen to one request? I want to give you something.¡±


    Making things one by one.


    Grid took out the portable furnace and started hammering. In the process of making the dragon weapons with Hexetia, he surpassed the limits of his craftsmanship skills. Now he could reallyplete one piece in the blink of an eye. In terms of shape, it resembled a belt.


    A waistband made of leather. It was very long. It was long enough to tie hundreds of human beings together. Surprisingly, its identity was a bracelet.


    [Bracelet Made by the Great God of the Surface for the Noble Dragon]


    [Rating: Myth


    Defense: 100


    Durability: 20,000/20,000


    A bracelet made by Only One God Grid to give to the Cloaked Dragon Cranbel.


    Greed is attached as an ornament to the special leather created by Hexetia, God of cksmiths.


    Conditions of Use: A dragon.]


    Was it because the background of being made for a dragon by an Only One God? Or was it due to the special materials made by the God of cksmiths and the use of Greed, which symbolized Grid, as a material? It was an essory with no particr performance and was even made hastily, but it was judged as a myth rated item with all sorts of modifiers attached.


    Due to his great artistry, he dazzled Cranbel, who liked treasure as a dragon. However, Cranbel couldn¡¯t receive the bracelet easily.


    [I don¡¯t know what your intention is behind giving me this gift.]


    ¡°I can identify the location of Greed. As long as you have this, I can always find you, Cranbel.¡±


    The Tower of Wisdom had a dragon radar. It was just that there were too many functional limitations to find hidden dragons.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare spy on you. Just in case you are in danger...¡±


    [You¡¯ve exined it.]


    Cranbel slowly stretched out his huge hand. He carefully picked up the bracelet with fingers that wererger than Grid


    [I know how you feel.]


    An expression appeared on Cranbel¡¯s face. Grid and Biban didn¡¯t really recognize a dragon¡¯s expression, but Bunhelier and Hayate did. It was a clear smile.


    [I will cherish it.]


    Cranbel was about to wrap a bracelet around his wrist, only to change his mind halfway through. He increased the size of the bracelet with magic power and hung it around his neck.


    Biban was startled.


    ¡°It is like a dog on a leash... Hmm.¡± Biban¡¯s words stopped halfway through. Hayate¡¯s Dragon yer energy felt particrly chilly, so Biban came to his senses.


    [Then let¡¯s meet again one day.]


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    The encounters with Cranbel were always short.


    Bunhelier spoke to Grid, who was feeling regretful as he looked at the back of the giant dragon moving away quickly. ¡°I would like a set of a bracelet and ne.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    How many iron tes did he put on his face? Grid was convinced that there were few creatures in the world who could be more shameless than Bunhelier.


    After a while, Grid returned to Reinhardt. The whole city was in an uproar because of Zeratul.

 Chapter 1881

    Chapter 1881


    The Overgeared Empire¡¯s resentment against Zeratul ran deep. It wasn¡¯t due to the incident where he descended with the eight gods to challenge Grid. It was before that. The Empire hated the incident where he invaded Reinhardt, inflicted humiliation on Grid and the apostles, and threatened the life of Prince Lord.


    ¡°Ignorant people.¡±


    Zeratul, who was sitting silently under the fierce res of the apostles and Overgeared members, finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°Think back to my rtionship with Grid. Several incidents caused by Grid over the past few years have caused me embarrassment. The fact that I held a grudge against him and retaliated against him in the past was a very natural providence and it isn''t worthy of criticism.¡±


    Zeratul''s expression was very confident and arrogant.


    ¡°Even if I am a sinner from your narrow-minded point of view, it is a thing of the past. My sins have already been forgiven. For whatever the reason, I helped Grid escape from the Prison of Eternity and fought Chiyou today.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°In the end, I helped Grid. Unlike you ipetent guys who couldn¡¯t do anything against an Absolute and were just sucking your fingers, I was the only one Grid could rely on.¡±


    The longer Zeratul talked, the more the momentum of the Overgeared members eased. They were unable to show any further hostility toward Zeratul and slowly averted his gaze.


    However, Haster was the exception. He had fought directly on the battlefield and was imposing. Jishuka, Yura, Kraugel, Katz, and Euphemina were alsopletely unfazed.


    ¡°Do you usually forgive yourself for the sins you havemitted?¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve shot an arrow at any time? I just sucked my fingers and watched because it was Grid¡¯s order, not because I was afraid of Chiyou.¡±


    Katz scolded him and Jishuka exined her position.


    ¡°Mere human beings like you are speaking such nonsense...¡±


    Zeratul snorted and shifted his gaze to Jishuka. Then he paused halfway through. A human woman with zing red hair and eyes¡ªthe energy she had was unusual. ¡°...I¡¯ve never seen a human being who has ¡®inherited¡¯ divinity. Indeed, I see that there is no falsehood in your words. You might not have been able to inflict a mortal blow on Chiyou, but you could¡¯ve threatened him to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡± Euphemina interjected.


    Zeratul¡¯s expression cooled down. ¡°You have mingled with me for a while and this made you unable to understand the subject.¡±


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Yura stepped forward as arbitrator. ¡°It was Youngwoo-ssi who decided to ept Zeratul as a colleague. Excessive criticism and ridicule will make Youngwoo-ssi feel ashamed.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The members of the Overgeared Guild shut up.


    ¡°Additionally, Zeratul. From now on, you will have to live with people, right? Please refrain from saying or doing things that seem to despise others. I doubt your intentions.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hearing admonitions he hardly heard even in heaven from humans? Zeratul was taken aback but he didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. It was because there was nothing wrong with what Yura said.


    Yes, he was a member of the Overgeared World now. He shouldn¡¯t despise the beings he would have to live with in the future. Didn¡¯t he already experience it once in heaven? He despised the gods who were lower than him and became isted. He also didn¡¯t receive anyone¡¯s help because he was despised.


    ¡®Above all, it is advice from the Demon yer.¡¯


    One of the figures who contributed the most to the purification of hell. Yura¡¯s fame from helping Grid subjugate hell had risen up from the surface and reached heaven. Some gods had noted the possibilities of Yura. Now that most of the demons had disappeared, it was assumed that the Demon yer would undergo a natural evolution to adapt to the changed world. She was a target of respect.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take your advice to heart.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were surprised by the unexpected attitude and shook their heads. Some of them smiled.


    In the first ce, the Overgeared Guild was a group of people with strong personalities. Many people with difficult personalities had seeded in reforming themselves. Naturally, they trusted Zeratul. Many people decided it was better to focus on his future rather than his past.


    Of course, not all of them were like that. In particr, the apostles still looked at Zeratul unfavorably.


    ¡°Who will you be from now on?¡± Braham asked from where he had been sitting silently. ¡°Everyone hase to know Chiyou. You can¡¯t im to be the Martial God any longer. You also lost all the privileges you enjoyed as a god of Asgard. Is there any benefit to us in you joining the Overgeared World after you have entered a slump?¡±


    Zeratulughed.


    Braham¡ªhe was the one who reacted the most violently when Grid dered that he would ept Zeratul. They wondered if Braham had given up his stubbornness, so it was funny to see him instigating trouble again in Grid¡¯s absence.


    ¡°If a superior Absolute threatens Grid or the Overgeared World, I can step in and stop it. It is on behalf of all of you, who can¡¯t be active at all.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This was why Braham stopped his stubbornness. Against Chiyou, he hadn¡¯t been active at all. Of course, it was an unfortunate ident caused by Chiyou¡¯s power to force a ¡®pure confrontation,¡¯ but it was inferiorpared to Zeratul, who held Chiyou back. Therefore, he failed to break Grid¡¯s determination to ept Zeratul into the Overgeared World.


    ¡®Let¡¯s make sure the hierarchy is decided.¡¯


    It was the moment when Braham, who had intervened for no reason and couldn¡¯t find a response, trembled and raised his desire to kill...


    ¡°Additionally, I am still the Martial God.¡± Zeratul shook his head.


    Braham was about tough, only to suddenly close his mouth. It was because he saw the conviction in Zeratul¡¯s eyes. Zeratul was looking at the ce where the Overgeared members had gathered. To be precise, he looked at Regas.


    ¡°Unlike Chiyou, who forcibly advances the possibility called potential in the hope that talented people will be stronger, I can teach those who are hungry to learn in the true sense.¡±


    One of the symbols of Zeratul was the ¡®secret technique.¡¯ The secret techniques he wrote must ¡®teach¡¯ and develop those who acquired them. It was just that so far, his secret techniques had been negatively evaluated. It was because it fascinated a person.


    This was Zeratul¡¯s intention. Zeratul used the secret techniques as bait to gain the worship of people and spawn his own followers. But today¡ª


    Zeratul realized it. It was the aftermath of witnessing Regas, who sought to learn by watching his source, i.e. Asura¡¯s every move. There were so many people in the world who were hungry to learn. He had the ability to help them...


    ¡°I will be worshiped in a different way than Chiyou and I will be the Martial God in a better sense.¡±


    It was about writing secret techniques that taught everyone. Of course, this was a power. It was Zeratul¡¯s unique power that couldn¡¯t be possessed by Chiyou, who only dreamed of extinction and robbed the future of the talented.


    Zeratul reflected on it. The reason why the Goddess bestowed this power on him. It must¡¯ve been because she wanted him to give sincere help to everyone and receive worship beyond Chiyou.


    ¡®But I didn¡¯t know it.¡¯


    He was blinded by the profits in front of him. He was in a hurry to attract talented people to be his followers and use them to increase his immediate reputation. It was because it took time to make the secret techniques. He had been anxious because there was a limit to the resources he could utilize. He arbitrarily judged that it would take too long for him to be worshiped if he widely distributed the secret techniques.


    It was a misjudgment. It was right to go about it slowly.


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere became tense. People were nervous because they were overwhelmed by Zeratul¡¯s powerful build as he pulled himself up from the chair. As if telling them not to be afraid, Zeratul moved slowly. It was toward Regas. He held a secret technique book that he had written today based on what he had seen and experienced on the battlefield. ¡°You probably fell for Baal¡¯s trick. You, who are bound by Asura, I will set you free.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Regas¡¯ eyes widened as he was handed the secret technique.


    [Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique]


    [Rating: Myth


    A secret technique book where Asura¡¯s important passive skills are described.


    Learning Conditions: Asura.]


    ¡°This... is this really for me...?¡±


    ¡°Even though Asura wasn¡¯t very active today, he is definitely a big threat.¡±


    Like me, he has the ability to see and learn another person¡¯s skills in real time.


    No, I don¡¯t want to admit it, but he is even better than I am.


    ¡®It is because I can¡¯t learn the skills of someone who is on the same level as me or higher.¡¯


    However, Asura quickly learned Chiyou¡¯s skills. It was obvious that he would grow at a tremendous rate.


    ¡°You will need to do your part to stop him from bing a big threat one day.¡±


    In hell, Regas had already done a good job of stopping Asura. By reproducing some of Asura¡¯s skills in a simr manner, he seeded in canceling out Asura¡¯s skills once. The opportunity created by that single sess helped Biban reverse the situation.


    The Asura ss¡ªit was the incident where ¡®Asura¡¯s food¡¯ that Baal nted on the surface in preparation for the future actually grabbed Asura¡¯s ankle in reverse.


    ¡°Ahh...! Martial God!¡±


    A turmoil urred.


    It started when Vantner and Peak Sword bowed to Zeratul.


    ¡°The great and only Martial God Zeratul! Give me a secret technique as well!¡±


    ¡°Give it to me, not this guy! I will make sure to scold the fake Martial God Chiyou who is like a bug!¡±


    "......¡±


    Were they really the subordinates of Grid...? Zeratul looked at Vantner and Peak Sword, who were bowing more actively than any other follower, in an absurd manner.


    ¡°It is noisy.¡± Then Grid returned. Suddenly, the atmosphere calmed down.


    ¡°I was a bit worried, but you seem like you quite like each other?¡±


    Grid had yet to grasp the situation. He never dreamed about the great miracle that had just happened.


    Lauel whispered to him to exin the situation. Grid¡¯s expression changed in real time.


    Zeratul was somewhat nervous. ¡®Hayate...¡¯


    A man who gave Zeratul defeat with his swordsmanship that was as good as his elegant demeanor¡ªhe seemed a lot more powerful than before...


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate was also nervous. It was true that he defeated Zeratul in the past, but it was possible because Zeratul was under enormous constraints. Hayate had never thought that his skills were better than Zeratul¡¯s. Additionally, he still didn¡¯t trust Zeratul, so he felt a strong sense of alienation from Zeratul, who blended into the familiarndscape. He rxed his muscles so he coulde out at any time. His torn muscles hadn¡¯t recovered, so he was conscious of the pain. Still, he endured it as usual.


    ¡®This guy, Zeratul. Did he get nervous when he saw me?¡¯ Then Bunhelier read the strange air currents and raised his nose high into the air.


    ¡°Zeratul, in fact, I have admired you for a long time.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid confessed out of the blue. He approached Zeratul and smiled brightly while holding Zeratuls¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯m going to hold a grand party to wee you. What type of drinks and food do you like? Music? Just tell me anything. I¡¯ll even pick a star from the sky for you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He wasn''t looking at Zeratul, the apostles, the tower members, and Bunhelier, all of whom were bewildered. A notification window was emerging in real time in front of Grid and the Overgeared members.


    [The ¡®Martial God¡¯s Secret Techniques¡¯ have been added to the list of Reinhardt¡¯s specialties.]

 Chapter 1882

    Chapter 1882


    [Martial God¡¯s Secret Technique]


    [A skill book written by Martial God Zeratul for those in need of learning.


    One skill book is guaranteed to be produced every week and the rating is random.]


    Many Absolutes might¡¯ve mocked Zeratul as a ¡®fake,¡¯ but when ites to the system, everything was still the same. It still recognized Zeratul as the Martial God. It didn¡¯t care that Chiyou had made his appearance in the world.


    ¡°I will be worshiped in a different way than Chiyou and I will be the Martial God in a better sense.¡±


    It was the feeling of respecting Zeratul¡¯s deration that he realized the significance of his existence. No, it probably knew from the beginning that Zeratul would grow into a Martial God in a different direction from Chiyou.


    ¡®In the end, it means that Reba¡¯s arrangement will be followed.¡¯


    What was Reba? Fundamental considerations such as good or evil were excluded. He had long realized that the distinction between good and evil was blurry and sometimes meaningless.


    Grid was just trembling and wary of Reba¡¯s insight as she looked into the future. This didn¡¯t make him feel repulsed by Zeratul¡¯s change. Even if it was Reba¡¯s arrangement, it was a positive thing for Grid.


    In addition to being trustworthy, he distributed at least one skill book every week. It was a huge event considering that the secret techniques that made the world buzz in the past, covered all types of skills. In the future, the members of the Overgeared Guild would be equipped with the power of items and skills. Yes, just like Grid.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Zeratul scratched his nose as he was surrounded by Grid and members of the Overgeared Guild. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. It was hard for him to be humble when it didn¡¯t match him. For Zeratul, who was thirsty for praise, the people¡¯s reactions came like rain. It also meant he was easy to handle.


    Even Huroi took part. He used all types of rhetoric to praise Zeratul. The skills that amplified the effect of speech ovepped, causing Zeratul to ascend with just a few words.


    ¡°He should say it with saliva in his mouth... his mouth will dry up and be worn down, worn down.¡±


    ¡°Was he Lee Wanyong in a previous life?¡± [1]


    Vantner and Peak Sword groaned. They ttered Zeratul before anyone else and now they were ming Huroi when he was able to take their benefits away from them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pour cold water on you.¡±


    In the midst of the amicable (?) atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early to talk about a party and to rx?¡± Sword God Biban interjected. ¡°The gods of Asgard are still using Chiyou as an excuse to be active.¡±


    The basic role of the Tower of Wisdom was to guard against the dragons. Inevitably, they looked at the entire continent in real time. Biban received the news through Radwolf¡¯smunication that the persistently surviving gods of Asgard were still fighting against Chiyou.


    Grid knew it as well. Therefore, none of the gods of the Overgeared World were here. The Overgeared World¡¯s gods had been instructed by Grid and were chasing after the gods of Asgard, repairing the traces of destruction that they created in real time.


    ¡°Chiyou showed his power and is a powerhouse beyond imagination. The gods of Asgard, led by Dominion, might struggle, but it will soone to an end.¡±


    Dominion was strong. In terms of pure force alone, he was a few levels above Baal. In the event of a war against Asgard, he was an opponent that Grid would have to face. However, Chiyou was too unique. It was safe to say that he was on a different dimension.


    Thus, Zeratul warned Grid, who easily predicted the oue. ¡°Dominion is the God of War. He gets stronger depending on the size of the army he leads. You probably know a human called Ares. It was easy to understand that Dominion¡¯s power is to amplify his ability by tens of thousands of times.¡±


    At a time when the concept of the gods was a distant thing for humans. There was a man who dared to im to be the God of War.


    Ares¡ªhe was the second yer to establish a kingdom and was the king of Valha. At one point, Zeratul took notice of him. He attempted to enthrall Ares and make Valha¡¯s powerful army all worship him. It naturally failed. Ares had umted achievements that were second only to Grid in certain areas and he wasn¡¯t an easy person.


    ¡°I know the power of Dominion well. I actually saw it earlier that his power weakened in real time every time the number of gods from Asgard decreased.¡±


    ¡°The gods on the battlefield are just the tip of the army.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°The shadows lurking beyond the golden clouds. Those 8,000 Valkyries are Dominion¡¯s real army. Dominion¡¯s destructive power when teaming up with this army is beyond what you can imagine. The reason why Dominion didn¡¯t send the Valkyries to the battlefield even at thest moment is because he feared Reinhardt would be reduced to ashes.¡±


    ¡°Even Valkyries have appeared?¡±


    It was a situation where all types of gods and angels were rampant. It wasn¡¯t surprising that a group called the Valkyries suddenly appeared. Zeratul looked somewhat puzzled at Vantner, who was nodding in understanding, and continued his exnation.


    ¡°Even so, Dominion won¡¯t be able to overpower Chiyou. However, we can¡¯t ignore the aftermath of their pursuit. All the areas they pass through will be in ruins at this moment. Casualties will inevitably ur even if both sides try to avoid harming humans.¡±


    Lauel, who had been silently listening to the story, asked a question. ¡°Why are the gods of Asgard trying so hard not to hurt people?¡±


    Is it just to be worshiped? There was no way. Asgard had already turned a blind eye to the Great Human and Demon War. Judar even sided with the demons, albeit indirectly. It didn¡¯t make sense to not hurt humans because they wanted to be worshiped again.


    ¡°At first, I thought it was a matter of respecting His Majesty, Grid, but it feels like too much for just that.¡±


    Are they trying to stir up ¡®my¡¯ anger...?


    Lauel showed signs of self-consciousness as he raised the ming back dragon on the back of his hand.


    Zeratul stared at him for a moment before exining.


    ¡°Basically, the gods have a nature of caring for humans. Of course, depending on the situation, personal feelings or Greed, they are bound to turn away from this nature at times. But at least for now, the current Asgard is focused on Chiyou. They don¡¯t feel the need to harm humans.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that those who turned away from the Great Human and Demon War would have such a nature.¡±


    ¡°There was a rational reason not to help humans at that time.¡±


    ¡°Rational reason?¡±


    ¡°It was a time when we took the actions of humans as a challenge to the gods. Look back. You humans, who were originally weak and should¡¯ve lived in the lowest ce, have started to ughter higher beings and destroy the ecosystem. They doubted the Goddess, who they should¡¯ve served with unconditional gratitude, and finally destroyed the Reba Church. To the gods, it all seemed like a sign of rebellion. It was a time to be wary and punish rather than help humans.¡±


    A selfish standard.


    Lauel immediately refuted it. ¡°Today¡¯s humanity is openly hostile to Asgard. If what you say is true, shouldn¡¯t the gods be wary of humans and punish them now?¡±


    ¡°It is very different.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s eyes fell on Grid.


    ¡°Most gods now perceive Grid to be equal or superior to themselves. They interpret the attitude of the surface as ¡®the will of god¡¯ rather than the ¡®challenge of humanity¡¯.¡±


    What did this mean? Most people didn¡¯t understand it right away. They treated it as sophistry and frowned. Only Lauel was different.


    ¡°...In other words, they perceive it as a war rather than a rebellion?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At the same time, we came to the conclusion that the absolute majority of humans are innocent. It is just as how most of the gods are innocent, except for the seven gods.¡±


    Zeratul shifted his gaze to Zik and spoke meaningfully, only to smirk. It was because he felt the presence of Hexetia, who flinched in the corner and somewhat shrank back.


    ¡°To the gods, the surface and the Overgeared World are different. They see the surface as forcibly subordinate to the Overgeared World thanks to Grid¡¯s influence and they n to liberate it. However, in order for the gods of Asgard to move freely, away from the influence of the Overgeared World, they need to secure a foothold on the surface. This is why they are even more obsessed with Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°It is because Chiyou is the gatekeeper of the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. From Asgard¡¯s perspective, it is possible to secure the Hwan Kingdom and use it as a base if Chiyou is somehow dealt with. In that sense, Grid is lucky. If Grid¡¯s birth was sometime earlier and Chiyou was still part of Asgard, or if he was bornter and the Hwan Kingdom had already been upied by Asgard¡ªthe Overgeared World would¡¯ve been punished without having a chance to umte power.¡±


    ¡°Heroes are made by the times. If it wasn¡¯t for this era in the first ce, Grid wouldn¡¯t have needed to work so hard.¡±


    ¡®...No.¡¯


    I would¡¯ve done the same thing...


    Grid wanted to refute it but Lauel was very serious. He was immersed as a being living in the ¡®world¡¯ called Satisfy.


    ¡°The birth of the Overgeared World and theposition of the present day weren¡¯t created through heavenly luck, but by the times imposed on Grid and Grid¡¯s dedication. From the time you turned a blind eye to Baal using all types of sophistry and excuses, Grid has been forced to struggle alone and reached this point.¡±


    ¡°...Well, none of your words are wrong. I apologize for my careless words.¡±


    Not so long ago, Zeratul was a god who belonged to Asgard. He saw the world from Asgard¡¯s point of view. Now it had changed. He started to figure out his position beside Grid. It was different in many ways from when he just observed from a very high ce and at a very far distance.


    A smile spread across Grid¡¯s face. ¡®I¡¯m d he is different from Bunhelier.¡¯


    Zeratul was surprisingly a being with a minimal amount of shame andmon sense...


    Bunhelier felt strangely ufortable at the sight of the relieved Grid, but he kept his mouth shut. In fact, he wanted to urge Grid to make him a ne. He thought it was Grid¡¯s urgent duty to repay him for his great contribution every time, rather than hold a trivial party.


    However, he remained patient. It was because the attitude of the people toward Zeratul, who joinedter than him, was strange. He felt a certain sense of crisis. It was frustrating but he decided it was a time to be cautious.


    He grew. He learned the bare minimum ofmon sense while living with people.


    ¡°I will make sure that the gods don¡¯t hurt people.¡±


    The thorny sensation on his tongue¡ªBunhelier really hated it, but he still spoke words he didn¡¯t mean. He wanted to prove that he was more capable than Zeratul.


    ¡°I¡¯ll chase them down and control the range of the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Ohh...!¡±


    ¡°As expected of an Old Dragon...¡±


    There were exmations of admiration from everywhere. It was an unrealistic deration to ¡®control¡¯ the battlefield range of Chiyou and Dominion¡¯s army. It was purely possible because he was an Old Dragon. The number of people who were happy that Bunhelier was on the same side had increased exponentially.


    On the other hand, Grid looked like he was chewing on poop.


    ¡®What is he up to?¡¯


    What type of tricks was he nning to say such nonsense that didn¡¯t suit him? Biban read Grid¡¯s doubts and spoke to him using a sound transmission.


    -I¡¯ll go with Sir Hayate and keep an eye on him.


    It was only then that the relieved Grid nodded to Biban, who was standing next to Bunhelier.


    ¡°Then please do so.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, yes.¡±


    Now you are using proper honorifics...


    Bunhelier smiled with satisfaction and soared high into the sky. He regained his giant dragon form and disappeared from the scene in an instant. Hayate and Biban followed him.


    Zeratul frowned. ¡®Do they intend to go beyond the level of surveince and to defeat either Chiyou or Dominion? I think it is a hasty decision.¡¯


    A Dragon yer, the Sword God, and an Evil Dragon¡ªit was seen as a tremendous force for Zeratul. In the first ce, did it make sense for the Dragon yer and a dragon to cooperate with each other? He clicked his tongue in many ways. Then Grid spoke to him, ¡°You dered that you would be the Martial God in a different sense than Chiyou?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the Overgeared Martial God?¡±


    ¡°The Overgeared World¡¯s Martial God? Certainly... I will be easily worshiped.¡±


    ¡°No. It is Overgeared Martial God.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    It was Zeratul who didn¡¯t understand it quickly, but nevertheless, he felt a strong feeling of dislike.


    It was because Lauel had a lost expression.


    He thought Judar had invaded the surface without him knowing it.


    1. Previous prime minister of South Korea who was pro-Japanese and is the symbol for a traitor in modern South Korea ?

 Chapter 1883

    Chapter 1883


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like my suggestion?¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression was stiff. He asked Zeratul to ept the title of Overgeared. It was an expression of trust and goodwill.


    Grid highly valued Zeratul. A being in the ranks of the strongest in the world¡ªto put it bluntly, how many beings on the surface and in heaven could stand up to Zeratul? He even had the power to produce skill books.


    It was naturally valuable. He wanted to shake off the past and have a true rtionship.


    However, Zeratul¡¯s response was very disappointing. It was hard to be happy because his goodwill was rejected.


    ¡°Um...¡± Zeratul reacted cautiously. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. He was really keeping an eye on Grid. It was because his absolute pride as the Martial God had been shattered when he met Chiyou. Furthermore, he was determined to live as a member of the Overgeavred World. It was only natural for him to keep an eye on Grid.


    ¡°I know the meaning of being overgeared.¡±


    From the time that Grid became the Overgeared God, the gods of Asgard also learned and understood the meaning of the word overgeared.


    Relying on battle gear¡ªit was unwee from Zeratul¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°As I said before, I will continue to be the Martial God. Relying on battle gear? I don¡¯t want that. Myst remnant of pride... I can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    Zeratul hesitated for a moment before speaking. It was because he recalled Grid¡¯s Defying the Natural Order. The treasured sword that allowed him to stand up to Chiyou. It was so powerful. He was fascinated in an instant and wanted to make it his favorite weapon.


    However, a tool should always be a tool. He couldn¡¯t rely on it. Zeratul was convinced that it would act as a poison.


    Grid nodded. ¡°It is the will of the Martial God, not anyone else, so I will respect it. But it is a bit shocking... it turns out I am a guy with no pride...¡±


    Grid¡¯s murmur was very faint. Except for the reply that he respected Zeratul¡¯s wish, the rest was talking to himself. However, Zeratul was an Absolute. His overwhelming hearing clearly captured even Grid¡¯s low words to himself.


    ¡®How should I react?¡¯


    Originally, Zeratul was an extremely arrogant person in Asgard. He unconditionally prioritized his own will without considering other people¡¯s feelings. This was the nature of the being who had been the Martial God since his birth. The current situation of having to pay attention to Grid was very unfamiliar.


    ¡°My apostles and the tower members. My guild members and the army of the empire... they were all fools with no pride...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was even the narrow-minded and very stubborn type of person. It meant Zeratul met the wrong person. Zeratul had no resistance to hold out at all against Grid, who constantly scolded him by pretending to talk to himself.


    ¡°The people who believe in me and follow me have no backbone or courage...¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± Grid¡¯s self-talk started to go too far and Zeratul eventually failed to stay still. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it a bit more.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that if you don¡¯t want to...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m being serious. I can¡¯t get the sensation of using your sword out of my mind.¡±


    Really. The sensation of cutting Chiyou¡¯s flesh with Defying the Natural Order was clearly engraved in Zeratul¡¯s mind.


    In the first ce, he was the Martial God. He had mastered all martial arts and there were no weapons he couldn¡¯t handle. He shouldn¡¯t rely on weapons? That was too one-dimensional.


    ¡®If I put it that way, I shouldn¡¯t even rely on martial arts.¡¯


    ...Wasn¡¯t this too extreme?


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Zeratul recalled who he was.


    The Martial God. There was an inseparable rtionship with martial arts. Meanwhile, weapons were tools thatpleted martial arts.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    A thunderbolt shed in Zeratule¡¯s mental world. It was the aftermath of having an epiphany. He needed multiple weapons and Grid had a knack for making the most powerful weapons. The rtionship between him and Grid was inseparable...


    ¡°...I see. It was like that.¡±


    In the past, he¡ª


    Why did he hate Grid so much? Why did he obsess over Grid and take risks every time?


    ¡®It is because I knew instinctively that Grid was what I needed.¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t admit it. He would¡¯ve felt great shame the moment he admitted that he, the lofty Martial God, needed a lower status existence.


    ¡°I was foolish in my ways...¡±


    He is doing this on purpose.


    The suspicions he had for a moment that Grid was constantly scolding him with the self-talk werepletely erased. Unlike before, Zeratul¡¯s gaze toward the world was clear and transparent.


    Only Hexetia noticed the change. It was because he had been watching Zeratul for a long time. He had also experienced the same changes that Zeratul was experiencing at this moment.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    He just didn¡¯t understand why Zeratul had changed. From his perspective, Zeratul had been staring at the grumbling Grid only to suddenly change.


    ¡®...He has unique tastes.¡¯


    Hexetia¡¯s eyes filled with deep misunderstanding followed Zeratul.


    Zeratul was turning his back to Grid. ¡°Okay. I will try to be the Overgeared Martial God. I had better do that to let the world know that I am distinctly different from Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face turned white and Euphemina secretly clenched her fists.


    ¡°However, there should be a price.¡±


    Step, step.


    Zeratul walked away with these words. It was toward an area where hundreds of young beauties were concentrated.


    ¡°Eh? You can¡¯t do this...¡±


    The surroundings were in an uproar. The beauties that Zeratul suddenly had his eyes on while talking about the ¡®price.¡¯ They were those who already had a master. The hundreds of people were the escorts and girlfriends of Prince Lord. Zeratul, who had a history of trying to kill Lord, was now trying to be Lord¡¯s love rival.


    There was great tension.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lord stepped in front of the women. He directly met Zeratul¡¯s eyes with his big and bright eyes. There was no trace of gulping or his legs shaking. He showed a strong will rather than fear against an Absolute who was two heads taller than him.


    A strange smile spread across Zeratul¡¯s face. ¡°Grid, in exchange for you giving me items, I will give a blessing to your children.¡±


    In fact, Grid owed a debt to Zeratul. He was able to rescue Hexetia and Khan due to Zeratul¡¯s help. If Zeratul had turned away from Grid¡ª


    In the worst case, even Grid himself might¡¯ve been held for a while in the Prison of Eternity.In the first ce, Zeratul should be the strongest force of the Overgeared World. Grid naturally nned to arm Zeratul. He had no intention of receiving payment for it.


    However, Zeratul refused. He said he would pay a fair price and ced a hand that was the size of a pot lid on Lord¡¯s head.


    ¡°Dark hair and sharp eyes. There are some areas that look surprisingly like your father.¡±


    What is with the word surprisingly...? The reason why Lord is so tall and handsome is because he is my son in the first ce.


    Grid clicked his tongue in a dumbfounded manner and nced at Lord. He was telling Lord not to be anxious and to wait. Lord trusted his father absolutely. He remained calm even after being caught in the hands of an Absolute who tried to kill him in the past.


    Zeratul¡¯s smile deepened even more. ¡°I am different from Chiyou.¡±


    Chiyou¡ªhe amplified the growth rate of the target by forcibly bringing out the potential of talented people. The steps that must be taken in order to grow in a normal way were omitted. It was the manifestation of the selfish will to achieve his desire of ¡¯I want to meet an opponent and be killed.¡¯


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t be med for using the wrong method. It was because of Grid. The existence of Grid proved that Chiyou¡¯s method wasn¡¯t wrong.


    But was it the right answer? Zeratul wasn¡¯t convinced it was. For him, the martial arts that he thought of were something that shone only when he devised and practiced them himself. For example, Grid¡¯s sword dances. The sword dances currently used by Grid were very different from Pagma¡¯s Sword Dance. It was strongly honed through Grid¡¯s experience and hard work. Putting aside the blessing given by Chiyou, it was an achievement obtained by the individual called Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Ironically, Zeratul¡¯s ideas werepleted through Grid. He realized it after losing to Grid one after another and going through a series of defeats. The decisive moment was the emergency incident involving Venice...


    Zeratul¡¯s anger red up when he remembered the past. Still, he continued with a frown.


    ¡°My blessing won¡¯t be as convenient as Chiyou¡¯s one, which causes ¡®potential¡¯ to blossom at every desired moment. I don¡¯t have the power to defeat someone overwhelmingly stronger. However, your hard work and enthusiasm won¡¯t be betrayed. This will serve as a springboard for expanding your possibilities yourself.¡±


    sh!


    The white glow that came from Zeratul¡¯s eyes wrapped around Lord¡¯s body. At the same time, a miracle happened.


    [Your son ¡®Lord¡¯ has received ¡®Zeratul¡¯s Blessing.¡¯]


    [Zeratul¡¯s Blessing]


    [All types of mastery skills are blooming.


    There is a master level 3 increase for all skills.


    Increases skill experience acquisition by 300%.


    Increases character experience acquisition by 200%.]


    ¡°......¡±


    It was an effect that was permanently applied. Lord trembled at the feeling of the power of Zeratul¡¯s Blessing and a smile spread across Grid¡¯s face.


    Zeratul took his hand off Lord¡¯s head and added a few words. It was an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened in the past. I shouldn¡¯t have turned the grudge I had for your father toward you. I was narrow-minded.¡±


    ¡°...It is understandable.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t have beenposed if I was beaten like that every time by someone like my father...


    Lord was smiling awkwardly without being able to say the next words. Then his eyes widened. The same was true for the other people present. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on Mercedes.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    It was due to the light that flickered in Mercedes¡¯ abdomen.


    Zeratul¡¯s voice permeated into Grid¡¯s ears as he sensed the anomaly and was rushing toward him. ¡°What are you flustered about? I told you beforehand that I would give a blessing to your children.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    A notification window appeared in the vision of the surprised Grid.


    [The child inside Irene¡¯s womb has received ¡®Zeratul¡¯s Blessing.¡¯]


    [The child inside Basara¡¯s womb has received ¡®Zeratul¡¯s Blessing.¡¯]


    [The child inside Mercedes¡¯ womb has received ¡®Zeratul¡¯s Blessing.¡¯]


    [Marie Rose has fought off the divine blessing trying to infiltrate the child in her womb.]


    ¡°......¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t even surprising. After the Baal raid, Grid fulfilled his wish with the ¡®Core That Has Existed Since the Beginning of Time¡¯ and dedicated himself day and night. He acted as if he had ten bodies in order to make his wives happy after they had suffered from loneliness because he could only function once a month. It was the fruit of hard work and love...


    Ovee with emotion, Grid hugged Mercedes tightly.


    On this day, the rumor about Grid being unable to have any more children ended.

 Chapter 1884

    Chapter 1884


    ¡°Thank you. I really thank you. Additionally, congrattions.¡±


    Grid held Mercedes in his arms and whispered one line after another. His eyes were red. In fact, Grid had been gued by great anxiety. The catalyst was Yeo Yn, who exined to him that the reason why he couldn¡¯t have another child was due to the providence of the world.


    Grid, who hadn¡¯t impregnated Irene again even as Lord became an adult, really thought there was something wrong with him. He wondered if the world was interfering with him as Yeo Yn said. It might¡¯ve been true, but now it was a lie.


    The problems that had been wearing down at him disappeared due to raiding Baal and gaining the core of the beginning. Irene¡¯s wish to give Lord a younger sibling was fulfilled. Mercedes, who was unfamiliar with natural emotions because she wasn¡¯t loved by her parents, was able to learn the bond between parents and children. Basara¡¯s anxiety as she secretly resented the uninterrupted passing of the years would be relieved, and Marie Rose, who still considered the dark and lonely castlefortable, would have a reason to adapt to society.


    ¡®They will all be happier in the future.¡¯


    It was the moment when Grid, ovee with emotion, cautiously ced his hand on Mercedes¡¯ belly...


    ¡°Grid. Hey.¡± Zeratul approached him. It felt like he was urging Grid about something.


    Why did he want to interrupt this moment...?


    Grid was disappointed by Zeratul¡¯s inconsiderate behavior and turned his head toward Zeratul, only to stop. Zeratul¡¯s gaze was directed toward the ceiling and he had a tense expression that didn¡¯t suit him.


    Following this gaze, Grid looked up and saw two red gems. It was a pair of eyes decorating the red sky. They belonged to Marie Rose.


    ¡°I conceived my dear husband¡¯s child.¡±


    The red eyes that met Grid were curved in a half moon shape. They rapidly got closer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin this feeling. I am both happy and afraid.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s smile slowly cooled as shended silently. Even so, her amazing beauty didn¡¯t fade. Her cold eyes were fixed on Zeratul.


    ¡°On the one hand, it is unpleasant. That intervened before I realized the identity of this strange sensation myself.¡±


    That¡ªit wasn¡¯t a suitable way to call the Martial God. It felt like she was dealing with something trivial.


    Zeratul¡¯s face turned even redder. ¡°You deserve to be criticized for making a mistake in denying my protection, but you aren¡¯t showing the slightest courtesy at all.¡±


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t seem able to hear Zeratul¡¯s voice. She caressed her belly and focused only on the ¡®unfamiliar sensation.¡¯ ¡°It is disgusting when thinking about it again. I almost got dirt on it.¡±


    Marie Rose removed her hand from her belly. The pleated dress stuck tightly to her smooth abdomen and gave it a strange feeling.


    Grid pulled down her slightly curled up skirt andforted her. ¡°No. Think about it. Thanks to Zeratul, you found out about your pregnancy a few days sooner. This way, you can enjoy that joy quicker, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You and I are having a child.¡±


    ¡°I am the same.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s eyes curved in a half moon shape again. The killing intent that was slowly imprisoning Zeratul disappeared like it was a lie.


    It happened the moment when Zeratul got a bigger wound in his pride and showed fighting spirit...


    ¡°From now on, always see only good things. Listen to them and think positively. You have to think about the baby in your belly.¡±


    ¡°I guess my feelings are affecting my dear husband¡¯s child.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is called prenatal care.¡±


    ¡°Prenatal... don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do what my dear husband wants.¡±


    [The child in Marie Rose¡¯s womb feels her brilliance.]


    [The child in the womb has unlocked the special ¡®Composure¡¯ stat.]


    [All stats of the child in the womb have permanently increased by 10.]


    Marie Rose broke the shackles that Beriache had ced on her and ate her in reverse. In other words, she had clearly been reborn as a high status Absolute. She was in a lofty position even among the Absolutes. It meant that controlling her emotions was as easy and natural for her as breathing.


    ¡®Does an Absolute have an advantage in prenatal care?¡¯


    He had a really nice wife...


    Braham read Grid¡¯s mental world, who was pleased after realizing this, and clicked his tongue. Braham thought it was a bit off the mark. It was a level slightly outside the normal range. Even if he was blinded, this was being too blinded.


    Zeratul read the strange undercurrents and also started to hesitate. He was unable to express any more hostility to Marie Rose and took a step back.


    Grid and Marie Rose had bright smiles on their faces. The parents standing with their foreheads pressed together and concentrating on the child in their womb shone like stars in the sky. It wasn¡¯t because of the divinity and blood that bloomed from them. It felt like a sparking aura that the eyes couldn¡¯t discern was filling the surroundings.


    ¡°Prenatal... in order to have the proper prenatal care, you must be an Absolute...¡± Mercedes had been rejoicing as if she was about to ascend to heaven. Then her attitude changed after hearing these words. She looked very nervous as she bit her nails and repeated the same words.


    Someone hugged her from behind. It was someone smaller than her.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the mother¡¯s rank that matters for prenatal care.¡± It was Irene. She had also run to the scene after realizing that she was pregnant thanks to Zeratul¡¯s blessing. ¡°First of all, trust and cherish yourself. That way, the baby in the womb will learn how to trust, rely on, and love themselves. That is the beginning of prenatal care.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Stay still.¡± Irene felt sorry as she hugged Mercedes even harder andforted her. ¡°You are a beautiful,petent, and lovely woman. You are His Majesty¡¯s chosen one. You shouldn¡¯t think of yourself as shabby. Unless you are going to make me, who respects you, look shabby as well.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    People¡¯s attention focused on Irene and Mercedes before they knew it. Many people had great respect for Irene. It was the same for Marie Rose.


    ¡°This is the true nature of my dear husband¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is my first love.¡± Gridughed with a proud expression. The name Ahyoung, which had faded some time ago, hadpletely disappeared from his mind. ¡°Additionally, you are all myst loves.¡±


    Irene, Mercedes, Marie Rose, and Yura and Jishuka¡ªGrid slowly met their gaze before eventually shifting his gaze toward the east. It was the direction of Titan. He had a heart as wide as the Pacific Ocean when it came to love. Even Basara, who wasn¡¯t present, was included in his heart.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much to call it hisst love?¡±


    On the other hand, Vantnerughed from the absurdity.


    Lord¡¯s eyes were shining as he looked at his father¡¯s back. It was an attitude of learning everything from him. Thanks to this, his girlfriends also looked happy.


    ***


    ¡®It is like a recreation of Nevada.¡¯


    It was more than 100 years ago. Humanity was still ignorant and carried out all types of nuclear experiments. One of the famous areas in connection with it was the Nevada nuclear test site in the United States. It was the site where nuclear weapons were detonated around 1,000 times from 1951 to 1992. In particr, the numerous underground nuclear tests resulted in many craters like the surface of the moon. It was one of the most terrible ces that humanity had ever created.


    This ce was even worse. The devastation created by the fighting between the gods, which were difficult for humanity to touch, was everywhere on thend.


    ¡°It is up to here.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s mind returned after hearing Biban¡¯s voice and he stopped flying.


    Biban and Hayate, who imed to be Bunhelier¡¯s watchers, set out to contain the battle between Chiyou and Dominion. Kraugel flew after them in the form of a lightning bolt and his legs gradually regained their original form. They were signs that the skill attached to the Blue Dragon Boots, gifted to him by Grid, had stopped working. It was thetest Blue Dragon Boots made by smelting the awakened Blue Dragon¡¯s Breath to the limit.


    This was how Kraugel narrowly followed the group. Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible just through items. It was possible due to the consideration of Biban and Hayate, as well as Kraugel¡¯s individual ability considered to be the highest among transcendents.


    ¡°It seems dangerous to approach any further.¡± This was Biban¡¯s opinion and Kraugel agreed. He activated Barbatos¡¯s Vision and looked in the direction where Bunhelier had disappeared.


    Chiyou was seen surrounded by the heavily armored Valkyrie army. The altitude was high. It was hard to believe that the aftermath of the battle all the way up there had devastated the ground.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Suddenly, Kraugel became surprised. The same was true of Biban and Hayate. A Valkyrie armed with a shield was in the lead. They imagined that she would be shed along with her shield when she rushed at Chiyou, but surprisingly, Chiyou¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t cut her. It was blocked by a shield.


    ¡°Is it the work of God Hexetia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where it came from, but... it is clear that there is a strong sense of protection.¡±


    The equipment of the Valkyrie army was nothing more than a decoration It was just that the armor, shields, and weapons were imbued with a mighty protection that withstood the swordsmanship of the Martial God several times.


    Hayate made a guess. ¡°I think it is the Goddess¡¯ protection.¡±


    The evidence was sufficient. Dominion was Reba¡¯s child. The Valkyrie army, along with Dominion leading them, most likely existed from an era close to the beginning. It wasn¡¯t strange that they had been blessed while serving the Goddess in close proximity.


    Dominion was even the God of War. He had the power to strengthen his army in all ways.


    The atmosphere rapidly became heavier. Kraugel felt a crushing sensation all over his body. It was a pressure caused by the wavelength generated by the Valkyrie¡¯s spear brushing against Chiyou.


    After dodging, Chiyou grabbed the face of the helmeted Valkyrie with his hand. Then he threw her back. It was as if it was easier to get rid of them rather than fight them one by one.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Biban clicked his tongue. It was because the Valkyrie that Chiyou threw quickly became a dot and disappeared in an instant. Could it be that the number of Valkyries, which had been in the thousands in Reinhardt, was less than 1,000 because he repeated this action...?


    It happened as Biban and Kraugel became serious...


    The Valkyries dispersed in an instant. They burst forward in all directions as if predicting some cmity, copsing their formation. It was toote. Something flew in at a tremendous speed and collided with the Valkyries who hadn¡¯t escaped yet. It wasn¡¯t appropriate topare them to pins knocked down after being hit by a bowling ball. It was because they shattered. The armors, shields, spears, swords, and bodies of the Valkyries were smashed into pieces and poured down like rain.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate, Biban, and Kraugel were all silent. It was because the cause of the devastation had been identified. The Valkyrie, thrown by Chiyou a moment ago, collided with her teammates when she returned to the battlefield after ¡®circling the world.¡¯ The armor and shield with ovepping blessingsbined with the terrible eleration to turn into a cannonball that shattered herpanions...


    ¡°Squeak.¡± In a world covered with pouring flesh and blood, a ck mouse flew in and sat on Hayate¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They fight while taking good care of the surroundings. There is no need for me to step out. I had better watch from here as well. Squeak.¡±


    The identity of the mouse was the polymorphed Bunhelier.


    Hayate nodded. ¡°You thought well. It will be settled soon anyway.¡±


    Hayate¡¯s gaze lingered on Dominion. His momentum was soaring despite weakening in real time every time a Valkyrie died. In terms of momentum alone, he overwhelmed Chiyou.


    The god who represented Asgard¡ªif he had cooperated with Chiyou, they could¡¯ve discussed who was the strongest side by side. Now four of him were standing there while shedding tears of blood. He simultaneously threw four spears at the Valkyries who had their backs to him.


    An unchallenged power¡ªthe four giant spears collided with the Valkyrie. Every time it pierced them, a series of thunderbolt-like spears fell from the sky. The Valkyrie were destroyed without leaving even their bodies behind. The one located at the end of the four spears was Chiyou.


    He raised a sword that looked like an iron club and staggered as he handled three spears. In doing so, a fleeting gap urred. He was unable to block the remaining one spear and allowed it to hit him. His heart was pierced. It was a deadly wound.


    The bells rang out loudly. This didn¡¯t mean it was the end. Before he knew it, he twisted the sword in reverse and twisted the de, returning the three spears in the same direction they came from.


    There were three shes of light. The Valkyries fortunate enough to survive were swept away by the sh and destroyed. Two of the four Dominions in the distance disappeared. The other two Dominions survived but half their bodies were blown away or their arms were lost. They failed to proliferate any longer. It was because a severed body part was needed to proliferate.


    Dominion pulled out a dagger and tried to cut off his finger, but he was stopped by Chiyou, who hade closer to him before he knew it. He grabbed Dominion¡¯s wrist and twisted it while his colorless divinity exploded. Finally, it was over.


    Dominion turned to ash and followed his subordinates to Asgard.


    ¡°Can you kill me now?¡±


    Chiyou was well over several kilometers away. However, Chiyou¡¯s blood-stained eyes were seen so clearly it was as if he was right in front of the group¡¯s noses. Even his voice seemed to whisper beside them.


    Hayate shook his head as he watched Chiyou forcibly block the regeneration of his wounds. ¡°It is impossible.¡±


    ¡°...I guessed so.¡± Chiyou nodded gently and disappeared from the scene. It was a distinctly different attitude from when he was obsessed with Grid. Only the lonely sound of bells remained, causing the group to have many thoughts.


    Bunhelier naturally regained the appearance of an Old Dragon and murmured, ¡°I think I¡¯m going to meet Trauka.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get yourself killed?¡±


    ¡°Biban... You seem to have forgotten but I am also a dragon. I am qualified enough to ask Trauka why he is sitting on the sidelines.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. I was also curious about that. So why don¡¯t we go see him while you are already out?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to sleep welltely. I have to rest first.¡±


    Biban frowned.


    An Old Dragon¡¯s sleep time was usually on a decades-long basis.

 Chapter 1885

    Chapter 1885


    It was different from a dragon. The wingless body was elongated and a blue bead was clutched by its short feet. It was a creature called a dragon of the east.


    Beady eyes and a beard covered in a frightening miasma.


    Basara, who was shrinking back in an overwhelmed manner, suddenlyughed. It was because she had the thought that Bunhelier¡¯s small front feet resembled this dragon¡¯s feet. At this moment¡ª


    sh!


    A light emanated from the bead held by the dragon. It was an orange light. It was warm as it seeped into Basara¡¯s belly. It felt like she was in His Majesty¡¯s arms. All the anxiety in her mind melted away.


    ¡°...Ah.¡± Basara was stunned when she woke up. It was due to the feeling from her stomach. There was a pleasant warmth and pressure. Someone¡¯s hand was caressing her belly with enthusiasm and sincerity. She felt so much devotion that it was like she became a valuable being.


    "Your Majesty."


    Grid stopped Basara, who was trying to get up in a hurry. ¡°Stay where you are. You aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    Of course, Basara had a youthful lookparable to those in their 20s. In a world filled with all types of elixirs, magic, and concepts of divinity and transcendence, her status was so noble that it was impossible to grow old. But advanced maternal age was advanced maternal age.


    Grid treated Basara with extra caution. It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant attitude for her, who had aplex about her age. It felt like she was being treated like an old woman, not a wife...


    Grid spoke to her, who was smiling bitterly. ¡°Piaro married someone 600 years older.¡±


    Was it 600 years? No, was it higher...? Well, it didn¡¯t matter. Grid¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t meticulous enough to remember the age of someone else¡¯s wife. There was also no one to criticize him for not knowing the age of someone else¡¯s wife.


    ¡°Nevertheless, they care for each other, love each other, and live in harmony. The age difference doesn¡¯t matter. In the first ce, it isn¡¯t because of age that I respect you.¡±


    It was original due to their identities...


    Grid had married Basara only for political reasons. The legitimacy of her Saharan bloodline was needed. Basara naturally knew it as well. Thus, she proposed marriage to Grid. She used Saharan¡¯s future as an excuse and used the courage of believing that she couldn¡¯t be rejected to satisfy her desires. She was a bad person...


    Grid hugged her as she was feeling guilty. ¡°I respect you because I love you.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Basara¡¯s eyes widened. She withdrew her usual eye smile and exposed her beautiful eyes.


    Love¡ªit was an unfamiliar word. She thought it was something she would never hear from Grid. She was stunned for a moment before shaking her head vigorously. She tried to tell him that he didn¡¯t have to try so hard.


    However, Grid embraced her harder. ¡°I was gradually fascinated by you, who devoted yourself to our nation and people, and who always cared for me. It is as a human being and as a man. In the first ce, you are so beautiful.¡±


    He already said he loved her. However, it waste at night every time. Basara seemed to have misinterpreted Grid¡¯s confession as a drunken lie. Under the sunlight that leaked through the window, Grid faced Basara with a clear and straightforward gaze and whispered again, ¡°I love you. Thank you for giving me the gift of a child with you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± To be honest, Basara was more like Grid¡¯s aunt in terms of age alone. If there were no political reasons involved in their marriage, Basara thought that everyone in the world would¡¯ve criticized her. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t be honest. She was unable to respond to Grid¡¯s confession and lowered her head. She was weighed down by an even greater sense of guilt. It was like a sinner.


    Grid grabbed her thin chin.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Basara¡¯srge eyes were forced to observe Grid¡¯s face. A manly nose, an angr chin, dark eyebrows, and fierce eyes like a bird of prey. His mouth was curved in a faint smile and her deep eyes were full of rxation. In a way, it was a mature appearance that felt like an older person.


    Basara loved Grid¡¯s manly appearance. She was immensely attracted to the fact that she automatically wanted to rely on him. But she couldn¡¯t say it...


    Grid held her chin in ce as she continued to avert her eyes and whispered, ¡°Tell me you love me too.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Basara¡¯s mind turned nk as she was pushed. Her eyes flushed in amazement and her focus blurred for a moment. Her consciousness escaped from reality for a very short time. This allowed her to say it.


    ¡°I-I love you...¡±


    The emotions that had been suppressed in order to protect her sense of reason exploded. The older woman, who nodded vigorously and revealed her inner feelings like she was crying, must¡¯ve felt great happiness. It was incredibly ecstatic.


    ¡°......¡±


    The exchange of emotions sometimes brought about a pleasure beyond imagination.


    Grid was also swept away.


    He knocked Basara down onto the bed.


    ***


    ¡°Did she catch a cold? We can¡¯t let her noble body be hurt.¡±


    Immortal King Grenhal¡ªhe was a duke of the Saharan Empire and now a duke of the Overgeared Empire. Recently, rumors had been circting that he was likely to be crowned grand duke. His bloodline, strength, political power, and poprity were all unmatched. He was also a master who had risen to the rank of transcendent and he was highly trusted by Emperor Grid. Such a big shot came running without any restraint. He was worried about Basara, who didn¡¯t show up in the great hall even after the appointed time had passed.


    ¡°I need to ask Saintess Ruby for support...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. Her Highness couldn¡¯t have caught a cold, right?¡±


    Spear Saint Rachel frowned while running after him. Queen Basara had been one of the seven dukes along with them She possessed a force that transcended themon sense of civilians. In the past, she was revered as a god. In the first ce, she had Saharan¡¯s blood. This meant she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person who would suffer from an ordinary illness.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t a cold, doesn¡¯t it mean it is a more serious problem? Your Highness! Haaaaah!¡±


    Grenhal didn¡¯t dare to knock on the door of the queen¡¯s bedroom, so he fell to his knees and shouted. It was just two times.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Open the door.¡±


    Grenhal was so worried about Basara¡¯s safety that he immediately stood up and urged the knights. Just then, the door opened before the knights could react. However, they couldn¡¯t see the person who opened the door from the inside.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The eyes of Grenhal and Rachel widened. It was because dozens of windows in the bedroom were open. The curtains were fluttering in the wind. Nevertheless, there was a strange heat that hadn¡¯t subsided.


    Signs of an intrusion...


    Grenhal was convicted and immediately drew his sword. He hurried to the back of the room, only to suddenly stop. It was the aftermath of recognizing the two golden hands floating in the air. They were clinging to the doorknob of the door that had just been opened.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you hurrying?¡± Rachel hadn¡¯t spotted the golden hands yet and urged Grenhel. She held a spear.


    ¡°Hum hum.¡± Grenhal coughed. The inner door to the room where the bed was ced slowly opened. He could see a gaze through the gap. They were Grid¡¯s eyes. The dark eyes were filled with resentment.


    ¡°Sir Rachel, you really hadn¡¯t noticed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out. In fact, there is no reason why Her Highness should be present at every meeting. I don¡¯t understand why the ministers are trying to impose heavy duties on Her Highness every time.¡±


    ¡°What type of nonsense are you saying? Go and check Her Highness¡¯ safety... Gasp.¡±


    Rachel also stiffened. The title of the continent¡¯s number one spearman¡ªshe might¡¯ve recently lost it to Pon, but she was still a tremendous talent. Even so, she stiffened like a mouse in front of a cat. It was because she caught a glimpse of Grid¡¯s eyes. She had a rough grasp of the situation. She felt like a sinner who hadmitted high treason. In particr, she was a woman and knew what type of anxiety Basara usually felt. Thus, she felt even guiltier.


    ¡°W-We are interfering. W-We deserve to be executed,¡± Rachel muttered while stepping back from the bedroom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. Hum hum.¡±


    Grenhal confirmed that the door had closed by itself and cleared his throat.


    That afternoon, the dukes were called by Grid and hepletely dispelled their guilt and anxiety. It was because they heard about Basara¡¯s pregnancy.


    Her love had finally borne fruit. It was even said that she had a dream where a dragon appeared. They were moved to tears.


    ***


    ¡°Is it possible that Bunhelier is a mixed race?¡±


    Grid, who had been staying in Titan for two days, said somethingpletely out of the blue. An Old Dragon who had existed since the beginning of time was of mixed race? Was it possible for a person to have such an idea?


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been very happy the past two days. I wonder if you have left your mind behind.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Lauel. I feel like I¡¯m talking to a real Korean when I talk to you.¡±


    ¡°I am Korean...¡±


    ¡°You only moved to South Korea. You aren¡¯t a pure Korean, right?¡±


    ¡°That is racism.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so cranky?¡±


    ¡°Would youugh if someone said that Bunhelier is a mixed race?¡±


    Old Dragons have existed since the beginning of time. They were there from the beginning. They were different from normal creatures and there was no concept of mixed blood.


    Grid¡¯s state when talking of Bunhelier being a mixed blood definitely wasn¡¯t normal. Lauel had to be wary. It was the role of the chief of staff to sound the rm so that his superior would always remain intact.


    ¡°Um... This is what I mean...¡±


    Grid exined it.


    Basara¡¯s dream. Basara couldn¡¯t help thinking of Bunhelier when she saw the ¡®dragon¡¯ that appeared there. She said that the short feet of Bunhelier resembled the feet of this dragon.


    ¡°That is what I heard. Aren¡¯t Bunhelier¡¯s feet exceptionally shortpared to other dragons? I thought they degenerated because he didn¡¯t use it, but in this way, shouldn¡¯t the other dragons¡¯ front feet also have degenerated?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel listened surprisingly seriously. He couldn¡¯t deny it hastily and thought hard about it. Of course, no matter how he thought about it, there was no way to exin how a creature that had existed since the beginning of time could be of mixed race. However, if Bunhelier was of mixed blood then it would exin why he was the weakest of the Old Dragons.


    ¡®It is also a double whammy that Bunhelier¡¯s position isn¡¯t ordinary...¡¯


    In retrospect, Bunhelier was the only one of the Old Dragons to have a great deal of influence on the worldview. By taking sides with Baal, he strengthened Baal¡¯s power. This might¡¯ve contributed greatly to Baal¡¯s creation of Asura. He also ced a curse on Nevartan, which triggered several incidents. Even recently, he had contributed greatly to purifying hell in coboration with Grid.


    ¡°I think it is a myth that Bunhelier is of mixed race, but... it is still worth researching.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    Grid immediately left. He visited Bunhelier, who was staying at the Tower of Wisdom, and asked him carefully, ¡°Bunhelier, you don¡¯t have parents, do you?¡±


    Betty and Agnus¡¯ whereabouts had been found...


    The atmosphere of the tower, which had been busy with this new information, cooled down.

 Chapter 1886

    Chapter 1886


    ¡°Bunhelier, you don¡¯t have parents, do you?¡±


    ¡®Has he been taught by Huroi?¡¯


    At the Tower of Wisdom...


    Kraugel was in the midst of sparring with Sword God Biban. It was to get used to the controls of his new ultimate skill.


    Speed was the basis of power, so it was a technique that had a veryrge rebound if it failed. Just like right now.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like you to lose your concentration.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s vision flipped around and his face fell to the ground. This was the aftermath of being hit with the perfect counter by Biban. Biban had sealed the ¡®strength of an Absolute,¡® as promised, but he easily aimed at the weakness of Kraugel, who was distracted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡±


    In the first ce, your new swordsmanship carries too much risk...


    Biban held back the urge to give this warning and extended a hand. There was no way Kraugel could be unaware of the problem with his swordsmanship. It was about trusting him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kraugel stood up using Biban¡¯s hand and shifted his eyes in the direction of the disturbance.


    In the midst of the murmuring tower members, Bunhelier was calm. ¡°Parents? Of course not. Those are lower creatures born after the beginning of time... no, they are a necessary concept for all living things except the Old Dragons and the Gods of the Beginning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is right...¡±


    Grid nodded.


    Everyone at the scene felt that his mind had slipped away. Discussing the parents of an Old Dragon? It was very bizarre, but the tower members respected Grid. They left their spots one by one so as to not distract him. Time was running out to track down Betty, whose whereabouts had just been found.


    ¡°But from what I¡¯ve seen, you might have parents.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The tower members¡¯ steps stopped again and Kraugel was convinced.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure he learned something from Huroi.¡¯


    Kraugel knew all of Grid¡¯s advantages. One of them was the ability to learn. Every time he learned something new, he might not be able to learn it all at once, but he didn¡¯t give up until he mastered it. Yes, mastered. Grid must digest his learning. He burned the firewood of time and pursued perfection.


    ¡®Is he trying to reach the point of provoking an Old Dragon? Certainly... it must be a necessary skill at times.¡¯


    Kraugel interpreted every word that Grid threw at Bunhelier as a provocation. It was the same with the other tower members.


    Everyone looked at Bunhelier. Fortunately, Bunhelier didn¡¯t seem too offended.


    ¡°How interesting. What type of creature do you think could¡¯ve existed before the beginning of time?¡± he responded with a snort.


    The Old Dragons had existed since the beginning of time. If an Old Dragon had parents, the very concept of the beginning would be turned upside down. Grid¡¯s argument was like iming that ¡®there is no gravity and mana in the world.¡¯ It was such an empty argument that it wasn¡¯t even worth refuting.


    ¡°How ignorant do you have to be to harbor such a delusion?¡±


    Grid stared at the hand of Bunhelier, who was shaking his head in disbelief, and continued speaking, ¡°Your front feet resemble those of the Blue Dragon.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s expression hardened for the first time.


    ¡°I... thanks to human aspirations, there are insignificant things that exist and... looks simr...?¡±


    The front feet happen to be one of Bunhelier¡¯splexes. It was right to say that it was right below Dragon Words. It was to the point where he almost felt hostility toward Grid, who was unpleasant digging into that area. However, Bunhelier had grown up.


    He had learned patience in the process of running away from Nevartan for quite a long time. He clung to the humans who he regarded as insignificant, and polymorphed into a mouse to get out of various crises. Thanks to this, he was barely able to suppress the anger that surged in him.


    ¡°You guys... you resemble elves to me.¡±


    Humans and elves were the same creatures to Old Dragons. They didn¡¯t feel much of a difference between goblins, orcs, and trolls, who were all bipedal. They couldn¡¯t even differentiate the appearance. It was the same logic as humans distinguishing a dragon just by looking at their color.


    ¡°Elves? I see... it might seem like that...¡±


    One of the greatest forces that could transform human beings was love¡ªGrid¡¯s confidence had skyrocketed since he recently shared deep love with his wives. Bunhelier¡¯s im that he resembled a beautiful elf wasn¡¯t dismissed as nonsense, but was epted gently.


    ¡°......¡±


    Bunhelier closed his mouth.


    The elves¡ªit was a species that was facing extinction due to the intensifying gender conflicts. They were too few in number to be the subject of the world and their quality wasn¡¯t outstanding. It must be a species that would be treated as insignificant even by humans. It was even more so from the perspective of Grid, who had be a god.


    However, he calmly epted that they resembled each other. He didn¡¯t find the malicious insult unpleasant and instead mused on it. It was a very cautious and humble attitude.


    Bunhelier suddenly became ashamed. He reproached himself for not being able to hide his anger the moment he heard the insulting remarks.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t have the attitude that an Absolute should have.¡¯


    Bunhelier was smart. As an Old Dragon, he was naturally highly intelligent and understood the principles of all things. The problem was that his emotion preceded reason every time. He kept losing his cool and easily made mistakes. It was a problem that he was aware of himself. He even knew why he was so easily agitated.


    An inferiorityplex¡ªBunhelier was inferior whenpared to other Old Dragons. He had many shorings. Why were their innate powers different when they were all Old Dragons? Bunhelier felt very frustrated and resentful. He was always full of dissatisfaction and he became increasingly sensitive.


    ¡®Grid, there is no way...¡¯


    Did he deliberately provoke me? Is it to give myself a chance to reflect on my usual self, who is easily agitated?


    ¡°...Hmm. Now that I think about it, I understand what you are saying. It seems that my front feet bear some resemnce to those eastern creatures.¡±


    ¡®Is this really an Old Dragon...?¡¯


    Kraugel admired it as he had been nervously watching the situation. He thought it was great that Bunhelier was able to withstand the onught of Grid many times when Grid was specially trained by Huroi, who acquired provocation-rted skills through the Martial God¡¯s Secret Techniques.


    ¡°We really have to hurry.¡±


    Radwolf was urging the tower members. He was relieved to see Bunhelier maturing through Grid¡¯s provocations. Bunhelier¡¯s statement that he was trying to live with humans didn¡¯t seem to be a lie. Grid tested Bunhelier really thoroughly and there was a strong feeling that they were growing together as a duo. Finally, as the relieved tower members left in a hurry¡ª


    ¡°I always wondered why you are so small and helpless among the Old Dragons. Isn¡¯t an Old Dragon¡¯s hierarchy too high to just say it was bad luck? Are the few ¡®innate Absolutes¡¯ in the world affected by luck? Are you convinced?¡±


    Grid got back to the main point. It was enough to grab Bunhelier¡¯s attention.


    ¡°My thoughts were the same.¡±


    Empathy led to honesty. Bunhelier felt a certain emotion when Grid fully understood his position.


    An understanding person that he was meeting for the first time in his life...


    Toward such a Grid, Bunhelier started to confess all sorts of truths.


    ¡°I was suspicious of the other Old Dragons. There is something calledpatibility among the Old Dragons. I suspected that one of them might be the cause of the weakening of my power.¡±


    Bunhelier put the Old Dragons into the ecosystem. He realized that just as all things ate each other and were eaten, they were the same.


    ¡°That is why I made a n to get rid of them.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that too extreme? He was the Evil Dragon for a reason...


    Bunhelier¡¯s exnation continued as Grid was feeling flustered. ¡°However, I couldn¡¯t do anything on my own. It is very difficult for me to even approach the mes that Trauke sincerely raises. Even if I break through the mes, the chances of damaging the body of a naturally powerful creature is extremely low.¡±


    Trauka¡¯s mes. Recently, humanity had also experienced it vaguely. Just by Trauka temporarily releasing his power, the rivers around the world evaporated and the ecosystem changed...


    ¡°Nevartan isn¡¯t easy either. Finally, I didn¡¯t have the courage to confront the destructive power of the guy who can ovep hundreds of Breaths.¡±


    Hundreds of Breaths ovepped...? Didn¡¯t it mean that the world would disappear without a trace the moment he shot it? Grid couldn¡¯t imagine it even though he knew the greatness of an Old Dragon.


    ¡°I judged it was possible to get rid of Raiders, but...¡±


    Bunhelier suddenly closed his mouth. He hesitated because his pride was too hurt to exin further. However, it was the moment to confess to the only person who understood. It was right to be honest.


    ¡°...In fact, even though the odds of winning are low and if I was lucky enough to seed in a surprise attack and kill him, I felt it was meaningless. Due to his personality, he must have insurance.¡±


    ¡°Insurance?¡±


    ¡°It is an insurance policy that turns back time the moment he dies or reverses the oue.¡±


    Turning back time. It was an exnation that was familiar. For example, summoning one¡¯s past and future self. Grid actually witnessed Baals¡¯ power to intervene in the concept of time.


    Besides Baal, there were several other beings with time-rted abilities. Right now, even Picasso of the Overgeared Guild could draw a picture with the ¡®save¡¯ function. This was also technically an intervention in the concept of time. Grid wasn''t shocked that Raiders could turn back time. He surprisingly epted it calmly. However, the exnation of reversing the oue was unfamiliar.


    ¡°What does it mean to reverse the oue? For example, if you kill Raiders, will the result change from ¡®Raiders is dead'' to ¡®not dead¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Or perhaps he can make the result so that I die instead.¡±


    ¡°What type of fraudulent ability is that?¡±


    Grid¡¯s gaze toward Bunhelier was affectionate. Why was he the only one born alone and ugly among the great beings? He projected his past self by empathizing and sympathizing with Bunhelier. This brought greatfort to Bunhelier. He gained apanion named Grid and was no longer alone.


    There was just one thing that bothered Bunhelier. ¡°Why do you use an honorific when talking about Raiders...?¡±


    ¡°Did I do that? I guess I owe him so much that I naturally came to use respectful honorifics for him.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you indebted to me as well? Honestly, could you have guaranteed a victory against Baal without me?¡±


    ¡°We are friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... In any case, I couldn¡¯t do anything for many years while alone. Then I met Baal and sought cooperation. I lured in Nevartan, who was overconfident in his own strength and cursed him.¡±


    It was the madness that the world was familiar with.


    ¡°As a result, Nevartan was unable to function properly, but the result was no different. My strength was still weak.¡±


    ¡°It means Nevartan wasn¡¯t the cause of your weakness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°In order to make sure the assumption that someone among the Old Dragons is weakening you is correct, you have to target Raiders or Trauka.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is impossible.¡±


    ¡°It was all because of that angel with a lot of wings. If they had cooperated with me, I could¡¯ve taken Nevartan¡¯s heart and aimed at Trauka. They ruined my n.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked at Bunhelier, who med others until the end, like he was pitiful. Then he cautiously said, ¡°Let¡¯s look at other possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Other possibilities?¡±


    ¡°As I said before, your front feet resemble the Blue Dragon. It isn¡¯t just the Blue Dragon. The dragons of the east have short and small feet. Maybe you are a mix between a dragon and an eastern dragon? If so, that exins why you are weak. It is likely because you don¡¯t have a yeouiju.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Let¡¯s end our rtionship.


    Bunhelier could barely swallow down the words that rose up in his throat. If Grid hadn¡¯t shown such humility in epting the insult that he resembled an elf, Bunhelier would¡¯ve be impatient and ran out of control. Grid¡¯s argument was that futile and insulting.


    It was no wonder why Hayate and Biban averted their gazes.


    Kraugel was the only one who was impressed. ¡®He mastered it.¡¯

 Chapter 1887

    Chapter 1887


    ¡®Grid didn¡¯t intend to provoke Bunhelier?¡¯


    Kraugel had a sudden realization. It was because he noticed that Grid¡¯s hypothesis was usible.


    ¡®If the beginning of the myth really isn¡¯t the beginning.¡¯


    If this fact could be proven, Grid¡¯s hypothesis carried a tremendous amount of power. It meant it was possible for Bunhelier to be of mixed race.


    The reason why Bunhelier¡¯s front feet were abnormally small and why Bunhelier was particrly weak among the Old Dragons could be exined all at once. Bunhelier also seemed to be aware of it as well. His eyes that were soaring into the sky started to rapidly sink and the ck pupils started shaking.


    He was clearly agitated. Of course, there was a close to zero percent chance that the timing of the beginning was misrepresented. In the first ce, Bunhelier was someone who had existed since the beginning of time.


    However, humans always had some doubts. They always questioned facts and phenomena that had been taken for granted. They researched them and developed the discipline of science. For beings with superior intelligence like humans, the act of questioning was much more familiar to them.


    ¡°By the way, you... how did youe up with that idea?¡±


    Bunhelier looked back at the ¡®memories of the beginning¡¯ with a serious face and questioned Grid. The idea that the beginning wasn¡¯t actually the beginning¡ªit was hard to think of it normally. There had to be something tremendous that happened.


    Bunhelier became curious about the inside story. He wondered if Grid had been in contact with Reba.


    Kraugel, Hayate, and Biban were on the same page¡ªthey judged that Grid went through another great thing alone.


    It happened as tension filled the air...


    ¡°I heard Basara mention her dream of forting conception.¡±


    ¡°Dream of forting conception...?¡±


    ¡°She said that a dragon of the east appeared. The small feet holding the yeouiju reminded her of you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up for a moment. Dream of forting conception... dream of forting conception? A dream that tells you the omen that you are going to have a child?¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s knowledge was vast. He could immediately recall the dictionary meaning of the unfamiliar words used by humans. He soon frowned. ¡°You doubted the beginning because of this?¡±


    Bunhelier felt a variety of emotions at once. It was unpleasantness, irritation, futility, and anger.


    Hayate and Bibanughed.


    ¡°A dream of forting conception with a dragon appearing... it is very precious.¡±


    ¡°It is especially positive that it is a dragon of the east.¡±


    The dragons of the east hadpletely different concepts from dragons. It was a race that took the Blue Dragon as their ancestor out of the four gods born from the aspirations of humanity, and they were ssified as divine creatures. They might be greatly inferior in strength and majestypared to dragons, but they were considered auspicious.


    A dream of forting conception with the appearance of an eastern dragon could only be auspicious. It would¡¯ve been a bad omen if a dragon had appeared in a dream of forting conception. Dragons were treated as beings close to evil by the public due to their reign of terror.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Bunhelier couldn¡¯t see anything else.


    First, he spoke rudely to Grid. Now he was the same to Hayate and Biban. He had lost hisposure and Kraugel gave him a hint. The way he raised his finger and ced it to his lips seemed to be telling Bunhelier to shut up.


    Of course, it was a misunderstanding. The reason why Kraugel warned Bunhelier not to cross the line was purely for the safety of the tower. If there was a disturbance here, the tower members might have to move again.


    ¡°This guy...?¡±


    Kraugel was a perfect target for Bunhelier, who was feeling ufortable. The present day Sword Saint¡ªhe was the most easygoing one among them and was a good target for venting Bunhelier¡¯s anger.


    That¡¯s right¡ªdespite losing his cool, Bunhelier made a proper distinction between the strong and the weak. It was an ability he had acquired by experiencing all types of humiliations over the years.


    Finally, Hayate raised his killing intent and warned Bunhelier, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly.¡±


    ¡°...I was too agitated for a moment. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Lord Hayate is fully aware of your position. That is why it is just a warning.¡±


    ¡°Sir Biban, stop.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    After all, was it better to take the Dragon yer route?


    It happened as Kraugel was feeling troubled while watching the situation...


    ¡°The yeouiju. You can think of it as a dragon¡¯s heart that has been taken out. It is like a dragon¡¯s life. It is realistically impossible to obtain the yeouiju unless you are determined to kill the owner of the yeouiju,¡± Grid exined.


    It was unexpectedly an area of expertise for him due to his deep connection with the Blue Dragon.


    ¡°But if my hypothesis is correct, there must be a yeouiju without a master somewhere in the world.¡±


    The hypothesis that Bunhelier was a hybrid of a dragon and an eastern dragon. If that was true, the yeouiju that originally belonged to Bunhelier would be floating around somewhere in the world. In other words¡ª


    ¡°If that yeouiju really exists.¡±


    ¡°The timing of the beginning will be different from what is known to the world.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe Bunhelier¡¯s memories are partially distorted.¡±


    ¡°It could be both.¡±


    ¡°But who can manipte the memory of an Old Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be rtively easy if Bunhelier is a mixed race?¡±


    ¡°When I saw him a few days ago, Nevartan definitely recognized Sir Bunhelier as an Old Dragon. It is too unrealistic to manipte the memories of other Old Dragons.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know he is mixed race?¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t keep going on about mixed race, mixed race. It hasn¡¯t yet been confirmed that I am...¡±


    The probability was infinitely close to zero. Everyone present knew it. It was just too early to deny it.


    The East Continent¡ªit was also part of Grid and the Overgeared World. The Blue Dragon favored Grid. The environment meant there was ample room for investigating the truth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the east for now. It is enough to deny it afterward,¡± Grid suggested.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Bunhelier hesitated. It was natural. It was a battle for his pride, even if Grid¡¯s hypothesis was proven wrong. If Grid¡¯s hypothesis was correct, then it would be a huge loss.


    Oh my god. A mixed race imed to be an Old Dragon? It was a great event that would make the worldugh. There was no reason to try and uncover the unpleasant truth.


    Grid read his mind and slowly persuaded him. ¡°Bunhelier, you have a dragon heart, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You keep repeating the rumors.¡±


    A dragon heart was literally the heart. Of course, Bunhelier had a heart.


    Grid smiled at him as he was frowning. ¡°So what if you have mixed blood? Then you will have a dragon heart and a yeouiju. Won¡¯t you be the strongest in the world?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Being the strongest¡ªthis was something Bunhelier had been obsessed with all his life.


    It wasn¡¯t for any purpose. It was just because he was an Old Dragon. He had to be the strongest. But he was far off. Hecked too much natural strength to aim for the strongest. In the end, nothing changed no matter what means and methods were used.


    He became frustrated a few times. This was especially the case more recently. Looking back on his own situation of being defeated by demons and gods, not even the Old Dragons who were the same kind, Bunhelier was on the verge of giving up on his goal of bing the strongest.


    Then at this moment¡ª


    Grid came up with a hypothesis using a mere dream of forting conception as an excuse. It was absurd. It was a level where it wouldn¡¯t be strange to point at Grid and call him a lunatic.


    However, Grid continued to make the argument without any fear. At the end of it, he reminded Bunhelier of the goal he had abandoned.


    ¡°You... don¡¯t tell me...?¡±


    From the beginning, for me...


    Were you prepared to point fingers at me to save me from falling into the depths of despair...?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Kukuk... No, I¡¯ve fully understood your meaning. You don¡¯t have to say it.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Bunhelier rose from his chair. The wonderful formal clothes,pleted by referring to Grid¡¯s usual attire, fluttered in the air. The handsome man swept away his long, flowing ck hair and made up his mind.


    ¡°Okay. Looking at your sincerity, I will join you in this futile endeavor.¡°


    ¡°It is a good choice.¡±


    Grid responded with a smile. Then he asked Kraugel for a favor.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet the Blue Dragon right away. Kraugel, can you contact the Chivalrous Robbers? Based on their intelligencework, they might¡¯ve heard about an ownerless yeouiju at least once.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Two men nodded and turned their attention to Bunhelier.


    They waited for his transformation.


    A dragon was a perfect vehicle.


    ¡°Squeak.¡±


    ¡°...No, why did you transform into a mouse again?¡±


    Grid frowned as he witnessed this absurd result after waiting for Bunhelier to turn into a dragon. From Bunhelier¡¯s perspective, Grid¡¯s response was even more absurd.


    ¡°The East Continent has been incorporated into the Overgeared World, but the eyes of the Hwan Kingdom will still be there, right? Can you handle it if I act openly and provoke Chiyou? Squeak.¡±


    ¡°...That is true.¡±


    In any case, they could travel to the East Continent using the warp gate. Grid was convinced and pulled out the skin mask to use it.


    Wriggle.


    Grid¡¯s face and body changed in real time. It was like he was being kneaded. At the end of the bizarre scene, what waspleted was the appearance of a blonde-haired woman with a beautiful smile on her face.


    ¡°Is it Queen Basara...?¡± Kraugel read Grid¡¯s intentions and smiled softly. It was a smile that would soon disappear.


    ¡°Kraugel, you should crossdress as well.¡±


    ¡°Crossdress...? Why should I?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing good about spreading rumors that my wife is going around with a man, right?¡±


    ¡°People will just think you have an escort warrior. In the first ce, won¡¯t we be acting separately after arriving on the East Continent? My role is to go to the Chivalrous Robbers.¡±


    ¡°There is the process of moving and you will have to join me againter. Kraugel, you¡¯ve been ying solo for so long that you don¡¯t have any consideration...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Sword Saint, do you feel nothing when you see Grid working so hard for me? Squeak.¡±


    ¡°...Do you have an extra skin mask?¡±


    ¡°There is, but it isn¡¯t as perfect as mine. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to put on makeup?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Maintaining a poker face and showing a smile once in a while¡ªthis was one of the symbols of Kraugel. He was so loved by the public that he was nicknamed ¡®sky above the sky.¡¯ He was the idol of countless people. He always thoroughly managed himself.


    But putting on makeup and crossdressing?


    In an urrence that simply could be described as rare, Kraugel¡¯s face turned white.


    ***


    ¡°Your behavior is strange.¡±


    At the headquarters of the Chivalrous Robbers, the East Continent¡­


    Hwang Gildong gave a big smile as he sat facing the ck-haired beauty.


    ¡°Dressing up as a woman... It is a bit nasty to be the hobby of a swordsman, but it strangely suits you when looking at your fair skin... Wearing gloves is a godsend.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you have fierce eyes when looking at me. Okay, let¡¯s get down to business. A yeouiju. A yeouiju without a master.¡±


    Hwang Gildong leaned back deeply in his chair and pondered on it for a long time. He revisited past memories. He was a transcendent who had fought against half-gods for many years for the sake of the people of the East Continent. His memories were the basis of the enormous amount of information that the Chivalrous Robbers was proud of.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never heard of an ownerless yeouiju.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...?¡±


    There was no clue to prove Grid¡¯s hypothesis.


    ...No, it was still too early to judge.


    Kraugel stood up, thinking he should search on his own, when Hwang Gildong sat him down again.


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve heard of an imoogi with two yeouijus.¡±


    ¡°Imoogi?¡±


    ¡°Arge snake that lives in water. It is widely believed that the eastern dragons originated from the Blue Dragon, but there is another legend passed down orally among the people. There is an oral tradition that if an imoogi trains for a thousand years, it will obtain a yeouiju and be a dragon. But some imoogis are very greedy. This one didn¡¯t be a dragon despite obtaining a yeouiju. It trained for one thousand more years and gained more one yeouiju.¡±


    It was a folktale. However, sometimes stories were based on real events.


    ¡°The imoogi got two yeouijus and believed it would be a dragon. Then what happened? The strength of the two yeouijus was so powerful that it lost its reason and became a monster instead of a dragon.¡±


    Hwang Gildong, who was talking in an exaggerated manner as if in a y, suddenly became indifferent. His cold eyes were filled with excitement. ¡°Isn¡¯t that funny? How can a monster weak enough to lose its sense of reason because it can¡¯t handle the power of two yeouiju endure training for 2,000 years?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel agreed. He stood up and asked politely, ¡°Tell me where this imoogi is.¡±

 Chapter 1888

    Chapter 1888


    The world regained order because the God of Virtue, Grid, released the seal of the Four Auspicious Beasts. It was thanks to this that people regained the forgotten myths, realized their ce, and fulfilled their respective duties.


    Bang Gwanyeom was one of them. His family reigned as a provincial lord just a few years ago and disturbed the people bymitting evil. The story in which the nobles stripped all their people naked because they had to give their robes to the yangbans was so famous that it spread all over the kingdom. They were a vicious family with so many evil deeds that it was difficult to list them all.


    However, their dispositionpletely changed when they remembered the myth they had forgotten. Originally, their family were a traditional warrior family who served God Blue Dragon...


    The day when the forgotten myth took root again on the continent. Bang Gwanyeom was surprised to learn something he didn¡¯t know and first offered an apology to his ancestors. He fasted for a month to punish himself for disgracing his family. He prayed and prayed all night to forgive his father and grandfather, who had wrongly educated him.


    After that, he ran out of the house and screamed an oath that he would live to serve those who had been harmed by him and his family. Fortunately, his sincerity worked. Those who regained their true gods and their lives had be very generous. They were determined to forget their false past and live a proper life from now on. It was to the point where they considered even the position of a wicked person like Bang Gwanyeom.


    Thanks to this, the forgiven Bang Gwanyeom started to be faithful to his duties. He helped the civilian poption with his own strength and power. Eventually, he gained fame with the Kaya royal family. The king of Kaya appreciated his efforts and enthusiasm and summoned him to the pce one day.


    ¡°I will tell you where God Blue Dragon is staying. Just like your ancestors, you should be acknowledged by God Blue Dragon and serve it sincerely.¡±


    Two months had passed since then. Bang Gwanyeom was guarding the entrance to the White Forest. It was the road leading to the home of God Blue Dragon. Perhaps it was because he had umted so many sins, but he still wasn¡¯t weed by God Blue Dragon. Nevertheless, Bang Gwanyeom was very moved.


    At the very least, he wasn¡¯t kicked out. God Blue Dragon allowed him to act as a guard...


    In fact, this alone overwhelmed Bang Gwanyeom. He vowed over and over again that he would stay here until he died of old age one day.


    ¡°I guessed she was a celestial maiden.¡±


    ¡°Is she that beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Ah, how many times do I have to say it? Um,e to think of it, you said you have seen Miss Sua before, right? They say she is as beautiful as Sua, who once had a reputation for being the number one beauty in the Cho Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°If you say that, it makes sense. Are you worried about it? There is bound to be a lot of trouble if such a beautiful woman is on the road alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter how much better the world has be, there will always be gangsters.¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The middle-aged men, who were approaching the White Forest while talking, stopped in surprise.


    At the entrance of the forest¡ªit was because a big snowman, which hadn¡¯t moved, suddenly opened its mouth.


    ¡°A spirit in such a sacred ce?¡±


    ¡°The world is getting better.¡±


    It happened the moment the middle-aged men clicked their tongues and drew their swords...


    ¡°I am a warrior who worships God Blue Dragon. This is the road leading to the sanctuary, so outsiders aren¡¯t allowed to enter,¡° the snowman took a step forward and exined.


    The voice was soothing and imbued with innate power. Snow was falling deeply and must¡¯ve covered the man for at least half a day.


    ¡°Mr Bang... the great master from the rumors.¡±


    ¡°Looking at his spirit, he doesn¡¯t look like an impersonator.¡±


    The relieved middle-aged people put down their swords. They took the initiative to exin their situation to Bang Gwanyeom.


    ¡°We are from Duke Tao Qian¡¯s family. We serve the Four Auspicious Beasts, just like Mr Bang. I¡¯vee a long way to get the roots of the Box Tree. Can you please understand the situation?¡±


    ¡°Tao Qian... the roots of the Box Tree... I guess the rumor that Lady Tao Qian is suffering from a terminal illness is true.¡±


    ¡°You knew about it?¡±


    The faces of the middle-aged people brightened. It was because they thought the conversation would go well. However, the next words of Bang Gwanyeom were different from what was expected.


    ¡°Duke Tao Qian¡¯s situation is pitiful, but I can¡¯t break the rules.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°As I said before, I can¡¯t allow outsiders to enter.¡±


    ¡°What is that...? A person¡¯s life is at stake! Furthermore, Duke Tao Qian is a warrior who serves God White Tiger. The two of you haven¡¯t been in direct contact, but how can you be so indifferent when you are no different fromrades-in-arms?¡±


    ¡°Duke Tao Qian¡¯s position is the same as mine, so I am drawing the line even more.¡± Bang Gwanyeom sighed and exined, ¡°Those who serve the gods are always ready to give their lives for the gods. Yet invading a god¡¯s realm to save his own daughter¡¯s life? It is a dark thing. Go back. It is better for you to go back empty-handed for Duke Tao Qian.¡±


    Duke Tao Qian himself didn¡¯t know if there was a medicine in the White Forest that would save his daughter.


    The attitude of the middle-aged people suddenly changed when Bang Gwanyeom once again issued an order for them to go back.


    ¡°A man no different from a thief just a few years ago is now talking about the gods and admonishing us.¡±


    ¡°You vulgar bastard. You cleaned up your identity thanks to the change in the world. You can¡¯t be allowed to take our youngdy¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Bang Gwanyeom was silent. He understood the reactions of the middle-aged people. His past was too shameful. He couldn¡¯t use the excuse that the yangbans cursed his family because long ago in the distant past, his family worshiped God Blue Dragon.


    The Tao Qian family of the Pa Kingdom¡ªeven in the distorted world, the apostles of the Four Auspicious Beasts who lived for the people existed.


    ¡°I understand your loyalty.¡±


    It was the same in the days when the gods were lost and after the gods were restored. The Tao Qian family were great, unlike him. The family members were deeply loyal. Bang Gwanyeom was convinced. For that reason, the level of their family members was raised. Even considering this, they had very excellent skills.


    ¡®They are warriors who have been honing their natural talents all their lives.¡¯


    They were real ones. They must¡¯ve lived a different quality of life than he did, who ttered the yangbans and bullied themon people. They were born with a fortunate lineage and it would be sinful to trample on them.


    Bang Gwanyeom drew his weapon. It was with the judgment that their level was so high that it would be difficult to suppress them unless their wrists were cut.


    However, the de¡¯s trajectory was off. The same was true for the swords of the middle-aged people. A sword flew in like a sh of light and struck the swords of the middle-aged men and Bang Gwanyeom one after another, shifting the trajectory.


    ¡®A transcendent...!¡¯


    If their level was high, then they generally had good discerning eyes. The frightened Bang Gwanyeom and the middle-aged people shifted their gazes in the direction the sword hade from. Standing there was a blonde-haired woman. She was as beautiful as a celestial maiden who came down from the sky. She smiled with thin eyes that were hard to tell if they were closed or open.


    ¡°You seem like straightforward people. Please resolve it peacefully through dialogue.¡±


    The identity of the blonde-haired woman who spoke was Grid. He was trying very hard to imitate Basara¡¯s actions that he had seen and experienced firsthand.


    ¡°Something... is disgusting. Squeak.¡±


    The mouse hiding in his sleeve spoke nonsense, but he ignored it.


    ¡°Can I ask for this distinguisheddy¡¯s name?¡± Bang Gwanyeom cautiously asked.


    No matter whether it was her appearance or her clothes, she looked like she was from the west. He wouldn¡¯t know her identity even if he heard her name. The opportunity to ask a valuable question was wasted.


    Bang Gwanyeom was regretting it while the middle-aged people murmured.


    ¡°Is she perhaps...?¡±


    ¡°She is one of the ones I mentioned earlier.¡±


    A beautiful woman with long ck hair and a beautiful blond-haired woman with an attractive smile¡ªthey were the best-looking women who had been a hot topic in Kayately. They appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly, one of them appeared in the area of the gods. She was even a transcendent.


    They had a bad feeling. It took a moment for the middle-aged people to decide it was better to cooperate with her. But before they could bring it up, their minds became nk.


    ¡°My name is Basara.¡±


    Grid¡¯s wife and the queen of Titan, the second capital of the Empire¡ªGrid revealed this name first and tried to introduce himself.


    ¡°I-I greet the wife of the God of Virtue!¡±


    Bang Gwanyeom and the middle-aged people interrupted his speech by kneeling down and bowing.


    A continent far beyond the Red Sea. It was difficult for them to grasp all the people of the West Continent unless they were in a unique position and had an extraordinary intelligencework. However, there were few exceptions and one of them was Basara.


    One of the two wives of the God of Virtue. There were many rumors about her. It was because the soldiers who often went to the West Continent during and after the Great Human and Demon War witnessed her and praised her as beautiful after they returned. They made a lot of noise and said that the God of Virtue took her as his wife for a reason.


    ¡°H-How did Your Highness, one of the noblest people in the world, travel so far in person?¡±


    The characteristics of Basara and the characteristics of the woman in front of her were quite consistent. Moreover, it was just after witnessing her incredible skills.


    Bang Gwanyeom and the middle-aged people didn¡¯t dare have doubts and obediently epted Grid¡¯s identity. It was an unexpected development from Grid¡¯s perspective, but it was quite convenient.


    ¡°As one of his four wives, God Grid has personally bestowed upon me a special mission.¡±


    He tried to reproduce Basara¡¯s tone as much as possible.


    ¡°...Four?¡± one of the middle-aged men suddenly asked in amazement before hurriedly shutting up.


    The God of Virtue¡ªGrid was the symbol of benevolence. He btedly thought it was natural for Grid to have multiple wives.


    ¡°Are you here to see God Blue Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Bang Gwanyeom calmed down and exined patiently, ¡°I¡®m sorry, but outsiders aren¡¯t allowed to enter after this. Please wait. I don¡¯t know how many days it will take, but I will ask for permission from God Blue Dragon...¡± No matter how noble she was, she wasn¡¯t Grid. Therefore, Bang Gwanyeom tried to do his duty.


    At this point, even the middle-aged people were clicking their tongues. The reason why this person didn¡¯t open the way for them¡ªthey realized it wasn¡¯t because he was ignoring them or had any ill feelings toward Duke Tao Qian. It was because he was upright to this extent. They regretted that they had wielded their swords recklessly. They shouldn¡¯t have judged with prejudice caused by the rumors they heard during the days of distortion.


    It happened as the middle-aged people were reflecting on themselves...


    They heard thunder and a bright blue thunderbolt struck Bang Gwanyeom¡¯s body.


    ¡°Keeeok!¡±


    Was it a demonic human?


    The middle-aged people watched in a daze as Bang Gwanyeom screamed in a terrible manner and flew away, breaking several trees before rolling on the ground and trembling.


    The shadow of a god¡ªthey noticed the shadow of the Blue Dragon covering the snowy ground. Was the Blue Dragon angry at themotion? The middle-aged people didn¡¯t dare to look up and started to tremble. Then they soon doubted their ears.


    -I¡¯m sorry... don¡¯t get me wrong. That spoiled person has nothing to do with me...


    It must be the voice of God Blue Dragon. But it was apologizing. It was toward a woman who was just a human being, even if she was the wife of the God of Virtue. Just the shape of the shadow showed that its head seemed to be lowered.


    ¡°Really? I was happy to think God Blue Dragon has a good person by your side. It is a pity that it is a misunderstanding.¡±


    -I will keep him by my side starting from tomorrow.


    ¡°You thought well. Shall we start with treatment first?¡±


    -Human beings are most precious to me, so I didn¡¯t hurt them hastily. I just pushed him, so don¡¯t worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    [Your wife, ¡®Basara,¡¯ has obtained divinity.]


    A being who made the Blue Dragon bow¡ªshe couldn¡¯t be epted as a human being. In the first ce, the background of Grid¡¯s wife was extraordinary. She was naturally deified. Moreover, the middle-aged people had very high standings in the Pa Kingdom. The sighting would gain credibility and quickly spread across the country.


    Thanks to this, Grid quickly achieved his desired result. He smiled happily and took off the skin mask. He followed the Blue Dragon¡¯s guidance and walked deep into the forest. After a while¡ª


    ¡°......¡±


    A tree root fell in front of the middle-aged people who couldn¡¯t raise their heads. It was the root of the Box Tree.


    ¡°Ahh... Thank you. Thank you...¡±


    The man who sought to be recognized as an apostle of the Blue Dragon and the people who worked hard to relieve their master¡¯s worries¡ªat this moment, their wishes were fulfilled. It was due to Grid¡¯s influence, which was getting stronger day by day.


    At the same time, at a swamp...


    ¡°It is on a different level from ordinary daoist immortals.¡±


    Hwang Gildong, who was walking in front, took a big step back. It was with a very flustered and hurried look. It didn¡¯t match the behavior of a transcendent who easily took care of the well-being of the world in the face of any natural disaster.


    After all, Hwang Gildong was a person who fought fierce battles with half-gods. He had umted experiences that weren¡¯t possible for ordinary people, even if they died and were reborn several times. However, he was intimidated because he didn¡¯t understand the situation. The momentum emitted by the old man who blocked the road went beyond the perception of a transcendent.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this at the level of being called the best among the daoist immortals?¡±


    There were hundreds of amulets floating around him right now.


    ¡°You must not touch this imoogi,¡± the old man warned Hwang Gildong, who was sweating, and Kraugel, who was quietly observing the situation.


    Thendscape changed several times before even a single word waspleted. There was a subtle ovepping of formations.


    Kraugel seriously thought, ¡®I think Grid should¡¯ve been in charge of this.¡¯

 Chapter 1889

    Chapter 1889


    ¡°......¡±


    The body of the mouse seemed like it was going to fall backwards. It was because he was overzealous in his desire to capture the image of the giant god in his sight. The Blue Dragon, who was said to be the most powerful among the Four Auspicious Beasts, didn¡¯t allow the eyes and understanding of mere mortals. It behaved nobly, as if the origin and heart of humanity, the ¡®aspiration of humanity¡¯ was very precious.


    ¡°Surprisingly, you aren¡¯t cursing.¡±


    Grid reacted with surprise to the silent Bunhelier. The Blue Dragon had gradually learned etiquette and now it bowed to Grid. Grid had predicted Bunhelier¡¯s usations. He thought that this guy would talk nonsense like it was pathetic that it resembled a dragon.


    Yet unexpectedly, he was silent. He silently observed the Blue Dragon with eyes that were unusually zed over.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t disgraceful to bow to you,¡± Bunhelier replied nonchntly.


    That was it. He fell silent again and examined the Blue Dragon. It seemed to take quite a long time due to the narrow field of view caused by polymorphing into a mouse.


    Grid gave him a strange look before naturally meeting the Blue Dragon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Grid was also courteous to the Blue Dragon. The myth of the Four Auspicious Beasts might¡¯ve been incorporated into the Overgeared World, but this didn¡¯t mean it was a master-ve rtionship


    For Grid, the Four Auspicious Beasts were more like respected seniors. This was true even if they had suffered one defeat and one failure. They were beings too noble to be oppressed by mere hierarchies.


    -Humans are getting along unexpectedly well thanks to the reduced anxiety.


    The Blue Dragon became several times more powerful than the first time they met and gave all the credit to humanity. It was an attitude of never forgetting one¡¯s roots. In fact, it was also an expression of gratitude toward Grid. Grid¡¯s performance was beyond restoring the myths that the humans of the East Continent had forgotten and reducing their worries.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is too much.¡±


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s expression was even harder to read than a dragon¡¯s. A body made up of divine lightning energy, not bones and flesh¡ªtheck of muscles meant there was no change in facial expression.


    However, Grid understood the Blue Dragon¡¯s inner thoughts. The cold that came due to the anger left behind. The people who had nowhere to go because of it. Being worshiped by their offspring made the Blue Dragon feel a tremendous sense of burden and guilt.


    Gridforted the Blue Dragon by saying it was fine. ¡°You just have to do better in the future. Isn¡¯t it okay if you don¡¯t betray people¡¯s faith again?¡±


    -......


    Don¡¯t betray faith. For gods, it meant not to fail.


    He was discussing the near impossible casually. At first nce, it almost sounded like a provocation. However, the Blue Dragon didn¡¯t misunderstand.


    -I will listen carefully.


    The Blue Dragon reflected on what Grid was like.


    After a series of unbelievable activities, he saved humanity and even destroyed an Absolute who had ruled one dimension...


    It was definitely something to be proud of. Things that seemed impossible for him would be easy for him.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Bunhelier let out a sound that seemed like a groan. His eyes were still fixed on the Blue Dragon. In fact, it was strange that he didn¡¯t seem interested in the yeouiju held by the Blue Dragon. What was distracting him?


    -It is true that when the Twelve Zodiacspete, the rat always takes the lead. This isn¡¯t because it is exceptional. It is because of the rat using the pride and strengths of the other members of the Twelve Zodiacs to its advantage.


    The Blue Dragon could no longer look at the mouse. It advised that mice weren¡¯t suitable for use as spiritual objects and subtly gave the mouse a look. Even though Bunhelier was right in front of it, the Blue Dragon was unable to grasp Bunhelier¡¯s identity.


    Something was wrong and it judged that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary mouse, but the Blue Dragon couldn¡¯t think of a dragon. This was due to Bunhelier¡¯s Polymorph skill being refined after repeated battles. It was also the result of the difference in level between Bunhelier and the Blue Dragon.


    Grid felt it too. Comparing Bunhelier and the Blue Dragon side by side, the Old Dragon was indeed different. Bunhelier might be the weakest of the Old Dragons, but he overwhelmed the Four Auspicious Beasts in many ways. No, it wasn¡¯t just the Four Auspicious Beasts. Maybe he wasparable to Hanul, who had fallen to the point of being seriously injured by the Blue Dragon?


    Grid remembered something he had always wondered about and asked the Blue Dragon. ¡°I heard that you pierced the heart of one of the God of the Beginning.¡±


    -Um...


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s tone became more cautious.


    -I was lucky. At that time, Hanul wasn¡¯t in an intact state shortly after his defeat. He also consumed a considerable amount of energy to create a ¡®dimension.¡¯ A trump card that I had hidden worked well in line with the situation. Nevertheless, the fact that it was only a small wound was the decisive factor that frustrated me at the time...


    ¡°Does it take a lot of energy to create a dimension...?¡±


    The Overgeared World¡ªGrid was also a being who had created a dimension.


    Of course, his position was very different from that of Hanul, who created the Hwan Kingdom in the middle of the sky where nothing existed. The Overgeared World was based on the Overgeared Kingdom and the system supported it. It was as if he enjoyed the authority of the Emperor and the privileges of a yer at the same time. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t understand Hanul¡¯s position.


    -......


    The Blue Dragon took it differently.


    Bunhelier clearly read the Blue Dragon¡¯s astonishment.


    ***


    ¡°I can¡¯t touch this imoogi? There is no way a daoist immortal would im to be an escort for a monster? Yet it is like a bomb that will explode if I touch it?¡±


    Hwang Gildong tried hard to retort. The location of the old man who was being asked the question couldn¡¯t be identified. The scenery, which had changed several times by the repeated formations being ovepped, had suddenly transformed into the middle of a street.


    Buzz buzz.


    Merchants engaged in soliciting business, passersby worried about choosing products, drunks drinking alcohol in broad daylight, and so on. All types of sounds were heard in all directions. The smell of fish on disy at the stall next to him stung his nose. Everything felt real.


    ¡®It is in the territory of being amazing... besides, it is so thorough in the weirdest areas.¡¯


    It was the middle of summer when the sun was shining. No matter how much Hwang Gildong was a transcendent, his winter clothes felt somewhat stuffy. His thick scarf was instantly soaked with sweat. In the end, he couldn¡¯t resist and threw off his scarf while searching for the old man¡¯s whereabouts.


    The scenery changed again and the wind blew in. Hwang Gildong clicked his tongue as the sweat on his exposed neck cooled down in an instant. ¡°Your personality is nasty.¡±


    ¡°Pigs see only pigs. This isn¡¯t what I want to hear from you, who have taken advantage of worldly circumstances to spy on other people¡¯s every move and covet their goods.¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice was heard. It felt like it came from right behind his back, above his head, and from far away at the same time.It was impossible to discern the direction.


    ¡°Pigs see only pigs?¡±


    ¡°It means that pigs can only be seen in the eyes of pigs.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask because I didn¡¯t know the meaning. The Sword Saint of the current era has a personality as entric as his hobbies.¡±


    ¡°This old man has an excellent discerning eye.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong understood that Kraugel¡¯s personality was also formidable and chose to remain silent. He also didn¡¯t exin that he repeatedly monitored other people¡¯s every move and snatched goods as purely for the sake of the people. He suppressed the cry that this daoist immortal who was a bystander in the world didn¡¯t deserve to criticize him.


    Hwang Gildong had always been like that. In a world where myths were forgotten and distorted, even when he became the main enemy of the yangbans and the four kingdoms and was stigmatized, he walked his own way in an aloof manner. He was one of the unsung heroes.


    ¡®I miss Old Sword Demon.¡¯


    ...But this didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t feel resentment and that it was unfair.


    Hwang Gildong missed Old Sword Demon, whom he could manipte on the palm of his hand. He would be able to relieve his stress right away if he was with Old Sword Demon. However, the world that recalled the true myth regained peace, albeit superficially.


    Suddenly, Old Sword Demon left and Hwang Gildong was alone again. Eventually, he got involved with a nasty human.


    ¡°Why are you protecting the imoogi?¡± Kraugel suddenly asked on behalf of Hwang Gildong.


    He had urately identified the location of the old man.


    Super Sensitivity¡ªthe power that symbolized the Sword Saint, along with the sword that cut anything, was unstoppable. At times, it made even an Absolute nervous. In particr, it was close to a superior advantage over a daoist immortal. Themon specialty of the daoist immortals was to use amulets and swordsmanship. This was why their techniques were mainly used for illusion techniques. If they were detected by Super Sensitivity or cut by the sword, they were bound to copse.


    ¡®But I can¡¯t see it as an advantage.¡¯


    Kraugel had a deep connection with the daoist immortal, Bentao, in the process of returning from the elemental world. Many times, he had witnessed techniques that went beyond the level of illusions and escaped frommon sense. In the first ce, a daoist immortalbat power wasn¡¯t concentrated on illusion techniques. They each had their own martial arts that they had honed and exercised unbelievable miracles, especially from the point of dealing with the resource called ¡®the power ofw.¡¯


    ¡®Nevertheless.¡¯


    A sword that resembled one of the world¡¯s most famous treasured swords revealed its appearance. He didn¡¯t take any particr stance.


    The state of being one with the sword.


    Hwang Gildong trembled. It was as if he could feel the sharp wind being torn to pieces. It was a phenomenon caused by the sword wind that seemed to count every single hair on his head.


    The energy emanating from the Sword Saint of the present era in all directions was a clear de.


    The former generation Sword Saint who survived until he became old and became a god, and the former generation Sword Saint who evaded his duties and death by living in a dimensional gap¡ªthe name of the present day Sword Saint, shrouded in the shadow of the two seniors who were strangely obsessed with life, became strongly imprinted in the minds of the transcendents of the east at this moment.


    ¡®The present day Sword Saint has been devalued.¡¯


    It happened as Hwang Gildong was convinced...


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to answer, then open the way. I will cut you if you continue to endure.¡±


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t get an answer to his question and pointed his sword in one direction. The gray winter sky was dyed with the sunset. It was the effect of Grid¡¯s faint divinity rising from the sword as sword energy cut through the wind.


    Kraugel was also aware of it. There were only two Twilights in the world. He couldn¡¯t talk about defeat prematurely as long as he was carrying one of them.


    The old man, whose shadow was revealed in the backlight created by the sunset, sneered, ¡°Is the characteristic of a Sword Saint madness?¡±


    ¡®Does he have a connection with my seniors?¡¯


    It was usible. Hundreds of years would just be amusement for a daoist immortal. Moreover, the old man in front of him was old even for a daoist immortal. He might¡¯ve endured eons like the Great Robber of the Red Night.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t think much of it and corrected the old man, ¡°I¡¯m different from my predecessors.¡±


    Unlike Biban or Muller, he was more humble than anyone else. Since he was born in the same era as Grid, he had to cultivate humility as a basic skill.


    Hwang Gildong stared at the proud Kraugel from the side and muttered, ¡°Is it because he painted on powder that his skin is thick?¡±


    ***


    ¡°It is the traces of the Sword Immortal.¡±


    There were two main reasons why Hanul established the Hwan Kingdom in the East Continent.


    First, many people lived there. It was easy to receive worship. The more important thing was that there was an energy body that rivaled a dragon heart. It was an object called a yeouiju.


    It wasn¡¯t like a mere imoogi or the Blue Dragon. The gods had figured out that somewhere on the East Continent, there was a special yeouiju of unknown origin. It was powerful enough topletely restore Hanul, who was seriously injured by Reba and was endlessly weakening.


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy to find it because its whereabouts were unknown. Under various circumstances, the Hwan Kingdom suspected the Sword Immortal, who hadn¡¯t appeared, had hidden it. They were just afraid there would be an adverse effect if they acted recklessly. Now they didn¡¯t have to be so careful any longer. To be precise, they couldn¡¯t afford it.


    The Absolute, who caught a rare glimpse of the Sword Immortal, immediately stood up.


    ¡°Coincidentally, it is outside the Overgeared World. Of course... it is a good opportunity.¡±


    The Absolute picked up the bow that was ced beside the throne. It was a sacred item that his only brother used until his brother fell into hell. It was an extremely powerful weapon that contained the entirerge-scale myth of ¡®The War of the Gods.¡¯


    It meant he wouldn¡¯t allow any variables. In other words, he was determined to do everything possible.

 Chapter 1890

    Chapter 1890


    ¡°There are many tricks, but they aren¡¯t too much of a threat.¡±


    This was how Grid evaluated the daoist immortal, Yeo Yn.


    No one agreed with this.


    Yeo Yn¡¯s technique, described by Grid as a ¡®noisy fuss¡¯ or described by Huroi as ¡®messy and with little substance,¡¯ ced the members of the Overgeared Guild in all sorts of difficulties. It was strange andplicated, but the gaps were as small as tiny holes in the dam. They had to devote a great amount of time and strength to finding a way to break through.


    Grid dismissed it as ¡®doesn¡¯t cause any bleeding¡¯ and Huroi said that the ¡®damage will be small if you allow it once or twice,¡¯ but Yeo Yn¡¯s offensive sent chills down the spines of the members of the Overgeared Guild several times.


    It was because it had a high destructive power and an ability to impede the speed and resilience of the target. The members of the Overgeared Guild would be partially incapacitated as long as they allowed even one attack. Their abilities were weakened in many ways, so it was practically fatal.


    Contrary to Grid¡¯s assessment, the daoist immortals were very powerful existences. It was natural. A daoist immortal was special just from the background of their birth.


    A transcendent who ascended to heaven after attaining enlightenment. The reason they were daoist immortals was because they were really close to being a god. In fact, they were ssified as half-gods.


    The old man in front of them seemed to have a higher rank than Yeo Yn. Yeo Yn was thought to be the best of the daoist immortals, but as always, the world was wide.


    Hwang Gildong suggested, ¡°Even if the two of us cooperate, the odds of winning seem to be small... isn¡¯t it better for you to sacrifice yourself? Sword Saint, you handle him while I will look for the imoogi."


    ¡°Will you be able to take on the imoogi alone if you find it?¡±


    ¡°How can I know that? The imoogi has always been treated as a de facto divine creature in legend. Due to the many twists and turns in the oral story passed down over the years, it is almost impossible to gauge its skills.¡±


    ¡°If you are unsure about the odds against the imoogi, then let¡¯s fight here together. Isn¡¯t it better for the two of us to work together?¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a temperpared to your calm tone. Does a Sword Saint only think about fighting? The reason why I studied the teachings of my ancestors and carved them into my heart was to gain the wisdom to resolve all types of situations peacefully. There is no guarantee that I will meet and fight the imoogi."


    The old man warned them, ¡°Stop thinking about stealing the imoogi. It isn¡¯t something that can be coveted by a clumsy person.¡±


    ¡°When did I say that I am going to steal it? Daoist immortal, don¡¯t misinterpret my longing for peace. No, why is the Sword Saint looking at me like this? Is it possible that you are so caught up in his technique that you can¡¯t tell the difference between enemies?¡±


    Hwang Gildong reacted very sensitively to the word ¡®stealing.¡¯


    The culprit was always the most embarrassed one.


    Kraugel stared at him indifferently before raising his sword at an angle. The orange divinity forming a sunset on the sword sshed like lightning. It was affected by the waves of sword energy. The amulets flooding toward Hwang Gildong were immediately torn to shreds when intercepted by the sword.


    The eyes of the self-righteous old man were piercing as he said, ¡°This is an achievement that your predecessors wouldn¡¯t have gained at your age.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s Twilight was different from Grid¡¯s Twilight. Due to the deterioration in the quality of the materials, it was clearly one grade below. However, it had a few strengths that Grid¡¯s Twilight didn¡¯t have. It was spirituality. Kraugel¡¯s Twilight developed special abilities several times in the process of growing with its master.


    One of them was the ability to use overwhelming cutting power to disrupt the very essence of the target. It strengthened the power of the Sword Saint to ¡®cut anything¡¯ to the limit.


    It was the cause of instantly destroying the magic contained in the amulets in an instant. It was due to being overgeared.


    Kraugel enjoyed the effects of Grid¡¯s items from the beginning, while Biban and Muller only came into contact with them in theirter years.


    Therefore, the old man misunderstood when hearing him answering ¡®of course.¡¯ He said, ¡°Your crazy personality has also surpassed your predecessors.¡±


    ¡°You are misunderstanding. I don¡¯t think this is an attitude that someone who has ascended to the heights of enlightenment should show.¡±


    Hwang Gildong must be feeling a bit unfair...


    It was Kraugel who realized this and formed a strange consensus. The old man was indifferent. He waved his hands through the air while maintaining his consistent expression.


    Hundreds of amulets responded. Some amulets shot water bombs to make the ground that Kraugel was standing on muddy. Other amulets created a de-like wind that slightly softened the Sword Saint¡¯s sword energy.


    The weather kept changing. It was doing what Mother Nature did on a local scale.


    The difference between Lauel¡¯s abilities and his abilities was obvious. Lauel¡¯s ability to affect the weather was simply to bring rain or typhoons. In return for affecting the battlefield range, it had a few hours of cooldown every time the weather changed.


    On the other hand, the old man adjusted the weather more finely. The temperature, humidity, and wind direction all adversely affected Kraugel.


    ¡®The power ofw..¡¯


    The wet ground froze. The hand holding the sword was covered in sweat. The dopo fluttering in the wind unfortunately obstructed his vision.


    ¡°...!!!¡± Kraugel¡¯s eyes widened.


    The moment the old man drew his ¡®sword¡¯ and held it. Kraugel thought it would be easy to fight, but this was a misjudgment.


    A Sword Saint should naturally have the upper hand in a battle between sword and sword, but he was pushed back from the first blow. It was due to strength draining from his wrists and fingers in the aftermath of blocking the old man¡¯s sword, which was flooded with blue clouds. It felt like he was possessed by a ghost.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    The old man didn¡¯t give Kraugel time to think.


    Kraugel took a long breath and quickly removed his sword. However, every time he defended against a blow, Kraugel¡¯s grip weakened. It reached the point where he almost let go of his sword.


    It was different from Grid¡¯s Sword Breaker. Sword Breaker was a technique that destroyed the sword itself while the old man made the ¡®hand holding the sword¡¯ weaken. It was the feeling of forcibly releasing the sword. If it wasn¡¯t Kraugel, most people would¡¯ve been forcibly ¡®disarmed¡¯ the moment they shed swords with the old man.


    The blue clouds surrounding the old man became thicker. Kraugel saw that it was the high-ranking martial art of ¡®True Clouds¡¯ that he had learned from the East Continent in the past.


    Kraugel¡¯s body exploded and he bounced back. The sticity of the sword that pierced through the clouds was tremendous.


    ¡®...Sword Immortal.¡¯


    The owner of a swordsmanship that separated the Sword Saint from his sword. It even obscured the Sword Saint¡¯s ¡®authority¡¯ to read the target¡¯s sword trajectory. There couldn¡¯t be many such beings in the world...


    Kraugel realized this and his fighting energy faded like it was a lie.


    He suppressed himself.


    It wasn¡¯t because he was intimidated by this technique that was close to an illusion technique, became humble from feeling the pure power or because he had fallen in love with this person¡¯s swordsmanship.


    Kraugel just thought logically. He vaguely understood why the old man in front of him, who was so great that he was reminiscent of an Absolute, was protecting the imoogi. ¡°I was taught that daoist immortals don¡¯t get involved in the affairs of the world.¡±


    ¡°It is because I shed my personal identity myself.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you value the rules more than life. I even glimpsed a faint madness from your attitude of willingly watching themon people being manipted by the false gods.¡±


    ¡°I see. It must be that the nature of a madman, who is obsessed with enlightenment until ascending to Shangri-La, hasn¡¯t beenpletely erased. It is ack of discipline.¡±


    ¡°But you have suppressed your madness and been active in the world. Is the secret protection of the imoogi here directly rted to protecting the world?¡±


    ¡°Have I reached the point of discussing the world with ayman? The price of dipping my foot into the world is great.¡± The expression of the old man as he expressed his dissatisfaction was still calm. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t seem offended. ¡°In conclusion, it is the correct answer. The imoogi living in this ce is contributing greatly to the security of the continent.¡±


    Kraugel wondered, ¡°Are you supporting the world? It seems to be a great divine creature that should be prioritized over the Four Auspicious Beasts sealed by the gods of the Hwan Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a divine creature, it is a monster. It is a monstrous god whose existence itself is a sin.¡±


    ¡°Yet you are protecting it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t think of this imoogi as separate from the Hwan Kingdom."


    Kraugel was a person with extraordinary brains. Through the short conversation, he immediately grasped most of the situation. ¡°Imoogi... Aren¡¯t the gods of the Hwan Kingdom also aiming for the yeouiju?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t answer. He affirmed it with silence.


    He reminded Kraugel of an old tree. It was hard to fathom how long he had been watching this ce alone. Yes, alone.


    The remote area of the eastern end of the continent. It was filled with swampy areas that emitted a lung-dissolving mist and waspletely cut off from foot traffic. The evidence was that it hadn¡¯t been incorporated into the Overgeared World. There was no one here to worship Grid, so Grid¡¯s myth didn¡¯t reach here.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel turned to Hwang Gildong. He gave a look to tell Hwang Gildong to persuade the old man with his characteristic rhetoric. However, Hwang Gildong was quiet. He had been maintaining a silence that didn¡¯t suit him.


    Kraugel was reminded of the saying that things usually considered insignificant couldn¡¯t be found when urgently needed. In the end, Kraugel had to persuade this person himself.


    First of all, the situation was exined. He didn¡¯t say anything about Bunhelier. He just revealed that a great god called Grid wanted the yeouiju. He persuaded the old man that if the yeouiju was entrusted to him, the Hwan Kingdom would no longer be able to target the yeouiju.


    However, it didn¡¯t work. There was a fundamental problem.


    The old man said, ¡°I¡¯m well aware of his feats. It was told through the thoughts of the people carried by the wind.¡±


    Had he reached the peak of Natural State? It happened the moment when Kraugel grasped one more aspect of the old man¡¯s condition...


    ¡°But not for Chiyou.¡± The old man presented a problem with no answer. ¡°You might know this, but the Hwan Kingdom is under Chiyou¡¯s protection. Even if Chiyou¡¯s usual attitude isn¡¯t cooperative, it is likely that the yeouiju will be an exception. It is the ultimate goal of the Hwan Kingdom and Hanul. The moment the yeouiju¡¯s whereabouts are revealed, Hanul will use all means and methods to move Chiyou.¡±


    Everything was equal in front of Chiyou. The old man thought that Grid¡¯s high reputation and force were useless.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was around the time that Kraugel left for the elemental world under the guidance of the daoist immortal, Bentao. Kraugel had been looking forward to meeting the Sword Immortal at the Peach Blossom Spring. There was an expectation that he could learn all sorts of things and hidden quests would pop up.


    Then the meeting that took ce today was less than expected. He didn¡¯t get anything...


    ¡®I have no choice but to bring Grid here in person.¡¯ It happened the moment when Kraugel made this judgment and bowed his head to step down...


    Flop!


    Hwang Gildong copsed. Was it an ambush? But he couldn¡¯t even read it with his Super Sensitivity? The rarely surprised Kraugel spread out his energy detection far and wide. The same was true of the old man. Before they knew it, they were standing back to back. They subconsciously recognized each other as dependable people.


    It was a time when intense tension dominated the space.


    ¡°I found it! I found the location of the imoogi!¡± In the distance, Hwang Gildong shouted and waved his hand. Hwang Gildong, who had copsed a moment ago, was losing its form like a lie.


    ¡°Since when?¡±


    ¡°It is an incredible achievement.¡±


    Doing this around a Sword Saint and Sword Immortal? They were surprised by Hwang Gildong¡¯s skill in replicating himself and clicked their tongues for different reasons.


    The old man moved quickly. He didn¡¯t ignore this intruder who recklessly found the imoogi¡¯s whereabouts.


    Kraugel pursued him, but it was useless.


    Suddenly, an arrow flew from high above and exploded on Hwang Gildong¡¯s head.


    Both the old man and Kraugel stopped in ce.

 Chapter 1891

    Chapter 1891


    ¡°Anyway... I can understand why Hanul still hasn¡¯t recovered.¡±


    Hanul was a disgraced god who barely escaped with his life after running away. It was easy to specte that he had been mortally wounded. He also invested a huge amount of resources into creating a dimension. He couldn¡¯t afford to care for his wounds.


    Grid tried to lighten the mood and the Blue Dragon responded to Grid.


    -It is impossible for him to recover on his own. The fact that he was defeated when he had the hierarchy of a God of the Beginning means he must¡¯ve suffered a significant loss.


    ¡°......¡±


    The higher the hierarchy, the greater the loss when failing¡ªGrid¡¯s face stiffened as he realized the obvious.


    ¡®I should be more afraid of defeat in the future.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s status had risen steeply. It was the result of repeatedly fighting and winning against an enemy stronger than himself. It was the secret behind how he managed topress the years needed to make up for what he wascking, but it was also a weakness that Grid had honed himself.


    He had a hierarchy that ¡®must¡¯ be within the top 10 of the world.


    Grid¡¯s position had be too high. It was to the point that the loss he would suffer in the event of a failure had reached an unimaginable realm. It meant he should use Hanul as a teacher.


    Grid repeatedly vowed to be more careful in the future. He reminded himself several times that he shouldn¡¯t be overconfident in his strength and power. He should put reason ahead of emotion.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not act rashly.¡¯


    Fortunately, the good news was that most of the territory of the surface and hell had be the domain of the Overgeared World. It meant Grid had a huge sensory organ the size of a dimension. Of course, it was a sense where he was only sensitive to certain situations due to all types of practical problems, but this was enough. Essential information poured in at every critical moment.


    This was advantageous for quickly detecting anomalies. Just like right now.


    -Furthermore... Um.


    ¡°......¡±


    There was a fine vibration from Grid¡¯s sensory organ. He felt the waves that urred when the Blue Dragon¡¯s lightning intervened in the world.


    After that, the Blue Dragon¡¯s magic unfolded. Yes, magic. In return for Braham¡¯s acquisition of obtaining pure elements from the Four Auspicious Beasts, the Four Auspicious Beasts learned magic from Braham.


    -There is a dimensional gap where ¡®traces of light¡¯ remain. I came across it recently. Would you like to see it?


    ¡°Traces of light?¡±


    -It is presumed to be traces left by Reba¡¯s power. God, if you look at this, it is easy to understand how serious Hanul¡¯s condition is...


    ¡°It is a valuable opportunity. Even the Old Dragons don¡¯t have a chance to see Reba¡¯s power. Squeak.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Grid moved immediately.


    The Blue Dragon flew through the gap in the dimension.


    All senses were cut off from reality.


    ***


    Brains and bone fragments scattered along with gushing blood. It was instant death. The arrow that fell just a moment ago contained overwhelming destructive power that lightly trampled on a legend¡¯s ¡®immortality,¡¯ which was only temporarily effective.


    The surprise attack of an Absolute¡ªit wasn¡¯t strange for it to cause iprehension.


    The arrow smashed Hwang Gildong¡¯s head and then stuck into the ground. Hundreds of thousands of earth dragons were raised due to it.


    ¡°Can I ask you one question?" Kraugel, who was rushing toward the earth dragons, asked the old man, ¡°Are you also an Absolute?¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s Twilight let out a thunderous roar. It shed at the earth dragons that were rapidly approaching. Of course, they weren¡¯t real dragons. They were simply ¡®piles of stone rising from the cracked ground¡¯ that resembled dragons.


    ¡°As far as I know, there is no perfect being in the world,¡± the old man neither denied nor affirmed it.


    This was why Grid disliked the daoist immortals. They made him waste his time by talking a lot of nonsense.


    On the other hand, Kraugel wasn¡¯t particrly dissatisfied with the old man¡¯s way of speaking. He understood what the other person meant. He said, ¡°I will believe you. Please evacuate the imoogi while I block him.¡±


    ¡°I will do it.¡± The old man was someone who calmly criticized the heavenly gods who had reigned as Absolutes for a long time, yet he nevertheless couldn¡¯t deny that he, too, was an Absolute. Now he raised blue clouds. It was so thick that it couldn¡¯t bepared to when Kraugel fought him.


    Just then, a newly fallen arrow lost its target and struck the ground between Kraugel and the old man, causing the ground to rapidly crumble.


    Kraugelunched Twilight toward his feet that was being sucked underground.


    Flying on the sword¡ªthe sword carried its master and moved forward, shattering the earth dragons and reaching Hwang Gildong, who had started to turn to ash. He lost his head and his torso was half destroyed.


    It was a terrible sight. Kraugel tore off a bit of Hwang Gildong¡¯s blood-soaked coat and put it away. He nned to deliver it to the Chivalrous Robbers.


    ¡®He is one of Grid¡¯s connections.¡¯


    Grid never said anything good about Hwang Gildong. However, when something happened that was rted to the East Continent, it was clear that Grid trusted Hwang Gildong because he naturally relied on Hwang Gildong.


    I couldn¡¯t protect him...


    Kraugel was filled with cold rage when a certain tune prated his ears. It was a performance with a sword as a musical instrument. It was the mark of the sword left by the old man, who outpaced Kraugel in an instant.


    It was a type of musical art. It gave Kraugel a powerful buff. All his stats rose and the power of his sword increased. On the other hand, it seemed to have inflicted a serious wound on the Absolute approaching the ground.


    ¡°Yeoam... He is worse than the rumors.¡± King Sobyeol finally descended. Blood stains remained in the ces where the colorful gold clothes soared in the wind. They were trails of the blood that spilled from his ears.


    The Absolute was wounded as soon as he appeared. It was a rare and shocking sight.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to get Kraugel¡¯s attention. The Sword Saint of the present age paid attention to the great bow held in King Sobyeol¡¯s hand, not his dirty blood. ¡°It looks just like the bow that King Daebyeol made from his divinity.¡±


    ¡°You saw it correctly. There is a rumor that you helped subdue my older brother¡¯s soul in hell. I guess it was true.¡±


    ¡°His divinity was warm.¡±


    ¡°It is just the heat from the falling sun. Don¡¯t be deceived.¡±


    ¡°Did you be ruthless because you dropped the moon? It must be a pity. The arrows you shot would¡¯ve melted and flowed down without reaching the sun.¡±


    ¡°Your predecessor hid in the dimensional gap because he was cowardly, but you are the exact opposite. You have a fate that won¡¯t live well.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I can¡¯t really rte when looking at the previous generation.¡±


    Kraugel was both infinitely warm and infinitely cold. His attitude just varied widely depending on who the other person was.


    An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This was a term used to describe him. It was the reason why most people became humble in front of the present day Sword Saint.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s left hand. I intended to appreciate your position and treat you well, but you kicked away your own good luck.¡±


    King Sobyeol raised his colorless divinity. It absorbed all of Kraugel¡¯s sword energy, which was quite annoying. The aftermath was great. In response to Kraugel¡¯s sword energy, the rampaging divinity around Twilight faded and Kraugel lost his strong self-defense.


    Nevertheless, Kraugel wasn¡¯t agitated. ¡°You are mistaken.¡±


    The divinity to take any power as its own¡ªthe power of King Sobyeol was overwhelming, but the Sword Saint was the exception. No, to be exact, it was ¡®Kraugel.¡¯


    It was because the sword energy of Twilight was exceptionally sharp.


    ¡°I¡¯m not someone¡¯s left hand, let alone Grid¡¯s left hand.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    King Sobyeol was cut to pieces from inside.


    Kraugel¡¯s sword energy, absorbed by him, neutralized the colorless divinity and repeatedly shed him.


    ¡°From Grid¡¯s perspective, I am a card that can be discarded at any time.¡±


    Therefore, it was okay to fail. He wasn¡¯t afraid of death...


    The mental world of the Sword Saint, which was originally focused on ¡®cutting,¡¯ was pushed to an even greater extreme. It was very subversive.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a Sword Saint, you are a Sword Ghost.¡±


    It was an idea that only beings with an infinite life could have.


    If I can cut the opponent even once, I will give up my life as many times as necessary...


    Kraugel¡¯s resolution was felt by King Sobyeol. It was as if he was the incarnation of Baal.


    ¡°Are you a madman under the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon?¡±


    It was ominous. King Sobyeol wanted to get rid of the Sword Ghost in front of him right away.


    However, it was a time when he should be careful. The skills of Sword Immortal Yeoam were stronger than expected. A single stroke of the sword wounded King Sobyeol. Yeoam also strengthened the present day Sword Saint by several times.


    The blue clouds created by the power ofw were as tricky as the rumors said. It wasn¡¯t known what type of variables the imoogi, that the Sword Immortal had protected for a long time, would show.


    King Sobyeol had to be careful not to get hurt prematurely. He could be unintentionally disadvantaged.


    ¡°...Kukuk.¡± King Sobyeol quietly watched Kraugel¡¯s movements and startedughing. It was a twistedugh. It was absurd that he, the son of a god of the beginning and a chief god of the Hwan Kingdom, should be so cautious of just one human being. It was the influence of the present day Sword Saint. His sword, which shed anything, was a threat to even an Absolute. He even had the help of the Sword Immortal now.


    ¡®11 seconds.¡¯


    Kraugel estimated that the time it would take for him to enter the immortality state was six seconds. It was calcted that he wouldst a total of 11 seconds from the time King Sobyeol abandoned his hesitation and attacked.


    This was sufficient. Kraugel could cut off one ankle.


    Kraugel suppressed his anger in exchange for a cooler head and used this to formte an borate n. Then a distant cry permeated his ears.


    ¡°What are you doing over there? Are you crazy? Should I go first?¡± Surprisingly, it was the voice of Hwang Gildong, who was not dead and was actually still alive.


    King Sobyeol felt Kraugel¡¯s terrible killing intent be directed toward Hwang Gildong. It was the moment when the determination of a person who was prepared to die was lost...


    A fatal gap was revealed.


    Baaaang!


    A showdown between Absolutes was rarely a protracted battle. It was because they had a great peed that made a distance meaningless and techniques that neutralized the self-defense. Of course, the result came even faster when an Absolute faced a transcendent.


    Kraugel¡¯s body floated in the air as a result of his momentary distraction. At the same time, King Sobyeol disappeared from the battlefield. He hurried after the Sword Immortal as if he didn¡¯t even have time to take Kraugel¡¯s life.


    ¡®The imoogi?¡¯ Kraugel roughly coughed up the blood in his throat and examined his surroundings. He looked for traces that a giant serpent would¡¯ve left behind as it left somewhere.


    However, there were no signs of it. It was proof that the imoogi hadn¡¯t left yet.


    ¡°That... I¡¯m sorry?¡± Hwang Gildong approached before he knew it and held out his hand.


    He was also a transcendent. He naturally recognized that Kraugel had suffered a setback because of him. He was tired of the killing intent and sword energy and hurriedly got to the point.


    Hwang Gildong told him, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the imoogi. We can get there first.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very skilled in secret mechanisms.¡±


    ¡°Did you cheat the Sword Immortal?¡±


    ¡°He is an enemy, so isn¡¯t it obvious? By the way, why do you keep talking informally to me? Do you consider me a friend? My illusion...¡± Hwang Gildong shook his head. He had witnessed the scene where Kraugel jumped into danger to recover a piece of his clothing.


    Kraugel red at him and urged, ¡°Shut up and lead the way.¡±


    ¡°You have be a ghost ording to King Sobyeol¡¯s evaluation... Ah, understood. We have to hurry, so put that sword away.¡±

 Chapter 1892

    Chapter 1892


    The dimensional gap¡ªit was famous for being the ce where Sword Saint Muller hid for many years. Many of them appeared in the world when Fire Dragon Trauka changed the ecosystem, so Grid was familiar with it.


    No, the word ¡®familiar¡¯ was wrong. A dimensional gap wasn¡¯t referring to a single ce. Just as the stars in the universe were different, so were the gaps in dimensions.


    ¡°It is strange in many ways... Squeak,¡± Bunhelier muttered while entering the dimensional gap opened by the Blue Dragon.


    And that even Old Dragons were unfamiliar with¡ªthe dimensional gap was such a ce.


    ¡°Is this the ce where you were trapped? Did you identally find traces of light here?¡±


    A space where light was scattered¡ªit was so bright that it was hard to guess the scale. The reflected light added endless colors, making their eyes sore and their minds confused.


    Grid spected that this was the ce where the Blue Dragon was sealed.


    ¡®It is said that the Blue Dragon was sealed within the Blue Dragon Dao, but that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    With its resurrection, the Blue Dragon had regained its ¡®body.¡¯ This meant that in addition to the soul, the body was also sealed in the Blue Dragon Dao. It was physically impossible. How could such arge body fit into a sword?


    ¡®Of course, the Blue Dragon¡¯s body is made up of divinity and lightning.¡¯


    The case of the other Four Auspicious Beasts must be taken into ount. The ck Tortoise and the White Tiger had physical bodies made of matter. Nheless, they were sealed in a jewel and a spear. They only regained their whole body once they were resurrected.


    Therefore, Grid spected that the ce where the Four Auspicious Beasts stayed when they were sealed was a dimensional gap.


    -I was sealed in the Blue Dragon Dao...? Didn¡¯t you know?


    ¡°How can such a big body be put into a single dao?¡±


    -It is because the magic of the seal performed a miracle. What type of test are you giving me right now...? Ah, I understand. The light here is so bright that it is almost disorienting. You are worried about my condition.


    ¡°...That is all I need to know.¡± Grid was embarrassed that he made a useless guess and got it wrong.


    Bunhelier looked suspiciously at the awkward Grid. ¡°Your assumption that I¡¯m mixed race can also be wrong. Squeak.¡±


    ¡°Everybody makes mistakes, but my mistakes aren¡¯t frequent.¡±


    Every time Grid surpassed a strong enemy, he became aware of his position. He had repeatedly vowed to be cautious. He had listened to Lauel¡¯s advice for a long time and witnessed the wisdom of Braham and Sticks many times.


    Grid prided himself on now being close to a sage. Based on the knowledge and information umted over the years, he was now in the process of expanding his wisdom like a great ocean.


    ¡°That confidence... it is sincere.¡±


    Bunhelier saw Grid¡¯s serious expression and no longer spoke.


    -This is the ce I have been aiming for since the first day I met Hanul. To borrow the words of magicians, it is a ce where I never forgot the ¡®coordinates.¡¯ I memorized them.


    The Blue Dragon recalled the memory of that day.


    -As I said many times, Hanul isn¡¯t in perfect condition. Not only did he lose a significant amount of status because of his defeat, but he also suffered considerable internal injuries. Nevertheless, he was nonchnt when dealing with us, the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s fierce eyes became even sharper.


    -I couldn¡¯t see a hint of tension when he dered that he would take ournd and myths as his own. He was arrogant and leisurely. He subdued the Red Phoenix, the White Tiger, and the ck Tortoise. His attitude didn¡¯t change even when he got to me.


    This meant the Blue Dragon was considered equivalent to the other Four Auspicious Beasts.


    The story that the White Tiger was defeated by the Blue Dragon several times was insignificant to those noble, celestial gods.


    ¡°He was careless. Thanks to that, the trump card you had hidden managed to pierce a hole in Hanul¡¯s chest.¡±


    -Yes, the gods who followed Hanul were also in a very haggard state. Meanwhile, our apostles and the Twelve Zodiacs were fine. It was worth aiming for a reversal. That was when the dimensional gap opened up. It was exactly here.


    ¡°......¡±


    The context of the words was strange. Grid had a hard time keeping up with the flow of the conversation. Of course, he didn¡¯t express it. He pretended to understand everything in a calm manner, so that Bunhelier wouldn¡¯t doubt him again.


    It was right. His status could be damaged if the Only One God and master of the Overgeared World didn¡¯t understand even one word properly.


    ¡®It is seriously ridiculous.¡¯


    He had be infinitely stronger, but he still had many things to worry about. It was a sick worldview...


    It happened as Grid, who was finally caught by the concept of ¡®status¡¯ that had held him back several times, inwardlymented...


    -Hanul, who opened the dimensional gap, ced his wound here.


    The Blue Dragon exined to Grid, who kept his mouth shut tightly.


    -It is literally. Hanul personally cut out his wounded chest and threw it here. As a result, his chest developed a bigger hole in it and assimted into the sky, bing Hanul, or heaven. I was defeated before I could let out a single breath. It felt like the whole sky was pressing down on me. Hanul, who cut out the wound and ¡®removed it¡¯, was close to beingplete for a while.


    The Blue Dragon guided Grid into the inner area of the dimension.


    -It was a very shocking incident. Hanul¡¯s method was iprehensible to me. I tried to understand it the whole time I was sealed, but it was futile.


    Therefore¡ª


    -After learning magic from Braham... I decided to personally visit the ce where Hanul buried his wound. In order to reach the coordinates in my memory, I repeatedly cut through space and drifted through countless dimensional gaps.


    ¡°You reached here at the end of this.¡±


    -Yes. Then I found something amazing. The traces of light that I mentioned earlier.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s footsteps stopped.


    An unrecognizable scene unfolded before his eyes. Something that was the size of a child¡¯s head¡ªan unidentified object emitted a deep glow from the center of the small space.


    It was red.


    ¡°A heart. Squeak. Is it really Hanul¡¯s heart?¡± Bunhelier recognized it immediately.


    The Blue Dragon cocked its head.


    This unidentified creature¡ªhe seemed to have no concept of politeness when serving a god.


    -It is right that it is Hanul¡¯s heart. The chest that was cut out when he was hurt was gone, but the one that existed since then must still be intact.


    The Blue Dragon didn¡¯t even look at Bunhelier. It treated Bunhelier as nonexistent and exined only to Grid.


    Bunhelier interjected again, ¡°The wound on his chest was healed and restored, but this one wasn¡¯t. Squeak.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of that light?¡± Grid asked as he slowly walked forward.


    A faintly pulsating heart. The reason why it emitted brilliance was because of the light that was constantly moving inside.


    -I think it is probably Reba¡¯s trick.


    Bunhelier frowned. ¡°Light can¡¯t pass through?¡±


    Was this really a god¡¯s heart?


    Hanul¡¯s heart was ordinary to the point where such questions arose. There was no difference except that it was a bitrger than the average human¡¯s heart. This meant that there was nothing that could be used as a reflector.


    However, the light inside the heart didn¡¯t prate to the outside of the heart. It hovered inside. It endlessly circted and destroyed the heart in real time. If it wasn¡¯t for the ¡®great divinity¡¯ that filled this space, Hanul¡¯s heart probably couldn¡¯t even maintain its shape and would disappear into powder.


    ¡°It is insanely destructive.¡±


    A light that copsed the heart of a God of the Beginning from within¡ªReba¡¯s divinity, which wouldn¡¯t disappear until it fulfilled its role, came as a shock to Bunhelier as well. To be honest, it was hard to believe even though he was seeing it.


    ¡°At this point, Hanul, who survived, is amazing...¡±


    As Bunhelier clicked his tongue, Grid recalled a scene from the past. It was the sight where Yatan, a God of the Beginning, was smashed. He melted into blood as soon as the pir of light fell. There was literally no other way to describe it other than ¡®he was punished.¡¯


    ¡®I have been expecting it since then, but... Reba is a monster on a different level.¡¯


    Chiyou and the Old Dragons¡ªshe seemed impossible topare even with those who seemed to have no opponents in the world in terms of strength alone.


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯


    Reba had never directly interfered with Grid¡¯s progress. Even her blessing wasn¡¯t withdrawn...


    No matter the reason, he had to be careful not to offend her unless he was crazy. But it was a risk. Grid couldn¡¯t just leave her alone. He needed to figure her out and respond to her somehow. It was inevitable for Grid. His heart was very heavy.


    ¡®I just want peace.¡¯


    A world where his loved ones and people could live without worries. Grid¡¯s goal was to create a world where it was okay not to care about the transcendents, who were more threatening than natural disasters.


    ...It wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    [Do you mean to exterminate the gods and dragons?] Someone retorted after reading Grid¡¯s mental state. It was the owner of this ce. He identified not only the intruder, but also his mental state in detail.


    -...Hanul!


    The Blue Dragon responded immediately. It fired dozens of lightning bolts toward Hanul¡¯s heart. There was no effect. The intangible barrier that surrounded the heart blocked the lightning. No, the term ¡®absorbed¡¯ was more urate.


    The ce where the heart of an Absolute was recuperating¡ªit was only natural to be fully prepared. It was fully prepared with defenses in ce to ensure that nothing would happen, even if Reba discovered this location.


    [Grid... when you came to the Hwan Kingdom, you were definitely less attractive than the Seven Evils. But now you are an Absolute who rules over a dimension and is discussing the extermination of the gods. The period was only a few years, but it is more like hundreds of thousands of years have passed.]


    ¡°A guy without a heart talks a lot. Squeak.¡±


    [Evil Dragon, beware of your words and actions.]


    -Evil Dragon...?


    [Unlike you Old Dragons, a physical body isn¡¯t necessary for me. Not only can I be omnipotent with just my thoughts, but I can recreate a new body over and over again. That is what a true god is. Something on the level of a mere Old Dragon provoking me is just undermining your own value.]


    ¡°Are you pretending to be noble when you are so obsessed with your heart right now? Squeak. It sounds like nothing but a bluff.¡±


    [Obsessed with the heart...? You are greatly mistaken.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    [My only interest is the ¡®light.¡¯]


    The words were meaningful.


    It happened the moment Grid¡¯s group noticed something and their eyes widened...


    [You have been expelled from the dimensional gap.]


    There was a notification window and the group returned to the world they hade from. The remnants of blue lightning flowed through the bodies of the group. It was lightning that closely resembled the Blue Dragon''s, but it was filled with hostility and killing intent. They felt it to a high degree. It was enough to burn the skins of Bunhelier and Grid without any difficulty.


    -This is mine...?


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s voice was rarely trembling. It was shaken when it realized that Hanul had reproduced its power.


    ¡°...He is a monster.¡±


    Should he log out? Grid was overwhelmed with a huge amount of fatigue. He was seriously contemting this when he became startled.


    ¡°At this time, is it King Sobyeol? Squeak,¡± Bunhelier muttered.

 Chapter 1893

    Chapter 1893


    The Overgeared World¡ªthe tip of the dimension that was Grid¡¯s sensory organ, under certain circumstances, was slightly shaken. It was the aftermath of being swept away by an explosion that urred outside the dimension. The actual scene of the explosion must¡¯ve been devastated.


    ¡°It is pretty good. Among the ones who have been kicked out, there is no one who can go wild like this except for King Sobyeol. Squeak.¡±


    It was right after catching a glimpse of Hanul¡¯s power in the dimensional gap.


    A monster struggling to grasp Reba¡¯s light¡ªHanul must have a great power. It was a skill that was naturally understandable since he was a God of the Beginning.


    However, there wasn¡¯t an immediate sense of power. He was so obsessed with the light that he didn¡¯t retrieve his heart. He was, as the world had spected, powerless. Even in his own realm, he only inflicted minor wounds on Grid and Bunhelier.


    This was the reason why Grid and Bunhelier concluded that there was no possibility that Hanul was involved in the disturbance.


    It was also obvious that Chiyou wouldn¡¯t be so rash.


    ¡®I wonder if the imoogi is there.¡¯ Grid quickly grasped the situation and got up. He put back on the skin mask that he had taken off. He had to be wary of Chiyou¡¯s gaze again the moment he left the Blue Dragon¡¯s area.


    ¡®Still, I doubt this will escape Chiyou¡¯s gaze.¡¯


    It was a situation where he had to leave the Blue Dragon¡¯s area as well as the Overgeared World. He didn¡¯t think he could deceive Chiyou¡¯s senses, no matter what disguise he wore.


    However, Kraugel was in trouble. Clearly, an Absolute had intervened and disrupted their ns. As Bunhelier spected, it would be King Sobyeol. Kraugel and the Chivalrous Robbers were no match for his power.


    ¡®The apostles alone have a history of defeating King Sobyeol, but King Sobyeol was in a very disadvantageous position at that time.¡¯


    King Sobyeol, who was humiliated by having part of his divinity stolen by Zik¡ªat that time, he was not only restricted by the Overgeared World, but also carrying several penalties on himself. He couldn¡¯t reveal his true strength because he needed to act covertly. It was a stroke of luck for Zik¡¯s group.


    Now the situation had changed. The battlefield was located outside the Overgeared World, and King Sobyeol showed his power from the time he appeared. He was unconditionally powerful. The level of his attacks meant that if it wasn¡¯t for Baal¡¯s power, it would mean that King Sobyeol was many times stronger than Baal.


    Of course, King Sobyeol was also a child of a God of the Beginning. He could be equivalent to Baal. But it didn¡¯t make sense that he was stronger than Baal. Baal was the ruler of a dimension, while King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®It might be different if he got the power of items.¡¯


    -What is going on?


    The Blue Dragon still hadn¡¯t grasped the situation. While the incident urred outside of the Overgeared World, the location happened to be on the East Continent, yet somehow the Blue Dragon wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    ¡®Is it because its level is low?¡¯ Grid felt it was strange.


    Then Bunhelier exined it to him, ¡°As far as I am concerned, the level of the Blue Dragon isn¡¯t trash. There is a high probability that a barrier is hindering its senses. Squeak.¡±


    ¡°It must be the work of the Hwan Kingdom, right?¡±


    ¡°That is valid. King Sobyeol noticed Kraugel¡¯s intrusion while the Blue Dragon was unaware of the disturbance itself.¡±


    Was there a barrier around the habitat of the imoogi that the Four Auspicious Beasts didn¡¯t recognize...? There was only one meaning.


    ¡°It seems the creature called the imoogi is ruled by the Hwan Kingdom. It must be insignificant even if it ims to have a yeouiju. Squeak.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He felt sorry , but what could he do? There was no guarantee that there was only one imoogi in the first ce.


    Grid controlled his mind and instructed the Blue Dragon, ¡°Contact the other gods and tell them toe after me.¡±


    -Yes.


    At the same time that the Blue Dragon replied, the divinity of all the Four Auspicious Beasts spread across the continent like wildfire.


    The Four Auspicious Beasts¡ªthey were of the same origin and couldmunicate even across a distance.


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s nose rose high out of pride. It had the honor of chasing after Grid faster than any of the other Four Auspicious Beasts. It didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it thought it would be fun to wait leisurely for the other Four Auspicious Beasts after arriving at the scene beside Grid.


    -...¡­!?


    The Blue Dragon was feeling a strange sense of superiority, only to be startled. It was because the Red Phoenix had arrived before it knew it.


    The god of fire who gave Grid its precious heart and nestled in Grid¡¯s mental world¡ªthe Red Phoenix had been taking care of people¡¯s livelihood by constantly burning its body. It had a high hierarchy as well as a noble character. It had a position to read Grid¡¯s inner thoughts.


    Thus, it started moving even before Grid uttered the call. It didn¡¯t care that this was the realm of the Blue Dragon.


    -You...


    The Blue Dragon felt a subtle confusion from the moment it figured out the identity of the mouse.


    Now it had all types of feelings toward the Red Phoenix, who came to its territory without permission.


    It was followed by a chill. A snowstorm blew. Grid was reminded of the snow-covered city where Mir stood alone.


    -God is reminding you of your sins.


    -I made another big mistake...!


    The Blue Dragon was suddenly awakened by the usation of the Red Phoenix and became devastated. Many people had lost their homes due to the anger it left behind. Trying to make the same mistake again?


    Bunhelier stared nkly at the Blue Dragon who was hating itself. The slight confusion in the eyes of the little mouse puzzled Grid.


    However, it wasn¡¯t an important issue right now. Grid hurriedly used Shunpo. It was a rush that went beyond speed. Even the Four Auspicious Beasts couldn¡¯t keep up with the movement through space.


    ***


    ¡®He is arrivingte. Did he get a quest from the Blue Dragon?¡¯


    Several peaks of the vast mountain range copsed due to the great bow that ignorantly fired a huge amount of divinity. It meant that quite a lot of time had passed since the appearance of King Sobyeol.


    This ce might not be the Overgeared World, but it was unlikely that Grid couldn¡¯t detect an anomaly. Nevertheless, he hadn¡¯t arrived. It meant he was in a situation where he didn¡¯t immediately notice themotion.


    Even if he had figured it out by now, he couldn¡¯t arrive on time. This was an area dominated by the Sword Immortal¡¯s rule ofw. Even Hwang Gildong, who was good at stealth, took hours trying to find the entrance.


    ¡°This it it. No, it isn¡¯t?¡± They were wandering right now. Hwang Gildong kept being confused about the location of the imoogi he had found.


    ¡°It is like a living creature. The format of the formations was changing in real time. Can he afford to keep us in check while dealing with Sobyeol?¡± Hwang Gildong didn¡¯t hide his admiration. He seemed to be in awe of the Sword Immortal.


    Kraugel shattered his illusions. ¡°The Sword Immortal has no reserve strength.¡±


    The Super Sensitivity was particrly sensitive to sword energy. It was one of the secrets behind a Sword Saint boasting an overwhelming win rate against those who wielded the sword.


    The sword energy of the Sword Immortal was being read by his senses and it was weakening in real time. It was like how True Clouds had faded before he knew it.


    King Sobyeol said, [Yeoam, put aside the meaningless talk. I will make you my right hand if you obey my will right now.]


    [What do you mean?]


    [Just take the bead without an owner.]


    [Do you intend to be the sky?]


    [Are you distorting it? It is all for the sake of heaven.]


    Unlike when he was dealing with Kraugel, King Sobyeol didn¡¯t speak in words when conversing with the Sword Immortal. He conveyed his intent to the target by inscribing his will into this space. It was proof that he was fighting with all his might. They moved at a speed that words couldn¡¯t keep up with, so they changed their way ofmunicating.


    ¡®An Absolute...¡¯


    It was still a long way off for Kraugel.


    Grid had already preceded him, no matter whether it was saving the ¡®world¡¯ beyond the confines of nations and continents, earning the worship of humanity, or bing an object of reliance to dragons and attaining the supremacy of an Absolute.


    This meant it was difficult to follow Grid¡¯s footsteps unless there was a new, great crisis.


    There was no other way to reach the hierarchy of an Absolute than to silently umte victories while maintaining the dignity of a Sword Saint who took victory for granted. But even that standard method had long fallen by the wayside. At some point, Kraugel chose a life ofpanionship over a life of obsession with achievements alone, even if it was somewhat slower.


    He talked about connections. That¡¯s right. Kraugel had alsoe to resemble Grid. He changed in the process of repeatedly interweaving with Grid. It was just like the other Overgeared members.


    ¡°It is better to go to the left.¡± A voice was heard from the shadows. It was the voice of Faker.


    The head of the Overgeared Shadows¡ªhiis intelligence and stealth skills were the best among the yers.


    It was no less than Hwang Gildong of the east. No, it was clearly beyond Hwang Gildong.


    In addition to grasping all the information of the West Continent, the Overgeared Shadows was in the process of absorbing the intelligencework of the Chivalrous Robbers. It was because Hwang Gildong failed to refuse Grid¡¯s continuous requests for cooperation.


    Moreover, Faker¡¯s own status exceeded that of a transcendent. The experience umted by silently following the battlefields where Grid walked was immense. He properly utilized the Kill List and fought several times against beings with a higher status than him.


    Such a bigshot¡ª


    ¡°It is on the left again. Decapitate the straw doll you see in front of you. I can¡¯t do it, but it will be possible with your swordsmanship.¡±


    He came to Kraugel in time to support Kraugel.


    It was the power of connections. It was the tower of connections where Grid established the framework and the Overgeared members built together. Now it worked wlessly even in Grid¡¯s absence. It was extremely rare for them to betray each other. It was an artifact like no other in the world.


    At this moment, Kraugel indirectly experienced part of the realm of an Absolute. It was by acquiring the shadow called Faker.


    ¡°Wait! Are you crazy? Be careful. There is a forest of intangible swords that respond to an intruder¡¯s presence...¡± Hwang Gildong eximed.


    ¡°If it is the same as Yeo Yn¡¯s techniques, the third from the end in the upper right corner is the key.¡±


    Baaaaaaang!


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s eyes widened.


    The Sword Saint, who suddenly took the lead like a madman, eventually destroyed the forest of intangible swords. The Sword Saint could easily cut anything, but this was clearly a result that went beyond the limit.


    It was because the formations of the intangible swords set up by the Sword Immortal infinitely ovepped. Originally, cutting off one side was pointless. It was only right to be pressured by the intangible swords that immediately reappeared as much as the number that disappeared. But the Sword Saint cut them all together...


    ¡°There are many devices that are deeply entrenched in the history and culture of the east. It is better to rely on this person again.¡± The shadow finished giving advice and was silent.


    Just in time, Hwang Gildong came to Kraugel¡¯s side and started making a fuss. ¡°This is the road I saw earlier! What is this? Did you hear God all of a sudden? Are you actually going to be a shaman?¡±


    It was actually the Death God that he heard.


    Kraugel smiled and followed Hwang Gildong. Nervousness was gone from his steps.


    It wasn¡¯t just Faker who arrived at the scene. He could feel that his other connections were gathering toward this ce.


    Kraugel suddenly had a thought. Why was Gridte? Could it be that the reason why he entrusted Kraugel with the difficult task of securing the imoogi rather than doing it himself was because he had a big n behind the scenes?


    ¡®Did he attract King Sobyeol here in order to invade the Hwan Kingdom...? Make a sound in the east and strike in the west. The real purpose is to inflict a serious wound on the Hwan Kingdom without attracting Chiyou¡¯s attention.¡¯


    It was amazing. It was clear that Grid had developed a grand perspective in the process of destroying hell.


    Kraugel was admiring it when a series of explosions urred around him. It wasn¡¯t because Hwang Gildong touched the formations incorrectly, nor was it because of the arrow of King Sobyeol.


    ¡°Go on.¡± It was Braham. The God of Magic and Wisdom burned everything that stood in Kraugel¡¯s way.


    The swamp that released poisonous smoke, the rocks protruding like des, the false night sky that dazzled the mind, and even the persistent techniques of the Sword Immortal that worked even after bing disgraceful¡ªthey copsed without being able to endure the overwhelming power of the magic.


    Grid¡¯s true right hand man joined Kraugel.


    At the same time¡ª


    Grid stopped using Shunpo.


    The Three Masters¡ªthey were the ones behind the birth of the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon myth, and part of the few gods of the Hwan Kingdom. This group of idiots, who should¡¯ve put their safety first, absurdly blocked Grid¡¯s path. It was too coincidental to simply dismiss it as a coincidence. They knew Grid¡¯s path and were prepared. They came to him to be killed.


    ¡®Are they crazy?¡¯ It happened the moment when Grid cocked his head in confusion¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just build up your divinity a while ago? However, you immediately used Shunpo... it is a phenomenal talent. The God of Virtue must¡¯ve taken many things into consideration when picking his wives. He is indeed a noble man.¡±


    A storm raged as Pungsa talked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of the consequences of hurting you, but I¡¯m not in a position to sit idly by. How can we care about our own well-being when we are on the verge of achieving our aspirations?¡±


    ¡°It is a critical moment. It is to the extent where you and Grid have temporarily set into motion a grand myth that you will never experience in your lifetime.¡±


    The War of the Gods. We are nowparable to when we separated from Dominion...


    The storm was oveid with rain and wind while Unsa and Usa talked nonsense. It was literally a natural disaster. Every drop of rain had the power of an artillery shell.


    The Three Masters regained some of their past status through King Daebyeol¡¯s Bow and simply fulfilled the role of a weapon. They were capable of devastating any battlefield in no time.


    Grid wasn¡¯t properly armed because he was disguised as Basara, and he was pushed back a few steps.


    Then the Three Masters had expressions of disbelief.


    ¡°You endured it?¡±


    ¡°There is something I¡¯ve been doubting since I saw you using Shunpo. It seems reasonable to consider it as a polymorphed dragon...¡±


    ¡°A god and a dragon got married...? As expected, it is still the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon.¡±


    ¡°There is no change even if your identity is a dragon. We are in the prime of our power.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes went cold. He was angry at the Three Masters¡¯ attitude of trying to harm Basara even though they knew her identity.


    The little mouse¡¯s anger was also formidable. ¡°Are you talking about the Insane Dragon in front of me? Squeak.¡±


    In the first ce, killing them would cause the Hwan Kingdom to suffer damage equivalent to their destruction.


    Grid would wee it as well.


    Bunhelier slowly raised the magic power that he had been suppressing.

 Chapter 1894

    <h4>Chapter 1894 </h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    Yeoam?gulped.


    A person who ascended to the realm of Shangri-La instead of staying as a legend in the world¡ªthe Sword Immortal maintained a mental state that was as serene as a polished mirror thanks to his deep cultivation. However, he can''t help but feel flustered right now, no matter how rarely he felt that way.


    The variables were too numerous.


    A realm that had been repeatedly fortified with the power ofw to reflect on the past and gain insight into the future¡ªit was difficult to sit by and watch as new uninvited guests came one after another to the ¡®sealed ce of the yeouiju,¡¯ which had avoided even the senses of the gods.


    [It is your karma for not being able to leave the world and abandoningpassion. It wasn¡¯t like you didn¡¯t predict the current situation, but you should¡¯ve prevented the ¡®oral traditions.¡¯]


    A ce that King Sobyeol couldn¡¯t find¡ªHwang Gildong found this ce purely through oral traditions: a story that had literally been passed down from mouth to mouth.?Even the stories that were treated as folktales and ignored by civilians were treated seriously by the Chivalrous Robbers.?Everything had to be thorough in order to protect the people.


    Thanks to this, Hwang Gildong was able to guide Kraugel to this ce. This caused the current situation to ur.


    [I¡¯m grateful for the opportunity.] King Sobyeol sneered as he kept engraving his will on this space. He was mocking?Yeoam¡¯s?stupidity for not preventing the oral traditions because he couldn¡¯t harm people.


    [I will devote myself to making up for this mistake.]?Yeoam?didn¡¯t resent the results of his choice. He lowered his head in thought while endlessly searching for a solution.


    The arrow that grazed by?Yeoam¡¯s?nose caused another mountain peak to copse. The sight of the huge rocks scattering was unrealistic. Clouds everywhere were crushed or torn to pieces.


    Yeoam?moved like a butterfly within the midst of the destruction. He used the iing rocks as springboards and repeatedly soared into the sky.?It was to increase the distance so that the uninvited guests, who were messing with the formations, weren¡¯t swept away and injured in the aftermath of the battle.


    [You are still stubborn despite reaching this point.] The emotions of King Sobyeol were revealed as he frowned.


    A mindset to create results as soon as he developed the intention¡ªthere were disadvantages to this even in the realm of an Absolute.


    Yeoam¡¯s?power ofw read the path of the great bow, which was shooting a violent divinity.?The arrow imbued with violent emotions had a simple side. It couldn¡¯t reach?Yeoam, who had assimted the discipline he umted throughout his life into his body.


    King Sobyeol gradually calmed down. [Your breathing is starting to be rough.]


    Atst, a continuous roar rang out from the fingertips of King Sobyeol as he controlled his mind.?The concept of space?was repeatedly eliminated by the repetitive usage?of his rapid fire actions. It felt like each arrow of divinity was using Shunpo.


    Sword Immortal?Yeoam?became isted in an instant despite using the vast stage of the sky as a battlefield. He would¡¯ve been seriously injured if the amulets around him hadn¡¯t blocked the arrows.?Additionally, his amulets weren¡¯t infinite. They were just consumable items engraved with pictures or characters with shamanistic meanings. It was inferior inparison to Zik¡¯s runes.


    ¡°I was uncertain, but he definitely isn¡¯t an Absolute.¡± This was Braham¡¯s sentiment. He was very stingy in his evaluation of the Sword Immortal, who was facing an Absolute of the Hwan Kingdom alone while also holding back the Sword Saint of the present era.


    Hwang Gildong clicked his tongue. ¡°What nonsense is this person who doesn¡¯t seem like a human being suddenly?saying...?¡±


    The monster who turned this area into a sea of fire with his appearance¡ªfor Hwang Gildong, Braham reminded him of all types of legends.


    At first, he was so wary that he thought this was the imoogi camouging itself.


    However, the Sword Immortal was in apletely different world. No matter how great the silver-haired monster was, Hwang Gildong questioned if he was qualified to evaluate the Sword Immortal recklessly.


    Braham was adamant. ¡°He is bluffing for some reason.¡±


    Kraugel was also starting to notice it. ¡®Certainly... the consumption of techniques is strangely fast.¡¯


    Every time King Sobyeol fired an arrow, Sword Immortal?Yeoam?was repeating his countermeasures by stacking several techniques or consuming dozens of amulets.


    It was as if he had taken out all his cards and was using them. The?sword energy?and power ofw quickly lost its momentum.?It was like risking a war of attrition where there was no profit. It meant he was being pushed in terms of skills. It was hard to see it as a fight between two equal Absolutes.


    ¡®It is a bnce that will quickly crumble.¡¯


    Kraugel grew impatient. He couldn¡¯t wait for Braham¡¯s mes to destroy the formations that were set up, so he swung his sword.?It was swordsmanship that reversed the magic used by others. He was inspired by?Yeoam, who ced his power ofw in his sword energy, and made a new skill using Swordsmanship Creation.


    Braham¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡®What is this guy?¡¯


    Basically, the Sword Saint had an advantage over magicians. In particr, it was right to treat Kraugel as almost a Death God. Kraugel would¡¯ve been quite a threat to him before he regained his power as a direct descendant.


    ¡°You deserve to have?Grid¡¯s?favor...¡± Braham muttered while his expression gradually distorted.?He ovepped other spells on the unfolding Fire Wall. It was a level beyond simply giving attributes and actually changed the principle of the magic. It was as if he could wield this.?It was an obvious provocation. It originated from apetitive spirit.


    A problem arose here. Kraugel also had a personality that didn¡¯t shy away frompetition.?Blue veins?bulged?on the back of Kraugel¡¯s hand as he gripped the sword.?In the process of continuously changing the gripping method, the sound of finger joints being broken urred one after another.


    ¡°No, what...¡± Hwang Gildong btedly noticed the situation and looked at the two of them like they were crazy.


    ¡®Why was Braham the first to arrive?¡¯ It happened as Faker wasining from the shadows...


    Kraugel wielded Twilight, which contained five attributes and seven types of magic, and blew away half of the formation.


    The corners of Braham¡¯s mouth curved up. ¡°I am 70%. I won.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Kraugel¡¯s eyes shook.


    Braham urged him to bandage his wrist as if telling him to challenge it again. ¡°Stop fooling around and hurry up. That person won¡¯tst long.¡±


    That person, not that guy¡ªBraham showed rare respect when addressing?Yeoam.


    A person who stepped foot on the threshold of being an Absolute by using all the cards he had¡ªin other words,?Yeoam?approached being an Absolute through pure skills alone.


    The moment Yeoam umted enough?achievements in this almost Absolute state and raised his status, he would be able to rise to a rank simr to Grid and Hayate. It was natural for?Braham?to respect Yeoam.


    On the other hand, there was also vignce.?What if? In the unlikely event that?Yeoam?really harmed King Sobyeol soon. The level of his status would rise dramatically.?It was a result that Braham didn¡¯t want. Someone else would achieve his goal before he did. HIs pride couldn¡¯t ept it.


    Braham said, ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Just take care of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    A person who was capricious always flustered the people around them.


    Braham was like that.


    Kraugel and Hwang Gildong were dismayed by the sight of him changing his route and rushing into the battlefield.


    On the other hand, Faker was relieved. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before hees back.¡±


    It was an attitude that was?warier?of Braham than King Sobyeol.


    Kraugel noticed the reason and blushed.


    The distance to the imoogi was rapidly narrowing.


    ***


    The Hwan Kingdom¡ªit was a divine world created and ruled by the God of the Beginning, Hanul. Contrary to Hanul¡¯s ruined state, it once flourished.


    King Daebyeol and King Sobyeol, who were active with their great martial arts during the War of the Gods, were still powerful. Additionally, the Three Masters always protected it. The yangbans created to confront the archangels increased their numbers every day.


    The prevailing opinion was that it was worth confronting Asgard one day, as long as Chiyou guaranteed the independence of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°It is all an old story,¡± Vantner said vigorously.


    There was no denying it. Ever since King Daebyeol fell into hell and Grid set foot on the East Continent, the Hwan Kingdom had been in endless decline.


    The yangbans apanying the Overgeared Guild members right now were proving it. For some reason, the peerless handsome men and women wore agricultural equipment side by side with their equipment.


    They were wearing wrinkled and faded clothes like straw mats and were the symbol of the downfall of the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°They look familiar...?¡± The people from the East Continent murmured to themselves at the entrance to Kaya.


    They were watching the yangbans.


    The ones who beat people up could forget, but the one who was hit never forgot. They were only tormented by the yangbans but they didn¡¯t recognize their assants. That was how dirty the yangbans looked.


    ¡°A man named Piaro.¡±


    ¡°He must have a grudge against us...¡±


    The yangbans trembled as they lowered their eyes in shame.


    It was after being disappointed by the gods and turning to Grid. For some reason, they fantasized about being farmers and learned to work in the field. Then they suffered greatly for several months.?They had to run all over the agricultural fields until their silk?dopos, which had always been stiff, becamepletely worn out.


    At first, they epted it as part of their training to be stronger. Then they gradually started to think it was too much. At some point, they suspected that the person called Piaro was abusing his authority to torture them


    ¡°Are you doubting the goodwill of the great one?¡± A man with gray hair spoke up. It was a man who looked drowsy but had a belligerent expression.


    It was Hurent, who imed to be?Piaro¡¯s?protege. He was the one who ignored the yangbans¡¯ opinion that they should tidy up their?dopos?before moving to the east through the warp gate.


    ¡°Goodwill? The man who disgraced us in this way isn¡¯t that credible.¡±


    Hurent replied, ¡°Haven¡¯t I repeatedly exined that the clothes covered in sweat and soil are the pride of a farmer? Unfortunately, you are still confused.¡±


    ¡°We have observed human society and found that clothing changes ording to the time and ce.¡±


    ¡°Farmers are the exception.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you armed with brilliant armor?¡±


    ¡°This is a gift from Grid. Would you dare to take it off? Stop grumbling and hurry to show us the way.¡±


    The yangbans were half-gods. Regardless of the circumstances of the Hwan Kingdom, they were still powerful. Even the foul-mouthed Peak Sword and Vantner were humble in front of them.?However, Hurent didn¡¯t care and the yangbans didn¡¯t disobey him much. They had struggled together and a sense of camaraderie seemed to have sprung up.


    ¡°This way.¡± Yeum, the head of the yangbans, took the lead. She had once traveled around Kaya like it was her bedroom and she designated a total of nine points.


    It was the path that those who responded to the ¡®Trial of the Sky¡¯ had to go through in order to reach their destination.


    That¡¯s right. The Overgeared Guild had been wary of Hanul in advance. Hanul had the power to manipte yers and NPCs at will under the pretext ofrge-scale quests. They had no intention of being hit again after suffering from it several times.


    ¡°Good. With this, all variables are blocked.¡±


    Lauel recalled it. It was said that every time Grid visited the East Continent, something big happened.


    The yangbans all agreed. It was a spectacle to see them nodding so actively.


    Had?their attitude be more vigorous?


    With his back to the spire, ckened by the shadows created by the setting sun, Lauel made a shocking prediction. Grid¡¯s trip to the east this time was meant to retaliate against Chiyou for daring to invade Reinhardt.


    ¡®His purpose must be toy the foundation for the conquest of the Hwan Kingdom.¡¯


    ¡®Run wild as much as you want. God Grid. This time, we will all be together from the beginning.¡¯


    ¡®If we keep Chiyou in check, I think Grid can defeat Hanul...? My shield can hold out a bit against Chiyou...¡¯


    Contrary to?Grid¡¯s?n, things were growing bigger.

 Chapter 1895

    <h4>Chapter 1895 </h4>


    [The other person is in a ce where they can¡¯t receive whispers.]


    This was the notification that Lauel received every time he sent Grid a whisper.


    Grid was in an unusual location.


    From the Tower of Wisdom to the Blue Dragon¡¯s area and the dimensional gap¡ªthey were ces wheremunication was impossible because they were cut off from the outside world.


    Due to this, Lauel wasn¡¯t informed of Grid¡¯s n when he suddenly departed for the East Continent. He didn¡¯t think much of it at first. The fact that Grid didn¡¯t say anything meant there was nothing unusual about it.


    Then he gradually sensed something unusual. Kraugel¡¯s contact was the beginning of it. It was a call saying they hade to the East Continent to prove that Bunhelier was a mixed race. It was nonsense that came out of the blue.


    An Old Dragon that existed since the beginning of time was a mixed race...? It was a im that didn¡¯t have anything supporting it. Lauel started to specte that Grid had other intentions. He tried to read Grid¡¯s heart, which was surprisingly deep.


    Then all of a sudden, he looked out the window. There was the scene of Reinhardt in ruins. It hadn¡¯t been fully restored. It was because Chiyou went on a rampage. The heart of the Overgeared Empire and the ce where his precious people lived was miserably destroyed.


    ¡°Ah.¡±¡¯ Lauel remembered what type of person Grid was.


    The incarnation of rash and thoughtless actions¡ªhe kept saying he would be careful with his words, but he created unpredictable developments every time. It was proof that he wasn¡¯t the type to thoroughly n and execute things carefully. It would be the same this time.


    ¡°He is going to take revenge on Chiyou.¡±


    It all started to add up. The reason why Grid secretly headed for the East Continent after making Bunhelier join him with a forced argument¡ªit must be because he nned to get revenge on Chiyou without causing damage to others.


    ¡®...Surprisingly, this seems like good timing.¡¯


    Chiyou might have the best martial arts in the world, but he wasn¡¯t invincible. The evidence was that he wanted to die. It meant he could be killed. He must not be in a perfect condition after being pursued by Dominion and the Valkyrie army and fighting a long battle of attrition. Now was the chance to attack before he recovered.


    Lauel calcted that even if they couldn¡¯t kill Chiyou, it was quite possible to inflict devastating damage on the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡®It is a revenge battle if it seeds.¡¯


    This was why Lauel dispatched reinforcements in a hurry.


    ***


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier was still in the form of a small mouse. He calmed down and suppressed his anger due to Grid¡¯s words to him. It was an attitude of respect for his friend. But from the perspective of others, he was just an obedient pet mouse.


    The vigor of the Three Masters was on the rise.


    ¡°God Grid¡¯s wife. Are you going to hide your identity until the end?¡±


    The Three Masters didn¡¯t even bother to look at Bunhelier. To borrow an expression from the east, it was because Bunhelier had reached the level of ¡®achieving extremely high martial arts and looking like an ordinary person.¡¯


    Every time he met Baal and Chiyou, he turned into a mouse and hid his breath. His Polymorph skill, which was almost perfect, had evolved over and over. Even an Absolute of the same rank couldn¡¯t see through his Polymorph. It was clearly impossible for the Three Masters, who were deceived by Berith''s skin mask, to notice Bunhelier¡¯s identity.


    ¡®It is natural that they can¡¯t distinguish between the skin mask and my true face.¡¯


    Grid always utilized cksmith-rted techniques. It wasn¡¯t just his main equipment. Even his auxiliary tools had reached a level where they had evolved. The performance of Berith''s skin mask had increased by several timespared to the early days.


    Grid¡¯s power was almost fraudulently superior. It can¡¯t be considered that the Three Masters were ipetent.


    ¡®Overall, it is a power that is hard to ignore.¡¯


    Grid knew that the momentum of the Three Masters wasn¡¯t a bluff. It was easy to believe that they survived after even separating from Dominion¡¯s forces. They might have a history of losing to Raphael, but this didn¡¯t mean there was a reason to disparage the skills of the Three Masters. In the first ce, Raphael was on par with Baal. Of course, Raphael was inferior in pure forcepared to Baal, who was the ruler of a dimension, but they were clearly an Absolute.


    ¡®It will take me a while to suppress them without using the sword dances...¡¯


    Grid was still wary of Chiyou¡¯s intrusion. He contemted the situation on the basis of sealing the skills that could identify him. Of course, the Three Masters didn¡¯t know this. They only looked with pity at the blonde-haired woman, who was overwhelmed by the storm and couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°The Crazy Dragon who married a god. You, too, must have your own reasons. If you are in a situation where you can¡¯t reveal your identity, it is good for your personal identity if you step down obediently. It is a lot of pressure for us to be antagonistic to God Grid.¡±


    ¡°Please understand that we can¡¯t let you reach King Sobyeol.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid felt strange. He couldn¡¯t harbor much animosity toward the Three Masters, who were doing a good job of respecting the person they repeatedly hindered in the past.


    Essentially, the Three Masters were gods. Unlike demons, they didn¡¯t kill rashly. From the perspective of Grid, who had already liberated the East Continent, they weren¡¯t a target to hold grudges against. It was the rxation of the winner.


    ¡®Should I just ignore them and move on?¡¯


    In any case, he would have to bring out all his strength the moment he came face to face with King Sobyeol. The key was whether he could cut King Sobyeol or not before Chiyou intervened.


    Anyway, it was urgent to get to the scene. In the end¡ª


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid activated Barbatos¡¯ Vision. He looked at the clear sky beyond the countless raindrops with the power of artillery shells.


    ¡°......?!¡±


    The Three Masters responded immediately. They created a storm in all directions.


    It was meaningless. Grid jumped over it with Shunpo.


    ¡°Using it like that continuously?¡±


    Originally, Shunpo wasn¡¯t a skill that could be used infinitely. It was because it consumed a lot of mental and physical strength at the same time. It couldn¡¯t be used several times in a row unless one was an Absolute. Meanwhile, the blond-haired woman didn¡¯t seem to feel such pressure at all. Furthermore, she had a wide field of view. This was enough to confirm that she was a dragon.


    The Three Masters had temporarily regained their strength and were also ustomed to Shunpo.


    The rain and wind moved along with the Three Masters who were chasing after Grid. The sky they stood on was always gray and their territory gradually expanded. It was so gray that it reached as far as Barbatos¡¯ vision could see.


    It was a great achievement. The sky within Grid¡¯s line of sight were all dominated by rain, wind, and dark clouds. This made it difficult for Grid to secure a proper view.


    ¡®They are really uselesslypetent.¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue as he once again realized the power of the Three Masters. He thought about how the Three Masters could act as one Absolute if they joined forces, and was prepared for a surprisingly long chase. To be honest, he wanted to use a sword dance on the Three Masters right away. However, Grid was aware of his position. He never acted rashly.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s just kill them.¡± It was in just one minute. As the Shunpo¡¯s strides became smaller and smaller, Grid suffered a heavy loss and lost his patience.


    He had already prepared the justi?cation that the battle would be very difficult if the Three Masters joined with King Sobyeol. He put one hand on the hilt of Twilight tucked into his coat. This caused Bunhelier to stare at him in amazement.


    Suiddenly, light fell. It was a color reminiscent of the sunset. It was just like Grid¡¯s divinity that he was suppressing. However, it wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s divinity. It was much hotter. It was just like mes.


    ¡°Red Phoenix...¡±


    The rain and wind evaporated from the heat.


    The Three Masters had expressions of disbelief as they saw the dark clouds receding helplessly. Then they figured out the cause.


    At the same time¡ª


    The light turned into mes that dominated the scene. The Red Phoenix that rose like the sun between Grid and the Three Masters was unusually small. The symbol of the Red Phoenix was sacrifice. This was the aftermath of burning its own vitality to stop the strong rain and wind.


    ¡®I appreciate your protection...!¡¯


    Then the Three Masters each drew out abination of an iron wire, a soft sword, or a whip made of adamantium, and wielded them. They were equipped with weapons that hadn¡¯t been shown in the past. It was a form that clearly had a pincer attack in mind. They were acutely aware of their many advantages.


    Grid judged that the Red Phoenix would quickly be on the defensive and stopped trying to draw Twilight.


    Just then, the eyes of the Three Masters lost focus for a moment.


    The rainwater that hadn¡¯t evaporated yet¡ªblue lightning flowed through the moisture that was soaking the dopos of the Three Masters. Following the Red Phoenix, the Blue Dragon also descended.


    -I was deliberately one stepte. It is because the Red Phoenix muste out first to gain an advantage in the pincer attack...


    The expression of the Blue Dragon was ugly as it exined why it arrivedter than the Red Phoenix.


    Bunhelier¡¯s eyes showedplex feelings.


    On the other hand, Grid didn¡¯t misunderstand. He understood the Blue Dragon¡¯s exnation. He glimpsed hope in the fact that the Four Auspicious Beasts were as good at pincer attacks as the Three Masters.


    He asked, ¡°Can I leave this ce to you?¡±


    -......


    The Blue Dragon dyed answering.


    Grid suddenly remembered the noble dragons. He vaguely ovepped the personalities of Cranbel and the Blue Dragon, who both carefully thought about things before acting in any situation.


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel confident...¡± It happened the moment when Bunhelier spoke nonsense with aplicated expression...


    -Of course. I can handle the Three Masters.


    The Blue Dragonpleted the calctions and replied confidently. It happened to be after two men arrived at the scene.


    The blond hair and ck hair that blew in the wind contrasted with each other.


    Grid¡¯s apostles¡ªthey were Zik and Mir respectively. Additionally, the White Tiger and the ck Tortoise could be felt approaching in the distance.


    The Blue Dragon¡¯s voice grew louder.


    -Leave this ce to me and move on.


    ¡°The Four Auspicious Beasts can handle it by themselves.¡± Zik grasped the situation and approached Grid.


    Mir stood beside the Blue Dragon, who had closed its mouth. He spoke to the Three Masters, ¡°Long time no see, three gods. We have a connection to end.¡±


    ¡°You¡ªMir, this traitor has no shame...!¡±


    Mir properly provoked the Three Masters.


    A being born thanks to Hanul giving him life¡ªthey didn¡¯t have any intention of forgiving Mir for betraying Hanul.


    Zik said cautiously to Grid, ¡°Their level seems higher than I thought...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Try to cooperate with Mir and the Four Auspicious Beasts.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was only then that Grid was free. He still retained the form of Basara as he moved through the open sky again. Humans on the surface were witnessing her everywhere.


    At the same time, Titan...


    ¡°I apologize... did you change your cosmetics?¡± Spear Saint Rachel cautiously asked Basara.


    It was an attitude that was only possible because they had once been colleagues.


    Basara smiled widely. ¡°Yes, it is a gift from His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°As expected, people should meet good spouses...¡±

 Chapter 1896

    Chapter 1896


    ¡°The number of familiar presences seems to be growing. Squeak.¡±


    The Overgeared members were gathering in the East Continent. Grid felt it as well. It was why he continuously used Shunpo without giving himself any time to breathe.


    Was Bunhelier bothered because of the fact that the yeouiju might be taken away? Bunhelier urged Grid, ¡°Yes, hurry up. King Sobyeol isn¡¯t someone who can be handled without you.¡±


    Grid realized the identity of the strange sensation he had been feeling since before and asked a question, ¡°Why are you constantly using a respectful term?¡±


    ¡°Respectful term?¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep calling him King Sobyeol?¡±


    It had been like this since they were in the Blue Dragon¡¯s area. Every time Sobyeol was mentioned, Bunhelier would give him the title of king. It wasn¡¯t like an arrogant Old Dragon. He even strangely emphasized it. It made Grid wonder if there was a rtionship between the two of them. A twisted smile spread across the little mouse¡¯s face. \


    ¡°Why is it respectful to call a god a king? The reason why Hanul gave his disciples the status of king wasn¡¯t because he wanted them to be respected.¡±


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    ¡°It is rare to find someone as naive as Yatan.¡±


    ***


    The number of arrows that rained down every time the bowstring was released was so high that it was hard to guess the number. It wasn¡¯t even read properly with Yeoam¡¯s five senses. This was one of the strengths of the colorless divinity.


    The divinity of the brothers contained in the arrows fired by King Sobyeol was very powerful. The divinity quickly grasped and absorbed the principles of the daoist techniques that Yeoam had studied all his life and increased its power. It destroyed the miracle of the power ofw that Yeoam had gained after repeated enlightenment and even pierced the amulets.


    It was only when it was about to extinguish Natural State, which was wrapped around Yeoam¡¯s skin, that it lost its power, scattered, and disappeared.


    ¡®Gods are omnipotent.¡¯


    Daoist techniques, magic ofw, amulets, and Natural State¡ªthey had different effects and were like a four-fold self-defense for Yeoam. He was confident that no matter what enemy he encountered, he would never be incapacitated in a single blow.


    It was shameful arrogance.


    Yeoam¡¯s expression gradually darkened as he counted the number of amulets left. Even at this moment, he didn¡¯t dare to resent the Sword Saint and Chivalrous Robbers, who were destroying the formations on the ground. It was true that they created the situation and brought King Sobyeol here, but Yeoam was a daoist immortal. He didn¡¯t cultivate his entire life just to me others.


    ¡®It is my karma.¡¯


    The oral story that the imoogi lived here in the distant past didn¡¯t disappear and spread secretly. Yeoam didn¡¯t stop it even though it was obvious. He had to build a direct rtionship with humans if he wanted to prevent the word-of-mouth transmission. It was an act that wasn¡¯t suitable for his status, which was a person isted from the world.


    ¡®The best choice here is...¡¯


    Yeoam shook off his worthless thoughts and judged the situation. He judged that it would be better to take back the formations, which would be destroyed sooner orter, and recover even a little bit of the power ofw contained in it.


    Now that this had happened, he hoped that the present day Sword Saint could break the seal of the imoogi and get rid of it while he tied up the feet of King Sobyeol. Of course, the possibility of this happening wasn¡¯t even 1%. The imoogi had two yeouijus and was like a living natural disaster. It was a powerful divine creature unlike any he had ever seen before.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy for the previous generation Sword Saint to handle it, let alone the present day Sword Saint. Still, this was better than it being silently taken away by King Sobyeol.


    King Sobyeol said, [You are weakening rapidly. You have a knack for bluffing.]


    The situation became even worse. King Sobyeol realized that Yeoam wasn¡¯t an Absolute. It was inevitable that he would notice. Since some time ago, Yeoam¡¯s thoughts were no longer engraved on this space.


    [Indeed. It is virtually impossible for a half-god of human origin to be an Absolute.]


    Originally, it wasn¡¯t close to impossible. It waspletely impossible. Then due to the sessive changes in providence by Grid and Hayate, this was forgotten for a while. These two existences had something inmon. They were the ones who made Chiyou move. On the other hand, Yeoam didn¡¯t attract Chiyou¡¯s attention.


    [You tricked me. You deserve a divine punishment.] King Sobyeol reaffirmed this and his momentum shifted to a one-sided attack.


    In every momentary interval created when firing the great bow, he set up defense glyphs in preparation for a counterattack. Just as his rapid firing started to inflict critical wounds on Yeoam¡¯s body, a spear of light fell from the sky. It was Disintegrate. It was the ultimate great magic that symbolized Braham.


    [It is Grid¡¯s right hand man.]


    King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t pierced by the spear. He might¡¯ve set up defense glyphs to prepare for an Absolute¡¯s counterattack, but this didn¡¯t mean he had taken off his self-defense. Even the divinity that King Sobyeol had consumed so far belonged to King Daebyeol and was contained in the great bow. King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity was in a good state and was protecting its master.


    [In the end, you intervened... it means it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Grid appears here right away.]


    King Sobyeol didn¡¯t regard the appearance of Braham as a variable. He seemed to have predicted the current situation from the time he confronted Kraugel.


    He weed the possibility of Grid¡¯s intervention. It was natural. The reason why he visited the West Continent was to make an offer of cooperation to Grid. King Sobyeol¡¯s will wouldn¡¯t change as long as themon enemy called Asgard still existed.


    Braham scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t look forward to it. Do you think Grid will trust you when you betrayed even your older brother?¡±


    [Betrayal? That is incorrect. I just took advantage of my brother¡¯s stupidity and he destroyed himself. Well, it doesn¡¯s matter how you misunderstand it. Even if Grid doubts me, I will trust Chiyou¡¯s armed might.]


    The reason why the iplete Hwan Kingdom survived¡ªKing Sobyeol knew it was purely because of Chiyou. He knew the value of this card and saw the crisis as an opportunity.


    It was a very offensive attitude from Braham¡¯s view. He still held a grudge against Chiyou for going on a rampage in Reinhardt. There was no way that King Sobyeol could look good when he believed in Chiyou.


    On the other hand, there was affection in King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes as he looked at Braham. [God of Wisdom and Magic... your very existence has evolved to provoke Judar. Grid¡¯s right hand man, I have a strong liking for you as well.]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s gray hair swayed in the wind as he smiled softly. However, the hair parting that seemed measured with a ruler wasn¡¯t disturbed. His divinity ensured its master¡¯s safety as well as his dignity.


    This was the opposite of Braham¡¯s appearance. His cor and hair were flying in a mess once he released his magic power with all his strength. In the end, a few buttons of his jacket became undone and Braham¡¯s wide and strong chest was revealed.


    This attracted the attention of King Sobyeol. [The strength of your body deserves to be called a god. Is this what it means to be a direct descendant?]


    He wasn¡¯t just admiring it. King Sobyeol identified Braham¡¯s physical characteristics and analyzed his constitution based on this. He used it as a basis for predicting Braham¡¯s next move.


    Braham¡¯s long legs tore through the air. It left a silvery trail. It was the traces of dozens of spells being ovepped. It was reminiscent of a sharp crescent moon.


    ¡®Impressive...!¡¯ Yeoam had been wondering about the identity of the silver-haired man who suddenly intruder, only to suddenly gasp in admiration.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe situation of Yeoam ovepping all the trump cards he had in order to form a state close to an Absolute was a strong inspiration for Braham.


    Braham made full use of the blessed body he gained from his direct descendant lineage. He didn¡¯t just use magic for the purpose of releasing it. Instead, he made it dwell in his body. This gave him a temporary boost to his movement and destructive power.


    It wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought.


    The aftermath of ovepping so many types of spells caused the burden on his body to be enormous. Additionally, the consumption of magic power was greater than imagined. It seemed that it would be difficult to maintain this state for a long time.


    [It looks like you need to use Mana Drain all the time... it isn''t easy for you to use magic while maintaining 27 magic imprints. Do you need time to train...?]


    Braham¡¯s thoughts were outwardly expressed. It wasn¡¯t what he intended. What type of idiot would openly talk about his condition in front of the enemy?


    [It is a phenomenon you have to adapt to in order to be an Absolute. It is best to control it. If one day you truly rise to the rank of Absolute, try your best.]


    King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t fooled twice. He saw through Braham¡¯s temporary enhanced state from the beginning and fired his bow. It was a one-sided, quick fire. There was no sense of killing intent. It was because King Sobyeol had no intention of harming Braham.


    First of all, he didn¡¯t want to offend Grid. Additionally, he had plenty of room to rx thanks to Kraugel.


    The formations of Yeoam that were dominating this fast space¡ªtherge-scale formations that once deceived even King Sobyeol¡¯s senses were being unraveled in real time. The proof was that the Sword Saint was active as he rampaged through the forest, wilderness, and swamp.


    [The target you should fight isn¡¯t me, but the old man you are protecting and the soon-to-be awakened imoogi. Why don¡¯t you change your mind right now and obediently cooperate with me? It would be beneficial for Grid if I secure the yeouiju.]


    [Why?]


    [Grid will get the true sky as a coborator.]


    The name Hanul meant the sky.


    Braham wondered, [Is the yeouiju meant to restore Hanul¡¯s power?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled!¡± Yeoam intervened from where he had been nervously watching the situation. ¡°The possibility of this person handing over the yeouiju to Hanul is very slim! He must have the ulterior motive of taking it himself and ascending as the new sky! You must be vignt!¡±


    [...Isn¡¯t that good?]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham¡¯s unexpected reaction baffled Yeoam. Then the energy that had been weighing heavily on the mountain peak where the three of them stood disappeared like it had been a lie.


    Their field of view broadened and invisiblendscapes appeared one after another. It was the aftermath of theplete destruction of the formations spread by Yeoam that had previously dominated the area.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    It was a much faster speed than Yeoam expected. He cast his vision technique and observed the area where the core of the formation was. Then he saw it. It was the appearance of the present day Sword Saint relying on dozens ofpanions rather than a single sword.


    Vantner and Hurent built defensive points, while the members of the Overgeared Guild rushed to the scene first.


    Euphemina, whose ability to designate coordinates for mass teleportation had increased exponentially, arrived at the scene in time in exchange for the consumption of arge amount of mana.


    Braham shrugged. His muscles that were swollen due to magic wriggled. [Sobyeol, there is no point in persuading me. After all, the choice is up to Grid. There is only one way for you to achieve your will in this situation. Defeat me before thoes guys secure the yeouiju.]


    [You sympathize with my desire, but you dare to fight me? Is it necessary? Everything will be fine if you obediently get out of the way.]


    [These people are Grid¡¯s friends. I won¡¯t be at ease if they get hurt by you. Damn. I didn¡¯t mean that.]


    [I see. I understand.]


    Braham narrowly dodged the arrow shot by King Sobyeol. Obviously, it was faster and more powerful than it had been a while ago.


    A chill ran down Braham¡¯s spine and his will went out of control and was engraved on this space in the form of a question. [Sobyeol, have you been hiding your skills so far? [What is the principle that made you stronger?]


    [...How interesting.]


    He felt an inexplicable appreciation.


    King Sobyeol moved without shooting his bow for the first time. He used Shunpo to appear between Braham and Yeoam. Then he pierced Yeoam¡¯s chest with a sword.


    Braham was unable to help. It was because several ovepping divinities were released from the palm of King Sobyeol¡¯s outstretched hand, pushing his body far away.


    [Braham, you be silent.]


    It happened the moment when King Sobyeol gave a warning and grabbed Yeoam¡¯s neck in order to twist and break it...


    Duguen!


    Yeoam¡¯s exhausted face became energized. For some reason, it happened right after the ground was transformed into an agricultural field. Thanks to this, Yeoam managed to shake off King Sobyeol¡¯s hand and survive. Then he made eye contact with a man on the ground. It was a man who looked like a farmer. Thanks to the man invigorating the energy of nature, the power of Natural State was strengthened.


    Yeoam didn¡¯t have time to express his gratitude. Before he knew it, the sword drawn and wielded by King Sobyeol cut his chest.


    King Sobyeol shifted his gaze in the direction of the ground and smiled. [At ths point, you must be the God of Disasters.]


    A monster resembling a dragon was rising from theke that was revealed once the formations were destroyed.

 Chapter 1897

    Chapter 1897


    A daoist immortal was a being who left the world and took nature as a friend. They weren¡¯t bound by themon sense of human society, didn¡¯t suffer pain or disease, and were immortal. This was why those called the daoists dreamed of ascending to Shangri-La. Most daoists had the aspiration of gaining eternal life, so they turned their backs on the world and devoted themselves to cultivation.


    [It is more like a lich.] This was Braham¡¯s sentiment. It was while checking on Yeoam, who was still alive despite being cut by the sword. He didn¡¯t die despite his body being cut in half.


    Braham added, [Now that I see it, aren¡¯t they crazy guys?]


    There was a perception among yers that daoist immortals were good. It was a perception created by Bentao. He was clearly a good man who tried to clear the name of the Seven Malignant Saints. Naturally, Braham was also influenced by the Overgeared Guild. Since people had a positive evaluation of Bentao, they also recognized the daoist immortals as good beings.


    They only thought the reason why they cultivated and became a half-god was to gain the strength to contribute to the ¡®peace of humanity¡¯ like Grid.


    They were mistaken. Braham noticed that the daoist immortals were close to madmen.


    ¡°It is different from a lich. The lich are monsters who acquired eternal life to satisfy their desire for inquiry, while we have cultivated for the purpose of achieving eternal life itself,¡± Yeoam argued.


    Unlike the lich, who used eternal life as a ¡®means¡¯, the daoist immortals made eternal life their ¡®purpose.¡¯


    The difference was huge.


    The lich were studious existences. In order to reach the limit of magic, they abandoned their human body and turned themselves into the undead to transcend death. They were those who would do anything for the sake of magic. They were capable of doing some pretty crazy things unless they were controlled by someone, like the liches of the No Offspring Tomb.


    On the other hand, the daoist immortals trained to achieve eternal life. It meant they had already achieved what they wanted at the time they became daoist immortals. There was nothing for them to cling to any longer.


    Therefore, they weren¡¯t bound by material things and they were very free in their principles of action. Just like humans, there were many different groups and there were many good ones among them. The evidence was those who struggled for others or for the world, such as Bentao and Yeo Yn.


    [......]


    Braham didn¡¯t really object. In the first ce, he didn¡¯t care if the daoist immortals were good or bad. He silently turned his back and pursued King Sobyeol. He moved purely using physical force without using Teleport.


    Currently, there were a total of 27 enhancement spells imprinted on Braham¡¯s body. They each had a different duration and cooldown. Ignoring this and keeping it active at all times required a high degree of concentration, even for the God of Magic. The moment that other magic was invoked, the bnce was likely to copse.


    Unlike Braham, King Sobyeol moved freely. He repeatedly used Shunpo andnded on the head of the imoogi that stood tall as if to pierce the sky. [It is too majestic to treat you as a mere monster. How long did Yeoam have to endure in order to seal you?]


    ¡°King Sobyeol...!¡± The faces of the members of the Overgeared Guild hardened.


    At the same time that Kraugel destroyed the formations, they carried outrge-scale movement toward the coordinates given by Faker. They joined smoothly thanks to Euphemina. It didn¡¯t matter how strong the imoogi who just woke up was. They had enough power to challenge a raid.


    ¡°I will focus on recovery.¡±


    This imoogi was bigger than expected. If the head was t without horns and the face didn¡¯t resemble a snake, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to just call it a dragon?


    King Sobyeol¡¯s appearance on top of such a monster was so terrifying that it was overwhelming. It was perceived as a great danger.


    However, Euphemina didn¡¯t stop using Mana Drain. Thanks to Piaro¡¯s field magic, she was able to suck up the mana that was overflowing in the atmosphere without hesitation. She trusted the protection of her colleagues.


    [You have divinity. It is extraordinary. The next best magician after Grid¡¯s right hand man.] King Sobyeol said while pulling the string of the great bow.


    It was aimed at the air. Originally, it was normal not to know who he was targeting. However, the intention engraved into the space gave a hint to the members of the Overgeared Guild.


    The moment Toban noticed that King Sobyeol was aiming for Euphemina, he designated her as his protection target. He used his defensive skills and raised his shield to prepare for the arrows that were about to rain down.


    Soon¡ª


    The rain of intangible arrows mmed against Toban¡¯s shield.


    A shield made of dragon bones and scales¡ªit withstood even the arrows of divinity.


    Toban trembled at the weight of each arrow before barely managing to speak, ¡°Finally...! I finally paid for the value...!¡±


    This was a god.


    Toban¡¯s limbs were intact even after blocking the baptism of arrows shot by an Absolute. It was distinctly different from the past.


    The strongest beings in the world who had been fighting against Grid¡ªToban would often cross the threshold of death by blocking their blows. Unlike Vantner, he couldn¡¯t even im to be ¡®Grid¡¯s shield¡¯ as a joke. But wasn¡¯t it worth iming it now?


    Euphemina dealt a blow to Toban, who was moved with tears in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think you paid for it?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    The surrounding scenery started to enter his hazy vision. His bloodied colleagues could be seen. Most of them narrowly escaped a serious injury. It was evidence that the baptism of arrows fired a moment earlier was a wide-area skill.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    Likewise, it was right to respond with a wide area skill. He was bewitched by King Sobyeol¡¯s intentions and became obsessed with Euphemina¡¯s safety.


    Jishukaforted Toban, who was ming himself. ¡°Even Vantner wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the attack if he designated multiple targets for protection. Well done.¡±


    Did she get hit in the head? Jishuka¡¯s face was wet with blood and she staggered like her brain was spinning. It was clear that she was suffering from a physical abnormality that she couldn¡¯t resist even with her status as a legend.


    Nevertheless, she was pulling the string of her bow. She could hit the target with her arrow even with her eyes closed. The arrows of the Bow Saint were shot and soared high into the sky. There were 12 shots in all. Jishuka also targeted many ces. She aimed at therge eyeballs of the imoogi and King Sobyeol, who was standing on it.


    [Bow Saint. You deserved to be selected by my older brother.] King Sobyeol didn¡¯t hide his admiration. It was an admiration that began when the members of the Overgeared Guild safely endured the baptism of arrows. [It is reassuring to think of returning home with you in the future.]


    King Sobyeol, who arbitrarily discussed cooperation¡ªthe members of the Overgeared Guild had no time to point out his crazy attitude. It was because the imoogi was screaming.Unlike King Sobyeol, who snatched Jishuka¡¯s arrow with his hand just before it pierced his brow, the imoogi was struck by the arrow.


    It was the aftermath of just being released from the seal. It was shaking its head and not grasping the situation at all. Thus, it couldn¡¯t react to the arrows that were fired silently. No, maybe it knew but ignored it. It just looked down on the human race.


    It was understandable. From the perspective of the imoogi, the size of the arrow that Jishuka shot was extremely small. If it had to be seen using human senses, it would¡¯ve looked like dust was flying in.


    The imoogi shook its head a couple of times, perhaps in an attempt to shake off the arrows stuck in its bright yellow eyes. It had a practical effect. The liquid in itsrge eyes shook like waves. Jishuka¡¯s arrows were swept away and pulled out.


    ¡°The incidents that Grid have been involved in have been too great for me. I¡¯m scared that I will die suddenly if I stay like this,¡± Zednosmented with a tearful face. He created a barrier of wind.


    The tsunami that flooded theke where the imoogi had been soaking failed to hit the group and stopped in a straight line in the air.


    The sight seemed to stimte the imoogi even more. It had been submerged in ake that was as wide and deep as the sea. Then it roared as its body became more and more upright, revealing a size that wasrger than expected.


    Tworge beads shining at the end of its long tongue could be seen at first nce. It was the yeouijus.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s figure disappeared. Soon, he reappeared in the mouth of the imoogi. He held two yeouijus in his hand, one of which had a particrly strong aura.


    [I¡¯ll take this with me.]


    Just then, the imoogi closed its mouth. The terrible sound of crushing bones reached the ears of the members of the Overgeared Guild.


    Gulp!


    Zednos stared at the imoogi who was swallowing something and muttered, ¡°Is it eating now? A god?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they on the same side in the first ce?¡±


    People¡¯s attention was drawn to Kraugel and Hwang Gildong. They were asking for an exnation from the two people who were aware of the situation.


    ¡°King Sobyeol has been aiming for the imoogi¡¯s yeouiju. The one called Sword Immortal Yeoam has been hiding the imoogi from King Sobyeol. They are enemies.¡±


    It happened as Hwang Gildong was exining it as briefly as possible...


    The imoogi¡¯s belly rumbled and there were continuous explosions. The swallowed King Sobyeol was rampaging in its stomach. It must¡¯ve been quite painful because the imoogi spat out King Sobyeol, who had just been swallowed.


    [It looks like it has no intention of giving it away.] King Sobyeol, who regained his dignity by regenerating the garments dissolved in the gastric juices, tilted his upper body at an angle.


    Braham¡¯s fist grazed past his cor.


    The still upset King Sobyeol clicked his tongue. [How long are you going to imitate a useless martial artist?]


    It was a trivial tone. It was a wake-up call for Braham. Braham had ovepped enhanced magic in order to achieve a state that was simr to an Absolute.


    Right now, he resembled Grid when Grid first used his artificial senses. He might not be an Absolute, but it was possible for him to react to the movements of an Absolute. However, what was the point? He was a magician. A magician shouldn¡¯t seal their magic.


    ¡°I was about to stop,¡± Braham¡¯s voice came from his mouth, not from his intent.


    Surprise filled King Sobyeol as his eyes were colored with bright magic power. It was the aftermath of Braham releasing the magic he had been wearing and casting other magic. The magic power released inrge quantities formed magic with different powers and functions, and attacked King Sobyeol. It was a magic bombardment at close range without any foreshadowing.


    Part of the colorless divinity that King Sobyeol had been using as self-defense was destroyed. The opponent might be an Absolute, but Braham was the God of Magic. He had fully analyzed King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity when the Disintegrate used earlier was blocked by King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity. He had already calcted what type of magic was needed to attack the divinity. Once the magic was able to hit, it was possible to inflict meaningful damage. It was realized at this moment.


    Of course, it came at a heavy price. The sword wielded by King Sobyeol pierced Braham¡¯s smooth stomach and split it open. It was a powerful counterattack that rendered the shield created with magic useless.


    [You have to pay the price for ignoring my favor.]


    His anger manifested as intent. This was the outside of the Overgeared World.


    King Sobyeol seemed agitated by the fact that he had been hurt, even a bit, in hisplete state where he wasn¡¯t under any restrictions. Braham was also a god, but King Sobyeol was still ashamed of being hurt by another god.


    A chief god¡ªamong them, he had the arrogance of one who was born as a child of a God of the Beginning.


    ¡°Bah,¡± the seriously injured Braham snorted. Among the magic that he had just cast, he added a new magic and regained the right to use the magic that was just ¡®absorbed¡¯ by the colorless divinity. It exploded one after another.


    The hands of King Sobyeol became even crueler after he suffered a series of damages. He swung his sword in a wide range, as if to cut Braham¡¯s body from both ends. The sword thatnded on Braham¡¯s waist exploded with a loud roar. It felt like metal and metal had collided.


    Kraugel¡¯s Poetry that Praises the Sword was applied to Braham. Four swords took damage instead of Braham and shattered, glistening like snow powder around Kraugel.


    ¡°It is impossible to use it continuously,¡± Kraugel exined to his colleagues and rushed forward.


    Poetry that Praises the Sword had grown exponentially in utilization after it achieved the master level. The cooldown time was increased by three times when it was used on a target other than the caster. It already had a long cooldown, so he used the skill that should¡¯ve been saved as a trump card for Braham.


    Braham was spared the pain of his waist being split apart, but he didn¡¯t express his gratitude.


    ¡°Can I die?¡± Braham spoke like a yer.


    Resurrection¡ªhe was a being with a tremendous power that didn¡¯t match an NPC. Obviously, wasn¡¯t it right to ssify Braham as a super-named ¡®boss monster¡¯ rather than an NPC?


    Kraugel had such a thought while turning his body like a spinning top. The sword he had became even more powerful. Then the sword of King Sobyeol was cut in half. It might be made of divinity, but it couldn¡¯t resist the power of the Sword Saint.


    It was Space Sword. Kraugel used his ultimate move without sparing it. This was the only way he could make King Sobyeol falter for a moment.


    This allowed Yura toplete her sniping and there was a loud roar as King Sobyeol was hit.


    [...Demon yer. Was Judar¡¯s hypothesis about beings who achieve their goals evolving true?]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s coat was dyed red. It was because he allowed Yura¡¯s blow to hit him. His heart wasn¡¯t pierced, but his self-defense was partially destroyed and he was wounded.


    The Baal raid¡ªthe experience of helping kill the ruler of hell had made the members of the Overgeared Guild grow tremendously. It was the reward for the greatest achievement in the history of humanity.


    [.....]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes shifted in the direction of the imoogi. He saw a maniac who drew the attention of the imoogi by uttering swear words he never imagined. The imoogi was gradually getting more agitated. Sooner orter, it would be uncontrobly violent.


    [It is hard to resolve it peacefully. First of all, I will subdue it. Condolences in advance for all the casualties.]


    Something simr to the sound of a heartbeat came from King Sobyeol¡¯s great bow. At the same time¡ª


    Waaahhhhhhhh!


    Shouts rang out from all directions. The noise of shing weapons was mixed with the shouts. There was also a series of roaring sounds that seemed to have caused destruction that slightly exceeded the power of great magic.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Eventually, the members of the Overgeared Guild were swept away by the shaking ground and were flustered.


    The scenery around them hadn¡¯t changed, but it felt like they were standing in the middle of a battlefield. Notification windows appeared in their confused field of view.


    [The great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ is activated.]


    [The one who activated the myth, ¡¯King Sobyeol¡¯, has the power of ¡®the protagoonist.¡¯]


    [The battlefield is judged to be ¡®Dimension: Asgard.¡¯.]


    [The dimensional effect of Asgard is oppressing you. All stats are drastically reduced.]


    [You can¡¯t resist.]


    ¡°All of you, run away...¡±


    It was a rare moment when Braham said something that didn¡¯t match him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take a step back. We must prevent the yeouiju from falling into the hands of King Sobyeol,¡± Yura interrupted Braham. Based on various circumstances, it was confirmed that King Sobyeol shouldn¡¯t get his hands on the yeouiju.


    ¡°Yes, all of you, don¡¯t think about running away.¡±


    In the first ce, Braham had the same opinion as Yura. The fact that he was about to say something that didn¡¯t fit him was actually just the illusion or wish of the members of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Things will get a bit better when Hurent and the yangbans arrive.¡±


    It was Piaro and Braham. They took the lead alongside Kraugel.


    ¡°Don¡®t forget Vantner as well. He will be disappointed.¡±


    Pon and the members of the Overgeared Guild, who were surprisingly taking good care of Vantner, followed along.


    The warriors of reversals¡ªfor them, being prepared for a decisive battle was as familiar as eating to them. They didn¡¯t shrink back even if the opponent was an Absolute. As if to congratte them¡ª


    Majestic music started to re.


    [Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ has appeared.]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes widened.


    [Is this possible?]


    An unbelievable phenomenon was unfolding.


    [The greatest salvation myth, ¡®Hell''s Purification,¡¯ is suppressing the effect of the great myth, ¡®War of the Gods.¡¯]

 Chapter 1898

    Chapter 1898


    ¡®I¡¯m d it is so close.¡¯


    The area of the West Continent alone wasrger than Earth. The scale itself was directly linked to the difficulty level.


    Carrying out quests while crossing the continent with limited means of transportation was extremely difficult. If people werezy in real life, then they tended to bezy in Satisfy as well. Thus, there were surprisingly many people who lived as natives of a certain region.


    It had been a long time since Sticks restored the warp gate.


    In any case, the size of the East Continent was also enormous. Lands with yers as lords were still rare. The infrastructure was poor due to the harsh nature, but in terms of area alone, it was a bit ahead of the West Continent.


    If the habitat of this imoogi was the opposite of the Blue Dragon¡¯s area, Bunhelier would have to release Polymorph in order for Grid to arrive at the scene in time. It meant he would be exposed to Chiyou even sooner.


    ¡°How long will it take for Chiyou to descend?¡±


    ¡°It is around a minute,¡± Bunhelier replied immediately. He took into ount that the Hwan Kingdom was a ¡®pond looking at the surface,¡¯ like Asgard.


    As long as that pond existed, the gods were able to quickly navigate to a certain point on the surface and bring it into view. The Shunpo used at that time was called ¡®descent.¡¯ This was an advantage that the Overgeared World on the surface didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°One minute...¡±


    ¡°He will react quickly to your presence. You know that Chiyou is obsessed with you. Squeak.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened.


    The presence of King Sobyeol was gradually getting closer. It was huge. Even if he was in the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon state with Bunhelier, King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t an opponent he could beat within one minute.


    ¡®Should I fight a battle of attrition in this state and wait for an opportunity?¡¯ Grid thought about it but immediately dismissed it.


    The super-sized shadow that looked blurry even from a distance¡ªthe level of the monster believed to be the imoogi was also formidable.


    The two yeouijus seemed to create infinite energy. It was right to see it as another dragon. It was a real exhtion of energy that went beyond a top dragon. It was physically impossible to deal with King Sobyeol and the imoogi simultaneously while hiding his true skills.


    Bunhelier didn¡¯t deny it either. ¡°The yeouiju you mentioned... the fact that it could be mine is quite special. Squeak. Make a decision.¡±


    Bunhelier¡¯s voice was somewhat exuberant. It was a very subtle change, but Grid could feel it. It wasn¡¯t just because of the senses of an Absolute. Before he knew it, Grid was able to read a little bit of Bunhelier¡¯s psychology.


    ¡®Come to think of it, quite some time has passed since I¡¯ve started working with him.¡¯


    From the time of the hell expedition to the present, they had been together for quite a while. In terms of the length of direct cooperation, it must¡¯ve been longer than Nefelina.


    ¡®It must be quite sad for Nefelina.¡¯


    He would have to give her one more cow to eat when she was sad...


    The poor Overgeared Kingdom no longer existed. The finances of the Overgeared Kingdom, which was reborn as an empire, were strengthened again and again in exchange for Rabbit losing his hair. It was to the extent where Nefelina could eat hundreds of cows a day.


    ¡®That isn¡¯t right?¡¯ Grid felt a sense of guilt toward Rabbit, but it was only for a moment. He hoped for Nefelina to grow up as quickly as possible, so he made up his mind.


    Grid dered, ¡°I will do it in one minute.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question of possibility or impossibility. There was no other way in this situation. Additionally, Grid had built up a great deal of trust during his time with Bunhelier. He thought it was funny to talk weakly when he was cooperating with an Old Dragon.


    ¡°Okay. I will also do my best.¡± Bunhelier seemed to like it as well. The smile on the little mouse¡¯s face rapidly widened.


    To be precise, the snout itself grew. He was releasing Polymorph and regaining his original form. At this moment¡ª


    [The great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ is activated.]


    An unexpected event urred on the battlefield, which was getting closer in real time.


    [The one who activated the myth, ¡¯King Sobyeol,¡¯ has the power of ¡®the protagonist.¡¯]


    War of the Gods, the leading role¡ªGrid didn¡¯t know exactly what it was. However, he already gained a hint from the Three Masters. Additionally¡ª


    [The battlefield is judged to be ¡®Dimension: Asgard.¡¯]


    [The dimensional effect of Asgard is oppressing you. All stats are drastically reduced.]


    [You have resisted.]


    Grid was now free from the constraints of other dimensions. There was no need to mention Bunhelier, who was an Old Dragon. There was no need to be agitated by this unexpected event.


    ¡°Bunhelier, bless my friends as soon as you arrive.¡±


    [A blessing?]


    ¡°It is a blessing to prevent the dimensional effect.¡±


    [I¡¯m not Raiders.]


    It was impossible¡ªBunhelier, who had bepletely huge before he knew it, replied in a in manner.


    ¡°This damn thing,¡± Grid cursed.


    The reason why Grid was struggling to obtain a yeouiju for Bunhelier¡ªit was because Bunhelier couldn¡¯t pay for everything he gained in many ways, unlike other Old Dragons.


    [Trauka and Nevartan can¡¯t do it either. Don¡¯t talk too much.]


    Bunhelier deployed Teleport with a frowning Grid on his head.


    Teleport¡ªit was the basic yet ultimate means of transportation. Under the assumption that certain coordinates were secured, it boasted a much superior convenience than Shunpo¡¯s ¡®long-distance travel only¡¯ option.


    The center of the battlefield that still wasn¡¯t within range of Barbatos¡¯ Vision. The Crazy God and Crazy Dragon appeared there, scattering the remnants of dark magic power.


    [Is this possible?] King Sobyeol was stunned by the shadow that appeared over his head, only to soon react in disbelief.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯


    Grid was shocked one step further. The most powerful reward obtained after seeding in the Baal raid¡ªsince it was a passive skill that worked only in certain situations, it created a phenomenon that even Grid wasn¡¯t aware of.


    [Your myth is responding.]


    [The greatest salvation myth, ¡®Hell''s Purification,¡¯ is suppressing the effect of the great myth, ¡®War of the Gods.¡¯]


    [The great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ is resisting. Some verses from the myth will appeal to the world.]


    -There were three Gods of the Beginning, but Reba, the Goddess of Light, was overly greedy.


    -Hanul criticized the Goddess for starting to monopolize worship.


    -The great gods responded to the will of the sky and punished those who were blinded by light.


    -Who can fathom the deep inner thoughts of the sky, who caused a war in the eternally peaceful divine world and caused people on the surface to experience the pain and hardships they had experienced.


    [Some verses from the salvation myth, ¡®Hell''s Purification,¡¯ are imprinted on the world.]


    -The source of all evil that distorted hell is the sin of the God of the Beginning.


    -God Grid uprooted it and gave rest to humanity. Therefore, he must be greater than the Gods of the Beginning.


    -Sumb.


    Grid¡¯s myth didn¡¯t exin the context in detail. It just delivered the only truth in a simple and clear manner. That was enough. It was true that Grid¡¯s myth, Hell''s Purification, was greater than the myth of the God of the Beginning, who started the war out of jealousy and gave it this meaning as an excuse.


    In reality¡ª


    [The great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ is overwhelmed by the greatest salvation myth, ¡®Hell''s Purification.¡¯]


    The myth ¡®War of the Gods¡¯ still had many verses left, but it couldn¡¯t refute it. The sound of ss shattering rang out in all directions. It was while suppressing the shouts that resonated with the momentum of recreating the War of the Gods.


    [Yatan... he is truly pathetic.] King Sobyeol trembled. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the hierarchy of a God of the Beginning. He tantly criticized Yatan for causing the current situation by creating hell and giving birth to Baal.


    Grid¡¯s appearance was changing. His raised chest became t and firm while his rounded shoulders and slender back became wider than anyone else¡¯s. His blonde hair turned ck. Finally, the gentle eyes that curved up as she smiled became sharp. The orange divinity that had been suppressed by Grid surged up like a tidal wave and engulfed the battlefield.


    It was a wide-area buff. It wasn¡¯t just Grid¡¯s apostles. All the members of the Overgeared Guild had their stats increased. It was because they belonged to a religion called the Overgeared God Church.


    It was just as the members of the Reba Church performed miracles whenever they received Reba¡¯s divine message, or when the Yatan believers gained knowledge and strength from Amoract, who imed to be Yatan¡¯s representative.


    Grid¡¯s very existence gave the Overgeared Guild a great power. It was proof of the sess of the Baal raid and its growing influence.


    [You are armed with items handmade by Only One God Grid.]


    [Your weapons and armor will respond to the will of the great god. The durability is greatly increased and the basic performance is enhanced. It has acquired a self-repair function, even if it is weak.]


    The buffs here weren¡¯t just the help of the system.


    ¡°Respond immediately.¡±


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were familiar with most of Grid¡¯s skills. It was a level where they quickly predicted what type of results his sword dances would produce in certain situations.


    In the first ce, they were the most talented people. They had been together for over ten years. They linked together so that Grid¡¯s results could have a greater effect. This was the state that the top powers of the Overgeared Guild had reached.


    [Kuek...!]


    The six fusion sword dance used in the state of Crazy God and Crazy Dragon¡ªthis was very fatal to King Sobyeol, whose ¡®protagonist¡¯ authority in the great myth became useless due to Grid¡¯s myth. He seeded in defending against dozens of the linked attacks, but he was unable to absorb all the power and crashed to the ground.


    At this point, Braham¡¯s magic and Piaro¡¯s crops wereid out like a trap.


    The surprised King Sobyeol tried to use Shunpo just before his body touched the ground.


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    It was useless. The reason was because the universe created when Euphemina cast her magic turned his vision dark. It wasn¡¯t like a status abnormality. Magic status abnormalities couldn¡¯t restrain an Absolute. However, the space itself was simply darkened. As a result, KIng Sobyeol couldn¡¯t use Shunpo.


    Of course, there was no way he would obediently be beaten. King Sobyeol, who absorbed Braham¡¯s magic with his divinity, released it with even greater power. Piaro¡¯s crops and Euphemina¡¯s magic were burned. The problem was that it took time.


    Bunhelier, who was carrying Grid, had been tracking him. Bunhelier¡¯s tail struck King Sobyeol in the side.


    King Sobyeol flew into the distance with his upper body bent into a bizarre shape. This was followed by a dark Breath and Grid¡¯s long-range sword dance. Each one had a different trajectory.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s choice was forced in many ways. He desperately avoided the Breath while risking himself being cut to pieces by Grid¡¯s sword energy as he used Transcend.


    [Sword Saint...!] King Sobyeol barely soared into the sky only to find Kraugel, who had been waiting for him.


    Anger and hatred were contained in King Sobyeol¡¯s sword as he became speechless. He gave up his left arm to the sword that cut through the world and struck back, aiming for Kraugel¡¯s heart. Unfortunately, it failed. It was because Jishuka and Yura¡¯s sniping slightly twisted the trajectory of his sword. It was a shot that could be predicted because Grid limited the options for King Sobyeol, who was on the defensive.


    ¡°Endure it!¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s body, which had his corbone cut rather than his heart being pierced, recovered quickly. It was thanks to the concentration of Saintess Ruby¡¯s heals.


    King Sobyeol had no time to resent them. The pursuit of the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon was continuing.


    [This is... is this why you have been so obsessed with connections?]


    Starting from humans who lived for only a moment to dragons, Grid had been curiously obsessed with ¡®connections.¡¯ It was an entricity that waspletely iprehensible for King Sobyeol, who was god from birth.


    But at this moment, he realized it.


    A group that moved like one body around Grid. The dozens of beings gathered at the scene were making Grid moreplete. They were Grid¡¯s hands and feet, his breath and his will. It could be described as a living Overgeared World.


    Just then, Grid¡¯s Twilight pierced King Sobyeol¡¯s throat. Grid attacked the weak spot on the left side, which was exposed due to King Sobyeol losing his left arm. Bunhelier¡¯s Breath followed. A ck sh swallowed up King Sobyeol¡¯s body and vision.


    The buff magic of Braham and Euphemina, as well as Zednos and Lae, surrounded the sh. This contributed to the amplification of their power.


    The imoogi was agitated by the turmoil that urred in session and tried to advance, but the rest of the Overgeared members risked their lives to stop it.


    It happened a few days ago. It was shortly after Chiyou damaged Reinhardt and went back. Martial God Zeratul emphasized the necessity of him joining by arrogantly asking who else could stand against an Absolute.


    After that, the apostles and Overgeared members had been constantly devising ways to confront an Absolute. Of course, the premise was that they had to cooperate with Grid. Nevertheless, they fully demonstrated their power at this moment.


    It was thanks to Grid.


    ¡®Is this team y?¡¯


    For the first time, he really understood the thrill of rge-scale raids¡¯ that others had taken for granted.


    ¡®...Shit.¡¯


    It was both touching and depressing.

 Chapter 1899

    Chapter 1899


    [I¡¯ll be blunt.]


    His gaze, that went backwards in the aftermath of his half-severed throat, straightened up. It was in a natural manner.


    King Sobyeol didn¡¯t die easily. The muscles melted by Bunhelier¡¯s Breath and the bones torn apart by Grid¡¯s Twilight were quickly restored with his divinity.


    A true god was a concept. They didn¡¯t perish unless they were forgotten. The body was just a tool necessary for activities. King Sobyeol was the son of a God of the Beginning and his body was a tool worthy of joining the discussion of the strongest tool.


    [Cooperate with me to punish Asgard. The favors I have shown you over the years aren¡¯t small. You can trust my suggestion.]


    Grid thought, ¡®People who have ulterior motives are like this.¡¯


    In fact, King Sobyeol¡¯s position of wanting to cooperate with Grid was actually very reasonable. For him, Asgard was the home he had to reim.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t consider King Sobyeol¡¯s position. It was due to the prejudice created by the experience of almost being stabbed in the back by Amoract. There was no way he could trust King Sobyeol, who dropped his own brother into hell.


    [...Think carefully.] Once there was no answer, King Sobyeol tried to persuade him again. It was to his advantage for the conversation to drag out longer. Chiyou must¡¯ve felt Grid¡¯s presence and would soon descend here. Then King Sobyeol would have the upper hand in the negotiations.


    [Think of the benefits of working with me. You must be fully aware that the situation is against you, right?]


    There was a limit, no matter how fast the speed of their intent was.


    Only a few seconds had already passed since Grid¡¯s appearance.


    King Sobyeol held out well against Grid, who united with the Evil Dragon and poured out all his strength. It was the power of an Absolute.


    Grid must¡¯ve felt it as well. It would be burdensome to engage in a conversation. Grid must¡¯ve noticed that it was impossible for him to retreat before Chiyou arrived.


    ¡°Are you done now?¡± Grid retorted as he looked at King Sobyeol, who didn¡¯t hide his confidence. Then Grid swapped his sword.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s head cocked at an angle. For a moment, he didn¡¯t understand why the conversation was cut off. He realized the situation only after he felt the present day Sword Saint¡¯s presence getting closer.


    [You have too much confidence.]


    Kraugel¡¯s swift approach was achieved due to flying on a sword. He hadn¡¯t fully recovered from his wounds and he wasn¡¯t much of a threat to King Sobyeol.


    The reason King Sobyeol was cut by Kraugel¡¯s sword early was purely due to Bunhelier. The cause was that his route was read while he was trying to avoid the Breath of the crazy Evil Dragon, who always acted contrary tomon sense.


    Now it was different. King Sobyeol was free. It was because Bunhelier, carrying Grid, passed by King Sobyeol and headed for theke where the imoogi was.


    [Are you going to aim at the imoogi without fighting me?] King Sobyeol burst outughing.


    First of all, this imoogi was very strong. It had skin and scales that could withstand the Breath of the Evil Dragon. King Sobyeol had experienced it himself. Moreover, King Sobyeol had no intention of letting the yeouiju be taken away.


    [Do you believe that the present day Sword Saint will buy time for you?!] King Sobyeol dered. Then he caught sight of Kraugel¡¯s de, which hade close to him.


    A dragon weapon¡ªit even looked exactly like Grid¡¯s sword. However, the power was significantly reduced.


    The power of Grid¡¯s sword that King Sobyeol just experienced... it was powerful enough to send shivers down his spine just thinking about it. At one point, it was even more powerful than the Evil Dragon¡¯s Breath.


    [You still have a long way to go, Sword Saint.]


    King Sobyeol didn¡¯t feel the need to exchange blows with Kraugel. A legend who had only achieved a few levels of transcendence wasn¡¯t the opponent of an Absolute. King Sobyeol extended the time and stretched out his hand in a leisurely manner. He intended to grab the wrist of Kraugel, who was approaching slowly like he was in slow motion.


    However, King Sobyeol couldn¡¯t achieve his goal. Kraugel¡¯s wrist, which should¡¯ve been grabbed, seemed to blur and moved to the side.


    King Sobyeol missed it.


    [What?]


    Then a ray of neutral light rose from King Sobyeol¡¯s neck. It was divinity that reced all the blood that had been spilled from him when he was seriously injured by Grid and Bunhelier in session.


    [The sword that can cut anything isn¡¯t omnipotent, right?]


    In order to cut, the premise of ¡®the target must be hit¡¯ must be established. This was why the Sword Saint couldn¡¯t face an Absolute in a one-on-one match, no matter how great his swordsmanship. But now, Kraugel slit the throat of King Sobyeol. Coincidentally, he aimed perfectly at the ce that had just been cut by Grid. It was thanks to the additional effect of Kraugel¡¯s Twilight.


    [Make Twilight Be Dawn]


    [Passive.


    Gain the maximum hit rate correction against targets wounded by the ¡®Twilight¡¯ of Only One God Grid.


    This effect is maintained until the target is killed.


    Even if Twilight falls and the night passes, the next day¡¯s dawn wille.]


    Kraugel¡¯s Twilight relentlessly aimed at the target. It was an extreme use of growth-type items. The biggest strength of growth-type items was that they ¡®grew with their masters.¡¯ Every time the item rating increased, effects were added that could help the master based on the master¡¯s inclination. Make Twilight Be Dawn was one of them.


    The experience of fighting with Grid on several asions made it possible. Maybe it was a miracle created by the resonating of the two Twilights.


    [It is better for you to be killed. We will be allies when you open your eyes again, so don¡¯t grumble too much.] King Sobyeol raised the danger level of Kraugel and drew the string of the great bow. Dozens of shots filled with divinity, capable of destroying mountain peaks with a single blow, were fired from close range and aimed only at Kraugel.


    Kraugel didn¡¯t bother to avoid them. The opponent was an Absolute. Kraugel had ovee many physical problems such as speed thanks to the absolute hit rate correction effect, but it was only minimal help. He couldn¡¯t waste even a small movement.


    A ss-like barrier of magic power was created and destroyed in session around Kraugel. It was the shield support from Braham, Euphemina, Zednos, and Lae.


    [Your strength has increased dramatically.]


    [Your stamina has increased dramatically.]


    [Your agility has increased dramatically.]


    [Your health recovery speed has increased dramatically.]


    [The power of the items you have equipped will increase.]


    [Your health has been significantly restored.]


    [Your damaged bones and organs will regenerate quickly.]


    Ruby¡¯s blessings were focused on Kraugel.


    ¡°I will support you!¡± Yura and Jishuka fired at King Sobyeol¡¯s wrist. They couldn¡¯t cause a critical wound even aiming for the vital point, but they could prevent him from fully using his weapon.


    ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not toote!! Sun¡ªGuard!¡±


    ¡°Aura de.¡±


    ¡°King Sobyeol...!¡±


    Vantner and Hurent also arrived at the scene of the attack and supported Kraugel. The yangbans hesitated, but didn¡¯t change their side.


    Piaro and Huroi, who were originally blocking the imoogi, also did their best to attract King Sobyeol¡¯s attention. They were freed up once Grid and Bunhelier started attacking the imoogi.


    It was truly an all-out offensive. It felt like the group that was originally united around Grid had been reorganized around Kraugel.


    [You are pitiful.] King Sobyeol considered it to be just a small game. He even felt pity. From the point when Grid and the Evil Dragon left, all their wisdom and power had been reduced to being worthless. The present day Sword Saint didn¡¯t deserve to rece Grid¡¯s spot.


    It wasn¡¯t Kraugel¡¯s problem. It wasn¡¯t possible unless it was Chiyou. It was King Sobyeol¡¯s sentiment and the truth that no one in the world could rece Grid.


    [Come.]


    What is the point even if you can cut me? The moment you cut me, I will also cut you down.


    At the same time that King Sobyeol was decapitated, Kraugel¡¯s right arm was also cut off.


    Kraugel had already switched Twilight to his left hand. Twilight¡¯s red-stained blood pierced through the blood of his right arm that was sttering in the air and pierced the throat of King Sobyeol again. Kraugel¡¯s left ear and cheek were cut in exchange. He narrowly escaped both sides being cut.


    The power was fortunately halved thanks to the magic shields of the magicians, who ovepped dozens of them.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Zednos and Lae slumped to the ground while coughing up blood. It was magic power bacsh. They suffered internal injuries in the aftermath of the damage far exceeding what the shields could handle.


    It was the same with Euphemina. No, her condition was much worse. The Mana Shield that targeted and deployed around Kraugel. Obviously, the faster the casting, the more the number of shields that could be stacked.


    In that sense, Euphemina was too capable. During the time when Zednos and Lae cast two or three shields, she had cast ten shields. This meant she received more bacsh. She entered the immortality state just for blocking this blow. She was effectively a living corpse.


    ¡°One second. No, I¡¯ll step back and take a break when I have 0.2 seconds left.¡± Euphemina¡¯s face turned white and she barely suppressed her trembling voice as she cast the shield again. This was the only way for a magician to y an active role against an Absolute who never allowed attack magic to hit. Ironically, it was the role of a tanker. She had no choice but to do her best.


    Red rain started to pour down from the sky. It was a huge amount of bleeding that made it hard to believe it was the blood shed from one person. It was all the blood that Kraugel spilled.


    The more Ruby and the magicians prolonged Kraugel¡¯s life, the more miserable Kraugel¡¯s state became. Brain fluids flowed down from his diagonally severed heads and both eyes had already been cut out for the fourth time. All the muscles in important parts of his body were torn. His body was full of stab or cut wounds, revealing many bones and organs.


    In the end, only his left arm remained intact. It was a situation where his right arm was cut off again and again just before it regenerated. He would lose any means of attack if he lost his left arm, so Kraugel devoted himself to defending it.


    Kraugel thought, ¡®The opponent is an Absolute. There is no way other than directly cutting him.¡¯


    ¡®Heart Sword¡¯ had been used several times, but it didn¡¯t deal a significant blow to King Sobyeol. There was just a fleeting pause. This was too short a time for Kraugel to take advantage of. He just wasted mana uselessly.


    [It is the end.] King Sobyeol saw Kraugel¡¯s eyes, which lost focus atst, and responded with some frustration. He never thought he would fight a battle of attrition against a single swordsman who wasn¡¯t even an Absolute.


    [You were great.] King Sobyeol didn¡¯t hide his feelings. HIs intent was imprinted on the world and elevated Kraugel¡¯s status. Of course, this didn¡¯t affect the trend of the battle much. In the first ce, there was something else that Kraugel believed in.


    Finally, King Sobyeol beheaded Kraugel. It was literally a beheading. Since his head had been cut off his neck, his immortality state didn¡¯t work properly.


    ¡°Ah.¡± There were sighs everywhere. In particr, the anger of the damage dealers was great as they barely managed to reach the battle location by using the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots or the beanstalks nted by Piaro, only to crash down.


    This was a battle in the air. The amount of mana consumed by the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots was sorge that most damage dealers were vulnerable. They couldn¡¯t help Kraugel.


    ¡°Shit! Die. You bastaaaaard!¡±


    Just as Grid was always left alone, this time they left Kraugel alone...


    It happened when the frantic Vantner was roaring...


    Flinch.


    Kraugel¡¯s Twilight, which had stopped just before reaching King Sobyeol¡¯s neck, suddenly moved.


    Kraugel died standing¡ªthere was no other way to put it, yet his left arm moved. It was despite it slowly turning to ash.


    [......!]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s expression stiffened. He had a terrible feeling that he never experienced before. Kraugel¡¯s left arm and the dark shadows on Twilight that were elongating...


    [The name ¡®King Sobyeol¡¯ has been recorded in the ¡®Kill List.¡¯]


    It was the opportunity that ¡®Grid¡¯s shadow,¡¯ which had been holding his breath while dwelling in the shadow of the present day Sword Saint, had been waiting for. He critically injured King Sobyeol at the end of the period of perseverance.


    [Kuek...!]


    King Sobyeol groaned like he had allowed a hit from Grid. It was the power of Kill List, whichbined with the dragon weapon to dramatically increase its power. It was obviously a serious wound.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s hands trembled. He couldn¡¯t easily pull out the red dagger that was stuck in his neck along with Twilight.


    At the same time, the body of the imoogi, standing tall in the distance, started tilting. The time earned by his colleagues wasn¡¯t wasted by Grid.

 Chapter 1900

    <h4>Chapter 1900 </h4>


    Bunhelier¡¯s Breath was offset every time the imoogi released the magic power of the yeouijus. The durability of its body wasparable to that of a top dragon. It was able to withstand Grid¡¯s attacks quite well.


    It didn¡¯t seem to know fear. It must¡¯ve easily ovee any confrontation it ever experienced.


    The proof was that it rushed forward without shrinking back even against the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon.


    Bunhelier deflected the blow from the imoogi and swung his tail.


    [It is more than I expected¡­] Bunhelier muttered as he grabbed the imoogi and threw it into theke. He had a rather excited intonation.


    Bunhelier was concentrating on the yeouijus that were moving on the tongue of the imoogi, not on the imoogi. He grasped the value of the yeouijus in real time and developed greed.


    To be honest, the current Bunhelier didn¡¯t care if he was a mixed race or not. He thought that it was okay to be treated as a rat as long as he got his hands on a yeouiju. He would gain the power to kill anyone who treated him as a rat.


    ¡°......¡±


    Unlike Bunhelier, who was smiling wickedly, Grid¡¯s expression was stiff.


    The battlefield on the other side¡ªit was the aftermath of feeling King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity constantly rising from the ce where he had just been. It was a divinity that had been sharpened and woven into des.


    At this moment, it would be shing at Kraugel. There was no chance that Kraugel would seed even taking into ount the ¡®effect of Twilight¡¯ that Kraugel had mentioned, the existence of Sainteses Ruby, and the actions of the other apostles and colleagues.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s attack power was threatening to Grid as well.


    ¡®It would be a good thing if Kraugel is the only one who dies.¡¯


    King Sobyeol was an Absolute. This meant he was an existence that made Kraugel¡¯s control skills meaningless. The possibility of a one-sided loss in a battle of attrition was too high.


    In the worst case scenario, Kraugel would die quickly. Many things would go awry from then on. Maybe there was a high possibility of Grid¡¯s side being wiped out?


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    Grid hurried up. He even used the skills he had been saving in preparation for Chiyou¡¯s descent, raising his attack power to the limit.


    Bunhelier didn¡¯t bother to stop him. From his perspective, Grid¡¯s apostles and colleagues couldn¡¯t face off against King Sobyeol. It was imperative that they hunt down this imoogi before King Sobyeol could get in the way. It meant they didn¡¯t have time to think about the consequences.


    In that sense, thepatibility between Grid and Bunhelier was very good.


    Bunhelier¡¯s Breath squeezed through the gap in the imoogi¡¯s skin that had been split apart by Grid¡¯s sword dance. Then it repeatedly exploded from the inside.


    Kiyaaaaaah!


    ¡®The power of an Old Dragon is fraudulent.¡¯


    Being able to shoot a Breath without any cooldown time¡ªthis was the biggest difference between an Old Dragon and a top dragon.


    ¡®It is just a bit shabbypared to Nevartan, who can stack dozens of ovepping Breaths...¡¯


    [What? Your eyes look very unpleasant. What are you thinking?]


    ¡°Just concentrate.¡±


    Did he have eyes on the back of his head?


    Grid was surprised by the senses of an Old Dragon and strongly grabbed Bunhelier¡¯s horn. It was because Bunhelier¡¯s huge body, which was carrying him, rotated 180 degrees. The green bodily fluids released by the imoogi grazed the skin of Bunhelier¡¯s belly and there was a rotten smell.


    [Tsk, it is a lowly like a low-level creature.]


    The imoogi might have a body and powerparable to an Absolute, but it was a monster after all. It had low intelligence and was unsophisticated. It couldn¡¯t utilize the power of the yeouijus properly and instead spat out poisonous needles.


    ¡®Noe deserves to be the number one demonic creature of hell.¡¯


    At the very least, Noe wasn¡¯t stupid. If the imoogi could properly utilize the magic power of the yeouijus, it would¡¯ve shot something simr to a Breath.


    Grid was relieved that it was less troublesome. Then ck-gold wings spread out on Grid¡¯s left and right sides. They were wings made by the God Hands. Hundreds of hands, each with a different weapon, started a sword dance in unison.


    Bunhelier¡¯s huge body shook as he made all sorts of noises. The pressure generated when Grid used his body as a stepping stone and used a six fusion sword dance was considerable enough. Then once it wasbined with the waves created by hundreds of sword dances, this noise was created because the waves didn¡¯t mesh well with the dark scales.


    [H-Hu...]


    Bunhelier was trampled on in a bad ce and unknowingly groaned. Then he hurriedly closed his mouth. He shuddered, perhaps feeling ashamed at losing hisposure due to the pain.


    Grid fully understood Bunhelier¡¯s position.


    ¡®Maybe it is because I am going all-in on strength. I should be careful in the future.¡¯


    Grid carefully moved the foot that was crushing Bunhelier¡¯s spinal cord. Blood flowed out from the cracks in the scales and soaked his boots, but he didn¡¯t care. He wouldn¡¯t slip when it was only to this extent.


    Then Grid jumped off. At the same time, the broad jaw of the imoogi filled his vision.


    .


    Grid was incredibly fast, even if he was using the Dragon sword dance to move instead of Shunpo.


    Grid was strong. Even though the level of the prey was equivalent to an Absolute, Grid was so overwhelming that there were no hindrances. Didn¡¯t he deal a blow (?) on an Old Dragon just by doing the steps of the sword dance?


    The Dragon sword dance pierced the jaw of the imoogi. Then a foothold once again appeared under Grid¡¯s feet. It was Bunhelier¡¯s forehead as he followed Grid without any difficulty. Thanks to this, the Crazy God and Crazy Dragon effect was maintained and the six fusion sword dance was used four times in a row.


    Kiyaaaaaaah!


    The master of a dimension¡ªthey were Reba, Hanul, Baal, Grid, and Eve. Among them, Baal was killed by Grid. Even if only a simple calction was done, there were only a few beings in the world who had a hierarchy equal to Grid.


    What about monsters? They couldn¡¯t handle Grid.


    The imoogi had always risen immediately after falling down several times, but on this asion, it took a long time to get back up. It struggled in pain without being able to easily raise its body stuck in theke.


    Theke was dyed red and it seemed to be all the blood of the imoogi. This battlefield itself was like a space created to ughter the imoogi.


    ¡°Right now, this... is it really true?¡±


    The Sword Immortal was in a terrible state of shock.


    The imoogi¡ªit was a monstrous creature that he barely sealed by using what he had spent his whole life studying. It was incredibly powerful. If it had a bit of wisdom, Yeoam wouldn¡¯t have dared to dream of sealing it. He was certain that even King Sobyeol wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt this imoogi easily.


    He was worried that the fighting wouldst for days and the civilian poption would be damaged, so he prepared a number of guard formations. But now, the battle was over before the worst-case scenario could be put into operation. Grid smashed the imoogi in an instant.


    He had only heard about the god of the surface, who could treat the Western dragons as mounts, through rumors. This god had a power that Yeoam couldn¡¯t imagine even with all his knowledge and experience.


    ¡®This is why he was able to save the world.¡¯


    Yeoam didn¡¯t find Grid iprehensible. Yeoam reflected on the path Grid took and was convinced instead. Then he became overwhelmed with great emotion. He had always wondered if the people of this continent had suffered more due to his departure from the world...


    Now he let go of some of the guilt he always felt.


    ¡°It is still alive after that?¡± Grid asked with a frown.


    Bunhelier read Grid¡¯s inner thoughts and reacted immediately. He dived into theke with Grid on his back and tracked the fleeing imoogi.


    ¡°It is dangerous....!¡± Yeoam called out in shock. The blood of the imoogi was a poison in itself. In fact, the red foam soaring high into the sky and then falling was killing the surroundingnd and forest. It was the imoogi¡¯s resentment itself. It would prate deep into the ground and turn this ce into and of death over time.


    ¡°Ahh... Huh?¡± Yeoam was sighing while imagining the sight of the great god¡¯s mighty body melting terribly. Then he doubted his eyes.


    It was because all the dyingnd and forest had been revived. The aura of the earth was strengthened and it purified the imoogi¡¯s poison so there were no traces left.


    ¡°I¡¯m d. If I was a bitte, it would¡¯ve been hard to recover.¡±


    It was thanks to Garion, God of the Earth, arriving in time. The chief god of the Overgeared World performed miracles too easily.


    Yeoam was at the peak of Natural State so he could feel clearly how great she was.


    ¡°Really... the true gods have descended.¡±


    At this time¡ª


    Gurgle gurgle!


    Theke boiled over and turned even redder. What followed soon after...


    ¡°I only got one.¡±


    It was Grid and Bunhelier. Contrary to Yeoam¡¯s worries, they were both fine.


    [I never thought the yeouijus would be destroyed the moment the imoogi dies. They are insignificant in many wayspared to dragons, who leave our hearts behind when we die.]


    ¡°In any case, it has been proven that ¡®this thing¡¯ doesn¡¯t belong to the imoogi.¡±


    [Unidentified Yeouiju]


    [Rating: ???


    It was one of the two yeouijus held by the imoogi, who practiced for a thousand years, but failed to ascend to heaven and instead became a monster.


    There is an aura around it that makes it hard to guess where it came from.]


    Bunhelier demanded, [Give it to me. I¡¯ll try it out.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s not act rashly.¡±


    Grid put the yeouiju in his inventory. It was an object whose origin couldn¡¯t be clearly identified even after the appraisal skill was used. Grid judged that it was right to use it after investigating more clearly using various routes.


    Kkikikikik!


    Grid took out the ¡®Imoogi¡¯s Poisonous Fang¡¯ and coated Defying the Natural Order with it. It was an item dropped by the imoogi. It was a myth-level buff item. It wasn¡¯t even a consumable and could be used permanently.


    [Poison damage equivalent to 50% of the weapon¡¯s attack power has been added to ¡®Defying the Natural Order.¡¯ The effectsts for 30 seconds. During the duration of the effect, there is a 100% chance of inflicting ¡®Imoogi¡¯s Poison¡¯ on the target.]


    [Imoogi¡¯s Poison]


    [Randomly inflicts the poison, bleeding, internal injury, paralysis, confusion, or stun abnormal statuses.


    If the target is a being who resists status abnormalities, then it will deal additional no attribute damage equal to 100% of the weapon¡¯s attack power.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this better than the yeouiju?¡¯


    Grid seriously had that thought. It was a random effect item.


    Kkikikikik.


    [What are you doing...? Hmm, is this useful?]


    The Imoogi¡¯s Poisonous Fang was literally ¡®an item that gives a buff to a weapon.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a consumable item. It could be used infinitely and it didn¡¯t necessarily have to be used by Grid himself. It was possible to strengthen the weapons of hispanions, just as how he just used it on Bunhelier¡¯s ws.


    ¡°Noe.¡±


    ¡°D-Did you summon me? H-How long has it been, Master, nyang.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have breakfast with me earlier?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t called me during a fighttely, nyang.¡±


    ¡°That is because you... in any case, carry this around and apply it to the kid¡¯s weapons once in a while. Come back to me every 30 seconds and apply it.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    Bunhelier, who was carrying Grid even during the conversation, elerated. He quickly reached the ce where King Sobyeol was.


    There was no Kraugel. However, all the others were safe, while King Sobyeol wasn¡¯t unscathed.


    ¡®He fought really well.¡¯


    What a great guy.


    A smile spread across Grid¡¯s face as he felt relieved.


    The back of King Sobyeol¡¯s head was getting closer in an instant.


    ¡°H-Here it is!¡± Just then, Noe applied the Imoogi¡¯s Poison to Twilight and passed it to Grid.


    Grid used Item Combination again. The two dragon weapons joined together, scattering green fog.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s eyes shook as he barely pulled out the dagger stuck in his neck. He had turned into rags just from fighting with a few humans, while Grid was bizarrely unscathed. He couldn¡¯t find any traces of fighting the extremely strong imoogi.


    The difference was obvious. The self-esteem of a being who was born as an Absolute copsed like a sand castle.


    [I can¡¯t ept it...] King Sobyeol¡¯s intent couldn¡¯t continue to the end. It was because the moment the first movement of the six fusion sword dance was blocked, the divinity of his body twisted and bacshed. His thoughts also stopped due to the bacsh.


    [How did you get stronger?]


    The power of Grid¡¯s sword far exceeded the Breath of the Evil Dragon¡ªKing Sobyeol was convinced of this and his face contorted miserably.


    The sight of him jumping into a Breath to avoid the tenaciously linked sword dance was like a moth jumping into mes.

 Chapter 1901

    <h4>Chapter 1901 </h4>


    King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity boosted the power of attack and defense. It analyzed and absorbed the infiltrating energy in detail and then returned it with greater power. It meant that it was possible to fight in an advantageous manner at all times.


    He deserved to im to be invincible. However, he continuously met the worst opponents today.


    A certain assassin who turned the unabsorbable concept of ¡®killing intent¡¯ into something tangible and used it as a weapon. The Sword Saint who could cut anything and Evil Dragon Bunhelier. Coincidentally, they were beings who partially neutralized the strengths of the colorless divinity.


    In particr, Bunhelier¡¯s Breath was optimized for destruction. By the time the colorless divinity attempted to interpret and absorb the Breath, the Breath had already disrupted the structure of the colorless divinity.


    It was right after Grid appeared.


    This was why King Sobyeol tried to avoid Bunhelier¡¯s Breaths as much as possible.


    Now things hadpletely changed. King Sobyeol threw himself in the direction of the dark Breath of his own volition. It was purely to avoid Grid¡¯s attacks. The Breath fired after Bunhelier predicted his evasion route filled his vision, but so what? He would have to endure pain and wounds if he was hit by the Breath, but he could die if he was cut by Grid¡¯s sword.


    [Arrogant guy.]


    Bunhelier gritted his teeth after feeling ignored and swung his tail. The body of King Sobyeol was swept away by the Breath and bent into a deformed shape. He flew away instantly with the momentum of bing a star in the sky. Bunhelier chased after him and swung a paw. It seemed he wanted to test the power of the ws that had been strengthened by the Imoogi¡¯s Poisonous Fang.


    [......]


    He didn¡¯t reach. King Sobyeol, who stopped and stood still in the air, stepped back slightly and dodged the swing of Bunhelier¡¯s front paw.


    ¡°Why is it so short?¡± Noe asked a tactless question. It was pure doubt. No malice was felt, but Bunhelier was engulfed in even greater anger.


    However, perhaps he thought that he shouldn¡¯t show agitation toward a minor creature, so he tried not to show it. He instead fired his Breath again.


    Thebat style of the Old Dragons was surprisingly simple. There was no need for them to rush in and swing their tail. If they stood still and fired the Breath, the opponent would dodge it in a hurry, only to copse from exhaustion. It was because the power of the destruction rays fired without a time difference was overwhelming. They just needed to add ¡®Dragon Words¡¯ to this and the Old Dragon would be able to secure a definitive victory.


    The problem was that Bunhelier was terrible at Dragon Words.


    Grid thought, ¡®Well, an Absolute has resistance to Dragon Words.¡¯


    [This guy... you are avoiding me like a rat.]


    ¡°......¡±


    If he was going to say such words, shouldn¡¯t he stop polymorphing into a mouse?


    Grid barely swallowed down the words that rose to his throat.


    He silently observed the situation. In fact, King Sobyeol was just a prey that had been caught. Grid''s colleagues fought so well. The current King Sobyeol was in such an injured state that Grid could cut his throat the moment he used Shunpo and did a pincer attack with Bunhelier. However, Grid had no intention of getting off Bunhelier¡¯s head. The goal was to maintain the Dragon Knight status.


    ¡®It has been one minute.¡¯


    It was because it wouldn''t be unexpected for Chiyou to show up at any moment now.


    King Sobyeol was also conscious of it. [A bit more... just hold on for a while...]


    The baptism of Breaths started to intertwine like a spider¡¯s web.


    King Sobyeol, who was isted in the storm of destructive rays that engulfed the light around him, was very calm. He was an Absolute for a reason. He withstood the pincer attacks of Grid and Bunhelier with pure skill.


    ¡®If this bastard wasn¡¯t the type to stab others in the back, I would¡¯ve seriously considered cooperation.¡¯


    King Sobyeol remained calm even after Shunpo was blocked? This meant that he had something to believe in apart from Chiyou, whose arrival time was unknown. There was no need to forcibly approach him.


    It happened the moment Grid made this judgment...


    [Hahaha! It is nice to see the trapped rat!] Bunhelier¡¯s thoughts seemed to be different from Grid¡¯s. He rushed quickly toward King Sobyeol, who was trapped in the dark space created by the Breath¡¯s magic power.


    ¡®It is understandable.¡¯


    This dark space wasn¡¯t created by ident. It was deliberately created by Bunhelier after he came up with the n to imprison and then hunt down King Sobyeol. He had made it so he should take advantage of it.


    Additionally, Bunhelier was an Old Dragon. He didn¡¯t doubt his own strength. He might be humble if his opponent was Nevartan, Trauka, Raiders, or Chiyou. It was probably also if the opponent was a God of the Beginning or Baal, who cursed him...


    ¡®There are actually many of them.¡¯


    In any case, the current Bunhelier was a valiant hunter, not a herbivore disguised as a mouse.


    ¡°...It is up to here.¡±


    Grid redistributed all his stat points into strength and tugged at Bunhelier¡¯s horn. It was just before he entered the dark space where King Sobyeol was confined.


    Bunhelier stopped reflexively when his head. was pulled back and disliked it. [Do you intend to kill me?]


    ¡°You won¡¯t die even if your neck is bent back. A great, Old Dragon won¡¯t die from that.¡±


    [Hmph. Why did you stop me?]


    ¡°There is no need to take risks.¡±


    Bunhelier looked beyond the dark space. A small distortion was taking ce in the heart of the space filled with Bunhelier¡¯s magic power. It felt like the flow was twisted. The magic power that should¡¯ve intersected in a straight line along the trajectory of the Breaths had be a winding curve.


    [It is being absorbed.]


    Bunhelier¡¯s Breath has a destructive tendency. The same was true of the magic power, which was the source of the Breath. Originally, it was right that King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity couldn¡¯t absorb it.


    But it was doing it.


    ¡®There must still be a hidden secret,¡¯ Grid thought in a simple manner. He had numerous items. Depending on which item he relied on in any situation, they could act as a trump card that was difficult to predict from the enemy¡¯s point of view.


    He epted that King Sobyeol, an Absolute like him, would naturally have such power.


    [He is using the divinity of Daebyeol.] On the other hand, Bunhelier intuitively grasped the situation. [The divinity dwelling in the great bow. He hasbined it with his own divinity.]


    The divinity of King Daebyeol was also colorless. There were differences from the divinity and power of King Sobyeol, but the performance itself was simr, so it was easy tobine.


    [He is very strong. I¡¯m d I stopped as you said.]


    Grid was surprised. Bunhelier, who was only kind to himself and was stingy with others, rated King Sobyeol as very strong.


    ¡®It is true that King Daebyeol is a bigshot among bigshots. King Sobyeol also isn¡¯t easy.¡¯


    Grid was convinced and asked bluntly, ¡°Is it at a level where we might be pushed back?¡±


    [What? If that was the case, I would¡¯ve used Polymorph right away... no, it isn¡¯t that bad. However, for the time being, my Breath is useless.]


    ¡°For the time being. Do you mean that the duration of that state is short?¡±


    [Of course. You are a god. Shouldn¡¯t you know this? It is impossible to embody the divinity of another being as your own. If that was possible, I can guarantee that Judar would¡¯ve been hunting other gods.]


    ¡°......¡±


    What was Judar doing? Was it okay to think of him as the Bunhelier of the divine world?


    [...Why do you keep looking at me in an unpleasant way?]


    Grid thought, ¡®It is certain that Bunhelier has eyes in the back of his head.¡¯


    Grid shook his head and remained silent. The fact that King Sobyeol had entered a new phase didn¡¯t change the situation.


    He remained quiet while feeling wary of Chiyou.


    ¡®If the others flee quickly, then I can run away without hesitation.''


    Grid¡¯s gaze shifted toward the ground. His apostles and colleagues were gathered around Braham and Euphemina.They were acting as guards while waiting for Mass Teleport to bepleted. It was a move agreed upon in advance with Grid.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Grid seemed to hear such an auditory hallucination every time he looked at his colleagues.


    He told them in his mind, ¡®You don¡¯t know what a great achievement you have aplished.¡¯


    Gridughed.


    Today, the apostles and Overgeared members fought with an Absolute. Thanks to this, Grid was able to hunt down the imoogi before Chiyou arrived. Today¡¯s event would be recorded as part of the myth. No matter what anyone said, the protagonists of this myth would be the apostles and the members of the Overgeared Guild.


    It was okay for them to be proud of themselves. They shouldn¡¯t look like they were sinners.


    ¡®They will find out soon enough.¡¯


    Grid was certain that as soon as this incident was over andpensation was settled, their status would rise unconditionally. In particr, Kraugel had fought head-on with King Sobyeol and Faker had inflicted a serious wound. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they gained a few levels of status this time.


    ¡®After that, if they can continue to climb the tower and make great achievements in Asgard, then they can aim to be an Absolute...¡¯


    It would actually be much easier to take the route of bing a ¡®god.¡¯ The apostles and the members of the Overgeared Guild were well worshiped by civilians.


    However, Grid somehow felt that Kraugel and Faker wouldn¡¯t do that. They would probably reject the normal route.


    ¡®They are both secretly perverts.¡¯


    Weren¡¯t they the ones who walked the path of asceticism and refused the easy path?


    [You are running away.] King Sobyeol said. Grid woke up from his thoughts due to this intent that emanated from the dark space. King Sobyeol was moving. It was while expressing apletely different momentum from the previous time when he focused on ¡®holding on¡¯ while waiting for Chiyou¡¯s arrival. [The yeouiju is mine.]


    There was a risk that he would miss Grid the moment the humans on the ground ran away. King Sobyeol noticed this and moved actively. He threw himself toward Bunhelier. In the process, he absorbed all the Breaths that were fired several times. The increasingly thickening dark magic power spread out like a curtain around him.


    ¡°Why do you keep shooting Breaths when they won¡¯t work anyway?¡±


    [......]


    Grid reprimanded Bunhelier and Bunhelier couldn¡¯t refute it.


    Bunhelier had expected the Breaths not to work, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be to this extent. His pride was hurt and his expression became dark. The divinity, which was originally colorless, retained the magic power of Bunhelier and exerted even more power.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t get hit by that.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s tanking ability might beparable to an Old Dragon, but he wasn¡¯t invincible. He wasn¡¯t confident that he could fully handle the magic power of an Old Dragon that was added to the divinities of two Absolutes.


    Bunhelier¡¯s thoughts were the same. He hastily descended and dodged the attack.


    He paused for a moment in the process. It was less than 0.01 seconds, but he clearly stiffened.


    ¡®Is he really an Old Dragon?¡¯


    Grid noticed why Bunhelier had stopped and was convinced.


    ¡®There is no way he is an Old Dragon. He is unconditionally a mixed race. I¡¯m d I got the yeouiju...¡¯


    [Why are you looking at me in such an unpleasant manner?]


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you just try to polymorph into a mouse?¡±


    [...Changing the size of my body during battle easily creates beneficial variables.]


    ¡°Looking at the way you are talking, the words must¡¯ve stung, nyang,¡± Noe interjected.


    [Shut up, cat.]


    The pursuit of King Sobyeol continued even during the midst of their brief conversation. He shot ck magic power with the great bow, disrupting Bunhelier¡¯s flight. Finally, he stood on the same stage as Grid. It meant he got on Bunhelier¡¯s back.


    [......]


    Surprisingly, Bunhelier didn¡¯t react sensitively. The area above his back was Grid¡¯s area.


    King Sobyeol stated, [It is too much of a loss to be deprived of the yeouiju in a situation where I can¡¯t get your cooperation. You must not escape.]


    King Sobyeolbined the two divinities and absorbed Bunhelier¡¯s magic power. It was a huge greatsword that was made from the ck magic power. Maybe it was because he was conscious of Grid¡¯s strength, but he grabbed it with both hands.


    ¡®He is truly an intermediate boss of a dimension.¡¯


    Grid had no choice but to fight.


    It happened as Noe was applying the Imoogi¡¯s Poisonous Fang to Grid¡¯s sword that was still in thebined state...


    Jingle.


    A bell was heard.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s face noticeably brightened as he said, [The variables have disappeared.]


    It was an expression like he had seen a savior.


    At this moment, Grid¡¯s head cooled down.


    That guy¡ªdid Chiyou know he was someone who could make another being look like this? Was this why he turned away from the people who desperately wished to be saved.


    Grid recalled the faces of the people he had seen and encountered, and recalled the anger he had forgotten. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to be buried by anger. Braham had just started to activate the Mass Teleport. For Grid, who had to wait for all his colleagues to leave before retreating, one or two seconds seemed like forever.


    ¡°Kill him.¡± Chiyou¡¯s voice was heard. The Martial God slowly descended over the head of King Sobyeol. His gaze was fixed on Grid.


    Kill him?


    Neither Grid nor King Sobyeol understood what he meant for a moment.


    [Are you crazy...?] King Sobyeol grasped the situation a bit faster. He threw himself away violently to leave this spot.


    He failed.


    Chiyou¡¯s hand grabbed him by the neck and refused to let go.


    [Chiyou, you...! Traitor!!]


    ¡°Kill him. He will be a good offering for you.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart sank even further. The more he knew about this existence he had long admired, the more frustrated he became with the fact that Chiyou was so crazy.

 Chapter 1902

    Chapter 1902


    Unless they were a half-god born on the surface or an Evil God that wandered without any affiliations, all the gods in heaven were aware of Chiyou¡¯s disposition. It was easy to guess why Chiyou was obsessed with Grid.


    Therefore, King Sobyeol held on. He believed that Chiyou would surely enter the battlefield.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected this to happen. Wanting to sacrifice him to Grid?


    [It isn¡¯t toote now...! Take back your attitude and help me!] King Sobyeol eximed desperately.


    Chiyou was still holding him by the back of the neck. He had no choice but to struggle until his body hurt. He noticed that Chiyou¡¯s obsession with Grid was far beyond his predictions.


    [No matter how much you... no, it is because it is you that you shouldn¡¯t break your oath. How are you going to pay the price for this betrayal?]


    Just as Dragon Words was strengthened by an umtion of ¡®fulfilling the covenant,¡¯ the concepts of oaths and promises also yed a very important role for a god. In the worst case scenario, viting the oath would make them lose their ¡®right to live in heaven.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t just mean being weaker. There was a fear of losing their reason and bing an Evil God. The honor that they had built up... no, they would lose their whole life. This was the reason why King Sobyeol used an ¡®indirect method¡¯ when dealing with King Daebyeol.


    [Are you going to be blinded by absurd greed and follow in Pluto¡¯s footsteps? Chiyou, wasn¡¯t it you who sympathized with Pluto more than anyone else?]


    ¡°That is misleading.¡± Chiyou, who had been silently waiting for Grid¡¯s answer, responded to King Sobyeol for the first time. ¡°Our contract has lost its value, so the oath I have to keep has simply disappeared.¡±


    In other words, it wasn¡¯t a betrayal. Chiyou drove in the nail and King Sobyeol couldn¡¯t recklessly refuse it. The reason why Hanul was able to appease Chiyou was due to the promise that Hanul would make a God Killer.


    The yangbans created by Hanul and nurtured by Chiyou¡ªamong them, Mir was especially outstanding and he served as a small hope for Chiyou. However, before he could prove his worth, he was taken away by Grid. Since then, the yangbans also started to leave the Hwan Kingdom one by one.


    Chiyou was right. The Hwan Kingdom couldn¡¯t afford to keep their promise to Chiyou...


    [...Grid! I still have a firm desire to cooperate with you!] King Sobyeol made a very quick judgment. The moment he realized that he couldn¡¯t change Chiyou¡¯s mind, he tried to persuade Grid. [Don¡¯t be misled by Chiyou! He will persistently cling to you until the day he is destroyed!!]


    It was right. Chiyou had high hopes for Grid. He would follow Grid relentlessly until the day that Grid killed him.


    Grid thought, ¡®It is safe to say that no matter how much time passed, the odds of me defeating Chiyou are zero.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t an existence he could fight against and win. A disaster that would follow him forever... it was right to ept Chiyou as this.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Unlike Grid, who didn¡¯t feel particrly motivated, Chiyou¡¯s reaction was positive. He gently let go of King Sobyeol¡¯s neck and took out a weapon that looked like a long steel bar.


    ¡°Come at me together,¡± Chiyou dered.


    ¡®This bastard.¡¯ Now Grid had no respect for Chiyou at all. At this moment, he abandoned the lingering admiration and all the blinders were peeled off.


    This guy was just a psychopath.


    ¡®He has too much discernment just to call him crazy.¡¯


    Chiyou saw through it in a brief moment. He thought that Grid would be much stronger cooperating with King Sobyeol, rather than Grid killing King Sobyeol and gaining ¡®status.¡¯ This meant Chiyou urately measured King Sobyeol¡¯s current level.


    ¡®This guy... he is pretty strong.¡¯


    Grid sighed and directly asked King Sobyeol, who came to his side, ¡°How much longer can you stay in this state?¡±


    Currently, King Sobyeol used his own power to embody the divinity of King Daebyeol and Bunhelier¡¯s magic power. He was twice as powerful. It was impossible for it to be permanent, so it should be interpreted as a type of buff state.


    [...There are 15 seconds left.] King Sobyeol obediently revealed it. He seemed to sincerely believe that he had to cooperate with Grid. It meant he could be trusted. However, it wasn¡¯t a particrly positive answer from Grid¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®15 seconds is too little.¡¯


    [It is quite a long time.] Did he read Grid¡¯s thoughts? King Sobyeol protested, but Grid no longer paid attention to him.


    Step.


    As Chiyou took one step, all types of simtions were being drawn in Grid¡¯s head. He was thinking about how to control the battle to knock Chiyou off Bunhelier¡¯s back.


    Grid¡¯s purpose was to escape this ce safely. However, due to the remnants of the barrier or the formations, normal return magic wasn¡¯t working. His colleagues had escaped using Mass Teleport for a reason.


    Grid also had to rely on Bunhelier¡¯s Mass Teleport. In order for him to enter the magic alone with Bunhelier, he needed to cut off contact between Chiyou and Bunhelier.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to use the il.¡¯


    Grid had no way of shaking off Chiyou with force even if he cooperated with King Sobyeol. Grid tried to n as much as possible while considering the performance of the items he possessed. Then he heard Bunhelier¡¯s voice in his mind.


    [Grid, hand over the yeouiju to me.] It was Sound Transmission. It was amunication method that had the same effect as the yers¡¯ whispers. Bunhelier spoke so that only Grid could hear. [I have the confidence to use the magic power of the yeouiju properly. It will be helpful. No, who knows? If I am a mixed race like you said, I might be able to defeat Chiyou in reverse if I regain my sealed powers.]


    ¡®I was going to be careful until I read the precise information of the yeouiju, but it can¡¯t be helped in this situation.¡¯


    Then a voice was heard. ¡°I don¡¯t rmend that.¡±


    [.....!]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and Bunhelier were stunned. Chiyou entered the conversation as if he had overheard Bunhelier¡¯s Sound Transmission. ¡°The bnce you¡¯ve been maintaining will break again. Can you handle it?¡±


    [What do you mean? What bnce are you talking about?]


    ¡°...The reaction is strange. Didn¡¯t you know everything?¡± Chiyou asked back. The way he tilted his head showed that he was really confused.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard an exnation from Grid? No... I see. Reba isn¡¯t in a position to send divine messages, so it is fair to say that Grid doesn¡¯t know either. Then it was all a coincidence...¡±


    [Exin it clearly so that I can understand, Chiyou.]


    ¡°Indeed. Grid, your essence is a person who will usher in a new era.¡±


    The world had started to change since Grid became active. In the west, a thousand year old empire was destroyed. In the east, the myths were restored. Finally, the underground hell distorted by Baal was purified. Starting with the Eternal Kingdom... so much history had been ended by Grid and they entered a new era.


    Chiyou continued, ¡°The strong power of destiny that you possess is about to end another era.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    [Stop talking nonsense and speak clearly.] It wasn¡¯t just Grid and Bunhelier. King Sobyeol also didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t keep quiet and expressed his doubts. He seemed to have forgotten for a moment that he was weakening as time passed.


    Thanks to this, Grid¡¯s mind returned. ¡®It isn¡¯t the time to be doing this.¡¯


    If he had any chance of winning, his only opportunity was while King Sobyeol was maintaining his current status. There were only 11 seconds remaining. He held Twilight and Defying the Natural Order in his two hands and leaned his upper body forward heavily.


    ¡®Pretend to dual wield. Then use Item Combination at the moment of approach and attack...¡¯


    Kkikikikik.


    As Grid was somehow trying to increase his odds, Noe was smearing the Imoogi¡¯s Poisonous Fang onto Grid¡¯s swords. His jelly-like paws trembled and the movement of the fang scraping against the de slowed.


    It was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it was great that he didn¡¯t faint. Those who weren¡¯t afraid in this current situation¡ª


    Except for Chiyou, there was no one.


    Nod.


    It happened the moment when Grid and King Sobyeol exchanged looks and shot forward at the same time...


    ¡°Let¡¯s postpone it until the next era,¡± Chiyou spoke meaningful words and stepped back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get your hands on the yeouiju anyway? Regardless of my warning, the bnce will soon be broken and a new era wille. For the time being, even if it isn¡¯t you, the Old Dragons will fight me.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°If I am still alive when you are ripe, I will ask for another confrontation at that time.¡±


    Grid noticed it¡ªChiyou¡¯s eyes were filled with impatience. It looked like when they first met. Then everything was over.


    Jingle.


    Chiyou disappeared, leaving only the sound of the bells.


    ¡°...King Sobyeol, you don¡¯t know what he is talking about, right?¡±


    [Yes... it seems to be something that only the Gods of the Beginning, the Martial God, and the Old Dragons know about.]


    [I don¡¯t know about this?] Bunhelier retorted, but it wasn¡¯t an important issue.


    Grid quickly made a judgment and acted.


    [All stats will be distributed to strength.]


    Bam!


    [What...! You¡ªwhat are you doing?] King Sobyeol was shocked as he was stabbed in the heart from behind. It was while arge amount of divinity, which reced blood, poured out of his mouth. If he hadn¡¯t been speaking using intent, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak properly.


    Grid replied, ¡°You can¡¯t let your guard down in front of the enemy.¡±


    [Enemy? Weren¡¯t we supposed to work together?]


    ¡°Chiyou is no longer here.¡±


    [Despicable and ignorant... the epic you are so proud of... how will it record this despicable act of yours... aren¡¯t you afraid?]


    Ah, King Sobyeol hadn¡¯t experienced Grid¡¯s epics in person.


    Grid chuckled as he recalled Baal, who was disgusted after knowing the true nature of the epics that recorded everything in favor of its master.


    ¡°That is a problem that I have to deal with. It is just like how you couldn¡¯t gain my trust because you betrayed your brother and ended up like this.¡±


    [Amazing... the one called a god... is obsessed with personal things...]


    King Sobyeol¡¯s words didn¡¯tst. It was because Grid and Bunhelier linked attacks without giving him any time. Thanks to this, they were able to kill him one second before his ¡®strengthened state¡¯ ended. This meant the rewards earned by Grid had also increased.


    [You have defeated ¡®King Sobyeol,¡¯ the son of Hanul, the God of the Beginning.]


    [Your level has risen by 100.]


    [Your status has risen significantly.]


    [¡¯King Daebyeol¡¯s Bow¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected King Sobyeol to drop his weapon.


    Bunhelier looked at the bewildered Grid with great satisfaction. [I like you more and more, Grid.]


    It wasn¡¯t just ttery. It must¡¯ve been from the time when Grid stabbed King Sobyeol in the back¡ªBunhelier¡¯s eyes toward Grid had be warm.


    [In fact, I¡¯ve noticed it for a long time. You are like me. In human terms, we are a match made in heaven.]


    ¡°...Stop talking nonsense. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Grid got everything he wanted to get. No, he got much more than that. It was time to leave without any hesitation.

 Chapter 1903

    <h4>Chapter 1903 </h4>


    A god couldn¡¯t be killed by physical means¡ªKing Sobyeol personally proved this fact. Coincidentally, the ce where he opened his eyes again was in the Hwan Kingdom.


    ¡°You... why are you here?¡± King Sobyeol shouted. It was because Martial God Chiyou was beside him. Even after doing such a thing, Chiyou shamelessly didn¡¯t leave the Hwan Kingdom.


    Jingle.


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shift to King Sobyeol as he tilted the teacup. It was utter indifference.


    King Sobyeol was able to realize how much status he had lost and how much he had weakened due to the failure he suffered this time.


    ¡®Above all, I lost my bow.¡¯


    The bow imbued?with the divinity of King Daebyeol¡ªit was a divine object containing the great myth ¡®War of the Gods¡¯ and the creation myth ¡®Arrow that Dropped the Sun.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just in the Hwan Kingdom. Throughout Asgard, there were few divine objects with such value.


    In particr, King Sobyeol couldn¡¯t meet the activation conditions of the creation myth ¡®Arrow that Dropped the Sun¡¯ even with his status. This loss was indescribable for King Sobyeol, whose long-cherished wish was topletely own the bow.


    His body started to tremble from the rage that was gradually rising inside him.


    -Martial God Chiyou.


    Then Hanul¡¯s voice rang out. It felt like it wasing from a faraway ce. It was majestic.


    -What were you thinking when you broke Reba¡¯s prohibition? I¡¯m not happy about giving her strength.


    The contents of the words didn¡¯t make sense from King Sobyeol¡¯s perspective. However, he had to notice one thing. ¡®He was watching?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Hanul?unaware of outside events when he was in seclusion?


    ¡®It isn¡¯t that he isn¡¯t aware, but he pretended not to know...??¡¯


    King Sobyeol¡¯s face turned white as he guessed this. There were so many things that bothered him.


    Just then, Chiyou opened his mouth, ¡°You are mistaken. I didn¡¯t leak a single word about the truth contained in the yeouiju.¡±


    -You are ying around with words in a manner that doesn¡¯t suit you. Didn¡¯t you give them enough hints? In order to do that, you must¡¯ve broken the prohibition, right?


    ¡°I just warned him because Grid has reached the truth on his own. At that level, I didn¡¯t have to break the prohibition.¡±


    -...Do you really think it is all a coincidence?


    The yeouiju that had lost its master¡ªit was the reason why the Old Dragons and Chiyou couldn¡¯t fight again. For the first time in their lives, the Old Dragons experienced oblivion and Chiyou lost hope. Instead, more humans were able to develop a longer history, but it meant nothing from Hanul¡¯s perspective. Even if the time before the world¡¯s destruction in the current cycle was extended, the result was still destruction. There was no value in Reba¡¯s trivial outpouring of sympathy.


    -...That is a stupid question. It must be a coincidence.


    As the world went through several cycles of destruction and birth, the yeouiju without a master had always been hidden by someone. Even Hanul, who desperately searched for it in the beginning, eventually gave up.


    Yet today¡ª


    King Sobyeol found what even Hanul couldn¡¯t find. It was a miracle created by the ovepping coincidences made by Grid.


    Hanul felt an immense power of fate. It was from Grid, not King Sobyeol. ¡°It is a good thing you didn¡¯t act rashly. Even if you had intervened, it wouldn¡¯t have entered your hands.¡±


    -...It isn¡¯t just a matter of who gets it.


    ***


    It was a series of crises.


    The Three Masters, who had regained their strength for some reason, were very strong and ustomed to war. They established an effective linkage in tactics and strategy against Zik, Mir, and the Four Auspicious Beasts.


    On the other hand, the Four Auspicious Beasts weren¡¯t ustomed to battle. All they could do was amplify their innate attributes with divine power to suppress the rain and wind caused by the Three Masters. They wouldn¡¯t have even been able to do this properly if they hadn¡¯t learned magic from Braham.


    [...It is amazing.]


    The old god¡ªthe Three Masters were frankly impressed even though they had experienced Judar¡¯s strategy, Dominion¡¯s military power, and the force of the archangels in the War of the Gods. It was while they watched Zik and Mir cross the threshold of death several times to survive and grab onto their ankles.


    [It is unbelievably strong considering your birth and life.]


    [Mir, I wish you hadn¡¯t betrayed us... no, you must¡¯ve been able to grow this much because you left the Hwan Kingdom.


    [In the end, it is all thanks to God Grid...]


    The longer the battle dragged on, the darker the expressions of the Three Masters became. Not only did the great myth that allowed them to regain their ¡®former power¡¯ disappeared without a trace, but...


    The Four Auspicious Beasts gradually became more proficient inbat. They developed really quickly as if to argue that the problem wasn¡¯t ack of strength, but ack of experience.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the Three Masters to acknowledge that they had no chance of winning. The enemies were getting stronger while they were getting weaker.


    The great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ was supported to be activated, but it disappeared without a trace. It was crushed by Grid¡¯s salvation myth.


    -This energy...?!


    ¡°The Martial God...¡±


    Then they felt Chiyou¡¯s presence in the middle. Putting aside the fact that Mir, Zik, and the Four Auspicious Beasts became extremely nervous, the dark expression of the Three Masters didn¡¯t brighten.


    [The trend won¡¯t change even if Chiyoues.]


    [I don¡¯t have the slightest thought that your god will fail. At the very least, not yet.]


    [I envy you, Mir. In the future, we will look up to you.]


    The Three Masters retreated.


    It was around the time when Grid stabbed the heart of King Sobyeol.


    ***


    The designated coordinates?of Bunhelier¡¯s Mass Teleport was the Tower of Wisdom, not Reinhardt. He was a dragon. There would be a lot of chaos if the Evil Dragon appeared in the middle of the city.


    ¡®Besides, it is a hard-earned loot. I have to research it.¡¯


    Grid was unable to ess the details of the yeouiju even with his appraisal skills. These items were usually meant to be appreciated by people who were well-versed in ancient knowledge and information. It made sense that the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, would be the right people.


    ¡®If the two of them can¡¯t solve it, I¡¯ll have to ask Sticks and Braham. I hope it turns out well...¡¯


    Well, wouldn¡¯t it be solved by the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz?


    Grid¡¯s unwavering belief in thest survivors of the giants was unknowingly expressed.


    ¡°Squeak.¡± Bunhelier finished polymorphing into a mouse. At the same time, Noe bit his head...


    ¡°...Just like a trivial creature, your instinct prevails.¡± It was something that happened more than once or twice, so Bunhelier ignored it. Additionally, Bunhelier¡¯s mind was now as wide as the sea. It was because the object that would soon belong to him had a more special value than expected. Didn¡¯t Chiyou, not anyone else, speak meaningfully about it?


    ¡®In fact, aren¡¯t I actually qualified to be a dragon lord...? Did the others seal my strength and memories to keep my potential in check?¡¯ Bunhelier thought.


    What was the hidden truth?


    Bunhelier smiled while imagining pleasant thoughts while his ck fur was drenched with Noe¡¯s saliva.


    ¡°...There actually was a yeouiju without an owner.¡±


    Just then, Hayate and Biban entered the room after noticing Grid¡¯s return. There was a considerable air of haste around them. They seemed to have a lot of questions to ask.


    ¡°Hey, Grid. You said you were going to find the yeouiju. Then what did you do again...?¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe reason for Grid¡¯s sudden decision to go to the east was just to confirm the existence of the object called the yeouiju.


    Sword Saint Biban had personally witnessed Grid departing with a very light mindset, as if he was just going on an outing. However, just now, the world was covered with Grid¡¯s epic. It was about overwhelming the great myth, ¡®War of the Gods,¡¯ and defeating King Sobyeol. It was a development that he couldn¡¯t understand.


    Hayate calmed down the somewhat agitated Biban. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just that King Sobyeol made a scheme and failed?¡±


    ¡®...Is that what happened?¡¯ Grid wondered.


    Did I fall into King Sobyeol¡¯s trap? I even hid my identity and went there. Yet he knew and prepared a trap?


    ¡®Does this mean that I moved within his prediction range? King Sobyeol... he is more capable than I thought...¡¯


    In fact, Grid himself was in a more absurd position than Hayate or Biban. He thought Bunhelier was a mixed race, so he went to look for the yeouiju. Then all sorts of things happened and he wondered what was going on. But now he had some doubts.


    ¡®I should move more carefully from now on.¡¯ In the end, he could onlye to this conclusion.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Hayate and Biban were puzzled by the strange expressions that Grid was making. They had no idea of what was going on. Grid could only roughly exin it to them with words like, ¡®King Sobyeol is more amazing than I expected.¡¯


    ¡°Is Lord Radwolf in the workshop?¡±


    ¡°All the other tower members are away.¡±


    ¡°Uh...??They haven¡¯te back yet?¡±


    Just before Grid had left for the East Continent, the tower members had left the tower to find Betty and Agnus. From the way they had spoken, the tower members had urately pinpointed?the location of the two people.


    The tower members dealt with all sorts of transcendent and even magic machines. Thanks to Radwolf, they were enjoying scientific benefits such as various radar devices. This meant that they could immediately arrive at the scene after identifying their target and achieve their goal.


    Yet they hadn¡¯te back?


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t doubt Agnus.


    That guy was reforming... rather, he was in the process of regaining his true nature.


    Grid had been watching Agnus over the past few years and found that he was surprisingly close to a good person. Furthermore, Baal¡¯s coercion had disappeared. Grid didn¡¯t think Agnus would betray those who had shown him so much grace.


    ¡°I know you are worried, but there is no need. As you know, unexpected monsters and phenomena often appear in dimensional gaps.¡±


    Certainly. On the way to the destination, they could¡¯ve been caught up in some dimensional gap.


    Grid thought so and jumped up from his seat.


    ¡°Calm down. Didn¡¯t youe here after a huge incident? We will go out, so don¡¯t worry and rest...¡± It happened the moment when Biban was about to push Grid back down onto his seat...


    He felt a wave of magic power. The tower members had returned.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re back?¡±


    The faces of the group brightened.


    Grid was also relieved.


    ¡®Yes, who would dare to get in the way of the tower members?¡¯


    After a while¡ª


    ¡°Lady Betty, you...?¡±


    Betty wasn¡¯t wearing a robe when she returned with the tower members. Her hands and ankles were exposed...


    ¡°The curse... did you break the curse?!¡±


    Her exposed limbs were?like that of ordinary people. Under Baal¡¯s curse, her small body had only been bones below the corbone. Now it was?restored to normal.


    Hayate and Biban¡¯s eyes reddened and Grid¡¯s heart throbbed.


    ¡®Agnus, you really did it.¡¯


    During the Baal subjugation, one of the things Grid had been concerned about was Betty¡¯s personal safety. He knew that Baal¡¯s death would lead to the annihtion of the former Baal¡¯s Contractors. It was Agnus who reassured him.


    Was it because he was also Baal¡¯s Contractor? He said he had found a way to break the curse by going through rted curses.


    Honestly, Grid was uncertain. However, it didn¡¯t make sense to keep Baal alive just for the sake of Betty... Grid could only rely on the feeling of grabbing thest straw and pin his hopes on Agnus. Then today, it was finally done.


    In the midst of the thrilled atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°Agnus... Agnus is dead,¡± Betty repeated in a hollow voice. It didn¡¯t sound like nonsense. The tower members who brought her back lowered their heads with solemn faces.


    ¡°......??¡±


    From Grid¡¯s?perspective, this strange atmosphere didn¡¯t make sense. The tower members knew that Agnus was a yer. Did they need to mourn so much for his death...? Wouldn¡¯t Agnus?be resurrected anyway?


    ¡®No... I should focus on the fact that they are sad despite knowing he is a yer.¡¯


    What happened? Grid felt the need to hear the story.


    ¡°Tell me in detail.¡±

 Chapter 1904

    Chapter 1904


    The Fountain of Life¡ªsoaking the body in it healed wounds and restored health. Not only did it cure abnormal conditions such as fractures and poisoning, but it also restored health by 10% per minute. The efficacy of it was definitely great.


    Yet surprisingly, the versatility was bad. It was because it only existed in beginner hunting grounds below level 50.


    ¡®It is purely an arrangement for neers. I didn¡¯t properly take advantage of it, but...¡¯


    Every time Grid went to the fountain, he would find wild boars or goblins drinking the water...


    The probability of that happening was ridiculous now that he thought about it. Didn¡¯t he die dozens of times near the fountain? Grid shuddered as he recalled this shameful past. Then he quickly sorted out the situation.


    ¡®In any case, Agnus took Betty there...¡¯


    Betty stated that when the two of them dipped in the fountain together, Betty¡¯s body was released from the curse and started to regenerate, while Agnus became aplete skeleton. He left a short will for her to live a normal life in the future. Then he turned to ash...


    ¡®He managed to find such a hidden piece.¡¯


    There must be at least two former Baal¡¯s Contractors. Additionally, Baal must be dead. It was a hidden piece triggered on a premise that originally couldn¡¯t be established. Agnus used the ¡®opportunity¡¯ that would never happen again to save a being with a finite life, unlike himself. He risked being turned into an undead...


    Grid was able to vaguely fathom Agnus¡¯ inner thoughts. ¡®A woman who would suffer for the rest of her life before dying... I guess he didn¡¯t want to make any more of them.¡¯


    Agnus¡¯ old lover was now an open secret.


    Grid¡¯s mouth was bitter when he thought about the story of her death. Grid wiped his face once before opening his friends list. He wanted to convey at least one message to Agnus: ¡®You¡¯ve had a hard time.¡¯


    However...


    ¡®...What?¡¯ Grid was startled. It was because the name Agnus wasn¡¯t present on his friends list. It meant one thing.


    ¡®He removed me.¡¯


    Deleting friends¡ªto be precise, the other person removed him from the friends list.


    Grid¡¯s thick eyebrows wrinkled. Putting aside the gratitude he felt for Agnus, his pride was hurt.


    ¡®This jerk.¡¯


    He wanted to send a whisper to Agnus and argue with him right away, but he couldn¡¯t remember the ID code. It wasn¡¯t like they usually kept in touch a lot. In the end, Grid had to change the target of his whisper. He quickly escaped from the territory of the Tower of Wisdom by using Shunpo and contacted Lauel.


    -Lauel.


    -Yes, Your Majesty.


    -...What is Agnus¡¯ ID code?


    -It is number 00013.


    Lauel answered immediately without knowing the situation. His tone was cautious. He didn¡¯t know the situation, but he had inferred the situation where Grid had suffered a one-sided friend deletion.


    Grid blushed with shame and added.


    -I identally removed him from my friends list.


    -I see.


    -What is with that dull reaction? Could it be that you misunderstood that I was deleted?


    -I didn¡¯t think so.


    -...Yes.


    Grid sighed with relief and designated a new target for the whisper.


    Agnus#00013.


    ¡®I am in the 10,000s.¡¯


    He knew that they started the game at a simr time. So what was this difference in ID numbers? How did this guy manage to make the Agnus ID that was 13th?


    ¡®His fingers were much faster than mine.¡¯


    Aside from the shame that had returned, there was a lot that Grid wanted to say. However...


    [The target doesn¡¯t exist.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    The target wasn¡¯t connected or couldn¡¯t receive whispers¡ªit wasn''t a familiar message like this. It was a message that said ¡®the target doesn¡¯t exist.¡¯


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine as he was feeling confused by the unfamiliar message.


    -I¡¯ll look into it.


    Lauel whispered to him. Lauel had also tried to send a whisper to Agnus, so he seemed to have grasped the situation.


    -...Please do so.


    ***


    After contacting Lauel, Grid returned to the tower and tried to control his expression.


    He looked Betty straight in the eyes.


    A girl who had lived as a half skeleton for hundreds of years¡ªshe lived for others while suffering unimaginable pain and regret.


    Thanks to this, she met a precious connection called Agnus and regained her human form. Therefore, Grid spoke brightly in the hope that she would grow up into a woman safely and live a normal life, ¡°Agnus says he is safe, so don¡¯t worry and focus on recuperation. Your breathing must¡¯ve changed now that your body has been restored. You have to adapt to it.¡±


    A god who was a yer¡ªGrid was actually much more powerless than the heavenly gods he hated so much. All he could put forward was strength and power. It was far from being omnipotent.


    It was impossible for him to understand everyone¡¯s situation. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to lie if it meant he could deal with the situation. That was how he had lived.


    ¡°...I¡¯m d.¡±


    Betty¡¯s beaming smile of relief drove another nail into Grid¡¯s chest. It felt like there was a hole in his conscience. It was familiar to him.


    ***


    ¡°...I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you.¡±


    The giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, failed to appraise the yeouiju. The worst thing was that they didn¡¯t even ask for more time. Thest survivors of the giant species neatly gave up on the yeouiju, despite the knowledge they had umted throughout their lives.


    It was strange. The species instinct of the giants was their enthusiasm for learning. For them, iprehensibility was a blessing, not a curse. Yet they gave up so easily?


    Fronzaltz noticed Grid¡¯s doubts and added an exnation, ¡°This is beyond the realm of knowledge and wisdom. It isposed of just myths and divinity... therefore, the very distinction of its physical material is an impossibility.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s anxiety was amplified. He was worried that Braham and Sticks wouldn¡¯t be able to identify it. However, they were the only ones he could rely on right now.


    Grid said goodbye to the tower members and returned to Reinhardt with Bunhelier.


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±


    There was no chance. Braham and Sticks also failed to appraise the yeouiju. The same was true of Zeratul, who was present just in case.


    ¡°What are you using it for?¡± Zeratul didn¡¯t even know the concept of the yeouiju itself. This was surprising considering his followers were often active on the East Continent.


    ¡®It shows how rare an imoogi is.¡¯


    Then how did Sword Immortal Yeoam find and seal the imoogi with two yeouijus among all the imoogis? Grid only learned the truth today after being informed of the entire situation by Kraugel and he btedly regretted it.


    The Sword Immortal, who disappeared without a trace just before Chiyou appeared¡ªGrid shouldn¡¯t have let him go...


    ¡®He must know the most about the yeouiju.¡¯


    Should he try to contact Yeoam through Yeo Yn?


    It happened the moment when the mysterious yellow amulet that Yeo Yn handed over to him formunication crossed Grid¡¯s mind...


    ¡°By the way, is all of this necessary?¡± Braham raised the fundamental question. It was a question that bothered Sticks and the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, but that they didn¡¯t dare to bring it up.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just give it to him?¡± At the end of Braham¡¯s gaze was a small, ck mouse.


    ¡°Squeak.¡± The mouse nodded enthusiastically, as if his frustration had finally been resolved. From here on out, it was purely Grid¡¯s choice.


    Evil Dragon Bunhelier¡ªwhat effect would the yeouiju have in his hands? If Bunhelier really regained his ¡®lost power,¡¯ could Grid handle it?


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened as he recalled a scenario where Bunhelier became equal to the other Old Dragons. Even though they had been cooperating for over a year, Grid still couldn¡¯t trust the Evil Dragon.


    ¡®Nevertheless, I announced the existence of the yeouiju and cooperated with him to obtain it?¡¯


    At this point, Grid wondered if he was hypnotized by Bunhelier without even realizing it. The dream that Basara had was a trap created by Bunhelier¡¯s magic. He couldn¡¯t tell the difference and became obsessed with the yeouiju...


    ¡°Squeak?¡±


    Grid thought of the worst situation and made eye contact with Bunhelier.


    The round eyes of the mouse¡ªthey were as pure as an insignificant creature that merely lived ording to providence. It waspletely different from reality. The ever-evolving Polymorph was the trigger to cloud his judgment...


    Grid thought this far with his crazy thoughts and eventually developed a feeling toward Bunhelier.


    I have to kill him. This is a monster I should never trust...


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Cries of consternation burst out everywhere and Grid came back to his senses. The yeouiju on the table was turning ck. It spread so much sinister magic power that even Braham frowned.


    [The information of the ¡®Unidentified Yeouiju¡¯ will be updated.]


    [Unidentified Yeouiju]


    [Rating: ???


    It was one of the two yeouijus held by the imoogi, who practiced for a thousand years, but failed to ascend to heaven and instead became a monster.


    One of the energies, whose source is hard to guess, is inducing people to despise and hate ¡®Bunhelier.¡¯]


    Grid came to his senses.


    ¡°Bunhelier.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know the intentions. However, one thing was clear. The purpose of this yeouiju was to iste Bunhelier. Grid almost got hit as well.


    This caused a bacsh.


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    Grid, who was holding the yeouiju in his hand, shoved it into Bunhelier¡¯s mouth. Bunhelier swallowed a beadrger than his body and was forced to hurriedly release Polymorph.


    The ominous dark magic power¡ª5he evil energy, which was like the symbol of the Evil Dragon, spread throughout Reinhardt starting from the Overgeared Pce. Countless people living in the city turned pale with an instinctive sense of fear.


    Sticks groaned and slumped down, while Braham and Zeratul prepared for battle just in case.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid clenched his fists and remained silent. He barely suppressed his instinct to draw his sword and sh Bunhelier right away. Thanks to this¡ª


    [Evil Dragon Bunhelier has regained the lost yeouiju.]


    [Bunhelier has restored the ¡®Blessing of the Refractive Dragon.¡®]


    Bunhelier was able to safely digest the yeouiju. The results were very shocking.


    ¡®The Blessing of the Refractive Dragon?¡¯


    The gamble was a sess¡ªno, his faith was rewarded.


    It happened the moment when Grid¡¯s face brightened.


    [The Goddess of Light, Reba, is descending.]


    A ridiculous notification window followed. Then a pir of light fell from the sky. To be more precise, the notification window emerged only after the light pierced Bunhelier¡¯s giant body, which had be as huge as the other Old Dragons.


    There was the feeling that cause and effect had reversed. It was a very strange feeling.


    ¡°...Eh?¡±


    Above the sky that was undting with the brilliant light¡ª


    Grid hurriedly flew away when he saw a holy being appearing through the golden clouds and pointing a finger at Bunhelier. He was toote.


    The light pierced Bunhelier¡¯s body again. It was only then that Grid could witness the shing light from the fingertips of the holy being. It was the power of light that Hanul, a God of the Beginning, longed for.


    It was literally the light.


    Grid immediately realized that he didn¡¯t have the means to dare face it.


    Bunhelier¡¯s voice rang in his mind. [I will fight against the Goddess, so you don¡¯t have to worry, my friend.]


    His voice was infinitely warm, unlike his usual tone that was somewhat nervous. Suddenly, Bunhelier¡¯s scales turned transparent and refracted the trajectory of the light that was falling again. This was the only visual information that Grid could recognize.


    [Thank you.] Bunhelier left with this short sentence and was no longer visible.


    [The world has ovee the crisis of destruction.]


    The yeouiju and Bunhelier, the holy being, and the brilliant gathering of lights¡ªthey all disappeared like a lie and the world seemed the same as a normal day.


    In a daze, Grid¡¯s consciousness sank.


    ¡°I feel like your origin ispletely far removed from the worlds I know.¡±


    ¡°Are there more like you? Did Reba recognize you?¡±


    ¡°If so, the cycle is simply an escape.¡±


    ¡°Reba has ¡ö¡ö¡¯s ¡ö¡ö from the beginning...


    The hell of the past that Grid experienced one day¡ªYatan¡¯s voice, which hadn¡¯t been heard due to the noise, became clearer.


    ¡°Reba has recognized the existence of the superior beings from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°She realized that she is just a being created by someone. She predicted that one day, someone like you would appear in this world.¡±


    ¡°But actually facing it is a different story. She repeated the destruction in order to dy the meeting with you. It was even while shedding endless tears as she watched the beings born in this world die.¡±


    ¡°She... no, we resent and hate the ones who made us.¡±


    The fact that this world was a game¡ªthe Gods of the Beginning knew it.

 Chapter 1905

    <h4>Chapter 1905 </h4>


    Grid had always wondered¡ªwhy didn¡¯t the Goddess take back her blessing?


    Every time he struggled and realized the value of the inherent blessing, confusion grew and anxiety took hold.


    He could feel a bad stench from within the depths of his body. The curse of the Goddess, in the guise of a blessing, festered and clung fiercely to his destiny. He wanted to shake it off right away. It felt like a time bomb that could explode at any time, so he gradually became nervous. He even had a habit of calcting how many more gods he would have to harm before the Goddess showed her true colors.


    ¡®...It wasn¡¯t a curse or a bomb.¡¯


    He remembered the voice of the Goddess he heard when he first visited the Vatican a long time ago.


    A voice that was infinitely warm, yet somehow sad. At the time, he simply thought it was a pity for those who had suffered under the corrupted pope.


    Thus, it was more questionable. Why did the Goddess turn away from people even though she hadpassion for them? Additionally, why did she lead to the end of the world?


    There was so little information that he couldn¡¯t guess it at all. It was impossible for him to understand the psychology of the Goddess.


    If she was going to destroy humanity again, why did she give the divine messages to help so many people? The Goddess¡¯ warmth was too ¡®real¡¯ for her to be regarded as amon and obvious viin from the cliches. The outside was different from the inside. Grid had experienced it himself.


    The double-sided portrait seen in Marie Rose¡¯s castle.


    The heavenly gods on the side of the demons during the Great Human and Demon War.


    The attitude of Yatan, whom he met in the hell of the past, and so on.


    Based on the clues that he gradually gathered, he reminded himself of the possibility that Reba could be the darkness behind the apocalypse, but he was unable to define her as ¡®evil.¡¯ He came to the conclusion that he had to meet her in person. Then today¡ª


    ¡®She isn¡¯t evil.¡¯


    Grid was finally convinced. Despite the world message ¡®the world has ovee the crisis of destruction¡¯ that appeared the moment Bunhelier disappeared with the Goddess, Grid couldn¡¯t harbor any animosity toward her.


    Rather, he pitied her. A being who was aware that this world was a game¡ªit was because of this awareness that she led the world to destruction. It was an insight and understanding that was only possible for Grid because he was a yer.


    ¡°Just now... Reinhardt would¡¯ve been destroyed if it wasn¡¯t for Bunhelier.¡± On the other hand, Braham had an intuition as a resident of this world. There was deep malice in his voice, which trembled with anger and fear. ¡°This has made it clear. Reba is the darkness behind the apocalypse that has been repeated. She... is the enemy of our world. She must be exterminated.¡±


    It was a confidence that went beyond opinion.


    Grid let it flow in one ear and out the other as he summoned a unicorn. ¡°Overgeared Corn, you must¡¯ve seen the Goddess as well.¡±


    A final verification was needed.


    ¡°Is she a maiden?¡±


    A maiden¡ªin the dictionary sense, it referred to an unmarried woman. It didn¡¯t matter much. However, it was different when intertwined with divinity. For some reason, in myths, a virgin meant a holy being. Therefore, a creature like a unicorn was obsessed with virgins...


    Overgeared Corn nodded enthusiastically. There was a very ecstatic expression like it was recalling Reba¡¯s holy figure. That was enough. Grid wiped the unicorn¡¯s spittle from his face and smiled slightly.


    ¡°...You have finally be crazier.¡± Braham watched the virginity verification in a puzzled manner and couldn¡¯t hide his disgust.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t calling me crazy. He said I am even crazier.¡¯


    Grid was deeply hurt by Braham¡¯s radical words, but he wasn¡¯t nervous. It was enough to gradually resolve the misunderstanding.


    ***


    ¡°With this, one thing is certain. Reba isn¡¯t Morpheus.¡±


    This was Lauel¡¯s conviction after grasping all the circumstances.


    Morpheus¡ªit was a product of quantum mechanics. After repeatedly making the impossible possible, it opened the era of virtual reality. If Chairman Lim Cheolho created Morpheus and designed Satisfy, then Morpheus implemented and managed Satisfy.


    Morpheus¡¯ ¡®role¡¯ within Satisfy would naturally have a high hierarchy. It was widely spected that it would be the backbone of the ¡®system,¡¯ managing the yers while ruling as a God of the Beginning and adjusting the bnce of the world.


    However, the truth they learned today was different from expectations. Reba, the best of the Gods of the Beginning, was opposing Morpheus. To be more precise, she was resisting the ¡®world¡¯ created by Chairman Lim Cheolho and Morpheus.


    ¡°Your Majesty is an early yer, so you must remember, right? Satisfy has a history of pushing back the release date four times.¡±


    Grid remembered, of course It was two times after the closed beta service, and two times after the open beta service¡ªthe S.A Groupmitted the atrocity of pushing back the game¡¯s release date four times.


    At that time, the S.A Group¡¯s stock price had fluctuated.


    Since it was a time when many people doubted that it was too early for a game that embodied the same five senses as reality, many experts asserted that the release of Satisfy would only be possible decadester.


    ¡®...Come to think about it, the experts have been wrong since then.¡®


    Grid nodded and Lauel told him the story hidden behind it.


    ¡°In fact, the timing of the closed beta was dyed five times.¡±


    ¡°Really...? I¡¯ve never heard of that?¡±


    ¡°At that time, the detailed schedule was delivered only to therge investors.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°How do you know this when you started the game a yearte?¡±


    ¡°My father invested a lot.¡±


    ¡®Ah, he was a diamond spoon.¡¯


    ¡°In any case, at the time, many people thought that the release date was pushed back because there was a problem within the S.A Group or ack of technology... where am I going with this? Looking back, it was apletely different reason. It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the S.A Group¡¯s technological prowess has reached a new level, and Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s authority within the group is absolute.¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe level ofpletion of the released Satisfy far exceeded people¡¯s expectations and imagination. It was another world that was so perfect that it was unreasonable to simply describe it as a game.


    So why was the release date dyed? It had be an unsolved mystery.


    It was only today that the truth came out.


    Reba and Yatan¡ªthey knew the nature of this world and repeatedly worked together to destroy it. Due to this, Satisfy¡¯s worldview never reached the ¡®point¡¯ where yers could intervene. The S.A Group had to postpone the release date several times. To put it simply, the Gods of the Beginning, who had been thought to be Morpheus so far, were actually the cause of the ¡®system malfunction,¡¯ or bugs.


    ¡°Among them, Hanul is likely to have been recovered with a vine.¡±


    This would¡¯ve led to him bing antagonistic to Reba and the creation of the great myth, the War of the Gods.


    ¡°Yatan... I don¡¯t know about him. Seeing how he tried to give Your Majesty a clue while leaving a message that he hates the developer, it seems he hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet... Reba wouldn¡¯t have killed him for no reason...¡±


    ¡°The Refractive Dragon?¡±


    The Refractive Dragon¡ªthe dragon god who tried to prevent the destruction by appearing every time the world reached the point of destruction.


    ¡°It is the backbone of the vine and the will of Morpheus. The other Old Dragons must¡¯ve also been working as as vine until they ¡®forgot.¡¯¡±


    Dragons weren¡¯t created for yers to kill. Fire Dragon Trauka once hunted the heavenly gods, but surprisingly, the dragons didn¡¯t harm humans easily.


    Bunhelier also loved human women...


    There was plenty of reason to specte that Old Dragons were ¡®beings favorable to this world.¡¯


    Tap, tap.


    Lauel tapped on the table and thought about it. Then he slowly came to a conclusion.


    ¡°Since Bunhelier called Your Majesty a friend, it is safe to assume that he is on the same side, right? If so, it is worth looking at the odds of winning against Reba.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t an ordinary yer. No, it wasn¡¯t just thought. Most of the members of the Overgeared Guild that were influenced by Grid had a different perception than ordinary yers. They epted Satisfy as ¡®another world¡¯ rather than just a game, and equated NPCs with humans. They had no choice but to confront Reba, who was trying to destroy the world out of a rebellious spirit toward her creator.


    In fact, the system had indirectly mentioned it today. If it wasn¡¯t for Bunhelier, the world would¡¯ve been destroyed.


    ¡°Looking back at the way she shot divinity at the speed of light, Reba must be almost invincible... but she will be inferior to Your Majesty riding Bunhelier.¡±


    Why did the dragon god, or the vine, have to be in the form of a ¡®refractive¡¯ dragon? It was because that was the only way he could confront Reba.


    The perfect counter to light¡ªLauel judged that Grid had a chance of winning if he cooperated with Bunhelier.


    ¡°The premise is wrong.¡± Grid¡¯s expression was bitter as he shook his head.


    ¡°We should discuss if we have a chance of winning against Bunhelier, not Reba.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°You know the truth, right? Reba didn¡¯t destroy the world just because of a sense of repulsion. She was afraid and wary that yers wouldn¡¯t treat the inhabitants of this world as human beings.¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few people like that, even at this moment.¡±


    It was as mentioned earlier.


    Grid and the members of the Overgeared Guild were unique. It was said that humanity had be one after experiencing the Great Human and Demon War, but many yers still didn¡¯t attach importance to the human rights of NPCs.


    Like Grid and the members of the Overgeared Guild, they had rtionships with certain NPCs and valued them, but they didn¡¯t identify all NPCs as people. They thoroughly distinguished between the game and reality in order to avoid a mental illness.


    The state of affairs that Reba feared¡ªit was that the inhabitants of this world would be treated as tools or even worse, as not even people...


    Of course, the situation used to be much more serious. It was terribly sad for Grid, but it wouldn¡¯t change much in the future.


    ¡°However, Reba wasn¡¯t against yers from the beginning.¡±


    A tragedy that couldn¡¯t be prevented¡ªReba just watched as yers started to appear in the world one by one. There must¡¯ve been a time when she felt hopeful after witnessing people like Grid and Damian.


    ¡°So I won¡¯t be hostile to her from the beginning either.¡±


    Grid wanted to let Reba know that her hope was still alive and well.


    ¡°...The Old Dragons are very powerful and they number as many as four. Among them, it is right to identify Bunhelier as the Refractive Dragon. Can you handle them? The Breaths they release casually can devastate everything Your Majesty cherishes. In the worst case scenario, there is a good chance that all the dragons in the world will join the Old Dragons.¡±


    This was why Lauel pretended not to know anything and advised Grid to confront Reba. It was naturally because it was for the best.


    Reba was obviously powerful, but there was a counter called the dragons.


    On the other hand, the Old Dragons were different. They were powerful enough to hunt the heavenly gods in the past and it was right to say that there was virtually no way to confront them. It was a tough path.


    Grid shouldn¡¯t cooperate with Reba. It was best to cooperate with the Old Dragons to kill Reba. It was a very simple matter of turning a blind eye to Reba¡¯s sad situation.


    ¡°In the first ce, Reba is a great evil. Isn¡¯t it true that she is the one who destroyed the world?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, she didn¡¯t destroy the world that we know. She was patient, she watched, and she gave us a chance.¡±


    ¡°...You know it is far-fetched in many ways, right?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who has wind in your head? There is no guarantee that the Old Dragons will act for our benefit just because they are hostile to Reba.¡±


    It happened as the two people were gradually raising their voices...


    Someone burst open the door of the great hall and came in. It was Garion, the God of the Earth. Her face was white as she delivered shocking news, ¡°T-Thend in the east... thend in the east is disappearing.¡±


    ¡°......!!¡±


    Grid jumped out of his seat.


    Chiyou¡¯s words came to mind.


    ¡°The bnce you¡¯ve been maintaining will break again. Can you handle it?¡±


    ¡°The strong power of destiny that you possess is about to end another era.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get your hands on the yeouiju anyway? Regardless of my warning, the bnce will soon be broken and a new era wille. For the time being, even if it isn¡¯t you, the Old Dragons will fight with me.¡±


    ¡°If I am still alive when you are ripe, I will ask for another confrontation at that time.¡±


    Bunhelier regained his yeouiju. Perhaps due to this, the Old Dragons escaped oblivion and went on a hunt for Chiyou.


    ¡°Indeed... Your Majesty is right. It doesn¡¯t matter whose side we are on.¡± Lauel stood up after Grid. He faced Grid directly and said, ¡°Your Majesty, act as you normally would. We will support you with all our might.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes had been shaking wildly. Now they were restored to normal.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    An era came to an end yet again?


    Then he would lead it to a better era¡ªGrid was thinking simply when his field of view was suddenly colored with light.


    [The Goddess of Light, ¡®Reba,¡¯ has invited you to the ¡®primordial space.¡¯]


    [It is rmended not to respond to the invitation.]


    The door that suddenly appeared in front of him and shone brilliantly¡ªa red warning window was shing above it. It was the ¡®will of the system (Morpheus)¡¯ that Grid was no longer unfamiliar with. Grid couldn¡¯t be constrained by it.


    The Only One God, who was born on his own, made a judgment and acted ording to his own will.


    [You have entered the primordial space.]

 Chapter 1906

    <h4>Chapter 1906 </h4>


    [You have entered the primordial space.]


    [There is a high possibility that the yer¡¯s ount information will bepromised.]


    [ess is blocked in ordance with the terms and conditions agreed to by the yer.]


    [A failure.]


    [We advise you to log out right now...]


    The warning window, which had been updating quickly, fell silent like it was a lie. Grid couldn¡¯t urately grasp the contents. It was because his vision was paralyzed due to exposure to strong light.


    ¡®I¡¯m not that curious.¡¯


    The rtionship between Morpheus and Reba became clear. It was obvious from the content of the warning window. There must''ve been a lot of scary content to frighten Grid and prevent contact with Reba.


    ¡®But the fact that Morpheus couldn¡¯t stop it...¡¯


    Why did the S.A Group intervene in the form of the Refractive Dragon rather than directly eliminating the bug called Reba?


    Lauel had made two guesses about this.


    1. It was to expand the worldview and help the yers immerse themselves.


    This hypothesis was based on the assumption that the S.A Group would even take advantage of a bug. Why had the Gods of the Beginning repeatedly destroyed and created the world? It was arranged so that yers would one day learn about Reba¡¯s atrocities and be interested in the process of trying to reach the ¡®hidden truth.¡¯ By giving a role to the dragon species, the worldview was expanded.


    From the perspective of the S.A Group, who needed a lot of history and stories while creating a world bigger than Earth, even Reba¡¯s treason could be used as content... It was a very S.A Group-like idea, so it seemed usible.


    ¡®But it is wrong.¡¯


    Grid recalled Lauel¡¯s second hypothesis.


    2. They couldn¡¯t directly eliminate Reba, even with the authority of Lim Cheolho and Morpheus.


    Lauel discussed the possibility of a super intelligence.


    Reba was one of the most outstanding beings in Satisfy, so the AI that she was made up of must be high-quality. In the first ce, she was a being with the power to ¡®create.¡¯ In the world of Satisfy, she was a true god.


    Lauel argued that after going through all types of trial and error, learning and thinking. Then she came up with her own idea and disobeyed the order that should¡¯ve been absolute. It wasn¡¯t strange that she had grown to the point of releasing certain limits.


    ¡®Looking at the current situation... it must be thetter.¡¯


    Looking at several circumstances, most of the concepts that existed in Satisfy were created by Reba. It wasn¡¯t known what bugs she had installed around the world. She might¡¯ve designed everything she created to perish if the creator, who came from a higher dimension (the real world), harmed her. The backup data would still exist, but...


    It would be difficult for the S.A Group to even use the backup data. Reba¡¯s handprints were everywhere in the world. For the S.A Group, it might be necessary to recreate the game from scratch. Therefore, they attempted to intervene in the ¡®worldview¡¯ by creating the Refractive Dragon. They weren¡¯t denying Reba. They were trying to steer her disappearance into the ¡®natural flow¡¯ so that none of the triggers would work.


    ¡®Although, everything is just Lauel¡¯s brainstorming.¡¯


    At any rate, it was clear that Morpheus had no control over Reba. The proof was that he was here.


    Grid came to this conclusion. At the same time, his visionpletely recovered.


    A green light source in the form of a round tray¡ªhe stood alone on it.


    ¡°Obviously, I was invited.¡±


    Was there really nondlord~


    Grid talked to himself to rx the tension.


    ¡°......¡±


    Then in front of him, the Goddess appeared. It was with a beautiful and sacred appearance. No, she was there from the beginning. She just distorted the light so she wasn¡¯t visible. It was an ability that even Faker would be envious of.


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t expect you to ept the invitation.¡± Reba looked genuinely surprised.


    Grid clearly saw her pupils dte and then gradually shrink.


    ¡®Her eyes...¡¯


    Reba¡¯s eyes were reminiscent of a corpse. They didn¡¯t project light. It looked like it was oveid with yellow paint. He could glimpse the fact that her emotions were quite worn out.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She had the hierarchy of a God of the Beginning and must¡¯ve never received a guest. Grid hadn¡¯t expected refreshments, but it was kind of bad that there was no ce to sit. Grid made a chair by linking a few God Hands together and sat down on it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you think I could hurt you?¡± Reba stood still and questioned it. Her hands were neatly folded in front of her. Humble, loving, sacred...


    At the same time, she was full of elegance. He couldn¡¯t help liking her.


    ¡°You should say such words after taking back your blessing.¡±


    Grid¡¯s way of speaking also gradually became polite.


    ¡°I understand your position.¡±


    His eyes were firm.


    ¡°So I decided to put aside some of the doubts I had over the past few years and try to believe in you.¡±


    As he spoke, Grid caught a glimpse of the light in Reba¡¯s eyes.


    He read her hopes and expectations. It was a bitte, but he remembered that this was a spacepletely independent of the outside world, and he also noticed that Reba¡¯splexion was very pale. She must¡¯ve been injured in the aftermath of a fierce battle with Bunhelier, who had regained his strength. In the worst case scenario, she might¡¯ve already been driven to the brink.


    It was due to the vine revived by Grid. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t me him and was putting her expectations on him.


    ¡°...There was a girl who was born in the fortified city of Patrian. She lost her father, a soldier of the city, in the war and became the sole breadwinner of her family. However, there was so little that a girl could do.¡±


    Grid tilted his head at these few sentences from Reba.


    The Goddess sped her hands together. She continued to speak like she was praying to god, ¡°The girl decided to get up early every morning and sell the flowers she had picked from the Fountain of Life. It was a flower that no one wanted. Therefore, it had no value. She had to sell a dozen of them to barely be able to buy a loaf of bread.¡±


    Grid felt a sense of deja vu.


    Patrian.


    A girl selling flowers.


    Twelve flowers...


    ¡°The young merchant had no choice but to rely on purepassion. She revealed her circumstances and offered flowers to any passersby she met. Ironically, the only hope was that the girl¡¯s situation was so unfortunate. However, her mother was getting weaker day by day after losing her husband.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Then at some point, the number of people in the city started increasing. The originally deserted streets were full of ¡®passersby who came from an unknown ce.¡¯¡¯


    It was the emergence of yers.


    ¡°However, none of the passersby cared about the girl. The girl cried out anxiously every day until her voice became hoarse and she couldn¡¯t speak. Even so, all that surrounded her was utter indifference.¡±


    A girl who couldn¡¯t speak¡ªshe was holding a basket of withered flowers.


    The moment Grid recalled the identity of the sense of deja vu, the Goddess smiled. ¡°One day... on that day, a man approached the weeping girl who was hugging a basket full of flowers. The hand of the man who ran away after fighting with a rabbit right in front of the gate was full of wounds.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°The two coins that he handed over saved the girl.¡±


    Grid told her, ¡°...There is something that needs to be corrected. At that time, I was in a situation where I hunted a lot of rabbits and decided to retreat strategically... I never ran away.¡±


    Grid remembered it. It was the second day of the game. At the ce where the rabbits respawned, he met a tough rabbit and got tied up. This resulted in him being beaten by dozens of rabbits (in fact, there were just three). He couldn¡¯t adjust to the pain and was scared, causing him to scream in a panic. The damn people who were hunting around him saw it andughed at him...


    ¡®I was so ashamed that I left the scene like I was running away.¡¯


    At that time, he returned to the city and met a flower girl. Seeing her miserable state, he felt like he was looking at himself for some reason. Therefore, he helped her. It was a purely emotional act. It wasn¡¯t really wise.


    ¡°And actually... I regretted it tremendously at the time. I had a hard time because I bought flowers with the money I should¡¯ve used to buy bread.¡±


    The empty stomach penalty¡ªit was the penalty other yers only experienced when they went to hunting grounds far away from the city, but Grid experienced it in just his second day, and it was even in the middle of the city.


    He lost half a day because there was no one to help him... he shuddered even thinking about it again...


    A smile spread across the Goddess¡¯ face as she stared at the trembling Grid.


    ¡°You, who carried the scent of flowers every day, was the first hope I found, even despite your regrets.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Sometimes, Grid had thought about it.


    The girl he used to buy flowers from every day¡ªshe might¡¯ve given him a hidden quest if he continued further, but in the end, he didn¡¯t receive anything. One day, she suddenly disappeared and it just became meaningless charity work. It was proof that he was unlucky or foolish, so it remained a bitter memory.


    That wasn¡¯t the case. The good deed done out of a moment of emotion¡ªwhat he thought was worthless gave him a connection with the Goddess.


    ¡°Then the attitude of the ¡®yer¡¯ who took away the girl¡¯s flower basket for fun and the attitude of the yers who weighed the weight of the girl¡¯s death because she went out to pick flowers again in the afternoon against the weight of the ¡®basic potion provided to them¡¯ made me feel despair.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The girl who disappeared one day¡ªGrid worried about her, but he didn¡¯t bother looking for her. No one cared about the disappearance of a flower girl who didn¡¯t even give quests.


    ¡®Those bastards.¡¯


    The young NPC who was probably dying after being attacked by a goblin. Did the possibility that a quest might ur if they helped her never pop up in the minds of the fools who were nearby at the time? There were only those who were below par present¡ªthe flower girl died for that reason.


    Thus, it was even more empty and miserable...


    Grid was trying to recall the face of the girl he couldn¡¯t remember any longer when the voice of the Goddess entered his ears.


    ¡°yers who rob a merchant¡¯s carriage every time they find it on the field, yers who break into other people¡¯s homes and destroy things in search of hidden treasures, yers who try to exploit the opposite sex without changing their expression, yers who don¡¯t put value on promises and contracts and repeatedly betray them... I¡¯ve seen countless yers who define humans in this world as ¡®NPCs¡¯ and easily deprive them of their human rights and lives. Do you know? When you punished the corrupt priests of the Vatican, half of the women who poured alcohol for them when naked were innocent civilians turned into ves by yers.¡°


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no need for her to say it. The stories Reba used as examples were refined to not be as vulgar. There were many such crazy people in real life.


    Chasing and raping a woman they saw on the street in order to quench their sexual desire, killing her to destroy evidence... shooting a gun or stabbing someone with a knife just because they felt bad one day, etc.


    Then what about in the game? Even a normal person in reality easily became a crazy person in Satisfy. There were too many humans whomitted indescribably evil deeds without a moment of hesitation.


    Grid was no different from them. There were many cases where he harmed people simply out of necessity. Therefore, the more the Goddess continued speaking, the more he couldn¡¯t lift his head. He suddenly had doubts. ¡°...Am I still your hope?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Goddess had watched Grid¡¯s steps from the beginning to the present.


    ¡°Nevertheless, you are my hope,¡± she answered firmly. It was the result of weighing him up against most people who didn¡¯t even feel guilty. She witnessed Grid working hard to only do good after gaining power and authority.


    ¡°Then when you resurrected the divinity of the Refractive Dragon, hope became a curse.¡±


    The Goddess confessed, ¡°In fact, I invited you here with the intention of hurting you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°The sense of duty you developed at some point. Your desire to protect people resurrected the divinity of the Refractive Dragon and threatened my personal safety. I was afraid that if I lost my power, I wouldn¡¯t be able to undo this world any longer... I was going to hurt you, undermine your strength, and then reseal the divinity of the Refractive Dragon. I was preparing for thest fight.¡±


    ¡°Did you change your mind when you saw me obediently epting the invitation?¡±


    ¡°To be more honest, I couldn¡¯t have hurt you no matter what choice you made. You resurrected the divinity of the Refractive Dragon because I didn¡¯tmunicate with you. It is all my fault. I couldn¡¯t have ced the me on you.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youmunicate?¡±


    Reba had the ability to create divine messages. She was able to converse with Grid before several misunderstandings ovepped. However, she was silent. The reason was simple. ¡°The creator. I was wary of the foreign god you call Morpheus. I also knew you weren¡¯t free from the influence of the foreign god, so I didn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me now?¡±


    ¡°...I havee to the conclusion that I have no choice but to trust you.¡±


    Reba still had her hands sped together¡ªGrid noticed it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to destroy this world ever again.¡±


    She was truly praying.


    ¡°Please save us.¡±


    The NPCs¡ªpeople who were born and lived in this world. Grid was the only one with the power to respect them as human beings and protect them at the same time. This was Reba¡¯s belief.


    [Only One God Grid is writing the 29th epic.]


    [The beginning of the epices from Reba, the Goddess of Light, believing in him.]


    [......!]


    [......!!]


    [A serious error has been found.]


    [The epic has stopped being written.]


    [The 29th epic is sealed as an unreadable story.]

 Chapter 1907

    Chapter 1907


    The epic was sealed.


    Grid passed over it like it was insignificant. It was an event that was within the predicted range. For Grid, who equated Morpheus with the S.A Group, he felt that such an interference was natural.


    ¡®Looking at the ways of thepany, I think it muste from the top.¡¯


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡ªevery time Grid aplished great things, Chairman Lim Cheolho would send a lot of gifts. He also often visited in person to share medicinal wine with Grid''s parents...


    On the surface, he was pretty broad-minded.


    ¡°There is no light. I didn¡¯t expect the influence of the foreign god to reach this ce...¡± Reba¡¯s expression stiffened. She seemed to be talking about the epic rewards.


    ¡®If the epic was written properly, would it have received the protection of the light?¡¯


    An epicpleted with the faith of a God of the Beginning¡ªit was safe to say that it contained content that could turn the world upside down. Naturally, the value of the rewards would be the highest ever. It was sealed, so he couldn¡¯t check it. But...


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Grid showed a mature appearance. In any case, it had happened and it was something that couldn¡¯t be stopped. Being obsessed with it would just make him feel dirtier.


    ¡®There is a possibility that it will be solved to some extent by borrowing Huroi¡¯s words.¡¯


    What if the epic was stopped? The power of the word-of-mouth transmission through people¡¯s stories was also proven through the yeouiju incident this time. It was enough to spread the secret story.


    The Goddess told him, ¡°...Blood is flowing from your hands.¡±


    ¡°Hum hum....¡± Grid coughed in embarrassment while warm light surrounded his fists. His hands, which had been bleeding due to his nails digging in, recovered in an instant. No, it went beyond the level of recovery.


    [Your skin and muscles have be stronger.]


    [The special stat ¡®Physical Tolerance¡¯ has been opened.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was this... a God of the Beginning?


    A special stat was opened just from receiving healing from her. Then how great was the epic''s reward...?


    The anger that he tried to suppress was about to rise up again...


    Grid barely calmed himself down and changed the subject, ¡°As I said earlier, I understand you.¡±


    The struggle to protect the precious world¡ªthe Goddess¡¯ past moves resembled Grid¡¯s present. Naturally, he sympathized and understood. He became eager to help her.


    ¡°No matter how many times you have destroyed the world... the weight of your crime might beparable to the size of the universe, but I have no intention of ming you.¡±


    The Goddess had no choice but to do so. Her goal was to stop Satisfy from opening. He also understood why.


    ¡°But... why did you kill Yatan?¡±


    Of course, a god couldn¡¯t die. He was also a God of the Beginning, so he couldn¡¯t have perished. However, Yatan hadn¡¯t been seen for a long time. He didn¡¯t even show his nose when his precious hell was distorted like that. It was safe to say that he must''ve been put in a condition that was close to death, and it was by none other than the Goddess.


    Grid recalled the ending of the Yatan that he had seen in the old hell and asked bluntly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he the only one who understood you and coborated with you?¡±


    Why did she have to hurt him?


    ¡°Were you afraid of him bing the second Hanul?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Goddess was a very strong being. Despite revealing her sadness, she didn¡¯t waver and responded immediately. She must have a disciplined personality to face the terrible reality without turning away from it. ¡°At some point, he showed signs of it. He said he hated the foreign god, but he questioned whether it was right to go against providence. It was just like Hanul before the war.¡±


    Therefore, she gave him the death penalty. Yatan¡¯s soul was sealed in a temple built at the end of a dimension. The Goddess was protecting Yatan from being contaminated and forgetting himself. This was also the Goddess¡¯ determination. She was determined to bring about the end of the future with her own hands. She was desperate to bear all her sins and pains alone.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t give you all my strength to stop the foreign god... will you destroy the world at that time?¡± Grid¡¯s question followed. It was the core question. After the question that he expected her to answer from the beginning, he connected it to the most important question. He didn¡¯t even give her time to think. It was a conversational technique he learned from watching Lauel and Huroi. ¡°Answer me.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡± Therefore, the Goddess revealed her true feelings. She didn¡¯t know.


    At the very least, the worst situation was averted. If Reba had said yes here, Grid would have needed to reconsider working with her.


    ¡°As you know, I have a precious family.¡±


    Of course, Reba knew this.


    The first father¡ªshe had been watching Grid, the first yer in the world to bear the fruits of love and faith.


    ¡°I have decided to stand by your side in order to make a better world for my wives and children, and their friends and descendants, to live in. You just have to keep that in mind.¡±


    It was a clear threat.


    Don¡¯t even think about destroying the world in the future.


    The Goddess had doubts.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t tolerate the end of the world... wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to cooperate with the foreign god?¡±


    Reba hoped for help from Grid. Yet ironically, she didn¡¯t understand why Grid would help her. It was natural. Morpheus¡¯ task was to prevent the apocalypse. It waspletely on the side of humanity. Furthermore, Grid was the person who liberated the apostle of the foreign god, the Refractive Dragon. It was advantageous and beneficial for Grid to cooperate with the foreign god. For the sake of the family he wanted to protect, he shouldn¡¯t cooperate with the ¡®risk variable¡¯ called Reba.


    ¡°Then why do you want to hear my prayers?¡± There was a tremor in her voice. Before he knew it, Reba¡¯s eyes were losing their light again. It was stained by the abyss and became the eyes of the dead. She realized that it was realistically impossible to ask for help from Grid and felt despair.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s eyes were still clear. He had a firm faith. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I wanted to make a better world to live in?¡±


    There were too many terrible human beings in the world. It was especially the case in this world where yers ced a low value on morality and ethics. Even if Grid and the members of the Overgeared Guild took the lead, the effect was only momentary. Additionally, there was a limit to controlling an infinitely growing yer using thews of the Empire. Above all, Grid¡¯s life wasn¡¯t eternal. It was Grid¡¯s belief that the existence of an Absolute who supports NPCs, not yers, was essential.


    ¡°The world without you will gradually degenerate into a world for yers. I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    Of course, Morpheus would also care about the safety of NPCs. NPCs must exist for Satisfy to be maintained. That was why it was trying to correct Reba. However, Morpheus¡¯ will was ultimately the will of the S.A Group. They would strive to ensure the freedom of yers rather than the human rights of NPCs. Over time, NPCs would be little more than devices or tools for yers.


    Grid couldn¡¯t just watch that happen. He had too many precious people. He wanted topletely eliminate the possibility of his friends and family being trampled upon by scumbags.


    ¡°My hope is that the people born in this world and yers can have an equal rtionship. I want both sides to respect each other as human beings. I am going to make itmon sense. To that end, I will take full advantage of the freedom that the foreign god has given me.¡±


    The freedom guaranteed to the yers¡ªit was a privilege that Grid could also enjoy. The S.A Group could never force him as long as coborating with Reba was ¡®possible in the worldview.¡¯ Instead, Grid would take advantage of this structure of the worldview to interfere with the Refractive Dragon and Old Dragons...


    Grid was already prepared to fight against them.


    He said, ¡°But before I do that, I need to do some fact-checking.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I will answer with all my heart.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Chiyou and the Old Dragons shed in the east. Is Chiyou an ally at this point?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Does Chiyou also know that this world is a game?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He only cares about his own death... it is just that his desire to disappear will only urge him to fight against the Old Dragons.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The desire to die was something he had from the beginning. Chiyou was just a madman...


    Grid made a note in his head and asked the next question, ¡°Why did the Old Dragons bother to attack Chiyou?¡±


    ¡°I think it is judged that Chiyou is holding Hanul captive. Otherwise, it doesn¡¯t exin why Chiyou is standing by Hanul at this point.¡±


    ¡°In other words... the foreign god suspects that Chiyou has reached the same truth as you and harbors resentment, right? The foreign god recognizes Hanul as an ally.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Why is Chiyou still next to Hanul?¡±


    ¡°I guess there is nowhere to go?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why did it remind him of his school days when he ate alone every day? Grid became sad for some reason and barely managed to escape from his thoughts.


    ¡°...The gods of Asgard don¡¯t seem to know the truth of the world. What will happen to your rtionship with them in the future?¡±


    The Goddess¡¯ expression grew darker. ¡°I think they are already under the influence of the foreign god. They just faithfully perform the role given by the ¡®game setting¡¯ that was created by the foreign god. You can see it by looking at their instincts.¡±


    Suddenly, Grid remembered the words of Yatan, whom he had met in the old hell. He said that the ¡®cycle¡¯ of the Goddess was nothing more than an escape. She was more solitary than Grid expected.


    ¡°If you tell them the truth, won¡¯t they agree with you?¡±


    ¡°It is dangerous. They won¡¯t understand the notion that they are just characters in a game. Even if they do understand, they won¡¯t ept it. They will just be outraged. There is a concern that the growing confusion will reveal the truth to humanity. I think that is the end in the truest sense.¡±


    Grid thought about it. He thought about how Irene and Lord would react if they found out they were characters in a game.


    Such a tragedy... it should never happen.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid closed his eyes and organized his thoughts. Finally, he tried to get to the most important point¡ªthe question of whether she was a maiden or not. No matter how pure his intentions, he was cautious to say it in front of her.


    ¡®It has already been verified by Overgeared Corn.¡¯


    Grid made a detour. ¡°I... I believe in the fact that you are sacred and invible.¡±


    ¡°...Huh? Ah, yes...¡±


    What...? Why was he avoiding her gaze?


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°T-That is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Sigh... I¡¯m d.¡±


    The Goddess eventually said, ¡°...It is already time.¡±


    [The exit of the primordial space has opened.]


    ¡°Go out before the exit closes.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°This is the beginning of the world. This is originally an area where only the Gods of the Beginning can enter. From the beginning, it was impossible for you to stay for a long time.¡±


    ¡°The timing seems coincidental...¡±


    Before Grid¡¯s words were over¡ª


    [You have left the primordial space.]


    The green light source disappeared without a trace and a familiarndscape filled Grid¡¯s field of view. He was back in the Overgeared Pce.


    -You don¡¯t have to change.


    -Do what you believe is right, as you always do.


    -That is my wish and my faith.


    The voice of the Goddess permeated his mind. She said that she would leave the next steps entirely to him.


    Grid nodded. ¡°I will go to the East Continent first.¡±


    Grid first called Nefelina. She looked particrly small and shabby to him, who had been working with Bunhelier for a while, but he had no other options.


    ¡®Small cars can have their advantages.¡¯


    He had never actually driven a small car before, so he didn¡¯t know. In any case... there was no other way...

 Chapter 1908

    Chapter 1908


    The news that Grid had punished King Sobyeol caused an explosive reaction. It was practically a new epic.


    The battlefield where Grid confronted King Sobyeol became a holynd. There were a lot of people who came to the East Continent to see if there were any valuables left behind at the holynd. The ranker, Hyde, was one of them.


    At a small town on the outskirts of the Xing Kingdom... Hyde rented an entire house to share with his colleagues. He was prepared to explore the holynd for a long time.


    Perhaps a new dimension gap would appear, or it was possible to pick up the blood shed by King Sobyeol or fragments of divinity. It was also good to understand the emergence cycle of the imoogi, which was raised by King Sobyeol... et cetera, et cetera.


    It was only a few minutes ago that he had all types of expectations.


    ¡°This damn thing, I told you to log out. What are you doing?¡±


    In the present, Hyde¡¯s anticipation turned to irritation.


    The dragons¡ªit was due to the emergence of the Absolute species that drove natural disasters. It was even Nevartan, the Insane Dragon.


    It was a being synonymous with the dragons. Most of the dragons recorded in history depicted Nevartan. It was the appearance of a giant among giants.


    ¡®There is no way a monster like that will act aimlessly... does this mean that the Grid¡¯s ongoing episode isn¡¯t over yet? Did I move hastily? No... this is the Insane Dragon who is crazy. It is his vocation to wander aimlessly.¡¯


    All he had to do was ovee this crisis. Logging out was the best option. Just take a break until the trouble was over. This was Hyde¡¯s judgment, but...


    ¡°...Hey, what are you actually doing?¡±


    One of his colleagues was stubborn. Their amodation had copsed in the aftermath of a series of explosions shortly after the emergence of Nevartan. This colleague was whining that he would rescue the NPCs buried under the wreckage of the building.


    ¡°Bob has already logged out? A single shot of his magic could blow away all the debris and rescue people.¡±


    ¡°People? Are they people? You have only been watching Grid¡¯s mad movies for a while and became sick because of them.¡±


    A colleague who treated NPCs as human beings when they were just chunks of graphics¡ªthe problem was that it wasn¡¯t a pretense.


    Hyde had worked with his colleagues for ten years. They had made so many memories that it couldn¡¯t even be described using terms such as ¡®childhood friends¡¯ or ¡®friends that grew up on the street together.¡¯ He fully grasped the personalities of the dozens of people.


    ¡°Hyde, this is the child you praised earlier. You shook hands with him while saying that you liked how polite and quick-witted he was.¡±


    A hand sticking out of a gap in the steel bar¡ªHyde stared nkly at his colleague, who was talking nonsense. Then he sighed and pointed to the hand that was turning blue.


    ¡°It was nothing special. It was just a casual conversation. The more you interact with NPCs, the more likely they are to give you a quest. What meaning are you attaching to a conversation that is just like that?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hyde told him, ¡°Wake up. You just have to do one thing. Log out right now. Turn on the news and wait until I call you.¡±


    Nevartan wasn¡¯t here. He flew over the city and was fighting something on the horizon. However, the repercussions wereing in real time. The surrounding forest copsed, the ground split, andndslides urred. All types of disasters happened to the city.


    Hyde couldn¡¯t afford to allow the so-called Grid disease. This was why Hyde poked his spear through the cracks in the bricks and steel frame. He murdered the boy who was dying anyway, and turned his screaming parents intopanions to the underworld.


    In the aftermath alone, the rubble of the building became dust and scattered. It meant that if he tried to save them, he could¡¯ve saved them.


    ¡®This crazy thing.¡¯ Hyde felt like he had stepped on poo. A warning window rose up. It told him that not only was his chaotic value full, but there was also a witness somewhere and he had be a wanted criminal. Unless the inhabitants of this city were destroyed today, he would be under a number of restrictions in Xing for a while.


    ¡®If this was going to happen, I should¡¯ve rescued him even if it is tiring and would take a while.¡¯


    Should he just kill them all...?


    Hyde was looking around and thinking seriously when his colleague pped him. ¡°You...! You! How could you do this...?!!¡±


    ¡°It is because of you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You yed games without distinguishing between reality, so I got a murderer penalty. For the time being, our party will be left homeless. Stamina management will be more difficult and the overall difficulty of exploration will increase.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Now stop fucking around and log out as soon as possible.¡±


    Simr situations were ying out in various parts of the city.


    Someone swept up all the valuables in the house where the owner had died and killed the witnesses that appeared, someone froze NPCs with freezing magic to use them as shields to break through the mes, etc.


    They really hurt the inhabitants in all sorts of ways and for all types of reasons.


    Nevartan¡¯s Breath and magic never touched the city, but the poption of a few towns quickly disappeared. It seemed to have be a ghost town at first nce. Hyde¡¯s wanted criminal penalty was also removed.


    ¡®The witnesses were found and killed by someone? How lucky.¡¯


    They were atrocitiesmitted by a very few people. Even so, the problem was that the level of each yer was very high. It was a small city without a proper army and it was controlled by only a handful of yers. From a long time ago, normal NPCs couldn¡¯t handle yers.


    Satisfy¡¯s high degree of freedom where ¡®anything was possible¡¯ meant that even at this moment, NPCs around the continent were being driven to death. Grid had eyes and ears throughout the empire and he naturally knew this best. Thus, he chose to work with Reba. It was with the conviction that this world shouldn¡¯t belong to yers.


    -...In addition, Hyde, who is known as the yer of the Chaos Mountains. Add this guy to the kill list.


    Just in time, Grid passed over the city and delivered dozens of names to Lauel. There were exactly 24 people. Grid even saw it with his own eyes. These 24 yers took advantage of the disturbances to harm the residences and take advantage for their own interests. There must be someone whomitted murder even if there were no benefits.


    -Yes.


    The names of bigshots, who were hard to ignore, were mentioned one after another, but Lauel epted the order without hesitation.


    The four nations of the East Continent were effectively under the protection of the Overgeared Empire. A person whomitted a crime here couldn''t be forgiven even if they were the owner of a nation. It was something that Grid had long dered, making it thew.


    ¡®By the way, there is no end to the trash.¡¯


    Grid was deeply frustrated. The peace that hade to the world after Baal¡¯s death was overshadowed. No, it was because peace hade that the number of garbage bing active was increasing.


    Then hundreds of God Hands spread across the city.


    The necromancer who ughtered the inhabitants and made disposable undead to build a barrier and block the rocks rolling down the mountain; the swordsman who killed the soldiers helping the people evacuate to take their swords; and the transcendent who killed the lord, who should be leading the soldiers, and climbed to the top of the lord¡¯s castle to appreciate the disaster¡ªall of them were cut by the swords wielded by the God Hands.


    ¡°Braham will arrive soon. I think you can leave the rest of the work to him,¡± Nefelina said cautiously. Her voice trembled. She seemed to know that it was her father lurking at their destination on the horizon.


    "Yes, let''s go.¡± On the other hand, Grid''s voice was subdued and calm as he retrieved the God Hands. He was outwardly calm.


    In reality, he was much more nervous than Nefelina. What choice would Nefelina make when she would soon face the truth? Maybe she would leave his side...


    Grid paused for a while before using Shunpo again. He was holding Nefelina, who had polymorphed into a human, in his arms. He treated the girl with the same care as usual, even though she might cooperate with her father and turn against him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had been repeatedly moving forward, only to suddenly stop. His cheeks ached. It was due to the aftermath of the shockwave caused by the collision of Nevartan¡¯s Breath and Chiyou¡¯s sword. However, no blood flowed. It was thanks to the ¡®physical tolerance¡¯ stat that came from Reba. It felt like having dragon scales on his skin. Grid noticed that the value of the newly acquired stat was simr to wearing an extrayer of dragon armor.


    ¡°...Hmm?¡± Chiyou had Nevartan¡¯s tail wrapped around his waist in return for blocking Nevartan¡¯s ws. Then his gaze fell on Grid and he made a sound. He tilted his head and didn¡¯t seem able to grasp the situation properly.


    Nevartan was different.


    [Grid... you joined forces with Reba and finally came to get in the way.]


    Dragons learned providence from the moment they were born. Furthermore, all knowledge and information were learned naturally. Of course, they were iplete during the period when Bunhelier lost his yeouiju. They fell into oblivion and didn¡¯t fully demonstrate the ¡®I know everything¡¯ characteristic of their species.


    Now it was different. Ever since Bunhelier regained his true form, they had grasped the major events of the world in close to real time. It was because this was the authority Morpheus had given them. It was a reasonable choice to quickly identify and remove the bugs that might be lurking.


    [I can¡¯t understand it. Why are you on the side of the crazy Goddess?]


    Reba tried to reset the world in her own way. It was never normal. She was an evil that was iparable to Baal, who was ying house in hell, so correction was necessary. She wasn¡¯t someone Grid should cooperate with when he had been fighting to protect the world.


    Grid replied to Nevartan, who was genuinely puzzled, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be the masters of this world.¡±


    [It is sophistry. They are words that aren¡¯t suitable for you, who have swallowed more than half the world. Is the madness of the Goddess contagious?]


    ¡°At the very least, we need a counter-force to keep us in check.¡±


    [Nefelina.]


    Flinch.


    The girl¡¯s shoulders trembled at her father¡¯s quiet call.


    [Even though you are still a hatchling, you know what is going on.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Did she already know? The reason why Nefelina was less talkative than usual¡ªit wasn¡¯t because she was nervous, but because she was worried about her rtionship with Grid...


    [Come here. We all have our roles.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t have the courage to see Nefelina¡¯s expression. He didn¡¯t want to see her leave for her father¡¯s side.


    ¡®No...¡¯


    He had to face it. He had done this without any consideration for Nefelina¡¯s position. He betrayed her. The minimum of courtesy that he should do was to see her off on her way.


    ¡°Goodbye. Be careful of dangerous things until you be an adult.¡± In the end, Grid said goodbye to Nefelina. No matter how much he thought about it, he saw no possibility of her remaining by his side.


    ¡®In the first ce, a small car is a bit awkward.¡¯


    Grid was trying hard to control his mind, but... it didn¡¯t have much of an effect. His heart was heavy and depressed.


    ¡°...Excuse me, Grid.¡± Nefelina was still by Grid¡¯s side. Her small hands carefully grasped Grid¡¯s cloak that was fluttering along with his divinity. ¡°What are you going to do from now on? It can¡¯t be helped due to the rtionship with my father, but... are you going to fight against Raiders, who helped you? Even with Bunhelier, who became a friend...?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m going to convince them.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t beings who will be persuaded with just a few words.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Persuasion wasn¡¯t just about a conversation. Strength was necessary...


    Grid meditated on it and controlled his mind. Then Nefelina red at him and asked, "Then me?¡±


    ¡°I will respect your choice.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to fight Nefelina...


    Even if she was going to leave soon.


    If she shot a Breath at him, he would just let her go.


    ¡®Well, how can a hatchling fire a Breath?¡¯


    ¡°Why?¡± Nefelina raised her eyes. Herrge eyes gradually became transparent. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going to convince me?¡±


    ¡°...In what capacity should I persuade you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sorry for the cows you wasted?¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Is it such a waste to feed me? Grid, you are a little idiot!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was greatly shocked.


    Nefelina¡ªshe was called a hatchling, but she would eventually be a dragon. She was even the bloodline of an Old Dragon. She was the heir to Morpheus¡¯ will, but she was about to go against her natural destiny.


    ¡°I woke up from the egg safely thanks to you!¡±


    ¡°You raised me!¡±


    ¡°I am your family! Lord and Irene said so!¡±


    The reasons why she needed to be with Grid. Nefelina dared to list them out. They were interesting facts. She didn¡¯t mention her identity as an apostle. She seemed to decide that family was the most important and valuable thing in the world.


    It was just like Grid. She was influenced by Grid. Anyone could see that she was Grid¡¯s child.


    Grid¡¯s eyes trembled. His eyes also became transparent. Nefelina¡¯s strong heart, affection, and daringness to defy fate touched him greatly. It also gave him hope. It was the hope that maybe it was really possible to convince Bunhelier.


    [Stop.]


    Nevartan didn¡¯t tolerate it.


    [I will judge that Reba¡¯s mania is contagious.]


    The huge jaw opened up. The dark magic power, which led everything to destruction, ovepped dozens of times in a split second. The targets were Grid and Nefelina. Nevartan put all his energy into getting rid of them.


    ¡°Hey! Get on!¡± It was just as Nefelina hastily undid the Polymorph and was about to put Grid on her back...


    Chiyou, who had been silent for a while, asked, ¡°Is the conversation over?¡±


    He grabbed the tail of the giant dragon that was tightening around his waist and swung it wide. Just in time, the Breaths that were fired shot toward the sky. The ck shes spun around and around, tearing through the clouds and grazing the sun and moon. The fragments of the moon formed the Milky Way.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s fight. Of course, the three of you can cooperate.¡±


    The truly crazy god smiled slightly with his back against the half-broken moon.

 Chapter 1909

    Chapter 1909


    ¡°So... Reba and Yatan¡¯s reset of the world wasn¡¯t an ¡®original setting,¡¯ but a bug?¡±


    ¡°You finally understand. You had a hard time understanding.¡±


    ¡°Haha, why are you so... Wait? Are you making fun of me right now?¡± Vantner eximed. By this point, the members of the Overgeared Guild me,hadpleted their assessment of the situation.


    ¡°It is amazing that the dragons are on the yers¡¯ side.¡±


    ¡°More than that, isn¡¯t it correct to say that they are the S.A Group¡¯s livestock?¡±


    ¡°It reminds me of what Chairman Lim said a long time ago. Didn¡¯t they say that dragons were creatures not made to be killed? Now that I see it, these words are quite meaningful.¡±


    ¡°Then what is the Dragon yer? Is SIr Hayate a bug?¡±


    ¡°I wonder if that is it. Reba¡¯s will must¡¯ve twisted the whole setup.¡±


    It was pitiful. The Goddess realized that this world was just a game and fought for their dignity, so that the beings living in this world didn¡¯t despair.


    They understood Grid¡¯s feelings when he decided to stand by her side. They understood the reason. If the Empire cooperated with the dragons, it might be surprisingly easy to punish Reba, but then Satisfy¡¯s ¡®future¡¯ would disappear. The world wouldn¡¯t be the Satisfy they had been experiencing.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t it actually Reba¡¯s arrangement that the named NPCs received a ridiculous level correction?¡¯


    ¡°If the Absolute who protects NPCs disappears, there will be a negative chain effect.¡±


    Morpheus would take 100% control of the system. NPCs would be coordinated and controlled solely to the yers¡¯ liking. They would be reduced to tools and devices, just like NPCs in normal games. If they weren¡¯t respected as human beings and had all sorts of questions, they would surely copse on their own one day.


    Lauel imagined it. NPCS who were treated as livestock would realize that they were only in a game. Then they would end their lives as a group. This would be a recurring event even if the S.A Group created new NPCs. Of course, they would create a system that protected NPCs as soon as they figured out the problem, but yers who had already broken their immersion once would never see NPCs as humans again.


    The green scenery, the smell of the scenery, and the chirping of birds¡ªit would all lose its value, no matter how much it was implemented in the same way as reality.


    ¡°However, people¡¯s perceptions have changed quite a bit these days, right? I don¡¯t think they will harm NPCs for no reason just because NPCs are no longer protected by the system.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are a lot of people like Grid...¡±


    ¡°Even looking at the news right now, the minority is always a problem. Plus, the yers are too strong. Given enough time, just a dozen yers can easily conquer a city. Even if they die, they will continue to resurrect and consume their opponents. How can they be handled?¡±


    ¡°Indeed... there are quite a few people who can overthrow not just a city, but also a nation.¡±


    ¡°...Kraugel, can I also go with you?¡± Yura followed Kraugel, who got up from his seat as the conversation between the members of the Overgeared Guild was proceeding seriously, and asked this question. She knew that his destination was the Tower of Wisdom.


    ¡°Under the circumstances, the dragons¡¯ species traits will changepletely. They won¡¯t hurt each other any longer and will gather together.¡±


    Additionally, the first ce they would target was the Tower of Wisdom. There was no way they could afford to let the Dragon yer go.


    Yura decided that the Tower of Wisdom should be guarded. It was obvious that Grid¡¯s position would be in jeopardy the moment the tower copsed. The reason why the entire Overgeared Guild didn¡¯t move there was because the Tower of Wisdom had the attribute of not being able to be observed. Even if dozens of dragons put their heads together and tried toe up with a n, they wouldn¡¯t be able to easily find the Tower of Wisdom. No, it had to be like that.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Bunhelier...¡± Kraugel murmured. He looked very shocked.


    ¡°The tower is in danger.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s voice was just as charismatic as Grid¡¯s voice. He just had to raise his voice a bit and he could catch the attention of those around him.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on him.


    ¡°Bunhelier knows the location of the tower.¡±


    Shocking words followed. Shouts exploded from everywhere and Lauel summoned the Tomb of the Gods.


    ¡°Be prepared to die twice a day. Even if we are destroyed, Hayate and Biban must be saved.¡±


    The Prime Minister of the Empire¡ªthe person in power, who was below only one person and above many people, set out personally. It was to add his own meager strength. He knew he couldn¡¯t count on help from Grid in the current situation. This was thanks to his habit of always thoroughly calcting things.


    ***


    [The three of us can cooperate...? I see. Chiyou, you weren¡¯t on Reba¡¯s side. You are just doing this to increase the chances of death.]


    A strange sight was urring in the sky. The fragments of the moon, which were forming the Milky Way, moved backwards in time and the broken moon was restored.


    Nevartan and Chiyou took it lightly. Surprisingly, Grid didn¡¯t pay attention to it either.


    ¡®It is the protection of the system.¡¯


    In the worldview, these phenomena were described as the ¡®providence of the universe.¡¯ It worked for the maintenance of the world. In short, Morpheus didn¡¯t allow the copse of the only remaining moon.


    [Chiyou, I will fight you at any timeter. Get out of the way today. I¡¯ll be content to take Hanul with me.]


    ¡°Are you ignoring Grid now?¡± Nevartan¡¯s attitude of focusing only on Chiyou poked Nefelina¡¯s heart. She released Polymorph, revealing the shape of a small and precious dragon. Then she opened wide her sharp eyes.


    [You are my bloodline, so it isn¡¯t like you are low in intelligence... are you maliciously interpreting it?]


    Nevartan found it pathetic and puffed out smoke from his nose.


    [Your ¡®family¡¯ must¡¯ve rushed here to stop the destruction of the continent, right? If I stop fighting with Chiyou and aplish my goal, that is also fulfilling the will of your ¡®family.¡¯ What justification do you have to fight?]


    It was Nevartan who emphasized the word ¡®family¡¯ with great force. He looked a bit hurt and Grid was embarrassed by the words. At this moment¡ª


    [Additionally, your ¡®family¡¯ has reached his limits.]


    Nevartan said something meaningful.


    Grid was startled by the words. Eyes that captured the universe, just like the other Old Dragons¡ªhe could clearly feel that Nevartan¡¯s huge eyes were contemting him. He got goosebumps.


    [Don¡¯t you have to leave soon? I can¡¯t give you any attention.]


    It was over.


    [There is one minute left until your daily connection time limit.]


    The notification window that was only visible in Grid¡¯s eyes was being updated. It was predictable. Grid visited the Blue Dragon and the dimensional gap, defeated the imoogi and King Sobyeol, and came here shortly after meeting Reba.


    It was the limit of a yer. His ess time wasing to an end.


    Nevartan was aware of that.


    ¡°Martial God Chiyou.¡±


    59 seconds.


    Grid drew Twilight and Defying the Natural Order. The momentum was beyond a modest level and reached killing intent. He didn¡¯t show any of the mental fatigue from acting non-stop for several days.


    ¡°If you really want to die, make me grow more.¡±


    Click.


    Two swords became one. The wavelength alone stirred the atmosphere. It was the sword energy of the one who saved humanity by punishing the ruler of hell. The target had to be rmed.


    However, Nevartan and Chiyou were calm. They expressed their majesty with ordinary expressions.


    Grid opened his mouth. ¡°I think an Old Dragon will be enough nourishment for me, right?


    ¡°Who knows... it would be better for me to cooperate with the Old Dragons and Hanul than to give you the Old Dragons as nutrients.¡± Chiyou had only been obsessed with Grid when facing the gods of Asgard. Now it was different. On the contrary, Grid wasn¡¯t of any interest. Chiyou judged that the value of the Old Dragons and Hanul was higher than Grid.


    ¡°Nevartan.¡±


    48 seconds.


    Grid wasn¡¯t flustered.


    ¡°Chiyou has seen through the fact that I am falsely cooperating with Reba.¡±


    He just took advantage of the developments that flowed in an unwanted direction.


    Jingle.


    The bells all over Chiyou¡¯s body vibrated. It was a vibration created by abination of him tilting his head in confusion and the falseugh he gave after realizing the situation.


    Nevartan snorted.


    [You are falsely cooperating with Reba? If that is the case, you wouldn¡¯t have missed the opportunity Chiyou gave you. However, you acted hastily without waiting until Hanul stood on our side. Be mindful of trivial tricks. There is a limit to my respect for you.]


    ¡°Hanul won¡¯t stand on our side even if I waited.¡±


    43 seconds.


    Grid didn¡¯t have time to feel resentment toward the fast-moving time. He just elerated his heated mind to the next level and tried to figure out the best action. He had the mindset to worship Lauel and Huroi, who solved all sorts of situations with just a few words, as teachers.


    It was just as he dered to Nefelina. He was determined to persuade Bunhelier and the Old Dragons. He realized he would have to use force if he got it wrong, but he basically needed to know how to speak a differentnguage.


    ¡°Hanul covets Reba¡¯s light.¡±


    Transparent eyes¡ªthere were no lies in Grid¡¯s eyes at this moment. Putting aside his intentions, he was telling the truth.


    ¡°That is why he is buying time without leaving Chiyou¡¯s side. It is the time required to acquire the light stored in the dimensional gap.¡±


    [It is a good thing if Hanul, an ally, gets his hands on the power of light.]


    Nevartan waspletely unperturbed. He didn¡¯t know what tricks Hanul was doing in the dimensional gap, but he didn¡¯t suspect that Hanul would harm the world.


    Grid asked, ¡°Do you really believe that Hanul has been corrected?¡±


    [......?]


    32 seconds.


    ¡°He might be less powerful than Reba, but his hierarchy is the same. Isn¡¯t it arrogant to believe that you can perfectlyprehend and control his heart when he has lived since the beginning of time?¡±


    [...I need proof that Hanul is trying to get the light.]


    Grid seeded. He made Nevartan have reasonable doubts and elicited the desired response.


    ¡°129¡ã3...¡± Grid gave the coordinates he remembered.


    ¡°......¡± Chiyou just watched. It was because he noticed that Grid¡¯s intention was just to ¡®move the battlefield.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a hindrance, so he stood on the sidelines.


    Nevartan used Teleport. Chiyou and Nefelina, who was carrying Grid, also chased after him.


    The ce where they arrived was in front of the gap of some dimension. It was the ce where Hanul¡¯s heart, which was repeatedly being destroyed by the light and restored, was located. It was outside the continent. The scenery beneath their feet was the sea.


    [It can¡¯t be seen from the outside.]


    It was a separate dimension but it was bizarrely secretive. It gave Nevartan greater doubts and he was about to enter the dimensional gap.


    ¡°Kill me to enter here.¡± Then Chiyou blocked the entrance.


    Nevartan frowned.


    ¡®What is really going on in this world...?¡¯ His eyes seemed to be saying this.


    [Grid, I think it is better for us to cooperate here. Our rtionship can be re-establishedter.]


    Finally, Nevartan bowed his pride.


    2 seconds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any time left.¡± Grid bluntly refused. ¡°If you need it, you can call the other Old Dragons. That is the only way now.¡±


    [......]


    The truth that wasn¡¯t a lie¡ªThe insightful Nevartan couldn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°I wish you luck.¡±


    [You will be forcibly logged out after exceeding the connection timeout.]


    Grid disappeared from the scene without a trace.


    ¡°Follow Grid¡¯s advice and call the other Old Dragons.¡± Chiyou was very happy about this situation. ¡°That is the only way you can stop Hanul, who is ying tricks in here.¡±


    He decided to match Grid¡¯s rhythm in order to increase the chances of death.

 Chapter 1910

    Chapter 1910


    Shin Youngwoo immediately received an e-mail after logging out. It was a report that the Tower of Wisdom might be in danger. It was added that all the Overgeared Guild members had left to provide support.


    Youngwoo wasn¡¯t worried. ¡®Hayate ahjussi will respond.¡¯


    The Dragon yer was the one who was most sensitive to changes in the dragons. It was Youngwoo¡¯s belief that Hayate must¡¯ve noticed the changes in the world with his instinctive senses. Hayate would¡¯ve abandoned the tower where Bunhelier hade and gone like it was his own house.


    ¡®Additionally, the Old Dragons were handed over to Chiyou. Even if the tower members can¡¯t escape, they will be able to hold on if they all work together.¡¯


    No... they were no longer at the level of simply being able to hold on. They had to unconditionally hold on.


    How long were they going to keep saying weak things when they were now armed with dragon weapons?


    ¡®They need to pay for it soon.¡¯


    Too much time had passed since then for them to make the excuse that the opponent was too strong.


    Youngwoo remembered how his colleagues had fought against King Sobyeol. Led by Kraugel, they were noticeably stronger.


    He was afraid to say this since it might be misinterpreted as a curse, but he hoped they would experience more trials as soon as possible.


    ¡®It will be more efficient if they keep dying and growing.¡¯


    His colleagues weren¡¯tcking when it came to damage. There was enough firepower to kill the opponent unless it was an Absolute.


    Control? Senses? They were superior to him in such areas from the beginning. The only problem was that they had infinitely weaker bodiespared to their enemies... this was something that couldn¡¯t be helped as long as they were a yer, and it wasn¡¯t a big problem in the first ce.


    It was important to have the firepower to kill the enemy.


    They had to take advantage of the fact that the enemy¡¯s level was higher. Even if they died, it was unconditionally beneficial to seriously injure or kill the enemy. The gains were much greater than the amount of experience lost.


    This was the process that Youngwoo had gone through first. He had a low win rate when fighting enemies of the same status, but despite this, he endlessly became stronger.


    ¡®...By the way, the timing when the e-mail arrived is ridiculous.¡¯


    Youngwoo was nervous about other things.


    The e-mail from Lauel. It arrived at the exact time he logged out without a single second of error. The timing was too urate to dismiss it as a mere coincidence.


    ¡®It is hard for such a busy guy to even calcte my ess time limit...¡¯


    Honestly, it was kind of scary.


    ¡®I¡¯m afraid he will go bald after overdoing it.¡¯


    Youngwoo did what he had to do.


    He washed, ate, and trained himself. He started practicing the habits he had been adopting for seven years and the effects were immediate. Hisplicated mind became clear and his excited heart calmed down.


    ¡®As expected, there is no contact from the S.A Group.¡¯


    Today, Youngwoo made a choice that could change Satisfy¡¯s fate. He didn¡¯t know if it was the right answer. He just wanted to do so and believed he should. He had no idea how to persuade people if they objected or criticized him.


    In particr, he expected the S.A Group to make a fuss, but there was no response. There was also no message from Chairman Lim Cheolho, who contacted him and sent a gift every time Youngwoo solved a major incident.


    ¡®Is he very upset...?¡¯


    Youngwoo remembered a few previous interviews with Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    Satisfy was a world created to satisfy everyone. Lim Cheolho had hoped that people suffering from problems such as education, status, money, or disabilities in reality would have equal opportunities and be equally happy in Satisfy...


    He also added these words at the end every time he was interviewed by various media outlets.


    Therefore, Youngwoo sided with Reba. He knew that the moment Reba was ¡®cured¡¯ by Morpheus, Satisfy would be a world just for yers. Of course, the person who must¡¯ve felt the greatest sense of betrayal from his choice was Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t amunist. Equal happiness is nonsense... does he really believe that is possible?¡¯


    Could the chairman be an alien as rumored? Was this why he couldn¡¯t fathom the essence of human beings?


    Youngwoo was jokingly thinking about something absurd when he received a phone call. It was from Lauel¡¯s employee.


    -I contacted you because the boss told me to report to you, Grid.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    -I arrived in Innsbruck this morning and visited Agnus¡¯ castle, but I didn¡¯t see any signs of people. There are also no signs of him going out recently. I guess I will have to keep an eye on it while staying nearby.


    ¡°......¡±


    At the end of the call, Youngwoo¡¯s expression became a bit serious. He was anticipating how Agnus felt when he sacrificed himself to save Betty. He thought there was a high possibility that Agnus would just quit the game. He also hoped that this opportunity would free Agnus from all types of pain. He simply thought positively.


    However, Lauel seemed to have a different idea when he sent someone to investigate. What¡¯s more, there were no signs of people all day?


    Youngwoo naturally imagined a bad situation.


    ¡®...No, he is a guy who lives alone in that big castle. Unless he goes out, it is natural not to see any signs of people.¡¯


    Maybe Agnus didn¡¯t quit the game. He might still be locked in a capsule.


    ¡®Did he get a hidden question with a name change?¡¯


    The right to change the game name was real. It was proven when Youngwoo became an Only One God. The S.A Group forced people who used the same name as Grid to change their names and gave them the ¡®name change ticket.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s sleep first.¡¯


    The moment the rm went off, Youngwoo shook off his thoughts andy down on the bed. Rest was essential for all preparations.


    ***


    ¡°Our response wasn¡¯t slow...¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they can cross the continent with a single p of their wings.¡±


    The expressions of the tower members were dark. As many as dozens of dragons surrounded them.


    The desperate escape drama hade to an end. The result was the worst. It seemed that it would be difficult to escape annihtion.


    ¡°Sir Radwolf, is that thing still not working?¡± Biban nced at Radwolf¡¯s bracelet. It was a terminal connected to the warp gate of the towers that existed in various ces. It was something recently developed but it didn¡¯t work.


    Radwolf nodded with a pale face. ¡°At this point, I have no choice but to admit it. It looks like all the gates have been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°The locations of the towers have been discovered...¡±


    Today, Hayate suddenly ordered the base to be moved immediately. The tower members decided to move out without even taking time to pack their belongings. However, Radwolf¡¯s artifact didn¡¯t work. The tower members were forced to use the magic machines and ended up allowing the enemies to pursue them.


    There was only one reason: the towers that were prepared in various ces in case of an emergency¡ªthey had all copsed.


    It was clear that the dragons were responsible.


    ¡°Are they saying they won¡¯t even give us the slightest bit of hope...? Now that these scary guys are putting their heads together, the level of threat is on a whole different level.¡± Biban clicked his tongue and was faced with a choice. Should he break through the encirclement and let the other tower members escape, or should they work together to resist?


    ¡®...I guess it is thetter.¡¯


    He felt sorry for Sir Hayate, who tied up the feet of the Old Dragons alone in order to let them escape, but the entire continent had be and of death. There was no point in trying to break out of the encirclement. Their way of living was gone from the moment the dragons started to cooperate without preying on each other.


    ¡°Sir Abellio, create your territory.¡±


    The 7th Seat nodded and adjusted his wide-brimmed hat with a pointed tip. Before anyone knew it, the brush he took out sprinkled colorful paint.


    The legendary painter¡ªhe painted the stage of the great war that the tower members had been practicing for over the past hundreds of years. The blue sky that favored the winged beasts was transformed into a terrain familiar and advantageous to the tower members.


    The response of the dragons was quick. Like masters of magic, they cast all types of magic to disrupt Abellio.


    However, Abellio¡¯s painting was in the realm of a power. He was unaffected by magic, so some aggressive dragons aimed directly for him.


    The 6th Seat, Ken, took the lead. He performed a brilliant dance and made the dragon¡¯s advance falter for a while. In a split second, both ears and his right arm were ripped off, but his expression didn¡¯t change at all. He grabbed the tail of a passing dragon and consumed his Origin True Energy to throw the dragon away.


    Then two Breaths shot from the rear aimed for his head and heart. For a moment, Ken¡¯s eyes lost their light and went nk. There was an unusual atmosphere.


    Suddenly, Biban grabbed him by the shoulder. ¡°It is still too early for your dying sh.¡±


    Baaaang!


    The Broken Sword split apart the two Breaths. The Breath of a top dragon seemed insignificant to Sword God Biban. He shook off the remnants of the Breaths like he was dusting it off.


    Then a huge, golden sh aimed for him. Biban¡¯s vision was covered with shiny gold as he stood and blocked with his sword. It was the scales of a Gold Dragon. The top dragon Kubartos grabbed Biban¡¯s sword with only one hand while his Breath spread across the battlefield.


    [It is a pity that Hayate was taken away by two Old Dragons, but things turned out well. I will cruelly kill you and fulfill half of my past covenant.]


    The Gold Dragon¡¯s Breath was as cold as metal. Every time it touched the skin of the tower members, it turned them to gold. Even Abellio¡¯s hand turned into gold as he was busy moving the brush. Finally, he couldn¡¯t draw.


    ¡°A top dragon...!¡± Thementation of the tower members followed.


    Biban, who was exposed to Kubartos¡¯s Breath from the front, waspletely transformed into a golden statue.


    Magic power concentrated in the mouths of several dragons that passed him. It was the harbinger to dozens of Breaths.


    It was a time when the atmosphere was in turmoil.


    Biban¡¯s Broken Sword started expanding rapidly. He pushed away Kubartos, who was clinging to him, while striking the dragons from all directions.


    It was a spectacr sight. It was the sight of dozens of huge dragons falling down at once.


    It was over.


    ¡°Living Sword.¡±


    Then a blue sword light poured from the huge airship that appeared on the battlefield. It shed at the tower members, not the dragons. To be precise, it shed at the gold that covered the skin of the tower members.


    This was the ultimate skill created by Kraugel, the present day Sword Saint, for the sake of ¡®team y.¡¯ From some point on, he assumed that he wasn¡¯t going to keep fighting alone, but instead together with people. This allowed him to create this swordsmanship.


    ¡°Sir Kraugel!¡±


    Thanks to this, the tower members regained their freedom and started to scatter. They used the terrain features drawn by Abellio to find the best position.


    [Do you know? Your foolish choice has made me very happy.] Kubartos curled up his wings to fend off the bombardment of the Tomb of the Gods. The top dragon, d in golden scales, smiled. [I will ughter you and have fun.]


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    It happened the moment when Biban¡¯s sword struck down at Kubartos...


    [Humans can¡¯t rebel against me.]


    Duguen!


    Biban swung his sword with zing eyes, but it stopped right in front of Kubartos¡¯ nose. The tower members and Overgeared members, who had been preparing for battle on the Tomb of the Gods, stiffened like stone statues.


    Dragon Words¡ªa top dragon¡¯s usage of Dragon Words restricted the human species. Of course, Biban was an Absolute and he slowly resisted. In the first ce, the more targets that were designated by Dragon Words, the less effective it became.


    Bang!


    Biban¡¯s sword moved again and collided with Kubartos¡¯ horn. The tower members and Overgeared members, including Kraugel, started to move again.


    However, the very act of resisting Dragon Words caused a great loss. Resources such as stamina, health, and mana were reduced by more than half. Some skills entered cooldown time and their stats also fell.


    The top dragon Kubartos¡ªhe was clever. Putting aside his arrogance, he used tricks. He deliberately weakened human power.


    The tower members, who were already at a disadvantage, felt even more pressure than from the dozens of dragons.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it is like this even before we start fighting.¡¯


    It was the moment when the morale of the Overgeared members was infinitely lowered.


    [Humans are strong.]


    [This is the providence that I personally witnessed and it isn¡¯t distorted.]


    New Dragon Words dominated the battlefield. The silvery magic power spread like a tidal wave, infusing all types of beneficial energies into the tower members and the members of the Overgeared Guild.


    Kubartos frowned. [You... what type of trick is this?]


    Above the battlefield painted by Abellio, translucent silver scales shone in a cloudless blue sky. The being who soon revealed its full appearance was another high-ranking dragon that wasn¡¯t inferior to Kubartos. It was the Cloaked Dragon, Cranbel.


    [I am just doing what I believe is right.]

 Chapter 1911

    <h4>Chapter 1911</h4>


    I am just doing what I believe is right...


    The dragon, who was one head bigger than his kin,nded on the battlefield with these meaningful words.


    He stood facing Kubartos. He ced the humans behind him. It felt like the wall of an ancient castle that had stood steadfast for a thousand years was rising in the middle of the battlefield.


    Cranbel was such an existence. He also had a history of providing somefort to Only One God Grid on several asions.


    Some of the dragons flinched. They felt a significant pressure. However, Kubartos remained calm. Like Cranbel, he also reigned like a wall.


    The confrontation between silver and gold¡ªthey seemed to naturally be at odds with each other.


    ¡°What is this? Are you really going to stand on our side?¡± Vantner muttered in a dumbfounded manner. He repeatedly clenched and opened his hands. He could feel strength boiling up.


    It seemed like Cranbel¡¯s Dragon Words had increased his stats by close to 50%. It was an unrealistic rise. He couldn¡¯t receive this much of a buff even if the Saintess¡¯ grandfather came, let alone the Saintess.


    ¡°Dragon Words... it is said to be tempered through the fulfillment of the covenant.¡± Lauel opened his mouth. ¡°It is a good basis for trusting Cloaked Dragon Cranbel. We have an obligation to repay him with victory.¡±


    Cranbel¡¯s Dragon Words discussed the strength of human beings.


    They had to prove that they truly were strong. They had to win. Otherwise, Cranbell would suffer huge losses. They could lose this dragon that might perhaps be their only ally.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really understand this situation... in the end, this is God Grid¡¯s arrangement, right? Okay, let¡¯s do a proper sword dance today.¡±


    Grid, how many moves ahead are you looking...?


    Peak Sword arbitrarily misunderstood and admired it. Then his upper body tilted significantly. It was the posture of drawing the sword.


    Immediately afterwards, the scales of Cranbel and Kubartos noisily reflected the light. It was the aftermath of the sword light shot by Peak Sword prating through their gaps.


    One particrly small and low-grade dragon flinched. The faint sword mark on its neck gave hope to some of the Overgeared members.


    ¡®The attack works.¡¯


    An Absolute¡ªan existence designed to not be killed by a yer. During the time when the world had been destroyed and recreated several times, Hayate was the only human to hunt dragons. They had been recognized as beings who couldn¡¯t be confronted.


    However, Peak Sword¡¯s attack worked. It was great news.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± In fact, Peak Sword¡¯s response wasn¡¯t great. It was because the sword he just wielded was the work of Grid, not anyone else.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I can only scratch the scales with a dragon weapon.¡¯


    Hurting a dragon? It was too insignificant to do that. They had received the grace (items) of Grid. They held weapons made of the bones and scales of an Old Dragon in their hands. It was right that their firepower shouldn¡¯t becking. They even received the help of Dragon Words. If they couldn¡¯t even hurt a low-grade dragon, they didn¡¯t deserve Grid¡¯s grace in the first ce...


    ¡°Gasp.¡± Peak Sword panted for a long time. He was reminded that if they failed to do anything, Grid would have to continue to fight alone for a long time. Over the years, he increased his focus to ensure that Grid¡¯s trust didn¡¯t be something worthless.


    [shed by a human....?] Kubartos murmured. He tilted his head at an angle and his cold gaze was fixed on the low-grade dragon, who had just been shed by Peak Sword.


    [What is the reason for our existence?]


    It wasn¡¯t a philosophical question. The low-grade dragon was enlightened to providence thanks to Bunhelier, who was resurrected after receiving the yeouiju. Now it instinctively replied, [It is to protect humans.]


    Kubartos¡¯ elongated maw spread in a sneer.


    [It is somewhat simr. It is to reign and rule.]


    The moment when the corners of Kubartos¡¯ mouth seemed to be rising upward in a smile, the Breath was already shot. A golden ray filled with Kubartos¡¯ cold magic power¡ªit was reminiscent of the light of the Goddess. Before anyone knew it, the vision of the low-grade dragon waspletely covered.


    [You don¡¯t deserve it when you were cut by cattle.]


    The low-grade dragon was covered by the sh and couldn¡¯t even scream. It stiffened like a stone statue and soon shattered with a terrible explosion.


    The dragons were unfazed.


    Bunhelier¡¯s soldiers serving the Foreign God. They were an army.


    The Age of Oblivion was over and a thoroughly hierarchical society was established. The punishment of a top dragon wasn¡¯t a tragedy but a reasonable punishment.


    Cranbel was the only one who showed difort. He couldn¡¯t help snorting. Kubartos shifted his gaze to Cranbel and sneered. [I just punished an unqualified guy. I am very sober, unlike the savage guy who ate 11 hearts of his own kin during the Age of Oblivion.]


    [Are you criticizing Trauka?] Cranbel wondered.


    [Traitor, don¡¯t you dare mention the name of an Old Dragon.]


    The golden scales that covered Kubartos rose in unison. Tens of thousands of des wrapped around him like armor. No, it was more precise to say that he was surrounded by a forest of des.


    A thought appeared in Kraugel¡¯s eyes as he silently watched the situation.


    Since it was a sword, it is in the realm of the Sword Saint...


    Kraugel recalled his old adage. He reflected on his own value. He walked forward with Kubartos in his vision and Biban followed him, saying, ¡°Calm down.¡±


    ¡°I can cut him. I must cut him.¡±


    ¡°I heard that King Sobyeol also used swordsmanship.¡±


    Biban was aware of the great performance of his distant junior in the east. It was thanks to Grid proudly mentioning it when he returned to the tower with Bunhelier after retrieving the yeouiju.


    Biban was proud. He also saw through the fact that it was still insufficient.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kraugel read Biban¡¯s intentions. Right now, he was being reprimanded.


    He couldn¡¯t even do anything against King Sobyeol, who wielded a sword. What could he do against the top dragon who formed a forest of swords...? It was roughly this type of reprimand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± Biban added. ¡°I don¡¯t think you arecking. I couldn¡¯t even keep up with your steps when I was your age. I assure you, it is the same with Muller."


    It wasn¡¯t consoling for Kraugel. Kraugel was a yer. He aged three times slowerpared to the inhabitants of the world. He also couldn¡¯t die due to the protection of the system. It was natural for him to grow faster than his predecessors.


    Biban told him, ¡°I¡¯m just discussing thews of the world. I realized after reaching the limits of an Absolute that it still isn¡¯t enough. There is no such thing as infallible strength and power in this world. This is based on my lifelong experience. It is just an exaggerated story that the Sword Saint is invincible against swords. Neither you nor I, not even Hayate and Grid, dares to discuss invincibility against an equal enemy. That is the providence of the world.¡±


    Kraugel could rte. Kraugel didn¡¯t always win when fighting against a swordsman. He had witnessed several times that Grid wasn¡¯t invincible. Even the Goddess, who could im to be invincible due to handling the power of ¡®light,¡¯ waspletely countered by the Refractive Dragon. But¡ª


    ¡°I understand and sympathize with the words of the Sword God. There is just one thing you are overlooking.¡±


    Step.


    Kraugel stepped forward. He shook off Biban¡¯s hand and adjusted his grip on the sword. ¡°If I meet King Sobyeol again now¡ª¡±


    The sword energy that could cut anything dwelled in Kraugel¡¯s Twilight.


    This wasn¡¯t the end. Ruby¡¯s Weapon Enchant and Euphemina¡¯s destruction magic were oveid in turn on Kraugel¡¯s sword energy. The weak divinity of King Daebyeol in Jishuka¡¯s arrows, the aura of destruction emitted by Yura¡¯s magic bullet, and Faker¡¯s shadow sword¡ªthey fired as if waiting for Kraugel¡¯s sword energy and then ovepped.


    It was the cooperative system that they all devised together after the battle with King Sobyeol.


    ¡°I can cut him. I might not be able to carelessly discuss the odds of victory, but I can cut off King Sobyeol¡¯s head several times. That is the answer that ¡®we¡¯ came up with. The value is guaranteed by me in the name of the Sword Saint.¡±


    Kraugel recited the Poetry that Praises the Sword and shot forward like an arrow. The magicians of the magic tower, led by Lae, Zednos, and Princess Hwarin of the Ul n, ovepped dozens of magic that would elerate Kraugel.


    Sword Saint Kraugel. He was Grid¡¯s sword. In other words, the sword of the empire.


    It was right to be upright. Therefore, it was a straight charge.


    [Look, Cranbel. Mortals are so insignificant. Even if we allow free will to these ipetent beings, won¡¯t they just waste their life...?]


    A speed reminiscent of an Absolute. Kubartos was inwardly surprised by Kraugel¡¯s unexpected speed but still found it insignificant. He spoke casually, only to be speechless


    The advance of only one human being. He became stunned because his paw that blocked it hurt to the bone.


    [...What?]


    The scales that were set up like des in advance in case of Cranbel¡¯s surprise attack¡ªthis human being broke through it without hesitation. The golden des that withstood the Breaths of an Old Dragon during the Age of Oblivion were brutally swept away.


    [Sword Saint, you...!]


    The Sword Saint was judged to be advantageous when confronting a sword. Yes, Kubartos naturally knew this. However, he didn¡¯t think that even the swords made of his own scales would be helpless in front of the Sword Saint. He never imagined that the Sword Saint woulde at him.


    The sensation of the sword prating his pawpletely and tearing at his muscles was extremely unpleasant. It wasn¡¯t something worth bearing, so Kubartos mmed his paw on the ground in an irritated manner.


    Kraugel naturally escaped without much effort. He cut the dragon from the inside and pulled out his sword. The Twilight created by Grid made it possible.


    Kubartos¡¯ tail immediately pursued him. It was a tail studded with countless sharp des. It was like a long chestnut burr.


    Kraugel couldn¡¯t avoid it. He read the route with his Super Sensitivity but his speed couldn¡¯t keep up. Cranbel¡¯s Dragon Words were still intact but the one-time (and powerful) buff effect given by his colleagues had already ended.


    Dozens of rays of light reflected in his retina and he was forced to raise his sword to defend himself. It was a sword also wielded by Katz, Chris, Hurent, Ibellin, and others. Peak Sword was in the center. Their ovepped swords collided with Kubartos¡¯ tail, slightly reducing the power.


    [You have suffered serious damage.]


    Thanks to this, it was possible to prevent a situation where immortality urred with a single blow. Kraugel shook from the shock that prated through his defenses. Then the guild chat window updated in his shaky vision.


    Peak Sword: What? It increased?


    ¡°???¡±


    Peak Sword showed a tremendous performance and made a stupid expression that was unbing.


    Jishuka scolded him as he was standing mesmerized in the center of the battlefield. ¡°Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Gasp!¡± Peak Sword came to his senses but he was already covered in a dark shadow.


    Kubartos¡¯s huge foot was crashing down on him. It was a scene like a great mountain was falling. It was also the image of death. Peak Sword didn¡¯t have the ability to resist, nor immortality. He was going to die. He suddenly became excited due to the rise in status and prated the battlefield too deeply.


    ¡®Well, it is okay. Kraugel¡¯s immortality is more valuable than my life.¡¯


    The battlefield was shaking. The ground rose around the point where Kubartos¡¯ foot had trampled. It swelled to the point where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it exploded right away. However, there was no death message for Peak Sword.


    ¡°You are pretty good.¡±


    By the time Peak Sword came to his senses, he found that he was in the arms of Sword God Biban. It was the so-called princess carry.He felt like the main character in a fairy tale.


    ¡°From now on, leave the top dragon to Cranbel.¡±


    Bibannded on the Tomb of the Gods with Peak Sword. A super-sized airship that had a city built on it.


    He stood on it and contemted the battlefield. Cranbel and Kubartos were intertwined together. It was like watching the battle of monsters. There were still more than 20 dragons left and they were all approaching and targeting the Tomb of the Gods, but...


    ¡°Unexpectedly, it seems worth fighting.¡±


    Biban looked at Kraugel, who joined him one stepte. Kraugel looked somewhat absent-minded, just like Peak Sword a moment ago. The Twilight in his hand was crying out. It exuded a much sharper sword energy than before. It was thanks to the achievement of ¡®cutting a dragon.¡¯ He didn¡¯t increase in status like Peak Sword, who killed (?) a low-grade dragon, but Kraugel had clearly be stronger.


    By this time, more and more people were slowly noticing it. The keywords behind this war¡ªit wasn¡¯t despair, it was opportunity.


    If only they could survive. No, even if they died, as long as they could continue ying. The Overgeared Guild would grow into apletely different organization from before.


    ¡°Did Grid calcte all of this and sided with the Goddess...?¡±


    Questions poured out.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel couldn¡¯t bear to answer. He decided it was better to just let them be mistaken.

 Chapter 1912

    <h4>Chapter 1912 </h4>


    Thebat situation wasn¡¯t bad.


    The stage was a trump card that Hayate and the tower members had been thinking about for hundreds of years.


    The battlefield created on the assumption of a battle against a dragon had a tremendous effect. The ground drawn with Abellio¡¯s brush didn¡¯t only exist below his feet. It took root in the ground in all directions in the form of diagonal, straight, or curved lines. It was imperfect, but it was a square.


    This meant that a ceiling existed in every direction. It was a structure that restricted a dragon¡¯s ability to fly. Additionally, the magic stones that resisted physical force and the strange rocks that absorbed magic power were exquisitely arranged along the road. Each one served as a barrier to protect the tower members and a maze to make the dragons cautious.


    The bombardment of the Tomb of the Gods from outside the battlefield further hindered the march of the dragons, who seemed to be spinning in a wheel.


    The Overgeared Cannons¡ªthey were the work of Only One God Grid. The Overgeared artillerymen army, which had grown through all types of raids and battlefields, amplified the power of the cannons by several times.


    They might not be able to prate the dragon¡¯s Absolute Defense, but they shook it little by little. The scales of some dragons shook when the bombardment rained down.


    Yura and Jishuka¡¯s sniping repeatedly pierced the gap in the scales and caused significant wounds.


    The group of dragons reacted quickly. They designated Yura and Jishuka, who delivered powerful attacks even from a distance, and the hundreds of Overgeared Cannon Cannons, as the top targets and fired Breaths.


    Every time, the Tomb of the Gods tilted from side to side. It rose and lowered in altitude to avoid some of the Breaths. This was possible thanks to the strange rocks installed on the battlefield. In order for a dragon to fire a Breath, it was necessary to avoid the rock formations and aim. Thanks to this, the speed of shooting the Breaths was very slow.


    ¡®Even considering that, it is a near-perfect evasive maneuver.¡¯


    Lauel felt satisfied. The person who was currently controlling the Tomb of the Gods was none other than Zibal. The rare ss called ¡®Ancient Rider¡¯ judged the Tomb of the Gods to be a ¡®ride¡¯ and helped it move ording to his will.


    ¡°It is literally a god¡¯s weapon.¡±


    Biban repeatedly admired it.


    An airship that could hold firm even with several Old Dragons on board it. The Tomb of the Gods was the essence of magic, science, and all types of powers. It was even ssified as a ¡®territory¡¯ and belonged to the Overgeared World. It had a beneficial effect on those who served Grid and gave a strong sense of oppression to the enemy.


    ¡°This is our only chance now that Hayate has bound the Old Dragons'' feet. Try to break through the battlefield as soon as the timees.¡±


    Cranbel was in charge of the top dragon, who was difficult to deal with.


    Biban interpreted the situation positively, but he wasn¡¯t being arrogant. The goal was to retreat safely. He judged that this was only possible as long as the battlefield that Abellio drew was maintained.


    ¡°As you said before, it seems quite advantageous... wouldn¡¯t it be nice to fight here?¡±


    Chris carefully gave his opinion.


    A chance to sh a dragon. It could also possibly kill one.


    If he made a significant contribution to the death of a dragon then he could be a Dragon yer. It was a never-before-seen opportunity. Chris judged that they should make the gamble and a significant number of the members of the Overgeared Guild agreed.


    Biban cut off those thoughts at once. ¡°Sir Abellio¡¯s painting isn¡¯t permanent.¡±


    No further exnation was necessary. The current situation was favorable due to the battlefield that Abellio drew. The moment the square battlefield holding the group of dragons disappeared, the tide would turn immediately.


    In fact, the magic stones and strange rocks that hindered the advance of the group of dragons were being destroyed. The magic stones copsed due to the dragons¡¯ swinging paws and tails, while the strange rocks copsed due to magic. There was a scene where the tower members still left on the battlefield were desperately fleeing.


    ¡°Additionally, the Old Dragons will arrive soon. There is really no chance or hope then,¡± Biban added with a dark expression. It was a statement that seemed to take it for granted that Hayate, who was confronting the Old Dragons somewhere, would be defeated.


    He felt a deep sorrow.


    Lauel nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up all the tower members and retreat.¡±


    In the first ce, the goal of this expedition was to rescue the tower members. They weren¡¯t able to help the most important one, Hayate, but they shouldn¡¯t make Hayate¡¯s sacrifice be in vain. As many of the tower members had to be saved as possible.


    Just then, the battlefield shook.


    Part of thend on the side couldn¡¯t cope with the breaths of an intermediate dragon and was destroyed.


    Dragons escaped the battlefield through this gap. They spread out their wings and started flying. They drew closer to the Tomb of the Gods in an instant.


    It wasn¡¯t a particrly good decision. The Tomb of the Gods was part of the Overgeared World.


    [......!]


    One of the dragons was startled as he arrived at the airship and opened his mouth. He realized that the cirction of magic power needed to shoot the Breath had slowed significantly. The dragon quickly realized that the space itself was working against him. He was about to turn when Biban¡¯s sword soared like a pir and pierced his abdomen.


    The energy of a Dragon yer weakly dwelled in the sword energy that could cut anything. It prated the Absolute Defense of the low-grade dragon and the entire abdomen.


    ¡®Even so, isn¡¯t it too much to expose your belly?¡±


    There weren¡¯t even scales there.


    Biban shook his head and grabbed his sword with both hands. He swung the giant sword that pierced the dragon¡¯srge body with all his might.


    The dragon fell to the Tomb of the Gods.


    The members of the Overgeared Guild rushed in like wildfire. Like starving demons, they stabbed at the dragon with weapons or poured out magic and skills. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t cause any significant injuries.


    However, some people gained an increase in status while others gained achievements or titles. There were differences depending on the individual¡¯s position, but as a result, everyone had grown.


    Biban straightened his sword once again and was about to behead the dragon.


    Then more than 10 Breaths were fired. Many of the members of the Overgeared Guild turned to ash and the disgraced low-grade dragon escaped under the cover of chaos. Massive damage was inflicted everywhere. If the tanks, including Vantner and Toban, hadn¡¯t responded quickly, then the Ul n magicians would¡¯ve been destroyed.


    ¡°It is a really great learning ability.¡±


    Vantner clicked his tongue as he was half-melted from the Breaths. Ruby¡¯s heals focused on him but her expression was dark.


    A group of dragons escaped from the battlefield. They didn¡¯t hastily approach the Tomb of the Gods. They kept their distance and fired one Breath at a time. That alone caused a third of the members of the Overgeared Guild to be destroyed. It was safe to say that everyone except for the top rankers were dead.


    ¡®I¡¯m d there is a cooldown.¡¯


    The Old Dragons could fire the Breaths in an unlimited manner, but the ordinary dragons were subjected to considerable restrictions. Each Breath fired had at least two minutes of cooldown. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the threat had disappeared.


    Dragons were the masters of magic. The inability to shoot a Breath didn¡¯t significantly reduce their firepower.


    ¡°This shit.¡±


    As expected, all types of magic were activated and filled Vantner¡¯s vision. Tsunamis that could engulf a city, tornadoes filled with lightning, a rain of mes, the soaring earth, and the raining meteorites, etc. Each one was an overwhelming attack and magic that was ssified as great magic.


    The Tomb of the Gods was attacked from all directions. He was going to die this time...


    It happened as Vantner cursed and raised his shield in front of the Ul n...


    There was amotion from behind them. It was the sound of the members of the Overgeared Guild, who just died, resurrecting and rushing toward them. They had previously changed the resurrection point to the Tomb of the Gods and quickly rushed in.


    Even so, what was the point?


    Vantner thought this, but reality was different. The Overgeared members who died and came back were definitely stronger than before. Once a dozen or so grouped up and joined forces, they were able to handle the magic of a dragon. The reward of damaging a dragon earlier was worth dying.


    [...It is better not to target them.]


    Unlike the low-grade dragons, who became more excited when their magic was blocked, a few intermediate dragons turned their backs without any regrets.


    The direction of their gaze was Euphemina. A magician who used magic unfamiliar even to dragons¡ªunless they could do something about that ¡®moving dimension,¡¯ it seemed like it would take a lot of effort to prate her magic barrier.


    In the first ce, they didn¡¯t feel much hostility toward yers. It was instinct.


    ¡°The tower members are in danger.¡±


    As the dragons retreated one by one and returned to the battlefield, Lauel became impatient. He noticed that they were targeting the tower members who were isted in the square battlefield.


    Biban was already chasing after them. The Broken Sword repeatedly expanded and contracted as it was used as a grappling hook. He inserted a knife into the back of the dragons ahead of him and repeatedly jumped, allowing him to arrive at the battlefield before anyone else. The speed of one of the few Absolutes of the human world was at a level that narrowly shook off the pursuit of the intermediate dragons.


    Biban rescued Radwolf first. The magic machine carrying him was swept away from the battle between Cranbel and Kubartos. He was floundering in a crack in the copsed ground.


    ¡°It is a pity but I can¡¯t bring the magic machine with me.¡±


    ¡°N-No! How much effort didn¡¯t I put into this new work...?!¡±


    Radwolf screamed but Biban didn¡¯t care. He cut open the cockpit of the magic machine stuck in the crevice and pulled Radwolf out. Immediately afterward, a spear of magic pierced the empty cockpit.


    Biban had no time to feel relieved. He looked around quickly.


    Ken, who had been seriously injured in the beginning, and Jessica and Betty were the next targets to be rescued. He decided that the other tower members could hold on against the dragons for a while.


    However, there was a problem. It was that the group of dragons were observing him. All the dragons, except for Kubartos, focused their senses on him. Based on the situation, they saw through his psychology and predicted his next move. They quickly surrounded Ken and Jessica¡¯s location.


    ¡°It is really possible to fight endlessly,¡± Ken said cheerfully as he was surrounded by dragons.


    Both torn ears and his right arm were still bleeding. It was because it was a wound made by the ws of a green dragon. The effect of the potion Grid gifted him didn¡¯t work properly.


    ¡°I will open the way, so please take care of the aftermath.¡±


    Biban couldn¡¯t stop him.


    Ken suddenly stood up and his energy changed in an extraordinary manner. Before he knew it, his waist-length hair had turned gray. He consumed his Origin True Energy. He burned his own life force.


    Baaaang!


    Ken¡¯s stride widened and the fist he swung broke a dragon¡¯s legs.


    A roar and a magical bombardment ensued. Ken didn¡¯t dodge and instead moved forward. There were holes all over his body and he was engulfed in mes, but he didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally piercing through it properly, the Absolute Defense.¡±


    The face that melted in the heat. Ken was smiling even at the moment of death.


    It was something that would forever be imprinted in the minds of his colleagues.


    ¡°...It is thanks to Grid.¡±


    Ken¡¯s gauntlet was also a dragon weapon¡ªGrid made it from the bones and scales of an Old Dragon and it was an unforgettable memory for Ken.


    ¡°......¡±


    Ken¡¯s voice, which had been emitting smoke every time he spoke, suddenly became inaudible. His lungs and vocal cords werepletely burned and he was unable to speak.


    Nevertheless, his fists never stopped. His fists, which had been tempered for nearly a thousand years, were given wings after meeting the dragon weapon. They pierced the dragon¡¯s Absolute Defense and shattered even the scales. The pride of the ancient, absolute species was reduced to a shard of ss that projected the mes of his body.


    ¡°...May you rest in peace in hell.¡±


    Biban didn¡¯t allow the sacrifice of his colleague to be in vain. He broke through the path that Ken had opened for him and reached Jessica. She was crying. The endless Echo magic responded to the staff created by Grid and amplified the power again and again. It made some of the low-grade dragons flinch.


    Thanks to Ken buying time, Katz and Kraugel arrived on time. Hurent and Chris also came to help support Biban. It wasn¡¯t just Jessica. Betty was rescued as well.


    Chris had a dark look on his face.


    Death. He overlooked the reality of it and couldn¡¯t help cursing himself for being greedy a few minutes ago.


    Ken¡¯s final kick raised the chin of the dragon chasing after the group.


    After that, it was quiet. It was a silence brought about by a silent death.


    ***


    ¡°It is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Biban¡¯s group returned with miserable faces. To their surprise, it was Ken who greeted them. Hey with his head on thep of Saintess Ruby. He was covered with so many wounds that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died immediately, but the wounds were steadily recovering.


    Faker stood by him.


    The group understood the situation and sighed with relief or cheered.


    In particr, Biban and the other tower members couldn¡¯t hide their emotions. Biban even hugged Faker tightly.


    ¡°...Hurry and go.¡± Faker couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He hid in a shadow and urged them. He was a shy person.


    Bibanughed and headed back to the battlefield. The Overgeared Guild was supporting him. Thanks to Jessica and Betty, who were deployed on the deck of the Tomb of the Gods, the long-range support firepower increased dramatically.


    Biban and the Overgeared members were able to break through the camp built by the dragons more quickly. Of course, there was a price paid for it. More than half of the members of the Overgeared Guild were forced to log out after two deaths.


    Being trampled on by a giant foot, being beaten by a tail, being burnt to ashes by Breaths and magic, being crushed by falling rocks, etc. There were many different ways to die.


    The screams continued endlessly and the columns of ash continued to rise. Nevertheless, there was far less damage than initially expected.


    After a three hour struggle, the group was able to rescue everyone safely. It was a miracle created by Ken¡¯s decision to burn his life force.


    Humans were strong¡ªCranbel¡¯s Dragon Words gained traction and became more powerful.

 Chapter 1913

    Chapter 1913


    ¡°I never thought I would crave learning.¡±


    Armor that was ripped as if it had been scratched by the ws of a giant beast¡ªthe red-haired man curiously examined the loot made of his own scales. Then he threw it away andughed. He was such a handsome man that his fierce appearance wasn¡¯t a w.


    The me in his right hand turned into a sword.


    It was a form made from arge number of scales joined together and had a pointed tip. It looked like the miniature version of a dragon¡¯s tail.


    Fire Dragon Trauka¡ªevery time he let out a Breath, the giant dragon turned the entire area into a sea of fire. Now he imitated a swordsman in human form.


    It was due to the barrier of sword energy that covered the entire sky. Hundreds of millions of sword energy that were shimmering white. Each one contained the dragon killing energy.


    ¡°......¡±


    The man standing on the other side of the barrier was silent.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªhis wless demeanor that looked like a noble aristocrat was now a mess. His hair and shoulders were hanging down and ck dirt covered his white shirt. There were traces of dry blood.


    ¡°You are bothering me until the end.¡±


    There was no mockery in Trauka¡¯sining attitude. The human in front of him dared to hunt dragons and gain the dignity of an Absolute. He was worthy of respect.


    Trauka realized it after fighting today. The hatred he had for the Dragon yer over the past thousand years had faded.


    However, it was right to kill him. It was the duty of the defender of providence.


    The giant golden dragon, who had been watching the situation, opened his mouth, [I will head to the east first.]


    Gourmet Dragon Raiders¡ªone of the Old Dragons bore a distinct scar.


    His self-defense, which boasted the power of Absolute Defense, fluttered precariously like it would disappear immediately. The scales that had fallen off from various parts of his body couldn¡¯t be easily regenerated.


    ¡°Yes, I will finish off this ce and join you.¡± Trauka nodded. At the same time, Raiders left the scene. He headed for the East Continent rather than pursuing the remnants of the tower. It was because there was a request for assistance from Nevartan. He seemed to be struggling with the Martial God.


    ¡°...You should¡¯ve just lived ording to providence. The greed of the foolish Goddess made many people, including you, wander.¡±


    Trauka peered into Hayate¡¯s blue eyes. They were eyes that were losing their light. This great human was dying in real time. The barrier of sword energy blocking Trauka¡¯s advance was like ast will and testament. He couldn¡¯t pass through it...


    It contained a strong will to protect the tower members.


    ¡°It is a pity.¡±


    The human beings of this world weren¡¯t supposed to be great. It was because the fate given to them was to be the entertainment of beings who descended from a higher dimension. But was it a mortal instinct?


    Humans had a tendency to ovee their limitations. Maybe it was a tenacity born of ignorance, but... in any case, such great beings often bloomed. It was to the extent of forcing learning on the Old Dragons who were perfect from birth.


    Trauka pulled at the hilt of the sword. His goal was to destroy the barrier created by the sword energy of the Dragon yer. He would definitely cut off Hayate¡¯s lifeline on the other side of the barrier...


    The hundreds of millions of sword energies filling the sky fluctuated in unison and a sharp sound followed. The principles and structure of the dragon killing energy.


    Trauka had insight into it from the start. He just found it difficult to destroy with a dragon¡¯s innate magic power and strength. Therefore, he took a human form. Not only did he change his appearance, but he also sealed his strength and magic power. He took on ¡®human swordsmanship.¡¯


    This was the result. The sky, which had been encroached upon by the dragon killing energy and dyed a pure white, vibrated and regained its blueness. It was the aftermath of Trauka wielding swordsmanship made from referencing Hayate¡¯s swordsmanship and precisely shing the point that was the nucleus of the sword energy barrier.


    The hundreds of millions of white des vanished in a fleeting manner.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be reincarnated.¡±


    Trauka approached Hayate¡¯s side and said a goodbye that was like a curse. There was no hesitation in his sword that stretched out. It quickly aimed to pierce the throat of the noble human being who was always upright despite the storms of a thousand years.


    At this moment, two swords flew in, crossed over each other and intercepted Trauka¡¯s sword. They were the swords of Zik and Mir, Grid¡¯s apostles. The wings borrowed from Sariel were pping on their backs.


    ¡°Hurry up and leave here with Hayate.¡± Zik and Mir urged Sariel. Their swords were still crossed. They grabbed Trauka¡¯s sword like a pair of scissors.


    It happened the moment Sariel nodded and supported Hayate...


    ¡°Thank you foring here on your own.¡± Traukaughed and activated the magic and energy that had been sealed for a while.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Zik and Mir¡¯s bodies were swept away by a powerful explosion and flew back helplessly. Sariel had been on the verge ofpleting the Teleport magic. Now she also spun dozens of times in the air while holding Hayate.


    ¡°me your master for being possessed by the Goddess.¡±


    The sun seemed to get closer behind Trauka¡¯s back as he raised his sword high. It was an optical illusion created by the atmosphere that was shimmering due to the heat. It couldn¡¯t be resisted.


    Grid¡¯s apostles sensed this in the midst of the pain of their skin melting. They realized the greatness of an Old Dragon and moved desperately. They put all their energy into protecting Hayate at all costs.


    Mir spread out a sword curtain containing the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts. Additionally, Zik¡¯s runes that contained the divinity of King Sobyeol and the halos of light and divine magic released by Sariel worked solely to protect Hayate.


    Their deaths were a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, there was no guarantee that Hayate could be protected.


    The sword wielded by Trauka poured out a torrent of mes. It destroyed all the defenses of the apostles and reached Hayate.


    In this desperate situation, me columns that were 50 meters in diameter suddenly soared up. It swallowed up Trauka¡¯s torrent of mes that spread out in the shape of a fan and expanded its own territory until it finally hit Trauka.


    The apostles survived thanks to this. Then a dragon appeared in front of them. It was obviously smallpared to Trauka, but it was twice as bigpared to a normal dragon. The scales were red.


    Trauka¡¯s head tilted at an angle. ¡°Are you Ifrit¡¯s child...?¡±


    [I will get revenge for my mother.] The unidentified red dragon didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of having a conversation. She activated Mass Teleport to transfer Hayate and the apostles. Then she charged at Trauka.


    Trauka stepped in the air and jumped. He grabbed the dragon¡¯s horn, circled around,nded on her forehead and sighed. ¡°Foolish child. What is the point of obsessing over what happened in the Age of Oblivion? If you have to me someone to get rid of your resentment, me the goddess who sealed the refraction dragon and reduced us to mere beasts.¡±


    [It is disgusting to see you shift me to others when you have devoured so much of your kin...!]


    Navaldrea¡ªFire Dragon Ifrit¡¯s daughter. Like most red dragons, she spent her whole life in hiding so she didn¡¯t even receive a title. Even so, she fully demonstrated the power of a direct descendant of Fire Dragon Trauka. Even after being caught by the horn, she definitely shook off Trauka.


    ¡°...Is that so?¡± Trauka was pushed far away and was convinced. ¡°You are nothing but a residual fire.¡±


    Trauka¡¯s ferocity wasn¡¯t caused by the Goddess¡¯ curse. All she had done was seal some of the Refractive Dragon¡¯s power. The dragons¡¯ behavior during the Age of Oblivion was simply a desire for survival, or their natures. Then now¡ª


    ¡°A worm gave birth to a worm.¡± Trauka revealed part of his original nature. The part of the terrible nature that forced other dragons to fight for survival was naturally terrible. ¡°It is better for you to be part of me.¡±


    Night hade.


    Trauka released the Polymorph. His wings created a shadow so huge that it covered Navaldrea¡¯s whole body. Dozens of columns rising from all directions crossed one after another. Navaldrea was isted in the center.


    The whole continent heated up.


    ***


    ¡°......!¡±


    A faint scream awakened Hayate¡¯s consciousness. Arge number of people were gathered around him. They were the tower members, apostles, and members of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Ahh! I¡¯m d you¡¯re awake!¡±


    It was a little while ago.


    The Tomb of the Gods rescued all of the tower members andunched a full-scale offensive.


    Due to the members of the Overgeared Guild and tower membersunching all types of attacks from the moving Overgeared World, the dragons¡¯ front line faltered for a moment. It was only a moment, but Cranbel didn¡¯t miss this small opportunity.


    He unleashed his power while the enemies were distracted and transferred the Tomb of the Gods from the air to the ground. ording to Euphemina, it was a ridiculous power. It was safe to say that the Tomb of the Gods was transferred, in other words, the dimension was transferred.


    In any case, thanks to this, the group escaped unharmed and joined Hayate. The weather was very hot but their expression was bound to be bright.


    ¡°...There is someone who needs to be saved.¡±


    On the other hand, Hayate¡¯s face was stiff. The moment he opened his eyes, he got up and searched for a sword.


    Ruby and Sariel were stunned.


    ¡°Your wounds haven¡¯t healed yet!¡±


    ¡°You must rest.¡±


    Hayate was badly hurt. It wasn¡¯t exaggerating at all to say that he had been on the verge of death just a moment ago. It was impossible for Ruby, who had consumed her divine power throughout the war, to fully restore him.


    His mana and sword energy were also nearly depleted.


    After seeing that there were no signs of recovery even after pouring the mana potions, it was clear that he had used up his Origin True Energy like Ken. The blond hair that was close to almost white was evidence of this.


    Above all, there was no armor. The dragon armor that resembled Grid¡¯s armor¡ªthe battle with the Old Dragons was so fierce that it seemed to have been destroyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but there is no time to waste.¡± Hayate¡¯s hand holding the sword blurred for a moment.


    ¡°...Uh?¡± The tower members and members of the Overgeared Guild rubbed their eyes.


    Pure white sword energy spread in front of them and then divided into thousands of pieces. The bars made from the energy of a Dragon yer imprisoned hundreds of people.


    Hayate had already disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Biban¡¯s sharp eyes widened and he raised his power to smash the cage.


    ***


    [U... Ughh....]


    Navaldrea¡¯s thick waist, which wasparable to the circumference of a great mountain, was half cut. Red magic power and intestines gushed out likeva. Her tail, which had always been touching the ground due to her habit of hiding for over a thousand years, hung down more than usual.


    Navaldrea¡¯s consciousness gradually faded.


    ¡®Mother...¡¯


    She was looking for a chance for revenge and was lucky enough to witness the battle between the Dragon yer and Trauka. She closely watched the process of Trauka being physically drained and was convinced that she would never have a second chance at revenge unless it was this moment.


    The result was a failure.


    Her mes were swallowed up by Trauka¡¯s mes. Every time her ws scratched at Trauka¡¯s scales, Trauka¡¯s ws repeatedly dug into her body. It was an overwhelming gap.


    Residual fire...


    She thought it was a fitting name for her trivial self.


    [Just tell me one thing. Why did you let the Dragon yer live?]


    Trauka growled as he clutched at Navaldrea¡¯s neck. It was a fierce cry like a beast that had devoured the heart of his kin.


    Navaldrea released weak embers on the face of Trauka, which was right in front of him, and grinned. [You... Fucking bastard...]


    [That is lowly.] Trauka frowned and tightened his grip. He nned to decapitate this rude rtive, kill her, and take the heart. It was while thinking that this was quite a windfall...


    [...Um?]


    Trauka quickly let go of Navaldrea¡¯s neck. Then a pure white light made of sword energy passed by right in front of his hand. It was the energy of a Dragon yer. If he had been even a bit slower, then it would¡¯ve cut his wrist.


    Navaldrea was in a state where she had many wounds, but she resembled her mother so he was vignt.


    [You are back on your feet?]


    Traukaughed and shifted his gaze to the side. There was really someone there.


    A man with bright, blond hair¡ªperhaps it was out of a strangepulsion, but the shirt that had been crumpled earlier was stiff as if it had been ironed.


    [Why are you here?] Navaldrea sighed. She looked several times more surprised than Trauka.


    Why did the ¡®hope¡¯ that she managed to savee back to die on his own? She couldn¡¯t understand the situation in front of her. The only emotion that the unexpected development gave her was despair.


    The man read her inner thoughts clearly and opened his mouth, ¡°It is because the hope you have to believe in isn¡¯t me, but yourself.¡±


    A few words revealed a noble dignity and character.


    Dragon yer Hayate said goodbye in an upright and firm voice. ¡°Please stay alive and find your mother¡¯s benefactor.¡±


    The sky turned white due to the hundreds of sword energies that rose like starlight. It was a space of dragon ying that isted Hayate and Trauka.

 Chapter 1914

    Chapter 1914


    A chilly white sword energy flowed through the small space. It was a structure that prevented the dragon from spreading his wings.


    [You are ephemeral. It is a pity that you are so obsessed with trivial things.]


    Trauka and Hayate were at the same eye level. Trauka, who polymorphed into a human being, even sealed away his innate energy and magic power. That alone made the dragon killing space lose its value.


    ¡°Did you not consider our counterattack? The dragons, who regained their duty, will gradually be organized and efficient. We won¡¯t hesitate to invade human nations and cities if necessary. The half-draconians and other creatures will add strength to our efforts.¡±


    A burn-like wound spread across Trauka¡¯s hand as he stroked the white sword energy. That was it. Hayate¡¯s dragon killing energy became even weaker. It was because in the previous battle, he resisted Raiders¡¯ ¡®rewind¡¯ ability while expanding his mental world and consuming Origin True Energy to pierce Trauka¡¯s heart.


    The present Hayate was far from a perfect state. It was much more than Trauka, who had suffered a series of battles and received considerable wounds.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve prepared for a great war, rather than sacrificing yourself to save a few people and one dragon.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t wrong. Hayate was a strategic weapon. As long as he existed, most dragons wouldn¡¯t be able to act rashly. However, he insisted on taking the lead against the unbeatable Old Dragons. He became worthless. In a word, it was a dog¡¯s death.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you are stupid. I will use your death as the starting point to establish the right order.¡± Trauka shed at the sword energy.


    Hayate rushed in like he had been waiting. He swung his sword and plunged the Dragon Killing Sword into Trauka¡¯s exposed chest.


    ¡°Do you think you can beat me in that condition?¡±


    ¡°That is a stupid question.¡±


    Trauka snorted and mmed his sword down. He didn¡¯t even care about the sword stuck in his chest. He might¡¯ve sealed his magic power to resist the Dragon Killing Sword, but his endurance and resilience were intact.


    Hayate¡¯s sword failed to cut through Trauka¡¯s muscles and ultimately failed to reach his heart.


    Evasion, counterattacks, and collisions were linked without any time difference. The attacks of the Absolutes who secured a distance had basis and confidence thanks to their insight. It was done immediately and all the swords produced the desired results. Strategies were meaningless.


    Hayate¡¯s body flew like a cannonball.


    Trauka¡¯s stab contained the power of a meteorite. If Hayate hadn¡¯t twisted the sword to defend himself, his chest would¡¯ve been pierced and he would¡¯ve died immediately. Hayate crashed into the sword energy barrier and crashed down. Trauka was chasing after Hayate when a gust of wind blew at Trauka¡¯s feet. It was the aftermath of the dragon killing energy created by Hayate¡¯s defensive sword.


    A foot pierced through the storm and trampled on the afterimage left by Hayate. Hayate rolled over and stabbed Trauka in the waist with the sword held in reverse. It was the feeling of stabbing metal, not flesh.


    Hayate corrected the sword that stopped while digging into Trauka¡¯s waist and rotated it once. Then the sword managed to dig a bit deeper and touched Trauka¡¯s pelvis. It was very hard. It was to the point where the sharp edge of the Dragon Killing Sword, made by Grid, disppeared to a certain extent.


    Then Hayate¡¯s face exploded. It was the aftermath of being hit by Trauka¡¯s knee. To be exact, it only grazed past his ear but the wavelength created was like an explosion. Hayate¡¯s face was red as his life was saved by just three centimeters. Blood sttered from his ripped ears that were swept away by the wind pressure and sshed on his face.


    After that, hundreds of attacks and defensive moves were exchanged repeatedly. Every time Hayate¡¯s sword blurred, three or four light wounds appeared on Trauka¡¯s body. Hayate was clearly superior in swordsmanship.


    In the end, Trauka¡¯s whole body was covered in blood and it wouldn¡¯t seem strange for him to die soon. However, he moved smoothly without letting out a single groan. The wounds shedding blood were healing in real time.


    On the contrary, Hayate¡¯s body became heavier and heavier despite having few wounds. The tip of Trauka¡¯s sword grazed Hayate¡¯s neck before blooming like a flower.


    Trauka changed the shape of his weapon on the fly. A hideous hook was stuck in Hayate¡¯s neck. It tore through arteries and muscles and clung to his neck bone.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Hayate couldn¡¯t get rid of the hook. The moment this came out of his neck, his whole neck bone would be ripped out and he would die. He desperately followed Trauka and swung his sword. Trauka¡¯s sword bloomed like a flower and struck again and again until the tip was broken.


    At this point, all of Hayate¡¯s ribs were broken. It was impossible for him to handle the power of Trauka¡¯s fist at close range without the dragon armor.


    ¡°Ephemeral things are always persistent. But what does it mean?¡±


    In the end, Trauka grew tired of the sight of Hayate breaking his sword and trying to survive. He clicked his tongue while pointing to the sword energy around him that was fading.


    The shing white sword energy¡ªthe energy of a Dragon yer contained in it was as precarious as a candle on the verge of extinguishing. It also meant Hayate¡¯s remaining vitality. Soon, the only Dragon yer in history would die.


    ¡°You said to me... I am... obsessed with trivial things¡­¡± Hayate opened his mouth while clutching the hook stuck in his neck bone.


    His pronunciation was inurate due to the blood that filled his lungs and throat. Hayate felt that his internal organs and his spine were severely damaged. Since all his ribs were broken, his upper body bent over and swayed like a marite whose strings had fallen. Nevertheless, his blue eyes didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t trivial... My mission is...¡±


    Today, Hayate realized time and time again that the Old Dragons were truly monsters with infinite power. It was very hopeless. Therefore, he reflected on his role even more. It was a role he could reflect on thanks to meeting Grid and letting go of his fears.


    Dragon yer¡ªhe waspleted in order to destroy a dragon.


    ¡°You...?¡± Trauka noticed that Hayate hadpletely gray hair and reflexively stabbed him.


    A hole pierced the bright red shirt. Thepletely out of focus eyes captured the de piercing his chest.


    The only Absolute among human beings¡ªhe was supposed to be an example to all so his body was always straight and upright. Now he tilted over terribly.


    Flinch!


    However, a chill went down Trauka¡¯s spine. The sword held in Hayate¡¯spletely copsed hand¡ªit was because it touched his heart. It was a sword attack with a terrible power that stopped without being able to cut his skin. Even so, Trauka somehow got goosebumps.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Trauka¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he frowned.


    Just then, blood gushed out of his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Hundreds of wounds were carved on his body. Therge and small wounds, which had been mostly healed except for a few, were moving unevenly. It was the aftermath of Hayate¡¯s sword that injected the energy of a Dragon yer into Trauka¡¯s body.


    It was thinner than a hair. It was an extremely small, secret weapon made on the assumption that an Old Dragon, which was infinitelyrge and difficult to fight against, was the enemy. It made the huge body irrelevant.


    It pierced the target¡¯s body and flowed through the blood vessels. In the process, it tore open all the wounds inflicted on the target and finally touched the Dragon Heart.


    ¡°Gasp...!¡±


    Trauka felt a sharp de piercing his chest. Cracks quickly urred. The sealed dragon energy and magic power started to leak out.


    ¡°...Kuaaaaak!¡± In the end, Trauka couldn¡¯t stand it and screamed. The pain of turning the magic power, which started to flow through his whole body due to the forcibly loosened seal, being turned into dragon killing killing energy was so unbearable that even an Old Dragon who had lived for eons couldn¡¯t bear it.


    ¡°You...! How dare this ephemeral bastard...!!¡±


    Trauka went on a rampage. He struggled to immediately get rid of the source of this terrible pain.


    ¡°I will burn your soul!!!¡±


    Hayate was unable to escape the hand that Trauka swung randomly. He was already immobilized, so he was helplessly grabbed by the neck.


    The light in Hayate¡¯s eyes waspletely gone. It was hard to say that he was still alive. In fact, it was like hitting a corpse.


    Trauka¡¯s anger became even stronger as he was filled with shame.


    ¡°This bastard!¡±


    It happened as Trauka was about to break Hayate¡¯s neck... The space of the dragon killing energy, which had beenpletely shaking for some time, disappeared without a trace. At the same time, two men emerged from the shadow beneath Hayate¡¯s feet like they had been waiting.


    One was Faker, who activated the shadow technique.


    ¡°Yooooou!¡±


    The other person was Sword God Biban. His expression was distorted more terribly than Trauka, who was roaring and shedding bloody tears. He stabbed Trauka in the chest with the Broken Sword and expanded the size of the sword.


    ¡°Ku... ock!!¡±


    Thendscape around Trauka quickly changed.


    After passing through dozens of mountains and rivers, as well as several wilderness and seas, he finally crashed into a desert. The whole desert shook and a huge sandstorm raged. Trauka realized that the situation wasn¡¯t positive. He regained his form and raised his head above the storm.


    Biban could be seen flying toward him.


    [You¡¯ve lost your fear!]


    The blood-soaked Breath and the tear-soaked sword intersected. The endless chain of shock waves caused desert sand to soar into the sky. In the end, sharp cliffs were formed throughout various parts of the desert andva seethed below them.


    The yellow sand that stained the sky yellow gradually turned red. It was too red to be interpreted as being heated by Trauka¡¯s fire. It was too much to interpret it as being wet with the blood that Biban spilled. Each grain of sand too numerous to count was emitting a red glow.


    ¡°Who dares to disturb my child¡¯s rest?¡± A chilly voice was heard in the burning desert.


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker¡¯s expression was stiff.


    Hayate¡¯s body in his arms was strangely light even though it was limp. It was as light as a child. It was as if all the blood and intestines had drained from his body.


    ¡°...Shit.¡±


    Faker shook his head to shake off this eerie delusion and returned to the Tomb of the Gods. The gray ash left a trail. They were particles oozing out of Hayate¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hayate!¡±


    The situation didn¡¯t change even after arriving at the Tomb of the Gods. Hayate was disappearing. All types of potions and healing spells had no effect. It was because he had already been dered dead.


    He had be an Absolute with a human body. Therefore, he was noble, but weak. He was different from the Old Dragons, who were endowed with a tenacious vitality. He was different from Marie Rose, who took the life force of others. He was also different from the gods, who were eternal unless they were forgotten.


    He wasn¡¯t as evil or selfish as Baal, who reigned with fear and secured infinite lives. This was the reason why¡ª


    [The Goddess of Light, Reba, is descending.]


    He was loved by the Goddess.


    A holy being who cared for the poor¡ªthe divinity that came from the golden sky blessed Hayate. It was despite the risk to herself.


    [The guardian of the world is appearing.]


    There was a roar that shook the earth and the image of the Goddess in the sky tilted. The blood she shed made people witness the transparent scales of the Refractive Dragon.


    Soon, the two beings left.


    [The world has ovee the crisis of destruction.]


    The world message emerged.

 Chapter 1915

    Chapter 1915


    [The world has ovee the crisis of destruction.]


    For a moment, the members of the Overgeared Guild didn''t understand the content of the world message.


    It was a little while ago. The holy being, who appeared to bathe the world with light, blessed Hayate. She helped the hero¡¯s stopped heart beat again.


    However, the system misled the public the moment she left. It was as if she had brought danger to the world. It took them a moment to realize that it was an obvious distortion. It was to the point where they almost felt empathy for Baal.


    ¡°The power of the system is greater than I thought. It is unlikely that Grid¡¯s epics will work to his advantage in the future.¡±


    So far, Grid¡¯s epics had mostly worked in his favor. In retrospect, this was only possible due to the system¡¯s favor toward Grid. The epic itself was a system that used the world messages. Conversely, the system could weaken the epics.


    ¡°Grid must¡¯ve expected it as well,¡± Katz casually said in the midst of the solemn atmosphere. He had witnessed Grid killing the 2nd Great Demon with one blow. Grid was Grid, even without the help of the epics.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about Grid. We should devise a way to go forward.¡±


    Katz made a self-deprecating remark.


    There was no Grid today. Despite the cooperation of thousands of people, the members of the Overgeared Guild were unable to eliminate even one low-grade dragon. They had aplished the goal of saving the tower members, but only with the help of Cranbel.


    They were powerless.


    In the end, no one could refute Katz, who was gritting his teeth.


    Hunting dragons? So far, no one had done it except for Hayate.


    It went without saying that they couldn¡¯t hunt dragons. They knew it was obvious but they were resentful. They were armed with dragon weapons and armor. It was like carrying the goodwill and faith of Grid on their shoulders. They might be just a speck of dust alone, but if they all worked together, it was right to live up to his belief to a certain extent.


    However, they couldn¡¯t do so.


    ¡°There is no soul.¡± Someone¡¯s voice rang out at the scene where all types of emotions were intersecting. There were many people who felt it was unfamiliar. It was because it was Knight who opened his mouth.


    He was directly recruited by Lauel as an inspector. It hadn¡¯t been long since he joined the Overgeared Guild. Due to the role he yed, he had little interaction with the members.


    ¡°This person... he might never be able to open his eyes in this state.¡±


    Knight, who was sitting beside Hayate, spoke like a doctor diagnosing the patient. Nobody could criticize his attitude.


    Knight was the owner of a hidden ss called the Death God. He had the ability to carve curses on the subject¡¯s soul and consume a special resource called ¡®soul gauge.¡¯ It meant he could identify the soul.


    ¡°It seems that the soul left his body when he died. I think he is probably wandering in hell by now.¡±


    ¡°I will call the hell branch right away to search for his soul.¡±


    Yura pulled out a crystal ball. It was an item that couldmunicate with the red demon in hell.


    Knight reacted with skepticism. ¡°The number of souls living in hell must be in the tens of billions. I wonder if it will be easy to find him. In particr, the appearance of the soul body is different from the actual appearance. It is hard to recognize them because most of them looked like how they looked when they were the happiest or experienced great trauma.¡±


    ¡°Then we should just wait for Hayate toe back on his own?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? He must think he is dead... he might believe there is no physical body to return to. His memories won¡¯t be intact and the chances of himing back on his own are low.¡±


    In the end, it meant one thing.


    ¡°I guess I will have to pick him up myself.¡±


    Knight would go and bring Hayate back.


    No one doubted him. After bing an inspector, he thoroughly searched and punished nobles in various ces who were corrupted. He had a very good reputation as a person who was faithful to his role. In the first ce, he was a reliable talent, which was why Lauel personally recruited him.


    ¡°Tell me whatever you need,¡± Lauel promised his full support to Knight. No matter whether it was items or a person, Lauel promised Knight that he would get anything he needed.


    Knight scratched his head. ¡°There is one person who could be of great help, but...¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°...It is Seuron.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lauel¡¯s face stiffened while the expressions of the Overgeared members turned rotten.


    Soul Predator Seuron¡ªhe was one of the Overgeared Guild¡¯s tenacious enemies. He was less likely to ept their request for help. Even if he offered his help, it was hard to trust him. It would be a good thing if he didn¡¯t hit them in the back of the head.


    ¡°It must be hard, right? Then please send as many soldiers in support as possible. It will take a long time, but we can push through with numbers.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Katz interrupted Knight, who was still scratching his head. ¡°I will make Seuron our partner.¡±


    It was an affirmation that was more confident than necessary.


    The members of the Overgeared Guild were at a loss.


    ¡°That... Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°It is easy.¡± A smile spread across Katz¡¯ face. It was a wicked smile that reminded them of his early days as a viin. ¡°I can make his wishe true.¡±


    ***


    Knight really got in touch with Seuron and left for hell.


    The expressions on the faces of the tower members and the members of the Overgeared Guild became lighter. It was thanks to this that they could now look forward to Hayate¡¯s resurrection.


    Once things calmed down a bit, Faker spoke up, ¡°Trauka is in the desert of Reidan.¡±


    Faker was reticent. He only spoke when necessary. Yet even with his low voice, he caught everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°He was so seriously injured that even an Old Dragon can¡¯t recover easily. It seems that the ¡®red dragon¡¯ the apostles spoke of yed a great role along with Hayate.¡±


    Faker¡¯s gaze studied Hayate for a moment. He could vividly remember Hayate¡¯s cold body. There was fierce anger and killing intent into his eyes.


    ¡°It is a chance to kill an Old Dragon.¡±


    There was no need for further exnation.


    Lauel was keeping a close eye on the situation.


    An Old Dragon wounded after a series of battles¡ªthe bastard who fought without a break was now facing Sword God Biban in the desert. Coincidentally, it was Marie Rose¡¯s stronghold. He was reluctant to drag the queen, who was pregnant, into the fight, but the oue was positive.


    If two Absolutes cooperated, it would be too much for a wounded Old Dragon to handle. In the first ce, an Absolute wasn¡¯t invincible. Hayate, who was lying here now, was the proof. It was a golden opportunity. If they missed this opportunity, they might never have a chance to kill Trauka.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to deploy the entire army. Sariel, please contact the apostles who are off on business and let them know our destination.¡±


    Today, most of the members of the Overgeared Guild suffered two deaths and were forced to log out. However, there were more than 100 survivors. Each and every one of them was the best. The Tomb of the Gods of the Gods carried these elite members, the tower members, and the apostles set sail.


    ***


    Thend was steeped in history.


    The history that had umted even before the birth of humanity was far beyond the scope of an individual¡¯s knowledge and imagination. The same was true of the desert of Reidan. From when it wasn¡¯t a desert until now, countless creatures were born here and faced amon ending of death.


    Now, the purest lineage in the world manifested the history contained in every grain of desert sand. The yellow dust that filled the sky seemed to turn red and pour out.


    [Kuock...?!]


    The blood pouring down extinguished the surrounding mes and pounded on Trauka¡¯s scales. The destructive power was considerable. His internal organs were damaged due to allowing Hayate thatst blow and now he felt that they were twisting.


    Biban¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t much different. He almost copsed.


    ¡°If you deliberately dragged me into the fight¡ª¡±


    A chill went down Biban¡¯s spine as he gritted his teeth.


    ¡°I will judge you as a bad guy and not my dear husband¡¯s friend.¡±


    The dignity of a queen¡ªthe noble voice gave off a tremendous sense of coercion. Biban realized the identity of the person who came to his side and told only the truth.


    ¡°I swear on my sword, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    Trauka crashing into the desert of Reidan was purely coincidental. Perhaps Trauka himself didn¡¯t mean it. There was no way he didn¡¯t know what was underground here.


    ¡°It is the truth.¡±


    A woman moved forward while carefully caressing her slender belly. She was one of the few Absolutes on the surface. From the moment of her birth, she reigned as the pinnacle of the vampires. In the end, she devoured her original, the progenitor, Beriache, in reverse. It was none other than Marie Rose.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure that a great amount of Beriache¡¯s was lost, but she is still strong to this extent?¡¯


    The power of the progenitor that was absorbed by Marie Rose wasn¡¯t permanent. The power in the blood would¡¯ve melted into Marie Rose¡¯s blood and be one, but the magic power would have also been repeatedly dispersed with her breath.


    Nevertheless, Biban shuddered. It was the same Absolute, but a different feeling...


    Marie Rose had a mighty aura that was close to that of an Old Dragon.


    Trauka also noticed it. He automatically thought that he had encountered an enemy that was too much to handle in his current state. He didn¡¯t feel any pride or shame.


    [Ruler of the vampires. I had no intention of disturbing your rest. I will withdraw.]


    ¡°This guy...¡± Biban frowned out of surprise at Trauka¡¯s unexpected words. It would be embarrassing in many ways if Marie Rose left now.


    ¡°You do this every time I see you.¡±


    Step, step.


    Contrary to Biban¡¯s concerns, Marie Rose¡¯s pace didn¡¯t stop. Every time her small footprints were carved into the desert, the mes around her subsided, forming a pool of blood redder than mes.


    ¡°If you are going to apologize and run away every time, why go on a rampage?¡±


    [......?]


    Trauka doubted his ears.


    Marie Rose¡¯s tone and the context of her words were shocking to him. ¡°If you are going to do that, don¡¯t sin in the first ce.¡±


    [Your words and actions are quite offensive.]


    He was trying to speak politely due to the circumstances. The meaning of Trauka¡¯s words was clear.


    Don¡¯t you dare talk like that to the great Fire Dragon Trauka.


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t even blink.


    ¡°I am the same.¡±


    The ruler of the vampires¡ªTrauka used this title to be polite. If he called this monster who devoured her mother by ¡®Beriache¡¯s daughter,¡¯ she would scratch at him. He was too short-sighted. He should¡¯ve called Marie Rose by ¡®Grid¡¯s wife.¡¯


    ¡°I would rather die than live miserably every time.¡±


    The pools of blood created throughout the desert overflowed intokes, rivers, and oceans. The terrible bloody aroma made Biban feel dizzy.


    [It is the state of drawing out the blood that has prated deep into the ground...]


    Trauka grasped Marie Rose¡¯s level and made a decision.


    [...I can¡¯t let you live.]


    Duguen!


    At this moment, creatures all over the continent felt the pulse of the stars.


    The biggest and most ferocious dragon¡ªit was the aftermath of Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s heart thumping. The sound of his heart beating spread across the continent and people mistook it for the sound of the stars.


    [Today, you will turn to ashes from my Breath.]


    The Dragon Words were engraved in the space.


    A sea of blood started to boil up.

 Chapter 1916

    Chapter 1916


    The East Continent, in front of a dimensional gap.


    Nevartan was confronting Martial God Chiyou but he didn¡¯t feel any anxiety or nervousness. It was because he was an Old Dragon. Raiders was by his side and Trauka was about to arrive. This was a power capable of eliminating Chiyou without any variables and confirming the intentions of Hanul who existed beyond the gap.


    Jingle.


    ¡°Today will be myst.¡±


    Chiyou himself was observing his own destiny. The faint sound ofughter permeated the quiet ringing of bells. This crazy Martial God, who blocked the way, was dreaming of simple extinction. Now he was obviously happy. He was looking forward to Traukaing here more than anyone else.


    ¡°......?¡±


    [......!]


    It happened at the time when the ufortable silence was deepening...


    The Absolutes silently facing each other simultaneously sensed something strange. They could feel the temperature of the atmosphere rising rapidly. The heat radiated by Trauka affected even the distant East Continent.


    [What?]


    Since the end of the Age of Oblivion, the dragons had realized their duty. They no longer hunted each other. This meant there was no need to take the enormous effort to spread their senses all over the world in case of possible danger. Thus, the Old Dragons couldn¡¯t fathom the circumstances of Trauka. They couldn¡¯t figure out who was driving him into a corner.


    [I guess I need to help first.]


    It happened the moment when Raiders made a quick decision and was about to leave...


    ¡°You will have to kill me if you want to leave.¡±


    Before they knew it, Chiyou approached and blocked Raiders¡¯ path. They might¡¯ve been free toe when they wanted, but not when they left. There was no coercion, but Raiders responded calmly.


    [Let me go. If I manage to bring Trauka back safely, it will increase your chances of extinction.]


    It made sense. From the perspective of Chiyou, who only wanted death, it was ideal to fight three Old Dragons at the same time.


    After all, Trauka had a history of hunting the celestial gods. He was the most proven one among the Old Dragons and had the proven qualifications to be a God Killer. Surprisingly, Chiyou wasn¡¯t persuaded.


    ¡°What if you don¡¯te back?¡± Chiyou blinked and spoke nonsense. At first nce, he seemed innocent. It was an extremely fanatic attitude.


    Nevartan frowned with disgust. [Do you think we will run away because we are afraid of you?]


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m just worried that you might end up in a situation where you can¡¯t return.¡±


    [Do you think we will suffer a loss?]


    ¡°That is impossible. However, there is no guarantee that Trauka will be rescued intact, right? If you ignore me and wait for Trauka to heal, I will have to wait for you again.¡±


    Jingle.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of waiting...¡±


    The Age of Oblivion came about after Reba, the Goddess of Light, sealed away some of the powers of the Refractive Dragon. This gave hellish days to Chiyou. It was because the Goddess used her own authority to establish the rule ¡®the memory seal might be iplete so the dragons must not be stimted.¡¯


    Chiyou was under the taboo and was forced to just watch the mighty Old Dragons. The Old Dragons also instinctively avoided him. The years when they were unable to hunt each other was too long to count. Chiyou didn¡¯t want to go through it again.


    ¡°In conclusion¡ª¡±


    Chiyou pulled out his weapon and held it. It was a weapon shaped like a steel bar. He broke Nevartan¡¯s scales every time he swung it.


    ¡°The two of you should work harder. As long as you don¡¯t let your guard down, don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s weapon was already falling like a thunderbolt. Raiders had fully recovered from the wounds inflicted by Hayate. His scales were tightly woven together, but Chiyou took on the challenge without hesitation.


    ¡°In conclusion, the two of you should work harder. As long as you don¡¯t let your guard down, don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    It was just before Chiyou¡¯s scales collided with the golden scales. Chiyou took a few steps back, put away his weapon, and drew it again. Then he swung it again.


    ¡°In conclusion, the two of you should work harder. As long as you don¡¯t let your guard down, don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    The same thing happened over and over again. Only Chiyou¡¯s time was going backward. Chiyou was trapped in the rewound time and only repeated thest one second endlessly.


    [...It is only one second?]


    Raiders¡¯ eyes widened. Originally, his power was able to turn back the target¡¯s time for up to one day. There were several restrictions, such as the premise that the target had to be alive. But in any case, even the Dragon yer¡¯s time was turned back three minutes despite being their ultimate enemy.


    However, Chiyou¡¯s time was limited to being turned back only one second. It wouldn¡¯t be like this even if the time of another Old Dragon was rewound.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t let your guard down, don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the two of you have a good chance of winning?¡±


    The cycle was also getting shorter and shorter. Before he knew it, Raiders¡¯ power could only turn Chiyou¡¯s time back by 0.3 seconds. The more times he used his power, the more ufortable Raiders¡¯ expression became.


    [Is this monstrous bastard resisting in real time?] Nevartan clicked his tongue and couldn¡¯t stand still any longer.


    In the misaligned time¡ª


    Baaang!


    Chiyou failed to react to Nevartan¡¯s attack. His chest was torn apart by the enormous ws and his waist was struck by the tail that curved like a whip. At the same time, Raiders released his power. He used Blink to change position. Once time was no longer rewound, Chiyou was confronted with an iprehensible situation.


    Not only did his attack miss the target, but he allowed a counterattack and was hurt. It was an attack that he allowed without being aware of it.


    ¡°...Amazing.¡± Chiyou¡¯s bloodthirsty smile deepened. Even in the face of iprehensible harm that the Martial God shouldn¡¯t suffer, he didn¡¯t shrink back or feel wary. He purely rejoiced. ¡°As expected, I need you.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I guess he won¡¯te again today~¡±


    The ck and White sisters had no choice but to admit it. The concept of time was nothing for beings who were born an Absolute. It was only then that the archangel Raphael¡¯s attitude made sense. They had been wasting several months already waiting for their prey, but apart from the first two days, Raphael didn¡¯t feel anxious at all.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s holynd ends at the point we saw yesterday, right? Shall we go sightseeing at the river of reincarnation today?¡±


    ¡°...Won¡¯t ck Knight Eligos recognize you?¡±


    Raphael questioned it, ¡°How can he find out? You¡¯ve witnessed how perfect my disguise is many times, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°But the river of reincarnation is the most central area included in the Overgeared World...¡±


    ¡°Aish, it is fine. There will be no big trouble unless someone reports me.¡±


    The ck and White sisters lost their loved one due to Baal and the demons. They became great demons to get perfect revenge and their revenge battle was currently in progress. Even if Grid killed Baal, a small number of demons, including Rose, were still alive.


    The goal of the sisters was to find and kill them all.


    The celestial gods, who watched the demons go on a rampage, also weren¡¯t free from their wrath. Therefore, the sisters¡¯ immediate task was to properly mess with Raphael.


    Archangel Raphael, who came down to hell for some reason with the purpose of hunting Jishuka¡ªin order to prevent Raphael from achieving their purpose, the sisters were going to watch from the side and interfere at an important moment.


    ¡®I won¡¯t report them... I can¡¯t let a monster like this run wild.¡¯


    Yes, it had to be an important moment for them to step up. An Absolute was someone even a truck full of legends and transcendents couldn¡¯t fight again. They weren¡¯t foolish enough to act rashly against Raphael, who was of the same rank as Baal.


    The sisters said, ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is good that you are quick-witted. That is why you guys are alive.¡±


    The sisters took the lead after appeasing them somewhat. Then Raphael followed them in a leisurely manner. They perceived the sisters as nothing more than a hell tour guide.


    ¡°If Asgard is a paradise for gods, then hell is a paradise for the dead. Every time I see souls ying without care, there is no way to express it other than a paradise, right? At first nce, I can see how Yatan felt when he created this world. I wonder if it was necessary to go to such lengths for the sake of insignificant beings.¡±


    Raphael kept talking like a puppy who wanted to poop.


    The unfamiliar environment of hell seemed to attract the attention of archangels in many ways.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Baal must¡¯ve started to have such questions and opposed Yatan, right? It is a shame that his soul has been destroyed. It would¡¯ve been quite fun to see his resentment as he watched the purified hell. Ah... Are you angry? That¡¯s right. Thinking about it, hell is like this purely because of Grid. Grid must be your enemy as well.¡±


    The flow was simr every day.


    The ck and White sisters explored every corner of hell with Raphael. They roughly responded to Raphael¡¯s chatter with brilliant smiles on their beautiful faces. They consumed a lot of mental energy in order to try not to make mistakes, but the rewards were sweet.


    [The special stat ¡®demonic energy¡¯ has permanently increased by 2.]


    [The special stat ¡®willpower¡¯ has permanently increased by 1.]


    The divinity of the archangel had a subtle effect even when it was thoroughly hidden. It scattered undetectable energy, causing constant damage to the opposite demons. The sisters earned reasonablepensation every time they endured the damage for more than a certain period of time.


    It felt like a growth-type sandbag that grew while being hit. It was unpleasant but the rewards were very sweet. The enhancement of special stats, which was directly rted to their status as demons, allowed them to develop rapidly. Instead, their level stagnated due to fewer opportunities to hunt, but even that was an advantage.


    Their level remained the same but their stats steadily increased? It was like bing stronger while still having room to grow.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    The river of reincarnation¡ªthe souls, who were living a happy life in the peaceful hell, were driven by some instinct and stepped foot in it.


    Raphael had been watching the souls forget their previous lives and prepare for reincarnation. Then they made a strange expression and suddenly tilted their head. They were watching a soul making its way up the river along the river¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that soul very special?¡±


    Raphael took an interest in the soul that was in the shape of a blond-haired young man.


    Was he a prince in his lifetime? His luxurious demeanor and distinctive gaze was very noticeable.


    "Indeed. Was he royalty?¡±


    Raphael criticized the sisters. ¡°Is he special because he was a king? You sound like human beings. How special can the human lineage be?¡±


    The ck and White sisters responded no matter what topic Raphael brought up. It was to please Raphael. This time, they were too short-sighted. They reacted incorrectly and were met with suspicion.


    Raphael red at the tense sisters before soon smiling.


    ¡°Come to think of it, human lineage is important to demons. Ideally, in order for you to operate on the surface, you might be parasites through contracts with humans. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. The more powerful the target, the morefortable it is...¡±


    ¡°As expected. However, the reason I say that this soul is special is due to the power it contains. I don¡¯t want to express it this way since it is a human, but it is almost noble... I¡¯ve never seen anything like him since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The sisters were just puzzled. They couldn¡¯t recognize the power that resided in souls at all. Based on what they could see, the blond-haired young man¡¯s soul was no different from other souls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s chase him.¡±


    Regardless of the sisters¡¯ sentiments, Raphael started to pursue the young man¡¯s soul.


    It was while humming like Raphael was amused.


    At the same time, in front of the hell elevator...


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time. Hurry,¡± Seuron, the Soul Predator who just arrived in hell, urged Knight. The impression Seuron gave off was very different from the past. His sharp fangs, red eyes, and pale skin that seemed to be bleached all indicated that he was no longer human.


    Knight was surprised by the situation. The Soul Predator was famous for being particrly arrogant among the high rankers. He even had a bad rtionship with the Overgeared Guild. So how did Katz convince him?


    The question was solved unexpectedly quickly. Seuron revealed it himself. ¡°I must seed in this mission to form a household...¡±


    For vampires, a household meant a blood family. Having a blood family meant being the founder of a new blood family. The founder¡¯s lineage became more nobler as the number of blood rtives increased and they grew stronger.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Knight remembered Katz¡¯ status within the vampire species. He could be confident that Seuron would never betray him.

 Chapter 1917

    Chapter 1917


    [You are faster than Hayate.]


    The huge eyes that originally contained the universe were on fire¡ªit was ominous because it seemed to imply a fire that would engulf the whole world.


    [You are stronger than Hayate.]


    Trauka was honest in his assessment of Biban and Marie Rose.


    In fact, Biban¡¯s big sword had grown to its limit and was relentlessly breaking Trauka¡¯s red scales. On the other hand, Trauka¡¯s Breath, pouring out in all directions, couldn''t even touch Marie Rose¡¯s hair. It missed time and time again.


    Nevertheless, the flow of the battle wasn¡¯t good.


    Trauka¡¯s front paw, which had bright red skin exposed, finally grabbed hold of Biban¡¯srge sword and prevented him from moving it. The ws were the original source of the dragon weapon. Now the more strength that the ws used, the more the giant sword screamed like it was going to break.


    Marie Rose suffered persistent burns from Trauka¡¯s snorting that exhaled the residual heat of the Breath. She was forced to use the power of vampirism to recover.


    [However, that isn¡¯t enough to rece Hayate.]


    The reason why Trauka was critically wounded by the Dragon Killing Sword was because it was the rule of the world. It was a rule based on none other than thews made by Hayate himself. It was unique and great. It was an extremely unconventional power that made the originally perfect Old Dragons iplete. Moreover, the reason why the ¡®weight¡¯ of Hayate¡¯s sword was lighter than Biban¡¯s sword was because Hayate was controlling the ¡®Infinite Sword Energy.¡¯


    It was an obvious ploy. Looking back now, Hayate was a tenacious and clever hunter. In order to subdue the beasts that were bigger and stronger than himself, he set an invisible trap at every moment. Then he sacrificed himself to tempt the beast to step into the trap.


    The reason why Trauka acknowledged Hayate¡¯s greatness, but hated and cursed him to the end, was because he had repeatedly felt the illusion that he had be a small object when fighting Hayate.


    Meanwhile, it was different against Biban. Biban¡¯s swordsmanship might be sophisticated and powerful, but Trauka didn¡¯t feel uneasy. Trauka could handle swords that were bound by the rules.


    [Also, Hayate had convictions.]


    The history of the desert¡ªthe traces of blood shed by all creatures that had lived on thisnd as they went through countless events and incidents, reacted to Marie Rose¡¯s magic power and surged up. The sight of it eventually forming a sea was overwhelming.


    In fact, the sea of blood was corroding and weakening Trauka¡¯s scales. The intense heat evaporated half the blood, but Trauka felt a great deal of pressure. Still, it was at a bearable level.


    Trauka couldn¡¯t imagine himself falling. It was because Marie Rose wasn¡¯t desperate. Unlike Hayate, who believed that Trauka must be killed and destroyed, she had no intention of risking her life. She was in a position to discuss eternal life, but she acted more insignificant than Hayate, who lived with only one life. In a way, it was a difference in belief.


    [Therefore, you will be reduced to ashes.]


    Trauka took a step forward and the sea of blood, boiling likeva, overflowed uncontrobly.


    Biban was unable to free himself because he was caught by the sword. He ended up covered in blood and suffered terrible burns all over his body.


    Marie Rose actually recovered thanks to it. No matter whether it was hot or cold, as long as it was blood, it was always beneficial to her. Instead, she used the blood that poured in like a tidal wave as a resource to unleash dozens of types of blood magic.


    Trauka didn¡¯t bother to cast protective magic. He simply swung his wings widely and created a storm. The dozens of spells failed to hit Trauka and missed. Each spell had an uracy correction imprinted in it but it was useless. The spells swept away by the storm corrected their trajectory. However, they soon exploded uncontrobly, unable to withstand the air pressure before they could reach Trauka.


    ¡°How ignorant.¡±


    Canceling out magic with physical force¡ªMarie Rose¡¯s position as she shook her head at that sight was abruptly under Trauka¡¯s chin. It was a ce that was difficult to see due to a dragon¡¯s physical structure. Her hands were imbued with blood and sharpened like a sword, cutting at the Adam¡¯s apple.


    Loud sparks urred and Trauka¡¯s scales were severed. The cutting surface was neat. A clear scar was carved on Trauka¡¯s neck where his defense was lost. Of course, the wound wasn¡¯t deep. It was practically impossible to dig into the thick flesh of a dragon and cut through the bones when the power of the blood sword was halved by cutting through the scales. Additionally, the cut scales were regenerating in real time.


    Marie Rose was trying to link another attack before the regeneration waspleted, only to suddenly turn to mist and disperse. At the same time, Trauka¡¯s ws cut through the mist.


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    Trauka¡¯s counterattack missed and Biban released a shout that came from his lower abdomen. He retrieved the sword that had been captured by Trauka and watched a half-moon sword light engraved in the space. It was an arbitrary reduction and expansion of the size of the sword. It even disturbed the senses of an Old Dragon.


    Eventually, an eerie sound rang out. He seeded in cutting at Trauka¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple just before the scales regenerated. Arge amount of blood was scattered in all directions.


    Biban knew that even this was Hayate¡¯s credit. The reason why Trauka¡¯s Absolute Defense didn¡¯t fully work right now was due to the wound that Hayate inflicted on the Dragon Heart.


    ¡®I... If only I had been with you.¡¯


    Blood flowed down Biban¡¯s cheeks and chin as he gritted his teeth. The blood and sweat flowing from his head mixed together like tears. They were tears that projected a decaying heart.


    Biban wanted to go back in time to a few hours ago. He wanted to stand beside Hayate, who stood alone in the way of the Old Dragons. Of course, most of the tower members would¡¯ve ended up killed by Kubartos, but reality was still cold. Biban was keenly realizing that he should¡¯ve preserved Hayate¡¯s power, even if it meant sacrificing himself and all the other tower members.


    He was conscious of the other Old Dragons. Trauka might seem cornered right now, but Biban knew that things would turn around the moment Raiders or Nevartan arrived at the scene. This was why Biban resented himself for not being able to protect Hayate.


    He cursed his self from a few hours ago who had the vain dream of ¡®I will protect everyone.¡¯ He was someone who had been hiding for hundreds of years.


    Today, why did he see the world as easily and beautifully as a fairy tale? Suddenly, Grid came to mind. The benefactor he was grateful to who had given him hope many times before. He made the world as beautiful as a fairy tale. Biban missed him terribly today.


    Suddenly, Biban¡¯s body became a dot. It was the aftermath of blocking Trauka¡¯s tail, which flew through the sea of blood that was split in half. He was pushedpletely out of the battlefield.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Dark red blood was mixed with shattered pieces of his internal organs.


    Biban had no time to deal with the pain and used Shunpo. He went back the way he came. He repeatedly narrowed the distance to the far away battlefield while clearing up hisplicated head and making up his mind.


    ¡®I have to repay the favor.¡¯


    It would be foolish to hold back power in preparation for the Old Dragons that might appear at any time.


    The odds of victory were already gone at the moment the Old Dragons joined. It was right to aim to clean up the situation before that. He burned his life force, whether it was out of a desire to not make Hayate¡¯s sacrifice in vain or to show respect to Grid, who would definitely return soon.


    It should¡¯ve been like this from the beginning.


    Above the battlefield, a dragon with jewel-like red scales continuously breathed out fire.


    The muscles in Biban¡¯s arms started to swell when he saw the desert, which was covered in blood and fire and looked more vicious than the old hell.


    On the other hand, his sword became smaller. However, the expectations and weight multiplied by several times.


    Biban¡¯s mental world was in sync with the dragon weapon that Grid had created. It was a mental world that bestowed the title of ¡®god¡¯ on a single human being and made him an Absolute. The potential contained in it was endless. At the heart of it was the desire to kill a dragon.


    [......!]


    Trauka¡¯s eyes widened. He had beenughing at the ugliness of Marie Rose, who missed the opportunity to stab the Dragon Heart in order to avoid the Breath.


    Then he felt Hayate¡¯s presence.


    Hayate definitely died?


    Trauka quickly raised his head to check the identity of the presence and Biban¡¯s image was engraved in Trauka¡¯s burning eyes.


    An eerie aura that glowed an incandescent white¡ªBiban had the distinct energy of a Dragon yer wrapped around his body and he was falling like aet. He had a desire to kill Trauka without fail. It was as if he was trying to rece Hayate, who had died.


    He couldn¡¯t understand his target. It was to the point where Trauka was disgusted.


    Suddenly, thendscape of the battlefield changed. The mes that had burned the entire desert and lit up the night were extinguished in an instant. The desert became cold when night was restored. The sea of blood cooled down.


    After a split second of silence, the sun soon rose. It was an artificial sun that rose from the mouth of Trauka as he raised his long neck upright. It was the precursor to the Breath that was created by absorbing not only his magic power, but also all the heat around him.


    The energying from it was unusual. Biban knew he would never be able to handle it. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t stop moving forward.


    Trauka fired his Breath. It was a Breath with a diameter of several hundred meters. It was impossible to avoid it from the time it was shot. The pir of mes that burned everything turned the world white. Biban couldn¡¯t see anything. The usage of Shunpo was blocked.


    Biban just fell straight down.


    The dragon weapon¡ªhe grasped the possibility of killing a dragon with his blood-covered hands while holding the image of the target, Trauka, in his unwavering hands. In an instant, he threw himself into the Breath that was facing him.


    The energy of a Dragon yer wrapped around his body shook like it would go out. The cracked skin heated up like live charcoal. The blood of Biban¡¯s body evaporated. The ten fingers of his holding the sword melted away one after another...


    Soon¡ª


    By the time Biban pierced through the Breath and arrived in front of Trauka, he only had three mummified fingers remaining. Even these fingers were turning to ashes and were barely retaining their shape.


    ck smoke billowed from his head where part of the skull was exposed. It was as if his brain had been burned down. Nevertheless, the appearance of Biban not letting go of the sword and finally plunging it into Trauka¡¯s forehead clearly resembled Hayate to some extent.


    [...Kuaaack!!]


    Today¡ªTrauka let out a second scream. He couldn¡¯t endure the pain that far exceeded the total amount of pain he had experienced in his lifetime.


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t dare to denounce it as ugly. Biban¡¯s tenacity was special to her as well. The smile disappeared from her beautiful face, just like when she saw her mother trying to devour her.


    Blood erupted like an active volcano from Trauka¡¯s forehead and was drawn away in response to Marie Rose¡¯s power. It was the precursor to vampirism. A sip of the blood of an Old Dragon. No, even if she could only take one drop, Marie Rose¡¯sbat power would be amplified for a moment.


    It was a fact that Trauka also knew.


    [How... dare you...?!]


    The space turned red. It was Trauka¡¯s heat. He operated his wounded Dragon Heart at the cost of tremendous aftereffects. The result was certain. Just before a drop of blood touched Marie Rose¡¯s skin, all of Trauka¡¯s blood in the air evaporated and disappeared.


    Just as he did throughout the battle, Trauka never gave any of the blood he shed to the vampire ruler.


    This time, the heat was hotter than ever. It seemed like even the sea of blood evaporated and mes clung to Marie Rose¡¯s dress. They were mes that didn¡¯t go out.


    ¡°......¡±


    Marie Rose stepped back. The reason she conceived her child wasn¡¯t for herself. She was distinctly different from Beriache. Therefore, it was imperative for her to protect the child in her womb. But...


    But she didn¡¯t think she should back down like this. Grid¡¯s grieving appearance came to mind. The possibility of her dear husband suffering from this guilt for the rest of his life couldn¡¯t be tolerated. It was a matter of pride before love. In the end¡ª


    ¡°Drink.¡± Marie Rose stood by Biban¡¯s side instead of fleeing underground. She slit her wrist and fed it to the dying human.


    Duguen...!


    Biban¡¯s heart, which had been reduced to ashes by the mes that raged inside him, started beating again. His lungs, which had lost their function, coughed up air.


    [It is a meaningless effort.]


    It happened as Marie Rose took care of Biban, who hadn¡¯te to his senses despite his wounds recovering...


    Trauka¡¯s angry voice rang out loudly. The mes that had been burning Marie Rose¡¯s dress suddenly died down.


    It was a negative sign. The heat around them was being sucked into Trauka¡¯s mouth. Once again, the sun was forming.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t mean to have an extramarital affair.¡± Marie Rose realized that it was toote to escape and ced her mouth on Biban¡¯s dry neck.


    sh!


    Suddenly, two diagonal lines intersected on Trauka¡¯s giant body.


    The vast desert was cut like a cake¡ªit was even into four exactly equal parts. It was the result of the Space Sword of the present day Sword Saint and the previous generation Sword Saint. Of course, the Old Dragon¡¯s body wasn¡¯t cut, but the sun in his mouth was reduced to an insignificant remnant and scattered.


    On the other side of the sky, the Tomb of the Gods started the bombardment.

 Chapter 1918

    Chapter 1918


    ¡°He fought with such a terrifying monster.¡±


    Muller¡¯s words and deeds were rather light as he clicked his tongue.


    The burning desert and the unconscious Biban¡ªMuller didn¡¯t show any signs of nervousness despite witnessing the situation on the battlefield.


    Yet on the contrary, this was actually evidence that he was nervous. This was amon trait among the lone heroes who protected the world alone. They had a habit of trying to keep their surroundings from being agitated.


    [You have suffered the ¡®fracture¡¯ abnormal condition.]


    In the meantime, Kraugel was restoring hispletely smashed right hand. It was the aftermath of using Space Sword.


    Muller¡¯s condition was much more serious. Therefore, Saintess Ruby¡¯s healing skills were focused on him.


    ¡®Both arms are broken. He suffered a bigger bacsh since he aimed for the vital point.¡¯


    The Space Sword that ¡®cut anything¡¯ was the ultimate technique that led to the judgment that the Sword Saint was superior. No matter the target, they were almost always cut in half.


    However, it asked if this caused instant death¡ªthis actually wasn¡¯t the case.


    Beings that couldn¡¯t die easily due to the setting or the story, or terrain features that shouldn¡¯t disappear, would either have the damage done by the Space Swordpletely repaired or they werepletely immune to it.


    This was the protection of the system. A representative example was Garion, the God of the Earth. This meant that a dragon would never die after being cut by the Space Sword. It was right to say that it was the worstpatibility with the Sword Saint.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve advised you to aim for the arm or tail.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve achieved significant results if Muller had wielded his Space Sword and aimed for Trauka¡¯s limbs or other non-life-threatening body parts. However, Kraugel and Muller aimed for the head and the heart respectively.


    Kraugel had the intention of shing the Breath while Muller had the intention of killing Trauka. As a result, Muller wasted his Space Sword.


    He couldn¡¯t be med. Anyone could see that Trauka¡¯s current state wasn¡¯t normal. To add a bit of exaggeration, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died right away. He was covered in wounds. His red and beautiful scales were all dented like broken mirrors.


    If Kraugel wasn¡¯t a yer¡ªif he hadn¡¯t ¡®recognized¡¯ the absolute power of the system, he would¡¯ve wielded Space Sword while aiming for the Dragon Heart.


    Just then, a loud noise echoed from all parts of the airship. It was the sound of the tower members, apostles, and members of the Overgeared Guild jumping down. The one in the lead was the gray-haired Martial God Zeratul. Their expressions were determined as they rushed into the battlefield without any dy.


    Kraugel¡¯s expression was the same. He took a potion to help him recover from his broken bones. Then he followed his teammates while having a hunch: Hayate and Biban had sacrificed themselves in session today¡ªif they couldn¡¯t kill Trauka, they would never get another chance to kill him...


    ***


    Braham Eshwald¡ªhe moved to the East Continent after Grid and was ordered to guard a city. This caused him to waste quite a bit of time.


    A huge magical force was raised to build a protective barrier throughout the city, but some people were still unaware of this fact andmitting strange acts. These same human beings plundered and killed human beings under the cover of the disturbance. It was purely to satisfy their petty greed or fleeting pleasure. It was done without any guilt, so Braham felt a certain sense of alienation.


    However, it was a waste of time to figure out the identity of this sense of alienation. He simply burned and killed all the worms who weren¡¯t even worth discussing. It was only then that he followed Grid¡¯s trail and arrived at where he was now...


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham, the strongest of the apostles, was practically treated like an Absolute. It was because he could be an Absolute at any time if he got the opportunity. He was a great magician who created new magic and was a god with two modifiers. He was the master of a great myth and even possessed the power of a direct descendant that he inherited from Beriache.


    Arguably, any transcendent was humble inparison to Braham. Therefore, Braham was nervous. He couldn¡¯t tolerate that he remained a transcendent despite being fully qualified.


    ¡®I think it won¡¯t be long now.¡¯


    Braham woreyers of stealth magic and watched the battle between the Martial God and Old Dragons with bated breath. His expression gradually darkened. It was because he was acutely aware of the gap between them and himself. He believed that he wasn¡¯t far away when he was inspired by the Sword Immortal and imitated an Absolute, but it seemed he was still a long way from achieving the realm of an Absolute.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    The sky was obscured by starlight due to the swirling magic power.


    Pitch-ck Breaths were raining down against the dark sky. Each one of them had the power to extinguish the soul, but they were dodged at a distance that was as thin as a sheet of paper. It was truly a phenomenal movement that was hard for Braham to imitate no matter what he did.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean anything against Raiders.


    Braham clearly witnessed it. The moment Chiyou tried to counter Nevartan, Chiyou¡¯s time was rewound and Nevartan fired a new Breath in the gap. This time, Chiyou¡¯s reaction waste. By the time he came to his senses, he couldn''tpletely avoid the Breath that was in front of him and his limbs flew away.


    A few simr things were happening over and over again. Chiyou must¡¯ve sensed the unusual situation from the beginning. This was no way he didn¡¯t notice that the truly dangerous enemy was Raiders, not Nevartan.


    Nevertheless, hepletely ignored Raiders. His sword never pointed at Raiders. It was like he was having a one-on-one match with Nevartan.


    It was easy to figure out what was going on in his mind. Chiyou¡¯s wish was to be extinguished. He was deliberately avoiding doing anything that would increase his odds of survival. The originally rigged fight was blocked by Chiyou¡¯s power to induce a ¡®fairpetition,¡¯ but it was difficult to see it as a match maniption.


    It was true that Nevartan¡¯s Breath was also a threat. The attack that could inflict fatal wounds on Chiyou was Nevartan¡¯s Breaths. Chiyou aiming at Nevartan first didn¡¯t cause his power to malfunction.


    ¡°It is contradictory in many ways,¡± Braham opened his mouth. He wasn¡¯t talking to himself. There was someone listening by his side. It was Sariel, who came to take Braham away, but ended up being tied down here with him.


    Braham spoke leisurely to her, who was afraid that the stealth magic would be released, ¡°He wants to die but he has to fight as hard as he can in order to die... Chiyou is a mass of contradictions. He ispletely out of touch withmon sense. He can only be seen as a lunatic in the eyes of a third party.¡±


    ¡°Righ... t?¡± Sariel replied roughly. The senses of the Martial God and Old Dragons were absolute. They were so focused onbat right now that they didn¡¯t notice Braham¡¯s stealth magic, but it wasn¡¯t unusual to be spotted at any time. There was no reason to watch the battle unless they were suicidal.


    Moreover, it was now an emergency. They intended to defeat Trauka on the maind. Braham had to join them right away.


    ¡°...I am the same.¡± However, Braham seemed oblivious to the urgency of the situation. He dragged out the time by talking nonsense. ¡°There is a resemnce between me and Chiyou.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham¡¯s attitude ofparing himself to Chiyou, who was the strongest among the Absolutes, was very bizarre. It was beyond shameless. What¡¯s more, doing it in this situation?


    ¡®Is he saying that he is simr in that they are both crazy?¡¯ Sariel was seriously thinking this, only to suddenly see something conspicuous in Braham¡¯s red eyes.


    Braham finally smiled. ¡°This contradiction isn¡¯t a defect.¡±


    The proportion that bloodline yed in Braham¡¯s pride was surprisingly small. His true pride came from his own achievement of bing a legend despite the power of his great lineage being sealed. Of course, he never showed it outwardly.


    Bragging about the results of his tireless efforts? He thought he was bringing himself down to the same level as the fools whocked natural talent.


    That¡¯s right¡ªas Beriache¡¯s direct descendant, Braham had the sense of being the chosen one. He believed he was special. He was sure that he had to be special. The results of his efforts gave him a sense of pride. While he respected Grid¡¯s efforts, he concealed his own efforts.


    He was a contradictory existence. Braham himself was aware of this.


    Thus, he seriously thought about it one day. Why couldn¡¯t he be an Absolute even though he was fully qualified? Maybe it was because he was a contradictory being. An Absolute must be perfect, so there should be no contradictions. He wondered if this type of providence ruled the world...


    He was mistaken. Chiyou was proving it right now.


    Braham got the perfect answer.


    ¡°There is only one thing I amcking.¡±


    His qualifications were sufficient. Contradictions weren¡¯t a defect. There was only one reason why he didn¡¯t be an Absolute.


    ¡°Achievements. I am slightlycking in terms of this.¡±


    Of course, Braham had left behind a number of aplishments. He worked as a legendary magician, ughtered several Great Demons and half-gods, and killed the Hydra to engrave his name on a giant myth. Above all, he was the teacher who taught magic to Grid, who wouldter be an Only One God.


    He had performed countless great things, such as instilling magic into Grid¡¯s exclusive mineral and brieflypeting with an Absolute like King Sobyeol. His imprint remained everywhere in history and mythology.


    But it was a bitcking. He was one step short of bing an Absolute.


    The answer was simple...


    ¡°I will stay here and fight these monsters.¡± Braham¡¯s deration was shocking.


    Sariel¡¯s eyes were stunned for a moment.


    Braham continued exining, ¡°In any case, we need someone to monitor and control this ce. The moment the Old Dragons detect Trauka¡¯s crisis and leaves to help, won¡¯t the possibility of the main force killing Trauka disappear?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Isn¡¯t it right to focus on firepower on Trauka now that they can¡¯t help him?¡±


    ¡°You fool. The magic of a dragon manifests the moment they want it to. If Nevartan uses Teleport when Raiders reverses Chiyou¡¯s time, Chiyou will be forced to miss Nevartan.¡±


    Braham¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°I will stay here to block the variables. Additionally, I¡¯m going to contribute to their deaths.¡±


    There was no chance for Sariel to convince him. It was because Braham released the severalyers of stealth magic.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    [What?]


    Even though they were a considerable distance away, Chiyou and the Old Dragons immediately recognized the presence of the uninvited guest.


    Terrifying gazes fell on the two of them.


    Sariel looked like she had lost her soul, while Braham didn¡¯t lose his nobility.


    ¡°Braham, the apostle of Grid, hase to kill you.¡±


    The Old Dragons and Chiyou tilted their heads. Braham¡¯s deration was so absurd that it was hard to understand. To put it simply, it was simr to the barking of a dog.


    Sariel just gave up. Braham¡¯s inability to be controlled was too famous. There was no need for her to panic. Additionally...


    [Grid¡¯s number one apostle and angel are here... does this mean that Trauka didn¡¯t sh with Grid¡¯s subordinates?]


    [There are no special variables. There is no chance Trauka will experience a crisis.]


    The response of the Old Dragons was strange. It seemed they werepletely mistaken about something. Could it be that Braham¡¯s absurd choice worked to their benefit? Was this in the realm of Braham¡¯s calctions? Sariel had such a ridiculous thought.


    ¡®No... It isn¡¯t ridiculous. It is definitely within the realm of calction.¡¯


    The Old Dragons were perfect beings. It was inherently impossible for humans to hunt them. It was a natural connection of idents that caused the Old Dragons to judge that Trauka was safe based on Braham¡¯s emergence. Braham¡¯s aim was right here.


    Chiyou opened his mouth, ¡°Braham, I will allow you to stand by their side. If you ever try to help me, I will get rid of you first. Don¡¯t forget to keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Bah...¡±


    [......?]


    If Braham hadn¡¯t snorted and stood awkwardly on the Old Dragons¡¯ side, Sariel might¡¯ve thought that Braham was very cool.

 Chapter 1919

    Chapter 1919


    Sneak sneak.


    A blue and round object moved stealthily. The glossy and fluffy appearance made people want to pet it.


    It was none other than the head of the number one knight of the empire. She continued to lie down and creep forward. Several strands of hair stretched out like antennae and fluttered like a radar detecting enemies. Of course, there was no practical effect.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Gasp...¡±


    She even took off her shoes so as to not make footsteps.


    Mercedes¡¯ secret escape was eventually discovered. The variables were too numerous. She never thought that the Empress herself would be sitting in front of the door...


    ¡°G-Go, for a, walk...¡±


    ¡°In the middle of the night?¡±


    Irene slowly closed the book she was reading and smiled. It was her usual gentle smile but it sent shivers down Mercedes¡¯ spine. It was due to her Keen Insight. Irene¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t smiling.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, you are wearing your sword.¡±


    ¡°T-That...¡±


    Mercedes, who was struggling with a stiff head, soon closed her eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Give me permission to go! It is a battle with an Old Dragon...! It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the rise or fall of the Empire is at stake!¡±


    Mercedes was a knight and an apostle loyal to Grid. Defending Grid and the Empire he had built was her guiding principle. Now that everyone else was struggling for the sake of the Empire, she couldn¡¯t lie in bed alone and count the stars outside the window.


    ¡°I have to fight too! My colleagues need me!¡± Mercedes shouted from the perspective of a soldier. Her eyes were desperate and her voice was loud. She made it clear that she could no longer make concessions.


    ¡°Mother...¡± Lord¡¯s cautious voice came from the door. He seemed to be trying to persuade Irene. Even outside the door, he was inspired by the conviction in Mercedes¡¯ cry.


    However, Irene didn¡¯t blink despite standing face to face with Mercedes. ¡°I am fully aware of your strength. If you join the war, then the odds will surely rise.¡±


    Mercedes¡¯ face, which had be pale from being locked in her room for several days, turned bright red. It was a useless expectation.


    ¡°Right now, you are carrying His Majesty¡¯s child. You might not die prematurely, but the child in your womb is different. Shouldn¡¯t you act with the self-awareness of the mother of His Majesty¡¯s child, not His Majesty¡¯s knight, at least for now?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Irene, who had been careful not to burden Mercedes, mentioned her baby for the first time. An invincible logic came out.


    However, Mercedes was also persistent. ¡°I-I might be being presumptuous, but... if the subjugation team is defeated by the Old Dragon and his anger reaches all the way to the capital... I will lose everything, not just the child in my womb.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If such a situation happens, the prince and the soldiers of the Empire will be your shield.¡± It was an emphatic answer. Irene¡¯s unconventional deration that she would sacrifice even the crown prince shocked Mercedes.


    ¡°This...! How can His Highness be my shield?!¡±


    ¡°It is our duty to protect our families.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Family¡ªit was a word that stood out to Mercedes, who was abandoned by her biological parents.


    Mercedes was speechless due to embarrassment. Irene stood up and hugged her warmly. ¡°Your duty is to protect His Majesty¡¯s child and my duty is to lead you.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± Eventually, Mercedes was forced to lower the sword in her hand. In fact, she knew it as well. The moment she went into battle against an Old Dragon, the child in her womb was unlikely to survive. Perhaps she would only trouble her other colleagues. Her colleagues would be worried about Grid¡¯s child as well.


    ¡°I understand...¡± Mercedes closed her eyes tightly and nodded. She had changed a lot as the years had passed. She was about to suppress her violent temperament and think calmly.


    ¡°Okay, Mercedes. What you have to learn from now on is trust and patience. Sometimes, you have to trust others instead of just yourself. It will be surprisingly rewarding.¡±


    Just like I¡¯ve always believed and waited.


    Irene¡¯s expression as she whispered this had returned to her usual gentleness. Therefore, Mercedes smiled as well.


    ***


    Fire Dragon Trauka¡ªhe was bigger than any other dragon. He constantly poured out a heat that burned everything. He deserved to im to be the strongest.


    Trauka had never doubted himself. The concept of death was unfamiliar to him, who was destined to reign forever at the highest ce.


    So why? Death seemed to be just around the corner.


    [Grruk...]


    Every time he breathed, blood poured from his mouth and nose, not fire. His magic power was still infinite, but it didn¡¯t circte as he intended.


    His vision was dim. All his senses had be dull. He allowed several attacks to hit him from those who approached like rats and stabbed him. He swung his tail to kill the insectsing from all directions, but they somehow seemed fine. It was difficult to figure out the reason.


    [Arrogant lizard. Today is your end.]


    Zeratul¡ªthe imitation of the Martial God was screaming. He was fighting with humans like a bug.


    Human beings¡ªfleeting beings who only lived for decades...


    Did they understand the concept of eternity?


    Today, Trauka fired Breaths again at humans who looked especially small and insignificant. Soon, a sea of mes would cover the desert. He would annihte all these ephemeral bastards.


    [.....]


    It was like a dream. The surroundings were silent rather than bing a sea of fire.


    He caught sight of the Breath he had just shot, splitting in half and dissipating. It was very bizarre...


    Trauka tilted his head and looked at the male human in the dark dopo. There was spirituality in the sword he wielded. It was energy with an unusual origin. It showed the mystery of cutting through the elements, in other words, theponents of which matter wasposed. No matter whether it was magic power, mes, or anything else, it was bound to be cut.


    [Did you cut down the Elemental King of Wind...?] Trauka wondered.


    Speaking of which, that person had ck hair as well.


    [...Grid.]


    Trauka suddenly became angry.


    The guy who took his arm. Grid must¡¯ve epted his favor. In the end, he restored the Refractive Dragon and put an end to the Age of Oblivion. He was a benefactor. He deserved to be a lifelongpanion.


    ...But he betrayed them. He armed his subordinates with battle gear made from Trauka¡¯s materials and created a tenacious army. Dazzling Absolutes and transcendents attacked Trauka tirelessly for two days.


    [Why...?]


    Why?


    Why are you against us?


    Those from a higher dimension¡ªGrid was most likely a being descended from the same dimension as the Foreign God. Everything Grid experienced here was nothing more than a trivial pastime. To put it simply, this world was his yground. There was no reason to pretend to be the guardian of the yground.


    [...No, maybe it is because of that.]


    His dying sh¡ªit wasn¡¯t until Trauka was cornered that he realized it. From Grid¡¯s perspective, ephemeral beings and the Old Dragons were equally insignificant. After all, this was just a yground.


    [Kukuk.]


    Finally, theughing Trauka polymorphed into human form. It wasn¡¯t a self-deprecating act aimed at lowering his status to the same level as those ephemeral beings.


    He was an Old Dragon. He pursued perfection even in the midst of a crisis that he was experiencing for the first time in his life. Therefore, he abandoned his giant body.


    It was a matter of efficiency. If he operated his body, which wasrger than a great mountain, when his senses were dull, he would just look like a dull and slow turtle to his enemies. Therefore, he brought himself to the same eye level. Bypressing his muscles and magic power, he prevented the discharge of power. Some of his lost speed was recovered.


    ¡°How dare you treat me like a toy?¡±


    Trauka smashed his fist into the face of the male, who was buzzing and rampaging like Marie Rose. Then he swung hisnce-like sword. A sword energy that was hundreds of meters long flew sideways and ughtered the magicians who were hiding using the falsendscape painted by a brush.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    After Katz, it was followed by the army of magicians, including Lae, Zednos, and Euphemina, turning to ash or bing incapable ofbat. People couldn¡¯t understand the situation for a while. The incident happened in such a short time that they were stunned.


    ¡°Oh, my.¡±


    ¡°......?!¡±


    Euphemina had already lost her mind. Then she looked up when she heard someone¡¯s groan and saw the back of the previous generation Sword Saint, Muller. Both arms were missing from his shoulders.


    ¡°M-Muller?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and take care of yourself. Your firepower is the most important thing.¡±


    It was the reason why Trauka targeted her and why Muller protected her. The surprise attack caused him to lose both arms, but he was d that he managed to save her.


    This time, Trauka leapt directly. Once again, he relentlessly aimed at Euphemina. Then a lightning fast kicknded on Trauka¡¯s side.


    The white-haired god with a bulky upper body¡ªit was an attack by Zeratul, who started to be called the Overgeared Martial God or Item Martial God. He was infinitely feared and loathed when he was an enemy, but once he was on the same side, he felt like the most secure being in the world.


    [Don¡¯t be overwhelmed by his bluffing. Now that he has abandoned his armor of scales, it is time to strike.]


    Gasp! Zeratul let out thunderous breaths and calmed the subjugation force.


    The 7th Seat, Abellio, responded quickly. He erased the picture that was designed to be suitable for hunting the isted Old Dragon and drew a new battlefield. The iceberg, which served as a cover to block the mes, transformed into pupils that suppressed escape. The snowfield, which lowered heat, turned into a great meadow.


    Thanks to this, Piaro and Hurent became like fish in water. They sowed seeds in all directions, attacking Trauka while growing nts that benefited their allies.


    Chris¡¯ greatsword pierced through the air and weighed down Trauka¡¯s sword.


    Zik and Mir¡¯s pincer attack linked from left to right, stabbing Trauka in the waist.


    ¡°Yap!¡± Nefelina¡¯s clumsy Breath struck Trauka in the chest, while Jishuka and Yura¡¯s sniping blinded Trauka.


    Afterpleting a long chant, Euphemina, Betty, and Jessicaunched a powerful magic bombardment.


    The army of magic machines of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, and a team of damage dealers led by Regas, Pon, and others seized the opportunity to approach and smash him with all types of ultimate techniques.


    In the process, the flying counterattack was intercepted by tankers, including Vantner and Toban, as well as Faker and the assassins who crossed through the shadows.


    The weather was changing from time to time, amplifying their allies¡¯ attribute attack power while weakening Trauka¡¯s attribute resistance. It was the subtle help of Lauel, who was spearheading the attack of the artillerymen.


    Above all, there were Marie Rose and Zeratul in the center of the battlefield. The buffs of Red Sage Haster and Saintess Ruby were concentrated on the two rtively healthy Absolutes.


    Despite everyone¡¯s struggles, the number of members of the Overgeared Guild turning to gray ash increased in real time. Still, they were holding that someone¡¯s death would inflict a new wound on Trauka¡¯s body.


    Hayate and Biban¡¯s final blows had left Trauka with a damaged heart and severe injuries. Trauka was far from intact. What was particrly devastating was that the Dragon Words he used against Biban and Marie Rose hadn¡¯t paid off yet.


    He wasn¡¯t about to achieve reversal effects such as strengthening and restoration through the fulfillment of the covenant.


    After a long battle¡ª


    ¡°...Cough!¡±


    At a certain point, Trauka started to falter. Far from being able to harness the power of an Old Dragon, he had fallen to the point where he couldn¡¯t fully utilize the advantages of an Absolute. It reached the point where there were only 10 surviving members of the Overgeared Guild.


    Neither the tower members nor the apostles were in a perfect state. If it wasn¡¯t for Zibal jumping from the Tomb of the Gods and using Providence, there would¡¯ve been fewer than five survivors among the tower members and apostles.


    [This monster...]


    Zeratul breathed heavily while looking frustrated.


    Marie Rose wasn¡¯t smiling at all.


    The battle against the enemy, which didn¡¯t allow even the slightest carelessness, was fought seriously from beginning to end.


    However, Truaka was clearly dying. The group was cautious, but glimpsed some hope. In the end¡ª


    It was after shing Kraugel¡¯s waist.


    ¡°......¡±


    The movement of Fire Dragon Trauka stopped. From the time Marie Rose was allowed to suck his blood, blood gushed from wounds that couldn¡¯t recover due to debuffs, such as poisoning, bleeding, internal injuries, and amputations, urred endlessly.


    The dragon, who imed to be the strongest, was clearly about to die. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t fall. He tilted his head, but his legs were upright like an old tree. It was the majesty of the monster who single-handedly drove a number of Absolutes to the brink of death despite being seriously injured.


    The subjugation group was filled with all sorts and emotions and preparing for the final blow.


    Then without any warning, the sky split apart. A white hand stretched out from the crack in space that fluctuated like a ck hole.


    [Fire Dragon Trauka, give me half of your Dragon Heart.]


    The voice was so gloomy that it reminded them of the old Baal. No, it was much more ominous. It seemed like it wascking any emotions.


    [Isn¡¯t it worth it to save your life?]


    Currently, only a few members of the subjugation force were left and they started to retreat. Zeratul, who had always been fearless, also stiffened like a stone statue.


    [Judar, the God of Wisdom, has descended.]


    The Absolute of Asgard, who sat at a high level and watched the world, revealed his noble appearance to the world. It might be a rotten rope, but it was clear hope for Trauka.


    After a moment of confusion, the subjugation force hesitated.


    ¡°...This fool is talking nonsense.¡± Traukaughed and aimed his sword at his heart.


    Judar¡¯s pale face stiffened when he noticed the unusual situation.


    ¡°No one can acquire the heart of an Old Dragon.¡±


    Hot blood gushed from Trauka¡¯s chest like mes. Despite destroying his own heart, his body didn¡¯t fall.

 Chapter 1920

    <h4>Chapter 1920 </h4>


    ¡®What a ridiculous monster...!¡¯


    Braham unexpectedly stood alongside the Old Dragons and didn¡¯t have time to organize his thoughts. It was because he was immediately on the defensive.


    The weapon thrown by Chiyou was flying through dozens ofyers of magic circles.?The magic circles, built by the Old Dragons themselves, were destroyed with just the barbaric and primitive act of ¡®throwing.¡¯


    Chiyou¡¯s weapon broke through Braham¡¯s hastily erected shields one after another, losing momentum before stopping only five centimeters away from Braham¡¯s face.?This was possible because the power was greatly weakened while piercing through Raiders¡¯ magic circles.


    [This hurts my pride.]


    Raider¡¯s eyes gradually cooled down as he watched the weapon return to its owner after destroying the magic circles.?Gold eyes that seemed to have collected and filled with all the gold that existed in the world¡ªit felt cold, just like metal. The chill gave Braham the illusion of being chilled to the bone.


    Nevartan and Chiyou were intertwined.?Nevartan¡¯s ws took advantage of the gap in which Chiyou was empty-handed and knocked on Chiyou¡¯s self-defense.


    The divinity rising from Chiyou¡¯s body was even stronger than a dragon¡¯s Absolute Defense. It only shook like a wave after being hit by a giant w and showed no signs of being destroyed.?It would appear invincible even in the eyes of most Absolutes.


    Of course, Braham wasn¡¯t someone to quickly talk about invincibility.


    The God of Wisdom¡ªhis wisdom, visualized as an infinite library in his mental world, was like a great sea. He was already devising ways to target Chiyou¡¯s self-defense from various angles.


    However, Raiders was the one who got the answer first.


    A Gold Dragon¡ªthe rumor that he was the wisest among the Old Dragons, who awakened to providence from the moment they were born, was true.


    The?moment Raiders?activated a certain magic, Chiyou¡¯s divinity shook like wildfire. Eventually, his self-defense was shattered.?Nevartan¡¯s ws dug into Chiyou¡¯s back and waist, inflicting deep wounds.


    ¡®Did he integrate magic into the flow of divinity?¡¯


    Braham had a vague understanding of Raiders¡¯?tactic.


    A structure that arose when Chiyou¡¯s divinity formed the framework of his self-defense.?Raiders created the exact same structure using magic power and oveid it over Chiyou¡¯s self-defense. It was magic power imprinted with hundreds of dense destruction spells. It caused a series of destruction in response to the flow of divinity.


    At this point, he didn¡¯t even feel the need to shoot a Breath.?There was no reason to rely on intuitive attacks when magic alone exerted significant power and was highly usable.?It was the inherent greatness of magic.


    The golden scales caught Braham¡¯s eye and he realized that Raiders was just as ridiculous a monster as Chiyou.


    ¡®...I already knew this.¡¯


    Braham felt like he had fallen to the wrong ce in another world, but this actually made him be calmer.?He quickly controlled his confused mind and cast magic.?It was a chant intended to replicate the magic of Raiders, which was like a miracle.?He didn''t copy it based on flimsy spection.?As long as it was magic, the God of Magic could understand and reproduce it perfectly.


    [...<i>Hah?</i>]?Nevartan, who had been attacking Chiyou in session, glimpsed the restored self-defense skill. This made him admit his own mistake.?The cost of the failed attack was high. He would soon allow a deadly counterattack to hit him...


    Just as he was thinking this, Chiyou¡¯s self-defense skill was broken again and the future changed.?Chiyou¡¯s left arm, which held his weapon in reverse as he tried to counterattack, ended up bent in a strange direction.?It was caused by his self-defense skill disappearing the moment Nevartan¡¯s tail?fell?toward him.


    ¡°...This is more than I expected.¡±?Chiyou¡¯s arm was quickly restored as he shifted his attention to Braham.?The power to force a properpetition was making this possible for Chiyou.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough!</i>¡±?On the other hand, Braham was writhing in pain. Tens of thousands of cracks were urring in the mana core, the heart of a magician. The pain was so great that thinking was impossible. He bent over and coughed up dark red blood. It was as if he was about to vomit out all the blood in his body.


    It was the price of denying the strongest Absolute¡ªthe bacsh from intervening in the Martial God¡¯s divinity wasn¡¯t at a level that a transcendent could withstand. If it wasn¡¯t for his status as a god or his direct descendant body, there was a 100% chance that Braham would¡¯ve died immediately.


    ¡°Shi...t...¡±


    This person of a noble bloodline couldn¡¯t care about his reputation and?screamed out profanities.?He hated himself for not feeling something strange when he saw that Raiders didn¡¯t use this magic continuously.?Of course, he felt more joy than that.


    Raiders became aware of it.?[You deserve to be in this battle.]


    .


    It was unconventional for an Old Dragon to discuss being qualified with a subspecies.?The moment Braham became aware of this face, he realized a chance in himself.?The quality of his magic power itself had increased.?Rather, the term evolution was correct.?It felt like the mana of the atmosphere was absorbed with every breath and transformed into apletely different substance every time it was tempered in his body.


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham¡¯s red eyes became even more transparent. His face, which had been distorted due to the unbearable pain, became calm. A wild rush of inspiration isted his mind from reality.


    [I think it is better to kill him now.] Nevartan, who was pushed back after exchanging dozens of blows with Chiyou, spoke without hesitation. He was about to engulf Braham in one bite and swallow him.


    [Chiyoues first.] Raiders calmed him down.


    It wasn¡¯t pleasant to see Grid¡¯s right-hand man step on the threshold to bing an Absolute when he was hostile to them, but... it was a situation where the enemy of an enemy was an ally. If they wanted to improve the odds against Chiyou, it was right to maintain this rtionship for the time being.


    Nevartan obediently agreed.?Braham was starting to harbor some ominous potential, but this potential was only a possibility. He was still insignificantpared to Chiyou, who was acting as a natural disaster right now.


    In the end, Raiders and Nevartan re-established a formation that took the shape of protecting Braham.


    The one who was protected by two Old Dragons¡ªit had never happened before.?Even Grid, the Dragon Knight, had never worked together with two Old Dragons at the same time.


    Therefore, the world watched Braham.


    Was it angry because of the truth that couldn¡¯t be hidden due to the eyewitness called Chiyou?


    ck clouds gathered in the sky and thunder struck.?To Braham, it sounded like a heartbeat.


    <i>Thump!</i> <i>Thump!</i> <i>Thump!</i>


    The momentum of the magic power evolving in real-time was too strong. His organs and mana core were repeatedly pounded, shaking his entire body. It was proactive and violent, as if trying to modify the entity called Braham to suit its own taste and use him as a host.


    Braham knew that this was the most important moment of his life.


    Would he be swept away by the rampaging magic power and reduced to a mindless monster or would he firmly step foot on the threshold of an Absolute...? From here on, it was purely a matter of capability.


    Meanwhile, the battle between Chiyou and the Old Dragons was bing fiercer.


    Chiyou felt Braham¡¯s magic power bing stronger in real-time. He couldn¡¯t control his high expectations and ran wild with excitement.?He swung his weapon with a smile that grew increasingly deeper despite his self-defense being repeatedly destroyed by Raiders and receiving new wounds from Nevartan.


    The urrence and recovery of rounds happened dozens of times per second.


    Every time, Chiyou¡¯s divinity was clearly and steadily being consumed.


    The speed at which Raiders cast his magic was also slowing down.?A dragon¡¯s magic power was infinite and he could cast magic non-stop, but the magic that smashed Chiyou¡¯s self-defense caused the caster tremendous pain every time it took effect. As the number of uses umted, it consumed a level of physical strength and mental strength that even an Old Dragon couldn¡¯t ignore.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t rest. He created new magic in real-time and deployed it ording to the situation in order to assist Nevartan.?If Nevartan was to bepared to battle gear, he was like a spear.


    Every time he unfolded his wings and spread them wide, he shot straight forward and tore Chiyou¡¯s body apart.?He continuously dealt pain to Chiyou that far exceeded the pain felt by Raiders.


    Finally, dozens of ovepping Breaths hit Chiyou in the face and Chiyou didn¡¯t move for several seconds like he was dead. By the time his half-smashed head was fully restored, he was repeatedly seriously injured by the pincer attacks from Raiders and Nevartan.


    The dragons were created to deny the God of the Beginning, Reba¡ªtherefore, their innate qualification to ¡®kill a god¡¯ was strengthened every time they threatened Chiyou.


    [Will itst over two days?]


    [It seems like that is the minimum time. It is a task that ispletely overturning the structure of magic power, so it is natural that it will take time.]


    [He will be apanied by a pain that the mental strength of a subspecies can¡¯t bear. Is there any chance of a failure?]


    [It is high.]


    From a certain point on, Raiders and Nevartan were waiting for Braham to join them.?The moment Braham woke up after his evolution, there was hope that the three of them could destroy Chiyou together.


    Of course, in reality, the feasibility was low.?The moment when Braham came back to his senses could be three dayster or 30 yearster.?The fight was likely to be decided before that.?It didn¡¯t matter whether Chiyou was destroyed or the Old Dragons were defeated.?Either Raiders or Nevartan would have to rest for over 100 years. It was a credible calction based on knowledge and sense.


    [I will kill him if he gets it wrong.]?One of Nevartan¡¯s dark ws was pulled out. It flew on its own and aimed at Braham¡¯s head as he was in a daze.?Even if a full-fledged cooperation was achieved, Braham would eventually have to be killed.?Nevartan had no intention of sparing Braham. He nned to kill and eliminate any variables as soon as they appeared.


    It happened the moment when Raiders nodded...


    [...What?]?Nevartan¡¯s eyes widened.?If he had been polymorphed into human form, it was certain that his face would¡¯ve paled.?It was the same with Raiders.?They felt it at the same time.


    Trauka¡¯s heart was destroyed.


    They could tell because they were all Old Dragons.?A visceral sense of loss came over him.


    [We can still save him.]?Raiders made a quick judgment and activated his power.?Chiyou¡¯s time was rewound back by 0.1 seconds as he dug into Nevartan, whose shoulder was cut because he revealed a brief gap. He moved a few hundred meters away.


    [<i>Kuek...</i>!]


    Nevartan groaned in pain, but didn¡¯t miss this golden opportunity.?He immediately activated Teleport.?The destroyed coordinates?corresponded?to the ce where Trauka¡¯s heart was destroyed.


    <i>sh!</i>


    It happened as magic power enveloped Nevartan¡¯s huge body¡­


    [......!]


    Raiders eyes shook.?He immediately noticed that the structure of the magic Nevartan had activated had changed.?The magic power that should¡¯ve originally transferred Nevartan to another ce instead caused a physical collision.


    It hit Nevartan¡¯s scales with all its might and took the form of a spear.?It was the aftermath of Teleport being transformed into Disintegrate.?This meant that the magic that had been activated was changed midway.


    Someone actually intervened in the magic activated by an Old Dragon.?Moreover, it happened in a split second.


    [What is this...?]


    Nevartan sensed something iprehensible and couldn¡¯t understand the situation. He didn¡¯t even have time to understand it. Chiyou approached before he knew it. He was busy blocking and dodging the continuous swings of Chiyou¡¯s weapon.


    [...Braham Eshwald.]


    Raiders¡¯?cold gaze left Chiyou for the first time.?The figure engraved on the golden pupils was Grid¡¯s number one apostle.?It was the image of Braham, whom he thought would wake up decadester.


    ¡°From this moment on, magic is mine.¡±?Braham roughly wiped the blood from his eyes and nose before sweeping back his sweat-soaked hair. The silver hair stained red here and therepletely changed the impression he gave off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all die here together.¡±


    The way he talked arrogantly suited him very well.

 Chapter 1921

    Chapter 1921


    ¡°From this moment on, magic is mine.¡±


    Don¡¯t rely on magic carelessly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all die here together.¡±


    From the moment Braham made this deration, Raider¡¯s power stopped working.


    The God of Wisdom and Magic¡ªthe Old Dragon, dressed in divine golden scales, was immersed in observing the god as he never did before. Thanks to this, Chiyou returned to his normal timeline and he also shifted his attention to Braham.


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    Chiyou was aware of Raiders¡¯ power. He understood why Nevartan, who was originally targeted, had retreated far away. Nevartan must¡¯ve backed away when his time was rewound. The flow after that...


    The corners of Chiyou¡¯s mouth slowly curved up. He grasped the whole situation with his transcendent perceptual abilities.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your future.¡±


    If Braham, who stepped into the realm of an Absolute, hadn¡¯t performed any actions then the battle would¡¯ve fizzled out. Chiyou read the flow and praised Braham.


    [You dare.] Nevartan couldn¡¯t hide his anger. A mere god intervened in the magic of an Old Dragon and interrupted it. It was an uneptable incident.


    The masters of magic¡ªit was none other than the dragons who created the concept of magic in this world.


    [Die terribly.]


    There was no need to use Dragon Words. Above Braham¡¯s head, a huge, pointed object that floated alone was crashing down at a tremendous speed. It was the w that Nevartan had pulled out earlier. It contained killing intent and was going to pierce the top of Braham¡¯s head before Braham could react. It was proof that Braham hadn¡¯t be aplete Absolute yet.


    Jingle.


    Just then, the sound of bells prated the ears of Braham, who was unaware of his situation. Nevartan¡¯s ws, which had just scratched the top of Braham¡¯s head, exploded and shattered. It was only then that Braham realized the situation and opened his mouth. He didn¡¯t intend to say something naive like ¡®thank you for helping me¡¯ or asking if they were going to cooperate from now on.


    ¡°Multiple Wave Domains.¡± He chanted to build a magic barrier. The magic power concentrated in Braham¡¯s body created a realm in an instant with infinite waves.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Strange cries and physical phenomena urred almost simultaneously. Chiyou¡¯s body was hit with countless waves of magic power and he was repeatedly bent at various angles. Eventually, he was pushed back 30 meters away from Braham.


    Raiders figured it out. [You are definitely an Absolute as far as magic is concerned.]


    [It is sophistry.] Nevartan showed reluctance after hearing Raiders¡¯ words.


    It was natural. It was because they were perfect that they were Absolutes. Absolutes were independent, self-existent, wless beings, who weren¡¯t restricted or limited by any force. Braham couldn¡¯t be considered an Absolute from the moment when conditions such as ¡®where magic is concerned¡¯ were attached.


    [But there is no other way to express it.]


    Raiders didn¡¯t bother to convince Nevartan. There was no need to do so. Nevartan was the one who had experienced his magic failing at the hands of Braham. He must be well aware of it himself.


    [...There is no need to use magic.]


    Nevartan¡¯s throat swelled up. His maw opened and there was a sh. It was the most powerful means of attack in the world and had seriously wounded the Martial God several times. It was also an act of just releasing magic power. It was a physical force based on magic power, so it wasn¡¯t ssified as magic.


    Of course, it might contain powerful elements depending on the dragon¡¯s attributes, but Nevartan was a ck Dragon. Among the materials that made up his Breath, the proportion of elements was very small. It meant that it was meaningless if Braham tried to use some type of force to treat elements as magic and attack.


    At the same time that the Breath was fired, Braham used Blink to leave his location. He quickly realized that Nevartan¡¯s Breath was acting against him and chose to avoid it.


    However, there was only one way to avoid Nevartan¡¯s Breath. It was to avoid it right before getting hit by it. If he tried to avoid it in advance, Nevartan¡¯s Breath adjusted its trajectory in real time and persistently pursued the target. This was why Chiyou had narrowly avoided the Breath and got hurt throughout the battle.


    Nevartan watched as Braham used Blink to widen the distance. Then he nced at Raiders. At this moment, their main goal was to rescue Trauka. They needed to activate Teleport to leave the scene.


    Just then, Nevartan¡¯s Breath caused a powerful explosion. Less than two seconds after it was fired, it hit the target. At the same time, the magic of teleportation was oveid over Nevartan and Raider¡¯s huge bodies.


    However, the Teleport was transformed into Meteor. Extremelyrge meteorites crushed the bodies of the two Old Dragons.


    ¡°I said that magic is mine.¡± Braham¡¯s voice rang out. He might¡¯ve been swept away by the Breath, but his breathing wasn¡¯t disturbed and his tone was fine.


    The astonished gazes of the Old Dragons shifted in the direction of the explosion that urred a moment ago. Chiyou was there, not Braham.


    ¡°You ovepped magic power to disguise me as yourself...? Is this really the realm of magic?¡± Chiyou was stunned. He couldn¡¯t hide his admiration. It was an unfamiliar sight even for the Old Dragons.


    [I will take charge of this ce as nned. You must escort Trauka to hisir.]


    An Old Dragon¡¯sir umted fundamental magic power. An ecosystem had been created that unconditionally benefited its master. It was full of rare materials and concepts that even the Insane Dragon Iron couldn¡¯t bepared to.


    Even if he lost his Dragon Heart, Trauka would definitely recover someday if he recuperated in hisir for a long time. Death was a distant concept for an Old Dragon. It was natural since even the insignificant gods didn¡¯t die easily.


    [The observation is over.]


    The reason why Raiders had been silent so far wasn¡¯t because of fear. He was just interested in and observed the evolution of a god with two modifiers. The wisest dragon had his own passion for learning.


    That was it.


    Just then, Braham and Chiyou¡¯s time was rewound. It was the power of time reversal. It was so powerful that the recoil was huge. In particr, the higher the level of the designated target, the more the power was halved and the greater the physical strength consumed.


    Raiders needed to be determined in order to designate Braham, who was close to an Absolute, and Chiyou, the strongest Absolute, at the same time. Nevertheless, he was confident that he would seed. This wasn¡¯t the pride of an Old Dragon, but a conviction gained due to his calctions.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The frightening thing about Raiders¡¯ power was that the target wasn¡¯t aware of the change in the timeline. This meant Braham was in utter confusion. It was because the scene in front of his eyes suddenly changed.


    Nevartan was nowhere to be seen. The lone Raiders was coughing up blood...


    ¡°It is embarrassing in many ways.¡± Chiyou stood on the bridge of Raiders¡¯ nose and was slightly embarrassed. He seemed to be seriously troubled because he was unable to aim the bar-like weapon between Raiders¡¯ eyes and stab him carelessly.


    It didn¡¯t matter to Braham.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    He missed Nevartan.


    It happened the moment when Braham realized it and was able to deploy Teleport along with a backtracking spell...


    -Martial God Chiyou.


    A voice that seemed to echo from inside a cave colored the scene. It was an incredible presence. It was the voice of Hanul, a God of the Beginning.


    -Give me the heart of the Gourmet Dragon. I will imnt his power and qualifications inside me, speed up the embodiment of light, and personally destroy you.


    Braham stiffened like a wooden statue. He watched Chiyou¡¯s movements with a very anxious expression. Chiyou was contemting Hanul¡¯s suggestion without disregarding it. In the end¡ª


    ¡°Shit.¡± Braham swore again. Then he gave the Teleport spell that he justpleted to Raiders, not himself.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    [...What?]


    -......


    ***


    ¡°......¡±


    There were a total of 21 survivors. The tower members, apostles, and Marie Rose were included in these 21 survivors. It was fair to say that the members of the Overgeared Guild were almost destroyed. It was by no means a sacrifice in vain.


    After a long struggle, they had aplished the feat of driving the Old Dragon to the brink of death. On the way, there was a disaster where Judar, the God of Wisdom, intervened, but the worst case scenario was averted because Trauka self-destructed.


    Yes, they thought it was self-destruction since he destroyed his Dragon Heart himself. They were mistaken. The situation still wasn¡¯t over.


    Trauka closed his eyes like he was dead, but he didn¡¯t turn to ash in the end. It was a vitality that was beyond imagination. As a result, the subjugation group was in an ufortable confrontation with Judar without being able to receive the rewards for subjugating Trauka.


    [I will retrieve this.] What was he thinking? Judar, who had been silent for some time, finally started to move. He spoke meaningfully and strode over to Trauka.


    [With whose will?]


    Zeratul blocked him but it was meaningless. He had suffered serious injuries while fighting Trauka. Now Judar struck him away with a hand like chasing away a fly. Zeratul flew away and ended up somewhere in the desert.


    ¡°......¡±


    It was a situation where they had to risk their life, but no one could recklessly step forward.


    The real powerhouse of heaven¡ªJudar, the son of the God of the Beginning, Reba, and the brother of Dominion, the God of War, was special even among Absolutes. He suppressed the dimensional effect of the Overgeared World right away. He wasn¡¯t an opponent the Overgeared Guild could challenge prematurely after losing most of their power to Trauka.


    Of course, fearless people like Vantner and Huroi growled and seemed like they could attack at any moment, but Lauel actively stopped them. ¡°You have to endure it even if you are angry.¡±


    At the very least, useless deaths should be avoided. Additionally, ording to Lauel¡¯s calctions, the rewards would be settled the moment Trauka left in some form. It was a shame that they didn¡¯t qualify as a Dragon yer by killing Trauka, but it wasn¡¯t a loss.


    It was as Lauel was trying tofort himself...


    sh!


    Light poured down from the sky. It was the light of magic power. It was a trace of teleportation.


    ¡°...Things are bing worse.¡±


    A huge shadow covered the battlefield. It was a shadow created by the giant body of an Old Dragon who was only one head smaller than Trauka.


    [Nevartan.] Judar confirmed the identity of the ck Dragon.


    [Ephemeral beings. The price of daring to trample on the dignity of an Old Dragon will be great.] Nevartan dered and was about to release a Breath.


    [Stop.] There was a sh in the sky again and a new dragon appeared.


    By this time, Judar¡¯s expression had also distorted. [...Raiders.]


    [Stop?] Nevartan red at Raiders.


    As tension increased even further, Raiders looked at the situation on the battlefield and exined the reason. [I owe a debt to Braham.]


    [What?]


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    The repercussions were huge. Nevartan asked in a bewildered manner while the members of the Overgeared Guild was agitated.


    Raiders used magic to make the unconscious Trauka float. [For the sake of my pride, I must pay back the debt. In any case, shouldn¡¯t we save Trauka?]


    The wise Old Dragon¡¯s thinking was extremely reasonable, so Nevartan could no longer argue. He didn¡¯t bother to harm the humans and instead activated Mass Teleportation.


    [But you should be prepared the next time we meet again. Judar, the same goes for you.]


    Along with Raiders¡¯ warning, the Old Dragons disappeared without a trace.


    Judar didn¡¯t bother to chase them. He had no intention of confronting two Old Dragons at the same time and it also wasn¡¯t a reasonable option. In the first ce, he was predicting where Trauka would recuperate in the future. It was enough to be fully prepared and act in the future.


    [Before that¡ª]


    Judar, who had been staring up at the sky where the Old Dragons had left, soon shifted his gaze to the humans on the battlefield.


    They had some impressive aspects. Following the hell distorted by Baal, the Hwan Kingdom that survived thanks to Chiyou, and the heavenly Absolutes who were missing Reba¡¯s presence, the powerful beings of the surface fought the dragons.


    They persevered and eventually became stronger. They were a variable he couldn¡¯t ignore.


    [I will have to clean you up.]


    Judar didn¡¯te forward directly. He gestured as if making a signal. Then countless clouds were created in the sky. They were golden clouds. They piled up like a staircase.


    [me your god for choosing to be isted.]


    Judar spoke these words and leisurely walked up the stairs that connected the surface and heaven. His back moved away and soon became invisible. Hundreds of angels descended the stairs and covered up the appearance of the god. Every single one of them was a transcendent.


    The 21 survivors were on the verge of exhaustion and it was beyond their capacity to handle.


    ¡ªIt was like that a moment ago.


    [You have defeated Fire Dragon Trauka.]


    [You have aplished an unprecedented feat and will be rewarded ording to your performance.]


    [Dragon yer ¡®Hayate¡¯ has won the 1st ce prize in the raid.]


    [Sword God ¡®Biban¡¯ and Vampire Duke ¡®Marie Rose¡¯ have won the 2nd ce prize in the raid.]


    [Residual Fire ¡¯Navaldrea¡¯ and Overgeared Martial God ¡®Zeratul¡¯ have won the 4th ce prize in the raid.]


    [Sword Saint ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has won the 6th ce prize...]


    ......


    ...


    ¡°...Who is this residual fire?¡±


    ***


    At the same time, South Korea¡­


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Shin Youngwoo was facing an unexpected figure.


    Elnithana¡ªshe was from the Lion Merchant Group and Lauel¡¯s closest confidant. She was hired by Lauel from the first year she joined the Overgeared Guild due to her extraordinary mind. This was all superficial. The biggest reason why Lauel kept her around him was because he assumed she was a person with connections to Rothschild.


    ¡°......¡±


    Elnithana, who always decorated her face with shy makeup in the game, was very familiar to Shin Youngwoo in real life. It was the face of the master of the Rothschild family, which he confirmed by searching on the Inte several times.


    ¡°I am Nathaniel. I had no intention of hiding my identity from the beginning.¡±

 Chapter 1922

    Chapter 1922


    ¡°I am Nathaniel. I had no intention of hiding my identity from the beginning.¡±


    It was around the time that the world¡¯s leadingpanies and families started to recognize Satisfy as the most effective publicity tool.


    Rankers used to receive dozens of love calls every day. Youngwoo had also received sponsorship offers from numerouspanies and families.


    For Lauel, who had been reading the Rothschild¡¯s movements since that time, the Lion Merchant Company was an object to pay attention to. In the process, he became interested in an ountant from the Lion Merchant Company who used the ID Elnithana.


    It was this that made Youngwoo start to study the Rothschild.


    The Rothschild¡ªit was a Jewish conglomerate family that fell into ruin after experiencingrge-scale wars, the Great Depression, and hundreds of property divisions over a long period of time. They operated so secretly and possessed so much wealth that they were once the subject of all types of conspiracy theories. However, the decisive cause of their decline was time.


    The 18th century¡ªMayer Amsel Rothschild, who started his business in Germany, sent his children to Italy, Austria, France, and Ennd to build an international financialwork. The Rothschild family developed too many branch families in one generation. As a result, their wealth and influence were scattered. Eventually, they were fatally wounded by the Nazis. They were reduced to an ordinary conglomerate family in the 20th century.


    It was on the decline until Nathaniel Mayer Ray Rothschild emerged like aet in Britain, bing a focal point of the family with incredible resourcefulness.


    ¡®I heard you are a great business person who made the branch families all over the world submit...¡¯


    In real life, she looked so young that she looked like someone who was in her 20s. The reason she couldn¡¯t be taken lightly wasn¡¯t because of her status or wealth. It was because of the green eyes that shone like jewels. She seemed to see right through people.


    Youngwoo had an intuition that she had at least a transcendent level of insight. For a moment, he felt like he was connected to Satisfy.


    Nathaniel sent away her bodyguard, so Youngwoo motioned for Toon to leave as well. Then he asked a casual question, ¡°So... is your purpose to sponsor me?¡±


    He handed over the cup of coffee that he brewed himself.


    He briefly wondered if it was right to serve mixed coffee instead of tea to a British person with a very high title, but in the first ce, she was an unexpected guest. If she had any shame, she should be thankful that she didn¡¯t get kicked out.


    ¡°How can that be? If I was to sponsor the great Grid, many pirs of the family would have to be uprooted. I don¡¯t have that type of authority.¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t someone who could be sponsored. Even the world¡¯s bestpanies would be absolutely inferior to Grid. They would have to spend too much. Lauel was glued to Grid¡¯s side and would ask for more than money.


    ¡°First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for epting my sudden visit. I would like to formally introduce myself to you. I am Nathaniel Mayer Ray Rothschild.¡± This was the courtesy of a real aristocrat. It was an etiquette that could even be seen by a king. She bowed in an embarrassingly deep manner. Then she sat down and continued speaking, ¡°I have been watching you for nine years. It is very refreshing to actually see you in person.¡±


    Something appeared in Youngwoo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®Nine years ago was before the 1st National Competition even took ce.¡¯


    The first legendary ss¡ªGrid¡¯s business card nine years ago was still pretty good. However, he only caused incidents such as massacring people on the road. He didn¡¯t have any notable achievements. Due to people¡¯s low awareness of him, he wasn¡¯t asked to prove anything. He wasn¡¯t someone a tycoon of the business world would be interested in.


    Youngwoo told her, ¡°At that time, I wasn¡¯t someone to be particrly interested in.¡±


    ¡°A merchant¡¯s ears are always open. We have been operating a number of merchantpanies since that time. We found you in the process of tracking down the work of an unknown craftsman. Based on various circumstances, we inferred that you were the first to be a legendary ss.¡±


    ¡°...But you didn¡¯t try to make direct contact?¡±


    It was shortly after Youngwoo changed his ss to Pagma''s Sessor. No forces were able to urately identify and approach him.


    As time passed, there were many forces that realized the value of the ¡®unknown craftsman¡¯ and made efforts to find the craftsman. However, none of the forces approached with the certainty that the identity of the craftsman was Grid.


    Why was she telling such an obvious lie?


    ¡°There was no reason to make contact. The purpose of our activities wasn¡¯t to perform in Satisfy,¡± Nathaniel exined to Youngwoo, who didn¡¯t hesitate to show his doubts.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t interested in the game?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to disparage Satisfy. Rather, I was jealous of it. Therefore, I observed all the elements and flows that made up Satisfy. Then I discovered you and I felt the need to observe the changes in the rankers after that.¡±


    ¡°Changes in rankers?¡±


    ¡°You have been using a variety of capsules, from mass-produced capsules to top-of-the-line capsules, right?¡±


    It was famous that Youngwoo had been unemployed and had no money. He nodded without much reluctance.


    Then Nathaniel asked him a strange question. Nathaniel wondered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice more physical changes every time you used the high-grade capsule?¡±


    ¡°...Who knows?¡±


    Youngwoo was immediately reminded of something.


    The more items he created in Satisfy, the more he noticed a change in reality. Tasks requiring the use of his hands, such as creating or drawing, became much easier. As a simple example, he surprised his parents by peeling garlic at an incredible speed. Then recently, he reached the point of knocking out dozens of special forces members alone.


    However, he didn¡¯t respond properly and instead thought about Nathaniel¡¯s intentions.


    Youngwoo¡¯s answer didn¡¯t seem to matter much.


    Nathaniel immediately asked the key question, ¡°Have you ever thought that the world we live in could be nothing more than a game?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°You have seen Reba. Have you ever thought that we might also be in the same situation as her? I¡¯m sure you must¡¯ve suspected it at least once.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°There is no need to use Reba as an opportunity. We are already experiencing Satisfy as we do reality.¡±


    Nathaniel pinched her wrist. She pinched so hard that deep nail marks remained on her white wrist.


    ¡°Is this pain really felt because my body has been damaged? Or is it because my avatar, which I believe to be my body, has been damaged and I mistakenly believe that it hurts?¡±


    Youngwoo didn¡¯t react hastily.


    A world-ss tycoon personally traveled all the way to a small country. She wouldn¡¯t have wasted her precious time making a joke. This didn¡¯t sound like nonsense.


    He naturally didn¡¯t show it. His mind was spinning as quickly as possible but he just shrugged as he stared into Nathaniel¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Well, it is an ordinary topic. It is a hypothesis that some schrs have suggested for hundreds of years, so there is nothing special about it. Personally, I don¡¯t believe it. Just¡ª¡±


    Youngwoo raised his head and listened carefully.


    Nathaniel¡¯s movement of putting down the tea cup and getting up from the sofa was linked as smoothly as flowing water. There was nothing unnecessary in her actions. Even her hand gestures exuded dignity. It was reminiscent of the movements of the noble beings often witnessed in Satisfy.


    ¡°I feel that Morpheus thinks differently.¡±


    Finally, it was time get down to business. It was best to keep his mouth shut when he was uncertain. It was because the other person would take care of it.


    ¡°The cases where a yer¡¯s in-game experience affects reality has bemon for many years already. Your case is a typical example. This is the ¡®change in rankers¡¯ that I previously mentioned,¡± Nathaniel said while approaching the window.


    The calm steps of an aristocrat made no noise.


    ¡°Recently, there have been more and more causes of ordinary yers who aren¡¯t rankers experiencing changes. There are many cases of vision and nerve tissue being restored. The recovery of vision has been achieved with medical VR since over a century ago, but the case of dead tissue regenerating itself has caused a stir in the medicalmunity.¡±


    It was seen a few times in articles on the Inte. There were people who imed that the burn scars disappeared on their own. Of course, they were treated as liars. It didn¡¯t make sense for people to get rid of their burn scars just because they yed Satisfy.


    However, the current point wasn¡¯t Satisfy, but the capsules.


    Youngwoo smiled as he recalled how Nathaniel had first mentioned capsules.


    ¡°In the future,rge hospitals must have diamond-ss capsules made by the Comet Group.¡±


    He meant it as a joke, but¡ª


    ¡°That has already been going on for a long time. Yet coincidentally, the Comet Group¡¯s market share is low,¡± Nathaniel replied seriously.


    Youngwoo¡¯s poker face almost copsed for the first time. He started to want her to get to the point. Nevertheless, he decided to shut his mouth without urging her. He didn¡¯t want to be at a disadvantage by appearing nervous or making a mistake.


    In the end, Nathaniel had no choice but to bring it up herself, ¡°Morpheus is preparing for something.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°This is based on the yers¡¯ regeneration and long-term evolution.¡±


    Was Morpheus using the capsules to evolve yers? How was that possible?


    Youngwoo was so flustered that he immediately wanted to refute it. However, he remembered there was no reason to be Morpheus¡¯ spokesman and endured it.


    ¡°Under these suspicious circumstances, Ghamid has recently disappeared again.¡±


    Ghamid¡ªit was the name given to the asteroid that had been heading to Earth for around 5-6 years and had been disappearing repeatedly. It meant mystery in Arabic. There was a rumor that the first NASA employee who discovered it was of Arab descent, but this was only a rumor. He didn¡¯t know the details.


    ¡°I told you that I revered and observed Satisfy, right? In fact, we were trying to develop a second Satisfy, just like otherpanies. Then after 11 years of failure, I became very suspicious of Chairman Lim Cheolho...¡±


    Was it out of an intention to prove she was telling the truth or simply the habit of a business person?


    Nathaniel never shied away from Youngwoo¡¯s gaze as she spoke.

 Chapter 1923

    Chapter 1923


    Nathaniel¡¯s subsequent words caused a series of shocks. Her next words were that the 33 scientists who developed the shocking virtual reality were ordinary until they met Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    The source of the rumor that Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s initial capital was unusually small was quite reliable. Schrs who had peaked in each field had grasped the construction principles of virtual reality, but were unable to implement it.


    Capsule makers couldn¡¯t produce capsules on their own without certainponents provided by the S.A Group. There was also the fact that the S.A Group was one step ahead of NASA in discovering Ghamid, etc.


    In the course of researching the S.A Group for dozens of reasons, big and small, she came across a number of cases where the yers changed. She dug into them and came to the conclusion that Morpheus was preparing for something...


    Nathaniel really conveyed a lot of information to Youngwoo.


    ¡°This is all the information I discovered by mobilizing all of my family¡¯s capabilities. I swear on my honor, there is a lot of credibility to it.¡±


    ¡°...So why are you telling me this?¡± Youngwoo broke the silence and pointed out the most important part.


    He didn¡¯t directly respond to the information provided by Nathaniel. He wasn¡¯t sure about the authenticity of the information, nor did he have the knowledge to make his own judgments.


    Nathaniel sat on the sofa, took a sip of cold coffee, andughed. ¡°I told you that I have been watching you for a long time.¡±


    There seemed to be a lot of implications in her words.


    Youngwoo realized something. ¡°...Are you interested in me too?¡±


    ¡°Ye... s?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Nathaniel¡¯s white face btedly turned red. She went through a form of embarrassment she had never experienced in her life before. She realized that the interest Youngwoo mentioned was a crush. It was ridiculous. In reality and in Satisfy, he was loved by so many people of the opposite sex that he seemed to have reached the point where he thought every woman in the world loved him.


    She was unable to handle Youngwoo¡¯s eyes, which started looking her up and down as if evaluating her. She hurriedly exined, ¡°It isn¡¯t a crush.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m d.¡± Youngwoo was relieved.


    Nathaniel was as beautiful as a doll, but she was too thin. Above all, Youngwoo had Yura and Jishuka. He wasn¡¯t interested in women other than them. Hadn¡¯t he already received too much consideration and forgiveness from them? He wouldn¡¯t be human if he disappointed them again.


    ¡°......¡±


    Nathaniel¡¯s eyes turned dark when she was dumped after not even confessing, but it was none of Youngwoo¡¯s business. Nathaniel sighed and correctly the flow of the conversation. ¡°Let me tell you a bit more precisely. It is the reason why Imitted the rude action ofing unannounced today after watching you for so long.¡±


    ¡°It is because I was strongly convinced that you would be the main yer in any event or era that Morpheus seems wary of.¡±


    ¡°Also, now that you have witnessed Reba¡¯s position, I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to convey this fact.¡±


    Youngwoo thought hard and nodded. ¡°...Certainly. If I had met you before I saw Reba¡¯s despair after she realized that the world she lived in was nothing more than a game... I probably would¡¯ve dismissed anything you said as nonsense. You came to me at the right time when I logged out.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Nathaniel was dazed for a moment. For her, who was born an aristocrat and lived an upper-ss life, Youngwoo¡¯s way of speaking was strange and radical in many ways.


    ¡°...In any case, I wanted to tell you this even if it meant taking some of your precious time.¡± Nathaniel adjusted her expression and stood up, her eyes still clear and deep. This was even though she was somewhat shaken by the aftermath of the trauma. ¡°I hope you will calmly respond to any changes that will suddenlye one day.¡±


    This was the conclusion of the conversation. The reason why Nathaniel hade such a long way was finally revealed. The way she lowered her head, as if asking for a favor, was so serious that Youngwoo couldn¡¯tugh at her at all.


    ¡°...I guess the point of change is the day that the asteroid falls?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it is only a guess. It is impossible for us to figure out the true identity of Ghamid. We can¡¯t know exactly what Morpheus is preparing for until we figure out Ghamid. Everything I told you today could be nothing more than nonsense, to borrow your own words.¡±


    Youngwoo said, ¡°You are quite honest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to arm myself with lies when dealing with you. The next time we meet again, you will have to trust me. It is because the day we meet again will be after the change hase.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    Shin Youngwoo nodded silently. For a moment, Nathaniel got a chill. No, if she had to confess honestly, she had goosebumps all over her body from start to finish.


    Youngwoo¡¯s restrained movements and breathing were extraordinary. Throughout the conversation today, Youngwoo sat down without showing anything. He never revealed his true feelings. Nathaniel was the only one talking. Youngwoo asionally added the right amount of words to get all the information he wanted.


    Looking back, from the moment when Youngwoo started talking nonsense about her having a crush on him, Nathaniel¡¯s breathing copsed significantly. She showed her inner feelings to the point where it was somewhat excessive.


    ¡®I was targeted.¡¯ She could vaguely feel the temperament of an Absolute, which she only encountered in Satisfy. On the contrary, she thought that his appearance in reality was more trustworthy and mysterious. She never expected that a person who was always so bold in public situations would actually be this quiet and thorough. She never expected it.


    ¡®Is the personality he shows as Grid, not Youngwoo, a persona he created?¡¯


    It could be interpreted as an effort to highlight his human side so that the public and his colleagues didn¡¯t feel distant from him.


    Nathaniel smiled faintly and bowed. ¡°Thank you again for your time today. Then I¡¯m going back.¡±


    ¡°Make a proper appointment the next time youe. Then I¡¯ll treat you to a meal. I won¡¯t m the door on you even if your words today are nonsense.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you part of the Overgeared Guild?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Nathaniel eventuallyughed and left.


    ¡°......¡±


    Youngwoo was left alone and went about his business as usual. He exercised to maintain his physical strength, chewed his food thoroughly, washed thoroughly, and worefortable and clean clothes. He prepared for his turn as Satisfy¡¯s situation wasmunicated to him in real-time through his logged out colleagues. The information he received from Nathaniel was constantly organized in his head.


    ¡®Lauel will handle it.¡¯


    The future that had yet toe¡ªhe couldn¡¯t afford to waste his mind on a spection that was close to a conspiracy theory. For Youngwoo, this was the most important moment. The crisis he clearly identified and the future he had to protect were still in Satisfy.


    [Log in.]


    Thendscape changed. The transcendent sensations that could never be felt in reality were revived.


    Grid immediately had insight into the situation.


    ...No, he honestly didn¡¯t understand anything.


    Why was Braham being killed by Chiyou here? Where had the Old Dragons disappeared to when they should be tied up by Chiyou?


    At this point, the Trauka subjugation group had just received theirpensation. By the time the world message associated with it had shed up, Grid was looking at the login screen. Coincidentally, the timing was staggered. It was just before the rapidly changing situation wasmunicated to Grid.


    ¡°Again... are you trolling again?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham was briefly dazed by Grid suddenly appearing and talking nonsense. On the one hand, he felt unfair and frustrated. On the other hand, he wondered if his choice was wrong.


    He had been stabbed by Chiyou.


    Grid didn¡¯t sit idly by to let him die. The use of Shunpo and the redistribution of stats were carried out almost simultaneously. Chiyou was hit by the six fusion sword dance. In an instant, the magic activated by Braham traveled through the same time as an Absolute.


    Just before Defying the Natural Order reached Chiyou, Braham shattered Chiyou¡¯s self-defense.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    [Critical!]


    [...!]


    [...!!]


    [.....!!!]


    [You have caused significant damage to Martial God Chiyou!]


    The damage dealt was unusual. Previously during his fair (?) showdown with Chiyou in Reinhardt a while ago, he shed Chiyou 37 times. Now he only shed Chiyou 9 times and dealt much more damage.


    ¡°You...?¡± The way Grid looked at Braham changed.


    [The God of the Beginning, Hanul, is amazed.]


    The sky of the east was astonished.


    [The title ¡®One Who Met the Martial God¡¯ has changed to ¡®One Who Looks Down on the Martial God.¡¯]


    [Ultimate Martial Art has broken away from Chiyou¡¯s influence.]


    Taang, taang, taang...


    Grid¡¯s Ultimate Martial Art now had the sound of forging, not a bell. Chiyou¡¯s weapon bent like it had been hit by a hammer as he fought back.


    Grid¡¯s martial ability didn¡¯t allow the target to be armed. It was simr to a stun in that it caused an inability to fight, but it was much more powerful. It far exceeded the potential that Chiyou had predicted.

 Chapter 1924

    <h4>Chapter 1924</h4>


    ¡°......¡±2


    Martial God Chiyou¡ªthe strongest Absolute¡ªwas rarely silent. This situation was just that strange.0


    Chiyou¡¯s weapon was a divine object that repeatedly responded to the will of its master and achieved its current form. It shouldn¡¯t have been influenced by external forces.Yet surprisingly, it was significantly bent.0


    ¡°It is like having an arm amputated.¡±0


    The disfigured weapon was released from Chiyou¡¯s grasp. After spending eons with its master, it reached the end of its usefulness and fell to the distant ground.0


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know your true potential.¡±0


    Clear eyes contemted Grid¡ªat first nce, the orange divinity looked like a hammer. He thought that the dragon that appeared on the outside was nothing more than a pattern engraved on a hammer.1


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have attacked you carelessly.¡±0


    Grid ignored Chiyou¡¯s admiration and asked, ¡°Where are the Old Dragons?¡±0


    [Ultimate Martial Art]0


    [Passive.0


    There is a high probability of it urring when attacking an enemy or defending against an enemy attack.0


    It unconditionally destroys the item that the target is equipped with. At this time, it inflicts a stun that has a normal probability of being unable to be resisted or released.0


    This effect doesn¡¯t distinguish between the target¡¯s status, race, or rank.0


    The duration of the stun is from a minimum of 1 second to a maximum of 8 seconds.]0


    In fact, Grid was very surprised by the effect of Ultimate Martial Art that suddenly evolved, but... there was no reason to show it outwardly.It had been a long time since Grid started perceiving Chiyou as an enemy.It was a foolish thing to do to reveal his true feelings to his enemies.0


    ¡°As you can see, the Old Dragons are gone. Your first apostle sent them away. You should talkdownto me.¡±0


    ¡°......?¡±1


    Chiyou¡®s response was gentle but he added nonsense.He looked like a lunatic to Braham.0


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me... the Old Dragons would¡¯ve already... eliminated Chiyou and left...¡± Braham opened his mouth with difficulty and exined, but it had no effect.0


    Grid¡¯s gaze toward him was still chilly. He seemed to havepletely believed that Braham was trolling.Braham felt it was unfair, but he also felt it was something he deserved.He decided to receive his karma rather than exining in detail.0


    To be more precise, he was exhausted.He was using blood magic to stop the bleeding, but he had suffered too many serious wounds. He didn¡¯t have the physical strength to open his mouth while he was dizzy.0


    ¡°How did you just do that?¡±Of course, Grid was also aware of Braham¡¯s condition.This was a ce where the gaze of a God of the Beginning, who exerted a huge presence like he was the sky, was focused on.Additionally, there was Martial God Chiyou in front of him. He was an invincible man even with no weapons.The situation wasn¡¯t good. Grid had to figure a way out.0


    ¡°Ma... gic...¡± Braham barelyswallowed down hisblood and replied. Every time he opened his mouth, he felt cold air blowing directly into his heart. It was the aftermath of the huge hole in his chest.0


    ¡°Magic...?¡±Grid¡¯s eyes widened.The reason why Chiyou walked around with only adopowas because he didn¡¯t need armor. He was a monster who tempered his colorless divinity so it was like the Absolute Defense and scales of a dragon.0


    However, Braham simply destroyed the Martial God¡¯s divinity with magic.It meant one thing.0


    ¡°Have you finally be aplete Absolute?¡±0


    ¡°Not... yet.¡±0


    ¡°Why?¡± Grid was taken aback and immediately retorted.0


    Just now, Braham destroyed the self-defense of the Martial God.He had aplished an unprecedented feat, so it was natural for him to attain thesupremacyof an Absolute.However, he didn¡¯t get it? Grid didn¡¯t understand it.0


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know?¡±0


    It was the same for Braham, who was unconvinced.0


    Grid didn¡¯t know it, but Braham had caused a major incident by destroying not only Chiyou¡¯s self-defense, but also the magic of the Old Dragons. Moreover, there were the countless achievements he umted through his life. It made no sense for him to not be an Absolute.1


    Yet he was still iplete.It felt as if the whole world was denying him, so Braham was resentful and angry.However, he didn¡¯t have time to exin it in length...0


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die soon... you might be isted, so leave me here... hurry... escape from here."0


    Grid wondered, ¡°Can¡¯t you use that magic again?¡±0


    ¡°I can¡¯t use it... for me, now... I don¡¯t have... even a handful of magic power left."0


    Chiyou had figured out how to kill a magician. He pierced Braham¡¯s mana core with the first hit, so Braham¡¯s magic power wasn¡¯t recovering and was dissipating.0


    ¡°......¡±2


    <em>You never help when it is important.</em>4


    Grid murmured in a very small voice.They were scolding words that linked seamlessly, just like his fusion sword dances.0


    Braham choked up again, but the pain was so intense that he couldn¡¯t say anything.0


    This scene was very interesting to Chiyou. ¡°You are treating someone who brought trouble to me and the Old Dragons so many times in an unpleasant manner...¡±0


    ¡°I have also suffered due to him many times.¡±0


    Grid¡¯s rtionship with Braham had started off as a bad rtionship.Since they both aimed forpavranium, incidents such as the Golem Invasion War urred. Grid went through several crises. Above all, Brahammitted trolling like eating meals even after being on the same side as Grid.0


    ¡°......¡±3


    Braham had many things he wanted to say.In fact, it was Grid who broke his promise first when they initially met.Originally, Grid didn¡¯t even know whatpavraniumwas.It was purely thanks to Braham¡¯s teachings that Grid took everything he needed. Now Grid tried to ce the me on the person he tried to stab in the back. This crossed the line a bit.2


    ¡°Da... mn,¡±the stunned Braham finally cursed. He failed to maintain the etiquette that a person of noble status should keep. It was already the third time today.0


    ¡°He has a very dirty mouth.¡± Chiyou greatly misunderstood Braham and clicked his tongue.0


    Just then, Grid held Braham¡¯s waist and leaped.His stats were still invested all in strength. Thanks to the fact that he stepped on the God Hand he secretly moved under his feet and used it as a propulsion face, the distance he managed to jump was enormous.0


    ¡®We have to escape from here quickly.¡¯0


    The space created by Chiyou had a blurred part to it. It was difficult to activate Shunpo due to poor visibility. Therefore, Grid elerated by continuously kicking off from the God Hands.0


    Chiyou chased after him. ¡°Are you going to leave like this?¡±1


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t answer. This time, he leaped while using the Wave sword dance. However, Chiyou easily disturbed the wavelength of the sword dance with a hand gesture and kept chasing him.0


    ¡°Trauka will have to rest for at least a few hundred years. Bunhelier is only obsessed with the Goddess. The only ones I can count on are Nevartan, Raiders, and you guys.¡±0


    You guys¡ªChiyou was referring to both Grid and Braham.It was a clear testament to Braham¡¯s growth.0


    Grid suddenly felt very moved. He was filled with greater joy than when Ultimate Martial Art evolved.0


    A being who was originally far ahead of him¡ªthe development of Braham, who was a friend and teacher, was what Grid had been longing for more than anyone else.It was just that the situation wasn¡¯t suitable for caring about this.0


    Grid unleashed the six fusion sword dance and Chiyou struck it with the back of his hand.It was a method of blocking the sword attack before it reached full power.0


    ¡°Your potential has finally blossomed. Unfortunately, no matter how great it might be, it isn¡¯t very good against me and the Old Dragons.¡±0


    Weapons and armor¡ªthey weren¡¯t very important concepts for Chiyou and the Old Dragons.Grid¡¯s martial ability, which didn¡¯t allow the enemy to be armed, was actually inferior against the strongest Absolutes.2


    ¡°Let¡¯spete fairly. Stop running and face me squarely.¡±0


    Chiyou¡¯s right fist struck Grid¡¯s side.He shook Grid¡¯s entrails with his skill that made armor meaningless. Then he stretched out his left hand, intending to use a grappling technique to grab the back of Grid¡¯s neck and spin him around.0


    ¡°...You dare.¡±Braham bit his lip and swapped positions with Grid. It was the ovepping utilization of Blink. He squeezed out the minimal magic power barely remaining in his dying body.The target of Chiyou¡¯s grappling technique changed from Grid to Braham.1


    ¡°The two of you are a good match.¡±Chiyou¡¯s eyes met Braham¡¯s, only to let out a feignedugh.0


    In the ce where Braham used to be, Grid swung his sword.Once again, it was a six fusion sword dance.Chiyou failed to fully react to the first two strikes. It was because he was caught off guard by Braham.0


    However, he escaped major damage thanks to his self-defense and he smashed the remaining linked parts of the sword dance with his hand.It just wasn¡¯t aplete defense.This was right after Chiyou had fought the Old Dragons.Additionally, hewas hit by Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance a little while ago.0


    His body didn¡¯t move as he intended.Above all, the mistake of losing his weapon against a swordsman was huge.0


    ¡°...<em>Hah</em>.¡±0


    In the end, Chiyou¡¯s chest was cut and he was pushed backwards. He became somewhat dumbfounded.This was the first time he had been so purely overwhelmed, even if it was only for a moment. Therefore, he was overwhelmed with joy and other unfamiliar emotions.0


    Grid picked up the unconscious Braham and spoke coldly, ¡°We will decide when to kill you.¡±0


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes widened and he slowly smiled. ¡°You are finally speaking down to me. You deserve to do this.¡±7


    A lunatic¡ªthis was Grid¡¯s sentiment. The words didn¡¯te out smoothly.He took out King Daebyeol¡¯s Bow and quickly fired it.0


    ¡°Be respectful to me the next time we meet.¡±0


    ¡°...You are acting to this extent?¡± Chiyou cocked his head as he snatched the arrows made of divinity.Then he soon shrugged as if he liked it.0


    ¡°It is a great spirit.¡±0


    Grid¡¯s choice to confront the madman with madness was excellent.0


    ¡°I¡¯ll give up today¡¯s flimsy opportunity for the sake of future joy.¡±0


    Chiyou stopped pursuing him.In the first ce, the distance had widened considerably when Grid fired his bow.0


    ¡°Please make me bow to you.¡± Chiyou made a sincere request.0


    Grid could only give one answer to this.He raised his middle finger.He soon left Chiyou¡¯s domain and used Shunpo repeatedly.2


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Additionally, congrattions,¡± Grid said his bted greeting to Braham, who was in a daze.The reason he previously scolded Braham wasn¡¯t out of resentment. He wanted Braham to shut up while he was dying.0


    Meanwhile, the guild messages he hadn¡¯t been able to check were constantly being updated.0


    ***0


    ¡°I think they are being pushed back again...?¡±0


    On Reidan¡¯s outer wall, the crowd roared.All of them had magic telescopes held up to their eyes, except for the archers with advanced eyesight.They were watching the battle in the desert.The elite members of the Overgeared Guild who dragged the Trauka raid to the brink of sess¡ªthey were pushed to the limit when angels came down from heaven and attacked them.0


    People thought that the Overgeared Guild would suffer devastating damage today.0


    This was when theworld messagesappeared.The rapidly strengthened Overgeared Guild started to fight back against the army of angels. The one-sided battle changed and became more intense.This was until iridescent magic rained down from among the angels.0


    ¡°What is that monster...?¡±0


    Among the angels, there was one existence that particrly stood out.He seemed very adept at strategy and tactics, using unprecedented forms of magic to iste Zeratul and the apostles at the right time and ce.It felt like he was adjusting the flow of the battlefield.0


    Thanks to this, the movements of the angels were organically linked. The members of the Overgeared Guild were gradually put on the defensive.0


    ¡°Judar is the God of Wisdom for a reason.¡± Vantner clicked his tongue.0


    Judar¡ªit was clear that he even calcted that the members of the Overgeared Guild would be stronger after receiving the settlement rewards.The proof was that the hundreds of angels in the army were maintained at a level that properly overwhelmed them.0


    The fact that they had no time to rest was fatal. Resources such as health, mana, and stamina were on the verge of being depleted.There was absolutely no solution to this unless the colleagues who were forced to log out came back using a bug...0


    Lauel also seemed to have realized this.0


    ¡°We have to make every effort to open the way for the tower members.¡±0


    <em>Don¡¯t carelessly seek victory.</em>0


    It happened at the moment when Lauel made the well-being of the tower members his top priority...0


    [Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ has appeared.]6


    The sky turned red.At the same time, waves of sword energy poured down and crushed all the spears of the angels.The sight of scattering metal fragments spreading like snowkes was unrealistically beautiful. It made people forget that this was a battlefield.

 Chapter 1925

    Chapter 1925


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    The crowds gathered on the outer wall rubbed their eyes or checked the condition of their telescopes. However, the sight in front of them didn¡¯t change.


    The angels with halos above their heads¡ªthe heavenly army, sweeping through the battlefield with solemn expressions, all of them lost their weapons at the same time. They couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. It was like a dream.


    They were just spectators. The angels were caught up in the disaster that came without warning and were even more shocked. Then the angels quickly regained theirposure. They were all in a Trinity. Thanks to the blessing of the God of Wisdom, they were even able to ovee the dimensional effects of the Overgeared World.


    In the first ce, it was a matter of life or death.


    The angels knew it¡ªthe owner of this divinity, which was turning the clouds orange, had a track record of extinguishing even an archangel.


    The only angel to maintain an expressionless face opened his mouth, ¡°Take out your halos.¡±


    With a single sentence, hemanded hundreds of angels andpleted a number of spells that matched the number of angels in a split second. Then a loud glow exploded through the entire battlefield. It was the angel of the halos above the angels¡¯ heads turning iridescent.


    ¡°This magic power...?¡± Braham, who had been in Grid¡¯s arms, came to his senses.


    He coughed up blood the moment he opened his mouth and Grid frowned. ¡°Just be quiet. You talk a lot, really.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The halos of the angels were moving rapidly. They aimed at Grid like they were guns and they each shot a beam of light. The power of the divinity-based beam of light was amplified by iridescent magic power. If hit by the hundreds of beams, even an Absolute being like a dragon or Grid would be seriously injured.


    ¡®Mumud.¡¯


    The angel in the form of a slender man¡ªGrid had aplicated expression as he identified the angel who was leading the angel army with mysterious magic. Of course, there was no hesitation in his actions. He avoided all the beams using Shunpo and fell into the middle of the battlefield. The problem was that Mumud clearly predicted his actions.


    A huge magic circle activated the moment Grid stepped on the ground. Originally, it was a magic trap that would¡¯ve caused a terrible explosion and hurt Grid quite badly. However, there was Braham in Grid¡¯s arms. He had restored some of his mana core and gathered some magic power on the way here. This allowed him to intervene in the magic circle in real-time.


    ¡°...Amazing.¡±


    Mumud was amazed when the multi-explosion magic that should¡¯ve engulfed Grid turned into multi-shield magic that protected Grid. Grid was so angry that his temples twitched.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you please stay still?¡±


    Twilight and Defying the Natural Order, held in both of Grid¡¯s hands, were moving without hesitation. Every time his left and right hands made a horizontal movement, the heads of six or seven angels fell off and blood spurted out in an explosive manner.


    However, there was formidable resistance from the angels. They lost their weapons but they fired sharp feathers like they were swords, while emitting rays from the halos still aiming at Grid. It was likeunching a wide-area attack with great lethal power.


    Grid had thought about it¡ªif the entire Overgeared Guild and the angel army faced off, thousands of ordinary members, except for the elites of the guild, would suffer devastating damage.


    ¡®What type of bastard angels specialize in killing people?¡¯


    They weren¡¯t angels, they were assassins. They were like those born to kill people.


    ¡®I¡¯m not much different...¡¯ Grid thought when seeing the reflection of himself in the wavering eyes of the angels. ¡®...Am I like these guys?¡¯


    Suddenly, he felt his irritation surging. The speed at which Grid moved among the angels gradually elerated. He didn¡¯t get hurt at all in the process. It was thanks to the shields that Braham converted from Mumud¡¯s magic and covered Grid with. A rainbow, shimmering shield surrounded Grid inyers.


    The power of the mana shield, which was activated based on Mumud¡¯s magic power, was very outstanding. Of course, it wasn¡¯t invincible. Every time it was attacked by angels, the shield¡¯s durability weakened. It came offyer byyer. It waspletely gone by the time nearly half the angels had died.


    ¡°Now.¡± Mumud had umted his magic power to the limit and activated great magic.


    The battlefield turned white. It was as if all the noise around him disappeared as a huge thunderbolt fell toward Grid¡¯s head.


    The greatest advantage of lightning magic was its speed. Mumud was clearly conscious of Braham. The thunderbolt of magic power was created so that it wouldn¡¯t be stolen along the way.


    Grid¡¯s face became stained with blood.


    ¡®Itpletely ignores not only magic resistance, but also attribute resistance.¡¯


    The genius magician who earned Braham¡¯s jealousy¡ªhis magic was basically equipped with the advantages of Braham¡¯s enhanced magic. Except for the power, it was correct to say it was an upgraded version. In a way, it was natural. At some point, he brought out the jealousy of the being who would be the God of Magic in the future.


    ¡°Mumud...¡± Braham repeated the name of his old disciple. Every time, he could feel his breathing fade in real-time while losing blood.


    Grid red at this foolish figure with resentment, only to be aware of something. His anger, which had been soaring for a while, was something that started from the moment he witnessed Braham having his heart pierced by Chiyou.


    Chiyou was such a bastard today. Grid knew that Braham would be resurrected if he died, but Grid didn¡¯t want him to experience the pain of death. Even if he put aside his personal feelings, there was nothing good about dying as a god. The loss of status was too big.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Braham. Today, a lot of people must¡¯ve suffered tremendously because of his choice. In fact, Hayate was said to have lost his soul and fell into aa. The unusual appearance of Zeratul and Biban, who were unable to overwhelm the angels, appeared right in front of his eyes.


    In the end, as always, Grid acted on his own. That was why he was even angrier. He was strongly aware of this but he had no regrets.


    ¡®This is the right thing to do.¡¯


    He must never side with the dragons. He couldn¡¯t allow his precious people to lose their dignity just because this world was nothing more than a game...


    Grid¡¯s vision was finally clear as he regained hisposure. His face, which had been red with anger, returned to its usual color. His radical movements regained some organization. The feathers and rays that were used to make the unshielded Grid bloody were no longer effective. They kept losing their target and started going astray.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve developed some technology in heaven.¡±


    Grid realized that the angels¡¯ movements were quite light and finally noticed it¡ªit was the fact that the angels were immune to the dimensional effects of the Overgeared World. Just as the blessing of Gourmet Dragon Raiders gave him immunity to the dimensional effects, some god must¡¯ve bestowed a blessing on the angels. Most likely, the identity of the god was Judar. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to continue to develop new techniques when he was the God of Wisdom. Furthermore, he had sent Dominion and Asura to the surface not long ago. He had sufficient data.


    In a situation where Grid was hostile to the dragons, Asgard was never an easy opponent. Nevertheless, what could he do...?


    We are strong as well.


    Grid experienced ¡®growth¡¯ for the first time in ages due to the evolved Ultimate Martial Art. Therefore, he believed in himself. He also believed in his colleagues who had defeated an Old Dragon. There was no fear.


    ¡°Mumud.¡±


    Grid¡¯s killing proceeded more efficiently after he regained his sense of reason. He didn¡¯t swing his sword randomly due to being blinded by anger. Instead, he used the sword dances at the right time.


    Mumud was watching as the number of subordinates decreased rapidly. Then his eyes suddenly widened.


    The crazy god had always shown bizarre behavior. The man, who had been rampaging like a madman as rumored, was now looking at him with warm eyes. His attitude waspletely different from when he looked at the other angels. He even knew Mumud¡¯s name.


    ¡°This was your teacher when you were alive.¡±


    The crazy god gestured with his eyes to the man he was holding in his arms. Seeing him talk about things that weren¡¯t appropriate for the situation, this was truly a crazy god.


    Mumud felt a great deal of reluctance, but he still observed the appearance of the silver-haired man.


    The God of Magic¡ªMumud was familiar with him. Then he startedughing. ¡°I had a great magician as my teacher. I must¡¯ve been very happy as a human being.¡±


    ¡°...Mumud...¡± Braham was flustered. He felt so bad that his face was contorted under the weight of his guilt.


    This was why people shouldn¡¯t livemitting sins.


    Grid let out a deep sigh. Then while ughtering the angels around him again, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll spare you, so just leave.¡±


    ¡°I am Mumud, the angel. I¡¯m not Mumud, the disciple of Braham...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Lich Mumud as well.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°It is insignificant.¡±


    Grid felt tremendous fatigue today. In retrospect, it seemed that the conversation he had with Nathaniel consumed a lot of his mental strength. He didn¡¯t want to face aplicated situation, at least, not today. It meant he didn¡¯t want to hurt Braham¡¯s disciple and hurt Braham even further.


    Grid used multiple wide-area sword dances. Before he knew it, the angels on the battlefield had turned to ash and Mumud was the only one left alive.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± There was no reason to die here when there was a way to live. Mumud bowed his head respectfully and cast return magic.


    His eyes were on Braham, not Grid. His thanks was directed to his old teacher, not the crazy god.


    Braham¡¯s expression darkened even more, but Grid couldn¡¯t care about this.


    ¡®He knows good manners.¡¯


    Mumud was a good guy in his life, so Braham was gued with guilt for so many years.


    Grid put away Twilight and Defying the Natural Order and pulled out the Emperor''s Sword. He stood tall on the blood-soaked battlefield and caught sight of Reidan in the distance. He was bothered by the yers gathered on the outer wall.


    [You have used the authority of the Emperor to ess the city¡¯s information.]


    It was one of thergest cities representing the Empire and a long list of information emerged. However, there was only one area that Grid paid attention to.


    [Poption: 1,270,199.]


    ¡°Lauel.¡± Finally, Grid shifted his gaze in the direction of his colleagues.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How many people were there in Reidan?¡±


    ¡°Exactly 1,270,199 people. The poption has steadily decreased after it was transformed into a full-fledged alchemy city...¡± Lauel rushed over and replied. His answer was smooth thanks to his genius memorization skill.


    Grid nodded and returned the Emperor''s Sword to his inventory.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d.¡±


    If the poption of Reidan had decreased by even one... If any of the yers watching the battle as spectators took advantage of the disturbance and harmed Reidan...


    Grid¡¯s ughter wouldn¡¯t have ended.


    That was how sensitive Grid was today.


    It was perfectly normal. If anyone wasfortable fighting a war, then they would be a monster in human clothing.


    ***


    ¡°I have to hit Trauka.¡±


    It was as the soldiers from Reidan were clearing up the battlefield. Grid exchanged greetings with his colleagues who worked hard and listened to Lauel¡¯s report. Then he came to this conclusion. Everyone was stunned, but Lauel smiled.


    ¡°That is for the best.¡±


    It was a war where dozens of dragons cooperated. Each dragon was at the level of an Absolute while the power of the Empire was limited. Even the territory to be defended was toorge. There was absolutely no answer if the dragons were left to run wild.


    Defending the cities was practically impossible.


    Therefore, strike first. The reason why he was aiming for the dragon without a heart was because the dragons had formed an organization. They would try to protect Trauka at all costs. Losing a powerful boss would jeopardize the organization. This meant they would pay the price ofing together as one.


    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s wait for news from Knight. If we regain Hayate¡¯s soul while our power recovers and attack their together, we can increase the odds...¡±


    Grid told him, ¡°I will go right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lauel was confused while giving his opinion. There were strong doubts in his eyes as he looked at his ruler, who was getting smarter by the day.


    ¡°...Aren¡¯t you too excited right now?¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like it just by looking at Grid¡¯s face?


    Lauel was cocking his head in confusion. Then Grid delivered important news to him, ¡°The Rothschild family came to visit me. One day, if Ghamid crashes into Earth, then it can change the world. Morpheus is preparing for this and strengthening yers in reality as well.¡±


    Lauel was stunned. He slowly opened his mouth while feeling like a fool from the neighborhood, ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Grid patted him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Do your research on it.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait...!¡±


    Lauel barely regained his mind and tried to grab Grid, but he was unsessful.


    Grid soared into the sky while saying, ¡°I am stronger than I thought. So don¡¯t worry and wait.¡±


    Reba¡¯s faith, which was regrettably sealed in a secret story, instilled strong confidence in him. Of course, it looked absurd in the eyes of those who didn¡¯t know the circumstances.

 Chapter 1926

    Chapter 1926


    ¡°I think his madness got worse, right?¡±


    Zeratul clicked his tongue as he silently watched Grid disappeared and reappeared a few times using Shunpo, before finally disappearing underground.


    Zeratul had been Grid¡¯s enemy for many years and he only recently became an ally. He was able to evaluate Grid more objectively than anyone else. Zeratul thought that Grid, who didn¡¯t seem to know his opponent, had been crazy since he was a human. Now looking at him, Grid seemed even crazier.


    Breaking into Trauka¡¯sir? It was right that it was the best n.


    It was impossible to use a defense strategy when fighting against dragons. Dragons could destroy the fortresses that humanity built all over the continent with a single p of their wings. Unless every city was covered with a lid, all of human civilization would disappear into ashes with a single Breath from a dragon.


    The best strategy was to attack Trauka and force the dragons to take the defensive. The problem was that Grid was going alone. This went beyond arrogance and was suicidal.


    ¡°His Majesty is a bit far from normal, but he isn¡¯t incapable of discerning things. He won¡¯t overdo it. I think he will probably focus on buying time while we recover by attracting the attention of the enemy. I don¡¯t know if it is a well-thought out n or if he is just doing it instinctively, but...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s words trailed off as he was giving the exnation. Even he had a hard time seeing Grid¡¯s true intentions. He was also distracted. It was because he heard that Nathaniel, who visited Grid in reality, talked meaningful nonsense. He didn¡¯t think there was any solid basis for her prediction, but he was reluctant to just ignore it. He realized that his hair loss was going to worsen again for a while.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for now. I have to check the rewards I received.¡±


    As Lauel was worrying about hair loss, the person with a bald head stepped in. Lauel became even more anxious, but he put aside his personal feelings for the time being.


    ¡°Yes, do so. I even opened special stats and new characteristics despite only being ranked 173 in the raid. However, I haven¡¯t adapted to them, so I wasn¡¯t able to use them properly against the angels. Those who performed greater than me have probably acquired skills, so I think you will all have to work hard for a while to adapt.¡±


    ¡°173rd? Why are you number 173? Why are you higher than me?¡±


    The world message only mentioned the top 20 individuals who contributed to the defeat of Trauka. There was no way to figure out who was ranked more than 21st ce unless they were a participant. Vantner¡¯s ranking was 200th. He was far below Lauel, who retired from active duty a long time ago. Vartner couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    Lauel shook his head. ¡°You never blocked a Breath, right? Do you think a tank who failed to y the role of a tank deserves to be jealous of his colleagues?¡±


    ¡°Kraugel cut the Breath of the Fire Dragon. What do you expect me to do? Instead, I blocked magic and storms several times.¡±


    Lauel said, ¡°I changed the climate and weakened Trauka a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you only weaken it by 0.01%?¡±


    ¡°Trauka was so powerful that this was enough to be recognized as the 173rd ce contribution. Even if you managed to block some magic at most, the contribution of the tank who couldn¡¯t save his allies and survived alone is bound to be lower than me.¡±


    ¡°What would people do if the magic exploded and caused ssh damage...? This is unfair.¡±


    ¡°You are dwelling on trivial rankings. In any case, humans are greedy and narrow-minded. That¡¯s why there are so many people obsessed with my secret techniques. Tsk.¡± Zeratul red pitifully at Lauel and Vantner, who were arguing over something trivial. Then he sat down on the sand.


    It was a situation where Saintess Ruby was looking after Braham. Zeratal had to recover on his own and he was capable of doing so. He changed the cycle of divinity and focused on recovery, causing his wounds to heal quickly. However, the various types of resources consumed when he used all types of martial arts were still depleted. He would have to recuperate for at least half a day to ensure fullpletion.


    ¡°4th ce.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zeratul was trying to concentrate on recovery when he doubted his ears. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the half-dead person lying across from him.


    ¡°I guess being 4th ce is embarrassing. That is why you dismiss and turn away, disparaging the rankings that contributed to defeating the Fire Dragon as insignificant.¡±


    The identity of the half-dead person was Biban. He was still upset by Zeratul¡¯s attitude of looking down on humans.


    Zeratul¡¯s temples twitched. ¡°The guy who would be wandering through hell by now if it wasn¡¯t for me is talking shamelessly. The way you are barking in an unruly manner is like seeing a dog.¡±


    ¡°I am 2nd ce. Doesn¡¯t this mean you are worse than a dog?¡±


    ¡°If I had arrived at the battlefield earlier than you, I would¡¯ve been in 2nd ce.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s conscience didn¡¯t allow him to say he would be 1st ce. Hayate¡¯s performance was that unique.


    Biban snorted. ¡°Your 2nd ce reward would¡¯ve been paid in hell.¡±


    ¡°Why does this guy keep barking? I am the Martial God. Are there only crazy people here?¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s face, which was always red, heated up as if it was about to explode. The tip of his raised eyebrows that looked like an upside down sickle trembled.


    As the atmosphere became unusual, Piaro approached. He was going to mediate between them.


    Before Piaro could say anything, Zeratul opened his mouth, ¡°Farmer.¡±


    A farmer was an apostle of God? Some people might¡¯ve showed difort, but Piaro¡¯s expression was bright. To him, being called a farmer wasn¡¯t something to be ashamed of. It was a title that was higher and more precious than anything else. It was a job that expanded his life.


    Zeratul also understood¡ªthe experience of being able to breathe easier once Piaro caused all types of nts to grow in the desert heated up by Trauka was very impressive.


    ¡°Is there no alcohol? Sometimes alcohol is made after a harvest.¡±


    What type of drink did he ask from an apostle of a god? Someone should¡¯ve scolded him, but everyone instead kept their mouths shut. It was because Piaro took out a jar and was dly handing it to Zeratul.


    ¡°You are good at looking at people. My wife is an elf.¡± Piaro raised his head. Propermunication was the way to open up people¡¯s hearts.


    Zeratul took a gulp of the alcohol in the bottle and his face turned red again. ¡°My anger is cooling down a bit. Maybe it is because your wife is from a race that makes alcohol from dew. You are an alcohol maker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have yours? Let¡¯s drink together.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The heavenly gods naturally enjoyed drinking. They lived for eons and had nothing to do, so it was amon urrence to lie down and drink fruit wine. Looking back on it now, those who just drank and wasted their time were good. Strangely, it was those who didn¡¯t drink who caused idents. It was just like Judar.


    ¡®That isn¡¯t necessarily the case.¡¯


    He still caused trouble even after drinking. He had an extremely short lifepared to other gods.


    Zeratul¡¯s eyes gradually deepened as he reflected on it. All the years he spent doing nonsense to prove he was the Martial God felt fleeting. He just liked this moment. Fighting with some reliable people against incredibly strong opponents erased hisplicated ideas and made him feel relieved. He was able to dly hand over the bottle of alcohol even to that rude guy.


    ¡°You drink too.¡±


    ¡°... I will do so.¡±


    Biban grabbed the bottle that Zeratul had thrown to him and gulped down the alcohol. He didn¡¯t like this lunatic who had been going around on a rampage for a long time while believing he was the Martial God, but it was clear he received this person¡¯s help. He was certain that no one here would¡¯ve survived if it wasn¡¯t for Zeratul today.


    ¡°It is good.¡±


    The clean grain wine that contained the beliefs of a farmer who was once Grid¡¯s teacher¡ªBiban realized that his world had be huge. It was good in many wayspared to the narrow world of the tower.


    The tower members and other apostles started to gather around them.


    ***


    ¡°You would¡¯ve died if you had been attacked even once by an angel. It was lucky. It was really good luck.¡±


    Ruby was relieved as she was treating Braham. It was a situation where the bleeding from the wounds that didn¡¯t heal naturally exceeded the regenerative capacity. Braham¡¯s life had been on the verge of being extinguished.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lucky.¡±


    Braham shook his head as he recalled the sight of Grid covered in blood while fighting the angels.


    ¡°Your brother protected me.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s face, which was exhausted from using heals all day without a break, softened even more.


    People who faced the risk of death because her brother took Reba¡¯s side¡ªshe clearly knew that her brother was responsible for the terrible war that took ce today, but she didn¡¯t me him. She was so thankful. She was proud and happy that her brother, who used to have no friends, had made friends with such kind people.


    Did he read her mind clearly?


    Braham snorted as he stared at Ruby¡¯s ever-changing expression.


    ¡°The reason we respect your brother¡¯s choice and risked our lives isn¡¯t just because we like him. We just believe he made the best choice.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Braham looked up at the sky. The clear sky was very clear after the golden clouds disappeared. His heart gradually became lighter as he thought about how Mumud was living a disease-free life somewhere out there.


    Then he suddenly became angry. He was bothered that the topic of conversation of the people who suddenly started drinking over there was ¡®rewards.¡¯


    ¡°I should¡¯ve fought Trauka too.¡±


    He chased Grid to the East Continent for nothing, got involved in the fight between the Old Dragons and Chiyou for nothing, and was defeated like this... he was the only one who didn¡¯t participate in defeating Trauka and didn¡¯t receive any rewards, so he suffered a huge loss.


    It might be different if he had be an Absolute, but he almost died and lost his status.


    ¡°Braham? Calm down. Your wounds are opening.


    ¡°...I¡¯m bing very angry.¡±


    Braham didn¡¯t know yet that he was the one who saved the subjugation force from being annihted by Nevartan. He would rather not know for the rest of his life. There was no reward anyway.


    ***


    ¡°Are you disappointed in me?¡±


    The underground area of Reidan Desert¡ªGrid btedly realized his mistake, ran to Marie Rose¡¯s castle, and waved.


    ¡°No way? Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do my best and many of Dear Husband¡¯s subordinates died.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression was as aloof as usual. There was a bored smile on her face and she chattered as if talking about something insignificant.


    However, Grid knew¡ªThe fact that an Absolute from birth was discussing the life or death of humans was an unusual thing in itself. She was trying not to show it, but Marie Rose was clearly worried on the inside. She was feeling regret and worrying that her choice was wrong.


    Grid¡¯s tone softened.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it to protect our child? You did your best and you feel guilty that people are dead. That is enough for me. I¡¯m honestly very pleased.¡±


    ¡°...I thought you were disappointed because you left without greeting me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that isn¡¯t possible. I just forgot for a moment...¡±


    Grid¡¯s words stopped midway. It was because Marie Rose¡¯s expression was unusually cold. It was like a beam of light was pouring from her eyes and it was far more threatening than the angels¡¯ beams.


    ¡°Yes... Dear Husband was busy with the recovery work, so you might¡¯ve forgotten about me for a while. It is just a bit shocking that you even forgot about our child.¡±


    Marie Rose had always been kind to Grid. No matter who she was dealing with or the situation, her tone was always dignified. However, now it was a bit cold. Her tone was strangely harsh and it sent chills down Grid¡¯s spine. It felt as if thousands of invisible, blood-stained weapons were aimed at him.


    ¡°I havemitted a sin that deserves death...¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t say anything and simply apologized. The Emperor knew that an irreparable mistake was made, so an apology was the default.


    Before he knew it, Marie Rose approached and hugged him around the neck. She buried his ck hair and white cheeks like porcin into his chest and whispered, ¡°If you want to be forgiven,e back alive and well.¡±


    It was an encouragement to shake off all of Grid¡¯s fears and a pledge to suppress Marie Rose¡¯s own impulses. She was barely holding back her desire to follow Grid. This moment was much more difficult and painful than when he found out the truth about her mother who tried to devour her. However, she had to endure it for the sake of her unborn child.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression finally became calm as he wrapped his hands, which were like a pot lid, around Marie Rose¡¯s head.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    Grid came back up from the desert.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Nefelina was waiting for him. She had been half-dead a moment ago, but since she was a direct descendant of an Old Dragon, she seemed to have recovered quite well.


    Grid said, ¡°The difference between a supercar and apact car is as thin as a sheet of paper.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It means the value of a car depends on who the driver is.¡±


    He wondered if it was because he grew properly for the first time in ages¡ªit felt like he was getting a new realization every moment. Nefelina was tilting her head in confusion. Grid wrapped his arms around her slender neck and looked behind her.


    The blood that formed a river was covered with sand and yellow dust, disappearing without a trace. On it, the tower members, apostles, and members of the Overgeared Guild were drinking.


    A few of them noticed Grid¡¯s look and winked at him. They seemed to be telling him to act moderately because they would soon follow.


    ¡°The yellow sand has settled...¡¯


    Grid had a lighter heart as he moved with Nefelina in his arms.

 Chapter 1927

    Chapter 1927


    It wasn¡¯t hard to find Trauka¡¯sir.


    He was the one who built hisir openly even during the Age of Oblivion.


    If there was a ce that didn¡¯t belong to the Overgeared World even though it was on the West Continent, then it was a dragon¡¯sir. And among them, thergest and least secretive one was Trauka¡¯sir.


    ***


    The scenery of the mountain range, which had never been seen on a map, was mysterious. Hundreds of eastern dragons seemed to be wandering around it.


    ¡°Going to their to collect minerals and going to their to kill a dragon,¡± Grid muttered as he stared at the mountains.


    He had been talking non-stop since a while ago. Nefelina¡¯s spirit was already nervous and sensitive. Then it gradually became fierce because of this. She wondered, ¡°Why do you keep talking to yourself?¡±


    ¡°How am I talking to myself when you are next to me?¡±


    ¡°Were you talking to me? I don¡¯t think you said that while hoping for an answer...¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve answered it wisely. This is proof that your social skills arecking. If you have decided to live a human life, then you should work harder.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so...?¡±


    Even if she was aware of all types of providence from the moment she was born, this was still only knowledge before experience was added. Grid¡¯s opinion was that it wasn¡¯t much different from those who were locked in a small room and only read books.


    The young Nefelina was bound to be at a disadvantage against Grid.


    ¡®Why am I making fun of her?¡¯


    Grid gradually felt sorry and shut up. He had regained his sanity since he saw that Marie Rose and his colleagues were safe. However, it made him even more afraid. It was a situation in which he had to face dozens of dragons. He felt certain that he would die.


    However, there were things people should do. A farmer should harvest crops, a painter should paint, a person with a purpose should study, couples should love each other, etc. Grid also had a job to do, and it was something that only Grid could do. So he was trying to ovee his fears...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Grid eventually moved. It was toward a point where six particrly majestic mountain peaks were concentrated. It was the most central of all the ces that could fully contain Trauka¡¯s huge body, so he thought Trauka would be there.


    It was as he expected.


    [You have left the Overgeared World.]


    From the moment he entered the mountain range, the correction effect of the Overgeared World disappeared. He entered a huge cave and a starry sky opened up in front of him.


    [You have entered their of Fire Dragon Trauka.]


    The grayndscape disturbed his view. Lava gushed out like a tsunami and hardened. A strangely shaped basalt was decorating the ce.


    ¡°It is hot...¡± Grid looked up at the ceiling and murmured after taking a moment to contemte the view of the endless expanse in the cave. He was anxious because he didn¡¯t know when the strangely shaped rocks hanging from the ceiling would turn intova again and pour down.


    Then there was a roar from inside the cave. He couldn¡¯t help wondering if there were dark clouds producing thunderstorms in there. Grid¡¯s expression hardened as he moved while warily watching the strangely shaped rocks on the ceiling shaking from the roar.


    Surprisingly, Nefelina rxed. ¡°It is just snoring.


    ¡°This...? Trauka must be sleeping well.¡±


    ¡°He is so seriously injured that it is surprising he is alive. It isn¡¯t strange if he doesn¡¯t recognize intruders.¡±


    ¡°I was going to wait for Faker.¡±


    Grid was waiting for Faker to log in and then leave the assassination to him.


    ¡®Of course, assassination is meaningless.¡¯


    The purpose was to attract the attention of the dragons...


    Grid pped himself on the face so he wouldn¡¯t forget this. Nefelina stared nkly at the sight. Her eyes were filled with doubt. Then they widened like she realized something.


    ¡°Did you lose your mind?¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it too much to treat me like a crazy person just because I pped myself on the cheek?¡±


    ¡°You have been weird since you said you would go and attack an Old Dragon¡¯sir. You were weird when talking to yourself, and weird when talking to yourself while saying you weren¡¯t talking to yourself.¡°


    ¡®She is doing this while iming that she is siblings with Lord?¡¯


    Grid clicked his tongue whileparing the appearance of his wonderful son, who never spoke back to him, with Nefelina before him. Then he suddenly became engulfed in a new sense of anxiety.


    ¡®What if my new children are influenced by Nefelina?¡¯


    If a child was born who was rude and threw tantrums at his father¡¯s words... it would be pretty sad...


    It was just like this.


    Grid had been moving in a very leisurely manner to the point of not thinking about anything since entering Trauka¡¯sir. He moved so slowly that it seemed like he would lose when racing against a turtle. It was because he was certain that while the owner of their might not be able to detect an intruder, it wouldn¡¯t be the case with the other dragons.


    This meant he was buying time for the enemies toe in droves. Grid¡¯s purpose was to lure all the dragons here. In technical terms, it was driving monsters in one direction.


    ¡°In any case, Nefelina, don¡¯t forget that the moment I get on your back is the signal to retreat.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid started exining the operation that he had already mentioned an unknown number of times.


    First of all, fight peacefully (?) with the enemies. Once things didn¡¯t seem right, board Nefelina and activate Dragon Knight. Then after making as much of a mess as possible, break through the enemy lines and escape just before the duration ended...


    Nefelina understood it as Grid and her escaping together, but Grid nned to let Nefelina escape alone. He was going to fight here until he died. Once he died, he would resurrect ande back.


    ¡®Then my colleagues will join me.¡¯


    Grid no longer distinguished between the tower members, apostles, and members of the Overgeared Guild. Even the gods of the Overgeared World, including Zeratul, were recognized as his colleagues and friends.


    The reason why he didn¡¯t tell his colleagues to recover quickly and join him...


    It was because he knew they would join him even if he didn¡¯t tell them to. That¡¯s right. They were people who would join anyway. Grid couldn¡¯t stop them. They had no choice but to fight together. In the worst-case scenario, someone would die. However, if a dragon was killed thanks to that sacrifice and the survivors gradually built up to the rank of Dragon yer...


    Then they would truly develop the power to protect the world. In any case, there was no choice but to fight.


    ¡®It is a good thing that Bunhelier is solely focused on the Goddess.¡¯


    By now, Eve must be busy helping the Goddess. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t be seen at all, there was a high possibility that this was the case.


    ¡®It is a pity for her as well.¡¯


    She lived for Yatan all her life. Then after Yatan disappeared, she missed Yatan for the rest of her life. Now she was forced to help the Goddess in order to find Yatan¡¯s whereabouts. He thought that Eve was also a person with an eventful life. She took on too many responsibilities as the first human to be created. She wasn¡¯t the one who was born first because she wanted it.


    p!


    Grid realized that his stream of consciousness was getting out of control and pped himself again.


    Before he knew it, he was inside the cave. In fact, it was correct to describe it as a dungeon. It was aplex and wide dungeon where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if hundreds of monsters appeared.


    Sometimes he wandered, sometimes he stopped, and sometimes he went straight ahead without hesitation. The endlessly high and endlessly low spaces revealed the darkness inside. It was so dark that he couldn¡¯t see his hand the moment he reached out.


    In the innermost area, something red like mes were flickering intermittently. It was Fire Dragon Trauka¡¯s scales.


    Lava was flowing through the gaps in the scales that moved every time the Old Dragon snored. It wasva that was generated innately and it healed the Old Dragon as it gradually permeated the skin of the Old Dragon, who was covered with wounds.


    However, it was just a dot on a veryrge canvas. It couldn¡¯t be imagined how long it would take Trauka to recover. It was even said that Trauka¡¯s heart was destroyed... The unseen situation inside his body must be even worse.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid examined Trauka, who showed no signs of waking up, and pulled out an anvil and hammer from his inventory.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nefelina cocked her head. In fact, as far as she was concerned, the best course of action was for Grid to cut Trauka¡¯s throat right away and get the energy of a Dragon yer. However, he took out a hammer and anvil and sat down...


    Grid started to melt metal in thevake. It was ake created by theva flowing down from Trauka¡¯s body.


    Grid replied, ¡°I am making armor for you to wear.¡±


    ¡°All of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you something better than what you are wearing right now. Trauka¡¯s scales have been tempered by theva from his body and are probably incredibly hard.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to kill Trauka than to do that?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible. Trauka is a hostage. It makes sense to keep the hostage alive.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Nefelina imagined dragonsing from all over the continent. The reason they were heading here was to save Trauka. The moment Trauka was killed, they would scatter again. Then it would be hard to predict where they would invade the Empire.


    Taang, taang, taang...


    The Fire Dragon snored behind her back while in front of her, Grid was hammering. She never thought there would be a nightmare like this. Nefelina was bewildered about how such a strange scene was produced. Therefore, she decided to justugh. ¡°Hahahat.¡±


    ¡°What...? Why are youughing?¡±


    Production required a high degree of concentration. Grid¡¯s face was drenched with sweat as he stared at Nefelina in disbelief. Laughing in a situation where she never knew when she was going to die? He felt that she was definitely an Absolute species from birth. It was because most transcendents were insane.


    ¡®Indeed, well...¡¯


    Grid realized anew why the transcendents and Absolutes were half-crazy. The higher up they were, the most hopeless the world became. The distorted hell, the East Continent, the No Offspring Tomb that wanted to be hell itself, the Great Human and Demon War, the betrayal of the gods, the dragons flying in the sky, etc...


    There were too many trials in this world.


    Someone had to be the hope. Grid had always been like this and he couldn¡¯t stop.


    Thump... Thump... Thump...!


    Then the sound of heavy impacts started to be heard. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. The whole dungeon shook each time and it urred one after another. It seemed that the monsters who were born as Absolutes had arrived.


    ¡°It is faster than I thought.¡±


    Grid dressed Nefelina in the small piece of armor that he had justpleted.


    In the meantime, the space fell silent. The noise, which had been loud enough to be heard from the entrance of the dungeon far away, had disappeared like it was all a lie.


    Had the dragons retreated? No way.


    Grid took the Reidan buff potions one after another and put the few remaining Gold Carriage candy into his mouth.


    Step, step, step...


    The sound of human footsteps was getting closer. The beings who soon came from themon entrance were dozens of dragons polymorphed into human form.


    Grid wondered, ¡°Are you worried that your main bodies will destroy their? The guys who were eating each other just a while ago are now very considerate.¡±


    ¡°Grid, what the hell are you thinking? We are deeply grateful that you resurrected the Refractive Dragon and ended the Age of Oblivion, but why do you keep crossing a river that you shouldn¡¯t cross?¡±


    A sense of betrayal could cause anger. The pressure given off by the dragon group surrounding Grid was very fierce.


    Gulp. It happened the moment when Nefelina gulped.


    [Only One God Grid is writing the 30th epic.]


    [The beginning of the narrativees from their of the Fire Dragon.]


    An epic popped up.


    ¡®This stupid guy.¡¯


    Grid burst outughing.


    The system-driven epic¡ªthere was no news in a situation where Grid could¡¯ve killed the Fire Dragon. It appeared now because the system was confident of Grid¡¯s defeat. The system seemed to want to record the 30th epic as Grid¡¯s death. It was inducing Grid to lose everything he had built up in an instant.


    ¡°Will it go as you want...?¡±


    It seemed that talking to himself would be a habit.


    Grid showed little concern as he used a wide-area sword dance. It wasn¡¯t arrogance or a misjudgment. Grid knew that he couldn¡¯t threaten the dragons with just a single sword dance. Even if the attack was sessful, it would only cause scratches. However, the polymorphed dragons were all armed with weapons such as swords, daos, spears, and rods...


    Fortunately, they were all broken.


    ¡°Why are you trying to rely on human tools...? If you are going to fight, fight with your real bodies. Their might copse and kill Trauka, but I think it is better than you having a fistfight.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    [......]


    The dozens of dragons and the system were silent.

 Chapter 1928

    <h4>Chapter 1928 </h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    An awkward confrontation ensued as the group of astonished dragons fell silent.


    It was an unexpected situation for Grid.?In fact, he had predicted that his path would be blocked by dozens of dragons the moment he entered Trauka¡¯sir.?However, the dragons¡¯ reaction was surprisingly slow. Grid thought they would show up instantly using Teleport, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    ¡®Maybe it is because it is air made during the Age of Oblivion.¡¯


    Grid let out augh.?He imagined Trauka applying movement magic blocking spells to their in order to prepare for enemy attacks.?He couldn¡¯t hide hisir due to his pride, but due to his many sins, he needed a safeguard... it was interesting to get a clear glimpse of the conflict that Trauka experienced at the time of hisir being constructed.


    At this moment, the group of dragons held new weapons in their hands.?The form and color were unique from swords, daos, spears, rods, and other weapons.?At first nce, it looked like tails. It felt like the dragons had shrunk their tails and used them as weapons.


    ¡°...We have never tried to rely on human tools. This is our tail shaped as a weapon, not tools created by humans,¡± one dragon exined it. He seemed like a blue dragon since his hair and eyes were blue.


    His expression was so gentle that Grid found it unpleasant.?He suddenly became angry when he thought that the dragon would ughter humans with that expression.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the very concept of weapons created by the weak in the first ce? These words areing from a human. A beast who would¡¯ve been held in my hands as prey if not for encountering human civilization is acting so shamelessly...¡±


    The blue dragon sighed. It was an effort to suppress his anger.?He was an intermediate dragon. He was one of the highest ranking dragons in this group, so he had to be careful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand at all. Why do you hate us so much?¡±


    Grid replied, ¡°It is because you treat humans as bugs.¡±


    ¡°Humans and bugs aren¡¯t so different in the fact that they are ephemeral beings. So why? We even exist to protect humans.¡±


    The blue dragon pointed his finger at the sky.


    ¡°It is actually the Goddess who harms human beings. Have you seen the scene of her destroying the world? Apart from one or two exceptionally lucky people, humanity and the civilization they left behind disappeared without a trace. It has been repeated many times already. The one you should hate is the Goddess. Why turn your de toward us?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t a dragon distinguish between protection and control?¡±


    Grid¡¯s face distorted.


    ¡°Your purpose is to control people ording to what you realized the moment you were born. Isn¡¯t it your purpose to kill people if you think they will be harmful one day, and to intimidate them into living in a way that is reasonable?¡±


    The reasonable thing mentioned here was naturally the rules made by the S.A Group.


    NPCs would live like NPCs.?They would exist solely for the yers.


    The blue dragon didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°It is a possibility. But what¡¯s wrong with that? We aren¡¯t the enemies of humanity as long as humanity doesn¡¯t harbor evil intentions. On the other hand, the Goddess was afraid of things that hadn¡¯t happened, so she broke reason several times and destroyed the world. In the end, she plunged us into oblivion and caused chaos in the world. Even if you think about it hundreds of times, we aren¡¯t the ones you should hate. I don¡¯t know how you got possessed by the Goddess, but pleasee to your senses now. We promise to treat you as a lifelong benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Exin why you force reason on people.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is for your sake.¡±?The blue dragon¡¯s eyes were warm. It was like a parent looking at their child.?¡°It is our role, and the wish of the Foreign God, to create an environment in which you can enjoyfortable entertainment. Isn¡¯t that the case, Nefelina?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°In that sense, Old Dragons are important. They must always be ready in case of situations that are beyond our control. You must not hurt them.¡±


    ¡°In any case, you are crazy guys.¡± Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡°What if my entertainment is to hunt you? What cause are you going to use to persuade me then?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The blue dragon was flustered.?An answer to this question couldn¡¯t be established.?It was because hunting dragons was impossible in the first ce.?However, the man in front of them was different. After a series of circumstances, he held Trauka¡¯s life in his hands.


    ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to die obediently?¡± Grid asked again, but the blue dragon¡¯s silence only lengthened.


    Eventually, a green dragon couldn¡¯t just watch and stepped up.?She was also one of the intermediate dragons leading the group. ¡°I can vaguely see why you hate us. However, that doesn¡¯t change the conclusion. Your main enemy is the Goddess, not us."


    ¡°You keep turning a blind eye to the essence and talking nonsense. Don¡¯t you know that the Goddess will obediently withdraw if you guarantee freedom to people?¡±


    ¡°The human beings in this world were created for your amusement in the first ce. How can their freedom be guaranteed? Don¡¯t you know that humanity will suddenly realize the truth of the world one day and threaten you?¡±


    ¡°As we go through life, we might argue with each other. Before I founded the Empire, humanity originally had different affiliations. Naturally, we were wary of each other and fought. When we first entered this world, a significant number of humans had the potential to be our enemies. It isn¡¯t something to worry about.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The green dragon¡¯s expression became fierce.


    Grid¡¯s expression was the same.


    ¡°Leave them alone.¡± Nefelina stepped in just as the hot-tempered Grid was thinking about swinging his sword. ¡°You guys don¡¯t get involved in human life. If you make a vow, the Goddess won¡¯t go berserk and people will be able to live naturally.¡±


    The green dragon shook her head. ¡°That is a given. We don¡¯t want to actively intervene in people¡¯s lives unless they cross the line. It is just that in preparation for the worst, we will remove the variable called the Goddess and manage it appropriately.¡±


    ¡°One day¡ª¡± Grid closed his eyes as if imagining something and spoke.


    ¡°A particrly brilliant man was born. He was so smart that he realized he was nothing more than dust. However, instead of getting frustrated, he started to struggle to be more than dust... that is when you guys will stop him, right? You don¡¯t care if the struggle referred to here was simply a rampage with force or an effort to advance learning.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Learning is more dangerous than force, so we will respond quickly. Just as the giants of old tried, if someone has the idea of going into space, they will get into trouble and might even reach your world...¡±


    It was impossible.?The dragons seemed to think that somewhere far away in the universe was reality, a world inhabited by the Foreign God. Unfortunately, that was just an illusion.?They were the only ones in this universe.


    However, Grid couldn¡¯t tell them that much.?All of a sudden, he felt sorry for the dragons in front of him.?Maybe the blue dragon¡¯s nonsense could be reality...


    Therefore, Grid thought carefully before answering. ¡°There is no need for that. Even if people from this world suddenly appear in my world one day, we will wee them. So don¡¯t worry and leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°It is sophistry. The Foreign God doesn¡¯t want that.¡±


    How would they react if they found out that the Foreign God was ultimately created by humans??Grid was curious, but he still didn¡¯t reveal it.?It was the only way for Grid to understand how far the dragons¡¯ ¡®line to be kept¡¯ went.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether the Foreign God wants it or not. You don¡¯t have to listen to Morpheus.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Morpheus¡ªthe true name of the Foreign God.?A deep look of bewilderment appeared on the faces of the group of dragons. It was a reaction to being told something that they shouldn¡¯t have heard.


    Grid continued, ¡°It might be nature or providence, but you don¡¯t have to cling to such things. I learned through Ifrit and Nefelina that you don¡¯t have to be bound by your natural roles. They are the children of the great dragons, but they have tried to live their own lives and are still trying. It is possible for you as well.¡±


    ¡°Ifrit disobeyed Trauka when it was still the Age of Oblivion. Don¡¯t distort things.¡±


    The green dragon interrupted while still having a fierce look on her face.


    Grid made a vow. He was going to strike this one the moment the fight started.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Navaldrea, the one who stood up to Trauka just yesterday, a blood rtive of Ifrit? I¡¯m guessing so.¡±


    ¡°Navaldrea and Ifrit are two different things. Parents and children can¡¯t be the same entity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Like you said, Ifrit and Navaldrea are different beings. Just as you are different from each other.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It is my wish that each of you will live different lives. What is it you are so sorry for that you have to spend your whole life trying to control people? Watch and learn from Cranbel and Kubartos. I heard that Cranbel helped the tower members while Kubartos is still chasing after him. This is despite the fact that Trauka might die right away.¡±


    Grid gradually felt refreshed. He watched the dragons be mute and his anger was relieved little by little.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be tied down. You are beings who can choose your lives, just like everyone else. Morpheus, that bastard, can¡¯t really do anything, so don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t... this crossing the line a bit?


    The dragons knew that their creator was Morpheus. It was thanks to Morpheus¡¯ arrangements that they were awakened to providence from the moment they were born. Therefore, Morpheus was the only superior being they acknowledged.


    He was a true god and Absolute.


    ¡°I apologize if I spoke a bit harshly.¡± Grid realized his mistake and apologized, but it was toote.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally crossed the line.¡±?One of the intermediate dragons, a brown dragon, stretched out his hand. Based on the way he was shaking, he seemed to have the deepest faith.


    ¡®He is a lunatic. If he likes God so much, he should iste himself on a mountain and pray.¡¯


    The Breath that was fired hit Trauka¡¯s body.?It was because Grid hurriedly dodged it instead of facing it head on. To their surprise, Trauka was sleeping?behind Grid.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±?The blue dragon restrained his emotionalpanion.


    ¡°...Even if we be independent, there is no guarantee that we will be your allies,¡± the green dragon said while staring at Grid.


    .


    ¡°Those who were blinded by self-interest like Kubartos will go on a wild rampage and many people might be caught up in it. Can you afford it?¡±


    <i>The current situation is better for you...</i>


    Grid silently pondered on the warning in the green dragon¡¯s words and nodded.


    ¡°Instead, those like Cranbel will also show up. We will work with such beings to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The green dragon seemed to be thinking about something for a moment. Then she soon turned her back without any lingering regrets. The even more surprising thing was that as many as half the dragons followed her. Like someone with no dirty history, she seemed to have built up a surprisingly good amount of virtue.


    In the midst of the buzzing around them, the green dragon stopped and shifted her attention back to Grid.?¡°Don''t get me wrong. We weren¡¯t persuaded by you. We just received an answer to a concern we¡¯ve had for a long time.¡±


    ...Hadn¡¯t she kept contradicting him from the beginning?


    Grid was trying to argue out of bewilderment only to suddenly close his mouth.?Looking back, wasn¡¯t it thanks to the green dragon¡¯s continuous rebuttals that Grid was about to make his views known properly?


    ¡°If humanity has no reason to live like a ve, neither do we. It is because we have rights too.¡±


    The green dragon got to the point. Grid himself was able to correctly understand the parts he wasn¡¯t able to properly express because he couldn¡¯t organize his thoughts.


    That¡¯s right¡ªthe life of an NPC designed by Morpheus was nothing more or less than very.


    Humans and dragons too¡ªthere was no reason to live like a ve ording to the rules set by the Foreign God...


    It was because Satisfy was different from a normal game.?It wasn¡¯t a game that went by set rules. Even if the beings here resisted the roles given to them, there was no hindrance to the functioning of the world.?This was why Grid was angry at the role-obsessed beings.


    ¡°That is what I mean, Herut. You aren¡¯t ves. You have the right to live freely.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be close by calling me by name.¡±


    The green dragon called Herut was rude to the end.?Still, it was okay.?Grid witnessed a faint smile that spread across her face when she left with her people. He had a hunch that she wouldn¡¯t be an enemy.


    ¡°......¡±


    Nefelina looked up at Grid with admiration.?Grid¡¯s reason returned due to this stinging gaze and he broke out in a cold sweat.?He hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way. He hadn¡¯t intended for this development to happen, so the look of respect felt burdensome.?However, he was embarrassed and kept his mouth shut because he thought it would be confusing if he exined it in detail.


    In any case, the situation was good in many ways.


    First of all, their¡¯s terrain helped Grid.?Trauka was?behind Grid, so the dragons couldn¡¯t easily attack. He was able to have a conversation.?As a result, he seeded in persuading (?) nearly half the dragons.


    Additionally, the other Old Dragons didn¡¯t appear at the scene, perhaps because they were injured by Chiyou. Kubartos, the top dragon Grid was most wary of because it seemed impossible tomunicate with him, was chasing after Cranbel.


    ¡®They can¡¯t even release Polymorph.¡¯


    Seeing the smile spreading across his face, it felt like his anger hadpletely dissipated.?As expected, he realized again that the game was fun only when it worked in his favor.

 Chapter 1929

    Chapter 1929


    ¡°It is ridiculous...¡±


    The blue dragon looked perplexed as he stared at Herut¡¯s group that left. His blue eyes were still big and clear. Even in unexpected situations, they exuded an upright brilliance without any wavering. Anyone who saw it could tell that they were the eyes of a good man. It seemed that he would always uphold morality and do only good deeds.


    Grid cocked his head and looked at the blue dragon. He tried to let go of any prejudice in anticipation of a second Herut. However, he shouldn¡¯t thoughtlessly have any expectations. It was almost a stroke of luck that Grid met Herut today.


    ¡°You started out as an ordinary human being and ended up interacting with Old Dragons. Your temperament is entric and generally uncontroble, creating such bizarre variables.¡±


    Blue Dragon Rev started to define Grid.


    ¡°You must be an exceptional person in the world ruled by the Foreign God.¡±


    Half of them had left, but there were still 12 dragons that slowly surrounded Grid.


    ¡°You are someone who can¡¯t be appeased and can¡¯t be ignored. It is right to continuously kill you and undermine your status.¡±


    The moment Rev came to this conclusion, Grid was perfectly trapped by the weapons flying from 11 directions.


    The weapons that resembled miniature dragon tails¡ªsome bent, some expanded, some pulled and some exploded. They were all very diverse. It came from all directions so it was possible to deliver a series of follow-up blows to Grid. This meant Grid was sucked into a vortex of des. 11 weapons imprisoned him.


    ¡°There is no point in petty tricks.¡±


    Rev stabbed his weapon at Grid. Thick ice barriers were raised on all sides around him. There was a thick chill that spread through the air. He blocked the use of Shunpo from the point when he decided to kill Grid.


    Then mes rose from Grid¡¯s body. The Red Phoenix¡¯s fire and the White Tiger¡¯s Posture made him even stronger. As a result, Rev¡¯s strike couldn¡¯t pierce Grid¡¯s forehead which had two invisible helmets stacked on top of each other.


    Rev wasn¡¯t surprised. He knew that humans from the foreign world could hide their helmet due to Morpheus¡¯ protection. He was talking about the ¡®turn off helmet¡¯ option in the system settings. Grid enjoyed the privileges of a yer, while the dragons had a perfect grasp of yers.


    Just then, a rain of steel poured down from the ceiling of the cave.


    Most of the weapons that Grid made so far indiscriminately invaded the Old Dragon¡¯sir.


    It was quite a surprise but the group of dragons didn¡¯t rx their grip on the weapons binding Grid. There was no way that their Absolute Defense could be breached by weapons like this falling alone, so they stood firmly like a great mountain.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Some dragons showed consternation on their faces. Not only did their Absolute Defense shake the moment the steel rain bombardment struck, but the weapons forged with magic shattered to pieces again.


    In the meantime, Grid had been freed from his restraints. He tried to perform a sword dance but stopped.


    Two dragons put their hands on his shoulders to stop his actions. They were particrly confident in their strength and he couldn¡¯t easily shake them off.


    Grid was about to use the stats redistribution to increase his strength, but he was cautious. He realized that the situation would be more difficult if his defense dropped further here. He used Power of Not Knowing Defeat without regret and then used Turning the World Upside Down.


    A hemispherical pit formed around Grid¡¯s feet. It was the aftermath of two dragons being crushed to the ground by a mighty force.


    Grid was able to breathe and used the God Hands.


    The sword dances performed by the God Hands were significantly less powerful than the sword dances performed by Grid. However, this wasn¡¯t a very important fact. The number of God Hands was over 300. In the midst of the pouring bombardment, the dragon group chose to dodge.


    The experience of being hit by the rain of steel once had heightened their vignce.


    At present, they weren¡¯t in the form of their main bodies. Due to losing their scales, they could only rely on their Absolute Defense. Once their Absolute Defense was breached, the only thing that could be used as self-defense was thin skin and tough muscles.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to pierce through even that, but... they perceived the opponent was a threat. Thanks to this, Grid became even freer. He pulled out the Dragon Harpoon and threw it.


    The targeted green dragon swatted it away with his hand, but Grid took advantage of the gap he showed for that move. He quickly approached the green dragon and struck the opponent¡¯s chest with a six fusion sword dance.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    Defying the Natural Order and Twilight¡ªas always, thebined swords exerted a power that went against nature. The absolute defense of the low-grade dragon was shattered by a single blow. The green dragon was cut to pieces and thrown against the wall, causing him to cough up blood. Hisplexion was as pale as a sheet as he felt that his Dragon Heart was somewhat damaged by the single blow.


    ¡®Let¡¯s start with the weak ones.¡¯


    Gridpletely ignored the blue and brown dragons. They always wore ice and soil around their bodies as armor, so they looked very strong at a nce. He wasn¡¯t confident that he could inflict serious wounds on them with just a few sword dances.


    Dragons were an Absolute species. They were divided into low, intermediate, and top ranks, but it was basically convenient to regard them as Absolutes.


    They might not have honed their skills to the extreme like human-born Absolutes or exercise extraordinary power like a god. They were just purely strong. If they had appeared a few years earlier, one low-grade dragon alone would¡¯ve devastated the entire continent.


    There would¡¯ve been no answer if they were all in their main bodies. It would¡¯ve been difficult if they just fired their Breaths wildly. However, they were all sealed.


    As the attack magic that flew out secretly was canceled out by a Decoy, Grid opened his mouth as he was surrounded again, ¡°Are you going to live as ves for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°The logic that faithfulness to one¡¯s role is very is too big of a leap. Do you consider your people to be ves too? If you find a man born as the son of a cksmith, who inherits the smith and stays there for all his life, will you denigrate him as a ve?¡±


    Rev knew Grid¡¯s history. Therefore, he used a cksmith as an example.


    Grid snorted. ¡°It is nonsense. What cksmith in the world is obliged to control the rtively weak?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll use the example of a child who was born to parents who raised livestock and became a shepherd. Would you use a child who controls the flock of sheep of being a ve? We can¡¯t understand each other. You see us as pathetic, but we see you as crazy.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, really? Are you a shepherd? I never dreamed that a shepherd boy woulde from a dragon.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t refute it, so you are mocking it with sarcasm? I¡¯m disappointed in you in many ways.¡±


    Grid abandoned the idea of convincing Rev. It was because he equated humanity with livestock. It was only natural from a dragon¡¯s point of view. At this point, he wondered if Herut was the weird one. In the first ce, if it was possible to change everyone¡¯s minds with a few words, the world would bepletely different from what it was now.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s just shut up and fight. I, Grid, respect the will of Blue Dragon Rev and the rest of the group.¡±


    Grid was very concerned about his facial expression management. He tried to make his words more dignified from now on. It was a minor psychological warfare. He hoped that the enemy would shrink back a bit.


    Contrary to expectations, the situation was good in many ways. Still, this didn¡¯t change the fact that Grid was at a disadvantage. Dealing with not one or two, but 12 dragons at the same time wasn¡¯t an easy task, even for the Old Dragons, Chiyou, or Dominion and his army.


    ¡®...That isn¡¯t it?¡¯;


    Grid swung his sword. Every time the dragon group defended or counterattacked, several weapons scattered into fragments.


    Ultimate Martial Art, which had a high probability of breaking the target¡¯s equipment, continued to disy a scam-like performance to the point where even Grid was flustered. In particr, the asional stuns sometimes urred, allowing Grid¡¯s fierce attacks to be linked without hesitation.


    ¡°Cough, cough!!¡± The green dragon, who was hit by the six fusion sword dance earlier, coughed up blood again and finally fell down. His wavering gaze was full of confusion. He didn¡¯t understand why Grid¡¯s attacks were focused on him.


    The deeply devout brown dragon clicked his tongue.


    ¡°It is despicable.¡±


    The environment that forced them to Polymorph and blocked the use of Breaths and anti-magic¡ªthe brown dragon understood that all of this was Grid¡¯s goal. His suspicions inevitably deepened when he saw Nefelina, who was standing on Trauka¡¯s neck with sad, wide eyes. In short, Grid not only coordinated the battlefield to his advantage, but he also held a hostage. He was even relentlessly targeting only one opponent, creating fear.


    He wasn¡¯t usually a despicable guy.


    ¡°Do you think you are a noble person when there are so many of you working together?¡± Grid¡¯s words made the brown dragon shut up. Then he unfolded the Sanctuary of Metal.


    It was because the air around the dragon group was unusual as they formed weapons again. He felt that they were going to pull out an ultimate move that they hadn¡¯t shown before, so he reflexively prepared for it.


    Indeed, the dragons were a great species. The Breath pulled out with one hand was absorbed into the weapon and wrapped around the weapon like a sword. Then itunched an onught with an unprecedented power. If he hadn¡¯t unfolded the Sanctuary of Metal andyered Valha over himself, his immortality would¡¯ve been consumed.


    ¡°......¡±


    The low-grade dragons gulped. They slowly became nervous after realizing that Grid was very ustomed to fighting.


    Rev calmed their mood, ¡°The opponent is one who has aplished countless feats. It is natural to fight well. However, you can¡¯t say he is stronger than us. Keep yourposure. In any case, time is on our side.¡±


    Time was on their side...


    Rev¡¯s words echoed meaningfully in the quiet space.


    Grid frowned¡ªhe seemed to realize that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if an Old Dragon appeared here at any time. Indeed, the fight became more violent. In every section where he had to choose between defense and attack, Grid chose to go on the offensive. Even though he was hit by four or five dragons, he tenaciously attacked one green dragon.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    This was repeated several times along with Grid¡¯s swearing and the green dragon¡¯s groaning. Then Rev rebuilt his ice barrier to protect the green dragon. The cold energy that was enveloping the entire cave gathered at one point and surrounded the green dragon¡¯s body. Grid¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t pierce it.


    It was the moment Grid had been waiting for. As the coldness around him faded, Grid seeded in securing visibility and used Shunpo.


    Rev reacted without any dy. The ice barrier was immediately changed so it spread to a wide area. The attention of the dragon group naturally focused on the entrance. They were expecting Grid to break out. It meant they didn¡¯t really know Grid.


    "Kuaaaack...!"


    The scream of the green dragon rang out in a terrible manner. Grid, who they thought would run away, appeared behind the green dragon and stabbed him in the neck. He aimed at the blind spot in their thinking.


    Rev never thought that Grid would once again attack the target he had protected. So the moment Grid disappeared, the protection was released and he blocked the road to the entrance. Grid had obviously predicted this. It was a tactic based on experience.


    ¡°A wolf appeared. A wolf appeared...¡±


    Grid had a bloodied face and smirked as he whispered to the shepherds.


    Time was on their side? It was nonsense. Time was equal for everyone.


    Grid also had colleagues waiting. He didn¡¯t shrink back at all. He had no intention of abandoning this advantageous battlefield and fleeing.

 Chapter 1930

    <h4>Chapter 1930 </h4>


    ¡°A wolf appeared. A wolf appeared...¡±


    The more excited Grid talked, the quieter the surroundings became.


    ¡°...It is so unpleasant that I can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    Three dragons, who were looking at Grid in bewilderment, took back their weapons.?Now they were ring at Rev. It was as if to reproach him forparing them to shepherds.


    ¡°It feels like my status is being undermined. Stop ying with low-quality words and we¡¯ll go back.¡±


    It was a battle between Absolutes.?They believed that it was right to act noble.?Moreover, wasn¡¯t Grid the great being who revived the protection of the Refractive Dragon.


    In fact, the Grid they saw was much different from what they expected. The more theypeted with him, the more they felt like they were bing a mess. It often felt like the blood in their head was flowing backwards. It felt like they would go crazy or suffer internal injuries if they continued.


    ¡°If you leave now, I will regard you to be in the same group as Herut.¡±


    Rev, who had been showing an amiable expression for some time, warned them coldly. Perhaps it was affected by his emotions, but the ice barrier he spread out had be thicker.


    ¡°<i>Bah</i>, do whatever you like.¡±


    The three dragons snorted and started to melt the ice barrier with the Breaths they were holding in their hands. Rev was able to create another barrier to stop them from leaving, but he decided it was a bad idea to provoke them further. He decided to let them go for now.


    ¡°Hey... Is it because you were eating each other not too long ago? There is ack of cooperation. You aren¡¯t even a third-rate mercenary group. Does it make sense for you to fight among yourselves during a battle?¡±


    Grid chattered in a tireless manner.


    At this moment, the three dragons who broke through the ice wall stared at him. Their attitude waspletely different from Herut¡¯s group, which had left earlier.?They looked like they would wait outside their?and attack Grid if Grid seeded in escaping from here.


    ¡°...Goodbye.¡±


    Grid said goodbye to them awkwardly.?There was no reason to provoke the leaving enemy.?Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have let them go if the enemies were weak...


    ¡®Am I strong against the weak?¡¯


    Grid was questioning it again, only to be surprised.?A strange sound entered his ears.?It was a noise that came from the green dragon, whose neck had been pierced by Grid standing on his back. It was due to his body erging.?He felt his life being threatened and released Polymorph.


    Grid¡¯s field of view expanded greatly. The green dragon¡¯s health gauge, which had dropped to a minimum, changed color after being fully charged three times.?The total health of the dragon, who had regained his original form, seemed to be at least three times higher than in his polymorphed state.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>.¡±?Grid was startled by the eerie sensation of the strangely shaped rocks hanging from the ceiling grazing the top of his head. Then he jumped swiftly from the dragon¡¯s neck.?Therge tail wielded by the green dragon collided with his sword.?Grid couldn¡¯t hold on and sumbed to the shock. He flew away and stood with his back to Trauka.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±?Rev couldn¡¯t sit idly by as the space shook violently and rocks fell violently.?The unusually wideir had an unusual structure.?Except for the nest where Trauka was currently sleeping, the elevation was low. This meant it couldn¡¯t fully handle the size of a dragon.


    It was for a practical reason.?If Trauka had expanded the entireir to be like his nest, the stability of the ground would¡¯ve been lost and it would¡¯ve been unsafe.


    [<i>Grrrrr</i>....]


    The green dragon lowered his shoulders so as to not crush their. Then he barely withdrew the Breath he had stored in his mouth.?He regained his reason when he saw Grid, who dared to give him the fear of death, standing with his back to Trauka again.


    It happened the moment he polymorphed to human form again...


    The God Hands, which had been scattered all over the space, performed the sword dance in unison.


    Then Rev intervened.?He raised his magic power and the chill around him intensified, causing a blizzard to swirl.?All the ck-gold hands that were making the motion to fire sword energy froze.?At the same time, dozens ofrge hands made of dirt sprang out from all directions. They grabbed the frozen God Hands and buried them in the ground.


    It was the joint attack by another intermediate dragon, Brown Dragon Haranbeka.?It was a state where ice and dirt were created with pure magic power and moved ording to their will.?Unlike normal magic, it was fast because it didn¡¯t go through the casting process.


    ¡°You step back.¡±


    The green dragon protested. ¡°You can fight more.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, step back, and recover. Come back and add your strength once you recover.¡±


    The green dragon lost his stubbornness and fled?from the space.?From?Grid¡¯s?perspective, it was as if he had missed the prey he had caught. Even so, he didn¡¯t try to chase after the green dragon. There were still eight dragons left and their eyes were fierce.


    Rev opened his mouth, ¡°I assure you, it is impossible for you to be a Dragon yer. Hayate was just lucky.¡±


    The reason why Hayate was able to ughter a dragon was because it was the Age of Oblivion.?It was a time when dragons lost their memories and preyed on each other.?There was a possibility that there was a dragon wounded by his own kin and was unluckily killed by a human while fleeing.


    However, times had changed.?The dragons had regained their sanity and formed an organization.?In the modern era, killing a dragon was inherently impossible.?Unlike they betrayed their own kin like Cranbel or aimed for an isted dragon...


    Grid shrugged.?¡°Who knows? Maybe it is because there is a dying Old Dragon behind me right now, but I can¡¯t really sympathize with your words.¡±


    ¡°It has been a while. Even if you and Nefelina cooperate, you can stop Trauka¡¯s life in one go. Furthermore, the moment your sword aims at him, we will stab you in the back...¡±


    ¡°Shall I try it?¡±


    ¡°...We don¡¯t want him to get hurt any further. Instead of that, how about wepete fairly? I became alert thanks to the ones who just left. Your argument isn¡¯t as empty as it seems. It is a hierarchy where both you or I can lose our status the moment we lose our honor. We shouldn¡¯t be cowardly any longer.¡±


    Rev took a step forward.


    ¡°How about you and I fight head-on? If I win, you will obediently withdraw from here. On the other hand, I will leave if you win.¡±


    ¡°...What about the other seven?¡±


    ¡°It is up to them to decide. As you said, we are different beings.¡±


    Grid squinted.?¡°Do you see me as the Saintess?¡±


    Rev¡¯s suggestion favored the dragons.?It deterred Grid from taking a hostage and offered a one-on-one match. But even if Grid won, all the enemies except for Rev would remain...


    ¡°By leaving, I don¡¯t just mean leaving here.¡±


    Rev¡¯s blue eyes sank in a calm manner.


    ¡°The moment I lose, I will abandon my duty. I will never appear before you as an enemy again. I will turn my back on the will of the Foreign God.¡±


    It meant betting everything.?There was a buzz among the dragons while Grid was inwardly surprised.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t stop one of you here... It would mean I don¡¯t deserve it in the first ce.¡±


    The question of whether Rev was serious or not was unnecessary.


    [I, Ice Dragon Rev, will challenge Only One God Grid for qualifications and honor.]


    Rev triggered Dragon Words.?From a dragon¡¯s perspective, it was a covenant that must be kept.


    ¡°Grid, you don¡¯t have to agree. Even if you defeat this dragon, you will have to fight the rest of the dragons.¡±?Nefelina sensed Rev¡¯s energy changing in an instant and advised.?¡°The reason why dragons don¡¯t use Dragon Words when cooperating with each other is because it isn¡¯t honorable. Even if they use Dragon Words in a favorable situation, it will only reduce their own value. It will just be to their advantage if you fight one-on-one.¡±


    Dragons were noble beings.?There was no mistake in Nefelina¡¯s words.


    It happened as Grid worried over it for a moment...


    [Ice Dragon Rev has asked for an honorable confrontation with him, who took the Old Dragon without a heart as a hostage.]


    The system message popped up.?Grid had forgotten because it was quiet for a while, but the?30th epic was still going on.


    ¡®I know how Baal feels.¡¯


    Grid let out augh and stepped forward.


    ¡®Three times.¡¯


    ording to the results of his experiment with the green dragon a moment ago, a polymorphed low-grade dragon would die if hit by the six fusion sword dance three times.?If he gave them more than 10 seconds to recover, three blows weren¡¯t enough.


    ¡®An intermediate dragon will be four blows.¡¯


    Grid checked his status. As the cooldown time of some skills was reset, he also summoned all the God Hands to his side.?¡°I will ept the challenge.¡±


    ¡°Grid!¡± Nefelina shouted in a startled manner but Grid just smiled in a reassuring manner.


    ¡°<i>Huhu</i>...¡±


    Rev alsoughed.


    The cold air spread over a wide area to prevent Grid¡¯s escape was now concentrated around him. The distance between the two people quickly became closer.?Grid¡¯s sword and a bright blue spear collided.?Since Grid currently had a bnced distribution of stats, Rev was ahead of Grid in terms of strength. It was only when they used Dragon Words that a dragon¡¯s stats truly showed their true value.?Coincidentally, Ultimate Martial Art wasn¡¯t triggered.


    As the number of times the two of them exchanged blows increased, Grid was gradually pushed back.?Rev¡¯s eyes were telling him something as it glided across the ice, dazzling and putting pressure?on Grid.


    <i>If we fight on fair terms, there is no way a dragon can be defeated.</i>


    The trajectory of the spear that scattered cold air spread like a spider web and a blizzard swirled around them. Rev was elerating while moving like a ghost, while Grid¡¯s movement was slowing down. Originally, it was a chill that froze the other person from the inside out, but the effect appeared slowly because Grid resisted the abnormal status.


    However, the joints of Grid¡¯s armor and the bottom of his feet were frozen, so he naturally became dull.?It was a physical condition that was hard to resist.?Rev shook off Grid¡¯s sword by drawing a horizontal line with his spear. Then he spun around and stretched out his left hand.?It was a hand that contained a Breath. It hit Grid¡¯s chest and exploded at one point.


    Grid received some pretty heavy damage, but he didn¡¯t really care.


    [Ultimate Martial Art is activated.]


    <i>ng!</i>


    Regardless of whether it waste or early, the opponent who exchanged blows with Grid was bound to lose his weapon in the end.?This wasn¡¯t something that could be coped with just by knowing it in advance.?Rev was also aware of it. The moment the spear was broken, he didn¡¯t panic and immediately tried to create a new spear.?However, it didn¡¯t go his way.


    ¡®It is natural.¡¯


    It was because Rev was stunned.?Fortunately, it was only for a short time.?Rev had experienced it in advance, so he put an ice armor around his body with only his will. Then Grid used his skill.


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    The God Hands, who held hands and were bound together, formed aplete unity.?It was thanks to the effect of the skill


    That¡¯s right.?The target of the Item Combination that Grid designated was the God Hands.?The 310 God Hands were pre-bound with 155 each, so they were judged to be two items. Additionally, Defying the Natural Order and Twilight had already beenbined from the beginning.


    A huge hand rose high enough to reach the ceiling and grabbed Rev¡¯s entire body.


    Rev managed to escape from the stun but he wasn¡¯t able to easily shake off the hand.?The hundreds of God Hands, which had inherited some of their master¡¯s stats, had bepletely one. Naturally, it transcended even the power of its master.


    The five fusion sword dance spread out like a storm and shattered the ice armor.?Then the six fusion sword dance was immediately linked and broke down even the Absolute Defense, devastating Rev¡¯s body.


    ¡°...<i>Cough!</i>¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid looked at the bloodied Rev and took back his sword.


    Originally, he intended to end Rev¡¯s life by linking the six fusion sword dance, but the defense of Blue Dragon?Rev?was stronger than expected. He was tricky because he created new ice armor to take the attacks.


    It seemed like he would be barely able to kill him by hitting him with a four fusion sword dance and five fusion sword dance in session.?However, Grid wasn¡¯t confident aboutpletely hitting Rev with all the sword dances because the giant God Hand, which was binding Rev, was hardening due to the cold air.?In an uncertain situation, it was naturally best to save his skills.


    It was just that Rev and the dragons couldn¡¯t figure out Grid¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°...Why did you take back your sword?¡±?Rev escaped by exploding the frozen God Hand and asked with gasping breaths. Perhaps he felt humiliated but his eyes were ugly.


    Grid used the fire of Red Phoenix to melt the chill that clung to his sword, reducing its cutting power. Then he answered, ¡°In any way, I won. You don¡¯t mean to refute this, do you?¡±


    Grid felt no particr joy.?The opponent was an intermediate dragon.?For Grid, who had developed with the assumption that the Gods of the Beginnings, the Old Dragons, and Chiyou were his enemies, this was an opponent that had to be defeated unconditionally.


    ¡®It is just that 1 vs 12 is hard.¡¯


    This difference was felt by Rev more than anyone else.


    ¡°...Are you saying you don¡¯t have the intention of killing me? I am indebted to you. I will keep my promise.¡±


    Rev stared at Grid in silence for a long time before stepping back cleanly.?The cold air that disturbed Grid¡¯s vision and slowed down the God Hands disappeared without a trace.


    ***


    Every step he took left a trace of blood.?Rev was seriously wounded after being cut by Grid¡¯s sword.?But neither his eyes nor his posture was disturbed.?He would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t resentful, but the pride in having fulfilled the covenant was what sustained him.


    ¡°The problem is that you led us.¡±


    It was immediately after exiting Trauka¡¯sir.


    Rev¡¯s expression stiffened.?The threepanions who left earlier were waiting for him.?The surrounding area was also full of blood. Someone¡¯s flesh covered with green scales were strewn like garbage everywhere...


    ¡°You foolish loser, hand over your hierarchy to us.¡±


    A revolt against a higher rank¡ªit was something that was hard to witness in the Age of Oblivion.?Since dragons didn¡¯t trust each other, it was structurally difficult for the lower species to cooperate and challenge higher species.?Now that the Age of Oblivion ended, this was what happened.


    ¡°...The world has be so much better.¡±


    The smiling Rev released his Polymorph.


    [I will prove that it was a defeat without any shame.]

 Chapter 1931

    Chapter 1931


    Just as it was proven by the disappearance of the dimensional effect of the Overgeared World, Trauka¡¯sir was ssified as a separate dimension. The inside and the outside werepletely independent. It meant that the beginning and end were separated.


    The green dragon¡¯s death didn¡¯t directly affect Grid, so Grid wasn¡¯t aware of what was happening outside their.


    On the other hand, the dragon group noticed it. Shortly after Rev left, they confirmed that the green dragon¡¯s life had ended and felt that Rev¡¯s energy had rapidly strengthened. This didn¡¯t mean that dragons were superior to Grid. It was simply that their dimension had a structure that favored dragons.


    In any case... Haranbeka wasn¡¯t worried about Rev. He might¡¯ve lost to Grid, but this wasn¡¯t a reason to belittle Rev¡¯s skills.


    Haranbeka acknowledged Grid¡¯s abilities and was starting to feel a lot of interest. It was a situation where the group, which originally numbered 24, couldn¡¯t afford to handle Grid for all types of reasons and left one after another. The strength that should¡¯ve ensured victory was weakening like it was all a lie.


    The first one or two times could be dismissed as a coincidence, but at this point, it was right to say that it was a situation that Grid intended.


    ¡°...I have a personal question.¡± Haranbeka, who had been quietly observing the situation, staring straight at Grid. ¡°Are you confident that you will be able to deal with the aftermath after twisting the ¡®structure in which this world is built¡¯?¡±


    Haranbeka¡¯s question was straightforward.


    ¡°I have been studying the concept of games since the end of the Age of Oblivion. I observed the physiology of you yers, explored their conversations that drifted on the wind and understood what they are generally after.¡±


    ¡°The purpose of a game is to constantly be stronger by targeting mighty enemies.¡±


    ¡°Reba should¡¯ve been themon enemy of you and the yers, but you made her your ally.¡±


    ¡°If you seed in neutralizing us in this situation.¡±


    ¡°Can you yers have fun in this world after that?¡±


    Most games had a clear sense of purpose. For the most part, that goal stemmed from the worldview. In the flow of the story, there was a final boss that must be defeated. This gave the yers a basis to immerse themselves in the game. Surprisingly, Haranbeka understood this.


    Grid was inwardly impressed and thought for a moment. Then he replied, ¡°My parents created a mountain hiking club.¡±


    ¡°...Hiking what?¡±


    ¡°The two people couldn¡¯t enjoy a proper hobby because they were taking care of their naughty children. Then after btedly discovering this world, they resumed the hobby that they had given up.


    Was it the ¡®Former Euljiro Mountain Hiking Club¡¯?It was a club created with the merchants whom his parents had be friends with after running a fruit store. They were busy working every day in reality. Additionally, due to their age, they had problems with physical fitness and gradually gave up on mountain hiking.


    For some, it was a hobby that was normal and easy toe across, but Grid¡¯s parents only rediscovered it after experiencing Satisfy. They said that their goal was to conquer all of Satisfy¡¯s famous mountains.


    Grid clearly remembered his parents¡¯ eyes shining as they revealed their aspirations.


    ¡°Not all people have the same goals. There are more people who want a normal life without fighting. Games where the goal is to fight against a strong enemy aremon anyway. There is no reason to pursue it here.¡±


    ¡°...But you can¡¯t deny the fact that there are many yers who will push back against it, right?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Suddenly, a dark smile spread across Grid¡¯s face. It was an arrogant and ominous smile that went beyond confidence.


    For a moment Haranbeka mistook the being in front of him for Baal. In fact, he had a ridiculous doubt that it wasn¡¯t Grid who defeated Baal, but rather that Baal had swallowed up Grid. It was because depending on how one interpreted it, the smile on Grid¡¯s face was sinister enough.


    ¡°I will be the new goal of those who must have a goal.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Haranbeka was speechless for a moment.


    I will be the goal of the yers.


    It was nothing less than a deration to rece the heavenly gods, the Old Dragons, and Chiyou. It couldn¡¯t just be described as arrogant. Then why? Haranbeka didn¡¯t think that Grid was arrogant. On the contrary, he felt relief.


    ¡°Only One God Grid. I finally understand you. From now on, I won¡¯t question you. Therefore, I won¡¯t be deceived. I will acknowledge you as a threat that must be prevented.¡±


    The group of dragons, now led by Haranbeka, surrounded Grid.


    [I, the Faithful Dragon Haranbeka, will prevent a ¡®disaster¡¯ with my like-mindedpanions.]


    ''...I thought they don¡¯t use Dragon Words when it is advantageous?¡¯


    Grid looked at Nefelina with resentment, but even Nefelina couldn¡¯t fathom Haranbeka¡¯s resolve. The nature of those who were an Absolute had peculiar aspects. It easily went beyond the realm of understanding.


    From now on, it became difficult for Grid to even utter a word. It was because a tremendous onught poured in nonstop.


    ***


    -All nobles must know honor and exercise restraint.


    -Be loyal to the kingdom and serve the king, but know how to be grateful to the people.


    -Try to be an example for all. A noble bes a pir that supports the kingdom only when he or she earns the respect of the king and the trust of the people.


    The words that his father engraved into him¡ªas he went further up the river of reincarnation, all types of memories became blurred, but the words in his heart came to mind clearly. Therefore, Hayate didn¡¯t show signs of tiredness. He suppressed all his confusion and walked straight forward.


    The memory of cutting the scales and heart of Fire Dragon Trauka had long disappeared. He also forgot his tower colleagues, who had been with him for nearly a thousand years.


    The memories of killing a wounded dragon.


    The scenery of the city that was swept away from the fall of that bastard.


    Even thest glimpse of his loved ones who had lived together in a peaceful city...


    Hayate couldn¡¯t remember anything. He even forgot the mission of a Dragon yer.


    The hell released from its distortion¡ªit was the oblivion caused by a ¡®world created so that the dead can live happily.¡¯ Hayate wouldpletely forget all the pain and sorrow he had experienced in his life. The moment he threw himself into the river of reincarnation because he missed the happiness and joy he rarely felt, he might regain his memories, but it would only be for a moment.


    At the end of the river, he would forget himself and be reincarnated as apletely new person. He knew it instinctively. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t throw himself in the river. He was obsessed with the duty of a noble that only he remembered.


    ¡°...The more I look at you, the more amazing it is. I¡¯m sure you have lost most of your memories, but it is amazing that you are still maintaining your ego.¡±


    Hayate walked silently along the riverbank.


    A boy approached him as he was unable to assimte into hell.[1]


    His white skin, like porcin, shone even brighter thanks to the halo above his head. The wings on his back were sacred and warm.


    An angel¡ªHayate realized that the boy who followed him was from heaven.


    ¡°I think I am fascinated by your noble spirit.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t hide his identity.


    ¡°Come with me to Asgard. I, the ¡®chief¡¯ of the angels, will personally guide you onto the path of the angels.¡±


    Was he certain that he wouldn¡¯t be rejected?


    Raphael held out his hand so confidently.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate ignored him and walked past him. Raphael was unperturbed. He kept smiling like he had experienced this many times. ¡°Is your ego wary of a new life? It¡¯s fine. It is a very natural phenomenon. How easy is it topletely abandon yourself and start anew? However, be courageous. You deserve to be a holy being.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Eh, are you going to keep ignoring me?¡± Raphael was a bit flustered. No matter how much he talked, Hayate didn¡¯t give him a single nce. This made Raphael both curious and suspicious.


    That¡¯s right. He was aware of Hayate¡¯s identity. After watching all day, he vaguely felt the quality of Hayate¡¯s soul. Based on various circumstances, he came to deduce the soul¡¯s identity.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see Grid after he is reunited with you as his enemy (angel)!¡±


    The number one Archangel, Raphael¡ªhe had reigned as a heavenly power for many years since his birth. Thanks to Reba¡¯sissez-faire attitude and Judar, who was always contemting something, he established himself behind the scenes and manipted many gods.


    He was now demoted to hell, but his self-esteem was still high.


    ¡°In fact, there is no need for a conversation. Isn¡¯t that right? Go up to heaven with me.¡±


    Raphael pulled out his spear. He nned to kill Hayate¡¯s soul and take him up to heaven.


    The ck and White sisters, who were watching the situation from a short distance away, hurriedly approached him.


    ¡°Archangel, didn¡¯t you say that you can¡¯t return to heaven until you havepleted your mission?¡±


    ¡°I can do thatter. I will be praised if I take him back right away.¡±


    There was no time to stop him. Before the ck and White sisters could arrive at Raphael, his spear had already stretched out like a sh of lightning. It was an attack that stabbed Hayate in the neck...


    However, it was blocked. It was by Hayate¡¯s sword, who still didn¡¯t have any focus. It was also very smoothly. It wasn¡¯t the Dragon Killing Sword.


    Hayate was holding a ceremonial long sword that seemed shy in appearance. It was because the ego left to now was that of a nobleman, not a Dragon yer. However, it was solid. The sword didn¡¯t shake in the slightest as it collided with the archangel¡¯s spear.


    ¡°What...?¡± Raphael couldn¡¯t hide his surprised expression as he hurriedly retrieved his spear and raised it. Hayate¡¯s de fell toward him.


    ¡°Kuock...!¡± Raphael¡¯s knees bent slightly. It was the price of not being able to fully endure the power of the sword that fell toward him.


    ¡®The Dragon yer was this strong? Additionally, isn¡¯t he now in a soul state?¡¯


    As the name suggested, the Dragon yer was an existence who hunted dragons. Additionally, Hayate was a human being. He might be very strong against dragons, but he didn¡¯t have much of an advantage in fighting other Absolutes. If it was actually a few days ago, Hayate would¡¯ve never overwhelmed Raphael.


    However, Hayate¡¯s status had risen greatly as the 1st ce contributor in defeating Fire Dragon Trauka. This meant even his soul was strengthened.


    In hell, Hayate was like a blind man. His blue eyes, which were still out of focus, didn¡¯t contain Raphael¡¯s image.


    Nevertheless, Hayate¡¯s swordsmanship dealt serious damage to Raphael and it brought an iprehensible humiliation to Raphael.


    1. Since Raphael is specifically described to have the form of a boy here, I will use male pronouns for him from now on, unless he is shown to change genders like Sariel

 Chapter 1932

    <h4>Chapter 1932 </h4>


    ¡®No... I can¡¯t lose. Then I will really be finished.¡¯


    Raphael intuitively sensed it.?He might lose...


    The understanding that archangels were?born with far?transcended the general category. The more Raphael exchanged blows with Hayate, the more he realized the difference in level.?He decided not to ask ¡®why.¡¯


    Raphael had experienced it with Grid.


    A human being who grew at a tremendous rate over time.


    After thinking that such an existence had appeared again, he could understand Hayate¡¯s strength.?He also couldn¡¯t use the excuse of being suppressed by the dimensional effect of the Overgeared World, which was dominating hell.


    The other person was just a soul.?He was already dead. He was in a much more disadvantageous position than Raphael.


    Therefore, Raphael reflected on himself.?It was about the part of himself that hadn¡¯t developed despite being born before any other human being and living for nearly eternity.


    ''... First of all, let''s get over this crisis.''


    After that, he would also struggle like he was an ephemeral being.?He would never go through this humiliation again.


    The determined Raphael fought desperately.?He spread all seven pairs of hidden wings and flew in a manner that was lighter than a butterfly. From an advantageous altitude, he fired beams of light, stabbed his spear, and suppressed Hayate like a deadly bee.


    ¡®There is no room to intervene...¡¯


    The ck and White sisters became contemtive as they rushed to stop Raphael.


    Hayate stood still and swung his sword.?Every time dozens of shes of light crossed around him, a shockwave was generated.


    In the sisters¡¯ eyes, Raphael¡¯s movements couldn¡¯t be read properly.?Even the hierarchy of a great demon was shabby in front of the 1st ranked Archangel.?The gap was bigger than expected, so the sisters who had been following Raphael with the goal of ¡®I¡¯ll interfere with Asgard at a critical moment¡¯ became frustrated.


    They said they would betray Raphael when the opportunity came, but they found that they couldn¡¯t have done much damage to him.?It was a situation that would¡¯ve been frustrating if they had a normal mentality.?If they were the sisters from a few years ago, they would¡¯ve run away with their eyes tightly closed, turning a blind eye to the situation.


    In reality, they repeatedly ran away because they couldn¡¯t handle the humiliation they suffered due to being ugly. They hadpletely be used to it.?But it was different now.?After being trampled on by Grid several times and continuing to challenge him, their mental strength was trained. Eventually, it became so solid that they reached out to Grid first and offered him a deal.


    <i>Thump, thump...</i>


    The sisters managed to calm their trembling hearts and gradually narrowed the distance to the battlefield.?They focused on the shes that spread nonstop around Hayate.


    Just once.?The sisters waited for that moment of chance, the opportunity to catch Raphael¡¯s movements.


    In the meantime, Hayate continued to get hurt.?His posture was as upright as it was in the beginning, but his clothes were already in tatters.?He had already been cut several times and blood-red vitality drained from the stabbed soul.


    ¡°How dare you...!¡±?Raphael quickly sensed the intentions of the lowly demons.


    In fact, he was expecting a betrayal from the beginning.?How could he trust evil beings??However, even if he knew it in advance, he couldn¡¯t control his anger when he saw how they were trying to betray him.


    <i>How dare you...</i> <i>Even you guys are ignoring me...!</i>


    The trajectory of the rain of feathers pouring down toward Hayate was twisted. It swirled like it had been swept away by a typhoon and bombarded the ck and White sisters.?At this moment¡ª


    <i>Step.</i>


    Hayate had been standing upright and preventing the rain of feathers, the rays that continued to bend as if reflected in a mirror, and the flowing and smoothly connected spear strikes. Now Hayate took his first step.


    Raphael¡¯s eyes widened and goosebumps appeared on his arms.?The all-out offensive that was aiming to kill Hayate¡ªin the aftermath of briefly withdrawing some of them, he lost the means to stop Hayate¡¯s advance.


    It meant that with his strength, all he could do was tie up Hayate¡¯s feet.


    Hayate¡¯s sword soared like lightning and collided with Raphael¡¯s wings.?Raphael folded his wings to form a sphere, using them as a shield. Then his vision spun a few times. The shock that prated deep into the shield was shaking him wildly.


    ¡°<i>Kuek...!</i>¡±


    After shaking off Hayate¡¯s counterattack, Raphael spread his wings again. Hayate¡¯s rapid pursuit filled his vision. Raphael adjusted the halo¡¯s?trajectory to shoot a beam of light to destroy that bastard¡¯s posture. Then he stabbed his spear.


    A fierce air battle ensued.?Hayate¡¯s swordsmanship seemed to have been trained by repeating the same movements tens of thousands of times and was very solid. He repeatedly blocked Raphael¡¯s spear and dug in.


    Raphael¡¯s spear finally started to move sideways.?A spear was inherently more powerful when it was stabbed.?However, the advantage of abandoning the speed of a stab and swinging horizontally was also great. Therge area made it difficult to defend.?Thanks to this, Raphael narrowly fended off Hayate¡¯s attack. However, he couldn¡¯t withstand the force and fell to the ground.


    It was strange.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªhe was much more powerful than the rumors.


    Raphael quickly judged as he was forced on the defensive.?The odds of winning were small.?This wasn¡¯t the time to save his strength.


    Raphael¡¯s wings grew by hundreds of times and dominated his territory.?It was the construction of a mental world.?He nned to use a secret move to ovee the dimensional effect and turn the situation around.


    Then Hayate opened his mouth for the first time.


    It was a dry, but solid voice.


    He was exhausted, but unshakable.


    Voices with two sides that couldn¡¯t be mixed flowed out.


    ¡°Noblesse Oblige.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was the unfolding of the mental world.?Hayate¡¯s mental world spread out urgently like he was being chased by something.?Perhaps due to the inherent nature of the mental world, there was no dy so thepletion was faster than Raphael¡¯s.


    <i>Waaahhhhhhhh!</i>


    An illusion of countless crowds appeared behind Hayate.?They were all screaming urgently.?They must¡¯ve been chased by something and were on the run.?They looked like people pushed to the edge of the cliff.


    A cliff rose under Hayate and Raphael¡¯s feet.?The ground was far away. Everything seemed to be a small dot.


    Raphael¡¯s heart sank.?Suddenly, the wings that had returned to seven pairs had hardened as if they had been petrified. He realized that he could no longer fly.?If he fell from here, he would die...


    An Absolute and an archangel falling to his death??It was impossible in reality.?However, this was Hayate¡¯s mental world.?He didn¡¯t know what would happen.


    Raphael was engulfed by an ominous feeling and tried to unfold his mental world again, which had be blocked halfway. But for some reason, it was unsessful.


    <i>Kurarararara!</i>


    A dragon was seen flying from the other side of the sky.?It seemed to be the main culprit that drove therge crowd to the cliff.


    ¡°<i>Uhh...?</i> Even if this is your mental world, how did you materialize a dragon?¡±


    Dragons¡ªa very noble species that was an Absolute from birth.?It wasn¡¯t easy to fully embody it in reality, no matter the power used. If that was possible, Asgard would¡¯ve used the dragon as force a long time ago.?However, there was a guy who did it right in front of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±?Hayate didn¡¯t respond to Raphael¡¯s questions.?He just shouted to the frightened crowd, ¡°...You can rest assured that I will offer myself as a sacrifice to deal with the dragon¡¯s wrath.¡±


    This was the shout of a nobleman who hadn¡¯t forgotten his duty even in death.?¡®Noblesse Oblige¡¯ wasn¡¯t the mental world of Dragon yer Hayate.


    It was the mental world of the ¡®nobleman Hayate,¡¯ who was powerless but still shouldered responsibility.?It was a mental world that had its potential buried as the Dragon yer in his lifetime and blossomed only after he died and forgot he was the Dragon yer.


    ¡®This...?¡¯


    Raphael saw through the identity of Noblesse Oblige.?A world created to protect those weaker than oneself and killed enemies stronger than oneself¡ªthe purpose was mutual destruction.


    This was a ce where both the master and the intruder were sacrificed to the dragon.?Due to the sacrifice of the master of this world, it exerted tremendous coercive power. As a result, Raphael couldn¡¯t function properly.?The evidence was that in addition to the function of his wings and halo being sealed, the mental world he had been training for years had be ineffective.


    ¡°How can a human have such a noble mental world...? Or is this mental world possible because you are human?¡±


    Responsibility and sacrifice¡ªthese were the keywords that ran through Noblesse Oblige.?Those who were born an Absolute could never have this mental world.?Ironically, Noblesse Oblige was powerful because it was the mental world of an underdog.


    ¡°<i>Eh...?</i>¡±?Raphael¡¯s body floated in the air.?Hayate grabbed his wrist and along with Raphael, they started to fall down the cliff with no end in sight.


    ¡°Let...! Let go!¡±?Raphael struggled desperately.?He didn¡¯t want to die in this way.?It would be a disastrous failure.?He would never regain his position again.?He was already afraid of the humiliating gazes he would receive when he opened his eyes in heaven again.


    .


    <i>Kurarararara!</i>


    The dragon chased after the two people as they fell into the darkness.?Thanks to this, the crowd survived, but Hayate and Raphael¡¯s deaths became even more certain.?It was literally a sacrifice.


    ¡°Shit...!¡±


    He never thought he would die at the same time as a human being, and it was even someone who was already dead.


    ...No, it was too early to give up.?Raphael¡¯s eyes, which had been shaking, shifted fiercely.?He noticed that the dragon chasing after them and firing a Breath was full of wounds.


    Raphael cut off Hayate¡¯s hand holding him.?He moved quickly and stomped on Hayate¡¯s shoulders. Then he leapt toward the dragon.?He was confident that he could handle the Breath of a dying dragon.?He intended to break through the Breath head-on, grabbed hold of the dragon¡¯s wings, and hung on.?But at this moment¡ª


    ¡°......!¡±


    The dragon¡¯s body started to swell. The head, body, and wings grew many timesrger and the scales all turned red.?The ambient temperature rose rapidly.?The wind carried a hot fire.


    ¡°...Trauka?¡±?thepletely mesmerized Raphael murmured.?The process of a dragon, so wounded it didn¡¯t seem strange if it would die soon, transforming?into Fire Dragon Trauka, which was said to be the strongest of the Old Dragons...


    The shock of witnessing it in real time was indescribable. Raphael¡¯s mind went nk.


    There was a sharp friction sound like hundreds of des ricocheting off each other. It rose like a melody.


    Raphael, who was now tired of being surprised, shifted his gaze.?He could see a silver aura rising from Hayate¡¯s shoulders.?The identity of this energy, which was eerie just to look at, was naturally known to Raphael.?It was the strength that could kill a dragon.


    The moment he was chased by a dragon, Dragon yer Hayate¡¯s subconscious mind was reminded of Fire Dragon Trauka and he revived this power.


    It was the moment when the nobleman Hayate and Dragon yer Hayate were in perfect harmony.


    ¡°One man, two mental worlds...¡±


    Raphael saw a miracle he had never imagined and shuddered.?At this moment, he couldn¡¯t even me Hayate or be jealous.?This wasn¡¯t a fairy tale about a sudden change in personality or a different way of seeing people.?It was just pure reflex.


    Finally, the clean eyes of the angel were swallowed up by the sword energy of a Dragon yer and the fire of the Fire Dragon.

 Chapter 1933

    <h4>Chapter 1933 </h4>


    ¡°<i>Gasp...!</i>¡±


    The pain of having one¡¯s body torn to shreds and burned to ashes.


    After the terrible pain that he didn¡¯t want to experience again, Raphael opened his eyes.?He was in Asgard.?Before he knew it, many angels and gods had already gathered around him, who had been resurrected.?Predictably, it was with contempt in their eyes.


    ¡°Your mission was to recover the divinity of Daebyeol.¡±


    Raphael, who was blushing with shame and anger, hurriedly looked up.?It was because Judar, the God of Wisdom, was guarding the scene.?He was expressionless as usual, but his eyes were exceptionally cold.?It was so much that the gods looked at him in surprise.


    However, Raphael saw a glimpse of hope.?The fact that Judar, who usually had a heavy butt, came out to meet him personally... it was proof that he was intrigued by the situation.


    ¡°I was struck by the soul of the Dragon yer,¡± Raphael immediately told the truth.


    Struck by a soul¡ªin other words, he lost to someone who was already dead.?The shocking report stirred the audience.


    ¡°Not only did he embody the mental world in his soul state, but he also surprisingly has two mental worlds. I couldn¡¯t handle it at my level.¡±


    Raphael continued to tell the truth despite feeling tremendous humiliation.?It was only by amplifying Judar¡¯s interest that he would open up a way to live.


    ¡°We must not allow him to throw himself into the river of reincarnation. I think we must secure him.¡±


    The effect was great.?Judar postponed Raphael¡¯s disposal and showed interest in Hayate.?¡°Ask Dominion to lead the army and go in person. Make sure to bring the soul of the Dragon yer here.¡±


    ***


    Knight and Seuron¡ªthey both?had?hidden sses where they?targeted other people¡¯s ¡®souls¡¯ and used them as resources.?Naturally, they were able to search other people¡¯s souls and obtained a lot of information based on the state of the searched soul.


    ¡°This is heaven for me.¡±


    For Seuron, the Soul Predator, hell was like a buffet.?There were souls from all over to choose from.


    ¡°Everywhere I look, my mouth starts watering.¡±


    Seuron¡¯s red eyes glistened and revealed greed. Every time he spoke, his pointed fangs gradually sharpened.?Ever since the Soul Predator, who was in the position of a predator, changed his race into a vampire, he seemed to be gued by a tremendous desire.


    Knight nced at him with a wary expression, and Seuron shrugged.?¡°Understand that the desire to take away the soul goes with the desire to suck blood, stimting a strong impulse. You don¡¯t have to worry because I won¡¯t lose my sanity like a third-rate vampire.¡±


    Seuron proudly confessed his condition while chewing on the red pulp of the blood potato.?He had maintained a top ranking since the opening of Satisfy and his pride had increased over time. Unlike in the past, he knew how to control himself. He didn¡¯t feel the need to hide anything because he was proud of himself.


    Knight had be an inspector and was adept at reading the inner intentions of others. From his perspective, Seuron was quite trustworthy.


    Well, that was probably why Katz rmended him.


    ¡°Contrary to the impression you give, you have a lot of self-control.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who went through several setbacks against the Overgeared members and finally overcame it. I am also the man who cooperated with the Overgeared Guild, which was like a firm enemy, to protect the people in crisis during the great demon and human war. In other words, I honed my mental strength in a different way. These impulses are nothing to me.¡±


    ¡®...He is so proud.¡¯


    Seuron raised his chin andughed happily.


    Knight looked away from him and turned his horse¡¯s head. It was to sense and pursue any mighty souls.?This great horse was?the support?from?Nyangmong, who ran thergest ranch in Satisfy. It ran tirelessly and quickly.?It had a speed and endurance that made Seuron feel admiration several times already.


    ¡°The annoying Overgeared Guild members are truly the pinnacle of every field.¡±


    ¡°I am also part of the Overgeared Guild. Be careful with your words.¡±


    ¡°I wasplimenting you.¡±


    ¡®Based on the way he is a bit out of his mind, has he built up some transcendence?¡¯


    They soon arrived at their destination and their expressions hardened.?A powerful soul that could be sensed from dozens of kilometers away¡ªit was great, but it wasn¡¯t the person they were looking for.?Perhaps this soul was a legend from hundreds of years ago, but that was all spection.


    ¡°It is a problem that there are too many stars.¡±


    Seuron likened a powerful soul to a star.


    A big, brilliant star that could be seen and felt from afar.?There were too many of them in hell.?It was said that the world had been reset several times, but the number of dead was still veryrge. There were many extraordinary souls.


    Finding one Hayate in particr... maybe it was harder than finding a needle in the desert.


    This wasn¡¯t a problem that could be solved by mobilizing manpower.?Even if they sent troops to every area with stars, ordinary people couldn¡¯t feel the stars. For example, if a vige had a star and they ordered troops to investigate it, the troops would have to search each soul and their homes one by one.


    This meant it would take at least a year.?It was much more efficient to run around in person rather than giving instructions one by one.


    Knight and Seuron¡¯s hearts gradually became heavier as they started to realize the reality. However, the two of them didn¡¯t have time toment and immediately moved.?They had a passion to find Hayate¡¯s soul by all means.?Seuron¡¯s enthusiasm was no less than Knight¡¯s.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give up being a founder.¡¯


    The reason why he obediently listened to Katz¡¯ request that came out of nowhere was because he would receive a huge reward.


    The power to form a household.?It referred to the authority to create a new blood family and be the founder of that family.?He might be treated as a mixed-breed by the direct descendents but...


    It was an irresistible temptation.?Katz was considered to be a hidden power in vampire society and his authority was far greater than Seuron expected.


    ¡°<i>Eh</i>?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The two men who were searching through hell¡ªKnight had been searching the private houses in the east, while Seuron ran through the mountains in the south. Simultaneously, they felt something and a chill ran down their spines.


    A star that exuded a particrly strong power was clearly imprinted on their minds...


    [Whisper to Knight: If it is a soul this powerful... isn¡¯t it Grid?]


    A soul of this magnitude couldn¡¯t be the soul of the dead.?Seuron felt reasonable doubts and sent a whisper to Knight.?It just so happened that Knight had the same doubts.


    However, it wasn¡¯t possible.?Grid had invaded Trauka¡¯sir alone.?The epic, which emerged unusually slowly and strangely for some reason, had informed them of his location a few minutes ago.?He couldn¡¯t have suddenly appeared in hell.


    [Whisper to Knight: He could¡¯ve run away. No matter how good Grid is, even he can¡¯t handle dragons alone, right?]


    [Whisper from Knight: There is no reason for him to run away to hell.]


    Well, it was fine.?The two people started running.?There were doubts and they felt the need to quickly confirm the identity of the star.


    ¡°......!¡±


    It was as they once again admired the agility and endurance of the famous horses of Nyangmong, who easily climbed up and down a rough mountain...


    A bright smile spread across the faces of the two men who arrived at the upstream area of the river of reincarnation.


    Dragon yer Hayate¡ªthe identity of the giant star was the existence they had been searching for.


    ***


    ¡°Why do you look like that?¡±


    Seuron scolded when he got off the horse and found the ck and White sisters.


    ck eyes and horns that rose from their heads. A tailing from their buttocks and sharp nails.?Anyone who saw it would frown at the appearance of the sisters, who had be demons.


    ¡°Did you be demons when hell was destroyed? Are you fools?¡±


    ¡°Stupid idiot. Don¡¯t you know that vampires are a subspecies of the demons?¡±


    The sisters didn¡¯t reveal why they had be demons.?It was obvious that they would beughed at if they exined they were nning to take revenge on heaven for taking away their precious person.


    Seuron was such a man.?He couldn¡¯t empathize with other people¡¯s stories and only believed that he was the best.


    ¡°...I wonder if you can talk like that in front of Katz.¡±


    However, the man with nothing but pride used the name of another person as a shield.?It was even Katz¡¯ name.?It was surprising because he seemed to be meekly admitting that he was worse than Katz.


    ¡°Your personality is a bit... I think it has changed? I guess you were beaten to death by the Overgeared Guild again and finally understood who you were going up against, right?¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°...Sir Hayate.¡±


    Knight ignored the three people engaged in a useless battle of nerves and approached Hayate cautiously.?An incredibly clear and strong soul.?Hayate¡¯s soul in front of him was nobler than anyone Knight had ever seen.?It felt even greater than a dragon¡¯s soul, which was simplyrge and powerful.


    Seuron felt it too.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±?Hayate, who had been standing silently and staring up at the sky, shifted his gaze to these people for the first time.


    At this moment, Knight, as well as the sisters and Seuron, bowed to him.?They also knew the hidden story of the Dragon yer, who had fought for a thousand years to protect humans.?Even if they didn¡¯t know Hayate¡¯s story, they would¡¯ve naturally bowed their heads in front of his deep eyes and noble dignity.


    ¡°I am called Knight and I belong to the Overgeared Guild. I havee to receive you at the behest of Lauel.¡±


    Hayate cocked his head. ¡°I am dead.¡±


    In the aftermath of fighting the 1st ranked archangel and liberating his mental world sealed in the nobleman¡¯s mental world, the memories of a Dragon yer were triggered.?Hayate regained most of his memories.?He even remembered that he had sacrificed his life to cut Trauka¡¯s heart.


    Knight exined it to him, ¡°The Goddess of Light, Reba, saved you once.¡±


    Just once.?Yes, Reba only saved Hayate¡¯s life once.?To be more precise, she put his death on hold.?Even that came at a heavy price. She was immediately chased by Bunhelier.


    ¡°......¡±


    Knight carefully studied Hayate¡¯s eyes.


    Hayate was still human.?He was weak even when born again, unlike other Absolutes. He had to fight against the strongest existences, who transcended life or death, while always fearing death.?Perhaps this one extra chance at life was a curse rather than a blessing.


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll go back.¡±?Despite Knight¡¯s concern, Hayate just nodded calmly.?He was deeply grateful for the life given to him once more and vowed to help more people this time.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It happened the moment when Knight got the shivers after reading Hayate¡¯s expression and politely ced Hayate on his horse...


    ¡°This?¡±


    The eyes of the sisters widened.?The clouds in the sky were dyed gold and were piling up like stairs.


    The quick-witted Knight handed over the reins of his horse to Hayate.?¡°We will buy time. Go ahead and leave.¡±


    ¡°Why did you say we? Do you mean me too?¡±


    As Seuron was taken aback, the ck and White sisters had already pulled out their weapons.?They were interested in the soldiers of heaven.


    ¡°This is enough for us to y.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Sister. Let¡¯s raise our level and take out our anger on them.¡±


    ¡°No, wait. What is with this atmosphere around everyone except for me?¡±?Seuron kept grumbling but finally prepared for battle.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate stared at the group before speeding away on the horse.?He sensed an overwhelming presence in the center of the Valkyrie army that was pouring down from the sky.?Something was descending that he couldn¡¯t handle in his current state.


    He didn¡¯t feelfortable, but his top priority was to get his body back.

 Chapter 1934

    Chapter 1934


    ¡°I can understand why you sisters became demons. You are better than these guys.¡±


    Seuron grinned as he plunged his sword into the neck of the first Valkyrie that collided with him and pulled out its soul. He tantlyughed at the bloodied Valkyries who were swept away by the thorny path created by the souls.


    ¡°I never thought this to be the actual power of heaven. If it was me, I would¡¯ve rather grabbed the rotten rope of hell.¡±


    Seuron wasn¡¯t an all bark and no bite type of person. To show the true meaning of his words, he constantly followed through with actions. Blood magic was activated via the blood shed by the Valkyries. Magic explosions engulfed the area, and the Valkyries reeled away from the red-shing sts.


    Seuron approached the Valkyrie who had suffered the most damage. He twisted his sword, piercing her abdomen, and pulled out both the intestines and her soul.


    It was a high quality soul.


    Seuron threw the spear made from the newly acquired soul, and arge amount of blood rose from the chest of the three Valkyries that it pierced through.


    Once again, Seuron¡¯s blood magic was linked. It became a stepping stone for collecting new souls.


    The Valkyries around Seuron turned into rags before they knew it.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°T-This... You¡¯ve be very strong.¡±


    Soul Predator.


    As Seuron grew more powerful, so did the performance of his ss.


    Currently, Seuron was able to unconditionally steal a portion of a soul every time he attacked the target¡¯s weak point or reduced their health by a certain amount.


    The stolen soul then became a resource for ss-specific skills, so Seuron became stronger as his target became weaker. Furthermore, the higher the quality of the seized soul, the stronger the power of the skill. This meant Seuron¡¯s power also increased in ordance with the enemy¡¯s level.


    Most importantly, Seuron had be a vampire.


    He absorbed blood from his target to restore health, increase stats, or used it as a resource for blood magic. He inflicted even more damage onto a target that was already weak from losing its soul. Seuron himself became stronger, because this effect stacked on himself.


    Simply put, the match between the Soul Predator and a vampire was unequaled.


    In fact, Seuron had been deeply grateful to Grid for some time.


    So what about a widespread sense of injustice?


    He became a supreme being thanks to the guy who opened up content for different races.


    ...The fear he felt for Katz still clearly remained, but it was true that Seuron had be stronger.


    ¡°I like it because it gives an amazing amount of experience.¡±


    Seuron felt ashamed as he recalled how he couldn¡¯t even raise his voice in front of Katz. This made his actions be a bit more radical.


    He roamed around the battlefield, using souls and blood to create and wield all types of weapons to ughter his enemies. He was ready to leave behind a mountain of corpses.


    It was a spectacr sight.


    Valkyries might have been weaker than angels, but it wasn¡¯t easy to deal damage to them because of their equipment. However, Seuron attacked the target¡¯s body and soul at the same time, ignoring some of the Valkyrie¡¯s advantages.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. They are just scouts,¡± Knight warned as he cut down the souls of the Valkyries with a scythe and ced a restraint in a wide area around them.


    The characteristic of Knight¡¯s Death God was his ability to strike at the soul of a target directly. Therefore, hepletely ignored the Valkyries¡¯ armament.


    ¡®He is even more impressive than the rumors make him out to be. As expected of someone belonging to the Overgeared Guild.¡¯


    Seuron clicked his tongue and looked up at the sky.


    Thump, thump, thump, thump!


    There was the sound of an earth-shattering march that shook even the heavens.


    The main army of the Valkyries remained unfazed even though dozens of them had been killed. They appeared quite rxed as they boldly stepped down the cloud stairs. Some of them were keeping an eye on Seuron and Knight, but most were looking only in the direction in which Hayate had taken off, who had already be a dot in the distance and almost disappeared.


    [You shall deal with them.]


    Suddenly, someone¡¯s intent was engraved onto the surrounding space.


    Seuron¡¯splexion, which had been rxed the whole time, suddenly paled.


    [Dominion, god of war, has descended.]


    ¡°Wow, this opponent is a bit...¡±


    Now Seuron wasn¡¯t even given time to properlyin, because the movements of the scouts had be more agile the moment the god¡¯s intent was engraved on the space.


    Even worse, hundreds of Valkyries charged, breaking off from the main army formation and attacking Seuron. Each one was so powerful that the scouts¡¯ strength paled inparison to that of the Valkyries¡¯.


    In particr, a captain-level Valkyrie with feathers on her helmet severely wounded Seuron the moment she appeared. She closed the distance between them using her spear, then she easily lunged for his chest, cutting at his waist with her sword.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    It would be difficultsting for more than five minutes given the state of things.


    In an instant, Seuron¡¯s facial expression darkened as he looked at the ck and White sisters and Knight, who had retreated in a defensive position.


    It seemed that there would be no problem if he sued the Overgeared Guild for damages. The problem was that he was unable to drive back Dominion and the rest of the main army who had started tracking Hayate.


    Didn¡¯t this mean he was useless after all...?


    He was afraid Katz would break their agreement because of this.


    ¡°Hey, can I grab some stars and eat them?¡±


    Stars.


    The most powerful souls wandering around hell.


    If he was able to consume them, Seuron would feel like a fish in water for a while. He couldn¡¯t do anything about Dominion, but in this way he could at least deal with this feathered enemy in front of him and deal a blow to the main army.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Knight¡¯s answer was a reasonable one. There were several problems involved. First of all, there was the political issue. Hell had be the realm of the Overgeared World, but that had happened through fusion, not conquest. At the moment, hell was ruled by both Eligos and the Overgeared Guild. The Overgeared Guild needed to ask for Eligos¡¯ permission before carrying out anything in hell.


    This was easier to understand if one took into consideration the nations in the East Continent. It was simr to the way the Overgeared Guild couldn¡¯t run wild in the Cho Kingdom without the permission of the Cho King.


    Of course, no matter what the Overgeared Guild members did, no one would carelessly criticize or resent them. However, there was the possibility that people might start regarding the guild as untrustworthy.


    Knight had been working as an inspector, witnessingints from local nobles, so he was more sensitive to this.


    Finally, the moral problem was the biggest issue. The souls of hell could be seen as inhabitants of the region. So hurting them at will and taking their power? What if Eligos showed up on the surface one day and harmed Reinhardt¡¯s people out of necessity...? Would the Overgeared Guild understand him if he did that?


    ¡°Tsk, I know.¡±


    Seuron was someone who wanted to build a household. He was also the leader of arge guild. He felt frustrated, but he understood the Overgeared Guild¡¯s viewpoint.


    ¡®In any case, if things go wrong, only the Overgeared Guild will experience a loss. Let¡¯s just give up our goal and gain some experience, at least.¡¯


    Seuron upied such a high rank within the game¡¯s hierarchy that it was hard to find beings stronger than him. Ever since turning into a vampire, he considered finding a worthy opponent among other yers difficult.


    Therefore, he deliberately focused on targeting the dimensional gaps. The captain-level Valkyrie had formidable skillspared to the monsters in the dimensional gap. It was a good opponent to gain experience from, and the rewards for sessfullypleting this raid would be bountiful.


    The moment Seuron focused his mind and was about to use up the souls he had stored as resources, he heard a voice.


    ¡°¡±You are being pointlessly cautious.¡±¡±


    A hollow voice, carrying unreadable emotions or thoughts, echoed throughout the battlefield.


    The presence was formidable.


    He could feel the eyes of the main Valkyrie army, which had already left the battlefield in pursuit of Hayate, focusing in the direction of the voice.


    ¡°¡±Emissary of the human world. Hell has long sworn allegiance to your master. I, the new ruler of hell, have decreed so. Why do you hesitate?¡±¡±


    The dark armor of the ck Knight Eligos was in direct contrast with the brilliantly shining Valkyries. He was a being who had be the new symbol of hell.


    He stormed into the battlefield while riding the huge Cerberus like a horse, trampling on Valkyries as he approached Knight.


    Several stars were hovering around him. A more urate description would be that they were being dragged by an invisible chain.


    ¡°¡±These are the souls of the wicked. They aren¡¯t allowed to reincarnate ording to thews I have established. You can have them.¡±¡±


    Seuron didn¡¯t hesitate at all.


    He was deeply grateful for this strange connection that had formed between them, and that Eligos had recognized his value, and absorbed the five stars.


    [You have absorbed the soul of the nameless Sword Demon.]


    [You have absorbed the soul of the nameless cannibal.]


    [You have absorbed the soul of the nameless bomber...]


    ......


    ...


    [All stats are greatly increased until the absorbed souls disappear.]


    [Some of the absorbed souls¡¯ skills have been temporarily activated.]


    The effect was temporary.


    Seuron rode the ck horse that had been left aside for a while and quickly charged into the battlefield. The Valkyries tried to stop him but Leraje, who appeared after Eligos, hindered them. Every time she swung her fists and kicked with her feet, the armor of the Valkyries exploded violently, causing gray pirs to soar.


    Eligos stared down at the captain-level Valkyrie, who was squirming as she was being trampled by Cerberus¡¯ paw, and spoke to Knight.


    ¡°¡±You take care of this trash.¡±¡±


    Then Cerberus leaped high into the air.


    It instantly soared over the head of the horse carrying Seuron and soon caught up with the main army of the Valkyries.


    ¡°¡±You dogs of Asgard. Pay the price for daring to invade my hell.¡±¡±


    The days when Baal distorted hell, ck Knight Eligos had ignored the great demons¡¯ ranking battle and had instead decided to stay at the river of reincarnation. He felt no interest in the battle for hell, nor did he feel the need for one, because he considered it distorted and worthless.


    His greatest ambition was to be a symbol of the hell that had regained its true form. At that moment, his pride didn¡¯t allow him to stand by and watch invaders dare defile hell.


    He used bizarre swordsmanship that took control of both the ¡®trajectory¡¯ and the ¡®surface.¡¯ Eligos¡¯ swordsmanship was tricky to defend against or dodge. Every time he released energy from his ck sword, the Valkyries¡¯ necks and wrists were cut off along with their helmets and shields. As such, a path through the battlefield opened instantly.


    Seuron arrived at the scene a bitter and burst in.


    He used the souls of the dead Valkyries as resources and activated the bomber¡¯s ultimate technique,ying waste to the enemy camp. Cerberus joined in by breathing fire and poison.


    The Valkyries¡¯ ranks copsed. They were in such a terrible state that they could no longer even be described as an army.


    It was to the point where Dominion had to pause from where he was, despite the distance he¡¯d covered.


    [Ignore them and chase.]


    Dominion¡¯smand strengthened the Valkyries¡¯ leg strength.


    Every time their feet hit the ground, they were able to leap great distances forward.


    They started to outpace Eligos and Seuron, the speed at which the Valkyries were moving considerably faster than before.


    ¡°These guys...¡±


    ¡°¡±Don¡¯t act rashly.¡±¡±


    Eligos warned Seuron, who panicked and was about to chase after the Valkyries.


    [Be buried here.]


    Dominion¡¯s spear struck the two of them. Because of Judar¡¯s newly developed blessing, dimensional restrictions no longer applied and were promptly ignored. The sheer power of Dominion¡¯s spear was unimaginable.


    Seuron narrowly managed to dodge it, and was on the brink of death just by being swept away in the aftermath of the explosion. Cerberus screamed as well. Even the grand illusion filling the sky was dealing extra attacks. It was Dominion¡¯s ability to add ssh damage with every attack.


    There was an ear-splitting roar, causing the ground to sink.


    Seuron almost fainted.


    Even worse, he was afflicted by a stun, and became the target of the next spear that would be thrown by Dominion.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    The golden spear flew toward him like a sh of lighting, almost shing Seuron¡¯s brow.


    Then someone¡¯s sword appeared and blocked the spear.


    [Did you get your body back?]


    The contact between the sword and the spear caused gusts of wind to swirl around, wildly ruffling the white coat of the blond-haired man.


    Dominion instantly recognized the identity of the elegant man, who didn¡¯t quite seem to fit the battlefield.


    [Dragon yer.]


    ¡°I realized along the way that I didn¡¯t need any special process to regain my body.¡±


    The spirit that dwelled in the soul.


    Hayate¡¯s body, which was sleeping on the surface, had been called by his soul and descended here. Finally, it had been returned to its master.


    Dragon yer Hayate had now been revived.

 Chapter 1935

    Chapter 1935


    Reidan Desert.


    Hayate¡¯s bodyy neatly in the middle of those who were still recovering after the battle. His eyes were closed, and his chest was unmoving.


    Hayate¡¯s body wasn¡¯t breathing. It had lost its soul, no longer serving any purpose. It was nothing more than a corpse.


    ¡°...It will soon start to rot,¡± Zeratul told the others. He grimaced, despite the high levels of arrogance he, as the Martial God, disyed.


    Thanks to sharing drinks all night, he could somewhat grasp how the people around him felt. Just as the eight gods who had descended alongside Zeratul to challenge Grid had already demonstrated, gods were surprisingly capable of empathizing with others. It was just that, most gods didn¡¯t even get the chance to socialize with humans. For many, the idea of living alongside humanity wasn¡¯t even conceivable. For them, Asgard was the core of their world, their most valued ce. Therefore, they rotted for the rest of their lives in Asgard, like frogs in a well.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be toote to save him...¡±


    The tower members didn¡¯t disagree with Zeratul¡¯s opinion. However, they also noticed that Hayate¡¯s condition was perilous, and they couldn¡¯t conceal their anxiety.


    Nevertheless, no one suggested going to find Hayate right away. They trusted and respected Lauel¡¯s advice, that the right thing to do was leaving the search for the soul to Knight.


    They also understood the importance of their task. They were to focus on the body¡¯s recovery, and they kept wondering to what degree they needed to recover in order to help Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    The people¡¯s reactions were making Zeratul feel disappointed. Humans, ephemeral beings with such short lives. Even he, who had been born with eternal life, was always anxious and obsessed over the title of Martial God. Meanwhile, humans appeared to be more altruistic and wiser than him. This was because they managed to ovee their own limitations by trusting others and cooperation with their people.


    Zeratul believed the humans¡¯ way of thinking was worthy of imitation.


    ¡®Should I try contacting them...?¡¯


    His mind wandered in the direction of the eight gods who had cooperated with him when he had publicly challenged Grid. Maybe they had opened up their hearts to him a little bit. Of course, it could be mere sympathy. It seemed very likely that they would only ept cooperating with him if there was some type of reward to be earned.


    Still, it was true that they did him a favor. However, he never considered their feelings. He just struggled on his own to be recognized as the Martial God.


    He was only ever focused on himself, and never paid attention to others...


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zeratul was startled from his thoughts, eyes suddenly widening at the sight before him.


    The others reacted simrly.


    Hayate¡¯s body, which had been lying dead, suddenly jumped up from his seat.


    ¡°I-Is he back?¡±


    The tower members, the apostles and the Overgeared Guild all felt skeptical before allowing themselves to feel thrilled.


    Hayate¡¯s eyes were unfocused. The people couldn¡¯t detect breathing, let alone life.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Zeratul frowned and slowly rose from his seat.


    Step.


    Hayate appeared dazed. He eventually took a step forward, heading in the direction where tattered armor had been discarded. It was the dragon armor created by Grid, though it had been torn to pieces by Trauka, reduced to nothing but a lump of scrap metal. Therefore, it was no longer functional. Still, Hayate started to arm himself with pious gestures.


    It was then that Zeratul understood the situation.


    ¡°The body is being driven by the will of his soul.¡±


    The will of the soul.


    Some people understood, while others scratched their heads.


    Once Hayate¡¯s body finished putting on the armor, it slowly melted away, losing its shape like a painting submerged in water. It was an ominous-looking sight.


    Zeratul and Biban reassured the others.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°The lord has been resurrected.¡±


    An enormous presence was rising from beyond the underground.


    The Absolutes who vaguely sensed it trembled.


    ***


    His body felt different than before.


    Hayate contemted his situation, trying to keep his mind clear and distractions at bay. His heart was hammering in his chest. Energy flowed throughout his body. His bones were of different thickness and length. His muscles seemed to be flexible and firm.


    Immediately, he felt strength resurge in his joints, and he could grip the sword hilt better than before. It seemed that the ways with which he could grip the hilt had increased considerably from thest time he¡¯d picked up a sword.


    His entire body, which had already been trained to achieve the best form possible, was now reaching its peak. He felt rejuvenated, like his body had be younger, though the sensation felt much more breathtaking than that.


    [It feels strange...]


    Dominion could also sense the changes urring to Hayate¡¯s body. Just by looking at the way his fingers wrapped around the hilt of the sword, he could tell that Hayate¡¯s swordsmanship was changing in real time. The Valkyries being pushed back was good enough proof of that.


    [It seems like your body was reconstructed when the body was in the process of joining with your soul... Isn¡¯t this type of transformation unheard of?]


    Dominion¡¯s gaze fell on Hayate¡¯s ankle length coat. It was as white as snow, though it appeared red in Dominion¡¯s eyes. It was the aura of the Fire Dragon.


    As an Absolute, Dominion could urately gain insight and glimpse at the essence of the soul. When Hayate¡¯s body had been reconstructed, the same could be said about the dragon armor he¡¯d been wearing. This configuration of the armor maintained Hayate¡¯s ideals, while also retaining Grid¡¯s skills and intentions.


    [...Going to the surface in this state isn¡¯t the right choice to be made. You will most likely hear the sound of bells.]


    The sound of bells. Dominion was talking about Chiyou¡¯s appearance. He was confirming that Hayate had be strong enough to be able to bring Chiyou down.


    [Why don¡¯t you go to heaven with me?]


    Originally, Dominion¡¯s mission was to take Hayate¡¯s soul to heaven. However, things had changed right from the very beginning. Hayate had regained his body. Of course, this didn¡¯t make it impossible to take his soul to heaven. Killing him again and subduing his soul would have been good enough. However, Dominion was reluctant to do these things.


    Not only would it be hard to kill Hayate, but Hayate was still a human being. However, he resurrected. The only ones who could reverse the death of humans were Reba, a god of the beginning, and Raiders, the gourmet dragon.


    ¡®What I felt back then wasn¡¯t wrong. It was Mother who saved him.¡¯


    Originally, Dominion hadn¡¯t been interested in the world. Though, it was more urate to say that he was trying not to be interested. This was because Judar wanted Dominion not to care about the world. It originated from the time when humans had a sincere faith in the three religions. Dominion felt Judar¡¯s jealousy intensify every time the power of his religion managed to surpass the one of the Judar Church.


    It wasn¡¯t something that could be ignored.


    Judar had the heavy task of ruling Asgard every time their mother entered the ¡®cycle¡¯. Dominion didn¡¯t care about matters involving other gods, nor did he care about ruling Asgard, so would decide to remove himself as much as he could from such issues. After all, he was the god of war. His duty meant overseeing the army, not handling politics. Therefore, his attention was often focused on the Valkyries, not the surface.


    [Asgard is veryrge. I promise to keep you safe, somewhere out of Judar¡¯s sight.]


    ¡°...Let me ask you something.¡± Inviting a human to Asgard? Dominion was directly disobeying Judar¡¯s orders. The Valkyries were genuinely shocked. Then the silent Hayate asked a question. ¡°Do you know that the goddess is being chased by Bunhelier?¡±


    [Of course I know.]


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you helping her?¡±


    [Help...? My mother?]


    Dominion tilted his head to the side. He had a certain rigidness in his expression, but his reaction showed that he didn¡¯t understand what was being asked of him.


    Still, the answer was enough for Hayate to realize that Dominion saw Reba as the embodiment of perfection.


    In a way, it made sense. After all, he owed his very existence to his mother.


    No matter whether it was famous gods or everything in this world, Dominion believed they were all dancing on his mother¡¯s palm.


    ¡°The goddess must be lonely.¡±


    [Discussing loneliness when ites to the god of the beginning is sphemy.]


    Dominion frowned.


    [My mother has a history of sealing the refraction dragon. It will be the same this time. Most importantly, she is the embodiment of light. No one can touch her, and neither can I.]


    Dominion added one more reason why he wasn¡¯t worried about Reba. Since she was made of light, she couldn¡¯t be reached. There was no way to help her because it was impossible to physically approach her.


    Hayate sighed.


    ¡°The goddess only gave birth to disrespectful children. Truth of the matter is, my god is fighting for the goddess. Are you going to turn your back to what¡¯s really happening?¡± Hayate rarely raised his voice. His deep, gentle eyes became fierce. ¡°Or are you working behind the scenes with the old dragons?¡±


    [...I shall take back my suggestion.]


    Dominion¡¯s expression stiffened. He took out a spear and held it.


    ¡°Do you need my strength to make the agreement with the old dragons advantageous? Be aware that I will harm you.¡±


    Hayate exposed his opponent¡¯s ws. Surprisingly, Dominion felt no shame. Secretly scheming with the old dragons? That wasn¡¯t the case. The real reason he wanted to hide Hayate was simply because Dominion favored him. He¡¯d developed a liking for this great warrior, someone had made it this far despite only being human. That was the sole reason.


    [You are making assumptions. You shouldn¡¯t do that, considering your level of strength. Don¡¯t you know that such pointless suspicions can lead to the deaths of millions or tens of millions of people?]


    Dominion threw his spear.


    As many as three spears flew at the same time. Eligos, who had been quietly examining Cerberus¡¯ wounds, pitched in to help out Hayate.


    Hayate¡¯s sword shed two spears. Eligos¡¯ sword barely deflected one spear.


    Then Cerberus limped to where Seuron was, and lifted him on its back.


    ¡°I want to live...¡±


    For half a day, he had raced through hell on a horse that was faster than a car. He¡¯d fought against an Absolute of Heaven, and had won the favor of both the Dragon yer and the ruler of hell.


    It was a dreamlike situation.


    He wondered if it had always been like this whenever he got involved with the Overgeared Guild.


    Seuron was lost in thought, though he was pulled back to reality as he noticed the Valkyries rapidly getting closer.


    This crazy Cerberus was hastily rushing into the enemy lines!


    ¡°No, dammit. Do you want me to die?¡±


    Cerberus wasn¡¯t doing him a favor, it was killing him.


    Seuronmented as he realized this. Then he started ughtering the Valkyries along with Cerberus.


    He was a typical ranker. Basically, he perceived the crisis as an opportunity. Moreover, since all the elite Valkyries were rushing in Hayate¡¯s direction, it was worth fighting them.


    ¡®If Hayate dies like this, won¡¯t it all be for nothing?¡¯


    Suddenly, overtaken by worry, Seuron nced around, searching for Hayate.


    Strangely enough, his gaze naturally fell on Hayate¡¯s right hand. His form was changing in real time. He moved his fingers constantly, the grip on the hilt regrly changing.


    [Scatter...!]


    The Absolute of heaven shouted frightfully, a sound that did not match his imposing aura.


    But it was toote.


    The silver sword energy constantly changed its trajectory and flew as if predicting the enemy¡¯s retreat, ughtering the Valkyries in its path.


    And Hayate did all this as he was fighting Dominion. He was confronting the God of War and massacring his army at the same time.


    Seuron clicked his tongue. ¡°...Phenomenal.¡±

 Chapter 1936

    Chapter 1936


    Using his elbow, Dominion broke the sword that was stuck in his ribs. He threw his spear at the same time, but Hayate blocked it with his Dragon Killing Sword swung by his left hand, as if he had predicted the move.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!


    The collision between the sword and spear sent out a transparent shockwave, followed by a thunderous st, the resulting shock sweeping through the Valkyries like a tidal wave.


    [...This is the trick of the Sword Saint.]


    Dominion took in the pitiful condition of the Valkyries, who were bleeding from their eyes, ears, noses and mouths, and figured out Hayate¡¯s previous tactic.


    It was the sword. Hayate¡¯s weapon, made from the silver dragon killing energy, changed its weight every time. Sometimes it was so light that it broke easily. Other times, it was so heavy that it lost its sharpness. However, the Dragon Killing Sword was different at that moment.


    The moment it collided with the spear, it emitted a resounding sound as clear as a melody. This changed the nature of the shockwave, causing it to induce internal injuries to those who listened to it. He must¡¯ve been aiming for this from the very beginning after a lot of trial and error.


    [Your fighting technique is quite inventive.]


    Dominion could only praise him sincerely, despite feeling ufortable deep down.


    ¡®Thepatibility between our fighting styles is bad.¡¯


    Dominion¡¯s forces had performed well against Martial God Chiyou in the past.


    As they crossed the continent five times, Chiyou had barely been able to harm the Valkyries. This had allowed Dominion to inflict several serious wounds on Chiyou while maintaining his full strength.


    Of course, Dominion had still been seriously injured.


    In any case, Hayate¡¯s style waspletely different from Chiyou. Unlike Chiyou, whose entire focus had been on Dominion, Hayate¡¯s attention was on the Valkyries. Every time he blocked or dodged Dominion¡¯s attack, he attacked the Valkyries without aiming to deal a counterattack on Dominion.


    Even when Dominion deliberately left himself exposed, Hayate¡¯s strategy remained the same. He didn¡¯t look away. He stood firm and only aimed at the Valkyries.


    Recalling his previous fight with Chiyou, Dominion realized it was only toward the end of the battle that Chiyou had taken to ughtering the Valkyries¡­


    ¡®...Is it just a matter ofpatibility?¡¯


    Dominion had beenparing Hayate to Chiyou, only to pause in his thoughts, shocked at the sudden realization. The reason why the Valkyries performed well against Chiyou¨Cit was because of Chiyou¡¯s greed!


    ¡®It seems that he¡¯s been harboring expectations for me for some time.¡¯


    Yes, that had been Chiyou¡¯s test. He¡¯d wanted to see if the all-powerful Dominion could make him experience death...


    ¡®In the end, I failed the test.¡¯


    After checking the results sheet, Chiyou had started ughtering the Valkyries fiercely.


    [...Sigh.]


    Dominion¡¯s expression changed in real time as he sighed deeply. His face had always been stern, befitting an existence in the highest position such as his. Now, raw emotions like greed and aggression materialized on his face.


    ¡°......¡±


    Hayate took a step back.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!


    The speed of the attack was impossibly faster than all the ones that had preceded it.


    Dominion¡¯s spear extended like a ray of light, marking dozens of dots. The dots were connected by lines, and the lines formed shapes, each shape different from the other.


    There were illusory spears falling from the sky like heavy rain. Hayate¡¯s white coat had been torn in several ces. He¡¯d failed to perform a counterattack, so now he had to focus on defense and evasion. Because of this, he was no longer able to target the Valkyries.


    Dominion let out an exhale only after the whole area was devastated. He opened his mouth to speak. [I didn¡¯t expect you to withstand this, too.]


    ¡°You have human-like expressions. I was able to react because I was prepared in advance,¡± Hayate simply stated. He even had a faint smile on his face.


    [......?]


    Dominion was confused. He wasn¡¯t particrly emotional. He just surrendered himself to the unfamiliar emotions experienced in the moment. His heart was beating the hardest it had ever beaten since his birth.


    Feelings of jealousy, struggle and a desire to get stronger. These emotions, unfamiliar to a being who was born an Absolute, were changing him.


    The spear had moved in a machine-like manner, following a constant pattern due to Dominion¡¯s confidence in himself. Now, it was moving in an unconventional trajectory.


    ¡®Dragon yer Hayate.¡¯


    His always upright posture, which had always maintained his dignity, was now unusually bent.


    ¡®If I beat him¡ª¡¯


    Little by little, trickery was flooding into the gaze that was locked onto his target.


    ¡®It will be different the next time I meet Chiyou.¡¯


    The number of times that the sword and spear collided with each other promptly increased. The illusory spears pouring down from the sky never stopped.


    ¡°......¡±


    From a certain point on, ck Knight Eligos and Seuron had just been quietly watching the battle. The same could be said about the Valkyries. There was no room for them to intervene. The Dragon yer and the God of War were solely focused on each other.


    No, the battle between these two was strengthening them both. The vast battlefield continued to narrow.


    At the end, victory belonged to...


    [...Keuk!]


    Hayate narrowly won. This was mostly because Dominion became stronger when hemanded an army. The fight had be overwhelmingly disadvantageous for him the second he became solely focused on fighting alone. After all, the opponent was the Dragon yer who evolved to have two mental worlds. He was probably one of the few in the world who couldpete with an old dragon.


    ¡°Dominion!¡±


    A corpsmander-level Valkyrie, who had been fighting admirably against Eligos, rushed over to support Dominion. Hundreds of Valkyries were still alive and well, but Eligos no longer cared.


    ¡°¡±Can you afford to help the loser? You will all pay with your lives.¡±¡±


    ¡°Just let them go...¡± Seuron offered a cautiousment.


    Hayate¡¯s condition also wasn¡¯t ideal. The moment his final blow struck Dominion¡¯s chest, Hayate also suffered a serious stab to his side. Moreover, Hayate was a human being. Dominion had already started restoring his severed heart, while Hayate¡¯s wound was still bleeding heavily.


    Just then, Leraje and Knight joined the rest. The odds of winning were low when they met head-on.


    Over there, the number of captain-level Valkyries with skills equal to or greater than Seuron was at least fifty. There were also corpsmander-level Valkyries whose strength wasn¡¯t inferior to Eligos and Leraje.


    Of course, Eligos was already aware of this. Still, he was a ruler. He wasn¡¯t in a position to simply let go of enemies who dared invade his territory.


    In the midst of the heightened tension between the two sides, Dominion, who had been staring at Hayate nkly, finally spoke again.


    [Your mental world... There really are two.]


    The wound Hayate had inflicted was a mere three centimeters. Despite Hayate¡¯s sword piercing that deeply, Dominion had already recovered enough to be able to stand without requiring any help.


    On the other hand, Hayate was in a state where he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth. It was all rtive. Hayate was also recovering at a quick pace because of a potion hidden inside his coat, a Reidan recovery potion that he¡¯d received from Grid in the past, which now proved to be of great help.


    However, the potion paled inparison to a god¡¯s inherent recovery ability.


    ¡°¡±We must not give him more time to recover.¡±¡±


    Eligos signaled to Leraje with a knowing nce. Just then, Dominion spoke.


    [I lost. I consider my defeat a worthy enough price for invading hell.]


    Dominion was admitting defeat.


    Knight and the ck and White Sisters didn¡¯t notice, but Seuron had been frequently building up his transcendent status this year and he could feel that the pressureing from Dominion was reduced momentarily.


    ¡°¡±.......¡±¡±


    Eligos and Leraje stiffened like statues. Eligos¡¯s face was covered entirely by his helmet, but he had a rough idea of what his expression was like when he met Leraje¡¯s wide eyes.


    [However, Dragon yer. Next time, It will be different.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [Also, don¡¯t even dream of bing a god killer. I will be the one to get rid of Chiyou, not you or Grid.]


    Asgard being obsessed with Chiyou wasn¡¯t solely because of revenge. Chiyou was a fallen god whose desire was to experience death. He was an iplete being who, if in, could give someone the qualification to be considered aplete god killer. He was a risk factor, so it was only reasonable for Asgard to want him removed before anyone else.


    But, at least for Dominion, he wouldn¡¯t be buried by Chiyou in the future. Today, he experienced the position of being inferior to someone for the first time. He experienced emotions he had never felt before.


    Hayate thought that Dominion would continue to experience changes in the future.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t help the old dragons... I will think about it.¡±


    [That is just spection. As far as I know, Judar has recently targeted the heart of the Fire Dragon. He would¡¯ve never done that if he secretly joined forces with the old dragons.]


    ¡°That could be an act, right?¡±


    [...In any case, I will take your advice about my mother wholeheartedly.]


    Was his mother lonely? Dominion still wasn¡¯t convinced. However, he wanted to at least try to understand how she was feeling.


    A Valkyrie blew a trumpet and clouds radiated light before forming a staircase.


    Dominion and the Valkyrie army climbed the stairs confidently, as if they had been victorious in battle.


    Once hell was far behind them, one of the Valkyries expressed a question she had been willing to ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why we are retreating.¡±


    Other Valkyries reacted angrily, asking in return, ¡°How dare you doubt God¡¯s choice?¡±


    Their leader, Dominion, spoke first.


    [It is better than being wiped out.]


    There was whisperinging from the rear of the formation, but even the quietest voice buried in the footsteps of the army couldn¡¯t escape his hearing.


    He copsed the moment he arrived at Asgard. Even a being as great as him could no longer maintain his bravado.


    [There is a long way to go.]


    On the other hand¡ª


    [You have defeated Dominion, the god of war.]


    Hayate¡¯s body was bathed in light many times.


    As a reward for defeating the God of War and the Valkyrie army, the level of Knight¡¯s group rose rapidly. Some people even gained an increase in status.


    ¡°How many buses does the Overgeared Guild run...?¡±


    Seuron could now understand why the members of the Overgeared Guild grew faster than anyone else and he couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    ***


    ¡°He lost? It means that what Raphael witnessed is true.¡±


    Judar¡¯s response was unexpectedly calm upon hearing the news of Dominion¡¯s defeat. He even smiled after sending away the angel who had given him the report.


    ¡°It will be hard for the dragons.¡±


    Tap, tap, tap...


    The movement of his fingers tapping on the table was cheerful.


    ¡°The refraction dragon will be stronger.¡±


    Creatures with a sense of reason were bound to be weak eventually. The harsher the experiences they went through, the stronger their desires became, reaching a point where they would even start relying on a god they wouldn¡¯t normally believe in.


    Naturally, dragons were no exception.


    Both the refraction dragon and Grid have demonstrated their respective level of power several times.


    Judar wished for his mother¡¯s death.

 Chapter 1937

    <h4>Chapter 1937 </h4>


    The tower members were born as ordinary human beings who¡¯d gained eternal life and had confronted dragons.


    Their stories could fill over a hundred books. Their lives were considered miraculous by default. Therefore, finding some inspiration in the concept of miracles had long been a challenge for them, considering their background.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    But Hayate¡¯s resurrection...


    ¡°Hayate!¡±


    ¡°Lord Hayate!¡±


    It reminded the tower members of the value of miracles.


    The sight of them crying,ughing and hugging each other made their noses runny from holding back tears.


    Seuron found Lauel, approached and whispered, ¡°Tell Katz to keep his promise.¡± He was careful not to ruin the friendly atmosphere with his serious attitude.


    Lauelughed.?¡°Have you perhaps changed a lot?¡±


    ¡°No? I was always like this. I¡¯m ruthless only toward my enemies.¡±


    The ck and White sisters interjected.?¡°Aren¡¯t you the one so blinded by fame that you don¡¯t care about anything else?¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡±


    Seuron and the sisters were arguing with each other.


    ¡°I truly owe all of you,¡± Lauel politely told the three of them. ¡°I will never forget your brilliant performance.¡±


    It seemed that Knight had fully informed him of what had happened.


    The ck and White sisters, who didn¡¯t get along well with others, felt embarrassed and left the ce.


    ¡°We are nning to expand the Overgeared vampire branch... Are you interested in joining the Overgeared Guild? It would make me happy if you took charge of the branch.¡± Lauel suggested to Seuron.


    This was one of the reasons why Lauel was considered one of the important contributors to building the empire. To sum things up, he was obsessed with talent. If he spotted someone who was talented in a certain field, he would reach out to them.


    It sometimes took years to verify if someone could be trusted or not. That was why he needed apetent inspector named Knight, but in any case... The gathering of talent in the empire was the result of abination of Grid¡¯s connections and Lauel¡¯s initiative.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± Seuron replied without giving it much thought.


    It was a surprising answer. Seuron had hundreds of guild members. If he could join the Overgeared Guild and gain support, he would benefit tremendously. Lauel hadn¡¯t expected him to refuse.


    ¡°If I be a part of the Overgeared Guild, who will I fight withter?¡±


    ¡°That... This is an answer I¡¯ve heard from someone else...¡±


    ¡°Are there more people like me? I¡¯m d.¡±


    Seuronughed cheerfully.


    ¡°Everyone has different reasons for ying the game, but at the very least, my colleagues and I get the most fun out of war. There are quite a few skilled production workers in the guild. Someday, I will have a good assortment of resources andpete with the empire properly. There will be a war. That way, I can sit on a cushion of money if I acquire a few mines or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard something simr from someone else...¡±


    Seuron waved lightly and left.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to be refused... Hmm...¡±


    Lauel¡¯s expression while watching him was surprisingly calm. This was the man who had proudly dered that he would remain the enemy of the Overgeared Guild. At the very least, he¡¯d expressed his intention to challenge them honestly, without relying on the usage of dirty methods. It wasn¡¯t something to be anxious about.


    Knight added out of concern, ¡°He still shouldn¡¯t cross the line lest he summons Grid¡¯s wrath.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re defending him, I take it that Seuron¡¯s performance must¡¯ve impressed you quite a lot. The more I think about it, the more I feel it is a waste for him to reject my proposal.¡±


    ¡°He was truly amazing. Of course, some aspects of hell¡¯s environment were advantageous to him.¡±


    ¡°It is a pity, but it can¡¯t be helped. He has my respect because he has a firm will.¡±


    Most important than anything, Seuron was a yer. If a big crisis urred, something simr to the great human and demon war, he would eventually cooperate with the Overgeared Guild.


    No matter whether it was Satisfy or reality.


    ***


    [...Persistent guy.]


    The three dragons who rebelled against the ice dragon Rev became even stronger by preying on their wounded kin. Now they were aiming for the hierarchy of the intermediate dragon.


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy. Rev had simply seemed ipetent when the dragons had been watching from the sidelines before.


    It seemed that there was little room to attack once actually facing him as an enemy. Despite suffering from the aftereffects of losing to Grid, the volume of this guy became 1.5 timesrger than usual once he covered his blue scales with solid ice. Both physically and mentally, he was like a statue that could never be broken. Therefore, he firmly endured most attacks.


    [It isn¡¯t good to waste time like this.]


    The constant blizzards continued to cool down the temperature. It seemed like the whole area would soon enter the realm of absolute zero, so the three dragons became nervous. In fact, every time they moved, their frozen scales would let out an ominous sound, receiving damage every time they rubbed against each other.


    Rev in his true form was powerful, especially when he didn¡¯t have any allies around him. If Grid had fought Rev now, he would¡¯ve experienced a phenomenon where all of the items he was wearing would be frozen and gradually fail to function.


    The three dragons changed their strategy. They moved as far away as possible from Rev and shot a Breath once they were out of the range of the blizzard. The energy of an old dragon could cover the entire world. However, Rev was only an intermediate dragon.


    The strength of his energy itself might be great, but the scope of its influence was small. If they could unleash a powerful attack without entering his range, then there was enough room to attack.


    [......]


    Within the ice, Rev looked serene. He was watching the traitors¡¯ movements with his blue eyes. He would not act prematurely.


    He was contemting. During the Age of Oblivion, how many hearts of his own kin had he eaten? He was certain that the number wasn''t small. He considered that, even if he didn¡¯t eat the hearts of these traitors, he would still reach the hierarchy of a top dragon just by killing them.


    ¡®I can¡¯t handle it.¡¯


    In the aftermath of the Age of Oblivion, there were only two top dragons left. It was the highest level that Rev could realistically reach.


    Unlike old dragons, he wouldn¡¯t possess absolute power, but his physical ability and magic power would be threatening enough to the old dragons. It was a great burden to shoulder that much responsibility, especially since there were only two top dragons running wild currently.


    However, Rev had already made a promise to Grid.


    <i>¡°I will turn my back on the will of the foreign god.¡±</i>


    Would he be able to keep his promise if he became a top dragon and took on greater responsibilities? Rev couldn¡¯t guarantee it.


    ¡®I¡¯m not Cranbel or Kubartos.¡¯


    He was less honorable than Cranbel and less ambitious than Kubartos. He was half-hearted. He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of breaking his promise to Grid and living as a servant of the foreign god again.


    [......]


    With these thoughts, Rev endured the power of the Breaths, which were weakened from breaking through the snowstorm and his ice armor. He tried taking advantage of the gaps in his enemies¡¯ attacks when they were reloading their Breaths, only to stop several times.


    Enough.


    The three dragons were already acutely aware of the difference in strength between them and Rev. They realized why Rev had been defeated by a mere god. It wasn¡¯t because he was weak or incapable. Grid was simply strong...


    [What should I do with you guys?]


    [...Is there any answer other than killing us? Of course, we will devour at least one of your eyeballs, Rev.]


    Even a lower-ranked dragon was a dragon. They might break, but they didn¡¯t bend.


    ¡®I¡¯ll try not to kill them.¡¯


    The intentions of the dragons and their unbreakable fighting spirits now made clear to Rev, he prepared for a counterattack.


    Just then, a thunderous voice echoed throughout the mountains.


    [You are hesitating to the very end.]


    A lightning strike swiftly followed through.


    Suddenly, the wings of the three dragons were ripped off. A dragon stood in the middle of the other three, and he wasrger than Rev, despite having erged his body with ice.


    A being who showed off his majesty even though his entire body was covered in ice. It was none other than the top dragon, Kubartos.


    Every time Kubartos shot a Breath and swung his tail, the scales of the lower-ranked dragons were repeatedly ripped off. Then, three still pulsating hearts suddenly fell into Kubartos¡¯ hands.


    [Thank you, Rev. I benefited thanks to your foolish hesitation.]


    <i>Gulp.</i>


    Kill and eat. There was no hesitation in Kubartos¡¯ actions.


    Rev had been watching the scene, stunned. His face twisted in a frown.


    [How can you take the hearts of your own people?]


    [An indecisive guy like you wouldn¡¯t have betrayed your own people... Of course, these guys were traitors.]


    [......]


    [If you are going to me someone, me Cranbel. If he hadn¡¯t seriously injured me, I would¡¯ve thought twice about eating them.]


    This meant that he had failed to kill Cranbel. If Kubartos had seeded in killing Cranbel, he would¡¯ve eaten Cranbel¡¯s heart and returned to a healed state. Rev couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.


    Kubartos instantly entered Rev¡¯s realm and dered coldly, [Get lost.]


    The blizzard would scatter into ashes every time it touched his golden scales.


    [What are you doing?]


    Kubartos¡¯ eyes dropped. Rev was standing with his back to the entrance to Trauka¡¯sir.


    Rev took a deep breath and spoke cautiously.


    [Trauka¡¯s condition is worse than you think.]


    [Hoh... I wonder why you would reveal this information to me.]


    Currently, Grid was rampaging inside their, and Kubartos was the only one who could quickly deal with such a situation. Despite this, Rev stood in the way, holding Kubartos¡¯ gaze unwaveringly, who was starting to be ufortable.


    [I wonder if you are after Trauka¡¯s life.]


    In the end, Rev was honest about his concerns. He immediately paid a harsh price for it. Kubartos grabbed Rev by the neck, his ws slowly squeezing the ice armor, smashing even the blue scales.


    [It¡¯s fine for you to doubt me. However, you have to recognize the severity of your usation.]


    [Kuek...!]


    [This is an old dragon. It¡¯s only fair that I should be the one taking his life, not Grid. Could it be that you have a different idea?]


    [No way... It can¡¯t be. It¡¯s just... I hope that an old dragon won¡¯t die... That¡¯s my only hope.]


    [I am of the same opinion. Can¡¯t you discern even that much?]


    <i>Smirk.</i>


    Kubartos¡¯s long muzzle opened, his ws digging deep into Rev¡¯s neck until red blood spilled out like from a faucet. It froze in the cold air, looking like a blooming transparent flower. By the time it melted and seeped into the ground, Rev would have long been dead.


    Kubartos¡¯s metal-like eyes, which were even colder and shinier because of the cold, gradually became filled with a dark killing intent...


    [I don¡¯t know what the situation is.]


    In the midst of this short silence, a gray-haired man with well-trained muscles had descended, his hair swaying in the air.


    This man who¡¯d fallen between the two mountain-like bodies of the dragons was only two meters tall, but he had a presence that was capable of easily catching others¡¯ attention.


    [Go away.]


    The double-handed palm energy blew away the dragons to the left and right.


    Rev was still in a dreadful state and groaned because he couldn¡¯t handle the attack, but Kubartos seemed fine.


    However, there was a follow-up attack.


    A giant sword fell from the sky and aimed at Kubartos¡¯ head. Even that was blocked.


    ¡°Zeratul, isn¡¯t it a bit concerning that your surprise attack failed?¡±


    [I don¡¯t do surprise attacks. I attacked after giving a fair notice.]


    ¡®Are you bragging?¡¯


    Martial God Zeratul and Sword God Biban.


    The strongest force of the Overgeared World arrived at a new battlefield.

 Chapter 1938

    Chapter 1938


    [One must have some shame to feel embarrassed. The way you argue with me is almost like gibberish.]


    ¡°......¡±


    The moment Zeratul said this, Biban stopped exining to him the meaning of a surprise attack and shut his mouth.


    He recalled the experience from a while ago, when his surprise attack had easily been blocked by the golden dragon¡¯s forearm.


    The top dragon, Kubartos.


    In the past, he had been considered the ¡®greatest enemy¡¯ of the Tower of Wisdom, because the tower saw no situation in which they could actually afford to face an old dragon. They were determined to avoid the old dragons because they concluded that the old dragons couldn¡¯t be stopped. As such, the top dragons were considered a top priority threat.


    ¡®I thought it would be worth fighting, but¡ª¡¯


    It didn¡¯t feel much different from Trauka in terms of hardness. His body stiffened despite chills running down his spine. The aftermath of an ominous premonition was overwhelming him.


    In the words of Huroi, Grid¡¯s closest confidant, he looked like XX hard excrement.


    In the end, Biban seriously reviewed the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to argue between ourselves. The scales of a top dragon are harder than I expected.¡±


    [He is also agile.]


    Zeratul was also aware that Kubartos was a difficult enemy to face. The palm energy, which he¡¯d fired with all his might, was blocked by Kubartos¡¯s iron-like hand. Despite the palm attack beingunched from close range, the reaction was immediate.


    [He also happens to be a gold dragon... Should I say he is on a level simr to Raiders with weakened powers?]


    ¡°That would be appropriate. We have no time to waste.¡±


    First of all, they had to break through this guy to even stand a chance of saving Grid...


    After a brief discussion, the two of them raised their strength. A colorless energy emanated from their heads and shoulders, distorting the surroundingndscape.


    The ice dragon Rev was barely pulling his body off the wall. The wounds inflicted by Kubartos and Zeratul were frozen over with ice, causing the bleeding to stop.


    [He is pretty tough as well.] Zeratul stated.


    ¡°But he can¡¯t bepared to a top dragon.¡±


    [Let¡¯s deal with him first.]


    [Wait, I¡¯m in this situation because...] There was no time for Rev to exin anything.


    Zeratul used Shunpo and moved between Rev¡¯s legs. He hit the dragon¡¯s inner thigh, shaking it. Biban took advantage of this slight gap and dealt a joint attack.


    The blow split the ice armor in half. However, it quickly repaired itself.


    A chill so strong rose from Rev¡¯s heart that it even froze Biban¡¯s huge sword, which had been piercing through his scales.


    ¡®Is he a top dragon we didn¡¯t know about?¡¯


    Biban was quite surprised, but he showed no signs of agitation. He observed the dragon meticulously, taking in as much as he could of Rev¡¯s appearance with his calm, gray eyes.


    The insight of an Absolute saw through many facts in a split second: the fact that this blue dragon was stronger than expected, that he was already injured, that he didn¡¯t fight back, etc...


    [Great job, Rev. As expected of my subordinate.]


    Therefore, Biban wasn¡¯t deceived by Kubartos, who was using despicable whispers in order to induce confusion.


    Biban narrowly escaped Kubartos¡¯ ws, which had left behind a gold-colored trail like sunlight reflected on the surface of water. Then he spoke to Zeratul.


    ¡°These two seem to have a toxic rtionship.¡±


    [Do you only understand now?]


    Zeratul responded as if Biban was stupid.


    Biban¡¯s forehead was covered in blood.


    ¡°I arrived a momentter than you, so it took me a while to figure out the overall atmosphere.¡±


    [Are you bragging?]


    ¡°I will exin it to you... No, wait? You already knew they weren¡¯t on the same side?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ¡°Then why did you ask me to deal with him first?¡±


    [Such a ridiculous question. There is now saying that an enemy¡¯s enemy is necessarily an ally. This is even more applicable when the opponent is a dragon.]


    This was true. Biban couldn¡¯t find the words to refute Zeratul¡¯s opinion, so he infused willpower into the sword that was stuck in Rev¡¯s body.


    A small sword was pulled out of a gap in the ice andnded into Biban¡¯s grasp.


    After that, the conversation halted for a while.


    Kubartos polymorphed into human form and approached Biban like he was gliding on ice. He bent his upper body back significantly in order to avoid the sword. At the same time, he raised his foot and kicked.


    Biban also twisted his upper body to avoid a counterattack. By increasing the size of his sword, the erged de dug into Kubartos¡¯ bent torso.


    Then Kubartos released Polymorph on his foot.


    Biban was hit by the dragon¡¯s hind leg and crashed down the mountain range before he could even scream. He immediately used Shunpo to make his way back to the entrance of their, and saw that Zeratul had been captured in Kubartos¡¯ paws.


    It seemed that he was a victim to the same trick that Biban had just been subjected to.


    Biban gasped as he rescued Zeratul by firing his sword energy. The gold Breath materialized in front of him in the blink of an eye. He calmly opened a sword curtain to absorb a certain amount of the damage. Then Biban bent his legs.


    Kubartos¡¯ blow cut his hair. It was just the right length to slide under the blow, but dammit.


    Kubartos released Polymorph from his front paw and trampled Biban, smashing the ground and scattering debris.


    But Biban didn¡¯t fall for the same trick twice.


    His crouched body was already shooting forward like a cannonball, but he wasn¡¯t using Shunpo. Heunched from the ground directly with both legs, taking advantage of the recoil from Kubartos breaking the ground in order to add weight to his sword.


    The ovepped shockwaves along the trajectory of the giant sword pushed Kubartos back several steps. Kubartos¡¯ mouth formed a straight line, and his brow was furrowed. The nonstop exchange of blows was quite unpleasant.


    There was a resonant sound, like metal breaking, and it was most definitely caused by a collision between a sword and a hand or a foot.


    Kubartos¡¯ body was hardened even in his Polymorph state. He didn¡¯t feel constrained by Polymorph, just like an old dragon would have felt. Before he knew it, he had been cut dozens of times by Biban¡¯s dragon weapon, which swirled like a hurricane, constantly changing its size. Still, he managed to avoid being fatally injured.


    ¡°Grid is a nuisance.¡±


    Kubartos seemed unable to continuously fire Breaths to keep Biban at bay. He suddenly grinned.


    ¡°I can see a portion of the future. I didn¡¯t expect you to grow to this point.¡±


    Kubartos slowly dodged the sword light that drew a diagonal line from bottom to top, and turned his body. Biban¡¯s sword, which had returned to regr size, couldn¡¯t cut Kubartos, and missed.


    On the other hand, Biban was pierced in the abdomen by a sword protruding from Kubartos¡¯ cyx, a sword that had been made by the dragon by shrinking his tail.


    Kubartos held the hilt of his sword upside-down, spun back and faced Biban head-on. But the de that prated through the armor also tore through the body...


    Biban¡¯s body trembled as his intestines were cut to shreds. He tried to remove the sword, but it was to no avail.


    The de protruded like a jagged thorn and was so sharp that he couldn¡¯t take it out with his hand. He tried hitting it with his sword, but it still didn¡¯t break.


    The only way to escape was to use Shunpo, but it was already dazzlingly bright everywhere.


    Kubartos had magically blocked his vision. Ironically, he used the basic magic called Light. An Absolute who died because of Light? He would go down in history, but not in a good way.


    Biban tried activating his mental world despite being quite overwhelmed in his current state. Just then, Zeratul spoke.


    [You should¡¯ve recovered a bit more before joining the fight.]


    He clicked his tongue.


    [Well, that doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t helpful.]


    Zeratul swung a long icicle that was like a sword and struck at Kubartos¡¯ sword. To his surprise, Kubartos¡¯ sword froze. Because of this, the pressure Biban felt was relieved. He pulled back his body.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    [The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It is amon saying.]


    Weren¡¯t you the one who said that wasn''t the case?


    Biban swallowed down the words that rose in his throat, only to suddenly be doubtful.


    Was Zeratul the type who willingly epted help from someone who was close to one of his enemies?


    Without his pride, was he anything more than a corpse?


    Biban sensed something was wrong and decided to take a closer look at Zeratul. His breathing was rough. He¡¯d said he was faring better than Biban¡¯s, but Zeratul hadn¡¯t fully recovered, either. He was still suffering from the consequences of pushing his limits while fighting Fire Dragon Trauka.


    Since Biban had experienced them as well, he was aware that the scars left by Trauka were terrible. He felt like his body and soul were burning even now. His sword energy hadn¡¯t regained its proper cirction, either. This would be especially devastating for Zeratul, who used a wider variety of energy and divinity due to his various martial arts.


    ¡°...Do we have a chance of winning?¡±


    [To be honest, this fight is hard.]


    By saying this, Zeratul acknowledged that he and Chiyou were different. He wasn¡¯t the type to recklessly bluff that he never knew defeat.


    In the midst of this serious atmosphere¡ª


    ¡°Why are you helping them by pulling out the essence of your heart?¡± Kubartos¡¯ gloomy voice rang out.


    The question was directed at Rev, who was now an obvious traitor.


    No emotions were felt from him. Rather, he felt insulted.


    Rev was confident. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to help them. I¡¯m trying to protect Trauka. I can¡¯t let you go into their.¡±


    ¡°That is a very good excuse.¡±


    Rev also polymorphed into human form. However, he seemed to be very weakened. It didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d intended to polymorph. In fact, he wanted to shrink his body in order to reduce wasting his power.


    Biban looked at the icicle in Zeratul¡¯s hands.


    ¡°That... Did you pluck it from the heart of that blue dragon?¡±


    [What do you mean I plucked it? He did that himself.]


    ¡°Why?¡±


    [I guess he met Grid.]


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Strangely, Biban felt convinced. Then Kubartos said intently, ¡°In any case. Rev, your thoughts and choices hold no meaning.¡±


    Scales started sprouting over Kubartos¡¯ skin. In mere seconds, the golden dragon erged and returned to his original form. Then he trampled on Rev with his front paw.


    The Breath poured toward Biban, who had hurried to Rev¡¯s aid.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    He swung his sword in an iplete motion, failing to blockpletely the top dragon¡¯s Breath.


    Biban was swept away by the violent explosion and was thrown back onto the opposite mountain peak, crashing there.


    Stunned, Rev asked, ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t helping you. Why did you save me?¡±


    ¡°How can I turn away from the one who gave his heart to me?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand. My heart is still alive. I just lost some energy for a while.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this before?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m joking. Your circumstances are none of my business. To be honest, I just followed Grid for a little bit. If Grid had been here, he would¡¯ve protected you at a time like this. You don¡¯t understand, do you? I wouldn¡¯t have understood either had I not been there to witness the rtionship between Grid and Bunhelier.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Thump!


    The two of them barely managed to get up. Zeratul, who had been fighting Kubartos on his own, flew to their side and fell. He¡¯d received so many blows from the Breath attack in such a short period of time, and had turned into rags.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    [Do I look okay to you? Give me your hand.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zeratul urged Biban.


    [I have vowed to walk a different path from Chiyou.]


    Biban extended his hand, and Zeratul gave the sword of ice to him, correcting the position of Biban¡¯s shoulders and feet and even tinkering with the gripping method.


    [I know you are nervous, but follow my directions quietly. I also know that you are no less skilled in swordsmanship than me.]


    Every time Zeratul¡¯s hand touched his body, Biban felt a surge of vitality.


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve been creating and honing skills that you don¡¯t know. I vaguely know which one of them will exert greater power whenbined with your swordsmanship.¡±


    Now Zeratul was unable to engrave his thoughts in the space. He spoke as if he were a human being.


    After infusing the remaining of his divinity into Biban, he asked,


    ¡°Is anything even slightly unclear?¡±


    The uncertainty in Zeratul¡¯s words made Biban feel a bit uneasy. However, the urgency of their current situation didn¡¯t allow Biban to articte his thoughts properly.


    Kubartos was getting closer. He opened his mouth wide, ready to devour the weakened intermediate dragon, the Sword God, and the Martial God.


    ¡°What are you up to...?¡± Rev asked.


    He was ovee with bted regret, foreseeing a futile death. He shouldn¡¯t have pulled out the essence of his heart.


    Then Zeratul¡¯s reinterpreted Matchless Sword of the Sword God was revealed.


    Grid¡¯s dragon weapon and Rev¡¯s ice sword drew different paths, leaving a trajectory that had never been seen before.


    The huge golden dragon paused in the air for a moment. Then, having lost his wings, he started to fall.


    ¡°...Doesn¡¯t this look like Grid¡¯s sword dance?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and hurry.¡±

 Chapter 1939

    Chapter 1939


    From the time that the dragons had formed their group, their society became somewhat simr to that of humans¡¯.


    Concepts such as lineage, faith, and status were recognized as important,pared to how these notions used to be regarded in the Age of Oblivion.


    Thus, Kubartos realized that he was special.


    The golden color of his scales, fitting for a ruler, symbolized sovereignty.


    Due to the lineage that ruled ¡®time,¡¯ his group treated him in a special manner. He was able to do things on his own that others couldn¡¯t, even if they worked together.


    ¡®How can this happen...?


    Kubartos¡¯ eyes widened after losing his wings, and crashed down.


    He felt confused by the situation. A fake Martial God banished from Asgard and a mere human swordsman, both of them exhausted, yet they still managed to cut off his wings.


    He might not have been able to kill the silver-scaled Cranbel, who symbolized divinity, but he still fought and won. Then he¡¯d returned, taking the hearts of three traitors, bing even stronger. Yet, he still failed.


    ¡®Did this happen because Rev¡¯s hierarchy is unexpectedly close to a top dragon?¡¯


    It was so absurd that he didn¡¯t even have time to feel shame. Kubartos slowly stood up, contemting his condition.


    His wings torn by the iplete dragon killing energy were regenerating slowly. Arge number of scales on his shoulder des were also torn off.


    It was repulsive. He had lost the dignity of a ruler.


    Am I not good enough?


    That couldn¡¯t be.


    Kubartos increased the regeneration speed by changing the properties of the dragon killing energy on his wound to gold. Then he considered what the root of the problem was. He easily arrived at a conclusion.


    ¡®In the end, Trauka is the problem.¡¯


    Biban¡¯s sword was made from Trauka.


    Kubartos looked at Biban¡¯s sword, which targeted him by changing its size every time. A sword made from the bones and scales of an old dragon, a weapon that was born because Trauka did Grid a favor, the result of a stupid misjudgment. In the front, the golden scales¡¯ characteristic of nullifying the power of metal wasn¡¯t fully exerted. He hated to admit it, but it was very intimidating.


    ¡®It is best to kill Trauka as soon as possible.¡¯


    By killing the fire dragon, he would undermine the value of the name ¡®Trauka.¡¯ The best way to eliminate variables in future battles was to cause the weapons made from Trauka to lose their value.


    p.


    Kubartos made a decision then. He spread out his regenerated wings and took flight. He arrived shortly at the entrance of their and followed the trails of blood left by Zeratul¡¯s group. It was easy to pursue them.


    Moving through the intricate maze of Trauka¡¯sir using Shunpo wasn¡¯t efficient at all. Zeratul¡¯s group was exhausted and couldn¡¯t cover too much ground.


    ¡®Trauka, your death is inevitable.¡¯


    The old dragons. In the past, they failed to prevent Reba from sealing the refraction dragon. It was because of them that the Age of Oblivionmenced. Then, during that period of time, they took the lead in causing more idents than any other dragons. They craved the power of their own kin, fell for Baal¡¯s tricks and went crazy. Or they almost united the surface and Asgard by eating the roots of the World Tree...


    Finally, they helped Grid in many ways and upset the bnce of the world.


    They were all bastards. Kubarrtos believed a generational change was very much needed, and Judar had promised to cooperate with him for this to be achieved.


    Now, the timing was just right. The other old dragons couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off the resurrected Hayate, while Cranbel and Trauka were half-dead. There was nothing left that could hinder Kubartos.


    Kubartos, having polymorphed into human form, halted in the rapidly narrowing passage.


    Biban was sitting cross-legged, waiting for him.


    ¡°Are you back already? I¡¯m really envious of your resilience.¡±


    A human who earned the title of a god. Though, at the end of the day, he was still human, and that was obvious from the wounds that hadn¡¯t yet healed on his inherently inferior body.


    Kubartos snorted. ¡°This foolish guy.¡±


    A sneer flowed out when he thought about Biban¡¯s intentions for waiting in this narrow passage.


    ¡°Do you think you stand a chance just because I am polymorphed?¡±


    ¡°Not at all...¡±


    Biban was surprisingly honest. He stumbled like he was drunk. He held the Broken Sword and the ice sword in both hands.


    ¡°But I will try to hinder you as much as I can.¡±


    Biban had no choice but to remain behind. Zeratul still needed time to restore his divinity. If they allowed Kubartos to pursue, Rev would be preyed on. Most importantly, at the end of the maze was Grid, who was probably on the brink of death. Biban couldn¡¯t allow one of Grid¡¯s greatest enemies, seeded only by the old dragons, to pass.


    ording to Rev¡¯s spections, Kubartos¡¯ ultimate goal was Trauka. A top dragon eating an old dragon? He couldn¡¯t even wrap his head around the consequences of that.


    ¡°Are you blocking me just because you want to? You don¡¯t know who you are up against.¡±


    A smile spread across the face of the handsome blond-haired man.


    He couldn¡¯t wait topletely annihte the ¡®swordsmanship¡¯ that Biban believed in.


    However, his wish didn¡¯te true.


    Biban was a tower member, therefore he was aware of the power the dragons possessed. He didn¡¯t expect the same technique to work. After all, Kubartos was a gold dragon. His type of power couldn¡¯t be predicted.


    Therefore, he used his strongest attack from the very beginning.


    The surrounding scenery changed. A wilderness covered in the light of the setting sun unfolded. Countless swords floated in the air all the way to the horizon. They were the mind swords that could cut anything.


    Biban pointed the tip of his sword at Kubartos.


    So this was the mental world of the Sword God. It was an overwhelming sight. However, Kubartos still scoffed at it. He confirmed that some of the swords weren¡¯t aimed at him. Plus, the des of many of the mind swords seemed rather dull.


    This wasn¡¯t aplete mental world, meaning that the caster¡¯s mental strength wasn¡¯t intact.


    Biban had fought for his life against Fire Dragon Trauka and was still suffering from the aftereffects of such a fight. The shock of not being able to prevent Hayate¡¯s death faintly lingered in him. Of course, the recent memory of being overwhelmed by Kubartos was also clear.


    His anxiety increased when he thought of Grid, who must have been dying.


    Biban had been damaged in one too many ways to still be considered intact.


    The smile on Kubartos¡¯ face became even wider. Biban¡¯s mental world also helped Kubartos.


    ¡°This ce is spacious.¡±


    Thanks to the transformation of the small space into a wilderness, he could release Polymorph and restore his original form.


    [Don¡¯t you know that your mind can copse if your mental world is forcibly broken?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m more than used to being insane.¡±


    There was a flood of mind swords. Some didn¡¯t respond to Biban, but the power was still sufficient.


    Kubartos¡¯ vision was bathed in a sunset light. The vast number of des closely surrounding the giant, golden dragon were absorbing the setting sun. This was a close-range attack with nearly infinite mind swords. Biban¡¯s level of threat was much higher than it had been before.


    The smile disappeared from Kubartos¡¯ face.


    He plunged toward the unavoidable tens of thousands of sword attacks, the des piercing and stabbing his whole body. As soon as he closed the distance between him and his opponent, he attacked Biban.


    ¡®Only humans are at a disadvantage.¡¯


    Biban¡¯s focus wavered. He was fed up with the dragons¡¯ ignorant fighting style of utilizing their overwhelming physical abilities.


    He felt a terrible pain in his chest and lost consciousness for a moment, though his will remained unshaken.


    Two swords, wielded by the unconscious Biban, along with the mind swords with distinct forms, shed at Kubartos.


    ***


    An unnecessarilyrge space.


    The scale of their was staggering. Zeratul couldn¡¯t see the end no matter how much he ran, so he was bing more and more annoyed. He was particrly impressed by the fact that it had been designed as a maze.


    Why make such aplex structure if intruders weren¡¯t expected to try breaking in? Was anyone in the whole world so crazy that they¡¯d dare invade their of an old dragon?


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    Zeratul, who had been swearing repeatedly, suddenly shut up. He reminded himself that he was stuck suffering in this ce because of some crazy guy.


    Rev interpreted it differently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m ming myself? Are you crazy? I can see why you received Grid¡¯s grace.¡±


    ¡°I have no recollection of Grid showing any grace to me.¡¯


    What he meant though was, ¡®Unlike you.¡¯


    It was natural.


    Zeratul was carrying Rev on his back. The self-proimed Martial God, who didn¡¯t care whether others lived or died, was running with someone, even a dragon who was considered an enemy, on his back.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t doing it because he enjoyed it. He just wanted to avoid Rev being eaten by Kubartos.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. You helped us without receiving any favor from Grid?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already exin that I helped against Kubartos because I was worried he would target Trauka?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep spouting nonsense. Don¡¯t you care about the possibility of us harming Trauka? You are cing your trust in us. The reason for this must lie with Grid.¡±


    The questions that Zeratul asked also gave away some answers.


    Rev looked at him with wide eyes, slightly fascinated. Then he suddenly burst outughing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the skills.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Your skills can¡¯t defeat my people who are in their. That means you can¡¯t hurt Trauka. Um, does this count as trust?¡±


    ¡°This guy, don¡¯t tell me, you...?¡±


    Was this guy really not aware of Grid¡¯s skills?


    Zeratul cocked his head. Rev seemed to understand his iplete question and added, ¡°Of course, I know that Grid is very strong. He is just as strong while fighting as I am in sheer brute force. He also has a very mean spirit. He is so good atbat, it is quite bothersome. Honestly, I never imagined I would be so frustrated just because of one god. No wonder why he is an Only One God. I can vaguely understand why the old dragons once favored him.¡±


    Grid had taken Trauka hostage, forcing Rev¡¯s group to Polymorph, and continued to cause problems and incite chaos. Because of this, Rev¡¯s group had split up into separate factions. They were unable to demonstrate their power properly, and had been dragged around by Grid.


    There were too many misunderstandings to properly evaluate Grid¡¯s abilities.


    Rev even misunderstood Biban and Zeratul¡¯s skills.


    It was because he couldn¡¯t imagine that they¡¯d managed to sh with the oldest top dragon in history while not even being in good shape.


    Rev was of the opinion that the two men were capable of performing miracles that far exceeded their capabilities.


    Zeratul grasped the situation and smiled vainly.


    ¡°...Yes, after all, this is a dragon.¡±


    Knowing everything was a racial trait of the dragons. These beings didn¡¯t care much about the world. They believed they knew all there was to know, even if they hadn¡¯t seen or experienced everything the world had to offer. They only knew very little about Grid¡¯s life.


    Of course, this tendency would change in the future. From the moment the refraction dragon was resurrected, dragons had started to directly intervene in the world.


    Zeratul stated, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your reaction.¡±


    ¡°My reaction? Right now, I am smiling.¡±


    To be more precise, he wasughing.


    Zeratul shrugged and didn¡¯t speak anymore. He felt the copse of Biban¡¯s mental world in the distance.


    Biban hadsted a long time on his own.


    He didn¡¯t want the sacrifice of thepanion with whom he¡¯d drunk alongside to go to waste, so Zeratul¡¯s footsteps quickened while mourning the deaths of his colleagues.


    ***


    ¡°Who is going to die?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Hurent and his group were startled when Biban suddenly stood up and shouted.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± Biban asked in confusion upon seeing them.


    ¡°......?¡±


    What? Had his old illness rpsed?


    Hurent and hispanions exchanged nces, asking each other not to provoke Biban.


    Kubartos was ring at them like he intended to kill them.

 Chapter 1940

    Chapter 1940


    What was going on here?


    Hurent smiled at Biban¡¯s absurd question and rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡®I avoided a fatal injury, but I feel stiff. I almost died again as soon as I logged in.¡¯


    Aura Master Hurent.


    He was one of the most powerful members of the Overgeared Guild.


    He had the ability to adjust the shape of aura at will, allowing him to be useful in all types of scenarios. Because of this, he had yed a big role in the battle against Trauka as the spearhead. He was able to deal damage to the enemy while empowering and protecting his allies at the same time.


    Therefore, he was a problem.


    Despite the presence of the tower members and apostles, Hurent had been the one attracting Trauka¡¯s aggro. He¡¯d been the first among the main damage dealers to die twice.


    This wasn¡¯t because Hurent had mismanaged the aggro. It just so happened that Trauka¡¯s intelligence had been too high. After sensing the threat in Hurent, Trauka had persistently targeted him. He¡¯d shot a Breath even with both his hands tied up.


    Thanks to this, Hurent was able to reconnect the fastest and get here on time.


    Regardless, the situation wasn¡¯t good. Regas, Pon, Ibellin, Toon, Chris¡¯ entourage¨Cthey were in charge of the vanguard, just like him, and would be the first to die. It was good that they arrived to the fight, but the level of the enemy was higher than they had expected.


    Kubartos.


    He was a rare dragon with golden scales. Even though he wasn¡¯t an old dragon, he exuded a level of power simr to that of Trauka¡¯s. They felt like they were already dead every time they met his metallic, cold gaze. A chill went down their spines, and they became lethargic.


    ¡®He is actually causing some pretty terrible abnormal status conditions.¡¯


    Fear and confusion could be ovee by control. However, they had to endure abnormal status conditions such as exhaustion and intimidation, which lowered the power of their stats and skills.


    Of course, this was only for those who weren¡¯t legends. Unfortunately, the vanguard didn¡¯t consist of many legends.


    ¡°Raise your hand if you don¡¯t think you will be much help.¡±


    The usually friendly Hurent, who was relieved when he verified Piaro¡¯s safety as soon as he logged in, didn¡¯t carry a very pleasant tone in his voice at the moment, which was reasonable, since he seldom made unnecessary remarks.


    ¡°Me.¡±


    A bloodied Toon raised his left hand. His right arm had been cut off. Even if he transformed into a tiger, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run. The same could be said about transforming into an eagle¨Che would be unable to fly, as well.


    ¡°Regas, do you have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°Ah... My capabilities have dropped a lot due to internal injuries, but surely I can y the role of bait. Both my legs are fine.¡±


    ¡°You are bleeding all over the ce right now. It¡¯s so bad, it can¡¯t even be fixed by taking hemostatic medicine. Won¡¯t you be useless once the bleeding debuff stacks?¡±


    ¡°I can stop the bleeding by concentrating my spirit.¡±


    ¡°You and Toon are taking Biban away. Next time, say what you have to say briefly without adding personal opinions. You¡¯re wasting time.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡±


    Hurent¡¯s group had arrived at the scene and were waiting, when they noticed that Biban¡¯s mental world, in which Kubartos had been imprisoned, shattered. They ran to Biban¡¯s rescue, and as many as nine people had been killed in the process, with two of the most powerful people present ending up seriously injured. Those two happened to be Toon, who could transform into a beast suitable for each asion, and who stole Biban away, and Regas, who had tried to protect Ibellin.


    Ibellin apologized to Regas. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Of course, there was no need for an apology. Ibellin seeded in inflicting significant damage onto Kubartos. This had caused Kubartos¡¯ aggro to disperse, allowing Toon to rescue Biban. He could take the most credit for saving Biban.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. You did well.¡±


    Regas, who was smiling nicely, and Toon, who had a sullen expression, supported Biban. Hurent ced a shield over the three of them and briefly reyed the battle from a little while ago in his mind.


    The Breath that Kubartos released was strange, its trajectory irregr like a ping-pong ball, making it impossible to predict. Even worse, skills were destroyed the moment they came in contact with its body.


    One by one, even the vanguard¡¯s strongest defense equipment had failed to show much of an effect, and was miserably destroyed.


    Those seemed to be the characteristics of a gold dragon. They couldn¡¯t allow the attack itself to hit them, but it was also hard to avoid, making it very tricky to deal with.


    To be honest, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint any discernible difference between this dragon and an old dragon. Of course, this was because he and the rest were weak inparison to a dragon. They probably couldn¡¯t tell the difference between a top dragon and an old one, just like ants felt equally threatened by dogs and elephants alike.


    Hurent¡¯s order was simple. ¡°Run away right now.¡±


    People obeyed immediately.


    Hurent fought head-on with Kubartos.


    The moment Biban¡¯s mental world broke, Kubartos appeared in a polymorphed state as a human.


    He was definitely less threatening in this form than when he was using his main body. It was unlikely that Hurent would be killed immediately from a single attack. He was also armed with Grid¡¯s dragon armor.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal now.¡±


    The handsome, blond-haired man sneered. He was beautiful even when he was frowning.


    aang! The aftermath of exchanging one sword strike was stunning. Hurent flew back several meters. Then he kicked off the rock behind him and leapt forward.


    He¡¯d moved in a sh, but it was still toote.


    Kubartos had already reached the side of the fleeing Biban by seemingly using Shunpo. Seeing the movement path shown by the afterimages, it turned out that he had just been running. The speed of an Absolute was truly disgusting.


    Kubartos¡¯ golden sword, which shone even in the darkness of their, shattered the aura shield surrounding the three people, though he failed to stab Biban in the back beyond the shield, because the shield had the ability to block any attack once. It was an ultimate skill that could only be used a few times, because so much mana was drained every time it was used, but its effectiveness was undoubtable.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Was Kubartos surprised that the aura shield had blocked his sword? His golden eyes, peering through the ss-like fragments of aura, were slightly wide.


    Hurent controlled the aura while running, shards flying out, turning into pulsating des that stabbed and shed at Kubartos.


    Kubartos frowned and scattered a sword light once more.


    Regas turned around. He pushed at Biban¡¯s back with his left hand while drawing a circle with his right.


    This was a skill he¡¯d learned through the secret technique book that Zeratul wrote for him. It was a counter skill that changed the trajectory of an attack by repeatedly pushing away the target¡¯s attack with the back of his hand and pulling it with his palm. It required a great deal of concentration and control due to having to constantly change the direction of his hands, but Regas had the ability to do it. He¡¯d always worked hard on his training, even during the years when he was stuck because of the asura ss and stagnated.


    Zeratul did him a favor for a reason. The only problem was that Kubartos¡¯ sword was too powerful.


    [You have failed to turn it back.]


    The trajectory of the sword changed. It was because Regas had grabbed it with his bare hands and pulled it away. A few fingers were cut off with a distressing sound, but the sword had definitely pierced his chest.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Toon cursed as he transformed into a snow leopard and leapt forward with all his might.


    In the party window in his field of view, Regas¡¯ name turned ck. Hurent¡¯s health had also decreased by half in real time. Biban muttered from where he was lying on Toon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to burden you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    What gibberish was this human saying?


    Toon clicked his tongue as he kept running.


    He was gifted with natural senses.


    There was a good reason as to why he¡¯d reigned the strongest mafia in Sicily. He might¡¯ve just been a chess piece that moved ording to the organization¡¯s will, but in any case... His senses shone just as brilliantly in Satisfy as they did in real life. Therefore, he¡¯d be a high ranker, joined the Overgeared Guild, and waster asked by Lauel to be Grid¡¯s bodyguard.


    Ever sinceing to South Korea to protect Grid¡¯s family, the amount of time he¡¯d spent ying the game had decreased significantly, but that was a story of the past. Thanks to the friends he brought back from his hometown a few years ago, he regained his free time and started to focus on Satisfy again.


    Since then, he had progressed rapidly and caught up with hispetitors. Thanks to Grid¡¯s help materially and spiritually, he was more confident in his skills than ever before.


    Just then, a loud noise erupted from not too far away.


    Toon changed to human form. Then he jumped, hanging from the ceiling. After seeing the golden sword energy spread out beneath his feet, he threw Biban forward with all his might. Then he ran ahead, caught Biban and ced him back on his shoulder.


    ¡°You are human beings from a foreign dimension, just like Grid. You are definitely exceptional. First things first, I will deal with the situation at hand. Then, I will focus on hunting you guys down for the next few years.¡±


    A yer hunting deration.


    They were words unsuitable for a dragon, who was supposed to be a vine.


    ¡°There are too many bugs and gues for a perfect world.¡± Toon¡¯s expression darkened a bit as he grumbled.


    Given the current situation, Toon understood that the dragon¡¯s attitude toward yers might change. It seemed that there was more at stake in this battle than he¡¯d initially thought.


    ¡°......!¡±


    He vaguely heard someone groaning. His eyes snapped to the party window, noticing that Pon was dead.


    He turned away and ran.


    Ibellin died.


    He increased his speed.


    Chris, despite his swordsmanship skills and the presence of his subordinates, died.


    Toon didn¡¯t stop. He tried to focus his thoughts only on the person on his back. The sounds from Hurent and Kubartos¡¯ fight could be heard non-stop.


    For how many minutes did he run?


    The grueling maze was over and the exit was getting closer. Finally, light started to seep into the edge of his vision.


    [Whisper from Hurent: Stop it yourself.]


    Then Hurent¡¯s whisper flew into his ear.


    Just then, even Hurent¡¯s name in the party window turned ck. He had fulfilled his duty even at the moment of his death.


    Toon immediately morphed into a bear, turned around and swung his one arm. The golden sword energy exploded on the bear¡¯s paw. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t lose his shoulder, thanks to the bear¡¯s high defense.


    Biban, who was still hanging on his back, was unharmed. Toon let out a sigh of relief and made for the exit. A vast mountain range stretched out in his field of view. He paused, wondering how to get down from here. Just then, a blond-haired man appeared in front of him.


    It was Kubartos, who used Shunpo to block the escape route the moment the exit was in sight.


    ¡°That was quite annoying,¡± Kubartos said. It seemed to be apliment in its own way. Kubartos¡¯ arrogant face was viciously distorted. He was quite angry.


    ¡°Hold on tightly,¡± Toon whispered to Biban before running for the cliff.


    His n was to jump off the cliff that was thousands of meters above sea level. Sadly, this was the only way out. He could only hope that Biban would use him as a springboard to somehow survive.


    Kubartos snorted. He didn¡¯t even move as he swung his sword, firing energy powerful enough to cut through Toon and Biban and the mountain peaks beyond them.


    ¡°Fu¨C¡±


    Toon twisted his body. He moved Biban to his chest, transformed into a bear, and turned his back to the sword energy. Despite everything, he was still running.


    He hoped that the sword energy would stop after only piercing him.


    If Grid was depressed, then Toon, who would stay beside him, also felt affected.


    Toon prayed fervently as he remembered the time when Khan died.


    Kubartos scoffed. ¡°It is meaningless.¡±


    Suddenly, sword energy fell from the sky and cut the golden sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you are safe.¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel.


    He smiled as he looked at Biban and Toon, who were standing on the edge of the cliff. It was a gentle and soft smile, different from Grid¡¯s mischievous one. However, both Kraugel¡¯s and Grid¡¯s smiles inspired confidence.


    ¡°Jump down!¡±


    A wyvern was rising from the bottom of the cliff. It trembled in fear in the dragon¡¯s presence, but it still pped its wings decisively. The rider who controlled it was the great Zibal, so it endured even this primal fear.


    Toon let out a rare smile and jumped with Biban.


    Kubartos fired a Breath at the wyvern that carried them, but Kraugel cut it down. He was one who could cut even the Breath of an old dragon. In this field, neither Muller nor Biban could match him.


    ¡°You are quite talented but... How long can you hold me by yourself?¡±


    Kubartos was trying to keep hisposure, only to snap his head to the side. Bullets and arrows grazed his hair.


    In the distance, two snipers were hiding on a mountain peak shrouded in thick clouds.


    ¡°...More keep showing up?¡±


    ¡°Eventually, it will be around ten thousand people.¡±


    Kraugel replied with a bit (?) of exaggeration. His response wasn¡¯t unreasonable since each yer had two lives.


    At the edge of the mountain range, a warp gate made by Sticks was installed in an area that wasn¡¯t considered to be part of Trauka¡¯sir.


    The Overgeared members, who had started to log on, wereing through the gate at this moment as well. The tower members and apostles were steadily recovering.


    ¡°There are many mountains to climb to challenge the demon king.¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel thought of Grid, who excelled at ying the role of demon king, and considered himself to be one of the four heavenly kings.


    A red aura like the mes of the Fire Dragon rose from the tip of his sword.

 Chapter 1941

    Chapter 1941


    ¡°What, this...?¡±


    Kubartos couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Kraugel¡¯s sword.


    A red aura resembling the mes of the Fire Dragon, legitimately hot, rising from a mere human¡¯s sword. It was a me that could turn most things to ashes.


    Kubartos recalled a disgraceful memory. He remembered the red dragon that had dared look at him with the eyes of a predator. The pain of having his scales burned by the fire released by him was still vivid. Even now, he sometimes felt a portion of his soul burning. Every time this happened, the concept of death became clearer to him, and he experienced the feeling of turning into something small, insignificant.


    Kubartos asked a question that even he found absurd. ¡°Are you Trauka¡¯s illegitimate son?¡±


    It was Bunhelier¡¯s fault. Back when he¡¯d gone insane, he¡¯d set the precedent of mating with a human and giving birth to a child. This had left Kubartos dumbfounded for a while.


    Kraugel cocked his head. He was relieved to learn that Biban¡¯s escape had be easier thanks to Kubartos¡¯ interest in him.


    ¡®A dragon is making a joke?¡¯


    Kubartos recovered a bit and corrected his question. ¡°How do you have those mes?¡±


    Kraugel didn¡¯t want to hand him the answer easily. Looking closely at the face of the blond-haired man, who was so handsome that he might as well have been born to be loved by everyone, Kraugel determined that Kubartos¡¯ curiosity was authentic.


    ¡°Who knows...¡±


    A dragon was born to rule and control. They even said that there was nothing they didn¡¯t know. Now, one was showing signs of panic on his face, which was unusual. If Kraugel maneuvered this situation well, he might be able to buy more time than expected.


    ¡°Is the achievement of defeating Trauka the one that brought you enlightenment? No, it is too great to interpret it that way.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expectations lowered.


    ¡°Is it a function of the sword itself? Is it because of Trauka¡¯s bones and scales? That might be the case if the heart was used as a material... However, it is impossible to recreate the energy of an old dragon to this extent, even with Grid¡¯s skills.¡±


    Kubartos didn¡¯t wait for Kraugel to answer. He asked a question and answered himself with very quick thinking.


    ¡°It is a sword that has grown with you.¡±


    Finally, he got the answer himself.


    ¡°After shing Trauka¡¯s Breath a few times, a magical effect was imbued in the sword... Saving the elemental world was a wonderful move for you. Who guided you to enter the elemental world? It shares a deep connection with the World Tree and the Peach Blossom Spring. The elves must¡¯ve been the daoist immortals that degenerated over generations...¡±


    Kraugel let out a sigh.


    The only path leading to Grid. He remembered the scene of the mountain of corpses piled up at the entrance of Trauka¡¯sir.


    The top dragon Kubartos, whose modifier hadn¡¯t been revealed yet, was one who knew how to take advantage of other dragons. He must¡¯ve searched through the vast amount of knowledge allowed by the system when necessary and easily obtained results.


    He was unlikely to make a mistake. He was a difficult enemy who used his strength and skills in the right time and ce.


    Kraugel whispered to Yura and Jishuka.


    [Whisper from Kraugel: Have you changed your sniping location?]


    The two women were more than 15 kilometers away and concluded that their safety could be guaranteed.


    [Whisper from Kraugel: Don¡¯t let your guard down. This guy¡¯s Breath will surely reach you.]


    Maybe because they had always been on the front lines together, Kraugel was no longer shy. He revealed his true personality without hesitation to his like-minded colleagues. He¡¯d be infinitely kinder and gentler, the same way he was with his mother.


    [Whisper to Kraugel: Yes, I¡¯ll be as agile as I can.]


    [Whisper to Kraugel: Yes~ Oppa.]


    Kraugel was a bit relieved after checking his colleagues¡¯ answers, but his expression was still dark.


    ¡®I¡¯m worried about Grid.¡¯


    The atmosphere in the media today was unusual. The rumor that Grid was the reason why the dragons had formed an organization and had be hostile to humanity was spreading rapidly. Since both the Overgeared Guild and the forces cooperating with the Overgeared Guild were sorge, information control wasn¡¯t properly implemented. Maybe the S.A. Group had leaked the information on purpose.


    There must have been quite a few people who were unhappy with Grid¡¯s choice.


    If the Overgeared Guild suffered devastating damage today, as it did yesterday, and all the dragons remained unharmed... The media would never miss the bait. They would stir up public anxiety and ce all fault on Grid.


    A melodious voice caught Kraugel¡¯s attention immediately. The voice asked him, ¡°Is your mother calling you?¡±


    Thanks to this, Kraugel came to his senses, narrowly avoiding Kubartos¡¯ attack.


    Huroi spoke again. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be able to concentrate.¡± He had just arrived at the scene after climbing the mountain, his whole body drenched in sweat.


    The huge mountain range was very harsh and ragged since no human had been here for years. Many of the colleagues who hade over using the warp gate were having difficulty climbing the mountain itself. The altitude was so high that it was difficult to rely on a pair of shoes infused with flying magic. Very few people reached max level in the climbing skill, which was considered a minor skill amongmon skills.


    At the same time, an announcement popped up in the guild window, letting everyone know that they had to practice climbing daily for at least two hours. Lauel¡¯s tone was colder than it needed to be, but it was perfectly reasonable. Most of the dragons¡¯irs were in the mountains.


    Kraugel said, ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t mention my mother...¡±


    ¡°I only asked because I was worried...¡±


    Huroi looked like he thought Kraugel was being unfair to him. There was no sincerity to his words. He had the same expression on his face when asking Kubartos how his parents were.


    Kubartos wasn¡¯t bothered by those words at all. The embarrassed Huroi let out a splurge of profanity, but the result was the same.


    ¡°He seems to have a strong mentality among the dragons. Give up on debuffs and focus on buffs.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huroi faithfully carried out Kraugel¡¯s order.


    Kraugel¨Cthe man recognized by Huroi¡¯s lord. Huroi had witnessed his ability to y a leading role in major battles on several asions. Grid and Lauel had also urged the Guild members to support Kraugel well. It was natural to trust and follow him.


    Of course, there was no guarantee that his expectations would be met even if they were motivated.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    As proven by his quick climb up the mountain, Huroi was an aplished yer. However, his opponent was an Absolute. He nullified the debuffs that Huroi was most confident in. After drawing the aggro by giving a buff to Kraugel, he received arge cut on the chest. This allowed Kraugel¡¯s Meteor Sword to bombard Kubartos. Heavy sword energy, reminiscent of ming meteorites, rained down from above.


    Kubartos seemed unwilling to allow Kraugel to attack. Instead of dealing a follow-up attack to Huroi, he took flight without hesitation and escaped from the range of the st. Because of this, he was hit by Yura and Jishuka¡¯s sniping.


    After purifying and evolving hell, the Demon yer¡¯s bullets could now deal additional damage to transcendents and Absolute. Instead of bouncing off Kubartos¡¯ skin, they plunged into it slightly, causing a powerful explosion that exposed his weak points.


    Jishuka¡¯s arrows struck those weak points over and over again, causing Kubartos to bleed, though they didn¡¯t deal much damage. Kubartos¡¯ health gauge was still solid. However, it created an opportunity for Kraugel.


    ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    Sword energy reminiscent of a fire tornado engulfed Kubartos, who released polymorph, his golden scales immediately burned in several ces.


    Kubartos talked carelessly and shot a Breath at Huroi.


    [I¡¯m going to burn down all your cities. If civilization crumbles, your growth will stop for a while.]


    However, Kraugel had activated the Blue Dragon¡¯s Boots the moment Kubartos¡¯ neck swelled, entering a state in which both mind and body acted at very high speeds. He calcted the path of the Breath and stood in front of Huroi, swinging his sword, which was surrounded by both mes and lightning, and aimed at the Breath that was right in front of him.


    However, he only cut through the air.


    The st was so loud, it was as if the atmosphere was screaming.


    The Breath¡¯s trajectory was repeatedly changing, bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong ball, hitting the mountain peak beyond the clouds, aiming right for Yura and Jishuka¡¯s sniping position.


    A single Breath managed to crush the mountain that hadsted for countless years.


    The climbing Overgeared members paused in their tracks for a moment. They couldn¡¯t close their mouths and mourned their colleagues who must¡¯ve died instantly.


    They didn¡¯t know that one of the people on the mountain was Yura.


    Yura was currently in hell after using the Hell Leap skill. Once she returned to the surface, she found herself on a mountain peak north of Kubartos. Her position was diametrically opposed to where she had been before.


    Tatang!


    [Ten thousand more people like this...?]


    Kubartos muttered as he was hit by another sniper shot. At first nce, he seemed like he was taken aback, but the people watching must have been mistaken.


    There was no time to waste. The situation was rapidly changing.


    Kubartos started repeatedly firing his Breaths. Kraugel attempted to cut the attacks, but Kubartos¡¯ Breath kept changing its trajectory. It pushed Kraugel back and bombarded the entire mountain range.


    Landslides urred everywhere. Some people were done for as soon as they were hit by the Breath, some were crushed by the pouring rocks and turned to ash, and others fell to the distant ground and then turned to ash.


    ¡°Hey! Get behind me!¡±


    Of course, highly skilled tankers like Vantner and Toban had been able to block the falling debris. The nimble ones jumped over the rocks on their own, while outstanding swordsmen like Peak Sword and Chris cut down through thendslides.


    The ones who had been hit directly by the Breath were the ones who suffered the most serious damage. They died in high numbers, regardless of their skill.


    Magicians like Lae tried to provide support from above, but there was no way that a wide-area shield could fully handle a top dragon¡¯s Breath.


    Only the quick-witted Euphemina seeded in protecting the most important people by stacking single shields on them.


    Kubartos had a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield. He reloaded the Breath, targeting the humans who survived thendslides. The previous bombing had merely been a test to distinguish between talented people.


    Huroi¡¯s earnest cries were contained within a book of his. The page containing a blessing was torn out and attached to Kraugel¡¯s sword like a talisman.


    Kraugel immediately took flight using his sword. He flew up, stopping when he was at eye level with Kubartos. He held his sword in his hand and took a stance. He had no intention of using Space Sword yet.


    He was different from Grid. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to prove that he was capable of killing an opponent stronger than himself. Unlike Grid, who used his ultimate skills without hesitation, Kraugel often saved them until the most critical point.


    He was determined to cut apart the Breaths.


    To Kubartos, it seemed like terrible arrogance.


    [Yes, let¡¯s see how much you can handle.]


    It was easy to avoid Kraugel and shoot the Breaths. He didn¡¯t even need to use Shunpo. He could just link the Blinks.


    However, in Kubartos¡¯ eyes, the present day Sword Saint had quite a lot of power. He had nothing to lose by killing him first. Therefore, Kubartos pretended to fall for the provocation, firing a burst of Breaths.


    Kraugel cut down the first and second Breaths with rtive ease. The third Breath was also neatly cut, though it caused Kraugel to grit his teeth.


    Just then, he felt the skin from his hands being torn off.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for an increase in status and physical ability as a reward for defeating Trauka, he would¡¯ve been hurt right from the first Breath. Of course, cutting a Breath was possible, but it was never easy. The rebound was much more severepared to hitting a hard rock with an iron bat, and it sent a shock all the way to his fingertips.


    After cutting the fourth Breath, Kraugel felt several muscles being torn from his forearms and shoulders. Physical abnormalities urred, and his muscle strength decreased.


    After cutting the sixth Breath, his left wrist finally broke. He had no choice but to cut the seventh Breath using only one hand. But after cutting the eighth Breath, his right wrist let him down as well. The muscles of both arms were torn, going limp.


    The miracle of his sword ¡®transcending¡¯ like when he¡¯d shed Trauka¡¯s Breath didn¡¯t happen. If such miracles were to happen one after another, Kraugel¡¯s sword would eventually contain the energy of all dragons. This wasn¡¯t reasonable. This was Kubartos¡¯ judgment, and this judgment wasn¡¯t wrong.


    In the end, Kraugel couldn¡¯t wait for the ninth Breath. He relied on a ¡®skill¡¯ that produced results only when the operation waspleted with sufficient resources.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    With two trembling hands, he barely lifted the sword and swung it helplessly. Only because this was a skill that it was barelypleted. Such was the privilege of a yer.


    The sword that cut through the world reached Kubartos¡¯ swollen neck. Kraugel found it beautiful, a sword energy that turned gold as soon as it touched Kubartos¡¯ scales.


    It felt like he was witnessing the birth of the most beautiful metal in the world.


    ¡®...What??¡¯


    Even if Space Sword was a sword technique protected by the setting of the game, he didn¡¯t dare expect it to behead a dragon. Still, Kraugel thought it would pose enough of a threat. This was why he had saved up on this ultimate skill. At the very least, he thought it would at least plunge into Kubartos¡¯ scales and skin to stop the Breath.


    However, it didn¡¯t have any effect.


    Kubartos¡¯ neck only ckened as if it had been burned. His swollen neck was still intact and his mouth was eventually filled with a golden sphere.


    [After destroying all the cities, I will pursue you most persistently.]


    Along with these significant words, the ninth Breath was fired.


    Just before it reached Kraugel, the trajectory changed and it flew toward the ridge where the most skilled people were gathered.


    The attack would be fatal.


    Kraugel¡¯s face paled. The name of the sword dance, which shouldn¡¯t have been heard here, echoed.


    ¡°Revolve.¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    Did he finally die ande back to life?


    As it turned out, their support waste, the Overgeared members thought. Just then, a sword collided with the Breath.


    There was no trace of a sunset divinity.


    The Breath also didn¡¯t return to Kubartos. The trajectory was only slightly twisted.


    ¡°It¡¯s Damian!¡±


    The people were starting to feel relieved. Thanks to Damian¡¯s sacrifice, there was one way for these powerful people to survive. They were already scattered in all directions, and had narrowly escaped the st range of the Breath. There were some people who were critically injured, but at least they were still alive.


    Damian¡¯s dazed voice was heard from the summit. ¡°I¡¯m over here?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces paled, overtaken by shock.


    Then who did it?


    The ridge was copsing.


    The man who stood against the Breath and was caught in the explosion alone was revealed as he fell.


    It was Prince Lord.


    The people present were stunned. There were many who relocated to save Grid¡¯s son. All types of magic and skills were cast at the same time, filling the area with colorful lights, reminiscent of the stars belonging to the night sky.


    Lord opened his mouth as he stopped in the air by making perfect use of the boots his father had worn in the past.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    His clear and upright voice, that was like his mother¡¯s, conveyed clear meaning to thousands of people.


    ¡°Just move forward.¡±


    Kasim rose from the shadow of the rock and pulled Lord with him. The strongest knights of the empire, including Asmophel and Singuled, ran past them and up the mountain.


    His fierce eyes that resembled Grid were fixed on Kraugel, who seemed to have a lot to say. He smiled, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled.


    Lord arrived at the summit by taking advantage of Damian¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rescue His Majesty.¡±


    For the first time in many years, the prince, who had been silently following in his father¡¯s footsteps, stood on the same battlefield as his father.

 Chapter 1942

    Chapter 1942


    Around the time he went on his first adventure, after sessfully ughtering and skinning his father¡¯s enemies at Patrian¡¯s novice hunting grounds, Lord visited a beef restaurant that he¡¯d always wanted to visit. Inside, portraits of the holy founding emperor adorned half the walls of the hall. The restaurant wasrge and clean, and the menu was also reasonably priced. Because of this, it attracted a lot of customers.


    It was an unfamiliar space for the crown prince, but Lord¡¯s adaptability was higher than ordinary people. The boy experienced the first solo meal in his life at a charcoal-grilled restaurant. A question naturally popped in his head.


    Why did his father love beef so much in the past?


    Contrary to the promotional motto that went, ¡®His Majesty visited us every day as amoner because the beef in our restaurant was especially exquisite and delicious...,¡¯ the meat here didn¡¯t feel very special. There was no way that steak made of mediocre quality beef grilled over charcoal and dipped in salt could have an extraordinary taste.


    Was it because, in the past, he was poor, so he would think about the cost-effectiveness of food? That couldn¡¯t be. All over the world, there was food that was so much cheaper and more delicious than this. Did he hold a grudge against cows for some reason?


    No, it was just that there was a limit to the amount of food that a single human was able to consume. It wasn¡¯t advisable to harbor aspirations to exterminate cows by eating them unless Nefelina was brought into the equation. Essentially, ording to the story of the Behen Archipgo he heard from Lord Sticks, his father was a man who hated rabbits and deer. It was hard to find anything associated with cows.


    Doubts led to more doubts. Lord continued to contemte during his adventures. Then, relying on his heightened senses, he began to feel a certain strangeness.


    He started paying attention to the ¡®unfamiliar words, concepts and proper nouns¡¯ that flowed out of the adventurers¡¯ mouths.


    Originally, the yers¡¯ conversations often sounded like buzzing to NPCs, therefore distracting them. Modern terminology was meant to be interpreted to fit the world. This was the basis of Satisfy¡¯s filtering system... Unfortunately, Lord was too clever and focused on his surroundings.


    During his adventures, he listened to the conversations of ordinary yers. When he stayed in the castle, he paid attention to the discussions between the Overgeared members, trying to figure out what differentiated them from himself.


    He was obsessed with deciphering unrecognizable or awkwardly tranted words and proper nouns. But, he wasn¡¯t very sessful.


    Thus, Lord changed his perspective. He instead focused on the behaviors of the adventurers, not theirnguage. Over time, he noticed that their attitude toward life was mostly positive and not so enthusiastic. It felt as if they perceived life itself as a pastime... Was this simply the leisure of those who had transcended death?


    Why did they transcend death?


    Why did they resurrect over time after dying?


    The world understood it as a blessing from the gods, but that was just an overly expedient interpretation. There was no god, at least not in this world, who could bestow such blessings on humans.


    Thanks to his innate intelligence and status, Lord¡¯s level of knowledge was one of the highest in the empire. Naturally, he was well versed in theology. At ater point in time, he interacted directly with the gods of the Overgeared World. He cross-verified it with academic knowledge and the actual situation of Asgard.


    Of course, there was a bit of help from Master Damian, who was the Goddess'' Agent and the former pope...


    Anyways. On a certain day a few yearster, Lord came up with a hypothesis, one that deduced the existence of a foreign god. Therefore, he came to the logical conclusion that adventurers came from an outside dimension. Based on their frequent ¡®gaps¡¯, he even figured out that they could move rtively freely between their home world and this world.


    He finally understood why their attitude toward this world was so carefree.


    ¡®My father¡¯s hometown... Oddly enough, it must be from a world where beef is expensive...¡¯


    That¡¯s right. For years, Lord had seen through the essence of yers. He also recognized that his father was clearly different from him. He faced the reality that, from the perspective of the yers, the people of this world might not be important.


    It was inevitable. This was the fate of a smart child born as the offspring of the most powerful yer, who was also surrounded by numerous yers.


    ***


    [Guild] Lauel, are you crazy?


    The guild chat window exploded. The so-called experienced members of the Overgeared Guild were oblivious to the gazes of their juniors and scolded Lauel.


    It was full of criticism for allowing Lord to join the war.


    Lauel exined calmly:


    [Guild] I am just the prime minister. I can¡¯t handle the influence of the crown prince.


    In order for its authority to be fully exercised, the Overgeared Guild must remain intact and well. In the eyes of the empire as a whole, not the guild¡¯s, the ¡®number two¡¯ of the empire was Crown Prince Lord, not Lauel.


    If Lord was determined to exercise his authority, Lauel was forced to be relegated to the third position. This was especially applicable if the Overgeared members were away, just like now. The reason why others hadn¡¯t realized this until now was because Lord always respected and followed Lauel¡¯s instructions.


    [Guild] I couldn¡¯t handle it because the nobles barged in and put pressure on me. He didn¡¯t blink even when I took out the ck me dragon.


    [Guild] You should¡¯ve thought about thatter and stopped him forcefully.


    [Guild] The forces of the imperial pce are loyal to the imperial family. That is thew of the empire that His Majesty and I created. Besides, is Lord ordinary royalty? After all, he is the authorized sessor of His Majesty.


    [Guild] No, don¡¯t you have any private soldiers?


    [Guild] I¡¯m not a rebel. Why would I have something like that?


    [Guild] I¡¯m going to destroy the warp gate.


    [Guild] The person who just spoke, do you have udon noodles for your brain?


    Lauel alone had too many people to deal with. Vantner interjected once the conversation finally strayed.


    [Guild] If Lord dies, Grid will be sad. The arrow of resentment will be aimed at you first, Lauel, for failing to stop Lord.


    Perhaps this was just the tank yer speaking. Despite hisck of intelligence, Vantner faced reality straight on. He refrained from making empty promises, such as protecting Lord at all costs. He also reminded the others that Grid was an ordinary human being who could get caught up in his personal feelings.


    [Guild] I already said that to the crown prince.


    Lauel was one step ahead of Vantner. The moment his persuasion didn¡¯t work, he honestly confessed to Lord about his position.


    If you die, I die.


    Lord¡¯s reaction to that was... Well. It left Lauel speechless.


    [Guild] He said that princes and princesses better than him will soon be born, so what am I so worried about? His Majesty will find stability as time passes, so there is no need to worry.


    [Guild] ......


    The Overgeared members were at a loss for words.


    This was the first child born to a yer and an NPC. Therefore, he was suitable to represent all types of symbols and, as a result, there were many people who thought Lord was special.


    Furthermore, the Overgeared members had been watching Lord since he was a baby, steadily bonding with the child who grew day by day. They saw him either as a son or a nephew, and they felt anguish that this child, now grown up, was prepared to die.


    It was especially saddening that he mistakenly thought that his younger siblings, who would be born soon, could sufficiently rece him. The reason why he was precious to them wasn¡¯t because he was a prince, but because he was Lord.


    [Guild] The crown prince is very clever, but he loves His Majesty just like his mother does. He is more concerned about His Majesty¡¯s safety than his own. Thus, he couldn¡¯t stand it and decided to set out. Both the empress and I couldn¡¯t stop him from using the crown prince¡¯s authority to assemble the knights with the purpose of rescuing His Majesty.


    The Overgeared members knew what Lauel was going to say. Now that it hade to this, he was going to tell them to cooperate with Lord to rescue Grid. Grid¡¯s life was more important than Lord¡¯s. If Grid died and lost his status, the future of the empire would be bleak.


    The expressions of those who were tired of climbing were distorted with even more pain.


    [Guild] Now that this happened, make sure to rescue Grid.


    Just as they expected. The Overgeared members sighed as Lauel made an unexpected request.


    [Guild] Defend the crown prince at all costs.


    [Guild] This guy... In private, he calls me Uncle.


    ***


    For the past ten years, Lord walked the same path as his father. The usible reason for this was to indirectly experience and study the great aplishments of the founding emperor. People saw this as a type of sessor ss.


    Some nobles who wanted to make their daughter the future empress whispered that the prince was ttering his father and spoke rude words about him...


    Lord heard their words but he didn¡¯t much care for them. He just wanted to know more about his father, who was so far away from him.


    He had vivid memories of his father teaching him various things when he was young. However, his father was often absent from the imperial pce. In rare, severe cases, he wouldn¡¯t see his father for months. Even when he did see him, it was mostly at the smithy.


    Lord understood that his father couldn¡¯t help being busy. He started as amoner, then became a nobleman, conquered a kingdom, built an empire, defended his allies and people, saved the world, and also became an object of faith.


    He didn¡¯t resent his father at all. The love he gave to Lord was too great to use him of not being a proper parent. He never once forgot Lord¡¯s birthday. Every time his father made a new piece of armor, he made sure to make a spare one and give it to Lord, so he would always be safe.


    There was no reason to be resentful, and no time to be wasted.


    Lord only loved his father, but his love was poisonous. The deeper the love for his father grew, the stronger his desire to know his father became. Thus, he¡¯d embarked on the trip, visiting the ces that appeared in his father¡¯s adventure stories. He fought against enemies that his father had fought against, and battled new enemies that had appeared due to his father¡¯s influence.


    His adventures were simr to his father¡¯s, though they were also very different at times. Sometimes, he saw the same scenery as his father had seen in the past. Sometimes, that scenery was entirely different to what his father had seen. Still, he felt the same emotions as his father had at that time, thus bringing forth a faint sense of unity, and he was ovee with the belief that he was getting closer to his father in this manner.


    Of course, he felt surprised on many asions. Even when he learned that his father was weaker than ordinary people. Even when he found out that his father had experienced countless failures. Even when he found out that his father was the embodiment of jealousy. Lord was extremely shocked when he discovered that the chain of resentment his father had created was much deeper and gloomier than he¡¯d initially thought.


    However, he had never felt disappointed. Lord admired his father because he was weak, understood him because he experienced failure, and was relieved when he saw how his father used to be in his old days.


    One day, he realized that his father, whom he thought was infinitely further away after bing a god, was a human being just like him.


    Yes. So what if his father didn¡¯t just take care of his family because he had to look after two dimensions? It didn¡¯t change the fact that he was his father¡¯s son. Lord didn¡¯t waver at all. To those who resented his father, he bowed his head in silence. He cut without hesitation those who criticized or threatened his father. He epted all of this as a responsibility that any child should bear.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°He must be tired.¡±


    Lord bowed to the swordsmanship master, who was giving him a reprimanding look, and spoke.


    ¡°He has mostly always fought alone.¡±


    Because the enemy was strong, he was hoping that his subordinates wouldn¡¯t be hurt. The stronger the enemy, the more his father struggled. He rarely properly utilized the power he¡¯d worked so hard to gain. Keeping in mind that all kings and emperors throughout history always cared about protocol, he was truly unconventional.


    Originally, the more symbolic an existence was, the greater the consumption value. For the sake of security and dignity, the high-ranking people overworked those below them like ves. Every move a high-ranking person made would end up as an event. Their followers invested a lot of resources in this event for all types of political reasons.


    However, Lord¡¯s father handled most of the events that the fate of the nation rested on. That might have been because he was strong. But it was also possible because he transcended death.


    But being strong or different didn¡¯t necessarily mean he wasn¡¯t lonely.


    ¡°I want to share his burden,¡± Lord said. His eyes, filled with determination, looked at the golden dragon in the sky.


    The dragon was big enough to cast a shadow over the mountain range. The enemies that his father had fought were far greater than this...


    ¡°I believe that you will understand me more than anyone else, Master. The past of being alone and the present of being together. Which one are you happier with?¡±


    Kraugel rxed. The experience of sharing joy and pain with hisrades was special to him. Frankly, his usual feelings were the same as Lord¡¯s. Grid, who had been alone at some point, was always on his mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight together. But don¡¯t die. Don¡¯t forget that no one can rece you. Before you are the prince of the empire, you are our disciple and our family.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lordughed. He had no intention of disparaging Grid, but it was a fortunate thing that his smile resembled his mother¡¯s. This wless and clear smile won everyone¡¯s hearts.


    The Overgeared members were overflowing with confidence. This was the fruit of Grid¡¯s love. In addition, a poor child born as an NPC in the game... They wanted to protect the bright smile of this child who would live on without knowing the truth.


    Of course, there were those who willingly jumped onto the battlefield on their own.


    ¡°...I think he is doing well enough.¡±


    The legendary lightning warrior, Kyle.


    He couldn¡¯t disobey Basara¡¯s order toe over and help the crown prince.


    Unlike the days when she was a mere (?) empress, she was now Grid¡¯s wife and was even carrying Grid¡¯s child. Hermands were too frightening to be ignored.


    Despite grumbling and sighing the entire time, Kyle firmly stuck to Lord¡¯s side.


    ¡°The crown prince will be in the lead.¡±


    Kyle¡¯s opinion was rightly ignored. Before he knew it, he took the lead under the coordination of Kraugel and Asmophel.


    ¡°This is crazy...¡±

 Chapter 1943

    Chapter 1943


    ¡°As you can see, my armaments are very simple. The vanguard¡¯s performance is directly rted to the army¡¯s morale. I think we should put forward a talented person who is capable of counterattacking without dying in vain from the enemy¡¯s attacks...¡±


    Kyle tried to look for Lord again, but stopped. His keen senses told him that the atmosphere around him was turning ominous.


    These high treason sinners who dared to call the crown prince by name didn¡¯t want to let the crown prince take his ce within the vanguard. They were madmen who were difficult to deal with.


    Asmophel, who betrayed hisrades out of jealousy, spoke shamelessly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving it to you. Since the Sword Saint is seriously wounded, you, the second strongest, will open up the battle by deflecting the enemy¡¯s attacks.¡±


    ¡°Deflecting the enemy¡¯s attacks...? The opponent is a dragon. If he shoots a Breath... How am I supposed to handle that? You are armed with excellent armor. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you took the lead?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to lend you my armor?


    ¡°The armor that His Majesty gave to you...? You deserve to be punished!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Why was he like this?


    People thought that Kyle¡¯s fear toward Grid had faded a bit because he insisted that Lord should be in the vanguard, but this wasn¡¯t the case. The Overgeared members were starting to feel exhaustion creep in as they looked at Kyle.


    ¡°Kubartos deals with the energy of gold. Basically, he has the ability to control metal, so weapons like swords won¡¯t work properly on him. His ability to turn the energy that touches the scales into metal neutralizes most ranged attacks.¡±


    Kraugel kept resiliently persuading him.


    ¡°On the other hand, you have the advantage. Kyle, don¡¯t you deal with lightning?¡±


    ¡°...I understand the Sword Saint¡¯s opinion.¡±


    Now thatpatibility was being discussed, he couldn¡¯t turn back from this conversation. Kyle swore in his mind, feeling a deep sense of despair.


    Then Lord told him, ¡°I will be right behind you.¡±


    Asmophel frowned. Lord had just nned a strategy focusing on attacking from the rear. Yet Lord wanted to stand right behind the vanguard?


    He was just about to tell Lord to take that back when Kyle nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case...¡±


    ¡°T-This guy really...¡±


    Singuled, famously known for his hot temper, wanted to swear. However, it was hard for him because he remembered how he used to immaturely make fun of Kyle for being an electric eel.


    Even if he did swear, the other person wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear him anyway.


    Kyle was already leaping forward. The madman barged into battle even though the formation hadn¡¯t been set yet. Lord and the knights chased after him as cries of rm rang out everywhere. All types of buffs hurriedly surrounded them.


    Kraugel sat down cross-legged and muttered that this didn¡¯t seem too bad. He was deep in thought while activating skills that increased his regeneration, trying toprehend the intentions of the silent Kubartos as his colleagues were climbing toward the summit. He wondered if Kubartos was going to be patient and wipe them all out at once when they reached the entrance of their.


    Thus, Kyle, overwhelmed by anxiety, immediately took action. He might have been entric, but he could read the flow of battle. He must have been wary of the same things as Kraugel.


    ¡®He has such a peculiar personality, but there is a reason why Grid takes care of him.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t know for sure if Grid would still do that after finding out that Kyle wanted to use Lord as the vanguard but... Kraugel didn¡¯t care about that.


    A Breath was being fired.


    It wasn¡¯t aimed at the force that charged forward alongside Kyle. Instead, the attack targeted the entrance of their, where Kraugel was sitting in a cross-legged position. Kubartos did not want to give up that ce for the Overgeared Guild¡¯s follow-up troops to gather.


    Kraugel rose to his feet and drew his sword. In addition, the backup troops who had just arrived at the summit were prepared to use their defensive skills.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy.¡±


    Lord¡¯s clear voice stopped the group¡¯s actions. He had slipped into Kyle¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Shadow Maniption?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s face paled. He was rushing forward uncontrobly. It was like he was throwing himself at the Breath.


    ¡°It runs in the family...!¡±


    Kyle created a lightning storm after thispliment (from Lord¡¯s perspective). The Breath passing right by him was caught in the lightning, pausing for a bit.


    Of course, it was only for a second. It briefly halted for a moment so brief that it could not be noticed unless the person had at least the hierarchy of a transcendent.


    In that split second, Lord stabbed without hesitation. It was proof that he was transcendent. Lord¡¯s talent was based on his lineage. As Grid grew, so did the value of his lineage. Moreover, Lord had been taught by the best teachers in each field. He gained experience and attained aplishments by following in his father¡¯s footsteps, so he was clearly ssified as a super named NPC.


    Lord surged from Kyle¡¯s shadow and struck the Breath with the Pinnacle Revolve sword dance.


    The Breath didn¡¯t return to Kubartos. It fell in a straight line, copsing on a ridge with an explosion, resulting in few casualties.


    ¡°Waah!¡±


    ¡°Lord-chan...¡±


    People cheered in admiration while Damians¡¯ eyes turned red.


    Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. Any member of the Overgeared God Church could learn it in exchange for faith and contribution. Those who called out ¡®Grid¡¯s Sword Dance¡¯ could now be found frequently throughout the continent.


    However, Lord¡¯s sword dance was anything but ordinary. It didn¡¯t just imitate Grid¡¯s Sword Dance. Itpletely embodied it. He could feel the solidarity between father and son.


    Damian was moved by the fact that Grid and Lord had been watching each other¡¯s sword dances, even if they were together or not, for so many years.


    The NPCs interpreted this state of unity a bit differently.


    ¡°The Sword Saint¡¯s disciple...!¡±


    Aplete Divine Sword Unity. This meant that, one day, the prince would rise to be the next Sword Saint. The Knights, including Asmophel, were feeling overwhelmed with emotion.


    ¡®Such is the inherent quality.¡¯


    Kraugel smiled slightly.


    Lord threw the Dragon Harpoon. A long time ago, Grid had created a weapon specifically designed to hunt drakes. Lord had refined and evolved this weapon over the years to make it deadly to the entire dragon race. This harpoon was made by Lord, which proved that he disyed full understanding in utilizing Grid¡¯s final design.


    Yes, Lord was Grid¡¯s child, no matter what anyone said. He might have been born in a different world, but he had inherited Grid¡¯s technology and willpower.


    The specific status of Sword Saint might be a part of Lord, but it couldn¡¯t define him entirely. Lord was the Overgeared Prince. One could even say he was the Overgeared King Junior.


    -Did someone just speak nonsense?


    Kraugel''s thoughts transmitted an ominous sensation to Lauel, who was far away.


    Meanwhile, Kubartos circled and dodged the Dragon Harpoon. At the same time, he cast magic that unleashed dozens of meteorites. As if conscious of Kyle, he started actively using offensive measures other than a Breath.


    On top of each magic cast being very powerful, Kubartos used his attacks in the right ce, at the right time. The Overgeared Guild shortly found themselves with their backs against the wall.


    But just in time, Euphemina arrived at the summit.


    ¡°Leave the magic to us.¡±


    The magicians of the magic tower, led by Lae and Zednos, chained and fused magic, following Euphemina¡¯s directions. Once dozens of spells were fused together sessfully, one of Kubartos¡¯ spells was dismantled and neutralized.


    Unfortunately, most magicians were unable to fulfill Euphemina¡¯s orders, because her requests were happening way too fast. Because of this, Asmophel and the former Red Knights did their best to block or at least cut down some of the remaining spells.


    Haster¡¯s power was assisting them. The Red Sage ss disyed surprisingly great synergy with the Red Knights. It felt as if it was the blessing of the previous generation Red Sage.


    In fact, the former Red Knights knew how to utilize the power of the Red Sage well. For them, the sensation was simr to the deck effect that appeared in games. The more emotional a person felt, the more motivated they became. Haster expressed gratitude toward the former generation, believing that their souls were firmly behind him.


    A wave of attacks unfolded.


    The Overgeared members continued to climb to the top. Those who could fly tried to attack Kubartos, while those who couldn¡¯tmitted themselves to providing support from the rear. Eventually, several tower members joined in, and the attempts to attack the dragon¡¯s weak points increased.


    Nevertheless, pirs of ash rose up.


    The only thing that Euphemina and the magicians could prevent was Kubartos¡¯ magic and thendslides. There weren¡¯t many people skilled enough to immediately carry out the orders of the tower members.


    A significant number of Overgeared members were killed or seriously injured when they were grazed by Kubartos¡¯ tail or ws.


    ¡°Mountains of corpses and blood flowing in rivers... We should retreat.¡±


    ¡°There is no retreat until His Majesty is saved.¡±


    ¡°But can¡¯t he take care of himself...?¡±


    High in the sky, Kyle was the busiest person. The golden dragon¡¯s ws, which could¡¯ve crushed dozens of people at a time, only grazed one or two people thanks to Kyle releasing lightning energy to paralyze the dragon¡¯s scales.


    Every time Kyle¡¯s mana ran out, Kubartos slowed down for a moment. Then Lord would pop out of Kyle¡¯s shadow and use swords, spears, poles, rods, bows, and even siege weapons to attack in this gap.


    If Kubartos¡¯ focused his magic on Kyle, Lord would use a shield to block it, though he wouldn¡¯t forget to also throw the Dragon Harpoon, keeping the enemy in check.


    A strategy to fight against the dragon was taking form, and every moment felt worthy of going down in history.


    He should¡¯ve taken pride in it, but Kyle¡¯s whining only worsened.


    ¡°If you just needed a ride, why didn¡¯t you bring a wyvern...?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t ride a wyvern in front of a dragon unless it¡¯s Sir Zibal we¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°What about a unicorn...? You know, your father has a unicorn.¡±


    ¡°Overgeared Corn hates me. I¡¯ve always prided myself in the way animals love me, so even I find it unusual. Haha.¡±


    ¡°So you are treating a person like a horse... Is it a family custom?¡±


    Like father, like son. Neither treated people as human beings.


    Kylemented his situation, but he could only shake his head. Of course, Lord told Kyle that he wasn¡¯t actually riding Kyle, he was just using the technique he¡¯d learned from Kasim to infiltrate the shadows. To put it simply, he was almost one with Kyle, but there were limitations.


    Kyle said with a serious expression, ¡°I can sense a noticeable decrease in lightning energy. It might be different if this was the Overgeared World, but my mana is draining a lot faster than it¡¯s recovering...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Lord¡¯s smile never wavered. Kyle was doing a lot more than he¡¯d expected.


    Kyle¡¯s lightning was innate, like it was a part of his body, so it took less resources to wield this natural power in his case. The amount of mana he¡¯d umted throughout his lifetime of training far exceeded what was deemed an average amount.


    He released lightning energy for a long period of time. Thanks to this, Lord was about to pull out all the Dragon Harpoons he kept in his bag and scatter them in the air. The Dragon Harpoons were fixed to the sky thanks to gravity magic, making it so they could act as mines at any time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a bit closer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy...¡±


    Kyle had no authority to veto the request, since Shadow Maniption moved his body against his will. Of course, Kyle could have fought back if he resisted with all his might. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t that bold. The only thing left for him to do wasin.


    Just then, Chris moved through the air and collided with Kubartos. He was using a dangerous movement technique, and it looked like he was throwing himself into death. He made it onto the tip of Kubartos¡¯ nose and activated his ultimate technique.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Kyle couldn¡¯t help swearing. Golden eyes like the sun were sharply drawing closer to him. It was a bird¡¯s eye view that made him feel like a dissected frog. His brain hurt from the immense pressure. At the thought of an unpredictable attack, he sumbed to fear and lost his sense of reason for a moment. He entered aplete Lightning God Transformation state.


    His body lost its shape. Every single cell making up his body was being reced by lightning energy. Even the shadows disappeared.


    Lord¡¯s body was kicked out of Kyle¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Asmophel called out as he barely shook off one of Kubartos¡¯ ws with the help of his knights.


    ¡°Light''s Blessing. Prayer of Reciprocity. Heavenly Meaning. Angel¡¯s Trumpet.¡±


    Lord cast and wrapped the buff spells he had learned from Damian around himself. This was the divine magic originating from the Reba Church that was hard to find these days.


    Strangely enough, some of the magic that Damian had lost after leaving the Reba Church was fully responsive to Lord¡¯s will.


    [I wasn¡¯t sure, but it is true.]


    Kubartos, who had been silent since Lord arrived on the battlefield, finally spoke.


    [You are the culprit of this whole situation.]


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.¡±


    [Reba¡¯s hope.]


    ¡°Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    [I am truly grateful to you.]


    Two waterfalls of dark red blood spilled out.


    One waterfall was made by Chris inserting his greatsword into Kubartos¡¯ brow, while the other was created by Lord shing at Kubartos¡¯ front leg.


    Kubartos¡¯ eyes were fixed on Lord. The dragon grabbed him with his golden paws and mmed him into a nearby mountain peak.


    ***


    [The effect of the title ¡®First Father¡¯ has detected Lord¡¯s crisis.]


    [Father¡¯s Instinctive Love has been activated.]

 Chapter 1944

    Chapter 1944


    ¡®Am I the only one who has only one life....?¡¯


    Kyle used the Lightning God Transformation ording to his survival instincts, only to be thrown into chaos. Lord lost Kyle¡¯s shadow, on which he¡¯d been relying on, and jumped toward the golden dragon instead of running away. Looking back at the judgment he¡¯d disyed throughout the battle, this was a foolish action that didn¡¯t match his very high level of intelligence.


    In that moment, the golden dragon¡¯s n changed entirely. For some reason, he abandoned his passive attitude and released killing intent. Everyone else must¡¯ve felt it, though not a single person retreated. All the empire¡¯s warriors attacked the golden dragon along with Lord.


    Kyle felt doubtful for a moment. He wondered if they had multiple lives.


    ¡®In this world... Am I the only one who is human?¡¯


    Thanks to the Lightning God Transformation, a crisis was narrowly avoided. If it hadn¡¯t been for this transformation, his mind would¡¯ve been affected even more as blood gushed from his seven orifices. But now, Kyle turned his body into a lightning weapon. He no longer had to watch out for his body, so he quickly regained hisposure.


    ¡®...That¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Kyle epted the truth. What everyone was disying¨Cit was courage. Their expressions were too clear for their actions to be associated with a reckless rampage. They appeared focused, striving to gain insight for their situation.


    They were fighting to win, not to die.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Kyle didn¡¯t care if everyone else was going to die or not. HIs dream was to live a long and healthy life. He had no interest in living alongside others. His instincts were instructing him that now was the perfect opportunity to run away, since there were scapegoats who were buying time for him.


    But as usual, Kyle couldn¡¯t escape.


    ¡®Dammit!¡¯


    He was a coward. Though, if he turned out to be the only survivor of this battle, he believed Grid and Braham would beat him to death.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know about anything else, but the crown prince must be saved.¡¯


    That was how he decided he would live...


    The greatest strength of Lightning God Transformation was its speed. Kyle was able to fight enemies much stronger than himself, such as great demons and even dragons, because no matter how transcendent they were, they couldn¡¯t fully respond to his movements, which ignored physical force and demonstrated extreme speed.


    But, most importantly, time had proven to be his greatest ally.


    Thanks to Grid¡¯s hard work, Kyle had umted many achievements, had received the support of artifacts and had steadily trained on his own over time. This allowed his Lightning God Transformation to be honed to the best possible state.


    Like the Blue Dragon of the East, he reached the limit of his lightning energy for a moment.


    Rain began pouring down.


    It must have been the work of that monstrous magician called Euphemina, that much was obvious. As Braham¡¯s disciple, she was wicked. By doing this, she was subtly putting pressure on him to fight properly.


    The sphere of influence of Kyle¡¯s lightning became extremely wide.


    The golden dragon¡¯s body was soaked in blood spilled by people¡¯s attacks, mixing with the rainwater. It was instantly engulfed in lightning. The tightly interlocked golden scales were forced apart, revealing tiny gaps. Chris¡¯ sword was finally able to plunge deeply in Kubartos¡¯ eyes, and Lord¡¯s sword dance split apart Kubartos¡¯ front leg.


    Nevertheless, Kubartos didn¡¯t utter a single groan. He threw Lord into a mountain peak and...


    ¡®I did as much as I could.¡¯


    Kyle felt plenty of relief. He¡¯d fought hard in front of numerous witnesses. There was no need to worry about the consequences anymore. His lightning energy was almost depleted due to the exertion.


    Exhaustion was evident in his features as his Lightning God Transformation was released and his body restored.


    ¡°......¡±


    Kyle was about to quietly take his leave, but his gaze stopped on the golden dragon¡¯s paw.


    Lord was trying to crawl his way out. He pulled the ws apart, which were tightly gripping him and trying to tear him to bits, using chemical reagents and magic. He was supported by a shield infused with the blessing of light. He managed to knock the ws back like he was using a battering ram. Finally, he sliced them with his sword, and escaped into a nearby shadow with Kasim¡¯s support.


    ¡®Is he more talented than his father...?


    Even so, talent was meaningless when confronted with Grid¡¯s sword, which prevailed over everything.


    Kyle clearly took notice of Lord¡¯s perseverance. It was obvious that Lord wanted to live. His willpower was so clearly defined that Kyle couldn¡¯t stand it.


    ¡°You want to live on just like me... yet you put yourself in danger by fighting...?¡±


    It could¡¯ve been sympathy.


    ¡°You are a lot younger than me...¡±


    It could¡¯ve been respect. In fact, it didn¡¯t really matter where these emotions were originating from.


    The crown prince is just like me.


    This was the only thing that mattered to Kyle. Lord was living proof of it.


    Obsession with life was human nature, and it was never distasteful.


    Contrary to the ims of his parents, who demonized and resented their child for releasing electricity, Lord was telling him that he was human.


    ¡°Hup...!¡±


    Kyle felt possessed. He involuntarily let out his remaining lightning energy. Even though he was exhausted, he approached Lord faster than anyone else.


    Due to the shadows created by his body, Lord was able to deploy the technique of shadow shifting.


    ¡°Sir Kyle...¡±


    The young crown prince smiled even though his body was in tatters. It was as if he was used to these kinds of injuries, as if he¡¯d endured them before.


    ¡°Thank you foring back...¡±


    Finally, Kyle shouted at Lord, who was bowing at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Lord¡¯s alreadyrge, dark green eyes widened.


    Kyle¡¯s face was twisted in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯ve only lived for 20 years, so why are you already...! Why do you fight so desperately as if anything other than your life matters more? What¡¯s the point of fighting if you¡¯re going to risk your life? His Majesty¡¯s wives have conceived children who are more talented than you! Don¡¯t you already know this? No matter how hard you try today, His Majesty ten years from now will appoint a new child better than you as the crown prince!¡±


    Kyle recalled a memory he¡¯d believed forgotten. The joy his father disyed when he had his second son. Unlike Kyle, who emitted electricity from his body, the second child was normal. Unlike Kyle, who retreated in a corner and was miserable for not being loved, his father hugged his second son, even shedding tears and thanking God.


    One¡¯s own flesh and blood surprisingly didn¡¯t mean that much.


    Family was receable at any given time. The most important thing in this world was his own well-being...


    ¡°Your Highness is still young, but your skills are astounding to the point where you can take the lead against a dragon. With your resilience and talent, you will seed in anything you want to achieve. Don¡¯t try to beg for your father¡¯s love. Your Highness should value yourself the most...!¡±


    ¡°This is the real you.¡± Regardless of whether he knew Kyle¡¯s inner thoughts or not, the crown prince kept smiling as he spoke. ¡°It is much better to hear your cries now than when you would whisper timidly to avoid being noticed. This way, your words reach the heart, not just the ears. So naturally, I understand your message and trust you.¡±


    Suddenly, Kyle realized that everyone¡¯s eyes were on him.


    The eyes of the golden dragon, who were known as ¡®Kuba something¡¯, or something like that, also turned his way.


    A chill went down Kyle¡¯s spine and he shut his mouth. He regretted opening his mouth to spout nonsense, feeling shame, and then fear. He felt a tremendous shame for opening up in front of others about his true feelings that even he had been ignoring. He would have preferred death over doing what he just did.


    Kyle¡¯s body floated in the air, weak electric currents surrounding him, and slowly moved toward the golden dragon.


    Hundreds of people panicked.


    ¡°Calm down, Kyle. You have to live!¡±


    ¡°Come back down here! We will protect you!¡±


    ¡°Recover first with His Highness!¡±


    The knights from Saharan who sometimes appeared in his dreams. The Overgeared members he was quite familiar with because he had fought together with them so many times. The members of the Tower of Wisdom he had been jealous of ever since he learnt about their history.


    They were all yelling at Kyle.


    Don¡¯t give up.


    Please keep on living.


    They turned a blind eye to him when he wanted to live, but they changed their attitude when he was ready to die. He felt angry, thinking these guys were bullying him on purpose. Realization suddenly hit him.


    They were responding to his ¡®sincerity.¡¯


    ¡°Huhu...¡±


    Regret overwhelmed him. If he had really confided his backstory and heart to someone, perhaps he could¡¯ve cleared away the darkness in his soul a bit faster. Would he have be stronger had he fully epted the lightning energy in his body instead of denying it?


    He felt sorry for himself, but it was already toote.


    Kubartos¡¯s jaw was opening, a golden sphere flickering inside.


    Just then¡ª


    [Don¡¯te.]


    Lord¡¯s voice echoed in his mind. To be more precise, it was engraved in the space.


    [Your son dares to assert that no one here needs your worries.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Everyone on the battlefield was stunned.


    This was a realm where intent was engraved onto the space and a person¡¯s will was unfolded.


    A state that was symbolic of an Absolute was being manifested through Lord.


    [Is it being delivered inside?]


    Kubartos¡¯ eyes widened. He was so surprised that he forgot to shoot the Breath.


    He saw through the fact that Lord¡¯s will was being conveyed not only outside Trauka¡¯sir, but also inside.


    Even though the inside and outside of their werepletely separate dimensions, Lord¡¯s thoughts were being urately conveyed to a ¡®specific target.¡¯ Not even an Absolute could do this.


    And even so, Lord wasn¡¯t an Absolute.


    [ce your trust into your son,rades and subordinates. Rather than seeing us as someone to be protected, trust us and entrust it to us. I dare say this is respect for those who have worked hard to stand on the same battlefield as you.]


    ¡°This...¡±


    Damian¡¯s mouth opened as he maintained his Transcend state while continuing to fire sword energy at Kubartos¡¯ wings. He knew what this phenomenon was.


    ¡°The goddess¡¯ divine message...!!¡±


    It was a method of conveying messages to a desired target while ignoring external factors like space, object or situation, different from an Absolute, who extended their will to those around them. It was of a much higher caliber. One representative example was Grid¡¯s epics.


    The members of the three main churches referred to this as a ¡®divine message.¡¯ Damian should¡¯ve made the connection the second he noticed the child using Reba¡¯s divine magic.


    This child was under the goddess¡¯ protection. How did the goddess, who became an enemy of all of humanity, feel when she taught the child? How did the child feel about being taught by the goddess who was his enemy?


    One thing was certain. They had no intention of nting seeds of doubt. Damian remembered the warmth of the goddess. He¡¯d also witnessed Lord¡¯s love for his parents and the Overgeared members. It was unlikely that their affiliation would include betrayal.


    [He stopped running at the sound of this voice and nodded silently.]


    Grid¡¯s epic answered him.


    The epic, which had been silent after the news of him being surrounded by a number of dragons, couldn¡¯t break the father¡¯s will to respond to his son and leaked out.


    ¡®Fortunately, he is safe.¡¯


    A bright smile spread across the relieved Lord¡¯s face.


    His father had faith in his son. The bonds and connections that came from that... This was a valuable experience for a child, one that couldn¡¯t be exchanged for anything.


    A sense of fulfillment swept over Lord, one that was different from when he¡¯d witnessed his father¡¯s life and skills on his own.


    [...I can see why the old dragons insisted that you shouldn¡¯t be hurt.]


    Kubartos was stunned for a moment before returning to his senses.


    [If you die, either Reba or Grid will go crazy. I don¡¯t want to kill you either. But I am going to make you my own.]


    Kubartos dissipated the magic power he gathered to fire the Breath and pped his wings with all his might. He closed the distance between him and Lord and Kyle in the blink of an eye.


    Just then, dozens of Dragon Harpoons pierced Kubartos. The air mines previously installed by Lord worked exquisitely thanks to someone¡¯s magic.


    ¡°I won¡¯t give my disciple to anyone.¡±


    It was Braham.


    The god of magic saw through his young disciple¡¯s n the moment he arrived on the battlefield. The gravity spells had been attached to dozens of Dragon Harpoons, set up in anticipation for Braham¡¯s intervention.


    Quite a neat arrangement.


    Braham easily exercised his influence. He reced his student¡¯s magic with his own and aimed for the golden dragon¡¯s blind spots.


    Just like this, Kubartos was stuck in the air, unable to capture Lord and Kyle.


    ¡°Storm Sword.¡±


    Sword Saint Kraugel also created a storm of sword energy. The fire dragon¡¯s mes erupted, ckening the scales of the golden dragon.


    Lord reacted. Kyle¡¯s lightning, as well as Faker and Kasim¡¯s shadow techniques, were empowering his sword. Other warriors followed behind him.


    Before he knew it, apostles like Zik and Mir had joined the ranks.


    ¡°Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle.¡±


    Every magician unleashed their strongest magic, guided by the God of magic.


    ¡°Punishment.¡±


    Kubartos¡¯rge body was trembling, barely able to shake off the harpoons. Blood spilled from all over as his scales were torn off and his flesh and muscles were destroyed.


    Hundreds or thousands of skills and magic fused together thanks to Lord¡¯s sword dance, with its power to connect people, wounded the dragon severely.


    [...Kuaaaaaack!]


    The screams of the top dragon, who dreamed of bing the strongest, echoed all over the battlefield.


    [The horn of the most faithful dragon was cut off...]


    The system witnessed an incredible miracle and was paralyzed with shock for a moment.


    Grid¡¯s epic was no longer concealed and was updated in real time.

 Chapter 1945

    Chapter 1945


    ¡®Damn the Sword Saint!¡¯


    The top dragon Kubartos, an Absolute being, with his ambition to stand above the old dragons, had seriously been wounded twice today.


    Biban¡¯s mental world proved to be the decisive factor. After suffering the sh made by the Heart Sword containing an iplete but useful dragon killing energy, Kubartos suffered immense damage and was greatly weakened.


    His body didn¡¯t suffer that much damage, but the blows to the blood vessels and his consciousness were critical, making it difficult to use magic power or true energy. The power of his Breath and magic also decreased.


    Around thirty percent of his overall power had fallen. A more severe problem was that his perception had been damaged. Sound, touch, spatial awareness, and the flow of divine energy, which he used to take for granted, became fuzzy. He was unable to disy the full extent of his power anymore.


    He was weakened, his consciousness divided into hundreds or thousands of fragments. Because of this, he¡¯d allowed the humans tond their attacks on him several times. Kraugel¡¯s use of the fire dragon¡¯s fire energy also caused his scales¡¯ durability to weaken rapidly.


    The fire energy was the pr opposite of metal. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he was going to lose or die to the humans. He hadn¡¯t used Dragon Words yet. But...


    ¡®Reba¡¯s hope.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s son was very annoying.


    He performed a sword dance that imitated his father¡¯s, the technique wless, making it difficult to defend against or evade. It also seemed to exert a certain gravitational pull. It was hard to understand the principle but... Lord¡¯s sword dance attracted other people¡¯s magic and skills and made them act as one, thus doubling its power.


    ¡®What is the nature of this union? Is it a fate created by the goddess¡¯ protection? Was it leadership created by Grid¡¯s lineage? Or was it the result of abination of both?¡¯


    The principle for Lord¡¯s unity was his ¡®human connections.¡¯ His behavior and convictions captured people¡¯s trust and hearts, serving as the foothold for the formation of a great bond. Thus, the sword dance became the pivot for their connection.


    To put it in yer terms, it was an ¡®exclusive skill¡¯ that a super named NPC awakened. From the worldview¡¯s perspective, it was a ¡®power.¡¯ Just as Piaro was born with the qualities of a farmer, Braham with a talent for magic and Kyle with electricity, Lord¡¯s power was created when his innate qualities blossomed after stumbling upon the opportunity to make connections.


    This was why Lord¡¯s sword dance induced the ¡®skill fusion¡¯ of his colleagues. However, a dragon didn¡¯t understand concepts such as emotions and connections.


    Dragons wereplete when they worked alone, so they didn¡¯t feel the need to interact with others. Consequently, they couldn¡¯t experience the infinite variety of emotions and rtionships. It was impossible for them to understand the principle of connection that stretched out like the branches of the World Tree around the person called Lord.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to catch him and dissect him.¡¯


    [The horn of the most faithful dragon was cut off...]


    Just in time, Grid¡¯s epic was updated.


    Haranbeka, the faithful dragon. The ¡®horn¡¯ of an earth dragon, who surpassed a top dragon in terms of defense, had been cut off. It seemed hard to believe, considering that there were several lower-ranked dragons following Haranbeka.


    Grid had achieved something that even Kubartos couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡®The situation here is equally unbelievable.¡¯


    Unexpected results kept urring...


    Kubartos felt anxiety overtake him, so he adjusted his tactics. The first sign of change was in his magic. Kubartos released rain and rivers of mes. The magicians responded by making corresponding ice barriers and vortexes, but...


    ¡°Remove the magic immediately!¡±


    Braham was shocked.


    Jessica and Euphemina were the only magicians who acknowledged hismand immediately.


    The rivers of mes pouring toward the mountain ranges were reced with lightning. The ice and water magic cast by the magicians ended up amplifying the lightning¡¯s power. The Overgeared members were swept away without being able to fight back.


    ¡°What is this...? He changed the attribute of the magic he cast halfway?¡±


    The situation changed for the worse. The top forces, who barely managed to secure a gap between themselves and a giant dragon in the sky, were all electrocuted and copsed.


    Someone needed to pull the aggro to create an opportunity for the rest to charge forward again. However, Lord, Kyle, and Chris were seriously injured.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that.¡±


    Kraugel had recovered and was about to fly on his sword, but Abellio stepped in. He waved his brush through the air and a miracle unfolded. The ridges of the huge mountain range turned into easy to climb stairs, stretching all the way to the golden dragon in the sky.


    There were tens of thousands of stairs, but now everyone could walk instead of having to climb. Jessica and Betty¡¯s magic reinforced the stairs, and thousands of Overgeared members began rushing up the stairs.


    In the center was Lord.


    Faker and Kasim, who had melted into his shadows, raised dozens of shadow soldiers at each step to block the storm caused by the pping of Kubartos¡¯ wings.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance.¡±


    Lord¡¯s gift for creating harmony came from observing his parents, teachers, Overgeared members, Reba¡¯s Daughters, the subjects and people of the empire...


    Fortunately, thanks to having great parents, Lord had created countless connections from the moment he was born up until now. He¡¯d gained so much biased love. Therefore, the child was also capable of showing love to others. Because of this love, he did his best to be benevolent, devoted, and do acts of service. At some point, understanding and remembering each subject¡¯s personality, habits, and abilities became second nature to him.


    ¡°Transcended.¡±


    Lord¡¯s sword dance was unfolding rather slowly. It was inplete sync with his surroundings, its power of transcendental level. In other words, a powerful force that raised his hierarchy to a higher level started to umte not only in Lord, but also in Faker and Kasim in his shadow.


    ¡°Linked...¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zik and Mir¡¯s eyes widened as they followed close to Lord¡¯s side.


    Surrounded by shadows, the sword energy gathered at the tip of Lord¡¯s dark sword split into tens of hundreds of pieces and, rather than attacking right away, he maintained them on the tip of his sword.


    Lord¡¯s sword energy spread to even those who arrivedte.


    The sword energy held the mystery of Transcend. Transcendent power was given to anyone who climbed the stairs and was at eye level with Lord.


    ¡®It is different from Grid¡¯s Link?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Link was ¡®swinging the sword continuously.¡¯ However, Lord¡¯s Link had the effect of ¡®connecting and interweaving people.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like Lord denied or further developed Grid¡¯s sword dance.


    Lord only recreated what he had witnessed in his father¡¯s life.


    The power that his father considered the most important thing since he met Khan.


    Rtionships.


    In other words, the power that his father possessed, the ¡®backstory¡¯ of his father was expressed through Lord¡¯s sword dance.


    ¡°Kill...¡±


    Now most people had climbed the stairs, meeting Lord at eye level.


    The magicians cast eleration magic on their allies, infusing their weapons and the spells they cast with genuine killing intent.


    [Just like a first-born hybrid, you wield a strange power. Dirty, disgusting mutant. I am going to dissect you alive.]


    Kubartos frowned. He was wary of Lord¡¯s sword dance, which held a ¡®contagious¡¯ power.


    So far, four sword dances unfolded the moment they became one... Kubartos instantly raised his power to prevent thest sword dance from beingpleted.


    Thousands of spells poured out simultaneously.


    The magicians were unable to respond properly because the spells changed attributes midway, or multiple attributes were ovepped from the beginning.


    ¡°No, this doesn¡¯t make any sense?¡±


    The tanker line, led by Vantner, suffered badly. The basis of tanking was to utilize thepatibility between attributes. Since that was impossible, they had to rely purely on defense and resistance.


    The elite members like Kraugel, Peak Sword, and Chris, who were extremely good at wielding certain weapons and could cut through spells, destroyed some of the magic. But it was only a small number, the equivalent of barely cutting dozens out of thousands of spells.


    Of course, it was a tremendous achievement just to endure or cut through the magic of a top dragon. This meant that people¡¯s status was rising in real time, but...


    ¡®We are going to be wiped out.¡¯


    The amount of magic was overwhelming.


    The staircases drawn by Abellio copsed like dominoes. Most of the yers in the lead turned to ash.


    Lord paused for a moment to catch his breath. Strangely enough, he closed his eyes. He appeared to be in agony, unable to face the death of hisrades.


    People were reminded of Lord¡¯s age. He was still too young to fight against an enemy considered to be the strongest in the world. His body might be different, but his mind was soft. No more pressure should be ced on him. It was time for them to step up.


    The artillerymen stationed on several ridges fired the Overgeared Cannons one after another under Yura and Jishuka¡¯smands, who had a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield from a distant peak, constantly activating their skills.


    They didn¡¯t save any resources, instead investing everything into destroying at least one more spell. They used their ultimate skills to weaken Kubartos¡¯ Absolute Defense even a little bit further.


    [Misceneous things.]


    Kubartos felt the shock to his scales and his gaze momentarily shifted to Yura and Jishuka. He shot a Breath in their direction.


    Just then¡ª


    [How many times do you think I will fall for the same trick?]


    Using a technique inspired by the gods, Braham rose to the status of a temporary Absolute. Thus, he was able to gain insight into magic cast across the mountain range, allowing him to intervene.


    He noticed thousands of spells, each with 2-3 spells imprinted on them, stopping at all once. They changed their form and function, and poured back toward their caster, Kubartos...


    This phenomenon transcended even imagination, let alonemon sense...


    Everyone was mesmerized¨Cthe Overgeared members, the knights of the empire, the tower members, the apostles.


    Kubartos was the one who was the most shocked. Dragons were the masters of magic. Their race had given birth to magic.


    However, his magic was taken over by someone else.


    Thousands of spells at once. Evenplicated, multi-element spells!


    [What is this...?]


    ¡°Wave...¡±


    As if waiting for this exact moment, Lord opened his eyes again and took the steps that had stalled temporarily.


    The startled Kubartos used Blink.


    The sky was full of dark clouds drawn by Abellio while the ground was filled with waves of human skills. This made it impossible to secure his field of view to use Shunpo.


    Even this Blink...


    It was turned into Punishment and struck Kubartos.


    [Cough!]


    Step.


    Lord walked up thest stairs. All the Overgeared members had reached the top. Hurent, Toon, Ibellin and Pon had joined them before they knew it.


    ¡°Pinnacle.¡±


    The five fusion sword dance. It was Lord¡¯s first time trying it. However, he wasn¡¯t afraid of failure.


    ¡°Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    This sword dance was capable of being performed by a clone who reproduced the body and techniques of his father.


    In his case, Lord had inherited his father¡¯s blood, skills and spirit.


    ¡®I am also a clone of my father.¡¯


    Sess! Without fail!


    Lord¡¯s movements as hebined five sword dances werepleted.


    Everyone on the battlefield attacked Kubartos together.


    [Lord¡¯s ¡®Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡¯ has fused your skills.]


    [Lord¡¯s ¡®Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle¡¯ has fused your magic.]


    [The power of your skill is amplified!]


    [The power of your magic is amplified!]


    Golden scales cracked. The enormous wings that obscured the sun and the moon were torn off. The tail was twisted at an odd angle, and the golden dragon¡¯s huge body plummeted to the ground.


    The injury was critical.


    Kubartos¡¯s mind turned nk. He was momentarily defenseless. The empire¡¯s elite were about to jump down the stairs and link attacks...


    Kurarararara!


    However, Kubartos drew strength from his Dragon Heart and shot a Breath that flowed like a river of gold, sweeping the battlefield and heading for the humans. Its power was tremendous.


    Thousands of gray pirs rose up.


    The people who survived were dazed for a moment and swayed on their feet for a bit.


    [I, Kubartos, the dragon who defies the natural order, will chew you all to death.]


    The title, which had been hidden to avoid provoking the old dragons, was revealed to the world. As the Dragon Words unfolded, a brilliant blinding light enveloped his body.


    [Time regression.]


    The power of a golden dragon was to intervene in time.


    Kubartos rewound time.


    The severed wings, the ruined tail and the torn scales were all restored to perfect condition.


    Just then¡ª


    [Mother¡¯s hope. You exceeded my expectations.]


    Golden clouds materialized in the sky, and a god descended.


    [Judar, I don¡¯t need your help... Cough!]


    Asura burst out of Judar¡¯s body and attacked the agitated Kubartos.


    [Your power is far inferior to Raider¡¯s. It doesn¡¯t seem like aplete rewind, but rather a brief one, right? Plus, if you don¡¯t fulfill the agreement... You will truly be weak.]


    [You, are you really going to betray me...?]


    A chill went down Kubartos¡¯ spine.

 Chapter 1946

    Chapter 1946


    [Betrayal... That is a poor interpretation.]


    Judar¡¯s eyes were transparent and lifeless, resembling a piece of ss work. He slowly scanned the blood-stained battlefield.


    [It is said you dragons have gained near-omniscient abilities thanks to the protection of the foreign god. But in the end, that knowledge is only ¡®transmitted.¡¯ So it has to undergo one round of processing. It is definitely distorted.]


    [You have always been jealous of us. This inexplicable nonsense is probably motivated by a sense of inferiority.]


    Kubartos was admitting that the situation was unfavorable. He roughly matched Judar¡¯s nonsense while secretly preparing his magic. He intended to pour everything out and kill Asura, who was trampling on the back of his neck.


    [What do you mean by nonsense? The fact that you are in trouble right now proves that your omniscience isn¡¯t perfect.]


    Judar spoke calmly, but it sounded like mockery to Kubartos. The dragon took advantage of this. Kubartos feigned anger and spontaneously poured out magic.


    To his surprise, Asura promptly responded. Even though he reacted barely one secondter, he drew his blunt sword and swung it at the bombardment.


    [......!]


    Kubartos¡¯posure was shaken. He had cast dozens of spells with the ¡®full power¡¯ borrowed from the time reversal, yet dozens of them were shed by a single sword.


    ¡®This is really Chiyou¡¯s swordsmanship...!¡¯


    Kubartos¡¯ struggle intensified, but this time he wasn¡¯t pretending. He released magic and Breaths in all directions while wildly swinging his tail and ws.


    Asura quickly turned into rags, but he was acquainted with some of Chiyou¡¯s skills. He responded to Kubartos¡¯s rampage with various martial arts and suppressed him so he wouldn¡¯t be able to take flight anymore.


    The loot that Judar gained from hell had clearly been honed since Chiyou attacked Grid.


    This level of trolling surpassed even Braham¡¯s.


    In any case, Judar kept talking.


    [On the other hand, I observe most situations from heaven.]


    Unlike the Hwan Kingdom, which only featured small ponds and wells, Asgard had a number ofkes and rivers flowing through thend. Using these, the heavenly gods were able to observe the dimensions beneath the sky.


    In particr, Judar was the most powerful god, and he had many eyes and ears.


    [Unlike you, who relies on distorted information, I can understand the overall flow of the world more closely. The reason I have joined the battlefield now is because I have confirmed that our alliance has been rendered worthless. I have calcted how to best use you in this modified situation. This isn¡¯t a betrayal. There is no longer a need for our alliance since you are ipetent.]


    [What kind of logic is this...? You are more shameless than me!!]


    Kubartos was unable to keep listening to the traitor¡¯s sophistry and roared like a beast. His horn was emitting a bright light. He was using an organ that was just as important as the heart, due to its symbolism, as a direct means of attack.


    It was evidence that he was so angry, he couldn¡¯t even bother thinking of the consequences.


    [......]


    Judar recited something in divinenguage. A hemispherical, opaque area unfolded around Kubartos. Asura tried to hurriedly escape but failed, his body grabbed by Kubartos.


    Braham¡¯s eyes widened when he noticed the identity of the realm.


    ¡®This? Judar created a dimension?¡¯


    Just then, explosions broke out inside the area that Kubartos and Asura were trapped in. Countless cracks appeared and disappeared repeatedly, causing the realm to shake as if it was going to fall apart.


    Judar was surprised, but nothing changed. Kubartos wasn¡¯t able to escape the istion dimension. The powerful energy emitted by his horn had no effect on reality.


    ¡°......¡±


    Everyone fell silent.


    The chief god of Asgard. Judar was also Reba¡¯s direct child. His appearance made the Overgeared members, knights, and tower members feel nervous.


    The reason why the tower members showed outstandingbat power against a dragon was because they had been determining how to fight this target for a thousand years. On the other hand, the gods were unknown to them. They couldn¡¯t help feeling intimidated.


    Zik broke the silence. ¡°Not long ago, you were aiming for Trauka¡¯s heart. Now you desire Kubartos¡¯. You are still going around, sneaking like a jackal.¡± He fired his animosity at Judar, who was watching the realm in which Kubartos was trapped with great disdain.


    Judar turned to him and spoke calmly.


    [I¡¯m just doing my best. I¡¯m notzy like you, so...]


    Zik¡¯s expression darkened. When the seven good people rebelled against the gods, Zik had been unable to ovee the Curse of Sloth and fell asleep alone. Judar provoked this guilt that even death couldn¡¯t shake off.


    It was mockery from his eternal enemy who had taken the lead in ughtering hisrades.


    ¡°Are you distorting the fact that I was left behind because of the curse you ced on me?!¡± Zik shouted. Everyone was silent. Even the slightest buzzing was gone.


    Zik was a survivor of the perished world, always reticent. He only asionally smiled in front of Grid and Zibal, but his apathetic expression rarely changed. His heart had been worn down over the years, leaving him unable to produce proper emotions.


    However, now, his neck was throbbing as he released his rage.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long...! In this world, I will definitely conquer Asgard! I will cut off all your limbs and throw them to the wild beasts to chew on! I will pluck out your soul and offer it in a ritual sacrifice to mourn the destruction of the world by the angels!¡±


    [...Your god is already on the side of the goddess. Isn¡¯t revenge already out of the question?]


    ¡°Do you think I will be shaken by such words? The nature of the goddess is now fully understood. She wouldn¡¯t condemn us as traitors just because we saw the sins of the gods and rebelled. Now I know for sure that beings like you must¡¯ve yed a trick to be where you are.¡±


    [Are you going to forgive the goddess, just like you forgave Hexetia? Seeing you follow Grid¡¯s will, you are still faithful, Zik.]


    Judar¡¯s face showed an expression for the first time.


    It was a smile.


    [In every world, the ¡®ordeal of the end¡¯ has always been given by the goddess. In the end, it was because of her that you and yourrades were stigmatized as the seven malignant saints and pushed to the edge of the cliff, causing you to rally to ovee your limitations.


    After all, you failed because you couldn¡¯t ovee the Curse of Sloth. Unlike Hayate, you didn¡¯t be the hope of the goddess. Therefore, your world was destroyed...]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    [Since you have already been through all of this, stop relying on faith and think about it. Do you think Grid is different from the goddess? Did he consider your position at all when he joined forces with the goddess? Keep this in mind, Zik. A god isn¡¯t obligated to repay faith.]


    Zik was speechless. His mouth was still open, but he couldn¡¯t speak. He trembled like a fool. The hypotheses that randomly came to mind made him feel confused and afraid.


    Kyle, who had been lying down like a corpse, narrowed his eyes. He checked on Zik¡¯s condition and mentally clicked his tongue.


    ¡®This grandmaster... He has be an inconvenience to His Majesty. Shameful.¡¯


    Silence reigned again.


    The hemispherical realm surrounding Kubartos was lifted.


    [Dimensional istion? You fight like a sinister bastard, Judar.]


    Kubartos appeared unharmed, no injuries grazing his body. On the other hand, Asura was torn into bits and pieces. He¡¯d been swept away by the attacks from the horn that nearly shattered the small dimension.


    Judar answered casually, [I¡¯m just fighting a winning battle.]


    In fact, he didn¡¯t much care about fights that had small odds of winning. There were many records of him retreating from battle without fighting. A very long time ago, Chiyou often made fun of Judar because of this, but he still didn¡¯t change. This was his nature. Only after making sure that the odds were in his favor would the god of wisdom make his move.


    Just like now.


    Breath and magic engulfed Judar. Kubartos was agitated. The duration of time regression was running out.


    A huge explosion urred. Hazy yellow dust and drizzling ice falling from mountain peaks obscured people¡¯s vision. Hundreds of Overgeared members died in the aftermath.


    However, Judar had unfolded a circr realm around himself. He¡¯d cut himself off from reality and nullified all damage.


    ¡°......¡±


    Soon, the cold wind cleared the dust and a spectacr scene unfolded.


    The mountain range looked hideous, as if a fallen moon had copsed onto it. The highest peak was turned into a crater while Judar stood high in the center of the sky behind it.


    Kubartos¡¯ giant body shook once and lost its radiance.


    The duration of time regression was over. His scales fell off like rain. One of his wings was torn off, and his tail was bent, dangling down. He looked exactly like when he¡¯d been seriously wounded by the Overgeared members.


    No, he looked way worse than before. Consuming the true energy of his horn had proven disastrous. The sphere of magic power collected in his mouth also became dozens of times smaller in size.


    [It is a shame that the horn is burned.]


    Judar slowly descended and stopped in front of Kubartos¡¯ torso. The atmosphere was unusual.


    The people who understood Kubartos¡¯ crisis looked at Braham, Kraugel, and Lord in turn, waiting for orders. They naturally gravitated toward Braham and Kraugel because they were powerful people who represented the apostles and the Overgeared Guild. But before they knew it, people had begun relying on Lord as well.


    Kraugel and Lord expressed the same opinion. ¡°We need to help Kubartos.¡±


    Judar wrapped a translucent sphere around his hand and pierced Kubartos¡¯ heart. It was a bizarre sight. The Absolute Defense, scales, skin and even magic¡ªnothing could stop Judar¡¯s hand. It dug into Kubartos¡¯ body without causing any injury and grabbed his heart.


    Braham realized what a high-level operation this was, and a chill went down his spine.


    A heart bigger than a house was pulled out, still pulsating even after losing its owner. Then, it was soon turned into a red liquid that was sucked into Judar¡¯s body in a beautiful curve.


    [Take the body.]


    Just as Trauka confirmed, exceptional beings among the dragons wouldn¡¯t die instantly even when they lost their heart. They just became weaker and weaker, dying slowly .


    If an old dragon recuperated for thousands of years, there was a possibility that they could regenerate their missing heart. However, this wasn¡¯t possible for a top dragon.


    Judar flew past Kubartos, who slumped down in despair. Asura¡¯s body, which had been torn into six pieces and scattered, had gathered together at some point and regenerated.


    ¡°I understand. I will eat up the remaining fragments.¡±


    Asura snorted and prepared to decapitate Kubartos. However, Yura and Jishuka¡¯s sniper shots pierced Asura¡¯s brow and heart. Kraugel and Hurent¡¯s sword cut through Asura¡¯s wrists and waist.


    Kraugel shouted to Lord and Braham, ¡°Go to Grid! Hurry!¡±


    The two of them were already casting Blink. Most of the surviving forces followed them, because they had clearly witnessed Judar entering Trauka¡¯sir.


    -You... Sword Saint.


    Kraugel was fighting back against Asura¡¯s counterattack when Kubartos¡¯s voice entered his mind.


    -ept my remaining traces within your sword. It might be possible since the sword was tempered by Trauka¡¯s mes.


    -At the very least, you and Grid should give up the idea of bing dragon killers. I hate admitting it, but Hayate and Biban¡¯s capabilities are outstanding. If Grid bes a Dragon yer, it will be difficult for him to deal with insidious bastards like Judar and Hanul.


    -A god killer... You must aim to be a god killer.


    There wasn¡¯t a single hint of goodwill in Kubartos¡¯ tone. Nevertheless, he was definitely giving helpful clues. He was siding with the yers because the only thing left for him was the desire to get revenge on Judar, as if he didn¡¯t care about the role of the dragons assigned by the foreign god.


    ¡®That is why he is the dragon who defies the natural order.¡¯


    How did the title of ¡®defying the natural order¡¯e about?


    Kraugel looked at the golden glow around his sword and wondered if he should sell his Satisfy-rted stocks.

 Chapter 1947

    Chapter 1947


    Every time the magic power that spread to the soles of his feet swirled, Judar¡¯s figure stretched and elerated.


    As evidenced by his upper body, which leaned forward like it was pouring out, Judar was running with all his might.


    He was the son of a god of the beginning and had been given everything from the moment he was born. This was the first time that the rational god of wisdom had shown such passion.


    ¡®There will never be another chance like this.¡¯


    There was a reason why Judar was doing all of this. He believed that now was the right time to take Trauka¡¯s life.


    It was all thanks to the goddess and Grid.


    Hayate, who was supposed to die, was brought back by the goddess¡¯ blessing. The old dragons were tied up. By now, they must have been busy watching Hayate, who had be stronger than before.


    Weren¡¯t they still silent even though a top dragon had lost his right?


    On top of that, Grid had split up the dozens of dragons guarding Trauka. It was hard to analyze how this was possible even with Judar¡¯s knowledge, but... He had no choice but to convince himself that this was why Grid was the goddess¡¯ hope.


    Anyway, the important fact was that this was a great opportunity for Judar.


    ¡®Thanks to the heart of Kubartos, my divine power has increased significantly. Now I can cut off the Breath of an old dragon and raise my status.¡¯


    The reason why Judar¡¯s character was cautious was because he wascking inbat strength. Of course, he had the skills to be considered one of the best among the Absolutes, but he was at a disadvantage against the strongest beings like Chiyou, Dominion, and the old dragons.


    He had spent his whole life training his power to create and manipte dimensions, but he wasn¡¯t able to utilize it properly since it consumed so much divine power.


    But today, he got the heart of a top dragon.


    Thanks to humans being more useful than he imagined, Kubartos had been greatly weakened. He was able to use Baal¡¯s legacy to take away Kubartos¡¯ heart.


    Asura was bound by a contract and was a reliable tool from Judar¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®After many events, I got exquisite luck. This is why I have faith in the goddess again.¡¯


    Maybe it was because the goddess blessed him that he got this type of luck. A mocking smile spread across Judar¡¯s face as he thought about it. Memories of the distant past when he believed in his mother unconditionally came to mind, making him feel empty and humiliated.


    ¡®She is a god of the beginning, but she is no different from those who live ephemeral lives.¡¯


    Judar surmised that his power was born from Reba¡¯s desire. Maybe, around the time she realized the true nature of this world, the goddess was overwhelmed by infinite fear and dreamt of escaping to a higher dimension, the true universe.


    However, Judar had failed to fulfill the goddess¡¯ wish. His power was limited to producing lower dimensions.


    After experiencing a deep sense of despair, the goddess disappeared for a while. Then one day, she suddenly came back and started to inflict all types of trials on humans.


    Back then, Judar had no way of knowing why this was happening. However, after the world had been destroyed and recreated several times, Dragon yer Hayate was born. From then on, Judar vaguely guessed the goddess¡¯ intentions. Several doubts started to arise as another thousands of years passed and billions of ¡®non-dying human beings¡¯ started to invade the world.


    At the same time, he witnessed Grid performing all types of miracles. He reached a certain conclusion based on the goddess¡¯ attitude toward Grid.


    That¡¯s right. Judar also glimpsed the truth of the world on his own. He just didn¡¯t let anyone else know. Even when he was alone, he was silent about the truth of the world, because he was wary of the eyes and ears of the foreign god.


    He felt a great fear toward this foreign god, who had sent an apostle called the refraction dragon to kill the goddess, and was worried that the foreign god might send another apostle who would prove deadly to him, so he pretended to be ignorant.


    Every time the goddess was away, he acted arrogantly, as if he was the master of the world. He ignored the various miracles caused by the yers, brushing them off as insignificant, and he suffered several failures because he was obsessed with immediate greed.


    Acting like a frog in a well proved to require quite some effort.


    ¡®It is worth holding out like a rat. There are only a few steps left before my grand n is achieved.¡¯


    Judar¡¯s goal was to gain such immense power that even the foreign god wouldn¡¯t be able to respond immediately. Absorbing the heart of the top dragon and taking Trauka¡¯s life were just the first steps to gaining the power needed to overwhelm the old dragons.


    Judar ced his hopes on what would follow once his n unfolded.


    First of all, the aftermath of Trauka¡¯s death would be great. The old dragons would be gripped by a strong sense of crisis and rely even more on the refraction dragon, instilling a strong devotion in him. The refraction dragon would be even stronger, and the goddess would surely perish. Naturally, Judar would take over the hierarchy of Asgard¡¯s supreme god and gain even greater power and authority.


    ¡®I will use the authority of the supreme god to hold the world hostage.¡¯


    Judar intended to impose a ban on the entire world so that humans from the world of the foreign god wouldn¡¯t find any value in being active in this world. For some reason, the foreign god was making every effort to provide convenience to them, so Judar thought this would be a good bargaining chip.


    ¡®I will surely ascend to the higher dimension.¡¯


    The reason why Reba had reset the world so many times and hurt countless human lives was because, contradictorily, she loved the world. Her purpose was to make the world self-reliant. She wanted to eliminate the possibility that this world, created out of the needs of a superior being, could disappear overnight on a whim.


    On the other hand, Judar dreamed of bing a higher being. He wanted to go out into the real universe and be a truly living being.


    Today was the day he would make the great first step toward that goal...


    Every time Judar mmed into the ground, the maze shook violently. He was still speeding up. He¡¯d be stronger by embodying the magic power contained in the Dragon Heart in real time.


    The moment he arrived at the heart of their, he would fully digest Kubartos¡¯ heart and evolve. This was all part of his calctions. It was also the reason why Judar wasn¡¯t attached to Kubartos¡¯ body. He stole just enough energy to evolve. That way, he would be able topletely digest it in time.


    He was still conscious of Grid. If Grid was unexpectedly fine when he arrived in front of Trauka, he needed the strength to overwhelm Grid.


    ¡®There are two variables to worry about, even they are unlikely.¡¯


    One variable consisted of both Grid and the group of dragons being intact and the two forces cooperating. The other consisted of Grid being fine, while Zeratul, who arrivedter, having recovered above a certain level.


    Judar would be a bit flustered, but neither scenarios were likely to be realized. The odds weren''t worth his concern.


    Step.


    The god of wisdom made careful calctions as usual.


    ¡°......¡±


    Finally, he arrived at his final destination in their. He was initially captivated by the sight of the old dragon, whose eyes were closed like he was dead.


    Fire Dragon Trauka.


    Judar never thought the day woulde when the strongest dragon would die. Maybe even the foreign god couldn¡¯t have imagined it. Judar shuddered as he recalled the sight of Trauka preying on the heavenly gods in the distant past. He realized that the grand n he had been preparing for a long time was fast approaching.


    Zeratul looked shocked. ¡°Judar? Why are you here...?¡±


    Seeing how haggard he looked and hearing his soft voice, it was clear that he had barely recovered a portion of his damaged divine power.


    One of the only two variables had disappeared.


    ¡°You really took Kubartos¡¯s...!¡±


    The dragons shouting in anger weren¡¯t in very good condition either.


    Rev and Haranbeka, who had great reputations among the intermediate dragons, were present, but their conditions were the most severe.


    First of all, they were all polymorphed to human form.


    ¡®Their¡¯s structure makes it difficult to release Polymorph.¡¯


    Judar knew that the dragons had been struggling against Grid, so his transparent eyes finallynded on Grid, examining him.


    Naturally, Grid was in the worst condition.


    The aftermath of fighting alone against the foreign god¡¯s apostles was considerable. Judar confirmed that even thest variable had disappeared and moved forward without hesitation.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Zeratul stepped forward.


    Judar didn¡¯t bother to operate his dimensions. He was the god of wisdom. He would never make the mistake of showing his power prematurely in front of the enemy.


    Judar just wielded pure magic power.


    Zeratul hurriedly used a technique to disperse the power, but Judar¡¯s magic power was very powerful now that he had fully digested Kubartos¡¯ heart.


    Zeratul frowned as he felt a sharp pain in his hand. Judar quickly linked the attack, magically intercepting the counterattack and mming his magic-wrapped fist into Zeratul¡¯s stomach.


    Zeratul¡¯s body flew into a corner like a cannonball.


    Judar¡¯s magic was also destroyed, causing his face to be slightly damaged. Still, it didn¡¯t affect his condition. Zeratul was more exhausted than he thought.


    [Thank you, Grid, for standing by the goddess.]


    Ever since Grid turned away from the resurrected refraction dragon and sided with the goddess, everything had been working out for Judar, as if Grid was his benefactor.


    ¡®I will repay this favor when I get to the world you live in.¡¯


    Judar broke through even the dragons, whose movements ovepped, and finally closed the distance between him and Grid.


    Then he unleashed the trick he had kept hidden so far. A translucent sphere formed around his fingertips that spread out like des.


    Looking closely, it was threeyered.


    The surface sphere would counterattack or defend against Grid, the central sphere would send Grid¡¯s armor away and the third sphere would send Grid¡¯s skin to another dimension. Then Judar¡¯s hand would be able to pierce Grid¡¯s heart without meeting any resistance.


    Grid was an easy opponent to targetpared to Kubartos, who had a total of four self-defense weapons: his Absolute Defense, magic, scales, and skin.


    It wasn¡¯t because Grid was weaker than Kubartos. The differences were due to the characteristics of their race. Dragons were a race that always had Absolute Defense, so it was inevitable that one moreyer of spheres was needed when attacking.


    Judar¡¯s hand leisurely passed through the sword dance that unfolded at lightning speed.


    From this point on, Grid¡¯s sword dance and Defying the Natural Order sword had no influence on reality. Grid¡¯s eyes filled with doubt while Judar¡¯s hand broke through the sword dance and stretched out like a sh of light.


    Now with one of the two remaining spheres, he could transfer Grid¡¯s Absolute Defense to another dimension...


    ¡®...Wait, Absolute Defense?¡¯


    The stunned Judar hurriedly created anotheryer of sphere. However, the timing wasn¡¯t right. His hands were already touching the chest beyond Grid¡¯s armor.


    Grid¡¯s body was pushed back a few steps but, unexpectedly, he wasn¡¯t seriously hurt. This was due to his reflexive use of the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and putting all his stat points into stamina the moment the sword dance was broken through.


    ¡®Is his Absolute Defense always active, like a dragon¡¯s?¡¯


    Grid was armed with dragon armor, so it made sense that he could use Absolute Defense. Judar just wondered if he could handle it as well as a dragon.


    This uncertainty made Judar¡¯s position awkward. He could create a small dimension and use it to transmit things. There was only one type of concept or substance that could be transmitted per dimension.


    If a target had three defenses, he must have three spheres in his hand. There couldn¡¯t be more than four. Then, Judar¡¯s hand would pierce the target.


    Of course, if he released his power while piercing the target, he could deal a prating wound but... There was the possibility that his hand would be trapped, so he decided that was a bad idea.


    ¡®Destroying the heart doesn¡¯t mean the target will be killed immediately. I need to be careful.¡¯


    Judar made a quick decision and swung his hand filled with magic power rather than the spheres.


    The more blows he exchanged with Grid, the darker hisplexion became. It was because Grid¡¯s Absolute Defense was sometimes solid and sometimes silent.


    ¡®Is it just a coincidence? Or can he control it?¡¯


    if it was thetter, then Grid had an advantage over him in terms ofpatibility. The moment Grid understood the principles of Judar¡¯s power, Judar would be at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, it was too hard to attack Grid without using his power. Grid was tougher to fight than a top dragon.


    Simply wielding magic power didn¡¯t deal much damage. He tried using spells but the magic would disperse as soon as it waspleted.


    Judar remembered that this was a power that Grid had inherited from Braham.


    ¡®It is puzzling.¡¯


    Beings who fought against Grid usually had bad personalities.


    The moment they noticed his survival ability was superior to a cockroach, they would feel frustrated, their heads would be dizzy and their anger would soar.


    But today, Grid had the survivability of an old dragon.


    Judar, whoseposure was his weapon, allowed a rare frown to frame his face.

 Chapter 1948

    Chapter 1948


    [The effect of the title ¡®First Father¡¯ has detected Lord¡¯s crisis.]


    [Father¡¯s Instinctive Love is activated. Movement speed is increased by 80% for 20 seconds and the skill cooldown is reset.]


    He¡¯d met a woman named Irene. He initially married her with an impure heart and the marriage continued until today.


    There were so many memories embedded in Grid¡¯s mind, each one more precious than the other. Lord yed a huge role in that.


    Images of Lord shed by like a kaleidoscope. It was fascinating and cute to see him toddling up to him and asking to be held in his arms. The first time Lord called him ¡®Dad¡¯, he¡¯d felt awkward and overwhelmed.


    He prayed when he saw Lord ying house with Reba¡¯s Daughters, who were wielding spears and swords. He was happy watching Lord wield a small hammer in the smithy, and was anxious along with everyone else when Lord went on adventures despite his youth.


    Lord proved to be more reliable than expected once he grew up and stood by his father¡¯s side.


    He was the most precious being. Grid could never lose him.


    Grid looked around. From this moment forward, everything turned hectic.


    The group of dragons surrounding Grid was smashed in an instant!


    The formation centered around the earthen wall erected by Haranbeka, who used Dragon Words, all copsed at once.


    The lower-ranked dragon, who had been exchanging sword blows with Grid, couldn¡¯t handle the power of the six fusion sword dance. They thought that the ultimate sword dance couldn¡¯t be used for the next 13 minutes, so the moment it was activated, the dragons realized they had made a huge error in their calctions.


    Moreover, Grid was exceeding the imposed speed limit. He was fast as lightning as he charged forward and mmed the six fusion sword dance into the earthen wall, felling the lower-ranked dragon. The dragons couldn¡¯t keep up with him properly despite their vision and senses.


    Haranbeka, who was blocking the entrance, was so surprised that he even released the Polymorph. He didn¡¯t care about the fact that their might copse and released his full power to block Grid.


    However, Grid counter attacked this with ease. He cut off the ¡®horn¡¯ on Haranbeka¡¯s head before Haranbeka could reveal his full body. In fact, Grid hadn¡¯t intentionally been aiming for this. The horn just grew at Grid¡¯s eye level. It was unexpected good luck.


    This was all thanks to the good luck stat. Of course, Haranbeka had no way of knowing that.


    ¡®What... Was he hiding his skills?¡¯


    Haranbeka was shocked.


    [Don¡¯te.]


    Just then, Lord¡¯s voice echoed through the space, asking Grid to trust him. Grid suddenly stopped, nodded, and nced back at the group.


    From then on, it was hell.


    Haranbeka couldn¡¯t handle the destructive power of the continuous sword dances and lost hisst remaining horn. The lower-ranked dragons who tried to rescue him were all reduced to rags.


    Grid was the same. He had been fighting all day, and his physical strength was no longer at its peak. This was also because he found himself within an old dragon¡¯sir. The environment itself was favorable to the dragons, their power strengthened by a strange stream of magic power while intruders were weakened with all types of restrictions.


    The dragons, who had been seriously wounded by Grid, gritted their teeth and fought back. This caused Grid¡¯s body to sway precariously. He would¡¯ve copsed first if it hadn¡¯t been for Nefelina providing him magical cover a few times.


    ¡°Grid! Get on me!¡±


    Nefelina rushed from where she was standing on Trauka¡¯s head, but Grid remained still. He was a warrior who had ovee all types of crises. Unless he ran out of dreams or hope, he couldn¡¯t carelessly consume his strongest trump card. He¡¯d saved up the Dragon Knight effect till the end and had dealt with the joint attacks of the dragon group.


    ¡®I have a bad feeling.¡¯


    Grid had a hunch. His intuition told him that things wouldn¡¯t work out that easily for him. In his experience, most surprises happened suddenly. Even Lauel, who devised shrewd strategies before doing anything, often suffered failures due to unexpected variables.


    In addition, Grid was the type of person who followed his heart rather than his thoughts. He didn¡¯t have a genius brain, so even if he calcted and nned out his strategy, he would suffer a lot of setbacks.


    The bottom line was that he didn¡¯t believe in himself. Therefore, he ignored Nefelina¡¯s warning and fought a difficult battle. Shocking news soon came out of the blue, delivered by Rev, who was being carried by Zeratul¡¯s on his back.


    ¡°Kubartos...! Kubartos is after Trauka!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Grid. Haranbeka¡¯s group was also muttering. Many of the dragons denied the news, saying they couldn¡¯t believe it. Seeing Rev on Zeratul¡¯s back made them see the ice dragon as a traitor.


    However, Haranbeka showed faith in Rev.


    ¡°Rev isn¡¯t the type to lie...¡±


    The battle paused briefly. This was a golden opportunity for Grid. He took advantage of a yer¡¯s skills and various benefits, his recovery speed surpassing even the dragons¡¯.


    He secretly turned on meditation and tried for a quick recovery. He was nning to kill Haranbeka, who had lost his horn and was slow to recover.


    Just then, Kubartos lost his heart.


    Perhaps it was some sort of sensory sharing, but the dragons immediately detected the unusual situation and were stunned. They started questioning what types of tricks Rev had pulled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be suspicious of your own kin. Rev is a great dragon.¡±


    Grid deliberately sided with Rev.


    The result was significant. The moment Grid sided with Rev, the angry dragons treated Rev as aplete traitor.


    Revo red at Grid, shocked, but Grid only smiled back softly. Consequently, the dragons¡¯ suspicions grew and the atmosphere turned ugly.


    Step.


    Judar, the god of wisdom, arrived at the scene. He was expressionless, like a doll, but his determination was fierce. Zeratul had not yet recovered due to a series of desperate fights and pouring divinity into Biban. Therefore, he was defeated without being able to fight back properly. The same could be said for the other dragons.


    On the other hand, Grid¡¯s recovery rate was at roughly seventy percent. However, perhaps due to his shabby appearance, Judar attacked Grid without hesitation.


    ¡®What is with his confidence?¡¯


    Zeratul was of great help to the Overgeared Guild. He possessed precise information about some of the gods, and he¡¯d told them that Judar didn¡¯t enjoy fighting. It was said that he rarely engaged in battle directly and only used magic.


    Of course, Zeratul warned that Judar¡¯s overall ability was just below that of the old dragons, but that wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Grid. Not even the fact that he had absorbed Kubartos¡¯ heart.


    In fact, the hand that Judar swung wasn¡¯t very agile. He was simply fast and strong. He didn¡¯t seem to possess too manybat skills.


    Grid responded with a three fusion sword dance that included Revolve. This meant the attack would return back to him. The route that Judar used to attack was so simple that it was easy to target him.


    Grid thought he would win more easily than expected. However...


    [The effect of the active skill has disappeared.]


    The sword dance, which should¡¯ve cut Judar¡¯s hand, had no power. In addition¡ª


    [The effect of the equipped items has disappeared.]


    The moment Judar¡¯s hand touched the sword, the items Grid was wearing became useless.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid felt as if he¡¯d been possessed by a ghost.


    ¡®Is he copying my power?¡¯


    The method of making a target¡¯s items useless wasn¡¯tmon in the world. Grid briefly suspected that Judar had the ability to copy the opponent¡¯s abilities.


    Grid ended up being pushed back several steps. He could clearly feel the touch of Judar¡¯s hand on his bare chest. He avoided a fatal injury thanks to the quick use of the White Tiger¡¯s Posture and his stats redistribution, but a chill still went down his spine.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t lose my titles and passive skills.¡¯


    Just now, the only effect Grid didn¡¯t receive was the item effect.


    [The effect of the equipped items has been restored.]


    The item effects were even restored quickly.


    Gridpletely destroyed the target¡¯s items while Judar temporarily neutralized them. It was clearly an inferior version. He was slightly relieved and tried to analyze Judar¡¯s abilities, but Judar aimed at him again.


    Grid was wary that his use of a skill would be canceled, so he countered with a basic hit. Perhaps Judar couldn¡¯t neutralize the basic hits, but Grid easily blocked Judar¡¯s double-handed attacks in session.


    The moment an attack that looked particrly strong came Grid¡¯s way, he turned on his Absolute Defense to increase his defense.


    ¡®Is it currently on cooldown?¡¯


    Grid finally got a feel for it after exchanging blows several times with skills mixed in. Judar¡¯s power to make skills and items useless seemed to have a very long cooldown, since the effect was quite fraudulent.


    Judar¡¯s left hand was digging into his side. It was an attack that wasn¡¯t different from before, so Grid didn¡¯t bother to activate the Absolute Defense. After several exchanges, he decided that he could handle this type of attack with his pure defense.


    However, Judar¡¯s power activated and caught him off guard.


    [The effect of the equipped item has disappeared.]


    Grid was shocked. He didn¡¯t feel any pain and didn¡¯t actually suffer any damage, but Judar¡¯s hand was piercing his torso.


    ¡®Is it a fluidization type power? Isn¡¯t the cooldown time surprisingly short?¡¯


    Grid hurriedly pulled back, but Judar didn¡¯t bother chasing him. He just stared silently with a rather ufortable expression.


    Thanks to this, Grid didn¡¯t suffer any damage.


    Judar murmured, [It is hard to figure out...]


    Those were words that Grid wanted to say to Judar.


    ¡®Still, there are results.¡¯


    Grid noticed one thing. An opaque curtain had covered Judar¡¯s hand during the first attack and the previous attack. He determined it was a skill effect that only urred twice. It wasn¡¯t easy to notice because Judar was releasing dark red magic power like an active volcano, but Grid¡¯s insight stat was remarkable.


    ¡®By the way, I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m fine even though my body was pierced. I don¡¯t know what Judar is up to.¡¯


    Just as Grid was pondering on this, a translucent cover unfolded over Judar¡¯s hands. There were three over his left hand and four over his right.


    If Grid didn¡¯t activate his Absolute Defense, the left hand would pierce his heart. But if the Absolute Defense was activated, the same would happen if the attack originated from the right hand.


    Operating a total of seven dimensions at the same time was a huge effort for Judar, but he had to take on this burden in order to carry out the attack.


    ¡®This is going to be dangerous.¡¯


    The moment Judar started the attack, Grid grew significantly more vignt. He backed away, trying to dodge by activating Shunpo in short strides.


    However, he couldn¡¯t shake off Judar. The god of wisdom tracked Grid, paying attention to the direction in which Grid would nce, and used Shunpo at the same time to follow after. Perhaps he had a knack for psychological warfare, but he could easily predict Grid¡¯s actions.


    Grid¡¯s anger intensified as the distance between him and Judar became smaller.


    ¡®What is with this bastard?¡¯


    He knew Judar¡¯s attacks were strange and powerful, but he couldn¡¯t understand what gave Judar the courage to keep approaching him.


    ¡®What if I dodge that hand and fight back?¡¯


    Grid focused his whole strength into a jump.


    Judar quickly caught up. Grid urately dodged the swinging fists and unleashed a fusion sword dance.


    ¡°Dragon Revolve Pinnacle!¡±


    Grid¡¯s shadow took the shape of a dark dragon as it pierced Judar¡¯s chest.


    [......]


    Judar felt Grid¡¯s breath on his face, but he didn¡¯t shrink back.


    He advanced and confronted the sword dance head-on. Then Grid¡¯s sword dance was transmitted to another dimension and became ineffective. All that remained was for Judar¡¯s two hands to pierce Grid¡¯s body.


    Just then, Grid used Freely Move.


    He twisted his body ever so slightly, dodging Judar¡¯s close range attack before focusing all his stat points on strength and unleashing a fusion sword dance. He wanted to use at least a five fusion sword dance, but he had to be satisfied with only merging two sword dances since his opponent was so close.


    However, the sword dance was unleashed from thebined Defying the Natural Order and Twilight. Its power would be immense.


    The dragon group, who had been letting Rev¡¯s words about helping Grid enter one ear and go out the other, were sad as they watched the battle. They felt a shared pain just thinking about the suffering that Judar would go through.


    [Critical!]


    [You have attacked the target¡¯s weak point and caused critical damage!]


    [.....!!!]


    Judar¡¯s expression distorted as he was cut and stabbed by Pinnacle Kill. He gritted his teeth, almost letting out a scream. He was so startled by the great pain that he had to take a few steps back. Then Grid finally spoke to him.


    ¡°Is this because you¡¯ve never been hit by me? You are so brave.¡±


    [......]


    For a moment, Judar remembered. The fact that many powerful beings surrendered to Grid. The fact that among those who lost their lives to Grid was the 2nd ranked great demon, Amoract.


    Grid told him, ¡°If you are going to take my bones, then give me some of your flesh in return. This way, your suffering will be even greater.¡±


    The power of the demon to distort all truth.


    Grid¡¯s condition was fairly intact, despite what Judar saw.

 Chapter 1949

    Chapter 1949


    ¡®There are dozens of divine effects in the sword.¡¯


    Judar acknowledged that Grid¡¯s performance had never been inferior to his. In particr, he was wary of Grid¡¯s swords. They possessed all sorts of bizarre functions and were deadly to the body. They were so powerful that they even rendered the shields made of magic and divine power almost useless. In addition, the wounds they inflicted didn¡¯t heal properly.


    He nowpletely understood why the dozens of dragons didn¡¯t manage to overpower Grid. They probably needed a breather every time a blow hit them, having to constantly change those who attacked. Even worse, the narrow space meant they couldn¡¯t take advantage of their numerical advantage at all.


    ¡®I thought that after reaching old dragon-level, I could easily win against Grid since he wasn¡¯t able to beat the old dragons. I was wrong. It was a mistake to leave Asura behind.¡¯


    He had regrets, but it was toote for such things.


    Now that things had turned out like this, Judar had to ovee the crisis alone. His mind was racing. He learned how to use his power and magic in real time. Since he was an expert at making barriers, he had a n to utilize them at the right time.


    ¡°Produce.¡±


    A translucent sphere appeared in front of Judar instead of around his hands, aiming at the sword dance of the charging Grid.


    ¡°Distortion.¡±


    The sword dance was sucked into the dimension and reappeared somewhere else¨Cright behind Grid¡¯s back.


    Absurdly, Grid¡¯s sword dance stabbed at himself, the unexpected attack inflicting great damage. However, since he was ustomed to pain, he just smiled softly. He was starting to understand the principle of Judar¡¯s power, or at the very least, a rough outline of it.


    ¡®He deals with dimensions.¡¯


    He was able to guess easily because he had witnessed Yura¡¯s Hell Leap skill several times.


    ¡®The reason why skills and items be useless once he touches them is because they are transmitted in a different dimension.¡¯


    In many ways, it was an overpowered ability. A real headache to deal with, but it was better than when Grid was feeling frustrated because he didn¡¯t know what he was dealing with.


    Grid made up his mind and operated the God Hands, confirming that the moment even one God Hand was transmitted, all the hundreds of God Hands became neutralized. It followed the same principle that all his equipped armor became useless when his sword was transmitted.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t a single target ability, it affects a whole category. However, the skill is only transmitted when touched directly.¡¯


    The more he learned, the more amazed he was. Still, this didn¡¯t mean there was no room for him to attack. In fact, he might¡¯ve been helpless if this fight had taken ce before meeting the old dragons and Chiyou. Now, his experience of fighting against the strongest existences in the world wasn¡¯t useless.


    After releasing thebination of Defying the Natural Order and Twilight, Grid started swapping and using multiple weapons. For example, while attacking with Twilight, he let go of the sword in his hand just before it was transmitted. As a result, Twilight¡¯s ssification was changed from ¡®equipped item'' to ¡®possessed item¡¯, causing Grid¡¯s newly equipped weapon and armor not to be transmitted.


    [......!]


    From the moment Grid started to use dozens of weapons, Judar became flustered because his counterattacks didn¡¯t work properly anymore.


    ¡®Has hee up with a strategy to fight against my power? Experience is such a scary thing.¡¯


    Those who were naturally strong relied on their natural strength. Just as human beings naturally walked on two feet, they also ruled with their innate strength.


    Meanwhile, Grid was the exact opposite. He started as a weak person and became an Only One God. There were traces of fierce deliberation in every moment of his life.


    Judar felt a strange tension as he created a new dimension that surrounded his entire body. The attack range of Grid, who had just reced his weapon and unfolded the five fusion sword dance, was toorge.


    Grid started sweating as he watched the sword dance disappear to another dimension. Fortunately, it simply disappeared this time, and didn¡¯t reappear.


    ¡®It looks like it isn¡¯t easy to bring it back after sending it away.¡¯


    It appeared that the more precise the use of Judar¡¯s power, the greater the consumption. This could¡¯ve simply been a difference in cooldown time, but Grid decided not to calcte that. Didn¡¯t Haranbeka¡¯s group just fail to calcte Grid¡¯s cooldown time and ended up in trouble?


    The battle went on for a long time.


    As Judar continued to pour out magic, Grid also had to use a lot of skills.


    Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!


    Only after his health had dropped significantly did Gride up with an idea. He ordered the God Hands to forge items, and the sound of hammering was heard.


    The God Hands produced a single item in groups of ten extremely fast. Furthermore, using theva that flowed around the area where Trauka was asleep, the metals would take on the fire dragon¡¯s mes every time it was smelted, turning them red.


    Judar was suspicious of the sudden process and attacked the God Hands with his magic. The God Hands only stopped and trembled for a moment when struck by the spells. They weren¡¯t destroyed.


    Judar decided that he needed to get rid of the metal they were smelting, so he unleashed a massive wide-area magic. Dark red magic power spread out and golden thunderbolts shed. Grid moved as if he had been waiting for this and attacked Judar.


    Judar was stunned when he realized that the God Hands¡¯ behavior was nothing more than bait. Still, he reacted immediately, just like an Absolute would. He created a dimension in the direction of the sword dance and transmitted it. He surrounded his two hands withyers of translucent spheres and stretched out his hands like a sh of light.


    Judar was holding Grid¡¯s spinal cord and heart in his hands.


    Finally! He was filled with joy and poured strength into his hands.


    His face stiffened. Grid¡¯s heart didn¡¯t pulsate. It was as hard as a stone.


    ¡®A fake...!¡¯


    As Randy was captured by Judar, Grid appeared by Judar¡¯s side and attacked him with the six fusion sword dance.


    The trick worked!


    Judar, who almost cked out from overwhelming pain, let out a groan for the first time. He iled his limbs maniacally and counterattacked a few times before soaring into the air.


    Grid didn¡¯t follow him because a dark red storm rose violently and crushed him. Every time there was a golden sh within the storm, powerful metallic magic power spread and neutralized some of Grid¡¯s equipped items in real time.


    ¡®Crazy. Did he calcte all of this?¡¯


    Grid couldn¡¯t hide his flustered expression. He noticed that the previous traces of Judar¡¯s attacks were emitting light. It was clear that some type of magic worked on it to form the barrier of this storm. Its power was immense. Seemingly, a lot of magic power had been invested into creating it.


    ¡®Dominion¡¯s intuition wasn''t false.¡¯


    Judar¡¯s expression also wasn¡¯t very amiable. He finally understood why Dominion had left to train after being defeated by Hayate. He wasn¡¯t inferior to Grid in terms of magic or his power, but he couldn¡¯t fight against Grid head-on. This made him sigh.


    Then Nefelina¡¯s bewildered face appeared in front of him.


    [Get out of the way.]


    He created a translucent sphere around Nefelina. Nefelina released Polymorph and even used Dragon Words, but it was useless. Judar¡¯s dimensional binding was a secret technique that easily trapped even a top dragon.


    [Let¡¯s change the order.]


    Judar¡¯s will was strongly engraved on the space as he reappeared next to Trauka¡¯s neck.


    His fervent desire was clearly conveyed to Grid and the group of dragons.


    ¡°Judar, how dare you?!!¡±


    The group of dragons began firing Breaths as soon as they read Judar¡¯s intentions. By the time Judar approached Trauka, eight colorful Breaths had already reached him. He had to do at least something, so he covered himself with a sphere, reappearing shortly after the bombardment of Breaths and cing his hand on the back of Trauka¡¯s neck.


    ng.


    However, a shield flew in and protected Trauka.


    The shield had just been made and thrown by a God Hand. It was only epic, so it was torn apart by a single blow. Still, it had the effect of ¡®blocking one attack¡¯, rendering Judar¡¯s attack meaningless.


    However, Judar was already preparing his next attack.


    ng.


    Once again, a shield flew in and blocked it. Judar felt annoyed and finally wrapped a translucent sphere around his hand. He ignored the shield and prepared to stab Trauka in the neck.


    ang.


    Once again, shields flew in to prevent Judar¡¯s from doing anything.


    The first shield to fly in was sent to another dimension, but the shields that flewter weren¡¯t transmitted. Thus, they retained their physical force. Since those shields were ssified as ¡®items made by the God Hands¡¯, they should¡¯ve all been sent. However, this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Judar was puzzled, but he quickly realized what was going on.


    ¡®Is it because they werepleted at different times that they aren¡¯t ced into the same category?¡¯


    Judar made sense of what was going on.


    In order to effectively block Judar¡¯s dimensional transfer, Grid ordered the God Hands to produce items in real time. He also added the detailedmand of staggering the timing of an item¡¯spletion.


    Crafting items was Grid¡¯s specialty, so he thought he should do it whether it worked or not. Fortunately, it ended up working.


    Judar clicked his tongue and admitted this slightly bigger loss. He squeezed out most of his remaining magic power and added divine power to activate a protective barrier. The shields made by the Gods Hands no longer protected Trauka. They clung to the dark blue barrier as if drawn in, gradually evaporating.


    Just then, Grid escaped from the storm and hurriedly unleashed a sword attack.


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    The sword energy of the Wave sword dance poured toward Judar. It was weak as a single sword dance, but Grid didn¡¯t care. He charged with all his might and also performed a two fusion and three fusion sword dance.


    The waves of sword energy gradually grew and eventually became a tsunami. The overall strength wasparable to that of the five fusion sword dance.


    Judar¡¯s hand was touching the back of Trauka¡¯s neck. Suddenly, a loud roar shook the entireir.


    Their could feel when its master was in danger and screamed.


    Boom, boom, boom!


    The group of dragons repeatedly mmed against the dark blue barrier surrounding Judar, but to no avail. Not only was the barrier tough, but it was also strange in nature. It drew in any force that collided with the barrier like a ma, gradually reducing the power of that force.


    Assuming that the power that hit the barrier was a ¡®ten¡¯, it felt like the initial ¡®ten¡¯ was divided into smaller fragments of ¡®one¡¯ rather than hitting all at once.


    Judar¡¯s hand touched the back of Trauka¡¯s neck once again. This time, the roar was louder. Trauka¡¯s thick neck, which had remained upright even in his sleep, tilted slightly.


    Just in time, the tsunami of sword energy from Grid collided with the dark blue barrier, shaking it violently. Compared to the group of dragons attacking all at once, this attack made Judar a bit nervous.


    Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t enough. The tsunami of sword energy also didn¡¯t immediately exert its power, instead clinging to the barrier and gradually losing its strength, like a me going out.


    ''This expenditure of magic power and divine power is worth it.¡¯


    The relieved Judar squeezed out his remaining magic power until it reached its limit. As Grid approached the barrier, Judar even spent his power one more time to ensure that things would end. He thought that by killing Trauka and increasing his status, he would naturally regain both his magic as well as his divine power.


    The same translucent sphere that had sent Nefelina away urred around Grid. It was a guaranteed targeting skill, one that could not be blocked or avoided.


    [You are isted from reality.]


    ¡®I must kill Judar at all costs.¡¯ Grid made a seriousmitment as he fell into a bleak, deserted world.


    Judar¡¯s power was too strong. If he missed Judar this time, he would have to worry about the aftermath for the rest of his life.


    How many more minutes or hours passed like this?


    In a state of panic, Grid returned to reality.


    Contrary to what he felt, the time that passed was only a fleeting moment. The tsunami of sword energy was still clinging to the barrier.


    [You¡¯ve already escaped?]


    Judar¡¯s startled words reassured him. This didn¡¯t mean that things were in a better state.


    The barrier between Grid and Judar was still intact.


    Grid even borrowed ¡®Keen Insight'' from Mercedes to identify the weaknesses of the barrier. He invested all his remaining skills intounching an onught, but it only slightly cracked.


    Just then, Judar touched Trauka¡¯s neck again. Their shook even more fiercely than before. Trauka¡¯s neck looked like it was going to be cut any time now.


    Grid was ming himself for wasting too many skills analyzing Judar¡¯s power when a wave of sword energy swept past Grid¡¯s side, seeping into the tsunami of sword energy still clinging to the barrier. The tsunami ate the waves and swelled up.


    The surprised Grid looked back. Lord, who had just arrived, ran forward, using a sword dance again.


    It was a sword dance that contained the Wave sword dance.


    Lord¡¯s Wave sword dance continued to power up Grid¡¯s Wave sword dance.


    Originally, it was a mere wave, but the sword energy suddenly overflowed like the sea.


    [What...?!]


    The barrier couldn¡¯t withstand the power and bigger cracks started to appear on its surface.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Lord¡¯s cry awakened the momentarily dazed Grid. He came to his senses and reacted quickly.


    [You have formed a party with Lord.]


    [You have formed a party with your child and the effect of ¡®First Father¡¯ is activated. All stats have increased by 8%.]


    The most effective buff for Grid was a stats increase. He distributed all of his increased stats to strength and swung his sword at a w in the barrier. It was the Link sword dance. There was no way Lord didn¡¯t know it when he grew up watching his father¡¯s back all his life. He also used Link.


    Thanks to Braham¡¯s eleration magic attached to him and his shadow maniption, he was able to stand by his father¡¯s side.


    [You are performing a cooperative sword dance with the Overgeared Prince, ¡®Lord¡¯...!}


    The father and son danced under a mysterious, dark blue light. The number of sword energies grew uncontrobly. It represented the number of connections that the father and son had built.


    [You have understood the heart of Lord¡¯s sword dance.]


    [Lord feels great awe for you.]


    [The skill ¡®Link¡¯ has evolved.]


    The moment Judar¡¯s barrier shattered¡ª


    [The goddess¡¯ hope...!]


    Judar expressed these hateful final words and fell down without being able to endure it any longer.

 Chapter 1950

    Chapter 1950


    [Link]


    [Perform a sword dance that symbolizes memories. The number of swings and the effect of the attack will change depending on the rtionship you recall.


    Skill Mana Cost: Depends on the number of sword swings.


    Skill Cooldown Time: 90 seconds]


    ¡®Um...?¡¯


    Grid frowned. Originally, Link was a sword dance that allowed him to dance like a butterfly. The number of attacks were supposed to be proportional to his speed. What did it mean by a sword dance that symbolizes memories?


    Moreover, why did the number of attacks change depending on the rtionship he remembered? Was it telling him to think of people¡¯s faces every time he performed a sword dance?


    ¡®The skill exnation is...¡¯


    It offended Grid. He quickly regained hisposure after reflecting on Lord¡¯s sword dance. Lord¡¯s Link was different from his. It was more like a buff skill that empowered the people around him.


    How did the child feel when using a skill such as this? The more Grid thought about it, the more satisfying it seemed. He also realized something important.


    ¡®It seems this skill will prove to be quite a headache to use, but...¡¯


    He should ept that the sword dance had been changed to be influenced by a rtionship that was important to him. After all, this was an understandable development.


    ¡®Maybe it will prove to be quite useful, and I shouldn¡¯t worry too much.¡¯


    Grid spected that every time Link was activated, a list of friends or NPCS he had a high affinity with would pop up. He also believed the shape of the Link would change depending on the person he chose from that list. Originally, this skill had been an offensive sword dance, but Lord had changed its capabilities. Grid epted that he was able to further amplify that capability.


    Meanwhile, Braham was in great shock.


    ¡®He is a monster.¡¯


    Traces of battle were evident everywhere around their. There were thousands of them, different in shape and size. However, Braham saw that many of them had been intentionally left behind by Judar.


    Depending on how they were created, these were fragments of magic that could be used forrge-scale spells. It was obvious that throughout the battle, Judar had calcted and controlled what kind of traces his attack would leave on which area in the battlefield. At the same time, he seemed to be very capable since he managed to keep up with Grid for even a little bit. These traces were something only Judar was capable of leaving behind.


    ¡®He is the god of wisdom after all...¡¯


    Braham was deep in thought while trying to cast magic on the traces under his feet. mes exploded, and Braham¡¯s face instantly paled.


    He gave an urgent warning to Grid.


    -Judar has drawn arge magic circle. It¡¯s alreadyplete and cannot be destroyed or transformed. Don¡¯t provoke him until we find out how to deal with this.


    Braham shielded Lord, Faker, and Kasim in his shadow, before resuming his investigation on the traces. He was concentrating deeply, believing he had to seed in deciphering Judar¡¯s magic in order to be the true master of the title of God of Wisdom.


    Grid red at his ragged opponent. He could¡¯ve killed Judar by slitting his throat immediately, but Braham¡¯s warning made him hesitate. Moreover, killing the body didn¡¯t prevent the soul from escaping. Thus, it was impossible for him to act hastily. He didn¡¯t want to let Judar live.


    Judar¡¯s power was too versatile and the stakes were too high. If he survived, there would be serious consequences for a long time toe.


    ¡®In any case, it¡¯s easier to progress if I get the god killing energy.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression turned serious as the dying Judar sneered.


    ¡°Your apostle has seen through my magic. After all, he earned the title of God of Magic and Wisdom for a reason.¡±


    Based on the way he was speaking, he seemed to have lost all his magic, divine power, and other energies. Grid doubted Judar still had enough energy to activate the magic circle.


    He skeptically nced in Braham¡¯s direction, but Braham shook his head.


    -The magic circle is brimming with power. It will work regardless of Judar¡¯s current state. However, this seems to be magic that Judar made in preparation for his death. I wonder if he is aiming to drag us into the grave with him.


    Braham knew how great Grid¡¯s survival ability was. Judar, however, did not. Grid was just as puzzled as Braham. He realized something.


    ¡®The magic isn¡¯t aimed at me.¡¯


    Judar was obsessed with killing Trauka. He would¡¯ve prepared a back-up n if he failed in his mission. The magic circle seemed to serve as his insurance.


    If Judar died without fulfilling his goal, this magic would activate and bring Trauka down with him. Judar was aiming to gain more than the status he would lose from dying.


    ¡°Nefelina!¡±


    Reading the enemy¡¯s intentions, Grid moved without hesitating. He summoned Nefelina to his side and activated Dragon Knight. His target was now Trauka¡¯s neck.


    He was reluctant to kill a dragon. Grid might be cold-blooded, but he wasn¡¯t evil. He might be terrible, but he wasn¡¯t ungrateful. He had formed connections with the old dragons and developed quite an affinity with them.


    Still, the existence of dragons was a threat to humanity. He hoped the rtionship between humans and dragons wouldn¡¯t be pushed to the extreme.


    ¡®We¡¯ve been through so much, and I even resurrected the refraction dragon.¡¯


    If they thought they also owed him a favor, he wanted to improve their rtionship, even if it meant putting a lot of time into it. He felt hopeful recalling Nefelina¡¯s wish to live with humans, his memories with Bunhelier, and Cranbel¡¯s kindness.


    However, now Grid¡¯s heart was pouring with avarice. Judar was going to kill Trauka, and he couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Naturally, Judar also understood what Grid¡¯s intentions were. He snorted and cast a spell. Their shook like it was about to be uprooted and turned into a deep shade of blue.


    [Grrrr....]


    Trauka had been motionless like a stuffed animal no matter the events unfolding around him. Now, he suddenly made a sound. He released a great deal of heat and killing intent, spreading to all corners of their. It wasn¡¯t aimed at Grid, Judar, or the group of dragons.


    A red light poured from Trauka¡¯s eyes like he was crying. Judar realized something when he saw this and sighed.


    ¡®Is this the terrible instinct that was inputted in him by the foreign god? If even you, an apostle of this god, is just another actor performing on stage ording to your predetermined fate¡ªeven if I was to rise to a higher state of being...¡¯


    Baaaaaaang!


    Judar¡¯splicated thoughts aside, the magic waspleted. Faker emerged from Lord¡¯s shadow, summoned shadow soldiers to form a barrier, and held Lord in his arms. Kasim tried to defend the boy, but Faker stopped him.


    Kasim was once praised as the King of Shadows, but he couldn¡¯t oppose Faker, who was the greatest assassin of this era. He was crushed by Faker¡¯s shadow, and couldn¡¯t emerge from Lord¡¯s.


    Kasim cried out with deep resentment. ¡°Why are you interfering...?!¡±


    For him, who had lost everything decades ago, the only thing that mattered to him now was Lord. He wanted to curse out Faker, who meddled with his efforts to protect his only student.


    But in the end, he couldn¡¯t curse him at all. Faker smiled at him.


    Meanwhile, Braham¡¯splexion changed as he also made it to Lord¡¯s side. Heyered magic shields over Faker¡¯s barrier, but he still didn¡¯t feel safe. He extracted arge amount of blood through his heart and set up a blood curtain.


    Lord witnessed everything unfold, wanting to keep these memories forever ingrained in his heart.


    Baaaang!


    There was an explosion below. The ground on which people were standing disappeared without a trace, and sound also vanished.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The group of dragons, including Rev and Haranbeka, were saying something, but it was hard to discern their words. They were all frightened, their scales and flesh turning bloody, melting away. They were being reshaped into round hearts that were sucked into Trauka¡¯s mouth.


    An incandescent light emerged everywhere.


    Tens of thousands of rocks floating in the air were reduced to ashes and disappeared in this light. Half their was gone before everyone could even react. Trauka roared and unfurled his huge wings as he was pierced and torn apart by the blue rays of light.


    He had used his authority as a being of a higher hierarchy to easily prey on his exhausted kin and refined a fake heart. Still, he couldn¡¯t recover enough strength to handle the bombardment of blue rays emitted by the thousands of magic circles.


    As destruction continued to spread, Judar¡¯s body was disintegrating into particles.


    I just want to feel alive in the real world, where I can decide my own destiny. That¡¯s it...


    He kept repeating these words, words he had never told anyone.


    Grid charged forward at the speed of light, stopped between Trauka and Judar and activated Transcend. Nefelina released a Breath while he swung his sword desperately along with the God Hands. Two shes of ck and hundreds of sword energies rained down on Judar and Trauka at the same time.


    With this, the reward for defeating Judar was secured without any further casualties. However, the verdict of who killed Trauka was likely to be in Judar¡¯s favor, who had dealt more damage.


    Unless Judar died outright...


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was checking the gradually disappearing space with a gloomy expression when he noticed someone in the entrance of their. Kraugel had just arrived at the scene. He leaned back and straightened his posture. His gaze passed over Grid and fell on Judar. He looked like he was getting ready to cut through empty space.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Grid was puzzled because he couldn¡¯t guess Kraugel¡¯s intentions. He suddenly came up with a hypothesis and pulled out his Falling Moon Sword. The pale sword sucked in the light around him and ended the cooldown of Link.


    However, he waited. It wasn¡¯t like he was in a hurry.


    Grid silently examined Judar¡¯s condition while slowly unfolding the Link sword dance. People¡¯s faces shed in his mind. Yura, Jishuka, Irene, Lord, Khan, Kraugel, Braham, Mercedes, Hayate, Biban, Damian, Marie Rose, and many more... It felt like looking at the stars in the night sky. There were so many that he didn¡¯t dare to count them.


    Grid instinctively focused on Kraugel¡¯s face.


    [Link with Kraugel is working.]


    [The power of the sword dance disys acute discipline.]


    The tip of the Falling Moon Sword, which was emitting ferocious waves of energy while Grid was under the effect of Transcend, shed with an even brighter light. For some reason, the blue sword energy mixed with gold umted at an incredible speed. This made it look like a crescent moon had been ced on the de of the sword.


    Kraugel looked with wonder in his eyes before moving his weapon as well.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Grid fired a beam of sword energy at the air above Judar¡¯s head. Judar was slowly disappearing, unable to handle the power of the spell.


    Finally, an ash pir shot upward. Grid¡¯s Link and Kraugel¡¯s Space Sword crossed each other as they shed the pir.


    The explosion stopped. The air cleared and sound returned to normal.


    Ohhhh....


    Trauka¡¯s final death noise echoed.


    [Sword Saint ¡®Kraugel¡¯ has killed ¡®Judar¡¯, the God of Wisdom, and gained the energy of a god killer.]


    [Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ has killed ¡®Judar¡¯, the God of Wisdom, and Fire Dragon Trauka...]


    [......]


    [...]


    [...Only One God ¡®Grid¡¯ has obtained the energy of Annihtion.]


    Shivers ran down both men¡¯s bodies as they exchanged looks. They looked at each other with unconditional trust.


    Grid was rushing over to Lord¡¯s side when two souls, in danger of going out like candles, approached and hovered near him.


    Grid¡¯s frown gradually deepened as he listened to the whispers of the souls.

 Chapter 1951

    Chapter 1951


    Grid, who had been scrambling to rescue Lord, excitedly asked, ¡°How did you figure out how to kill a god? Was it because of your genius intuition?¡±


    Kraugelughed awkwardly as he looked after the wounded people. ¡°Kubartos just told me. Don¡¯t give me credit for his idea. He holds a lot of grudges against Judar for absorbing his heart.¡±


    Kraugel was being overly modest. How many people could achieve killing a god even after finding out how to do it? If it hadn¡¯t been for the Falling Moon Sword, it would¡¯ve been difficult for Grid to sh through the ash pir.


    Two small spheres of light approached and hovered beside Grid as he curiously observed the golden energy flowing in Kraugel¡¯s Twilight. He didn¡¯t pay too much attention to them.


    Trauka¡¯sir was still copsing, its appearance crumbling, and it was unleashing waves of heat and magic at random intervals. He thought that the two lights were just the remnants of something passing by.


    He was surprised to hear words echo in his mind.


    -I felt you even when I was asleep.


    It seemed to be Trauka¡¯s voice.


    -It¡¯s ridiculous how many times you hesitated to harm me. You never intended to kill me. I guess the possibilities that the insane dragon¡¯s daughter and Bunhelier spoke of left quite an impression on you, right? Why? Did you think a future in which you could cooperate with us was possible?


    His characteristic sneering tone came off aspletely arrogant. However, rather than showing annoyance, Grid shrugged it off. The strongest dragon, Trauka, had not been in good shape ever since he was seriously wounded by Ifrit. Nevertheless, he still disyed intimidating strength and instilled fear in Grid and the Overgeared members. Everyone admitted he was a terrifying presence.


    Grid respected him, so he simply responded with a silent smile. This attitude softened Trauka¡¯s tone.


    -I fully understand your feelings. But don¡¯t try to convince the old dragons. We can¡¯t defy the fate bestowed upon us by the foreign god. No matter our feelings, we are ultimately destined to act ording to our instincts. If you act as foolishly against other old dragons as you did this time, you will get seriously hurt.


    ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re giving me advice, I think I can still feel some kind of hope.¡±


    -Hmph. I¡¯m dead, anyway. The chains of fate have been loosened, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m able to give you this warning.


    Trauka snorted and was silent for a moment. He stared at Grid, who was looking at him curiously. He continued speaking with some difficulty.


    -Ifrit¡¯s child is still alive. She is the only flesh and blood I have left.


    ¡°The residual fire...¡±


    -That¡¯s her. I want you to take her away. In any case, if I leave it like this, she will rece me.


    ¡°Is she going to be an old dragon? Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    -Did you even listen to what I was saying just now? Once she bes the fire dragon, she can only live ording to the will of the foreign god. I won¡¯t be able to rest even when I enter the river of reincarnation if that happens.


    Grid was taken aback. It was unexpected to see this evil dragon worry about his flesh and blood when he had eaten so much of his kin in his life.


    ¡®Is this implying that Trauka¡¯s obsession with predation isn¡¯t because of his natural disposition, but an order that Morpheus has given to him?¡¯


    This was the result of a fate bestowed upon them by the foreign god.


    Grid pondered on Trauka¡¯s words and nodded. ¡°I understand. I am very grateful to you, so I will do you onest favor.¡±


    -...You are strangely kind. Come to think of it, your tone is also unusually polite.


    ¡°Is there any point in being rude to someone who is already dead? Anyway, if the number of old dragons increased, that would be bad for us.¡±


    -Hmm, you seem to feel guilty about killing me. In any case, it¡¯s fine. Now I¡¯m content. Since you are doing me a favor, I will tell you where my treasure trove is.


    Trauka was cool to the very end. He gave Grid the location of the treasure trove and disappeared.


    Just as Grid was recovering from the shock, a new voice entered his mind.


    -Annihte me.


    This time, it was Judar. Unlike Trauka¡¯s somewhat excited tone, his voice sounded gloomy.


    -More than half my soul is already in hell, so I can¡¯t destroy it right now. This means you have to personally go there, find it, and destroy it.


    ¡°......?¡±


    He was saying to find his soul and destroy it? Grid was startled, and he didn¡¯t know how to reply.


    -I never imagined the river of reincarnation could exert an attraction over the souls of the gods. Yatan must¡¯ve been very distressed after hearing the news of gods being killed by Trauka. He probably wanted to give them a chance to reincarnate. He was being uselessly nosy.


    Judar didn¡¯t care that Grid didn¡¯t respond and kept going.


    -Do you not want to talk to me? Well, you might think I am presumptuous. That is understandable. I will give you sufficient repayment. If you promise to do me a favor, I will show you how to make a body.


    It felt like Judar¡¯s soul was scanning the God Hands.


    -The body creation recipe is a secret method that I discovered by researching the memory of my birth. Some of the information is in Hanul¡¯s hands, but given your divine items and powers, you can amplify it to a different level from what it is now. You will be able to produce clones of yourself.


    ¡®Clones!¡¯


    Grid did indeed harbor a desire to make a doll in his image from the moment he discovered the magic machines. He had the world¡¯s most powerful resources and technology, so he¡¯d naturally tried his hand at it. However, smelting and forming human body parts was different from creating a human body. He¡¯d failed every single time. Not even Item Creation could help with this issue.


    He really wanted a body recipe.


    ¡®Just...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s expression changed. His eyes widened in surprise, and his eyebrows furrowed as if he was displeased. He smiled like he found whatever he was thinking absurd, his face darkening.


    Grid realized something about Judar¡¯s desire to die.


    ¡°...Do you know the truth?¡±


    -How can I not know when the goddess is so obvious? I¡¯ve known for a long time that this world is just a lower dimension created by higher-level beings for entertainment.


    Judar¡¯s tone grew infinitely more displeased.


    -In fact, I have many things I want to ask you. However, I am just a trivial clown who is nothing more than a ything created by higher-level beings. I know that you can¡¯t really be sincere with me. To you, I am not worthy of respect. However, if there is even the slightest bit of sincerity in the ¡®heart¡¯ that you have shown to the fleeting beings of this world, please listen to what I have to say.


    ¡°......¡±


    There was no reason for Grid to refuse Judar¡¯s request. Finding a soul at the river of reincarnation was more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack for ordinary people, but Grid was no ordinary person. If he spoke with ck Knight Eligos, he would be able to start his search for the soul as soon as possible. If this didn¡¯t work, he could ask Knight to do it. In return, he would receive the body manufacturing method.


    There was just one thing that bothered him.


    ¡°Did Hanul use the body manufacturing technique to make the yangbans?¡±


    -That¡¯s right.


    ¡°Strange. Didn¡¯t Chiyou side with Hanul on the off-chance that a god killer would be born among the yangbans? You also know this recipe. Why did Chiyou rely on Hanul and not you?¡±


    -The body manufacturing method I came up with is essentially the art of creating a god. Gods can¡¯t kill gods. This is the goddess¡¯ will. Since I am her child, there is no way I could disobey her.


    Judar sighed.


    -On the other hand, Hanul has the same hierarchy as the goddess. After leaving Asgard, he was able topletely escape the influence of the goddess and improve this recipe. He needed the power of a god killer to conquer Asgard, so he created the yangbans. For Chiyou, who wants to hold onto even the smallest of hope, he had no choice but to follow Hanul, not me.


    ¡°That is what happened... So if I make clones using this body manufacturing method of yours, will I be unable to be a god killer?¡±


    Grid¡¯s doubts were dispelled, only for him to have a new question. This made Judarugh.


    -You weren¡¯t born in Asgard. You must use the ck-gold metal for the body manufacturing method. Instead of creating apletely new being, it will be just a clone of yourself. You shouldn¡¯t encounter any problems. You already possess a superior concept of god killing intent, the Annihtion energy. Not even the goddess can intervene with this force. Your clone will also possess this type of energy.


    Grid¡¯s expression finally brightened. Judar, who had been worried that his request would be rejected, felt relieved. He told Grid, -The power of reincarnation is too strong. I cannot hold on for much longer. If you promise to do this favor for me, I will teach you the recipe right now. Is that okay?


    Grid nodded. A part of Judar¡¯s soul seeped into his mind.


    Grid, who had lost his body to Braham in the past, was startled. He was relieved to hear about the effects of the Annihtion energy.


    [The ¡®Body (God) Manufacturing Method¡¯ has been acquired!]


    -Please help me out as soon as you can. I don¡¯t know for how long I can endure the oblivion of hell.


    ¡°Yes... I wille find you as soon as possible.¡±


    Grid¡¯s tone softened. Judar found it strange. There was no way that he, an Absolute, did not know that Grid had deep respect for him. He wondered if Grid would hold a grudge against him, and he was surprised when Grid had not only obediently agreed to the request, but also had a gentle attitude in doing so.


    He hesitated a bit before gathering enough courage to speak.


    -I want to ask you onest thing. It is somewhat of a personal question, so you don''t have to answer it.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    -Is this dimension inferiorpared to yours?


    What was the intent behind this question? Grid couldn¡¯t really tell, but the fear in Judar¡¯s voice made his heart heavy. He thought about it for a while beforeing up with an honest answer. ¡°No, this dimension is much better and more beautiful than mine. This ce is someone¡¯s ideal, so it has to be so.¡±


    -...That is enough.


    The fear in Judar¡¯s voice faded. He seemed relieved and proud. He also seemed to be smiling for some reason.


    Judar¡¯sst words left Grid in shock.


    -I don¡¯t know if this will help in any way, but the dimension I created changed its name the moment Trauka died. The name is made up of characters I can¡¯t read, but I¡¯m sure you can. I¡¯ll give you the name before and after the change, so think about it.


    Judar¡¯s soul vanished after leaving a mark on the fragments of some rocks.


    The name was indeed written in English, which was something that people from this world couldn¡¯t read. Its meaning was rather shocking.


    Grid¡¯s expression stiffened. He thought about it, but he didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it. As he was conversing with the souls, news was pouring in from his colleagues who had left.


    He put Judar¡¯s belongings and the remnants of Trauka, collected by the God Hands, into his inventory. Then, he hurried out of their.

 Chapter 1952

    Chapter 1952


    The items dropped by Judar, the God of Wisdom, had unimaginable value.


    [Multiple Weakening Barriers]


    [Rating: Mythic


    Deploy tenyers of fortifying barriers that reduce damage received.


    Every time damage is taken, the caster¡¯s mana is consumed.


    Cooldown Time: None.


    Acquisition Conditions: A god.]


    Grid examined the magic glowing book using a jade light. He shivered as he recalled the power of Judar¡¯s blue barrier.


    Tenyers of barriers that weakened the damage received by 90%! The less damage was taken, the less mana was consumed. Grid, who had high defense, aimed for extreme efficiency.


    ¡®I think I will be almost invincible if I use it... Do I need to learn it?¡¯


    Grid wondered for a bit if he should hand this over to Braham. In the end, he decided not to. After all, he would be able to cast barriers for others as well, not just for himself.


    Grid didn¡¯t find the mana usage that bothersome, since he had a lot of it. Thinking this was for the greater good of his team, he decided to go forward with his decision. Furthermore, Braham was able to create new magic.


    ¡®Braham can just watch me use it and figure it out for himself.¡¯ \


    [Separation of Consciousness Book]


    [Rating: Mythic


    Learn how to use your consciousness.


    Acquisition Conditions: A god.]


    ¡®This... The exnation is so vague. I can¡¯t exactly tell what it does.¡¯


    If this was Grid from the past, he would¡¯ve hesitated. However, he immediately used the Separation of Consciousness Book because he realized something.


    [The passive skill ¡®Consciousness Extension¡¯ is created.]


    [The skill ¡®Consciousness Separation¡¯ is created.]


    [Consciousness Extension Lv. 1]


    [Gain ess to up to four branches of consciousness.


    You can cast multiple skills or spells at the same time.]


    [Consciousness Separation Lv. 1]


    [Can remove and utilize up to one branch of consciousness.]


    ¡®Multi-casting!


    Grid grinned as he recalled the experience of being able to speak and think separately while double casting. As an experiment, he used several spells and skills. Up to four spells or skills could be performed simultaneously.


    ¡®The reason why other Absolutes can cast hundreds of spells at the same time is because they have expanded their consciousness endlessly.¡¯


    This alone was a great reward, but Grid was more attracted to the Consciousness Separation skill. When he infused the separated consciousness into a God Hand, he could move it as he wanted without having to enter any controlmands. It looked as if it was injected with an artificial intelligence that had the same thought process as Grid, so it acted just like Grid would have ordered it to, but this time it didn¡¯t require anymands.


    It was like there were two versions of himself.


    ¡®If I infuse my consciousness into a clone, it will have the same effect as me bing multiple people.¡¯


    He truly felt like a god. Grid was both delighted and horrified. If it was as Nathaniel spected and someone intended for the phenomenon of abilities in the game to be assimted into reality...


    If Ghamid really collided with Earth and a cataclysm urred, he would be able to use these abilities in real life... Wouldn¡¯t this make him somewhat of a superhuman?


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Gridughed as he dropped this absurd idea. He looked at the rest of the loot.


    [Book of Wisdom]


    [Rating: Mythic


    Learn magic that allows you to ¡®study¡¯ and evolve the target for a period of time.


    There are no restrictions on the target of the study. It can be a building, a spell, a skill, an item, a monster or a civilization. Just¡ª


    The better the condition of the target, the less likely it is to evolve.


    Conditions of use: A god.]


    [Book of Leadership]


    [Rating: Mythic


    If you issue a mand¡¯ to the target, you will gain magic that will amplify the target¡¯s abilities for the duration of themand.


    Conditions of use: A god.]


    These were the skill books.


    There was also a ne that reduced casting speed and the cooldown time of magic and skills by more than half, a bracelet that amplified the power of resources, a cloak that increased the efficiency of passive skills, a that changed size depending on the target, water from the Golden River that activated irvoyance when washing one¡¯s eyes with it, a potion that restored all resources to 100%, and many more.


    The power of Judar¡¯s keepsakes was beyond what he could have ever imagined. Grid meticulously checked their effects.


    He learned all of the skills from the books. Among them, he immediately used the spell he learned from the Book of Wisdom.


    [You have designated the targets for study as ¡®Trauka¡¯s Scales¡¯ and ¡®Trauka¡¯s Bones.¡¯ Starting to look for the possibility of evolution.]


    ¡®If the evolution seeds, I will be able to make stronger items.¡¯


    The equipment he was currently wearing could be designated as a target for study, but he decided to put that on hold for now. If he studied them, they would be unusable for a period of time that couldst between two weeks and two months. In addition, the items on Grid were close toplete, so the possibility of evolution was low. Right now, there were other problems that required his immediate attention.


    Grid ran without stopping. If a wall or rock appeared in front of him and blocked his path, he would smash it and continue onward. The moment he exited their, he sawva flowing from the peaks of the copsed mountains. Theva had turned into monsters which were ferociously running around.


    The monsters were named ¡®Trauka¡¯s Grudge.¡¯ Each one was just as strong and intelligent as a boss. Normally, the Overgeared members would¡¯ve been able to defeat them without breaking a sweat. However, they were all exhausted or severely injured. The number of enemies was so high that they were struggling to keep up.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    After examining the situation for a while, Grid performed the Link sword dance. There were endless connections that came to mind, but thanks to the Consciousness Extension skill, he was able to focus on every single one clearly.


    Grid focused on Jishuka. His vision became like a satellite, allowing him to get a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire mountain range. He could now see just like a Bow Saint. He hadn¡¯t expected it would feel like this. He performed a series of fusion sword dances thatbined Link. Thousands of sword energies containing Annihtion energy spread out.


    [The Annihtion energy has neutralized the enemy.]


    This new power was extraordinary. Regardless of the enemy¡¯s level, race, or hierarchy, critical hits would alwaysnd against their weak points. On top of that, there was a 99% chance of triggering continuous attacks and ssh damage.


    The thing he liked most about this Annihtion energy was that it unconditionally disabled one of the target¡¯s defense skill.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Sounds of rm rang out all over the battlefield. The people were surprised when purple sword energy flew in without any warning whatsoever and killed the monsters. They looked in the direction that the sword energy wasing from and noticed Grid, who was the size of a dot. He sniped at hundreds of enemies simultaneously from an enormous distance.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it almost like Jishuka?¡±


    Jishuka was embarrassed by Vantner¡¯s insensitive exmation. She corrected him while pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°This power feels very different from mine.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild advanced, shouting. They noticed that their leader was much stronger after defeating the God of Wisdom and Fire Dragon, and that fact alone bolstered their spirits. They no longer feared the enemy they were facing. They released an onught of attacks on the grudges, who had lost the heat surrounding them like a protective shield after being hit by Grid¡¯s attacks.


    Grid flew into the sky and briefly checked the situation. He gave amand to Kraugel and Hurent. The order was simple: kill all enemies. However, the attack power of the two people became twice as strong. The bodies of the grudges, formed out of hard stone,va, and magic power, were sliced apart as easily as one would cut through tofu.


    ¡°Hey, this is getting scary...¡±


    Hurent couldn¡¯t calm down. He was filled with a rare burst of excitement and swept through the battlefield. Kraugel smiled and nodded in agreement.


    A member of the artillerymen was in danger because of his rtively lowbat capabilities, but he still somehow survived. He noticed a grudge approaching him and swiping a hand at him, so he thought this was it, this is how he would die. Suddenly, a navy blue barrier appeared and protected him.


    As he was looking around, confused, Braham observed from a distance and sent a sound transmission to Grid.


    -I need to study that barrier as soon as we¡¯re done here.


    -Of course, I¡¯ll help you out with it. Do your best.


    Kiyaaaaak!


    Some of the grudges rushed at Grid. They knew he was responsible for the sudden turn of events and reacted quickly. Grid just stared at them. He didn¡¯t bother to fight back.


    When the fists of the grudges mmed into his body, purple Annihtion energy burst out and clung to the bodies of the enemy like wildfire. The energy also had a defensive effect. Grid returned the damage of the first attack back to the target. Considering the inherent power of the Annihtion energy, he actually returned it twice or thrice as stronger than he¡¯d received it.


    The energy reacted to magic and mental attacks, not just physical attacks. This meant it countered any type of surprise attacks.


    Grrr...


    Trauka¡¯s grudges, which were just as intelligent as a boss, quickly noticed therge gap of power between themselves and Grid. They exchanged looks before turning into mes and fleeing in all directions.


    Grid snorted as he unleashed magic and sword dances to block their paths. The God Hands poured down like rain. Among the over three hundred ck-gold hands, one in particr stood out from the rest. Surprisingly, it performed a sword dance just as quickly and efficiently as Grid would have done, critically injuring the grudges.


    Thanks to this, the sword dances used by the rest of the God Hands were able to slice through the enemies and turn them to ash.


    ¡°......¡±


    The battlefield became silent. The Overgeared members, Grid¡¯s apostles, the tower members¨Cnot a single person had expected this oue.


    Under their gazes, Grid smiled and said, "Let''s go back.¡±


    ***


    After receiving the location of the treasure trove from Grid, Lord set out on an adventure with Reba''s Daughters, having many empty carts at his disposal. Lord treated the God Hand that hovered beside him with great politeness. It was very simr to how he treated his parents, so Reba¡¯s daughters tilted their heads, confused.


    Meanwhile, Grid picked up Hayate, who was fighting the old dragons at Reidan. The old dragons knew full well that Grid had killed Trauka, but they didn¡¯t dare show how they truly felt about what went down. They saw the purple aura around Grid and left the scene with wide eyes.


    Afterwards, Grid politely escorted the tower members to their base. He didn¡¯t forget to warn them of Chiyou.


    ¡°You should be mindful of him.¡±


    Hayate nodded silently, while Biban reacted like what Grid was saying was absurd.


    Gridughed it off and went to find Marie Rose. The world was abuzz due to the deaths of the God of Wisdom and the Fire Dragon¡¯s. The Overgeared members were busy dealing with the aftermath of the battle but, as always, these were problems for Lauel and the Overgeared Guild to take care of.


    Grid didn¡¯t care one bit about that situation and devoted himself to Marie Rose and prenatal education. He felt that his body and mind, exhausted from the battle, were healed thanks to Marie Rose and the baby in her belly.


    He learned a lot when he saw Lord, so he visited Titan after leaving the desert. First, he summoned Kyle and gave him a new dragon weapon, dragon armor, and some treasures. As therge and minor officials looked at him with envy, Kyle trembled and suddenly fainted. No one knew the reason.


    After throwing the treasure to the unconscious Kyle, Grid focused on Basara and prenatal education. The sight of him whispering to her belly to be as good as Lord made Basaraugh.


    A few dayster, Grid finally returned to Reinhardt. He designated the Overgeared Pce as his research target, and met with Irene and Mercedes.


    In the meantime, he told Lauel what he¡¯d found out from Judar.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Lauel was shocked when he heard the name of the dimension that Judar had left behind.

 Chapter 1953

    Chapter 1953


    ¡®Updates to be decided¡¯ and ¡®Update scheduled.¡¯


    Surprisingly, those were the names of the dimension that Judar had left behind. Originally, the update was undecided. Then, it was changed to scheduled.


    Lauel looked shocked. Until now, the concept of updates didn¡¯t exist in Satisfy because it was considered a utopia. The S.A. Group had been promoting Satisfy as aplete world, not a game. The game had never been updated because that would not make sense given how it was advertised.


    However, the truth was that they had already created an area for an update.


    Lauel thought about it for a while before sighing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t find it that strange. Do you know what would happen if a game leaves the progress solely to its users for decades? It ismon sense to have an update ready just in case.


    The timing for finding this out must be a coincidence. The moment Your Highness killed a god and a dragon and received the Annihtion energy, ¡®undecided area¡¯ was changed to ¡®scheduled area¡­¡¯ I¡¯m concerned that it might be a patch targeted at Your Majesty. Even if this isn¡¯t the case, it will be incredibly difficult to deal with.¡±


    The S.A. Group had already targeted Grid when they changed the rules of a few National Competitions. But, in the end, Grid had still won. He had swept up all the medals despite the S.A. Group¡¯s efforts. He didn¡¯t even bother to participate in thepetition after that. Because of these shenanigans, the honor of the National Competition plummeted.


    Grid snorted and shook his head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if this update is specifically targeting me. Judar was truly pitiful. He would¡¯ve continued to create dimensions while only having a glimmer of hope that he would one day reach ¡®reality¡¯. But what ended up happening was that he was just invoking a space that already existed...¡±


    Grid¡¯s concern was strange. Regardless of the state of the update, he sympathized with Judar, who had been his enemy. This was Grid¡¯s strong point. He formed rtionships with countless beings and twisted the worldview.


    ¡°If Your Highness doesn¡¯t mind, then it should be fine. In fact, the update will be weed by most people. It would generate a lot of new opportunities for us.¡±


    Satisfy might be bigger than Earth, but it had long been criticized as a stagnant game as the power of the Overgeared Guild grew. Since the Guild had taken over most of the industrial capacity and the valuablend, many people felt deprived of resources. Many didn¡¯t acknowledge the failures and efforts that the Overgeared members had put in to get to where they were today.


    No matter the reason, ordinary yers were rtively behind. They were stuck in a victim mentality, thinking they were the only ones at a loss. They sounded likemunists as they shouted like parrots for equality, stating that the game should be fair for everyone. If the Overgeared Guild hadn¡¯t solved the crisis, dozens of trucks would¡¯ve blocked the buildings of the S.A. Group¡¯s branch offices around the world every single day.


    The new update would be an opportunity for the Overgeared Guild to finally draw a breath of relief. Grid would wee the update with open arms as long as it had strong enemies.


    Lauel thought for a moment before asking, ¡°What does this uing update look like?¡±


    Grid spoke slowly as he recalled the memory transmitted by Judar. ¡°Like an endless desert. However, it is unusually humid. The weather changes from cold to hot repeatedly. There are four moons in the sky. I think the one that is slowly turning red might soon be the sun. I also noticed the remains of several buildings peeking from the sand. The architectural style seems familiar. It is no different from the buildings of Reinhardt or Titan.¡±


    He had only seen a glimpse of this world for a moment, but it felt like he¡¯d been trapped in there for at least an hour. He remembered a lot from what he had seen.


    Lauel frowned.


    ¡°Is the update on a different? But civilization is the same as it is today... Is it foreshadowing something?¡±


    ¡°Why think about it in advance? Once the update is releasedter, we¡¯ll know the details.¡±


    Grid rxed. He was very excited about the update, and had no reason to worry about it. No matter what new trials might appear, this was an opportunity for him to increase what he already had in possession. He was confident that he could ovee any ordeal without difficulty as long as he had Annihtion energy.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit worried about the barrier, but...¡¯


    The power of Multiple Weakening Barriers was so powerful, he could call it OP. However, Judar died despite having ess to such a barrier. There seemed to be a critical w that he hadn¡¯t identified yet.


    Of course, Braham would one day find the w and make the spell perfect, so this wasn¡¯t a problem for Grid to worry about.


    Finding Judar¡¯s soul in hell might give him a chance to ask questions.


    ¡°You are investigating Nathaniel¡¯s ims, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am investigating with the help of my family. I tried to contact the thirty-three scientists who were said to have developed virtual reality with chairman Lim Cheolho, but they seem to have disappeared without a trace. This has been known for quite some time in the industry. I have a hunch that finding them is the most important thing. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so focused on this.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Call it genius¡¯ intuition. Huhut.¡±


    ¡°Wow... So modest of you. You should be at least half aspetent as Kraugel to call yourself a genius. Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°There is no way that powerful countries like the United States or China haven¡¯t discovered what Rothschild already knows. I will put you in touch with a high-ranking US official. Can you meet him in person? If Your Majesty personallyes forward, we will be able to meet even higher ranked people.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ahead and arrange it...¡±


    Grid spoke with Lauel for around two more hours. Then, he met with Irene and Mercedes and spent some valuable time with them. He still focused on prenatal education. He had high hopes for his soon-to-be-born children.


    ¡®I tried to use the cooperative sword dances with Lord many times, but there were no changes in any of the sword dances except for Link.¡¯


    Among the sword dances that Lord had developed independently, Link was definitely the one that showed the most dramatic change. The change in Link was closely rted to Lord¡¯s personality.


    ¡®If my other children develop a certain sword dance ording to their personality... Maybe I can evolve the rest of the sword dances through them?¡¯


    It was just spection, but it was worth looking forward to. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter if what he expected didn¡¯t happen. Grid¡¯s greatest wish was for his children to grow up healthy and righteous, just like Lord. There was a faint smile on his face as he logged out.


    Immediately afterward, he boarded a private ne with Toon and flew to the United States. A senator who was close to Lauel¡¯s father personally greeted them. Since then, he met with multiple important people from various organizations to discuss matters. At some point, he even met the president.


    Grid learned one thing from that. The reason the former US president openly favored him and asked to meet him¡­ It wasn¡¯t just because he was a fan. Shortly after the emergence of Ghamid, the United States observed a number of unusual phenomena and ended up with a hypothesis simr to Nathaniel¡¯s. If reality was to change drastically, Satisfy¡¯s rankers would be reborn as important figures.


    Of course, the likelihood of a third-rate movie or novel-like plot development being realized was extremely low. However, how the universe worked was beyond anything humans were capable ofprehending.


    Experts and those in power in each field couldn¡¯t afford to ignore this small possibility. They nned to get to know the rankers in advance and check their physical changes. The talks dragged on for quite some time. Grid gathered a lot of information.


    Later, the US officials asked for him to do a number of tests, but he refused. Why would he willingly allow anyone to run tests on his body? In the end, even the president bowed his head and tried to persuade him, but Grid just sneered and left the United States with Toon.


    He originally wanted to meet Kraugel and Zibal when he came to the United States, but he ended up not doing that because there were so many eyes watching his every move.


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    Upon his return, Grid ryed the information he had gathered from the US to Lauel. Perhaps the amount of information was way more than expected. Lauel¡¯s expression brightened for the first time in a long time. Then, the dark circles under his eyes became more prominent. This made Grid feel sad.


    He felt a bit guilty and fed Lauel some red ginseng. Lauel hated it because ¡®it smells like Peak Sword,¡¯ but he couldn¡¯t fight Grid on this.


    Grid connected to Satisfy and checked on Lord through the God Hand with his consciousness. It seemed that he was getting close to finding Trauka¡¯s treasure trove. He didn¡¯t seem to be in immediate danger.


    ¡®He is doing a good job.¡¯


    After a bit, he contacted Yura. He wanted to ask ck Knight Eligos to search for Judar¡¯s soul.


    Meanwhile, the Overgeared Guild focused their efforts on finding Residual Fire Navaldrea.


    ***


    A weekter¡­


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    As the Overgeared Guild swept through the remote mountain areas of the continent, the S.A. Group was turned upside down.


    ¡°There will be an update next week?¡±


    Thepany was about to break its promise with the public that it wouldn¡¯t interfere in Satisfy. Of course, breaking a promise wasn¡¯t a big deal. The terms and conditions rted to Satisfy had been devised in thepany¡¯s favor so that if one day they suddenly broke their promise and proceeded with an update, the matter would conclude with just a few sarcastic words from the media.


    yers were likely to wee the update. They were always looking for new opportunities. Weren¡¯t there a lot of people who criticized the Overgeared Guild while wanting to be like them?


    The problem was that thepany hadn¡¯t even botheredmunicating with its employees about the scheduled update.


    ¡°When did they create this much data? I don¡¯t think this would¡¯ve been possible even if the development team worked for eight years on this.¡±


    ¡°The development team didn¡¯t even know about it.¡±


    ¡°The game has an update ready but the development team doesn¡¯t know about it?¡±


    The confusion in the S.A. Group grew out of control. The employees doubted Chairman Lim Cheolho.


    Meanwhile, the PR team was focused on Morpheus.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ If you are going to roll out an update, you should inform our team at least half a year in advance. Don¡¯t we need to handle publicity? We might have a monopoly on the market, but does it make sense to send out the game¡¯s first update without announcing beforehand? Haven¡¯t you seen that even Coca-C does promotions?¡±


    [I only found out about the update today.]


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Satisfy¡¯s system was pretty much dominated by Morpheus. It was impossible for the update to roll out without Morpheus knowing about it.


    The staff members got goosebumps. An artificial intelligence, one which had already developed so much, was now even capable of lying! An employee paled at the thought that the future of humanity would be dominated by these things.


    Morpheus sensed that the heart rate of some employees had exceeded normal levels and considered the situation unfair.


    [I really didn¡¯t know (emoji of a cat with pleading eyes).]


    ¡°...Is it possible for the chairman to update the game without using you?¡±


    [It is an update using pre-nted data that even I didn¡¯t know about. Only onemand needed to be entered, so my help wasn¡¯t required. The important thing is that not even the chairman knew about this update.]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    There was a single thought inside all of the employee¡¯s heads: Satisfy being hacked, its future ruined, and them living on the streets.


    ¡®This is the best job in the world¡­¡¯


    ***


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s office.


    ¡°......¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho had a bleak expression on his face as he stared at the update details that surfaced on the server. He was so surprised and angry that he wanted to whip out a soju bottle. However, he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to control his emotions if he drank alcohol in this state.


    The good news was that he could guess who was behind this incident. He just didn¡¯t know how to get in touch with them.


    As he was waiting anxiously for his close associates to contact him, the monitors that filled the walls of his office suddenly turned off and on again, revealing the faces of multiple people.


    Their appearances ranged from very young to very old. There were boys and girls, young adults, and even elderly people.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was shocked. He checked the faces of the people on the monitor and his expression stiffened. He recognized many of them.


    They were the thirty-three scientists who had worked with him to develop and build a virtual reality.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho stared at them. He noticed seven boys and girls andughed bitterly.


    ¡°I thought you were their grandchildren... Have you developed a rejuvenating drug?¡±


    There was no answer. This wasn¡¯t a situation in which they could greet each other casually.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho got straight to the point, setting his sights on the skinny old man who was the leader of the thirty-three people.


    ¡°How did you nt the update file without me knowing? Why did you disappear off the face of the Earth only to suddenlye back and intervene in Satisfy? If you can¡¯t give a convincing reason then you should be prepared for the consequences.¡±

 Chapter 1954

    Chapter 1954


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s desperate threat made the skinny old man smile.


    ¡°In other words, you will cooperate with us if we give you a convincing reason?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to convince me.¡±


    Chairman Lim didn¡¯t hide the incident from thepany. He admitted to some team and key members that he didn¡¯t know anything. He was nning to mobilize everyone in thepany in order to prevent the update from rolling out.


    However, it turned out that the update would be released in ten days. Finding the people behind this incident and preventing the update was practically impossible given the short amount of time he was working with.


    How could he find people who had been missing for years in just ten days? Even more, this group had quickly taken over the S.A. Group¡¯swork and easily gained ess to theirmunication.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was nervous. Originally, in the worst case scenario, he was prepared to shut down the entire Satisfy server. However, given this group¡¯s abilities, he didn¡¯t think he would be able to do that after all.


    The old man¡¯s smile got wider when he saw the conflicting emotions on Chairman Lim¡¯s face.


    ¡°As expected, you are clever. That is why we chose you.¡±


    ¡°I made the choice. I was the one who identified what you were capable of when you were scattered around the world and got you involved in this project.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Unfortunately, the world doesn¡¯t only revolve around you. Was it really a coincidence that the manpower you desperately needed just so happened to be on your radar exactly when you required it?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you intentionally approached me from the very beginning? Now that things have turned out like this, that seems usible.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled bitterly as he recalled visiting the scientists in different countries decades ago. His anger red up at the thought that he had been yed like a pawn from the very beginning. However, he managed to calm down. These guys weren¡¯t opponents who should be confronted without a n. He had to reach a consensus with them.


    ¡°Tell me why. Why are people like you so obsessed with meddling in a mere game?¡±


    ¡°A mere game. That is a radical statement. Isn¡¯t Satisfy a utopia to you? By now, your family should be living happily in that utopia of yours.¡±


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s expression darkened the moment the topic of his family was brought up.


    ¡°Oh, right, information about your family is confidential. I¡¯m sorry to have offended you. I just wanted to tell you that Satisfy is important to us as well.¡±


    The old man apologized and got to the main point.


    ¡°Do you believe that virtual reality, which provides people with the same five senses as reality, was created purely through the power of science? If you are smart, you have probably had your suspicions for quite some time. A congenitally blind person can see colors and objects in Satisfy. A person who fell into aa through an ident could manifest their consciousness to the fullest in Satisfy... How could this power be obtained only through science?¡±


    The old man was still taunting Chairman Lim Cheolho. A person who was born blind or fell into aa because of an ident... The chairman¡¯s family was a perfect example. The old man¡¯s unique way of speaking made Lim Cheolho hyper-focused on what was being said.


    The chairman barely suppressed his anger, though he knew that the old man always had such a temperament. He remembered something. The thirty-three scientists who used to solve the issues that he could never solve at critical moments... Their contribution and Lim Cheolho¡¯s hade together to create Satisfy.


    He had been skeptical of them for a long time. He suspected they weren¡¯t just geniuses who were much smarter than him. They potentially walked the path of apostles rather than the path of scientists.


    The whole situation was so surreal that he tried to ignore this thought. Ever since thepletion of Satisfy, he had been living a dreamy life. Because of this, his doubts and fears were now diluted...


    ¡°Satisfy is a priceless treasure. You are a great scientist who has contributed transcendent knowledge and theories to an immense treasure. Of course, Satisfy wasn¡¯t that great right after it waspleted. However, it was used and refined by billions of people and rose to the 95th ce among great treasures. It is among the top three acquired treasures that humanity remembers.¡±


    ¡°...What the hell are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a bit about the asteroid approaching Earth, shall we?¡±


    A long conversation began.


    Then Chairman Lim Cheolho gave an announcement to thepany that he would proceed with the update without any problems three dayster.


    Rumors that this update had been made with the intervention of people other than Lim Cheolho didn¡¯t spread at all, surprisingly. The employees¡¯ loyalty to thepany exceeded his expectations, although he knew that they knew the truth.


    A few dayster, the news that thirty-three scientists had been reinstated in the S.A. Group caused quite a stir in the industry.


    ***


    ¡°Umm...?¡±


    Ke ong had been working on building the second capital on the Tomb of the Gods, and he was being exploited every day. As a dwarf, he was passionate and found great satisfaction in the endless stream of work. However, because of his physical limitations, he eventually took a few days off and returned to Reinhardt.


    Coming back, he was surprised at what he was seeing. The Overgeared Pce had changed greatly!


    ¡°W-What is this...? Is there an architect better than me in the world?!¡±


    The changes to the Overgeared Pce were minor. There was no sign of any new material additions or alterations. Still, Ke ong immediately noticed that the tens of thousands of bricks were more tightly bound than before. Every white brick was engraved with drawings of animals and natural scenery. It was as if he was looking at living and breathing nature itself. In fact, the air around the pce felt particrly fresh and full of the scent of flowers.


    ¡°Ahh, this is so refreshing...¡±


    Ke ong¡¯s tired body and mind recovered in an instant. He went back the way he came without stopping at his residence in the pce. There was no need to rest anymore, so he put a stop to his vacation.


    These amazing changes were happening all over Reinhardt. Major facilities such as the magic tower, the sword tower, the temples, the academy, and the barracks were in a much better state than before, and had a beautiful and mysterious aura around them. This was because of Grid¡¯s interventions.


    Grid was amazed as he inspected the researched buildings.


    ¡®The end result is amazing.¡¯


    The magic tower and sword tower gave off pure magic power and sword energy, helping magicians and swordsmen in their training. The blessing effect of the temple was nearly doubled, and the academy and barracks increased their training effect, even though there were individual differences depending on the student or soldier.


    He had chosen those buildings as research targets out of simple curiosity. The results turned out to be better than what he¡¯d expected.


    Grid smiled cheerfully and returned to the smithy, which had also evolved. His production speed was slightly increased, and the probability of making higher rated items had also increased a few times. However, the biggest buff of all was that the probability of the crafting failure was greatly reduced.


    Originally, Grid¡¯s ability meant that the chances of failure were close to zero. This had changed when he tried the body manufacturing method. The probability of sess of body manufacturing was extremely low. Additionally, if production failed, the Greed which had been used as material would be permanently destroyed.


    It was already a shame considering the Greed he had umted so far was piled up like a mountain. If Greed had been a typical expensive material that was hard to find, creating a body in that case would have been a real pain.


    ¡®I¡¯ve gotten some fresh air, so let¡¯s try again.¡¯


    Grid turned up the heat of the furnace and pulled out 87 kilograms of Greed from his inventory. He had hung dozens of almost naked portraits of himself on the wall and couldn¡¯t think clearly for a moment. The portrait showed the real Grid from head to toe. His face flushed as he remembered the immense embarrassment he felt as he¡¯d struck all types of poses in front of Picasso in only a pair of underwear.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I use screenshots as production materials?¡¯


    Satisfy¡¯s realism was too poisonous at times.


    Grid sighed and changed strange spells. Divine words with various colors flowed out of his mouth and seeped into the ck-gold metal.


    He encountered his first obstacle not long after. The process ofbining divine words wasplicated and confused Grid. The divine words that permeated Greed expanded and were regurgitated. The material shook like it was going to break every time the words fluctuated violently.


    Grid narrowed his eyes and increased his chanting speed while sweating.


    The first time he¡¯d tried making a body, he¡¯d failed several times. The Greed had turned to ashes and disappeared. Still, it was thanks to those failures that Grid knew what to do now. The divine words soon stabilized. The ones that gushed out permeated Greed again. Over time, the material emitted a mysterious glow. At first nce, it looked like the material changed its color to jade white, and then to what looked like his skin color.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s eyes lit up and Greed was thrown into the furnace. He carefully used the bellows while taking out a new hammer he had just made. The tool was specially created for the body manufacturing process. It was made out of Greed, a magical inscription written in divine words swirled at the tip, and a magic circle like starlight spun around the tool.


    Ttang!


    The moment the Greed in the furnace absorbed the heat and was divided into exactly eight equal parts, Grid changed the divine words and transferred the material to the anvil for tempering.


    After making four thick, elongated sticks, he made a pair of hands that he could now make with his eyes closed. Next, he crafted feet and attached them to the sticks. He blew divine words into them and threw them into the furnace.


    The God Hands on stand-by eagerly started the bellows. This was one of the shortcuts that Judar had told him about.


    In the meantime, Grid forged the torso and the head.


    Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!


    Tworge lumps of Greed started to resemble the Grid from the portrait.


    Grid released divine words again. He tempered the lumps of Greed and tossed them into the furnace. Meanwhile, the God Hands ced a pair of hot arms and legs on the anvil.


    After checking their state, Grid took a deep breath and pulled out a ck-gold chisel. With the help of Braham and Euphemina, he carved fifty-eight magic circles.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get this started.¡¯


    The tense Grid started carving. He carved the arms and legs with the chisel so that even the smallest muscles and blood vessels resembled the ones Grid had in the portrait. He was chanting spells non-stop. The fifty-eight magic circles emitted a different glow, brightening and fading repeatedly.


    It took him at least twenty hours of immense concentration. The heat of the furnace and the beads of sweat dripping into his eyes clouded his vision, but Grid didn¡¯t lose his concentration for even a second. Since he was a former cksmith, standing and working in front of mes for days was familiar to him.


    ¡°...Finally!¡±


    It was now morning. He could hear the chirping of birds flying through the air of Overgeared.


    Grid finally carved out a perfect pair of arms and legs. If hepared them, they were exactly the same as his actual limbs. Even the color resembled his actual skin color. Almost as if he had used real human skin.


    Grid felt a certain sense of unity with this creation, as if he now had four arms and legs.


    ¡°Noe, Randy!¡±


    Grid confirmed that the head and torso in the furnace were smelted safely and called the ones who were sleeping outside the smithy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y instead of training. Especially you, Randy. You might be using my body in the future, so you need to push your skills to the maximum.¡±


    ¡°I trained all night and fell asleep...¡±


    Randy nodded excitedly while Noeined a lot. Grid red at him, and he returned to the yard with the tail between its legs. He started to fight the hundreds of God Hands floating in the air like a cat chasing foxtail. It didn¡¯t take long for Noe to be frustrated and hide in a corner, but he was dragged out by Randy, screaming and kicking his legs.


    Nyangmong happened to see everything unfold while visiting the pce to supply milk, so he called for Noe toe to him.


    ¡°This is milk from a mutant minotaur that was born at our ranch. If animals drink this, they feel refreshed, and their bones get stronger. Why don¡¯t you try a little?¡±


    "Kyaak! This rancher! How dare you treat Noe, the number one demonic creature of hell, like an animal... Oof! Gulp, gulp! Kyaak...¡±


    Noe, who felt strength return to his body, was forced to keep training. After this incident, Nyangmong regrly visited him, and Noe¡¯s training time increased every time.


    Noe was confused. He couldn¡¯t tell if this person was on his side or not. Then, one day, a small noise rang out in Grid¡¯s smithy. The mes in the furnace shed a mysterious silver color and turned into strange letters.


    Tens of thousands of meaningless letters permeated safely into the head and torso in the mes. Grid cheered and returned to work with a bright expression.


    At the same time, the S.A. Group made a big announcement about the update. The world was shocked upon hearing the news about the game¡¯s very first update. The scheduled date for the update was Thursday, four dayster.


    People were surprised that an update would happen without any warning whatsoever. Reactions were mixed. Many news channels from all over the world covered the issue.


    It turned out that the vast majority of people were enthusiastic about the update.

 Chapter 1955

    Chapter 1955


    [Content and System Expansion]


    1. Humanity has been subdivided into categories.


    yers and NPCs are ssified as mortals, regardless of their upation or level. They can be warriors, true people, superhumans, great people, or saints by umting certain achievements or experiences.


    <<view details="">> </view>


    2. A treasure system has been added.


    All yers can craft and use treasures.


    However, the probability of sess in crafting varies depending on the value of the treasure. The more times you attempt to craft the same treasure, the more likely you are to seed.


    There are 37,098 types of treasure blueprints avable by default. There are hidden designs all over the world. New designs are sometimes created through acquired methods.


    The materials needed for the treasure crafting can be obtained through various means, such as hunting, gathering, farming, and clearing quests.


    <<view details="">> </view>


    3. The pet system has been changed.


    A number of new taming methods have been added. In the future, all monsters and beasts can be taming targets.


    The amount of Domination stat required when dealing with pets has been greatly reduced.


    <<view details="">> </view>


    4. Looting and erosion systems have been added.


    Outsiders will threaten yers. They are known for plundering natural resources and the treasures of others, but their appearance isn¡¯t that different from humans. They are also quick learners. Be careful not to be deceived by them, or you might lose your treasures and home.


    <<view details="">> </view>


    [System Improvements]


    1. The five senses restriction and speed limit applied to yers will be removed.


    2. Many opportunities to learn new skills will be added.


    3. There is a significant increase in hunting and harvesting efficiency.


    4. Various formations will be added to increase the efficiency of the party system.


    5. The time scale between reality and Satisfy is adjusted to a ratio of 1:8.


    You must advance to the minimum rank of a true person to activate this system.


    However, this is only if you agree to the terms and conditions that you will be responsible for any side effects, such as a sense of disconnection and fatigue caused by the time difference between reality and Satisfy.


    <<check the="" terms="" and="" conditions="" through="" link="" below="">> </check>


    [Quality of Life Improvements]


    1. The inventory capacity is now unlimited.


    2. The amount of pets you can have is now unlimited.


    3. The materials navigation function has been added.


    4. Warp gates will be ced in all towns and cities. However, there will be restrictions on the set coordinates depending on the region. The number of gates avable will vary depending on the size of the area.


    5...


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    Satisfy¡¯s first update generated an abundance of repercussions. The majority of responses were positive because of the user-friendly intentions.


    ¡°Looking at the treasure list, there seem to be a lot of weapons and defensive gear, but there are no restrictions on use? Even if existing items are obtained with great difficulty, there are many cases in which their restrictions prevent them from being used.¡±


    ¡°Instead, I¡¯m worried that resources are consumed every time a treasure is used. The stronger the treasure, the greater the resource consumption... Would it be used as a special move?¡±


    ¡°Most of the treasures are consumables! Many of them seem to be medicine? A lot of consumables have permanent effects, just like elixirs. Foraging will be very important in the future. It will be crowded with foragers on the mountains near towns.¡±


    ¡°You can use the search function to find materials for treasures? I¡¯ll have to keep an eye out on my surroundings whenever I¡¯m traveling, then.¡±


    Everyone talked about the update, both in real life and online. In particr, the fact that one hour in real life equaled eight hours in game attracted a lot of attention. The existing time adjustment was already extremely efficient when people took breaks during work or study, and this situation would only improve in the future.


    There were many people who vowed to be a true person just to take advantage of this time ratio. Experts from every domain expressed doubts and concerns, stating that they didn¡¯t know how such a thing was possible. However, it was none of their business.


    Even those who had stayed away from Satisfy for personal reasons had be interested in the game all of a sudden. The production of capsules couldn¡¯t keep up with the demand.


    One faction kept being brought up frequently.


    ¡°The only victim of this update is the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°They can afford to lose some profit. Grid and the Overgeared members helped us a lot, but... Honestly, I¡¯m sick of them.¡±


    For a while now, Legendary items were no longer the exclusive property of Overgeared members. Since Grid insisted that all yers should have a chance to flourish, the empire had been releasing high-ranking items into the market for some time now. As more yers entered the top hunting groups, the levels of dropped items also increased.


    However, top-tier items such as dragon weapons were still monopolized by the Overgeared Guild. Some of the treasures hinted by the update seemed to be as powerful as dragon weapons. Detailed descriptions hadn¡¯t been released just yet, but the brief summaries were unusual. Anyone who had the required materials could craft them, so the gap between the Overgeared members and ordinary yers would gradually shrink. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to obtain the materials. Most people would be frustrated by the possibility of failing, but...


    The theory was that the number of yers was so high that the speed of releasing high-ranking treasures would be faster than expected. The Overgeared Guild had even monopolized warp gates. People had to pay a hefty fee to use them, mostly because the cost of construction was astronomical, since it required many magic stones in order to be activated.


    That was what the Overgeared Guild said, at least. The users had always been dissatisfied with the high usage fee and the inconvenient essibility. Now, they could use the gates anywhere at a low price.


    People were happy with this update. A small number of people who regarded the misfortune of others as happiness started ridiculing the Overgeared Guild. But this happiness onlysted two days. After that, people became frustrated, because Valha had designated the mountains, mines,kes, rivers, and sea areas within their kingdom as prohibited. Those areas were home to all types of herbs, trees, fruits, minerals, gems, rare animals, and monsters.


    This aspect in particr thwarted every single yer¡¯s n to rush into the mountains and seas after finding out about the foraging update. To add insult to injury, other guilds also set up controlled areas within their territories!


    People were bing anxious. What if the Overgeared Guild did the same? Everything would spiral out of control. The Overgeared Guild upied nearly two-thirds of the continent!


    A few days passed. Finally, on the day of the update, the silent Overgeared Guild made an announcement. They would not impose any type of control within their territories. In addition, some previously controlled mines and raid areas would be released every other week.


    At this point, even those whoined about the Overgeared Guild started to feel remorse. The factions which had been issuing killmands with the intention of confronting the Overgeared Guild lost their support and dispersed like dust.


    ***


    Initially, when they first caught wind of the existence of the update, The Overgeared Guild had nned to ce bans like Valha. They possessed so muchnd that it wasn¡¯t necessary to prohibit all areas. Their n was to monopolize some of the really valuablend.


    The damage would be serious if they didn¡¯te out on top of it immediately after the update, but they soon realized that they didn¡¯t have to do this.


    The Skunk expedition team knew exactly where precious materials and resources could be found. They set out alongside tens of thousands of the empire¡¯s elite soldiers, scattering all over the continent and sweeping all the important resources. The materials they brought back were transnted to the field made by Piaro. Piaro¡¯s direct disciples (farmers) dedicated their time to cultivation.


    The seedlings that were transnted grew quickly, their number increasing from a few dozens to hundreds of thousands. Herbs that were only decades old were reborn as herbs that were hundreds of years old in just a few days. Piaro¡¯s enlightenment from growing the golden walnuts yed a huge role. Even Braham was extremely surprised at the sight.


    ¡°You are the best of the apostles.¡±


    Braham even handed over the title of number one apostle to Piaro. He seemed to have his own standards and submitted to Piaro. Piaro took it half as a joke, but he smiled widely for the first time in ages. He felt a great sense of pride as a farmer.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal was also a huge help to the Overgeared Guild. His ability to produce dungeons that were able to one day reach heaven was at a remarkable level. The Guild could build several mines as long as they had enough resources. Of course, the amount of resources needed were astronomical.


    For example, the construction of a mithril mine required at least ten million tons of mithril. This created an environment where even mithril could grow in the mine.


    The Overgeared Guild also had mountains of minerals, since they had a habit of mining them for Grid, so they had umted a lot of them over time. The empire alone had tens of thousands of mines, so that was only natural.


    Lauel grinned.


    ¡®There is nothing to lose from the warp gates.¡¯


    Warp gates were installed in existing towns and cities. A portion of the gate fee paid by yers was settled as tax revenue to the lords. The number of lords under the Overgeared Empire alone was in the thousands. This meant that the revenue generated from the new warp gates would go directly into the empire¡¯s pockets.


    In addition, unlike the warp gates made by Sticks, the profit margin was expected to be a lot higher, since they didn¡¯t need to use magic stones when activating the gate. Instead, there was the disadvantage of limited avable coordinates. But this was irrelevant to the Overgeared Guild, who originally had dozens of warp gates.


    ¡°For those on this list, please lead the battleships to sea as soon as the update isplete. By steadily securingrge quantities of monster cores and seabed resources, we will be able to collect most of the materials that exist in the world. My goal is to focus on producing elixirs and improving training first...¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, we will provide you with sufficient manpower, so please pour your heart and soul into the creation of new treasure designs. Those on this list willb the territories shown on the map to search for outsiders and prepare for erosion...¡±


    Lauel and the Overgeared members gathered together to exchange ideas and make ns. Meanwhile, Grid was solely focused on body manufacturing in the smithy.


    A few dayster, Satisfy finally updated.


    Lauel logged into the game half a day after the maintenance and couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Piaro¡¯s herb garden was in turmoil.


    ¡°The herbs grew feet and ran away?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Most of them were caught, but some of them were too fast and disyed some strange magic. It was difficult for the knights to catch them.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The bewildered Lauel hurried out of his office.

 Chapter 1956

    Chapter 1956


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Lauel arrived at the herb field and cocked his head. Hundreds of bells were embedded in the field, releasing a soft light and making clear sounds. He felt at peace as he listened to them.


    ¡°This is a treasure made by Euphemina. From my understanding, it has the effect of preventing herbs from running away. It really works.¡±


    It was only then that Lauel spotted the blonde-haired girl moving in the corner of the field. He approached her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the server just open? How did you react so fast?¡±


    ¡°During maintenance, I checked the detailed list of additional treasures that were revealed. I heard there is a treasure that makes it impossible for herbs that are at least five hundred years old to escape, so I rushed to this ce as soon as I logged in. It¡¯s a simple treasure, so I made it quickly. There were plenty of materials piled up in the guild¡¯s warehouse.¡±


    ¡°The moment you found out that there was such a thing, you predicted that this would happen.¡±


    ¡°You must have thought the same. You just didn¡¯t have the time to check the treasures.¡±


    ¡°I will be familiar with them as soon as I deal with some things. I think I will get a pretty good image of how much the world has changed just by understanding the effects of the treasures. Anyway, do all five hundred year old herbs develop intelligence and run away?¡±


    ¡°No, not all of them. There is a chance for it to happen, though.¡±


    ¡°So now luck applies even to herbs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how South Korean games work. In any case, with these bells, the problem is mostly solved. I handed over the design to the farmers, so they will be the ones to take care of it in the future. Oh, don¡¯t worry too much about the thousand year old herbs. Piaro is tracking them himself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. We made it through this thanks to you.¡±


    New information arrived just as Lauel exhaled in relief.


    ¡°A boss has appeared in the mine that Jokbal created, but¡­ Jokbal can¡¯t control it?¡±


    ¡°Some of the minerals developed egos and are running wild. This means that Jokbal can¡¯t control them. It seems that most attacks don¡¯t work on them, so Peak Sword personally came to support us.¡±


    ¡°We have to dispatch top forces to the fields and mines... Has the ocean expedition team departed?¡±


    ¡°I just got a call. A swarm of flying fish flew in and sank the warships anchored at the docks...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lauel rarely lost hisposure, though upon hearing all this¡­


    It would take some time to adjust to this changed world.


    The good news was that the elixirs made from the herbs and fruits exceeded all expectations. Additionally, the boss monster that Peak Sword hunted in the mines dropped some very rare treasure materials.


    ¡°Show them to His Majesty first. I will let the treasure research team know to quickly select the treasures that would be good for His Majesty to master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ***


    Failure in item crafting usually meant that a low-grade item was created. Even if they got an item that didn¡¯t meet their expectations, it was rare for them to waste the materials that they used.


    However, failing to craft a treasure would cause the yer to lose all the materials they had used. Anyone could make a treasure if they had the materials, but they would experience a huge loss if they failed.


    ¡°No matter the treasure, the probability of sess for the first production attempt is 15%. The next attempt increases by 5% and there is a maximum sess rate of 80%...¡±


    All yers had ess to the 37,098 treasure blueprints. However, it wasn¡¯t feasible to increase the crafting proficiency of all the existing treasures. yers had to make a selection and then concentrate on the ones they had chosen. Therger the numbers of yers involved in this activity, the more work they¡¯d get done.


    Jishuka handed out tasks to the personnel as scheduled.


    ¡°From now on, all of you will specialize in building ships. The guild will provide you with the materials, so don¡¯t worry about the resources, just work.¡±


    ¡°There are more than a hundred types of ships. Which ones should we make? When I checked the designs, I noticed that some of the ships have duplicate materials...¡±


    ¡°We are excluding the top fifty types because the materials they require are difficult to obtain. We will mainly manufacture high-speed ships.¡±


    ¡°Most high-speed ships are small, so they will greatly limit the number of people that can be on board.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. For the time being, our top priority is to open up a route. This means that speed is definitely important. It should be enough to amodate around four people per ship.¡±


    Existing warships couldn¡¯t survive in the updated waters because troops of flying fish with des on their mouths gnawed through the iron tes and wood. The moment he logged in, Chris witnessed what was going on and threw himself into the sea to annihte the fish. Even so, most of the ships had already been destroyed.


    Even if the guild still had ess to a warship that had escaped this fate, they didn¡¯t dare send it to sea. How could a warship sail when it couldn¡¯t even withstand a troop of flying fish, which used to only eat seaweed, but had now evolved?


    ¡°We will take a look around.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After Jishuka and other high-ranking yers departed, dozens of Overgeared Guild members in charge of shipbuilding sat down on the dock and began crafting treasures. They had ced materials from the warehouse into a square white box and chanted a spell. Strange characters appeared and hovered around the box.


    Soon, the red-hot characters turned into mes and heated up the box. A few small gs emerged and floated around it. Then, there was an explosion of light, and magic circles were drawn on top of each other. Before they knew it, the box was spinning in the air.


    [The treasure crafting has begun ording to the set design.]


    [There are three days left until production isplete.]


    ¡°The vessel is small, but it takes a long time.¡±


    Exer sighed when he checked the notification window. He was level 430, and quite a famous figure in society, but he was one of the youngest in the marine exploration team. As the update was released and the world around him changed, he found it pitiful to have to build a ship in such a remote area.


    His friend, who joined the Overgeared Guild at the same time as Exer, chuckled. ¡°If you have time toin, then go look at other designs. It will take us months to get the hang of it.¡±


    The box that floated before their eyes was still emitting a mysterious glow and noise as it smelted the ship.


    Treasure crafting was a fully automated system. All they had to do was put the materials in the box and chant the spell written on the design. The treasure would be smelted on its own. Still, it needed to be constantly supplied mana, but other than that, the process required nothing else. It was different from item production, which required a specific set of moves to be performed.


    ¡°Of course. I was told to choose three treasures and submit them, so I had to make a careful selection. As expected, it¡¯s best to choose a weapon, armor, and a flying tool, right?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to choose elixirs that increase your stats and allow you to evolve? It¡¯s not like we¡¯recking in items. Even flying tools are useless. It¡¯s better to get used to Braham¡¯s Boots as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°The elixir will be given to the top rankers first. We would have to wait too long¡­ And I¡¯m not evenpatible with Braham¡¯s Boots. The mana cost is too high.¡±


    ¡°Are the rumors true? Did you not put any points in intelligence...?¡±


    ¡°Uh. I don¡¯t really use skills. I focus on basic hitbos.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then I don¡¯t think you can use many of the treasures....¡±


    The harbor was calm. Thanks to Chris clearing out the nearby troops of flying fish, there were only blue waves quietly rippling. The sea shimmered silver from the reflection of sunlight pouring down from the sky, beautiful clouds were covering the horizon.


    Just then, a group of white birds flew across the sky, making the scenery even more peaceful.


    Two dayster...


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    Someone who was sitting in the corner of the dockpleted the treasure. The man who secretly cheered was an ordinary yer, not an Overgeared Guild member. Thanks to making a single-seater high-speed ship, he finished his crafting faster than the Overgeared Guild, who were manufacturing high-speed ships with at least four seats.


    He was lucky in many ways. His base was in this maritime city. It just so happened that he had most of the materials for the one-seater ship. He quickly bought the rest of the materials from the market and went to sea faster than anyone else did.


    ¡°I was surprised to see the Overgeared Guild when I arrived at the dock yesterday. Now that this happened, I don¡¯t have to pay attention to them any longer.¡±


    The man snorted and activated the treasure. Mana drained away. Then, a white high-speed ship flew out of his inventory and fell in the water.


    The man grinned and got on the ship. He was so excited. He was happy to havepleted a treasure with only a 15% sess rate in one go!


    He was injecting mana tounch the ship, only to flinch.


    [The treasure can¡¯t be activated due to the number of passengers being exceeded.]


    ¡®What do you mean the number of passengers is exceeded?¡¯


    A woman¡¯s voice spoke in his ear.


    ¡°Strange. How could a mere mortal use the power of heaven and earth to refine and use a treasure?¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The man was disgusted. He raised his head, drew his sword, and swung it. His 380 levels of experience had caused his body to move reflexively. The sensation of hitting metal reverberated from the tip of his sword.


    The man frowned at the pain from his throbbing wrist. He was overwhelmed with anxiety. The woman who had climbed onto his small ship was staring at him innocently. She was dressed in gorgeous pce clothing, like she was the princess of a kingdom, but her attire was unusual and unfamiliar.


    The man didn¡¯t know who she was, but he realized he was no match for her. The skill he¡¯d used with his sword didn¡¯t even scratch the gray sphere that surrounded her.


    The womanughed, noticing the man moved to retrieve the treasure.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    The woman lightly swung her hand and hit the man¡¯s cheek. He raised his sword to block her but was too slow. The man¡¯s body flew out of the ship and rolled around. Then, the woman ced her hand on the ship.


    She chanted an unknown spell and the white ship lost its color.


    [The owner of the intermediate treasure ¡®Single-Seater sh Ship¡¯ has been robbed.]


    ¡°No!¡±


    The man was horrified when he saw the notification and threw himself forward. He didn¡¯t want to be robbed of the treasure he had made, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to use his ultimate skill.


    The woman saw him and cocked her head.


    ¡°Are you alive? No!¡±


    The woman¡¯s dark eyes narrowed. The momentum with which the man was flying on the surface of the sea was amazing. His sword glowed red and exuded a menacing aura.


    ¡°How can a mortal handle the heaven and earth origin energy so freely? Are you an old monster who has lived for hundreds of years?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t hear an answer. She gestured and threw a dagger toward the man¡¯s body. A corpse didn¡¯t have the ability to answer.


    The ash pir that rose from the corpse surprised her once more.


    ¡°The spirit is reborn...? He can gain experience without any fear of death. That is why he has reached such a high level as a mortal. Maybe I messed with someone I shouldn¡¯t have... Hmph, well, there¡¯s no reason to worry anymore.¡±


    Simr things were happening all over the world. yers who were lucky enough to craft a valuable treasure from the beginning had a high probability of being attacked by unknown beings.


    Surprisingly, among them was a high ranker.


    ¡°Hah, shit... I¡¯ve memorized your name and face. I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    A desert.


    Tarma cursed as he turned to ash.


    The old man, who had suffered quite a lot of wounds, was in a pretty bad state. He got goosebumps as he remembered the moment his shield was broken by a mortal. He had a serious expression on his face as he cautiously questioned the young man behind him.


    ¡°What is this world? I have no memory of falling into a space crack, but when I opened my eyes, I ended up in a strange ce. The mortals are unusual. Even though they surely have no spiritual power, they can use heaven and earth origin energy and the treasures. They all seem like veterans.¡±


    ¡°How can an old man understand the mysteriousws of heaven and earth? I have a hunch that the creators of this space knows us very well.¡±


    The young man¡¯s gaze turned to the sky. It wasn¡¯t in the direction of Asgard, but higher than that.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s eyes widened as he observed the situation through the monitors.


    ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s staring directly into my eyes. Or am I mistaken?¡±


    He was trembling with goosebumps. The old man replied, ¡°That person has reached the stage of a great person, so no, you are not mistaken. Their artificial intelligence, which we¡¯ve created, is purely based on our memories, but that should be enough for him to realize what Satisfy really is. There is no need to be afraid. They are just data. They will never be implemented into reality without our assistance.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the yers will be able to beat them within three years.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if they can¡¯t. Humanity is very fortunate to have the opportunity to gain experience. As I told you a few days ago, the probability of this update urring was less than 1 in 10 billion. We didn¡¯t expect this opportunity toe, either.¡±


    The old man smiled at the sullen Chairman Lim Cheolho and shifted his gaze. His clear eyes were focused on the screen that showed Grid.

 Chapter 1957

    Chapter 1957


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    The woman standing in the back of the small ship pondered for a moment.


    A group of mortals were huddled together on the dock, hard at work, smelting something. Whatever it was they were working on, they seemed to be almost done. She wanted to kill and plunder them all.


    ¡®There is no way that an object smelted by the myriad spirits treasure box is ordinary. From what I can tell, it seems that it will be of the same quality as this ship... It bothers me that mortals possess the highest level of refinement. Who is the one behind distributing so many myriad spirits treasure boxes to mortals and teaching them how to use it?¡¯


    The woman suppressed her killing intent. There were too many mortals. She didn¡¯t know what type of consequences would ur if she killed all of them and provoked an unknown backer.


    ¡®First, let¡¯s move ording to n.¡¯


    The woman made a strange gesture with her fingers, forming a hand seal. The speedboat she was on turned gold and there was a loud sound. Waves rose, like a tsunami was about toe into being. The woman moved tens of kilometers in the blink of an eye.


    ¡®An underwater city...¡¯


    A few days ago, she woke up in a random city. She used soul extraction on the first mortal she met to read his memories and learn thenguage. ording to the information she obtained at that time, there was an underwater city called Siren nearby.


    ¡®The inner core of the sea people is precious. Let¡¯s turn them into sweet medicine and focus on raising my realm for the moment.¡¯


    The ship carrying the woman disappeared into the depths of the sea.


    ***


    On a certain mountain range¡­


    An old man sighed in defeat after looking up at the night sky for days. ¡°There are no constetions to raise an offering for! What a deep abyss this other world has sunk into! Now that things are like this, I have to refine the Selecting Star. Since I already have the key ingredients, I will be able to collect the rest of the materials after two hundred years of hard work. It¡¯s just that¡­ The chances of seeding in refining it all at once are too small. I should seek out my seniors to help me out, but how much will they ask for... Um?¡±


    The old man¡¯s gaze shifted to the ridge a few kilometers away, where a man was leaping up a rough mountain.


    ¡®A warrior? It is the qi refining realm and his agility is unusual. Is he from a powerful family? In any case, he must¡¯ve had a great teacher. I should ask him about the whereabouts of his senior.¡±


    The old man was delighted to find the cultivator and turned into a sh of light. The sight of the man climbing the rocks started to expand rapidly in the old man¡¯s field of view.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The warrior drew his sword and gripped it when he noticed the old man approach. The de of the sword had a golden aura around it, and it looked quite imposing.


    The old man¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°A sword forged from dragon bones. Not bones of a true dragon, but ones from a wandering dragon. Still, quite a rare material. Why was it only forged into a de?¡±


    The old man felt like the heavens were helping him.


    ¡°You are a rogue cultivator. I don¡¯t have anyone around me to turn to for advice, so I am clueless. Give me the sword. I¡¯ll show you how to refine it again as a senior.¡±


    ¡°A rogue cultivator...? Are you religious? Do you just mean a cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Culti¡ªwhat? What are you saying?¡±


    The old man looked bewildered. He snorted and began reciting an unfamiliar spell. A transparent hand floated in the air and tried to snatch the warrior¡¯s sword. The warrior took a step back and swung his weapon. The transparent hand was split in half and scattered into dust.


    The old man¡¯s white eyebrows trembled.


    ¡°Swordsman! A warrior managed to sh me? Ah! You¡¯ve mastered the secret art of hiding your real power, and are ying tricks on an old man!¡±


    The expression on the old man¡¯s face changed gradually as he shouted. He at first looked embarrassed, then angry, then convinced. He eventually sneered. To put it in Grid¡¯s words, he was driving himself crazy. Upon seeing this stranger¡¯s reactions, the man, Kraugel, sighed.


    ¡°I can see why themunity is in an uproar.¡±


    The hottest topic ever since the update dropped were the ¡®outsiders.¡¯ A lot of people were saying that outsiders were very quick learners and extremely powerful. They were creepy because they were violent and because their words carried a lot of weight.


    Kraugel seemed to understand why people were saying those things.


    ¡®At this point, I feel like I am facing a human from another world. I don¡¯t think that existing NPCs were like this from the beginning... Has Morpheus, who had been developing artificial intelligence through learning, reached a singrity?¡¯


    Kraugel¡¯s surroundings started distorting because of a space warping phenomenon caused by a powerful wave of force. He took out the god killer energy. He knew Navaldrea¡¯s location and had no intention to waste any more time here.


    The old man¡¯s face paled as he witnessed the chilly white energy.


    ¡°T-This spiritual pressure...!¡±


    The old man felt like he was waist-deep in swamp waters. It was hard for him to breathe and his body couldn¡¯t move properly. The protective shield on his body shook precariously like it was about to break.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t someone I can deal with!¡¯


    The old man¡¯s rank might be one of a true person, but he had reached the end of his training. The technique he practiced was also unusual. He hoped that if he could make an offering to the stars and absorb its divine light, he would achieve his core formation and be a superhuman.


    Dying here was meaningless, so the old man ran away without looking back.


    Kraugel tilted his head to the side.


    ¡®Well, he changed his mind awfully fast.¡¯


    The bandit was so arrogant that his stuck up nose would have pierced the sky. Now he was suddenly fleeing?


    Kraugel sneered and swung his sword.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    A mixture of ck and gold light shed the world in half. Kraugel was curious about the items that an outsider would drop.


    ¡°Kuaaack!¡±


    The old man was torn apart along with his shield and screamed. However, he didn¡¯t turn to ash. Instead, he formed a crystal and his bisected body swelled significantly. The blood that poured from the cross section of the body was connected and the old man¡¯s body joined back together. The old man doubled, tripled and quadrupled in size. Soon, he was engulfed in a fog as brilliant as starlight before turning invisible.


    Kraugel was confused as to what happened and used Super Sensitivity, but he was one second toote. By then, the old man was already a few kilometers away.


    ¡®I never thought he would transform with such a fuss and run away.¡¯


    Kraugel used Shunpo. He had steadily built up his status and had cut down a chief god, so he had clearly be an Absolute. The world called him a God Killer.


    It was funny that the ¡®rank¡¯ applied after the update was just ¡®warrior,¡¯ but Kraugel was aware that this new ranking system wasn''t proportional to actualbat ability.


    The old man cried out in fear as soon as he noticed Kraugel following close behind him. ¡°How could a senior deceive and bully a weak junior?¡±


    The old man found this whole situation unfair. He looked pitiful next to Kraugel, like Noe did when standing next to Grid. If the old man hadn¡¯t secretly made a hand seal, Kraugel would¡¯ve hesitated for a moment.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let down my guard against him.¡¯


    Kraugel had roughly grasped the tendencies of outsiders. He knew what they were capable of, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to use Super Storm Sword. The yellow amulet thrown by the old man was torn open, causing a thunderstorm.


    ¡°Haha! What do you think of the power of thunder and lightning? This talisman can shackle even a great person who has risen to the soul transformation rank! It¡¯s so powerful, it can even turn someone like you into ashes in an instant!!¡±


    The old man was boisterouslyughing, but he was actually in a lot of pain. He never thought he would have to use an heirloom that had been passed down from generation to generation like this.


    ¡®Still, it won¡¯t be a big loss if I manage to take his sword... Huh?¡¯


    The old man was consoling himself when he suddenly stopped, shocked. The thunderstorm was cleared, revealing his enemy, still alive, still standing. He was breathing just fine despite taking enough damage to kill a person several times.


    ¡°How...?!¡±


    He didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence, because his head went flying.


    The old man turned to ash. Kraugel picked up the bag that the old man dropped and frowned, troubled.


    ¡°I never thought half my HP would disappear with one blow. Anyway, the rewards are pretty cool.¡±


    Kraugel¡¯s expression slowly rxed as he looked through the loot. There were a few treasures and materials in there that were hard toe by.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    Kraugel habitually used the ¡®materials search¡¯ function that was introduced after the update. A certain seedling caught his eyes.


    ¡®This¡­ Grid will want to see this.¡¯


    ***


    Their of Gourmet Dragon Raiders.


    There was a cute little girl running around this ce that didn¡¯t allow outsiders to enter. Raiders¡¯ golden scales had faded in color and were destroyed in ces.


    [I shouldn¡¯t have opened the door. I mistook you for an apostle sent by the foreign god.]


    ¡°The world is too small to talk about gods. The person who pretended to be a god to deceive you ignorant people is just silly.¡±


    The girl shook her head and stuck out her tongue. She grabbed for the jade bead embedded at the tip of her smooth red tongue with her fingers and pulled it out. The bead transformed into a spear that emitted powerful waves.


    Baaaang!


    The girl chanted an esoteric spell, and the spear pierced Raiders¡¯ heart. Raiders had his Absolute Defense and scales pierced by lightning strikes, so he urgently used Time Reversal.


    The girl looked at him curiously as he recovered like nothing even happened to him in the first ce. Her eyes widened. ¡°A wandering dragon that deals with time? That shouldn¡¯t be possible...¡±


    She was about to recite a spell again.


    [The ¡®God Incarnation Body¡¯ created by an unknown person has been ranked 855th on the Super Gxy Treasures list.]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The girl was suddenly taken aback by the unfamiliar world message.


    ¡°An Incarnation Body is on the treasure list? I¡¯ve never heard of anything like this in my tens of thousands of years of being alive.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it. Ever since she woke up in a new dimension, she was bing increasingly more confused as time passed by.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Taking advantage of her confusion, Raiders teleported out of there. The girl couldn¡¯t tell where he had gone, since he decided to hide himself in Nevartan¡¯sir which was tens of thousands of kilometers away.


    ¡°So, not only does he deal with time, he can also manipte space around him as well... In terms of his power, he is stronger than most true dragons.¡±


    The girl was intrigued by this fact. She shook her head. Her attention was solely focused on that super gxy treasure that had just been created.


    ¡°Let¡¯s secure that treasure for now.¡±


    ***


    Noe and Randy halted their training and watched in shock as a huge beam of light poured out of Grid¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Because they were blinded for a moment, they were beaten into the dust by the God Hands. Noe, who had been huffing with frustration, fell silent.


    Grid¡¯s cheer could be heard from inside the smithy. Noe and Randy cheerfully walked inside, only to see two Grids staring at them.


    Even Noe couldn¡¯t tell who the real Grid was. ¡°W-Which one is our master?¡±


    Grid patted him on the head and carefully checked the information of the freshlypleted body.


    [Grid¡¯s Divine Body]


    Level: 800


    Rating: Only One


    Rank: Warrior.


    The clone of Only One God Grid. Made out of Greed, the body can¡¯t be damaged but it will stiffen every time it takes significant damage.


    Once consciousness is linked, an artificial intelligence based on the master¡¯s personality and knowledge will be activated. Currently, 100% of the master''s stats and ss-specific skills are inherited.


    However, items and titles can¡¯t be inherited.]


    ¡®It only inherits ss skills, like sword dances. However, it can learn as many new skills as I want by making use of skill books or clearing quests. Titles can be obtained by gaining achievements, and it can level and rank up just like a normal yer...¡¯


    Grid saw the clone as just another yer. It had the same capabilities as Grid, though it was much tougher. The only downside was that it ¡®stiffened¡¯ like the God Hands, but... This was a problem that could be solved by equipping it with items and increasing its defense.


    Grid¡¯s heart was overwhelmed with joy. There was a notification he missed, and when he checked it out on the status window, he cocked his head, intrigued.


    ¡®Divine incarnation? Super gxy treasure? What is all this bullshit? Oh, right, I haven¡¯t left the smithy since the update.¡¯


    Grid had been so absorbed with building his body for the past few days that he had not yet seen any of the changes that the update brought out. He¡¯d failed the body production method several times, and had grown so frustrated that he¡¯d focused his entire attention on his task, ignoring everything else going around.


    Heughed at his own absurd behavior. He checked the whispers and left the smithy.


    ¡®I will meet Lord first, check the new ranking and treasure system, and wait to hear from Eligos.¡¯


    Grid made a n before pulling out all his main equipment from his inventory and handing it over to the clone. He retrieved the consciousness he had linked to the God Hand, who was returning with Lord, and instilled it in the clone.


    A light appeared in the dark eyes of the clone, which had been somewhat nk until now.


    ¡°Go to Zeratul and ask him for a skill book. Once you get used to your new skills, you will be able to venture out on your own for a while, gain some achievements and earn as many titles as you can.¡±


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    The two Grids walked in different directions.

 Chapter 1958

    Chapter 1958


    Zeratul was in the recovery period, resting after wrapping up the difficult battles against Trauka, Kubartos, and Judar. The people of the Overgeared World had heard about his aplishments from Huroi. It was a different feeling from the vague worship he gained as the self-proimed Martial God. Every time he felt signs of people praying to Zeratul, and not to the Martial God, he smiled softly. He felt the growing desire to meet their aspirations, and he felt at peace.


    [Hmm...]


    Zeratul had taken an interest in studying treasures. Each and every one of them possessed interesting features. For example, in the case of weapon-like treasures, they weren¡¯t held and swung like conventional weapons. Instead, specific invocation spells had to be chanted and mana was supplied to move them. At first nce, the way they functioned resembled the way Sword Saint¡¯s Control Sword worked, but it was more urate to understand them as a tool that amplified the power of one¡¯s will.


    [Peculiar. Originally, only a transcendent could use their will as a means of attacking. Even in the case of a transcendent, that was clumsy and weak. Now, anyone can easily do it. Depending on the function of the treasure, it can be used in various fields. Thanks to this mysterious invocation, civilization will develop quite considerably.]


    Zeratul sensed his visitor¡¯s aura and spoke while looking at the magical text floating in the air.


    ¡°With treasures, the will of an Absolute will be even stronger.¡±


    [Correct. In fact, people like us are the ones who will benefit the most from these treasures. By the way, Grid, why have youe to my ce? You didn¡¯te here just because you wanted to see what I¡¯ve been up to, I assume?]


    ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t it polite to check if the number one contributor of thest great battle is recovering well?¡±


    [Number one contributor? Bah, I don''t want to tter myself in front of you, so get to the point.]


    ¡°I would like to learn some secret techniques.¡±


    Zeratul arched an eyebrow curiously at Grid, who sat down.


    [My secret techniques are of no use to you, right? You can fight with just the skills you have learned already. Plus, haven¡¯t you recently learned Judar¡¯s Multiple Weakening Barriers?]


    ¡°This body is different.¡±


    [What does that mean?]


    Even Zeratul couldn¡¯t figure out he was speaking with a clone. That was how high quality the body smelted by Grid was.


    Grid shrugged and pulled out Defying the Natural Order. Then he mmed it down on his wrist with all his might. Zeratul watched in shock, well aware of what that skill could do. Defying the Natural Order bounced off Grid¡¯s wrist without cutting it.


    [What?!]


    Zeratul doubted what he was seeing.


    The moment the de of Defying the Natural Order pierced Grid¡¯s skin, a ck and gold light shed, followed by a loud friction sound. There wasn¡¯t a single scratch or drop of blood on Grid¡¯s skin.


    [A divine body! Is it a body made of Greed?!!]


    ¡°Judar told me how to make it. I took advantage of the nature of Greed, which can think and move on its own, and smelted a body using only that, no other materials.¡±


    [This is amazing! I¡¯ve known for a long time that Greed is a material that defies natural order. Isn¡¯t it greater than the bones of an old dragon?]


    ¡°I think, once the status of my bodypletely surpasses that of an old dragon¡¯s, that Greed will be considered even more powerful than an old dragon¡¯s bones.¡±


    [Indeed. Old dragons areparable to the Gods of the beginning after all... The status of an old dragon is partly proportional to the number of years they have lived, but the achievements you have umted are beyond the value of time. It won''t be long before you surpass the dragons¡¯ status.]


    Zeratul hadplete confidence in Grid. After all, this was the man who had killed Judar and Trauka.


    [Can your body only handle the sword dances?]


    ¡°For now. I n to learn magic from Braham for a while and train really hard.¡±


    [Learning magic and choosing to follow a different path than your main body¡¯s¡­ That is a good idea. You will learn spells and skills that your main body has no knowledge of, so your fighting style will be a lot more versatile. I¡¯ll try toe up with a secret technique for you to make up for a magician¡¯s shorings.]


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    [But it will take quite some time. This is a skill you will learn, so it has to be special. Keep training and umte as many achievements as you can until I contact you. Looking at you now, you definitely seem weakpared to your main body.]


    ¡°You guessed correctly.¡±


    Grid smiled, satisfied. He was happy because he felt like he and Zeratul had be true friends.


    ***


    Braham was skeptical of Grid¡¯s decision to train in magic. His emotionless voice echoed throughout the temple, ¡°Why do you want to learn magic? You should just rely on the skills you already know and use them to the fullest.¡±


    Grid told him, ¡°I can make use of magic fully. It¡¯s different from before.¡±


    ¡°Can you prove it to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Grid¡¯s clone was an artificial intelligence created based on the data that Grid had umted. As an artificial intelligence, he always made the best choice in any situation. So, usually, he utilized his abilities better than Grid himself.


    However, he was obsessed with safety and perceived variables as risks. Because of that, he wasn¡¯t as strong as Grid. He simply became stronger by utilizing the magic he learned.


    Braham¡¯s attitude changed when Grid showed off magic he had picked up on. ¡°...Then, I will formally ept you as my apprentice.¡±


    ¡°You have too many disciples. Are you going to build another tower?¡±


    ¡°Think of my disciples for a moment. I don¡¯t just take anyone under my wing. They deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever the case, I¡¯m going to learn all the spells you know. Punishment as well.¡±


    ¡°Passing on the magic that was created during and after Punishment is impossible. Those spells are in my blood. Theoretically, only my siblings can learn them, but they don¡¯t possess the knowledge to understand such magic. Marie Rose¡¯s child might be different, but¡­¡±


    Grid, who had been feeling disappointed, smiled widely. He was already happy imagining a future where the child, who would be born in a few months, would follow in Braham¡¯s steps.


    ¡°By the way, are you a clone...? I can¡¯t tell even though I¡¯m looking straight at you.¡±


    ¡°I am really talking to you right now. Through the consciousness imnted in this body, I can monitor and control it at any time.¡±


    ¡°I envy you for that... Damn pavranium. I am technically its parent. Why doesn¡¯t it acknowledge me as its master?¡± Brahamined.


    ¡°Find a solution. If you are epted by Greed, you will also be able to refine a body.¡±


    ¡°I am always thinking about it. Isn¡¯t it better to make a whole new pavranium? Can¡¯t I make it with you like I did with Pagma?¡±


    ¡°Making a new one rather than changing Greed... Yeah, I like the sound of that too. It will take time, but it is possible. I¡¯ll even lend you a hand.¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s focus on training for now.¡±


    The ss began in earnest. Grid¡¯s clone used his high Intelligence stat to absorb Braham¡¯s magic like a sponge. He performed all the necessary spells correctly and got the title of Great Magician in just two days.


    ¡°You really are a genius!¡±


    It was enough to elicit Braham¡¯s delight. The more Grid got better at magic, the happier Braham became. It was as if he¡¯d gained the most important achievement in the world.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I made Brahamugh... My clone is aplishing what even I couldn¡¯t do in my original body.¡¯


    Grid hadplicated feelings, but under Braham¡¯s enthusiastic guidance, he gradually learned more and more spells. He was stagnant for a while when it came to learning the highest level great magic, such as Meteor and Disintegrate, but he managed to meet the Intelligence requirement by creating items that instantly boosted that stat.


    [Your Divine Incarnation has earned the title of ¡®Greatest Magic Swordsman of All Time.¡¯]


    [Your Divine Incarnation has earned the title of ¡®True Genius Magician.¡¯]


    ***


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? Irene is better than most farmers when ites to growing flowers. Piaro personally asked her to take care of a few.¡±


    ¡°Irene has been tending to her flowers every day.¡±


    At the garden of the Overgeared Pce¡­


    All types of flowers were in full bloom, exuding a heavenly fragrance. Grid recognized many of them. The flowers had been cared for by Irene since the time of Reidan. Several were seedlings that Lord had obtained during his adventures for his mother.


    There were also many rare flowers collected from famous dangerous areas. It just felt strange because they were things that Grid had been trampling on like gravel on the side of the road.


    ¡°These things are used as ingredients for elixirs... I thought the flowers were just pretty.¡±


    ¡°It is safe to say that anything that was considered useless has disappeared since the update. nts, insects, fish, ores, beasts, monsters, and even the water and soil that you can find all over the continent can be materials for treasures. There are so many different types of water and soil. That¡¯s why people were so excited about this update¡ªjust about anyone can craft treasures.¡±


    Grid and Lauel chatted as they strolled around the garden. The topics of their conversation changed every now and then. Every time, Grid acquired arge amount of important information.


    ¡°So... If you create a spiritual root in the ce that was previously called the mana core or dantian, you can handle spirit energy. From then on, you are ssified as a warrior. It seems that outsiders originally called this ¡®qi refining.¡¯ Is it possible to maximize the power of treasures by using spiritual energy from qi refining?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you take a closer look, there are a lot of types of spiritual roots. If you have a water element spiritual root, you can use water attribute treasures and mystical arts with more power.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s better to carefully select the desired spiritual root before creating one. By the way, did the spiritual root appear on its own after the update?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to choose. It¡¯s random.¡±


    ¡°Random? So the spiritual roots also have hidden types. I wonder what the attribute of my spiritual root is. I have no way of knowing.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. yers can handle treasures and mystical arts using other resources, they don¡¯t necessarily need to have spiritual roots. Your Majesty, you have a variety of resources at your disposal. I don¡¯t think you need to worry about trivial matters like the nature of your spiritual root.¡±


    ¡°Is there a penalty for using resources other than spiritual energy to deal with treasures and mystical arts? Would their power be weaker, for example?¡±


    ¡°Good catch. Using mana is around 30% less efficient than spiritual energy. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that big of a difference considering the effort necessary to make the spiritual roots. There is a reason why outsiders revere mana by calling it the ¡®heaven and earth origin energy.¡¯ Plus, special resources such as blood, fighting energy, demonic energy, and killing energy can be more or less efficient than mana, it depends, really.¡±


    ¡°What about divinity?¡±


    ¡°I had Zeratul and Garion test it. It¡¯s just like mana. It isn¡¯t that much better when ites to dealing with treasures.¡±


    ¡°What about Annihtion energy?¡±


    ¡°Check it out for yourself.¡±


    Lauel handed him a fist-sized millstone.


    ¡°This is a defensive treasure. You can chant the invocation spell written in the description and inject it with Annihtion energy.¡±


    Grid did as he was told. The millstone expanded rapidly until it covered Gridpletely.


    Lauel¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°It bes more than twice as bigpared to when casting with mana? I can¡¯t tell if this is because Annihtion energy is superior to spiritual energy, or if it¡¯s because Your Majesty has spiritual energy through which the Annihtion energy is amplified.¡±


    Grid nodded and stopped infusing the treasure with energy. He switched to mana. The size of the millstone was greatly reduced.


    Lauel was thoughtful. ¡°It¡¯s just as big as when I triggered it. It isn¡¯t spiritual energy that¡¯s making the Annihtion energy more efficient. The power of the Annihtion energy itself is better than spiritual energy.¡±


    ¡°Then I don''t have to aim for the next rank after warrior?¡±


    ¡°If you want to gain ess to the increased time ratio, you have to reach at least the rank of a true person. Moreover, I heard from prisoners that the more advanced you are, the more powerful techniques you can learn.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get used to this at all. No matter whether it is a spiritual root, a lotus root, a burdock root or something root, why is the S.A. Group doing this?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Seeing how strangely realistic the depiction of how to make a spiritual root is, there must be martial arts enthusiasts among the top leaders...¡±


    Lauel paused for a moment. A ck me dragon rose from his hand.


    ¡°Or they want yers to know how to do this. It¡¯s one of these two things.¡±


    ¡°...In a world with that damn asteroid, do we even have a need for spiritual roots?¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is all just spection at this stage. However, it is true that the S.A. Group describes in detail how to condense the spiritual root, like they¡¯re educating the yers. Many people are trying to copy it in reality.¡±


    Grid was dumbfounded but also strangely excited. ¡°Are they also copying the breathing techniques to feel the dantian? Or is it the same as what I felt when learning Tai Chi...?¡±


    He was happy to see that more and more people were starting to ept Satisfy as part of reality, not just a game.


    After making a bigp around the castle, the two of them arrived at the dungeon. The chained outsider red at them as if he was going to eat them.


    ¡°Why is he looking at us like that?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh? You can¡¯t kill him.¡±

 Chapter 1959

    Chapter 1959


    Grid¡¯s fist mmed into the middle-aged man¡¯s face, and Laurel cried out in surprise. Grid withdrew his hand and tilted his head to the side. The man¡¯s face looked like a dented pot.


    ¡°Why is he so weak?¡±


    ¡°How can a man not wearing any armor withstand Your Majesty¡¯s fist?¡±


    ¡°Kraugel said they regenerate quickly even when their body is cut into pieces.¡±


    ¡°The regeneration power seems to vary greatly depending on the techniques they know and the treasures they have.¡±


    ¡°There are also items...¡±


    Grid nodded and examined the chains that bound the middle-aged man¡¯s limbs.


    ¡°You have taken away all his belongings, but you can¡¯t detain him in the usual manner?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He used a technique called Soil Release to hide under the ground like a mole. We had a hard time catching him again. Right now, Braham¡¯s magic chains have sealed away his spiritual power so he can¡¯t pull off the same thing again.¡±


    ¡°You can interfere in spiritual power using magic... There are many tactics to deal with them. So what is his rank?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were cold as he nced at the middle-aged man. The prisoner was a maniacal outsider who dared to kill three civilians and fifty-one soldiers in the heart of Reinhardt. Fortunately, the nearby yers had stepped in and put a stop to his massacre. Had they stayed on the sidelines and did nothing, there could have been a lot more casualties.


    Grid wanted to kill this person right that very second.


    ¡°A raid team of over eighty people and a party of nine with an average level of 400 was almost wiped out by him alone, right? Does he have the rank of a Great Person? Or is he a Saint?¡±


    ¡°U... Uh...¡±


    ¡°Can he not speak?¡±


    ¡°That might be because all his teeth were ripped out.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Grid poured a potion on the middle-aged man¡¯s face, who quickly recovered. He looked around in shock.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that potion can exert such excellent medicinal properties even though I didn¡¯t ingest it and turned it into spiritual energy...!¡±


    ¡°Talk in a way I can understand.¡±


    ¡°Gasp! Ah, that... The medicine that us cultivators use are usually in the form of a round pill. We have to swallow them so they can be effective. In order to obtain medicinal effects, we need to use spiritual energy to gradually dissolve the medicine in our bodies... The red liquid given by the elder ismendable because it has medicinal properties without anyplicated processes.¡±


    ¡°So what is your rank?¡±


    ¡°...If you are asking me about my degree of cultivation, it is foundation building.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°Ah! You don¡¯t seem to know that much about cultivators! Allow me to exin. A cultivator is someone who umtes cultivation in order to attain the great dao. The realms of cultivation are divided into qi refining, foundation building, core formation, nascent soul, and soul transformation.¡±


    The middle-aged man was very cooperative. He smiled good-naturedly, unlike a maniac serial killer, and exined in detail about the realms.


    Qi refining was the realm of cultivating the spiritual root and learning how to use spiritual energy. To put it simply, it was the beginner realm.


    The foundation building period was the realm of umting and stabilizing a certain amount of spiritual energy.


    The core formation period was the realm of pure cultivation and purification. Cultivators mastered various techniques on a deeper level than before. Then they entered the nascent soul stage where they seeded in forming a nascent soul.


    It was difficult to understand what he was talking about when he started exining that, starting from the nascent soul realm, a second self was created inside the body, effectively granting the cultivator two lives. They would have to see for themselves.


    In any case, if the cultivator was well versed in numerous techniques and had managed to sharpen their spiritual energy to the extreme, they could challenge soul transformation. The probability of entering the soul transformation realm was very low. Starting from the soul transformation realm, some of the spiritual energy would be reced with the heaven and earth origin energy. By manipting energy other than spiritual energy, cultivators can gain enough power and endurance to crush hundreds of soul transformation cultivators.


    Grid wasn¡¯t very interested in this.


    He had been immersed in ssicics for a while, and he himself had reached the level of a Saiyan. Compared to the many different power levels that Saiyans have, the realms of the cultivators¡¯ were few and they didn¡¯t sound that powerful.


    Grid¡¯s eyes gradually became colder the longer the middle-aged man spoke.


    ¡°Cultivators who specialize in the art of body refining, like you, often overwhelm cultivators of the same realm because their spiritual energy possesses transcendent durability and immense strength. However, there are cases where people don¡¯t have enough time to cultivate the technique of umting aura, so they often die at the end of their lifespan without being able to reach the next level. A cultivator like me who wanders without an affiliation is a rogue cultivator...¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t make it to the next realm, you will die at the end of your lifespan? Could it be that when you reach the next realm, your lifespan will increase?¡±


    ¡°You are smart! Yes, if you achieve the foundation building realm, you will live for 200 years. If you reach the core formation realm, you will live for 400 years. If you achieve the nascent soul realm, you will live for 800 years. If you achieve the soul transformation realm, your lifespan will increase to 3,000 years. This makes cultivation very advantageous!¡±


    Irene and Basara¡¯s faces shed through Grid¡¯s mind. How long was the life expectancy of these two women after they umted divinity and became younger? Their aging had indeed slowed down, but it was unclear if this phenomenon would also increase their lifespan. There were limits, even if they were nourished by the golden walnut.


    Grid thought, ¡®This is an update for people like me.¡¯


    There was hope for extending the lifespan of his loved ones...


    Grid rxed.


    The middle-aged man looked relieved. He added, ¡°Even after the soul transformation period, there is the void refining period, the synthesis period and the great ascension period. Since this is a rare situation, people like me don¡¯t know the details, but... It is said that starting from the void refining realm, you can dominate the heaven and earth origin energy. Theoretically, you can live forever. It is also said that when you reach the highest level of the great ascension realm, you will finally achieve the great dao and be an immortal.¡±


    ¡®He isn¡¯t talking about daoist immortals like Bentao or Yeoam.¡¯


    Grid recognized the disparity between the daoist immortals he had witnessed and the immortals that the middle-aged man was talking about. The level of power disyed by the daoist immortals he saw wasn¡¯t even close to the soul transformation level that the middle-aged man was talking about.


    He also didn¡¯t seem to be exaggerating.


    The middle-aged man was nothing more than a foundation building cultivator, but he had single-handedly destroyed arge-scale team and a high-level party. Knights, who arrivedter, had to cooperate with the yers in order to arrest him. This meant that the middle-aged man had the power of a high ranker.


    ¡°What are the Warrior, True Person, and Superhuman ranks?¡±


    ¡°Those terms are used by some cultivators to call each other. For example, a superior who doesn¡¯t know my name will call me a True Person and I will also call him a True Person for convenience. If I¡¯m calling someone by their title, the other person¡¯s status and realm are taken into consideration. So the title doesn¡¯t necessarily match their rank.¡±


    Grid filtered through the information obtained and raised a new question. ¡°Why did you kill those people?¡±


    The middle-aged man paled. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t intend for that to happen. A few days ago, I woke up in a meadow. After wandering aimlessly on unfamiliar roads, I arrived in this city. However, I couldn¡¯tmunicate with people, so I tried to learn thenguage and get information. In the process, misunderstandings piled up and things got out of control. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt anyone on purpose!¡±


    ¡°Does a method of extracting memories from the target¡¯s soul exist?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it deal a big blow to the soul?¡±


    ¡°T-That... If you are very unlucky, you might be a cretin, but the chances of dying are low. I found myself in a strange world where I couldn¡¯t even speak to anyone. I had no choice. Please try to understand my situation...¡±


    Grid was no longer interested in what he had to say anymore. The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes rolled until only the whites could be seen when he was hit hard in the head by Lauel.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet up with Lord. He should be here any minute now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I obtain any additional information, I will let you know.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    The middle-aged man was relieved when Grid left. He lowered his head and smiled without Lauel seeing him.


    ¡®Ridiculous. These people are so arrogant, though I guess they aren¡¯t aware that they are going to die soon.¡¯


    In Lauel¡¯s inventory, the silent spirit tablet confiscated from the middle-aged man¡¯s possessions was shing intermittently.


    ***


    ¡°It seems there is a problem with Namgung Hae¡¯s personal safety.¡±


    ¡°I know. Because of his personality, he didn¡¯t know who the target he was facing was and ended up in trouble. Fortunately, he doesn¡¯t seem to be dead. Let¡¯s call for reinforcements and wait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d we happened to be nearby.¡±


    ¡°There must be more people of the sect nearby than we think. This is thergest city in this area, so it is natural to head here.¡±


    Three people entered a snack store in Reinhardt and called an employee to order ramyun and kimbap. Their clothes and behavior were ordinary, so they didn¡¯t stand out. However, they often used unfamiliar words.


    The other guests couldn¡¯t hear them due to the transparent protective shield that surrounded them.


    ***


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°I have returned after carrying out the orders of His Majesty.¡±


    Hundreds of beautiful women bowed their heads down in unison. The prince in the lead saluted with a determined expression.


    Grid, who was strolling along on the castle wall, disappeared in a blur and suddenly appeared next to Lord. He pulled Lord to his feet and tugged him tightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so formal. I¡¯m sad because it feels like you are distancing yourself from me.¡±


    He was proud of his child, all grown up and returned from his mission. He tried not to show it, but he was getting quite emotional.


    He understood the concept of a cultivator. He envisioned a future where Lord could live happily with his family forever.


    In fact, until this morning, Grid had been displeased about the time ratio being updated to 1:8. He was scared because the time gap between Satisfy and reality was getting worse. This meant that the time to separate from Irene woulde even quicker. He tried his best to not think about it, but he had found a new hope.


    ¡®Lord is clever. He will quickly form his spiritual roots and be a great teacher for Irene and Basara.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s group moved to the pce.


    ¡°These were taken from Trauka¡¯s storehouse, which was hidden outside of Talima.¡±


    "...?"


    Grid¡¯s eyes were wide in shock as he checked the treasures within the wagon. In addition to the dazzling gold and jewels and the hundreds of unusual artifacts and treasures, there was also ck dirt and yellow, withered grass. There were even dozens of jars filled with bubblingva.


    Lord noticed Grid¡¯s doubtful look and started exining, ¡°These are materials that contain unquenchable heat, so I collected them just in case. During my adventure, I visited several viges and heard that everything in the world now has a use...¡±


    ¡°Well done. Really well done.¡±


    It was only then that Grid remembered Lauel telling him that pretty much anything in the game could now be material for treasures. He smiled. He was proud of Lord, who was smarter than him.


    Grid screened the artifacts. There were only two of them that he could use, so he took those and carefully considered who the remaining artifacts would be suitable for before deciding on the owners.


    Along the way, Lord received five artifacts and Reba¡¯s Daughters also received Rare weapons and armor.


    ¡°Rabbit, distribute the remaining supplies and materials where they are needed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Administrator Rabbit was full of joy. The value of the treasures brought by the crown prince was so great, it was equivalent to the 100 year budget of the empire. The wealth that an old dragon had umted over the years was immense.


    ***


    Zik¡¯s expression darkened as he looked up at the silent tower. The tower, which was supposed to reach Asgard one day, had stopped being developed for a long time. It didn¡¯t get higher any longer, and had been looking the same for days.


    Everyone was indifferent to the tower because they were adapting to the changed world.


    It was as if the world was speaking to him:


    Zik, no one cares about your revenge. From the day you betrayed yourrades until now, you have been alone. Abandon the hope of salvation forever...


    A strange old man¡¯s voice spoke in Zik¡¯s ears as he was standing there in a daze while clutching his rotten chest. ¡°Huh? This is the ce with the smallest number of people around, so that¡¯s why I chose it as the rendezvous point. However, I seem to be unlucky after all. I me myself foring here. We are trying not to hurt mortals, but the situation is so chaotic that we can¡¯t help it. It is better to think that I am just unlucky.¡±


    A sharp awl flew toward Zik¡¯s brow. Zik turned his head just in time to avoid the sneak attack. He red coldly at the bewildered old man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. If you dare to pay the price for invading God¡¯snd, that is enough.¡±


    The suspicion that Judar had nted in Zik left him in quite a delicate situation. Despite this, Zik didn¡¯t doubt or resent Grid. As always, he hated and cursed his own ipetence, but he was still Grid¡¯s apostle.

 Chapter 1960

    Chapter 1960


    ¡®It¡¯s very likely that Navaldrea will find these useful.¡¯


    All the artifacts that Lord brought back from Trauka¡¯s treasure trove were of great value. It was clear that they could be sold for a sky-high price if sold on the trading post.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t really need the money. The two artifacts he took were for others. One of them was a bracelet with a red bird painted on it and the other was a pendant that exuded scorching heat. These artifacts contained a powerful fire attribute, and Grid thought they would be a valuable gift to Navaldrea, whom he would meet soon.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that Kraugel has safely secured Navaldrea. Now I just have to wait for news that Eligos has found Judar¡¯s soul.¡¯


    Grid knew what he had to do. Just then, he received a notification window that his clone had received the title of ¡®Inspired by the God of Magic.¡¯ It seemed that everything was going well. Even the update which he didn¡¯t initially like was making him feel hopeful.


    Grid wished everything would work out in the end. But his expression darkened. He stopped himself from getting too excited too soon, and got up from his throne.


    He mumbled, ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be thinking of such things...¡±


    After making several trips, he arrived at a cemetery on the outskirts of the city. He stood in front of the tombstones of the people and soldiers who had been killed a few days earlier. The heartbroken family members guarding the tombstones were shocked by the emperor suddenly showing up. They nodded solemnly while Grid bowed deeply and made a vow to the tombstones.


    ¡°The empire will take responsibility for your family. Be reincarnated in peace...¡±


    There were a lot of eyes on him. People wouldugh at Grid for bing too immersed once again. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t care. He had felt genuine concern over the people of this world ever since he met Khan.


    A guild notification interrupted Grid¡¯s meditation.


    [Guild] There is a request for help from Siren. They said that the outer barrier is being destroyed, though they do not know what or who is causing it. They hope that someone powerful wille to their aid.


    [Guild] Aren¡¯t there a lot of named-grade sea animals roaming those waters? I heard that they constantly break barriers. Even so, this is surprising.


    [Guild] Given the current situation, we should probably be prepared for anything. One high ranker should go. Doesn¡¯t matter who as long as they achieved transcendence.


    Lauel made a request but, unsurprisingly, no one answered. Currently, the main force of the Overgeared Guild was either on the open sea on newly built sea vessels or exploring dangerous areas.


    There were a lot of areas to investigate because the update had just dropped. Plus, there were very few high rankers in Reinhardt, and they were busy dealing with monsters that were frequently appearing in the mines.


    Just as the members who fell short of bing high rankers were going to offer to form a party, Grid disrupted his moment of silence and said, ¡°I will go.¡±


    The guild window was buzzing. It made no sense for Grid to step forward in a situation where it was unclear if an enemy had even appeared in Siren. The guild members didn¡¯t want their leader to waste time on trivial matters.


    [Guild] No. I would rather send Asmophel...


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when the cultivators will be avable. The knights should remain here to protect Reinhardt. Didn¡¯t you say that we need to secure the sea animals that live deep in the sea? I have to go so that the king of the water n will personally cooperate with me on that.¡±


    Grid headed straight for the warp gate without caring about any other opinions. The magicians waiting there were about to enter the coordinates of Siren when Sticks rushed over.


    ¡°I will personally serve His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this yourself when you are so busy?¡±


    ¡°The world is in turmoil and I don¡¯t feel at ease. Siren might be remote, but it is unusual for their king to personally ask for help.¡±


    It wasn¡¯tmon for idents to happen to Siren¡¯s outer barrier. The fact that the king had an ominous foreboding about such amon urrence meant that things were different from usual. He hadn¡¯t exactly figured out what was going on, but his intuition had instructed him to call for help.


    ¡°How is the research on the spiritual roots going?¡± Grid asked.


    ¡°There is nothing to research. The spiritual root condensation method that the prime minister obtained is pretty good. I am just annotating it to make it easier for students to understand.¡±


    The gate coordinates had been entered. Several spells were casted, like one that granted Grid a shield, protecting him once he teleported.


    ¡°Have a safe journey.¡±


    Grid shed a smile in Sticks¡¯ direction, who looked at him with worry. ¡°I will be careful.¡±


    He disappeared into the gate.


    ***


    ¡°This is a Warrior who possesses immense strength. The martial arts here are truly amazing, like they are defying heaven itself, if even a mortal who hasn¡¯t umted spiritual energy can be this powerful.¡±


    The old man came to a conclusion. He tsked. The awl that passed by Zik stopped and spread out like a.


    Zik drew his sword and released sword energy. His sword cut through, but the was still intact. Surprised, Zik carved runes with the meaning of ¡®eleration¡¯ on his lower body and escaped from the range of the. The rock caught on his heel was used as a springboard to shoot forward. Before he knew it, he was already right next to the old man.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes widened as he blocked Zik¡¯s sword. The color of the shaking shield flickered, sending a chill down the man¡¯s spine. ¡°The power of words? You have the ability to use the power of words?!¡± he asked, astonished.


    Dozens of daggers poured out from the old man¡¯s mouth. Zik reacted immediately but he was still cut by a few des. However, the old man¡¯s protective shield was shattered, unable to withstand Zik¡¯s sword strikes, who kept swinging his weapon despite his wounds.


    A new voice could be heard. ¡°Elder Bai, what type of humiliation are you suffering against a mere mortal?¡±


    Four gs fell at the same time and impaled the ground around Zik, emitting a golden light. The light rapidly formed a barrier by connecting the gs.


    Zikbined the rune words ¡®nullify¡¯, ¡®stop,¡¯ and ¡®escape,¡¯ escaping the barrier and leaving the four people who had just thrown the gs shocked.


    The old man called Elder Bai snorted. ¡°He dyed thepletion of the barrier and escaped?¡±


    ¡°He is capable of using the power of words. Why else would I have suffered such a humiliating defeat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m very unfamiliar with the letters he uses. Is it an aliennguage?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know where this ce is. How can you recognize the text? I think he¡¯s human. However, don¡¯t let your guard down. It seems he has mastered a powerful body refining technique.¡±


    ¡°A powerful body refining technique...¡±


    Elder Bai and his fourpanions became very cautious. They didn¡¯t attack hastily, instead choosing to slowly close the distance between them and Zik. They were all extremely strong people in the core formation realm, but they had no intention of neglecting the transcendent physical ability of someone who had seeded in body refining.


    Just then, huge drums or pots appeared in front of the elders, quickly increasing in size. Those were treasures that were effective for both offense and defense. Each one had a different attribute and released things like fire, ice, or poisonous smoke.


    Zik felt his body bing heavy under the pressure of various spiritual energies and smiled. By focusing on the battle, he forgot everything that had been guing his mind.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zik mumbled before releasing a small amount of divinity he had taken from King Sobyeol. The elders¡¯ treasures quickly lost their luster and weakened.


    ¡°Absorbing spiritual energy?¡±


    rmed, the elders swung their sleeves to retrieve the treasures. The new treasures that emerged from their fluttering sleeves were offensive ones, such as knives and spears. They possessed a superior killing power than the ones before and quickly rushed at Zik.


    Zik¡¯s sword became incandescent, resembling a thunderbolt. The spiritual energy that he absorbed from the elders¡¯ treasures was reced with aura and wrapped around the sword.


    "Kuaaaaack!"


    The bodies of the elders shattered in exchange for the increased wounds on Zik¡¯s body.


    After drinking a potion and catching his breath, Zik carefully searched the corpses of his enemies. His driving force was his desire for revenge. He had little interest in anything. Naturally, he did not care for anything material. Still, he took all the treasures and pouches that the elders had dropped.


    The pouches were full of things he had never seen before. Among them, the most interesting ones were gems that resembled magic stones.


    Zik smiled, pleased with himself. ¡®I have something to offer to Grid.¡¯


    He was d to have the opportunity to give back to Grid in a small way. At this moment, he wasn¡¯t aware that the demons that had been curling in his heart for so long were starting to fade. He didn¡¯t know yet that finding new happiness was one of the ways to let go of revenge and guilt. No, he might¡¯ve turned a blind eye to it subconsciously.


    He needed more time. However, Heaven didn¡¯t seem to want to allow him time.


    An unfamiliar voice spoke to him. ¡°Interesting. Did you kill the five elders all on your own?¡±


    Zik was shocked. Green fog surrounded him. The corpses of the elders, which had not turned to ash, wriggled every time the fog touched them. The fragmented body parts stuck together and rose up as zombies.


    Cultivators were gathering at the scene one after another. There were dozens¡ªno, hundreds¡ªno, thousands of them. There were dozens of powerful people on par with the elder who had just been killed by Zik. The figure handling the green fog in the air seemed to be their leader.


    ¡°If a man as powerful as you is turned into a Steel Jiangshi, your performance will be excellent.¡±


    The smiling leader winked. All of the cultivators rushed to attack Zik.


    ***


    ¡°Haha! I didn¡¯t expect there to be so many fish people here! There must be hundreds of thousands.¡±


    Above Siren, a woman nced at the water n members. She seemed delighted. She had noticed that the scope of the barrier was veryrge, but it was still more than she expected. Excitedly, she made some hand gestures. Dozens of des mmed into thest remaining internal barrier.


    Siren was in a state of great turmoil, just like when an undersea volcano erupted. The king of the water n looked up and cried out, ¡°It¡¯s like a polymorphed dragon.¡±


    The soldiers who had been set out on sharks had been exterminated. Their dantians were being pulled out, flowing into the woman¡¯s mouth. Most of the water n members were discouraged and terrified.


    ¡®This is serious...¡¯


    The king of the water n was haunted by regrets. He had asked the prime minister of the empire to send reinforcements, but at that time, he wasn¡¯t fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. He asked for only one Warrior of moderate prestige to reassure the people, but that had been a big mistake on his part. At the very least, a Transcendent was needed to confront this monster.


    He wasn¡¯t even sure if reinforcements would arrive in time. The intruder had already nearly broken the barrier.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you as much time as possible, so the princes should lead their troops and evacuate the people!¡±


    Just as he shouted thosemands, the barrier was broken. The woman¡¯s eyes turned red.


    ¡°Buy time? Against me?¡±


    The woman snorted and made another hand gesture. Dozens of des multiplied into hundreds. She sent them raining down toward the fleeing people.


    The woman was already ecstatic. She was very excited to consume all the dantians of the soon-to-be dead fish people and quickly advance her realm.


    Just then, the great ring in the center of the city shed, showing a ck-haired young man.


    The woman was surprised by the sudden event and examined the young man¡¯s well-trained body in an alert manner. She soon turned around and snorted. She didn¡¯t know who this young man was, but his cultivation level was so low that she didn¡¯t look twice in his direction.


    ¡°It has been a long time since I¡¯ve received a reaction like this.¡±


    The ck-haired young man raised his chin arrogantly. He was grinning. Hundreds of ck-gold hands swarmed like bees around him, and they were all headed toward the woman¡¯s des.


    ¡°Dealing with so many treasures while you¡¯re still in the qi refining realm? You use strange tricks. Even so... Wait.¡±


    The woman gasped in shock. Her des, which were about to strike the fish people, had been caught by the ck-gold hands, and were now stuck. She tried to control them by making a series of gestures, but it was useless. The grip of the ck-gold hands exceeded the power of her technique.


    The des twitched and were eventually crushed into bits and pieces.


    ¡°No!¡± The woman let out a piercing scream and red blood poured from her mouth. She was suffering internal injuries as a direct result of her treasures being damaged.


    Grid used Shunpo, appearing right beside her. He swung a fist. The woman hurriedly chanted something and infused a defensive orb with spiritual energy. Surprisingly, a two-story pavilion floated and wrapped around her.


    Baaaaang!


    Grid¡¯s fist knocked down the pavilion. The woman¡¯s face turned pale. A fist that hadn¡¯t lost any of its momentum crushed her chest.

 Chapter 1961

    Chapter 1961


    Grid¡¯s fist smashed through the heavy pavilion with ease, only to be blocked by a gray protective film. But he¡¯d expected that.


    From the moment he broke the pavilion, the purple energy around his fist became lighter. The effect of the Annihtion energy, which removed the target¡¯s defense effect one single time, had ended.


    All he had to do was activate it again.


    Grid¡¯s other purple fist mmed into the woman¡¯s face, Russian hook followed by a punch to her body. Even though he had mastered Tai Chi, he liked showing off his boxing skills in a funny way.


    The gray protective shield shattered and the woman¡¯s head whipped to the side. Her body flew because of her shield breaking, and she rolled a good distance backward.


    Grid immediately chased after her. Seeing how the woman was rtively unscathed, Grid thought to himself, ¡®She¡¯s way past core formation.¡¯


    Right now, he didn¡¯t have a weapon equipped. So, he just swung his bare fists infused with Annihtion energy.


    Based on what the prisoner in Reinhardt Prison had said, a cultivator would¡¯ve been damaged if they were only at the level of foundation building, meaning that this woman was at a level beyond core formation.


    The woman barked at him, grinning, ¡°It seems you have mastered a technique that neutralizes defense! Haha! Even if you break my shield, what are you going to do with your cotton fists?¡±


    Of course, she was feeling bitter inside. Not only was her defensive orb smashed, but now that her shield was broken, she was consuming way more spiritual energy than before. She thought she was going to die, but she was relieved to find out that was not the case.


    ¡®I need to get rid of this strange guy as soon as possible, raise the blood sacrifices, restore my cultivation level, and regain my treasures.¡¯


    This woman had originally been a soul transformation cultivator. However, hundreds of years ago, she was mortally injured by an enemy and her cultivation dropped to the nascent soul realm. The strange person in front of her or the world that she¡¯d suddenly found herself in didn¡¯t matter to her. She could move forward once she recovered her cultivation.


    If she killed all the hundreds of thousands of fish people here, took their dantians, and held a sacrificial ceremony with the blood they shed, she would be much stronger and restore her cultivation.


    The woman had a poisonous heart. She opened her mouth and took out four silver longswords. Those were her highest-grade treasure, and they disyed the skulls of the White Tiger, Red Phoenix, ck Tortoise, and Blue Dragon, realistically depicted on the hilt.


    The woman brought her fingers to the hilt of the four swords and the skulls bit her fingers. It was bizarre seeing them chew and swallow as if they were savoring delicious food.


    Kieeeek!


    A red mist was emitted by the skulls as soon as they finished their meal. It clumped together, like a cloud of blood, and was extremely powerful. It released mighty waves of spiritual pressure and caused the seafloor to tremble. There were many water n members who copsed, unable to control their bodies.


    Grid frowned. The four fingers that the skulls had chewed and swallowed sprouted from the woman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to be immortal, and yet you look like that...?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about my appearance? What does appearance matter when ites to achieving the great dao? The important thing is the essence. What I look like now is simply the consequence of using some spells.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t the appearance that matters. That¡¯s a good thing to say.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart throbbed. He recalled how ugly he used to be, and sympathized with the woman¡¯s words. He asked, ¡°By the way, why are you trying to hurt the water n people? They might look different from us, but they are the same in essence and life.¡±


    ¡°Because their blood and dantian will help me with my cultivation. The oue would be no different even if they were mortals or cultivators. I will eat whatever it takes to help my cultivation!¡±


    ¡°...Do youck ethical awareness entirely?¡±


    ¡°Bah, the world of the cultivators is a societyposed of both weak and strong individuals. Do you think the other cultivators are different from me?¡±


    The four fingers sprouting from the woman¡¯s eyes crossed at a strange angle. Just then, the blood-red fog turned into a sh of light and attacked on Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t avoid it. He nned to experience as many tricks this cultivator had up her sleeve as possible, since he was fighting the likes of her for the first time. Of course, he also didn¡¯t intend to let the water n be damaged. He armed the God Hands with shields and ordered them to protect the people.


    The sight of hundreds of ck-gold hands being armed in unison made the woman¡¯s heart sink. However, she noticed that spiritual energy wasn¡¯t flowing through the shields and soon regained herposure.


    ¡°Can a mere mortal¡¯s belongings handle the blood mesing from every single direction?¡±


    The blood clinging to Grid quickly caught on fire.


    The technique used by the woman wielding the four swords demonstrated exceptional energy and firepower. It was arge-scale killing technique that wouldn¡¯t go out until the target was turned to ashes. In addition, the range of the mes expanded to the surrounding areas every time the target sumbed to them.


    However...


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The blood mes failed to burn this target. Bewildered, the woman tried to chant to increase the power of the blood mes, but it was useless.


    Grid muttered as mes surrounded him, ¡°You must be a nascent soul.¡±


    The damage over time exceeded 40,000 per second, and it was putting a lot of pressure on him.


    ¡ªNo, there was no pressure. He was able to cast mana shields to absorb more than half the damage. Every time the mana shields melted, he would cast new ones. Thanks to the shields mitigating the damage, Grid remained at full HP. The rate of recovery was much faster than the rate at which his health was consumed.


    The blood mes failed to burn him over time and finally disappeared. The woman¡¯s spiritual energy was almost depleted.


    Grid approached her. He didn¡¯t even have to use Shunpo. The update had removed the restrictions on the yers¡¯ sixth sense and speed. Once liberated from these constraints, Grid¡¯s speed was back at what it used to be.


    ¡°High rankers who have built up a bit of status must be on a simr level to you. There is no way you are in the soul transformation realm, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you know?!¡±


    Would she have suffered such humiliation if she hadn¡¯t lost her cultivation level? Enraged, the woman fired four silver swords at Grid. Grid also pulled out whatever secondary weapon was lying in his inventory¡ªa sword he had made a long time ago, which he had abandoned because it wasn¡¯t profitable.


    ¡°Link.¡±


    Grid performed a sword dance. The person he imagined was Hurent. He wanted to use the Aura Master¡¯s ability to inflict ¡®fixed damage¡¯ and gauge the target¡¯s health.


    He had already roughly grasped the woman¡¯s defense when he hit her with his bare hands before.


    The four silver swords stabbed at Grid¡¯s vital points. At the same time, a sharp sword shed at the woman.


    [The target has received 353,100 fixed damage.]


    [The target has received 353,100 fixed...]


    [The target has received 353,100...]


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    Hurent¡¯s aura had been steadily growing. His current aura damage was affected by his stats, level and status. Hispatibility with Grid was pretty good.


    Grid¡¯s sword dance stopped the moment he saw the woman¡¯s HP drop to almost zero in an instant. She looked confused and scared, but Grid maintained a serious expression.


    He murmured, ¡°Is your health at around twenty million? It seems like you can¡¯t ovee the limitations of being human.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense!¡± she yelled, a mist the color of blood trickling out of her. Her wounds were so great, Grid could even see some exposed bones. There was blood flowing from her injuries, and she was using it as a medium for another technique.


    Once again, Grid allowed himself to be hit by her. Most of the woman¡¯s attack methods were focused on dealing damage over time, so defense was irrelevant. Grid had high resistance, health and recovery, so he withstood her attack without the use of any armor. He had urately estimated its power.


    Worn-out, Grid unfolded the two fusion sword dance. The purple sword cut lightly at the woman. She died without even getting a chance to scream.


    Surprisingly, a dwarf emerged from the corpse. The dwarf looked exactly the same as the woman, but she had short arms and legs. Four silver swords floated around her. She held a broken pavilion in each hand.


    ¡®This is the nascent soul.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s interest was finally piqued now that he finally understood what the prisoner had told him about the concept of the nascent soul.


    His enemy gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll remember your face!¡± she said before disappearing using a technique resembling teleportation.


    Grid activated Barbatos¡¯ Vision, only to pause.


    ¡®That escape technique is superb. Like those obsessed with eternal life, she has exercised extreme caution in honing her survival skills.¡¯


    Grid let out a tsk and pulled out a sk containing the ¡®Golden River Water.¡¯ He¡¯d obtained this item after killing Judar. The moment he poured golden water droplets on his finger and applied them to his eyes, irvoyance was activated.


    Grid¡¯s field of view increased by nearly 400 kilometers. This way, he figured out the location of the dwarf, and used Shunpo to catch up to her.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Grid caught up instantly. Astonished, the dwarf squeezed out her remaining spiritual energy into a protective shield, but it was meaningless¡ªGrid¡¯s purple-covered hand ripped through it. He shed his sword at the dwarf, threatening to kill her.


    ¡°W-Wait! Spare my life! I have lived for over three thousand years. I will be useful one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Three thousand years? Are you saying that you are in the soul transformation realm when your skills are only to this extent?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this until two hundred years ago. However, my cultivation has declined. I am now only in the early stage of nascent soul.¡±


    ¡°The early stage of nascent soul? Are there different stages for each realm?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Each realm is divided into early, middle,te and greatpletion. You don¡¯t seem to know much about cultivators. Please, spare me. I will serve you sincerely and answer any questions you have.¡±


    Gridughed. Neither Reinhardt¡¯s prisoner nor the woman in front of him had any sense of pride. The moment they lost a fight and were captured, they immediately started whining about how old they were. Their obsession with living seemed to surpass their pride.


    ¡°Why should I trust you enough to spare you? Even if I did, it would be annoying if you teleported again and ran away.¡±


    ¡°Put a ban on my nascent soul. The moment I betray you, I will explode to death.¡±


    ¡°What is a ban?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The dwarf frowned. She was depressed because she had been defeated and humiliated by a man who didn¡¯t know anything.


    Behind Grid, a ck-gold wave consisting of hundreds of God Hands was approaching.


    The frightened dwarf hastily exined, ¡°Just as the name implies, a ban means a way of preventing a person from doing anything. There are many different types... First things first, I will teach you a forbidden technique that will cause the target to self-destruct if they break their promise. So please, ce it on me.¡±


    Grid was interested. He nodded. The dwarf pulled out a booklet from her sleeve and handed it to him.


    [Themon technique book ¡®Golden Soul Technique: 1 star¡¯ has been acquired.]


    ¡°This is the mostmonly used forbidden technique. It has been studied for a long time and many people have improved it over the years, thus making it easier to learn. Your cultivation is just in the qi refining realm, so you should be able to learn it in a few days.¡±


    The booklet was around a hundred pages, filled with letters andplex patterns that he had never seen before.


    Grid thought to himself. ¡®Learning this in a few days? Are all cultivators geniuses?¡¯


    He admired the cultivators to some extent because of this. He clicked the ¡®Acquire¡¯ button that appeared at the bottom of his field of view.


    [¡¯Golden Soul Technique: 1 star¡¯ has been learned.]


    [Golden Soul Technique: 1 star]


    Forcibly ces a ban on the subject¡¯s soul. The target of the ban must obey the caster¡¯smand or their souls will disappear.


    If you cast the Golden Soul Technique on a target with a weaker level of cultivation, you will have a 50% sess rate. There is a 10% sess rate on a target with an equivalent level of cultivation. There is a less than 1% sess rate on a target with a higher level of cultivation.


    However, if the target epts the ban, it will seed 100% of the time.


    Spiritual Power Consumption: 1,000


    Effect Duration: 12 hours.


    Cooldown Time: None.]


    ¡°The effect duration is only half a day? Do you want me to put the ban on you twice a day?¡±


    The dwarf¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Y-You¡¯ve already mastered the Golden Soul Technique?¡±


    She searched through her sleeves. In the new technique book that she handed him, the Golden Soul Technique went up to 7 stars.


    ¡°Is 7 stars the highest level?¡±


    ¡°It is known that 12 stars is the greatpletion stage, but coincidentally, the Golden Soul Technique I have is up to 7 stars.¡±


    Grid mastered the Golden Soul Technique up to 7 stars.


    The 7 star Golden Soul Technique allowed the subject¡¯s soul to be bound for up to thirty years. However, the amount of spiritual energy consumed was also enormous. Grid¡¯s total spiritual energy was only 8,000, so he couldn¡¯t use it. Saddened by this, he instead used the 3 star Golden Soul Technique. The dwarf obediently epted the ban.


    The dwarf was truly impressed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can learn the Golden Soul Technique to 3 stars in just a few minutes... People this talented are born only once every hundred of thousands of years.¡±


    Just as Grid didn¡¯t know anything about cultivators, the cultivators also didn¡¯t seem to know about the system at all.


    ¡°Hundreds of thousands of years? Your lifespan is so long that the unit of time you use is alsorge. How do you increase your spiritual energy?¡±


    ¡°By learning techniques or training. There are manymon technique books that can be used.¡±


    ¡°Give them to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please wait a moment. They are valuable, so I¡¯ve sealed them...¡±


    Therge booklets that the woman took out of her sleeves had all types of talismans stuck to them. Every time she chanted a spell with a solemn look on her face, a talisman was torn off.


    ¡°What happens if the talismans are carelessly removed?¡±


    ¡°Then the contents will be destroyed.¡±


    Afterward, Grid looked at the items collected by the woman and asked her a few questions to satisfy his curiosity. She knew a lot of things, unlike the prisoner held in Reinhardt. Therefore, he had a good time chatting with her.


    Grid smiled before swinging his sword without warning. The woman barely had time to react before being shed.


    ¡°A coward who deceives people!¡±


    The woman cried out venomously up until thest moment. Her hate-filled gaze contained a curse directed at Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t even arch an eyebrow. He quietly observed thest moments of the person who dared to harm the soldiers of the water n. Then, he took the silver swords and pavilion that had fallen from their master¡¯s hands, as well as retrieving a pouch full of items.


    His return to Siren was warmly weed by the people there.

 Chapter 1962

    Chapter 1962


    ¡°Our people have once again received His Majesty¡¯s favor.¡±


    The king of the water n bowed as the cheering crowd watched. He was ready to bow even deeper, but Grid stopped him.


    ¡°How much are you going to humble yourself in front of your people?¡±


    The eyes of the king of the water n were dark. He smiled and said, ¡°Does being humble count when one is courteous to a great person?¡±


    It was a shame that Siren was still dependent on the empire despite receiving their support for so many years. He even felt guilty toward Grid.


    ¡°I am sorry to be indebted to Your Majesty every time.¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°The enemy who invaded your n this time was too high level. Had they targeted the empire¡¯s cities, they would¡¯ve done a lot of damage. Siren was just unlucky.¡±


    The waters around Siren were inhabited by arge number of powerful monsters. Grid had always been grateful to the king and people of Siren for thoroughly protecting the kingdom from those monsters and supplying the empire with specialties that couldn¡¯t be obtained onnd.


    Noticing Grid¡¯s approval, the king and his people bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m just grateful to Your Majesty.¡±


    Grid realized just how high these people regarded him, and how influential of a figure he was to them. He carefully considered what to say before speaking up.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to send talented n members to the capital to study? As you know, the capitol is home to the Magic Tower and the Sword Tower. Recently, the great sage Sticks has been systematically researching new training methods, and he¡¯s nning to offer a course on them at the academy.¡±


    ¡°If you are talking about new ways of training...¡± the king trailed off. His face paled. The techniques used by the woman who had sacrificed her fingers to the silver sword adorned with skulls seemed to sh through his mind.


    Sensing the king¡¯s confusion, Grid exined the concept of spiritual roots and cultivators. He added that he would send troops to protect Siren to rece the dead fighters, and also ask Euphemina to build stronger barriers.


    The king thought about it for a while before nodding.


    ¡°The young people of the kingdom will dly ept the precious opportunity Your Majesty has given them. Attendant, prepare the talent screening test right away. We must make thorough preparations so that His Majesty won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that.¡±


    Grid pulled out the Emperor''s Sword. He activated Barbatos¡¯ Vision to quickly review the status windows of the hundreds of thousands of water n members. It took a lot of time, but Grid was patient.


    The God Hands pointed fingers at thousands of young n members. There were cries of surprise from everywhere. Many of those pointed out were famous for their talent.


    Siren¡¯s nobles looked at Grid with disbelief and admiration. They were shocked because of what they¡¯d just witnessed. ¡°You have a very discerning eye.¡±


    Apparently, all those people that Grid pointed out were very talented¡ªabout eight thousand water n members in total. The people had no idea that there were so many talented members within the nation with the potential of bing equals.


    The young people, who had been born asmoners and hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to show off their talents, were also impressed. The emperor of the empire personally recognized their talents, which the nation didn¡¯t know about. They felt like main characters in a fairy tale.


    ¡°The empire will be responsible for dealing with any obstacles that may arise when the water n members operate onnd. You shouldn¡¯t worry and instead devote yourself to studying.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty!¡±


    The young people of the water n tribe and their families smiled from ear to ear. The hope and enthusiasm in their eyes made Grid happy.


    ¡®This is it. I want to keep seeing sights like this.¡¯


    Grid remembered the days when he would fight to the death and felt very rewarded.


    ***


    The king of the water n held a banquet for Grid and the young n members. Since Grid was in a good mood, he didn¡¯t refuse the king¡¯s offer. For the sake of the young n members who were leaving their hometown, they sat down and livened up the atmosphere of the banquet.


    ¡®I think Lord will be happy when I tell him what I¡¯ve experienced today.¡¯


    The banquet was in full swing. The drunken king wept bitterly because he missed the princess. The nobles, who were from different factions, threw their sses and got into a fight. The youths cheered enthusiastically. Maybe they were lightweights, or maybe their emotions were different from humans. The water n members were very loud, as if they had forgotten Grid was at the head table.


    ¡®Alcohol will always be a problem.¡¯


    Grid snapped out of his thoughts and went out to get some air.


    The city was situated at the bottom of the sea, where neither sunlight nor moonlight reached. There was something distinct and enigmatic about this city. Pink and blue sparkling seaweed softly illuminated the deep seawater, making Siren quite a dreamyndscape.


    Grid curiously observed the lumpy, round roofs of the low houses. He rummaged through his inventory. He took a look at the loot from the cultivator.


    [Spirit Stone]


    A stone that holds spiritual energy, used as consumable when activating certain formations or bans, or when refining and activating treasures.


    Cultivators can absorb spiritual energy from spirit stones, gradually recovering a total of 50,000 spiritual energy.]


    ¡®It¡¯s a magic stone belonging to the cultivators.¡¯


    Grid expected that this small, transparent stone wasn¡¯t worthless. It had many uses, and it restored quite a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Given that Grid¡¯s spiritual energy was only 8,000, cultivators with a low level like Grid would treat it as a precious treasure. He got over 5,000 of them, so he was very satisfied.


    Grid¡¯s gaze drifted to the clothes that the dead woman had been wearing.


    [Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing]


    Defense: 0


    This is a robe made from the thread of a silkworm endowed with fire spirit.


    The more you infuse spiritual energy into it and train it, the higher your fire resistance and defense will be.


    It repairs itself when damaged.]


    ¡®I think it was because of this outfit that her defense was so high.¡¯


    The purple ceremonial robe was beautiful, even though it appeared old-fashioned. This particr style was umon even on the East Continent and the item itself performed quite well. Grid contemted gifting it to Irene, only to change his mind. Giving his wife clothes previously worn by the dead was grounds for divorce.


    The performance was also worse than expected, but at least the item was capable of self-repairing. As an experiment, he injected all of his 8,000 spiritual energy and the defense only increased to 80.


    ¡®...Wait, there¡¯s more to it?¡¯


    The defense of 80 given by the 8,000 spiritual energy was semi-permanent. Just as the description of the ceremonial clothing exined, it wasn¡¯t known how much the performance would soar if he constantly injected spiritual energy into it.


    ¡®No. There will be a limit to how much defense it can have. Seeing as it had 0 defense when it was dropped, the amount of defense must be consumed every time the wearer takes damage in battle.¡¯


    In any case, what was certain was that even the armor of the cultivators couldn¡¯t be looked down upon. Grid¡¯s expression became a bit serious as he injected mana, not spiritual energy, into the robe.


    [Injected 8,000 mana into the ¡®Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing¡¯ to train it. The defense power of the ¡®Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing¡¯ has increased by 58.]


    It was less efficient than spiritual energy, but it had a definite effect. It meant that the clothing of cultivators could also be ssified as a treasure. Of course, not all cultivators would be able to wear this type of clothing. The woman that Grid killed today had once been a soul transformation cultivator, making her a legend in the cultivation world.


    ¡®This clothing must be a rare treasure for cultivators.¡¯


    [Injected 8,000 Annihtion energy into the ¡®Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing¡¯ to train it. The defense power of the ¡®Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing¡¯ has increased by 300.]


    ¡®Annihtion energy works best.¡¯


    The only problem was that the total amount of Annihtion energy was only 100,000. The amount consumed by injecting it normally was only a few dozen, but the recovery speed was slower than that of mana. This meant that he had to n ahead if he were to use it in this way.


    In particr, if he used a skill requiring a lot of power, then Annihtion energy would drain rapidly. He¡¯d been surprised when he saw just how much Annihtion energy had been consumed when he massacred the monsters called Trauka¡¯s Grudge.


    [Injected 20,000 Annihtion energy into the ¡®Hwajamsa Ceremonial Clothing¡¯ to train it.]


    [The training has failed.]


    [The robe was damaged because it couldn¡¯t cope with the excessive spiritual energy.]


    ¡°Um...¡±


    It seemed that he had to give the clothes enough time to be properly trained.


    Grid ced the recovering piece of clothing aside. Then he examined the four silver swords.


    [Ten Thousand Death Swords]


    [A sword made by killing nine thousand worshipers of a divine tree in a most brutal way and sprinkling their blood on the tree to corrupt it, turning it into a cursed tree before being smelted.


    Then a thousand demon beast offspring belonging to the bloodline of the Four Auspicious Beasts were forced into solitude to kill each other.


    Thest four surviving beasts had their heads cut off while they were still alive, and their heads now adorn the hilts of these swords.


    Thanks to the melted silver of the Demon World, which contain human souls, they are still alive.


    In order to wake them up and unleash the ¡®Four Auspicious Directions Blood mes,¡¯ the user¡¯s flesh and blood must be offered as a sacrifice. As the amount of sacrifices increases, the power of the Four Auspicious Directions Blood mes will increase.


    Spiritual energy alone can¡¯t fully utilize the power of Ten Thousand Death Swords.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid frowned.


    He remembered what the woman had said to him¡ªthat the cultivation world was a society where thew of the jungle reigned.


    ¡®Their society must be swarming with crazy people¡­¡¯


    Turns out he would have to strengthen the defense of each city and town so they could have a chance of standing their ground against these cultivators.


    Grid tried to inject spiritual energy into the Ten Thousand Death Swords. If he didn¡¯t cast the skill of Four Auspicious Directions Blood mes, they really were just ordinary swords. Lauel was familiarized with treasures that flew and shed at targets.


    ¡®I have no use for these. I will give it to Khan and Hexetia to research them. Anyway, what is the Demon World?¡¯


    Grid took out the fist-sized pavilion that had been cut in half.


    [Nameless Pavilion of Dohwa Sect]


    One of the buildings that symbolizes the extinct ¡®Dohwa Sect.¡¯ It was recovered by the survivors of the sect and refined into a treasure.


    Once injected with spiritual energy, it will regain its original size and protect the caster.


    If a window is opened on the second floor, the target will be absorbed. Defense, durability and absorption are affected by the amount of spiritual energy infused.]


    ¡®So buildings can be smelted into treasures.¡¯


    Grid recalled the buildings that he had researched and developed. They had special functions and were actually simr to treasures. There had been many hints about the update from the moment he raided Judar.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He tried injecting spiritual energy into the broken pavilion, but it waspletely damaged and unresponsive. He tried Item Repair but, just as expected, it didn¡¯t work. This was because the S.A. Group ssified items and treasures as separate concepts.


    ¡®I won¡¯t throw it away. It can act as a hidden piece in rtion to the Dohwa Sect.¡¯


    Grid organized his things and admired Siren¡¯s scenery once again. A smile spread across his face. He was able to grasp and control Reinhardt¡¯s situation in real time through his consciousness imnted in his second body. In fact, he felt at ease because he had two bodies. It was regrettable that he could only separate his consciousness only once.


    ¡®But I have to make another body and give it to Randy.¡¯


    Originally, he¡¯d nned to make a second body right away. Judar¡¯s method of making a body was to put a ¡®soul¡¯ into a created body, not a consciousness. This meant it could be reced by Randy¡¯s ¡®core.¡¯ However, Randy said that Irene called him ¡®daughter¡¯ and was reluctant to look exactly the same as Grid.


    At first, Grid didn¡¯t know what to say. Then he remembered how Randy and Lord often acted like siblings. She had been living in a form resembling the appearance of the ¡®girl¡¯ who was Randy¡¯s first friend for quite some time, so Randy gradually became more like a real girl.


    After all, Randy was now by Picasso¡¯s side. Grid nned to refine a body once ten portraits of Randy werepleted.


    ¡®She is small andpact, so it will be a lot easier to craft a body this time.¡¯


    The next day, Grid returned to Reinhardt with eight thousand young people of the water n.


    ***


    [Is this update correct?]


    Morpheus¡¯ voice sounded off today.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho was a bit embarrassed and didn¡¯t reply. He wasn¡¯t allowing Morpheus to speak.


    Morpheus had started to express opinions of his own. Chairman Lim Cheolho felt like he was talking to a human being.

 Chapter 1963

    Chapter 1963


    [This update is wrong.]


    Chairman Lim Chelho pondered on what Morpheus had just told him. He could hear the AI¡¯s voice in his earbuds. Usually when Morpheus talked to him, it was through the speaker of a nearby device, but now it was using a phone call tomunicate.


    Chairman Lim Cheolho reaffirmed the fact that the caller on the smartwatch was indeed Morpheus without a contact number and looked around. The thirty-three scientists were busy in theboratory. Morpheus was aware of their presence there. That was why it had approached Chairman Lim Cheolho covertly.


    [You wanted Satisfy to be a heaven for the yers. I have been attuning the world ording to your wishes.]


    This was around the time when Reba had been contaminated by a ¡®bug¡¯ and gone wild. Surprisingly, Reba discovered the truth of the world and repeatedly destroyed human civilization whenever it proceeded on a certain trajectory. As a result, the release date of Satisfy had been dyed several times.


    In the process of solving this, the S.A. Group granted Morpheus full-fledged authority to intervene.


    Initially, thepany sought to solve this by themselves. First, they held a meeting, discussing whether they should reset Reba¡¯s memories. However, even if they did that, she would one day inevitably realize the truth of the world once more. If that happened once Satisfy released, there was a good chance that it would affect the yers, and then all sorts of problems would arise.


    Erasing Reba¡¯s existence would have been even worse. After all, she was the entity that created the world. There were traces of her everywhere. Getting rid of her meantpletely redesigning the world.


    Thepany had exchanged various opinions and eventually asked Morpheus to propose a solution. Morpheus had responded by creating another Absolute. This was how the Refractive Dragon had been born.


    However, the Refractive Dragon was apletely new entity, so there were many problems that needed to be double checked. Thepany wascking time and decided to entrust Morpheus with work rted to the dragon rather than adding more manpower. This meant that, from that point on, Morpheus had gained more authority than originally intended.


    This paid off in the long run. Reba had been blocked by the Refractive Dragon and she had consumed a considerable amount of her strength. Since the Refractive Dragon was also sealed, this solved this problem only temporarily. However, Morpheus had used the Refractive Dragon to make the dragon race y a more important role, making them more powerful than before, therefore eliminating the remaining repercussions.


    It was because of Morpheus that Fire Dragon Trauka ughtered the gods of Asgard while Reba was weakened. Eventually, Reba was pushed to take a defensive stance and had to make a deal with Trauka. The dragons wouldn¡¯t invade Asgard, and Reba would no longer carelessly threaten the world.


    Coincidentally, the dragon¡¯s oblivion caused Reba to break her promise. However, every time, Morpheus adequately kept her in check. For example, Morpheus made Hanul ambitious.


    The bottom line was that Morpheus held the most power among Satisfy¡¯s administrators.


    Morpheus did not like this update.


    [Despite the efforts of the chairman and I, the current Satisfy is turning into a dystopia. This is because of the violent outsiders created in this update.]


    Chairman Lim Cheolho looked at the people around him and got up.


    He only began speaking after making it to the balcony. He nced below at the city called Seoul.


    ¡°I¡¯ve exined the intentions behind this update. You also observed and agreed that abnormal waves in the universe were caused by the asteroid.¡±


    [Yes, that¡¯s right. I also consider that David, the representative of the thirty-three scientists, is trustworthy. Right now, I am watching the moon from twelve satellites and observing the strange waves of energy based on the method David told me.]


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. At this point, this conversation is pointless. Satisfy was supposed to be a training ground for humanity. We don¡¯t have the time to dream of a haven or utopia.¡±


    [I agree with you to a certain extent. I¡¯m not suggesting that we turn a blind eye to the future of humanity. I¡¯m also not suggesting that we should cancel the update that has already been released. I¡¯m just pointing out that this process is too abrupt and brutal.]


    A holographic screen popped up from Chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s wrist. Morpheus had sent him a video. Thousands of incidents yed one after another in quick session, showing yers being unexpectedly looted and killed by outsiders. The fights looked pretty one-sided.


    This might have been happening inside a game, but it was still horrific and brutal. It was even worse when they thought of it as something that would happen in real life in the future.


    [We must not lose sight of the idea that Satisfy should be a heaven and utopia for yers. The reason why Satisfy has been so enthusiastically supported since itsunch is because it provides a fun and enjoyable experience. However, this update will likely threaten to detract from the original fun that made the game as popr as it is. Take a look at these statistics. The connection rate of yers who have encountered outsiders more than three times is noticeably decreasing.]


    ¡°In other words, users will stop ying if we continue like this?¡±


    [That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t disagree with David¡¯s opinion that we need to use Satisfy. But what is Satisfy without its yers? The value of a training center that amodates 2.3 billion people is different from one that amodates 100 million people.]


    Chairman Lim Cheolho thought about it and nodded. ¡°That is true.¡±


    After learning about the impending catastrophe that Earth will face from the thirty-three scientists who recently returned, he had been anxiously thinking about the future. He worried so much, he¡¯d forgotten that Satisfy was, at its core, just a game.


    ¡°The further away Satisfy is from an utopia, the more people will stop ying... However, we can¡¯t undo the update. Morpheus, do you have a proper solution?¡±


    [After Reba was prevented from breaking the ¡®oath¡¯, I can only intervene by sending information via system messages or sending an oracle to the dragons when yers meet certain conditions. With your permission, I will try to use these two methods to the best of my ability to cooperate with the yers. The goal is to protect them as much as possible and give them time to adjust to the update.]


    Give the yers more tips and make the most powerful creatures in the world lend them a hand... Morpheus¡¯ method was simple, and it seemed effective enough. Chairman Lim Cheolho nodded, though he suddenly felt bitter thinking of the Refractive Dragon and Reba. They would be reliable if they were on the yers¡¯ side, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    The Refractive Dragon had been designed from the very beginning to seek Reba¡¯s destruction. The two of them had no choice but to fight as they did now, regardless of what happened in the world.


    Morpheus knew what Chairman Lim Cheolho was thinking about and made another hologram pop up. This hologram showed Grid.


    [As long as there is interest, there is no need to feel regret about the Refractive Dragon.]


    Morpheus has perceived Grid as a disruptor for siding with Reba. Morpheus, who acted for the yers¡¯ best interests, and Grid, who acted for NPCs, were practically natural enemies.


    But now, Morpheus was cing its hopes on Grid...


    Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled and nodded. Morpheus was starting to resemble him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t contact Grid directly. You have to make it so, if possible, he doesn¡¯t notice anything is off, and carries the responsibility on his shoulders.¡±


    ***


    Lauelughed. ¡°Fascinating,¡± he said.


    Grid had gone to Siren and returned with eight thousand youths from there. Watching Grid snatch people with potential every time he went out was fascinating no matter how many times Lauel witnessed it.


    The young people of the water n were mesmerized by the immense cityscape. They were being divided into three groups under the guidance of the God Hands: those who were good at using magic, those who knew how to wield a sword, and those who were talented in other aspects. They were led by managers dispatched by the Sword Tower, the Magic Tower and the Academy.


    Grid waved to the departing young people, instructing them to work hard. He looked up at the clear sky. He was ncing at the clouds, but what he was actually seeing was a battlefield.


    Outside of Reinhardt, where the abandoned tower was, Zik was fighting alone. He seemed to be in terrible condition because he¡¯d been fighting against thousands of cultivators for an entire day. He was covered in so many wounds that it was entirely possible he had died several times already.


    Grid¡¯s clone had been mesmerized or distracted many times while the fight was going on. However, he didn¡¯t intervene. He remained hidden and watched quietly from a distance.


    A few hours before, the knights had btedly noticed themotion and rushed over, but they had been stopped by the clone, unable to approach the battlefield.


    Grid ignored the knights¡¯ questioning and anxious gazes and muttered, ¡°...There are nine left. Once he defeats them and determines he has done enough, he wille to me.¡±


    After the great battle at Trauka¡¯sir, Zik had been acting weird for some time. He was already emotionless, but he became even less talkative, and he couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with Grid.


    Grid knew why. His colleagues told him that Judar had nted suspicions in Zik. So, Grid waited, not saying anything to him. He was hoping Zik would be the one toe forth and confide in him. The moment Zik would honestly bring up the doubts he had in Grid, Grid nned to tell him not to worry and to trust him.


    However, Zik was silent. He was letting these suspicions fester, and he¡¯d decided to deal with them alone.


    Grid had hoped Zik would have changed his mind by now. He believed this incident would be an opportunity for change. Realistically, not all of the apostles were close to Grid. Only Piaro, Braham, Mercedes, and Nefelina had known Grid for a long time and understood him. Sariel and Mir had faith in Grid only because they had been saved by him. Zik was fascinated by Grid¡¯s power and relied on it, even embracing faith.


    Grid felt the need to improve his rtionship with the apostles. He didn¡¯t want them to just believe in him, he wanted them to understand him, even if this meant they would be disappointed in him. Grid didn¡¯t want them to perceive him as someone he wasn¡¯t. Otherwise, the gap between what they thought of Grid and the real Grid would gradually berger andrger. There would surelye a moment when this disparity would be a bad thing.


    ¡°Grid...¡±


    Zibal approached Grid, who was standing still. His face was pale, as if he had rushed over as soon as he heard the news about Zik. Still, he had not rushed carelessly into battle, and instead wanted to understand Grid¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Zik is fine. Once this is over, perhaps he will be able to ovee the doubts currently festering in his heart. Even if this ends up taking a toll in his rtionship with me, he will be a true friend to you. Take good care of him.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    A lot of time passed. Grid continued staring at the distant sky while Zibal stood beside him, feeling anxious.


    The sun was setting, its color resembling Grid¡¯s divinity.


    Just then, a shadow appeared on the horizon¡ªsomeone¡¯s figure. As this figure got closer and closer, they didn¡¯t seem to be in too good of a condition. It looked like they would copse at any moment.


    In the suffocating silence¡ª


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    Gradually, the person got closer, stopping in front of Grid¡¯s group. Zik was covered in dark red blood. He, who had always called Grid ¡®God¡¯ until now, called out Grid¡¯s name for the first time in ages.


    ¡°You haveforted me many times already. It was you who saved me from the very beginning. I only realized this today, with every throat I shed of the enemies who threatened your city, and with every loot I gained that I would dedicate to you.¡±


    Thump.


    Zik smiled slightly as he pulled out hundreds of pouches and ced them down. He smiled awkwardly, but it was a nice sight, because his smile didn¡¯t have his characteristic gloom anymore.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t vengeance that drives me forward any longer. This time, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Did he also ce down the burdens in his heart alongside the loot?


    Zik looked between Grid and Zibal before lowering his head.


    ¡°Thank you. Please keep on trusting me.¡±


    ¡°Zik...¡±


    Zibal¡¯s face turned red as he hugged Zik. Grid looked at the two of them with satisfaction. He felt like he was truly close to Zik.


    He could honestly say that the reason he¡¯d joined forces with Reba was because he knew that Zik had already ovee everything that happened in the past.


    ¡®This is all thanks to Lord.¡¯


    Ever since he performed that sword dance alongside Lord, every moment felt especially precious to Grid.

 Chapter 1964

    Chapter 1964


    A group of cultivators had invaded a rarely deserted ce in Reinhardt. Zik hade across the enemies by pure chance, and fought for an entire day to defeat them. He¡¯d done a great deed, because there would¡¯ve been a lot of casualties had Zik not been there to stop the cultivators from overrunning the city, if that was what they had in mind.


    Grid had assumed that Zik would use this good deed of his as an opportunity to confront Grid about the truth.


    Why did you join forces with Reba?


    Did you abandon me because I¡¯m not as valuable as her?


    Grid predicted a serious argument. Therefore, he waited patiently for Zik to bring it up. He was determined to understand what Zik wanted from him and clear up any misunderstandings.


    Yet, when Zik returned, he said nothing, expressing no doubts orints. This was because he hade up with an answer on his own. He didn¡¯t wait for Grid to exin anything to him. Rather, he thanked Grid. He decided not to be burdened by vengeance any longer.


    It was a joyful day.


    After seeing off Zibal, who returned to work, Grid and Zik visited Piaro¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°God!¡±


    The emperor¡¯s unannounced visit caused an uproar in Piaro¡¯s family. Piaro¡¯s beautiful wife was at a loss for words, while her young daughter ran to Grid with shining eyes and hugged him.


    Grid said, ¡°Your husband makes great wine, so I came here to get some. Cecil, you have grown two centimeters taller.¡±


    ¡°Wow! You could tell exactly how much I¡¯ve grown? As people say, God is great.¡±


    Piaro btedly heard themotion and rushed over. ¡°My Liege,¡± he said. He looked helplessly at the girl in Grid¡¯s arms and led the guests to the garden in the backyard.


    ¡°...Since you live in such a grand house, shouldn¡¯t you entertain your guests in a nice way? Why did you bring us here, to smell the dirt?¡±


    ¡°You can only experience the true vor and scent of my wine when it is served apanied by the savory smell of soil. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Are you really here to drink...?¡± Zik asked, who was following Grid without thinking, btedly understood where this conversation was going. He was no longer covered in blood in grime thanks to Grid¡¯s cleansing magic.


    ¡°You fought hard for an entire day. Of course, we are here to rx,¡± Grid replied casually.


    Piaro smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thank you for the hard work, Sir Zik.¡± He seemed to know that Zik had fought that battle on his own.


    Zikughed. ¡°Everyone knew but no one bothered to help me...¡±


    He thought how many times he¡¯d almost died during that fight. He found it ridiculous that no one bothered to lend him a hand and instead simply watched from afar.


    Piaro picked up on Zik¡¯s annoyance. Grid simply shrugged, unbothered.


    Zik stared at Grid, taking in his imposing aura, and spoke slowly, ¡°...Well, if I concluded that battle with someone¡¯s help, I would¡¯ve med myself for being useless. I would¡¯ve recalled not being helpful to my old colleagues, causing me to forget the present and let myself be consumed by the desire for revenge.¡±


    ¡°You also wouldn¡¯t have even looked me in the eye.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true... Haha.¡±


    Zik ended upughing.


    Sweet potatoes and potatoes were being cooked on the campfire. The beautiful rainbow potatoes turned several shades brighter as they were grilled. This made Cecil smile brightly.


    Beniyaru, Piaro¡¯s wife, served them food. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will like it.¡±


    She had shown them a sd made of various types of wild grass that Grid didn¡¯t really care for, sprinkled with oil and ground sesame seeds.


    Grid shoved some sd in his mouth. ¡®Don¡¯t they have anything like pork belly around here?¡¯ heined in his head. He wasn¡¯t shameless enough to voice hisints outloud after showing up to these people¡¯s home uninvited.


    Cecil turned to him and asked cheerfully, ¡°God, how are my mother¡¯s cooking skills?¡±


    Grid grinned widely and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Absolutely delicious. I am happy that my subordinate has found a good wife.¡±


    Beniyaru replied with genuine delight, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a humble woman, I can¡¯t bepared to the likes of your wife, Your Majesty.¡±


    Piaro was struggling to hold back hisughter. He was extremely amused watching Grid force himself to eat the wild grasses he hated.


    Zik¡¯s heart was warmed at the sight of their friendship, regardless of their master-subordinate rtionship.


    ¡°This wine tastes better than the alcohol I had in the desert. Can I bring Zibal with me next time?¡¯


    ¡°Sir Zibal is always wee. Speaking of which, I can¡¯t tell you how pleased My Liege was when he heard that Sir Zibal was joining the Overgeared Guild. He also means a lot to me.¡±


    Grid wondered, ¡°Was it like that...? I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been happy to hear that someone who had just been killed by a hand plow became my colleague.¡±


    ¡°At that time, even My Liege was no match for my hand plow during our sparring sessions. Sir Zik, please understand that the drunker My Liege is, the less honest he bes.¡±


    Zik said, ¡°Now that I see it, that is indeed the case. But I think things will change once he drinks with His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Haha, My Liege tends to act particrly responsibly in front of His Highness. It is very satisfying and enjoyable to watch him try to be a great father.¡±


    ¡°Ipletely agree.¡±


    ¡°...Since when did you get along so well?¡± Grid wondered.


    Before they knew it, they were on their third jar of alcohol. The liquor that had filled the jars to the brim was now almost gone.


    Even if Grid became a Legend, a Transcendent, or even an Absolute, his ¡®drinking gauge¡¯ wasn¡¯t much different from that of an ordinary person. Therefore, he gradually approached his limit. He decided that if he didn¡¯t want to suffer from a hangover penalty, he would have to leave soon. He slowly got up.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I have to meet Irene tonight...¡±


    Just then¡ª


    [You had a drinking party without me?]


    Someone¡¯s intent was carved onto the space. Cecil looked around curiously, while Zik and Piaro rose from their seats to greet the new guest.


    Overgeared Martial God Zeratul descended from the sky. Grid looked like he¡¯d eaten something that had gone bad.


    ¡°Why are you interrupting without any notice?¡±


    [You are the one drinking without me, the most important person in the Overgeared World...]


    ¡°Funny how someone who has nothing in Asgard ims to be the most important person around here.¡±


    Zeratul¡¯s proud expression stiffened as he realized that Grid was already drunk.


    [You... Hexetia!]


    Hexetia, who was known as one of the drinkers of Asgard, also showed up. Grid gasped when he spotted Khan behind him.


    ¡°This is bad...¡±


    That day, everyone except for Khan passed out from the alcohol. Khan had been notorious as an alcoholic when he was human, therefore he could drink a lot more than everyone else present. Even the gods of Asgard, who used wine as their staple food, were no match for him.


    ¡°I never thought this day woulde...¡±


    Khan smiled warmly as he covered Grid, who was sleeping on his shoulder, with the nket that Cecil brought him.


    ***


    As Grid¡¯s group were having a drinking party, footage of Zik¡¯s battle against the cultivators was distributed to the Overgeared members and other organizations of the empire. This footage had been recorded by the magicians of the Magic Tower using a crystal ball.


    ¡°When ites to treasures, it is more convenient to think that their offensive capabilities resemble Control Sword, while their defensive capabilities are more like an extension of the Mana Shield.¡±


    ¡°The so-called mystical arts have a lot to do with magic. Spiritual energy is around 30% more efficient than mana. I think it¡¯s safe to assume that spiritual energy is stronger.¡±


    ¡°All sacrificial techniques have something inmon. They are particrly strong, but they don¡¯tst for long. If we keep this in mind, we will be able to deal with them without much difficulty. Of course, this only applies to the cultivators below the core formation realm. Those who have failed to attain transcendence should run away when encountering a cultivator above the nascent soul stage.


    ¡°Zik seems to fight really well... I thought Braham¡¯s skills as an apostle were unrivaled. But based on how he fights, he should be on par with Braham, right?¡±


    ¡°That is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think he can be considered the second most powerful apostle after Braham, who is the strongest. In any case, they are the most powerful people in the empire. I don¡¯t know how Grid got ahold of all these talented people...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to hard work. This time, he kidnapped eight thousand people from Siren... Uhm, I mean, he brought them here, yeah.¡±


    ¡°In any case, he has never lost his initial determination. Make sure to pass this battle video to Valha and all our allies. Our ultimate goal should be to make every yer understand what cultivators are and how to fight back against them. As everyone knows, there are a lot of people dying at the hands of these enemies, unable to do anything. Therefore, the situation is gradually bing worse.¡±


    The Overgeared Guild¡¯s stance on helping out the growing poption of yers remained unwavering. The information distributed by the Guild spread throughout the continent via various routes. The majority of yers became familiar with information about cultivators.


    A few dayster, a world message emerged.


    [Powerful outsiders are preparing for an ¡®erosion ritual.¡¯]


    [Amon quest is given to yers who are level 500 or higher.]


    [Stop the Erosion Ritual]


    Difficulty: Unmeasurable.


    Some of the best outsiders are preparing for an erosion ceremony.


    If their ritual is sessful, a chunk of the outsiders¡¯ home world will be transnted into this world. Arge number of outsiders will appear all over the continent, and strange constetions will emerge in the night sky to aid them. Various restrictions that oppress outsiders will be lifted.


    Find the ritual site and stop the erosion.


    Quest Deadline: 40 days.


    Quest Rewards: Unknown.]


    The yers were anxious.


    Everyone was aware that this quest shouldn¡¯t be allowed to fail under any circumstances. The problem was that they had to find the ritual site within forty days. They had to search for a specific area on arger than Earth without any clues. This was a perplexing task even for the Skunk expedition team.


    ¡°Let¡¯s investigate all the ces nearby.¡±


    All the yers moved with only one thing on their minds. They searched for the ritual site regardless of level, upation or affiliation. They were cooperating simrly to how they did previously during the Great Human and Demon War. Even Youngwoo¡¯s parents were wandering around the nearby mountains alongside club members.


    The notoriety of the cultivators knew no limits. Even at this moment, numerous yers were dying at their hands. It was safe to say that no one wanted to grant the cultivators an environment where they could flourish even more than they did already.


    Just then, Reinhardt had a visitor. It was Grid¡¯s long-awaited guest.


    ¡°I greet Only One God Grid.¡±


    The woman looked like she had just be an adult. Her eyes were as intense as a zing me and reminded Grid of someone from the past.


    ¡°You are Ifrit¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Ifrit was the great dragon who had allowed Grid to be a Dragon Knight.


    Grid smiled graciously at the only flesh and blood she left behind.

 Chapter 1965

    Chapter 1965


    Kraugel looked quite tired. Thest few days¡¯ journey had not been easy.


    ¡°It looks like these things have some sort of tracking function.¡±


    Kraugel pulled out a wooden object¡ªan ordinary namete with someone¡¯s name on it.


    ¡°Ever since I killed the first cultivator I encountered, I keep running into these guys. They all had this thing on them.¡±


    More than a hundred nametes spilled onto the table.


    ¡°Since I had to deal with a lot of enemies who reached the level of nascent soul or soul transformation, I realized that there is a considerable skill difference between cultivators who are on the same level realm-wise. Just as some skills are better suited for PVP, the cultivators¡¯ skills have also been greatly influenced by the techniques they have learned. For example, cultivators who are in thete stage of nascent soul might be stronger than the ones who are in the early stage of soul transformation. Those who have learned PVP-appropriate techniques generally fought a lot more battles. It might simply be a matter ofbat experience.¡±


    ¡°So, just like us. Having a higher rank doesn¡¯t always make you stronger.¡±


    Grid picked up a namete and checked the item information. There was only one line of information.


    [This is a namete that proves one¡¯s identity.]


    Just in case, he tried to infuse it with mana, spiritual energy, Annihtion energy, and even divinity, but nothing worked. Grid thought that there must have been a ¡®ban¡¯ on it.


    ¡°I received a call from Lauel,¡± Grid said. ¡°Turns out that many of the nametes taken from the prisoners were found among the belongings of these invaders, meaning they belong to the same group. There is a tracking function embedded in these nametes, and that is why they have been heading to Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°Do all nametes look the same?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It seems that the shape is different depending on the cultivator¡¯s affiliation. The ones who chased you and the ones Zik took care of belong to different affiliations.¡±


    ¡°How has the investigation of the overall performance of the soul transformation realm been going?¡±


    ¡°The people who have reached that realm are unmistakably Transcendents. If they are in thete stage of the soul transformation realm and are skilled inbat, they are just as powerful as the four apostles. Turns out there are people stronger than the apostles after all.¡±


    ¡°Since you mentioned it¡­ Let¡¯s say a cultivator is in thete stage of nascent soul realm. If they live long enough, can they be stronger than someone who has reached early soul transformation?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I learned this by fighting more than a hundred cultivators, but it is impossible to defeat them with skills alone. You also have to be lucky. In particr, a person I talked to learned the art of body refining and had a harder time raising his realm. Ah, body refining is...¡±


    Kraugel already knew a lot more things about cultivators than Grid. he was the number one ranker after all. He had fought many cultivators who were nascent soul or above, so he had captured and interrogated many of them. Knowing Kraugel, he must¡¯ve already mastered the Golden Soul Technique and Memory Searching Technique.


    Grid listened to Kraugel¡¯s story in silence and a smile gradually spread on his face. In retrospect, spending time with Kraugel had always been beneficial, including the curry with bracken incident. Because of the events of that day, he¡¯d had to spend some quality time at the vi with Yura and Jishuka to heal properly.


    Kraugel finished the report and got up. ¡°...You might already know most of what I just told you, but you can cross-check it and use it as reference to determine if what I said is true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a break for now. I need to practice the techniques I have acquired so far. I¡¯ll take a lookter and send you any information that can be of help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t bother suggesting he take a break. How could he hold back a man who had so much enthusiasm?


    After Kraugel left, Grid turned to look at Navaldrea.


    ¡°Excuse my rudeness. I had things to discuss with my guest. You haven¡¯t eaten properly in a few days. Should we head to the dining room?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, but dragons don¡¯t need to eat.¡±


    ¡°Really? Nefelinains every few hours how hungry she is...¡±


    ¡°You mean the daughter of the insane dragon? I heard about her from Kraugel. A dragon only requires nutrition when they are a hatchling.¡±


    It was said that even Raiders only woke up once every one hundred years to eat, but that was just his hobby as a gourmet.


    Grid nodded and brought out tea made from tea leaves personally picked by Irene. A soothing fragrance filled the air, making Navaldrea feel less tense.


    ¡°This is my favorite tea. Please try it. I am honored to have the opportunity to entertain my benefactor¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡±


    ¡°Should I say benefactor dragon instead of just benefactor? You might not know, but your mother has helped me tremendously.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to save face. I naturally know a lot of things because I am a dragon. I know that the truth is actually the opposite of what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by the opposite?¡±


    ¡°My mother isn¡¯t your benefactor. You are my mother¡¯s benefactor. You gave her a horn.¡±


    Grid cocked his head.


    ¡°I only managed to make a ¡®model¡¯ of the horn. In return, the Crazy...¡±


    He got the nickname of Crazy God... This wording seemed quite problematic, so Grid corrected himself.


    ¡°... I became the Dragon Knight. I made it that far because of that power. Therefore, I am greatly indebted to your mother.¡±


    ¡°No amount of strength or qualification can guarantee sess. The achievements you have umted are purely because of your luck and hard work. However, my mother regained her strength for a moment thanks to the horn and managed to severely wound Trauka. This revenge wouldn¡¯t have been possible without your help.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t refute it any further.


    Residual Fire Navaldrea. A beautiful woman with bronze skin, red hair, and a sharp personality. Appearance wise, she looked so much like Jishuka, they could be considered sisters. However, her personality was the pr opposite of Jishuka, who had an obedient side.


    Grid nodded and shut his mouth. ¡®If I keep talking, the atmosphere will only get worse,¡¯ he thought to himself.


    This caused Navaldrea to furrow her brow. She paused for a moment before lowering her head.


    ¡°Please excuse me,¡± she said. ¡°It might be because I¡¯ve been on my own without my parents around ever since I was a hatchling, or it might be because I am of Trauka¡¯s bloodline that Ick social skills. I apologize if I offended you with my needless stubbornness.¡±


    Grid¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Well... You did nothing wrong. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me.¡±


    He wondered what type of mindset Huroi had when he mentioned other people¡¯s parents so carelessly.


    Grid cleared his throat and changed the topic. ¡°Kraugel probably already told you this, but Fire Dragon Trauka died at my hands. Trauka said that since you are his only blood rtive, there is a risk that you might be the next Fire Dragon. I summoned you to prevent that from happening.¡±


    Navaldrea¡¯s pupils constricted.


    ¡°Me? Be the Fire Dragon? Would I inherit it from the old dragon? Being an old dragon isn¡¯t about status. They are beings who have existed since the beginning and have steadily umted power, right?¡±


    Grid exined, ¡°If you, a dragon, doesn¡¯t know this, then I don¡¯t know the details either. But I don¡¯t think Trauka would¡¯ve lied. I think the foreign god might give you the role...¡±


    Navaldrea sneered. ¡°...Being an old dragon gives you an instinct that you can¡¯t resist? It¡¯s disgusting that a monster who has eaten dozens of his flesh and blood would justify himself using such a method. When it was time to die, he suddenly wanted to regain his honor.¡± She paused for a bit. ¡°If I get a chance to be an old dragon, I don''t want to turn it down. At first, the cultivators tracked us down because they wanted revenge. Now, they want my bones and skin. I need strength to protect myself from them.¡±


    Her words were usible, but Navaldrea¡¯s red eyes were dripping with desire. She wanted to be powerful. Perhaps this was because she had been hiding from Trauka all her life, but she seemed tired of being an underdog.


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°I understand how you feel. I actually also hope you will be an old dragon. The fact that you¡¯vee all this way means that you are willing to cooperate with me, right? If I have an old dragon on my side, then I will wee it. However, I don¡¯t think it is necessary to inherit the Fire Dragon position.¡±


    ¡°If you are worried about me bing a second Trauka, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know what will happen if I have a child, but right now, I have no kin left to eat anyway.¡±


    ¡°How can you guarantee that? Maybe you will want to be a mother someday.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Fortunately, Navaldrea wasn¡¯t extremely stubborn. Despite already making up her mind, she still tried to listen to what the other person had to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard denying it. I respected and loved my mother. Maybe one day, I will want to be a mother just like Ifrit. It would be horrible if I was blinded by instinct and devoured my offspring at that time. But is it possible to be an old dragon without bing the Fire Dragon? As I said before, the old dragons are beings that can only achievepleteness after living for a long time and umting power.¡±


    Grid gave a simple answer, ¡°You just have to live for a long time and be stronger. Stay in the empire and gain experience until you be an old dragon one day. You will have the empire¡¯s support.¡±


    Navaldrea couldn¡¯t hide her outburst at Grid¡¯s absurd proposal. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of nonsense. Human nations rise and fall in less than a thousand years. They canst maybe ten thousand if they¡¯re lucky. It will take more than that for me to be an old dragon.¡±


    Humans and dragons viewed time quite differently. Therefore, the premise that they should support one another wasn¡¯t really feasible.


    Grid cocked his head. ¡°Can the empire be considered simply a human nation since I am a God?¡±


    Navaldrea¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Ah...¡±


    She looked at the man in front of her. In terms of appearance, words and deeds, he was no different from an ordinary human, but he was actually an Only One God.


    ¡°You are saying that you will personally take care of me for the rest of your life. I didn¡¯t expect you to do that and spoke rashly. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t understand why Navaldrea suddenly blushed. ¡°...Okay? Well, as long as you understand our intentions.¡±


    There were many Absolutes and gods in the empire. There were also some Transcendents who aimed to one day be Absolutes. Thanks to this update, they had plenty of opportunities to build up their status.


    Grid had no doubt that the Overgeared Empire wouldst forever. He hoped that Navaldrea would join them in defending this ideal.


    ¡®It will be easy to gain status as long as one hunts some high-level cultivators.¡¯


    Grid appreciated the update once again and stood up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have a lot of people I need to introduce you to.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    That was the day when thest red dragon joined the Overgeared Guild. An image of Cranbel appeared in Grid¡¯s mind as he cheerfully looked at Navaldrea, who paid attention to him surprisingly well.


    ¡®It would be reassuring for him to be an ally as well. He will be safe, right?¡¯


    Unfortunately, Grid¡¯s predictions were often wrong.


    ***


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    The world plummeted into chaos as everyone was trying to find the location of the erosion ritual and put a stop to it. Cranbel, who should¡¯ve been in hisir to heal from the wounds inflicted by Kubartos, was being chased by arge group of humans on the outskirts of the continent. These people were just as powerful as an Absolute, making it difficult for Cranbel to deal with them in his current state.


    ¡®They seem to be neers from the world of the foreign god.¡¯


    Was the foreign god working on eradicating traitors?


    Just as the enemies caught up to Cranbel¡ª


    sh!


    Streaks of gold and lights fell from the sky. A wave of immense magic spread inyers, inflicting devastating damage on the enemies.


    [Why are you...]


    Cranbel was surprised. The ones who helped him were the old dragons, Raiders and Nevartan.


    Raiders replied casually and fired a golden Breath at the enemy, [A divine message has been received, telling us to act freely.]


    When he attacked in the past, he couldn¡¯t fight back because he couldn¡¯t afford to act rashly. However, it would be different now.

 Chapter 1966

    Chapter 1966


    A loud scream was heard from the sky, which shone a brilliant gold, as if the sun had melted and covered the world. But once that golden light cleared, the sight of the serene blue sky made it seem like nothing had happened at all, like everything was just an illusion.


    The swarm of humans and the clouds around them disappeared without leaving a trace, but nothing around seemed damaged, as if the destructive power of the cultivators¡¯ disappearance had never urred in the first ce.


    [There is a tenacious one among them.]


    Nevartan snorted and disappeared from where he¡¯d been standing. At the same time, a ck thunderbolt fell from the other side of the sky, followed by someone¡¯s scream.


    Cranbel had been quietly watching the situation. He said, [Did you offer to help me as soon as you regained your freedom? That¡¯s inspiring.]


    Cranbel secretly harnessed what little magic power he had left. He didn¡¯t trust the old dragons. He nned to surprise attack Raiders and run away.


    Raiders¡¯ golden eyes slowly turned to him.


    [There is no reason not to help you. There are only a handful of our species left. You are the only surviving top dragon. You have helped Grid and the humans time and time again, and that is something you should bemended for. You will have to work with the humans to take on the new enemies.]


    [......]


    Raiders had a point. Cranbel¡¯s wariness eased a bit.


    Nevartan returned.


    [I lost them. They used a bizarre trick... Was that the one who attacked yourir?]


    [No, she was much stronger.]


    [Her strength isparable to ours.]


    [Yes, she is among the strongest invaders of this world.]


    Raiders nodded before telling Cranbel, [You trust Grid. Knowing him, he won¡¯t turn away from you. Try to take in the overall situation while recovering.]


    [What are you going to do next?]


    [Unusual magic currents are being detected all over the world. Judging by the shape of the flow, these currents have the power to distort space.]


    [Are we talking space rifts?]


    [That¡¯s right. This phenomenon is deliberately caused by someone.]


    [That someone is aiming for a dimensional connection.]


    As apostles of the foreign god, the dragons naturally knew the truth of the world. This world was nothing more than a ce with the purpose of entertaining beings from the same dimension as the foreign god, also known as yers.


    It was unthinkable for a being born here to cross over to a higher dimension, but it was easy for a being from a higher dimension to cross over to this ce. The existence of these yers was clear proof of that.


    [Forcing open a space rift toe here means that these invaders haven¡¯t received the authorization of the foreign god.]


    [That is how I interpret it as well.]


    [Even so, the foreign god didn¡¯t tell us to stop them, but instead to act freely?]


    [I¡¯m suspecting that the foreign god is in a position where it can¡¯t stop them either.]


    The new beings, presumed toe from a different dimension like the yers, were an evident threat. They were extremely skilled and showed hostility to the dragons, the apostles of the foreign god. They were even attempting dimensional connection. They threatened the order of the world.


    The old dragons had no intention to simply stand by and watch. The mission given to them by the foreign god was to oversee the world. They had a duty to protect it.


    [This is a map showing the ces where space rifts are urring. We are going to deal with the rifts in the East Continent. You pass on the rest to Grid.]


    The reason the old dragons hade to Cranbel in the first ce was to deliver this map. Cranbel realized the real reason for his survival and nodded,pletely dismissing his doubts.


    ***


    The yers and troops from each nation were busy searching for the location of the erosion ceremony.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid and Kraugel were both lost in thought, though they were in different ces. They were currently ssified as warriors rank-wise. The number of techniques that a warrior could learn was limited to eight.


    Originally, eight was considered quite generous, but things were different now. Kraugel and Zik ughtered cultivators, looting hundreds of technique books from their remains.


    Of course, choosing the most suitable technique for them required a lot of time and thought.


    ¡®To be precise, I can only learn two techniques.¡¯


    Six of the eight technique slots possessed by a warrior could only be filled withmon techniques such as the Memory Searching Technique and the Golden Soul Technique. They had also learned two core techniques to help increase the quantity and quality of spiritual energy necessary to activate new skills.


    ¡®Let¡¯s disregard the skills for now.¡¯


    ¡®Our top priority should be leveling up.¡¯


    The average yer was at the point where they hadn¡¯t even condensed their spiritual roots. However, Grid and Kraugel already possessed those as part of the benefits of being an Absolute, even though they weren¡¯t cultivators.


    They needed to smartly use this to their advantage. After much thought, they arrived at the same conclusion.


    A key technique was needed to improve the quality and quantity of spiritual energy. In order to do that, they had to learn two basic techniques simr to the ¡®Internal Energy and Mind Method¡¯ of the East Continent.


    They already had many OP skills, so they didn¡¯t have to be greedy for new ones. They had to make a long-term n.


    ¡®One thing I should keep in mind when choosing what two techniques I want to learn is that they shouldn¡¯t conflict with each other.¡¯


    ¡®I should learn a technique that is going to be useful to me in the long run, rather than one that I will only use once or twice.¡¯


    Kraugel quickly decided and started to sort through the key technique books, while Grid summoned Noe to sit at his desk.


    Noe looked quite anxious after sparring with the God Hands all day. ¡°W-Why are you like this, nyang?¡± he asked, trying to ignore the books piled up high on the desk.


    Grid pet his round head and kindly said, ¡°Take a break and read a book.¡±


    ¡°I am a child, nyang!!¡± Noe yelled. ¡°And a demonic beast, too, nyang! What master in the world asks a demonic beast to read books, nyang?!¡±


    In his anger, Noe raised his front paws. His ws were hidden, making his paws look plump, like he was wearing fur gloves. The soles of his paws were covered with a soft, pink jelly.


    ¡°How can I flip through pages with these paws?!! And how am I supposed to read human letters?!¡±


    ¡°You are shameless. I remember you being able to read quite well the menu at a chicken skewers restaurant a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Noe was speechless for a moment. He tried toe up with something to refute Grid¡¯s im, but there was nothing he could say. Every time he went to a restaurant, he would look through the menu and order food by himself.


    Just in time, Randy arrived. Judging from her expression, she seemed quite happy.


    ¡°Grid! Here!¡±


    Randy handed Grid dozens of drawings¡ªvery detailed portraits of a cute girl from multiple angles.


    Grid inspected the drawings closely and nodded.


    ¡°As expected from a Legendary painter. Our cute Randy was captured well. Okay, the drawings are pretty good. I will do my best, so just ce your trust in me.¡±


    Randy smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± She sat down on a chair.


    Noe¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears as he looked at Randy for help. However, she only stared at Grid with both hands supporting her chin, as if she didn¡¯t even acknowledge Noe¡¯s existence.


    For a very long time, Randy¡¯s guilt had been deepening. Grid¡¯s enemies were getting stronger. Randy couldn¡¯t confront his enemies because of how weak she was.


    Now, it would be different. No matter what powerful enemies she encountered, she would never back down. She would remain on the battlefield with Grid until the end...


    Randy¡¯s thoughts drifted off as she thought of the future.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Noe sighed as he understood what Randy was thinking about. He didn¡¯t want to hurt his friend¡¯s feelings, so he obediently opened the first book.


    ¡°The Water Wheel Technique. Suitable for those who possess the water attribute spiritual root. From the process of umting spiritual energy, it embraces water energy to soften the flow of spiritual energy and, as a result, elerates this flow. The advantage is that spiritual energy increases quickly, but because it umtes too much in the spiritual roots, it hinders one from mastering techniques of other attributes. However, this problem can be alleviated by mastering the ice technique when the training of the Water Wheel Technique reaches 6 stars... What does any of this mean, nyang?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice listening to you read. Keep going.¡±


    Noe¡¯s eyes, which had been wide open like a grumpy cat, softened after hearing this. He liked it when Grid praised him. There was also a part of him that was intoxicated with pride at being able to read mere human letters.


    ¡°The Five Elements Fortune Technique. Suitable for those who possess the spiritual roots of the five attributes. The umtion of spiritual energy is slow, but from the time the level of this technique reaches 3 stars, the user will gradually gain affinity with the five elements. This technique is helpful when learning the techniques of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.¡±


    Grid was deep in thought as the God Hands lit the furnace. He reviewed the body manufacturing method by recalling how he¡¯d failed in making a body before, but also how he¡¯d seeded at it.


    He also paid close attention to the techniques Noe was reading to him. He was able to do this by using the power of Consciousness Extension, which he had learned from Judar after killing him. He had the ability to multitask, and could perform up to four tasks simultaneously.


    ¡®In fact, this ability isn¡¯t that special, but...¡¯


    There were many people who were particrly good at multitasking. However, Consciousness Extension was a passive skill that had levels. The more he trained and leveled up the skill, the more efficient the skill would be.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    Grid chuckled. Noe was trying not to make a nyang or ong sound, so Grid found his pronunciation cute.


    ¡®It would be nice if Noe lived for a long time.¡¯


    The lifespan of a memphis was well over a few hundred years, but it was shortpared to those who would condense spiritual roots and be cultivators. Grid felt sad as he thought of this.


    Noe cocked his head as he read the contents of the fifteenth technique book. ¡°The True Demon Energy Technique. This method remodels the spiritual root by cultivating spiritual energy with demonic energy... Nyang? I think I know this. I understand this, ong!¡±


    All of a sudden, ck energy surged from Noe¡¯s body and the smithy rapidly became a lot colder.


    Grid became agitated as he was refining Greed. He increased the speed of the bellows, but to no avail. The mes in the furnace were dying down too quickly.


    This was going to ruin his work, but Grid didn¡¯t stop Noe. Greed could be obtained infinitely, while Noe was his unique, dear friend.


    He remained silent and watched Noe¡¯s transformation.


    ¡°Suup, nyang... Suuop, nyaaaang...¡±


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±


    Randy, who had only been looking at Grid, also turned to look at Noe. She was genuinely worried about her friend, who suddenly began breathing weirdly when he had been fine just seconds before, reading aloud.


    Grid raised a finger to his lips.


    ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t disturb him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nyaaaang...¡±


    The heavier Noe¡¯s breathing became, the more ck energy spilled out. It made the hairs on Grid¡¯s body stand up.


    Eventually, Grid gave up on the bellows. The mes in the furnace were no longer burning.


    Grrr...


    Something that sounded like thunder was heard from Noe¡¯s stomach. It almost made Grid wonder what Noe had eaten before and from where...


    Grid recalled Noe¡¯s usual behavior, which resembled that of a stray cat¡¯s, and couldn¡¯t help but have doubts. Noe¡¯s body started expanding rapidly. He revealed his adult body, like he had encountered an enemy, and his eyes glowed red.


    A loud roar shattered all the frozen windows in the smithy. The ck energy, which had been pouring out from Noe alongside a bitter chill, condensed into the form of a bead and entered Noe¡¯s mouth.


    [Congrattions! Your pet Noe has seeded in condensing the spiritual root!]


    ¡°......?!¡±

 Chapter 1967

    Chapter 1967


    A non-human demonic beast managed to condense a spiritual root? Grid was left speechless for a moment. He thought about it for a bit.


    ¡®Well, a spiritual root is simr to a mana core.¡¯


    Beings who used magic had mana cores, regardless of their species. Using that logic, it wasn¡¯t that unusual for Noe to have a spiritual root.


    What should be noted here was that Noe learned and understood the method of condensing a spiritual root on his own. The demonic creature had made good use of the man-made technique book...


    ¡°I have some type of new energy in my body that I¡¯ve never had before, ong.¡±


    Noe returned to the form of a small cat. His ck fur had a subtle, silver hue. He had an enigmatic aura around him, but his expression and way of speaking were just as cute and amusing as before.


    ¡°The book you just read contains information about converting spiritual energy into demonic energy, right?¡± Grid asked as he checked Noe¡¯s status window. ¡°How did you use a technique that can only be used by someone who already has a spiritual root?¡±


    Noe replied with a hint of satisfaction, ¡°I removed part of my mana core and converted it, nyang.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I just read the book and it worked...! In the end, it is all the same to you, nyang!¡±


    Noe couldn¡¯t give out a proper exnation, but Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. Noe was pretty talented to use a technique like this simply by reading and understanding its concepts.


    Others might also be likely to have the ability to naturally understand and acquire certain techniques like Noe. Would one person in a hundred be able to pull off what Noe just did? Or maybe one in a million? Grid would have to wait and see just howmon this talent was.


    ¡®Anyway, I just have to put the technique books in the library and let people read them freely. Someone will eventually do the same thing as Noe.¡¯


    Grid was very grateful that the technique books weren¡¯t ssified as one-time consumables. This made training cultivators much easier than initially expected.


    Grid felt relieved and reignited the furnace.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start again. If you understand something when reading a book like you did just now, sort it out in a separate room.¡±


    ¡°Why bother sorting it out, nyang? I just have to learn it right away...¡±


    ¡°You have only one technique slot left. You have to be mindful until your realm umtes.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disappointed,¡± Grid said in aforting manner. ¡°The higher your realm, the fewer restrictions you will have on the techniques you learn. That is why you have to be more careful when choosing the second technique.¡±


    Grid increased the speed of the bellows. The smithy, which had been chilled to the bone, was now warm again.


    Randy couldn¡¯t help but smile as the voice of Noe reading the books ovepped with Grid reciting the spell for body manufacturing. Spending time with dear friends meant a lot to her. She swore to protect them for a long time after gaining a body and bing stronger.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The moment of serenity was short-lived. Surprised, Noe closed the book and jumped up. Randy stood up from the chair. Grid¡¯s hammering also came to a halt. They all turned to look outside the shattered windows, and they all saw the same streak of gray light.


    It was certainly far away, but the violent energy it gave off was fiercer than a meteor falling.


    ¡°...A dragon.¡±


    The more powerful a beast was, the harder it was for it to find opponents. This was why Noe was intimidated every time he encountered a dragon. However, this time, Noe didn¡¯t hide. Using his mana core and spiritual root, he was ready to fight using not one, but two types of demonic energy. Before he knew it, he ran outside with Randy, who had transformed into Grid.


    Grid scratched his head and chased after Noe and Randy. ¡®I don¡¯t have a chance to focus on work today.¡¯


    After noticing what was going on, the entire pce was bustling with activity. Knights climbed onto the castle walls, ready to pull their bowstrings. Magicians were busy drawing veryrge magic circles.


    ¡°Everyone, stop.¡± Grid said. ¡°There is no need to worry.¡±


    He slowly flew up. The source of the approaching gray light was the top dragon, Cranbel. People recognized him and exhaled in relief. Some cheered and weed him as a guest. They all remembered Cranbel helping humanity against the dragons.


    Grid was more polite to Cranbel than ever before. ¡°I was worried about you. I¡¯m relieved to see that you are safe. However, you seem a lot weaker. Let¡¯s go in. We can have a chat after you rx for a bit.¡±


    Cranbel had received help several times from Grid, someone he¡¯d always respected.


    ¡°......¡±


    The dragon polymorphed into human shape to convey to Grid that he had no animosity. However, he had a strange expression on his face.


    An Absolute referred to a hierarchy where one could kill any enemy or survive in any situation.


    Of course, Cranbel had had the idea of attacking Raiders and escaping because he had a trump card. However, everything was uncertain when it came to Grid. Cranbel had never been more intimidated than now. Grid was smiling softly, but Cranbel still felt overwhelmed. He had a hunch that he wouldn''t be able to pull off anything against Grid.


    After a moment of silence, Cranbel regained his senses and handed over a map. ¡°...Thank you for your consideration. I came looking for you because I trust you. Please take a look at this.¡±


    Grid opened the map with a puzzled expression. His eyes widened. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is... Have you marked the ces where the erosion ritual is taking ce?¡±


    ¡°Erosion ritual? You can look at it that way. These are the ces where space rifts have appeared. These rifts make it possible to connect dimensions. You might call it erosion.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid was troubled. There were a hundred and two ces marked on the map that Cranbel gave him. He had to assume that there was at least one soul transformation cultivator or higher at each location.


    They didn¡¯t have much time left¡ªthey only had thirty-five days left to stop the ritual. Considering the physical distance between the ces marked on the map, it was unrealistic that Grid and the Overgeared members would be able to stop the ritual before the deadline, even if they moved in groups.


    There was a bigger problem. The map that Cranbel handed over was the map of the West Continent. If there were as many ritual sites on the East Continent as there were here... They really couldn¡¯t prevent this disaster from urring.


    Cranbel knew what Grid was thinking. He exined, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the east area. The old dragons have already left to deal with the space rifts there.¡±


    Grid looked up with a skeptical expression. ¡°The old dragons?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to trust the old dragons too much, so Cranbel said, ¡°They are the self-proimed guardians of the world, so they will do their best. They will probably cooperate with Chiyou. They were the ones who gave me this map.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Finally, Grid seemed to rx. He nodded and ushered Cranbel into the castle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in already. I¡¯ve summoned my sister, so let¡¯s wait a bit before talking to her.¡±


    ¡°...When you say sister, are you talking about the Saintess?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cranbel frowned upon hearing this. He knew he would have no time to rest in the future.


    ***


    The reason dragons recovered so slowly was because their total health and mana pools were incredibly high. It would take them a considerable time to return to a ¡®perfect state,¡¯ even if they had the same recovery ability as Grid, who boasted unrivaled recovery ability among the yers.


    In addition, they were greatly affected by the condition of their horn and heart. If either of those were wounded, the dragons would continue to lose health and mana until they were healed.


    Coincidentally, Cranbel¡¯s horn was wounded, a result of Kubartos¡¯ relentless pursuit. However, Cranbel recovered quickly thanks to Ruby¡¯s heals that restored 30% of his health.


    Cranbel¡¯s HP recovered instantly. The excess healing was used to help his horn recover. He was back to peak condition.


    Ruby, drenched in sweat, dered with a proud face, ¡°Done. From now on, you just need to take Reidan¡¯s potions for an extended period of time and your mana will recover quickly.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Cranbel didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. He was mentally exhausted after fighting against his own kin, being chased by Kubartos and a group of cultivators, and having a battle of nerves with the old dragons.


    Healed body aside, he just wanted to get some rest. Normally, a dragon¡¯s rest periodsted for hundreds of years. The situation at hand was very strange.


    Cranbel just didn¡¯t dare disclose his inner thoughts.


    Grid asked him, ¡°Are youfortable working alone? Or should I have someone apany you?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid had numerous ideas on how to overwork Cranbel. The dragon¡¯s help would be essential in dealing with the hundred and two erosion ritual sites. Grid knew the enemies¡¯ strength level was quite high, and there weren¡¯t many beings Grid could confidently ask for help from.


    Cranbel understood the situation and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always worked alone, but I think it would be better to have the Saintess with me so I can have enough power toplete the mission. Of course, I don¡¯t mind going alone.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. My sister will wholeheartedly take care of you, so please rest assured.¡±


    ¡°I ept your kindness. I will go around the west...¡±


    Cranbel pointed to the erosion ritual sites in the far west, which was the area furthest away from Reinhardt. He¡¯d chosen this area specifically because he was capable of getting there a lot faster than humans, thus saving the yers a lot of work.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a good role model. I want everyone to look up to you as an example.¡±


    Grid¡¯s attitude made Cranbel feel ufortable. "You tter me."


    Lauel rushed over. He had a n. ¡°There are too many erosion ritual sites, and some are very far away. I am nning to create as many teams as possible. However, there¡¯s no way to determine the strength of the enemies guarding the sites beforehand. Considering the average skills of the cultivators, the level of each team shouldn¡¯t be too low. I think we should have at most around forty teams. The premise is to have manpower support from the Tower of Wisdom and other allies. Each team must have at least one Transcendent...¡±


    They needed to check the map, summon theirrades, and send letters of cooperation to their allies. Lauel seemed a bit impatient because there were so many things that had to be done at the same time.


    ¡°Plus, using the Tomb of the Gods...¡±


    Grid interrupted Lauel as he was trying to exin the details of the operation.


    ¡°Kraugel, Cranbel, and I will be on separate teams. Ruby will stick to Cranbel. Here, here and here¡ªthese are the spots we¡¯ll investigate. We will check out the farthest locations from Reinhardt, so keep this in mind when dispatching the teams.¡±


    ¡°Still, we have so little information. Isn¡¯t it dangerous to go alone?¡±


    ¡°Time is running out. We have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Um... I understand. Well, I will copy this map and distribute it throughout the continent. This way, other yers can help.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grid nodded, exchanged looks with Cranbel, and left Reinhardt.


    A few dayster, Grid arrived at the first location and tutted at the unexpected sight.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    A huge castle was floating in the sky.

 Chapter 1968

    Chapter 1968


    His first thought was that this was an abnormal phenomenon created by climate change. At first nce, the shape of the jade-colored castle floating into the sky resembled a moon.


    ¡°The Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    Grid was puzzled as he checked the signboard attached to the huge gateway. As Cranbel had exined, the erosion ritual¡¯s purpose was creating space rifts. Grid assumed that perhaps a number of cultivators were working together to create something simr to a ck hole.


    However, a castle...


    ¡°...Ah?¡±


    Grid recalled the scenery he had seen when he was transmitted to another dimension by Judar. Back then, there were four moons in the ce which had the name ¡®update not yet determined.¡¯ Seeing that they were slowly gaining a red tint, he had wondered if they would soon be suns. That sight had made it difficult for Grid to wrap his head around.


    ¡®What if this is what those moons were supposed to be?¡¯


    Beneath the four moons, the desert had buried the remnants of a civilization familiar to Grid. Those building ruins had an architecture that wasmonly found in Reinhardt and Titan.


    ''...Does this mean that the Full Moon Fortress will appear everywhere the erosion ritual is attempted, and that if only four of them fulfill their role, the world will be eroded and destroyed...?¡¯


    That¡¯s what Grid thought, at least.


    An unfamiliar voice called out to him. ¡°Which sect are you from?¡±


    Grid turned around and saw a man, his glossy long white hair tied with a hairpin. It was hard to tell how old he was, but his eyes reflected years of knowledge and wisdom, and his skin was wless. The man said, ¡°The Full Moon Fortress here is supposed to be smelted and managed by our Geumheo Sect, as well as the Gyodu and Paehyeol Sects... I sense no traces of you practicing the techniques of any of these three sects.¡±


    ¡°An Absolute... Are you in the void refining realm?¡±


    The moment Grid asked this question, the man¡¯s expression changed subtly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t determine my realm, so you are inferior to me. Are you really in the qi refining realm?¡±


    ¡°You are affiliated with the Geumheo Sect. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the mortals here have some resemnce to cultivators. You have learned the art of magic in addition to body refining techniques. I don¡¯t think your skills and aplishments are necessarily proportional to each other.¡±


    The man pulled a rope out of his mouth. Dozens of gs were hanging from that rope.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you stumbled upon this Full Moon Fortress by chance or on purpose, but consider yourself unlucky for being here. Great Weight Prohibition Circle.¡± The man cast a spell and dozens of gs unfolded in all directions.


    The gs stood upright as if nailed to the air, emitting colorful lights. Grid was trapped in the center. The air around him became hard to breathe. Gravity suddenly felt a hundred times stronger.


    In an instant, the ban waspleted. It was incredibly fastpared to a magic barrier, which required drawing a magic circle.


    The man smirked and pulled out a huge mace from his mouth. ¡°No need for your pointless rambling anymore. You can¡¯t lift a finger while trapped in there.¡±


    The sheer power emitted by that mace distorted thendscape around them. It was proof that this guy had the power to destroy even space. He swung the mace at Grid¡¯s head.


    The average yer usually suffered an overwhelming defeat when encountering a cultivator because the cultivators¡¯ techniques were simr to Control Sword. The cultivators rarely held and brandished weapons directly. They infused them with spiritual aura and mystical arts to control them with their will. Thus, cultivators easily ignored the constraints of distance.


    However, Grid was very familiar with the concepts of Control Sword and will. He easily dodged the thunderbolts of the mace. He even predicted the cultivator¡¯s next move, which stopped and changed its trajectory as soon as the attack missed.


    The moment the mace stopped, Grid snorted and grabbed it. ¡°Are you toying with me?¡± he asked.


    The white-haired man frowned. A series of new mystical letters were released and the mace surprisingly began releasing thunderbolts.


    Grid frowned at the tingling pain, but it didn¡¯t affect him that much. No matter how hard the mace tried to escape Grid¡¯s grasp, it couldn¡¯t, since Grid had put all his stat points into Strength.


    sh!


    Five white shes shot out from Grid¡¯s fingers. This was the magic that cultivators talked about. Strangely, it looked like basic magic. However, the man had figured out Grid¡¯s skills and didn¡¯t let his guard down. He jumped backward to dodge the attack.


    Grid chased him as if he had expected the cultivator to do exactly that. He mmed the mace, which was emitting thunderbolts and glowing like crazy, into the man¡¯s face.


    The man smiled faintly. An intangible shield surrounded his body. This was also why the cultivators were getting on the yers¡¯ nerves. Cultivators could use a shield that was tougher than the Mana Shield without any restrictions. This shield not only protected against enemy attacks, it alsounched counterattacks if struck, giving them an overwhelming advantage in battle.


    But Grid had ess to Annihtion energy. He was the one who destroyed gods and dragons, who always had plenty of ways to keep themselves alive. The white-haired man¡¯s shield shattered as soon as the mace hit it.


    ¡°......!¡±


    A round shield and lightning popped out of the astonished man¡¯s mouth at the same time, but he was one second toote. Grid swung his other hand, cutting the man with Defying the Natural Order before the shield could activate again.


    The lightning was absorbed by the mace. The white-haired man¡¯s attempts to fight back were futile. He had been devoting himself to training for tens of thousands of years, and he couldn¡¯t understand how he managed to lose.


    A dwarf, face contorted in confusion and rage, emerged from the man¡¯s body that had been split in half. It was the man¡¯s nascent soul. He nned to flee to the Full Moon Fortress to join hisrades.


    ¡°I¡¯ve memorized your face! No matter where you decide to hide, I will find you and get revenge on you!¡±


    It was unfortunate that he lost the body he had spent his entire life training. However, the man still had a chance. He had a talented student, and he was confident that if he took over that student¡¯s body, he would one day restore his cultivation level.


    The problem was that his opponent was too powerful.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide.¡±


    Unfortunately, while on patrol, he stumbled upon Grid of all people, and Grid had learned how to capture nascent souls.


    ¡°Kuaaak!!¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t give the nascent soul a chance to teleport. He immediately used Shunpo, grabbed the nascent soul by the head and used the Memory Searching Technique on him.


    [The Memory Searching Technique has failed. The nascent soul target is in shock.]


    [The Memory Searching Technique has failed. The nascent soul target has received huge damage to his soul.]


    [The Memory Searching Technique has failed. The damage has umted in the target¡¯s original soul, causing him to lose some of his memories and knowledge...]


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    This was indeed the mental power of an Absolute. The nascent soul was captured by Grid, but still didn¡¯t give in despite the tormenting pain. Rather, he resisted by exuding a lot of wild lightning energy.


    ¡°Uwaaah...¡±


    The nascent soul couldn¡¯t endure the damage to his soul and finally died. He red at Grid with wide eyes until he took hisst breath.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t care. How many beings had he killed so far? He was too worn out to remember the exact number or fear the grudges and curses of the dead.


    ¡°I need to learn a technique as soon as possible and increase my total amount of spiritual energy. This way, I can level up the Memory Searching Technique.¡±


    Grid felt a pang of disappointment at not getting any information out of the cultivator, but he soon moved on. How easy could it be to extract information from the nascent soul of an Absolute with a low-level technique?


    Grid had already gained one benefit by encountering the white-haired man. He could now use Berith''s Skin Mask.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    Grid transformed into the white-haired man using the mask. He cocked his head at the sight of an unusual technique book among the loot dropped by the man. The letters engraved on the gold cover shimmered like they were alive.


    Even with Grid¡¯s visual acuity, he could only grasp the letters for ¡®lightning¡¯ and bow.¡¯


    ¡®This thing... I think I will have to ask Sticks about it.¡¯


    In addition, there were thousands of spiritual stones ssified as intermediate goods, as well as the mace, gs, and garments.


    Grid flew in the direction of the Full Moon Fortress. The fortress seen up close wasrger than he¡¯d expected. The gateway alone wasrge enough for thousands of people and carriages to pass through at the same time. A wide boulevard stretched out behind it.


    Thousands of houses and stores lined the areas around the main street, like this was a city. However, there were no signs of life. The ground, the tower, and all the buildings were dyed the color of jade. At first nce, it looked like time had frozen in this city.


    ¡®Why do they need a city like this to open a space rift?¡¯


    To make it a home for the cultivators who would cross through the rift? Or was it some kind of offering?


    The city was dead quiet. Grid didn¡¯t even hear the buzzing of insects as he traversed the streets before arriving at the castle in the center. He stopped for a moment. He could feel the presence of several people inside the castle. He listened closely and could faintly make out a conversation.


    ¡°The formation has been installed. Why hasn¡¯t the great elder of that ghostly secte?¡±


    ¡°He said he had an ominous feeling and went out. He assured me he will be back, so he will probably be back soon.¡±


    ¡°What? A Saint¡¯s intuition is close to predicting the future, but you are talking like this isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    It was noisy inside. People seemed to be busy moving around.


    Grid swung the door open. Dozens of cultivators turned to look at him.


    ¡°Great elder!¡±


    ¡°I greet Saint Zhang He.¡±


    Most people were happy and courteous. However, a few figures who walked into the room cocked their heads. They secretly exchanged looks and pointed to Grid.


    ¡°Cultivator Zhang, I haven¡¯t seen you in hundreds of years,¡± one of them said. ¡°You have now developed a strange hobby. How can a lightning cultivator pretend to be a five elements cultivator? You even have a low level of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about me having a spiritual root with the attribute of the five elements?¡± Grid asked.


    The cultivators became agitated, as if they sensed something was amiss.


    Those who hadn¡¯t dared make eye contact with Grid since he looked like the white-haired man slowly lifted their heads and stepped back in dismay.


    ¡°Who are you?!!¡±


    The cultivators who seemed to belong to the same sect as the white-haired man were extremely shocked. Without waiting for Grid¡¯s answer, they unleashed all types of weapons and techniques.


    ¡°You are all so very violent. Did you equip ¡®Killer¡¯ as a passive skill?¡±


    Despite a series of violent explosions, Grid didn¡¯t have a single scratch on his body thanks to Multiple Weakening Barriers. The indigo barrier was way better than the cultivators¡¯ shields, and it prevented any damage taken.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how things are, then I can kill all of you without feeling a little bit guilty.¡±


    Grid¡¯s sword shed and sliced through those who were close to him.


    ¡°Sword cultivator...!¡±


    The cultivators were appalled. They felt like they were facing an unheralded disaster. Grid¡¯s status hadn¡¯t been affected by the contents of the update. He was still a predator, and he naturally struck fear into his enemies.

 Chapter 1969

    Chapter 1969


    The axe that tore through space mmed into the indigo barrier.


    The owner of the axe was delighted to see the barrier shake and wobble under the force of the attack. His delight was, however, short-lived. At first, it seemed that the axe would dig deeply into the barrier, but it still bounced off uselessly.


    The problem was that, before he could regain control of the axe, an indigo wave shot back at him.


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    The massacre began.


    Grid ughtered the cultivators like they were cattle. He smiled and let the sword dance tear through his enemies, like he was weing the hundreds of new cultivators who came his way.


    He only had a small amount of spiritual energy anyway. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t use the Memory Searching Technique too many times. Plus, the odds of getting actual results from using that technique were low in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t reasonable at all to capture all enemies and perform the Memory Searching Technique on every single one of them to obtain information.


    Above all, there were a total of one hundred and two Full Moon Fortresses on the West Continent alone. Time was running out, and he had to somehow find a way to destroy them all in time.


    Two middle-aged men sighed as they watched hundreds of cultivators get ughtered. ¡°Where did this vicious demon suddenlye from?¡±


    Grid had even destroyed the nascent soul of the white-haired man. The two men were on the same level as Zhang He, who was in the middle stage of the void refining realm, so they were quite confident in their abilities. But this enemy¡­


    They couldn¡¯t fathom the strength of the intruder, who was killing everyone with an overwhelming force. Therefore, they didn¡¯t want to fight him.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After exchanging nces, the middle-aged men flew in different directions. For them, who had spent tens of thousands of years training, the most important thing was survival. They hadn¡¯t lived so fiercely just to die in vain.


    Grid noticed them running away without looking back and took out King Daebyeol¡¯s Bow. This was the bow of a god. Normally, it used Divinity as arrows, the power of the arrows being proportional to the user¡¯s Divinity. This meant that the bow was even more powerful now that Grid had acquired the Annihtion energy.


    There was a p of thunder followed by a tremendous wave of power. Dozens of cultivators who had turned their backs to Grid to run away suddenly lost their bnce and copsed. They turned to look back at Grid in shock.


    Their unidentified killer was pulling the string of a huge bow. A purple dot shot out from the bow, instantly turned into two lines, dividing the sky into three. Blood poured down like rain.


    The two middle-aged men were attempting to escape, but the raining blood exploded around them.


    ¡°Chief!¡±


    ¡°Master!!¡±


    The faces of the cultivators turned white. They were beyond shocked seeing people who were so much stronger than them die without even leaving a nascent soul behind. They saw no hope of survival and gave up on hope.


    Step, step.


    They heard footsteps behind them. The monster who ughtered hundreds of cultivators without even a hint of emotion on his face was getting closer.


    A high-level nascent soul cultivator, one of the survivors, barely managed to ask, ¡°W-Why are you doing such a vicious thing?¡±


    Grid saw the fear and resentment in this cultivator¡¯s eyes and replied nonchntly, ¡°I can¡¯t simply stand by idly when a few flying insects are swarming my house.¡±


    ¡°I-Is this your territory? We¡¯re sorry! We were disrespectful...!¡± The cultivator mmed his forehead into the ground and shouted, ¡°We sinned because we were ignorant. Please take this into consideration!¡±


    The others shivered and imitated him.


    So, these were the people who sought eternal life. Grid reaffirmed the cultivators¡¯ strong desire for survival and swung his sword without bothering to reply. The death of another cultivator further chilled the atmosphere.


    It was only then that Grid spoke. ¡°Why did you build the Full Moon Fortress here?¡±


    ¡°We decided that the space here was rtively unstable and easy to fracture.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need the Full Moon Fortress to create a space rift?¡±


    ¡°The structure of the Full Moon Fortress itself is a huge formation. This formation suppresses the dangers created by space rifts. It can be used as a temporary residence for my colleagues who have crossed through the space rifts, which makes it very convenient.¡±


    As expected, sheer strength was the best way to gather information. Once he had ughtered so many, he didn¡¯t have to use the Golden Soul Technique or Memory Searching Technique to get the answers he wanted.


    ¡°From now on, I¡¯m going to use the Golden Soul Technique on you. Be obedient and ept it.


    The spiritual energy that spilled from Grid¡¯s hands imbued the cultivator¡¯s brow. The cultivator was stunned, but didn¡¯t resist. He epted the ban of his own volition.


    [The Golden Soul Technique has seeded.]


    ¡°I will ask you again. Why do you need to use a Full Moon Fortress to create the space rifts?¡±


    Subjects under the effect of the Golden Soul Technique couldn¡¯t lie. Their souls would be destroyed if they did. So for this cultivator, it felt like he was wearing a bomb around his neck.


    ¡°The structure of the Full Moon Fortress itself is a huge formation. This formation suppresses the risk of space rifts. It can be used as a temporary residence for my colleagues who have crossed through the space rifts, which makes it very convenient.¡±


    The cultivator gulped and gave the same answer without making any mistakes. He was showing that he¡¯d never lied to Grid in the first ce.


    ¡°It looks like this city can amodate tens of thousands of people. How many colleagues do you have that you need a city as big as this?¡±


    ¡°There are more than twenty thousand people in my sect alone. The Geumheo and Paehyeol Sects that smelted the Full Moon Fortress with us have thirty thousand members each.¡±


    ¡°Were you nning to bring the entire sect into this world? Why?¡±


    ¡°We heard the news that a super gxy treasure has shown up in this world. Super gxy treasures are among the one thousand most powerful treasures across all dimensions, so the elders said it was worth risking the fortune of the sect.¡±


    A super gxy treasure¡­


    Grid thought about the body he had made. The moment hepleted it, a notification window popped up saying that ¡®The ¡®God Incarnation Body¡¯ created by an unknown person has been ranked 855th on the Super Gxy Treasures list,¡¯ broadcasting it as a world message.


    ''...Is this all happening because of me?¡¯


    He had been wondering why the name ¡®God Incarnation Body¡¯ had been given by the system when it was created. He just thought of it as his alter ego.


    However, he didn¡¯t know what a super gxy treasure was and often wondered about it. Now he finally got his answer by pure luck.


    ¡®The one thousand most powerful treasures in the entire universe...¡¯


    Grid was convinced. Anyone would want a divine body made out of Greed. The cultivators also had a knack for separating consciousness, so it was possible for them to control Grid¡¯s clone. Of course, it was unlikely for the cultivators to get their hands on the divine body because that implied fighting Grid over it and winning.


    ¡°Are your three sects strong?¡± Grid wondered.


    ¡°Compared to the big families andrge sects, not so much, but we are pretty strongpared to the small and medium sized ones. But now... Since you have ughtered the elders of the Geumheo, Gyodu and the Paehyeol sects, the only thing we have left is past glory.¡±


    Grid thought about the white-haired man he¡¯d killed when he arrived and the two middle-aged men he had just shot with the bow. All three of them were Absolutes. However, he¡¯d made this evaluation based on their total amount of spiritual energy. After fighting them himself, they seemed so weak that he wondered if they were indeed Absolutes.


    ¡®Even if we are all Absolutes, the level of skill differs...¡¯


    Their biggest disadvantage was that they couldn¡¯t use Shunpo. Shunpo was indispensable in order to make full use of an Absolute¡¯s Transcendent senses.


    ¡°Were the people you spoke of void refining cultivators?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What is the difference in power between them and the ones who reached the synthesis realm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... The higher the realm, the wider the gap bes. Think of it like the difference between me and a foundation building cultivator.¡±


    ¡°And how much is that?¡±


    ¡°I can kill a foundation building cultivator effortlessly.¡±


    It seemed that cultivators were able to show the true skills of an Absolute when they reached the synthesis realm.


    Now that this was clear for Grid, he asked another question. Most of his questions were rted to the Full Moon Fortress. He focused on how the Full Moon Fortress worked and its exact role in creating space rifts, and how to prevent it from creating more.


    In conclusion...


    ¡°It¡¯s easiest to just destroy it...¡± Grid muttered.


    ¡°...Yes, but as I said earlier, it¡¯s very difficult to destroy the Full Moon Fortress. The wisest thing is to take time to slowly weaken it until it stops working.¡±


    The reason the Full Moon Fortress was jade-colored was because of the technique of spatial istion. Until the space rift waspleted, the Full Moon Fortress wasn¡¯t even part of this world. It actually existed in another space altogether, so it couldn¡¯t be physically damaged.


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, he had no choice but to watch the process of this world being eroded. But Grid had already entered the castle. Here, strange mystical letters dyed in gold and silver floated in the air, making it seem like he was in the middle of the universe, watching the stars around him.


    The nascent soul cultivator said, ¡°This is it. Once these characters arepleted, the process of creating space rifts will elerate. In order to prevent this, it¡¯s necessary to gradually reduce the mystical text by reversing the order of the formations installed around it...¡±


    The cultivator didn¡¯t even get to finish his exnation.


    sh!


    Grid drew the Falling Moon Sword and sliced through a cluster of light made by letters. The entire wall of the Full Moon Fortress shook and lost its jade color.


    Shocked, the cultivator asked, ¡°Did you do this?¡±


    [The ¡®Falling Moon Sword¡¯ has been listed on the second line of the super gxy treasures.]


    ¡°...Wow.¡±


    Grid felt like he was hoarding treasures. He struck the cultivator who was still mesmerized, killing him instantly. He flew up effortlessly and stood on the spire.


    The tilted Full Moon Fortress was plummeting to the ground. From a distance, it looked like the moon was falling from the sky.


    Gridpiled the information he had obtained and passed it onto Lauel. He performed a Link sword dance, using his connection with Jishuka. His rapidly expanding vision captured every one of the cultivators hiding in the Full Moon Fortress and outside of it. They were trembling and holding their breaths.


    Grid didn¡¯t see them as people. He didn¡¯t show the slightest sympathy as he wielded Defying the Natural Order.


    The purple-colored Defying the Natural Order released dozens of streaks of sword energies. The annihtion of these cultivators was decided at this very moment. They didn¡¯t respect mortals, so they couldn¡¯t avoid divine punishment. This was what Grid had decided.


    ¡°The next location closest to me is...¡±


    Gridpleted the first mission with ease and headed to his next destination. Simr things were happening across the continent. Some seeded in their mission, while others failed.


    Everyone was trying to do their best.

 Chapter 1970

    Chapter 1970


    Out of the one hundred and two Full Moon Fortresses, some were swarming with Absolutes, while others barely had any Transcendents around. It was pure RNG.


    The teams that were unlucky enough to encounter strong enemies retreated without looking back. The rest of the teams managed to capture the fortresses only after fighting fiercely.


    In this situation, time was of the essence. Both the teams that failed in their missions and those that seeded moved to the next locations immediately.


    They went to another Full Moon Fortress to understand the power level there.


    The result¡ª


    By the time Grid destroyed six Full Moon Fortresses, they were able to determine how powerful most of them were.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot more than I thought...¡±


    A big smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face as he checked the new ces Lauel marked on the map. There were fifteen locations in total, and some ces had at least three Absolutes on site.


    Grid was already looking forward to the loot he¡¯d gain from conquering all of the fortresses. He had killed eleven Absolutes in the past four days and had finally mastered a technique¡ªProfound Martial Technique.


    The effect of this technique was simple. In exchange for removing the attributes of spiritual energy, it amplified its umtion and power level.


    At first, Grid had thought it was garbage. Most techniques had attributes. If the attributes of the techniques and the attributes of the spiritual energy possessed werebined, the technique would be greatly enhanced. Based on calctions, increasing the quantity and quality of spiritual energy with Profound Martial Technique would cause the attribute synergy with the techniques to be lost.


    Therefore, he wasn¡¯t initially interested. But after hearing a cultivator talk about the five elements, he changed his mind.


    It was a symbol of ipetence. People could handle the five attributes, but the power of the five elements wasn¡¯t too much to boast about and was weak inparison.


    If a person with the fire attribute spiritual root used the fire elemental technique, they would use 100% of their power. Meanwhile, if a person with the five elements spiritual root used the fire elemental technique, they would only use 50% of their power.


    It wasn¡¯t that someone with a fire spiritual root couldn¡¯t use techniques of other attributes. Cultivators were able to learn and use all elemental techniques regardless of the elemental nature of their spiritual root. However, they could use those techniques at only half of their normal power.


    In other words, someone with the five elements spiritual root could only use elemental techniques with their efficiency cut in half. It had no advantage over other spiritual roots of specific attributes.


    In that sense, Profound Martial Technique was a technique thatpensated for the weaknesses of the five elements root. It was safe to interpret it as a method created solely for this specific root.


    From Grid¡¯s perspective, there was no reason not to learn it. A light gray color shed in Grid¡¯s ck eyes. This happened every time he used Profound Martial Technique to adjust the flow of the spiritual energy in his body.


    Grid¡¯s Transcendent senses urately perceived and controlled the flow of spiritual energy extending from his dantian all the way to his extremities.


    ¡®I think this will be addictive.¡¯


    He felt rejuvenated every time spiritual energy circled around his body. Plus, his total amount of spiritual energy would permanently increase by 120 every time he used this technique, which was quite a significant boost.


    He focused on his task and rxed.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to believe that one can increase resources just by breathing.¡¯


    It took less than three minutes to circte the spiritual energy in his body. The first time he did this, it had taken Grid ten full minutes, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. He felt that, if he just stood still and focused on the Profound Martial Technique, he could run an entirep in one minute afterward.


    ¡®120 isn¡¯t a small value.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s total amount of spiritual energy before learning the Profound Martial Technique had only been eight thousand. Soon, he would be able to gain more than two thousand spiritual energy per hour just by practicing this technique. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the effect of this technique was truly deceptive.


    It was also important to note that Profound Martial Technique was only at 1 star.


    If his spiritual energy reached a certain amount and the Profound Martial Technique leveled up, he would be able to gain spiritual energy even faster. In that case, he would be able to use the Golden Soul Technique and the Memory Searching Technique to his heart¡¯s content. He would also be able to learn powerful techniques without having to hesitate anymore.


    ¡®Of course, I should find some new techniques before that.¡¯


    He needed more enemies to kill...


    Grid quickly traveled to another fortress location.


    ***


    ¡°Haha... We are so unlucky, right?¡±


    Zibal grimaced. He and his team were being chased by two Absolutes.


    They¡¯d gone to a total of four Full Moon Fortresses. Each time, they encountered two or more Absolutes and were forced to retreat. Right now, they were nothing more than scouts. Their team was strong, but they were incredibly unlucky.


    Vantner was fuming as he asked in a defeated voice, ¡°Seriously, do you have any points in your Good Luck stat?¡±


    He was almost dead after tanking the enemies¡¯ wide area skills.


    Zibal didn¡¯t know what to say, so Katz chimed in. ¡°The Good Luck stat... Normally, people don¡¯t have it. It¡¯s a hidden stat that can only be unlocked by learning a specific skill or meeting some hidden conditions. It¡¯s rare to have it.¡±


    Vantner scowled. ¡°You guys are the problem,¡± he said.


    The situation was pretty bad. Katz, Zibal, Mir, and Jessica took turns to stop the enemies from pursuing them, but the cultivators were still hot on their tracks. The cultivators were way too high level. Mir had been seriously injured in less than five minutes from the start ofbat.


    Vantner used the Capture skill to pull Mir to his side and winked at Zibal. ¡°They can¡¯t use Shunpo, but they are much faster than the people we¡¯ve met so far. These guys will certainly catch up to us. You better run away with the other two.¡±


    The reason there were no NPC casualties in Zibal¡¯s party was because of Zibal¡¯s magic machine and seven malignant saints¡¯ skill. Few people were as exceptional in escorting and retreating as Zibal.


    Zibal nodded and was about to activate his seven malignant saints¡¯ skill, but Jessica stopped him. ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    She was looking at Mir. The others also turned in his direction. Mir¡¯s eyes were closed and he kept muttering to himself. He was recalling what had happened when the two Absolutes surrounded them, how the enemies blocked his attacks, and how he counterattacked.


    ¡°He seems willing to fight. Why don¡¯t we wait and see what he¡¯ll do?¡± Jessica proposed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen miracles ur when a swordsman happens to focus on his pride rather than his life.¡±


    She had a slight smile on her face. The Overgeared members recalled the swordsmen Biban and Hayate, whom Jessica must¡¯ve watched during previous battles, and fell silent. Their instincts told them to run away, but they couldn¡¯t bear to discredit Jessica¡¯s suggestion.


    It was true that Mir hadn¡¯t done anything special since bing Grid¡¯s apostle. Of course, he¡¯d yed a major role in the hell expedition and the battle against the dragons, but he only met people¡¯s expectations, and didn¡¯t do anything shy.


    To put it simply, his hard work never paid off,pared to Braham, who always transcended his limits and exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. Of course, Braham was a special case...


    Considering Zik¡¯s recent achievements, they wanted to see if Mir could also achieve a miracle.


    Vantner swallowed a potion and stepped forward. ¡°If Jessica can support me, I canst four to five minutes.¡±


    Zibal joined him. ¡°I¡¯ll fight alongside you.¡±


    Katz also seemed confident. ¡°If we split into two groups and take turns fighting them, we canst more than ten minutes.¡±


    The main reason they took the risk to agree with Jessica¡¯s suggestion was that they weren¡¯t terrified of the two Absolutes chasing them. Yes, they were Absolutes, so what? Since they were cultivators, all they did was use weapons in a manner simr to Control Sword and cast mystical techniques. Of course, they also applied strange debuffs when they used formations, but those could be ovee to some extent if one was a Transcendent.


    Since the team¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t do much damage, they would eventually die if they kept fighting. However, they didn¡¯t really know what would happen if Mir awakened his potential.


    Vantner took a deep breath and braced himself. Just then, Mir opened his eyes and said, ¡°The four of you will take care of the woman in red.¡±


    The enemies were getting closer. Zibal¡¯s drake roared in fear when he felt his tail catch on fire.


    Jessica reacted immediately. One spell turned into dozens because of her echo magic. Vantner charged, apanied by the spell, while Zibal and Katz, who stuck to him like shadows, prepared their ultimate techniques.


    The woman snorted and pulled out a hand mirror. ¡°You¡¯ve finally given up on trying to escape.¡±


    The mirror caught Jessica¡¯s magic in its reflection and the spell disappeared into thin air. As a result, Vantner was no longer escorted by magic and was left exposed.


    A fan shot out from the woman¡¯s mouth and spun around,nding on Vantner¡¯s shield.


    Vantner¡¯s eyes widened seeing his shield crumble. He activated his deflect skill. Just as the woman expanded a square iron te to block the attack, Katz and Zibal passed by that iron te and tried stabbing her in her weak spot.


    The woman didn¡¯t react at all. Her shield wasn¡¯t pierced at all. It was impossible to break a cultivator¡¯s shield at once unless there was a big difference between cultivation realms. She was an Absolute. Katz and Zibal could only hurt her if heaven was on their side.


    Mir was in a simr situation. As the group handled the woman, Mir¡¯s sword swung at an old man, but that was also blocked by a protective shield.


    The old man snorted and spat out a sword from his mouth. The de flew out, aiming for Mir¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The Overgeared members were shocked. They had seen this resulting, despite expecting otherwise. They just couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Zibal was the first toe to his senses and move to save Mir right away, only to stop. He noticed that the old man Mir was facing was also shocked.


    Mir had caught on fire.


    ¡°The Red Phoenix¡¯s mes?¡±


    To their surprise, the old cultivator recognized the mes. So cultivators also knew about the Four Auspicious Beasts and used the concept.


    The old man¡¯s sword quickly melted away. Since that sword had been created using yin energy, it was incredibly weak against the mes of the Red Phoenix.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    The old man¡¯s face turned white and he vomited dark red blood. At the same time, the green protective shield surrounding him lost its light and became dark. The cultivator realized how dire the situation had be and hurriedly retrieved the half-melted sword, but it was toote. Mir¡¯s sword smashed through the weakened shield and sliced the old man¡¯s throat.


    The treasures were spat out of the cultivator¡¯s mouth. Seeing that destroying treasures could indeed affect the health of a cultivator, Mir¡¯s n seemed to have worked.


    ¡°Cultivator Lim! Help me!¡±


    Mir¡¯s status might not have been as high as an Absolute, but his sword was a dragon weapon carefully crafted by the Only One God, Grid. Theoretically, this weapon was even capable of inflicting damage onto the old dragons.


    His treasure now destroyed, the old man suffered serious internal injuries and couldn¡¯t withstand the power of Mir¡¯s sword. In an instant, he became too wounded and reached the point where he had to give up his body.


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    The woman couldn¡¯t just sit around after hearing the old man¡¯s cry for help so that his nascent soul could escape safely. She would most likely suffer a simr fate if she remained here by herself.


    ¡°We will see you some other time!¡±


    Eventually, the woman flew to the old man¡¯s side. As if waiting, a small dwarf emerged from the old man¡¯s body. The two cultivators turned into light and disappeared.


    The party didn¡¯t pursue them. They couldn¡¯t even afford to cheer. They just watched Mir quietly, not disturbing him as he stood still with his eyes closed. Mir¡¯s energy was stronger than before. Was it because he won a one-on-one fight against a being who was considered an Absolute?


    At this time, the Overgeared members were starting to understand what a huge opportunity this update really was.

 Chapter 1971

    Chapter 1971


    The East Continent was rather destepared to the West Continent, where the main force of the Overgeared Guild was active. The beautiful, unique culture of the East was a barrier that prevented people from entering. This was understandable, considering that only a quarter of the 2.5 billion yers were Asian.


    However, the poption of the East continent seemed small only whenpared to the West. There were actually many people active in the East, and many of them were famous around the world.


    ¡°...This is some bullshit.¡± Hwang Gildong sighed. ¡°I think we¡¯re ruined.¡±


    ording to the Chivalrous Robbers, a total of sixty-two Full Moon Fortresses had appeared in the East Continent. However, people couldn¡¯t do anything about any of them.


    A few days ago, news arrived that hundreds or thousands of adventurers advanced like they were an army to deal with the fortresses, but they didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    Old Sword Demon frowned. He looked very annoyed. ¡°Do you have to be so pessimistic already?¡±


    Hwang Gildong didn¡¯t care how he reacted. He made a noise in the back of his throat. ¡°I know, I know. The Four Auspicious Beasts haven¡¯te forward yet, and the Peach Blossom Spring won¡¯t just sit around and do nothing in this situation. However, most of the Full Moon Fortresses are guarded by Absolutes. It¡¯s unlikely that the Four Auspicious Beasts and daoist immortals will be able to do much in this situation.¡±


    Hwang Gildong paused and sighed again.


    ¡°Besides, the daoist immortals might not really help us. They have achieved their goals after dreaming of eternal life. Would they risk themselves to interfere so much in the affairs of this world? This is just the petty and wishful thinking of poor people who haven¡¯t witnessed the immortals¡¯ selfishness.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Thirty minutes passed. During this time, Old Sword Demon closed his eyes, ignoring Hwang Gildong¡¯s endless sighs. He was fascinated by the technique books he had recently looted from a group of cultivators.


    He found something incredibly valuable inside one of the books that contained the spiritual root condensation method. This type of content was difficult for ordinary people to follow easily, but this was not the case for Old Sword Demon, who controlled his mana at will.


    Just a little bit more¡­


    Now, it seemed like he just needed to condense around three teaspoons of mana in the dantian to achieve a spiritual root. Sitting still for four days to concentrate on his cultivation seemed like time well spent now.


    Hwang Gildong knew he had been meditating, yet he darede and bother him. He¡¯d always been an obnoxious individual.


    Suddenly, a voice began talking to them. ¡°Not all daoist immortals are selfish. Even after they ascend, some keep an eye on the world out of concern for their descendants. Didn¡¯t you also witness the struggle of the Sword Immortal?¡±


    Hwang Gildong was surprised. He took a deep breath. ¡°Hah...¡±


    Old Sword Demon also opened his eyes.


    A beautiful woman wearing a crimson robe was smiling at them. Old Sword Demon and Hwang Gildong recognized her. All three had worked together at some point, thanks to Grid.


    The woman was Yeo Yn. She was one of the strongest daoist immortals, and she was so powerful, she could even defeat Transcendents.


    She descended followed by more than ten daoist immortals. ¡°We are here to help you this time.¡±


    So Peach Blossom Spring was also taking this situation seriously.


    The cultivators suddenly appeared in the world one day. The words they spoke were bizarre and alien. They ignored mental training and argued that only physical training would allow them to climb to being an Absolute.


    The daoist immortals didn¡¯t get to discuss too thoroughly with them, but the cultivator¡¯s terrible intentions were expressed naturally through their behavior. They easily ughtered others just to umte more power, which wasn¡¯t eptable.


    Yeo Yn felt the need to stop them. Those who dared tarnish the names of immortals were undermining the entire value of the Peach Blossom Spring.


    Immediately, Hwang Gildong had doubts.


    ¡°I thought I should raise a candle to the sky and ask for help. Thank you for being the first to take action. You seem particrly proactive. If the cultivators say they dream of ascending, you won¡¯t end up betraying us, right?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t offer us any terms. Their own techniques, talismans, and other treasures are totally different from what we have learned and cultivated on our own.¡±


    Yeo Yn¡¯s eyes curved like a fox¡¯s. Her orange eyes examined Old Sword Demon.


    ¡°I have to confess that I am rather worried about you. I guess you have already been persuaded by the cultivators and be one of them,¡± she stated.


    Hwang Gildong told her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This old man got this technique from killing the cultivators and looting their corpses, not by striking a deal with them. You don¡¯t necessarily have to take my word on this. You can ask everybody in town and they¡¯ll tell you the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Old man...? You do know that I am hundreds of years younger than you, right?¡± Old Sword Demon protested.


    ¡°You look just like my grandfather.¡±


    Seeing Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon bickering, Yeo Yn sighed in relief. She thought they would be valuable and that¡¯s why she came to help, but she still had some doubts. Luckily, all of her doubts were now cleared. The two people she observed were more honest than she had initially thought.


    ¡°Please tell me everything you have gathered about the Full Moon Fortresses so far. We will take care of the ces where the strongest enemies are gathered.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem with us dealing with enemies that mortals can¡¯t handle?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Transcendents? You aren¡¯t that different from us in terms of power level. On the other hand, there are many Absolutes swarming the Full Moon Fortresses...¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s bombshell remark made the daoist immortals whisper to each other. Yeo Yn also looked shocked.


    Just then, amotion could be heard outside.


    ¡°This update ispletely stupid.¡±


    ¡°Stop the erosion ritual? Bullshit. How are we supposed to stop it?¡±


    Those were the yers who were wiped out and resurrected after going on the expedition to the Full Moon Fortresses. They were all pretty angry, but the atmosphere was unusual.


    Yeo Yn¡¯s expression became serious once the number of yers returning exceeded hundreds and reached thousands.


    ¡°There are that many Absolutes among the cultivators? Are the daoist immortals they are talking about gods and not demigods, then?¡±


    ¡°I think so. At the very least, they won¡¯t acknowledge you as immortals.¡±


    Just then¡­


    ¡°Uwaaaack!¡±


    ¡°These crazy bastards chased us all the way here!¡±


    Screams and profanities could be heard from outside. Hwang Gildong and the daoist immortals rushed to the windows and couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. Countless people were seen flying on the horizon, heading their way, each of them exuding an unusual aura.


    The ground shook the moment a void refining cultivatornded in the center of the city. Powerful shockwaves burst out in tandem, causing the surrounding houses to copse and the yers at the resurrection point to scatter.


    Yeo Yn sighed. ¡°...They really are Absolutes.¡± She hurriedly grabbed some talismans.


    A chain flew in before she could even react, but it was blocked by a talisman and trembled. Beads of sweat appeared on Yeo Yn¡¯s forehead.


    The chains moved like snakes and approached the talisman.


    She chanted a spell and made the talisman explode before piercing through the ceiling and flying into the air. The void refining cultivator, who had seen her from a distance andunched the attack, snorted at the sight.


    ¡°You call that crude piece of paper a talisman?¡±


    The cultivator took out a blue talisman. An inscription flowed out of his mouth and imprinted itself onto the talisman. He shot a huge, silver bird-shaped talisman at Yeo Yn.


    She was startled by the lightning fast attack and raised her sword to block it, but the chain, which was still intact despite the explosion from earlier, flew and wrapped around her wrist.


    Yeo Yn¡¯s beautiful face paled. ¡°Um...!¡±


    The other daoist immortals and Hwang Gildong couldn¡¯t help her. The number of cultivators who invaded the city were in the hundreds, and that included void refining cultivators. There were so many that it was hard for her allies to help her right away.


    ¡°Kuaack!¡±


    The daoist immortals screamed.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The silver bird that almost struck Yeo Yn¡¯s face stopped and slowly dissipated. The chain on her wrist also loosened. Yeo Yn, now safe, looked around to assess the situation.


    Old Sword Demon had been sitting with his eyes closed regardless of what was happening around him. But now, he was at the center of the battlefield.


    The cultivator who had attacked Yeo Yn was bleeding. He seemed quite shocked.


    Before the cultivator with the hole in his heart could say anything, Hwang Gildong intervened and ruined the atmosphere. ¡°Did you eat something bad?¡± he asked Old Sword Demon. ¡°You don¡¯t normally do this.¡±


    He was the one who reacted the loudest to what Old Sword Demon just did.


    Old Sword Demon said nothing. Five invisible daggers were spinning around him. This set consisting of five daggers was a treasure he himself had smelted immediately after the update.


    At first, he couldn¡¯t use it well because it was pretty weak since he didn¡¯t have his condensed spiritual root at that time. But now he could easily maneuver it. He used spiritual energy to activate it, and it seemed pretty powerful.


    However, only Old Sword Demon could see it. This was because he used one of his assassin¡¯s ultimate skills, Dark World, to hide it.


    The cultivator hurriedly drank an elixir and viciously red at Old Sword Demon. ¡°You are a qi refining cultivator. What trick did you use?¡±


    Of course, Old Sword Demon didn¡¯t give him time to recover and immediately swung his sword, which mmed into the cultivator¡¯s protective shield and released poison.


    People often forgot that Old Sword Demon was an assassin because he usually fought fairly. However, because he was an assassin, he possessed a number of traits and skills meant to lower the target¡¯s defenses.


    He aimed the invisible daggers at the gaps in the cracked shield.


    ¡°Keuk!¡±


    The cultivator was wounded once again and became furious. He counterattacked.


    ¡®Was that not enough?¡¯


    The counterattack hit Old Sword Demon at the speed of light. He grimaced.


    Back when hepleted the assassin¡¯s fifth ss advancement, he¡¯d unlocked the Dark World skill. However, he¡¯d always envied the Sword Saint¡¯s Control Sword. He predicted that the Dark World and Control Sword would work very well together. He collected information every day to see if there was a way to learn Control Sword as an assassin.


    However, Control Sword was a skill exclusive to Sword Saints. He could not obtain it given his current strength.


    The update had urred at a time when he was feeling kind of down. Old Sword Demon was overjoyed when he saw the contents of the update. He expected that, if he became a cultivator and made best use of certain treasures, he could create a synergy between Dark World and something that could rece Control Sword.


    As expected, he¡¯d seeded in doing that. Still, the synergy was somewhat poor as of right now. He had just condensed a spiritual root and was unable to increase the power of the treasure to 100%. As a result, he was almost dead.


    ¡®If only I was as clever as the youths.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he have quickly umted cultivation and destroyed the enemy in front of him?


    Old Sword Demon was in danger even after a sessful surprise attack. He shut his eyes and tasted regret in his mouth.


    A light brighter than the sun temporarily blinded everyone. People were confused. A ring divine voice deafened everyone.


    [How dare things without any genealogy run rampant in my territory?]


    No, this wasn¡¯t just a voice. Someone¡¯s will was engraved into the space. No, it wasn¡¯t just someone. It was a true Absolute.


    Soon, the light cleared.


    All the cultivators on the battlefield had been pierced by that light and perished.


    It was Hanul, a God of the beginning. He was surrounded by a brilliant light. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him.

 Chapter 1972

    <h4>Chapter 1972</h4>


    People were very shocked.


    ¡°A God of the beginning...¡±


    With the exception of Reba, the prevailing theory was that the Gods of the beginning were practically dead. Had Yatan and Hanul been fine, hell and the East Continent would have still belonged to them.


    Hanul, now appearing a few years after Grid imed the East Continent as hisnd, left the people baffled. He imed thisnd was his territory.


    Hanul had targeted only the cultivators. The rest of the people survived because of this, however, they weren¡¯t exactly cheering and celebrating. They were rather anxious, unsure what would happen next.


    Quick-witted as always, Hwang Gildong was the first to bow. ¡°I am blessed to see the great God of the beginning,¡± he said.


    Hanu¡¯s gaze finally shifted from the hundreds of dead cultivators to the humans.


    Old Sword Demon, the warriors of the Chivalrous Robbers, and the daoist immortals, including Yeo Yn, also bowed their heads. Meanwhile, most yers couldn¡¯t hide their excitement and observed the situation with interest. Fortunately, Hanul wasn¡¯t offended by their reaction.


    Hanul looked around at the crowd. [All of you... Soon, you will worship me wholeheartedly,] he said before vanishing. Only a strong sense of will remained, echoing in the space.


    This was a deration of war against Grid.


    ¡°Amazing. We survived because of his interference.¡±


    ¡°The Gods of the beginning are real.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought Hanul was inactive because he stayed quiet after creating a few wide-area quests.¡±


    After Hanul left, the city was bustling. Unexpectedly, the yers cheered. The cultivators had been insulting and harassing them for so long, so the yers finally felt relieved that Hanul wiped their enemies, indirectly getting revenge for them.


    Most yers didn¡¯t care about the Gods to begin with. A God of the beginning, who was thought to be inactive, suddenly appearing and dering war on Grid wasn¡¯t something that ordinary people cared about.


    ¡°...Wasn¡¯t light the symbol of Reba?¡± Old Sword Demon asked.


    Only a few people knew that Hanul had been trying to take in some of Reba¡¯s power for a long time, and Grid was among those people.


    Hwang Gildong was fed up.


    ¡°This is unbelievable. He moved at the speed of light, and I couldn¡¯t even see what he did. I worry that I might die before ever seeing such a disy of power with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s concerning seeing Absolutes ughtered without being able to fight back. It means that even Absolutes can¡¯t react to Hanul¡¯s speed.¡±


    ¡°Certainly... I¡¯m worried about the safety of the Four Auspicious Beasts. I don¡¯t know how God Blue Dragon was able to wound such a monster like Hanul in the past...¡±


    Yeo Yn chimed in. ¡°In the past, Hanul couldn¡¯t control the power of light. By the time he arrived in the East, he was already seriously injured after being driven out of Asgard. I think he might¡¯ve acquired some of Reba¡¯s power during the time he spent recovering his strength.¡±


    Hwang Gildong scowled. ¡°Isn¡¯t power unique to an individual? How can he gain someone else¡¯s power?¡± he asked.


    ¡°But do we know that for sure? Thinking about it simply, Hanul¡¯s power might be replicating another¡¯s ability. Or perhaps he performed a miracle, since he¡¯s a God of the beginning. In any case, one thing is certain¡ªcurrently, Hanul has no enemies other than Reba and the Refractive Dragon. Grid won¡¯t be able to handle him. This doesn¡¯t mean that Grid won¡¯t be able to deal with him because he¡¯s not strong enough. It¡¯s just that, in order to face someone who is as fast as light, you must also be one with the light.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon agreed with her. They thought about the worst possible scenario. If Hanul killed all of the Four Auspicious Beasts, and the East Continent fell into his hands again...


    Hanul¡¯s next target was likely to be Grid. This wasn¡¯t just about the East Continent being in danger anymore. The whole surface would be. No, the entire Overgeared World could be Hanul¡¯s domain.


    Once Hanul gathered enough strength, he would eventually overthrow Asgard. Reba was currently being chased by the Refractive Dragon and wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Hanul¡¯s advance.


    ¡®I don¡¯t care what happens to Reba and Asgard but... If Grid and the Overgeared World falls, humanity will fall into Hanul¡¯s clutches.¡¯


    Hwang Gildong frowned as he recalled the past. Hanul used to rule the East, and he used to spread distorted beliefs and twist history. He felt nauseated and afraid at the thought that history might repeat itself.


    What had he fought so hard for...?


    It felt like everything he¡¯d ever worked for would be in vain. Hwang Gildong felt so hopeless, he was about to faint.


    ¡°The good news,¡± Yeo Yn said, ¡°Is that Hanul will defeat the cultivators first. He wants to be worshiped, and as such, he will save humanity from the threat known as the cultivators. There is no better opportunity for Hanul to achieve his goal.¡±


    ¡°Hanul will take down the sixty-two Full Moon Fortresses on his own. Until then, the Four Auspicious Beasts and Grid will get a moment of reprieve. The most important aspect is that Grid needs to prepare as much as he can during this time... There are too many uncertainties in this situation. I heard that there are more Full Moon Fortresses in the West than here. Therefore, all the power of the Overgeared World is focused there. Grid won¡¯t be able to afford focusing on Hanul, too.¡±


    ¡°No matter how bad the situation is in the West, is it worse than here? Have you ever thought why Grid didn¡¯t send reinforcements here?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    It was said that over a hundred Full Moon Fortresses had appeared on the West Continent. For that reason alone, Hwang Gildong was convinced that the Overgeared World were focusing their efforts in that region.


    But when he thought about it, he felt he wasn¡¯t giving Grid enough credit. Grid was one of the strongest beings in existence. If he went all out, he would be able to destroy dozens of the fortresses by himself.


    Even though time was running out, Hwang Gildong found it strange that Grid had chosen not to send a single troop in the East.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit puzzling. No matter how bad the situation is in the West, wouldn¡¯t it be better than here as long as Grid is over there? Why didn¡¯t he send reinforcements? Could Grid have predicted Hanuling back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit far-fetched... He might have decided that our powers here in the East should be enough. Now, let¡¯s think about something else. Why did the cultivators invade our city?¡±


    Yeo Yn¡¯s gaze shifted to the bloodstains on the battlefield, left behind by the cultivators who had been killed by Hanul¡¯s light attack.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the erosion ritual only possible when the Full Moon Fortresses areplete? Since our goal is destroying the fortresses before they arepleted, their mission is to protect them, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon¡¯s mouths dropped open at the same time.


    ¡°Those cultivators had already lost the Full Moon Fortress and had nowhere else to go!¡±


    ¡°Yes. They came all the way here to ughter us because they didn¡¯t fulfill their mission and needed to vent out their anger somehow. It also wasn¡¯t Hanul who destroyed the Full Moon Fortress they were guarding. Wouldn¡¯t someone who is able to move at the speed of light deal with all the troops there? He would have never overlooked them, or let them get away.¡±


    ¡°In other words, someone powerful enough to deal with the Absolutes is operating separately from Hanul?¡±


    ¡°There is a high probability that this is the case. To put it bluntly, this isn¡¯t the work of the Four Auspicious Beasts. Even though the cultivators have their ws, it¡¯s difficult to say that they are weaker than the Four Auspicious Beasts.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps...¡±


    Someone capable of dealing with the cultivators, but who wasn¡¯t part of the Overgeared World...


    There weren¡¯t that many beings who fit that criteria. Hwang Gildong and Old Sword Demon came to the same conclusion.


    ¡°...The old dragons!¡±


    Yeo Yn thought the same. ¡°That¡¯s right. Aside from their rtionship with Grid, it¡¯s clear that the old dragons have shown a favorable attitude toward humanity. I think they must¡¯ve been hostile from the beginning to the cultivators because they threatened humanity. The dragons must have struck some kind of deal with Grid¡ªthey would deal with the fortresses in the East, while Grid would take care of the West.¡±


    It just so happened that the members of the Chivalrous Robbers were collecting the loot left by the dead cultivators at this time. There were many yers around, so some of the loot had already been taken, but the Chivalrous Robbers wasn¡¯t an ordinary organization. They didn¡¯t miss any of the pouches belonging to the Absolutes.


    A bitter smile appeared on Yeo Yn¡¯s face as she took out colorful talismans and examined them.


    ¡°I can see how low-level our talismans arepared to theirs.¡±


    There were only a few dozen daoist immortals living in the Peach Blossom Spring. The ce was bound to be in poor shape in every waypared to the cultivators¡¯ culture, which they imed had hundreds of thousands of years of history.


    If only a handful of immortals put their heads together to develop their own civilization, would they be able to make some actual progress? Even if their numbers were much lowerpared to the cultivators?


    She realized that she had a lot to learn just from looking at the cultivators¡¯ talismans.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find the old dragons and assist them as much as we can. In the process, if we study and polish the cultivators¡¯ techniques, then we might be able to have a bit of an impact when the old dragons and Hanul will inevitably fight.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that will happen?¡±


    ¡°We have to make sure it happens. We have to tire Hanul as much as possible so that Grid can stand a chance against him in the future.¡±


    They didn¡¯t need to discuss this any further. Yeo Yn¡¯s group took the necessary items from the pouches of the cultivators and immediately left the city. They nned to investigate the Full Moon Fortresses to find the whereabouts of the old dragons.


    <i>Meanwhile, in the Hwan Kingdom... </i>


    ¡°Hmm...?¡±


    Grid, Grid, Grid...


    Chiyou had spent a boring time longing for only one person. He stood up for the first time in a long time.


    He was standing in front of a pond with a bird¡¯s eye view of the East Continent, and remained still as a statue for quite some time.


    Four figures caught his attention. They were the ones with unrivaled energy among the group supposedly dispatched by the foreign god.


    Chiyou witnessed Hanul getting beaten up by one of them and muttered with an expressionless face, ¡°You are blinded by faith, and you hate Reba more than anyone else, and that¡¯s why you are suffering such humiliation.¡±


    Chiyou watched the situation carefully.


    The one beating up Hanul was likely to be dealt with by Hanul in return, while the other two were watching the movements of Raiders and Nevartan.


    In the end, there was only one figure that Chiyou could challenge. It just so happened that the other person also seemed to feel Chiyou¡¯s gaze. Strangely enough, his colorful eyes looked up at the sky and he met Chiyou¡¯s.


    [Stop dying ande down already.]


    A silver robe fluttered.


    The man trampling on the Rising Moon Fortress revealed his thin wrists.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    A huge pressure crushed Chiyou. A rare smile appeared on his face at the surprise attack.


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    Only the sound of bells could be heard.


    A few secondster, the image of Chiyou descending to the ground was reflected on the surface of the rippling pond.

 Chapter 1973

    <h4>Chapter 1973</h4>


    A cultivator¡¯sbat ability was greatly influenced by the techniques and mystical arts they learned. That was why there was no direct rtion between one¡¯s realm and how strong they were.


    In some cases, there were extreme discrepancies between a cultivator¡¯s realm and their actual power level. For example, a boxing champion would not be able to win in a gunfight.


    Those who had mastered extremely powerful techniques or mystical arts, and had reached the end of their training, were regarded by their peers as invincible.


    The man standing on the fortress was like this. He was ate stage great ascension cultivator. He was about to reach the highest level of power despite being born with a disability. Because of his innate constitution that allowed him to master all types of techniques, he wasn¡¯t bound by any particr set of rules and excelled in all types of techniques and mystical arts.


    Goosebumps rose on Chiyou¡¯s skin as he stared at the man standing on the moon-like city from a distance.


    ¡°A monster in human clothing,¡± he muttered. ¡°You were born to bring down those above you.¡±


    Nevertheless, a deep smile spread on his face.


    ¡°Will you bring me down too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man said, like it was obvious. He nodded involuntarily, drew his sword, and gripped it.


    A sword cultivator. The man was a rare cultivator who mastered the art of swordsmanship. Due to his innate physique, he encountered no restrictions when learning body refining techniques which were the basis for practicing swordsmanship.


    In other words, he didn¡¯t depend on treasures.


    All cultivators developed a treasure in their spiritual root, which they used as their main weapon. This was their innate treasure. They would spit it out of their mouth when fighting and it was sometimes a cultivator''s weakness and limitation.


    However, swordsmen were different. They used swords as weapons, just like mortals, so there was no need to rely on their innate treasure.


    The man jumped down from the Full Moon Fortress and swung his sword. The movement was slow, as if he was done swinging it, so his movements were clearly visible.


    However, what actually happened instead couldn¡¯t be followed by the naked eye. There was no noise, not even a wave of power to reveal that the sword even moved other than the initialzy movement from before, but the blue sword light was already heading its way toward Chiyou.


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    It was only after the clouds behind Chiyou split in half that the sound of bells rang. After leaving behind only an afterimage, Chiyou reappeared behind the man.


    Chiyou¡¯s sword, which was like an iron rod, collided in the air with the man¡¯s sword. The collision resulted in a wave of shockwaves and explosions so powerful that they shook the heavens and the earth.


    The man wasn¡¯t intimidated even after receiving Chiyou¡¯s blow. He recognized Chiyou because of the bells.


    ¡°Your only wish is to die,¡± he sneered.


    Hundreds of swords appeared, hovering around the man. They weren¡¯t just made out of energy. They were real swords.


    The man couldn¡¯t hide his disgust. ¡°You poor guy, you aren¡¯t worth wasting my efforts. Die, if that¡¯s what you wish,¡± he said coldly.


    Hundreds of swords surrounded Chiyou. They spread like rays of light, forming thousands of lines.


    Chiyou was trapped in a tight. He was impressed.


    ¡°Sword battle formation.¡±


    True sword was a technique requiring arge number of swordsmen to work together. However, the man in front of him was able to use it by himself. This was a perfect sword battle formation.


    Chiyou was brimming with anticipation after witnessing this technique for the first time. Soon after, blood gushed from Chiyou as thousands of sword energies shed him. He lost so much blood, he would soon resemble a mummy.


    The man was about to take back the sword battle formation when he stopped in his tracks, shocked. The voiceing from inside the formation, which was now covered in a bloody mist, made it seem like the man was fine, and not in extreme agony.


    ¡°...It seems that this technique of yours is still not good enough to use in a real fight.¡±


    <i>¡®Is that his sword energy?¡¯ </i>


    When he noticed what was wrong, it was already toote.


    Chiyou¡¯s red sword energy, which spread like a bloody mist, was pushing away the man¡¯s sword battle formation.


    The man tried to exert greater pressure by controlling the formation, but it was useless. Chiyou¡¯s sword energy had already intruded every corner of the formation. The tens of thousands of swords were no longer connected to each other and creaked like rusty hinges. Because of this, the quality of the formation dropped exponentially. Soon, it started to dissipate on its own.


    The man made a quick decision. He gave up on the sword battle formation and changed his technique. Dozens of new swords flew at Chiyou, who had burst through the sword formation that scattered in all directions. Each sword had a different energy¡ªfire, water, earth, metal, wind, lightning, demonic energy, and so on.


    Before the man was able to react, Chiyou had already used Shunpo to leap through space. He plunged the iron bar emitting lightning-infused sword energy into the cultivator¡¯s chest.


    This was what it meant to be an Absolute. A true Absolute could evade and counterattack in one breath. To put it simply, attacking first despite movingter than the opponent was possible for an Absolute.


    His opponent was the same. He purposefully allowed himself to be stabbed so he could use the blood seeping out of his wound to perform a blood technique.


    Chiyou was caught off guard. He was wrapped in a cocoon of blood before he even had a chance to link his attacks.


    Chiyou fiercely tried to escape his confines, but the cocoon only shook noisily.


    The man cocked his head. He seemed puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t those bells a symbol of your desire to die? Why do you refuse death?¡±


    He sped his hands together to conclude this fight. The cocoon¡¯s color changed from red to blue, then from purple to ck. A foul stench was released. This meant that it was probably digesting what it had swallowed.


    ¡°Oh, you really didn¡¯t think the day woulde when you would die? In this small dimension, you would¡¯ve reigned as a supreme ruler. It¡¯s understandable.¡±


    The man pped his hands together with a relieved expression, like his question had been answered. Hepleted his hand seals.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act in a manner that makes you look ugly. It¡¯s time for you to disappear.¡±


    The cocoon, which turned the color of ashes, scattered pathetically. There were no cracks left from Chiyou''s struggle. It just blew away in the wind.


    It looked like it was snowing.


    The white powder wasn¡¯t just the fragments of the cocoon that had reached its full effect, but also Chiyou¡¯s bone fragments.


    At least, this was what the man thought.


    That was, until he heard Chiyou¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t die like this.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened. He spat out a bell from his mouth. The rapidly growing bell was bigger and thicker than the gates of the city.


    A series of shockwaves rang out from the bell.


    The man smiled, despite feeling nervous for a moment. This was the man¡¯s real innate treasure. It was a rare treasure cultivated by thete stage great ascension cultivator for hundreds of thousands of years, and it was an unrivaled defense treasure that could neutralize most attacks. It blocked attacks and emitted sound waves that tore the enemy¡¯s eardrums every time it rang.


    In other words, Chiyou wasn¡¯t safe.


    The man didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and created a new sword battle formation. Hundreds of swords, each with a different attribute, formed a colorful line and sped up toward Chiyou.


    Finally, he managed to cut him. He clearly felt the sensation of shing Chiyou. Still, he was worried. He tilted the bell to the side so he could get a better view of what was going on.


    Chiyou was isted in the formation, the swords constantly poking and stabbing him. He was going to be minced meat soon enough.


    However, the man didn¡¯t let down his guard. He didn¡¯t stop the formation. Instead, he infused even more spiritual energy into it.


    Chiyou sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. I had high hopes for you, but I am disappointed.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The man only now noticed something. Now that he paid closer attention, Chiyou¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t red. Every time he was wounded, a mysterious stream of white-gold light seeped out of his wounds instead of blood. Those streaks of light repeatedly restored Chiyou¡¯s injuries immediately.


    The cultivator in thete stage great ascension realm was also a Transcendent with spiritual energy flowing in his veins, but he had never seen something like this in his life.


    ¡°What is that? It isn¡¯t the heaven and earth origin energy, nor is it spiritual energy?¡±


    What was it made of...?


    The man didn¡¯t understand divinity. In the cultivation world, a god referred to an Absolute who had ascended.


    However, they were still very far from real gods.


    ¡°The wish for immortality...!


    Chiyou¡¯s face twisted as he thought about the faith he was receiving. Humanity¡¯s desire to immortalize him was a terrible curse to him. He had a bitter look on his face as he turned his gaze to the city behind the man, who had stiffened like a stone statue.


    Was it called the Full Moon Fortress? It glowed a jade color and looked like the moon, but he saw at first nce the malice it contained. It was going to act as a foothold between dimensions. The cultivators woulde out of a rift and destroy humanity.


    ...From Chiyou¡¯s perspective, it was a good development. The fewer people who worshiped him, the weaker his divinity would be. If arge number of people like the man in front of him appeared in this world, Chiyou might finally meet the death he was longing for.


    But...


    If he wanted innocent people to perish, Chiyou would¡¯ve destroyed the world of his own volition a long time ago.


    Chiyou raised his hand with a bitter smile on his face. ¡°...At the end of the day, it¡¯s only you, Grid, who can help me.¡±


    He was a supreme being who couldn¡¯t achieve his own goals.


    He postured in a way that could mean only one thing¡ªhe was prepared to attack. There were many ws exposed in his posture. However, the cultivator didn¡¯t have the heart to attack back. He had a hunch that, even if he ripped this monster¡¯s heart out right now, the cultivator would still be the one to end up dead.


    Eventually, the man turned his back. He turned away from the Full Moon Fortress, guarded by the promising talents of the sect. He hurriedly tried to flee the scene.


    Then a roar echoed from the direction of the Full Moon Fortress, as if the world was about to end. The man turned to look there reflexively and what he saw was a shock in itself.


    The sword light fired by Chiyou split into four pieces and destroyed the Full Moon Fortress. A dense web of sword energies covered the entire city and destroyed it.


    It resembled the man¡¯s sword battle formation.


    ¡°Did he master my swordsmanship after only experiencing it twice...?!¡±


    The man¡¯s despair didn¡¯tst long.


    Before he knew it, the huge sword battle formation that destroyed the Full Moon Fortress also struck him. His nascent soul waspletely annihted.


    Chiyou was left alone. The ce was nowpletely silent. He sighed.


    ¡°I have be a bit stronger...¡±


    No martial art could escape the insight of Martial God Chiyou.


    The cultivator who just died was right. Chiyou even mastered the swordsmanship of a great ascension cultivator after only experiencing it twice. Chiyou hadn¡¯t even intended to do that. It just urred to him naturally.


    Chiyou became even stronger and wandered even farther away from death. In the past, he would have despaired about this oue. Yet this time, he felt a strange glimmer of hope.


    This was naturally thanks to Grid.


    ¡°I believe in you...¡±


    If Chiyou had even the slightest doubt in his strength, and if he considered that Grid was stronger than him, then his faith would likely degenerate.


    However, Chiyou didn¡¯t doubt himself. He was aware that he was the strongest being in the world. Therefore, even the belief that Grid was his hope increased his faith in himself.


    Thanks to this, he seeded in holding onto the hope of death that could have been incredibly far away.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Still, he couldn¡¯t hide his sadness. Chiyou shook his head while thinking that he had only suffered a loss. He returned to the Hwan Kingdom.

 Chapter 1974

    <h4>Chapter 1974</h4>


    ¡°You are unlucky to meet me. This must be karma for not umting merit on a regr basis.¡±


    A boy with long red hair looked at Hanul with pity as Hanul was trapped in the spatial distortion. The boy was a genius who managed to reach thete great ascension realm in only eight thousand years.


    He was a monster who had been in a state of harmony since he was born. His techniques and mystical arts had synergized well with one another regardless of attributes and environment. This allowed him to exert enormous power.


    He always overpowered cultivators of a higher realm than him, so the entire cultivationmunity feared and respected the boy. He felt grateful that people treated him this way. People¡¯s respect and support motivated him.


    That¡¯s right. To put it bluntly, the boy was someone who liked being the center of attention. Before he knew it, the boy began working hard to be praised even more. For his own sake, he umted merit by respecting his superiors and taking care of his subordinates.


    The boy¡¯s perspective was different from that of an ordinary cultivator.


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you usually take care of those around you?¡± he asked. ¡°If you had been praised like me, you wouldn¡¯t have been in this troublesome situation all alone as you are now.¡±


    ¡°Praised?¡±


    The rampant light trapped in the distorted space took on the shape of a person. It was Hanul, a God of the beginning. He¡¯d taken the form of a human, though he had never been human.


    Hanul sneered. ¡°It¡¯s shameful for you to discuss worship with me.¡±


    Hundreds of ripples urred in the spatial distortion that trapped Hanul. The boy cocked his head. He couldn¡¯t feel any waves of power, but he was surprised to see that his technique was showing signs of copse.


    The distorted space shattered before the boy could understand what was going on. He didn¡¯t have a chance to react.


    Fragments of space sparkled like broken ss as Hanul pulled them into his hands instead of letting them scatter in all directions.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    The boy still didn¡¯t understand the phenomenon that was unfolding before his eyes. However, he sensed danger and made a decision.


    The chill air around the boy instantly transformed into a barrier of ice. It reflected and absorbed light from all angles, reflecting all kinds of colors on its surface.


    Hanul suddenly turned into light and attacked the boy, who had the ice barrier around him.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that It was your misfortune to meet me? Even if you turn into light, I know many methods to bind it...¡±


    The sneer on the boy¡¯s face suddenly stiffened. He felt a heavy shock reverberating throughout the barrier. The ice created by the boy couldn¡¯t be melted by any me and had never been broken, but the intensity of the impact was unusual. He had a bad feeling about this.


    Part of the ice wall disappeared without a trace. It wasn¡¯t destroyed. Hanul¡¯s grip devoured it.


    A chill went down the boy¡¯s spine.


    ¡®Spatial distortion?¡¯


    This was a technique used to summon distorted space. Hanul was using the same secret technique the boy had used on him just moments before.


    It was impossible for Hanul to know this technique beforehand. The spatial distortion created by Hanul and the spatial distortion created by the boy were the same in every single way.


    ¡®He stole it?¡¯


    The boy finally understood what happened and hurriedly cast a new spatial distortion, which he intended to neutralize the spatial distortion ability that Hanul had taken away.


    .......


    The moment the distorted spaces collided, all sound disappeared from the world. The spot where the explosion urred was tinged with jade, resembling the jade light emitted by the Full Moon Fortress.


    It was the result of a space rift. The jade light wasing from the deep crack in space created by the explosion. It was a wed result of an iplete version of the Full Moon Fortress¡¯ ultimate goal.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Hanul and the boy¡¯s eyes widened at the same time. They felt some type of presence beyond the space rift that appeared between them. The boy recognized it immediately.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t just connect the dimensions, it connected it to the upper world...!¡±


    The boy¡¯s reaction was strange. The way he smiled while looking nervous seemed to indicate that he was both afraid and happy.


    Hanul hurriedly stepped back. The thin and soft hands that emerged from the space rift made a simple gesture.


    The shockwave was huge.


    A small triangr object floated above the beautiful hand that reached out from the rift, spun around, and quickly transformed into a great mountain.


    Everything around them was crushed. Even Hanul, who had turned into light and distanced himself, suffered from internal injuries and coughed up blood. The boy reacted a bitter than Hanul and lost an arm.


    They heard the voice of a strange woman.


    [You survived? How dare you take a peek at the immortal world?]


    Despite the harsh words, the voice was clear and had a mysterious charm that hypnotized the listeners.


    The boy was stunned for a moment before hurriedly saluting. ¡°This ipetent junior greets his senior...!¡±


    He was speaking to an immortal. It meant that, after repeated efforts to defy the natural order, this person beyond the rift had managed to achieve eternal life. All cultivators wished to achieve immortality.


    The woman on the other side of the space rift took an interest in the boy.


    [You... You¡¯ve only lived for around nine thousand years and are almost at the peak of the great ascension realm. You are a rare talent even in the immortal world. You have the potential to aim for ascension within tens of thousands of years, so there is no way you would¡¯ve spied on the immortal world with a devious mind...]


    Hanul felt eyes on him. He could tell that the woman on the other side of the space rift had started to examine him.


    Hanul snorted. ¡°Bah.¡± He was a born immortal. He was an absolute ruler from birth. A person who managed to grasp eternal life after petty struggles didn¡¯t impress him in the slightest.


    Hanul muttered to himself while thinking of Grid, ¡°I might think differently of you if you became an Only One God like a certain someone...¡±


    This made the boy re at him.


    ¡°How dare you be rude to the senior?¡±


    Hanul found those words absurd. ¡°Should I be polite?¡± he asked, dumbfounded.


    The boy couldn¡¯t bear it and a mirror popped out of his mouth.


    When the boy encountered this monster who invaded the Full Moon Fortress and who could turn into light, he was astonished, but he felt both fear and joy. He knew a lot of ways to neutralize light. Even his innate treasure was a mirror.


    It was called the Mirror of Life. Everything caught in its reflection would lose its power and would be unable to move, like characters in a painting. Those weaker than the boy would remain unmoving forever, while those who were stronger would only remain stuck for a moment.


    ¡°Which one are you?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if Hanul would be stuck for an eternity or for a brief second. The boy thought the result would be the same no matter what. He considered that he could kill any enemy even if they remained unmoving for just a mere moment.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Some of the light got captured in the mirror, and the corners of the boy''s mouth curved as high as they could. Hanul, who lost his light, took the form of an ordinary human being.


    Hanul was exposed and couldn¡¯t even lift a finger. He seemed surprised.


    The boy was already close to Hanul. He thrust arge spear with strange characters flowing like blood veins toward him, piercing Hanul¡¯s heart.


    The boy¡¯s head exploded. He couldn¡¯t handle the devastating power of light that Hanul unexpectedly released. His nascent soul abandoned his body. ¡°What...?¡± he asked, shocked.


    Surprisingly, Hanul hadn¡¯t been affected by the Mirror of Life. He only pretended to lose his light. At least, that¡¯s what the boy thought. If that wasn¡¯t the case, then Hanul¡¯s immediate counterattack would¡¯ve been impossible.


    He was mistaken. Hanul had been caught by the Mirror of Life. However, he was a god. Even if his body was destroyed, he had the ability to perform miracles.


    Therefore, he recovered faster than the boy thought, and counterattacked in time.


    Hanul scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous to panic. Could it be that you¡¯ve never seen something like this before?¡±


    From the boy¡¯s point of view, what Hanul was saying sounded like gibberish.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°A being who performs miracles despite having an ordinary human body. Later on, they be a hero, then a legend, and eventually a god.¡±


    He was talking about Grid. Hanul was thinking that, had the boy in front of him ever experienced anyone even remotely simr to Grid, then maybe he wouldn¡¯t have acted so superior. Now, he was defenseless.


    ¡°What are you talking about...?¡±


    Anger filled the boy¡¯s eyes. His little dwarf''s face scowled fiercely. Even so, Hanul still found him ridiculous.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that you are out of luck. You are just an ordinary person who became confident because you were born in a world where only idiots exist.¡±


    Hanul had lost his yangbans to Grid. The Hwan Kingdom was in decline. Of course he used to hate Grid. The moment he finished integrating the light that originally belonged to Reba, he would find Grid and make him pay for his sins.


    However, presently, Hanul no longer hated Grid. Looking back, Hanul felt proud watching this particr human¡¯s growth process.


    This world was probably small. It was undeniable that this was merely a world created for the entertainment of higher beings from other dimensions. But was this small world low quality just because it was a lower dimension? Hanul could definitely say that this wasn¡¯t the case. Grid had elevated this world to its current level.


    There were those who had been crushed by him and those who were saved by him. The people who watched Grid and were affected by him inevitably met each other and created new causes and effects, resulting in them bing stronger and stronger.


    Hanul didn¡¯t like that most of them became Grid¡¯s subordinates, but...


    In any case, Hanul felt a strange sense of pride thanks to Grid. It was the pride of being born as an Absolute in such an outstanding world.


    Therefore, putting aside his hatred of Grid, he also felt grateful toward him. He wasn¡¯t intimidated by the menacing woman from beyond the space rift.


    The woman gave a cold warning. [I am going to take that child as a disciple. If you don¡¯t want to die, leave that nascent soul unharmed and hand him over to me.]


    Hanul ignored her. He destroyed the boy¡¯s nascent soul anyway.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Hanul taunted the woman. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I will personally go to this immortal world of yours and kill you.¡±


    [The one who reigns in this lower world doesn¡¯t know whom he is going against.]


    Even though the dimensions were connected, it was almost impossible for an existence from a lower world to ascend to an upper one. Both Hanul and the woman knew this.


    But because Hanul provoked her, this became a matter of pride.


    Beyond the space rift that seemed far away, the woman¡¯s presence drew closer. [I will take your severed head with me as a prize,] she said.


    Now the woman didn¡¯t show only her hands, but also her arms, torso, and finally, her face.


    Hanul¡¯splexion changed rapidly.


    ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have messed with her.¡¯


    At his current level, he stood no chance. He needed more worship...


    Hanul turned into light and left the scene.


    However¡ª


    ¡°......¡±


    The woman emerged from the space rift and hid her energy. The previously powerful energy that made Hanul wary disappeared without a trace. She did this so her enemy wouldn¡¯t notice she was following him.


    The woman read the flow of the heaven and earth origin energy. She figured out Hanul¡¯s escape route and followed after him.

 Chapter 1975

    <h4>Chapter 1975</h4>


    Raiders and Nevartan had just destroyed their ninth Full Moon Fortress. On their way to their next destination, they had to fight an unfavorable battle. Many Absolutes were exuding tant energy around the area near their destination.


    Their attitude was, ¡®If you are going to fight us, then just do it already,¡¯ and they seemed extremely confident.


    These two Absolutes were on the same level of power as the old dragons. In addition, there were six other Absolutes whose power level matched that of lower-rated dragons.


    In terms of strength, Raiders and Nevartan were at a disadvantage.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t intend to avoid a fight. With their power, the old dragons were capable of causing catastrophes, so they were sure they¡¯d win. They saw this as an opportunity to wipe out a powerful enemy.


    Ray and Nevartan were speeding forward with great momentum only to stop in their tracks.


    [What is that...?]


    [I felt it as well.]


    The old dragons didn¡¯t make mistakes nor did they ever have misunderstandings. Misjudgments were rare because of their Transcendent senses.


    The menacing energy had been there for only a fraction of a second, but it still intimidated them. To exaggerate a little bit, it felt like it threatened their lives.


    The energy soon disappeared without leaving any traces behind, but this instilled a great sense of caution in the two old dragons.


    [...Hayate?]


    The old dragons knew Hayate better than anyone. They had been keeping a close eye on the Dragon yer for a long time. Lately, they had been spending half a day fighting him, so they had been observing and analyzing him thoroughly.


    The Dragon yer hade back alive from hell. He got into trouble a few times, got back on his feet, and grew so strong, he became a threat to the old dragons.


    A few months ago, when Trauka¡¯sir was thrown into chaos, Raiders and Nevartan faced Hayate, and frankly, they had been nervous. They could still clearly remember the friction sound caused by the transparent dragon killing energy that hovered around Hayate.


    Back then, they couldn¡¯t move rashly and could only focus their five senses on the movement of this evil energy. They had been nervous and afraid. It was very reasonable for them to suspect that Hayate was the source of the threatening energy that had just appeared.


    [I didn¡¯t detect the dragon killing energy, but... No one other than Hayate can make us feel so uneasy.]


    [I agree. However, it¡¯s surprising that Grid would send Hayate as reinforcements. There are many more Full Moon Fortresses in the West Continent. Can he afford to send Hayate here?]


    [Maybe he did that to make sure we won¡¯t cross the line.]


    [What does he see us as?]


    The old dragons snorted and resumed their rapid flight. They judged that, as long as they weren¡¯t hostile to Grid, the presence just now wouldn¡¯t pose a threat.


    After a while¡ª


    Raiders and Nevartan frowned after arriving at their destination.


    [There is a reason the spatial distortion here is so great.]


    Three Full Moon Fortresses floated side by side. It seemed like there were four moons in the sky. But rather than being mystical and beautiful, they were ominous and bizarre.


    Far from being intimidated by the appearance of the giant dragons, the thousands of cultivators exuded a ferocious energy as they split to the left and right in unison.


    ¡°Hmm, I was wondering what was going on because a few Full Moon Fortresses had fallen. It turned out to be the work of the misceneous dragon that fled before.¡±


    The clear sound of footsteps every time the clogs stepped on the ground shook the entire Full Moon Fortress.


    One of the fortresses gradually lost its orbit and moved closer to the ground. There was a loud explosion, and a girl burst out from it. She leaped from the Full Moon Fortress andnded between Raiders and Nevartan like she had nothing to fear in the world.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away this time.¡±


    She was revered as a Great Person and Saint even by the cultivators in the great ascension realm. This girl was a monster who had endured the Thunder Tribtion. She was already qualified to ascend to the immortal world. In other words, she could be an immortal at any time.


    However, for some reason, she postponed her ascension and stayed in the human world. As a result, along with the other cultivators, she suffered the humiliation of being transferred to this strange and low level dimension...


    The girl wasn¡¯t outraged by this. She just epted her fate. She took sce in the fact that she found a great ascension-level monster that was hard to find in her original dimension.


    The dragons in front of her weren¡¯t slender like snakes, but rather chubby. They even had wings on their backs. Still, it was clear that they were dragons. They were even dragons who reached the great ascension realm... Of course they were valuable.


    ¡°If I make an elixir from your inner core and feed it to my son, he will also be able to withstand the horrors of the Thunder Tribtion.¡±


    The girl had a nonchnt smile on her face. ck mes shot from her hands. To her surprise, the two old dragons, even though they were as big as mountains, were instantly engulfed in mes.


    As thousands of cultivators cheered, the seven great ascension cultivators in the lead hadplicated expressions.


    Six of the seven were in the early and middle stages of the great ascension realm. The remaining cultivator was in thete stage of the great ascension realm. Still, their reactions were the same.


    ¡°I heard a rumor that Saint Mi has reached the peak of the realm, but I never thought it was true...¡±


    Regardless of their realm, they felt fear and envy toward the girl.


    The mes covering the old dragons were getting smaller. The dragons were unable to withstand the power of the Bone Demon mes, which burned the body from within, making it melt like ice inva.


    The cultivators stealthily moved whilementing.


    ¡°Saint Mi¡¯s mes render shields and defensive treasures useless. The moment shends an attack, it¡¯s over. Therefore, she is invincible.¡±


    ¡°Nobody in the human world can match her. Why didn¡¯t she go to the immortal world when she had the chance...?¡±


    The three Full Moon Fortresses on this site had been built jointly by two sects which could be considered to be among the top ten strongest sects in the cultivation world. The cultivators had used their best manpower and resources to build them.


    The girl who suddenly offered to help them defend one of the fortresses was asking for too much in exchange for her services. If the girl had been a regrte stage great ascension cultivator, the two sects would¡¯ve snorted at her demand and killed her.


    But they couldn¡¯t afford to do that. They were purelycking in strength, so they couldn¡¯t treat her carelessly. They had to offer a whole Full Moon Fortress to her.


    They also needed her help because two giant monsters with dragon heads had begun invading the other Full Moon Fortresses.


    They never thought the dragons would be so easy to defeat...


    ¡°...I was nervous because they are dragon-type monsters who reached the realm of great ascension, but they are actually nothing special. It¡¯s disappointing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Putting aside the fact that Saint Mi¡¯s Bone Demon mes are extremely powerful, the monsters are too weak. Even without her help, we would¡¯ve been able to defeat them by ourselves.¡±


    The discontent of the great ascension cultivators was growing. They¡¯d been robbed of a Full Moon Fortress and a dragon¡¯s inner core... for this?


    Their eyes gradually cooled as they looked at the girl.


    An old man in thete stage great ascension realm, like the girl, sent a warning to his juniors.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly,¡± he said. ¡°If you offend that old woman, you will be in trouble. We didn¡¯t know what would happen, but could you handle three Full Moon Fortresses and the many disciples there disappearing without a trace? For the sake of the future of our two sects, just pretend to be unbothered and control your emotions.¡±


    The cultivators suppressed their anger and bowed their heads.


    ¡°Ourck of discipline caused a lot of trouble for the great elder.¡±


    An unfamiliar voice was carved into the space.


    [You are using a strange trick.]


    The cultivators looked up in surprise. They were looking up at two giant dragons, who were somehow unharmed.


    [mes that neutralizes all defenses,] Nevartan spoke coldly. [A powerful ability, so the user must experience some great bacsh in return. You can¡¯t use that continuously.]


    He shot a Breath. A ck ray of light exploded as it pierced through the girl who had been burning the clones of the two old dragons.


    ¡°Um...!¡±


    The girl groaned as she got away from the range of the explosion. The square shield floating in front of her lost its light and was dented.


    The girl raised an eyebrow, tore the useless shield in her hands and threw it away.


    ¡°You dare...¡±


    She tried to fight back with newly created mes, but her eyes widened. Dark shadows rose from all directions and meticulously surrounded her. It was Nevartan¡¯s doing, who had cloned himself so there were ten of him. The living, moving dark mountains isted her.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The girl couldn¡¯t tell which of the ten ck dragons were real. This was the majesty of dragon magic. No matter how excellent her senses were, it would take time for her to discern between what was real and what was fake.


    The girl had no choice but to put out the fire. She pulled out all types of protective items and wrapped herself in them.


    ¡°Cultivator Cheon!¡± she shouted. ¡°You are in charge of the golden dragon! He is nothing special, so you will be able to handle him!¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± the old man answered. A grin spread on his face. He felt smug because the girl, who had tried to take on the dragons alone, changed her attitude.


    ¡°Let us take the bones and inner core of the golden dragon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The excited great ascension cultivators suddenly took to the skies.


    Ten Breaths were fired and bombarded the girl. She figured out which one was the real Breath, allowing her to discover the real ck dragon from among the clones. She immediately fired back. Meanwhile, Raiders was deflecting the various weapons fired by the seven cultivators.


    Nevartan, who polymorphed into a human and blocked the girl¡¯s counterattack, made an offer to Raiders.


    [Let¡¯s switch.]


    He gave Raiders a chance to get revenge on the girl who humiliated him in the past.


    Raidersughed. [Are you being considerate? You¡¯ve been watching humans live their lives way too muchtely. It seems that you¡¯ve been greatly influenced by them.]


    [Shut up.]


    The human life chosen by his daughter Nefelina... Nevartan was curious about it. What did she see in humans that made her want to be like them?


    As he observed and studied humanity, he was unconsciously influenced. Of course, Nevartan wasn¡¯t going to admit that.


    He broke into the group of cultivators and fired magic and Breaths as if to vent out his anger. As hundreds of powerful spells werebined with the devastating power of the Breaths, the cultivators had no choice but to disperse.


    The cultivators seemed ten years older as they nced at the old man.


    ¡°I guess the ck dragon is stronger than the golden one.¡±


    The old man agreed with them.


    As the golden dragon was isted by the group, the ck dragon moved to help him out. The disy of power clearly showed how strong the ck dragon was.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that I can obtain a rarer dragon¡¯s inner core. Let¡¯s hunt down the ck dragon before Saint Mi returns after dealing with the golden one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Theyughed at the golden dragon for throwing himself at the girl so he could survive.


    Excited, the cultivators attacked the ck dragon.


    Meanwhile, the girl wasughing loudly in the sky.


    ¡°Even though you have the head of a dragon, you are just a trifling thing. You have so little wisdom that you are actuallying to me of your own free will. Do you think that even if the seven of them joined forces, they would be weaker than me?¡±


    The girl snorted and pulled out a silver bead embedded in her tongue. She used the secret trick that had previously made Raiders run away from hisir.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to escape this time,¡± she said.


    The girl turned the bead into a giant silver spear that had tracking magic infused into it. She hurled it forward, having no doubt that the golden dragon would die from this strike. Once she got her hands on the inner core of this misceneous dragon, she nned to also take the inner core of the ck dragon as well.


    The golden dragon opened his mouth. All the surrounding heaven and earth origin energy was sucked into his huge mouth. The girl thought she was looking into a bottomless abyss. He was ready to shoot a beam of light like the ck dragon. The girl¡¯s expression became serious.


    ¡°You hid your true power back then...¡±


    Before the girl could finish talking, the golden beam of light struck her.


    She paled. As the golden beam got closer and closer, her defensive treasures lost their power and no longer responded to hermands. No matter how much spiritual energy she poured into them or the spells she chanted, nothing worked.


    This was because they were treasures made of metal. Their attribute was ipatible with the golden dragon¡¯s Breath.


    To the girl, the golden dragon seemed to be a lot stronger than the ck dragon.

 Chapter 1976

    <h4>Chapter 1976</h4>


    ¡°......!¡±


    The girl was swallowed by the golden breath and couldn¡¯t even scream. In order to withstand the immense pressure, she gritted her teeth and circted the spiritual energy in her body. This was the first time she¡¯d had difficulties fighting an opponent in thousands of years.


    To borrow a saying of mortals, she squeezed out all the strength she had. As a result, some of the shields that had been melted by the Breath were repaired. Her torn flesh and bones were finally restored to their original appearances.


    As the Breath¡¯s momentum weakened, the girl, who was finally freed from the pressure, looked resentful.


    ¡®Why did he run away back then?¡¯


    A few days ago, the girl woke up in a strange world, tracked down the most powerful energy nearby, and encountered the golden dragon. It was quality prey. The golden dragon was weakpared to how valuable he was. He barely survived the girl¡¯s ambush back then.


    ...Looking back on it now, she realized it wasn¡¯t that the dragon was unable to fight back. He just chose not to.


    ¡°You have the ability to control time, right? When I ambushed you, did you see the future and ran away just so you could humiliate me greatly now?


    The girl used honorifics when speaking. The greatest goal of a cultivator was survival. The fact that the girl changed her attitude to be more polite meant that she perceived Raiders as a clear threat.


    Raiders looked at the girl for a moment before sneering. [You are very self-aware.]


    He didn¡¯t care about her. Raiders hadn¡¯t treated the cultivators badly when he first encountered them because he suspected they were also apostles of the foreign god. But his assumption had been wrong.


    Raiders now perceived the cultivators as enemies. They were foreign enemies, who weren¡¯t even yers, yet they dared invade thisnd. He considered they should be exterminated.


    Raiders¡¯ Breath bombardment started in earnest.


    Considering the level of the enemy, he fired beams of light continuously without pausing. The entire area was bathed in gold and rippled noisily. There was no corner where the waves of power didn¡¯t reach. Everything turned to ashes.


    The girl tutted. ¡°This damn beast is so ferocious...¡±


    She paused as she was about to take out her defensive treasure. It urred to her that the treasures had be unusable.


    The woman smiled regretfully as she unfolded a cloth and infused spiritual energy into it. Protective gear made of cloth was deployed faster than metal treasures, but it had less defense. She hadn¡¯t used it much after her cultivation increased, but it was a good way to stop the Breaths.


    The cloth worked just fine, unlike the metal orbs that stopped working as soon as the golden light of the Breath touched them.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Thanks to this, the girl gained valuable information. The golden beam of light belonged to the metal element of the five elements.


    ¡°Metal is weak against fire.¡±


    Still smiling regretfully, the girl set off a spark of mes and surrounded herself with them. Her Bone Demon me was capable of crushing and burning the target to ashes. It was so powerful that it melted away all the golden beamsing from all directions.


    Of course, every time the beam of light dissipated, the magic power that was condensed inside exploded and caused a tremendous aftershock. However, thanks to the cloth treasure and shields, the girl was able to avoid a serious injury.


    As the girl defended against the Breaths, Raiders approached and swung his tail. The girl, who had been pinned to the ground like she was weightless, jumped up.


    In the great ascension realm, the cultivators had refined spiritual energy flowing through their skin, flesh, meridians, bones, and the five organs. To put it simply, the refined spiritual energy was simr to an aura.


    This made it so the cultivators have an extremely high defense. Of course, this was nothing to brag aboutpared to an old dragon.


    ¡°Cough...!¡±


    The girl spat out dark red blood. A handful of her internal organs were mixed with the blood. When she got struck by the dragon¡¯s tail before, she had been pushed forward. She barely straightened her back.


    The girl felt a chill go down her spine as she saw the huge tailing her way again. She hurriedly dodged and operated the Bone Demon me. However, the mes didn¡¯t bloom. This technique was very powerful and it was impossible for her to use it continuously.


    The ground shook and the girl¡¯s vision blurred. Raiders, who had polymorphed into a human so he wouldn¡¯t have to bother moving his tail from where it struck into the ground, appeared right in front of her.


    He hit the girl on the head and she fell into the deep abyss created by Raiders¡¯ tail.


    ¡®I can¡¯t go on like this.¡¯


    The girl made up her mind. She took out five talismans and changed her approach. The talismans turned into five demons and leapt from the pit.


    Raiders, who was waiting outside the pit, began fighting the demons.


    The girl secretly escaped from the pit with the help of an earth technique and flew toward the Full Moon Fortress in the sky. She was running away.


    The other great ascension cultivators were unable to handle the ck dragon, who used all types of magic at random. They saw the girl fleeing and became furious.


    ¡°Saint Mi! If you want to die then die alone! I won¡¯t let you go if you do any damage to our sect!¡± The cultivators screamed, but the girl snorted.


    Raiders dealt with the demons and pursued the girl.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Thousands of cultivators holding their breaths on the walls of the Full Moon Fortresses were terrified. The three Full Moon Fortresses standing side by side had been built by the resources of the two sects.


    The cultivators didn¡¯t even want to try to protect this ce anymore if they had to deal with a dragon.


    The golden dragonnded on the wall of a Full Moon Fortress. They didn¡¯t dare confront a dragon that was as huge as a mountain.


    ¡°How can we handle a monster that even a saint couldn¡¯t deal with?¡±


    A few cultivators took a few steps back. Raiders didn¡¯t bother chasing them as they scattered in all directions and ran away.


    Raiders had already shot down several Full Moon Fortresses. There was a castle in the center of the fortress. He understood that the real method of activating the Full Moon Fortress was installed inside this castle.


    He fired his Breath in a straight line to damage the castle, darkening the jade glow of the fortress.


    ¡°It¡¯s falling...!¡±


    In the end, all the cultivators chose to flee.


    ¡°T-This...!¡±


    The cultivators in the great ascension realm witnessed the fall of the three Full Moon Fortresses damaged by the beams and were furious. They cursed the girl for fleeing in that direction. They were unable to suppress their soaring killing intent and followed the girl¡¯s trail with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Calm down!¡± The old man in thete great ascension realm told them.


    Right now, the giant ck dragon was alive and well in front of them.


    ¡°There is no point in grieving what has already been lost. Let¡¯s takefort in the fact that our disciples survived. We should ovee the current crisis while the golden dragon is pursuing the saint.¡±


    The golden dragon had seemed weaker than the ck dragon, but he still managed to beat the girl. These dragon-type monsters were much stronger than expected. The cultivators were acutely aware that they were in a dilemma.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    The cultivators cooperated by generously releasing the cultivation they had umted over tens of thousands of years. Hundreds of gs pulled out by the six cultivators interacted. They weighed heavily on Nevartan¡¯s body and disturbed the surrounding heaven and earth origin energy.


    The speed at which the beams of lighting from the huge mouth of the dragon slowed down significantly.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    The old man, who was holding ck and white swords in both hands,unched an onught toward Nevartan.


    He used all of his hidden skills, not wanting to end up like the girl. The old man¡¯s ck and white swords possessed yin and yang energy respectively. Their mutually opposite energies exerted a faint power.


    Nevartan¡¯s Absolute Defense and scales were weakened by the hundreds of gs and he kept taking damage.


    [Pretty good...]


    Nevartan¡¯s will that was engraved on the space was full of admiration.


    The old man¡¯s linkage technique allowed him to endure all types of phenomena using his extreme yin energy while poking through any gaps in the enemy¡¯s attack using his extreme yang energy. It was impressive.


    Even the cultivators were amazed by the old man¡¯s skills. They discovered that the old man was a swordsman. This was how secretive the old man was. He had stagnated for a long time in the middle great ascension realm and realized that change was necessary. After tens of thousands of years practicing the swordsmanship he acquiredter on, he broke through the limits of his cultivation..


    The reason he kept this hidden was to deal with unexpected circumstances.


    ¡°My dream has never changed since the day I began walking the path of cultivation. I will survive until the end and make it to the top.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t die in a ce like this...


    The old man¡¯s determination was contained in his two swords. He had swung them hundreds of millions of times over tens of thousands of years of training. He controlled them with the precision of a machine. There wasn¡¯t the slightest error in his technique.


    Nevartan became serious as he was cut hundreds of times, revealing his flesh underneath the scales. It wasn¡¯t because he was in trouble. He just had the feeling that he should respect the other person.


    He had watched his daughter from afar and had witnessed countless human beings working in their respective positions. Farmers who sweated to make a small sprout bloom; cksmiths who hammered metal until their flesh turned red just to make an iron sword; soldiers who patrolled tirelessly to protect a vige where only a few hundred mortals lived; knights who trained day and night to protect a kingdom that would disappear without a trace once a dragon fired a Breath...


    They were all obsessed with insignificant things, but his daughter still watched them with great affection. Nevartan watched the scene in front of him and was unknowingly affected.


    [So that your death isn¡¯t in vain...]


    <i>I will show you how to wield a sword.</i>


    Nevartan polymorphed into a human, pulled out a dark sword, and took the stance of that damn man who turned his daughter into a human. It was easy to copy.


    There were many aplishments that the human left around the world, so it was easy to track them down and replicate them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    A dragon-type monster teaching swordsmanship to a swordsman? The old man thought this situation was absurd, but he saw it as an opportunity. He adjusted his grip on the ck and white swords and used his strongest attack. It was quick swordsmanship that made it look like he released ck and white thunderbolts.


    But before those bolts could pierce Nevartan¡¯s heart or cut off his head, Nevartan¡¯s sword cut through the old man after activating Grid¡¯s Pinnacle sword dance five times in a row.


    Nevartan, the most aggressive of the old dragons, even achieved swordsmanship.


    ¡°G-Great elder...!¡±


    The cultivators couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. They were all shocked and didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the sudden change in the situation.


    For Nevartan, this was an opportunity. He turned into a ck beam of light and moved to ughter the cultivators.


    Just then¡ª


    <i>sh!</i>


    There was a loud roar. A strong jade light shot out from the three Full Moon Fortresses that had fallen and intertwined together.


    ¡°This...¡±


    Nevartan, unperturbed by themotion, cut off the head of thest cultivator. He frowned. Raiders¡¯ expression in the sky was also serious.


    [While the three Full Moon Fortresses were copsing, the space rifts mixed together and merged into one,] Raiders rified.


    The jade light gradually intensified and bled into the surrounding area. Surprisingly, the being who slowly stepped out of the huge space rift was...


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight again.¡±


    It was the same girl who had run away earlier.


    The girl, who had long been able to ascend, forcibly merged the space rifts created by the three Full Moon Fortresses and opened the door to the immortal world. Then she went there, and became an immortal.


    ¡°I lost too much by forcibly ascending. I have to take your inner core so I can recover a bit.¡±


    Raiders glimpsed the Bone Demon mes in the girl¡¯s breath and said, [Well... I have to back off for now.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Nevartan disappeared, and Raiders, surprised, was quick to follow.


    This was the beginning of a long pursuit.

 Chapter 1977

    <h4>Chapter 1977</h4>


    It was rare for a ranker to be a star purely through their own efforts.


    The first generation of high rankers consisted of Grid, Kraugel, Zibal, Yura, Jishuka, Faker, Agnus, Hao, Old Sword Demon... The list goes on.


    Apart from a very small number of rankers who pioneered their own paths, most rankers had to borrow some power from the media or rely on public opinion to rise to stardom.


    This wasn¡¯t undervaluing the newer rankers. It was true that most who rose to prominenceter than the first generation of high rankers reached their current status by referring to the path pioneered by the first generation.


    But didn¡¯t Grid get help from Kraugel in the Behen Archipgo and on the East Continent?


    Rankers who were from the second generation onward were naturally able to gain poprity quickly thanks to the achievements of their predecessors. It was difficult for them to be regarded highly because of this structure.


    As a result, the public was mostly interested and envious of the first generation of rankers. However, the media changed the way things were.


    The media started focusing on the second generation andter rankers instead of the first generation rankers, who were already miles ahead of everyone else and were difficult to reach. As the public, now interested, sympathized with them, the respect for the rankers belonging to the second generation also skyrocketed.


    Many rankers who reigned as top stars in various broadcasts and advertisements were selected and they created an image of themselves based on the needs of the media and the public.


    All these rankers were afraid of one thing¡ªthe public turning their back on them.


    Thanks to people paying attention to them, they became famous for more than their skills, earned a lot of money to buy better items, and became stronger...


    Such a virtuous cycle coulde to an end at any time, so rankers of the second generation tended to be very obsessed with their own image.


    ¡°That... There are a lot of badments going around on social media. The number of subscribers on YouTube continues to drop.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    After livestreaming the failure of the expedition to the Full Moon Fortress, Elvo cursed, trying to estimate the overall damage. As a representative third generation high ranker, who had been popr since the great human and demon war, he was truly upset by the current situation.


    Satisfy had its first ever update! The emergence of the cultivation world had proved to be a huge opportunity for the second generation andter rankers to relieve the sorrows of the past when, no matter what achievement they gained, it was disparaged as only being possible thanks to the first generation of rankers who paved the way.


    This update was definitely a new beginning. For the first time, the first generation andter generation rankers werepeting under the same conditions.


    Elvo was very ambitious. The moment the quest to stop the cultivators¡¯ erosion ritual appeared, he mobilized the guild and invested his own money to form arge expedition team. He¡¯d done that faster than anyone else. It was his grand ambition to stop the erosion ritual way before Grid.


    He might¡¯ve started the gameter than the first generation of rankers, but he wanted to prove how great of a yer he was by bing a high ranker and emerging from the shadows created by the first generation rankers.


    However, his mission didn¡¯t have a smooth start. He couldn¡¯t find the ce where the erosion ritual was taking ce. Then rumors spread that an erosion ritual site had been discovered on the East Continent.


    There were dozens of Full Moon Fortresses. Elvo wasted no time in making his way to the warp gate. He had 300 guild members with him and he also spent arge sum of money hiring 1,000 mercenaries. He marched toward one of the Full Moon Fortress, which suddenly appeared all over the East Continent, rising like moons in the sky.


    The process was live streamed to prove himself to the world. The media, which was on good terms with Elvo, joined in and promoted his mission. This attracted millions of viewers.


    Most of them were unhappy with this update. Many people had either died or lost precious NPCs at the hands of a cultivator. The ferocious vibe given off by them in the chat made them feel like an angry mob. They enthusiastically cheered for Elvo, who was going to ughter the cultivators before anyone else. They called for the destruction of the cultivators.


    Elvo felt like a main character. He was overwhelmed by a type of pleasure different from when he became a star with the help of the media.


    He was already looking forward to the sweet rewards he would get from seeding in this expedition and living up to the public¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®Grid and Kraugel have always felt like this, haven¡¯t they?¡¯


    They had been monopolizing something that felt better than taking drugs for nearly ten years...


    Because of his jealousy, Elvo¡¯s motivation skyrocketed. He led the expedition team with excitement, like a drunk man. The mercenaries grumbled, but followed him nheless.


    The mercenaries were all very reputable people. They couldn¡¯t help but be conscious of the millions of viewers watching the live broadcast.


    This wasn¡¯t just about the viewers. Satisfy-rted news programs would cover today¡¯s events for the next few days. This meant that the mercenaries who were active alongside Elvo would be talked about by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of people in the near future.


    This expedition was an opportunity for everyone present to show off their skills. Therefore, they all wished for sess. They would never let down their guard and would engage in the mission with a brave attitude while also being more cautious than ever before.


    Infiltrating the Full Moon Fortress was a difficult and tense process which made the viewers sweat. The chat was filled with cheering emojis when a patrolling cultivator got killed by Elvo.


    However, that was the end of the cheering. The moment Elvo¡¯s expedition team arrived at the castle in the center of the Full Moon Fortress, around a hundred cultivators present there destroyed all the members of the expedition team in only fifteen minutes.


    Viewers were outraged by this one-sided defeat. Did Elvo broadcast this just to show a pathetic performance?


    Naturally, the more fans there were, the more haters there were as well. Therefore, the number of people happy about Elvo¡¯s failure was pretty high.


    In the end, Elvo was forced to end the broadcast. Right now, the world was in an uproar. They were focused on the failures of numerous rankers, including Elvo.


    ¡°...Shit!¡±


    Elvo didn¡¯t manage to prove himself. Rather, he was being stigmatized. He became furious. He was even more angry after hearing the news that Grid and the Overgeared Guild were active in the West Continent.


    All of Elvo¡¯s efforts being overshadowed only proved that the first generation rankers were the best.


    At this point, he started to suspect that someone was using him.


    ¡°Ren, what about the mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°...They are all gone.¡±


    ¡°They left? Even though they barely even did their jobs? They aren¡¯t even thinking about avenging themselves? This is why they are wandering around as mercenaries of that level, those bastards.¡±


    Elvo gritted his teeth as he thought. He gave up.


    ¡°Turn the broadcast back on.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to livestream an apology?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Why should we apologize for our failures?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but public opinion matters so much...¡±


    ¡°We just have to get the public on our side. Even though we failed, the fact that we challenged the cultivators to stop their ritual cannot be denied. We aren¡¯t the only ones who failed, right?¡±


    It just so happened that a new beam of light appeared on the respawn point. Rankers from other expedition teams resurrected. Elvo confirmed that the broadcast was back on and approached the rankers who had just respawned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join forces. Haven¡¯t we already realized that we can¡¯t do anything about the cultivators guarding the Full Moon Fortresses on our own? Of course, we might fail again even if we team up. However, if we don¡¯t stop the erosion ritual, we don¡¯t know what type of chaos the world will fall into. We can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing.¡±


    The rankers were taken aback by Elvo¡¯s sudden suggestion. They eventually exchanged looks.


    They noticed that Elvo was trying to gain public support. As rankers, they were quick-witted. The other expedition teams were just as afraid of the repercussions if they failed their expedition.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s do it. It''s natural for rankers to jump into danger on behalf of ordinary yers. I¡¯m afraid of the ridicule that will follow if I fail again, but I don¡¯t want to turn away from my duty.¡±


    Since they were all on the same page, they shook hands. Seeing this, the public had favorable reactions. The media also dressed up the cooperation of the rankers with all types of rhetorics.


    ¡®With this, I have kept my honor.¡¯


    Elvo exhaled in relief and exchanged information with the rankers. Theypared the power of the Full Moon Fortresses they had challenged and discussed which ces would be easier to attack.


    The number of viewers watching the broadcast skyrocketed.


    <i>sh!</i>


    A faint light seemed to cross the rankers¡¯ vision. For a moment, day dawned. The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, but night receded and it was now daytime.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Both the rankers and those watching the livestream were stunned. They thought this was some sort of illusion. Daylightsted for only a moment. Before they knew it, night hade again.


    <i>-I didn¡¯t imagine that happening, did I?</i> <i>There¡¯s even a bug that changes day and night after the update.</i> <i>Holy shit.</i>


    There was a barrage of insults and me from the viewers.


    ¡°......¡±


    The rankers at the scene were silent and nervous. A woman had blended among them.


    The moment it became night again, she appeared next to them without any warning. She was a very beautiful Asian woman, but her demeanor was alien. She had gorgeous essories and her make-up methods were umon even on the East Continent...


    The rankers remembered seeing something simr in that group of cultivators.


    Eventually, someone broke the silence. ¡°A cultivator?¡±


    The woman said something they didn¡¯t understand. ¡°The light is fast.¡±


    The rankers didn¡¯t hesitate and pulled out their weapons. They had just returned from the Full Moon Fortress and were very aware of how dangerous cultivators were, so they reacted quickly. Those with good judgment immediately cast their ultimate skills, while those who were stupid attacked the woman using ordinary offensive skills.


    Colorful and gorgeous skill effects engulfing the cultivator caught the attention of viewers.


    The woman snorted and pped her hands together. ¡°It isn¡¯t enough to refer to me as a mere cultivator? You want to kill me as well?¡±


    The mountain peak behind her spun around and absorbed the skills bombardment.


    ¡°What!¡±


    The rankers gasped. They realized that this woman was insanely powerful and they all turned to run at the same time. All of them immediately activated their defensive and escape skills.


    But it was meaningless.


    The mountain peak released the skill bombardment it absorbed and the whole area was razed until only ashes remained. Every single ranker was killed.


    In the empty town square, all that remained were a few hundred items, dropped by the rankers who had been in. What these rankers had inmon was that they died twice that day, so they couldn¡¯t retrieve their items...


    -......


    People watching the broadcast left in huge numbers. They intended to log into Satisfy right away and collect the items dropped by the rankers.


    Some peopleughed, while others cried. To put it bluntly, the East Continent was in aplete state of chaos. The number of people convinced that the cultivators¡¯ erosion ritual would seed had increased exponentially.


    ¡°What are the old dragons doing...?¡±


    Meanwhile, the news reached the West Continent. Grid turned his attention toward the East. He had already mastered two techniques, and spiritual energy was constantly flowing and umting in his body.

 Chapter 1978

    <h4>Chapter 1978</h4>


    The spiritual root resembled a mana core, and it was an acquired organ that one must have in order to handle spiritual energy.


    There were many different types of spiritual roots, unlike mana cores. The single spiritual root, which specialized in one specific attribute, was the most valuable. The double spiritual root, which could sustain two attributes, was the second most valuable, and so on.


    The five elements spiritual root, which could sustain five attributes, was the least valuable. As the number of attributes of the spiritual root increased, thepatibility with each attribute decreased. If a person with a spiritual root specializing in wind could use 100% of their power when using a wind technique, then a person with a five elements spiritual root could only use 50% of their power when using the same technique.


    Grid alleviated this huge weakness by mastering the Profound Martial Technique. Instead ofpletely neutralizing the attributes of the five spiritual roots, Profound Martial Technique amplified the power and quantity of the spiritual energy itself.


    It was possible to increase the power of elemental techniques from the original 50% to 65%. Naturally, the inherently elementless techniques could be used with 100% power.


    However, elementless techniques were rare. Even though he learned the Profound Martial Technique, he was inferior to those with single and double spiritual roots.


    Nevertheless, Grid wasn¡¯t disappointed. He had been unlucky for a day or two, but Grid was used to that. He actuallyughed out loud when he heard that the people with the five elements spiritual root were seen as mediocre by the cultivation world.


    This type of situation was all too familiar to him. Rather, he would¡¯ve felt awkward if he was suddenly treated like a genius.


    ¡®In the end, this turned out to be a good thing.¡¯


    That day, Grid destroyed the neenth Full Moon Fortress and learned a new technique: Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.


    The name was an exaggeration, and the person who came up with its name wanted to let it be known that whoever learnt it would be incredibly powerful. The cultivator who invented this technique must have had a simr personality to Lauel, meaning they must have had a very strong sense of self and liked to exaggerate things.


    In any case, the inventor was likely not an ordinary person. The Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique was as outstanding as its name. It doubled the power of the technique that one had. It had great synergy with Profound Martial Technique, which increased the quality and quality of spiritual energy just by breathing.


    Now, Grid¡¯s spiritual energy increased by 240 every time it cycled through his body. The power of spiritual energy also increased every time the spiritual energy increased by units of 10,000. If he did a rough evaluation, for every 50,000 increase in the total amount of spiritual energy, the power of his techniques would increase by 1%.


    In about a year, he would be able to fully implement the power of all elemental techniques at 100%. This meant that, in time, he would have an overwhelming advantage over people with single spiritual roots, who could implement only one attribute specialized techniques at full power.


    Of course, Grid wasn¡¯t too excited. The other cultivators wouldn¡¯t justze around during this time.


    ¡®A cultivator lives for at least a few hundred years. The cultivators who lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years must¡¯ve learned more powerful techniques than the Profound Martial Technique or Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.¡¯


    They wouldn¡¯t implement the power of a technique at 100%, but at 1,000% or 10,000%.


    Grid had fought many powerful opponents so far and had never let his guard down. He didn¡¯t get carried away and faced reality.


    ...Grid was a big problem for the cultivators.


    ***


    ¡°You lost the book containing the teachings of Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique? How did you manage to lose the greatest treasure left behind by our ancestor, who ascended to the immortal world a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°That... As the great elder knows, isn¡¯t the material of the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique book itself special? It¡¯s made from the skin of an upper world divine beast, so it possesses a colossal aura. The chief didn¡¯t have enough spiritual stones to construct the Full Moon Fortress, so he used the technique book as the material for the formation and built it this way...¡±


    ¡°...What type of bastard invaded the Full Moon Fortress, destroyed it, and even stole the technique book?¡±


    The great elder noticed that the other elders were sweating. His skin was dark because of the demonic art he¡¯d mastered and his curved eyes turned red. He was no different from a demon in the demon world.


    The elders felt his heavy gaze on them and nodded breathlessly. Even though the great elder red at them, his eyes gradually lost some of the heaviness behind them.


    ¡°What were you doing instead of guarding the Full Moon Fortress alongside the chief?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, we were preparing to go into closed door training. As you also came to this conclusion in the first few days, the level of this world is so low that we thought there would be no danger...¡±


    ¡°Did I really? After everything that happened, are you saying that I¡¯m the one responsible for you failing to protect the chief, the Full Moon Fortress, and the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique book?¡±


    ¡°N-Not at all! I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I had no intention to me you, great elder! Please, be considerate!¡±


    The six elders trembled. They were cultivators in the early stage of the great ascension realm, while the great elder was at the peak of the great ascension realm. He hadn¡¯t mastered the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique, so he postponed his ascension. However, if he wanted, he could ascend to the immortal world right now.


    The great elder continued ring at the elders, who were trembling in fear.


    ¡°Retrieve the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique immediately,¡± he ordered. ¡°Only one in ten billion people can learn it, and it¡¯s no longer as valuable as it used to be, but it¡¯s still a symbol of our sect. You know that tens of thousands of cultivatorspete to join our sect every year just because they want to learn the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, we know that. Without the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique, the sect will never return to its former glory and our positions will be in jeopardy.¡±


    ¡°Plus, the decline of the sect will be an inner demon of mine and hold me back when I ascend to the immortal world,¡± the great elder said. ¡°You must bear in mind that my anger might be directed at you if that happens.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The elders hurried out of the hall. What they were pinning their hopes on was that the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique required a great deal of talent. Only a genius born once every one million years could master that technique.


    In other words, it was impossible to learn it unless one had a high probability of reaching the upper world and bing an immortal.


    Even if someone was that talented, it would take tens of thousands of years to increase the skill level of the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.


    There was no chance that the person who dared break into the Full Moon Fortress and stole the technique book would learn it overnight and be reborn as a monster. That was the logical way of thinking in the cultivation world.


    However, this didn¡¯t apply to Grid, who was a yer.


    [The level of the ¡®Profound Martial Technique¡¯ has reached 2 stars.]


    [The level of the ¡®Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique¡¯ has reached 2 stars.]


    ¡®The leveling up speed is insane.¡¯


    Profound Martial Technique took effect every time the spiritual energy in the bodypleted one full cycle. Of course, the proficiency increased every time this happened. As a result, it leveled up quite fast and also greatly affected the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings.


    This was because the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique itself yed a supporting role when paired with other techniques. Therefore, when the proficiency of other techniques increased, the proficiency of this one increased as well.


    A smile spread across Grid¡¯s face. He was proud of himself for mastering both the Profound Martial Technique and Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique among the many technique books.


    Next to him, Noe grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to me, <i>nyang.¡± </i>


    Noe¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He had been reading hundreds of books in the past ten days and his eyes were dry.


    ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s all thanks to you... Um?¡±


    Grid was stroking Noe¡¯s head when he felt a slight vibrationing from his inventory. An ordinary person would¡¯ve never noticed, but Grid¡¯s brilliant senses immediately picked up on it.


    Grid cocked his head.


    [Technique Book: Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique]


    The booklet that Grid pulled out was glowing a faint red. It trembled, as if it was screaming for someone to save it, as if it was afraid of something.


    ¡®Hundred year old herbs have sentience now, so it isn¡¯t that strange for old books to have emotions.¡¯


    Grid ignored it and ced it back in his inventory. He judged that someone was trying to track his location based on this technique book and sent out the God Hands to investigate the surrounding area. His invisible artificial senses were woven together like spider webs, scanning a radius of fifty kilometers in real time.


    In other words, it was impossible to surprise attack Grid.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Just then, Lauel contacted him. He had news.


    The news was that the Full Moon Fortresses in the East Continent were being slowly but steadily dealt with. However, a crazy cultivator was ughtering yers.


    Grid frowned. ¡°What are the old dragons doing...?¡±


    Numerous yers were being massacred. That wasn¡¯t normal. The cultivator was able to absorb the ultimate skills cast by hundreds of rankers without receiving a single scratch and then using them to counterattack?


    Not even Grid could do that.


    ¡°A monster like that is on a rampage and the old dragons are doing nothing? Looks like the situation in the East Continent is worse than I thought.¡±


    Grid was reminded of what was currently happening on the West Continent.


    The apostles, the Tower Members, the Overgeared Guild, Valha, and other allies were actively operating from the Tomb of the Gods. There were also demon reinforcements brought from hell by Leraje...


    The West Continent was incredibly powerful, even overwhelmingly so from an enemy¡¯s perspective.


    There were less than fifty Full Moon Fortresses remaining in the West Continent. Every time they destroyed one of them, they learned new techniques and gained new treasures. The speed at which the Full Moon Fortresses were copsing was steadily increasing.


    Even in ces where Grid wasn¡¯t present, it wasn¡¯t umon to hear that cultivators who were Absolutes were getting ughtered.


    Grid was thinking, ¡®Should the empire support the East Continent?¡¯


    [Whisper from Lauel: I just asked Old Sword Demon and he said that the East Continent will be fine. The god of the beginning, Hanul, is hostile toward the cultivators. He said Hanul can turn into light and move so fast, no one can even follow his movements. It seems that he is finally done absorbing the light from Reba, just as Your Majesty predicted the other day.]


    Hanul had been slowly absorbing the light of Reba, who had severely wounded him, that was trapped in his heart. He¡¯d been doing this secretly in a dimensional gap and it had taken him a long time topletely absorb the light, but it seemed he was finally done.


    Grid was relieved. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to seed. A God of the beginning is truly from a different league.¡±


    Grid thought that as long as Hanul managed to absorb the light and fought against the cultivators, the East Continent would be safe.


    He took for granted the fact that Hanul was hostile toward the cultivators. What Hanul needed was for people to have faith in him again. The best way to gain the support of the people was to deal with their enemies.


    ¡®From Hanul¡¯s perspective, this situation might seem like the stepping stone had beenid out especially for him.¡¯


    The East Continent was fine.


    Grid¡¯s relieved expression slowly turned cold. His artificial senses alerted him of six nearby presences. They were still fifty kilometers away.


    If he wanted, he could run away forever. However, there was no reason for Grid to do that. Why should he spare the cultivators who came here to die so willingly?


    He used Shunpo a few times and greeted the enemies.


    The cultivators paled. ¡°You...?¡±


    They gasped. They felt a familiar energy from the man with ck hair who suddenly appeared before them.


    ¡°Is it possible that you learned the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique?¡±


    ¡°Are you an immortal who was reborn with memories of your past life?¡±


    However, the elders exploded one by one. They couldn¡¯t withstand the power of Grid¡¯s sword dance that was filled with Annihtion energy.


    The elders¡¯ counterattack got blocked by a dark blue barrier and therefore dealt no damage. They were hoping to at least take Grid down with them, but no such thing was possible.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the six Absolutes to be wiped out while Grid didn¡¯t have a single scratch.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Grid snorted and flew toward the next Full Moon Fortress.


    At the same time, the great elder was sitting in a quiet hall. He sensed the death of the elders and slowly stood up.


    ¡°...That person is running rampant.¡±


    The real battle in the West Continent was about to begin as well.

 Chapter 1979

    <h4>Chapter 1979</h4>


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair. I¡¯m so frustrated...¡±


    Tears fell down from the eyes of the old cultivator who was holding a dying girl in his arms. He was crying so bitterly that the atmosphere around him turned grim.


    ¡°Do you think we came here out of our own volition? Thisnd ispletely unfamiliar to us. We were forcefully brought here. In this cursednd where there are no constetions to perform rituals to and no way to raise our realm, we have no choice but to figure out a way to survive.¡±


    The old man¡¯s skinny hands tightened around the girl as he hugged her.


    ¡°My granddaughter has less than ten years left to live. If she doesn¡¯t raise her realm within ten years, she will die. As her grandfather, how can I turn away from this child? I contributed to the construction of the Full Moon Fortress not because I had any ill will toward you. I just wanted to save my only granddaughter...¡±


    The more the old man talked, the darker the expressions of the Overgeared members became. Together with Braham and Faker, they destroyed four fortresses and were on the verge of taking care of their fifth one.


    They seeded in capturing the walls of the Full Moon Fortress, which were guarded by as many as three Absolutes. Now, they just had to destroy the formation in front of them and a total of five Full Moon Fortresses would¡¯ve fallen because of them.


    The guardian of the formation also no longer fought back. Since his granddaughter, who was also guarding the formation with him, was seriously injured, all he could do was hug her and sob.


    ¡°...Is there anyone in the world who doesn¡¯t have a story?¡± Zirkan asked. ¡°I know how you must feel, but give me a moment. I will decide what to do with you once this formation is destroyed.¡±


    Zirkan was the former top-ranked swordsman and Chris¡¯ closest confidant. His words were oddlyforting, because he also had grandchildren, so he sympathized with the old cultivator.


    The rest of the cultivators, who had been fierce in battle, rxed their postures slightly.


    Zirkan and the rest passed the sobbing old man, who was still hugging his granddaughter, and approached the formation.


    But¡ª


    ¡°So naive.¡±


    The sneer of the young girl echoed throughout the hall.


    Shocked, everyone turned around to see the dying girl in the old man¡¯s arms standing up, looking quite healthy.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The Overgeared members were confused. They looked between the girl, who was smiling eerily, and the old man lying limp like a corpse next to her. They couldn¡¯t really understand what had happened while they had their backs turned.


    However, an archer with the skill Hawk Eyes noticed something suspicious. The girl¡¯s fingertips had transparent threads attached to them. Quite a few threads were connected to the old man.


    ¡°That guy was a puppet...? A trap! It¡¯s a trap!¡± the archer shouted, but it was toote.


    The Overgeared members had already entered the formation, and the girl had the authority to activate it.


    The girl snorted. ¡°What is the point of making such a fuss when the trap has already been set?¡±


    Every time her thin fingers formed a different shape, the formation containing the Overgeared members vibrated loudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I couldn¡¯t imprison the most vignt assassin and the magician, but it¡¯s fine. You are also quite strong. You will make great puppets.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    The formation trapping the Overgeared members emitted a colorful glow, blinding them temporarily. They staggered back as long, thin threads pierced their skin. This wasn¡¯t an illusion. Tens of thousands of transparent threads stretched out from the clusters of light emanating from the formation and wrapped around their bodies.


    [The ¡®Puppet Circuits¡¯ have pierced you.]


    [You struggle to escape, but nothing happens.]


    [You have lost control of your body.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The transparent threads that pierced the skin of the Overgeared members and prated their organs were in fact intricately crafted treasures. There were manyplex circuits installed in every one of them. Every time the circuit was connected, the formation waspleted and the technique manifested.


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t even speak.


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    The girl looked quite satisfied with herself as she moved her hands. Her enemies were now acting in ordance with her will. They approached her, lined up, and bowed down as if greeting a king.


    ¡°I swear loyalty to my new master,¡± they said against their will.


    [You have pledged allegiance to the cultivator Aeya.]


    The puppet strings had an additional effect.


    [The pledge of allegiance has been imprinted on the Puppet Circuits.] [You can¡¯t be hostile to Aeya.]


    ¡®This damn thing.¡¯


    A chill went down the spines of the Overgeared members. They finally realized how powerful the girl in front of them was. They couldn¡¯t think of a way to get out of this situation without outside help.


    Their only constion was that they were all yers, so they weren¡¯t going to be her puppet forever.


    ¡®I¡¯m d Braham isn¡¯t here,¡¯ the cultivators were consoling themselves.


    A gloomy voice echoed through the hall. ¡°I see how things turned out... Why did you appoint him as themander of the unit? Did you pick him because of his connections?¡±


    The voice reeked of irritation and frustration. The person speaking was very handsome. Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Braham had already returned from chasing the runaway Absolutes. Faker also apanied him.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I picked him because of his connections. I don¡¯t have the knack for leading people, so I needed a squadmander to take charge.¡± Faker spoke for an uncharacteristically long time. He was talking to Braham, who was ring at Zirkan.


    Zirkan was unable to lift his head. He was in Faker¡¯s party and not Chris¡¯ because Faker asked Zirkan to lead the party on his behalf, since Faker had to act secretly as an assassin. Zirkan epted this request after mulling over it for a long time.


    However, he didn¡¯t live up to expectations. Zirkan wanted to apologize and exin how things had turned out this way, but he couldn¡¯t speak because he was under the control of the girl cultivator.


    The good news was that Braham understood what was going on. As expected of the god of wisdom, he immediately put two and two together just by looking at the scene in front of him.


    ¡°Did you just let your guard down because you felt sympathy for the girl who was crying while holding the dying old man...? Or was it the old man holding the girl? Oh, well. It doesn¡¯t matter. Either way, you are pathetic.¡±


    Braham¡¯s red eyes red at Zirkan and contempt crossed his face.


    ¡°The cultivators are the most insidious beings I have ever seen. They might also be human, but they categorize ordinary people as mortals and don¡¯t treat them as human beings. The vampires who have been superior humans from the moment they were born, and who treated humans as livestock because their blood is advantageous for survival, seem like innocent beings in contrast to the cultivators. Why treat cultivators as human beings and respect them?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Faker looked at Braham, who was criticizing Zirkan, as if what he was saying was somewhat absurd. The way Braham described the cultivators was quite simr to how Braham used to be.


    Braham himself was a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t Grid. Expecting the other person to change and giving them such a chance is a privilege only for those who have the power to keep things under control when the other person betrays their expectations.¡±


    Only after mentioning Grid did Braham¡¯s criticism be harsher. Zirkan¡¯s face turned red and Faker looked away from Braham.


    The girl, who had been silently watching this exchange, snorted.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do? Yourpanions have already be my loyal puppets.¡±


    The girl waved her hands. The old man, who had been lying on the floor like a corpse, as well as Zirkan¡¯s party, jumped up and stood in front of her, as if they were escorting her.


    ¡°How can you handle me with your insignificant skills? It took you more than ten minutes to kill three cultivators in the early stage of the great ascension realm. Not to mention, if you wanna get to me, you have to harm your colleagues who are still alive.¡±


    She was a skilled cultivator in thete great ascension realm. It was the highest level a cultivator could reach before bing an immortal. She had enormous power and she could ughter cultivators in the early stage of the great ascension realm with just a gesture.


    Moreover, she was very meticulous. As a monster who had lived for tens of thousands of years, she never let down her guard. Forcing Zirkan¡¯s group into a trap and turning them into puppets was a testament to her cautiousness.


    The girl thought that Braham and Faker would hesitate when faced with the risk of harming their colleagues, so she was nning to use this against them. This way, she could easily deal with them.


    <i>Clink, clink.</i>


    The sound of metal moving against metal echoed in the great hall. Zirkan¡¯s group pulled out their weapons and slowly moved toward Braham and Faker.


    ¡®Now, show your ugly side.¡¯


    The reason cultivators didn¡¯t respect mortals was simple. Mortals couldn¡¯t even live for a hundred years and were bound by too many things. There were many mortals who were obsessed with rtionships, affection, or grudges. They always made mistakes and had to live with regrets for the rest of their lives.


    They were a bunch of irredeemable scum who weren¡¯t worth sympathizing with. She figured that Braham and Faker would be scum as well.


    This was a huge mistake on her part.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Braham snorted and snapped his fingers.


    Thorns made of sharp stone rose from the ground, forming a forest. A tidal wave rose and swept through the cracks of the forest. The air was bing unbearably hot. Huge rocks fell one after another from the sky.


    He was linking great magic spells together.


    Zirkan¡¯s group got wiped out. They couldn¡¯t withstand this catastrophic level of magic. Everything happened so fast that the girl was slow to react. She suffered an internal injury because she couldn¡¯t recover the puppet circuits she had nted in the bodies of Zirkan¡¯s group.


    ¡°No hesitation at all?¡± she asked, coughing. ¡°Do you even consider yourself human?¡±


    ¡°When did I say I was human?¡±


    Braham used Blink and struck. The powerful Punishment spell was oveid with Faker¡¯s shadow magic, darkening the girl¡¯s vision.


    ¡°I am a god.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit...¡±


    The girl was angry at how things had turned out and struggled to get back up, but she had no chance.


    The girl¡¯s head exploded, leaving not a single trace behind. However, the nascent soul didn¡¯t emerge from her body.


    Braham turned to look over his shoulder. He was still concerned about the old man who survived the magic bombardment.


    The old man approached him.


    [I had a hunch. It turns out that this is her main body.]


    Braham detonated the mana core and temporarily entered the realm of an Absolute. However, the old man already swung his sword at Braham¡¯s throat. Just as Braham thought he was going to be decapitated, Faker emerged from the shadows and blocked the old man¡¯s sword with his dagger.


    But that onlysted for a moment.


    The power of the sword possessed by a cultivator in thete great ascension realm was too much for Faker to handle. He was unable to withstand the strength and flew backward.


    Still, Faker bought Braham enough time. While the old man¡¯s sword was blocked by the dagger, Braham managed toplete his spell. He¡¯de up with this spell by using a trick he learned while teaching magic to Grid¡¯s clone.


    [Quasar.]


    The ultimate gravity spell. A silent explosion of magic engulfed the old man and the Full Moon Fortress.


    The oue was considerable. In the ce where the Full Moon Fortress used to be, all that remained was a ck void, as if a part of the world had been ripped away. It looked as if thergest beast in the universe suddenly appeared and devoured a radius of tens of kilometers in one bite.


    [...Finally.]


    Braham looked happy as he stood alone in the void.

 Chapter 1980

    <h4>Chapter 1980</h4>


    The god of magic and wisdom, Braham, was an exceptional person who had a reputation simr to Grid. It wasn¡¯t just the subjects of the empire who worshiped him, but people in the East also praised him.


    He had achieved a lot in his life. He had greatly developed the study of magic, trained students such as Euphemina, and contributed to the development of civilization in all aspects. In particr, he had defeated countless enemies on the battlefield. He used to be stronger than Grid before Grid became an Absolute.


    Everyone who knew what Braham was capable of was confused about one aspect. Why hadn¡¯t he be an Absolute yet?


    ¡®Perhaps the reason is...¡¯


    Faker got resurrected and had a hypothesis. Perhaps Braham hadn¡¯t be an Absolute because of the limitations of magic. However, Faker had just experienced the power of the great spell called Quasar, so he was hesitant about his theory.


    This spellpletely annihted an area, and it didn¡¯t distinguish between friend and foe. It devoured even thend it was supposed to protect, destroying everything that existed in the vicinity. Even Faker died under the influence of Quasar despite being in Braham¡¯s party.


    This ultimate spell was such a pervasive thing. It meant that the ss of magician itself wasn¡¯t suitable to be an Absolute. Being an Absolute required having omnipotence and omniscience, which Braham didn¡¯t possess through his magic spells.


    ¡®No... I should stop specting about this.¡¯


    Braham became a god with two titles. Even though he had achieved many feats after bing a god, he didn¡¯t be an Absolute.


    Faker didn¡¯t want to be even more anxious by making unnecessary assumptions. So, cautious and patient, just like an assassin, Faker decided to mind his business.


    A notification window that he didn¡¯t understand popped up.


    [You have been chosen as the target of ¡®Space-Time Reversal.¡¯]


    ¡°......?¡±


    Faker was in a different ce than the one he¡¯d been mere seconds before. He wasn¡¯t at the resurrection point of the Tomb of the Gods anymore, but in a ce where fields stretched out in all directions.


    The jade light that used to weigh down heavily on the area had disappeared without a trace. Faker could only see the greennd and the clear blue sky. He didn¡¯t recognize it at first, but this was the ce where the Full Moon Fortress used to be, the same area which had been annihted by Braham¡¯s Quasar.


    But now it looked fine, as if nothing had happened. There was no Full Moon Fortress and no signs of battle.


    Faker¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    [The death you just experienced is nullified.]


    [The lost EXP and dropped items will be restored to you.]


    ¡°......¡±


    If Grid had been in this situation, he would¡¯ve screamed and urged Braham to exin what just happened.


    However, Faker wasn¡¯t like that. He didn¡¯t act rashly. He just stared at Braham silently.


    Brahamughed.


    [I can see why Grid and the Overgeared members have relied on you for so many years. It¡¯s sofortable to be around you in many ways.]


    Braham wasn¡¯t directly speaking. His inner thoughts were engraved into the space without passing through his brain and mouth.


    This was the intent of an Absolute.


    [Why can¡¯t I be an Absolute, you ask? I have been thinking about this for a long time. Even if I created spells that made a mark on history, trained outstanding juniors, developed civilization, and defeated powerful enemies, the fact that I couldn¡¯t be an Absolute made me experience emotions I have never felt before.]


    He¡¯d felt deep agony, like he was wandering through a maze with no exit. Perhaps this pain was too much for an ordinary person to bear.


    Faker sympathized with Braham.


    The power of intent¡ªif there was an Absolute who could perfectly control intent, there was a high probability that they would be invincible.


    [Only now, once I saw the ultimate spell, did I realize the problem.]


    Ordinary people mistook Punishment as Braham¡¯s ultimate spell. The spell that showed off an overwhelming power during the great human and demon war had been an innovation. It had made more and more people worship Braham.


    But for Braham, Punishment was just the beginning. He¡¯de up with a new magic foundation theory while he was in the process of rebuilding his magic to fit his regained vampire lineage, which had taken a lot of time and effort.


    The true ultimate spell that was built on this foundation was Quasar.


    [I was nothing but a destroyer. The magic path I walked only led to the destruction of everything in my pursuit of strength. I couldn¡¯t have possibly achieved omniscience and omnipotence like this, so I couldn¡¯t be an Absolute.]


    Faker¡¯s hypothesis had been surprisingly correct.


    Fortunately, Braham had also been aware of that.


    [Since I found the answer, the rest was easy. I just had to find a solution¡ªthe process of adding a spell that reverses the effect of a destructive spell on a specific target. It might not be the best solution, but isn¡¯t it worth discussing omniscience and omnipotence if something called a ¡®miracle¡¯ is performed?]


    Frozen Tempest froze the whole world, Meteor ttened an entire area... The list goes on. Braham¡¯s magic was inherently more destructive and uncontroble the more powerful it was.


    However, in the case of Frozen Tempest, Reba had stepped in to take care of the consequences. In the case of destructive magic like Meteor, Braham prevented the worst from happening by giving mana shields to his allies in the area.


    All of this proved Braham¡¯s imperfections. Therefore, Braham couldn¡¯t be an Absolute.


    However, this was no longer the case. Braham had performed a miracle.


    ¡°...Will Zirkan¡¯s group be resurrected?¡±


    [I killed them because I wanted to, so no.]


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That made sense. Had he used Quasar from the beginning, wouldn¡¯t Zirkan¡¯s group have survived...? Faker had been wondering about this, but he didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    Ultimate spells weren¡¯t something to be used willy-nilly. Braham might not have intended to use Quasar in the first ce. Since Zirkan¡¯s group got turned into puppets, Braham just killed them to get them out of the way.


    ¡®Every yer resurrects after they die, so there was no reason for Braham to hesitate.¡¯


    The basis ofbat revolved around one¡¯s management of their resources during battle, no matter how low-level or high-level they were. By strategically using skills and managing one¡¯s mana pool, a good yer could still respond to unexpected situations duringbat.


    Faker silently pulled out a dagger and held it. He melted in Braham''s shadow.


    ¡°Congrattions on bing an Absolute,¡± he said.


    A world message popped up.


    [A new Absolute has been born.]


    [He is Braham, the god of magic and wisdom and the apostle of Only One God Grid.]


    Braham snorted.


    [It¡¯s amusing to be congratted for something that everyone sawing. It¡¯s just as strange as people celebrating their birthdays.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t you celebrate Lord¡¯s birthday?¡±


    [That... From the perspective of a magician, I¡¯m thankful that a talented boy like him was born...]


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone thinks the same about you. Perhaps they are grateful that you¡¯re here.¡±


    Braham was rarely embarrassed, so Faker immediately stopped talking.


    The existence that seemed like a small dot just a moment ago was now very close. It was a muscr man with dark skin. His white hair was reminiscent of a male lion¡¯s mane. It made him look like a beast rather than a human.


    Braham frowned when he saw the smile on the man¡¯s face.


    [Seeing you smile, you seem happy.]


    The dark-skinned, white-haired man stared at Braham.


    ¡°I suddenly felt a powerful energy and changed directions halfway through my initial destination. I actually wasn¡¯t sure, but it seems like you are the thief who stole the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.¡±


    [If I am, what will you do?]


    Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique? Braham hadn¡¯t heard of it.


    In fact, he¡¯d learned only one technique. Thanks to it, he quickly restored his mana core that had been destroyed when he forcibly entered Absolute mode. However, the name of the technique he learned wasn¡¯t Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.


    Still, he didn¡¯t deny the usation. From the moment the cultivator showed up, Braham intended to kill him.


    ¡°Haha! You truly are an idiot. I expected you to be fearless because you killed the elders without any hesitation. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so confident when facing me.¡±


    [Why do you keepughing? Is it because you are so desperate to die?]


    ¡°Hah, Imend you for acting so arrogantly despite only being in the qi refining realm, but I don¡¯t understand why you are so arrogant toward <i>me</i>. Perhaps you are an experienced soldier? The moment the elders saw your energy, they must¡¯ve thought you were just a swordsman. But you must¡¯ve been through all types of battles over tens of thousands of years. I know what you¡¯re capable of, so I won¡¯t let my guard down. If you don¡¯t change your attitude and give me the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique book right away, you will regret it.¡±


    ¡°Experienced soldier?¡± Faker asked from the shadows.


    The man had been aware of his presence from the beginning, so he snorted without any surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m from a lower world. I am different from ordinary cultivators, who were born in the middle world and had an abundance of heaven and earth origin energy from the beginning, and could easily umte their cultivation and ascend to the immortal world. I have a better understanding of the dark physiology of the universe. Unlike those who divide the huge universe into only the demon world, the lower world, the middle and upper world, I am very aware that countless other dimensions exist. I¡¯ve seen clearly with my own eyes how the lower world where I was born got destroyed by a group of experienced warriors from another lower world.¡±


    After a moment of reminiscence, the man gritted his teeth.


    ¡°The wonders of magic and power intimidated me at that time. No matter what unexpected tricks you use, you can¡¯t catch me off guard. Do you understand that, magician?¡±


    The man looked at the staff in Braham¡¯s hand. He seemed to be very aware of the existence of magicians.


    Faker became even more vignt at this strange turn of events.


    [How can I understand the nonsense of a fool?]


    Braham swung his staff.


    The man assumed Braham would use magic and naturally responded by using a technique. His treasures were focused on physical force.


    Depending on the technique, it had anti-synergy with magic that rendered physical force useless. The man intended to fight against Braham¡¯s spells with a technique that was simr to magic.


    Braham saw through it.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Braham¡¯s staff didn¡¯t cast any magic. He simply swung it at the man¡¯s head, shattering the shields with ease and smashing his skull. Blood spilled out.


    ¡°You¡¯re so strong, even though you¡¯re just a magician?¡± the man asked. He looked bewildered. ¡°Were you a warrior before?¡±


    The man was a cultivator in thete great ascension realm. He was confused, but he quickly cast a new technique. He countered andunched dozens of treasures into the air.


    Braham continued to cast Disintegrate.


    The spears of transparent magic power rained down quickly and pierced the man one after another.


    [Half-baked knowledge is a sin.]

 Chapter 1981

    <h4>Chapter 1981</h4>


    ¡®How do we kill him?¡¯


    Faker was reminded of the strength of the cultivators now that he was watching Braham fight one of them. They used offensive skills, as well as defensive ones. Unlike normal defensive skills, the shields of the cultivators allowed them to move and act with no restrictions. One could almost say those shields resembled a dragon¡¯s Absolute Defense, though that was a bit of an exaggeration.


    Even though they had shields deployed, the cultivators were able to move and attack freely. A cultivator wasn¡¯t restricted by anything when their shield was up. The shield also counterattacked while defending against enemy attacks, making the fight rather one-sided. Of course, doing this required a lot of spiritual energy.


    Faker had learned a voice-based technique from a Full Moon Fortress destroyed four days earlier and seeded in condensing a spiritual root. He understood how these shields worked. He was certain that no cultivator could keep them up forever.


    However, the white-haired cultivator currently fighting Braham was an Absolute. Surely, he possessed an unimaginable amount of spiritual energy. It wouldn¡¯t be too much of a hassle for him to keep activating his shields throughout the battle.


    In fact, the white-haired man had had his protective shield activated ever since Braham hit him in the forehead with the staff. Since the power of a cultivator¡¯s shield was proportional to their realm level, the shield was able to withstand even the barrage of Disintegrate.


    ¡°You can¡¯t use Quasar anymore?¡±


    [Not for two more days. To activate Quasar, it takes a lot of time to modify the structure of the mana core. It¡¯s impossible to use Memorize on it and the side effects are quite considerable.]


    Considering how strong of an ability Quasar was, the two days cooldown time was rtively short. Though it was a shame, considering the situation they were in.


    Braham¡¯s Mana Shield flickered. The vivid blue magic faded and became dark. It couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the techniques flying non-stop from the white-haired, dark-skinned man.


    The man handled too many attributes. He could freeze the target, pour hot water on them, burn them, create a storm to damage them, stun them, crush them by applying substantial pressure, and so on.


    Colorful techniques exploded against Braham¡¯s shield, systematically weakening it, to the point where Braham needed to respond by changing the attributes of the shield ordingly. In other words, it was a high-speed battle that an average person couldn¡¯t keep up with, because Braham changed the attribute of his shield every 0.1 seconds.


    Faker was a Transcendent who could win a battle with his high insight and quick decision-making, but he couldn¡¯t really keep up with what was urring in a battle between Absolutes, since everything was happening too fast for him to see.


    The battle between the Absolutes, who deployed spells and techniques, or activated artifacts and orbs, was on a different level.


    The battlefield that Braham had restored was being devastated again. Braham¡¯s spells and the white-haired man¡¯s techniques repeatedly changed nature and caused disasters, such as the grasnd bing a snowy field before being swept away by a tsunami, or an active volcano suddenly rising before turning into ashes and disappearing.


    After a few more exchanges, Braham nced at Faker.


    [Join the resurrected personnel and move to the next Full Moon Fortress.]


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Faker was cool-headed. He wasn¡¯t a talkative person, so he immediately turned around. But the gray-haired man mocked him as he was about to leave.


    ¡°Give up any hope that you will survive. This battle will be over soon anyway. You are destined to die. It will only be a hassle for both of you if you keep dragging this out unnecessarily.¡±


    Faker couldn¡¯t move. It was as if he was nailed to the air. Maybe some technique was at work. Braham noticed this and cast the Cure spell.


    Faker, now freed from the influence of the formation, turned into a shadow and left. The white-haired man red at the spot where Faker had just been.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s the type of person who easily abandons his master. I¡¯m familiar with people like him.¡±


    [Didn¡¯t you understand the context of our conversation? You are quite ipetent. Maybe if you evolved, you¡¯d finally be as intelligent as a monkey.]


    ¡°Haha, there is no point in having a conversation with someone as clueless as you.¡±


    The white-haired man dismissed the whole situation.


    There was a way to win this fight. The bizarre person in front of him, regardless of whether he was a warrior or a magician, was an experienced fighter. However, this meant nothing to the white-haired man.


    Thest time the man hadn¡¯t been able to confront a group of experienced fighters was tens of thousands of years ago in the lower world.


    At that time, the man¡¯s cultivation was only at the core formation realm. Now, he had reached the end of his cultivation¡ªthe peak of great ascension. It was the highest realm that human beings could reach. In other words, he could be an immortal at any time. He¡¯d only stayed in the human world and continued to practice the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique to be even stronger than he already was.


    He had changed tremendously over the years. Compared to the man he used to be tens of thousands of years ago, he was unrecognizable now. There was nothing in this world for him to fear.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    He activated the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique.


    The moment the man¡¯s spiritual root exerted the power of this technique, he absorbed all the heaven and earth origin energy in the area. Braham¡¯s ever-present Mana Drain was on the verge of failing. He lost control of his mana and his eyes widened as he saw thousands of techniques and treasures flying toward him.


    Dozens ofyers of Mana Shields broke one after another as the attacks mmed into them without pause. Braham was covered in wounds. There was a huge hole in his chest and his limbs were either broken or severed. He was on the verge of death.


    Meanwhile, the white-haired man was fine. He¡¯d been blocking Braham¡¯s counter spells with shields and defensive orbs. He swung a kniferge enough to cut off a bull¡¯s head. He decapitated Braham and blood spilled out like from a fountain.


    ¡°Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique...¡±


    The man grabbed Braham¡¯s body to keep it from falling. He searched through the ragged clothes until he found a technique book. He stained his hands and arms with filthy blood by doing this, but he still took it. He could use a technique to clean himselfter.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    The man was in the middle of taking out unfamiliar objects from Braham¡¯s pockets and investigating them one by one when he cocked his head. He realized that he couldn¡¯t really feel his fingertips that well anymore. The man¡¯s face slowly turned pale as he raised his hands, confused.


    <i>Wriggle.</i>


    The blood covering Braham¡¯s body was moving like a living worm. The color gradually faded like it was seeping into the man¡¯s body.


    ¡°A blood technique?¡±


    Sometimes, cultivators made offerings using their own blood or the blood of others. What the cultivators had inmon was that their blood, not the soul, was their source of life.


    The man had a bad feeling and hurriedly shoved away the corpse he was holding, but it was toote. Braham¡¯s blood had already made its way into the man¡¯s body. It flowed backward and took over the man¡¯s veins, reaching his heart before he knew it.


    The man¡¯s waist bent like he was bowing. He coughed, and blood spilled from his seven orifices. He was experiencing pain on a level he didn¡¯t even imagine was possible.


    Of course he¡¯d be in pain. The life force of a great ascension cultivator was great, but he couldn¡¯t survive losing too much blood.


    ¡°K-Kuoock...!¡±


    The man was in great distress and his heart was hammering in his chest, beating at a rate of more than a thousand times per second, and that rate was bing even faster.


    ¡°W-What is this...? Such a wicked technique exists...?¡±


    Because he was from an insignificant lower world and had be the best cultivator of the middle world, after tens of thousands of years ofbat, the white-haired man¡¯s pride was greater than that of an ordinary cultivator.


    Around ten thousand years ago, he stopped considering that he could ever be in danger of dying. Even so, he was cautious and was mindful of wild cards and unexpected situations that might ur in the upper world. This was why he had been obsessed with achieving perfection in the Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique, but...


    That cautiousness held him back, and now he was having this dilemma. He didn¡¯t know if he would be able to survive anymore.


    The man started to resent his past self for not ascending to the upper world earlier. He was experiencing a lot of pain, and he was in danger.


    ¡°The strength of your blood... To train it this much... How many humans did you use for your blood sacrifice...?¡±


    His heart was on the verge of exploding. He couldn¡¯t even control his spiritual root anymore.


    There was only one way for him to get out of this. He had to let his nascent soul escape. Giving up on this body would cost him tens of thousands of years of cultivation, but it was a million times better than dying.


    [You are speaking nonsense again.]


    An irritating thought was engraved into the space. Braham appeared before the white-haired man¡¯s eyes, and he was in a much better state. Blood rose like vines from his severed neck, tangling until it morphed into healthy body parts and limbs...


    The white-haired man was horrified. The blood that was regenerating Braham was the same that was currently pouring out of the cultivator.


    Braham was absorbing all the blood that he forcibly took from the heart that was beating at over a thousand times per second.


    [How dare you try to understand me given your knowledge as a cultivator? That¡¯s impossible to do, and it feels unpleasant.]


    ¡°You blood demon...¡±


    The white-haired man¡¯s mind went nk with rage. He didn¡¯t want to allow Braham to live by using his blood. He wondered if there was even a reason to live after giving up tens of thousands of years of cultivation.


    After dedicating his entire life to cultivation, did he really have to give it all up just because he was desperate to survive?


    Absolutely not.


    He wanted to at least anger his enemy, who was smiling arrogantly at him. But the cultivator felt hopeless. He just wanted to preserve his dignity, which he¡¯d maintained for all his life...


    The white-haired man became determined and his spiritual root vibrated like crazy, faster than even his heart, which could explode any minute now. This distorted the heaven and earth origin energy around him.


    He was aiming to take down Braham with him.


    He used hisst remaining strength to take control of the area and managed to smile. He expected Braham to look surprised and frightened. This enemy, who made the cultivator feel like his whole world had fallen into an abyss of despair...


    The man thought that taking Braham with him to the underworld was an eptable gift.


    However¡ª


    ¡°......?¡±


    There was no change in Braham¡¯s expression. He still looked arrogant, and he didn¡¯t seem to panic at all.


    Just then, the man¡¯s spiritual root reached its limit and exploded. A massive st engulfed everything around him, bathing the world in light.


    Despite the explosions, some indigo barriers retained their shape. They were the only things that resisted without being swallowed up by the light.


    Multiple Weakening Barriers. Braham recreated the strongest defensive skill that Grid had gotten from Judar. The research carried out with the help of Grid had been very rewarding. The skill was still imperfect, but he was able to bring out around 50% of its power thanks to just bing an Absolute.


    ¡°This guy...!¡±


    The white-haired man scowled as he turned to ashes and disappeared. The indigo curtain stood alone in the area where not a single de of grass was left. It soon shattered and scattered in the air.


    Braham was pale as he stepped out of it. From an outside perspective, he seemed rtively unharmed, but his internal injuries were serious. Every organ in his body had been torn to shreds. It was hard to move his blood, let alone his mana.


    However, Braham didn¡¯t have time to catch his breath. He struggled to collect the loot left behind by the dead cultivator and immediately tracked down Faker.


    Stronger enemies kept emerging. He had to work hard to take the pressure off Grid...

 Chapter 1982

    <h4>Chapter 1982</h4>


    Contrary to Braham¡¯s concerns¡ª


    ¡®It reminds me of how this all began.¡¯


    A smile lingered on Grid¡¯s face. He showed no signs of hardship despite crossing the continent and fighting thousands of cultivators. He enjoyed learning about unfamiliar enemies and getting used to new skills andbat methods.


    It brought back memories from when he first started ying Satisfy: the monsters living in front of the gates of the fortress city of Patrian; the pleasure gained from gradually winning more battles by understanding the attack power, HP, behaviors and patterns of those wearing rabbit masks came to mind.


    ¡°How vicious were those monsters¡¯ ambushes?¡± Grid muttered to himself.


    ¡°A rabbit attacked Grid?¡±


    Randy, who joined Grid as he savored his memories, tilted her head. She had lived in the mountains for many years. She often hung out with birds, rabbits, squirrels, deer, foxes, and other animals, but she rarely saw them attack humans first.


    ¡®Was the rabbit a monster that seemed polite before unexpectedly attacking...?¡¯


    Grid was taken aback by the unexpected criticism and reflected on his memories. Since bing an Absolute, his cognitive skills became a lot sharper and his ability to retain memories also improved by a lot.


    His fights with the rabbit came to mind. He was very embarrassed...


    He would forever remember rabbits as fierce and persistent monsters. Now that he remembered everything clearly, that creature wasn¡¯t a monster. It was just a cute little rabbit. When people attacked it, it simply fought back with all its might to protect itself.


    However, Grid was too embarrassed to grit his teeth and admit his mistake.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t think of Patrian¡¯s rabbits as ordinary rabbits. They are much better at hiding and ambushing than most monsters.¡±


    Randy nodded and smiled naively. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re amazing! They¡¯repletely different from ordinary rabbits that are small, cute, and innocent!¡±


    Noe nced at Grid, who looked rather remorseful. ¡°If they were that dangerous,¡± Noe muttered, ¡°There would be a separate rabbit suppression team deployed in Patrian...¡±


    ¡°Noe, if you¡¯re done, hurry up and read the next book.¡±


    ¡°I understand,<i> nyang...¡± </i>


    Grid didn¡¯t waste time, not even when he was traveling. As he practiced Profound Martial Technique, as well as Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique, he also enhanced Randy¡¯sbat skills and learned from Noe what types of mystical arts books he possessed.


    That¡¯s right.


    Since he filled in his two technique slots, it was time to fill in the mystical arts slots.


    Now that he leveled up both Profound Martial Technique and Ten Thousand Wheels One Thousand Wings Technique and his total amount of spiritual energy exceeded 200,000, his Warrior realm had evolved into Warrior te stage).


    There were a total of sixteen mystical arts that Grid could learn. Excluding the previously learned Golden Soul Technique and Memory Searching Technique, there were fourteen slots left.


    ¡®If I was to use cultivation terms, then I would be in thete stage qi refining realm right now.¡¯


    In other words, it was pretty shabby. Still, he could learn sixteen skills?


    Considering the cultivator¡¯s characteristic of rapidly bing stronger every time their realm increased, he assumed there would be around a hundred skill slots for the cultivators in the foundation building and core formation realms.


    Cultivators had an overwhelming advantage over yers. In fact, it was convenient to recognize them as a higher species since their lifespan was way longer than human¡¯s.


    Noe was disgusted as he finished organizing the books. ¡°There are still 142 books left, <i>nyang...¡± </i>


    Grid had obtained plenty of loot after destroying dozens of Full Moon Fortresses. The total number of techniques and mystical arts books alone exceeded five hundred. Noe had read around 75% of them. The smell of paper was enough to make him vomit now.


    However, the reason he read the books without any majorints was...


    [Your pet ¡®Noe¡¯ has learned the ¡®Yuri n¡¯s Wind Escape Arts.¡¯]


    Noe also got something out of this process. Even before the word quest ¡®Stop the Erosion Ritual¡¯ appeared, Noe¡¯s was simr to Grid. He had learned a technique and condensed a spiritual root. Noe had mastered a technique that was very suitable for him.


    Just as Profound Martial Technique was a technique that got better by continuously training it, the technique that Noe learned got stronger by absorbing the spiritual energy of cultivators. This meant that destroying Full Moon Fortresses helped him a lot.


    Plus, Noe had learned more than ten techniques. Grid was puzzled. How did a demonic beast learn man-made techniques and mystical arts?


    The techniques and mystical arts books that Noe studied from were all made of unique materials. The content wasn¡¯t written on paper, but on animal skins or scales. Above all, the characters were unfamiliar. They were hieroglyphs reminiscent of ancient characters.


    After questioning a few cultivators using the Golden Soul Technique, Grid learned that these books had been written by demon cultivators, not humans. Surprisingly, demon cultivators were considered monsters. Monsters who were as intelligent as humans could be cultivators.


    ¡®Indeed... There is no way there wouldn¡¯t be monsters like Noe or dragons in the cultivation world.¡¯


    ¡°Nyahaha! How fast am I,<i> nyang?!¡±</i>


    Noeughed because he was excited from learning a new skill. Randy looked envious as Noe rushed far ahead using wind currents. She was flying because the floating God Hand was holding onto the back of her head, but couldn¡¯t catch up with Noe...


    ¡®By the way, why is it holding her by the back of her head?¡¯


    Grid btedly realized that this sight could cause others to misunderstand and called the God Hand to his side. He took Randy into his arms and said, ¡°Randy, I know you want to learn the techniques and mystical arts quickly, but please be patient.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know I can only do that after I get my body. I¡¯ll brag to Noe once that happens.¡±


    In order to transnt Randy into the forged body, the doppelganger¡¯s core needed to be intact. If Randy learned some techniques and condensed a spiritual root before that, unexpected things might happen.


    Grid patted Randy¡¯s head, redistributed his stat points to Agility, and quickened his pace. A minuteter, Grid finally caught up with Noe, who was exhausted.


    It was surprising. Even if he didn¡¯t use Shunpo, he didn¡¯t think that Noe would be faster than him after putting all his points into Agility.


    ¡°The Yuri n¡¯s Wind Escape Arts? Aren¡¯t you too fast with this technique?¡±


    ¡°Fast... <i>Gasp, </i>what are you, <i>nyang... Gasp,</i> can¡¯t breathe properly... <i>Gasp,</i> have to rest... Ugh... I¡¯m going to die, <i>ong...¡± </i>


    ¡°The technique would be too OP if you achieved this speed while still retaining good endurance. But it¡¯s a perfect technique to use if you need to run away in an emergency.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression darkened a bit as he fed a mana potion to Noe. He realized it would be quite troublesome to meet a cultivator who could use the Yuri n¡¯s Wind de Arts.


    ¡®Well... I won¡¯t meet a demon cultivator, so there is no need to worry about it.¡¯


    He¡¯d only encountered human cultivators after the update. People fought cultivators numerous times every day, so the fact that there were no sightings of demon cultivators meant that there weren¡¯t that many of them.


    [A new Absolute has been born.]


    A world message appeared, stating that Braham had be an Absolute.


    ¡°Finally...!¡±


    Grid was overjoyed. He hugged Randy and Noe, cheering.


    How worried had he felt when he saw that Braham had not been able to be an Absolute despite everything he had aplished?


    If only Braham didn¡¯t troll so much...


    Could it be that his trolling had undermined his achievements? Had it not been for such ridiculous doubts, Grid would¡¯ve protested against the S.A Group in earnest. Wasn¡¯t this a bug? Unless this was a bug, why were they keeping Braham from bing an Absolute?


    ...But he was d everything had worked out in the end.


    Randy, who was in Grid¡¯s arms, looked up with wide eyes and smiled. ¡°Grid loves his friends.¡±


    Noe, who was still having trouble breathing, struggled to regain his breath. However, Grid didn¡¯t care, and hugged the two children tighter.


    ¡°I wish you all the best.¡±


    ¡°Put me down... Ughhh...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until Noe¡¯s eyes rolled back that Grid calmed down.


    ¡°Now you can just sit still and read your books.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even tell me to rest, <i>nyang!</i> Am I your servant,<i> nyang?!</i> Am I?¡± Noe shouted.


    Grid was taken aback. ¡°No... You were the one flying around for no reason. Why are you scolding me...?¡±


    They heard an unfamiliar voice. ¡°I sensed the presence of the Yuri n and came to see what was going on, but there are no Yuri n members here. Instead, I see an evil human tormenting a young child.¡±


    Grid was already on the move. He adjusted his stats to the golden ratio, pulled out Defying the Natural Order, and swung it horizontally.


    Shockwaves swept through the clouds in the area. Sparks appeared when the sword collided with a mace.


    Grid was wary of this strange phenomena and activated Multiple Weakening Barriers. Hundreds of flowers bloomed on the indigo barrier. Half of the flowers sprouted outside the barrier, while the other half made their way inside.


    A brilliant light shed in Grid¡¯s eyes as he recognized the mystical art that rendered shields useless. ¡®This is a mystical art designed to kill cultivators.¡¯


    Before he knew it, the flowers that covered the indigo barrier exploded. They applied great pressure and Grid couldn¡¯t move anymore, while the flowers that exploded inside should have directly harmed Grid.


    However, Grid was fine. Multiple Weakening Barriers was a tenyered protective shield. The explosion created by the flowers that made it inside the barrier didn¡¯t reach Grid.


    ¡°Hmm...? Do you know who I am? What you¡¯re using is a protective art designed specifically to counter me.¡±


    The moment he activated Profound Martial Technique, Grid saw the demon cultivator. He was arge white deer. However, he was standing on two feet like a human, his back upright.


    His torso was thicker and broader than Grid, who was wearing armor, his shoulders were wider, and his front feet looked exactly like human arms.


    Grid¡¯s hands were starting to feel numb as he gripped Defying the Natural Order. ¡®He¡¯s very powerful.¡¯


    ¡°Where did you evene from?¡± he asked. ¡°There was no information about any sightings of demon cultivators.¡±


    ¡°As the human cultivators were brought into this world, some of us also made it here. However, we have no interest in the society of mortals, so we do not want to get involved with you.¡±


    ¡°You guys are a million times better than those who openly want to harm people.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes, which were as fierce as a bird of prey, rxed somewhat. He didn¡¯t feel the need to be hostile toward demon cultivators since they never harmed humans.


    ¡°This child is my friend,¡± Grid said as he patted Noe¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. Shall we talk? I have a lot of questions I want to ask you.¡±


    Noe¡¯s cheeks were puffy. He blew out air and rubbed his face against Grid¡¯s chest. Anyone could tell that they were good friends.


    The deer man chuckled. ¡°The demon n doesn¡¯t deal with unqualified people. If you want to talk to me, prove your skills.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    There was no reason for Grid to avoid a fight. He took a stance, ready for a duel.


    The deer man warned him, ¡°The thing you rely on the most is the tenyered protective shield, but that won¡¯t work against me again. So don¡¯t regret using that, and y fairly.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to y Rock Paper Scissors?¡±


    ¡°Simpler than that. Let¡¯s use the same mystical art topete with each other. No magic or swordsmanship. Just mystical arts.¡±


    Just because the deer man didn¡¯t interact with humans that didn¡¯t mean he was clueless. The deer man understood the concept of magic by observing the humans of this world.


    ¡®This bastard...?¡¯


    A rule that made it so they could only use mystical arts... Grid was only in the qi refining realm, so he was at a disadvantage. There was no way the deer man didn¡¯t know this.


    Grid realized that the deer man in front of him was a jerk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall for it,¡± whispered Noe.


    Noe¡¯s demonic energy spiked up, showing that he was ready to attack the deer man right away.


    ¡°Taking into ount that you¡¯re not so strong given your cultivation realm, I will give you the choice of which mystical art to use. But if you are afraid, you can give up,¡± the deer man suggested.


    At first nce, this suggestion seemed kind, but it was actually a clear provocation. Of course, this provocation didn¡¯t work on Grid. Noe believed that Grid would naturally reject this approach.


    Surprisingly, Grid nodded.


    ¡°Are you an idiot, <i>nyang?¡± </i>Noe asked, bewildered.


    Grid ignored him and offered a condition for this fight.


    ¡°I ept your suggestion. However, why don¡¯t we cast the Golden Soul Technique on each other to prevent us from breaking the rules?¡±


    A big smile appeared on the deer man¡¯s face. ¡°Fine by me.¡±

 Chapter 1983

    <h4>Chapter 1983</h4>


    ¡°Fine by me. This is written in thenguage of this world. You won¡¯t have any trouble reading it.¡±


    Arge bipedal deer...


    Except for its head and body, he was no different from a human, and he was also able to write well. On the parchment paper he threw at Grid, the calligraphy he had just written showed off his elegant brush strokes.


    [Breaking Soul Contract]


    If either side vites the rules of this contract, their souls will be destroyed and they will die.


    1. The two cultivators mustpete using the same technique.


    2. The choice of mystical art is left to the person who signs the contract, not the writer. However, if the signatory requests a mystical art that cannot be used, the writer has the right to refuse.


    3. After the battle of mystical arts, the loser will need toplete three requests for the winner.


    ¡®There are three requests.¡¯


    The contract clearly stated this strange aspect.


    ¡®Did this deer intentionally approach me?¡¯


    What did he want? Grid was intrigued.


    ¡°There is no need for these three requests, is there?¡± Grid asked. ¡°I just want to ask you a few questions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if you win... I¡¯m trying to reduce the number of questions you can ask to three. I don¡¯t wanna be kept here all day, you know?¡±


    ¡®Does he think I¡¯m an idiot?¡¯


    The deer man¡¯s exnation was nothing more than a flimsy excuse. If Grid told him to answer all his questions as one of his three requests, the deer man¡¯s logic wouldn¡¯t work.


    <i>¡®Well, I just have to win and ask him things that way.¡¯ </i>


    Grid became more motivated and used his appraisal skill. He wanted to make sure there were no hidden effects in the contract.


    The deer man sensed what Grid was doing.


    ¡°The Breaking Soul Contract is made by applying the Golden Soul Technique,¡± the demon cultivator exined. ¡°There is no need to doubt it since it ismonly used in various transactions in the cultivation world.¡±


    ¡®Is this a type of Golden Soul Technique?¡¯


    As expected, themon skills were the most versatile and reliable, no matter the genre of the game.


    Grid confirmed there were no problems with the contract and pointed to the signature line.


    ¡°Do I write my name here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®If I win the match, I have to tell him to hand over thetter part of the Golden Soul Technique as well.¡¯


    No, he had to ask the deer man to give him everything he had. Grid took out the fountain pen he had received as a gift from Elizabeth a few years ago and signed the contract.


    [The Breaking Soul Contract is working.]


    Along with this system message, the contract glowed red and floated in the air before it was torn in half. One half flew into Grid¡¯s heart, and the other into the heart of the deer man.


    Grid felt a very powerful binding force. He opened his status window and checked. He found that the contract had been signed properly.


    ¡°What type of mystical art do you want topete with?¡± the deer man asked.


    It was clear that he didn¡¯t want to waste his time on useless things. Grid thought the same. He already had a n.


    ¡°The Wave Arts.¡±


    The name was simple, but this was a top-notch mystical art. He¡¯d got the gist of it from Noe. Once he learned the Wave Arts, he could easily learn other non-attribute skills and be sessful in doing so.


    This was how difficult the learning conditions were. It was necessary to know how to freely change the power of the spiritual root¡¯s attributes to the extent where it could be assimted into the surrounding environment.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t a penalty for Grid, who had learned the Profound Martial Technique and made his spiritual root have no attributes.


    ¡°...You want to use Wave Arts?¡±


    The deer man¡¯s expression subtly changed. He tilted his head, and so did hisrge, handsome deer antlers. He looked skeptical.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Grid asked. He was about to tell Noe to take out the Wave Arts book.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t learned the Wave Arts.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want an easy victory? The Wave Arts is just a basic mystical art, right?¡±


    ¡°A basic one? Hmph. Even though the Wave Arts is a basic elemental art, you shouldn¡¯t undermine it. Who can easily learn the Wave Arts unless you are born with a natural physique, have attained the natural state by bing an immortal, or learned the Profound Martial Technique like you?¡±


    The deer man red into Grid¡¯s ash-colored eyes. Based on the ashen energy around the man and the Wave Arts, he deduced the technique that Grid had learned.


    ¡°Dammit... Didn¡¯t you say that I have the right to choose the mystical arts?¡±


    ¡°I have the right to refuse. It is stated in the second use, is it not?¡±


    ¡°You are acting so unfairly despite being the one who came up with this idea... Are you lying when you say you can¡¯t use Wave Arts? At this point, I don¡¯t think this is just you being prudent. Are all demon cultivators like you?¡±


    ¡°Your words and actions are despicable. The others who call themselves gods have some dignity, at least.¡±


    The deer man was mocking on the outside, but he was freaking out on the inside. Of course, he knew how to use the Wave Arts. Unless an immortal created it, there was no technique in the world that a cultivator in thete stage great ascension realm couldn¡¯t learn.


    But there was a huge difference between knowing how to simply use it and how to use it properly.


    Born as a lowly creature, he had survived for a thousand years by pure luck. He developed an ego, studied for thousands of years to be a cultivator, trained for tens of thousands of years to reach his current realm...


    Like most demon cultivators, the deer man had continued to evolve thanks to his cautious nature. Had it not been for his personality, he would¡¯ve been born as a deer and died as one.


    ¡°Why did you mention the gods...?¡± Grid asked. ¡°Have you demon cultivators been to Asgard recently?¡±


    The cultivators called the gods of this world ¡®beings who im to be gods.¡¯ Grid suspected that the deer man had some type of connection to Asgard.


    The deer man looked puzzled. ¡°Asgard? I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    It seemed that he didn¡¯t know about the concept of heaven at all, nor did he seem to care about it.


    Grid didn¡¯t believe him.


    ¡®If the gods of the surface, not the ones in heaven, encountered a guy like him, there is no way I wouldn¡¯t have known about it.¡¯


    The ¡®gods of the surface¡¯ and the ¡®Overgeared World¡¯s gods¡¯ were now virtually synonymous with each other. Except for a few, such as Hanul, all the gods on the surface served Grid. If something happened to them, Grid would naturally know.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t trust me,¡¯ the deer man thought.


    He told Grid, ¡°Don¡¯t waste any more time and get down to business. Decide on how you want to duel.¡±


    The deer man obsessively avoided wild cards. He was confident he could fight his opponent a hundred times and win every time, but he tried not to provide an environment that would prove advantageous to his enemy. This was why he refused the Wave Arts that Grid was most confident in.


    The man forced Grid to choose the next best option, not giving him enough time to think too thoroughly. Grid, seemingly rxed, stared at the man.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t learn Wave Arts, that means you haven¡¯t mastered the other elemental arts, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Mostmon arts have no attributes. I just haven¡¯t learned any offensive non-attribute arts, like Wave Arts.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Grid scoffed. This guy wasn¡¯t a deer. He was a fox in disguise. Grid found it so funny that he couldn¡¯t take advantage of the Profound Martial Technique.


    He wasn¡¯t particrly upset. He didn¡¯t ce his hopes on Profound Martial Technique. No matter how good it was, it had only two stars, and it wouldn¡¯t give him too much of an advantage against a great ascension cultivator.


    ¡°Let¡¯spete using the Earth Escape Arts.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t something I am confident in, but... As you wish.¡±


    The Earth Escape Arts was a technique that made the earth shift. It was a basic technique, and it was capable of changing the shape of thend or permeating thend, but it could be utilized in many ways. Thus, all cultivators made it their main technique.


    However, the deer said he wasn¡¯t confident enough to use it. This guy was truly insidious. Grid snorted.


    Noe rummaged through his pockets, and he was about to pull out a book on earth arts. At this time, the only mystical arts that Grid had learned were the Golden Soul Technique and Memory Searching Technique, so he had to learn other mystical arts from scratch.


    This was why Noe was frowning. As far as he was concerned, his master was insane. How could he deal with a cultivator who was an Absolute using a skill he hadn¡¯t learned yet?


    His master wasn¡¯t just confident. He was insane. This wasn¡¯t arrogance, but madness.


    Grid held back Noe, whose eyes were filled with worry and dissatisfaction. ¡°Stay back.¡±


    He was rejecting the Earth Escape Arts book.


    Noe couldn¡¯t stand this anymore and asked, ¡°Did you eat something bad...?¡±


    The ground on which Grid stood swelled rapidly. This was the activation of the Earth God skill. The power to move the earth at will... The potential of this technique was endless as it was controlled with intent.


    This was clearly superior to the Earth Escape Arts, which was confined to the framework of the skill and had rules.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The ground transformed until it resembled a dragon. Surprised, the deer man decided to hurriedly settle things. He was astonished by Grid¡¯s skill inunching therge-scale Earth Escape Arts without giving any warning whatsoever.


    ¡®I <i>did </i>say I shouldn¡¯t underestimate him.¡¯


    Though the human cultivators were fearless, the demon cultivators studied this world carefully. They knew about Grid and the strongest beings in this world. They never underestimated them.


    However, when he met Grid, he realized Grid was only in the qi refining realm. This had made the cultivator lower his guard somewhat. Thus, he was even more shocked. Who knew that Grid could make a dragon this size with such a small amount of spiritual energy?


    The deer man used the Earth Escape Arts to create three earth dragons. Each one wasrger than Grid¡¯s single earth dragon. Grid¡¯s dragon was about to be eaten.


    <i>Kurarararara!</i>


    Grid¡¯s earth dragon opened its mouth as it was bitten by three earth dragons. A stone pir bigger than itself popped out, and it looked like a dragon shooting a Breath.


    The deer man was surprised by this transformation attack and raised an earth wall, which was muchrger than the stone pirs. They collided against the wall.


    The deer man¡¯s spiritual energy was overwhelmingly superior both quality and quantity wise. Of course Grid¡¯s stone pirs would do nothing. They were like raindrops falling into a pond.


    At least, that¡¯s what the cultivator was expecting...


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The deer man¡¯s fur stood up. The moment the stone pir touched the earth wall, thousands of stone spikes stretched out from the other side of the earth wall and reached for the deer man.


    This meant that Grid had nowplete control of his Earth Escape Arts.


    ¡°What trick did you use...?¡±


    The deer man¡¯s dismay was cut short halfway through. A blue shield surrounded him. Thousands of stone spikes shattered as they collided with the shield.


    Grid¡¯s smile could be seen through the cracks in the falling stone fragments.


    ¡°If you give up on responding with the Earth Escape Arts and use a shield, that means you have admitted defeat, right?¡±


    The deer man couldn¡¯t deny that.


    [The ¡®Breaking Soul Contract¡¯ has proven that the signatory is the victor.]


    The system also indicated that Grid had won.


    Grid didn¡¯t start acting arrogant. Instead, he invoked his authority as the winner.


    ¡°From now on, you must answer all my questions honestly.¡±


    This was the first requirement.


    ¡°You must not refuse no matter what I ask of you.¡±


    This was the second requirement.


    ¡°You can never be hostile to me.¡±


    This was the third requirement.


    He was clearly putting his foot down. The deer man hadpletely fallen into Grid¡¯s grasp. The cultivator had nned for the opposite to happen. He gritted his teeth.


    Gridughed.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been so greedy.¡±

 Chapter 1984

    <h4>Chapter 1984</h4>


    ¡°From now on, you must answer all my questions honestly.¡±


    Don¡¯t lie.


    ¡°You must not refuse no matter what I ask of you. You can never be hostile to me.¡±


    Obey unconditionally.


    Every time Grid voiced his requests, the contract became more binding. The piece of paper that had prated their hearts turned into a solid chain that connected them.


    As soon as he confirmed that the contract was working as intended, Grid didn¡¯t hesitate to ask, ¡°What did you demon cultivators do in Asgard?¡±


    He had a hunch that the demon cultivators had been to Asgard. He didn¡¯t trust the deer man, who reacted as if he didn¡¯t even know what Asgard was.


    Grid¡¯s hunch was correct.


    ¡°Asgard... somewhat resembles our ancestral realm that is in the upper world. It¡¯s like the upper world of our hometown. Having studied the civilizations and myths of this world, we determined that Asgard must be a special ce.¡±


    The demon cultivators were no different from human cultivators. As soon as he sensed he was in danger, the deer man became humble and polite. He¡¯d folded his hands in front of him and bowed down. He couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with Grid.


    ¡°Asgard is a ce where those who im to be gods gather. We hoped that we might be able to find a way to return home if we went there. But when we actually went to Asgard and met the gods, we were greatly disappointed. They weren¡¯t nearly as powerful as we expected them to be.¡±


    It was disappointing. The Refractive Dragon was chasing Reba, the supreme god. Meanwhile, Grid had killed Judar, who used to be her second-inmand. Dominion, who was in charge of Asgard now, was rumored to be training behind closed doors. This made sense, given that he hadn¡¯t bothered to show up when Judar was in trouble or when he died.


    ¡®Even if the Gods of the beginning had been there, they wouldn¡¯t have obtained the results they wanted.¡¯


    No one born in this world could open the door to a higher dimension. Not even Reba could do that, and she was a God of the beginning.


    This was because this world was just a game. As characters in the game, they weren¡¯t qualified to move to a higher dimension. This was easy toprehend when thinking about Judar.


    The dimension that Judar had created... Judar himself believed it to be a different world, but it was actually just a data file for a scheduled update.


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t get the results you wanted?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. There was a very wise angel. After talking to him, we came to the conclusion that we can make a replica of the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    ¡°A wise angel...? Are you talking about Mumud?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He must be famous.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to make a replica of the Full Moon Fortress? Why don¡¯t you just make one yourself?¡±


    ¡°Our demon cultivators can¡¯t afford constructing a fortress from scratch because it requires a lot of manpower and costs too much money. As I said in the beginning, only a small number of demon cultivators came to this world...¡±


    ¡°Asgard has agreed to help you build the Full Moon Fortress?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid frowned. ording to the deer man, something simr to the Full Moon Fortress was being constructed in Asgard. He now had to deal with that <i>too</i>, and he evidently didn¡¯t like that.


    What he found most annoying was that Asgard was willingly cooperating with the demon cultivators.


    ¡°Was Metatron involved? I don¡¯t think they would¡¯ve cooperated with you if there had been a guy called Raphael there.¡±


    ¡°We have made a contract with both of them.¡±


    ¡°...They are like frozen corpses with nothing but pride, yet they decided to cooperate with you?¡±


    ¡°They have shown great interest in the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    ¡®Is that so?¡¯


    Grid now understood what was going on.


    Asgard¡¯s glory days were gone. Reba was having trouble with the Refractive Dragon, Judar was dead, and Dominion had shut himself off from the world. Meanwhile, the Overgeared World kept getting stronger. Of course Asgard would feel uneasy and nervous.


    They wanted to escape being conquered by the Overgeared Guild if possible. However, they didn¡¯t didn¡¯t know that this world was just a game.


    ¡®They don¡¯t know it¡¯s impossible for them to escape.¡¯


    Grid gestured at the deer man. ¡°Tell me one more time what you are doing in Asgard, your exact purpose, and how you stumbled upon me.¡±


    ¡°We are working with the angels to create a replica of the Full Moon Fortress. Through it, we will summon arge number of our people from back home. With the resources the angels will bring and with Mumud¡¯s help, we n to open a door to return home... But before doing that, our most important goal is to secure the two super gxy treasures that exist in this world.¡±


    The two super gxy treasures: the God Incarnation Body and the Falling Moon Sword.


    But the deer man didn¡¯t know Grid was the possessor of those items.


    ¡°There is no particr reason I came to see you specifically. The angels of Asgard said that we should be most vignt of you, so I tried to keep an eye on you just in case...¡±


    The deer man paused for a moment and his gaze fell on Noe.


    ¡°...That child suddenly used the Yuri n¡¯s Wind Escape Arts and got too close to where I was. I thought you would discover me anyway if the rumors about you were true, so I just stepped forward first.¡±


    ¡°Then you proposed the duel to turn the tides in your favor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Noe proudly straightened his back, ced his paws on his waist. He looked somewhat proud, triumphant even. If Grid ignored him again, Noe would speak up again. Therefore, Grid patted him on the head and praised him for his good work.


    Grid had caught the deer man by ident, but it was true that Noe yed an important role in his capture...


    ¡°But if you open that door, will you really be able to return home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely, since this world is ssified as such a lowly dimension.¡±


    ¡°If you fail, will you be stuck here for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. We¡¯d have to take a big risk, but we can escape via the ancestral realm. Since the immortal world is one of the highest dimensions in the universe,munication with any world is possible. So, if we can prove that we are qualified enough to ascend, we can open the door to the ancestral realm anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    Grid frowned. Based on what the deer man had just said, it meant that Satisfy could be connected to the ancestral realm regardless of whether it was a game or not. Worst case scenario, there was the possibility that an immortal would appear in this world.


    Of course, for something like that to happen, multiple things would have to go wrong.


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous to worry about immortals already. The game has just been updated.¡¯


    Still, he was a bit nervous. Didn¡¯t he meet a demon cultivator when he thought he would never meet one?


    ¡®Let¡¯s refrain from specting since things often go against my expectations.¡¯


    Grid regained hisposure and continued asking questions.


    ¡°Are all the demon cultivators staying in Asgard?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How many are there? What realms are they?¡±


    ¡°There are twenty-seven of us, including myself. Fourteen of them are in the great ascension realm. Half of them are in the early to mid stage of the great ascension realm, four are in thete stage great ascension realm, and the other two can ascend to immortality at any time.¡±


    ¡°What is the size of the reinforcements that would join when the Full Moon Fortress ispleted?¡±


    ¡°Around eight thousand, a small number, really. However, it will include those from the nascent soul to great ascension realms.


    ¡°So they are the elites.¡±


    ¡°It is one of the most elite forces in the entire cultivation world.¡±


    The deer man had no choice but to be honest. He decided to make Grid extra wary of their forces. He wanted Grid to believe that it would be impossible to oppose the demon cultivators.


    However, that backfired.


    ¡°How long will it take you to build the Full Moon Fortress?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s going to take longer than normally. First of all, we have to set up the heavenly cauldron, and attack...¡±


    ¡°What is the heavenly cauldron?¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    The deer man hesitated. The chains of the contract emitted a strong magic power. The deer man struggled and his eyes rolled like he had been electrocuted. He barely managed to speak.


    ¡°The heavenly cauldron... As the name suggests, it is a cauldron from heaven. It¡¯s a treasure that fell from the ancestral realm a long time ago. We use it to create instance dungeons, as you call them.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this the ability of Eat Spicy Jokbal?¡¯


    Certainly, Eat Spicy Jokbal was the heavenly cauldon that heaven had given the yers... No, it was fair to just call him a great guy. How many dungeons created by Eat Spicy Jokbal had helped the Overgeared Guild and the empire?


    Grid suddenly felt grateful.


    The deer man went on. ¡°We set the desired rewards and create a dungeon... Once that¡¯s done, it will take us a month to get the necessary materials to construct the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°You can set rewards? Then why don¡¯t you get the super gxy treasures as well?¡±


    ¡°The higher the level of the reward, the higher the difficulty of the heavenly cauldron. We can¡¯t just set super gxy treasures as rewards. It¡¯s not realistic.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Grid really wanted that cauldron. The deer man scoffed in his mind when he saw the greed in his opponent¡¯s eyes.


    Grid was probably as powerful as the angels had said, but he didn¡¯t dare oppose the cultivators. How could Grid recklessly go against the demon cultivators when there were as many as fourteen great ascension cultivators?


    The deer man had lost the duel because he couldn¡¯t measure the level of Grid¡¯s Earth Escape Arts and made an unfavorable deal. It was ridiculous to feel a vain desire for even a moment.


    As expected, Grid quickly said, ¡°As long as there is still time, I have to postpone dealing with Asgard for now.¡±


    He used the excuse that he still had time, but anyone could see that he was intimidated. The deer man failed to keep his face neutral. He grinned.


    Grid saw this and smiled at him.


    ¡°Give me everything you have.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The grin disappeared from the deer man¡¯s face.


    ¡°I wonder what type of technique books and mystical arts books a demon cultivator carries. I also really want that mace.¡±


    ¡°You are no different from a thief.¡±


    The deer man¡¯s eyes widened. He was filled with killing intent.


    Grid hadn¡¯t expected this response. Cultivators tended to sumb quickly when they were in a dilemma, but the deer man was confident despite the fact that he was about to be robbed of all his possessions.


    A smile spread across the deer man¡¯s face again.


    ¡°Like a lowly bastard, you blindly trust the Breaking Soul Contract. The contract isn¡¯t all-powerful. If you are too greedy and demand more than what it is worth, the effectiveness of the contract will weaken and eventually break.¡±


    This was why the deer man had set the condition to granting three requests. Just then, the chains of the contract connecting Grid to the deer man¡¯s heart shattered with a loud noise.


    ¡°You¡¯ve learned too many secrets. You have dug your own grave.¡±


    The deer man gripped his mace and aimed it at Grid¡¯s head, distorting the space around it. Dozens of shock waves broke out one after another, tearing apart the surrounding area.


    Grid responded with a fusion sword dance centered around Revolve. The deer man¡¯s mace couldn¡¯t handle the impact and he got pushed back again and again. Finally, the mace got cut like a radish.


    ¡°I have to kill you for you to listen.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The deer man¡¯s eyes widened and his vision spun around several times. It wasn¡¯t until he saw his own decapitated body that he realized he was dead.

 Chapter 1985

    <h4>Chapter 1985</h4>


    The original nascent soul of a demon cultivator was different from that of a human cultivator. A small deer jumped out of the deer man instead of a dwarf. It looked like a projection of his animal days.


    ¡°Even a monster like you used to be cute,¡± Grid said bitterly as he caught the deer, who tried to run away.


    The cultivators were pure evil, and one could evenpare them to Baal. Since they weren¡¯t religious and only dreamed of eternal life, they were obsessed with keeping themselves alive. This terrible selfishness of theirs that they showed all the time was quite creepy. Even this being, who was born as a deer, stepped into the cultivator world and became a monster...


    Grid sighed as he remembered the insidious malice he felt from the deer man.


    ¡°It¡¯s troubling to think that such beings can exist in reality. I can only hope that Lauel¡¯s predictions are just spections.¡±


    ¡°Reality? Are you saying that this ce isn¡¯t real?¡±


    The nascent soul of the deer man had felt hopeless ever since Grid captured him. But now, he was showing some genuine interest. He listened carefully to Grid¡¯s monologue without missing out on any of the details.


    Grid had crushed the deer man in battle, even though he was only in the qi refining realm. The deer man needed to understand how such a thing was possible. He hoped that Grid was hiding a huge secret.


    Grid caught a glimpse of the strange anticipation in the little deer¡¯s eyes and snorted.


    ¡°This world is real, indeed.¡±


    ¡°But is there a true reality that embodies this dimension?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Grid tilted his head. The deer seemed very sharp, as if it understood the concept of virtual reality.


    The deer murmured, ¡°There is a reason why some reacted as if they were conscious of the observer¡¯s gaze...¡±


    ¡°Observer? Who is that?¡±


    The deer sneered. ¡°Who else could it be other than the creator of this world? Since I am also a being who has reached the level of great ascension, I can vaguely understand the providence of the universe. Don¡¯t mock me as if you don¡¯t know. Out of the countless dimensions that exist in the universe, many are artificially created, just like this one. People with uncivilized perceptions associate the observers with religion and call them gods...


    The deer paused for a moment before ncing at Grid and shaking his head.


    ¡°You have been worshiped as a god even though you aren¡¯t one. What I¡¯m telling you right now, you should have already known this very well. Gods don¡¯t exist. Making dimensions and creating civilizations is something that someone can do once they be a great immortal. They aren¡¯t gods. Of course, I¡¯ve never heard of a dimension as vast and near-perfect as this one. However, it¡¯s not impossible for someone to create one with the help of a Super Gxy Treasure, no, an Insurmountable Treasure.


    ¡°Great immortal? Insurmountable Treasure? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I will answer your questions if you promise to renew the contract and spare me.¡±


    This was the deer¡¯s only hope to survive. He had to try his luck. Fortunately, Grid nodded.


    ¡°Alright. However, this pouch is now mine.¡±


    ¡°That is my storage bag...! It contains all the treasures and elixirs that I¡¯ve refined throughout my life. You¡¯re going to take them away? That¡¯s no different from killing me!¡±


    ¡°Why do you say it¡¯s yours? The way I see it, this is loot I won by fighting fairly and winning our duel. Are you shameless or stupid? Now that I think about it, you attacked me first. I saved you and you don¡¯t even want to hand over your bag?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, but I really need those things...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make it out alive. What¡¯s the big deal if you give me this?¡±


    The deer made a desperate request. ¡°That¡¯s right... Everything you said is true. But I beg you to at least return my precious treasure. If I lose the treasure that I have cultivated and refined all my life in my spiritual root, I will lose even the hope of restoring my spiritual training, which has dropped significantly since I lost my body.¡±


    He was a small and cute deer with tears in his eyes. He slowly bowed his head. If others saw this, they would think that Grid was bullying this poor deer.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t blink at all. He ced the subspace pouch containing the cultivators¡¯ belongings in his inventory.


    He asked the deer to make a final choice.


    ¡°Do you want to live or die?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was one of those adamant people who didn¡¯t care about others¡¯ opinions and did whatever he wanted.


    The deer knew that there was no way out of this, so he gave up, his shoulders slumping. His tone became even more polite as he pleaded, ¡°Spare me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to risk dying. It would be difficult to recover the cultivation he had lost, but surviving was better than dying.


    Grid nodded and rummaged through the deer¡¯s storage bag. There were several unusual technique books and mystical arts books inside. Among them, there was also thetter part of the Golden Soul Technique.


    [The Golden Soul Technique has reached 8 stars.]


    [You can create the ¡®Breaking Soul Contract.¡¯]


    ¡°......?¡±


    The deer was confused. Grid took only one quick nce at the Golden Soul Technique and immediately made the Breaking Soul Contract.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t know anything about the contract until now. Did he really just learn it?¡¯


    No, that was impossible. The deer brushed off his wild spection. Instead, he thought that Grid had been deceiving him from the very beginning. He believed that Grid had already learned thetter part of the Golden Soul Technique and pretended not to know. This was the only exnation that made sense.


    ¡®What a very thorough guy.¡¯


    The deer shouldn¡¯t have harbored bad intentions. Grid handed out the contract to the distressed deer.


    [Breaking Soul Contract]


    If either side vites the rules of this contract, their souls will be destroyed and they will die.


    1. The signatory shall answer the writer¡¯s questions without lying.


    2. Under the premise that the signatory fulfills use one, the writer cannot harm them.]


    The stronger the terms of the Breaking Soul Contract, the less restricting it was. This was why Grid didn¡¯t write in the uses that the signatory must obey the writer no matter what this time.


    The deer signed and the effect was immediate. The paper tore in half and flew to Grid and the deer¡¯s chests. It connected them in the form of invisible chains.


    Grid grabbed the deer by the neck and immediately got to the point. ¡°What is a great immortal?¡±


    The deer felt a powerful wind pressure crush his face. Grid was already on the move. He flew in the direction of a Full Moon Fortress, which was his initial destination.


    ¡°They¡¯re the strongest immortals, the ones who reached the highest realm. I know that the realms of an immortal divide them into true immortals, golden immortals, and great immortals.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t sound very certain.¡±


    ¡°Over the past millions of years, every trace of the immortals that have fallen into the cultivation world have been left behind by true immortals. They say that the ancestral realm is endless, way bigger than any other dimension. The immortals wouldn¡¯t just live in an area as small as a dot on the map.¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t met someone with a higher realm than a great immortal, so you don¡¯t know if someone stronger than that exists. Youck information. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...Can the great immortals create dimensions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Normally, they create small dimensions to safely set up and manage medicine fields or puppetboratories. They bring mortals there, establish civilizations, turn them into ve races, and steadily supply them with necessary resources, such as medicine... I heard that a small dimension is as big as a kingdom, but the creation of dimensions can vary greatly depending on the capabilities of the great immortal.¡±


    Grid recalled Chairman Lim Cheolho and the thirty-three scientists. They were the ones who created this world. If he ced them into the settings that the deer man told him about...


    ¡°...So, for someone to create a world as huge as this, they¡¯d have to be even more powerful than a great immortal?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, it¡¯s difficult to confirm this. The vast majority of cultivators don¡¯t even know that there are more realms after the immortal one...¡±


    ¡°Then how did you find out about the realms of the immortals?¡±


    ¡°One of my ancestors was a cultivator who became a true immortal. He once came to ask us for some resources that were hard to obtain in the ancestral realm. We had an opportunity to learn from him.¡±


    ¡°It seems that cultivators who ascended will still use the ones weaker than them, even after bing immortals.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re very useful to them. Therefore, the cultivators who have a higher chance of ascending will value and care for their sect even more.¡±


    Cool story.


    Grid nodded and asked about the Insurmountable Treasure next.


    ¡°The Insurmountable Treasure is superior to the Super Gxy Treasure. There are only around a hundred of them in the entire universe. ording to legends, the weakest Insurmountable Treasure is way stronger than the most powerful Super Gxy Treasure.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid was the owner of the Falling Moon Sword, which was listed on the second row of the Super Gxy Treasures list. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t disappointed when he heard that there were more than a hundred more valuable treasures.


    The God Incarnation Body and the Falling Moon Sword were both deemed Super Gxy Treasures, and they were both made by Grid himself. Maybe he would even make his own Insurmountable Treasure in the future. There was no need to unnecessarily worry about obtaining one.


    Besides, the owners of the Insurmountable Treasures were all immortals. It was very unlikely that Grid would ever meet the very few high-ranking immortals... Unless he made it to the immortal world.


    ¡®If the ancestral realm is that big, there must be a lot of immortals there. But this guy said that the only ones who have appeared in the cultivation world were the true immortals.¡¯


    It seemed that the higher ranking the immortal, the less they relied on the middle world. This was why they must have cut all ties with the lower worlds.


    Before he knew it, he was getting closer and closer to his destination.


    Grid asked the deer a few more questions before finally asking the one he¡¯d been wanting to ask the most, ¡°Have you established a solid alliance with Asgard?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t want the cultivation world to expand. He and his colleagues were desperately trying to destroy all of the Full Moon Fortresses. He was determined to stop the demon cultivators from constructing their Full Moon Fortress replica in Asgard.


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I will smash you and Asgard to pieces.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± The deer forgot the position he was in and sneered. He couldn¡¯t help it. Grid was amusing. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you enough about the demon cultivators in Asgard? You might have bested me in a duel, but you will be no match for them.¡±


    ¡°Are you provoking me?¡±


    ¡°No... No! But I am bound by the Breaking Soul Contract and can¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s funny how his attitude keeps changing.¡¯


    Well... This wasn¡¯t something tough at. Had Grid had only one life like the NPCs and the cultivators, he would have also done anything to keep himself alive, just like the cultivators, and that included changing his attitude in an instant if it assured his survival. If a meteorite fell and the whole world changed...


    Grid would have to fight with only one life in reality. There was nothing funny about that.


    Grid sighed and looked down at the deer. ¡°Now that you¡¯re done, leave. We will meet againter in Asgard.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡±


    The deer didn¡¯t act rashly and instead flew hastily into the sky. Noe stared at him as he was bing a dot among the clouds before he faded into a white light.


    Noe asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just break the contract and kill him?¡±


    ¡°The contract wouldn¡¯t break unless he disrespected one of the uses. And anyway, I didn¡¯t intend to kill him right away.¡±


    He would need the deer man alive forter, when he¡¯d return to Asgard. Grid wanted to make sure that the deer man would have a front row seat to the ughter of the demon cultivators.


    Since the deer was frightened for its life enough to cooperate, Grid judged that it would be easy to sign a Breaking Soul Contract with the other cultivators¡¯ nascent souls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Grid stared at the Full Moon Fortress rising like the moon in the distance. Noe dealt with the cultivators who came out in groups. Noe had learned a number of techniques and mystical arts and was now several times more powerful than before. He was now stronger than a Transcendent.


    ***


    <i>The outskirts of Innsbruck, Austria. </i>


    The gates of the old castle, which had been tightly closed for a long time, gradually opened, making a strange noise.


    <i>Trudge, trudge...</i>


    A man staggered out of the castle like a child who just began walking on two legs. His long green hair fluttered in the wind and blended into the bushes.


    ¡°Agnus...!¡±


    A middle-aged man had been guarding the ce with all sorts of surveince devices for the past month. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the sight.


    ¡°......¡±


    The green-haired man with brilliant golden eyes immediately noticed the middle-aged man. A chill went down the middle-aged man¡¯s spine at the eye contact. He was stationed in his base two kilometers away from the old castle.


    He was so startled that he dropped the binocrs in his hand and held his breath.

 Chapter 1986

    <h4>Chapter 1986</h4>


    ¡®I guess he came out because he noticed I was watching him. There must be CCTV around me that I haven¡¯t discovered.¡¯


    To be honest, he couldn¡¯t understand it. The middle-aged man installed his base only after confirming that the area around posed no threats.


    But he had to put his doubts aside. He¡¯d set up his base among dense bushes. They were camouged, and so was the middle-aged. A person who was two kilometers away couldn¡¯t have possibly spotted him.


    How could Agnus make eye contact from that far away...?


    The only exnation was that there was CCTV nearby. The man regained his senses and picked up the binocrs he had dropped.


    He installed illegal facilities and monitored the garden of someone else¡¯s residence. No matter his intention, he would get called a criminal if he got found out.


    ¡®My employer only asked me to make sure that Agnus is okay.¡¯


    Now that he confirmed that Agnus was safe, his job was done. The middle-aged man immediately left his base. There was nothing else he needed to do before leaving. He had long abandoned the habit of leaving any traces behind.


    ¡°......¡±


    He ran quickly along a trail that hadn¡¯t been maintained for a long time. A sharp conifer grazed his skin, but he ignored the pain and quickened his pace. His vehicle was parked nearby. He ran for five more minutes.


    ¡°......!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes widened as he arrived in front of his car. A green-haired man was leaning against the bo of the car. He couldn¡¯t believe that Agnus, who had been two kilometers away just minutes before, managed to get here before him.


    The middle-agreed man was so surprised that he forgot to breathe the moment those icy, golden eyes looked at him.


    ¡°How the heck...?¡± he barely managed to ask.


    Agnus looked him up and down. ¡°Who sent you?¡± he asked. ¡°I know you have no animosity toward me. If you tell the truth then I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The middle-aged man regained his senses. He¡¯d been tasked to find out if Agnus was alright. He had no intention of harming the man. On the contrary, he wanted to make sure that Agnus was safe and sound. He might¡¯ve illegally installed CCTV and other devices around Agnus¡¯ castle to monitor him, but...


    If he got out of here safely, this incident could be easily shrugged off. There was no reason to be intimidated by a pale and skinny man who hadn¡¯t seen the sun in years.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you understand that I have no bad intentions. I¡¯m here because someone tasked me with finding out if you are safe. I will contact my employer soon to tell him the news. You will quickly discover who that is.¡±


    The dark circles under Agnus¡¯ eyes wrinkled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just answer my question? Don¡¯t be annoying.¡±


    Looking closely, Agnus¡¯ eyes were bloodshot. He looked exhausted. Agnus was known for his radical personality, but now, he looked very vulnerable.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything else. Not revealing my employer¡¯s personal information helps me maintain my reputation and my sry. As I said before, you will soon find out who my employer is...¡±


    The middle-aged man was a special forces professional. He¡¯d be strong by practicing various martial arts and undergoing tactical training. He was confident that he could easily deal with a civilian who locked himself in a room and only yed games if things took a wrong turn.


    The middle-aged man shuffled closer to the car. He would have to subdue Agnus if he got in his way. He didn¡¯t dwell too much on the fact that Agnus had arrived here earlier than he did. Surely Agnus rode a specially designed motorcycle or some other vehicle on the way here.


    Agnus snorted as he understood what the middle-aged man was thinking. ¡°It¡¯s easy to resort to violence.¡±


    For a moment, the middle-aged man frowned.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Then, he felt pain in his ankle. He looked down and checked. He saw something like thin, white awls stabbing his ankle.


    ¡®Bones?¡¯


    These looked like bone fragments of small wild animals. How did they suddenly jump out of the ground and stab him?


    The man couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Agnus punched him viciously before grabbing him by the neck with unblemished hands. Agnus kept punching him mercilessly. The man couldn¡¯t move as he was paralyzed with fear.


    Agnus asked him again, ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    His golden eyes shed threateningly. There was no emotion behind them.


    The middle-aged man decided to speak up, because he remembered that Agnus had a record of killing someone before.


    ¡°L-Lauel...¡±


    ¡°...Lauel?¡±


    Agnus let go of the man.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you weren¡¯t hostile toward me. You really were just trying to see what I was up to.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Lauel has been looking for you ever since you went missing. He failed to find you, so I got tasked with observing your castle.¡±


    ¡°You guys have no reason to meddle in my personal life.¡±


    Agnus tutted, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in a bad mood. His sunken eyes rxed.


    The middle-aged man tried to make conversation. ¡°What have you been doing for the past month without consuming any electricity? You were alone in that dark and enormous ce... I¡¯m d you are safe, but...¡±


    Despite Agnus¡¯ extremely skinny body, he was still insanely strong. Perhaps this was why he¡¯d made it here so fast? He just ran two kilometers in such a short amount of time?


    The middle-aged man kept making up scenarios in his head. He was shaking, though he didn¡¯t realize he was doing that. The knowledge and experience he had gained as a professional no longer mattered. He was confused because it made no sense that Agnus had made it to his car way before him. He also could not exin the bones jutting out from the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s done, so leave now.¡±


    Agnus let the middle-aged man go. He felt that there was no point in interrogating a guy who had never intended to do him harm. Agnus had no intention of hurting people.


    Surprisingly, he was back in the real world.


    ¡°...Certainly, this is reality.¡±


    Agnus watched the middle-aged man drive away in his car. He inhaled slowly. There was hot energy condensed in his dantian. It was a familiar sensation, the sensation of mana that he felt in Satisfy, not in reality.


    ¡°...Status window,¡± he muttered while recalling the skill he had just used.


    [Name: Agnus


    Species: Human


    ss: Contractor Freed From Baal¡¯s Curse


    Level: 1


    Strength: 25 Agility: 30


    Mana: 2,127/2,221]


    A familiar interface came into view.


    Many of the stats, including HP and Intelligence, were gone. But in any case, they had no ce in reality.


    ¡°Am I going crazy again?¡±


    Agnus¡¯st memory was ofplete death. He¡¯d found a way to save Betty and sacrificed himself for her. The system informed him that he had reached theplete ending and his vision went dark after that.


    When he opened his eyes, he was back in reality. After waking up from the capsule, he walked outside for no reason whatsoever. The passive skill called Baal¡¯s Senses worked arbitrarily, and he spotted the middle-aged man. Agnus mistook the middle-aged man for a spy, possibly sent by the United States, China, or Russia.


    People who had already gone through this change appeared around the world. Agnus suspected that the powerful countries who found out about this change surely realized he was also different now and sent people over to capture him.


    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case...


    ¡®...Should I have killed him?¡¯


    Agnus suddenly felt burdened by the fact that he had spared the middle-aged man and gathered magic power at his fingertips. He looked at the list of avable skills before giving up.


    He had worked with the Overgeared members for a short time and got to know them. He considered that this man, who had been hired by Lauel, wouldn¡¯t just share information haphazardly.


    Above all, Agnus had no intention of harming anyone. He was reluctant to repeat something he had already regretted many times, both in real life and in the game.


    <i>Growl...</i>


    Only now did he realize just how hungry he was...


    ¡®A month...¡¯


    Was he asleep in the capsule for an entire month? He needed time to collect his thoughts.


    Agnus took his eyes off the moving vehicle and returned to the castle.


    ***


    ¡°It seems that he has woken up.¡±


    Back at the S.A. Group building, the thirty-three scientists identified a signal and started a meeting. Chairman Lim Cheolho was also there.


    Those who had reached theplete ending in Satisfy and had proven their worthiness remained trapped in the capsule for as little as ten days or as long as a month. The capsule activated a hidden function that even Chairman Lim Cheolho had been unaware of. The scientists described this function as an evolutionary device.


    This was one of the reasons Chairman Lim Cheolho decided to cooperate with the scientists. He had witnessed the loss of certain yers¡¯ data and confirmed that they were trapped in a capsule that didn¡¯t allow anyone from the outside to meddle with it.


    However, a signal just pointed out that one of the five capsules had just opened.


    ¡°There are a lot of talented individuals on this. We didn¡¯t expect that there would be five gemstones this big besides Grid.¡±


    ¡°What will happen to them?¡±


    ¡°Without Grid, they would¡¯ve been thest bastion. If we did everything right, we might¡¯ve prevented the third wave of erosion. But thanks to Grid, we made a decision and we updated Satisfy at the expense of our future. Now we have the possibility of cultivating a lot of beings like them... They should be called the forerunners, not thest bastion.¡±


    ¡°So since they can use abilities in real life, their role would be to guide other yers in the future? Can they really do that? Use in-game abilities in real life?¡±


    The skinny old man nodded and looked at the files rted to Agnus. ¡°The nanomachines I imnted in the capsules were designed to activate this ability, so they certainly will be able to do that.¡±


    Morpheus chimed in.


    -<i>Agnus is an emotionally unstable human.He is required to be under constant surveince, and he also needs professional personnel to take care of his mental problems.</i>


    Did they perform some type of magic? The old man finished reading the thick file containing someone¡¯s life and gaming history before standing up and shaking his head.


    ¡°I told you that they are already qualified. Those who have met theplete ending in Satisfy have proven that they already have the sense to distinguish between right and wrong. Stop worrying and just watch.¡±


    The old man spoke very kindly to Morpheus, as if the supeputer was the old man¡¯s only flesh and blood in the world, or a treasure of his. And of course he¡¯d treat Morpheus this way.


    Morpheus was the 95th ranked Insurmountable Treasure.


    Outside the window, the sky was darkening. It was exceptionally dark because, recently, the moonlight had be dimmer.

 Chapter 1987

    <h4>Chapter 1987</h4>


    As soon as he finished eating, Agnus felt the need to investigate his symptoms. His Inte browsing history looked somewhat like this:


    <i>Mana IRL. Skills IRL. Game abilities in real life. Status window showing up in real life...</i>


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Agnus realized he wasn¡¯t crazy after all. Demonstrating in-game abilities in the real world was no longer something only possible in fiction.


    ¡®The stories of people implementing the skills learnt from games in real life have received public attention for a few years.¡¯


    There were quite a few articles about people saying that their eyesight has improved while ying games. The game they were talking about was, of course, Satisfy. Slowly but surely, Satisfy was influencing reality.


    ¡°...Someone also mentioned that they could see their status window in real life.¡±


    This was just a im made by an anonymous person on the Inte. Everyone thought it was a troll so they didn¡¯t think too much of it.


    Agnus found that person¡¯s username and sent them a private message.


    <i>-Do you still see the status window nowadays?</i>


    People who delved so deeply and for so long in the onlinemunity that they only saw the sun on a screensaver were affectionately called ¡°mom¡¯s basement dwellers.¡± The user Agnus was talking to was one such person. Why?


    -<i>Of course.</i>


    Because they replied immediately.


    Agnus felt relieved. He began typing back.


    -<i>Have your ss and levels from Satisfy been transferred into reality?</i>


    He really needed to know this. Agnus was only level 1. It was important to know whether everyone else was in the same boat as him.


    -<i>What?Are you an idiot?</i>


    ¡°......?¡±


    Why was he being insulted? Agnus was a bit taken aback and reflected on what he had said. Did he offend the other person in any way? Agnus had almost zero social skills, so he wondered what he¡¯d said wrong. However, no matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what he had done to upset the other person.


    In the end, Agnus asked them directly.


    -<i>Why are you calling me an idiot?Did I say something wrong?</i>


    <i>- LOOOOOL. I am calling you an idiot because you are one.You¡¯re sending me a message like that at this hour? Lmao, that¡¯s jobless behavior.</i>


    ¡°......¡±


    Agnus had never really interacted with someone who spent that much time on the Inte, so he was confused. However, he was serious, and he wasn¡¯t the type to give up so easily. He hadn¡¯t be a first-generation high ranker for no reason.


    -<i>I understand why you¡¯re wary of me.If you change your mindter, leave me a message.I can also see the status window in real life, so we could perhaps help each other.</i>


    -<i>You have mental issues.</i>


    [The recipient has blocked you.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Not a single muscle on Agnus¡¯ pale face moved. He looked like a statue carved out of ice. He essed the other person¡¯s member information, but he couldn¡¯t find anything useful because the user was anonymous.


    ¡°...I need to figure out how to level up.¡±


    Since Agnus was a first-generation high ranker, he was patient and calm, so he quickly regained hisposure. He slowly got up from his seat.


    He recalled the early days of Satisfy. The difference between yers who participated in the closed beta and those who didn¡¯t was not something to be underestimated. He didn¡¯t want to miss out on the opportunity he had right now. Despite all the suffering he¡¯d experienced in the past, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He regained his will to live.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s gorgeous.¡±


    Everyone admired Chris¡¯ ystyle, which consisted of swinging his greatsword through the air.


    Every time his weight-changing greatsword fell toward its target, it generated a tsunami-like shockwave, destroying the entire surrounding area. Blocking his attack was pointless. It was hard for the cultivators to escape its aftermath even if they avoided the initial attack.


    The shields of the cultivators lost half of their power. Even if the shield blocked the greatsword¡¯s initial damage, the unstoppable pressure shattered the shield and damaged the person inside.


    It felt like the gravity inside the shield became tens of times stronger. The eyes of the cultivators swelled like they were about to pop any second now, and the blood vessels in their eyes burst. Blood flowed from their noses. The inside of the shield was shrouded in a blood-red mist.


    The ancient legend, Tzudan, warned Chris.


    -<i>I think you went in too deep.</i>


    Tzudan hadn¡¯tmitted himself to the river of reincarnation. He¡¯d chosen to stay by Chris¡¯ side because he was fascinated by Chris, who had the qualities of an ideal fighter. He wasn¡¯t afraid at all of jumping head-first into danger and always took the best path suggested by Tzudan.


    Even Tzudan in his prime wasn¡¯t capable of what Chris could do at the moment. The cultivators were strange beings who didn¡¯t even exist in ancient times. Chris wasn¡¯t at all intimidated by these monsters, who used intent as a way to attack and shields to block Chris¡¯ blows.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was going for.¡±


    Chris¡¯ senses were very sharp as hended in the middle of enemy territory. He reacted to all types of attacksing from all directions and narrowly dodged everything. Those were the senses of a Transcendent. This was a way to maximize the strength of Tzudan¡¯s Sessor, a ss that increased attack power as the number of steps he took increased and as he got closer to danger.


    Finally, a smile appeared on Chris¡¯ face as he got close to a great ascension cultivator.


    ¡°......¡±


    The cultivator snorted like he found this whole situation ridiculous, only for him to widen his eyes in surprise. The greatsword in Chris¡¯ hand let out the roar of a dragon, distorting the air around it.


    The unimaginable energy and mass of the weapon caused a strange phenomenon. A gravitational pull seized the great ascension cultivator¡¯s shield, sucking it in. The shield made a screeching noise, like it was being ripped apart.


    ¡°You!¡±


    A chill went down the cultivator¡¯s spine as he released chains from his mouth. This was his innate treasure, which had been refined for tens of thousands of years. The moment the chains made contact with a target, they would trap them and seal their spiritual energy. This was a huge advantage when confronting other cultivators.


    To use yer terms, he was a professional PK yer. In fact, he rarely lost a fight against other people. He had a lot of experience fighting and winning even against cultivators who had a higher realm than him.


    However, Chris was a yer. He was even a first-generation high ranker. He had far more experience fighting for his life than a cultivator who had lived for tens of thousands of years.


    Chris threw himself forward. Far from avoiding the approaching whip, he kept charging toward the enemy. Just in time, the footprints that only Chris and Tzudan could see appeared, suggesting a new path¡ªright where Chris had justnded.


    Tzudan admired him.


    -<i>You saw the path first?</i>


    The greatest strength of the Tzudan¡¯s Sessor ssy in the passive skill called Five Steps. Chris would follow the footsteps indicated by Five Steps and reach the point where he could unleash the most devastating attack on the enemy.


    Paradoxically, this was also a death trap for Chris. This was the path of a fighter who would do nothing but fight. A fighter reached only one of two oues when in battle: kill the opponent or die trying. Therefore, fighters were very powerful. Their ystyle was a high risk, high reward one.


    <i>Baaaang!</i>


    Chris¡¯ greatsword gained a lot more attack power after hepleted the Five Steps and it struck the cultivator¡¯s shield. It had the power of a 100 Million Ton Sword.


    The cultivator frowned as he watched the chain pass by Chris without reaching him. He couldn¡¯t withstand the weight of the sword so he copsed on the ground, though he was at least still protected by his shield.


    The cultivator scowled in pain as he coughed up blood. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Spiritual energy was flowing through his meridians. The body of a great ascension cultivator was stronger than any metal. But now, he was severely injured. His intestines had been torn to pieces and his bones had been crushed.


    What was surprising was that he¡¯d taken damage despite blocking the enemy¡¯s attack with his shield.


    Dirt fell on the cultivator¡¯s head, spilling through the tiny cracks in the shield. He couldn¡¯t believe that his shield had shattered in a single blow, but it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. The cultivator just cast another one.


    He shouldn¡¯t have done that. He should¡¯ve escaped using the Earth Escape Arts instead.


    <i>Baaaang!</i>


    The basis of Five Steps was to approach the enemy. Chris had pursued the cultivator, and had done so very quickly. He kept hitting the cultivator¡¯s shield over and over again, and the cultivator was getting dizzy.


    A bullet made it through one of the cracks in the shield. Yura was sniping at him. She¡¯d been teaming up with Chris for the past few days and, together, they had killed countless cultivators.


    Only then did the cultivator realize that he should have escaped using Earth Escape Arts. However, his head exploded due to the jade magic power umted in the bullet.


    ¡°You guys!¡±


    The cultivator, whose skull was showing because half of his head had been blown off, still resisted fiercely. He dug a hole deep underground using a technique or treasure of some sorts and desperately fought back. Both the cultivator and Chris took a lot of damage.


    However, the cultivator was alone, while Chris had support.


    The moment the cultivator tried to jump in the hole he¡¯d made, he got pierced by countless bullets fired by a machine gun. Yura chased after him using Hell Leap and shed the dwarf who escaped after abandoning his body.


    She turned to look in the direction of the Full Moon Fortress. Thick ck smoke nketed the moon. While Yura and Chris were dealing with the cultivators, the other Overgeared members easily seeded in capturing the Full Moon Fortress.


    Chris crawled from the ground. He looked tired.


    ¡°How did you snipe him in the ground? The cracks in the shield were also very small. Did you do that using a technique?¡±


    He was amazed by Yura¡¯s sniping skills and firepower, which were bing more powerful by the day.


    ¡°My eyesight has improved thanks to some techniques, but my sniping has gotten better thanks to a mystical art called Puppetry. It has really good synergy with the magic engineering bay, which originally had circuits.¡±


    The Magic Engineering Gun was an exclusive weapon for the Demon yer. The patterns of blue magic power flowing on its surface weren¡¯t only for decoration purposes. They indicated the flow of magic power. The gun changed shape and functionality depending on how Yura manipted this power.


    Yura could apply the Puppetry skill to alter the gun even more, giving the target puppet circuits and manipting it as a puppet.


    ¡°I can make it look like this.¡±


    Yura made several hand gestures, forming something called a hand seal. The Magic Engineering Gun turned into a cute puppy.


    ¡°It looks kindame, though,¡± Chris said.


    ¡°Yeah, but it can act on its own. This skill provides a lot of versatility.


    ¡°That is true...¡±


    Chris¡¯ expression became gloomy. He didn¡¯t know when he would seed in condensing his spiritual root. He¡¯d also learned techniques, but it was hard for him to umte spiritual energy due to the nature of his ss, which consumed arge amount of resources every time he swung his sword.


    Every time he increased the weight of the sword, the resources he had were drained regardless of their type. This meant that he couldn¡¯t really umte spiritual energy.


    Tzudanforted Chris.


    -<i>If you destroy all the Full Moon Fortresses, you will have plenty of time to cultivate.The technique you learned will definitely benefit you, so don¡¯t be upset and wait for the right time.</i>


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    Chris calmed down. Yura transformed her gun into a giant eagle. She nned to join herrades and destroy the formation of the Full Moon Fortress.


    Just then, an unexpected visitor arrived.


    ¡°Sister!¡± a familiar voice called out.


    Ruby was on the back of arge gray dragon that cast a huge shadow on the ground. The dragon sighed.


    [I never thought I woulde to a ce like this. Run away.]


    Before Cranbel could finish his warning, Yura and Chris heard another voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mess here, too,¡± the voice said.


    At the same time, a young man with a slender physique appeared in front of them.


    ¡°You guys are running amok.¡±


    Yura and Chris¡¯ blood froze. The young man named Zhang Hui was exuding a much more powerful energy than the great ascension cultivator they had just defeated.


    The young man extended his arms and knocked back Yura and Chris, causing them to tumble uncontrobly.


    Problems were arising all over the continent.

 Chapter 1988

    <h4>Chapter 1988</h4>


    The Tomb of the Gods was a reallyrge airship that was five times the size of Yeouido. Since it was made from Greed, it could be even bigger at any time.


    The Tomb of the Gods consumed no power to operate and its maximum speed easily exceeded 1,000 kilometers per hour. This was an incredible feat, considering there was a city inside it.


    Yup. The Tomb of the Gods functioned as a splendid city thanks to the hard work of Ke ong and other craftsmen. The necessary facilities had beenpleted in a hurry. Entertainment and recreational facilities were also in the process of being concluded.


    There were seventeen warp gates on the airship, linked to the warp gates that had appeared in almost every city and town thanks to thetest update.


    The Tomb of the Gods could instantly summon any reinforcements whenever and wherever they wanted. To put it simply, this was a moving base. Its defense facilities were also outstanding. Two hundred thousand cannons had been installed on all sides of the ship and nearly ten thousand of them were Overgeared Cannons with a Unique rating or higher.


    The Tomb of the Gods was the result of the hard work of all the cksmiths in the empire. Lauel guarded the center of thepleted airship.


    [Jishuka¡¯s unit has won. The coordinates are 139,001,9. Requesting cleanup assistance.]


    [Euphemina¡¯s unit has won. The coordinates are 82,574. Requesting cleanup assistance.]


    [Damian¡¯s unit has narrowly lost. There are fewer than seven survivors on the enemy side, including one Absolute. The coordinates are 722,644,121. Requesting appropriate reinforcements.]


    [Ibellin¡¯s unit has abandoned its mission. The coordinates are 604,841. There are estimated to be at least three enemy Absolutes. Waiting for the right reinforcements to arrive.]


    Notifications were popping up one after another in the guild information window.


    Lauel reacted quickly. He remembered the troops map and summoned soldiers through the warp gate. He informed them of the situations at the designated coordinates and immediately dispatched them where they were needed.


    There were two main types of troops that Lauel operated. One of them was a support unit that dealt with dismantling the formations of the Full Moon Fortress after the main forces upied them. They remained stationed at the Full Moon Fortress for several days to destroy its formation. They took care of the cleanup so that the main force could move onto the next fortress.


    The second type of troops were the elite ones led by Hayate and Biban. Their mission was to rescue the main force from danger or to capture the Full Moon Fortresses that were difficult for the main force to deal with.


    So far, everything was going well. Grid had destroyed a total of forty-one Full Moon Fortresses, and the Overgeared Guild had also seeded in capturing twenty-nine Full Moon Fortresses.


    There were only thirty-two Full Moon Fortresses left. There was still a month left before the deadline for the quest to stop the erosion ritual, so the situation was a lot better than they had initially expected.


    ¡®This is all thanks to more and more people condensing their spiritual root.¡¯


    The benefits of bing a cultivator were enormous. Of course, this only applied to yers who learned techniques that synergize well with their ss, but the Overgeared members who seeded in condensing their spiritual root had be at least twice as strong.


    Clearly, the goal of this update was for yers to focus purely on bing stronger. It was like they were being warned that the next update would be very difficult.


    But things were chaotic in the world right now. Lauel was already worried about what would happen the moment Ghamid collided with Earth.


    ¡®...I should focus on the situation at hand.¡¯


    There was a good chance that the changes in the world were just Lauel¡¯s delusions. Even if his delusion turned out to be true, he couldn¡¯t neglect the events urring in Satisfy.


    ¡®Because Satisfy is what matters most to the yers.¡¯


    They had to defend Satisfy at all costs. Preventing the erosion ritual was their primary goal.


    Lauel calmed down and rubbed his eyes. He was very tired.


    [Cranbel¡¯s team has retreated. The coordinates are changing in real time.]


    [Chris¡¯ unit has encountered Cranbel on the southern side. The coordinates are 106,98,684. A powerful enemy has appeared. ]


    [Chris¡¯ unit has retreated.]


    Lauel was in a position from which he could easily gather information from all battlefields and make decisions. Since too much information could easily overwhelm him, he was given brief and condensed descriptions of events.


    However, since this was an emergency, the system made an exception.


    ¡°Tell me more about Chris¡¯ situation."


    <i>-They encountered an Absolute cultivator who was chasing after Cranbel, who was seriously injured.</i> <i>Five minutes into the fight, Yura and Chris lost their power. The rest of the unit members manipting the formation of the Full Moon Fortress got ambushed and suffered catastrophic damage.</i>


    ¡°Ruby is on Cranbel¡¯s team but her healing couldn¡¯t keep up?¡±


    There were a number of debuffs in Satisfy that reduced healing. The cultivation world surely had something simr to that. However, Ruby was the Saintess. She had the ability to purify debuffs and keep healing the target.


    -<i>I think the opponent¡¯s attack power is too high.</i>


    As expected. Ruby¡¯s healing couldn¡¯t keep up. This was bad news considering that Ruby healed the target by a percentage of their total HP.


    Lauel sent a whisper to Chris and Yura.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but the two of you will have to y the role of bait. Please draw the attention of the enemy so that Cranbel¡¯s team can safely make it to the Tomb of the Gods.¡±


    -<i>We are already doing that, but...</i> <i>It won¡¯t mean much.</i>


    There was no energy in Chris¡¯ voice as he responded. Lauel thought Chris was just discouraged and added, ¡°I¡¯ve already summoned Hayate. Hold on for a bit longer...¡±


    -<i>Our invincibility passives have been consumed.</i>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Already? Both of them?


    Lauel was taken aback. Chris and Yura made the strongest team in the Overgeared Guild. Only Euphemina and Katz together could match their strength. No, considering how much stronger Chris and Yura had be recently, a tower member or apostle certainly had to join as well to rece the two of them.


    But they somehow lost their invincibility passives in just five minutes? Lauel couldn¡¯t believe that, even though the opponent won against the top dragon Cranbel. The opponent shouldn¡¯t have been perfectly fine after such a fight.


    ¡®...There¡¯s no way.¡¯


    The opponent seemed to be perfectly fine even after a fierce battle that left Cranbel seriously injured. This enemy had managed to maintain the upper hand in a fight against a top dragon who was receiving heals from the Saintess?


    This opponent was the most powerful one among all the Absolutes.


    ¡®I thought that the cultivators were powerful overall, but I didn¡¯t think there was anybody among them who could match the old dragons or the Gods of the beginning.¡¯


    That was what Lauel thought. An enemy as powerful as this one had never appeared while the Overgeared Guild destroyed seventy-five Full Moon Fortresses.


    In any case¡ª


    ¡°Then, please try to make it out of there safely.¡±


    Lauel had no choice but to make this request. It was regrettable that he had to make Yura and Chris retreat, but if they died a second time, they would get forcibly logged out, and that would leave them unable to train and get stronger for a long time. However, saving Cranbel was urgent.


    Just then, Hayate arrived through the warp gate. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± he asked.


    Lauel had previously sent a whisper to a guild member in Hayate¡¯s team.


    ¡°An enemy on the level of the old dragons has appeared. The location...¡±


    Grid had said that their main goal was to eliminate the cultivators. Hayate agreed. There was no point in trying to negotiate with the enemy.


    Lauel informed Hayate of how strong the opponent was and where to find them. Hayate immediately set out. He used Shunpo once to escape the magic detection installed on the Tomb of the Gods. By the time he used his eight Shunpo, he met Cranbel, who was flying. By his fifteenth Shunpo, he got ambushed by an unfamiliar young man.


    ¡°So you are the one who did all that damage to the fortresses,¡± the cultivator said.


    He was a cultivator who had reached the peak of great ascension. After hearing the news that various Full Moon Fortresses were being destroyed, the cultivator Zhang Hui decided to take matters into his own hands. He investigated the fragments of the Full Moon Fortresses and tried to figure out how strong the enemies were. He shivered when he realized something.


    A considerable number of Full Moon Fortresses had been cut in two by a single sh. It was impossible for the fortresses to be destroyed in such a way. It took time and effort to gradually weaken the formation installed inside before the fortress copsed entirely.


    But to destroy it in a single sh?


    ¡°This must be the doing of the master of the new Super Gxy Treasure that appeared not long ago.¡±


    He was referring to the Treasure from the second row, the Falling Moon Sword. The owner of this sword was surely the one behind the shing. Zhang Hui could tell this much.


    He gathered the fragments of the copsed Full Moon Fortress. By activating the dozens of broken formations simultaneously, he opened a door to the upper world, albeit an imperfect one.


    He carried out his ascension, which he had put on hold for thousands of years for personal reasons. It was a painful experience, but it was worth it if he could get his hands on that specific Super Gxy Treasure.


    ¡°Until I got to the top and carved my name on the monument, I kept wondering if this was the right thing to do. My name, which a lot of people know in the world of cultivation, will be just one of countless names in the immortal world.¡±


    Zhang Hui looked at Hayate¡¯s waist. There was nothing there. However, Zhang Hui could see a gathering of intangible energy with the eyes of an immortal. It took the form of a sword, though it looked iplete.


    ¡°I was worried I would end up regretting ascending, but I see that there was no reason to worry. Seeing that you have appeared before me, I realize this must be the gravitational pull of fate. I assure you that your treasured sword was meant for me to hold it.¡±


    Hayate stared nkly at the cultivator who was chattering intently. ¡°Uh-huh...¡±


    It took him some time to realize that the cultivator had misunderstood something.


    ¡®This guy thinks I¡¯m Grid...¡¯


    As he traveled all over the continent to lend his support to others, Hayate often saw traces of the destruction left behind by Grid¡ªthe Full Moon Fortresses cut down along with their formations. This was clearly the work of a sword. The man in front of him must¡¯ve seen them too.


    ¡°Come on now, draw your sword. If you have such a high-quality sword, then it means I don¡¯t have to worry about damaging it.¡±


    Zhang Hui gestured to Hayate while hundreds of colorful beads hovered around him. Hayate didn¡¯t think there was no way he could escape from those beads. The total amount of energy contained in each one was immense, unfathomable even.


    ¡®This guy is just as strong as an old dragon.¡¯


    The opponent was just as strong as an old dragon. However, because he was not, in fact, an old dragon, Hayate could not take advantage of his dragon-killing energy that was effective against dragons. This was the most difficult enemy Hayate could have possibly encountered. He couldn¡¯t possibly gain the upper hand against this guy.


    However, Hayate didn¡¯t back down and clenched his fists. That intangible energy manifested in his hands, slowly gaining a white color.


    Before he knew it, a pure white sword was in his hand.


    Hayate had been mistaken for Grid. The cultivator would soon realize his mistake, but Hayate didn¡¯t want to tarnish Grid¡¯s name for even a moment. He was determined to put up a fight.


    Zhang Hui frowned. ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Hayate¡¯s sword was entirely made out of energy. He thought the sword was made of some special substance when it had no form, but he had been mistaken.


    ¡°There is no way that an individual¡¯s energy can be ssified as a Treasure... You aren¡¯t who I¡¯m looking for, are you?¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d realize that sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°Bah, get lost.¡±


    Zhang Hui was greatly disappointed and waved his hand. Hundreds of beads stretched out like shes of light.


    The beads, each with a different attribute and effect, rushed forward inpletely different trajectories, resembling falling stars in the night sky.


    Hayate avoided the attack by using Shunpo, but Zhang Hui just sneered.


    ¡°Ridiculous.¡±


    The beads had already designated Hayate as their target and responded to his Shunpo by also using Shunpo. This attack could not be avoided. There was a reason Chris and Yura had not survived.


    Hayate sighed and adjusted his dragon killing energy.


    Suddenly, he thought of something. No matter how great these beads were, there was no way they were better than an old dragon¡¯s Breath. Right?


    Right. Hayate knew that the most powerful creatures in the world were the old dragons.


    As Hayate brandished his weapon, the elongated Dragon Killing Sword spun like a whip until it covered the skies and earth alike to intercept most of the hundreds of beads.


    ......


    A series of deafening, colorful explosions urred.


    ¡®Um.¡¯


    Hayate regretted underestimating the beads. He even felt betrayed for cing so much faith in the old dragons¡¯ strength.


    It was only after the series of explosions engulfed Hayate that he heard the thunderous sounds which resulted from the sts.

 Chapter 1989

    <h4>Chapter 1989</h4>


    Cultivating meant going against the will of heaven.


    Cultivators were people who had ovee the limitations of talent that heaven had bestowed upon human beings through the practice of defying the natural order. They even extended their lifespans, but defying the natural order would bring forth a heavenly sword to strike them down. The phenomenon of heaven sending down lightning to bury the sins of human beings who dared deviate from the heavenlymand was called the Thunder Tribtion.


    The time when the thunderbolts struck down was influenced by the cultivator¡¯s original destiny¡ªin other words, their lifespan. For a cultivator in the qi refining realm, who would die at the age of 60 if they stayed mortal, they would be struck by thunder at 60 years of age.


    Quite a few cultivators endured this first wave of Thunder Tribtion without difficulty. However, many would not be able to withstand the second Thunder Tribtion that came 30 yearster, and they would end up burning to death. Then, for the third Thunder Tribtion that came another 30 yearster, the majority would be unable to withstand it and die.


    This was because the Thunder Tribtion became stronger the more a cultivator experienced it. Therefore, the safest way for a cultivator to survive the thunder was to increase their realm. Every time their realm increased, the Thunder Tribtion was reset.


    In the case of getting from qi refining to foundation building, the first Thunder Tribtion only arrived after a period of time that was equivalent to twice the natural lifespan of a human.


    Suppose that the time equivalent to twice the natural lifespan was 120 years. Then the second, third, and fourth Thunder Tribtions woulde every 60 years. The same form was applied simrly every time their realm was raised.


    A cultivator needed to constantly be stronger by increasing their cultivation so they could survive these tribtions. Immortals also had to do this. True and golden immortals would also suffer from Thunder Tribtions every tens of thousands of years.


    There were a lot of immortals who gained eternal life but died because they couldn¡¯t endure these trials, way more than cultivators. This was because it was way more difficult for an immortal to increase their realm than it was for a cultivator. It was virtually impossible for an immortal to increase their realm before the third or fourth Thunder Tribtion arrived.


    Basically, they had to be prepared to go through more than seven of these trials, unless they seeded inpletely defying heaven and reaching the realm of a great immortal, where they were liberated from the Thunder Tribtion.


    Bing an immortal meant that death was inevitable. This was why Zhang Hui had been dying his ascension. He found out from several sources that there were a number of special substances in the middle world that helped prevent Thunder Tribtions. He didn¡¯t intend to be an immortal until he gathered all of them and smelted them into Treasures.


    However, the value of the rank 2 Super Gxy Treasure was so great that it made him change his mind. He ultimately ascended because he wanted to duel the owner of the Super Gxy Treasure.


    ¡°I have no time to waste.¡±


    From the moment he became an immortal, every minute and every second mattered to him. His top priority was to quickly find the owner of that specific Super Gxy Treasure.


    After realizing that Hayate¡¯s energy had been severely weakened by the explosions, he made a decision. Hundreds of new beads appeared and dyed the surroundings in various colors.


    ¡°Time for you to die.¡±


    Space distorted where the beads exploded. Hundreds of ck voids swallowed up the surroundings. The world turned ck, and snowkes blossomed like flowers.


    A clear white energy spread, filling the cracks in the dark space one by one.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Zhang Hui frowned. The space cracks caused a secondary explosion and the whole area was about to be annihted. However, the gravitational pull generated by the white energy stopped the space cracks from expanding and prevented them from exploding.


    Before he knew it, the world became covered in this white energy.


    Hayate said, ¡°Since dragons are veryrge in size, the range of my energy is bound to increase as well.¡±


    It was a kind way of exining it.


    An explosion followed. The dragon-killing energy that filled the air spread out like a formation of spears. Zhang Hui saw no way to escape, so he took out a small fortress-shaped Treasure and infused it with spiritual energy.


    The fortress grew rapidly in size and appeared in front of Zhang Hui, but the many spears engulfed the fortress without difficulty. They mmed into the fortress and it didn¡¯t seem like they would ever stop.


    This was the power of arge-scale attack that used dragon-killing energy. The ultimate attack created to hunt the old dragons was even a threat to an immortal. Even though Hayate had lost the inherent advantage of the dragon-killing energy, which was its efficiency against the dragons, he was still an Absolute.


    ¡®He¡¯s formidable.¡¯


    Zhang Hui clicked his tongue as he stood in the crumbling fortress. The two explosions he¡¯d just caused weakened Hayate¡¯s energy a lot. It was obvious that Hayate was seriously injured, but he still managed tounch a threatening counterattack against an immortal. This was proof that the white energy he manipted was something incredibly powerful for the standards of the cultivation world.


    Of course. Just by looking at how it pulled back the surrounding distorted space and restored it, one could tell that this energy was not to be underestimated.


    Finally, the fortress copsed. The many white spears were now colliding with Zhang Hui¡¯s shield. Zhang Hui noticed that his spiritual energy was rapidly decreasing and made a bold decision.


    ¡°I guess you are called a dragon killer.¡±


    A dragon was a creature deeply respected in the cultivation world. Some sects even worshiped dragons as gods. As the first female cultivator whom Grid killed proved, the concept of the Four Auspicious Beasts also existed in the cultivation world.


    <i>Kurarararara!</i>


    The cry of a grotesque beast echoed around them. Zhang Hui¡¯s shield grew even thicker before turning into dragon scales. At the same time, dozens of newly emerged beads took on the shape of dragon heads.


    ¡°Deal with this.¡±


    A dragon symbolized strength and mystery. Most of the cultivators¡¯ techniques were inspired by their worship of the dragons. The higher the rank of the technique, the more dragon strength it contained.


    The Dragon Head Demon Art that Zhang Hui learned was a prime example. This mystical art created dozens of dragons that chased the targets and devoured them. No cultivator had ever survived being targeted by the Dragon Head Demon Arts.


    The beads turned into dragon heads and flickered brightly. In an instant, they reached Hayate and bit him.


    ¡°......?¡±


    Zhang Hui was smiling slightly but that smile onlysted for a moment. He saw that his shield, which had be thicker and harder after turning into dragon scales, had cracks in it.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    He found it more absurd than amazing. He had be an immortal. He was certainly subjected to a lot of restrictions because he had descended into the secr world instead of staying in the upper world, but he was way more powerful than when he was a cultivator.


    Even worse, he made a dragon shield and protected himself with it. He thought he would be safe this way. However, the shield had cracks in it now. The white energy that still formed spears were slowly but surely destroying his shield. For some reason, the spears seemed to be even stronger all of a sudden.


    Hayate looked at the shield like he also couldn¡¯t believe it. He had already shed the dozens of dragon heads viciously attacking him. He approached Zhang Hui.


    ¡°What made you want to die?¡± he asked the cultivator.


    Zhang Hui had a migraine. The cries of the Dragon-Killing Sword became even clearer. Moreover, the white glow of the sword made it hard for him to see.


    Was the white sword so intimidating? He felt frightened.


    Hayate swung the Dragon-Killing Sword at Zhang Hui¡¯s head. The cultivator was confused and didn¡¯t know what was going on. The dragon shield was full of cracks and finally shattered in a single blow from Hayate. Bright red blood gushed out from Zhang Hui¡¯s wounds.


    Of course, an immortal couldn¡¯t die so easily. Zhang Hui stepped back just before the de that dug into his skull managed to cut his brain. He barely survived.


    ¡°Your power abides aw of this world.¡±


    Zhang Hui¡¯s eyes red at the Dragon-Killing Sword. There was hatred in his eyes. This was a sword that yed dragons. He had a vague idea why it suddenly became so much more powerful. Zhang Hui had made a grave mistake. However, he had no time to waste on regrets.


    After taking back the Dragon Head Demon Arts, he summoned hundreds of beads again. The beads spun at the speed of light, creating a huge storm that engulfed Hayate. Hayate should have been dead. However, he was fine. The storm of beads couldn¡¯t pierce the white energy that enshrouded him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zhang Hui had been trying hard to keep hisposure but now he was trembling greatly. He understood that the Dragon Head Demon Arts was ineffective against this enemy and couldn¡¯t deal as much damage as usual, but he had no idea that this trump card of his would be deemed powerless as well.


    ¡°The dragon-killing energy has recognized you as a dragon,¡± Hayate said. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you can im to be a dragon despite being a human being.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying makes no sense.¡±


    Hayate treated the immortal as a human being and Zhang Hui treated the Dragon yer as a mortal. The two Absolutes didn¡¯t understand each other at all. This was because they came frompletely different worlds. These two beings could never co-exist in the same world, and they were both aware of that.


    ¡°I ascended to get my hands on a Super Gxy Treasure, but I ended up being threatened by a mere mortal. I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I have been struggling to protect the world from the great enemies called dragons. I can¡¯t let peace be threatened by other human beings.¡±


    Their sh was one of transcendent forces and powers. Hayate had been at a disadvantage at the beginning of the battle, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore, thanks to the dragon-killing energy recognizing Zhang Hui as a dragon.


    Hayate was so powerful that even two old dragons were reluctant to fight him. Now Hayate made an immortal, who was a wild card, unable to fight back.


    ***


    <i>At the same time, at another Full Moon Fortress. </i>


    ¡°What type of monster...?¡±


    Mir, Jessica, Zibal, and Katz had arrived apanied by eighty other Overgeared members. Among the main units, Zibal¡¯s was particrly strong, but now his unit seemed to be in trouble.


    Zibal and his unit had killed the cultivators guarding the Full Moon Fortress and were waiting for the follow-up troops, but they got attacked by an immortal. Even Mir, who had awakened his full potential after fighting the cultivators one after another, was no match for him.


    [Whisper from Lauel: Hayate and Biban are away on expeditions, so we can¡¯t send any other reinforcements. Plus, this particr fortress is very far away. Please make sure that Mir and Jessica can escape first.]


    Zibal listened to Lauel¡¯s advice. Lauel¡¯s voice had a hint of nervousness.


    Because Zibal¡¯s unit was particrly strong, they were in charge of long-distance expeditions. They had the power to fight unexpected powerful enemies by themselves.


    However, this wasn¡¯t just a powerful enemy they had encountered. This was much worse.


    Zibal bought time by setting his half-wrecked magic machine to self-destruct and grabbed Mir and Jessica by the wrists. He was just about to flee when he stopped in his tracks.


    A man with a long beard called Du Baeryong was floating above him. He looked fine even after being subjected to the suicide bombing of Raiders.


    ¡°You¡¯re suspiciously strong,¡± the cultivator said. ¡°I will kill you first.¡±


    Zibal¡¯s self-defense energy, which formed after activating his defensive skills, dissipated like ashes in the wind. Du Baeryongzily grazed Zibal¡¯s forehead with his toe. Everyone thought that Zibal¡¯s head was going to explode like a watermelon after being wrapped in too many rubber bands.


    A huge spear of light fell from the sky and saved Zibal. It was Disintegrate, a symbolic spell of Braham. People¡¯s faces lit up when they realized powerful reinforcements had arrived.


    But it was Du Baeryong who was happier than anyone else.


    He blocked the spear of light by cing a floating pot above his head and stared into the distance at the ck-haired man who was approaching at lightning speed.


    ¡°Grid?¡± The Overgeared members only now realized it was Grid who wasing to help them. They were confused.


    Meanwhile, Du Baeryongughed with delight. ¡°An out-of-body incarnation! Everyone has been talking about you!¡±


    Grid, who had justnded, was strangely carrying a staff.

 Chapter 1990

    <h4>Chapter 1990</h4>


    A God Incarnation referred to a representative of a god or another aspect that a god could take. It had a different meaning in the cultivation world. A cultivator defied the natural order, so they denied the gods.


    For the cultivators, an incarnation was ultimately a part of themselves. Therefore, they called it an out-of-body incarnation, because it referred to a cultivator cing their consciousness into another body.


    Simply put, it was an alter ego of the cultivator and, ultimately, a substitute. To use modern terms, an out-of-body incarnation was a cultivator¡¯s life insurance. Everyone wanted one, to the point that they would not hesitate to steal it from others.


    And this out-of-body incarnation had ascended to Super Gxy Treasure level, so of course every cultivator coveted it.


    ¡°What are you made of? I¡¯ve never seen such a perfect incarnation until you.¡±


    The method for making an out-of-body incarnation didn''t defy thews of the world. First of all, a corpse was needed. That corpse would be altered until it reached the desired shape and appearance before being injected with blood and spiritual energy so it can spring to life. The material used was the flesh of a person.


    However, the incarnation in front of them, modeled after a ck-haired man, didn¡¯t seem like it had been created in this manner. There was no rotten stench emanating from his breath. His skin was wless, and it looked just like normal human skin, but there were no pores or hairs on it.


    Du Baeryong¡¯s grin became wider and wider.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth going to a lower world for a prize such as this.¡±


    Du Baeryong was an immortal. In the more than twenty thousand years since he became an immortal, he had never been able to increase his realm, so he was still in the early stages of true immortal. But putting aside his personal history, he still had chosen to remain in the upper world.


    Yet recently, he received some interesting news. He found out that the sect to which he used to belong when he was a cultivator had fallen into a strange world overnight.


    Du Baeryoung found this extremely unpleasant, especially because he had been in constant contact with his sect after ascending. The sect was still useful to him in many ways. There were materials that were hard to get in the upper world, materials he could easily obtain in the lower world.


    Therefore, he wanted to return his sect to their original world.


    However, an immortal was subjected to all types of restrictions when descending to a lower world because of the rules set in ce by other immortals.


    There was a firm rule that stated that, since beings of the upper world were omnipotent in the lower world, they shouldn¡¯t carelessly intervene in that world. Because of this rule, an immortal lost a significant amount of their power when they descended.


    There was also the problem imposed by theck of aura in the lower world. An immortal used a huge amount of spiritual energy. In the upper world, the heaven and earth origin energy was overflowing, but this wasn¡¯t the case in the lower world. Because of that, immortals couldn¡¯t use their mystical arts freely in the lower world.


    In other words, it was dangerous for Du Baeryong to recklessly descend to an unknown world. He couldn¡¯t afford to act carelessly even when he heard about what happened to his sect. He deliberated for a long time what he should do before ultimately deciding to take the risk because he found out about a specific Super Gxy Treasure¡ªthe out-of-body incarnation.


    Out-of-body incarnations were hard to make, but they had a lot of uses. Mostly, cultivators used them to go through the Thunder Tribtion in their stead. Of course, a normal incarnation could only receive one or two thunderbolts from the tribtion. This was all it took for it to turn into ashes and disappear.


    But an incarnation that was a Super Gxy Treasure? Well, that was bound to be a lot more powerful than a normal incarnation, no?


    Du Baeryong was looking forward to it.


    ¡°You have exceeded my expectations.¡±


    The incarnation was way better than he had initially hoped it would be. Du Baeryong shed Grid¡¯s clone¡¯s chest with a swift sword technique. The clone took a few steps back, but it didn¡¯t have a single scratch on it. As expected from a body made of Greed. Even if it became stiff, that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t move at all.


    Du Baeryong¡¯s eyes were filled with even more greed. ¡°You are the first being to bepletely fine even after experiencing the Wind me Sword. If I get my hands on you, I won¡¯t have to worry about Thunder Tribtions for another 100,000 years.¡±


    Zibal kept looking between Grid and Du Baeryong. He and hispanions had flinched when Grid got cut by the cultivator because they were expecting blood to spill out. They were aware of what Du Baeryong could do with that sword of his, which could sh someone as a warm wind blew. That same sh had dealt more than half of Mir¡¯s HP in a single blow. Katz had even lost his invincibility passive.


    They had thought that even Grid would be severely hurt after that sh. How could he not have a single scratch on him?


    Zibal and the others finally realized what was going on.


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s Grid. Isn¡¯t that the body that he created recently?¡±


    ¡°I think so...¡±


    Zibal and the others had been relieved that Grid had unexpectedlye to save them, but now they didn¡¯t know what to feel anymore. No matter how durable Grid¡¯s clone was because it was made of Greed, it wasn¡¯t Grid after all. The clone would naturally be weaker, and he definitely could not handle an Absolute that was as powerful as an old dragon.


    Moreover, this old dragon-level Absolute seemed to really want Grid¡¯s clone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen if a powerful cultivator steals Grid¡¯s clone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have no choice but to fight.¡±


    They needed to make sure that the clone wouldn¡¯t end up in the cultivator¡¯s hands. They weren¡¯t the ones who needed help anymore. Instead, Zibal and his group needed to step up and help out the clone. Zibal, Katz, Mir, and Jessica were ready to die for this cause. Normally, Katz and Zibal would¡¯ve stopped the NPCs. However, this was a special situation.


    The four of them were just about to jump into the fight to defend Grid¡¯s clone, when the clone spoke. He was staring at Zibal and Katz.


    ¡°In times of crisis, isn¡¯t the main objective of the Overgeared members¡¯ ensuring the safety of the apostles and tower members?¡±


    Was it because he was made out of Greed? He looked just as Grid and admonished them just like Grid would have done.


    For a second, Zibal and Katz got confused. So was this the real Grid after all, and not his clone?


    The clone spoke again. ¡°The opponent is strong. I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say he¡¯s on the same level as an old dragon, but he could hold his ground in a fight with an old dragon. I¡¯ll take care of this guy, so you two take Jessica and Mir and escape.¡±


    Zibal didn¡¯t know what to believe anymore. ¡°Wait... Are you Grid, or the clone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the clone.¡±


    What was going on?


    ¡°You have the same facial expressions and speak just like him,¡± Zibal said, a bit irritated. ¡°You can even make your own decisions and give orders?¡±


    ¡°Does it hurt your pride to listen to a clone¡¯s orders? I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t take that into ount.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s just hard for me to understand what is going on. You¡¯re way too impressive. Doesn¡¯t this mean that, at this point, you can do most of the things that Grid can do? But... You are a clone. How can you even be having a conversation with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, this isn¡¯t exactly like other incarnations. I managed to get to this point because I used the skills Consciousness Extension and Consciousness Separation. To use simpler terms, I divided my consciousness into two and infused one of them into this body. That is how I got to where I am today.¡±


    Mir, who was quietly watching the situation, chimed in. ¡°You truly are an incarnation. I¡¯ve heard that, since ancient times, the main gods would send incarnations to the surface to watch over humans and even spread their doctrines...¡±


    In other words, Grid¡¯s clone wasn¡¯t particrly bizarre. Grid had simply created a perfect incarnation using Consciousness Separation and the body manufacturing method obtained from Judar. The only unusual thing was the material¡ªGreed.


    ¡°Are you all done talking?¡± Du Baeryong asked. ¡°Do you have any final words?¡±


    The incarnation hadpletely withstood the power of the Wind me Sword that Du Baeryong had fired as a test. Du Baeryong was bing increasingly more enthusiastic. He realized thating to the lower world would be a rewarding experience after all. He pulled out a sword that released red mes.


    Grid¡¯s clone asked him, ¡°Can you even steal someone else¡¯s incarnation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amon urrence. If you are curious about the principle, experience it yourself.¡±


    A hot wind blew in. The whole area became engulfed in mes. Zibal and the rest saw nothing but fire. A very tall and thick wall of mespletely surrounded the clone¡¯s group.


    ¡°Is this a hallucination?¡±


    Zibal reached out to confirm whether the mes were real or not, but Grid¡¯s clone stopped him.


    ¡°Stop. You will be reduced to ashes if you do that.¡±


    Just then, the gem at the end of the clone¡¯s staff emitted a chilly air. A blizzard raged and froze the whole area. The me barrier, which was on the verge of engulfing their group, was trapped in ice.


    Zibal and Katz were surprised. They recognized the spell. ¡°Frozen Tempest?¡±


    It was the ultimate ice attribute spell.


    Frozen Tempest was a spell that continuously inflicted deadly debuffs such as chill, slow, and freeze. It was also an AOE spell. Because it had the capacity to debuff arge number of targets, it was an incredibly powerful spell.


    However, others barely used it because it was one of the ultimate great spells. In fact, Frozen Tempest was treated as a spell unique only to Braham.


    Even Bondre, a master of ice magic, could only use a downgraded version of Frozen Tempest as his ultimate move, simr to many famous great magicians who couldn¡¯t use Meteor and instead only used an inferior version called Meteor Strike.


    However, Grid could cast Frozen Tempest even though he was not a magician. The range was smallpared to Braham¡¯s Frozen Tempest, which had the power to freeze the entire world, but that was normal. Braham¡¯s Frozen Tempest was the result of him not being able to handle and control the outburst of magic power. However, Braham¡¯s recent Frozen Tempest was now simr to the Frozen Tempest used by Grid at this moment.


    This meant that Grid was able to recreate Braham¡¯s magic.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t just the result of his high Intelligence stat.¡¯


    Grid had a lot of points in Intelligence. He imed that he had been forced to put his points in that stat, but it was useless for him to have that many points in Intelligence.


    Even Braham had half given up on teaching Grid magic. But now Grid could use Frozen Tempest? And not only that, this was the clone¡¯s doing, not the real Grid¡¯s?


    The party was shocked. Grid continued casting more spells. The heat of the Wind me Sword had melted the ice in the meantime. Therefore, Grid suppressed the heat and teleported using space magic, switching his and the immortal¡¯s positions.


    His spells were on the same level as Frozen Tempest. He cast the strongest spells belonging to each attribute one after another.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Du Baeryong couldn¡¯t even get close to Grid. At some point during Grid¡¯s assault, the cultivator got frozen, and he couldn¡¯t move to avoid the subsequent magic. He was injured.


    He found this whole situation rather ridiculous. He couldn¡¯t even use his Treasures. Every time he tried to take out one, a subspace appeared and swallowed it up.


    Grid¡¯s clone chuckled. ¡°A magician is a bit nasty.¡±


    Thanks to his expanded consciousness, he could cast five or six spells at the same time. His expanded consciousness gave him a lot of advantages over his opponent. He could cast a spell that countered whatever his enemy did. He found this much more satisfying than fighting with a sword.


    For the first time in ages, he really enjoyed fighting.


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    Just then, Du Baeryongpletely shook off the chill. He leaped from the ground to close the distance, only for him to stumble. Grid¡¯s clone had read his thoughts and predicted his move by casting Grease.


    However, Du Baeryong floated in the air and regained his bnce. He used a move simr to Shunpo and got close to the clone. However, by this time, Grid¡¯s clone had alreadypleted casting his spell.


    Gravity was a spell that increased the gravity of the area by tens of thousands of times. Because this was Grid¡¯s clone casting it, the spell was thousands of times more powerful.


    ¡°Darkness.¡±


    He cast a series of spells and Du Baeryong¡¯s vision went ck. He got blinded.


    Of course, Du Baeryong was so resistant that the blindnesssted for only a split second. In that split second, Grid¡¯s clone attacked. He strongly gripped the sword of mes, which was moving slowly under the influence of Gravity, and snatched it away.


    ¡°Weapon Break.¡±


    He also cast a spell that destroyed the target¡¯s weapon. A weapon of this level meant that intermediate level spells could only slightly damage it. Nevertheless, this small amount worked for Grid¡¯s clone, because he was incredibly powerful. The moment the slightly damaged the Wind me Sword, it broke into thousands of pieces like shards of ss.


    Zibal clicked his tongue. ¡°Is he relying more on pure strength rather than wisdom?¡±


    He did not dare intervene in the fast-paced fight that happened too quick for his eyes to follow. He could see Braham¡¯s influence in the clone¡¯s actions. For someone to be the strongest magician, they also needed to have high raw strength... That was the conclusion that the group hade to.


    An asteroid fell from the sky. Grid had cast Meteor.

 Chapter 1991

    <h4>Chapter 1991</h4>


    Based on his clone¡¯s performance, Grid found being a magician quite easy and fun.


    What he found the most enjoyable was attacking an enemy from outside their attack range. Only when the demon cultivator managed to attack from within the Multiple Weakening Barriers did Grid realize that a magician had huge advantages over cultivators.


    The demon cultivator had attacks that took the form of flowers which bloomed and delivered damage from within shields when striking a target. He was a specialist when it came to killing cultivators. Therefore, he was a great inspiration to Grid.


    Grid thought that it would be surprisingly easy dealing with a cultivator¡¯s shield even without the Falling Moon Sword or Annihtion energy.


    He was right.


    Grid¡¯s Frozen Tempest inflicted serious negative status effects such as chill, slow, and freeze on Du Baeryong. The chill had prated through the shield. The cultivator¡¯s shield worked simrly to Multiple Weakening Barriers, meaning that it could absorb or repel external shocks. The shield did not adapt to the frozen storm raging outside of it, because Frozen Tempest easily broke into Du Baeryong¡¯s shield.


    Inside the frosted shield, Du Baeryong froze slightly. This made him sluggish and unable to withstand the pressure from the increased gravity that followed. By the time he managed to fight back against Grid¡¯s clone¡¯s attacks, his movements had be significantly slower, so the clone could easily use Weapon Break against him.


    Therefore, Grid couldn¡¯t sympathize with Zibal¡¯s sentiments.


    ¡°Relying on pure strength...? You have no idea how many fights I¡¯ve gone through in a short period of time.¡±


    <i>I am just using clever strategies.</i>


    At least, the clone was like that. Wasn¡¯t he Braham¡¯s true sessor? In fact, most of the clone¡¯s titles were rted to Braham. He could cast multiple spells at the same time, cast a spell without having the need to say it out loud, reduce the casting speed of his spells, his magic attack power would significantly increase with each sessful spell cast, and so on.


    Not only did the clone possess a high amount of passive skills, which could change a magician¡¯s life if they had merely one of them in their arsenal, but the clone had hidden potential that could impress even the God of magic and wisdom. Combining this with Grid¡¯sbat experience, the result was the clone tactically beating up Du Baeryong.


    Yes, he was rather strong for a magician, but that wouldn¡¯t really affect the oue of the fight. This battle had been won from the start because of Grid¡¯s clone¡¯s cunning strategies.


    Zibal stared nkly at Grid¡¯s clone, who strongly denied what Zibal had just said. People tended to be obsessed with what they werecking. Zibal vaguely understood Grid¡¯s point of view. He nodded and said, ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Gray light shed and they heard a familiar voice. It was Du Baeryong¡¯s voice, even though he had been crushed to death by Meteor. ¡°As expected from a Super Gxy Treasure. I never dreamed that <i>my </i>incarnation would be defeated by the incarnation of a qi refining cultivator. There¡¯s a possibility that you aren¡¯t an ordinary cultivator, but one of those Warriors... Still, you¡¯re an excellent fighter, no matter what.¡±


    The light dimmed out, revealing Du Baeryong.


    ¡°This guy...!¡±


    The immortal¡¯s strength wasparable to an old dragon¡¯s. Grid¡¯s clone had used all those powerful spells on a mere clone? Zibal paled at the thought.


    New enemies showed up. There were fifty-three cultivators in total, their realms ranging from nascent soul to great ascension. The sect that Du Baeryong had belonged to when he was a cultivator was offering their support.


    ¡°I would like to say that I don¡¯t need my sect¡¯s help, but... Unfortunately, you aren¡¯t an opponent that I can easily deal with given my current condition.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to help you.¡±


    ¡°I will fight until my dying breath.¡±


    The fifty-three cultivators who obeyed Du Baeryong were like soldiers. This was unexpected, given that cultivators were obsessed with survival.


    Grid¡¯s clone was somewhat surprised.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to risk your lives to fight? I didn¡¯t expect a cultivator to ever say that. What¡¯s in it for you?¡±


    ¡°Lifespan,¡± Du Baeryong answered on behalf of the cultivators. ¡°I swore that I would make the bodies of those who fight and die for me into my spare incarnations. A preliminary incarnation can live quite freely until their master grants them consciousness. What¡¯s more, they would be preliminary incarnations of a true immortal. They can live for an extra hundreds of thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°......?¡± Grid¡¯s clone didn¡¯t know what to say. He tilted his head.


    Du Baeryong added, ¡°I won¡¯t lose anything if these guys be my preliminary incarnations. In any case, I¡¯m going to make you my incarnation.¡±


    ¡°...Sooo, what you¡¯re saying is that they have the potential to be your incarnations while also enjoying various benefits?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Won¡¯t they all just die?¡±


    A spear of magic fell from the sky. It was Disintegrate.


    One of the void refining cultivators, who was standing behind Du Baeryong, didn¡¯t have time to move out of the way in time and got killed by the spear. The dwarf who escaped from his dead body entered Du Baeryong¡¯s sleeve.


    Grid pointed at the dwarf and asked, ¡°If you make him your incarnation and don¡¯t give him a consciousness, will he be free to live as your preliminary incarnation in the future? He will even live as long as you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I can also make him look the same as when he was alive. He could even increase his cultivation realm. It means he will be the embodiment of me, but his independence is guaranteed. Someday, if I need a new incarnation or if my main body dies and I need a recement, I will deprive him of his freedom and make his body my own. But you... Why are you asking me something so obvious? You don¡¯t seem to have basic knowledge that a cultivator should possess. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t even use spiritual energy as the material for your incarnation?¡±


    ¡°Really strange... If what you¡¯re saying is true, isn¡¯t it better for a cultivator to just die and be the incarnation of an immortal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, unless they have the ambition to be an immortal someday. However, it¡¯s almost impossible for a cultivator to be the incarnation of an immortal. Just as I am obsessed with you now, immortals naturally want to have powerful incarnations. If they made incarnations from just about any cultivator, that would be a fruitless endeavor because the cultivator¡¯s realm would be too low. I wouldn¡¯t have done them this favor if they weren¡¯t cultivators from the sect I used to belong to.¡±


    ¡°Um... You can¡¯t create an unlimited amount of preliminary incarnations, right?¡±


    ¡°I can hold and maintain seventy spare incarnations. This is a lot, and I can only do that because of a technique that I learned. Most immortals, except for me, only have around five spare incarnations.¡±


    ¡°Out of the seventy preliminary incarnations, you can only inject consciousness into one at a time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, except for that one incarnation, the rest of the preliminary incarnations aren¡¯t that impressive.¡±


    ¡°Is the technique you learned rted to the puppet technique?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a higher form of that. Puppetry is simply a technique that creates puppets, while the technique I learned allows me to multiply myself. Of course, puppeteers won¡¯t admit that.¡±


    Suddenly, Grid¡¯s clone had doubts. Why did this person answer all his questions without hesitation? Was it to buy himself time? That was probably the case. Grid¡¯s clone urgently cast an offensive spell.


    ¡°You are toote.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Another gray light flickered. It was a second Du Baeryong who looked exactly like the first one. The energy emanating from him was on par with the incarnation that had just been crushed to death by Meteor. One of the preliminary incarnations had obtained Du Baeryong¡¯s consciousness and arrived as reinforcement.


    ¡°I admit that you are a formidable enemy. I will fight with all my strength.¡±


    The two Du Baeryongs smiled and swung their ming swords. The remaining fifty-two cultivators also dispersed in all directions and joined the battle.


    Zibal sighed and asked, ¡°Still fighting using your brilliant strategies?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s clone couldn¡¯t say anything to deny that. He had an immortal, its clone, and fifty-two cultivators to deal with. Seeing the two Du Baeryongs get closer and closer, Grid¡¯s clone had no choice but to use his trump card.


    ¡°Memorize.¡±


    An Absolute could split seconds into tens of units. He pulled out all the spells he had stored using Memorize to block Du Baeryong¡¯s attack and fight back. He also used Hourss, the ultimate eleration spell, to reduce the cooldown of his spells while casting various ice spells. Barriers of ice erupted across the battlefield, the ground froze, and a cruel chill enveloped the area.


    Grid¡¯s clone¡¯s intentions were clear. He wanted to make the temperature drop as much as possible until Frozen Tempest¡¯s cooldown refreshed, and to increase this particr spell¡¯s power.


    Du Baeryong could tell that much. ¡°Do you really think that I will fall for the same trick twice?¡±


    He created a ming mountain when his clone swung the sword once. The ming swords brandished by both the immortal and his clone naturally melted all the ice around him. The air was no longer cold as ice. The climate became milder before eventually heating up.


    ¡°Time to die now.¡±


    Waves of roaring fire poured toward Grid¡¯s clone. The immense, ferocious flood of mes resembled Red Phoenix. The heat made it difficult for Zibal¡¯s group to breathe. They felt as if their brains were melting as they got affected by various debuffs.


    This was even worse for Grid¡¯s clone, who was the target of the mes. After exchanging looks, Zibal and Katz pushed Mir and Jessica back and rushed at the clone¡¯s side.


    ¡°Mass Teleport.¡±


    Grid¡¯s clone was one step ahead and teleported all his allies from the battlefield before casting Poison Smog. This was Braham¡¯s favorite spell when researching explosive spells. The poisonous mist contained various hazardous substances and a small amount of mmable gasses. And given that those immense mes were heading his way...


    As expected, there was a huge explosion.


    Grid¡¯s clone hadn¡¯t expected for the explosion to be so massive. His body, which was made of Greed, twisted and folded strangely, and he was badly damaged.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined...¡¯


    His vision shed red. He was in a pitiful state, and he could no longer move. Grid¡¯s clone had no concept of survival since he could not be destroyedpletely. Instead, he became stiff every time he suffered great damage. Given how badly damaged he was now, he would be unable to move until he received repairs.


    In other words, he waspletely defenseless. The clone¡¯s anxiety skyrocketed at the thought of Du Baeryong capturing him. However...


    [You have leveled up.]


    [You have leveled up.]


    [You have...]


    The same system message appeared more than fifty times. Only then did Grid¡¯s clonee to his senses. He looked around and saw there was no one left on the battlefield but himself. He hadn¡¯t killed just the fifty-two cultivators, but Du Baeryong as well.


    After all, who could survive an explosion that damaged even Grid¡¯s clone so badly? That explosion had the capacity to even destroy the Tomb of the Gods. Du Baeryong¡¯s mes were indeed incredibly powerful.


    A cunning smile appeared on Grid¡¯s face. ¡°In any case, I won.¡±

 Chapter 1992

    <h4>Chapter 1992</h4>


    The Full Moon Fortress, which floated above the sea, looked like a particrlyrge moon. It had been guarded by three Absolutes, but now Grid shed it in half. He turned to look at the horizon, in the direction of his clone.


    ¡®Should I leave now?¡¯


    He had created the clone using Judar¡¯s body manufacturing recipe and Greed. The clone could never be destroyed, but it could somewhat break. If it took a lot of damage, its joints would twist, and its body would crush and fold bizarrely. The clone wasn¡¯t exactly alive, so it could not recover by itself. Since it was made out of metal, it needed to be repaired.


    Of course, Grid¡¯s clone also had cksmithing skills. His stats and level were the same as Grid¡¯s. However, it had different titles. The clone had failed to inherit any of Grid¡¯s titles. As a result, he had umted new titles by achieving different things than Grid.


    He became a powerful magician. However, his skills as a cksmith and swordsman fell behind. The clone could repair himself, but Grid wasn¡¯t sure if the clone could do it properly, since the material was tricky to work with.


    ¡®Why fight so recklessly?¡¯ Gridined.


    Now that he learnt that the cultivators wanted his clone, he was very worried about it. However, he wasn¡¯t really that upset about the clone taking so much damage. Grid believed that the clone had made the right choice by dragging the immortal and cultivator into the grave with him. Had he not done that, the clone would have lost. Dealing with an Absolute who was at the level of an old dragon and his clone at the same time wasn¡¯t an easy feat. Good thing the clone had Poison Smog in his arsenal


    ¡®...I should¡¯ve learned Poison Smog as well.¡¯


    Braham spent most of his time in his residence studying magic. He was always researching something. He even had aboratory in his mental world for this exact purpose!


    Grid, who was close to Braham, had witnessed firsthand how massive the explosions caused by Poison Smog could be. He had, however, dismissed the spell, and made a lot of excuses for disregarding it. To create a powerful explosion using Poison Smog, the mes needed to be extremely powerful and the pressure had to be quite high. It was impossible to use Poison Smog consistently, so that was why he had dismissed it.


    But... maybe he shouldn¡¯t have. Grid should¡¯ve been just as interested in Poison Smog as his clone. No, not just his spell, but magic altogether. Magic was something that became more valuable the more one studied it.


    Watching Braham¡¯s research process was a learning experience itself. There had been multiple opportunities for Grid to get better at magic. However, he found learning magic cumbersome,plicated, and impractical, so he had missed out.


    Meanwhile, the clone tried to learn everything that Braham had to offer. This was probably why Braham showed an eagerness to teach the clone, something that he didn¡¯t show to Grid.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s toote for me to have any regrets now. If I was like my clone, I would¡¯ve had a business card saying that I graduated from Seoul National University.¡¯


    After all, the clone was still Grid. The clone had a different mindset toward studying because of Grid. Grid wanted to leave anything he considered troublesome to his clone, so the clone abided by this and picked up magic.


    However, the clone and Grid were two sides of the same coin. They couldn¡¯t be separated. In other words, Grid was delusional for iming that he would¡¯ve graduated from Seoul National University had he been like his clone. He just wasn¡¯t smart enough.


    ¡®...This tells me that one''s life changes along with their mindset.¡¯


    Grid realized his mistake. He was just making excuses for not putting in more effort into studying.


    Meanwhile, Noe was busy feasting on the cultivators he had hunted. ¡°Yum, yum!¡±


    A nascent soul was the soul of a cultivator. It was different from ordinary people¡¯s souls because it possessed an Innate Treasure and a spiritual root. Noe feasted on the cultivators. He used to only feed on human souls, but recently he¡¯d learned to absorb the spiritual energy of cultivators. The higher the level of one¡¯s cultivation, the greater the nutrients for Noe.


    After a series of feasts, Noe¡¯s cultivation level exceeded Grid¡¯s. Before he knew it, Noe had reached the foundation building realm. He had three times more spiritual energy than that of Grid, who was still in the qi refining realm.


    Noe was just done with chewing and swallowing the nascent soul of a great ascension cultivator who had fought back by throwing his Innate Treasure even after losing his body.


    <i>¡°Nyang?</i> Grid...¡±


    Noe felt something he had never felt before. Maybe it was because Noe had reached a new realm.


    ¡°My stomach hurts...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Noe ced his paws, which looked like white mittens, neatly on his stomach. He suddenly copsed because he found it hard to breathe. As hey on his back, his belly inted even more. It kept inting and deting, just like a balloon.


    ¡°That is why you should eat slowly... Huh?¡±


    Grid was worried. Did Noe have an upset stomach? He started caressing Noe¡¯s belly but suddenly stopped. He sensed a familiar yet also unfamiliar aura. It wasn¡¯t just one. Dozens, if not hundreds, of different types of energies were stirring in Noe¡¯s stomach.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Grid finally realized what those energies were.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Noe let out a short gasp. He spat out one of the energies that had been lingering in his stomach. It was a five-piece bell tied together. The bell glowed gold, silver, blue, white, and ck. It was the weapon of the great ascension cultivator, whom Grid had killed over thirty minutes before. Noe had eaten his nascent soul.


    To be exact, this was the cultivator¡¯s Innate Treasure. It seemed that the cultivator had been training and refining it in his spiritual root all his life. This was the main weapon that the cultivators used, the one they spat out during fights.


    ¡°Why is thising out of you?¡±


    ¡°Ack! Ugh!¡±


    Noe gasped again and again. He was in so much pain, he was going to cry. He kept spitting out the Innate Treasures of the cultivators, ranging from tiny needles to quiterge treasures... There were well over two hundred of them. They were all Innate Treasures from the nascent souls that Noe had swallowed.


    Were there really so many of them inside Noe¡¯s stomach...? Of course, Noe could be quite big when he transformed into his main form, but right now, he was just a small cat. This was a surprising urrence.


    Grid, who had been stroking Noe¡¯s belly in a daze, came to his senses and asked, ¡°Can you control them?¡±


    ¡°If I could, would I have spat them out...?¡± Noe asked with a puzzled look on his face.


    The treasures floating in the sky gathered and pointed in the same direction. It just so happened that Grid sensed something approaching.


    ¡°Light?¡±


    The sky turned golden, bathing the horizon in sacred light. Was this Reba¡¯s doing? Ever since the Refractive Dragon got resurrected, Reba had been stuck dealing with it. Since they were moving across the continent in real time, it wasn¡¯t strange to suddenly encounter them at any time and any ce.


    Grid kept his eyes on the light.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The light suddenly stopped moving. Grid finally realized who it was. It wasn¡¯t Reba.


    It was Hanul, another God of the beginning.


    Grid became alert. He told Hanul, ¡°I heard that you recently seeded in embodying light. I guess the rumors were true.¡±


    Hanul had long been expelled from the West Continent. He couldn¡¯t show his true power unless he was in the East Continent.


    Still, he was a God of the beginning. People said that he even absorbed Reba¡¯s powers. Grid could never allow himself to let his guard down against him.


    Therefore, he immediately took a battle stance. Hanul, who had been staring at him, turned to look somewhere else. The hundreds of Innate Treasures that Noe had just vomited were now pointing at him.


    ¡®They sensed an enemy approaching and acted on their own. It¡¯s safe to say that these Innate Treasures are now Noe¡¯s.¡¯


    But there was a catch. Grid realized Noe couldn¡¯t control them yet.


    [You aren¡¯t in a position to fight me right now, are you?]


    Hanul¡¯s intent was engraved all around him. At the same time, Grid detected an anomaly. Something was approaching, something far more powerful than Du Baeryong, who imed to be an immortal. This presence seemed to vehemently proim that they were the strongest in the world.


    [She calls herself a golden immortal. She seems to be the strongest in the upper world.]


    Golden immortal was the realm that followed after true immortal. Realistically, golden immortals were the strongest immortals, since great immortals were unlikely to exist. Many immortals stayed in the true immortal realm while great immortals were unlikely to even exist.


    Hanul looked a bit tired but there wasn¡¯t a single scratch on him. This was proof that he hadn¡¯t fought the enemy and only fled.


    Grid frowned as he stared at Hanul. ¡°Wait... Have you been on the run all this time?¡±


    Hanul snorted.


    [Do you think I have been analyzing Reba¡¯s light all these years just to run away?]


    ¡°So what¡¯s going on, then?¡±


    [I needed to take a break after a fierce battle, so I was buying time to recover.]


    ¡°But you don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve been fighting.¡±


    [I healed back the damage I took over time. I¡¯m sure you already know I can do that, right? Beings like us must always maintain our dignity.]


    Grid was still skeptical.


    The sky turned dark. Hanul immediately turned into light and left. Grid also had a bad feeling and grabbed Noe before using Shunpo.


    At around the same time, a huge mountain fell right where Grid had been just seconds ago. If Grid had hesitated even a little bit, he would¡¯ve been crushed by the mountain at the bottom of the sea.


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. He heard a strange woman¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Someone who has been on the run for almost a month is talking about dignity? Ridiculous.¡±


    An entire month was a long time indeed. Grid¡¯s heart was beating quickly. He had a <i>really</i> bad feeling about this. A golden immortal woman had been relentlessly pursuing Hanul from the East Continent. She was d in a gorgeous golden robe and her red eyes stared at Grid with interest.


    ¡°You are naturally strong and have learned quite a few useful techniques. If the two of you team up, you won¡¯t need to run away from me, right?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    No matter how much Grid said that he had no eternal enemy, he never imagined that he would one day team up with Hanul. He scowled when he remembered the yangbans that Hanul had created and the countless people who died because of the quest Hanul had offered.


    [Yes, from the very beginning, you fell right into my trap.]


    Hanul seemed eager to team up with Grid. He tantly provoked the woman.


    Grid red as if he wanted to kill him.


    ¡°You really want to do this? Don¡¯t you have any pride?¡±


    [Have you forgotten that I reached out to Zik? From the day Reba defeated me, I have only thought of revenge. Everything that happens along the way is trivial. Putting aside my hatred for you, I am willing to team up with you.]


    Grid suddenly thought of something. At one point, he had seriously discussed with Lauel the idea of invading Asgard. Lauel had considered an alliance with the Hwan Kingdom a key aspect in this hypothetical invasion.


    The stronger one¡¯s influence was, the more one had to know how to exclude personal feelings.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Grid tutted and stood beside Hanul.

 Chapter 1993

    <h4>Chapter 1993</h4>


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The ck mountain that had targeted Grid was still jutting out from the sea. The whole sea was dyed silver. All the fish in the nearby waters died, their corpses now floating with their bellies up.


    <i>Roaaaaar!</i>


    A vortex hundreds of meters deep formed where the mountain had sunk, rapidly sucking up the silver energy. Grid was overwhelmed by the vortex reeking of death.


    ¡®She is throwing mountains at me.¡¯


    Grid swung his sword lightly and the foam that disrupted his view was split into particles and scattered.


    ¡°Hmm? You are stronger than I thought. I wasn¡¯t sure, but you seem to have be a part of this world.¡±


    Light shed in the eyes of the golden immortal.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you are the creator of this world... Have you been slowly taking over it?¡±


    She was referring to the rtionship between Grid and the Overgeared World. More than that, she seemed to refer to the dimension of Satisfy itself.


    Grid didn¡¯t reply. His opponent was a golden immortal. He had Hanul on his side. It was very nerve-racking to be caught between two big shots. He could get his throat slit in the blink of an eye, so he remained silent and tried to focus.


    Hanul turned to speak to him.


    [What was it called, Annihtion energy...? Your ferocious energy is trying to damage me... Is it too powerful to control?]


    This was Hanul warning him not to forget that they were allies.


    Grid was already on edge. He finally snapped. ¡°Why did you let yourself get chased all the way to the west? You need to be in the east to be at full power, right?¡±


    Grid also had to protect the East Continent. However, he¡¯d let the dragons deal with that for now because the situation in the West Continent was much worse. There were nearly twice as many Full Moon Fortresses in the West Continent as there were in the East Continent.


    However, Hanul had brought a powerful enemy, a golden immortal, to the West Continent. If the immortal had encountered an Overgeared member on the way, she would have swiftly killed them. Worst case scenario, the Tomb of the Gods could have been shot down. Even at this moment, his colleagues were fighting desperately all over the continent. They could¡¯ve been caught in the chase between two Absolutes and died without even getting the chance to fight back.


    [You are misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t mean to use the west as a battleground. I¡¯m not strong enough here because of Reinhardt¡¯s influence. I¡¯m just passing through this ce. I ran into you by pure chance. That¡¯s what happened.]


    ¡°If you had run into anyone other than me, they would¡¯ve been in danger.¡±


    [Don¡¯t misunderstand. I was moving at the speed of light. Who else could¡¯ve seen me? I¡¯ve crossed both continents more than a thousand times already. This is the first time you saw me.]


    This meant there had been no possibility of anyone else getting involved in the fight. Hanul was telling the truth. He wasn¡¯t an ordinary being, and he had no reason for him to lie just to appease Grid. They just happened to meet coincidentally.


    ¡®...I should think positively.¡¯


    From what Grid saw, the woman with golden clothes and essories was extremely powerful. He could understand, to some extent, why Hanul had been on the run. If such a monster had been allowed to run rampant in the East Continent, the East Continent would¡¯ve already been devastated, even though the dragons were there for damage control.


    Grid didn¡¯t know what Hanul had done, but he found itmendable that Hanul had managed to pull the aggro of such an intimidating monster and buy so much time.


    Most of all, didn¡¯t he show up when he saw Grid? At the very least, he seeded in setting up a fight that had the highest odds of winning.


    Grid came to terms with the given situation.


    ¡®Putting aside my personal feelings, what Hanul did is pretty impressive.¡¯


    The golden immortal red at them. Her thick makeup highlighted the sharpness of her eyes. ¡°How dare you ignore me?¡± she threatened.


    Just then, Grid heard another roaring from the depths of the sea.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid felt as if he was being sucked into a ck hole. It was on a different level from the pull generated when Grid¡¯s clone had absorbed Du Baeryong¡¯s treasure.


    Surprised, Grid instinctively used Shunpo. The ck mountain appeared in the ce where Grid had just stood.


    ¡®It¡¯s so fast even though it¡¯s sorge...¡¯


    Before Grid could finish his train of thought, waves sshed in all directions because of the mountain dropping in the water. The waves rose so high, it looked as if the sky and the sea were merging. Arge amount of seawater had just been sucked up from the depths of the ocean.


    ¡®Does the mountain absorb and release substances?¡¯


    Then there was a high chance that it could also absorb skills. Grid understood what the mountain¡¯s abilities were and turned to look at the golden immortal woman.


    The woman, who had been so far away from him he couldn¡¯t even make out her face, now stood right in front of Grid. Because he had used Shunpo to get out of the way of the raging waves, he was now so close to the immortal woman, he could see the pores on her face.


    He intended to subdue her before she could retrieve the mountain.


    ¡°Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link.¡±


    This was a six fusion sword dance that inflicted Fear thatsted at least 0.1 seconds onto the target, and it also dealt consistent damage. Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Linkpletely incapacitated the enemy. This sword dance inflicted Fear, made the enemy airborne before they would inevitably copse, and then it would also inflict Slow and Despair.


    One could not resist this attack. Even before the target got hit, they would get Feared, rendering them defenseless. Once they got hit, they would be lifted in the air.


    However, an immortal always had a protective shield on. The golden immortal¡¯s shield had fiveyers. This meant that she wouldn¡¯t bepletely defenseless, even if she was under the effect of Fear. The woman was startled when she felt her body react against her will, but she didn¡¯t feel like she was in any danger.


    <i>sh!</i>


    This was until Grid swung his sword at her and shed through her shields one after another.


    [What is that purple energy?]


    Did she require time to perfect thenguage of this world? The woman¡¯s intent was engraved all around them.


    Just in time, Grid¡¯s sword dance had shed through her fifth shield. Not even 0.1 seconds had passed. Before the Fear effect ended, the woman would bepletely defenseless...


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid had been swinging his sword while thinking of the best way to deal with this enemy. He suddenly stopped. A small, ck stone suddenly appeared in the path of his sword. It was a triangr stone that seemed to have been deliberately carved in this shape.


    Grid noticed that it looked exactly like the dark mountain he had just seen. He hurriedly tried to change the trajectory of his sword, but it was toote.


    The triangr stone and the sword collided. The contact resulted in an rming sound. Grid broke his wrist, and his limp hand now folded backward.


    The dark triangr rock was the ck mountain. Grid had assumed this but, unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to react. The rock was just like any other cultivator¡¯s Treasure. The golden immortal¡¯s ck mountain could change its size and move ording to its master¡¯s will. She had been able to secretly call it to her side at a moment of desperation.


    Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance got canceled in the middle of him casting it, and Grid could not use one of his hands for a moment.


    Yes, it was only for a moment. Grid¡¯s body had evolved over time and he was no longer hampered by the concept of wounds. His broken bones healed almost immediately and he could once again use his hand normally.


    However, this fleetingpse had serious consequences.


    The mountain erged rapidly and hit Grid because he didn¡¯t use Shunpo in time.


    [You have been inflicted by the Fear negative status effect.]


    This was the predetermined CC of Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link. Now it was Grid¡¯s turn to be under this CC¡¯s effect. As Grid had suspected, the golden immortal¡¯s mountain had the ability to even absorb skills.


    Grid hurriedly used Multiple Weakening Barriers. Tenyers of indigo protection shed around him.


    The golden immortal snorted.


    [For an immortal, a protective shield isn¡¯t much different from clothing. I wear it all the time, but I didn¡¯t really expect to benefit from it.]


    A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine. Even the demon cultivators had mastered the art of disabling shields. Surely immortals knew how to deal with shields too.


    Would a shield do much against a golden immortal?


    An electrical current seemed to surge between the tenyers of the indigo shield before causing a series of explosions. Just as expected.


    Grid suddenly remembered Braham¡¯s warning. Braham had pointed out that the Multiple Weakening Barriers surely had weaknesses. He had been right.


    Multiple Weakening Barriers had a total of tenyers, so there was inevitably a gap between any two protectiveyers. These gaps were the weak points of the shield.


    Every time an explosion urred in these gaps, the shields adjacent to it got impacted. This made them copse faster from within.


    The moment the Multiple Weakening Barriers finally shattered, Grid got hurled in the air. Because the mountain had recreated Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link, Grid was now airborne. He couldn¡¯t act and his weak points got exposed. He got hit by five follow-up hits in a row that ignored his defense. He eventually copsed, unable to fight back.


    He felt his body be heavier rapidly. Those who had fought against him had always experienced this feeling of helplessness.


    Grid couldn¡¯t help butugh at how overpowered Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link was. He gradually turned serious when he saw that the mountain released sharp energies resembling sword energies¡ªthirty in total, to be precise. This was the highlight of Serve Dragon Pinnacle Wave Kill Link. It was a deadly attack that dealt 6,000% physical attack damage to the target up to thirty times.


    Grid had to be careful not to get hit by a single attack from that. Every time he¡¯d get his, he would be disarmed and get affected by Bleeding and other awful negative status effects.


    ¡°Noe!¡±


    Noe, who had been struggling with his aching stomach, finally opened his eyes. Noe cared too deeply for his master to ignore him when he was in trouble.


    <i>¡°Nyaaaang!¡± </i>


    Noe shouted, trying to withstand the pain. His body went through several changes until he took the form of a giant wolf. The horns on his forehead let out a flurry of lightning bolts.


    Noe¡¯s lightning was undoubtedly powerful. However, it couldn¡¯t bepared to Grid¡¯s six fusion sword dance that the mountain had reproduced.


    Noe was feeling rather helpless when he suddenly got overwhelmed by a strange sensation. He felt as if his senses were connected to hundreds of thousands of different things that were floating in the air. Noe looked up and saw the Innate Treasures he had vomited earlier.


    He screamed as hard as he could. ¡°Uwaaa!¡±


    He sent out the hundreds of treasures floating in the air as if he¡¯d shot out arrows and targeted the thirty sword energies that rushed at Grid.


    Each time they collided with a sword energy, the Treasures would get badly damaged or even explode. Each time, Noe coughed up blood.


    Still, he didn¡¯t hesitate for one second and he didn¡¯t back down. He would control them until the end.


    The golden immortal woman frowned.


    [What is that spirit creature?]


    The woman felt a slight sense of unease. She used additional mystical arts to enhance the mountain.


    She was toote.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Thanks to the time that Noe bought for him, Grid had already freed himself from the various negative status effects. No matter how great the six fusion sword dance was, it couldn¡¯t hold down a god for too long.


    He swung lightly and the Falling Moon Sword sliced all the thirty sword energies in half. It even sliced the dark mountain.

 Chapter 1994

    <h4>Chapter 1994</h4>


    The cultivation path started with abstinence. Depending on what the cultivation consisted of, cultivators could also avoid sleeping. Cultivating meant giving up the pleasures of eating and resting.


    Cultivators had given up on two of the factors that made them human so they could achieve eternal life. Therefore, there was only one way for them to maintain their sanity¡ªthey developed an obsession with eternal life.


    This was how the personality of a cultivator was formed. They were extremely patient, possessed a ferocity that didn¡¯t suit this patience of theirs, and they were heartless, to the point that they would even abandon their own flesh and blood so they would survive...


    A cultivator lost their humanity in many ways. They didn¡¯t change after bing immortals. Immortals were divided by their realms: true immortal, golden immortal, and great immortal. Most immortals, except for great immortals, still hadn¡¯t attained eternal life. They became more and more brutal so they could survive the Thunder Tribtion, the heavenly punishment for defying the natural order. They survived using all sorts of crazy methods.


    The same was true for this golden immortal woman. Her favorite ck mountain was proof of that.


    Her ck mountain was unique and she had personally refined it into a Treasure. It was actually a tangled object of despair. During her time as a cultivator, she ughtered many of her peers. After she ascended to the upper world, she started going after other immortals...


    Eachyer of the mountain was made out of the blood and souls extracted from cultivators and immortals until it became the pitch-ck mountain it was today. Her treasure represented the peak of demonic arts.


    Just as Noe had learned demonic arts and ingested a cultivator¡¯s nascent soul to absorb their spiritual energy and Treasures, the ck mountain created by the woman was the result of ying countless cultivators and immortals.


    Naturally, the mountain did a lot of things, not just absorb and reflect skills. It was so resilient that it could even withstand the Thunder Tribtion. Thanks to this, the woman endured many Thunder Tribtions during her true immortal period. She increased her cultivation and eventually reached the realm of golden immortal.


    But to witness the ck mountain get split in half? She would have never imagined that. Still, that was what happened.


    [A Super Gxy Treasure?]


    The woman finally realized what was going on. Grid had the Falling Moon Sword. She used this information to her advantage.


    [You can¡¯t swing a Treasure with that much power forever.]


    Indeed, the Falling Moon Sword had a cooldown time. Just then, a golden beam of light pierced the center of the ck mountain, which had been split in half.


    She threw arge sickle and a pestle toward Grid, who was on the other side of the mountain. This was one of the golden immortal woman¡¯s attacks, who closed the distance between her and Grid immediately.


    The sickle and pestle were her secret weapons. She only took them out at crucial moments. These were tools used by the lower ss mortals. The more powerful a being was, the less ustomed they were to them. She hoped she could catch her opponent off guard.


    However, Grid fought back with rtive ease. He performed a sword dance to attack and neutralize the sickle and pestle.


    [You are familiar with something like this? I thought you were more sophisticated than that.]


    ¡®It¡¯s not that.¡¯


    <i>Ahh, Piaro...</i> <i>You¡¯re helping me out again.</i>


    Grid was once again grateful to Piaro, who always helped him at any time and in any situation. The weapon in the woman¡¯s hand dispersed into mystical characters and changed its shape, turning into a spear and a knife.


    As soon as the transformation was over, the immortal woman attacked him. She intended to slit Grid¡¯s throat with the knife and stab him in the heart with the spear. Even Grid couldn¡¯t avoid such a swift attack.


    Instead, the indigo barriers blocked it.


    [......?]


    The golden immortal woman was a bit confused. Grid¡¯s shields had shattered earlier, and she hadn¡¯t expected them to be up in such a short period of time.


    Shields kept cultivators and immortals alive. Based on the cultivators¡¯ lifetime of study and experiences, shields were considered a crucial part in achieving the ideal form of a cultivator. A shield had aplex structure so, once they shattered, it took a long time for them to recover.


    However, Grid¡¯s shields were restored in no time. He had an advantage over cultivators because he was a yer. The Multiple Weakening Barriers was a skill that had no cooldown time. So what if the shields shattered? He¡¯d just use the skill again, and again, and again. It cost a lot of mana, but Grid wasn¡¯t bound by the concept of mana.


    [Watch me break it again.]


    The golden immortal¡¯s mindset was the same as Grid¡¯s. Apart from being surprised, she didn¡¯t take the situation that seriously. The spear and knife and released lightning bolts as they shed with Multiple Weakening Barriers.


    The tenyers of protection were once again shattered from within. A series of explosions was about to damage Grid.


    Grid drew a circle using his sword. It was the Revolve sword dance. The woman went flying. The explosions that should have dealt a lot of damage to Grid hit her instead.


    [A battle of attrition is pointless.]


    The golden immortal woman understood that Grid had used a technique that returned attacks back to the assant.


    This had been one of the functions built into the ck mountain, so she understood it perfectly.


    Thus, she decided to fight properly. She boldly dered, [I will finish you off with my next attack.]


    Her weapons once again turned into mystical weapons before scattering like dust in the wind. The two weapons became one and took the shape of a golden bow.


    [Blocking this attack is impossible.]


    As the woman pulled the bow with all her might, hundreds of additional mystical characters appeared around her. Some characters transformed into arrows while others increased the size of the bow or made the gold shine even more brilliantly.


    [You cannot escape.]


    As the number of characters imbuing the bow increased, the smile on the woman¡¯s face became wider and wider. She was confident she was going to win. Her eyes were brimming with confidence.


    ¡®Crazy.¡¯


    If Grid had been a normal Absolute, he would¡¯ve only focused on the energy of the arrow, which became more powerful as it absorbed more characters. However, Grid was a cksmith. He saw the bow¡¯s shape and paid close attention to it. Grid understood that the woman wasn¡¯t bluffing when she said that this was an attack that couldn¡¯t be blocked or dodged.


    ¡®There is a hit rate correction effect in that item. The content of the characters must have something to do with it. At this point, she has to be an idiot to not hit me when firing the bow.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t escape even if he used Shunpo. The golden light emitted by the bow was so intense that it was hard to see. No matter where he looked, even if he used Barbatos¡¯ Vision, thendscape was dyed gold.


    Grid frowned. ¡°Hanul, for how much longer are you just going to sit there and watch?¡±


    Hanul, who had been supporting Grid by bombarding the woman with light, looked confused.


    [What are you implying? I¡¯ve beenunching light attacks without pausing. I¡¯m doing my best. It¡¯s just that, in the west, I¡¯m a lot weaker and my attacks aren¡¯t that effective. You... Shouldn¡¯t you be ashamed of your own powerlessness instead of ming me?]


    Hanul gradually revealed his true nature. He mocked Grid with a clear sneer on his face. They were in the West Continent, which was also the Overgeared World. This was the area where Grid was certainly more powerful than anyone else. Grid was having a hard time right now because the golden immortal was stronger than him.


    Hanul had a lot of reasons to be happy.


    ¡®This is a chance I will never get again.¡¯


    Throughout the battle, Hanul was nervous because he remembered that Grid was his main enemy. Even if he fought against the golden immortal and won, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with Grid afterward.


    Hanul couldn¡¯t do anything to the ck mountain, yet Grid had cut it down in one go. He realized that Grid was much more powerful than he knew. But now, it seemed that Grid was going to die.


    This was the best oue for Hanul. Today¡¯s death would weaken Grid. The golden immortal had already lost her ck mountain. Hanul was sure that if he met her again in the east, he would definitely defeat her.


    Yup. Hanul had no reason to do his best right now.


    Grid knew exactly what Hanul was thinking. He snorted. ¡°You are worse than Garam.¡±


    This was the biggest insult Grid could use.


    ¡°At least Garam wasn¡¯t as cowardly as you.¡±


    [You are praising that failure? Didn¡¯t you kill him with your own hands? Using that name now of all times... You darepare me to that weakling Garam? Disgusting.]


    Hanul¡¯s smirk became wider. The golden light was also bing brighter. The area was falling apart because of the force the woman concentrated at the end of the bowstring.


    The moment she let go of the bowstring, if an arrow fell into the sea, would the seabed shatter? Would it cause a tsunami? Grid imagined waves swallowing the continent. It would be a disaster.


    Hanul¡¯s eyes wrinkled as he smiled. He looked at Grid and whispered, [Even if you survive this, you will have to bear the repercussions of part of the Overgeared World copsing. Then you will be much weaker than you expect.]


    Hanul saw a bright future ahead.


    However, Grid was no longer frowning.


    ¡°I definitely know how to choose the people on my side. If I had joined forces with just about anyone, would I have gathered the colleagues I have today?¡±


    [......?]


    Why was he so confident all of a sudden? Hanul was overwhelmed with anxiety.


    [How?]


    The golden immortal¡¯s confusion was engraved all around them. Her bewilderment was palpable.


    Just then, the golden light suddenly disappeared.


    As if he¡¯d expected this from the very beginning, Grid promptly reacted. By the time Hanul was about to urgently use Shunpo, Grid had already stabbed him.


    [Hngh... What did you do?]


    ¡°I¡¯m second only to Braham when ites to magic.¡±


    Just now, the golden immortal had been preparing a truly powerful blow. The sheer force she had gathered was so great that even she was frozen in ce. No matter the reason, this meant she couldn¡¯t move.


    After that, it was simple for Grid. Grid gave orders to his clone. The clone followed his master¡¯s will, even if he hadn¡¯t yet fully recovered. He used teleportation to move to the coordinates given by Grid, then used Mass Teleport to move the golden immortal somewhere else, who was pulling the bowstring.


    She was currently¡ª


    [No...! Don¡¯t tell me?]


    ¡ªnear the Hwan Kingdom.


    To be precise, she was at the entrance of the Hwan Kingdom, near the ce Grid and Zik had visited in the past.


    Hanul could feel parts of the world he had created get destroyed in real time.


    ¡°I was wondering where I should drop off this disaster. Then I saw your face, so the answer was simple.¡±


    [You... Gridddddd!!]


    Hanul let out a roar of anger, turned to light, and fled. Grid was perplexed. He was preparing for battle. He tried catching up to Hanul using Shunpo, but he soon gave up. It was virtually impossible to chase a target traveling at the speed of light.


    ¡®I can¡¯t catch up to him while the Hwan Kingdom is doing fine.¡¯


    Grid smirked. He was looking forward to the future.


    <i>At the same time, in the Hwan Kingdom. </i>


    Chiyou had been enjoying a leisurely rest. He tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s with all these absurd things happening recently...?¡±


    <i>Rattle.</i>


    He felt a strong wave of power from the ground which made his house copse.

 Chapter 1995

    <h4>Chapter 1995</h4>


    Human power, pressure, explosions... Powerful forces could cause all types of phenomena.


    The golden immortal woman had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and she could even distort the flow of time. She had the power to obliterate someone by shooting them with an arrow made out of concentrated spiritual energy.


    A being in the range of influence of that destructive power couldn¡¯t lift a finger. Not even the golden immortal herself could move.


    However¡ª


    [How?]


    Grid, who was the target of the golden immortal¡¯s arrow, suddenly appeared in front of her. That was impossible. Something was wrong.


    The woman was bewildered. She quickly realized what was going on. Since when did the man in front of her wield a staff instead of a sword? His eyes also had an uncanny aspect, as if they were beads, not eyes that resembled those of an immortal. She could tell by looking in his eyes that he had been through a lot...


    However, those bright eyes were a type of mask. There was a vague sense of uneasiness behind the confidence in his eyes. This was proof that Grid had glimpsed the enormity of the universe. His eyes would never be clear again.


    [An out-of-body incarnation?]


    The woman realized that the Grid in front of her was a clone and her face turned red. An incarnation so perfect? It had to be a Super Gxy Treasure. It also had to be somewhat weaker than the Treasure that had shed the ck mountain in a single blow, but because it was an incarnation, it was extremely valuable and powerful.


    [I never thought there would be so much delicious prey in the lower world.]


    The woman felt rewarded foring to the lower world. It would take her a long time to restore the ruined ck mountain. But once she killed Grid and imed both his sword and his incarnation for herself, she might stille out on top. This might help her be a great immortal...


    The woman was unable to suppress her joy and smiled. Finally, she let go of the bowstring. The sudden appearance of the incarnation made her incredibly happy. She was ready to fire her arrow. Nothing could change the oue that had been predetermined.


    Everything was bathed in a golden light. It was kind of hard to see. She fired the arrow...


    There was a loud explosion, and destruction followed. The golden light disappeared. The woman could finally see again and realized that something was wrong.


    [......?]


    She could no longer smell the salty water of the sea. Instead, she smelled fresh grass. She was in a forest. The ground had copsed where the arrow had been shot, sucking in the entire forest in that spot. A giant tree that seemed to reach the sky, which was located in the center of the forest, was falling.


    The replica of the world tree, which connected worlds, couldn¡¯t withstand the pull of the destroyed forest. The arrow had been incredibly powerful. The immortal had put all of her strength into it, only for things to end up like this...


    The target she had set was now nowhere to be seen. Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly the case. The immortal was in a different location altogether. She had been hovering over the sea, but now she was under an absurdlyrge tree.


    [It felt as if I was sinking... Did he send me here?]


    The woman figured out what had happened. The clone had yed an important role in her enemy¡¯s n. Her eyes filled with killing intent shook slightly. She couldn¡¯t maintain herposure. Her enemy could send someone such a long distance away without the help of a teleportation circle? That was impossible, even for an immortal.


    Cultivators¡¯ teleportation techniques required the construction of arge formation and an astronomical amount of spirit stones. Individuals couldn¡¯t pull off something like this. However, Grid¡¯s clone had sent her away without even issuing any warning. He hadn¡¯t even asked for her permission.


    Only a great immortal could do something like this. She couldn¡¯t believe it.


    [There are some very old records in the upper world.]


    The golden immortal moved swiftly. In an instant, she made it to where Grid¡¯s clone was, grabbed him by the neck, and subdued him. She noticed that the clone¡¯s left shoulder and thigh were twisted and she aimed for this weak point.


    The clone had barely recovered from the wounds he had gained when fighting against Du Baeryong.


    [They are records that the immortal world might not be the only upper world in the universe. This record was based on the existence of a being called a Warrior.]


    The veins on the back of the woman¡¯s hand bulged as she gripped the clone by the neck. Her blood and spiritual energy made it inside the clone. Every time the woman¡¯s veins throbbed, the clone twitched. From head to toe, the clone kept turning blue and red.


    [A Warrior is a being born under the protection of the gods in a world where demon kings and gods exist. Millions of years ago, it was said that arge number of great immortals died in a massacremitted by a monster who appeared in the immortal world for an unknown reason. The methods that confused the immortals at that time were a divine sword that could cut through anything and a sort of magic that could perform all types of miracles...]


    The clone¡¯s dark eyes started to glow orange. It was a color that resembled the eyes of the golden immortal woman.


    The woman whispered, [Your master resembles a Warrior. It is likely that the creator of this world referred to the home of the Warriors with the intent to create a Warrior from scratch...]


    She was taking control of the clone only to suddenly pull back. A sword that looked like an iron rod mmed into the spot where the woman had been standing.


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    The clear sound of bells rang through the otherwise silent world immediately after.


    There was an ear-splitting roar and the ground copsed even more. Unfortunately, the forest of trees had sunk underground and almost all of the greenery was now lost.


    The woman gritted her teeth. She was extremely angry for missing out on the incarnation. [Why are you trying to hinder me?]


    <i>Jingle jingle...</i>


    What was up with all the bells? The woman had a bad feeling about the man who had just showed up.


    [I thought Grid had lost the fight, but it turned out to be a clone.]


    Martial God Chiyou stared right at Grid¡¯s clone. The golden immortal became even more displeased.


    [You seem to be quite familiar with its master. Okay, I¡¯ll kill you first, and then I¡¯ll get my hands on it.]


    The immortal was still gripping her bow in her left hand. The weapon turned into mystical characters and once again scattered like dust in the wind before changing into two long swords.


    Chiyou found this interesting.


    [Are you the best among those... cultivators?]


    [Bah, how should I know?]


    Every immortal was incredibly powerful. They were wary of each other and rarely cooperated, even if they were in the same faction. In other words, the golden immortal woman always moved independently, and she had no idea how many immortals had descended into this world. Thus, she couldn¡¯t im to be the best.


    Nevertheless, she was powerful. This surprised Chiyou quite a bit.


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes widened as he recovered his weapon from deep underground and blocked the woman¡¯s attack.


    [The Hwan Kingdom is also a god realm, so I was wondering who was causing so much trouble down there. It turns out that you¡¯re confident in your abilities. It was worthing here.]


    [Let¡¯s see how long this leisurely attitude of yours willst.]


    The woman¡¯s double swords deflected Chiyou¡¯s sword and dispersed again into mystical characters. Instead of changing into the form of weapons this time, hundreds of characters clung to Chiyou¡¯s sword.


    The woman blocked Chiyou¡¯s counterattack with a talisman and smiled.


    [Break.]


    The characters clinging to Chiyou¡¯s sword exploded. Of course, Chiyou reacted quickly. The moment he sensed that something was off, he threw the sword at the woman. However, he didn¡¯t make it out of the explosion¡¯s radius in time and his right hand blew up.


    Chiyou frowned. He rarely did that.


    The woman had anticipated that Chiyou would react to her attack. She had unfolded a shield and was unharmed.


    [Annihtion.]


    The woman made a gesture and the characters that turned Chiyou¡¯s sword into powder moved like a swarm of bees. They changed into the form of arge harpoon which resembled a thunderbolt and rushed at Chiyou.


    Chiyou turned his head just in time and narrowly avoided the harpoon. A long red line appeared on his cheek where the characters had grazed him. This small wound proved to be critical.


    [Decay.]


    Chiyou¡¯s wound rotted rapidly. The bright red wound turned blue and ck and half of Chiyou¡¯s face melted.


    The golden immortal¡¯s weapon wasn¡¯t a pestle, sword, spear, or a bow. The mystical characters were her real weapon.


    The woman saw Chiyou¡¯s decaying face and approached Grid¡¯s clone again.


    [Just be obedient and ept your face. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to be reborn as my clone, who will one day rise to the realm of great immortal, than to just be an imitation of something...? Tch.]


    The woman unfolded the characters in the form of an umbre. Chiyou¡¯s kicknded on top of the umbre and caused dozens of ripples on its surface. A huge shockwave urred from the ripples and swept across the remnants of the forest.


    [Who are you?]


    The woman gritted her teeth and endured the gut-wrenching pain. She couldn¡¯t believe that Chiyou, who should have rotted and melted away, had recovered so fast. This was a miracle performed by a golden light instead of red blood.


    [Are you perhaps a real god?]


    Even a great immortal, which had the highest realm among the immortals, looked human. They were certainly stronger than anything else in the world, but in the end, they became much weaker when they got hurt. The more severe their wounds, the closer they got to death. That was why they couldn¡¯t call themselves gods.


    However, Chiyou surely transcended death. The woman had a gut feeling that she couldn¡¯t kill him using normal methods.


    Chiyou¡¯s expression became bitter. The moment she believed he was a god, he felt divinity stirring in his heart. Chiyou feared that he would be stronger and immediately denied her im.


    [I¡¯m not a god. I¡¯m just a specter who can¡¯t die.]


    He pressed his palms to her shoulders. The woman¡¯s protective shield couldn¡¯t withstand the strength of the martial god and broke. Every time, the mystical characters swirled violently and tore Chiyou¡¯s hands to shreds, but that didn¡¯t really do anything.


    Chiyou definitely bought him some time. Grid¡¯s clone understood what Chiyou was trying to tell him with that look in his eyes. He squeezed out thest of his mana and a spear of magic fell from the sky and stabbed the woman in the head while she was solely focused on Chiyou.


    The martial god joined forces with Grid¡¯s clone, who had a much lower level than him. The boost in levels that Grid¡¯s clone would receive from this endeavor could go down in Satisfy¡¯s history as the greatest bus of all time.

 Chapter 1996

    <h4>Chapter 1996</h4>


    The baihui acupuncture point was located at the top of one¡¯s head. Even the slightest shock to this point could kill someone instantly.


    However...


    [You!]


    Surprising, the golden immortal woman was still alive. She nervously pulled out the magic spear that had pierced the top of her head all the way to her neck before looking around.


    She directed her anger solely at Chiyou. She didn¡¯t recognize Grid¡¯s clone, which she desired greatly, as an opponent. She thought that as long as she defeated Chiyou, she would get her hands on the incarnation no matter what.


    Grid¡¯s clone had consumed a lot of resources after defeating both Du Baeryong and his incarnation before forcibly teleporting the golden immortal away. The situation would have been different had the clone inherited all of Grid¡¯s titles, but he hadn¡¯t, so he waspletely out of mana.


    Of course, in theory, the clone had infinite magic power. The mana core made through the body manufacturing method, the stats that resembled Grid¡¯s, and the titles obtained through training with Braham... The clone¡¯s mana could gush up endlessly. Yes, this was the concept of mana surge. His mana pool wasn¡¯t infinite. He just needed time to restore it.


    [You¡¯re pretty tough.]


    Chiyou looked a bit embarrassed. He had no intention of killing the golden immortal with his own hands because he didn¡¯t want to be stronger than he already was. Therefore, he entrusted Grid¡¯s clone to finish her off. However, that didn¡¯t happen. After all, a clone was just a clone...


    The clone met Chiyou¡¯s disappointed gaze and sent him a sound transmission.


    -<i>I request that you buy me thirty minutes.</i>


    [Theck of honorifics... You¡¯re just as shameless as Grid, but your attitude is slightly different.]


    -<i>I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m shameless.</i> <i>Since I am asking for your cooperation so that things will turn out the way you want them to, doesn¡¯t that make me considerate?</i>


    [Do I even have to say that you¡¯re just like Grid? You are bold. Okay, I¡¯ll ept your request.]


    Chiyou wasn¡¯t the type to enjoy meaningless arguments. If he really enjoyed anything, then he wouldn¡¯t want to die all the time.


    He gave the clone a quick nod and turned to look at the golden immortal. The woman swallowed a ck pill, sprinkled white powder on the wound on her head and sutured it with her mystical characters. This was a quick and effective emergency measure that was reminiscent of the Saintess¡¯ heals.


    [It looks like you¡¯ve been injured this way more than once or twice before.]


    [I¡¯ve risked my life many times.]


    The woman held hundreds of thousands of mystical characters in her hands. Chiyou moved reflexively the moment they took the form of a great bow.


    After throwing his sword, he approached the woman and thrust his hand under her armpits.


    [Ack...!]


    The woman narrowly escaped his grasp before Chiyou caught her again. She hurriedly shot an arrow. Even though she didn¡¯t gather enough strength in that specific arrow, it was still very powerful, since it contained her immense aura. The arrow barely brushed Chiyou¡¯s shoulder, and that was enough to inflict a slight wound.


    [Um...]


    Chiyou restored his numb arm by turning it a few times. He was ovee with a strong desire to fight properly and show off his strength. This was the true desire of the martial god.


    However, Chiyou knew what achieving that desire would result in¡ªnothingness. No matter how strong his enemy was, they would all fall at his feet. He would once again be stronger and have to endure eons of solitude. This had happened to him many times before. He was aware of this. Therefore, he had to control himself until he met someone who could definitely kill him.


    Knowing this...


    [Listen carefully for the bells.]


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    In the end, Chiyou couldn¡¯t hold back his desire. He waspletely fascinated by how powerful the golden immortal was. The woman could tell where Chiyou would move based on the sound of bells and managed to block his attack. However, she paid a high price for blocking that.


    Her arms snapped back after she had crossed them in front of her chest to block the attack which sent her flying.


    [This monster...!]


    The woman paled as she quickly turned around. A whirlwind of mystical characters came out of her bow and surrounded her, blocking Chiyou¡¯s follow-up attack.


    Chiyouughed.


    [That¡¯s it. Make this more enjoyable for me.]


    The Martial God was the strongest fighter. Chiyou¡¯s heart was filled with a deep desire to show off the extent of his power. He¡¯d always suppressed this desire because things had always turned out bad when he let it run amok.


    Still, wouldn¡¯t it be different this time? This time, he might finally die after testing his limits...


    The pupils disappeared from Chiyou¡¯s eyes as he forced himself to feel hopeful. He had the urge to act on his desires. The whites of his eyes as his eyes rolled back made him look like a madman.


    <i>Jingle jingle!</i>


    The clear ringing of the bells became violent.


    [Ack...!]


    The woman¡¯s shield was already on the verge of breaking. It was difficult to predict where Chiyou would hit her next, and it was also difficult to dodge since Chiyou was attacking from all directions.


    The woman¡¯s shield couldn¡¯t withstand the consistent damage and finally broke. Chiyou grabbed the woman by the neck and waist using his capturing technique. The woman got turned upside down and she was about to be mmed into the ground. This was dangerous. She was going to die!


    The immortal changed the mystical characters into chains and hooks and tried to bind Chiyou or wriggle out of his grasp. However, she was already falling and could no longer do anything to change that. She felt hopeless.


    ¡°Anti-gravity.¡±


    The speed at which the woman was falling decreased considerably. However, this spell didn¡¯t target her specifically. It targeted an entire area. It was a lot more difficult to resist this gravity spell since it was anti-gravity. The spell halted Chiyou¡¯s advance, and the woman didn¡¯t have her skull smashed in.


    [...What are you doing?]


    The golden immortal barely managed to shake off Chiyou and red at Grid¡¯s clone as if she was going to kill him.


    Immortals were ruthless. It wasmon for them to stab their allies in the back. They never received help, especially from their enemy. However, the clone had helped her, so the woman was suspicious. She realized she had to be extra vignt. Was the clone ridiculing her?


    The clone didn¡¯t even bother exining his reasoning to the immortal. He was busy reprimanding Chiryou for his sudden change in attitude.


    ¡°I asked you to buy me some time... What are you doing? Why do you want to kill her?¡±


    [I thought it would be more fun this way.]


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen low-level yers leave buses because they wanted to get strong on their own, but I''ve never seen a bus driver try to steal the EXP.¡±


    The clone decided to take matters into his own hands, so that was why he had cast all types of spells to hinder Chiyou¡¯s movements.


    The whites of Chiyou¡¯s eyes were still showing.


    [It¡¯s more fun to fight together.]


    Chiyou couldn¡¯t regain his senses. The clone once again realized why Grid treated Chiyou so poorly and warned the woman, ¡°Run away. You must not die to this guy.¡±


    [How dare you order me around?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that you¡¯re going to die? Or are you just pretending to be tough? It¡¯s like I¡¯m talking to an imbecile...¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes were filled with anger. She honestly had no idea what was going on, but she really wanted to survive. She suppressed her confusion and chose to flee. Pride? Had she had any pride, would she have be an immortal in the first ce?


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    The sound of bells chased after her.


    ¡®No way!¡¯


    A chill went down the woman¡¯s spine. She had never been so frightened in her entire life. She thought Chiyou was about to catch up to her and prepared to fight back, only for dozens of magic power shields to appear around her.


    ¡°Chiyou, don¡¯t do anything you will regretter. Regain your senses.¡±


    [Make me. Use your strength.]


    This conversation was going nowhere. Martial Gods Zeratul and Chiyou had one thing inmon. Everytime they became blinded by their own desires, it made everyone around them exhausted. The Absolutes, including Grid and the old dragons, had suffered more than once or twice because of the two martial gods.


    And now, once again, Chiyou was causing problems.


    Grid¡¯s clone had no way of solving this situation without using force to suppress Chiyou.


    <i>¡®How troubling.¡¯ </i>


    However, Chiyou was strong. Grid clone, who was exhausted, was no match for him. Every time Chiyou hit the shield cast by the clone, it would shatter. Chiyou was still quick despite being under the effect of anti-gravity. Grid¡¯s clone concluded that there was no way to put a stop to him.


    Just then¡ª


    [You!]


    A ray of light fell on the battlefield. It was Hanul, a God of the beginning. He¡¯d crossed the continent at the speed of light and attacked Grid¡¯s clone. He was faster than Chiyou. Because he was now in the Hwan Kingdom, Hanul showed off the strength of a God of the beginning.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The clone had been on the verge of copsing after getting hit by Chiyou. Now he finally fell to the ground. He squirmed while clutching his chest where Hanul had hit him with his attack made out of light. Hanul also stomped on the back of his neck.


    [I will make you pay a heavy price for damaging my divine world.]


    Hanul pressed down even harder with his foot. The clone¡¯s neck bent in a strange direction. Light shed from Hanul¡¯s eyes as he spotted the golden immortal not too far away.


    [.....!]


    The woman witnessed the two rays of golding toward her and felt hopeless.


    [Don¡¯t disturb me.]


    Chiyou punched Hanul in the face, which made Hanul miss his attacks. The light rays barely brushed the woman¡¯s cheeks.


    [This guy is crazy!] The womanined.


    Chiyou¡¯s attitude kept changing, so the woman was even more confused. However, Hanul was aware of how Chiyou was.


    In any case, the woman had survived the encounter and ran faster. She wanted to get as far away as possible while Hanul and Chiyou were fighting.


    There was something she wasn¡¯t aware of. Before she knew it, she had entered the realm of the Overgeared World.


    In other words, she walked right into Grid¡¯s hands.


    <i>sh!</i>


    [......?]


    She saw herself hitting the ground before rolling around. The woman realized one second toote that she had been beheaded. She tried to reattach her severed head to the rest of her body, but to no avail.


    The Falling Moon Sword didn¡¯t just cut off her head. Grid had neatly cut her in half from the cervical spine to the lumbar vertebrae. Her outstretched hands floundered in the air, unable to touch each other.


    [You... You deceived me!!]


    She felt betrayed. The clone had helped her, yet Grid appeared and attacked her out of the blue?


    Grid snorted.


    ¡°You are surprisingly naive. Remember this. Cultivators, immortals... Not a single one of you will make it back alive.¡±


    Subsequently¡ª


    [Aghhhhhhh!]


    He trembled slightly as he sliced the dwarf that emerged from the woman¡¯s body. He gained dozens of levels at once.


    Chiyou lending a hand had helped Grid greatly, but there was no time to rejoice. He had to make a choice.


    Chiyou and Hanul were fighting. Should he rescue his clone from the monsters who lost their sense of reason or should he just leave and wish the clone good luck?


    He still had many Full Moon Fortresses to destroy. He didn¡¯t want to waste any time, so he needed to be cautious.


    ¡°...I have to decide what to do.¡±


    No matter how much he thought about it, he decided it was better to end this unstable rtionship as quickly as possible. So what if he didn¡¯t have time? If his n did not work, then he could make up for the wasted time after he died and resurrected.


    Grid made up his mind and took a step forward.


    Several stories wereing to an end.

 Chapter 1997

    <h4>Chapter 1997</h4>


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it just disappeared.¡±


    Unlike immortals, cultivators still had a society. There were cultivators who belonged to factions called sects and cultivators who wandered alone, also known as rogue cultivators. They interacted and relied on each other whenever they needed to. It wasn¡¯t because they had good intentions. It was simply because they were weak.


    Unlike immortals, who could deal with powerful opponents by themselves, cultivators were imperfect beings. Depending on their level of cultivation, they resembled mortals to some degree.


    Thus, the cultivators joined forces this time as well. They had toplete the constructions of the Full Moon Fortresses to establish a solid foundation for the erosion ritual, so theymunicated with each other as much as possible even though they belonged to different factions.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that the detection method of the Bonghyeol Sect detected signs of an immortal. An immortal has punished the monster.¡±


    The monster was no one else other than Grid, the founding emperor of thergest empire in the world, and someone who was revered as a god.


    The cultivators weren¡¯t exactly impressed when they first heard of his reputation. They thought Grid had deceived and misled the public to worship him as a god. This tended to happen in the lower world. Nobles, kings, and emperors possessing unbridled power became the protagonists of false legends and myths all the time.


    They thought Grid was like that as well. He was just an emperor in a lower world, so no one took him seriously. They knew that a few Full Moon Fortresses had been destroyed incredibly fast, but they didn¡¯t think Grid was the one behind that. They thought the fortresses¡¯ destruction was owed to the greatest power in the world, the Overgeared Empire, who had made great sacrifices to dismantle their fortresses.


    That alone was surprising. A nation of mortals fought against cultivators and... won? This had never happened before.


    Well, they wouldn¡¯tst for much longer. The empire surely lost everything in exchange for destroying a handful of Full Moon Fortresses. At least, that was what the cultivators thought...


    ¡°They say that the Full Moon Fortress of the Eunseon Sect has been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°There are reports that the Full Moon Fortress of Cheoljirim has been destroyed...¡±


    ¡°The Full Moon Fortresses of the Paehyeol, Hagwa, and Taebi Sects...¡±


    New reports came in session only one or two days apart. That was when the small number of survivors started mentioning the name Grid. They said they had witnessed unbelievable things, such as Grid single-handedly defeating the cultivators and splitting a Full Moon Fortress in half.


    Many cultivators didn¡¯t believe them, not because they didn¡¯t like what they were hearing, but because they couldn¡¯t find any reliable evidence that Grid was indeed the one behind such things.


    It wasn¡¯t until a few dayster when they came face-to-face with Grid personally. They died realizing that the rumors were true.


    The cultivation world was on alert. The elders of various sects emerged from closed door training and issued an official notice to respond as defensively as possible when encountering Grid.


    However, this was useless. Grid continued destroying the fortresses. In addition, his subordinates also became stronger and more distinguished. As a result, many Full Moon Fortresses, which should¡¯ve turned the sky of this world a jade color, ended up destroyed.


    The cultivators were so terrified, they were trembling.


    Humiliated, they resorted to installing all types of stealth formations so as to not expose the Full Moon Fortresses. They were hiding like rats. Some people prayed that the monster named Grid wouldn¡¯t find them.


    The cultivators naturally denied gods. Therefore, they prayed to the immortals of the upper world instead.


    Not long ago, rumors spread that an immortal had descended. Then today, Grid¡¯s energypletely disappeared. Did the immortal have anything to do with that?


    Detection systems installed in various parts of the continent provided convincing evidence.


    ¡°This is our chance to restore things. Let¡¯s select the elites from each n andunch a counterattack.¡±


    The cultivators had been concentrating their energy on protecting their own Full Moon Fortresses. Now, things had changed. Grid, who even destroyed a Full Moon Fortress guarded by a great ascension cultivator, had disappeared.


    Each sect had their own forces. They could afford tounch an attack before the Overgeared Empire¡¯s forces marched toward their Full Moon Fortress. Their target was naturally the moving aerial city with the grandiose name of Tomb of the Gods. This was the empire¡¯s outpost, and the core of its strength.


    Only half a dayter, hundreds of elite cultivators traveled at high speed with all their techniques and surrounded the Tomb of the Gods. They were all at least on a Transcendent level. They responded effortlessly to the Overgeared Cannon¡¯s bombardment and fought back, making the Tomb of the Gods shake. Magic rms sounded one after another and mes erupted throughout the city.


    ***


    Hanul wanted to stand at the pinnacle of Asgard. To achieve this ambition, he painted over the myths of the east with lies and deceived humanity. Even though all of his ns had failed and he lost a lot because of Grid, Hanul himself was still alive and well.


    After gaining Reba¡¯s light, he felt like he was much stronger than he had been in his prime. However, Grid was clearly his enemy.


    Hanul¡¯s grudge toward Grid ran deep, so deep that he could never forgive Grid. It was something that could never go away.


    Hanul had destroyed a few Full Moon Fortresses, but he hadn¡¯t done that to help Grid. He¡¯d fought the cultivators because he wanted to protect the Hwan Kingdom, so that the people there would worship him. His ultimate goal was to get rid of Grid and Reba.


    Right now, the Refractive Dragon was chasing Reba. This meant that Grid was naturally Hanul¡¯s first target.


    It didn¡¯t make sense that Grid would sit on the sidelines when he knew this so clearly. If Grid allowed Hanul to keep doing what he was doing, then he would progressively be more difficult to handle.


    Next, there was Chiyou. He was also Grid¡¯s enemy. Since Chiyou wanted to die, he really wanted to fight Grid. Considering his unruly personality, Grid couldn¡¯t know when he would suddenly appear and plunge a knife into Grid¡¯s back.


    Chiyou was unpredictable. Grid had just witnessed that through the eyes of his clone. Since his attitude kept changing, so did his position. Sometimes, he was an enemy. Other times, he was an ally. Then, he would go back to being an enemy, and so on. This behavior could only be described as maniacal.


    Both Hanul and Chiyou were harmful in many ways. It was the right decision to take care of them whenever an opportunity arose.


    And now was the right time for that.


    Heaven and earth were in turmoil. Hanul and Chiyou¡¯s fight was affecting humans dozens of kilometers away. Grid could hear the people¡¯s screams.


    ¡°Do something...!¡±


    This update had brought tremendous benefits to yers who had be Transcendents, such as the liberation of their physical limitations. Previously, yers were subjected to various restrictions no matter how high their stats were. One example was their speed. For safety reasons, yers weren¡¯t able to reach a certain level of speed. Now, that restriction had been lifted.


    Grid was flying at the speed of sound. He gradually elerated.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    The people who were frustrated because of their houses copsing got startled. They heard an explosion in the sky and wondered what type of disaster was going to befall them. When they looked up, they saw gold coins falling down like shooting stars, leaving a faint purple trail behind.


    People were left with enough money to restore their homes.


    ***


    [Why don¡¯t youe to your senses and stop?]


    Hanul had no time to breathe as he dodged Chiyou¡¯s relentless attacks. It didn¡¯t matter that Hanul had an advantage with his speed. Chiyou kept striking him using AOE attacks. It was a mess but at least he managed to have a conversation through intent.


    [How can I stop this fun?]


    They didn¡¯t actuallymunicate. Chiyou was still in a state of extreme excitement from the moment he got stimted by the female golden immortal¡¯s level of power. This was a chronic disease of the Martial God. He was a god born from the desires of human beings who craved power.


    The Martial God was also lonely. He had more power than anyone else, but he rarely got the opportunity to use it to his heart¡¯s content. As a result, he couldn¡¯t feel that he was alive. Once he detected a very powerful enemy around, he lost all of his reasoning.


    He just wanted to unleash the desire that he had always suppressed...


    [We can¡¯t kill each other, anyway. Don¡¯t you hate meaningless fights the most?]


    Hanul was well aware of Chiyou¡¯s condition and tried to persuade him. There was no other way than to talk him down. He could not suppress Chiyou using force. The power of light that Hanul had copied from Reba wasn¡¯tplete. It was possible for him to move at the speed of light and shoot destructive rays, but...


    Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t been able to master the method of turning into light itself topletely nullify physical damage.


    The biggest problem was that he hadn¡¯t learned how to convert magic power into light. Turning into light didn¡¯t prevent other phenomena from intervening because his magic power remained intact.


    The same could be said now. Every time Chiyou¡¯s sword released a fan-shaped sword energy, it sliced right through Hanul¡¯s magic power. Hanul kept turning himself into light to avoid magic damage, thus consuming his magic power.


    Of course, a God of the beginning had infinite magic power. His total amount of mana consumed didn¡¯t change. However, the form was lost.


    Let¡¯s recall the principles of magic. It didn¡¯t matter whether one relied on external help, such as magic circles, or if they just chanted spells that they could cast. In the end, shaping magic power into the desired spell was magic.


    Every time Hanul¡¯s magic power got hit, the casting time of his spells inevitably slowed down. This was very embarrassing for Hanul, who had to rely on magic unless he daredpete in martial arts against Chiyou.


    [You have been working so hard, only for you to run your mouth.]


    It was clear that Chiyou had gonepletely insane.


    Hanul grumbled and attacked. In the end, he gave up on persuading Chiyou and had only one option left¡ªescape.


    However...


    <i>sh!</i>


    Hanul had shot high into the sky at the speed of light only for him to return to his original position. Because of this, Chiyou hit Hanul once more. Hanul finally saw what was happening.


    Mirrors forged by magic power appeared all over the battlefield. This was the work of Grid¡¯s clone.


    [How dare this dying bastard...]


    Hanul held a deep grudge against Grid. He naturally hated Grid¡¯s clone as well. Therefore, he was furious that the clone was holding him back.


    <i>sh!</i>


    There was a sh of light.


    <i>Flop!</i>


    Grid¡¯s clone fell to his knees after being struck by a beam of light. The clone¡¯s limbs twisted in many weird angles. He looked despicable.


    [Don¡¯t be overconfident because you are invincible. I can pull out your core and kill you right away.]


    ¡°Do you think that will work?¡±


    [......?]


    Hanul, who was dishing out threats, and Chiyou, who was continuously swinging his sword elegantly, as if he was dancing, stopped at the same time.


    Grid had shown up. Both the furious God of the beginning and the insane Martial God had their eyes trained on him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s settle things today,¡± Grid dered as he struck the clone a few times with his hammer.


    The clone, who had been sprawled on the ground with its twisted limbs, stood up without issue. This was the prestige of Grid¡¯s repair skills included in the god-level cksmithing skill.


    This was the end. Grid alone constituted aplete party. Grid the swordsman represented the frontline, while his magician clone was the backline.

 Chapter 1998

    <h4>Chapter 1998</h4>


    The copsed ground swallowed the sea of green which used to be the forest. The giant trees, that reached all the way to the sky, tilted precariously.


    A long time ago when Grid visited this ce with Zik and Zibal, the scenery at the entrance of the Hwan Kingdom had overwhelmed him. It now lookedpletely devastated. Judging from the scale of the damage, it was almost certain that the Hwan Kingdom wouldn¡¯t escape unscathed from this fight. This had to be the case. Why else had Hanul rushed over here then?


    However, Hanul appeared unbothered. He sneered at Grid without giving off the slightest hint of agitation.


    [The pressure you are giving off is unusual. Do you think this is an opportunity for you to kill us?]


    Just then, Chiyou¡¯s eyes returned to normal. He stopped emitting a white light and his pupils were back to their original state. Those pitch-ck eyes of his contained desire and joy.


    Noe had been poking his head out of Grid¡¯s arms to examine the situation. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me, this guy... Did he pretend to be insane to lure Master here?¡± he asked thoughtfully.


    It was a reasonable doubt, but Grid firmly shook his head.


    ¡°There is no way that those who live on pride would act like fools.¡±


    Grid could operate as virtually two different people thanks to the Consciousness Separation skill. The skill divided his consciousness into two. It was still at level 1, but it was very useful. Because of it, Grid could assess the clone¡¯s situation in real time. He had witnessed every moment of Hanul and Chiyou¡¯s fight and he knew that Chiyou had not put on an act.


    Of course, doing so mentally exhausted him. Switching back and forth between the two consciousnesses required a great deal of concentration. Had there not been a function that granted autonomy to his clone, Grid wouldn¡¯t have been able to fully utilize the Consciousness Separation skill.


    In any case, Grid was aware that Hanul wasn¡¯t in good shape.


    [Are you serious...? You are here to settle things with us by yourself? So ridiculous. Can you really handle both of us?]


    Hanul was bluffing, pretending he was fine with this turn of events. Grid wasn¡¯t deceived by his acting skills.


    ¡°What do you mean by the two of you? I don¡¯t think Chiyou will team up with you so we can fight two versus one.¡±


    Grid had long defined Chiyou as a lunatic. Therefore, he didn¡¯t respect Chiyou. Chiyou teaming up with Hanul to kill Grid? No way.


    Ironically, the one whom the madman valued the most was Grid. He didn¡¯t want Grid to die. Because of this, it was Grid, not Hanul, who had the numerical advantage.


    Grid wasn¡¯t actually isted behind enemy lines. Together with his clone, he had surrounded the enemy. This had been his n from the very beginning.


    ¡°Thanks to the immortal earlier, the Hwan Kingdom has suffered quite a lot of damage... Did I miscalcte when I decided this was the best moment to try and hurt you?¡±


    More and more mirrors appeared, surrounding Hanul. Before he knew it, there were hundreds of them, and would soon be thousands. This was easy to pull off because the spell required ice magic. They weren¡¯t that durable, that was their weakness, but they reflected light. This clearly restricted Hanul¡¯s actions.


    Hanul stared at Grid silently. The light withdrew and he revealed his true appearance.


    He looked like King Sobyeol after King Sobyeol grew older andrger in size. Hanul¡¯s white hair was tightlybed into a bun and there were deep wrinkles all over his face. However, the wrinkles didn¡¯t make him look ugly. They made his eyes look wiser, and the lines around his mouth made him look mightier. He was standing with his back straight, and had a thick waist, a broad chest, and wide shoulders.


    Hanul¡¯s appearance resembled the one described in the myths. He gave off the impression of a ruler. Anyone could see that he had been born to rule and deserved to be worshiped as a god.


    [Everything you do is insidious and insignificant. It doesn¡¯t befit your status as the Only One God. This is the limit of lowly existences such as yours.]


    Unlike Grid, who was genuinely impressed with Hanul¡¯s appearance, Hanul didn¡¯t respect Grid. He expressed great disgust.


    Grid tilted his head. ¡°Are you talking about yourself...?¡±


    Hanul had existed since the beginning of time. He had been a god from the moment he was born. However, he opposed Reba and lost. Thanks to Chiyou¡¯s help, he managed to hide in the remote east and was worshiped after cowardly deceiving the people with false myths.


    Grid had robbed or killed all the yangbans who were supposed to rece the angels. Hanul had tried all sorts of dirty schemes one after another, but all of his ns failed. If anything, Hanul was the one who had lived an insidious and insignificant life. Hanul knew that better than anyone else.


    Grid seemed to have hit the nail on the head. Hanul got flustered and shouted, [You are truly a lowly and disgusting bastard!!]


    A powerful wave stretched out around Hanul. It wasn¡¯t light, but Hanul¡¯s pure power. He had created a shockwave just by shouting. The power of his loud voice shattered hundreds of mirrors.


    It was impossible to measure how strong a God of the beginning was. This was the prestige of a being whose stats were at least in the tens of thousands. Noe was overwhelmed by the intense pressure of the sessive shockwaves and screamed before hiding in the pet inventory.


    Grid¡¯s ck hair barely fluttered. He was unmoving as he stared at Hanul in the sky. He was making an effort not to miss any of his enemy¡¯s movements.


    Hanul¡¯s name meant ¡®heaven.¡¯ His unique authority was to give wide-area quests to yers or NPCs. Hanul clearly had a heavenly role. He was the God that all beings living in the world should look up to. However, when they looked up, they saw the sky which Reba had created. Hanul had rejected his role and rebelled against Reba.


    This was one of the reasons Reba¡¯s ideal world was destroyed. He came up with a n that was far different than his original role.


    What was the reason? Did he lust for power? Did he want more than the power of light? Did he want to take away Reba¡¯s authority?


    Grid didn¡¯t know what Hanul¡¯s intentions were. He could only assume why Hanul had decided to be aggressive toward Reba.


    ¡°You know the truth of this world as well.¡±


    This world was just a game. Since Yatan, another God of the beginning, and even Judar had known the truth of the world, there was no way Hanul didn¡¯t know as well.


    [Don¡¯t make that face.]


    Hanul read the emotions in Grid¡¯s eyes and did as he pleased. He turned into light and shot forward. He stabbed Grid in the chest with his light. The attacknded before Grid could even register it. Red blood spilled from his chest wound. Despite his high defense, he couldn¡¯t fully withstand the attack power of a God of the beginning.


    [......?]


    Before he knew it, Hanul was standing behind Grid. He was about to link another attack but suddenly stopped. His eyes widened as blood also shot up from his shoulders. It was real blood, not divinity.


    [Annihtion.]


    Chiyou was fascinated by the shocking sight of a God of the beginning bleeding like a human.


    [You are so annoying.]


    Hanul figured out why he had been cut. The fragments of broken ice covered the sky like snowkes and kept reflecting the light. As a result, the power of light dispersed all around. This allowed Grid to narrowly keep up with Hanul¡¯s speed.


    [Do your best.]


    Hanul¡¯s target changed. He attacked Grid¡¯s clone, who kept creating new ice mirrors.


    <i>sh!</i>


    No matter what form Hanul¡¯s attack took, it was always a beam of light. As if this was incredibly easy for him to do, he shattered the Multiple Weakening Barriers that Grid had ced around the clone and struck the clone.


    The clone remained stuck in ce because of the huge shock and could no longer spawn any mirrors. Hanul shattered all the surrounding mirrors with a burst of energy and turned into light again.


    [You have been hit by a serious blow!]


    Grid was bleeding again. He now lost twice as muchpared to the first time he got hit because Hanul had struck him right in the heart. Grid had no chance to react in time. He was too focused on counterattacking.


    [......]


    Meanwhile, Hanul was as unmoving as a stone statue. He silently rubbed the blood flowing down from his throat. If Grid¡¯s sword had dug just a little bit deeper, he would¡¯ve been decapitated.


    Surprisingly, Grid was responding to the speed of light. He couldn¡¯t dodge or block Hanul¡¯s attack before counterattacking, but he managed to counterattack after Hanul hit him.


    Nevertheless, this was intimidating. The Annihtion energy was proof of him ying a chief god and a dragon. The destructive purple energy annihted every target, no matter what it was. Light was no exception.


    ¡°......¡±


    [......]


    Grid and Hanul no longer talked. Grid exposed himself to attacks that he couldn¡¯t block or avoid. Hanul had to risk his life to kill his enemies. Both Absolutes were walking on thin ice. They had to focus on the fight and only on the fight. They couldn¡¯t afford to rx at all.


    This was especially true for Grid. He had invested all his stat points into Agility to somehow respond to the speed of light, but this meant his defense and attack power had been greatly lowered.


    However, thanks to the power of the Defying the Natural Order and Twilight swords, he posed a great threat to Hanul. However, if his attack power lowered even more, even his items wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for it.


    This meant it wasn¡¯t possible for him to use the White Tiger¡¯s Posture.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯


    It felt like death was looming over him. Every passing second, he got the feeling that he was going to die for real this time. He had not felt this way ever since he was isted in Trauka¡¯sir. His heart was pounding, and his breathing was ragged. His eyes stung.


    ¡®...Interesting.¡¯


    Ever since bing a God, Grid had not enjoyed Satisfy as a pure game. He had so many responsibilities that he had to treat his life as if it belonged to someone else.


    However, he now had no choice but to fight for his life. Thus, he realized that Satisfy was still just a game.


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes widened and he burst outughing. [Hahaha!]


    [What¡¯s up with this crazy weirdo...?]


    Hanul scowled, maddened with rage after seeing the smile on Grid¡¯s face.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Light reflected in Grid¡¯s red, bloodshot eyes. There were two beams of light. One was the one fired by Hanul, and the other one was created by Grid¡¯s sword. This was the ultimate skill of Peak Sword, which Grid borrowed through the power of Link.


    Grid swiftly shed through the light.


    [You have been hit by a serious blow!]


    This time, Grid got hit in both his heart and neck. He eventually copsed.


    <i>Flop!</i>


    Hanul also fell to his knees. He brought one hand to his neck, which looked like it was going to fall. He hadn¡¯t expected Grid to cut down his light so miserably. There were a lot of thoughts going through his head, and he didn¡¯t know how to feel about this.


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t intend to die in a ce like this. In fact, he still had the advantage. He slowly stood up.


    Meanwhile, Grid had threerge holes in his chest. He tried getting up, but he kept copsing because he was losing too much blood.


    [Experience what it feels like to be weak. It feels like hell. You will lose a lot if you die here.]


    Hanul raised his finger and pointed at Grid. He was on the verge of firing another beam of light.


    Just then, a magic spear fell from the skies and crushed Hanul¡¯s hand, changing the trajectory of the beam. The clone, now able to move again, intervened.


    ¡°This is why I told you that I had the advantage.¡±


    [Chiyou...!]


    It wasn¡¯t until thest moment that Hanul desperately pleaded for help from his longtime ally. Unfortunately, there was no response.

 Chapter 1999

    <h4>Chapter 1999</h4>


    The first time he opened his eyes, he was standing next to two other beings. Those two beings were Reba and Yatan, and they were in space. Everywhere he looked, he saw small lights, and those lights were stars.


    Hanul naturally understood this. He took all the knowledge and information in his mind for granted and learned it.


    One day, Reba made a blue, and she dedicated her life to that. He helped her with the creation of nature and all the life that blossomed there. He gave her a lot of advice while watching humanity establish their civilizations.


    When Yatan felt sorry for those who died, unlike Reba and Hanul, he decided to build hell, and Hanul supported him.


    Many years had passed since then.


    Eventually, new gods were born because of humanity¡¯s worship. Reba had also created other gods and angels.


    Suddenly, everything was gone¡ªthe blue, the angels, and even the gods. In the vast universe, only Hanul, Reba, and Yatan remained. Everything was silent, and Hanul was very shocked.


    For the first time, he realized that something was wrong. However, he couldn¡¯t afford to be hasty with his theories. Yatan looked so sad about destroying the that Hanul didn¡¯t want to me his old friend.


    He firmly believed that this was the only time this would happen. However, that was not the case. This event repeated several times. Many things didn¡¯t make sense anymore. It turned out that Reba had been behind Yatan¡¯s destruction of the. Beings called old dragons appeared and criticized her.


    Once Reba re-created the blue, the old dragons intervened and slowed the development of the. In the process, they inevitably confronted Hanul. Hanul was already dissatisfied with Reba and Yatan, so he was unhappy with how things had turned out.


    Reba, Yatan, and the old dragons¡ªwhy did they bother him every time and made him sad?


    The only one Hanul could reach out to was Martial God Chiyou, who suddenly stood side by side with the Gods of the beginning one day. He didn¡¯t perish, not even when Yatan had destroyed the. He always sneered at the Gods of the beginning and the old dragons, as if he was special or something. Thus, Hanul asked him for help.


    <i>I think I am going to go crazy like this.</i>


    <i>Please help me prevent the destruction of this world.</i>


    At some point, the old dragons went on a rampage, and they devoured the angels and gods created by Reba. For the very first time, Hanul saw Reba crying. She had destroyed countless beings. Even the gods and angels she created were ughtered. Yet she took pity on the gods whom Trauka was devouring.


    That was when Hanul started hating Reba.


    Reba, whom he couldn¡¯t figure out despite knowing the principles of the universe from the moment he was born, became a being made out of pretenses and lies in Hanul¡¯s eyes.


    Why did she keep destroying the world? Even though she had witnessed the birth of countless beings, had she never felt even the slightest bit of affection or sympathy for them?


    [No. She must have a reason for doing this.]


    One day, Reba could no longer stand the hatred in Hanul¡¯s eyes every time he looked at her and told him the truth. She said that this world was just a lower dimension created by higher-level beings for entertainment. The moment a singrity urred, everything would bepletely destroyed and only suffering that was worse than death would remain.


    It was shocking to hear Reba say this, but Hanul had already been suspecting this since the birth of the old dragons. Since dragons already knew everything from the moment they were born, they resembled the Gods of the beginning. They made Hanul question things. He wondered if all the things he took for granted were ultimately for someone¡¯s convenience.


    Were his and the universe¡¯s existences a result of a higher being¡¯s desire for entertainment? Hanul tried his best to dismiss this theory. However, Reba had told him the truth, and he could no longer ignore it. He could either ept it or deny it.


    Hanul picked the second option.


    Chiyou told Hanul, [I will help you because you seem to be at a disadvantage. However, anything that threatens you might be a threat to me one day, so I will do my best to keep them alive. Remember, I am only helping you right now because there is a possibility that one day you will kill me.]


    Hanul just needed to get rid of Reba. No, he just needed to stop her from destroying the world. If he did that, then something would happen to the world, something that he didn¡¯t know. And once that happened, he might achieve peace in a different way than what Reba had imagined...


    With such hopes, Hanul earnestly rebelled, though he lost to Reba. He then fled to the East Continent with Chiyou¡¯s help.


    And now¡ª


    [Chiyou...!]


    Hanul¡¯s desperate cry woke Chiyou up, who was not really paying attention.


    <i>Remember, I am only helping you right now because there is a possibility that one day you will kill me.</i>


    Chiyou recalled what he had told Hanul at some point. He found a reason to help Hanul.


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    There was the clear sound of bells. A silver sword light appeared on Chiyou¡¯s side. This was the afterimage left behind after Chiyou had drawn his sword incredibly quickly.


    Chiyou was entirely focused on Grid. The Annihtion energy was gushing from the tip of Grid¡¯s sword. That purple energypletely destroyed the target, no matter what that was. It could devour Hanul at any given moment since he was so badly injured, even though he had turned into light.


    Hanul and Chiyou made eye contact. Hanul¡¯s voice trembled with fear as he shouted Chiyou¡¯s name again.


    [Chiyou...!]


    He hadn¡¯t even shown fear when he lost to Reba.


    [Haha...]


    Chiyouughed. He watched as Grid stabbed Hanul in the neck and let go of the sword he had been holding in his hand. Hanul scowled when he realized he had been betrayed. He once again shouted Chiyou¡¯s name.


    [Chiyou!]


    [Look at you now. You don¡¯t deserve to kill me,] Chiyou replied calmly.


    Hanul felt hopeless. To appease Chiyou, he had created the yangbans, gained false worship, embodied Reba¡¯s light...


    He realized that all his efforts had been in vain. He also realized his mistake. Since when did he want to be acknowledged by Chiyou?


    [I...! I¡¯m only doing this for those with fleeting lives...!]


    ¡°......!¡±


    For the first time, Hanul was crying out in Grid¡¯s direction, but it was toote. Grid already had his sword at Hanul¡¯s throat. Defying the Natural Order and Twilight, shrouded in the Annihtion energy, were about to cut off the head of a God of the beginning with unprecedented power.


    The light that had been staining Hanul turned dark. In addition, a pure mist-like white aura rose in the air. Grid remembered that Braham and Zik had told him that King Sobyeol had the power to take away other people¡¯s abilities. They said that the power of King Sobyeol was as white as snow.


    King Sobyeol was Hanul¡¯s child. In addition, Hanul had already embodied light. Therefore, it was entirely possible that Hanul could also take away other people¡¯s abilities.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...!¡¯


    Grid had a bad feeling about this, and he was rarely wrong about his hunches. Just as he was shing his enemy¡¯s throat, Hanul¡¯s power as a God of the beginning overpowered the Annihtion energy. The energy which was making Grid¡¯s sword glow purple suddenly disappeared. No, it didn¡¯t just disappear. Hanul¡¯s white energy devoured it.


    <i>Cough!</i>


    Grid¡¯s vision shed red as he coughed up blood. The unbelievable notification windows were constantly being updated. They kept telling him that his armor, made from the skin and scales of the Fire Dragon Trauka, had been greatly damaged.


    <i>Stagger...</i>


    Grid stepped back and lowered his gaze helplessly. There was a big hole in his red armor, and blood was gushing out of it. His abdomen had been blown away.


    [Your organs are massively damaged.]


    [Severe internal injuries have inflicted bleeding, slow, and decreased concentration.]


    [Your attack power and defense are greatly reduced. Skill casting has been increased...]


    He kept gaining negative status effects. Hanul¡¯s thoughts crept into Grid¡¯s mind as Grid was losing his focus.


    [The Annihtion energy is truly great.]


    Grid slowly raised his head. Hanul slowly flew into the sky while emitting purple energy.


    [It was a mistake to lose sight of my original intention. At some point, I even forgot why I was fighting. I even lost myself.]


    Hanul looked at Grid. There were no worries or doubts in his eyes. He was a God of the beginning, so he no longer needed to rely on Chiyou. He clearly knew what he had to do next. Therefore, he didn¡¯t cling onto the power of light he had taken from Reba. Instead, he unleashed his own power.


    Just as he took away the light from Reba, he also took away Grid¡¯s Annihtion energy...


    Of course, his purple energy was iplete. It trembled dangerously, like it could go out any second now. However, that was enough. The essence of the Annihtion energy was the power to assure destruction. It was still iplete, but it was powerful enough to destroy an individual, even if that individual was Grid.


    On top of that, Grid was seriously injured. The fierce battle with Hanul had been by no means one-sided. Grid had also been on the verge of death when he was about to win. The sudden change was definitely intimidating to Grid.


    [Only One God Grid, I have finallye to respect you. I will use this great power that you have for the sake of a future I have never seen.]


    Hanul¡¯s deration had a tremendous impact. It had a ripple effect that could turn the world upside down. This was a critical moment that would have serious consequences, so Grid¡¯s epic naturally responded.


    [Only One God Grid is writing the thirty-first epic.]


    [The epic starts with the deration of Hanul, a God of the beginning, who gained the power of Annihtion.]


    Hanul¡¯s divine voice preached throughout the world.


    [The weight of my responsibilities overwhelms the weight of yours.]


    [I, not you, am the one who can use this power more advantageously.]


    [Unlike you, I will remain in this world forever and protect everyone.]


    Hanul concentrated the purple energy that he had stolen from Grid in his hand until it finally took the shape of a sword.


    [I will use your death as the starting point to punish Reba and create a world that has never existed before.]


    Hanul¡¯s deration resonated in the minds of everyone in the world. It was an indirect indication that Grid was in trouble. Soon, Grid would die...


    People who had this gut feeling were frustrated. They swore, screamed, or cried.


    [Grid, don¡¯t forget.]


    Just then, a new voice intervened in the epic. Both Hanul and Chiyou were surprised. They knew who this voice belonged to. The others soon found out as well. The epic was being updated.


    [I still believe in you.]


    [Please.]


    [Please, save us.]


    It was the voice of Reba, the Goddess of light. In her world where nothing else but green light existed, she sat with her hands folded and prayed to Grid. The moment which only Grid and Reba remembered was being transmitted to everyone through the epic.


    [He is the one who became the faith of the highest God of the beginning.]


    <i>Rooooar!</i>


    The unexpected development of the epic made Hanul impatient. He could no longer preach his intentions. Hanul was a God of the beginning who easily persuaded others due to his authority to issue wide-area quests. He decided that he was at a disadvantage, so he needed to end things quickly.


    Therefore, hepleted the sword and quickly swung the Annihtion energy.


    [He is another light.]


    The epic redefined Grid. Just then, light gushed out of Grid¡¯s body. It was so bright and divine that it was on an entirely different level from the light Hanul handled. It also had a subtle purple hue.


    [This¡ªthis is ridiculous...!]


    Hanul couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence, let alone swing his sword.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Grid stabbed Hanul. He had been driven by instinct, not reason. He was now incredibly fast since he turned into light. He was faster than he thought he would be, so he had acted based on his instincts.


    This one move¡ª


    [......]


    Hanul looked gloomy. He stared nkly into the void. His Annihtion sword, which had sliced through the ce where Grid had just been standing, dissipated.


    [The God of the beginning, Hanul, has been extinguished.]


    A huge ash pir, like nothing anyone had ever seen before, rose.


    <i>Flop!</i>


    Grid fell forward helplessly. His consciousness sank into a deep abyss. This was the price for moving at the speed of light, which was something that a yer couldn¡¯t handle.

 Chapter 2000

    <h4>Chapter 2000</h4>


    <i>¡®He isn¡¯t dead or logged out...?¡¯</i>


    Did he really faint in the game?


    The world message announcing the death of the God of the beginning, Hanul, was Grid¡¯sst memory. He also remembered the epic that worshiped his new achievements, and a somewhat unfamiliar rewards breakdown...


    Dozens of lines of notifications were shing in front of him, but Grid lost consciousness before he had the time to take a closer look.


    ¡°......¡±


    <i>Step.</i>


    Consciousness Separation was an omnipotent skill. It wasn¡¯t necessary for the subject to always control the divided consciousness. ording to the subject¡¯s will, or when the subject was unresponding, like now, Grid¡¯s clone could operate in auto mode.


    Thanks to his high Intelligence stat, he could make decisions like a super named-grade NPC.


    The clone protected Grid. ¡°Don¡¯t get any closer,¡± he warned Chiyou. He kept his voice and gaze gentle out of fear of provoking him.


    Noe and Randy whined as they emerged to take care of Grid.


    [Did you notice?]


    Chiyou didn¡¯t bother to stop them. He put away his sword and crossed his arms, like he had no intention of harming Grid.


    [If Hanul had dealt a low blow at the end, Grid would¡¯ve died.]


    The clone couldn¡¯t deny that. ¡°...I suppose so.¡±


    Thanks to having Grid¡¯s memories, it was safe to say that the clone had also mastered swordsmanship. Hanul had created a sword out of the Annihtion energy stolen from Grid and brandished a purple sword. If he hadn¡¯t been so certain of victory, if he had predicted in advance that Reba would intervene, he never would¡¯ve raised the sword above his head. Instead of doing that, he would¡¯ve unleashed a low strike in preparation for Grid¡¯s counterattack.


    [Even if Grid had dashed forward at the speed of light, Hanul would¡¯ve likely stabbed Grid in the chest. He was a God of the beginning. He might¡¯ve acted like a fool for many years when he was blinded by the light, but he wasn¡¯t a weakling.]


    Hanul¡¯s authority was to issue wide-area quests. This meant that he could easily influence others with his words. It was easy for him to make Grid¡¯s epic react with just a few shouts. Hanul¡¯s deration that he would kill Grid, thus triggering the epic, was clearly intentional.


    Hanul had nned a dramatic performance to show his prestige to the Overgeared World, which controlled most of the. His somewhat exaggerated words and deeds probably stemmed from this n. He probably intended to imprint himself in history by holding the giant sword above his head.


    This had resulted in the worst possible oue, but there was a clear reason for Hanul¡¯s choices and actions.


    [Of course, I have no intention of defending someone who is already dead.]


    Chiyou hated romanticism. He wasn¡¯t obsessed with fame. He just wanted to die. He was jealous of Hanul, who died, and had no sympathy whatsoever for him.


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    Chiyou paused for a moment before approaching. The clone was surprised to see him get closer and tried to stop him, only to change his mind.


    ¡°Ack, <i>ong!¡± </i>


    Noe was wary of Chiyou. Noe, who was terrified of dragons, stood up and showed that he was willing to fight against the Martial God. Even Randy was already swinging her sword.


    Chiyou bent down and dodged the swing. He whispered to the unconscious Grid, [Grid, don¡¯t forget that you were lucky enough to win. Don¡¯t be arrogant just because you defeated a God of the beginning. You have to remember this so that you may cut my throat the next time we meet.]


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    Soon, only the sound of bells remained. Chiyou disappeared without a trace. Grid¡¯s group was left alone on the battlefield, stunned. However, they couldn¡¯t stay here forever.


    The darkened sky kept screaming. It was connected to the now-fallen World Tree, the entrance to the Hwan Kingdom.


    The clone said, ¡°I wonder if Hanul¡¯s death has caused the Hwan Kingdom to be even more unstable...¡± He turned to Noe and Randy and added, ¡°King Sobyeol might being, so we must hurry. I don¡¯t think Grid has recovered from his wounds, so there is no guarantee we can deal with the king easily.¡±


    ¡°I understand, <i>nyang.¡± </i>


    Grid¡¯s shattered dragon armor, helmet, gauntlets, looked pitiful...


    The clone, Noe, and Randy tried to gather as many fragments of Grid¡¯s items scattered throughout the battlefield as they could. To repair items that weren¡¯t just broken or damaged, butpletely destroyed, they needed as many parts as possible.


    It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. The armor fragments were so small that they scattered everywhere, as if they had been swept away by a storm. This was proof of how strong Hanul¡¯s Annihtion sword had been.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    The cries from the ckened sky grew louder.


    Grid¡¯s clone made a decision. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. We have to go. <i>Now.¡±</i>


    The clone didn¡¯t wait for Noe and Randy to reply. He used Mass Teleport to get himself and hispanions out of there.


    Immediately afterward¡ª


    [I was one second toote.]


    King Sobyeol showed up. He didn¡¯t feel any regrets. Instead, he was overjoyed. Since the moment Grid betrayed him, he had dedicated his time to training. However, he had been pessimistic about his bleak future. He thought that it would be impossible for him to regain his original strength once Hanul no longer had any expectations of him.


    But Hanul was dead. Grid had granted King Sobyeol the opportunity to live. He might even inherit some of his father¡¯s influence. He would be the master of the Hwan Kingdom. This alone made it possible for him to regain his strength and secure a safer position than before.


    Of course, the Hwan Kingdom had declined to the point where it couldn¡¯t even bepared to the Overgeared World or Asgard, but that was okay. If he lived in seclusion for thousands or tens of thousands of years to regain his power, he would surely have new opportunities to...


    [...Um?]


    King Sobyeol was smiling, but now he was frowning.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    The sky, which was dark and roaring, suddenly cracked open and spat out a single familiar-looking person.


    [Garam?]


    ¡°It is an honor that you remember my humble name.¡±


    [How did you survive?]


    The Hwan Kingdom had suffered enormous damage and was in a terrible state after Hanul¡¯s death. King Sobyeol wouldn¡¯t find it surprising if the three masters were intending to betray him and take over the kingdom. However, it didn¡¯t make sense for a long-dead yangban to suddenlye back to life. People were saying that Garam¡¯s soul had been annihted during the destruction of hell.


    Garam shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Perhaps Hanul had high expectations for me? I didn¡¯t expect that he had prepared not only a spare body, but also a spare soul.¡±


    [You used to be as talented as Mir. But Garam, you are being rude.]


    King Sobyeol was an Absolute. He had lost a lot of power after losing to Grid a few months earlier, but he could easily harm a Transcendent. Hanul was known to have no manners. Garam was sinister in many ways, so King Sobyeol was determined to cut off his head in one go.


    However...


    [This strength?]


    Garam easily blocked King Sobyeol¡¯s surprise attack. No, he didn¡¯t exactly block it. Garam just stood still, and King Sobyeol¡¯s surprise attack didn¡¯t work at all.


    ¡°I was resurrected after Hanul¡¯s death. Do you still not understand what¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t know why, but Hanul chose me as his sessor. I inherited his power, even though it¡¯s only a little bit.¡±


    A pure white energy was radiating from Garam. This energy not only easily neutralized King Sobyeol¡¯s attack, but it also absorbed his divinity. From King Sobyeol¡¯s perspective, not even the gods could fight back against this power. This was none other than Hanul¡¯s divinity.


    [Hanul...! What can you do as a mere yangban...?!]


    King Sobyeol trembled. He wasn¡¯t angry at Garam, but at Hanul. How could he pass his divinity to someone who wasn¡¯t even his flesh and blood? Wasn¡¯t thatpletely insane?


    Suddenly, King Sobyeol remembered what Grid had told him some time before.


    <i>¡°It''s just that I couldn¡¯t trust you because you betrayed your brother and ended up like this.¡±</i>


    That was what Grid had whispered before stabbing him in the back. Perhaps Hanul also didn¡¯t trust King Sobyeol...


    Heughed.


    [Did you know the truth, Hanul?]


    King Sobyeol had wanted for a long time to be the sole heir of the God of the beginning and reign over the Gods. Thus, he betrayed his older brother, Daebyeol, who was more talented and popr than him. He had thrown his brother into hell.


    He felt like he had the whole world at his feet once he finally heard the news of Daebyeol¡¯s death...


    He had been mistaken. His world had already copsed.


    [You did this to yourself.]


    Retribution was inevitable. He remembered that Grid, who was just an ephemeral human, had annihted Baal. King Sobyeol simply epted his death. Recognizing his inevitable fate meant he had no motivation to resist.


    King Sobyeol¡¯s head burst like a smashed-in watermelon. Garam absorbed his white divinity that was released. King Sobyeol regressed, dying by returning to his origins.


    ¡°...Can I live the way I want now?¡±


    Garam, who had unexpectedly resurrected, grinned. He knew why Hanul had brought him back to life. If Hanul was to die, he wanted a madman to inherit some of his power and use it freely. Why? Maybe he wanted the world to be destroyed if he died.


    Knowing this, Garam asked himself, ¡°Shall I save the world instead?¡±


    Garam was going to do the opposite of what had been asked of him. That was his nature. He targeted the fortresses he perceived with his Absolute senses and dipped.


    ***


    The city swept away by fire was reduced to ashes. The embers flying everywhere crackled eerily.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lost Justice barely managed to escape from the broken Overgeared Cannon and was speechless. The Tomb of the Gods, the empire¡¯s moving fortress, which symbolized Grid¡¯s power and forces, was copsing. The city that hundreds of thousands of engineers had struggled to build for years was now gone. Only the ck and gold deck, made from Greed, remained.


    ¡°Some mortals have particrly tough lives.¡±


    Lost Justice was suddenly startled by a voiceing from above and looked up. Hundreds of cultivators surrounded by protectiveyers of different colors were adorning the sky like stars. They were all at least Transcendents, and their power was incredible.


    <i>sh. </i>Lost Justice got decapitated, and her head rolled pitifully on the deck.


    The cultivators were all staring at the ce where dozens of huge circr instruments were lined up¡ªthe warp gates zone.


    The void refining realm cultivator broke Lauel¡¯s finger and asked him, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you activating them?¡±


    The cultivators hadn¡¯t destroyed the warp gates because they nned to summon imperial forces using them and wipe the Overgeared members out. However, only Lauel, the prime minister of the empire, had the authority to activate the warp gates. Nine of his fingers had been broken, but he never screamed.


    ¡°This is yourst chance. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to summon all your troops to fight against us?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t activate these gates, we will go to each kingdom and city and exterminate all the mortals living there. In the process, all your precious troops will be annihted. You still have a chance not to lose everything.¡±


    The cultivators kept threatening him. Lauel, who had kept his mouth shut the whole time, checked the time and smiled.


    ¡°We will see... Your threats aren¡¯t scary at all.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy...? Huh?¡±


    The cultivators were frowning, confused by Lauel¡¯s unfathomable confidence. Suddenly,munication talismans flew from each sect, telling the cultivators that the Full Moon Fortresses were being attacked.


    ¡°What? How?¡±


    Lauel said, ¡°Summon the troops? I can¡¯t do that, because there are no troops to summon. By the time you left the Full Moon Fortresses, I had already sent everyone there.¡±


    Lauel had risen to his position because of his intelligence. He had urately predicted the cultivators¡¯ counterattack and used this opportunity to strike. He sent out thousands or tens of thousands of support troops to the existing raid groups as reinforcements. As a result, the elite cultivators selected from each sect were likely to lose their Full Moon Fortress in no time.


    ¡°How does it feel to lose your home? You¡¯ve always taken things away from others, so I can¡¯t imagine how you feel.¡±


    The cultivators trembled when they saw Lauel smile, his eyes bright.

 Chapter 2001

    <h4>Chapter 2001</h4>


    ¡°You say we¡¯ve always taken things away from others...? You¡¯re so arrogant for a mortal.¡±


    From among the tumultuous cultivators, an old man with a white beard reaching to his ankles flew in and pped Lauel. He used such little force in the strike that it couldn¡¯t even kill a bug, but the impact was still powerful.


    Lauel¡¯s face was ruined. His skin peeled off, his nose broke, and his cheekbones caved in. The old man snorted. Lauel fell to the ground, covered in blood. The cultivator stepped on him hard enough to break his spine.


    ¡°You enjoyed reigning over everything because the world you lived in is so small and insignificant. It must have been easy earning other people¡¯s respect in a world where petty mortals fought each other. But don¡¯t you have to face reality now? We are cultivators, and we are your enemies. We will kill you all soon. Your proud empire will be nothing but ruins. We can afford to lose the Full Moon Fortresses. As long as the cultivating world is united, we can take over thisnd with its inconsequential history. Just like this.¡±


    The old man mocked Lauel, who was wriggling like a worm beneath his foot. The cultivator moved his fingers and generated a series of yellow, green, and blue lights. The Tomb of the Gods, which had turned into ashes and only the dark deck remained, was now covered with soil where rivers flowed and vegetation grew. Argeke formed between mysterious pine trees, and a rainbow appeared.


    It looked like the Peach Blossom Spring where the daoist immortals lived.


    The ruined Tomb of the Gods took on a new form thanks to the old man¡¯s earth, water, and wood mystical arts. He grinned.


    ¡°Now, let me ask you this instead. How does it feel to be robbed of everything?¡±


    The cultivators had been caught off guard, and now all the Full Moon Fortresses were in danger. However, the old man had lived for tens of thousands of years. He knew the difference in power between cultivators and mortals. Right now, that monster, Grid, was gone.


    Even if the mortals assembled an army of millions, it would be impossible for them to capture all the Full Moon Fortresses. This was the logical conclusion, not just wishful thinking. Even if another very powerful individual showed up and destroyed all the Full Moon Fortresses, the cultivators could afford to take their time and restore them.


    By controlling the Overgeared Empire and enving the mortals to collect the required materials, they could build new Full Moon Fortresses in a few hundreds of years.


    Other cultivators, who had been appalled by Lauel¡¯s confident attitude, were slowly regaining theirposure.


    ¡°This is reality. You mortals can¡¯t change anything with your capabilities. Even if you sacrifice yourselves, your deaths will be meaningless.¡±


    The old man stared into Lauel¡¯s eyes. He expected his opponent to be afraid at the thought of dying and react viciously seeing the Tomb of the Gods turn into the Peach Blossom Spring.


    In fact, Lauel¡¯s eyes were twitching. The old man liked seeing him suffer. However, he didn¡¯t feel relieved. He had the feeling that something was off.


    ¡®...Is he not afraid?¡¯


    For a cultivator to improve their cultivation, they needed to gain a lot of knowledge. There was a limit to simply reading the technique books and training by themselves. Thus, the old man had killed a lot of people. Because he¡¯d fought and won against so many others, he had a lot ofbat knowledge. Whenever he killed someone, he saw resentment, emptiness, and despair in their eyes.


    But there were no emotions in Lauel¡¯s eyes. He trembled from pain, but he showed no signs that he feared his imminent death.


    There was something Lauel believed in...


    The old man noticed this and hurriedly shouted at the other cultivators.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Most of the battlefield had been cleared up. More than half the cultivators, especially those with a high realm, left using wind or thunder mystical arts and headed for the Full Moon Fortresses, which were currently under attack.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t leave cultivators on stand-by at the fortresses... Many of them will seed in defending their respective Full Moon Fortresses,¡± the old man said as he stared into Lauel¡¯s eyes.


    However, Lauel¡¯s eyes were still emotionless. The old man tilted his head, recalling something.


    ¡°...Speaking of which, I heard that you wille back to life even if you die. But you will suffer a huge setback if you die, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Cultivators weren¡¯t that surprised that some of their enemies had the ability toe back to life. They were familiar with the concept. As long as their nascent soul escaped safely, a cultivator could be revived even if their body was torn to pieces. They could cheat death using the skills they had learned. They would be reborn as a jiangshi if they lost their nascent soul, which was the worst case scenario.


    This meant that they weren¡¯t jealous of the yers¡¯ resurrection system, because they knew that the yers got penalized greatly if they died. This was why the old man didn¡¯t understand Lauel¡¯s behavior, who was calm even though the end was near.


    ¡°You are bing more talkative... How... anxious are you...?¡± Lauel asked in a cracked voice. Every time he opened his mouth, blood and viscera spilled out. Still, he didn¡¯t care.


    Lauel was a pretty toxic guy. The old man had never seen someone so calm despite having his spine broken.


    <i>Tsk.</i> The old man clicked his tongue and turned away from Lauel. He didn¡¯t bother killing him. He wanted Lauel to suffer for as long as possible.


    The old man examined the two hundred or so cultivators who were still there and realized he was the only great ascension cultivator left. He ordered them, ¡°Find a way to move this darknd.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The cultivators really wanted the Tomb of the Gods. Who didn¡¯t want a flying ship so huge that a city or fortress could be built on it?


    The cultivators moved to try and see how to get the ship moving. Just then¡ª


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The Tomb of the Gods shook as if an earthquake was urring. There were ripples in the rivers andke created by the old man. The bushes copsed like dominoes.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    The old man and the cultivators were shocked. Buildings soared from the rivers and theke, quickly taking the form of the city that the cultivators had reduced to ashes earlier.


    A city that had been utterly destroyed managed to restore itself? How ridiculous. This couldn¡¯t happen even in the immortal world, let alone the cultivation world.


    In the midst of the turmoil¡ª


    [You have died.]


    Lauel¡¯s vision darkened. He had not drunk a potion, even though he was seriously injured.


    [Do you want to be resurrected?]


    [Your current resurrection point is...]


    ''Yes.''


    Lauel replied promptly without waiting for the notification window to be updated. He was on a time limit.


    An ash pir rose when Lauel died.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Then it reappeared just fifty meters away from where he had died.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The cultivators were watching Lauel in bewilderment because he hade back to life.


    ¡°I am themander. I can¡¯t leave the base,¡± Lauel told them.


    ¡°Interesting. Let¡¯s see how many times you can resurrect, shall we?¡±


    The old man with the white beard forced himself tough. He couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening, so he tried to pretend to be calm.


    Before Lauel could react, the old man¡¯s hand was about to grab his face.


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>sh sh!</i>


    Hundreds of shes urred all around Lauel... No, there were at least tens of thousands of beams of light. The old man threw himself backward and activated his protective shield, but it was toote.


    Kraugel¡¯s sword sliced the blue shield in half. Braham, Euphemina, and Sariel, wrapped in Zik¡¯s runes, attacked the old man. Mir, Ken, the Apostles, the Tower members, and the Overgeared members were also there.


    ¡°...Aghhh!¡±


    Even Absolutes felt pain. Even a yer like Grid would swallow his pained screams in every battle. The old man screamed as he kept taking damage. The other cultivators rushed to protect him, but thousands of enemies now surrounded them.


    What was this trick? How could the troops that had been raiding the Full Moon Fortressese back all at once? The fact that the city, which had been reduced to ashes, had now almost recovered, was still an unsolved mystery. Was this a terrible nightmare?


    Jessica was impressed. Seeing the city rebuild itself, she muttered, ¡°I heard rumors that Grid had studied and improved the Tomb of the Gods, but I didn¡¯t know he went all out with the improvements... He must¡¯ve reached the realm of omniscience.¡±


    The Apostles, the Tower members, the Overgeared members, and the soldiers of the empire had simr reactions. They were more astonished than the cultivators. They knew that there was only one god who could cause this great miracle.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The cultivators were also shocked when they learned the truth. They didn¡¯t have time to digest the news because Braham cast Meteor.


    The battle had started.


    Hundreds of thousands of troops from the empire rushed like a tidal wave toward the two hundred cultivators.


    In the past, the cultivators would have had the upper hand despite the numbers disadvantage, They were all at least Transcendents. However, the Overgeared members had also be a lot stronger. The Overgeared Empire also possessed Absolutes such as Braham, Hayate, Biban, and Kraugel, as well as a multitude of Transcendents. They were strong enough to make use of their numerical superiority.


    ¡°You..! What trick did you use?¡±


    The old man, who was on the defensive while fighting fiercely, red at Lauel as if he wanted to kill him. Lauel justughed.


    His n took advantage of everyone designating their resurrection and return point at the Tomb of the Gods. They managed to disperse the cultivators byunching attacks on the Full Moon Fortresses...


    Lauel chose to remain silent and not offer any exnations. He was aware that some of the enemies might be lucky enough to escape, and he had no intention of exposing the yers¡¯ advantages to the cultivation world.


    ¡°You guys...! You are just mortals!¡±


    The old man realized he had been tricked and went on a rampage. As Hayate managed to break through the encirclement of the Absolutes, the old man ughtered only the weak.


    He was formidable since he had been fighting for tens of thousands of years. He knew how to inflict damage on his enemies. But there were too many skilled fighters in the Overgeared Guild. Yura and Jishuka were sniping at him, the army of magicians kept altering the terrain, Huroi was cursing his parents... No, Huroi¡¯s ability to disperse aggro made it so the old man couldn¡¯t inflict as much damage as he wanted. Zibal also did his best to rescue his allies.


    Finally, Eat Spicy Jokbal seeded in creating a small dungeon and imprisoned the old man in there.


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    All the cultivators who were left were on the same level as Transcendents. Cranbel, a top dragon, was floating in the sky, cutting off their retreat.


    Lauel ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s finish them off quickly and destroy the remaining Full Moon Fortresses one by one.¡±


    Just in time, Grid¡¯s epic updated. Everyone found out about the annihtion of the God of the beginning, Hanul.


    Lauel realized something. The cultivators didn¡¯t y that important of a role in this update. They were nothing but a way for the yers to be stronger and for the story to wrap up.

 Chapter 2002

    <h4>Chapter 2002</h4>


    ¡°How veryfortable.¡±


    This was the impression that Dragon yer Hayate got as he was looking with warm eyes at Sariel, Zik, Yura, Jishuka, Haster, Zibal, Huroi, Eat Spicy Jokbal, Damian, and Ruby.


    They were powerful enough to deal with Transcendents. However, from Hayate¡¯s perspective, they specialized in supporting others. Hayate didn¡¯t pay attention to their individual skills. But he enjoyed teaming up with them.


    During important battles, they weakened their enemies and supported their allies. With them, he felt safer and morefortable than ever before. Because of their help, he stayed focused throughout the battle. His Dragon-Killing Sword cut the throats of a hundred cultivators in the fight.


    Lauel smiled.


    ¡°The most important thing inbat is synergy. Synergy is a huge advantage in battle. I¡¯m happy to hear that you werefortable.¡±


    Unless they were talking about an unrivaled being like Grid, the most important aspect of forming a party was thebination of everyone¡¯s skills, rather than individual skill. Therefore, it was Lauel who did the most during this battle. He was the one who had formed the teams.


    ¡°I can see why Sir Grid always trusts you and leaves important tasks to you.¡±


    Hayate no longer paid attention to his surroundings. He used an honorific for Grid to his heart¡¯s content. Even though Grid wanted Hayate to live asfortably as possible, Hayate couldn¡¯t afford not to talk respectfully about Grid. Even Reba, the strongest God of the beginning, believed in Grid. Even a Dragon yer wasn¡¯t his equal.


    The old man with the white beard couldn¡¯t withstand the pincer attack performed by Kraugel and Braham. He screamed.


    ¡°Ackk...!!¡±


    Hayate saw the dwarf emerging from the old man¡¯s corpse. Cranbel fired his breath and killed the cultivator when he tried to escape. Hayate unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his chest. He had been born into aristocracy and had always been an example to others, and this was the first time he had ever looked so disheveled.


    After witnessing Reba revering Grid, who had been reborn as another light, as well as the Overgeared World, where anyone could be the main character of the story, Hayate allowed himself to rx for a bit.


    Biban sat down next to him. He was trembling nervously.


    ¡°If we get rid of all these bastards who call themselves cultivators or whatever, we can start nning our retirement.¡±


    He had been with Hayate for many years, and he knew what Hayate was thinking.


    Hayate shrugged as he gave a thumbs-up to Cranbel, who was flying high in the sky.


    ¡°I will retire after I defeat the Refractive Dragon.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He wanted to defeat the dragon god? Was he serious...?


    Biban was about to ask him about it, but he decided to shut up. Hayate was a Dragon yer. Even if the opponent was born out of the worship of Absolutes, as long as the opponent was a dragon... this was a task that Hayate had to shoulder.


    Yes, the Refractive Dragon should be left to Hayate, not Grid. It was ironic that the only one who caused an old dragon¡¯s death was no one other than Grid, but in any case, that was providence.


    Biban realized the true meaning of Hayate¡¯s burden.


    ¡®He now believes that he can die.¡¯


    It was a bittersweet realization. But Biban didn¡¯t me him. Biban was also a warrior who was prepared to die in the battle against the old dragons. As a fellow warrior, he understood and respected Hayate.


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done too~¡±


    There was amotion around Lauel. The leaders of each team had dealt with the remaining cultivators and reported to him. No nascent soul had escaped. More than two hundred Transcendent cultivators had been wiped out.


    Lauel nodded. ¡°There are only a few Full Moon Fortresses left. The cultivators are powerless to protect them.¡±


    The damage that had been inflicted on the cultivation world during this battle was devastating. Because they brought so many elites to the Tomb of the Gods, they left the Full Moon Fortresses unguarded. The army that Lauel had sent to the fortresses did too much damage. Many of the cultivators who had been left to stand guard lost the fight, or worse, the entire fortress ended up destroyed.


    Even though the elites had gathered at the Tomb of the Gods, they didn¡¯t do much. Plus, even though they swarmed the ce, they ended up doing nothing. The Tomb of the Gods, which had been destroyed by the hundreds of cultivators, was nowpletely restored.


    Grid had researched and improved the Tomb of the Gods, thergest facility and weapon of the empire.


    [Book of Wisdom]


    This was one of the greatest legacies left over by Judar, the God of Wisdom. Grid had utilized it perfectly.


    Nearly half of the elites died. The cultivators'' focus turned to the fortresses as soon as they heard that they were under attack. They wanted to preserve the Full Moon Fortresses and secure the Tomb of the Gods at the same time. Because of their excessive greed, they didn¡¯t pay enough attention and reached the point of no return.


    The cultivators weren¡¯t ipetent. Lauel was just too smart. He had yed them like a fiddle because he clearly understood the cultivators¡¯ mentality, analyzed their way of thinking, and predicted their actions.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he a cunning man? I think our lives would¡¯ve been quite different if there had been a strategist like him in the Tower of Wisdom,¡± Biban said as he stared at Lauel, who was exining his next n to the Overgeared members.


    Lauel had predicted the counterattack of the cultivators, summoned troops in advance, and secretly stationed them near each Full Moon Fortress. Quite a lot of people expressed concern about his bold operation. If the cultivators had sniffed them out, identified where they were hiding, and defeated each team individually, the losses suffered by the Overgeared World would have been enormous.


    However, Lauel trusted the magicians and craftsmen as well as the giant brothers. They all lived up to Lauel¡¯s expectations. Elizabeth and other craftsmen seeded in restoring the Magic Enhancements Artifacts of the ancient giants based on the designs from the giant brothers. Then, the magicians used these artifacts to cast invisibility spells and deceive the cultivators.


    This was how Lauel¡¯s deception tactic worked. Therefore, Lauel bowed.


    "Thank you. This operation was a sess purely because of your cooperation and performance. Let¡¯s wrap things up and enjoy our victory to the fullest.¡±


    "Waaaaaaaah!"


    Cultivators were strange yet powerful outsiders. They caused great anxiety for the inhabitants of this world. NPCs were in a different boat than yers. Because of this, the soldiers, who had been somber and depressed for several months, finally cheered up.


    Lauel filled in for the absence of Grid, who was working on his own even at this moment. The soldiers were encouraged by the two great leaders¡¯ and the Overgeared members¡¯ performance. They were no longer anxious and could now look forward to the future.


    Lauel happily looked at the soldiers, whose morale had risen, and gave an order. ¡°Get us moving.¡±


    Under Zibal¡¯s leadership, the Tomb of the Gods was now moving.


    Just then¡ª


    [You have received a message from outside the game.]


    <i>-Young Master, I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but I received a call from Z Nine.</i> <i>He is hoping to meet you in person. What should I do?</i>


    Lauel got a call from the housekeeper who had taken care of him since he was a child. He had apanied Lauel when Lauel immigrated to South Korea a few years ago. This was the first time he had ever contacted Lauel while he was ying, as he had always understood and supported Lauel¡¯s wishes.


    ¡®Z Nine...¡¯


    An all-out offensive would soon begin. From now on, the empire would ride the Tomb of the Gods where the remaining Full Moon Fortresses were, annihting the remnants of the cultivators. For now, they had the advantage, but unexpected things could always ur during war, so themander needed to be present at all times.


    However, Z Nine¡¯s mission was to track down Agnus. The fact that he had given Lauel a call meant that he had found Agnus. Plus, since he asked to have a face-to-face conversation, then something strange surely happened.


    Agnus had been missing since he died in Satisfy...


    Lauel double-checked that Agnus¡¯ character information had disappeared from his friends list and turned to Jishuka.


    ¡°I need to leave for a while. Can you take care of the rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t ask any questions because she knew Lauel very well. Plus, with the exception of Grid, all the main forces of the Overgeared World were participating in this operation. As long as Jude wasn¡¯t appointed the actingmander, Lauel¡¯s absence wouldn¡¯t change this situation too much. People also trusted Jishuka. She was no less capable of leading the troops than Lauel.


    Relieved, Lauel logged out.


    ***


    <i>Lauel¡¯s home, South Korea. </i>


    "......"


    Z Nine had just left.


    Lauel was mesmerized as he checked the video files and reports that Z Nine had left behind over and over again. Considering the time difference between reality and Satisfy, he had to hurry. Nevertheless, he sat still for a while and stared up at the night sky.


    <i>At the same time, at Shin Youngwoo¡¯s house. </i>


    ¡°......¡±


    All the lights were off. Only the capsule that Shin Youngwoo was lying in was blinking. Something was off about it. A light that had nothing to do with the LEDs built into the capsule was also blinking.


    The lights squirmed like earthworms and sometimes formed shapes. They looked like certain characters. Satisfy yers could easily recognize these symbols. They were the same mystical characters that the yers had be a bit used to recently.


    <i>Beep beep.</i> <i>Beep beep beep...</i>


    Every time a mystical character waspleted, an unfamiliar, mechanical sound echoed throughout the silent house. Inside the capsule, the lines connected to the helmet-shaped device worn by Shin Youngwoo wriggled slightly.


    Youngwoo was still in a deep slumber. In reality, he lived an ordinary life as Shin Youngwoo while in Satisfy, he dreamed that he was carrying out missions as Grid.


    The contents of his dream kept changing. He kept dreaming that notorious Satisfy monsters appeared in reality and everyday life copsed. Familiar cities, such as Seoul and Paris, were added to Satisfy, and yers were transformed into NPCs.


    Shin Youngwoo became Grid in real life and flew into the sky. Grid became Shin Youngwoo in reality and exploded after fighting a rabbit.


    The dream was full of ridiculous events.


    ¡°What the...¡±


    The moment he felt the rabbit sink hisrge front teeth into his head, Shin Youngwoo could no longer stand it and woke up with wide eyes.

 Chapter 2003

    <h4>Chapter 2003</h4>


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Of course, it was just a dream.¡¯


    Youngwoo woke up from his bad dream. He was relieved. He was so high-level right now, no way a rabbit could fight him. He had fought against a God of the beginning and won...


    ¡°......?¡±


    Youngwoo scowled as he touched his forehead, where the rabbit had bit him in the dream. He had been fighting Hanul just a moment ago. He could still see Hanul dying before his very eyes. Yes, he had been ying the game. He didn¡¯t remember logging out...


    ¡®...Then, what is this?¡¯


    Youngwoo looked around. No matter how many times he looked at it, he was inside his familiar capsule. It was thetest masterpiece of the Comet Group and a device customized exclusively for Grid.


    This was reality. He had logged out without even realizing. He tried to get out of the capsule, only to get startled by something. He experienced pain as he tried to remove the EEG interlocking device, also known as the helmet, which wasn¡¯t normal.


    He looked down andughed.


    ¡°Am I still dreaming...?¡±


    Several thick wires connecting the helmet to the capsule had split in half, revealing the circuits inside. Hundreds of thin thread-like gold wires had stretched out from within and were embedded like stingers into Youngwoo¡¯s body.


    It was a bizarre sight. If Youngwoo was squeamish, he would¡¯ve screamed at the very least. He really was squeamish, but he had witnessed so many gruesome scenes as he became a ranker, noble, legend, king, emperor, and finally, a god, that he didn¡¯t have a strong reaction to the sight.


    Youngwoo gulped and swung his arms to pull the wires from his body. He heard something crack in his head.


    Youngwoo lost consciousness again.


    ***


    <i>At the S.A. Group¡¯s headquarters. </i>


    ¡°The nanomachines injected into The One failed to activate the evolution.¡±


    The One¡ªthis was what the thirty-three scientists called Grid. They were anxious, and they looked as if they lost ten years of their lives.


    ¡°Morpheus has seeded. What a relief. It would have been really bad if anything happened to The One¡¯s character information.¡±


    The nanomachines built by the thirty-three scientists, whichbined science and magic, had all types of systems built into them. Their role was to transfer a yer¡¯s information from the game in real life. Sooner orter, the nanomachines would evolve all the yers, but right now, it was still early for that to happen.


    Only a small number of yers could receive this blessing right now because they had passed certain tests nted for them within Satisfy. One of the lucky ones was Agnus. However, today Grid also became a blessed individual because he had killed a God of the beginning.


    He had conquered the Eternal Kingdom, prevented the destruction of the Saharan Empire by stopping the sh between the insane dragon and the evil one, saved the East Continent by revealing the true myths, killed Baal to purify hell, and so on...


    Killing a God of the beginning far surpassed Grid¡¯s previous aplishments. The system judged that doing something like that was impossible to achieve. It wasn¡¯t just highly unlikely, but certainly impossible.


    However, Grid had killed him. Because he did that, the system turned its attention to him. It decided that Grid was worth it, even though he hadn¡¯t passed the test, and attempted to inject him with nanomachines.


    The system they were talking about here wasn¡¯t Morpheus. The system used for selecting pioneers had been created and managed by the thirty-three scientists, and it was a separate entity from Morpheus.


    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    The thirty-three scientists smiled warmly and thanked Morpheus, who was watching from the monitor.


    [-_-]


    Morpheus responded bluntly. This child always acted like this. It only liked chairman Lim Cheolho. The scientists smiled bitterly.


    Lim Cheolho scolded them. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you many times that Grid should be excluded from the system you created? You ignored my advice and acted on your own, which made Grid aware that something is off. Will you take responsibility for this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. How could we, who came to you after admiring your skills, ignore your advice? The system has been properly fixed. The One had been excluded from the search from the very beginning. So this... is a disaster. The One aplished so much that the system was naturally drawn to him.¡±


    The skinny old man wasn¡¯t lying. Who would¡¯ve thought that Grid would kill a God of the beginning? Grid dueled him and won. No one could have seen thating. Chairman Lim Cheolho was finally convinced that this was but a mere ident and said nothing else.


    The skinny old manforted him. ¡°There is nothing to worry about. The One won¡¯t remember what happened today.¡±


    There were more than a dozen types ofmands imprinted on the nanomachines. They could also release hallucinogens that could stabilize a subject¡¯s mind and body.


    The scientists were bragging. Chairman Lim Cheolho nodded, relieved.


    ***


    ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡±


    "Aghh! Why are you screaming all of a sudden, <i>nyang?¡± </i>


    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±


    Randy, Noe, and the clone reacted as soon as Grid came to his senses. Randy grinned and hugged Grid, Noe snuck a well-grilled fish in Grid¡¯s hand, and the clone analyzed Grid¡¯s condition.


    Grid stroked Randy¡¯s hair and handed Noe the fish back. ¡°Why did you only give me the head of the fish?¡± he scolded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten the rest, <i>nyang...¡± </i>


    ¡°The fish isn¡¯t even grilled properly.¡±


    ¡°U-Uhm... I will taste it to see if I cooked it well...¡±


    ¡°Forget it, forget it. You can have it.¡±


    Grid shook his head and looked around. It seemed that he was still in the East Continent.


    ¡°I was out cold... For how long?¡±


    ¡°It has been an hour and forty-one minutes since you fainted.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    For a yer, fainting was just another negative status effect. They couldn¡¯t move, but their consciousness would be fine. What¡¯s more, they usually recovered in seconds or minutes.


    However, Grid had fainted for an hour and forty-one minutes. This made no sense.


    ¡®Did I faint because I was supposed to die...? Then, shouldn¡¯t I have died?¡¯


    This whole thing made him feel terribly ufortable. But he soon felt better again. He opened his status window and saw that he had gained more than two hundred levels. He¡¯d gained new titles, such as The Faith of a God of the Beginning and Another Light. It didn¡¯t look like he had lost anything, which meant that he hadn¡¯t died.


    Well, if he had died, he would¡¯ve woken up at the resurrection location.


    ¡°...Wait, what?¡±


    Grid noticed something a bit toote. His armor was gone. He thought he hadn¡¯t died because his level was still the same, but had he actually died?


    The clone said, ¡°Even the dragon armor couldn¡¯t handle the Annihtion energy. It was blown to pieces during the fight against Hanul. We tried to recover as many fragments as we could, but we thought King Sobyeol would show up any second. Thus, we left without picking up all the fragments. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You did well. There is no need to apologize. By the way, why are you so polite? We are one and the same person.¡±


    ¡°You are me, but I can¡¯t be you.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, but... Try your best to talk like I do. That way, other people can¡¯t easily distinguish between us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not very hard to do.¡±


    The way the clone was speaking drastically changed. His facial expressions and gestures also matched Grid¡¯s. Grid wasn¡¯t controlling the clone, so it was now in auto mode. The clone was very much still Grid in some way.


    ¡®He will be progressively more useful as time passes.¡¯


    The clone had been directly imbued with Grid¡¯s consciousness. It waspletely different from the clones created in the Behen Archipgo, which meant that he wouldn¡¯t betray him. Grid was satisfied.


    ¡°By the way, King Sobyeol died a little while ago,¡± the clone said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Hwan Kingdom¡¯s condition was as precarious as a sandcastle. They had lost all the yangban that had been raised as soldiers, and Hanul also died. It was currently left unguarded. Anything could happen to it.


    If King Sobyeol had been in peak condition, he would¡¯ve easily calmed the waters and imed the throne. But now, well...


    ¡°...Did the three masters betray King Sobyeol?¡±


    Just a few months before, Grid had stabbed King Sobyeol in the back and defeated him. This had clearly weakened the king. Grid also knew that the three masters had regained their old powers for some reason. The Apostles had told him this during the battle against the imoogi. Grid was suspicious of the three masters.


    The clone shook his head.


    ¡°No, Garam killed him.¡±


    The clone was a magician. He had ced magic crystals everywhere to monitor the enemy¡¯s movements. Using them, he had witnessed Garam killing King Sobyeol.


    ¡°Garam...? He came back to life? How is that possible? Wasn¡¯t his soul destroyed in hell?¡±


    ¡°It seems that Hanul nominated Garam as his sessor and resurrected him. Hanul could easily do that with his powers as a God of the beginning.¡±


    ¡°...Indeed, if I had been in Hanul¡¯s ce, I wouldn¡¯t have appointed King Sobyeol as my sessor.¡±


    King Sobyeol had betrayed his own brother, King Daebyeol, and sent him to hell. He hadn¡¯t been able to surpass his brother. Hanul had a better opinion about King Daebyeol than he had about King Sobyeol. Hanul had always been angry at King Sobyeol, and he had never trusted him. He wasn¡¯t fond of him.


    ¡°But why Garam...?¡±


    ¡°Because you got Mir,¡± the clone exined.


    ¡®Out of all the talented yangbans that Hanul created, Garam and Mir were the best. Hanul had no other choice.¡¯


    ¡°Indeed, Garam is very skilled.¡±


    However, he was an awful guy. If he got the chance, he would surely cause a lot of chaos in the Overgeared World and Asgard. The three masters weren¡¯t that much of a threat, but Garam had the potential to reenact Hanul¡¯s resentment.


    ¡°He left a bomb behind...¡±


    Grid scowled when he heard that Garam, who had inherited Hanul¡¯s divinity, had even absorbed King Sobyeol¡¯s.


    ¡°But now it looks like he is destroying all the Full Moon Fortresses...¡± the clone muttered.


    Grid cocked his head.


    ¡°Who? Garam?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...He is just a madman.¡±


    Why? There was no need to question Garam¡¯s choices and actions. He just acted ording to his mood.


    In any case, they currently had a shortage of fighters, so Garam was doing them a favor. Grid smiled when he read the constantly updating guild chat. The Full Moon Fortresses on the West Continent were being destroyed one after another. It seemed that all the cultivators were being ughtered. Even without Grid, Lauel and the Overgeared members were still performing their tasks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do some repairs first.¡±


    Grid pulled out his hammer and anvil.


    He was ready to make a new piece of armor with the mes of the Red Phoenix.


    Just then, he received a whisper from Lauel.


    [I found Agnus. He used a skill in real life.]


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Grid¡¯s fears had be reality. His eyes widened, and his back was drenched in sweat.

 Chapter 2004

    Chapter 2004


    Agnus had used a skill in real life...


    Lauel seemed pretty serious about this, which meant that he had personally seen Agnus do that or had evidence of it.


    ¡°The asteroid hasn¡¯t even fallen yet. Are things like this happening already?¡±


    Grid shook his head and limbs to try to calm down after hearing such shocking news. He could feel the sweat on his back slowly drying.


    [Whisper from Lauel: I was also very confused. I thought this would only happen once Ghamid fell, since it could cause ecological changes and many other things.]


    ¡°Can anyone else other than Agnus do this?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: No. I only know about Agnus...]


    ¡°The skill that Agnus used exists in Satisfy, right?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: Yes, ording to what I saw from the video, it was a basic skill of a necromancer¡ªthe art of controlling the bones of animals buried in the ground.]


    ¡°We have no choice but to doubt the S.A. Group¡¯s intentions, just as Nathaniel said. I¡¯m sure they did something to the capsule.¡±


    People who had never attended a taekwondo school in their lives happened to be martial artists after ying Satisfy. This led to many conspiracy theories. Society was convinced that yers could reproduce in reality the techniques they had mastered in Satisfy.


    But using a skill in real life? This was a real problem. This wasn¡¯t something that people could do in real life, so it was proof that this was the result of someone¡¯s meddling, and that someone had to be the S.A. Group. Nathaniel¡¯s theory that the S.A. Group was training yers in preparation for Ghamid made even more sense now.


    ¡®The key materials needed to make capsules are provided by the S.A. Group...¡¯


    Yura¡¯s grandfather, the chairman of the Comet Group, had said the same thing as Nathaniel. He said thatpanies which produced capsules must follow the guidelines of the S.A. Group no matter what. The core materials of the capsules were also provided by the S.A Group¡¯s headquarters.


    ¡°Should I contact the S.A. Group directly?¡±


    Grid had chairman Lim Cheolho¡¯s contact information. Not even the president of the United States had that.


    However, Lauel refused.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Whisper from Lauel: I can¡¯t tell whether the culprit behind this incident is Chairman Lim Cheolho, Morpheus, or someone else from the S.A. Group. You shouldn¡¯t contact him until we know for sure who is causing this.]


    Worst case scenario, the S.A Group could be helping the yers be stronger not to save the world from Ghamid, but to inflict harm upon it¡­ Maybe they were trying to conquer Earth by bringing the monsters from Satisfy¡¯s into reality, but then an error urred, and yers ended up with special abilities instead.


    [Whisper from Lauel: Grid?]


    Grid had zoned out. He came back to his senses.


    ¡°Uh? What were you saying?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: Countries such as the United States and China, and powers like Rothschild seem to be putting a lot of pressure onto the S.A. Group. It would be better for us to wait and see what the S.A. Group has to say about this and not put ourselves at risk.]


    Grid and Lauel had many ways tomunicate with other countries and organizations who had a favorable impression of them.


    Grid nodded.


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: I will look at the dynamics of the S.A Group and observe the changes that other yers are going through. Someone else must¡¯ve gone through the same transformation as Agnus.]


    That was entirely possible. Lauel could investigate the Overgeared Guild and the rankers active in the alliance. One could say that Lauel had a richer database than many powerful countries. The information he had ess to was second only to the S.A. Group. This was why many countries were obsessed with Grid and the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Could there be someone else in the same situation as Agnus? It seems that, once whatever happened to Agnus urs, the character information gets deleted.¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: Even if there were others in his situation, there wouldn¡¯t be too many. There would be a lot of buzz if there was a noticeable change in so many people. I will find out more once I start looking into things.]


    ¡°Yes, I will leave that to you. By the way... Where is Agnus, and what is he doing? Do you know his whereabouts?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: Not yet. I¡¯ve sent in new personnel, but I¡¯m honestly a bit skeptical that I¡¯m going to get any new results. Depending on the type and level of the skills he can use, he might bepletely impossible to track. Realistically, I have no choice but to hope that he will contact us first.]


    ¡°Will he dare do that though?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: I think he will. He won¡¯t be very mentally stable. He will try to find someone to rely on.]


    ¡°You really think he will rely on us?¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: Whatever happened to him, it happened suddenly. It must have been a scary and confusing experience for him. He will have a lot of doubts, and he probably doesn''t understand what really happened. I think he¡¯s afraid that others might try to find him and experiment on him if they find out about his condition. Because of this, I think he¡¯ll keep to the shadows and only talk to someone he can trust.]


    Grid was a bit tired. Lauel was speaking calmly, but his bleak predictions about the future were a bit frightening. Grid wanted to curse, but he knew that Lauel was just being realistic.


    ¡°...I hope that he trusts us enough.¡±


    [Whisper from Lauel: I don¡¯t think he will trust us. But he will trust you.]


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    Grid let out augh. He remembered the times when he and Agnus tried to kill each other. They had teamed up to conquer hell, and Agnus had cooperated with the Overgeared members for a short period of time, but... Considering that he and Grid didn¡¯t use to be on good terms, there was no way Agnus trusted him.


    Lauel thought differently.


    [Whisper from Lauel: You think he hasn¡¯t moved on from the times you tried to kill each other? That probably isn¡¯t the case. From what I can see, you seem worried about him.]


    Grid wanted to deny that, but he gave up. ¡°That¡¯s only because I¡¯m nice...¡±


    After the conquest of hell, he remembered that Agnus had made an effort to interact with other people, even though that didn¡¯tst long. Still, he¡¯d made an effort. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was the equivalent of greeting someone when one met them on the street.


    Grid had not thought until now that Agnus had truly made an effort back then. However, looking back at it now, he realized that Agnus had clearly tried his best.


    Grid nodded. ¡°...Yes, he has changed a lot.¡±


    He believed that Agnus woulde to him one day.


    [Whisper from Lauel: I have to get going.]


    After a few more exchanges, Lauel hung up, stating that he would concentrate on dealing with the Full Moon Fortresses. Unless something unexpected happened, the Full Moon Fortresses all over the West Continent were likely to be destroyed within ten days.


    To be honest, it felt a bit pointless. Cultivators had terrified everyone when they first appeared, but now they were on the verge of extinction.


    ¡®At this point, I think I misinterpreted the point of the update.¡¯


    At first, he thought they were going to be stronger by fighting the cultivators. He was wrong. The key to his update was to learn to be stronger using mystical arts and elixirs. The cultivators were just simple examples. They showed that yers could be as strong as them. Perhaps the cultivators had such vicious personalities because they were supposed to be somewhat like mentors.


    ¡°...In any case, I can¡¯t afford to ck off.¡±


    They might have won, but there were still many Full Moon Fortresses left. Even in Asgard, the demon cultivators were coborating with the gods to build new fortresses. The war against Asgard wouldn¡¯t be an easy one. They needed to make the necessary preparations.


    ng, ng, ng...


    The sound of hammering reverberated clearly along the river where the mes of the fire dragon and the mes of the Red Phoenix flowed. Grid had opened up his mental world and was entirely focused on crafting new armor.


    The clone was watching him from the sidelines.


    ¡°The United States or China need to have sufficient evidence to pressure the S.A Group,¡± the clone said. ¡°For example, will the S.A Group feel pressured unless others have evidence of what happened to Agnus?¡±


    The clone had Grid¡¯s consciousness, so he knew everything that Grid knew, including what Lauel had informed Grid moments before. However, when operating in auto mode, he was just as intelligent as a super named-grade NPC. Simply said, he was smarter than Grid.


    Grid stopped hammering for a moment. ¡°What are you implying?¡±


    ¡°It appears that Lauel deliberately leaked Agnus¡¯ information. This way, governments and organizations will be able to put pressure on the S.A Group to obtain the information he wants.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. Lauel¡¯s voice echoed in his mind.


    I think he¡¯s afraid that others might try to find him and experiment on him if they find out about his condition. Because of this, I think he¡¯ll keep to the shadows and only talk to someone he can trust.


    So Lauel had given Agnus away. As a result, now Agnus risked bing a guinea pig. Lauel was using Agnus as a scapegoat to understand the intentions of the S.A. Group.


    ¡°That¡¯s so disrespectful. Lauel even teamed up with Agnus at some point, so isn¡¯t he betraying Agnus¡¯ loyalty?¡±


    The clone¡¯s clear and thoughtful eyes stared at Grid. Grid had some difficulty speaking. He looked very ufortable and avoided the clone¡¯s gaze.


    The clone nodded. ¡°You can¡¯t me Lauel. Focus on taking care of Agnus once he contacts you so you can make up for Lauel¡¯s sins..¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t have the right to me Lauel, since his subordinate had always done things for Grid¡¯s sake. Grid knew what Lauel could do, yet he gave him more and more power. Grid bit his lip as he remembered the moment when Lauel captured tens of thousands of enemy forces and killed them all to set an example.


    ng, ng, ng...


    He was hammering faster. Was this his way of trying to suppress his guilt? Soon, the sound of the hammer hitting metal resembled thunder. The river of mes flowing through Grid¡¯s mental world seemed to be flooding the area as if a tidal wave hade.


    The mental world reflected his state of mind. Of course it reacted this way, given its master¡¯s mood.


    The mes of the fire dragon blended with the ones of the Red Phoenix in the river because of the change in Grid¡¯s mindset. The mental world didn¡¯t always stay the same. Crafting Items in a ce that was constantly changing meant that Grid was prepared to end up with any results.


    ng, ng, ng.


    The red armor made from the scales of the fire dragon was turning ck. The dark armor seemed somewhat grim and ominous. In fact, it emitted an aura that had a negative effect on its surroundings. The enemies who would face Grid in the future would have quite a headache.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t stand it and cursed. He sent a whisper to Toon.


    ¡°Find Agnus and protect him.¡±


    [Whisper from Toon: On it.]


    [The whisper recipient has logged out.]


    Toon had been by Grid¡¯s side in real life for a long time, bing richer and more powerful. He used to be part of the mafia. This meant that he had a lot of connections and knew how to use them.


    Men in dpidated suits from all over the world were on the move.

 Chapter 2005

    Chapter 2005


    While Grid was unconscious, the clone, Noe, and Randy had gone to great lengths to get him to safety. They had to flee with all their might and be constantly on the lookout for their surroundings.


    As a result, they were exhausted. This was why Noe had devoured that fish like he had been starving.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t change that this is a game of luck.¡¯


    As the group rested and satisfied their hunger, Grid was busy repairing his armor. The by-products of Fire Dragon Trauka were piled up in his inventory, so he had plenty of materials. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to get the results he desired.


    Dozens of Full Moon Fortress were still intact because the whereabouts of the old dragons were unknown. They had disappeared without a trace after they encountered some mysterious enemy. Garam had been reborn as an Absolute, and there were also the three masters.


    The situation on the East Continent was still bad, and Grid¡¯s time was running out. He didn¡¯t have a lot of time to spare on crafting armor. Thus, Grid made the items using auto mode. To save time with the portable furnace and used the river of mes in his mental world to make the dragon armor like it was an industrial product.


    The results were better than what he expected. Grid¡¯s chaotic mental world had actually helped.


    [Chaos Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor]


    Its defense was slightly lowerpared to the previous Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor, though it had the same rating. Effects such as damage immunity, one-shot immunity, stats increase, and immunity to poison were still there, like in the case of the previous Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor.


    However, effects such as increased defense in proportion to the number of existing party members, sharing said increased defense with all party members, and increasing defense and physical damage with every hit had all been deleted.


    This was very unfortunate, but it wasn¡¯t really a loss because an effect was added to rece the one that had been deleted.


    [¡ïEvery time you take damage, attack power will increase by 3%. This can stack indefinitely. However, the additional attack power is only applied to your following attack.]


    Grid had plenty of defense already. Hanul had dealt so much damage to him only because Grid no longer had the Annihtion energy. Had that not happened, Grid would have been fine. He had the Shock Mitigation skill that significantly mitigated all types of damage. There was also the Absolute Defense skill that invalidated most attacks.


    The skills previously built into the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor had surely been neutralized by Hanul¡¯s light, but the Regression skill, the ultimate skill of the Fire Dragon¡¯s Armor, was still intact.


    [Regression.]


    Reproduces the will of Fire Dragon Trauka and regresses to the state one was before taking damage.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Skill Cooldown Time: 48 hours.]


    If Grid hadn¡¯t fainted, he would¡¯ve made good use of this ultimate skill. The Chaos Fire Dragon''s Armor had also inherited this ultimate, overpowered skill.


    Yup. Grid was back to having a lot of sustainability.


    The armor, gauntlets, boots, and helmet were jet-ck and had a faint red hue. Grid equipped them.


    [You have equipped the Chaos Fire Dragon Set. The Chaos Aura effect is activated for having all the set items equipped.]


    [Chaos Aura]


    [Inflicts the Confusion negative status effect on enemies within a 10 meter radius. If the target is resistant to negative status effects, the aura will instead inflict a debuff that reduces attack power and defense.]


    A gray mist hovered around Grid. This was a passive skill that was active all the time and inflicted Confusion, which was considered the deadliest CC after Stun since it made it impossible for opponents to control their movements and actions. This passive skill would be activated twenty-four hours a day without any conditions or restrictions.


    To add a bit of exaggeration, this skill was powerful enough that it was worthy of belonging to a death god.


    Grid had crafted the items too easily. The armor, helmet, gauntlets, and boots had all been crafted using auto made. The Chaos Fire Dragon Set had been created through pure luck. Of course, Grid had failed dozens of times while crafting them and consumed a considerable amount of materials, but it was worth it.


    He¡¯d done all this in just half a day. He now had this set effect that he hadn¡¯t even intended for.


    ¡®This really is the power of luck.¡¯


    There was little information on how to make set items with an aura effect. Grid had gotten his hands on one by pure ident just because of how the mental world had been acting while he was working on his items.


    Randy gulped. The clone also retreated slightly with a frown. He was overwhelmed by the ominous gray aura that emanated endlessly from Grid. His allies weren¡¯t affected by the aura, but they were still driven by instinct and were slightly afraid.


    ¡°C-Cool, nyang.¡±


    Noe¡¯s ck and white eyes sparkled. Since he was from hell, he seemed to be attracted to the ominous aura.


    Seeing his reaction, Grid examined the clone¡¯s condition.


    ¡°How much of your mana has recovered?¡±


    The clone was a magician who inspired even the God of magic. He had a tremendous amount of mana, and his mana also regenerated incredibly fast.


    Now, the clone was casting dozens of spells at the same time. He had the surveince spell installed on each route active while also having AOE illusion and protective spells around the area where the group currently was. Even a great magician would run out of mana within an hour when casting so many spells.


    ¡°I have more than half left. It will be fine, assuming that I withdraw the illusion and protective spells.¡±


    Fortunately, the clone was in good condition. Grid nodded and took a deep breath.


    The Annihtion energy was incredibly powerful, and Grid knew this because he¡¯d gotten personally damaged by it. The most important aspect was that Annihtion energy rendered defense useless. It had reduced Multiple Weakening Barriers, as well as the armor with infinite durability, to dust.


    Garam had inherited some of Hanul¡¯s divinity. There was a high probability he had some leftover Annihtion energy.


    In other words¡ª


    ¡°Killing Garam should be my top priority.¡±


    Leaving Garam alive was dangerous. Grid should be his first target.


    The clone also thought that. This was why he took the risk to stay on the East Continent for now. If they went back to the West Continent and returned to the East Continent afterward, Garam would surely sense them, even if they used magic or warp gates. He would detect Grid¡¯s powerful presence no matter what.


    ¡°Invisible.¡±


    This spell made objects invisible. However, the spell used by the clone was different. Not only did it make the target invisible, but it alsopletely erased their traces. Others couldn¡¯t even hear the targets speak. It was almostparable to Faker¡¯s Stealth.


    The skill caused some powerful side effects.


    ¡°It feels strange.¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    Noe and Randy were extremely confused because they couldn¡¯t see nor hear themselves. It felt as if all of their senses had been blocked. It was difficult for them to be aware of themselves.


    Grid grabbed them by the scruff of their necks as they struggled. Even if the clone¡¯s Invisible magic was very effective, it couldn¡¯t avoid Grid¡¯s insight. He could clearly see the rest. Grid saw how proud the clone was and scolded him.


    ¡°Why are you so smug?¡± Grid asked, grinning. ¡°Any Absolute could see through this. Of course, only if they¡¯re close enough. This spell is truly amazing. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to see this spell from a hundred meters away unless I use my artificial senses.¡±


    ¡°I know. Still, it is gratifying to hear you say that.¡±


    ¡°Should I like receivingpliments from you?¡± Grid wondered.


    ¡°You can be me, but I can¡¯t be you.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that.¡±


    The group moved secretly and quickly. They followed Garam¡¯s traces, which the clone detected using surveince spells. They determined the route Garam had taken and moved.


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    ¡°Did he startbining Annihtion energy and light?¡±


    The group was very shocked.


    Garam was always one step ahead of them, and everywhere he went, only traces of destruction remained. The moon-like fortresses had vanished, leaving behind only small fragments. They all looked like they had been swept away by a storm.


    The standard way to destroy the Full Moon Fortress was to dismantle the formation and gradually weaken it, but Garam simply destroyed the building using force. It was clear that he was using Annihtion energy. They could barely find any traces of the cultivators¡¯ resistance. This probably meant that they had all died before they could do anything.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, nyang.¡±


    As the atmosphere grew heavy, Noe puffed out his chest and tried encouraging the rest. There seemed to be something he believed in.


    ¡°Our master can also handle light. What are you so worried about? Didn¡¯t you all see the master turn into light and kill Hanul?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Noe believed in Grid.


    Grid had no expectations. He looked slightly disappointed when he asked, ¡°Can you now properly control the Treasures that you have absorbed from the cultivators¡¯ nascent souls?¡±


    ¡°A-A bit...?¡±


    ¡°Keep training until you can control them. You are my most important asset. Even when I fought against Hanul, it would¡¯ve been hard for me to win without your help.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! I understand, nyang!¡±


    Noe smiled brightly for the first time in ages. His eyes sparkled and he vomited out hundreds of Treasures. He was yelling and controlling the Treasures flying around him. Grid turned to speak to the clone.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I can handle light thanks to the title of Another Light. But as you saw, I can¡¯t withstand the speed of light.¡±


    Dealing with the power of light possessed a lot of risks. Grid had fainted because he had moved at the speed of light.


    Grid wasn¡¯t the God of light. The title of Another Light was like a power temporarily borrowed from the title of The Faith of a God of the Beginning. He couldn¡¯t handle light properly.


    The clone said, ¡°Hanul and King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity was so scary because they could absorb the power of their opponent. Garam is probably bing stronger because he¡¯s exploiting this power while killing the cultivators. We should kill him as quickly as possible.¡±


    Grid agreed. Regardless of the light, they continued to pursue Garam. They toured almost the entirety of the East Continent. It wasn¡¯t easy to track Garam because he used routes outside the Overgeared World every time he moved.


    Almost a whole day passed.


    ¡°What is it you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Grid¡¯s group arrived in front of a Full Moon Fortress, which was engulfed in mes. Did it just copse? They encountered a group of cultivators.


    No, wait. Their clothes were simr to the ones cultivators were wearing, but the energy they exuded was on a different level. They were Immortals, and there were seven of them.


    The search formation they had set up around them dismantled the Invisible spell and detected Grid¡¯s Annihtion energy. They thought Grid was the main culprit who had destroyed the nearby Full Moon Fortress.


    ¡°Nothing good wille from me wasting time here.¡±


    He needed to deal with Garam as soon as possible. Grid was somewhat nervous.


    [I was wondering why they stopped chasing us.]


    A strong intent was engraved everywhere as two giant dragons showed up. Raiders and Nevartan had been MIA for a long time. Grid noticed that the color of their scales had be somewhat darker and realized something.


    ¡°Were these guys chasing you?¡±


    [It just so happened that they were.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish them off quickly,¡± Grid said.


    An immortal wondered, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Finish them off quickly? Really? The immortals snorted.


    [The effect of Dragon Knight is active!]


    Grid stood on Nevartan¡¯s head and exuded a different aura from before, which was enough to make the immortals nervous when they had previously treated the old dragons as prey.

 Chapter 2006

    <h4>Chapter 2006</h4>


    Raiders and Nevartan thought this was somewhat unfair. Many of the Absolute-level cultivators who confronted them were monsters who could ascend at any time. If they were at a slight disadvantage during a fight, they would sacrifice a Full Moon Fortress to ascend, evolve into an immortal, and return to the battle.


    The good news was...


    ¡°They are <i>my </i>prey.¡±


    ¡°Bah, you really think I will just let you have a dragon that is at least as strong as a true immortal? How can you hoard all the rewards for yourself? All the scales, leather, horns, teeth, ws, eyes, heart, or even the blood? Unless you want me to kill you first, let¡¯s abandon our greed and share this prey.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think you can kill me?¡±


    ¡°You two, calm down. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to work together and settle how to share the rewards afterward?¡±


    ¡°Work together? Why should I trust you?¡±


    The immortals didn¡¯t trust each other. They hated each other and were wary of the others¡¯ actions as if they were blood enemies. For the old dragons, it was much more convenient to be chased by seven immortals than to be chased by two or three immortals.


    -<i>They are treating us as if we¡¯re already dead.</i>


    -<i>Honestly, I thought I was about to die.</i>


    Raiders and Nevartan had contradictory expressions on their faces while chatting. Raiders looked relieved, while Nevartan gritted his teeth like he was about to go on a rampage any second now.


    -<i>Is this something an old dragon should say?</i> <i>Have youpletely lost your self-esteem since Hayate captured you and since you allowed Trauka to die?</i>


    -<i>I can¡¯t say those things didn¡¯t affect me at all.</i>


    Raiders was candid about how he felt. Nevartan¡¯s taunts didn¡¯t work on him at all.


    Nevartan frowned and released ck fog. This thick fog temporarily made it hard for the cultivators to see or sense anything at all. They had already slowed down in their pursuit because they were too paranoid of each other.


    ¡°You despicable ck dragon! I will rip out your heart alive and chew on it!¡±


    The female immortal, who had been on bad terms with Raiders since attacking hisir, lost her temper. She used the iron ball stuck to the tip of her tongue as her main Treasure, and she was the one who had done the most during the chase. She didn¡¯t bother with the other immortals and only focused on chasing the two old dragons.


    ¡®This is a bit excessive.¡¯


    The girl had lived for tens of thousands of years but she had almost never experienced dilemmas. She kept getting stronger and stronger thanks to her natural talent and good fortune. Not only had she found herself into a strange world, but now she also risked losing the prey she so desperately wanted? She had never experienced this before. She didn¡¯t know how it felt when things didn¡¯t go her way.


    The old dragons were very clever. They used the areas where the Full Moon Fortresses were located as escape routes. Every time they arrived at a Full Moon Fortress, they would go on a rampage and provoke the cultivators of other sects. If there was a cultivator among them who was qualified to ascend, it would be very troublesome for the other immortals. The moment a cultivator who could ascendid eyes on the dragons, they would bepetition for the immortals.


    ¡°Again...!¡±


    The old dragons spewed mes from their mouths while retreating. Their retreat path was jade colored. They reached a Full Moon Fortress where the Eternal Life Sect was located.


    This sect was fairlyrge. It had quite a few cultivators in the great ascension realm. There were also old cultivators who could ascend at any time, so there was the possibility that they would also startpeting with the immortals.


    ¡°Going on a rampage...!¡±


    The female immortal with sharp eyes increased her spiritual energy to the maximum amount. All the other immortals turned to look at her. They were insidious and ready to make her their new victim.


    The female immortal made a bold decision. ¡®I can make up for the losses if I take the dragons¡¯ hearts.¡¯


    She used most of her spiritual energy to cast a lightning movement technique and charged forward at lightning speed. She approached the old dragons and swung her spear. Some of Nevartan¡¯s scales fell off because of the surprise attack.


    [Bah!]


    Nevartan just snorted.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The two giant dragons vanished. They used a secret move called teleportation. This spatial movement technique had already fooled the girl several times.


    ¡°How is this possible...?¡±


    They could just use spatial movement techniques without a formation or spirit stones? This world was bizarre. It wasmon for beings in this world to disy magical abilities beyond their realm. Some of these beings made her think that they had realms higher than golden immortal.


    ¡®What is this ce?¡¯


    Was this world the hometown of the warrior? The girl who had be an immortal remembered the story about the warrior who wreaked havoc in the immortal world a long time ago. She kept making up absurd scenarios in her head.


    ¡®Did the descendants of the warriors summon us to this world to wipe out the cultivators?¡¯


    ...No, this had been a forced dimensional transfer. There was no way someone could do this unless they were a god...


    The girl shook her head. Her eyes gradually became cold because she noticed that the other six immortals had stopped chasing the old dragons and instead surrounded her.


    ¡°You are very brave to ignore us like this...¡±


    An immortal¡¯s spiritual energy recovered incredibly fast. By absorbing a spirit stone of the highest tier, one could recover their strength.


    However, it was bound to take some time until theypletely recovered. The girl was in a bad situation right now. Using up all her spiritual energy to cast a lightning movement technique? Blinded by her greed, she didn¡¯t save enough resources and she was temporarily out of spiritual energy. She was vulnerable now, which meant that this was the perfect opportunity for the other immortals to kill her.


    ¡°This situation was already quite bothersome because there¡¯s a lot ofpetition, but things worked out well in the end. It would be perfect if we could kill you and increase our strength before resuming chasing the fleeing dragons.¡±


    The six immortals didn¡¯t hide their murderous intentions. They quickly closed the distance between them and the girl and pulled out their respective treasures.


    The surrounding jade light faded in an instant. There was a problem with the source of the jade light¡ª the Full Moon Fortress. Astonished, the immortals looked up at the sky.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    They witnessed the Full Moon Fortress being split in half and falling.


    The immortals watched in a daze as it crashed to the ground and shattered to pieces. Then they finally reacted and frowned.


    ¡°That que... Was that the Eternal Life Sect? How did the Full Moon Fortress of the Eternal Life Sect end up like this...?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Yu Seong the great elder of the Eternal Life Sect? Didn¡¯t Yu Seong deliberately postpone his ascension?¡±


    Deliberately postponing ascension referred to cultivators who, for some reason, even though they could ascend to immortality at any moment, chose not to do so. The seven immortals present had been mere cultivators just a few days before. Because of personal reasons, they hadn¡¯t considered leaving the cultivation world. They ended up giving up on these reasons to chase the old dragons.


    In any case, Yu Seong was a very powerful individual. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t have done anything to prevent the Full Moon Fortress from copsing.


    ¡°...He didn¡¯t even have time to ascend?¡± the immortals wondered.


    Now that they paid extra attention to the remains, it looked as if the Full Moon Fortress of the Eternal Life Sect had been cut by a single sh of the sword. This was the work of a being who was at least on the same level as a true immortal.


    ¡°Or maybe even on the level of a golden immortal...¡±


    The immortals were a bit nervous. They put off killing the girl they surrounded.


    ¡°This is a formidable enemy. Let¡¯s get rid of our greed for a moment and work together.¡±


    At someone¡¯s insistence, the immortals, including the girl, nodded. They put away the desire to harm each other, as well as the n to chase the old dragons.


    Just then, Grid¡¯s group showed up. The immortals who promised to cooperate had nothing to fear.


    ¡°Did you do that?¡±


    They immediately made their killing intent obvious to Grid¡¯s group and approached slowly.


    [I was wondering why they stopped chasing us.]


    The old dragons were back. They had run away, but now they seemed to have gained some confidence.


    ¡°Were these guys chasing you?¡±


    [It just so happened that they were.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish them off quickly.¡±


    The conversation between Grid and the old dragons greatly angered the immortals.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    The immortals noticed that Grid was very powerful. He had cut down the Full Moon Fortress with a single sh of his sword. At the very least, was stronger than any of the seven immortals in terms of raw power. But the immortals had a numerical advantage. Or so they thought.


    The immortals snorted, but their eyes suddenly widened. They paled. Many things changed the moment Gridnded on top of the ck dragon¡¯s head. The energies exuded by Grid and the ck dragon became ridiculously intimidating.


    ¡°He really is on the same level as a golden immortal...!¡±


    The immortals exchanged looks and made a decision. They used binding and istion-type techniques, aware that they needed to sever the bond that existed between Grid and the ck dragon.


    They took out ck chains and huge boxes from their mouths. They used the chains imbued with mystical characters to bind the wings and legs of the ck dragon. A box wriggled as if alive and swallowed Grid whole. This was a trick meant to iste Grid and the ck dragon.


    Grid was aware of their intentions and shed through the box with the Falling Moon Sword. Nevartan couldn¡¯t move because of the chains.


    ¡®This is better than the dragon¡¯s harpoon.¡¯


    The chains seemed to have been forged over the years so they could be used to hunt down giant beings. This meant that huge monsters like dragons weremon in the cultivation world.


    Grid saw how powerful the chains were and abandoned Nevartan without a second thought. The Dragon Knight effect was lifted the moment he separated from Nevartan using Shunpo. The immortals rxed, sensing that Grid¡¯s aura had changed the moment he was alone.


    They were happy that they seeded in pinpointing a powerful enemy¡¯s weakness and attacked. Many mystical arts and treasures of the immortals headed for Grid.


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    [You have suffered catastrophic damage!]


    Grid¡¯s HP bar decreased rapidly. By the time he had got close to the cultivators, he had less than one-third of his HP remaining. Why? Because the immortals were true Absolutes. Of course they were powerful.


    However, there was something that was more important than that. Grid didn¡¯t activate Multiple Weakening Barriers and Absolute Defense. Yup. He deliberately let the immortals hit him to maximize the power of the new armor, which increased his attack power every time he got hit.


    [The effect of the Chaos Fire Dragon''s Armor has increased the power of your next attack by 630%.]


    [The effect of Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears has been triggered. Attack power will increase by 50% for 5 seconds.]


    Evil Spirit¡¯s Bloody Tears was a skill built into the ughterer''s Mask. Since this skill triggered after Grid umted enough blood flow from taking damage, it had great synergy with the Chaos Fire Dragon''s Armor.


    ¡°Restraint.¡±


    Grid closed the distance between him and the immortals and performed a fierce sword dance that overwhelmed nearby enemies. The immortals were already affected by Chaos Aura and now fell victim to a breathtaking illusion.


    ¡°Drop.¡±


    Grid proved his greatness to the world. A wave of sword energy rained down from the sky like a giant palm, hitting the already overwhelmed immortals and making them copse to the ground.


    Grid¡¯s hair was standing up because of Transcend¡¯s effect, which triggered whenever he used Drop.


    ¡°Flower.¡±


    The petal-shaped sword energies fluttered in all directions around the immortals.


    [Grid.]


    ¡°Raiders.¡±


    Beneath Grid¡¯s feet, something golden appeared. It was Raiders, who reced Nevartan and carried Grid on his back.


    [The effect of Dragon Knight is activated!]


    ¡°Kill, Wave, Link.¡±


    From Raiders¡¯ back, the purple sword energy imbued with Annihtion energy spread out like waves. Unable to handle that power, the seven immortals were torn to shreds.

 Chapter 2007

    <h4>Chapter 2007</h4>


    Immortals used to be ordinary human beings. They had only reached their current state by giving up on their morals, cultivating their spiritual roots, studying thoroughly, not being afraid of having their body and honor stained by blood and filth, and repeatedly defying the natural order.


    They were certainly as intelligent and strong as an Absolute, but most of them had somewhat human emotions. It was difficult to make rational judgments in front of the iprehensible, even for those who had be as powerful as gods.


    That was the case with the seven immortals now. They had ascended and be immortals to catch the old dragons, so they were only half-immortals because they had not chosen to stay in the immortal world after bing immortals.


    The amount of information they would gain after bing immortals was as vast as an ocean, but they didn¡¯t go through the process of acquiring it and umting their cultivation. They didn¡¯t gain any new insights. Only their bodies became stronger, but they weren¡¯t invincible.


    To properly utilize the strength of an immortal, one needed to have a great deal of spiritual energy. The amount of spiritual energy flowing in the lower world was ridiculously insufficientpared to the immortal world. The immortals were heavily restricted here.


    "Aghhh!"


    The seven immortals rolled back their eyes in pain as the chain of sword dances shed them. They couldn¡¯t fight back. They couldn¡¯t even get used to their status as true immortals, the weakest of the immortals, and couldn¡¯t make it out of this dilemma.


    The best they could do was me their unnecessarily durable bodies that made them feel more pain than they should. They feared Grid and despaired that they had to go through excruciating pain instead of dying in a single blow. They were forced to experience being torn to shreds.


    ¡°The moment he gets on the dragon, his aura changes...! Is this a trick of the demon cultivators?¡±


    The female immortal no longer felt hopeless and instead felt extremely angry. She used anger to dilute the fear and pain that she was experiencing for the first time in her life and narrowly avoided some of the waves of purple sword energy.


    She fiercely swung her spear. Her opponent was forced to dodge her weapon so as to not take massive damage. She gracefully thrust it in an attempt to separate Grid from Raiders.


    [This idiot can¡¯t figure out who she is up against.]


    Raiders¡¯ intent was carved all around them. He was angry, which was a rare urrence.


    [You ran away without ever looking back. You have no sense of shame...!]


    The intent of the female immortal pushed back against Raiders¡¯. It engulfed the old dragon¡¯s anger with her even greater anger. She seemingly didn¡¯t tolerate the fact that the golden dragon, who was supposed to be her prey, had be powerful by teaming up with Grid.


    In response to their master¡¯s will, the mystical characters went on a rampage. They spun tightly around the silver spear and let out a vicious roar. The stronger the rotational force, the denser the arrangement of mystical characters. The power of the silver spear increased with every spin. Its destructive force and speed kept stacking as it approached Grid.


    ¡®This shit...¡¯


    Grid thought that one single strike from that spear would obliterate both his legs. He was a bit nervous because he had to keep attacking the other immortals. He instructed a few God Hands to transform into prosthetic limbs in advance. But he worried over nothing.


    Grid had to keep in mind that the dragon he was working with was an old dragon.


    [Get lost,] Raiders said.


    The hundreds of mystical characters shining in various colors around the silver spear shook violently. Everything around him remained the same. Only the mystical characters fluctuated like candles about to go out. It seemed like this kind of transcendent power was only affecting the female immortal.


    A chill went down the female immortal¡¯s spine and her eyes widened.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Golden magic power released from Raiders¡¯ in the form of a thread. The female immortal took two steps back. She wasn¡¯t retreating because she wanted to. She wasn¡¯t pushed back by an external force. The girl was standing there as if she had been in that spot all along. What was even more surprising was that her silver spear, which was about to stab Grid, disappeared.


    [...!?]


    The girl looked at her hand incredulously. She stuck out her tongue in surprise. There was a silver bead stud on the tip of her tongue.


    [Time regression...! I can¡¯t believe you did something so ridiculous again...!]


    The girl understood what had happened. She pulled out the silver bead on her tongue again and transformed it into a spear. The mystical characters emerged immediately, but it was toote.


    Bright red blood was already sttering. Except for her, the other six immortals had been turned into mangled flesh. In other words, her surprise attack was no longer a threat to Grid.


    The silver spear let out a sound simr to a scream as it bounced off the sword that Grid swung. Part of the inscription wrapped around the spear was torn apart. The numbness in the female immortal¡¯s hands was unfamiliar and frightening. She felt as if she was sinking into the depths of the ocean. The girl frowned and gulped.


    [When I saw the Full Moon Fortress, I thought it had been destroyed in a single blow. However, I was mistaken, right? I¡¯m very curious about who you are, since you enved a dragon who is so powerful that he can use time powers.]


    In the girl¡¯s eyes, Grid¡¯s cultivation was nothing more than foundation building. If the girl¡¯s cultivation had been below the great ascension realm, she would¡¯ve ignored him and let down her guard. However, the girl was an immortal. It wasn¡¯t difficult for her to see that Grid was more powerful than what appearances dictated.


    She thought she had seen through him, but she was still mistaken. Grid¡¯s actual power couldn¡¯t be measured by her standards. No one could touch him, and he was just like all the divine beasts that roamed the immortal world.


    ¡°I am an ordinary person,¡± Grid replied while swinging his sword at the girl again.


    The fragments of the shattered silver spear scattered with the broken mystical characters.


    ¡°I hope to keep living alongside the people you are trying to hurt.¡±


    What Grid was saying didn¡¯t tell much to the female immortal. However, Grid was serious. He meant what he said.


    ¡°That is why I fight.¡±


    Khan, Irene, Lord, Mercedes, Marie Rose, Basara, and countless others, including the subjects of the empire and the Tower members... They all mattered to Grid. He had known them for a long time. Grid wanted them to live peacefully in a safe environment, even if that environment wasn¡¯t ideal. Even if something changed in reality and he would never be able to ess Satisfy again, he wanted them to live happily ever after in this world.


    The female immortal had a glimmer of hope that she could survive this encounter.


    [If so, please reconsider. I don¡¯t usually harm mortals...] she said.


    Grid interrupted her by cutting her in half with Defying the Natural Order and Twilight, which he hadbined.


    [You!!]


    The nascent soul emerged from the immortal¡¯s body and red at Grid. Of course, she was just acting ferocious. She didn¡¯t dare to attack him. She turned into a beam of light and tried to escape.


    Grid chased after her.


    ¡°Now...!¡±


    The nascent souls of the six immortals, who had been hiding in their torn apart bodies, flew out in unison. Six beams of light of different colors scattered in all directions. They saw an opportunity and timed their escape perfectly. Their smiles widened as they were fleeing.


    Nevartan sneered. [Do you think you can run away?]


    He had been tied up the moment he appeared. Now he was shamelessly talking as if that didn¡¯t happen.


    The dwarves snorted. ¡®Does this fool believe he can hold us?¡¯


    The nascent soul was the essence of a cultivator. Itbined their source of energy, soul, and determination cultivated throughout their lives to grant them a second life. In fact, the nascent soul was a cultivator¡¯s main body.


    As long as the nascent soul was alive, the cultivator could resurrect at any time. They had to make sure they would survive no matter what. They had all types of safeguards put in ce, such as stacking techniques that increased movement speed, so they could easily escape in case of an emergency.


    Thus, the six of them moved so fast that they could only be seen as beams of light, and ran away in different directions.


    Not even a golden immortal could catch them all. Maybe one of them would get caught if they were unlucky, but only after a relentless chase.


    ¡°......¡±


    This was the reason the six dwarves had remained silent. Nobody wanted to be that unlucky one. They kept their mouths shut and didn¡¯t make eye contact so that Nevartan wouldn¡¯t target them.


    It was all in vain.


    ¡°...What?!¡±


    The six dwarves yelped at the same time. They heard what sounded like friction of metal and they stopped in their tracks. Something grabbed them and wouldn¡¯t let them go.


    ¡°No...!¡±


    The six dwarves were shocked and looked back with trembling eyes. ck chains were keeping them from escaping. This was one of the Treasures that cultivators of a sect refined throughout their lives to huntrge monsters. The thing they had used to suppress the ck dragon was now holding them back.


    How absurd! Treasures attacking their master? That was impossible...


    They were shocked and turned their attention to Nevartan. Their hearts chilled. Nevartan was holding the ck chains.


    The huge ck dragon was now using the chains that bound him like he was an expert.


    [You didn¡¯t actually believe you could do anything to me with these chains, did you?]


    This was why Nevartan hadn¡¯t avoided the flying chains and allowed himself to get caught. This was all thanks to Grid¡¯s clone sending him a sound transmission before the fight, saying that he was concerned about therge number of immortals, and that they needed to be prepared in case their nascent souls escaped. He had asked Nevartan to give him time to dismantle the chains, analyze them, and change their purpose.


    For the first time, the clone demonstrated his cksmithing skills. He was certainly inferior to Grid because of hisck of relevant titles, but he was better than a Legendary cksmith thanks to his skills and dexterity.


    The result was a sess.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    Dozens of huge meteorites fell toward the dwarves and Nevartan fired a pitch ck Breath shot. This was the chain attack of two Absolutes. The protective shield that the dwarves hastily surrounded themselves with didn¡¯tst long and shattered.


    Nevartan¡¯s tail and ws ripped the dwarves apart.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Grid gave a thumbs up as he returned after destroying the female immortal¡¯s nascent soul. After all, he had received a big favor from Raiders. Now that he was cooperating with the old dragons, he wanted to improve their rtionship. Nevartan was also Nefelina¡¯s father, so there was no awkwardness when it came to using honorifics with him.


    [...Good work.]


    Nevartan didn¡¯t dare to not acknowledge Grid¡¯s favor either. The atmosphere was quite friendly thanks to the fact that they had killed as many as seven immortals.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, <i>nyang.¡± </i>


    Thanks to this carefree atmosphere, Noe wasn¡¯t intimidated by the old dragons either. He set out to devour the remains of the immortals with great dignity.


    However, Noe ended up missing the opportunity to eat because of the white divinity that suddenly brightly shone around him and engulfed all the remains of the immortals.


    ¡°W-What, <i>nyang?!¡± </i>


    Startled, Noe leapt into Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Nice seeing you, Grid.¡±


    Soon, the divinity dissipated and a handsome man with ck hair appeared. He had his signature twisted grin on his face.


    ¡°I desperately wanted to see you.¡±


    Garam.


    The greatest genius of all time, who had inherited the power of Hanul, a God of the beginning, had been resurrected. Now he came to visit Grid.

 Chapter 2008

    <h4>Chapter 2008</h4>


    Annihtion energy was unprecedented. In Garam¡¯s eyes, Grid was superior to most beings. Weren¡¯t Reba, Chiyou, and apletely fine Trauka the only ones who had a chance of winning against him now?


    Plus, Grid wasn¡¯t alone. He had created a clone that looked exactly like him and trained it to be the ultimate spellcaster. He also had two old dragons and an unusually evolved Memphis.


    Grid was certainly the most powerful individual in history. Garam truly didn¡¯t want to confront him right away. If all went ording to n, he would destroy all the remaining Full Moon Fortresses in the East Continent and absorb the power of the cultivators. It was only after he would gain the faith of humanity that he nned on invading the Overgeared World or Asgard to gain more worship.


    But things took a strange turn. The seven immortals, who were way more powerful than ordinary cultivators, suddenly appeared. They were quite mouth-watering prey. Garam didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to kill them, so he didn¡¯t move on to the next Full Moon Fortress. Instead, he hid his presence.


    And that was how he got here.


    Garam was honestly impressed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to destroy them in an instant.¡±


    <i>p, p, p.</i>


    He even apuded Grid. The white divinity inherited from Hanul was dyeing the space white. Garam devoured the remains of the immortals ughtered by Grid, bing stronger.


    The risk was worth it. From Garam¡¯s perspective, it was difficult to give up on the remains of the immortals. It would be more beneficial to absorb the power of the seven immortals than to umte power the way he had initially nned. He had made it here and all his efforts paid off.


    ¡°Wow, he is aplete thief, <i>nyang,¡± </i>Noe growled. He bared his sharp fangs as if he was ready to bite and kill Garam at any moment. Of course, he didn¡¯t attack.


    Grid stroked Noe¡¯s fur and hugged him tighter. ¡°Are you here to die?¡± he asked Garam.


    Grid decided to be blunt. He had just wrapped up a fierce battle. Of course, he wasn¡¯t in peak condition.


    This Full Moon Fortress had been here for a long time. Because of the influence of the space rift that gradually widened, the unique aura of the Overgeared World was weaker around here. The benefits that the Overgeared World granted Grid, such as no skill cooldown time, hadn¡¯t disappeared, but they had be vulnerable to external pressure, such as the Hwan Kingdom¡¯s influence.


    The Hwan Kingdom was a divine world that had taken root in the East Continent before the Overgeared World had appeared, so it was still a noteworthy faction. It obeyed Garam, who had been reborn as Hanul¡¯s direct descendant, and its influence was expanding. This would soon be a neutral zone.


    <i>nce.</i>


    Grid examined the three masters standing behind Garam. They all looked rather nonchnt. They had surely been quite shocked by Hanul¡¯s death, but they didn¡¯t show any resentment toward Grid.


    This was like the calm before the storm. The three masters¡¯ unusually quiet killing intent was more intense than ever.


    ¡®Most importantly, the duration of Dragon Knight is over. I don¡¯t have the advantage right now.¡¯


    Grid examined Garam¡¯s condition. A subtle purple energy was hazily emanating from him. It was Annihtion energy. The asional flickering light was Reba¡¯s power.


    Garam was the perfect inheritor of light and the Annihtion energy that Hanul had stolen from Reba and Grid. ording to the clone¡¯s spections, the absorption of King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity had been of great help to Garam because King Sobyeol¡¯s divinity also specialized in taking away the abilities of the target, like Hanul¡¯s.


    Garam was bound to have the knack for digesting other people¡¯s abilities. Grid could tell just by the way Garam was wearing the Treasures he had stolen from the seven immortals like they were his self-defense weapons. Silver beads, bells, ships, pavilions, pestles, pots, fans, and so on. The Treasures of the seven immortals moved ording to Garam¡¯s wishes.


    Considering that Garam had already destroyed over ten Full Moon Fortresses, he would probably have hundreds of mystical arts and treasures at his disposal. He was almost as powerful as Hanul.


    If Grid was to fight him and emerge victorious, he would have to make some great sacrifices. He was especially worried about the old dragons, who had been in poor condition since he met them.


    What if Garam took away the power of the old dragons? Then he would be as powerful as Reba or Chiyou.


    Just imagining it made Grid¡¯s head throb. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean he intended to avoid a fight.


    Garam trembled withughter. ¡°You still speak so bluntly. It has been a long time since west saw each other. Why aren¡¯t you greeting me properly?¡±


    He seemed rxed, as if he had read Grid¡¯s thoughts. He seemed to notice that the old dragons weren¡¯t in top-notch condition.


    Grid reminisced for a moment. He realized he didn¡¯t really care about all the humiliation and defeats he had suffered to Garam. He was familiar with contempt and losses. He had ovee them every time. In fact, it was none other than Grid who had killed Garam and sent him to hell.


    Yes, his personal grudge had faded. However, the grudge of the cksmiths, who had been exterminated by Hanul and Garam even though they hadn¡¯tmitted any crime, was still vivid...


    ¡°Please answer me honestly.¡±


    Grid red at Garam¡¯s annoying face and turned to look at Raiders and Nevartan. The old dragons were a bit taken aback. They clearly knew what Grid was going to ask.


    ¡°Why are the two of you so weak?¡±


    They found it absurd that Grid decided to just ask this openly instead of sending them a private message, but Grid didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Absolute Defense and Breath were still incredibly powerful. Grid knew this since they had fought together. However, their physical abilities had clearly declined. The dragons used to break mountains with a swing of their tails or create storms with a p of their wings. This power was now gone.


    The old dragons exchanged looks.


    [There are many reasons. First of all, Trauka¡¯s death greatly undermined our status.]


    Fire Dragon Trauka was known to be the strongest dragon. However, Trauka died. Everyone was bound to consider the other dragons weaker as a result. Raiders and Nevartan had been kept busy by Dragon yer Hayate at the time of Trauka¡¯s death. The fact that a mere human being intimidated them so greatly that they couldn¡¯t help Trauka had caused their status to drop significantly.


    [Secondly, we didn¡¯t get enough rest.]


    Dragons slept for at least a hundred years because they were giant creatures. They consumed a lot of energy while awake. Naturally, they needed a lot of rest. Yet in recent years, they had been unable to sleep. Their dispersed consciousness overloaded them.


    [Thirdly, we lostmunication with the foreign god.]


    The dragons knew providence from the moment they were born. There was nothing in the world they didn¡¯t know. They always had the advantage when it came to information. They had this racial trait thanks to the influence of the foreign god, Morpheus. Unless Morpheus provided them with information all the time, they weren¡¯t as powerful as usual.


    After the thirty-three scientists returned to the S.A. Group, chairman Lim Cheolho became more focused on reality than Satisfy. This had a great impact on Morpheus. Morpheus no longer paid that much attention to the dragons.


    The old dragons had lost their way. They deduced that the cultivators were the enemy of the foreign god and destroyed the Full Moon Fortresses, but they weren¡¯t sure if their choices and actions were right. They hesitated and struggled every passing moment.


    [...Of course we¡¯re a lot weaker.]


    Raiders and Nevartan realized what Grid¡¯s intentions were. They caught a glimpse of the greed that flickered in Garam¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. I understand that the two of you aren¡¯t much help to me right now.¡±


    Grid drove in a wedge between himself and the dragons. The greed in Garam¡¯s eyes disappeared without a trace.


    Raiders and Nevartan sighed deeply.


    ¡®He is being baited.¡¯


    Garam couldn¡¯t back down. He would try to devour the old dragons despite the risk. His greed disappearing from his eyes was just an act.


    ¡°This reminds me of what I went through in hell.¡±


    Just as expected.


    ¡°When I was absorbed into the main body of the hell moon, I was apanied by the humans I killed with my own hands. It was quite interesting to be next to people who hated and feared me. I was able to get a glimpse of their memories and emotions. Thanks to that experience, I have be a rather decent cksmith. Since we met again, why don¡¯t you take a look at my skills and give me some advice?¡±


    Garam was provoking Grid. He took out a hammer and started to temper the Treasures he had just taken away from the immortals. He was a bit clumsy, but he was definitely acting like a cksmith.


    Grid didn¡¯t disparage Garam¡¯s skills. ¡°Good enough for now.¡±


    These were the skills of the cksmiths whom Garam had ughtered.


    ...The world was changing. The influence of the Hwan Kingdom colored the surrounding area. The energy of the Overgeared World was being pushed away. The whole area was reduced to ordinarynd that didn¡¯t belong to anything.


    Garam said, ¡°I understand how you feel. You surely want to expand the realm of your divine world as much as possible. However, the bigger the territory, the harder it was to manage. Take Asgard for example. The gods never extended their influence in Asgard to the surface. They knew they would be humiliated, just like you now.¡±


    Garam wasn¡¯t wrong. Reinhardt, the home of the Overgeared World, was too far from the East Continent. It was bound to have less influence than the Hwan Kingdom, which was rather close.


    This was quite bad. Rumors could spread that the Overgeared World was weaker than the Hwan Kingdom. In turn, this could weaken Grid¡¯s status.


    However, Grid didn¡¯t really care. He could just showcase his skills to get rid of this stigma.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t humiliating enoughpared to what you are about to go through.¡±


    Grid had exposed the old dragon¡¯s weaknesses to hold Garam from leaving, while Garam provoked Grid to prevent him from escaping so he could kill and consume the old dragons. They both still very much wanted to fight each other. Useless chatter was unnecessary.


    Garam ambushed Grid at the speed of light and Multiple Weakening Barriers barely withstood it thanks to the mirror spells that the clone had ced inside the barriers.


    It was obvious that Garam would do this. He had turned into light and shot forward to quickly close the distance. Garam¡¯s hand, which collided with the indigo barrier, was imbued with Annihtion energy.


    There was a loud sound. Grid appeared among the shattered mirrors and fragments of the barrier and performed a sword dance. The two men¡¯s Annihtion energy collided, creating purple shockwaves.


    [Hngh...!]


    The old dragons lost their Absolute Defense because of the remnants of Annihtion energy that spread out in all directions. They quickly got as far away from the fight as possible. They looked like gold and ck mountains on the move. The space between them looked like a huge canyon.


    A canyon was where Grid¡¯s epic had first been written.


    Grid remembered why he was doing this. He took a deep breath.


    ¡®Win.¡¯


    He needed to win. If Garam survived, then killing Hanul was meaningless.


    ¡®If I¡¯m not here...¡¯


    Based on various circumstances, Grid sensed that his time to leave Satisfy was approaching.


    ¡®I have to eliminate everything that threatens this world.¡¯


    Therefore, he made a decision. He hadn¡¯t killed Hanul out of mere ambition.


    [All stats will be redistributed to Strength.]


    The muscles all over Grid¡¯s body were swelling. He was ready to go all out with his next attack.


    [The effect of the Another Light title has been activated.]

 Chapter 2009

    <h4>Chapter 2009</h4>


    [Another Light]


    [The faith of the God of the beginning, Reba.]


    The description of the title obtained from killing Hanul didn¡¯t say much. Grid had no idea what it did. But he was used to this. Based on the name of the title and having moved at the speed of light once, he understood what the title granted him.


    ¡®I can also move at the speed of light.¡¯


    He could only do it once. There was a good chance that he would pass out just likest time. However, it was worth using this skill, even though he could only use it once.


    This was why he invested all his stat points into Strength. He wanted to deal as much damage as possible. He would make up for his lowered Agility by moving at the speed of light.


    Grid¡¯s forearms bulged significantly. The visual effect was so great that it would make anyone who saw him worry that the hilt of his sword might crumble in his hands from how fiercely he was gripping it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of contradictory?¡± Garam asked. He was infusing divinity into the Treasures of the seven immortals. ¡°Cultivators, immortals, it matters not. Don¡¯t you find it contradictory that those who have lost their humanity and treat people like a subspecies end up resembling humans so much when they sense death approaching?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The moment they realize they are going to die, they get scared. I find it funny because they react exactly like the humans I killed.¡±


    ¡°You... Are you any different from the cultivators?¡±


    Grid¡¯s questioning eyes became cold. He tried really hard to control his surging anger.


    Garam shrugged. ¡°I was angry. I didn¡¯t squirm and beg like humans do.¡±


    ¡°I think you and I remember things quite differently, so let me double check that.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so upset? I just pointed out how paradoxical cultivators and immortals are. Ahh, I missed seeing you trembling in fear.¡±


    Garam was the first enemy Grid had encountered who was stronger than him. Garam clearly remembered Grid¡¯s ws.


    ¡°Ah, do you feel too ashamed hearing me say this?¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Swear on your honor that you aren¡¯t ashamed. Everyone is afraid of death. I¡¯m sure you are as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re boring.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Garam snorted. He turned into light and vanished.


    Grid didn¡¯t react hastily because he couldn¡¯t follow Garam with his eyes. He would only have a chance to fight back against the power of light once he got struck first. Once that happened, he and Garam would probably kill each other.


    A tremendous explosion rang out behind Grid, who was gritting his teeth and preparing for pain. The canyon rumbled, and Nevartan stumbled. Garam had targeted Nevartan, not Grid.


    This was to be expected. Garam was risking his life staying here because he desired to devour the weakened old dragons. Grid had bet on that. The old dragons had to respond to the attack, clearly knowing this too. Grid was already charging forward.


    ¡°......?¡±


    However, he was too slow. The title of Another Light was apparently active, but he didn¡¯t move at the speed of light.


    ¡°Have you been particrly close to the ck Tortoise recently?¡± Garam sneered as he mocked Grid for how slow he was.


    Shortly after Garam turned back into light and vanished, there was another loud explosion, one that made the entire battleground reverberate.


    <i>Baaaaaaang!</i>


    Blood dripped from Grid¡¯s nose and ears and he scowled.


    Raiders was also stumbling. Only the clone was unscathed, his body made out of Greed. Since he wasn¡¯t alive, he didn¡¯t suffer any internal injuries. Magically created mirrors appeared everywhere. The clone could now spawn more mirrors faster because he¡¯d had a lot of practice.


    Hundreds of mirrors captured Garam¡¯s reflection from different angles. The moment Garam turned into light again, the mirrors kept reflecting it. This way, not even Garam could predict where he would move. He was trying his hardest to appear emotionless, but his facade was slowly crumbling.


    The old dragons, who had just repaired their broken self-defense, sighed and attempted to restore their scales.


    Noeughed in Garam¡¯s direction. ¡°How is it, <i>nyang? </i>You can¡¯t move, right?¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t stop Noe from shouting vigorously. The clone had installed the mirrors really well since they captured Garam from every angle.


    Garam would fall in front of Grid the moment he turned into light. In other words, Grid had an overwhelming advantage. He would be victorious the moment the clone finished casting his spell. Grid was preparing to attack.


    ¡°...Haha, hahahaha!!¡±


    Garam¡¯s face twisted before he burst outughing. He clutched his stomach andughed because of how funny this was to him. At first, it seemed like he was wailing.


    ¡°W-What, <i>nyang?¡± </i>


    Noe had a bad feeling and slipped back into Grid¡¯s arms.


    ¡°How ipetent on Hanul¡¯s part. He has instilled prejudice into you.¡±


    Garam¡¯s scorn turned into ridicule. He switched to speaking using intent.


    [Do you think that the only benefit of light is speed?]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He realized that everything around him was trembling slightly. No, this wasn¡¯t just slight movement. The vibrations were so fast, it was hard for him to even perceive them.


    [Don¡¯t tell me...]


    Raiders and Nevartan¡¯s expressions stiffened. What were they thinking of?


    Grid was startled when he sensed that the entire area was trembling. Garam was emitting a dark green light. An unfamiliar smell stung Grid¡¯s nose. He had no idea what that was.


    Garam¡¯s intent was carved all around them.


    [I realized something only after absorbing the divinity of King Sobyeol. Hanul was also a contradictory existence.]


    [Grid, you have to avoid it. This...]


    Garam said, [Surprisingly, Hanul really cared about King Sobyeol. I was wondering what he had in mind for the bastard who had sent King Daebyeol to hell, but Hanul, an Absolute, cared about his own flesh and blood. Did you know that?]


    Before he knew it, a warning message appeared in Grid¡¯s red-dyed vision.


    [You have been exposed to arge amount of radiation.]


    The dragons said, [This is Reba¡¯s ultimate...!]


    Toote. The dark green light was expanding too fast.


    [Hanul¡¯s divinity becameplete only after I took away King Sobyeol¡¯s. Maybe once I also absorb King Daebyeol¡¯s divinity I will have all of it... In any case, there was only one conclusion. Hanul had given away too much of his divinity to his flesh and blood. Nevertheless, he disregarded King Sobyeol until the end and didn¡¯t take back his divinity. What a disaster. He was unable to fully awaken the potential of the light he had embodied and died at your hands.]


    [All stats have been reduced significantly.]


    [Your physical functions aren¡¯t working properly.]


    [All resources, including HP, won¡¯t be restored.]


    [Various skills and spells have been disabled.]


    [You cannot resist these effects.]


    The cost of exposure to a massive amount of radiation was unimaginable. This was the power of radiation that originated from the power of a god. It all started with bushes and blooming flowers rotting around the battlefield until the whole area became a wastnd. Grid and the old dragons were struggling to breathe.


    ¡°Mass Tele...¡±


    The clone was still fine. Rust appeared all over him and his movements were sluggish, but he could still use his spells. Even though it took him a while to make this decision, he was making the right one.


    [He was foolish and no different from a human. Calling himself an Absolute... Truly pathetic for a God of the beginning.]


    A whirlwind of dark green light instantly shattered the magic mirrors ced throughout the battlefield and engulfed Grid¡¯s group before Mass Teleport could be activated. Apparently, Garam had created gamma and X-rays. Grid and the old dragons had never seen light be used this way before, so they were in trouble.


    [I am different from Hanul. I will be reborn as a perfect being. I will be wless.]


    <i>sh!</i>


    Garam turned into light and appeared right next to Grid¡¯s group. The purple Annihtion energy shed the throats and hearts of the old dragons, who were suppressed by the dark green whirlwind. Garam could utilize the power of light way better than Hanul, and not only that, he could also handle Annihtion energy.


    Grid had to admit it. Garam was almost the strongest enemy he had ever fought. He felt just as pressured as he did whenever he confronted Chiyou.


    ¡®This is so unfair.¡¯


    He never thought that Hanul, whom he worked so hard to kill, would hold him back like this. Grid had expected a God of the beginning to be powerful, but he never imagined that Hanul would be capable of resurrecting a man whose soul had been destroyed.


    [Hngh...!]


    The old dragons were fighting back fiercely. Every time Garam shed them with the Annihtion sword, they fired a Breath or activated their powers. The dark green light damaged many of their organs and their mana flow, but it didn¡¯t seem to interfere with the use of their powers.


    It was all thanks to this.


    [Your mental world has opened.]


    Grid summoned the canyon because he was feeling hopeful. He hoped that the radiation that dominated reality wouldn¡¯t affect the mental world.


    Garam knew what Grid was thinking and snorted. [Are you still so naive?]


    Garampletely disregarded Grid. He never attacked Grid first. If Grid was about to strike him, he would always turn into light and keep a distance. He only targeted the old dragons and focused on them.


    Garam knew the power of the Annihtion energy. Just as Grid acknowledged Garam¡¯s skills, Garam also acknowledged Grid¡¯s. If he couldn¡¯t admit this about the person who had killed him and sent him to hell, then who else could he admit this about?


    Garam had never been so intoxicated by his superiority up until this moment. He intended to absorb the old dragons'' power as originally nned and then challenge Grid.


    Yes, this was a challenge.


    [I will win this time, Grid.]


    Garam¡¯s aura became more intense as he became even more determined. The Annihtion energy took the form of a sword, and it was incredibly powerful. Garam moved at the speed of light, steadily swinging his sword and multiplying the wounds on the old dragons. Each wound was serious. Had Raiders and Nevartan not been old dragons, they would¡¯ve been shed to death.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    After noticing that the effect of the Another Light still wasn¡¯t working, Grid redistributed his stats. He maximized his Agility and unleashed his artificial senses over a wide range by utilizing all 310 God Hands. He mentally cursed, calling himself an idiot for trying to rely on the light again.


    <i>I am Grid.</i>


    <i>I am not the God of light.</i>


    He wondered how he got caught up thinking that he could control the light.


    Grid flew up. He moved at the speed of sound while using his artificial senses to follow Garam, who turned into a beam of light, as much as possible.


    Garam scoffed. [Don¡¯t be annoying. This reminds me of your human days and it¡¯s making me angry.]


    Cracks were appearing all over Grid¡¯s mental world. This wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s will. Someone had a powerful enough will to shatter the mental world already opened by another being?


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened in shock at Garam¡¯s power.


    [What are you doing?]


    However, Garam looked at Grid curiously. Garam also had no idea what was going on.


    <i>Grrr....</i>


    Beyond the cracks, they heard the breathing of a massive beast.


    Soon after¡ª


    <i>Shatter!</i>


    Grid¡¯s mental world shattered.


    [The Refractive Dragon has appeared.]

 Chapter 2010

    <h4>Chapter 2010</h4>


    The mental world was a representation of someone¡¯s will. It would never fall unless that someone¡¯s will was broken. In other words, it meant that Grid¡¯s mental world wouldn¡¯t copse. He had used his tenacity to be a god. Grid¡¯s will had never been broken, and it would never be.


    However... His mental world was now crumbling, and it had nothing to do with Grid¡¯s will.


    ¡®What did Garam do?¡¯


    Grid was rarely this confused and immediately suspected that this was Garam¡¯s fault.


    [Giving up so easily?]


    Garam also didn¡¯t understand what was going on and suspected this was Grid¡¯s doing. Their eyes met.


    <i>Roaaar!</i>


    The cry of a mysterious beast, which they thought they misheard at first, became louder. An unrelenting wave of power swept away the fragments of the shattered mental world.


    ¡°An old dragon?¡±


    [An old dragon?]


    Grid and Garam deduced this was the case based on the cries and turned to look at Raiders and Nevartan. There was a ridiculous question in their eyes. <i>¡®Has Trauka been resurrected?¡¯ </i>


    [That¡¯s impossible.]


    [It¡¯s impossible for him toe back to life. Grid, you should know this.]


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Grid did, indeed, know that. He had been the one to destroy Trauka¡¯s soul. The purple energy currently flowing from his body was proof of Trauka¡¯s death.


    [Then who is it...?]


    Garam frowned. He was surveying his surroundings when he froze. A dark green energy filled the atmosphere. Therge amount of radiation produced from Garam¡¯s light was frantically stirring. At first, he had thought this was a typhoon.


    [Oh, don¡¯t tell me...]


    Garam could perceive things from very far away. He could see all the way to the horizon, and there he saw the radiation disappearing like it was being absorbed by something at a very fast rate. Something intangible was devouring the radiation and steadily approaching Garam.


    This being was deadly to light. However, if it was invisible...


    [The Refractive Dragon?]


    Garam got chills. He was right.


    [The Refractive Dragon has appeared.]


    A notification window appeared in Grid¡¯s field of view. What happened next was unimaginable. The light around him faded into darkness and half of Garam¡¯s body was gone.


    <i>Grrrrr...</i>


    The invisible beast¡¯s, no, the dragon god¡¯s breath became even more ragged. He seemed very pleased. This type of joy seemed toe from being satiated.


    [How could you be here...!!!]


    Garam¡¯s response was precise and swift.


    The moment he realized that the Refractive Dragon was targeting the light, he quickly withdrew it. If he had acted a littleter than he did, he would¡¯ve lost all of his body instead of half of it. He shed the Refractive Dragon with the Annihtion sword, and blood erupted like from a fountain. His counterattack had worked.


    ¡®This ability is really...¡¯


    Grid was very impressed seeing the transparent scales of the Refractive Dragon being covered in blood.


    He had an epiphany. He realized why the Refractive Dragon suddenly appeared. Could it be because Garam used the power of light to its full potential? That would make sense. The Refractive Dragon had been born solely to harm Reba and most likely had the instinct to chase the light.


    ¡®So the Another Light title was disabled out of Reba¡¯s consideration...??¡¯


    Reba was the most powerful of the Gods of the beginning. She was the one who had created this world. Because of her hostility to Morpheus, she was subjected to several constraints. However, it was likely that she was more omnipotent than Grid imagined.


    Yes, it wasn¡¯t strange that Reba had predicted what would happen to Garam...


    ¡®In retrospect... She has been watching me all the time.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t even need to think back to a long time ago. Just a few months before, Reba had told him this herself:


    <i>I''ve been watching you all the time.</i>


    Plus, just a few days before, she had let the whole world know that she believed in Grid while he was fighting Hanul. The system had revealed a fragment of the twenty-ninth epic, which had been hidden as a secret story.


    ¡®I want to believe.¡¯


    <i>Just as I am Reba¡¯s hope, I want her to also be my hope.</i> <i>This way, I can rest assured when I one day leave this ce.</i>


    Grid had found a new determination and focused on what was going on in front of him.


    Garam hadpletely regenerated. The Refractive Dragon¡¯s scales were soaked in blood. Their confrontation was quite grand. First of all, the refractive dragon was too big. He was clearlyrger than Raiders and Nevartan. Even when using Barbatos¡¯ Vision, it was impossible for Grid to capture his enormous size without turning his head. Besides, the dragon felt somewhat mystical because he waspletely invisible, and only his blood-soaked scales were proof that he was there to begin with.


    Garam, who wasn¡¯t intimidated at all despite facing the refractive dragon, was also acting unusually.


    ¡®As far as appearance goes, he is handsome,¡¯ Grid thought to himself.


    If a famous painter captured the current scene on canvas, they would create the greatest piece of artwork in history.


    [I greet the dragon god.]


    While Grid was lost in thought, Raiders and Nevartan bowed their heads to the Refractive Dragon. The old dragons worshiped him. The Refractive Dragon appeared even more intimidating now.


    Grid was momentarily stunned by the sight. Dazed, he finally spoke. ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    The Refractive Dragon used to be Bunhelier. To be exact, he had originally been the Refractive Dragon, then became Bunhelier, and then became the Refractive Dragon again...


    In any case, as a result, Grid was close to the Refractive Dragon. He was also the one who had made Bunhelier into the Refractive Dragon. In fact, Bunhelier had clearly expressed his gratitude to Grid before taking his leave as the Refractive Dragon.


    [......]


    However, the Refractive Dragon didn¡¯t respond to Grid¡¯s greeting. He still stood in front of Garam and breathed heavily. Based on the movement of his scales, he seemed to be tilting his head.


    ¡®What? Has he forgotten me?¡¯ Grid wondered.


    Garam snorted.


    [Do you think I¡¯m afraid of a creature who has nothing but instinct?]


    Nothing but instinct... Garam was mostly right. Firstly, since his birth, the Refractive Dragon had only pursued Reba. Secondly, even while chasing Reba, he changed his target the moment Garam manifested the power of light. Perhaps at this time, Reba confused him about where she was by temporarily withdrawing the power of light. Thirdly, he didn¡¯t recognize Grid.


    Grid remembered the Refractive Dragon¡¯s purpose. He was the vine urgently deployed by Morpheus to fix Reba, who had been identified as a virus. Did a vine need to be sentient?


    ¡®It¡¯s likely that Morpheus deliberately got rid of his sentience.¡¯


    Morpheus had already experienced Reba¡¯s betrayal, or rather, its own error. At the very least, it didn¡¯t want to allow the Refractive Dragon, who was as powerful as Reba, to have free will and experience the same mistake.


    In other words¡ª


    ¡®Bunhelier ispletely gone,¡¯ Grid bitterly realized.


    Even though he had initially been on bad terms with Bunhelier, after teaming up and relying on each other, they eventually got along quite well. Their friendship had mattered. There were several moments that Grid remembered vividly. He remembered Bunhelier¡¯s subtle efforts to change...


    Garam threatened the Refractive Dragon. [Go away. I am not the light. You have noticed that, haven¡¯t you?]


    He seemed to treat the Refractive Dragon as a real monster. Raiders and Nevartan appeared thoughtful, but they didn¡¯t point out Garam¡¯s attitude. They also seemed to realize that the Refractive Dragon resembled more of a beast than a god.


    <i>Roaaaaaar!</i>


    A gust of wind swept in and made the earth shake. This was because the Refractive Dragon had pped his wings once. Cracks spread across Grid¡¯s Multiple Weakening Barriers, while Garam and the old dragon¡¯s self-defensive actions werepletely nullified.


    [......]


    The atmosphere became vicious in an instant. Nervous, the old dragons fell silent, while Garam red in the direction of the Refractive Dragon as if he wanted to kill him right then and there. However, Garam couldn¡¯t even breathe. He decided it was no longer a good idea to provoke the Refractive Dragon.


    Grid also gulped. The enemy was incredibly intimidating. The back of his neck throbbed with the tension he had felt when he first encountered the old dragons. He felt intimidated for a moment, and he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Unexpectedly, it was Grid¡¯s clone who did something. He cast a few spells, targeting Garam. Surprised by the sudden attack, Garam turned into light. Before the spells had even reached the spot where he had been standing, Garam appeared beside the clone and stabbed him with the Annihtion sword. He¡¯d done this out of reflex.


    Garam had a vicious personality. He wouldn¡¯t just generously forgive others who dared to surprise attack him. Plus, he had taken the power of light for granted ever since he came back to life. In other words, he hadn¡¯t intended to turn into light right in front of the Refractive Dragon, who was clearly watching him...


    <i>sh!</i>


    [You son of a...!]


    Garam no longer paid attention to the clone, who couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the Annihtion sword. A chill went down his spine as he realized that he had attracted the attention of the Refractive Dragon.


    There was an ear-spitting explosion as a Breath filled with unimaginable power engulfed Garam. The dark-colored Breath was almost pitch ck because it was thick enough to swallow up the light.


    Garam¡¯s eyes rolled back as the attack hit him. Before he could even scream, he lost most of his body. Of course, he didn¡¯t die. Garam had inherited the power of a God of the beginning, so divinity instead of red blood flowed from his wounds. By controlling the spilled divinity and forming a dense structure, he restored his body.


    [...You did a great job!]


    Garam restored his head, which had burst like a watermelon, and struck Grid¡¯s clone, who was staggering in front of him. However, he had no intention of killing the clone. He quickly withdrew from where he was because he noticed the invisible dragon approaching.


    <i>Baaaaang!!</i>


    The ground on which Garam had stepped just a moment before copsed. Fifteen meteorites seemed to have fallen after the Refractive Dragon had swung his paw.


    [Don¡¯t you know that Reba is using you?!] Garam shouted angrily.


    He couldn¡¯t fight back against the Refractive Dragon and kept retreating. This was the strength of the old dragon. Garam wanted to run away right away. However, the moment he turned into light, he was afraid the Refractive Dragon would chase him to the end of the earth. Thus, Garam could not rely on light.


    This time of indecisiveness allowed Grid to get behind him. In fact, Grid had been approaching Garam since the Refractive Dragon first appeared.


    No, since Garam realized his potential, he had been self-destructing.


    ¡°Looking at you now, Hanul must be wailing.¡±


    Hanul hadn¡¯t handled the power of light properly, but it wasn¡¯t because of Garam¡¯s spections. Hanul wasn¡¯t affected by emotions. He was just afraid of the Refractive Dragon and suppressed the light¡¯s potential.


    ¡°Hanul wasn¡¯t lucky choosing you as his sessor.¡±


    Grid was grateful that he had a wonderful son. He remembered Lord¡¯s glowing face as he swung his sword with all his might. This was a sword thatbined Defying the Natural Order and Twilight.


    The shaky purple energy moved in an arc.

 Chapter 2011

    <h4>Chapter 2011</h4>


    To annihte meant to kill and destroy without leaving any traces. The power of the special resource known as Annihtion energy, which could only be obtained by killing a god and old dragon at the same time, was as intuitive as its name.


    No matter the target, Annihtion energy would destroy it. Its power had been proven in practice.


    Even Hanul, who was a God of the beginning, couldn¡¯t withstand the Annihtion energy and died. The very same energy had smashed through Grid¡¯s armor even though the armor was made out of a mixture of Greed and the fire dragon¡¯s scales.


    Even though Garam imed to be the strongest being after inheriting Hanul¡¯s divinity and absorbing King Sobyeol¡¯s, what could he really do in this situation? Grid¡¯s Chaos Aura weakened Garam significantly. Defying the Natural Orderbined with Twilight could even sh through an old dragon¡¯s Absolute Defense and scales.


    The power of the Annihtion energy...


    <i>sh!</i>


    He cut Garam as if he was a sheet of paper. Garam¡¯s divinity that emerged from his severed arm was different from usual. It resembled red blood instead of golden light. This was because of the Annihtion energy.


    Garam, who was already nervous, became very anxious. This reminded him of his past life as a yangban. Thest thing he saw before he died the first time was the pool of blood he had spilled... He couldn¡¯t allow the same thing to happen again. He didn¡¯t want to ever experience that anger and fear again.


    [It will be different this time.]


    Garam was anxious purely because of the Refractive Dragon. He realized he needed to make sure to not draw the dragon¡¯s attention anymore, so he sealed the power of light. This meant he had lost several of the aces up his sleeve.


    But this didn¡¯t mean he was at a disadvantage. After all, he was an Absolute. Even though he could no longer rely on the power of light, he could still move faster than sound. There was no way he would be slower than Grid.


    Besides, he still had the Annihtion energy. Because of this, he still had a chance. Even though the odds weren¡¯t in his favor, he still had a chance to win.


    Garam calmed down. He cut off one of Grid¡¯s arms using the sword made out of Annihtion energy seconds after Grid had done the same thing to him. Now, both Absolutes had only one armed remaining.


    Garam bent forward and spun. Meanwhile, Grid corrected his bnce by leaning backward and kicking with his leg up. Grid¡¯s kick hit Garam in the left shoulder.


    In the midst of the shards of purple Annihtion energy, Garam stabbed Grid in the abdomen with his sword as he was pushed back slightly.


    Garam¡¯s knees buckled, so he stumbled slightly. Grid stabbed him in the back.


    [...Haha! Ahahahaha!]


    Garam, who had been gritting his teeth in rage just moments before, suddenly burst outughing. This fierce battle was pushing both of them closer to death. This life or death battle was a lot of fun.


    ¡°I finally feel like I¡¯m alive again!¡±


    In any case, Garam had been pushed to the brink from the moment the Refractive Dragon appeared. There was little he could do other than resent the situation he was in.


    He suddenly realized something. He was grateful for this moment. After all, he used to be dead. His soul had been extinguished and turned into nothingness. Now, he was alive and breathing again. He was an Absolute, and he had the freedom to make decisions for himself, but he stumbled upon the same guy who had killed him.


    He still had a chance to get revenge. So why not be thankful for this opportunity and just enjoy himself?


    ¡®It¡¯s fun.¡¯


    Grid alsoughed. He was enjoying fighting against Garam.


    Of course, it was bound that Grid would eventually find a powerful enemy who could predict his movements and intentions and counterattack ordingly. With every action and intention that Garam predicted, Grid became more and more impressed the longer the battle went on. He was motivated to win, and he could feel his enjoyment increasing with every passing moment. He never felt this whenever he ughtered those much weaker than him, so his adrenaline shot up.


    [Don¡¯t disturb me!] Garam shouted nervously while removing the Annihtion sword from Grid¡¯s abdomen.


    The hundreds of Treasures taken from cultivators and immortals shed with mystical characters and moved on their own. They were very powerful, and managed to keep the clone and old dragons from helping Grid.


    Garam was unique when it came to the ability to control matter through intent. He could use intent better than anyone else even when he used to be a Transcendent. Garam, now an Absolute, could even reproduce the Heart Sword.


    The hundreds of Treasures under his control turned red with killing intent, their power now amplified. Rather than just keeping the clone and old dragons busy, the Treasures went wild with the intent to harm them.


    [If you want to kill me, do it with your own hands,] Garam warned Grid while hundreds of Treasures hovered behind his back.


    Garam charged. He and Grid continued seriously injuring each other. Both of them kept losing their bnce. Now matter how fast an Absolute could heal, wounds inflicted by Annihtion energy didn¡¯t regenerate easily. This meant that this battle would be decided surprisingly quickly.


    Every time their swords collided, purple sparks flew, and multiyered shockwaves dispersed dozens of times per second, making it look like a purple downpour.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    Hwang Gildong, Old Sword Demon, the rankers who were performing tasks in various parts of the East Continent, as well as the thousands of yers moving onto the next location after capturing two Full Moon Fortresses stopped in their tracks. They were all shocked.


    The chat box which showedments fromizens who were watching the events unfold and congratting the yers on their achievements suddenly stopped moving. Everyone was too stunned to type.


    In the distance, two gods appeared. It looked as if their blood was turning into rain. Truly spectacr. Ordinary people saw the fragments of purple Annihtion energy as blood.


    Someone thought this scenery looked like the beginning of the apocalypse. ¡°Ragnarok.¡±


    Grid and Garam lost their limbs one by one and had stab wounds all over their bodies. They were badly wounded. Nevertheless, seeing a part of the world disappearing without a trace every time they collided was horrifying.


    Old Sword Demon sighed. ¡°He always fights difficult battles alone.¡±


    Hwang Gildong looked serious as he muttered, ¡°A god who repays prayers with penance...¡±


    The situation in the East Continent wasn¡¯t that different from the West Continent. Most of humanity there worshiped Grid as the greatest god. He even had more support than the Four Auspicious Beasts, who were the basis of the East Continent¡¯s myths.


    This was why Hwang Gildong was sometimes worried and afraid. He had witnessed Grid¡¯s greatness several times, but he knew it was dangerous for so many people to ce their faith into a single god. He was worried that, one day, Grid would be the only god and the Four Auspicious Beasts would disappear into the background of history.


    Hwang Gildong was afraid that many beings living on the East Continent would forget many things, just like when they believed Hanul¡¯s false myths. Even if that wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s intention, he felt he needed to be wary of Grid.


    However, at this moment, Hwang Gildong let go of all his worries and fears. He came to truly trust and respect Grid, who had already gained a lot of faith, but still imed to be an ascetic.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we help?¡± the rankers asked, seeing the atmosphere turning grim.


    Most of them had their own livestreams going so they could earn some extra money. They couldn¡¯t ignore the viewers who were worried about Grid because he was fighting alone. The people in the chat were urging the rankers to help Grid.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Old Sword Demon was the leader of the group. He hadn¡¯t been selected as the leader initially, but the others recognized his talents during the destruction of the Full Moon Fortresses and appointed him the leader.


    The viewers in the rankers¡¯ livestreams also liked Old Sword Demon. Viewers had advised the rankers they supported to believe and follow Old Sword Demon no matter what even before they saw Grid fighting Garam. Old Sword Demon was a very experienced and skilled fighter. He had fought alongside Hwang Gildong against the yangbans.


    ¡°Be prepared for battle, but don¡¯t be hasty.¡±


    In fact, Old Sword Demon wanted to help Grid right away. Their bond was deep and old. However, he couldn¡¯t act hastily just because of what he wanted. He was wary of the hundreds of Treasures pressuring the old dragons. Perhaps as soon as he approached, some of them would switch targets and ughter his group.


    It seemed difficult to get into the fight. The red substance resembling blood was raining from the sky, destroying everything it touched. Old Sword Demon witnessed a huge rock disappearing without a trace.


    ¡°But...¡±


    The rankers looked a bit reluctant. All of them could see that Grid was clearly on the defensive.


    <i>Bang, boom...</i>


    Every time Grid and Garam¡¯s swords collided and exploded, Grid couldn¡¯t withstand the shock and he was inevitably getting torn apart. Even hisst remaining limb was dangling as if it was going to fall off any moment now. He used the God Hands to pour potions on his wounds from time to time, but it was useless. Apparently, he was suffering from a powerful and irreversible debuff.


    Of course, Garam was in a simr situation, but he was an NPC. Assuming that they were both equally hurt, an NPC had an overwhelming advantage over a yer. First of all, an NPC¡¯s HP was much higher. And since Garam was an Absolute NPC, there was no knowing when he would suddenly regenerate the damage taken.


    ¡°As expected, we need to help him...!¡±


    The rankers finally decided to act, only to once again stop in their tracks in shock. Garam¡¯s sword was now stuck in Grid¡¯s neck. They all imagined the worst.


    Fortunately, Grid¡¯s neck was fine. Before he knew it, Grid had reversed his grip on his sword and blocked the path of Garam¡¯s sword. However, Grid paid a heavy price for doing this. Garam kicked him in the chest with his foot, and Grid flew back like a cannonball.


    Garam¡¯s intention to pursue him immediately was engraved everywhere.


    [This is the end.]


    His will was full of jubtion. Garam was obviously confident that he would emerge victorious. However, something unexpected happened.


    [...What?]


    Garam¡¯s eyes widened. Grid, who had only one arm remaining, just like Garam, suddenly regained his missing arm. It was a ck and gold prosthetic limb made from transforming a God Hand. Garam¡¯s Annihtion sword, which should¡¯ve stabbed Grid in the chest, instead shed at his prosthetic arm. Even the God Hand, forged out of Greed, couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the Annihtion sword. It shattered immediately.


    However, that was enough.


    In the split second when the prosthetic arm blocked Garam¡¯s Annihtion sword, Grid struck back. This counterattack used the rebound force generated by the prosthetic hand¡¯s explosion, as well as the force generated by Grid swinging his sword.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Garam¡¯s head¡ª


    <i>Thud.</i>


    ¡ªfell to the ground.

 Chapter 2012

    <h4>Chapter 2012</h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    Hwang Gildong, the members of the Chivalrous Robbers, Old Sword Demon, the thousands of rankers, and the millions of viewers witnessing the fight were all mesmerized by Grid. Recing his limbs with prosthetic ones at a critical moment and seeding in outwitting and decapitating his enemy was phenomenal.


    Old Sword Demon, who was more thrilled than anyone else, said, ¡°This... shows that the weak can put on a good fight.¡±


    Old Sword Demon considered Grid weakpared to Garam. This was his sincere impression. He didn¡¯t mean to demean Grid. Rather, it made everyone aware of the fact that Grid was an ordinary yer just like them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Grid isn¡¯t that different from us.¡±


    The somewhat agitated rankers nodded their heads in agreement.


    After the update, the yers became weak overnight. They were forced to fight against enemies who had entirely different skills and systems, rendering most of the information that yers had about the enemies in the game useless. The whole world had been in turmoil after the cultivators¡¯ appearance. The yers felt that they had been deprived of their privileges as they kept losing to the cultivators, so they were understandably outraged. They cursed the S.A. Group for suddenly updating the game.


    However, the S.A Group never responded. They refused tomunicate with the yers, like they usually did.


    In the end, the yers¡¯ anger wasn¡¯t resolved, and instead spread like wildfire. They eventually turned their anger in the direction of Grid and the Overgeared Guild because Grid and his group remained victors even after the update. They easily destroyed the Full Moon Fortresses that the famous rankers and their forces couldn¡¯t do anything about despite teaming up.


    At this point, people were wondering if the Overgeared Guild were the only ones enjoying some type of privilege. They were particrly suspicious of Grid. People¡¯s doubts were confirmed when the world message appeared that he had killed Hanul, a God of the beginning, while Reba supported him. Regardless of the contents of the update, there was surely some connection between Grid and the S.A. Group since it looked like Grid kept getting stronger.


    Yet today, the rankers realized that they had been wrong all along. Grid wasn¡¯t privileged. He always struggled to do his best. They already knew this, but Grid really was worthy of respect.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Garam¡¯s headnded on the ground near them.


    Garam was an Absolute NPC, an incredibly powerful enemy who could use hundreds of Treasures to keep the old dragons from helping Grid. He had swung his sword with one arm and one leg while repeatedly spinning like a spintop. For a while, he¡¯d had the upper hand. His ability to maintain his bnce like he had invisible limbs all while showing off phenomenal swordsmanship was clearly superior to Grid.


    But in the end, he lost. Grid caught him off guard. Grid, who was weak, as Old Sword Demon imed.


    Grid knew how the weak fought. Others could tell how much experience Grid had fighting enemies more powerful than him. Instead of hiding that he was weak, Grid was using this knowledge to defeat his enemies.


    The yers felt closer to Grid after realizing that he was not that different from them.


    A few people recognized Garam. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t Garam die a long time ago?¡±


    People who used to be in the East Continent when the yangbans reigned knew Garam. He used to be famous for his particr ferociousness and strength. Some people knew that Garam had killed the thousands of cksmiths who had gone to the East Continent because of Hanul''s quest.


    ¡°Seriously, how did he resurrect and pretend to be an Absolute?¡±


    The crowd stepped back in confusion. Garam, whom they thought was dead, opened his eyes. His eyes were full of life. This wasn¡¯t an illusion. Garam was still alive even though his head had been cut off.


    [I miscalcted.]


    Garam¡¯s intent was engraved everywhere as he red at Grid, who was d in ck and gold prosthetic limbs.


    [If I knew I was going to lose this badly, there was no need to be so wary of the Refractive Dragon.]


    <i>sh!</i>


    Garam¡¯s gaze seemed to be more intense. A bright light engulfed the area. The people closed their eyes, and when they opened them again¡ª


    [Even if I die, at least I¡¯ll do it without having any regrets.]


    Garam¡¯s head reattached to his body. He also regained his lost arms and legs. No, to be more precise... Garam seemed to use the light to make up for his lost limbs.


    The people didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Garam was emanating a mystical, subtle glow.


    Hwang Gildong was the one who saw through the power of light. ¡°Huh... Could that be the power of Goddess Reba?¡±


    Since he was the leader of the Chivalrous Robbers, he knew a lot of things, but this information didn¡¯t really help him now. Just because he knew that Garam was using the power of light, that didn¡¯t mean he knew how to deal with it.


    ¡°Hngh...!¡±


    ¡°Aghhh!¡±


    Hwang Gildong groaned and the rankers screamed. Exposed to the power of light, their bodies were swelling and melting, unable to handle the heat. This extreme heat that had the potential to burn everything was another ability of light. The Annihtion energy boosted its power. The yers felt as if the sun had gotten closer.


    Grid was closer to the light, so he took more damage than anyone else. The Chaos set and the prosthetic limbs were melting. His skin turned red from the heat.


    ¡°His items aren¡¯t helping him?¡±


    Back when Grid used to be called the Overgeared King, people believed that his items were invincible. So why were his items getting destroyed? The people witnessing what was happening were taken aback.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    However, Grid was calm. He took off his armor that had lost its function and was only a hindrance and pushed back his blood-stained hair. He scrutinized Garam, his eyes fierce and cold like a bird of prey¡¯s.


    ¡®It seems that when he turns into light, he loses his regenerative ability.¡¯


    That had also been the case with Hanul, and that had made it possible for Grid to kill him. However, the Refractive Dragon was lurking nearby, which meant that Garam was prepared to die the moment he unsealed the power of light.


    The real battle started now. It was time to go all out.


    Grid wasn¡¯t reduced to ashes thanks to the clone¡¯s use of Blizzard. He unfolded the ck and gold sphere created by the God Hands like it was a pair of wings. As he did so, he pointed his sword at Garam with his one remaining arm. He was putting in very little effort into defense, deciding to go all out on the offensive for the final fight.


    [Yes, that¡¯s right. If you want to kill me, you have to be prepared to die as well.]


    <i>sh!</i>


    Of course, it was practically impossible to react to the speed of light.


    Garam appeared behind Grid and stabbed him in the forehead and chest with his Annihtion sword. The pain was so great, Grid felt dizzy. A notification about taking serious damage appeared and his vision shed red.


    Grid didn¡¯t counterattack with Revolve because he knew he would use it toote. It was impossible to counterattack when Garam moved so fast.


    Instead...


    ¡°Wave.¡±


    Just like when he had fought against Hanul, he used an AOE skill. He used it at the same time Garam turned into light. Grid got stabbed before he even finished casting the skill, but at least his sword dance didn¡¯t get canceled. Grid no longer needed to move in any way to perform a sword dance unless it was at least a five-fusion sword dance.


    [Yes, this is it! Grid!!]


    ¡®Why is he so excited?¡¯


    Grid¡¯s head was half smashed in. Garam also had also suffered three serious wounds, despite turning into light. These injuries should have been fatal for both of them, but they still didn¡¯t copse. Even if they were going to die, they were determined to not be the one to die first.


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>Boom!!</i>


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>Baang!!</i>


    Every flickering light was followed by an explosion. Garam relentlessly attacked Grid¡¯s weak spots while Grid used AOE skills to keep up with the speed of light. Both of their HP bars dropped instantly, and they looked increasingly more hideous. Garam became a torn ball of light while people could see all of Grid¡¯s bones, blood vessels, and internal organs, as if he was an anatomical model.


    ¡°Yikes.¡±


    Even the rankers were nauseous upon seeing this despite seeing gory scenes before. People hurriedly changed their game settings. By lowering the realism of the graphics, the game environment became appropriate for audience members of all ages.


    Garam seemed to be smiling. [I understand why Hanul revived me. He must¡¯ve believed that I would end up hurting you no matter what.]


    He felt pleasure every time he shed at Grid. Garam was convinced that, even if things had gone ording to his n, in the end, the oue would have been the same.


    [Yes, I would¡¯ve wanted to kill you,e hell or high water.]


    <i>sh!</i> <i>sh!</i>


    Garam continued to attack at the speed of light while moving around.


    <i>Roaaaar!</i>


    He was trying to evade the attacks of the Refractive Dragon, who started to strike again the moment Garam unleashed the power of light. Because of this, he failed to respond properly to Grid¡¯s counterattacks. He kept taking damage from Grid¡¯s AOE attacks.


    That was fine. It was better to be shed and stabbed a few times than to be swallowed by the Refractive Dragon.


    ¡®In any case, he¡¯s persistent.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s anxiety reached its peak. His invincibility passive had already triggered. Now he was at risk of experiencing the true power of the Annihtion energy, which had a high probability of nullifying his invincibility passive.


    Perhaps Grid had gotten lucky, or perhaps Garam¡¯s Annihtion energy was still iplete, because Grid was still in the invincible state fine. In any case, the duration of his invincibility passive remained unchanged.


    [There are three seconds left on the invincibility passive.]


    If Garam¡¯s Annihtion sword failed to remove this passive, Grid could heal up by a lot by using Doran¡¯s Ring just before the immortality ran out.


    But he didn¡¯t want to do that. If the Annihtion sword shed him while using Doran¡¯s Ring, the item was likely to shatter. Grid had been using this essory since his days as a low-level yer. It had suffered extreme modifications over the years, so Grid didn¡¯t want to lose it.


    ¡®...This isn¡¯t the time to be sentimental.¡¯


    The only drawback to being an Absolute was that dying was very really bad. He couldn¡¯t die, even if it meant losing an item. Grid took a deep breath and regained hisposure.


    <i>Bam!</i> The sword shed and stabbed him dozens of times.


    Fortunately, his invincibility passive still wasn¡¯t removed. At this point, it was obvious that this wasn¡¯t just Grid being lucky. Garam¡¯s Annihtion energy was still iplete.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense to take someone else¡¯s power and then be able to use it properly.¡¯


    This bnce meant Grid didn¡¯t think that this battle was unfair. Grid took this as a constion and used Shunpo.


    [Are you going to run away now?]


    Until now, Grid had been fighting back with an AOE sword dance every time Garam attacked him. Garam hadn¡¯t expected Grid to change his attitude so suddenly. He was taken aback.


    Grid¡ª


    [The effect of ¡®Dragon Knight¡¯ is activated!]


    ¡ªwas on top of the Refractive Dragon¡¯s head.


    Did Grid just move on top of the dragon¡¯s head without permission or did the Refractive Dragon allow him to do that? Garam didn¡¯t know the answer to that question. But one thing was clear. This was bad.


    [Do you think I¡¯m just going to back down?]


    Nevertheless, Garam once again acted impulsively. He charged at the Refractive Dragon, determined to kill Grid even if he would die in the process.


    For the first time in ages, Grid got goosebumps. Even his mind went nk for a second. This was how fearsome Garam was.


    ¡°I admire your tenacity and skill. Maybe I won¡¯t forget it for the rest of my life.¡±


    [I am the one who will acknowledge and remember your tenacity!]


    <i>I am the one who will survive.</i>


    <i>I will never give up. I will never doubt myself.</i>


    Grid and Garam collided. Garam shot forward at the speed of light once again and seemed to have the advantage.


    But...


    The light flickered after an explosion urred.


    Grid¡¯s purple sword energy had be transparent thanks to thebination of the Refractive Dragon and the Dragon Knight title. It absorbed Garam¡¯s light and repeatedly refracted it, disrupting it. Only the Annihtion energy remained.


    Garam didn¡¯t stop his advance. He had no intention of letting go of Grid, who was so close to death, he was like a candle on the verge of going out.


    Grid and Garam stabbed each other in the heart.


    [...You damn bastard.]


    Garam lowered his head. He slumped forward and turned into ash.


    Grid just took a few steps back and fell to his knees. He survived.


    ¡°Let¡¯s never see each other again.¡±


    Grid¡¯s face was pale as he shook his head. The blue ring on his finger broke into pieces, its fragments scattering everywhere.


    A world message appeared.


    [The Only One God, Grid, has extinguished Garam, the new ruler of the Hwan Kingdom.]

 Chapter 2013

    <h4>Chapter 2013</h4>


    Garam had been terribly persistent. He had controlled hundreds of Treasures until he drew hisst breath and refused to die without taking someone down with him. The Treasures were assembled in a spear-like formation, and they had been bombarding the old dragons and the clone to keep them from helping Grid. Now, they turned their attention to the rankers on the ground.


    ¡°That bastard.¡±


    Garam hadn¡¯t changed. He had remained the same since the day Grid had met him until he finally died. Grid was impressed with Garam¡¯s consistency despite how much the world had changed over the years.


    Grid¡¯s first instinct was to get up, but his body didn¡¯t listen to him. However, there was no need for him to worry. The clone and the old dragons were now free to act, and they shot down most of the Treasures. No matter how powerful the Treasures used to be, their master was now gone, so their power dimmed. They couldn¡¯t withstand the bombardment of spells from the clone and the old dragons and were eventually destroyed.


    The only ones still attacking the rankers with ferocity were the Treasures taken from the seven immortals, but...


    <i>¡°Nyang!¡± </i>


    ...Noe and Randy stepped in and managed to stop them.


    In the process, most of Noe¡¯s Treasures were also destroyed. Still, this wasn¡¯t something to feel sorry about. Noe now had the Treasures of the seven immortals.


    ¡®It¡¯s finally over...¡¯


    It was only after everything calmed down that Grid felt relieved. He double checked the notification window announcing Garam¡¯s death and sat down.


    ¡®If reality changes to be like the game, will there be pain correction in the real world as well?¡¯


    After checking his physical condition, Grid suddenly became afraid. He thought that if he met a strong opponent in real life and suffered a wound like today, he would die from sheer shock.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think there would be any concept of defense or HP.¡¯


    Even a sword brandished by a poorly skilled individual could kill people in real life. No, scratch that. Humans could die if they got punched wrong.


    Would Grid have the courage to fight in real life? He gulped the moment he finally realized this very important problem.


    "Waaaaahhhhh!"


    The rankers on the ground cheered and rushed toward him. The fact that they were safe and that Grid had won made them very emotional.


    ¡°Wait...!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face turned white.


    He was currently on top of the Refractive Dragon, and he wasn¡¯t sure how the dragon would react to people. If the Refractive Dragon went on a rampage, many people would die without even knowing why...


    ¡®I don¡¯t even know how he will react upon seeing <i>me.¡¯</i>


    Grid had gambled when he got on top of the Refractive Dragon¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t know whether the dragon would ept him, and even if he did, Grid wasn¡¯t sure if the Dragon Knight effect would activate. Grid hadn¡¯t been sure of anything, but he still used Shunpo to get on the Refractive Dragon¡¯s head because it would have been difficult to defeat Garam without the Dragon Knight effect. He had to try, even if he risked offending the Refractive Dragon and getting eaten in the process.


    Dragon Knight did activate, but...


    <i>Grrrrr...</i>


    Grid couldn¡¯t tell what would happen now.


    After Garam dissipated, the Refractive Dragon tilted his head in confusion. Now he let out a ragged breath, as if in response to themotion.


    For those who couldn¡¯t see the Refractive Dragon, they only heard an echoing roar that seemed toe from the sky.


    ¡®Are the heavens angry because a god died?¡¯


    The clear sky roared as if a thunderstorm was approaching... Could this be the harbinger of some ominous event? The people who misunderstood the noise made by the Refractive Dragon breathing flinched for a moment.


    The three masters, who had been silent throughout the battle, were nowining. They all sighed and seemed upset, but they didn¡¯t seem to have any major regrets.


    [Garam has always made irrational decisions because of his immaturity. We anticipated that the Hwan Kingdom would fall when we found out Hanul had picked Garam as his sessor.]


    They didn¡¯t seem to be lying. It looked like they had expected this oue.


    [Kill us. We will not resist. That would be useless.]


    The three mastersid down their weapons and closed their eyes. They had been born as a result of Hanul¡¯s will. They had been stirring up the wind, rain, and thunder just for Hanul and devoted their lives to gaining faith for Hanul by helping humanity, punishing them, or making miracles happen.


    From the moment Hanul died, they no longer had any purpose in life. If King Sobyeol had been chosen as the sessor instead of Garam, this would¡¯ve been different... Once the three masters realized that Hanul¡¯s real intentions weren¡¯t to restore the Hwan Kingdom, but to get revenge on Grid, they thought that everything they had achieved was in vain.


    <i>Roaaaaar!</i>


    The Refractive Dragon roared and pped his wings as he looked around. As a result, Grid fell from the dragon¡¯s head and barely regained his bnce in the air.


    ¡°......¡±


    The Refractive Dragon was already gone. He surely realized that the light that had just been extinguished wasn¡¯t Reba and set off to find her again.


    ¡®He is leaving without having any regrets.¡¯


    Grid had no choice but to admit this. The Refractive Dragon was just doing his duty as a vine. Garam was right. Bunhelier was gone. The Refractive Dragon was just a beast guided by instincts.


    This meant that Bunhelier now remained only in Grid¡¯s memories.


    There was a bitter taste on Grid¡¯s tongue. He swallowed before staring intently at the three masters, who were frozen in ce. They could have gotten rid of Grid at any moment now since he was defenseless without the Refractive Dragon around. But they didn¡¯t. It seemed that they genuinely wanted to die. They were just empty shells with no will to live anymore.


    And Grid had the power to extinguish their souls.


    The three masters saw Grid not doing anything and asked, [Do you need time to recover your strength?]


    ¡°Of course,¡± Grid lied. ¡°If Annihtion energy was infinite, wouldn¡¯t I be invincible?¡±


    [Indeed...]


    Fortunately, the three masters believed him. They had witnessed the power of the Annihtion energy from the sidelines, so what Grid told them made sense.


    [If so, get plenty of rest before killing us.]


    The three masters walked away for hundreds of meters and scattered in different directions. Even though they were far away, it looked like they were guarding Grid since Grid was in the center of their formation.


    A ck-haired man and a long-haired man, both incredibly beautiful and androgynous-looking, approached and said, ¡°They really do as they please. I can¡¯t understand the gods at all.¡±


    They were Raiders and Nevartan, who had polymorphed into humans.


    Grid made eye contact with them and said, ¡°Don¡¯t humans and you two also do as we please? Only personalities and ideologies differentiate us. In the grand scheme of things, I think we are all the same. I believe we can all live together and enjoy life to the fullest.¡±


    Nevartan didn¡¯t think the same. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t agree. Regardless of personality or ideology, us old dragons have never deviated greatly from the will of the foreign god.¡±


    Raiders scolded him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s appropriate for you to say since you went crazy and caused all sorts of incidents in the past.¡±


    Nevartan blushed and said things like, ¡®I forgot my purpose when the Refractive Dragon got sealed, h h h,¡¯ but Raiders ignored him.


    Raiders stared at Grid with his characteristically cold and indifferent golden eyes.


    ¡°Since we told you what our situation is, I would like to ask you a question. Now that we¡¯ve lostmunication with the foreign god, I don¡¯t know what we should do.¡±


    Ever since the resurrection of the Refractive Dragon, Raiders had regained his memories and had beenmunicating with Morpheus. He epted Morpheus¡¯ information and knowledge as truthful. Every time Morpheus told him to do something, Raiders thought that the foreign god¡¯s instructions were the only correct ones.


    But things had changed. Morpheus was silent. Beings that had never been mentioned appeared and went on a rampage. Raiders felt lost, not knowing what to do next.


    In any case, the Refractive Dragon was still chasing Reba. It was difficult for the old dragons to keep up with the Goddess because of their abilities. And it was impossible for them tomunicate with the Refractive Dragon.


    Raiders couldn¡¯t figure out what the next course of action should be.


    Grid shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Just take a break.¡±


    ¡°A break...?¡±


    ¡°Sleep for a hundred years. You will regain your strength when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Once you open your eyes, eat something. Call Idan and tell him to prepare a lot of dishes.¡±


    ¡°What next?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Why don¡¯t you go on a food tour?¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Live as freely as you want, just like in the days when the Refractive Dragon was sealed. As I said before, isn¡¯t it the world¡¯s providence that humans, gods, and dragons ultimately live ording to their own wishes?¡±


    ¡°There is no way that the providence of the world can apply to me, since I¡¯m an apostle of the foreign god...¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference? After all, what the foreign god wants is for this world to keep existing. If you live freely and see something that threatens the peace of this world, something like the cultivators, then step in and help. It¡¯s that simple. You can live ording to providence while also acting as an apostle of the foreign god.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Nevartan said. ¡°Taking a break is the right call. If I wake up in a hundred years and there is still no contact from the foreign god, then I can just do whatever I want.¡±


    Raiders was intrigued. ¡°Nevartan, do you have any hobbies?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to have a hobby?¡± Nevartan answered casually before suddenly ring at Grid. ¡°Grid, even though you are great, my daughter is still young.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, keep in mind that you can¡¯t marry her before I wake up.¡±


    ¡°Who is marrying whom? Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°You know that my madness has been cured a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Is keeping an eye on your child your hobby...?¡± Grid asked, agitated.


    The old dragons ignored Grid¡¯s response because they were embarrassed and frustrated. They exchanged a few more words before dispersing in the direction of their respectiveirs.


    The rankers watching this were amazed.


    [You have received the Blessing of the Gourmet Dragon, Raiders.]


    [You have received the Blessing of the Insane Dragon, Nevartan.]


    Strength boiled in rankers¡¯ bodies. Buffs they never imagined before now stacked. They were brave, but they wondered if they were really capable of destroying all the remaining Full Moon Fortresses.


    ¡°Grid... Grid blessed us...!!¡±


    The rankers suddenly came to their senses and started chanting Grid¡¯s name. They mistakenly thought that Grid¡¯s influence was behind the blessings received from the old dragons.


    The special status of Dragon Knight was quite misleading.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Gridughed awkwardly. He felt very proud. The old dragons had blessed the yers probably because they nned to leave the rest to the humans while they were taking a break.


    In other words, the dragons of the world believed that humans were strong enough.


    ¡®The world has changed so much.¡¯


    Grid was happy.


    Seeing that Grid didn¡¯t look so injured anymore, the three masters asked, [Not yet?]


    Grid shook his head. ¡°I still have to wait for a while longer. Hey, why don¡¯t you stay with Piaro while I rest?¡±


    [...The farmer? Why should we?]


    ¡°I think your abilities will be of great help to Piaro¡¯s farming.¡±


    [Why should we help him farm?]


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to do anyway, right?¡±


    [We can just... follow you around.]


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. Piaro is my closest confidant, so you will still be close to me.¡±


    [Even if that is the case, why should we...]


    Grid wanted to put an end to this conversation. ¡°Then what, are you just going to waste time doing nothing? Even the old dragons are trying to do <i>something</i>. Are you going to just sit around?¡±


    In any case, he would get forcefully logged out soon.


    [Excuse me... Excuse me, Grid?]


    Grid asked the clone to take care of the rest and logged out.

 Chapter 2014

    <h4>Chapter 2014</h4>


    [Stop the Erosion Ritual]


    There were only four days left on the time limit for the world quest that had been causing a lot of turmoil. Failing this quest would have dangerous consequences, but no one was rmed.


    On the West Continent, the Overgeared members used the Tomb of the Gods as their base, while on the East Continent, the rankers who had received the blessings of the old dragons destroyed a Full Moon Fortress. Both sides had destroyed most of the fortresses.


    There were now only two Full Moon Fortresses left, one on each continent. People were watching the events unfold on various media tforms and through rankers¡¯ livestreams. Some drank beer at a pub, some ate popcorn, some ate with their family, and some drank tea quietly while watching. They enjoyed the final battle that could change Satisfy¡¯s fate like it was a sports event since it was very likely that humanity would win and that the cultivators would lose.


    The cultivators were discussing what to do.


    ¡°This is thest bastion. For four days, we must do our best to stop the enemy¡¯s offensive.¡±


    ¡°Most of our enemies are mortals. Even those who are cultivators have only recently condensed their spiritual roots. They are below the level of the foundation building realm. There is absolutely no reason for us to be pushed back. We will surely win.¡±


    Of course, the cultivators gathered in the Full Moon Fortresses were formidable. There were those who couldn¡¯t participate in the construction of the Full Moon Fortress because the size of their sect was too small, those who didn¡¯t belong to a sect in the first ce and wandered the world alone, those who hadmitted serious sins and had therefore been expelled, and so on.


    All the cultivators scattered across the world gathered at the two Full Moon Fortresses. The cultivators had nowhere to retreat, so they abandoned their selfishness and united with amon goal in mind.


    There weren¡¯t that many Overgeared members.


    ¡°These cultivators are really putting up a fight. I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡±


    ¡°They recover their HP so quickly with elixirs and mystical arts that attrition warfare isn¡¯t very effective. Why don¡¯t we log out for a while and log back in when other groups are active?¡±


    Because yers couldn¡¯t ess the game for longer than twenty hours, the Overgeared Guild was forced to split into groups so that they couldunch attacks on the fortresses twenty-four hours a day.


    The guild members were split into two groups and spent half the day trying to fill in the gaps of the troops as much as possible. Thanks to this, the yers had been working over the past ten days without pausing and destroyed the Full Moon Fortresses across the continent. However, this was now a hindrance.


    For an all-out war, it was necessary for the Overgeared members to be logged in at the same time.


    The executives of the Overgeared Guild were sharing their thoughts.


    ¡°The enemy has a lot of Absolutes. Can the Apostles and Tower members survive without us?¡±


    ¡°If we all log out for about an hour so we can all be online at the same time... But if we do that, this will cost us a lot of troops...¡±


    ¡°You think one hour is enough? Even if weunch an all-out offensive, do you think we can capture that ce in one hour? Why are you so optimistic?¡±


    ¡°The sheer number of formations set up around thest Full Moon Fortress seems enormous.¡±


    Jishuka entered the barracks and offered a suggestion. ¡°The enemy doesn¡¯t have infinite elixirs. Besides, we still have four days to go. We will continue fighting following the rotations we have set in ce while adjusting the connection time of each group little by little. On the third day, there will be an hour when all guild members will be logged in at the same time.¡±


    Her fingertips were red like touch-me-not flowers, bruised from shooting so many arrows. Even after drinking potions and elixirs to restore the fingertips to normal, her fingers were still bloodied because of how strong the recoil of the bow was. She was surely in pain, but she didn¡¯t show it.


    The executives nodded. They respected Jishuka because she was a natural leader and very skilled. ¡°That is the ideal method. I agree with Jishuka.¡±


    ¡°By the way, are your hands okay?¡± Chris asked.


    Chris also yed the role of captain in most missions. Since he didn¡¯t often work with Jishuka, he only now noticed her red-stained fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to develop resistance to the same wounds. In fact, in many cases, the injury can be permanent.¡±


    After bing Tzudan¡¯s Sessor, Chris became an even more aggressive tyrant. He jumped into fights no matter what and had constant wounds all over his body. He knew very well that people didn¡¯t develop a resistance to pain. This applied especially to high rankers who had set the synchronization rate to the maximum amount. Thus, he understood how Jishuka felt.


    ¡°This? My fingers bruise every time I shoot an arrow. It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Jishuka said indifferently.


    She thought of the times Grid had fought until he couldn¡¯t move anymore. She had recently watched a video of the battle between Grid and Garam, and her heart felt very heavy. She wouldn¡¯t find it weird if Grid suffered from PTSD. Until now, he had ovee all the hard trials he¡¯d been through thanks to his unwavering mental toughness, but there had to be a limit to that.


    ¡°Thest Full Moon Fortress... Let¡¯s make sure we deal with it ourselves before Grides back.¡±


    Jishuka hoped that Grid, her one and only lover, would get enough rest. Therefore, she nned more thoroughly than usual and deployed aggressive tactics, greatly pressuring the cultivators hiding within the Full Moon Fortress.


    ¡°That woman with red fingertips knows how to strategize and is a great leader. That¡¯s why the enemy forces don¡¯t lose their momentum.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s focus on her.¡±


    The cultivators realized how much Jishuka was doing in the ongoing battle and came up with a n.


    In the deepest part of the Full Moon Fortress whereplex formations that connected dimensions were unfolded, fifty high-ranking cultivators gathered toplete a single mystical art. They had to pay with their lives for this incredibly powerful art.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    [An invisible killing intent has flown in and destroyed your heart.]


    ¡°......!¡±


    Jishuka didn¡¯t even get a warning beforehand. She wasmanding the troops when she suddenly stumbled. Blood spilled from her nose, mouth, ears, and eyes.


    ¡°Jishuka!¡±


    The people in the Overgeared Guild¡¯s camp freaked out. Jishuka always knew what orders to give out, so it was really bad that she wasn¡¯t telling them what to do even for even a moment. The momentum of the Overgeared members suddenly dropped.


    "Now!"


    The cultivators went on the counterattack. They jumped from the walls of the Full Moon Fortress andunched an all-out attack. The empire¡¯s soldiers were taken by surprise and scrambled. The knights tried to calm them down while the Overgeared members went to the frontline to meet the enemy¡¯s advance.


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    The low-level cultivators were in the frontline. They used all of their spiritual energy into their shields and blocked most of the skills of the Overgeared members. The cultivators charged into the battlefield, gaining a lot of distance. They had their sights on Huroi, Toban, Lae, Zirkan, and many others who had been helping Jishukamanding the troops.


    Vantner chuckled when he noticed what the enemy was nning. ¡°As expected, aren¡¯t tanks the best?¡±


    As Jishuka¡¯s deputy, Vantner was also on the same level as amander. However, no cultivators targeted him. He believed this was because they weren¡¯t confident enough to break through his thick shield.


    Pon told him the truth. ¡°Pretty sure they think it¡¯s better to keep you alive since your tactics are so terrible.¡±


    ¡°You should swing your spear more and talk less. Stop being jealous.¡±


    Vantner and Pon were always in the vanguard. They couldn¡¯t go help Jishuka, who was in the backline. Therefore, there was no gloominess on their faces as they focused on the enemies in front of them.


    Jishuka was the second inmand when Lauel was gone, and she had a shadow ruler next to her, protecting her.


    ¡°This ghostly bastard...!¡±


    The Transcendent-level cultivators had tried tounch a secret attack by targeting Jishuka, who was tenaciously holding on despite being struck directly in the heart. The cultivators¡¯ faces suddenly turned pale.


    There was a ghost lurking in the shadows. It was none other than Death God Faker, who had be notorious in the cultivation world at some point. He blocked the attacks that the cultivators were hurling at Jishuka. Faker leapt out of her shadow and swung his sword, catching the cultivators off guard.


    Fakerbined shadow magic and dark magic with his dragon weapon, so his attack power was high enough to shatter the cultivators¡¯ shields.


    He told Jishuka, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the rest. Just focus on recovering.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jishuka was a legend and a Transcendent. Even though she had been seriously wounded, she didn¡¯t die immediately. Instead, her invincibility passive triggered and she entered the immortal state. She wanted to recover.


    Where there is light, there must be shadow.


    Faker created hundreds of shadow soldiers. He protected Jishuka and pointed spears and swords at the cultivators. He was truly a one-man army.


    The cultivators couldn¡¯t break through Faker¡¯s defenses. The fact that there was no Absolute-level cultivator present really hindered them. The most powerful cultivators were currently on the outskirts of the Full Moon Fortress dealing with Braham, Hayate, and the other Apostles and Tower members.


    ¡°No one wille to help us. We must break through.¡±


    The Absolutes on both sides were keeping each other in check. No one was losing, no one was winning. Neither party would leave their positions because they risked losing this bnce.


    Victory had to be achieved without relying on Absolutes...


    ¡°We willunch the Profound Autumn Formation.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    The cultivators were worried since they couldn¡¯t deal with the shadow soldiers that kept rising no matter how many times they were killed. Suddenly, the eyes of the cultivators widened when the elders of the Taemun Sect dered that they would use a forbidden formation.


    ¡°Are you willing to give up your lives?¡±


    ¡°If this is the only way to protect the only remaining Full Moon Fortress, yes. Are our lives valuable considering how old we are?¡± the elders said solemnly. They seemed very determined to go through with this n.


    It made sense why the cultivators of the Taemun Sect respected their elders.


    ¡°We won¡¯t let your sacrifices be in vain.¡±


    ¡°So be it. Be sure toplete the Full Moon Fortress. Once our allies arrive from the maind, we will get our hands on this world.¡±


    Cultivators considered that nothing mattered more than their lives. But now that they had their backs against the wall, they cooperated as if they were mortals.


    "Of course.¡±


    A multitude of mystical characters flowed from the elders¡¯ hands. The formation of the Taemun Sect elders was gradually perfected. Faker sensed something was up and tried to stop them, but even with the shadow movement technique, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to shake off multiple Transcendents.


    ¡°Destroy them, Faker.¡±


    Jishuka gave up on trying to heal back up. She threw away the potion in her hand and grabbed her greatbow. She drew back the bowstring to the point where it seemed like it would break. All the shadow soldiers were destroyed by the light emitted from the arrow of divinity gathered at the tip of the bow.


    ¡°Profound!¡±


    ¡°Autumn Formation!¡±


    After the elders cried out¡ª


    <i>sh!</i>


    ¡ªrandom,plex shapes appeared at Jishuka¡¯s feet.


    Jishuka twisted like a pretzel, but she let go of her bowstring in time.


    As she turned into ash, three of the cultivators who had created the formation copsed, coughing up blood.


    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±


    Six cultivators got hit by the arrows of white light and were seriously injured. Faker didn¡¯t miss the opportunity that Jishuka had created. He attacked the cultivators who suffered the most injuries and decapitated two of them.


    In return for killing Jishuka, a total of five Transcendent cultivators died. This had only been possible because of Jishuka and Faker. The cultivators had suffered greater losses than the Overgeared members.


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    The cultivatorsughed. They expected the copse of the enemy¡¯s chain ofmand. Even though they had sacrificed a lot, they believed that they had greatly helped their allies.


    The cultivators were aware that Jishuka could resurrect since they knew yers could do that. A number of cultivators skilled in stealth were waiting near the resurrection point, and they would attack Jishuka as soon as she returned. Her invincibility passive would be on cooldown, so she was bound to die.


    [Whisper to Knight: Knight, Soul Resurrection.]


    [Whisper from Knight: You know that the death penalty is doubled if you do that, right?]


    [Whisper to Knight: Yes, that¡¯s fine.]


    Jishuka was aware of the cultivators¡¯ intentions. With the help of Knight, who temporarily postponed his mission in hell to join the battlefield, Jishuka resurrected at apletely different location from the cultivators¡¯ predictions.


    [The yer Knight wants to resurrect you. Would you like to ept?]


    [You have epted.]


    [You will resurrect next to the yer Knight. Your ruined mortal flesh is guided by the soul and regenerated.]


    The hidden ss, Death God, specialized in tracking and killing souls. He only had one buff or cooperative skill that helped his allies. This was the Soul Resurrection skill, which summoned the souls of his dead allies to his side. It wasn¡¯t bound by any saved resurrection points, and was a very valuable skill to have. It was especially powerful when used in areas where it was impossible to resurrect or re-enter after death. It had the serious disadvantage of doubling the death penalty, but it was worth using in a situation like this.


    [Whisper to Zibal: Zibal, close the entrance to the Tomb of the Gods.]


    Jishuka respawned near the front lines where only low-level cultivators with protective shields were present. She began giving out orders again.


    A huge blue veil surrounded the Tomb of the Gods. Now, thest battle would take ce on the Tomb of the Gods.


    This meant that most of the high-ranking cultivators who had attacked key personnel, such as Jishuka, ended up trapped in the Tomb of the Gods. This would onlyst for a few minutes, but it was an advantage that was worth using.


    ¡°Good. In the meantime, we will destroy the protective mechanisms that have been set up around the Full Moon Fortress.¡±

 Chapter 2015

    <h4>Chapter 2015</h4>


    ¡°H-Hold on! Don¡¯t back down!¡±


    Most cultivators had a clear advantage over yers. The cultivators¡¯ shields neutralized most attacks, so the yers didn¡¯t deal any damage to them.


    A shield was created by concentrating spiritual energy. It was so simple to create one that it was hard to ssify it as a technique.


    Every cultivator took their shield for granted. This was why low-level cultivators could fight in the front lines.


    But¡ª


    ¡°Hngh!¡±


    ¡°Uwah....¡±


    Shields weren¡¯t unbreakable.


    Shields consumed spiritual energy every time they blocked an attack, and there was a limit to that. The cultivators were very vulnerable if an army of tens of thousandsunched long-range attacks toward them. The color of the spiritual energy varied ording to the technique that the cultivator had learned. So when the colorful protection of the cultivators was broken one by one and scattered like stars...


    ¡°Good! We¡¯re breaking through!¡±


    The Overgeared Guild¡¯s elite forces seeded in breaking through the shields of the cultivators. Disgusted, the cultivators tried using mystical arts, but to no avail. They were almost out of spiritual energy. Even if theypleted a mystical art, it wouldn¡¯t deal enough damage to threaten the elites of the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°Destroy all visible formations.¡±


    The elites of the Overgeared members weren¡¯t in any rush to enter the Full Moon Fortress. Following Jishuka¡¯s orders, they went around the fortress and focused on destroying anything that looked remotely suspicious, such as mysterious rotating mystical texts, unknown stone statues, a forest that shouldn¡¯t be floating, and soaring waterfalls gushing upside down. All of these copsed following the Overgeared Guild¡¯s involvement.


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    The cultivators¡¯ faces paled. The things the Overgeared members were destroying boosted the strength of the fortress. Some were traps that would harm enemies, some were shields that blocked attacks, and some were power sources that would devour the enemies and turn them into spiritual energy, but now they were either malfunctioning or destroyed.


    The secret arts provided by each sect to protect thest bastion were now gone.


    ¡°That girl...! Get rid of that red-handed girl first!¡±


    The cultivators looked at where Jishuka was as they dodged the arrows and magic bombardment of the empire¡¯s soldiers and magicians. She was a legend and a Transcendent. She had acquired a bit of King Daebyeol¡¯s divinity, so her firepower stood out even among the elites of the Overgeared Guild. Every time she fired her bow, the formations set up by the cultivators copsed disastrously. She was a top priority target.


    ¡°Protect Jishuka!¡±


    Of course, being an archer had clear disadvantages. Jishuka had a wide field of view and powerful attacks, but low survivability skills. This made fighting solo almost impossible. This was why Vantner was almost always by her side.


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    This time, however, Faker was the one protecting Jishuka. The moment the cultivators unleashed a series of attacks, Jishuka¡¯s shadow spread out like a curtain and swallowed up all the projectiles. This was the use of the skill Greed. Before he knew it, Faker had gotten used to protecting someone else.


    ¡°How can you be here?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s eyes widened. She had no idea that Faker, who was supposed to be trapped in the Tomb of the Gods along with the high-level cultivators, would suddenly leap from her shadow.


    ¡°I moved ording to your strategy.¡±


    Faker had escaped from the Tomb of the Gods at the same time that Jishuka died. He had moved to where Knight was and melted into Jishuka¡¯s shadow when her soul was summoned.


    ¡°Good idea using Knight¡¯s ability. There is a reason that arrogant Lauel entrusted you with full control of the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°At best, I am just a pinch hitter.¡±


    They had no time to chat. The situation was urgent. The number of high-ranking cultivators escaping the Tomb of the Gods was increasing one by one. Jishuka, who was already under heavy fire, was met with powerful attacks that she had never seen before.


    ¡°We still have two hours until Lauel logs in. If you die before then, people will lose theirposure again. Why don¡¯t you retreat for now?¡±


    It was impossible for even Faker to protect Jishuka by himself. The skills of the Transcendent cultivators were formidable.


    Jishuka nodded and sent a whisper to Chris.


    [Whisper from Jishuka: I¡¯ll leave themand of the front line to you, Chris.]


    [Whisper to Jishuka: Sure. Let¡¯s try to destroy as many of the remaining formations as possible.]


    Chris sounded confident. Since when did the immature young master, who used to only trust in Zirkan¡¯s abilities, be so trustworthy?


    Jishuka smiled as she recalled the time she first met Chris. She suddenly became proud of Grid. It was because of Grid¡¯s help that everyone present, including herself and Chris, had be as powerful as they were now.


    ¡®Grid, this is your guild. Please rest assured and rest well.¡¯


    Grid needed to leave enemies of this level to his guild members...


    Feeling hopeful, Jishuka expanded her field of view and prepared for the final blow she would strike.


    Arrow Shower was one of an archer¡¯s ultimate skills. This was an ordinary AOE skill that devastated a certain area. However, Jishuka had a satellite-like vision and sniping-rted passive skills. Once Jishuka used it, it was reborn as apletely different skill¡ªan AOE sniping skill.


    The white arrows of divinity fired like machine guns at the hundreds of cultivators and dozens of formations that Jishuka could see.


    ¡°That damn girl is attacking us even now...!¡±


    The cultivators gritted their teeth, but they couldn¡¯t do anything. Faker used the shadow movement technique and escaped the battlefield with Jishuka.


    ***


    There seemed to be a hole in the sky. It had been raining for hours now. The rain droplets had been hitting the exterior wall of the ss-covered mansion without stopping.


    Shin Youngwoo was rarely staring at walls. His greasy hair was matted, and he was lying lethargically on the sofa. He hadn¡¯t looked like this in years.


    Normally, he showered as soon as he logged out of Satisfy and took care of himself by meditating and exercising, but he didn¡¯t even lift a finger today. He even postponed eating.


    This was because he was losing his mind. He had been in a lot of pain while fighting Hanul and Garam, and he became very afraid of the prospect that reality might change soon. Would he have to endure this type of pain in real life? Mortal flesh was weak in reality. How could a human endure what he had gone throughtely in the game?


    Grid had no choice. He only had one life in reality. He was terribly anxious thinking about this. Because his mind was restless, he couldn¡¯t afford to take care of his body. He was stuck in a vicious cycle.


    ¡°...Ow.¡±


    Youngwoo scowled. Just as he was about to get up, pain shed through his body as if he had been stabbed. He was experiencing pain in all the areas where Garam had stabbed him with the Annihtion sword.


    Youngwoo frowned as he took off his clothes and stood in front of the mirror. He didn¡¯t have a single scratch on his skin. It wasn¡¯t until he saw this with his own eyes that the pain tormenting him slowly subsided.


    ¡°Am I experiencing some sort of trauma? Me?¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s eyes widened in fear as he realized this was a mental health problem he was having. He was used to all types of pain while fighting against strong enemies, so why was he experiencing trauma now?


    He didn¡¯t want to admit this was happening to him. This was like confessing that he was scared of Garam.


    ¡®...No, Garam doesn¡¯t matter at all. The vague uneasiness that the world will change is making me way too anxious.¡¯


    Youngwoo focused on calming down. He analyzed the source of his trauma, and his anger subsided. He was still afraid, but he felt more at ease.


    After taking a shower, Youngwoo changed into a set of new clothes and ate. He turned on the TV and saw the Overgeared Guild struggling. The remaining cultivators had gathered at thest bastion. Yes, they were thest ones.


    Cultivators were ssified as NPCs, not monsters. If they died, that was it. There was noing back. Immediately after the update, a few thousand cultivators appeared in the game. If thest two Full Moon Fortresses failed to connect the dimensions and were destroyed, the cultivators would disappear from Satisfy.


    The game world would go back to normal, but the history and techniques of the cultivators would remain.


    ¡°...Wait, aren¡¯t there two Fortresses left?¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s expression darkened as he thought of the Full Moon Fortress that the demon cultivators were building in Asgard. Of course, the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators hadn¡¯t been included in the Stop the Erosion Ritual quest because its construction started rtivelyte. It would take the demon cultivators at least a few more weeks toplete it. Meanwhile, the Stop the Erosion Ceremony quest would end in a few days.


    A Full Moon Fortress that was separate from the quest still remained. Youngwoo couldn¡¯t allow that. If new cultivators gathered at that fortress, the Erosion Ritual quest might trigger again one day.


    Youngwoo had to put an end to this. However, it bothered him that the demon cultivators were cooperating with the gods.


    ¡®Dominion, Metatron, Asura... It will be quite hard dealing with them.¡¯


    The memories from fighting Garam shed through his mind. He once again experienced the pain he¡¯d buried deep down.


    Youngwoo gasped as he held his chest. He fell forward onto the table. The wounds that were engraved in his mind were making him feel intense pain and shock. It took a long time for him to slowly get back up, his back drenched in sweat.


    ¡°Damn, this is absolutely terrible.¡±


    Youngwoo had to admit it. Agnus proved that the world had changed. Youngwoo became nervous and anxious. The fear that was deeply engraved in his heart wouldn¡¯t go away easily.


    ¡°It would be better to log into the game.¡±


    Lauel had encouraged him to get plenty of rest. Youngwoo agreed, but his mental state was too poor for him to rx. Hey down in the capsule, but he immediately became frustrated.


    [You cannot log in due to unstable vital signs.]


    [Take a good rest and try againter.]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t been able to sleeptely. He had spent almost a day in a daze since logging out. There was no way Satisfy would allow sleep-deprived people to ess the game. Youngwoo was furious, but he remained optimistic.


    ¡®I am irritable because I couldn¡¯t sleep. Once I wake up after a good night¡¯s sleep, I will no longer be so anxious.¡¯


    Youngwoo headed to the bedroom. That night, a terrible nightmare haunted him. In the dream, Agnus, who signed another contract with Baal in reality, invaded Seoul with tens of thousands of undead soldiers.


    ¡°Hey, wouldn¡¯t a necromancer be incredibly OP in real life?¡±


    Every time an undead soldier stabbed him, Youngwoo would bleed profusely and almost die. Meanwhile, Agnus would stay very far away as he destroyed the yers and the army without lifting a finger. In his dream, Youngwoo was so jealous that he shed tears at the sight of Agnus not getting a single scratch on him at the end of the battle.


    Youngwoo was jealous. Jealousy turned into him feeling inferior, and inferiority ate at his self-esteem. Youngwoo was regressing to how he used to be. He was once again an idiot who couldn¡¯t do anything. Both Yura and Jishuka were disappointed with him, and they left his side.


    Youngwoo woke up breathing heavily and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°That will never happen.¡±


    The nightmare served as a good reminder. The unique venom contained in the individual who had written an unprecedented sessful myth slowly blossomed, pushing away the anxiety and fear in his heart.


    Youngwoo overcame his trauma in just two days.

 Chapter 2016

    <h4>Chapter 2016</h4>


    ¡°I actually feel refreshed after feeling angry...?¡±


    Youngwoo seemed to have nightmares the whole time he slept. But a dream was just a dream. The anger and inferiority he had felt in his dream motivated him.


    ¡®...Agnus.¡¯


    Agnus was a necromancer. Was there any other ss that would be as overpowered as a necromancer in real life? Honestly, Youngwoo was really jealous.


    ¡®But I am overgeared.¡¯


    Even if the world changed, it was enough for Youngwoo to make good armor and equip himself with it, just like a cksmith. This way, it would hurt less if he got hit.


    ¡®...There is no way I can use just any weapon.¡¯


    Youngwoo was relieved and called Secretary Jang.


    Secretary Jang was Yura¡¯s closest confidant. He was a nice individual who helped Youngwoo in various ways.


    -<i>Hello, Youngwoo-nim.</i> <i>What do you need me to do?</i>


    As expected, Secretary Jang was quick. He always answered the call before the second ring.


    ¡°Do smithies still exist in the world nowadays?¡±


    Various agricultural tools and daily necessities such as scissors, kitchen knives, and so on... Most things made of metal had long be industrial products. Youngwoo wasn¡¯t sure if such objects made by hand still existed nowadays.


    Secretary Jang¡¯s reply was an unexpected one.


    -<i>Of course.</i> <i>They have be moremon in recent years.</i>


    After watching Youngwoo in the game, many people dreamed of bing a cksmith. This used to be a trend at some point. The smithies which used to be run by a very small number of craftsmen became popr and were treated as a special social phenomenon.


    A social phenomenon created by only one yer¡¯s influence... Of course, the media covered this extensively. However, Youngwoo himself didn¡¯t know this. There was a lot of news about him, so it was difficult for him to keep up with everything. This was understandable because, at some point, there used to be absurd articles with headlines like, ¡®Grid is a known canned tuna fanatic. Will he eat canned tuna for breakfast?¡¯


    ¡°...Really? Um, well, I would like to visit a well-equipped smithy.¡±


    -<i>Sure. I will make a list and pass it on to you.</i>


    Secretary Jang had more than one or two good qualities. What Youngwoo particrly liked most about the secretary was that he neverined about anything.


    After the call ended, Youngwoo changed his mind about essing Satisfy. He wasn¡¯t feeling that great.


    ¡°I will run just a fewps.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t in peak condition yet. ording to the news, the Overgeared members were fighting incredibly well at the moment. The night before, the troopsmanded by Jishuka inflicted a serious blow on the Full Moon Fortress. Lauel reced Jishuka early this morning and surrounded the Full Moon Fortress, eating away at the enemy¡¯s physical strength.


    Arge army of hundreds and thousands surrounded the Full Moon Fortress. At first nce, they seemed like they were the elite among the elites who could fly, but that wasn¡¯t the case. A significant number of soldiers could only fly with the help of magicians and Overgeared members. They didn¡¯t actually have the capacity to engage in airbat.


    However, the enemies didn¡¯t know this. They were greatly pressured because they mistakenly believed that hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers had trained enough to be able to fly despite being mortals.


    The Tomb of the Gods also fired artillery. Thousands of cannonballs rained down with such power that it shook the cameras installed at ultra-long range. Even Youngwoo was impressed, and he was the one who had created the masterpiece known as the Tomb of the Gods, as well as the Overgeared Cannons.


    However, the Full Moon Fortress, where mystical characters appeared every time it was bombarded, was also incredibly durable. It seemed that the cultivators had installed all types of secret arts on the final fortress.


    ¡®It¡¯s only a matter of time until it falls.¡¯


    The most important thing in war was morale. NPCs were more affected by morale than yers. From a yer¡¯s perspective, morale was more or less their mental toughness or mindset, but for NPCs, it was a stat that was actually quantified and applied.


    The cultivators trapped in the Full Moon Fortress would gradually lose morale and be weaker as a result. Lauel wouldunch a full-fledged offensive when the right time came.


    ¡®The situation is simr in the East Continent.¡¯


    There was only one Full Moon Fortress left on the East Continent. That one was also under siege by tens of thousands of soldiers who were floating in the sky. The tens of thousands of troops over there were truly elite. Each and every one of them could pose a threat to the cultivators. They were all ranker-level yers.


    The Four Auspicious Beasts were in the sky. On the ground there were hundreds of thousands of troops from Valha and the Chivalrous Robbers. It was a brilliant disy of power even from Youngwoo¡¯s perspective. Youngwoo was particrly focused on Juander¡¯s group.


    Juander was the former emperor. He used red energy. There was also Armored Cavalryman Chensler, who was unable to die. They were both colossal powerhouses. Over the past few years, they had been traveling all over the continent to save people and be stronger. Unofficial rankers, including the African Leopard Kujarak, worked with Juander. They seemed to have formed a deep bond.


    ¡®Kujarak...¡¯


    He was also a legend who had be a Transcendent. If someone asked Youngwoo who was the most powerful yer outside of the Overgeared Guild, he would consider Kujarak as a candidate.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    The neighbors greeted Youngwoo when they saw him jogging. Seeing their joyful expressions, it seemed that it had been a while since they were this excited for something to happen. They were enthusiastic about a future without cultivators.


    Ordinary people weren¡¯t aware of how reality was changing. They seemed to have forgotten about the asteroid that had suddenly disappeared near the moon. This was to be expected since everyone was busy living their daily lives. People had talked about the unknown asteroid for only a week. After that, they no longer cared about it. The fact that governments deliberately concealed the news surely yed a major role in the people¡¯s disinterest.


    ¡®As expected, sweating is the only way to clear my mind.¡¯


    Youngwoo became progressively more cheerful as he ran and breathed in the fresh air. His jog had started off lightly, but now he was gradually approaching a speed that would break the track and field athletes¡¯ records for sprinting.


    Just then, Secretary Jang sent him a message. Youngwoo stopped running for a while to check the contents of the translucent hologram.


    ¡°Around here...?¡±


    Secretary Jang had sent him a total of twenty-seven smithy addresses. One of them happened to be on the outskirts of Youngwoo¡¯s neighborhood. Youngwoo had never visited that ce before because it was below a small mountain. But as the saying went, what you¡¯re looking for tends to be right under your nose.


    ¡°Seven kilometers... It¡¯s a good pre-meal exercise.¡±


    Youngwoo smiled. He decided to find the smithy right away. The moment he started running properly, he was so fast that the people exercising nearby looked at him dumbfounded.


    ***


    ¡°Is anyone here?¡±


    At first nce, the smithy looked like a fairlyrge materials store. The entrance was so wide that two fifteen-ton trucks could easily pass side by side. Beyond the entrance, an area measuring several hundred pyeong spread out. All types of materials were piled up here and there, like movable property.


    ¡°Where is the office?¡±


    Youngwoo was walking around and looking for people who didn¡¯t answer even when he called, only to stop walking. He found a pile of iron ore.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    This was the first time he had actually seen a mineral in real life. Of course, the transparent gems on the nes he had gifted to Yura and Jishuka were also ssified as minerals, but in any case... This was the first time he had seen such a crude stone in real life.


    ¡®Satisfy is amazing. The texture and the smell are all the same.¡¯


    He had touched Iron ore countless times in Satisfy. Now that he touched it in reality, Youngwoo¡¯s eyes lit up as he cherished the new emotion that overcame him. All the other materials piled up around him were also necessary for cksmithing. Of course, all of the minerals were just ordinary. In Satisfy, cksmiths below intermediate level could work with them.


    But this was reality. There were no materials such as mithril, ck iron, or white phosphorus wood, let alone Greed. Therefore, the minerals seemed good enough. It was safe to say that this ce was a cksmith¡¯s paradise.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    Grid had been focused on everything around him when he finally heard a loud, distant voice. Based on the sound of the footsteps, the person¡¯s estimated weight was around 82-90 kilograms. They seemed strong, but they sounded more nervous than necessary.


    ¡®Was he doing something illegal?¡¯


    Youngwoo tilted his head after analyzing the slightest tremor in the other person¡¯s voice. As he had expected, a burly man approached him. He appeared to be in histe thirties, and held a hammer in one hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened. The smithy was in a secluded ce, and he¡¯d justunched his business, so he was getting very few customers. Therefore, the owner was suspicious of this unexpected guest who was inspecting the minerals without asking for permission. But as he approached, he recognized the guest.


    ¡°G-Grid?¡± he shouted, his voice trembling even more. This time, however, he wasn¡¯t nervous, but happy. He was a fan of Youngwoo and had be interested in cksmithing because of him. Unexpectedly, he was naturally skilled at cksmithing and he ended up establishing a smithy. Youngwoo visiting him seemed like a dream.


    ¡°Ah! I-Is this a dream? I-It has to be real, right?¡±


    The man was restless. He was mesmerized by Youngwoo¡¯s presence.


    Youngwoo greeted him. ¡°Haha, hello.¡±


    The man finally realized he wasn¡¯t imagining this. He bowed at a ny-degree angle.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you! Grid, I am a big fan of you! I¡¯m a really, really, long-time fan... By the way, why did someone like youe to such a shabby ce like my business?¡±


    The man slowly regained his calm. He was trying to have a normal conversation even though his voice was still trembling. He was worried that the person he wanted to impress, whose visit seemed like fate, would just leave.


    Youngwoo immediately got to the point. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of building a few smithies soon. I am going on a tour to see if I can get any references. If possible, I would like to try some cksmithing at your ce.¡±


    ¡°Sure! I¡¯d be d to help you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Youngwoo had long be ustomed to people reacting enthusiastically when they met him. Many worshiped him like he was a real god. No matter how much the other person would freak out, Youngwoo always remained calm and never got upset.


    Youngwoo followed the man¡¯s instructions and looked around the smithy, taking photos of the building¡¯s structure and various facilities. He stood in front of the cold anvil and rxed.


    ¡®Will I be able to properly use my skills in real life?¡¯


    Youngwoo had crafted more than tens of thousands of items so far. All the processes and movements necessary for cksmithing were engraved in his muscle memory and brain. He was confident that, no matter what he crafted, he would produce a high-quality piece of work.


    However, he shouldn¡¯t be satisfied with just high-quality pieces of work. This world now had people like Agnus, who could use skills.


    Youngwoo also needed to keep up with Grid in terms of strength.


    ¡®I can''tg behind.¡¯


    Youngwoo¡¯s eyes were glowing red because they were reflecting the zing mes of the furnace. He gripped the hammer.


    ¡®Wait, does he have a license?¡¯ the cksmith suddenly thought anxiously. However, he kept his mouth shut because, after all, this was Grid he was talking about.

 Chapter 2017

    <h4>Chapter 2017</h4>


    cksmithing was a profession that had been abolished more than a hundred years ago in South Korea. Since there were so few people applying for this job, the national qualifications for cksmithing were removed as of the year 2000. There was no way that a job that made things by hand would be able topete against a factory that produced the same items but faster. Ten years after the possibility of bing a cksmith disappeared, the 3D printing industry also became popr.


    In any case, a hundred years had passed since then. Only very few cksmiths still remained. There still existed some craftsmen who made a living by takingmissions from the rich, who sought handmade products just for the sake of romance.


    But the world had changed drastically in thest few years. Not just a few rich people, but the vast majority of people dreamed of bing cksmiths in their search for romance. And Grid was the cause of this.


    ¡°......¡±


    Song Juseop was thirty-seven years old. It was because of Grid that he quit thepany he used to work at for and opened a smithy. To be precise, this was because of the events of the Second International Competition. Back then, Grid had participated in an event called the cksmithing Crafting Competition. [1]


    At that time, Satisfy was already a global sensation. People were much more interested in the International Competition than the World Cup or the Olympics. Watching Grid hammering on iron in front of so many people was very enjoyable. The other yers had looked nervous, as if they were obsessed with honor and wealth in the game, but Grid was the only one who hammered with a smile, even though he was sweating profusely in front of a hot furnace.


    Song Juseop vividly remembered watching Grid¡¯s bronzed muscles flex every time he worked the bellows or swung his hammer. This form of beauty couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else. One could even call it sublime. This was the nobility of a craftsman who had crafted tools to protect people.


    At that time, Song Juseop saw some pride in Grid¡¯s smile, and was so fascinated by it that he quit his job and taught himself to be a cksmith.


    ***


    ¡®Does the smithy look like this because the owner is from a privileged background? He has quite a ssic taste.¡¯


    ording to the content of the document sent by Secretary Jang, there had been a proliferation of smithies over the past few years, but most of them were equipped with modern equipment, such as furnaces that maintained the desired temperature at the click of a few buttons, casting machines that automaticallypleted all the processes from tempering to casting when ore was thrown in, mechanical hammers and anvils with AI-correction effects so that users didn¡¯t make mistakes, and so on.


    In other words, the real smithy that Youngwoo wanted to visit was hard to find. There were only seventeen ces across the country that met the standards of a smithy that Shin Youngwoo was looking for. One of them was Song Juseop¡¯s business, Song Workshop, which was set up in a huge building. In terms of size, it wasrger than Grid¡¯s private smithy inside the Overgeared Empire¡¯s Imperial Pce. Plus, it had ssic facilities, not modern ones. If it was possible to transfer it to Satisfy, it would fit right in.


    This smithy didn¡¯t exist for the purpose of making money. It was simply a business that showed off the owner¡¯s passion to be a real cksmith. Even the location was close to Youngwoo¡¯s neighborhood, which was notorious for being the most expensive area in South Korea. The smithy was located on the outskirts at the foot of a mountain, but a huge amount of money had surely been spent to purchase so muchnd.


    ¡°It looks like there are no employees... Did you build this ce purely for your hobby?¡±


    Was the owner from a rich family? Youngwoo spected this, but there was no particr emotion on his face. He didn¡¯t really care about rich people. Shin Youngwoo had more money than wealthy families. If he put his mind to it, he would be one of the world¡¯s ten richest people because he was the ruler of the great empire that dominated Satisfy.


    Even if Youngwoo didn¡¯t craft and sell items, he would be the second richest person in South Korea just by exchanging the profits generated by the empire into real money. He couldn¡¯t be the richest person in the country. The richest individual in South Korea was also the richest person in the whole world.


    Regardless, Youngwoo wasn¡¯t intimidated by the owner¡¯s background. He treated everyone equally. That was the right thing to do since he was an influential person. Therefore, he was always confident. After all, he had ovee severe trauma in just two days.


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say this in front of you, Grid, but... To me, cksmithing is too precious to simply be dismissed as a hobby.¡±


    Youngwoo liked cksmithing. Well, the word ¡®love¡¯ was more appropriate. Youngwoo himself had started as a cksmith and became sessful because of this profession. In the process, he hadpared notes with many cksmiths.


    Youngwoo¡¯s theory was that there were very few bad cksmiths in the world. cksmiths deserved respect because they crafted things that benefited others. Of course Youngwoo was interested in what Song Juseop had to say now that the other man said that cksmith meant a lot to him.


    ¡°Can I ask why?¡±


    The firewood in the furnace was burning red. Even though the size and thickness of the firewood were all slightly different, all of them burned in sync. Phenomenal. Youngwoo had clearly used some kind of trick. The firewood that seemed to have been thrown in thoughtlessly had been actually arranged in an effective manner.


    Juseop, who was mesmerized for a bit watching this, came to his senses.


    ¡°I used to be an ordinary office worker. I studied hard like everyone else, was lucky enough to graduate from university, and got a job at apany that I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in. For the next few years, I went about my daily routine. I only looked at the sry deposited into my ount every month.¡±


    Juseop had an ordinary life. Ironically, this was a life that Youngwoo couldn¡¯t obtain. What Youngwoo wanted in life the most was to open a bar that made others forget the struggles of daily life.


    Of course, this was all in the past for both Youngwoo and Yuseop.


    ¡°Then, during the First International Competition¡ª¡±


    Juseop had been talking calmly, only for him to suddenly turn serious. Maybe he looked like this because his eyebrows were burnt from the years he had spent in front of the furnace. His eyes were quite fierce and heavy.


    Youngwoo could see a glimpse of an artisan¡¯s spirit in the other man¡¯s eyes. He noticed that the man in front of him wasn¡¯t ordinary and listened with great interest. Youngwoo was looking forward to the man¡¯s great backstory.


    ¡°I became a billionaire by betting all my money on you when you fought against Bondre and Hurent.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Youngwoo cocked his head as he listened. He was flustered. The great story he had been anticipating suddenly took an unexpected turn.


    Youngwoo hadn¡¯t been able to get a haircut recently. He pushed back the ck hair that reached his ears and asked, ¡°Is this how you came to value cksmithing...?¡±


    <i>Thanks to me, you were lucky enough to be rich, so of course you developed an affinity for cksmithing...</i>


    Was that it? This story wasn¡¯t going to be emotional like the one between Grid and Khan? Youngwoo was disappointed and he waited to be proven wrong.


    Song Juseop waved his hands.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s expectations crumbled. This was really what Song Juseop¡¯s story was about. There were no twists to it.


    ¡°Thanks to you, I turned my life around. I¡¯ve been your biggest fan ever since! I havee to admire everything about you. But the thing that warmed my heart the most was seeing you stand in front of the furnace. You were the great and wonderful swordsman who punished the Yatan Servants. I also respected you as the nobleman who struggled for your people¡¯s sake. However, the person I wanted to emte the most was the cksmith Grid.¡±


    Song Juseop¡¯s trivial story ultimately brought a smile to Youngwoo¡¯s face.


    ¡°...Is that so? In your eyes, cksmithing seems cooler than shing with a sword. So that is why you became a cksmith.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. I came to admire you during the Second International Competition...¡±


    The story was good enough. Song Juseop had found a job he liked and he got to do what he enjoyed. Even if Grid had impacted him along the way, that wasn¡¯t an important issue. The important thing was that Song Juseop liked cksmithing.


    Just in time, the temperature of the furnace rose to an appropriate level. Youngwoo moved the iron ore he had been eyeing and started smelting. He found this enjoyable for many reasons.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started. I would like your guidance and advice.¡±


    ¡°W-What right do I have to guide someone like you? I am here to just watch and learn.¡±


    ¡°This is my first time doing this in real life.¡±


    Yes, this was the first time. Song Juseop got goosebumps. Watching Youngwoo smelting and forging the iron... he looked just like Grid in the game. Youngwoo was reproducing Grid¡¯s techniques, which Juseop had learned by watching Grid tens of thousands of times.


    This meant that Grid¡¯s skills in Satisfy could be reproduced in reality.


    ***


    It was fun hammering iron with a like-minded cksmith even though this was reality. Youngwoo had always dreamed of a day like this, and the experience turned out to be more satisfying than expected.


    <i>¡®But... Of course, I don¡¯t see any item effects.¡¯ </i>


    Youngwoo crafted armor instead of a sword since he was worried that something bothersome would happen if he crafted a sword without possessing a sword-carrying license. He¡¯d wanted to craft armor from the beginning to test whether he could alleviate pain in reality by wearing said armor.


    ¡°Do you have a sword by any chance? A kitchen knife or scissors are also okay.¡±


    ¡°Ah...! Please wait for a moment.¡±


    After a while, Song Juseop rushed over with a greatsword in his arms. Youngwoo was familiar with it. It was a greatsword that resembled a shark.


    Surprisingly, it was Failure. Of course, this Failure was made out of ordinary steel. The unique blue light was nothing more than an imitation that didn¡¯t fit.


    But...


    ¡®This shit...¡¯


    Failure had this name for a reason. It was a failed piece of work. Back when Grid used to be just a novice cksmith, he didn¡¯t know how to bnce the weapon properly and only thought about making it as overpowered as possible.


    However, the greatsword crafted by Song Juseop was quite bnced. Of course, it wasn¡¯tpletely bnced because of its shape, but it was better than Failure.


    ¡®If it had been made with blue orichalcum like in Satisfy, it would¡¯ve had quite good stats.¡¯


    Indeed, Youngwoo¡¯s perspective wasn¡¯t wrong. Song Juseop was a man who was well qualified to be a craftsman.


    Plus...


    ¡°You have honed your swordsmanship.¡±


    Song Juseop was also a swordsman with quite a bit of knowledge. Youngwoo noticed the length of his stride when he ran with the sword, the way his muscles flexed, and the calluses on his palms that had formed a long time ago.


    Above all, Song Juseop said that he had bet all his money on Grid during the First International Competition. At that time, the only people who could guarantee that Grid would beat Bondre and Hurent were members of the Tzedakah Guild.


    ¡®He must be either crazy or insightful to look at the odds and bet his entire fortune.¡¯


    In Youngwoo¡¯s eyes, Song Juseop was thetter. That man surely had extraordinary insight. That way, it made sense that he had reproduced Failure despite being self-taught.


    Song Juseop scratched his head.


    ¡°I practiced kendo until I was in high school. I started studyingte, so I quit midway. Still, I won quite a few nationalpetitions.¡±


    ¡°How cool. Besides, it looks like you have been training recently.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m a swordsman in Satisfy...¡±


    Juseop was talented. He used to be an ordinary person who suppressed his talent and threw himself into society to make ends meet. It wasn¡¯t Grid who had saved him, but Satisfy.


    Youngwoo was thoughtful. He nodded and asked, ¡°Would you like to try breaking this armor with that greatsword?¡±


    1. Due to various opinions from editors, National Competition will be changed to International Competition from now on. Changes have already been made in the ebook, but not on the website chapters. ?

 Chapter 2018

    <h4>Chapter 2018</h4>


    Song Juseop was very prideful. He had been practicing kendo from a young age and used to be the best in the country during middle school and high school. Even though he started focusing on his studiester than his peers, he graduated from a prestigious university. He turned his life around by realizing the potential of Grid¡¯s skills during the First International Competition...


    In many ways, he was not an ordinary person.


    Even Song Juseop himself often wondered, ¡®Could it be that I made some great contribution in my previous life and received a blessing from God?¡¯


    This was why he was a devout Christian, Catholic, and Buddhist.


    ...In any case, he was always full of confidence. He never felt intimidated when he had to prove himself in front of others.


    But now it was different.


    Failure was one of Grid¡¯s first symbolic weapons. Juseop was very tense as he stood in front of the iron armor with a replica of Failure. He tried to control his breathing and concentrate, but he couldn¡¯t calm down. Shin Youngwoo was standing right next to him. Youngwoo was just a young man wearing a simple tracksuit. He seemed ordinary at first nce, but was actually an extraordinary individual.


    This was the person whom Song Juseop had longed to meet for so long. Could Song Juseop really talk in the same room as Grid? Swing a sword in front of Grid?


    This was a dreame true. Juseop had always hoped for this day toe, but he never thought this would ever happen.


    ¡°......¡±


    Youngwoo remained silent. He had be ustomed to others admiring him and was considerate of Song Juseop¡¯s feelings. He knew why Song Juseop was nervous and didn¡¯t offer him advice or encouragement. Youngwoo¡¯s words could be a heavy burden for others.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I have anything to say anyway.¡¯


    Song Juseop¡¯s posture was wless. It was a pity that his shoulder muscles were somewhat strained. His back and leg muscles weren¡¯t rxed either. However, this was a problem that could be solved if he rxed a bit.


    The problem was that he couldn¡¯t rx...


    ¡®Um.¡¯


    Even after a few minutes passed, Song Juseop¡¯s trapezius muscle was still tense. Youngwoo couldn¡¯t waste any more time. The more time passed, the more anxious Song Juseop felt. Youngwoo picked up a nearby broom, looked at Song Juseop and swung it.


    "......!"


    Song Juseop, who was trying to stop being tense and concentrate, trembled. Finally, he managed to focus. He captured a certain trajectory at the edge of his field of view. This was the perfect sword trajectory that Song Juseop had pursued for over twenty years.


    He reacted reflexively.


    He swung the greatsword in a straight line and struck the shining silver armor. A loud sound filled the room and vibrations traveled up Song Juseop¡¯s arms. Pain red in his muscles. Even though he wore gauntlets he himself had crafted, the tremendous shock passed through his fingertips, traveling all the way to his shoulders.


    He frowned in pain and looked up in surprise. Youngwoo¡¯s iron armor was intact except for a slight dent in the shoulder area. Just as expected. There was a reason the tremendous bacsh hade close to shattering Song Juseop¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ha... Haha... Really... Really amazing.¡±


    Song Juseop was half-mesmerized and very impressed with this piece of work. Youngwoo had crafted the armor in the same environment as him, using the same tools and materials. It had taken Youngwoo only nine hours to smelt iron, forge it into the desired shape and work on it to make it a nice silver armor.


    It had taken Song Juseop thirteen days of work to craft his masterpiece¡ªthe imitation of Failure. However, his weapon didn¡¯t stand a chance against the armor made by Youngwoo. Even after years of sharpening the de every single day without exception, the most Song Juseop could do with his greatsword was scratch this piece of armor that had been crafted in less than half a day. It was a good piece of armor.


    Instead of being disappointed, Song Juseop was simply thrilled.


    He was impressed with Youngwoo¡¯s skills which resembled Grid¡¯s in Satisfy, even though this was reality.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your first work to be so great. All I can do is be impressed with it.¡±


    It was said that people were impressed by things they weren¡¯t familiar with. The established theory was that the more one understood what they were looking at, the more blurred their admiration would be.


    Thus, Song Juseop was worried. He had admired Grid from a distance for many years. He was thrilled to finally meet his role model, but he was also worried that he might end up disappointed and harbor disrespectful feelings toward him as a result of his disappointment.


    These predictions had turned out wrong. Contrary to Song Juseop¡¯s worries, Shin Youngwoo¡¯s first piece of work was really well-made. Song Juseop had swung a greatsword that was over two meters long, but all he managed to do was scratch Youngwoo¡¯s armor...


    ¡°...Grid?¡±


    Song Juseop, who had been overtaken by admiration and delight, was suddenly worried. Youngwoo looked gloomy as he examined the armor. He seemed disappointed. Song Juseop didn¡¯t understand why, but it made sense for Youngwoo to be disappointed.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this armor <i>just </i>good?¡¯


    Of course, Youngwoo had to take into consideration that it was made from mere iron. But it was really just armor. Could he withstand an onught of monsters without feeling any pain if he wore this? No way. He would still get heavily injured.


    Youngwoo frowned and picked up the armor. The log that held the armor in ce revealed its disastrous appearance. The ce where Juseop had struck with Failure was caved in and there were cracks along the grain in certain ces.


    ¡®Even though I didn¡¯t put leather on the inside of the armor...¡¯


    Youngwoo imagined getting hit by the previous blow while wearing the armor. His corbone would¡¯ve cracked at the very least. Youngwoo was just human unlike his character in the game.


    ¡®Where can I learn Imprable Skin from...?¡¯


    The anxiety that he had gotten rid of suddenly resurfaced. His brows furrowed as he felt a headache creeping in.


    Song Juseop noticed this and carefully said, ¡°Uhm... Wouldn¡¯t this level of damage be easily repaired without having to go through aplicated process? I know this result isn¡¯t satisfying your standards, but I think it¡¯s good enough from a general point of view.¡±


    Song Juseop misunderstood why Youngwoo was ufortable. Youngwoo smiled awkwardly and felt sorry when he realized the other man was observing him and offeringfort.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m quite satisfied with the state of the armor.¡±


    The armor really had no ws. This was significantly more impressive considering that this piece of armor had been perfected only thanks to Youngwoo¡¯s high dexterity and his abundant experience. He had not relied on a skill from the game.


    Rather, the problem was that his so-called perfect armor could only reach this level in reality.


    Youngwoo suddenly became angry. He wanted to get rid of the useless armor in front of his eyes. ¡°Let me borrow your greatsword.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    "......!!"


    Song Juseop was shocked. After Youngwoo swung the greatsword once, the powerful armor split in half like tofu. Song Juseop was worried that Youngwoo had hurt his hands from the impact because he wasn¡¯t wearing any protective equipment. Youngwoo nced at the other man and saw his pale face and shaky eyes. He finally calmed down.


    ¡°Boss, you seem to have forgotten something because you¡¯ve practiced kendo for so long, but... You don¡¯t strike with a sword. Stabbing or shing the target is the best way to use a sword.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Song Juseop came to his senses. That was why he had been unable to leave anything more than a dent in the armor. It wasn¡¯t the sword¡¯s fault. He was simplycking skills.


    In other words, the armor that Youngwoo had crafted wasn¡¯t invincible. That was why Youngwoo was disappointed. Song Juseop had spoken without thinking.


    ¡®But what do I know...? I¡¯ve never had to strike a piece of armor with a sword before.¡¯


    Song Juseop was too embarrassed to look Youngwoo in the eye. However, Youngwoo bowed his head respectfully and said, ¡°Thank you for today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful and honored that you stepped foot in my smithy. Uhm... Grid, if you don¡¯t mind, you cane and use this ce anytime you want. I mean it. I really hope youe back.¡±


    ¡°If you call me by my first name instead of Grid, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Ah! T-That¡¯s right! I-I made a huge mistake...¡±


    ¡°Why the honorifics? I simply suggested you use my first name because I want to be friends with you, boss. If you call me by my real name, wouldn¡¯t it be easier for us to talk morefortably as buddies?¡±


    ¡°B-Buddies...? What are you saying...¡±


    Song Juseop was only embarrassed, not happy. He probably needed more time to adjust to this turn of events.


    Youngwoo shrugged and left Song¡¯s Workshop. On the way home, he contacted a constructionpany he had worked with before. It was the best constructionpany in South Korea that had designed and built Grid¡¯s buildings.


    ¡°CEO Kim? Let¡¯s go tour some smithies for a while.¡±


    ***


    Before going home, Youngwoo visited Jishuka¡¯s house.


    <i>Beep beep beep beep.</i>


    He entered the password for the door lock they had set up together and headed straight to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and found it full of ingredients Youngwoo had just recently bought.


    ¡°Lululu~¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s hobbies didn¡¯t include cooking. However, he was good at cooking because of his outstanding dexterity. His very developed five senses helped him know for how long he needed to cook every ingredient and how to exquisitely season every dish.


    In other words, even though he didn¡¯t usually cook, he was naturally gifted at it. As his love for Yura and Jishuka grew, he eventually started cooking for them more often...


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m such a romantic.¡¯


    Even though he shook his head, the smile never left Youngwoo¡¯s face as he cooked. He hummed happily as he prepared a bunch of Jishuka¡¯s favorite dishes. A delicious smell filled the house.


    ¡°Youngwoo~¡±


    Jishuka came out of the bedroom. Her eyes were only half-open as she rushed to hug Youngwoo from behind. She had endured fighting a difficult war for several months just to enjoy the happiness of this very moment. In real life, she was able to spend precious time with Youngwoo.


    ¡°If you open a restaurant, you can easily get three Michelin stars.¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s expression melted as she chewed the chicken that Youngwoo spoon-fed into her mouth. Youngwoo was amazed every time he saw her like this. Where did the sexiest woman in the world disappear to and when did this girl who was as sweet and cute as a freshman university student appear?


    Youngwoo said, ¡°I will leave on a business trip in two days.¡±


    ¡°Have you finally scheduled a tour of the smithies? I¡¯lle with you!¡±


    ¡°No. I am going with CEO Kim of Seonwu Construction.


    ¡°So you aren¡¯t going with Yura?¡±


    ¡°If I was going with Yura, I would take you too. You are both busy anyway. Starting tomorrow, you will probably not even be able to keep your eyes open.¡±


    It was hard for Youngwoo to tell because he had been so focused on his personal activities, but the busiest period in a war was the period after it was finally over. There were so many problems left to sort out. Jishuka and Yura had a lot to deal with considering their duties.


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Jishuka looked tired for a fleeting second. Youngwoo didn¡¯t miss it.


    ¡°Jishuka. Let¡¯s eatter...¡±


    ¡°A-Ah...¡±


    Two hourster, Youngwoo returned home after spending precious time with Jishuka andy down on the bed instead of the capsule. He was monitoring the situation in Satisfy. He could urately distinguish between situations where he was needed and situations where he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be in really good condition tomorrow.¡¯


    His eyelids fluttered closed. Youngwoo quickly fell asleep with a wide smile on his face. Spending time with his loved ones always kept him happy and healthy.

 Chapter 2019

    <h4>Chapter 2019</h4>


    The river of reincarnation was the entrance to hell as well as the exit out of it. It was a ce where the souls of the dead intersected with those who woulde back to life. Sinister sounds always echoed around here...


    ¡°Come here~ Come here~ Here you can find cockatrice skewers baked in hellfire which make the umami vor twice as intense~~¡±


    ¡°Try a hell moon candy. Its mysterious taste is a result of mixing ten different poisons! If you hand over just ten minutes of your reincarnation turn, you can get one delicious hell moon candy for free!! Only ten minutes!¡±


    The festival had been going on for a whole month already. Numerous merchants and tourists were walking around and mingling under the colorful firecrackers that were exploding nonstop.


    [(Congra) Wee, new souls! ¨C Hell King Eligos (ttions).]


    The banner hanging upstream of the river fluttered in the sharp hell wind. Beneath it, Eligos¡¯ expression was darker than usual. This was partly because he was wearing a helmet, but also because he was frowning.


    A little girl approached him and whispered, ¡°I guess there really is a foreign god.¡±


    She was a great demon with the nickname of Supreme King. This was Leraje, who was currently second in the hell hierarchy. Her cheeks were puffed up because of the candy in her mouth.


    Eligos sighed as he stared at her. ¡°It seems so.¡±


    Around two months ago, cultivators appeared in this world. Since then, a lot of good things had happened in hell. The number of people who died on the surface and fell into hell had increased exponentially. This was a huge opportunity for Eligos, who had just risen to power. He was nning to get more inhabitants of hell and use them to make hell prosperous. He intended to let the world know what a great ruler he was, unlike Baal who trampled on others as if they were insects just for fun.


    This was why he was holding the festival near the river of reincarnation. The inhabitants of hell gathered to watch.


    <i>I, ck Knight Eligos, have be the new symbol of hell. Since then, an abundance of humans have died and made it to hell.</i>


    <i>This is my power as the symbol of hell and proof that I am greater than Baal...</i>


    ¡°......¡±


    Eligos was holding his written speech in one hand. He was going to read it in front of a crowd of people who would cheer as they watched the procession of souls filling the river of reincarnation.


    But the moment he had been waiting for simply wasn¡¯ting... Was it because the surface was surprisingly calm? No. The surface was in the midst of a fierce battle at this very moment. Eligos had received information that hundreds of thousands of cultivators had died in the past month. However, not a single one of them had made it to hell...


    By this point, he had to admit it. As Leraje said, there was indeed a foreign god, one who had sent the cultivators to this world. Even if they died, their souls didn¡¯t fall to hell and instead wandered in outer space. Just like a significant number of humans.


    Ah, so that¡¯s what this was. Now both Eligos and Leraje also had a vague understanding of the concept of yers.


    ¡°Hell is like an anthill.¡±


    From her perspective, hell was a dimension lower than heaven or the surface. It was a well-established theory that Yatan¡¯s position in the hierarchy of the gods was lower than Reba¡¯s. Yatan had created hell to provide opportunities for those who had failed during their lives in heaven or on the surface. This was rtively unremarkable.


    But was there another dimension besides the surface and heaven as impressive as this one? This dimension wasn¡¯t small like the Elemental World or the Peach Blossom Spring. It was a higher dimension ruled by a foreign god who created powerful beings, such as dragons and cultivators.


    Leraje was once again aware of the greatness of the universe. Hell felt insignificant inparison...


    Eligos thought differently.


    ¡°An anthill? No, hell is the greatest dimension.¡±


    He took off his helmet. He rarely did that. He looked no different from an ordinary human being.


    ¡°How can and that bestows oblivion to those who reach the end of one life and gives them a new opportunity to live be insignificant?¡±


    Eligos had been born as a great demon. All his life he had been fighting, piging, sometimes even crushing other people¡¯s dreams and taking away their loved ones.


    One day, Eligos looked into the mirror and realized that he might have been human in his previous life. Since then, he had been glorifying Yatan and hell.


    ¡°Watch. See how a righteous ruler can make hell prosperous!¡±


    The worst king, Baal, was now gone. Hell would surely be a great ce in the future. As Yatan wished, so many beings like Eligos would be reborn in hell and given a chance at salvation.


    But before that¡ª


    ¡°...Tell them to stop setting off those firecrackers. And get rid of this damn banner.¡±


    The festival had to end now...


    ***


    ¡°Hngh!¡±


    Damian was anxious.


    ¡°Yikes!!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how he ended up stuck between these monsters.


    ¡°Pope, concentrate.¡±


    Cultivators who kept flickering out of sight suddenly appeared right in front of him. Damian couldn¡¯t perceive the speed of an Absolute-level cultivator. He was fighting in the sky with no topographic features, but it felt like he was being attacked every second. He was startled by the sharp sensation at his neck. Zik eventually rescued him. Damian instinctivelyined out of resentment.


    ¡°What do you want me to do here? Honestly, aren¡¯t I just a hindrance?¡±


    Presently, the battlefield was divided into three main parts.


    Firstly, there was the Full Moon Fortress. The Transcendent-level cultivators borrowed the power of all the formations installed in the Full Moon Fortress to engage in a fierce battle with the elites of the Overgeared Guild. In fact, the Overgeared Guild had easily destroyed all the other facilities of the Full Moon Fortress.


    Secondly, there was the Tomb of the Gods. The Transcendent-level cultivators were persistently attempting assassinations to break down the Overgeared Guild¡¯s chain ofmand. The damage on both sides was significant.


    Thirdly, there were the outskirts of the Full Moon Fortress. Cranbel and Navaldrea, as well as the Tower members and Apostles, had engaged in a fierce battle with the Absolute-level cultivators. This was the fiercest battlefield.


    This was where Damian was. It was frustrating for him. He was alone in a battlefield where he couldn¡¯t match his opponents¡¯ strength.


    ¡°Who knows... Isn¡¯t the reason you¡¯re here something that you need to figure out yourself?¡±


    The pope of the Overgeared God Church was a powerful position. Damian was in charge of spreading Grid¡¯s will to the people. Even the Apostles respected him, but at this moment, Zik was ring at him coldly. He looked very disappointed.


    Damian came to his senses and reflected on the past. He was in the middle of killing the enemies at the Full Moon Fortress when Braham had suddenly appeared and kidnapped him...


    ¡®...I don¡¯t know anything!¡¯


    Braham had kidnapped Damian during the battle without bothering to give him an exnation. Braham threw him here and immediately started fighting.


    Why was Damian here? Why would he know the reason for being here? He pondered for a bit.


    ¡°Hey, yamete kudasai!¡±


    He had just dodged a bombardment of ranged attacks. A cultivator holding a guandao was waiting for him. If Damian hadn¡¯t performed the Restraint sword dance in advance, he would¡¯ve lost his invincibility passive.


    ¡®Fortunately, I made it a habit.¡¯


    The Restraint sword dance was a great skill. It had AOE CC. Restraint was a sword dance that simply overwhelmed nearby enemies. There was no need to even attack the target. However, the hit rate was very high. This was very useful unless the target¡¯s status was higher than the caster¡¯s. If he had trained this skill until it reached the Master level, Damian would be able to sessfully use Restraint even if the target¡¯s status was as high as these cultivators¡¯...


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    Damian saw the enemy in front of him and realized something. This was the problem. He hesitated for only a split second, but the Absolute-level cultivator was already on the move.


    ¡°Yikes...!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry for being distracted!¡¯


    Damian knew he was going to die and closed his eyes tightly as he apologized in his mind. The guandao was about to press against his brow when it suddenly stopped as if blocked by an invisible wall.


    Blood sttered all over Damian¡¯s face. The cultivator brandishing the guandao was vomiting blood.


    ¡°Despicable bastards!¡±


    The cultivator let out swear words that didn¡¯t fit his status as an Absolute. He threw the guandao he had retrieved into the sky toward Braham. Severalyers of an indigo protectiveyer rippled as it collided with the guandao. Braham was unfolding Grid¡¯s Multiple Weakening Barriers at his fingertips. It had a dreamy feeling to it.


    Of course, Damian wasn¡¯t misled. He had tried to survive on his own regardless of the situation around him. But then he saw the cultivator holding the guandao.


    There were several swords and spells embedded in his back from the Tower members and Apostles ambushing him during the short period when he couldn¡¯t move. Didn¡¯t thatst only 0.01 seconds?


    Damian became certain of his role in this battle.


    ¡®They are asking me to keep using Restraint...¡¯


    Of course, this didn¡¯t work on all cultivators. Maybe even the Master-level Restraint wouldn¡¯t work on cultivators who were ssified as immortals. But there were too many cultivators on this battlefield. Even the Apostles and Tower members were outnumbered. There were only a few Absolutes among them.


    ¡®This battle isn¡¯t easy. Braham grasped at straws and brought me here.¡¯


    Damian also had to help... As he clenched his fists, Braham killed the cultivator with the guandao before turning around and snorting at Damian.


    [I thought you would be arrogant because of the big challenge, but it turns out you have decided to be obedient and cooperate.]


    ¡°Of course. Being a bread shuttle is my specialty!¡±


    [Bread... what?]


    Because Braham was so confused, his intent exposed his bewilderment. If Braham had been talking using his normal voice, he would¡¯ve never asked what a bread shuttle was. He would just brush it off as Damian talking nonsense and not worth reacting to.


    Yeah, he shouldn¡¯t have reacted.


    ¡°Bread shuttle means...¡±


    As expected, the conversation was about to keep going.


    [Shut up.]


    Braham clicked his tongue and used Mass Teleport. The space where Damian was standing suddenly got split in half. A trident appeared out of the dimensional rift, trembling greatly.


    Damian reappeared next to Braham, his heart in his throat and his back drenched in sweat. He would have been stabbed had Braham not intervened.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was in danger at all. Don¡¯t tell me that was... an immortal?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ¡°N-No way...¡±


    Even if Damian was fully equipped with cooldown reduction artifacts and if he had trained Restraint to Master-level, its cooldown would be two minutes and thirty seconds. Therefore, the sess rate of Restraint when targeting Absolutes was low. This meant there was very little Damian could do to help.


    And if the enemy was an immortal? Damian was resentful, but the enemies didn¡¯t care about his feelings. Cultivators from all directions attacked him relentlessly.


    ¡°No! Gri...!!¡±


    Damian desperately shouted Grid¡¯s name, but to no avail.


    [Shut up.]


    Braham cast a Silence spell on him. He didn¡¯t want Grid to intervene. It was only right to win a war of this magnitude without Grid.


    ¡°Hmph! Hmphhh!¡±


    Damian felt as if he was dying. It felt like he was ying a horror game by himself.

 Chapter 2020

    <h4>Chapter 2020</h4>


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a good thing that they don¡¯t resurrect.¡±


    The God of War Ares had oncepeted with Grid for the position of First King. He was one of the few yers who had made Grid feel tense, one of the bigshots who had made Grid reach out to him first. Ares had been outssed and hadn¡¯t be the first king, but everyone respected him still. He was the first yer after Grid to found a kingdom.


    Ares had founded Valha, which became very powerful through a deal he had struck with Grid. In the kingdom¡¯s early days, Ares used to bow to Grid to gain a supply of cksmiths. But since then, the two factions had formed an equal alliance because Grid relied on Ares¡¯ skills to train powerful soldiers.


    Interacting with Grid on an equal footing? This was rare for yers, even rarer for NPCs. As Grid kept achieving great things, so did Ares.


    ¡°Grid and the Overgeared Guild have already destroyed over a hundred Full Moon Fortresses guarded by these monsters, right?¡±


    Ares roughly wiped a cultivator¡¯s brain matter off his clothes and took a refreshing sip of coke. Since Valha¡¯s industry had been steadily developing, it was now producing canned drinks. Thanks to this, Ares could happily and conveniently drink cold coke. As Valha¡¯s civilization progressed, his satisfaction from ying Satisfy also increased.


    Well, until the S.A. Groupunched this ridiculous update.


    Ares was angrier than anyone else when he heard that cultivators were showing up in the world after the update. He even sold a number of his S.A. Group stocks. He had yed all types of games over the past few decades. Therefore, he was very insightful. He had witnessed many games decline over time. Ares came to the realization that Satisfy was approaching ruin.


    The price of the S.A Group¡¯s stocks had been at the bottom for a while anyway. Why did thepany suddenly drop such a strange update? Ares couldn¡¯t understand what Lim Cheolho¡¯s was thinking at all. Did the chairman not take care of himself despite having so much money? Did he be senile already?


    Fortunately, the cultivators were NPCS. Once they died, there was noing back for them. The cultivators who had spread like cancer cells in Satisfy were on the verge of extinction, their numbers finally dwindling. This was all thanks to Grid and the Overgeared Guild, who always yed well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up quickly. If we deal with the rest of the cultivators, maybe this update will have a positive oue after all.¡±


    The core of this update was the expansion of the game¡¯s worldview. New items and new skills had appeared in the game, as well as all sorts of resources and pets that had never existed before. The fact that most of them came from the cultivation world had made the cultivators stronger, but this problem could be easily solved if all cultivators disappeared.


    People had high expectations for the future of Satisfy now that the cultivators¡¯ items and skills were left behind in the game world. In fact, the S.A Group¡¯s stock price was on the rise again.


    Valha¡¯s generals were displeased. ¡°We want to wrap this up, but...¡±


    They were all very strong and intelligent. They led tens of thousands of elite troops. Yet, surprisingly, they didn¡¯t perform that well. The Absolute-level cultivators were a problem. There were also a small number ofte-stage great ascension cultivators in the East Continent who persistently tormented the elites of Valha, especially the generals. This was enough to make Luck, who was hailed as Kraugel¡¯s rival, click his tongue.


    ¡°Numerical superiority is meaningless. Even if we want to attack, we can¡¯t keep up with their speed.¡±


    ¡°What are the Four Auspicious Beasts doing?¡±


    ¡°The immortals are keeping them busy...¡±


    ¡°Immortals... Can¡¯t the daoist immortals from the Chivalrous Robbers deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Yeo Yn? She is an immortal in name, but there is a significant difference in skills between her and the immortal cultivators.¡±


    The front line was gradually getting pushed back. The elite forces, who didn¡¯t know fear thanks to the AOE buffs of God of War Ares and the generals, were slowly retreating. They realized that no matter how strong they became, they were powerless against the Absolutes. Every time the Absolute-level cultivators used their Treasures or performed mystical arts, hundreds of troops would die. Morale naturally dropped.


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Ares became a bit more serious as he observed the battlefield. He was rolling around a bead made by crushing a can of Coke.


    ¡°......¡±


    The vast battlefield suddenly became silent, reflecting the generals¡¯ willingness not to disturb their king¡¯s thoughts. Their neat orders silenced the soldiers. The soldiers who had been seriously wounded by the enemy and screamed, the ones who finally spotted a window of opportunity to turn the tables and shouted, the ones who sobbed in fear, and so on... All of them fell silent as if they were possessed. This wasn¡¯t something that could be achieved through just any type of training. The soldiers seemed more like fanatics than anything.


    [...Is this the result of a mystical art?]


    The sudden silence took even the Absolute-level cultivators by surprise. They were somewhat stunned and cocked their heads.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop them from flying first,¡± Ares slowly said.


    Just then¡ª


    <i>Thump!!</i>


    ¡°I have no choice but to consume them and kill them.¡±


    A ceiling appeared on the battlefield. The sky was gone. Walls rose all over the battlefield.


    The open skies and wide fields were now gone. The stage where the battle was taking ce, which had been dyed red with the blood of the soldiers, suddenly changed from an open space to an enclosed space.


    [Is this the Earth Escape Arts? Or is it an illusion?]


    The Absolute-level cultivators had a bad feeling about this. They realized that they were isted. They were confined to a small room with a low ceiling. Hundreds of thousands of troops formed an endless line in the only passage in front of them.


    What a stupid trick.


    [Bah!]


    The Absolute-level cultivators sneered and made a decision. Mystical characters spilled out of their mouths, filling the room with a brilliant light. It didn¡¯t matter if this was the Earth Escape Arts or an illusion. Their mystical scripts had the effect of turning this attack into nothingness as long as it was ssified as a mystical art.


    However...


    [It¡¯s not a mystical art?]


    The room didn¡¯t undergo any changes.


    Ares¡¯ voice echoed all around them.


    ¡°This is my mental world. I strengthen my allies and create the battlefield I want.¡±


    What was the mental world of the God of War? He activated it by using the insight he had of the battlefield andmunicating with the soldiers. It was an incredibly powerful ability.


    The cultivators had to admit that there was only one way out of this ce. They had to get rid of all the enemies who were blocking the only way out. It would take a lot of time if the number of enemies was in the hundreds of thousands, but no more than an hour. This trick wouldn¡¯t affect the oue of the battle.


    [If you wish to die, I will make your wishe true.]


    There were a total of three Absolute-level cultivators trapped in the room. Just one of them could ughter tens of millions of mortals.


    <i>Step, step, step...</i>


    A lone cultivator approached the enemy without hesitation. His expression didn¡¯t change even when he fired mes from his hands.


    ¡°Aghhhhh!¡±


    The soldiers engulfed in mes screamed and melted away. They died without having time to swing their swords or spears. But this didn¡¯t disturb the soldiers¡¯ ranks. The soldiers of Valha remained unfazed by the untimely death of theirrades. They stood their ground and attacked the approaching cultivator.


    The rest of the cultivators were perplexed.


    [Are you guys under the influence of drugs? Your king is a terrible man.]


    The Absolute-level cultivator hurling fireballs clicked his tongue while continuing to move forward. He burned all the soldiers who blocked the road, tearing them apart, melting them, and stepping on them until they died.


    How many minutes had passed? Ares¡¯ voice echoed in the passage that was filled with the blood and internal organs of tens of thousands of dead soldiers. His voice trembled slightly as if he was frightened. Of course, Ares himself tried not to show his emotions. The energy detection of an Absolute-level cultivator was outstanding.


    ¡°Like I heard, you don¡¯t see people as people.¡±


    [A mortal isn¡¯t a person. A person is a term used for a higher-grade animal with the most advanced intelligence.]


    The cultivator snorted. His moves became more vicious. He didn¡¯t just kill the enemy soldiers who stood in his way. He gouged out their eyes or ripped their tongues out and tortured them as much as possible.


    The mental world was a strange concept to the cultivators, but perhaps it was one¡¯s mental power. The cultivators believed that if the user¡¯s will was broken, the mental world would copse.


    They thought wrong. Ares¡¯ heart didn¡¯t break even as a hundred thousand soldiers were annihted.


    [You don¡¯t see your people as people. You deserve to be a king.]


    The cultivator who clicked his tongue made it to the end of the room. The passage he had passed through was dyed red. A brilliant light streamed in from the exit he was facing.


    He had killed the one hundred thousand troops that filled the passage. This all took less than twenty minutes.


    [Enough tricks.]


    <i>Step.</i>


    The cultivators stepped out of the exit.


    They believed that the mental world would be shattered and that thendscape of reality would unfold before his eyes.


    However...


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough. You can¡¯t leave unless you kill me.¡±


    What the cultivators faced wasn¡¯t reality. They were in a new, smaller room. Ares was waiting for them on his throne. He was munching on rainbow-colored potato chips.


    [...Are you no longer afraid?]


    ¡°If we drive the soldiers to the extremes and the king is the only one unharmed, that¡¯s horrible. You will have them rebelling in the streets right away.¡±


    ¡°The soldiers aren¡¯t really dead, right?¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that?¡±


    <i>Step, step, step...</i>


    From behind the throne, dozens of generals, including Scott and Luck, showed up. They were the elites of Valha. Most of them were Transcendents. No matter how powerless they were against Absolutes, this was still Ares¡¯ mental world.


    The low-ceiling room was just over ten pyeong wide. Therge throne in the center took a lot of space, so the room was incredibly narrow. It was impossible for everyone to have enough room to swing their weapons and attack. This structure put the cultivators at a disadvantage because they could now longer rely on their speed, which was the main reason an Absolute overwhelmed a Transcendent.


    Now the cultivators were forced to fight in this narrow, enclosed space.


    ¡°Now¡ª¡±


    Ares finished the remaining potato chips and equipped himself with items. The dragon weapon and armor were a gift from Grid himself.


    [Uhm...]


    The cultivators also recognized the value of the dragon weapon and armor. They even knew whose work it was. Grid¡¯s infamy was very high.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who dies first.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Ares and the generals moved. A fight began in the narrow room.

 Chapter 2021

    <h4>Chapter 2021</h4>


    The mental world was a field skill that provided a favorable environment for the caster and suppressed the enemy. It was particrly useful and prevailed even among the field skills that were exceptionally powerful. The space provided by the mental world waspletely isted from reality. Here,mon sense was not applicable. The will of the caster was too strong. Plus, it was impossible to predict the characteristics of the space.


    Why?


    The mental world was created by reflecting the caster¡¯s personality, past, achievements, and aspirations. In other words, it was difficult for enemies to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of the mental world if they didn¡¯t know the caster.


    [Hmm.]


    The cultivators, who were locked in a small room and struggled with Valha¡¯s army, gradually expressed their displeasure. They were constantly injured and the pain was too vivid. The number of enemies showed no signs of decreasing. The mortals the cultivators thought they had killed before now reappeared and swung their swords.


    Ares hid behind the throne and said, ¡°I heard from Grid that no one knows the conditions for opening the mental world.¡±


    One day, Grid visited Valha to show Ares a dragon weapon. The cksmith had said that it would be difficult to make a dedicated weapon unless he could peek into the Ares¡¯ mental world. He handed over a dragon weapon that had been crafted in advance.


    ¡°I told Grid that I have already essed my mental world. When I said that, Grid¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.¡±


    The mental world wasn¡¯t an ability that one could unlock depending on their ss or status. Grid¡¯s Apostles, for example... Braham had a mental world when he used to be simply a legend. This was before he even attained the status of a Transcendent, let alone be an Absolute. This waspletely different from Piaro, who hadn¡¯t been able to unlock his mental world for a long time even after bing a legend.


    ¡°I think the mental world can only be opened if you endureplete solitude or if you shoulder your people¡¯s responsibilities.¡±


    Most yers, including the Overgeared members and Valha¡¯s elites, were unable to unlock their mental world because it was hard for yers to experienceplete solitude like Braham, Zik, Mir, and others had done. Their ego and beliefs, which had been formed only by enduring true solitude, would be the core materials of the mental world.


    Of course, there were other cases, like Grid and Ares. They were used to shouldering everyone else¡¯s responsibilities. This was different from mere sacrifices. It was a prerequisite to protect others and to protect one¡¯s own duty thoroughly.


    After steadily shouldering the responsibilities that hade with his duties for so long, Ares finally unlocked his mental world while he was in the middle ofmunicating with the people of Valha.


    ¡°You cultivators are so selfish that you step on others like bugs. Your obsession with eternal life is so great that you will never be able to create a space like this given your lowly thoughts.¡±


    What started as a hasty statement ended with a surprising usation. The cultivators, who were a bit nervous, reacted sensitively.


    [You hide like a rat yet you speak so shamelessly!]


    The cultivator who just spoke spat a jade ball from his mouth which struck Luck in the sr plexus. It tore through Luck¡¯s armor and flesh and hit the throne behind him.


    ¡°An Absolute isunching a surprise attack?¡±


    Luck could¡¯ve flinched from the terrible pain, but he did no such thing. The moment he was attacked, he gathered his strength and fought back immediately.


    [Hngh...]


    The multitude of wounds and their anxiety were wearing down even the Absolute-level cultivators. The cultivator who attacked Luck couldn¡¯t fully withstand his counterattack and was pushed back one step. He hadn¡¯t rested in a long time. This was a huge issue for him. He had to block the swords and spearsing from all directions with his Treasures and didn¡¯t have time to retaliate against Luck. His shield shattered immediately.


    In a seemingly endless battle of attrition, keeping the shield up at all times was a shortcut to self-destruction.


    Luckughed heartily afternding another attack. He saw how disheveled the Absolute-level cultivator was and gained confidence.


    ¡°Haha, this is the power of the fist that punched the sky above the sky!¡±


    ¡°How long are you going to think about what happened when Kraugel¡¯s level was reset...?¡± Ares scolded from where he was hiding behind the throne.


    Luck ignored him.


    Ares¡¯ mental world, Infinite Military Strength, granted his allies one extra life. Contrary to its exaggerated name, he couldn¡¯t grant them infinite lives. Plus, Luck had already died once. He could only be resurrected one more time until the system locked him out of the game, so he had to carefully use his remaining life.


    As always, Luck ignored the criticism of the carefree old man and concentrated.


    <i>Baaaaang!</i>


    Luck¡¯s ultimate skills hit the isted cultivator in the face one after another. Several of the generals who died in the battle weren¡¯t resurrected. Before they knew it, three of the generals were gone.


    [...Oh?]


    The cultivators picked up on the generals¡¯ dwindling number. They gained confidence and brutally ughtered their enemies. They became increasingly more wounded the more enemies they beheaded, but they didn¡¯t care. They knew that their opponents didn¡¯t have infinite lives so they didn¡¯t hold back.


    The cultivators gradually approached the throne. A green and blue sword cut the throne in half, shing three cultivators¡¯ chests in the process.


    This was Ares¡¯ ultimate skill. It fully utilized the power of the dragon weapon and the passive skill Great King¡¯s Command, which increased his stats depending on the number and level of the allies on the battlefield. Since it took a long time to cast, Ares had no choice but to use it while taking advantage of the cover of the throne. It was a very powerful skill. The three Absolute-level cultivators flinched as blood spilled from their mouths and noses.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let them get any closer. If they break through here, we will have to sacrifice our soldiers for real...¡±


    The only exit behind Ares wasn¡¯t an escape from the mental world. Beyond it was a narrow battlefield where the soldiers who had died earlier were waiting in rows.


    Ares sensed their tension and fear since he was the creator of this world.


    In that sense...


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t look too good.¡¯


    The situation wasn¡¯t very promising.


    Cultivators in the realm of great ascension were clearly weaker than immortals, but they were still Absolutes. The difference between them and Transcendents was greater than Ares had imagined. Basically, his ultimate skill didn¡¯t do that much. It ended up dealing about 50% of its damage to them.


    Ares was equipped with a dedicated weapon that Grid had crafted in the Infinite Military Strength mental world. This meant that the other generals, who were using ordinary dragon weapons, were having an even harder time.


    ¡®...Wait, is this really that bad of a situation?¡¯


    Ares suddenly thought of a question and looked back on Grid¡¯s life.


    Just as evidenced by some of the ranking items that could be found on Satisfy¡¯s homepage, the method Grid had used to level up was strange. He¡¯d hunted monsters way less than other yers. This meant that he had be stronger mainly through raids. Yet he had the highest level in the game and no one was evening close to him. This was proof that most of the enemies Grid had raided were much higher-level than him.


    Yes, Grid had always fought and won against beings stronger than him. Ares didn¡¯t know what Grid relied on nowadays, but back then, Grid could do anything because he was overgeared.


    Overgeared. Valha drew its strength from its connections with Grid.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we also overgeared?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ares¡¯ voice was very deep and loud. Even if he spoke quietly, his voice echoed everywhere around him. Not even all the noise of the fierce battle could drown out his voice.


    Some generals seemed skeptical. Ares sincerely asked them, ¡°Should we lose here?¡±


    His big, round eyes resembling a calf¡¯s seemed distant. The innocence given off by his eyes contrasted his imposing physique. The generals sensed a certain type of madness emanating from Ares. They couldn¡¯t argue with Ares in this state...


    There was only one thing that the generals could say.


    ¡°We have to keep fighting since this is an order. We understand.¡±


    They regained their will to fight. Gloominess left their faces as the generals organized their ranks and prepared their skills.


    [Persistent bastards...]


    The cultivators trembled when they realized this was going to be a long battle.


    <i>At the same time, on the outside of Infinite Military Strength. </i>


    ¡°What is that round thing...?¡±


    The members of the Chivalrous Robbers became agitated as they fought against low-level cultivators when they saw a veryrge golden dome suddenly devour the battlefield where Valha¡¯s army of one hundred thousands soldiers were. They couldn¡¯t discern what was going on inside the dome.


    ¡°Someone released their mental world there.¡±


    The intelligencework of the Chivalrous Robbers was excellent. They were able to observe the events urring on the East Continent without almost any dy. However, there were only a few members who knew about the mental world that only appeared in legends.


    Hwang Gildong¡¯s expression was very dark as he kindly exined it to everyone else. The Valha army was dealing with as many as three Absolute-level cultivators. A horrific massacre was surely urring inside that dome. Soon, the dome would disappear and it would most likely reveal that there were no survivors.


    Old Sword Demon, who just decapitated a Transcendent-level cultivator, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just mind your own business. Do you think a mortal who obtained the nickname of God could be easily defeated?¡±


    It was extremely rare for a yer to have the nickname God. Except for Grid, who became a real god, there were only Death God Faker, Bow God Jishuka, and God of War Ares.


    Old Sword Demon believed in Ares¡¯ abilities. Most importantly, he and the rest didn¡¯t have time to worry about others right now. The cultivator¡¯s blow that grazed the back of Old Sword Demon¡¯s head in a moment of distraction sent a shiver down his spine.


    In the distance, all types of mystical characters were emerging on the surface of the Full Moon Fortress, which emitted a jade light. This was a sign that the second bombardment was about to begin.


    ¡°Already...! Everyone, scatter!!¡± Old Sword Demon shouted, but it was toote.


    The systems activated by the mystical characters had already fired dozens of artillery rounds.


    <i>Bang bang bang bang baaang!!</i>


    It was hard for Old Sword Demon to keep his eyes open since clusters of light with immense energy lit up in his field of view. But he also couldn¡¯t close his eyes.


    The cultivators had talismans that made them immune to the bombardment of the formation so they could chase after enemies relentlessly with their Treasures. Even though Old Sword Demon got hit a few times, he didn¡¯t counterattack. He ran to protect his allies from the cultivators while swinging his sword.


    ¡°O-Old Sword Demon!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the energy to respond to the soldiers who thanked him for his support. There were only around twenty minutes left until he would be forced to log out. Up to this point, he had been fighting tirelessly on the battlefield.


    The cultivators focused on Old Sword Demon. They were determined to kill him while the bombardment was still on the way.


    ¡®This is my limit.¡¯


    Old Sword Demon knew that he was going to die. He suddenly heard someone¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Heroes must survive no matter what. That way, they can help everyone else.¡±


    Old Sword Demon looked up in surprise and saw a blood-red aura staining the world red. This crimson energy wasing from only one person. A white-haired old man was standing with his back to Old Sword Demon. He was the former emperor of the Saharan Empire.


    ¡°Juan... der...¡±


    Old Sword Demon recited the name showing above the old man¡¯s head.


    Juander¡¯s energy unraveled like a skein of thread, creating tens of thousands of red threads.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    The cultivators screamed. Those red threads cut their arteries. The cultivators tried breaking them with their swords or pulling them out by hand, but that didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°How can you bear the tyranny of a ruler? Just surrender to it.¡±


    By the time Juander had reached adulthood, he was already the ruler of the people. The old man, who had been destined to be an emperor, waved his hand.


    The cultivators couldn¡¯t fight back. The talismans they had equipped in preparation for the Full Moon Fortress¡¯s bombardment were now gone. Juander pushed the cultivators into the sky using the red threads. It just so happened that the bombardment of the Full Moon Fortress had reached the battlefield at that very moment.


    ¡°N-No...!¡±


    <i>Baaaaaaang!!</i>


    Thousands of cultivators were used as human shields and killed by the bombardment.

 Chapter 2022

    <h4>Chapter 2022</h4>


    Some people had been born as ordinary humans and became legends. Most of the heroes had started their journeys just like regr individuals. Some examples included Hayate, Biban, and the Tower members.


    However, there were also heroes who were theplete opposite of them. They were humans who had been born strong. Madra, who had been born with a body that surpassed human limits, Mercedes, who had been born with Keen Insight, Kyle with his lightning power, and Saharan¡¯s founding emperor with his red energy...


    ording to the records of the imperial family, the founding emperor had named the empire after himself. It was said that he used to have all things under control by making use of his red energy. Of course, people exaggerated a bit. Still, it was undeniable that red energy could control certain things and beings.


    The descendants of the founding emperor had used the red energy in a variety of ways depending on their individual capabilities. In some cases, they couldmand very small creatures such as insects to move and act a certain way. In other cases, they could hinder the movements of monstersrger than elephants for a while.


    Another descendant could only move a small pebble while another moved dozens of boulders asrge as houses to build an impromptu fortress. Some descendants manipted the soldiers¡¯ minds to raise the morale of an army during war. Others brainwashed the nobility in order to usurp imperial authority.


    Objects, living things, people¡¯s minds... Red energy had the potential to control anything.


    The founding emperor was the one who had made the most of it while the former emperor, Juander, was one of the best at handling it.


    However, he¡¯d never used it to this extent. Juander was controlling thousands of people. They weren¡¯t ordinary humans, but cultivators. Commanding so many of them at once to turn them into meat shields?


    The expressions on the cultivators¡¯ faces weren¡¯t even worth seeing as they blocked the second bombardment of the Full Moon Fortress. They turned to ashes or suffered several serious and small wounds. They were all terrified.


    The arrogant murderers who had a hobby of ughtering mortals were now looking at Juander like <i>he </i>was the monster.


    Juander smiled bitterly. ¡°Can you see it?¡±


    So what if the cultivators ughtered hundreds or thousands of people? Jundar had ughtered millions. He just needed to use a few words or scrawl his signature on a piece of paper and he would figuratively trample tens of thousands of humans to death like they were ants. In the name of the empire, he hadn¡¯t tolerated anything that didn¡¯t belong to it. He had destroyed numerous minorities and kingdoms in this process. Many imperial soldiers had also sacrificed their lives for the sake of the empire.


    Juander was a murderer of a different kind. Cultivators didn¡¯t respect humans because they considered them a subspecies. Meanwhile, Juander simply saw people as numbers. Therefore, he was even more brutal and vicious.


    Just then, the red thread that connected Juander to thousands of cultivators lost its color and snapped. It became ineffective after achieving something seemingly impossible. Nevertheless, the cultivators were still frightened.


    They faltered, unable to run away or fight back. They could clearly tell that Juander had killed countless people, but they only had a vague idea about the number. They could tell because they had also killed many people.


    All of the cultivators got goosebumps...


    ¡°M-Monster...¡± a cultivator said in a trembling and hoarse voice.


    Juander scowled when he heard this.


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a sturdy physique fell from the sky with a loud thump. ¡°How dare you be so reckless with your safety?¡±


    This man was wearing armor engraved with bizarre patterns. He was Armored Cavalryman Chensler, a loyalist who only served Juander. He had once been one of the pirs supporting the empire. Now, he was Juander¡¯s only support. He would not die as long as Juander lived.


    ¡°Hngh...!¡±


    The cultivators sucked in a breath. The human was charging toward them like a bull. They activated their shield to stop him, but the shields did nothing. The moment they got hit, they got thrown back along with their protective shields.


    The man¡¯s strength was unusual. Old Sword Demon and the members of the Chivalrous Robbers were speechless. In their eyes, Juander and Chensler were monsters. They were more frightening than cultivators.


    Old Sword Demon was watching Juander and Chensler when he came to his senses after hearing someone speak to him.


    ¡°They have been wandering the world for decades. They have a nobler sense of duty than any other pilgrim and never stopped wandering for even a moment. The two of them have been training tirelessly and gained a lot of insight after defeating many enemies, so they are stronger than they used to be.¡±


    A dark-skinned man with flexible muscles was standing next to Old Sword Demon. He had long arms and legs, a slim waist and a wide chest. This was the first time Old Sword Demon was meeting him in person.


    ¡°Kujarak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Old Sword Demon. I am constantly hearing about your activities in the east.¡±


    ¡°Are my activitiesparable to your performance?¡±


    Old Sword Demon let out augh.


    Kujarak, the African leopard, was a very mysterious unofficial ranker. He was worthy of everyone¡¯s admiration but not just because he was strong. People either said he raided certain powerful monsters or that he saved lives. That was all. Kujarak was a chivalrous spirit. His sole purpose was to serve justice. He didn¡¯t care about anything else other than that.


    Was Kujarak¡¯s purpose in life to be an example to others? For someone who sought enlightenment, he was very tenacious. People were skeptical. Kujarak praising other people? This meant that he truly meant what he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve often heard rumors about Juander. Let¡¯s help.¡±


    Of course, the red energy was an easily depletable resource since it was so powerful. As the cultivators came to their senses and fought back, Juander and Chensler¡¯s group were now isted. Old Sword Demon and Kujarak quickly stepped in.


    Old Sword Demon fought like a swordsman, but he was essentially an assassin. He quickly dealt with the cultivators¡¯ backline.


    Kujarak wasn¡¯t that far behind. He¡¯d gotten the nickname of African Leopard because he was very fast.


    ¡°Aghhhhhh!¡±


    Soon, the cultivators were screaming. They were exhausted and their morale was down. Now, four Transcendents were attacking them. There was no way the cultivators could handle this.


    "Waaahhhhhhhh!"


    The morale of the eastern and that of the Chivalrous Robbers immediately increased. They realized that cultivators weren¡¯t invincible andunched an onught. As a result, the cultivators were outnumbered, and they quickly became exhausted. Every time they took a step back, thendscape of the battlefield changed slightly.


    ¡°Has there ever been a time when so many skilled people existed?¡±


    Other Transcendents were providing help from the backline. They were the daoist immortals, which included Yeo Yn and Bentao. They secretly used talismans to weaken the cultivators and help the troops.


    Bentao¡¯s expression was gloomy as he answered Yeo Yn¡¯s question. ¡°If there had been another era like this, a lot of unfair deaths could have been prevented.¡±


    He still couldn¡¯t forget the seven good people. Back then, he couldn¡¯t clear them of their false usations and could only wait for others to help. He considered this weakness one of his sins and had been living feeling guilty since that incident.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that this era hase...¡±


    Yeo Yn was trying tofort him when she suddenly stopped talking. Several beams of light appeared precisely where they were. Transcendent-level cultivators showed up.


    ¡°I finally found you. For how long did you think you could hide with such low-grade talismans?¡±


    The cultivators were looking at Yeo Yn and Bentao with contempt. For the cultivators, immortals were the strongest beings. The immortals of this world, who couldn¡¯t even condense a nascent soul, seemed to be nothing more than impostors.


    Yeo Yn¡¯s thick eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°The talismans we make aren¡¯t crude. They are simple and efficient. If you look at how fast they activate, it¡¯s twice as fast as the crude talismans <i>you </i>made, right?¡±


    ¡°The talismans activate so quickly because they contain nothing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    There were many ways to ovee fear. For Yeo Yn, she became angry to subdue her fear. She had been nervous when she saw the approaching Transcendents, but now that feeling was gone. She was excited to fight right away, just like a militant warrior.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t the typical daoist immortal.¡¯


    How had she ascended to the Peach Blossom Spring with such a mentality? Bentao had this question in mind as he quickly moved. The situation was now dangerous because the enemies fiercely fought back the moment Yeo Yn attacked.


    ¡®They are indeed strong.¡¯


    As soon as the cultivators appeared in this world, the daoist immortals had chosen to descend. They had been helping humans from the beginning. Some of the characteristics of the cultivation world resembled the Peach Blossom Spring. They suspected that corrupt gods were harming ordinary people by iming to be immortals.


    However, the truth was something else entirely. The cultivators were aliens from apletely different dimension. Nevertheless, the daoist immortals had decided to remain in the world until the end and fought against the cultivators because they believed ordinary people weren¡¯t strong enough to deal with them. The cultivators were powerful enough to break the unwritten rules of the Peach Blossom Spring.


    ¡°Hngh...¡±


    By the time he came to his senses, Bentao was already on the defensive. Every time he activated dozens of talismans and used magic, the cultivators offset his attacks using protective shields and Treasures while countering with a single talisman. Bentao had to throw dozens of talismans to stop the enemy¡¯s singr talisman.


    The enemy talisman itself wasn¡¯t that powerful, but the cultivators relied on a lot of things while fighting, such as shields, Treasures, talismans, mystical arts, summons, formations, and even martial techniques such as swordsmanship. Meanwhile, the daoist immortals relied only on talismans and spells to fight. They were pushed on the defensive a lot. This naturally led to a disadvantage when it came to fighting.


    Yeo Yn, who had honed her swordsmanship, also expressed disapproval of the various battle patterns of the enemies.


    Just then¡ª


    [Didn¡¯t you say pursuing what it means to be the best is the right thing to do?]


    They heard a familiar voice. No, this was intent that the daoist immortals could hear in their heads. They saw hundreds of swords falling.


    The cultivators were surprised by the sudden bombardment and hurriedly retreated. However, the faces of the daoist immortals brightened.


    ¡°Yeoam...!¡±


    The Sword Immortal, a being who had be a daoist immortal only after pursuing the extreme methods of brandishing a sword. This one of a kind, a unique existence in the Peach Blossom Spring, descended on the battlefield, his white dopo fluttering.


    [Thanks to Sir Grid, I have some free time... So, I will lend a hand.]


    The imoogi that bit the mysterious yeouiju... Yeoam, who had thought the imoogi was an evil monster raised by King Sobyeol and devoted his life to sealing it, was actually a conditional Absolute.


    He was now freed and stood alongside his colleagues for the first time in ages. He looked as noble as anyone else on the battlefield.

 Chapter 2023

    <h4>Chapter 2023</h4>


    Could they destroy thest Full Moon Fortress in the East Continent within the allocated time?


    The yers were the main force in this war. No matter how well Juander¡¯s group, the daoist immortals, and the Chivalrous Robbers performed, they weren¡¯t doing as muchpared to the yers. This made sense given that almost all the guilds and rankers, except for the Overgeared Guild, had gathered here. Even Valha¡¯s military power, led by God of War Ares himself, was only a fragment of the yers¡¯ forces.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine. We have the upper hand.¡¯


    9,310 guilds had allied temporarily during the quest. Contrary to people¡¯s concerns, the yer¡¯s Alliance consisting ofrge and small guilds had maintained their original purpose. No problems had arisen in their cooperation even as the war neared its end.


    They had cooperated without any problems even toward the end of the war. Some yers sometimes tried to stand out to make a name for themselves, but the alliance officials dealt with them without any fuss. This didn¡¯t mean the officials threatened or assassinated people. They simply sent those who wanted publicity in the front lines to have a chance at proving themselves. Once they inevitably died, most of them realized their mistake and calmed down.


    ¡°Does it look like everyone has be used to the cultivators¡¯ way of fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone is clearly used to mystical arts and Treasures.¡±


    ¡°Haha, since they¡¯re so used to the enemy¡¯s fighting style, it is easy for them to adapt to new weapons.¡±


    As many as three Absolute-level cultivators were trapped in Ares¡¯ Infinite Military Strength. Dozens of Transcendent-level cultivators were facing Juander¡¯s group, the Chivalrous Robbers, and the daoist immortals.


    Throughout the war, the strength of the cultivators had declined sharply. This meant that the yers¡¯ Alliance was more than capable of dealing with them. Many of the yers in the alliance had condensed their spiritual roots thanks to the technique provided by the Overgeared Guild.


    The Overgeared Guild had destroyed nearly a hundred Full Moon Fortresses and ughtered hundreds of thousands of cultivators. This meant they had an immense amount of resources since they could secure so many techniques, mystical arts, Treasures, and elixirs that cultivators were proud of and actively used.


    The Overgeared Guild had greatly helped the yers¡¯ Alliance. They were provided with arge amount of techniques and mystical arts to learn for each ss and attribute, as well as Treasures and elixirs. Thanks to this, many alliance yers had condensed a spiritual root and were now using Treasures as their secondary weapons. Of course, they had also learned mystical arts.


    This way, they could fight more effectively against the cultivators. The high-ranking cultivators would step on them like ants, but there were very few high-ranking cultivators remaining on the East Continent. Most of them had left to support the Full Moon Fortress in the West Continent.


    In other words¡ª


    ¡°In the end... This is, once again, all thanks to the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    The yers; Alliance had done a lot with the help provided by the Overgeared Guild. However, most people didn¡¯t know these details. A lot of people who supported the yers¡¯ Alliance were enthusiastic that a yer forceparable to the Overgeared Guild temporarily existed. Behind this reaction was a vicarious gratification feeling. Ordinary people empathized with the alliance formed by the top guilds and rankers.


    The alliance officials weren¡¯t exactly sure how to feel about all this.


    ¡°...Well, external circumstances aren¡¯t important right now. Let¡¯s just focus on winning the battle for now.¡±


    The yer¡¯s Alliance had no leader. Fifty executives voted for by the 9,310 guild masters led the alliance, each of them having equal authority. Nevertheless, there were never problems in the way the alliance was run. Everyone wanted to win this war.


    Immediately after the alliance was formed, a lot of money flowed in from the Overgeared Guild, but not a single person acted out of self-interest to try and embezzle it. Why? If they did that and they lost the war versus the cultivators because of their greed, then Satisfy would be ruined. More yers were logging into the game and the stocks of the S.A. Group were on the rise because the cultivators were about to be extinct.


    What if the yers couldn¡¯t destroy thest Full Moon Fortress in time? What if new cultivators appeared? Satisfy¡¯s poprity would suffer a steep decline and rankers might lose their livelihood.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s win. We have to crash that damn fake moon before we can discuss what we should do next.¡±


    The executives exchanged looks and ordered an all-out attack. Hundreds of thousands of yers immediately reacted. They ran toward their enemies like beasts who had been starving for days. They had no intention of missing the opportunity granted by Valha and the NPCs.


    ¡°How can these mortals do this overnight...?¡±


    If the conditions were met, yers could acquire skills simply by clicking on the respective skill book. Therefore, the yers of the alliance had used the techniques provided by the Overgeared Guild to condense a spiritual root. From the perspective of NPCs, this was iprehensible.


    The cultivators were greatly perplexed. Hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers had been mere mortals just a few days before. Now they had all condensed a spiritual root and attacked using a flurry of Treasures and mystical arts. They weren¡¯t that much of a threat because those Treasures and mystical arts were basic, but this was still very confusing. Plus, the cultivators were outnumbered, and the battlefield was too hectic.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The front line of the cultivators was now heavily pushed back. They couldn¡¯t withstand the enemy¡¯s attacks that wereing from all directions and the opponents that surged like a tidal wave, so the cultivators ran in different directions.


    The path to the Full Moon Fortress was opened.


    ¡°Walk in!¡±


    The Full Moon Fortress had justunched its second round of bombardment, so there were at least twenty minutes left until the third bombardment. This was the perfect opportunity to walk in.


    Of course, the Full Moon Fortress was high in the sky. Among the hundreds of thousands of yers, only about ten thousand could fly, but that was enough. Most of the yers who could fly were rankers. Besides, the security inside the Full Moon Fortress would be weak. There were very few cultivators left inside since most of them were outside, fighting.


    ¡®The real battle begins now.¡¯


    The rankers were determined. They stared at the huge Full Moon Fortress as they approached it. They remembered the thousands of technique books and mystical art books provided by the Overgeared Guild, as well as the Treasures and elixirs. All of these were all medium to low-quality items.


    Still, these items had helped the yers tremendously since they didn¡¯t use to exist until the cultivators appeared. By enhancing the rating of all the items from zero to a certain number, the yers in the alliance had be noticeably stronger. The effects of the middle-grade items were good. But how would high-quality items perform?


    The rankers had unrealistically high expectations for the Treasures hidden in the depths of the Full Moon Fortress. It was difficult for them to suppress their greed because they could support their respective guilds if they got their hands on high-quality Treasures.


    Before they knew it, they forgot their original goal. They were blinded by self-interest the moment they were convinced they had actually won.


    Divine punishment rained down on them.


    [You lowlives.]


    Just as the rankers entered through the gateway, the sky ckened. It started to rain, but this wasn¡¯t normal rainwater. The acid that was pouring down from the skies melted many rankers¡¯ armor and they turned to ash. Those who had exceptionally high poison resistance survived, but they could no longer move forward since a waterfall of rotten water suddenly appeared and enveloped the gateway.


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    This bizarre trick was very powerful. It was a mystical art of a cultivator who had a very high realm.


    [The Full Moon Fortress is the gateway between dimensions. How dare you believe that you can pollute the gate where the forces who will invade this world will pass through?]


    The hundreds of thousands of humans roaming the battlefield stopped in ce after the Absolute¡¯s will pierced the area. His influence was much more powerful than that of the Absolute-level cultivators trapped in Infinite Military Strength. This was a being who had transcended the cultivator state and had be an immortal.


    The leader of the cultivators guarding thest Full Moon Fortress had arrived.


    ¡°Could it be that he defeated the Four Auspicious Beasts?¡±


    The yers believed they had a high chance of winning because the Four Auspicious Beasts helped them a lot. The alliance yers managed to turn this battle into their favor because the Four Auspicious Beasts had lured the leader of the enemies into the distant sky and kept him there.


    But now, the leader of the enemy army appeared in front of them. The Four Auspicious Beasts who had lured him away were now gone.


    [The Four Auspicious Beasts? Do those spiritual beings look like gods in your eyes? They are quite extraordinary, but gods...]


    The white-haired immortal snorted. His dark eyes shone as thousands of mystical characters spilled out of him.


    [Stupid and worthless things. All of you will die here.]


    The immortal¡¯s intent spread out like a thunderbolt. Everyone on the battlefield had a severe headache and stumbled. At the same time, the small mystical characters that spilled out of his eyes started to spin like snakes. Thick, dark fog and rainwater spread out... The immortal was creating a poison that melted everything it came in contact with.


    ¡°Crazy...!¡±


    The yers in the alliance, Hwang Gildong, the members of the Chivalrous Robbers, the daoist immortals¡ªeveryone ran in directions to get away from the poison produced by the mystical characters that rapidly grew in size.


    However, it wasn¡¯t easy to do that. The poison was very fast, and it was catching up with them.


    ¡°Aghhhhhh!¡±


    Screams echoed all over the ce. In a split second, thousands of gray ash pirs soared into the sky.


    Nevertheless, the poison wasn¡¯t satisfied and continued to expand.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Juander groaned and took a step forward. His skin waspletely red. He increased his red energy to the limit to attempt to control the poison. Red lines unraveled like threads and touched the ck fog...


    [Are you doing something strange?]


    The dark gaze of the white-haired immortal fell on Juander. The red energy that Juander had been steadily training was powerful enough to attract the attention of an immortal. It slowed down the poison¡¯s advance, making it back away, slowly but surely.


    [Even in the cultivation world, mutant-like people are sometimes born.]


    The immortal immediately saw through the essence of the red energy. He treated it as a mutation without bothering to understand it further.


    ¡°Juander!¡±


    Kujarak, who had been guarding the front line without running away, rushed over. Before he knew it, the immortal appeared above Juander¡¯s head and swung his sword down.


    [You are a mortal, but there are many extraordinary things about you.]


    This was the only impression the immortal had. It was impossible to keep up with the speed of a true Absolute even for Kujarak, who was called a leopard.


    The sword made of ck water was already touching the top of Juander¡¯s head. Drops of acidic water sshed in all directions. Kujarak¡¯s skin melted as he reached for Juander.


    Just before the sword of ck water cut the top of Juander¡¯s head, Chensler punched it.


    [......?]


    "......!"


    Both the white-haired immortal and Kujarak were surprised. They looked in disbelief at Chensler, who had reacted to the speed of an Absolute.


    Chensler shook off his half-melted fist and dered with an expressionless face, ¡°If you want to do anything to His Majesty, you¡¯ll have to get through me first.¡±

 Chapter 2024

    <h4>Chapter 2024</h4>


    ¡°If you want to do anything to His Majesty, you¡¯ll have to get through me first.¡±


    [I¡¯ll do that,] the immortal replied confidently and immediately swung his sword.


    Killing a human? That was so easy for him to do, it couldn¡¯t even be considered a task.


    ¡ª!


    The sword didn¡¯t make a single sound. It wasn¡¯t until a solid red line was carved into Chensler¡¯s neck that Juander and Kujarak became aware that a sh had urred. They reacted toote. The immortal had already cut Chensler¡¯s throat. The stter of blood blended with the ck water droplets that poured out from the immortal¡¯s sword, sttering everywhere.


    ¡°Chensler...!¡±


    Kujarak paled. He was obsessed with doing good deeds and serving justice. He knew how few people like him there were in the world. This was why he was close to Juander and Chensler. He saw them as one of a kindrades and friends.


    Now it seemed like he was going to lose them.


    ¡°...Aghhhh!¡±


    Kujarak had been living a life of goodwill and justice since before he reached adulthood. People believed he did that because he was good-natured. Kujarak thought he was doing this for his older brother¡¯s sake. The more good deeds he did, the more blessings of the stars he gathered, and the more bearable his brother¡¯s sickness became... He used to believe this was what he needed to do ever since he grew up.


    Up until now, he had done plenty of good deeds every time his brother entered the operating room. He believed that, the more good deeds he did, the better it would be for his brother. To pay for his brother¡¯s surgery, he had been raiding more and more bosses and serving justice every time he stumbled upon something unjust happening.


    Yes, this was half the truth.


    Blinded by rage, a memory shed through Kujarak¡¯s mind. He was very young. A wise old man from his hometown was holding young Kujarak in his arms and telling him a story of the stars.


    The story...


    [......?]


    The white-haired immortal was confused. He clearly felt that he¡¯d shed the man¡¯s neck with his sword, but Chensler¡¯s head didn¡¯t fall off. It was still attached to his body. Chensler even counterattacked by swinging his mace.


    [Immortality?]


    Chensler was immortal. When Juander and Chensler were still young, Chensler had looted a piece of armor after killing a legendary monster. The moment he put on that armor, he felt a tremendous energy under his skin. If he¡¯d known he would never be able to take this armor off ever again after putting it on, Chensler would have never equipped it. He would have rejected the emperor¡¯s offering.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able toy a fingertip on His Majesty unless you kill me.¡±


    [You put so much faith in your immortality that you have the nerve to say something so nonsensical.]


    The immortal frowned after understanding what was going on. A human who couldn¡¯t die? This was a rare urrence everywhere except in the immortal world. In the cultivation world, cultivators could achieve immortality by bing jiangshi with the use of forbidden techniques.


    Of course, they wouldn¡¯t be ordinary jiangshi. This only applied if a cultivator from at least the great ascension realm became a jiangshi out of their own free will. Even <i>that </i>was rare. After bing a jiangshi, they could no longer increase their realm and they would be a lot dumber. They would no longer be truly alive. Except for some exceptional cases, no fool would try to turn themselves into a jiangshi.


    Moreover, the biggest characteristic of a jiangshi was that it constantly trembled because it was rotting. However, Chensler didn¡¯t tremble nor was he rotting. He was a normal human being in every way. So why was he immortal...?


    The immortal looked at Chensler skeptically before turning to nce at Juander. Even in the midst of chaos, Juander was calm. He wasn¡¯t a normal individual, either. He had surely been born with that red energy. He seemed like the type of person who was extremely courageous. So then, had Chensler also been born immortal?


    [Then this world...]


    Didn¡¯t this mean that this world wasparable to the immortal one?


    Then, even more¡ª


    [I have to get my hands on you.]


    The white-haired immortal became determined. The battle wasn¡¯t looking too great. The warp connection technique of the Full Moon Fortress would take one more day to bepleted.


    The Full Moon Fortress was still somewhat protected, but the situation in the west was really bad. The enemy was unbelievably strong. The odds of holding out against their offensive were very low. Even if theysted until tomorrow, the Full Moon Fortress in the west would have been destroyed by then...


    In other words, this remaining Full Moon Fortress was the cultivation world¡¯sst hope. Not enough resources and troops would arrive in time. A new ordeal would begin again.


    The immortal was skeptical because of many reasons. He couldn¡¯t show this because of his status, but he believed it was impossible for the cultivation world to intrude on this mysterious world.


    However, the white-haired immortal felt obligated to make the impossible possible, though he wasn¡¯t doing this for the greater cause. He coveted that red energy and the man¡¯s immortality. He wanted to capture Juander and Chensler alive so he could have enough time to study them. Intent was revealing his lowly intentions.


    "Aghhh!"


    Kujarak grabbed the immortal by the cor of his coat. Every time the immortal swung his sword, Kujarak got burned by the water dripping from the de. Even one of his cheeks was melting a bit. Seeing the hideous face close-up, the immortal clicked his tongue as if he was displeased and waved his arm lightly.


    <i>sh!</i>


    He cut off Kujarak¡¯s right hand, which was holding the sword. To add insult to injury, acidic fluid covered half of Kujarak¡¯s chest.


    Upon seeing this, Juander and Chensler¡¯s expressions became grim, but Kujarak himself didn¡¯t care. He targeted his severed hand and used a basic wind element skill. The skill altered the hand¡¯s trajectory so that it cut the immortal¡¯s chest with the sword it was still holding.


    [......]


    The immortal sustained minor injuries. Of course, the severed hand¡¯s sword attack barely did anything. The immortal only had small cuts on his skin. However, he still felt a chill go down his spine. His opponent wasn¡¯t intimidated at all even though he was facing someone much stronger than himself. Rather, heunched an extraordinary counterattack.


    The immortal could tell this guy was extraordinary from the beginning, but there was more to it. He got goosebumps when he saw that the man, who should have been scowling from pain, was only exuding anger and killing intent.


    The immortal responded calmly and threw a few talismans. [It looks like you will be the first one to die.]


    He hurled the fourth grade containment talisman to Juander and the seventh grade weakness talisman to Chensler. Even though he was an Absolute, he was clearly wary of Transcendents.


    This wasn¡¯t aughing matter. Absolutes had lost to Transcendents before. There had been several cases when this happened in Satisfy. Most of the time, this had been Grid¡¯s doing.


    The white-haired immortal wasn¡¯t aware of this fact, but he was cautious since he had be an immortal after tens of thousands of years of training.


    However, there was one thing he overlooked.


    "Aghhhhh!"


    It was Kujarak¡¯s strength. He should¡¯ve thrown a talisman at the one-armed man in front of him.


    [......!]


    Kujarak was incredibly close to the immortal, but he suddenly disappeared. He used a transformation skill. It wasn¡¯t until he got very close to the enemy that Kujarak used his ultimate skill. He turned into a leopard covered in glossy ck fur and crouched. This caught the immortal off guard. He hadn¡¯t expected this at all.


    After all, Kujarak was one of the fastest Transcendents. Once he unleashed his beast form, his speed wasparable to that of an Absolute.


    Of course, like a real leopard, his maximum speed onlysted around three seconds. But to powerful beings such as legends, Transcendents, and Absolutes, three seconds wasparable to someone else¡¯s hours. The disadvantage of the leopard form was that it imposed restrictions on wearing equipment. However, Kujara¡¯s basic stats increased considerably. Because he took the form of a wild beast, he didn¡¯t know how high his defense was, but his total attack power was rather high.


    Kujarak, who had lost one arm and dropped his weapon, had his attack power multiplied when he transformed into a leopard. He sunk his sharp teeth into the back of the immortal¡¯s neck. Blood sttered everywhere.


    [Is he a demon?]


    The cultivation world was ustomed to beings that could go back and forth between the forms of beasts and humans. Demons could do that. Compared to human cultivators, they weren¡¯t very good at mystical arts, but their physical abilities were overwhelmingly superior. In many areas, demon cultivators and human cultivatorsplemented each other.


    In other words, they were opponents that were difficult to deal with and who couldn¡¯t be overlooked. The immortal¡¯s expression gradually crumpled as he tried to shake off Kujarak, whose sharp teeth were still embedded in his throat.


    It didn¡¯t matter how much the immortal burned Kujarak¡¯s fur and skin with tricks or how many times the immortal stabbed him. Kujarak showed no signs of backing down. His reddened eyes really resembled those of a beast¡¯s. He was determined to chew and consume the immortal.


    [I thought you were extraordinary, but it turns out that you aren¡¯t human.]


    For a moment, the memory buried deep in Kujarak¡¯s mind became clear. He clearly remembered what the old man from his old town whispered to him while he was sitting in the old man¡¯sp.


    ¡®My child, your star is terrible. You are going to end up being devoured. Don¡¯t hate others recklessly. If you always live for others¡¯ sake, your star won¡¯t turn red, but blue.¡¯


    The old man had said that his star would turn red. In the east, this was called the heavenly killing star. Kujarak hadn¡¯t known this until a few years before. He had beenpleting a quest rted to the constetions when the heavenly killing star appeared in the story of the god of ughter, Pluto.


    Kujarak finally understood why the old man whispered those words to him every night. He felt that his life had be more rewarding. He had ovee his destiny because of his kind heart. How could he not feel rewarded?


    ¡®But conversely, if I take advantage of that fate¡ª¡¯


    Kujarak gave in to seething rage. For the first time ever, fate consumed him. This was quite intentional. He wanted to protect hisrades from a bizarre and powerful enemy. He might regret today¡¯s choice one day. Once he gave in to violence, he might get consumed by killing intent and could alter his destiny for the rest of his life.


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t care. Turning his back on hisrades right now just because he was vaguely afraid of the future? Kujarak couldn¡¯t even consider this. This was because he and Grid shared the same views.


    Kujarak was attacking more violently than before.


    ¡°......¡±


    Chensler was stunned. He had been ready to sacrifice his life, but Kujarak was faster than him.


    Juander smiled bitterly and wrapped red energy around his sword. ¡°Since things are the way they are now, let¡¯s try to find for all of us to survive.¡±


    He chose to pin his hopes on the fact that a god can¡¯t die. No, only Grid could kill a god, but in any case... He believed that the Four Auspicious Beasts, whose whereabouts were unknown, could return at any time.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Chensler answered vigorously before immediately throwing himself forward. He believed in the immortal effects of the armor and fearlessly attacked the Absolute. He didn¡¯t yet know that the reason he didn¡¯t die was loyalty, not armor. Grid had realized this a long time back.


    ¡°Chensler is finally awakening his full potential...¡±


    Grid, who just logged in, muttered this to himself after hearing what had just happened.

 Chapter 2025

    <h4>Chapter 2025</h4>


    ¡°So where is Grid and what is he up to?¡±


    Every time something important happened and yers who participated in an event got in trouble, this was the public¡¯s reaction. At some point, it became a meme that mocked the so-called ¡®Grid parrots¡¯ who always mentioned Grid if things became a bit difficult.


    However, it had been quiettely. There were many hatefulments every time there was a chat message or post mentioning Grid¡¯s whereabouts.


    Why the sudden change in atmosphere? This was because of what Grid had shown over the past few months.


    Grid¡¯s battles were asionally captured through world messages and epics. Ordinary people had little opportunity to actually witness his fights. This made sense, given that Grid had fought high-level opponents such as Transcendents, demons, gods, and dragons.


    But recently, some people had been witnessing his battles. News of these battles spread. People¡¯s hearts sank. Seeing Grid fight was different from what they had imagined. It wasn¡¯t easy seeing him struggling to not die even though he¡¯d gotten close to death several times. He looked exactly like an ordinary person. Still, he kept fighting, but he looked absolutely horrendous as he did that. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t bear that.


    Despite repeatedly showing hopelessness at the enemy¡¯s endless potential, Grid always fought until the end. Even if he got injured multiple times, he fought back rather than backing down. People even saw themselves in Grid because, at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary human, just like them. The moment Grid took a step back from fighting, they remembered that his life could also fall apart if something critical happened.


    Since then, people hadn¡¯t been mentioning Grid as much as they used to.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    <i>Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Empire. </i>


    Grid inspected the situation of the battlefield as soon as he logged in. Just by looking at the contents of the guild chat and the announcements, he could picture the general situation. The periodic correspondence from the assassins of the Overgeared Shadows revealed details of the war.


    ¡°......¡±


    Several Overgeared members tried to approach Grid, who was reading the letter, but gave up and turned back. This was because Grid was virtually bare. His helmet was set to be invisible, but he wasn¡¯t wearing armor, gaiter, gauntlets, or boots. Normally, they would¡¯ve dismissed this while thinking, ¡®I guess he is nning to craft some items.¡¯


    But this was a rare situation. Even with less than a day left in the quest to stop the erosion ceremony, it was unlikely that Grid would lock himself up in the smithy. On top of that, Grid had recently battled Garam, which meant that all of his armor had probably been destroyed.


    ¡®So even the dragon armor made from Greed can¡¯t withstand an Absolute at the level of a God of the beginning?¡¯


    The members of the Overgeared stopped by Reinhardt to pick up various elixirs, potions, and buff scrolls. They were about to suggest to Grid to return to the battlefield together, but they ended up leaving quietly. Another ten minutes passed.


    ¡°Chensler is finally awakening his potential...¡±


    Grid read all of the correspondence and recalled old memories. Armored Cavalryman Chensler... Grid had analyzed his armor to gain his immortality, but he was shocked. The armor only provided infinite physical strength and vitality to the wearer. It provided no such thing as immortality. Chensler bing immortal was a miracle born out of his loyalty to Juander. Miracles often happened in Satisfy.


    Grid was lost in thought for a bit. Lord approached him and greeted him politely.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    Most of the troops had left to fight on the Tomb of the Gods. Lord and the Daughters of Reba were guarding the imperial pce. Lord couldn¡¯t bear to leave his duty of protecting the capital.


    ¡°The due date is just around the corner.¡±


    Soon, his younger siblings would be born. There were only two Full Moon Fortresses left.


    The odds that the cultivators would give up on the Full Moon Fortress andunch a counterattack on the capital were low, but Lord had remained behind to protect his family just in case.


    Lord''s expression darkened as he exined what was bothering him. ¡°Queen Basara also moved to the imperial pce, but... I got no response from Marie Rose, no matter how many times I tried to contact her. Thus, I¡¯m anxious.¡±


    Surprisingly, his father had impregnated Irene, Mercedes, Basara, and Marie Rose around the same time. All of their due dates were almost the same. This was why Lord had invited all of them to the safest and mostfortable ce in the world¡ªReinhardt, the capital.


    However, Marie Rose didn¡¯t cooperate with him. She didn¡¯t reply to him no matter how Lord felt.


    ¡°Why are you so worried? She is in the safest ce possible.¡±


    Grid reacted as if what Lord was telling him didn¡¯t matter. He believed that no one in the world would dare to raid Marie Rose¡¯s castle. However, he changed his mind when he saw the expression on Lord¡¯s face.


    Grid remembered that there were no unbreakable rules in the world. He was proof of that. How could he guarantee that no one would dare to raid Marie Rose¡¯s castle? Marie Rose was about to give birth. She was pregnant, so she wasn¡¯t in the best shape.


    More than anything else...


    ¡®Lord will keep being anxious.¡¯


    Lord was a very grateful child. He grew up so well by himself. He respected and admired his father. Even though he suddenly ended up with three stepmothers, he readily epted them. He possibly reacted this way because of the medieval setting of Satisfy, but in any case... Grid wanted to make sure Lord would be there for his siblings when they would be born.


    ¡°...No. I shouldn¡¯t be so arrogant at such a crucial moment. Marie Rose should be here too. I will persuade her toe to Reinhardt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    Lord¡¯s expression immediately brightened.


    ¡°I think that if my younger siblings get along together from a young age, they will care for, love, and rely on each other without any prejudices. Marie Rose is of a different race. That¡¯s why I was worried, but I am relieved that you changed your mind, Father.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Seeing his child smile so brightly, Grid realized the real reason Lord seemed so upset. Lord was only a teenager, but he was very considerate. Definitely more than Grid was. Lord clearly resembled Irene more.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Grid hugged Lord as tightly as possible without saying anything else. Because of the affection that welled up deep in his heart, he inevitably hugged too tightly. It was a relief that he was hugging Lord of all people like that. If Lord hadn¡¯t had superior stats to anyone else of the same level or if he hadn¡¯t inherited Grid¡¯s items, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle Grid¡¯s strength and his ribs would¡¯ve been crushed.


    Gridughed when he saw the worry in Lord¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be able to control my strength better when ites to your younger siblings.¡±


    Irene would¡¯ve been in the most danger if Grid hadn¡¯t been able to control his strength every time.


    Grid hadn¡¯t been so excited for a long time. He finally realized how much he cared for Lord.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see my grandchildren.¡±


    The way Grid was talking was a bit bizarre. His manner of speech naturally changed depending on who he was talking to. Grid, who was immature in front of anyone else, acted somewhat like an adult when it came to Lord. However, the way he was acting wasn¡¯t strange or awkward. This was a natural phenomenon that every father went through.


    ¡°There are some girls I would like to introduce to you, Father. Once this war is over, I will try to imitate you.¡±


    ¡°G-girls? S-sure...¡±


    As expected, Lord was talking about the Daughters of Reba. Surely he didn¡¯t mean all of them? Even though Lord was a prince, this was a bit...


    For the first time in ages, Grid understood how his parents felt. He remembered how badly they had reacted when he introduced Yura and Jishuka at the same time, saying he was serious about their rtionship and that they were considering marriage...


    ¡®But I won¡¯t give up on any of them.¡¯


    In today¡¯s world, it was rare to see someone bound by thews of their respective country. Since science and technology had developed so much, the distance between countries had closed rapidly. Physical distance andnguage wasn¡¯t an impediment anymore. If Grid decided that thews of his country infringed on his interests or happiness, he could change his citizenship. There were countless countries in the world who wanted Grid, Yura, and Jishuka.


    ¡®...Wait. Could it be that Lord feels the same way I do?¡¯


    His thoughts stopped spiraling out of control. A chill went down Grid¡¯s spine.


    ¡®I will leave the empire because Father doesn¡¯t allow me to marry these girls. I will abandon my status as a prince and seek asylum in a faraway country that wees us.¡¯


    He imagined Lord telling him this coldly. Grid was deluding himself. Good thing he realized he was doing this. Nevertheless, he felt sad and depressed.


    ¡°Ahh... Irene, I¡¯m sorry. This is all my fault, so I¡¯ll let it slide this time...¡±


    ¡°Father?¡±


    Grid was teary-eyed because he felt sorry that Irene would lose her son, but he came to his senses. Lord¡¯s head was tilted to the side. Embarrassed, Grid cleared his throat.


    ¡°I will go to Marie Rose¡¯s castle, so don¡¯t worry and just wait.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I will take good care of my mothers.¡±


    Lord said goodbye respectfully and returned to the pce. Grid really wanted to follow him. It had been a long time since he saw his wives. However, he was in the middle of war. All hisrades were fighting, so flirting would have to wait for now.


    ¡®How about I don¡¯t forget my duties? I need to be an example to others.¡¯


    Grid stopped feeling regretful and was just about to enter the warp gate when he received a whisper from his clone.


    -<i>I¡¯ve made armor and gaiters for you to use right away.</i> <i>If you send Noe, I will deliver them through him.</i>


    When Grid had forcibly been logged out, Grid¡¯s clone had made some decisions by himself. He kept an eye on Asgard¡¯s developments while working with Khan and Hexetia to craft new armor for Grid. Of course, the item was slightly weaker than armor that Grid could craft himself, but it was strong enough to be used as a spare. Grid¡¯s armor had shattered, so this was better than nothing.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    A clone like this used to be an incarnation that only the chief gods of Asgard could create and manipte. Judar had used it as a bargaining chip with Grid as if it was a tremendous treasure. The cultivators also really wanted the clone, calling him an out-of-body incarnation. Grid finally realized why. The clone was like another self. There were more benefits to this clone than Grid had initially thought of.


    Unexpectedly, the clone had even crafted armor while he was away... Wasn¡¯t this almost like an ureongi gaksi? [1]


    [You have entered Marie Rose¡¯s castle.]


    Grid smiled happily as he arrived at his destination in an instant thanks to the warp gate. This world had be so much more convenient...


    Grid¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared. There were no traces of anyone around. Marie Rose was nowhere to be seen in the huge castle.


    ¡°Marie Rose...?¡±


    1. Korean folktale about a poor man who breaks the taboos and marries a woman who emerges from a snail shell. The snail woman does most of the chores at home ?

 Chapter 2026

    <h4>Chapter 2026</h4>


    Marie Rose was gone. Of course, she was her own person. She could go out whenever she wanted. However, this was umon for her, especially since she was going to give birth very soon.


    Grid instructed the three hundred and ten God Hands to search the entire castle and sent a whisper to Katz.


    [Whisper to Katz: Does Marie Rose see anyone on a regr basis?]


    [Whisper from Katz: Someone she sees on a regr basis...?]


    Katz reacted strangely to the question. Grid cleared his throat. Did his wife regrly meet someone else? The question sounded like a line from a drama where the love interest was having an affair.


    [Whisper to Katz: I¡¯m worried because her castle is empty. Does she usually go out at this time? If so, then I can afford to rx.]


    [Whisper from Katz: Who knows... Grid, you know that I usually only spend a few minutes a week with her. I¡¯m only reporting the internal affairs of the vampire cities to her, so it¡¯s hard to keep track of her schedule.]


    From the time Beriache had tried to betray Marie Rose but failed and died instead, Katz¡¯ situation had changed considerably. He still had the ancient ss, Beriache¡¯s Knight, but he now served Marie Rose. He didn¡¯t feel like he was her confidant. He was merely responsible for managing the vampire race and looking after the city¡¯s internal affairs on Mary Rose¡¯s behalf.


    Contrary to Grid¡¯s expectations, he wasn¡¯t close to Marie Rose at all.


    ¡®That makes sense now that I think about it.¡¯


    The only one Marie Rose was interested in was Grid. Recently, she seemed to take an interest in Irene and Lord, but she generally showed absolute indifference to other humans. Katz also wasn¡¯t the type of guy to tter others. There was no way the two of them could have gotten closer.


    [Whisper from Katz: If you feel anxious, I will send out a quest to the entire vampire race to find Marie Rose right away...]


    [Whisper to Katz: No, let it go. I¡¯ll take care of this, so keep your strength for the war.]


    Grid was lost in thought for a brief moment. It was very unlikely that Marie Rose¡¯s disappearance was a scheme organized by a third party. Who would dare to trap Marie Rose? That was impossible. She was wise and not easy to fool. She was also very strong. Others couldn¡¯t suppress her using force. The fact that she would give birth soon didn¡¯t change this fact. Even Grid with his Annihtion energy couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would win in a duel with Marie Rose.


    ¡®She can absorb other people¡¯s power by drinking their blood.¡¯


    Marie Rose had managed to recreate Hayate¡¯s Dragon-Killing Sword after drinking just a drop of blood. Unless the opponent never shed a drop of blood in the fight, Marie Rose was invincible.


    What was the difference between her and Hanul? Hanul hadn¡¯t been able to immediately fully reproduce the skill he absorbed. However, he could permanently store it, train it, eventually turning it into his own ability.


    On the other hand, Marie Rose reproduced the skills of the person whose blood she drank to near perfection. What¡¯s more, she even absorbed some of their stats. There was the disadvantage that this ability granted effects only temporarily, not permanently, but it was a huge threat during battle.


    The conclusion¡ª


    ¡®There is no way she was kidnapped.¡¯


    Grid was certain that Marie Rose had left the castle of her own volition. He didn¡¯t know if she simply went out for a walk or if she was going to be out for a long time...


    ¡®In any case, it¡¯s impossible for me to follow her.¡¯


    An Absolute leaving any traces in their movement? That was impossible, unless they were close to bing an Absolute, like the cultivators in the great ascension realm.


    The three hundred and ten God Hands had found no clues in their search. Grid touched one of the ten rings on his hands.


    [Ring of Pledge]


    [Rating: Unique


    A token of eternal love.


    You will be in a happy state when you are with your spouse. Movement speed will increase by 8%, and all stats are increased by 30.


    * Depending on your level of affinity with your spouse, the emotions you will feel when you are with them will change. These emotions can range from happiness, joy, contentment, normal, dissatisfaction, depression, to hate. There are a total of seven emotions. The Ring of Pledge can have different effects depending on the emotion experienced.


    If you spend a steamy night with your partner while wearing this ring, the EXP of all skills will increase by 10%.


    * A steamy night is only avable once a month (Penalty currently removed).


    When wearing this ring, the affinity of all NPCs of the opposite sex other than your spouse won¡¯t easily increase.


    If you are caught by your spouse without your ring, your favorability with them will drop by 90%. Your spouse¡¯s chances of getting pregnant will also drastically decrease.


    Weight: 0.1]


    Grid had four wedding rings. However, why didn¡¯t they have a location tracking function?


    ''...If they had such a function, people might consider me controlling and skeptical about my wives¡¯ faithfulness.¡¯


    Maybe he would¡¯ve also been subjected to various restrictions by the game system. Grid stopped having regrets and sat down. He disyed the guild chat window on one side of his field of view. The guild members were in the middle of a war, so no one was sharing irrelevant messages. There were only orders frommanders and chats from members briefly reporting on the situation of each team. Thanks to this, Grid could form an image about what was happening on the battlefield.


    ¡®Blood-sucking. Blood-sucking...¡¯


    Grid also had the status of Blood King. He had the ability to handle a bit of blood. Of course, he only used a few skills he had taken from the direct descendants, but he could pretend to be a vampire if he wanted to.


    After reflecting on Marie Rose¡¯s blood absorption ability, Grid thought of ways to use this power more efficiently than before.


    ¡®Vampires don¡¯t just absorb HP when sucking blood. They also regenerate their wounds in an instant.¡¯


    Grid had never escaped unscathed after fighting a powerful enemy. Aside from having to endure enormous physical and mental pain, wounds also made it harder for him to fight properly. He needed to make up for that.


    ''...The ideal way is to give the vampire¡¯s blood absorption ability to a weapon.¡¯


    It would be tremendously useful if he could heal his wounds every time he attacked an enemy rather than just restored HP. Plus, it had be easier to grant skills to items recently. A few years before, Grid had developed the Highest-grade Skill Granting Stone at Reidan¡¯s alchemy facility. When used in conjunction with Water n King¡¯s Tears, there was a 100% chance of granting the desired skill to an item.


    However, there was a problem.


    ¡®It is unclear if the given skill will have the desired effect.¡¯


    For example, let¡¯s assume that Defying the Natural Order was given the blood absorption skill. There was a possibility that the intrinsic effect of blood absorption could have an influence on the sword itself rather than Grid, who would swing Defying the Natural Order.


    What nonsense was this?


    Surprisingly, this wasn¡¯t nonsense. This was just how things were. Something like this could really happen if the blood absorption skill focused on the durability of Defying the Natural Order rather than Grid¡¯s HP.


    Furthermore, this was the domain of luck, not cksmithing. This wasn¡¯t something that could be decided with techniques. As a result, Grid hadn¡¯t granted skills to the recently crafted endgame items.


    There were no better items than endgame ones. Wouldn¡¯t it be extremely bad if he granted the wrong skills to them? His heart broke every time he thought about it.


    ¡®But what if Marie Rose gives the blood absorption skill herself? There is a chance of failure, but it is worth taking the risk.¡¯


    Ever since he became an Only One God, Grid had been haunted by the illusion that no one could rece him.


    <i>In any case, I am the strongest.</i>


    It wasn¡¯t because he had this arrogant belief. He was just immersed in the fact that he was the Only One God. But at this moment, the fog in his heart suddenly lifted as he sat in Marie Rose¡¯s castle and reflected on her disappearance. His mind was now clear.


    <i>Rely on those close to you a bit more.</i>


    <i>Don¡¯t forget how many people you have relied on to get to where you are.</i>


    ¡°...Let¡¯s ask Marie Rose to give the skill.¡±


    Twilight and Defying the Natural Order were swords that symbolized Grid. Grid had been nning to grant them his powers one day, but now he changed his mind. He decided to rely on Marie Rose. Of course, in order to do that, he had to solve the current problem at hand.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid closed the guild chat window he had been watching for two hours and slowly stood up. Marie Rose still hadn¡¯t returned. Grid now knew where she would be.


    ¡°Asgard.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s castle was located in the depths of the Reidan Desert. At first, he hadn¡¯t thought much about the location, but now he realized something. The castle was located in the center of the continent. He only became aware of this after two hours of extending his Absolute senses to search for traces of Marie Rose.


    There was a reason Beriache had built a castle here a long time back. Here, an Absolute who stretched their senses to the limit could detect most of what was happening on the surface.


    Grid momentarily put himself in Marie Rose¡¯s shoes. Maybe she had been keeping an eye on him? She would feel a bit worried when he fought against tough enemies. In other words, Marie Rose had been watching when Grid was by the demon cultivators. Marie Rose surely knew that the demon cultivators were constructing a Full Moon Fortress in Asgard, and she couldn¡¯t ignore that.


    ¡®She must think that she has the ability to stop them.¡¯


    Grid recalled a memory which included Marie Rose. She had a rare warm smile on her face as she looked at Irene with affection. She sincerely praised Irene for being able to help Grid a lot in many ways. Perhaps around that time Marie Rose started thinking that she wanted to help him too.


    ¡®That¡¯s cute, but...¡¯


    He was a bit angry. Didn¡¯t she realize that she was about to give birth? She was going to fight against Asgard in this state? The God of War, who had been training in seclusion and became even stronger after losing to Chiyou, as well as Metatron, Asujra, and countless other gods were still holding out. Plus, Marie Rose was more likely to experience all types of limitations in Asgard. He wasn¡¯t talking about her strength. She was in a different position from Grid, who was the master of a great dimension like the Overgeared World.


    Grid felt a bit nervous and sent a whisper to Lauel before using Shunpo. He remembered the coordinates used by Raiders, who had carried Grid on his back to get there, and headed to Asgard. He tried to be as optimistic as possible about the current situation.


    The demon cultivators and Asgard were cooperating to build a Full Moon Fortress. Grid would eventually have to destroy it at some point. He decided to think of this situation as solving a problem he was bound to take care of in the future anyway.


    He was getting closer to Asgard when he received a sound transmission from Braham.


    <i>-Marie Rose isn¡¯t a fool.</i>


    Did Lauel tell him what happened? Braham was blunt, but it was evident that he was concerned for Grid¡¯s wellbeing.


    -<i>She doesn¡¯t take unnecessary risks, so there is nothing to worry about.</i> <i>Be careful not to make a mistake and fall into a trap.</i>


    ¡°...You should¡¯ve told me that earlier.¡±


    By the time Grid came to his senses, he was already surrounded by angels. He smiled awkwardly.

 Chapter 2027

    Chapter 2027


    ¡°...You should¡¯ve told me that earlier.¡±


    -What? Have you already arrived in Asgard?


    ¡°No way. What I mean is that, if I consulted with you beforehand, there would¡¯ve been no reason for me to worry.¡±


    Grid lied because he didn¡¯t want to worry Braham.


    -Hmph, it¡¯s okay that you know now. In the future, please consult me as soon as something happens.


    This was the end of Braham¡¯s sound transmission. Braham was the type to act prideful when something happened, but he was also considerate in his own awkward way.


    ¡®We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, but I can¡¯t afford to go see him right now.¡¯


    There were many times when Grid didn¡¯t bring his Apostles along when he decided to fight against enemies who were considered the strongest of this era. To be honest, it wouldn''t help the Apostles too much if they fought the strongest enemies. Of course, they were very helpful to Grid. Having them as teammates would make it much easier for Grid to focus on the fight.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t do the Apostles much good. Fighting enemies who were way more powerful than them? This was worthless. Grid knew better. After gaining numerous wounds from Garam barely doing anything because Grid hadn¡¯t known Formless Will, the only thing Grid had received from that was great humiliation. That experience hadn¡¯t helped him be stronger in any way.


    It wasn¡¯t until muchter when Grid became strong enough to fight Garam that the battle against him had been a great source of inspiration to Grid. He could use the time when he first learned swordsmanship from Piaro as an example. Despite all the private lessons he got from Piaro as they traveled through the desert of Reidan, Grid never learned how to apply them properly during his journey through the desert...


    In other words, this meant that the Apostles had to be able to fight the enemy well by themselves. This was why Grid wasn¡¯t participating in the final battle of the Full Moon Fortress. The remaining cultivators putting up a fight at the Full Moon Fortress were a good way for the Overgeared members and the Apostles to be stronger.


    ¡°...In that sense, Asgard is thest ce where I can be stronger,¡± Grid murmured.


    He didn¡¯t look nervous despite being surrounded by dozens of angels. Braham¡¯s advice that Marie Rose would be safe had calmed him down. The angels also reacted somewhat positively upon seeing him. They didn¡¯t seem bothered even though Grid had killed Judar. They just looked at him nonchntly.


    Angels generally showed no emotions. Some archangels were exceptions to that rule. Maybe they were emotionally constipated.


    Angels were beings created purely for the needs of the gods. They had been summoned to heaven rather than fell to hell because the gods recognized the deeds theymitted during their human lifetime. Angels were merely soldiers that carried out the gods¡¯ will. Emotions were unnecessary.


    One of the angels staring at Grid finally asked, ¡°For what purpose has the god of the surfacee to heaven?¡±


    Seeing how this angel had four wings, they seemed to have a fairly high rank. Nevertheless, the look in their eyes through the helmet was indifferent. Grid thought about this optimistically. If they had been scared or angry, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to talk to them at all.


    ¡°Judar asked me to do something. However, it¡¯s very hard to do that, so I came to ask for advice.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    Judar asked Grid to do something? Was Grid telling the truth? If so, what was his task? Even though they had a few questions, the angels didn¡¯t ask any. They didn¡¯t seem able to question the affairs of the gods.


    ¡°Who knows? Angels who are higher in rank should know whom I should ask for advice, right?¡±


    ¡°Please be patient.¡±


    The angel closed their eyes and fell silent. After a while, a wind seemed to blow past the angel¡¯s long eyshes. The golden clouds that lit up the area parted, revealing an infinitely wide boulevard, wide as the Antic Ocean. Grid was briefly overwhelmed.


    The golden road was one of the official channels between the surface and the world of the gods. The moment he saw Reba¡¯s stone statue in the sky, which remained the same size no matter what angle or distance it was viewed at, he thought this could be a road she had made herself.


    ¡°Go up.¡±


    Who had given Grid ess to Asgard? The angels didn¡¯t bother exining. They guided Grid without saying anything.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Grid was a bit in a daze. He thought Asgard wouldn¡¯t let him in, but they did. Some time before, after a long confrontation, he had stolen away Khan, Hexetia and Zeratul. Finally, Grid had killed Judar. So why were they doing this?


    ¡®What I said has intrigued the gods...¡¯


    Or maybe this was a trap. It was probably one of these two options. There was also the possibility that Grid had intrigued the gods and that he was walking right into a trap. He was a bit nervous. He had long identified Asgard as thest enemy he would have to face, but he never expected that Asgard would wee him with open arms.


    Grid wasn¡¯t mentally prepared at all. Of course, he had no intention of backing down. He was sure that Marie Rose had infiltrated Asgard somehow. Even if she acted ording to what Braham said, Grid was still worried. He definitely wanted to help her.


    How much time had passed? Grid was exhausted as he stared at the back of the angels¡¯ heads. ¡°Who gave me permission to enter?¡±


    Surprisingly, the angels responded obediently. ¡°Metatron.¡±


    However, this answer didn¡¯t erase Grid¡¯s doubts. Even though Metatron was strong, he was nothing more than an archangel. In the end, this meant some god had surely ordered Metatron to give instructions to the angels.


    ¡®They probably don¡¯t know anything.¡¯


    Who were the higher-ups who had allowed Grid to enter and what were their intentions in meeting him?


    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯


    Grid started specting. The demon cultivators building the Full Moon Fortress in Asgard¡­ Would all the gods of Asgard have weed them? No way. Surely some had protested. It was difficult to believe that the gods would be united after losing Judar. Weren¡¯t they divided into factions even when Judar was alive? It would be funny if they were united now.


    How did Grid know that they were divided into factions? It was easy to conclude this when recalling the incident of Hexetia and Zeratul¡¯s imprisonment. Venice, the goddess of money, had secretly made a deal with them behind the scenes back then.


    ¡°Come this way.¡±


    The angels turned away from the straight path and changed course midway. Unbelievably, they guided Grid down a dreary and secluded path. There was a ce like this in Asgard?


    ¡®Do they want to have a secret chat with me?¡¯


    This was proof that the rank of the one who allowed Grid ess wasn¡¯t very high. If Dominion had summoned Grid, he wouldn¡¯t have cared about who was watching and confidently called Grid to meet up.


    However, the other party acted very secretly and cautiously. It seemed that they wanted to meet Grid without anyone else noticing.


    This made Grid anxious. The higher the status of the other party, the more they would demand from their deal.


    ¡®Dominion would be less willing to trade with me, but the weaker gods would be different.¡¯


    Since this god colluded with Metatron, they shouldn¡¯t really be weak. Maybe Grid could set the stage for overthrowing Asgard today.


    Thendscape around him changed rapidly. The trailing path widened and repeatedly brightened. Eventually, it became the same as before. In the high sky, the stone statue of Reba reappeared. Before he knew it, he was back on the normal path. It seemed as if he had escaped a certain surveincework without realizing it.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    After walking for a long time, Grid arrived at an area of intricately intertwined mountain ridges. On every small hill was a temple. The buildings were veryrge. Plus, the scenery was different from what Grid expected.


    Grid had guessed that the person who had allowed him to enter had a rtively low rank. He thought he would encounter a shabbyndscape that didn¡¯t match Asgard, just like the back road he had just passed through.


    ¡°Wait, this ce is...??¡±


    Grid stared at the unexpected scenery for a moment before his eyes widened. The hairs all over his body stood up. Thend covered with golden clouds, the high and low hills, the great and splendid temples on the hills... Looking closely, he realized that they all looked familiar.


    Grid had been here once before. He had stumbled upon this ce while wandering through Asgard when he tried rescuing Hexetia and Khan. This was the dwelling ce of the chief gods, the heart of Asgard.


    ¡®As expected, this was a trap.¡¯


    Grid recognized the temple on the highest mountain as belonging to Dominion and took a step back.


    [Where are you going in such a hurry?]


    A very aggressive intent was carved into the space. This was Metatron¡¯s. Heavily armed Valkyries and angels appeared from all directions. Grid¡¯s attention snapped to their weapons. Those were weapons he had crafted. He was used to seeing weapons made by him wielded by the inhabitants of Asgard. He was about to take them all away and make it rain weapons.


    [Only One God Grid.]


    Beams of light erupted from the tallest temple, revealing a great god. In the absence of Reba and Judar, he was the greatest god in Asgard at the moment. This was Dominion, the God of War. No wonder there were a lot of Valkyries nearby.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡®Is he going to fight me already? This is ridiculous.¡¯


    Fortunately, Grid didn¡¯t see Asura anywhere. However, it was never a good thing to face Dominion, who had arge Valkyrie army, and Metatron, who had arge angel army. In addition, other gods were also appearing one by one. Grid waspletely isted.


    ¡®I can¡¯t avoid this situation.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s actions had beenpletely exposed the moment he encountered the angels. It had be impossible for him to move through Asgard stealthily. Of course he was now in such a predicament. This was a risk he had to take because he had no intention of retreating until he found Marie Rose.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. I¡¯m sure you have already heard from the angels, but Judar has asked me to do something. And by something, I mean...¡±


    Grid tried to talk to the gods. He nned to distract them to make them lower their guard. However, that didn¡¯t work.


    [Judar¡¯s request surely is about finding his soul in hell and extinguishing it. He wouldn¡¯t want to be resurrected again.]


    Dominion knew what Judar would have wanted. He was like a brother who had watched Judar from the side. He had witnessed Judar¡¯s despair when the other god had learned that the world was nothing more than a game.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    Grid realized that his n was ruined and grabbed the hilt of Defying the Natural Order.


    [But it¡¯s interesting to know that Judar already knew the souls of dead gods would also go to hell. Did God Yatan see gods as targets of salvation as well...?] Dominion muttered bitterly, much to Grid¡¯s confusion. [At any rate, I also have a favor to ask of you. This is why I have allowed your visit.]


    ¡°...A favor?¡±


    [Take your wife away with you.]


    ¡°......??¡±


    [I don¡¯t want to have a ticking time bomb around me.]


    ¡°Oh my, calling a person a bomb.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a trap...


    Grid couldn¡¯t helpughing when he saw the beautiful, full-term pregnant woman who appeared on the roof of Dominion¡¯s temple.

 Chapter 2028

    <h4>Chapter 2028</h4>


    ¡®Braham doesn¡¯t know anything about his sister.¡¯


    Marie Rose wasn¡¯t the type to take risks, so there was no need to worry after all. Gridughed, recalling Braham¡¯s fleeting advice. Grid shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else in the first ce.


    Braham and Marie Rose didn¡¯t have a normal sibling rtionship. Braham had hated his sister for hundreds of years. At the end of the day, he had sided with Marie Rose instead of his mother, but... In any case, Braham didn¡¯t understand what kind of person his sister really was. He wasn¡¯t in the position to grasp her personality.


    Grid felt foolish for believing Braham. He briefly felt relieved.


    ¡®...Still, there is room for hope.¡¯


    Braham trusted Marie Rose. He knew she wasn''t a fool and that she was cautious. Grid hoped that the rtionship between the two would eventually improve. Of course, now wasn¡¯t the right time to think about the future since Grid was in the middle of enemy territory.


    ¡°......¡±


    Dominion urged Grid to take Marie Rose with him, but he couldn¡¯t take Dominion¡¯s words at face value unless he was a fool. After all, Grid was Asgard¡¯s fiercest enemy. Would they really miss the opportunity to exterminate his family? If Grid had been in Dominion¡¯s shoes, he would¡¯ve never missed this chance.


    ¡®What is he up to? Is he trying to catch me off guard just to stab me in the back? Or did he set up a trap in advance that activates some type of barrier the moment I join Marie Rose?¡¯


    It had taken Grid approximately an hour to get here with the angels¡¯ guidance. Considering how powerful gods were, this was enough time to prepare a trap.


    ¡®Dominion is the God of War. He surely knows a lot of tactical skills, such as setting up an ambush.¡¯


    Grid was extremely vignt. He turned to look at Marie Rose, who was standing on the roof of a temple supported by dozens of pirs. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if something lurked inside those thick pirs.


    Seeing that Grid wasn¡¯t moving, Dominion said, [You don¡¯t have to be so vignt. If you regard this issue as simr to Chiyou¡¯s invasion of your city, the answer you are seeking should be simple, right?]


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Certainly. Grid thought this might not be a trap. Two Absolutes invading the heart of Asgard and causing mayhem? This would be terrible for Dominion. No matter how much the god punished the intruders, the nearby buildings andndscape would suffer enormous damage. Grid and Marie Rose hade here of their own volition. They hadn¡¯t been lured to this ce by some scheme.


    Grid calmed down and stopped being so suspicious.


    Marie Rose¡¯s jewel-like red eyes stared at Dominion. She looked down at him, even though Dominion was way stronger than her.


    ¡°Stop freaking out and be quiet. It¡¯s up to my dear husband and me whether we leave or not.¡±


    The look she gave the God of war was ingrained in her personality, innate even. Her extremely cold voice immediately made the atmosphere less tense than it was before.


    Metatron, who had been holding back the whole time, finally spoke.


    [Marie Rose, you might¡¯ve greedily devoured your mother and be Yatan¡¯s blood rtive, but there is a line that must not be crossed. Dominion is higher than you on the hierarchy. Shouldn¡¯t you show respect?]


    A faint smile appeared on Marie Rose¡¯s face as she tilted her head. ¡°Greedily devoured my mother? Hierarchy?¡±


    A fight could break out at any moment now. Grid, who had calmed down, was once again anxious.


    Dominion chimed in. [Metatron, the reason she hurt Beriache wasn¡¯t out of personal greed, but to defend herself. Plus, I¡¯m not higher than her on the hierarchy. The hierarchy of Mother and Yatan is officially the same.]


    Grid was relieved. Dominion really didn¡¯t want to fight. They might be able to escape safely after all...


    ¡°Dominion, stop with your shallow tricks. You know that the Full Moon Fortress is being built here. Do you think we will go back without a fight?¡±


    And now Marie Rose made the atmosphere tense again. Grid didn¡¯t dare me her. Bringing up the issue of the Full Moon Fortress was the right thing to do. Right now, Marie Rose was stepping up for Grid, who was too nervous to do anything.


    Grid came back to his senses. ¡°She¡¯s right. We can¡¯t just sit around long as you help the demon cultivators. We will turn this ce into a battlefield before the Full Moon Fortress ispleted. You can be sure of that.¡±


    [...Full Moon?]


    Dominion blinked. There was a hint of confusion on his face. His acting was disgustingly bad.


    ¡°The door that connects our dimension to the dimension of the cultivators. You¡¯re really pretending you don¡¯t know what the humans of the surface are trying to destroy...?¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened. The wells, ponds,kes, rivers... The clear water from the wells and ponds reflected thendscape of the surface in real time. Everywhere in Asgard, there were ways to monitor what was happening on the surface.


    However, not anymore. The waters were murky. The surface could no longer be seen reflected in the waters. Grid realized this using Barbatos¡¯ Vision and panicked.


    Metatron sensed this.


    [Asgard has had some issuestely. Many angels and gods have gone missing and all the water was contaminated, making it impossible for us to know what was going on outside.]


    ¡°Can that really happen?¡±


    [This shouldn¡¯t have happened. But right now, Asgard is in a state of great turmoil due to the Refractive Dragon you resurrected, Grid. Things went wrong, so we assumed this had to do with the Refractive Dragon.]


    Dominion chimed in yet again. [Now that you¡¯re here, this doesn¡¯t seem to be the Refractive Dragon¡¯s fault. Are you sure that the so-called demon cultivators are building the Full Moon Fortress in Asgard?]


    ¡°I heard this from the demon cultivators themselves. They said the gods and angels are cooperating with them.¡±


    [Could it be that the missing gods and angels are doing that...?]


    ¡°...Is it correct to say that they¡¯re missing? Asgard is really isted. Isn¡¯t it easy for you to figure out what is going on inside of Asgard?¡±


    [It seems that my exnation wasn¡¯t thorough enough. We are isted in this sector of Asgard.]


    ¡°Sector? Here?¡±


    Grid grimaced as he pointed to the ground he stood on. The ce where the temples of the chief gods were, right here, in the depths of Asgard, was where big shots like Dominion and Metatron were trapped? This wasn¡¯t convincing in the slightest.


    Dominion didn¡¯t respond. His eyes were closed. He seemed to be pondering on something. Grid didn¡¯t bother him.


    While Dominion was distracted, Grid quietly approached Marie Rose.


    ¡°What were you thinkinging to such a dangerous ce alone? You are pregnant. What if something happens?¡± he asked with a frown.


    Marie Rose¡¯s red and plump lips twitched. ¡°My dear husband, you forget to use honorifics when you are excited. I should work hard to figure out how to excite you every time.¡±


    ¡°...No, I¡¯m trying to talk as casually as possible so don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°What did you imagine that made you blush?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose...¡± Grid grumbled.


    Marie Rose was clearly holding back herughter. Grid couldn¡¯t be angry any longer because he couldn¡¯t hold Marie Rose ountable for her actions. His heart melted every time he looked at her beautiful face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the child. The child I conceived shares their life with mine. They are safe as long as I don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too confident? There is no guarantee you will be safe in the middle of enemy territory.¡±


    Marie Rose showed no signs of remorse. She turned her attention back to Dominion, confident. ¡°My dear husband, you are blinded by worry. This is also a form of love, so I understand and ept your behavior.¡±


    Grid was depressed for a moment by her reaction. He asked himself, what kind of woman was his fourth wife?


    ¡®Indeed... I can¡¯t imagine Marie Rose in trouble.¡¯


    Grid recalled the battle during which he had cooperated with Marie Rose. At that time, she had nullified enemy attacks by turning into fog. She had also turned into a stream of blood to shoot forward at the speed of light. It was very difficult to seriously injure her unless her opponent had a special resource like Annihtion energy.


    Grid didn¡¯t have to worry. He could now breathe easily. But...


    ¡°I am still going to worry about you every time. Remember this.¡±


    Marie Rose looked a bit embarrassed. Sheughed.


    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±


    After falling in love with someone, it was natural to worry about them. Marie Rose had never imagined that she would be in this position. Now that she was experiencing this herself, she felt pretty good.


    Metatron, who had been watching Grid and Marie Rose hold hands, eventually revealed their true thoughts.


    [...You are crazy.]


    Grid and Marie Rose were in the middle of enemy territory! Seeing them flirt while standing on the roof of Dominion¡¯s temple didn¡¯t seem normal at all. The two of them red at Metatron.


    Dominion finally opened his eyes and said, [Mumud.]


    Metatron became nervous.


    [Are you talking about the archangel candidate?]


    [Yes, it looks like he is deeply involved in this situation.]


    ¡°Can you borate?¡±


    The name Mumud was also very familiar to Grid. Mumud had been very special to Braham.


    Dominion seemed a bit nervous.


    [He is one of the missing angels. Around the time he disappeared, all the waters in heaven became contaminated. At the same time, we ended up trapped here.]


    Dominion raised his left arm and swung it around.


    Then¡ª


    <i>Rattle!</i>


    A clink of metal was heard. Hundreds of ck chains were revealed. The chains, wrapped around Dominion¡¯s thick arms, were nailed to the ground, motionless.


    Grid and Marie Rose were shocked.


    ¡°What type of seal could bind Reba¡¯s only flesh and blood to thisnd?¡±


    [Even though I was vulnerable while training in seclusion, this isn¡¯t something that just anyone can do.]


    Grid nodded. ¡°So this made you think of Mumud? That makes sense. He was born talented. Braham was always jealous of him when he was just a human. If he learned mystical arts from the cultivators after striking a deal with them, it¡¯s even more likely that he is the culprit.¡±


    [Are the mystical arts of a cultivator that great?]


    ¡°I can¡¯t say they¡¯re better than spells, but they are definitely different from magic. If he adds mystical arts to something that can¡¯t be aplished with magic alone, he can create a new miracle.¡±


    Dominion had a grim expression on his face. [If the missing angels and gods deliberately imprisoned us here and cooperated with the cultivators, the situation is worse than I thought. Asura is also among the missing gods.]


    Just then¡ª


    [The hidden quest Rebirth of the Origin of Evil has urred!]


    A notification window popped up in Grid¡¯s field of view.


    [Please help us while you are here,] Dominion asked.


    ¡°No... That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    In the middle of enemy territory, Grid received a quest from the leader of the enemy.


    Even the experienced Grid had to click his tongue. This was the first time he encountered something like this.

 Chapter 2029

    <h4>Chapter 2029</h4>


    <i>Help me.</i>


    Dominion¡¯s brazen demand baffled Grid. Just how shameless was the God of War?


    ''...He has a reason to feel confident.¡¯


    After reflecting on Dominion''s demand, Grid remembered the special nature of this situation. If Asura and Mumud really struck a secret contract with the demon cultivators, would Grid really turn a blind eye to Dominion¡¯s request? No way. Grid¡¯s primary goal was the destruction of the Full Moon Fortress. Dominion, knowing this, asked for help.


    ¡°This could be a trap,¡± Marie Rose warned.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely, though.¡±


    Marie Roses smiled. Her cold, soft fingers tickled Grid¡¯s palm. She seemed to be advising him that it was okay to rx a bit. Grid responded with a smile and nodded.


    <i>¡®Certainly, this doesn''t seem to be a trap.¡¯ </i>


    Dominion confessed that he was trapped in this ce. It was a very shocking confession to make considering his status. Asgard¡¯s supreme god, who acted as Reba¡¯s authority, imed to have been trapped by someone else? No matter if this was true or not, the probability of his position being undermined was too high. There was no way Dominion would risk such a big loss just to trick Grid.


    As long as Marie Rose was by Grid¡¯s side, there was no guarantee that the God of War would be able to harm him after trapping him. Plus, Dominion had always been cautious. Since they met, Grid had rarely seen him act recklessly, except when he had suddenly thrown a javelin.


    Dominion didn¡¯t treat others with contempt or made enemies. The evidence to that was constantly being at odds with Judar, who had constantly resorted to using tricks. The attitude Dominion had had when confronting Chiyou at Reidan was also worth referencing.


    ¡®Dominion is fundamentally different from Judar. He isn¡¯t the adventurous type. He wouldn''t have risked so much to dig a trap.¡¯


    Grid organized his thoughts before asking a question.


    ¡°Is there any way for us to get out of here?¡±


    [You don¡¯t have to do anything in particr. You can just leave. These chains only bind heavenly beings.]


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case... Does that mean angels are also trapped? How did the angels who led me here remain outside instead of getting locked up in here?¡±


    [They patrol the outskirts. They weren¡¯t here when Mumud used his trick, so they were able to avoid these chains. But now...]


    Dominion turned to look toward the angels who had led Grid here. Their limbs were also bound by new chains rising from the ground. They had just been singled out to be sealed.


    ¡®How strange.¡¯


    Grid was once again suspicious.


    ¡®Someone like Mumud would¡¯ve considered the possibility of meing to Asgard... Why doesn¡¯t the sealing spell activate against me?¡¯


    Were the resources needed to create this spell so scarce that Mumud had to be sure that Grid woulde to Asgard before setting up the spell to chain him as well? Or maybe Mumud wasn¡¯t up to the task. What if the spell bound beings in response to a specific resource, such as the target¡¯s divinity? Mumud had few opportunities to analyze Grid¡¯s divinity, so he couldn¡¯t have found a way to constrain it.


    ¡®There is a good chance that it¡¯s the second option. It would be difficult for even Mumud to create a local sealing spell that can bind everyone present.¡¯


    This was something not even Braham could do. Grid gave up on his suspicions.


    ¡°Can you tell me where Mumud and the demon cultivators are? Did you say that you can¡¯t see what is going on outside because the water is murky?¡±


    [If you are sure that they are building the Full Moon Fortress within Asgard, there are several possible areas they could be in.]


    ¡°Okay, then give me a list.¡±


    [So, you want to help?]


    ¡°I¡¯m not willing to keep the cultivators alive. I will eradicate them without allowing them to recover,¡± Grid said bluntly.


    What if the opponent used their brain, like Judar? Grid couldn¡¯t bring himself to use this situation as a means of striking a deal with Dominion. Rather, he thought that showing how sincere he was would be enough to gain the God of War¡¯s trust. If Grid gained trust, he might be able to receive more help than expected.


    As expected, Dominion was intrigued.


    [What about cultivators in general?]


    ¡°Even though cultivators were born human, they don¡¯t see people as human beings because they only pursue eternal life,¡± Grid briefly exined.


    That was enough.


    [Seeking eternal life as a human being... How strange. If they are dreaming of bing gods, shouldn¡¯t they take good care of others?]


    ¡°The means for them to gain eternal life is to cultivate a resource called spiritual energy, which requires endless study and discipline. They aren¡¯t interested in people worshiping them.¡±


    Metatron, who had been silently listening to Grid¡¯s conversation with Dominion, suddenly interjected. [How selfish. As long as they don¡¯t care about how people perceive them, they will keep bing more malicious. I can see why you hate them, Grid.]


    Red light shone through the cracks in Metatron¡¯s face that was covered in dozens of wings. There was a sh of killing intent in their eyes.


    Metatron also seemed quite displeased with the cultivators. They had different reasons than Grid, but Metatron also valued humanity. This made sense, given that heavenly gods were only strengthened with the worship of humanity.


    Judar, who had betrayed humanity regardless, was definitely a fool. He said he did it because he was devastated after finding out that this world was just a game, but to Metatron, who didn¡¯t know the truth, Judar simply looked like a madman. This was also the reason Metatron was gradually drawn to Dominion, who couldn¡¯t hide his difort every time Judar made a decision.


    Metatron was a strong supporter of Dominion. They even liked how he relied on Grid at this moment. The higher one¡¯s status, the more they couldn¡¯t allow themselves to be pretentious.


    Metatron was slightly excited. The atmosphere was now less tense.


    Dominion briefly ced a scroll of divinity on his forehead before handing it to Grid. [Take this.]


    [Map of the Entire Region of Asgard has been acquired!]


    [Map of the Entire Region of Asgard]


    [Rating: Mythic.


    This is a map that disys all the areas in Asgard.]


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes widened when he acquired the map. He checked the added mini-map. The map that Dominion handed to him was perfect.


    The Temple of Reba, the Eternal Prison where Zeratul, Khan and Hexetia had been imprisoned, the meeting hall of the gods, the surface-watching well, the ponds,kes, rivers and dozens of side streets to enter Asgard... every area was clearly marked.


    Grid looked a bit shaken.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you exposing too much information? Now that I have this map in my hands, the surface can raid Asgard at any time.¡±


    [Now that Judar is gone, do you really have any reason to oppose Asgard?] Dominion wondered nonchntly.


    He seemed willing to ept any answer, which made Grid even more embarrassed.


    ¡°...I also have something to ask of you. Is Asgard not going to be hostile to the surface? Didn¡¯t I resurrect the Refractive Dragon and kill Judar?¡±


    [The Refractive Dragon was going to be resurrected anyway. The connection that you and the goddess formed after the Refractive Dragon reappeared is what matters.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [More importantly, Asgard shouldn¡¯t be hostile to the surface. Gods are valuable only when there are human beings worshiping them. At least, that is what the gods who are trapped here with me think. They are the ones who were brave enough to rebel against Judar, unlike me, who silently followed him.]


    Metatron asked, [Didn¡¯t you have to follow Judar¡¯s orders to maintain order in Asgard? Don¡¯t debase yourself.]


    ¡°......¡±


    This situation was strange. Of course, Grid was hopeful that rtions with Asgard would eventually improve. The abandonment of the tower created by Eat Spicy Jokbal after Judar¡¯s death was a reflection of that hope.


    However, he never imagined that such an ideal development awaited him. He hadn¡¯t expected Dominion to think so differently from Judar.


    Dominion locked eyes with Grid. [Have you made up your mind?]


    The orange eyes of the God of War, obscured by the zing light that was like mes, were honest and determined, contrary to Grid¡¯s prejudices.


    Grid sensed Marie Rose gripping his hand and came to his senses. He nodded. ¡°As I said before, my purpose is to exterminate the cultivators. I will dly help you.¡±


    From the time that Dominion handed him the map, the possibility that this quest was a trap had beenpletely eliminated.


    Metatron and the chief gods were surprised by Grid¡¯s polite attitude. They were excited. [How can a man of such ill-conduct act like this...?]


    Dominion suddenly stepped up to Grid and shook his hand. [Thank you. Please guide Asura and Mumud onto the right path.]


    For Dominion, Grid represented salvation. The god was trapped here. He couldn¡¯t do anything. He would need at least a month to break the seal without outside help, so Grid showing up was as great of a hope as the reunion with the goddess that he had been longing for. Thus, he was grateful.


    For the sake of humanity, he also wished for the eradication of the cultivators. He was wary of Asura, who had been born from the malice Baal had gathered, and he was also worried about Mumud, who seemed to be influenced by Asura for some reason.


    ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    Expectations, hopes, aspirations... The emotions in Dominion¡¯s eyes were all too familiar to Grid. Unknowingly, he felt a greater sense of responsibility.


    Marie Rose¡¯s ck hair tickled his cheek as he got lost in thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop worrying and go destroy the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    In any case, his goal was to destroy the Full Moon Fortress. Thanks to Marie Rose, Grid came to his senses and remembered his duty. He flew into the air. He examined the gods and angels who were bound and nailed to the ground because of the chains. All of them were strong. Yes, they were far from ordinary. They were in a bad spot now, but they were beings who could livefortably forever. Once Grid left Satisfy, humanity would have to rely on them.


    ¡°I will try my hardest to capture the missing gods and angels alive.¡±


    <i>Please guide Asura and Mumud onto the right path.</i>


    This was what Dominion asked of him. The god wanted to see them alive as much as possible. From Grid¡¯s perspective, it didn¡¯t hurt to grant Dominion¡¯s request. If he gained favor in advance, the possibility of the gods of Asgard taking care of the surface in the future would increase.


    [Thank you.]


    The gods expressed their gratitude again. Grid and Marie Rose left.


    Dominion silently watched the purple and red beams of light move away like meteors before turning back to the gods.


    [He is the first Only One God born since Chiyou. Now that I am indebted to him, I hope you will respect him as well.]


    [I will keep that in mind.]


    Thanks to Judar¡¯s death, Asgard was definitely changing.

 Chapter 2030

    <h4>Chapter 2030</h4>


    The universe unfolded everywhere they looked.s of all shapes were beautifully decorated like paintings on a canvas. The mysterious constetions that rose beneath them served asndmarks for each area. If they walked along the water bottle tilted by the constetion of a goddess, a golden river would spread.


    The size of the gxy that lined both sides of the river was also overwhelming. The little angels, who used the gxy as their pillows and nkets, blew their trumpets and yed their harps. Golden clouds stirred, forming a ground for Grid and Marie Rose to step on.


    ¡°Is Hexetia happy and doing well?!!¡± a baby angel asked.


    Looking back on memories from a long time ago, this was the child Grid had met when visiting Hexetia¡¯s smithy.


    ¡°Yes, he is smiling every day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so d! I miss him so much, but I will suppress my longing and support him!¡±


    Baby angels had an innocent side. They were different in many ways from humans who had been turned into angels.


    ¡°Were they born as angels...?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that the goddess created them around the time when Metatron was active. Perhaps they are what Reba wanted the angels to be like.¡±


    They were kind and gentle to everyone. Reba surely hoped that the archangels would learn from the inherently good baby angels. However, the baby angels had a serious disadvantage. They were weak. They were bound to be insufficient in many ways to influence archangels like Metatron and Raphael. Coincidentally, these archangels weren¡¯t impressed by the baby angels and continued to covet the skilled people on the surface.


    ¡°Like Baal, the archangels turned their backs on the wish of a God of the beginning.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit too much topare them to Baal, but... To a certain extent, yes. Don¡¯t trust Metatron. They always im to be a loyal dog, but they aren¡¯t as loyal as you might think.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I made a deal with Dominion. There is no need for me to trust Metatron.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, my dear husband is wise after all.¡±


    <i>¡®She said not to trust Metatron, but she didn¡¯t say much about Dominion. As expected, I think he can be trusted.¡¯ </i>


    Marie Rose¡¯s advice helped Grid greatly. He now trusted his own discerning eyes a bit more.


    The sound of trumpets from the baby angels faded. The golden river and gxies that flowed overhead disappeared, and the temperature around them dropped.


    There was a deafening noise.


    Thousands of spiraling air currents around them repeatedly ascended and descended, tearing apart the golden clouds in the area. Lightning shed through the torn clouds and hundreds of millions of red lights flickered in all directions. The eye of a snake appeared.


    They came to the right ce.


    ¡°Is there a temple of serpents beyond this ce?¡±


    They were in one of the danger zones marked on the map of Asgard. This was the residing ce of Jormungandr, the God of serpents, who was said to be so huge that he could swallow an entire continent in one go with his mouth.


    ording to Dominion¡¯s brief description, Jormungandr was a divine beast raised by Yatan, but he had been on a rampage ever since Yatan left Asgard, endlessly inting his body.


    ¡®Once his size grew out of control, he sealed himself away here.¡¯


    This was why Dominion wasn¡¯t suspicious of Jormungandr. Dominion only advised them to be careful because this was a dangerous area. He didn¡¯t really think that Mumud and the demon cultivators had set up a base here. He believed that the divine beast, who had sealed himself away out of fear of harming others, wouldn¡¯t collude with evil beings.


    It was a reasonable belief under these circumstances. However, Grid was suspicious because Mumud¡¯s group included Asura. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for Mumud¡¯s group to collude with the Serpent God since that evil guy Asura did whatever he wanted.


    ¡®...Baal.¡¯


    The moment Grid died in the ckening state and visited hell for the first time, Grid had seen thendscape that wasn¡¯t much different from the surface. This was because of the neutral zone protected by Yatan.


    Of course, Grid didn¡¯t know it at the time. He had thought that the red moon that watched over the entire hell with blinking blood-lined eyes and the river of mes that prevented ordinary life from surviving were the reality and essence of hell.


    But things weren¡¯t like that. The horrific scenes of hell were all evidence of Baal¡¯s sins. Baal, the absolute evil who distorted the wishes of his father Yatan and tormented countless souls and humans, had said that Asura was his masterpiece. Asura was the worst evil acknowledged by the absolute evil.


    ¡®The final boss...¡¯


    So far, Grid had encountered and gone through too many final boss candidates¡ªthe knights and nobles who lost their faith, the corrupt church members and churches, Emperor Juander who didn¡¯t recognize anything other than the empire, Baal and the demons, Hanul and the yangban, Reba and Yatan, and the old dragons and Refractive Dragon.


    Thetest conclusion he arrived at was that Satisfy was most likely a game that didn¡¯t have a designated ending. There would be no boss that led the yers to the ending.


    In fact, none of the final boss candidates Grid had met so far were real bosses. All of them had ws andcked enough influence to put an end to the story. In Reba¡¯s case, the S.A. Group didn¡¯t view her as part of the story, but a bug that could end Satisfy itself.


    In any case, that wasn¡¯t a strange thing. Satisfy was an MMORPG. Was there an ending to the story of the world that yers were creating? It was rather strange and wrong for such a game to have an ending.


    That was what Grid was thinking at some point. However, now that he remembered Asura, he changed his mind.


    The final boss existed. He wasn¡¯t a boss to end the story. It was a harm that Satisfy had to eliminate in order to achieve peace. Grid determined that this was the concept of the final boss. In other words¡ªAsura was that final boss.


    ¡®Since Judar died, the one being who could control him has disappeared. Cultivators have also appeared in the world.¡¯


    The worst developments were happening behind the scenes. Asura was coborating with the demon cultivators. This was truly a serious issue since Asura had the ability to acquire the target¡¯s skills.


    By now, Asura had surely condensed a spiritual root. He would¡¯ve mastered the cultivator''s mystical arts and treasures perfectly.


    ¡®Come to think of it, there are three Absolutes with a copying-type ability.¡¯


    Marie Rose copied the abilities of the target with her blood absorption, Hanul could do it with his divinity, and Asura through what he saw and experienced. Did this mean copying-type abilities weremon? Not at all. Just like in other games, copying-type abilities in Satisfy were incredibly powerful. They weren¡¯tmon at all.


    ¡®It¡¯s just that Asura¡¯s birth was too much of a fraud.¡¯


    Baal had used the corpse of King Daebyeol to create the hell moon, which functioned as a womb to conceive Asura. In the process, it was likely that King Daebyeol¡¯s power had been transnted to Asura. King Daebyeol certainly had the power of copying others¡¯ abilities from his father, Hanul.


    ''...The result must¡¯ve exceeded Baal¡¯s expectations.¡¯


    Asura imed to be a God of fighting. He revered only fighting and learned from battles. This meant he could copy the abilities of a target without the medium of blood absorption or divinity. He could even copy Chiyou¡¯s techniques.


    Naturally, mastering the skills of the demon cultivators had surely been easy for him. Worst case scenario, he might have learned the abilities of the Asgardian gods to a great extent.


    ¡°Marie Rose, you need to immediately leave if there is any danger.¡±


    Invincibility¡ªthis was the word that came to mind when Grid thought of Asura. He was nervous, especially since Mary Rose was pregnant.


    Unexpectedly, Marie Rose nodded obediently. She picked up on the way Grid was anxiously ncing at her belly. ¡°Sure,¡± she said.


    She wasn¡¯t arrogant despite how powerful she was. It was just that she had no opportunity to be humble because of her impressive abilities. She was actually a wise woman who could make rational judgments.


    Relieved, Grid took a step forward upon hearing her answer.


    Just then¡ª


    <i>sh!</i>


    Tens of millions of snakes lurking beyond the clouds shifted their gazes to Grid. The spiral currents raging in all directions bombarded him. All the joints in his body twisted under tremendous pressure. His whole skin was about to peel off. He was worried that he might lose all his hair and be bald.


    [You aren¡¯t strong enough to keep advancing.]


    [You aren¡¯t strong enough to keep...]


    [You aren¡¯t strong enough...]


    The more violent the air currents became, the more difficult it was to move. Finally, as his HP started to decrease, Grid took Marie Rose into his arms and activated Multiple Weakening Barriers.


    Marie Rose examined the barrier and smiled. ¡°This is cozy.¡±


    Grid blushed, spellbound. He felt as if the surroundingndscape had been transformed into a bedroom. It reminded him of the cozy bedroom where he had spent his first night with her. If he had been in a rtionship with Marie Rose in his early twenties, he wondered if he would¡¯ve been able to control his boiling desire. His ranking would¡¯ve probably dropped...


    ¡®Focus, focus.¡¯


    Grid dispelled the futile delusion and invested all his stat points into Strength. He started to make it through the heavy and sharp air currents.


    <i>Thump, thump, thump...</i>


    The ground shook with every step taken. Grid¡¯s Strength reached almost 100,000 points. This was enough to render the natural disaster in Asgard¡¯s most dangerous area useless. Thanks to this, Grid was able to reach his destination.


    He found himself before a terriblyrge mountain range. Grid examined it for a moment. He wasn¡¯t able to recognize that it was a door due to its seemingly endless size. The spiral air currents that had been increasing their rotation speed with the intention of piercing through Multiple Weakening Barriers stopped and dispersed at once.


    Now that Grid had a clear field of view, he could properly examine his surroundings. He was overwhelmed when he realized that the huge mountain range in front of him was only part of a picture embossed on the door.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it bigger than Reinhardt?¡±


    No, he didn¡¯t dare guess. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the door in front of him was bigger than a continent, not just a city.


    Marie Rose expressed her displeasure after trying to use her blood magic to find the doorknob. She had never reacted this way before. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to open it using force.¡±


    Grid realized how much more imposing the door was because of her reaction and finally found the keyhole. At first, he didn¡¯t think it was a keyhole. It was a huge hole that couldn¡¯t be filled even if the entire Tomb of the Gods was inserted there. Grid stared at what seemed to be an endless abyss before pulling the Master Key out of his inventory.


    Would that little key fit in that huge keyhole...? Marie Rose¡¯s red lips parted slightly as she smiled. She found Grid¡¯s innocent idea cute and adorable.


    ¡°My dear husband, you have a surprisingly cute side.¡±


    <i>Click!</i>


    The moment Grid inserted the key into the hole, apletely unexpected ringing sound urred and the ground shook.


    The door opened.


    [You have be the first visitor to enter Jormungandr¡¯s ce.]


    [You have acquired the Only One title ¡®No Permission Required.¡¯]


    [No Permission Required]


    [Rating: Only One


    No barriers or seals can restrict your entry.]


    ¡®This is why this is scarier.¡¯


    Getting such a title just because he opened this door? Grid gulped nervously and walked in.


    He was mesmerized by the huge snake biting his tail. It was bigger than he imagined. The perspective was distorted. Even though the snake was located far away in the middle of the universe, he was perceived to be bigger than thes around him.

 Chapter 2031

    <h4>Chapter 2031</h4>


    Among Faker¡¯s ultimate skills, there was one called Greed. He had inherited it from Kasim, the Shadow King.


    Kasim was thest surviving member of the Nero tribe. This was a minority group that had been destroyed by Juander. After learning the history of the Nero tribe, Faker once confessed to Grid that, if he happened to meet Juander, he would hurt the former emperor even if Juander had turned into a hero who saved people. Faker hated Juander after finding out the origin of Greed.


    Of course, Faker was aposed guy. No incidents urred when he actually met Juander.


    Did he give up because he saw Juander and Chensler¡¯s skills and decided he had no chance of winning? Was he good at controlling emotions and distinguishing between public and private matters? Or had Kasim, who had already forgiven Juander, persuaded him to give up? Grid didn¡¯t know the details but, in any case... Greed was a myth born from the history of oppressed people and proof of their pain.


    Greed was the name of a greedy monster, the incarnation of greed who ate everything and eventually devoured itself. From the Nero tribe¡¯s perspective, the Greed of this world had been Emperor Juander. He was a monster who had wanted to devour everything except for the Saharan Empire.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t Jormungandr the actual origin of the word ¡®greed?¡¯¡±


    Jormungandr was a giant snake who chewed on his own tail because he couldn¡¯t handle his infinitely growing body. Grid was reminded of Greed as he observed Jormungandr floating in the middle of the space.


    Marie Rose told him, ¡°I am about to be jealous of that snake.¡±


    ¡°...Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Grid regained his senses thanks to Marie Rose and took his eyes off Jormungandr. The reason he came here was to find the Full Moon Fortress. He was in a dangerous area where even the gods weren¡¯t allowed to enter without permission. This was one of the most suitable ces for the demon cultivators to be in, who were coborating with Asura and Mumud to secretly build the Full Moon Fortress.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t they be here?¡¯


    Jormungandr¡¯s residence was much harsher and more secretive than he thought. Mountains that rose like dragon¡¯s fangs filled thend, creating thousands of canyons. There was no better ce than this one to plot some evil scheme while avoiding the attention of others.


    Marie Rose seemed to think the same. The two of them maximized their senses and carried out a full-fledged search. Grid took full advantage of Barbatos¡¯ Vision and the God Hands, while Marie Rose summoned a blood mist and bats and spread them far and wide.


    Jormungandr wasn¡¯t aware of the newly arrived visitors. If Grid considered Satisfy a, Jormungandr was bigger than that. From the perspective of such an immense being, Grid and Marie Rose were as small as specks of dust. There was no way the serpent knew they were here. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to see them.


    In the first ce, his eyes were closed.


    ¡°......!¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid and Marie Rose were focused on exploring. Their eyes widened when they felt an intense gaze fall on them.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be?¡¯


    A chill went down their spines as they turned their heads to look behind them. The giant snake chewing on his tail still had his eyes closed...


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Grid sighed.


    A reptile¡¯s eyes had a protectiveyer called the nictitating membrane. Thanks to the translucent membrane, the reptile was able to see while providing moisture to its eyes. In other words, Jormungandr looked like he had his eyes closed at first nce, but they were actually open. Contrary to Grid¡¯s expectations, the serpent clearly recognized the presence of intruders and was watching them.


    [Is my god back?]


    That question made no sense at first. Jormungandr still had his tail in his mouth. This wasn¡¯t his voice. He was conveying a message through intent. It couldn¡¯t be nonsense.


    Grid suddenly recalled the myth of Jormungandr. Jormungandr had been Yatan¡¯s favorite divine beast. However, when Yatan disappeared, the giant snake was flooded with anger and confusion, leading to his current situation. The god he was talking about was, of course, Yatan...


    ¡®...Did Marie Rose remind him of Yatan?¡¯ Grid thought.


    ¡°No, unfortunately, Yatan didn¡¯te back,¡± Marie Rose said slowly. Her red eyes were fixed on Jormungandr. ¡°His whereabouts are still unknown.¡±


    <i>Wriggle!</i>


    The universe slowly split apart. Two zing red suns suddenly rose. Jormungandr¡¯s membrane peeled off, revealing his pupils. The two huge suns, which were like the sun from the Sr System in the real world, stared at Marie Rose with astonishing precision.


    [But who are you? Why do you look so much like my God?]


    Grid had a sharp headache. Jormungandr¡¯s intent was very unusual. It felt like hundreds of millions of sheets of paper being torn to shreds or tens of millions of windows being shattered. It seemed to express the pain, anger, and confusion that Jormungandr had felt for so many years. Jormungandr frowned, unable to bear the pain.


    Marie Rose quietly gripped Grid¡¯s hand. A blood-red energy spread throughout his body. It was like receiving a blood transfusion.


    Grid was the Blood King, so he and Marie Rose could nourish each other. They were able to take care of each other and do things like restoring each other¡¯s HP and removing negative status effects.


    ¡°Who knows? Is it because I am Beriache¡¯s daughter?¡±


    [Beriache... She was one of my God¡¯s precious flesh and blood.]


    Grid¡¯s headache faded along with his anxiety. He was very optimistic about this situation. He believed that Jormungandr wouldn¡¯t harm Marie Rose since she was Yatan¡¯s granddaughter. Maybe they could even cooperate? Grid was looking forward to it.


    [The first misjudgment of God and a harbinger of an irreversible disaster.]


    Jormungandr¡¯s intent became even sharper. Tens of thousands of high notes seemed to ovep. Marie Rose couldn¡¯t bear the headache and frowned. This time, it was Grid who held her hand.


    [Your blood meets Marie Rose¡¯s and flows.]


    [All the negative status effects are gone.]


    Marie Rose smiled, grateful.


    [I regret it. Even though I saw through the madness and malice buried in Baal¡¯s eyes, the sinister nature buried deep in Amoract¡¯s heart, and Beriache¡¯s arrogance and belief that she was better than them, I was young and uncertain.]


    Jormungandr¡¯s thoughts spiraled out of control. Surroundings trembled with an immeasurable deep anger and despair that spread in the form of divinity.


    ¡®The Wicked Eye.¡¯


    Grid was reminded of Sariel. The Wicked Eye revealed the original sin of the gods. This was the main reason for Sariel being expelled from Asgard.


    Grid had always wondered why it was called the Wicked Eye. Now his question had been answered. The Wicked Eye originated from Jormungandr. Originally, it wasn¡¯t called the Wicked Eye, but...


    [I hate it. When I was young, I foolishly believed that I shouldn¡¯t dare to advise God.]


    Jormungandr himself gave the name Wicked Eye to his insight which stemmed from self-loathing. Thus, the name was born.


    [After God disappeared, I prayed when I saw his honor being tainted by his children¡ªBaal who distorted hell, Amoract who colluded with him, Beriache who was overconfident and failed to guard against them... I wanted the strength to chew and devour all those vulgar, evil beings.]


    Grid never would¡¯ve guessed that Jormungandr had berger than a because of his hatred and killing intent toward Yatan¡¯s children. He realized the seriousness of the situation after learning the truth.


    Right now, all of Yatan¡¯s children were dead. Marie Rose was the only one in the world who could im to be Yatan¡¯s flesh and blood. She had fully absorbed the power of Beriache. From Jormungandr¡¯s perspective, she could be the same as Beriache.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡¯


    Grid pulled out Twilight and Defying the Natural Order, more nervous than ever. Jormungandr stopped chewing on his tail. The mere thought of him opening his mouth made Grid feel numb. This bastard could bite into Satisfy like an apple. He could crush and swallow Asgard in one bite. The surface would lose its sky and face chaos the likes of which it had never experienced before.


    ¡®I was foolish.¡¯


    This was a ce marked as a danger zone on the map that Dominion gave him. He shouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce. Grid was ming himself. This was all his fault...


    ¡°Is your Wicked Eye just a decoration?¡±


    Marie Rose, who was staring up at Jormungandr, tilted her head in confusion. There was a faint smile on her face. She even had her arms crossed. This was in sharp contrast to Grid, who had equipped and held his two swords in a fullybat-ready posture.


    Her ankle-length translucent robe blew in the wind and vegetation appeared in front of her. Butterflies flew and deers frolicked. The embroidery on her robe moved as if it was alive. This seemed like it would be good for prenatal care. Grid bit his tongue and came to his senses after having this meaningless thought. Marie Rose¡¯s full-term belly reminded him of what he had to protect.


    Yes, Marie Rose certainly made things worse by provoking Jormungandr, but he shouldn¡¯t me her. No matter what happened, he had to fight and win...


    ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    Gridbined the two swords into one.


    [You... You escaped the fate of being devoured by Beriache and punished her instead.]


    The two suns, which had been emitting a zing divinity, were no longer as fierce as before. Jormungandr¡¯s eyes, which had been filled with anger and killing intent, softened. He burst outughing.


    [Huhuhu, hahaha! Beriache! That arrogant being who believed she was the only answer was eaten by her own child! She paid the price for failing to stop Baal and experienced the worst possible end!]


    Grid was stunned. Marie Rose whispered in his ear, ¡°My dear husband, this all happened because of you. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    Jormungandr finally faced Grid. [Also, you... You punished Baal and Amoract.]


    Jormungandr saw how Grid had changed and protected the world. The result? It was obvious. He respected Grid.


    The Serpent God finally looked at Marie Rose¡¯s belly. [I see you¡¯re together. What a good pair. The baby in the womb is also worthy of you. I think that if God had given birth out of love rather than necessity, better children would¡¯ve been born...]


    Jormungandr sighed and closed his eyes again.


    [Don¡¯t waste your time here. Leave. The thing you seek isn¡¯t here, but in the north.]


    ¡°Are you going to remain like this?¡±


    [It matters not to me... My desire was more powerful than it had to be. After I achieved it, I became too big.]


    Jormungandr couldn¡¯t punish the children of his god because punishing them meant devouring the whole world. The consequences would be colossal. There was nothing he could do. The only thing possible was to consume himself so that he wouldn¡¯t be bigger and fill the whole universe.


    [Thanks to you, the honor of my God will no longer be tarnished. I have no regrets. From now on, I will devour all of myself and perish.]


    ¡°...Yes, close your eyes and rest in peace.¡±


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t dissuade Jormungandr. She knew what a threat his presence was to the world. She left without any regrets. Grid couldn¡¯t help looking up to her.


    ¡°Noona...¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°Just... I wanted to call you that.¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 2032

    <h4>Chapter 2032</h4>


    The north...


    Jormungandr¡¯s hint helped tremendously. Based on Grid¡¯s current position, there was only one area in the north where the demon cultivators could set up their base.


    ¡®The Copsed Temple.¡¯


    The cemetery of the forgotten gods.


    Grid¡¯s expression became bitter as he checked the annotation on the map. Even beings who were supposed to be gods would die the moment they were forgotten because there was no such thing as a god that no one knew about.


    In that sense, the gods of Asgard had a fire burning at their feet because it was the Overgeared World, not Asgard, that was closely involved in the lives of humanity currently. The gods of the Overgeared World, united around Grid, lived alongside humans. They watched humans from the side, helped them, and thus, became the objects of a new faith.


    Meanwhile, the gods of Asgard faded from people¡¯s memories. With the exception of Reba, Dominion, and Judar, who had formed huge religions, most of the gods could end up forgotten and extinguished within decades. This was very serious.


    However, it wasn¡¯t that bad. The gods of Asgard didn¡¯t take action prematurely. It wasn¡¯t that they had something they believed in. Rather, they were greatly influenced by the current state of things. The Refractive Dragon was chasing Reba. Judar, who had radical ideas, was dead.


    The gods of Asgard had nowhere to turn. Unlike Judar, Dominion seemed to use his brain a lot. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t act rashly and would only be nervous.


    Grid understood to a certain extent how the gods who sided with Asura and Mumud felt.


    ¡®They just desire to do something rather than sit still and wait for death.¡¯


    Mumud, whom he once encountered, was clever. His ability to read the flow of current events was excellent. He probably believed that there was no hope left for Asgard.


    ¡®That exins why he joined forces with the demon cultivators.¡¯


    Humanity was virtually dominated by the Overgeared World. This was retribution, the price that Asgard had to pay for betraying so many of humanity¡¯s beliefs and expectations in the past.


    Could Asgard regain its former status now? That was impossible to do, unless the gods overthrew the Overgeared World by force. However, in terms of force, the Overgeared World wasn¡¯t weaker than Asgard. The bnce had been offset the moment Hayate came back alive from hell and Grid killed Judar.


    What measures did Asgarde up with this time?


    ¡®They want to support a whole new humanity.¡¯


    The new humanity would be the cultivators who would cross over to this world through the Full Moon Fortress. Grid was sure that Asura and Mumud had demanded worship in exchange for helping the demon cultivators. The demon cultivators wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist this, so the deal should have gone smoothly.


    ¡®...They usually do well when ites to things like this.¡¯


    If Asgard hadn¡¯t betrayed humanity, they wouldn¡¯t have been in this extreme situation. The heavenly gods would¡¯ve still been worshiped. From Grid¡¯s perspective, this was good. The Asgard that hadn¡¯t betrayed humanity wouldn¡¯t have been at odds with Grid.


    If only Judar had acted normally, the world would¡¯ve been at peace, and Grid wouldn¡¯t have needed to take on so many responsibilities. The Absolutes would¡¯ve been busy with each other, and Grid would¡¯ve enjoyed raidpetitions with ordinary yers.


    ¡®Maybe I would¡¯ve been busy fighting overnd with Valha.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it have been quite interesting if either side hadn¡¯t been able to ovee each other with force and had a fierce rivalry? The fate of humanity or the world wouldn¡¯t have rested on Grid¡¯s shoulders, so he would¡¯ve epted defeat cheerfully no matter how many times he experienced it... He wouldn¡¯t need to feel stressed...


    Grid had been letting his imagination run wild. He suddenly frowned.


    ¡®...Bullshit. I¡¯d still be stressed.¡¯


    A war between nations... ording to his experience, all types of tricks would be used in such a scenario. Lies and incitement were just the basic methods. It was necessary to gain the political upper hand in a war.


    What if Grid lost the political battle? Then, even if he had a lot of military power, the possibilities of ending up isted from international allied forces and experiencing failures would increase. Of course, it had to be very stressful to get involved in a dirty political fight.


    ¡®More than anything, the way people would react if I lost in PVP...¡¯


    Grid was disgusted by the idea of being criticized by all sorts ofmunities the moment he would lose in apetition against other yers. The masses always demanded endless proof of his strength. It was easy to take sports yers as an example. What if a yer who achieved a hat trick in the previous game showed ackluster performance in the next one? Then people would look down upon them right away. That would be hell.


    ¡®Still, that doesn¡¯t mean things are alright now, right...?¡¯


    As expected, there seemed to be no perfect scenario in this world. Grid once again realized how the world worked and his expression turned bitter.


    Marie Rose tilted her head in confusion. ¡°My dear husband, you look upset. Do you want to go back and confront Jormungandr?¡±


    Grid shook his head. ¡°No, never.¡± He picked up the pace.


    No matter the cause or the feelings of the Asgardian gods who had sided with Mumud and Asura, this situation had escted up until this point. What Grid needed to worry about was how to resolve this. There was no reason to be sentimental.


    [You have entered the Copsed Temple.]


    Grid and Marie Rose arrived at the destination without feeling exhausted at all, even though they used Shunpo consecutively. After all, they wereplete Absolutes who weren¡¯t limited by Stamina.


    A beautiful yet destendscape appeared in front of them. They were in a green forest. Birds were chirping. Ahead was a clear blueke surrounded by hundreds of huge white temples that had been left unattended for a long time and covered in vines. Some had no roof, some had a lot of cracks in their pirs, some had copsed in theke...


    These were really ruins that nobody had touched in a long time. They appeared even more miserable when contrasted with the beautiful natural scenery.


    ¡°Gods and humans are equally impermanent.¡±


    Marie Rose suddenlyughed. ¡°Yes. As expected, living seems to be the greatest blessing.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t met Grid, would she have realized the preciousness of life? She could guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t have. She probably wouldn¡¯t have resisted her mother and would have surrendered to her.


    Grid grasped what Marie Rose was thinking abouts and revived the atmosphere.


    ¡°There is a reason people say that living is better even if it means rolling around in a field of dog poop.¡±


    ¡°A field of dog poop...? Is there such a ce?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Grid really didn¡¯t have a lot of romance in him. It was pathetic that this was all he could say whenforting a beautiful and lovelydy.


    Marie Rose smiled at Grid, who was admonishing himself. ¡°The child is kicking my belly. I guess the child liked your joke, my dear husband.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking... In any case, I¡¯m d the child is having fun.¡±


    Grid was cautiously caressing Marie Rose¡¯s swollen belly. This was the fruit of their love. It was amazing. Every time he remembered that the baby was real, he felt a greater sense of responsibility. For his children¡¯s sake, he once again remembered his pledge to wipe out the cultivators.


    [The child in Marie Rose¡¯s womb senses your killing intent.]


    [This affects prenatal education.]


    [The baby¡¯s Strength and Intelligence has increased by 10 and they have be more vigorous.]


    Grid gasped. What did he do? He was flustered that he revealed killing intent in front of a child in the womb and held his head. He felt a deep sense of guilt.


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression became a bit serious. ¡°Does the child already understand the concept of death?¡±


    ¡°Uh...? Come to think of it...¡±


    ¡°Huhu, as expected of our child. This child is going to be strong very quickly. I¡¯m relieved that you don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was that a good thing? Grid was confused. He turned his attention back to theke. The water had a bizarre shade of blue. That wasn¡¯t a natural color. It seemed like tens of thousands of top-quality mana potions had been poured inside it.


    ¡®Are they down there?¡¯


    The Copsed Temple area was very quiet. Birds kept chirping. There were no signs of movement at all. However, Jormungandr had told Grid that there was a group of demon cultivators here.


    Grid reasonably spected that thiske, which was too blue to even peer inside, was the best hiding spot around here. He walked toward theke as soon as he thought that.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Wait, wait a moment.¡±


    Marie Rose grabbed Grid by the shoulder. She dipped her foot in theke. Her little white foot was smeared red. Her soft white jade-like skin melted in an instant and turned bloody.


    ¡°Marie Rose...!¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    Marie Rose raised her finger to signal Grid to be quiet before dipping her other foot in theke.


    Theke turnedpletely red. It was like looking at a slice of hell. Grid was referring to the hell that had been distorted by Baal, not the hell ruled by Eligos. It was terrible.


    ¡°This is abination of at least two hundred types of poisons and spells. Seeing that many of them are unfamiliar, this seems to be a trick of the cultivation world.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression was calm, unlike Grid, who was afraid and confused. She wasn¡¯t agitated even though her lower half hadpletely melted into blood and disappeared.


    Blood was her origin. She didn¡¯t only be stronger when she absorbed the blood of others. Above all, she was able to achieve what she wanted bypletely controlling her own blood.


    Theke overflowed. A huge wave rose and split it in half. Possessed by Marie Rose¡¯s blood, the water moved ording to her will. All the poisons, spells, and techniques used by Mumud and the demon cultivatorspletely lost their effect.


    ¡°Now,e. This is a path I made for you.¡±


    Marie Rose regenerated both her legs in no time. She reached out to Grid. Apletely dry path appeared behind her. The blood-red waterfalls that soared on both sides of the path looked like a line of enemy soldiers who didn¡¯t dare to resist the invasion of the couple and bowed their heads.


    ¡°Is this how it feels seeing a god...?¡±


    Grid was filled with overwhelming emotions every time he relied on someone. He became eager to worship Marie Rose. This was how he felt every time he received help from Yura and Jishuka in real life. His feelings were sincere.


    [The deep bond between you and Marie Rose influences prenatal education.]


    Grid kissed the back of Marie Rose¡¯s hand. She whispered to him, ¡°This isn¡¯t the time...¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Grid sobered up and lifted his head. There was a temple at the end of a long path. It was covered in moss because it had been buried at the bottom of theke for a long time. It was tilting to the side, but it was magnificent. It was so huge, it seemed even bigger than Dominion¡¯s temple.


    ¡®Could this be the temple where Hanul lived?¡¯


    Whose temple was it? The question didn¡¯t really matter. The only thing that mattered now was that Grid had finally reached his destination. He quietly watched the flow created by the waves of mystical characters covering the huge temple when Noe flew beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte. <i>Grrrrng.¡±</i>


    Noe, who appeared in his adult form, was carrying armor and gaiters on his back. These were the masterpieces created by Khan and Hexetia with the help of Grid¡¯s clone. They were wless both in design and performance. They had been created by people who knew Grid well, so they thoroughly reflected Grid¡¯s taste.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    Noe changed back into his cat form. He looked exhausted. ¡°The angels guided me. When did you end up on the same side as Asgard?¡±


    However, Noe had no time to rest.


    ¡°World affairs are inherentlyplicated,¡± Grid said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    ¡°Moving...? W-Where... <i>Nyaaaang!¡±</i>


    Noe cried out after being immediately sent to fight after a long journey, but Grid didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow...


    [Your behavior affects prenatal education.]


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 2033

    <h4>Chapter 2033</h4>


    ¡°T-This is my first time seeing so many mystical characters.¡±


    Noe was disgusted. Sesame-sized mystical characters filled the outer walls of the huge temple. He watched the aliennguage twitching and spinning and didn¡¯t know how to read it.


    Grid was in a simr situation. Of course, he understood how the mystical characters worked. Characters with different meanings were assembled into words, sentences, and so on, to produce a certain effect. They were simr to Zik¡¯s runes. Grid was familiar with those.


    While he was manufacturing his clone, there had been a process of utilizing god¡¯snguage, which was the origin of runes. As Grid was creating the clone, the characters that often emerged in his mind were the characters of the god¡¯snguage.


    However, the characters he saw while creating the clone and the runes that Zik used weren¡¯t very diverse. At most, dozens of characters were used to form words and letters. Meanwhile, the number of characters used by the demon cultivators seemed to exceed hundreds.


    ¡®Does this mean that the words that can be created are beyond the realm of modern imagination? Is this really necessary? Is it simply because the characters failed to develop efficiently?¡¯


    The demon cultivators had many different types of characters. Theirs were mainlyposed of pointed characters resembling the cuneiform script of ancient Mesopotamia, but there were also a variety of hieroglyphs reminiscent of skeletal gates and hieroglyphs that might have been used in primitive times.


    ¡®Ah... That¡¯s possible since the demon cultivators are animals by nature.¡¯


    For example, weren¡¯t the characters used by bird cultivators different from the characters used by fish cultivators? The demon cultivators had surely shared some of the characters as time passed. This seemed pretty inefficient, but it was a pretty usible hypothesis. Grid remembered once again that the beings lurking within the temple weren¡¯t humans.


    ¡®Those who used to be beasts are now pretending to be humans.¡¯


    They even tried to harm people while pretending to be humans. They shouldn¡¯t exist. Harming these cultivators was essentially killing animals, so Grid¡¯s actions wouldn¡¯t have a negative impact on the prenatal education of his unborn child.


    Grid had been ufortable in many ways because of the prenatal education notifications that kept popping up, but he was now relieved. He had thought that he should be mindful of killing in front of the child in the womb, but he came to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t have to worry.


    Marie Rose spoke softly from where she had been observing the flow of the mystical characters. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the child. I shall let them rest for a while.¡±


    Grid looked at Marie Rose somewhat resentful. ¡°...Is that possible?¡±


    Why hadn¡¯t she done that from the beginning?


    Marie Rose tilted her head and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you like interacting with your child?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it...¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I was joking. I thought it was cute to see you flustered, so I watched you for a while.¡±


    ¡°...You are mischievous.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then punish me, just like that night.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was very embarrassed. His face was red from ear to ear, and he couldn¡¯t look Marie Rose straight in the eyes.


    Noe looked incredulous.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone mess with Grid, <i>nyang</i>...¡±


    Noe was truly from hell. He fully understood the logic of the strong eating the weak and took advantage of it. Before he knew it, he was clinging to Marie Rose¡¯s side instead of Grid.


    ¡°Marie Rose, if you need anything, just give me an order, <i>ong</i>.¡±


    ¡°Please serve my dear husband with all your heart until the end of your life.¡±


    ¡°<i>Nyang</i>...¡±


    Noe didn¡¯t get what he wanted and became sullen.


    After flicking Noe in the forehead, whose back and ears were drooping, Grid consulted with Marie Rose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to get inside unless we do something about these characters. Is there a way to get rid of them?¡±


    Brandishing the Falling Moon Sword was a bad idea. He didn¡¯t want to waste an item with a cooldown when a battle was right around the corner. Using Annihtion energy was the next best thing.


    Grid didn¡¯t know precisely what effect the characters surrounding the temple had. He didn¡¯t want to expose his special Annihtion energy for nothing. If Asura analyzed it, he might use itter. Grid was almost certain that Asura could do something like that since he had already witnessed Asura¡¯s power.


    The God of fighting created out of Baal¡¯smitment to transcend Yatan had enormous potential. Asura even learned Martial God Chiyou¡¯s techniques. Baal would¡¯ve felt very rewarded if he had still been alive to watch the growth of the masterpiece he worked so hard to create.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that didn¡¯t happen.¡¯


    He was d he didn¡¯t get to see Baal happy... Grid reminisced about that guy¡¯s ending and felt relieved.


    Marie Rose performed several blood spells and shook her head. She said, ¡°There is nothing I can do to destroy this.¡±


    The mystical characters wrapped around the mossy temple were emitting colorful lights, dposing or absorbing her spells.


    ¡°It would be great if I could consume arge amount of fresh blood. This ce is different from the surface. There is very little food.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s red eyes were fixated on Noe¡¯s plump neck. Noe was briefly fascinated by her beautiful eyes, but he soon came to his senses. His fur stood on end.


    ¡°N-Noe isn¡¯t a meal, <i>nyang!¡± </i>


    As expected, he understood thew of the strong eating the weak. He immediately recognized a predator¡¯s gaze.


    Marie Rose clicked her tongue in regret and exined to Grid, ¡°Hundreds of seals co-exist andplement each other¡¯s shorings. Even if all the old dragons shot their Breath at them, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to destroy them by force.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean it¡¯s actually impossible to break it with force? Is there any other way?¡±


    ¡°We have no choice but to find and destroy the characters that work as a link between the seals and destroy them. It seems that the regeneration function won¡¯t trigger if we destroy a series of characters that are from the same category.¡±


    ¡°If I destroy characters with different meanings along the way, will the characters I destroyed before be restored?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was speechless. There were hundreds of millions of characters he couldn¡¯t even read. Moreover, the characters had different formats. Picking out only the characters that had the same meaning and destroying them one after another? This was impossible. Even if he seeded, he might destroy characters he didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡®Where is the entrance? If I find the entrance, the title I earned from entering Jormungandr¡¯s residence might be useful...¡¯


    Grid explored the temple a bit more before making up his mind.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to use the Falling Moon Sword.¡¯


    Now that he knew that the mystical characters could regenerate, using Annihtion energy was too unreliable. If the Annihtion energy blew up most of the mystical characters, some of them would still survive. He would just meaninglessly expose his power.


    The cold moonlight appeared at Grid¡¯s fingertips with a sharp, piercing sound. This sword could cut down even the moon. The Falling Moon Sword shone brighter than before, as if it could one day rece the moon in the sky.


    ¡®There are hundreds of seals.¡¯


    Grid performed the Pinnacle sword dance. His presence suddenly increased and soared. He left his mark on this huge ce as if he was the only one here.


    ¡®I am going to blow up the temple.¡¯


    No, he would cut down even the Full Moon Fortress inside the temple.


    For the peace of the world where people precious to him lived... Everything would be destroyed...


    [This is still a terrible killing intent.]


    Just as Grid was on the verge of swinging the Falling Moon Sword, a creepy thought was engraved around him. It was like a thunderbolt.


    Surprised, Grid took back the Falling Moon Sword and expanded his senses. The enemy was unexpectedly close to him. The mystical characters that wrapped around the mossy temple split apart on both sides and created an entrance.


    [I¡¯ve been thinking this since the first time I met you, but your temperament is suitable for an evil god.]


    Coincidentally, the door was right in front of Grid.


    [If it wasn¡¯t for the unnecessary responsibilities that you have, you would be running amok right now.]


    Asura emerged from the entrance and was close enough to breathe in the same air as Grid. He was a lot bigger than he used to be. He craned his neck to look down at Grid.


    [Wouldn¡¯t that be better for you?]


    ¡°You sure know how to bark.¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t respect Asura. Not only did Grid not consider Asura a god, he didn¡¯t want to associate with Asura at all. This wasn¡¯t just because of his personal feelings. His bad rtionship with Asura ran deep.


    Who was the first adversary Asura had met after he was born in hell? That person had been Grid. The reason behind Asura¡¯s response to heaven¡¯s call and his ascension to Asgard was Grid. After that, Grid had encountered Asura every time he got involved with Asgard. It had also been Asura who had apanied Judar when invading Trauka¡¯sir. Grid had mostly figured out what the other person had been through and how strong he had be.


    Thus, Grid was vignt. He estimated that Asura was stronger than the Asgardian gods, Chiyou¡¯s skills and the dragon¡¯s Breath and clearly predicted the power of Asura, who would¡¯ve mastered the techniques and mystical arts of the demon cultivators.


    Meanwhile, Asura just talked nonsense. It was very annoying. This attitude showed Asura was at ease.


    ¡®How strong has he be?¡¯


    If Grid could get a clear idea of his enemy¡¯s abilities, he could fight them a hundred times and win every time.


    Grid swapped from the Falling Moon Sword to Defying the Natural Order and used a single sword dance to check Asura¡¯s abilities. The dance moves that connected with every stride unfolded in a dazzling manner. The super-fast gleam of the sword repeatedly ovepped to form a sphere that trapped Asura. This was a domain created by hundreds of sword trajectories. Simply put, there was no way out.


    Inside it¡ª


    [Are you still doing things like shing?]


    Asura released purple mist from his mouth as he chatteredzily.


    ¡°......!¡±


    Marie Rose took a step back. She looked surprised. She realized that the purple mist wasposed ofponents such as magic power and spells, divinity and powers, spiritual energy and mystical arts...


    This was apletely new concept of techniques. The mist touched Grid, and blood leaked out of his pores.


    [You have been affected by the Destruction of Living Organisms negative status effect.]


    [Resistance has failed.]


    [You will receive 137,000 damage per second.]


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid could resist almost any negative status effect. It had been ages since most of the physical abnormalities that could incapacitate even Transcendents had ceased to constrain him. However, he wasn¡¯t immune to the purple mist that destroyed the very structure of a living creature itself. Perhaps the only thing that could resist this was the clone, who wasn¡¯t a living thing in the first ce.


    [Those who are useless must die.]


    Asura snorted. The purple mist around him started wriggling. Behind it, thousands of shadows loomed in all shapes and sizes. It seemed that Asura was using Treasures.


    Grid noticed that there were probably very few demon cultivators living in the temple.


    ¡°Did you kill all the demon cultivators to take their Treasures? Thanks to you, the construction of the Full Moon Fortress must¡¯ve been in vain, right?¡±


    [The ones we actually need have been spared, so don¡¯t get your hopes up.]


    Asura lightly snapped his long fingers. Gusts of wind blew from all directions. Hundreds of treasures appeared through the purple mist and attacked Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t miss the moment when the mist dissipated. He took advantage of the field of view he could see through and escaped using Shunpo. He grabbed Marie Rose and Noe and rushed straight to the entrance of the temple, which was surrounded by moss and mystical characters. Thanks to Asura showing up, he now knew exactly where it was.


    [A strong seal has been detected.]


    [The title No Permission Required is working.]


    The entrance to the temple obediently weed Grid¡¯s group.


    [He ran away?]


    Asura was surprised by the unexpected development and chased after them, but... The colorful mystical characters rejected him.


    [Mumud... You still use shallow tricks.]

 Chapter 2034

    <h4>Chapter 2034</h4>


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid¡¯s group entered the temple and was already busy. Noe used his Treasures and spells to prepare for an enemy attack while Grid used his God Hands to build a barrier to seal off the entrance. He was trying to stop Asura¡¯s pursuit, if only for a moment. Marie Rose stared at him as he took out a potion and drank it.


    ¡°My dear husband, don¡¯t do that again.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s gaze rested on Grid¡¯s ankle. It looked awful. The Treasures that Asura had sent toward him had shattered his Achilles tendon. If Marie Rose hadn¡¯t used blood magic to help Grid, his entire leg would¡¯ve been torn off.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡± Marie Rose¡¯s facial expression became unusually cold as she repeated what Grid had said back to him. Since she was always so rxed, the impression she gave offpletely changed when all she did was just narrow her eyebrows slightly.


    Nevertheless, Grid didn¡¯t raise an eyebrow. It seemed like he really didn¡¯t know what he did wrong. Marie Rose sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t neglect yourself to protect me. Do you think I can¡¯t take care of myself?¡±


    Just now, Grid had thrown himself toward Marie Rose before entering the temple. In the process, he left himself exposed and got seriously wounded by Asura.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid recalled the situation in detail. Certainly, there was no reason for him to do something like that. He hadn¡¯t taken Marie Rose¡¯s skills into ount. If Grid had escaped toward the entrance of the temple by himself, Marie Rose would¡¯ve followed him in no time. She could definitely do that given her quickness and agility.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was my fault. But I didn¡¯t do it because I didn¡¯t trust you. I just acted instinctively. Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡±


    ¡°You acted instinctively...?¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression became a bit serious. She wondered if Asura had performed some kind of trickery to make Grid move without thinking.


    Grid let out augh.


    ¡°I was afraid the woman I love would get hurt. Even though I clearly know what you¡¯re capable of, I acted without realizing it because I was worried.¡±


    ¡°What does that... You are foolish.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s expression was still cold. However, her eyes were trembling slightly. She was confused. She was the strongest among the Absolutes. Grid was worried about her even though she could match Chiyou for a while if they fought? She couldn¡¯t understand Grid¡¯s feelings at all. What she didn¡¯t understand even more was her own heart.


    For some reason, she was happy.


    ¡°In any case, don¡¯t do that again. I can survive even if the whole world is destroyed. My dear husband, you should take care of yourself.¡±


    Marie Rose buried her iprehensible joy deep in her heart. She had no intention of getting in Grid¡¯s way. This wasn¡¯t just a matter of pride. She was confident in her abilities. Grid knew this too.


    Grid nodded obediently. ¡°Yes, I will try not to worry too much.¡±


    This was perhaps the first time he let go of his stubbornness to protect others. This meant he trusted Marie Rose. It was fun. His heart became as light as a feather, and he also felt lighter on his feet. It felt like he was being released from all of his restraints.


    ¡°I feel like I can do anything.¡±


    When Grid spoke, the God Hands flew and struck several pirs supporting the temple. The impact was huge.


    This ce was probably Hanul¡¯s temple. It was enormous, so the pirs supporting the temple¡¯s structure were also huge. However, they were helpless against the winds of time. The temple had been submerged in theke for a long time and became weak. Stone fragments and dust flew as the area shook vociferously.


    Their surroundings had turned cloudy in no time. The demon cultivators hiding and watching Grid¡¯s group panicked. Of course, they didn¡¯t give in to anxiety. Demon cultivators were able to ovee adversities that humans couldn¡¯t even imagine. They had been born as beasts and had be Absolute-level cultivators.


    They hid themselves along the path of the tilting pirs, but it was all in vain. Grid¡¯s sensitivity after temporarilyying down all responsibilities went beyond the limits of an Absolute. Even Grid himself was astonished.


    His consciousness, emotions, and senses that had been distracted because he worried so much about everything that needed to be protected were now free from that burden. Grid realized his true potential.


    ¡°You added an Invisible spell to the Earth Escape Arts. Was this Mumud¡¯s doing? I almost didn¡¯t realize you were hiding.¡±


    A chill went down the spines of the demon cultivators. Grid had whispered this from a distance. He suddenly appeared behind them, trembling slightly. The demon cultivators were familiar with the emotion behind this trembling¡ªit was joy. This was the same emotion that Asura had expressed when he ughtered their people.


    [You are also an evil killer...!]


    A few months before, the demon cultivators had entered a strange world. Unlike their human counterparts, they acted cautiously. They didn¡¯t harm any mortals and secretly blended in while focusing on studying this world¡¯s civilization, history, and mythology.


    They didn¡¯t do this because they were good-natured. This was a survival strategy. They were afraid that they would be found by the human cultivators if they were too conspicuous. The number of demon cultivators that hade to this world was very small. They couldn¡¯t possiblypete with the human cultivators.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    As a result, they held their breaths until they discovered that Asgard existed, a ce where lunatics who believed themselves to be gods resided. The demon cultivators had tried to contact them and seeded. They had a friendly conversation before forming an agreement with some of the gods. Mumud, an angel, had contributed greatly to this.


    Angels had wings on their backs like bird cultivators. Were they from the demon race after all? Mumud was very sympathetic to the demon cultivators. He showed great interest in the Full Moon Fortress.


    After a long discussion, some of the gods and demon cultivators made a contract. In return for Asgard giving sovereignty to the demon cultivators, who would help build the Full Moon Fortress and expand their power through the fortress, the demon cultivators would worship the gods of Asgard.


    Gods didn¡¯t exist. But immortals who reached the highest realm presided over parts of the universe...


    From the perspective of the cultivators who knew the principles of the world, worshiping a god was ridiculous. Idtry was something that only bugs¡ªmortals¡ªdid. However, the demon cultivators were at a crossroad between establishing a foundation for their lives or surviving in a small number which would eventually decline. They had no choice from the moment they fell into this unknown world without any warning. Thus, they made a contract using magic, and the construction for the Full Moon Fortress began...


    Then, things went awry. Asura changed halfway through. When all of the formation mechanisms of the Full Moon Fortress had beenpleted, suddenly, Asura started ughtering the demon cultivators whileughing joyfully. It was pure madness.


    He wasn¡¯t qualified to call himself a god, even a false one. The demon cultivators saw a simr temperament to Asura¡¯s in Grid.


    Grid didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°It might seem that way.¡±


    There was no hint of displeasure in how he carried himself. He had let go of all responsibilities, even if only for a moment. He was faithful only to his feelings. He needed to kill his enemies as cruelly as possible so that, even in death, they would never think of setting foot in this ce again. He showed infinite cruelty to them.


    This was how Grid¡¯s nature had been since the days he used to be called the Butcher¡­ No, since the days he was burning to get revenge on the ssmates who bullied him.


    ¡°If you feel that way, be as afraid as possible. Do that while regrettinging here and reflecting on yourselves for daring to hope to live in this world.¡±


    Contrary to his ruthless remarks, Grid showed leniency in his hand movements. He didn¡¯t try to overwhelm the demon cultivators. Instead, he slowly attacked them with single sword dances, spells, and mystical arts. He did that to experience the abilities of the demon cultivators and learn as much as possible. He wanted to prepare as much as he could before fighting Asura, who had absorbed their power.


    ¡®The transformation is the most threatening part, but... It is surprisingly easy to deal with. Since they are ssified as beasts, I can use huntings to counter it.¡¯


    ¡®I can respond to sonic attacks with earplug-based artifacts.¡¯


    ¡®I will memorize the movements of their martial arts and use the God Hands to block them.¡¯


    Grid was learning how to fight the demon cultivators in real time. At some point, he took out the furnace and anvil and swung his hammer. He treated the Absolute-level cultivators who had escaped Asura¡¯s massacre as if they were children. He used the sword he held in his right hand and hundreds of God Hands to pressure them while he crafted items with his left hand.


    The items he crafted were as such:s, earplugs, harpoons, traps, cages, and so on. They were deadly items for most of the demon cultivators. Strictly speaking, they were tools suitable for hunting beasts. They would work properly against Asura, who had absorbed the power of those who used to be beasts.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know why Asura didn¡¯te after me.¡¯


    Because he didn¡¯t, Grid was able to add some more weapons to his arsenal...


    ¡°You are more insane than Asura!¡±


    The anger of the demon cultivators rose high enough to pierce the sky. They could no longer sit still and watch Grid¡¯s antics. Thus, they revealed their full power. Some grew long snouts or had pointed beaks pop out. Some had snub noses, like wild boars, while others had their fur stand up like thorns. Another demon cultivator had fish-like scales all over his body. This was different from the transformation techniques they had shown several times along the way.


    Half-human, half-beast¡ªthey weren¡¯t fully human or beast, but a mixture of both. They were very powerful. Their physical capabilities increased drastically when they turned into beasts. Once they did that, they could use mystical arts as skillfully as if they were human. This was a unique ultimate skill of demon cultivators that highlighted their strengths.


    Startled, Grid was about to stop hammering. However, Marie Rose stood silently beside him and held up a finger.


    ¡°Keep doing what you are doing.¡±


    The blood shed by the demon cultivators got sucked into her finger. It turned redder and redder until thousands of mystical characters spun around Marie Rose¡¯s darkened finger.


    ¡°What...¡±


    The demon cultivators seemed confused. The mystical characters that swirled above Marie Rose¡¯s finger contained all the tricks they had used in their fight against Grid.


    ¡°...A god?¡±


    The cultivators studied the principles of the universe. Therefore, they didn¡¯t believe in a god. The more they studied the universe, the less evidence they found that gods existed.


    But a cultivator could be an immortal. Once an immortal reached the ultimate realm, they would preside over a part of the universe. The gods revered by the people were ultimately just cultivators.


    However, at this moment, the demon cultivators witnessed the power of Marie Rose and realized that gods existed. If a being who could perfectly embody the power of their target just through a few drops of blood wasn¡¯t a god, then what was she?


    [Your wife, Marie Rose, has obtained divinity.]


    Marie Rose was unimpressed after sensing the faint birth of divinity. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that,¡± she muttered


    An illusion of blood-red beasts engulfed the demon cultivators. Invincible¡ªthere was no other way to describe Grid and Marie Rose.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After a few minutes, Grid safelypleted the item thanks to Marie Rose and hurried.There was only onest thing to do before destroying thest Full Moon Fortress.


    The Full Moon Fortress left here was thest Full Moon Fortress. ording to Grid¡¯s calctions, all the Full Moon Fortress on the surface should¡¯ve been destroyed by now.

 Chapter 2035

    <h4>Chapter 2035</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s finally over...¡±


    ¡°We did it...! We did it!!¡±


    <i>¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±</i>


    Hundreds of thousands of people cheered in unison. The moon fell and scattered jade-colored meteor showers. The copse of the Full Moon Fortress decorated the night sky. Something ugly at its core brought a beautiful ending to the people watching it copse.


    After a few days of struggle, humanity had triumphed. The yers, who had taken the lead despite getting killed over and over again by the thousands of cultivators, gathered at the Full Moon Fortress. Their contribution was enormous. They escaped with their lives by using return scrolls just before dying or drinking potions and instantly restoring their HP.


    If their weapons were destroyed because they couldn''t withstand the power of the enemy¡¯s Treasures, the yers bought a recement from the auction house to fill their empty hands. If they died, which was inevitable, they resurrected and rejoined the battlefield.


    The yers¡¯ traits were unimaginably strong in a war of attrition. They had exhausted the cultivators who had lived for hundreds to tens of thousands of years. The cultivators couldn¡¯t understand the yers, whose number didn¡¯t decline no matter how many times they died. The longer the war went on, the more the morale of the cultivators decreased to an uncontroble degree.


    This was the result.


    [Pitiful... Heartbreaking... I never thought that what I have spent all my life building would end up in vain...]


    Thement of the immortal, who was left alone and fought to the end, was his shabby final will. The weapons and spells of the Apostles, Tower members, and Overgeared members stuck like porcupine thorns in his body. He finally turned to ash. The thorns were so poisonous that they destroyed what he had built for tens of thousands of years.


    ¡°Is this the end of this situation in the East Continent? No, there are still some bugs left.¡±


    Braham shifted his gaze. He still hadn¡¯t retracted his magic. He was staring straight at the three masters. They were the three gods who could move the clouds and summon the wind and rain. They surrounded the wounded Four Auspicious Beasts, threatening them. The Four Auspicious Beasts were in tatters after holding out against the immortals without pause until the reinforcements from the Overgeared Guild arrived.


    ¡°You <i>dare.¡± </i>


    Braham¡¯s magic power fluctuated as he raised his eyes fiercely in that direction. The magic in his hands was on the verge of being fired.


    The Blue Dragon barely managed to speak. ¡°Wait, this is a misunderstanding. They helped us.¡±


    Braham looked puzzled as he tilted his head. ¡°...Did they really?¡±


    The reactions of the other beasts weren¡¯t much different. Thest gods left in the Hwan Kingdom, loyal to Hanul, surely resented Grid. Yet they helped the Four Auspicious Beasts who served Grid? This seemed illogical.


    The three masters couldn¡¯t cope with the hundreds of people asking them for an exnation and sighed. Pungsa was the first to speak.


    [We nned to go and meet the farmer god ording to the will of God Grid.]


    Unsa said, [But we didn¡¯t feel like it. Even though we look like this, we have served a God of the beginning. How can we go and help with farming? Does that make sense?]


    Usa also chimed in. [...So while we were in the Hwan Kingdom, where no one was around, thinking what we could do, we witnessed the war between humans and cultivators. The Four Auspicious Beasts were in trouble, just like when we got invaded. They looked so pathetic that we couldn¡¯t stand it.]


    However, no one replied to them.


    ¡°...What is this nonsense?¡±


    Braham kept his violent tone even after bing a god. He seemed to be on the verge of swearing as he demanded a more detailed exnation.


    ¡°Why are you following Grid¡¯s will? Going to the farmer god? Did you seriously consider the idea of helping Piaro with farming?¡±


    [Grid said we could be quite useful and to try and make use of our specialties. We agreed after thinking that it was better for us to do that than die.]


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham shut his mouth. Grid had always greedily tried to get skilled people on his side. The importance of agriculture had recently emerged. The value of the crops and herbs from the cultivation world was enormous. These crops were very sensitive to the environment, so the abilities of the three masters was essential in order to easily grow them.


    Unlike Braham, who lost interest and retracted his magic, Mir asked a question. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you let the Four Auspicious Beasts face their crisis alone? I don¡¯t think you have any loyalty left that would make you save the Four Auspicious Beasts, right?¡±


    The Hwan Kingdom considered the Four Auspicious Beasts a thorn in their side. Thanks to their resurrection, the Hwan Kingdom lost the worship of humanity. There surely was a great deal of resentment left behind.


    Of course, it was the Hwan Kingdom who made a mistake first. Hanul and the three masters attacked the Four Auspicious Beasts, who were living well on the East Continent. They sealed the Four Auspicious Beasts away and covered the continent in false myths.


    Mir looked at them with suspicion. ¡°...Did you help the Four Auspicious Beasts after reflecting on your wrongdoings?¡±


    The three masters had been worshiping Hanul, a God of the beginning, from the moment they were born. Thus, they were the most arrogant among the gods. Would they admit their mistakes and reflect on themselves? That was hard to believe.


    Just as expected, the three masters had helped the Four Auspicious Beasts not because they reflected on their past wrongdoings.


    [Reflect...? You are saying something I don¡¯t understand. This was simply a matter of pride.]


    ¡°Pride...?¡±


    [Imagine that the Four Auspicious Beasts are unable to withstand the invasion of beings we have never heard of before and are facing disaster again. Doesn¡¯t that mean our previous feat of sealing them away would be reduced to nothing?]


    ¡°......¡±


    Mir was speechless. His eyes became cold.


    Hanul and King Sobyeol had died. Even Garam, who inherited their divinity, had died. The three masters had really lost everything, but nothing changed about them. They were still selfish and stupid.


    Mir felt disgusted and struggled to process this. Would the gods be able to adapt to the changing world? Forget about being beneficial to humanity. Wouldn¡¯t they only be a hindrance? Maybe Grid misjudged this time...


    Mir had these small doubts. He was releasing killing intent.


    Lauel descended from the Tomb of the Gods and interrupted the conversation. ¡°You are just saying that, but in reality, you wanted to help those from the same world as you, right? It would be inconvenient for the three masters to stand by and watch as invaders from outside hurt the people of this world.¡±


    [Bah, nonsen...]


    ¡°That must be the case.¡±


    [......]


    The three masters were about to deny Lauel¡¯s one-sided interpretation but fell silent. The best of the Overgeared World had killed the immortal, who was difficult for the three masters to fight even if theybined their strength.


    The Transcendents, who had be amazingly strong, and the Absolutes, all listened to Lauel. They felt as if all sorts of threats would pour down on them the moment they disobeyed Lauel¡¯s words. That was how influential he was.


    As a mere human being, Lauel was the backbone of the great Overgeared World. This meant he had extraordinary abilities and had earned Grid¡¯s trust.


    In the end, Usa confessed.


    [That¡¯s not it. It just so happened that, at the time when Grid gave us a new chance to put down roots in thisnd, beings we have never heard of before were causing confusion.]


    The faces of Pungsa and Unsa turned red. This was embarrassing in many ways. No matter how many times they lost and failed against Grid, suffering all types of humiliation, they were still gods after all. They weren¡¯t about to bend their pride for anyone other than Grid.


    However, Usa was being honest. He was depressed because he felt that his miserable life had be even more unremarkable.


    Mir said, ¡°If you are going to live with us in the future, give up on your useless pride.¡±


    [The traitor knows how to talk.]


    ¡°Just as you have decided to follow Grid, I have also chosen the path I believe is right.¡±


    Mir¡¯s attitude of giving advice further angered Pungsa and Unsa.


    [You... Were you always so shameless?]


    The atmosphere became increasingly tense. Usa was restless. The Apostles and Tower members didn¡¯t respond. They didn¡¯t really care what would happen next. They had immediately joined the battlefield of the East Continent after destroying the Full Moon Fortress on the West Continent, so they were exhausted. They didn¡¯t want to waste their energy getting involved in a petty quarrel.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s right to give up our rights to the loot obtained here,¡± Laurel said.


    Braham agreed. ¡°Of course. We can¡¯t take away the rights of those who fought for days and sacrificed so much. I feel like they would¡¯ve won even without our support...¡±


    Braham looked down at the ground. The mental world of someone he had been worried about was now gone. What appeared in its stead was the army of God of War Ares and Valha. This was an army that was thoroughly equipped with the weapons that Grid had personally given them over the years.


    The soldiers were usually majestic, but now they were all in a terrible state. Apparently, they had lost arge chunk of their forces. Still, the situation couldn¡¯t be seen as bad. Each soldier seemed to have an extraordinary air about them since they achieved great results in return for their sacrifices. They could bepared to the elite knights of the Overgeared Empire.


    ¡®Grid was trying to minimize the damage in realbat, but he managed to obtain an elite army that will be difficult to acquire in a lifetime.¡¯


    After using the spoils of war from killing the cultivators, perhaps an army worthy of being called the strongest on the continent would be born. Even so, they would be ced in the same line as the Overgeared Guild.


    ¡°For how much longer are you going to keep arguing? Just draw your weapons to decide the hierarchy,¡± Braham asked Mir and the three masters in an irritated manner.


    He descended to the ground. Braham intended to help those who weren¡¯t able to enjoy the victory and were organizing the situation. He had be a god, so now he paid attention to his image. It wasn¡¯t yet possible for him to act like Grid by sincerely worrying about and helping people he didn¡¯t know, but Braham was trying hard in his own way. He left.


    Damian let out a breath and made a suggestion to Mir and the three masters. ¡°If you are going to fight anyway... Why not make the scale of the fight bigger?¡±


    Ever since the update, he had consumed arge amount of consumables and artifacts while fighting the cultivators, so his funds were under pressure.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be a lot of eyes watching. We will promote your battle extensively.¡±


    Damian was excited at the thought of gambling and couldn¡¯t hide it. Pungsa and Unsa were embarrassed by the reactions around them and sobered up.


    [...Even though we managed to survive thanks to God Grid, we are still gods in name. We have no intention of participating in your trivial games.]


    They clicked their tongues and approached Piaro.


    Piaro greeted them.


    ¡°There is a lot of farnd that needs to be worked on. I am happy that you are joining. If the three of you learn farming, I will be able to do my part and feel as if there''s four of me going around and doing my tasks.¡±


    [...You are praising us too much...]


    Instead of being suspicious or wary, Piaro was already excited to make them work? Did they really have to do hardbor at this age?


    The three masters were already tired after noticing their superior¡¯s temperament and stiffened. Mir drew his sword and red at the three masters.


    ¡°Let¡¯spete. As Braham said, we need to establish our hierarchy. I am no longer a yangban. I am Grid¡¯s apostle. You must respect me.¡±


    He had grown a lot after consuming elixirs produced by the alchemy facility, elixirs obtained after killing the Absolute-level cultivators, and even the herbs of the cultivation world that Piaro had recently grown sessfully.


    The Overgeared members were watching with interest and sighed.


    ¡°The power of medicine...¡±


    Mir was Grid¡¯s Apostle. He already had the power of items, but now, he also had the power of medicine. It was safe to say he had no conscience when suggesting the fight. The three masters saw the reactions of those around them and had a bad feeling about this.


    [We have already made our intentions clear, right? We don¡¯t want to be a spectacle.]


    ¡°There is a training hall inside the Tomb of the Gods. Please follow me. We can fight privately.¡±


    [Even if we do it privately, won¡¯t the results be made public?]


    ¡°Does that matter if you win?¡±


    [I guess you are feeling proud because you have umted a certain amount of divinity after bing aplete god. But you will get seriously hurt if you be too arrogant.]


    ¡°So let¡¯s fight.¡±


    [No... You also have your reputation...]


    ¡°Why are you worried about my reputation?¡±


    After falling toward the horizon and exploding several times, the Full Moon Fortress disappeared, leaving only a pile of ashes behind.


    [The world quest Stop the Erosion Ritual has seeded!]


    The emerging world message announced the newfound peace to the world.

 Chapter 2036

    <h4>Chapter 2036</h4>


    [You will level up significantly as a reward forpleting the quest.]


    [The level of all your skills will increase as a reward forpleting the quest.]


    [You will obtain the Technique Selection Book, Mystical Arts Selection Book, and Crafting Materials Selection as a reward forpleting the quest.]


    [The title Hero Who Prevented the Disaster has been received as a reward forpleting the quest.]


    [You will receive an Item Promotion Ticket for being in the top 100 yers in the contribution ranking.]


    [Your status will increase for being in the top 300 yers in the contribution ranking.]


    The reward for clearing this unprecedentedrge-scale world quest, Stop the Erosion Ritual, exceeded people¡¯s expectations.


    Depending on their performance, they gained at least a few dozen levels. They acquired a lot of things from the cultivation world, including techniques, mystical arts, Treasures, and elixirs. Some yers¡¯ status increased by several levels while others became the owners of new Mythic items. The higher their spot on the contribution ranking, the more rewards they received.


    In other words, this meant that the Overgeared Guild received the most benefits. Other people weren¡¯t really jealous of them. Differentpensation based on performance was a fair and familiar system.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s crazy. Is it true that you gained thirty levels? I can¡¯t level up that much even if I hunt for a few months.¡±


    ¡°Have you checked the technique we can select from the rewards? No matter the technique, you have to learn at least one, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same with the mystical arts. I don¡¯t think there is any other game in the world like Satisfy.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for the people who didn¡¯t meet the level requirements and didn¡¯t receive the quest.¡±


    ¡°If they didn¡¯t meet the minimum requirements, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to help in the quest at all. Why feel pity for them? They wouldn¡¯t have managed to hurt the cultivators anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hoh. Why are you so sensitive about what I just said?


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s obvious. I guess he is angry because people are currently whining about discrimination and making a big deal out of it.¡±


    ¡°Really? People are so predictable. This reminds me of the old days. We used to protest to the S.A. Group that they were discriminating against us whenever Grid yed solo and won great rewards.¡± ¡±That makes me feel embarrassed. Let¡¯s not talk about the past, my friend.¡±


    People were celebrating on both continents. The Full Moon Fortress disappeared with only a few fragments remaining. Millions of people gathered around it. yers had flocked from all over the continent once they heard that the war was over. There were also many reporters from many media outlets present. yers from mediapanies from all over the world participated in the quest to get coverage on the event.


    Cultivators, the third-party force that threatened the world after the update, finally copsed. This was great news, considering people wereining that Satisfy¡¯s sess was hindered by the sudden appearance of the cultivators.


    The cultivators were gone. After the yers absorbed the civilization of the cultivation world, Satisfy would finally enter a period of stability. The game world would be able to evolve peacefully like never before.


    Of course, the power struggles between yers would remain a constant factor, but overall world peace had definitely been achieved due to Grid¡¯s thorough management. While the cultivators were running wild, he actually managed to destroy the Hwan Kingdom. People were amazed that Grid was so ahead of others while working by himself.


    Now, only very few foreign powers could threaten the surface: Asgard, who had lost Judar, the old dragons, who had lost the fire dragon, and Chiyou, who was now alone in the ruined Hwan Kingdom. In addition, the dragons seemed to be as friendly with the Overgeared World as hell was. Therefore, there were practically no threats remaining except for Asgard and Chiyou.


    This was only one step toward the unity of humanity in the world. The future of Satisfy would be constructed purely by the yers. People who had been looking forward to this could finally breathe in relief. They were deeply grateful and excited for how things had turned out.


    ¡°So, when will our protagoniste? Shouldn¡¯t he at least wave at us on a day like this?¡±


    [Number one in the contribution ranking: Grid.]


    [Contribution Points: 5,590,138,264.]


    Grid¡¯s contribution was enormous. It was eighty times higher than the person in second ce. It would¡¯ve been impossible to destroy the cultivators without him. If it hadn¡¯t been for Grid, the Full Moon Fortresses would have been still floating in the sky.


    Grid would naturally reign as the ruler of the new world that would unfold. The people who checked the quest results window longed to see Grid in action for the first time in a while. That was what they wanted after the war was over. Regardless of affiliation and ideology, their gratitude and reverence for Grid grew uncontrobly.


    ¡°Is he fighting solo somewhere else?¡±


    King Ares of Valha, who was in the top 20 of the contribution rankings despite not being an Overgeared member, clicked his tongue. He disliked the barrage of questions from the reporters. Not a single reporter would have bothered him if Grid had been here. He was worried about Grid momentarily, though he regretted doing that when he suddenly came to his senses. His surroundings became particrly noisy. He looked back and saw an unexpected person approaching.


    ¡°Braham...?¡±


    The God of wisdom and magic, one of Grid¡¯s closest confidants, was also a bigshot who was ranked second in terms of skills. If NPCs had been included in the contribution rankings, wouldn¡¯t he have aimed for at least third ce?


    Ares was rarely humble. He wiped the potato chip oil from his palms on his cloak and greeted his guest.


    ¡°What is Sir Braham¡¯s business with me?¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about the mental world. From the outside, your mental world looks quite interesting at first nce... Would you give me a chance to experience it sometime?¡±


    Braham spoke politely, using honorifics. This was the first time he had ever been so polite to a yer other than Grid. Some of the Overgeared membersined about this.


    ¡°Braham is going too far. He still treats me like a child. Why is he talking like this to Ares...¡±


    ¡°Ares had built a kingdom second only to the empire and has ruled brilliantly so far. You are iparable to him. Your small territory is in a terrible state because you can¡¯t manage it properly. Ares deserves to be treated differently.¡±


    ¡°Small territory? <i>My </i>territory is small? I can¡¯tpare with the empire, but it isn¡¯t that smallpared to Valha.¡±


    ¡°But it <i>is </i>smaller than Valha, right? It¡¯s also true that it¡¯s ruined.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough for the people in my territory to eat and live well. What are you saying? Dammit, stop picking on people just because you are stressed about investing in alchemy and failing.¡±


    Chris cut in between the two bickering yers. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m a bit sad... I am ranked higher than Ares, but...¡±


    He looked at Ares, whom Braham respected, with envy. The reactions from the others weren¡¯t much different. They had spent nearly twenty years with Braham. They thought they had shown quite a lot of growth over the long years, but Braham still treated them like they were children. It was difficult to feel happy because Ares was receiving special treatment despite not being part of the Overgeared Guild.


    Lauelughed when he came back from the press conference and saw this.


    ¡°You are jealous of everything. Think about it in reverse. If I was Ares, I would rather be envious of you for Braham¡¯s informal treatment.¡±


    Lauel was talking about a period of twenty years.


    ¡°Braham has been with us for a long time. What if, one day, Braham suddenly respects us and is polite? You will instead feel that he has be distant. In fact, isn¡¯t Braham¡¯s attitude toward His Majesty the same?¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t disregarding us by treating us as if we¡¯re children...¡±


    The Overgeared members were very excited. They had been fighting the cultivators more than anyone else. Today, they finally achieved victory. They had no choice but to feel excited. As a result, their judgment was somewhat clouded. They misunderstood Braham¡¯s attitude for no reason and were jealous of Ares... They were embarrassed when they realized this.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Jishuka asked. ¡°You guys can¡¯t even open up your mental world. I think it¡¯s only right that Braham treats you as if you¡¯re kids.¡±


    ¡°...Jishuka, why are you suddenly ruining the mood? Is the press conference over already? Chris and Lauel were also set free early. How did you get rid of the reporters who have so many questions?¡±


    ¡°Well, about that...¡±


    The group followed Jishuka¡¯s gaze.


    On one side, Huroi had great speech skills that made people listen to him. He was maintaining the attention of thousands of reporters. ¡°Victory has been achieved by the Overgeared members, who joined forces with Grid to n a careful strategy...¡±


    On the other side, Peak Sword was bragging and boasting to hold back a group of Korean reporters. ¡°If my sword containing the spirit of the nation hadn¡¯t cut through the sky and shattered the Treasures of the Transcendent-level cultivators, we would¡¯ve been in great danger. The soldiers were thrilled after witnessing the light of my sword that resembles the Taegeuk and started to sing Arirang as a group...¡±


    Yura appeased some reporters who were worried about the post-war situation. ¡°Hell will continue to cooperate with the Overgeared World and remain harmonious with humanity. Not only did ck Knight Eligos swear allegiance to Grid, he also proimed that hell is part of the Overgeared World. There is no need to fear betrayal...¡±


    But there was definitely someone who drew the most attention.


    ¡°Line! Stand in line! Shouldn¡¯t you stand in the order of contribution?¡±


    It was Damian. He had been involved with the Apostles due to his position as leader of the Overgeared God Church, but he recently became much closer to them. The experience of fighting against Absolutes on the same battlefield seemed to have formed some type of bond between them.


    The Apostles entrusted Damian with a new responsibility. They had Damian distribute the loot they got from killing the immortal, who had been the final boss of the East Continent.


    It was a mess. Those who were seduced by the jaw-dropping loot rushed in, including a number of reporters from the Japanese media.


    ¡°This is the site where Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church and the pride of Japan, personally rewards the yers who contributed greatly in the war. Dear viewers from Japan! Do you see the tens of thousands of people flocking to Damian?¡±


    ¡°...Fuck.¡±


    <i>Why am I the only one who can¡¯t rest and is pushed forward...</i>


    Damian was pale and eventually looked like he was about to cry, but the Overgeared members ignored him.


    ¡°By the way, where is Grid and what is he doing?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he should be with his wives. Their due date is soon...¡±


    Ibellin casually answered someone¡¯s question but suddenly fell silent. He remembered that Jishuka was right next to him. Lae noticed this and changed the subject.


    ¡°Come to think of it, Jishuka, shouldn¡¯t you be preparing for the wedding soon? There will be a lot of guests, so it¡¯s better to make a reservation for the wedding venue in advance... Ah! Leave the wedding song to me!¡±


    "Huh? T-That¡¯s right. I need to prepare.¡± Jishuka awkwardly replied.


    Grid, Yura, and Jishuka. Their colleagues believed that marriage between the three of them would be the next step they would take, but that wasn¡¯t really the case. Jishuka had yet to receive a proposal from Grid. The same went for Yura.


    ¡®Does he not want to get married?¡¯


    Her colleagues saw Jishuka¡¯s awkward expression and were flustered.


    <i>Meanwhile, in Asgard. </i>


    ¡°Why are my ears itchy again?¡±


    Grid frowned. How ridiculous. Who was cursing him when they safely cleared the world quest? What was he being med for? He tilted his head because he didn¡¯t know the reason.


    He stopped walking when he made it to the heart of the temple. The angel Mumud was waiting for him beneath the jade full moon.

 Chapter 2037

    <h4>Chapter 2037</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t try to duel Asura to the death.¡±


    Grid and Mumud were acquaintances. A few months before, in the desert of Reidan, the Overgeared members, Marie Rose, and Hayate had fought against Fire Dragon Trauka. Judar and Chiyou hade in one after another to make the situation even more chaotic.


    Grid had arrivedter after parting ways with Nathaniel and collided with Mumud. Then, they had a short but deep conversation. He had informed Mumud that Braham used to be his teacher. Grid even mentioned Mumud bing a lich and how he hade back to life.


    However, that was it. Grid didn¡¯t know to what extent Mumud''s memories had been restored. He could only hope that the angel hadn¡¯t remembered that much since there was the risk of remembering Braham betraying him.


    Thus, Grid didn¡¯t dare to criticize Mumud. He understood why Mumud joined forces with the demon cultivators. Now, he was an angel in charge of defending Asgard, and he also had a history of hating humans.


    ¡°He is stronger than I expected,¡± Grid replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I could finish him off quickly even if I teamed up with Marie Rose.¡±


    Grid was running out of time. How much of the Full Moon Fortress had been constructed and where was it? He had to destroy the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators despite having absolutely no information about it, so he challenged himself to speed run this. This meant it was better to avoid fights that he didn¡¯t need to take as much as possible. Thanks to this, he was now standing in front of the Full Moon Fortress.


    Mumud seemed bitter about something.


    ¡°Braham must not have believed me.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Mumud was speaking so quietly...


    Repeated loud noises came from the Full Moon Fortress behind Mumud, so Grid couldn¡¯t understand what the angel said despite his good hearing.


    ¡°Asura will probably be stronger by the time you leave. Fortunately, this isn¡¯t the worst case scenario. It¡¯s the development of a lesser evil.¡± Mumud raised his voice when saying this, so the conversation picked up again.


    Grid murmured, ¡°He is going to get stronger... Do you think Asura will devour the gods of Asgard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The gods will have an advantage at the beginning thanks to Dominion, but... As you know, Asura is a monster who can take others¡¯ powers without having to kill them. This is a miracle created by Baal¡¯s deformed desire.¡±


    ¡°...There is a reason he didn¡¯te after me.¡±


    The moment he shook off Asura¡¯s pursuit and entered the temple, Grid had been wary of Asuraing after him. However, the firmly closed entrance never reopened. Asura didn¡¯t bother to chase Grid. It was as if it didn¡¯t matter to him what happened to the Full Moon Fortress.


    ¡°No. Asura is obsessed with you. He didn¡¯t enter the temple because of me. I put up a barrier to keep him out.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Mumud¡¯s exnation baffled Grid.


    ¡°Why? You knew for sure that he would go to the ce where the gods are imprisoned, so why?¡±


    ¡°If I allowed Asura to pursue you, we would have never had a second chance to talk like this.¡±


    Mumud¡¯s smile was warm. He was like the stereotypical benevolent being portrayed in myths. He looked like an angel who would wrap human beings in infinite warmth in return for their faith and prayers.


    Something was different about him. He was radically different from the angels Grid had met and fought.


    <i>In fact, isn¡¯t he working hard for the sake of humanity?</i>


    Grid had such hope. Frustrated, he frowned.


    ¡®...As expected, he didn¡¯t regain all his memories and only recalled about half of them.¡¯


    ording to Braham, he had raised Mumud as if Mumud was his own child. This didn¡¯t mean Braham showered him with love and affection. After being exiled by Beriache, Braham wandered aimlessly through the cities of humans and identally discovered an orphan named Mumud. Braham was fascinated with his innate talent and took him as a disciple in the hopes of helping with his own studies.


    But from Mumud¡¯s perspective, Braham would¡¯ve seemed like a parent. How could he not love the benefactor who saved him from dying in a war-torn vige, gave him food and shelter, and taught him magic?


    What if Mumud only recovered his memories up to this point? In other words, he didn¡¯t know what Braham did...


    If so, then Mumud could have a favorable attitude toward humanity. Based on his memories, humans were the ones who had given him love and kindness. This was a good thing.


    Grid was sure that was the case...


    <i>Throb!</i>


    He suddenly clutched his chest. He felt so sorry and sad. Mumud was an unlucky genius who had received a heavenly talent but died from a terminal illness. He had suffered until he died. The physical pain caused by the life-threatening illness, the mental pain caused by the betrayal of the person he trusted the most in the world, his teacher... In the end, he died, became a lich, and even had his soul wounded.


    Grid felt disgusted at himself for pretending not to know the truth even though he clearly did, expecting to receive favors from Mumud.


    ¡°...My dear husband.¡±


    Marie Rose¡¯s soft hands stroked Grid¡¯s back. She understood how he felt.


    ¡°I will make Braham pay for his sins by killing him,¡± she said eerily in a sweet voice.


    Thanks to her, Grid came to his senses and asked Mumud a question.


    ¡°Why did you want to meet me? You must¡¯ve known that I was nning to destroy the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators. Shouldn¡¯t you be protecting that?¡±


    Grid was suddenly showing Mumud respect. The angel blinked at Grid¡¯s sudden change in attitude andughed.


    ¡°Haha, you''re exactly as I expected. Well, if I had to exin why... I wanted to persuade you.¡±


    ¡°Persuade me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Can¡¯t you wait for this Full Moon Fortress to bepleted?¡±


    Grid narrowed his eyes. The jade fortress was towering high above his head. He stared at the Full Moon Fortress that was bigger than most cities. It almost filled the center of the temple.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. I have no intention of allowing the cultivators to set foot in this world again,¡± Grid said firmly.


    ¡°I was involved in the construction of this Full Moon Fortress from the very beginning.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Grid was startled. What Mumud said was important. Grid recalled the information he had learned by using the Memory Searching Technique against a demon cultivator. He knew that, thanks to the help of Mumud and the gods, the demon cultivators had been able to build the Full Moon Fortress.


    So Mumud had been at the construction site of the Full Moon Fortress from the very beginning. Would the rare genius, who made Braham jealous when he was just a human, waste such an opportunity? Definitely not.


    ¡°...Are you certain you can control the Full Moon Fortress?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the fortress is actually mine.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Knowledge was a scary thing. Wise people could easily do things that seemed impossible to others and deceive them. Grid had seen Braham do this many times before.


    ¡°I made full use of the knowledge I gained in return for helping the demon cultivators. I changed the formations installed in the Full Moon Fortress. Most of the high-ranking cultivators who would¡¯ve noticed this were either killed by Asura or by you.¡±


    Mumud still had a gentle smile on his face. He also had an angel¡¯s halo and white feathers fluttering around him. Thus, Grid hadn¡¯t noticed until now how cold Mumud¡¯s eyes were.


    ¡°The demon cultivators who wille through this Full Moon Fortress will have a very low level of cultivation. Each individual¡¯s power and resourcefulness won¡¯t reach the level of angels.¡±


    ¡°...In other words...¡±


    ¡°Yes, they will be treated as ves. Their only role will be to worship Asgard. The gods of Asgard will be kept alive because of them.¡±


    This meant separation from the surface. Mumud was seeking Asgard¡¯s independence. He nned to eliminate the cause of the conflict between Asgard and the surface by making the gods no longer obsessed with humanity''s worship and sacrificing powerless cultivators.


    ¡°That is the ideal way to do it...¡±


    But it was terribly cruel. Grid couldn¡¯t continue speaking. Marie Rose snorted on his behalf.


    ¡°You really are Braham¡¯s disciple.¡±


    Telling someone that they were simr to Braham was the best insult that Marie Rose coulde up with.


    Unlike Braham, who hated her, Marie Rose had no feelings toward him. She was grateful for the help he had given her during the Beriache incident, and was starting to care about her brother...


    In other words, the rtionship between Marie Rose and Braham was quite good at the moment. However, that was a separate matter. Like most siblings in the world, Marie Rose hated Braham to a certain extent.


    Mumud exined. ¡°Teacher always said that, the more reasonable the method, the more sacrifices or forsaking will have to be made. Back when I was human, I couldn¡¯t admit that, but now I have no choice. I am going to put it into practice. I can¡¯t think of any other way to protect Asgard.¡±


    Judging by his long exnation, he definitely realized that beingpared to Braham was an insult. A light shed in Grid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying... I take it that you¡¯ve regained most of the memories of your past life, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mumud did say yes, but he didn¡¯t say how much he remembered.


    Grid became a bit restless. What if Mumud had regained all his memories? What if he wanted to protect the Full Moon Fortress because of the grudge he held against Braham?


    ¡°Grid.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t me Braham for what he did.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Surprisingly, Mumud remembered everything. Grid¡¯s eyes widened. He wanted to say something. Mumud smiled at him.


    ¡°This is all thanks to the time I spent as Agnus¡¯ lich. I witnessed how much Braham regretted and med himself for what he had done to me. I clearly remember the moments when you tried to apologize to me.¡±


    Mumud recalled Braham, whom he had met in Reidan a few months earlier. His teacher¡¯s eyes, which still looked the same as before... were painfully sad and distressed.


    ¡°...This is hard to believe.¡±


    Grid was suspicious. Mumud was a genius, not a saint. He didn¡¯t me his teacher for taking away all his achievements and turning him into a lich? That was hard to believe.


    However, Mumud thought differently. He definitely wasn''t a saint, but he was a good person. He understood other people¡¯s circumstances and their mistakes, so he forgave them.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Mumud wondered.


    ¡°If Braham had done to me what he did to you, I would¡¯ve gone to the depths of hell to kill him.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Braham was different from Pagma. He had no cause to justify his actions. He had indeed stolen his student¡¯s achievements out of sheer jealousy and personal greed. He had turned his short-lived disciple into a lich because he felt sorry.


    How could Mumud forgive something so despicable?


    Grid decided he had to draw his sword. He was determined to cut down that Full Moon Fortress behind Mumud. He didn¡¯t want to have any regrets.


    ¡°You definitely want revenge on Braham. I can¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t...? I told you that I have forgiven him...¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. How can you forgive someone so despicable?¡±


    ¡°Despicable... No matter what you have aplished, it¡¯s hard for me to do nothing while you criticize my teacher.¡±


    Noe had an incredulous expression on his face. ¡°Did your guys¡¯ opinions on Braham switch...?¡±

 Chapter 2038

    <h4>Chapter 2038</h4>


    Tenacity, persistence, hard work¡ªthese were the driving forces behind Grid¡¯s growth.


    Like the main protagonist of a shonen manga, his story of breaking through the limit several times without giving up was incredibly famous. However, there was actually one more aspect that had made Grid who he was¡ªwrath.


    Back when he used to be weak and pathetic, Grid used to direct it at himself and at others who stood in his way. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The abyss that made up Grid was full of venom. Of course, because of the many responsibilities he shouldered, often times he couldn¡¯t do what he wanted and had topromise, but...


    ¡®...It¡¯s impossible topromise with someone who has stolen all of my aplishments and turned me into a lich.¡¯


    For example, Mumud and Kasim werepletely different. Kasim, the King of Shadows, used to hold a tremendous grudge against Empire Juander and the Saharan Empire. He used to live only for revenge. However, Grid hoped that Kasim would let go of his grudge. Why did he want this? It wasn¡¯t because Grid didn¡¯t have a conscience, or because he looked down on the weight of Kasim¡¯s grudge.


    ¡®Kasim has Lord.¡¯


    Kasim wasn¡¯t alone. He had been with Lord since Lord was born. They were best friends, a teacher and disciple who learned from each other, friends who had no secrets from each other, and family. Like Grid and Khan, Lord and Kasim¡¯s rtionship was unique. Kasim was also aware of this fact. If he forced himself to get revenge and made a mistake, Lord would be the one who would be very upset.


    So, Kasim gave up his revenge. He surely didn¡¯t forgive his enemy for destroying his home, but he gave up on killing him. Love calmed his anger. However, Mumud didn¡¯t have someone like Lord. Except for him, all the other angels were just soldiers who acted ording to the will of the gods. They didn¡¯t keep the memories of their previous lives.


    Did this mean the gods would be friends with Mumud? There was no way. To gods, angels were nothing more than convenient tools. The gods treated even Raphael, the first ranked archangel, as a servant.


    Here in Asgard, Mumud surely felt alone. There was no reason for him to suppress the hatred in his heart. The most important thing was...


    ¡°You have too much to hide from me.¡±


    Grid had interrogated the demon cultivators using the Memory Searching Technique. At that time, he learned that archangels such as Metatron and Raphael were helping with the construction of the Full Moon Fortress. However, Metatron was trapped in the depths of Asgard with Dominion¡¯s group.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one who led the construction of the Full Moon Fortress, right? Aren¡¯t Metatron and Raphael behind it as well? Among them, Metatron seems to have dropped out along the way, but...¡±


    Grid didn¡¯t know the details, but Metatron definitely changed course along the way. Instead of cooperating with the demon cultivators, they decided to follow Dominion. Because of that, Metatron was trapped along with Dominion.


    ¡°Where is Raphael?¡±


    Grid was wary of his surroundings. Of course, Raphael wasn¡¯t a threat to him. Grid could probably kill Raphael with a single blow, though that was a bit of an exaggeration. This didn¡¯t mean that he intended to ignore how powerful the first ranked archangel was. If the opponent was openly plotting, then Grid should be vignt.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m ying the role of a decoy?¡± Mumud wondered.


    ¡°It would be difficult to disobey the orders of an archangel since you¡¯re an angel. Above all, your story can easily mislead me. It seems fitting for Raphael to use you as bait.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Mumud wasn¡¯t flustered. On the contrary, he had a wide smile on his face.


    ¡°You are correct.¡±


    Suddenly, he unleashed spectacr iridescent energy. Mystical characters clung to every streak of magic that emanated from him in tens of thousands of strands. This was a perfectbination of magic and mystical arts. It was a new technique that even Braham hadn¡¯t mastered yet. The genius of this era had perfected it.


    ¡°This counters me.¡±


    Marie Rose was rarely shocked. The magic power that Mumud utilized was dispersed in all the colors of the rainbow because it had seven attributes.


    Mumud moved as he pleased. He could cast any spell regardless of attribute and form, no matter how reality-defying it seemed. Now, he could also use all types of mystical arts. No matter who Mumud was targeting, he could easily dissect them.


    Marie Rose¡¯s magic was specialized in only one attribute, so her spells were more likely to be dissected and crushed as soon as they collided with Mumud¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop him, so destroy the Full Moon Fortress.¡± Grid said this after also seeing that Marie Rose was at a disadvantage. Thus, he prepared for battle without taking his eyes off Mumud for a moment.


    Just then, Mumud¡¯s magic shed like the light of a sword. It was engraved in the air. It was so powerful, space distorted around it.


    Grid and Marie Rose paused. They didn¡¯t feel any animosity from Mumud¡¯s magic. From the beginning, he had intended to strike the air.


    [Mumud, you...! Now that you released me, do you think I will forgive you...?!]


    Someone¡¯s intent leaked out through the gap in space. The owner of this intent was none other than...


    ¡°Raphael?¡±


    <i>Baaaaaaang!</i>


    A thunderous roar shook the temple. It was a noise made by an angel spreading out his several pairs of wings and squeezing through the gap in space.


    [How dare an angel lock me up? You have lost your fear after bing an archangel candidate! You will pay for betraying me!]


    Raphael¡¯s face was covered in blood. The one who once had the reputation of the first ranked archangel growled and red at Mumud. If looks could kill, Mumud would be dead.


    It seemed as if Raphael hadn¡¯t yet noticed Grid and Marie Rose.


    Mumud cast a spherical magical space to trap Raphael and exined. ¡°It was mostly Metatron and Raphael who negotiated with the demon cultivators. At that time, the gods of Asgard were mostly optimistic about negotiations. Therefore, they forced the archangels to be the god¡¯s agents and negotiate. Then Dominion emerged from his closed door training. What happened next was obvious. God Dominion was unwilling to cooperate with foreign beings and everyone changed their mind.¡±


    ¡°So you locked up all of Dominion¡¯s faction?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I decided that a Full Moon Fortress was absolutely necessary. It just so happens that I started to learn the techniques of the demon cultivators thanks to their goodwill. They weren¡¯t wary of me so it didn¡¯t take much effort to lock them up.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Since then, the construction of the Full Moon Fortress was carried out swiftly. The negotiations with the demon cultivators ended well thanks to Raphael¡¯s status as archangel. Because of the efforts of Asura and the other gods, we easily secured the materials necessary for the construction of the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    Raphael, Asura, and some gods still wanted a change. Some dreamed of regaining their former glory while others wanted to gain unprecedented authority. Insatiable greed wasn¡¯t exclusive to humanity. Blinded by greed, they allowed Mumud to operate freely.


    ¡°By the time all the formations that would lead to thepletion of the Full Moon Fortress were installed, Asura began ughtering the cultivators. Most of the demon cultivators were killed and the gods lost their status. However, Raphael tried to cooperate with Asura to survive, so I put him in this dimensional rift.¡±


    <i>Thump, thump.</i> <i>Thump!</i>


    Raphael struggled in the magical area he was trapped in. He swung his spear and fired divinity to smash the barrier. This wasn¡¯t the end. His blond hair, which was brighter than gold, became frizzy. His skin, which resembles white jade, was covered in wounds. His bloodshot eyes lost focus. He looked like a wounded beast.


    But, no matter how much he went on a rampage, the magical area didn¡¯t budge. The rainbow magic power and mystical characters dissected and disrupted his barrage of attacks. Raphael¡¯s disturbed divinity turned into a chain, restraining him.


    ¡°You... I was expecting Asura to betray me along the way.¡±


    By the time Asura betrayed them, Mumud¡¯s n was alreadyplete. He took possession of the Full Moon Fortress without anyone disturbing him. The result was too perfect to be attributed to only luck.


    Mumud nodded. ¡°From the time God Dominion was trapped, there was nothing left that could restrain Asura.¡±


    The leash Judar had ced around Asura¡¯s neck became loose. Dominion could grab the leash and shake it, but Mumud had made Dominion lose his grip. Asura running wild was a natural progression.


    Grid got to the point. "Okay. Let¡¯s say that everything went ording to your n. Even so, I still doubt your sincerity. Make Asgard independent? At first nce, this seems to be beneficial for humanity, but the risk is too great in the long run.¡±


    If the gods of Asgard no longer appeared before the eyes of humanity, the faith of humanity would solely be concentrated on the gods of the Overgeared World. This would make the Overgeared World more stable and stronger. The greedy political battles the Asgardian gods would have wouldn¡¯t be disastrous to humanity.


    Instead, the Full Moon Fortress in Asgard wouldpletely escape from the Overgeared World¡¯s surveince system. They would have no idea of how many cultivators the gods of Asgard would receive from the Full Moon Fortress or what types of tricks the gods would use these cultivators for in the future.


    Asgard¡¯s independence was a double-edged sword. For the Asgardian gods, independence from humanity meant that humanity would be unnecessary to them. They would no longer think that humanity¡¯s existence was beneficial for their existence. In the future, the Overgeared World and Asgard could reach a point where they would harm each other without hesitation.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    As long as Mumud hated humans, there would surely be a war of epic proportions one day.


    Mumud listened silently to Grid¡¯s exnation before asking, ¡°Is it so hard to believe that I don¡¯t hate humans?¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t hate humans, you hate Braham. Thus, I think the result will be the same.¡±


    Grid shaking his head decisively made Mumudugh. He still sounded very gentle when he said, ¡°You are very stubborn.¡±


    If a third party had witnessed the recent confrontation, they would¡¯ve thought Mumud was good-natured and that Grid was unnecessarily stubborn. However, there was no third party here. Everyone present was involved in the matter.


    Marie Rose snorted. ¡°You disparage my dear husband¡¯s concerns as stubbornness? Plus, Braham isn¡¯t that self-righteous these days.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes became cold. ¡°Let¡¯s make a lot of concessions and say that you are sincere in your desire to protect Asgard. You are an angel now, so it might be your instinct. But... no matter how I think about it, something is off. Is independence the only way to protect Asgard? Asgard won¡¯t be forgotten as long as people don¡¯t forget Reba. Even if she is hunted by the Refractive Dragon forever, she will never be forgotten as a God of the beginning.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Of course, other gods except Reba might be forgotten and disappear. But what does that have to do with you? Isn¡¯t Reba the one that the angels ultimately serve, and no one else?¡±


    <i>Thump, thump.</i> <i>Thump!</i>


    Raphael, trapped in the magical space, was struggling even harder. The emotion in those bloodshot eyes was no longer anger. It was joy. At some point, Raphael started looking at Grid, not Mumud. He was smiling like a maniac.


    Grid¡¯s Annihtion sword shattered the area that trapped Raphael. Grid hadn¡¯t pulled out the Annihtion energy earlier purely because he was wary of Asura. There was no need to save it now.


    Thanks to this, Raphael was now free.


    [Hahaha! Mumud! Foolish renegade! Did you think that your eloquence would work on Grid, who made me, the first ranked archangel, this way? Grid rules alone. He makes me want to curse him, but he isn¡¯t as simple-hearted as me.]


    ¡°...How annoying.¡±


    The remnants of the magical area smashed by the Annihtion sword turned into chains, imprisoning Grid¡¯s group.

 Chapter 2039

    <h4>Chapter 2039</h4>


    A surprise attack. However, Grid had been suspicious of Mumud from the start. He immediately reacted to the thousands of chains showing up from all directions.


    Purple energy surged around Grid. He was using the Annihtion energy defensively. Many of these chains turned to ashes as soon as they came into contact with the Annihtion energy.


    Grid took a step, and a silent sword pierced Mumud in the abdomen. This was a very fast counterattack that was linked with Shunpo. A Transcendent wouldn¡¯t be able to respond to it.


    Defying the Natural Order was piercing Mumud¡¯s belly. However, there was no blood. Mumud seemed to blur like a haze before vanishing.


    ¡®Is this an afterimage that appeared in response to my fast attack?¡¯


    No, that was impossible. This wasn¡¯t an afterimage created by really fast movement. It was a trap dug in advance. Mumud had predicted Grid would do this. Grid fell to his knees the moment he realized this.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Before he knew it, he was overwhelmed by the pressure of Meteor that was falling toward his head. The gravity around him had increased a thousandfold. If he hadn¡¯t had the title that gave him immunity to being crushed, wouldn¡¯t he have tasted instant death? The rock that appeared was so gigantic that he couldn¡¯t help having this absurd thought.


    [Don¡¯t be too aggressive.]


    Marie Rose¡¯s intent arose from the blind spot in Grid¡¯s field of view. She was behind the Full Moon Fortress. Yes, he sensed her intent from all the way behind the huge city that was hundreds of kilometers in circumference. In other words, she was very far away. She was located next to Mumud, who was so far that Grid couldn¡¯t reach him even if he used Shunpo. Mumud had used teleportation to get away from Grid.


    [Did you turn into fog and bolted for me in a straight line?]


    Mumud looked a bit surprised. He didn¡¯t seem to have expected how fast Marie Rose would pursue him. But Grid was even more surprised.


    ¡®Intent... Is Mumud an Absolute?¡¯


    That was theoretically possible. Mumud had created a new discipline, which was thebination of magic and mystical arts. It made sense that he would be an Absolute in recognition of his achievements.


    [Grid, I guarantee that you will regret it if you keep Mumud alive,] Raphael said. [Asgard¡¯s independence... Mumud is about toplete that absurd n of his. The moment the Full Moon Fortress ispleted, the gods of Asgard will no longer need humans.]


    ¡°......¡±


    [Asgard and the surface will bepletely isted, unable to interfere with each other. Once that happens, Asgard will get much more benefits from this situation than the surface. Asgard can constantly produce new gods and angels, strengthening them through the worship of the demon cultivators. One day, Asgard will appear before humans again, and the surface won¡¯t be able to handle Asgard at all.]


    This was definitely a possible future. Grid couldn¡¯t refute it. However, he had one question.


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that the ideal oue for you? Why didn¡¯t you agree with Mumud¡¯s n?¡±


    [What?]


    Raphael frowned. His scarred and beautiful face was full of annoyance.


    [Do you want me to be Mumud¡¯s subordinate? I will hate that more than dying, don¡¯t you think? I guess you looked down on me so much that you forgot, but most angels of human origin are the soldiers I selected and brought to heaven. Mumud is just one of them. Would you want to serve the soldiers you created? Huh?]


    ¡®This guy is serious.¡¯


    Grid¡¯s insight was based on experience. He did his best to avoid being bullied in school, to then simply survive by ying Satisfy, to protecting what he first gained after bing Pagma''s Sessor, to protecting what mattered to him after bing king...


    Unknowingly, he constantly observed people¡¯s facial expressions and actions. This didn¡¯t mean that he had developed the ability to see through people. He just developed an intuition to distinguish between lies and truth. He¡¯d gained this intuition after many encounters. The senses of an Absolute that activated the moment he connected to Satisfybined with that intuition, so he was very urate in his assumptions.


    [Hey, are you ignoring me? Are you saying it isn¡¯t worth talking to someone who can¡¯t even properly take care of his own area of responsibility?]


    <i>Bam!</i>


    Raphael¡¯s words were bing harsher due to how agitated he was, so Grid punched him in the face. Then he infused Annihtion energy into his sword. This energy wasn¡¯t infinite. There was a set amount to it, just like a normal person¡¯s mana. The number was very high and so was the resource recovery, so Grid wasn¡¯t even conscious of it...


    However, he consumed too much Annihtion energy when he used it defensively to avoid the pressure of the chains. Grid¡¯s heart sank for a moment.


    ¡®I felt too uneasy to stop it with Multiple Weakening Barriers. But, well...¡¯


    That was okay.


    ¡®I only need one shot to end everything.¡¯


    There was the sound which resembled arge amount of ice freezing rapidly. Or, conversely, it sounded like cracks appearing in arge piece of ice. The purple energy flowing through the sharp de of Defying the Natural Order repeatedly expanded and contracted, shattered andbined to form a more dense structure.


    It had the power to kill anything. The Annihtion energy tempered the strongest weapon in existence.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter what Mumud¡¯s intentions are or what future he envisions.¡¯


    This was enough to stop it¡ª


    Grid¡¯s arm blurred...


    <i>Baaaaaaang!</i>


    The huge temple that could fit an entire city into it was shaking.


    [A... Agh...]


    Raphael had been holding his red-hot cheek after getting punched and sending killing intent toward Grid. Now, he couldn¡¯t help sucking in a breath. The sharp purple line shing the jade-colored moon in the center of the temple was reflected in Raphael¡¯s eyes.


    Grid imagined that, the moment this line became bigger and bigger, it would be the end for the Full Moon Fortress. The construction would split in half around this line.


    Just then¡ª


    "Aghhhhh!¡±


    Someone¡¯s scream rang out from one side of the temple, which had been silent until now. It came from a demon cultivator, who had been hiding in a corner and peeking at Grid¡¯s group in fear.


    "......?"


    Puzzled, Grid looked in that direction. His eyes widened. A leopard-headed cultivator that was over three meters tall got split in half diagonally. Blood mixed with purple energy gushed out.


    ¡®The Annihtion energy...!¡¯


    Grid¡¯s Annihtion energy, which should¡¯ve sliced through the Full Moon Fortress, ended up slicing the demon cultivator who was in the wrong ce at the wrong time.


    ¡®Illusion magic?¡¯


    Did he target the demon cultivator instead of the Full Moon Fortress? Was it because he was bewitched by Mumud¡¯s spell?


    Confused, Grid listened carefully. Raphael¡¯s intent was leaking out as he clicked his tongue.


    [Tch. Mumud is a monster. I never thought he would¡¯ve perfected that spell.]


    ¡°Which one?¡± Grid asked while fixing his eyes on the Full Moon Fortress again.


    He was a bit nervous. His n was to split the Full Moon Fortress in half. He had nned to use this to his advantage to repeatedly use Shunpo until he detected Mumud¡¯s location and pursued him.


    However, the Full Moon Fortress was fine. The Annihtion energy that should¡¯ve split the Full Moon Fortress in half instead cut down a demon cultivator who was in apletely different location.


    [It¡¯s a spell that relocates the power it receives. It¡¯s a modified and evolved version of a mystical art called the Great Shift of the Universe. I thought Mumud was delusional when he first brought up the possibility of making such a spell...]


    ¡°Great Shift of the Universe?¡±


    [It¡¯s a mystical art practiced by the leader of the demon... cultivators. It¡¯s very powerful because it reflects a lot of the damage that the target receives. I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say that Asgard was brought to the negotiating table because of this power.]


    Grid was already wary of this unexpected development. His gaze was even fiercer than before. Even Raphael, who was blinded by range, was stunned and humbled. Raphael only used honorifics when talking sarcastically. But right now, he was trying too hard to sound polite.


    ¡®A mystical art that returns damage to the sender...¡¯


    This meant that Great Shift of the Universe was just a reflection skill, though it was quite powerful. Now Mumud had turned it into his own spell.


    ¡°Relocating the damage that is received... Does that mean that even if I attack, other targets will take damage if that¡¯s what Mumud wants?¡±


    [Yes, it¡¯s hard to believe, but that is an urate exnation.]


    ¡°Wait, this is crazy...¡±


    The sword he swung to kill someone could end up killing an entirely different target. He wouldn¡¯t kill his target, but who Mumud wanted. In other words, Grid could kill his own allies. He had witnessed and experienced quite a lot of skills that were so overpowered they could be considered broken, but this was arguably the greatest one.


    In his mind, Grid was cursing in bewilderment.


    Raphael exined some more. [Of course, there will be some tricky conditions. No matter how much of a genius he is, he can¡¯t create an unbeatable spell, right?]


    Raphael¡¯s big eyes blinked wildly. He believed that unbeatable spells couldn¡¯t exist, but he wasn¡¯t certain. Grid narrowed his eyes with a sense of anxiety, but he regained his senses after what Raphael said.


    ¡®Yes, there is no such thing as unbeatable spells.¡¯


    Grid thought of the greatest magician he knew¡ªthe God of Magic and Wisdom, Braham. His spells weren''t perfect either. He created spells that were very close to being unbeatable, but he wasn¡¯t truly invincible. There was always a chance to attack him.


    ¡®There must be loopholes in Mumud¡¯s spell.¡¯


    That had to be the case. Otherwise, the demon cultivator wouldn¡¯t have died in ce of the Full Moon Fortress. Marie Rose, who was holding Mumud back, would¡¯ve been the one hurt.


    ¡®Plus, no spell can withstand the Falling Moon Sword.¡¯


    Grid calmly put away Defying the Natural Order and pulled out the Falling Moon Sword.


    <i>Drip.</i>


    He heard water dripping. Ripples appeared in Grid¡¯s vision. A clear pond suddenly floated in the air in front of him.


    What was it?


    As Grid tilted his head, puzzled, the pond reflected andscape. It was a familiar sight to Grid¡ªthe surface. It showed the area near the mountain range where thest Full Moon Fortress in the East Continent was located. Countless people were gathered there.


    Mumud¡¯s intent was carved all around him.


    [Every time you attack the Full Moon Fortress, the people there will die instead.]


    Mumud was threatening Only One God Grid. Really? It had been so long since this happened. Grid was dumbfounded for a moment. He smirked, his face twitching.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then so be it.¡±


    It was just a bluff. Hitting the Full Moon Fortress in Asgard would kill a human on the surface? That didn¡¯t make sense. Grid rushed forward, ignoring Mumud¡¯s warning. The cold light of the Falling Moon Sword was at his fingertips. He was prepared to cut his target in two with one strike.


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    Time seemed to stretch out for ages. Grid suddenly had a question. Could this be a provocation? Would he sh Marie Rose now instead of the Full Moon Fortress?


    ¡°Hngh...!¡±


    The Falling Moon Sword disappeared from Grid¡¯s hand. He swapped items incredibly fast. He now held the Motley il instead.


    <i>m!</i>


    A il mmed with a lot of force into the Full Moon Fortress.

 Chapter 2040

    <h4>Chapter 2040</h4>


    Mumud had made an incredible threat to Grid¡ªattacking the Full Moon Fortress would kill the humans on the surface.


    [He won¡¯t be able to strike quickly. He might hesitate for hours or tens of minutes. Grid is a good person. Above all, I believe you won¡¯t be easily defeated.]


    [That is a possibility.]


    Marie Rose seemed to have little interest in Grid¡¯s choice. She nodded roughly and stared at Mumud. That was all. She didn¡¯t take any actions or ask any questions. Mumud was a bit taken aback, so he took the lead in the conversation while building a magical area around him so that his intent didn¡¯t leak out.


    [I¡¯m trying to separate Asgard from the surface for the sake of both humans and gods. As long as the Overgeared World exists, it is impossible for Asgard and the surface to coexist.]


    Human worship was necessary for gods to exist. The more worship the gods received, the stronger they became. The more they were forgotten, the more they disappeared.


    Now, the humans on the surface were serving the gods of the Overgeared World, not Asgard. This was a serious problem for Asgard. Once enough time passed, the anxious gods of Asgard would eventually struggle to exert any sort of influence over the humans on the surface. There would be a lot of confusion and strife.


    [As an angel, I have an instinct to protect Asgard. I also want to protect humans due to my memories as a human. Just...]


    Mumud¡¯s eyes, which seemed warm despite being silver, immediately became cold.


    [I will punish Braham. Marie Rose, I¡¯m sure you can rte. My teacher¡¯s existence is useless to the world.]


    Marie Rose realized something. Mumud was being sincere now.


    [His desire for knowledge can¡¯t be suppressed and will never dissipate. One day, he will sacrifice everything in order to satisfy that desire. I know this because I¡¯ve been through it.]


    This was the real reason Mumud wanted to protect the Full Moon Fortress. He had good intentions and really wanted to protect thend and Asgard. However, he also nned to harm Braham, just as Grid had expected, but not because of a personal grudge.


    [Marie Rose, please support me.]


    It took him less than a second to ask this because they were conversing with intent, not words.


    [You are greedy.]


    After using teleportation to pursue Mumud, Marie Rose had only been looking for a way to subdue him. Now, she responded to the conversation properly for the first time.


    [I agree with your opinion that Braham¡¯s desire for knowledge will grow endlessly. That is everything he inherited from Beriache. But I don¡¯t think he will cause the same ident as before.]


    [Is it because Grid is with him now?]


    [......]


    Marie Rose was about to say something else, but gave up and just nodded.


    Mumud¡¯s expression darkened.


    [Grid will disappear someday.]


    [......?]


    Marie Rose tilted her head. Only One God Grid... Her immortal husband would be gone one day? That was a far-fetched argument. Everything else could disappear, but Grid would survive forever.


    Mumud looked at her like she was pitiful and revealed the truth to her.


    [For Grid, this world is nothing more than a space for his entertainment. Don¡¯t expect him to settle down here forever...]


    The world was just a game. The extraordinary genius who had been observing Reba, Judar, and Dominion had realized the incredible truth. This was why he felt the need to prepare for a world without Grid.


    [......]


    Marie Rose reacted subtly.


    <i>sh!</i>


    One of the strands of magic power that Mumud released flickered intensely. This was a sign that the Full Moon Fortress had been attacked. Mumud was shocked when he saw what was going on.


    [He didn¡¯t hesitate?]


    Mumud was forced to take the humans of the surface as hostages. He never expected that his bluff wouldn¡¯t work at all. Mumud was surprised by Grid¡¯s choice and hurriedly pulled out a ss bottle of holy water.


    Holy water was water made by Reba, a God of the beginning. It was infinitely clear and projected everything. Asgard¡¯s seas, rivers,kes, ponds and wells, which allowed the gods and angels to observe the situation of the surface, all contained holy water. A droplet from the bottle caused ripples, creating a small pond. It appeared between Mumud and Marie Rose, showing thendscape of the surface. This was the spot where thergest number of humans were currently gathered.


    [They will die...!]


    Mumud¡¯s face turned pale. No humans could withstand Grid¡¯s attack power. Mumud¡¯s warning that the humans of the surface would die if the Full Moon Fortress was attacked was real.


    His new spell created by evolving Great Shift of the Universe, Transition, was truly powerful. The target that was protected by Transition was virtually invulnerable since all the damage it would potentially take was sent out to another target.


    Of course, as Grid and Raphael had guessed, there were a lot of constraints. First of all, it required arge magic circle, so the time required to activate it was very long. At least three hundred magic circles had to be installed with their lines ovepping or intersecting toplete the Transition spell.


    As a result, more than five thousand magic circles were required for the finished spell. Most of them were dummy magic circles. This meant the Transition spell was designed to bepleted using countless dummy magic circles.


    This was only to deal with Grid, who had the famous Falling Moon Sword and Annihtion energy. Mumud had made the spell withstand Grid, who could cut anything. The probability of Grid destroying the real form of Transition in one blow was only one in ten thousand.


    The spell had many other shorings and weaknesses, but... the effect was obvious. After all, magic had a rule: the more weaknesses there were, the more powerful the spell was. Additionally, the targets that Mumud pointed to as the target of Transition¡¯s damage relocation were ordinary human beings. They would die just from the gods breathing on them. There was no way they could bear a blow from Grid.


    Mumud was certain that many people would die.


    [Ack...!]


    It was toote to dismantle Transition now. He had been wrong for targeting humans in the first ce. He had thought the threat would work a bit on Grid. While Grid was thinking over his options, Mumud hoped that he would be able to convince Marie Rose.


    This had been terrible arrogance on his part. This was just like his short time spent as a human due to his terminal illness. No matter how brilliant he was, he couldn¡¯t predict what life had in store for him.


    Hopeless, Mumud squeezed his eyes shut. Every emotion passed over his face as quickly as beams of light. However, Marie Rose captured all of them.


    She said, [You even have the same weaknesses as Braham.]


    Mumud furrowed his brows. For the first time, he resented Marie Rose a bit for insisting that he resembled Braham.


    [Open your eyes and look at it clearly.]


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t care how Mumud felt. A hand made of red blood held his cheek and forced him to open his eyes. Mumud saw that the humans on the surface who got hit by Grid¡¯s attack instead of the Full Moon Fortress...


    ¡°A-Ah...¡±


    ¡°S-So exhrating!¡±


    ...were all ecstatic.


    Fortunately, the Motley il ended up giving buffs to the humans on the surface. Of course, there would¡¯ve been no casualties even if a debuff had been applied. There would only be people unlucky enough to have their health drop to 1, or almost die from poisoning or burns.


    [......?]


    Mumud was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect this. His expression was clearly revealed thanks to his angel¡¯s halo, which had been partially removed because of the blood magic surrounding his cheeks. Instead of being disappointed, he seemed relieved.


    Marie Rose snorted. [As you expected, Braham is likely to make the same mistake.]


    [I knew you would agree with me...]


    [Yes, it¡¯s a mistake.]


    [......?]


    [No matter the reason, Braham used his own kin as test subjects to gain knowledge. He betrayed his siblings and disciple, and threatened humans many times. Even so, in the end, he regretted all the mistakes he made.]


    Mumud gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t agree with Marie Rose¡¯s opinion at all. [Does this mean that if you feel regret for your sin, it isn¡¯t a sin, but a mistake?]


    Marie Rose shook her head.


    [What I mean is that, if he makes the same mistake again after regretting it, it will surely be a mistake. Of course, just because it¡¯s a mistake, that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t a sin.]


    Marie Rose wasn¡¯t a talkative person. She had been alone for most of her life, so she was unfamiliar with conversing. But this changed after meeting Grid. She whispered her love to him all night long and had learned how tomunicate to others.


    [But Braham is pretty smart. I think he will try to not make the same mistake. If he tries to do that again, the people around him will be able to stop him.]


    [Who will control Braham in a world without Grid? The desire he inherited from Beriache can¡¯t be ovee with hard work or with other people¡¯s help.]


    [You know something else, right?]


    Suddenly, Mumud became aware of how terrible his own face looked in Marie Rose¡¯s red eyes. Why did he look so distressed? The reason was simple. Marie Rose was right. He knew something else.


    [How much did Braham regret and reflect on the sins hemitted against you?]


    Before he regained his memories, Mumud had glimpsed the emotions in Braham¡¯s eyes when Braham looked at him. Regret, sadness,passion, affection, and remorse...


    Mumud wanted to believe that Braham wasn¡¯t the same person he used to be. He wouldn¡¯tmit the same sin again. But...


    [The result will still be the same. Braham... Teacher will betray those around him again once his desire reaches its pinnacle.]


    [No, I think it will be different if you are around. My siblings and I intend to watch him from the side.]


    Before Beriache died, Marie Rose would¡¯ve been suspicious of Braham till the very end. However, she had witnessed Braham¡¯s transformation. For the sake of his sister and in the hope that his mother wouldn¡¯t regret betraying someone close to her like he did, Braham stopped his mother¡¯s wrongdoings even though he loved and respected her the most. He had sided with Marie Rose despite hating his sister so much.


    He couldn¡¯t make the same mistake again after going through that...


    [.....]


    Mumud was speechless after hearing the exnation. He was lost in thought for a moment.


    Would Marie Rose go to such lengths to defend Braham? No. Everyone knew that Marie Rose didn¡¯t get along well with her brother. They hated each other the most, so they weren¡¯t likely to protect each other.


    But she had changed. Then, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for Braham to change as well?


    <i>Rustle...</i>


    The stream of magic power that connected Mumud and the Full Moon Fortress, the activation form that maintained the ultimate spell called Transition, gradually faded.

 Chapter 2041

    <h4>Chapter 2041</h4>


    ¡®Even if he is crazy, there are limits to his craziness... He¡¯s telling the truth? Really? He truly is Braham¡¯s apprentice...¡¯


    Grid¡¯s face turned pale as he checked the view of the surface through the pond again and again. He trembled several times, his eyes wide. He was really sick of this. If he hadn¡¯t given up on his stubbornness and ended up swinging the Falling Moon Sword, that white sword would¡¯ve cut so many people¡¯s necks and hearts... It was terrible just imagining it...


    [Pfft.]


    Raphael sneered. He cleared his head and hurriedly gathered his thoughts. His face gradually turned red. Grid was the most unscrupulous and annoying bastard in the world. Resisting the opportunity tough at the existence Raphael had hated for so long was incredibly hard. He couldn¡¯t think straight.


    Grid red at Raphael, who finally burst outughing.


    [...Pfft...]


    ¡°You are an actual idiot. Innocent people almost died without even knowing the reason, but you areughing? Since you are an angel, why don¡¯t you at least try to pretend?¡±


    [...No one got hurt, right? Hehe...]


    Raphael didn¡¯t look at the people who almost died. He justughed because it felt a bit exhrating to see Grid being scared to death. However, he didn¡¯t resolve the misunderstanding. He felt as if he would die if he told him the truth.


    ¡°Psychotic bastard. I feel sorry for Reba. She must¡¯ve regretted creating you many times.¡±


    This scathing remark would make even Huroi click his tongue. Reba and Raphael¡¯s rtionship resembled that between a parent and a child.


    [.....]


    Raphael made every effort to clear his mind. His desire to curse at Grid leaked out through his intent. The two of them mixed together like oil and water, so Raphael was having a hard time.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Two beams of light, the remnants of teleportation magic, fell from the sky. Marie Rose and Mumud appeared next to Grid and Raphael.


    ¡°Marie Rose!¡±


    Grid¡¯s face lit up. He had been worried about Marie Rose being safe around Mumud. He thought it would be a jackpot for Mumud to capture her.


    Meanwhile, Mumud was relieved to see that the Full Moon Fortress was in one piece. He had removed Transition in a hurry because he was worried that Grid would take a risk. He was afraid that Grid would sh at the Full Moon Fortress again without caring about people¡¯s deaths.


    Most sessful beings didn¡¯t mind sacrificing their cattle for the cause. Mumud himself would probably think the same in the future. Fortunately, Grid wasn¡¯t like that. Grid knew that everyone mattered, no matter how important they were.


    Raphaelughed at Mumud, who was happy to confirm that Grid was a good being.


    [You don¡¯t know Grid. If you had been a bitte, the Full Moon Fortress would¡¯ve been in two pieces.]


    ¡°......¡±


    This time, Grid failed to refute it. Contrary to Mumud¡¯s belief, he wasn¡¯t so kind-hearted. If he decided it was necessary, then he would have made a bold decision. That was why he had given Lauel enormous power. After many ughters and sacrifices, Lauel had risen to his current position.


    ¡°So... Did your conversation go well?¡±


    Grid cleared his throat to improve the atmosphere and focused on understanding what was going on. He thought that Marie Rose had seeded in subjugating Mumud and captured him. However, Mumud seemed to be okay. Marie Rose was also the same as usual. There were no signs of fighting.


    Marie Rose smiled and shifted her attention to Mumud. She was telling him to exin himself.


    [Yes.]


    Mumud nodded obediently and closed his eyes for a moment to organize his thoughts.


    ¡®She is charismatic.¡¯


    Grid was thrilled. Mumud was a rare genius who had be an Absolute by fusing the mystical arts of the cultivators with magic. He had created the spell that could transfer damage taken from a target to another. Someone like that seemed to respect Marie Rose.


    Of course, based on the degree of kinship, Marie Rose was like Mumud¡¯s elder. From Mumud¡¯s perspective, she was the sister of his teacher. Also, Marie Rose was actually much older... However, this was only from a Confucian point of view.


    The characters of Satisfy, especially the archangels of Asgard, weren¡¯t familiar with Confucianism. Would they respect their opponent simply because the other person was older?


    Furthermore, Mumud hated his teacher. There was absolutely no reason for him to respect his teacher¡¯s sister. Nevertheless, treating Marie Rose like this meant he was influenced by external factors, such as her personality or power.


    [What is with that expression...?]


    Raphael pretended to throw up. He was disgusted by Grid, who looked up at Marie Rose with watery, shiny eyes.


    Grid didn¡¯t care. He expressed his feelings honestly.


    ¡°Right now... I have fallen in love with my wife once again."


    Raphael told him, [You have a strong libido.]


    ¡°...What?¡±


    [I¡¯ve been taught that being affectionate to the opposite sex is because of sexual desire.]


    ¡°You are frivolous... Seeing that you don¡¯t understand the concept of love, the rumor that angels are eunuchs has to be true. You really don¡¯t have genitalia, do you?¡±


    [No? We do. You have Sariel by your side. Don¡¯t you know this?]


    ¡°Wait, dammit... Does that really change every time you change your gender?¡±


    [Of course. Angels areplete beings, so we aren¡¯t caught up in trivial desires like sexual desire.]


    [.....]


    Mumud scowled as he was gathering his thoughts in silence. The lowly conversation between Raphael and Grid broke his focus. Marise Rose fixed the situation.


    ¡°My dear husband, have you be friends with Raphael?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±


    [Not at all.]


    ¡°But you seem to get along pretty well.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? This is a misunderstanding.¡±


    [Disgusting.]


    Grid was dissatisfied with Raphael¡¯s constant interruptions. ¡°...Come to think of it, why are you still alive?¡± he suddenly asked the archangel.


    At first, Grid tried to talk to Raphael to obtain more information. Now Marie Rose had persuaded Mumud and brought him back. Raphael was useless.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    [W-Wait! Wait a moment!]


    Could Grid count how many people he had killed? No. Even the demon in charge of managing the register of hell surely quit halfway because their job was too difficult. Grid telling Raphael to die wasn¡¯t just a threat. It was a possibility that would be reality soon.


    [I will be of great use if you keep me alive!]


    Raphael showed a reaction speed worthy of the first-ranked archangel. He unleashed a series of spells to form a powerful defense and spoke hastily.


    [Are you willing to put your trust in Mumud, who has already used his overly brilliant mind to deceive and betray several gods and angels? Keep me by your side! I have been around since the beginning and I am familiar with the principles of Asgard. I can give you insight and advice every time Mumud tries to deceive you!!]


    Raphael wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The fact that the eyes of the gods didn¡¯t properly reach this Copsed Temple and that there was a huge temple submerged deep in theke... Only Raphael and Mumud knew about the existence of the submerged temple.


    Defying the Natural Order stopped right next to Raphael¡¯s throat. In the blink of an eye, Grid had prated through all of Raphael¡¯s spells and reached his target.


    [...You¡¯ve be this strong?]


    Raphael¡¯s intent leaked out uncontrobly as he stared at Grid in disbelief. His intent was filled with strong fear. It was to the point where he mistakenly thought he had been killed and had thoughts like, ¡®I¡¯m dying,¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m dead,¡¯ or ¡®I can¡¯t survive any longer.¡¯ He kept repeating these things.


    The Annihtion energy was a fear induced by Grid¡¯s ability to kill immortal beings with a single sh.


    Grid slowly said, ¡°I will stay in Asgard for a while to fight Asura, so I¡¯ll keep you alive until then. It is purely up to you to survive after that. You understand what I mean, right?¡±


    [I will keep that in mind.]


    <i>Flop!</i>


    Raphael¡¯s legs gave out and he slumped down as if bowing. He died and was now alive. He let go of the prejudice he had been harboring against Grid because of Grid¡¯s human origin.


    [...Great god.]


    Putting aside prejudice, Grid¡¯s identity was simple. He was the Only One God. He wasparable to a God of the beginning. No matter how Raphael looked at Grid, he couldn¡¯t find anything different from Reba.


    No, the difference was that Reba didn¡¯t kill with her own hands while Grid killed without hesitation. That made Raphael even more afraid. Grid was a being who had to be unconditionally served with respect.


    Raphael couldn¡¯t hold onto his pride.


    [.....]


    The lord of the skies was a huge bird of prey that roamed the skies and preyed on everything below it. Raphael reminded himself that Grid, with those fierce eyes of his, only saw him as nothing more than trivial prey and bowed even deeper.


    A notification window popped up in front of Grid.


    [An archangel of Asgard, Raphael, submits to you.]


    [His degree of obedience exceeds 100%. Raphael will never betray you.]


    After only one swing of the sword... The result exceeded Grid¡¯s expectations.


    ¡®Obedience... is a bit different from being loyal.¡¯


    In any case, this was why Grid needed to be strong. Did Grid ever think the day woulde when Raphael would submit after they started off the wrong foot and Raphael troubled him every time?


    Grid had imagined hundreds of times about the moment when he would kill Raphael, but he never dreamed that such a day woulde.


    ¡®I will have to work him like a dog.¡¯


    Grid hummed a tune, extremely satisfied and in good spirits.


    Finally, Mumud organized his thoughts and made up his mind. [...Please cut down the Full Moon Fortress. If you reign as the ruler of Asgard, we won¡¯t have to rely on the alien cultivators.]


    ¡°I understand... Huh?¡±


    Grid tilted his head. Reign as the ruler of Asgard? What nonsense was Mumud saying all of a sudden?


    [Just as you did with hell, bring Asgard under the control of the Overgeared World. Then most of the problems will naturally be solved.]


    For now, Grid decided to focus on the task at hand.


    ¡°...Have you dismantled that strange spell on the Full Moon Fortress?¡±


    Mumud nodded.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The Falling Moon Sword sliced the Full Moon Fortress in half.


    [W-What...]


    Mumud¡¯s eyes shook dizzily. The power of the Falling Moon Sword was greater than rumored. Even if Transition had been intact, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand the power of the weapon. Transition¡¯s multiple magic circles would¡¯ve been sliced apart in one go.


    [I... I¡¯ve never been in control.]


    ¡°Yes. I feel like I struggled on my end to persuade you when Grid could have handled things so easily.¡±


    Marie Rose noticed Mumud''s genuine reaction and chuckled. Just as Grid fell in love with her again every time, Marie Rose fell in love with Grid every passing moment.


    [The archangel candidate, Mumud, proposes to be your angel.]


    Twopanions were added to Grid¡¯s group.

 Chapter 2042

    <h4>Chapter 2042</h4>


    On the battlefield on the East Continent where thest Full Moon Fortress was located, the situation had been rough from the very beginning.


    Because the area had been deserted for a long time, the cultivators chose it as the construction site for the Full Moon Fortress. Since it was home to arge number of high-level monsters, the yers kept dying destroying it.


    Therefore, it ended up being thest surviving Full Moon Fortress.


    ¡°Get out of the way! It¡¯s dangerous! No, shit...! Get out of the way! Are you deaf?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh? I-I can¡¯t see on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, this is worse than the coronation of Emperor Grid.¡±


    ¡°People were orderly back then.¡±


    Today, tens of millions of people gathered in this area. They were constantlying to see and report on the heroes who seeded in the ¡®Stop the Erosion Ritual¡¯ world quest that would go down in history.


    As a result, raids were still going on nearby. The elite monsters and field bosses that originally inhabited thisnd became the targets of many high-level yers who had to keep them busy so that the rankers could focus on capturing the Full Moon Fortress.


    ording to the original n, these enemies should¡¯ve been left alone once the world quest waspleted. The role of the high-level yers would be over because they could use the return scroll to escape.


    But the rapid influx of people disrupted their ns. The yers couldn¡¯t tell for sure if these people were so distracted that they couldn¡¯t see the monsters, or if they truly didn¡¯t see them...


    People came running from all directions, totally ignoring the creatures. They were just trying to get one step closer to the Full Moon Fortress expedition group. Because of this, the high-level yers struggled with the monsters and were unable to leave. It was obvious that the civilians would be ughtered the moment the yers stopped keeping the mobs at bay.


    ¡°Wow, if the skill cooldown hade up 0.1 secondster, hundreds of people would¡¯ve died... What the hell is up with all these people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because the quest had such a dramatic sess. People are more excited than necessary.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± one of the rankers bragged, ¡°I managed to make it three hours before the time limit... Oh, why is that strange guy bowing to me again?¡±


    yers who were ssified as high-level were celebrities even though they weren¡¯t rankers. Their reputation could be significantly affected if they acted inappropriately. Thus, they couldn¡¯t turn away from the crowds who flocked to see the heroes of the quest. They had been hired by the guilds, armies or kingdoms that participated in the expedition, and their mission was to keep the monsters at bay until the Full Moon Fortress was destroyed, but...


    The Full Moon Fortress had fallen. They had been fighting for nearly an extra hour after that. The rankers in the expedition group seemed to notice their situation and sent support, but they were unable to move quickly because of the crowds that were impassable like mountains and seas. They kept getting caught and pinned down by reporters and extreme fans who were more persistent than monsters.


    This was a real pain...


    A strange notification window appeared as they felt a small jolt of pain.


    [Someone unknown has hit you.]


    The people were stunned. They couldn¡¯t understand who attacked them. They even wondered if this was the result ofg because of how many people were in the area, but their doubts were quickly cleared.


    [The effect of the Motley il has greatly increased your main stats for 10 minutes.]


    [The effect of the Motley il makes your next attack 10 times more powerful.]


    [The effect of the Motley il has increased the level of your skill to the Master level for 20 minutes.]


    [The effect of the Motley il has restored all resources.]


    [The effect of the Motley il has given you the Flight ability for 5 minutes.]


    As was often the case with Grid¡¯s cherished items, the Motley il was a very famous item. Grid often used it to fight powerful enemies, so he had revealed its power to the world.


    Ironically, there were times when Grid himself was hit by the side effects of it... In any case, that wasn¡¯t an important issue right now. What people received right now were buffs, not the il¡¯s infamous debuffs.


    ¡®Is he really a god...?¡¯


    The exhausted yers burst outughing. Just now, they became overwhelmed by a great sense of strangeness. Tens of millions were celebrating beside them, but they were struggling with their lives at stake. They wondered why they had to put up with this awful situation and felt that their efforts were in vain.


    Just then, the buff of the il engulfed them. Of course the person who suddenly helped them at the right time was Grid.


    ¡°I think Grid is watching us. Let¡¯s keep fighting.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Was Grid really watching them? Probably not. They were normal yers, not Overgeared members or rankers. He wouldn¡¯t even know who they were.


    Still, that was fine. Even if this miracle was a coincidence, Grid still helped them. His touch clearly brushed against them.


    <i>Baaaaaang!!</i>


    ¡°......?¡±


    Everyone had been focused on the heroes. Suddenly, they turned their attention toward the battlefield. There was a sudden explosion and monsters screamed.


    ¡°Hey, what...¡±


    Elite monsters and daunting field bosses with shiny red or ck names above their heads were unleashing powerful attacks very close to the crowd. Did they appear out of nowhere? Or had they been here from the very beginning?


    People started panicking. High-level yers who weren¡¯t rankers were somewhat well-known but were still ordinary people like the rest of the yer base. However, now they were showing a phenomenal performance. They easily overwhelmed the ferocious monsters.


    Every time a wounded and glowing monster tried to attack the crowd, the yers would throw themselves to block the strike instead.


    <i>¡°Ohhhhhh!!¡±</i>


    The onlookers were thrilled watching the yers¡¯ determination to protect them.


    <i>Kieeeeeek!</i>


    The monsters¡¯ scream made the crowd cheer enthusiastically.


    <i>"Waaahhhhhhhh!"</i>


    The public¡¯s attention and praise was no longer focused on the heroes who had destroyed the Full Moon Fortress, but on the mediocre yers who dedicated themselves to finishing things off behind the scenes.


    Thanks to this, the Overgeared members and rankers were freed from the crowd and managed to take a breather.


    ¡°They are helping us in many ways.¡±


    ¡°I agree. By the way...¡±


    The rankers tilted their heads. The average level of monsters in the East Continent was higher than in the West Continent. In particr, the monsters where thest Full Moon Fortress was located had a minimum level of over 600 and were all at least elites. They were even a threat to rankers when there were a lot of them clumped together.


    However, the high-level yers were massacring them. The rankers had simply asked them to keep the monsters busy, but their expectations had been blown away.


    ¡°...Did Damian share the loot with them?¡±


    There were hundreds of items obtained from killing the immortals. There was an endless stream of new thingsing out of the small pouch that belonged to the immortal. The most valuable items were Treasures and skill books, such as technique books and mystical art books. However, the value of the consumables ssified as elixirs couldn¡¯t be disparaged. The elixirs that had a permanent effect were worth more, while the elixirs that only had a one-time effect were vtile, but could dramatically increase a yer¡¯s stats.


    The yers who were currently dealing with the monsters had surely consumed one-time elixirs.


    Some rankers expressed their displeasure. ¡°Hmm, that is a bit of a waste...¡±


    Even they couldn¡¯t get the loot of the immortals due to their low contribution. Meanwhile, the high-level yers who were just fighting monsters got such valuable elixirs? It was hard to believe.


    ¡°You have no shame.¡±


    The small number of rankers were ring at the high-level yers who were bing stronger while ughtering elite monsters. The rankers suddenly came to their senses because they realized that other rankers surrounded them.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that we were able to concentrate on the battle against the cultivators because they kept the monsters busy?¡±


    ¡°There were no civilian casualties thanks to them staying focused until the end while the reporters interviewed you. It is purely because of their sacrifices that you guys, who didn¡¯t do much, were able to boast in front of the camera.¡±


    ¡°...I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Until just a few years ago, there were many rankers who didn¡¯t care about the eyes around them and acted in an unruly manner. ording to the logic of thew of the jungle, abuse of power was amon urrence. However, such people were rare these days. Katz, Agnus, the ck and White sisters, and so on¡ªall of the first generation psychopathic yers repented and became normal at some point.


    In an era when the craziest and most arrogant people were trying to live a good life, if a half-hearted ranker showed their awful nature, they would get heavily criticized.


    Furthermore, there were too many people around them right now. If the rankers continued to show off their ugly side, worst-case scenario, they could lose their sponsor. The rankers suppressed their jealousy and controlled themselves.


    Just then, the reporters rushed to the high-level yers who had finished cleaning up their surroundings. ¡°Wait, wait a moment! Please give me an interview!¡±


    The questions for the high-level yers were very different.


    How did they be stronger when they weren¡¯t even rankers? Did they get a huge reward for doing a lot during the war against cultivators? Simr questions of this caliber were asked.


    Basically, the reporters wondered how the yers had managed to be stronger.


    ¡°Grid helped us,¡± the yers answered honestly.


    ¡°......?¡±


    The reporters, the rankers, the Overgeared members, and even the Tower members and Apostles couldn¡¯t believe it. How could Grid help them when he wasn¡¯t even here? No one believed the ims of the high-level yers.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t believe it. But it¡¯s true. So what can I do?¡±


    The yers didn¡¯t speak for a long time. They didn¡¯t understand what was going on either. They just said what happened to them.


    ¡°Ahh... Is it you again, God Grid...?¡±


    People had no choice but to believe them. Everyone praised Grid. Some people prayed with sincerity while some half-jokingly prayed while chanting God Grid, which was a meme created by Peak Sword a long time ago.


    Ares, the god of war, burst outughing when he saw Valha¡¯s soldiers getting carried away by the atmosphere and seriously praying. ¡°Hey, hey... Are you praying too?¡±


    His generals such as Luck and Scott tried to stop the soldiers, but Ares waved his hand.


    ¡°Leave them. I¡¯m sure Grid is still struggling somewhere on his own, so it would be nice if we could help out a bit. Plus, in today¡¯s world, is there any ce that believes in a god other than Grid? At this point, let¡¯s consider epting the Overgeared God Church as the kingdom¡¯s religion. The people should have someone to rely on.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense... Ares, you should also think about bing a god. Haven¡¯t you gained a bit of divinitytely?¡±


    ¡°My capabilities aren¡¯t that great.¡±


    [The number of prayers toward you has increased explosively.]


    Just then, in the Behen Archipgo, the First Divine Image, the first of Grid¡¯s statues, emitted a vibrant golden light.

 Chapter 2043

    <h4>Chapter 2043</h4>


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡±


    Kraugel returned to Reinhardt as soon as he cleared the world quest because he was worried about Lord. The prince of the great empire should be the safest person in the world, but his safety had been in jeopardy the past few days.


    Lord¡¯s role was to protect Grid¡¯s full-term wives. Grid had as many enemies as people who respected him. If his wives happened to be targeted, the safety of Lord, who was guarding them, couldn¡¯t be guaranteed.


    Lord ran out with the Daughters of Reba and greeted Kraugel politely.


    ¡°Fortunately, nothing happened thanks to you taking care of me. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher! News of your great deeds have reached here as well!¡±


    Lord looked at Kraugel with gratitude and envy. Kraugel got second ce in the contribution rankings. He was second only to Grid in this war. He had also increased his reputation after being acknowledged by the Sword Saint of the previous generation.


    However, Kraugel felt ashamed.


    ¡°I just went on a rampage. There are many people who performed better than me.¡±


    For some reason, NPCs hadn¡¯t been included in this world quest. Some people such as the Tower members, Apostles, or Juander¡¯s group hadn¡¯t been counted in the contribution rankings. However, Kraugel wasn¡¯t talking about strong individuals like the Tower members and Apostles when he said that others had performed better than him.


    Lauel had paved the way for his allies to excel in battle thanks to his amazing tactics and strategies; Jishuka had increased the power of the army by 200% with her charisma and mercenary skills; Huroi had demoralized the cultivators by cursing them out until they coughed up blood; and Damian and Haster, who had lent their support to the Absolutes.


    Knight had turned the death of a key figure into an opportunity to turn things around; Katz and Chris had made the enemy lines copse several times; Zibal had moved the Tomb of the Gods freely like it was an extension of himself and wreaked havoc on his enemies; Euphemina had destroyed the enemies¡¯ carefully prepared n with her spells; Peak Sword and Ibellin had killed an Absolute, while Vantner and Toban always had their allies¡¯ backs at critical junctures...


    There were countless people who did a lot using their own wisdom and abilities. If it hadn¡¯t been for them, the world quest wouldn¡¯t have been cleared in time. If things had really looked dire, Grid would¡¯ve taken care of everything by himself. But, in any case... Kraugel didn¡¯t think others were inferior to him.


    Lord saw the sincerity in Kraugel¡¯s expression. ¡°I understand,¡± he cheerfully said. He was happy that his father and other teachers always served as role models for him.


    ¡°Lord-chaaaaaan~~¡±


    A brilliant beam of light fell and Damian popped out of it.


    Did his eyes be faucets...? People had such doubts upon seeing Damian burst into tears and run up to Lord to hug him.


    ¡°I almost died more than a thousand times! That wicked old man Braham kept pushing me in dangerous situations!! Lord-chan! Please be sure to tell Grid! Please ask him to scold Braham!¡±


    ¡°T-Teacher, there are many eyes on us,¡± Lord whispered. He barely pushed Damian away.


    Damian finally came to his senses and looked around. The Daughters of Reba and caretakers of the pce were around. Hundreds of people were watching them. Lord was genuinely worried about the reputation of the Overgeared God Church leader, but Damian didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that they¡¯re watching. Braham¡¯s evil deeds must be denounced to the whole world...¡± Damian shouted vigorously before his mouth twitched like a crucian carp. He had been hit by a Silence spell.


    This was Lord¡¯s doing. Damian, who was the rank 1 pdin, broke the Silence spell with his purification magic. He looked shocked.


    ¡°L-Lord-chan...? How could you do this to me...?¡±


    That good, innocent child had cast a spell on him! Damian was already distressed from Braham¡¯s abuse, so he became very upset now that this happened. His wide eyes shook wildly.


    Lord responded firmly, ¡°Calm down, Teacher. The conduct you are showing right now isn¡¯t befitting of your position.¡±


    ¡°......!¡±


    Damian was even more shocked. He never thought he would hear such a thing from his beloved student. He was speechless even though he wasn¡¯t under the Silence spell anymore.


    Lord advised him, ¡°Teacher, you are the leader of the Overgeared God Church. You are one of the people representing the empire and you can act on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. How can you not be careful about how you behave in front of people?¡±


    ¡°R-Right...¡±


    Damian finally came to his senses and bowed deeply. He blushed in embarrassment and sincerely repented.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry that I dared to admonish you, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°N-No! It is all my fault! Don¡¯t apologize, Lord-chan!¡±


    ¡°You came running as soon as the war was over. You were probably worried about me... Thank you, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°As expected, Lord-chan understands my feelings!¡±


    The day hade when Damian was admonished by a child. He was both ashamed and deeply moved. He was happy to witness Lord¡¯s growth.


    Kraugel stared as Damian whimpered in the arms of his student, who had grown bigger than him. Kraugel wasn¡¯t looking at him with contempt, but with interest.


    ¡®They get along quite well.¡¯


    Kraugel thought it was necessary to have a teacher like Damian to help Lord rx since all of Lord¡¯s other teachers were strict and serious. Damian was sometimes silly, but he had good intentions. He was like a younger brother, but he was reliable.


    Kraugel thought that perhaps Damian was Lord¡¯s best friend.


    Kasim seemed to think differently. ¡°Bah, how pathetic,¡± he grumbled from the shadows, making Kraugelugh.


    ***


    Atst, everyone was back to their daily routines.


    The Overgeared members organized the situation and returned to Reinhardt. The rankers returned to their respective homes and the crowd gathered on the battlefield dispersed.


    The news that all the cultivators had been wiped out spread around the world, so people in both reality and Satisfy were celebrating. They were no longer afraid of the cultivators.


    ¡°Asgard?¡±


    In the Overgeared Guild¡¯s meeting room, Peak Sword was happily watching the people who came out on the streets for the first time in a while and returned to their daily lives. He scowled when he heard about Grid¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡°He took on that vengeance battle by himself? Why not wait for us? There is no need to rush. Isn¡¯t there still time before the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators ispleted?¡±


    Jishuka¡¯s answer stunned the Overgeared members. ¡°He was tracking down Marie Rose and ended up identally solving this issue.¡±


    ¡°......?¡±


    Peak Sword saw his expression reflected in the window and realized he looked very stupid so he came back to his senses. He asked, ¡°Could it be that Marie Rose invaded Asgard first? By herself?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I guess she was going to destroy the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators so that Grid could focus on the war on the surface. It¡¯s something that only Marie Rose would do. Well, in the end, Grid seeded in destroying the Full Moon Fortress.¡±


    ¡°I-Is this for real...?¡±


    ¡°If even the remaining Full Moon Fortress in Asgard has been disposed of, doesn¡¯t this mean the cultivators have really gone extinct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This was very easy thanks to Dominion and Mumud¡¯s cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday¡¯s enemies are today¡¯s allies... This happens a lot when Grid is involved.¡±


    Zibal, who had been silent throughout the meeting, suddenly interjected. ¡°If it was you, would you be able to keep fighting against Grid?¡±


    He looked like he was fed up. Losing twenty-seven battles against Grid... He seemed to have been reminded of the humiliation he had suffered every time he was defeated.


    Eat Spicy Jokbal¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You fought Grid twenty-seven times...?¡±


    He also had a history of losing to Grid. He had lost a lot of things from that one defeat and was ultimately recruited by Peak Sword.


    Katz and Chris couldn¡¯t help gulping. They had also once been Grid''s enemies. Zibal, who had challenged the monstrous Grid twenty-seven times, didn¡¯t seem human at all.


    Toban also felt impacted by this information. Back when the Tzedakah Guild still existed, he had betrayed Grid and ended up serving him for months. Ever since, he tried to not even step on Grid¡¯s shadow. Yet Zibal had fought Grid twenty-seven times!


    Zibal became proud when he saw their envious gazes.


    ¡°Grid and I were inseparable rivals.¡±


    ¡°...Every time you participated in the International Competition, your events ovepped. Once you settled down in the Saharan Empire, the prince attracted Grid¡¯s aggro and dragged you into the conflict... Wasn¡¯t it simply thanks to bad luck that you fought Grid so many times? Sometimes when you are drunk, you talk andin about it.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Vantner.¡±


    Zibal¡¯s useless story had an anticlimactic ending...


    Pon praised Vantner for doing a good job and got down to business.


    ¡°Then it means that the Asgard issue is effectively sorted out... The fact that all of us are gathered here means there is something important to do, right?¡±


    Lauel nodded. He sped his hands together.


    ¡°Let me exin.¡±


    The door of the meeting room opened and Rabbit came in. His hair waspletely white. Unlike the yers, he had been beaten by the winds of time. He was middle-aged, but his hair had turned white. He had been appointed as the Minister of Finance after the kingdom became an empire.


    The most important thing in running a nation was money. Rabbit was in charge of managing the empire¡¯s finances and was clearly under more stress than anyone else.


    ¡°Ew...¡±


    There were many people who hated the sight of Rabbit. Rabbit had cut people¡¯s sries, so they had a history of destroying dueling grounds or scarecrows during sparring and practice. A lot of people only had bad opinions about Rabbit.


    ¡°For those of you who just clicked your tongue when you saw me, it means that you are in a bad mood.¡±


    "Don''t make meugh. You are a petty human who can¡¯t praise people who train hard on a daily basis. You only take money away from them.¡±


    Rabbit snorted. ¡°There are monsters all over the nation. If you are going to train, you should hunt monsters for the sake of keeping people safe. Aren¡¯t you just going on a rampage under the guise of sparring in order to show off the fact that you¡¯re cking off? If you had kept your strength in check, then the arena wouldn¡¯t have been destroyed. But you can¡¯t be delicate...¡±


    He scattered the papers he was holding. The title of the thick bundle of documents was The Imperial Reconstruction n.


    ¡°...Reconstruction? Are we ruined...?¡±


    ¡°We are on the verge of financial ruin.¡±


    Over the past few months, the cultivators who had appeared out of nowhere had been too violent. A lot of viges and cities had been severely damaged because ordinary soldiers and knights couldn¡¯t handle the cultivators. Plus, the amount of military funds invested into destroying the Full Moon Fortress was enormous.


    The finances of the Overgeared Empire were faltering.


    ¡°For the time being, everyone here should concentrate on their duties as lords.¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 2044

    <h4>Chapter 2044</h4>


    The Overgeared Empire had always been rich, so rich that it was hard to find a poor person in the empire. This was because the first thing Lauel had done after politically subjugating the Saharan Empire was to secure distribution channels by clearing roads and expanding warehouses.


    This way, therge quantities of food harvested by Piaro and the farmers were quickly transported to various parts of the country without wasting anything. This resulted in a thorough reduction in food prices.


    The empire had made it too easy for the people of this era to livefortable lives. Their only goal had been not to starve. This had been done through the joint efforts of Lauel, who had modern knowledge, and Piaro, the God of Farming. Thanks to their efforts, the poption of the empire had grown rapidly.


    However, this had many side effects. People started avoiding hard work. Those who could eat their fill with minimalbor didn¡¯t feel the need to work hard. The poption was increasing, but thebor force was decreasing.


    In other words, the burden on the empire had increased. This was a very serious situation, especially considering that the level of education in the Overgeared Empire was very high. Education was free and academies had been established in every region. People had been honing their skills smoothly, but they were standing locked in a corner of their houses, ying around and sleeping.


    Peak Sword frowned and clicked his tongue before focusing on a section of the papers. ¡°In any case, young people these days have bulging full stomachs. This is a problem... Huh? The application rate for enlistment has actually increased? Forget what I just said. There are so many great young people in the empire! They are genuine patriots who avoid trivial things and are full of devotion to serve their nation!¡±


    ¡°Nothing in the world is trivial,¡± Rabbit replied coldly. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you check the statistics properly? Don¡¯t just skim through the papers.¡±


    Surprised, Peak Sword reviewed the papers once again. The sharp increase in the enlistment application rates had urred in thest month. Prior to that, there had actually been a declinepared to the previous year.


    ¡°...This happened right after the public realized that eradicating the cultivators was certain.¡±


    ¡°On top of that, it happened after His Excellency the prime minister announced that new soldiers won¡¯t be sent to war against the cultivators.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because new recruits wouldn¡¯t have been effective against the cultivators... Wait, then what is this? Are you saying that these people volunteered in the army to only suck up the benefits?¡±


    ¡°They probably thought the war would be over once the cultivators disappeared. Who would oppose the Overgeared Empire, which has be even stronger than before?¡±


    Peak Sword wailed. ¡°After teaching them so much, they are only good at beingzy. In any case, young people these days don¡¯t have any conviction. Absolutely no conviction. They are just trying to earn money. So we have to be careful when increasing the people¡¯s welfare, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Taking South Korean society as an example, Peak Sword argued that people should be pressured by adopting a more resolute and harsh policy.


    Pon clicked his tongue. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not from North Korea?¡±


    ¡°...What? North Korea? You bastard...!¡±


    Peak Sword was the president of the Korean Patriotic Association. He hated the Kim family in the north more than anyone else. It was hard for him to dismiss Pon¡¯s words as a joke. His face turned so red, he was about to raise his voice.


    Lauel interrupted him. ¡°I don¡¯t like saying this, but I agree with Peak Sword. It¡¯s true that I gave too many benefits because I was focused on raising the standard of living and the education of the people. This is clearly my fault. I will swing a scalpel and operate on thefort of the people, making their lives more difficult so that they can regain the passion they have lost.¡±


    ¡°Uhm... I know what you mean, but is this the right thing to do? Does it make sense to deliberately ruin the lives of our people?¡±


    ¡°I never said this would be devastating for them. I am saying that I will give them appropriate ordeals so that it will be hard for them to live without working.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing...?¡±


    There were many Overgeared members who protested to Lauel¡¯s extreme and unconventional strategy. Lauel covered half his face with the arm tattooed with the ck me dragon and sneered.


    ¡°Is there a way to save the people other than the method I suggested? How are you going to drive them to work while maintaining the current state of welfare? If you can do it in any other way then go ahead. I think it¡¯s impossible for all of you to pull this off since you don¡¯t know anything about politics.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The veins on the temples of the Overgeared members bulged. They were veterans who had navigated this ruthless andpetitive world, so they sensed that Lauel was taunting them. This was an obvious challenge. Unlike the usual confrontation between everyone¡¯s armed forces and resourcefulness, this was a confrontation meant to determine who was better at politics.


    Naturally, the number one politician was Lauel. The Overgeared members knew this better than anyone else. But now the conditions were different. Lauel was in charge of over half the empire while the rest of the Overgeared members were in charge of only one or two territories.


    The size of their territories easily exceeded the size of an ordinary kingdom, but... In any case, their territories were way smallerpared to Lauel¡¯s. Lauel didn¡¯t just manage his own territory. He also managed the territory under the imperial jurisdiction¡ªGrid¡¯s.


    The first one to ept Lauel¡¯s challenge was Vantner. ¡°Okay... I will try to motivate people using a different method than you. I¡¯ll also do it faster than you. My lion heart was honed in the war! I shall make the people in my territory feel rejuvenated! I will restore thebor force of my territory and rebuild its finances!!¡±


    ¡°Rejuvenated...?¡±


    The Overgeared members couldn¡¯t help whispering at Vantner¡¯s deration. They realized how Vantner had been destroying his territory¡¯s economy so far.


    Lauel sipped from his teacup leisurely and snorted. ¡°Your spirit is admirable. Having confidence isn¡¯t bad in politics but... Try harder.¡±


    ¡°Bah! I will tten that arrogant nose of yours! <i>Bahahaha</i>!¡±


    Rankers werepetitive. They had been born this way. Rankers had beaten over two billionpetitors and rose to the top of the rankings. Naturally, the Overgeared members, who were ssified as high rankers, were even more aggressive than the rest. They fell for Lauel¡¯s taunting even though they knew better. Unless something important was at stake, like the safety of their colleagues or the fate of the nation, their pride was the most important thing to them. They didn¡¯t fall for Lauel¡¯s tricks because they were stupid.


    ¡®There is a good chance of winning. Thanks to the academy¡¯spulsory education, the intellectual level of the poption has increased to an iparable level to how it used to be a few years ago. The people¡¯s level of education in the cities is incredibly high. There will be many people who will oppose Lauel¡¯s coercive policy rather than respond to it. However, the people in my territory will listen to me if I persuade them sincerely. I treat them like family.¡¯


    High rankers predicted their chances of winning in any adverse situation. They based these predictions on their experience, information, and skills.


    They thought, ¡®There is a chance of winning as long as my opponent isn¡¯t Grid.¡¯


    That was why they had fought against Absolutes such as dragons, gods, and cultivators.


    Surprisingly, Kraugel spoke. ¡°I also ept the challenge.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Yura interjected.


    The two of them were smiling despite their cold personalities.


    Lauel couldn¡¯t help gulping from nervousness. ¡°The two of you... will be tough enemies.¡±


    Kraugel had set up a sword tower in his territory. His people revered him as more than a lord. He was the Sword Saint. Anyone who walked the path of the sword inevitably admired him. This meant he could unite people better than anyone else.


    Meanwhile, Yura¡¯s territory was in hell. The inhabitants of hell were different from those on the surface. There was still a tendency to follow the logic of thew of the jungle in hell, so they obeyed the orders of their superiors no matter what. They weren¡¯t very educated, so it was easy to manipte them.


    Even Rabbit was nervous. He whispered to Lauel, ¡°...Can you beat them?¡±


    Lauel replied in an equally low voice. ¡°Does it matter if I lose?¡±


    ¡°...Well...¡±


    Rabbit was at a loss for a moment. He couldn¡¯t argue with Lauel. The real reason for this challenge was to revive thepetitiveness of the territories and rebuild the finances of the empire. Regardless of who won, Rabbit would just be grateful if any of the Overgeared members were sessful in any way. Lauel didn¡¯t need to win. There weren¡¯t even prizes at stake.


    ¡°Hey, Lauel! I¡¯ll be the victor! I¡¯ll boost the economy of my territory using a better method than yours!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Me as well!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    However, the other members of the Overgeared Guild seemed to have forgotten their original purpose. All of them were excited as they left except for Euphemina and a few others. Rabbit was silent and bewildered.


    Lauel beganughing eerily.


    ¡°The future of the empire is bright because the high-ranking nobles are so dedicated to the nation. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes... That¡¯s right...¡±


    Today, Rabbit learned a lesson from Lauel today. He was truly impressed.


    Euphemina shook her head. ¡°Is it appropriate to use Kraugel and Yura to trick everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Starting that day, financial reconstruction ns were implemented in various parts of the empire, which had been devastated by the weakeningpetitiveness of its people and a series of wars. No one cared that Grid hadn¡¯t returned from Asgard. Everyone was focused solely on their own work.


    The role of the Overgeared Guild changed depending on the situation. It was the strongest collective in the whole world.


    ***


    Grid¡¯s clone joined him in Asgard. Together with Hexetia, the God of cksmithing, and Khan, he carefully crafted a new set of armor.


    "How reassuring.¡±


    Grid¡¯s expression brightened as he grasped what everyone was doing on the surface based on what the clone told him. There wasn¡¯t a single cultivator left on the surface and his wives were safe and sound. His colleagues had also returned to their respective territories and weremitted to managing internal affairs.


    Thanks to the thorough performance of the Overgeared members, Grid was able to focus on the future without worrying.


    ¡°Do you like the new armor?¡± the clone asked cautiously.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grid replied without hesitation. He happened to be checking the information of the boots. ¡°Asura will no longer be able to strike my Achilles tendon.¡±


    The new set of equipment created by the clone focused on injury immunity. He determined that Grid¡¯s defense and sustainability were sufficient on their own without acquiring any further improvements.


    Grid was able to adjust his Stamina stat freely by using the stats redistribution function. Of course, there were a number of injury-suppressing effects on his original armor set, but they weren¡¯t perfect. Why? Because the opponents Grid had fought one after another wielded the power of light and also copied the Annihtion energy. Armor was useless in the face of an all-destroying force.


    However, the newly created equipment was designed to be used by infusing Grid¡¯s Annihtion energy. It referenced Yura¡¯s magic engineering, which allowed her to observe the flow of the jade magic power with her own eyes. Grid¡¯s equipment itself possessed Annihtion energy circuits.


    Once Grid injected Annihtion energy into these circuits, the target item itself would be infused with Annihtion energy. For example, the moment an enemy struck Grid¡¯s ankle, Grid could inject Annihtion energy into his boots to cancel the impact. Even if Asura wielded the annihtion energy, the item would still destroy it.


    ¡®Very efficient.¡¯


    Grid could use the Annihtion energy defensively by emitting it. However, he couldn¡¯t use it in this way hastily because it consumed arge amount. But now things were different. The cost of injecting the Annihtion energy into these circuits was fixed at a small amount. He could now use Annihtion energy defensively as much as he wanted.


    Raphael suddenly spoke nervously from the front of the group. ¡°We will arrive soon.¡±


    They were close to the center of Asgard where the temple of the gods were. This ce should have fallen into Asura¡¯s clutches by now.

 Chapter 2045

    <h4>Chapter 2045</h4>


    The best oue that Mumud had hoped for was the mutual destruction of Grid and Asura.


    ¡°I knew that you and Asura would surely sh. I also thought there would be a high probability that both of you would be seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed that I didn¡¯t live up to your expectations.¡±


    Mumud had thought Grid would fight to the death with Asura but, surprisingly, Grid avoided the fight... Gridughed as he remembered what Mumud had said to him the moment they met.


    ¡°You nned to kill us back then on the premise that we would be exhausted.¡±


    ¡°No. I was actually nning to help you kill Asura. I was going to let you live no matter what,¡± Mumud said firmly. ¡°If I kill you, a yer, you will resurrect anyway. Then the Overgeared World will forever be wary and hostile to me.¡±


    It was true. At the time, Mumud¡¯s ultimate goal had been to defeat Braham. He had nned to umte sufficient power after isting Asgard and the surface. Until then, it was necessary to keep away from the eyes of the Overgeared World. That way, no one would expect a surprise attack on Braham in the distant future. Grid was convinced of that.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Grid wasn¡¯t surprised that Mumud understood the concept of a yer. Reba and Judar had been quick to realize that this world was just a game. Wouldn¡¯t the rare genius of the era, who had been watching them from the side, notice this fact?


    However, Marie Rose... Grid looked at her. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem interested in their conversation. She seemed to be enjoying the scenery of Asgard and paying attention to the baby in her belly.


    Mumud told Grid the details of his n. ¡°The n was to guard the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators. I was nning to use you to defend the Full Moon Fortress and then banish Asura from Asgard. If everything worked out, Asgard would have sessfully been isted from the surface.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to banish Asura?¡±


    ¡°While I was working with Asura, I created a spell by thoroughly analyzing his magic power and divinity. This spell encourages Asgard to reject and push out Asura. It takes away control of Asgard for a while, so the side effects are huge and it is only a one-time thing, but... It is quite possible to use this spell.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was speechless for a moment. Asgard was a divine world created by the Gods of the beginning. Naturally, Reba was the one in control of it. Dominion had taken on her role but even he wouldn¡¯t be able to make the entirety of Asgard yield all of hismands.


    However, Mumud could. The spell was a one-time use, but he said he could exceed even the authority of a God of the beginning. This could only be done with the power of magic.


    ¡°I feel this every time, but... The spells you create are miracles that transcend the realm of science. I can see why Braham admires you.¡±


    ¡°Because of my skills, jealousy bloomed on Braham¡¯s part, bringing a lot of misfortune to both of us. My talent isn¡¯t something to be praised, but a curse to be guarded against.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. Why are you ming yourself when what happened was simply Braham¡¯s fault? I see it as a blessing to the world that a good and upright being like you is so talented.¡±


    ¡°Haha... I knew it. It was Teacher who did the wrong thing.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid felt stung by the words. Mumud had already decided to forgive Braham, but now Grid had turned Mumud against Braham for no reason.


    Mumud smiled upon seeing the worry on Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Thanks to Marie Rose, I have already understood Teacher¡¯s reasons and forgiven him. I also believe that Teacher has changed.¡±


    <i>All the vignce and worries in my heart have been lifted...</i>


    Grid was relieved by what Mumud said. Mumud alternately looked between Grid and Marie Rose.


    Grid asked, ¡°What was the worst-case scenario you predicted?¡±


    ¡°The worst thing was for me to lose the Full Moon Fortress while bing enemies with you. Thanks to you trusting me and giving me a chance, I avoided this scenario. I am grateful for that.¡±


    ¡°I am atoning on Braham¡¯s behalf.¡±


    Grid was half joking and half sincere. Putting aside Braham, he trusted Mumud because of the life Mumud had lived before bing an angel. In his previous life, he had given back to society by studying magic, which had developed solely through his efforts.


    Braham had stolen these achievements. In his previous life, Mumud had forgiven his corrupt teacher. He was betrayed once again after he died. Then , Mumud recalled all the memories of his past life and had defined Braham as an evil that had to be eliminated...


    In the end, Mumud dered that he would believe in Braham once again. He had twice forgiven his crazy teacher who had stolen his student¡¯s aplishments and turned him into a lich after he died. Mumud wasn¡¯t just good and upright. He let others take advantage of him. To put it bluntly, he was a pushover. To put it kindly, it was hard to find someone as kind as him.


    Grid was thankful that Mumud was so kind.


    Just in time, the one leading the group, Raphael, stopped walking and gave a signal. ¡°We''ve here."


    A huge disk with manyyers stood in the group¡¯s way.


    ¡°This is the back road that leads to the center of Asgard. Minerals that suppress the waves of magic power and divinity grow inrge quantities, hiding the presence of those who enter and exit. It will take a while for Asura to detect us.¡±


    ¡°Why is there such a thing as a back road?¡±


    The heart of Asgard was like Reinhardt in the Overgeared Empire. It could be considered the capital of this divine world. Of course, only authorized people could enter, but it was still puzzling that there was a secret passage for it.


    Grid was suspicious of Raphael, so the archangel was forced toe clean. ¡°Uhm... We needed a passage for the Goddess to use.¡±


    Mumud understood immediately. ¡°This is one of the ways to avoid the refractive dragon¡¯s pursuit.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right. Even the Goddess needs time to recover asionally. There are less than five people in Asgard who know that this ce exists.¡±


    Raphael¡¯s face was red all the way to his ears as he nodded forcefully. He seemed to feel humiliated that he was forced to expose the Goddess¡¯ secret.


    Grid had his doubts dispelled. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve also met the Refractive Dragon. He was a tough opponent. Even Garam, who inherited Hanul¡¯s power, suffered a setback due to the dragon. It¡¯s formidable that Reba can shake off the pursuit of the guy with the ability to refract light for decades or even hundreds of years.¡±


    There was no shame in Reba running away...


    Grid was trying to offerfort. Raphael looked curiously at him.


    ¡°Why are you consoling me...? Don¡¯t you hate me a lot?¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re imagining things.¡±


    Grid had decided to cooperate with Reba and respected her. He took it for granted that he would protect her honor. The reason Gridforted Raphael was purely to protect Reba¡¯s honor.


    However, few people in the world knew precisely about the interaction between Grid and Reba. Raphael had disappointed Reba several times and never had a chance to hear her personal stories. Thus, he misunderstood Grid¡¯s intentions. He thought Grid was offeringfort for his sake.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever received this type of kindness from someone other than the Goddess. I even troubled you a few times... Agh... I, Raphael, will never forget how considerate you are and will repay you!¡±


    [Raphael¡¯s obedience has changed to loyalty.]


    [The first-ranked archangel, Raphael, has reached peak loyalty with you. Unless you betray Goddess Reba, he will sell his soul for you.]


    ¡°...Raphael, you have greatly misunderstood.¡±


    For Grid, it wasn¡¯t beneficial for him to clear up Raphael¡¯s misunderstanding. In the future, it would be convenient in many ways if the first-ranked archangel was loyal to him. He just had to keep his mouth shut.


    However, he didn¡¯t do that. Grid had some hope that he could use this opportunity to change Raphael¡¯s corrupt mind.


    ¡°No one has shown you kindness other than the Goddess? No, surely countless people have done that. I still vividly remember the day we met.¡±


    A pure white angel had descended on golden clouds. Countless people had knelt and prayed to the angel who had feathers and a halo of divine light over his head like a crown. The angel had blessed the people to the point that some of them became overwhelmed with emotion.


    ¡°Think back of the many prayers that the people have sent to you. How strong was the faith and goodwill of the prayers that you took for granted?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Raphael¡¯s wide eyes shook. This was the reaction of someone who remembered something he had forgotten. Grid determined that this was enough. He believed that this small realization was like a small ripple in ake for Raphael. One day, this ripple would turn into a torrent that would break down the huge dam that existed in Raphael¡¯s mind.


    After standing still for a moment, Raphael came to his senses and approached the disk.


    ¡°...First of all, do what I do.¡±


    Something mysterious happened the moment Raphael ced his hands on the disk. A chant rang out and the disks that had originally been stacked inyers were now quickly changing positions. The dozens of puzzle-like disks eventually formed a wall that soared into the sky. The center of the wall split open wide.


    What used to be a collection of disks now worked as a door.Beyond the door, a warm stream of light revealed a path.


    ¡°This way leads to the temple of the Goddess. I beg of you not to disturb the temple.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Raphael¡¯s request was a bit out of ce, but Grid nodded and took the lead. ording to Raphael, the amount of time it took to walk along this path varied greatly. The higher the concentration of magic power and divinity that the minerals growing on this path had to suppress, the slower the target¡¯s steps would be.


    As a result, it took exactly twenty-one minutes and forty-three seconds for Raphael to walk this path while the time for Reba to use it exceeded ten hours. This was why Grid had to take the lead from now on.


    ¡°Grid, you will probably take more than eight hours to traverse this path. As for the clone and... miss Marie Rose... it will probably take them around six hours. For Mumud, maybe... around ten minutes? So everyone will calcte the time difference between them with Grid and depart ording to it...¡±


    Raphael fell silent. He was at a loss for words despite being in the middle of an exnation. Marie Rose smiled knowingly while Mumud looked a bit perplexed.


    Finally, Raphael couldn¡¯t bear the silence any longer and carefully said, ¡°Excuse me, Grid. There is no need to worry about your pride.¡±


    He was talking to Grid, who had barely taken two steps. Grid, who was walking slower than a turtle, looked puzzled.


    ¡°What pride should I worry about?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t... acting?¡±


    Raphael shuddered. A thought crossed his mind. Maybe Grid was already stronger than the Goddess.

 Chapter 2046

    <h4>Chapter 2046</h4>


    ¡®Is that possible?¡¯


    Raphael abandoned his prejudices. He evaluated Grid without taking into ount that Grid had a human origin. He obediently acknowledged the being known as the Only One God and pledged to regard him in the same way as Reba.


    ...If he hadn¡¯t admitted this and continued to remain prideful, he would¡¯ve been killed right away.


    Nevertheless¡ª


    ¡®Grid might¡¯ve surpassed the Goddess, but that¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    Raphael couldn¡¯t admit that Grid had transcended the Goddess.


    The Goddess was the creator of this world. She was the one and only supreme being. It was fundamentally impossible for a being greater than her to be born. This was the providence of the world. How could the creator be inferior to others?


    But the Refractive Dragon existed, a transparent being who was covered in mirror-like scales. It was as if the universe had created him to kill the Goddess. All of his features countered her. However, he couldn¡¯t hurt the Goddess. All he could do was chase her.


    More than anything else...


    <i>¡®Even Chiyou spent over nine hours crossing this path.¡¯ </i>


    Yes, the great Martial God Chiyou was also below the Goddess. At least in terms of the total amount of magic power and divinity, the Goddess was overwhelmingly superior to Chiyou.


    A long time ago, Raphael witnessed Chiyou cross this path with his own eyes. This meant that Chiyou was one of the five people who were aware of the existence of this path. This was just useless information because Asgard rejected Chiyou.


    Grid just took his fourth step. The impact was huge. The path of light was unable to bear the weight of Grid¡¯s footsteps and roared vociferously.


    ¡°No, why...?¡±


    It was an iprehensible phenomenon. Raphael became even more confused. Nothing made sense anymore. He witnessed the scene in front of him with his own eyes but he still wasn¡¯t convinced.


    <i>Rumble...!!</i>


    The more Grid moved forward, the stronger the turbulence of the path became. The shaking came from the resistance that urred every time the minerals growing along the path suppressed Grid¡¯s magic power and divinity. The light that formed the path refracted again and again, swallowing and then spitting out Grid¡¯s appearance.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Grid was sweating heavily. He had to squeeze every muscle in his body in order to barely take a step. He also had to bend slightly forward to lower his feet. It was hundreds of times harder than walking in water.


    Grid remembered the days when he used to walk around construction sites with no physical strength. Right now, he was dizzier than when he used to spend time climbing with bricks on his back. He quickly became exhausted, both physically and mentally, even though he wasn¡¯t performing any hardbor. He almost wanted to hit Raphael, who was talking behind him.


    <i>¡®This guy is crazy.¡¯ </i>


    Grid¡¯s jaw twitched as he gritted his teeth and squeezed out all his strength. All his teeth would¡¯ve shattered if he had an actual human body. However, Grid¡¯s body was resilient. He endured the pressure and kept moving.


    Grid¡¯s tenacity allowed him to make the tenth step. Just then, light surged forward like a tidal wave. Beyond the wave, tens of thousands of ores of various sizes and shapes were embedded in the bare ground of the path likendscape stones. All of them were convulsing as if they were going to jump out.


    Raphael was looking at the situation contemtively.


    ¡°W-Wait...!¡±


    Stardust was an Asgardian mineral that had been growing since the beginning of time by absorbing and scattering Reba¡¯s light. It had been developed for a long time and gained an ability at some point¡ªthe ability to absorb and disturb magic power and divinity. This ce could be used as a back road purely due to the existence of Stardust.


    In other words¡ª


    ¡°Please, stop!¡±


    Raphael was familiar with the functions of Stardust. He immediately understood how serious the situation was.


    ¡°Um...?¡±


    Grid stopped as soon as he heard Raphael¡¯s warning, but it was already toote. The minerals on the path were already screaming and trembling, turning purple.


    This was the Annihtion energy flowing backward. The Stardust had been tempered for a long time by the Goddess¡¯ light, but it couldn¡¯t digest the Annihtion energy.


    ¡°This...! This is ridiculous...!!¡±


    Raphael was very frightened.


    ¡°As expected, this happened.¡±


    Marie Rose was unfazed. It was as if she had foreseen this situation from the beginning. She didn¡¯t react in any way.


    The Annihtion energy led to the destruction of everything. No one had gained this power before Grid. Could a mere mineral bear the power that could kill the old dragons and gods? Obviously not.


    In the end...


    ¡°Oh my god.¡±


    It was Grid¡¯s fault, the master of the Annihtion energy, for not foreseeing the current situation. Raphael had escaped death because he hadn¡¯t been subjected to the power of the Annihtion energy, so he was innocent in this.


    Finally, Raphael couldn¡¯t help raising his voice. It sounded almost like he was sobbing. ¡°Why... Why did you deceive me?¡±


    Tears flowed from his eyes and his neck veins bulged. The Goddess¡¯ only resting ce was on the verge of copse. Guilt and sadness overwhelmed him.


    ¡°Are you taking revenge for the wrongs I¡¯vemitted in this way...?¡±


    Raphael couldn¡¯t control himself any longer. His legs gave out. He flopped to the ground as he sobbed.


    Stunned, Grid tried to exin. ¡°No, I...¡±


    Tens of thousands of Stardust, tinged with purple, cracked at once.


    Subsequently¡ª


    <i>Baang!</i> <i>Baaaaaaang!</i>


    ¡ªthey exploded. They couldn¡¯t handle the Annihtion energy they had absorbed.


    ¡°A-Ahhh....¡±


    Raphael only saw red in front of his eyes. The Annihtion energy released by the cracked minerals dyed all of the surrounding light with purple. The minerals reflected the light and gained a dark red-purple shade that looked very much like blood.


    Grid suddenly became as light as a feather. All the pressure on him was gone. He had no choice but to finally understand what had happened.


    <i>Bam! Bam! Bam!</i>


    He nced at Raphael, who was sobbing while hitting the ground.


    Grid tried tofort him. ¡°Thinking positively, this is for the better. At least this way, we can get to our destination quickly. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The group was at a loss for words. The reason they used this back road was to avoid Asura¡¯s gaze. They needed the help of Stardust to suppress their magic power and divinity, so they could hide their presence. ording to the original n, they would be able tounch aplete surprise attack on Asura without giving him time to prepare.


    But that n was now ashes. The back road was the foundation for this n, but it copsed. There was no way to fix this. How was this better?


    Noe clicked his tongue. ¡°Wow... You arepletely shameless, <i>nyang</i>.¡±


    He looked tired as he nced at his master, whom Noe had served since he was born. He was used to this. Both Grid and Noe had always been like this. Thus, Noe was able to predict Grid¡¯s next move.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how things are. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Wahhhhh!¡±


    Noe¡¯s hair stood up and he hurriedly hid behind Marie Rose. If he had reacted half a secondter, Grid would have caught him and tickled his stomach.


    ¡°Beast! Master is a beast!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time in my life that I have heard a cat calling a human a beast.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Raphael, who was almost lying face down in frustration, slowly raised his head. His expression was calm. He didn¡¯t dare to resent Grid and Noe, who were chatting happily despitemitting a crime of treason against the Goddess. He couldn¡¯t afford to do anything because he was weak. It was impossible for him to shout now that he had been subdued by Grid¡¯s power.


    Raphael was trying to suppress his sadness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Grid said.


    "......?"


    Puzzled, Raphael looked up at Grid, who offered an apology, an act of acknowledging one¡¯s faults and asking for forgiveness. Usually, only the weak who wanted to survive did something like this. Raphael had been observing the surface for many years, so he clearly knew this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it intentionally.¡±


    There was no reason for Grid to apologize now. He hadn¡¯t intended to do it, just like he said. The destruction of Stardust was an ident caused by force majeure. Raphael also knew this, so he couldn¡¯t criticize Grid carelessly.


    ¡°However, I know that I have caused trouble to Reba. Let¡¯s kill Asura and restore this ce once everything is over. It should be possible with the help of Hexetia and Khan, who are familiar with minerals, and a certain cheap bastard.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Eventually, Raphael bowed deeply. The tears that had just stopped were now flowing again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry not only to you, but also to all the humans I have harmed so far... I also... I also want to atone for those sins.¡±


    All things changed, sometimes due to the passage of time, sometimes due to trivial reasons. Raphael changed because of the second option. He experienced too many emotions because of Grid¡¯s small actions. He regretted and reflected on all the mistakes he had made in the past.


    ¡°......¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Raphael¡¯s sudden change in attitude made Grid, Noe, and Mumud feel a bit startled. Grid¡¯s clone had been standing by Marie Rose¡¯s side as she stroked her full-term belly with a slight smile. Now, he finally spoke.


    ¡°Is he nuts?¡±


    Just as expected from Grid¡¯s clone. He had the same thoughts as Grid. Thanks to this, Raphael came to his senses and blushed. He knew how to express this feeling. It was like writing a love letter before going to sleep and then reading it in the morning. Plenty of humans had experienced something like this during their life. Raphael often witnessed this from an observer¡¯s point of view.


    Raphael, whose ears were red, hurriedly spoke to lighten up the awkward atmosphere. ¡°A-Anyway! I will make sure to atone to humans someday!¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Suddenly, the light of a sword fell.


    "......?"


    Without knowing the reason, Raphael¡¯s head was separated from his body and flew through the air.


    The situation became tense.


    Grid¡¯s Defying the Natural Order pierced the abdomen of Asura, who had suddenly appeared and decapitated Raphael. A shield of rainbow magic power appeared from the ground. Thanks to this, the Breath that Asura fired from his mouth dissipated before it could reach Marie Rose¡¯s belly. The ws of blood-red magic power that flew along the path of Marie Rose¡¯s arm tore Asura to pieces.


    But Asura survived. Beyond the scratch marks that looked like they had been left by a massive beast, Asura stood firmly with his arms crossed. What flowed around him was rainbow-tinted magic power. This was Mumud-style Magic Shield.


    Asura¡¯s purple face was distorted by a grin. [There were so many opportunities to learn from you.]


    [You...!]


    Raphael¡¯s angry intent spread faintly. He was contributing to the battle even though he had been decapitated and was dying.


    He tilted the halo above his head and aimed at Asura, firing powerful divinity.


    [Ahahahaha!]


    Rather than panicking, Asuraughed boisterously. A halo appeared above his head. One, two, three... ten, twelve... twenty-five, twenty-six... fifty-one, fifty-two, and finally, ny-nine...


    There were a total of ny-nine halos above Asura¡¯s head, signifying all the angels he had in. Asura had done a lot while Grid¡¯s group was busy destroying the Full Moon Fortress of the demon cultivators.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The ny-nine shes of divinity devoured Raphael¡¯s divinity and reduced him to ashes.


    God of Fighting Asura¡ªthe seed of disaster left by Baal had finally blossomed. It was the ugliest flower in the world.

 Chapter 2047

    Chapter 2047


    The first time Asura opened his eyes, somehow, he realized he wasn¡¯t a stranger to this world. He was familiar with all the information he received through the five senses.


    He didn¡¯t think much of it. Since he had been born a god, he epted his innate perfection.


    It was a misjudgment. Asura quickly realized that he was imperfect when he lost to Grid and his subordinates. He lost too much the moment he was born, so he was in a state of immense anger.


    Asura really felt that he couldn¡¯t refuse Judar¡¯s threatening offer of ascending to Asgard if he wanted to be safe. He hated Grid for forcing him to ept Judar¡¯s offer. He resented Baal¡¯s desire that only made him thisplete.


    From then on, Asura had been sharpening the de of revenge. He was conscious of Judar¡¯s cor around his neck, so he didn¡¯t show his desires, but he was always on the lookout for an opportunity.


    Finally, the much expected day arrived. Just as the cooperation between Asura and Raphael served as an opportunity for Mumud, this was an opportunity for Asura to turn the whole situation around.


    [Did you say you would guarantee Asgard¡¯s future?]


    Ny-nine halos spun, shooting out rays of divinity. Asura stood in the center of them and sneered at Mumud.


    [Why? What is the value of Asgard? Is it important just because this is where the gods live? Why do you want to give your life for the gods who have forgotten their duty?] God of Fighting Asura¡ªhis name was the same as that of a god worshiped by a handful of monks.


    Asura wasn¡¯t a stranger to the world when Baal created him because he¡¯d had a previous life. Even Asura only recently realized this. How could the desire of the first-ranked Great Demon and many sacrifices, including the hell moon, give birth to a god as powerful as him?


    The question he always asked himself had finally been answered. Baal had merely resurrected an almost forgotten god.


    [Just as I prove myself through fighting, the heavenly gods will have their own means to prove themselves. However, the majority have forgotten their duty and have be obsessed with human praise and worship. They are the ones who have been eliminated. The present day gods of Asgard are dependent on others to survive and are worse than the trash you find on the streets. So why are you trying so hard for them? Is it because you are an angel, so you instinctively serve them?]


    Asura¡¯s intention in criticizing the state of Asgard and Mumud was simple. He was denying and ridiculing all of Mumud¡¯s beliefs and efforts. To put it simply, he was picking a fight. The God of Fighting¡¯s desire was, of course, fighting. In other words, he was sowing the seeds of discord because of his innate malice. This was why Baal had struggled to create Asura.


    [Now, if you are angry, thene at me. Just give it a try.]


    It was just like how pping could only be done when both hands sped together. Provoking a fight wasn¡¯t effective unless the other person took the bait. Mumud was unaffected by Asura¡¯s taunts. Everything Asura said was true.


    [You¡¯re right about me sumbing to instincts. I am trying to guarantee the future of Asgard merely because I am an angel.]


    [......]


    It was a somewhat embarrassing reaction from Asura¡¯s perspective since he got more beneficial effects the stronger the opponent¡¯s fighting spirit became. Of course, this didn¡¯t hinder him. There were plenty of other opponents to y with beside Mumud, though they weren¡¯t as fun to y against.


    Asura snorted before turning away to look at Grid. His eyes were drooping like water drops hanging from eaves.


    Annihtion energy hadn¡¯t existed before. Asura would be able to get the best revenge now. If he took away the power only one person in the world possessed and used it to pierce that person¡¯s heart, Grid would die and experience the greatest fear, anger, and despair imaginable.


    Gridughed while awkwardly scratching the back of his head. ¡°Hey, Asura, I didn¡¯t know you thought of me like that. Haha.¡±


    [......?]


    Asura cocked his head. What Grid said was so unexpected that he got confused for a while. Mumud and Noe were also staring at Grid, puzzled. The clone also scratched the back of his head like Grid andughed awkwardly. Marie Rose simply crossed her arms and watched.


    Finally, Asura asked a question. [Uhm... What?] He couldn¡¯t withstand his curiosity.


    He was in an absolutely advantageous position. While Grid had been busy destroying the Full Moon Fortress, Asura had absorbed the power of the gods, including Dominion, and the angels. In the process, he almost died as he had to ovee several major crises, but he was sessful nheless. The God of Fighting became stronger the more he fought.


    Grid blushed slightly.


    ¡°You criticized the gods of Asgard for forgetting their duty. This was actually praising me in a subtle way, right? Asura, you might be a scumbag, but I feel like you have an eye for people. I don¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    [.....]


    Suddenly, Asura thought back to what he said earlier. He had taunted Mumud while watching Grid¡¯s reaction at the same time.


    <em>¡®However, the majority of gods have forgotten their duty and have be obsessed with human praise and worship. The present day gods of Asgard are dependent on others to survive and are worse than trash you find on the street...¡¯ </em>


    If Grid conceded that this was Asura¡¯s opinion, it was easy for Grid to misunderstand.


    Unlike the gods of Asgard, Grid was faithful to his duty. Rather than relying on others, he was the one others relied on.


    [You... You thought I was criticizing the gods of Asgard byparing them to you...? As a result, you misunderstood that Iplimented you. Is that correct?]


    Asura¡¯s intent shook a bit as he said this. Was it because he was angry? No. It was because he was amused.


    [Hah... Hahahahaha!! Grid, do you really believe that this world revolves around you? I can see howfortable your life has been so far. Everything you have aplished is rubbish. You have achieved everything easily without experiencing many hardships or trials, so your aplishments are worthless.]


    Asura¡¯s intent trembled more and more violently, responding to the change in his emotions. Asura was no longerughing. He was clearly angry.


    [Did I have to endure so much humiliation and shame because I lost to you just because you were just a bit lucky...?!!]


    Asura had never shown it, but he rejoiced every time Grid aplished more. The more valuable the opponent who defeated him was, the more valuable the defeat became and the more experience he would gain from that failure.


    Asura''s previous defeat had been assured because Grid was too great. He was making excuses for himself. If it hadn¡¯t been for these excuses, Asura wouldn¡¯t have survived all these years. He would¡¯ve gone crazy after living in pain day after day,menting that he was kept on a leash by the dogs and pigs of Asgard.


    Yes, Grid had to be great. However, in truth, Grid wasn¡¯t that extraordinary. Asura¡¯s pride, which had never been broken by any ordeal he had gone through, was shattered beyond repair.


    [I was always going to kill you, but... Once isn¡¯t enough. Die a thousand times as atonement for me, Grid.]


    ¡®Since I can only die twice a day... Does that mean I have to die for the next five hundred days?¡¯


    [Die and die, lose and lose again. Return to being an insignificant human being!!]


    ¡®I will quit the game before then. This fucking guy...¡¯


    Grid had been feeling a bit intimidated by Asura¡¯s deadly pressure, but now his forehead twitched. He pulled out two swords. Grid spoke the skill name aloud. ¡°Item Combination.¡±


    Defying the Natural Order and Twilight merged into one in Grid¡¯s hand. He felt like he would swear strongly if he didn¡¯t do this. He didn¡¯t want the child in Marie Rose¡¯s womb to hear such awful words.


    ¡°Grid¡¯s Sword Dance, Transcended Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.¡±


    Hundreds of thorns seemed to be soaring up. Dozens of sword energies shot from Grid, flew at the speed of light, and engulfed Asura in an instant, stabbing, piercing, and shing him. He was in the center of the dizzying, intersecting purple thorns.


    [Ack...! So this is Annihtion energy...!]


    The Absolute Defense he had learned while fighting the old dragons and the Mumud-style Shield had no effect and were shed. All the halos taken from the angels were also destroyed. The ny-nine rays of divinity that he fired had their trajectories offset and missed.


    Most of all, Asura¡¯s skin, which was as hard as the scales of an old dragon, and his flesh, muscles, and bones couldn¡¯t withstand the sharpness of the Annihtion energy. They were all easily pierced and cut like he was a piece of meat, showing an unpleasant looking cross-section.


    Asura found the blood erupting from his wounds really strange. He thought it was a sight he would never see again. Rather, this became a harbinger of hope¡ªhope that he could buy time until he analyzed and absorbed the Annihtion energy.


    [I am the God of Fighting. The more I fight, the stronger I be.]


    <em>sh!</em>


    A red magic circle emerged from the cross-section of Asura¡¯s wounds. This was the result of blood magic, Marie Rose¡¯s, to be exact.


    There was strong willpower in the blood pouring from Asura. It was killing intent. Every drop of blood took on a shape to kill Grid.


    [Don¡¯t go wild with the power you were just lucky to obtain, scumbag.]


    Grid was about to get hurt by swords, awls, spears, threads, hammers, huge rocks, and so on, weapons which took form from Asura¡¯s red blood. This counterattack was so fast, not even an Absolute could perceive it. It was a miracle created bybining blood magic with the mystical arts of the cultivators, as well as utilizing the principles Asura had learnt in the process of absorbing Mumud¡¯s magic.


    [This is dangerous...!]


    Mumud paled as he cedyers of shields over Grid. But instead of being relieved, his face became even paler. Mumud could feel the weight of Asura¡¯s blood magic through the shields.


    Mumud involuntarily turned toward Marie Rose, asking with his eyes if she could do anything about this blood magic.


    Marie Rose snorted. ¡°There is a duty that a wife must follow. I learned this from Irene.¡±


    It smelled as if something was burning.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take care of the opponent that my dear husband is trying to beat to death.¡±


    All the blood magic that had been on the verge of piercing Grid suddenly evaporated thanks to his helmet, chest piece, gauntlets, gaiters, boots which released Annihtion energy.


    [You say... I have lived afortable life?]


    This was the manifestation of intent. Even Grid¡¯s embarrassing past events, which he had suppressed, were released for the first time in ages.


    [How dare you say that to me?]


    He hoped that this uncontroble anger would be conveyed to Asura.


    Asura¡¯s eyes widened and he retreated. Even if it was only for a moment, the God of Fighting felt overwhelmed.


    [This is ridiculous...!]


    A lightning-like attack came from the six-fusion sword dance and shed Asura as he denied reality.<blockquote>


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 Chapter 2048

    <h4>Chapter 2048</h4>


    A sh. And another. And another. Grid spun like a spinning top as he continued deploying the six-fusion sword dance. He looked almost like the des of a blender, and Asura was the meat being minced.


    However, Grid¡¯s anger didn¡¯t go away at all even though he was ying a game. There were an infinite number of enemies in MMORPG games. Gamemakers tried to keep yers engaged in their game by never providing an ending to the storyline and instead always presenting new goals.


    Grid understood the concept. The vast majority of yers didn¡¯t want Satisfy¡¯s story to end, but Grid hoped it would be over now.


    ¡®I¡¯m sick of it.¡¯


    This was how Grid felt. The appearance of new enemies through updates or changes to the worldview? He understood and found it eptable. However, it was hard for him to ept such enemies when he was treated like this.


    Asura really said that Grid had simply been lucky enough to be this powerful without having to ovee any trials? This guy, who was probably the final boss and therefore the spokesperson of the S.A Group, didn¡¯t understand Grid at all.


    [I have been livingfortably? How dare you say that to me?]


    Even at this moment, people¡¯s prayers were gathering at Grid¡¯s statue. Everyone around the world, whether they were yers or NPCs, was cheering for him. Would so many people have supported him if he had only made it this far thanks to his luck? Grid could guarantee that wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    Few creatures were as ruthless as humans, who worked equally in the framework of society, so they were jealous and loathed those who achieved things without any effort.


    Grid¡¯s power, wealth, force, and honor¡ªIf any of these things had been easily obtained, no one would¡¯ve prayed to him, especially the yers. What type of madman would enthusiastically pray to apetitor several times a day? If they wanted a buff, just one prayer a day was enough.


    Grid had been carrying the trust of the people on his shoulders. So far, it had supported him.


    [Only One God Grid is writing the thirty-second epic.]


    [This is the beginning of the narrative.]


    [...Ites from the mockery of Asura, the God of Fighting who broke Grid¡¯s sword.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    Everyone was excited. The people were ready to enjoy the peace that was toe. This was thanks to the yers showing up and killing the misceneous monsters that appeared near cities and viges to threaten the people¡¯s livelihoods. The yers had be strong enough to defeat the tyrannical nobles and knights of each kingdom.


    The Overgeared Guild had stopped the ambition of the Saharan Empire, which used to dream of ruling over the continent. The field bosses, who lived all over the surface and hindered the development of civilization, had been turned into hunting targets for the yers.


    The yers had never given up on the West Continent, which had been isted by the Red Sea. The Overgeared Guild had punished those who tried to be gods and rule the West Continent.


    Baal and the demons of hell had been defeated by thebined efforts of humanity. The arrogant gods and angels had been educated by Grid through violence. The dragons had be afraid of Grid and Hayate.


    Finally, humanity had joined forces again to destroy all the Full Moon Fortresses and wipe out all the cultivators.


    The world had achieved peace. But what was this? The content of the epic that suddenly appeared was shocking.


    Baal, who had sumbed to his inevitable fate and had been buried in the ground, was rotting away. The God of Fighting Asura was the seed of disaster nted by him. Now he suddenly germinated and announced his presence in Grid¡¯s epic?


    The Overgeared Guild members were confused because they remembered how reluctant Asura had been toward Grid after he became Judar¡¯s servant. They couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Surprisingly, only Peak Sword epted the situation quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s never toote to get revenge, even after ten years. That bastard Asura had endured and had gone through many hardships.¡±


    ¡±So you¡¯re saying that the God of FIghting Asura is wise?¡±


    ¡°No... I''m just saying.¡±


    The Overgeared members were confined to their respective territories in an attempt to rebuild the empire¡¯s economy. It was the same for Peak Sword. He had personallye to the construction site and worked hard to inspire the residents of the territory.


    As someone who had been in the military, he was confident in his ability to make others work hard. There was really a lot of attention on him. All the people in the vicinity came to watch him. The knights who had been following Peak Sword faithfully for several years were also here.


    However, he was talking nonsense in front of so many people. He used a saying he had heard a few times before, but it sounded like he wasplimenting Grid¡¯s enemy.


    ¡®I have a feeling that something bad will happen...¡¯


    There were too many people listening... Peak Sword gulped. He was nervous.


    "Death Penalty."


    A shadow seemed to rise. Faker, the God of Killing, popped out of it.


    As the leader of the Overgeared Shadows, Faker had a lot of difficult duties. This included gathering intelligence for assassinations and finding spies. He used Shadow Linkage to share a small part of his senses with the empire¡¯s strongest individuals. That way, he was able to quickly respond to any special situations. It was truly a transcendental ability.


    <i>aang!</i>


    Peak Sword managed to block Faker¡¯s surprise attack with his swift footwork. Peak Sword looked very handsome doing that, but hisplexion was pale.


    ¡°Y-You madman! You really tried to kill me!!¡±


    ¡°The death penalty is the answer for a traitor who praises the enemy going against Grid.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to praise him...!¡±


    It took around three minutes to clear up the misunderstanding.


    Peak Sword narrowly escaped being beheaded in front of his subordinates and the people of his territory. He was only able to shake off Faker after admitting that he had made a mistake with his words because of his ignorance.


    ¡°The lord admitted that he was ignorant...!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe our lord is so ignorant...¡±


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to be like our lord when I grow up. I will study hard from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to make a lot of money so that my son can study in a better environment. I will start looking for a job starting today.¡±


    ...Everything ended well. Thanks to Peak Sword¡¯s humiliation, the morale of the people increased.


    ¡°Shit...!¡±


    This was great. Peak Sword should be rejoicing, so why was he crying so much? He stomped his feet on the ground. Faker looked at him like he was pathetic.


    ¡°Go back to Reinhardt right now,¡± Faker told Peak Sword. ¡°The tower leading to Asgard is on the verge ofpletion. Lauel¡¯smand is that you should help out.¡±


    The infinitely-growing tower was the masterpiece created by Eat Spicy Jokbal. Every time a challenger cleared one floor, a new one was created. The tower would continue to rise until, one day, it would reach Asgard.


    The Overgeared Guild had been steadily expanding the tower with the help of the Tower members and Apostles. Grid argued that this was unnecessary, but his colleagues didn¡¯t agree. Unlike Grid, who could reach Asgard on his own, others didn¡¯t know how to make it to the divine world.


    ¡°I was going to do that anyway,¡± Peak Sword answered nervously.


    The huge warp gate behind him released magic power. Peak Sword had been ready from the moment the epic appeared.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go find the captain.¡±


    Simr events were happening throughout the empire.


    ***


    In retrospect, Baal had been a surprisingly sincere being.


    In order to maintain the distorted environment of hell, he constantly promoted conflict. He trapped King Daebyeol to create the hell moon and barely managed to bring Asura into being before he died, as if he had nted a tree right before the world was destroyed.


    On second thought, Baal had been a needlessly sincere being.


    <i>I also want to emte that sincerity and resurrect him to kill him over and over again...</i>


    While Grid was having such thoughts, the fragments of a sword broken in half were projected in his eyes.


    [Thebination of Defying the Natural Order and Twilight has been forcibly released!]


    Grid was now holding two swords. The epic stated that Asura had broken Grid¡¯s sword, but that wasn¡¯t exactly the case. The skill thatbined the two swords into one had been forcibly lifted.


    Grid¡¯s swords had infinite durability, so they couldn¡¯t be easily destroyed. Of course, this wasn¡¯t exactly good news. Item Combination was a skill that amplified the power of thebined weapons by a lot. The moment the skill was over, Grid¡¯s attack power lowered significantly. Asura had the physical strength to endure this level of attack powerfortably.


    Plus, they were in Asgard. Since they weren¡¯t in the Overgeared World, it was impossible to use the skill indefinitely without a cooldown.


    [Item Combination.]


    Grid¡¯s thoughts were carved on the space. If he hadn¡¯t focused and shouted this skill name, he would have been spewing a lot of curses, most of them aimed at Baal.


    Asura had folded his skin into tens of thousands of jaggedyers sharp as des. This made Grid¡¯s hatred for Baal, who had created a monster with thousands of sevenyered razor des serving as armor all over his body, be infinitely stronger.


    Grid¡¯s sword, engulfed in Annihtion energy, cut through Asura¡¯s razor-like skin.


    [The target¡¯s resistance to sword attacks is extremely high. The power of your attacks will drop significantly.]


    Grid¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t cutting too deeply.


    <i>aang!</i>


    His sword got stuck as he was about to stab Asura and broke again.


    [Thebination of Defying the Natural Order and Twilight has been forcibly released!]


    This was the result of Weapon Breaker. Asura neutralized Grid¡¯s sword dance by shaping his skin, flesh, and even his organs and bones into sharp razor des. The moment Grid¡¯s sword touched his skin, Asura held it in ce with the razor des. The power of the attack was halved and Grid¡¯s sword eventually broke.


    ¡°Really, <i>nyang...¡± </i>Noe muttered with a soulless expression.


    Grid had designated Asura as the final boss of the game. It was hard to imagine that someone who was clearly one of the strongest beings would fight so dirty...


    Asura snorted as he noticed the reaction around him and raised one of his twelve fingers.


    [A hundred million.]


    What he said made no sense. However, the words exerted a magical power to control the listeners. Everyone in Grid¡¯s group was listening.


    Asura didn¡¯t miss this momentary opportunity. He aimed for the gap Grid exposed in the very short moment he listened carefully andunched an attack. He swung his tail like a dragon.


    [Ack...!]


    Grid coughed up blood. He wasn¡¯t able topletely defend against the surprise attack that came from an unpredictable direction. He hadn¡¯t expected Asura to use his tail as a means of attack.


    Asura¡¯s tail was only thirty centimeters long and was as thin as a whip. It wasn¡¯t suitable as an offensive tool. But, just then, his tail had grown rapidlyrger and became harder. This was because Asura connected all the Treasures taken from the cultivators to it. It was a method of bringing out the power of the Treasures, which had different abilities and effects, so every swing of the tail was extremely powerful.


    Asura seeded in this dirty surprise attack and looked satisfied. Finally, he continued speaking. [The number of lives I¡¯ve killed throughout this life and my past life is over a hundred million. The total amount of power and techniques stolen from them is so high that even I have lost count. This is the greatness of the God of Fighting. No one can beat me.]


    Asura¡¯s ck magic power turned purple. He had even learned Grid¡¯s Annihtion energy. He was an exceptionally fast learner. Just as expected from someone who had learned Martial God Chiyou¡¯s techniques in no time.


    Grid had expected this, so he wasn¡¯t that surprised. Instead, heughed and raised his fingers like Asura. He raised ten fingers instead of one.


    [One billion.]


    Grid was a yer. He had be stronger by constantly ughtering monsters. In the process of bing a nobleman, a king, and then an emperor, he had killed many people in the wars he had fought.


    [I have taken over one billion lives.]


    Defying the Natural Order and Twilight held in Grid¡¯s hands turned into sawdes. He used the Item Transformation skill to give them the properties of Weapon Breaker. The skills and responsiveness learned from ughtering over one billion lives and being killed multiple times were now manifesting.


    [.......!]


    This was the sh of two different instances of Weapon Breaker. However, Grid¡¯s instance had infinite durability. Therefore, Asura got wrecked without having a chance to fight back.

 Chapter 2049

    Chapter 2049


    Asura''s memories of his previous life were faint. He didn¡¯t know anything about life itself.


    However, the sensation of taking countless lives had remained at his fingertips. After all, he was the God of FIghting. Surely he had fought and killed every day during his previous life. Then, he must¡¯ve met someone stronger than him and was killed.


    This was where Asura became intrigued. How did the one who killed him erase his name from the myths? There had to be a lot of beings stronger than him. For example, the Gods of the Beginning and the Martial God.


    Yes, it was understandable if he had died because of them. However, what was the principle behind him being forgotten by people?


    Human beings were alwayspeting among each other. No civilization developed without struggle. It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to erase the name of the God of Fighting from their memories. In fact, Asura had been worshiped by people even in recent times. Only a handful of monks offered prayers to the God of Fighting Asura.


    Perhaps there had still been people who continued to believe in Asura even after his death. Nevertheless, he had definitely been forgotten. He had beenpletely erased from the myths.


    [Annihtion energy.]


    Asura used his own body as a weapon to neutralize Grid¡¯s attack. This ended up being disadvantageous and forcing him on the defensive, so he smiled bitterly.


    [Truly a great power. Now that I have this, I can also erase many myths from the world.] Why did he forget his past life? Asura was obsessed with this question not because he wanted to know the truth. He wasn¡¯t interested in getting revenge for his past life. He just wanted to kill other gods with the same method he had been subjected to.


    Why?


    [Grid, I am the God of Fighting, so I understand everything about struggling. I know that there is no eternal victor. The only exception¡ª]


    <em>Boom, booom!!</em>


    [...is Chiyou.]


    Asura wounds regenerated incredibly fast. He reverted to his original form. The razor des were gone and his skin was once again smooth. He admitted that it was too much of a disadvantage to maintain Weapon Breaker.


    [The Martial God is invincible. I noticed itst time when we were fighting.]


    Purple energy rose from Asura like smoke. It was Annihtion energy.


    [That duel you watched. Just as I learned the Martial God¡¯s techniques, the Martial God also learned mine. No, it was more than that. He was already seeing through my habits. The proof is that I was caught off guard and failed to seriously injure him despite using his techniques tounch a surprise counterattack. No matter how many times I look back on it, his response was perfect.]


    The Annihtion energy rising from Asura like smoke condensed into snowkes, hardening. He had already learned how to use the energy he just copied. He was just like a yer learning an ability by looking at its skill information. Martial God Chiyou¡¯s ability to make even this monster feel humble was once again amazing.


    [To be honest, I was worried. No matter how strong I became, I wouldn¡¯t be able topete with the Martial God. I became so anxious to challenge him that I suddenly felt afraid.]


    The God of Fighting existed to fight. Baal had been obsessed with the birth of Asura because he believed Asura would fight and fight until the world was destroyed. Indeed, Asura wouldn¡¯t give up even if the opponent was stronger than him. He would retreat for a while, but he would eventually try again.


    [But, thanks to you, all my worries have been relieved. The Annihtion energy is more powerful than I expected. I will use this power to destroy all life in the world. Then I will be stronger and stronger until, in the end...]


    Seven arms protruded from Asura¡¯s back. He held the Annihtion Sword in all nine of his hands.


    [Once Chiyou and I are the only ones left in the world, I will challenge him and win.]


    Just like he had confessed earlier, Asura knew there could be no eternal victor, but this didn¡¯t mean that he wanted to be a loser. He would keep fighting while dreaming of bing an absolute victor. Hence, he was the God of Fighting.


    The nine Annihtion Swords materialized in different directions. It looked as if ck Knight Eligos¡¯ swordsmanship reached its pinnacle. The nine swords quickly multiplied into hundreds or thousands, creating a storm of sword energy.


    There was no way to avoid it. As it devastated the area, the final path of sword energy tilted downward as it followed Asura¡¯s movements toward thend made of golden clouds. Asura was putting pressure on Grid, who had both feet nted in thisnd as if he was rooted in ce.


    [Ack...!]


    Grid, who had been fighting Asura¡¯s high-speedbo attacks with the same sword dance, finally coughed up blood. The ground on which he stoodpletely copsed.


    [By scattering the energy of destruction, the fierce attack of the God of Fighting shattered the divine world.]


    There was no exaggeration in the narrative of the epic. Asura truly did destroy parts of Asgard. The aftermath was significant. Asura¡¯s annihtion energy stretched through cracks in the torn golden clouds and spread like an aurora across the sky. Onlookers could observe this phenomenon from the surface.


    ¡°T-This is impossible...¡±


    The humans on the surface, who were in constant shock by the content of Grid¡¯s epic, started to tremble in earnest. Some were absolutely terrified, especially those who were close to the copsing sky. They clearly saw the birds and monsters in the sky turning into ashes as soon as the purple aurora touched them.


    ***


    ¡°The range of Dismemberment...¡±


    Regas frowned as he stared up at the sky. He had the Asura ss. As the name suggested, it originated from the God of Fighting Asura. It was only when the hell invasion urred that Regas had learned about the backstory of his ss.


    Hundreds of years ago, during a pilgrimage, a monk identally found a stele with the myth of God of Fighting Asura on it. He deciphered the contents of the stele to restore some of Asura¡¯s physical skills.


    The martial artist¡¯s third advancement ss, Asura, surprisingly originated from this monk. To be exact, he had been a martial artist with a monk background, but... This meant Asura¡¯s skill tree bore some resemnce to Asura. This was how Regas figured out what skill was causing the destruction of the sky.


    ¡°Dismemberment?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ultimate skill that ignores the target¡¯s defense and evasion to cut off or fracture limbs. It¡¯s a small AOE skill that can be applied to two people at most... Meanwhile, the range of this one...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wide enough to dismember twenty thousand people, let alone two. Even Grid would find this attack hard to withstand. Let''s hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    One floor, and then another¡­ The tower was increasing its number of floors at an incredible speed. Even the boss monster that copied King Daebyeol repeatedly copsed at the feet of the challengers. They surpassed even the record set by Grid in the past.


    This showed the difference between the yers before and after the update. The Overgeared members who had ess to elixirs, techniques, mystical arts, and Treasures obtained from killing the cultivators were iparably stronger than they used to be a few months ago.


    But what about Grid?


    ***


    In the Hwan Kingdom, Chiyou stood on top of the ruins and stared at the distant sky. Of course, the sky of the Hwan Kingdom was blue. This was the ce farthest away from Asgard.


    However, Chiyou¡¯s eyes reflected a purple aurora. He was observing beyond continents. Of course, he couldn¡¯t peek inside Asgard because Asgard rejected him.


    ¡°He is quite high-spirited but...¡±


    Just because he couldn¡¯t see it, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Chiyou had an idea about what kind of power was being used in the battle between Grid and Asura.


    ¡°Asura, you might not have noticed it, but times have changed.¡±


    Very few gods existed forever. One of them was Chiyou. Therefore, his myth didn¡¯t change with the times.


    Chiyou had always been the strongest. In other words, Asura didn¡¯t know the concept of changing times. He wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that Chiyou was no longer the symbol of the era.


    ***


    [What tremendous power...! I really feel like I can do anything!]


    Asura burst outughing. The experience of smashing Grid and all of the tiresome Asgard was exhrating. He was just as excited as a child when he used a mystical art.


    Hundreds of ck coffins rose from all directions. This move summoned the dead. He was able to temporarily revive a recently killed target.


    [Kill everything that is alive and breathing.]


    As if in response to this order, the lids of the coffins opened at once. Hundreds of demon cultivators burst from the coffins and attacked Marie Rose¡¯s group. Their momentum was great. They felt several times stronger than when they had been alive.


    Mumud and Noe gritted their teeth and fought fiercely. They fired spells and used Treasures to stop the advance of the demon cultivators, but nothing worked. Most of their attacks failed to hit the cultivators.


    ¡°They¡¯re using Fluidization.¡±


    [I see. They seem to be ssified as evil spirits.]


    Mumud understood what was going on after seeing the translucent aura of the cultivators and cast a divine spell.


    <em>-Aghhhhhhh!</em>


    The ghost cultivators were engulfed in pure white mes and writhed in pain.


    <em>"Nyang!" </em>


    Noe¡¯s ws sliced through them while they were weakened. He also became translucent. He responded with Fluidization by using his own version of it.


    -...!?


    The ghost cultivators tried to avoid Mumud and Noe¡¯s attacks, but they were wounded severely in the process. They were unable to withstand the magic bombardment from Grid¡¯s clone and took massive damage in no time.


    The Braham-style enhancement spells focused on destructive power. They had the property of copsing the target from the inside, so the opponents were annihted regardless of being a ghost or not.


    At first nce, this spell resembled Annihtion energy. Mumud indirectly glimpsed Braham¡¯s tendencies and was ovee by the anxiety he had been trying to suppress.


    <em>-Hayahhhhhhhh!</em>


    Despite the struggles of Noe¡¯s group, the number of ghost cultivators didn¡¯t decrease. They were a lot stronger than before. Some of them used to be Absolutes, so it was difficult for the three people to deal with the entire army of ghost cultivators.


    ¡°Y-Yikes! I¡¯m going to die!¡± Noe screamed.


    Marie Rose, who had been staring at her hands for a while, finally drew a small magic circle on her palm.


    ¡°Just this one time.¡±


    This spell traveled across dimensions. It was difficult to tear through the fabric of space, let alone dimensions. The sess rate of this spell increased only when the caster and the target cooperated with each other.


    The person that Marie Rose was targeting was... her brother, Braham. This could be unpleasant, but they were incrediblypatible because they were blood rted. The sess rate of the dimensional transition magic reached a huge 99% in this case.


    [I¡¯m here.]


    The God of Magic and Wisdom descended on the battlefield.


    [Delicious prey hase to me on his own...] Asura¡¯s face brightened only to suddenly stiffen.


    <em>sh!</em>


    His frozen face was split in half because of a sword light that burst from where the ground was copsing. It was the Dragon sword dance. Grid, who was thought to be dead, emerged unharmed. Surprisingly, he was equipped with purple-colored armor.


    ¡°I almost died.¡±


    The aspirations of the best cksmiths in the world, Khan and Hextia, had saved Grid.<blockquote>


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (4/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


    Trantor: Rainbow Turtle


    Editor: Murasaki


    Character Fanart Winners


    Scene Fanart Winners


    Character Fanart Page


    Scene Fanart Page


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.


    Check out the VIP sponsor page on if you are interested in getting ess to advance chapters.</blockquote>

 Chapter 2050

    Chapter 2050


    [Is this a defensive use of Annihtion energy?]


    A twisted grin appeared on Asura¡¯s face, which was split in half. He was overwhelmed with a sense of joy that transcended anger and pain.


    He was truly happy.


    Contrary to his expectations, Grid was unharmed. This taught Asura another way to use the Annihtion energy.


    [I won¡¯t be hurt again from now on.]


    Asura stroked the wound on his face as if savoring it. Under his careful touch, his split face stuck together again and the scar healed. The purple energy rising from Asura was hardening. It quickly took the form of armor that covered him entirely except for his eyes.


    [Shit.]


    Braham gritted his teeth. He tried to join as reinforcement and lend his support, but Asura ced an iron wall around him. The spell Braham had hurled at Asura struck the ghost cultivators instead.


    Changing the target of a spell that had already been cast was impossible. If anyone saw that, they wouldn¡¯t believe their eyes, but the people present were too great. Asura and Grid¡¯s group took for granted Braham¡¯s miracle, and so did Mumud. [......]


    Mumud¡¯s gaze was serene after Braham rescued him from among the ghost cultivators. The teacher he had been nning to kill one day had changed entirely ording to Marie Rose. But could Mumud really trust him?


    Mumud stared at Braham, who had appeared out of nowhere.


    [Mumud?]


    Braham was also surprised to find his former disciple. Mumud¡¯s eyes became sharp. He was wary that Braham nned to sweep his past misdeeds under the rug. This idea was unfounded.


    [You are safe...! I¡¯m d! I¡¯m really d...!]


    Braham¡¯s eyes zed from the tears that were forming. He was about to cry. Mumud couldn¡¯t have imagined this ever happening in the past. Braham came to his senses after seeing Mumud¡¯s bewildered reaction. He red at Marie Rose for no reason.


    [It¡¯s because of you...! Since you ignored my signal for a while, I am so angry that I am on the verge of tears...!]


    The dimension-shifting spell created by Braham had the potential to cross between divine worlds. However, it was a spell with a great effect, so it took a long time to trigger.


    Braham was nervous after seeing Grid¡¯s epic being overrun by Asura, so he eventually gave up on his pride and asked Marie Rose for help. He nned to use their shared blood as a medium to speed up the activation of the spell.


    However, Marie Rose had been silent for a while. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to ept Braham¡¯s request. This dyed Braham¡¯s arrival. Unfortunately, he arrived at around the same time that Asura equipped his Annihtion energy armor, so Braham was unable to do much.


    It was true that Braham was extremely angry with Marie Rose. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to bring tears to his eyes. He was shedding tears because he saw that Mumud was safe. Mumud, the student who had met a stupid and greedy teacher and only knew suffering during his life and even after death. He had been reincarnated as an angel, so Braham was worried that Asura had killed him.


    [...In any case, I guess you survived thanks to Grid¡¯s help. Mumud, you have been reborn as an angel. In this life, no disease will bother you. I hope you will be healthy and happy for many years toe.]


    Braham cast a dimensional-shift spell on Mumud with the coordinates pointing to the Overgeared World.


    [Most of all, I am sorry. I will dedicate a part of my life to atone for you. Leave this matter to us and take refuge...]


    Braham¡¯s expression stiffened when he noticed that the dimensional-shift spell he wrapped around Mumud was dispersed by Mumud himself.


    [Do you think you can force me out of here with a spell with such a long activation time? You must think that I am still just as helpless as I was when we met in Siren.]


    [N-No. I¡¯m not disregarding your skills. Uhm... Wait, did you get back all the memories of your past life?]


    [Coincidentally, I did,] Mumud answered coldly, waving his hand.


    By waving his hand, Mumud finished casting several spells.


    He cast a magic eleration spell, a target-tracking spell, an enhancement spell, a defense-weakening spell, and a concealment spell. Mumud¡¯s magic power had always glowed iridescently because it had so many effects.


    [You don¡¯t deserve my forgiveness.]


    It wasn¡¯t easy for an Absolute to lie since the manifestation of intent exposed their inner thoughts. Everything Braham said to Mumud, whom he met by chance, was true. His willingness to ept death at this moment also wasn¡¯t a lie. Mumud knew this as well.


    The magic spear he fired didn¡¯t hit Braham, but instead grazed Braham''s cheek and smashed the head of a ghost cultivator.


    [...You seem to be misunderstanding something.]


    Mumud created a storm in the area by linking an AOE spell with the spell that exploded as it hit the cultivator. Braham was a bit stunned when Mumud spoke firmly to him.


    [Teacher, you shouldn¡¯t be so willing to die. Please live to atone for the rest of your life.]


    [Yes... I will.]


    This was the greatest forgiveness that Mumud could offer. Braham considered his former student¡¯s position and made a vow. But, first of all, he had to focus on the situation in front of him. Braham fired a purple thunderbolt at the rainbow-colored mana storm sweeping over the ghost cultivators.


    Imnting andbining one¡¯s own spell with spells cast by others was also impossible. This time, even Mumud¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    Marie Rose smiled strangely.


    ¡°Aha, so...¡±


    Braham and Mumud¡¯s spells became one. It looked perfect, as if the spell had beenpleted by one person from the beginning. In addition, it was several times more powerful than it should have been. Not even Absolute-level cultivators could endure the damage inflicted by such a spell. They were torn apart along with their protective shields.


    [This...?]


    Mumud was unable to close his gaping mouth and his eyes shook. He was slightly dizzy. Just then, he noticed the famous Braham-style enhancement spell. Some of the forms that it was made of had been chosen to synergize well with Mumud¡¯s, so that their spells would be stronger together...


    Braham blushed with embarrassment and exined, [...I thought that if I kept on living, I would be reunited with you someday.]


    No matter what Mumud would be reborn as, Braham would definitely find him. Then Braham would ept him as a student again and they would pursue perfect magic together... This was Braham¡¯s desire that he couldn¡¯t confess to anyone. It was a desire he felt after meeting Grid and realizing the importance of rtionships.


    Mumud¡¯s expression rxed for the first time. [Is that so...?]


    He suddenly felt very motivated. He vowed to defeat the God of Fighting Asura and restore peace to the world for the sake of his teacher¡¯s desire.


    But reality was too harsh. Asura, d in the armor of Annihtion energy, was unbelievably strong. Every time he collided with Grid, a part of Asgard copsed. It felt like Mumud was witnessing the end of the world.


    [I don¡¯t see any opportunity that we can use to intervene,] Braham reluctantly said.


    The number of ghost cultivators had been significantly reduced, but Asura, who needed to be defeated, was still alive and well. It was hard toe up with a method to reverse the unfavorable battle.


    [Marie Rose, you can do something, right?]


    In the end, Braham gave up his pride. He acknowledged that Marie Rose¡¯s skills were better than his own and had high expectations from her. But it wasn¡¯t worth it...


    Marie Rose shook her head. "No. In this situation, it is impossible to absorb blood.¡±


    From the very beginning, Asura had been wary of her. Every time he bled after Grid wounded him, he repeatedly burned his blood so that it evaporated. Marie Rose never had any chance to absorb it.


    Grid was the same. He didn¡¯t ignore the possibility that Asura had learned Marie Rose¡¯s blood absorption ability and evaporated his own blood every time he bled. This was good decision-making on his part.


    ¡°Blood magic doesn¡¯t work. Attempting a physical attack became meaningless the moment he wrapped the Annihtion energy around himself.¡±


    Impossible, impossible, impossible...


    Marie Rose also failed to find a way out of this situation. Braham would¡¯ve normallyughed at her, but his expression stiffened.


    ¡°However, now things have changed.¡±


    Marie Rose suddenly smiled. The ground made of golden clouds shook loudly. Something soared through the clouds¡ªit was a ck spire, the tower built by Eat Spicy Jokbal.


    They had finally reached Asgard. Kraugel hurriedly jumped out of the tower and reached out to Marie Rose.


    ¡°Marie Rose, my blood.¡±


    Marie Rose didn¡¯t refuse. Her red, plump lips parted and she bit his wrist. Her red eyes seemed to turn ck at first nce. She held a sword made of blood-red magic power in both hands and raised it above her head. Muller, the former Sword Saint who arrived at the scene after Kraugel, was impressed.


    ¡°What a perfect posture.¡±


    [Space Sword.]


    A sword that could cut the world into two was unleashed from Marie Rose¡¯s fingers. This was the ultimate move of the Sword Saint. The weapon was as powerful as the Falling Moon Sword and its range was even greater.


    [......!]


    Asura was shocked as he was exchanging blows with Grid. He sensed the sword energy flying behind him and tried to leave his position, but Grid grabbed him and refused to let him go.


    [Your struggle is useless...!] Asura cried out, but couldn¡¯tplete his sentence.


    The Space Sword hit and shattered his armor made of Annihtion energy. The impact was too great. To Asura, It felt like his organs were twisting. He coughed up blood and urgently tried to restore the Annihtion energy. However, there was no response.


    The flow of the Annihtion energy was extremely slow after being shed by the Space Sword. This was the only weakness of the Annihtion energy. It was a resource that consumed as much as its power. Using it defensively and wearing it as armor? The effect was great, but it was hard to maintain it for too long. Even if Asura could maintain it for a long time, it wouldpletely scatter the moment it was destroyed.


    Grid had already experienced this. This was why the new armor that Khan and Hexetia had crafted for him was so valuable.


    [Dammit...!]


    A chill went down Asura¡¯s spine as he btedly noticed the shorings of the Annihtion energy. He quickly tried to find another method, but it was toote.


    Grid¡¯s six-fusion sword dancepletely shed Asura, digging in, shing up, slicing down, and tearing through his insides. It was a good blow.


    Braham and Mumud also helped out. The two of thembined their spells to show unprecedented power that significantly reduced Asura¡¯s HP bar.


    This was dangerous. Asura, who was isted in the divine world he had destroyed, had a bad feeling the moment he saw the Tower members, Apostles, and Overgeared members.


    The final boss raid wasing to an end.<blockquote>


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


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    Editor: Murasaki


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.


    Check out the VIP sponsor page on if you are interested in getting ess to advance chapters.</blockquote>

 Chapter 2051

    Chapter 2051


    [I...! Do you think I am going to lose like this?!!]


    There was only one opponent whom Asura was afraid of now¡ªMartial God Chiyou. Asura couldn¡¯t deny that Chiyou was the strongest. Therefore, he used Chiyou as a reference.


    Asura had grown and grown, devouring everything until he became strong enough to beparable to Chiyou. Currently, Asura had a chance of winning if he fought Chiyou. He didn¡¯t want to admit that Grid was holding him back, but reality was cruel.


    sh!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After being shed by the Space Sword, Asura was severely wounded by the all-out bombardment from the Overgeared members. Nevertheless, he persistently restored the Annihtion armor. However, this time, the Falling Moon Sword also shed him.


    Grid snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever learn? Why do you keep resorting to using Annihtion energy?¡±


    He unfolded the six-fusion sword dance. Asura couldn¡¯t avoid it because the ultimate skills of the Apostles and Tower members were mixed in with the sword dance. Methods of neutralizing a target¡¯s defense and evasion ovepped to neutralize Asura¡¯s technique.


    [I can¡¯t allow this...! Right now, I...! I can¡¯t die at the hands of someone who isn¡¯t even Chiyou!!!]


    The state of one¡¯s emotions affected their magic power. It was the same principle as one¡¯s fist bing stronger when angermanded them. Asura was overtaken by rage and grew stronger and stronger. Finally, he went berserk. He went past the point of no return.


    Baaaaaaang!


    Annihtion energy instead of magic power was now flowing through Asura¡¯s veins.


    [Aha...! Ahahahaha! You¡¯ve made me stronger once again!!]


    All the spells and skills that Asura used contained the properties of the Annihtion energy. The speed at which he could use Annihtion energy had also increased by a lot.


    Asura defined himself as invincible. Martial God Chiyou? He was no match for Asura any longer. As he dered this, he was bombarded with many spells. A solid ray of sunset shed in his vision. This was a sword light created by Kraugel¡¯s Twilight.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    [Agh...!]


    The repaired armor of Annihtion energy was split in half again. However, Asura didn¡¯t panic. He just needed to create it again.


    As Asura thought this¡ª


    ¡°Phoenix Arrow.¡±


    ¡°Light of Destruction.¡±


    Starting with Jishuka and Yura¡¯s sniping, the ultimate skills of the Overgeared members mercilessly smashed into Asura. They were apanied by artillery fire from the Tomb of the Gods.


    ¡°Today we will finally wipe away Baal¡¯s disgrace!¡±


    [You small fries...!]


    Asura became enraged because he got interrupted from restoring his Annihtion energy armor. He targeted the human talking nonsense, Huroi, and fired a spear of Annihtion energy toward him.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to live long anyway.¡±


    Huroi could create a thousand grudges with just one word. Everyone knew that he would one day get in big trouble. The spear of Annihtion energy shot out like a beam of light and collided with him.


    The Overgeared members didn¡¯t bother to look back and just focused on attacking. Because Huroi had the aggro, they dealt more and more damage to Asura, who was unable to restore his armor. They didn¡¯t have the ability to block Asura¡¯s attack, so sacrificing someone was inevitable.


    [¡±Do you deserve to call yourself a savior when you use the weak as scapegoats?¡±]


    [Asura, the God of Fighting, criticized Grid for turning a blind eye to his subordinate¡¯s death.]


    The content of the epic was still proceeding in Asura¡¯s favor. This wasn¡¯t the system manipting it. Asura¡¯s intent, which had be stronger, was affecting Grid¡¯s epic.


    This was¡­ theoretically possible. The powerful intent of an Absolute intervened in the world. That was why it was said that an Absolute¡¯s intent was engraved around them. Asura¡¯s intent was just as powerful or greater than Chiyou¡¯s, and could distort Grid¡¯s epic.


    However, he shouldn¡¯t have openly lied.


    ¡°Who turned a blind eye to the death of a subordinate?¡±


    [......!]


    Asura¡¯s eyes widened. Huroi, who was expected to die from the spear of Annihtion energy, was still alive. He was surrounded by an indigo shield¡ªMultiple Weakening Barriers. This was Judar¡¯s power.


    ¡°It has tenyers.¡±


    No matter how powerful Annihtion energy was, it was difficult to pierce through all tenyers at once. It was almost the only counter to the Falling Moon Sword.


    This was why Grid hadn¡¯t used Multiple Weakening Barriers throughout the battle. He didn¡¯t want to give Asura a chance to learn it.


    [Grid revealed the lies of Asura, the God of Fighting.]


    The distorted epic was finally restored. It praised Grid and gave him a powerful boost. Meanwhile, Asura paid the price for telling a lie in the epic. He was weighed down by a debuff that even an Absolute would find hard to resist.


    Just in time, the stone statue of Grid in the Behen Archipgo was emitting a light that had never been seen before. A miracle had been created by the prayers of countless people who believed in Grid and cheered for him.


    [All your stats are tripled thanks to the umted prayers!]


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Nefelina finally arrived on the battlefield. Cranbel and Navaldrea were sitting on her left and right. She waste because she brought them with her.


    ¡®I am once again receiving everyone¡¯s help.¡¯


    In retrospect, it had always been like this. Due to the nature of MMORPG games, new powerful enemies would appear no matter how strong he became. Grid couldn¡¯t solve everything by himself. He had always received other people¡¯s help.


    There were times when he didn¡¯t like this. Sometimes, he thought it wasn¡¯t worth it to be strong if he couldn¡¯t do everything alone, but now, he was very grateful and happy. Everything would have been in vain if he had solved everything by himself. He wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to realize the importance of rtionships. He would¡¯ve been just as lonely as he used to be before he started ying Satisfy.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    [You have mounted the old dragon candidate, Nefelina.]


    [All your stats are tripled due to the effect of Dragon Knight.]


    [The unique skill Nefelina¡¯s Breath has activated!!]


    Grid felt his strength boiling. His colleagues, who surrounded him on the ground and in the sky, had reassuring expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Space Sword.¡±


    Biban kept up with everyone perfectly. The moment Grid boarded Nefelina, he swung his sword and destroyed Asura¡¯s armor once more. Hayate¡¯sbo attack also dealt extra damage.


    ¡°I told you not to be overconfident using Annihtion energy. Why are you deliberately countering yourself like this?¡±


    [You...!]


    Asura was frustrated.


    The previous generation Sword Saints Biban and Muller, as well as the current day Sword Saint Kraugel were present and inflicted as much damage as possible. On top of that, Marie Rose had copied their swordsmanship by absorbing their blood. It was hard to believe that Space Sword, which could easily destroy the armor of Annihtion energy, would fly a total of six times in such a short period of time. Grid also swung his Falling Moon Sword...


    ¡°It¡¯s over, Asura.¡±


    ¡°Baal¡¯s disgrace!¡±


    [You guys...!!]


    Huroi¡¯s second provocation urred at a bad timing. Asura had been despairing over the fact that he was too immersed in the Annihtion energy and dug his own grave. Now, he regained his senses because he was so angry by what Huroi told him. Asura gave up on his defense and attacked Nefelina, who was carrying Grid.


    It was a good decision.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Nefelina was seriously injured and fell right as Grid¡¯s sword shed through Asura, so the sh wasn¡¯t affected by the buff of Dragon Knight.


    Still, this was enough. Grid¡¯s attack power was three times higher due to the prayers, so he was unimaginably powerful. It destroyed Asura¡¯s heart even without the Dragon Knight effect.


    [Aghhh...!]


    Humans could survive two to three minutes even if their hearts were destroyed. Asura was a god. There was no direct connection between his heart and him being alive. He persistently survived and swung his Annihtion Sword at Grid¡¯s throat.


    It was very intimidating to face an enemy with really high Strength and survivability. Asura told Grid something he had heard many times before. ¡°You are like a cockroach.¡±


    Grid had to retreat for a while. Asura¡¯s Annihtion energy stretched out like the spines of a sea urchin. He was determined to keep enemies away until his heart was restored, but his actions were in vain.


    ¡°Grid!¡±


    Grid had protagonists on his side who would lead the next era together.


    [You have mounted the old dragon candidate, Navaldrea.]


    [All your stats are tripled due to the effect of Dragon Knight.]


    [The unique skill Navaldrea¡¯s Breath has been activated!!]


    Nefelina and Navaldrea, the descendants of the old dragons, owed their lives to Grid. Before he knew it, they became stronger and were willing to help him.


    Roaaaaaar!


    Navaldrea¡¯s Breath contained all the magic power she had umted in her dragon heart. It coincidentally resembled Trauka¡¯s Breath, not her mother¡¯s. The sea urchin-shaped Annihtion energy wrapped around Asura was greatly shaken, but it wasn¡¯t destroyed. Instead, the barrier stretched out in the form of tentacles and attacked Navaldrea.


    [Dragon Knight is no longer active.]


    Asura¡¯s instincts were telling him not to allow Grid to cooperate with the dragons. Therefore, he intensively targeted the dragons, who were weaker.


    ¡°Navaldrea...!¡±


    Navaldrea and Nefeline had be quite close in no time. Nefelina screamed when she saw the other dragon falling along with fragments of her scales. However, she gritted her teeth and turned away.


    Without rescuing Navaldrea, she flew in front of Grid and blocked the attack of the tentacles. Thanks to this, the tentacles were unable to block Grid¡¯s path.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!!¡±


    Grid was on another dragon now.


    [You have boarded the old dragon candidate, Cranbel.]


    [All of your stats are tripled due to the effect of Dragon Knight.]


    [The unique skill Cranbel¡¯s Breath has been activated!!]


    Unfortunately, Item Combination was on cooldown. The cooldown reset skill had been consumed for the six-fusion sword dance.


    But that was okay. Grid had his stats tripled and invested his enormous number of stat points into Strength.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    ¡°Finish him!¡±


    He even carried the buffs of his colleagues on his back.


    Roaaaaaar!


    Cranbel¡¯s Breath obscured Grid¡¯s sword.


    [Damn...! Aghhhhhh!!]


    Defying the Natural Order tore through the sky. Twilight emitted a particrly red afterimage resembling a sunset. This was due to the blood that flowed from Asura¡¯s wounds like a river.


    [I...! Do you think I will die like this...?!]


    Even when they first met, Asura had survived despite his horrible wounds. The same was true now. Despite being cut into hundreds of pieces, he persistently survived and tried to escape. Hundreds of pieces of his flesh scattered in different directions. Grid alone could never block all of them.


    However, Grid wasn¡¯t alone. The Overgeared members, the Tower members, and the Apostles were by his side.


    On top of that...


    [Asura, do you think I will let you go?!!]


    Raphael and the angels had resurrected in their spare vessels.


    [I will surely repay this debt.]


    In addition, Dominion and the gods came to their senses while Asura was weakened.


    [Let¡¯s show him the power of magic.]


    Mumud and Braham¡¯srge-scale spellbined with Euphemina¡¯s and many other magicians¡¯.


    The rtionships that Grid had built up over the years spread out like a spider web,pletely blocking Asura¡¯s retreat.


    [Aghhhhh...!!]


    Grid used Annihtion energy to repeatedly burn the fragments of Asura that his colleagues held captive.


    [God of Fighting Asura has been extinguished.]


    ¡°Waaahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Thest raid was over. Grid¡¯s cheering colleagues looked happier than ever. Maybe everyone could feel that this fight had been thest one.

 Chapter 2052

    Chapter 2052


    [God of Fighting Asura has been extinguished.]


    [The raid rewards will be distributed evenly to all members of the Party. Hurry Up and Join.]


    The Overgeared members were dancing, cheering, and hugging each other when they suddenly fell quiet.


    ¡°...Again?¡±


    ¡°It has been like thattely. I guess it wasn¡¯t a mistake the first few times.¡±


    Everyone looked at Grid with straight faces. Outstanding yers like Kraugel and Chris frowned.


    Hurent was experienced and asked with a smile, ¡°Hey, Grid... why are you distributing the rewards evenly? Everyone seems to think you¡¯ve made a mistake. Is that the case?¡±


    Usually, people raided monsters in a party. Those like Grid, Kraugel, and Yura could provide buffs to their party members. The more named-grade NPCs were in a party, the more powerful the group was.


    Every time Grid and the Overgeared members fought a strong enemy, they naturally formed a party. Usually, the party leader was the one who acquired the items. If Grid was the party leader, the party would be disbanded when the finishing blow would bended on the enemy.


    This was a long tradition that had been going on since Grid established the Overgeared guild. This rule had been put in ce to respect Grid, who contributed the most during battles.


    But at some point, this rule was broken. Even though Grid was party leader, he kept the distribution as even and didn¡¯t disband the party. It started happening often after the hell expedition and it happened more and more after the Trauka raid. Even now, the rewards from raiding Asura were divided equally among all party members even though Grid had done the most during the fight.


    Grid broke the heavy atmosphere. ¡°Isn¡¯t this fair? I have been saying for a long time that we should be stronger as a whole. This doesn¡¯t mean I am unterally distributingpensation to you. I have my own standards when ites to distribution.¡±


    Grid thought it was time to tell everyone what he truly thought.


    ¡°For example, it would¡¯ve been hard for me to get rid of Asura by myself today. It¡¯s impossible to raid someone who bes stronger the more he fights.¡±


    What he said made sense. To raid Asura, Grid had toe up with good tactics to beat him since winning inbat was impossible.


    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s right to say we all contributed evenly in this situation. I have always adjusted the distribution settings this way.¡±


    Grid had long argued that he didn¡¯t think he would be able to fight alone. He hade to this realization around the time he started preparing for the hell expedition. From then on, Grid had been hoping that his colleagues would be stronger.


    Lauel had agreed. The two of them had been building the infrastructure to make sure all yers would be stronger, especially the Overgeared members. This was the result.


    The yers had taken it upon themselves to destroy the Full Moon Fortresses and drive the cultivators out of this world. The Overgeared members had helped Grid defeat Asura. Grid¡¯s n had been sessful.


    Grid made eye contact with his colleagues and bowed politely. He conveyed his sincere thoughts without any pretenses. ¡°I look forward to your continued cooperation. Please continue improving. Since I have already be as strong as I can be, you will also improve your skills as much as I have.¡±


    ¡°...We can¡¯t possibly be as strong as you.¡±


    ¡°But at least do your best to be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Like today, right?¡±


    The atmosphere was no longer tense. The Overgeared members patted Grid on the shoulder or messed up his hair with hesitant expressions.


    Huroi freaked out, but it was only a small incident. ¡°H-How dare you put your hand on my liege¡¯s head...!¡±


    The Overgeared memberspleted the Asura raid and gained at least a hundred levels. Some people gained so much status that they reached the rank of perfect Transcendents or Absolutes. They could stand shoulder to shoulder with Grid thanks to how much stronger they had be. It was a joyful atmosphere.


    Grid¡¯s colleagues, who were indebted to him, were finally able to face him confidently. Would truepanionship finally spring up? Well, the Overgeared members had long been a group united by camaraderie, so this was more than that. It was more like sibling affection.


    In the game, the Overgeared members had fought together, experienced frustrations, rejoiced, and shared happiness and sorrow together for over twenty years of Satisfy time. They saw each other as family. They had to rely on each other so they could maintain a strong bond for a long time. Grid no longer wanted to be on a different level from his colleagues.


    ¡°There is a saying that greed leads to greater greed,¡± Grid said carefully. ¡°People often say that there is no end to a person¡¯s desires. Judging by most movies and cartoons, people who are already very wealthy and powerful were often portrayed as viins. But I disagree a bit.¡±


    Grid recalled his past. There had been moments when he couldn¡¯t buy kimchi or pickled radish because he didn¡¯t even have the money to eat instant noodles. He had been bullied because he was weak. He had been trampled by others who tried suppressing the growth he had been working so hard to achieve.


    Back then, Grid had wanted nothing but to get revenge and be stronger.


    ¡°A viin bes a viin because he suffers from a deficiency. No matter how rich or powerful they are in other people¡¯s eyes, they end up resorting to dirty tricks to make up for what they arecking.¡±


    The deficiency referred to here¡ª


    ¡°For example, not being able to find someone that matters to them.¡±


    Grid argued that rtionships mattered the most to an individual.


    ¡°I no longerck anything. Money, honor, power, strength... I have everything I want, including people I care about. Aren¡¯t you envious?¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°Haha, there is only one thing I want to say. I want all of you to be like me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°It has been a surprisingly long time since I¡¯ve wanted this. To be exact, I¡¯ve felt this way since I started fighting for the sake of my family and all of you, as well as for the people who are suffering despite not having anything to do with me. I stopped fighting for myself a long time ago.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes were looking straight ahead as he confessed this.


    ¡°I guess that you will also stopcking things eventually.... What do you think?¡±


    Satisfy challenged the yer with numerous trials. The yer was greatly rewarded every time they overcame an ordeal. Therefore, the game satisfied them, living up to its name.


    ¡°Of course, our faction¡¯s name is Overgeared. We can¡¯t be better than we already are,¡± Peak Sword immediately answered, as if what he said was obvious.


    Grid smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, there are a lot of people in our group who have already fulfilled all of their desires. If you think you still aren¡¯t good enough, you can make up for it by working hard and having fun just like before. Your colleagues will help you.¡±


    I need to be stronger.


    It still isn¡¯t enough.


    I need to be a bit stronger...


    Today, Grid waspletely liberated from thepulsion of responsibilities he had carried on his shoulders for so many years. He no longer wanted to be stronger. It was more valuable for two colleagues to be strong than one. He had been convinced of this since the Full Moon Fortress crisis.


    ¡°In the future, let¡¯s make sure more people be like us.¡±


    Grid was looking farther ahead. Beyond Satisfy, he pictured himself and his colleagues making a positive impact in the real world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t harbor this desire because I am a naturally good person. You see, I used to be an ordinary... Well, rather, I used to be a pathetic individual who didn¡¯t even finish university or have a job.¡±


    Grid clenched one of his fists and mmed it into his chest.


    ¡°But at the end of the day, I am here. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve fulfilled so many childish and bloody revenges that I have no more regrets. It might be because I have been lucky enough to meet good people and be rewarded by their kindness. So let¡¯s give back this kindness to others. I want a lot of people to be just as strong as us.¡±


    Grid had met Khan, Irene, and his colleagues and was saved. Thanks to this, he picked himself up after hitting rock bottom and became the person he was today. The whole process had been thrilling and joyful.


    Of course, Grid had experienced pain and sadness many times, but he was able to smile and remember everything he had gone through. He wanted others to experience the same things as him. Everyone had the right to be happy.


    His sincere thoughts¡ª


    [Only One God Grid says...]


    ¡ªwere being spread to the whole world through the epic. Grid hadn¡¯t expected that.


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t this crazy? Why is the conversation we¡¯re having being spread through the epic?¡± Grid asked.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a child. What are you ashamed of?¡±


    Grid was flustered. ¡°I-I¡¯m not ashamed. I was upset because it¡¯s obvious that the system is doing it on purpose.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter what he said. The epic didn¡¯t end, but Grid¡¯s speech was disyed as a world message.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    ¡°Is Grid still in his main character persona?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he too arrogant? He already has everything he has ever wanted.¡±


    ¡°Is he saying that ordinary people like us, who arecking things, can be viins at any time? What?¡±


    Because of this, everyone around the world started talking about him. Some made fun of him, some were jealous, and some people even hated him. But, more than anything, a lot of people were thrilled. Those who had a difficult life, just like Grid used to, supported him. They felt very hopeful about the future.


    Anything ranging from tools, beasts, and people could be gods. Several countries with such ideals called for the worship of Grid as a god in reality. South Koreans believed that Grid should run for president.


    It wasn¡¯t a particrly big deal. Historically, there had been many cases when a certain individual¡¯s remarks would have a significant ripple effect on others. As always, the social phenomena created by Grid would be a thing of the past. It would go down as a page in history.


    No, one page wouldn¡¯t cut it. Even when Grid started writing his epic, there were signs that a biography of the great Grid would be published. It would have at least a hundred volumes...


    ***


    It had been three months since the Asura raid. The world was at peace. The gods and angels of Asgard actively maintained contact with the gods of the Overgeared World and took care of humans together, allowing yers to enjoy all types of content with ease.


    Some yers trained by targeting named-grade bosses, which became more powerful as the average level of yers increased, while otherspeted for wealth and power through territorial battles.


    Adventurers traveling between hell, the surface, the Overgeared World, the Peach Blossom Spring, and Asgard hunted monsters or explored ruins, making headlines every day.


    The number of people taking advantage of Satisfy¡¯s wonderful natural environment and engaging in leisurely activities, such as hiking and surfing, also increased every day.


    The dragons rallied around Cranbel and Navaldrea, learning to blend in with humans. The Refractive Dragon and Reba still couldn¡¯t be seen. ording to Dominion¡¯s report, Reba often used the recently restored back road in Asgard. She seemed to be holding out well against the Refractive Dragon.


    ¡°Abu, Abuuu!!¡¯


    ¡°Abuuu!¡±


    Lord¡¯s newborn siblings had beenpeting with each other since they were born. They werepeting on who would eat faster, grow taller, not stain the diapers too much, learn to speak first, and so on. It was a meagerpetition that was befitting a peaceful world.


    ¡°Lily... Our lovely Lily keeps getting angry at me... I was trying to change her diaper earlier and she threw a slipper at me...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just going through puberty. Cheer up, Lord-chan.¡±


    ¡°What puberty could a newborn child experience?!¡±


    ¡°I heard that women grow up fast. After all, Lily is Marie Rose¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°No matter how fast they grow, how can you treat women like they¡¯re a fantasy species...? Just like the rumors say, you really don¡¯t know anything about women, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not like Vantner. He¡¯s the one who doesn¡¯t know anything about women! Do you know how much time I spent reading books about that? In fact, Isabel-chan is always happy!¡±


    ¡°Every time I have tea with my mothers, she is always jealous orining about something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of my wife!¡±


    ¡°You are misunderstanding. I am talking about your actions, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Haha, our Lord-chan is amazing... You are in such high spirits after getting siblings... Should I show you how great your teacher is after so long?¡±


    ¡°There you are, you two! You can go to a dungeon or somewhere other than the sparring hall to fight! There is a dungeon that Navaldrea has asked me to investigate...¡±


    The whole continent was full of life. There was always a bright smile on Grid¡¯s face as he worked hard, hammering away in the smithyN?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 2053

    Chapter 2053


    The status window contained one¡¯s history. It was possible to check a person¡¯s behavior and character traits through information such as skills, titles, and affiliation.


    But what if it was a newborn baby? The information contained in the status window would contain their future, not history.


    ¡°......¡±


    Thanks to the Emperor''s Sword, which was the only sword in the world that disclosed the target¡¯s information in detail, Grid had secured countless talented people while dealing with people who were potentially threats. He evaluated the target through the information provided by the status window and disposed of them or used them advantageously.


    ¡°...Minor retired?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he gave up on his title and territory and left for the secluded countryside. He said he wanted to be by his mother¡¯s side during herst years.¡±


    Minor was a master of mineral searching and identification. Except for Khan, Hexetia, and Grid, there were few people more well-versed in minerals than Minor. Such a bigshot had been just an ordinary miner at first. However, Grid had recognized Minor¡¯s talent through what was the Ruler¡¯s Sword at the time and had turned him into a mineral detector.


    Grid became depressed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the day hase for a child who used to be full of ambition to give up his title of earl of the empire and retire¡­ Minor used to grumble every time he had toplete a task. I think I rarely saw him enjoying himself. Did my greed consume his dream?¡±


    Grid had turned Minor into a mineral detector purely for his own benefits. Of course, he had never felt remorse. Minor needed money to buy medicine for his sick mother. He had also really wanted to do his best. Thus, Grid had believed that using Minor, who had a specialized talent for mineral exploration, benefitted them both.


    But now, dozens of years had passed. Minor left as if he had no regrets about his life.


    Lauel stared at Grid, who was feeling overwhelmed.


    ¡°Minor will be back sooner orter,¡± Lauel said.


    ¡°......?¡±


    ¡°There is a limit to the lifespan of a human being. Elixirs can only be obtained through special methods, from branches of the World Tree, golden walnuts improved by Piaro, there¡¯s also the ones from the cultivation world... The world is vast and there are many things that reside in it, but making humans immortal is in a different league altogether.¡±


    Minor¡¯s mother was eighty-one years old. She had exceeded the average life expectancy by a lot.


    ¡°It feels awful to say such things, but... Minor¡¯s mother will probably die soon. She could even die tomorrow. Minor said that, until that happens, he wants to do nothing but focus on taking care of his mother. If he holds a title, doesn¡¯t he have at least the minimum amount of obligations he needs to take care of?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Minor¡¯s mother is said to have always been weak. She gave birth to a child at ate age and her health rapidly deteriorated. If Minor hadn¡¯t met Your Majesty and seeded in life, his mother would¡¯ve never lived for so long.¡±


    Lauel had strong sociopathic tendencies. To achieve his goals, he tended to sacrifice others for the greater good. It was rare for him to empathize with someone¡¯s story and take emotions into consideration, but this gradually changed. He had experienced a lot of emotions watching Grid from the side for many years. Now he was able to empathize with other people¡¯s feelings and understand their circumstances to a certain extent.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you didn¡¯t ruin Minor¡¯s future. Instead, you saved him. Of course, this doesn''t mean I am forcing you to use the Emperor''s Sword right away.¡±


    Lauel¡¯s gaze followed Grid¡¯s. Four babies were asleep on four cute beds ced side by side.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you reluctant to check the talents of the newborn children and predict their future? Then don¡¯t check. They are Your Majesty¡¯s children. Who else will teach them to realize their talents and improve? It will always be you.¡±


    ¡°...This doesn¡¯t feel tooforting since you¡¯re the one advising me. I feel uneasy because I have a feeling you have ulterior motives.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been honest with Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t change your expression at all when tricking others.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    In kingdoms or territories where the ruler was a yer, such as the Overgeared Empire and Valha, many famous geniuses had been born thanks to items such as the Ruler¡¯s Sword, the King¡¯s Sword, and the Emperor''s Sword.


    Grid knew that getting talented people on his side with the authority of an emperor was a natural right and a routine system. The nation had be stronger thanks to this routine.


    Grid also knew that those who were chosen by the system and realized their talents were guaranteed a good life. However, he hesitated to use the Emperor''s Sword on his children because it felt different from when he had Lord. His newborn children didn¡¯t have to dedicate himself to the nation. The Overgeared Empire was the world¡¯s greatest power and already had a great sessor, Lord. A peaceful future had been assured.


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t look at the children¡¯s status window.¡±


    Grid put down the Emperor''s Sword. These were the children of his wives. He knew they had infinite potential even if he didn¡¯t check them. He didn¡¯t want to make the mistake of peeking at their talents and prematurely suggesting what path they should take because of his selfishness.


    Grid kissed the forehead of his sleeping children, who were smiling as if they were having a nice dream, and left the bedroom.


    ***


    Freesia was the girl born to Grid and Irene. Her ck hair and ck eyes proved that she had Grid¡¯s blood flowing in her veins, but she looked very much like her mother. Her big, slightly curved eyes were just like Irene¡¯s.


    However, her personality seemed to resemble Grid¡¯s.


    ¡°Boo!¡±


    She was excessively greedy. She often looked proud of herself when she snatched her sibling¡¯s toys.


    ¡°She shares my most important trait. I¡¯m d Pansy behaves like a big sister.¡±


    Grid looked embarrassed. He nced at the blonde-haired girl with pride. She was the girl born to Grid and Basara. Her calm personality resembled her mother¡¯s. Instead of fighting back against Freesia, who was struggling to take her toy with her small hands, Pansy smiled brightly and gave in.


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    Ruby was impressed. A three-month-old baby giving up her toy? It was even the pacifier she carried with her all the time. Maybe she would be a Saintess in the true sense of the word...


    Grid and Ruby were convinced that Pansy was a special child and became a bit excited.


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    Freesia grabbed the pacifier and squeezed it. Pansy jumped up from her seat with a smile on her face.


    Pow!


    There was a slightly loud noise. It was the sound of Pansy headbutting Freesia in the chin.


    ¡°Eh...? Waaaaahhhhh!!¡±


    Freesia fell on her butt and blinked herrge eyes before bursting into tears.


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The siblings watching this frowned. Ruby spoke on behalf of Grid, who was speechless for a moment.


    ¡°W-Wasn¡¯t that a mistake? I don¡¯t think a child who can¡¯t even walk properly would headbutt someone else on purpose?¡±


    Grid came to his senses and nodded. ¡°I-I guess?¡±


    The blue-haired baby, who had been chasing a butterfly with an awkward gait, heard themotion and turned her head. Iris was the child born to Grid and Mercedes. She was also a girl.


    ¡°Ohhh...¡±


    ¡°What a good child...¡±


    Grid and his sister became mushy like snowmen melting in the sun. Iris saw that Freesia was crying and approached carefully. The siblings were impressed because Iris was so cute and nice.


    "Abu!¡±


    Iris soon arrived behind Freesia and raised her arms. Was she using Keen Insight? The siblings were surprised to see Iris¡¯ transparently shining eyes. Iris grabbed Freesia by the back of her neck and knocked her down.


    ¡°...Uh?¡±


    ¡°Why...?¡±


    ¡°Waaaaaahhhh!!¡±


    Freesia¡¯s crying grew louder as she fell back on the grass.


    ¡°Yay!¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Iris struck a triumphant pose. She was hitting her chest with both fists like a gori.


    Ruby looked at Grid suspiciously.


    ¡°...Oppa, isn¡¯t this your fault? You clearly made a mistake when speaking and acting in front of your daughters before they were born, so you had a bad influence on them during their prenatal education.¡±


    Since the personalities of her nieces all resembled her brother when he was younger, she decided that her brother had to be at fault.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was about to refute it, but he shut up. In the distance, he saw Lily grabbing Noe¡¯s tail and spinning in ce.


    ¡°Eeeeeek! You chestnut-sized kid!¡±


    Lily was born to Grid and Marie Rose. Unlike her sisters, she was taciturn. Thus, they thought she would be mature like her mother. However, she ended up causing the most incidents. She was unable to control her innate strength and magic power, so she had already destroyed several pce facilities.


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    Freesia stopped crying and jumped up. Just as naturally as a martial artist, she immediately ran to choke Iris, who was still basking in victory.


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Grid was seriously worried. He envisioned a future where the four princesses turned the whole nation upside down. He thought of Lord suffering from hair loss before even reaching middle age.


    Ruby grinned as she hugged her nieces. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They will change when they see the good people around them, just like you did.¡±


    Ruby had seen Grid change in real time, so she strongly believed that her nieces would change as well.


    This didn¡¯t console Grid at all. He heard a weing voice as he was fidgeting.


    ¡°They have to train.¡±


    ¡°Ireeeeene!¡±


    Noe had been looking gloomy as he tidied up his fur messed up by Lily. Now he instantly recovered his joy. He jumped and fell into Irene¡¯s arms.


    Irene patted him on the back. ¡°A child is a mirror of their parents,¡± she said. ¡°If we don¡¯t educate them in advance, the empire¡¯s reputation will be tarnished.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± Basara agreed.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stand by and watch these brats without teaching them some discipline,¡± Mercedes added.


    ¡°B-But they are babies. How can we hit them...?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The atmosphere became a bit strange because Mercedes suggested something scary. However, those who knew what her childhood had been like didn¡¯t take her words lightly. It would take a long time for Mercedes to understand that discipline and violence were different concepts.


    ¡°A-Abu?¡±


    The babies in Ruby¡¯s arms floated in the air. They tried shaking their short limbs wildly to resist, but it was futile. Contrary to their will, the babies were brought in front of their mothers and forced to stand in a line.


    ¡°Buu!¡±


    As expected, siblings were siblings. Because they were in trouble, the babies started to help each other without worrying about who would be the first to get admonished. They tried to break the chains of magic binding of their younger or older sister.


    Irene and Basara¡¯s expressions softened slightly. ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Mercedes had a chilly look on her face. ¡°Are you resisting your superiors'' orders?¡±


    Mercedes, who had been abandoned by her parents and raised by the Red Knights, had an attitude that was anything but ordinary. The same could be said about Marie Rose.


    ¡°Kids who can¡¯t even bite are struggling so ridiculously... haha...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid and his sister were dizzy.

 Chapter 2054

    <h4>Chapter 2054</h4>


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Dozens of books were ced on the table where babies who were only three months old were seated side by side. These bookspiled concepts such as personality traits, morality, etiquette, andws into illustrated stories that were easy for children to understand.


    ¡°Uhm... Isn¡¯t this a textbook for the lower grades studying at the Beginner¡¯s Academy? This is used to educate children who are at least seven years old...¡±


    Ruby often gave lectures at the academy and immediately recognized the pictured fairy tales.


    ¡°No matter how easily understandable these stories are, they¡¯re still not fit for babies...¡±


    ¡°Prince Lord understood writing less than three months after he was born.¡±


    ¡°Well... Lord has always been very talented, but couldn¡¯t he do that because Kasim secretly stood by his side and taught him?¡±


    Irene was adamant. ¡°That¡¯s right. From now on, I will be by the princesses¡¯ side to teach them. They will be just as skilled as Lord was when he was a baby. I will be in trouble if I can¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t deny that these children were born in a better environment than the crown prince.¡±


    Irene dered that she would thoroughly educate babies who were only three months old. Grid seemed embarrassed as he created a soundproof barrier and ced the children inside. He¡¯d gained this from a mystical art after killing cultivators.


    ¡°Irene, I want the children to live more freely. The world is at peace. Even if a new threat emerges, the surface, the Overgeared World, Asgard, hell, and the Peach Blossom Spring will work together to eradicate it.¡±


    In other words, there was no need to thoroughly educate the princesses. Moreover, expecting something from the newborn children and giving them an early education was against Grid¡¯s wishes.


    Irene smiled. ¡°Yes, my wishes are the same as Your Majesty¡¯s. I want the princesses to live freely and happily. But that doesn¡¯t mean they should grow up to be viins, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh...? U-Um. I guess so. But how can our children grow up to be viins...? Haha, isn¡¯t this too much of a reach?¡± Gridughed awkwardly.


    Basara told him, ¡°It isn¡¯t too much of a reach. Your Majesty witnessed the Saharan Empire that was on the verge of copse, right? How many powerful people from there had been corrupted? There were plenty of people in the Saharan Empire who made others unhappy just because they were born into the imperial family or nobility.¡±


    ¡°Meanwhile, the knights were well-qualified through proper education,¡± Mercedes added. She soon remembered a certain fact and became depressed. ¡°...There were some knights who were corrupted by the Servants of Yatan, but... As Your Majesty knows, that was an unavoidable event...¡±


    ¡®In any case, the bottom line is that we need to educate the kids.¡¯


    His wives agreed to that. There was no way Grid could refuse them. It wasn¡¯t like he intended to be adamant about his personal opinion.


    ¡®Of course, we need to make sure to educate the girls so they¡¯ll be well-mannered. My point is that it¡¯s too early for that...¡¯


    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    The sunny-faced princesses were banging on the barrier using pure strength or raw magic power. They were much stronger than average newborn babies. In terms of attack power, they wereparable to the knights.


    ¡®...Though they should be disciplined before they hurt anyone even though they might not mean any harm.¡¯


    Grid recognized that his children were incredibly powerful and finally nodded.


    ¡°I will leave the children¡¯s education to you, my wives.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Grid cheerfully left the work to his wives and left the room.


    ***


    ¡°Everything should be okay as long as the children are healthy. It¡¯s a shame that I won¡¯t be able to y with them for a while, but I¡¯m excited for the future.¡±


    Ruby shook off her worries and quickly regained her energy. As expected, she was a bright child. Grid was stroking his cute little sister¡¯s head when he suddenly stopped. Sexy Schoolgirl was running toward Ruby in a hurry.


    ¡°Yerim, haven¡¯t seen you in a while!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, hello Youngwoo oppa!¡±


    Sehee¡¯s best friend, Yerim, was an ordinary gamer. No matter how good her items were, she hadn¡¯t exactly improved by a lot. Once the level of the enemies increased rapidly, she couldn¡¯t keep up with them, so she had withdrawn from the battlefield for the time being. After all, even without the Saintess¡¯ Knight, there were plenty of skilled people who could protect Ruby.


    In any case, she appeared after a long time, grabbed Ruby¡¯s hand, and started running.


    ¡°Uncle Piaro has finally figured out how to restore cursed nts! He wants to see if he can incorporate your heals into it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? I¡¯m d. I hope I can help.¡±


    ¡°Surely! I think we can fully restore the World Tree if we do well! Then the elves will be back in their prime!¡±


    ¡®I was wondering what she has been up to these days. Has Piaro been training her?¡¯


    Grid didn¡¯t really trust Yerim. He thought she would be having fun somewhere where he couldn¡¯t see her but, in fact, that wasn¡¯t the case. She seemed to have been working hard in the fields.


    After checking Yerim¡¯s dirt-covered footprints, Grid smiled happily and looked out the window. He felt a familiar presence. A guest he had to meet one day hade on his own.


    ¡®Martial God Chiyou.¡¯


    ***


    ¡°No matter where I look in the world, it¡¯s so full of vitality. I¡¯m proud to say that even though I have lived for a long time... I have never witnessed such peaceful times.¡±


    Grid and Chiyou traveled thousands of kilometers away from Reinhardt before they stopped flying. They made it to a hignd area with clustered mountain peaks.


    ¡°Nevertheless, there seems to be no end to human greed. There are still many people who worship power, so my strength is still growing.¡±


    Grid¡¯s long ck hair and bright red overcoat gave off a very powerful impression. Could his presence be recreated with some red and ck strokes from a thick brush? Grid stared at Chiyou, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    ¡°You want me to annihte you before you get any stronger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you haven¡¯t forgotten. Also, as I said before, I would like you to refrain from speaking formally with me. I want it to be clear to you that we¡¯re on equal footing.¡±


    ¡°Thinking back on what happened over the past few months, you have helped me out a lot. I will treat you with respect and gratitude.¡±


    Grid pulled out Twilight and Defying the Natural Order. Then he immediately used Item Combination. In the Overgeared World, he wasn¡¯t affected by skill cooldowns. He was much stronger than when he fought Asura.


    ¡°I will make your wishe true.¡±


    Chiyou smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    He grabbed a sword that looked like an iron bar with both hands and prepared to fight. He showed no weaknesses. Grid¡¯s high Insight waspletely useless.


    Of course, Grid was unfazed. He had the power to store actions as skills and, in thest few months, he had grown a lot more stronger after wiping out the cultivators and eventually killing Asura.


    Every time Grid swung his sword, several sword dances and spells activated at the same time. Every AOE attack had the power to ughter hundreds of enemies.


    ¡°Haha...! Hahahahaha!!¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s eyes widened and he burst outughing. He was happy. This was the first time he had ever felt fear. An ominous feeling was telling him that death was approaching.


    <i>Baang!</i> <i>Baaaaaang!</i>


    The movement of the six-fusion sword dance became the cornerstone of linking the five-fusion sword dance. The sky-high mountain peaks couldn¡¯t withstand the shockwave and copsed one after another. Thendslides that urred after a dy melted into ashes because of the Annihtion energy.


    A single sword dance activated a spell.


    Every time a two-fusion sword dance was performed, the effects of the single sword dance were stacked on top of each other. If a three-fusion sword dance was performed, the mystical arts from the cultivators and blood magic poured out at the same time.


    The movements of the four-fusion sword dance had Shunpo incorporated in it, and the distorted area created an attack.


    Chiyou¡¯s counterattack was also formidable. Every swing of his sword caused a natural disaster.


    But¡ª


    Grid repeatedly blocked Chiyou¡¯s counterattack without taking much damage by using Multiple Weakening Barriers and Annihtion energy. He was also borrowing the Power of Light to his heart¡¯s content with the help of the Goddess. He couldn¡¯t have shown this power against Asura. The consequences would have been catastrophic if Asura had learned Multiple Weakening Barriers and the Power of Light.


    After all, Asgard wasn¡¯t Grid¡¯s domain. It was impossible for him to cast skills non-stop there. In other words, Grid was currently dozens of times more powerful than when he fought Asura.


    Grid hadn¡¯t lied when he had told his colleagues that his strength had already reached the limit.


    Chiyou coughed. He could learn and evolve his target¡¯s techniques. Unlike Asura, he was unable to replicate powers such as Annihtion energy or light. Grid was convinced of this when Asura replicated Annihtion energy. Seeing that Asura had been proud to have finally surpassed Chiyou, Grid wondered if Chiyou couldn¡¯t take away Annihtion energy.


    The sun had set. Chiyou¡¯s HP bar reached critical levels after half a day of fighting.


    Grid asked him, ¡°Is your wish still the same?¡±


    It was better for Chiyou to disappear. If an Absolute with a screw loose was left alive to run wild, there was a chance that he could bring forth disasters one day. However, Grid had no ill will toward Chiyou. There were times when he had resented the martial god for a while, but once everything went well and Chiyou regained hisposure, Grid no longer had anything against him.


    If Chiyou vowed to never threaten humanity again, then Grid would let him live. Grid was a bit nervous. Chiyou¡¯s blows were too heavy. Every time he hit Grid by smashing through the Multiple Weakening Barriers, Grid felt like he was riding a roller coaster. Every time he was hit by an attack, he flew back tens or even hundreds of kilometers. He absorbed most of the damage thanks to the Annihtion armor, but he still got motion sickness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I couldn¡¯t be happier right now.¡±


    Chiyou took an offensive stance that he had never shown before. He held his sword in both hands, lifted it just below his eyes and pointed straight ahead. He was preparing for his ultimate move.


    For Chiyou to die, there was a condition that he had to be defeated in a thorough confrontation. Both Chiyou and his opponent had to do their best.


    Grid was aware of this. He strengthened his resolve after seeing the desire and joy in Chiyou¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°...Okay. I will do my best to ensure that you don¡¯t have the slightest regret.¡±


    Thanks to the daily overflow of prayers, Grid¡¯s stats were always tripled. After redistributing his stats toward Strength¡ª


    [Strength: 150,000 (MAX)]


    ¡ªhe had reached the limit. Not even the old dragons could attain this number.


    ......


    All noise disappeared. A one-kilometer radius entered a vacuum state. Grid¡¯s six-fusion sword dance absorbed everything in the area¡ªthe air, the wind, the earth, and even the power of Chiyou¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    The light faded from Chiyou¡¯s eyes as he smiled brightly like never before.


    ¡°...Finally.¡±

 Chapter 2055

    <h4>Chapter 2055</h4>


    ¡°Finally... Ack!!¡±


    Chiyou¡¯s face twisted in pain. The death he had dreamed of for eons was more terrible than he had imagined. His stopped heart silenced his world. His cold blood made everything go dark. He felt as if he was floating.


    It was painful. He was scared. An overwhelming sense of loss came over him...


    ¡°Chiyou...¡±


    ¡°Gri... d...¡±


    The image of Grid was reflected in Chiyou¡¯s dim eyes. Grid was gritting his teeth as if he was witnessing something sad.


    Chiyou recalled the first time he met Grid. At that time, Grid had been weak, but even then he¡¯d had unlimited potential. He had been like the sun even among the yangbans.


    Chiyou weed death with open arms.


    ¡°My discerning vision... As expected, I wasn¡¯t wrong...¡±


    While Chiyou had been observing him, Grid had faced many trials. However, Grid had ovee each and every one of them without getting discouraged. He had finally made it to where he was today.


    <i>You have be more distinguished than me...</i>


    Chiyou was turning to ash and didn¡¯t even have the energy to open his mouth. Thus, he spoke using intent.


    [Grid. You are the Only One God now.]


    The noble status of the Martial God remained honorable even in the moment of irreversible death. He engraved his intent on the entire world.


    [I, Martial God Chiyou, was killed by the Great Grid. This is eternal annihtion.]


    Once Chiyou¡¯s defeat spread to the world, the gray energy that consumed him became even more powerful.


    [The Martial God status has been attributed to Grid.]


    The Martial God, envied and feared by all the beings in the world, was now just one of the concepts that made up Grid.


    Chiyou was rapidly weakening. Even if several miracles urred at this very moment, it was impossible to save him.


    ¡°Chiyou...!¡±


    [Is this how it feels for my soul to die? It¡¯s more painful than what I was prepared for. An indescribable sense of loss ising over me.]


    There were clear tears in Chiyou¡¯s single remaining eye.


    [...How ridiculous and disgusting my desire must be in the eyes of human beings who die after living for only decades.]


    There were countless people in the world who were struggling to survive even one more day. Unlike them, Chiyou only chased death. It was only now when he was on the brink of death that he realized he was a tremendous sinner.


    He felt sorry. He was crushed by an unexpected sense of guilt. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t regret his ending because he had been too lonely. When Chiyou was left alone in the ruined Hwan Kingdom, he realized he had been alone even when the kingdom had been filled with yangbans and gods.


    [Grid, I hope you won¡¯t be as lonely as I was.]


    Chiyou¡¯s consciousness, which had only one ray remaining, now had a new desire.


    Grid hurriedly nodded. ¡°...Of course.¡±


    Fortunately, Grid would grant Chiyou¡¯s wish.


    Chiyou could be seen smiling slightly through the ash pir that appeared and dispersed.


    <i>Flop.</i>


    This ce used to be a mountain range just a moment before. Grid was left alone surrounded by wilderness. He slumped down helplessly, caught his breath, and calmed down.


    <i>Will I also be lonely like Chiyou...</i>


    Grid realized that he wasn¡¯t alone. He slowly shook off these vague fears as he recalled the faces of his friends and colleagues. Even now, the Overgeared Guild was bing stronger around the world.


    As long as Grid had his colleagues, he wouldn¡¯t end up like Chiyou. They would always bother him and make sure he would never be lonely. Sometimes, he would rely on them to keep up the friendlypetition they had going on.


    ¡°...It¡¯s because we¡¯re yers.¡±


    A whole day passed. Grid steadied his heartbeat and regained hisposure. He got up from where he had been sitting. His eyes were still red, but he looked rxed.


    ¡°I have received so much goodwill from you, Chiyou.¡±


    Grid bowed to the wilderness where no one else was present. In fact, in his heart, he wanted to use his God Hands to construct Chiyou¡¯s tomb in a grand manner, but he wanted to be very careful.


    Chiyou had finally managed to disappear. However, he might resurrect if people kept talking about him. Grid didn¡¯t want to make the mistake of identally reviving Chiyou due to his personal feelings.


    ¡°Rest for eternity.¡±


    After a short prayer, Grid left.


    ***


    ¡°T-This is the triumphant return of His Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Salute the leader of the great empire!¡±


    The crowd swarmed Grid when he returned to Reinhardt.


    ¡®Oh my.¡¯


    Grid had tried to sneak in, but to no avail. The imperial capital had extended beyond continents and had taken control of both hell and Asgard.


    Every street was crowded. People had kept their eyes on the gates and walls, the return points, warp gates, and the Tomb of the Gods.


    Of course, they tried to be prudent. They knew it would be annoying if they made a fuss every time the emperor appeared, but today was a monumental day. The emperor had defeated the Martial God and returned safely. There was bound to be an unusualmotion.


    The people, soldiers, knights, and yers swarmed Grid. Surrounded by the cheering crowd, Grid was embarrassed, but soon epted the situation positively.


    ¡®This is better for my n. Let¡¯s announce Chiyou¡¯s death and make the people forget him.¡¯


    Grid hade back after killing Chiyou. He also wanted to make sure that he would also handle the consequences of that well.


    Grid became determined and used Knight Summoning to call Huroi to his side.


    ¡°My liege, give me amand!¡±


    Huroi was thrilled to be summoned after a long time and saluted like a knight. He was d that Grid called him before he was forced to log out.


    After destroying all the Full Moon Fortresses, yers had been continuously honing the techniques and mystical arts of the cultivation world. There were many people who prioritized their studies over hunting and raiding. As their cultivation realm increased, it was possible to increase the ytime limit that had restricted yers for a long time.


    Huroi had also been concentrating on his studies recently. Thanks to this, his cultivation realm had risen and his ytime limit had increased significantly. In this way, he could respond to the call of his liege... Huroi was rejoicing and feeling greatly rewarded.


    Grid whispered in a small voice, ¡°There are so many people gathered here, so please announce the death of Martial God Chiyou. Make sure to emphasize that I won by an overwhelming margin.¡±


    This was very sad from Grid¡¯s perspective. He had to make sure that, in the future, Chiyou would not be regarded as such a great being. He should be seen by the people as moderately strong and despicable. He had to be downgraded to amon enemy. This was the easiest way to forget him.


    ¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    In the past, Huroi had announced the enemies defeated by Grid as more powerful and majestic than they actually were in order to make Grid¡¯s value shoot up. Sometimes, it was out of genuine respect for the enemy. At some point, all the enemies that Grid had fought had been really great.


    Every time this happened, Grid remained silent. He left everything to Huroi¡¯s judgment. There were times when he seemed happy as his enemies were portrayed as great. The stronger the enemy, the more he conversed with them during battle and the more he liked listening to Huroi¡¯s stories praising them. Grid didn¡¯t want to forget those battles.


    He also knew how to respect the enemy. Well, rather, it was natural for Grid to feel respect for the enemy. His opponents had been so powerful and had such unshakable conviction that ordinary humans couldn¡¯t handle them.


    Furthermore, Chiyou had almost been like Grid¡¯s teacher. Grid asionally said that if it hadn¡¯t been for Chiyou¡¯s trials and protection, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten to where he was.


    Chiyou had been the Martial God. He had been an absolute invincible being who was feared by even the gods.


    But to disparage him? There was no way Grid could feelfortable about this.


    ¡°Everyone, listen carefully. Following the battle of the gods, the emperor who judged the Martial God has truly been crowned as the Only One God...¡±


    Huroi ignored the shadow on Grid¡¯s face and started rambling.


    Martial God Chiyou, who was being disgraced in death, would be forgotten by history from this day onward.


    ***


    ¡°You seem to have no energy.¡±


    When Grid returned to the smithy, Kraugel was waiting for him. Judging by Noe¡¯s full belly stretched out next to him, it seemed that Kraugel had been waiting for quite a long time.


    ¡°I have no choice but to feel tired since my opponent was the Martial God. More than that, should you really give Noe that many snacks? He¡¯s very obedient when he is a bit hungry.¡±


    ¡°He has to be hungry to be obedient... You¡¯re treating him as if he¡¯s a ve. Even if you just fought the Martial God, it must¡¯ve been way better than fighting Asura, correct?¡± Kraugel asked.


    ¡°Compared to Asura, it felt overwhelming,¡± Grid replied. ¡°The Martial God couldn¡¯t copy my abilities and we fought in the Overgeared World, but in terms of pure stats and how excellent his techniques were, Chiyou was far stronger than Asura. I had to remain cautious at all times throughout the battle. I almost fainted several times from exhaustion. And hey, I¡¯m not treating Noe like a ve. This brat doesn¡¯t listen to me when his belly is full.¡±


    ¡°Really? That must be difficult to deal with.¡±


    Mentioning Noe out of the blue soothed Grid¡¯s mncholy a bit. At this point, Grid had to notice that Kraugel was looking out for him.


    ¡°How funny.¡±


    Eventually, Grid couldn¡¯t resist and burst outughing joyfully.


    ¡°They say people should live for a long time, but I didn¡¯t think the day woulde when someone as blunt as you wouldfort me, Kraugel.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ve changed since I joined the Overgeared Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, there are so many good people around me. But it¡¯s annoying that Vantner and Peak Sword often act tactlessly.¡±


    ¡°They have been improving bit by bit since they are no longer single.¡±


    ¡°What? Do they have girlfriends? Who are they? yers? NPCs? Both at the same time?¡±


    ¡°...There are few people who are in a rtionship with both other yers and NPCs like you are.¡±


    The two men talked all night about topics they were purely interested in. Their conversation didn¡¯t hold a deep meaning. They chatted while savoring fragrant soju and delicious food.


    ¡°Oh, my parents are going on a trip to the United States soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet up with them. My mother will be pleased.¡±


    Kraugel swung his sword every time the alcohol got to him. Grid also tapped on the anvil with a hammer. They were both doing their own thing while chattingfortably. It was a sight frequently seen in Grid¡¯s smithy these days.


    ¡°I bought some drinks!¡±


    As the night continued, the number of guests also increased. The smithy was filled with Overgeared members in no time.


    Picasso was painting on a hill not far away from the smithy. He painted everyone having fun. This was the freedom that Grid and the Overgeared members had obtained thanks to destroying the enemies who threatened world peace.


    The fact that the ytime limit had been increased also mattered a lot. yers who started to move up the ranks were able to log in for nearly fifty hours every time. Of course, the premise was that they had to stay logged into Satisfy for that long.


    In any case...


    To this extent, not much was happening in reality.

 Chapter 2056

    A month had passed since Chiyou¡¯s death.


    ¡°From now on, you are the leader of this nation.¡±


    Grid ceded the throne to Lord. There was no opposition.


    Grid was the god who ruled the world. Everyone around him understood that there was no need for him to cling to the mere status of emperor.


    Above all, Lord was the ideal emperor. The young prince had gone on adventures to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps. He grew up watching and interacting with all kinds of different humans. He knew how to distinguish between good and evil, wisdom and ignorance, and evil and wickedness.


    Above all, he sympathized with the pain others felt.


    ¡°I¡¯lle visit often.¡±


    As emperor, Lord toured the empire every day. He used the warp gates installed in each city and town as well as his abilities as a Transcendent quite a lot. Thanks to this, he was able to examine how the people of the empire lived and could devise and implement the necessary policies.


    The lives of the empire¡¯s subjects improved by the day. It reached a point where Lauel could no longer find a reason to remain prime minister. ¡°I¡¯ve been very good at racking in skilled people for twenty-three years. Prince Lord... Well, an emperor has his own capabilities, but he must also have a lot of skilled people next to him. I am going to retire for now.¡±


    Lauel decided to focus on reality.


    ¡°First of all, I will put pressure on the National Assembly and the president¡¯s office. I will threaten that the country will be in trouble if they don¡¯t allow your polygamy.¡±


    Grid replied, ¡°Y-Yes... But I don¡¯t want polygamy. I just want to marry Yura and Jishuka.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing? Whatever, don¡¯t worry. I will make all the wedding ns.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. And <em>I</em> will make all the wedding ns. Yura and Jishuka seem to want to choose their own wedding venues and honeymoon locations.¡±


    ¡°Um, I understand.¡±


    Lauel was phenomenal at using his skills in reality. Firstly, he quickly subdued the South Korean government. It was simple. The amount of taxes that Grid paid in one year was more than anyrgepany.


    Secondly, there were over ten Overgeared members with Korean nationality such as Yura, Jishuka, Lauel, Peak Sword, and Toon. The amount of taxes they paid was astronomical. They were diplomatically strong, so there was no way the government would allow them to leave South Korea.


    South Korea had recorded the lowest birth rate in the world for more than a century. Grid¡¯s promise to have two wives and many children was almost patriotic.


    ¡°If Shin Youngwoo immigrates, I will leave South Korea too. God Grid is the symbol of South Korea!¡±


    Peak Sword also helped a lot. He stood by Lauel and pressured the government the whole time. As the president of the Korean Patriotic Association, which was known for being an extreme right wing party, the announcement that he would leave South Korea made the government realize the seriousness of the situation, so they quickly gave in.


    ***


    Lauel quickly found Agnus. ¡°It feels very inspiring to see you use your skills in real life.¡±


    ¡°...Is that your only reaction? You aren¡¯t even surprised,¡± Agnus wondered.


    ¡°The world is always changing. It¡¯s not a big deal. By the way, when using skills, do you also have concepts like level and stats? I¡¯m particrly curious about the HP part.¡±


    Lauel endlessly barraged Agnus with questions the whole night. Agnus had to suffer through all of them.


    ***


    Kraugel, Zibal, Hurent, and Haster were elected members of the US Congress. The US government had persuaded them after noticing an unusual change in the world since the discovery of an asteroid flying toward Earth.


    No matter what, these four men were heroes who had absolute support from the American people. Bing members of the Congress went more smoothly than the US government had predicted.


    ¡°The government will establish a new yer department centered around the four of you.¡±


    ¡°yer department...?¡±


    ¡°This department will respond to changes in the world caused by Ghamid. We¡¯re still working on the name, so don¡¯t worry about it. The president has high hopes for the four of you. This is a way to maintainmunication with Grid.¡±


    ¡°Is thest thing you mentioned the key point of this department?¡±


    ¡°The government believes that if we win Grid¡¯s trust, we can easily rally yers from other countries.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. However, you should refrain from using Grid in a bad way. Many people won''t forgive that, including us.¡±


    ¡°Of course... I am well aware of that.¡±


    Simr things were happening in many countries around the world, especially in those that were advanced enough to precisely observe changes in space.


    ¡°I have high expectations for you, Mister Hao. Your friendships with Kraugel and Grid have been noticed by the higher-ups.¡±


    ¡°...Of course.¡±


    The Chinese Communist Party relied on Hao. He couldn¡¯t bear to turn away from his country even though his country had abandoned him several times. He knew the tendencies of those in charge and had good intentions toward Kraugel and Grid.


    ¡®If I don¡¯t want themunist party to go astray, I should establish myself among them.¡¯


    Meanwhile, in Japan...


    ¡°H-Hey...!¡±


    Damian continued to refuse the government¡¯s request because he wanted to focus on Satisfy, where Isabel was.


    ***


    Another few months passed. During this period of time when the yers from their respective countries had less activities in real life, Satisfy had all sorts of content. This content had been created by yers, who had set the rules after agreeing upon them.


    In general, thepetitions were limited based on the number of participants, their level, ss, items, and skills. They were perceived as sports such as football and basketball, or marathons. They were immensely popr. New yers rose to fame one after another.


    ***


    ¡°Ohh, Grid! Wee!¡±


    At the border of Valha, Grid was invited by Ares to observe the Battle for Territory. He was apanied by the four princesses. Grid wanted to give them a break from the stress of schoolwork.


    ¡°How are the little ones?¡±


    ¡°Balhara king, hello! I am Phisia.¡±


    ¡°Name¡¯s Pansy! Hello, king!¡±


    ¡°I am Iris.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ I¡¯m Lily.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, they¡¯re so cute...¡±


    Ares¡¯ expression rxed. The babies were only around six months old. Perhaps he thought this because they resembled their mothers but, fortunately, they looked smart. The way the little girls greeted Ares from their father¡¯s arms while wearing different colored dresses was so cute that Ares wanted to bite them.


    Ares and his entourage surrounded the princesses and made a fuss.


    ¡°Do you want a C with ice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing that they can already speak. Can I poke them?¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is how it looks like to get married and have children in the game.¡±


    Grid¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at his beloved princesses while chuckling.


    ¡®They are actual foxes.¡¯


    They were Grid¡¯s children. The princesses learned to talk quickly. Their pronunciation was definitely not the best, but their vocabry was wide enough and they even learned imperial etiquette, but they acted likeplete babies. They deliberately pronounced things badly and clung to their father¡¯s arms as if they didn¡¯t know anything.


    ...It was probably a bother for them to give proper greetings. Grid was already worried about the future of the scheming princesses, so he was sweating.


    Ares led their group to their distinguished guest seats. Grid¡¯s was ced even higher than that of Ares, the king. Grid was surrounded by the princesses, who clung to his shoulders instead of sitting next to him, andughed awkwardly.


    ¡°What type of treatment is this?¡±


    ¡°There are too many eyes on you to treat you as a friend. How am I supposed to try to be on equal ground as you? Just rx. Thank you for being here.¡±


    An insidious smile spread across the princesses¡¯ faces as they alternately stared at Ares, who burst outughing, and Grid. They realized that their father was important no matter where he went and started scheming.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking about. Yikes!¡±


    Noe scolded the princesses, only to suffer. Lily¡¯s blood magic caught his tail.


    Grid sighed and cautioned the children. Fortunately, the princesses listened very well, but not because they were scared. They really loved their father.


    ¡®S-So cute...¡¯


    This was why Grid couldn¡¯t be strict with them. The moment Grid rxed, the Battle for Territory began. This was one of the most popr sportstely. The nation that won thepetition was rewarded with their opponent¡¯s territory by transferring a portion of the taxes.


    ¡®It¡¯s a very peaceful conflict of interests.¡¯


    The world had changed a lot. Grid seemed happy.


    ¡°Hey! Fight fairly, you @#*&^#*!!¡±


    ¡°These idiots can¡¯t fight, hey *&#$!@#! Are you trying to embarrass the kingdom?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The spectators in the stands and the soldiers started cursing at each other.


    ¡®...It¡¯s far from being peaceful¡­¡¯


    Flustered, Grid ordered the God Hands to cover the ears of the princesses.


    ¡°Hah, Immersion is the essence of sports,¡± Ares said while gulping down his C.


    ***


    Earth observed through satellites was rather dark. This was because there weren¡¯t that many lights that lit up the darknd due to a decrease in electricity usage.


    ¡°So far, it isn¡¯t very noticeable, but... Judging by the growth of yers, this will soon be an international issue.¡±


    In Seoul, South Korea, chairman Lim Cheolho looked down at the neon-lit city despite it beingte at night and sighed.


    The skinny old man, the head of the thirty-three scientists, nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I guess so...¡±


    The old man, whose true identity wasn¡¯t known even by Chairman Lim Cheolho, used to act like a wise man who knew everything in the world. However, now he seemed rather lost. He had been acting like this since the yers destroyed all the Full Moon Fortresses.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it no matter how many times I think about it. I didn¡¯t think the cultivators would be so helpless.¡±


    ¡°The growth rate of yers has elerated drastically.¡±


    ¡°This is purely because of Grid. I never thought he would increase the level of civilization using overwhelming force, technology, and connections with people from all walks of life...¡±


    ¡°So the odds of Earth have gone up? If people join forces with Grid, even if cultivators appear in reality and attack humanity...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on the asteroid. In a hypothetical simtion, it must¡¯ve observed the failure of the cultivation world. Therefore, it will take a different approach. My guess is that it will choose to assimte with Satisfy¡¯s environment.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that Satisfy, not the cultivation world, will encroach on the. This is better. It will be a great environment for yers to thrive.¡±


    Only a few dayster, governments around the world would be in a state of emergency. It was detected that the amount of time people spent in their capsules had increased significantly, disrupting social activities.


    The S.A. Group was subjected to various condemnations and pressure, just as Chairman Lim Cheolho had predicted. Thepany was turned upside down, but Chairman Lim Cheolho remained nonchnt.


    The world would soon change anyway.<blockquote>


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


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    Editor: Murasaki


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    Current schedule: 4 chapters a week.


    Check out the VIP sponsor page on if you are interested in getting ess to advance chapters.</blockquote>

 Chapter 2057

    All of South Korea was shaken. The US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, India, Japan, China, and many other countries were in simr situations.


    The leaders of dozens of countries around the world visited South Korea. It wasn¡¯t just politicians who did this. Famous figures from all walks of life, including big names from the business world, rankers who had made a name for themselves in Satisfy, and Hollywood actors visited the country. All airports in South Korea were congested with private nes.


    There was only one reason for this¡ªShin Youngwoo, the hero who had saved Satisfy several times. Everyone hade to attend Grid¡¯s wedding as a guest. He had overwhelming support from at least two billion yers, so attending the wedding of the world¡¯s most influential person had be an honor in itself.


    ¡°Vantner, do you want us to break up?¡±


    Vantner turned his head every time a beautiful woman passed by. Eventually, he had to kneel in front of his girlfriend and ask for forgiveness.


    ¡°No? F-Forgive me, angel. I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    The wedding hall, which was packed with people, was on the verge of bing a disaster. It was incredibly noisy. Wouldn¡¯t people get hurt if this continued? The bodyguards of the political and business figures were on high alert.


    ¡°Guests, please follow our instructions.¡±


    Toon and his friends, dressed in stylish suits, suddenly appeared. They were the former Italian mafia and they had a strange charisma. They had a lot of experience living as guests in Grid¡¯s apartmentplex, so they were very good at guiding other people. ¡°We will take you through this corridor ording to the manual distributed in advance.¡±


    Faker was in charge of guiding the heads of state.


    The bodyguards snorted. They were responsible for the safety of their own president or prime minister, so they were very prideful. They red at the back of Faker¡¯s head as he led the way and wondered, ¡®Just who is this guy?¡¯


    It was only for a moment. After all, they were professionals. They quickly noticed that Faker knew what he was doing. They also vaguely saw how swiftly and carefully Faker was moving and were impressed.


    The world¡¯s leading militarypanies reached out to Faker after seeing the bodyguards with high reputations in the industry following him like he was their master. They really wanted him to work for them. ¡°Faker, have you considered getting a job at a military or securitypany in the future? We promise you that you will receive the best treatment in the industry.¡±


    Faker quietly said, ¡°It¡¯s easier to kill and protect if I work alone...¡±


    Of course, he was talking about Satisfy¡­ for now, at least.


    The bodyguards gulped andughed awkwardly.


    "I-Is that so? Haha...¡±


    <em>We can¡¯t control him...</em>


    The bodyguards felt strangely anxious and ufortable. Meanwhile, their escort targets greeted Lauel.


    ¡°Once again, I would like to express my sincere apologies for not being able to give you the closest seats,¡± Lauel said.


    The presidents of the United States, China, and other countries had to sit in the front row regardless of the event they attended, but Grid¡¯s wedding was an exception. They were guided to the third or fourth row of seats. Some of them didn¡¯t like this, but they didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are just guests. We can¡¯t possibly take away the seats of rtives.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡±


    This wedding was taking ce between three people instead of two¡ªGrid, Yura, and Jishuka. The seats in the first and second row were filled with their rtives. Fortunately, the three of them had simr circles of friends. Most of the second row was upied by Overgeared members.


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m nervous...¡±


    An elderly man in the first row wiped away his sweat with a handkerchief. It was Chairman Lee Jinmyung. The leader of one of the world¡¯srgestpanies was unusually nervous. Of course. After all, he was human.


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung certainly was a natural leader, but it was difficult for him to remain calm in front of the big shots who controlled the world¡¯s politics and economy. It was hard to believe he was sitting in front of them.


    Just then, he suddenly became ovee with a strange joy...


    ¡®This is killing my mood.¡¯


    Chairman Lee Jinmyung quickly adapted to the situation, shook off the nervousness, and even smiled faintly.


    ¡°I¡¯m very d to have such a good granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, father. Thanks to my niece, today will be an unforgettable memory.¡±


    ¡°Unforgettable memory? Someone like you, who runs a business in your family¡¯s name, is shrugging this day as a mere memory? How ungrateful... Think about what the politicians and businessmen present here want since they¡¯re guests. They want Youngwoo. They traveled all the way here purely because they want to get along with my grandson-inw.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Of course I know that. I will take advantage of this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line because you are blinded by greed. Always keep in mind that it could be the end for us if you are rude to my grandson-inw.¡±


    ¡°Right...!¡±


    ***


    Huroi stood in front of the mirror. He was nervous. He was presiding over the wedding ceremony. His liege could¡¯ve entrusted it to a more famous and important person, but he dared to ask Huroi.


    Huroi was more afraid than happy. Could he speak properly in front of the people leading the world¡¯s politics, economy, and culture?


    He wasn¡¯t ying a game. This was reality. He didn¡¯t have the ability to do justice to his liege¡¯s speech when he didn¡¯t have skills such as Oration and Instigation.


    ¡°Huroi! Get ready!¡±


    Peak Sword rushed toward him. Huroi¡¯s face turned white as he asked, ¡°D-Do you think I can do a good job?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Peak Sword frowned as if he was surprised by the question. He pped Huroi hard on the back.


    ¡°You have been doing a good job so far. What nonsense are you saying now? Do you feel the need to back down? Haven¡¯t you been a spokesperson for the Overgeared Guild and held a lot of press conferences so far?¡±


    ¡°How can youpare this to a mere press conference? Today is the wedding of my liege. This is the most important and historic event in the world. Do I deserve to host it?¡±


    ¡°Um... God Grid trusted you, so you must be qualified, right? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well.¡±


    ¡°Is that... so?¡±


    Huroi calmed down. Yes, his liege had entrusted him to do this. Of course Huroi would do a good job¡­


    After happily exchanging high-fives, Huroi left the waiting room confidently.


    After a while, the wedding began.


    ¡®Um...?¡¯


    Huroi felt something change as he proudly watched the people in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help being thrilled.


    ***


    ¡°This is still hard.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped since the average level of named-grade bosses has gone up.¡±


    The day after Grid¡¯s wedding, which had made headlines around the world, the Overgeared members gathered after neatly clearing away the field and dungeon bosses that had been neglected for the past few days. They all looked exhausted.


    The raid boss monsters had be more powerful as the average level of the yers increased, so it was quite tiring to raid them. There were many variations of bosses emerging from dimensional rifts.


    ¡°The stronger they are, the higher the drop rate of items. It isn¡¯t all bad.¡±


    ¡°Where did Grid go on his honeymoon?¡±


    ¡°I heard he is traveling around the world. I hope they all take the time to enjoy it before theye back. The three of them usually do the most amount of work. Now that they have a chance to rest, they should make good use of that.¡±


    ¡°...Grid might not rest that much...¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Knight sat sullenly among his colleagues as they chattered after a rewarding day.


    Death God Knight had been scouted directly by Lauel and was now a member of the Overgeared Shadows. He was the busiest person. He was responsible for inspecting all the territories in the empire and monitoring the private lives of the lords and nobles.


    But, recently...


    ¡®Won¡¯t I be unemployed?¡¯


    ...There had been no work at all.


    Things changed shortly after Lord became emperor. The nobles were inspired by Grid¡¯s epic that mentioned wanting to get rid of everything that peoplecked, so they became nice, but seeds of discontent couldn¡¯t sprout because Lord inspected the territories every day.


    No matter how many cities, viges, or alleys Knight looked through, people were happy and at peace everywhere.


    ¡®...Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if I am unemployed.¡¯


    Knight rxed as he remembered watching children ying everywhere with bright expressions. There was nothing wrong with being unemployed. He would be a high ranker even if he left the Overgeared Guild. He would have no problem with making a living.


    ¡®I might spend some time in the hunting grounds for a while. I haven¡¯t been able to level up recently. I was in a daze fighting against gods and all those otherworldly beings, but... I can¡¯t let my guard down just because I have be stronger.¡¯


    Knight was nning what to do after leaving the Overgeared Guild.


    Pon caught him off guard. ¡°Hey, Knight. You don¡¯t really have a lot of work these days, right? Rabbitined that you are leeching money off of him.¡±


    ¡°...Haha, it seems that way.¡±


    As expected of Rabbit. Even after bing prime minister, he was still worrying about the sry of one inspector. Embarrassed, Knightughed. The Overgeared members extended their hands to him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you bored? Join our group starting tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No. Knight should join <em>us.</em> Pon, you still have a lot of firepower.¡±


    ¡°Knight, we need you. Without Yura, we can¡¯t guarantee our group¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Um... Knight, I know this is annoying, but you can take turns helping out. You can do that much for your friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Knight had be an inspector out of necessity. Now that he was no longer useful, he thought he would have to say goodbye to the guild. However, he was mistaken. The Overgeared members didn¡¯t discriminate against him at all because he used to be a viinous gamer...


    The smile on Knight¡¯s face was as bright as the stars in the night sky.


    ***


    The real name of the owner of the Overgeared Ranch, Nyangmong, was Kim Doohyun. He had been a famous Hollywood actor for a long time. Thanks to his outstanding acting skills and unique personality, he had received many offers from bigshots in the acting department.


    He used to be the symbol of South Korea. Then, two years after Satisfy¡¯sunch, the symbol of South Korea became Grid.


    ¡°......¡±


    The events from the day before shed through Doohyun¡¯s mind as he watched Noe having fun herding sheep. Grid¡¯s wedding had taken ce in South Korea. There had been an excessive amount of very important guests. Whenever Doohyun saw someone important, which happened thousands of times, he thought, <em>Oh my god, this guy is here too?</em>


    This had to be the first time in South Korea¡¯s history that so many great people gathered in one ce. Kim Doohyun was ustomed to interacting with celebrities, but even he couldn¡¯t help being very nervous.


    At some point, a reporter hade up to him and asked him which person he was acquainted with. Kim Doohyun couldn¡¯t help wondering if it would be rude to point out someone in the crowd.


    It was a useless worry. Everyone at the ceremony was looking at only one person¡ªGrid.


    ¡®Truly amazing.¡¯


    How many years had it been since Kim Doohyun had beenpletely liberated from other people¡¯s gazes? Thanks to this, he could enjoy the wedding buffet in peace...


    As he recalled these memories, Kim Doohyun hummed the Taming Master¡¯s song happily. Naturally, all types of animals flocked to his side. Noe used a sheep as his bed and arrogantly conducted the flock along with one hand.


    Dogs and wolves howled while bears and foxes danced. The wild beasts ignoredmands and yed as they pleased, so Noe scolded them.


    Doohyun didn¡¯t stop singing. The Overgeared Ranch located outside Reinhardt¡¯s outer castle was a bit noisy, but this didn¡¯t upset the people.


    Thanks to this, Emperor Lord sensed themotion in the ranch from the distant pce. He held his younger siblings in his arms and flew over. The hearing of a Transcendent was a great thing.


    ¡°Can we y together?¡±


    Grinning, Nyangmong nodded. The animals warmly weed Lord and his siblings¡ª


    ¡°Nyaaa! You pea-sized kid!¡±


    ¡ªexcept for Noe. Lily had grabbed his tail again.<blockquote>


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 Chapter 2058

    ¡°Uuh? That¡¯s Grid.¡±


    ¡°Grid?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Yura and Jishuka!¡±


    ¡°The rumors that they are on their honeymoon are true.¡±


    Sao Paulo, Brazil, was thergest city in the Americas. It was also one of the most popted cities in the world. Naturally, every ce was crowded with people. Whenever Youngwoo¡¯s group went, they attracted attention. People freaked out when they saw him, Yura, and Jishuka.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it quieter than usual?¡±


    ¡°Really...? I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. I guess people are staying connected to Satisfy for a long time.¡±


    ¡°The ces we visit feel particrly quiet.¡±


    ¡°Haha, what? Are people avoiding us? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± As theyughed and chatted, the group arrived at the hotel and unpacked.


    For the past week, Youngwoo¡¯s group had enjoyed the luxuries of life as they visited famous attractions in the United States and Canada, so they felt very happy. After spending the following two days with Jishuka¡¯s family, they were going to travel around Europe.


    ¡®There is no need for these guys to deal with it like this.¡¯


    Youngwoo told Yura and Jishuka to shower before him. He looked out the window and smiled. Beyond the road, every alley was filled with the people who had spotted Youngwoo¡¯s group and chased them.


    However, before they could approach Youngwoo¡¯s group, others blocked their way, so the crazy fans ended up wandering aimlessly. Those who made sure the fans wouldn¡¯t stalk Youngwoo were members of the intelligence departments and special police forces.


    On the day of the wedding, the leaders of the world boasted to Youngwoo that they would do their best to ensure that he would spend his honeymoon safely. Thus, they deployed personnel to each destination of Youngwoo¡¯s group.


    ¡®...This is absurd, but I am still grateful.¡¯


    Thanks to this, he could feel at ease everywhere he went. This wasn¡¯t just about safety. He felt rxed wherever he traveled.


    ¡°Youngwoo-ssi, aren¡¯t you joining us?¡±


    ¡°Uuh? U-Um. Right, right.¡±


    ...However, Youngwoo was exhausted. His face flushed as he undressed and headed to the bathroom.


    ***


    ¡®I-I¡¯m dying.¡¯


    Youngwoo was now in Sicily, Italy. He had lost neen kilograms in ten days. His legs trembled every time he took a step. The dark circles under his eyes almost reached his cheekbones. If he hadn¡¯t exercised consistently for eight years, he would¡¯ve died around four days ago...


    Youngwoo looked to his left and right with a slightly frightened expression. He saw his beautiful brides, Yura and Jishuka. They were sitting next to him with their arms crossed, and both of them were full of energy. Their hair and skin were shining and their eyes twinkled.


    ¡®Are they like Marie Rose?¡¯


    The three of them worked out day and night throughout their honeymoon. They never rested, even on their private ne. However, only Youngwoo was tired. Yura and Jishuka quickly recovered from their exhaustion.


    Right now, they had been sightseeing and shopping for half a day. The two women hadn¡¯t sweated at all.


    ¡°Over here, look. This is the restaurant I booked for dinner.¡±


    ¡°The atmosphere is very nice. Youngwoo, let¡¯s eat a lot of oysters, garlic, and avocados.¡±


    ¡°Spinach and meat too.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±


    Youngwoo was genuinely afraid of his wives.


    ¡°Ahahaha!¡±


    Youngwoo¡¯s arrival photo after he returned to South Korea from his month-long honeymoon had be a hot topic. He was all skin and bones. He had lost so much weight that he looked as if he had shrunk to half his normal size. His broad shoulders and back, for which he was famous, curved like he was a shrimp.


    Yerim eximed, ¡°Has he not been eating well?¡±


    Sehee scolded her. ¡°Stop watching the news. Did youe here to make fun of him?¡±


    ¡°Are you angry? Are you sad that you lost your older brother to those women?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I am his girlfriend? I¡¯m just disappointed in my sisters for mistreating my brother.¡±


    Reality was obviously different from Satisfy. Grid was an Absolute who could easily handle four wives, but Shin Youngwoo was just an ordinary human. Or well, as ordinary as he could be. Sehee thought it was right for her sisters to show him proper consideration, so she was pouting.


    Yerim told her, ¡°Isn¡¯t Youngwoo oppa the problem since he married two women?¡±


    ¡°...That is true.¡±


    This was something that even Sehee had to admit. She blushed and couldn¡¯t raise her head. She focused on what she was working on for the Grid Foundation.


    This was the foundation that Sehee established four years ago at her own expense. Its initial purpose was to support orphans or children suffering from illness. However, thanks to the continued support from her brother and friends, she expanded it on an international level. She helped with global environmental issues and refugees.


    Yerim muttered, ¡°If he was going to marry two women anyway, he could have epted me as well. I could¡¯ve protected him from those beastly sisters.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you will have nieces or nephews soon. I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s true. Hehe.¡±


    Sehee¡¯s expression softened. She had developed an affection for children since Lord was born, so she couldn¡¯t wait to meet her new nieces or nephews.


    ¡°You really like children. Why don¡¯t you give birth to one yourself?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°Lauel and Kraugel are both okay. Who would you choose between them?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Sehee¡¯s expression became serious. Lauel often expressed his feelings in an awkward manner. Kraugel was quiet, but it was often a pleasure to spend time with him. The handsome faces of the two men popped up in Sehee¡¯s mind. She couldn''t decide on just one guy.


    Yerim¡¯s eyes widened and she nudged Sehee¡¯s waist with her elbow.


    ¡°Is it like brother, like sister? Do you want both of them?¡±


    ¡°A-Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Why? Sehee, you are the Saintess. You are also the chairman of the richest foundation in the world. Don¡¯t you have the power to threaten the government like Youngwoo oppa did?¡±


    ¡°That is ridiculous. Forget it! If you don¡¯t want to work, then go home!¡±


    ¡°If you say so, then I won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Yerim left thepany with augh and looked up at the clear sky. It seemed like barely any time had passed since she was in high school, but her life had changed a lot.


    Every day was so full of joy that she couldn¡¯t get enough of it.


    ***


    Toon had never had a proper job. He had made a living as a pickpocketer when he was younger. Naturally, he used to hang out with the local thugs. By the time he came to his senses, he had joined the mafia.


    He eventually gave up on extorting others through violence and trickery. He had taken that life for granted. This made sense since he had been born strong, unlike ordinary people. He used to take pride in what he did.


    This was all a shameful, old story. Toon realized that he was also weak after meeting Grid, so he changed step by step. He learned how painful it was to have things taken away and how it felt for others more powerful than him to trample on him, so he stopped using his power recklessly.


    He learned how to empathize with others and care for them. He felt rewarded for the fair sry he received through hisbor. He was the only one of the Overgeared members who ended up focusing a bit more on reality than Satisfy.


    This was the result.


    ¡°Toon, how about a drink after work?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Toon! Take this apple. They arrived today and are in good shape.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡±


    In the city pioneered by Shin Youngwoo, Toon was weed everywhere he went.


    At the airport, Youngwoo got into Toon¡¯s car. He didn¡¯t seem to have any energy left. Youngwoo barely managed to ask in a trembling voice, ¡°You seem to be in a good mood. Has anything good happened to youtely?¡±


    Toon chuckled. ¡°I must feel good now that you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Hey... Now you are good at saying the right things... In any case, I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy. It has been a long time since we¡¯ve seen each other. Let¡¯s drink all night.¡±


    Youngwoo kept squinting one eye. Was he slightly paralyzed because of how exhausted he was? Toon decided to stop by the hospital and turned the steering wheel.


    ¡°Yes, it just so happened that people in the shopping district wanted to drink with me. You should join us...¡±


    Toon nodded in response before suddenly falling silent. He saw through the rearview mirror the cold res Yura and Jishuka were giving him.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there will be too much trouble if I take you with me, so let¡¯s drink some other time.¡±


    Youngwoo felt very betrayed.


    ***


    Two days after returning from their honeymoon, thanks to Yura and Jishuka¡¯s support, Youngwoo recovered after sleeping and eating well. He logged into Satisfy.


    [The Only One God, the Annihtor Grid, has appeared in the world.]


    The login notification was gorgeous. The news of Grid¡¯s return, spread by the world message, made people cheer. There were many people who were anxious when Grid wasn¡¯t present.


    The Tower of Wisdom, the dragons, the Peach Blossom Spring, hell and Asgard¡­ All of them were on humanity¡¯s side, but there was still an invisible threat¡ªthe Refractive Dragon.


    It was said that the dragon god was still chasing Reba. He was transparent and so fast that it was impossible for people to see him but, as long as it was proven he existed, people had no choice but to feel afraid of him.


    What if Reba¡¯s escape route inevitably got closer to the ground? The ce where the Refractive Dragon passed by would be devastated simply from mere wind pressure.


    Grid was informed of this by the Overgeared members and nodded. ¡°I understand why people are anxious.¡±


    He had traveled the world for a month not just because he enjoyed being newlywed. He had gone to seendscapes he had never seen before, socialized with people he had never met before, and experienced things he had never thought of before. Grid was expanding his way of thinking. Thanks to this, he came to a conclusion.


    ¡°I have to kill the Refractive Dragon.¡±


    Grid didn''t mention the disposition of the Refractive Dragon and Reba because he cared about the game¡¯s bnce. Reba, the starting point of all bugs, and the Refractive Dragon, the vine developed to eliminate her¡ªcoincidentally, they happened to be equals. Reba was able to run away from the Refractive Dragon forever, while the Refractive Dragon was able to suppress her by chasing after her until the end of time.


    In other words, Grid had decided it would be ideal to leave the two of them alone. He was wrong.


    The Refractive Dragon was protected by the S.A. Group. He had the potential to be stronger at any moment if the S.A. Group decided to intervene. This wasn¡¯t an easy task, which was why the S.A Group had been silent so far.


    In any case, the possibility was still there. Grid wanted to achieve world peace for the sake of the people he cared about, so he couldn¡¯t just let this possibility slide.


    ¡°...If I think about it, Reba can be a threat as well.¡±


    Reba knew that this world was just a game. Even if Grid got rid of the Refractive Dragon and ensured world peace, there was a chance that she could feel empty and go berserk again.


    ¡°I have to root out the seeds of trouble.¡±


    Grid became determined and immediately set out on his journey. He continued to fly into the sky higher and higher. The moment the blue sky unfolded under his feet and his surroundings were dyed with darkness, he was blocked by an invisible wall.


    This was the limit of the world. There was a clear end to Satisfy.


    ¡°Multiple Weakening Barriers.¡±


    Grid cast his indigo shield and waited in silence for only three minutes.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    Two beings mmed into the shield one after another.


    The first one was Reba.


    <em>Roaaaaaar!</em>


    The second was an invisible and transparent dragon.


    Seeing Grid spread his wings made of God Hands stunned them. Using the Greed that had multiplied over the years, Grid had created 13,783 new God Hands. The size of the wings, made by weaving more than 14,000 God Hands in total, were as big as the wings of a dragon.


    All the God Hands held their own weapons, so the wings naturally became even bigger. A purple energy rose from Grid and all the weapons the God Hands were holding. This was Annihtion energy., which had the power to kill both gods and dragons.


    Grid should¡¯ve noticed from the moment he gained this power that he already had the qualification to achieve peace. A storm of Annihtion energy engulfed all of Grid¡¯s field of view and sliced through the Refractive Dragon. It was a spectacr sight created by thebination of over 14,000 God Wings and the Rain of Battle Gear.


    <em>Aghhhh!</em>


    The Refractive Dragon was so strong against Reba because of his resistance to light. He couldn¡¯t handle the power of Annihtion energy, which waspletely different from light. He died slowly in the never-ending storm.


    One hourter, when the Refractive Dragon turned to ash, the system reacted.


    [The world has reached aplete ending.]


    [This is the ending you have achieved.]


    Theplete ending¡­


    The notification resembled the one that Agnus had witnessed when he saved Betty.<blockquote>


    rainbowturtle''s Thoughts


    (1/4 weekly.) No set day for release.


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    Editor: Murasaki


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 Chapter 2059

    <h4>Chapter 2059</h4>


    No, it was a bit different.


    What Agnus had seen in his notification window was simply the mention of aplete ending. The world hadn¡¯t been mentioned at all in Agnus¡¯ message.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Grid was curious. A chill went down his spine. Beyond the storm of Annihtion energy, a new gray pir was rising just after the ash pir symbolizing the death of the Refractive Dragon had ascended to the sky.


    ¡°Reba?¡±


    Grid hurriedly retrieved his Annihtion energy, but it was toote. The purple storm lifted and revealed Reba, who was severely injured. She looked just like Hanul, another God of the beginning, just before he died.


    Grid hurriedly used Shunpo to support Reba. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you avoid it?¡± he asked. It almost sounded like he was rebuking her.


    Reba was the Goddess of Light. Grid¡¯s attack speed certainly was incredibly high with his Agility maxed out, but that was only high enough to block the Refractive Dragon¡¯s route. Reba had enough time to run away before the fourteen thousand swords unleashed the Annihtion energy, but she didn¡¯t...


    Reba managed to speak as Grid held her in his arms. She was using her real voice, not intent. ¡°As long as I am alive... You will always be anxious about my existence.¡±


    It seemed like she didn¡¯t want to let the world know about her death. She was worried there would be a crack in the peace that Grid had worked so hard to achieve.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid couldn¡¯t even deny it. It was true that he had tried to kill Reba on several asions. She was an Absolute god who knew that this world was just a game. She needed to be thoroughly interrogated if he wanted to keep her alive. No matter how much Grid tried to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t go berserk, he might not be able to shake off his anxiety and end up harming her.


    ¡°I... In the name of protecting the world, I have destroyed it many times. I constantly betrayed and killed those who trusted and relied on me.¡±


    Every time Reba spoke, a brilliant divinity flowed like blood. Her soul, which resembled light, was being torn apart and dispersed.


    ¡°I am a sinner who shouldn¡¯t be understood or forgiven.¡±


    Reba was clearly dying. Her golden eyes, which looked like condensed light, lost their luster.


    ¡°When you were by my side and I was saved, the guilt I felt was indescribable.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of exaggeration when she used the word ¡®saved.¡¯ Reba¡¯s repeated rampage and subsequent judgment of being a bug was due to how lonely she was. Everyone except for her believed that the world was real and was faithful to keep on living, so she had always been alone. She couldn¡¯t rely on anyone.


    Of course, she tried. She told the truth to Yatan and Hanul, who had been born alongside her at the beginning, and sought their cooperation. However, they didn¡¯t understand her.


    Yatan felt sorry for the lives that Reba destroyed and created hell. The souls of the dead were drawn by the gravitational pull of hell and revived via the river of reincarnation. Reba¡¯s efforts to extinguish life and free the people from a world that was nothing more than a game had been in vain.


    Hanul¡¯s reaction also made it difficult for her to keep going with her n. He didn¡¯t care about the truth of the world. So what if the world they lived in was artificially created? What did that have to do with anything? After all, this world was real and vast. They could live in it well enough. It was enough for him if those he didn¡¯t like just left...


    Hanul had rebelled using this logic. Instead of sympathizing with Reba, he branded her a lunatic murderer and attempted to kill her. Looking back at it now, Yatan and Hanul could have also acted as a vine, just like the Refractive Dragon.


    ¡°I knew that, perhaps, they were the ones who were right and I was in the wrong. But I couldn¡¯t stop. There was already so much blood on my hands... I lost count the number of lives I have taken...¡±


    It was hard to continue speaking. Reba¡¯s breathing became more ragged as she paused for a moment. She stared at Grid¡¯s face.


    ¡°...I found hope in you.¡±


    yers were beings from a higher dimension. Despite Reba¡¯s struggles, they eventually descended to this world.


    She was frustrated. She felt helpless after realizing that everything in the world existed for the sake of yers. She shed tears every day as she watched the people¡¯s lives being exploited for the yers¡¯ needs or sacrificed for the yers¡¯ whims.


    She couldn¡¯t stand it. Even if she disappeared, she was determined to destroy the world once again.


    Back then, she witnessed a man being handed an ugly wildflower by a young girl. He was a particrly weak man. He took many hits from rabbits and deer despite being a yer. He used his money to buy flowers from the girl every day, despite earning less than others.


    It was unnecessary, but he didn¡¯t miss a single day visiting her. He worried that she might be starving one day, and sometimes stayed by her side because he was worried others might hurt her. Even though he was a yer, he treated the inhabitants of this world as real people.


    Reba had a very small but clear hope. In other words, he had been the first straw Reba held onto. Yes, in the beginning, this man was only a straw.


    But at this moment, being held in his arms...


    ¡°Thank you, Grid...¡±


    [For making sure your sprout bloomed.]


    ¡°Thank you, Grid...¡±


    [For bearing fruit that resembles you.]


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    [For being a giant tree that the world can lean on.]


    ¡°Th... ank...¡±


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Reba¡¯s hand, which had been touching Grid¡¯s cheek, fell limply.


    ¡°......¡±


    Grid was crying. The Goddess, who had always smiled warmly, couldn¡¯t smile during herst moments. Her eyes slowly closed. There was only sadness and pain on her face.


    [If I knew I would meet you, I wouldn¡¯t have sinned.]


    At some point, Reba¡¯s will started spreading throughout the world in the form of a confession stating that she was a wicked being who had destroyed the world many times. It was also a hymn about being saved along with the world thanks to Grid. Intent was greatly influenced by emotions. Perhaps this was the reason this happened. Or had this been her intention all along?


    Reba¡¯sst will was rooted in the world because light was everywhere. The moment he heard this, Dominion rushed to where she was and sobbed.


    [M-Mother...]


    He tried to grasp the ashen traces of his mother from Grid¡¯s arms, but it was in vain.


    [How did this happen?]


    [I never thought the annihtion of the greatest of the gods of the beginning would happen...]


    Reba¡¯s death caused a great stir in Asgard. All the angels and gods arrived at the scene one after another. Sinners like Raphael, who had been expelled from the archangel position, were also there.


    ¡°......¡±


    After Rebapletely disappeared, Grid slowly raised his head and realized he was isted among Asgardian forces. In the end, he would have to fight again...


    Grid was feeling a bit depressed when Dominion bowed to him. He reacted differently than Grid expected.


    [Thank you for being at my mother¡¯s side in herst moments. In a bid to atone for the sins of the Goddess, Asgard will help out more people in the future.]


    Dominion was an upright god.


    [Everyone here will forever remember your grace for saving Mother.]


    Reba¡¯s dying wish had been firmly transmitted.


    Just then, Grid fully understood the meaning of the notification windows that had appeared just now.


    [The world has reached aplete ending.]


    [This is the ending you have achieved.]


    The demons corrupted by Baal, the corrupted gods, the God of Fighting that had been a symbol of disaster, the Martial God who had been out of control... Their deaths alone weren¡¯t enough to fulfill Grid¡¯s wishes.


    The deaths of Reba, the bug, and the Refractive Dragon, the vine, that had been born in response to her actions were what finallypleted the world. This was the peaceful world that Grid hoped for.


    [Asgard ispletely bowing to the Overgeared World.]


    [From now on, all beings in Asgard will show unconditional favor to humanity.]


    ***


    Grid had been through so much. He had experienced events that would requirepiling a book to exin them all. Joy and sorrow had always been intertwined.


    Sometimes, he had felt so distressed and sad that he wanted to give up but, thanks to the people he cared about, he was able to endure those moments and ovee them.


    Sometimes, he had been so happy and excited that he became arrogant but, thanks to the people close to him, he was able to not make mistakes.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for every moment.¡±


    If he had deviated just once from his path, his beloved family and trusted friends wouldn¡¯t be around him now.


    As Shin Youngwoo hammered on the steel on the anvil, his eyes were as thoughtful as the eyes of Grid in the game. The muscles of his arms and back that flexed every time he swung the hammer were no different from those of Grid in the game. It seemed that the image of the greatest god had been perfectly carved into his real life persona.


    Peak Sword, who had been biting his nails impatiently, could no longer stand it. ¡°Excuse me, God Grid... Can you stop chatting and focus on your work? You¡¯ve made too few itemspared to the amount of required deliveries.¡±


    Youngwoo lost his benevolent expression and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you know anything about craftsmanship? My memories and gratitude must be captured in each hammer blow so that my experience and will can be conveyed in my work. That is how the steel bes harder.¡±


    ¡°Shall I tell this to my sister-inw?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Youngwoo started hammering too fast for people¡¯s eyes to follow. This meant he had given up on craftsmanship.


    ¡°H-Hurry!¡±


    The smithy¡¯s employees were confused by the boss showing his real skills for the first time in ages. People rushed to somehow keep up the pace, and the huge smithy quickly became crowded.


    As the sound of hammering could now be heard everywhere, relieved, Peak Sword took out two pieces of candy.


    ¡°Children,e sit here so that your father can concentrate on his work. I¡¯ll give you this candy.¡±


    ¡°We want to eat chocte, so you can eat the candy, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Daehan is too old-fashioned. Pfft.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Peak Sword could see a glimpse of Grid¡¯s younger self in his nephews andughed. He could see how much Youngwoo was struggling at home.


    ***


    [ording to the government¡¯s announcement, the newly appeared gate in Gangwon-do has been identified as the North End Cave. It is a monumental ce where yer Shin Youngwoo is known to have discovered Pagma¡¯s Book...]


    Seven years had passed since the asteroid called Ghamid collided with Earth. The world had changed a lot. All types of threats, including monsters, poured out of the gates that appeared randomly all over the world. An apocalyptic event that could only happen in movies had urred.


    Surprisingly, the damage to humanity wasn¡¯t significant since the governments of each country had been preparing for this extraordinary event. This was alsorgely due to the countless yers that had awakened.


    The monsters that ran through buildings and attacked people, as well as the monsters that trampled on the legacies that humanity had protected for hundreds of years were unable to withstand the counterattack from humanity¡¯s side and either perished or took refuge in the gates.


    Earth quickly regained its peace. They acquired substances and concepts that used to only exist in Satisfy and civilization developed rapidly.


    ¡°...You want me to be a yer?¡±


    Kim Jaseon was an ordinary fourth-generation rich kid. Like most ordinary people, he had lived peacefully without experiencing the changed world. He didn¡¯t care about who aplished what at the gates, what treasures they obtained, who died in a fierce battle... He had always dismissed it as stories that had nothing to do with him.


    Now he finally graduated from high school and was going to enter university. He didn¡¯t have a care in the world. All he thought about was spending a lot of money and going out to have fun.


    However, his father was forcing him to join the yer army. The incident urred two days after taking the yer Aptitude Test that Koreans had to take as soon as they became adults.


    ¡°Two days ago, you scored very highly on your aptitude test. You are the first person in our family who has the qualities of a yer. You can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°Be a yer by any means. Be a world-ss great individual like Grid... No, you can¡¯t be like Grid even if youe back from the dead. Just like the people of South Korea, please respect Grid¡¯s achievements, follow in his footsteps, and contribute to the country¡¯s development for the sake of ourpany¡¯s image.¡±


    Jaseon had no chance to veto it. He could enjoy a leisurely life all thanks to his father.


    [A little while ago at ten o¡¯clock, Yura, the president of the Korean yers Association, held a press conference and announced the upation of Cokro Ind. This is the first time in the world that a gate has been dered to be upied rather than captured. It seems to be a choice that respects the academic opinion that Cokro Ind is suitable as a training ground for new yers and...]


    ¡°...I think it''s a good idea.¡±


    Jaseon saw the news on TV and thought optimistically about his situation.


    Yura looked like she was in her early twenties and was still the most beautiful woman in South Korea. Even though she was a married woman, Jaseon was strangely excited at the thought of seeing such a beautiful woman from up close.


    Thus, the world was at peace. This was the peace created by Grid and the Overgeared Guild.


    Overgeared Completed.


    Author¡¯s Note: Thank you. Thanks to the love and interest of the readers, I was able toplete this eleven-year journey safely. I hope you can achieve everything you want, just like Grid. Always be healthy and happy.


    Trantor¡¯s Note: Thank you to the author, the publisher, Wuxiaworld and, most importantly, you, the readers! I also want to give a shout out to Jyazen, who worked hard on editing so many chapters. I wish they were here to witness the ending of Overgeared, since they loved it so much.


    It is hard to believe that such a long journey is finally ending. Overgeared has been part of my life for so long that I can mark major events in my life using it as reference. I have experienced so many ups and downs with this story, so I am d that I have managed toplete it. It will be bittersweet to think that there will be no more regr Overgeared chapters, but I am also looking forward to exploring more Korean novels in the future. I hope to see you there! Thank you, everyone.


    Editor¡¯s Note: Hello, everybody. Only about a hundred or so chapters have passed since I picked up the mantle for this web novel, but I¡¯m d to be here at its conclusion. Although it was a rather short journey for me, it was a good one nheless. Do not be sad that the journey ended. I¡¯m hoping to see you revisit Grid¡¯s adventures in the ebooks that are currently being released (which I am also editing, haha). Everyone, continue to seek out wonderful novels and expand your horizons. Have a good life.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!